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lady-charinette · 4 years ago

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Bursting Bubbler's Bubble - ML Fic

A/N: A little underwhelming for my normally angst riddled, ever complicating brain, but @naresar suggestion in discord prompted this to life. (I can't believe "bubble" produced all of this, curse you my friend. :3)

Tags: Canon divergent, puns (its Chat Noir), mild fluff, reimagining of the Bubbler episode, Flustered!LB

Rated: K+

Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir got trapped in a bubble and while thinking of ways to escape, Ladybug got creative in defeating Bubbler.

___________________________________________

Great.

This was great.

"You know, maybe this isn't so bad." Ladybug whipped her head around to glare pointedly at her partner, whose feet were on either side of her head due to the cramped space they were trapped in.

Trapped.

By an akuma.

Ladybug groaned. "Ugh, Chat Noir, how could let this happen? I thought I told you to watch my back!"

Chat Noir pressed a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "And I did m'lady! Um...maybe too closely..."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, before her gaze scanned the sky. "Oh no," Chat Noir turned and followed her gaze to rest on the other bubbles in the air, all the parents of Paris trapped in them.

Perhaps even his father was trapped somewhere, unable to get out. He was in danger, Paris was in danger. They had to think of something fast.

Chat Noir growled, lifting his foot away from his partner to slam it on top of the bubble keeping them imprisoned. "This is catastrophic!"

Ladybug rose an eyebrow, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. "You're telling me.'" Her maman and papa were also trapped in a bubble somewhere, they had to get out of here now.

"Hya!" Ladybug drove her elbow against the pink bubble, but the gum held remarkably well against their attacks.

"Maybe we should eat through it?" the look she shot Chat Noir silenced any other ideas the boy might even had. "Okay, new plan."

The spotted heroine stuck out her tongue in thought, eyeing the almost glowing layer coating the outside of the bubble. It was magic, maybe not even actual gum. It resisted their attacks, but maybe it was still vulnerable against something sharp like a real bubble?

"Chat Noir, use your claws to burst our bubble!"

Given the cramped space they were in allowing for little to not mobility, Ladybug was still impressed when Chat Noir striked a pose and hit the surface of the bubble with his claws.

No effect.

"...Sorry to burst your bubble m'lady..." his ears flattened to the back of his scalp, genuinely upset he couldn't help.

Ladybug released another sigh, but offered her partner a reassuring smile to ease his worries. "Its alright kitty, you did all you could." She drew in her knees to rest her chin atop them, brain still working for ways to get them out of their predicament. She eyed the item her lucky charm produced, a yoyo just like hers without the same powers of course. She was at a loss for what to do with a yoyo in this situation.

A hand settled on her shoulder, squeezing it in encouragement. "Don't worry bug, we'll figure something out. We always do." Ladybug could only offer him a half-hearted smile, but she tried showing him the genuine appreciation she felt at his attempts to cheer her up.

It wasn't long before Chat Noir mirrored her stance, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his chin on top of them in equal despair. "If only we could somehow destroy it..."

Wait...

"Chat Noir, your cataclysm!" she snapped her fingers but blanched at her partner's worried frown.

"Look how high up we are bug, how do we get down there safely?" both looked down in between them, spotting the city in chaos as the tiny figure of Bubbler continued trapping all the adults in bubbles.

"Don't worry, I'll have us covered!" she retrieved her yoyo and grinned confidently.

That made her kitty smile in return, before he called upon his power. "Cataclysm!"

His hand hovered over the surface of the bubble, before he tapped it with his claw.

The bubble burst and they were falling.

"Kitty, take my hand and take out your staff!" Ladybug withdrew the yoyo from her lucky charm, swinging it so fast it created a spinning wheel above their heads just like hers did.

Chat Noir complied, grabbing her hand tightly and clutching his staff with the other, "Now what m'lady?!" he shouted over the roar of the wind blowing in their ears.

His partner smiled. "Now you spin!"

Chat Noir smiled, elongation and spinning the baton as fast as he could with one hand. Their combined efforts still kept them in mid-air and slowed their descent and Chat Noir noticed why.

Ladybug hit one of the other bubbles adults were trapped in, her yoyo sticking to its surface just like it would to real bubble gum. Then, she instructed him to make a turn while still spinning his staff.

"Turn left Chat Noir!"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

Another bubble stuck to her yoyo, and another, and another.

Soon, it looked like Ladybug was holding a myriad of balloons on a single string, all the other bubbles sticking somehow to each-other.

"Now what do we do?" Chat Noir wasn't sure what his lady meant to accomplish, but he wanted to see how this would end.

Ladybug smiled a smile that told him they were in for a treat. "Now we'll visit the party crasher!"

Chat Noir used his staff to propel them in the direction of the akumatized Nino, who was about to hit another couple of adults with his bubble gun.

"Time to burst your bubble too, Bubbler!" Before the akuma could react, Ladybug threw all her weight in her arm holding the yoyo string tightly, all the adults still trapped in the bubbles coming towards Bubbler at high speed like a wrecking ball.

"What the- augh!" It hit him like a fright train and Bubbler slammed against a lamppost from the force of the hit.

Just as Ladybug predicted, all the bubbles were intact and the adults unharmed. Still, the heroine moved to adress the crowd. "I'm so sorry everyone! This was the only way I could think of to beat him."

It were her parents that spoke to her in a tone that made Ladybug almost anxious that they somehow knew her identity, a tone they used for when Marinette was feeling worried or scared. "That's alright Ladybug, you did what you had to do to save us. We're all grateful for you and Chat Noir's help." They smiled and the rest of the other parents nodded in agreement.

Ladybug smiled back earnestly, feeling pride at having such parents as were Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng.

"M'lady," she turned to greet Chat Noir holding up Bubbler's gun and throwing it to her.

Ladybug smirked and broke the item in half, the akuma flying out. "Time to de-evilize!"

Trapping the akuma in her yoyo, it flew out in its pure white form again. "Bye, bye little butterfly." Ladybug smiled at the small creature, so pure and white unlike its akumatized counterpart.

She threw her yoyo into the air, her voice clear as it called for her powers. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The magic washed over the entire city, freeing the adults from the bubbles, everyone safely on the ground without their bubble prisons.

Sabine and Tom immediately hugged each-other, rejoicing at their freedom. Ladybug smiled at the scene and held her fist out for her partner. "Pound it!"

But instead of bumping his fist against hers, Chat Noir held her hand gently in his.

Ladybug blinked in confusion at the sincere look in his eyes. "You were amazing m'lady." his green eyes twinkled in genuine awe, "I'm amazed everytime you save the day, because it means the girl I...admire behind the mask is even greater than I thought she would be and this cat is honored to be your partner." he bowed his head to lightly kiss the back of her hand, a gesture that normally didn't make Ladybug budge, but for some reason today, it made her oddly flustered.

At the speed of light and embarrassment, Ladybug quickly pulled her hand back, her face nearly blending into her suit. "T-Thank you Chat Noir, that was- that sweet..." she shook her head, her earrings reminding her of the time and she took her yoyo in hand, "Right! Um, save you-see you later kitty! Burn out! Um- bug out!" before she took off so fast she almost seemed to fly, just like a real ladybug.

Despite the warning beeps of his miraculous, Chat Noir took a moment to himself, his hand moving up to rest over his beating heart and a grin formed over his lips.

Yes, his lady was amazing, and the girl behind the mask, he found himself loving every day a bit more.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #chat noir #marinette dupaincheng #ml fic #bubbler retelling #bubbler ml #the bubbler ml #long post #miraculous #akumatized!nino #ladybug #ladynoir

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enthusiastic-nimrod · 5 years ago

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Hey I'm Fred's fourth daddy anon! I sent that to you, and what felt like five minutes later you came in with that gorgeous sketch. Do you have any art tips or videos that have taught you cause I've been stuck draw trying to draw anything not resembling a lump for two years. Also yeah it was whirlwind episode, f*ck Rose, and Fred should have turned that loon in.

Hey FD Anon, thanks so much! I don’t draw a lot of “horror” art so I’m really happy with it’s progress so far!

While I do agree with you that Rose is The Worst, I think she added in an interesting dynamic and I’d be happy if she became a recurring character in the Scooby mythos at large. As for Fred not turning his dad in... I agree, but I also understand why he didn’t.

The episode went out of it’s way to show off how frightening and weird he is but Fred made it very clear that when he wasn’t wearing the mask he was a good parent, and that all of his crimes were shown as nonviolent. He didn’t seem to steal anything (unless I missed that line?) he just liked messing with people by confusing them.

As for art tips, I... honestly never expected anybody to ask for advice from me? That’s super flattering wow.

Okay, so I’m still pretty much a novice, but lemme give you some of my best tips and tricks:

1) Notice how my last sketch had a grey background? This wasn’t just for that sketch, this is how I use ALL of my digital canvases. I do this because the grey causes less strain to my eyes, and allows me to work longer and more easily. Being so close to a screen, especially a blue or white one, can make it harder to work for long periods of time.

2) If you want to do digital art, you need to learn “traditional art” (pencil and paper) first. It makes transitioning to digital more easy and it’s pretty much what any art teacher would recommend, for good reason.

3) Using one method of art not only limits you, but stops you from learning other techniques which can be incorporated into what you typically prefer. Not only that, but you can also discover a medium you really love that you never would have thought of before!

4) Whenever you get the chance, work in black and white or monochrome. This is a great way to help yourself learn about values and intensity, and just looks cool in general.

5) Piggybacking on that last point, if you’re ever worried about your shading, values, etc becoming muddled either A] take a picture and use a filter to make it black and white, or B] create another, pure white layer on top of the others and change it from “Normal” to “Hue”. Doing this can really help change your approach to coloring (black and white effect may be different for every art program).

6) If you want to get better at realistic faces, I was taught using the grid system. You have squares on your reference picture, squares on your paper, and then match up the body parts to the squares. I personally didn’t like this method, but it’s a really solid style of learning.

7) Start with the torso instead of the head. what you start with the head, the body may end up becoming wonky and having the neck stretched out at an odd angle or having a too small cranium. This is easier to fix in digital art but I suggest just remembering the importance of that rib cage (this is something I’m still training myself out of).

8) Asking for feedback can be an invaluable tool. For example, last year I had this really weird thing where I drew my eyes way too close together- I never noticed until I had it pointed out to me, and it took MONTHS to break this habit.

9) References are very useful, and one fun technique I’ve found great use in is to draw a pose, first with no reference, and then following that reference very strictly. This can be helpful when you want to see where you are developmentally.

10) Every now and then while drawing, you want to put the pencil down, prop up your paper, and walk away so that you can see the full image from a distance. If you’re working digitally, you zoom out a great deal so that the image appears smaller. This is a GREAT tool for seeing which sections of the piece need the most attention and how those smaller details hold up.

11) If you have the opportunity, you REALLY want to participate in an actual art class. Having a teacher that can see what you’re doing in real time and knows where you’re at skill-wise is an INVALUABLE thing to have- these people were specifically taught how to teach you these skills, recognize your problems and how to fix them. Don’t be afraid to talk to them and ask for advice about non-classwork art, either! You can’t receive help if you don’t ask for it.

12) Flip your canvas! I know you’ve probably heard this before, but this is one of the best ways to check for anatomy inconsistencies.

13) When it comes to youtube artists, I don’t really actively follow any, but I do know of some!

Mark Crilley: While I don’t watch his videos much now, I used to follow his videos RELIGIOUSLY. He’s got some really solid advice on how to map out comics and mangas, and he taught me the importance of silent scenes and keeping your work from getting too wordy. He mostly does the soft anime look, but he also does some pretty stellar realism.

mikeymegamega: I’m not going to lie to you, anon- this man likes his cheesecake. This guy is all about the cute anime girls, so if you’re not looking for that, skip him, but I really can’t recommend his videos on hands, feet, and faces enough.

Proko: Has a video about best drawing exorcises and is the guy you turn to when you want to know about figure drawing. He tends to focus on the more realistic anatomy, and while his videos may be long he’s got some good advice. I’d say to check out his studying anatomy correctly video, and then just kinda scroll through his pages.

Ethan Becker: THE KNIFE MAN. The first time I clicked on him I thought he was making a troll video- but then he Got Into It and my dudes, my guys, he has some CRAZY good advice. The way he words things and shows you examples in his videos are amazing and I really can’t recommend him enough. He did a video called “Fixing PROKO's LAZY Drawings“ and while you’d think it would be a bash fest his advice on shading in it is just so incredibly useful. Click on pretty much any of his videos and you’ll be entertained and learning.

I'd also suggest watching speedpaints. Even if it was unintentional, I’ve learned several really solid art hacks from speedpaint and storytime videos- so always be aware that you have an option for that.

…. Oh! And also, practice! I know you’ve probably been given this advice from everyone already, but it’s worth remembering.

Sorry if this got a bit long, I just figured I’d try to give you some good hacks- and even if you have already heard of most of these, I hope I could at the very least entertain!

#ask #response #anon #art advice #art tips #scooby doo #fred jones #professor huh #bcsd

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rebelcourtesan · 4 years ago

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Concerning Chapter 22 of Thicker than Water

I had so much positive response from readers concerning this chapter that I decided to share some background info concerning. Originally, after Jesse helps Liz escape the White Demon (Izzy), the plan was to have them take Marty to CandyLand to hide. However, a plot bunny bit me and I came up with a new set of events that slotted so well in the plot that I went along with it.

The purpose of these changes was character development for Liz as she learns more about Hell and Pentagram City and the dangers it poses for her as a human woman. Ever since she arrived, she’s been warned by Marty repeatedly of its dangers and according to the TV Tropes, Marty is overprotective, but for very good reason as Liz learned in this chapter.

It has never occurred to her until this chapter that Hell is a place where bad people go.

Holy shit, she realized, this was Hell . . .all the people who were sent to Hell for being perverts, rapists, and sexual harassment were likely in this District! People who refused to take no for an answer had turned into demons who still did not accept no as an answer! The epiphany made her bones shake in terror, realizing for the first time just how dangerous this place was for her.

To be clear, Liz is dressed modestly with a long coat and even has half her face covered to hide her humanity, and even uses her body language to indicate she wants to be left alone, but that STILL did not stop herself from being harassed or even assaulted.

She encounters three cases of harassment and assault that stands out in the chapter. In each of these situations, Liz has openly told each attacker No.

1. A persistent male prostitute that follows her and insists on her paying him for oral sex. It wasn’t until she told him she had no money that he kicks her which makes her fall and lose her phone.

2. A demon accosts her with a knife and forces her to go with him to a sex hotel. Thankfully, due to quick thinking on her part, Liz was able to get away.

3. A car of demons try to steal her off the street and she is rescued (or apprehended) by Izzy, the White Demon.

Which is why this chapter is called The Hunt. Originally, it was going to be called the Chase, but the Hunt suited this chapter better as it wasn’t only Izzy (White Demon) after Liz, but the Red Light District itself.

I like strong female characters who get themselves out of dangerous situations not through a guardian, powers, or advanced combat skills, but those who use their wits and ingenuity to save themselves. Like Veronica from Veronica Mars, Chihiro from Spirited Away, or Arrietty from the Secret World of Arrietty.

The irony is that she considers the three encounters more dangerous than when she came across the occupant of the red limo, who poses the most danger to her and made her vulnerable. Yep, the moment that made readers sweat and fear for Liz.

Being a pimp, Valentino’s limo was parked in PP District (Pay to Play District) to collect his worker’s earnings, resolve disputes between workers and johns, and use his presence to keep his employees in line. And also, keep his eye open for potential new recruits.

Having just escaped from attempted rape, Liz catches his eye by standing out from the crowd with her smaller size and frightened demeanor. Believing her to be a newly damned soul, due to her mask and behavior, he attempts to draw her inside the limo.

The limo door opened as she walked by. Red smoke rose from the darkness, wavering in the air, forming serpentine figures. "Need a ride, sugar?"

Why can't she be left alone? "No."

"Ya sure? Ya don't look so good. Like a scared kitten who lost her mama."

Her step faltered to a stop. The smoke smelled sweet and familiar, sending a warmth cascading through her chest and stomach. It felt thick like melted candy coating her insides.

A gleam within the limo, a hand caressed the heart shape ruby set atop of a black cane. "You'll be safe, sugar, no one will bother you in here."

And she believed it. The voice was low, deep, and paternal with an allure that tugged at something deep inside her that wasn't fear. The promise of relief and safety drew her like a ship to a beacon . . .a moth to a flame.

An ebony gloved hand with reddish hue fingertips extended from the limo's black interior, the white cuff almost glowing like snow under a starry sky. "That's a good girl. Daddy will keep ya safe."

I share the same theory that Val’s smoke has mind altering properties such as a drug that lowers inhibitions and make others more receptive to suggestions and seductions. Another thing that I believe Valentino does is delivers on his promises, though perhaps not how others would believe.

Valentino fully intended to protect Liz from the dangers of the PP District, however, once she entered the limo, it would have been impossible to leave it of her own volition. Instead of being sexual assaulted, she would have been forced or tricked into a lifetime of sexual slavery.

What saves her is not her own wits, but her love for her father, Marty.

She stopped. Her feet carried her towards the limo, but the mention of 'Daddy' brought up Marty's memory and his near-death condition. She hadn't thought of him so long, not since she arrived in the red light district. Shit, what if he was dead now? Died without her by his side as she had been there when her mother passed.

Liz had already lost a parent that raised her and had spent years living alone without family, then after meeting Marty, she opened her heart and accepted him as her father.

Her love for Marty and her positive relationship with him is what keeps her out of Valentino’s clutches.

"I . . .I have to go," she turned away.

"C'mon, baby, lemme take you where ya need t' go."

She had had enough. Fury overtook the fear, and she turned on her heel, shouting, "I said no, goddammit! Why the fuck can't anyone in this goddamn district understand the word no!? I work for Valentino, I'm off the clock, so back the fuck off!"

She shoved her way back into the crowd, uncaring if she stepped on toes or tails as she went.

The limo door remained opened, and a pair of heart shape shades caught the light of the lamppost, flashing bright red. "Is that a fact?"

I love the fact of her reading the riot act about consent to the one character the fandom recognizes a abuser and a rapist. And it’s not lost on him that she declared herself as one of his workers when he doesn’t recognize her at all.

Liz believes him to be a wealthy john shopping for a hooker and has no idea that she cussed out the Moth Pimp King of Hell and Overlord. If there are to be repercussions from this close encounters . . . .remains to be seen.

Stay tuned . . .

#Hazbin Hotel #Thicker than Water

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skiesoftwilight · 5 years ago

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Forever Star-Crossed (Jason Todd)

This was a pain in the ass to write! but like a good, challenging pain in the ass lmao. I’ve had this request in my inbox and I believe it was like the second or first one and I’m now just putting it out??? (Anon, I’m sorry.) I had such a straightforward plot, but I guess I struggle with too many specifics?? I don’t know. Also, I didn’t realize it until I was almost done with it, but the plot is kind of like the Great Gatsby, but my writing can do no justice to that amazing story. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Especially the Anon who requested it, if you’re still out there lol :)

Requested by: Anon

hey I love your writing! I saw requests were open and I was wondering if you could write something where jay is best friends with a girl and he’s secretly in love with her but she’s dating Hal (the green lantern protege? I’m not 100% sure thats his name?) and he stops by her window one day only to see her baking cookies and dancing around in the kitchen with Hal listening to painkiller by ruel and being a cute couple and its just him being all angsty

Word Count: 6432

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

The soft clicking of your heels against the pavement rang throughout the dark and desolate city streets of Gotham. The few people that had dared to come out at this time of night were watching you carefully, sizing you up to see what kind of threat you posed if any. You ignored their mysterious gazes and continued on with your phone conversation.

“What’s the plan for dinner?” You asked. A yawn crept up on you and escaped from between your lips. “I just got off work and I’m starving.”

“I don’t know. I just home myself,” A deep sigh fell from his mouth on the other end, “Do you want me to come get you? I’m still dressed, I don’t—”

“I’ll be just fine walking,” A soft laugh fell from your lips as your watchful gaze surveyed the area around you, “I swear you forget who you’re dealing with from time to time.”

A deep chuckle sounded from the other line, “You’re right. Sorry. I guess I’ll be seeing you soon then?”

“Yeah, give me about fifteen minutes,” Your lips curled at the edges, “Maybe when I get home, we can—”

A hand had clamped down on your shoulder from behind and jerked you backward, making you stumble. A gasp fell from your lips and your eyes grew wide as you watched a lonesome thug tug on the strap of your purse, yanking it from your shoulder ripping it from your grasp. The minute he pulled your purse free, he took off down the street, making a hard right into an alley.

“(Y/N)? Hey, what happened?” His voice rose with worry laced into his tone, “(Y/N)!”

“I’m still here,” A shaky breath left your lips as you stood up straight. Your gaze hardened as you leaned down to tighten the straps on your heels. “A damn thug just stole my purse…I’ll have to call you back; I’ll be home a little later than expected.”

Before he could speak another word, you ended the call and ran after the thug. All you could focus on was finding the thief and getting your purse back; it was a gift from your father after all.

Coming upon the alley that the thug had turned down, you stopped yourself and took a deep breath before marched right down the dimly lit path. Your eyes narrowed, watching every shadow move as you walked. Your fists were clenched and your whole body tense; you were ready for a fight.

The sound of rats scurrying across the street pulled your attention towards a flickering light above a dumpster. You caught sight of a body laying on top of the trash bags, not moving. Slowly approaching the body, you realized it was the thug that had just attacked you moments ago; your purse was nowhere near his body and it drew in your curiosity.

Leaning down beside the body, you hesitantly reached for his hand, checking for a pulse. Worry started to build up in your chest when you couldn’t find his pulse. Your hand crept up to his neck, but just before you could touch his skin, a voice stopped you.

“He’s not dead.”

You jumped up from the ground and turned to see where the voice had come from; yet, all you could see was darkness. You spun around in a full circle, your fists still clenched and your hardened gaze staring into pure darkness.

“One punch and he was out.” The voice spoke again, this time a little louder. “I swear these criminals used to be tough and now? Well, they’re just growing soft.”

“I didn’t need your help,” You stated, looking in the direction where you last heard the voice, “I had it perfectly under control.”

“Was letting him get a head start a part of you keeping it under control?” The voice teased.

“Show yourself,” You demanded, your voice harsh.

The person stepped out of the shadows, slowly making his way to stand a few feet away from you. Wearing a leather jacket, black pants, combat boots, and holding your purse wasn’t what disturbed you but the red helmet masking his face and the red modified bat symbol on his chest that shown every time his leather jacket shifted.

“Red Hood.” You stated, your hardened gaze never leaving his masked one.

“You know me?” He questioned, raising his hand to cover his chest, “I’m flattered. I guess word still travels fast in this city of rats.”

“Word gets around, but through a different circle,” You corrected him, “Who are you underneath that helmet? I don’t like strange, masked, crusaders in this city, there’s already too many of them running around.”

“A friend from long ago…” His voice lowered, a hint of sadness is what you believed you heard.

“You’re not any friend of mine,” You responded. Your hands stayed clenched at your sides. He lowered his head and rested a hand on his hip, showing off the pistol on his side, “You better start talking or this won’t end well for you.”

A deep laugh fell from his lips, “You’re still like I last remember you…acting all tough when you’re really a big softie…” He looked down at your purse and tossed it back and forth between his hands, “I’m surprised you still have this. I’m guessing you’re still buddy-buddy with him, aren’t you?”

“What?” Confusion crept on your face as you believed he was referring to Bruce.

He tossed the purse at you, watching you catch it in your hands. Confusion and irritation were clear on your face as you watched him reach behind his helmet and start to pull it off. Your eyes grew wide and your whole body felt weak as you saw a face that you thought you would never see again.

“J-J,” You stuttered, struggling to let his name leave your lips for the first time in so many years, “Jason?”

“In the flesh.”

“N-No,” You shook your head, stumbling backward, “I-It can’t be, you’re dead...I was there for your funeral…I saw you laying in that casket…”

“I was, but some crazy things happened that I can’t explain and I don’t know why, but I’m back.”

“You’re not supposed to be here! I’m losing my mind…” You shouted, your hands pushing your disheveled hair out of your face.

He saw the terrified expression on your face, the blank look in your eyes…it pained him to see you like this. “Hey, I know just seeing me is a lot to take in—”

“I—I just got…I—I can’t do this right now…I got to go.”

“(Y/N), wait.”

Ignoring his pleas for you to stay, you ran out of the alley, not even sparing a glance behind you in fear that your past would be following you. Coming up to the steps of your apartment complex, you flung the door open and slammed it shut, pressing your back firmly against it.

Running a shaky hand through your hair, you took a deep breath and began to make your way up to your apartment door, trying to push the night’s events deep down and towards the back of your mind.

Standing in front of your apartment door, you unclipped your house keys from your purse and unlocked the door and quickly stepped inside, locking it behind you. Resting your head against the wooden door, you shut your eyes and groaned.

“Hey,” His mirthful voice pulled you from your mind, causing you to turn to look at him, “I can see you got your purse back,” His smile faded the moment he saw a glint of sadness in your eyes, “Is there something wrong? Did something happen?”

You shook your head as you set the purse down on the counter, “No, uh, just a stressful day at work and you know, that thug stealing my purse. I’m fine.”

He made his way over to you, wrapping you in his warm embrace, “Iif you want to talk about it, we can?”

Shaking your head, you looked up at him, “I rather not.”

He hummed in response, placing a kiss on the crown of your head. “About dinner, I was thinking we could go out to that new joint down the street?”

“No,” You quickly answered, moving away from his embrace, “Let’s just stay inside and order something? I’m too tired to deal with anyone else’s BS right now.”

“Alright, that’s fine with me.” He smiled and walked over to the kitchen to grab some of the take-out brochures you two saved from other lazy nights in.

While he was calling out places that you might want, you half-heartedly answered as you rummaged through your purse, looking for your phone to text Bruce and see if you were going crazy or not. As your fingers sifted through the old grocery receipts and empty gum wrappers, you felt a rough piece of paper touch your fingertips. Pulling it out from your purse, you saw that there was a number scribbled on it and a single name in under the last digits: Jay.

An audible groan mixed with a cry left your lips as you crumpled the paper up and tossed it back in your purse. Moving to join him the kitchen to look at the food menus, he made you laugh and did his best to pull you out of your sudden sadness. You physically lightened up, but on the inside, you were dying to know what the hell you just witnessed.

Sitting in a coffee shop, you pulled the crumpled paper from your purse and laid it on the table. The sloppily-written name awoken a wide range of feelings and emotions that you thought you could never feel again and it scared you. Your shaky hands reached for the paper, gently smoothing out the wrinkles before grabbing your phone and slowly putting each number into the dial-pad.

Resting your elbows on the table and letting a hand cover your mouth while the other held the suddenly heavy phone next to your ear, you listened to it ring. You counted them out, one…two…three…four…after the fourth ring, you were about to hang up before you heard the line pick up and his voice come through on the other side.

“Hello?”

You froze, not knowing what to say. Staring at the name on the paper in front of you, you slowly opened your mouth to speak, your voice barely audible, “Hey…”

“(Y/N)?” Jason’s tone was soft and soothing which reminded you of the old times. “Hey, I was wondering when you would call…”

“A-Are you busy? Right now?” You asked, your whole body slowly relaxing as you fiddled with the paper.

“No, not really,” He spoke, shuffling around on his end of the line, “Is there something wrong?”

“Can we t-talk?” You inquired. Your gaze bounced back and forth from the paper to the window you were situated by, trying to distract your nerves before they overwhelmed you.

“Sure,” Jason responded. You could just picture the smile on his face at your request, “Just send me your location and I’ll be there.”

Mumbling a brief goodbye, you hung up the phone and sent him the address. You tried to mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming conversation, prepping questions that you’ve been thinking about ever since you saw him: How long had he been resurrected? Where was he? Why did he come back to Gotham of all places after all this time? You had so many questions, you just hoped that you could actually ask them if you don’t get overwhelmed.

While deep in your thoughts, you heard the door chime behind you. Turning to look at who it could be, your breath got caught in your throat and your eyes grew wide once again. You saw him stepping inside, looking around until his gaze met yours; his gaze felt so heavy, you turned away, waiting for him to approach you.

“Hey there…”

His voice was soft, yet it sounded more mature than when you last heard it years ago. Without looking up at him, you gestured for him to take a seat. Listening to your weak commands, he sat in the chair and quietly fiddled with the sugar packets on the table.

“Thank you for coming,” You mumbled, trying to get yourself to relax in his presence and gain the courage to look at him at least once, “I didn’t know if you were busy or not, but I made the call because…I want answers. I’m sure you want some too.”

Nodding his head, “No problem, all of my work is carried out in the night but even then I got nothing going on, so don’t ever be afraid to call me at any time.”

“Noted.” The single word fell from your lips, but nothing else came after.

The conversation fell into a tense silence before it hardly began. Jason continued to fiddle with the sugar packets while you gently stirred your coffee. The two of you opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. His mere presence was bugging you; you were dying to ask your first question, you just didn’t know how to phrase it.

Your mind was screaming at you to look at him, just once, but you were struggling to let your gaze wander any higher than his lips. From what you could see, his face had not changed much, other than having short, thin scars from blades. Daring to let your eyes wander higher, your curious gaze met with his and you froze, not sure if you should look away or let his intense blue eyes see right through you. Your gaze was held in his and you could’ve sworn you saw a spark in his.

“How were you…resurrected?” You blurted out, your eyes grew wide as you surveyed the other tables around you, making sure no one was trying to listen in.

A deep sigh fell from his lips, “That’s a complicated story, but I’ll shorten it. I mysteriously woke up in my coffin and crawled to the surface where, Talia, Bruce’s little flame, took me in and tossed me in that Lazarus pit next to Ra’s. She helped me get a grip on my new life…I met new allies, traveled a lot, learned new skills.”

“You just crawled out of your grave?” You whisper-shouted, shielding your mouth from other people; your childish side kicking in as you pictured Jason all muddy, springing from his grave, “Like a zombie?”

He chuckled, “Yeah, like a zombie.”

“All that stuff you learned, I’m guessing that’s what created Red Hood?” You asked, connecting pieces of his story together.

“You got it.” Jason confirmed your suspicions, “I think I learned more than Bruce, but don’t tell him that.”

“Red Hood…” You paused, thinking about all the things you heard from the briefings from Bruce and the others, “I’ve heard you killed people before? Is it true?”

Jason looked up at you, his voice turning serious, “I don’t kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it, just know that. I’m not a savage, I just take crime-fighting another step further, a step Bruce is too scared to take.”

“Does Bruce even know that you’re back?” You asked, sipping your coffee, “I’m sure he would be delighted to see you, in the flesh, after all these years…”

“He knows. He was the first person I encountered upon stepping one foot in this city.” He answered, rolling his eyes at the mention of his former mentor, “I’ve met the rest of the brood too. They’ve got personalities, but they don’t stray far from B’s, that’s for sure.”

“Wait, you know of the others?” You asked, furrowing your brow, “How long have you been back in the city?”

“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks,” He reassured you, placing his palms on the table, “I wasn’t even supposed to stay this long, let alone be back here. I was only coming to tie up some loose ends on a job I was working, but things got…complicated…”

“What the hell, Jason?” You eyes narrowed, “You didn’t think to at least try and see me sooner? I was thinking that it was only in my dreams that I would see you, my dearest friend, alive again, but it turns out you’ve been alive for quite some time.”

“I told you, things got complicated…” He restated, giving you a sullen look. Hearing his name and friend being used in the same sentence by you hurt him, but he was more upset at the fact that you were upset at him for not coming to you sooner.

“Well, what was the complication?” You inquired, crossing your arms to look him in the eyes. You wanted answers, and you were going to get them.

“I can’t tell you that right now. You wouldn’t understand it.” He muttered, barely audible to your ears. There was a sad look in his eyes, but before you could comment on it, it was replaced with a glint of happiness and curiosity, “Enough talking about me, I want to know more about you and what you’ve been up to.”

A small smile crept onto your lips, “My story isn’t nearly as interesting as yours.”

“That’s okay,” He reassured you, his goofy smile appearing, “I just wanna know more about you.”

Mumbling some words, you let out a sigh, “I don’t live at the manor anymore; I left the day after I turned eighteen. Dick let me stay with him for a while, but I didn’t stay long and left. I struggled for a while without Bruce’s help, but I managed,” You smiled, thinking about all your accomplishments, “I got myself a normal job, normal friends…In a way, I kinda got a second chance at life.”

“You seem to be doing pretty well all on your own; I’m happy for you,” He smiled, yet he leaned in closer to you, his gaze surveying the other people around you before continuing, “Are you still running around in the dark?”

“Oh no,” You shook your head, “Bruce offered me the mantle a couple years after your “departure”, but I turned it down; I turned down any type of caped crusader gigs that a bunch of people offered me, but I didn’t leave that life behind completely. I’m still deeply involved in those affairs; I actually work with someone who’s a member of the League.”

Jason’s attention was peaked when he heard the word “partner” leave your lips, “Oh really? Who is it? Barry? Clark?—You were always his favorite—Diana? Arthur? Hal?”

A small laugh left your lips as you watched his calm expression turn to a more exciting one. “No, no, none of those guys; it’s someone who has a lesser role in all of it, but still important nonetheless. I just can’t tell you: League rules.” You shrugged your shoulders.

Jason nodded, letting a light chuckle slip from between his lips, “I see. You can keep your secrets.”

Silence filled the air. After finally warming up to one another, you two felt like you had said what you needed to say during this meeting. While you were comfortable with the silence, sipping on your coffee and watching the people walk past the window, Jason fiddled with his fingers, deciding if he should bring up a last minute thought.

“Hey, uh, this might sound like a stupid question after all these years, but…” he paused, looking at your hands placed on the table and slowly let his gaze come to meet your intrigued gaze, “Do you still consider us friends? Even after all these years?”

Your brow furrowed and your fingers tapped on the edges of the table, “I don’t see why not, but things between us have changed, Jason. We aren’t wards under Bruce anymore, we’ve both grown and matured and became two individual people,” You sighed, “We built complex, yet somewhat stable lives and if you’re looking to go back to the past…well, we just can’t.”

“The only thing I want to bring back from my past is you,” He confessed, the sad glint in his eye returning for just a split second, “I missed you the most out of everything else from my first life and I would love for you to be in my second one as well.”

Your soft smile appeared at his kind words, making his grow. “I’d be happy to try to pick up where we left off, Jason, but…” Jason froze, “If things don’t work out the way we hoped, well, then we can’t force it, okay? Maybe we can’t be best friends, but we can maybe settle for just the simple title of friends, yeah?”

Your use of his name and friend in the same sentence killed him, but he didn’t show it; instead, his goofy grin grew and he held out his hand for you to shake, “I can live with that.”

With smiles both gracing your grown faces, you reached for his extended hand, but before you could graze your fingertips against his, your phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up to alert you that he was calling; Jason’s gaze darted to the phone and took note of the caller ID: My Artist.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this.” You apologized before standing up from the table and walking outside the shop to have your conversation.

He watched you stand outside, walking back and forth, talking with a never faltering smile on your lips; his heart jumped when he could’ve sworn he saw and heard your muffled laugh. The smile on Jason’s own lips was reduced to the slight curling at the corners as he saw that your happiness was coming from someone other than him.

When your call had ended, you dismissed yourself from yours and Jason’s conversation to handle some League affairs, but you reassured him that you two would spend more time together soon. With a verbal goodbye and a slightly awkward handshake initiated on your part, you both parted ways.

“And that’s the last time Dick let me borrow his car.” You laughed, snatching up the nearly empty beer bottle off the coffee table to down the last drops. Slamming the bottle back down on the table and leaning against the couch from your spot on the floor, shrugging your shoulders and raising your hands, “I barely hit anything and the stuff I did hit? The dents on his car weren’t even that bad…”

“You took out a parking meter and somehow pinned a hotdog cart with the passenger side on his car,” Jason struggled to keep his laugh in check, but failed miserably, letting his head fall back onto the armrest of his sofa, undoubtedly picturing you standing by the car, mortified, explaining to Dick how it happened, “I think the dents were pretty bad. That whole story is an example as to why Bruce never let you drive the Batmobile.”

“He never let you either! Come to think of it, he never even taught you.” You countered, throwing a finger in his direction.

“Touché.”

Your melodious laughter was music to Jason’s ears. He watched you double over, wiping the stray tears of happiness from the creases of your eyes as you stood up to fetch yourself another beer from the kitchen. Jason listened to your side comments about the story, but all he could do was chuckle at a memory he wished he shared with you.

These types of moments between you and Jason had been going on for the last couple of weeks, non-stop. You would call him up after work every day and you two would hang out at the coffee shop or at his apartment to reminisce about the old times between you two or the stories you had from living at the manor and watching each new Robin come into their own identities.

“Got any stories from your travels that you would like to share?” You asked while setting a beer on the table in front of him. “I’m still thinking of some other ones…”

“Nah, I like your stories better,” He admitted, sitting up once again to look at you laying on the floor, a goofy smile taking over your usual composed one, “What I’m learning from you and your stories is that you haven’t lost your spark.”

“Aw, thanks Jay,” Your cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, “Someone had to lighten up that dark place besides Alfred.”

“What other stories you got?” Jason asked.

“Well, let me see… oh, well there was this one time Damian jumped out the third story window…”

Jason zoned out, his thoughts consuming him in the moment. His eyes took in every little detail that you shown as you were telling your story. The bright, goofy smile on your face, the way your hands illustrated the whole scene, how expressive your eyes got, and that little laugh you made before your initial one filled the room. Seeing you like this made him think on his next actions.

“That does sound like a funny story…” Jason blandly added. Setting his beer on the table, he rested his elbows on his knees and looked at you on the floor, sipping your beer. “Hey, I had something to tell you that I’ve had on my mind for quite some time actually…”

“Lay it on me.” You sent your smile his way.

“Uh, well, the night before I—”

He was interrupted by the muffled buzzing of your phone inside your purse. You sprang up from your spot on the floor and grabbed your purse from the couch and brought it to the coffee table. Your hands rummaged through your cluttered purse, looking for your phone but you couldn’t even see a single part of it.

“Goddamnit, I have to clean this thing out.” You groaned, turning your purse upside down and shaking all of its contents out until your buzzing phone bounced off the table and onto the floor. Dropping your purse and snatching up your phone, you answered it and walked into the kitchen, leaving a confused Jason sitting on the couch picking up all your belongings and setting them beside your purse.

He came across a folded paper and curiosity came over him. Looking over his shoulder to see if you were still in the kitchen he proceeded to open the paper to reveal a decent drawing of your face. The illustration was slightly cartoonish, but it still captured your beauty nonetheless; Jason could’ve sworn he seen this type of style somewhere before, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Looking at the corner of the paper, the initials K.R. was scribbled along with an illegible note.

“What are you doing?” Jason jumped in his seat, but didn’t hide the picture, “Are snooping?”

Looking at the drawing in his hands and then at you, he sheepishly smiled, “Yeah…Who drew this for you? It’s pretty neat.”

“My friend, he’s pretty good alright. I believe he’s got a gig for doing illustrations or something like that.” You informed Jason, snatching the photo from his hands and tossing back into your purse with the rest of your belongings. “Why were you so curious?”

“I’ve seen that style before, but I don’t remember where…”

“I hate thoughts like that…anyways, sorry for the phone call, I’m always being pulled in some direction, aren’t I?” You chuckled, taking a seat beside him on the couch, “You were saying something before the phone call?”

Jason opened his mouth, but no words came out. All his mind could do was bring up that picture and fill his thoughts with negative ones. Looking at you, he smiled softly, “You know what? Don’t even worry about it. It wasn’t that important.”

You double checked with him, but he reassured you it could wait. After sitting in silence for a few moments, you changed the subject, “I was looking at my phone and I didn’t realize how late it was getting; you know, we’ve been talking here for the past six hours? That’s crazy.”

“That is.” Jason nodded his head in agreement, “If it’s getting late, I can drive you home? I got no problem doing it; I would like to know that you’re not out there with those criminals.”

A cheap laugh fell from your lips, “Oh, what is it with people forgetting who I was?” You turned to Jason as you stood up from the couch, “I’ll be fine. Actually, I—”

As if on cue, the muffled sound of a car horn interrupted your sentence. A goofy smile broke out on your lips as your head dropped before lifting up to look at Jason’s confusion expression.

“…have a ride,” You soft giggles turned into a deep sigh as you picked up your purse, “Sorry.”

Jason’s smile faltered, but he played it off as if he was going to drink his beer. Standing up beside you, he looked down at you, taking in how your smile continued to stay on your relaxed face while you looked up at him.

“Well, I had lots of fun with you tonight, really,” Jason confessed, “It was nice to catch up on so many things, hopefully, we can do it again sometime soon?”

“Definitely!” You nearly shouted, “Next time, maybe we could do my place? I can cook us up something?” You suggested, looking deep into his eyes for his approval.

“I’d like that,” The horn sounded again, making him turn his attention to the window before your hand on his arm pulled his attention back towards you, “Don’t keep your ride waiting. Goodnight, (Y/N).”

“Goodnight, Jason.” You spoke softly. Moving in closer, you stood on your toes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, patted his chest a few times before dashing out his apartment and down to your ride.

Jason’s smile grew from the sudden affection you gave him. It gave him hope that maybe you didn’t feel the same way about him as he did for you. After seeing that picture and knowing of your friend, he knew that things were heating up between you two and he wanted to beat the other to the punch.

Don’t beat around the bush. Tell her who you feel.

Standing stock-still in the elevator, Jason’s nervous blue eyes stared at the bouquet of flowers in his hand, making sure that each delicate flower looked presentable. The sweet smell the flowers gave off relaxed him; the loud thoughts in his mind were feeding his anxiety and making his heartbeat so fast that he was sure he felt it hit his ribcage a couple of times.

The elevator beeped and the large, metal doors slowly opened to the floor your apartment was on. With a heavy sigh escaping from between his lips, he began to walk down the corridor, looking at the numbers on the door, trying to match it with the one that was scribbled on the sticky note in his hand.

When he finally came face to face with your door, he froze. He stood there for a few moments, wondering if he should just turn around and leave or stay and see if his dreams come true. Adjusting his leather jacket and rotating the flowers to their best side, he knocked on the door lightly, waiting for you to come to the door.

He heard shuffling and the sound of your voice on the other side of the door. The muffled music was turned down and the sound of footsteps coming close to the door made him nervous. Quickly shaking his whole body to get rid of the nerves, he put on his best smile, but when the door opened, his grin fell from his lips and was replaced by a look of pure confusion.

“Kyle?”

“Jason?” Kyle greeted him with a similar look of confusion.

The two stared at each other for a few moments, trying to figure out why the other was standing before them. Silence would’ve consumed the both of them had you not called out to Kyle from behind the cracked door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jason…” Kyle answered, turning his head to look at you with a kind, yet confused smile.

“What are you doing?” You questioned him, walking towards the door to pull it all the way open; looking at Jason with a delighted smile, you said, “Come on in, Jason.”

Jason’s mouth was slightly agape. He stared at the both of you, trying to figure out what the hell Kyle Raynor, a member of the Green Lanterns, was doing with you, but then it finally clicked in his head: The name in your phone, the drawing in your purse, your partnership with someone in the Justice League…Kyle was your…no… Jason didn’t even want to think of the word to describe your relationship with Kyle. Hesitantly stepping into your apartment, Jason just stood there, not knowing what else to do.

“I wasn’t expecting you to come over tonight,” You stated, looking at his shy state, “I was just finishing up dinner; there should be enough to go around, I’m sure.”

Jason slowly nodded, his gaze drifting from you to Kyle who sat at a desk in the corner of the room, undoubtedly drawing something. “I’m sorry, I just thought to stop by to see how you were doing since we didn’t talk for a couple of days…”

“I see you brought me flowers?” You inquired, looking at the vibrant bouquet in his slightly clenched hands. You took them from him and set them in the sink to properly take care of them. “Oh where are my manners? I didn’t introduce you to Kyle.”

“You don’t need to,” Jason mumbled, looking at you with a soft smile, “We know each other.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, we were involved with some heavy business a couple months back,” Jason informed you, his gaze becoming sharper the longer he stared at the man doodling in the corner. “What’s he doing here? Is he your partner in the League?”

A sheepish laugh came from your throat, “Uh, yeah. Kyle and I are partners…he’s actually my boyfriend…”

Jason died on the inside.

“We’ve been keeping a low profile about it, that’s why I didn’t say anything about it to you…” You told him, “You can’t tell anyone though, especially not Bruce; you know how he is with snooping in other people’s business…”

Jason stood there, his nerves taking control, “Uh, yeah, your secret is safe with me…and speaking of Bruce, he wanted to talk to me, it was something urgent. He’s probably gonna rip into me about being late like old times, but I can take it.”

Your smile slightly fell, “Are you sure you can’t stay? Bruce has three other people to go to.” You stood in front of him, your hand resting on your hip. You knew he wasn’t going to budge, but you wanted to at least try, “I promise not to keep you long.”

“It’s a personal matter, don’t worry, we’ll hang out again.” Jason’s lips formed a tight line as he looked over at Kyle once more before finally letting himself accept his defeat. “At least I know you’re okay…”

“It was good to see you, Jason,” You told him, stepping closer. You placed your hand on his arm and felt him tense up at your touch. Wrapping your arms around him, you gave him a firm squeeze and leaned up to give him a light kiss on his cheek, “You be good, or at least try to be. Tell Bruce I said hi.”

Jason smiled, nodding at your words, but paying them no mind. Your hug felt different to him; it felt colder than before, it didn’t bring him as much happiness as it used to and the kiss on the cheek didn’t show a sign of hope but a sign of friendly boundaries that he believed he could never cross.

Mumbling a half-hearted goodbye to Kyle, Jason left with his heart and dreams shattered. He did everything in his power to not turn around and storm back up those steps and still tell you how he felt, but he realized that it would’ve been childish of him to do so; it would be something his past self would do. So he carried on, jumping into his car and driving far from your place, trying to put distance between himself and his tainted dream.

It took a few days and nights for Jason to fully process what his relationship between you and him would become. He was thankful that you were at least happy in your life; he was heartbroken that he couldn’t be the source of your happiness though. He was almost wishing that he was selfish enough to rob you of your happiness in favor of his, but his love for you was stronger than his desire to be happy.

Sitting on the rooftop across from your apartment complex with a clear view into your apartment, he sat on the edge, fumbling with his gloved fingers as he watched you and Kyle move about inside. His gaze saw you dancing around the kitchen, flour covering your clothing and skin in various patches while Kyle sat on top of the table, eating what you were baking. Music was blaring inside the place, but it was muffled to Jason on the outside.

Jason’s fists gripped the edge of the room in slight anger and pain. He watched Kyle hop off the table and slowly make his way to stand behind you, placing his hands on your hips while you continued on with baking. That smile on your face killed Jason. Kyle craned his head around your shoulder to take in your messy look before giving you a peck on your lips. Jason could hear your little laugh all the way by him, just ringing in his ears. He saw you spin around and begin to pull Kyle’s lips towards your own and the minute your lips connected, Jason turned away, his heart aching.

With a heavy sigh, Jason stood up and dusted his pants off, turned away from your apartment. He began to walk away, telling himself that he knew he never should’ve come back to Gotham. There was nothing left for him except for a painful past. Seeing you kiss Kyle…he felt like he just died for a second time. He regretted ever coming back for you.

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mikauzoran · 5 years ago

Text

Lukadrien Drabbles: Nachtmusik Chapter Four

A Little Night Music (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) Chapter Four: The more things stay the same...

“My father would kill me if I got a tattoo,” Adrien sighed, twirling a pen between his fingers as he leaned in to get a better look at the simple reference doodles Luka had drawn.

“You’d have to get it somewhere no one would see,” Luka hummed, going over the runes beneath the leftmost raven to thicken the lines.

Adrien scoffed. “Luka, I’m a model. My body is public property. There is no ‘somewhere no one would see’.”

Luka looked up and frowned. “Your body is yours…and whoever you decide to share it with’s…not public property.”

Adrien set the pen down on the counter and put his hands up in surrender. “Aren’t you getting discouraged yet?” he wondered.

“How so?” Luka went back to the doodle of the ravens.

“Trying to teach me self-worth,” Adrien explained. “Isn’t it frustrating having to repeat the same things over and over?”

“Not particularly.” Luka shrugged. “I mean, you’re only the way you are now because some people—who shall remain unnamed yet obvious—have been telling you you’re worthless and undesirable for years. Realistically, I figure it’s going to take me a solid two or three years of constant fussing and lavishing of praise and affection to get you back up somewhere close to normal. Why would I be frustrated after only four months?”

Adrien didn’t reply.

Luka looked up, an eyebrow quirking.

Adrien stared. “Are you serious?”

Luka’s brow pulled together into a frown. “It…probably is going to take longer than two or three years, honestly…but I’ve got time.” Luka’s eyes flicked back down to the doodles on the back of the flyer announcing a Greek music festival that weekend.

Adrien continued to stare, wondering what he had done in a former life to deserve this man’s friendship and devotion.

“…You could get a tattoo on your stomach,” Luka broke the silence after a minute or two had passed without words.

Adrien rubbed his stomach just above his bellybutton. “I pose shirtless or with my shirt unbuttoned sometimes. I think they’d see it.”

Luka snickered, looking up to surreptitiously wink. “I was thinking…lower, Angel.”

Adrien frowned, looked down, and then burst into laughter. “Geez. What kind of tattoo would I get on my pelvis?”

Luka shrugged, self-satisfaction still clinging to his lips. “What kind of tattoo would you get anywhere else?”

Adrien bit his lip. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

“How about a snake?” Luka offered.

Adrien smiled incredulously. “On my lower abdomen? Isn’t that kind of…I don’t know…suggestive?”

“I think the only people who would see it would be in a suggestive mood anyway,” Luka reasoned.

Adrien covered his face with his hands, shoulders trembling with laughter as he shook his head. “I think I’m too pure to be having this conversation.”

Luka rolled his eyes. “Please. Says the guy who has made suggestive jokes at my expense on numerous occasions.”

Adrien removed his hands from his eyes to playfully slap at Luka’s arm. He glanced furtively towards the stairwell to the upper deck. “What if your mom or sisters walk in?”

Luka snorted unconcernedly. “Juleka would gang up on whomever she most felt like seeing blush at that moment, Rose would go into hysterics over how we’re supposedly a couple now, and Maman would tell me to make sure my box of condoms isn’t expired and remind me how long it’s been since I last had need of them.”

“My father would…I don’t even know,” Adrien sighed. “Have a heart attack? He wouldn’t be supportive of me having a physical relationship with anyone like your mom is.”

“I kind of wish she was less supportive,” Luka grumbled. “She thinks it’s strange that I don’t have any interest in sleeping with people until I feel a really strong connection with them. She thinks I should experiment more.”

“I wonder why, if you’re happy the way you are,” Adrien hummed.

Luka shook his head, going back to tracing the runes on the doodle. “She comes from an era of free love, so it’s weird for her that I would only want one partner in a long-term, committed relationship…. Like…even though she was with our father for a long time, I’m not actually certain that Juleka and I have the same biological father. We look pretty different, and…Maman and my father’s eyes are both blue…but Juleka’s are brown. Genetically, that’s…”

Adrien drew in a slow, deep breath.

“…Part of me feels like they shouldn’t teach kids about genetics and Punnett squares until they’re old enough to deal with the reality that they’re adopted or their siblings aren’t full-blooded siblings,” Luka snorted. “…But we were talking about tattoos.”

Adrien nodded. “You should get the snake tattoo on your pelvis. You could pull it off.”

Luka grinned at the flattery. “You think?”

“It fits your image.”

“Because I was seriously considering it,” Luka informed.

“Were you really?” Adrien leaned in closer, picking up his pen once more and twirling it between his fingers. “What kind of snake? A cobra like Sass?”

Luka shook his head. “Something more stylized, more Zen, less threatening. Maybe a sleeping snake coiled up. Maybe a Chinese calligraphy-style snake.”

Adrien nodded in encouragement. “That would be kind of cool. I’d like to see that!”

Luka blushed. “I’m giving you the opportunity to remember the placement of the tattoo and adjust your enthusiasm.”

Adrien grimaced. “Pretend I made some kind of flirty, teasing comment to save face that made you feel slightly flattered but also a little uncomfortable.”

Luka gave him a thumbs up. “I actually think it would be cool to get an entire Chinese zodiac…plus a cat.”

Adrien’s face lit up. “Like Fruits Basket!”

Luka’s eye twitched as Adrien completely missed the implication. “Uh…what’s that?”

Adrien’s brow scrunched into an unimpressed frown. “You’ve never heard of Fruits Basket? It’s an anime…and a manga, but you have to see it. It’s one of the classics!” Adrien insisted adamantly. “I’ll have to show you. Marinette and I have been getting together for take away Chinese food and anime on Saturdays the past few months. We’re almost done with the anime we’re watching now, and, after that, we’re going to have to have you over to show you Furuba.”

Luka tried not to let the conflicting emotions show on his face. “That sounds like a lot of fun, but I don’t think Marinette would appreciate me intruding.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Marinette wouldn’t mind. She loves having you around. It would be fun, all three of us together.”

“Yeah,” Luka sighed, imagining an alternate reality where both Marinette and Adrien were ecstatic to have him around for all of the reasons he wanted them to be. “But it sounds like anime and Chinese is your thing—just the two of you. You would feel kind of off if Marinette started coming to our jam sessions or family meals, wouldn’t you?”

Adrien shifted awkwardly on the kitchen stool, his nose crinkling. “…That’s different.”

“Maybe it’s not to her,” Luka suggested kindly. “I’ll tell you what, you and I can watch that anime together, just the two of us. How does that sound?”

Adrien’s smile came back, and he nodded. “Deal…. So…tattoos?”

Luka grinned, motioning down at the doodles. “I don’t want a sleeve or anything too big or noticeable. Just some little decorative tattoos here and there that can be hidden easily.”

Adrien switched hands so that he was twirling the pen in his right, freeing up his left hand to point. “I love the concept of Odin’s ravens on your shoulder blades…and a snake around your wrist under your usual bracelet is too funny.”

“I’m also thinking about getting a little pawprint on my finger where I usually wear my ring,” Luka announced tentatively, awaiting Adrien’s reaction.

“A pawprint?” Adrien’s head slowly tipped to the side. “Why a pawprint?”

Luka fought not to show his chagrin. “You know,” he replied conversationally. “like Chat Noir.”

Adrien’s eyes widened, and his face took on an amazed gleam. “Really?”

“Of course,” Luka replied smoothly, inwardly steeling himself. “I am his biggest fan after all…both in and out of the mask.”

Adrien let out one of those dazzling, marble machine laughs, hitting a jerky collection of pitches that somehow managed to sound just perfect to Luka.

“You’d have to fight off hordes of fangirls for that title,” Adrien cautioned.

Luka shrugged. “I’d take them…and I would win.”

“You’re wasted on Chat Noir and whoever he is behind that mask,” Adrien replied in awe, a wide grin spreading from one corner of his mouth to the other. “He could never appreciate you the way you deserve. He’s too full of himself.”

Luka shook his head. “I’ve met Chat Noir. He may come off as a flirty goofball in public, but in private he’s sweet and considerate.”

“Wow,” Adrien chuckled. “If you like him so much, you should marry him. I’m sure you two would make adorable kittens together.”

Luka’s entire face went burgundy as he burst out laughing. “Oh my God,” he gasped, burying his face in his hands.

“As for me, Viperion is much better,” Adrien continued, smirking in triumph as Luka continued to laugh convulsively in a mix of misery, disbelief, and genuine amusement.

“Seriously,” Adrien pretended to pout. “He’s all mysterious and suave and sexy. I’d like to see him in a suit…. Though…Chat Noir is pretty hot. I mean, his butt…”

“Perfection,” Luka snickered.

“Exactly,” Adrien emphatically agreed. “…Do you think Viperion would think I was a slut if I wanted to have occasional threesomes with you and Chat Noir?”

Luka looked up from where his head rested on the countertop. He wiped a tear from his eye and wondered, “How did this become a thing?”

“What?” Adrien hummed, satisfied with his work. “The whole pretending to be gay for Chat Noir and Viperion thing? Remember when Rose got us to play Kill, Screw, Marry last month, and I said I would kill Chat Noir, screw Ladybug, and marry Viperion? And then you said you would kill Ladybug, screw Chat Noir, and marry me? And then Juleka made a joke about foursomes. And then I observed that it seemed like the best of friends always made jokes about sleeping with one another? Like Marinette and Alya and Nino and me, so…it seemed like a logical leap to start doing that with you?” Adrien frowned as a thought occurred to him. “…But is it weird because you’re bi? I know a lot of friends joke about being gay for one another, but…is this insulting? If so, I’m really sorry,” he backpedaled hard. “I’m still kind of new to this whole ‘acceptable casual social etiquette’ thing. Tell me if I cross a line. Please. I don’t want to screw this up.”

Luka straightened and shook his head. “You’re okay. I don’t mind your flirting and teasing. I know you’re a flirty person to start with and that it’s not just me. I don’t have any delusions about that. I mean, I’ve seen you and Nino. You and Nino need to get a room and work out some of the sexual tension between you two sometime. Put the poor man out of his misery, Angel.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “I think Alya is doing a fine job. She doesn’t need my help…but we’re okay?” He eyed Luka anxiously.

Luka nodded. “I know you’re just joking. No offence taken.”

“Good,” Adrien sighed in relief. “…So…tattoos?”

The side of Luka’s mouth rose in a fond smile. “I think I’m going to get the pawprint tattoo on my finger. Do you think this looks accurate?” He indicated the doodle below Munin the raven.

Adrien frowned, pulling the paper in closer.

“I mean, I’m always distracted when I’m around Chat Noir, so I haven’t paid very close attention to what the pawprint on the ring looks like,” Luka explained.

“Distracted?” Adrien hummed, peeking up mischievously. “By his butt?”

Luka had mostly meant the akuma, but…

Luka bumped Adrien’s shoulder and replied a little too genuinely, too tenderly, “By his eyes. I’m a sucker for his eyes.”

Adrien’s heart jumped. “…Mine are prettier.”

“Jealous, Angel?” Luka snickered.

“Confused,” Adrien thought.

Confused because he kind of wanted Luka to be serious. Sometimes, Luka would say something painfully sweet, and Adrien’s heart would ache for Luka’s words to be true. And that was extremely confusing because Adrien wasn’t interested in guys. At least…he had never been interested in guys before. It had only ever been Ladybug, but…sometimes Luka confused him.

“Super jealous,” Adrien snorted.

“Don’t be. He’s not interested in me, so I’m all yours, Angel,” Luka chuckled at his own expense.

“Don’t you forget it,” Adrien clicked his tongue, switching the ink pen to his left hand to draw. “The pawprint is more like this.”

Luka nodded, impressed by the likeness. “…How is it that you have such an intimate knowledge of Chat Noir’s ring?”

Adrien looked up and answered with a straight face, “Oh? Didn’t I tell you? I’m sleeping with him.”

“Oh?” Luka snickered. “Be a friend and get me his number, would you?”

“I don’t think I want to share,” Adrien pouted.

“Share which one of us?” Luka arched an eyebrow.

Adrien smirked, twirling the ink pen playfully. “Either.”

Luka rolled his eyes. “In all seriousness—”

The pen went flying from Adrien’s hand, landing over by the wraparound couch.

“Oops.” Adrien smiled sheepishly. He hopped down from the stool into a feline crouch, scooped up the pen, and slowly rolled up, his posterior leading.

Luka’s brain blew a fuse. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help watching. It had happened so fast, and now he couldn’t keep from staring. He was already a little riled up from all the suggestive flirting, and now…ngeh. His mind was in the gutter.

Did Adrien know what he was doing? He couldn’t. He couldn’t have any idea. Even if he did, he wouldn’t. Adrien may have been a flirt, but he wasn’t a tease. He would never.

Adrien turned back around, and Luka scrambled to put a lid on all thoughts of Adrien’s butt and Adrien naked and sinking his teeth into the flesh of Adrien’s hip until he left a mark and Adrien’s laugh and Adrien’s eyes and how bad he wanted this guy. Because Adrien had no idea, and it was an abuse of Adrien’s trust to be sitting there staring and having those kinds of thoughts when Adrien was under the belief that their flirting was only all in good fun.

“Sorry. What were you saying?” Adrien smiled innocently as he sat back down on the stool next to Luka.

Luka shifted uncomfortably, mentally cursing his preference for wearing skinny jeans that were too tight to begin with.

Belatedly, he realized that Adrien had asked him a question. “Um… Was I talking?”

Adrien nodded, waiting expectantly.

Luka gulped, trying to discretely regulate his breathing. “Uh…I forget.”

Adrien shrugged, not suspecting. “Well, just let me know if you remember.”

“S-Sure,” Luka replied thickly, shrugging off his overshirt because suddenly the main cabin was sweltering.

And then Adrien took hold of his hand.

The touch felt like a hot iron on Luka’s unexpectedly hypersensitive skin.

“May I?” Adrien inquired, motioning to take Luka’s ring off.

Luka nodded, not trusting his voice.

With the retrieved ink pen, Adrien carefully traced the pawprint onto Luka’s flesh, blowing on it to help it dry before slipping the ring back over it.

Internally, Luka was panting. The contact, the way Adrien bit his bottom lip in concentration, the way he puckered his lips to blow the ink dry…simultaneously too much and yet not enough. He almost whimpered when Adrien withdrew his hands.

“Done,” Adrien announced proudly.

Luka pulled the ring back off carefully to inspect Adrien’s work and immediately came to a decision: he was going that very evening to get that pawprint permanently tattooed onto his skin before the ink had a chance to smudge or wash off.

“I love it,” Luka breathed. “It’s perfect.”

“Glad to hear it,” Adrien chuckled, obviously pleased with himself.

Luka caught Adrien’s right hand. “Would you be comfortable with moving your ring to a different finger for a second?”

Adrien nodded, slipping his ring off and sliding it onto the ring finger of his left hand.

Luka picked up his own pen and made two little dots on the finger, reminiscent of puncture wounds. “Done,” he announced.

Adrien frowned, inspecting his “tattoo”. “Bite mark?” he questioned.

“Snake bite.” Luka winked.

Adrien tittered in amusement. “Oh no! Aren’t viper bites lethal? You’d better suck the venom out before I die!”

“Drama queen,” Luka snorted even as he grinned.

“Seriously!” Adrien insisted, hamming it up as he held out his hand. “Quick! I’m already feeling woozy!”

Luka took Adrien’s hand and delicately brought it to his lips for a feather-light kiss.

Adrien’s heartbeat tripped. His stomach fluttered. His breath caught.

Luka looked up, his eyes meeting Adrien’s as the most perfect blush skated over Adrien’s cheeks, highlighting the dazed look in Adrien’s eyes as his pupils widened.

Luka’s breath hitched.

At the same moment, a thought occurred to both boys:

“Shoot. I’m in serious trouble.”

#Adrien Agreste/Luka Couffaine #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Lukadrien #Adrien Agreste #Luka Couffaine #Flirting #Mikau's Writings #A Little Night Music (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik)

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diveronarpg · 5 years ago

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Congratulations, DIANA! You’ve been accepted for the role of DIANA. Admin Rosey: There is a freshness and charm that Daphne brings to everything - her interviews, her conversations, her reasoning. This decision was not at all an easy one because both applications highlighted different aspects of her that we love and adore. But ultimately it was this voice, this distinctly Daphne voice that brought the decision to a close. She makes you fall in love with her that much more. I can't to see what she does when you bring her to life on the dash! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Diana

Age | 21

Preferred Pronouns | she/her/hers

Activity Level | y’all know, but I’m about to graduate college + be unemployed for a bit, so I’ll have writing time.

Timezone | PST

How did you find the rp? | Div Stanning since 2017.

Current/Past RP Accounts | Castora’s account.

IN CHARACTER

Character | Daphne Adèle Allard / Diana

What drew you to this character? | Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Daphne knows this, even if the crown she wears is a halo of thornless roses – and she fucking loves that halo, no matter what the cost is. What draws me to Daphne is that even though she’s an impeccable pickpocket, even though she loves power, and even though she’s got plenty of vices despite her cherubic features, Daphne loves. She knows what it’s like to suffer (even if it’s not like what others have gone through) and she wants to do something. She wants to help, but how much of that is her ego and how much of that is genuine is ambiguous. There’s that line between a good person and someone who does good deeds that’s very blurred when it comes to Daphne, and that fascinates me. She looks like someone who would get chewed up and spit out by the mafia, but her light shines brighter. In some ways, she’s like an anti-Marie Antoinette; she’s got that aesthetic, but she’s too bright to do a “Let them eat cake” moment (even though I know she didn’t actually say that) or play peasantry at a fancy cottage. She’s privileged and beloved and smart enough to know how to combine the two. I also find it fascinating that she almost wishes that she was that princess in an ivory tower – so everyone could be safe – and that while she embodies a little of that trope, she’s this really interesting reversal, where she’s both the princess and the dragon. There’s this interplay between the corruption of power and the trope that the people who don’t want power are the ones best suited for it; Daphne is not as angelic as she looks. She wants to save. She wants to be a heroine. She is hesitant of the power she wants to wield because she knows herself too well. But at the same time, there’s nothing wrong with wanting power. Power and goodness is a zero-sum game, especially in Verona. There’s also something relatable about Daphne that I really like, as her experience with getting bullied is reminiscent of my own. She’s incredibly beautiful, incredibly rich, incredibly powerful, and incredibly adored, but she’s still relatable, or at least, knows how to manage her image so that she comes across as aspirational and human, as well. Also, I adore that she’s 31. She’s got some naivete, but she’s a grown-ass woman with her own ambitions. In addition, her mob name is my name, and I’m shallow.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? | (1) A CROWN FOR YOUR PRINCESS – Daphne doesn’t look like it, but she’s got ambition. Right now, she has not let the fact that’s sees a member of organized crime taint her. She is deified, but there is yet to be blood on her hands. I think it would be interesting for Daphne’s mask of heroism to be pushed when she has to do something truly horrible, truly unforgivable in the name of the Capulet’s. Her desire to do good with her desire to get (and keep) her power at war with one another is interesting to me, and I think pushing her to define her moral compass (or lack thereof) and figuring out where she wants to go in the mob power structures could be interesting to play out. (2) A HEART FULL OF LOVE? - Daphne is a lover. She wants love. She wants it to be real. But she’s also engaged to a man that she doesn’t love and is fascinated by Renzo to the point that he’s described as her Achilles’ Heel. Beau can help her get everything she wants – on the paper, they are a fairytale couple – but he doesn’t inspire passion in her yet; at the same time, she would be upset if he were to step out on her. I think it could be interesting to see Daphne’s own feelings for Beau become more real and have to deal with the implications of real love. Because Daphne wants power. She wants to be a heroine. She wants to be adored. But all she’s let the world see is a mask, a symbol. Not a real woman. And it’s impossible to love a symbol; you can be cherished and adored, but never truly, heartbreakingly loved in the way that she wants to be. (3) O, DEATH – Something about Daphne’s bio that fascinated me is that it describes Beau as an Apollo figure whom Daphne sees more like Hades – a man of death, of isolation, and of riches. She’s darkness where there is light. But Daphne is more of the same – she is Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, but she has her own affair with the darkness inside of her. She is a Persephone and her own Hades. She knows she’s capable of great horrors, and that she could destroy Verona if she wants to. It would be interesting to see Daphne be pushed to that darker place where she wants the city that she adores to burn. People want to destroy beautiful things. Daphne and Verona are both beautiful, and ripe for rot.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | (Devastatingly) yes.

IN DEPTH

Please choose between the interview or the para sample (or both, if you like!)

In-Character Interview: The following questions must be answered in-character, and in para form (quotations, actions written out if applicable, etc). There is no minimum or maximum limit for your response - simply answer as you would if you were playing the character.

What is your favorite place in Verona? She smooths down her hair, subconsciously rearranging the artful brown curls. Daphne doesn’t need to double or triple check in the mirror whether her lipstick is perfect or her eyeliner is crisp. She knows her angles. She knows herself. And she agreed to this interview. Not to talk about her love life, but to talk about the shelter she had just joined the board of. “I’m a Verona girl through and through,” Daphne laughs. “You’re a Verona native, too – right, Signora? You know that this city can be a lot, putting it mildly. And you know I’m just not being facetious when I say that it’s hard to pick a favorite spot. Hmm…but if I had to pick, I’d pick the Castelvecchio Bridge. For so long, it was a symbol of unity in our divided city. My parents used to take me on long walks around the city when I was little, and I remember stopping and looking out over the river. I just have fond memories of Verona at that bridge. And it’s so horrible what happened – the explosion. To have that bright for the city get taken away, it’s just horrible. I’ve been working with the Verona’s Children Relief Fund to help civilian parents who’ve lost their jobs due to the explosion. They’ve been working with families hurt by Verona’s mob war for over a decade, and really, they’re work is incredible. For example, Carlotta Alberti. She’s a single mother living in Borgo Roma with the cutest 12-year-old ever. Give me a sec –” Daphne pulls out her phone and shows the interviewer a picture of her posing with Carlotta and her son, Leo. “The warehouse Carlotta worked in was damaged during the explosion and it hasn’t been rebuilt. She’s got bills to pay. She’s got a kid to provide a future for. Through the Relief Fund, we’ve managed to set Carlotta up with an entry-level position at Falco & Company that has full benefits and room for her to grow.”

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

Daphne grits her teeth. She knows the interviewer means no harm with this question. It’s a chance to show that she’s vulnerable and that even though she’s been blessed to the Heavens with fortune, good looks and renown, Daphne Adèle Allard still has it in her to be a woman of the people. And a woman of the people is good, and kind, and loving, and doesn’t think badly of others. Still, the first thought that pops into her head is Beau. Arrogant, useless, cold-hearted man, Daphne thinks, careful not to let her absolute frustration with her husband-to-be show on her face. “That’s a hard question to answer,” Daphne starts. “Not because I haven’t made mistakes. God knows that I have.” Her heart thunders. Daphne Allard could never escape the feeling that she was on the precipice of destruction – not of herself, but of destroying others. “It’s just that I’m a perfectionist, you know? When I do something, I need to do it right because people are counting on me. A mistake is a ripple that can turn into a tsunami.” The interviewer nods, seemingly embarrassed at having to draw attention to the fact that Daphne avoided her previous question. “But if you had to say?”

Daphne only smiles. “Not coming back to Verona sooner. I love France with all my heart, but Verona is my home. I was away for quite a while. There’s this French saying – Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid. Little by little, the bird makes its nest. And I really want to make my nest here.”

The lady nods. “So, are you excited for marriage then?” “You have no idea.” You really don’t.

“Have you talked about kids, yet?” “We’ve discussed it,” Daphne responds coyly.

What has been the most difficult task asked of you? When in doubt, pivot to the wedding – Daphne had learned this at a young age. Everyone adores a blushing bride. “This is a ‘I need to check my privilege’ moment, but can I say planning a wedding? There’s so much that goes into it. Finding a good venue, good security. Finding a dress when you’ve got curves is not as easy as Say Yes to the Dress makes it look. Beau and I are trying our best to plan a sustainable wedding. We haven’t announced the list of charities yet, but we intend to do a no-gift policy. Instead, we’d like to ask our friends and family to donate to an organization on the yet-to-be announced list.” Beau and Daphne had discussed no such thing….at least, not in earnest, but no one needed to do that. “Okay, but in all seriousness – one of the hardest things I’ve been asked to do is forgive. I was bullied a lot as a child because I dared to be fat. I looked different from the other girls at school, and they let me know it. I remember every taunt, every oink made behind my back, every time someone tried to put me on a crash diet. It took a toll on my self-esteem. Every insecurity I have got magnified. And I really hated those girls. And hate really hurts you; generally speaking, it hurts you more than the other people. Since my engagement, a few people who were not the nicest to me reached out to see how I was filling out my bridal party.” “Seriously?” She asks. “Seriously. For them, the past didn’t matter. But for me, it did. I couldn’t look in a mirror for a year, and even though I’ve moved on, and I love myself and I love my life and I found someone who loves me for me –” Oh, how she wishes that were true. “ – There was still this resentment in my heart that I struggled to let go of. Forgiving those small deep cuts when there’s no apology, no remorse, nothing, was difficult. But I had to do it for myself. Those girls – maybe they’ve changed; I’m an optimist who thinks people are capable of that. Perhaps I’m a bit old-fashioned? Regardless of who they are, I don’t have to go back to being that sad, lonely little girl because they messaged me.” She pauses and adds, “I’m lucky, you know, that these are the extent of my problems.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues? Everyone and their mother wants to know the answer to this. Daphne has been answering this question for years. The Allard family had long ties to the Capulets, but Daphne was not going to go about advertising that or her own role in the mob. “The rivalry has been going on for years. There’s a lot of wounds on both sides,” Daphne starts. “I want peace for the people of Verona who’ve been caught in the cross-fire.” That’s why I am an emissary for the Capulets. To help, she thinks. I am a relatively high-ranking Capulet emissary because I want to be. She thrived in the darkness, in the cold, just as much as she thrived in the light. A lie. She shone in the darkness, but she craved the light. How badly Daphne Allard wanted to be bright, and shining, and good. “I’m just thinking about the Festival of Love,” Daphne starts, subtly pointing fingers at the Montagues. “So much chaos that didn’t need to happen.”

Extras: If you have anything else you’d like to include (further headcanons, an inspo tag, a mock blog, etc), feel free to share it here! This is OPTIONAL.

Her favorite movie is Amelie

Daphne patronizes numerous charities, but has no set one up in her own name yet. She wants to set up something that could help with homelessness in the city.

She is a Virgo (born August 29th)

Daphne is an ENFJ

She enjoys watching Bon Appetit videos

PLAYLIST (as in, a playlist Daphne would have on her Spotify account)

La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf

Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel

Primadonna by Marina & the Diamonds

Petite Suite by Claude Debussy

Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

Spring (Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi

Waking Up Slow by Gabrielle Aplin

Elegie by Gabriel Faure

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel

Non je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf

#accepted: diana #accepted

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chromecutie · 6 years ago

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Cable x Reader - burlesque fluff!

A/N - unedited because I got sleepy but I still wanted y'all to be able to enjoy it for Saturday Night!

Tag: @starman-thorsus-canos-jock @emma-frxst (idk who else would want to be on a Cable taglist if I had one, but here y'all go!)

________

It was a Saturday night, and the team managed to not have a mission. Colossus tried to suggest a board game from the fancy high-strategy collection, but was quickly shot down by Wade (“What, so Domino can ruin us all again? I don’t think so!”). Wade tried to suggest a movie, but Cable cut him off before he could finish his suggestion (“I cannot watch the porno version of Predator again.”).

Domino hoped you might make a suggestion everyone could agree to, and finally asked, “Where the hell is Y/N?”

Wade howled at the top of his lungs, “YYYYY/NNNNN???”

“SHE’S NOT HERE,” Cable practically roared to make himself heard.

Colossus couldn’t help glancing around. He hadn’t noticed when you left, and felt a little embarrassed like he’d made a rookie mistake. “Do you know where she went?”

Cable fixed his gaze back on the gun he was cleaning. It was already clean; at this point he was fidgeting. “If she wanted us to know,” he hedged, “she would’ve said something before she left.”

“Ohhhh my god,” Wade gasped, “You do know!” He clapped his hands, excited to play a guessing game. “What’s she up to? Underground boxing? Secret meth habit? Robbing a bank?”

“No.”

“High stakes poker? Cock fighting?”

“No!”

They all said some variation of, “Then what??” in unison.

Cable sighed. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to see you, but he was pretty sure you wouldn’t want the whole gang showing up. Surely, if you had, you would have dropped some kind of hint. “We gotta dress up,” he said finally. “Black tie. And we gotta pick up flowers on the way.”

…

The gang had done their best on short notice. Domino wore a short, black cocktail dress cut so tight it was a wonder it didn’t split when she got in and out of the car. Colossus still wore his cargo pants and work boots, but classed up with a dress shirt, black suit jacket, and a tie. Wade, to no one’s surprise but everyone’s quiet exasperation, was in full Deadpool gear with a bow tie. Cable had managed to find a full three-piece suit, and though it wasn’t a perfect fit, he made it work. In his metal hand he held a bouquet of roses. They weren’t the freshest flowers, but they were the best that the store had.

They stood in the parking lot of a shabby strip mall and Domino said, “Looks like a nice neighborhood to sell your kidney.”

“This way,” Cable led them to the back door of one of the suites. He knocked and was quickly greeted by a drag queen in green glitter eyeshadow and three-inch long lashes.

“Hi honey,” the queen made a kissy noise and asked, “Who y’all with tonight?”

“Liz Lugosi,” Cable said as if he had been here several times.

The queen lit up with glee and put a long-fingered hand on Cable’s shoulder. “Ohhh! Lizzie didn’t mention anyone coming tonight!”

Cable gestured vaguely to the roses. “She’s not expecting us.”

The queen made a purse-lipped smile and shimmied her shoulders, hardly able to wait until she could spill this tea later. The team paid for their tickets and were ushered inside to pick a table.

The floor was full of glammed up people milling about, sipping cocktails and snacking on Chex Mix. The tables all faced a makeshift stage with a curtain made of cheap velvet. “What is this place?” Colossus folded himself into a chair that was too small for him, but he wouldn’t complain.

“It’s a kids’ ballet studio during the day,” Cable replied. “This is probably how they pay rent, though.”

Domino caught on and grinned, “It’s a speakeasy burlesque show.”

Wade cracked up laughing in earnest. Pretending to wipe away tears from his mask, he said, “What’s her act? Kicking off her boots and sexily peeling off a spandex onesie?”

“You’ll see,” Cable said impatiently. “Shit like this is probably why Y/N - Liz - never mentioned it, you assclown.”

The show started soon enough. Three performers in sparkly costumes made a show of sneaking out from behind the curtain. Each held a microphone. “Good eeeevening, daaaarlings!” the one in purple sequins drawled. The crowd applauded, some hooted.

The second performer wore something like a green velvet bikini with a lot of feathers. She tossed her blonde curls and said, “Who here has been to our show before? Come on, make some noise!” Almost everyone gave a shout except Cable, Wade, Domino, and Colossus.

“I don’t know that we should have come here,” Colossus whispered. Domino hushed him quickly.

The third performer wore a long, black satin robe, trimmed in purple rhinestones that glittered in the stage lights. She wore a wig of bright pink waves and cocked a hip as she turned toward their table. “I understand we’ve got some new blood in the house tonight.” The pink-haired performer sauntered between tables as she continued in a sultry purr, “So let’s go over the ground rules. If you’ve been here before, say them with me! Rule One!”

The audience responded, slightly drunk and mostly in unison, “No photos or video! We do this show live and only live!”

“That’s right,” she let out an easy giggle. “Rule Two?”

“No touching the performers unless you are specifically asked!” One young woman added in a buzzed, but enthusiastic slur, “Consent fucking matters!”

“YES, HONEY!” the blonde in the green bikini agreed.

The pink-wigged woman beamed. “Wonderful. You know, just to make a point,” she went over to the buzzed woman’s table. “Why don’t you give me a good slap on the ass, huh? Not too high on the cheek now, nice and low.” She leaned over, sticking out her round butt. When the patron gave a smack loud enough for every table to hear, the performer snapped straight again with a surprised hoot. “That’s how I like it! Haha, and Rule Three, let’s go!” She gestured grandly, long sleeves swaying.

The veteran audience chorused, “If you see something you like, make some noise!”

The three performers gathered in front of the curtain again and struck a sexy pose that showed off cleavage, thighs, and arched spines. The crowd made a good ruckus of whistling and applause, the X-Force gang included.

The show continued - there was an opening group number, the drag queen from the entrance sang a parody cover of a popular love song, there were a few aerial silks numbers, and of course classic burlesque striptease. Domino and Wade had gotten comfortable quickly, cheering and applauding each performer like they were the sexiest they had ever seen. Colossus took a while to loosen up, but even he enjoyed the athletic fluidity of the silks performers. Strength, flexibility, and making it all look beautiful with a big showgirl smile? Gold star in Colossus’s book. Each performer had gotten a funny and colorful introduction by the drag queen, who was emceeing most of the show.

“Our last lady of the night,” the queen teased, “has a slither that’ll make you shiver and she has NOOO idea how to just SIT in a chair!” The crowd chuckled. The drag queen bobbed her head and gave a wide flourish, “Just make sure you check for fangs before you kiss her - it’s Liiiiz Lugosiiii!!!!” The crowd hollered and clapped as the curtain drew back, revealing the pink wigged woman with the black satin robe.

Something steamy and full of saxophone blared over the sound system as Y/N, aka Liz Lugosi, swirled her robe - and disappeared. She reappeared a few feet away in a puff of smoke, similar to Colossus’s friend Kurt. As Liz Lugosi swirled, floated, and poofed around the stage, Colossus couldn’t help but note that where Kurt’s ability was abrupt like popping a balloon full of smoke, Y/N was smooth and soft, like drips of ink in water. A simple folding chair was on the stage, and in another few beats, Liz let her robe slide from her shoulders, down her back, and onto the floor. Domino glanced over at Cable and saw his face was relaxed in a gentle smile, eyes shining in the light.

Liz Lugosi turned to the front - and revealed that she appeared to be wearing nothing but black and purple rhinestones. Of course, her thong and pasties were there, but they matched her skin tone and the stones and beads had been carefully stitched and glued to cover them. The crowd screeched their appreciation. Wade yelled, “Holy shit!” but Cable barely even registered it.

“How did you find out about this?” Colossus asked him.

Cable answered without taking his eyes off Y/N, “I followed her to rehearsal once, to see where she goes.”

The stage floor filled with rolling fog as Liz Lugosi tossed her pink waves and slid over the chair so her chest was on the seat and her legs arched over her head. The rest of her routine was a series of acrobatic rolls and stands on and around the chair. Just when it looked like she would sit normally, she would turn and suddenly she was upside down, nearly sitting her butt on her head, with her legs in a deep split.

“Is that a mutation?” Domino asked, astounded.

“No,” Cable beamed, absolutely smitten, “she can just do that.”

Wade clapped for a particularly unexpected roll off of the chair. “I can’t believe she’s been holding out on us!”

Colossus agreed, smiling despite the awkwardness of seeing a coworker mostly naked for the first time, “You can tell how much she’s enjoying herself.”

As her number ended, Liz Lugosi bowed, dramatically tossing her pink waves. The team cheered louder than any other table and drew her attention. If she was caught by surprise, she didn’t let it show, maintaining her stage persona. She swayed her wide hips over to their table, and made the rounds expressing her thanks. She kissed Colossus on the cheek and left a red print on his chrome skin, though he froze when her boobs touched his arm. Domino soaked it up when she got a kiss on the cheek too. Wade didn’t get a kiss until he laid his palms on the table, and he all but squealed with delight. Cable, subdued and a little sheepish, offered the roses when she got to him. Instead of kissing his cheek, she pressed her lips to his and made it steamy enough that the crowd hooted and whistled louder than ever.

Y/N pulled away and teased in Cable’s ear, “Do I need to learn to cover my tracks better?”

“Aw, I hope you never do,” he was still grinning like a fool, “I’ve been wanting to bring you flowers for a while.”

She pulled away and she was Liz Lugosi again. Bouquet cradled against her heart, she winked and sashayed back to the stage to pick up her robe. The curtain closed, and Cable didn’t even try to hide how light and pleased he felt after getting to kiss the woman he’d been quietly pining after for months.

#cable x reader #summer snacc #fluff #fanfic #deadpool 2 #xmen #nathan summers

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myselfinserts · 5 years ago

Note

“The most inflated egos are often the most fragile.“

Themusic blasted from the building, the lights bright and bouncing from window towindow. In a normal city, in a normal neighborhood, this wouldn't be unusualfor a night club. But in this decrepit looking building, in the middle ofdowntown Nesta City, it was far out of place. Officially, this building hadshut down operation nearly fifteen years ago. It used to be known as the MadBox. And yet, here it stood now. Living under a new name.

"Thorn'sGarden," Ena said slowly, letting the words dance on her tongue. Theyweren't too unpleasant. "So remind me why we're coming here tonight,Harper?"

Harperlet out a playful snicker, offering their arm to her. "You wanna rule theworld? You gotta know which heads to roll and which ones to let talk. I'maintroduce ya to the head of the newest crime family to hit the Elspieunderground in a while. She's got quite the ego, but I think you'll find herthe most interesting plaything."

"Thatso?" Ena smirked. "The most inflated egos are often the mostfragile."

"Thatthey are. Let's go shatter some, shall we?"

Ena took their arm and they made their way inside. The music was thunderous, causing their bodies to vibrate slightly as they walked. Harper looked right at home with their torn leggings and combat boots. Their attire was very similar to that of the dancers on the floor. Ena stood out like a pastel cupcake in a steak house, with her soft pink dress with the embroidered cats on the hem of the skirt. They drew a lot of attention together.

But that was fine. It was what they were going for.

Harper escorted Ena to the back, the dancers parting like the sea as they marched forward. There was a bouncer there, standing nearly nine feet tall, dressed in a pitch black suit covered in red rose vines. He seemed tense, his lips pressed tightly together as he eyed the room. Ena found it rather amusing.

“Hey there, Shrub,” Harper cooed. “Thorn in?”

Shrub looked down at them, not moving from in front of the door. “Do you have an appointment, Alberi?”

Harper shook their head. “Nah, but I don’t need one. Not if she wants me to tell on her to my daddy. I’m sure Inkwell would love the chance to shut down her operation. He’s getting bored at Geode HQ. Desk work, amiright?”

Shrub raised an eyebrow, lifting a hand to his ear and whispering something unintelligible. Ena removed herself from Harper’s arm, taking a step forward and putting her hands on the man’s jacket.

“Tacky pattern,” she mused. “But you make it work. Though I think you’d look better if the flowers were pink.” Ena looked at Harper, giving a slight pout. “Harper?”

“Say no more.” Harper reached out, putting a hand on the jacket and focusing. Slowly, the deep, blood red of the roses began to fade into a delicate pink, Soft, with a slight lavender shine in the blue spotlights. Shrub looked at his suit, his jaw and shoulders relaxing. He actually managed a smile.

“Nice,” he said. “My favorite color.”

Ena smiled. “It is good, isn’t it?”

“Few people appreciate it around here these days. You’re a’ight kid. ” He stepped aside, slowly opening the door. “Thorn says to come in. She’s in The Box.”

“Thanks doll, you’re a peach.” Harper offered their arm again, and once Ena took hold, lead her inside.

And inside was a shock.

Up a short flight of stairs lead to an arena, filled with people surrounding a cage where two fighters were dressed in hero costumes, posing as the announcer was presenting them. Across from where they’d come in, up high and providing a perfect viewpoint of the whole area was a private room, the outside of which were covered in rose vines.

Slowly they made their way up to the box, nearly taken aback when they entered and found it resembling a treasure trove. Precious gemstones, jewelry, bars of gold and strings of pears. Chalices and fine pottery. A throne in the center, near the window of the box, with two smaller ones on either side. There were two men there, dressed in the same tacky patterned suit as Shrub outside. One was feeding gourmet chocolates to someone sitting in the throne, while the other prepared three cups of coffee at a nearby table.

“Hey Thorn,” Harper spat. “Ain’t this a little overkill?”

Ena nodded in agreement. “A bit pretentious, isn’t it?”

A soft blue hand waved, and the men in suits left. Ena and Harper watched as a woman rose from the seat, her long, black halter dress trailing behind her. Her lavender hair had a long braid in it, while the rest was cut relatively shorter. She had horns, two of them, each a different size. Her eyes were red, the same shade as her makeup. Iconic Elspie ears, and skin a soft powder blue. She wore a red zip up hoodie, the shoulder on one side hanging off, revealing thorny vine tattoos all over her arm.

“Harper,” she greeted gently, opening her arms. “Welcome to my little home away from home. It’s been a while.”

Harper smiled, walking up and accepting the embrace. “Good to see you, Thorn.”

Thorn looked over at Ena as they pulled away, looking her over. “And who is your pretty pink pal?”

“This is Ena. I’m her right hand.”

Ena smiled, walking up and holding out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Thorn said, accepting the handshake. “I’m Thorn. The Head Honcho of ‘The Garden of Sinners’ family. So.” She looked between them, batting her eyes lightly. “What brings my friend’s boss here to my Garden?”

“Harper said I needed to learn which heads to roll and which to let talk.”

“So you came to me for information?”

“I think you misunderstand,” Harper snickered. “She’s gonna decide if your head talks or rolls.”

“...I see.” Thorn’s cheery demeanor waned, the vines on the outside of the box covering the window. “Then I suppose a little privacy is in order.”

Ena watched the plants carefully. “Interesting quirk. Plant control?”

Thorn shook her head. “Not exactly. My family specializes in occlumency and legilimency quirks. My vines make it so no one can hear us, and I can take information I want if someone gets wrapped up in them since the thorns have a truth serum like toxin. It’s handy when I want to crush someone and not hear the screams, but it’s only truly good for defense in combat.”

“Really?” Ena’s voice went low. “Quirks that let you mask or extract information, but you’re not related to Uncle Ceri. You must be a Maddox then.”

Thorn’s face went violet in rage and she shot a glare at Harper. “Did you tell her?”

“Didn’t have to,” Harper said. “Your uncle kinda screwed over her family pretty bad before she was even born. Ena’s got connections and holds one hell of a grudge. If I hadn’t brought her to you first, she’d have found you eventually.”

“Well if she wants to take it out on me because she thinks it’ll help her get to Uncle Boni-shitface, she’ll be mighty disappointed.” Thorn turned away, walking over to pick up one of the coffees. “I got disowned for trying to break in and kill him, and now he’s been transferred somewhere I can’t reach. The bastard put our family through hell and made growing up very, very difficult even after he was arrested. I seem to be the only Maddox that thinks this is a bad thing.”

“So you’re disowned, and have a lot of power in the underground.” Ena smirked. “What do you plan to do with it?”

“Right now I’m just trying to survive with the little empire I’m building for myself.”

Ena followed her, putting a gentle hand on her bare shoulder. “Survival is a very sad baseline for a mobster, don’t you think?”

Thorn looked at her, taken aback slightly. “What?”

“Wouldn’t you rather be able to do more than survive? Wouldn’t you prefer to live? Truly live in the light?” She headed over to the throne, fingers dancing along the gold plating and velvet fabrics. “I’ll admit, you being related to people on my hit list is a little complicated. But...” She turned around, skirt giving a slight twirl. “I like your rose aesthetic. And I think that truth serum could come in handy.”

“And what exactly is it you’d do with it?”

Harper sat on the arm of the throne, lightly taking Ena’s hand as she sat down. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Boniface Maddox had an entire cabinet and resources that are still in motion to this day,” Ena explained. “In order to do what I need to do to achieve my goal, I need allies I can trust.”

“That so?” Thorn went over to the window, leaning on it as she watched Ena and Harper carefully. “And what is it you plan to do? What goal do you have?”

“That’s for me to know, and for you to decide if you want to find out.”

“Harper?”

Harper chuckled. “You heard Ena. If she decides your head rolls, I’m the one to make it so.” Their face softened. “We’ve been friends for years. So what do you say, Thorn?”

She didn’t answer right away, taking a sip of her coffee with a pondering look.

“Thorn?” Ena tilted her head. “Anything to say?”

“...I suppose this means I lost the game, then?” Thorn smiled. “Strange. I haven’t lost in a long time.”

Ena rolled her eyes. “Please. You’re not even a player.”

“I’ve been playing this game far longer than you, miss. A little respect would be nice.”

“I don’t respect people who don’t introduce themselves with a play-name.”

Thorn raised an eyebrow. “A play-name?”

“Yes,” Ena said. “You go by Thorn in your little garden, but it wasn’t a name you picked because you liked it. You took it because you were called that by others without liking it. I noticed how you winced when I said it. But never when Harper did. So either you only like it when certain people call you that, or...” Her voice softened. “That’s the name you want to abandon, but can’t.”

The coffee cup fell to the floor, and Thorn stepped forward, back straight and face stern. Harper tensed, ready to pounce, but Ena gave them a soothing squeeze of the hand. Thorn stopped right in front of her.

“...It’s hard to abandon a name that everyone thinks suits you,” she muttered. “Thorn is what everyone called me because of my quirk. I hate it. Harper normally never calls me that. But you being here, we resulted to the default. I trust them. Can I trust you?”

Ena shrugged. “I suppose you’ll have to fine out.” She motioned to the throne to her left. “Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Ena Aizawa, but you can just call me Ena. Or Milady. Either work for me.”

Thorn paused for a moment before settling into the smaller throne. “My legal name is one I don’t want anything to do with. In a professional setting when others are around, you call me Thorn. But alone like this, just me and you and Harper? Please, call me Tiffany. Tiffany Arbor.” She slowly started to relax. “Will that suffice?”

“I think so.” Ena threw her a wink. “Welcome to the team, Tiffany.”

#myselfinserts #mybnhaocs #friends ocs #the au of class #days of future class #this was fun to write #Harper scenarios are fun #Anonymous

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icarus-imagines · 6 years ago

Text

Yusuke Kitagawa X Gay!Artist!Shadow!Reader

I have a request a Yusuke X Gay!Artist!Rival!Reader

Pwettty Pwease OwO

Word Count: 2,765

Category: Persona 5

~Choose What Your Heart Decides~

Why is he talking to her?

You couldn't help but let a sour expression invade your face as your (E/c) orbs secretly watched the scene in front of you unfold from your desk by the window, where you had been previously doing your homework until you heard their voices engage together.

It was Yusuke Kitagawa, the handsomely gifted painter you admired so much who was conversing with a friend. But he wasn't the one who had turned your mood foul. It was her. His friend.

Ann Takamaki.

A sweet, kind, and a very compassionate girl who always looked good in everything she wore. A well-known model. She was most beautiful, but undoubtedly not more beautiful than the calm and poetic specimen she was having a conversation with.

Though very attractive to many of your male peers you would never be attracted to her in such a red colored red. You knew if you had been born to love females like God had intended, or so people preached, you knew you would have gotten a troublesome crush on the girl. But that wasn't the case.

You had feelings of red for Yusuke.

Though color red was an odd way to explain it, you felt it most appropriate to explain it in such an elegant way, just like Yusuke was. You and he were one in the same, both paid terms. But unlike him, you were not known to be one. The reason being you had an anonymous name. (A/n). You didn't want people to know you because you were scared. But that was a sad note not wanting to be touched.

Stashing away the easy Calculus homework you had been working on you sighed lowly slinging the bag on, forgetting your sketchbook on the desk. While doing so you fixed your hair a bit from the tiniest OCD, making sure you're shiny locks of (H/c) were perfect and not out of place.

Taking a few steps forward you began to make your way out the door. Even though school ended about 10 minutes ago you stayed to finish the homework like a good student. Yusuke didn't go to this school but often visited after the bell to speak with his friends. Not that you were a stalker, but you had witnessed it multiple times since you sat behind the silent and mysterious boy named Akira Kurusu and his best friend Ryuji Sakamoto. And it was weirder that Akira for some reason had a cat in his desk and bag at all times. Yet nobody noticed. You thought you may have gone crazy contemplating on if it was real or not.

Shaking your head to rid yourself of the thoughts you continued on your way, noticing you had slowed while thinking. You almost stopped in your tracks as Yusuke's silky voice traveled to your ears. But the words he said sounded like long nails on a chalkboard. Horrible and unsettling.

"Takamaki-san, I must remind you that you still have not accepted my request. Surely you will make up your mind and readily agree to become my model for the next masterpiece I plan on creating?"

"Tch," Was all that escaped past your (Plump/Thin/Etc.) lips not waiting for Ann's response to such a generous and thoughtful question. You didn't hear the words exit her mouth as she agreed.

To imagine a beauty of a woman posing in various positions, whether they be innocent or lustful you had no idea, but in front of Yusuke. He would have to gaze at her body for hours, maybe even longer!

Leaving the classroom to calm yourself by walking home, you missed the confused looks of Akira, Ryuji, and Ann. But more importantly, you missed the saddened and very puzzled expression belonging to a certain boy named Yusuke who realized you had forgotten to take your sketchbook. He would have to find you and give it back if he ever had a chance to.

~*~*~*~

Yusuke sighed once again at his teammates as they tried to figure out where to go next. They had been tracking down a tainted aura through the other world known as Mementos wondering what the individual was after.

They noted it that it would actually stay close to them. But disappear as they approached to close. So they decided to use a different tactic. I stead of following the actual Shadow, they would find its so-called nest of sorts. It's home. Usually, they wouldn't work this hard at finding a Shadow, but this one seemed a bit stronger. Some kind of Mini-Boss.

Walking for a few minutes they came upon a house. It was a pulsing red, with red roses scattering the front lawn with its vines scaling all around the house. They even trailed through every open window, including the door that was also open, to the center of the house. It was as if it was tiny. They had been correct. This Shadow was stronger than normal. It seemed to almost be on the verge of creating a castle and them wouldn't let that happen. Not when they were so close.

Careful of the beautiful but dangerously sharp crimson roses that all seemed to ooze out from within their petals mahogany liquid thick like blood, Yusuke gazed at the house with confusion. It was familiar. Like he had seen it before. But that was utterly impossible. But...he had to make sure.

Turning to his comrades, The Phantom Thieves, behind him who were peering at the roses on the ground with a mix of fascination and bewilderment he spoke to them.

"I would like to investigate further inside, alone. If that is alright," he said simply watching as the eyes behind each mask of his friends looked at him with confusion. He just replied, "I'll explain later, if that is alright, leader?"

Akira stood there for a few seconds weighing the pros and cons before giving a small nod of approval.

Yusuke bowed his head the slightest bit thankful. "I'll be quick."

Yusuke turned to the house, knowing that if it was not in Mementos it would have a small garden in the front and very cozy. Pushing the door he entered the home. Instantly the hairs on his body sprung up. It was cold. Something was here.

Taking a few cautious steps he entered a hallway. But stopped seeing paintings of every size imaginable with varying emotions swirling within each canvas. Not only did he perceive this as an artist himself, but it was easy to figure it out because it was literal. Each painting was moving.

The light ones were merrily filled with laughing, dancing, singing, and anything of the like. While the darker, more saddened paintings were filled with crying and depressed scenes depicting fears. Fears manifested from the artist or just plain inspiration was beyond Yusuke.

Shaking his head to rid thoughts of the sad Shadow he looked to the end of the hallway freezing as he saw it. Standing in front of the door at the end of the overly long hallway. It was him. The Shadow.

Yusuke's face behind his fox mask dropped. He knew who was and it tightened his heartstrings.

It was you.

You wore your normal school uniform. You (H/c) hair perfectly styled, just like always Yusuke noted fondly. But you're eyes. Yusuke cringed at the color. Instead of familiar (E/c) he was used to gazing into, even when you didn't look back, was now a dull yellow. Such an ugly color on your visage.

This time though you were staring straight at Yusuke. Unlike other Shadows you were silent. Hands straight at your sides but shaking slightly. You were nervous. Scared maybe. Of me?, Yusuke thought. It seemed like it.

Yusuke turned to pop his head out of the door to look at his teammates. "Nobody is present. Maybe they are around the area and we should split up?" he offered. They looked at him curiously, but since he never lied or tried to ever deter them in any way they agreed. Splitting up and searching. But Yusuke stayed behind, closing the door before walking back to the hallway.

His eyes widened a bit seeing that you had disappeared. But he was quick to see you had disappeared behind the door, evident from it is slightly ajar.

Careful as he walked slowly down the long hallway Yusuke glanced at the many paintings on each side of the hallway. The roses with vines trailed along the walls, even the ceiling, and floor. All growing thicker and wilder as they trailed into the room. And he noticed with surprise there was thorns. The ones closest to him were dull and short, but the closer he got to the room they grew longer and much sharper.

Placing his palm on the door he pushed it open, cringing slightly at the small squeaking of the ominous door. Peering inside he was taken aback by the scene displayed before his eyes.

The roses were even more wild, spiraling to the bed in the back. Thornes creating a small barrier at the base. And there you were. Still nonspeaking and it looked like you had been crying, obvious from the tears slowly running down your porcelain face as you sat silently on the sheets of the bed that were satin and shiny.

Yusuke drew nearer, walking over the vines that looked to be steadily beating like that of an actual heart. Stopping mid-way through watching curiously as you froze in shock. You had thought he had left you alone to wade in your river of sorrows.

Yusuke leisurely walked towards you, careful as not to scare, as he sat down beside you. Resting his hands on the bed, leaning back, he closed his eyes wondering what you would do. It wasn't long before he heard the bed sheets shift slightly and you're smooth voice enter his ears.

"Kitagawa-Ku-"

"Yusuke," he said cutting you off though he knew it to be incredibly rude and ungentlemanly. But he had to get it across you could call him by his first name. He did care about you. Turning to see you had now faced him, sitting on your knees he wanted to chuckle but instead, he revealed his face by taking off his kitsune style mask. "You can call me, Yusuke."

He watched as your an expression that was once depressed brighten instantly. A small smile flickering on it. "Yusuke...why are you here? Is it...Is it because you wish to steal my heart? To change it?"

Yusuke looked at you amused. Did you want him to steal your heart? If so he would do it in a heartbeat, pun not intended. His grey eyes that would, from somebody else's view look dull and not full of life, were gleaming happily.

"Do you wish for me to steal your heart?"

Your face flushed quickly, yellow eyes cast down now embarrassed. "If you want to...I wouldn't be against it."

Yusuke took off his bright blue gloves revealing flawless and unscarred skin. Discarding his gloves on a random part of the bed he brought his right hand up to cup your cheek. Your eyes widened slightly turning to stare at him.

"I am afraid to say I cannot change your heart, you have to do it yourself," he said his thumb caressed your cheek in a soothing manner. "You are the deep inner self of the one I admire."

"You," you started confused. "You admire me?"

Yusuke nodded confirming your statement. "I recognized your art in the hallway. They are the same as the new painting I've seen in the museum."

"You recognized them, even though I'm anonymous? I'm quite honored. Your art is beautiful, on a whole new level. Hopefully, I can become like you one day."

Yusuke hummed, sadness flitting across his face for a second. "Don't worry about becoming like me. Stay who you are and I'm sure you'll be a great artist. The same goes for your heart. Changing it is up to you."

You looked down once more then back up, leaning into his hand. Yusuke felt and saw the vines with roses start to pulse. Maybe it was somehow connected to your heart.

"I'll change I promise. I'll not only change for you, but I'll change for myself."

Yusuke nodded reluctantly removing his hand away from you and covering them both with his gloves. Standing up he turned to you once more, his mask dangling from his fingers.

He looked at you for a few seconds as you took this precious time to admire him. His hair was shiny. A brilliant blue matching his costume. Lithe in form with the beauty of a fox. A calm and collected individual with an intelligence like no other. An aspiring painter with skill just opening. How lucky you were to be able to get close to him.

He leaned down after a few seconds planting a chaste kiss on your forehead that would most definitely bloom into a brilliant flower. Making you think of something. Though it is clearly random.

"I should get a tattoo," you say simply taking him by surprise. But replied with a small smirk, happy at seeing you open up and say more. He could see it in the way your eyes grew brighter, even with the ugly yellow that still resided in them.

"And what will it be off, may I ask?"

"I'm thinking of a rose. Nothing big, just on my wrist or something," you said explaining why it wasn't just a spontaneous thought or decision. "Three roses. Pink, Red, and White. Do you think this is a good choice?"

Yusuke placed his hands on your shoulders putting his forehead on yours. His eyes close to yours gazing into them serenely. You could feel his breath fan your lips making you blush.

"It is up to you to decide what is right or wrong. Be careful what you choose," he said his presence leaving you. He turned walking to the door, but before he closed it, slipping on his mask he turned back to you with a sparkle in his eye.

"Choose what your heart decides, (M/n)."

~The End~

Fun Facts:

-In dreams hallways, whether they be long or short, are interpreted as the dreamer having untapped psychic abilities. In this case, it's the reader's art. They have not yet reached their full potential. Another interpretation is the frustration the dreamer has of being in a repetitive situation. The reader feels they have been this hallway for a long time being that they have always wanted to speak to Yusuke, but have never been able to walk the length of it. Always staying at the beginning. While Yusuke took the steps needing to reach the reader. In reality, not Mementos, the hallway is shorter. Making this dream real in a way-

-Rose tattoos have their own meanings. The obvious meaning of being love and beauty. But the color creates a deeper feel making the meaning of the rose richer and more unique.

The first color mentioned was Pink. Symbolizing healing, first love, and innocence.

Healing: The reader will heal from their past mistakes and jealousy.

First love: The readers first love is Yusuke. And vice versa.

Innocence: The reader is new to love. Young and vibrant.

The second color mentioned was Red. Symbolizing romance or passionate love. But they also represent sacrifice.

Romance/Passionate Love: The love between the reader and Yusuke is more of an innocent love, but it can sometimes be romantic and passionate. An effect from their artistic personalities.

Sacrifice: The reader has sacrificed their old ways to be with Yusuke. When there is the love you need a sacrifice. This proves the love you have for each other is genuine.

The third color mentioned was White. Symbolizing purity, mysticism, and a secret admirer.

Purity: The reader is pure when Yusuke is with him. Become pure.

Mysticism: Taken from how Yusuke talked to the readers inner self in Mementos.

Secret Admirer: The reader and Yusuke were both secrets admirers of each other. Though now it's out in the open~-

#x reader #oneshot #imagine #drabble #persona #persona 5 #yusuke kitagawa #yusuke kitagawa x reader #yusuke kitagaea x male reader #yusuke kitagawa x artist reader #yusuke kitagawa x shadow reader #request #fun facts #phantom thieves #dreams #male reader

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thethespacecoyote · 6 years ago

Text

For Day 7 of @kyluxaboweek and the prompt “Pack/Family Dynamics.” Dedicated to my friend, who has developed this AU and these OC Knights of Ren with me!

A brief run-down of each knight:

Nor: Male Chiss, oldest of the pack

Iashel: Female Lethan Twi’lek

Usureen: Female Togruta

Ssrelnak: Male Sirenoid (reptilian/amphibious alien race)

Viszaz: Female Dathomirian

Eroni: Female Zeltron

————

Emperor Hux knew how important public perceptions are. Well-versed in the art of propaganda, every appearance outside the palace walls, every broadcast treaty signing, every show of military might was consciously calibrated to implant his unconquerable image in the minds of his subjects—as well as all those who would challenge him.

Because there are those that still do, even years into his reign. Hux would’ve found their persistence admirable if it weren’t so irritating. Especially when they started rallying to the point where they posed an actual threat, and necessitated immediate and crushing retaliation.

The resulting campaign had lasted for months. Hux knew he couldn’t allow the rebellion to flourish, gain even more traction and support throughout the galaxy, but they had proved harder to quash than he initially believed. They’d routed the Empire in a couple of key skirmishes, guerrilla tactics unexpectedly exposing the weaknesses in his precisely mechanized troops.

Eventually, Hux’d had to sent in his knights to the heart of the rebellion’s forces, based on the swampy planet of Negilia. Led by their Master, they’d stormed against their enemies and pushed them back, only to meet unexpected resilience. Hux had spent many a night unable to sleep as a result, sitting out in the cool breeze of his balcony and looking up at the sky, at the deep expanse of space that separated him from those most loyal of warriors. Though he’d never wavered in his confidence in their abilities—their raw power alone and indomitable might together—he feared each day he’d receive a communication informing him that one or more had been lost.

But his horrible premonitions had not come to pass. The galaxy, apparently tired of taking what Armitage Hux valued most, had returned his knights and their master to his side. They were greeted with great fanfare as their shuttle lande out on the parade grounds, with scores of people and huge banners of red and black hanging from the outer ramparts of the palace. Music and cheers swelled through the air as the gangplank opened, revealing seven figures clad in varying shades of black and white and accented by red. Armor by Hux’s own design, and—in his estimation—far better than the shabby robes they’d worn before.

The public clamored as the knights strode purposefully down the long roll of red carpeting, lined with steadfast troopers. They raised their blasters up in salute as the triumphant warriors passed, a wave of motion leading all the way up to the raised stage where the emperor stood before a large curtain bearing his symbol, a pillar of white against a vast sea of red.

Each knight took turns bowing as they reached Hux, touching their masks to his gloved knuckles in reverence. Hux held poised and stoic, the slight breeze fluttering at the hem of his grand cape as the knights rose, one by one, and took their place behind them. Ren came up last, and Hux could hear his breathing through the vocoder of his mask as swept in close, silver embossment nearly brushing up against his lips as he leaned in to touch their foreheads.

“Not yet,” Hux whispered, inaudible to anyone but the two of them, and with a slight nod Ren resiste and took his position at Hux’s right hand. The cheering crowd quieted as the emperor walked to his raised podium, chin held high.

For once Hux kept his speech concise, though not so much so that it could come across as thoughtless. His voice rebounded across the stoic walls and rippling banners, the rapt crowds, the very sky above them. He spoke of magnificence of victory, the futility of resistance, and the reward bestowed upon all those that fly the colors of his empire. Above all, he lauded the role of those who stand behind him, defending his right to rule the galaxy as he saw fit.

All shall know the bravery, the loyalty, the brutality of his knights.

————

In private, things were very different.

His knights followed him in a regimented fashion at first, as they swept through the yawning hallways of the palace, forcing every guard and retainer to bow in reverence—or fear—as they walked by. But as they drew closer to the lift leading up to the emperor’s private quarters, decorum and regiment fell a bit to the wayside.

Nor was the first to crack the respectable silence.

“Armitage, you have no idea how much I’m looking forward to getting railed on a comfortable bed after so long.”

A laugh took Hux by surprise. Instantly, the tension amongst Ren and his knights dissipated, a cosy mix of scents filling the air as they joined in on the chuckling. As they all get into the lift together, the helmets start to come off, revealing each familiar face. Nor’s cool, blue skin. Iashel’s swinging lekku. Viszaz’s proud expression, accented by her tattoos. Usureen’s soft, unassuming eyes, Eroni’s smile, Ssrelnak’s rippling fins. And finally, the flurried mane and intense gaze of Kylo, who was the first to lean in and claim Hux’s lips in a kiss.

“Getting started already, are we?” Nor smirked as Kylo wrapped his arms tight about their emperor’s waist, pulling their bodies flush. Hux chuckled when he broke the kiss, the lift simmering with relieved pheromones.

Unfortunately, the elder knight’s lust would have to wait for later, because as soon as Hux keyed in the access code to the harem, Amelie and Sylmar raced over from where they’d been playing with their wooden figures in the foyer, dropping them onto the damasked carpet in their excitement.

“You’re all back!” They chorused, instantly latching onto Kylo’s legs before their father could get one step into the room. He laughed softly, before bending down and sweeping them both up into his arms.

“Getting so heavy,” Kylo jostled the giggling twins in his arms, turning to Hux, “what’ve you been feeding them?”

“Nothing unusual,” Hux faced his mate and leaned in, addressing each child with a soft kiss to the forehead, “they merely take after their sire.”

In the living room General Mitaka sat cross-legged on the floor with Aeon, helping her to pin an impressive array of beetles onto a stretched piece of canvas and looking slightly queasy. He looked up as soon as Hux entered, greenish face quickly switching to pale when he noticed the unmasked knights filing in behind him.

“H-Hello my emperor,” Mitaka rose, still giving a salute out of habit, “spectacular speech earlier, I had them watch it on the holo-prompter. While they had their dinners, of course.”

“Well done, Dopheld. You’re excused for tonight,” Hux said, scanning the room to find the remaining two children, Leander and littlest Nephrit, squashed into a plush armchair and reading a holobook. Leander sounded out each word carefully, pointing to the pictures and propping his sister up so she could follow along.

Mitaka inclined his head, showing respect to both emperor and his entourage as he made his leave, but not before catching Viszaz’s notice.

“We meet again, maleling,” she practically purred as Mitaka tried to skirt past her. He let out a squeak at her sultry tone, pale cheeks flushing madly as he jerked his head in another bow and quickly and scampered off

“She likes that one,” Nor smirked, watching Mitaka retreat through the front door before raising his eyebrow at Viszaz. She shrugged her large shoulders.

“Perhaps. But he cannot compare to our emperor.”

A ripple of assent drifted through the knights, punctuating by Kylo leaning in and pressing a kiss to Hux’s blushing cheek.

By then Aeon had popped up from her seat on the floor, trundling over with her newly pinned collection of bugs to show off to her parents. Leander too, decided to close the holobook and pick his baby sister up in his arms as he slid out of the armchair. Nephrit let out a tiny yawn, suckling sleepily at the ear of her stuffed toy as Leander handed her off to Hux and summarily attached himself to the emperor’s leg.

Kylo eventually let Amelia and Sylmar down on the ground, needing a break as they wriggle in his arms. Thankfully, Viszaz offered to play wrestle with the still-rambunctious twins until they tire, inviting Ssrelnak along in a pretend game of “the Two Brave Younglings Versus the Monsters,” as she put it. Hux’s belly rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten much since the morning, but before he could move to the kitchen Eroni waved her finger and smiled secretively, leaving a puff of rosy pheromones in her wake as she set about retrieving the snacks herself. With little left to do, Hux decided to sit on the couch, with Nor and Kylo quickly joining him on both sides. After passing the bundled, fussing Nephrit over to his mate, Hux let Leander crawl up into his lap and curl up against him.

“Did you see mummy’s speech, dearest?” The emperor murmured, brushing a bit of coppery hair off his son’s forehead. Leander nodded, shyly sticking a finger in his mouth. The boy always hung onto each and every one of his words even if he didn’t fully understand them, as if he just enjoyed the sound of his mother’s voice. It made Hux remember, years back, when he’d watched his sickly newborn from outside the thick plastic of the incubator, crooning gently and promising to hold him as soon as he was well.

He rubbed Leander’s back, feeling him mumble and cuddle closer against his stomach. Beside them, Nor chuckled and leaned in, cool temperature radiating off his skin.

“He loves to listen to you, Armitage. Then again, anyone who values the art of oration would.” Hux smirked at the compliment, only to furrow his brows when he noticed a glisten of red on his knight’s forearm.

“You didn’t have all your injuries tended?” Hux frowned, taking Nor’s hand to get a better look at the wound. It didn’t seem particularly deep, blood long dried against the tatter of his sleeve.

“What, this? Only a scratch, Armitage,” Nor dismissed, but Hux won’t let it go.

“Even a scratch can turn deadly if left untreated. I won’t have you die by such trivial means,” Hux shifted Leander in his lap, intending to sit him on the couch so he can retrieve some bacta, but the boy shakes his head and tugs at Hux’s robe.

“I want to help Papa Nor, mummy. Please?”

“Of course. Do you know where mummy keeps the bacta, dearest?”

Leander nodded and slid off of Hux’s lap, toddling off to the cabinet under the refresher sink to receive the little emergency first aid kit. He brought back more bacta strips than necessary for such a little cut but Hux didn’t mention it, content to watch as Leander settled on Nor’s lap this time. He stuck out his tongue as he peeled the protective backing away from the strip and sticking it on the wound when Nor rolled up his sleeve and offered his arm.

“Wonderful job, little brave one. It’ll heal right up now,” Nor flexed his fingers, as if testing his strength. Leander gave a rare smile, before accepting a hug from him.

With his knights all safely under the same roof again, Hux felt more at ease than he had in months, since they’d all left to fight against the rebellion. Their happy scents flourished and mingled as soft laughter filled the air. Everything felt gentle, relaxed—and it took Hux a moment to fully realize just how odd that was.

Any given outsider knew them only as the emperor and his warriors, stark symbols of power, stripped of nuance or personality. In the past, Hux had made that same mistake, looking down on both Kylo and his knights as mindless weapons dedicated in service of silly mysticism. Never had he ever imagined they’d become such an integral part of his life, his empire, his future.

Hux had seen Nor break an assassin’s neck with a pulse from the Force alone, but now he carefully bobbed Leander on his knee. And Viszaz—who had torn the innards from her enemies who thought disarming her would render her an easy kill—hefted Amelia and Sylmar up with her strong arms as they squealed and swung their legs out of reach of Ssrelnak’s tickling claws. Iashel, who had witnessed untold horrors in her life and suffered so dreadfully, knelt on the floor with Usureen, telling a rapt Aeon about all the monstrous bugs they’d had to fend off on Negilia. From the kitchen, Eroni returns with a platter of simple snacks, the slender fingers Hux often found wrapped around the haft of her saber now feeding his children.

All at once, as he watched his knights mingle with his family, Hux realized what it was that he had.

A pack. A concept Hux had always found a bit archaic, even juvenile. As a general, he commanded and controlled, occasionally collaborating but otherwise never accepting help from anybody—especially not when it came to personal matters.

But becoming emperor had necessitated some new perspectives. As had becoming a father.

“You missed us,” Kylo mumbled against his ear, one arm sliding around Hux’s waist as he cradled their daughter in the other. Hux simpered and leaned against his mate’s bulk, letting Kylo kiss the top of his head as he watched Nephrit peer out from beneath her messy black bangs.

“I’ve forgotten about you mind readers. I’ll have to start being careful again, lest you lot hear something you shouldn’t…”

“Mmm. Don’t need to read your mind to tell that.” Kylo rubbed up and down Hux’s side, drawing a pleased purr out of him. “You’re practically leaking pheromones all over the place. You’re happy.”

Hux smiled as he gently tickled Nephrit’s nose, earning him a tiny giggle. With such a strong, capable pack around her, she would grow up as well-protected and loved as all her siblings before her. Hux let her gently suckle the tip of his gloved finger as he raised his head to look at Kylo, leaning in to nuzzle against his cheek.

“Yes. I suppose I am.”

#spacetext #emperor hux AU #harem of ren AU #omegaverse #fanfic #kylux #huxlings #this is so corny and fluffy #but i wanted to write them something in return for shaping these OCs with me

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anodyne-sunflower · 6 years ago

Text

Maledictus-Theseus ScamanderxReader (Req.)

A/N: Requested by @brittanymcsharry 💕 I hope you like it!

MOOD MUSIC: Revolution by Unsecret

***

His footsteps came to a halt at the end of the cobbled street, the next beat of them hesitant to go any further. What oddities awaited him inside that tent? Where one man promised none would leave the circus the same after having witnessed his prized collection. A string of words Theseus hadn’t quite agreed with, but his biased nature would have to remain his for the time being. No Auror, a good one that is, would be so foolish as to scare their targets off.

“One ticket.” Theseus stood tall at the entrance, eyes staring up at the sign proudly boasting the endless attractions here. Even when he was a child, he held no interest in these traveling forms of entertainment. They were for those who could not fathom the real world, and only used it as an excuse to escape their own misgivings. “Thank you.”

He tore the ticket from the elf servicing the counter, not even caring for introductions as he ignored the man handing out programs for the night’s performances. Theseus had no interest in any of them, save for one. You. At least, he had hoped in his heart that the rumors would prove to be true and his travels hadn’t led him astray once more. He was fatigued by the endless circle of disappointment he had found himself in. When Travers had officially allowed him the head of this investigation, he was more than eager to start. He had already took it upon himself to locate you, but with all the resources of the ministry at his back, it should’ve made this task easier. Only that was an arrogant assumption on his part. Instead he had concluded that your disappearance was not forceful, but of your own volition. It wasn’t often a fellow Auror went missing, but when they did it left the Ministry with a supply of never ending questions. Theseus could only hope, he would be the capable one and find those answers. If not for the Ministry, then for himself.

“Welcome, ladies and gents! To Circus Arcanus!”

He took that one as Skender. A man as exploitative as he was depraved. He had seen and read his file numerous times before this investigation, but it had never occurred to him he’d ever witness his activities firsthand. It didn’t take long for him to announce his first few victims, half-elves and half-goblins, both weary and rage filled from their ringmaster’s brutality. Theseus couldn’t fathom how these other guests could stomach such abuse, and if not for his job to collect a certain individual, he’d of revealed himself then.

“And now, look upon the infamous water demon that hails from Japan.” Skender ran his cane along the iron bars, the curtains inside retreating as a lone figure sat melancholy in a tub of water. “I present to you...a live Kappa!” This seemed to draw the crowds attention, a collection of gasps and sounds of disgust reverberating off the tent’s structure. It only made Theseus grimace, anger being held in as he composed himself to the missions purpose. He had promised he’d be back for them all, and make sure this ogre of a person never saw the light of day again.

“Focus.” He told himself, sitting silently in the stands while others crawled along the seats to get better views of the Circus wonders. He could just clasp his hands together, eyes studying the center of the ring in anticipation of his findings. It was no wonder the other Aurors found no trace of you, because he was all too certain they fell victim to the stodgy entertainment presented to them. Without question, he believed they had left before even trying to appropriately locate you. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, and he couldn’t imagine how they’d leave you to the wolves in this place. Of course, your attendance at these shows was merely speculation. Brought on by other shady characters who wished to reduce their own punishments. Nothing spelled deal quite like helping an auror locate a friend. Theseus was the only one not to give in to such demands, but it would be remiss of him not to follow through with the gossip.

If he was honest with himself, a part of him believed it. That somehow in your haste to get away from the Ministry, you fell into a much darker void of the Wizarding world. It wasn’t a far fetched idea, and all looking to leave their former life behind could easily do so here. Where your true identity could be masked behind theatrics. “Where have you gone?”

Theseus considered all the variables, but the deeper he dug the harder it was to explain away your behavior in the past year. Every day seemed difficult for you, with your demeanor becoming erratic and distressed. He tried to speak to you, to get to know your troubles and perhaps, even fix them for you. Some would call that arrogance, but he would not watch you suffer on your own. Yet, every time he tried to corner you, to speak to you, you fought him. Sometimes ignoring his words, and other times berating him for placing himself in your personal affairs. It drove him mad to be sure, but he held a high respect for you and would not pursue the topic further. He wasn’t even sure of what caused your stress, but seeing you fight it alone...it angered him.

The entire string of events left him hopeless at the start, and he often found himself walking by your flat on his way to and from work. A foolish hope, but he pleaded with the fates that one day you’d be back there. That moment never came for him, and he could only sit back and let the days slip by and by until months had passed...and you were officially considered endangered and missing.

“There is but one more mystery I have to share with you tonight, my friends.” Skender smiled maliciously, looking to the cage once more in that twisted way Theseus has come to despise. “She’s human, beautiful...every man’s desire.” His cane dotted into the floor, adding a beat that could trigger a crowd in captivation. “But, in her she holds a dark secret.” He moved suddenly, adding a shadow of fear over the guests as he whispered loudly. “A curse. So vile and treacherous, that it will one day consume her and turn her into a beast forever. Ladies and gentlemen...I give you...” He tapped the iron bars. “A Maledictus!”

Theseus rose in his seat, one boot stepping to the higher stand as he stretched for a better look. It was intrigue that made him stare, but in his heart he knew there was more to this moment than his fascination. He felt it. Deep and bold in his instinct, that in mere seconds...he’d be seeing you again.

The curtains slowly drew open, an ominous shadow playing along the floor until the faint sounds of heels came into the room. There was a momentary silence, only the soft flow of breaths and gasps being heard down below. Theseus didn’t care for any of them, his full attention now focused on the sway of hips and the flood of green that came in the form of a long gown.

“Merlin.” He gritted his teeth in anger, the listless way you moved not being lost on him. It was so unlike you, he believed. To be so worn in your behavior that the very fire he knew in you, was now gone. The only part that remained was that same beauty he fell in love with the first day he laid eyes on you. No man could ignore that, and he was no better, but you had a elegance to you that enchanted anyone around. It seems, in some sick way, that power still held.

The crowd fell silent again, feet shuffling forward as they clearly gained interest in the goddess before them. What dangers did she pose, they all questioned. What secrets does she hide, they wondered. It made Theseus grow irritable, his fingers resting over his wand in his pocket while he considered all possible outcomes. Should Skender lay a hand on you, he could not promise he’d be civil.

“She changes at will, my friends. By day, a beauty to behold and by night, here at Circus Arcanus...she becomes a monster.” He tapped the cage harshly, signaling your cue to perform the act. But, his actions only emboldened you. Your stubborn nature still sparking up inside with every hit of his precious cane. Oh, how terribly you wanted to rip it from his hands, to truly become the beast he wanted you to be if only to rip his very throat out. However, that just settled the unkind theories others believed of you and it was an end you did not want.

“She becomes a beast!” Skender yelled again, his look warning you of the consequences you could face if you did not comply. So, you caved, eyes downcast as you reached your arms forward, eyes burning black as you curled your hands around you, ready to accept the curses whim.

Theseus’ eyes widened, body now moving forward as he pushed people out of his way to look closer. “Y/N...”

Your heart stopped, body frozen in place when the soft syllables of your name came out in a hushed tone. It was a voice you had let go of so long ago, now a mere whisper of the past in your dreams. Somewhere deep inside you believed it couldn’t be him, but that deep inflection of your name was unmistakable.

You gazed up this time, lips closing as you swallowed your shame hard. And there he was. Blue eyes bearing down at you in relief and indignation. You couldn’t fault him his anger towards you, but it was the warmth in his stare that gave you some hope of his forgiveness.

It would be their laughs that brought you back from Theseus’ gaze, and you could feel the anger in Skender’s cane as he hit the cage harder again. Your lack of cooperation left the crowd in fits of giggles, thinking this entire performance was some type of mockery. Even through Skender’s fury, you decided the only person that mattered was Theseus. The Auror stood tall above them all, eyes never leaving yours in a show of dedication. There was nothing more to hide from him, and you believed it was time to be honest.

You bent backwards, baring your teeth momentarily as your arms and legs began to melt into each other. Coils replaced your feminine figure, gracefully tangling along the floor until you slithered back in show. The crowd fearfully retreated away, children crying and adults gasping in disgust of you. It was nothing new, for you had spent months earning every reaction possible. Truthfully, their opinions mattered little now, and the only one you cared for was his.

Your eyes traveled to Theseus on the stands, his lips parted in astonishment when he released a breath. But, the Auror never looked away from you, nor did he seem sickened by your appearance. He simply held your gaze the entire time, even as you felt your conscience battling that of a beast. You could have stayed entranced by him and his persistent stare, but the crowd grew restless in front of you. They began coming closer, daring each other to brave the creature tucked behind the bars. It caused you to slither back, tongue flicking out before you unhinged your jaw and struck the cage. The iron rattled harshly, guests screaming and running off in fear of you. The crowd began to disperse wildly, a man striking Skender and causing the ringmaster to fall over on the ground in his haste to get away.

You struck again, a mix of the beast within and your own anger this time. It frightened Skender behind the bars, his legs scrambling back as he attempted to run off. He was stopped by Theseus, so casually descending the steps and moving over the ringmaster below to get to you.

“Hey, who-!”

Theseus cut him off, presenting his badge to Skender with a stern expression. “My quarrel isn’t with you just yet. Leave. Our paths will cross again.” He wanted to hurt him, to deliver the pain he had so clearly given you for so long. However, you were his intended target and his concern. He could worry about justice later, if it meant your safety now.

Skender glanced to the identification, skin growing pale when he realized the Ministry was here. “Y-Yes, Sir!” He awkwardly ran off to the other workers, motioning for them to pick up and scramble out of here before the entire Department came raiding his work. For a brief second he laid his eyes on you, knowing he was about to lose his greatest asset. You were certain the only thing that saved you, was the glare Theseus sent his way.

The Auror sighed in relief, knowing the Ministry would bring this entire circus down in days after he reported back. He only wished he could have saved you earlier. “Y/N...” He locked eyes with you once again, brows furrowing sympathetically when he discovered you coiled up in the back of the cage, tongue flicking out. Beast or not...Theseus would only ever see you there.

He gripped the bars tightly in his hands, no fear on his features, even when you hissed his way. “Can you change back?” He asked, hoping it wasn’t too late and you were still in there.

There was caution in your gaze, your eyes studying his every movement as the beast inside considered what to make of him. Theseus would never harm you, but there was a sliver of natural uncertainty that any man would do so out of fear. Yet, there was no hint of it in him, only a concern for a dear companion. So, you allowed him your former self, the helix of your body bending back and revealing a woman. The scales slowly faded back into the material of your dress, a soft welcome to your supple skin. You still laid there in the center of the cage, curled up much like your beast form would do in reservation. In the background of your melancholy, you could hear Theseus utter a spell. The hinge of the gate screeching as he pushed it open and walked in. The tops of his boots came into your view, and you tried to focus on the smooth polish of them until he kneeled down to your level.

“So,” He offered a lighthearted smile, soothing the chaos running untamed in your heart. “This is where you’ve run off to.”

You turned away from him, rubbing gently at your arm to comfort yourself. “What else was I supposed to do?” It was natural to become defensive of your decision, but it was mainly at the shame you felt within yourself for leaving him with no explanation. If anyone deserved to know, it was him. But, how could you have possibly confessed such a curse to him? To spill out a truth that would disappoint the only man you had come to care for. A mistake you never intended to make, but here you were. You should count yourself grateful you had come to your senses before anything could have blossomed further between you two.

“You could have trusted me.” Theseus leaned towards you, eyes rigid in their stance against your reasoning. Were you so naive as to conclude his tenderness towards you was only skin-deep? The thought made him turn away, his brief flicker of anger towards you dissipating when you dared to take his hand.

“Theseus,” Your fingers swept along his knuckles, a wistful smile playing on your lips as you remembered every detail of him. It had indeed been far too long since you last spoke, let alone saw one another. You couldn’t believe you managed to go so long without him. “You’re no fool...you know what happens to those afflicted with this curse.” It pained you to say aloud, but it was the unbearable truth you had suffered with since the beginning of your time. The season of willful change would come to an end and you would find yourself entangled in the mind of a beast.

“Why did you run? You could have told me, I could have helped you.” Theseus’ words became stressed, the pierce of his blue eyes causing you to shift and turn away in shame.

“Would it have changed anything? I’m no use like this. Before it was manageable, but now, I’m slowly losing whatever sense of control I had over it. I’m a liability this way, Theseus. The Ministry would not have me-“

“No.” He abruptly cut you off, shaking his head as he denied that nothing could be done for your predicament. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he gave up on you, this should’ve been a reunion to celebrate, and the more you appealed to him, the more dismal the situation became. “Y/N, we can speak of this later. We need to leave here, I’ll take you back and we’ll work through the details-“

“Theseus, listen to me.” You brought his hand to your lips, kissing it softly as you held back the desire to cry. Leaving him once was painful enough, and you had slipped out without so much as a farewell. This time you didn’t have that chance, and it was as horrible as you imagined it would be. “There is no happy ending in this. Whatever you believe can work, it won’t.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“You have to. I can’t go back.”

“An Auror can’t go missing, Y/N. What did you expect would happen? That the Ministry would count you a runaway and you could live out life as some bloody circus performer?” He knew his words were harsh, but you needed to realize that whether they willed him or not, he’d of come after you regardless. “I don’t care about the curse. I don’t care if you wish to spend your days hiding from the world, but do not hide from me.”

You stared up at him, feeling his hand tightening around yours as he begged you to see reason. Of course, you wanted to, but Theseus could never comprehend the dangers or the misgivings your affliction could bring. “I love you.” It was the only thing left to say, and his shock only made you stiffen in despair at your life. How fitting that fate should give you just enough time to confess, only to quickly pull him away from you again. “But, I can’t go back.” You felt the tears stinging your eyes, falling freely now as you released his hand and watched him consider you carefully.

“Y/N-“

“Promise me you won’t say anything.”

“Don’t do this.” He shook his head, agonized gaze settled sorely on you. He tried to keep you still, but as hard as his grip on your hand was, you flinched back, eyes growing dark, as the pools of the snake came through.

“Promise me!” You held on a bit longer, knowing leaving him like this was a cruelty he would never forget. “Don’t let them come after me.” You both knew the Ministry wouldn’t look kindly upon a deserter, whether good reason was there or not.

Your body twisted in front of him, scales once again replacing the smooth exterior of your skin. Theseus felt the anger again, married in a mixture of mourning and hopelessness he could not break. Of all the outcomes of his mission, he would never have believed it would lead him here. He was not the sort to lie, no matter the cost, but for you...

He gazed towards you, standing up again with a solemn expression you still felt through your mind. You slithered back, arching up with a flick of your tongue and baring your fangs to him. If you were attempting to frighten him, it didn’t work, and he merely breathed out a sullen laugh. “Have it your way then.” He took a hesitant step back, knowing he could force you to come but that you’d fight him every step of the way. He almost wished he had never found you, but he would rather endure the loss of you again if it meant seeing you one last time.

He walked back to the cage door, looking over his shoulder as you hissed defiantly at him. “I have loved you,” he nodded, finally giving in and saying exactly what he had planned to say upon your reunion. He only wished it had been under more gentle circumstances. “For as long as I can remember.”

Theseus’ hands gripped the bars, his willingness to let you go battling with his more selfish desires. He was torn between letting you leave freely, or to have the entire Ministry bring you back and convince you there was more to this life than running. But, in the end, it wasn’t his choice to make, was it?

“I promise.”

***

A/N: That came out more angsty than I wanted lol I hope you enjoyed though!

Taglist: @brittanymcsharry @marvelous-revengers @jinx4karma @preppy-by-the-c @marsbars101 @ariminiria @jackdawsonsgrl @emily12x @november-ash @dasha-tardis @lunadiilios @tamanamohain @ghoulishbergara @blackrose-92 @siren-lamented-vampire @theonlyparadox @unexpectedlyromantic @newtstarmander @dreacantsleep

#theseus scamander fanfic #theseus scamander #theseus x you #theseus x reader #theseus scamander x you #theseus scamander x y/n #theseus scamander x reader #callum turner #theseus scamander imagine

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fire-the-headcanons · 6 years ago

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Follow the Beacon Taiyang—Baking the Rules

[Link to Masterpost]

Tai’s dad started to laugh about a minute after Summer and Mrs. Rose disappeared around the corner, and he was still chuckling as he unlocked the truck. “I’ll give her one thing, she doesn’t miss an opportunity.”

Opportunity. He wanted to scream with frustration. They’d spent weeks planning this, volunteered for the dance committee, designed the decorations. And all they’d learned was that Azraq wasn’t in Solitas.

At least they hadn’t learned about their route around the school’s security.

“So how’d she convince you to help?”

“She needed me to distract her mom for two minutes, that’s all,” Tai slammed the cab door shut as his father climbed into the driver’s seat. “She just wanted to see if there was anything interesting on professor Azraq’s computer.”

“I wish you wouldn’t encourage her. I’m going to get an earful from Claret tomorrow.”

Tai leaned on the truck, glaring through the window at the trees as they pulled out of the school lot. A few seagull-sized Nevermores glared back from the edge of the forest, too small to hurt anyone but a lost kid.

“Tai?”

He sighed, long and deep. “Yeah?”

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

It took everything he had to not roll his eyes. “I’m sorry you’re going to get an earful.”

“Tai.” His voice was getting stern now. “Come on. You want to go to the dance tomorrow, don’t you? The least you can do is apologize for being an accomplice to breaking and entering.”

“Nobody broke anything, she walked into an open door.” Which was technically true.

“And invaded Azraq’s privacy.”

They’d been through—well, not this exact argument before, but close enough. His dad never let it go, and arguing was no use, which is why Summer had resorted to breaking and entering. Trying to sound genuine, Tai said, “All right, fine. I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have invaded Azraq’s privacy.”

Maybe he’d caved in too quickly, because his dad just sighed again. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the cabin and Tai kept watching the empty woods, looking for some sign of a Grimm larger than a cat.

Patch had to be the most boring place in all of Remnant.

His boots had barely hit gravel when his dad was calling after him again. “Don’t leave yet, I need your help in the garden for a couple hours.”

“Fine.” The word came out a little more aggressive than he’d intended.

“Taiyang…”

No. Screw it. “Well, maybe she wouldn’t do this stuff all the time if you’d tell us anything!” He tried not to shout, he really did.

“It’s not only my decision to make, Tai—”

“Yeah, and Mrs. Rose is even worse. We’re not kids, we’re not idiots, and it’s not fair for you to keep us in the dark all the time!”

“But you are kids. You’re only fifteen, and it’s Claret’s decision what she tells Summer about our work, and I respect that enough not to go behind her back and—”

“Then when can we know?” Tai demanded. “When we’re eighteen? Twenty-one? Graduated from Shade? When?“

His dad only scowled. It was like trying to reason with a brick wall. Always the same arguments, since he and Summer were little. Were they really surprised they decided to take matters into her own hands?

“Taiyang, we all love you both, and we just don’t want you getting dragged into this before you’re ready. There’s worse things out there than Grimm—”

Tai’s fingernails bit into his palms as he struggled with the waves of frustration threatening to sweep him away, speaking very deliberately even as he knew he was getting closer and closer to outright shouting. “That’s what you keep saying. That’s all you keep saying. When can we—“

“All right, that’s enough!”

“Because I know nobody will tell us why if Uncle Azraq doesn’t come home someday, or Mrs. Claret, or YOU, because nobody will tell Summer what the hell happened to HER dad—”

“Do you really think shouting at me is going to change my mind?!”

“WELL, NOTHING ELSE HAS!“

Tai’s words faded out, replaced by only the rustle of the wind through the leaves. The world seemed to breathe for a moment as his dad just stared at him with sad, patronizing eyes.

Inside the cabin the radio whined to life, hissing out a message. Whatever they were saying was unclear, but they didn’t sound finished when the furious whine of the Grimm siren cut through their words.

“We’ll talk about this later,” his dad said, reopening the driver’s side door. “Fertilize the blueberry bushes while I’m gone.”

Tai’s mouth fell open. “What?! I’m coming with you!”

“No, you’re not,” his dad snapped, jumping back in the truck. “You’re grounded. Blueberries.” Without another word, he slammed the door shut and backed out to the street. The siren drowned out the retreating engine after only a few moments.

To hell with the blueberries. His dad hadn’t taken his gear yet—Tai retrieved it all from its place next to the door and ready to go in under a minute.

All the Huntsmen and Huntresses from the island would head to the harbor, including Summer’s mom. This alarm sounded like a big one—Signal would be utterly deserted for at least an hour. They’d probably be grounded until graduation, but they could try again to get something useful from Uncle Azraq’s office.

Mud splattered under his boots, spraying up his pant legs as he tore down the narrow path through the woods. At this pace he’d reach town at the same time as his dad driving all they way around the cliffs in the truck. A small Grimm scurried out of the brush onto the path ahead of him, but he didn’t slow down to identify the type. His foot met momentary resistance against its skull, the teeth and chains strapped over his boot breaking the bone with an audible crack. It didn’t get the chance to whine before vaporizing.

A couple more Grimm harassed him before he was out of the woods—his anger and frustration drew them in like moths to a light—but no monster on the island had posed a challenge for years. Ten minutes after leaving home he was banging on Summer’s door, gauntlet rattling against the wood.

It swung open to reveal Summer, wearing her mom’s apron over her favorite white hoodie and beaming down at him through a mask of flour. Her expression was so unexpected he took a few seconds to remember to put his arm down.

“Change of plans,” she announced. “We’re going to Beacon.”

His heart leapt, still pounding hard from his frantic run, and the corners of his mouth started to creep up to match hers. They’d been planning on Shade for a few years now. “You found something.”

“Yep.” She’d never looked so smug. “Come in, I’ll show you.”

“Uh, cookies going okay?” Tai asked, brushing some flour off her shoulder onto the porch as she leaned out to close the door.

“Just added the flour to the mixer too fast. Multitasking. Come on!” she demanded, dragging him toward the back of the house. Tai stumbled forward, retracting the teeth on his boot covers before they could ruin Mrs. Rose’s floors. Again.

“Balt caught me almost immediately,” she said, plopping down in front of her mom’s computer. Tai headed over to where she’d abandoned her work and continued scooping out cookie dough onto the tray while she explained. “But he let something slip. Whatever they’re all doing, Professor Ozpin is involved. Azraq’s on a mission for him right now.”

“...Ozpin?” Tai stared at her. “So, what, it’s government work? That’s why they can’t talk about it?” This was terrible news, they wouldn’t be able to get government work until they graduated and got their licenses. And probably held them for a few years.

“Ozpin may be on the Vale council, but if it were just classified stuff, why wouldn’t they tell us that?” Summer countered, her eyes glittering more than usual. “They’re hiding something. And now we know where to start looking to find out what it is.”

Tai clicked the lever of the ice cream scoop a few times, thinking. For years he’d been desperate to get out of of Patch, out of Vale, smallest and boringest of the four Kingdoms. Vacuo and Shade had seemed like a perfect way to get out in the world and do something worthwhile. But, if there really was worse than Grimm out there, and Professor Ozpin knew about it... “So. Beacon.”

“I-is that okay?” she stammered. “I know we all planned—”

“No, I’m in. It’s a good school, and this is a good reason to stay in Vale.”

“Hopefully we can talk Dan and Zaff into it,” she said, clearing the browser history and grabbing the scoop from Tai’s hands before attacking the bowl of dough like it was the only thing standing between them and the truth. “Mom’ll be happy I’ve changed my mind, at least until Uncle Balt tells her why.”

“Yeah, Dad didn’t really like the idea of Vacuo either.”

“You should get home. We’re in plenty of trouble already.”

She had a point. If he left now he might get enough of the work done to hide his absence. “Okay. I’ll see you at school.”

It was nothing strange for a Huntsman to die on a mission. A tragedy, but not an unusual one, and someone had to fight the Grimm or life on Remnant would cease to exist. When Summer’s dad didn’t come home, everyone was heartbroken, but not surprised. At least until his teammates all packed up and moved to Patch as soon as he was buried, leaving most of their belongings behind.

Tai glanced over his shoulder as he stepped from the kitchen, over to where she was putting the tray in the oven with a scowl. Had her mom ever noticed it? That anger that seemed to bubble to the surface in her when she thought no one was looking?

There’s worse out there than Grimm. The only explanation they’d ever gotten ran through his mind again and again as he ran back along the path, kicking at Grimm and using trees to navigate the hills and cliffs quickly.

What could possibly be worse than soulless incarnations of hunger, hatred and death?

[Thanks for your patience! The new job is great but the drive is not. I’m looking for a place that’s closer and then I can spend more time writing again!]

Next Chapter: Qrow—Desperate Times

#rwby #roosterteeth #strq #team strq #taiyang xiao long #huang xiao long #summer rose #rwby fanfiction #follow the beacon #my fic #mine

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itssidviciousbitch · 6 years ago

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basorexia

(noun) 1. an overwhelming urge to kiss 2. a strong craving or hunger for kissing

She could not help but be drawn to him, a bright moon absorbed into the orbit of a massive planet, his intrigue and allure a magnet drawing her perpetually closer to his overwhelming presence. From her first moments in his towering castle, those first moments in his towering presence, Lisa had been acutely aware of the authority, power, and uncanny intelligence simmering just beneath the surface of Vlad Dracula Tepes.

It was not just his physical presence she found arresting, though, she certainly could not deny that it was a contributing factor. Tall, dark of hair, swarthy beneath his deathly pallor, stronger than any mortal or immortal in existence—the merest whisper of his presence instantly commanded attention. The very air hung heavy in anticipatory silence of his every action and word, drawn in by that commanding aura that he wore like a second skin.

It was more than that, though, that truly drew her to him. She had come to him to learn, to become knowledgeable in the world’s scientific truths and theories that she had consistently been denied. She had come to learn—and so he taught.

He, with the experience of centuries, the truths of magic and science, had consented to share such wealth with her. His mind was vast library, filled with information not even contained within the boundless depths of his physical collection. For every question she posed he had another twenty waiting to counter, to challenge her convictions and entice her to think beyond the realm of what she thought she knew.

For every mistake she made in an experiment he had a handful of solutions and explanations, the cant of his head or the angle of his eyes the only evidence of amusement or disapproval. And, truly, he was seldom annoyed. She had feared, at first—albeit silently and only within the deepest confines of her own mind—that she would not prove worthy, that the years of being forced to endure alongside the narrow-minded idolatry of the Church had stripped her of any capacity to truly be worthy of his tutelage. This proved a fleeting, fanciful bout of dread, however, as her mentor responded with meaningful critiques, sarcastic quips, and only the most nominal trace of exasperation when she was unable to follow his instruction.

For a woman denied the education she had desired for so very long, there was truly no better company in the world.

She knew in truth, however—in that same deep, dark little corner that had harbored her very real and very true doubts in herself, in the dark recesses of her heart that she closed away and ignored as studiously as she pored over her books—that it was far more than Vlad’s bountiful stores of information and apparent willingness to share it that drew her to him.

He was an enigma, for all his apparent transparency when they were at work. He was an immortal, a vampire with a long, bloody trail winding in his wake, alive for lifespans beyond that of an ordinary man.

She was not naive—she was very well aware that he had page upon page of past atrocities accounted to his name, that he had killed and tortured and stood at the head of slavering hordes of soldiers as he waged his wars. He cloaked himself in death and bore the fires of Hell deep within. Though she had yet to see him demonstrate his more demonic inclinations, Lisa knew they simmered just beneath the surface, smoldering embers just waiting to be stirred into an unquenchable blaze.

No, Lisa was not unaware.

However, she could not ignore the man he was around her—the man who met her word for word, took her taunts in (relatively) good humor, shared long evenings and rainy days and countless hours of conversation with her. He seemed…himself when he was with her. The idea was laughable—after all, she had no baseline, no control with which she could compare her observations.

Even so….

The heavy patter of rain on the window pulled her from her musings with a frown and a slight groan. “How long have I been sitting here?” she mused rhetorically, glancing at the greatly-reduced candle as she rose to her feet with a wince. She slipped a mark between the pages of her book and stretched, arms raising above her head as she shook the kinks out of her shoulders and back. It had been the perfect evening to read, the sun sinking into obscurity as a blanket of clouds and night stole across the earth. Somewhere in the midst of her studies her focus had slipped, however—as it had been every day over the course of the last few months.

She had been in Dracula’s castle for nearly a year by this point, and somewhere along the way her conviction to maintain a strictly professional relationship had evaporated into thin air. She found herself fully taken by affection—by love, her treacherous mind whispered—for her unusual host, and was reduced to time-wasting musings when her focus slipped. They were all she would allow herself, and even then only rarely; it did not do to dwell upon impossible things.

“I was beginning to think you would never stir.”

Lisa nearly leapt from her skin at the deep, humorous voice resonating from the doorway behind her.

“It is not polite to startle someone lost in thought,” she chastised, masking her discomfiture behind a lecture.

He chuckled, sweeping into the room to loom over her. “Oh, is that what it was?” he asked, smoothing a hand over his mustache to mask a smile. “I had thought you might have fallen asleep for as long as you sat staring out the window without noticing the rain.”

Blue eyes narrowed and Lisa gave an exasperated sigh, flinging her hands up in the air. “Fine, so I was not exactly at my best,” she consented, brushing a hank of blonde hair back from her forehead. “But I’ve been quite productive this week otherwise,” she said brightly. “We’re making a lot of headway with that fever remedy, and my knowledge of medicinal herbs has expanded tenfold these last five days.” She beamed up at him, any tiredness forgotten in the exultation of her progress.

Vlad gave her a small indulgent smile, arm coming down automatically in a silently-accepted offer as he guided her from the room. “That you have,” he agreed, his free hand crossing over to trace the fine veins in the hand curled around his sleeve. “You have—you are—exceeding all of my expectations with your studies.” His eyes closed briefly, sable lashes falling over scarlet irises to kiss the pale skin of his cheeks. “But I wonder,” he posed, eyes flickering open as he shifted to look down at her with that burning red gaze, “if you might be persuaded to take a slight reprieve from our lessons tonight?”

Lisa cocked her head in silent query, but nodded her assent. “That would be acceptable,” she deadpanned, “especially since earlier evidence indicates I am in no fit state of mind to focus tonight.” Unconsciously, her fingers traced the fine brocade of his sleeve, trailing over the red and back stitching in a tender caress.

He started at the touch but said nothing, realizing as he tilted his head to study her that she was entirely unaware of the gesture. “Excellent,” he declared, a touch of fangs showing in his smile.

His smile. He scoffed at himself. A year ago, he could count on a single hand the times he had smiled since his rebirth as the King of the undead. But now? Now, he came unhinged at a single, soft touch or word from the human woman beside him. Smiles, even laughter—even love, his demon hissed—came readily to him now, welling up from depths he had thought unfathomable. Now, he lived for her smiles, her approval and joy and excitement. Her achievements made him prouder than he could ever recall being, her presence in his life a bright spot he did not ever want extinguished.

Together, they crossed across a long hallway of tapestries and ascended a winding staircase, stepping slowly up the heavy grey stones to a tower Lisa had never visited before. “This is new,” she prompted, her unvoiced questions swimming in her upturned blue eyes.

Her host shrugged. “I thought it would be a pleasant change of pace from our usual routine,” he demurred.

Lisa frowned in thought and glanced out the single barred window set into the turret, the gleam of the moon capturing her attention. “Oh, the rain has passed,” she exclaimed. “I do so love the night sky.”

A secretive smile touched Dracula’s lips briefly as he led them up the final few steps. "Yes, it was a rather quick storm," he agreed, raising an eyebrow as he stopped behind her to peer out the same window. She could feel the rumble of his chest behind her as he murmured softly, the remaining few clouds dissipating into nothingness with a slight twitch of his elegant fingers.

"Vlad," Lisa chastised, spinning on her heel to glare exasperatedly into the face she suddenly realized was far closer than she had initially imagined, "What have we discussed about manipulating the weather?"

He snorted. "The laws of physics apply to magic as well as science, yes, I know," he recited back to her. "Removing a small storm here will not damage the state of the world's weather in any noticeable manner, my dear. Relax." Deftly, he stepped around her, smirking at her pronounced huff, and stopped before a heavy wooden door inscribed with glowing silver runes. He turned the iron handle and swung inward, sending the door thudding back against the wall with a light push.

“Ladies first,” he intoned with an ironic look, knowing she despised the turn of phrase. With a roll of her eyes, Lisa followed his extended hand into the room.

It was not a large room, in the grand scheme of the castle itself, but what it lacked in size it made up for in content. The edges were framed by shelves of books of every size—a luxury she had been spoiled for after living in his castle—and in the center, rising up into the heights of the tower itself, was a massive telescope to rival the likes of the one in the main laboratory.

Lisa’s breath left her in an admiring sigh. “Oh, Vlad,” she exulted, “it’s wonderful.” She let go of his arm to cross over to the gold instrument, running a hand along the eyepiece. “Though, what distinguishes this from the one below?”

And indeed, they had spent a great deal of time poring over star charts and mapping planets—for all that Lisa aspired to heal people, she held a deep affection for the intrigue and allure of the night sky. It was deep and dark and mysterious, filled with the obvious intrigue and allure but all the while sheltering hidden depths that most people would never be privileged enough to see or understand.

He gave her a small smile, that secret, special little outpouring of affection that was meant only for her eyes. “This one shows much of the same,” he shared, “but I have…modified it slightly. It will show you the stars you cannot currently see in this hemisphere.” He nodded toward a book lying open on the table beneath the great instrument. “It shows the opposite sky to the one below.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up in excitement. “That’s ingenious,” she marveled. Her eyes narrowed. “Though, it sounds more the work of magic than science.”

Vlad followed her into the room, sweeping his arms out to the side in a shrug. He could not help but notice how her eyes followed the movement of his shoulders, the trail of his great, black cloak as it followed his outspread hands. “A little of both, perhaps,” he conceded. “What is the world without compromise?”

Her lips parted in surprise as he threw her words from an earlier conversation from months before back in her face. A faint flush spreading across her fair skin, she turned her attention back to the collection of marvels before her. “So,” she mused, “with this, I should be able to see Cancer, and Hydra, and Leo, and…” her voice faded off to abstract mumbles as she eagerly pressed her eye to the telescope, nimble fingers adjusting the focus as she scanned the night sky. Her fair hair hung alongside her fine cheekbones, curling over her shoulders to fall down her back in a golden waterfall. Caught in the silvery light of the moon she was radiant, an angel who had somehow stumbled and found herself ensnared in the lair of a demon.

Overcome, said demon moved without thinking, crossing the room in a single blink to rest just behind her, one hand extended to—to what? He paused, hand hovering in midair, unmoving but for the faintest tremor in his extended limb. What was he thinking? He had brought her up here as a surprise, to delight her in the mysteries of a sky she could not typically see, not to disturb her with an old immortal’s unwanted affections. His hand clenched into a fist and curled in toward his chest, resting over where his heart would beat were he still alive.

“This is marvelous!” Lisa exclaimed, whirling from the machine to find him. “Oh!” she started, not expecting to find him so close. “Truly, though,” she persisted, coming back to herself, "I could not imagine a better end to the evening. Have you had this here the entire time?” She had her suspicious about the age of this particular device and its rather unique features, and they were confirmed as her vampire (Her vampire? When did that start?) shifted slightly and gazed up at the moon rather than meet her eyes with his glowing red gaze.

“Oh, long enough,” he hedged, waving it away with a dismissive hand. He would do anything for her—this was a mere trifle.

He was not expecting the armful of grateful woman that followed.

“Thank you,” she professed, leaning back just enough to peer earnestly into his eyes, a broad smile spreading across her face. “To be able to see everything in the sky, and not just from a single perspective—it’s an amazing gift.”

“Yes, it is,” he murmured in agreement, ruby eyes boring down into hers. His hand rose of its own accord to frame her face, thumb rising to trace the fine edges of her cheekbone. “It takes a rare soul to even desire to look beyond a single perspective, to see beyond what has always been seen and look for more.” His voice was soft and contemplative, and both he and Lisa knew quite well that why no longer discussed the stars.

Her own hand rose to meet his where it held her face, thumb tracing his pale wrist as she stood enthralled in that burning gaze. “What point is there in living if we do not seek the truth?” she countered, her own voice as soft as his.

“And what truth is it that you seek?” he asked, stepping closer so that they stood but a breath apart, only their markedly different heights separating their faces.

Lisa’s breath hitched in her chest, all of the feelings and thoughts and desires she had been keeping suppressed welling up to the surface in a single surge. She hesitated, words catching in her throat as all of her insecurities followed, telling her she was imagining things, reading far too much into a simple situation between friends. Her heart, however, beat traitorously within her chest, thrumming out a pulsing pattern of nerves and anticipation and something else that she knew he would be able to hear even without his predatory inclinations.

Steeling her resolve, she released his wrist to reach forward and seize the fabric of his cloak at his collarbones and tug his head lower, standing on her toes to further reduce the space between them. “This,” she breathed, and pressed her lips to his. She could feel him stiffen beneath her, his lips cold and icy against her own, smooth as marble and stone to the touch. Briefly, she allowed herself the selfish pleasure of his taste, of this one singular moment of contact between them. She breathed in deeply through her nose, overwhelmed by the rich scent of sandalwood, the iron tang of blood and the comforting caress of crisp evening air and rich, worn leather. Her hands smoothed a shaky path along his chest, trailing from where they had clutched at his neck to draw him close down to his abdomen and back again.

All the while, he remained stock-still beneath her touch.

Foolish, Lisa thought to herself, of course he does not feel the same. Her grip on his cloak relaxed, her parted lips slipping from his as she lowered herself and regretfully withdrew. She kept her eyes downcast in a vain attempt to mask the hurt in them. At least she had tried, had known what she wanted and made the attempt. Perhaps she had just shattered the fragile bud of their friendship, but she could not have lived not knowing whether that hazy “perhaps” might have actually come to pass.

It was then Vlad made his move. Quick as a snake, he caught her in his arms, one hand sweeping down to rest at the small of her back as its partner buried itself in her hair. Hungrily, he pressed his lips to hers, and Lisa could not suppress a gasp at the difference between this and the kiss they had shared just moments before. Lips that had been ice were quickly thawing, the tangible passion between them reviving veins that otherwise sat stagnant, an undead heart beating rapidly within the chest that housed it.

Those lips caressed and tasted, mapping every contour of her mouth until she could do nothing more than hang limply in his arms, peering up at him with hazy blue eyes. “I didn’t think,” she breathed, raising a shaky hand to smooth the fine thread of dark hairs framing his forehead,

“—that you felt the same?” he finished, a knowing gleam in his eyes. He raised one hand—a hand easily capable of felling a man in a single blow, yet so gentle with her—and trailed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. The tenderness of the gesture and the keen, curious expression in his eyes sent a surge of affection rushing through her. She loved this man more deeply than she had ever dreamed one could love another, and the thought left her simultaneously disconcerted and filled with an overpowering, thrilling elation.

“Well, yes,” she confessed, the reality of his words sinking in as she finally heard them. She buried her face against the crest emblazoned on his chest rather than meet those intense scarlet eyes. “What have I to offer you? My life is a single flicker against a much greater flame—here today, but gone in an instant relative to yours."

His face darkened at her words, the truth of them bitter salt in the perpetually open wound that had plagued his existence from the first moment he realized just how very much the woman in his arms had penetrated his defenses.

“My Lisa,” he sighed, burying his nose in her flaxen hair, hand cradling the base of her skull as gently as she had even seen him hold anything. “Why must you undermine your importance? You are the brightest point in my life, the only thing that makes these endless days livable.” He swept his other arm around behind her back, cradling her in the great, sweeping shade of his dark cloak as he blanketed her in his embrace. “You have made me reconsider everything I believed about myself, about even humans—my greatest dread in this existence is the moment you step out of it.”

What little she could see of his face held an expression of such pain, such alarming, calculated despair that Lisa nearly wept. "Oh my love," she said, carding her hands through that great black mane. "Think no more of things beyond our control. I am here, and I offer you my love, and all of the days that yet remain in my life." She thought perhaps that she had spoken rashly, overstepped herself yet again as she was so wont to do, but--

When he caught face up in his hands, great palms dwarfing her fair cheeks, and pressed a long, lingering kiss to her forehead, and then her temples, nose, chin, lips--

--then she knew well that she had instead spoken well.

"You would truly remain here, dear one? As mine, my partner, my equal, my love?"

Lisa gave him a beatific smile, her own hands coming up to press against his where they cradled her face. "As much as you would be my own partner and equal," she returned. She pressed a kiss to his lips, taking the time to savor the slide of her skin against his, the otherworldly cool that seemed to seek out her own heat and drink it up, an unquenchable cold flame that flicked ever outward.

"I love you, Vlad," she confessed, holding her gaze steady as she stared determinedly into his overwhelmed gaze, her cerulean eyes searching his own narrowed red ones and divining all of the emotions he otherwise strove to suppress. "I love the man and the monster, the scholar and the skeptic, the magician and the mathematician. I know I can never claim the entirety of you, that I can never even hope to possess a fragment, but--" she bit her lip, the pull of her teeth against the plush, delicate skin drawing his gaze. "--I love you so much I fear my heart will burst for it, and I will gladly take any piece of you that you are willing to offer."

"Oh Lisa," he sighed, a platitude offered up to Heavens he had long since cast aside, "you don't realize just how much of me you do have. I am yours, my love." Casting aside the shreds of propriety to which he had been clinging, he took the routes of a lesser man and brought his mouth down to bear upon hers once more, seeking affirmation and deliverance and comfort from the enduring warmth of her embrace. He plundered her mouth, angling her head with his fingers on her chin so that he might sweep his tongue through the parted seam of her lips and continue his exploration. He took no mercy, accepting what was offered and challenging her to give more, and Lisa reciprocated, her own tongue chasing his in broad, sweeping strokes as she met his fierce embrace.

They were kindred spirits, of sorts, the monster and the maiden, each of such a passionate nature that the other could not help but be caught up in the other. Lisa knew she should step back, should allow them time to sit and talk and speak of the shifting dynamic of their relationship, but--

--there would be time for talk tomorrow, when the moonlight was not so fierce and the fever of their passion had temporarily cooled. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the embrace of the man she loved, the only one, human or otherwise, who had ever deigned to mark her as their equal. Tongue darting over the tip of one pointed fang, hand tracing the pointed tip of a pale, sensitive ear, she hummed delightedly to herself as he pressed insistent kisses to the pale column of her throat.

It could certainly never be said that she had tamed the Beast, but neither could it be said that the Beast would ever tame her.

#castlevania #vlad dracula tepes #bram stocker's dracula #dracula

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hazyheel · 5 years ago

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WWE Monday Night Raw 8/5/19

We started the night with a tribute to those in El Paso and Dayton. They even gave a ten bell salute. It was good. Nice of them.

Then they showed the theme song, and Samoa Joe interrupted it. He hopped up on the announce desk and yelled at Michael Cole for accusing him of attacking Roman Reigns. Graves tried to defend Cole, which only made Joe more mad. He demanded that they show the footage. They did, and Joe said that since he was nowhere near the attack. Joe vowed to stay at the show until Reigns showed up, so he could get his apology.

As he was talking, Becky Lynch interrupted and walked down to the ring. Badass. I love her.

Grade: B-. I am almost positive that it wasn’t Joe who attacked Roman, so this is just sorta a red haring. But it could lead to a nice brawl and maybe even a good match if I may be so bold.

Then we had a tag match in the Women’s division. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Natalya and Trish Stratus. I was shocked that they are actually having Stratus on TV. Charlotte vs. Stratus is one of the biggest matches that they have going for them, so I was surprised to see this tag match get booked. Nattie and Lynch started the match with some technical exchanges. The two exchangd some submissiions, and Lynch was bout to lock in the disarmer, but Charlotte tagged herself in. Charlotte essentially wrestled this match alone, she completely refused to tag Lynch in. Even when she actually did tag Lynch in, she nailed Lynch in the back of the head with a forearm and walked out on her. Nattie locked in the sharpshooter, and refused to break when Lynch made it to the ropes, causing a DQ.

After the match, Stratus tried to pull Nattie off of Lynch, so Nattie pushed her away.

Grade: C+. Fine match, basically continued to show how much hatred has festered between Nattie and Lynch. And it showed that Charlotte is a bad guy. Stratus didn’t actually wrestle, so that was good. Just a perfectly functional angle here.

Then we went into Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio, the never ending feud. The match stemmed from Andrade ripping Mysterio’s mask after their portion of the Gauntlet match last week. We started with a quick pace, getting into striking and flipping within the first minute. At one point early on, Andrade spilled to the outside, so Rey slid out onto him and gave him a sunset flip powerbomb into the barricade. The two put on a really nice, lucha libre style of match with lots of great flippy moves. Rey hit an awesome hurricanrana after Andrade popped him up at one point. Andrade also nailed a beautiful double stomp in the corner after the two battled on the top rope. Rey still fought back however, this time with a mexican destroyer for a near fall. Then he nailed Andrade with the 619, but Andrade got his knees up for the splash after Vega distracted Mysterio. In the finish, Andrade went for the mask once again, but when the ref pulled him off, Vega hung up Mysterio on the middle rope, allowing Andrade to hit the hammerlock DDT.

Grade: B+. Just a nice little spotfest here. Pretty fun, and open to have a rematch. Nice to see a pretty good match.

Then we saw went is going on with Maria Kanellis, at their OBGYN appointment. She told Mike to defend her and her championship, and he said he would. At the appointment, Mike told Maria to relax and hugged her. The doctor then counted a pinfall, so Kanellis won the championship. Mike ran out into the waiting room, where R-Truth was waiting, He threw a baby doll in the air, which Mike caught, and then rolled up Mike to win his title back.

Then we had an interview with Becky Lynch about her summerslam match. Lynch said that she doesn’t care if Nattie has hometown advantage. She will win, because she has changed the business. Nattie said that she hasn’t gotten enough opportunity, but Lynch said that she needed to take opportunities. She is what Nattie’s career needs. Then Nattie was interviewed, and she said that her armbar didn’t matter, because her arm will break before she taps. Then she said that she would end Becky’s career with the sharpshooter and win the championship. Nice, I like tough Nattie.

Then Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out. Heyman ran down Rollins for getting destroyed by Lesnar again and again. He said that he loses too much, and he isn’t the hero that he pretends to be. They showed the attack from last week, and Heyman talked about how even he couldn’t stop Lesnar’s vicious attack. He also said that Rollins was in the building, and he insulted him for being stupid and showing up to Raw. Rollin’s music hit, and he limped down to the ring with a hair in hand. When Rollins got into the ring, Lesnar went right for the ribs. Lesnar attacked him with the chair and threw him all over the ring. Lesnar nailed him with an F5 to leave him laying on the ground.

After a commercial break, Rollins got on the mic and talked about why this match was worth it. He said that he wanted to protect the Universal Championship, despite the fact that it gets him beaten up every week. He said that this was all he had, and he vowed to beat Lesnar. He also refused to get on the stretcher when they offered it.

Grade: C-. I am not as fond of this underdog story as I was of a confident Rollins going into Wrestlemania. He is badass when he is confident, and while he is a good underdog, Lesnar eats underdogs. We’ve seen this story before, and while I hope Rollins wins, it seems like he won’t. I’m just sick of Lesnar being in the title picture.

Backstage, Kurt Angle, who would be a special guest referee for McIntyre vs. Alexander, talking to the Street Profits. They wanted to party with him and drink some milk, which they almost did until Drew McIntyre came up and threatened him. If Angle didn’t call it down the middle, then he would crack his skull open. I don’t know why Kurt Angle is here.

Then we had a squash match with the Viking Raiders. They won with the viking experience.

Grade: B-. Inoffensive Squash.

Then we had Cedric Alexander vs. Drew McIntyre, with Kurt Angle as the guest referee. McIntyre ran down to the ring as Alexander entered, and he beat the crap out of him. As they fought on the outside, Alexander gave McIntyre a tornado DDT, and then the lights went out. The Fiend showed up once again, and used the mandible claw to put Angle right on the mat.

Grade: B-. Okay, I’m into this becoming Wyatt’s new thing. A modern legend slayer, but he is way creepier. I like that, he looks really strong so far.

Then we had the New Day’s Xavier Woods and Big E come out to the ring for a match with the OC. The match didn’t even really start when AJ just ran into the ring and attacked. There was a DQ, and the New Day were beaten down, but Ricochet ran down and came to their aid. He helped fight them off, and they turned this into a 6-man tag. Ricochet and Styles mixed it up a bit. Big E was tagged in to fight a bit against Luke Gallows, who came out in his old face paint, so that was cool. Styles and Big E actually had a really good exchange here, where Styles countered several of Big E’s power move. He eventually gave Woods the hot tag, who gave Styles an honor roll. That was when this broke down a bit into anarchy, as Ricochet gave Styles a dropkick through the bottom ropes and out to the outside, but Gallows caught him when he tried again, and he was sent flying into the barricade. Styles then took out Big E with a Phenomenal Forearm, while Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer for the win.

Grade: B. Pretty good stuff, interesting that the OC got the win over the Smackdown tag team champions, so maybe they will be the WWE Tag Team Champions soon. Other than that, just sorta a spot fest. Still pretty good though.

Then Samoa Joe came out, upon finding out that Roman Reigns was in the building. Reigns didn’t come out, so Joe sat in the right and waited. The crowd got bored waiting for Reigns and chanted CM Punk, so Joe walked out and met Reigns in the parking lot. As Joe walked out to confront him, a car smashed into Romans. Joe actually made sure that Reigns was okay after the car was hit, telling him to stay down and yelling for a medic. Triple H came out to make sure he was okay as well. Interesting, no confirmation of who it was. And Joe may turn face.

Then we had a fatal 4-way elimination match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. The Kabuki Warriors vs. Fire and Desire vs. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs. The IIconics. This match feels like they were going to do it at summerslam, but then they just kept cutting the build until they didn’t have a build, so they just blew it off on TV. Also, Corey and Renee are really funny during this match because he keeps yelling at her whenever Mandy Rose was in the ring. The IIconics took everyone down and hit their signature poses, but then Rose ran in to fight them. Rose pinned Cay with a running knee very quick, guaranteeing new champions. Nikki Cross was in after the elimination, but she quickly tagged herself out to Asuka. Asuka intimidated Rose out of the ring to tag in Bliss, but Bliss quickly tagged Sonya Deville. The two had a very nice exchange, followed by an awesome hot tag from the Kabuki warriors. Bliss entered the ring again, and when Renee mentioned that Bliss didn’t want to be in the match because she was scared, Graves suggested that she could be scared of getting scurvy from Kairi Sane. You know, because she is a pirate. So dumb, but pretty funny. Then we saw Rose and Asuka battling a bit, culminating in Rose tapping out to the Asuka lock. That left the Kabuki Warriors and Cross and Bliss. When we came back, Cross was locked in a knee bar, but she eventually broke out. And afterwards, she continued to sell the knee, so that was nice. Sane had a yet another really nice hot tag, which reminded me that she never really had a chance to prove herself on the main roster yet. Asuka then tagged back in to fight Bliss, and nearly got stacked up out of an Asuka lock. Sane went up for the insane elbow, but Cross pushed her off the top rope. Asuka then tried to attack Cross on the outside, but Cross trapped her in the apron and beat her down. Sane then took out Cross, only to be floored by a right from Bliss. Bliss then went up and hit Twisted Bliss for the win.

Grade: C+. A lot of this match was awkward, and not the greatest. But that last fall between Bliss and the Kabuki warriors was pretty good. I hope to see more straight up tag matches between some teams, and hopefully put some respect on those championships. I think Cross and Bliss have the most star power in this

And in the main event slot, we had a contract signing on Miz TV. Miz and Dolph Ziggler were going to sign a contract for their match, and Shawn Michaels was there for some reason too. Ziggler quickly insulted both of Michaels and Miz, saying that he is carrying the company on his back since Michaels lost his smile, and Miz lost his balls. Funny, those certainly didn’t happen at the same time. Miz then said the contract was not for a match with Miz, implying it was with Shawn Michaels. Michaels then said that it wasn’t him, and Goldberg came out. Goldberg then signed the contract after Ziggler retreated from the ring. Goldberg then told Ziggler that he was next, as Michaels drilled him with a superkick.

Grade: B. I bumped this up a bit because of the surprise. Goldberg is certainly a way to get a bigger name on this card, and I’m into it. Ziggler can sell a beating like no other, so I’m excited to see him get speared inside out on Sunday.

Overall Grade: B-.

Pros: Andrade vs. Mysterio; OC vs. New Day & Ricochet; Miz TV; IIconics lost their belts :)

Cons: Rollins looks super weak

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