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typewrittenluck · 3 years

Text

as the seasons change

C!Technoblade x gn!reader highschool!au

Word Count: 9.1k

Pronouns: they/them

A/N: this is literally so self indulgent, i spent a whole day writing this because im going through my techno feels rn. it basically follows the story of oblivious Y/N and Techno throughout the four seasons :)

Warnings: Underaged drinking, Swearing, Smoking, Drugs (very brief)

Suggested Songs: The State of Grace, Taylor Swift/ MEET ME AT OUR SPOT, THE ANXIETY, WILLOW, Tyler Cole/ that way, Tate McRae/ Falling, Chase Atlantic/ Compass, The Neighborhood

SUMMER------------

The August air was thick with the heat of the almost-setting sun. Her rays beat down on the backs of the group of teens, and mosquitos filled the silences between them with their incessant buzzing.

A small crack of static preceded the soft sound of music, accompanied by the sharp smack of Niki and Jack’s celebratory high-five.

“Didn’t you start setting up the speaker like an hour ago?” questioned Wilbur, who was sunk into a half-broken lawn chair that he had found in the garage.

“Yeah, it would have been much faster if you had asked Techno” chimed Y/N from their place leaning against the above mentioned man’s leg.

His grunt of response was cut short by his little brother, Tommy, bursting into laughter.

“Because he’s TECHno! Get it?!”

Everyone groaned and Wilbur smacked Tommy upside the head, grumbling about “shouldn’t have let you come hang out with us”

Y/N giggled at that, but took sympathy on the boy. “Aww don’t be like that Wil, Tommy, I thought that was hilarious.”

“Don’t encourage him, Y/N” Techno leaned down to murmured to them in his low, monotonous voice.

There it was. The way he said their name! The way his calf felt under Y/N’s back! The way he whispered sentences directly to them, as if it was some closely guarded secret. It was enough to bring butterflies to their stomach as they praised whatever higher being was out there for the heat of the day covering their blush.

“It’s so fucking hot,” Fundy moaned, kicking Wilburs shin from his place lying facedown on the grass. “Can we go to the pool or something?”

His request was met with a spectrum of responses, varying from Tommy’s “YES, PLEASE WILL? PLEASE!” to Technoblades indifferent shrug.

Jack took note of Technoblades open response with a shout of laughter. “TECHNOBLADE IN THE POOL! I WOULD PAY GOOD MON-”

“I’m not getting in, dumbass.”

“Why? Scared you’ll ruin your hair?”

“No, he doesn’t want us to know he’s secretly jacked under the sixteen sweaters he wears.”

Technoblade picked up the hem of his sweatshirt, making eye contact with Niki. She has a point.

“How do you wear that in the Summer?”

“It’s n- TOMMY!!”

Shrieks of laughter follow Tommy’s water gun assault on his brother. “When did he slip away to go get those?” Y/N wondered aloud.

“WHEN ARE WE LEAVING??” Tommy asked enthusiastically.

---

A crowded minivan, a stop to pick up Tommy’s friend, and a raid of Phil’s linen closet for pool towels later, the group arrived at the neighborhood pool. The sun hung low in the horizon as people spilled out of Phil’s van and began dragging the pool toys and water guns towards the gate.

The air around the black metal bars barring their entrance to the pool seemed to quiver.

“I think Wil has the pool key.” piped Niki in response to Fundy throwing his weight against the fence.

Fundy, in turn, sprinted back to the car, where Wilbur was taking inventory of snacks (and probably hiding the best for himself).

Technoblade looked down at the two younger boys and Y/N conversing in hushed whispers. All of a sudden, they screamed out in perfect synchronization, in equally high pitched voices,

“Let me innnn! Let me in pleaseeee!”

And promptly burst into giggles. Y/N almost toppled into Techno, both from laughing and the slight weariness from the heat.

The pool noodles he was balancing beneath his arms (laden with tote bags of pool toys and towels) toppled to the ground, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was Y/N’s hand steadying themself on his chest, and the way his face began to heat up almost unbearably considering the weather.

“Oops, sorry!” they squeaked, leaning down to pick up the fallen noodles.

Technoblade was burst out of his daze by the return of his brother and Fundy, who triumphantly swiped the access card against the pad before kicking the gate wide open.

The clang of metal against the concrete pool clubhouse sent reverberating waves into the air, and everyone winced as the metal continued to drag.

Pool entrances varied, Niki, on the one hand, took her time tip-toeing into the water by the stairs, while Tubbo and Tommy almost knocked each other out crashing over the edge to the deep end.

Y/N chuckled at their antics, but seeing as they had settled on not getting wet today, they picked out a chaise in the shade and pulled a book and pen out of the small bag they had brought with them.

Technoblade watched them with almost unwavering interest, unless someone happened to look his way, in which case he would quickly turn back to his phone, scrolling aimlessly through his home screen until they turned away.

From his spot under the little roof of the clubhouse, he had an almost unobstructed view of Y/N, and how they chewed at the end of the pen they used to annotate their book. Oh how he wished he could read the little notes they scribbled in the margins, or the drawings they would surround words with when they got distracted from reading. And the way that pen dangled from their lips, their tantalizing, soft lips. Taunting him, almost. And their jewel-like, bright eyes. Always so inviting and playful; like the way they were meeting his right now-

Shit

He hadn’t realized he’d been staring that intently. A small quirk of their eyebrow and a smirk on their lips was enough to make his heart give out. But not now. Not when they were waving their hand so intently to get him to sit next to them. Pretending to ponder the decision and gather his belongings, (when in reality he was just collecting his bearings), he walked over to them.

“See! You don’t always want to be alone, Mr. I’m so antisocial and I hate everyone!” they smiled, patting the adjacent seat.

You’re the only exception, he thought, his brain screaming and pushing to let the words leave his mouth. He couldn’t though, not when they could never think of him the way that he thought of them.

So he answered with a small smile and a chuckle.

“What are you reading?”

“The Picture of Dorian Gray! Remember you said you thought I’d enjoy it?” they answered with enthusiasm, that sparkle still evident in their eyes.

It warmed his heart to know that they had taken the suggestion and committed to the book, which was admittedly a pretty tough read, because of him.

“How could I forget?”

Their smile widened and they buried their head back in the book, that cursed pen once again being squished between their plush lips.

Technoblade peered over their shoulder to see that they were nearing the middle of the book, where Dorian returns from his theater date with Basil and Henry. Feeling satisfied enough that they were invested in the story, given their gasp and furious scribbling in the margins, he felt it safe enough to stare at them under the orange-tinged glow of the sunset.

Of course, he forgot about the crowd of his friends who were nudging each other and whispering about his infatuation with you. The whispers reached Wilbur who narrowed his eyes in his twin's direction and made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Once dark hit and the water began to run a little too cold for anyone's taste, they began to wrap themselves up in towels and raid Wilburs snack stashes. The snack distribution was cut off by Wilburs phone, screen lit up with a zoomed in photo of none other than Philza.

DADZA!!! Read the contact name as Wilbur swiped the screen and held the phone between his shoulder and ear, continuing to hand out snacks.

“OI, where in fucks sake are you lot? It’s an hour past the devils ass why i…”

The rest of Phil’s screaming faded as Wilbur walked away to calm his father down.

“AN HOUR PAST THE DEVILS ASS” Y/N screamed with laughter, sending the entire group into raucous peals of giggles.

“Yep, mhhm, we’ll be there” Wilbur walked back towards the group, motioning for everyone to get in the car.

“Yes dad I know, yes, okay we will drop him off. Okay, bye” Hanging up the phone, he ushered people back into the car, holding Tubbo back by his upper arm so that he could sit with easiest access to the door.

After dropping Tubbo off, and then doubling back and driving around town to drop people off at various houses, Technoblade, Tommy and Wilbur were alone in the car with Y/N.

“Here. Here. WIL! Pull over!”

The van screeched to a halt as Y/N clambered over Tommy’s long legs, almost falling out onto the pavement. They leaned against the door of the passenger seat, thanking Wilbur and bidding farewell to the brothers. Just before they stepped away, Technoblade leaned down and kissed the crown of their head where it was leaning against his open window. Their stunned expression was lost in the dark and the window slid shut as Wilbur slammed the gas pedal to make it back in time before his dad’s curfew.

“What the fuck was that”

Technoblade gave him a glare, which lost its effectiveness when paired with the burning red blush flooding his face and neck, highlighted under the harsh white lights of the car. He turned his face away and resigned to staring out the window, the night air filtering through the small crack giving his face a little bit of relief.

“Okay at least tell me, are you together?”

“No.”

“But he likes them!” piped up Tommy from the back seat, looking up from his phone where he was playing a game.

“No I- I don’t” Damnit The crack in his voice gave it away.

Wilbur, sensing that it seemed to be more of a sensitive topic than he thought, decided to drop the subject for the time being, and Tommy was already absorbed back in his game.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence as they raced against time and the rules of Philza Minecraft.

AUTUMN----------------------

School started a few weeks after the pool night, which was followed by many late nights and summer fun by the friends, the knowledge that half of them would be away to college next year heavy in the atmosphere. To say the least, Junior year was not treating Y/N well. They were almost always working on homework, if not doing SAT prep, and they rarely went out with their friends. The only time Technoblade got to see them was during his AP Lit class, and because of it, he considered himself the luckiest man in the world. Ms. Ren’s Literature classroom was the only place Technoblade seemed to see the old Y/N, the one from over the summer who got enthusiastic over books and gave him playful punches when he was a little too mean to their friends. Now, the only Y/N he saw was a stressed, tired person who was always carrying an energy drink in one hand and a stack of homework in the other. Except for in Lit. Y/n’s eyes would brighten as they discussed the reading from the previous night and their legs would jostle Technoblades from under their shared table to show him an annotation they had made. Technoblade assumed they were just rejuvenated from the literature, never once letting the thought cross his mind that maybe, just maybe, he was part of the equation too.

On the rare occasion that they would hang out with their friends, they would be easily prone to tears and every conversation would be redirected to how tired and stressed they were. Of course, Technoblade wanted them to be happy, and felt enormous empathy for his friend in the harshest year of high school, but he had suddenly become hyper-aware that the clock was ticking on his time left with them. He was a senior this year, and while Y/N still had a year left to go, Technoblade would be on his way to college, perhaps out of the country, in less than a year. It wasn’t wrong to want to make the most of his time with them.

It didn’t help that this internal time bomb was also counting down the opportunities he had left to tell them how he felt.

-----

He decided to get to them when they were in a good mood, and more likely to say yes. After Ms. Ren had finished assigning the reading due by Monday, he turned to the beautiful person who sat next to him and muttered in a low voice,

“How’s your weekend looking?”

They looked up with a bright smile and whispered back

“I have tons of homework but I should be able to knock it out with a good day of work. Why? What do you have in mind?”

He knew this was the right time to ask you.

“Just be ready by 4pm on Saturday.”

----

Technoblade sat on the edge of his usually neat bed, now strewn with almost every sweater he owned. He was picking a stray piece of lint from the sweater nearest to him when he saw his brother walk past, then backtrack out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s got you all indecisive?” Wilbur asked, gesturing vaguely to the sweaters and random articles of clothing adorning his room.

“Wait! Is today your date with Y/N?”

“It’s not a date.” grumbled Technoblade.

“Then why are you so stressed about what to wear?” he replied with raised eyebrows.

Technoblade groaned and threw himself on top of the pile of wool on his bed. “I just need this to be perfect. Y/N needs a break, and they deserve everything to be just right.”

“And you want to impress them” sang Wilbur, now nudging Techno aside to sift through his sweaters.

Technoblades noise of indignation was muffled as Wilbur threw a cream colored sweatshirt at his face.

“What about this?”

“I couldn’t find what to wear it with.”

Wilburs sigh rang through Technoblades room as he opened the closet, now in his proper mindset as the family fashion consultant. Garment after garment was thrown in Techno’s general direction, and he leaned and reached to grab them all.

“Try that”

Technoblade walked out of the bathroom to find Wilbur rummaging through his jewelry.

“When did I say it was fine for you to go through my stuff?” asked Technoblade, shoving Wilbur away. Wilbur shrugged in response, motioning for Techno to open his hand so that he could drop his selection of rings and necklaces into his open palm.

As Wilbur walked out the door, he thought he heard a faint “thank you”, and smiled to himself.

-----

“This is elaborate”

“I’m a dynamic man Y/N.”

Y/N laughed at his response to the back seat of Technoblades car, which was filled with “supplies” for the evening.

“That outfit sure is dynamic.”

“Why?” Technoblade asked nervously, drumming slightly on the steering wheel. “Do you like it?”

“I love it! I didn’t think you could get any hotter but you somehow pulled it off!”

Realizing what they said, Y/N’s cheeks flushed a deep red and they began to pick at their flannel. As soon as Technoblades surprise wore off, and the butterflies faded back to the dull sensation that always seemed to linger when he was around them, he let out a snort of laughter. That sent both of them into a fit which continued until Technoblade hit a pothole from laughing so hard.

Y/N’s momentary fear only made them laugh harder, but Technoblade attempted to quell himself before he no longer had four functioning tires.

“Do I get to know where you’re taking me?” Y/N asked. They had driven a little ways out from the city, to the vaguely familiar areas that one only drives by when they’re leaving town.

“Yes.” He replied, slowing the car into a small parking lot. “Because we’re here.”

The pair entered the small bookshop and a bell rang overhead. The store smelled of dust and books and Technoblade saw Y/N breathing the scent in like a breath of new life. Of course, this ended up in a small coughing fit which he pulled them out of with a few pats to their upper back.

“Okay we are on somewhat of a schedule, so I need you to go get a book. Any book, and meet me back at the register in 10 minutes.” He said, grabbing them by the shoulders and making direct eye contact. “Okay, Go!”

And they both got lost in the mazes of words.

At 4:30 sharp, Y/N found Technoblade waiting for them at the register with a stiff red hardcover. He reached out for their book as they reached for their wallet.

“Tech, no, you don’t have to buy me books I can get it myself”

If for nothing else, the way they shortened the already shortened version of his name made his heart stutter, and he was overcome with the sudden urge to buy them every book in this store. But he wordlessly nodded his head ‘no’ and paid for their two books.

As they walked back to the car, Y/N admired the way his jewelry glistened in the sun. The gold necklaces contrasting against the black turtleneck he wore under his sweatshirt made them think of the summer, when his rings would shine under the sun and in the light of their almost nightly group bonfire. Technoblade opened the door for them when they got to the car, pink hair flying in his face because of the wind. Before getting in, Y/N threw their arms around his neck in a hug.

“Thanks”

They mumbled into his neck.

He blamed his pink cheeks on the cold.

-----

“Let me carry something!” Y/N argued as Technoblade led them down the path of a park a little ways away from the bookstore.

“No.” he answered, a basket and three bags dangling from his arms.

The argument continued as they made their way down the paved path, leaves crunching underneath their feet. A little ways into the walk, when the conversation had faded to discussing the latest reading assigned by Ms. Ren, Technoblade stopped Y/N by throwing a tote bag-laden arm against their chest.

“Here.”

He parted the branches that covered a small, unpaved path that led deeper into the trees.

“How do I know you’re not trying to lure me here to kill me?” mused Y/N, already a few steps ahead of the pink-haired man on the pine-straw path.

“Yeah hold on, let me just get my axe out from this basket real quick” deadpanned Technoblade, earning a giggle from Y/N.

A few moments later, the path opened up to a clearing with a few fallen logs and a small brook trickling near the edge.

“This is beautiful Tech! How did you find this?” they asked with an awestruck expression.

He hid the way that his ears flushed with his hair and busied himself laying out the picnic supplies he had dragged all the way out here, mumbling something unintelligible.

Once he was done, he looked up to find an empty clearing, Y/N nowhere to be found.

“Y/N?” he called

He received a response in the form of a small yelp and a rather loud splash. “Over here!”

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked, sprinting over to the edge of the stream. Their giggles calmed him a little bit, but didn’t absolve him of all his worry as he subtly looked them over for any injuries.

“I thought the rock would be steady enough to hold me” they pouted, gesturing vaguely at the rock in question, now shiny with water.

Technoblade sighed, rolling his eyes at their antics, but hoisted them up nonetheless. Once they were back on solid ground, he curled his finger around the back of his sweatshirt's neckline and pulled it over his head, almost knocking off his glasses in the process. He missed the way Y/N’s eyes narrowed and focused on the way his black knit turtleneck hugged his figure, tucked into the dark brown trousers Wilbur had dug out of his closet just hours previously.

“Are you warm?” asked Y/N with an incredulous look, teeth slightly chattering.

“It’s for you, dumbass. You’re almost sure to get sick in those wet clothes.”

Y/N’s heart stuttered at the gesture, and at the way Technoblade shushed them when they tried to argue.

He turned away as Y/N shed their dripping flannel and replaced it with the sweatshirt, warmed by his own body heat.

When he turned back, he almost lost his breath again. Seeing them in his sweatshirt, the sleeves dangling past their fingertips and their hair a little tousled from pulling the garment over their head, messed with him just a little bit. He ignored the way that his cold-nipped nose was turning redder and redder and instead gently picked up their hand to guide them over to where he had set up the picnic, next to a towering tree with a thick trunk.

Both of them were hyper-aware of the way that his fingers held theirs, and the warmth that seemed to radiate from their touch. Neither one of them wanted to let go, but as they plopped down onto the picnic blanket sitting on the ground, their grip fell apart.

The loss of contact made the October day seem colder.

The muffled crunching of the leaves under their butts filled the air as they settled into a comfortable position and began digging through the picnic basket Technoblade had brought with food. The tension in the air slowly faded as they began to eat and the atmosphere filled with the joyous conversation of the two painfully oblivious teenagers.

When they had both finished eating, Technoblade pulled out the bag that he had brought from the bookstore and handed Y/N their book. The smile that graced their lips as they mumbled out another ‘thank you’ brought another wave of butterflies down Technoblades stomach. He pulled out his own book and made himself comfortable against the thick tree trunk behind him. Y/N reached into their back pocket and pulled out a ballpoint pen, the cap of the pen riddled with chew marks.

The damn pen.

They stuck it between their teeth and let it hang off of the right side of their mouth. Technoblade felt his chest heat up as they nudged him over to share his spot leaning against the tree. He opened his phone and hit play on a mix of Arctic Monkeys and Gang of Youths, before leaning back to where his shoulder was pressed with theirs and opened his book.

Time seemed to forget its rules in this quiet little forest, with just Y/N and Technoblade lost in their separate worlds of words. The peace was only ever disturbed by Y/N occasionally scribbling something down in the margin of their book, to which Technoblade would demand to see, and they would fall into a small discussion about the topic.

These occasions slowly began to wane off until Technoblade felt Y/N lean their head against him with a thud. He looked down to see them fast asleep, half leaning on his shoulder with the pen still clutched between their fingers. He took note of the way the pen was balanced like a cigarette and the small puffs of air following their cold breath resembled smoke. Ignored the way his heart was almost convulsing on itself, he chose to wrap his arm around them and savour the moment.

Because he was aware that before he knew it, it would be over.

WINTER---------------------------

The student media center had a hushed atmosphere to it, as people took advantage of their last afternoon to study for semester finals. Winter break would let out the next day, but for the overwhelmed Juniors and Seniors now crowding the library, the excitement would not set in until they quelled their nervousness over the last final of the semester.

One of the study rooms situated in the back was now crowded with the notorious friend group as they crammed for their last final. Fundy, Jack and Niki were trading around their history notes, Wilbur and Minx were arguing over the proper situation of a unit circle, and Technoblade was flash quizzing Y/N on the Polyatomic ions. Their frantic studying was interrupted by their friend, George, who had gotten bored of watching his two best friends during their last football practice of the semester. He quietly walked in and took a seat in the corner, pulling out a notebook and studying something or the other.

“Why aren't Dream and Sapnap here cramming with us?” Minx asked George.

“They have their ‘weightlifting’ final tomorrow” seethed George, most likely jealous of his friends’ somewhat pointless final.

Everyone laughed, and some groans of similar jealousy rang through the air right before the cracking loudspeaker of the school crunched to life, announcing that the doors would close at 6:00. Y/N looked down at their watch face, which read 5:45.

“Fuck, I’m never going to learn these charges! Don’t even get me started on the fact that I don’t have the solubility rules memorized!” squeaked Y/N in frustration. Everyone gave them a sympathetic look, knowing the rigorous emotional and mental demands of taking AP Chemistry.

“Don’t worry, you still have the whole night to study!” consoled Fundy.

Technoblade felt his heart break at the way their eyes filled with tears of frustration.

“My siblings scream way too much, I can never concentrate at home”

“Come study at our house!” exclaimed Wilbur. “We can kick Tommy out so he won’t bother you!”

Wilbur sensed their hesitation and cut in before they could say ‘no’

“Come on, Dad won’t mind, he loves you! And it gives us an excuse to send Tommy out!”

Y/N turned their head in questioning to Technoblade, who grunted and nodded his head.

“I mean, if you’re sure”

Eager nodding.

“Thanks so much Wil!”

---

It was 11:50 and Phil’s living room resembled something closer to an FBI clue board, with flashcards and chemistry notes strewn on every possible surface. Wilbur had retired to bed after reviewing his Calculus notes one last time, and Tommy was spending the night at Tubbo’s. Phil leaned against the doorway and watched his son coach his best friend through the last few chapters of the textbook with a smile on his face.

“Make sure not to go to sleep too late! You need enough sleep for your final!” he called, retreating up the stairs.

Y/N checked their watch and sighed at the time. “I should get going soon.” they mumbled, beginning to collect their notes.

“Stay the night” suggested Technoblade, pulling a blanket over their shoulders to protect them from the December chill that seemed ever-present, even with the crackling fireplace illuminating the room.

“I can’t-” A yawn cut their sentence “I can’t stay, I don't have anything and I’ve wasted enough of your time already”

Technoblade took them by the shoulders and looked them in the eyes, albeit having to lean down. “You can never waste my time”

Shivers ran through Y/N’s tired body and they offered him a weak smile.

He plucked the pen that was hanging from their mouth out and feigned disgust as he wiped it on their shirt, before throwing it in the pile of stationary by his feet.

“How about you stay for a hot chocolate?”

The invitation was too hard to resist so they gave in, as long as it was “only ten more minutes”.

Technoblade filled two mugs from the pot of the beverage that Phil had left on the stove, and topped it with marshmallows and whipped cream.

Y/N took the mug from him with a ‘thank you!’, and led the way back to the living room to nestle under the warmth of the fireplace. The pair were both exhausted from the day of studying, and chose to sip their beverages in silence. Before either of them knew it, they were both asleep under Y/N’s blanket, cuddled up against the cold of the night.

---

They woke up to the banging of Wilbur running down the stairs.

“Shit, you two are still asleep?”

Y/N jumped up, knocking over their empty mug in the process. “Fuck, what time is it?” they asked, urgently rummaging around for their bag.

“8:00”

“What time is your final?” grumbled Technoblade, still half-asleep with no intention to get up until his final later that day.

“8:20” they whined, almost breaking down.

“Hey, it’s fine, go get clothes from my room, take anything you want. I’ll drive you.” said Technoblade in a calming voice.

Y/N looked at him with desperate eyes and thanked him before retracing the familiar path to his bedroom.

Technoblade cracked his back and followed Wilbur into the kitchen, intending to make Y/N a nutritious breakfast and pack them a lunch, but was met with Wilburs smirking face.

“What’s the deal?” said Technoblade in his monotonous low, pulling things from out of the fridge.

“Are we going to ignore that you and Y/N slept together?”

“Gross you perv, we just fell asleep studying”

Wilburs smart-ass response was cut off by the arrival of the person in question, clad in one of Technoblades sweaters and sweatpants and ripping their fingers through their hair to attempt to tame it.

Technoblade ignored the all-too-familiar flutter of his heart at seeing them in his clothes and handed them a yogurt bowl he put together. “Let’s go, you can eat it in the car.”

They definitely broke laws driving at breakneck speed, but they pulled into the school parking lot at 8:15 and jumped out of the car, Technoblade following them to make sure they made it to the Chemistry classroom on time. With a minute and a half to spare, they arrived at the door to the classroom, earning a sigh of relief from both of them.

Dr. Yachtrong ushered Y/N into the classroom, but not before Technoblade placed a kiss on their forehead and wished them good luck. They entered the classroom in a daze, which they quickly shook off when the tests were passed out.

---

The final bell rang for the day and the cheers rang around the school, drowning out the crunchy loudspeaker announcements to “have a good Christmas” and to “make good decisions”. Y/N had headed off to their last few classes following the Chemistry final, which had gone as good as one could expect a Chemistry exam to go. They were fairly sure they had passed which at this point, was a major win. As they left the History hallway, they saw their friend Karl leaving the art classroom.

“Karl!” they waved him down.

“HEY! Y/N!!!” he giggled excitedly “Schools out!”

“I know!”

Excited chatter filled the hallways and they bumped into Sapnap, Punz, and Dream leaving the weights room.

“How was your weightlifting final?” snickered Y/N

Punz answered with a slight push to their head. The group was shot out at the front courtyard, where almost all of their other friends were waiting.

The celebratory mood was punctuated by Karl inviting everyone over for an “Epic School Sucks Party” at his house later that night.

Y/N looked around, searching for the pink-haired man that had been flooding their thoughts more than usual lately.

He had been acting differently, nervous even, since the day they fell asleep on him at the park. Y/N was only scared last night's incident would make it worse.

“He’s probably finishing up his Latin stuff” murmured Wilbur, leaning down to their ear.

Y/N’s ears burnt a bright red upon knowing that Wilbur knew who they were looking for. They looked up to answer, but he had already gotten immersed in a conversation with Quackity and George.

The man in question came out of the front doors of the building and made a beeline for their cluster of people upon seeing them. Y/N couldn’t help but admire the cuffs he wore on his slightly pointed ears, and the way his long pink hair fell behind his-

“Oi Y/N is that Technoblades sweater?”

Screw you Minx

“Y/N spent a surprise night over last night” snickered Wilbur, wiggling his eyebrows.

“It's. Not. Like. That.” screeched Y/N, punctuating each word with a smack to Wilbur, somewhat drowned in the laughs and gasps of everyone in their group.

“Why are we hitting Wilbur and can I join?” asked Technoblade once he integrated himself into the tangle of people. The laughs hushed as everyone turned to look between Y/N and Technoblade.

“What?”

-----

The heat of Niki’s curling iron sent warm shivers down Y/N’s neck, a grateful contrast to the harsh December chill plaguing the outdoors. She blew gently on the warm hair before letting it all fall back, tousling it to break up the curls.

“Thanks Niki!” said Y/N gratefully, examining themselves in the mirror. “You’re going to have to teach me how to do this someday.”

Niki laughed, already standing in front of the bathroom mirror to apply her eyeliner. With one eye closed, she spoke to the person now standing behind her, checking their outfit from different angles.

“So really, what’s going on between you and Technoblade?”

She knew of their intense crush on the pink-haired boy, which had started somewhere between 8th grade and freshman year, but she also knew that Y/N tended to be more closed off about their deep personal life.

Y/N sighed, almost in disappointment. “Nothing. And that’s the problem.”

Due to Niki’s sympathetic look thrown their way, they fell down a rabbit hole of ranting which led them to where they were now; on the floor beside Niki’s bed with Y/N’s head in her lap.

“He always acts so weird around me. One minute he’s holding my hand or kissing my forehead, and the next he won't even look at me, or only answers in short sentences. And it stresses me out because I think he hates me, but then he does shit like buying me books just to go read in a forest with him, or staying up all night with me to study for my Chemistry final, and I just-” They took a deep breath, containing their rambling.

“I just get more confused.”

----------

Karls party was in full swing by the time Niki and Y/N got there. They were met at the door by Sapnap and Quackity, who for some reason were handcuffed to each other, and were both giggling and flushed. Y/N and Niki hung their coats on the rack by the door and walked into the festive atmosphere of the house, seeing familiar faces in every corner.

Despite the rowdy environment and the deafening noise, the party was relatively small, consisting of only 20 or so of Karls friends.

They followed Quackity and Sapnap into the living room where a semi-circle of people was lounging on various couches, passing around a blunt and playing what seemed to be truth or dare.

Ah. That’s where the handcuffs came from.

Niki and Y/N decided to play, Niki offering to go fetch them both drinks in the kitchen as Y/N found their place in the circle. To their surprise, Technoblade was there, seemingly uninterested in the game and more invested in something he was doing on his phone. Upon seeing Y/N, he gave them a smile, cheeks flushed with alcohol, and gestured to the small spot between him and the couch armrest. All eyes followed Y/N as they perched on the armrest, mumbling a small ‘hi!’ to Technoblade.

Niki returned with two drinks in hand and shared a knowing glance with Y/N, as well as a miniscule smile, before handing them their drink and taking a seat on a cushion next to Jack and Minx.

“Okay okay, In honor of our new guests arriving, Y/N, truth or dare?”

Y/N knew by the looks everyone was giving them that choosing truth would not be the best option.

“Dare.”

A small sigh of disappointment left Karls lips before a mischievous light came into his eyes and he perked up again. “I dare you to sit in Technoblade’s lap”

Snickers echoed across the group as Technoblade looked up at the sound of his name. He looked up to where Y/N was balancing themself on the edge of the couch, and with some burst of courage, that was probably induced by the alcohol, he wrapped his arm around their waist to tug them into his lap with a squeak of surprise.

After recovering from their initial embarrassment, Y/N turned to the man whose lap they were in. “Techno, truth or dare?”

He huffed but quietly breathed out “Truth”, suddenly very aware of how close their face was to his. After a few brief seconds of eye contact which seemed to last an eternity, they stuttered out

“Umm, do you,- actually, how did, how did they get you to play? This game... I mean?”

“BOO! WHAT A BORING FOOKIN QUESTION!” called Minx from the cushion she was on.

His response of how he didn’t mean to get dragged in to this “stupid middle schoolers game” was slightly slurred as he took a big chug of whatever liquid was floating around his red solo cup.

This worried Y/N. They never saw Technoblade drink more than enough to get him slightly tipsy, but they brushed it off on end-of-the-semester excitement. In any case, they would confront him when they got the opportunity to talk to him alone.

---

Said opportunity arose after the Pizza arrived, and most people began to file into Karls movie room to watch whatever garbage show he decided on running. Y/N stayed back, intending to have full access to the pizza and Technoblade, noticing this, stayed with them. Y/N hopped up onto a counter and pulled the pizza boxes to them.

“Hey Tech?”

“Heh?”

“Are you okay? I haven't seen you drink this much before?” they asked, running a concerned hand through his hair before pressing it to his forehead to check how hot he was.

His eyes closed and he nuzzled into their touch.

“I guess I’m just nervous.”

“Nervous? What do you have to be nervous about? It’s winter break” they answered, a small smile on their beautiful face.

This was his chance.

“I have to start applying for colleges.”

Fuck, he missed it.

-----

The food brought a new bought of energy to everyone at the party, and by 3 in the morning, the celebration was still heavy in the air. Everyone thanked whatever brought Karl’s parents to buy a house far removed from any close neighborhoods, so the noise wouldn’t earn them a police visit.

Loud music blared from the speakers in the living room, which had been cleared of furniture to make space for the energetic teenagers.

Y/N took turns dancing with Niki, Minx, and Jack before being stolen away by Sapnap who spun them around until they almost threw up. Eventually, Y/N ended up on the outskirts of the dancefloor, where they saw their favorite apathetic pig-boy leaning against a corner, snickering at everyone who was embarrassing themselves in their drunken haze.

“WANNA DANCE?” asked Y/N leaning towards him to enunciate over the music.

How could he say no? When they were looking up at him with those big, bright eyes and a slight sheen of sweat over their face.

-----

The party began to dissipate nearing the hours of dawn. Around 5, people began trickling out. Except for the select few who had decided to just crash with Karl.

Technoblade and Wilbur parked a little ways away from their house, walking the rest of the way and ushering each other up the tree by Wilburs bedroom to sneak back in.

It was locked.

“You dimwit, didn’t you unlock the window?”

“Of course I did you arse, where do you think I snuck out from?”

Their bickering was interrupted by a small tap on the glass by none other than a smirking Tommy.

“Leave it to him to only wake up when he wants to annoy us”

“Tommy, let us in.”

Tommy made a rubbing motion with his index finger and thumb. Looking at Wilbur and sighing, Technoblade pulled his wallet out and held up a 10.

Tommy made a ‘more’ motion

20. Then 40. Then 50.

“So generous of you lads, come on in!” he giggled, snatching the money from his brother and leaving the window open for the two to clamber in awkwardly.

Technoblade snuck back into his room, stripping off his sweaty clothes and falling onto the mattress. Before he blacked out, he saw two notifications come in.

BitchBur: I took these pictures tn, thought u might want them ;) (8 images attached)

And

Y/N <3: I hope you figure out the college situation! <3 let me know if you can hang out sometime :D

He opened Wilburs text to find a collection of candid pictures Wilbur had snapped over the course of the night. One of Y/N in his lap, a few of them laughing together over pizza, a few of them on the dance floor, and what had to be his favorite: a picture of them kissing his cheek as a ‘good luck’ for his arm wrestle with Dream.

A smile creeped onto his face and he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for his brother. He set the last picture as his wallpaper before turning off his phone and falling into a realm of blackness.

SPRING------------------

“That was my very last AP Exam!” exclaimed Y/N, walking through the door of the coffee house where all their friends were lounging.

The small shop erupted with cheers as they celebrated everyone finishing their school year. The cheers eventually died out, though, as the realization sunk in. Tomorrow was graduation.

The seniors in the group, Wilbur, Technoblade, Minx and Fundy were all going off to college.

Wilbur to England, Fundy to the Netherlands, and Minx to Ireland. The one person who hadn’t decided on a college yet was Technoblade.

“Why do you all have to leave the country?” whined Y/N.

A chorus of similar sentiments left the other juniors who were scattered around a few tables that had been pushed together.

As the conversation descended into dorms and expenses, Y/N received a text from Technoblade. The shock of the ‘ding’ made the pen that had been balancing between their lips clatter onto the floor.

Apathetic pig-boy: come outside

Y/N looked around, not having noticed that Technoblade had disappeared from the table. Taking advantage of the conversation everyone else was immersed in, they quietly snuck out, but not without avoiding Wilburs keen eyes, which narrowed upon realizing his brother was not at the table.

They wandered outside, finding Technoblade sitting at one of the outdoor tables covered by the awning.

“My Yale email came in.” he said as soon as he saw them walk outside.

They jumped with barely contained joy. “What did it say?”

“I wanted you to be here when I opened it.”

Everyone knew that Technoblades dream college was Yale. He had talked about it ever since he was a little kid, screaming about Greek mythology on the school playground. Y/N knew that it was Technoblades biggest ambition to study literature at one of the most renowned colleges in the world, but they still felt a twinge of sadness. On top of losing half their friends, they couldn’t lose the one person that meant the most to them too.

“Open it!”

Y/N leaned against the back of Technoblades chair, almost falling over his shoulder as they watched the loading icon on the college’s website.

Technoblade clicked on the notification and they both read it together

Congratulations! We are glad to inform you…

“THAT YALE UNIVERSITY HAS DECIDED TO ACCEPT YOUR APPLICATION! TECH I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!” Screamed Y/N, wrapping their arms around his shocked figure. They placed a million kisses all over his face, gushing about how proud they were of him, ignoring the gut wrenching feeling inside of them.

“What’s the screaming about? Did you two finally get together?” Asked Wilbur as the group flooded out of the coffee shop to see what the commotion was about.

“Yale accepted me.” mumbled Technoblade, just loud enough for them to hear.

The cheers that followed his announcement almost made their small hometown collapse. Congratulations were exchanged and backs were pat, and in the mess, Y/N managed to sneak off to the side. The only person who noticed was Niki, who followed them to the corner of the parking lot where they were kicking at the asphalt with their converse. She sat down, and the two rested in silence, the April wind blowing their hair all over the place.

“He’s leaving.” He’s leaving me. They wanted to say, but they didn't.

Niki gave her friend a small side hug, somehow interpreting the sentence accurately. “He’s pursuing his dreams Y/N, you know he doesn’t want to leave you.”

“How do I make him stay? It’s selfish and I’d feel like a bitch but Niki I don’t think I can live without him.”

“Y/N.”

“Hmm?”

“You need to tell him how you feel.”

----

The next day brought sunny skies and the enthusiastic atmosphere of graduation. They had all managed to snag themselves some graduation tickets to see their friends finish high school.

Jack, Niki, and Y/N were sitting in a Wendy’s parking lot, waiting for the clock to hit 11:45 so they could start making their way to school. It seemed empty without the Seniors of the group, as they were all at school getting ready for the ceremony. Y/N voiced this concern aloud, to which Jack responded, “We’ll have to get used to it. This is how it’s going to be next year.”

And the three fell into silence, sullenly dipping their fries into their frostys.

----

Jack, Niki, and Y/N let themselves be jostled into school with the crowds of emotional parents and kids who were already bored of the event. They found decent seats, near the front aisle and set their belongings down.

Not a moment later, they were greeted by Philza, who filed in with the rest of the boys extended family to sit beside them.

The dimming of the lights led to hushed whispers erupting from the previously rowdy crowd.

Procedure came and went, the salutatorian and valedictorian giving their respective addresses to the crowd, the speech of the somewhat bored principal, and finally,

“Without further ado, presenting the Graduating Class of 2021!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as names began to be called.

Within the first five minutes, the boredom began to set in and Jack began a game pigeon game, which Phil demanded to be added to. The four played the digital card game until they were pulled out of their concentration by a familiar name being called. They erupted into cheers as Fundy walked across the stage to pick up his diploma and shake the Principal’s hand. The process was repeated until Minx, her eyes shining as she shook the principal's hand earnestly, then flipped him off quickly behind his back, which sent the auditorium into a fit of laughter.

Person after person was called up, until...

“Technoblade Minecraft”

Philza almost cried. He stood on his chair, screaming in excitement for his son which made the boy in question flush as he collected his diploma and took a rather rushed leave off the stage, but not before seeing the heart that Y/N made with their fingers in his direction.

The same general act happened during Wilburs announcement, except that he laughed and gave his dad a cheering motion with his hands.

---

The group spilled out onto the lawn of the school, congratulating people they knew when they saw them. Technoblade and Wilbur joined their family, receiving hugs from a very emotional Tommy. Y/N, Niki, and Jack waited behind for their friends to finish up with their families before tackling them in hugs. Screams and whoops came from the puddle of people on the floor, everyone yelling things to each other. The atmosphere was charged with happiness, and relief, and one couldn’t help but feel elation despite the bittersweet nature of graduation.

“Alright mates, party at my house!” boomed Philza over the noise.

The infamous graduation party. They had planned the two-part party in middle school, when they had had their first sleepover at the group's “hub”, aka Philza’s house. Since then, the party had become a reality and the first part would be executed tonight. The next being, of course, when the remaining half of the group graduated.

A marquis was set up in Phil’s garden, now uncluttered and full of spring blossoms. It was such a different atmosphere than it had been last summer, when their bonfires would stretch out into the early hours of the morning.

Food laden tables were scattered around the marquis, and to everyone's delight, a chocolate fountain rested on one of them.

After collecting food and gifts from various guests, the group found themselves sitting under the shade of a large tree with a rickety old treehouse balancing on it, which Tommy and Tubbo were attempting to devise a plan to get into with the help of their friend Ranboo, who didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the idea as the others.

“My flight leaves next week.” sighed Minx, leaning against Niki’s shoulder.

“I’ll be out of here by July the latest”

“Phil’s taking us to London next week and I’ll just be staying”

Everyone turned to Technoblade to reveal when he would be leaving for college.

“I’m going to Connecticut a week before the beginning of the term”

“So how long will you be home this summer?” Y/N asked, setting down their cookie.

“Between travelling and dorm set-up, I’ll probably only be here for about two weeks total.”

Y/N’s eyes filled with tears as they pushed their head into Technoblades chest.

“I just-” sniffle “I just can’t believe you’re all leaving!” they cried, muffled by Technoblades button down.

This sent everyone into a fit of tears as they all began hugging each other for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

The moment was interrupted by Phil, who came out of the house with a camera and various props. Encouraging everyone to gather around and take pictures. Everyone scuffled around to fix their disheveled appearances and began making their way to Phils makeshift photo booth.

“Tech- wait!” called Y/N, pulling him back by the forearm. “Your hair”

They put pressure on his shoulders to get him to lean down so that they could fix his stray hairs.

Right then, looking at the way Y/N’s shoes sank into the ground and feeling their light touch in his hair, he decided. I have to tell them. This is my last chance.

“Hey Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“I-” deep breaths, “I need you to-”

“Come on, lovebirds get in the picture!” called Phil, walking over to drag them to where everyone else was.

Y/N gave him an apologetic look, woven with the silent promise of later.

Damnit Dad.

----

The pictures had lasted what felt like eons, but between the corny props and the harsh afternoon sunlight, they held valuable memories.

But Technoblade had no interest in them at the moment, as he dragged Y/N behind the trunk of the tree they had sat at before.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves made Y/N’s face all that much more beautiful, and Technoblade struggled to tear his attention away to focus on telling them. He gathered up his courage and opened his mouth to speak.

But the only thing that came out was “OW!”

As a pinecone bonked off his head and rolled away on the ground, leaving chips of it in his hair.

“Look out below!” Called Tubbo from somewhere above them. So they managed to get in. Damnit.

Y/N took his hand and led him to the other side of the tree, away from the boys’ field of destruction. They sat down gently, pulling Technoblade down with them to pluck the pieces of pinecone out of his hair.

“Here. Distraction free! Now tell me what you’ve been trying to say because there’s something I need to tell you too.”

That gave Technoblade the perfect opportunity to gather his nerves. “You go first”

“No, it’s fine you!”

“No you go!”

It seemed as if the stars had collided and sent out particles so many eons ago with the knowledge that everything would lead up to these two kids coming to the same conclusion at the same time.

“I love you”

Their eyes met as they stared, wide-eyed and gaping-mouthed at each other. Overcoming the initial shock, they began to ramble.

“I didn’t think you felt the same way because you always got quiet around me and then you woul-”

“Can I kiss you?” Technoblade interrupted them, not really hearing their rambling through the buzz going through his brain.

They nodded shyly in response as he wrapped his hand around the back of their neck to pull them dizzyingly, tauntingly closer. He looked into their eyes one more time to make sure they were serious, but Y/N was already closing the gap between their lips. They hoisted themselves into his lap and gripped his hair to bring him impossibly closer.

But alas, in this group of people, nothing goes unnoticed or undisturbed.

“EW! TECHNO’S KISSING Y/N!” screamed Tommy from the balcony of the treehouse which resulted in whoops and cheers from everyone at the party.

“FINALLY!” yelled someone amongst the crowd.

Y/N felt their ears burn a bright red as they buried their face into Techno’s neck.

“Yeah Y/N! Get some!”

“Oh fuck off!”

A/N: i hope u guys liked it :D, also this is my first time writing with they/them pronouns so if i made a mistake pls don’t hesitate to correct me!

#c!techno #technoblade #technoblade x reader #mcyt x reader #technoblade fluff #technofluff

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simeonisalesbian · 3 years

Text

I Think I Can Do That Belphie x MC

Lesson 16 spoilers ahead~

Gender neutral mc. This was actually supposed to be pure fluff but apparently Belphie’s guilty conscience possessed me or somethin. Have fun reading :3

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was quiet throughout the House of Lamentation, not a creature was stirring except for MC who picked up their DDD for the millionth time that night to check the time. They groaned seeing the time. 3am. They had been restless for the past few nights, causing them to be exhausted throughout the day. Which only brought more problems with it between Lucifer complaining about the low grades and the continuous event of falling asleep in class, to Asmodeus who kept bugging them about the dark circles that were starting to form under their eyes.

It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t fall asleep. Their sleep schedule usually fixes itself on its own time but right now they really didn’t feel like waiting for that to happen. Grabbing a couple random blankets they made their way up to the attic to where the one demon who could easily fix this resided.

They opened the door knowing they always had full access to the room. The demon offered the space as a sort of apology for the events that happened there. It wasn’t the best form of apology all things considered, but it was progress all the same.

“Belphie?” Mc called out looking towards the bundle of blankets on the bed. It was quiet enough that if he was actually asleep he wouldn’t stir but he would hear if awake. The blanket pile shifted before a bright light shined in MC’s eyes.

“Why are you up? It’s 3 am.” Belphie said in a matter-of-fact tone still shining the flashlight from his DDD at MC’s face.

“I couldn’t sleep. Would you get the damn light out of my face before I go blind?” MC said shielding their face with their arm until the light was pointed towards the floor after a small chuckle from the demon. “And you’re one to talk. You seem pretty awake too.”

The sleep demon moved over making room for the human to sit next to him. He pulled his legs up to his chest laying his head down on his knees. “Yeah but I at least have an excuse if I fall asleep in class. Lucifer will get on your case if you do though.” He scoffed softly, staring at the spot on the floor. “I’m not helping you if you get in trouble for being awake at this hour.”

“I would have had as much luck falling asleep in my room,” MC grumbled flopping down on the bed lazily.

“Nightmare?” Belphie asked halfhearted, glancing at the human through the bangs that cover his eye.

“I wish. I couldn’t even get asleep long enough to have one. It doesn’t make sense I’m tired all day but then when night rolls around I get all restless.” MC huffed glaring at the ceiling as if it was the source of the problem. “What about you?” MC turned their attention to the demon next to them.

“What about me?”

“You’re awake too.”

“So I am,” Belphie smirked, completely avoiding the question.

“Yeah, but why?”

“Why what?” Belphie said, smugly getting a groan out of the human.

“Why are you awake? It’s 3 am.” MC pressed nearly mimicking what he had said when they arrived.

It was silent for a while and the two stared at each other before Belphegor glanced at his DDD. “It’s actually closer to 3:30 now.” He mumbled softly still avoiding the question.

“Whatever.” MC sighed knowing this game they were playing could last hours at best and dropped it. “Could you at least perform some fancy sleep ritual to help me or something?”

“Sleep ritual?” Belphie tilted his head staring at the human with pure confusion.

“You know.” They replied vaguely waving their arms as if it would help get the point across. “You’re the Avatar of Sloth, I want to sleep, so you can fix it.”

“Sloth and sleep are different things.” Belphie started frowning. “Besides I’m not putting you under a sleeping spell. Those suck to break.”

“What like, Sleeping Beauty?”

“The original fairy tale yeah.”

“Oh.” MC pulled a face remembering the original book Satan had let them borrow a while back. They shook their head to get rid of that image. “There has to be something you can do to help.”

Belphie shrugged. “Probably not. When I put people to sleep they normally don’t wake up.” He winced when he noticed the implications of his words and turned to stare at the floor again.

They both sat in silence again. Mc was half certain the demon managed to fall asleep sitting in that position until he spoke up.

“It was a nightmare.”

“Huh?” Mc questioned turning their attention back to the demon who was still staging ahead fixated on the space ahead.

“I woke up because of a nightmare. That’s why I’m still awake.”

“Oh.” MC waited for a few beats before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

He didn’t reply. Which also wasn’t exactly a no. So MC pushed a bit further. “Was it about Lilith? Beel mention that he has nightmares about her sometimes-”

“No. It wasn’t about Lilith.”

“Okay.” There wasn’t much else that came to mind so MC decided to wait for Belphie to bring it up himself if he actually wanted to talk.

“You know I’m sorry right?” He mumbled the words and MC had to strain to hear them even with the silence that surrounded them.

“For what?” MC asked. They waited for a reply before sitting up. Belphie was still focused on the same spot as before. They glanced over at the spot before it finally clicked. “Oh.” Their stomach dropped a little. For better or worse they had pushed the events of their own demise as far away as possible hoping to ignore it by distracting themselves with things like repairing the brother’s relationships with Belphie. By the time all the brothers were at least on speaking terms with him MC had spent enough time around the demon that they became a bit desensitized. The breath that caught in their throat stopped happening each time the demon lifted his arms or stood a little too close. Neither really talked about the event both finding it easier to just ignore the situation altogether.

They glanced back over at Belphie just in time to see the demon’s head turn back towards the spot. “I know it’s probably not enough but…” He trailed off shaking his head. “Demons aren’t exactly made for apologies. It’s no excuse but it’s the only one I have.”

“I know.” Thinking back on it MC couldn’t actually remember a point where any of the demons made a point of apologizing for any sort of injury they got. Their life had been put in danger numerous times now and the closest thing they ever got to an apology was a pact. “I don’t entirely blame you either, you know.”

Belphie finally turned and made eye contact. “You should. Blame me that is.”

“Probably.” MC just shrugged. “I think being in the Devildom has desensitized me to near-death experiences though. But I don’t blame it all on you. You were angry and rightfully so. Lucifer put you in what was practically solitary confinement. That sort of thing is known to be detrimental to anyone’s mental health.”

“That’s not an excuse to kill you though.” Belphie’s voice was shaking slightly and he had his head turned away from the human completely.

“No. It’s not.” MC absentmindedly rubbed their neck. “I don't think either of us will ever completely get past what happened.” They caught on to their action quickly and forced their hand down before Belphie noticed. “But I think as long as you show some sort of regret, which you clearly do, and promise to never do it again, we can work past it.” They reached their hand out towards the demon patiently.

Belphie glanced at their hand staring at it blankly. “I-” his voice cracked a little and he rubbed at his eyes. Before starting again. “I think I can do that.” He reached out placing his hand on MC’s gently as if the slightest sort of contact would break them.

The two smiled at each other and sat like that for a while before one of their DDD’s rang out.

“What the fuck?” MC mumbled fumbling for the source of the noise recognizing the sound of their morning alarm. Belphie laughed softly at the human watching them fumble about uselessly. “You could help me find my damned DDD instead of laughing at me you jerk,” Mc mumbled glaring at the demon who smirked in return.

“It’s not my fault you lost it.”

“You little-” MC lifted a pillow to smack the demon with when they heard a soft thud on the floor. “Found it!” They successfully grabbed it, shutting off the alarm. Then they groaned the implications of the alarm finally setting in. “I have to get ready for classes.”

“No, you don’t,” Belphie said oh so helpful as ever.

“Yeah, I do stupid. You should too.”

“Don’t call me stupid when you’re the stupid one. Neither of us got any sleep. We deserve to sleep.” He stated, laying down as if to prove his point.

“I don’t think Lucifer would agree with that statement,” MC said staring at the sloth demon who already had his eyes closed. “Besides, aren't you the one who said Lucifer would yell at me for sleeping in class?”

“Hmm? No, I don’t remember saying that at all. You must be putting words in my mouth, MC.” He gently pulled on their arm. “Now come lay down. You need more sleep than I do. Your weak little human body will break otherwise.”

“I should leave just out of spite of that comment you know.” Despite that MC let the demon pull them down sighing when their head hit the pillows. “You’re taking the blame if Lucifer yells at us,” MC said with a yawn, their exhaustion finally catching up with them.

“Yeah.” Belphie hummed softly. “I think I can do that.”

#belphegor #obey me belphegor #belphie x mc #belphie x reader #obey me!#obey me shall we date #obey me x reader #obey me #obey me belphie

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angelsdevils · 3 years

Text

Imayoshi x Reader

Title: First love 1/2 Fluff No Warning

Imayoshi never expected himself to fall hard for you, especially since he didn’t even know your name. It was kind of cliche if you thought about it because the moment you passed by him in the library, it was like flowers fell around you. Everything had moved in slow motion and he couldn’t focus on his studies. It was only when Susa had called you over and had a full conversation with you that he learned your name.

“How are you settling in (L/N)?”

“Call me (Y/N), I cringe when called my last name. I am doing okay though, its different my Japanese is not the best right now.”

“Well, if you ever need help. I can help since we are in the same class. Plus English is my best subject.”

“That would be amazing~Susa right.”

“Yep, oh this is Imayoshi. He is the same year as us.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Imayoshi cleared his throat, and gave you a smirk like smile.

“The pleasure is mine, did you want to sit with us to study,”

“Sure, I got nothing else to do,” you sat beside Susa since you knew him better than Imayoshi. Imayoshi couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous but it didn’t show on his face.

“Oh (L/N), you should come to the party tonight. I think that would help your social circle he~” he trailed off as you grimaced at the mention of a party.

“Social circle? I need one of those?” Imayoshi cracked a smile and Susa laughed slightly.

“Sorry, I just~”

“I will go as long as the two of you don’t leave me alone. Once my social battery runs out I poof into thin air.”

“Fair enough, if you give one of us your address we can pick you up.” Susa said and you wrote down your address and number giving it to the both of them.

“Just text me when you are here, don’t knock. For the love of all things holy do NOT knock. The last thing any of us want is my dad and brothers giving us the talk…”

“Alright…” They said in unison, Imayoshi glanced at Susa, and Susa knew that Imayoshi wanted to pick you up.

“Well, I should go. I need to change out of this, and into something more comfortable.”

“Alright, I will text when I am around the corner.” Imayoshi stated and you gave him a thumbs up.

“Seems good to me.” You were then gone, and Susa turned his attention to his friend and teammate.

“You like her?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, for a brief moment, I could sense you got jealous when she sat next to me.”

“Ah, sorry… it just it came out of no where.”

“It’s fine, she oddly suits you.” Susa said going back to his studying and Imayoshi smiled to himself.

You had decided to dress comfortable, which consisted of ripped jeans, a tank top with a flannel on top and converse. You added a beanie to top the look off, and as on cue you received a messaged from an unknown number.

To: (L/N) (Y/N)

From: Unknown

‘I am around the corner’

You knew exactly who it was and messaged him a quick ‘k’ and grabbed your key before leaving.

“I am heading out dad.”

“Wait before you do…”

“Yes?”

“Your brother is staying at a friends house and I was called into work over night. Money for food is gonna be in your dresser, keep all doors locked and windows locked when you come home. If you need me call my work phone so I will answer immediately.”

“Alright love you dad.”

“Have fun sweety… stay away from boys, they are disgusting little beasts.”

“Right, like you were with mom.”

“Exactly! So stay away from them!”

“Alright, whatever you say. Bye dad!” You rushed out and jogged to meet with Imayoshi, and quickly pulled him so you were far away from your house.

“Why the rush?”

“My dad, that’s the rush.”

“Ahh…” He glanced down at your hand and he felt a tint of red on his cheeks. Once you guys were far enough you let his hand go.

“Susa said he will meet us there.”

“Alright, so what is the occasion?”

“After midterms, just a small get together.”

“Makes sense.” You smiled at him and he looked ahead adjusting his glasses as he led the way to the house. Once you both arrived, he let you in first and Susa was by your side already introducing you to everyone. Your social battery was at about 3/4 so you hoped you could make it through the night.

“Yo~” You waved and two dudes, one with red hair and one with a freckle under his eye came to you.

“You aren’t from here…”

“No sir I am not, what gave it away? My accent?”

“Yeah, I am Himuro that is Kagami.”

“Nice to meet you guys.”

“Where are you from?”

“Ohio, USA…” (if you aren’t just go with it)

“So the cornfields?” Kagami asked and you looked at him.

“Dude seriously? We have cities, its only when you go north that there are corn fields, why do everyone assume Ohio is out in the middle of no where.?” You said in English and you lost about half of the people there.

“Hey, I just assumed.” He replied and you rolled your eyes.

“Anyway, now that everyone is here. Lets play truth or dare!” Someone from a far said and you groaned. You hated games like this, but you didn’t let it show on your face. You sat beside Imayoshi, and Himuro. They went over the rules and put the bottle in the middle.

The game was actually pretty fun, and there was a lot good dares. Luckily you didn’t have to do anything yet, but you knew you would do truth.”

Kise, whom you learned the name of ended up spinning the bottle and it landed on you.

“(Y/N)cchi~ truth or dare?”

“Alright, I am gonna be lame… truth…” you said laughing causing several others to laugh.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?”

“Are you single?”

“As a pringle…” You spun the bottle and it landed on Susa.

“Truth or Dare, Susa?”

“Dare?” You grinned and he paled slightly realizing he made a mistake.

“Great choice, I dare you too…. dance to APinks Nonono…”

“No…”

“Or, wear lipstick at school tomorrow.”

“Fine, someone play the song.” He groaned and you secretly got the camera and videotaped the entire thing. When he was done he groaned slightly hiding his face with his hands. You couldn’t stop the string of laughs that escaped your lips, while everyone else was laughing at him.

“I am so going to get you back…” He said and you shrugged your shoulders.

“Do your best!”

He spun the bottle and it landed on Imayoshi, and Susa groaned hoping it was you. Though a sudden idea came into mind and he smirked causing Imayoshi to blink.

“Truth or Dare Imayoshi?”

“Dare…”

“I dare you to kiss (Y/N), not a peck either. I mean full on make out,” Imayoshi actually opened his eyes to stare at his friend. Susa knew exactly what he was doing, and Imayoshi was about to object.

“I can’t do that, we just met today.”

“Either that or wear a cheer uniform tomorrow.” You grimaced, you kinda felt bad for Imayoshi. He was on the receiving in of what was suppose to be your punishment.

“First off, why are you punishing him?”

“Oh he knows why.” Susa said and Imayoshi shot a glare at the male.

“I will just~”

“Just kiss me dude, I have no problem with it.” You said and everyone looked at you surprised.

“I am getting disturbed at the thought of you in a cheer uniform. Plus seriously, how bad can a kiss be? We are just having fun…”

“Are you sure?”

“I see, you must want to kiss someone more your type… I understand.” You teased and he slightly panicked but you laughed and he realized you were teasing him.

“I am joking… so that cheer uniform or kiss me?” You asked and he leaned over and pressed his lips against yours. The kiss was gentle, he began to move his lips against yours gently. He bit your bottom lip slightly which you granted him access too, he gripped your chin slightly so you wouldn’t move away. Imayoshi felt his heart rate increase as the kiss continued. He hoped you felt it which you did because it felt extremely magical in your opinion. The kiss had lasted a few minutes, but when you both broke the kiss you guys were panting. His forehead was against yours, your noses were touching.

“Well, don’t they make a cute couple?” You heard someone say but you ignored it and was about to pull away but Imayoshi captured your lips again. He didn’t want the kiss to end. He soon captured your lips and everyone realized that he wasn’t going to stop unless they made him. You gripped his shirt returning the kiss, but parted again shaking your head.

“W-Wait, that’s enough. We are in front of people,” this time you were extremely red. Imayoshi realized and couldn’t help his own blush dusting his cheeks.

“Sorry, I got carried away.”

#Shoichi Imayoshi #imayoshi #Imayoshi Shouichi #imayoshi x reader #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #fluff

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

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part 2 to Complications (ao3 and tumblr)

“What do you mean you didn’t tell Wei Wuxian about it?” Nie Huaisang asked, feeling as if his eyebrows had just gone up as high as the clouds. “You tell Wei-xiong everything.”

Jiang Cheng scowled forbiddingly at him, but years of dealing with his da-ge’s much scarier version had made Nie Huaisang immune to any hint less than an outright “fuck off” – though it looked like Jiang Cheng was starting to consider that.

“You really do tell him everything, though,” Nie Huaisang protested. “Also, if you tell me to get lost, I will, and then who’ll rub your feet for you?”

“The maid,” Jiang Cheng said pointedly. “Whose job it is.”

Nie Huaisang sniffed. “Jiang-xiong, really! As if she’d be half as good as me.”

“At least I wouldn’t have to worry that she was volunteering to do it because of some undisclosed foot fetish.”

“I said you had pretty feet once.”

“First off, it was not once. Second, my ankles are swollen, I have calluses in places I never expected, and I’m pretty sure they stink,” Jiang Cheng growled. “They’re not pretty.”

“How would you know? It’s not like you can see them this late in the game.”

Jiang Cheng looked as if he was considering kicking Nie Huaisang in the head, so Nie Huaisang decided it was time to change the subject. The weight thing was a bit of a sensitive issue, since Jiang Cheng’s body had helpfully barely shown any evidence of the child he’d decided to keep until there was only a month or two left and then suddenly swell up in a vengeance; it was what had forced him to retreat off the field, claiming a flare-up of an old injury incurred during the fall of the Lotus Pier.

It was a damn good cover story, actually, which was why Nie Huaisang was constantly stunned at the fact that his brother had been the one to come up with it.

“Really, though,” he said. “Why not tell Wei-xiong? It’s not like he isn’t back now, even if he is off glorifying in his demonic cultivation instead of taking your position as leader of the Jiang clan forces.”

“He’s doing what he thinks is right,” Jiang Cheng said at once, because he always defended Wei Wuxian no matter what he did. “And anyway, his demonic cultivation is more effective –”

“Than your entire Jiang sect?” Nie Huaisang interjected, making clear his doubts on the subject. “My brother wrote to me about it; he said that that demonic cultivation of Wei-xiong is like a cannon – devastating when used correctly, but no match for sheer might in numbers.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell him, though,” Jiang Cheng said, and he suddenly looked tired. “He’s been trying so hard to help fight the Wens, with his demonic cultivation and everything, and he took – he takes everything really personally, you know? Mother asked him to look after me, and he seems to think that’s his only purpose in life now. It was bad enough with – with Wen Zhuliu. If he knew about this…”

Nie Huaisang nodded, sympathetic. Jiang Cheng had been suffering from mood swings the past few weeks, and in one particularly bad bout of them had confessed the entire painful story of the Lotus Pier and the immediate aftermath to Nie Huaisang. It’d been a bad night, and one in which Nie Huaisang had deeply wished he could offer some sort of alcohol or something as a remedy – the doctors had insisted on putting Jiang Cheng on strict diet, including a limitation on wine – but in the end he thought it had helped Jiang Cheng to talk about it.

Besides, Jiang Cheng was right about how sensitive Wei Wuxian could be.

“I’ll have to tell him eventually,” Jiang Cheng continued, looking a bit downcast. “Unlike most of the cultivation world, he knows I’m misaligned. It’s not like he’d believe I did the siring, and there’s no one else who it could have been…”

“Tell him it’s mine,” Nie Huaisang said, and grinned when Jiang Cheng gave him a look. “No, really! What a story that’d be, huh? Our Nie sect is protective of its children, so we would have gone through some really picturesque agony in deciding to let you claim it as a Jiang child –”

“Picturesque agony,” Jiang Cheng said, and he was aiming for judging but mostly coming off like he wanted to laugh. “What makes agony picturesque?”

“The fact that it’s theoretical,” Nie Huaisang said promptly, and that actually got a bark of laughter out of Jiang Cheng, as he’d hoped.

“Okay, go on,” he said, leaning back and giving Nie Huaisang an expectant look. “Your brother always says you’re good at making up stories that sound plausible. How could the brat have been yours? You weren’t even there.”

“Ah, but you’re not thinking of the right time!” Nie Huaisang said with a grin, holding up a finger. “The child was actually conceived earlier, back when we were at the indoctrination camp with the Qiongqi and everything; you and I sought comfort in each other’s arms –”

Jiang Cheng gave an incredulous snort.

“Shut up, it’s a romantic turn of phrase. Anyway, it was a spur of the moment thing, one time, and then next thing you know – child!”

“And when people other than Wei Wuxian start asking about how two men can have a child?”

Nie Huaisang lifted his fan up to his face and batted his eyelashes. “Well, Jiang-xiong, I am from Qinghe.”

“You’re an idiot is what you are. Not only are you not a woman in any way, the timelines don’t even work; those two incidents were too far apart. The brat’s not another Nezha.”

“Stop spoiling my fun. How am I supposed to get access to your pretty, pretty feet if you don’t let me have some ancestry with the baby?”

“I will kick you.”

“Maybe we’ve been secretly carrying on for years,” Nie Huaisang said thoughtfully. “In secret, of course, for – reasons that I will think of later. I went on a shopping trip a few weeks before everything happened; I could have swung down towards Yunmeng, and you could have come up on an overnight trip. You flew your sword to meet me in the middle, and we had a stolen night of passion –”

“We were literally engaged when we were younger,” Jiang Cheng said. “We wouldn’t need to steal anything.”

“We thought it was more romantic that way?”

“Try again.”

“Tough audience,” Nie Huaisang complained. “You know, most people aren’t this nitpicky about their porn…oh, I know! We got together during your time at the Cloud Recesses and were just on the verge of announcing that we wanted to resurrect our engagement when your father agreed to repudiate your sister’s; we thought it’d be rude to rub it into her face, so we decided to wait three years to tell everyone.”

“Three years?” Jiang Cheng frowned, doing the math. “Hmm. I guess that would work.”

“We would have just been nerving ourselves up to finally tell people,” Nie Huaisang said enthusiastically. “That’s why we agreed to meet! And there was wine, and moonlight, and things got out of hand, and next thing you know…”

“Aren’t you supposed to be good at porn?” Jiang Cheng complained. “What’s with all this ‘next thing you know’s?”

Nie Huaisang grinned at Jiang Cheng. “If you want me to tell you something spicy, Jiang-gege, you need only ask…”

“Never mind,” Jiang Cheng said hastily, his cheeks turning red at once. “And don’t call me gege in that tone of voice, you sound perverted.”

“As perverted as when I talk about your feet?”

Jiang Cheng really did try to kick him for that one.

“Ouch!” Nie Huaisang cried, playing it up even though Jiang Cheng had been slow enough that even he could have dodged if he’d made even half an effort, and anyway the kick itself was extremely light. “Jiang-xiong, don’t you know you’re supposed to wait until we’re married to start beating your wife?”

“Nie Huaisang…!”

Nie Huaisang couldn’t help it and started laughing.

“But no, really,” he said, wiping his eyes a moment later. “If you didn’t tell Wei-xiong, what does he think you’re doing here? Did you feed him the same ‘complications’ line as everyone else?”

“More or less,” Jiang Cheng said. “I told him I needed some time to go stabilize my qi, since I hadn’t had a moment to do it since my golden core was restored.”

“That’s a good idea, actually,” Nie Huaisang said, diverted by the idea of a good story. “You don’t know how Baosan Sanren brought it back, and whether it works exactly the same way – you said it even felt a little stronger than before, but too much strength all of a sudden can be bad, too. You don’t want to risk a qi deviation. Even a small one that could hurt your future potential.”

“That’s what I told him,” Jiang Cheng said, nodding. “I also asked if he could maybe consider looking into qi deviations more generally in the future, though I didn’t say why. He’s enough of a genius to come up with demonic cultivation; maybe he can do something about – about your family’s issue.”

Nie Huaisang’s heart softened. He didn’t think it was likely after countless generations of trying, but he appreciated that Jiang Cheng had thought of it. “You know my brother doesn’t expected to be paid back for helping you – either now, or back when you were still a child.”

“I know,” Jiang Cheng said, groaning. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to, if I could. But he’s so self-sufficient! What can I possibly do for him?”

“Now you know what I go through every birthday,” Nie Huaisang told him. “See, this is why we should get married; that way we can suffer through the uncertainty together.”

“Get lost.”

“If you insist…”

“Get your hands back on my feet.”

Nie Huaisang grinned and turned back to his work. “How did Wei-xiong take it, anyway? He must have been worried.”

“He said he was going to try to find someone to consult with and ran off at once,” Jiang Cheng said, and now he was scowling again. “When what I meant was that he could use that to fill his time while he stayed at the Jiang camp to help lead it, instead of me having to owe your brother another favor.”

“Wei-xiong was raised to be a head disciple, not a sect leader,” Nie Huaisang said with a shrug. “He thinks more about what’s right and what’s wrong than he does about what’s necessary, because in the end those decisions aren’t his to bear.”

Jiang Cheng was quiet for a while after that, clearly turning something over in his head. Nie Huaisang didn’t say anything, focusing instead of soothing his friend’s feet and asking the maids to bring them some more snacks, especially the painfully salty ones that Jiang Cheng had become so fond of.

“I still think my father wanted the sect to go to him,” he finally said.

There was no need to ask who.

“He’s not actually your father’s bastard,” Nie Huaisang said. He didn’t bother with assurances that Jiang Cheng would never believe; he had too much experience in being the worse half of a comparison for that. “So it wouldn’t have worked, anyway.”

“No, I mean – I think that if you and I weren’t already engaged when Wei Wuxian was found, if your brother hadn’t already made everyone treat me like a boy by then, I think my father would’ve set up a marriage between us.”

“Between you and Wei-xiong?” Nie Huaisang’s head hurt at the thought. “But you’re more like brothers than anything else!”

“He wouldn’t have known it then, would he? And that way Wei Wuxian would be the Sect Leader, even if his children would be named Jiang.”

“That’s really stupid,” Nie Huaisang said. “Even if you married him, shouldn’t you still be sect leader, and him first disciple? It’s not really the Jiang clan if it’s lead by someone with a different surname –”

Jiang Cheng started laughing. “No, no, it’s nothing,” he said when Nie Huaisang looked askance at him. “I keep forgetting you’re from Qinghe, where the only thing that matters is the saber. Yunmeng Jiang doesn’t allow women to inherit roles in the sect; that’s why I’m the heir, and not Jiang Yanli, and why the original plan was for one of my cousins to be the heir.”

“What? That’s so stupid. What if there’s a curse on the generation so that everyone bears only girls? Does the Jiang sect just fall over and die?”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes were starting to tear up from laughter, and he put his hand on his rounded belly to stabilize it. “I don’t know. That seems pretty unlikely, though, doesn’t it?”

“Unlikely my ass! Legend has it that it happened to one of my ancestors.”

“And everyone in the next generation was a girl?”

“Misaligned or otherwise, yeah. And shortly afterwards there was a whole thing with this one saber spirit deciding to possess a human body – it’s a long story, with lots of dead people; I’d tell it to you, but I can’t do it justice the way one of our clan storytellers would. You’ll just have to wait until we’re married.”

“We’re not getting married, Nie Huaisang,” Jiang Cheng said, long-suffering.

“You still haven’t given me a good reason why not,” Nie Huaisang said, undeterred. “It’s all been bullshit ‘I can’t burden you like that’ sort of stuff, and I already told you I don’t care.”

“Do you want to be kicked again?”

“No, but I could negotiate being stepped on –”

“Nie Huaisang!”

#mdzs #jiang cheng #nie huaisang #sangcheng #at least in implication #my fic #my fics #trans!JC #complications #yes WWX got the wrong idea entirely

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Scottrospective: Scott Pilgrim Vs the Universe or So Sad So Very Very Sad

Hello all you happy Scottaholics! And welcome back to Scottrospective, my 8 part look at Scott Pilgrim: all 6 volumes of the comic as well as the game and movie just in time for their respective 10th Anniversaries. If your just joining us or needa quick refresher, here are links to the other four parts, in order: Precious Little Life, Vs The World (Comic), Infinite Sadness, and last month’s look at my favorite volume Gets It Together. And if that’s not enough to fill your belly with Scotty Goodness, hop over to my patreon, patreon.com/popculturebuffet. There you’ll find reviews of all the content I didn’t have time for in the retrospective proper: Free Scott Pilgrim, The Wonderful World of Kim Pine, Monica Beetle, Style, and the bonus comic strips. It’s only a dollar to get access to the bonus reviews, and every bit you can give not only helps me make these reviews int he first place, but gets me closer to my stretch goals, the 25 and 30 dollar ones including looks at O’Malley’s Other Works: Lost At Sea and Seconds for the former and Snotgirl for the latter.

But more than plugging my past and paid works, there’s something else far more important I need to get to before I get into this one: Thank You. No Seriously thank all of you who have been reading these, liking them. My Precious Little Life Review is easily one of the most liked things i’ve ever had on this blog, getting more viewers every day, and last month’s look at Gets it Together is STILL racking up likes. Given most of my non-duck reviews, paid for and on my own time, tend to be ignored half the time, this just warms my heart. It shows me two great things: that even after a decade Scott Pilgrim still has a huge following and given how young this platform tends to skew that it’s gaining more fans every day, and that people care about what I have to say about htis wonderful comic. It really touches me to both know my voice matters and that something I truly loved as a teen and still do now is STILL picking up more and more fans. What i’m saying is you guys are the best and I wouldn’t be doing these reviews without your support of my very hard work. These are some of the hardest reviews i’ve done at times, but seeing you all enjoy them makes it all worth it.

As for the Volume itself there’s something I just gotta get off my chest right away: I HATED this volume when it came out. To understand why you have to consider my mental state: I was a teenager at the time, in my junior year of high school. Scott Pilgrim was my goddamn world: while I was picking up comics monthly at the time this was honestly the first north american comic I loved and obessed over and Scott and friends were like family to me. To an awkward teen who couldn’t talk to girls, struggled to keep the video game club a friend founded together in a way that in hindsight was wholly unecessary, and getting messed with due to my anger issues by friend, foe and frenemy alike, Scott was my port in the storm. A sunny version of Tornoto where I could retreat to to feel at peace.

So yeah this shattered the fuck out of that peace and was essentially one long slow motion kick to the balls to a younger me: Hollie gets derailed and horribly betrays Kim, runing my faviorite characters life and leading to her LEAVING, Scott and Ramona’s relationship crumbles, the band breaks up , and the volume ends with Gideon still gunning for our hero because life hadn’t punched him in the face enough for one month. I was livid, not stopping the series, obviously, but upset that everything i’d grown to care about was basically gone in a flash and couldn’t understand WHY O’Malley would fucking do this to me. This volume was also what kept me from re-reading the books for as long as I did as while the rest had fond memories all the ones I had of this one were pure misery.

But by the time i re-read it in december of last year I had two important things in my hands that helped me truly enjoy this one: The first was Volume 6 itself: knowing things would work out, that most of the bad stuff would be undone and in a truly awesome and satisfying way helped.

The other thing was the perspective that came with growing older: For one as an adult while I still like Scott as a character and find him intresting I no longer look up to him, nor put stock in his hapiness for his own. Sure I still care about characters and relate to some, but Bojack Horseman taught me the hard way you CAN’T put all your hopes in a character’s fate or them getting better for you to get better.

The other is that while this volume again is pretty bleak after a while.. it’s also NECESSARY. Part of the series charm is i’ts realisim and a sad part of real life is people can drift apart from you, and things can change seemingly all at once. And things moving the way they do is necessary for the ending: every step and move here puts things where they need to be for the final chapter. The pain our heroes go through is necessary so they can all grow.. except Stephen and Wallace. Stephen sucks and Wallace dosen’t need to change. He does need his own spinoff. But for Scott, Ramona and Kim the trials to come are necessary to make them into their best selves by series end.

So join me under the cut as we get sad so very very sad, this is Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe.

Precious Little Life: We open with Scott’s Birthday! Hit it MC Chris!

youtube

But yes it’s septmeber and Scott is now 24 years old. Also Julie is there because presumibly Stephen dredged her out of her swamp for the evening despite Julie likely not wanting to be there and Scott sure a shell not wanting her there. He vows that he will be the best 24 year old ever...... yeah let’s take a brief look into the future to see how that pans out

But we have a full volume and more metaphorical rakes to whack Scott in the face before that paticular one.

A MONTH AND A FEW DAYS LATER

It’s the day of the dead, whoa ho way down in Tornoto. It’s hosted by Satan Herself, who dosen’t realize the holiday for hags was yesterday. This is for remembering the dead and rising out of the grave to go resuce your young wards by ramming a bunch of guys in butterfly costumes with your car or stealing your children’s kidneys. This is Rat Girl’s new place, a fancy loft she and 3 other girls went on to throw the best parties beaause of course. She’s also a bitch to our hero and heroine because of course.

But Scott soon has more important things to worry about: Ramona spots his next two opponents.. the twins hinted at last time, Kyle and Ken Kataynagi, Perfect Jerk and Handsome Asshat respectively.

Kyle and Ken are easily the least intresting of the 7 exes. With the other 4 so far having been a loveable ham, a stoic movie star whose suprisingly nice and dies via skateboard, a gloriously douchey and dumb psychic evil version of our much more loverable dumb douche with personal connections to both him and Ramona, and Roxy who was genuinely sympathetic, held back by her own selfishness and anger.. we get.. two smug assholes who use robots. Their not UNINTRESTING, the robots have cool designs and the fight with them is genuinely exciting.. but they just don’t have the charisma or personal factor. Their jsut two assholes ramona dated at the same time who happen to know more about her well guarded past than the other exes and are more liable to bring it up.. and even then it’s not anything new as Envy pulled similar tactics far more intrestingly in volume 3. THey don’t ruin the volume or anything, thier fine, but I just wish O’Malley had done more. Especially since he clealry had more intresting ideas with them: the sound battle we saw in the movie was an early draft of this and one early draft had Scott’s previously unseen brother Laurence working with them. I don’t knowWHY he scrapped that as it raises the stakes and makes this far more personal for Scott. Which at this point is what the exes SHOULD be: Todd and Roxy BOTH were more personal threats, Todd being his ex’s boyfriend and first love and Roxy being a genuine competior for Ramona. These guys again are just two douchers who show up because we need 7 douchers to complete the doucher circle.

So the twins declare their not going to fight scott.. and instead send a tiny robot to fight him. Awww. But for this fight O”Malley does something really intresting and creative.. he dosen’t focus on it. No really Ken and Kyle are dicks to Ramona so Kim wisely gets her out of there, and the two have a casual talk on the balcony while Ramona smokes. It’s some fun banter between the two that both shows why their shipped to all hell. The two just play off each other really damn well. Though we also get Craphole asking people if they want to come watch Scott get beat up because the worst.

Something important character stuff comes up though: As was shown last time at her rightful rage that Stephen HAD an opportunity to book a gig and kept refusing it for his fecking album, Kim is still fairly salty about the whole recording an album bullshit. The biggest part of it..

It’s something you really DON’T expect to here coming out of kim: that she really LIKED the band. But beneath the pillar of salt she puts out daily... these were her friends, this was getting to do something creative and passionate, and it was a break from the daily grind. Even if her job isn’t TERRIBLE, getting to watch movies and hang out with her best friend Clerks style.. it’s still a retail job and those still weigh on you.. though frankly i’d take one of those over food service but sadly tha’ts what i get most of the time. This was fun.. and Stephen ripped that away from her for his own selfish reasons. No one else in the band really cared about making an album.. if Stephen REALLY wanted to find a more professional band.. then he should’ve just told them so Scott and Kim could find someone else to do guitars for them. Instead he forced them into doing something they don’t want to do and refuses to actually play shows, which COULD help both perfect songs for the album version and get them new fans for said upcoming album and provide them recurring venues to SELL said album, because he really just wants to be with Joseph and fuck anyone else. Stephen is really just an inhernetly selfish git and i’ll get more into that in a bit. But first Wallace has a text for Scott.

Now I COULD have just skipped over this.. but I didn’t want to. Plus we dont’ se Wallace for a while in this story so i’m taking what I can get.

So back to Stephen being a repugnant ass. I’ve been waiting for this scene for the entire retrospective. I”ve hinted at it, and largely blamed it for why I hate him so damn much. The time is nigh to explain WHY.

Stephen is with Knives, as the two are close friends and such. Stephen expalins Sex Bomb-Omb isn’t playing because he and the personfication of bitchiness broke up. Which knives points out is for...

But it’s clear from context this was the LAST time. Why he still got invited I dunno, plot convience. So far so normal.. until Stephen picks up that Knives is STILL hung up on Scott. Which is understandable crushes can last a while but i’ts equally understandable that Stephen is utterly baffled by it. Which I get, I didn’t make an entire tom lucitor retropsecitve because I liked that his relationship with Star ended with him stepping aside due to what the show thought was “true wuv” but what comes off instead as his self loathing casuing him to blame himself for a realtionship that’s crumbling for reasons that aren’t his fault.

And his actions here are incredibly well meant: He bluntly gives Knives the wake up call she DOES need: Scott cheated on her, he dated her because she was easy to date, strung her along for a bit while seeing someone else, then dumped her with not one care for her well being. That is stuff she NEEDS to get into her head so she can move on. She needs to see him for what he IS and not for what she’s built him up as in her head. And while yeah his rant DOSNE’T take into account the fact Scott geninely tried to make up for his actions in volume 3, Stephen wasn’t there for that and Knives probbably didn’t tell him about it. So from his point of view scott broke her heart and did nothing.. and evne IF he knew that, Scott still hasn’t tried to do anything since despite Knives still being obessed with him nor come clean to her or Ramona at any point. Scott deserves this call out and the consequences that come with it.

So your probably wondering WHY I hate Stephen because of this scene when he’s you know, RIGHT. Well it’s simple: being right dosen’t save you from being a MASSIVE hypcorite. He’s railing on Scott for cheating and hurting someone.. when he cheated on Julie and would’ve hurt her if she had the capacity for human emotion, empathy, or self awarness. The ending of the last volume and how bad, even for them, their relationship was implied the hell out of it, with him nervous when she brings up being paranoid over knives.. as if he WAS cheating. on One Face just not with a teenage girl but a grown ass man who hates everyone as much as BLARARARGAGAG does.

Not only that.. but he was with Julie for the SAME DAMN reasons Scott was with Knives: it was easy. Now I WILL grant Stephen some sympathy: he’s a queer man and as one myself, bi for the record, I GET how fucking hard it is to come to terms with that, that what you thought you were isn’t ENITRELY true or, if Stephen is gay and not bi or pan, ENIRELY FALSE. So I do have some care that it was hard for him to sort all this out. I do and that Jospeh could’ve seduced him or what not. We don’t have all the context here. But he STILL cheated at the end of the day instead of telling her he was queer until MONTHS later. And why yes the fact I have to feel bad for JULIE does make it that much worse. And yes their relationsihp COULD simply be that toxic or she could’ve gaslit him, but it seemed more like their relationship was messy breakups and getting back together over and over. While Julie IS vile, she’s not a domestic abuser mental or physical as far as I can tell. She’s a bitch and their relatioship is unehlathy but there was no indication their relationship involved gaslighting or evne phsyical violence: it was just fucked from minute one. So yeah he stayed in an awful relationship beacuse it was easier than coming out, when he should’ve broken it off as soon as it was clear he and Joseph were actually going somewhere. Waiting while he figured out who he was is one thing, tha’ts fiar, but cheating on someone just because you don’t have the nerve to break it off with them when their genuinely awful to you and your only hurting them as much as they can be hurt by dragging this out... yeah that just makes you an ass.

Another point of contention is that he NEVER called Scott out on this. Never. Not even after this scene. Never encouraged him to tell Ramona or apologize to Knives, again he didn’t know Scott already had tried that. Never gets on him.. he just ignores Scott’s shitty behavior like eveyrone else and unlike Kim, whose still got unresolved feelings and is at the very least clearly bothered by his shitty behavior, and Neil, whose young and thus like me likely looked up to Scott at the time, he dosen’t have an excuse other than “Well I don’t want to ruin our friendship by actually calling him out when he does something objectivionally awful.” Especially since Wallace DID actually take action: he didn’t break up the relationship or say anythign to Ramona, which is wrong... but he did tell scott flat out after his first date with Ramona to break up with Knives. And when Scott chickned out of that, Wallace gave him the ultimatium, may it live in empathy, to do so or he WOULD tell Ramona. And at least Wallace has a motive for not telling Ramona other than “I don’t want to risk my friendship with a guy I really don’t care about and think is shitty”. He wanted to see Scott recover from Envy, something Stephen never gave ONE. SHIT. ABOUT. He saw Ramona was good for him and knew telling her, while the RIGHT thing to do, would severely harm Scott, and by volume 4 leave him homeless. Plus Wallace frankly enabled him for some time anyway, letting him live at their place rent free and paying for all his food and frequently letting Scott steal his credit card. WIth Wallace at least while it’s not the RIGHT move, it’s understandable and complicated vs Stephen who really dosen’t seem to like or get along with Scott after volume 1, suddenly cares what happens to his relationship.

And what proves this... is this little exchange that ends the conversation.

Knives despite her issues, despite blinding herself to how Scott treated her, despite everything... thinks Ramona should know. And she’s right. And Stephen KNOWS THIS. He knows it was the right thing to do and just.. takes a swig instead of admitting he’s a fucking hypocrite or explaining himself in any way. He NEVER cared about Ramona’s feelings or how this would effect her or saw her as important in any way shape or form. Kim at least clearly feels guilty. Wallace clearly is only doing so because it’s better for both her and Scott that their together and is a flawed human being. Stephen.. just dosen’t do so out of some masculine bullshit code of not ratting out your friend and his own cowardace. He clearly COULD go walk up to Ramona right now and tell her, but he won’t. And again I don’t buy he honeslty cares enough about Scott for their friendship to TRULY be enough of a factor to stop that. Fuck. Stephen. Stills.

So Scott wins naturally, but is bummed there’s no reward.. but Stephen points out there’s tons of free food over yonder so he noms before he and Ramona leave.

We get some cute domestic bits with Scott and ramona: Scott playing games on her phone all day, the two cooking dinner, and Scott admititng he hasn’t thought of envy at all. “I have you now”. Though through it there are some signs of unease: Scott finds a letter to Gideon, and Ramona asks about her hair and stares out into the window. Nice little hints that even before the big bomb abotu to drop she’s not at ease.. she loves Scott.. but it’s hard for her to let herself BE happy. It’s easy to wager she wasn’t for most of her life.

Can’t Face Up

So next we find Sex Bomb-Omb working on the album. Or rather Stephen and Joseph are. Scott and Kim are praying for death but death won’t come and Kim wonders why the fuck this isn’t finished. Joseph wants her out of his house... forgetting that Kim lives in said house.

Still his expressoin implies he’s going to do a murder on her if she stays in the room and since Drummers are hard to come by Stephen spirits them to kim’s room for a band meeting. Turns out they do have a gig but naturally Rosemary’s Baby booked it... and they haven’t practiced in months because Stephen’s a moron. He theorizes it’s Freddy’s Revenge, which is admitely probably valid though Kim can TELL something worse happened Stephen won’t cop to because he’s a piece of shit. I spent several paragraph’s establishing that. They try blaying and two sucktacular minutes i’ts clear their fucked sunday.

So after a scene of Knives trying HARD to justify Scott’s actions and blame htem on Ramona, to no success, we get one of my faviorite parts of this book: Scott rambling on for god knows how long about the x-men while Ramona gets dressed and is presumibly barely listneing.

I relate so hard to this it hurts. While not this era I wll GLADLY go on and on about X-Men and anything X-Adjacent at any goddamn opportunity and anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis and you know this. I need to tlak more x-men outside of my slowly failing New X-Men retrospective (Which is on the back burner because no one seeems to genuinely care after chapter one). If I did have a signifgant other, they would probably end up in a situation like this quite a lot and i’d have no shame about it.

I also love this scene even more as while I DID love x-men at the time, I wasn’t quite the mega fan I was, nor as familiar with Claremont’s long, epic and often fucking weird in the special wonderful way only comics can run. Given I OWN over half his run at this point, that has changed. Though oddly not this part. So not only do I get Scott’s talking about x-men I Know what SPECIFICALLY.

And for the unitatied, a quick explination of what the fuck Scott’s going on and on about: In the late 80′s, the x-men fought a reality warping malevolent trickster god named the Adversary. IN order to beat him their friend forget had to perform a cermony to lock his ass away that required willingly given life forces. The X-Men did REALLY fucking die.. but the Goddess Roma, daughter of Merlin and enemy of the advesary brought them back to life. With their deaths having been broadcast on live tv, and with tons of dangerous enemies at their heels, the X-Men choose to let the world continue to think they were dead so they could hit said enemies where it hurt.

SO this is where Scott’s story comes in:The X-Men’s first mission was clearing out the reavers, a bunch of racist cyborgs, from a ghost town which they took over as their base. As Scotty said they traveled all over the world, fought aliens, more racists, and then went to New York as it literally went ot hell. it’s a LOT and I haven’t read most of that era. I just know about it. I have read that last part though: the x-men were ambushed while wolveirne was away by said racist cyborgs so Psylocke shoved them through the siege perilous, a gate thingy romana gave them that would give them a new life and amnesia and such, leaving wolveirne to get crucified till Jubilee, who’d been hiding in their base gary busey style, freed him. The two would travel the world, find psylocke body swapped which is why she was asian for several decades, and get into general stuff for a few years real time till the X-Men slowly reunited. And you probbaly dind’t need to hear all of that but your life is better for knowing it.

As you can tell Ramona’s discontent is mounting. And probably not because of Scott rambling about x-men. Last night he told her about the time Magneto beat them all because they stupidly rushed him one at a time then forced them into high tech chairs while a robotic nanny babbied them and then esecaped because shut up before fighting magneto, getting surrounded by lava and having beast ASSUME they were dead because fuck actually coming back and searching just in case like a rational human being because magma or no the x-men have surivived worse, including the depths of space, and restoring all of reality from scratch. I may of just read those issues tonight.

She procedes to make things worse for our hero as when he asks fo rher advice.. she reveals she dosen’t like his band.. and while she means nothing BY that, she’s nice about it, telling him his band sucks days before a sudden show where you guys eat a lot isn’t something you do. Wallace is naturally even less helpful and maybe his not liking the band is why we barely see him interact. Maybe he just figured Stepheen was on the fence sexuality wise but wasn’t willing to put up with Julie to test that. I dunno.

So at the restraunt Stephen’s a dick, refusing to help Scott with his problems. WHich for once are legitamte as he worries abotu Ramona keeping secrets. He just wants to talk about hte band.. but 48 or something hours after this he has no real plan.

Scott mopes to Kim about Ramona and she has some sage advice for him...

Also thing one and thing two are at the bar with a remote. This cannot end well... granted givne our heroes are not at all prepared and are playing two diffrent songs, this was never going to end well.

And things only get worse for Scott in the bathroom.. he’s not there.. but his girlfriend and his ex are. Knives tries to work it out.. but Ramona being a bit short with her, which is fair given Knives tried to stab her a bunch a few months back and never apologized, leading to a quick fight.. but with Knives heart not in it this time and Ramona pissed and this time NOT confsued as to what the hell ihs going on, it ends with Ramona slamming knives into a wall... and Knives sadly revealing the truth to Ramona...

The scene hits like a truck with both devistated.. Ramona not having realized Scott with this shitty.. and Knives FINALLY accepting that he is. Finally letting her obession with him drop and realize what he was and what he did and let the full impact hit. The last part also hits hard “No One Else Would’ve Told You’. It’s a sad hard truth and it’s CLEARLY something that hits both women hard. For Knives it’s realizing Kim and Stephen, who she’s increidbly close to at this point, both don’t have the stomach to do the right thing, and thus hid this from her and Ramona. Stephen DID tell her.. but he still didn��t have the guts to tell RAMONA nor the actual care. It’s the realization the people she looked up to truly let her down and that she had to do what they couldn’t, even if it tore her apart to do it. For Ramona it’s realizing her closest friends outside of Scott could’ve told her and never did. No matter how close she’s gotten to Kim and Wallace, neither gave a fuck about her rights or her need to know.

So Ramona is rattled and barely speaks while Scott has been fighting anothe rrobot and ends the gig accidnetly smashing his bass. Stephen is pissy with him and blames hi mfor runing the gig, which turned out to be a trap anyway complete with fliers.

Ramona decides to gently throw him out as he forgot his keys while his other friends won’t house him leaving him with the one friend he has who dosen’t hate him right now. WALLACE!

The Glow:

So at Casa De Welles, Wallace has some buddy time, not making any bones about the fact Ramona clearly threw Scott out for the night and wearing a neat robe. Scott mopes about the fact he hasn’t met mobile whose apparenlty on the astral plane. I wonder if he has any buisness with Emma.. I mean the x-men did live in san fran sicsio but given decimation didn’t have many psychics. Might’ve been tryign to get another one. THey didn’t have a whole island that walks like a man yet. And while Wallace wasn’t in much of a coaching mood last time he is willing to help. He couldn’t get bupkiss on the twins since Scott can’t even remember their names, but he did pull off a miracle. Despite their being a million Gideons in New York.. Wallace found THE Gideon. Granted all he got was his full name, Gideon Gordon Graves, and a few burry photos, one with Ramona confirming this is our douche, but given he had only a first name and an ex to work with this is some damn fine work. Wallace asks scott about his future with Ramona but he just.. has no earthly idea because of course he dosen’t. He hasn’t REALLY thought about what comes after beating the exes because he never thinks anything through. Interesting stuff The next day Scott meets up with Kim at No Account Video and we get our first, and I mean literally first, indiciation things are falling apart with her and Hollie. Scott wants to say hi, Kim refuses him and gives a smart ass comment when he asks if them being roomates isn’t working out. He wasn’t even being a dick it’s just clear SOMETHING bad’s going on she won’t talk about because she puts up walls around hrself on a GOOD day and this clearly isn’t one.

It gets worse when they stop by Stephen’s place only to find Neil whose both taken up a combination of smoking and moping in a dark room. Never a good sign. Nor is Stephen apparenlty being at band practice.. meaning either he lied to Neil about where he went.. or he already started the band we’ll see him with next volume and is already stabbing his friends in the back. There wasn’t much to like about the guy to BEGIN with, but his behavior just gets worse with every volume and it’s reached it’s apex here. The speech was shitty enough, I spent several paragraphs explaning why, but the rest of his behavior isn’t much better. He abandoned two people who were, for god knows what reason loyal to him and abandoned the band because of some bearded asshole probably encouraging him to.

We also get some telling behavior on Kim’s part. Whlie she’s usually morose around Scott in the face of this both just hang out, it’s plesant. She even smiles when she asks if it’s going to be a regular occurance when he stays with her that night. Granted she brings back her frown soon after, but as has been clear her feelings for him never really went away entirely, and this is the closest the two have been in volumes, just enjoying each others company. It’s also telling that Scott trusts kim with a favor.

We see the favor the next page: Kim hangs out with Ramona.. and Scott marchs in completely on purpose soon after. Granted Kim probably didn’t know THIS was part of the plan, and it’s mildly stupid.. but it DOES show progress for Scott. Keep in mind his usual tactic is “avoid the fuck out of it and hope it goes away’ So ACTUALLY wanting to talk about things and find her again, and not doing it in a creepy way but simply drawing her out with a friend, shows SOME maturlity. It’s still not the most mature.. but with Ramona clearly not wanting him at their place, her work not having a set location as she just picks stuff up and drops it off (And even if she’s picking up packages at the post office we don’t know which one or if there’s multiple and even if we did scott sure as hel l does not), he was out of options. It also WORKS, with Ramona breaking her mopeynesss to laugh and Kim stunned it didn’t just piss her off further.

So we find out what happened with Hollie when Scott brings up jason. She points out they were dating but... welllllllll

Yeah... as you could probably tell I do not like this plot point at all. For one thing we never really got to KNOW Jason, and with him and Hollie getting a little too cozy at the end of the last volume...

It’s clear his ONLY roll in the story was to be there so Hollie could betray Kim in some way. And look I get a LOT in this series happens while we’re not looking, ti’s part of it’s charm. Things not pausing for the side cast is a trope I enjoy: it allows some things to progress faster and allows for some intresting stories when the main cast catches up. Steven Unvierse and Ducktales both used this well as does Scott Pilgrim but all three weren’t immune to someitnes goofing up and taking it too far.

This whole situation is that: Hollie is a character I got attached to: She had a great report with kim, they were really close and she offered her a place to stay when it was clear she was miserable with the four horseman of the bitchpocalypse she lived with. So while having her suddenly heel turn is realistic... it just feels thorughly unsatisfying. We do not see Hollie again after she’s sudeenly derailed, so we never get to see what she’s apparenlty REALLY like or get any explination why this happened. Suddenly Kim’s best friend is a douchebag even though it makes no sense for her character. Just because in real life people can turn out to be really shitty on a dime dosen’t mean it’s a neat thing to READ in a story and it feels like a waste of what was one of the series best side characters. And granted i’ve been through FAR worse treatment of side characters, trust me but this one still blows to this day and if there is a netflix adaptation this either needs to not happen or have actual depth. Seriously Netflix your adapting everything else, get on the bus already.

Scott is GENUINELY apologetic, we’ve rarely seen him this nice but he genuinely feels bad for her.. and unlike Stephen’s thing it’s okay to feel shitty someone got cheated on even if you were a cheater in the past. As I said Stephen wasn’t wrong about how Scott treeted knives.. he just also was trying to take moral high ground which Knives proved he absolutely did not have in seconds.

This triggers Ramona’s glow, the squggly line thing that shows up over her head ocasoinally.. and while Ramona grills Scott... Kim just finally asks what the hells up with her head. Scott’s reaction is “OH good you guys see it too”. Kim does try to show it to ramona but it’s gone by then and she drops it for now and outside encourages her to come to Julie’s latest shitty party.. I mean their miserable but at least it gives thems omething to do

So we get another instalment of “Scott rambles about the X-Men” or New Mutants in this case as we’re talking about Magik, Aka Illyana Rasputin

So for the long version: The X-Men were staying at a creepy temple that Magneto had been working out of beause the mansion was being repaired. Colossus, everyone’s favorite Russian and Deadpool co-star, had his kid sister Illyana with him as Arcade, a ginger maniac assasian whose gimmick is creating elaborate murder theme parks, kidnapped her in a plot to get the x-men to fight Dr. Doom for him. Given this was during the Cold War they coudln’t exactly take her back, so she stayed with the X-Men and her beloved big brother.

So naturlaly the spooky temple decorated in Cthulu’s had a portal to hell in it and an evil and genirc looking fucker named Belasco kidnapped her to a hell dimension known as Limbo> the X-Men went after her as you’d expect and things got WEIRD as due to some complicated and weird time dialition stuff I sitll don’t quite understand there ended up being two copies of the x-men: ours who came in right after, and a second batch who stayed there for about 7-8 years and got warped by Bellsaco’s magic as he killed or changed most of them. As a result Storm became a sorcerer to fight back, Kitty Pryde became some sort of cat creature and Kurt became a creepy evil version of himself. Illyana stayed htere, learned magics from both storm and asshole, learned to fight from cat kitty, and eventually escaped after a lot of horrible bullshit, hardnered and with her soul scarred from it, now a teenager. She joined the New Mutants, the training class of x-men in the comics, soon after. She’s a member agian in present day, one of the great captains of Krakoa, and one of the two co-leaders of Krakoa’s younger mutants, i.e. 20 something to teens and kids.

This is the best of the two scenes as the narrative , or at least Scott’s versions parallels Ramona’s own; Getting taken in by an evil man and feeling tainted by that.

So at the party Ramona runs into Neil whose a dick about it and with some girl. She WAS going to be fleshed out more in the original draft but Brian ended up scrapping it for time, but does regret it. It’s here we get Neil’s face punchingly dickish comment that’s also a massive hint as to Stephen’s sexuality.

Yeah even if Stephen’s been an UTTERLY shitty friend to him.. this was uncalled for even for the late 2000′s. What a prick. I do like the arc of Neil slowly falling apart though getting more and more bitter as his old friends abandoned him casually, especailly Stephen. While his comment was still HORRIBLY unwarranted even with Stephen being a dipshit.

Speaking of assholes we get our last major with Julie who berates Scott for grabbing some booze and brings in the twist. I’m.. i’m not even bothering to give her an insluting and weird nickname. She’s still a HORRIBLE piece of shit, as she brought Scott’s enemies there to try and beat him to death for her own amusment and berated him for getting booze at a party she CLEARLY expected him to come to, but she’s ALMOST gone. Seriously after this she’s GONE for the volume and barely in the rest of the series. So i’d rather celebrate FINALLY having earned my freedom over worrying about her any more than i have to. Cue the music!

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So with that Kyle.. or is it Ken.

But the blonde one needles ramona, giving her her faviorite booze and telling her “this is all just temproary”

So Ramona gets all glowy.. and Kim gets her phone out....

The Universe Fights Back So in a random bedroom Ramona gives up the ghost: SHe DOES know what that is she just can’t tell Kim. Kim accepts it and they share some drinks. Scott, after beheading the douche bros latest science project, joins them and we get a lovely scene of the three drinking and bonding and geneuinely just having a good time. Though Kim DOES mention that she wants to go back to school.. This will naturally be very important.

What’s more important is this scene is ENITRELY while I poly ship these three dum dums. I mean while part of thier hapiness here is their blasted out of hteir heads, it’s also just Kim’s wall sbeing down. She tells the two she loves them, and I think MEANS IT. Not to mention this...

Okay maybe it’s just the two of them but they also love Scott. And again I get htier VERY obviously drunk.. but given Kim and Ramona are clearly actively supressing any bi parts of themselves most of hte time this is telling. The fact Ramona asks kim to sleep in THIER bed, likely with them, is ALSO very telling and Kim only dosen’t because their using sub space. No really that’s the only reason this volume didn’t end VERY diffrently with the three of htem having a three way before the argument coming up.. and possibly fixing said argument by having kim to mediate. I mean I get Scott’s not a big part of this so if you don’t want to ship him with them and just leave them alone that’s fine, ut I like the idea of them as a throuple: they ballance each other out.. and frakly with Scott’s irresponsblity and Ramona’s emotoinal issues they need someone to call them b oth out in the relationship, while these two are two of the only three people in the work i’ve seen Kim take her walls down for. Not even Jason got that, but Jason was also a carboard cutout.

Things take a turn from Kim.. from an almost threesome where she CLEARLY would be getting most of the attention... to two assholes kidnapping her. Now while I don’t like the twins that much their plan for the final act IS actually clever: their the first ones to think to actually use the people Scott cares about.. or anything resembling strategy really. Matt just charged int here, Lucas coudln’t give less of a fuck, Todd just used brute strength like a teletkentic juggernaught, and Roxy DID use some but it was less to actually fight scott and more to get into ramona’s pants again. The twins see Kim clearly still loves Scott, and that while he acts aloff to her sometimes she really is one of his best friends. No really, think about it. Wallace is his BEST friend.. but Kim sticks by him even when he’s shitty, calls him out when needed, and despite her grumpiness is the one who has the most faith in him out of ANYONE. It’s a large point of the volume: she dosen’t bother watching the fights.. because she belivies he’ll win simply because he’s Scott. That’s love right there. The kind of love that gets you kidnapped as part of an elaborate scheme but love nonetheless.

So we then get the scene that’s been coming for five volumes... after having sex, Ramona confronts Scott. While Scott admits he didn’t cheat on her with knvies, the other way around, that’s not better. He admits he’s been trying to forget about it.. and she calls him a bad person. And that. .hits him hard. While he DESERVES scorn for what he did... as he puts it next he’s been trying to change for her. To BE better. And all she sees, and outright confirms is another evil ex in waiting with Scott DESPERATE to prove her wrong and wrongly thinking beating the next three exes will fix this. It’s a VERY hard sceen to watch as while Scott does deserve this.. it’s also hard not to feel bad for him too. It really sums up the character: He is a dick.. but he’s TRYING to be better. He WANTS to be, he just dosen’t know how. And MAN can I relate to that. It dosen’t help that Ramona is clearly projecting her own insecurties about this lasting, about actually being happy and about this really being her life onto him, using this as an easy out after having a month of doubt. Yes Scott did something unbelivibely shitty.. but both are trying to take the easy way out of it instead of genuinely discussing why it’s shitty, what he did was wrong and geniuinely unpacking if this is the end. Ramona clearly wants to bail, and Scott clearly just wants to punch a few guys to make it better. Neither thing will work. They need to work thorugh their issues to work... but neither is capable of that right now. They both want to run from the problem.

This volume is in part about Ramona herself.. and showcasing her OWN flaws.. and like Scott her biggest is that she runs. She wants to escape her past too and both assumed the other would be an easy fix, that by having a good partner they’d be better.. when really their both mildly shitty people who need to make peace with their past and repair the bridges they’ve burnt and flip off the ones not worht reparing instead of running from it all the time. But sadly before both can.. their just gonna run again. Because sometimes fixing yourself is just not that easy.

So the next morning Scott’s heart stops fo ra second when Ramona is seemingly gone.. only for her to instead be in teh shower. But Scott gets a text telling him the twins have Kim and TRIES to tell Ramona.. but she’s in the shower. As a result she’s worried he just ran off... and makes a decision , her hair cut back down after growing it out this volume, a sign of her hapiness.. now gone.

The Glow Part 2 So at an abandoned wherehouse the fight is on. The twins have the advantage in part because Scott is hung over.. something they take offense to.. even though they were THERE last night. He was at a party. They don’t know he teatotles. What state did they THINK he’d be in this morning?

We also find out their origin: as Scott correctly guessed at the end of last volume, Ramona dated them both at the same time and pit them against each other. They found out and vowed to always fight as one.. which means Scott is not only fighting two equally powerful opponents at once, but two who work as a perfct team and double hurricane kick him. They also mentally break him down, pointing out her previous job and how she’s a runner and she’s here to run from her past working for Gideon.

They aren’t but I already went into that so let’s get onto more pressing issues: Scott is not only hung over but now doubting himself and his dumbass plan to beat gideon and magically fix things, while Kim is naturally not happy about being stuck in a cage all night. And while at first she’s genuinely just grumpy as always as it becomes clear Scott has lost hope and the twins are going to win this one her expression is heartbreaking...

After EVERYTHING she still loves him and can’t bear to see him in so much pain... and can’t loose him.. so she gets desperate and claims Ramona texted him to give him hope.

This is one of Kim’s definting moments, the other coming next month. When faced with the person she loves possibly dying.. she lies to him.. so he can surivive. So he can have hope and make it through this.. despite how much it’s CLEARLY KILLING HER to not only tell him someone else loves him but to clealry lie that person loves him, knowing it’ll hurt him more.. but knowing if she DOSEN’T he’ll die. It’s one of the most painful, heartbreaking and beautiful moments in the entire series. It’s why I said earlier while I don’t like the brothers their climactic fight his excellent.. because it is. Their verbal breaking down of Scott is hearbreaking and Kim’s sacrifice equally so.

And before stomping them into coins SCott shows further growth.. by showing he CAN give off a good one liner now...

So Scott beats them and gets Kim out of the cage, worried about her.. but despite having a chance, Kim lets him get on his way to ramona and morsoely wlaks off... while ominously the sign points out this will soon be the Chaos Theater. There’s still one left to go.

But.. it’s sadly not enough. While Scott gives her a heartfelt speech... even if he quotes the song as long as you love me... he dosen’t care who she is.. but Ramona does.. calling herself a bad person.. as she vanishes.... and I cry my eyes out again. God two really heartbreaking scenes in a row sweet jesus this volume will be the death of me.. and not just because i’ts taken so damn long to write this review. And on top of tha the looses the cat and ends up locked out.

World of Ruin:

So yeah if you thought those bits weren’t easy.. it only gets roughter as we see Scott in the aftermath of the breakup. His dream world is now desolate and he’s alone. Now to his creidt as much shit as i’ve given him Stephen didn’t ENTIRELY abandon Scott: he put him up fo rth enight (though he kicks him out after work) and offers to take him to after work drinks. We also see a nice side of Scott’s intimdating boss as she offers her symaptheties at him crying... while he says it’s the onions... he’s transparenlty lying.

Next up is Kim. Though she dosen’t have a couch because Hollie sold it.. which as dickish as she suddenly is it IS her couch as Kim points out.. so yeah Kim and Scott end up sleeping awkardly in the same bed facing away from each other.. and to add another emotional guttpunch at the worst possible time: She’s going back home.

Stacey is even lesss helpful as SCott continues to ask about cats and is unsypantethic about her leaving despite you know, him REALLY not being at the shit talking her stage yet bud. At least we do get to see Stacey in this one I genuinely forgot she was in it.

So at Wallace’s he’s no help either pointing out she might be with someone else because he’s wallace and we meet a guy with Glases.. and in his bad state Scott assumes i’ts gideon. it’s not though. WE finally meet Mobile!

He’s exactly what wallace needs.. a fellow sarcastic asshole.

So next up is Kim’s goodbye.. which once again is really emotinal..a nd not just because my faviorite character is leaving and again, younger me didn’t know this wasn’t forever.. or that she’d be back for a rather huge role next time. But still it’s a damn good scene that shows how far Scott’s come...

While the first part is standard... the second is Scott realizing that she still had feelings for him, clearly given her actions during the fight, and he’d been a right dick this whole time never dealing with it or apolgoizing for his past. Granted he still has a way to go to REALLY apologize for it... but he’s trying and means it. And with her possibly never seeing again.. she needed that. Also her coat is damn cool. I’d say I want one like that btu i’d really prefer one like Scotts complete with x-men patch. Pax Krakoa bitches.

We get a really nice scene after where we meet Scott’s parents! Their also really kind helping him get a new place and move on... and runs into another glasses guy. But this time it’s Laurence! Who he drop kicks.. and then gives a broken bass back to. Eh... i’ve seen worse relationship with siblings honestly. He didn’t murder scott’s friend or plunge a whole galaxy into war or try and murder his daughter. Other Scott’s weren’t so lucky.

So after that awkardness SCott finds the note to gideon which is a break up letter... she never sent. However there’s something more pressing as he gets a call... and you can probably guess given his luck lately who that’s from.

Eh it’s not that murderoius creep but another one.

The end.. is in a few weeks.

Final Thoughts:

As I said I hated Vs the Universe on first read but re-reading it with hindsight and maturity.. it’s damn good. It’s depressing as hell.. but the things it does need to happen to push scott into a bad enough place for the next volume to work, and are natural: Ramona and Kim leaving, The band breaking up, Scott kicking his brother in the face.. all natural things. It hurts, this was a HARD one to write and I only feel the next one will be harder because it’s way longer with less slice of lifey stuff to skim through in my recapping.

But it’s a damn good one, with fantastic art, really gripping scenes, x-men refrenes and a spotlight shone on my girl kim. Even it’s weak spots dont’ hurt it: the twins are only weak by comparison, and still work well enough for the story, pushing ramona into the bad mental place she needs to be for the story to work. Hollie’s thing DID Need to be written way fucking better... but it does push kim into leaving which is CRITICAL for next time. So they aren’t GREAT elements, but they work. The only real other problem I have is knives just.. vanishes after her scene outside of one bit with Stephen, but that I can understand as the book is pretty tightly packed and she gets a fitting sendoff next time anyway. All in all another amazing entry and the perfect warm up for one of the best endings in comics history

Next Time: I said it and I meant it: one of the best endings in comics history as Scott hits on some exes, fights himself and betters himself as he prepares for his finest hour! Will Ramona Come back? Will Kim? Will Julie?... to answer your questions yes yes, and god dammit. Thank you all for reading, see you at the next rainbow.

#scott pilgrim #scott pilgrim vs the world #scott pilgrim vs the unvierse #kim pine #ramona flowers #julie powers #julie power #steven stills #stephen stills #joseph #wallace wells #kyle kyatanagi #ken kyatanagi #gideon gordon graves #gideon graves #stacey pilgrim #mobile #laurence pilgrim #knives chau

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listentothelittlebird · 3 years

Text

Today I bring you: an alternate Super Sons meeting! (This is a scrapped scene from my Code Bat series on ao3, but I think this is still enjoyable without context!)

The rewrite of this is here!

“I told you, coming with me would be boring.”

“Tt. Whatever, Drake.”

The nickname had long lost its malicious tinge. Tim rolled his eyes, trying to quell the fond smile that was twitching at his lips by ducking his face back down towards the paperwork on his table.

He was in a usually vacant office, at the Wayne Enterprises building of New York. Damian was playing a video game of some sort on his phone. Tim leaned over to peer at the boy’s screen. Damian tried to jerk away from his view, but Tim had already caught sight of the display.

Tim snorted, “Is that Dragonvale?”

“Shut up,” Damian snapped, his emotions betrayed by the reddening of his cheeks. Tim laughed lightly before returning to his work, the office descending into companionable silence, the only sounds coming from Tim shifting around the papers and clicking and unclicking his pen.

Damian had insisted on coming along for Tim’s business trip to New York. Not because he wanted to have a hand at the business, no, but because the young artist was interested in sketching the streets of the city - especially from the more illegal perches they could find on the tall buildings.

A ping from Tim’s phone caught his attention. He frowned minutely, enough of a change for Damian to raise an eyebrow from where he had positioned himself in the corner of the office, right next to the window overlooking the street below. Damian had already grown bored of the same view, having sketched the same perpsective for three days straight.

“So much for a peaceful business trip,” Tim murmured, signing quickly to Damian from behind his desk, where the camera in the room was unable to see, “K-O-N is in town. Pursuing T-O-Y-M-A-N.”

Damian tilted his head to the side, a silent question of “How?”, because New York was not exactly a neighbour to Metropolis. Tim shrugged with a disgruntled look, “Let’s go. I’m pretty much done with what I have to do right now. The rest can wait until later.”

Damian kept pace with Tim as he made a quick detour to access his spare costume before exiting the building. They were becoming more and more like real brothers each day - just the fact that Damian was here with Tim, without any of their other family members, already spoke volumes on their improving relationship. “What do I do?” Damian wondered curiously, “I know you’re intending on meeting up with him. Would my presence be distracting?”

Tim pursed his lips in thought. He had to admit, Damian’s new costume - the robe dyed with faint colourings - was pretty neat, but also very easily located. Damian would definitely stand out, if he did suit up. Not to mention that Damian had little to no exposure to any metas besides Duke, and would struggle to hide from Kon’s super senses.

“If you’re ready to make your debut, then I’ll see you at the destruction zone,” Tim clasped his hand briefly on Damian’s shoulder before ducking into the nearest alleyway. Damian would take more time to make it to where Toyman was currently wreaking havoc, since he had left his robe in their hotel room.

Sure enough, when Red Robin swooped down from the nearest rooftop to land a direct hit on Toyman’s newest creation, the flash of Damian’s white costume was still nowhere to be seen.

There was, however, another tween present. It did not take a genius to realise from the boy’s red cape and blue Superman tunic that this was Kon’s younger brother, Jon.

“How did Toyman get all the way to New York?” Red Robin aimed the question at his teammate, electing to ignore the presence of the younger boy for the time being.

Superboy huffed, visibly annoyed. “He let loose a ton of smaller toy robots, miniatures of the one he’s currently on,” Kon pointed to the UFO-like contraption that was zipping about the skies. He then directed a glare at his younger brother, “And somebody decided to ditch homeland, so that their Pa has to do all the work taking the robots down himself.”

“Pa can take care of the robots just fine!” Jon yelled, angry tone still dangerously close to a whine, “And I can help you! It all works out!”

Kon looked ready to argue back, so Tim cut in with a quick, “Less talk, more work. We can deal with family squabbles later.” Both Superboys instantly fell silent.

Toyman was rather irritable, Tim realised. Particularly so for him, since he was unable to fly and was restricted to the rooftops or fire escapes along the sides of the buildings. It was one of the few times that he wished he had incorporated his gliding wings into his Red Robin suit instead of his Gotham suit.

The villain also seemed to have a shield around his robot, preventing them from inflicting much damage on the UFO he was in. Tim was also constantly weary of the civilians - they were unable to properly clear out of the way, since Toyman kept switching streets and running off in different directions.

Jon tried to punch straight through the shield, but the shield deflected the force of his blow right back at him with a displacing wave of energy, sending the boy hurtling into a nearby building. The boy growled and got back to his feet, aiming to punch the shield a second time. The buildings around them were already unstable from the force of the first blast.

“Kid, don’t!” Red Robin called, but Jon had already flown straight into the shield, forcefully flinging his fist into the barrier.

Damian arrived on scene just as the buildings began to crumble. He stayed crouched a distance away, just shy of the main impact zone of the concussive wave.

Damian first noted the failing infrastructures of the buildings nearest to the blast. He was moving before his thoughts had fully formed, diving quickly through the sizable hole in the building and sprinting towards the unlucky civilians that were caught up in the chaos. He had to clear the building fast, before they were crushed under it.

He lowered the last person to the ground with his grappling hook, only to look up and note the presence of not one, but two Superboys. The smaller one looked to be around his own age, which was both intriguing and concerning.

The second Superboy now looked down at him from where he was holding up the upper half of the building he had just exited. “Who are you?” the boy asked in bewilderment. Damian backed away before ducking into the alley beside him, making his way onto the rooftop of a stable building.

“I could use some help!” Red Robin yelled from one street over, where Toyman had retreated to. Red Robin was using what looked to be electrified bird-a-rangs, which were just barely able to get through the shield, but were not doing much in terms of damage.

Damian slipped a small throwing knife into his hand, aiming his shot carefully. Toyman was facing away from him, and his control panel was on full display from where Damian was crouched. He waited until Red Robin readied another bird-a-rang, before throwing his knife in sync with him.

The shield malfunctioned for a split second once more, and it was all that was needed for the knife to slip through at the same time as the bird-a-rang, planting itself neatly into the controls. The wiring fizzled for a brief moment as Toyman cried out, whipping his head back to meet Damian’s blank mask.

The shield disappeared, and then Superboy - Kon-El - was delivering a sharp punch that crunched through the robot’s metallic body easily. The younger Superboy came soon after, hanging back as Red Robin and his older brother subdued Toyman properly.

The boy wrinkled his nose briefly, before looking directly at Damian, his expression brightening. Damian took a cautious step away from the edge of his rooftop even as Superboy flew up to him, landing heavily enough to crack the concrete slightly.

“You’re the guy from earlier!” Superboy enthused, and extended a hand, “Hi! I’m Superboy!”

Damian gazed warily at the boy’s hand. “Will you crush my hand if I shake yours?” Damian blurted out. This was his first time holding a conversation with one of the Kryptonians, he realised.

Superboy froze, and his face fell as he retracted his hand, “Ah, maybe. Sorry, I- I’m new to the hero gig,” he smiled hesitantly, glancing around him, “This is the first time I’ve been Superboy in any city other than Metropolis, actually. It’s… different.”

“I can imagine,” Damian commented, shifting tensely on his feet. Superboy frowned at him, “Your heartbeat’s going kinda fast. You know you don’t need to be afraid of me, right?”

Damian huffed, wondering belatedly how his brothers dealt with their own teammates. “I’m not afraid,” he clarified, “But it isn’t every day you meet an alien.”

“I’m not- okay, fair,” Superboy paused abruptly to glance down at the street. Kon-El and Red Robin appeared over the rooftop’s edge.

“Who are you?” Kon-El questioned, more forcefully than his younger brother’s harmless query. Damian shrugged. “Canvas,” he offered, “That’s what I would prefer to be called.”

The older Kent’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t exactly explain who you are very well,” he stated slowly, “What were you doing in the area?”

“Passing through,” Damian quipped easily. Kon-El’s frown deepened, but lifted as Red Robin pulled up several news articles on his holo-glove.

“His appearance matches reports of a white-robed traveller in numerous countries,” Red Robin summarised, and Damian knew immediately that the older boy had planned this statement, “Reports say that he was always found returning something, like an artefact or valued possession, to the communities he visited. He was also reported fighting off supernatural beings and protecting civilians from them.”

When the two Superboys looked back at Damian again, their expressions were contemplative. “So you’re a solo vigilante who’s even more nomadic than Red Robin,” Kon-El concluded, earning a disgruntled noise from the aforementioned person.

The younger Superboy suddenly lit up in an excited grin.

“Bro!” the punch that he gave his older brother made Damian wince slightly, “Teen Titans! Let me join!”

“I’ve already said no, countless times,” Kon-El stated in exasperation, “I’ll only let you on if-”

“If I’m ready, I know, but what if I go through like, a trial period, you know? Just in case I really am ready,” Superboy pointed towards Damian, “And Canva can accompany me, because he’s experienced already, then he’ll be able to tell if I am ready!”

“It’s Canvas,” Damian snapped, before the boy’s words sunk in. Teen Titans?

“You need to ask him for permission,” Kon-El scolded, before turning towards him, “Well? Are you interested in joining a team?”

“I…” Damian was at a loss as to how to respond. This was not what he was expecting.

“How about this,” Red Robin suggested, pulling a communicator from one of his pouches and tossing it over. Damian caught it on instinct.

“Contact us if you’re interested. The offer is open.”

Damian pursed his lips under his mask and nodded mutely, pocketing the device before taking off.

#as you can see #I didn’t know how to end it #writer problems what fun #I’m so glad I finished the series when I did because life is so h e c t i c right now #I want to write but I used up all my motivation #super sons #jon lane kent #damian wayne #tim drake #kon el #batfam #straight from the trash doc

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dionysusbisexual · 3 years

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torture + geraskier

I really hope you like it, I am not the best at writing straight up whump n torture scenes, though it’s brief and focuses more on Jaskier getting better.

Find it on ao3

____

Jaskier sat in the cold, desolate cell, beaten and bloodied and half gone. He had been captured by Nilfgaard in one of his heart broken, drunk stupers and ever since dragged through hell, they had tried to rip his mind open, tear it apart, but his magic prevented the mage assigned to ruin him to gain access to any of his memories --and barely any of his thoughts in general-- that may endanger Geralt. When that didn’t work they had taken to different tactics, a deep scar across his back, hand bruises on his neck, his fingers cut with bones broken along with too many other wounds to count, covered in his own blood. He was leaning against the wall panting, closer to death than he ever had been when he heard the guards approaching. “Look at the little songbird, trapped and mute, unable to escape.” He said, his voice condescending and mocking. Jaskier rolled his eyes but didn’t speak. He found it wasn’t worth it. By sheer luck -- for them-- they had put Jaskier in partly iron shackles, weakening him significantly. “Nothing to say?” Jaskier didn’t react. The guard didn’t seem like this, hitting hard and knocking him over. “You know… This could aaaall end if you just told us where the Witcher is” the guard said crouching down in front of Jaskier. The bard simply spat blood in his face before saying “Probably fucking your mother.” not his best line but, well, cold you really blame him? The guard growled before pulling Jaskier by his hair and throwing him against a wall. He started to stalk towards Jaskier as he lost consciousness, his last thoughts quite simple. At least he had granted Geralt his blessing.

The last thing he felt was a punch to the stomach and the last thing he heard was the squelch of a sword through a throat.

___

Geralt was carrying Jaskier, desperately trying to wake him up, while not jostling him too much, he made it to where Yennefer was, disposing the last of the guards before opening a portal, Geralt took a deep breath and ran through it, practically sprinting towards Triss to save hi- the bard… He has lost the privilege of calling him his years ago.

They quickly set Jaskier down on the table and Triss got to healing him slowly. Geralt was a mess, had been a mess ever since the mountain. At first he had thought it was because of Yennefer but after finding her, after missing the noise, after growing to despise the silence. He knew he had missed, needed, Jaskier. He has tried to track down Jaskier, tried for three years to no avail until a rumor spread tha a the great Bard, Jaskier, had been kidnapped. And Geralt knew in that moment what had happened and blamed himself. It was not a short healing process, with all the physical damage done, it had taken Jaskier three days to wake up. Three days that Geralt spent by his side, refusing to leave the room to eat, which led Eskel to bringing up his lunch and staring at his brother, usually giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, it led to Lambert not teasing him and Ciri spending time with her new father figure in Jaskiers room, always worried because he had gone completely non verbal. Geralt eventually did fall asleep, something had avoided doing by sharpening his sword and changing Jaskiers bandages. He fell asleep holding Jaskiers unbroken hand softly.

Jaskier awoke to a weight on his uninjured hand, panicked at first until he saw Geralt holding it, fast asleep and looking peaceful, pure confusion bubbling inside him until it was joined by anger and hurt. This seemed to have woken up Geralt, whose first instinct was to hold Jaskiers hand tighter until he realized he was the cause of that smell. He stared at Jaskier, unable to form words, pre relief that Jaskier was awake before noticing the expression on Jaskiers face.

Jaskier snatched his hand away and tried to move away from him on the bed only to be met with pain.

“Please, please don’t move.”

Jaskier looked at him with confusion, Geralt never said please. He was still glaring at Geralt, though, distrustful and weary. After weeks of what he had gone through he wasn’t feeling particularly kind.

“Jaskier” Geralt rasped out. “The mount-”

“Leave it. I’ll be out of your hair when I’m healed. Give you your life's one blessing.” Geralt flinched and pursed his lips. “Get out of my room.” Geralt hesitated, wanting to say something before leaving.

Jaskier lied there, trying his best not to cry when a sorceress and Yennefer entered the room, seemingly to check on him. He tried his best not to be too hostile to Yennefer, he had a feeling she and the other woman saved his life. “Jaskier.”

He didn’t respond, she sighed.

The other mage approached him and gave him a warm smile, she seemed much kinder . She was frankly beautiful, maybe if he was younger and less… Exhausted he might have even tried to woo her. “Hello, my name is Triss, I’m glad to see you finally awake, we were worried that I lost you for a second there. He tried to give her his best smile “Jaskier, but you probably knew that. How long till I can move.” Triss’s smile dropped a little. “I’m afraid you’re going to be bed ridden for a few more days. He frowned. “Ahh, I see. Well, give me the sinopses, doc, will I ever play again?” he said, a bit dramatically. He felt his hand nearly healed and along with his own magic he knew he’d be fine, but reassurance was never bad.

She huffed, “You’ll be fine. You won't play for another week though, I suggest staying here until you can.” “It would be a waste if we spent so much time just for you to ruin it, Bard.”

Jaskier glared at Yennefer but conceded. “In fact… You should stay with us.” Triss said softly. At that Jaskier let out a bitter laugh. “I would rather not. I’ll head back to Oxenfurt, put on a good glamour like I should have in the first place.” Triss frowned. “I’m afraid that that isn’t possible… The safest place is here, in Kaer Morhen.” Jaskier grit his teeth and decided not to argue for the time being, too exhausted to protest.

___

The next few days went as the following, one of Geralt's brothers would come up, talk to Jaskier and get him to eat. Later on Ciri would come in and talk to him, having someone from back home to provide her comfort, him being relieved she made it out alive.

Once he got out of bed… Geralt would give him food, make sure he didn’t strain himself and be a general frustration. Jaskiers hurt over the mountain warring with the love he still had, with the affection brought through Geralt's actions.

He knew what the others were doing, trying to get him to see Geralt was trying to change, but Jaskier kept convincing himself it wasn’t so ntil it reached a boiling point.

“Stop.” His voice was firm, expression stormy. Geralt was currently serving him food, both haven woken up at night from their own, cruel nightmares. Geralt paused before turning to Jaskier. “Jaskier,”

“No. You don’t get to… Fucking take care of me and try to act like nothing happened. I don’t need your fucking pity and I don’t need your family participating in whatever fucking game it is you’re playing.”

“Julek, it isn’t-”

“Don’t you dare fucking call me that! How dare you, how dare you push me away for years and deny our friendship, how dare you tell me I’m the worst thing that happened to you and then-and then save me and act like it never- like you haven’t shattered my heart into a million pieces you absolute bastard!” He was crying at this point, shaking before falling into the chair behind him. Geralt had nothing to say, pausing before he slowly walked towards Jaskier and kneeled before him.

“Jaskier… I- hm. The words I said on the mountain” Jaskier flinched “I didn’t mean them I- Yennefer was gone and it was my fault and you were there and I-I wanted to hurt someone, I wanted to be alone and to push you away. I was wrong, I was so wrong.” he took a deep breath “You’re… You’re my life's blessing, you’re the good choice I’ve made. I’m so sorry. Please, let me prove to you that I’ve changed, that I can treat you better. That… I want to be kinder. I… I am a selfish man, I do not deserve your forgiveness but I want to stay by your side.” Jaskier stared at the man in front of him, sincerity in his voice before taking a deep breath. “And if I don’t want you to prove it? If I want to leave?”

Geralt grimaced “Then I will let you leave.” Jaskier reached out and cupped his cheek.

“I’m still mad but I forgive you. I think I forgave you a while ago.” Geralt gave the smallest smile “But I can’t… I-I love you Geralt. I can’t be by your side while you and Yennefer play h-”

“Yennefer and I aren’t together. She and Triss are in love and I. Hm. I love you too.” he said the last part softly, as if afraid that Jaskier would take back his words with his admission.

Jaskier looked at him shocked before giving him a watery smile “Then I will stay by your side… But I can’t. I need time, I want to take it slow.” Geralt nodded “I will wait. I will make it up to you”

Jaskier pulled Geralt up “Well, you can start with a kiss.”

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #whump #febuwhump #hope you like it!!#I am half alseep know that #geralt of rivia #jaskier #julian alfred pankratz #answered #Anonymous #torture scene #violence #briefly #ask to tag #long post

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shigarakis-fifth-hand · 4 years

Text

The "Better Half" ; A Poly KiriBaku x Reader Fanfic

Enjoy the series | one two three four five

Bakugo stood against the wall, smoking a cigarette and staring at the sky. Surrounding him, chatty nobodies smoked as well, talking among each other. Usually, Ichiko would be leaning up against the wall with him, playfully ridiculing him for smoking while taking puffs every now and then.

Slowly, while the guys around them talked up a storm, Bakugo would bring his cigarette to her lips, and watch her take a puff, never letting his eyes leave her face. She’d stare right back, never breaking eye contact. She was so beautiful.

But now, she was gone, and he was stuck with five of his worshippers who he had never learned the names of, and would never bother with. They were ordinary assholes who he kept around to not feel lonely.

“What about you Bakugo? Which one do you have your eyes on?” The brown-haired one asked as they all turned to face him. Bakugo gave him a look of confusion and anger mixed together. “You know… girls? With that bitch gone, you can have full access to-“

Bakugo grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall forcefully. All of them froze,, staying quiet as Bakugo looked him up and down. “You dare call her that one more time and I’ll smack your skull into this wall. I’ll fucking kill you! Got it?!”

The extra in front of him nodded quickly as Bakugo let go of his shirt, letting him fall to the ground. “Y’all are boring. I’m out.” He sternly announced, picking up his backpack and walking away, down a path and towards the woods that led to his house.

He wanted to call Ichiko, missing her voice when she wasn’t yelling at him. He wondered where she was after storming out. Her mother would never just let her come home early, and with Deku coming back to school, it was implied she was alone. Katsuki didn’t like the thought of her being alone in the city.

He picked up his phone and called her, the only contact with a photo in his entire phone. It was a photo of you, all tan and pretty with ocean curls and flowers in your hair. Four months ago, the Midoriya and Bakugou families went on a beach trip together.

It had been the best time of your life, spending every waking moment with each other. While Izuku and your parents went to the aquarium and pool and such, you stayed with the Bakugous.

You got up late, had breakfast with Katsuki, went tanning, bike-riding, swimming, more tanning, hung out on a playground, and then skateboarded around. To end the day, you two would sit on the roof of the hall beach house and watch the sunset.

Katsuki smiled warmly at the memory he missed so much, loving every second of him not having to share you with anyone else. There was no Deku to ruin anything, like he had. “Dammit!” Katsuki exploded, punching the wall as hard as he could.

Deku had ruined everything… Deku had destroyed the only thing Katsuki had ever cared about. Just two days ago, he was going to make love to you, and confirm the feelings you two had for each other after so many years. But no, Deku ruined that.

Then that night, Bakugo let his extras mess around with the wimp while he talked to you all night long, laughing and joking comfortably as if nothing had changed, and then yet again, Deku ran to his sister like a child and ruined everything.

Bakugou wanted revenge… He wanted to rip Deku from his skull and make him pay. He wanted to smack the stupid smile off his dumb face, and tell him how useless he was. No, he wanted to scream. He wanted to scream at him until his lungs burned like hell, and Deku ran out of tears.

Katsuki continued calling, one after another, growing extremely worried. It was no secret he was protective of Ichiko. She was his best friend, his only friend, and his soulmate. Even when they were younger, he would get angry.

Angry when she climbed a tree too high, or when she got in a fight with boys. Once she went missing, and him being the little 5-year-old he was, searched for her all night with his dad. In fact. Izuku cried the entire time, per usual. Even back then, he had been useless.

Katsuki dropped the board he had in his hands, and began riding along the hiking trail in the forest towards his house. Thinking back, maybe he had been friends with Izuku. Maybe he had liked playing action figures with both the twins, or obsessing about heroes with the brother while Ichiko rolled her eyes.

Just maybe…

He rode around for a while, just thinking. He thought about Ichiko’s dad and what he would do. He thought about UA and if he would make it. Of course he would, right? It was possible. What about Ichiko? There was no way he could leave her. There was also no way she wouldn’t get in.

He’d follow her anywhere. They were soulmates after all, meant for each other, and nothing less of perfection. Deku just needed to accept that he wasn’t the most important guy in her life now, never had been, and never would be.

Katsuki arrived home to see his parents surrounding the tv, which was not normal, but again, not totally weird. He hooked his board onto the back of his bag and began climbing the steps, listening to the noises around him.

“Oh Inko, they’re showing her again! Oh gosh, she’s so coordinated!” His mother exclaimed happily, her eyes glued to the screen. Ugh… the news? “Oh goodness, I just know she was happy to meet All Might!” Mitsuki talked into her phone, apparently talking to Inko. But why?

“Dear, she’s probably terrified. Not to add to the fact that she left school early for an unknown reason.” Katsuki’s father, who sat by her side, explained to his excited wife. Out of curiosity and frustration, Katsuki walked into the living room.

He gasped a little bit, earning the sudden attention of his parents who finally realized he was home. There, on the screen, on the NEWS, footage of Ichiko played.

It showed her coming out of the tunnel that led to the town square from our school, and being attacked by a sludge-like creature.

It wrapped around her as she became pale, unable to move or use your quirk to fight back. It strangled her, wrapping around her from all angles. As she closed her eyes, All Might appeared before her, and hit it off, letting her limp body fall to the ground.

It scurried off into the darkness of the tunnel again, and allowed All Might and others to surround her. Then the footage cut, leaving Katsuki staring at the news reporter.

“Witnesses say that the victim was alright, but in a state of shock as she fled the scene. All Might commented that he believes she will be alright, and is just shook up. Other sources say that she looked traumatized. More on this attack tonight at 10.”

Bakugo stood up and angrily shook the tv. “No! No! No! Where did she go after? Is she hurt? What if something happens to her?” He yelled, before turning back to his parents.

“What are you doing out of school Katsuki? Classes don’t end for another hour.” Mitsuki asked, giving her son the side eye of disapproval. “I… It doesn’t matter, okay? Shit happened at school and I couldn’t deal with it okay?! But that’s not important! We have to find Ichi!”

Mitsuki giggled at her son before turning to her husband. “Ichiko can handle herself, Izuku will go looking for her. You on the other hand…” She bopped her son on the head, watching his spiky hair turn to a frizzy fuzz.

Katsuki angrily stomped up the stairs, like a child his mother would say, and laid on his bed. He stared at the ceiling intensely, lost in thought. Why wasn’t anyone worried about Ichiko’s whereabouts?

She was a young, pretty girl in a huge city without anyone. Not to mention probably traumatized. Katsuki rolled over, staring at the photo he had next to his bed of them two.

Over the years, Katsuki changed his room theme multiple times, switching furniture and wall colors like it was nobody’s business. Yet, no matter the aesthetic or mood of the room, a picture of Ichiko and him next to his bed stayed consistent.

Currently, it was a picture of their first day of high school. Bakugo had been a nervous wreck, but hadn’t told anyone to not seem vulnerable. Of course, he had told Ichiko though. She comforted him that morning, and held his hand secretly the entire subway ride there.

The picture was in front of Midoriya household, the two of them smiling. Katsuki smiled back, loving the way she held onto his arm tightly. Something she had made a habit of since the day she met when she had pulled him around the amusement park, never letting go.

Bakugo wished that she hadn’t let go… ever.

He rolled back over and closed his eyes, thinking of good things in his life. He tried to imagine a world where Ichiko and he became heroes at UA together, then moved in together and got married. At UA, they would sneak into each other’s rooms and skip classes to make out.

They would sit next to each other in class, exchange notes, and would be THE couple in the school. She’d be his, and everyone would know it. Nobody would touch her, and she wouldn’t leave him. There would be no reason to… ever. And to this thought, Bakugo fell asleep soundlessly.

About an hour passed until Bakugou rose, the light from the sunset peaking through his windows. He opened the curtains and sighed, remembering everything from the past day. He remade his bed and began to sit down on the small couch in his room when he heard his mother scream his name.

He dropped his video game controller in a rush and ran to the stairs to see his mother running around. “Keys!! I need my keys!! Oh honey, get my wallet just in case. And my mask, in case there’s sick people. Dang, we should have gotten flowers, right?”

He watched as his mom ran around the house, gathering her things in a spasm as his father ran behind her, trying to help. “What’s going on?” Bakugo asked in his low tone, trying to hide the worry and concern in his voice. “Izuku and Ichiko are at the hospital! I must drive Inko there now!”

Bakugo’s eyes lit up in horror as he ran down to face his mother. “The hell! This is why I said we should have worried about her?! Is she hurt? I’m coming with you!” He screamed loudly as she returned with the same tone.

“Nonsense! Inko is emotionally unstable and so are you! You will do nothing but cause trouble! Surely there’s footage of it on somewhere, now move! I must hurry!” Mitsuki grabbed her purse, kissed her husband, and ran out.

“It’s for the best buddy. Let’s watch the news, there must be something about it on there.” Bakugo’s father calmly walked to the tv and turned it on. Surely enough, there it was. In fact, it was everywhere. You had apparently gone viral.

Bakugo watched the security footage, frozen as if he were a statue. It showed Izuku leaning against the tunnel, about to use his phone when he turned and heard something in the tunnel. He began walking towards it when Ichiko arrived.

With his back to her, she couldn’t see him as she looked around. In the corner of the tunnel, you could see the sludge slithering around Izuku, and covering his mouth.

Ichiko called him, and then the sludge appeared in front of her, holding Izuku. The crowd around them backed away, terrified, as Ichiko fell back in shock. She stared at her brother who was suffocating, and then the large mass of adults that stared, doing nothing.

She stood back up, and raised her hand to the villain. It began wiggling in pain, moving uneasily, until it finally dropped Izuku all together and sludged away. Ichiko ran to her brother and dropped to her knees as the crowd surrounded her.

She shook him a few times as she cried, before being hugged by a hero everyone knew as Mt. Lady. Suddenly reporters got in her face, almost yelling at her as her tears just kept coming. Katsuki’s blood began to boil.

Finally, Deku was put into an ambulance with Mt. Lady, while All Might flew her out of view while talking to her. The footage then ended as it zoomed out to show three reporters shown at a desk in front.

“Hey Patricia, isn’t that the schoolgirl from earlier that got attacked by the sludge monster and saved by All Might?” The dark-skinned news anchor in the middle asked the woman on her left.

“Yes it is. Sources are saying that the victim of this attack is her twin brother who is currently in medical care, but the sludge monster thought it was her and its motive was revenge this time.” The blonde explained to the camera as Bakugo felt his face growing red.

“That fucker! This is all his fault! It’s all his fault! It’s all his fault!” He threw the pillow across the room angrily, trying not to set anything on fire as he threw his tantrum. “I’m going to the hospital! I need to talk to her!” Bakugo put on his shoes before his dad grabbed his shoulder.

“You heard your mother! You leave this place and you’re grounded for the next five months!” He explained as Katsuki lightly pushed him back. “You’re insane! The next five months will mean nothing if she’s not okay!”

Katsuki began yelling, and then something that had never happened before happened. His father began yelling as well. “Her brother is in urgent care! What makes you think that she is capable of talking to a hot-head like you?!”

Katsuki stopped, staring at his father. “She doesn’t want to see you at a time like this! You’re loud and angry and you don’t know how to help people emotionally! What are you going to do when she needs a shoulder to cry on?! Yell at her?!”

As tears began to build up in Katsuki’s eyes, he grabbed the nearest jacket on the coat rack and ran out, forgetting one of his shoes. He didn’t care. His dad was right, and at the same time, so wrong.

Sure, to everyone else, Katsuki was the biggest jerk. But with you, he was different, and only they knew that. He had helped her through her dad leaving, fought off bullies when they were younger, and had let you cry when their cat died. Nobody else knew that, but it was the truth.

Bakugo didn’t care, he just ran. He passed the skate park where you had taught him how to skate, noticing a few people but not paying attention. He passed the abandoned house where they explored each Halloween, and had even broken your arm when falling through the floor.

Finally, he arrived at the beach, not sure how he got there. It was at least a mile and a half away, not to add it was dark and too quiet. But Bakugo didn’t care, at least he was alone. He let the tears fall, accepting them as he watched the ocean.

Unpredictable and dangerous… like himself? It was obvious Katsuki didn’t deserve you, but at the same time, no one did. At least Bakugo knew you wanted him back, and he could give you the life you wanted. He knew what you liked, and what you didn’t.

Heck, he knew you better than you did.

He sat on the rock, watching the water flow under him, as he thought of you, and all the things you both had done together. There were all the beach visits, the field trips, the play dates, the school dances, and everything in between.

Before Bakugo could turn back, voices in the back took him out of his train of thought. He turned to see a biker and a skateboarder. The same people at the skate park actually.

He thought nothing out of it, until he heard your voice. “Watch out!!” You yelled as you held onto a jump rope that was tied to his dirt bike. He rode around a large street corner, swinging you around. You giggled cutely, enjoying every second of it.

“Faster!! Faster!!” You yelled as he laughed at your excitement, continuing to accelerate. Bakugo couldn’t believe his eyes. Your brother was in the hospital, you had broken things off with him, and you were hanging out with some douche?

Who was the black-haired kid who pulled you anyways? Was it someone from school? Why didn’t he recognize them? It was nobody on your swim team, and nobody on your volleyball team… Who was he? That should have been Bakugo…

Angrily, Bakugo was about to yell out, before you pulled around a corner and left his view of sight. Bakugo got up, shook the sand off himself, and sighed frustratingly. He would find out who that was if it killed him.

Kirishima and you rode around the city streets, surely making more noise then you were supposed to. But of course, you couldn’t help but laugh hysterically when he turned corners. And your laugh was so cute, he couldn’t help but join.

After all the drama of the day, you needed this. You needed to be able to let go and have fun, especially with a nice stranger who had no idea about any of the incidents of the day. Finally, he stopped in front of an apartment complex.

“Come on, I have something to show you.” He whispered, chaining his bike to the nearby lamppost. You picked up your bike and began to follow him up the sidewalk and to the back of the tall building.

For a second, you felt awkward, like he was going to try something absurd or sexual. That was, until he showed you a ladder going all the way up. “Lady’s first.” He smiled, grabbing your hand and helping you up like a gentleman.

You couldn’t help but blush. How dumb to think that such a sweetheart could act so wrong. Kiri was a good person, one of the few in the world in fact. He climbed after you, making sure to assure you whenever your balance got wobbly.

“Don’t worry! I climb up here all the time! It’s actually really stable.” He explained, blushing as he accidentally looked up your uniform skirt. It had been purely accidental, but it surely made him feel okay with falling off the ladder to his death. Hot damn.

Finally, you made it to the roof and laid down, not letting go of Kiri’s hand once he joined you. “Trust me. I go up here every weekend to see the stars. Up there, it’s the north star. And over there is the bull.”

He pointed to the sky, but you couldn’t help but stare at him. “Tell me about yourself Kiri.” You whispered, laying down. He turned to you, blushing as he slowly laid down with you. “I… Well, I go to Mustafa Private Middle School. I’m good with grades, but they could be better.”

You nodded, watching his face as he continued. “I’m average. My friends are average. My family is pretty average, except for the fact that they’re lesbians and I’m an only child. My quirk isn’t that flashy. I’m just… not special.”

You frowned a little, before noticing hair in front of Kirishima’s face. Using your soft, delicate fingers, you moved the hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ears. “I think you're special. Plus, being basic isn’t the worst.”

Kirishima’s face began to resemble a tomato as he turned to you, desperate to change the subject. “What do you mean by that?” He asked as you sighed, staring at the sky.

“I… Have you seen the news recently?” You asked as he gave you a confused glance. “Not really, I-“ Kirishima’s eyes widened as he looked at you again. Curly green hair to match your beautiful green eyes. The schoolgirl outfit, and of course, the scars on your knees.

“You’re the girl!! The one who… dang you’ve had a busy day.” Kirishima smiled, beginning to laugh lightly. You looked at him, somewhat shocked by his reaction. “Seriously?” You asked, smiling back at him.

“Yea. I’m not going to treat you differently because of it. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of that at home and school. With me, you’re still Ichiko.” He grinned, showing his fanged shark teeth smile.

You grinned, laying down again as you continued to stare at the stars. “So what about you? Tell me about your life, besides today’s news drama and all that.” Kirishima laid next to you, this time closer. You liked it…

“Well, this week itself has been weird. My childhood best friend told me he loved me, and I said I loved him back.” You explained, not noticing Kirishima’s eyes widen in worry. Did you have a boyfriend? Did you really love him? Did he not have a chance?

“I do love him, but at the same time, something happened. Anyways, we were going to… do something, and my brother came to get me and interrupted us. He didn’t see anything though.”

Kirishima sighed, thankful for your brother interrupting. It obviously was that something was.

“Anyways, my friend got upset and made his friends send my brother all these terrible things about killing himself. This morning, they texted him to meet and they beat him up behind the school. I found out, and lashed out on my friend. I promised to never speak to him again, and I ran out.”

Kirishima nodded as you both now sat up, staring at each other. “So that’s why you were there when that thing attacked you. You had walked out of class.” Kirishima finished your story as you nodded, impressed by him.

“Yeah, pretty much. Then I ran off, chilled on a rooftop for sometime, and then my brother called me to meet up. You know what happened next. That was pretty much the last two days for me.”

Kirishima nodded, understanding before you turned to him to see him smiling. “What are you looking at?” You asked, smirking as he playfully rolled his eyes. “Oh nothing. I’m just glad you and your brother are both safe.”

You began smiling at his genuine statement, suddenly overwhelmingly happy because of him. “You’re too sweet.” You smiled, before suddenly feeling the urge to lean in. Sure, you had just met him, but the atmosphere felt so right.

You both leaned it, wanting it so much, as your lips finally collided. It was just for a short second, but it felt so right. You were about to deepen it when a clock went off on the apartment under you.

“It is Midnight! It is Midnight!” A small china cat with a clock on its stomach rang through your ears from under you. “I better get back home. I have school tomorrow.” You explained, sad to separate your lips from his.

“How disappointing.” He murmured, smiling ear to ear with a blush on his cheeks. You two made your way down the iron ladder and back to the bike and skateboard. What you noticed was that you were holding onto his arm the entire way, like you would with Katsuki.

You helped him put on his helmet, which was weirdly romantic by itself, and began riding back. Without the rope, you rode next to him the entire time, doing tricks and skating close to him just to giggle. When you finally made it to your house, you were kind of sad.

“Hey Kiri. I have a question.” You asked, picking up your board and walking over to him. “Yes?” He responded, twisting his head in a cute, curious way. “Where are you going to high school?” You asked as he began to blush big-time.

“Well, right now I don’t know and I’m trying to figure it out because I don’t know what I want to do with my life but I also know what my dream is but I don’t know if my dream is possible and-“ You put your finger to his lips as he stopped suddenly.

“If your dream is to go to UA, which I can tell by that little sticker on the back of your bike, you should learn to just say it. Plus, I’m going to try and go to UA as well. We should help each other. I think it’ll be a perfect way to… get close.”

You both blushed at that last part as he began looking at the ground. “I’d… I’d love that. If I’m going to start being not average, I need not average friends! And you’re… definitely not average by all means.” He smiled at you as you grinned innocently.

“Well then, you’ll be needing this.” You took out a pen from your backpack and wrote your number on his hand in pen. “I’ll text you… we should meet up tomorrow and chill, maybe even work out our quirks.” You suggested as he gave the thumbs up.

“I… I look forward to that!!” He exclaimed as you couldn’t help but giggle, blushing a lot from how flirty you both were being. “Well… see you then.” Without thinking, you bent down and pecked him on the cheek before turning away quickly and running inside.

Kirishima stayed there, placing his hand on his cheek as his mind became invaded with images of you. So cute, and yet you were into him? No, he couldn’t assume, but it was safe to make it possible.

Finally, he began to peddle off, not noticing the green-haired boy staring in the window.

Just half an hour ago, Izuku had been staring out the window intensely, waiting for his sister.. He had just been at the hospital, and as much as his mother tried to help, he wanted to see you. He wanted to see that you were safe, and he wanted you to see that he was safe.

He could only hope that you hadn’t blamed yourself, and weren’t feeling guilty. Surely you were sulking, feeling shame and pity, thinking it was your fault that he had been attacked. But that simply wasn’t true, and he needed you to know that.

He kept watching, until he heard the doorbell. Was that you? He hadn’t seen you come from the driveway. He made his way down the hall, freezing when he heard Katsuki’s voice. What was he doing here!?

“Oh, Katsuki dear. It’s late, is everything okay?” Inko asked innocently, unaware of a single ounce of the daily drama between her children and the boy standing before her. “Oh, yeah. I was just wondering if Ichiko made her way home yet. I wanted to talk to her.”

Izuku made a fist, his blood rising to his face as he became furious. Why did he want to speak to you this late? And how did he know you weren’t home? Was everything alright? Oh god, maybe you had hurt herself terribly.

“No, she’s doing her own thing right now. You’ll see her tomorrow, right?” Inko asked as Bakugo became angry. Izuku watched him, hidden behind the corner. Why was Katsuki so angry? He knew you liked doing her own thing at night.

The conversation between them ended, and Izuku continued back to window-watching. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do then wait for his one and only friend to come home. As time passed, he began to get worried. It turned midnight before he saw any movement down our street.

There skated Ichiko… and a biking figure. With black hair, a black shirt, and baggy blue jeans, it was someone Izuku didn’t recognize at all, not to mention it was too dark to see his face.

They talked for a bit, both blushing tremendously as you stood there at the edge of the driveway, lit up by the porch light.

Out of curiosity, he cracked the window to listen in. “Plus, I’m going to try and go to UA as well. We should help each other. I think it’ll be a perfect way to… get close.” You both looked at the ground, embarrassed. “I’d… I’d love that.” He responded, a voice filled with light and happiness.

Izuku backed up, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. UA was one of the biggest high schools in the world that trained the youth as future hero students. Hero students… with amazing quirks. Something Izuku didn’t have.

He knew you had an amazing quirk, it was one of your best features. You were practically worshipped for it wherever you went. The ability to turn any item into melted droplets of it and then move it around before turning it into his original state.

Yet, were you UA quality? UA was for the powerful, confident people with the potential to save the world. Fuck, you were perfect for UA. But would you really leave Izuku for UA?

Heck… you left him after he was attacked by a villain for some boy that wasn’t even Bakugo. Izuku wasn’t mad, but he couldn’t help but overthink drastically. Were you growing away from him? Maybe you blamed him for everything. He did too.

The last straw was then when you leaned in and kissed the boy’s cheek. You both blushed, and it was obvious you shared common interests in each other, even from an outsider. You quickly ran inside, very flustered as he held his cheek in awe.

Upset, Izuku began to get up and fix his wrinkled shirt and shorts. Yet, as he went to close the blinds and hide any evidence that he had been watching, he saw movement in the corner of his eye.

From the other side of the street and a few houses down, Bakugo stared at the boy on the bike, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Slowly, the flowers began to burn until they turned to dust. That look, Izuku thought. That look of hatred…

@drbumpkin @bleachbetch @toobsessedsstuff @turtle-deku @1madxson1 @badb1hh

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shirtlesssammy · 3 years

Text

2x07: The Usual Suspects

Then:

Sam and Dean Winchester, professional grifters

Now:

Baltimore, Maryland

The cops have finally caught up with Sam and Dean Winchester. The SWAT team surrounds their motel room and takes them into custody. One cops sums up all of Dean’s killer ways at his interrogation. Dean is unaffected. (Because he’s not a killer.)

Sam, meanwhile, gets the good cop for his interrogation.

She reads off Sam’s life story to him and he lays on the Winchester snark in return. They’re trying to break this straight A student to get more information on his derelict older brother.

Sam starts talking.

Flashback to why Sam and Dean were in Baltimore when they got caught. John and a man who recently died,Tony Giles, were old friends. They were hunting an invisible killer. (And for the record, it’s clear that Cas is Scully. Sam is Skinner, third-wheeling the far more compelling duo the whole way.)

Sam tells the cop that they weren’t even in town when Tony died.

They went to visit Tony’s widow, Karen (and secret publisher of Sam and Dean’s life story!). Dean asks if Tony talked about anything strange in his life before he died. She mentions he had a nightmare about a woman with red eyes.

Sam and Dean then were spotted breaking into Tony’s office. They’re thinking a vengeful spirit. Dean finds a bunch of papers with the words “danashulps”

Sam then finds the name finger-smudged on Tony’s glass desk. They look but can’t find that name anywhere.

Dean goes to ask Karen if she knows anything about this name. Sam tells the cop that he went to make sure she was doing okay. Sam stayed to crack Tony’s computer password but tells the cop that he went back to the hotel.

Twist! Apparently, Karen is dead too! The cop tells Sam that the brothers separated because Dean was heading to murder Karen. The 911 call indicated that someone was in the house with Karen.

We get a flashback of Karen seeing a woman in the window of her house. She runs upstairs and calls 911.

Her phone disconnects, her lights flicker and then her printer starts printing “danashulps’. She heads to her closet to pull out a flashlight, and turns around to find the woman!

Dean knocks on her door some time later. When she doesn’t respond, he lets himself in. The lights aren’t working. He finds her dead on her bedroom floor. He notices bruising on her wrists. And that’s when the cops find him.

The coppers reunite to confirm that the brothers’ stories match. Good Cop tells Bad Cop that they have to get Sam to flip on his brother or they don’t really have a case —no murder weapon, no motive.Bad Cop insists that this case is in the bag. They’ve got Dean’s prior in St. Louis after all. Good Cop —now known as Diana—informs the audience that Bad Cop was good friends with Giles. Also, Diana and Bad Cop are in a secret office romance.

While Dean waits out his interrogation, he stews over the name “danashulps”.

He guesses that it’s not a name. Sam, who has access to a pen and paper, starts the anagram game. Dean plays the game in his head AND HE’S MY SMART BOY FOR IT. Dean’s public defender, Jeff Krause shows up then. Dean doesn’t seem to care that someone within the legal world has come to help him —he just needs a pen and paper. He breaks down the word and asks Jeff if he recognizes anything. Jeff worries that Dean isn’t taking this seriously.

Jeff points out that Ashland is a street name in the area. Dean asks if he can see Sam.

Diana is typing up the police report when suddenly her computer starts writing “danashulps” over and over again. It only happens for a few seconds, the screen filling with seemingly nonsense characters, and then it reverts back to normal again.

Jeff visits with Sam and hands him over the paper from Dean pointing out that Ashland is a street. Before he can get into Sam’s defense case, he’s called back to Dean’s holding room. Dean’s decided to confess!

In one quick line, Dean yoinks the rug out from under the cops. “I did not kill anyone,” he states at the start of his purported confession, but he knows who did it. “Our working theory is that we’re looking for some kind of a vengeful spirit.” This goes over just as well as you might imagine with most of the cops. But Diana sees the DANASHULPS scrawled on his sheet of paper and has an OH NO moment. When they accuse him of the murders in Saint Louis, he casually tells them it was a shapeshifter.

With Dean Winchester written off as a lost cause, they head in to question Sam. To their surprise, he’s escaped! Diana finds Dean’s letter about Ashland and I SHAKE MY HEAD AT YOUNG SAM WINCHESTER for leaving a clue for the cops.

In the ladies room, Diana discovers the overhead lights are out. All the taps turn on, steaming hot to fog up the mirrors so Ghosty can write her catch phrase on the glass. The ghost also spectral projects herself to Diana, mouth moving like she’s trying to say something. Shaken, Diana heads back to talk to Dean “Crazy Occult Guy” Winchester.

Dean tells her that vengeful spirits originate from violent deaths. My Smartest Buttercup notices that Diana has fresh bruises encircling her wrists. She doesn’t remember getting them. Dean warns her that death is stalking her now, and tells her to seek Sam’s help for protection against the spirit.

At Sam’s motel, she gives him the lowdown and shows him the bruises on her wrists. Sam gives her a stack of victim photos to see if any of them match the ghost. Diana identifies Claire Becker as the ghost. She was a heroin dealer in life, and might be targeting Diana for her narcotics work. Sam and Diana team up to salt and burn Claire’s body at an abandoned store on Ashland. Claire makes an appearance during the search, but only seems to want to reveal herself to Diana. They find the mystery word - it’s Ashland - and a half erased word fragment. Sam busts out the wall the clues have pointed them towards. They haul out Claire’s body. Around her neck, there’s a necklace. Diana knows it well...because she’s wearing an identical necklace!!! Her office romance Pete gave it to her. DUN dun dun. Sam concludes that Claire isn’t killing anybody. Instead, her spirit is functioning as a death omen.

The killer...is PETE. Diana’s a quick thinker, and remembers that heroin went missing from evidence a year ago. Pete would have used Claire to fence the drugs, and later killed her.

Cut to Pete driving Dean Winchester to parts unknown at two in the morning. Dean’s a quick thinker too, and realizes he’s about to be murdered by a crooked cop. Dean gets hauled from the van. Welp. Looks like he shall meet his end in a sloppy cop drama!

Diana confronts Pete, who tries to blame Claire’s death on...Claire for trying to turn Pete in. He spills everything. The other guy who died was in on the scheme, and Pete killed his wife for good measure. Pete insists that killing Dean - “one more dead scumbag” - is the best approach. I hiss, and fist bump Dean when he tries to defend himself against the “scumbag” accusation. Diana shoots Pete somewhere nonlethal, but Pete still manages to get the upper hand. Claire appears to him then and smirking, draws Pete’s full attention. Diana shoots him clean through the chest.

Afterwards, Diana asks about Claire. “She should be at rest,” Sam assures her. I...side-eye this young man and then let it go because it IS the television show, Supernatural, after all.

Diana tells them the cover story: Pete confessed to her before his death, and the suspects escaped. Dean and Sam head out to rescue Baby, and we get a wink at Diana’s (Linda Blair) Exorcist acting legacy in case you missed it.

What an Excellent Quote for an Exorcism:

You want me to turn against my own brother?

I'm not Scully, you're Scully

My name is Dean Winchester. I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #dean winchester #sam winchester #spn 2x07 #the usual suspects #supernatural season 2

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theblurplegirl · 4 years

Text

So I had my first bad and overtly sexualized experience when playing D&D last night. And I can't sleep until I write it out.

For context, I had decided to start looking for an other group to meet with (online of course) about a month ago. Within the last week I found a group that was in my time zone, and seemed to be an ok fit. When I added my character to the DNDBeyond campaign page I noticed that my character was the only one listed as female. Now I know that people can play whatever gender of character they want, but just the general vibe I got from my few messages with the DM lead me to believe that the players were all playing characters their same gender. I also learned that I was going in as the least experienced of the group, as well as being the only player who was not able to meet with the DM beforehand to run through character details. I was going in mostly uninformed. I immediately knew that this was going to be a lot more difficult than my previous campaign. I was a woman surrounded by men, playing a game that is gatekept by men, and stereotypically played by only men. My thoughts and mindset to not show weakness or inexperience and to prove that was just as good of a player as any of the rest of them did not however prepare me for the session.

First thing we did was describe our characters after we where given our roles within the group. This immediatly made me have to make some major chapter changes because I had planned for a more light-hearted character this go around, but the position she was given required her to not only be aged up but also her alignment changed. So I was already a little on edge and even more unprepared. I had known before how I wanted my character to act in general situations, but now, my overall plan was thrown out the window. The motivation I had put down for my character no longer applied. If my character had nothing to strive for, did I have anything to play with?

Within the first few minutes of the session, as a new group of people, the DM had our characters go through some "bonding activities". My character and another had an arm restling match, which my character lost in one role (7 to an 11). Two other characters bonded by teasing one of the other members of the group, a high born water genasi. Generally that went well except for the fact that the DM, when describing the towel the two were using to taunt the character with he described it as a rough towel, but not just any type of rough, rough like there was dried cum in it. This comment made me immediatly uncomfortable. We were within five minutes of this session starting (the first of the campaign!) and the DM was already making sexual comments. I think I probably would have still been uncomfortable if my other DM, who I have known for close to 7 years, had made that description. I let the comment slide, hoping that maybe it was a slip up on the DMs part and he would remember he was with strangers.

The next incident that happened was when the party entered the town tavern and there was a fight. Our warlock used thamaturgy to make each punch and slap sound louder than they actually were. The DM initially described this as deafening, what was a perfectly fine description. However, later on in the fight when thamaturgy was used again, our DM described the sounds as lude and as if someone was jacking off. This again made me uncomfortable, but I kept silent.

Another thing the DM made a quick comment about is that the barkeep gave the water genasi a glass of water instead of beer and it was the barkeep being racist. Which was a completely unnecessary thing to say.

A little later while still in the bar, it was discovered that our party's mark was also in the building, and that he was commenting about how he found my character attractive, especially since she was apparently the only women in the bar. (Which not only contradicted the DM's earlier description of "Men, women, and children crowed around watching the bar fight" but also the fact that it was the towns only tavern and we were supposed to believe there were no other women then? Not even barmaids?) It was then implied heavily by not only most of the rest of my party but also the DM that I was supposed to go over and seduce the mark and gain access to his house by doing so. I felt set up and nervous. This was by no means how I had ever intended for this character to be played (she was originally going to literally still be a minor before I had to age her up). To make matters even more uncomfortable the DM insisted on role-playing a good portion of the in bar discussion/seduction between my character and the NPC. I said that I was uncomfortable with the situation, and them tried to use the excuse that I was not good at role-playing and had never done it before, but the DM was insistent. Through out the experience other players kept commenting on different aspects or were just being overtly sexual. I ended the in bar role-play fairly swiftly before my character had to go over and tell the rest of the party where she was going, and for them to follow her and scout the house. One the the other players had his character turn invisible and come also in the house as a scout while the other party members where outside.

When my character got back to the house with the mark, his younger sister was apparently awake and waiting. She was decribed as an young girl looking around the age of 13. This immedatly set off some warning bells, because the oarty was meant to capture her and transport her somewhere, which made me worried about what the DM had in mind. In the moment nothing else came of the little girl except that she tried to shame my character for coming back with her brother.

Next, my character and the mark went to his bedroom, and the DM described the multiple tools and weapons hanging on the NPCs wall, I could have been reading into it at this point but it felt like he was describing them in hopes I would have my character use them in the coming moments. The DM again then had my try to role-play the instruction between my character and the NPC, to which I was fairly bland with my words and sped through the process again. My DM then made my character take a point of exhaustion, which gives you disadvantage on checks. I then had my character leave after the NPC had fallen asleep, to which she was met with the younger sister again, who once again tried to shame her for a sexual experience.

When the DM switched to the POV of the other party members two of the players made the comments that they were pretty sure that the invisible party member who was in the house was probably sticking around and getting a show from my character and the mark.

When our whole party met up later to compare intel from the evening my character was the only one that had nothing to add to the scout mission. She had been purely used as a distraction. She was utterly unimportant to the plot of the mission and the campaign. The only "good" that came out of it was when one of the party members asked if my character could show them what she had done to the mark I replied so quickly with an adamant NO (of frustration and annoyance) that the DM told the other player his character suffered 4 points of psychic damage. At this point I was thoroughly upset, annoyed, and bored with the session and DM. This was when one of the other party members (the one who had played the invisible scout) private messaged me and asked if I was uncomfortable. It felt like I was able to take a breath that I didn't even know I could.

The other player explained to me that he was also uncomfortable with the situation and that he was here to support me. We continued to message back and forth for the rest of the session. I honestly don't think I would have made it to the end without him.

In the middle of the night a man broke into the room my character was sharing with the party's orc fighter. But my character slept through the whole interaction between the two characters, which just made me more uncomfortable, but I at this point I was so uncomfortable with this whole campaign that it was just another layer.

When our party awoke the next morning there were comments from the party about how my character had slept so deeply because of being worn out from the night before. This just caused more annoyance from me. When out party stepped out of the tavern there was a man selling potions on a cart pulled my two humans and two drow elves. The DM stated, after the invisible scout's insight check, that the people pulling the cart were slaves and that the whole region we were in had slavery. The owner of said slaves (played by the DM) stated that they were better than horses because they fought back. This statement made me extremely uncomfortable, even more so than the sexual encounters.

At this point the invisible scout spoke up and said that our characters should free the slaves, in response my chracter was the only one that agreed so we set about to release them. This involved me casting blindness on the owner and then getting shot by his goblin lacky and taking over half of my HP in damage. Then the genasi cast sleep on the goblin (not to help us free the slaves, but to steal something off the cart), which allowed the scout and I to cut the chains and try to let the slaves free. By that point the owner had regained his sight and the slaves had not run away. One of the slaves then glared at my character and said "should I dispose of them master" and honestly I wish he had, because then I would have gotten to leave. Instead, I had to stick around because the owner insisted that I was merely misunderstanding the situation and that no further punishment should come to my character if she worked off the payment of the chains she had cut. There was no mention of the scout being punished. I wanted to cry at this point, out of frustration and annoyance.

The last few minutes of the session involved the party then splitting up to look at different locations around town that we also needed to scout, but at this point I was not paying attention to anything the DM or anybody else said.

Throughout the course of the session the DM and other players also made other unnecessarily sexual and racist comments, but there were so many that I only explained the major ones. By the end, when the DM asked how the session was, I couldn't respond. I felt assaulted. Yes, I had put myself in this situation, but there had been no prior indication before starting the evening that I would be subjected to a multitude of sexual and racist comments throughout the session.

The whole experience was horrible, except for the fact that the invisible scout player and I have continued to talk and have both decided to leave the campaign and look for a friendlier one together. I am just glad that I had him to talk to during the experience because otherwise I probably would have thought I was exaggerating things in my head. I have loved D&D for a long time and this experience has tarnished my love for the game. I just hope I can recover from it and learn to again love the game and the people who play that are truly loving, accepting, and kind.

Ps: If you are 18+ and in either CST, MST or EST and looking for a cleric and a ranger in your campaign, I've got you covered

Tl;dr

I joined an online group of D&D that was full of unnecessarily sexual and racist comments and it was the worst experience of D&D I've had so far.

Sorry for any typos I dont want to have to reread everything, it was bad enough going through it once.

#dnd #dnd memes #dnd rp #dnd ideas #dnd ocs #d&d #d&d 5th edition #d&d 5e #d&d oc #d&d character #d&d homebrew #dungeons and dragons #dnd 5e campaign #5e #dnd 5e #dnd 5e homebrew #racisim #sexism

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saberspirit · 4 years

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jiang cheng character analysis essay under the cut! bc he means a Lot to me (its 5 pages im sorry)

tl;dr my thoughts on his relationship to his parents, his relationship with anger and feelings of inferiority, what zidian represents to him, his siblings (largely about what led to him and wwx falling out), and my thoughts on reconciliation between him and wei wuxian in the end.

tw!!! for child abuse and death, also warning for spoilers for the ending.

alternatively can be read on google docs for accessibility

foreword: by writing this it is not my intention to imply this is the end all be all interpretation, or that i know more than fans of colour (especially chinese/chinese-american fans). i’m looking at his character as a white fan and through a western lens. i understand there are nuances i wont understand, but i have tried and continue to look at him w/ an educated view point and i’m always trying to continue my own self-driven education. i’m as always open to criticism and correction, although i understand it is no ones job to do so. it’s purely an interpretation from someone relating to his themes that i talk about here. thank you for reading!

Jiang Cheng has a very complicated relationship with his parents (understatement), though different from Wei Wuxian’s complicated relationship w/ them (some overlaps being given).

It’s obvious to me that JC identifies more as his mother's son than his father's—feels he has to be because surely that’s why he feels neglected and like he’s constantly being found wanting by his father (even if Fengmian does Not mean to come across that way and isn’t a cruel man). He identifies with his mother’s anger and feeling of not being what his father truly wanted or loved and I don’t think he realized the effect she had on him with her constant comparison game—trying to measure him up because Madam Yu used him as a playing piece in her constant warring with Fengmian and instilled a sense of otherness in him and his deep-rooted feelings of inferiority and not being Good enough, not being enough in general. And yet he still deeply loves them even through all that he’s been through because of them both.

He never grew up learning how love should be in a relationship; should be from a parent to a child. The love he learned is a different type of conditional love from WWX's (WWX being that he doesn’t trust it in the first place, knowing it will leave). JC receives love and praise but knows it comes from a silent arrangement: it’s transactional. He upholds what his parents want and he gets…a form of it. Jiang Fengmian loved him in a way that you just kind of do love family, perhaps without a real reason otherwise—not pretty, but it is as it is. Madam Yu loved him in a way one loves a possession: she saw too much of Jiang Fengmian in him and JC was a reminder of how unhappy she was and how much her husband didn’t seem to care about her or what she gave him. (This isn’t to downplay Yanli's role in JC’s life: I think she was truly the only one to show him unconditional love in a way that he understood and recognized but it's unfortunately different from siblings and fell on half-deaf ears when all JC really wanted was his father’s approval).

Madam Yu was (afaik) stated to not be physically abusive (aside from the whipping when the Wens came from Wei Wuxian), but she was one-hundred percent verbally and emotionally abusive (for example, punishing WWX w/ isolation from the family w/ seclusion, or in general just how she talked to JC and WWX). She broke those two boys and it's something that can’t be undone…and Zidian represents that trauma, abuse, and expectation and JC’s anger and resentment that was the product of it. It’s literally lightning in a whip form; able to bind without harm, but it’s primarily used to hurt; it can reveal a true form; control over it is only relinquished to one’s family and loved ones.

JC doesn’t just lash out verbally at Wei Wuxian when they meet in his second life, he literally does. It’s his anger under his skin like static, driving him forward and being unable to rest because he’s constantly looking for closure he can’t have. He resents how his parents and Wei Wuxian made him feel but it’s also the only thing he has of them, and he clings to that (and therefore Zidian). It’s the last thing, bar Lotus Pier, that he has of his family anymore, and he wields it like a weapon…because ultimately it’s the only thing he's known for a very long time. Anger is an easy emotion. He wears it well. It was an emotion he learned from his mother, and he is his mother’s son.

As a side note for Zidian: Jin Ling refusing to take it from JC in the Burial Mounds to me was very much about not wanting a goodbye. He's a stubborn kid—JC mirrored what his mother did to him in handing off Zidian before certain death, and I think Jin Ling realized "take care of Zidian" meant "because I can’t anymore". JC wanted Jin Ling to stay safe and keep a hold on their family's legacy, but Jin Ling refused it and stepped forward to protect JC—JL is tired of goodbyes and afraid of losing more people, but also that stubborn streak to protect his family back. He went into the fray himself even if it’s not what JC was asking him to do (but then to JC’s chagrin the kid never really does do what he asks usually, Jin Ling has a good head on his shoulders and he’s as stubborn and quick to anger as his jiujiu but he’s also as incredibly loyal and caring). And I think it's a good vehicle to show that JL is breaking that cycle for them both.

Back to Jiang Cheng and anger and his siblings though. Yanli is all about showing affection in her words and actions (ie. meal sharing, peeling the lotus seeds, etc). WWX struggles to show it in forthright actions, let alone verbalize it (he’s truly bad at it) so while WWX does love his brother and shows it in actions like giving him his golden core…it’s not something JC picks up on well, or at all because he doesn’t even get told about the core until the Guanyin Temple. Jiang Cheng is someone who needs verbalized confirmation and very obvious action. But then to be fair, JC is also not good at verbalizing his love and care (he and Wei Wuxian are two peas in a pod w/ this one). It’s often behind barbed wire because 1) that’s how it was shown to him and 2) because it’s safer and easier to hide behind anger. He really does use it as a shield to protect his real feelings because he’s used to his feelings being trivial and being thrown in his face, and is used to loss. It’s a buffer.

This leads to a problem: Wei Wuxian does love him unconditionally, but I don’t think JC knows that. When he’s faced with the golden core surgery after everything, it’s definitely obvious, but it’s so twisted up in being hidden from him, in his own fears and feelings of failure and reliance that it’s soured. And he struggles to reach out and be frank with his own worries.

And this leads and lends to the severity of their falling out (not the only cause, but a big player in it).

He deeply loves his brother, but it's also entrenched in his bitterness and fears. If it was initially hard for him to verbalize because of those issues (on top of being a teenager/young adult and his feelings of inferiority irt WWX), he’s now in the current day steeped in sixteen years of loss/grief/trauma. Of unresolved tension between the two of them because WWX never told anyone anything—even if that’s just how he is, nothing personal towards JC except maybe that it’s his little brother, his shidi, and he doesn’t want to put a burden on those he loves—and JC tried time and time again to believe him and in him.

The problem was that his trust got thrown in his face time and time again. His older ‘peers’ (clan leaders) mocked and insulted him to his face for his naivety, pointed out that what WWX was doing was an insult to JC and their family, that WWX’s actions disrespected him and that he should do something about it. WWX’s actions themselves alongside him never letting JC in on anything further isolated them and put walls between them. This sewed the seed of the idea for JC that maybe he was naive. That WWX couldn’t uphold his duty and promises to JC and their family while also upkeeping his own personal code of ethics. (Not that it helped that Jiang Cheng also started lashing out at Wei Wuxian in minor ways for not having Suibian, but he didn’t exactly know why, to his credit).

His trust was him trying to care for WWX through all they’ve lost, but he’s also under the immense pressure of leading and rebuilding his home while also being looked down upon for his inexperience and ties to the man the cultivation world loathes.

Jiang Cheng believed WWX when he said he'd help him, wanted him to and expected him to. That’s his big brother and ultimately family comes first, so it was out of the question that WXX wouldn’t uphold that duty to him. Jiang Cheng is barely an adult as Sect Leader and was still a teen when they lost everything, so of course he wanted to rely on and believe Wei Wuxian when he said he'd help. JC doesn’t usually rely on others—I’d wager he hates relying on WWX especially as a callback to the inferiority complex—but he lets WWX in when they have the “Twin Prides” talk, lets him in when he promises JC to help him rebuild their home…and then WWX lets him down several times.

Post Burial Mounds there are signs that JC notices, if not consciously then subconsciously, that something is off with his brother (the demonic cultivation, the flute, the lack of Suibian, his weakness when pushed, etc), little things that he noted but didn’t have the time during a War to think too deeply on. He’s more relieved to just have him back where he can see him, happy that his brother can help them. Jiang Cheng gives him his vote of confidence in his abilities, in him, because he never thought of WWX or his methods badly (having been a fan until it became a symbol of losing Wei Wuxian to Something Else). Even if he had thought something of it, did have a concern, they don’t easily talk to each other now.

That much is obvious when after various meetings post the Sunshot Campaign as WWX is struggling with his temperament and resentful energy, after WWX saves the Wen remnants from the Jin Clan, and Jiang Cheng shows up at the Burial Mounds. He still believes in Wei Wuxian, still is bound to help him, and wants to help him. He’s willing to sacrifice the Wens for his brother. His actions and words are not pretty, but by god is he desperate. Jiang Cheng wants to save him and hides it with harsh words because once again he’s not good at being forthright with his feelings. He’s at his wits’ end, he’s barely 20, and suddenly he's losing Wei Wuxian too. It’s not about them being Wens because at this point he’s aware they’re helpless—it’s because it’s WWX and he’s supposed to make the right decision and be competent. It’s freshly post-war and he’s scared: his big brother is leaving and he feels powerless and he Hates that. Once again feels like he’s not good enough. Not good enough to save WWX, not good enough to lead, and he’s under intense scrutiny. He tells WWX as much that at this point he can’t help, and it hurts him to not be able to. Jiang Cheng wants Wei Wuxian to help him, help him. It’s an admittance wrapped in hurt and hurtful words, and WWX throws it in his face because he can’t let him in.

It’s not meant in any malicious way. Wei Wuxian is also traumatized, scared and hurting and dealing with the changes demonic cultivation is causing within him. But this is a key moment when JC for once verbalizes his fears and WWX tells him, ‘good, you don’t need to worry, I don’t have anything to do with you from now on’. (And of course, WWX is doing this to protect JC, but this response is what JC is afraid of).

So we have two times that JC has tried really hard in his own ways to let WWX in. To rely on him and be honest with him and WWX ends up…breaking his promises and leaving him and their family behind. And to me, that explains his actions when the last time they speak before he dies (that we’re shown anyways). WWX is sitting down with Jiang Cheng and Yanli. JC is the one that set up them being able to meet him, the one that reached out even after they fought to make his defecting from the Sect look convincing. He was the one that told Yanli that WWX should be the one to give a courtesy name to her child.

And then WWX brings Wen Ning. Yanli is open to Wen Ning sitting in and enjoying their family tradition, but JC can't understand why. Why WWX chose these people over his own family. He resents it. When he says "you might not be able to come back, to your family" I can imagine how much it destroys him to hear WWX say "but the people I’m returning to are also my family". Because what does that make them, WWX’s siblings; what does that make the promises and the years spent raised together, the duty he had to them first. Wei Wuxian might return to the Burial Mounds, but Jiang Cheng has to return to an empty Lotus Pier. The ghosts of his parents and ghosts of memories of his siblings he’s never getting back (because Yanli will be in Jinlin Tai after her upcoming wedding).

Repeatedly over and over Jiang Cheng reaches out, but time and time again it’s like WWX is telling him he’s not enough: not enough for WWX to rely on, not enough to protect him, not enough for him to want to return to, not enough to be family.

Then the cultivation world comes for WWX and his amulet. Yanli is killed, as far as JC can tell, because of the mess WWX made, and once again he’s in the dark about everything. Then WWX dies and rumours swirl that JC killed him, and maybe he did, maybe he is his brother’s killer even if Wei Wuxian would call it a misunderstanding. He’s left alone with an orphaned nephew in Lotus Pier with his entire family, bar an infant, dead.

So Jiang Cheng spends the next sixteen years without answers, with WWX having reinforced his insecurities and fears that stemmed from the abuse he'd suffered during childhood and then died. Yanli died when she never should’ve been in danger in the first place, seemingly because of Wei Wuxian. And he's so angry. He lashes out at memories and reminders, lashes out at anyone who chooses that same path that WWX chose over his family.

By the time Wei Wuxian’s come back from the dead and JC knows it’s him, WWX is still deflecting, still hiding still not telling him the truth. The fact that WWX comes back at all hurts purely as a fresh opening of the old wound, but the fact that he doesn’t come to find JC, that once again JC and his family isn’t a priority and once again is second best (this time to Lan Wangji)?

He doesn’t kill his brother. JC sits him down in a room and tries to talk but old hurts rile up and he reaches for anger again. WWX isn’t forthright and it makes it worse, neither of them are good at communicating: too many things unsaid, that can’t be said, too many misunderstandings and neither of them knowing how to talk about it. JC has Fairy there and it’s a minor act of revenge. JC uses what he knows is WWX’s weakness to intimidate and immobilize him, but it doesn’t help either of them actually talk.

Reconciliation is going to require WWX being able to talk to him without deflecting and JC getting angry so easily. But by this point, he’s given WWX a lot of chances and it’s why I think they could and would easily post-canon. Jiang Cheng's starting to come to an understanding that WWX did and still does care about him. He didn’t give him his golden core for no reason, and JC starts to understand why WWX did it for him and that he knew JC well enough to hide it in the first place.

He started to reach that conclusion shortly after Wen Ning told him—oh the pain of it having been WWX's chosen little brother figure—and Jiang Cheng had gone around asking people to unsheathe Suibian. It's why he brought Chenqing to the temple in the first place.

I think it speaks to his maturity that he decided at that moment he couldn’t say what he wanted to tell WWX in the end. I think he knew neither of them was ready, but I also think it speaks of how much he misses and trusts WWX to have let him go for now…I think he knows they will meet again as long as they both live, and that they'll be better for having waited. After some time to think, digest, they’ll be ready to be family again and all that entails.

#he really lives in my head rent free and i just. well. i think hes a really good example of the ''uglier'' side of the feelings of--#-- victims of abuse and how we deal -or sometimes cant- with it in our lives afterwards and how they affect relationships #BUT the important thing is that hes healing :)#jiang cheng #for my own tagging purposes #caleb meta hours #caleb.txt #i may come back to edit this tbh its 1am and i spent 3 hours editing it

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lokiandbuckyaremine · 4 years

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Can You Keep a Secret?

Prompt: “I have a idea for a loki one shot if you do not mind. One where the reader is the teams innocent ray of sunshine and everyone loves and and tries to keep her away from loki. But of course they end up dating and the team finds them kissing or something and they freak out. With promte 1!” ~ @marvelloonie

Prompt 1: I should have told you a long time ago...

Warnings: Fluff and soft Loki for the reader, language, and more kissing and fun with your favorite God of Mischief.

(Prompt List) ~ REQUESTS OPEN

MASTERLIST

The taste of plastic filled your mouth as you continuously chewed on your pen, waiting for this meeting to be over. Tony was rambling on about new approaches for missions, since the world was changing and he wanted to keep his “ducks” in a row. Looking around the room at your fellow Avengers, you could see that many other people were just like you....bored out of their mind! Except Steve and Roadie cause they always tried to be the “good friends”. Nat was half asleep on your shoulder and Wanda was playing with her magic under the table on the other side of you. But when your eyes met a certain man, you couldn’t help but shift in your seat. Loki stared at you until you noticed his motion to leave the room. Smiling, you excused yourself to the bathroom and gently lifted Nat off of you.

Walking down the hallway, searching for the handsome God, you suddenly felt a strong pair of hands on your waist. “I could tell that my love could use some distraction from that pathetic meeting.” Giggling, you turned around in his grasp and started to pepper his face with kisses. “Loki, we can’t keep doing this. They are going to find out soon enough.” He pouted down at you and shrugged. “Would that be such a bad thing, my darling?” He checked the hallway before dragging you into a closet so you could both talk. “Loki...you know how much they wouldn’t approve of me, an Avenger, dating the guy who nearly killed all of New York and Asgard.” You threw your hands on your hips and gave him a very stern look.

It was no lie, the God of Mischief had a HUGE soft spot for you that he remained to hide from everyone else, protecting his reputation. But on the other-hand he wanted to show the world just how much he fell for you and changed in the process. His soft hands cupped your face as he traced your cheekbone, and stared at your eyes willingly. “Y/N, I’m not sure I can keep us a secret anymore. There’s no reason why a guy like me can’t have his happy ending too and show her off. But if you want to wait for the right moment, then I guess I’ll suck it up for however long.” He rolled his eyes in defeat and went for the door of the closet, but you grabbed his arm. “Thank you, baby. But hey, we came in here for a reason. Don’t leave a girl hanging.” You winked as you started to toy with the hem of your shirt. He growled in response and hoisted you up on his hips as he crashed his lips on yours. Needless to say you did NOT make it back to that meeting.

The both of you remained to keep things “professional” as you completed your day to day tasks. Loki would drop winks or tease you here and there, but nothing too odd for the team to notice. They made it a point to protect you from having any serious interaction with him because he has a history of doing some really unexpected things, and they know how good of a person you are. Innocent, to say the least. Thor knew his brother but he also watched over you just in case. He would tell you constantly, “Lady Y/N, you are way too good for this greasy weasel,” thinking it was funny to tease his handsome brother like that. It was extremely hard to keep this a secret even if it has only been a few months you’ve been seriously dating. Loki was such a great friend before feelings were revealed and that wasn’t something you could hide willingly, but a promise is a promise. That is, until one morning....

Trudging down the stairs into the common room, you rubbed the sleepiness out of your eyes and headed to the fridge for a morning snack. You heard a few giggles and murmurs behind you, so you turned to see what was up. The entire team was staring at you, some had smirks and some had unpleasant faces drawn on them. “Uh, can I help you guys or can I not get milk in the morning?” Crossing your arms, you stared at Nat for a response seeing she was the one smirking and giggling to herself. “Girl, isn’t that Loki’s shirt?”, she asked pointing to the oversized green shirt that hung at your knees. You gulped and smiled, trying to come up with some stupid excuse that wouldn’t blow your cover. “Uh yea, I spilled some toothpaste on my pjs and he offered his top. Wasn’t that nice?” You resumed pouring a glass of milk, but Thor soon chimed in. “Uh, Loki’s room is on the 3rd floor. You mean to tell me you traveled all the way upstairs for a shirt, even when there are about 4 others living on your floor with shirts?”

Spinning around on your heels to respond, Loki no sooner showed up shirtless. “Morning, pathetic mortals, half mortals, and soldiers.” Bucky snickered at his greeting and his shirtless state. “Yup, something happened in that room.” He whispered to Steve and Sam. Your gaze met Bucky’s and you shot him a glare as he held his hands up in defense. “We’re just friends, Barnes. Lay off.” Resuming back to the sticky situation at hand, you smiled to Loki. “Good morning, sir. I was just telling how nice you were this morning when I spilled toothpaste. He could tell I was in a cranky mood and he just offered his shirt, no harm done.” You shrugged and looked to Loki, raising your eyebrows to signal him to back you up. He laughed nervously and gestured to the team. “Oh yes, dear y/n spilled quite a bit of toothpaste on her pjs, so I offered her mine. And man can she be a bitch in the morning.” Internally you nearly died and wanted to smack Loki, but you knew he was doing this to cover. The team continued to snicker and shrug as they resumed their breakfast.

Finally having a glass of milk, you left them and headed for your room. But once again you were stopped mid-hallway by the man himself. “I told you to stay in my room for a little longer and to put a shirt on! We nearly lost our cover.” Loki smirked and pulled your waist flush against his. “Oh darlin, it’s fine. We covered well. Plus it is way too damn hot in this tower.” Loki looked over your figure and bit his lip. There was no denial that you looked damn sexy in his shirt and a pair of boy shorts. “Sure, but ‘a bitch’, really?” You playfully smacked his chest as he started to kiss you neck. “I had to come up with something, my love. I don’t mean it. But you certainly loved being called other things last night.” You could feel him getting hard against your stomach and you moaned slightly thinking about the mind-blowing time you had last night.

“Apology accepted.” You giggled and pulled him in for a kiss. Heat flooded through your body as his soft lips devoured yours, dampening your panties in the process. What a way to start your morning. You pulled him closer to deepen the kiss and his hands trailed lightly down your back. He grabbed a handful of ass, making you moan into his, allowing him access to swipe his tongue on your bottom lip. Breaking away from the kiss knowing where this was going, you grabbed his hand and began to lead him to your room, until a choir erupted behind you. “I KNEW IT!” You and Loki broke apart quickly and you put your hands out, pleading for the group to calm down. “Guys, I can explain.” It looked like Thor was near ready to murder his brother, but you held your hand up in defense. “Thor, I should have told you a long time ago, I love your brother. You don’t know him like I do.” His eyes shot between you and Loki, and his shoulders sagged at the thought of you being sad. “I can’t say that I approve of this, but if you’re happy and my brother is happy then I guess it’s fine. But you’ve been warned. And when in the hell were you going to tell me?!”

Loki was not pleased with his brother’s reaction, and began to step forward. A vein popping out of his forehead from the rage that filled him. “Brother, I love this woman and it may be news to you but I can be a good person. Do you not remember our childhood and how mother told us that we would once find someone that will change us? Can you imagine a life without Jane, because that’s how I would feel without y/n.” The girls awwed and the guys made gagging noises. Thor sighed in defeat and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You always have tricks up your sleeve, don’t you? But you’re right, I can’t imagine a life without Jane, and I also couldn’t imagine my brother falling back to his old ways.” Loki smiled softly. You were happy the brothers were coming around to be friends again, granted they had their moments.

Tony came over and patted Loki’s shoulder. “Nice move, Reindeer Games. You got yourself one hell of a girl, but if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.” One last pat and he walked away with Rhoadie. Next, Steve, Bucky, and Sam walked over. Bucky looked furious because he too liked you a lot, but knew he missed his chance. Steve shook Loki’s hand and smiled at you. “Guess this means you’re part of the team, Loki. I know you’ll love and treat her well. BUT if you hurt her in any way--” Loki smirked and turned to him. “Let me guess, you’ll kill me? Evidently that will be the line (PLEASE TELL ME Y’ALL GOT MY REFERENCE)”. You giggled and watched the boys walk away. Turning back to Loki, you grabbed his hand and gave it a tug. “You really mean that you can’t imagine life without me?” He nodded and cupped your face. “Not a day goes by without you on my mind. Even if you get upset with my silly tricks or pranks, I know we love one another. I’m not perfect, darlin. But for you I’ll try to be.” You kissed his palm and sank into his hand. “Loki, you don’t need to be perfect. Stay your mischievous self and I’ll love every bit of you.”

Loki’s heart was bursting with love and nothing more. He finally found his rock, his savior, and his soulmate. After another tug of his hand, you bit your lip and looked up at Loki smiling. “So what do you say you put your tricks and games to the test and play me in bed?” Loki instantly felt himself get aroused, so he scooped you up and ran to your room. Slamming the door behind you, you both fell on the bed in a moaning and kissing mess. A knock on the door pulled you from the heated moment and Tony’s voice followed. “Make sure you wrap it before you tap it, kids. Some of us still want to pretend we don’t know your secret.” The both of you rolled your eyes and resumed the kiss. “No matter what, I will always love you, my darling.” Loki smiled down at you, and you swear you saw your entire world in front of your face. He was yours, tricks and all, and you couldn’t be happier.

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A/N: Just a cute lil drabble. Everyone loves a trickster Loki and some teasing from the team. PLEASE LIKE, REBLOG, AND COMMENT!

Tag List (Open): @jobean12-blog @littlenerdgirl16 @jokesonjess @jewels2876 @mashtons-dirtbag @hernameiswhatt @ballyhoobarnes @lauxeyson @thiddlestoff @thatbitchsaidhi @marvelous-heroimagines @iamwarrenspeace @violentlybarnes @moondancewrites @toddneilanderperry @mizz-kraziii @lovelybones81 @thinemineours @godohammers @buckywhoops @thatfangirl16 @thummbelina @notyourtypicalrose

#loki x reader #loki #loki x reader fluff #tom hiddleston #marvel #prompts #god of mischief #avengers

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de-profundis-ad-astra · 4 years

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Fury, Oh Fury - Part One

Triple Frontier | Hunger Games AU

Me: Hey what if I started working on Fury again? Y’all: Me: Hey if I started working on Fury again would you read it? Y’all: Me: Okay okay you’ve forced my hand I guess I gotta start working on Fury again

Rating || Mature (for graphic descriptions of violence/gore and strong language) Characters || Ben Miller. William Miller. A good chunk of this fic will be heavily focused on the Miller brothers, because I’m most comfortable writing them and I feel like I know them the best. Rest assured, Pope and Catfish will be making appearances ~eventually~ Word Count || 4.2k Taglist || (Starting out tagging some mutuals and people I remember from the previous taglist) @firefeatherx @mylifeliterally @mandoplease @phoenixhalliwell @skylyknightly @havenforafrazzledmind @beatriz-silva-00 @veuliee @veuliee2 @oldstuffnewstuff @dindisneydjarin @lilacyennefer @dignityneeded @agirllovespancakes @xjustmenobodyelse @oscarflysaac @jaime1110 @goldenhour-goldenboy @pascalz @briskywalker @herestherealproblem @givemethatgold

Author’s Note || For anyone who might be new here, @veuliee sent me a concept that I kinda uh, tripped over my own feet and plunged face first into and that’s the story of how I started writing a Hunger Games AU for Triple Frontier. Things got unbelievably crazy once I started work, and I’ve had some pretty unhealthy work/home boundaries with being virtual. I’m trying to establish some healthier limits and make more time for my writing, and this seemed like a good enough starting point. That and the outlines for the rest of this fic are still staring at me and demanding to be written.

So, here goes.

Home hasn’t felt like home since Will left.

It’s been nothing more than a house since the day of the reaping, almost a month ago. A collection of walls with a roof—the same as any other building. The place where he grew up. A place to rest his head and feed himself between training sessions. It won’t be home until Will comes back.

If he comes back.

Will has trained for this, Ben tells himself when doubt creeps in, wraps its icy fingers around his lungs and clenches tight, pushes down on his chest in the dead of the night and it feels like Ben is drowning. Will practiced and fought and earned the chance to volunteer for District Two. He wouldn’t have been selected as the male tribute for this year if his teachers hadn’t felt he had a strong chance of returning victorious.

But there had been Two’s female tribute also. And the tributes from One and Four. All were formidable in a fight, and knew the tips and tricks to survival that would be essential in the arena. Not to mention the Games themselves were an absolute wild card. For all Will’s training, he still could be killed by a natural disaster of the gamemakers design, stabbed in the back by his allies, a tribute from an outlying district could catch him off guard.

There’s far too much that can go wrong; Ben drowns each and every thought behind his own training at the academy.

He can’t let that kind of vulnerability shine through. Not to his father. Not to his peers. Especially not when he’s being followed as much as his brother in the arena. Since the field of tributes narrowed down to eight five days ago, when Capitol cameras and personnel arrived to interview him and his father, there’s been hardly a moment of privacy. So Ben covers his fear with a smile, says he has full confidence that his brother will be home as soon as he can. He laughs when they ask him if he’ll volunteer one day, just like his brother did.

Ben answers with a grin, says he has no place to make that determination—but who knows?

Deep down… he knows. He’s known for a while now. He’s young, but he’s already tall, strong, quick. A prodigy, they’d said of his skills. A promised child, just like his brother was.

In spite of his age, Ben is favored to volunteer and represent District Two in the coming years. For now, though, the focus is on honing those skills, shaping him into the best warrior they can to bring pride to District Two.

The Capitol, they say, are charmed by him already. The idea of two brothers bearing the title of Victor is the kind of narrative they’re keen to fall for. So Ben plasters that smile on and lets himself become a part of the show.

Because if he lost Will…

If he lost Will—

Where would home be?

All of District Two seems to have hit pause, every pair of eyes glued to the nearest screen.

Peacekeepers-in-training pause their exercises. Future tributes stop their sparring matches. The lines at every shop in town are on hold. Even the children have stopped playing their games to witness this.

And in the city square, standing in front of the Justice Building in a roped off section reserved for family, the mayor, and a handful of District Two’s more recent victors, thirteen year old Benjamin Miller tries to keep his fidgeting down to an occasional scuff of his feet on the dusty ground or flex of his weary muscles.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we are entering the final moments of the Fifty-fourth annual Hunger Games!”

The massive screens mounted in the square broadcast live footage from the arena. Presently, two feeds are placed side by side, dedicated to the two remaining tributes of this year’s Hunger Games. One tracks Will’s every move, the other follows his opponent: the boy from District Four.

Will abandoned the Career pack when there were still fourteen tributes left. One night, during his watch shift, he left them behind, taking with him a pack with enough food to last him four days, a bottle of water, a sleeping bag, a hunting knife, and his preferred sword. A long, wicked thing most people might have struggled to wield two-handed. Will handled it with ease. One-handed.

Speculation rippled through the district at that. The decision to leave so early in the Games was shocking enough. Why not kill the rest while they slept and increase his odds of victory by an exponential margin? It was known that the pack would disband eventually, but why so soon?

At the academy, Will was both praised and berated for his choice. It was understandable to leave before bonds formed and killing another tribute turned into killing an ally. But so early? When so much could go wrong? It was a risk not many were brave enough to take.

In the arena, navigating the terrain proved to be its own exercise of survival. This year’s terrain consisted of three mountains of varying height, surrounded by dense forest. It became apparent early on that the woods were not safe, as they were crawling with all manner of predators, both organic and manufactured by the Capitol. Two weeks into the Games, the gamemakers destroyed the entire forest with a raging wildfire, killing an additional two tributes.

The forest now uninhabitable, Will had taken to carving out several hiding places among the mountainsides. Once he’d burned through his rations, he relied on hunting small creatures still inhabiting the cliffs and whatever his mentor was able to provide through sponsors. With the element of surprise working for him, Will had managed to ambush and eliminate four additional tributes, bringing his kill count to a whopping ten—high above the average for a typical career.

Almost half of the playing field, brought down by one seventeen-year old. Will must have struck a deal with his allies before the start of the Games, because during the bloodbath, he’d done most, if not all of the killing while the remainder of his team secured their supplies from the Cornucopia. If he walked away from this, he’d be the pride of District Two for a long time to come on that merit alone.

When the tribute pack thinned down to four, the gamemakers struck again. Devastating rockslides hammered each mountain, cutting off both Will’s access to his hiding spots, and any freshwater sources he’d relied on. The slides killed two tributes, the girl from One and the boy from Five.

Ben remembered watching in abject horror as his brother fled from the avalanche, finally managing to take cover underneath an outcropping of rock that shielded him from the worst of it. He’d escaped, though not without accruing a fair amount of scrapes and bruises along the way. The worst of it was a small, but deep cut slicing through his eyebrow. By a small miracle, it had stopped bleeding within an hour, but half of Will’s face was now crusted with streaks of dried blood, only adding to his already haggard state. He lost his knife in the chaos, but managed to hold onto his sword—his saving grace.

Not only that, but the only reason the boy from Four had survived was because he’d turned on his companion as they fled. When they were clear of the slides, while her guard was down, he’d shoved her back, right into the path of an oncoming boulder. She was crushed before she could even appear shocked by the betrayal. There weren’t even any remains left for the hovercraft to collect.

More whispers rippled through the district, then. Yes, it was sad. But it was what needed to be done.

No fresh water. Most of the wildlife either dead or scared off. Two tributes. It was evident the gamemakers wanted to end this fast. The Games had already lasted nearly three and a half weeks, far longer than average. This year had proven to be a particularly hardy bunch. Even getting a small water bottle into the arena at this rate would likely cost a large fortune.

Which meant they were on their own.

The moment the dust cleared, the cannons fired and faces projected in the sky, everyone knew what came next. Immediately, a space was cleared in the square for Ben and his father, victors called out to join and prepare to offer either congratulations or condolences depending on the outcome of the final encounter.

On the screen, Will inches his way along a narrow path on the face of the tallest mountain. All he has on his person is his sword and his clothes, veritably shredded after three weeks of fighting for his life in such an unforgiving environment. The landscape is similar enough that when Ben looks at the screen with the boy from Four, he can’t tell how near they are to each other. Will grew up in the mountains of Two. In theory, he should have an advantage over the boy from the coast. Nothing is ever set in stone, though—not in the Hunger Games. Four had proven himself to be quiet the adaptable tribute.

They have to be getting close, Ben thinks, there’s no way the gamemakers would push them away from each other at this point.

As if in answer to his thought, a low, feline snarl rumbles through the speakers. It’s faint, far away, but Will hears it. Everyone hears it. Pressing his back against the rock, he dares a swift look down towards the origin of the sound. As if oblivious to the cameras trained on him or simply not caring, Will’s shout cuts through the wind.

“Fuck!”

The camera angle switches, and Ben’s heart plummets.

Prowling about fifty feet beneath Will’s feet is a strange breed of feline, the likes of which Ben has never seen before. Three of them. Large, with a pale golden coat and small round ears. Long, curved, razor-sharp claws extending from all four oversized paws carve thin scratches into the rock as they pace back and forth beneath him.

Ben’s first thought is cougar, but then the cat looks up, and he beholds the elongated canines extending far past its lower jaw. He’s learned about it in school. A kind of cat that went extinct long before the continent was even known as the Americas. Despite his best efforts, Ben cannot recall its name.

It’s undoubtedly a muttation, designed and put out by the gamemakers to do one thing: kill.

The long-toothed cat bares its teeth, its companions following suit. From his perch on the mountainside, Will’s chest moves rapidly. He’s struggling to control his breath, Ben realizes. His throat tightens, his stomach tangling with itself.

Beside him, his father murmurs, “Move, William, move.”

“Look at that!” one of the commentators yells. “It seems the gamemakers have one last trick up their sleeves to push Will and Reed together!”

Ben grips the rope in front of him as if that is the only thing separating him from Will. The big cat crouches, leaps up to a rock jutting out from the mountainside, ten feet closer to him. Ben spares one glance towards Four’s feed. He doesn’t seem to be faring much better. Another trio of cats nip at his heels as he struggles to ascend the mountain.

Will’s breathing slows and deepens, and he masters himself enough to take several tiny steps closer to the end of the path. There, he will easily be able to summit the mountain, another twenty feet above his head.

The cats leap up another ten feet, and Will draws his sword with one hand. Bracing his free hand on the smooth, grey rock, he angles the blade towards the advancing cats and continues inching along. Only a few more feet separate him from the safety of the broad platform of stone. Beneath him, one of the cats leans back onto its haunches. Its entire body trembles before it goes preternaturally still, preparing to make one last leap towards its prey.

Reading the movements, Will does the same. For a moment, they lock eyes. Blue to gold, predator to predator. Silence grips the square. Ben’s lungs strain against his ribs, but he doesn’t let himself breathe. Not yet. Not when it feels as if a single puff of air could alter the course of history in this moment.

The cat leaps.

So does Will.

He goes nearly parallel to the ground, his free hand reaching out for something he can catch himself on and his sword hand sweeping downward the same moment the cat swipes a clawed paw towards him.

The honed edge of the sword slices deep into the neck of the feline. A trail of blood droplets follows the arc of the blade as Will twists in midair, angling his body so his back will take the brunt of the impact and tucking his chin down into his chest. The cat yowls as it tumbles back, the sound turning into an awful gurgle before cutting off. Its body falls down the steep mountain face. Ben only catches a short glimpse before it tumbles off the screen, but he can see that Will cut deep enough that its head is barely hanging on by a few tendons and muscle fibers. A thick streak of red smears the rock where it fell.

With a grunt, Will slams into the ground, sliding over the dirt and loose rocks for a moment before his body stills. He remains there for several seconds before ever so slowly, he turns onto his side. Pressing his left hand into the ground, Will pushes himself up, dragging his feet beneath his shoulders. As soon as he puts his weight onto his legs, he gives out and he topples back down.

Any relief Ben felt at his brother’s life-saving maneuver is swelled out by a pulse of fear when he sees why his brother can’t stand.

A duo of long cuts, so straight and deep it looks almost surgical, extends from the middle of Will’s thigh down to his ankle. Ben had been so busy watching his brother he’d been oblivious to the fact that the cat had gotten him.

Each breath Will takes has blood oozing from the laceration until the leg of his pants are soaked and glistening a deep, sullen red. He tries, and fails, again to rise to his feet. Even using the sword as a support, he loses his footing and crumbles, his weight kicking up a cloud of dust when he hits the rock.

“In a stunning turn of events, it seems that the outcome of these Games have already been determined…”

Get up, Ben thinks with every shred of desperation he has. Get up, Will.

Will sluggishly turns onto his back, and hoists himself upright with his legs stretched in front of him. It seems to take every bit of energy he has to shrug his jacket off, and slide it underneath his bleeding leg. He brazenly ties the sleeves around his thigh until his arms are straining and the blood flow slows. The makeshift tourniquet may save his life, but it’s only a matter of minutes before the damage is so permanent that he risks losing the limb altogether.

Again, using his sword for support, Will heaves himself to his feet. He wobbles again, and Ben feels his heart rise into his throat before he steadies himself. Will straightens, and takes a few limping steps towards the final ascent. He’d been so busy tending to his wound, worrying about the big cats, that he hadn’t heard the approaching footsteps. Ben, too wrapped up in concern for his brother, hadn’t checked the other video feed, hadn’t heard the commentators call out in shock—

When Four crashes into Will and sinks a knife into his shoulder.

Ben, his father, the city square, the entirety of District Two, cry out in collective shock as Will and Four go down, Four pinning him with a roar so inhuman it sends a chill skittering over Ben’s bones.

It’s worse, so much worse than he’d imagined.

Blood sprays, and Will’s fingers splay when he hits the rock. His sword clattering too far for him to reach. Ben barely processes what he sees as he fights to remain upright. He feels the cameras in the square narrow in on him. He can’t give out. Not now.

Will rolls, flipping Four off of him and onto the ground, wrenching the knife in his shoulder free in the process. His blood drips down the blade as Four angles it in front of himself, his own arm shredded, likely from his encounter with those big cats. Will slowly climbs to his knees, beaten and bloody and entirely at a disadvantage. The blood, the dirt—he looks more animal than human when he bares his teeth.

Ben’s never seen anything like it. Anything so unearthly, so primal and raging.

Four leaps again, and Will leans down. As Four descends on him, Will straightens, and there’s a clang of metal on metal.

It takes a moment for Ben to understand what he sees.

But there’s Will, knife in hand, his face red with the effort it takes to keep Four from landing another blow. He’d lost his knife in the avalanche. He’d seen it.

How long had Will kept a knife hidden in his boot, waiting for a moment such as this to use it?

Will manages to deflect what would have been a life-ending blow, but they topple again. Four bellows as Will’s blade plunges into his forearm and twists. The shrieking of Four, coupled with the spray of blood, sends a chill weaving down Ben’s spine.

Move, move, move!

Four’s free hand slams into Will’s face hard enough to crack bone, and Will stumbles back, blood gushing.

Will just grunts, his brow bunching in pain and concentration.

Every part of Ben shakes.

Four punches his face again and the sound fracks from Ben, “Will.”

Four yanks his arm free of Will’s knife, blood spraying like rain as he slashes at Will. He catches Four’s wrist in the follow-through with both hands, pinning his arm across his body. Four swings with his free hand, the punch easily dodged this time by Will.

They stare at each other for long, uncounted moments, nothing between them but howling wind and heavy, pained panting.

Then Will does the last thing Ben expects him to.

He headbutts Four.

Will releases Four’s arm as he staggers towards the edge of the peak, right towards where the long-toothed cats stalk in wait. The blow proves disorienting enough, and though Four swings his arms wildly to regain his balance, he takes one step back too far back and plummets.

He screams as he falls, but it goes hauntingly quiet when he hits.

The impact of Four’s body on the stone is heard across the nation. They wait for the cannon, but there’s nothing.

The mutts attack.

Will sinks to his knees.

Ben clutches the rope so tightly his knuckles whiten. It could be minutes, it could be hours, before the cannon booms at last.

Will looks to the side, his eyes finding the camera as if he’s known precisely where it was the entire time. Something like relief shines there, overpowered by pain and fury and something feral as the announcer declares, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the fifty-fourth Hunger Games, William Miller—the tribute of District Two!”

Two days later, Will’s final interview in the Capitol airs. Before now, he’s been kept keenly away from the cameras, and it becomes clear why the moment Ben sees him for the first time since his final glimpse in the arena. He wears a sharp grey suit, but any evidence of his injuries on his face have been wiped away. Whether by makeup or surgical alteration, Ben can’t tell. His skin is smooth and pristine, unmarred by bruises or cuts or even the faintest scar.

The crowd breaks into applause as Will is presented. He gives a winning smile, but the haunted glow is still there. He still looks a little too much like a cornered animal. His stylist is praised for his masterful capture of Will’s strength, physique, and iron-willed character.

Will sits in the victor’s chair like he was born for it. Maybe he was. He views the highlights with the rest of the nation, and answers his interviewer’s questions with grace.

“While you were there, in the arena,” says the host. “Was there any one thing that kept you going?”

Will seems to think on it for a moment, working his jaw over before he answers, “My brother. The whole time… I just wanted him to know that I love him.”

The audience croons about how strong and brave he is. Ben feels himself swell with pride.

He wants to be like Will one day, he thinks.

The wait for the train is its own agony.

District Two is nearest to the Capitol, but operations there don’t start until late in the morning on a good day. With the conclusion of the Games so fresh, it seems they need a few extra hours to get moving.

At last, the train rolls into the station late in the afternoon. No one comments on how Ben stood there, waiting for almost the whole day as more and more citizens of Two arrive to welcome their newest victor. They chatter amongst themselves, clearing space for Ben’s father as he arrives at last, fresh off his shift as the town’s head Peacekeeper.

As the train crawls to a halt, the voices around Ben die down, awaiting with bated breath for Will to show himself. Ben feels like he’s about to burst from his own skin with the anticipation—

The doors open, and there he is.

Will’s eyes snap to Ben’s almost instantly. The relief that cleaves through him almost knocks him to his knees.

Ben thinks it might have, had Will not leaped down and ran to him.

Will opens his arms, and Ben finds his way home.

Will remembers every face of every tribute in that godforsaken place.

The ones he killed directly haunt him the most.

He kept count of many things in the arena. The minutes that turned into hours that turned into days away from home… away from Ben. The number of breaths he still counted himself lucky to take. But most poignant of all was those faces. Each one, their faces as they died, had been etched into his memory. Every time he blinks, he sees them.

Ten. He killed ten of them.

The train barely makes a creak as it speeds over the railway. The ride from the Capitol to District Two isn’t long—barely an hour.

Though he grew up in one of the “wealthy” districts, there is a certain elegance to Capitol wares Will thinks he’s going to miss. He relishes in every moment he has left, wresting back thoughts of death and killing and betrayal.

He hadn’t been lying when he said it was Ben that got him through the worst of it in the arena. But that hadn’t been the whole truth, either. It was the thought of how he could redeem himself after so much tragedy, inflicting so much pain on others. He couldn’t do that if he let himself die in the arena.

How did Ben—little Benny, who perhaps wasn’t so little anymore but would always be to Will—see him now, at the end of it all? What could he say that would make all the violence, all the killing, right.

He didn’t know how, but he would do it. Will would make sure to see it done, no matter what it took.

Will is barely formulating what he can say to his brother when he feels the breaks engage on the train. All too soon, just like that, he’s back home… whatever home is, now. Sure, he’ll have the house in Victor’s Village and of course his family would be allowed to live with him, but the concept seems too foreign, now. He suspects it’ll take some time to adjust to that.

His mentor—a victor from about ten years ago, beckons him forward. Will’s legs are surprisingly shaky as he rises to his feet. Outside, he can hear the district already clapping, cheering for him. He tries to imagine Ben there, tries to pretend that his brother will be happy to see him, that he’ll be happy to see Ben.

The doors open.

Light floods the train car, and Will almost lifts a hand to block the sun. The initial surge of stimulus is overwhelming. The light, the sound, the unrelenting heat of the mountains. Will blinks hard to adjust his eyes.

As if by gravitational pull, he sees him.

His eyes find Ben’s, almost an exact mirror of his own. His brother’s eyes are wide, his face broken into a grin so wide it’s a wonder his skin hasn’t split.

That’s all it takes.

Will leaps down from the train car and runs. Every thought, every doubt, every word flees his mind as he takes in the sight of his brother. Healthy and whole and alive.

Ben’s there to meet him. They collide, and Will finds his way home.

#triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #william miller #william ironhead miller #ben miller #benny miller #pls god let this post to the tag on the first try #i don't want to redo all the formatting #triple frontier fic

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theotheroccassionalfanficwriter · 4 years

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I am Drunk on Wine, Drunk on You

Summary: Mammon and You share a weekend ritual of drinking together at night in his room, and every time you leave bits and pieces of your clothing, accesories, books in his room. And then you leave bits and pieces of your heart in his, letting him piece together the bits and pieces of your love for him.

A/N: Wrote this with the alcohol coursing through my veins and I love Mammon so much. This ones for the jaded adults trying hard to maintain hope in this era.

Tags: everything that entails loving mammon. Yearning, Pining,Longing, Two awkward idiots in love, rip to babylonians but we're different.

The thing about being a 20-something working adult was that there was beauty in a routine that rarely ever changes. Daily hygiene, dress up, eat and then fight the battle to get to work on time. Routine was what you clung to when you arrived in Devildom. A semi-welcome break from the muddy waters of corporate work.

And so, you started drinking with Mammon. In his room, by the pool table, trading stories while he taught you billiards and you let his warmth seep into your body. That was how it began, a weekly ritual between him and you, drinking and playing billiards, cards and drinking games. Letting worthless secrets and thoughts out in the open. A fakery of camaraderie until he asked you a question three months in Devildom. You had been closer then, close enough that you can wrap your arm on his waist and he'd welcome it.

"What's it like, up there in the human world?"

He looked so soft, leaning casually on the other end of his couch, at home, at ease, and it made your heart stir. The usual fondness that tends to erupt in your heart where Mammon is involved.

"Messy. Bright. Loud." You answered, "It's like the streets of Devildom at night but twice the crowd most of the time."

His eyes dimmed at your shitty answer and you scramble to bring back that bright look at his pretty pretty eyes that always took your breath away.

"Let me take you." You scramble to say, "Let me take you up there."

A promise of sorts.

A drunken promise of sorts you want to fulfill as his eyes turned bright and your arms are suddenly filled with a happy drunk Mammon. And you want to badly kiss him so much but you don't. Not like this, not in this way so instead you hold him tight and tell him all the things you want to do with him up there.

In the wee hours of the morning, you tuck him in. Like always since you out drank him, and like always you leave a thing of yours in his room. A small and shiny flower hair tie that caught his eye, you know with certainty it'd find itself back in your room with another thing that Mammon owns.

One among many that he owns, one among many that litter in your room and you treat as yours. Lucifer sees you leave Mammon's room and raises a brow at you,

"It's almost morning" He tells you pointedly.

"And its a weekend" You retort, alcohol coursing through your veins that makes you care a little less, gives you the courage of a leopard.

And he lets you go, like usual. Like a well practice routine that lets you not question the things you aren't ready to face. That you'd probably never want to resist.

You made it back to your room, and you make a quick work of your clothes and sink in to the covers of your bed. It smells of Mammon and it lulls you back to sleep.

Tuesday arrives and you have to defend your idea to RAD's Student Council. A field trip for entirety of RAD to see how much human society had changed ever since their access had grown limited. Solomon and your contracted demons; Mammon, Levi, and Beel agreed with you.

But you know its Lucifer and Diavolo you have to win over, and law school prepared you for this. Talking with the ruler of Devildom and his advisor is almost nothing to the panel that had to judge your oral revalida. An exchange of words, hidden barbs, and negotiation where everyone already knows the outcome.

Diavolo says yes, and Lucifer follows. You smile and thank them while ignoring their knowing looks. What is not said and asked are not the truth unless said otherwise.

You don't look at Mammon as you make your way out of the room.

The trip to human world is chaotic and fun. The brothers surround you at the start and after careful scheming, your group dwindles down until its just you and Mammon. You hold his hand, tuck it in your coat's pocket and enjoyed Japan's early spring. You squeeze it twice and wait for him to squeeze back.

You try not to think deeply at the painful lurch of your heart when he squeezes back and says nothing. You are fond of him, in his silent moments when he lets himself be soft and puts down the sharp and blunt edges he wears as a demon. You lead him here and there, buying him trinkets and unmindful of the dent it would make in your bank account.

You give him gifts and hope that, like the things you leave in his room, this would remind him of you. When the year ends and everything becomes uncertain.

The two of you end up in an upscale Izakaya, one with private rooms and discrete staff. Mammon takes pictures to brag and you indulge him, let him order to his heart's desire. And like always you share stories, you give him disconnected anecdotes of your life, let him see the person you once were as he tells you stories of bygone days.

Things from human history told from the perspective of a demon. And as you listened to his story with an unknowing gentle smile on your face, you feed him your favorite dishes. Unlike you and like most demons, Mammon doesn't get drunk on human alcohol just like how demon drinks don't affect you.

And Mammon looks at you as words tapers off his mouth, and you are still foolishly smiling at him, tender devotion in your actions and heady unmasked affection on your eyes that catches him off guard. Suddenly, the air in the room grows hot and Mammon wants and wants you this way, unguarded and so different from your usual persona. He likes this version of you that only comes out on the weekend with alcohol streaming through your veins.

'I love you' He thought.

Hands gently tucking in stray strands of hair behind your left ear. He lets his fingers gently trace the slope of your face and watches as your eyes flutter shut and Mammon cups your face with his hand. Tenderly and ever so gently rubs his thumb on your cheek.

You held his hand and kiss the palm that holds your face.

"Let's head back?"

He smiled and holds you close as both of you stumble through the crowded night streets of Shibuya. You tuck yourself close to him and for now the words left unspoken are enough. You both had all the time in the world.

So you take it slow and savor this sort of moments where only Mammon and you seemingly existed.

And then the switch happens and suddenly you are out of time. Lucifer's trust had meant so little to you, until suddenly it is the very thing that you need to succeed. And for the first time, fear grips your heart as you hold Mammon's hand and head to the castle.

'Time,' You thought 'I need more time'.

Beyond out rightly admitting that he was the best, beyond the games,beyond the well-practiced dance of push and pull you had with Mammon and his brothers, you badly want to tell him those three words stuck in your chest and hidden at the back of your mind. Three powerful words that would give him power over you, that would let him realize the depth of your regard for him.

But you had ran out of time and there is only a shaky promise of return. And the countdown happens so fast, too fast, and you want to cry and scream and break things apart.

You died and you returned.

You were a human and suddenly you were not.

You had lost your Mammon and gained a new one.

Crying felt pathetic, Screaming sounded painful, and breaking things felt like a chore so you drink. Not wine, but demon vodka that only leaves a burning line down your throat and nothing else. You drink at the Fall every Sunday.

You go to RAD the next day, routine barely changed with the tenuous addition of Belphegor. He clings to you and you let him with polite detachment. You fall back to your routine and try to not let your heart break with every differing habit this Mammon had compared to yours.

Friday nights are gone and you've stopped leaving bits and pieces of yourself at his room. Because just as he isn't your Mammon, you weren't his beloved human.

And in the cold air of your room, with alcohol coursing through your veins you dream of him.

Lucifer finds you, after the half-anniversary party. Having an after party of your own consisting of crows that you remembered as the ones Mammon commanded, he sits beside you and glances at the untouched glass of flavored vodka beside you. You hand him an unopened bottle and pat the seat on your right.

Lucifer doesn't say anything and takes your offered drink. He takes a long drink and you watch him, equal parts curious and searching. Before you would have not cared of this unmentioned and apparent disadvantage, before you'd have started a verbal battle of sorts with someone who'd match you tit for tat but in a short span of time things had changed.

So you remain silent and instead glanced at the empty space on your left.

"As you humans would say, 'A penny for your thoughts?'" Lucifer finally said as the ice on the untouched glass clinks against the side.

You don't answer immediately and Lucifer waits.

"Are you familiar with Les Misérables?" You asked, still not looking at him.

And Lucifer humors you, "I am vaguely familiar of it."

"Then are you familiar at the end of it?"

He shakes his head and you continue, " To quote Victor Hugo, 'When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity, the secret of life has been discovered so far as they are concerned; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the two wings of the same spirit.' end quote."

You wait for him to absorb what you had just said and when ample time had passed, you asked "Do you believe that the same thing could apply between a demon who had come to love a human, a human who in turn loves them back?"

At this you looked at him in the eye, and Lucifer sees all of you in that moment. The scarred and tired soul in you, the naïve and bold soul in you that burns bright, he sees the dichotomy of your soul and feels the black tar in his veins drum loudly.

He is equal parts terrified and excited of what you might do. The implications of your words.

"If it was you...perhaps there is room for another miracle."

You blinked at him in surprised before you give him your most genuine smile in a long while. And Lucifer knew, as you walked away with your back straight, that another end had begun.

He lets you go.

The Tower of Babel was said to be humanity's downfall. A desire to build something that could reach God and pierce through the Heavens. The desire to be equals with the assumed creator.

A group of humans punished to never speak the same language and yet years later it hardly mattered to those who persevered.

In this, your actions and plan, as far as Solomon was willing to be concerned about metaphors was your own Tower of Babel. A plan to undo what his contracted demon, Barbatos, had done. It was insane in theory but as you drew upon his collected knowledge and built upon it from your own unique perspective he was convinced that you'd beat the odds.

It was insane and yet as days passed and turned to weeks and weeks into month you were proving him wrong. And Solomon had never felt much excitement until now, it had been so long since he saw such an interesting phenomena that he had ended up helping you more that he should.

For right in front of him, was a human attempting to be God.

There had always been a price to pay, the world at its core functioned as such. A well integrated ecosystem that work best when things were given and taken in the right way, with the right price, at the right moment.

You played God by recreating, with mixture of Alchemy and Necromancy, to get your real body back. The one you knew Belphegor had happily mutilated and thrown at Mammon's arms.

And as you inhabited it again, you knew what price you had to pay, and as you stared at the version of you that belonged to this reality. You let yourself exhale a shaky sigh before making a break for it. It had taken you so much effort to conceal this from Barbatos and the Celestial Realm and thus by virtue the very consciousness of this world.

You laugh at the irony of simultaneously having time and not having it as you ran through the streets of devildom and into the House of Lamentation. You were high on adrenaline, as you desperately wished for it to work.

You cared only for the end result, ignoring the looks of pedestrians and then the demons you cohabited with for 5 months. You opened Mammon's door and headed straight for the door beside his car that you went through.

You knocked thrice and opened it.

Desperate and willing the world to work itself to your favor.

You stepped in and darkness greeted you.

In your absence, Mammon had relearned the cruelty of being the one left behind. He remembered with each passing moment ,as he looked at the traces of you left in his room, the pain of heart break.

He plays with the ring you left behind, a memento of your parents' once perfect marriage, and recalls the way you had slipped it on his finger long ago. When you had caught him snooping around your room, and instead of calling Lucifer to enact punishment you had taken your mother's ring and given him your father's.

Gently holding his empty left hand and sliding it on his ring finger. The soft rays of the moon illuminating you, and giving the gold ring a soft gleam.

"Keep this," You had said "Maybe this time it would work out."

He hadn't dared to question what "it" meant. Because he hadn't been prepared for the way you had looked at him, he wasn't ready for your affection at that time. Too pure and kind, as if he was the Warrior that he once was in Heaven.

Not the fallen, broken pieces of him that was a hollow facsimile of who he used to be. So he had said nothing and decided to let nature take its place and fell in love you slowly, steadily, with each bits and pieces you had given him. In the disjointed stories of who you used to be and who you were now.

And now he laughs, broken, at the irony of it all. At his naïvety that he would get to keep you and this time no promise would have been broken. He looks at the ring on his hand, a perfect match of what he wore on his left and he lets his tears fall.

You had been gone for too long.

Barbatos and Diavolo welcomes you back and you smile at them. With all of your teeth and let your divinity leak out. The playing field had changed once more and you were no longer a pawn.

They let you leave the castle with a shaky truce and thinly veiled threats.

When Mammon wakes up his lights are off and he is on his bed. He stills when he feels the bright aura of divinity, close to God and yet not.

You see the Celestial Warrior that once was and you see the Fallen Warrior and understood why he was the second strongest.

"I'm back, Mammon."

And the lights turn on and you find yourself pinned under him as sobs wracked his frame. Your heart that had been moved by him long ago aches and all the longing, yearning, and pining you've had settles as you reached out for him and held him close to you.

"Why?" He asked.

And you knew that he knew you were no longer fully human.

"It was the only way to give everyone a happy ending" You answered even if you knew that you had change everything beyond imagination.

And Mammon lets you keep your lies because he had already pieced together the bits and pieces that made you. He had seen you and understood you and thus he had come to know you.

Because at your core, you were just as greedy of him as he was of you. Perhaps this was not the redemption Victor Hugo had spoken of, but such things matter not when you were Mammon's God, His Savior and Redemption.

#mammon x mc #mammon x reader #obey me mammon #obey me mammon x reader #obey me mammon x mc #obey-me-mammon-x-reader #drunk writing #mobile update #fixed #obey me

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