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pengychan · 29 days

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[Baldur’s Gate III] Hell to Pay, Ch. 24

Illustration by @raphaels-little-beast

Title: Hell to Pay Summary: Assassinating an archdevil is a daunting task, even for the heroes of Baldur’s Gate. Some inside help from ‘the devil they know’ would be good, if not for the detail their last meeting ended with said devil dead in his own home. Or did it? Characters: Raphael, the Dark Urge, Astarion, Haarlep, Halsin, Karlach, Wyll. Rating: E Status: In progress

All chapters will be tagged as ‘hell to pay’ on my blog. Also on Ao3.

*** One last chance to take a break and spend a few pleasant nights before a big fight. Also one more chance for Raphael to be a complete idiot but what else is new. ***

“Inform his erinyes - is that exactly what Bel said?”

“Yes. He said he can help us infiltrate the Flying Fortress - covertly, that is. You can use the horn to call them now, little duke. We have not used it today. By the way, I did some target practice, did you notice--”

“I don’t think we should do it. You can’t trust a fiend,” Lulu spoke up, throwing a glare in Haarlep’s direction. Doubly rude, with how she'd cut them off. “Not them, and not Bel.”

Her objection was met with a scoff by Raphael. “To redeem Zariel is to get her out of the way, and Bel is free to reclaim his old throne once that happens. Our interests align.”

“A devil will go against their own interests as long as it’s to cause pain!”

“I suspect you’re getting us mixed up with demons,” Raphael replied, his voice dry, and the hollyphant paused in obvious confusion.

“Us? But you’re human. I can tell.”

“Oh, a temporary inconvenience,” Haarlep muttered, putting an arm around Raphael’s shoulders with a grin. He scoffed, but he did not pull away. On the contrary, he seemed to lean into the touch a bit more than necessary. An interesting little detail Haarlep was rather happy to note. “He’s half-fiend, you see, and an unfortunate incident saw his soul torn in two. This is the human half, on his way to reclaim the rest.”

That seemed to confuse the hollyphant even more. “Reclaim it? Why? You’ve been cured--”

“I have been mutilated,” Raphael cut her off. “That’s half of my soul, and I never willingly surrendered it. I fully intend to take it back.”

“Aren’t you better off without--”

“No, he is not,” Halsin spoke, not unkindly. He seemed to have more patience for the little celestial nuisance than most of them combined. “It is not right, for two halves of the same being to be torn apart. Neither is complete, and both suffer - no matter what kind of being it is. He wants to be whole again, and we intend to help him.”

The hollyphant didn't seem convinced, but at least she didn't argue the point further. She did not, however, drop her argument against turning to Bel. “What if he steals the Sword?”

“To do what, use it as a toothpick?” Astarion muttered. The dragonborn had rushed to him the moment they'd returned, and had yet to let go of his hand - a detail the vampire spawn did not seem to mind. Raphael, too, had gone straight to Haarlep… although he did not take their hand, or indeed touch them at all. “From what you've told us, there's no way he can actually attune to that sword. It's virtually useless to him. And we're going to need help.”

“But-- a devil!”

“Look, you don't have to like the guy,” Karlach muttered. “But you'll find there's a shortage of non-fiends to turn to for help in the Hells. Sometimes you gotta take the leap and trust someone wants what you can give them more than they want to stab you in the back.”

The hollyphant looked back, hesitating. For all her hostility, Haarlep couldn't really blame her. They wouldn't be much happier to rely on the advice and goodwill of a celestial, either.

“... And what if you judge it wrong?” she finally asked. Karlach glanced over at Raphael before she sighed and crossed her arms.

“If Raphael thinks we should hear him out, then we should hear him out,” she finally said, and that was about the end of the argument. Haarlep held the horn out to Raphael, who blew in it to call for Bel’s personal guard. Granted, Haarlep would think later, the introductions with the hollyphant could have gone just a touch better. However, it could have also gone worse.

Erinyes were fallen celestials just like Zariel, after all, and Lulu probably needed to believe there was some good in them too, however delusional that may be. At the very least, she didn't try to blast them to pieces. Once the glares and insults died down, the erinyes turned their attention to the one thing which truly mattered - the fact that they finally had the Sword.

“Lord Bel will be happy to grant you an audience,” Oreasha said. Her gaze ran over each of them, but ultimately paused on Raphael. For the briefest moment, her lips seemed to quirk upwards. “He’s particularly keen to see his old steward again.”

Raphael gave a brief bow. “And I am keen to discuss our next move with Lord Bel.”

“Oh gods, tell me we're not to trek all the way back to that volcano!” Astarion groaned, only for Oreasha to shake her head.

“We shall bring you there right away. It will only take a few instants.”

“... You could have spared us this entire journey or almost, is what I'm hearing.”

“You're hearing wrong. That was not what we were charged to do.”

“We'll gratefully take your offer now,” Raphael spoke quickly before Astarion could say anything else or, worse, before the obviously unhappy hollyphant could have second thoughts. He turned back to the dragonborn, saying nothing, but his message was plain enough: trust me.

Trusting a devil was never wise, but Raphael was technically no devil anymore and they were obviously not very wise, so trust him they did. They nodded, just once, and that was that. Haarlep felt one of the erinyes put a hand on their shoulder, felt a pull not unlike that of blinking into the Ethereal Plane - and then the dank darkness of the scab was replaced by the glow of glowing magma as they stood in the volcano Bel had turned into his home, on roughly carved stone steps.

“Lord Bel - Raphael has the Sword,” Oreasha spoke.

There was a deep, throaty chuckle that Haarlep recognized immediately. “Ah, I knew he could pull it off. The hollyphant is a surprise, though.”

Sitting on his stone throne carved out of the volcano’s own wall, Lord Bel leaned forward. His bestial face opened in a grin, baring sharp fangs. It made him look vicious and dangerous but, within the limits of a pit fiend’s definition, not unfriendly.

“Lord Bel,” Raphael greeted him, and sank to one knee. “It has been some time.”

Bel wasn’t lord of anything anymore, but did not correct him. “So it has. You look well enough, Raphael, for someone who was supposedly digested by Lord Mephistopheles long ago.”

“You know as well as I do, my lord, that my father could never quite stomach me,” Raphael replied, and the laugh that followed boomed through the chamber - not quite as loud as the one Haarlep had gotten out of him, but almost.

“Hah! A too delicate constitution, I'd say - a common affliction among wizards, no matter who they are.” A chortle, and he gestured for Raphael to stand. “It is good to see you, truly. I see your allies forgot to kneel, but it's a transgression I'm willing to ignore. The lot of you must be impressive indeed, to foil a scheme by the Dead Three. And you barely had need of my erinyes while traversing Avernus, too.”

Probably realizing that standing there and staring wordlessly at an archdevil - or at the slow-flowing magma coming down the walls into the pools on both sides of the throne room - was making them look rather stupid, Durge cleared their throat and bowed their head.

“That is kind of you to say, Lord Bel, but we succeeded partly thanks to the help we received from our allies. We’d be glad to count you as one, if you’re inclined to help.”

“Be careful, be careful, be careful,” the hollyphant muttered, obviously distressed.

Bel chuckled again. “Under most other circumstances your warning would be warranted, celestial, but not now. I want your old mistress off my throne; if giving her a halo back is what it takes, so be it.”

Raphael tilted back his head. “A most brazen plan, I have to say. It would not only free your throne, but remove her from the picture entirely. Does the Lord Below will it?”

“Whether or not he wills it, I am not at liberty to tell you.”

It was as close to a yes as he could go, and they all knew it. “Surely, he is aware.”

“You are too clever not to know that nothing goes on in the Hells which the Lord Below does not know or imagine. But he has ways to make his displeasure known, and he has not thus far. We all must take risks, after all, the same you did when you revealed and thwarted your own father’s deal with a vampire lord. Seven thousand souls, it cost him. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that was his true gripe with you, rather than a scheme to get your hands on a crown no devil worth their salt wouldn’t want to obtain,” Bel added.

Raphael paused, and gave Haarlep a decidedly annoyed look. “I see that my incubus has been loose of tongue,” he seethed. Haarlep grinned.

“You can hardly blame me, lordling. You boasted about yanking those souls out of his grasp so loudly, how could I not think you’d want Lord Bel to know of the accomplishment?”

With a look that promised a punishment Raphael had frankly disappointingly never delivered, he clearly decided to drop the matter. “... Yes, we do all take our risks, and I have never known you to be rash, Lord Bel. My question was not meant as an impertinence.”

A chuckle, a vague gesture of his hand. “No offense taken,” he said. Then his eyes paused on Karlach, and he smiled. “Ah, I know you. I’ve seen you fight, if from afar. Impressive, truly.”

Karlach nodded, stiffly. “I never wanted to fight in the Blood War for Zariel,” she spoke, obviously wary. It was no surprise: last time a devil had appreciated her resilience and fighting skills, Haarlep was told, she had found herself with an infernal engine in her chest.

“Ah, so I have been told. No chance, then, that you may be inclined to remain and fight among my host once your engine has been fixed up?”

She pressed her lips together. “Not a single one.”

A sigh. “Had to ask, you understand. But I also understand you were promised something in exchange for your help - the freedom to leave Avernus. I have no intention to change that.” A gesture to the magma around them. “This place is not called Bel’s Forge for nothing. Bring here the schematics for your new heart once Zariel is no more, and it will be built.”

“With a full warranty, I imagine,” Raphael spoke, and Bel laughed again.

“Of course, but it won't be needed. Anything made here is made to last well beyond a mortal lifetime. Now, you must be tired. We will have time to discuss the finer details - a tenday.”

“A tenday?” Durge repeated, more than a little wary. “Why a tenday?”

“That is when the Flying Fortress will next dock, to refill its engines with souls from the Styx so that it may remain airborne. It will be your best chance to infiltrate it, with inside help.”

“That's true,” Karlach conceded with a nod. “The Flying Fortress moves all the damn time. If we're ever going to get a chance to get in, it will be while it's docked for a soul refill.”

“And this inside help would include my patron, I suppose? She gave me the mission to ensure the archdevil Zariel would be no more,” Wyll spoke, gaining himself a smile from Bel.

“I see no reason to name names. But you will have help, once you're inside. How precisely you'll bypass the guards is something we'll have to discuss. Until then,” Bel added, “you'll be my esteemed guests. Oreasha, see that they're shown their rooms, so they may rest. You may roam this place at will, as long as you're mindful not to fall in magma. I'm told it's unpleasant, for mortals. My forgemaster too is at your disposal.”

Raphael bowed his head one more time. “It seems I owe you once again, Lord Bel.”

“That you do, but not for long. You always had a way of repaying your debts.”

“That has not changed, let me assure you,” he replied, to another flash of those sharp fangs.

“Then I hope that once you're whole again, we'll have more chances to talk. Mephisto won't be able to get his claws on you here, once I am Lord of the First again. Do keep it in mind.”

One last bow. “I will,” Raphael said, and as they retired to rest, he seemed to be breathing a little more easily.

***

“You know, love, I should make you fear for my life a little more often, if this is the result.”

Laying with their head on Halsin’s stomach and Astarion resting across their own chest, Durge let out a noise that was sort of a scoff, sort of a groan, sort of a laugh. “You shouldn’t say it even as a joke. I thought my heart was going to stop.”

“Beats perfectly fine, from what I can hear. Besides, you have to admit that sex has a different flavor after a near death experience.”

“That it does, but I’d hesitate to say it’s worth it,” Halsin muttered, his voice a pleasant rumble beneath Durge’s head. “I do not need to be terrified to enjoy the bodies nature has gifted us.”

Astarion’s subsequent groan was not too far away from a laugh. “You’re never not going to bring up nature, are you?”

Another low, pleasant rumble of a chuckle. “Ah, my apologies. I’ve felt so disconnected from nature lately, it was… nice, to be reminded.”

“Oooh, I see. Heard that, love? I’m a reminder of nature.”

Durge chuckled, tangling their fingers through Astarion’s hair, and for a time they enjoyed a peaceful silence. As much as they’d missed making camp with their companions in the half year which had followed the fall of the Netherbrain, there was something to be said for the ability to enjoy a good romp without the risk of being interrupted and making things… well, rather awkward. Now, in a room they shared with only Halsin and Astarion, basking in the afterglow, Durge was starting to think that a tenday there wasn’t too long a wait.

There would need time to plan and prepare, after all.

They had barely glimpsed the rooms given to their other companions - two other rooms aside from their own, each of them opening up in a common space. Raphael and Haarlep had settled in one, and the third… well…

“Do you think Wyll and Karlach are finally going to get down to business?” Astarion asked, as though reading their mind, and Durge laughed.

“I’m doubtful.”

“Oh, come now. He may be the pure and polite boy every girl wants to introduce to her parents, but I’m sure that now that they’ve got their own--”

“The hollyphant is there with them.”

“Ah, that. Yes, I can see how it would kill the mood, unless Karlach kills it first.”

“Surely she wouldn’t.”

“I don’t know. If the celestial little menace doesn’t take a break from singing Zariel’s praises, she may get an axe through the head before we’re even halfway through our stay here.”

They shared another chuckle before falling quiet again. In the end, it was Halsin to speak again. “Do you think she will be all right? If we succeed and Zariel is a celestial once more?”

Durge sighed. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

“She’ll be fine,” Astarion spoke, and shrugged, not turning to look at either of them. He was staring at a wall, cheek still resting on Durge’s chest. “Or fine as she can be. The alternative is worse. Wyll would be too steep a price to pay for some revenge.”

“... I truly hope you’re right.”

“Oh, but I am. Take it from your local vengeful bastard, she won’t regret it. If Cazador was somehow back and alive, and I was told I could kill him for good by sacrificing either of you, then I’d have to let the bastard walk. I wouldn’t like it, but the choice would be too obvious. I’d sooner live with that and-- agh! My spine! Warn me before you squeeze me like that-- Halsin, not you too! Ugh, I take it all back! The hells can have you both!”

There was laughter and some more cursing, but none of it was any more real than Astarion’s half-hearted attempts at pulling away.

For all his grumling he remained where he was, holding onto them just as tight.

***

“Oh, come now, my little brat. If I didn't know better, I'd start to suspect you're angry at me.”

“You never know better. As a matter of fact, my current state of mind is best described as livid. ”

Haarlep sighed, rolling their eyes. “Ah, there is no need to be dramatic. I answered a few of lord Bel’s questions, that is all.” They made a vague gesture with their hand, splashing hot water. The tub looked ridiculously inviting, particularly with Haarlep in it, but Raphael made an effort to ignore it. He retained some resistance to heat, but he suspected his mortal body would not handle the near-boiling water particularly that well.

The volcano was not luxurious, particularly compared to the House of Hope, but after weeks on end spent sleeping in tents or caves, it would certainly do. Raphael scoffed, but didn’t retort. He looked over more closely instead, searching for any marks left by the near miss with the holy light. He found none, but he couldn’t get the vision out of his mind - the burned skin and seared flesh. And the screams. Not the worst screams he’d heard in the Hells by far, yet they had sent him into a near senseless state of panic when they’d rang out.

And now they seemed to keep echoing into his mind. He had never heard Haarleep scream in such a way before, and he rather hoped he never would again. Unaware of his thoughts, Haarlep grinned. “Enjoy what you see?” they asked, spreading their arms and leaning back against the side of the tub. “Oh, of course you do. You always enjoy looking into the mirror.”

His own face, if younger, burned by-- hellfire --holy light. His own voice screaming, his own features twisting in pain. Through the mirror darkly, the picture of his own demise.

I didn’t know, he’d said, and it was true, but it was not all he’d meant to say. More words had remained unsaid, stuck painfully in his throat. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

“... Raphael?” Haarlep called out, the smug tone giving way to mild confusion.

Raphael cleared his throat, and shook his head. “No,” he found himself saying. “I don’t enjoy what I’m seeing.”

A perfect copy, Haarlep had boasted the first time they’d taken his form, and it had been true then, but not anymore. He had aged, while Haarlep’s mimicry of him never did. A glamor of himself frozen in time, a man grown by mortal standards but still so very young by hellish ones. Young and foolish and destined to fail.

Haarlep blinked, and looked down at their chest. “What is it? Did it leave scars?” they asked, somewhat alarmed. “Is it unsightly? Where--”

“... No scarring that I can see.”

“Huh. Then what--”

“Change form.”

“Oh.” A pause, then the perplexed expression faded in a grin. “Oooh, I see. A little change, then? That’s very welcomed indeed. Whose form? I’m afraid I did promise not to use the dragonborn’s, in case you changed your mind about that. And I have not had the chance to try adding lord Bel to my glamors - don’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about it, who wouldn’t? But, I have collected a few--”

Any form, I don’t care, Raphael thought, but that was not what left his mouth. “Yours.”

The grin on Haarlep’s - his - face seemed to freeze, then faded into yet more confusion. “Mine?” they repeated, tilting their head. “Why? You never once asked for my true form, not since I took yours.”

He hadn’t, had he? Haarlep had bedded him while wearing their own form once, on their first night, and then never again. Raphael had never asked to see any face above him but his own; he could not recall, he realized now, what Haarlep’s own form even looked like.

“I am asking now,” he found himself replying, not quite knowing why he was asking in the first place. Another long look, their expression uncharacteristically serious, before Haarlep spoke.

“You don’t own me anymore.”

“I am aware.”

“You can’t demand any form of me.”

“... I won’t. It is a request.”

Another pause, and Haarlep rose from the tub. Their every movement was always effortlessly sensual, but this time there was a sense of purpose as they strode to the bed where Raphael sat, as they crouched to meet his eyes. Water ran down their body in rivulets, and their-- his -- face was so close, their lips almost touched. Raphael did not close that space between them, and neither did Haarlep. Instead, they spoke in a whisper.

“Say please,” they demanded, and even though they had no reason to keep their voices down Raphael found himself whispering his response as well.

“Please.”

This was not precisely how they usually made him plead, but getting that word out of him never failed to get a wide, satisfied grin out of the incubus. This time, they did not grin: they just closed their eyes, leaned back, and shed Raphael’s glamor with a long breath. Within moments the crimson skin had turned cinnamon, their frame shorter and leaner. The horns were smaller, the hair long and wine-red. When they opened their eyes, their pupils were red. Their mouth was smaller, more delicate than Raphael's. Haarlep’s lips curled, just barely, before they stood and took a couple of steps back.

“Well then,” they said, spreading their arms and wings. “Enjoy what you see?”

The smugness was there once again, but it felt uncharacteristically forced, as though Haarlep was not certain of the response they’d get. As though they were not stunning, with delicate features and a lithe body, hair catching the light like threads of red silk.

Raphael found himself staring, mouth dry. The first and only time he’d seen them like that he’d been angry over the perceived slight from a father he’d yet hoped to impress, unable to think of anything but his wounded pride. Now, he was thinking two things: that he could have been having this all along, and that he was an idiot.

“Yes.” Raphael’s voice was still only a whisper, and something about it made Haarlep’s grin waver, if only for a moment. Then they leaned back against the tub, and licked their lips.

“Then you should show your appreciation, shouldn’t you, my little brat?”

That was familiar, an invitation they’d uttered more times than could be counted. Getting on his knees, too, was familiar - but the hand in his hair was smaller, the thighs he held onto not as muscled. Between those thighs Haarlep’s cock was still soft, nestled in curly red hair. Beneath it was the pink opening of a cunt - that, too, he’d forgotten about.

Raphael swallowed, and looked up. Haarlep met his gaze with a hungry look, and their hand clenched in his hair. “And I haven’t even kissed you,” they muttered, the half-smile playing on their lips again. They pressed a bare foot on his groin, on the erection straining against the trousers, and laughed at the resulting groan. “This is all you. How very naughty. What should I do with you, I wonder?”

Anything you want, Raphael would usually say at that point, staring at his own sneering face. Archduke, he’d call them. But he had no time to say either thing before Haarlep pulled him closer by the hair, to press his face against their groin. Their voice - their voice entirely, not a version of his own - was a little hoarse when they spoke again.

“You’ll make me come first, pet, if it takes you all night. Make me come and then I’ll fuck you.”

A shiver, and Raphael pulled back enough to take their cock in his mouth, eyes slipping shut--

“No.” The pull on his hair was sharp, merciless. Raphael let out a pained yelp around them, and looked up. Haarlep's eyes caught his; they seemed to burn. “You wanted my true form, so now you'll look at it. Look at me. You won't stop looking for a single moment, my little brat. That's an order.”

Raphael whined deep in his throat, nodding as much as he could manage without letting them slip out of his mouth. His eyes watered by the time he'd taken most of it down his throat, by the time he reached up between Haarlep's thighs blindly to push his fingers in the tight heat of their cunt, but he did not look away.

It was far from the first time he pleasured them with his mouth, but this was the first time the sensation did not extend to him. He was painfully hard, but the fact he was not feeling both ends of the action, taking and being taken, allowed him to last… longer than he otherwise would have. There was less to feel, but more time to feel it.

He was vaguely aware of his own rushing blood in his ears, the heat in his groin, the uncomfortable tightness of trousers he was almost certainly going to soil soon enough. But all he could truly focus on was Haarlep's face, the way their features softened in pleasure, the way they parted their lips - and the grip in his hair, the growing hardness against his tongue, the slick wetness around his fingers. Haarlep groaned and arched their back, pushing their hips forward to go as deep down his throat as they could get.

He choked for a moment, the cock not as thick as his own but longer; he did not protest, though, did not pull away. When his vision blurred he blinked away tears and still looked up, lips stretched at the base. Haarlep stared a few instants before they laughed, delighted.

“Good boy,” they crooned, and it undid him just like that, the orgasm sudden and harsh, tearing a near sob out of his lungs. Raphael shuddered, but did not pull back. His fingers slipped a moment out of Haarlep before his thumb found their clit, and pressed against it.

It was not enough to undo Haarlep in turn - incubi had a degree of control over their body no other devil, and certainly no mortal, could hope to match. But it got a moan out of them, and the laugh that followed was just a touch more breathless than before as they pulled back, leaving Raphael feeling empty and trembling.

“Ah, look at you, trying so hard.” Haarlep crouched in front of him, cupping his jaw. Their eyes were half-lidded, red as rubies. “And already finished? That won't do at all,” they chuckled, and finally - finally - leaned in to kiss him, their saliva sending a shudder down Raphael's spine. He groaned and clutched them without thinking, kissing back deeply, sucking on their tongue. By the time they pulled back he was hard again, his loins on fire. “There,” Haarlep crooned. “Much better. Maybe I won't make you wait to fuck you, after all, to reward a good attemp--”

Raphael kissed them again, without warning. Their true form was not much larger than his human one and they lost their balance, falling back on the floor with a noise of surprise, Raphael on top of them. When he pulled back to catch his breath, they laughed.

“Oh, I really don't mind this angle,” they purred, and lifted their head to nibble at his throat. Their hands reached down to unlace his trousers, pushing them down his thighs. Raphael bit back a groan when a hand closed around his cock, giving it a couple of firm strokes. “I might be starting to think you should have asked for this form a long time ago…”

Raphael may have agreed, if he'd been able to form words. Instead he shuddered and pulled back just enough to look down at Haarlep's erection, at the glistening wetness between their things. He almost voiced his question, but Haarlep got there first. They gripped his chin and turned his face so that he'd look them in the eyes.

“I'll have you inside, this time,” Haarlep spoke, in a clear order.

Raphael swallowed. “I don't know if I--”

“If you don't last, you'll clean your mess with your tongue. And then you'll ride me until I'm done. Is that clear?”

The thought alone was nearly enough to undo him a second time. Raphael let out a long, shaky breath. “Yes.”

“And you won't look away, my little brat.” The grip on his face tightened. “Not one moment.”

He didn't.

***

“I’m going to kill her.”

“We probably shouldn’t murder a celestial.”

“I’d kill her just a little. I mean, if she dies she goes back to the Citadel. No harm done.”

“We’ll probably need her to convince Zariel to attune to the sword instead of destroying it.”

“Ah, yeah. Guess that would kind of suck, dealing with a pissed off Zariel without the sword.”

To say it would kind of suck was the understatement of the decade as far as Wyll was concerned, but Karlach muttered those words with the same distant, tired tone of someone who just returned from a long trip to the nearest market only to realize she forgot to pick up the milk. In the middle of the room some distance away, Lulu was fluttering back and forth, muttering under her breath something that Wyll suspected was a small speech she was practicing for the moment she faced Zariel again.

Good to be prepared, he supposed, but it made trying to sleep really, really difficult.

In the end, Wyll opted to make another attempt at being convincing before he resorted to casting Silence on her, which Lulu would probably not appreciate. “Lulu? I was wondering if this could wait until tomorrow. I’m sure it’s very important, but we’re really very--”

Sleepy, he almost said, but Karlach chose that moment to yawn loudly and drop her head on his shoulder. She was clearly well beyond just sleepy, and the hollyphant caught that at last.

“Oh-- oh! Right! You need to sleep and I’m keeping you up! I’m so sorry! There are just so many things I want to tell Zariel, if she’ll listen-- I mean, of course she’ll listen! She almost listened last time, I told you, didn’t I? When I was in the dungeons and I almost got through to her, and then that devil showed up with the dagger--”

“Please shut up,” Karlach groaned, another yawn making her words almost unintelligible. Wyll gave Lulu a smile.

“I’m sure you’ll think of the right things to say, but we really do need some rest now. You could keep practicing outside, perhaps?”

“Oh! Of course, I’ll do that. And I’ll hold guard, too - I’ll blast real loud if some devil tries to sneak into any of your rooms!”

Wyll had no reason to think Bel would try anything underhanded, with their interests so clearly aligned, but then again it never hurt to have someone keeping an eye out for everyone else while in a devil’s den. So he nodded, the smile widening.

“That would be excellent, actually.”

"Right! I’ll be just outside!” Lulu exclaimed, and fluttered out without another word. Wyll chuckled.

“Well, that wasn’t too--”

“Srnnk…”

As Karlach’s snoring rang out, only an inch from his right ear, Wyll held back a laugh - it wouldn’t do to awaken her now that she’d just settled - and leaned back more comfortably against the wall, resting his head against hers before he closed his eyes.

His last thought before he fell asleep was that he really, really hoped they wouldn’t wake up to hopelessly tangled horns.

***

The very first thing Haarlep saw when they opened their eyes was their own hand, resting against the side of Raphael’s sleeping face. It took them a moment to recognize it as their own, unused as they were to their form; as a matter of fact, they recognized the ring at their finger first. The gold band, the light blue stones.

It helps ward off death for a time, if you’re downed. It should give us more time to heal you, Raphael had said after pressing it against their palm, and Haarlep wondered if he’d had any idea just how close to death they would come less than a day later.

Would they have survived the ordeal, if not for that ring? They may never know, but they had a distinct suspicion that they wouldn’t have. The pain had been excruciating as it had been unexpected; they remembered screaming for help, for Raphael’s help. And he did rush to them, pale-faced and even crying. An odd sight, that, surprising but not unwelcome.

They had made him weep many times in bed - that night included, truth he told - but that had been different. It had been fear and guilt, threatening to spill into grief. All from a being who was not meant to feel any, towards a creature who was not meant to elicit any either.

A human heart, with only half a soul to keep it in check. No wonder he's different. It will be gone, whatever this is, once he's whole again. Part human, mostly fiend, one complete bastard.

But until that happened, Haarlep would do what they'd always done best: indulge. Raphael had not turned into a great lover overnight, but he did last longer than he ever did when feeling both ends at once… and most of all, he had wanted to pleasure them. Haarlep could appreciate the attempt, from someone who'd seemed to only ever want to fuck a mirror.

But he looked at me. Never stopped looking at me.

It was not something Haarlep could say they'd ever imagined happening, nor something they'd wished for. But then it happened, Raphael's eyes fixed on their face - theirs! - and suddenly they'd wanted him to keep looking, they'd wanted it like breathing. Such pretty eyes he had, and now they wanted to see them again. So they leaned in, stroked his cheek with their thumb, and kissed him on the bridge of his nose.

“Mmh…” Raphael frowned a moment, causing his nose to scrunch up in that delightful way it always did. When his eyes opened and he blinked a couple of times to put them into focus, Haarlep waited for the inevitable order-- request he can give me orders no more --to change back to his likeness again.

Instead, he groaned and dropped his forehead against their chest. “Everything hurts everywhere,” he muttered.

And a good morning to you too, brat.

Haarlep laughed perhaps a touch louder than it was warranted, a little lightheaded for reasons they should probably not wonder about too hard. “Of course it does. You rode me for hours, you poor thing.” Their hand brushed back his hair, ran down his back. They pressed their fingers against sore muscles and Raphael arched into it with a groan. “But you have done so well.”

“You were holding back on purpose, weren't you?” he grumbled against their skin, only to hiss when Haarlep's hand slid further down, over his still sore hole, over the dried semen which had dripped out of him.

“Ah, can you blame me for wanting it to last?” Haarlep purred, and nibbled at his ear. “You were delightful, truly.”

“Mph.” Raphael grumbled, and pulled back just enough to look at them - truly look, again. His eyes were half-lidded, and he reached to take some of Haarlep's hair, running his fingers through it. He seemed about to say something, then he hesitated, and remained quiet. Unusual, that. Raphael was not one to keep silent when he had a chance to talk and listen to his own voice for hours on end.

“Shall I change form, my little lord?”

“It would be wise, before we step outside. An incubus’ true form ought to remain a private matter, I know.”

“I don't think we need to step outside just yet.”

“We don't.”

Haarlep went to smooth back his hair, and Raphael took their hand before they could pull it back. His fingers found the ring and he looked at it, running his thumb over it. He knew, as well as Haarlep did, how that little trinket had likely played a part in keeping them alive. Without it… well. A devil slain in Baator is gone for good.

Most of the time at least. Their little brat was always the exception to many rules, but Haarlep was a full devil; their own death would have been permanent.

“... A useful artifact,” Raphael spoke, still thumbing at it. “Make sure not to lose it.”

“I'll treasure it, my pet. Like you treasure your mother’s gift, I see,” they added, running their fingertips over Raphael’s ring finger, over the now useless ring on it. It caused Raphael to pause and stare at it for a few moments before he sat up-- well. Tried to sit up, winced, and leaned against the wall, still focused on the ring. Haarlep blinked. “... Raphael?”

He didn’t reply right away: just stared at the ring for a few more moments, turning it on his finger, before he smiled. “I need to see Bel now. I have an idea.”

“What you have is a sore backside and semen all over your thighs. I’ll draw you a bath first, little duke. Not too hot, so that it doesn’t redden that delicate skin,” Haarlep added, as though Raphael’s skin wasn’t already reddened from the previous night’s activities. It made him crinkle his nose in annoyance again.

“Insolent as always,” he muttered, but all his crankiness seemed to vanish the moment he realized Haarlep was going to be in the tub, too. The simplest trick in the book, but it always worked.

Haarlep may have laughed at how easy that had been, had their mouth not been otherwise occupied as soon as Raphael joined them in the water.

***

The tenday as Bel's guests - well, actually nine days - flew by faster than Karlach had expected them to. And it wasn't all that bad, really: there was enough time to finally get all of their weapons and armor upgraded, for one. If their attempt with the Sword failed and it came to having to fight Zariel, they would definitely need it.

Dammon would have probably lost his entire mind in that forge; she'd have to tell him about it next time she stopped by at the Gate, to ask how it measured up to the one he'd visited.

And of course, as well as the weapons, the forgemaster and a mage had worked tirelessly to forge something else - rings.

“A teleposition spell? Ah, so that is how they got you out of Mephisto’s maw in the nick of time,” Bel had commented with Raphael’s ring in the palm of their hand, the day he'd explained his plan to infiltrate the Fortress. “Ingenious, I must admit, however little I trust magic. It is a sound enough plan, if we can get enough rings forged on time.”

They could, and they did. The day before the Flying Fortress was due to dock at the Styx, one of Bel’s envoys took off to meet it, carrying reports on the movement of troops on the ground… as well as seven rings.

The other seven stayed with them, near exact copies of the one Raphael had been wearing. Well, except for the one that needed to be large enough to fit around a hollyphant's tusk.

“All right, let me see if I got this right,” Astarion was saying, toying with his ring. “Tomorrow we cast an illusion spell to make us look ugly, and get taken to the Styx. Once the Fortress docks close enough, we put these on.” He held up the ring. “And if Bel’s agents inside didn't fuck it up, we'll be in there in seconds without anyone noticing.”

“That's the gist of it,” Raphael replied. “Does it meet your approval?”

“Ah, I'm not a plans kind of guy,” Astarion replied with a shrug, pocketing the ring. “This sounds perfectly decent to me. Once we're in, we'll just wing it.”

“I am not certain I'm comfortable with the concept of winging it when fighting a devil in her own fortress.”

“Worked well enough against you,” Karlach pointed out, gaining herself a rather tired sigh.

“Fair enough.” Raphael pocketed his own ring. “Very well. That is all. We ought to rest and--”

“Where's mine?”

Haarlep's voice caused him to trail off, and everyone to pause and glance over. That was true, Karlach realized - with Lulu included, they needed eight pairs of rings. Why had Raphael only asked for seven?

“You don't have one,” Raphael replied, his voice dry. “You're going to remain here.”

A scoff. “Oh, come now. I always wondered what the Flying Fortress looks like.”

“I’ll make sure to tell you all when we return,” Raphael snapped, causing Haarlep to trail off and blink. It seemed to dawn in on them, quite suddenly, that Raphael was serious. And they didn't seem much like that, if the scowl on the face they were wearing was anything to go by.

“I’m coming with you, my little brat.”

Raphael scoffed as though they had just said something so absurd, it hardly warranted acknowledgment. “You most certainly are not. You’ll wait for my-- for our return here, where it's safe.”

“Safe? I didn't come here to be safe!” Haarlep snapped, their voice harsh enough to catch Karlach by surprise. And everyone else, it seemed. “I was given a mission to make sure you had the best chance--”

“Well then, consider the mission fulfilled,” Raphael cut them off. He was scowling, but wasn't looking at them, or even in their general direction. Behind him, Durge and Astarion were exchanging a quick look. “I have as good a chance as I am ever going to get. I no longer have need--”

“You no longer own me, and you may no longer give me orders. I most certainly am coming,” Haarlep cut him off in turn. “Someone has to look after you--”

“I can look after myself well enough. If I did need anybody else to look after me, I’d pick someone capable of fighting.”

“I infiltrated the scab, didn't I?”

“And you almost died screaming.”

“There won't be any holy light where we're going. I can have a look around the Fortress and--”

“Fooling a few demons doesn't make you a master spy, you imbecile! If you're caught--”

“I won't be. If I can be an asset--”

“All you are is a distraction!”

For a few moments, Raphael's snarl was met with stunned silence. Karlach was faintly aware of Astarion's sharp intake of breath, of Halsin’s stunned expression, of Wyll stiffening by her side. Durge said nothing, either, but they did bring a hand up to their head as they always did when a headache began.

Overall, the only reaction Karlach found surprising was Haarlep's. They had been called worse before; a toy, even, by one of Bel's guards, and they'd seemed entirely unbothered - even surprised by Astarion’s reaction to it. Now, however, their borrowed features shifted from annoyance to disbelief, before quickly settling into a stony, unsettling anger.

“... Very well, then,” they spoke. “Far it be from me to distract you, master. I'll take my leave.”

Wyll stepped forward, lifting his hands as though to call for calm. “Let's not be rash--” he began, to absolutely no avail. Haarlep was out of the door before he could add another word, and the door slammed shut before he'd even lowered his hands. Several pairs of eyes turned to Raphael, and he looked back at none of them.

“If it's all the same to you,” he ground out, picking up a crude map of the Flying Fortress Karlach had drawn at the best of her scarce artistic abilities, “I shall inform Bel--”

There was a noise halfway between a scoff and a trumpet before Lulu fluttered right up to Raphael's face, scowling. “I know why you did that,” she informed him.

Raphael glared back. “I highly doubt you do,” he muttered. “But pray tell, what is your point?”

“My point,” Lulu declared, pointing right at his face with her trunk, “is that it was really, really mean.”

A scoff. “I've been accused of worse things,” he muttered, and left the room before anyone could say a word, his lips pressed together in a thin line, meeting none of their gazes.

***

By the time Raphael returned to their quarters, after going over the plan with Bel one last time, the others had all retired to their rooms to rest for the day ahead. To be entirely honest, it was a relief: he'd rarely been less inclined to talk in his life.

There was little to talk about either way. Even the idiotic hollyphant could tell precisely what had happened and why. He’d let his control slip, as he had several times over the journey through Avernus - letting himself be reduced to a sniveling mess one night, waking up screaming one morning, all but begging the bhaalspawn to let him go to so he could heal Haarlep outside the Citadel. He’d heard those screams-- “Master! Help me! Please!” -- and rational thought had entirely left him.

Running on half a soul had more than halved both his powers and self-control. He’d grown stronger since and he’d thought he could regain control too over time, but it had not been so.

It only kept getting worse, and he shuddered to think of what may happen if Haarlep - the imbecile was no fighter, what did they think they could do in the first place? - came to harm during their mission. No, they had to stay behind, or else they would be a liability. A distraction indeed, precisely what Mephistopheles had intended them to be from the start.

There would be no room for mistakes in the Flying Fortress; it was as simple as that. Looking back he should have led the explanation with that, instead of-- well, losing control. But then again, did he truly want to tell everybody - to say aloud - that those screams had replaced even Mephistopheles’ maw in his nightmares? Did he want to tell them why?

No, he did not. He could not. It was foolishness which would be over once he was whole again, himself again - and that, love, was that.

The room he'd shared with Haarlep was empty, which did not surprise him: Oreasha had told him that the incubus had left Bel's Forge, saying that their mission was done and that Raphael was now their problem. What did surprise him was seeing something glinting on the pillow, a band of gold with light blue stones and the faint hum of magic about it. And it stung, like a sudden blow to the stomach… but it made sense, really, that they would leave it behind.

They had no more need for it, after all. No reason left to get into any sort of fight. They were back in Mephistar, most likely, back to the safety of a boudoir. Perhaps they would feel some vindication when selling his body out once again at his father's court, where he was loathed and desired in equal measures. The esteemed Justiciar Bele would be first in line, surely.

If he did, he'd feel it soon enough. At the moment, he felt nothing.

Raphael sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the ring, and stared at it in silence for a long, long time.

***

[Back to Chapter 23]

[On to Chapter 25]

[Back to Start]

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adamsuniverse1144 · 7 months

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Active musings/headcanons about the polyband SUAU:

Of course, everyone has their Mains.

Steven has Connie, his wife whom he loves more than anything.

Jacob has Jasmin (and Alex but it’s mostly a weird mix of platonic romantic attraction) whom he would take a bullet point blank in the head for.

Adam, Hazel and Anna are all tightly knit together, the classic “love triangle turned into an impromptu polycule by a happy puppy boy alien” story. You know the one.

But outside of those main relationships, we see that certain people just mesh differently, creating new kinds of love and feelings that make things just better in general.

Here’s my favorites from my top three:

3.) Jasmin and Alex- My god, those two have loathed each other from the very beginning like siblings. They argue and make fun of each other like it might win them the lottery. But when push comes to shove, they work well together behind the scenes. They are practically the same person with some minor personality traits that vary, which is why they struggle to get along on the surface. If I met someone like me I’d hate them too 😂. It’s cute, even if it can be tiring to have to hold them apart so they don’t throw hands. If they were to be let go though, they still wouldn’t hit each other. They’d just walk away all huffy 🥹

⭐️ "Hey Alex, this could be us," Jacob called to the man who was now texting like it was his job. He walked over typing with one hand and his finger up to ask for a second before he responded.

"Jacob, it won't look good if I kick you in the balls for being a flirt," Alex calmly explained, tucking it away.

"Healing powers!" Steven reminded him.

Alex cursed under his breath. "What's my pass toll? I’m already sick of you guys in particular."

"A kiss and a compliment for my fiancee."

Sighing, the promo manager let Jacob present his cheek for a kiss and the photographer giggled to themselves. "These are really good pictures. Your band should do modeling when you're done."

Jasmin pinched Alex and blocked a smack. "At this point, we’re stuck together for life."

"Jasmin, you… look a lot less like someone I want to punch in the mouth today," Alex told her amiably. The angel wings and halo were as fake as his “compliment”.

Jasmin put a hand over her heart anyways and presented her other. "Why, thank you, Alex. Since we're on good terms now, why don't you kiss my hand to make sure your compliment is authentic? Be a gentleman for once.”

Jacob cackled as Alex gagged multiple times before he completed the menial task and scrubbed at his lips. "You taste like perfume."

"Better than tasting like asshole."

Jacob collapsed to the ground in laughter as his legs gave out and the two started arguing. "I'm so in love with you idiots."

"You're the idiot!"

“Jacob, get the bail money. I’m going to jail.”

"These are such good pictures," The photographer repeated.

2.) Steven and Hazel. It’s the bromance story of the EON, my guy. These are the same guys that talk about brands of beer inbetween football commercials (Hazel spends time explaining the rules of the game to Steven) while at the same time being the kind of friends where Hazel bangs Stevens senseless and calls him a princess. Both are kinda a little bit of himbos, and they started off as roommates (*gasp* And they were ROOMMATES!). I’m in love with their best friendship.

⭐️ "Now where oh where have I heard that before?" Steven smacked Connie’s ass and watched it bounce before grabbing a handful and humming to himself. "You're so sexy. Let's wrap this up."

"You're animals," Hazel teased with an eyebrow wiggle.

"So are you," He retorted. "How many times have you casually brought up the fact we fuck every once in awhile?"

“Apparently not enough, Princess. Apparently not enough.”

✨ But my NUMBER ONE FAVORITE DYNAMIC IS JACOB AND ADAM! ✨

It’s not the goofball and goth thing everyone’s always gushing about, that’s not the character troupe I think of when I think of them (shit… now I’m kind of thinking of it). Adam and Jacob have both have the very deepest kind of depression and they just understand each other. If I had been thinking right, maybe I’d have had them together but I think this feels better to me. They ARE together, they just aren’t each other’s mains. HOWEVER, that doesn’t stop them from acting like a married couple. I think they’re really twin flames, which is rare to find. It’s strange though because I wouldn’t call them best friends either, they just feel so much for each other it’s kind of a driving force keeping them close together. Adam makes tea when Jacob comes home. Jacob notices Adam’s depressive spirals before anyone, and he loves him aggressively through it.

⭐️ Jacob finally spoke to him again directly a week later, perched on top of the fridge drinking a beer.

Adam raised his eyes slowly. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Everyone's out. It's my turn to babysit." He took a long drink and crushed it with his hand so hard it cut into his skin.

Adam flushed at the sight of the blood and turned his head away in irritation. It was like he just kept getting more and more fucked up as time went on. "Don't call it that."

The man ignored him and downed another beer to repeat the process. This time as he spoke he crushed it faster, seemingly unfazed by the pain. "Never do it again."

He felt like a liar, but he hoped it was true when he said, "I won't."

Jacob pressed harder, unconvinced and desperate. "I'm serious. I'm so serious right now."

Adam's lips curled. "Why so serious?"

"No way did you just make a clown joke at a time like this." He hopped down and grabbed a fistful of Adam's shirt. "Look me in my eyes and tell me if you think I'm just clowning around, Adam."

He couldn't do it, too much heat was rushing to his face and suddenly he was trying to have a single thought he was proud of. "I-I know. I'm sorry."

Jacob didn't let go, he pulled him closer for a kiss as angry as his words and slammed him against the fridge. Jacob was stronger than he was, though he rarely chose to show it in favor of being submissive to him.

Adam fought the urge to submit instead and scowled into the kiss. "You can't force me to not be suicidal."

"Watch me." His green eyes turned glassy. "I have rarely been more afraid in my entire life." Adam hated hearing his voice break so violently. He hated how his depression made people tremble with too many emotions to hold.

"I won't do it again," He murmured. "I promise."

Jacob pushed off of him, his fists clenched. "Fuck."

He was quiet with his back turned to him, shoulders rising with every erratic breath as he tried to find the right words to say. Adam was ever patient, his patience ran eons long and galaxies wide. With this polycule, he kinda had to be when it was overrun with Brats and cocky tops.

"I don't ever want to lose you, Adam. Okay?" He was clearly crying, but his body language said to be still. Explosions from Jacob were few and far between nowadays. To make him this upset, he must really care.

Adam blinked the tears out of his own eyes, not bothering to wipe them away. "You're not going to."

Jacob chuffed and reached a hand behind him. "Then come and let me hold you."

DO YOU SEE WHY THEYRE MY FAVORITE ASDFGHJKL GOD THE GAY AND THE ANGST AND MANLINESS UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO IN LOVE WITH THEIR RELATIONSHIP

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snowmuttgetsweird · 2 months

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7/29/24, witching hour

Eatin' dinner. Tried to approximate a sorta beef and broccoli thing with ground beef. Was too lazy to make the broccoli though so I basically just threw in the ground beef, seasoned it, browned it, added a couple handfuls of frozen green bellpepper and frozen onion (I buy them cheap and then chop 'em up and freeze them for future use), made a sauce out of worcestershire, soy sauce, a LOT of black pepper, red chili flake, and I think just a sprinkle of sugar, and then threw in like a handful of frozen green beans I've got a big already-open bag of in the freezer. Threw it together with some rice, lil furikake, lil sriracha, boom. Food. Tonight I also added some edamame beans to the mix.

Gym was enlightening. Turns out I struggle on a 3x8 set of lateral side raises with 10lb weights. My shoulders are shiiit. I'm told their development is heavily linked to your testosterone level. Well guess who had a rock-bottom testosterone level at his last physical? This guuuuuy. But that'll kinda get repaired as I keep up the weight lifting- at least that's the hope. Compound exercises, like squats especially, are great for boosting your testosterone. Just gotta keep lifting heavy and soon I'll be moving up to 15lb dumbbells like the big boys :D :D :D

No but really though I do hope my testosterone shoots up to normal levels by doing this. I've mentioned that I have like, very low sex drive and low interest in sex in general, and it's got me thinking I'm demi, but it could ALSO just be that I'm depressed and my hormones suck shit, but exercise helps with mental stuff and should theoretically fix my hormones. If it DOESN'T, well, I know that it's something else and I'm not JUST fat.

That's right folks, I'm NOT just working out to get huge or whatever- we're eliminating VARIABLES, BABY!

At least the way I figure, I can't afford therapy, or doctor visits, or medication, or anything like that, but maybe I can at least do this. At least I can say I'm doing as much as I can, making as much as an effort as I possibly can, to do right by myself by giving my brain the best foundation it can hope for to do what it's SUPPOSED to do- a functional, healthy body.

On that note I should get some metamucil. Regulating my digestion would probably help my body absorb nutrients way better.

Also side note I think I've perfected the dry to wet ratios on my overnight oats, but time will tell. I've been measuring my oats by weight to 40g but honestly I think being THAT specific is kinda cringe, so I just went for the full half-cup instead, and then did slightly UNDER a half-cup of milk, doubled the chia seeds to a full tbsp, and kept everything else the same- big spoonful of yogurt, rounded scoop of protein powder. No sweetener, but this time I added a rounded tsp of instant coffee and about the same in cocoa powder, and then this morning I added, like, literally like a tsp of this coffee creamer my roommate's nana recommended I try, and it came out really good, so I'm trying to recreate that tonight. We'll see what happens!

Uh last thing I guess, I made an impulsive purchase I probably shouldn't have. Monday nights where I work, I'm basically babysitting the place while it more or less runs itself, so once any tasks I need to get done GET done, I read a book. I had meant to bring an extra book with me today cause I was like a 10-15 sitdown away from finishing my at-the-time current book, but forgot, so I ran down to the closest book store and picked up one that I've had my eye on for a WHILE and have just never found at my local discount book shop: Slewfoot by Brom. I've read from Brom before and enjoyed his work, so I'm looking forward to digging into this one more- I already like what I've read so far. I feel like I'll finish this one quickly. Twenty bucks is a little steep for me as far as books go since I'm used to like, old beat-up $2 dollar paperbacks off the clearance rack of discount book shops, but I think it's gonna be worth it, and I think I deserve a treat now and again.

Actual last thing I've been playing Golden Sun. I've played it before but I didn't get very far in that run so long ago so I'm experiencing a lot of it for the first time and it's actually really good. I actually /love/ the Djinni system and the way that your moveset changes as you cycle them mid-battle, it's really cool. Looking forward to more of that.

NOT looking forward to the DOMS I'm gonna have tomorrow or the next day, but AM looking forward to drawing. I have some ideas. Here's hoping the whole "exercise helps you focus" thing holds some truth. Wish me luck.

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401bmma4 · 3 months

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New Media Airlines

By : Geryk San Pedro

Podcast

Podcast Script

[Intro Music]

Host: Good day to each and every one of you! This is your captain speaking… We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts, This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight “Writing in New Media” to STI College Cubao. We are now inviting those passengers who are interested, and any passengers requiring new skill assistance in New Media, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately 5 minutes time. Today, I want to share my incredible journey and experience, where I soar high into the interesting world of new media writing. I also want you all to meet my fellow colleague, Andrei, who is an aspiring rap artist.

Andrei: What’s up on the hood, I’m in a good mood.

Geryk: And Gek, who is seeking to be a successful traditional artist.

Gek: It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me

Geryk: Once again, Hello everyone, and welcome to my first-ever Podcast "Creative Minds in New Media"! I'm your host, Geryk Andrei D. San Pedro, but you can call me Captain Geryk, a 2nd-year BMMA student of 401 in Sti Cubao. Thank you for choosing Creative Airlines. Enjoy your flight.

(ADS) (umubo) Hirap sa kakaubo? (umubo)

Oh nahihirapan sa pag hinga? Baka may pagbabara ng plema? Ilabas ang problema, sa bisa ng lagundi! Plemex Forte, Lagundi!

Ang plemex forte ay gawa sa tunay na lagundi!

Sinuri at napatunayang, nagpapalabnaw at nagpapalabas ng problema! Makakalimutan mo na rin ang ex mong iniwan ka!

Mahalagang paalala:

ANG PLEMEX AY HINDI GAMOT KUNG BROKEN KA! AT HINDI DAPAT GAMITING GAMOT SA ANUMANG URI NG

SAKIT SA PUSO!

[Transition Sound]

Geryk: Embarking on the BMMA 401 course at STI Cubao was like stepping into a world of creativity and innovation. As we study the world of new media, each project was a new adventure, indeed. Our group's vlog on Prima Blend in San Mateo, Rizal, where we did an engaging food review. This hands-on experience taught me the importance of storytelling and engaging visuals in captivating target audiences.

Andrei: Yo! Also, I'm scripting for a podcast on the Manila scene, Hostage crisis, got me deep in the audio dream, appreciation grew, for the shades and the sound, ensuring we convey the right tone, make it profound. We penned essays, new media on the rise, Each task developing, opening my eyes, understanding the platform, potential we can reach, now I'm bringing truth and emotion in each speech.

Gek: My journey in this course was nothing short of transformative. It was a variety of mix activities that kept us interested and curious, with the help of our professor that made it easier to understand and enjoyable.

(ADS)

When you unlock the power of premium, you’re unlocking freedom, freedom to listen to any podcast in demand on any device, the freedom to listen as many times as you want, the freedom to listen offline , experience the power of premium, tap the banner to learn more.

[Transition Sound]

Andrei: Yo, check it, one experience that hit me deep inside, Was the podcast project, took me on a ride, In-depth research, scripting with care, For a sensitive topic, gotta handle it fair. Realized the weight we hold as creators, Inform, influence, inspire the haters and the praisers, With power comes duty, be accurate, ethical, We're shaping minds, every word is critical.

[Background Music]

Host: So, what can I contribute to the world of new media writing? My experience in BMMA 401 has equipped me with a diverse skill set. I can bring a unique blend of creativity and analytical thinking, For example, in our vlog, I’m one of the vlogger and food reviewer, we initiated the video to be engaging by doing funny skits, wherein I rolled over the floor of Prima Blend, and at the same time, my groupmates poured water on me, as a form of advertisement, we also did different types of promotions like highlighting facebook friends on the comment section and sharing the vlog on various socials, wo with this new skill set that I learned, I think I can create informative yet enjoyable future contents for new media writing.

Andrei: Moreover, I aim to create content that is inclusive and relatable, breaking down complex ideas into digestible, enjoyable formats. Whether it’s through blogs, vlogs, or podcasts, I want to make sure my audience finds value and connection in what I share.

[Closing Music]

Geryk: Thank you for tuning in "Creative Minds in New Media". This is your captain speaking. I hope my journey and insights inspire you to explore your own path in the ever-evolving landscape of new media. As we cruise through the rest of the flight, remember to keep creating and innovating. Until next time, thank you for flying with us, and enjoy the journey!

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crackedlemonade · 2 years

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Ineffective Villains Part 2: Lord Zedd

So one thing that generally stands out to me is poorly written villains, whether it's a character like Mugetsu in the Square Enix game The Bouncer or the subject of today Lord Zedd from Power Rangers. I think it's because the stories and characters we view when we're young have a strong influence on the morality that we develop as humans and villains who are just evil for the sake of it really don't help distinguish the moral or ethical lines between good and evil. I think Japanese series that I have watched such as Kamen Rider or Super Sentai do better jobs with their season progression and character development to illustrate that point.

So exactly what do I think is wrong with Lord Zedd? Honestly, a lot of things and hopefully I can break down a couple of key points today. The first point is there's really no reason for the character to exist in the way the show was written. Power Rangers starts with Rita being trapped in a trash can that's opened in space and upon her escape she lets loose with her evil powers out of revenge for being trapped. While I wish there was more story to it, the motivation makes sense. Lord Zedd on the other hand just shows up saying she's failing at taking over Earth and he's gonna do it now and traps her in the same Trash can but he can't throw for crap because the trash can ends up on Earth and Rita ends up escaping. So not only is he bad at trapping people, it's not like Rita's revenge is on a time line. From a narrative perspective, her being freed from the dumpster was a random event and Earth seemingly wasn't sought after prior to Rita's resurgence.

On a production side it made sense because the monsters of the week were coming from Gosei Sentai Dairanger and weren't made out of clay like in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. The Characters Finster, Squatt, Baboo, Goldar, Scorpina and Rita no longer had Japanese footage to use. So they had to create a villain that could make monsters that meshed with the Dairanger footage. But the solution was just thrown together instead of happening in a way that makes sense from a story telling stand point. I checked out the episode "The Mutiny part 1" and Zedd's first line was 'you failed to complete the duty assigned to you.' Who assigned her to do what? What was her timeline? Why weren't evil forces attacking the Earth in the 10,000 years she was trapped in the dumpster? It comes off as a random incident the way the prior episodes played out.

Another thing that bothered me about Lord Zedd was that while he was cool looking, what he is as well as his origins are never explained. Is he a dude that was skinned alive and wears the metal parts of his outfit to sustain his life? Where did he come from? What's his purpose? On top of that he doesn't do anything different from Rita. If anything he does Rita's stuff but worse. Rita creeping on the rangers from a telescope? Lord Zedd don't even gotta get up, he just creeps on them from his throne. Nah son, get up and get some steps in. Like at least Rita had reasons to walk around her moon base and her top minions had purpose. Lord Zedd literally just turned the object closest to the Power Rangers into a Monster. So there really wasn't a point for the characters of Squatt, Baboo and Finster to even be allowed to stay on the Moon Base. On top of that he made putties that were easier to destroy because they had a bullseye on their chest that destroyed them. From a psychological standpoint, turning random objects into monsters could cause the Rangers to develop PTSD but that didn't even happen. Lord Zedd literally did the bare minimum to mix up Rita's methods.

Rita had an organization, her monsters had tasks to do and roles to fill. When Lord Zedd comes along he just handles everything but keeps Rita's minions around for reasons that are never explained instead of bringing in his own generals. Goldar I understand, the moment Zedd showed up Goldar jumped ship. I don't understand why Squatt, Baboo and Finster were left to just linger about until Rita came back and drugged Lord Zedd into marrying her. Which is another strike against Lord Zedd's effectiveness as a villain.

I will also point out that my critical thoughts on this should not change your enjoyment of the show if you still watch Power Rangers from time to time. If I do continue analyzing elements of Power Rangers I will avoid making direct comparisons to Super Sentai because for the most part I think it's an apples to oranges comparison. Power Rangers is an adaptation to Super Sentai so it's allowed to have creative license even if it wasn't written to tell a continuous story. Ultimately both series are 20 + minute toy commercials and they create for their intended audiences which I am not a part of.

#mighty morphin power rangers #power rangers #villains #fictional characters #rita repulsa #lord zedd #nostalgia #90s television #90s nostalgia

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dancingazaleas · 3 years

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𖨆. 08 / all for us

summary: levi decides to walk you through his garden on a rainy day. you didn’t think that you’d end up having another antagonist though.

note: oh my god, i am deeply sorry that this took such a long time. i’ve been way too busy to actually sit down and get into the mindset of this book. i’m so sorry.

word count: +2.4k

taglist: @voltairelesecond @baelo80 @the-sun-baby @uniquepickle @ascybous @messyhairday-me @stupid-stinky @saturnalya @megumitodoroki @kouyume @quacksonlover81 @gipumaur @morgana-olson @yourodangoatama

warnings/notes: cursing, creepy gestures, fluff, slight confusion, unedited, let me know if i missed anything

RAINDROPS pelted against the glass of the window gently, the sound echoing throughout the quiet room that is your bedroom.

today, levi had decided he would just spend his time with you in the comfort of your own room, holding you in his arms while he lazed the day away.

you, on the other hand, were having none of it. and by none of it, i mean cuddling. it wasn't that you didn't want to cuddle with levi, in fact, you enjoyed a lot! but, the rain outside your window was far more important in your eyes.

there was nothing exactly specific about the rain that entrapped your attention, just that it had been so long since you'd been in it. so long since you've been outside even.

but you'd never ask to go outside, the answer was already plastered onto an invisible wall inside of your head. so instead, you'd just look whenever you would get the chance.

and it didn't go unnoticed, it was actually quite obvious. you didn't care however, it's not as if erwin or levi were going to change their mind, so why worry at all?

but seeing the way your eyes sparkle at the sight of the rain gather in puddles outside, levi felt himself being convinced.

he huffs annoyedly, he just wanted to spend the day in your arms until erwin was home. he wishes it didn't rain. but even so, he begrudgingly gets to his feet and trudges to you. you look at him with a smile, hand reaching up to point at something that only you could probably see.

"we're gonna go outside for a bit, sick of watching your desperate face," he puts his hands in his pockets while staring at your widened eyes.

you stare at him for a minute, slightly creeping him out, before you even really react. you swing your arms around his neck and thank him profusely, a wide smile spread from ear to ear whenever you pull away from him.

"you're not going out in your nightgown though," he points to the silk white nightgown that ends at your bruised knees.

you follow behind him happily whenever he walks into your closet, shuffling through the different clothes he's bought you.

"you're not wearing light colors, it's too muddy outside, and if you were to get stains on you, they'd ruined beyond repair," he mutters, grabbing a black button up with bishop sleeves.

he hands it to you, gently taking your hand to lead you out of the closet and towards your dresser than held your clothes. he settles on a forest green skirt that ends just a few inches above your ankles, and then he grabs a bra for you.

"strip," you don't complain, only heat up and oblige.

his back is turned whenever he flings a black bra at you, obviously avoiding the sight of your body to help you maintain your decency. even if he did bathe you sometimes.

you hurriedly slip the bra on and levi finally decides to look at you again. he helps you button up your shirt along with the cuffs, nagging at you quietly as a husband would do for their wife. he lets you step inside the skirt on your own, which has you coming to the realization that there are built in pants that separate the air from your panties.

levi scoffs at your untucked shirt, tucking it into your skirt with fondness dripping from him. he sits you onto the stool of your vanity, which no longer has a mirror, and sighs. he picked up a brush, running it carefully through your hair to avoid any tangles that would tug at your head.

when he feels you're decent enough, he holds a cold hand out for you to take into his own. you accept it with glee, skipping behind him when he guides you through his estate and to the back door that leads to his garden.

"i need you all to clean up that table in the center. put those big umbrellas under it and dry it off with towels. then leave towels by the umbrella so i can wipe it down if it gets wet again. make us a light lunch, nothing too big but definitely not small. (name) and i are going to walk around the garden together until you all are finished or until we're ready to eat," levi's so quick with his words that it has you reeling with confusion, but his workers seem just fine with his speed and are already starting to complete the task given to them.

he holds a smaller umbrella in one hand and your hand in the other, opening it above the two of you as you step outside the door. your shoes click against the stone walkway just as thunder booms in the sky. you flinch and chuckle, pulling your hand away from levi to link arms with him.

he guides you along the garden, only explaining certain things if you had questions. the silence mixed with the light pitter patter of the rain soothes him, heavy eyes fluttering sleepily.

he's immediately awake whenever you squeal excitedly.

there was a marble statue of the goddess, themis. her scales were elegantly balanced between her fingers while her blindfold hung loosely around her eyes, other hand on the hilt of her sword that pointed to the ground.

"that was a reward for erwin at his office. i make sure to clean it myself every once and a while," you look to him, admiration mixed with confusion displayed on your face as you contemplated the meanings behind not only the goddess, but her statue as well.

you decide to keep quiet, slightly tugging levi to come closer to the statue so you can examine it more closely.

your eyes are shining whenever levi looks at you, and he feels like you're the sunshine in the midst of this pouring rain.

he looks down at his shoes silently, brushing away his cheesy and sappy thoughts. he feels stupid. not once had he felt this way towards anyone besides tall blonde men with blue eyes, but now he was feeling this way towards a woman. to say he was confused was only scratching at the surface.

he knew he'd liked you when he met you. you were quick witted, outgoing, and kind-hearted, not to mention gorgeous. but it's not like he wasn't sexually attracted to women at the time, he definitely was. he had never just felt romantically for women, not once in the entirety of his pitiful life.

but you're so docile and levi likes that. he not only likes it, he cherishes it.

for now, he'll entertain the thought that he might be bisexual, pansexual, whatever title makes him feel comfortable. if he can fall for you, then there's a chance he can fall for other girls.

levi hasn't even realized he's zoned out until you whine at him. you're lightly tugging on his hand to venture further into the garden, and levi's heart swells. you had an opportunity to leave, whether you even knew it or not, yet you chose to stay and wait for him. you had even snapped him out of it.

he lets out a huff before he stares to guide you around the garden again. he can't wait to take a nap after this.

"are you ready to eat yet," he grumbles, tugging on your hand to get you to stop walking.

"is there anything else left to see?"

"nothing that will look good in this weather," he scoffs.

"then, yes, i'm ready," and with that, he's leading you to the table his workers had been ordered to set up.

when you two arrive, you realize that the table was sat under a white hexagonal kiosko that had vines and flowers wrapping around the support beams. the table was covered from the rain, confusion clacking your brain at why levi asked for a big umbrella.

he seems pleased at seeing the table though.

"how long did it take for petra to realize," levi asks whenever he helps you sit down.

"not very long," the man said, and you recognize him from that day in bath with erwin.

you stiffen at the eye contact, looking down at the table and the empty plates that sit upon them. you feel his stare linger on you and your body, specifically your curves that were hidden underneath the button up shirt levi put on you. this kid gave you the creeps.

"i'll be back with the food," he says and walks behind your chair, fingers brushing against the back of your neck.

you swallow down your disgust, looking to levi to start a conversation.

"levi, wh... what's that boy's name?"

eyebrow raised, he responds, "his name's archie. why do you ask?"

"no reason. i think i've seen him around the house before," you shrug and idly play with the silverware on the table.

levi doesn't believe you, but the day has been too good for him to ruin now. you both talk sparingly while waiting for archie to come back, mostly talking about the new tv show you got levi to start watching and what he thinks about it.

the two of you turn your heads when you hear the sound of footsteps. you see erwin with archie following behind him with a tray of three plates, erwin holding an umbrella over the two of them. a soft smile sets on levi's face when he sees him.

"what are you doing home," you smile whenever he steps under the roof of the kiosko closes the umbrella.

"i was thinking of you two all day. it got so bad that i called a client by your guys' names," he chuckles, leaning down to give you a kiss on your head.

he does the same to levi while you giggle at his sentence. he sits down in an unoccupied chair, hand laying itself on your thigh.

"you can't just keep taking off, erwin," despite the slightly bitter sentence, levi's face is content.

archie places the plates in front of erwin and levi in silence, then to you. his arm brushes your own, and you can't help but get that weird feeling in your tummy again.

"thank you," you say to him quietly, flipping the fork between your fingers.

he just hums in response and walk away from the three of you again, sly smirk on his face. you ignore him, starting to eat the grilled chicken salad with slight confusion.

it had been over three months since you'd even had a fork in your hands. the feeling felt foreign and it felt as if all memory of how to eat with a fork washed away. the realization made your stomach ache, a dreadful look in your eyes spreading across your body. you swallowed down the huge ball that brews in your throat, hands trembling.

erwin and levi stare with pride swelling in their chests while tears swell in your eyes.

since when had you become so dependent? were you not just taking care of pieck and her cat when she was sick months ago?

you take a deep breath, adjusting the fork to make it comfortable in your hand. you try your best to eat with loose muscles, but the stiffness in your bones have practically turned you into wood.

erwin turns to you, sickeningly sweet smile on his face, taking the fork out of your hand and gathering food for you. he feeds you, just as he has done before, fingers gently touching your jaw as if he guided your chewing.

a warmth fills the ball in your chest, and deep down inside it makes you sick. you chew slowly and listen to levi and erwin's conversation, which consists of erwin's workday and how you've refused to cuddle with levi this morning.

————

you lay on the living room couch with your head in erwin's lap and feet in levi's. a crime documentary plays on the television, something erwin seemed excited about. he looked too cute to deny.

erwin's fingers run through the locks of your hair lovingly, only ever pulling them out if they start to tangle. levi's watching the documentary with a bored look on his face, thumb rubbing random patterns into your ankle. you're not exactly paying attention to the documentary, only zoning in whenever erwin points something out or whenever levi lets out a scoff.

you start to sit up and stretch, the urge of going to the bathroom taking over you.

you feel embarrassed whenever you ask, "can i go to the bathroom?"

"yeah, just go to the one in your quarters," levi's answer is immediate. he really must not like the documentary.

you pad over to the bathroom, listening to the pitter pattering of your bare feet against the dark hardwood floor. you walk into the opened door of your quarter, yawning obnoxiously and throwing your arms into the air. maybe you should've cuddled with levi this morning.

you go to the bathroom quickly, the thundering of the sky making you nervous. it would've been different if levi or erwin were with you.

you start to walk back to the living room, eyes focused on the flickering light that illuminates the large hallway. a particular loud clash of lightning and clap of thunder has you jumping into the air, house barely rumbling.

your body crashes into a chest, which you immediately grab onto, instinctively. you start to apologize to the person, obviously thinking that it was erwin judging by the height and broadness of the chest.

but when you look up, you're looking at the emerald green eyes that belong to archie. your words get caught in your throat and you feel yourself pale.

"i-i'm sorry," you stutter, immediately backing away only to come to the realization that you're already a few feet from the door to go back into the living room.

if you crashed into him, that means he was walking towards you. but the only thing ahead of the two of you would be—

would be your room.

dread drenches you, head to toe, sweat forming on your forehead as the room starts to feel a little bit fuzzy.

"wh-why were you in my room," you struggle to even get the first syllable out.

"levi wanted me to check for something in there," he shrugs nonchalantly, but you're not convinced.

you smile shakily and nod, rushing to the living room to get away from him. you try to think positive even after all the staring and subtle touches.

but it still leaves a pit in your stomach.

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jaedreaminn · 3 years

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At War or In Love?

Word Count: 2.5k

Pairings: Haechan x Reader.

Theme: fluff, crack, hurt, comfort, angst, enemies to lovers, collegeau.

Characters: Donghyuck, Jeno, Mark, Taeyong, Ten, Renjun, Jaemin, Jisung «mentioned» Chenle.

Words Count: 2.5k

~~~

Donghyuck knew he was a cheerful boy. His cheerfulness was given to him by his mother who he lived with for the first five years of his life. He couldn't remember her face but he did remember her smile and bubbly attitude and it stuck with him even after he was seperated from her to live with the Lee's. To live with his father.

He's always been social and good with people so he couldn't understand why Mrs.Lee hated him so much. Nor could he understand why his brothers who he was so excited to meet never spoke to him, so he had simply assumed that talking inside the Lee house was forbidden. He barely remembers his early childhood, just glimpses of memories passed through his head. Memories like Mrs.Lee's glares and awful words, memories of yelling and crying but he wasn't sure where the crying was coming from, memories of being stuck with an awful Maths teacher who really didn't like him.

But those were just distant memories because the memories that stuck with him were sitting at the dinner table and eating with his brother's, his elder brothers taking care of him and pampering him, Marks red face when he would annoy the boy who no matter how mad he was would never push Donghyuck away.

He remembers growing up protected by Taeyong, Ten, Mark and Jeno from his awful step mother. She was the only person Donghyuck ever despised, he remembers how she was drunk and angry one day and she grabbed him by his arm and yelled at him, told him he wasn't supposed to exist, wasn't supposed to be loved. But she was also told him something that broke his eight year old self, she told him his birth mother had died.

He remembers crying into Tens arms bitterly and all of his brothers joining him, huddling together on Tens small bed to console him. That night when he had fallen asleep in his brothers arms he dreamt of his mother, his mother who smiled at him and told him he was loved and that he was ment to love and to always be happy and cheerful. And so he believed her.

He lived his life quite happily, shielded from his parents by his brothers, which he would grow up to appreciate.

He was cheerful and friendly and loving and got along with everyone. So he couldn't for the life of him understand why you made his blood boil so much.

"Y/n you're messing it up!" He yelled, frustrated but you only ignored him poking you tongue out from the side of your mouth as you concentrated on lining the border of your assignment with decorative tape.

"Do you think we're still in kindergarten?" He mocked you and without wavering your attention from the task at hand you spoke, "If we were in kindergarten I would be at peace and you wouldn't be here." And that angered him even more.

"Why did you follow me to uni" he grumbled under his breath sitting down next to you.

"Please you followed me here" you scoffed, handing over the assignment to him.

"Why did you even waste time decorating the first page of the script. It doesn't make sense and doesn't even add to our marks"

"One. It makes our script original-" "but isn't the story in it origna-" "TWO. It looks cute" you said with a grin plastered on your face and he looked at you and wondered how anyone could be so irritability adorable.

"Well if you're only going to stare at me weirdly I'm leaving" and you were gone before he even got a chance to say anything. Haechan sighed, looking at the cutely decorated cover page to the script the two of you worked on together. You really were stupid.

Before he knew it he found himself at lunch seated in between Mark and Renjun.

"Ugh I swear if this one doesn't turn our right I'm quitting" Renjun grumbled to no one in particular as he continued to work on his art assignment. Haechan sighed feeding the busy boy a sandwich and Mark rolled his eyes.

"What are you losers upto" Jeno asked, approaching the table with Jisung trailing behind him.

"I'm still in shock you're studying music and dance" Mark said taking a bite of his food.

"He says that everytime" Jisung rolled his eyes as he sat down.

"At the pace at which Jeno was going at I'm pretty sure Mark expected him to get into crime" A voice spoke and all the boys looked up to be greeted by a smiling Jaemin.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Jeno asked Jaemin with a pout and the other just laughed handing him a bottle of water.

"Please I love Mark more" the grinning boy said and Jeno being his dramatic self visibly deflated.

"Calm down there casanova Marks already got someone" Renjun said, eyes still on his painting.

"Where's Chenle?" Haechan then asked. "He's still stuck in the practice room, said his partner is being annoying" Jisung answered after he realised no one else was going to.

"Pft I know a thing or to about annoying partners" Haechan scoffed and everyone at the table sighed.

"Here we go again" Jisung said rolling his eyes and digging into his food.

"Again?"

"Oh please Haechan this happens everytime it's either y/n this or y/n that. You're obsessed" Renjun said banging his paint brush onto the table.

"What! That's not true" Haechan started to get defensive.

"Please the amount of tension between the two of you is crazy! Like just date already" Jeno laughed and now Donghyuck was very embarrassed.

"You're single ass should date first you've still not dated anyone after-" Donghyuck stopped himself immediately realising the words coming out of his mouth.

"That's my fault isn't it" Mark frowned.

"No!" Jeno said and then glared in Donghyucks direction, "No. I gave you my blessings it's okay I had to get over our relationship and I'm so happy for the two of you right now" Jeno said quickly and Mark frowned.

"But what if you had a chance.."

"Mark Lee you foolish fool if Jeno said he had no problem and literally encouraged you to date his ex then don't question it. Plus he's giving his all to music right now" Jaemin said patting Marks back.

"Hate to say this but Jaemins right, like Jeno could have easily killed you in his sleep of he had a prblem with you, we live in the same house remember?" Haechan added grinning and everyone faceplamed.

"Anyway moving on I've got a buisness class right now I'm going to run" Jaemin said getting up and leaving and Renjun jumped up cheering.

"Geez I didn't know you hate Jaemin hyung" Jisung the ever sassy said and Renjun looked at him confused before realisation dawned on him "Ahhh no I'm done with my drawing and I need to run too" Renjun said eyes widening as he noticed the time, grabbing his stuff and running off. They watched with a laugh how Renjun who was usually calm and graceful tripped as he ran out.

"Wait when did Jisung even leave?" Mark asked pointing to the empty seat. "Ungreatful brat" was muttered by Jeno.

"Are you guys secretly hanging out with y/n and lermimg disappearing trick from them?" Haechan asked and Mark and Jeno just gave him a look. "what?"

"Y/n again? I'm telling you you're obsessed" Jeno chuckled and Haechan chocked on his spit as he quickly got up and hurried away from his brothers teasing.

He was on his way to his locker when he spotted you laughing rather fakely to something a very attractive boy was saying. You laugh was a pitch higher than normal and Haechan almost snorted loudly. Almost. And you were most definitely flirting with that guy.

He approached you with a smile from behind, tapping your back and watching with utmost pleasure when you frowned.

"Is that a new laugh y/n weren't you snorting like a pig just today morning" he asked with a cheeky grin and you frowned.

"Shut up and leave" you said throught gritted teeth trying your best to keep calm.

"Oh c'mon I was just kidding" Haechan smiled and was about to wrap his arms around your shoulder when the boy you were talking to stopped him. He glared at the hand stopping his.

"I don't know who you are but you're making y/n uncomfortable so you got to leave" the boy said pushing Haechans hand away and grabbing onto your hand and pulling you away from Haechan.

Haechan stood there shocked at the boys actions for a second before snapping and pulling you back with so much force you fell onto his chest.

He glared daggers at the boy, his eyes threatening him. "Y/n and I have known eachother all I lives and now we've got a project to work on so don't suddenly interfere in the life of someone you know nothing about." Haechan said coldly, venom hidden behind each word of his and he dragged you away.

He was fuming, not realising where he was going until he was at the garden with you.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" He scoffed but you didn't say anything head hung low. He immediately took notice of that.

"Y/n what's wrong?" He asked worried and thats when you looked up at him, eyes tired. "This has to stop" you pleaded and he didn't understand what you were saying.

"You did this back in school too. You were awful to me and hated me but the moment I was with someone other than you you'd make a big deal out of it and end up fighting with that person" you said said, voice breaking and tears glistening your eyes. Haechan was about to defend himself when you spoke again. "I'm so tired of whatever crap you're pulling Haechan, you were always sending me mixed signals in school and I let you take me for a ride but not again. I liked you but hated you. You made me angry but so happy. You pushed me away only to pull me back and I'm sick of it" the tears now made their way down you face as you cried and Haechan stood there feeling so guilty for making you cry.

"Y/n I'm so sorry I didn't mean to.."

"Of course you didn't mean to" a dry laugh escaped your lips, "but tell me, did you ever like me? Was this just entertainment for you? For when you were bored?" You asked with spite.

And suddenly everytime someone hinted at his weird obsession with you came back to him, "Look I don't hate you... Atleast I think I don't. Not that much I-" You scoffed cutting him off.

"It's either you like me or you don't stop playing with my heart this isn't funny" you said rather calmly but the anger visible in your eyes.

"I don't know...I don't think so" he could hear your heart break and somehow he felt like maybe, he was wrong.

"Then leave please leave" you said agressively wiping away the fresh tears falling down your face. He tried to comfort you but you raised you hand stopping him.

He sighed in defeat and began to walk away, head hung low. He felt bad for making you cry and wanted to see you smile. Just then the thought of you crying in that pretty boys arms crossed his mind and he felt and awful feelin at the pit of his stomach. Jealousy. He was jealous, he wanted to make you happy and he wanted to hold you as you cried, he didn't want you to look at other people lovingly, and he hated the thought of you kissing someone else so he immediately turned to you and grabbing you by your shoulders.

"Look y/n I want to believe I hate you but at the same time I hate when it's not me that makes you happy because I love making you smile, I love making you laugh, I love annoying you." He said eyes serious as you blankly stared at him.

"All I know is whatever is going on in my head, you're at the center of it and you're the only one that can help me figure out what my fixation with you is."

"That's stupid." you mumbled, looking away from his intense gaze and he smiled.

"Nothing's stupid in love and war y/n and right now I don't know if I'm at war with you" he paused and you looked up at him and he smiled at you fondly, "or in love with you."

You looked at him awe struck and he couldn't help but chuckle at how cute you looked, with eyes still shining from all the tears and your face flushed.

"Will you help me figure which one it is?" He asked, his tone hopeful and you thought for a while and nodded as he grinned happily. And you smiled.

"This might just be my own downfall" you started with a frown and then a very small smile made its way to your face, "But atleast then I'll know more than I know now."

Bonus:

"This is stupid he's in love with you" Jeno said with a frown and Haechan pouted as he watched you laugh.

"Ah y/n run away while you can, our hyucks really stupid to even think he hates you" Mark added and if you weren't holding his hand right now Haechan would have punched his brother.

"Oh so this is the infamous y/n" Ten said walking into the room with a smirk on his face and Haechan silently cried inside.

"We really need to leave" he said but you were at your antics again and said "no we don't we have plenty of time don't we" he swears he hates you but at the same time it was impossible to hate you when you smiled at him like that.

"Ohhh is this y/n Donhyuck?" Came his eldest brothers voice and this time Haechan did cry.

"Oh c'mon don't pretend to cry you love me"Taeyong said patting his back and you chuckled.

"No I love Mark" Haechan said glaring at the eldest who only chuckled, "What's with everyone's fixation on Mark?" Jeno asked and Ten rolled his eyes "You just don't see how adorable our Markie is because your Taeyongs pet"

"Hyuck this is your fault the name stuck!" Mark growled and you stood there watching the brothers argue with eachother, amused at their antics.

"Ahh this is what you'll be getting into if you associate with this family" A voice said behind you and you turned around to meet the person who was your senior in high school and the one that stole Tens heart.

"Wouldn't I be lucky if that was the case?" You asked but another voice spoke "Try being stuck babysitting five grown men" you turned to see the person you recognised as Marks partner.

"I will hit you!" Haechan yelled charging at Mark who had run behind Ten who was yelling at Taeyong for help who who was being held down by a sulky Jeno.

You shared a look with the two people beside you as the three of you broke out in laughter.

~~~

Lee brother's- A mini series

Previous Part: Lee Ten

Next part: Series Finale

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lost-inthedream · 3 years

Text

Tea and warm compress

Pairing: Husband!Youngbin x female reader

Genre: Fluff, Suggestive

Warnings: mentions of sex

Words count: 1.4k

Summary: Moving to a new apartment can be quite exhaustive. There are still so many belongings to be organized... But they definitely can wait! The reader gives Youngbin some extra care because he has a backache.

Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes that you might find.

It was starting to get late, more two cups and you would be emptied that cardboard box also. The new apartment had a bunch of cupboards fixed on its walls, which allowed you to organize your kitchen tools pretty well. Youngbin sorted the dishes on the shelf right over the cups. You were both close enough to touch one another while picking items out of the boxes and putting them in their new places.

"Don't you think that's enough for today, Binnie?" you asked as you noticed him placing the last dish on the top of a small pile.

"I dunno, love. We still have a few boxes to clear out" he answered with a subtle grimace and combing his bangs back, only to have them covering his forehead again once he lowers his hand.

You glanced at the intact cardboard boxes on the corner, but by the look on your face, he knew that they didn't bother you at all.

"We have time to work on them tomorrow." You lifted one eyebrow as if it were the smarter declaration ever. "I'm sure they won't escape this apartment if we don't grab them right now."

You closed the cupboard door in front of your husband to seal your decision, drawing some words from him.

"Oh! That's my girl" he freed a weary giggle and quickly pulled you to him so he could peck anywhere on your face. A playful smooch clicked on your forehead and then he let his hand go of your back.

You stepped just a millimeter backward without breaking eye contact with him and positioned your hands on your own waist and tilting your head. Youngbin contemplated your cocky loose smile. But you somehow killed the mood when a tired sigh came out of your lips.

Moving has really drained your energy. The process of packing everything you had took so much time in the previous days, then the two of you helped at placing everything inside a truck and finally at carrying all the stuff to the apartment where you would live from now on.

He suddenly noticed the favorite mugs of yours laying on the sink countertop. The items were decorated with matching motifs that suited both of you, quite cheesy.

"What about those mugs?" he pointed with his chin.

"Ah! We're gonna use them right now. I've already found the tea." You winked.

...

"I couldn't wait to sit like this on our couch." Youngbin sighed allowing his face to express exhaustion for the first time.

He leaned backward, his head rested on the couch cushion, which was out of place just a couple of hours before. He still held the mug between his hands, laid on his lap. In any case, having his eyes closed for a while seemed to be a priority.

"Why haven't you said that you were this tired?"

"I guess I have barely noticed it" he replied in a low tone and you could say that he had just figured it out.

His body had been already screaming it to him a bit earlier but he was so absorbed in other tasks that he couldn't hear anything. It was not his fault though, he was excited. The idea of transforming the new place into your actual home was his only thought and so was yours. Even now there was a soft smile making his lips prettier than they already were.

You moved carefully towards your husband, motioning him to accept your body on his lap without pouring the hot liquid on yourselves. That was as if you did some sort of acrobatics, but you succeed together without spilling a drop and now you were close and cozy.

He took a sip and tried to shift his position a bit but the movement made him whimper in pain.

"What's this?" you immediately asked.

"It's just my back" he tried to dismiss your worry but there was an alert signal already resonating inside of you.

Youngbin took the cup to his mouth again, the warmth fulfilling his insides. The gesture was repeated a few times as you observed him closely also drinking from your own mug.

"You're gonna pierce me with your pretty eyes or what?" he joked after a few sips in silence.

You grabbed the empty mug from his hand and equilibrated it on the arm of the couch beside him, along with yours. The patterns on them facing each other, exactly the way you and your loved one did now. You leaned to touch the tip of his nose with your lips causing a snap sound. His chin raised so he could make your mouths meet. It felt sweet and wholesome, the flavor of the two herbs you mixed together slow danced with Youngbin's natural taste. You separated your lips before you were not able to do it anymore.

"It's time to take care of your back, baby". You attempted to stand up.

"I'm alright, y/n. Don't worry, just stay here with me"

He was so exhausted that his arms wrapped loosely around your frame, though it was enough to stop you from letting go of him. He was pouty, a clear sign that he needed to be taken care of. It was true that you were also worn out, but still in better conditions than Youngbin.

"I'm so sorry to have to do more than just staying here but you need a relaxing shower. I'm gonna make you a warm compress as well."

He gave you his familiar side smile as feedback.

...

You had to look for your heat pack in the boxes you had not opened yet. Fortunately, you found it quite easily, which made you sigh in relief.

Youngbin took a long shower and you managed to have the compress ready by the time he left the bathroom. He walked into your shared room barefoot. The floor still fairly cold in the spring "I have no idea of where my slippers are" he complained.

"Same, but you know what? I don't care!"

He hummed in a good mood and carefully put his lazy body on the bed, lying on his stomach and turning his face to the right side, so his cheek got squished against the mattress. You comforted him with a delicate caress on the shoulder that got his eyes to close, like those smart flowers that shut for the nighttime.

"It hurts on your low back, right?"

He grunted positively, eyelids fluttering.

The compress was too hot to touch his skin directly so you used the soft cotton of his t-shirt as a barrier. Since it was now settled down on his back, his movements were restricted and you both did not have much to do other than talk. You did not do more than staying comfortably sitting at his right.

"Aren't you hurting too, love?" he asked reopening his eyes. His sleepy yet charming gaze inviting you to trace his facial features.

"Just from seeing you in pain," you replied seductively. "I didn't carry any heavy box because you're such a gentleman."

He did not know how to respond so he sweetly voiced an "I love you" while your warm hand caressed him on the face.

You shifted to lean down and whisper the same close to his ear, then you could not resist the urge to sniff on his neck. The fresh scent of his soap enchanted you, making you down your eyelids to the friction your nose made on him.

"You shouldn't provoke a man in my condition"

"Is this a complaint or a warning?" you asked playfully letting your lips brush on his earlobe on purpose.

"This is only a complaint tonight. I'm good at waiting."

You dragged one finger down his spine. A sloppy invisible line, coming to an end when it reached the compress.

"I can't wait" you signed.

"Can you move it a bit, baby?. It's like burning my skin" he politely asked interrupting the way your talk was growing steamy.

You took the pack from his low back and placed your hand flat instead, stroking the area tenderly for a few seconds.

"I'm probably waking up better tomorrow and I'm treating you right then. Like the queen you are."

"Don't worry, my king" you said low feeling funny with those words. you calmly unfolded a towel that laid next to you in order to make a new layer between Youngbin's skin and the hot pack. "We have a lot of time to make love in our new apartment. Or should I call it a kingdom?"

He giggled.

"Just home is fine" you decided.

#sf9 scenarios #sf9 imagines #sf9 writings #kpop writings #sf9 fanfic #sf9 fluff #sf9 smut #youngbin scenario #youngbin imagine #youngbin fluff #youngbin smut

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kaaytea · 4 years

Text

Yaku Morisuke x reader

Summary: Yaku insisted that he didn't need your help, but the sound of glass breaking over the phone said otherwise.

Warnings: none

A/n: Yaku canonically has 2 little brothers now🥰 this is basically a gift for bug anon and @hikari-writes anyways enjoy mwah!!💖

----------------------------------------------------------

"Hi baby!" You happily chirped into the phone, "I'm excited for our date! It's been a while since we've gone on one."

There was a pause on the other end, you could hear shuffling and a few muffled giggles.

"Stop it you two! I'm sorry (y/n) but we're gonna have to postpone our date, my Aunt fell ill so my parents asked me to watch Yuji and Shiori While they go look after her. I'm really sorry I know how excited you were"

You let out a small laugh and shifted your phone to your other ear as you went to pick up your bag, "It's ok Mori, we can just reschedule for next weekend. How about I come over anyway? It sounds like you'll need the help."

"Ah you don't have to do that, I can usually handle them and I don't want you to-"

Yaku was cut off by the sound of a glass breaking followed by two voices

"ooooo Oniisan is gonna kill yooooou"

"No! He's gonna kill you because I didn't do it!"

Mori let out a tired sigh, "On second thought some help would be greatly appreciated."

"I'll be over in ten minutes, sit tight sweetie!"

<< --------------------------------------------------- >>

The Yaku family home wasn't too far from yours, being only a little over an eight-minute walk away. You'd been there plenty of times throughout the years after befriending Morisuke in junior high; your younger self would probably explode if they knew you'd end up dating that cute boy with pretty eyes and wavy, toffee hair who walked home the same way you did. The Yaku's basically became your second home at this point so helping Mori watch his little brothers wasn't that rare of an event.

You hopped up the steps to the humble house and knocked on the door, which swang open a few seconds after revealing a flustered Yaku Morisuke.

"Thank you for helping (y/n), I’m sorry.. this isn't exactly what I had in mind for us today," he said as you walked in, pressing a kiss to your cheek in the process.

"I don't mind helping you out Mori, sure it's not the same as a dinner date but we always have fun when watching the boys," you offered him a smile, which he returned, and followed him into the main room where you were immediately tackled by his brothers.

"(Y/n)-chan!" Yuji jumped up from his seat, abandoning the gaming controller he was holding leaving Shiori to win the game they were currently playing, and bounced over to you to hug your waist. Shiori followed closely behind his older brother and latched on to your waist as well.

"Hey you two!" You wrapped an arm around both boys and hugged them back, both of them looked up at you with big smiles.

They were looking more and more like Morisuke each time you saw them -which was understandable seeing as they're all brothers.

Yuji, the older of the two, shared the same toffee hair as his elder brother but Shiori's, while similar, was a few shades darker than Mori's. All three of them had the same chocolate-colored eyes and delicate freckles dusted on their cheeks though.

"Alright get off them, this might surprise you two but they need to do this thing called breathing," Yaku said from where he was leaning against the couch.

Both boys pulled away, Shiori lingering a little longer, and then dragged you over to the couch to play videogames with you.

Videogames were the most popular form of entertainment whenever you came to watch them. Yuji was scary good at games and almost always won when the four of you played; he could honestly rival Kenma's abilities.

Because there were only three controllers Shiori always sat on your lap so the both of you could take turns, but you had a sneaking suspicion it was because he was a little more attached to you and liked to be near you.

"Are you sure you don't want to play (y/n)-chan?" Shiori looked up at you from his spot on your lap with an innocent look.

"I'm sure Shi, I'm having much more fun watching you play," you leaned closer to him and whispered," Plus, I can help you beat your brothers this way."

He grinned at you and looked forward again to the tv. It seemed as though today's game of choice was Smash Bros Ultimate.

The three brothers started the game with Yuji instantly knocking Mori off the map resulting in him to yell out in frustration. Yaku could be very petty when he wanted so he spent most of the game targeting Yuji, leaving Shiori to sit safely on the sidelines. The game was coming to a close with Mori and Yuji both having one life left. Mori took a wild chance and ended up hitting Yuji off the map making the younger boy cry out in shock. That's when you guided Shiori over to Mori's character and won the match.

"No fair! (y/n)-chan helped you Shiori!" Yuji whined.

"I have no idea what you mean Yuji," you gave him a smile as he pouted at you; he took gaming very seriously.

"Ok ok, stop attacking (y/n) and Shi, why don't we go outside for a bit? The both of you have been in here playing games all day," Yaku got up and turned off the gaming console and tv then turned back to look at the two boys.

"Oooook," they both said before racing to the door. They pushed at each other in attempts to sabotage the other causing you to laugh at their antics. You were so engrossed in the younger boys race that you didn't notice Yaku standing in front of you until he flicked your head.

"You totally helped him win, didn't you" Mori stated with a playful glare.

You got up and pressed a kiss to his nose, "Maybe I did maybe I didn't. Why? Do you want me to help you win next time?" Mori blushed at your response then teasingly hit your shoulder.

<< --------------------------------------------------- >>

You and Yaku sat on the wooden porch together watching the younger boys kick around a soccer ball. Mori's arm was around your waist, his thumb occasionally rubbing soft circles into your hip.

"Niisan?" Shiori had diverged from Yuji and now stood in front of Mori and you, nervously fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"What's up bud?"

"Can...can you teach me how to play volleyball?"

Mori honestly looked like he could cry when the words 'teach me to play volleyball' left his little brother’s mouth. He'd been hoping that at least one of his brothers would become interested in the sport and it seemed quiet Shiori would be the one.

Mori stood up with a grin on his face, "Sure Shi! Come on, we'll teach you how to receive first."

You smiled watching Shiori run after Morisuke; Yuji and Shiori really looked up to him, it's like they think he hung the stars in the sky himself.

"Yuji!" You called out. The boy looked up from where he was kicking around the soccer ball, "Wanna come help me make dinner?"

"Yeah!"

Yuji happily trailed after you to the kitchen, hopping around from foot to foot as he blabbered on about a Tv show.

You honestly didn't know where he got all his energy from, everyone else in his family was significantly less hyper; though, his cheery attitude was one of your favorite things about him.

"Alright Yuji, what should we make?"

He stopped his bouncing and brought a hand to his chin, his face scrunching up as he pondered his options.

"Ramen!"

You gave him a nod and searched through the cabinets for the noodle packets you were, oh so familiar with. You pulled out enough for four people, placing them on the counter. You then moved to the refrigerator -just eating the packaged noodles wouldn't be the healthiest, so you decided to put your own spin on it. After a quick once over of the fridge you pulled out some carrots, spinach, and a few eggs.

"Ok Kiddo, I'm giving you a really important job. I want you to wash the carrots and spinach, think you can do that for me?"

"Yep!" Yuji gathered the vegetables in his arms and brought them over to the sink to start his job. Once you were sure he was safe, you started looking around for a pot and cutting board. You'd been to this house so many times but if there was one room you weren't familiar with it was the kitchen. Yaku's mother always insisted that she had everything handled and for you to go enjoy your time with Morisuke.

"(y/n)-chan I'm done!" Yuji called over his shoulder. He had perfect timing as you had just found a pot big enough to cook the noodles in.

You walked over to the sink, pot in hand, and gave Yuji a pat on the head -he was absolutely beaming at your approval.

"looks good, I'm gonna start cutting the carrots, fill this pot a little over halfway and then we can start making the noodles," Yuji nodded up at you and started filled the pot while you started cutting the veggies.

You were fully concentrated on your task, you didn't even hear the backdoor open.

"Careful!" You looked over your shoulder to find Mori taking the filled pot from Yuji, the latter had a slight pout spread over his face.

Yaku placed the pot on the stove top and turned back to the younger boy, "Don't do that next time, alright? You could have gotten hurt...it's ok to ask for help when you need it."

Yuji nodded pitifully, he's eyes down casted on the floor in a mix of shame and embarrassment. Mori huffed and ruffled Yuji's hair making him perk up a bit, "I think (y/n) and I've get it handled from here buddy. Go play with Shi, we'll call you both when the foods done."

"Ok!" All previous sadness had left Yuji as he instantly reverted back to his happy self, he bounced out of the kitchen and in the direction of he and Shiori's shared room.

"Thank you for helping Yuji!" You called out. His head popped out from the side of the doorway with a large smile on his face.

"you're welcome (y/n)-chan!"

<< --------------------------------------------------- >>

After dinner and a few more rounds of Smash, Mori and you had tucked both boys into bed for the night.

You stretched your arms high into the air with a hum, "I should probably start walking home."

You felt Yaku latch onto your back, his chin resting on your shoulder and his strong arms pulling you into his chest.

"Nope you're staying here, I don't want you walking home this late."

You chuckled at him and leaned into his hold, he's always looking out for you.

"Ok...that means we're gonna go cuddle in your room, right?"

"Duh"

Being curled up with Mori was one of the best things on earth. Everything about the action was soft and warm; the embodiment of comfort.

"I love your brothers but they really are a handful."

"Try living with them," Yaku responded dryly.

You slapped his shoulder lightly causing him to chuckle at you.

You sighed, enjoying the feeling of Mori tracing random shapes on your back, and nuzzled further into his chest.

"How did Volleyball with Shiori go?"

"It was fun. He's not that bad of a receiver, though I think he'd make a better setter than a libero."

You hummed and placed a kiss on his jaw, "He does have the aspects of a good setter in him, liberos need to be a bit aggressive and crazy to throw themselves around and receive."

"Wow thanks babe," he deadpanned causing you to giggle at him.

"I loooove you~"

"Yeah, whatever you say," Yaku rolled his eyes then tickled your sides changing your giggles to full-on laughter. You shifted and twitch in feeble attempts to escape Yaku's grasp.

"OK OK IM SORRY, Y-YOU MADE YOUR POINT!!"

He stopped his attack and watched you with a soft look as you calmed down. That's when a sliver of light cut through the room like a knife making both You and Mori look towards the door.

"Oniisan...we heard a scary noise outside," Yuji stood in the doorway with Shiori behind him clinging to the back of his shirt.

Mori sat up, he may complain that his baby brothers were annoying but he still loved them with all his heart and couldn't stand to see them upset.

"Do you guys wanna stay with us tonight? (Y/n)-chan and I will make sure nothing scary comes to snatch you away"

Both boys nodded and rushed over to Yaku's bed; their brother was like a beacon of light and the bed a safe house, the childlike fear of standing in the dark room unprotected lapped at their minds.

You all had to squeeze to fit onto the bed but eventually, everyone got situated and relaxed. Both kids laid between you and Mori; Shiori was clinging to your waist with his face pressed into your stomach and Yuji was facing Mori hugging his arm.

Both Yuji and Shiori fell asleep instantly once in the comfort of You and Yaku.

You ran a hand through Shiori's wavy hair, you looked up to find Yaku watching you; he looked starstruck, an almost loopy smile on his face and a warm glow in his eyes. He reached over Yuji and Shiori and grabbed onto your free hand, his thumb ran up and down the back of it prompting you to close your eyes and start to drift off.

Everything was warm and cozy, nothing but the distant chirps of crickets and the soft breathing of the two sleeping boys filled your senses; the feeling of safety and protection evident in the air.

This single moment in time was better than any date Yaku could take you on.

#yaku morisuke #yaku x reader #yaku morisuke x reader #yaku oneshot #yaku scenario #yaku imagine #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu oneshot #nekoma #nekoma vbc

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marchioness-caprina · 4 years

Text

Swapped

{ Part 3 }

Read ; {Part 1} , { Part 2}

Pairings : Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

Warnings : Cussing

Writing style : 3rd Person

Word Count 1843

3rd Person's POV

" I thought we were going out to patrol again" Uraraka muttered and a majority of the class nodded in agreement.

They were supposedly going to the agencies they were training under to do their daily rounds of patrol but a sudden shift of their schedule got all of them gathered in Ground Beta for another suprise Physical Test Exercise.

" You were supposed to but unfortunately; a Villain attack happened near the train station and it caused damage on the tracks. It won't be fixed until Tomorrow. Meaning you're all stuck here doing 'Kiddy stuff' " Aizawa replied in his usual bored tone; hands buried inside his pockets as his shoulders sagged. The dark circle under his eyes were clear indication that he didn't get any sleep last night.

" Aww But sens--"

" Stop complaining. If you wanna be a Hero then you got to take it slow, Don't rush things. Plus... You don't see me complaining when I have to put up with all of you... " Aizawa Cut Sato off as he rubbed his temples " And dealing with all of you is not an easy job" He grumbled the last part and everyone picked up on his mood and just shut up.

" So... What exercise are we supposed to be doing today? " Momo questioned and everyone seemed to be interested in what their te aver had in store for them.

They were up for anything. As long as the penalty isn't an expulsion, the fear of their first day with their teacher still struck everyone with fear knowing how ruthless he could be.

" It's simple... Android Bots " Aizawa called out and from the entrance; loud stomping noises were heard, the stomping wasn't from just one but an army of Robots came marching out of ye entrance, stomping their metallic foot with in perfect harmony.

" Woah! "

Gasps of awe were heard from a few students as they stared at the bots with wonder.

" Let me guess... We're gonna be facing those junks here? " Y/n stated in a matter of fact. Katsuki who was right behind the female with arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder just gave off a satisfied humm when y/n placed her hand ontop of Katsuki's own.

Aizawa who was too tired to give a sassy remark to his student's comment just nodded; and he won't even point out Bakugou's Clingyness seeing how the boy had reacted yesterday when he told him to minimize his Skinship with y/n. It didn't end well.

" This ain't cutting shit. Knowing you... There's a twist to this crappy test right? " Y/n countered and with a sigh Aizawa began to explain ;

" You're right Miss smarty pants. There's a twist. You guys will be judged individually, these bots can't do much damage but the bombs inside them are the ones you need to watch out for, if you destroy a Bot directly without dismantling the bombs first then... Of course you go Kaboom " Everyone flinched at Their Teacher's explanation especially with how nonchalantly he is as he did so.

" Ehhh!? B-but sensei... Isn't it a little bit too.... Cruel? " Mina interjected and aizawa shook his head.

" As a hero. You must always be prepared of every possible scenarios and surprises. Such as this, of course there are subtle indications whether a bot has a bomb or not.... So you gotta put your observational skills to good use and put that brain of yours to work. Spot the difference, dismantle the bomb and you're free to destroy it... Simple as that " Aizawa yawned as he waved off his student's shocked and terrified expression.

Everyone knew their team her isn't going to give them any more clues.

" He just wants to see us suffer.... " Jiro dead panned and everyone couldn't help but agree.

" You said we'll be graded individually.... So you're saying that we have to take out loud portions of those robots ourselves?" Y/n raised a brow when her sensei gave her a spine chilling smile.

" Yes, that's also part of the lesson. It's not everyday you'd get lucky to have another Hero to he paired with you... Sometimes you gotta work alone and most of the time The villain's you're gonna be facing won't be alone. So multi-tasking is the key... And since you're my 'favorite' student... You'll go first " Aizawa pointed at her lazily and she shot him a gentle smile.

A smile that seemed too gentle for this y/n to pull off. Something wasn't right with the way she smiled and everyone knew it.

" But... She might get hurt... I'll stay with her" Katsuki murmured tightening his hold around the girl.

" What? You think I can't handle myself? Get off me already loser. I need to release some stress and you're getting in the way. " Y/n without thinking much of how bad her words had affected Katsuki grinned as she pushed him off her roughly.

Katsuki tumbled back and he looked at her with a pained expression.

" Y-you think I'm a--"

" Get him outta here. He's fucking up my mood. " Y/n snapped as she jogged away from the group.

Katsuki who was fast to try and run up to her was pulled back by aizawa's scarf like fabric.

" Let her go Bakugou. "

" No! I Need Her! Y/n! " Bakugou whined and he had to be knocked out because he was starting to get aggressive.

"Everyone. To the Control room" Aizawa groaned and his students followed his command but go course they felt sorry for their classmate who was passed out cold.

_____________________

" Fucking Die! Hahahaha "

Everyone was silent as they stared at the screen; gawking at how monstrous their classmate could be. Was that even y/n? Because that screaming creature murdering those innocent robots while crushing them to pieces reducing them to junk was scarier than any villain they have ever seen.

" ..... Remind me to never piss y/n....ever" Kirishima gulped when 10 robots were sent flying off the ground with the girl wildly swinging a metal pole like a mad man continued her assault.

" S-she's doing a very accurate job at controlling that new quirk of hers though " Kaminari mumbled as he began thinking.

" But... That is not the opposite of her quirk... Unless.... Oh could it be? The quirk she has is a combined and mixture of mine and Bakugou's quirk ... I underestimated that villain's quirk " Kaminari began to mumble his thoughts out loud and it didn't go unnoticed.

" Well... What do we even call that quirk? "

Kaminari paused and gave a nod towards Uraraka " I suggest Electrical Combustion would fit the spunk" .

" She's doing a tad too good don't you think? "

" She's y/n. So it's no wonder "

___________________

Y/n slammed both of her hands on the ground creating an electrical current as well as a loud eruption of explosion to ensue underground sending the both flying before being completely engulfed and destroyed by either the flying debris, the roasting electricity or the destructive explosion.

With fluid like movement she shot out explosive electric bombs out of her palm that violently detonated when it came in contact with the robots.

She didn't have to worry about the exploding bombs inside the boys because she herself was more explosive than all of those bombs combined.

Her movements were accurate, powerful and spontaneous but her eyes showed how calculated and focused she was if people would ignore that sadistic grin spread out on her face.

She was merciless and with one final punch of the ground that sent a combined jolt of electricity and explosion that caused a mass breakage the fight was over. With no bots left standing at all.

The area was crumbling with ruined buildings and flying rocks and debris mixed with chunks of broken metal.

" Ahh... That hit the fucking spot " She grinned stretching her limbs after her little 'workout'

Meanwhile ------

Everyone was speechless at the display of power of their classmate. She was far too ruthless and she looked more like a villain---no monster from the screen.

And if you squint really hard earlier the students could see how the bots were running away from her instead of actually attacking her.

Y/n gained both the respect and fear of everyone after that bit of course they admired her for her brilliant performance meaning they didn't have to do the test because she destroyed all the bots in a blink of an eye.

" That..... Was so Manly! " Kirishima cheered and his cheer was joined by everyone else.

" Man! Who knew she knows some pretty sweet moves like that! I should ask her to teach me a few of those moves! " Sero commented punching the air.

" Well if you ask me that was rather terrifying.... The continuous onslaught of those poor robots was enough to petrify me for eternity. Not to mention she left us with nothing at all! " Iida sighed as he pushed his glasses up.

" Jeez, loosen up. She did all of us a favor " Jiro replied placing her hand on the slightly disappointed Iida.

Izuku on the side was vigorously writing down on his notebook with such intensity it made everyone pause for a moment to look at him; no doubt about it. He was taking notes about y/n.

Everyone was happy and Aizawa looked more like a proud father than an angry teacher.

But the same couldn't be said for Katsuki. He was sulking in the corner. Eyes dull and fists balled.

The little demon called jealousy was beginning to creep up again. He remembered the other day about Y/n wanting to be partners with Deku or Half and Half. And now that everyone saw how amazing his Girlfriend is, it made him sink deeper as his own insecurities began to swallow him whole.

" .... Do I even... Deserve her? " He mumbled to himself. Tears were already rolling down his cheeks while he pitifully sniffled.

His classmates were gazing at him. They looked inside of what they should do. They still couldn't get used to this new Katsuki.

Kirishima was about to approach and comfort his friend when suddenly Katsuki's body jolted from his spot before collapsing on the ground.

" Bakugou! " Kirishima exclaimed but another gasp was heard from the back.

" It's Y/n-san and Kaminari-san! " Izuku pointed out. Jiro was holding onto an unconscious Kaminari with the help of Tsuyu and on the screen it was pretty clear that y/n had also experienced the same thing and was now sprawled down on the ground.

Unmoving .

........ To be Continued.

#bnha #mha #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia #bnha imagine #y/n #xreader #bakugou x reader #Bakugou Imagine #Katsuki Bakugou #Swapped Part 3

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cherry-gemz · 4 years

Text

The City by The Bay: Part II

Summary: Fates push you and a handsome and known stranger into each other's paths. His chilvary and good looks make you take a leap into his world and more.

Chapter Summary: You and Keanu get to know each other better.

Word Count: 2100 +/-

Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Y/N (F!Reader)

Rating: PG, fluff

A/N: First time taking a try on a Keanu fic, be nice, please! This little ficlet will have more chapters, hope you enjoy.

Who might be interested: @whiskeyslullabye @marissat1998 @aestheticallywinchester @fookingbitch

Last chapter recap:

"Yeah...just around the corner. Did you...did you want to hang out for a bit? I mean, I didn't know if you were headed somewhere before I spilled your drink. What am I thinking? Of course you were off somewhere…"

"Are you always like this?" You giggle as you turn to head to the hall.

"Like what?"

"Nevermind, I'll be right back," you reply coyly. "And...I didn't have any plans today...I'd love to hang out."

"Really? Cool," Keanu responds and a grin appears on his face.

"Yeah, I can't stay very long, however. I have a meeting with a client for lunch," you reply and he looks deflated.

"Yeah, okay...well..hmmm," he says lost in thought.

You feel stupid, you can't believe he wants to hang out with you and you're choosing work. You're really kicking yourself for even mentioning it. This opportunity will never happen again.

"Well, I tell you what," he pipes. "I still owe you a cup of coffee. I happen to make the most amazing cappuccino. How about I start off with that?"

"Sure, that sounds lovely," you smile and his expression changes in a light-heartedness.

"Great. Great, Y/N, head over to the kitchen after you change your shirt and we can get to know one another better."

You beam and head to the immaculate restroom. It’s very contemporary and the natural light from the ceiling windows are pretty to look at. As you unbutton your blouse you look at yourself in the mirror: you have a goofy grin and you can’t believe in you’re in Keanu’s house. Let alone, changing your shirt and going to hang out with him a bit. This is all surreal.

You grasp his shirt and give it a sniff, clean. And you quickly put it over your head and leave the room with your blouse and book in your hand. As you turn the corner, you see him fiddling about and admire the open floor planned kitchen. You run your hand across the white, granite counters as he ushers you to have a seat at one of the barstools where you place your bag, the book he offered, and blouse down.

He claps his hands and rubs them as a cheshire cat grin appears on his face.

"Okay, be ready to be blown away at these magic hands," he waggles his brows and holds out his large hands as you stifle a giggle.

You'd watch interviews of him and he always seemed so genuine, and while he still does, there's a more childlike, goofiness that melts your heart a little more. You try not fall so quickly, but he really is quite loveable and easy to be around. Much different from the men you're accustomed to in the city. Their grittiness and quick paced talk tends to exhaust you. You're more in your element with one on one, in an intimate setting like today. It's ideal.

Keanu grins and turns steadfast to the counter by the fridge and beelines to the espresso machine. He grabs a new bottle of water from the upper cabinets and places it in the boiler of the machine. You sit taller and try to peer over. You're never really that fancy with your coffee and it's usually due to the nature of your work and how quickly you need that caffeine fix, but you appreciate the art and look forward to his recipe.

He continues his task at hand and opens a canister that's unmarked and pours two shots of ground espresso into the portafilter. He turns to you, to make sure you're watching as he plays along as if he's a magician and you're watching his act.

"Secret recipe," he beams.

"What is it?" You ask inquisitively.

He holds up his index finger and shakes it, "Na uh. If I gave that away, we could no longer be friends."

"Oh, we're friends are we?" You flirt and he blushes. You got him to blush!

He holds out the tamper he pulled out of the side drawer and presses the coffee three times to ensure it's packed tightly.

He then places the portafilter into the espresso machine's group head and locks it in place by turning it to the right.

He continues his stride and places the tiny, white cup under the head for about 30 seconds.

"Voilá!" He exclaims and you clap. He grabs a carton of cream from the fridge and you give him a puzzling look. Even as a chef, you're quite aware of the complexities of cream, so you're curious if this is part of the plan. He pours the cream into a small metal pitcher and inserts the steam wand.

"Ah! Almost forgot…" he smacks his forehead with his free hand and goes to the cupboard and pulls out a jar. You notice it's sugar and he pinches a good handful in the metal pitcher and continues.

As the milk foams, he starts to pour it atop the cappuccino and walks over to give you the cup.

"Mmmm, smells amazing. Thank you," you graciously accept the cup and take a sip. An explosion of the dark, roasted bean excited your taste buds. It's most likely hands down the best you've had.

"Omigosh, Keanu. This is beyond good. I don't think I can ever go back to normal coffee again!"

"Aw shucks, you'll give me a complex now," he teases.

"Well if you ever decide to quit acting, I say you'd make a hell of a living doing that. Why, my bookstore would have lines out the door to see Keanu Reeves make them a cappuccino!"

He laughs heartily, "That would be a sight wouldn't it? Ah that's fantastic."

You bring the cup to your nose as you try to make out the ingredients. You can tell there's a hint of spice and earth, and you take a guess of what he has mixed with the grounds.

"Is there cocoa powder?" You look directly at him and he bites his lip.

"What are you doing?" He asks and shakes his index finger at you playfully and walks over to you.

"Trying to figure out this recipe. You don't go tell a chef that it's a secret and expect them to not figure it out. I saw you toss in some sugar for the cream. And even noticed you use cream instead of milk. But I think it's cocoa...maybe even a hint of cinnamon?"

"What are you? Some super chef-dectective?"

He dabs the frothy cream from your cup and places it on the tip of your nose, making you giggle. He licks his finger off and gives a sly smile.

"Maybe I have a profitable future ahead of me?" You lightly rub off the cream and gaze into his eyes.

"I think so Y/N, I think so." He shyly turns his eyes away and taps the side of the cup as if he's pondering a thought.

"So tell me," you gain confidence in speaking with him. "If you can make such a delicious cappuccino like this one, why were you at Saint Frank's?"

"Hah," he replies as he turns to start his own cup. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

You smile in-between another sip and notice he's flirting back.

"Well?"

You prod and arch your brow as he leans his back against the counter. His black shirt hugs his biceps as he crosses his arms, and the blue jeans he pairs it with fit him perfectly. His medium length hair seems to always get in his face, but it's endearing and he swipes away some strands. He's handsome without any effort and you slightly blush as your mind wanders about how his lips would feel against yours.

"Honestly, I went out for a ride and needed to clear my head. I found myself just being pulled in that general direction and decided I needed a cup of joe," he says as he pours the cream for himself.

"I guess it was you pulling me in or something,” he adds.

"So then what, it's like fate that we happened to be at the same place at that exact moment? And you happened to bump into me and make me spill my drink, therefore resulting in me jumping on your motorcycle with you. And then visit the home of a mega movie star and try the most fantastic cappuccino?" You laugh and he tilts his head earnestly.

"What, you don't believe in fate, Y/N?"

"Not exactly," you reply.

"Why not?" He walks over and sits next to you on the other barstool.

"I mean, if it wasn't me, it'd be some other woman you'd be inviting over instead."

"No…" he replies as he takes a sip of his drink. "No, I don't think I would."

You both sit in silence for a minute, you sigh and then turn to look outside at the view.

"I'm sorry, Y/N if I've seen to offend you. I can drive you back if you'd wish…" his voice softens and you can tell you hurt him a little.

"What? No, Keanu. I'm...I'm sorry," you place your hand on his. His knuckles are worn and rough. He looks down at your hand and a small smile appears.

"I...I want to be here, really I do. I guess I'm trying to make sense of it all. You're Keanu Reeves. And I'm just me. Why do you want to know me for?"

“Why wouldn’t I want to get to know you, Y/N? I am very glad we met. You're funny and kind... I'd like to get to know you further. Let alone, you're beautiful."

You blush and look away, he's not coming on strong, but could he be sending you signals that he's into you? Did you die and just find yourself in limbo with the angel before you?

"Do you want to go for a drive before I take you back?" He asks as you both notice you haven't lifted your hand on his. You quickly remove it and place it in your lap.

"Sure, but this time please wear a helmet. I was worried sick thinking if something terrible might happen."

He softly chuckles, "Of course, I have many in my garage to choose from. Curious though, is it because you care about me, Y/N?"

"Oh believe me, more than you know," you quickly cover your hands over your mouth as you realize what you've said.

He kicks his lips and tries to brush it off.

"I'm sorry," you apologize. "I really should use my filter from time to time."

"No need for apologies. Your truthfulness is refreshing."

"Well I have a lot of that. Probably more than I should. I bet you find in your line of work it's difficult to find people you can trust."

"Yeah, I definitely have a close knit of friends through the years. Do you have family here?"

"Yes, born and reared in the Bay," you say with confidence. "I went to culinary school in New York for a minute, however. But there's something about this city that's magical."

"So you believe in magic, but not fate?"

You laugh, "Okay, you got me there."

He finishes off his cappuccino and motions to ask if you're finished, which you nod and hand him your cup. He walks over to the sink and rinses out the cups. It's fascinating to watch him do mundane things like wash dishes.

"I am beginning to enjoy the city. There is much richness to it and the landmarks are beautiful. I will be honest though, I haven't had much time to explore like I usually like to do when I'm on location."

He places the cups back in the cupboard and dries his hands with a cream colored terry cloth.

"You did mention you had a project up here. Mind if I ask what?"

His eyes light up as if he were a kid on Christmas Day expecting all the joys of the morning.

"Oh well it's not for a movie. I'm not filming yet...least as far as I know. My agent, Meredith keeps me up on that."

"If not a movie, then…?"

"A book," he replies.

"You're not giving me much here, buddy," you laugh as he joins you.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I...it's just something dear to me that I've been working on and haven't really announced anything yet."

"Look, I get it. Don't worry, no pressure, you reply as you start to get up.

"Well it's not that," he gestures a stopping signal with his hand. "I... I really don't know what it's about it. I'm collaborating with a friend of mine, a photographer. And we are in the early stages, that's all."

"Oh well it sounds great," you say enthusiastically.

"Yeah...I feel good y'know? I feel like I'm doing something different and that I can connect to people on a different level."

"Keanu...the influencer," you say as you raise your hands up in the air as if an imaginary marquee is right before your eyes.

"Haha, I wouldn't go that far. But, I'll have to keep you posted."

"Yeah, that would be great," you cringe. Great. Everything is great. Why are you being such a spaz?

He doesn't notice, but he gets quiet again and you don't know what to do next. Silence sometimes makes you feel awkward and now throw in the ridiculously nice and dreamy man in front of you and you're a ball of nerves.

He seems relaxed, however. In tune with himself and surroundings.

He smiles and holds out his hand, "C'mon. Let's get going on that ride. I'll take you to one of my favorite spots in the house besides the library...the garage. Oh, and don't forget your book."

You nod as you place it in your bag and accept his hand and hope to never let go.

#Keanu Reeves #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves imagine #The City By The Bay #meet cute

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