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athenamikaelson · 1 day ago

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Klaus Mikaelson X Soulmate!Reader x Elijah Mikaelson Ch. 29

Word Count- 8.3k

Warnings- swearing, death, and canon violence

PSA- THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF RACISM, HOMOPHOBIA, DEATH, AND ABUSE OF GAY POC.

“You’re a bitch.”

“Good to see you too, My Love.”

I let out an almost animalistic growl as I turned over to Alastair, who was sitting beside me in the driver’s seat of his new Porsche. When I saw him after all this time, standing in the Mikaelsons’ foyer, I was surprised and slightly happy to see him, now that I remember everything he had done in the past few months, all I am is pissed. It doesn’t help that he gave me puppy eyes and pretty much begged me to let him drive me home since I didn’t have any way to get home, and oddly enough, Elijah was off doing whatever Elijah does in the shadows, and Klaus was plotting…again. I had told Alastair I’d rather walk, and then he said if I tried that he’d just follow me to make sure I got home safe, and he knows I hate walking.

I’ve really got to stop giving my secrets away to strangers who end up being vampires.

“So you’re going to talk to me?”

I don’t turn away from the window, “Nope.”

“You technically just did.” I’m going to pull out my gun.

The ride continues in silence until we reach the gravel driveway of my house, which seems so much tinier after spending so long in the Mikaelson mansion. Mom’s car is in the driveway, parked along mine.

Without another word, I hop out of the car as soon as Alastair puts it into park.

“Y/n! Please just give me a second to explain myself, alright!”

“Nope.”

I hop up the stairs as I hear the vampire trail me.

“You don’t understand why I had to do what I did,” The yearning was clear in his voice.

I whip around and glare at him, “Then explain to me why?! Explain to me why you pretended to be my friend all this time, just for Klaus! Why are you so loyal to him!?”

Alastair rubs a hand over his face and then gestures with the same hand towards the staircase of the porch. With a dramatic huff I place my ass on the top step and Alastair sits on the one right below it.

“I’m gay.”

“No surprise there.”

Alastair sends me a dirty look, and I respond with a raised brow. Obviously, I knew he was gay. He’d told me plenty of times when we would hang out together, especially when we talked about Supernatural and how he’d like to do certain things to Dean Winchester.

“What I meant was… I’ve been gay for a long time. Like 200 years long. And being gay in this century is hard enough, can you imagine how hard it was for someone like me 300 years ago? I’m literally a gay black man, Y/n, times were and are hard for me.”

A wave of sadness washes over me at his words, and I nod for him to continue.

“Even though I had to hide who I was… that didn’t stop me from falling in love,” A soft, sorrowful smile comes across his face, “August. His name was August and he was the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes on. And not to brag, but he thought the same of me. We kept our relationship a secret, hidden in the shadows. Meeting behind alleys, or whatever dark corner we could find, even if it was only for a single moment. Any moment with him was enough.”

He’s quiet now, as if he’s reliving the memories.

“We met up on a Friday night. He was in my embrace when the first hit came. The next thing I knew, a group of white men were kicking us. It went on for so long that I didn’t even know at what moment August had taken his last breath. One of the men had his boot on my throat, and I waited with bated breath for my final moments, but the next thing I heard was screaming. At first I thought it was my August, but when the man had moved his foot off my throat and I was able to turn over,” Alastair stops and I know what he must have seen, “Anyways, my eyes were practicality swollen shut from all the hits I had taken but I still made out the man ripping the others apart. I was about to lose consciousness when I felt something warm spill down my throat. A few hours later, I awoke and saw the same man sitting before me. He told me that August was dead and so weren’t the men that killed him, except one, who had run away during the bloodshed. He had told me that he could make all the memories go away and I’d forget this ever happened…Or I could become something no one could ever lay a hand on again.”

Alastair’s solemn face morphs into one of anger, “I chose the latter. Not being able to see the Sun was kind of a bummer then, but it didn’t stop me from finding the last man who took my August from me,” Alastair turns to look at me, “I ripped him apart. Tore him piece by piece. And it felt good…until it didn’t. Until I realized no matter how many people I killed, it still wouldn’t bring back the love of my life. That’s when Klaus found me again and took me under his wing, showed me control, and got me a daylight ring. As years went on, we kept in touch; he’d ask for a favor here and there, and I’d do it. Not because he made me, but because I wanted to. He had saved my life that day and then given me a new one. So when I got the call from him that only he trusted me to watch over his soulmate…I knew I had too. I know what it was like to lose the love of your life. I didn’t want that for my friend either. I had expected to be watching over some hot-headed nuisance like Klaus since y'all are bound, but… I didn’t expect to meet you. I remember the first time I saw you,” He laughs to himself, and I find myself smiling, “You were with Elena, and you guys were outside the Grill drinking Shirley Temples and then you proposed to see who could down theirs first,” He raises an eyebrow at me and I nod.

“And I won…”

“And then you threw it up in the bush,” Alastair's laugh is melodic, “And I remember watching you with…honestly disgust, but then you did something that made me pause. You laughed. You laughed so hard you fucking threw up again, and then Elena started laughing and you both were on the ground looking bat shit crazy next to a pile of vomit while passerbys gave you dirty looks. And at that moment, I knew you weren’t like him, like Klaus. You weren’t some copy…you were you. A girl thrown into a world that she wasn’t ready for, and I knew that I needed to make sure that world didn’t ruin that laugh of yours. And then a few weeks went by and I compelled myself a job as a bartender, and before I knew it, you weren’t just important to Klaus…you became important to me, too. You and you’re dumbass,” He points to me sarcastically, “moodswings.”

“So why did you leave?”

Alastair rolls his eyes, “Your boytoy got jealous. It must’ve been the night when you were on the verge of a panic attack, and all my immortal life I’ve always stood by Klaus’ side, but in that moment when he told me to leave you…I couldn’t. It was the first time in over 100 years I had chosen someone over him. And it didn’t help the way you clung to me, even when you were supposed to be mad at me. So he shipped me off to Denver to watch over your brother’s friend. He called me a few days ago and told me it was time to come home and that his brother would be taking my spot.”

I shake my head from the information overload, “Wait, you were stalking Jeremy?!”

“Stalking…watching over,” He makes a thoughtful face.

“So, where does this leave us now?”

Alastair stands up and brushes himself off, and reaches a hand down for me to take. I think it over for a second and then place my hand in his, which makes a soft smile fall onto his face.

“That’s up to you. I’m here for the foreseeable future. And I kind of miss my work buddy, so…”

“For fucks sake,” I mutter before throwing my hands over Alastair’s shoulders and he quickly wraps his arms around me.

“You missed me, loser. Admit it.”

“Never.”

We part, and I give him a sideways grin, “Thank you for telling me everything, and I’m sorry about what happened to you.”

Alastair slightly shoves me and then shrugs, “Just don’t be going around town spilling my secrets, alright.”

I do a crossing-my-heart motion.

“Y/n?”

My light mood instantly shifts as I hear my mother’s voice come from behind me.

Alastair and I both turn to the dark-haired woman who stands at the front door with a blue robe wrapped around her.

“Oh, Alastair! We haven’t seen you around here in some time,” My mother smiles at the man next to me, and he nods.

“I was away,” His now curt voice makes my mother nod.

“Well, Y/n’s got school in the morning, so she should be going to sleep now.”

I roll my eyes at my mother and then turn to Alastair, who is glaring at my mother. Ever since I told him a bit about my childhood, he’s always had disdain towards the woman.

“Bye, loser,” Alastair places a kiss on the top of my head and then makes his way down the stairs.

“Bye, Alastair.”

I turn back towards my mother and then push past her and go into the house.

“Why are you home so late, and whose clothes do you think you’re wearing?”

“Like you actually care,” I say as I continue to walk towards my room, but still hear her following after me.

“I am your mother and you’ll answer me when I talk to you,” She yells, and I whip around towards her.

“Why don’t you just go back to work, Mom. That’s what you’re good at. Trust me, Theo and I are quite fine without you here. I’ve got the whole mother and father thing down.”

My harsh words stop her and give me the chance to open my door and shut it in her face. I sigh as I place my forehead on the frame of the door.

I hear a cough, and I whip around in surprise to see Theo lounging on my bed.

“Welcome home, Harlot.”

—--

“Theo, we are not having this discussion… GET IN THE CAR!”

Theo has been on a tangent about why I wasn’t home for a day, and then proceeded to come home in men’s clothing. He even camped out in my room so he could be all dramatic and catch me as soon as I came home. I eventually got him out of my room by grabbing him by the scruff of the neck like a mom cat does with her kittens. But of course, as soon as I was ready to be out the door for school this morning, Theo was camped out waiting for me.

“I’ll get in the car if you tell me what happened.”

“Nothing happened, you freak!”

Theo, who is standing by the passenger door of my car, crosses his arms, “So why’d you come home a day late in men’s clothes?”

“None of your business.”

Theo groans, “C’mon! Ok, how about this, you tell me which one it was and then I’ll get into the car.”

I narrow my eyes at my brother, “You do realize how weird this is, right, Theo?! You’re my little brother, we’re not supposed to be talking about this stuff.”

Theo thinks to himself for a moment before nodding, “Ok yeah, but c’mon. Jeremy’s gone, and I’ve got nothing better to do than hear you’re fucked up life.”

Damn.

“Just tell me.”

“Nope,” I open the driver’s side door and step in, “Theo if you don’t get in right now I’m leaving your ass.”

Theo doesn’t move until I turn on the car, and he’s quickly getting into his seat.

“Damn fine,” He’s quiet for 3 seconds, “So….”

“Shut the fuck up Theo.”

—-

The rest of the school day consists of me avoiding Theo and Rebekah. Theo, who was somehow lurking around every corner, and Bekah whom I had every class with. She kept staring at me with a knowing smirk, and whenever I told her not to start, she would shrug and then ask me to help her set up for the upcoming decade dance, to which I denied each time.

Caroline found me as she was leaving school and said she was going to be having a little talk with me soon, since she heard from Bonnie that I was at the Mikaelson’s looking, in Bonnie’s words, “perfectly fucked.” Caroline said she was pissed she wasn’t the first to find out but after she runs some errand she’s doing she’s going to have a chat with me. Great.

—-

The next morning, I awoke to a loud knock at my bedroom door.

“Theo, I swear to God!”

“It’s me,” A soft, feminine voice comes from the other side, “It’s Elena.”

Oh Jesus.

“Come in.”

I sit up in bed as I watch the doppelganger slowly enter my room with a shy smile.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

We both watch each other until Elena clears her throat, “How have you been?”

“What do you want, Elena?”

Elena frowns, “What do you mean?”

I give her an annoyed look, “I haven’t seen you in weeks, after you all continuously tried killing my soulmates and their family, and all of a sudden you’re here. Why?”

Elena is quiet as she walks over and sits on my desk chair, “I missed you.”

I give her an annoyed look, and she shakes her head.

“I swear I do. And I promise that I would never do anything to hurt you. Yes, I know that we tried to kill Klaus, but as soon as I found out that it would kill you, we stopped. We’ve been trying to find a way to break the bond you have with him and Elijah to free you.”

“What if I don’t want the bond to be broken?”

Elena pauses and gives me a weird look, “Y/n…what do you mean? Klaus, he’s a monster, he killed me! How could you want to be with him?”

“Didn’t Damon kill Jeremy?”

Elena flinches back in shock, “Well… yes, but he’s alright now!”

“And aren’t you?”

Elena stands up and shakes her head, “Why are you acting like this?! We’re trying to help you.”

“Elena, I don’t want to be helped! I don’t need it! I like Elijah and I like Klaus, even though they both get on my fucking nerves… I-,” I pause and run a hand over my face as I stand up, “Do you not even realize that at just the thought of losing the bond, I feel like I’m literally going to die? I know what Klaus did to you and I’ll never forgive him for it, but…you guys can’t act like the Mikaelsons are the only people who have done wrong in this town.”

“Y/n, I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t,” I raise my hands in exhaustion, “How could you? You never call or text anymore! All you guys care about is killing the people who have actually given me the time of day in the past weeks. You all were supposed ot be my friends, but at this point, it seems like the only times I hear from you are in passing moments or when you need information about Klaus. I’m sick of it, and I think you should leave.”

“Y/n..”

“Get out, Elena!”

Elena flinches at my outburst but still nods as she makes her way to my door. Her hand is on the knob when she turns back towards me.

“Damon told me what he said to you,” My shoulders tense at her words, “He was wrong. You are worth fighting for, and I plan to fight for our friendship and winning back your trust. And I told him this,” She pauses and cringes, “After I punched him in the face for saying that.”

I don’t say anything, which makes Elena frown and then sigh, “Well, the decade dance is tonight and I’ve got to go set up with Caroline. I would ask you to join, but I know how much you hate stuff like that. But… if you do end up coming tonight, save me a dance, ok?”

With those final words, she walks out of my room.

“And you say Jeremy and I are gay for one another,” I hear my younger brother say as he enters my room.

“Theo screw off.”

—-

“I’m really liking this idea of having supernatural in-laws,” Theo says as he enters the living room of the Mikaelsons.

He walks into the room wearing a 20s-style suit he borrowed from Kol since they’re around the same size.

“Looked better on me,” Kol, who’s back from stalking Jeremy, mutters from beside me.

Theo lets out a loud laugh as he admires himself in the mirror.

“Please, as if anyone could pull this off better than I.”

Kol says something in return, and then Theo responds, and their bickering continues on as I stand up and walk out of the living room.

I walk into the entryway, careful not to trip with the pumps I’m currently wearing, courtesy of Rebekah, who is nowhere to be found.

“Beautiful.”

I turn towards the stairs where Elijah stands in a dark 20s style suit that only makes him even hotter. If possible.

I brush my fingers over the beaded dark blue flapper dress I'm wearing and shrug, “Rebekah has good taste.”

“Although the dress is nice,” Elijah walks over to me and smiles, “I was talking about the woman wearing it.”

My face heats up at his smooth words, and I roll my eyes, trying to cover it up.

“I don’t want to go to this thing. You’re sister is making me, and yet she’s nowhere to be found.”

Elijah's face contorts into one of slight suspicion, “Yes, that is odd, but my guess is she is already at the dance, preparing finishing touches and yelling at the poor workers.”

Elijah's words settle in me, but I can’t fight the odd sinking feeling I have that tells me something bad is about to happen.

“Just enjoy tonight, Elskan. I won’t leave your side.”

I sigh and smile at Elijah, “You know you don’t have to go to this thing, right?”

Elijah smirks, “And leave you alone in a room full of hormonal teenage boys looking like this,” His eyes, filled with something dark, travel down my frame, “Never in a thousand years.”

“Oh, Brother, she wouldn’t be alone, she has me,” Klaus’s sarcastic voice comes from around the corner as he enters the room wearing a white suit. Good Lord.

I laugh as Elijah rolls his eyes and turns to his younger brother, “Yes, Niklaus.”

Klaus’s smirk softens as he turns his attention away from his brother and over to me. He doesn’t say anything as he strides towards me, grabs my hand, and presses a soft kiss to it.

“Breathtaking, Astin Min.”

“Um, I think not, Dog,” Klaus is quickly pushed away from me by Theo, who has just entered the room with Kol.

“Call me dog again, Child and I-”

“Niklaus, please,” Elijah says tiredly.

Klaus glares at Theo but doesn’t say anything else, making Theo smirk.

“Knock it off,” I slap Theo in the back of the head, and he screams dramatically.

He quickly runs over to Kol.

“Tell me she didn’t ruin my hair!”

Kol assesses the damage and then fixes one singular hair, “Still looks horrible.”

“I take it back, I hate this family…Except Rebekah. I like her. Why couldn’t you have been mated to her instead of these things,” Theo points a finger at Elijah and Klaus, who both look tired of Theo’s antics.

“Theo, be nice. They’re the ones who gave you that suit you’re wearing.”

Theo turns his glare at me, “Only because you called them an hour ago asking them to. You know she doesn’t need you two tonight, right? Kol and I are perfectly fine protecting her.”

“I still can’t believe I’m being made to go to this bloody thing,” Kol mutters to himself.

Klaus takes a step forward, and I place a hand on his chest to stop him, “Enough! All of you. Everyone get your asses in the car, right now.”

No one moves.

“Fine, then I’ll go by myself. Maybe I’ll see if Matt Donovan wants to dance.”

As soon as I walk to the front door of the mansion, I hear all four of them follow behind me. Idiots.

—-

The most annoying car ride of my life is finally over as we pull into the parking lot of the high school. Dozens of students pile into the school, all wearing different assortments of 20s clothing.

Where tf is everyone finding these old ass clothes?

Elijah gets out of the driver’s seat and makes his way over to the passenger side door to open it for me.

“Thank you, kind sir,” I smile at him, and he gives me the cutest grin ever. Almost makes you forget he’s literally a serial killer.

“Get me out of here!”

I turn to see Kol, Klaus, and my brother all push past each other to get out of the back seat, where they were all squished in together.

“God,” Kol stands out of the car and brushes himself off, “I’d rather go back into the coffin than ever ride with you lot again.”

Klaus, who steps out behind him, glares at his little brother, “Arrangements can be made for that to happen.”

Kol just smirks at his brother and then walks over to me and grabs my shoulder, “Can’t dagger me, brother, Y/n said so.”

“I literally didn’t, but ok.”

Kol shoots me a glare, “We had a deal, Little doll.”

I roll my eyes, “Just keep an eye on you know who tonight.”

Kol and I both turn our attentions to Theo as he falls out of the call, landing on his ass.

Kol sighs, “Maybe the dagger would be easier.”

Kol shakes his head and then walks over to my brother, picks him up, and pulls him toward the school’s entrance, “C’mon, Little Nuisance.”

I watch with a small smile as Theo continues to talk Kol’s ear off as they enter the school.

“I don’t like that pairing.”

I look over to Klaus, who narrows his eyes.

Elijah responds, “No one does.”

A cold wind sends chills down my spine, “Well, you two can stand out here, but I’m going in.”

With that, I begin walking towards the entrance. It’s not even a moment later that I feel both brothers grab each of my arms.

“You guys do realize how many people are going to talk about me entering the dance with two dates, right?”

I see Klaus and Elijah peer at one another, and then Klaus shrugs, “I’ve never been one to shy away from public attention.”

—-

Loud music and bright lights fill my senses as all three of us enter the dance. The gym is decorated with red and white decorations, and the entire floor is covered with people dancing to swing music.

“How…human.”

Klaus’s remark makes me smirk.

“You made it!”

Caroline’s loud voice comes from beside me, and I turn to see her dressed in a beautiful flapper gown. She looks at me for a moment before her attention turns to the men by my side.

“Um…hi,” Caroline says less enthusiastically.

“They’ve promised to behave,” I speak for both men, “No bloodshed tonight. They’re just here as my dates.”

Caroline seems to ease up with that.

“Ok cool…in that case, I need to ask a favor,” She reaches a hand out for me to take, and I turn to Elijah and Klaus. Elijah gives me an encouraging smile whilst Klaus looks annoyed. I still grab Caroline’s hand and let her guide me through the crowd of people.

“What’s going on?”

Caroline brings me to a table full of snacks, “Tyler’s here.”

“Oh.”

I remember bits of Klaus telling me how he was going to kill his hybrid for leaving him, so him being here isn’t the best idea.

“Is there any way you could ask Klaus to just give us tonight?”

I let out a sigh, “I don’t know if he’ll listen to me, Care.”

Caroline gives me a look, “Seriously Slut! That man would burn everything in his path if it meant you’d never feel cold. You walk all those Mikaelsons like dogs.”

I roll my eyes at her antics, “Fine. I’ll ask.”

I begin to walk away, but she quickly pulls me into a hug, “Sorry! I know you don’t like touching, but I’m just so happy. And trust me when I say tomorrow you’re going to give me all the dirty details about your trysts with those brothers,” Caroline beams at me, “God, I can’t believe I just said that! My baby is growing up and spreading her legs!”

My mouth drops open in shock, “CAROLINE!”

Caroline just smirks and pushes me towards the crowd.

What the fuck.

I push through hordes of dancing teenagers as I try to find my guys.

“SISTER!!!”

A strong grba pulls me from the crowd, and I see Theo smile brightly at me, “Look who’s back!!!”

I turn to look at Jeremy, whom my brother is pointing at, and smile at him, “Nice to see you, Jeremy. Now Theo has someone else to both now.”

“Hey!”

I ignore my brother and watch as Jeremy gives him a soft smile. Kol stands beside them and stares at me with an annoyed look, making me smirk.

I wink at the Mikaelson and go to say goodbye to my brother, but he’s already talking to Jeremy’s who listens intently.

I continue on my venture until I see Klaus and Elijah standing with Stefan and Elena. Oh Goody.

I walk up to them cautiously, and it doesn’t even take a moment before they notice me.

“Y/n, Hi! I’m so glad you came. You look so pretty,” Elena smiles at me, and I force a smile in return.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re calling for a truce,” Elena says quickly, “For you. I listened to what you said earlier, and even though I don’t like Klaus and never will,” I hear Klaus mutter something under his breath, “I’m willing to live with him if it means you stay safe.”

“And you’re cool with this,” I turn to Klaus, who definitely doesn’t look cool with this.

“He’ll agree with it if it means you’re safe and out of harm's way,” Elijah speaks up for him, “Right, Niklaus?”

Klaus glares at Elena and Stefan for a moment before looking at me, instantly dropping the glare. I give him a hopeful look, and I instantly see his shoulders loosen.

“I’m up to listening to them.”

Phew, well, that solves things.

“Well, not that we’re good, I should probably tell you this now. Tyler’s here!”

Klaus’s look instantly shifts into one of pure murderous rage.

I quickly grab his hand before he can go kill someone, though, “Dance with me!”

I pull Klaus behind me, and surprisingly, he doesn’t need much force to pull him onto the dance floor. Once we’re on the dance floor surrounded by people, I freeze.

“Ya, so…I don’t know how to dance,” I shrug, and Klaus rolls his eyes before grabbing me and pulling me into him.

He sways me to the soft music, and I watch him as he is clearly in his head right now, planning many murders.

“Thank you for coming tonight,” I softly say, knowing he can still hear me over the music.

My voice shakes him from his plotting, and he gives me a soft look, “And let me brother bore you all night long? Never.”

“Elijah isn’t boring,” I chastise, and he gives me a look, “Don’t be mean.”

“The twenties were a vivacious time. Music was loud, liquor was spilling, and people lived freely,” Klaus says as he spins me.

“Sounds nice, y’know, except the racism, sexism, and homophobia.”

Klaus ponders for a moment before nodding, “Yes, that did make the period much worse.”

“Thank you for letting Alastair come back.”

Klaus’ eyes meet mine, “You’re welcome.”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Ask for anything and it’s yours,” His voice comes out strong, and I know he means it.

“Don’t kill Tyler.”

“Anything besides that.”

“Klaus, come on, please! He’s my friend and Caroline’s boyfriend, and technically, you were the one who uprooted his entire life and quite literally killed him.”

“He went against me,” He growls.

“One, don’t growl at me, and two he’s a fucking teenager! He’s going to act out!”

Klaus and I glare at each other until he finally breaks.

“Only on one condition.’’

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

I fight back the grin fighting to break onto my face, “You’d really spare Tyler’s life if it meant I gave you one tiny kiss?”

Klaus smirks, “What can I say? I’m a man with a horrible addiction.”

"And what addiction would that be?"

Klaus smirks down at me, "You."

I shake my head and laugh, “You’re pathetic.”

Klaus’s face shifts, and I realize I must’ve hurt his feelings. I don’t give it a second thought as I lean forward and place my lips onto his. The kiss, unlike our usual ones, is soft and filled with something unspoken.

I pull back and smile at him, “I’m starting to think I like my men pathetic.”

It’s Klaus’s turn to laugh as he throws his head back at my words.

“I fear I’m stepping into an odd conversation,” Elijah says from beside us.

“Then leave,” Klaus remarks, giving his brother a look.

“I was hoping I could steal you for a dance,” Elijah says, looking at me.

I turn towards Klaus, who looks annoyed, and I kiss his face softly, “Get me a drink?”

Klaus rolls his eyes but still makes his way towards the refreshments table.

“Hmm, maybe Caroline was right.”

Elijah takes my hand in mine and swings me, the music having a faster pace now.

“Right about what, My Love?”

I look at him and shake my head, “Oh, nothing.”

“You wouldn't be hiding something from me, would you,” Elijah smirks as he spins me so my back is pressed to his front and he sways us.

“And if I were?”

Elijah leans down so our lips are mere millimeters away, “Then I’d have to find a way to get that secret out of you, wouldn’t I?”

I giggle at his words and then let out a louder laugh as he grabs under my arms and swings me on either side of him, my legs flying in the air.

He sets me back on the ground as I laugh, “Now I’m starting to wonder what you were doing during the 20s.”

Elijah places a chaste kiss on my lips, “If you can have your secrets, My Dear, then so shall I?’’

The song comes to an end after another minute, and Elijah leads me over to Klaus, who is standing with a scowl, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He hands me a cup of punch, and I smile at him.

“Enjoying yourself,” I ask him.

“Not as much as our brothers,” Klaus nods forward, and I look to see Theo, Jeremy, and Kol all dancing off beat to some newer age song.

“That’s unsettling.”

Klaus and Elijah both hum in agreement.

“Ugh, Y/n?”

I turn to see Elena approach all three of us cautiously.

“Hey, Elena.”

Elena seems to be relieved that I’m actually speaking to her, “Could we talk?”

I look towards Klaus and Elijah, who watch Elena skeptically.

“Ya,” I walk towards her and feel both brothers follow me.

“Give us a minute alone,” I say to them, and they both look stressed about the idea of leaving me alone with someone in the Scooby gang, but they still let me go with Elena out to the hallway.

Elena and I made it to a small bench in the hallway and we watch some students walk by as we sit together in silence.

“I missed you. I mean… I miss you.”

Elena’s words make me frown, “Continue.”

“I know I shouldn’t have pushed you away, I was…I was just scared I was going to lose you, too. I promise it had nothing to do with Klaus being your soulmate. Yes, I hate the man, but that doesn’t mean I hate you. I could never. Lately, I’ve been so self-centered with the Salvatore brothers and everything that’s going on that I didn’t even think to see how you were doing with everything, and I’m sorry. I wish we could just go back to it just being us and our little book club,” Elena sadly laughs.

I watch a clearly drunk girl be held up by two of her friends as they walk by us, “That feels like another lifetime ago.”

“It doesn’t have to be, though,” I turn to Elena at her words, “I promise from here on out I’ll be a better friend to you. No secrets between us. If I know something, you’ll know it too. I swear…just please give me another chance?”

I’m really just forgiving everyone today, aren’t I? Who am I the fucking Pope?

“Fine…but only on one condition,” I tell her, and she nods her head so fast I think it might shake off, “No more plotting behind my back. I don’t want to break the soul bond, so tell Bonnie to stop looking.”

Elena pauses for a second but then nods her head, “If that's what it takes, then ok, I’ll tell her.”

We sit there for another moment, but I can see Elena practically buzzing with energy.

“So we’re good,” She asks.

“We’re on probation.”

Elena lets out a small squeal and pulls me into a tight hug, “Can we have a sleepover tonight? We have a lot ot talk about?”

“Uh, ya ok. I’m sure Jeremy and Theo will be having a sleepover too since he’s back in town.”

Elena's smile gets bigger, if possible, at the mention of her brother, “Ya, Jeremy was talking about how excited he was to see Theo the entire way bringing him home.”

I groan, “Ugh, tell me about it. As soon as Theo got the call from Jeremy telling him he was coming home, he literally squealed and ran into my room, hopping on my bed like a kid on Christmas morning.”

“If they were anyone else, I’d think they were in love with each other,” Elena jokes, and I laugh.

She laughs.

Then we both stop laughing.

Wait.

Oh.

They couldn’t…

“They’re not…”

“I mean…”

Elena and I both sit in silence and stare forward as we think.

We both turn back to each other, and I open my mouth and then close it. She does the same.

“Let’s put this conversation on the back burner,” Elena says as she sees Damon and Stefan approach us.

“Definitely.”

Damon and Stefan approach us, and Stefan gives me a smile, to which I ignore.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

I got to leave, but Elena grabs my hand, “Nope. No things from you. Whatever they want to say to me, they can say in front of you.”

“Fine by me,” Damon says and then turns to me and gives me a small smile, “Hey Pukey.”

“Die in a hole.”

Stefan snorts out a laugh, and Elena clears her throat.

“What's going on, Stefan?”

—-

So remember when I said I had a feeling something was going to go wrong, and everyone told me to chill out? Ya. Guess who was right?!

So, from what the squirrel eater was saying was basically that Alaric is a serial killer, but it’s not technically him since he’s being possessed by his evil self that he now has because of the ring that brought him back from the dead too many times. And now his evil self is fully in control, and he’s not taking the herbs Bonnie made him to get rid of his evil self.

Cool.

“Why don’t we get him off vervain and compel him,” Stefan suggests.

“To do what, pretend to be Alaric? The guy that we know is gone,” Damon says, “We’re talking about someone who not only hates vampires but vampire sympathizers, which makes one of his targets, oh, I don’t know, you two?”

Elena and I eye each other. He’s not wrong.

“What? You think he’d go after Elena and Y/n?”

“Just another Tuesday,” I say to myself casually.

“So wait. What are you suggesting we do?”

Damon looks at Elena, “I’m suggesting we put him out of his misery.”

I laugh, “Of course you suggest killing your only friend.”

“What!”

“No way in hell,” A loud voice comes from behind us, and I turn to see Jeremy.

“Oh, come on,” Damon looks at the boy, “It’s what he would want. It’s a mercy killing.”

“You are out of your mind.”

Elena takes a step towards her brother, and he stops her, “Jeremy..”

And the next thing I know, Elena’s dragging me down the hall after her brother. Now that she’s got me back, I’m really starting to doubt she’s going to let me go anytime soon.

—

“Jeremy, stop!”

Elena and I follow Jeremy outside.

“This is Alaric we’re talking about. He looked out for us, and we need to do the same for him.”

Elena shakes her head, “No one is going to hurt him.”

Jeremy scoffs and begins walking away. Elena follows him.

“Hey, look at me. I promise.”

“Elena.”

Oh I know that fuckass British voice.

Esther, mind you, a supposed to be dead, Esther stands before us.

“Oh no way in fucking hell. You were dead!”

“I was brought back, hello Y/n.”

“Elena, if you wish to help your friend Alaric, I suggest you come with me.”

“Jeremy, go inside and take Y/n. Go get Stefan and Damon now,” Elena tells her brother.

Jeremy goes to grab me but I shake my head, “Someone needs to stay with Elena and I’m not letting that bitch out of my sight,” I point to Esther who side eyes me, “Go get Elijah and Klaus.”

It might just be me, but I think my vampires would fare better in this fight than Elena’s.

Jeremy leaves us, and I go to stand next to Elena, who grabs my hand in hers. Old habits die hard, I guess.

“I mean you no harm,” Esther tells Elena.

I snort, “Funny how she doesn’t say that to me. Wonder why,” I raise an eyebrow at the witch.

“I apologize for my actions in causing you harm, My Dear. I’ve had time on the other side to think over my ways, and I realize now that what I did was wrong. You are nothing but a victim of fate.”

Forget Elijah, I’m going to rip this lying bitch’s head off myself.

“You will come with me, Elena.”

With that the bitch turns around and starts walking. Elena looks at me and then starts following her. I grab her hand, stopping her.

“What the hell are you thinking?”

“It’s Ric, Y/n. I have to. You stay here, I’ve got this.”

Elena pulls her hand away and follows after Esther. I watch them for a moment before letting out a loud groan and running after them.

A machete would come in real handy right now.

—-

“You’ll forgive me for taking you from the dance this evening, ” Esther says as she leads Elena and me through a dark cemetery, “That’s the burden of being the doppleganger, I’m afraid. Your blood is a potent binding agent for a witch’s spell.”

I roll my eyes at her words.

“Please just don’t hurt Alaric,” Elena begs.

“She’s not hurting me.”

I look forward and see Alaric come out from behind a tree. Very dramatic.

Elena goes towards him with a smile on her face, but I stop her as I look at the cold glint in Ric’s eyes.

“What’s going on? What are you doing with him?”

“I’m going to remake him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Make him strong, fast, like my children,” Esther gazes at me as she says that, “Indestructible. For one final time, I’m going to tap into the dark magic I used a thousand years ago. Like my husband Mikael before him, I will make Alaric into a true hunter, the vampire to end all vampires.”

“You can’t create another original. What if he turns out to be a bigger monster than your children?”

“He won’t. Now that he’s embraced his darkest aspect. His hatred for them will become more pure and uncompromising. In death, that hatred will be magnified.”

“You really are a crazy bitch,” I shake my head at her amazed.

“You don’t know anything about him,” Elena tells her.

“That is where you’re wrong. Each time he died with that ring during his brief journey into death, I was there on the other side. I spoke to him. I nurtured him, knowing that every death brought him closer to his true self. Vampires took everything from him. Now he’s getting his vengeance.”

“So you’re basically saying you groomed him? I knew you were evil, Esther, but that has got to be a new low even for you,” I glare at her, and she shakes her head at me.

“My child-”

“I am not your child,” I growl at her and release harsh breaths through my nose, trying to calm myself.

“You defend my children, but you have only known them for a split second of their millennium. They have lived 10 lifetimes more than I don’t blame you for falling for their charms.”

I let out a sick laugh, “You know nothing about me.”

“I know what the birthmark on your shoulder means.”

My eyes narrow.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Confusion clouds Esther’s eyes for a moment before a look of sorrow comes over her face, “You defend my children, and yet they hide from you who you truly are.”

“Once again, what the hell are you talking about, Esther?”

“That birthmark on your shoulder isn’t just a coincidence, My Dear. No, it has a long history of bloodshed and misery that comes with it. My children know what it means, and yet they haven’t told you.”

“So why don’t you tell me right now,” I challenge her.

“You’re a monster bound to the moon, My Child.”

—-

Elena has just stuck a stake through Alaric’s heart, and yet I can’t feel anything. I’ve been staring at the stone wall in front of me for the past 10 minutes since Esther just dropped a bomb on me.

“Monster bound to the moon.”

A wolf.

Maybe she was lying. Maybe this is some kind of psychological warfare. Maybe she's…

“Y/n, someone's here,” Elena pushes me u,p and I feel myself stand up and follow her, my mind is still buzzing and I’m not really sure what is going on, but I watch as Matt and Jeremy stand before us with bows.

Esther says something to them, but I’m so out of it that I notice the shift when they both pull their weapons on to one another through Esther’s control.

“Esther, stop!’”

Elena’s yells are interrupted but a gasp from Esther, and I turn to see Alaric stab her right in the back.

—-

“How many times will we have to deal with our mother’s dead body?”

I look up from my seated position on the dirty ground to see Kol, Elijah, Klaus, Theo, and the Salvatore brothers, all staring down at Esther’s dead body.

Theo’s eyes meet mine, and he instantly runs over to me and kneels in front of me, “Y/n, are you ok? What happened,” He places his hands on the side of my face, checking me over for injuries, “I swear, if that witch did anything to you, I’ll find a way to bring her back to life just so I can kill her myself.

Elijah and Klaus both stand behind my brother now, both assessing me.

“Elskan?’”

“Luv, tell us what’s wrong?”

“Did you know?”

Both of them frown in confusion, and Kol joins us.

“Know what, Luv?”

“Did you know what my birthmark means,” I finally look up at them to gauge their reactions, and even though they’ve had a thousand years on me, I can still read them clearly.

They knew.

Elijah sighs deeply, “Y/n, I swear-”

“Go.”

“Elskan, please…”

I stand up so fast that Theo almost falls over; thankfully, Kol grabs him and helps him stand up.

“I said, go, Elijah! I don’t want to see either of you! Grab your deaad mother and leave me the fuck alone,” I snarl in anger at them and Elijah and Klaus both have looks of hurt on their faces. Good.

Klaus steps forward, but Theo quickly stands in front of him, blocking me from his sight.

“She said leave, Klaus,” Theo’s words come out strong.

Jeremy, who was standing next to Elena, comes to stand next to my brother, blocking Elijah from seeing me.

“You heard the lady, brothers,” Kol steps in between Theo and Klaus, “You grab mommy dearest, and I’ll make sure everyone gets home nice and safe.”

I don’t see them, but I hear a low growl and then footsteps. I peek around Theo and see Klaus pick up Esther’s body, and both brothers leave the graveyard.

“Thanks,” I choke out, and Theo instantly turns back to me.

He wipes a stray tear from my face and pulls me into a tight hug, “Stop getting kidnapped, please. You’re giving me wrinkles.”

I pull away from Theo and smile at Jeremy, who nods and then walks over to Alaric.

“Did you know,” I ask Kol.

Kol gives me a look, “Not a clue what birthmark you’re talking about, Doll. But if you want to show me,” He smirks, and Theo punches him in the shoulder.

—-

The next hour consists of everyone saying their goodbyes to Ric, who decided not to complete the transition and to let himself die. Everyone here is filled with sorrow and has tears in their eyes, well… except for Kol. Kol looks clearly uncomfortable at the emotions being thrown around and clearly just wants to go home.

Jenna exits the tombstone with a sob, and I hold out my arms for her, and she dives into me. I feel her tears coat my shoulder as I shush her.

“I’ve got you, Jen. I’ve got you.”

Theo stands next to Jeremy with a hand on his shoulder, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, and Matt all stand together, and Elena walks out of the tomb next, and I don’t even have to say anything because she’s already diving into my arms. She and Jenna both cry into my shoulders for another moment before Jenna leans back to look at me.

“Do you want to…”

I don’t say anything but just nod, leaving both women to console one another.

I walk into the tomb to see a ghostly-looking Ric sitting against the wall. He notices me and gives me a painful smile.

“Hey, Kiddo.”

“Heya, Ric.”

I sit across from him in silence.

“Are you scared?”

Ric looks at me for a moment, “I’ve already died like a thousand times, what’s one more?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Kiddo,” Ric tells me with tear-filled eyes, “You just stay you, alright? Don’t let any of this supernatural stuff ruin you like it did me. You’re too good. You, Theo, Elena, and Jeremy look out for each other, alright? You guys need each other.”

I release a shaking breath, “Will do. And I’m sorry I never turned in my paper on the Industrial Revolution,” I try to joke, but my tears just make it even sadder.

Ric laughs, though, so it was worth it.

“No problem, Kid. I’m sure it would’ve been brilliant.”

I stand up and give him one last look before walking to the door.

“Y/n?”

I turn around. “It was a pleasure to meet such a bright mind like yours. You will always be my best student.”

I give him a sad smile, “You were a pretty good teacher yourself, Ric.”

—-

Theo, Jenna, and both Gilbert siblings walk in front of me as we enter the Gilbert household. Kol walks beside me, keeping his word on making sure everyone got home safe.

“Alright, I’m done here.”

I look at Kol and give him a smile, “Thank you, Kol.”

Kol eyes me for a second before shrugging, “Just keeping up with our deal, Doll.”

I give him a look, “Ya…sure.”

He rolls his eyes and runs off without another word. The cold wind brushes through my hair, and my gaze makes its way up towards the star-filled sky. My eyes lock onto the daunting crescent moon in the sky, and a sick feeling washes over me.

“Y/n?”

I turn towards the front door, where Elena is standing with her hand held out for me, then give one last glance at the moon, and then turn back to my friend.

“I’m coming, Lena.”

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strawbairicake · 21 hours ago

Text

the kitten incident- dr. ratio x reader

synopsis: the four times you tried convincing Veritas to get a kitten, and the one time he gifted you… an “unexpected” surprise.

warnings: ummm pacing, my kinda bad (read: beginner/novice) writing, pls be nice to me. bad (/non existent) characterization of Ratio! other than that, none! this is disgustingly fluffy haha!

word count: ~1.3k (idk dude i stopped counting after 1010 words)

tagging: @sqgeism, @vyyper, @your-sleeparalysisdem0n (since you eat up all of my writing), @fairycourts (would like to know what you think of this!), @m1ckeyb3rry, @sheyfu, and @cmiru!

author’s note: my first attempt at writing a full-length fic! don’t expect this to happen much from me, haha (unless requested ofc!)! this is a birthday gift to myself, so this is very self-indulgent! for reference, you have a best friend in this story named Ares! she’s amazing and based off of my real life bestie! hope you enjoy; worked very hard on this! <3

a… very convincing car ride home.

after a date at a cat café, Veritas was regretting taking you out anywhere. you would not stop talking about getting a kitten. his internal monologue was filled with thoughts about you shutting up. he wouldn’t voice hurtful thoughts to you, of course, but if you could shut up, that’d be great.

“Veritas?”

“yes, (name)?”

“can we please get a kitten?”

Veritas glanced at you before returning his eyes to the road.

“I’ll consider it if you keep your mouth shut the rest of the drive home.”

you were as quiet as a mouse for the rest of the drive, much to Veritas’s enjoyment. you both made your way to your shared apartment. Veritas led you both into the apartment, where he was slightly surprised to see how quiet you still were. that lasted five minutes- oh, off you went rambling about getting a kitten again. ah well, surely this is a phase that will pass? it’s like when children beg their parents to get a pet and they won’t drop the topic until they get what they wanted. surely this won’t be the same situation with you, right?

oh well, only one way to find out.

a quiet chat over dinner.

after arriving home after the initial conversation, you and Veritas decided to prepare a light snack to go along with dinner. your routine with Veritas when it came to meals was simple: you prepare any snacks you both wanted, and he would prepare dinner. you set a bowl of fruits and other snacks on the table while your partner finishes preparing the meal before joining you at the table. for once, he initiates the conversation.

“are you still thinking about a kitten?”

“yeah, why do you ask?”

Veritas sighed and you smiled- there was just no winning when it comes to him, is there?

“hypothetically speaking, if we were to be adopting a kitten- don’t get your hopes up- what breed are you most looking into?”

your eyebrows raised. what a hypothetical. but answering honestly seems to be the only way to answer.

“probably a calico or a tortoiseshell. my childhood friend had the latter and she was very sweet. plus i have experience with cats, so it’s not like i’m picking a breed i couldn’t handle.”

Veritas hummed, slightly amused with your statement. he made a mental note for when he goes to the animal shelter next weekend while you’re away.

”bothering” him while he works in your home office.

to say you bothered your lover is an overstatement… probably! Dr. Ratio shows his love to you in his own ways. they may not be the most conventional of ways, but they are ways! you put in love in the relationship, too, more upfront in a way, with him. you’re both happy, healthy, and for the most part- content, with how things are. until the damn kitten talk comes up again, and that makes your partner want to rip his hair out (lovingly). it’s not that he dislikes animals, he seems to be very neutral towards them, while you’re definitely the animal magnet between the two of you. Dr. Ratio loves you, he really does! but if he hears about this damn kitten one more time, he might combust, mentally… maybe! you can’t help it if you want something, you just HAVE to tell everyone everything about said thing! it’s human nature, or something!

so here you are, sitting in your lover’s office in your reading nook while he quietly works on grading his students’ essays or whatever- you stopped listening a while ago, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) for him. you were reading a book, he was working, and all seemed well with the world. at least, he thought so. he heard you shuffle your way out of your nook over to his desk. you just stood next to him and watched as he wrote (surprisingly nice handwriting for a “doctor”) some comments on a student’s essay. he could tell you were waiting for when he wouldn’t be as busy, and he was glad you had that courtesy, if nothing else. so when he input the student’s grade and set the paper essay to the side, he sighed and looked up at you.

“if it’s about a kitten, could the conversation wait until after we bathe?”

and the shine in your eyes told him everything he needed to know.

overhearing you on a call with your friend (and the aftermath).

your best friend, Ares, has risen from the dead, hooray! but in all seriousness, she had been so busy with her job that she hadn’t gotten in touch with you in what felt like FOREVER. you’re listening to Ares talk about her job, books, and a whole bunch of other things. and then the call goes pretty quiet on your side, just long enough to be noticed by your friend.

“oh yeah,” she pipes up after a few minutes of silence on your end, “how’s the cat debacle going? has he come around?”

“he told me he’s thinking about it, but it was kind weird the other day! he asked a hypothetical question that did not sound like a hypothetical at all.”

“well, what’d he say?”

“he said, and I quote, ahem, ‘hypothetically speaking, if we were to be adopting a kitten- don’t get your hopes up- what breed are you most looking into?’ i don’t know, Jade, it just seemed… off. like i should be expecting something, and i’m not, if that makes sense.” you answered.

“girl, how the hell did you remember what he said verbatim? anyway! that totally makes sense! maybe he’s planning a surprise for you and can barely keep the secret together.” she smiled at you through the screen.

you replied a quick “yeah, maybe” before realizing Veritas was just outside the door to your shared bedroom, overhearing your conversation. he waits for your conversation to end before coming in the room. but before he enters, he quickly shoots a message to Ares herself: “do they know?” and he gets almost excited when Ares texts back almost immediately, “no, but i almost accidentally spilled what’s going on. you NEED to tell them soon! good luck!”

that was suddenly all of the confirmation the astute doctor needed.

the kitten incident (a good one, i promise!)!

Veritas greeted you in your shared home, which was odd. he always came home after you, so it was mildly strange he was waiting for you. but you paid this slight change no mind- maybe he just wanted to spend time with you and got his things done early. he greeted you from the kitchen. you made your way over to him.

“hi, love. how was your day?”

“oh my god! today was sooo long!” you reply as you cling to his waist. Veritas hums and puts a hand on one of your forearms and rubs little circles into the flesh. he finishes preparing a light snack for himself since you already ate dinner with some friends an hour ago. you moved away from him as he took your hand, which got your attention.

“come see, i have a surprise for you.”

“oh god, what did i do?”

Veritas lets out a light chuckle.

“i can’t spoil my significant other without them thinking they did something wrong? i’m hurt, (name).”

you laughed as he set his snack down on the counter and led you to the living room where a small box was sitting on the coffee table.

“here, open it.” he handed the box to you carefully. you looked at him skeptically before sitting on the sofa and opening the box. inside the box was a tiny calico kitten, the one you had been talking about visiting for at least two weeks now. she was so tiny, most likely the runt of her litter, and you kept telling Veritas how much you liked her. you were devastated when you found out she was adopted. you gently picked the sleeping kitten up from the box, and she opened her eyes, and then proceeded to let out the tiniest and most polite meow you’ve ever heard. you looked to Veritas and then the kitten back and forth about five times as he laughed and nudged your shoulder.

“look at her collar.”

you looked at the tag on her collar and your breath hitched. marry me, the tag read. as you turn to face your lover, you find him sitting next to you with a ring box in hand, proposing to you out of the blue, with the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

#airi writes #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #dr ratio x reader

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yuriartillery · 17 hours ago

Text

Agatha and Elizabeth

“Lady Agatha, I’ve brought you your tea.”

I set the platter down on the end table next to my mistress and pour out her tea. She doesn’t take it with milk or sugar, and she always insists that I oversteep the leaves in the pot. Bitter herbs sharpen the mind, she says.

Agatha is sprawled out on her reading chair in her chamber, still in her nightgown despite it nearly being noon. Lady Agatha purportedly drove away several governesses in her youth with her willful and unladylike attitude, and I have personally seen her drive out a fair score of potential suitors in much the same way. I admit that I almost admire her sharp tongue when it’s turned towards those above me, but all too often her disposition grates on me in the way that only a spoiled child can.

“Thank you, Liz. Would you draw the curtains? I have a bitch of a headache.”

Her delicately manicured left hand covers her porcelain face, as she regards me through spread fingers. My lady’s room has a western facing window, and there’s not a single stream of light flowing in at the moment. A catty remark crosses my mind briefly as I walk over to the curtains to draw them.

“Right away, my Lady.”

She’s not fond of sharp or sudden noises, so I carefully pull them together, taking far longer than I would prefer. Once the are curtains shut, I tidy up her room. The laundry maid has often complained that Agatha’s clothes seem to spend more time as makeshift rugs than on her body. She’s still watching me through her fingers, although she hasn’t yet deigned to honour me by turning her head.

“Lady Agatha, forgive me my presumption, but you seem not to be feeling well today. Shall I send word to that factory owner’s son that you won’t be able to entertain him for dinner?”

Exactly on cue, she lets out a put-upon sigh and slumps further into her chair. Mister John Harker has been quite dogged in his pursuit of Agatha, despite her repeated deflections of his various advances. By society’s estimation he’s a perfectly unobjectionable man, though the arrogance he displays by courting far above his station embitters him to me. Not that anyone of standing minds, her parents have been trying to marry her off to any man who will take her, both to finally rid the estate of her presence and to dispel the rumors that they’ve spawned an unmarriageable hellion.

“I’m afraid you didn’t respond clearly enough for me to answer Mr. Harker’s solicitations, my Lady, shall I return after you’ve had time for the tea to settle?”

My mistress is so predictable. As soon as I suggest that I’m about to leave, she immediately rights her posture, combs her hair out of her eyes, and clears her throat.

“Tell that parasitic bastard that I am indisposed in no uncertain terms, Liz.”

She pauses for a beat, her face twisting as venom decants behind her ruby lips, until her expression settles into a malicious grin barely veiled by an austere half-smile. Just as I’m about to prompt her, my Lady speaks.

“On second thought, I’m feeling much better. Your tea always does wonders for me, Elizabeth. Let him know that I would be honored to dine with him alone tonight.”

I know she’s not touched her tea yet, so Agatha must be plotting something. Typically she would hold a massive party so that she could publicly humiliate a suitor. A solo dinner is well outside of her usual mischief.

“Very good, my Lady. I’ll have a messenger send word to Mr. Harker immediately.”

“You must help me get dressed and prepared first, Liz. I can’t host anyone in this state, certainly not him. My hair’s a mess, as is my face.”

I can’t help but smile to myself. Agatha is always so petulant and exacting when she gets an idea like this into her head. Until the very moment her plans begin, she’ll find something wrong with her appearance or presentation and endlessly correct it such that everything is perfect. She’ll need to bathe, get dressed, do her hair, and have at least four hours to make sure that each room in her scheme is arranged to her need.

“Did you bathe last night, my Lady?”

Of course she didn’t, I was with her until I turned out her lights. My mistress never bathes unless I remind her too. She seems startled when I ask this, snapped out of her plots for a moment by the societal expectation of cleanliness. Honestly, she’s helpless.

“Oh! I, well, no…”

“I see, my Lady. I’ll go draw a bath for you now, and I’ll fetch you when it’s ready.”

“Thank you, Liz.”

“It’s no trouble at all, my Lady. Do you have an idea of what you’ll be wearing tonight?”

“…I don’t.”

“Well my Lady, I encourage you to think on it while I prepare your bath. Please excuse me.”

She’s not listening anymore, and I know it. I don’t particularly mind. The look of her perfectly focused face tells she can’t tell if I take a moment outside of her notice. Some time to alert the staff to the general outline of what will be occurring today. I quietly excuse myself from her chambers and look for Anthony, the estate’s coachman and messenger. He seems genuinely excited to be giving Mr. Harker substantial news for a change. I can’t blame the man, it must be exhausting to constantly rebuff the pesterings of a desperate lovelorn fool.

Lady Agatha didn’t outline any of her plans to me before I left, but they all more or less follow a rote routine, so providing advanced notice to the kitchen and cleaning staff has historically improved the odds of my mistress’s plans going off without a hitch.

The bath has always been simple, but unorthodox, to prepare. Agatha prefers her baths to be as hot as possible, so I nearly boil her bathwater. When she’s ready it’ll be the almost scalding temperature that she so adores. I gently knock at the door and let myself in. Agatha has spread a few different dresses out on her bed and the floor and is in deep deliberation as to which dress she should wear.

“I think the sky blue dress would be appropriate for today, my Lady.”

She starts up, like a cat that’s had its tail tread on. I suppress a giggle. She nods to me in agreement and begins to gather up her other dresses.

“Also, your bath is prepared. Leave the cleanup to me, my Lady.”

I reach down to help her upright and she takes my hand swiftly. She pulls herself to her feet in one sudden motion and walks to the bathroom faster than is necessary. Out of the corner of my eye I catch her alabaster cheeks flushing rose, cut off sharply by the slamming of a door. This is routine as well, a startled Agatha can’t bear to be seen by anyone else. I tidy up her room, returning all but the blue dress to her wardrobe. After all is set into its rightful place, I make up her bed and tidy the mess of romance novels on her desk.

A book titled Carmilla catches my eye as I clean, hidden away behind the headboard of Agatha’s bed. It’s in a horrid state, spine bent and broken, pages yellowed with several dog-eared to hold her place. My lady is still bathing, so I take a break from my chores to peruse a few pages. Within seconds I am absorbed so fully that I nearly miss my Lady crying out for my aid. I clear my throat and tuck the novel back where I found it.

“Liz! Elizabeth! I need your help! Now!”

It’s strange, she almost never requires assistance in the bath, but I open the door to the bath and a wave of heavy steam forces me back. I wipe the fog from my glasses and walk in.

“Liz, what took you so long?”

Agatha’s skin is entirely red from the hot bath, but she hasn’t yet wet her hair. I can’t help but sigh, she’s going to insist that I wash her hair. It’s nearly been two months since she last asked for this, I had almost hoped that she had forgotten that I said I’d be willing to. I move behind the bathtub and prepare the soaps.

“Forgive me, my Lady. I was engrossed in my work.”

She pouts, because she can’t help it. I keep my opinions to myself.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore! Now that you’re here, wash my hair! … please.”

I knew it.

“You’ll have to wet it yourself, my lady. I wouldn’t want to appear to be drowning my mistress on the off chance that someone stumbles into your bathroom.”

With a huff, Agatha sinks beneath the steaming water, giving me another opportunity to remove the fog from my glasses. She childishly breaches moments later, splattering both myself and the floor with her bathwater. Every day it grows harder to suppress my annoyance with my mistress. Each interaction is just another trial from God, sent to test my patience.

“Close your eyes, my Lady. We wouldn’t want it to get into your eyes.”

I lather her scalp and begin the laborious process of cleaning her unmanageable amount of hair. Agatha has been famously opposed to it ever being cut. Trimming it to remove the splitting ends has been a battle enough her entire life, the other maids have told me. She’s made a personal enemy of every salon’s proprietor and all of their employees within fifty miles, and now none will ever assent to seeing her.

My mistress sighs with contentment as I work on her. She purrs like a cat when my nails scratch her scalp and mewls pathetically when I move on to more of her hair. There’s some wordless protestation when I wipe my glasses for a third time, but it’s easily resolved with a bit of pointless fawning.

“Alright, it is finished, my Lady.”

She sinks back underneath the water. I have to wait for her to resurface before I leave, lest I provoke another outburst. It won’t be long, as she can hardly hold her breath above water, let alone below it. When she surfaces this time she doesn’t intentionally splash as a seal would.

“If that’s all, I’ll be taking my leave now, Lady Agatha.”

I’m struck by how wounded she looks as I move to leave. With a sigh I turn around and set my glasses on the vanity, as it seems I might be in this teakettle of a room for quite some time.

“Is there something wrong, my Lady?”

There’s a pause as she thinks over my question. She’s clearly troubled, it’s written all over her face.

“What do you think of that Harker bastard, Liz? And you have to answer honestly! Or else!”

It’s now my turn to spend a moment thinking. By all measures he’s an upstanding young gentleman, cordial and polite at every opportunity. He gets along well with all of the servants in our estate, myself excluded, and he’s absolutely filthy rich, so it wouldn’t be beyond him to provide the lavish lifestyle that Agatha insists on.

But despite knowing all of that, I simply cannot stand the man for more than five minutes at a time. His posture is stiff and bent all at the same time, he never knows when to stop joking about with people, and his tireless pursuit of Agatha, despite her obvious intolerance of his existence, makes me wretch. If I were her mother, I would make it clear in no uncertain terms that he is to leave my darling Agatha alone and never show his face in my house again.

“Hmm. Well, in all respects he’s a wonderful gentleman who any young woman would be delighted to marry.”

I can feel my mistress burning holes through me with her glare as I begin my evaluation of her suitor with the same uncritical praise that she’s doubtless heard dozens of times already.

“But, I personally would resign as my Lady’s personal maid if you were to accept his proposal. I cannot stand to share a room with the man, and were it not my duty to ensure he felt safe and welcomed in this estate, I would have denied him entry long ago.”

Agatha looks visibly relieved to hear such a scathing opinion of Mr. Harker. After I finish speaking, she steps out of the bath without warning and wrings out her hair. I nearly stumble as I go for a towel to give her so that she can cover up. It isn’t the first time I’ve seen her fully naked before, so I suppose she must not mind at anymore. I excuse myself to her chambers to help her dress and do her hair after she finishes drying herself.

She’s returned to her silent plotting once she exits the bath, and wordlessly allows me to dress her, not putting up nearly as much of a fight as I’m used to out of her. I prefer her like this, a nice pretty doll for me to dress and groom. I’m almost shocked not to hear any complaining as I do her hair up into a partial crown braid, but she’s within in her own internal world now. The Day of Judgment itself could not rouse her now.

Once she’s fully prepared for the day she gracefully dances out of her room, stopping to offer me a mumbled thanks for dressing her. She’s likely off to let the staff know her particular requirements for tonight’s dinner. I’ll be following her during the late afternoon, but time has flown, and I’m finally allowed one of my breaks, so I go off to the kitchen to have myself a meal.

The cooks are all abuzz about Lady Agatha’s meal request for tonight. Against her parent’s paltry resistance, she’s asked that they prepare all of the most expensive meat they had on hand, and that they were to make enough to feed the entire staff. Nobody is quite sure what awful prank she’s going to play on Mr. Harker, but they don’t care. Wine, bread, cheeses, all are fair game to the staff tonight, so Agatha likely has their entire support.

It’s already late afternoon when Anthony leads Mr. Harker into the foyer. He looks dazzled by the chandelier when I greet him on behalf of Agatha.

“Welcome to the Rosewood Estate, Mr. John Harker. At present, my Lady Agatha is preparing for your meal with her. Forgive her absence; she’ll be with us shortly. Until then, it would be my honor to entertain you.”

My voice breaks his fascination with the crystal chandelier and he laughs nervously.

“Uh, haha, yes, very good. You’re, wait, don’t tell me, I remember your face, uh, you’re Elizabeth! Right, yeah Lizzy, the uh, maid that’s always joined to Aggie’s hip. That’s splendid, I could use your advice.”

I wince when he calls my mistress ‘Aggie’ with such familiarity. Where does he get off thinking that he can use a pet name she despises when she’s done nothing but ignore his telegrams and letters for months? I offer a silent prayer that whatever Agatha has planned will rid us of this vermin for good.

“I’m flattered, Mr. Harker. Not only do you remember a humble servant like myself, but you think so highly of my opinion that you’d ask for my advice. If you would give Anthony your coat, I’ll guide you to the sitting room, where it’d be my utmost pleasure to answer any questions you may have.”

Mr. Harker’s face lights up with an awful juvenile smile as he hands off his filthy longcoat to the coachman. I lead him to the sitting room, opening the door for him and he immediately takes Agatha’s favored seat. His posture is positively uncouth as his miserable form seeps into the chair.

“Should I have a servant put on some tea, Mr. Harker?”

“Tea? No, can’t stand the stuff. I only drink coffee. Lizzy, you wouldn’t believe how rough the journey here from London is, but after months of silence, my beloved Aggie has finally seen sense! Everyone told me that she’d never respond, uh, that she’s always going to be unmarried but I sure showed-”

I can’t bear to hear anymore of his blathering, so I cut him off.

“I’m as pleased as anyone else is that my Lady has finally graced with you an invitation to our humble estate, Mr. Harker. If you would forgive me speaking above my station, what did you intend to ask me about?”

His surprised expression at my directness fills me with equal parts pride for silencing him and anxiety for speaking over a man.

“Uh… right, right, so you know Aggy better than anyone else right, Lizzy? I mean, uh, of course you do. I’ve never seen her without you by her side, uh, so, in your opinion how do you think it’d be best for me to uh, spring an engagement on her?”

Die. I want him to die right now.

“Lady Agatha has always hated surprises. I’m sure someone who cares for her as deeply, as you yourself do, would understand that instinctively. She’s also quite sharp, trying to trick her into saying yes would only put yourself in danger of one of her infamous rejections. Were I in your position, I would be upfro-”

“Ha! Upfront? You’ve got to be joking around with me, right Lizzy? I’ve always uh, been upfront with Aggie about my intentions and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere. Honestly, were I a more cynical man, I’d think she’s uh, preparing to embarrass me like she she did to Georgie, and Percy, and Willy, and…”

He trails off getting quieter and quieter as he lists a number of Agatha’s potential suitors that he personally knew. I take the moment to breathe, trying to quell the seething rage I feel after being so sharply cut off by a dimwitted half-common fool who asked for my advice, then decided he knew better instantly.

“Yes, my Lady has discerning taste. But not one of the unfortunate men you listed were ever personally invited to a private dinner with Lady Agatha.”

Mr. Harker looks up from the fingers he was counting his former rivals on, genuinely shocked at what I had just said.

“Wait, uh, really?”

“Yes sir.”

“You’re not pulling my leg, are you Lizzy?”

“This is not the proper time to make jokes, Mr, Harker.”

The smile that appears on his face on hearing this turns my stomach.

“Splendid! Right, uh, sorry for doubting you Lizzy. You’ve been so helpful. Uh, take this as a sign of my thanks.”

He shoves a crumpled wad of banknotes into my hand, then returns to Agatha’s chair, somehow spreading himself in a less dignified way than before.

“Sir, I can’t accept these, I haven’t done anything for you.”

I gently set the money onto an end table nearby Mr. Harker. It stinks like he does. I’ll have to wash my hands once I have some time to myself. When he speaks again, his voice is in a lower tone.

“Oh Lizzy, you’re so humble, I insist. And uh, just between you and me, uh, Percy said the reason why he stopped pursuing Aggie wasn’t because of all of the drinks she spilled on him or the kissing some other man while he was watching or any of that. Percy’s a good-natured chap after all. You could probably cut off his leg and he’d thank you.”

“Forgive me, I’m not sure I understand-”

“He said it was because uh, whenever you’d look at him, he’d uh, feel the chill of the grave. So, uh, if Agatha does become my fiancee, I’d like to have a good uh, you know, relationship with you, Lizzy.”

I notice that I’ve been clenching my fists in my lap during this entire conversation. I relax myself, and give him a halfhearted half-smile.

“Whatever my Lady desires, I will make so. If she truly does wish to marry you, Mr. Harker, I’ll gladly serve you with her.”

“Brilliant! We’ll be thick as thieves in no time, won’t we, Lizzy?”

As if Lady Agatha has any intention of spending one more moment of her precious time with this imbecile after tonight is through.

“I’d imagine we would be, sir.”

Another maid opens the door to let us know that dinner is ready to be served. Harker gets up right away, boundless energy pouring out of his every step. I follow behind and over his shoulders I see Lady Agatha. She’s done her own makeup for this dinner, and though it’s competent, I still wish she had given me the opportunity to do it for her. Even so, at this moment she is the pinnacle of grace and beauty, her dress flowing like water with each step she takes.

“John, it’s so very good to see you tonight. I trust that Liz was a satisfactory substitute hostess while I was making myself presentable?”

Her voice rings out clear and wonderful as church bells, contrasted to Mr. Harker’s boorish mumbling.

“Uh, yeah, Aggie, she was an uh, a great hostess. You uh, look pretty tonight. Uh, Lizzy said it would just be the uh, two of us dining?”

“Yes, I’ve had my staff prepare the meal beforehand so that it can just be the two of us alone, John. I’m quite proud of what my chefs have waiting for us tonight.”

Agatha offers her hand to Harker, which he takes, not even kneeling to kiss it, and then pulls her into the dining room. The doors close behind them and I rush to the washroom to scrub his scent from my hands.

It’s been nearly thirty minutes as I wait alone by the door, hands red and raw from the washing. The air stings. All I can here through the polished oak are polite murmurs as the two eat and chat, though try as I might, I can’t discern the direction the conversation is going.

Doubts begin to eat away at me while the minute hand crawls iota by iota across the clock face. Did Agatha actually have feelings for Mr. Harker that I simply hadn’t noticed? Was this not going to be a prank of hers? Without being able to hear, anything could be going on behind those closed doors. I fall to my knees and offer another prayer to whatever saint can be bothered. Ask God on my behalf to kill that man on the spot.

As I strain my ears I hear a glass shatter and a slight scuffle. I ignore it dutifully, if I am needed then she will come ask for me. Then a dull thump as something hits the floor hard. It is none of my concern, my imagination must be overactive. Then a strangled, gurgling scream. I disregard my station and throw open a door to see if my Lady is safe.

Within the dining hall I see my lovely Lady Agatha on top of a fallen John Harker, her face pressed against his neck and hand covering his mouth. He’s gripping the tablecloth with one hand and clawing desperately at the air with another. The red wine is all over the floor and my Lady’s dress. Harker’s eyes dart towards me and he forces out another gagged scream.

I begin to apologize for my intrusion and turn to leave, when I catch from the corner of my eye thick crimson pool oozing from Mr. Harker’s neck. There’s a tearing sound as she looks at me from atop the bleeding man. She looks up at me and spits out a chunk of his flesh. A jolt of envy courses through me.

“Oh Liz. Right outside my door. Ever my faithful dog. Did you hear that scream and get worried that John was attempting something improper with your master?”

Harker had sunk his teeth into Agatha’s hand, hard enough to make her bleed, but the light is already beginning to leave his eyes. I come to my senses enough to speak.

“What in God’s name are you doing, Agatha?”

She smiles far wider than she’s ever done before, showing off all of her perfectly straight bloodstained teeth. Her voice remains even and tempered, as if she were speaking to her parents or another noble. I’m beckoned over by her free hand and I approach warily.

“John was just blathering on and on and on about his life and how he’ll treat me if we were to get engaged and about his work in the city and all of his terribly boring friends and it was so mind-numbingly dull.”

Her voice is excited and lilting as she continues, but she isn’t talking past me. All of her attention is on me now.

“You know how I get when I’m bored, Liz. I started to look at his neck instead of his face. When he gets excited did you know one of his veins throbs just a little? I got to wondering what it would feel like if I were to sink my teeth into it and then before I knew it-”

She laughs clear and innocent as a church bell. It brings a smile to the corner of my face despite the circumstances.

“I was on top of him ripping out that throbbing vein with my teeth!”

Blood has started to seep into the edges of her dress, the floor is slick with Harker’s life. I get closer to her, and she wrenches her other hand out of his mouth. I kneel beside her and she rests her head on my shoulder.

“And it felt so good, Liz, the heat of his blood pouring into my mouth, the feel of my teeth cutting through skin and muscle alike, the terror in his eyes as he realized that I was going to kill him.”

Agatha lets out a dreamy sigh, running her uninjured hand over the chest of Harker’s corpse. I glare at it. It’s still too much affection for him, from her.

“And the struggle, he bit my hand, you know. How improper of him, he’s meant to be my suitor.”

She takes my cheek with her unbitten hand and turns my head to look her in the eyes. I ask instinctively.

“Is there something you require, my Lady?” My Lady Agatha kisses me on my lips, the bitter iron taste of Harker’s blood fills my mouth, my cheeks reddening from the directness, the impropriety of it. I feel my heart quicken when her tongue meets mine and at this moment I forget about the dead man beside me, the stains to my clothes, and every thought about what I should do now.

The kiss ends abruptly, and I’m still left reeling from the intensity of the situation. Agatha stands and present her injured hand to me. I wrap it with a napkin to staunch the flow of blood. The same smile is still on her face.

“Now Liz, I seem to have made a mess of my dinner. Could you clean up for me?”

#longform tag #maid #yuri #this one is edited and refined from a draft from 2021 #lottie had plans to make it a serial but the motivation never manifested #anyway! enjoy it as a short story its a little violent near the end but if youve read lotties other work #you know what youre signing up for tee hee

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tansypawz · 1 day ago

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excuse me have you ever explaned why you hate losercake

buckle up because this is gonna be a long response.

cake is one of, if not my favorite bfdi character, and he has been for a very long time. i saw a lot of myself in him and eventually started looking deeper into the details of his personality, his actions and his general character, and i realized, loser did not leave a positive impact on him in any way whatsoever.

let me explain.

at the start of bfb, everyone loves loser. cake included, obviously. cake ends up 'lucky' enough to be in a team with him, a team where everything everyone did always revolved around loser. loser was the 'driving force' behind his team, just to receive all the praise and love from his adoring fans. this, however, is as far as he would go in terms of forming bonds with his team.

at least, that was the case with everyone except for cake.

we know from an episode in bfb B that he wanted to keep that praise from his fans, and to have them never question his judgement or plans.

to keep his fans' trust and devotion towards him, he'd need to constantly present as likeable and friendly, and an easy way to do that is by forming a slightly deeper yet still extremely superficial relationship with one of his adoring fans, in this case, cake. that's when the nudging started. the nudging loser always did to cake whenever it was cake at stake. and of course cake was at first ecstatic to be noticed by his idol ! however, i believe cake was uncomfortable in regards to the joke being made.

you see, when leafy rejoins and gifts needle the 3d cake, you can see cake distraught at the sight of needle eating it, making it safe to assume cake heavily dislikes the visual or idea of cake being eaten, even if it's not sentient like he is. look at this screenshot from the sceen where he sees needle eat the cake

that is not the face of someone who's comfortable with jokes about his object being eaten

but he could never reveal that he was uncomfortable with a form of affection THE loser was giving him. not only would he look bad in front of his idol, but his team was so loser-centric that the slightest criticism would make them violent [for example, in bfb 1 when pin points out they should do the challenge instead of gushing about loser she THROWN INTO THE AIR BY FIREY]. so of course, he played along

and so, this continued on for the next few cake at stakes in bfb A. four or x would mention the safe contestants would get cake, loser nudged cake, cake blushed and gasped. and cake started to lean into the "loser's favorite" bit [take, for example, bfb 6 where he leans into loser after hearing bell bash into the basket they were hiding in], because he was trying to make sure even he believed that the shallow affection loser gave him held some sort of significance, and that pushing his own comfort away for the sake of looking good in front of loser [who was not only his idol, but an important figure amidst all the contestants] and his team was the right call.

but then came bfb 7, and loser was both hated and eliminated. so many people started revolting against him, surely cake can finally let that sealed-up frustration out right ? and so he shouts, "he's gone for a reason". what is he met with?

hostility.

cake, in an attempt to show his true feelings about loser, was immediately pushed down and reproached for it. so he continued to hold it in and when met with hostility, one is hostile in return, and so he starts expressing his frustration in some other ways. take bfb 13 for example, he starts arguing very loudly with eggy about who's "more spiritually connected to loser", which is a very abrupt and confusing shift from his usual polite, gentle self.

WHICH. THAT ARGUMENT BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER POINT. since he was "loser's designated favorite", someone claiming they were closer to loser probably felt so Wrong to him. HE was the one who kept getting nudged. HE was the one loser always addressed. HE was loser's favorite, even if he didn't particularly want that role. he kept up the act of "loser's favorite" long after his elimination, because what else was he supposed to do. that's all he was.

so, during the time between loser's elimination and the beginning of tpot, cake was more aggressive and rude, because it was his only method of releasing the frustration he was feeling. it was mainly towards loser and the general situation, but one could argue part of that frustration could've been towards himself.

anyways, we skip forwards to tpot. cake, despite his anger, still cares about his friendships, which is why in tpot 1, he's disheartened at the sight of having to choose between clock or eggy, two of his friends, and then being completely deserted by eggy.

however, he eventually joins just not, and you can see throughout his time in tpot prior to his elimination, he is visibly much happier than when he was part of the losers. i invite you to look up the "bfb but only when cake is on screen" and "tpot but only when cake is on screen" videos, and you WILL notice the increase in positive cake reactions and dialogues in tpot.

for my final argument, i present his elimination speech. i present to you the full transcript of his final words as a contestant in tpot 8:

he SPECIFICALLY mentions how he was so happy to not be playing for loser, but for himself. he was finally having fun, with a team that he loved and was loved by. if he truly enjoyed loser's presence and attention, if he truly enjoyed being his "favorite", he wouldn't have mentioned this at all.

so yeah. cake doesn't like loser, loser doesn't care about cake. if you dont agree with any of this and STILL think losercake is a good ship then please just block me. don't try to convince me to like losercake because i am not budging from my stance. as i stated before, i see a lot of myself in cake, and maybe this is all self-indulgent and projection and whatever, but it's how i see his character. and it makes me really sad that people call him bland or only see him as "loser's favorite" because he's so much more than that. i could go more in depth about his general character, but i was merely asked to explain why i dislike losercake. so here you go ! this is my reasoning. do with this what you will.

tldr; cake did not like being loser's 'favorite' and merely played along with loser's attention to not look bad in front of his idol and his fellow contestants. he was one of the contestants that talked bad about loser after his elimination in bfb 7, and pointed out how he was happy to play away from him in tpot 8. the fight cake had with eggy in bfb 13 about who was "more spiritually connected to loser" was his way of releasing his frustration, as he was reproached for speaking ill of loser back in bfb 7. he is not bland or one-dimensional, you just probably didnt pay enough attention to detail.

#thief chitter #thief talks #character analysis #bfdi #cake bfdi #bfdi cake #cake bfb #bfb cake #tpot cake #cake tpot #tpot #bfdi tpot #tpot bfdi #bfb bfdi #bfdi bfb #bfb

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yuta-nakamots · 2 days ago

Text

Like We Just Met - L.Jeno

Pairing - University!Jeno x University!GN Reader

Genre(s) - Fluff, Angst, friends to lovers

Warning(s) - memory loss, reader almost gets hit by a car

Summary - Your love story with Jeno begins with a blur of headlights and a heartbeat, unfolding in a way that feels like destiny. But as memories start slipping away, you're left chasing the echoes of a love that once was, wondering if fate would let you fall for him all over again.

Word Count - 2.4k

Author’s Note - this was inspired by a dream i had, which led to the creation of some of the scenes and originally i just didn’t have a way to link them together until i rewatched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and i knew this was the answer i needed

Taglist - @k-vanity @cosyhomenet @neocity-net (fill out this google form if you'd like to be added!)

Written for the Drive-In Collab originally hosted by @127-mile.

Now playing: Like We Just Met - NCT Dream, We Can’t Be Friends - Ariana Grande, Night Changes - One Direction

Your first memory of Jeno is a blur of headlights and panic. In your stupor of sleep deprivation, you had unknowingly walked into the main street near your university’s campus. Jeno, who was waiting at the crosswalk, grabbed you by the wrist and yanked you back towards safety just as a car sped past. You were left breathless after coming within a hair's length of what could have been a very expensive hospital visit.

Turning to give your savior a quick “thank you”, you were stunned by his strong features. Everything about him screams ‘knight in shining armor’. His strong jawline, furrowed eyebrows sitting above his dark brown eyes, lips pulled tight into a line, even down to his worn-in leather jacket and stoic demeanor.

“You alright?” He asked, breaking you out of your trance.

“Uh, y-yeah,” you manage to stutter as you return to your senses.

He gave you a curt nod. “Be careful.” The crosswalk changed colors, allowing you and him to cross the street, eventually parting ways with shy smiles.

From then on, he somehow kept appearing in your life. The next time you saw him was barely even a week later in the school library. Your books were scattered in front of you on one of the large desks situated in a quiet corner of the library. Midterms were coming up, and you were behind on reviewing all the content you were sure would come up on the tests. Poring over all the chapters left to go over, you were about ready to pack up and call it a day until you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around, coming face to face with the boy who had pulled you out of the street.

“Hey,” he began. “I take it you haven’t walked into traffic again?”

You smiled bashfully upon remembering the event. “I’ve been keeping myself safe, as promised.”

“Good,” he responded. “My name is Jeno, by the way.” You gave him your name, glad you could finally put a name to the face of the person who saved you. “You come here often?”

“Sometimes. Just so happened that I have four midterms and I haven’t really started studying yet,” you shared.

Jeno shook his head in disbelief. “And you know it’s already Wednesday, right? Meaning that midterms are next week.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve just been busy lately.” You weren’t lying. Between taking care of class assignments and working at a cat cafe near campus, you were spent.

Jeno hummed in acknowledgement. “Yeah, I get the feeling. I’ve been busy too.” He paused, taking in the sight of your multiple notebooks full of hastily scribbled writing. “If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t started studying either.”

You scoffed at him jokingly. “Hypocrite.”

“Mind if I study with you?” He asked.

“Not as long as you stay quiet,” you tell him with a smile.

His expression matches yours as he pulls up a chair from another table so he can sit next to you.

It continued like this for the rest of the week, you and Jeno seated together in the dim university library, tucked between bookshelves. He helped you go through your textbooks and highlight notes, his hand brushing yours when you reached for the same pen. Sleepy smiles were exchanged over cold coffee while his sneakers tapped the floor rhythmically.

You doodled in the margins of his notebook, drawing anything that reminded you of him. A simple cat face with big, round eyes and soft little ears, a pair of headphones similar to the ones he always had hanging around his neck, and a small crescent moon that mimicked the shape of his eyes when he laughed. This was you falling in love with Jeno.

When you finish the last drawing, it’s then that everything shifts around you, and you're thrown into completely different surroundings.

This time, it’s a cold winter night, your breath visible in the air in front of you. Looking around, you realize you’re standing in the middle of the campus square, twinkling Christmas lights strung above, illuminating the area. Jeno was next to you, his head tilted back as he admired the twinkle of the lights. He turns to you, his cheeks pink from the cold. “I like you.”

“I like you too,” you tell him with a smile.

“Do you think we could be more than friends?” You couldn’t tell if he was shivering from the cold or because of his nerves, his breath coming out in large, cloudy puffs.

“Yeah, I’d love that.” Your heart was racing in your chest.

His gloved hand brushes against yours before taking your hand in his, interlocking your fingers together. “You’re the brightest thing here, you know that?” This was the day you and Jeno officially became a couple.

The lights above you—so warm, so familiar—began to dim, as if someone had tugged them from their sockets. One soft blink at a time, the night unraveled, until even Jeno’s smile became just another glimmer swallowed by the dark.

You realize that these were fragments of your life with Jeno playing out in front of you, memories fading out one by one as time begins to slip. Perhaps your memories weren’t as permanent as the love you thought you had.

The next memory was brief. It was a simple moment in an ice cream shop, you seated across from Jeno as you both dug into a cup of black sugar honey boba ice cream, his favorite, on a quiet night. Your fingers brushed against his when you reached for a napkin, his pinky intertwining with yours. You looked up at him, his eyes crinkling into their signature half-moon shape. And then he was gone.

You found him again in the cat cafe where you worked. He sat surrounded by cats, a little stray male kitten nestled in his lap while he fought the urge to sneeze. He was allergic, you later found out. Despite his allergies, he still showed up during your shifts, wanting to be involved in your interests and spend time with you, even if it meant being in a warm, cluttered cat cafe surrounded by sleepy kittens.

The stray that sat in his lap had taken a liking to him in particular, and you knew Jeno was falling for it too. When you sat shoulder to shoulder with Jeno on the floor of the large play area, the stray had nestled itself in between the two of you as if the tiny creature knew it was a piece of your fate.

You and Jeno adopted the stray together and named it Bongshik, a name that Jeno had suggested. Bongshik was your first real commitment to something lasting. This was something you and Jeno had built together, the feeling of home.

The image of Bongshik curled up in Jeno’s lap disintegrated, and in its place, you now saw Jeno seated next to you in the library, his hair falling over his eyes, and he squinted at his textbook. It was golden hour, sunlight slipping through the windows and filtering through the silence that surrounded you and him, sitting with your elbows brushing as you both pretend to study. It was finals week, the week before he had asked you out.

Jeno bit his bottom lip in concentration. You, too, try to focus on your notes, but your pen drifts, sketching a familiar little cat face in the corner of your page. ‘Bongshik’ you label it, with a quiet smile. You draw lopsided hearts around it before glancing up at Jeno, his eyes still glued to his book, and everything feels right. The way his eyes scan the page, the way he hums under his breath, the way you can feel his warmth radiating off his shoulder next to yours. Jeno glances at your drawing, then at you. “That one’s not even close to what he looks like,” he teases.

You roll your eyes, smiling. “You try drawing him from memory. It’s hard.”

Jeno is about to respond, something playful sitting on the tip of his tongue, but thinks better of it. “You always do that.”

“Do what?” You ask.

“You draw when your mind is wandering.”

You try to play it off with a shrug, but your voice comes out too quiet. “Maybe I was thinking about something else.”

His eyes search yours as if they’d tell you what you were thinking of. “Can I kiss you?” he asks, barely above a whisper. You nod, and Jeno leans in, slow and careful, yet completely real. His lips are soft and uncertain. Your heart stutters in your chest as you kiss him back, not even noticing when a pen rolls off the table.

You smile against his mouth when he pulls away. “That was…overdue.”

Jeno grins. “Way overdue. At least not as overdue as my essay.”

You lean back in your chair, dizzy with warmth. The moment feels quiet, familiar, and perfect. But then the fluorescent lights above you begin to flicker. Your grip tightens around the pencil you were holding. The lines of Bongshik begin to fade from the page like it was being erased in slow motion. Your chest tightens. “No–no, not this one.” Jeno’s smile falters. He knows what’s happening. “This was real,” you tell yourself. “This was our first kiss. I don’t want to forget this one.”

“I know,” Jeno said, his voice steady, but his eyes beginning to water. “That’s why we have to run. Before they take it.”

He reaches for your hand as he stands from the table. You grab onto him like a lifeline. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere they won’t find us.” Jeno takes off running, dragging you with him. You don’t look back as the table, the bookshelves, and your first kiss with Jeno begin to blur behind you.

You and Jeno continue running until the library disappears, the hums of computers and scratches of turning pages are replaced with soft murmurs from a crackling radio, and the crayon drawings of your own childhood. You look around and realize where you are. Your old living room. A beam of sun slants across the floor, illuminating the half-finished drawings spread across a large, soft rug. You hadn’t thought of this place in years. “I used to color here,” you say slowly as you scan over all the drawings.

“Perfect. Let’s stay here for a while.” Jeno sat down among the papers, out of place but somehow blending right in as if he were always there.

You sit beside him on the rug and pick up a stray crayon, bringing it to the paper to finish a drawing that you knew was a house. Jeno watches you reverently, like he’s memorizing the way you move.

“Will it work?” you ask, connecting the scraggly lines of the house that your younger self drew.

“No,” he admits. “But at least we can be together a little longer.”

You look at the paper in your hand, then at Jeno. He doesn’t belong in this memory, but the ache in your chest assures you that he belongs somewhere in your mind. “If this is all we have left, I’m glad I was with you.”

Jeno reaches for you again, pulling you up from the ground as the room begins to fade from the edges. He takes you into the hallway you know leads to your room, and he pushes open your bedroom door, but inside isn’t your childhood bedroom, full of toys and imagination. It was a pathway on campus blanketed in snow. Looking around, Christmas decorations were hanging on the buildings. You recognize the way the snow was falling, the way your breath fogs in front of you, even the song that was playing from a restaurant nearby, its melody wrapped in warmth and nostalgia.

You walk down the path with Jeno until he stops beneath the lights, looking just as he did when he first admitted his feelings for you. His hands were tucked into his coat pockets, eyes full of something heavier than before. You take a shaky step forward. “This must be the last one,” he says softly, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the memory.

You nod. You can feel it too. The lights above are starting to flicker, one by one, like stars burning out. “I wish we had more time,” you quietly cry out.

Jeno smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He takes your hand, pulling you close, and rests his forehead against yours. “If you forget me…if this all disappears, promise me something.”

You swallowed hard. “Anything.”

“Meet me at the intersection,” he says. “Right where I first pulled you out of the street. The place where everything started.” You nod, tears threatening to fall. “Even if you don’t remember why you’re there,” he continues, voice cracking, “just…be there. I’ll wait for you.”

You open your mouth to respond, but the lights around you blink out, and he flickers, his voice echoing and fading. You reach for his hand, but it turns into smoke between your fingers. The haze of the falling snow gives way to flashes of Jeno laughing in the library, then him whispering sweet nothings into your ear under the falling snow, but each time, it becomes harder to remember. All the settings begin to blur together, Christmas lights flickering off, library shelves warping, and cats vanishing.

You try to hold onto a memory, desperately hoping to commit one to the deepest parts of your mind, but Jeno keeps slipping out of your grasp. He’s vanishing, piece by piece, until finally, you’re back at the very beginning. The street, the headlights, his hand pulling you to safety. This, too, begins to disappear. Jeno smiles at you, his face distorting ever so slightly. “If we met again, do you think we’d fall in love all over?” Tears stung your eyes, and you stood there, unable to answer his question before the memory was fully erased.

Silence. A clean slate.

Months later, on a warm afternoon, you came to the intersection, standing on the same street corner you always did after class, waiting for the light to change. A guy brushes past you, and your hands touch for just a second. You look back. He does too. You don’t know who he is, but something within you stirs. His gaze is soft and yearning, as if he’s been waiting for something or someone.

Autoplay: If you liked this, you may also like Walk You Home - L.Jeno

#kvanity #cosyhomenet #neocity-net #nct #NCT dream #lee jeno #NCT x reader #NCT dream x reader #Jeno x reader #NCT imagines #NCT scenarios #NCT fanfic #NCT dream imagines #NCT dream scenarios #NCT dream fanfic #NCT fluff #NCT angst #NCT dream fluff #NCT dream angst

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thistlerock · 16 hours ago

Note

Do you ever think about Ragh coming home after prom to his mother, whom we know loves him so dearly, and telling her that Dane hit him when he admitted he was in love.

Do you ever think about how angry Lydia was that someone would hurt her baby

How sad she was that her Ragh, who is such a sweet person by nature, was made into someone mean by Dane, because he loved him, and got punched for loving him

Do you ever think about how worried Lydia was when she heard that Gorgug kissed Ragh, sacred that maybe this would be just another heartbreak?

Do you ever think about Lydia meeting Gorgug, seeing the boy that made her son smile again, that is so loving and caring and only wants the best for his friends, who (maybe) isn't in love with her son but still wants Ragh to be happy

getting anon asks like this is like if someone did a drive-by on me but instead of shooting me they threw an envelope containing a beautiful sonnet at me, disappearing before I could catch a glimpse of them. sweet promises weaved into beautiful poetry, printed on pages of perfectly folded paper now resting in my lap. I read it over and over again and I feel like I could weep. of joy? of sorrow? I don't know. tangible proof of a great bard in my hands but no way to find them. no way to even search. will they return to grace me with more one day? or will I be left yearning, occasionally hearing soft whispers on the wind? I can only wonder. I can only think to myself, please, come back. Finish that thought coME BACK PL EASE WAIT you can't JUST L EAVE AFTER T HAT I NEED TO CRY AT YOUR DOORSTEP NOW ???? HOW WILL I CRY AT YOUR DOOR STEP IF I DONT KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE

but ye a YEAH I think about them. A lot. I think Lydia didn't know much about Dayne while he was alive because 1) Ragh didn't exactly. Tell. (On SOME level he like. Knew? That he was being a bully and it was shit? And felt bad but that wasn't exactly at the forefront.) And she didn't want to pry? But also 2) this woman's health was. Declining. And she barely had time to keep up with Ragh's school and social life (which I think. Haunts her. That moment when disability doesn't only make you miss out on your life but also your loved ones. HAUNTING. Must be worse when it's your child and you on some level feel like you failed them. Ahaha. Who said that that's crazy.) but that just meant when it all came out she was like. What the fuck?? Oh my god?? PLUS. PLUS. RAGH WAS ACTIVELY BEING GROOMED INTO WEIRD CULT BULLSHIT. BY COACH DAYBREAK. HE WAS AT THIS GUY'S HOUSE??? APPARENTLY??? Lydia finding out about all of this ready to kill. Kill who? Idk man just kill. The WORST things were happening to her son and she had no idea!! Her baby :(

So when he was like. "Oh yeah but don't worry Gorgug grabbed me and kissed me after hitting me really hard and that got me to get my shit together!" I'm SURE she had her concerns. I'm sure she's wary at first. It must be weird, idk. But then Gorgug is the sweetest kid in all of Spyre!! And it's just. Oh. Maybe he's found something good? He deserves to have found something good. </3

#your house is your blog in this comparison #crying at yo ur door step is. your askbox. and a follow. truly I am a poet #asked and answered #dimension 20 #fantasy high #ragh barkrock #lydia barkrock #thistlerock #<- KIND OF but I only get to use that tag rarely . ok . taking any chance I can get

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thatgirlwbraids · 2 days ago

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the summer revamp

as the weather gets warmer, I want to start focusing on both my outer and inner reality, nurturing the outer and taking care and being grateful of it will just manifest more love and abundance in your life . so lets first start with the inner world because it reflects in your outer world eventually .

inner world, the 4d

nurture your inner world, as we are all aware the outer world eventually catches up to your inner world . so if you want love , start feeling loved within just forget about the outer world start feeling what you really want within, you don’t want your desire you want what it makes you feel, whatever you want give it to yourself within .

the ways I will be practicing manifestation are in the following ways

listening to edward art and morebeing everyday

practicing the art of conscious decisions

SATS

meditating to edward art, 10 minutes every morning or night

switching up my mental diet and practicing self concept affirmations

mirror work as thought by morebeing

visualizing n mental dieting through desired visuals, this has always worked for me

subliminals

journaling, scripting & inner work and shadow work now & then

reading up on some manifestation books

outer world, the 3d

some things I would like to do this summer, since i’m starting uni soon I really want to lock in and learn alot and improve myself and comeback as a better version of myself with better habits easing into adulthood .

developing a morning routine

sleeping early before 11pm

eating healthy and nourishing food high in protein , with a focus on gut health and skin foods

drinking lots of green tea and lemon water

drinking 2-3 L of water a day

studying and making nutritious recipes

cooking all my meals myself and buying groceries and keeping healthy food around, there are no restrictions tho .

fixing my eating habits & having a healthier relationship with food .

tracking my calories & intermittent fasting & practicing portion control

having a good self care routine skin, body & hair care , smelling really good and having soft skin

daily weekly and monthly maintenance routine

looking very presentable, through makeup ( we are avoiding but we need to learn a bit ) and nails and fashion

reading a lot of non- fiction self improvement books

replacing screen time with fiction books

keeping of instagram through deactivating, tiktok is not really a problem for me

avoiding makeup

10k steps everyday

going to the gym 3x a week

keeping my screen time below 3 hours

learning soft skills, like driving and excel

working on my knowledge and getting 2 hours of deep work everyday, consistently

working on my discipline and consistency

keep up with my social skills

upload on my tumblr, Pinterest and youtube consistently

work on my financial knowledge and reading stuff that interest me

reading up on news

spending more time with my friends and family and planning more outings .

want to start journaling and shadow work and tap into my inner work and start healing spiritually

watching more inspiring youtube videos and creating Pinterest boards

becoming super confident in myself through affirmations & manifesting

taking it slow and not putting too much pressure on myself always start small, it really works .

reminder

something i would like to remind you guys on is no matter how much you try to change yourself on the outside but you never feel full on the inside through inner work and healing you will never be satisfied on the outside, therefore work on both but focus on the inside trust me when on your outside your trying your best to keep a happy environment and your grateful, kind and your working on nurturing and building a beautiful garden within to your liking you will be successful both ways and your inner world will eventually reflect too as long as your consistently nurturing with what you like .

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fluentmoviequoter · 2 days ago

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The Accent

Requested Here!

Pairing: (platonic) Tim Bradford x fem!Cybertronian!reader ; (romantic) Hot Rod x fem!Cybertronian!reader

Summary: You're shy, so when Tim Bradford sees you interact with one of your fellow Autobots, he's confused. Before he and Lucy learn that Hot Rod is more than a comrade, he wonders why you aren't so open with him.

Warnings: fluff!

Word Count: 2.3k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info

“You missed a turn.”

Ignoring Tim Bradford, who is currently a bit too comfortable in the driver’s seat of your alt mode, you continue driving. He may be from Los Angeles, but you were quite literally born to drive. You know where you’re going, and you refuse to let him get under your armor plates.

For as long as you can, at least.

“Lucy wants to know if you have any friends who would be willing to lend out their alt mode for an afternoon to mess with our- her friend, Aaron,” Tim says, reading something on his phone.

“Maybe,” you murmur as you turn. “I can ask.”

“Don’t bother,” Tim replies. “She’s just trying to get close to you.”

“Is that a problem?” you inquire.

“No.”

“Then why shouldn’t I bother?”

“Lucy isn’t even supposed to know who you are. Who barges into someone else’s garage without any notice?”

“You’re not supposed to know who I am, either,” you remind him. “You’re not supposed to know I exist.”

“But I do know. And you like that I know.”

Your chassis rattles as you grumble, and Tim smiles at your soft reply to his teasing. For a robot, you experience a multitude of emotions, he thinks, and it seems incredibly easy to make you shy away from him. Though he knows there are more like you - more Cybertronians, more aliens - in Los Angeles, he doubts they are as shy as you. Not that he’s given extensive thought to robot attitudes, though.

“Remind me how we met,” Tim requests smugly.

“Bring it up one more time and I’m going to transform on the 405 and throw you into traffic,” you threaten.

“There it is,” Tim sighs, smiling at your outburst.

“Sorry,” you add, softer. “Yes, you stole my alt mode. It was embarrassing. Do you need something other than to make me miserable?”

“Maybe,” Tim admits. “Lucy and I may have to go undercover again. Butler and Sava got themselves tangled up in a chop shop.”

“Okay,” you murmur. “Let me know.”

“... and then he said that if a girl drives a car worth more than his, he can’t justify giving her his number,” Lucy rambles as you drive down an empty desert highway.

“Devastating,” Tim deadpans.

“I’m just saying,” Lucy continues, exasperated. “People like the price tags on cars nearly as much as the car itself. Why do you think Jake and Sava stole an Aston Martin?”

“Aston Martin?” you repeat. “One-77? Red?”

“Yeah,” Tim answers. “How’d you know?”

“Don’t tell me it’s one of your friends,” Lucy pleads.

“No. They might have done us a favor,” you answer.

“They, uh… they wrecked it.”

“Then they definitely did us a favor,” you add, revving the engine as you speed up.

“You’re offering yourself up to be stolen?” Optimus asks, leaning against a metal pole in the abandoned warehouse. “Again?”

“Okay, I didn’t offer myself up the first time,” you argue. “That was an accident.”

“And you’re lucky a competent officer was standing by to recover you,” Tim interjects.

“We didn’t realize that the car our doppelgangers stole was a robot,” Lucy tells Optimus. “Sorry.”

“No loss for us,” Optimus assures her. “And I hear Knockout will make a full recovery. If he can survive the taunting he faces for being not only stolen but wrecked by humans. The problem now is that his criminal comrades will want to enact revenge.”

“So, we have to work a case and keep evil robots at bay. Great,” Tim exclaims.

“We’ll handle the Decepticons,” you correct. “But if these car thieves look like you, there is a chance you will be targeted.”

“Which is why someone must stay with the humans,” Optimus instructs.

Bumblebee lifts his servo, but you shake your head at him.

“Optimus,” you begin softly, avoiding looking at Tim. “I’d like to stay with Tim and Lucy. If they want protection, of course.”

“We do,” Lucy answers immediately. “We’ll take anything you can offer. Yes, please.”

Optimus lowers his arms, standing as he agrees. You follow him out of the building and into the bright sun. Two cars reflect the light as they approach. Moving between Bumblebee and Tim, you prepare to fight until you notice the paint job on the expensive Lamborghini drifting in the sand.

You raise your hand to show TIm that everything is fine, then follow your Autobot compatriots to greet the approaching cars. The Lamborghini transforms as he rolls to a stop, throwing an arm over your shoulder. You turn toward him, raising your battle mask as you hide against him.

“Bonjour, ma chérie,” he greets, tapping his digits along your back plate.

“Who is that?” Tim asks Lucy, watching you.

“I haven’t seen him before,” she answers. “But you won’t let me meet everybody.”

“I don’t even know them all, Lucy. They trust me, and I’m not going to jeopardize that.”

Your laughter draws his attention away again, and Tim’s jaw tightens as he watches you accept the Lamborghini’s affection.

“I thought she was shy,” he grumbles.

“She is,” Lucy insists.

“Have you ever seen her act like that?” Tim asks, crossing his arms across his chest.

“TIm, she knows these guys. It’s different.”

“Then why would she prefer to ignore me? She ever greet you with a laugh and a hug?”

Lucy smiles, turning toward Tim as she accuses, “You’re jealous!”

“What? No.”

“You’re jealous of a robot! Is it the accent?”

Tim rolls his eyes but can still hear the other bot speaking.

“You should have chosen a prettier car if you were attempting to capture your own beauty,” the bot flirts, drawing an embarrassed groan out of you as Optimus shakes his head.

“It’s the accent, isn’t it?” Lucy continues.

“I don’t even know what he’s saying,” Tim argues. “And I’m not jealous.”

“Hello!” the bot calls, walking with his digits in yours. “Tim and Lucy, oui?”

“Oui,” Lucy answers, smiling up at the towering robot. “Quel est ton nom?”

“Ah! Parles-tu français?”

“A little bit.”

“Je m’appelle Hot Rod,” the bot introduces.

“Hot Rod,” you whisper, your voice clearer than his accent.

“What I said,” he tells you. “But if you’d like to keep speaking, I’ll listen to every word, mon cher.”

You look away from Hot Rod, drawing a pleased chuckle from him. He prepares to speak again, but the shortest robot Tim has seen interrupts him by jumping onto his leg and hanging from his thigh plate. You shake your head and pull the small bot off Hot Rod and into your arms.

“Maman!” the young boy complains. “Papa likes it!”

“Papa is speaking to our new friends,” you counter softly.

“Did you have fun, mon fils?” Hot Rod inquires, pulling you closer.

“Papa?” Lucy whispers, looking wide-eyed at Tim. “This is… I’ve never seen something this cute before in my entire life.”

“She is rather cute, is she not?” Hot Rod asks.

“Lucy, Tim, this is my husband Hot Rod,” you introduce.

“Robots get married?” Tim blurts out.

Lucy elbows him, offering an apology to Hot Rod.

“Cybertron has many rich traditions,” Optimus answers. “Our marriage is not entirely unlike your own, but the ceremony is far more impressive.”

Your son whispers in your auditory receptor, and you lower him carefully onto the ground. He offers his hand to Lucy, nearly eye-to-eye with her.

“Nice to meet you,” she says.

“So,” Tim begins. “You’re married and you have a son.”

“Yes,” you reply, patting your son’s back after Hot Rod picks him up.

“You’re a Lambo, and Hot Rod is too…”

“Our alt modes have nothing to do with our reproduction,” Hot Rod assures him.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” Lucy says, patting Tim’s back. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m just so confused,” he admits.

“At least you aren’t jealous now.”

“Jealous?” you repeat. “Of what?”

“Nothing,” Tim answers, silently warning Lucy to stay quiet.

The ground shakes, causing you to reach for the ground as Hot Rod steadies himself.

“Incoming!” Ratchet yells from the warehouse. “Two airborne!”

“Stay here,” Hot Rod demands, setting your son down. “Je vous aime.”

“Je vous aime, papa,” he replies.

“Watch him?” you ask Tim and Lucy.

“Of course!” Lucy calls.

Tim watches you and Lucy from across the aircraft hangar. Lucy is fawning over your son in awe.

“She is special,” Hot Rod says, lowering beside him. “Ma femme tells me you are good officer.”

“I try to be,” Tim answers. “Sorry. About earlier.”

“No hard feelings.”

“Why does an Italian car have a French accent?” Tim inquires.

“I’m Cybertronian, not Italian. Our alt modes are a choice, not a sign of who we truly are.”

“Your wife fits the red Lamborghini Huracan.”

“She does. But there is more to us than what you can see; we are more than meets the eye. And the accent was not intentional. I can’t get rid of it.”

Tim watches Lucy as he mumbles, “I know the feeling.”

“Come,” Hot Rod invites, transforming from his 17-foot stature into a Lamborghini Centenario worth more money than Tim has ever seen. “Come for a drive. I’ll answer what I can, and divert any other questions to mon chérie.”

“She won’t answer,” Tim points out.

“No. But she’ll love how I ask.”

#tim bradford x reader #hot rod x reader #hot rod #fem!reader #requests #hanna writes✯#tim bradford #transformers #transformers x reader #cybertronian!reader

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sapphicscholar · 3 days ago

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Hacks Episode 4x01 Thoughts

*Okay I did this in past years and found myself missing having the records of my thoughts for myself, so I'm back! I've seen through ep. 5 at this point, but I’ve been keeping casual notes for myself and am finally writing them out properly and posting them in case anyone else is curious!

Continuity and tension! I love that we pick up from nearly the moment season 3 ends, rather than trusting the audience to fill in the gaps of where that early tension would have lived. Far better than some of the choices to elide these moments in earlier seasons! It also lets us have scream-worthy moments like Deb’s “why don’t you ask that little cunt what really happened” and the delightful voice crack of Jimmy’s “WHY, AVA, WHY??” – also, Jean’s face acting in that first scene in Ava’s office is chef’s kiss. But I really am so pleased that they didn’t hold back at all on the tension (and I SO appreciate that there are moments where they both seem perversely pleased about it; they’re crackling, and that’s my favorite version of them)

I actually think it’s fascinating to hear Ava’s view that “nothing amounts to anything with Deborah” – it gives us a nice glimpse into how deeply the betrayal of Deborah’s lie about the head writer job cut. Because I think Ava would have been pissed and wheedled and pushed Deborah if Deborah had been honest about her conviction/fear that the network didn’t want to see such a major shake up, but the fact that Deborah looked Ava in the eyes, lied point blank to her, and then refused to acknowledge that she'd done wrong by Ava (and even tried to sell it as a good) is what destroyed Ava in ways Deb I don’t think totally got or gets now (maybe will ever get). Regardless of whether viewers personally think Ava was justified in the blackmail, this line drives home exactly how much progress in their relationship that moment undid for Ava, and that's BIG

Marcus! In my notes about the finale of S3 I noted that I would be much cooler on the episode if we didn’t get to see Marcus quit and JPL instead left it to the imagination, so I’m really grateful they’re not just disappearing him (also the fact that it played out a bit like in my post-s3/imagined s4 fic is just the cherry on top). I do truly believe Deborah would have exactly this kind of outsized reaction, not being able to hear Marcus on his own terms or trust what he’s telling her when she’s bleeding people left and right. And the fact that it feels like a rehearsal of the last time she nearly got Late Night (the “fucking timing machine” as she says in that beautifully acted moment) can only amplify the felt sense of betrayal and hurt, even as we the audience can see it’s not remotely the same, that both Ava and Marcus care about her in ways Frank and Kathy and the old boys’ club in charge most certainly did not.

Transposition into the Corporate Workplace – I think there’s a lot of interesting questions this ep raises about what happens when you move two people who’ve honed their dynamic in isolation from the larger world because in many ways, it actually exacerbates their issues by simultaneously forcing near-constant proximity and taking away some of their less-traditional avenues for working out much of the tension (there’s no throwing rocks! There’s no nearly abandoning each other at roadside motels! There’s no storming off and half-quitting only to realize you actually still want to be with this person!). This also comes out in the press event where we see the worst of Deborah’s personality rear its head (and it's exactly the kind of thing we should expect! We saw how she dealt with hecklers on the cruise! And here the press aren’t hecklers! They’re not breaking the norm; they’re doing exactly as they should! But Deborah can only read an interruption of the laughter as a personal affront, and that’s biting her in the ass now.)

The party! The photoshoot! Truly everything about these two scenes was so perfect. It’s so messy, so open and bloody and real. It’s everything I wanted after the end of season 3 with how deeply they both hurt each other.

#hacks hbo #hacks 4.01 #threw most of it below a read more #this ep was so good for me personally that it was actually harder to write this haha which is why i didnt start these at the beginning of s #my meta

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tardis--dreams · 1 year ago

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Reached the doctor's office on the 1st attempt today. Impressed.

They don't do covid vaccinations (:

#no of course not #why would they #it's completely irrelevant #who needs it anyway #i love life #it's absolutely amazing they don't offer vaccinations against covid anymore #i couldn't be more pleased #i'm not mad at it #it is fine #so very fine #i will not despair because of it #got an appointment for a blood test on Friday though #so i achieved at least Something #i will have to drive there myself for the first time #because no trains #probably will have to drive my mother to work and then to the doctor's office and then bring the car back to my mother's workplace #and walk home from there #because it's only like 2.5 kilometers but my mother has a lot of stuff to carry to bring to work #(and the weather is probably gonna be awful)#and the doctor's office is over 6 kilometers away which is not a distance i will comfortably walk #i mean i could #but I'd be stressed and annoyed and probably drenched when i arrive because it's probably gonna rain #it's an ✨️opportunity✨️ to practice my driving skills ♡#let's see it positively #void screams

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sysig · 7 months ago

Note

Maybe something with Mousey being jealous of Hunter and Smoker for one reason or another? hehe

Day 7 - There might be a reason for that

Bonus:

#My art #Requestober #RespectAWoman #Hunter #Smoker #Mousey #Always love when my bonuses are just as if not more technically complex than the main lol #I mean I say that but it was more just tedious to move things between EPSAI2 and GIMP lol #Chibi heads bopping around and a bust-up are not as intensive! My poor hand haha ♪#So this is my first time drawing the ladies digitally huh?? Or at least this trio anyhow haha I'll draw the other two someday #Considering Mousey is my favourite of all of them and her dynamic with Charger was one of my driving loves <3 #I also realized while drawing this that she (as a survivor) and Max have the same outfit so that's ♥#White button down and khakis are fairly standard I know let me live XO I love them!!!#Went with pre-infected here tho ♪ When Mousey's still focused on Smoker! Hehe yaay #She's so cute <3 Love that wonderful disaster <3 <3 And also the mains as well!!! Lol #They were actually a lot of fun to draw digitally haha ♪ Hair touching - kind of all over touching lol Hunter's just Like That #I did kinda forget about Hunter's camo pants so I leaned on my SAI textures - but I did the shines on her duct tape myself! Pleased :)#I was thinking at first of Hunter offering Smoker a soda but she pushes for Smoker to be healthy huh!#So I was thinking maybe a weird-flavoured sports drink or sugar-free lemonade or something lol #And the usual ribbing lol Mousey do you know what you're wishing for ♫#I had a moment while drafting where I was like ''Where was the one of Smoker playing Tetris?? :0''#I 100% completely totally remembered it in full colour - but no that was just my brain filling in the details lol it was a sketched comic!#Whenever I think of RespectAWoman that's just the style I see in my head so my mind's eye took it from there pft #I found it in the end ♥ Had to make reference to it! As it's one of my favourites :D

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somnimagus · 2 years ago

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did some vesperia chibis, i always forget how happy i get drawing these guys. i love them dearly

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#tales of vesperia #tov #tales of #the raven chibi's kinda old though. but i wanted to draw the rest #i do feel a little bad cause i always forget patty when i draw the whole cast. have to make myself add her in #mostly because i played tov years before the definitive edition; wee lass does not feel real #though honestly all of def edition just feels like a fever dream. people who played that version first/only:#did you notice yuri gaining an almost southern(?) drawl at random. and did it drive you insane #the way he says flynn. flyeahn. it's burned into my mind #and flynn's just like. yes yuri my best friend. you have sounded like this the whole game. you are not a frankenstein of 2 voice actors #fan art #my art #sorry that was probably super off topic; i just still think about it all the time. and i think i'm a little scatterbrained recently #i've been making time to draw and think about dumb things so i don't just sit and doomscroll all day

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esthelle-wanders · 3 days ago

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Thanks for the tags, @hero-of-the-wolf and @nerdzanddadz !

*deep inhale* Thus, into the brink.

Obligatory note to make myself feel better: I adore all these little guys. My “least” favorite is still one of my favorite characters, overall!

1. Sky. Was Skyward Sword my first Zelda game? Yes. Do I love it very much? Yes. Do I tend to have a weakness for sweet-looking characters who contain immeasurable power and rage? Also yes. But all these advantages notwithstanding, Sky was still practically designed for me to prefer.

It’s generally a good rule of thumb that the more “meta” a character is, the more I will like them. This applies to lots of Zelda characters, including Link as a concept, but Sksw Link has that extra appeal of being the first. What does it mean, to be so human that you transcend your own humanity? When the things that drive you are simple and broken and earnest, and then your actions are immortalized (literally) and forged into an eternal cycle? This is already too long for what this is, but I could ramble about him for hours. (To be fair, this also applies to all of them— but Sky is special!)

Okay! Keeping the others short (?)

2. Legend. I love characters who have been through hell and still choose to be “good.” There’s plenty of ways to spin this trope, but I especially like it when “good” isn’t “perfect” or even necessarily “nice.” Good can be prickly and uncertain.

If Sky’s the original dreamer, Legend’s the inheritor of broken dreams. There’s part of him that’s still “dreaming,” that doesn’t want to wake up. To be a Hero is to walk the border between dreams and reality, and even his title indicates this. At the same time, though, his adventures didn’t destroy him. His story is so heartbreakingly hopeful.

Also I like competent characters who rely on wits over strength. Legend has that smart, cobbled-together, done-it-all, trickster-hero vibe going for him. I love him.

And I’m failing at keeping them short…

3. Warriors. A surprise favorite! When I first got into LU, looking for Skyward Sword Link content, I didn’t really care for him much. Then, over the course of… 8 years?!?! he slowly grew on me, and then I looked up and realized that he was fighting Hyrule for top 3– and he won! He’s such a complicated character. Again, I love how meta his story is, and that he’s arguably the only Link to have a genuine flaw that’s directly referenced in his game. And the balance between his honest, earnest side and the facades he pulls. Characters who code-switch are fascinating to me. He’s very intelligent, and the way Jojo draws expressions, you can see him thinking in different situations. We love to see it. And yes, he’s very pretty.

4. Hyrule. The Link-est of them all. You boil the Hero’s Spirit down to its essential core and it’s Hyrule. But at the same time, he’s so decidedly himself. He lives in a fallen world, he walks in the footsteps of so many legendary heroes— including the literal Hero of Legend! He’s a traveler from parts unknown. He’s scrappy and humble and unassuming, but he wields the world’s flashiest sword and learns magic nobody else has mastered. He’s nothing and he’s everything. He’s still becoming, and he’s already everything he’ll ever need to be. He started it all, and the legends know him. And he will sass you to your face, complete with questionable puns.

5. Wind. Meta strikes again! Whether or not Link has the Hero’s Spirit in Wind Waker is up for debate, but the indisputable fact is that he wasn’t a Hero chosen by the gods. Destiny didn’t appoint him— he appointed himself. Because of his courage, and kindness, and the people he loved, he walked the paths of the Hero of Time, and told his own story.

It’s beyond fitting— and endearing— that’s he’s so young, and so bright, and so wise in Linked Universe. He embodies hope, and the future, and what these stories we tell are for: not to be re-enacted to the letter, but to be lived in our own times, with the things that are always most important.

6. Twilight. He and Wind could almost share a spot. All the heroes are changed by their adventures, but since Twilight’s story is all about double-edged swords— walking the line between the dark and the light, and his own nature— it’s especially prevalent with him. Even the sweetest, most wholesome farm boy has a wolf inside, and Twilight fights with more ferocity than is typical for a Link.

Twilight Princess makes it clear that the Wolf isn’t an avatar for Link— it’s just as intrinsically “him” as his Hylian form is. Aside from its ominous warnings about succumbing to powerlust, Twilight’s story is content to keep to grey areas, but it doesn’t feel contrived. We’re left to decide for ourselves which world he belongs to— and in Linked Universe, he’s still working that out himself.

Twilight is very much Wind’s parallel (and Legend’s) as one of Time’s direct successors, and I can’t wait to see what he chooses to do with that looming legacy!

7. Time. This guy is classic. Even more so than Hyrule, somehow, he feels like the archetypal Hero. A child of destiny from the start, never quite fitting in anywhere, eternally displaced in time and space and his own skin. Ocarina of Time is such a bittersweet telling of the Hero’s Journey, and then Majora’s Mask comes along to hit us over the head with the darker side to every legend.

Still, as this distant, tragic figure, Time has found joy. His sadness, and strength, is that he really does “contain multitudes”— he’s not just the ominous Hero’s Shade, he’s also the hopeful Fairy Boy, the Skull Kid’s friend, Sheik’s disciple, Malon’s husband. Even the most “legendary” of the heroes can find connection and a place to belong, in the same people he saved. Maybe the Hero of Time failed to save himself in the end, but maybe by that time, he didn’t need saving anymore— he’d already been saved.

I love that Jojo’s Time reflects the period in his life that “links” his various portrayals together. And it’s so rare that we get to see a genuinely “adult” Link. He’s her favorite for a reason!

8. Four. Definitely the most “unique” Link in this chain! Combining the Hero of the Minish and the Hero of the Four Sword is such a cool and creative choice, and Four shines all the more for it. At the same time, it makes him both very interesting and a bit hard to grasp. I love the Four Swords manga, and the Colors, but especially in the context of Linked Universe, I’m a lot more invested in who Four is as a person and as a hero, aside from that. I love that the Colors are aspects of his complete being, and we can gather a lot about him based on their behavior. He’s incredibly “balanced” and mature for his age, his position on the timeline is criminally under-explored, and he feels very grounded. But aside from that, he’s hard for me to pin down. Perhaps he feels the least “Linkish” to me, of the bunch. Again, this is kinda his appeal for me— the Hero who slips through the cracks and lives in the nooks of history— but it means that he’s still relatively elusive.

9. Wild. I’ll admit that I actively disliked him when I first got into LU— and through no fault of his own, really. It felt like he was the only Link anyone wanted to talk about, which made him feel like less of an individual character in a 9-member cast and more like a Link-shaped sponge that absorbed everything in its path. That, and I was initially disappointed with the lack of narrative in Breath of the Wild, and struggled to connect with his character.

But after a few years to grow out of all that, and after reading several excellent fanfics wherein he gets to be part of an ensemble rather than the main event— yeah Wild’s really cool. His canon backstory is arguably the most interesting, and I love BotW’s themes of memory and identity and what happens when we smother our legends beneath their own weight. He’s charming and heartbreaking and he absolutely deserves the hype. Still, I’m much more likely to read a fic that develops his relationships with several other characters over a Wild-centric story. I guess I find him more compelling, at least in LU, when he’s not the main character.

Wow! Okay. That was… all very ramblesome. But I have survived!

Tagging @luna-loveboop2 @whyoneartheven @greennoobartist @turtleduckcrossing

Gonna try and start a tag game, so let's go!

We've all got our favorite Links, but I wanna know how ALL the LU Links rank for you.

I'll start! And just to note, I've only played Sky, Wild, and Twilight's games so far.

1. Sky- My favorite Link, though his game is my second favorite

2. Wild- Second favorite Link, but his games are my favorite

3. Warriors- Haven't played his games, but @crazylittlejester has made him one of my top three

4. Time- Gives big Dad vibes, he's just trying to keep his children out of trouble

5. Twilight- Absolutely the big brother

6. Legend- Not as bitter as I often see him portrayed. He's just a (older) kid whose been through a lot

7. Hyrule- Played his games a LONG time ago, never made it past the first dungeon. I don't really have much to say about him though

8. Wind- Cute kid, I like him but don't have much to day about him either

9. Four- I unfortunately don't know anything about him beyond LU, sorry Four!

Tagging:

@skyloftian-nutcase @crazylittlejester @skyward-floored @sprite-and-the-bunnydragons and anyone else is welcome to join as well!

#lu ranking #lu tag game

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