#i wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't set in stone until much later

[delulu-for-kylo]

If Kylo was going to end up 100% a soulless darksider from the beginning, he shouldn't have been Han and Leia's son.

[milliesfishes]

Hi sweetest girl in town, Millie! Can you by chance write something angsty for Alex? I love the best best friends to lovers trope before they are officially together, like in pwmov after they hooked up and felt really hurt and heartbroken. But they actually both loved each other!! Or love an “unrequited” love confession and just all the feels. Have a lovely night!

꣑ৎ౨ৎOcean Blvd꣑ৎ౨ৎ

[fem reader] contains: angst pairing: alex nilsen x fem reader summary: you and alex hook up on vacation author’s note: I very much hope this is good Pinterest Board Spotify Playlist

From this angle you could see your pale pink bra where it had been unceremoniously tossed the ground. Alex's fingers were nimble, and the swiftness of the removal had only made your heart beat faster.

Inches away was your top, further your shorts. Your panties were closest to the bed. His clothes were discarded at equal intervals, lying beside your things like a couple's picture. Close to the entrance of the motel room were both of your shoes, one of his lying sole up atop your sandal.

The sheet was cool around your chest where you had pulled it up once he'd gotten off of you, suddenly self-conscious despite what you'd just done. His hand was resting palm down by your hip, elbow on the mattress, thumb stroking your side lazily. You weren't sure if he was looking at you. A part of you hoped he was.

Turning your head to the side revealed that he was staring at the ceiling, his chest not rising and falling as quickly as it had a few minutes ago. Alex's hair was a mess from your fingers running through it, and you suspected your own was along the same lines.

When he shifted, your eyes fell away, focusing on the edge of the pillow under your head. Your hair was cushioned under your ear, ends splayed out toward him. Silence like suffocating smoke was filling the air, pierced only by the sounds of doors opening and closing outside, keys jingling cheerfully as their owners' flip flops thumped their heels.

Just minutes ago you'd been breathing his name, his lips ghosting your neck, hands gripping your waist so hard you wouldn't be surprised if there were bruises later. And now it was quiet. And you hated it.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was just another annual vacation with your best friend, the one you loved and trusted more than anybody else in the world. This trip to a sunny coastal town in southern California was supposed to be an escape from your problems, not a place to create new ones. But the tension had been thick, connecting both of you like an iron bar.

Today especially had been bordering the precipice. The two of you had walked, shoulders bumping, through the less-than-busy streets with grass and daisies growing between the sidewalk cracks. Ice cream from your cones dripping onto your fingers, you'd hardly stopped giggling the whole morning, playing a game of I Spy with the quirky things you spotted.

"Me," Alex had said, unwrapping a finger from around his ice cream to point at a stone figurine of a cat wearing a frog hat.

You nudged him with one elbow, chasing a droplet running down your cone with your tongue. "I think you'd wear it better."

"Of course I would, I'm adorable."

This continued until you stopped at a low stone wall close to the beach, sitting and resting your feet. You'd popped the pointed end of the cone into your mouth and set your bag down, stretching and tilting your head, gasping when you nearly fell backwards. Quicker than lightning, Alex reached out to steady you, forgetting that what was left of his ice cream was still in that hand.

When the cold of it smeared your side, you instantly knew what it was. As he pulled you in closer to him, away from where you would have fallen into a bed of sea grass, you could see the realization on his face. You braced a hand on his chest, laughter bubbling from your lips. "Is your hand sticky now?"

"Yeah." He cracked a smile upon seeing that you were unbothered, fingers starting to lift from your side.

You stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Keep it there. It'll hide the stain until we get back to our room."

Alex didn't argue, reaching down to pick up your bag and sling it over his shoulder. The two of you carefully stood up, walking side by side as you crossed the street. He adjusted his fingers where they laid a few times, and you felt electric just from that. Feelings were poking through your bubble without breaking it, swirling around inside you like fairy dust. The quiet that settled between you was comfortable.

It was the stark opposite of now.

You felt dread land like a lead ball in your stomach as he turned on his side to face you, hand reaching out to brush yours. "Are you-?"

"I'm gonna go to the pool!" Plastering a smile to your face, you stood up, ignoring the flush in your cheeks when you remembered you still weren't wearing anything. Pushing through it, you ignored the slight tremble of your knees in favor of finding your suitcase on the ground and pulling out a bikini. It was the only one that wasn't drying over the edge of the bathtub, but also the most revealing one. Not helpful.

Alex sat up, not bothering to cover himself. You averted your eyes, tugging on your bottoms and beginning to tie the back. He cleared his throat once. "You're...okay, I..." You looked up, and he scratched the back of his neck.

"I'll meet you down there," you offered, brushing your hair behind your ear as a distraction and adjusting your top over your breasts. Cramming your sunglasses on your head, you met his eyes again, saw the confusion swimming in them.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh...yeah. Maybe."

You felt a stab of guilt. "Okay." Taking your bag stuffed with sunscreen, a towel, and a book, you padded to the door, only stopping to pick up your shorts from the clothing trail and pull them on. Slipping your feet into your sandals, you slithered out the door like a snake, feeling like one too.

All the way to the pool, your eyes stung with tears, his tone echoing in your head. Depositing your bag on the chair next to you, an automatic habit in case he came down, you drew your knees to your chest, squeezing your eyes shut. There were a million feelings blooming in your chest and they were all foreign.

That scared you.

He'd been a constant in your life forever, truly the one person you could depend on, trust. And you might have just ruined it. The thought brought forth a tear from your eye, and you just let it fall. Nobody else was at the pool, the temporary residents of the motel likely off to town for the evening.

You felt like a fisherman trying to reel in a whale. The sparks you'd always felt with Alex weren't candlelight anymore, they were a fire, and it was consuming you. For so long you'd fought it, hidden away and told yourself you were only imagining it. But the truth was rearing its ugly head, even now causing you to close your eyes as if that would make it disappear.

You couldn't love him. He was your best friend. You couldn't.

Reaching for your book, you opened it to a random page, trying to veer your attentions away from something you desperately wanted to avoid right now. Your vision was blurry, and you could hardly make out the words before you. They may as well have been in Greek.

Everything in your brain had dissipated save for seconds-long memories like a montage of what had happened. Unlocking the door. Pulling off your shirt, laughing at something he said. Going quiet when he saw you topless. Pulling you in. Lips finding yours.

"You're beautiful."

His hands skimmed the line of your panties, thumbs hooking on the edges.

You were bare before him.

So was he. He was beautiful too.

The worst part of all of it was how right it had felt. Your bodies fit like they were made to be pressed together, swelling and flattening in all the right places. His touch ruined every sensation in the world, and you wanted to feel his hands on you over and over, like rolling waves on the tide. Late at night when you were too tired to deny anything about yourself you had wondered...thoughts wandering...how would it feel to touch him that way? To kiss him?

Alex kissed like he'd been craving you, his lips practically devouring yours. He knew just where to touch you, as if you'd done this every day for years. Even though you'd been able to feel how much he wanted you, he'd kept you on his lap, legs on either side of his thighs as he kissed you long and slow and sweet.

Now you knew. But you'd likely paid the price with the person you loved most in the world.

It was sunset. The colors were streaking the sky, some heavenly being's creation to ease mortals into the night. You would have snapped a picture if you hadn't left your phone back in the motel room.

Alex hadn't appeared once since you'd come down, and ever minute without him made you feel worse. This was the longest you'd been apart since the trip had begun, including the plane ride. You always drove to the airport together since it was so far from Linfield, splitting the parking for one car. His head always found your shoulder on the plane ride, your hand clasped with his because he often grew anxious at takeoff.

Already you were mourning the loss of these memories, ones you thought would repeat themselves over and over. This could very well be your last trip together. All because you couldn't rein in your emotions after seeing how he'd looked at you when you were only wearing a bra.

It was a sour ache because he was such a fixture in your life. Alex inhabited every part of you, had worked himself into so many details of your life. He took up a good fifty percent of the pictures in your phone. You'd shopped for all your furniture together when you got your own apartment, and he helped you put it together. So many of the little trinkets in your room were things he'd gotten for you, and even the bikini you were wearing had undergone his approval before you hit purchase. Not that it mattered- whenever you sent him pictures of things, he told you you'd look good in them.

Alex Nilsen's essence was draped over every aspect of you, tangled into your mind and firmly set like a mold around your heart. It was a wonder something like this hadn't happened sooner. A part of you wished it had, because then this wouldn't hurt as much. The other part was happy you got to have every moment with him.

Tears sprung to your eyes again, but you clenched your jaw, not wanting to cry anymore. This is stupid. You haven't even talked to him, one part of your mind insisted. You buried your face in your hands, trying to keep your breathing steady. Working yourself into a panic attack wouldn't help anybody. No, you just ran away at the scene before he could get a word in.

"Hey." You looked up, a strand of hair escaping your sunglasses headband and falling into your eyes. There he was, standing in front of you in his swimsuit and short sleeved shirt unbuttoned. The one you'd sent him a picture of as a joke because it had tiny mermaids dotted all over it, but he'd ended up buying.

Both your phones were held in one hand, and he set them down by your beach bag, sitting at the edge of the chair. "Are you alright?"

Your fingers flew to the ends of your hair, twisting them. "Yeah."

Alex gave a half-smile, his eyes never leaving your face. "Me too."

He understands. You let go of a breath, and finally met his gaze. "I'm sorry I left like that."

A single nod. "I get it." He held out a hand into the space between your chairs, and you met him halfway, clasping his fingers. Even his touch comforted you, easing the sharp feeling that had been cutting slowly at your being for the past while. "I took a walk. Had some time to think about...everything."

You cast your eyes to the ground. "We don't have to play any games. If you want to forget it ever happened..."

"No." When you looked back up at him, he looked surprised. Squeezing your hand, he asked, "Is that what you want?"

"I..." you were speechless. "I just thought..."

"Why did you hook up with me if you just wanted to forget about it?" Alex's words hit you like a punch to the stomach. He let go of your hand, and you felt tears rise to your eyes all over again.

"I didn't...I don't..." you were grasping, trying to find your words. "Alex..." Taking in a shuddering breath, you felt panic begin to constrain you. As you recognized the signs, you turned away, pressing a hand flat to your chest.

He touched your shoulder. "Hey. It's okay...you're okay-" You felt a weight on your chair as he sat beside you, fingers rubbing your skin. "C'mere." You didn't resist, turning into him and hiding your face in his chest. Alex's hand pressed lightly on your back, and you were too tense for his warm touch to cause anything but comfort.

You were flushed with humiliation- in all the time you'd known him you needed less than one hand to count how many times you'd cried in front of him. He let his chin rest on the top of your head, fully engulfing you in him.

"I don't want to forget any part of you," you breathed, voice hitching. One of your cheeks was pressed to his chest, half to skin and half to his shirt, one button digging into your face. He ran his hand up your back once.

His hand was at your lower back, two fingers lingering at the waistband of your shorts, the others splayed out on your skin. Now the sky was a brilliant orange, lighting the sun's glowing path as it sunk into the earth, lighting the day of somebody else. You watched it fall over his shoulder, legs half tangled over his thigh. The sunset shadows were thrown behind you, your silhouettes intertwined in a perfect shape that imprinted on your heart.

Alex waited for you to pull back first, keeping his hands at your waist, just in case. You met his eyes. "I don't want to forget you."

His shoulders slumped, and he removed a hand from your waist to cup your cheek. Rubbing your cheekbone gently, he murmured, "I don't want to forget you either."

You shifted, half-sitting on his lap now, and he touched your thigh, tracing your kneecap with his other hand. "Look...you know me. I wouldn't hook up if there wasn't...if I didn't feel something."

There it was. That scary, indescribable sensation in your chest, that fluttered your heart like a pair of butterfly's wings. Your instinct was to shrink away, but the way he was looking at you nearly sent stars shooting just so you could wish on them.

Reaching for his hand on your knee, you squeezed it. If there had ever been anything you struggled with, it was expressing yourself in words. But he deserved to know. "I feel it too."

Alex's face brightened like a light had gone off inside him, and your heart ached. He was so eager to love you. Exhaling softly, you looked away, focusing on the fringe of your beach towel. "I just don't want to ruin anything."

"Ruin anything?" He turned your cheek so you'd look at him. "How would that ruin anything?"

"Because I love you and I don't want to lose you," you pleaded, hand finding his wrist. "If we do this and it doesn't work out, I don't want us to become strangers. I don't want to see you in a room someday and know everything about you and not be able to talk to you."

It was clear the instant realization dawned on him. Your lower lip trembled just slightly, and you squeezed your eyes shut, a single tear dropping to your thigh. Alex pulled you into him again, smoothing a hand down your hair. You wished he could iron this out the same way.

"We don't have to go there yet." His voice was quiet, subdued. Drawing back to look at you, he tucked a stray strand behind your ear, adjusting the strap of your bikini top. "Just...know that I love you. In every possible way."

The sky was golden as you leaned into him, his arm around your shoulders. You watched the sun fall into the sea, stars beginning to dot the sky like an entity threw a handful of glitter over the dark canvas.

You wrapped your arms around his torso, the salt air hazy around the space. "I love you too."

He pressed his lips to your temple.

Maybe everything would be okay.

[electronickingdomfox]

Star Trek TOS crew biographies

There are plenty of detailed biographies of the TOS crew, both online and in reference books. But I wanted to check what actually appears in the Original Series and the six TOS movies about this subject (that is, not counting secondary sources or later series). And the result is... very little, actually. I was surprised by the amount of data that I took for granted, just to find out it came from a novel or wasn't 100% set in stone. This is what I could find about each major character, just judging from the TOS series and movies. Feel free to add to this or correct mistakes.

James Tiberius Kirk:

Although in the series he's referred just as James T. Kirk, his middle name "Tiberius" appears in Star Trek VI. "Tiberius" was also his middle name in TAS episode Bem, and the novel The Galactic Whirlpool (both by Gerrold), as well as in Roddenberry's TMP novelization. So yeah, no doubts about his name.

He was born in Iowa (Star Trek IV) and had one brother, George Samuel Kirk, and three nephews (What are little girls made of?). Sam married a woman named Aurelan (Operation: Annihilate).

Kirk was 34 in The Deadly Years. Assuming each season is a year of the five year mission, he could be 33 at the start of the series. And this is the only reference for his age I could find. As for actual dates, I didn't find anything, except his statement in Star Trek IV that he comes from the late 23rd century. (It wouldn't be until Voyager episode Q2, that a date was given for the end of the five-year mission: 2270. This follows Michael Okuda's Star Trek Chronology, and all other dates for TOS are inferred from this).

At age 13 he witnessed the massacre of Tarsus IV (Kodos was governor twenty years ago, in The Conscience of the King).

At age 18 he had just entered the Academy and was tormented by Finnegan. At this time he also met Ruth (fifteen years before Shore Leave).

He served in the USS Republic as an ensign, at some unspecified time after his Academy years, where he reported Ben Finney for negligency (Court Martial).

At age 21 he visited the planet Neural and befriended Tyree (thirteen years before A private little war).

He teached at the Academy as a lieutenant. One of his students was his friend Gary Mitchell (Where No Man has Gone Before).

He was a lieutenant in the USS Farragut at age 23 (eleven years before Obsession), where he first encountered the cloud creature that massacred his crewmates.

Kirk had a relationship with Areel Shaw when he was 29 (four years before Court Martial).

He became captain of the USS Enterprise after Pike. If we suppose TOS first season happens during the first year of the five-year mission, Kirk was around 37 at the end of this mission.

There's a big gap of fifteen years between Space Seed and the second movie. And apart from the five-year mission, most of those years are unaccounted for. Kirk's been an admiral for two years and a half at the start of TMP. But we don't know if he became an admiral right after the Enterprise's mission, or much later. That is, we don't know at what point of that gap take place the events of TMP. Around this time, both Spock and McCoy had retired from Starfleet, though they both returned when Kirk took the Enterprise again for the V'Ger incident.

By The Wrath of Kahn, Kirk should be 48 years old (fifteen years since he left Kahn stranded in Space Seed). If David is around 30, Kirk's relationship with Carol could have been at the Academy, but it's also possible that David is younger.

The third and fourth films happen shortly after The Wrath of Kahn, but no idea how much time elapsed since then and the fifth and sixth films (though see the info for McCoy).

Spock

Known simply as "Spock". His full name is considered unpronounceable for humans, though the novel Ishmael gives it as "S'chn T'gai Spock".

His parents are Sarek and Amanda (Journey to Babel). Amanda's last name was never given, though TAS episode Yesteryear, some novels, and the 2009 reboot film establishes it as "Grayson". Spock also has a half-brother: Sybok (Star Trek V).

I couldn't find anything about Spock's actual age during the series/movies.

He was betrothed to T'Pring at age seven (Amok Time).

He probably joined Starfleet eighteen years before Journey to Babel, since that's the time he spent not speaking with Sarek. If he joined Starfleet at 18 years old, he'd be 36 by season two (but that's just a supposition).

He was part of Pike's crew thirteen years before The Menagerie, during the events in Talos IV. He'd be 22 by then. Spock served under Pike for eleven years (also from The Menagerie). That means Kirk had been captain of the Enterprise for at least two years before season one.

After that, Spock's career runs more or less in parallel with Kirk's, so I won't go over it again.

Leonard H. McCoy

His middle initial first appears in Star Trek III, as well as the name of his father: David. The novel Provenance of Shadows explains the middle initial as "Horatio", but other novels call him "Leonard Edward McCoy" (???).

Much of his biographical background comes from the "Writer's Guide" by Roddenberry and Fontana, but never made it to the series. That includes the fact he's 45 (by season one?) and born in Georgia. As well as the fact that he's divorced and joined Starfleet as a result of this, and that he has a 20 year old daughter (Joanna). Presumably, the story of his divorce and Joanna would have appeared in The Way to Eden, but the story was severely altered. His daughter is mentioned, but without name, in TAS episode The Survivor, and in several novels. The Gold Key comics call her "Barbara" instead. His ex-wife is given different names in the novels and comics: Honey, Jocelyn, Joan, Gillian...

No idea when he joined Starfleet (that depends on how long was his marriage), or when he met Kirk.

Ten years before The Man Trap, he had a romance with Nancy Crater. Though in the episode he sometimes says he knew her twelve years ago, and other times ten years ago. Either it's a mistake, or the relationship simply lasted two years (though McCoy's doubts about Nancy remembering him, imply the relationship wasn't very long).

At some point, he visited Capella IV for a few months (Friday's Child).

He served in the Enterprise for 27 years (Star Trek VI), but only under Kirk, it seems. If he was 45 when he started, he'd be 72 in the last film, and Kirk would be 60 years old.

Note on McCoy's age in later series

The "Writer's Guide" statement that McCoy was 45 at the time of TOS, was contradicted by later series. In TNG episode Encounter at Farpoint, he's said to be 137 years old. While in the episode The Neutral Zone (also from TNG season one) the year is 2364. As both episodes probably happen in the same year, McCoy would have been born in 2227. Since, according to Voyager, the five-year mission lasted from 2266 to 2270, McCoy would have been 39 at the start of the mission. I'm following the Writer's Guide figure, however, because I consider this document more relevant for TOS itself. After all, many things that are facts in later series, aren't the same in TOS, and viceversa. Also, considering that the age of the characters seems to be close to the age of the actors, I find more likely that McCoy was 45, and not 39, at the start of TOS. To give you an idea, Shatner was 36 in season two (Kirk was 34), Nimoy was also 36 (just as Spock) and Kelley was 47. The twelve year gap between Kirk and McCoy, would be almost the same as the eleven year gap between Shatner and Kelley.

Montgomery Scott

Very little about him, but at least we got his full name in the series. He's supposed to be Scottish, and has lived in Aberdeen (Wolf in the Fold).

Apart from being Chief Engineer in the Enterprise, he was engineer advisor in a freighter, running from Deneva to the asteroid belt (Operation: Annihilate).

Uhura

We never knew her first name in TOS! This is one of the things that surprised me the most. However, "Nyota" is her first name in the reboot films, the new series, and well before that, the novel The Entropy Effect.

She was probably born in east Africa, since her native language seems to be Swahili (the language she reverted to when her memory was wiped in The Changeling). Thanks to user @sapsuckers-and-stardust for pointing this out.

Very, very little about her bio background. Most of it has to be collected from novels or comics, and those never intended to be coherent with each other.

Hikaru Sulu

Though his first name was unknown for a long time, it was revealed to be "Hikaru" in Star Trek VI. But before this, he was also called Hikaru in The Entropy Effect.

Sulu was born in San Francisco (Star Trek IV).

Again, almost nothing of his bio in the series/movies. Though the DC comics explored his character significantly. And in Star Trek: Generations, he had a daughter, Demora.

By Star Trek VI, he was finally a captain of his own ship, the Excelsior.

Pavel Andreievich Chekov

His full name appears first in The Way to Eden, where we also learn he had a romance with Irina Galliulin at the Academy.

Chekov has no siblings (Day of the Dove).

He's 22 by season two (Who mourns for Adonais?).

After serving in the Enterprise, he was first officer in the USS Reliant during The Wrath of Kahn, though he returned with Kirk after the Reliant's destruction.

Christine Chapel

She abandoned her career in bio-research to sign aboard the Enterprise as a nurse, and search after her fiancé Roger Korby (What are little girls made of?) Strangely enough, a few episodes before, she had confessed her love for Spock. She chose to stay in the ship after finding out Korby was dead.

By the time of TMP, she was a doctor in the Enterprise, though she doesn't appear as part of the crew in the later movies.

Janice Rand

She served as a yeoman in the Enterprise during the early five-year mission, but disappears from the series afterwards.

In TMP, she's the transporter chief. And in Star Trek IV, Janice is seen at Starfleet Command, along with Chapel.

By Star Trek VI, she was the communications officer of the Excelsior, under Sulu.

[lovingmayday]

STREET RACER! HOBIE x STREET RACER! READER

warnings : illegal street racing, gambling, cursing, suggestive

notes : this one's not that much focused on street racing anymore. im so very normal about him, cant you tell?

part 1 ☆ part 2

first off, street racer hobart brown is a menace. did i mention that or was i too busy gushing about him last time?

street racer hobie loves getting a reaction out of you, commenting on things he knows would rile you up. and he can read you absurdly easily

street racer hobie and you make seperate bets aside from the main one. like if you win, he does whatever you tell him and if he wins, you do whatever he tells you. and if neither of you win, its a draw and its boring so either of you have to win

if you won, you'd probably ask him to let you drive his car around for a week or so. and if he won,, well...

"What?" you ask, though it was more of a rhetorical question, if anything. You heard him loud and clear, you just couldn't believe it.

He had his distinct smug grin on his face as he takes steady steps backward to his car. "'Said I'll pick you up at 8. Wear somethin' nice and casual, yeah?" he says with his back finally against his restored vintage on wheels, smirking at your heated face.

You swallowed a lump in your throat and opened your mouth, your words delaying by a bit. "You're not gonna stick around for my answer?"

"Won the bet, didn't I? It's set in stone," he muses, switfly entering his car. "Later."

he took you to a gwen stacy concert (gwen is a referred to as "maybe the most influental musician – the greates artist – of our generation" in earth-138) and you both had a great time

pretty obvious when you woke up that morning in your apartment and in the comfort of his arms

it was another date, then a third and a fourth then the next until you both just couldn't stay away from one another anymore

you know how in wwe, fights are rehearsed and they don't act the same behind the camera? it's half something like that. your races are genuine but your behavior with each other isn't

all hostile and aggressive near crowds and never ending insults and mockery from both sides. none of the audiences knew how much street racer hobie loved eating your face behind the curtains

"Hob–" you manage to gasp out between kisses. Your was hand clutched on his vest as his hand behind your head deepens the kiss. A surprised moan escapes past your lips when you feel his knee between your thighs.

You start to become more light-headed. He starts trailing the kisses down to your neck and you reward him with a few soft mewls.

"H-Hobie, we're late. Stop." You try to push him away, your hands on his shoulders but he intertwines them with his' and pins them against the wall.

His lips return to yours' once again, exhaling contently before he departs. "I don't think you want me to stop either, love," he whispers, pressing his forehead against yours. You slowly open your eyes to see him smiling.

It wasn't his usual smile — there wasn't an ounce of teasing in it. It was gentle with affection and intimacy. You sigh and plant a short kiss on his. "Wouldn't they be suspicious if we bailed at the same time?"

"Would you care if they did?" he asks, moving your hands to rest around his neck as he puts his' around your waist, pulling you both unbelievably closer. You consider it and give him a small peck before shaking your head. "That's my girl."

[captain-mj]

Small Switch

It was a small thing. They were born at different times. Ghost a few years later and Soap a few years earlier.

Soap went through Roba and Ghost had the luck to be the new member of the SAS.

Just a tiny drabble about them if they switched places :)

Simon was... surprised. Not disappointed. Absolutely not. The man in front of him was only 5'10 but built. Tattoos decorated his arms. Simon caught the symbol of their unit on his inner arm.

"You must be Soap?" He looked at the skull mask. White over black fabric. There were doodles and little lines of color all over it like Soap had decorated it.

"Aye."

Simon had not been expecting Scottish, but it sounded nice. Really nice. "Nice to meet you, sir. Sergeant Riley. I was told I'd be under you."

Soap nodded. "Understood." His eyes were a striking blue behind dark fabric and even darker makeup. Deadly as a rushing river. that would slam him against the rocks until he suffocated. "Follow my lead. Don't die, yeah?"

Simon fell into step with them. For a first meeting, it didn't seem to be going well. He wasn't sure if he did something, but he had been prewarned that Soap was a bit prickly. Well, the exact term Price used when telling Simon about his new team was "Stone cold bastard". It was said with a shocking amount of affection, even if he was clearly very serious.

The mission was uneventful. There were long stretches of silence that Simon liked. It was calming. He could sometimes hear Soap's breath over the comms. Nice and even.

"Why is it so easy to shoot a fish in a barrel?" Simon had no clue why he decided to talk, but he did.

There was a long pause, Soap's breathing disappeared. After it had started to get awkward, Soap spoke up. "Why?"

Simon grinned and glanced at him. "It's already in the gun."

Soap didn't laugh. He was secretly looking at Simon's smile. The soft scarring on his lower lip, possibly from a piercing but it was hard to tell. Dimples. His hair was a bleached blond that was just long enough to be out of regulation and it curled around his jaw.

Soap looked away from him and Simon decided he wouldn't make any more jokes.

That part wasn't important. What was important was the way Soap interacted with him. Cold. Detached. It set Simon on edge.

Until he saw him interact with Gaz. It was exactly the same. Gaz treated him like a friend even though Soap barely acknowledged his presence.

Simon observed them closely. They didn't touch. Gaz was a touchy person. He had grabbed Simon's arm when they met and casually punched other soldier's shoulders and even threw his arm around him. But he didn't so much as brush his hands against Soap.

"So." It was the first time Soap had looked at him since they had been introduced. "Why is your name Ghost?"

"First unit just gave it to him. Said it was because I was quiet."

"Yeah, big guy. Doubt you're that quiet." Soap was clearly a little more interested in him. The interest made Simon's chest feel funny. Butterflies filled his stomach.

"Get fucked."

Soap laughed. Gaz whipped around to watch him before trying to play it off as subtly as he could. "Alright. You're good." He nodded to him before leaving exfil.

Gaz signaled to Simon to wait so he did. They were the same rank, but Gaz had been there longer, so Simon trusted him. "How did you manage that?"

"Manage what?"

"Soap likes you."

"That's him liking someone?"

"Yes! It took me six months for him to even speak in full sentences to me."

Simon shrugged. "I don't know. I just... I don't know."

It was two weeks later. They hadn't had a mission so they were stuck helping train recruits and handle a few things around base. Soap had a surprisingly predictable schedule. He woke up sometime really early in the morning. Ghost couldn't quite figure out how early, because no matter when his insomnia became too much and he just rolled out of bed to start his day, Soap would already be awake and dressed. He had done the math once. There was no way Soap got more than about 2 hours a night. Even that was seeming unlikely.

But every morning, he started a pot of coffee. He used his own. It was labeled and everything with a giant "Do Not Touch: Soap's" on it. Definitely smelled way better than what everyone else used. He drank it over the hours from whenever he woke up to 7 am when everyone else was finally up, showered, dressed and ready to start the day.

There were several mornings when Ghost and Soap would be the only people up for a few hours. Just the two of them. Soap never asked what kept him up. Ghost never asked him either.

Simon wanted to tell him. For some reason. That he dreamed of his dad. Or that he worried he'd come home from leave to find his Mum beaten again. But he never broke that silence. He just made a cup of tea for himself and sat next to him.

"You want to try it?" He offered to Soap one morning. Soap had the mask on. Ghost hadn't seen him do more than lift it slightly. And even then, it was only times like these. When no one was around but Simon.

Soap shook his head. "Not a fucking brit. Thanks." He continued drinking his coffee.

"Must get tiring. Being surrounded by us."

Soap was quiet for a minute. The cup of coffee was slightly lowered so Ghost could see the scarring. Deep Glasgow's. A line over his throat, right along where his Adam's apple was when he spoke. "What is the biggest export for Britain?"

Simon tilted his head, a bit confused. "Fuck, I don't know. What?"

"Independence days." Soap didn't laugh. He said it so dead pan, Simon almost didn't realize he was joking. And then he did and he was laughing like an idiot at 4:30 am in a kitchen with a man he was told was the embodiment of death.

Johnny, because Soap was not the one that thought Simon was pretty, felt his breath catch. Simon's cheeks had turned red. His laugh was just like his voice. Deep and rumbly and handsome. It took Simon a minute to compose himself, which gave Johnny plenty of time to take his fill of him and make sure he didn't show a single sign of anything. Slipping his metaphorical mask back on since he still wanted to drink his coffee.

Simon put his hand on his shoulder for just a few seconds as he passed him to sit down and Johnny's whole world melted down into that point of contact. His shoulder felt warm from the touch even through Ghost's gloves and his own clothes.

"Knew you had a sense of humor."

Four days later, Simon decided he wanted to show Soap exactly why he got his namesake. He saw him across from Gaz and silently moved closer. Even Gaz and Price, who were facing his general direction, didn't notice him. Both were distracted with other things to give them a little credit, but still.

Simon stopped when he was right behind Soap, standing just so so his shadow didn't fall on him.

"Hey, Johnny."

Soap really, really did not mean to. But as soon as he turned and saw how close Simon was standing, he hit him hard enough in the gut for him to double over and then pinned him face first into the ground.

Soap pressed him down by his head so his cheek pressed to the floor.

Simon's hair was soft. Really soft. It curled around his fingers and Soap realized with a jolt that Price had his arms around Soap, trying to yank him off.

"Jesus, Simon. Why the fuck would you think that was a good idea?" Price snapped at him.

Simon stared at Soap and Johnny felt sick when he saw how scared he looked. It was wrong. He never wanted Simon to be scared of him.

Gaz helped Price yank Soap back, who hadn't actually gotten off of him. "He asked him why his callsign was Ghost a few weeks back and said he didn't believe he was quiet. Were you trying to prove that?"

Simon touched his face. Soap had busted his lip when he had slammed him down. He looked at the blood for a minute.

"It was just an accident. Forgot to make noise."

Soap thought that was odd that Simon's default was silence instead of the other way around. He had a funny feeling Simon was lying about the accident part.

"Won't happen again, Captain. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I didn't mean to startle you." It was clipped. Perfect professional speech.

Price nodded, clearly not believing him either but if Soap wasn't trying to yank out of his arms to get at Simon, it was okay to let it be. "Go to medical. Make sure you didn't crack a rib."

Simon nodded and quickly stood up. His footsteps didn't make a sound.

Soap swallowed. "Guess he can be quiet..."

No one laughed.

[originalgenshinscenarios]

Since Zhongli had a “wallet” aka Mr Worldwide other wise known as Childe-imagine a scenario where the reader is also a Fatui Harbinger with Venti and Ei who regularly pays for them like they’re part of the Fatui themselves but they can’t help falling in love with the archons so they like either pay Diluc the whole bill from Venti or help cook Ei meals Idk

I really had the urge to title it as something inappropriate tbh.

Venti and Ei with fatui harbinger reader who pays for all their stuff and has a crush on them

Reader here is gender neutral

Venti

It all happened when you met him outside of the city. His beautiful music blessed your ears and not to mention he looked so graceful playing on the lyre while sitting with his back resting against a tree.

As a harbinger you shouldn't fall in love so easily but your heart couldn't help but skip a beat here and there.

Of course you were in denial but when you got to talk to him it got worse and you weren't oblivious enough to deny it.

You were fully aware of who he was, but you didn't care enough to leave Mondstadt and your feelings behind.

Before you knew it you started paying for it. Literally.

You weren't sure what to do so you decided to pay up his tab at Angel's share. Yourself you had no idea why you'd do it... But after you started you couldn't stop.

He was confused but he didn't mind. But hey since you were paying how about you join him at least? Having a drinking buddy is much more fun.

You were surprised he didn't keep his distance from you, especially since he knows who you are.

I'd be lying if I said he trusts you, but he didn't dislike you either. He wasn't so on guard around you since the Fatui already took from him what they wanted.

You however were fully after him but not in a threatening way, you just wanted to be his and be able to call him yours.

He wasn't totally uninterested. So he wasn't oblivious to your flirting. But for the time being your relationship didn't go beyond casual flirting.

Ei

How can someone not fall in love with her? Beautiful, strong, graceful, decisive, brave and yet she can be clumsy, clueless but that just makes her adorable- you could go on an on about her.

She wasn't sure what to think about you. But she didn't take the time of her day to see you.

Untill you started sending baskets of something that'll satisfy her sweet tooth. Various of tasty and often overpriced deserts were a surprise coming from you.

And as she isn't ungrateful she made sure to thank you for your gift. She thought that it was a one time thing but she was wrong.

She became slightly interested in you. So from that time she started spending some time with you. It was once a week but it was more than you could ask for.

She didn't pay attention to any of your romantic advances but she showed you hospitality each time you met up.

You made her smile more often, that's for sure. At first her expression wasn't changing at all as you talked but later it was noticeable that she's enjoying her time with you.

But in the end your relationship wasn't set in stone. She didn't know what she felt towards you so even should you confess she wouldn't know how to respond.

~Mod Lisa

[butterflybuckethat]

Green Dress

Author's Note: Hello! This is my first time posting my writing but I thought it would be fun so lmk what you think :)

Summary: Anthony x Fem!reader; It has been a long time since you were back in the company of Bridgerton's, since before Edmund passed, but it's your first London season and your mother insists on your making the most advantageous match possible. You have your sights set on Prince Friedrich of Prussia; now, only if you could ignore the little flip in your stomach whenever the Viscount looks at you. (1.3k words)

"Get me out of this dress." You barked at the maid, frustrated with your lack of success at removing it yourself which just left you twisted and displaying much more cleavage than appropriate. She jumped into action, swiftly undoing buttons. "The prince's favorite color is green, not blue." you exasperated, "That horrid Cressida Cowper is spreading lies; not that I should be surprised."

Some minutes later, you emerged from your guest room in an emerald green dress, after thanking and apologizing to the maid for being short. It was not the first ball of the season but it was the most important because you were going to snag the Prince. You hurried down the stairs, able to see Eloise's look of impatience from miles away, and took Anthony's arm as he led you out to the carriage. "I rather liked the blue dress." You looked up at him, a little smile on his face but otherwise a largely indifferent expression. "Well, it was not for you." You couldn't resist being a little cheeky. He didn't always take it so well but you lived for the moments he huffed and puffed up his chest. Besides, it seemed to loosen him up a bit. You took his hand as he helped you into the carriage, sitting across from his mother. "Pity." He replied, looking so much the devil, and he turned his back to you as you stared, or rather gaped, until the carriage began to move.

Violet Bridgerton was rather happy to sit across from you on the way to the ball. She remembered when you were young and used to pick up your skirts and run over to Aubrey Hall just to tease and prod Anthony until he relented and allowed you to play with him and his brothers. Now you were grown up, all hair and cheekbones, and she was grateful because she hadn't seen her son exhale in what felt like decades, but a couple days with you and he seemed to be having fun again.

The ball was in full swing when you arrived, packed with people dressed in their best gowns and jewels waiting to catch a glimpse of the Prince. And there, in the middle of the action, was Cressida dressed in green and sporting a scowl the moment she saw you, similarly dressed in green. It wasn't much of a secret that you set your sights for marriage high. Your mama was famously ambitious and why wouldn't she be; you were a true diamond and more than happy to carry out her wishes. You grabbed Daphne's hand to take a turn about the room. She followed you but appeared distracted, probably searching for the Duke. You knew that something was going on but she liked to keep her cards rather close to the vest and you figured she would tell you when she was ready.

Anthony watched you giggle with his sister across the ballroom. His eyes followed you about the room, only half listening to what his brothers had to say. He said he preferred you in the blue but secretly thought you looked rather fetching in the green as well. It made your skin glow. "Anthony..." Benedict placed his hand on his shoulder. "Hm?" He was still distracted, unable to completely let go of you, but did take a swig of his brother's flask when Benedict offered. You looked so different than he remembered. Granted, the last time he saw you was when you were ten years old with dirty slippers and mud on your nose. But now...but now all he wanted to do was trail his fingers along your neck.

He was shocked out of his daydreams by a loud crash. A woman in purple swooned and took an indelicate fall to the floor. The Prince was here. Penelope made a particularly scathing comment causing Colin to giggle. But Anthony was following the Prince's gaze straight to you which etched what felt like a permanent scowl onto his face before crossing the ballroom.

After sneaking a glimpse at the Prince, and deciding he was rather nice looking with his blonde curls and doe eyes, you returned to your conversation with Eloise. He was looking at you, you were sure of it, and you expended a great deal of energy keeping the sly smile off your face. "He's coming!" Eloise whispered, tapping at your wrist. You were introduced to him and took a particularly deep curtsy. "It's an honor to meet you, your Majesty." you said soft enough so the Prince had to lean in a little to hear you. "The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure." he kissed your hand. Someone cleared their throat behind you, "I believe this is our dance, my lady." It was Anthony holding out his hand out to you. "Oh" was all you were able to say. "If you will excuse us." Anthony said to the Prince and dragged you to the dance floor. You were only able to shoot him an apologetic glance before Anthony placed a hand on the small of your back and the waltz commenced. "That was incredibly rude." you had half a mind to step on his foot, especially when he said nothing. "You know how important this is. How important this is to my mother." Your whispering was bordering on shrieking at this point, growing more and more frustrated. If Anthony wasn't holding your hand you would have jabbed your finger into his chest. "I am an only child and it is my duty to marry as well as I possibly can and I cannot have you distracting me-" Anthony looked at you then, his dark eyes on fire. Words caught in your throat and you became very aware of his arms around you and his palm burning into your back. You just stared into each other's eyes until the music stopped. "I am distracting?" He bowed and stepped away, leaving you, shocked, in the middle of the dance floor. If you could blush, you would surely be a deep red.

Anthony was taking heavy breaths. He could not hear anything but his heart pounding in his ears; he needed air. Anthony made a beeline for the double french doors that led out to the garden and undid the top of his collar. The night was cool and his breathing seemed to slow. His hands just stopped shaking when he was yanked under a stone archway. "What was that all about?" you said pushing him back against the wall. He let out a grunt. "I do not know-" "Stop." you looked wrecked but he imagined he did as well. You let out a laugh, "Why am I even here? I am sure Cressida is all over Prince Friedrich by now. And I followed you out into the garden." You froze, "I followed you out into the garden. I have to go back." You turned and repeated your last sentence. But Anthony grabbed your wrist and you looked back at him, finally taking in how defeated he appeared. "I am sorry." he said and you went back into the ballroom. It was too short of a time for anyone to suspect any impropriety, you assured yourself, and went back to stand next to Eloise. "What has happened?" She asked looking sincerely disconcerted, probably more because she truly did not know what was going on than how it looked. "I do not know." and you meant it.

You didn't see Anthony the rest of the night. Benedict said that he had left but you still searched around the room every once in and a while, searching him out. "Lady Y/LN, would you care to dance?" It was your second dance with the Prince. You heard one of the mamas say it was "truly a feat;" but back in the carriage, heading home as the sun peeked out over the horizon, all you could say when Violet Bridgerton asked you about the night was "I wish I wore blue."

Part II

[umiarumi]

fucking three houses | prologue/claude von riegan

afab she/her reader, originally posted on my ao3, myukyu <3

Twirling my sword, an excited grin fell upon my face as I jogged alongside Dorte and Marianne. "Hah! Marie, ya think I can keep up your old steed's pace?" I asked excitedly, huffing slightly. The academy had really buffed your stamina, shit, enough to keep up with a damn horse.

"Oh, (Y/N)! I-um, don't strain yourself since we have nearly reached the monastery." She hesitantly called out, brow furrowing. I laughed it off, nodding as I slowed my pace to meet Raphael jogging, carrying a very unamused Lysithea.

"What's up, you two?" I asked, grinning. The behemoth of a man beamed back, motioning his head to the pouting smaller girl in his arms.

"Lysithea here was starting to struggle, so as a good big bro- I mean, uh, friend! As a good friend, I'm helping keep up!" He cheered, laughing.

"I'll remind you, you thoughtless fool, I am not a child! I am quite the opposite, now." Lysithea barked out at Raphael, folding her arms.

I chuckled, shaking my head. I missed these guys, and once we make it to the monastery... well, teach better have kept his promise and not died on us. ~~~~ ~~~~ PROLOGUE END ~~~~ ~~~~ "Ahh... now this one is gonna fill the spot, thanks, prof!" You cheered, excitedly flicking your eyes between your delicious meal of Beast Meat and your slightly concerned professor.

"That smell... it's amazing! My fav, in fact. Do you like it too?" Claude nodded with you, looking to Byleth out of curiousity. Easygoing, huh?

"I like it."

Usually, you'd laugh at your teacher's blunt speech, yet that meat was begging you to devour it and hey- who are you to deny its wishes? Being back at the monastery with your class and teacher as much as you'd loved being back in your home country, you had a soft spot for the Golden Deer. But five years had changed the lot of you, various glowups being noticed, by the way. Yet, Claude caught your attention the most. Which, being honest, wasn't out of the norm, hell, for anyone!

As you tore through your meat, you caught your former classmate stifling a chuckle at your pure ferocity.

"Oi! Got thomething to thay," You quickly swallowed. "What's so funny!?" You annoyedly accused, slamming a hand on the table. He let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Easy tiger! You just looked awfully cute with your cheeks stuffed."

You felt your cheeks darken, clicking your tongue as you went back to your meal. "Smooth, dickhead..." You mumbled as your teacher let out a sigh at the two of youse antics. As you all continue to eat, a comfortable silence fell upon your trio.

"That aside, I am glad to see you also returning. I heard from Lorenz that you had disappeared for a while." Your teacher finally spoke, looking to you. Your eyebrows rose in surprise as you let a crooked grin creep up your face.

"Funny you say that. How about yourself, five years asleep! Did any lucky gal or guy come to give you that awakening kiss~" You cooed, switching the topic onto him. You had no idea what you could say without getting yourself and Claude in an unknown amount of trouble.

He raised a brow at your dodging of the question but ultimately let it go. "I did not get kissed, no."

Claude piped up from his suspicious silence, leaning in to pester teach. "Ya sure? You were pretty popular back at the academy!" You snickered after this comment, nodding to egg him on.

"I believe we've finished the meal. I shall see the two of you later." He promptly stood up with his plate and cutlery, returning them to the kitchen before strutting off in his usual stern demeanour.

"Aw, we scared him off!" You jokingly whined, leaning onto Claude. Teasing your no-nonsense teacher was great since he's as clueless as Seteth with three times the patience.

"How will we ever apologise?" Claude moaned alongside you, resting his head on yours melodramatically. You tittered together before recovering and bringing your dirty dishes to the kitchen. Leaving the dining hall, you two walked in silence.

You walked with no aim for a while until Claude stopped. You turned to him, intrigued. Tilting your head, you asked him a question.

"Something up?"

He smiled softly, shaking his head.

"Nah, but I would like to ask you some things." He said, and the lack of a comedic tone set off a minor alarm in your brain. You were no stranger to his inquisitive nature, having known him for a good portion of your life. Yet, you had a feeling this related to before. Even Claude wasn't aware of your whereabouts.

"Sure thing, here?" You asked, folding your arms defensively.

"No... let's go somewhere more private." He said, walking off. You jumped, quickly following him.

~~~~

Following Claude up the spiralling stairs of the Goddess tower was quick, that you could confirm. Nearly stumbling over your steps as he transcended so damn fast, you couldn't even call out for him to slow the hell down.

As you finally made it to the top, avoiding the rubble which had gathered after the battle at the monastery, you had leant against the wall, quickly regaining your breath. Yet as soon as you blinked, Claude seemed to have moved from the centre of the room to a few inches away from your face.

"C-Claude! What the hell...?" You jumped, backing fully up against the cold, stone wall. Feeling the cool stones against your back, you shivered as your former leader stared at you.

"Answer teach's question for me, friend? Where were you while we were stopping the whole damn alliance from being chipped away by the Empire?" He asked, frustrated. He took a step towards you.

You gulped, shaking your head as your eyes darted around the tower, looking everywhere but him.

"That's not the answer I was looking for, (Y/N)."

Your breath hitched as he grabbed your chin to look you in the eyes. His voice lowered, a conflicted emotion on his face. A crooked grin tugged at his lips and yet his brows were furrowed, annoyed.

||Translation: فاک - Fuck||

"I-I was in Almyra!" You yelped, quickly realising what you said as you cursed under your breath, "فاک..." You hissed, embarrassed.

"First, you avoid our questions..." Claude listed, cruelly running his thumb across your lip. Your heart skipped a beat, your eyes finally set on his figure.

"Second, you leave us... breaking our promise," He continued, striking your heart where it hurts.

You bit your lip, eyeing him as he let his hand drop to your shoulder. He pushed you further against the wall. You shivered, yet not from the freezing stone this time.

"I-I... even you said you had no attachment to Fodlan! I thought you wouldn't..." You trailed off, searching for an excuse.

"Everyone thought you died! I thought you died! And yet..." His voice rose, yet less out of anger. He finally brought his face to your extremely red own.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, finally..." You stiffened, knowing what he was going to bring up.

"Leaving me hanging."

Before you all reunited, you had made a short trip into Fodlan to grasp the situation. Yet, your undercover mission soon became an open one as a fateful night in Derdriu occurred.

~~~~

It was a warm evening the night you had made it into the lively streets of the city. Even after the effects of war, the city still seemed to bustle. Unassumedly passing by citizens happily talking, you looked for any Knights of Seiros stationed nearby or even members of the Leicester military. Noticing a particular armoured woman, you tapped her shoulder.

She turned, giving you a pleasant smile. "Do you need anything, ma'am?"

You nodded, playing with the sides of your bodice. "I live a while from the military posts, so could you please tell me... um, how is the war going?" Embarrassed, she laughed softly before explaining.

However, you were unaware of a keen eye watching you. The familiar bobbing of unruly hair, gleaning of sun-kissed skin tied in with a confident stance clued Claude onto just who it was he saw. He waited patiently behind market stalls, keeping an eye on you as you bid the woman goodbye. And oh-so luckily for him, you headed his way.

You passed by him, oblivious to the archer's presence. A sudden hand on your shoulder caused you to jolt, your hand reaching to the hilt of your sword. Whipping around, your eyes soon met the green ones of a certain Alliance leader.

"C-Claude!?" You shrieked, hand still cautiously resting on your sword, unsure if he would take well to your sudden appearance.

"So you decided to show up, huh?" He remarked, and if you knew him any less you'd think that easygoing smile meant he was happy. But that smile never reached his eyes.

Yet, despite his obvious inner conflict, you expelled a breath as he pulled you into a hug. You soon wrapped your arms around him. It had been four years since you left after Edelgard and her forces attacked. You felt his grip loosen as he rose a hand to your chin, that oh-so teasing thumb brushing against your lip.

"May I?" He muttered, and in response, you leant into him, lips locking. What started innocently quickly grew messy and needy, your lips growing red.

As you pulled back, you felt the hard pressure as your fronts brushed together. You blushed before turning your head away.

"I'm sorry Claude, I have to go." You muttered solemnly, pulling yourself together.

"Wait, what? Showing up randomly after four years and then blue-balling me?" He teased yet yearningly reached out his hand.

"I promise, I will return and finish what I started!" You called out, running off into the night.

~~~~

Your face grew hot at the memory. Shuffling nervously, you looked into his eyes.

"Then, will you finish what we started, miss?" He asked, running a hand across your face.

Inhaling, you nodded and answered him. "Yes... please."

With your consent, he pushed himself against you, lips squishing as he brought you upon his own. He soon ran his tongue along your bottom lip, asking for permission.

You parted them quickly, his tongue invading your mouth as your tongue danced with his. He began to unclasp your armour as you shifted to help them come off easier.

Before you knew it, you had both shed to your undergarments, all knowledge of this being an open area quickly leaving your mind.

His hands reached behind your back to fiddle with your bra for a few moments, soon letting it fall to the cold, stone ground. His eyes fell to your breasts, your nipples perk from a mix of the cold air in the Goddess Tower and the heat of the situation.

Quickly, his hands began to fondle and grope your tits, your hand slapping on your mouth as to not alert any patrolling guards.

"These really are great. Your armour disguises you, a good thing that is since you'd probably take a few hits otherwise." He commented cheekily, observing your tightly shut eyes and fluttering breaths.

God, he'd tease you even now!?

One of the hands dropped from your breast, the other continuing to squeeze and roll it like wet clay. The forgotten breast soon regained heat as the scruffy head of the brunette quickly moved to suckle on your aching nipple, causing you to let out a quick yelp.

"How cute." He mumbled into your tit, the vibrations sending a delicious shiver up your spine. Whilst you were focused on the pleasure at your chest, your throbbing cunt soon found a welcoming hand cupping it through your underwear.

"Soaked! Were you wanting this all along? Hah! Pretty slutty for an Almyran warrior." He cooed, fingers running against your clothed slit.

"A-ah... fuck you!" You hissed, deciding on paying back the offer. Your free hand reached down to cup his hidden boner, hand rubbing slowly.

"Ffffuck... fine, you want to do it right here, against this wall sweetheart?" He asked, grinning.

You nodded brashly, slipping out of your drenched underwear. He too shed his remaining clothes and your lips locked in a short kiss before he pulled away.

Grabbing onto your thighs, he lifted you as you hooked your legs around him. Pushing you against the wall, he angled his dick at your pussy. Rubbing slowly, teasingly. The two of you groaned, as finally, he stuck his dick in your needy cunt.

You gasped, feeling it stretch you out, slowly, inch by inch. Bottoming out, the two of you stilled for a moment, catching your breaths. Once you adjusted, signalling him with a nod, he pulled out to the tip, before slamming back in. You moaned unabashedly, eyes fluttering open to see Claude's face scrunch up.

He looked up to you coyly, smirking. "Do you want all of the monastery to find us? Would you like them to see you like this?" Your breath hitched.

"Sweating, being fucked against a wall by your former leader? After five long years, you decide to help." He hissed, continuing to thrust as you gasped with each thrust.

The fulfilling feeling of Claude's dick rubbing against your inner walls gradually inched you to your orgasm, the added brushing of fronts stimulating your clit.

"I could get used to this, you'll really help the war efforts this way. Those poor, exhausted knights who you could've helped. A nice cocksleeve like you, you'll do more by getting fucked than you have the past years." He grunted, venting his frustrations.

Yet, despite all the guilt you should've felt, it only made the aching buzz of your clit all the more stronger.

Your cunt spasmed with each thrust, the routine rubbing and brushing working you towards your end as you felt Claude's dick shudder every time he bottomed out.

"Maybe you could motivate Ignatz? He'd be shy though, but a girl so open like you would be perfect for that." He mumbled, watching your face darken.

"Or Raphael? He could use you as training. You'd be spent by the time he was even finishing, yet a slut like you would be okay with that, right?"

His dick continued to twitch in your pussy, your walls clamping around his cock like a vice. Fluttering as you were so close to your end.

"Shit... even Lorenz... he could use you as practice for his- ngh, noble duties!" He choked out a laugh, breath stuttering.

"But I think I like you best as my little runaway slut, yeah? You fit so well on my cock!" He emphasised the last word with a sharp thrust, your walls clamping shut on his cock, your head hitting the wall as you moaned in ecstasy.

He quickly pulled out, dick spurting ropes of cum on your chest and stomach. As you both caught your breath, you caught Claude smiling at you.

"It's good to have you back, my friend."

[fayeimara]

Sakusa Kiyoomi || Quiet Corners of Our World

SUMMARY. A busy Sunday becomes something else entirely when your typically routine-loving boyfriend has some unexpected surprises in store.

PAIRING. You x Sakusa Kiyoomi

GENRE. Fluff <3

WARNINGS. Suggestive

Reader Request Part Two | This is a continuation of the story in Small Moments.

It's a small kiss behind your ear that wakes you up, along with a whispered, "Good morning, love." You turn towards the deep baritone, seeking its owner even though you've barely roused. Sliding one hand forward to squeeze in between the cool pillow and cooler sheets, enhanced by the press of Sakusa's head still lying atop it, your other hand finds his cheek even before you've opened your eyes. When you do briefly flicker them open, it's to meet his amused gaze for just a moment before the bright rays streaming in from your windows compel your lids to flutter shut again. There's an enticing aroma in the air and it's not just your boyfriend's aftershave.

Tilting your head up in a silent plea for his soft lips to meet yours, you hear a low chuckle instead before you feel something light brush the tip of your nose back and forth. A butterfly kiss. A smile tugs at the corners of your mouth but quickly turns into a pout when he his teasing tone breaks the silence again.

"I'd like a proper kiss, love, wouldn't you?"

You nod with an assenting hum and it seems he'd anticipated your non-verbal answer because he's already continuing. "Then you'll come brush your teeth, won't you? I have a surprise for my little butterfly."

The words are still soft with temptation and your eyes peek open again, this one longer than your first attempt. This time, when you meet Kiyo's deep gaze, it anchors you to him as you fight off the last hazy remnants of your sleep. If only you didn't feel like you could lay there falling into the dark, mesmerizing pools of his eyes instead.

You're tempted to close your eyes again just to regain your equilibrium but it would be quite futile. That, and you're realizing it's Sunday, which means both you and Sakusa have your respective engagements for the day. Your mind wanders back to the previous day, an improvised but perfect lazy date indoors, which already seems so far from reach.

What if the two of you canceled your plans to pursue a whole, lazy weekend? Would the world stop turning? You smirk, tempted to be a little bad and see if you can convince Kiyo to join your sudden scheme.

"What's that little smile about, sweetheart?" You startle, realizing your thoughts have wandered while he continued to study you, holding your unfocused gaze. He has his own little smirk on his face, as though he's actually able to peer right through your eyes and view your most intimate daydreams.

A blush works its way onto your cheeks, you can feel the warmth even if you can't see it but you're definitely aware of his eyes tracking every miniscule change with that beguiling smile still curving his lips. You pretend to stretch out in order to hide your clearly telling expression, hoping to compose yourself again quickly. With your arms hovering over your face you miss his movement, only feeling the slightest shift before his fingers caress the now exposed skin at your stomach and waist.

"Kiyo!" You're jackknifing so fast in order to jump out of the bed as you reach for his wrist to pull his arm away but he's not done with flustering you when you're in your sleepy state because his other arm catches you mid lunge and you're drawn back against his hard body before you can even register that you're trapped.

Kiyoomi's long legs stretch out alongside yours, shepherding them with light pressure so that he can form a cage around you, finally complete when the hand with the wandering fingers enters your line of sight before dropping to your shoulder. Arms criss-crossed around you, one across your waist and the other crossing that space just below your collarbone, he finally leans in with a brush of his lips to the shell of your ear and whispers, "Didn't you want to stay in bed longer? Isn't that what you were just thinking... How you might convince me to stay?"

Even as your stomach flips at his seductive tenor, your face burns as you're caught at your own game before you could even begin to truly consider it. What a dangerously perceptive man you've chosen to call your own. And how like him to torment you when you're caught unaware. He had better be prepared for some payback. Much later.

"Ah..no."

"No?"

"No." You shrug as much as you can in his hold, thankful you're at least facing away as you boldly lie, "I was... thinking about you brushing my teeth."

You might have actually thrown him for a loop as he pauses and then, his flirtatious game forgotten, warily repeats, "Me brushing your teeth?"

Oh no. You can't laugh. But it's difficult as you can quite literally imagine the exact look of distaste on his face at this very moment. He might end up thinking it's an amusing or even cute concept some day but this reaction is pretty typical when he processes new actions that go against his natural instincts. Exactly why you chose this very visual.

"Mhm. You withheld my rightful kisses because you wanted me to brush my teeth first, didn't you?" Okay, so maybe there's a little payback for him sooner than you'd planned. Three birds, one stone. What a feat.

"So... you think I want to brush them for you...?" He trails off, completely unsure where you're going with this.

You shake your head, tone quite glib when you elaborate on your lie, "Not quite. I just imagined you might force me, like a bad puppy or something you apparently think you can order around. That why I was smiling. The imagery and all."

"You were smirking." He corrects with authoritative tone completely ignoring your subtle admonishment. Is that humour seeping back in, as well? "But if you want me to treat you like a pet..."

You jerk forward again, trying to slip his hold as he manipulates the conversation to regain the upper hand. This isn't where the conversation was supposed to flow.

"Not a pet, Kiyoomi."

"Really? If you like that stuff, I guess I can give it a tr-"

"It was a joke!"

"You sure, pet?" His amusement is back full force and you have to roll your eyes at your now failed attempt to regain your composure because, well, maybe you walked into that one by being impulsive.

"It was actually a lie, wasn't it?"

You stay silent, debating if it's better to just refuse to talk until you're completely awake with a cup or two of coffee to fortify yourself from your boyfriend's unexpectedly bold banter today. It seems like Sakusa is in a playful mood but you have no idea why, given that you each will be going separate ways for your respective commitments in less than two hours.

You find yourself suddenly lifted up in his arms, as he effortlessly carries you off the bed before swinging you up like a ragdoll, in a maneuver that ends with his arms cradling you bridal style as he walks you both to the adjoining bathroom. Now you're actually speechless, without deliberate intention, as you find yourself staring up at the elegant lines of his face, hands having wildly grabbed his shirt at the chest and behind his neck when he moved.

His dark eyes are filled with mirth as they connect with yours, "Your silence is incriminating, love. I may just have to follow through with your request in retaliation for ever uttering such a suggestion."

"I didn't ask-" You start of indignant but end up cutting yourself off as a thought occurs to you, "Wait. Do you actually like the idea?"

His eyes narrow down at you, face falling into his classic inconvenienced expression as if you've somehow disrupted his rhythm. Isn't it the other way around? Hey, you should be the one giving him that look!

"Of course not." His voice is clipped and slightly unconvincing.

When he finally sets you down on your feet, you lean on the counter to watch him as he reaches for your toothbrush, neatly squeezing out the perfect amount of paste on its bristles before letting it swing quickly under a soft, brief stream from the tap.

It's when he turns back to you, holding it up holding the instrument up to your mouth and going, "Say ahhh." as if trying to feed a toddler, that you realize he's actually going to try to brush your teeth. You suppose neither of you have been good at backing down from the others' challenge and it's placed you in odder scenarios than this. A giggle spills from your lips at how silly this one is and it's his small answering smile, with a mix of self-deprecation and good humour, that prompts you to obediently follow his instructions.

It's... intimate, to say the least. He's very methodical, probably too gentle, as he makes sure to count out the strokes at each and every side. You find yourself with rare minutes of being able to study him completely unfettered, starting with the tiny dent between his brows from the intense concentration to his task at hand. The way his head tilts and mouth purses between instructions to you is quite endearing.

But as his eyes wander up to yours, the bristles begin to tickle your gums, as if he's applying exactly the wrong amount of pressure, enough to make it unbearable so you're pulling your toothbrush from his fingers to finish the job with ingrained, thorough efficiency.

You notice he doesn't move for his own brush, watching you instead with a silly smile that no one else would believe Sakusa Kiyoomi could produce. When you finish, mouth clean and minty fresh, he leans down to present another butterfly kiss but this time you finally feel the soft melt of his lips onto yours before he pulls away again. Hm.. he's already brushed his teeth before you woke?

You can't help but tease, "So that's it, huh? I suppose my kisses were denied on account of morning breath."

"Not quite." He mimics your own words from just earlier and it has you arching an eyebrow in challenge.

"Mhm.. convenient timing to receive my first kiss of the day, then."

"Love, I would kiss you any time of day or night. There's nothing about you that could push me away."

The absolute certainty with which he says that makes it feel like your heart could beat its way out of your chest just to go claim its space in the undeniable warmth of his.

But.. "Then why use it as a bribe?"

Instead of answering, Kiyo curls his fingers around yours to draw you back into the bedroom as he throws over his shoulder, "It's probably cool by now, so it might be a little late but..."

And with a little gesture, he reveals the source of the heady aroma that you couldn't place earlier, the savoury scents of grilled fish, rice, and miso soup permeating your room, scents which now feel quite familiar and easily placed once you see the prepared breakfast tray perched on his side table.

"Oh Kiyo.. breakfast in bed?"

"We missed it yesterday and I was up early so I wanted to surprise you." He sounds a little disheartened but you've never been one to shirk food even if it's not piping hot.

It couldn't have been sitting too long either, it hasn't been more than ten minutes since he tried to wake you, maybe fifteen. You move back to the bed, careful to fold the soft down duvet to the lower half of the bed. It's a pretty big step for him to bring such spillable and worse, stainable, meals into your room, let alone on the bed.

You look him over carefully but truly can't find a single tell that it's bothering him, so you accept your tray gracefully, seating it on the bed between you both as you notice two pairs of chopsticks. A shared breakfast in bed. While he's long since gotten over his aversion of sharing food, at least with you, it's definitely a monumental milestone and an incredibly romantic gesture in his special way.

It's over this new shared moment that you're tucking away in your memories, that Sakusa give you his biggest surprise yet.

"I've canceled our plans for today." "You ca- our- what?" You're at a loss for words, wondering what's prompted these sudden impulses in your typically steadfast boyfriend.

"I've canceled out plans for today and made us new ones."

You're speechless again, in the calm face of Sakusa Kiyoomi, who has managed to spend the little time you've been awake completely blindsiding you with new experiences and developments. Why is he pushing himself so?

"Baby-"

"Love. Don't question it. Just follow my lead, yes?" His question is so openly trusting, as if the only answer you can give is an affirmative yes, that it takes your breath away. This man..

"...yes."

The first place Sakusa takes you on what you've now realized is a second attempt at your much anticipated but canceled date from yesterday is far more extravagant than the simple park picnic you'd planned. The two of you spent about an hour's car ride before finally arriving at your destination - the breathtaking botanical gardens you're now strolling through.

It's everything you imagined and more, having never had the chance to visit previously, and it's the perfect time to see almost all the flowers at their very peak, in full, resplendent bloom. The air is heavy with the natural fragrance of the vast gardens, the scents tantalizing without becoming overwhelming, possibly due to the natural paths that divert from extremely aromatic sections at just the right pace and lead into refreshing contrast of scents as you weave through each of the different environmental hotspots.

Even Kiyo has his mask tucked down under his chin, the clean air and lack of crowds enabling an easy freedom from his usual concerns. You trail through most of the flower gardens in the southeast portion up to the northeast corner of the sprawling land before spying a maze of many tangled trees, all twisting and twining together in various formations.

As you approach, letting go of your boyfriend's hand to pull slightly ahead, you realize it's actually been cultured to grow as a real, living maze. There are arched entrances made from the same twisting bark, strands about the size of your wrist or smaller twining to cover more surface area in specific spots. You duck through one of the entrances to explore, marvelling at being able to hear Kiyoomi so clearly as he calls to you in exasperation to wait for him.

You don't intend to, of course, because you're delighted to discover this little marvel and that excitement only heightens your urge to tease and play with him a little. You're certain he's picked up his pace, hot on your trail as you duck through many different types of 'doorways' and 'windows', sacrificing your sense of direction to barely keep ahead.

He remains mostly quiet, calling your name softly every now and then, but you're undeniably attuned to his fall of his steps and continue to choose the direction that will take you most opposite him so as to avoid sudden junctions where the gnarled maze might allow him to cross your path in his pursuit.

As the sounds of nature start to dull around you, as if soaking into the depths of the maze, you realize that you too have already traversed further than you intended. It becomes more difficult to identify Kiyo's steps around you, lush grass growing steadily the farther in you seem to progress, even the curled branches seem to soften but you soon catch on to the reason why.

Soft buds are now visible and as you go deeper still, you encounter their full blooms, sprouting in a light pink blush. The path is more linear now, with almost no more forks or diversions to choose from, and before you realize it, you've arrived at the center of the maze. Directly in front, at its very heart, stands an elegant marble gazebo adorned with the same pink flowers yet with a complimentary mix of pale white and even dark red flowers threaded through, their striking petals peeking out as if from behind a latticed shield.

You've stopped entirely, taking a deep breath in as your eyes land first on the layered fountain, also gleaming marble, beyond the gazebo and then quickly shift to what's in between the two structures. Two wrought iron benches sit facing each other so that one only has to turn their head to each side to admire a different view and on one of the benches is what seems to be an abandoned picnic basket. Between the two benches sits a pastel picnic blanket, spread out with more than enough room for two.

You feel Sakusa's quiet presence behind you a second before his arm loops your waist and his smug whisper reaches your ear, "Caught you, little butterfly."

Your mouth drops open as you realized how deftly and thoroughly you were enticed into and maneuvered through this seemingly random maze. He really does know you too well, this beautiful man.

"You planned this?"

"You wanted a picnic, didn't you, love?" You don't have to see that small, satisfied smile of his to hear it in his tone. He's practically glowing with the success of achieving his goal.

You suppose, since you had to cancel the reservation at that special restaurant yesterday, he might have felt compelled to make it up in some way. At this point, however, everything starts to overwhelm you and the light sting at your eyes warns you that one of your rare, emotional moments might just intrude on this small moment.

It's Sakusa, grasping your chin to turn and tilt your face up to his, who answers your unspoken question, the one you need answered.

"Not a single moment for this day was planned from guilt. I just.. wanted to make you as happy as you make me."

"But Kiyo.. are you happy?"

He pauses as if to contemplate his current state but when he answers, he's clear and unhesitant, "I'm so incredibly happy, love. I get you all to myself in our own little corner of the world."

There's something about his words that sparks a memory of a thought you had yesterday, when you made what could have been considered sacrifices for him but was really an incredible, restful day you thoroughly enjoyed yourself from the very moment you'd committed to it. Fair enough then, you trust Sakusa to be unfailingly honest with you and can do nothing more than accept his genuine words. It would be a waste of his careful, meticulous plans to let any doubt ruin the day.

He leads you forward through the beautiful gazebo, moving slowly so you can admire the dedication that has gone into cultivating such a striking space, before helping you down onto the blanket. Once he retrieves the basket sitting idly by on the bench, because it was not in fact an abandoned item but a planned one, he rejoins you on the blanket so that you can examine the contents as you help him lay out the spread.

Incredible, he's somehow got your favourite food and drinks together, from substantial meals for you both, to delicious dessert, and even the drinks have remained chilled in the heat of a midsummer afternoon peak.

Hm.. "How exactly did this get here? You were with me the entire hour it took us to make our way up here and I would definitely have noticed you carrying this."

"I had some help."

"Not going to elaborate?" You give him your most pleading look, you actually think you have an idea but your curiosity is more focused on confirming your guess between several most likely possibilities.

But he just smiles and it's almost maddening when he replies, "No. I'd rather talk about what portions of the gardens you still want to visit. I definitely don't want to rush you but I was hoping to leave before it gets completely dark out."

"That's about three hours, right? "

"Yes, love."

You consider what you know of the gardens for a moment and then with certainty, you answer, "There are only two spots I'd like to see before dark. The butterfly garden and the pools, the ones they say make you feel like you're on some other, magical world."

"That's perfect," Sakusa reviews his mental map of the gardens, "They're both on our way through the loop that'll take us completely through the rest of the gardens. It shouldn't take us more than maybe an hour and a half to finish our tour here once we're done lunch."

You hesitate, something on your mind from his earlier statement about leaving before it's too dark, but decide to say, "There's also a whole section fitted with beautiful lights that turn with the sunset, it's been described to be mystical, like finding fairies playing in the gardens..."

"We'll be able to enjoy that on the way out, love, I've already checked."

"Oh." You pause for a moment in both surprise and appreciation, "You're just so well prepared today, aren't you?"

He arches an eyebrow with indignation, "When am I not?"

"Hm," you let out a chuckle at his expression before clarifying, "I mean, with the finer details of the date, Kiyo. You usually leave that to me?"

"Are you disappointed so far?"

"I'm as far from disappointed as I can be, baby." Without knowing, you answer Sakusa with a smile he's seen countless times today.

It's a stunning one but that's not what's so special about it - it's the very smile he loves to see adorn your face, this expression of complete joy and abandonment. A testament to your free spirit thriving even anchored to his grounded beast, the two of having met in the middle to ruin each other in the best way possible.

The remainder of the afternoon flutters by as you and Kiyo finish your meal before following the plan of action you discussed. The butterfly conservatory and oasis of pools are as breathtaking as expected, creating a multitude of small, precious moments for your memories. The fairy lights quite literally seem to be out of this world, almost as if you've been transported into a beautiful fantasy that's really just another perfect little corner of your shared world.

When you finish up at the gardens with the sun having set, you find out that Sakusa has yet another surprise in store for the day as you both first head home to change into semi-formal outfits. He looks decadent in his black silk button up and you finally get to wear the stunning cocktail dress he gifted to you on your last birthday.

You're moved to tears for the second time that day when you realize where he's taking you for dinner, the very restaurant you had to cancel the reservation for the day before. The same restaurant you both shared your very first date together, back when it was still a little known but elegant spot, long before becoming as popular as it today.

It's there, as you sit on the towering balcony, so unnervingly close to the skies and under a carpet of twinkling stars that you feel you could almost reach out and brush, that Sakusa finds his breath becoming shorter and hands shiver with nerves, as one slips into the pocket of his slacks to brush against the small velvet box that he's carried with him since your third month together.

There have been many small, perfect moments today, ones where his hand slipped in and out of his pocket as he debated if it was the right moment. This weekend has been an unexpected whirlwind of worthwhile compromises but the best example of why he knew, that very day he was drawn to step into the jewelry store, that there would never be anyone else he wanted by his side more than you.

It's at this small moment, in this quiet corner of his world with you, that your eyes meet his with your brilliant, perfect smile painting your lips, and Sakusa's hands suddenly still. His breath evens out, certainty calming his thoughts as his answering smile curves at his mouth. There's no doubt that with you, every moment is exactly the right moment.

A/N: Surprise! It's your date with Sakusa (adorably planned by Sakusa) <3 :D This is partially why completing your request took a little longer - I'm honestly so happy to be able to explore writing a request (so excited that I made it two oop-) and as I've mentioned by now, you were my first lol so I really wanted to make sure it was commemorated with something special. Also, how could I give you only just one or the other with the love of your life? He's literally perfect and has a piece of my heart too so once I thought about how to fulfill your request and landed on the first part, the second just kind of bloomed from it. An expected date turning into a lazy day and now a day that begins lazy but is really the most thoughtful of surprise date days planned by the man who treasures your love... I really hope this was along the lines of what you were looking for and that you enjoyed reading <3

Vibe. Oh, and in case you're curious, I had Daydream in Blue by I Monster on repeat for these :)

© 2021 fayeimara. All rights reserved. Please do not repost, modify, or claim as yours.

[maplecornia]

chapter 6

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 1.17K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: i'm seriously considering uploading a chapter each day until I'm all caught up with all the chapters I have waiting. easy binge material lmao

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne

“BigHit Entertainment.”

The whole place is intimidating. Big and looming, looking more like a corporate building than BigHit studio. Multiple people are roaming about, some on tours, others heading to work, each one looking highly qualified, mature, and confident.

They know what they're doing.

Do you?

Swallowing hard, you meet the building with a steady gaze, taking a calming breath before heading forward, and entering it. The revolving door swinging shut behind you, you come to a stop as soon as you enter eyes wide in astonishment.

Everything is pure white, or at least, shades of it. The walls are stone; cold, plastered paint slathered in every nook and cranny. The floors are made of smooth white ceramic tiles that have a thin glossy sheen to them, like marble in museums. The windows of the building are one-way, much like mirrors.

The light from outside mixing with the light on the inside walls creates a bright contrast that calms the nerves.

So many people are there. Tour guides leading small parties down the halls. Managers hurrying to and fro. Receptionists at the front desk taking multiple calls. People waiting in the waiting room near the entrance.

As you take it in, as you ponder at it, you can feel your own heart calm itself. Your heartbeat slows, and your breath evens out, the knot in your throat unwinding.

You find yourself at ease, despite the busy attitude of the place.

As though you belong here.

However, the stupor the studio has you in is quickly broken by a group of people who enter behind you.

They shove past you and you stumble a bit forward, caught off guard. They quickly murmur an apology before moving along. Shaking it off you take a deep breath, as you set your sights on the receptionist's desk.

You best get this over with.

At the thought of meeting Kim Namjoon, RM of BTS for the first time, you can feel the knot rewinding and wish you could just lose yourself in the beauty of the place once more. You know that's not possible though, you have to stay focused, you have to be aware of yourself.

Reaching the desk, you wait for the receptionist to notice you.

She holds a phone up to her ear, talking animately while she types something frantically on the office computer. You wonder if you should leave and come back a bit later, but her eyes glance towards you and she holds up a finger for you to wait.

You swallow hard, and nod, trying hard not to stare as you wait obediently.

She's quite pretty, her long dark hair tied up into a bun, few stranglers from a hectic day trailing down her ivory neck. She has a small face, large brown eyes accompanying small plump lips. Though she has done her makeup quite dutifully, it's obvious that she doesn't need it. She has the looks of an elegant porcelain swan, almost as though one touch would break her.

Sighing as she sets down the phone, she spins to you and smiles. It doesn't seem that sincere considering it doesn't reach her eyes, and you can tell she'd much rather return to her phone call. You'd hate to keep her from it so you hope you can make this quick.

"Hello!" she greets. "Welcome to BigHit entertainment, how can I help you today?"

You smile hastily back before pulling out your phone and bringing up the letter of recommendation that Jaejin sent you so that they wouldn't think you're a fraud.

"Hi." You answer back, trying to be polite nevertheless.

"I'm here, as the replacement for Mr. Kim Namjoon's assistant manager?" You show her the picture, approving your statement. Once she's done reading it, her eyes raise to yours, all hints of the smile gone. Looking at you with slight annoyance, she starts rummaging behind the desk, gathering a clipboard and a few pieces of paper.

"You were supposed to be here 3 hours ago. Are you aware of that?" she snaps, and you swallow hard, still upset about everything.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I...." you ponder over whether or not to explain it to her. "...it won't happen again. Please, forgive me."

What?

There’s no reason for her to know, and besides, she may see it as empty excuses.

You bow your head slightly to her, and she sighs, holding up her hand.

"Please don't, I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Slowly, you rise, nodding silently. At the sight of your guilty expression, she sighs once more, before smiling, this one real.

"But I wouldn't worry, Park Jimin makes the same mistake all the time, and all Mr. Namjoon can do is smile and shake his head." When you smile in disbelief, she presses her hand against yours, smiling softly.

"It'll be okay." You nod, and she pulls away, clearing her throat.

"Now, Mr. Namjoon is heading to a meeting that concerns BTS, so you'll have to wait a while. As you do, please fill out these forms, officially stating that you're taking the position of his assistant manager." You nod, taking the forms, and reading them over almost immediately.

"Do you need a pen?" the receptionist questions, and you shake your head smiling softly.

"No thank you...." peering at her badge, you smile before saying her name. "...Kim Jojo."

At first, she seems a bit surprised that you said her name, but as she turns to her badge, she chuckles and nods.

"You're welcome, please take a seat in the waiting room as you wait." You nod and step back from the desk, reading over the papers on the clipboard.

They are simple documents, ones that are required when getting a new job anywhere. Name, address, security number, things like that.

Sighing, you raise your head, turning around abruptly.

A little too abruptly.

As you turn and step forward, you crash into someone right behind you, the coffee he has in his hands exploding between the two of you.

You cry out in surprise, as does the random stranger, each of you rebounding off the other and stumbling back. Hardly any of the coffee falls on you, most of it spilling over on his shirt. He hisses in surprise, pulling the soaked shirt off of his chest.

Your eyes widen in shock and horror at what you've done and you immediately step back, placing the clipboard back on the counter.

"I'm so sorry!" you cry out, reaching for emergency towels that you keep in your satchel. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I...."

However, as your eyes catch a glimpse of his face, your words falter, your hand tightening around the towel.

You know those eyes, you recognize that hair, you've memorized the same curve of that jawline.

You hardly notice everyone else around you, how they begin to whisper about the commotion, as they all notice what you did.

Why wouldn't they?

Who would look away when the person you've spilled coffee all over is none other than...

Jeon Jungkook.

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: our first real encounter with a BTS member! isn't it exciting? chapter 7 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[casualreader1234]

Reunion

Pairing: Natasha x Reader

An: Part two of the random story idea I had. I think I'm just going to keep the same summary each time because I'm too bad at writing them. I tried to make this gender-neutral, and I don't think I wrote anything that would imply a particular sex, but let me know.

Summary: What if you weren't the hero of the story? What if you were the villain meant to burn the world down?

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Warning: Morally gray protagonist, violence

Word Count: 2k

[Part 1], [Part 2]

This gif is so funny to me.

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When you had first arrived in the U.S, you had been intrigued by tales of the infamous Black Widow, a former Russian assassin turned good, that was enough to catch anyone's attention. To satisfy your curiosity, you had tracked her down, wanting to see her for yourself. Watching her from afar, you understood why she was considered one of the best in her field: her movements always flowed into the next like she was performing a dance.

She easily disposed of her targets, strapping her weapons back onto herself. Seeing the completion of her job, you left the ledge of the building you had been standing of before she could see you. Slipping into the shadow, you had to admit that your interests had been piqued by the assassin.

///

You had always known that your girlfriend had been hiding secrets, but this one was far more exciting than you had thought. Never had it crossed your mind that Natasha might also be involve in the assassin industry. For such a planet, what were the chances of two assassins meeting and starting a relationship without either being the wiser. You weren't sure if that made her exceptionally good at her job, or you exceptionally bad at yours.

Asking around to some of your other contacts, you learned more about the KGB and the Red Room program that had trained Natasha, wanting a glimpse into her childhood. Disgust and rage filled you when you learned about the operation. They had hurt her, so you had made sure they all suffered for their crimes. Then, you returned back to America.

It was the reason you had stayed all these years. She was the reason. Though you've known where she's been all this time, you never revealed yourself. Maybe it was out of fear. Maybe it was out of shame.

It hadn't surprised you that Natasha decided to work for SHIELD. You've also known that she had a good heart, but it did make things more complicated.

She was one of the good guys now. If she ever crossed paths with you, she would be forced to face you as an enemy. So, for both of your sakes, you avoided doing things that would get SHIELD attention, carefully selecting jobs that would run under the radar. You had been careful, erasing most of your tracks, yet here you were, chained down to a table in a SHIELD facility.

Natalia-no-Natasha stared down at you. You unconsciously cringed under her intense gaze.

" How are you darling?" You asked, breaking the thick silence and giving her a small smile. "I must say, you look as stunning as always. Did you do something to your hair? It seems to be shorter."

Natasha didn't reply, instead shaking her head angrily. " What the hell, (Y/n). What are you doing in the U.S?"

Her harsh tone almost made you flinch. “ Here to visit my beautiful girlfriend? I've really missed you.” You tried, feeling a bead of sweat roll down your neck. Natasha may not have any powers but damn was this woman scary when she was mad. Flattery wasn't going to work on Nat though, her face stone cold as she looked down at you.

"That doesn't answer the question, milyy (darling)." She replied with a strained smile.

Tony watched the exchange with a slack jaw, eyes looking like they were going to pop out of his sockets from shock. “ I’m sorry? You know this criminal Nat?”

Your head snapped to the man, jaw clenching. “ Nat?" You sputtered at the intimate nickname. "Who gave you permission to call her Nat?” You swiveled back to look at Natasha. “What is your relationship with him?” You asked accusingly.

Natasha rolled her eyes, turning to Tony. “ Don’t call me Nat, Stark. And this idiot here is (Y/N).”

"Yeah, her [girlfriend/boyfriend] ! " You added helpfully.

The look Natasha gave you was deadly enough to silence you again. She turned her attention back to Tony, " Do you want to fill me on what's happening Stark? I return from a mission and hear from Steve that we had caught a mutant, but I wasn't even aware that we were after one." You frowned at the fact that had she referred to you as a mutant, but chose to ignore it.

Tony shrugged, acting like a bratty overgrown child," No, I don't want to." Natasha's jaw clenched and you decided to lend a helping hand.

Tendrils of black suddenly snaked around Tony, pining him hard against the wall behind him. His eyes widened, shooting to the origin of the magic, seeing you now unbounded and smiling widely at him, the handcuff hanging loosely off the table. Standing up, you rubbed at the red marks on your wrist left by the binds.

"Better answer her, Mr. Stark, I wouldn't want to get on her bad side." You threatened, eyes turning pure black for a split second.

Tony desperately looked at Natasha for help, but she stayed steadfast, unmoved and patiently waiting for him to answer. Realizing that no help was coming, he relented. "Fury got tipped off about some assassin that had been piling up bodies all across the U.S and North America. At first we dismissed them as the work of sporadic killers, not linking the deaths together until we got another tip about them being a mutant. We had Wanda examine a few of the bodies and she confirmed that magic was the cause of death. Since then, we've had our eye set on a contracted killer who went by the alias Reaper. A few weeks ago, we got a hit on their last location, and from there, we planned our trap."

Realization dawned onto you, " You put a bounty over yourself!" You exclaimed with a chuckle, thoroughly impressed by their commitment. It was a good plan, one that you hadn't even considered. Of course, if it had been any other week, the plan would've failed.

Every time you used magic, there was a backlash. The magic was deep inside you, a part of your very being, but it didn't stay that way willingly. The black flames were a dark and ancient form of magic, one that could only be wielded by a select few. Long ago, many groups had tried to master the arts, but most failed. The magic was powerful, more than anyone really knew, and only grew more so as it consumed more energy. Magicians didn't as much wield the magic, as they did subjugate it.

Candidates trained for years in preparation for the infusion, getting their body ready to handle massive amount of energy. When they were deemed ready, they would be exposed to a pure form of the magic. The flames would consume them and their screams could be heard for miles. Most people who entered the last trial end up dead, completely consumed by the magic. A few though, came out stronger. Instead of being consumed by the flames, they had somehow consumed the flames, magic now flowing through their veins.

Even then, the magic inside of wielders fought against their vessels, constantly trying to escape. The ring you wore helped you control the magic inside, absorbing some of the power and trapping the rest of the flames within you, where it couldn't escape and grow any stronger. But every time you took off the ring, you unintentionally let the magic grow, and when it finally returns back to you, the fight inside gets a little tougher.

Normally, it didn't affect you much. You had been trained since childhood to control the magic, so you could go hours with continuous magic use without any major repercussion. But the past month, you had really tested your bounds, toeing the limits of your control. This inevitably degraded your mental state, leaving your mind a little hazy. This meant you were a lot more impulsive and less observant, something that played in favor to SHIELD's trap. You knew you shouldn't have taken the hit on Tony, especially due to your exhaustion, but you had let your excitement of possibly seeing Natasha blind you. Nevertheless, the current situation didn't really worry you anyways, although you made a note to deal with a problem later.

"And why wasn't I informed of this?" Natasha pressed on.

"Don't take it personally. You're area of skills weren't required for the job, so you weren't informed. Simple as that." Tony plainly stated, clearly sensing the Russian's agitation.

You had to stifle your laughter at the irony. If Natasha had been assigned to the case earlier, you probably would've been captured much sooner.

Natasha bit the inside of her cheek, obviously deep in thought as well. " Release him, (Y/N)." She finally said and you happily obliged, but not sliding you ring back on, letting the flames surround you in a hazy aura incase you needed to react to any threats. Tony let out of breathe of relief as your magic retreated, but you could see that he was still a bit shaken up, the effects not fully wearing off.

"Hey are you alright darling?" You asked concernedly, ignoring the wobbling man when you caught Natasha looking a little pale. Walking over to where she was, you reached out a hand to lightly caress her cheek, the flames retreating as it reached her. You hesitated for a split second, unsure of how she would react, but Natasha leaned into your touch. Her eyes met yours. It was the same bright green that you dreamt about, and they looked even more dazzling up close. She smiled up at you and it was like all the years you've spent apart hadn't happened.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She whispered reassuringly and you smiled too in relief. “ What does Fury want with the (Y/N)?” She asked Tony, but her eyes didn't leave you.

“ The same thing we do to all threats. We either eliminate or imprison them .” He answered, voice indifferent.

Natasha turned to him, much to your dismay, “Why can’t we accept them into SHIELD?” she offered instead.

Tony, who had thought your weird relationship with Natasha was the strangest thing that could happen, couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You want to let an assassin into our ranks? Are you crazy?! Did you already get your hands on the vodka shelf?” He stammered.

Natasha gave him a dark look, one that sent a chill of excitement down your spine, “I was an assassin too Tony.”

Tony didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, but he didn’t need to. The door to the room swung opened again, this time a larger blonde man marching in. You recognized him from your intel: Steve Rogers-Captain America. Behind him, you saw several heavily armed agents behind him, their guns trained on you.

Natasha whipped around at the sudden intrusion, surprise flashing across her face. " Steve." She said warningly, noticing the same things you did, but Steve didn't let her finish, already throwing out his shield in attack. The metal was launched at you, cutting through the air faster than the eyes could follow.

You easily caught it, magic stopping it mid-flight.

You sighed at his pathetic attempt, " Mr. Rogers, don't you know it's rude to interrupt? You can't just come in here, guns blazing, and shield flying." You reprimanded, lazily throwing the shield back to the man. Steve tried to catch the shield, but was knocked back by the sheer force of your throw. The men immediately behind him stumbled back in shock as the 6'1 super solider crashed into them. Those who were left standing quickly recovered and upon realizing that their first line of attack had been beaten, prepared to shoot. They found themselves unable to. Fear had crept up on them during the ruckus and now they were unable to move as your magic seeped through them. With a simple wave of your hand, the black flames around you attacked and within seconds, all the agents, including Cap, dropped to the floor.

"What?" Tony gasped in horror, and for the first time, he seemed to truly understand the extent of your power.

"Relax, they're not dead. I just knocked them out for-" You pretended to check your wrist for a watch, " -a while. I don't know, I usually don't wait around for the people I knock out to wake back up."

Natasha was staring in shock at the pile of bodies by the door and you saw something indistinguishable in her eyes. A distinct chime echoed off the walls of the room, drawing your attention to your phone in the corner. You walked over to it, Tony looking like he wanted to stop you but was too terrified to. Picking it up, you read the message silently. Shouting could be heard getting louder, footsteps pounding towards you as alarms blared.

"Looks like that's my cue to leave." You announced to Natasha and Tony. " Sorry to cut our reunion short Talia."

Natasha stepped forward, blinking out of her shock. "(Y/N) wait-!" She began.

"Don't worry, I think I'll be staying a little bit longer in New York. We'll see each other soon my love." You promised, picking up one of the fallen agent's guns and shooting out the lights until you were enveloped in pitch darkness. Then, before the backup agents could arrive, you melted away into the shadows.

///

You emerged from a dark alleyway in some shifty part of the Bronx. Pulling out your phone, you replied to Matt, your associate, declining the new job he had sent over, informing him that you would be taking a vacation for a while.

Seeing Natasha had reminded you of how much you actually missed her, and you didn't want to just leave New York yet, not when you barely had the chance to catch up with your lover.

But first, you had a snitch to catch. Someone had tipped off SHIELD about you. Someone who knew you about your power at that. You couldn't let someone so dangerous live.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Powers of Reader [Will be updated as more information is learned about Reader]

-Ability to set fear in opponents

-Ability to melt into shadows (teleportation like: goes into one shadow, pops up somewhere else)

-Magic flames that kill people(?) and knocks them out(?)

-Major simp for Natasha (special skill)

[mcyt-amber-tftsmp]

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐀𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 {𝐂! 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫}

Character: C! Foolish

Side Character(s): Awesamdude

Story-type: Fluff Romance

Story Length: 2200 words

AU or Not: Not much really

Time Period: Somewhere in the future like maybe after three years- Idk

Plot Summary: Foolish talks to Sam who's your father and plans on taking you on a special date to ask you the big question.

Small Info: You're Awesamedude's adoptive daughter

Keywords: Y/N = Your Name Y/F/F = You Favorite Flowers

Trigger Warning: None

Normal Warning: adorable but maybe cringe but cute ig-

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

Foolish's Point of View~

I stood outside of Sam's house as I was sweating while feeling very nervous. I took a deep breath as I knocked on the hard wood as I waited for Sam to answer the door.

After a few minutes, I could hear small footsteps as the door opened to reveal Sam on the other side of the door. My nervous level literally went up a little.

"Oh hey Foolish. It's a surprise to see you here." he said as I mustered up a smile as I nodded.

"Yeah. I just wanted to talk to you about something if you aren't busy at the moment." I asked as he looked at me before nodding.

"I am not busy so you can come in and we can talk." he said opening the door even more to let me in as I entered his house while he closed it and led me to the living room.

As I entered the living room, I noticed a shelf which had picture frames and I saw a picture of Sam and Y/N when she was just little and then a picture of when she was just a teenager.

I smiled at the pictures before I sat down on the chair opposite to where Sam was sitting. At this point, I was feeling pretty nervous and scared to ask him.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sam asked as I looked at him.

"I came to ask for your permission." I said as he looked confused.

"My permission for what?" He asked as I let out a sigh.

"To have your daughter's hand in marriage." I said as silence fell in the living room.

I glanced at Sam who seemed to have a look of shock as if trying to process whatever I just said. I was pretty scared right now and I was already scared of Sam the minute I started to date Y/N.

"Wait so... you are asking me for Y/N's hand in marriage?" He asked but he didn't seem angry.

"Yeah. I am Sam. I really love Y/N. She's everything to me. She's the reason I am happy cause seeing makes me smile and she's helped me a lot of times." I said as I felt Sam looking at me.

"What do you like about Y/N?" He asked as I looked down before speaking.

"I like how she's kind, smart, very optimistic and knows how to make someone smile. I'll be honest Sam, in my eyes she's like a Goddess to me because she radiates so much happiness that it just makes me feel happy about myself. She's very accepting too." I said as I smiled at what I said about her.

"I understand if you don't give me permission Sam." I finished as I looked down as to not meet his eyes.

I heard him sigh and then suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder as I looked up to see Sam not having a negative look but was smiling.

"I give you my blessing and permission. I wish you the best of luck." He said as I looked at him in shock but smiled.

"Thanks Sam." I said as he nodded.

"Anytime. Now get going." He said as I got up and left after thanking him again.

I already had a date planned with her tonight. I just needed to get things ready and I had plenty of time to do so. I quietly ran my way towards my summer home so I can get things and myself ready and pick up Y/N.

Timeskip brought to you by Foolish Jr. and Finley~

I took a deep breath as I came towards the front of her house as I knocked on it as I held the bouquet of Y/F/F behind me to surprise her. I was feeling nervous and excited at the same time.

After a few, I heard the door open to be greeted by Y/N herself. I was speechless as to how she looked. She wore a long elegant yellow green floral dress with beading florals as he hair slightly long hair was loose and pinned at the back by a silver barrette.

(Dress Reference)

She looked like a Goddess honestly. I could feel my cheeks warming up as I was blushing at this point. I smiled as I held out the flowers to her.

"For you m'lady." I said as I heard her giggle as she took the flowers.

"You didn't have to Foolish but thanks anyways. These are lovely." She said as I shook my head.

"I wanted to do it. But may I say you look really beautiful tonight." I said as I saw her blush.

"T-thank you. You look rather handsome yourself." She said as I chuckled as I held out my hand to her.

"Shall we?" I asked as she smiled and took my hand.

"We shall." She said with a small giggle.

We carefully made our way to my summer home. Luckily we didn't run into any mobs in the nether. Today was pretty quest there too unlike how it's filled with piglins and such. When we came through the portal to my Summer home, I stopped.

"Is something wrong?" She asked as I shook my head.

"It's nothing but I want you to close your eyes." I said.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"It's a surprise." I said with a smile.

"You're not planning to kidnap me are you?" She asked as I shook my head.

"That would probably the lats thing I'd ever do." I said to her.

"Okay okay. I'll keep my eyes closed." She said as she closed her eyes.

I carefully guided her towards the place where I set the date up. After a few moments I stopped in front of the place. It was a very place for a view to with the ocean and the stars shining bright in the sky. I looked over at Y/N, smiling.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now." I said as she opened her eyes only to have a look of shock as her eyes twinkled.

"Foolish... This is... amazing!" I heard her exclaim with excitement.

"I am glad you like it. It was pretty easy to set up and I did this for you the most. I mean we've been dating for a while now so I thought of doing something extra special for this date." I said as she hugged me.

"Thank you Foolish." She said as I hugged back.

"Anything for you. Now let's enjoy the night while it lasts." I said.

It was a very well-going date so far. I was glad to see Y/N smiling most of time. I am glad she enjoyed the date so far as much as I did. We mostly talked for a while.

I was trying to figure out when to confess to her. I wanted to confess to her during this date but I wasn't sure when to. I could do it now but I am just waiting for the right moment.

Then I remembered something. I quickly checked my watch to see the time and saw that it wad five minutes till the meteor shower was going to happen.

"Hey Y/N. Come on with me. There's gonna be a meteor shower tonight." I said.

"Wait really?!" She said as I nodded.

"Yeah. I didn't know either until later. Come on!" I said as we both got up from her seats and took her hand.

I dragged her towards the sandy shore of the place as we sat down to look up at the starry night sky. Not even a minute later, the meteor shower started.

It was a pretty sight to be honest. I glanced at Y/N who seemed to be awestruck at this. I smiled as I felt the box which held the ring in my pocket.

I was going to do it tonight and I wasn't going to leave without even confessing to her. The meteor shower ended after a few. Right now we were just looking at the night sky as the stars twinkled. It was peaceful to say the least.

"The stars are really beautiful tonight." I heard her say as I looked at her with a smile.

"Not as beautiful as you." I said as she blushed and looked at me and let out a small laugh.

"I am nowhere near beautiful as them Foolish." She said as I put my hand on top of hers as I kissed her forehead.

"You're just as beautiful as the stars." I said as she looked at me with a smile knowing there was no point in arguing about it.

She leaned her head on my shoulder as I wrapped my arm around her. We stayed like this for a few until, I felt Y/N shifting a bit as she pulled away.

"What time is it right now?" She asked as I looked at my watch.

"It's currently 3 in the morning." I said as she slowly got up and I followed to do the same.

"Thank you for the date tonight Foolish. It was one of the greatest dates I ever had and will always cherish the moments we had." She said as I nodded with a smile.

"Anything for you, Y/N." I said as she smiled.

"I have to get going or my dad's gonna start freaking out." She said and that's when I remembered what I had to do.

I quickly pulled the box out of my pocket and held it tight behind me as I stopped Y/N from walking away from me any further as I carefully grabbed her hand.

"Y/N wait! Before you go, I have to tell you something. I promise it won't take long!" I said as she stopped to look at me as I let go of her hand.

"Okay sure. What is it" She asked as I let out a sigh before I started to speak.

"Y/N, these three years of my life were the greatest when I first met you. You're smart, funny, kind, caring and even the most optimistic out of everyone here. You would always try making others smile and laugh. Not everyone can do something like that. I felt blessed when I met you and the fact that you even accepted to be my girlfriend. These three years have been nothing but the greatest time I have spent with you and I don't want to ever let you go." I said as she looked at me with shock and I could tell she had tears coming out of her eyes with what I have just said.

"I... Foolish what are you trying to say?" She asked in an audible whisper.

"What I am trying to say here is that..." I started as I took out the ring box from behind as I knelt down in front of her as I opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver ring which had an emerald stone in the middle with small diamonds surrounding it.

"Will do me the honors of making me the happiest man alive and marry me?" I asked as I saw her covering her mouth in shock and tears.

"Foolish... I..." I heard her start. I was expecting the worst honestly. I wouldn't argue if she rejected me but what she said next shocked me.

"Of course I'll marry you!" She said as I was tackled to the ground by her as we both laughed.

We both sat up on the sandy floor as I put the ring on her finger and kissed her on the lips as she kissed back. We eventually pulled away as we stayed in each other's embrace for a bit more.

I couldn't think of anything else other than the beautiful girl that was right in my arms who is now my fiancee. I kissed the top of her head as I smiled while resting my chin on her head.

"I love you Foolish." I heard her whisper as she let out a yawn.

"I love you too. Sleep well my Goddess." I said as I saw her falling asleep in my arms.

I looked up at the sky. I smiled as I looked down at the sleeping figure in my arms before I let out a small chuckle and kissed her temple.

"Under the stars, I only see you."

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

I may have actually died from the immense fluff of the oneshot but I am actually pretty proud of this and I hope you like it too Yams!

Prompt Used: "under the stars, I only see you."

Tag: @yamturds

[nothing-but-dreamy]

SHOOTING STAR

Pairing: FFXV! NYX ULRIC x GENDER NEUTRAL!READER

Words: 1.555

Warnings: fluff; hurt with no real comfort; sad; angsty; all the feels; happy end (?)

A/N: It might contain spoiler for the Kingsglaive movie ending

Summary: Two years ago Nyx had lost the love of his life because of Niflheim and once again the anniversary is around the corner. The only time where Nyx allows himself to watch the stars...

"Oh, look! Another one!", you called out excited, pointing at the sky as you saw another shooting star crossing the firmament.

Nyx chuckled and watched you more than the night sky. He always could see the stars, they never changed. But he didn't want to miss a second with you. Since you had entered his life, Nyx felt happy. He felt as if he had found his place in life. He was amazed by you and your whole being. He noticed every time how beautiful and easy life was when you were around.

"You're not even looking, Nyx. You will miss all the beautiful shooting stars!", you complained with a pout but as you saw Nyx' love-filled glance, you smiled softly.

With the back of his hand, he stroked over your cheek before he cupped your face gently, "You're my shooting star, YN. I don't need anything else as long as I have you in my life."

You swallowed thickly by the heaviness of the said words. You loved Nyx. More than anything. And the way he looked at you and how his voice sounded told you that this was something different. Something deeper. More meaningfully.

Nyx pulled something out of his pocket and kept it hidden in his closed hand. He considered his next step once again but he was certain what he wanted, "YN, I... I love you. There's no doubt that I will love you till the end of time. A life without you would be meaningless for me. So, I would like to... Do you wanna marry me?", he asked softly with a pounding heart while presenting you the ring. He was sure with you and still there was a little chance that you could say no-

"Yes! Yes, Nyx! I wanna marry you!", you called out, jumping against him that he fell on his back into the soft grass of the hill that was your special place.

Nyx chuckled about your overexcitement and embraced you. As you sat up on him, he put the ring over your finger to seal the promise he gave you to love you forever. He kissed you and leant back with a smirk on his lips, "Oh, you missed a shooting star.", he said teasingly.

You brushed along his nose with yours, "I don't care. All my hopes and dreams are lying right in front of me. I would be crazy if I would ask for more when I already have found the biggest treasure.", you whispered before you kissed him deeply...

Two years later...

Present...

Nyx looked at the skyline of Insomnia and the setting sun. It was a magical light, the one you always loved so much to watch because of all the different shades of colors. The first stars showed their shy light. It was the sight Nyx loved and cursed at the same time because every single star reminded him of you. Averting his eyes, he kneaded his hands to distract himself but it wasn't working.

Libertus found his best friend on the rooftop of the Kingsglaive headquarters and closed slowly up on him. Silently, he stepped next to Nyx, not sure how he could help him.

"You know sometimes I ask myself where's the reason why I am still alive while all the others had to die. It's not fair."

"Nyx...", Libertus sighed. To see him like this was always painful to watch because there was nothing he could do for his friend.

"I miss them!", Nyx whispered with a tears filled voice, leaning away so Libertus wouldn't see his tears, "I miss YN so damn much. It's been two years and still, it almost kills me."

"I know...", Libertus said helplessly. Nyx barely showed this side to someone not even in front of him. But Libertus wasn't surprised that Nyx' was out of control emotionally with the anniversary of your death around the corner. It was the hardest time for the hero.

Not just because of your death rather because your wedding had been planned. Just a few days were left til your big day. Everyone had been excited for the both of you. All friends. Your both families. And then, Niflheim attacked Galahd and everything changed like a merciless snap with the fingers.

Libertus looked up at the slowly growing nightsky of Insomnia with the sparkling waves of the wall. Between a bunch of clouds, he spotted a small and fast shooting star, "Huh... A shooting star. A very rare sight here in the city."

"Yeah, it's because of all the lights arounds us. With all the demons... it's never really dark anymore.", Nyx sighed, looking at the sky as well, missing the beautiful, warm summer nights of his home.

"I still can remember how you and YN went every night on this one hill for stargazing. The whole summer long.", Libertus said with a sad chuckle and a heavy voice. He also missed you. The lighthearted love of his best friend had left a big gap in many people's lives.

"YN had loved stars so much...", Nyx said but his voice broke, "Could you... I... I would like to be alone for a little while. Please.", Nyx asked without looking at his friend.

"Of course.", Libertus answered, patting his friend's shoulder to show his support before he left Nyx alone with his grief.

Nyx waited till the door closed behind Libertus before he looked up at the sky again, addressing you wherever you were, "How could you leave me, huh? We were supposed to be happy. Together. With a future. We should be married by now. You ... you should be wearing my name and not lying six feet under in the cold ground.", Nyx whispered and squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing soundlessly, "I'm too tired to fight alone... I can't do this any longer...", thick tears were rolling down his cheeks as he let his hellish sadness run free, "I want to be with you again... I already should be with you. YN, please... Take me to you.", Nyx begged with a defeated voice.

A soft, warm breeze caressed Nyx' tear-soaked skin in a way only you had stroked him to make him feel special. Nyx shuddered by the feeling because it felt as if you would be near. He was craving to get touched by you just one last time even if he knew it wouldn't happen. Another, slightly stronger breeze that ran through his hair how you always had loved to do it, let him open his eyes again.

Sniffling, Nyx looked up at the sky and saw a sparkling shooting star crossing the dark blue firmament. Like a lightning, your voice appeared in Nyx' head as he remembered the night, two years ago, as his world was still perfect because you were alive and lying in his arms. Suddenly, Nyx remembered the story you had told him back then...

"Lover stars?", Nyx asked confused, looking at your profile as you stared at the night sky of Galahd.

You looked up, meeting Nyx' love-filled glance. You could still see the happiness sparkling in his eyes that you had said yes to him, "Yeah... Don't you know the legend?"

"No... I- I don't know. But you could tell me.", Nyx whispered before pressing a gentle kiss on your temple.

"A legend says, if two people love each other strongly while alive, their love will endure everything, even the test of time. When they die, they will become beautiful stars to be part of the endless depths of the universe to live side by side forever.", you explained in a low, warm voice.

Something of this legend caught Nyx' attention which let him frown, "That sounds wonderful but... What happens if one of the lovers dies early?"

"Then, the one, who died without being with their partner, will become a sparkling shooting star, traveling through the nebulas, galaxies and visiting planets until the true love will join them."

"And what happens when they meet again? Are they flying around together?"

"Kinda… Then, they will cross the sky together one last time, side by side, to reach the place where their love and hearts belong. For us, I'm sure it will be here...in Galahd.", you said lovely, squeezing Nyx hand...

Nyx blinked with a sad smile, " You're my shooting star, YN. Have a nice trip through the universe while waiting for me. I'm already looking forward to being with you again my love."

**

Three days later, the Crown's City had fallen. Libertus watched Lunafreya leaving the chaos that was left of Insomnia after the darkest fight they all had ever witnessed. She was on her way to bring Noctis the ring. The ring, which should save the future.

The sun rose higher into the sky while Libertus just sat there on a stone, very tired and considering his next steps. As he looked up at the clear blue morning sky without the secure wall, two shooting stars were crossing the firmament side by side.

They had been fast and were barely to be seen. Just that there were two made it even possible for Libertus to spot them.

The two stars were as close as lovers would be and they were on their way back to Galahd.

The place where you and Nyx belonged to.

Together.

Forever.

[vivisextion]

I first saw Slipknot at age 14.

No one knows how I managed it. I'm not sure I even remember. These days, you have to be 16 or 18 to get into Standing areas. I do know I had to buy tickets on the phone, back in the old days (2005, that is). A singular ticket, too - none of my friends, not even the classmate who had gone with me to see Linkin Park the year before, was that into Slipknot.

But I HAD to see them. This was the Subliminal Verses tour cycle, and Vol. 3 was my first and favourite Slipknot album, even to this day. It's the reliable old warm blanket for my soul whenever I need it. It's on right now, as I write this.

My memory isn't that good, but luckily I unearthed a livejournal (livejournal!) diary entry about the event I made the next day.

August 16, 2005. I went right after school. I went to a very conservative Anglican secondary school, too. I tried not to get caught in the bathroom, as I coloured my nails black with permanent marker (I know, don't laugh) and changed into my standard metalhead baby outfit - Slipknot band shirt, black cargo shorts, and my pride and joy: steel-toe boots I somehow managed to cajole my parents into letting me own.

I caught the bus to the open-air war memorial park where the gig was going to be. I got there at 4pm, 4 hours early. A couple other maggots were already hanging around. I found myself surrounded by tombstones, and I read them all. It was the middle of the Hungry Ghost Festival, too - a very fitting time for Slipknot to pay a visit to this godforsaken hellhole of a small town I lived in. (Especially given the paranormal circumstances surrounding the making of Vol. 3.)

While I wandered around the venue (no security or sound guys were around at all), I spotted two white vans pull up to the stage, in the middle of a clearing. It was them! I spotted Joey and missed him by a hair's breadth. I was quickly ushered behind the stone archway entrance by security then.

(Funnily enough, while walking around, I got mistaken for Joey more than once. I am the same height as him, had the same long black hair, same pale skin, and was wearing almost exactly what he had been. One person claimed from behind, I was a dead ringer, apart from when I turned around, and they realised I was Chinese.)

It was soundcheck time. A sound guy testing the mics would say random things, like "testing one two three two one.... fudge fudge, I like fudge...." The band even did Purity, so us earlybirds were given a rare treat, and we screamed along from the entrance, and drummed our fists on the sides of nearby porta-potties. I hope no one was in there at the time. Whenever we got a glance of any of them, we'd scream and cheer. Finally they left again, but were soon to return.

This was the first time I'd been a part of the metal community. I was barely allowed internet in those days. But here, random strangers were friendly, striking up conversations like they'd been friends for years. Two big guys, called Trevor and Ted, looked out for me the entire gig after, keeping other big dudes from crushing me too much (I'm 5'3, remember). Other people commented on me being so baby, because I was only 14, and said they would take care of me.

When we were finally let in, right after the usher cut the rope, I ran in, screamed "WOOOHOOO!" along with a few friends I'd made. I only briefly stopped to receive this RoadRunner Records compilation CD from a roadie, then resumed running like a madman screaming and dashing into the VIP cage.

I was right up against the barricade - the first time I would ever be at a gig. People from assorted magazines and press took photos of us, and I think I got my photo taken about 10 times at least.

(This is how I got in trouble with my parents the next day. My photo had ended up in a local paper - you can see examples of that here. They had no idea what I'd been to see the night before, and were horrified when they saw what Slipknot looked like.)

We saw Sid filming us from the stage with a camcorder and screamed at him. We saw Jim and screamed at him too, and he flashed the victory sign back at us. I remember Metallica playing at the time, another one of my favourite bands.

The concert was a brutal religious experience I will never forget. People with their arms outstretched, crying and screaming out loud, moving like the devil possessed them.

The new friends around me made sure I was alright after every song! There were huge guys fainting behind us who had to get carried out, but I endured, a tiny 14 year old child. We got a family speech as per tradition, of course. "Are you guys out there all looking out for each other? We're all one big family, and we gotta look out for each other." What Corey said held true - strangers hugged, shook hands, talked, and made friends. I was heartened by how close-knit the maggot community was. It really did feel like a family, and it's felt like that ever since.

Of course, I did my first Jump The Fuck Up. It is possibly the most euphoria I've ever experienced all at one go. (Later, in 2020, I was extremely disappointed that I didn't get to do it again in London.)

They did the death masks for Vermilion, and I remember Chris helping Sid fix his mask and shirt when they'd changed back. Sid hung out near Clown's drums for most of the time too, and hugged him from behind and just latched on at one point. It was pretty adorable.

Fun fact: The version of Eyeless you hear on the 9.0 Live album is from Singapore, as is Eeyore. There are very few photos and videos from the crowd of this gig, because in 2005, very few people had camera phones. The crowd at the Slipknot gig in 2020 was a sea of arms with phones, filming the gig rather than experiencing it. Yes, I'm going to be that cranky old geezer who complains about the good old days.

Joey as usual, was fucking amazing and never failed. However, due to the fact that I was right up front, only his tiny head was visible behind his vast drum set, I couldn't see him the entire gig.

Amazingly, the government told Slipknot they were not allowed to do obscene gestures, curse, vomit (possibly due to the decomposing crow pre-show ritual), simulate humping on objects, throw faeces, or jump off stage (looking at you, Sid). I don't think our totalitarian government knew who they were dealing with, because watch what happens next.

Near the end of the gig, Corey tells the crowd “your government has given us a laundry list of things we aren’t allowed to do, your government has told us we are not allowed to swear”. Crowd goes “BOOOOOOOOO” and Corey goes “BUT WE DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!” And they launch into Surfacing, the last song. Everyone riots. Best night of my life.

You can find the setlist from that gig here. It had everything I wanted and more.

This story later got immortalised when Kerrang asked maggots for gig stories, for an article which came out in 2020. I had forgotten entirely, until people began messaging me to tell me, and one friend sent me a scan of it!

On the way out, I managed to get a shirt. I remember calling my best friend at the time, and got everyone at the merch booth to go "IF YOU'RE 555 THEN I'M 666" for her. This shirt has since been lost to the landfill, because my Christian mother took it upon herself to dispose of it the first opportunity she got. Needless to say, our relationship is not very good.

After that, I even managed to get that Roadrunner compilation album they were giving out signed. The band was staying at the Carlton. Unfortunately, Joey wasn't there, neither was Clown, and Mick was swarmed by guitar nerds so, 6/9 it is. It is a great regret of mine that I'll never have anything signed by him, nor will I ever get to see him perform ever again.

The next day, I went to school, my head swimming. Yes, I went to see Slipknot ON A SCHOOL NIGHT. I was a giant bruise, from my ribs and my chest, to my hips and knees, from being slammed into the barricade like a screen door in a hurricane. Most of all, my sore, headbanged-out neck could barely hold my head up. Classmates thought I had been in a fight. I was torn between battle-scarred exhaustion and hyperactive ranting about the most amazing gig of my short life (it still is, to this day). When teachers spoke to me, I wanted to reply, "Fuck trigonometry! I've just seen SLIPKNOT. Do you not understand that my world is different? Do you not understand that *I* am now different?"

My country was a small, conservative town that Slipknot had graced with their unholy presence. Corey Taylor once said that where he grew up in Iowa had a way of making a 16 year old boy feel like a 36 year old man (or something to that effect). I felt that in my weary bones as a teenager, being from a place just like that. Years later, Watain would run into worse trouble, and wouldn't even be allowed to perform. The Christian stranglehold is stronger than ever. It was a good thing that back then Slipknot had the element of surprise, striking serpent-fast and choking this society by the neck for a too-brief time, before they departed.

After that, my desire to play the drums only grew like a weed. Joey Jordison had, has, and will always inspire me as a drummer, and seeing the beast live (or what little I could spy behind the massive riser) had only spurred me on. I had always been a noisemaker, be it driving my parents mad with chopsticks on pots and pans, or driving my teachers mad with pencils on my desk. But of course, my parents wouldn't have any of it. I'd have to wait a good 14 more years before I'd be able to afford lessons and later, a kit of my own. Better late than never, right?

There will never be enough words to describe the impact Joey has had on my life. And it isn't just Slipknot, either. I could write another essay on his time with the Murderdolls and its influence on my own gender-non-conforming ways. Suffice to say, my wardrobe doesn't look too dissimilar to his during the early Dead in Hollywood days.

I told my boss I could not come into work today. I was grieving. I said that my music teacher died, as I didn't think she'd understand the magnitude of my loss. In a way, it's true. And I am not the only one Joey has nudged on the path to being a musician, that much is certain. To the rest of us, I wish strength and love for you in this difficult time. The best way to honour Joey, who truly loved music, both the creation and appreciation of it, is to pass that gift on. Teach it to someone. He is the reason I picked up the sticks in the first place, and one day, they'll be handed on, the heavy metal baton for the next generation.

And finally: remember that the ones we have lost are never truly gone.

Vinnie

P.S. See if you can spot me in the crowd photos in this post!

[acciocriativity]

The First Meeting ||Harry Potter

Pairing: Harry Potter x You

Summary: Your life takes a 360º turn when you discover that you are a witch and that you are going to study and live in a world completely different from yours. In the midst of so much change, you meet a boy who is feeling the same. 

 

Word Count: 2.4k

N / A: This is the first fanfic that I am posting on Tumblr, so it would be very important to me if you leave your opinion here and also English it's not my first language, if I made a mistake, I'll like to know and correct it.

 The day started rainy, which is not surprising considering that I am in England, more specifically in the city of London. However, I, as an immigrant from hot lands, consider rainy days bad luck, because something always happens wrong. 

And to my despair, today was supposed to be perfect. 

It was only a month ago that I discovered to be a witch and for my happiness, it has nothing to do with pointy noses and pure evil. Apparently the only similarity is the hats, since in the two moments I was around real wizards, I saw several people wearing them.

 My family, for the most part, being a completely devout Catholic, did not accept my new reality so well, not to say it was hell on Earth. In short, if I went, I wouldn't be able to set foot in the house again, as they weren't going to house a sinful witch. 

That bearded gentleman was kind enough to help me find another place to stay, while my parents would think better of it. Although I was unable to thank him or at least speak after being expelled from my home, or old home.

 

I've been staying at the Leaky Cauldron ever since, but because of the latest events in my life, I just went out to buy the materials. Being a witch had cost me a lot and I wasn't ready to face that until yesterday. It took me a long time to decide whether to go to Hogwarts or not, but now the certainty that I made the right choice was growing in my chest. 

 Right after having breakfast at one of the bar tables, I waited seated by the person in charge who would accompany me to Kings Cross station, where I was supposed to catch a train. I knew about it the same day that I discovered the magical world but only today I was anxious for that. I must admit that I imagined that we would fly, obviously all the stories lied to all the non-magical children on Earth.  

A few minutes later, a man in a turban appeared through the door and walked towards me, his expression showing no particular emotion when entering or even seeing me sitting, but what scared me was the fragility and fear in his voice.

- Miss Garcia, good morning, are you ready to leave? - He leaned on one leg while looking around worriedly. 

- Yes sir .. is everything ok ?? The bathroom is on that side - I knew it was inconvenient but I couldn't hold my curiosity as I watched his expression change.

- It will be a short trip but we must go now, to not risk losing the train, let's go - his posture was suddenly rigid and his face looked shaken but this time, I kept my thoughts to myself.

 At least he was kind enough to help me with the two suitcases, which were quite heavy due to the amount of books that were inside, I got some History of Magic extra books to learn more about that world. 

And he was not wrong, the path was fast despite the light rain and wet streets. We didn't talk beyond the formalities, I just found out that he is one of my teachers that year, Professor Quirrel and nothing else.

As soon as my feet took a step into the station, the man said goodbye with a nod and left to go his own way with a weird expression, but I didn't care about that for more than 2 seconds. 

I took a deep breath and started to walk following the small crowd of people who would possibly go to work in another city, since I didn't know the way to the platforms. Honestly, I didn't think it would work until I saw the license plate numbers, and I quickly hurried on, because mine was ahead. 

- 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ?? - I stopped walking at the same moment I realized that mistake, there was nothing between 9 and 10 - I don't believe it ... 

 I stood leaning against a wall looking around as if looking for someone, but in fact I wanted to find a miracle or at least an angel who could tell me what to do in that situation. 

Millions of thoughts crossed my mind within 2 minutes, most of them negative, until something drew attention out of my despair, or rather, someone. A red hair had just gone through the wall, it was so fast I could hardly believe my own eyes. 

Two more people did the same before I managed to close my mouth and walk over there, in shaky, uncertain steps. They hadn't noticed me and I thanked them mentally for it, because I wouldn't be able to pronounce a single right word. The good news is that they were certainly wizards, by the way they dressed and the most logical conclusion is that they would know the right way. 

 I waited for everyone to cross to get closer to that wall, I couldn't hear the conversation but I noticed that the right way to enter is to run. Again I took a deep breath and looked around to see if anyone was noticing me, with the station full, my answer came as a quick no. 

 I closed my eyes and ran about three short steps until I felt a sensation unlike anything I had felt so far. The stone wall seemed to have turned into a wind wall and I easily managed to get to the other side. I immediately opened my eyes after hearing the sound of a train and when looking to the side, there he was. The Hogwarts Express was written right in front of the locomotive.  

 It only took me 10 seconds to notice the difference, the clothes were definitely different and there was an absurd amount of children and teenagers, as I was walking closer to the train entrance, more people were showing up, in a way I didn't know how to explain.  

 The trip was smooth to Hogwarts, I found an empty car as soon as I arrived but soon the seats were being filled and I ended up sharing my cabin with two more girls, I soon noticed that they were sisters and that was the initial topic of our conversation. They were nice and helped me get into the current context of the wizarding world, explaining the basics about Hogwarts as well. 

- And he's here, the boy who defeated you-know-who's going to study with us! - the oldest of the brunettes spoke excitedly with a huge smile on her face. 

- One of my friends told me earlier that she met him in the hall, what is he like? - the youngest asked even knowing that none of us would know the answer. 

 This topic remained for a while, until they decided to take a walk on the train while I read, enjoying some quiet time. Honestly, I wouldn't like to be in this boy's shoes, not only because of the tragedies in his life, but also because of the amount of attention, comments and theories about him.

But I cannot deny it, I would like to meet him, who would not be curious after everything that was being commented on? 

 People got in and out of the car where I was sitting and I tried to have a decent conversation with everyone, but then when two older students came to tell us that we should change clothes, as we were arriving. I preferred to wait because a hurried crowd of students wanted to go first, so I ended up being one of the last to get dressed, but one of the first to leave the train. 

 All the way the view had been impressive but nothing had prepared me for the vision I had when I approached the lake, where we were supposed to go. It was dark and it wasn't raining, the moonlight reflected on the water of the Black Lake like a mirror and I was almost sad to see that we were going to cross by boat, because that image would be blurry. 

I could only see the outline of the huge castle on the other side, but it was enough to see all the splendor of that place and for a few seconds I was paralyzed absorbing the beauty of everything around me, until a voice brought me to reality. 

- Only 4 people on each boat, kids! - I glanced at the giant man, who was talking animatedly to some students, before I sat down in an empty space.

 As soon as we reached the other side, we gathered in a small group on the castle entrance stairs to hear one of the teachers. I remained behind and silent as I was paying attention, until I saw someone passing by and right after I felt a foot stepping on top of mine for several seconds. 

- Hey! Can't you see I'm here ?? - I said indignantly but as low as possible looking at the red-haired boy beside me.

- I ... I'm sorry, I didn't see you - he replied without even looking at me, his face turning as red as the color of his hair.

 I thought about replying but as the teacher was still talking, I just preferred to nod, accepting the apology. Only then did I realize that I caught the attention of two more students, a curly haired girl who cast a disapproving look at the redhead but smiled at me gently and at another dark haired boy, who noticed my gaze and shifted his look to the other side immediately. 

 It didn't take more than 15 minutes before we were inside that incredible hall, instead of a concrete ceiling just like outside, above my head was the most beautiful starry sky I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, with floating candles to complete the view. To my relief, it didn't seem like a common thing for most first year students, who talked quietly among themselves so I didn't look like an idiot admiring alone. 

We were instructed to stay in a queue, I had no idea what was going to happen so I was distracted looking at the stars, which never seemed so achievable until that moment. I wish I could go up there and take at least one, but it would be impossible. 

 We walked slowly until we stopped in front of the other students, who were spread out over 4 tables, my eyes never left the illuminated sky and as a result, I didn't notice that I was too close to the boy in front of me.

I got my first embarrassing moment of the year in less than 10 minutes, because I stepped on the cover of the boy in front of me. All the consequences of that went by very quickly before my eyes. In a second I was out of balance and fell, but that's not the worst part. I accidentally pulled his cloak back, the boy fell out of balance and fell with me, his back to me. It hurts, too much. No more than the weight of my humiliation and shame, but it still hurts.

 My face took on a pinkish tinge as I silently prayed that no one noticed, but that's not what happened. Today was definitely not my lucky day. I could hear half the room laughing and half whispering, so I knew for sure that I had made a big impression on people and a bigger one on the Hogwarts floor. 

- Sorry ... I was distracted - I spoke as quietly as possible looking at the ceiling and again at him.

 He didn't look at me for more than 2 seconds before looking away in that same direction and back to me again. His nod was minimal but noticeable and he soon stood up, which I had forgotten to do in those few seconds.

 What surprised me more than anything in the last month was his hand extended to help me, it didn't take me long to accept the help and so I got up and straightened my clothes trying not to show shock. This was an act of kindness that I couldn't expect from my brothers, considering how angry they would be in a situation like this, but other than shame, I couldn't see a hint of anger in his green eyes. 

- I'm really sorry ... - I said again, loud enough that only he could hear me. 

 The director had called everyone's attention, so most had stopped laughing although that redhead from before just stopped after the mini punch that the brunette gave him. 

- It's okay, it will just be another reason for people to talk about me behind my back - he gave me another small smile on the side but his tone was not the happiest. 

- And why?? I don't know who you are - I was curious because I had not met anyone important in the magical world until then.

 I could see a flash of surprise in his expression but before he could answer me, the names started to be called and little by little the children walked to the stool, where the hat was placed on their heads. After that he didn't answer me, no one else had the courage to say a word because they were very anxious to get their turn and also curious, like me, to know which house the famous Harry Potter would go to. 

- Potter, Harry - called the teacher with a serious but serene expression and a different look in her eyes. 

 From then on, the students' not-so-low whispers started again and I, who was already at the Hufflepuff table, could only be surprised to notice that the boy I dragged to my shame was actually Harry Potter himself. I didn't have the courage to look at him for more than 5 seconds, because again the embarrassment consumed me but this time harder. I only looked at him again when the Gryffindor table radiated in cheers and laughter as soon as he was drawn there and then our eyes met for the last time that night.

Harry Potter Masterlist

[talesofsonicasura]

Diamonds and Voodoo

Brothers and Bandicoots

This was rewritten when I discovered that the document had been nothing but a word salad. This one should be much better!

Taki-Taki returns to Morioh in order to fulfill a particular agreement. Sadly, all she got was her dad walking off, two brothers with daddy issues, egotistical assholes and bandicoot urine on a landmark. Oh joy.

"Yes. I would like to confirm this very information to the Speedwagon Foundation. Apparently defeating Angelo merely revealed a new part of the going ons in Morioh. Something that could only be trouble for everyone living here and maybe even further." Spoke Jotaro Kujo, the man currently on the phone in his hotel room.

Pictures of a now deceased Angelo's mugshot with a report paper taped to the back, another picture of a disembodied hand on a table set with breakfast for one, and a small booklet that read Morioh City's Report. The man could only stare at them with pure concern.

/I wasn't born with this power! No, it was given to me by a man in a student's uniform. He appeared in my cell one night. I was so scared that my balls were in my stomach. In his hand was an ancient bow and arrow, it had to be around 100 years old. Next thing I knew, he shot the arrow into my neck. Saying the reason I survived and got this power because my soul was so strong. If you kill me, then he'll come get you too!/

Information the man had given just before Josuke and Taki-Taki trapped the psycho in his current stone prison. It did answer quite a bit of questions stemming from an incident that happened 10 years ago. One which was entangled in the tragedy of the Joestar bloodline that started over a mere century ago. The blood feud between the Joestars and Dio Brando.

It begun when the Joestar Matriarch, George Joestar, had brought in an orphan boy after this boy's father passed. That boy was Dio Brando, a child whose immense hate turned him into the most vile and dangerous person in the history of mankind. Poisoning George Joestar, ruining the life of George's son Jonathan, becoming a vampire and then stealing Jonathan's body.

Those were some of the key facts amongst a lot of the vampiric bastard's sins. Jotaro then side eyed something at the far corner of the room, a picture frame whose photo was obscured by the distance. Sadness, and rage going through the ocean blue for a few seconds before fading. He turned his thoughts to something else.

"With the Arrow somewhere on the loose in Morioh, it won't be long until the town becomes a horror show. There's also that woman, Taki-Taki Bandicoot, I'll be keeping an eye on her. I don't trust her." His thoughts going back to his previous encounter with the greenette as he looked down on the table.

There were highly detailed sketches of her, Lani-Loli, Toxic and Quill, each marked with key details depending on the individual. The drawings were so accurate, it could be mistaken for a printout if it wasn't for the fact they were made using color pencils. Strangely there was one more sheet next to them but it was blank except for two simple words.

Crash Bandicoot.

"Come on Dad! We're supposed to see Josuke and his dickish nephew today!" The Wumpa Islands, a pair of three tropical islands found somewhere in the ocean near Australia. It was a home to all sorts of peculiar creatures, mystical areas hidden in every place wrought with all sorts of danger and full of mysterious magic. It was also where the infamous Bandicoot Clan made their residence.

N.Sanity Beach, which could be found on N.Sanity Island was a spot for the clan members to enjoy fun in the sun activities. A bunch of floaties with a tube one shaped like a purple dragon next to a volleyball net, a small bar set with seats for 5 and various drinks from non-alcoholic to a few different alcohol, a couch with a makeshift roof made from cloth, and strangely a fridge and TV on the sand.

Taki-Taki, currently by the couch, was trying to put a large hoodie on some... thing? Someone? It or he from the pronoun used stood around 4'7 in height, what wasn't obscured by the large jacket was a pair of blue jorts, red tennis shoes, orange fur covered legs and part of a orange furred lean stomach with yellow at the center. Distressed gibberish coming from the neck sleeve almost if the head was stuck.

Lani-Loli was merely watching the little show alongside another floating mask. This mask looked exactly like the small charm Taki-Taki had given Ryohei but larger with more details such as a goatee made of leaves, larger feathers that were funnily taped on the back, and was alive from the eyes and mouth both curved in a 'seriously?' look. There was no doubt that this particular mask was Aku-Aku.

With a strong tug, the hood finally came down over the large head of a...bandicoot. The almost cartoonish looking bandicoot had large ears, bright teal eyes with hints of innocent insanity, a brown mohawk of hair, a yellow muzzle and large brown bushy eyebrows. His hands were four fingered and covered by fingerless brown gloves.

"I don't know what's funnier: The fact two sane people are meeting Crash or about to learn that he's an actual bandicoot." Lani-Loli mischievously chuckled. Taki-Taki only said that Crash was her father but not about him being BIOLOGICAL. The greenette is actually adopted and the only human of a family consisting of bandicoots, living masks and other oddities.

"To be fair, she has been listening to my advice about being limited to her origins. Although from what I heard about your last encounter in Morioh, caution should still be advised. This is a whole new world we stumbled upon and there are rules to follow." Aku-Aku's deep, powerful and wise voice sent a clear message to everyone.

None of them had much knowledge about Stands but do know the consequences of their own powers, the mystical energy they wield known as Mojo. It was an ancient source of magic that not only fueled voodoo but all branches of sorcery. Something that could cause unimaginable damage if abused.

Mojo was what made Crash who he is, the powers that Lani-Loli and Aku-Aku have, and what Taki-Taki is learning to master but also the consequences if abused that made creatures like Quill and Toxic. Creatures with great power but have the potential to cause devastation if they run amok: Titans.

If that Stand granting Arrow is being constantly misused and what powers a Stand could potentially manifest, Morioh wasn't as safe as it should be. And there might be its own Titans lurking in the shadows. For now, their true nature needed to be limited whenever visiting the town lest the situation could become worse.

Who knows what kind of horror can manifest if Mojo mixed with a Stand?

The Higashitaka household was a bit offbeat nowadays. Due to the recent 'stroke' that the older matriarch had suffered, the aura of the home for the family of three was a bit rugged. Ryohei had been laid off of his work for a bit as both his employers and fellow officers were worried about the man's health. He was what kept the force happy and ready to go.

Thus he was stuck at home being looked over by his daughter Tomoko and grandson Josuke from time to time. Taki-Taki was currently standing by the door with her father Crash next to her. Her face was obscured by the large hood of his jacket. Lani-Loli and Aku-Aku were currently hidden in Taki's jacket so they wouldn't be seen.

She knocked on the door politely despite how loud it sounded. "Hold on!" A woman's voice fires back in an instant. In a few seconds, the door was opened by a young woman who both father and daughter could guess was Josuke's mother. Josuke definitely got his soft face and beauty from her but Ryohei's kindness was there too.

Her hair was violet and short, eyes a similar baby blue to Josuke but more fiery, she was slim though there definitely was some muscle hidden by her yellow shirt and dark jeans. "Hello! Are you Josuke's mom? He does have your looks and you do look a bit like Mr Ryohei." Her odd deduction had the purplette surprised for a moment.

Then hearing her father's name was enough to put two to two together. "You're right, I'm his mother Tomoko and Ryohei is my father. Are you by chance Taki-Taki Bandicoot? I heard about you from my dad and son. Dad was right about you being adorable. Whose this with you?" Her voice, although soft and kind, held a ferocity behind it. Josuke's fiery temper had to come from someone.

"This is my dad, Crash. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't get home for a few days. Josuke let me stay here until I got back but under the condition that he had to talk about my stay with pops." Tomoko easily remembered her son mentioning that when she had gotten back home later that day.

Although she couldn't help but look at the figure that was Taki's father. There was not a single facial feature to make out due to the darkness of the large hoodie he wore but it was his hands that drew flags. Was the orange section part of the gloves and did he lose a finger in an accident? The hands were very odd and that orange part had a texture that looked more fur than leather or latex. Still...

"I'm sorry to say but Josuke had left for school today. Luckily he should be out by now. He attends Budo-ga Oka which isn't that far from Angelo's Rock, the new landmark which recently popped up." Taki-Taki immediately knew what she was talking about. It was near the place where that adorable turtle in the makeshift pond lived at. Shouldn't be too hard to find.

The Haunt House, an eerie landmark of sorts located near the recent Angelo's Rock. This large home could be recognized from the various broken windows that were either without glass or boarded up haphazardly, old paint that chipped away from even the gentlest of breezes and the vine covered gate with the tilted door marked by a 'No Trespassing' sign.

It was called the Haunt House from the feeling of being watched or the eyes of something watching in the shadows of the window whenever someone walks by. Police often patrolled the place for squatters due to these particular sightings and reports. Coming to the backyard strangely enough was the hoodie form of Crash Bandicoot.

From the glimpse of marsupial's green eyes and lack of companions, it was clear that he was lost. He let out a rumble of pure gibberish obviously annoyed. 'Maybe I should've stayed at that rock weirdo… Then again, Taki probably might not be happy to know I no longer have to go.' Crash let out an impish chuckle. Just because he was evolved doesn't mean he stopped 'marking his territory'.

'Dad, I need you to stay here with Angelo for me. If Josuke still isn't at school, then he'll most likely come through here to get home. It shouldn't take long for us to come back.' His daughter's words echoing in his head.

He felt a bit ashamed for not listening. It just he wasn't used to standing in one place for so long if it didn't involve napping. The bandicoot had a silly smile thinking about a nice snooze in his hammock after a nice slice of Wumpa Fruit pie. The little daydream was popped by the sound of soft skittering that hit his large furry ears.

Crash looked up before tilting his left ear towards the creepy house. The sound had to be somewhere in the upper levels from how it reverberated through the walls. Whatever made it was too big for an insect or small cat to do. Spying an open window with the least amount of boards, the bandicoot giggled to himself as an idea came. Little claws popped from the marsupial's fingers with a simple flex before he leapt onto the wall. Once the talons had a good grip, Crash climbed up the house wall and slipped in through the empty window pane.

"Motherfucker!" "Language!" Heterochromia eyes could only glare at the currently shivering stone convict. Taki had gone over to the school Tomoko mentioned after requesting her dad to stay put. Sadly, they couldn't find any sign of Josuke and looking for Jotaro was impossible without the pompadour prince's help. After visiting the little turtle in the pond, the greenette and her mask companions backtracked to the landmark.

Yet, her mutant bandicoot father was nowhere to be found and a foul smelling puddle was now present on the rock's lips. Normally something as gross as this got her laughing but at the moment the witch doctor was just annoyed. "Guess we were gone for a bit too long. Patience isn't something Crash normally has these days." Lani-Loli said while looking at the wet spot in distaste.

None of them should be surprised that the bandicoot would wander off somewhere. Luckily or disgustingly, there was a scent that could be used to find their lost marsupial. The witch doctor went into her jacket pocket to pull out a small vial that contained a soft luminous blue liquid. Taking off the small cork, Taki downed the tube's contents in a single gulp.

After placing the empty glass tube back in the pocket, the witch doctor then reached into the dinosaur skull she wore. Her hand pulled out a small peculiar object that was hidden in her bone headwear. It appeared to be a fang of some sort but was too thick, too large, and oddly too sharp to belong to any normal animal. Lani-Loli and Aku-Aku exchanged looks then quickly getting a few feet from Taki before she devoured the tooth with gusto.

In an instant, her eyes narrowed into slits and tattoos blazed to life in burning blue. She suddenly hunched down as if in pain followed by the sound of beastial snarling. The statue could only stare in perpetual terror upon the morphing shadow that started to cascade over him. Tears pouring from the frozen orbs from the sight of what could only be best described as a monster.

A distorted scraping noise ripped through the ominously quiet neighborhood before it was quickly followed by the sound of shattering pavement. This ruckus came from the front of Morioh's Haunt House for a battle was being waged at its steps. One of the fighters was Josuke whose uniform was dirtied up a bit along with a few scratches on his face. It was the least of his worries though.

Standing in an defensive position was another teenager around his age and size, a male Stand User from the bright fiery blue aura that flared his form. He had the look of a punk, shaved black hair that looked gray with a mini pompadour which sat at the mods, his eyes that seemed to only have impish pupils alongside a thin but large X-shaped scar or line pattern on his head.

The punk wore a modified blue gakuran with multiple gold pins shaped like money symbols on the fabric. "I won't say this again. Okuyasu Nijimura, you better let me through you bastard! Koichi isn't part of whatever bullshit your up to!" Josuke snarled at his opponent with hot daggers in his baby blue eyes.

The now named Okuyasu merely let out an impish chuckle before speaking with a rough and ruggish voice. "Sorry pal but you'll have to go through me first! Come closer and greet The Hand!" Almost on cue, a white hand with two bulbous baseball patterned protrusions on the palm came from behind the teen's head. The pomp prince quickly jumped to the side as the appendage swatted at his previous position instead, the 'No Trespassing' sign.

Alarms bells went through his head upon noticing the sign wasn't destroyed but it wasn't the same either. The text looked...too short almost if something was missing or had disappeared. It then clicked upon another glance of the item. "That sign! It used to say 'No Trespassing' but now it only says 'No passing'! Your Stand scraped the 'tres' away!"

Josuke's deductions caused his opponent's smile to grow malicious. The spectral arm next to the young man transitioning into something larger. In seconds that limb had fully materialized its true form, a white humanoid puppet outlined by blue armor bearing gold money symbols. The puppet shared a similar build to his master, its colorless hide sharing the same hardened texture of the armor, and his head was held in a white pail bucket that obscured part of its yellow lined eyes and the almost expressionless lips.

"That's right Josuke! My Stand can scrape away anything that it's right hand touches before closing the missing space together. I don't know where it goes or even if it still exists anymore but I do know you'll be sure to follow!" The Hand then scraped the air as a green tear rips right through the dimension. It immediately shuts closed in seconds as the purplette soon found his opponent in front of him at the same time.

He had used the created tear to close the distance between them. Okuyasu held his fist back almost about to speak when… the sound of whistling flew over their heads as a blast of glowing pink had sent Josuke's attacker airborne upon striking his Stand in the chest. The pompadour prince only had the time to blink before a pair of animalistic heterochromia eyes looked back at his.

What stood before had to be one of Taki-Taki's creatures, nothing could have been as odd or mystical like they strangely were. However this one felt off in a familiar sort of way. The creature looked like a bipedal almost anthropomorphic fox. It was monstrous with spindly long arms paired with black paws that held sharp claws, limber and lean build that was perfect for predatory stealth, the face was foxish but could be mistaken for a coyote or cougar from the longer ears and snout, and there were large purple parrot feathers on its back in a leafy plumage manner.

The off signs came from the tattoos around its arm that looked too much like Taki-Taki's, the greenish short hair on its head and the dinosaur skull… It immediately clicked on what or who had just defended his bacon. "Holy shit. Taki-Taki, is that you?" His query being answered upon a large prickly tongue licking his face courteous of the 9 ft beast that once was a human girl.

Josuke's face turned beet red and he honestly couldn't say if it was in disgust, embarrassment or touched by the sticky dog kiss. "Josuke?!" He whipped his head to see Lani-Loli flying over to the two but immediately stopped from the sound of hyena/wolf growling. Eyes were on the now standing Okuyasu who then looked flabbergasted by the new faces.

"What the hell?! Is one of those things that scrawny munchkin's Stand?! Or some sort of monster? No matter, The Hand will scrape you all out of existence!" His Stand manifesting once more with the right hand ready to erase even more space. Sadly, he didn't anticipate what particular creature the greenette was.

Letting out a loud hyena-like cackle Taki threw a large but fast pink orb of energy straight from her hand. It was a glowing magenta torpedo that clipped through the side of the Stand's right wrist in seconds. Okuyasu howled in pain from a chunk of his right wrist exploding outward almost if his body was mirroring the Hand's injury.

"The Snipe, a predatory beast that hunts its targets with high speed projectiles and is a close range fighter's worse nightmare!" Lani-Loli spoke while watching the green haired beast pounce at the off guard teen. Her feet instantly knocked the air out of Okuyasu's chest which forced his Stand to vanish from the lack of breath. He could only look up at the large drooling teeth of the angry beast that currently had him pinned down in fear.

His eyes quickly shut almost if waiting for the end only to scrunch his face in confusion by a soft touch. With a small peek, the young man was greeted to the sight of the large monster's forehead gently pressed against his own. A strange sensation going through his mind in a second before it- no she looked back at him with sympathy.

Taki then looked over to Josuke and Lani-Loli before the feathers on her back started glowing in strange patterns. The purplette was confused by the odd signals but the Quantum Mask knew what it meant. It was a sign of Morse Code Taki had developed for this form. "Josuke! Heal him, this guy isn't your enemy! Apparently he has a reasonable story behind this attack! Something involving his father!"

Lani-Loli's words made Okuyasu's eyes widen in realization. "You...went through my head? You saw the 'thing'." That last word practically quivered in silent despair and sorrow. Taki merely nodded her head before getting off the teenager. She quickly stalked towards the Haunt House. The harsh stench of blood hit her nose full force which turned a small crawl into an urgent run.

Her predatory eyes immediately ignored the man in the darkness for the childlike teenager that was slowly dying on the ground. He had short well groomed silver hair, light almost pasty skin and wore a plain green gakuran but his blue eyes were slowly becoming lifeless from the nasty arrow wound in his neck. Taki knew he would die if he wasn't treated.

"How curious. You the child's Stand or perhaps belong to-" The female Snipe growled before nonchalantly tossing a blast of pink at the unwanted pest. The man must've scurried out of the way from the sound of wood exploding to chips. Knowing there wasn't going to be an interruption, Taki reached for one of her feathers and plucked it off her back.

Holding the item in hand, she let out growls that sounded close to a chant as the piece of parrot plumage began to glow a soothing green. Taki crushed the feather in her hand as it broke into verdant stardust before pouring the powder over the large gouge on the boy's neck. The large wound immediately glowed a vibrant emerald as it steadily shrank. In seconds, the large gash was gone and the young man's eyes regained its vivid color once his breathing had steadied.

He blinked once more before blue eyes settled on the large beast hovering above him. A normal reaction to the sight was to scream but instead he felt his neck and noticed that his injuries were completely gone. Taki definitely knew he was a calculative and reasonable type since he put two to two together. "You...saved me." Despite the youth in his voice, the slight baritone was enough to solidify that this was a teenager and not a child.

"Koichi!" Josuke bursted into the house alongside Lani-Loli and oddly a determined Okuyasu who was following from behind. The punk looking teen no longer had any rips on his clothing or flesh, almost if everything was returned to their previous state. "Big brother, you need to stop right now! These guys can help us! Help d-" He was cut off when Taki quickly got in front of him.

Multiple tiny holes manifesting on her hide and feather plumage as if she was hit with bullet rounds from a tiny minigun. The puncture wounds weren't deep enough to draw blood since she wasn't human at the moment but… they had enough strength to disfigure a normal person like blood swiss cheese.

Taki snarled at the attackers, no, attacker to be precise. The ones to fire the barrage of nasty tiny bullets was an entire shooting squadron that consisted of toy army sized men. Same military clothing but the faces covered in white taping, eyes just beady red headlights and a thick flame of blue around them.

When the witch doctor like this, the number of magic she could use was limited but made difficult spells like mind reading or healing very easy. Okuyasu's memories told her what exactly she was dealing with. The platinum blonde teenager slightly older than Okuyasu, his older brother Keicho and his Stand, a mini army known as Bad Company.

"Big brother…" Was all the younger brother could say upon realization that the attack was aimed for him. Taki gave the three human males behind her a look. 'He's mine.' None of them said a word of disagreement. Knowing what was about to happen, Lani-Loli took it upon himself to get Josuke and his two accomplices away from the approaching battle.

The three humans and mask vanished in a sudden puff of wispy blue smoke. Taki-Taki's sharp nose told her that her friend had taken them to the higher floors of the house. A safe place which made the monstrous witch doctor happy for they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. She then turned her head to snarl viciously at Okuyasu's older brother.

"I can only guess that little mask has the power to teleport others. No matter, it won't take long for my Bad Company to find them once I finish you off. Then your friends will be next." Keicho's threat was backed further when a swarm of mini helicopters manifested in the air. "Fire!"

The Snipe quickly sprinted into a run as the mini army fired their payloads in the form of raining bullets and mini missiles. Wood chips, glass shards, and furniture stuffing erupted in a trail that hounded the quick Taki-Taki, avoiding the deadly miniature ammunition with impressive. She leapt onto the ceiling fan and flung herself into the air whilst throwing another blast of pink energy from her claws.

A large chunk of soldiers and a few helicopters exploded into magenta tinted flames from a successful hit. However, their owner didn't seem to suffer any sign of damage despite the destruction of his soldiers. "Sorry but my Bad Company is a remote Stand. Destroy all the soldiers you want, you can't harm me!" Keicho's words caused even more miniature men to manifest but these ones were operating tanks now!

Taki knew she couldn't fight here with so many weapons aimed at her hide. She would run out of steam before her opponent did. An idea then clicked into Taki's skull which propelled her to make a quick turn. She tossed a few more explosive shots at the tiny army as she ran. Every bullet was a bullseye as even more of Bad Company's soldiers went up in magenta smoke.

Her opponent quickly caught onto what the larger puffs of smoke that slowly filled the room were. "A smokescreen?!" Eyes looking to find the obscured beastie that ran up the stairs and he quickly glared. "After it!" Multiple tiny helicopters manifested to hound their fleeing target as the blonde followed in pursuit.

On the top floor of the Haunt House, Josuke was currently glaring daggers at a certain blue mask. The sounds of an explosive scuffle happening under his feet and a set of blue spectral chains that kept the door of their current location shut. "Lani-Loli, let us out!"

Despite the pompadour prince's demand, the Quantum Mask only shook his head in nervous defiance. "N-no way! You'll be either swiss cheese from gunfire or human flambe by blasts of Mojo! It's suicide!" Lani-Loli fired back with force despite his slight stutter. Of course, the mask flinched when Crazy Diamond manifested with a snarl on his face.

The only ones not getting involved in the potential scuffle was Okuyasu and Koichi who sat on the bed at the opposite side of the room. In the silver haired teen's hands was a yellowish pale egg with green stripes but also radiated a faint verdant aura. A Stand or Stand Egg that had manifested from Koichi's throat once getting into the room.

"I don't care if Taki can become one of those beasts like Quill or Toxic. She needs backup if her opponent's an army!" The large armored Stand clenched his fists as if ready to let loose a punch any second. "That's enough!" An aged voice immediately had the three teens raise their guard to the point even Okuyasu's The Hand manifested next to his master.

Coming through one of the half sealed windows was Aku-Aku whose appearance made whatever fight in either Josuke or Crazy Diamond vanish. "Aku! Where were you?! First Crash went puff then you go awol on us!" Lani-Loli was quickly hushed by a single look from his companion. Glowing yellow eyes then looked at the other members of the room.

"I had a feeling you were in quite a pickle so I went to find Crash first. He's somewhere in the house on the top floor waiting for you. As for Taki-Taki, her opponent is about to walk right into her 'tripwire'." Aku spoke as his gaze fixated on Josuke and his stand. The pompadour youth speaking up in confusion. "Tripwire?"

The tiki-esqe mask nodded in response at the inquiry. "Correct. Snipes are powerful long range fighters especially in confined spaces like this. Their biggest advantage isn't their ability to blast opponents with magic." A smirk then crossed Aku-Aku's face as if knowing the outcome of the ongoing battle.

Taki-Taki continued her trek up the house as Keicho and his forces relentlessly pursued the female. Every time a soldier or copter was in sight, the greenette blasted it with a pink energy shot before she took the chance to flee further. Her running however came to a halt once she reached a mostly clean room. Not a single shred of furniture or anything to hide the witch doctor's large form in sight.

"Got you now." Keicho's voice echoed through the room for hundreds of small soldiers filled it in seconds. Tanks slipping in from the vents, helicopters pouring from the open windows, armored humvees riding up from the stair railing and their owner walking in from the staircase. Taki-Taki wasn't to blind to the fact she was boxed in.

"I'll admit you're quite the fast runner and a nasty sniper. Sadly, this is the worst place for something as large as you. However, my Bad Company can thrive throughout our home base. I suggest you be a good beast and stay down." The older teen deviously chuckled as he stared down at the beast. His laughter quickly died in seconds when he noticed Taki-Taki was now smiling. A smile that revealed razor sharp fangs in a cunningly vicious way.

"It's the ability to set traps is what makes the Snipe a very dangerous Titan to fight."

Bits of pink began to lit up in sections of the room. Her opponent's eyes flickering to the source before they expanded in pure horror. Each light was coming from one of his soldiers in every group. Not even the quadcopters, tanks or humvees were unaffected. The horrifying part was the lights were blinking and were becoming faster per a second. 'Checkmate.'

The house shook hard as a loud explosion ripped throughout one of the floors, smoke tainted with hints of sparkling pink came pouring from the broken windows. In the large mist, the sound of coughing growls turned into pained ones as the large beast obscured shrunk in the purple haze. The remainder of the colorful screen filtered out as the now human Taki-Taki looked down at her fallen opponent.

Keicho was unconscious, bruises and burns covering his face and arms, platinum locks singed slightly black while billowing bits of smoke poured from the strands of hair and his uniform was charred with multiple holes through it. "The Phantom Bomber, a nice Snipe technique which lets undetectable bombs get planted on the enemy. The more collected in one spot, the bigger the boom." She walked over and hoisted the teen on her shoulders without a hint of strain.

Climbing up the stairs, the greenette could hear the voices of her friends from above. With some pep in her step, Taki ran up the stretch of stairs as the unconscious Nijimura brother shook and bounced. It didn't take long for heterochromatic eyes to stare back at a pair of baby blue. Everyone but her father was gathered outside of one specific door.

That door having the sound of familiar babble from behind its wooden threshold. "Taki-Taki! You're okay?!" Josuke looked ready to hug her if he didn't catch sight of Okuyasu's injured brother slung over the greenette's shoulder. "Big brother!" The teen quickly rushed over to his sibling. "Don't worry. He's alright albeit beaten up. Plus, his ego needed a nice kick so common sense can walk back in." The witch doctor chuckled, smiling with her tongue out.

Before anyone could go through the door, a particular situation needed to be handled first. A soft gold aura from Crazy Diamond enveloped the wounded platinum blonde in its soothing embrace. Wounds and damages done to both flesh and clothing vanished in seconds as the teen slowly woke up.

Keicho looked at all the faces surrounding him before he settled to glare at the woman who was the large beast from earlier. "You're lucky I'm a merciful person and you care about your family more than you let on. So, how long has your dad been cursed?" Taki-Taki's words surprised everyone but Lani-Loli, Aku-Aku and Okuyasu for obvious reasons.

There was a reason why the Nijimura brothers, well mainly Keicho, were using the Stand Arrow to create Stand Users. It was for the sake of their father. From Okuyasu's memories, their father had gotten into 'bad' connections with Dio. A deal of sorts that had more consequences than the man had thought. Upon Dio's death, bits of the vampire's flesh that were implanted in their dad had triggered a transformation of sorts.

A being unable to speak and unable to die that skittered through the halls of their home like a mouse for years. "Are you capable of giving him his eternal rest? We've been searching for someone that could extinguish that mindless 'thing' who used to be our father." His plea shook with pure desperate hope and sincere sorrow.

Reasonable for spending years in a house with a monster that was once your father, especially one mistaken for being mindless. "Have you noticed something odd about your home right now?" The question from the witch doctor was enough to widen the eyes of both brothers. It was the lack of skittering from something large that constantly moved through the house.

"Your father isn't mindless or gone. He's still there." Taki-Taki then opened the door to the room. Everyone was greeted to the appearance of a particular marsupial talking to an odd kappa-like creature. The being had thick green skin, slightly deformed from the lumps on his body such as the head or fingers, what appeared to be a beak for a mouth and wore worn clothes such as a white shirt and black shorts.

This had to be the Nijimura brothers' cursed father but what was strange is that he was showing a hoodless Crash something. An old photograph from the slight yellow coloration that showed a man and two very familiar young children smiling at the camera. The two were conversing in unintelligible babble but both clearly understood the other.

"That's our old family photo… He was searching for the photo of what he used to be…" The fact from Okuyasu's lips was enough to paint the picture for them. Despite the vast deformity, their father still remembered them, of their family before it all went to hell. The other oddity in the room finally hit everyone unaware of it.

"What's with the giant animal? It looks like an eastern barred bandicoot...if it was a living mascot costume." Koichi's question was paired with him pointing at the large marsupial. "Seriously dad? If you want to make friends then tell us instead of going into some rando's house after peeing on a town landmark."

The comical looks of eyeballs about to pop out from their sockets and jaws dropping to the floor made the greenette wish that she brought a camera seeing everyone's face. It was even funnier that the pompadour prince's hair looked ready to pop from the intensity of his utter shock. Surprisingly, Josuke was the first to get his speech back.

"T-that's your dad?! H-h-how?!" Now that done it for the greenette began laughing upon the purplette's insinuation. "Hahahaha! I'm adopted silly. Crash raised me ever since I was a baby that got washed ashore on his island. He may be a 'mentally challenged' wacky bandicoot but he's still my dad!"

The marsupial walked over and hugged Taki-Taki before placing a hand on her back. His pose and chest puffed up proudly practically screamed 'Yep, that's my daughter.' Strangely enough, it did make some sense about the young woman's oddness. Both Taki-Taki and Crash carried that same energetic weirdness to them.

"Aw. Such a sweet moment. Sweet enough to make me puke!" An unrecognizable male voice immediately had eyes facing the front. Part of the wall was charged with frantic electricity as if something was inside the wiring. It was easy to tell it was bad news from Keicho's sudden grimace.

One of the power outlets immediately exploded outward in large yellow bolts of electricity. The malevolent energy crackling as it began to form into a near physical entity. This new form resembled a bright yellow kappa from the beak and near egg shaped dish on its head with a long spindly lizard tail, thin almost featureless body and sparks of electricity crackling from its skin.

However it was the items it had that drew up red flags for everyone. In this being's clawed fingers was an ancient bow and arrow. The same ones no doubt capable of granting someone a Stand. "Oh no! Is that the Bow and Arrow, the one you guys have been talking about!?" Lani-Loli's cry made the electrifying entity smile maliciously.

"Guess who's Stand has fully awakened Nijimura? I honestly thought nothing would get you to drop your guard of the Arrow but I guess that chick and her friends was just enough! It was almost easy to snatch it with my Red Hot Chili Pepper's power!" The platinum blonde could only growl at his careless mistake. He was too caught up in his pursuit of powerful Stand Users to realize this kind of outcome.

"Do you really think your capable of wielding the Arrow's power? Your Stand has only just awakened after all! There's no way you can wield it properly!" Keicho hissed while the blue aura of his Stand began to flare up. The enemy Stand or Red Hot Chili Pepper merely laughed before aiming his glare on the blond.

"So naive. My Stand's powers had grown while you were busy. After all, you did say those with a powerful fighting spirit can manifest equally powerful Stands. Here let me show you!" It was quick as a bolt of lightning. One second Chili Pepper was at the socket and the next he was about to punch Keicho's chest. Only if a spin of orange didn't jump in front of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' range.

The Stand merely continued its charge only to cry out in shock when a twirling fist hit his face alongside a glare that were both from Crash Bandicoot. Chili Pepper was smacked back inside the electrical socket from the marsupial's Tornado Spin technique as Crash stood protectively in front of the older Nijimura Brother.

"Lani-Loli!" Aku-Aku's cry wasn't missed as the two masks quickly went into action. Both of them focused a bit of their magic that was quickly released in the form of a violent bluish stream. The shot struck the power outlet as the yellow electricity that threatened to return was shoved back inside the wiring so hard that the sockets literally exploded.

A scream of 'You'll pay for this!' followed until the leftover sparks crackled into nothing. "You saved my life… Why? Why help your enemy?!" Keicho questioned whilst staring at the orange bandicoot. Crash mere made a bunch of hand signals before smiling with a thumbs up. It was sign language.

"He said 'No family should mourn for a death that could be avoided.' Sure you tried to kill me, shot Koichi, created an army of Stand Users and tried to shoot your brother's face but you were only being a big jackass so your family didn't have to suffer. Your lives are already messed up as it is, you don't need it to become even worse."

The older teen who didn't expect the response widened his eyes before he subtly began to chuckle. "You all are insane." The sentence only made a stupid grin pop on the father and daughter duo's face. Everyone's attention was soon back on the blown power outlet.

"I fear that this situation has escalated into unimaginable levels. Creating a cure to the Nijimura matriarch shouldn't be difficult for me to find. However, that Bow and Arrow needs to be recovered as soon as possible. I could only fear what kind of horrors it could create in the hands of that fiend." Aku-Aku's warning wasn't lost on anyone.

Things were only to get more dangerous from now on.

I hope this was much better than my original script! There will be changes to some of Part 4's plot mainly that some deaths will be averted like Ryohei's and Keicho's. I honestly felt it was a dick to kill Keicho instead of using the chance to give him some character.

Taki-Taki's Beast Out ability has made an appearance. This lets her transform into any non-human creature whether it is a familiar or by consuming particular materials with a special potion. Kinda like N Brio's potions but more refined. Her magic is mostly restricted along with speech for particular Titans but she gets access to two powerful spells that can be set on a specific form. Her Snipe form having Mind Read and Advanced Healing Magic.

Crash deflecting an electric Stand like Red Hot Chili Pepper isn't so farfetched if you take the Cortex battle in the first Crash game. He's also more of a forgiving person when you take into consideration his interactions with Cortex in both Twinsanity but also some flashback tapes I heard about in Crash 4.

And Jotaro having trust issues is normal considering how many bad encounters he had with Stand Users especially in Part 3.

Until next time folks! Enjoy this Crash Bandicoot 4 Rap by JT Machinima.