#it’s lovely to see some of my wonderful anons come off stealth!

[ladyartemesia]

Heeeyyy, it's so great you're back! I actually was stealth on tumblr in 2021 (to avoid getting overloaded), but I was over here a lot & participated anon in your character q&as. I love your writing. I must have read the Omega teaser a dozen times! Your stories were a bright spot and it has been so great to see you back for Jungkook's formal ascent to hoe. (Ch 2: Bangtan bar mitzvah?) I hope to see on the dash for awhile (if not I reeeeally get it, but it's so lovely to see you here!) <3

[hella1975]

Hi Hella!  Its List Anon with my list of thoughts about this chapter as i read it.  And then my ramblings of it and then whatever else.  

AZULA 

Miss girl is having symptoms of an impending mental breakdown

HAKODA

God I missed your Hakoda so  much

KQNUT

I cant read right now im so excited oh my god 

Sokkas thinking about zuko and i think watching him i havent gotten that far yet but oh my god im so excited

Hes checking him out i think

I feel like theres a metaphor hidden somewhere in zukos blades but i cant figure it out

“Sokka knew what Zuko was. Sokka knew what he had done. It didn’t scare him anymore. Instead, Sokka ate with the other boy, and reluctantly found him hilarious, and found himself stammering under Bato’s false – and frankly insulting – accusations. Zuko was a threat, but not to them, not anymore.” - <33333.  Sokkas and homophobic dog thing????

TOMNOOK YES ITS MY BOYS

I missed Tomnook so bad.  I love them so much, to me peak characterization is two people who are like two halves and a whole and are just linked with eachother.  Nanooks personality is my favorite thing ever.  

NANooks sees it omg i love this so much

““Okay, plan B,” Sokka said, more to himself than Zuko, before his smirk became an evil grin, arms folded over his chest. “Either you can come hunting with me, something that will keep you moving and practise your precision and stealth, or I can go tell Kanut that you’re swinging that sword about like you’re trying to singlehandedly undo every bit of treatment he’s given you. Choice is yours, Sunshine.”” Oh my god a pet name

Also this is so funny to me.  Sokkas literally blackmailing him as he should.  i love your sokka.

 “Call me Sunshine again and I’ll throw you off the cliff.” i love your zuko too hes so great.

Zukos protecting him <333

Im barely into this chapter and ive already written a lot.  I apologize in advance for making you read all this.

“But to protect him? To want to keep him safe? On purpose? Sokka was used to being the protector. Being on the receiving end felt like an itch he couldn’t scratch, and he didn’t understand.” - oh my god there is so much to unpack here

“ Blue bleeding into red. Red staining the blue.” - also a lot to unpack

“ But Sokka and Zuko were older. Zuko did not need to sacrifice himself for Sokka and Sokka was not responsible for Zuko.”  Love this love this love this I dont feel like sokkas trauma is represented enough in zukka relationships.  This is a really good depiction of it and how Sokka was given too much responsibility at a young age.  I like how you’re touching on this and adding it to their relationship.

Is this going to be one of those things where sokka falls first but zuko falls harder?  Its giving the vibes.  Sokkas already showing signs of figuring it out.  I dont think zuko is for a while.  Thats just my take on it though.

““Tell me about your time on the Ullaakut,” he blurted out suddenly, making Zuko flinch.” this caught me off guard but i also love it.  I dont know why but this is so funny to me.  I really hope Zuko tells Sokka some more details eventually.

Yk tomnook are giving some romantic vibes in this chapter.  Are you queer baiting us /j

FUCK FUCK FUCK THEYRE BEING ATTACKED

“ The Princess of the Fire Nation was here with four fucking air ships presumably full of tyranny and unchecked trauma and somehow it was Chena’s fucking problem because it always was with that family. He hadn’t even finished eating, for La’s sake.”  this is so funny i love chena

Oh my god if any of them die this chapter im never going to forgive you

Its going to be chena isnt it?  Theres too much focus on him and hes being an idiot

Sokka being able to pierce Zukos trauma is so wonderful.  

Oh my god i love azula i trust you to do her justice “Auzla, good or bad” idk well have to see ig

Oh my god that conversation thing was great

The fight was great

Oh my god youre so amazing i love this so much

Okay i dont think anyones going to die

The Last two paragraphs - Oh my god hella what the fuck are you on.  This is the kind of stuff that makes taob so good and wonderful and magnificent and glorious and and and- 

So the thing about how you write Zukka is, its perfect.  I am so picky about how people write Zuko specifically (and azula but were not talking about her right now) but you are just so good at writing him.  I love how you keep his canon characterization and not like infantilizing him (seriously, people tend to forget that Zuko is an asshole) but you also tap into all of Zukos traits, not just the ones that are appealing.  Like the black and white thinking, his bossiness, his temper, all that fun stuff.  And you take all of this and combine it with the traits that he picked up because of the taob plot and you’re consistent with it.  Like I see a lot of fics (and i also do this with my fic so i know its really hard not to do this ) that will put characters through something and its like that event never happened after like two nightmares and three flashbacks and a conversation.  But you’re very good at juggling everything going on with zukos mind and character.  

You write in a way that makes you come off as extremely intellegent. I dont know what I mean by that but like on tumblr you give off the vibes of someone who is just unnaturally smart, and then you read taob and you're just like 'yeah that checks out'

I got off track of what i was originally wanting to say.  

My favorite Zukka dynamic is Sokka leaning into Zukos protectiveness and so how you showed this in this chapter took me aback because i knew that that is where this was headed but you executed it so well.  Also its kind of nice that we’re finally starting to get into the zukka portion of taob.  And feelings are finally being felt for eachother.  Like when you said slow burn holy shit this is slow burn.  I love it so much 10/10 marvelous, all the praise, bravo.  

Then there was also the acknowledgement that Zuko and Sokka arent responsible for one another.  And that theyre allowed to just be Zuko and Sokka without the stress of being the one ‘in charge’.  Like theres no added pressure to it.  And like I said people have a tendency to focus on Zukos trauma and comletely dismiss the trauma of sokka and how his issues minght surface in a relationship.  I love how you’re going about this.

Like the dynamic you write between Zuko and Sokka is so unique and rare but so perfect and accurate based on their characters.

I also always forget how much i love Tomnook and I love that theyre going with them.  This is something that I was sad thinking about whenever i was like ‘huh i wonder whats going to happen in taob next’ i would get upset thinking about nanook and tomkin being actively present.  So the fact that they are makes me happy.  

The last like paragraph and line were so perfect I loved them so much.

You are such a fantastic writer like I cant put into words how much I love your style and the way you phrase things and how fluently things flow together when you write them.  I think I’ve mentioned in one of my other things that it reminds me of the alphabet and how there are certain ways you can order the letters that done seen natural or fluent.  And how its like you have a special formula for knowing which synonym to use or what word to use or which order to arrange sentences. Its so poetic and eloquent.  Like its so weird to me how much I’m in love with just you’re style.  To me everything you write is just so perfect.  

You’re like the definition of a ‘natural story teller’  

Like you come off as one of those that you can go into any situation no matter how bland and come out with a really good story or metaphor or something.  

I (kind of?) have another thing for the list too.

Like, you are so kind.  I can’t go into as many details as I would like to but you are just such a kind and wonderful person.  Im leaving it at that.  

I say kinda because I cant give you the context for this one so idk if it counts.

I always feel weird sending these because I always feel like im being weird.  But im anonymous so oh well.  I hope you understand how talented you are (in my opinion atleast).  Like I said I am just so in love with you’re writing style and its honestly exactly how I would love to be able to write.  I have loved writing my entire life and I’ve always been advanced in the subject but it’s not good enough to be considered talent.  (I’m not saying this in a self deprecating way, I’ve grown to be perfectly content with my writing abilities)  But holy fuck you’re so talented.  I remember first reading taob and needing to just take a minute and process how incredible it is and I was in awe and couldnt believe how amazing you were able to string together words.  I still cant believe it any time I read something you write.  Like even if its just some wild ass tags, you are just so good with words in general. 

I’ve mentioned before that you’re a really easy person to admire.  I cant think of the words to go into details about that but yeah.  

I had a really meh christmas and the taob update made it like ten times better so you made my day so thank you for that.  <3

i have. SO MUCH to say in response to this so im going bullet point so it's not entirely incoherent but i hope you know im feeling VERY incoherent about this.

im glad you liked the chapter! you thinking someone was gonna die and saying 'its going to be chena isnt it?  Theres too much focus on him and hes being an idiot' made me actually laugh out loud so ty for that <3

everything you said about zukka and how im writing them! ive said before but both because the romance is a new part of taob and bc people have been waiting so patiently for zukka, im always super nervous about how im writing them so this is just JKSDHGKHG for me especially bc you basically picked up on everything im trying to do. like focusing on sokka's trauma, them not being responsible for each other and how they BOTH need to feel that, showing zuko's protective side, not making zuko less of an asshole etc - these are all conscious decisions for me so for someone to go 'hey i See What You're Doing and im so here for it!' is beyond reassuring

saying i come off as 'extremely intelligent' and 'unnaturally smart' is the part of this ask that is just. sticking with me. like regardless of my insecurities and bad periods i do KNOW that im a good writer, but i cant stress enough how much damage this economics degree has done to my confidence in my own intellect. like i feel stupid 24/7 at university and have done for a year and a half and still have a year and a half left. i am BAD at economics and i dont like it and just feeling constantly stupid like that all the time every day is just. awful. so to find out there are people that actually think im clever? ive not had that since... well since i was still studying english LMAO. it means a lot. like means more than i can even say in this response

'you’re like the definition of a ‘natural story teller’. like you come off as one of those that you can go into any situation no matter how bland and come out with a really good story or metaphor or something' BESTIE 😭😭😭 ily

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT UR TALKING ABOUT WITH THE KIND THING LIKE THANK YOU BUT ALSO WHAT DID I DO

i hope you know i have so much genuine fondness for you like that feels conceited seeing as it's just 'there's a special place in my heart for this person that showers me in compliments' but like i genuinely mean it you seem so kind and your determination to show me what you see in me while on ANON so you know you're getting nothing in return is just. like really truly kind and selfless

[mydaroga]

hi!! it's the bucolic anon

okay since there are so many songs to choose from, I guess i’ll list my personal top track (or tracks) from each of his albums that i've heard till now:

mccartney 1 - hot as sun/glasses + man we was lonely

ram - the entirety of it (but especially long haired lady and backseat of my car)

wild life - wild life

red rose speedway - c moon

band on the run - helen wheels + 1985

venus and mars - listen to what the man said + venus and mars/rock show medley

watsos - silly love songs + let 'em in

back to the egg - old siam sir + arrow through me + (i know this was a single but) goodnight tonight

mccartney 2 - frozen Jap + summer's day song + coming up + temporary secretary

tug of war - tug of war + take it away + here today + be what you see

gmrtbs - no more lonely nights

flaming pie - calico skies + young boy

looking at my list, ig my track preferences don't really match up with the fundamental reason why i like his work but anyways...

Hi bucolic anon! I love that identity for you. And your reply, thank you for indulging me.

I was thinking, "oh they'll choose a bunch of songs that are the more cozy or familiar or peaceful ones" but you really didn't. That said, while some of these are faves of mine, a lot aren't!

Not sure I have a point here beyond, taste is funny, and so personal, and it doesn't have to make sense or be logical! I think it's really neat you have this overall feeling about Paul's work. It's made me wonder if I have an overriding sense of him for myself, and as yet I don't think I do! I think if I had to put my finger on why I love him, it's that he's stealth weird. A lot even if what got popular is, underneath, kind of odd. But it somehow slid into middle of the road for people?

Which is way off topic, but if I have a point it's that we're both right and that's marvelous even if it doesn't really mesh. Or maybe it does! Anyway I hope you don't mind me waxing on, thanks for the asks!

[shurelyasreverie]

hello! may i request a love triangle between fem! reader and yone and yasuo please and thanks :)

No problem, anon! Sorry this took so long, I’ve had multiple attempts with different plots that just didn’t turn out well to me but I’ve finally reached something I’m satisfied with and I hope you like it too! 😊

Yasuo x Reader x Yone: Meditation

You never thought who you chose to meditate with meant much to someone but apparently it did to Yone and Yasuo.

Word Count: 1262

“I must thank you for accompanying me,” Yone stated as he sat opposite you. “Meditation was a wonderful suggestion.”

“You looked really stressed and tired,” you explained. “The elders suggested that I meditate when I couldn't focus. It worked well enough for me.”

“Did you find this place by yourself?” Yone asked and you nodded in response. He looked around the secluded place you found. Closed off from the rest of the world by bushes and trees, you two sat under the shade of a sakura tree, a few blossoms raining down on you. “I never realised the sword school offered such a beautiful place.”

You hummed in agreement as you walked him through the meditation like the elders did for you. As you told him the steps, you did them yourself, letting a weight lift from your shoulders as you breathed in and out.

Finished with guiding Yone, you closed your eyes, focusing on the world outside. You could still sense Yone's presence just in front of you, you could faintly hear him every time he exhaled. It felt... rather intimate. Your eyebrows furrowed as you chased such thoughts away.

You were unsure how much time had passed, but you were stirred by the faint melodies of a familiar flute. Opening your eyes, you noticed Yone's head had lulled forward.

“Yone?” you asked quietly.

Not a peep.

Stifling a chuckle you watched him fondly. Even asleep he maintained perfect posture. Standing up, you moved as quietly as possible as you tiptoed to the source of the sound. Moving out of your isolated little site for Yone to keep resting, you found Yasuo sitting on a small boulder, playing his flute.

Standing some distance behind him, you leaned back on a tree and closed your eyes, letting his playing keep you in a relaxed state of mind. As much as Yone berated Yasuo for abandoning his duties and training – even you tried to keep Yasuo in check at times – you couldn't deny that Yasuo had a knack for music.

Almost dozing off, you didn't even realise that Yasuo had stopped playing. Sensing yourself falling asleep as your head felt heavier, you shook your head furiously and opened your eyes to see Yasuo right in front of you, staring intently. You yelped, and jumped back, only making you hit the back of your head against the tree trunk and you immediately grimaced as Yasuo started to laugh.

“I'll let the elders know to never assign you on stealth missions,” he snickered and you playfully smacked him over the head. “You're a terrible stalker.”

“I wasn't even stalking,” you snapped.

“You were watching me from behind for who knows how long.”

“That- is a misunderstanding,” you rubbed the back of your neck as Yasuo nudged you with your elbow.

“I'm kidding, if it's you... I don't mind someone listening in on me. As long as you don't report me to the elders, that is.”

“Yasuo, they already know you're abandoning your duties,” you deadpanned and Yasuo laughed nervously.

“How did you even find this place of the sword school?” Yasuo asked and you shrugged.

“I wanted to find a place to relax and so I just wandered around until I found this place. You?”

“Same,” Yasuo smirked. “Needed to find a place where I could play the flute without my brother coming for my blood.”

Your stomach dropped as you chuckled nervously. Yasuo sent a curious look your way.

“What's that look for?”

“Oh... um, well... about Yone...”

“I thought I heard the forbidden notes of a flute somewhere,” Yone grumbled as he stood to the side. Yasuo whirled around to you.

“You led him here?” He whispered loudly.

“He was stressed and needed to rest! Anyway, I thought this was my special reprieve, not yours,” you snapped. “You can keep your rock, I've got the place by the bushes.”

You sent an apologetic smile as Yasuo groaned before turning back. “Hello, brother, what brings you here?”

“I was looking for (Y/N).”

“Aren't you always.”

Yone shot Yasuo a look before regarding you again. “The last thing I remember is you guiding me through a meditation, I fall asleep and when I wake you disappeared.”

“Sorry, I was distracted by Yasuo's flute playing,” you admitted, you gazed up at Yasuo earnestly, “It sounded beautiful.”

Yasuo stared at you for a second before looking away and clearing his throat, his face starting to flush. He hesitantly reached forward, patting your head. “You're more dangerous than you look, ya know, (Y/N)?”

“What?” you frowned but Yasuo just shook his head. You simply shrugged, in the world of sword fighting, you took that as a compliment.

“You have distracted us for long enough, brother. Shall we return to meditating, (Y/N)?” Yone offered, offering his hand to you but Yasuo took your hand before you could even react.

“You can relax to just me playing the flute, hm? Actually, you can teach me how to meditate.”

“I don't think you really have the attention span for it,” you replied brutally honestly and Yone coughed as he covered up a laugh.

“I can, I'll prove it.”

“Brother, with your presence, I'll be feeling the opposite of relaxed,” Yone sighed.

“Who said you'll be joining us?”

You looked to Yasuo as he was locked in a staring battle with Yone. The atmosphere was cold as they glared daggers at each other. Yasuo's hold on your hand was tightening and the hand Yone had previously offered to you was now balled up into a fist.

“Jealousy is an ugly emotion,” Yone started. “You should learn when to hide it off of your face.”

“Says you, spending all your spare time off with (Y/N),” Yasuo sneered. “What? Do you fear that if you look away, (Y/N) will be magically whisked away by the wind?”

“Perhaps I do,” Yone challenged. “You are wild like the wind but one thing remains constant, you always seem to have (Y/N) on your mind.”

“Says you. Whenever you have a spare minute it's always 'Brother, have you seen (Y/N)?' every single time. And in fact, I do know where they are, I just never tell you.”

Your heart raced as the two were engrossed with their arguing. Did they even realise that you were still there? Overhearing them... was what they were implying really true? Did they like you?

“Impulsive and childish,” Yone sighed as he shook his head. “Come, (Y/N). Let me teach you some meditation techniques of my own.”

“You don't need that,” Yasuo cut in. “Weren't you teaching my brother and not the other way round?”

“I mean, I guess-”

“Then you don't need him to teach you, instead you should teach me,” Yasuo argued.

“Just because I know some meditation techniques mean that I know everything,” you countered.

“So you're going with Yone?”

“I didn't necessarily say that! Look, why don’t we just do it together?”

“No,” they both said in sync and you sighed in exasperation. Since when did meditation become such a stressful activity?

“Pick one of us,” Yone stated simply. He looked at you expectantly and so did Yasuo. You swallowed. Even though it sounded like such a simple command, you could tell by their expressions that whatever your answer will be will mean so much more.

[fabricated-misslieness]

♡〜Where they are partners and are on a mission and the male reader constantly flirts with Hizashi and he gets flustered and tells him to stop bc they're working? And when they're at home Hizashi gives the reader the silent treatment-anon〜♡

Yamada Hizashi x male reader

I procrastinate writing often.

Requested: Yes

Word Count: 1072

Warnings: swearing

Stealth missions weren’t exactly the best for loud heroes such as Present Mic, but he could hold back his voice. Even as a hero with an audio quirk, he wasn't actually the problem in this mission.

Ironically enough, you were.

“I hate when you leave, but I love to watch you go.” 

Even with his back facing you, you know he rolls his eyes. “We have a mission, (y/n).” He kept walking away from you, to a higher position so he could make use of his ranged quirk. There was no problem with it - you had earpieces and everything - except for your feigned loneliness.

He knew you were only playing with him, but it was irritating nevertheless. “Come on, love, you know you love it.”

Luckily for him, he was out of your vision in no time. “Getting my ass checked out, distracting me with your senseless flirting, on a very delicate mission? Yeah, don’t think so.”

“Come on, darling.” You giggle, which gives him a sign that you’re up to no good. “We’re-”

“(y/n).” His voice is a little stern, on the edge of getting louder, so you drop it. He was right, the mission was sensitive and easy to mess up, even for pro-heroes.

Yamada makes it higher and higher into the abandoned building in silence while you wait in your place. It’s rather boring and the silence is insufferable. Spending time with Yamada, a usually loud and music-blasting man, had rubbed off on you. Despite that, he seemed fine with silence. It was hard to understand.

“Hizashi.”

“Wha-”

“What are you wearing?”

“What the fuck, (y/n).” Even if the question itself is usually innocent, he recognizes the line from… certain explicit phone scenarios. Ignoring the blush on his face, he chooses to deflect it. “You know what I’m wearing.”

“But I don’t, Hizashi.” He catches a mischievous hint in your voice, something he doesn’t like. “For all I know you could’ve-”

“I’m wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black boots. Satisfied?”

“That’s boring, Hizashi.”

He rolls his eyes, “Shut up, I’m at the balcony. I see…”

He relays the amount of people in the room, their potential equipment and abilities, and the location of stolen goods. It’s all boring mission stuff, which you didn’t like going over so slowly. However, a job is a job.

“Headphones on?”

“Of course.”

The mission went fine, in fact - despite all your bickering, it went fantastic. Bad guys were arrested and stolen goods were repossessed. The important part was, the both of you made it out with minimal injuries.

Despite the wonderful work, the satisfied citizens and reporters, Yamada was mad at you.

You didn’t know exactly why and you didn’t like it, because your lover decided on giving you a silent treatment when you came back home.

“Hizashi!” No response.

“Hizashi, darling, come down here!”

“Hizaaashiiiiii!”

No matter how many times you called him, nor how loud, he wouldn’t answer. You were concerned, rightfully so, but when you checked on him he wouldn’t even look at you.

“Could you help me with-?”

“Hmph!” He huffs, turning completely away from you.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” He doesn’t answer this time either, only giving you another feisty huff in response. “Oh, so that’s how it is?”

The first hour or two were fine. You managed to handle the lack of your usually energetic partner’s talking fairly well, only filling the void with music of your own. However, as time went on, you started to miss his excited banter.

Hizashi’s overbearing energy was annoying for some people, all except for you. The man was your battery, the source of most of your energy.

Without him, you had no cute humming, singing or non-stop talking to fill your ears; you had no one tugging you along to do the tasks you procrastinated; you had no one to flirt with.

Basically, you had no energy.

The only time he was with you that day was during dinner. You had a habit of eating dinner on the couch - maybe with a movie on, because it was only the two of you in your little home. Therefore, there was no dinner table.

For some reason, he decided he could tolerate you enough to turn on a movie and not leave to his brainstorming/radio room.

The time you spent eating was filled with utter silence between the two of you. Even when you finished and stacked your plates, continuing to watch the movie, he was silent.

You imagined it was as insufferable for him as it was for you. He could handle say, an hour long stealth mission, but he couldn’t handle three hours or more without a conversation. Even if he felt restless, he did not show it.

“Darling.” No response. “Hizashi.”

He makes a point to ignore you, head moving to look at the side; away from the tv, and away from you. Though, the problem with that, is he doesn’t see you approaching him.

The next time you speak his name, it’s a warning. “Hizashi, love.” Once again, he does not turn his head.

So what do you do?

Tackle him, the only logical solution.

“AGEUFHSDJ” He sputters, falling against the armrest of the couch. “WHAT THE FU-”

Arms wrapped around his waist, head on his chest, he’s trapped below you. He’s got nowhere to go and nothing to do except cooperate with you.

You look up at him, chin propped up on his chest and pout on your lips. “Talk to me.”

His gaze softens as he looks down at you and a small smile illuminates his lips. It seems the silent treatment had taken a toll on the both of you, but thanks to his stubbornness, he wasn’t willing to break it for you; not until you did something.

He kisses your forehead and wraps his arms around you, “Sorry.”

After apologies and kisses are distributed, he continues onto his regular schedule: talking non-stop.

Not many people can handle Present Mic.

Not many can handle his loud yelling, perpetually restless behavior, or his eccentric persona. But among the people who can, and among the people who love him no matter what, there’s you.

Not many people could handle you.

Not many could handle your constant flirting, your never-ending bickering, your teasing demeanor. But he loves you, even if you may bother him often.

And you couldn’t get enough of each other.

[anothertimdrakestan]

Lovebirds Damian Wayne x Reader

Words: 2.8k

Requested? Yes! From a few lovely anons!

“So far i am loving your blog and went through like all of your writing🥰💖💖💖💗💞! I was wondering if you could do 'star sapphire corp reader' x damien please? Like them getting together” and “Could you please do sapphire lantern reader with your choice of the batboys meeting on a mission?”

LINK TO PROMPTS  -> REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN!

I absolutely love the sapphire corps! Thank you for these adorable requests! Dami plus a lover actually in tune with their emotions- hell they’re powered off the emotions- is too funny and so adorable! Also we are going to pretend that Raven and Damian aren’t a thing even though I’m using the DCAU teen titans alrighty? Plus it gives me a chance to ship BBRAE YEAHHHH! Hope you enjoy!

I’m so sorry it’s long it’s my first fic back I was so excited haha

“Deep breaths and English you got this” you stared at yourself in the mirror of your makeshift room in titan’s tower. Being the youngest member of the star sapphire corps you were the one tasked with the trip to earth, it made sense, no one wanted to work with teenage earthly heroes but you. Finally, a chance to meet a being similar in age to you! No more old hymns about the power earthly love, you were about to experience it first hand. 

Your mentor had called in a favor and you had been escorted to earth by none other than the physical embodiment of flirtatiousness, Hal Jordan. The trip itself was tiring so upon a midnight arrival you retired to your room without meeting anyone. Now, you could hear a bustling of voices, there was so much emotion radiating it seemed slightly overwhelming, so you opted to wait for Hal to come pull you from your room. 

At the familiar knock you shook away your nerves and flexed your hands into fists, feelings your ring almost pushing you to go outside. “Howdy miss l/n! Ready to meet your new team?” You were greeted with the cheesy grin that had apparently wooed your mentor, but always prodded you. “Good morning Hal, temporary team remember?” you replied, letting your aura be picked up by your purple light. Hal coughed awkwardly, “we walk on earth newbie, not many float here” embarrassed, you touched back down, clearing your throat as you exited your quarters. 

As you made your way down the hallway shouting grew, but upon you entering the room went quiet. With a small smile wave you scanned the room, noticing a green boy who was burning a strange looking food, two other boys who had froze to look at you but stood at a large table that made a strange sound, and lastly a raven haired boy who was sharpening a- sword? At ten in the morning? On the couch. The green boy came up to you first, “hello! You must be y/n! I’m Gar, there’s Jaime, Vic, Robin, and Raven isn’t here but she’s also part of the team! Nice to meet’cha!” Trying to keep up with the names Gar started shouting “SHE’S HERE Y’ALL” apparently to summon a woman who looked like the leader, as she was much older. Following her was a younger girl in a purple cloak, you quite liked her look and vibes, though she felt quite closed off. 

After learning more about everyone at a team breakfast with strangely prepared food you were with the team getting suited up as your mission to travel to Celea, a planet whose environment was toxic to any being over 18, making it a “teen titan’s mission” as they called themselves. As some of the titan’s changed into their suits and prepped themselves for combat you bonded with Raven and Blue Beetle as you had all loaded onto the ship fairly easily. “So why do you have a powerless human on your team? Do you not worry for his safety?” you wondered as you watched Robin methodically pack all his gear. “Trust me, Robin could take all of us out if he wanted to, he’s earned his spot on the team from pure skill and being a little bit of a monster- OOMPH” Jaime was cut off by Raven nudging him. You couldn’t help wanting to hear Robin’s story, as you were like him too- powerless but highly trained and craving to do more. Luckily you had a couple hours of flight to get to know the mysterious boy. 

The ship was large, built for a league of heroes apparently. This meant the team had spread out but you had stayed in the piloting area to assure yourself the team was on the right trajectory, apparently Robin was as well. “You actually know where we’re going?” his voice shook you from your calculations. “Yes, I’ve visited Celea before, but never to fight it’s people” you mused, wondering how in just a few years since your visiting a toxic group of manipulative outlaws had attempted to stake their claim to the beautiful Celea. “TT, not much of a fighter?” Robin mused snarkily, his flitted down to the ring on your finger. “Y’know your team here thinks you’re pretty strong, but I’d wager you’d be easy work for me” you teased back, twisting your ring around your finger as Robin came closer to you. 

(TW FOR BLOOD)

Sitting next to you he began, “my abilities come from my skill, my wit, and my determination. I don’t believe you can say the same princess” you scoffed, “you underestimate me Robin, this ring is nothing without me, not the other way around. Powered from my emotional control and my creativity, my skill takes focus and agility not just glorified muscle memory” you winked at him, enjoying the banter. He scoffed in return. “Yes and what can you do with that ring that I cannot defeat with my blades” he mused. This invitation was perfect. You got up jubilantly, started your lecture. “Clearly you lack certain knowledge Robin, hand me one of your so called blades” you stuck your hand out as Robin rolled his eyes handing you a bat-shaped blade. Without a second thought you cut into the side of your arm, wincing at the pain. “Y/N! What are you doin-” you cut Robin off, beginning to channel your power. “You see, true power is the ability to heal any cut your blades could make, to take was has happened and turn it into a place of love, not malice or hate” as you said this, the familiar purple tone washed over your arm, easily mending the break in your skin. You noticed it felt faster than usual, but wiped it off as adrenaline. 

(TW OVER)

At the display of your powers Robin was in awe. “That’s not all I can do” you laughed, creating a small purple hand that pushed Robin’s open jaw closed. He stumbled back angrily, mumbling about accepting your abilities merit. “You impressed now Robin?” you grinned, sticking out your hand to him. He closed the distance, returning your handshake. “Damian.” he said softly. You swallowed, Damian. It was becoming. Your ring began to warmly glow, Damian snapped his hand away wearily as you cooled your emotions. “Oh uh! Sorry, energy burst” you said, it was a half truth at least. Damian nodded, moving to go clean the batarang. 

The rest of the trip was short, upon entering Celea you’d divided, Damian was with you as the both of you entered publicly while Beast Boy and Raven entered covertly, planning to cover you if the diplomatic endeavors went south. Blue Beetle and Cyborg, unfortunately, weren’t allowed in Celea as their tech was apparently very old and triggered the planet’s defense system, so they stayed up in the ship was manning comms, prepared for an air fight. 

Upon entering you were taken straight to the capital, a sapphire corps was a rarity on Celea and they were all excited for your help. You and Damian met the governing leaders, explaining that you were here to help end the tyranny on the dark side of the planet. As you had hoped, they agreed, you could feel their love for their planet was strong, but that was about all the love on the planet as everyone was so young. It felt slightly difficult to keep a reign on your emotions on Celea, the planet itself was a safe haven for children, almost like a giant orphanage ran by beings that reincarnated frequently as to stay alive on the planet, the concept of pure love was foreign to many of the children and unharnessable. It all felt quite isolating in comparison to earth, a planet driven by intense emotions. 

“You look tired already” Damian mused. “I’m fine, just not a huge fan of a child-only planet” you responded as you made your way towards the large base, preparing yourself for a fight. Before Damian could respond you were joined by Raven and Gar. Their presence eased some of the pressure. “You guys love each other, it’s refreshing” you said, both of them froze, staring at you. “Oh uh, we haven’t really talked about that yet” Raven whispered, staring at Gar who was grinning like a child in a candy shop. “I love you too Rae!” he cheered. “Not how I imagined I’d say it but, yes, I do love you idiot” she huffed. Your cheeks flushed, “oh uh, my bad sorry, it just, seemed so obvious” you giggled, secretly glad you’d brought the two together. 

“Just a couple’a couples!” Beast boy teased, you felt your cheeks redden, glancing to Damian who was now suddenly interested in looking anywhere but at you. You felt your ring begin to glow again, covering it with your other hand. “Oh wow! Look at that! We’re here! Battle time!” you cleared your throat, setting the group focus on infiltrating the rogue base. 

The base itself was relatively small, it hadn’t been flushed out yet but the four of you were here to clear it before they had the chance. Trying to establish a child trafficking ring on a planet of only children was disgusting, and needed stopping before it got the chance. You were especially passionate about this endeavor, the reason for you channeling the power of love was when you lost your sister, that loss of love taught you it’s importance even at a young age, and after training harder than anyone you knew you earned the ring, promising to defend love the way no one defended yours. You would protect these children at any cost. 

There was no need for stealth as you had the permission of the Celean government, it was more of an ambush. As Gar shifted into a large tiger, Raven donned her hood, and Damian stripped himself of the Celean garb, you noticed his Robin suit, littered in weapons and ties, he looked like a hero. There was that damn glow again. Channeling it into your focus you felt the warm aura surround you as you lifted off the ground, ready for a fight. 

“Y/n should say it!” BB roared, Raven nodded in agreement. “Say what?” you looked at Damian. “We have this tradition where the leader says ‘Titan’s Go’ then we fight, and I guess you’re our leader today” he said, you noticed the light tint hiding beneath his mask. “Okay!” you said, positioning yourself, flexing your hand to feel your ring one last time before shouting.

“TITANS GO!” 

And you were off, soaring through the air while BB and Robin took the ground. You noticed a few scared looking kids were being held in pens, and you decided to free them first. As Raven covered you easily, you floated down to the kids, accidentally bonking heads with Robin who stared at you. “I’m so sorry! It’s just we always have to-” “Get the kids out first” he finished your sentence, a small smile dancing at the corner of his mouth. For just a fraction of a second, your eyes flitted down to his lips, feeling his gaze of you the moment felt like slow motion before you both snapped out. “Let’s go! This way!” you used your ring to break the gates as Robin herded the kids out to freedom. 

Glancing up you saw a couple rogues grabbing kids as they tried to run away, your heart stopped when you saw one pull out a laser blaster. “Enough!” you screamed, violet rays exploding from your hands as you easily knocked them out of your way. Leaving your post you flew up and began eradicating anyone who tried to harm a child. “No one hurts my sister!” you screeched, your powers growing stronger by the second as you began dividing your powers between knocking out bad guys and literally carrying children to safety. As the last of the kids were safe you escorted Beast Boy out while you and Raven combined your powers to crunch up the base, making it unfixable and uninhabitable forever. 

Feeling the adrenaline subside you glanced down to see a herd of children cheering, but your focus drew to Damian who was propped up against a barrel, nursing a laser bullet wound. Rushing to his side you quickly pulled open his suit, a trail of blood trickled into your hands. “Damn kevlar doesn’t stop their bullets apparently” he coughed. “Oh my god Damian don’t go” Gar shifted next to you. “He’s not going anywhere” you said, focussing your energy, feeling the pain and imagining turning the warmth of blood into mending, the pools of blood are just pockets of blissful love. 

This wasn’t a good time to tell the team you’d never healed a wound this large before. Positive self talk right? Or negative. 

I’m alone on a planet of useless children, surrounded by a glorified furry, goth, and stocked vigilante. No one is here to help you y/n you’ve gotta do this. You felt the wounds begin to mend, after all that focus you’d barely started. Damian you idiot! If you die right now how will I know why my damn ring is gleaming everytime I see your cute face. Fuck. I didn’t mean cute. Yeah I did. Okay, save the cute face. Maybe kiss the cute face if you save it? Yeah. That’s a good deal y/n let’s do that. Your head was rushing through a million thoughts, anything to motivate you to do the impossible. Halfway there, you could feel it. “Holy cow, look! The wound is closing!” Gar pointed at Damian’s chest. “Y-yeah. No help from you green bean” you mumbled. “Oh I know what’ll help!” Gar squeaked, running off. You turned to Damian who was just staring at you bewildered. “Don’t look at me like that when I’m literally repairing your organs bird boy” you whispered through clenched teeth. 

Then a surge of power came over you, it felt raw and unchanneled, you glanced up to see Gar mid-kiss with Raven, giving you a thumbs up. The love was short lived, but enough to keep your engine revving. Alright girl you got this, heal, then kiss, maybe. Definitely heal first. He has to live. C’mon. “JUST LIVE DAMMIT” you shouted the last bit, feeling the last of your power drain while the wound completely closed. “Holy shit I’m a badass” you whispered, before feeling intensely light headed. 

You woke up in the ship med bay, jolting up. “HE LIVED HE LIVED” you burst up, throwing a fist in the air. The other corps members would be so proud! Your first battle with death you’d won! “You’re right I did live, thanks to you” a familiar voice brought you back down to earth. Next to your bed was Damian, now in casual clothes with a little bandaging on his other wounds. “Oh! uh yeah, you’re totally welcome” you grinned. Awkwardly Damian scooted closer to you. “I think I owe you a certain gratitude” he said, emotions dripping in his voice you hadn’t heard before. 

This time his eyes snapped down to your lips, as he leaned in you felt like you were dreaming. When your lips connected you couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, feeling lightheaded with pure joy. The kiss itself was soft, blissful and lovely. Damian’s lips felt soft against yours, like they fit with yours like a puzzle piece. Pulling away you stared at him shocked. “I could hear your thoughts when you were healing me, had to live up to your expectations” he winked while you covered your face with embarrassment. “Oh my gosh that’s so embarrassing yikes” you mumbled into your hands. You felt Damian’s hand slide under yours, caressing your cheek, drawing your eyes to his. “I thought it was pretty endearing personally, I suppose it’s because I was being saved by the most gorgeous, fascinating girl I know” he mused, before bringing you in for another kiss, this time more passionate, as if to show his feelings through a kiss instead of words. 

You spent the rest of your earthly get-away with the Titans, finding a sort of family with them. When you were called back to your people you promised to return in a few weeks, hoping to move your station to earth. They could always use another lantern right? 

When you returned to your mentor, C.Ferris you told her of your earthly adventures. She laughed, “a Star Sapphire’s greatest strength and weakness all wrapped into a snarky earth boy body” and you couldn’t help but agree. And with that, you were sent back to earth, this time returning as Dove, because every Robin needs a lovebird to help them along the way. 

[vs-redemption]

What about a Keigo x female reader where she’s a pro-hero. But she cant help but compare to her boyfriend cause he’s so amazing as a hero (and #2 for crying out loud). Once Keigo finds out it’s just cuddles and reassurance? (Lowkey might be self-reflecting. I just need serotonin)

a/n: No need to feel bad about self-reflecting anon, I got to indulge in my love for Hawks while writing this too. I really hope it turned out the way you hoped!

A Great Hero (Hawks x Female!ProHero!Reader)

“What a day,” you mumble to the EMT who was checking you over for any serious injuries. You were currently sitting in the back of an ambulance as police officers, fire fighters, and other pro heroes secured the area. You knew you were absolutely fine, but it was protocol for pro heroes to get looked at by a medical professional after any serious incident.

The serious incident in this case was a grease fire that had grown out of control in a small family restaurant in a district you’d just so happened to be patrolling. Most of the staff and customers that had been inside had made it out by the time you’d arrived, except for a young father and his baby daughter who’d gotten trapped in the bathroom located behind the kitchen. Your quirk couldn’t help much against the fire, but as a search and rescue hero you’d made sure to design a tough hero costume that could endure extreme conditions to a certain extent. Without a second thought you’d rushed into the burning building and retrieved the civilians trapped inside.

“Everything looks to be just fine,” the EMT finally finishes his checklist by signing the slip at the bottom and handing you the paperwork. “You might have a cough for a few days, but I think your mask protected you from most of the smoke.”

“Thanks,” you say appreciatively before heading back to your agency to change and fill out an incident report. It didn’t take too long, so after getting a few pats on the back from your fellow heroes you headed home to get some rest.

Once you’re cozy on the couch, you flip on your television to see if there was anything on the news about the fire or the people you’d saved. The father and daughter had been taken to a hospital pretty quickly, and you hoped you’d been able to get them out of the fire before too much damage had been done. There wasn’t any coverage of your rescue though. Instead, all the news stations were in a frenzy over a villain attack that had occurred in the city earlier in the day. The man responsible for swooping in and eliminating the threat had been none other than your boyfriend, Keigo Takami, also known as the winged hero Hawks. He ranked number two in the entire country and it was easy to see why as you watched the recorded video of his fight. A newscaster on the side of the screen reported that there had been a bit of property damage, but thankfully no civilian injuries or casualties. The screen then cut to a different reporter who had interviewed Hawks right after he’d successfully apprehended the villain.

The video was from a few hours ago, but you were relieved to see that he looked completely unharmed as he dazzled the interviewer with his handsome smile and charismatic personality. There was a crowd of fans behind him shouting words of love and encouragement as well. He really was an amazing hero. His quirk, fierce wings, was so versatile and allowed him to adapt to all sorts of different situations. He had speed, mobility, stealth, and unbelievable multitasking ability thanks to the telepathic control he had over each feather that made up his beautiful red wings. It was no wonder the media chose to give him its full attention. His magnificence didn’t end with his quirk either. He was also one of the most dedicated and selfless heroes you’d ever met. Even though he was basically a celebrity at this point, you knew his only concern was saving lives and keeping bad people off the streets. The fame meant nothing to him, making him all the more appealing.

It was an honor to be Keigo’s girlfriend, but living in his shadow did get to you sometimes. On days like today, you wished your quirk was more flashy and exciting like his. You weren’t the type of person who needed to be in the spotlight all the time, but it would be nice for people to notice once in a while that, even if you hadn’t had an action packed battle with a scary villain, you’d still put your life on the line when you’d gone into that burning building. Being out with Keigo in public often led to awkward situations for you as well. People would recognize him instantly and ask for autographs and photos without giving you a second glance. You were happy for him and his success, but you couldn’t help the little voice in your head that expressed doubt over your worth as a hero when you compared yourself to him. A knock on your door pulls you from your musings, and you know it’s your boyfriend just by the pattern of his knocking and the sound of rustling feathers.

“Come in!” you call out to him. You get off the couch to greet him even though he had his own key so he could let himself in. He walks in with a bag full of take-out which you take from him so he can shrug out of his jacket.

“Hey, I didn’t know you…” Your sentence is cut off abruptly when your boyfriend cups your face in his hands and plants a tender kiss on your mouth.

“You’re amazing,” he says with a huge grin. You look into his golden eyes, your confusion making you speechless.

“What?” You let out a small laugh, not understanding where all this was suddenly coming from.

“You know I get notifications on my phone whenever your hero name is mentioned. I heard about the fire today,” he explains while taking you hand into his and pulling you back into your living room. “You’re okay though, right?” he asks while taking the food out of your hands and setting it on the coffee table. “Let me look at you.”

“Keigo,” another laugh slips from your lips as he starts running his hands up and down your arms, examining you for nonexistent injuries. “I’m fine. I have a doctor’s note and everything.”

“Hmm,” he hums while pulling you into a hug and nuzzling his face into your shoulder, the facial hair on his chin tickling your neck. “I have to make sure though, you know?” He finally lets you go and turns to the food he’d brought over, “you hungry?”

“Yeah,” you reach for the bag, curious about what was inside since it smelled so delicious, but Keigo stops you.

“Nope,” he smiles while pointing to the couch. “You just rest.” He sends a bunch of his feathers towards your kitchen and they come back with plates, napkins, and utensils. He waits until you plop down on the couch before digging into the containers which had food from your favorite restaurant inside. Your heart swelled as you watched him make a plate for both of you. He was always so thoughtful.

“What about you though? Are you okay?” You ask as he hands you your plate, “I saw that fight you had today.” Keigo waves off your concern as he sits down next to you and pulls a blanket over the both of you.

“Yeah, I took down a bad guy,” he admits as he snuggles closer to you and plants a kiss on your cheek. “But you saved two innocent lives! Babe, that’s incredible!” He gives you a second kiss before sending a feather to retrieve the remote. “What should we watch?”

“You can pick,” you tell him, feeling overwhelmed by the praise and affection. All your doubts from before seemed silly now. If someone as amazing as your boyfriend thought you were a great hero, what other affirmation did you need? You really were lucky to have such a loving and supportive partner. You snuggle up closer to him and start digging into your food.

[hqwkeyes]

I Love You

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Word Count: 2,281

Warning(s): angst, fluff, language, severe injury, mention of blood, talk of death

Summary: When a mission goes very wrong, one of their own gets hurt. What happens if they can’t pull through?

A/N: Oh boy, it’s been a long time since I last posted anything. It’s been even longer since I got this request. This is the oldest request that I have, and I just want to apologize to the sweet anon who sent it to me for taking so long to write it. I hope you’re still out there! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this! I loved writing it.

Masterlist // Buy me a coffee!

Steve had called in a half hour prior saying that the mission had gone south and to prep the med bay, although he didn’t say who was injured. Clint flew the quinjet back in record timing, which meant it was serious. I paced back and forth the entire half hour, wringing my hands together and trying to mentally prepare myself for the possibility that it could be her.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened, though.

“Fuck!” I shouted, slamming my fists against the wall when they rushed her in on the gurney.

Blood dripped onto the floor as they wheeled her down to the med bay, which Steve nearly slipped on as he tailed the stretcher. The swift trip to the med bay felt like an eternity with her life on the line.

Steve, Clint, and Bucky helped transfer the stretcher onto the table with the doctors, and then we were all forced behind the glass doors so they could get to work.

There was a deep gash in her cheek, as well as several on her abdomen, indicated by her torn up stealth suit. It was unlikely that they would be serious injuries, though.

What had me worried was the number of bullet wounds that ravaged her body. Two had hit her in the left thigh, both going through and through. Another was lodged in her shoulder, and another thankfully only nicked her arm. Then, there were the shrapnel wounds. Fragments had torn up a good portion of the lower left side of her abdomen. I could hear the doctors saying that there was internal bleeding because of it. Within minutes they had taken x-rays and were rushing her to the operating room.

I attempted to follow, but they told me to stay back with the rest of the team. Of course, I tried to follow again anyway, but Sam and Tony held me back. We waited for four hours for some kind of news. You would think that will all the extremely advanced technology Tony provides the medical wing with, they would have finished earlier, but no.

In the meantime, everyone who was out on the mission explained what had happened from their perspective. In summary, while facing off against the remaining HYDRA members at the base, another group showed up. The team said they didn’t know who they were, but they definitely weren’t HYDRA. They had attacked them all, but it seemed they specifically targeted her. They snuck up behind them, too. “The ultimate sneak attack,” Clint had called it—even he didn’t see it coming from his position in the trees.

I had been desperately clinging to Bucky on one of the couches for a while when someone finally came in with some news.

“She’s out of surgery, but resting for now. You can see her, but only for a few minutes, and only two or three people are allowed in the room at a time,” the doctor explained, and I was dashing toward her room before they finished speaking. Clint and Steve were close behind, silently joining me in the room. The tears began to spill again as soon as I saw her, and I heard the two men step out of the room to give me a moment with her.

“Nat,” I quietly choked out.

Her red tresses were caked with dry blood, turning them dark and stringy. I pulled one of the chairs closer to her bed and gently held her hand, pressing a soft kiss to a bruise blossoming on her skin.

“I need you to come back to me,” I whispered against her hand.

After sitting alone and talking to Natasha for a while, Clint and Steve came back, and I stepped outside for them. The others came in pairs throughout the day—even Thor, who had been in Asgard for a while.

I sat with her throughout the night, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she rested. It was impossible to sleep, though, with all of the machines beeping and blinking around her.

At dawn, Bruce came in and told me to go get some rest. Of course I refused, I didn’t want to leave her side, not even for a second. Somehow, though, he managed to convince me to go shower and grab something to eat.

“Just take twenty minutes. I’ll stay right here with her the whole time,” he told me.

After ten minutes of taking a much-needed shower, I got out, dried myself off, dressed myself, and headed to the kitchen for a snack and some coffee. When I arrived at the kitchen, the whole team was on their feet.

“What happened?” I asked frantically, but no one answered.

I was hot on Steve’s heels, heading toward Nat’s room in the medical wing.

“What happened?” I repeated as Sam came up beside me, tears already dripping down my cheeks.

When I heard the high pitched ringing from down the hall, something inside me snapped. I stopped moving, causing Bucky, who was following close behind, to collide with me, sending me to the floor. I panted heavily, my palms pressed to the cold marble, and let out a blood-curdling scream. I felt a pair of arms lift me up, which I would later find out belonged to Bucky. He carried me the remainder of the way and held me close to him, even when I was kicking and screaming, trying to get into the room where the doctors were attempting to resuscitate the love of my life.

I watched on, screaming my lungs out, as her body jolted upward from the electricity of the defibrillator, but to no avail. Four times. Four times they shocked her, and none of them worked.

When they called her time of death, I accidentally cracked the glass wall with my fist before sliding to the floor in a series of wretched sobs. Wanda crouched down and wiped the tears dripping from my face. An hour later, Thor came back and wordlessly carried me to the living area. He set me down on the couch, where I remained for three days.

I hated Bucky for those three days, for keeping me away from her, but in the end, I understood that I only would’ve gotten in the way.

I spent three months after that still living with the Avengers before it began to be too much.

Natasha had asked me on our one year anniversary to move in with her and the rest of the Avengers. It had become harder to see each other with all of the missions she was going on, so I happily agreed. The team treated me like family, and Tony even gave me a job, although I was basically an extremely overpaid intern.

After her death, all I could see was her. Everywhere in the compound were the memories that we made together. I visited her grave every day, and that was somehow the least painful part of it.

She was buried beside Nick Fury. Ironic, wasn’t it? He was still alive, hiding in the shadows somewhere, while my beautiful Natasha lies in the ground beside his empty casket.

After those three months, I packed up and moved to an apartment in Brooklyn, cutting off most contact with the Avengers. I didn’t hate them. Honestly, I still loved them, but seeing them killed me because it reminded me of every moment I shared with them that included her. Thankfully, they understood. I only maintained contact with Steve and Clint, although only through the sometimes shared visits to her gravesite. We would sit and reminisce, usually cry. I preferred to go alone, though, so I could tell her everything going on inside my head, everything that happened throughout my day.

Today is seven months since she passed, and I still visit her nearly every day. I carry with me a bouquet of assorted red flowers and something to eat.

When I arrive at the cemetery, I gently set the flowers down against the stone, then run my fingers over it before sitting down on the freshly grown grass. Slowly, I eat, talking to her in between bites.

“I know it’s already been seven months,” I say, beginning to cry, “but I feel like it was yesterday and also an eternity.”

I don’t let the tears fall. Instead, I wipe them on the back of my wrist and continue talking, telling her about my day, my job, my memories of her.

I wrap up the remnants of my lunch as I speak, having lost my appetite, “I know it’s cliché or something—you were never a fan of clichés—but I don’t think I’ll ever love someone again, at least not in the way I’ll always love you.

“It’s probably unhealthy to say that, but I just don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully let you go. I don’t think anyone from the team will either, especially Clint and Steve. I’m not sure if they’ve told you, but they feel responsible for what happened. I’m sure you know that they did all they could. You’d probably smack them off the back of the head for saying something like that—or maybe you would understand. You’ve told me things before that make me feel like you would.”

I glance at my watch and realize how quickly the time has passed. It always flew by when I was with her—even now it still does. I tell her this as I stand up to leave.

“Anyway, I should go.” The tears begin to fall again as I step forward and press my lips to the tips of my fingers, then to her headstone.

“I love you,” I whisper before slowly turning away, and suddenly I scream.

My own hand flies over my mouth as stare in shock and awe, wondering if I’ve passed out and this is some elaborate dream.

“You don’t have to come here anymore,” she says, and I nearly fall to my knees. She steps closer and grips me by my forearms to steady me, then steps back again.

I launch myself into her arms, squeezing her against me so hard that I hear her wince. She closes her arms around me too, though, and I relax against her.

“How are you here?” I murmur against the skin of her neck before pulling away to gaze at her again. Her hair is a natural blonde and much longer than I’ve seen it before.

She nods behind me, “After the attack, I decided to borrow someone else’s trick.”

I look behind me at Nick Fury’s headstone, and laugh, shaking my head. Within a moment, though, the laugh turns to some kind of angry sadness.

“Why-” I start.

“I did it to protect you and the others. I needed to figure out who it was who tried to kill me,” she says before explaining all of the details under the shade of a tree that would definitely conceal her identity from a distance. Luckily, the cemetery was mostly empty, with only a few people scattered a good distance away.

After she finishes, she picks up the bouquet I left on her grave and takes my hand in hers.

“How about we head back to your apartment? There are a few people there waiting for you,” she says with that smile I never thought I’d see again.

Unable to form any words without crying, I nod.

After walking for a moment, I stop and realize, “Wait, how do you know about my apartment?”

“After I discovered who had attacked us that day, I slowly exterminated them. I finished with that about two months ago, but I needed to wait to make contact with you just to be sure that they were all gone for good.

“I found out that you moved out of the compound and found your new address. This is a lot to take in, I know. I’m so sorry. It’s just- I was scared of how you’d react. I tried to knock on your door three times in the past few weeks, but I was so afraid that you would be angry.”

I wipe the tears from her face with my thumb before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

As we walk toward my apartment I ask, “And who is waiting at my apartment?”

“The team,” she says quietly. “Please don’t be upset. I contacted them through you and told them to meet you there. They should arrive a few minutes after us.”

I laugh and nod before telling her that it’s alright. Hard to process all at once, but alright. I’d rather rip off the bandaid quickly anyway.

We arrive at my apartment before the team does, just as Natasha had planned. A few minutes later, they knock on the door, and I crack it open a bit.

“I have someone here who wants to see you,” I say to the group of Avengers crowding the hallway outside my door before opening it wider.

Clint nearly knocks me on my ass as he pushes through and hugs Natasha. The rest follow in suit, although allowing me to step out of the way first. I close the door behind them and listen again as Natasha explains everything. At first they’re angry with her for not enlisting their help, but overall they understand why she did what she did.

Sam and I end up cooking some food for everyone to eat, and we all sit down and talk, sharing stories from our time away from one another, grateful that everything is right once again.

Natasha leans in and kisses my cheek before whispering something in my ear.

“I love you too.”

Masterlist // Buy me a coffee!

Original Request:

Note: If you would like to be added to my permanent tag list or my Natasha x Reader tag list, feel free to ask!

I’ll tag a few people who I think might be interested: @romqnofff @sargentjbbarnes @5aftermidnight​ @agentnatasharomanov​ @romanovobsessed​ @natalia-alianovna-bw​ @nat-blossom​ @lesbian-x-blackwidow​ @blackluthxr​ @blackmist111​ @seasonsofnat​

[herecomesnaya]

Do you mind library questions? I saw that librarians have their own code of silence . How seriously is that taken? I’m too nervous to check out anything gay for fear of outing myself.

I love library questions! and this is a very good one, so thanks!

so, the usual advice I give to anyone who’s worried about checking out certain materials is that the employees generally don’t care what it is you’re reading, they’re just happy that you’re checking things out at all. you might even get some good recommendations based on what you have! but I know that not every system is exactly the same as the one I used to work for, and that sort of reassurance isn’t necessarily airtight, so there are a few more things you can do to make your experience feel less daunting if you want to check out LGBT materials without fear of being outed.

first off: I know people are worried about libraries keeping a history of the things you check out and using that against you in the future. luckily, there are laws in place (speaking from my US perspective) that prevent them from doing that. some libraries offer reading history logs, but you have to opt-in, they can’t start keeping that log on their own. (if you got your library card when you were a minor, make sure to get it updated once you’re an adult, just in case your parent put one of those histories in place.)

also, for those of you who’ve thought about opting in to one of those lists, do be aware that once you opt-in, that list can be subpoenaed by law enforcement in the future. even in that case, the library will usually only keep a reading history up to a certain limit (10, 20, 100, whatever; ask your local library employees). but they can’t share it unless they’ve gotten a subpoena, so no, your Aunt Mindy or nosy neighbor can’t ask them for it.

and I’m not sure what your system is like or how recently you’ve been there, anon, but a lot of systems, mine included, are transitioning to self-checkout stands. this completely removes the need for face-to-face interaction, so you can get in, get your books, and get out, all without ever speaking to another human being! libraries are moving into the future just as fast as about every other industry.

speaking of ~the future~: don’t forget about e-books! many libraries offer e-books, typically through services like Overdrive or the 3M Cloud Library. if yours does, you don’t even need to physically enter the library at all! it’s also a good idea to check what kind of digital services your library has in general. ours had some pretty good streaming services you could use completely for free, right from your home!

but in general, people who work at the library are very big on intellectual freedom. the higher-ups in government and the people in the community might not be, but people usually get into the library field because they want to spread access to information, not inhibit it. they also want to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible using their services (after all, the more people who come in, the more funding they get!). and in my experience, library employees are friendly, helpful people, and often LGBT themselves.

now, I’m aware that not every area is as liberal as mine, so there are some tricks you can use to try and suss out what your local library is like if you’re still nervous. I’d love to say that I’m 100% sure that no employee would ever be a catty homophobe, but in the interest of keeping yourself as safe as possible, you may want to try out the following, just in case.

- visit your local library in June. libraries often have seasonal/holiday displays, so many will pull out a selection of their LGBT materials and have them front and center around that time. this is a great way of figuring out 1) how up-to-date their queer materials are, and 2) whether or not they’re even willing to acknowledge the event in the first place. generally, a library filled with homophobes (or willing to cater to them) won’t care about the boost in circulation, and will just keep whatever queer materials they do have buried in the regular collection.

- look up your library’s events/event history, or any controversy surrounding them. I’m thinking specifically of the library that had a “drag queens read to children” program, which was then challenged by the state government. now, the fact that they were challenged for it sucks, but the fact that those librarians were willing to put the event together in the first place says a lot about their openness to LGBT topics. if your library has any similar programs taking place, or has tried to do them in the past, chances are high that you have very sympathetic employees working there, who will keep their lips sealed (unless you ask them for recommendations, in which case I’m sure they’ll be able to point you to some things).

- you can try to ask a staff member for LGBT materials in a “stealth” way and assess their reaction from there. for example, “my debate class is doing LGBT rights this semester, do you have anything that might help me?” and see what they show you. do they offer you pro/liberal or anti/conservative materials? both? do they not have LGBT materials at all? if they don’t, does the librarian offer to order some for you, or point you to their electronic selection? hell, do any of the employees have pronoun pins on their nametags/lanyards? some systems have started giving those out, which is another way to spot a library you can reasonably place your trust in.

tl;dr: generally, no, you don’t have to worry about being outed via the materials you check out at the library. but if you’re in a more conservative/small-town/questionable area, there are still steps you can take to keep yourself safe and give you some peace of mind.

I hope this helps, anon, and I hope you and anyone else who was wondering about this can find what you’re looking for at your library! feel free to ask me more questions about this subject any time if you have them. :)

[sevenincubistolemyheart]

I spy with my wittle eye something on your WIP list that makes me giggle happily and that my lovely friend was the 7 deadly sin pirate au cause not only does that sound cool, okay it sound afuckingmazing and creative and I literally giggled 😭 - 🎃

Aww that's so sweet pumpkin anon thank you! This made me all excited to write it haha.

I hope it lives up to your expectations!! 

...Y'know what? F it. I could actually use some feedback if that's okay with y'all!

I don't typically share my ideas while they're in the planning phase but it's not too spoilery so I don't think it's too bad!

Basically; I was wondering what you thinks the boys roles should be in the team. I have each sin pegged but I need some good ideas- I don't want too much over lap with Black Ties, White Lies which is where I thought it was kinda going to.

Different given the setting and everything but I just really want to shake things up if I can- make it totally original!

Namjoon- Wrath- A master of swordsmanship, he drives off any enemies that they come across. He often also engages in arena fights when he can to bring in some extra money. 

Yoongi-Sloth-Though he seems to always be bored, or sleepy, he actually is the watchman, always ready to jump in should any of their plans go seriously awry. 

Jin-Pride-He uses his pretty face to distract when needed, whether while Jungkook is stealing, or Jimin is seducing.

Hoseok-Greed- He has a complex of wanting to be the best, and so he is always one-upping himself. He smuggles all kinds of goods from ships using his superior stealth and flexibility to easily sneak in and out without being seen once. 

Jimin-Lust- A seducer who tricks wealthy men's daughters into falling for him. He spikes their drink when they're not looking and puts them up for ransom.

Taehyung-Envy-He assists Jimin by being the muscle, using his physical strength to quickly kidnap the drugged woman and smuggle them onto the ship.

Jungkook-Gluttony-An insatiable thief who pickpockets anything he may consider valuable. He attempted to pickpocket Yoongi/Namjoon and he's the one who brought him into the operation.

Potential Titles: Sinners and Saints

Snipers and Saints

As you can see- I feel Taehyjng and Jimin may be a little too close for comfort for BTWL, maybe even Jin as well. I was thinking a kidnapping gone wrong could be a fun way for reader to become a part of the crew though.

Thoughts guys?

[buriedinbleach]

nsfw HC for the captains’ (+renji??? Maybe???) reactions to their s/o singing “Santa Baby” to them, putting on a sultry show. I check this blog so many times a day I love it and u sm.

Aw… thank you anon! My heart just grew three sizes ❤️ “Santa Baby” just happens to be one of my absolute fave Christmas songs and it fits this smutty purpose perfectly.

Shunsui

*Leans back on the couch or bed to watch with a dish of sake. He’s the definition of relaxed, but you can see the focus in those grey eyes, taking in every single movement you make. He follows your body with his eyes, saying nothing, just smiling and giving the occasional humm of appreciation. Once you’re finished, he pulls you down next to him so fast it makes your head spin. He’ll apply kisses everywhere on your body, recounting his favorite parts of your performance as he goes.

Soi-Fon

*She looks a little caught off guard and suspicious when you sit her down and tell her you have a surprise. She runs the stealth squad. There’s no way anyone, even her s/o could… oh. You managed to pull one over on her. Once she gets over the shock, Soi-Fon is equal parts proud and very interested in watching your clothes hit the floor. Though the suspicious look rarely leaves her face - she’s wondering what other surprises might be in the bedroom following your performance.

Rose

*Rose is legitimately entranced watching you sing - at first. The second you start moving your hips and dancing… he’s not hearing your song quite as clearly anymore. When you start peeling the clothing from your body, finally the melody of your voice reaches his ears. Only, its not the lyrics to “Santa Baby” he’s hearing, its you moaning and calling his name. He doesn’t give you time to finish your song before he’s carrying you to bed, intent on making his fantasies a reality.

Unohana

*That nice ‘oh-so-Unohana’ smile can’t hide the dark look of her eyes as she watches her s/o’s little show. There’s something different in the way she’s smiling too, there’s a plotting edge to it. If this was something completely uncharacteristic of her s/o (or even if it wasn’t), she’s going to show them another side of her usually quiet personality as soon as they’re finished… which will be sooner than they realize if Unohana has anything to say about it.

Shinji

*If you thought Shinji’s smile couldn’t get any wider before you started your little performance, you were wrong. He is grinning ear to ear, licking his lips, and narrowing his eyes. His gaze shifts between your mouth (expect comments about where else he’d like to hear you hum) and your body as you dance and shed your clothes. You’ll have to give him occasional kisses if you want to shut him up. But since he’s busy praising your voice and your body, it would be rude to shut him up.

Byakuya

*As long as its done in the privacy of the Kuchiki manor, he is one satisfied man. Though, it might be hard to tell, in the beginning. He watches with rapt attention, not saying anything or letting any emotion show on his face. The second you start stipping down and showing some thigh, you’ll see his eyes go wide and a little smile playing at the corner of his mouth. The second you’re finished he’ll whisk you onto the bed and tell you how much he enjoyed your performance in his nice deep voice, nice and slow.

Komamura

*Sajin is a little unfamiliar and confused with what you’re planning on doing, but he plays along for his s/o - sitting to watch patiently as you begin. He enjoys your voice, but the second your clothes start coming off, he understands purpose of your surprise now. He waits patiently for you to finish, he wouldn’t want to ruin your plans. Once its over, he’s wrapping his huge frame around yours, carrying you towards the bedroom whispering quietly how much he enjoyed it, and now he wants to show you.

Lisa

*Lovely Lisa was made for this kind of thing - watching or participating. She knows the general rule for watching such a performance is not to touch, but she just can’t help herself. She’ll make a show of eyeing every movement your body makes and humming with appreciation. Lisa is also just as likely to give you your own performance once you manage to drag your sated bodies out of bed again. But what’s the rush?

Kensei

*Kensei starts out with a stern expression, he can’t help it, he has RGF (Resting Grump-ass Face). But the more he watches you sing, dance, and strip - just for him - the more relaxed he gets. A confident smirk crosses his face and he spreads his legs wider, for comfort (his pants are now unbearably tight) and to tempt you to come just a little closer. He’ll can grab you, pin you to the couch for the next hour, then carry you off to the bedroom for a few more rounds.

Toshiro

*Poor Toshiro looks quite flustered. His eyes check the room quickly to make sure you won’t be interrupted. After he’s relaxed a little (watching you definitely puts him at ease), then you’ll see his frigid exterior melt away. The more clothing you lose, the hotter he’ll get; hands fidgeting, clenching and unclenching, licking his lips, eyes narrowing and sharpening until he can finally get his hands on you and thank you properly.

Kenpachi

*Kenny’s grin is all smug satisfaction. His s/o wants to give him a little show? He’s smarter than everyone thinks - Kenny knows exactly where this is headed. He watches with a sharp grin and even sharper eyes, growling with every piece of clothing dropped to the floor. Its a deep rumbling sound that settles right in the pit of your stomach. But he’s too impatient to wait for you to finish. Instead, he’ll rip the remaining clothes off your body, carry you off, and toss you on bed where you can finish your dance - on top of him.

Mayuri

*I’m impressed you got him to agree to sit down and watch you! ...did you drug him? Sadly, I think the only way Mayuri would agree to giving up precious research time for your show is if he was studying the body mechanics of the way your muscles move as you dance and strip. But maybe if he’s taken his makeup off for the night and you’ve caught him in just the right mood - you might get lucky.

Jushiro

*Listens and watches patiently. Jushiro is completely absorbed with everything you’re doing, a sweet smile on his lips and in his eyes as he watches. But don’t let that fool you. Today is a good today, he’s never felt better. Behind those kind eyes, his brain is working at a feverish pace, ready to spring into action the second he thinks your finished. He’ll lay you down, let his cool hair trail over your skin as he kisses you and has you singing a completely different tune by the end of the night.

Renji

*There’s a faint blush across his cheeks, but he smiles like he’s the luckiest guy in the Seireitei. Renji listens and watches patiently until your clothes start coming off. After that, all bets are off. The second you dance toward him he’ll be busy stroking every inch of bare skin he can get his hands on. If you try to get away so you can finish, he’ll pull you right back and press you to his body so tight there’s no hope of escape. But now that you’ve got him where you want him, why would you?

[teruthecreator]

💘 for macknerva!!

anon, you are a genius. you’ve basically just sent the magical question that has now unlocked for the world: macknerva origin story (bc honestly i realized i just start posting abt it without rlly explaining it??? and someone people are loving it??? so thank yall for being my ultimate favs but u deserve this origin) 

also this is several days late (thank u Depression) and also super long (thank u Dumb Brain) so i hope you can forgive me for both of these things   

💘: who developed a crush on the other first? 

it’s time we take it back....Back To The Start.  

so since this is my magical world of My Own Personal Canon (since i stole griffin mcelroys rights), minerva ends up in Kepler in a completely unnamed and not talked abt manner (bc im too tired to explain my general alternate theory hgkgldlgbfhke but busically she just got on a ship to earth to avoid dying) and is staying with duck until further notice. she doesn’t mind laying low at duck’s apartment until they’re able to figure out Everything and get her set up w a place of her own (spoiler alert: that never happens, but duck won’t admit he just misses having a roommate so they let it slide). 

after about a month (which feels like eons in minerva’s mind), she starts to get antsy. she’s already been introduced to the pine guard and amnesty lodge, by this point, so she’s constantly trying to hang out with someone so she isn’t stuck in duck’s apartment all hours of the day. 

which is how minerva ends up in the cryptonomica the day kirby has to run into his job at the theatre for a good portion of the day. it’s pretty empty in the shop--i mean museum, so it’s not like ned minds (plus him and mack have already struck up an agreement, which i explained in a previous post abt ned and macks friendship) especially when minerva’s around to willingly pick up the slack. 

but this second job has minerva curious: 

minerva: I assumed your assistant, Kirby, had only the singular position at your museum?  ned, from behind the counter: Oh, for a while he did, but then the theatre opened up and his services were needed elsewhere. And who am I, Ned “Theatrical” Chicane, to deny such a marvelous establishment of the skills and technical prowess Kirby possesses?”  minerva: Oh? A theatre, you say? 

here comes some random personal hc: on her homeworld, minerva was involved in her planet’s form of theatre (which i’ve always pictured to be very greek-esque, thus explaining her naturally booming voice) and absolutely adored it as a hobby. she, obviously, understands there will be a difference between Earthen theatre and the theatre she once performed; but there is no denying that that thought barely crossed her mind as she proceeded to pester ned about the theatre until he suggested she get a part-time job there. 

(ned knows mack’s struggles with keeping hires at the theatre, which is why he is quick to suggest minerva get a job there. that, and ned knows enough abt mack at this point to pretty accurately guess her Type. so let’s just say ned was doing this for both macks gain, but also for his gain to be able to harass her abt her hot new employee that he totally inflicted on her on purpose) 

ned probably brings it up later that night, or the next day. just really casually drops that he has someone interested in a position at the theatre:

mack: Holy fuck--yes, Ned! Tell them they’re hired!!! What can they do?   ned: Hmmmmm, well she’s quite fit, and has no qualms with getting her hands dirty.  mack: Oh, perfect! I need some more set builders! Thanks a whole lot, Ned. I knew you’d always have my back.  ned, knowing full well what he’s just wrought: Oh, of course, dear Mackerel. Anything for a friend! 

cue the next day: mack is just going about the theatre, business as usual, staying sort of close to the house doors so she can be Right There when ned comes in with the new hire. she’s faced away from the doors, checking something on her phone (probably her texts with ned, to see if he’s arrived yet) when she hears the doors open and shut. mack turns around to witness the Hottest Woman She Has Ever Seen In Her Goddamn Life. 

she’s tall--holy shit is she tall--with beautiful dark skin painted with these almost glowing blue tattoos that travel all the way across powerful arms and a prominent collarbone. but the tattoos don’t stop there, of course they don’t. they go all the way up to this woman’s bald head, perfectly framing her beautiful face. high cheekbones, strong chin, a wonderful nose (mack doesn’t have much of a preference for noses but this one is perfect she just knows it), masterfully-carved eyebrows that look like they were chiseled out of stone, and those enchanting, bright, beautiful bright blue eyes.  

mack’s brain basically short-circuits once minerva smiles at her (with those pearly white teeth and a grin so inviting it feels like her whole heart is melting), so she’s barely able to process the smug ned beside minerva. 

@goforduck drew this scene for me a while back and imma show it to u all bc i love him, his art, and the hot takes he gives my special lil ship: 

needless to say, mack Is Attracted, but i wouldn’t necessarily consider it a crush. meanwhile, minerva’s pov, she’s so damn excited for this job that she’s practically vibrating on the way in. and then, like romantic poetic would have it, all of that energy halts as time stands still and minerva locks eyes with....mack.  

mack definitely looks a little disheveled, but it’s like every fly-away hair crowns her head like a halo as those gemstones-for-eyes lock w minerva. she’s never seen someone she has felt so immediately attracted to in her life. but, that being said, she still does not Have A Crush. 

so after all the awkward blustering (AKA mack tripping over every eighth word as minerva turns on the Charm to keep that blush on mack’s freckled face) mack starts to get minerva accustomed to the work environment and the tasks she’d need to do. eventually, she hands minnie off to kirby bc shes got work to do, and the rest of the day goes by uneventfully. 

now minerva works at the theatre, and she’s Delighted w it. the job is easy but entertaining, she’s making friends, her knowledge of the world is expanding, and she now has a target for some very playful flirting and obvious showing-off of her muscles. because, listen....she has Eyes. she Knows mack always blusters whenever she’s around. and she knows herself, too. mack is cute and minerva likes making her blush. but there hasn’t been that moment where things are taken seriously.  

until about a month in, when minerva walks into something she maybe shouldn’t have but also definitely should have. 

you see, mack has a very important ritual in the morning. she arrives at the theatre at the absolute ass crack of dawn so she can get her yoga/stretching/vocal warmups in (since she is still a performer at heart and this has been her routine since college) and then sit by herself on the stage just sorta soaking it all in before kirby comes in with her coffee (which she needs in order to get up from her seated position on the stage bc she is that much of a coffee addict). just about every employee on staff knows not to even bother coming in this early bc 1. this ritual is very Private and Sacred to mack and 2. ur not even gonna be able to speak to her unless ur kirby w her coffee. 

“just about” encompasses every employee except for minerva, who decides to show up before kirby to bring mack her coffee (that she memorized after cornering kirby for the specifics one day) 

so she comes in the back entrance and is sort of at a loss as to where mack may be bc she doesn’t know mack’s routine. and she’s just kinda wandering aimlessly through all the shops and little rooms until she reaches the wings, where she hears the gentle strumming of a guitar. 

she approaches, with all the caution of a woman who has spent years mastering the art of stealth along w her combat studies, and comes upon the following scene: 

mack is seated in the exact center of the stage, eyes shut peacefully as her body sways to the tempo of the song she’s strumming on the guitar she’s playing (which minerva recognizes as the guitar that some idiot pit member left here about two weeks ago). she’s singing (the song is Dream A Little Dream of Me), and her voice is so soft yet so resonate that minerva feels as if she could stand right next to her or be 1000 feet away and hear the exact same thing. and she sounds so good, so completely in the song she’s performing and in her contentedness that it eases some subconscious unease minerva was holding. in the time minerva’s known mack, it’s the most natural she’s ever heard or seen her, just playing for an invisible audience in the dim lights of a theatre not yet awakened. 

minerva doesn’t realize she’s drifting closer to mack until she steps on an uneven plank, and the noise snaps mack out of her little world as she turns to the noise. needless to say, she’s a little surprised that minerva’s here this early, but then minerva wordlessly hands her her coffee and so mack could care less. she accepts the drink w a smile and then decides to go to her office to get started on some business emails. 

it isn’t until mack has already left the stage, and minerva is still stuck in the same position she was when she handed mack her coffee--heart racing a million miles a minute, face hot, and stomach feeling as if an entire colony of butterflies suddenly took refuge there--that minerva realizes that she is Endlessly, Hopelessly Fucked In Love. 

So yeah, TLDR; Minerva was first. 

[royalteruki-blog]

(not-so) video game lovers

ship: serirei (reigen x serizawa)

word count: 3619

requested by: anon (alt. ao3 link)

checklist:

✔ fluffy angst

✔ angsty fluff

✔ just some stupid angst and then cute fluff as per requested

extras:

★ video game references

★ negativity/doubt

warnings:

✘ intoxication (without alcohol)

It’s a slow day at the office. Mob’s expected to come in soon. Serizawa and Reigen are waiting on him, sitting in their respective seats. Apart from the random bursts of typing Reigen partakes in every couple of minutes, it’s quiet. Too quiet.

“What’s up?” Reigen finally breaks the silence. He’s been wondering for some time why Serizawa seems so invested in his phone this morning, especially since he’s texting like nobody’s business. Reigen’s almost envious Serizawa has something to do and he doesn’t. “Why are you using that thing so much?”

Serizawa lifts his head, eyebrows raised. He moves to put his phone down on Mob’s desk and folds his hands in his lap. “Does it bother you, Reigen-san?”

Reigen jerks upright, cheeks going pink. He wasn’t expecting Serizawa to abandon his phone right away, let alone to give him his full attention. Truthfully, he should have, considering they’re new lovers and their fresh adoration for each other is still lingering in the air. It’s a sweet feeling, so sweet that Reigen often finds himself stuck between loving Serizawa and sweating buckets around him.

“Er, ah, of course not! You can do whatever you want. The next client isn’t scheduled to come in for another hour anyway.” He waves his hand in the air, dropping his gaze back to his computer screen as if something interesting is happening. In reality, his laptop isn’t even on anymore.

“Can I?” Serizawa smiles, standing up from his seat. He’s made a point to abandon his phone for the time being. “Or does someone want me to pay attention to him?”

It’s ridiculous how fast the tables have turned since they started dating. Serizawa often gives himself liberties when it comes to his powers and being able to sense exactly when Reigen’s aura spikes or dissipates. It makes it easier to know when he’s going too far, or when he’s pushing his boyfriend’s buttons just right.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There it is. Reigen’s playful denial. The one that always has him holding back a smile Serizawa desperately wants to see.

“Reigen,” Serizawa tilts his head and steps closer, close enough to almost catch a glimpse of Reigen’s screen. That is, if he hadn’t moved to slam it shut so quickly. “You don’t have to be jealous, you know.”

There it is. The emotion he’d been sensing since the moment he picked up his phone and started texting.

“I’m not,” says Reigen, defensively. He’s not aware that his response proves the accuracy of Serizawa’s aura reading.

“Alright, then.” Serizawa looks to the door to check if anyone is about to open it. When he doesn’t sense a soul, he leans down to capture Reigen’s lips in a chaste kiss; his attempt at cheering Reigen up.

The kiss is returned just as it’s given, the gesture successfully calming Reigen's hostility. It’s warm and soft and Serizawa tastes a hint of strawberry lip balm on his boyfriend’s lips.

"I'm not jealous," Reigen still murmurs into the kiss.

"Mhm." Serizawa doesn't believe a word he says.

When the kiss ends and they pull apart, Serizawa takes advantage of Reigen’s full attention. “So, I met a friend yesterday during my commute here,” he starts, buzzing. “We started talking about video games, of all things. Right now, he’s just telling me about a local that’s happening soon.”

“A local?” Reigen tilts his head in confusion.

“Yeah!” When Serizawa realizes he might be getting a bit too excited, he lowers his voice. “It’s a competition for video games and stuff.”

Then, with a slight fidget of his hands and tint of pink to his cheeks, he explains, “I’ve never really had a friend before, Reigen-san. Especially not one who likes video games like I do.”

Reigen watches his tall boyfriend from his place in his swivel chair. Serizawa looks happy and proud of himself and even a little nervous to admit it. He has a twinkle in his eye that Reigen can’t dismiss. It’s wholesome and pure and he wants to support him in every way he can. He knows he’s only recently reintegrated himself into society after a long period of isolation, after all.

This is good for him.

“That’s good, Serizawa,” he finally says.

At the praise, Serizawa is outright beaming. Though they spend the rest of the day working through clients, his smile doesn't waver one bit.

.

“We’re training after work today.”

“Is that so?” Reigen’s sorting the money they’ve made after a long day of seeing clients. He splits it up into three piles: one for Mob, one for Serizawa, and then his to keep for the office. “So, you’re not going out for ramen with Mob and I?”

Serizawa’s smile fades and it’s one of the saddest things Reigen’s ever seen. As if he’s kicked a puppy. The larger man’s gaze bounces off the walls and he fidgets with his hands.

“I mean, it’s oka—” Reigen starts, guiltily.

“No, I completely forgot—”

“It’s okay, Serizawa,” Reigen presses, shooting him a smile. He reaches over his desk with an upturned palm, inviting. Serizawa puts his larger hand in it and squeezes. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. You do have a tournament coming up, don’t you? You’ll need all the practice you can get.”

There it is again: Serizawa’s large grin. It’s bright and happy and stretches so wide that it wrinkles the corners of his eyes. Reigen wishes he was the one behind it all, but he knows Serizawa’s only glad because he gets to spend time with that guy who plays video games, something that Reigen doesn’t know the first thing about.

That evening, Reigen gives Mob all his Chashu pork.

.

“You shouldn’t do it,” says Dimple from his spot floating near Reigen’s shoulder. He’s been more like a conscience than a coworker lately, and Reigen isn’t a fan of it.

“Yeah, yeah, I just wanna have a peek. It’s no big deal.” This is what Reigen has convinced himself since hatching his foolproof plan. From his spot hiding behind a bush on the dirty sidewalk, he’s fully convinced that he’s in the right.

“But it is a big deal.” Dimple puts his hands on his nonexistent hips, floating in front of Reigen’s face. After cleaning up the office and making sure there were no clients for the next couple of hours, he headed out to run some errands. When Dimple had waited for him to come back only to realize that he wasn’t, he left to search for him. Apparently, Reigen wasn’t running errands at all—unless one of his errands includes spying on his boyfriend. 

“Don’t you trust Serizawa at all?”

“Of course I do,” Reigen snaps. “I just want to see who this guy is. Apparently, they’re out for coffee and he’s stopping by the office right after. His shift hasn’t started yet and I have no clients. This is the perfect time to do this. It’s like the universe is speaking to me, Dimple.”

Dimple sighs, “Suit yourself.” Then he disappears into stealth-mode. He’s learned that Reigen can be a lot and with the lack of psychic power he now has, there’s only so much he can handle.

Reigen looks around from where he’s crouching. He’s not particularly sure where Serizawa is going out for coffee, because he never mentioned an actual cafe's name, but he’s almost certain it’s this one. It’s the closest to the office and has a name for itself. He’s sure he’s picked the perfect spot across the street where he won’t get caught.

“What are you doing?”

Reigen nearly astral projects from his body, yelping. He falls back and scrambles to sit up, then glances over his shoulder tensely. “H-Hey! Don’t scare me like that!” He slaps a hand against his chest, feeling his heart beating fast. “I thought you were… someone else.”

“You mean the person you’re spying on?” Teru rests his hands on his hips knowingly.

“I’m not—!”

“Save it, Reigen-sensei. I’ve been in too many relationships to know what this is. You can consider yourself lucky I’m here to help, actually.” Teru invites himself to take a seat behind the bush next to Reigen, who’s beginning to sport pit stains from how profusely he’s sweating.

“What do you mean what this is?”

“This,” Teru gestures to Reigen’s less-than-ideal form. “Is pathetic. You don’t need to be doing this to feel better about your relationship, Reigen-sensei.”

“You don’t even know the half of it, kid,” says Reigen, defensively.

“I know it’s about Serizawa. I know your relationship is probably being threatened, so you’re losing trust in him and you’ve resorted to spying on him to find out what he’s up to when he’s not with you.”

Reigen nearly chokes on Teru’s suffocating accuracy.

“So, what’s up? Has Serizawa made a friend other than you?”

Reigen clears his throat and fixes his suit and tries to gather what little dignity he has left. “Yes, but before you say it, I’m not jealous. I’m just–”

“Good,” says Teru, bluntly.

“Good?”

“Because this is the first sign he’s losing interest in you.”

Teru’s words hit Reigen in the chest like an arrow through the heart. “Really?”

“I know it sounds terrible, but I care about you, Reigen-sensei. I want you to be happy. And I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count. You’re going to have to accept it and move on. I’m sure someday you’ll find the one.”

Reigen doesn’t want to keep listening but he finds it hard to stop. Teru’s advice is just too luring. His eyes are blown wide, not believing his crappy luck.

“Let me tell you, one time there was this girl, she was a year older than me… Or was it younger than me… Sorry, this was a few months ago so my memory is a bit off. Anyway, we had this on-and-off thing going because…”

Reigen zones out fast,s lost in his own thoughts. The fact that Serizawa really might be falling for someone else. That this might be a red flag, one of many, that he shouldn’t take lightly.

“… And then she met Edano! I introduced her because we were supposed to hang out with friends that day, so I brought her along to meet them all. At first, I didn’t realize what was going on…”

The one most stable thing in his life, the one thing he’s always been so sure about and never doubted.

“… And so eventually I said fuck it and I totally broke up with her. She wasn’t worth it and Edano had eyes for her too anyway. And then afterwards…”

Reigen stands up and begins speed walking towards the office before Teru can stop him. He’s in some sort of trance and doesn’t hear the middle schooler calling out for him as the gap grows bigger between them.

He’s going to lose Serizawa if he doesn’t do something about it.

.

Step 1: Find out details about the video game tournament

Reigen doesn’t know much about video games so when he asks Serizawa for more information, he’s blown into a world of unfamiliarities. Apparently, it’s a Smash Brothers tournament that’s happening in a downtown theatre. Spots are limited, so Reigen signs up as soon as Serizawa leaves the office that evening. He fills in his name and contact information before getting stuck figuring out what his ‘main’ is.

“So it’s just the character I use most when I play?” Reigen’s alone in his office, talking to himself. It’s dark and the only source of light is his laptop screen. He looks up a list of the characters and flips through them. There are so many, all with varying abilities and costumes. Some are animals, some are humans, some are things he can’t even begin to understand. His eyes rapidly bounce from one character to another. He dismisses most because he doesn’t recognize them. One he does recognize, though, is a little yellow fellow he remembers from his youth.

“Pikachu,” says Reigen, exhausted. “Pikachu will be my main.”

.

Step 2: Buy the video game

Reigen fails to realize that he doesn’t just need the game, but the console as well. When he walks into the electronics store and comes out with a bill of over 39000 yen, he definitely doesn’t cry. Not one bit.

.

Step 3: Practice, practice, practice

Reigen stays up for several nights in a row practicing his Smash Brothers skills. At first it’s hard to understand the controls, but after a while, he develops his own strategy: button mashing. It works wonders, especially since he doesn’t know what most of the buttons do and randomly ends up summoning a special move of some sort at the best, or worst, times. In fact, he wins three to five out of the thirty matches he makes himself play every night, and he thinks that’s pretty good for a beginner.

It’s definitely worth the bags under his eyes and the office naps he has to take to make up for it.

“Did you not sleep again?” Serizawa eventually grows a habit of asking the same question and offering to take care of the clients for the day so that Reigen doesn’t have to, but Reigen isn’t a quitter and he never complies.

The conversation usually starts off as a small argument, escalates to a contest of who loves the other more, then dissipates when they give each other apology kisses before the first client arrives. It’s a routine that makes Reigen even more unsure of himself, but he brushes the doubt off in favour of starting the day. If Serizawa leaves him, he’ll just have to deal with it.

If Serizawa leaves him, he’ll just go back to being alone again. It wouldn’t be any different from how he’s lived his life so far. It wouldn’t be any different.

But that’s why he has to win this thing, to stop that from happening.

.

The day of the competition comes fast. Reigen surprises Serizawa by asking to commute with him, then breaks the news to him on the bus ride there.

“I’m competing, too,” he says, proudly. “I’ve been practicing.”

Serizawa raises his eyebrows, looking at Reigen in disbelief. Then, his cheeks start turn pink and he smiles wide. He even starts laughing.

Wait, what’s so funny?

“What?”

“You’re adorable,” replies Serizawa, still shaking with laughter.

“Yeah.” Reigen crosses his arms over his chest, trying hard to suppress his own smile. “We’ll see how adorable I am when I win and you lose.”

“Oh?” Serizawa stops laughing to raise his eyebrows. “Are you trying to impress me?”

Reigen knows that his boyfriend can sense his aura, but he chooses to dismiss that fact. “Of course not.”

“So, you’re not competing just so you can win and I can see how good you are at Smash?”

“Definitely not.”

“That’s not what you just implied?”

“Nope.”

“Well, can I have a kiss?”

“No—” Reigen pauses, then bumps shoulders with Serizawa. “Hey, you did that on purpose!”

Serizawa chuckles, unable to contain himself. “Sorry, sorry.”

But Reigen’s not upset. If anything, he’s happy to see Serizawa smiling. It’s been his top priority since they started dating, and he thinks it will be until the day he dies. He watches him with obvious adoration in his eyes.

They share a kiss on the bus, right before their stop, then rush off in anticipation for the competition.

.

Reigen loses.

He doesn’t just lose, though. If he just lost he wouldn’t be so sour about it. He loses and he gets last place out of fifty players. It shell-shocks him so much he shamefully shuffles out the door the moment the winners are announced.

Serizawa ends up in the top ten at a whopping ninth place. He stays behind after the awards are given out to talk to the other players and ask them about their strategies. When he’s finished, he looks around the still-crowded cinema for Reigen, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Had he left without him? They hadn’t planned to commute home together anyway, so he’s not upset. If anything, he’s concerned.

He decides to send him a text: ‘Hey, I’m grabbing food with a couple of people. My dudebro has a flight tomorrow so we’re wishing him goodbye.”

Reigen reads the message and doesn’t respond.

.

“I knew I’d find you here.”

Later that night, when Serizawa still hasn’t heard from Reigen, he searches for him and inevitably finds himself at Happy Trails bar, AKA his boyfriend’s favourite place to grab a drink. Just as he thought, he finds Reigen propped up on a barstool with a lemon sour in his grasp.

“Yeah, well.” Reigen doesn’t really know what to say. His drink isn’t alcoholic, but he feels an unfamiliar bitterness seeping into his mood anyway.

Serizawa approaches, rounds Reigen and grabs the seat next to him. He shakes his head when he’s offered a drink by the bartender, never having been one for alcohol.

“What’s the matter?” Serizawa tilts his head and turns his attention to Reigen, trying to meet his gaze. But Reigen won’t let him.

Instead, he idly watches the ice cubes dance in his drink. “Aren’t you supposed to be with your dudebro?” The jealousy overflows from every word that leaves Reigen’s mouth, spilling all over his question. It would have been funny if Serizawa didn’t actually care for Reigen and want the best for him. Seeing him tipsy and sad breaks his heart.

“Actually, my dudebro is going back to America tomorrow,” says Serizawa, matter-of-factly. “He was only visiting for the competition.”

Reigen glances to the side at Serizawa. “Oh.” He visibly deflates, guilt rushing through him to compliment his jealousy. The fact that Serizawa’s new friend is leaving makes him feel even worse. Why’s he so upset about someone temporary?

“But we’re keeping in touch through Discord and stuff.”

“Oh,” Reigen says again. He suddenly doesn’t feel so guilty anymore.

“Hey, tell me what’s the matter.” Serizawa moves his hand to place it over his boyfriend’s. It’s enough to get Reigen to look at him and catch the concern in his gaze. If he didn’t care, Reigen thinks, then he wouldn’t have come here.

“Wouldn’t it make you happier to be with someone who has similar interests to you?”

That’s it. It’s finally out there for both Serizawa and Reigen to ponder over together rather than apart. The truth is, Serizawa’s thought about it before. He’s thought about what his life would be like if Reigen was a gamer. If they were able to go back to his apartment every night and fall asleep playing Smash Brothers or stay up late for the latest Splatfest. But every time he thinks about it, he realizes that nothing would change. Either way, he’d still love Reigen as much as he always has.

“But we do have similar interests,” Serizawa says, thoughtfully. He scratches his chin with his free hand. “We have the office, we have Mob and his friends.”

Then, with a small smirk, he adds: “We’re both psychic.”

Reigen snorts, finally cracking a smile. “I guess we are, aren’t we?”

Serizawa nods his head, smiling too. They both sit there for a moment, welcoming the silence that insists on falling between them. It’s not awkward or tense; it hugs them like a good friend.

“We don’t—”

“I’m sorry—”

Serizawa turns into an apologetic mess as Reigen laughs. “It’s okay, you go.”

“No, no, you first.”

Reigen laughs again and Serizawa, though he’s sweating profusely at the mishap, can’t help but smile. His boyfriend’s seemed so tense the past week, it’s nice to see him laugh a little.

“I just want to apologize for being so stubborn about this. You’re allowed to have friends, Serizawa. I shouldn’t have let it affect me as much as it did.” Reigen fidgets with his fingers, which are now cold from the drink. Serizawa only ever sees him so nervous when he’s being truthfully genuine, which on its own is a rare occurrence.

He feels his heart tug in his chest. Reigen always knows what to say to make him feel stable again, to make him feel like the world isn’t crumbling at his feet. “Thank you,” he says, grateful. “You know I love you, right?”

Reigen swallows hard. The L world is still heavy between them. It doesn’t feel natural, it’s not easy to say, but that’s only because they’re both so sure about it. The sureness behind the word is suffocating, but Reigen reaches for the chance to grasp it every chance he gets because he doesn’t want to lose that stability.

“I know. I love you, too,” he mumbles bashfully.

“And we don’t— Our interests don’t have to all be the same. I’ll still— You’re still my boyfriend even if they’re not.” Serizawa’s eyes are bouncing off the walls, avoiding any possibility of making eye contact. Reigen understands, but he doesn’t say anything until he’s sure Serizawa is finished so as not to jar him. Then he puts his free, cold hand on top of Serizawa’s, sandwiching it between his palms.

“Thanks, Katsuya.”

Serizawa beams, relieved that Reigen’s able to understand his mess of words. They take a moment to lovingly gaze into each other’s eyes, hearts warm and smiles wide. Reigen’s eyelashes flutter in a way that makes Serizawa blush hard before he’s hit with the cruel reality that Reigen’s not fluttering his eyelashes. He’s just trying to stay awake.

Thump!

Before Reigen’s head can fall into Serizawa’s lap, a psychic aura wraps around his upper body and cradles him carefully. The esper breathes a sigh of relief.

This is going to be a long night.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Modern Day Fairytale

Summary: You had been best friends with Jaehwan forever and somehow grown feelings for him. Would bad timing and miscommunication ruin your chances of a happily ever after?

Characters: Kim Jaehwan x reader

Genre: angst, fluff, university au, friends to lovers

A/N: Requested by anon. Originally I was going to do this in two parts, but it flowed nicely as one, so I hope the anon who requested this doesn’t mind! Also I added in only the hyung line from Wanna One due to the setting I placed this story in.

Word count: 3716

You had no idea when it had happened.

There was no clear cut signal that alerted you to the change within your friendship with Jaehwan, and you wish there had been one, just so you could prepare your heart and mind for enduring this unexpected crush.

You had grown up together, from bickering neighbours as children, through the turbulent ride of your teenage years, to now being young adults; every thing had been done with Jaehwan at your side.

He was the reason you smiled from his infectious laughter, the person who helped you dry your tears, your study buddy, your boredom buster, the one who knew all your secrets and fails in life, and had been the first to congratulate you on all your successes. He was more than a friend, and now, he was someone you realised you had feelings for.

It was disorientating to have your understanding of his place in your world turned upside down.

At first you decided to ignore it. He was after all, three years younger than you, and so whilst you were finishing up with university, he was just beginning. Soon your life would hold further expectations, none in which his world was ready for. With this solution in place you attempted to continue on, paying no mind to the fluttering in your stomach when Jaehwan greeted you on campus. But this was easier said than done. Even in university, you spent a lot of time together, studying in the library or grabbing dinner when your schedules permitted it, and because you both had the same large group of friends, you crossed paths at events frequently, even if you didn’t know the other would be there. Soon it became impossible to think about anything but grabbing his warm hand within your own and leaning into his side like you used to when things were platonic. Unlike back then, there would be more emotion involved and it was becoming dangerous, a couple of times you had almost slipped up and told him how you felt.

Your solution had been temporary, like a bandaid over a gaping wound, and the more you left the bandaid there, the more you knew it was going to hurt when it came off.

So your next phase was to avoid him. If you didn’t see Jaehwan, then you could deny the feelings steadily growing for him. Initially this solved a lot of your issues. You felt like you could breathe more easily on campus, knowing Jaehwan’s schedule well enough to alter your own so you wouldn’t cross paths each day. You also began declining your friend Seongwoo’s offers to join him, Minhyun and Daniel on Friday nights, knowing Jaehwan would generally join them. But soon it began to impact your psyche, you were stressed, trying to maintain your grades as well as your stealth tactics on campus was exhausting. Not to mention when you actually messed up the timing and saw your best friend, it was far more heart crushing than you expected it to be. You’d be a lost cause for a couple of days after. And to make things worse, your classmate and good friend Sungwoon who you had been spending more time with became difficult to be around, he now had a girlfriend and all he did was gush about how great dating was.

So you were alone, and miserable, aching for Jaehwan more than ever.

The only step left was to tell him. You spent a considerable amount of time trying to decipher how to confess to him in a way that wouldn’t hinder your friendship. The longer you mulled, the more apparent it became that there was three ways it could go. One, he miraculously had feelings he’s never mentioned before either, and it ended happily ever after. But since you weren’t a princess, or gone through hell and lost your family and was now being courted a Prince Charming, you knew that was unlikely to be the case. Next was the awkward stage where he would laugh it off and tell you it wasn’t going to affect your friendship, but at the same time you both drifted apart due to the tension of your unreciprocated feelings. And three, well you didn’t want to believe you could lose Jaehwan for good, and the idea of even considering this as an option sent you into despair.

You realised telling him would have some implications that you seriously weren’t ready for.

So it came as a surprise when he sought you out first, arriving on your doorstep one night with a grin and a bag of beer cans. You always knew what that meant, something was up and he needed you to help him through it. You figured it might be a perfect night to air out your feelings and accepted Jaehwan’s offer, taking the bag of beer as he shrugged off his coat and followed you into your tiny living space and sat down.

“So I haven’t seen you around much, noona.”

“Mm, I’ve been rather busy,” you said weakly, readily grabbing the alcohol and opening one can for Jaehwan and then one for yourself. You clunked the cans together in toast before each taking a drink.

“You never used to be busy for me, I’m hurt,” he admitted with a whine and you couldn’t help but smile at his pout.

“I’m sure you’ve survived.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something,” he mentioned, placing his can down on the small table between you both and smiling graciously.

You leaned back and shook your head. “I don’t like that look. It means trouble.”

“No, no, no!” He waved his hands in disagreement, and soon his cheeks were flushing with colour. The reaction confused you, knowing Jaehwan didn’t embarrass that easily, especially around you. Since growing up together, nothing was sacred between each other and you had heard it all.

You had to admit you were hopeful and curious by his blushing. You chewed at your bottom lip lightly, gesturing for Jaehwan to speak up.

“Okay, so you’re a girl.”

“Last time I checked.”

“And you know a lot about being a girl,” he continued, his expression becoming earnest. You frowned. He cleared his throat and let out an awkward laugh.

Your heart was thumping in your ears by now, and the anticipation you felt was overwhelming. You swallowed. “Just spit it out, Jae.”

“There’s this girl I like, and I want to ask her out.”

Please let this be my happily ever after, you pleaded inwardly, your eyes widening at his statement. Your brain flooded with attempts to connect feelings and situations, that you almost missed what he said next.

“I was wondering if you could help give me some tips?”

You instantly wished you hadn’t of let him in the door earlier on. Your world crashed down around you, and your inner critic began to laugh manically at your thought that it could actually be you Jaehwan wanted.

You had never felt so stupid in your entire existence.

Jaehwan was waiting, an awkward laugh soon falling from his lips. “Y/N? Don’t be so shocked, I know it’s crazy to think I like her too. She just joined our class as a transfer student. She lived over in Canada for some time too, so she’s well versed in different cultures, so I’m unsure what is the proper way to confess to someone like her.”

You didn’t respond, your mind feeling numb. Jaehwan reached over to shake you and you jumped back, hitting your knee on the table. The pain wasn’t anything like what you were experiencing in your heart right now and you ignored his questioning if you were alright. There was nothing right with this situation.  

“Y/N? Can you help me? Please say yes, you’re the most important person in my world. It would mean everything if you could.”

You stared back at him, nodding once. You were unable to join in with his cheerful cries of gratitude, and you barely acknowledged his animated conversation afterwards.

Because the person you had fallen in love with didn’t like you, and now you only had one option left – to let go.

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

Jaehwan had been thankful for your help initially. After all, he trusted you the most, and knew you would put everything into helping him, like you always had. You had been a dependable pillar throughout his entire life, supporting all of his crazy ideas, or reproaching him in ways to help him grow up well. To him he had idolised you ever since he was a child when your red ball was cooler than his blue one and you had let him play with it. To not have your guidance when he needed it the most would be the most difficult thing to face.

And so he was relieved you hadn’t let him down.

At first he just asked for your advice, writing down notes as you told him things that girls liked. It was intriguing from a male standpoint as well as your best friend. He noted when you blushed over some concepts compared to others, making him smile and wish that someone would make those ideas come into fruition for you as well. It also made him wonder how your brain ticked further. You never had a distinctive gender role in your friendship, since you had known each other for so long and you hung out with a lot of his male friends, you never really stood out overtly as a girl to him. But he wasn’t blind to it either, during puberty when your body had begun developing and you had grown into your curves, he had a few stints of being awestruck by you. He knew he would take the sins he had fantasised with you as an adolescent to the grave. But now as an adult, although he appreciated whenever you wore a dress, he never gave it a seconds thought.

Until now.

He was unsure how he had never realised how feminine you were. As you described some scenarios in full detail he could tell they were desires you had, and he tried to recall if it was from memory or a want to fulfil. You hadn’t really dated all that much that he was aware of and it had been custom for him to be your Valentine each year, both of you watching comedies and gorging on junk food together every time. So Jaehwan was confused, had you always been this interested in the little details and he had never bothered to delve deeper as a friend, or were you just doing research on his behalf? Since you were good at studying, even taking the effort to learn some of his own music theory to help him at times, he decided it was the latter, attempting to find comfort in not thinking of you to be that in-depth with your emotions.

But there was a small part of him that was uneasy; there was more to you than he had known. And for some reason the more time you spent discussing how to help him, the sessions were now spent internalising you as a person, as opposed to taking his notes.

He didn’t know why he was more interested in understanding you than getting your advice to help his confession be successful.

So it came as relief to him when you started mentioning you were suddenly busy. He had been slowly using some of your advice with Sora, the exchange student, and was pleasantly surprised by how receptive she was, but instead of this spurring him to press you for further details; Jaehwan was content in allowing your own time back for whatever was keeping you busy.

That was, until he found out what you were doing.

“Mm, I set her up with him,” Jisung confirmed one afternoon, glancing at Jaehwan and frowning. “Why aren’t you happy about this? We’ve all said that one day Y/N would find her desire to date.”

“She’s supposed to be helping me, not herself,” he complained, Jisung’s face scrunching up at Jaehwan’s pettiness. He noted it and sighed. “Hyung, what if he’s not good for her?”

“Then we both know Y/N is strong enough to turn him down. Besides, I didn’t just send her off to any guy; this person is someone I’ve known for some time, okay.”

“Tell me about him! What’s so special about him?” Jisung shook his head, smiling lightly to himself. It irked Jaehwan greatly and he folded his arms across his chest. “Oh what hyung?!”

“Why are you so invested in knowing? She might be your best friend, but she’s also at the age now that she’s got to start thinking more.”

“More as in how?”

Jisung prodded his friend and tilted his head. “Honestly, use your brain Jae. She’s moving onto the next chapter in her life. You can’t expect her to wait until you’re ready to be on the same playing level like she always has. It’s different for girls. If Y/N waits too long for marriage and babies, she’ll only get slack for it from everyone. So it’s natural she starts dating now, right?”

The feeling in Jaehwan’s stomach didn’t agree with what his older friend was saying, though he nodded his head softly.

He hadn’t realised just how much he didn’t want things to change.

  You were busy for sometime. Jaehwan watched from afar as you went on countless blind dates, frustrated that you were throwing yourself into dating so desperately. It made him angry with you, not only had you ditched helping him, but now you were acting in a way he had never expected from you. And he didn’t know how to approach you about it.

He was annoyed at himself too. Jaehwan believed it was due to his insistence to know how the female mind worked that had created the fuel for you to be distancing yourself away from him and your friends, trying to find the elusive Mr Right. He felt neglected by you, and as the weeks went by he was so sour, that your behaviour was interrupting his way of living.

The tip of the iceberg that sent him overboard was when Sora ended up dating another student because he was so invested in disapproving what you were up to. He was furious, and this had him banging on your door later that evening, hitting it until you opened it suddenly in the middle of a further knock.

You eyed him warily, stepping aside silently to let him inside. Glancing around your studio apartment, Jaehwan noticed an outfit laid out upon your bed and strode up to it, snatching it up within his fist. “Again?!”

“Yah, Kim Jaehwan, what the hell?!”

“Answer me, are you going on another blind date tonight?!”

“Why does it matter to you?” you snapped, yanking on the dress in his hand. He didn’t budge. “Jaehwan!”

“You’re not going!”

“What?! You cannot stop me!”

He nodded promptly. “Yes I can and I will!”

“Let go, stop acting like a child! Why are you even here?!” You attempted to pull on the fabric some more but Jaehwan rearranged his grip.

“To stop you from making another mistake!”

“Mistake?!” you hollered and if he wasn’t so worked up himself, he would have shrunk back at your tone. You weren’t normally this aggravated with him unless he had done something terribly wrong. “What mistake?!”

“You don’t need to rush about meeting random guys in hopes to find love!”

“Oh no?!” you challenged, still yanking on the dress. “But it’s alright for you to come to me for help over some girl you barely know too? Why aren’t you focusing on that yourself huh?!”

Jaehwan shifted closer to you, glaring down at your verbal attack. “Because I’ve been so worried about you and what you’re up to, she’s found someone else!”

“Has she?” you faltered for a moment and he nodded. Your eyes turned cold again and you yanked on the dress. “Well I’m sorry but you’re not going to ruin my love life as well!”

“Why are you so hell bent on dating all of a sudden?! And why are you avoiding me?!” You didn’t answer, letting go of the dress altogether and heading over to the door. You opened it and gestured for him to leave. Jaehwan shook his head defiantly. “I’m not leaving until I have answers.”

“I have nothing more to say to you, get out!”

“Why?! Why can’t you turn to me anymore? Why does Jisung-hyung know more about you lately than I do?!”

You slammed your door shut and returned to his side, your eyes probing through his unnervingly. Jaehwan broke his stare first, but the steeliness in his dark orbs remained.

“Because it’s time for me to let go.”

He snapped his gaze to yours again, feeling a hopeless desperation wash over him. “Of me?!”

You nodded, a tear slipping down your cheek. Jaehwan’s resolve crashed then, much like his body did on yours as he hugged you tightly. It made you tremble in his arms and he hated that it had. He buried his head into your neck, inhaling you as if he hadn’t been aware that he hadn’t been breathing properly all this time. His arms held you even closer to him, and he began to feel more at ease with you there. It was making his mind conjure thoughts he had never considered before.

Like how well you fitted against him. How your smiles always made his heart warmer. How having you in his daily life was what made it worth getting up in the morning.

He had a surprising amount of clarity in that moment, unlike the weeks of discontent.

“Let me go, Jaehwan,” you whispered, and it was only then that he realised you were still crying. He shook his head and you choked on a sob. “Please.”

“I won’t let you go to any other man.”

“Jaehwan, I can’t keep being around you anymore,” you begged and he finally shifted enough to take in your anxious gaze. “I need you to respect my need to do this.”

“What if I told you I know a better person for you to date?” he heard himself say, his heart thumping erratically at how easy the words fell from his mouth.

“Who?” you asked tiredly, avoiding his gaze.

“Me.”

It took some time for your eyes to travel back up to his, but when they did they were wide with emotion. He smiled and nodded once to confirm you hadn’t heard differently.

“Y-you?”

“I realised tonight why I’ve been so mad at you,” he started, smiling weakly. “How frustrated I’ve been seeing you go on dates. Why it irked me that you weren’t with me anymore. I barely had time to care about Sora, I was so focused on what you were doing.”

“I’m sorry Jaehwan about that but I-”

“It’s because I like us. And not us as in a friendship, but us as together.”

“I’m confused,” you admitted, trying to push his arms off of you. “And its better you stop there because I can’t cope with you doing this to me.”

“Tell me honestly,” he urged, capturing your eyes in his again and searching for the answers himself. “Why are you avoiding me?”

You didn’t answer, frozen to the spot. It made Jaehwan smile again, moving closer. He liked that you didn’t shift back, and so he closed the gap between your lips and his, softly exploring your mouth for the first time.

It was like an explosion went off within you both, and there was a surge of passion that overwhelmed you, your lips and hands demanding more of each other. Jaehwan backed you up blindly to the closest wall, his lips parting to let his tongue entangle with yours, his hands running up and down your sides, gripping at you now and then as the kiss deepened. And finally after what felt like a lifetime of imprinting yourselves into each other, you pulled away from him, panting heavily.

As he caught your eyes, he smiled widely, never finding them so captivating as they were now with the lust and love coursing through them. He then cleared his throat. “Don’t tell me that can’t happen again.”

“I love you,” you uttered, your cheeks deepening at the sentence. For a moment you appeared like you were about to take it back, but you decided to own it, making him fall for you harder. “That’s why I was avoiding you. Because I had been crushing on you for awhile.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he breathed, running his hand through your hair.

“It’s kind of frightening to tell your best friend that you like them.”

“Love them,” he corrected and you chewed at your bottom lip gently at how easily he had said that. It made him lower his head again, resting his forehead on yours, pecking your swollen mouth lightly. “I have always loved you, Y/N.”

“Really?”

“Mm.” He chuckled lightly. “As a friend up until now.”

“And that’s changed?” you asked tentatively. It made him laugh, considering just how in-depth you had been exploring each other’s mouths just before. You cringed meekly, grasping onto his train of thought. “I guess I always wanted the happily ever after with you, but since I’m no princess, I convinced myself it couldn’t happen.”

Jaehwan kissed your forehead before hugging you again. “I can’t give you any promises; I mean I’m no prince myself. But I’m sure we’ll be very happy from here out right? The best of both worlds, as best friends, and lovers.”

“Lovers?” you repeated, pulling your head out of his chest to look up at him. Your cheeks were tinged pink again. “You’re thinking that far ahead?”

Jaehwan smirked. “You have no idea where my brain has gone over your body in the past, but I’m sure looking forward to seeing if those fantasies live up to how good they once were.”

“Kim Jaehwan!” you cried, slapping his arm lightly, but accepted his incoming kiss all the same.

And he could tell you were ready to experience all you own fantasies with him too.

[Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[vagrantblvrd]

All Through My Blood (1/1)

Summary: The job Geoff sends them on involves a gang that's been poking around the Fake AH Crew's territory. Nibbling at their defenses and Geoff can't afford to let it go on if he wants the heavy hitters in Los Santos to take the Fakes seriously.

Notes: Prompt fill for Anon who asked for Myan with this prompt: 96: “ Well this is just great. ”

AO3

The job Geoff sends them on involves a gang that's been poking around the Fake AH Crew's territory. Nibbling at their defenses and Geoff can't afford to let it go on if he wants the heavy hitters in Los Santos to take the Fakes seriously.

So he sends Ryan and Michael to the abandoned factory the gang's set up their operations in. Scenic, almost, the way it backs up against a scraggly forest struggling to reach the mountains in the distance and a little stream cutting through the whole thing.

Out of the way place, and it makes sense why they’re trying to carve out space for themselves in the city, but they’re going about it in all the wrong ways. Made the kind of misstep that has Geoff sending the two of them, which is a message all its own.

No wonder things go south on them so fast, paranoia being what it is, and they end up playing a twisted version of hide and seek. (The kind you play with guns and knives and whatever you have at hand.)

“Jesus Christ,” Michael hisses, snarl in his voice coming through loud and clear through the comm in Ryan's ear.

They were forced to separate early on thanks to the gang members being craftier than expected. Clever bastards who know the area better than them and have been using it to their advantage.

Some part of Ryan is reluctantly amused by the whole situation because this was supposed to be an easy job, or so Geoff had claimed.

Told them all they had to do was come out here and have a chat – an actual chat – because they’d just come off a little scuffle with a rival crew. Didn’t need to get into shit with another one so soon afterward when there had been minor injuries on their side and they were down a few until those healed up.

Too bad these guy didn’t get the memo, assumed Ryan and Michael were here for one reason only.

Michael had barely finished talking before bullets were flying and Ryan was hauling an annoyed Michael to cover.

That had been almost half an hour ago and now they're down to two rival gang members hunting them down. Ryan's managed to work his way back towards Michael, but there's still a lot of open terrain between them.

“Michael,” Ryan says, tracking a thug making his way towards Michael, barely ore than a dark outline in the gloom. “You've got incoming.”

Michael laughs, nothing amused in it.

“Well this is just great,” he says, voice calm.

Too calm, really.

Ryan closes his eyes, because he’s got trouble of his own nearby, can hear someone creeping through the undergrowth.

Michael laughs again, tired and a little resigned to this shitshow of a day.

“Hey. Think I could take him out by throwing my gun at him?”

Ryan's eyes open, gaze sliding left where a soft footstep sounds.

“I don't know,” Ryan answers, moving slow, careful as he slides deeper into the shadows. “You going to try it?”

Michael makes this little noise like he's considering it, and sure. He'd certainly surprise thee guy. Buy himself a moment or two before the surprise wore off and the guy reacted. Remembered he had a gun, and that Michael had just thrown his.

“Eh,” Michael says, and that sounds like a smile. Mean and sharp and nothing good for anyone on the receiving end if Ryan's any judge. “Why not?”

Ryan smirks, pulling one of his knives as his guy walks past. A beat, two, and Ryan falls in behind him.

He gets a lot of grief about his love for knives, but they’re a versatile tool for someone in their line of work. Amazingly handy in a situation like this where stealth is a vital component in their continued survival.

The gang member goes down easy, knife between his ribs and Ryan’s hand over his mouth to muffle any noises he makes. It’s over in moments, Ryan carefully lowering the body to the ground.

“Vagabond?”

“On my way,” Ryan says, moving fast and quiet. “The one who was following me had a bit of an... accident.”

There’s a long silence on Michael’s end, and then a quiet snort.

“Christ, way to make this creepier, you fuck.”

Ryan blinks.

“I mean, I get it,” Michael continues, so very casual and nonchalant. “The whole tall, dark, and creepy thing you have going on, of course you're going to say shit like that.”

It had been an issue, Ryan knows, when Geoff brought him on. The reputation he’d earned for himself preceding him along with all the ridiculous rumors that had cropped up alongside it.

Michael walking up to him, eyes narrowing as he looked Ryan over while everyone watched the two of them. Waited to see what would happen like it was the best damn show they’d ever seen, and the only thing missing had been the popcorn.

These days it’s more of a joke between them. Michael rolling his eyes at Ryan and his theatrics, crooked smile on his face.

“Look,” Ryan says, “in my defense - “

“Hold on a moment. Got a thing to do first,” Michael interrupts, and then gives Ryan a front-row view as to why so many junkyard dog comparisons are made when it comes to him.

A shadowy figure rearing up out of cover roaring as he swings a rotting two-by-four at the head of the guy stalking him. Hits the unfortunate bastard so hard the two-by-four breaks apart in his hands raining debris in a wide arc.

Ryan pulls up short and watches as Michael stares down at the man at his feet. Out cold or dead, it’s hard to tell, and Michael doesn’t seem to be in the mood to take chances.

Ryan watches as he takes the guy’s gun off him and shoots him, nice and clean and nothing personal.

And then he looks up at Ryan, eyebrow raised.

“Sorry, you were saying?”

Ryan shakes his head and picks his way over, feeling tired and sore and really amazingly done with this place.

“Nothing important.”

Ryan looks around. They’re a fair ways away from the gang’s base. He’s reasonably sure the gang’s base is somewhere off to their left.

Probably.

“You’re lost, aren’t you.”

“Shut up,” Ryan says, but there’s no heat to it.

Michael's eyeing Ryan, that crooked smile on his face again because he thinks it’s hilarious that the big, bad, Vagabond has a shitty sense of direction.

“This way, genius,” Michael says, and points a little to the left of where Ryan thought they needed to go.

“I knew that,” Ryan says, because he wasn’t that far off. Would have gotten there in the end.

Michael rolls his eyes, smile tugging at his lips.

“Yeah, sure,” he says, shoulder bumping against Ryan’s as he moves past him to take the lead. “Keep telling yourself that and maybe you’ll believe it.”

Ryan sighs, lips pulling up into a rueful smile as Michael laughs, clearly having heard him.

Not quite what he was expecting when he accepted Geoff’s offer to join the crew, but he could have done a hell of a lot worse for himself.

[padawanlost]

can you list some of your favorite anakin or obi wan quotes from books?

This is going to hurt, anon. But you asked for it so… enjoy :P

Obi-Wan turned his back on the open door. He climbed out of thehomestead and trudged away. The sand sucked at his boots. He felt the wind pick up in thesudden way he’d become accustomed to on Tatooine. Sand pelted his cheeks. This was his lifenow. To protect a baby who didn’t know him, might never know him. To have noone by his side, ever again. To be Master to none, to have his life linked tono one.T o coexist with memories that he could not live with. To have thememory of Anakin be like living fire in his gut. To get up every day, to stand,to watch, to live, when so many had died. And keep on walking. [Jude Watson’s TheLast One Standing]

Obi-Wan indulged in his own swift smile. Yes. Theywere indeed working in sync. And he realized then how much he’d missed this.Had missed Anakin and the way they could read each other without the need forclumsy words. They were a better team than even he and Qui-Gon had been. Andwhile he understood completely the need for them to unravel theirpartnership—not only because of the war, but also because Anakin was a JediKnight now, with his own responsibilities, still … he felt sharpregret. Working without Anakin was likeworking half blind. [Karen Miller.Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]

[Anakin] hadworried that Obi-Wan did not have room for him in his heart.But Shmi’s smile rose in Anakin’s mind. Hearts have infinite room, my son. Itwas one of her favorite sayings. Anakin sighed. He wished he could combineObi-Wan’s cool judgement with his mother’s goodness. Someday. Maybe his Masterwould trust him enough to let him tangle again with the Sith. Perhaps he wouldnever have a Master-Padawan relationship as deep and trusting as Obi-Wan hadwith Qui-Gon. Perhaps Obi- Wan kept his as a Padawan in order to fulfill adying wish. But maybe it didn’t matter how it happened. He should not focus onwhat he didn’t have. He had this. This was his. And that was something. Hewould work hard. He would be a greatPadawan. And Obi-Wan would come to love him. He would make him do so. [JudeWatson. The Trail of the Jedi ]

Anakin had always hated sand. It was one of the manythings about his Padawan that Obi-Wan understood better now that Anakin wasdead. That was the horror of losingsomeone: understanding came too late. [Jude Watson’s The Last One Standing]

Blade-to-blade, they were identical. After thousandsof hours in lightsaber sparring, they knew each other better than brothers,more intimately than lovers; they were complementary halves of a singlewarrior. This was not Sith against Jedi. This was not light against dark orgood against evil; it had nothing to do with duty or philosophy, religion ormorals. It was Anakin against Obi-Wan.Personally. Just the two of them, and the damage they had done to each other. [MatthewStover’s Revenge of the Sith]

 The suns had determined this at the dawn of creation.Brothers, they were, until the younger sun showed his true face to the tribe.It was a sin. The elder sun attempted to kill his brother, as was only proper.But he failed. Burning, bleeding, the younger sun pursued his sibling acrossthe sky. The wily old star fled for the hills and safety, but it was his fatenever to rest again. For the younger brother had only exposed his face. Theelder had exposed his failure. And others had seen it—to their everlastingsorrow. [John Jackson Miller. Kenobi: Star Wars]

Anakin was still alive in Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan wasengaged with him so intensely that he expected his apprentice to walk over oneof those shifting sand dunes and grin at him again. Or scowl. He’d takeanything. Any mood, any defiance. Just to see him again. [Jude Watson’s TheLast One Standing]

“A healthy slave is a slave who dreams of escape,”Krayn said. “That is what security is for,” Nor Fik said. “I amnot suggesting that you pamper them. Feed them enough to keep going. When yourship is struggling, you must conserve your fuel, but reach yourdestination.” Obi-Wan felt revulsion rise deep within him. Krayn and NorFik were talking about living beings as if they were machines to be maintained.You’re the one who doesn’t understand!Anakin’s tortured words filled his brain. His Padawan had been right. He hadn’tunderstood. He couldn’t understand the depths of Anakin’s feeling. As a child,Anakin had lived every day with the knowledge that his life meant nothing. Thathe was a possession, not a living being. Obi-Wanstruggled to maintain his calm. His heart cried out to move, to get on a shipand go to Nar Shaddaa. [Star Wars Jedi Quest Path to Truth by Jude Watson]

Obi-Wan nodded.There was something about this boy that wound around his heart.During the course of their missions together he had seen firsthand Anakin’simpulsive generosity, his loyalty, his thirst to learn. Remember, Padawan, thatmost beings are essentially unknowable. There are mysteries at the heart thatcan surprise even those who think they know themselves. Obi-Wan turned away sothat Anakin could not see his wry smile. Qui- Gon was in his head so often. Itwas as though his presence was so powerful that he could never die. Obi-Wan wasgrateful for it. He missed his friend and Master with a keenness that had notdiminished with the years. [Star Wars Jedi Quest Path to Truth by Jude Watson]

 There were tears on Anakin’s cheeks, he could feelthem. He wasn’t ashamed. He wasn’t goingto apologize to anyone, not even Yoda, for caring enough about Obi-Wan to weepfor him. [Karen Miller. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space ]

Anakin came awake and blinked owlishly in the warmcabin lights. “You were dreaming,” Obi-Wan said.“Not me. The ship,” Anakin said. “Or maybe we weredreaming together. We were traveling around the galaxy, seeing wonderfulthings. It was so great to just be free. You were there with us. I think youwere having fun, too.” Anakin held outhis hand, fingers spread, and Obi-Wan met it with his own hand. [Greg Bear’sRogue Planet~]

 What else had he done there?Obi-Wan didn’t know. He knew only from that day on, a shadow began to engulfAnakin, something Obi-Wan couldn’t penetrate. He had tried to talk to Anakin aboutit, but his Padawan had brushed off his questions. He realized now that Anakinhad begun to confide in Padmé instead. They had married in secret, and the marriagehad been part of the reason Obi-Wan had felt a divide between him and hisPadawan. If Anakin had told him of the marriage, he would have understood. Notapproved, but understood. He had been tempted once, too. He had loved, too. Ifonly Anakin had confided in him. If only … And why hadn’t he? Because Obi-Wanhad failed him. If he’d been a better Master, if he’d had more of Qui-Gon’skindness and wisdom … Anakin might have approached him, have felt free to saywhatever he was thinking or feeling …If …They had flown together, wingtipto wingtip. They had relied on each other. He was more daring when Anakin waswith him. Anakin had taught him how totake risks. But in the end he had lost everything. [Jude Watson’s The LastOne Standing]

 Obi-Wan reached out and closed Anakin’s fingers overthe stone. “I hope it will be with you always to remind you of Qui-Gon andme, of our deep regard for you.” Anakin’s smile lit his face. “I’lltreasure it. Thank you, Master.” [Jude Watson. The Way of the Apprentice]

 Soon they would be ending their journey together. Theyboth knew it. He had never had to bid good-bye to Qui-Gon as a Master. He wasstill Qui-Gon’s Padawan when he died. Maybe that was the reason he felt soclose to him still. He did not know if Qui-Gon would have left him with wordsof wisdom, with a direction to follow. Now he had no way of knowing what elsehe could give Anakin. He had given him everything he could. It wasn’t enough.Sadness filled Obi-Wan as they blasted into the upper atmosphere. He loved Anakin Skywalker, but he did nottruly know him. The most important things he had to teach he had nottaught. He would have to let him go, knowing that. He would have to let him go.[Jude Watson. Legacy of the Jedi]

Sometimes he [Obi-Wan] talked to him in his head.Arguments more furious than the ones they’d had. Talks in which he explained,Master to Padawan, why he’d done what he’d done. Simple words that managed tosay everything he’d meant to say, only more clearly than he’d ever been able tosay it. In these talks, Anakin listened and understood. Of course, he wastalking to a ghost. Anakin Skywalker was dead. [Jude Watson’s The Last OneStanding]

 “For Anakin,”Obi-Wan said at length, “there is nothing more important than friendship. He isthe most loyal man I have ever met—loyal beyond reason, in fact.Despite all I have tried to teach him about the sacrifices that are the heartof being a Jedi, he—he will never, I think, truly understand.” He looked overat Yoda. “Master Yoda, you and I have been close since I was a boy. An infant.Yet if ending this war one week sooner—one day sooner—were to require that Isacrifice your life, you know I would.” “As you should,” Yoda said. “As I wouldyours, young Obi-Wan. As any Jedi would any other, in the cause of peace.” “AnyJedi,” Obi-Wan said, “except Anakin.” Yoda and Mace exchanged glances, boththoughtfully grim. Obi-Wan guessed they were remembering the times Anakin hadviolated orders—the times he had put at risk entire operations, the lives ofthousands, the control of whole planetary systems—to save a friend. More thanonce, in fact, to save Obi-Wan. “I think,” Obi-Wan said carefully, “thatabstractions like peace don’t mean much to him. He’s loyal to people, not toprinciples. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to saveme, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him.” Mace and Yoda gazedat him steadily, and Obi-Wan had to lower his head. “Because,” he admitted reluctantly, “he knows I would do the same forhim.” [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]