#its something that has happened for years and truly saved my life during the worst times where just getting to work was awful
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fish-and-forbear Ā· 2 years ago
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PFFJBSHANSKDBANKSHCBDNSJ
Stood up after 20 minutes since collapsing after my first fairly hard walk in months and IMMEDIATE jelly legs.
Boys. What did you do..... xD
The power of Blind Guardian's newest album "The God Machine" just compels us so, I suppose!!! That and the trigger of "it's Questing time need to Power Through the Pain!! and FINISH THE QUEST!!! the sun is SHINING it is QUEST TIME >:D !!!!"
....... but the quest is just. Walking home from leaving the car at the mechanic ..... x'D
I really appreciate their enthusiasm and this is not at all unfamiliar, I have had this happen SO many times very consistently but never had a name or face to put to this experience. Now I actually have someone to blame (in a lighthearted affectionate way) and they feel 0 remorse. Which is fine because they're right, we needed this. <3
- Fisher
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nomoreusername Ā· 3 months ago
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The Fandom Versions of TMR Characters
The TMR fandom is amazing. It has a significant number of great people. It has some very talented editors and writers.
However, like every fandom with a good following, it has its issues. One of its worst ones is honestly one of the most obnoxious things one can have in my opinion.
It has awful mischaracterization. It's less of completely changing a character's personality and more of going off one trait and making that all that they are.
It feels like Thomas gets portrayed as an idiot who only asks questions or doesn't ever listen to anyone. He also gets called overrated even though he's the main character of the series.
We first get introduced to him when he's a Greenie with no memory (except for his name in the books). Of course heā€™s going to want to know what is happening to him. The Glader's start out revealing very little to not intimidate the Greenie's which has to be frustrating. While it is clear he wants to figure almost everything out throughout the series, that's a very human trait. Heā€™s also definitely not stupid. WCKD/WICKED picked him to work with them because they saw something in him. He is incredibly intelligent and quick on his feet. A lot of the time, heā€™s given no notice to make a decision. He just has to make it. Whether it's running into the Maze to save Minho and Alby, having to decide whether or not to go through with Newtā€™s note, or going back to the place that started all the pain and torture, he wasn't truly given time to prepare for such important and life-changing decisions. Despite this, he always did his best to make them.
Newt probably has the worst fanbase. I love him as a character. Heā€™s been through so much and is still doing his best to keep everyone in line and afloat which is extremely admirable.
The problem is that people water his character down. Theyā€™ll treat him as though he isn't a Second-in-command, the second longest surviving Glader, a suicide survivor, and resilient to the most dangerous situations.
Newt is not someone who would need protection. If anything, he was a protector. He would have to do things such as banish Gladers (his friends), to protect the other ones. He was a Runner before he got a limp. He stood up to Thomas in the movies when he thought he was just being paranoid, showing that even though he does love his friends, he isn't afraid to confront them if he thinks they are wrong. The way he still remains loyal to the people he loves when he does though, is another trait that deserves more acknowledgement. He went out of his way in the movies to hide that he was slowly dying in front of everyoneā€™s eyes and losing his mind just for Minho. He never expected to make it but didn't care. In the books, he lied to his friends about being taken to protect them from himself. Heā€™s so strong, self aware and beautifully written.
Minho is sarcastic and does have witty comebacks. However, heā€™s so much more than that.
He was the Keeper of the Runners. For around three years he was not only doing the most deadly job, but training others to do it as well. He wasn't allowed to have fear or be weak in the Maze. Not when the cost would have been his life. Something more complex about him is the way he covers up his actual emotions. During Chuck's death in the movies everyone else is allowing their tears to fall. However, he closed his eyes so he wouldn't cry. Whether it's because he doesn't want to cry in front of people or just doesn't want to cry is uncertain, but both are painful to think about. Another thing about him is very subtle character development. When he first gets caught in the Maze, not only does he give up at first, he at one point leaves Thomas and Alby behind, showing his intense desperation to live despite him wanting to stay realistic. In the last two movies we don't see any other instances of him being willing to accept defeat or leaving others behind. While he may have been given the tag ā€˜the leader' it isn't something that could ever or should ever be denied about him.
His bond with Newt is also something that honestly deserves more recognition. From the way he dropped to his knees in the movies to how Thomas didn't tell him how he really died due to how much the two cared for each other, they are nothing less than platonic soulmates.
Gally gets a lot of hate. Heā€™s seen as angry and ā€˜that character who killed Chuckā€™. In a lot of ways though, I think he's one of the most logical, relatable, and realistic characters.
While some people think he just randomly hated Thomas and Teresa, that's not at all true. In the movies, he seems civilized with him when they first meet. While his action of shoving him before he could go into the Maze may have seemed performative, the fear was most likely needed for Thomas to grasp the gravity of the situation. He can also be seen shaking hands with Thomas in Greenie night after the fight. In the books, he went through the changing. He was stung so he got some of his memories back the way Alby did. He told Thomas that he recognized him from those which was why he was suspicious towards him. His concerns were valid. Everything did change after Thomas and Teresa, and a lot of Gladers ended up dead. At one point, they had both worked for WICKED/WCKD. Something was up with them, the exact way he said there was. If someone came to my home and changed everything I knew I wouldn't trust them either. He cared for the Gladers and wanted the people he lived with for years to stay safe and be alive. He didn't want to just kill Teresa and Thomas. He wanted things to go back to how they were in a sense. He was afraid of leaving his home. He was afraid of change, the way so many people are.
He didn't kill Chuck. He would never hurt Chuck. In the books, WICKED had both him and Chuck under their control. In the movies, he was stung, meaning his actions did not belong to him. Even then, he was not aiming for the sweet kid. He was aiming for Thomas, who in his mind at the time, was one of the ones who had started him and his friends years of pain and suffering.
Movie Aris is my favorite. He is very sweet but the way people will describe him as innocent is wrong.
I do consider him and book Aris two different characters. So for now, this is strictly about him in the movies.
Heā€™s seen alone when we first meet him. His friends are gone, and people are talking about him like a circus animal so it makes sense why he wouldn't want to be around anyone. Heā€™s generally quieter than a lot of the main characters so he can get mistaken for just a background character. However, he literally got everyone out of WCKD. He never got any recognition for saving them, but he still did. When he does open his side of the door for everyone to get out there is at least one unconscious, previously armed guard on the ground, with his weapon now being held in his hand. This shows that he is capable of taking care of himself despite his at first glance passive demeanor. He knows to break the control pad to buy everyone time and books it. What must be less than an hour later, heā€™s helping take down Cranks with a single bat, also showing quick thinking from the way he knows to trip them so they could focus on getting away. Not to mention, heā€™s doing all of this after finding out his friend (and possible lover) is going to die. On a lighter note, we see his face light up and how much he talks with Sonya and Harriet when they all meet again, showing that he's not afraid of speaking to others. He just has a few and specific group of people he feels comfortable actually talking with, which is literally just being an introvert.
All of those are why he is not innocent or in need of saving. He knows how to look after himself and others.
That's just the basics of The Maze Runner fandom's mischaracterization problem.
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666writingcafe Ā· 7 months ago
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Meanwhile...
Mammon
I know I'm being stupid. I shouldn't be following Simeon to his room after he blew up at us in the dining car. If he's anything like Satan, I might as well start digging my grave.
But I can't leave him alone. I don't know why; it's just a gut feeling that I have. Still, my gut has never led me astray. And I'm not talking about when its judgment is clouded by greed, but during situations like this one. You know, life and death sorta things.
I take a deep breath before opening the sliding door. Simeon's back is turned to me, appearing to look out the train window.
"Hello, Mammon." His voice sounds eerily calm, like how Lucifer gets sometimes right before he begins torturing people.
I can't flee. I have to see this through.
"Dude, what happened back there? I've never seen you react like that, not even during the war."
"That is none of your concern." Simeon slightly turns his head to the right. "Tell me, why did you feel the need to bully Luke?"
"That wasn't my original intention--"
"Answer the question."
"I will, if you'll let me finish!" Silence. "Look, I believe he needs to be taught how to relax. He's way too uptight. I mean, he can't even take a little joke! The kid's a real piece of work."
"It's only a joke when everyone involved finds it amusing."
"Well, I can't help wantin' to tease him sometimes! In some ways, he kinda reminds me of myself when I was that age."
"Oh, really?" Simeon doesn't believe me.
"Seriously?! Don't you remember what I was like once upon a time?"
"A nuisance?"
"Naive, Simeon. I was that lost puppy. Cute, friendly, energetic, but incredibly oblivious to what the real world was like. I mean, isn't that why you guys are sendin' him to the Devildom and human world in the first place?" He sighs.
"Yes."
"It's almost been three years, and yet from this side of things he hasn't learned jackshit. He's still convinced that the way angels do things is the right way. He doesn't wanna even consider that he could be wrong."
"Oh, like you're doing much better," Simeon snaps.
"At least I'm doing something! You're just standing around and waiting for Luke to discover the world on his own. He needs guidance! And sometimes that means forcing him to experience new things whether he likes it or not!"
"And who are they going to blame when shit hits the fan, Mammon?" Simeon's facing me now, staring daggers into my face. "You were in charge of MC during the exchange program; what would have happened if a demon decided to have them for lunch during their first ever week in the Devildom?"
"The demon would get in trouble, obviously. But I'm not sure what this has to do with Luke--"
"Do you wanna know what else would have happened?" I'm not going to get another word in until he's done ranting, am I?
"People would have begun asking questions," Simeon quickly continues. "'Where was Mammon at the time?' 'Why didn't he stop the demon from eating MC?' And if you weren't able to come up with acceptable answers to those questions, your ass would have been on the line, because you failed to do your job.
"Oh, maybe you'd escape with a light punishment. After all, you have friends in high places that can bail you out of trouble. But what if you used up all your chances? What if protecting MC and ensuring they survived the exchange program was the one thing that would save you from a fate worse than death? What would you do then, Mammon?"
Oh my God...I knew he'd gotten demoted due to his lack of cooperation during the early stages of the war, but I didn't realize he was that close to being sent there. It's the one place in the Devildom that the Celestial Realm has control over, and it's usually reserved for the worst of the worst. The truly irredeemable.
And he's right. Being sentenced there is a fate worse than death.
"Simeon, I'm sorry. I...I didn't know." I walk over to him and tentatively hover my hand over his shoulder. He remains still, allowing me to rest my hand on there.
"Only Michael and Raphael do," he whispers. "They were the ones that offered me the guardianship over Luke. If anything happens to him, they won't show me mercy again, especially in light of them discovering that fucking notebook."
"You know Lord Diavolo would take you in." Simeon shakes his head.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my existence serving him." He pauses. "I'm sure he's a kind master, but he still rules over you guys. I want to be under my own power."
"What about MC?" The question slips out of my mouth, causing a corner of Simeon's to curve up slightly.
"That is an arrangement I'd prefer to keep between me and them."
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kotonoba Ā· 4 months ago
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ISYT (Jushiro/F!Reader) Ch. 53
Heart-to-heart conversation with reader's Zanpakutou during the initial attack from the Wandenreich.
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You were with Jushiro when the first initial attack began. Pillars of light arose from the ground up, & that was what ticked off Jushiro that the battle had begun. The first thing he did was to put you in the safe house within the Ugendo. His priority was to keep you safe, & you understood that. But you also prayed for his safe return, as he said heā€™d return in one piece.Ā 
You used what you learned to track his reiatsu, finding out that they absorbed the captainā€™s bankaisā€”four bankais were taken. After that, it was prominent that the captains started to struggle. The most notable one you noticed initially was Rukiaā€™s adopted brother. His reiatsu dwindled & danced on the tightrope. It was hardly noticeable, but he was still alive, just barely.
When Ichigo was announced to be coming to save Soul Society, there was doubt in your heart. Ichigo initially did beat Kuchiki-taichou, but heā€™s improved over the years; for someone to push the captain to the brink of death isnā€™t someone that Ichigo can easily win. Not to mention that itā€™s not just one enemy but a whole hoard of them.Ā 
Worst-case scenarios began popping up in your mind; those you prayed werenā€™t real. All you could do was anchor down the fact that you could feel Jushiroā€™s reiatsu. Although he felt stressed, he wasnā€™t in any danger.Ā 
ā€œStress is bad for the baby,ā€ you glanced up from your praying position. It was your Zanpakutou spirit that happened to solidify beside you to keep you calm, ā€œheā€™s not going to be in danger in this battle. Butā€¦ā€ he glanced over at you, ā€œyou already knew that, isnā€™t that right? After all, you rushed to achieve bankai without anyone knowing, spiked up your reiatsu, yet hid yourself as one of the weakest soul reapers in Soul Society so no one would be suspicious if something bad happened.ā€Ā 
You relaxed when your Zanpakutou stated that it wasnā€™t this battle that caused you this haunting feeling. If not this, then eventually. Perhaps you did prepare correctly, then, "Maybe. Maybe I truly am the manipulator, hm?ā€Ā 
Your spirit laughed, lying on the ground at that comment: " Are you still planning to go against the Natural Law for your husband if something were to happen?ā€Ā 
You gave him a sad smile, ā€œyes.ā€Ā 
ā€œThose who go against the Natural Law get sent to Hell. You wonā€™t be able to escape your fate anymore. You wonā€™t get to stay with him. Are you sure thatā€™s wise?ā€ It sounded like he was trying to convince you not to do it. But you were as stubborn as an ox.Ā 
ā€œYes, I canā€™t live without him. I would give him my life because he gave me his & gave me a happy family that I never thought I would be able to achieve,ā€ you continued tracking the reiatsu. Before you could continue talking, you felt the air dry up. This must be the head captainā€™s bankai. Itā€™s a dangerous bankai, but you could also feel that Jushiro was not in harmā€™s way, which was good enough for you.Ā 
ā€œYou know, if you wanted, you could command me to kill the Quincies. That would also be going against the Natural Law, but you might be able to stay with your husband that way,ā€ your spirit teased, using its reiatsu to block out the suffocating one.Ā 
ā€œBut that would make the Ukitake clan come out as a villain; housing such power without telling Central 46 is a crime. He has already stood trial so many times. I donā€™t wish that on him. Sacrificing myself would be a safer option if anything were to go awry,ā€ you whispered, your hand on your abdomen, ā€œsacrificing our child & I is a sin Iā€™m willing to take. A title Iā€™m willing to bear to Hell..ā€Ā 
ā€œChild killer? Youā€™d be notorious in Hell!ā€ he laughed, & you laughed a little with him, too.Ā 
ā€œThatā€™s a terrible thing to say, I wouldnā€™t say ā€˜child killer.ā€™ But a killer for sure,ā€ you hugged your knees close to your chest when you felt the disappearance of the Head Captainā€™s reiatsu. A tear streamed down your eyes, ā€œI guess the peacefulness that Jushiro & I prayed for just doesnā€™t last long enough. The rise of a new era.ā€Ā 
Your spirit hummed at that comment. Tracking the reiatsu was like watching the battle through a screen. You get detached from the actions & death, but they affect you significantly because these were the people you lived & worked with.Ā 
ā€œIt seems like the battle has ended, & your husband is safe,ā€ your spirit hummed, closing its eyes. Youā€™re always surprised that he can solidify in a more humanoid form whenever he pleases, though you werenā€™t against him doing so. But this is going to be one bloody war. I hope youā€™re prepared.ā€Ā 
You couldnā€™t respond quickly enough; he left on his own free will. You sat in silence, waiting for your husband to return. & return he did, but he seemed exhausted. You saw the stress & exhaustion leave the moment you went over to embrace him, ā€œIā€™m homeā€¦ Iā€“ā€Ā 
ā€œItā€™s okay. I know a lot has happened,ā€ you whispered. You wanted to help him relax first.Ā 
ā€œIā€™m just glad youā€™re safe.ā€
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Aries' AO3
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thefloatingstone Ā· 11 months ago
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In your artstream, you mentioned Saving Private Ryan being in your Do Not Watch list, tbh that film might as well be 2 films; one a short film of what happened at Omaha Beach and the other a film that follows the plot that movie is named after. The DDay scene has the worst of the film, and you can skip it with it having almost 0 effect on the plot
Yeah, it's the storming of the beach scene that got to me. I'm a history nerd as I've often said, and I like biographies and autobiographies a lot. So I've listened to and watched a lot of first hand accounts on things.
There's a scene during the D-Day sequence where a 19 year old kid has his guts blown open and is crying for his mother.
Right there I went "you know what.... don't need this fucking trauma in my life like this". Even typing about it is upsetting to me to think about.
I'd rather watch "They Shall Not Grow Old" which, despite being ACTUALLY WW1 footage, is less confrontational than a director lead movie specifically built to emotionally target the audience watching (which is a good thing let me be clear. It just means it is by its very nature designed to evoke an emotional response in you where real world footage is what it is regardless of how you feel or react to it. Which is an entirely different subject because I will never watch Rambo 4 ever again Because that one actually INCLUDES real footage which also permanently fucked me up)
It's difficult when you don't actually have clear cut triggers about things. So you can never truly prepare for when something actually does emotional/psychological damage to you :/
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my-fancy-hat Ā· 2 years ago
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Of all the what-ifs scenarious that been running throught my head from the moment I knew this was the start of the final arc, this is the worst of them all, and its implications terrify me. During the episode, I absolutely loved all the references and tiny appearances of everyone who crossed path w Mob at some point giving him a grain of encouragement through their support! (also props to Onigawara heā€™s finally at tone w the rest of the body improvement club yess) and we did see how much Mob had improved too, not only in his academic and physical abilities, but also in his confidence, management of emotions and morals. Mob from the first season would have never dared to ask for advice on how to confess to a girl, less call her to ask her on a date, and that makes me tremendously happy I'm so proud of my bebe. Mob has come a long way and the life lessons he has learned thanks to the help of his environment have put the boy on the cusp of his development, but what just happened in this ep puts, in some way I believe, at risk everything that has been built up until now, not only because ???% will destroy and put everyone around it at risk of life, is about the psychological and moral impact it will have on Mob. The reason why this story began was the desire to change and control his powers because Mob was scared of himself (due Ritsuā€™s accident), that's how he met Reigen and forged his bond with him. Now, in the aftermatch, when mob opens his eyes (I donā€™t think heā€™s dead first of all) and sees what he did again and who he injured this time, how is he going to take it? that all his efforts during these years were in vain as he caused a disaster harming his loved ones once again? that's stuff enough to disown your entire way as futile. I donā€™t see Mob deserting of it either but I hope that he has enough mental strength to forgive himself for what will happen, and I only hope that those involved do not resent or get badly injured from this situation, and with this I want to mention Tsubomi, who is the one who is most at risk by proximity to the scene. So far no clear answer has been given on how to stop ???% but if I have to bet on something or someone who will not obey reasoning and try to save him somehow it will be Reigen., and hereā€™s where I'm shitting my pants. Since Dimple died? dissapeared? I don't trust this series to keep the main characters well and safe less if thisā€™ finale and honestly I fear for Reigen, a lot. I donā€™t see him dying but Iā€™m still worried!!!!!Ā 
When it comes to the central theme of this final arc, and I hope I didn't get the wrong idea, it has to do with rejection/acceptance and authenticity; IĀ will be loved/accepted for who i am?. This topic highlights 3 characters on screen imo: Mob, Tsubomi and Reigen. Tsubomi and Reigen use social masks that hide their true selves., very uselful facades that helps them a lot to pass by throught day by day and gain peopleā€™s admiration and respect, but this convenient cynicism it only further isolates them from deep connections and genuine acceptance. Mob on the other hand, he is honest with his feelings, faithful to his values ie authentic; he did not deny or hide his insecurities or flaws instead he corrected them and improved them into a more kind and open persona: if Mob may to be loved he will be for who he is, not for what he should be. In this foil - authenticity representation between Tsubomi-Reigen vs Mob, I still do believe Tsubomi will reject Mob anyways (hunch) even if he did everything alright. You don't have control of who accepts or reciprocate your feelings and thatā€™s okay! thatā€™s one of the crude truths you have to learn in life and I see this is where is going. In regard to Reigen, he needs resolution to his struggles as they were bringed back in this very rare and open-vulnerability moment w Serizawa (loved that scene fr) ā€œif I were to show who I truly am, no one will be able to accept meā€ and thatā€™s, ugh I want to slam his face with the door (affectionate). Reigen has to overcome this anxiety/fear of rejection and express his true self especially to Mob since heā€™s the most precious person in his life. Also, this is gonna be the most difficult thing will Reigen do bc this is the one thing he's scared the most, to disappoint his student culminatting on Mob abandoning him uhuhj but no matter what Mob will always support and love his master and Reigen needs to know that! needs someoneā€™s acceptance as a first step! this incluiding his fears, flaws and mistakes. Now on how this is gonna play out, will Reigen have to do this orden to save Mob from ???% ? idk. At last, I want to mention that this is the perfect set-up for Dimple to come back and save the day (in denial). I canā€™t wait for next ep it will be cathastropic for my health
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choccy-zefirka Ā· 1 year ago
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SOPHIA LAVELLAN BEING ANGSTY AND REPRESSED FOR OVER 3K WORDS OH MY
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Religious trauma and the resulting existential guilt, fatphobia (both external and internalized), brief mentions of disordered eating and sexual coercion (not noncon per se, just "blue balls" style guilt-tripping)
GENERAL CONTENT WARNINGS:
Nothing much happens in this "story", as it's more character introspection/backstory info dumping with no coherent start or end, so this is not recommended for people who favor action and plot progression. In a similar vein, this is also not recommended for people looking for something new and refreshing to read, as I am falling back on my ultimate comfort scenario: the Inquisitor falling in love with Alexius.
Finally, do note that Sophia is based heavily on what I was like when my self-deprecation was at its worst, so she might not come off as very likable or pleasant to read about. I did get better, though, and so will she.
Through most of her life ā€” such a long, long life, it seems; a life that has left her terribly exhausted ā€” Sophia has always been aware of her size. Keenly so. Painfully even. It is hard not to be, when you are both a mage and an elf: the unfortunate amalgamation of two groups that are meant to hide away from polite company. Slink back into the shadows, behind closed doors. Take up as little space as possible. Do their utmost not to offend the delicate sensibilities of good, proper, virtuous human Andrastians by sticking out like an eyesore.
She tried not to be an eyesore, she truly did, especially when she was younger. But woefully, she stood no chance. Not when, during endless attempts to enlighten the young Circle mages ā€” and Sophia oh so wanted to be enlightened, to be shielded from demons by the Chantry's Word ā€” the Circle's resident Mother kept giving dirty glares to the quiet elf, hunched over her desk at the back of the class. Especially when the sermon was about the hapless, emaciated slaves that the Prophet freed from the wicked magisters ā€” greedy and gluttonous and engorged like ticks on blood.
After that, how could every morsel of bland Circle food not feel like a sin? How could the pinch of the standard-template, mass-sewn robes not feel like a righteous punishment for daring to have soft folds on her back?
So yes, every day of every year she's lived ā€” from girl to woman, ever older but, much to her despair, never wiser ā€” she has felt too big, too wide in the waist, with too much stomach and arm and thigh. Every day, every moment, save for one specific circumstance: when she is kneeling in front of a statue of Andraste. Like she is doing now, with candle flames flickering softly in front of her and Skyhold's garden murmuring something in wet dewy rustles behind her back.
When faced with the Holy Bride, when looking up timidly into that implacable white-stone face ā€” free of anguish and imperfection; free of everything that's wrong about Sophia ā€” she feels small. Like a gnat that has flitted in from the garden, lured by the candlelight. Like a speck on the hem of the Prophet's robes.
And this is not much of an improvement from feeling big. Least of all now ā€” when she is supposed to be the Herald of Andraste's will. She is supposed to walk amongst the faithful as though she were this pristine statue made living flesh, with a serene countenance, unsullied by the failings of common mortals.
But instead of living up to her role ā€” the honor, the blessing of following in Andraste's footsteps to vanquish an ancient evil ā€” Sophia is still mired in her pathetic... gnat struggles. With no victory in sight.
Since the day when her own mother staggered away from her, shaking, speechless, her widened eyes reflecting the demonic light at her daughter's fingertips ā€” Sophia has been taught, over and over, that all her thoughts and dreams are stalked by malignant spawn of sheer evil. That these otherworldly predators will use any faltering thought, every impure impulse as a chance to crawl under her skin and melt her from within in searing, bone-cracking pain, warping her into an abomination. A creature of no thought, no reason, driven by the sole impulse to devour and destroy, be it with fire or ice or whips of lighting, or even bare claws ā€” in as many different ways as there are different demons.
Her instructors seemed to think that her soft body made her particularly vulnerable to Sloth... But there is also Fear, which, despite her best efforts, continues to nibble on her heart with its rotting teeth every time she hears news of a new rift, and instantly starts imagining the poor commonfolk, screaming and colliding in panic and collapsing into contorted heaps of acrid charred flesh, as their homesteads go up in green flames.
There is Pride, the many-eyed shadow with steely talons that Sophia can almost feel on her shoulder when she does pull herself together, and addresses her followers.
A tightly wound, cutting string always twangs inside her heart when she takes in the upturned, awe-struck faces of all the people brought together under the flaming eye banner: soldiers tired of being pushed across the chess board by squabbling nobles when the heavens are raining fire and brimstone; mages committed to turning their dangerous powers to serve the light, against of the darkness wielded by the maleficars of Tevinter; simple farmers who may not know much in the way of combat but still want to make themselves useful; and so many non-humans, somehow inspired by her example... She looks at them all, and realizes that she's tricking them into believing that she is competent. That she can properly protect them.
If that were true, she'd have felt justly satisfied with her grand feats. But she is still a gnat, and posing as a mighty mother eagle, with so many faithful under her wing, is folly. Hubris. A delectable meal for the clawed monstrosity behind her back.
There is Rage, which smothers and blinds her with its bubbling white-hot froth, the instant she recalls what her enemy's forces did to Haven. How the Inquisition's first campsite crumbled to a whisper of ash in the wind, under the claw sweeps of contorted red lyrium husks and the beating of a blighted dragon's wings.
It is good to feel angry, Lady Vivienne told Sophia, for anger keeps you going when all else fails. A brilliant, shrewd politician, she is not as easy to fool as the trusting refugees, bless their hearts... But even she did not seem to realize that this wisdom is best suited for good, strong-willed mages like her; not struggling weaklings like Sophia. Someone who might as well have a target painted in her back, inviting the demons to dig in.
Particularly the one last demon that, as of late, has poisoned her soul the most; and given her the most reason to feel unworthy of her title.
Desire.
Perhaps the most repugnant, filthy creature of them all.
Never before has this demon has held her so firmly in its grasp. Not even she was a teenager, crying herself to sleep every night, helpless as a beached fish against the forbidden thoughts that snaked into her skull.
Like when the stained-glass glow hit a girl's hair, and Sophia sank into a floral, wistful vision of the two of them doing each other's braids... And perhaps... Kissing a little afterwards. Or when a boy stretched in his classroom seat, still drowsy after a long night of homework, smiling a loopy little smile ā€” and she sighed over how lovely it would have been, to doze off with her head resting on his shoulder and his arm holding her close.
Surely, none of those words were in the Chant.
Yet whatever inappropriate... fantasies she'd have back then, repeatedly putting her hard-earned goodness into jeopardy ā€” they are nothing compared to the current fog that churns within her. An endless spiral of want.
She can feel it curl and uncurl somewhere at the bottom of her ribcage. Scalding-hot like the afternoon air in the month of Solace, it expands towards her heart, and most disgracefully, down between her legs, whenever she thinks back to a certain pair of eyes ā€” brown as the noble wood of the Chantry pews, yet with a star-burst of silver around the pupil... Perhaps the mark of magic, like the bright yellow that drowned out her own natural Hazel.
And not just the eyes, shame on her! The narrow, slightly curved nose; the angled cheekbones; the thin lips; the intricate map of lines...
The face that first leered at her from underneath an ostentatious red hood, and then, after many weeks in the Inquisition's custody, started meeting her gaze with an unexpected softness. Most peculiar for... For a magister.
Still on her knees before the statue, still horribly small and lost in the night, Sophia plants her hands into the cold pavement and hangs her head, letting her long golden braid ā€” the one appealing part of her; the one trait that might create at least a superficial resemblance between her and Andraste ā€” fall into dust.
This is the most terrifying thing of all, isn't it? Of all the people who might awaken the demon, she chose to obsess over the most dangerous. The corruption of Tevinter personified. The man who almost created a future where the world was a poisoned skyless wasteland, with the earth crumbling right into the Fade's voracious maw, and red lyrium gluing together what was left, like congealed infected blood.
Not that she thinks he is still the man he was when she leapt into his nightmarish reality and struck him down. According to Dorian ā€” another strong, skilled mage whom Sophia will never measure up to; who actually turned back time, with demons and cultists closing in around him, while all she could do was quiver and retch into her hand ā€” his former mentor used to be different. Before the ominous stranger in Redcliffe came into being, there was a loving father and a devoted friend, a man whom Dorian respected above all others. Lofty praise from such an honorable comrade (who only respects Sophia because she plays the role of someone better).
And Sophia does believe that, if the change in the magister was the work of a demon ā€” Despair, if she were to guess ā€” he must have freed himself from its clutches. A feat she can only dream of.
She has been witness to that. She has seen inklings of his past self returning.
She sat in on a few of the lessons that the Inquisition allowed him to give to its younger mages ā€” as a gesture of good will, following his aid with the escape from Haven. She, for a handful of fleeting hours, lived vicariously through him, rekindling her impossible dream of being an Instructor at her own Circle... Perhaps in the healing arts, the one thing she is supposedly decent at; decent enough for the First Enchanter to disregard her repeated requests for Tranquility, back in the day. But how could she, in good consciousness, teach others when she can barely handle her own demons?
No, the most someone like her can do is observe while another is in charge of the lesson. Which she did, gladly. Too gladly for a truly pious Andrastian.
She watched the magister's every fluid, confident casting motion with baited breath, feeling something warm and frantic thrash against her fingers when she pressed them against her throat. Like a silly girl many years her junior might feel.
She gasped discreetly as a smile slowly touched his eyes after a tiny elf boy, barely older than Sophia herself was when she first came into her magic, all cheeks and ears, showed him a fuzzy floating speck in his cupped hands. The first smile since the fake mask of "politeness" the magister had slipped on during their equally fake negotiation for the rebel mages.
And she blushed like an utter fool whenever he'd reach for a book or a trinket he wanted the children to practice a spell on ā€” telekinesis, or size change, or a minor mending of some chipped-off part ā€” and his hand would brush against hers. And linger sometimes. Oh Andraste.
Sophia sinks even lower, her forehead now touching the ground between her sweat-slick hands. She cannot bear to look at Andraste's statue any more.
And that is not even the end of her shameful memories!
She also... She also came to the magister for counsel.
Most unbecoming for the Lady Herald, the supposed leader of the legendary demon slayers; the crux of the great and powerful inner circle, where so many allies could have used their life experience to solve her many, many problems. The diplomatic Josephine, the resolute, courageous Cassandra ā€” and, again, the brilliant and sophisticated Vivienne... She could have talked to any of them, instead of a captured Tevinter. But ā€”
But that is the whole point. They are her allies, dare she say her friends! If they found out how much she is truly floundering, how confused and overwhelmed she gets (even at her supposedly mature age) when she has to disperse agitated crowds or butter up disagreeable politicians... All while being an elf and a mage and looking the way she does ā€” it's like wading through a marsh with three boulders piled up on her back... If they realized how few rational, Maker-honoring thoughts reside in this foolish, floor-hitting head of hers, underneath the crown of matted golden hair... What if they were so disappointed, so let down, that they decided to rescind their friendship?
Sophia wouldn't bear it. She found little companionship in the Circle, even among her fellow elves, whom she once overheard whispering disdainfully about her, with their lips curled, their gritted teeth turning their words into quiet hisses. They called her "standoffish" and "holier than thou"... When all she ever did was try to curb her delight at talking to kin. Conceal it, lest the demons taint it as well.
There was one... notable exception. A higher-ranking Enchanter, who'd cornered her repeatedly in narrow corridors, placed his hand on the scrolls she was reading, lingered in her doorway ā€” and once she had no choice but to pay heed to him, implored her to lay with him. If a man's desires are unsatisfied, he said, he becomes possessed by a Desire demon. And we can't have a Desire demon loose in our law-abiding, Chantry-approved Circle, now can we?
Sophia has since gone back and forth between believing him (demons are, after all, everywhere!) and wondering if he made that up to get under her robes. But back then, there was no doubt in her mind: she had to save him! Save the whole Circle! And... And seize her chance at one of those exciting secret trysts that she kept hearing about, heeding all the rumors with an atrociously curious ā€” sinful, sinful! ā€” ear.
She was, after all, at her smallest back then, after pushing her dinner across the mess hall table, towards the gaggle of ravenous little apprentices, day in and day out; and running up and down the winding tower steps until her soles bled and her frenzied lungs pushed waves of prickly copper up her throat.
But it turned out that even her smallest was too much. And when her body spread free of the robes that had hidden most of the folds, the Enchanter was so disgusted, he could barely finish. Even blowing out the candles in his quarters did little to obscure the horrors: her kin can see in the dark.
The memory makes Sophia stiffen, trying to shrink into an even tinier speck at Andraste's feet.
The ā€” the point is... Being liked ā€” maybe even admired, if Ser Blackwall was not conspiring with young Sera to prank her when he said that ā€” is quite a novelty to her. And she is not ready to ruin this by showing her true colors.
The magister is... Was a different case. When they had just recently been enemies, it did not seem as daunting, to come to him with her foolish questions, her admissions of vulnerability. They had already seen each other at their worst; there was no rapport to ruin.
Until... Until "You had to deliver speeches at the Magisterium; will you proofread mine?" and "How do I keep this Orlesian lord from finding out I am terrified?" turned into "You will not believe the day I just had! How was yours?". And "I imagine this dreary weather makes you miss your homeland..." And "Will you keep me company as I check on the medicinal garden?". All accompanied by more accidental hand touching, more lingering glances, more scandalous daydreams, which clouded her eyes when they paused oh so impolitely on his lips.
Ultimately, the whispers of Desire grew too loud.
Oh, he has rolled up his robe's sleeves? Make sure you take in every detail of his arms! Do you think he also has hair on his chest? How about further down?
He is smiling again? Now imagine his face cupped in your hand, leaning into your touch! Imagine how his skin might feel under your fingertips; how his lips might taste!
What is this now? A tree root is blocking your little walk's path ā€” and he is helping you step over it; supporting your waist? Quick, an outlandish what-if: pretend that if he ever saw you ā€” all of you, curves and lumps and all ā€” he wouldn't recoil!
Ponder this, Sophia; ponder this instead of prayer!
...And she had to stop seeing him.
Not that it helped.
At least, she supposes, this proves he was not doing this to her on purpose; with... with blood magic? With whatever hypnotic snare he cast around Redcliffe, so that none of the mages could tell the true past from the new future he'd created...?
No, that wouldn't make any sense. And it is insulting even to consider this! He wouldn't! Not any more! No ā€” she is the only one at fault here, for failing to resist a demon. As usual.
At long last, Sophia musters the courage to lift her head up again. Her forehead is pounding, from all the memories, and from being rammed repeatedly into the indifferent, unyielding stone. She stares ahead with bleary eyes until the candles come into focus again, and wills her parched lips to tear apart.
"Blessed Andraste, Bride Everlasting, please forgive me for dishonoring Your name, for letting demons tempt me," she chokes out. "Please Andraste, I am trying to resist, to remain virtuous; I ā€”"
The candle flame lurches. A gust of wind, Sophia assumes at first ā€” but the whispering garden has fallen silent. Deathly still. The night itself seems as petrified as she is, and the two of them quietly watch the little golden tongues shoot upwards, much higher than their flimsy wicks should allow. First, a palm's length; then, a whole arm's, leaning towards each other, crisscrossing and intertwining, like the strands of Sophia's own hair.
She scrambles to her feet, terrified that the little chapel alcove has caught fire. But the flames do not ignite anything around them. Instead, they continue to wrap together in a joined dance, stretching like molten metal that's being shaped by a master smith... And before long, they take their final form. A translucent, reddish-gold silhouette, with a few features sketched in bursts of white fiery glow. The familiar nose, and eyes, and cheekbones. The thin thread of a mouth, smiling at her as the apparition reaches out its hand... His hand.
Sophia stumbles back, feet icy and throat burning. She recognizes this magic. Phosphomancy: the manipulation of light. At the Circle, they used to say that she also had a natural affinity for it, but she quickly abandoned the notion of learning more about it. And commanded herself to not as much as think of this vile witchcraft.
Because a phosphomantic spell was the first one she ever cast, as she'd perched herself on the kitchen table ā€” Andraste, she thinks she can still remember the texture of the wood, warmed by her own body ā€” while her mother scrubbed diligently at her human lady's tableware. She looked so tired, so despondent amid all her bleak drudgery, that Sophia decided to cheer her up. And, selfishly, cheer herself up, because it was not like she was given free reign of the humans' mansion, or allowed to play whatever games she pleased.
She was an eyesore even at that age ā€” a round, clumsy elfling taking up too much space. While the lady's prim and proper children, with their smart clothes (starched thoroughly by Sophia's mother and the handful of other staff) and with their perfect little round ears, were to be seen and not heard ā€” Sophia was banned from both. And since her mother would never allow her to help with chores, not with butter fingers like hers, Sophia was, more often than not, utterly bored. And everyone knows what Chantry says of bored children ā€” of idle children.
On a whim, without knowing how, she'd caught the oval flash of sunlight reflecting off a silver spoon, twiddled her clumsy pudgy hands, and made it sprout a pair of bunny ears. Hop, hop the bunny went, bright as the golden sun, on its way to bring a smile to the face of the overworked elven maid...
But Sophia's mother was trying so hard to be good, respectful help. A perfect servant. She had gotten quite skilled at keeping her head down. At taking, and taking, and taking whatever the humans threw at her, with their hands or their mouths. All to keep her great boon ā€” a job at an upstanding Andrastian household (words that she repeated so often that they are still burned in Sophia's mind).
So, far from smiling, she recoiled, terrified of the chubby imp that sat on the kitchen table. No longer her daughter ā€” surely, the lady would not allow someone with a mage child to stay in her employ. Sophia knew that, even as a little thing ā€” she could read that in her mother's horror-struck eyes. And her innocence was shattered, like the soapy wine glass that her mother dropped.
And now... Now the same magic is destroying the last remnants of her dignity. Her cursed hands have taken something pure and holy ā€” the glow of the candles lit to praise Andraste ā€” and twisted it into the likeness of the man that continues to haunt her.
"RAAAARGH!"
With an incoherent bellow, Sophia swats at the flaming apparition... Perhaps subconsciously hoping that the fire would bite her. That it would hurt. Because that's what she deserves.
But the magic dissipates before her fingers even meet the shimmering lines. The ghostly magister fades to nothing, with one final smile. And she is left with clenched fists, a heaving chest, and blotches of dust on her knees and at the tip of her braid.
In front of her, are completely innocuous candles, which are halfway to quietly sizzling into teary lumps. And not an inch behind, in the dark of the night, are all her demons, shoving and clamoring, stepping on each other's clawed feet. Rage and Despair are the most persistent; she imagines their paws on her throat, constricting her windpipe, making her retch out words that they put into her mind.
"I am doing my best!" she screams at the Prophet's statue. Still unmoving, still unheeding. Still so far greater than her.
"I have been doing my best for decades! If I had had my way, I would have been made Tranquil and become a Chanter! Your perfect servant! Good, respectful! But I am... I am me! A... A creature of sin!"
Her hoarse voice is still hanging in the air, a cloud of fine glass shards, when her stomach wrings itself into a knot. How could she stoop to this? Next thing, she will turn into an abomination!
But thankfully, the demons let her go as quickly as they grabbed her. And now, at last, she is aware of her size again. Too big, too heavy, filling up too much of this sacred sanctuary.
What can she do now, except weep?
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goddesswritings Ā· 4 years ago
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ā€œCan I slap her for you?ā€ -Ā  Corpse Husband | Part Two
Title: ā€œCan I slap her for you?ā€ ā€“ Part Two
Pairing: Corpse Husband x Reader
Summary: Being stuck living with the queen of YouTube drama and partying during the pandemic has seriously worn down your patience. Meeting Pokimane has changed your life for the better, making Among Us a pivotal part of your life.
Word Count: 5.2k
Unedited for now. I was eager to post. I will edit it later.
Corpse Masterlist
********
<< PART ONE
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After you left the apartment, you sat in the parking lot of some random store, trying to decide what to do now. Sighing, you opened your phone and went to Instagram. Corpse was probably wondering if it went okay.
Corpse: She left the stream, thank you!
Corpse: What exactly did you do?
Corpse: Sheā€™s sending Sean angry DMā€™s now.
Corpse: Hey, are you okay?
Y/n: Hey sorry, I had to pack. Iā€™m fine, happy to help get her out of the stream. I switched off the power to her office.
Honestly, you wished you could have stood up against her more often than you did. She was four years younger, so you should have been able to have the say in things. But no, Olivia was a control freak and a spoiled brat too. She would no doubt tell your parents you started a fight with her, and she felt unsafe.
Corpse: Wow, youā€™re badass. Packing for what?
Y/n: Um, she may have kicked me out of the apartment, and I may have left without a fight because Iā€™m tired of her shit. šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø
Corpse: Do you have a place to stay?
Of course you didnā€™t and you really should have thought about that before just leaving the way you did.
Y/n: Not really but I will find somewhere.
Well you hoped you could. There werenā€™t many people who were keen in taking in a friend during a pandemic.
Corpse: Pokiā€™s going to call you.
At that message, your phone started to wring and sure enough, it was Poki.
ā€œHello?ā€ You asked hesitantly.
ā€œSo someone let it slip that your sister kicked you out?ā€ Poki said calmly.
ā€œIs that someone, Corpse?ā€
ā€œYes, he said it out of shock but Iā€™m glad he did. Knowing you, you would have kept it a secret from me.ā€ She was right. You hated inconveniencing your friends.
ā€œDamn you, Corpse.ā€ You muttered making her laugh. ā€œYeah so I ruined Oliviaā€™s stream and she started screaming at me before kicking me out. I didnā€™t fight it because I am tired of her.ā€
ā€œUnderstandable. Well do you need somewhere to stay?ā€
ā€œYes but I will find some place.ā€
ā€œNope, youā€™re staying with me. Come over now or I am coming out to drag you back to my place.ā€ Her protectiveness made you smile.
ā€œSure, Iā€™ll be there in a few.ā€ You hung up.
Y/n: Thank you for looking out for my stubborn ass, Corpse. I would have never told her.
Corpse: Stubborn is one word to describe you. Cute is another.
That comment made your face heat up from the sheer adorableness of it. Corpse seriously just called you cute.
Y/n: Can I say you have a genuinely nice hand. Itā€™s marvelous.
Corpse: Hey, donā€™t make fun of my hand. It takes all the heat for me. That hand is very anxious every time I post him.
Y/n: Awe I bet. Give him hugs from me. Also tell him Iā€™m a big fan!
The easy flow of conversation between the two of you was nice. You got along extremely well and talking outside of the game was nice, since you could focus on what you really wanted to say to him.
Corpse: Heā€™s flattered!
This was great and took your mind off Olivia and the fact she just kicked you to the curb with nowhere to go. But Poki was there for you. You appreciated her more than she knew.
You pulled up in front of her apartment building, parking the car, you got out and grabbed your stuff. Typing in the code Poki had given you a while ago, you were let into the building. Entering the elevator, you made your way to her apartment.
Barely knocking, the door flew open to reveal Poki. She looked mad but also worried. She pulled you into the apartment and hugged you tightly.
ā€œCan I slap her for you?ā€ She asked calmly.
This made you giggle. ā€œI mean I would like to slap her as well.ā€
ā€œWe should make a plan. Hey, the group is still on, come say hi.ā€ She started to lead you to her office.
ā€œAre they still streaming?ā€ You didnā€™t want to reveal your face to the world, not like this.
ā€œOh no. We ended our streams when Olivia started talking about you. She completely wasnā€™t respecting your privacy and we werenā€™t about to let her spill it to our viewers.ā€ That was so sweet of them to do.
You had left your bags in the other room while you followed her. An idle conversation was going on when you entered.
ā€œHey guys, Iā€™m back.ā€ Poki took a seat in front of the computer, she pulled up a second chair. ā€œI have someone special here.ā€
Sitting down, you saw her nod for you to say something. ā€œHey, did you miss me?ā€
They went wild.
ā€œY/n! Oh we missed you!ā€
ā€œDonā€™t leave us again.ā€
ā€œIā€™m sorry I invited your sister to stream.ā€
ā€œHey Y/n.ā€
The mix of voices was overwhelming in a good way. Sykkuno, Rae, Sean, and Corpse pretty much spoke over each other which made you laugh.
ā€œOne at a time, guys. You canā€™t overload her.ā€ Leslie told them.
ā€œSorry Y/n. We just really missed having you here. Youā€™ve become one of our favorite friends to play with.ā€ Sykkuno said sounding as sweet as ever. That man was just the best.
ā€œYes, I can say we agree.ā€ Rae added.
It was nice to hear they missed you. It really helped to lift your mood as well.
ā€œDid your sister really kick you out?ā€ Toast asked
ā€œYes she did. But itā€™s not surprising at this point. Sheā€™s probably been gunning to kick me out as soon as she could.ā€ Sad truth
ā€œWell sheā€™s the worst player ever. She canā€™t keep a secret at all. I really should have never agreed to get her into the group.ā€ Sean said sounding sad.
ā€œHey Sean, please donā€™t worry about it. Sheā€™s always weaseling her way into things. Itā€™s completely not your fault.ā€ One of the things she loved to do was incessantly DM other youtubers for collabs or for free stuff. She really had no morals.
ā€œWell thank you, Y/n. Youā€™re literally the sweetest.ā€ Sean said earning a bunch of ā€˜I Agreesā€™ from everyone else. That really was helping make the night better.
ā€œWhoā€™s up for some more Among Us to relax after that shitshow?ā€ Lud asked making everyone laugh hard. It was agreed the group would do it. Luckily, you had your laptop and joined the call and game and stayed in Pokiā€™s living room to play. Honestly, it was so good for you.
**
At the end if gaming, you said goodbye to the group. Then Poki showed you to the extra room that used to be her roommates before she moved out last month.
ā€œHey, are you looking for a roommate?ā€ You asked as you put the bags on the bed.
Poki sent you a smile. ā€œI am. Are you interested?ā€
This was good. ā€œYes, I mean I still have to find another job since my main is still furloughing me until this pandemic gets better but I have some money saved up.ā€
ā€œHey, please donā€™t sweat it. Besides, I know a friend whoā€™s in need of an editor, I may have mentioned your name and she really wants to talk to you about it. Is that okay?ā€
ā€œWow, thatā€™s perfect. Thank you, Poki. Youā€™re such a great friend.ā€ It felt good to have someone there for you.
She pulled you into a hug. ā€œAlways. I am so glad I met you. Youā€™re one of my best friends.ā€
This was an honor. ā€œDonā€™t make me cry.ā€
ā€œI canā€™t promise anything. Anyway, I will leave you to rest. Itā€™s been a long night. Tomorrow I will give you my friends details.ā€
ā€œSounds good, night Poki.ā€
ā€œGoodnight, Y/n.ā€ She waved goodbye and closed the door behind herself.
Smiling, you sat on the bed. It was such a good thing that she was here got you. But also Corpse was the catalyst that got you to actually tell Poki was what happening. He was sweet and it seemed he was looking out for you.
After changing into comfy pjā€™s, you brushed your teeth before climbing into the freshly made bed. Opening Instagram, you saw that Corpse has messaged you.
Corpse: I donā€™t like being too forward but hey here we go. Can I please have your number so we can talk more easily?
A smile made its way to your face. For a tough man, he surely had a sweet way of getting to you
Y/n: Yes you can. xxx-xxx-xxxx.
The nerves jumped when you sent that message. Less than a minute later, you received a text from an unknown number.
xxx-xxx-xxxx
Hey Y/n, itā€™s Corpse. Would you mind if I called you so we could talk for a little?
You liked this idea truthfully. It only helped to show how genuine Corpse was being.
Y/n
Not at all. Please go ahead and call me.
Your phone rang, displaying Corpseā€™s name.
ā€œHello?ā€ You answered the phone while pushing away the anxiety.
A soft deep laugh filled your ear. ā€œHey sweet girl. How are you feeling?ā€
His words made you want to sigh in the most lovesick way. That never happened these days.
ā€œIā€™m good. Poki had an extra room I could crash in and well I might just be her new roommate.ā€
ā€œI love that. Sheā€™s so much better than your sister I assume.ā€
ā€œShe is. Here I wonā€™t have to deal with the incessant pandemic partying Olivia likes to do.ā€ That selfish bitch.
ā€œShit, is she stupid? She does know sheā€™s risking a lot of lives, right?ā€ You loved that Corpse had the logic you craved.
ā€œSo she is stupid, and her response was always that itā€™s not her problem and that the vulnerable people should stay home.ā€
ā€œShe sounds like the typical beauty youtuber these days.ā€
ā€œYes, she is. She has no morals.ā€
ā€œWell thatā€™s not good. I guess thatā€™s why her name keeps popping up all over social media. She really needs to be careful, before she becomes the next Tana.ā€ He was right but you personally thought she was past that point already.
ā€œItā€™s too late. Sheā€™s already passed the point of return with all of this.ā€
ā€œYikes. Itā€™s good you got out of there when you did.ā€ A soft but deep laugh was heard through the phone. The sound made you giggle. Hearing such a tough guy laugh the way Corpse laughs, made you feel giddy. ā€œSo about what I said earlier, I meant it.ā€
ā€œHuh, what are you talking about?ā€ You truly were a little lost by this.
Corpse laughed again. ā€œWhen I called you cute earlier. I meant it.ā€
Heat filled your face and a small smile made its way to your lips. ā€œThank you, Corpse. Thatā€™s really sweet of you. I donā€™t like to show many people who I am because they will immediately connect me to Olivia, and I donā€™t want that.ā€
ā€œI get that. I donā€™t show my face for fear they wonā€™t like me when I do. All my fans have built up this expectation of what they want me to look like and now I just donā€™t want to let them down. Plus itā€™s nice being able to stay anonymous if I go into public, but of course people will hear my voice and know. Shit, itā€™s hard.ā€
ā€œAwe, Iā€™m sorry. I saw what the attention has done to some people, but I think not everyone goes into that headspace. Also, I think you should stay faceless if it makes you feel better. There is no rule that says you ever have to show your face. People who push you to do it have no boundaries.ā€
Corpse was quiet for a while and you thought you had offended him. ā€œIā€™m sorry if I said the wrong thing, Corpse.ā€ You squeaked.
ā€œNo, you said the right thing. I was just thinking. Youā€™re right. A lot of people have been on me to reveal my face, but I never intend to. I want to be able to live my life without being swarmed by fans, or god forbid, them judging me by my appearance.ā€
ā€œWhich is really fucked. When I first appeared in my sister video, the comments were awful. They couldnā€™t understand how she was related to me, but I never thought I looked bad. But I guess they expected Olivia to be surrounded by people in her genre. It was so hard to see those comments.ā€ Thinking back to it, Olivia had even added to it. Telling you that you should have tried to look more like her for the video. You should have worn something more colorful and put-on way more make up then you liked. But you hated that. That wasnā€™t you.
ā€œI canā€™t imagine the things they said. Is that why you deactivated your twitter?ā€ How did he know about that?
ā€œOh, yeah. How did you know about it?ā€
ā€œI remembered seeing a story about it on YouTube last year. They didnā€™t show your face, so of course I didnā€™t know it was you. But I figured it out when Olivia joined the game tonight and she blabbered on about being your sister. Iā€™m sorry you received that hate. No one deserves that ever.ā€ His voice was calming you now.
ā€œThank you. Olivia seemed to add to it, as well. Fuck, sheā€™s just the worst person.ā€ Family definitely had the ability to be shitty. ā€œMeeting Poki last year really was the best thing. But also joining this Among Us group has been so good for me. Thank you for accepting me.ā€
ā€œOf course. Youā€™re a natural in the game but you also fit very well with the group.ā€ Corpse really hoped you believed him because this was true. The group had a whole conversation about it when Olivia finally left
ā€œIā€™m flattered. The Corpse Husband is telling me I fit in with him and his streamer friends. Wake me up, I must be dreaming.ā€ You knew his words were genuine because it was just easy to tell.
ā€œYou better believe it, baby, because itā€™s true.ā€
You stopped short when you heard him call you baby. Of course Corpse had used that word before but right now it felt more intimate.
Letting out a yawn you realized it was nearing 4 am. ā€œI appreciate it.ā€ You mumbled, feeling the events from the day seep in.
ā€œYouā€™re tired, arenā€™t you?ā€ His deep voice was lulling you closer to sleep.
ā€œNo.ā€ Another yawn broke through.
ā€œYou canā€™t lie to me, Y/n. Get some sleep and we will talk tomorrow.ā€
The words made you smile. ā€œThat sounds good, Corpsie. Goodnight.ā€
ā€œGoodnight, sweet girl.ā€ Despite wanting to stay on the phone, you hung up. Sleep was quickly coming in to claim you. You can happily say you fell asleep with a huge smile on your face.
**
Waking up was easier than it had been in a long time. Normally you woke up to Olivia screaming at you or someone else. So it was nice to wake up to silence. It allowed you to relax and wake up properly.
Your phone buzzed from beside you. A text from Corpse is what you first saw, so you opened it.
Corpse
Good morning, sweet girl. I hope the night treated you well.
Sweet and to the point. His messages made you think he had a thing for you. Well you hoped he did but he also could just be treating you the way he treats friends.
Y/n
Yes, I slept well and for once I wasnā€™t awoken by my obnoxious sister.
It would he good not to live with her.
Corpse
I bet. Hey I hate to be the one to show you this, but your sister posted this on her instagram.
He then sent a link to the post. It made your blood boil.
::::
There was a picture of her, she was holding up a ripped picture of you. A huge frown was on her face.
oliviaxoxo Itā€™s a shame when family starts to treat you like you werenā€™t the one to give them money when they needed it. This is my sister and sheā€™s a bitch. For the last few years, sheā€™s been the one editing my videos. Well I found out she was trying to sabotage me, so I had to fire her and kick her out. What a shame it is when family stabs you in the back. šŸ™ƒšŸ™ƒ
1,454,787 people like this
oliviafan23 Is this true? Damn, f*ck fake people.
queenolivia Sueeee herrrrr!
lovinliv Family ainā€™t shit. Spill her info so we can drag her.
sykkuwu Whoa, why are you spreading lies about your own family?
Ā  Ā |
queenolivia Why would you defend someone like that?
valkyrea Youā€™re such a sad human for doing this. Stop lying.
pokimanelol Letā€™s see, none of this is true. Your sister has done so much for you and youā€™ve never appreciated it. Get some help for this.
corpse_husband This is sick. No wonder your name is always blasted everywhere. Do your sister a favor and stop talking about her.
Ā  Ā  |
oliviaxoxo I donā€™t know why youā€™re defending my stupid sister, but that totally makes you not hot to me anymore. Ugh.
Ā  Ā |
valkyrea Uh, thatā€™s what you got from this. Wow, youā€™re not worth this.
Ā  Ā  |
corpse_husband What can you expect? The covid must have gone to her brain. Ā  Ā |
corpseandlivfan Whyyyyyyy Corpse, why would you stand up for her. Do you not realize how horrible Y/n is? Please tell me this is a joke!?!?
Ā  Ā |
Ā corpse_husband Well, sheā€™s a good friend of mine and I wonā€™t let people make up lies. So itā€™s not a joke.
::::::::
You were mad that sheā€™d even say this shit publicly, but you should have known she would. She was nothing without her group of misguided followers.
Y/n
Canā€™t say Iā€™m not surprised. This is so on brand for her. Thank you for sticking up for me. It means a lot.
Corpse
I would do it any day. She shouldnā€™t be able to get away with doing that to you.
Sadly, growing up, she did get away with doing the absolute worst shit and you always received the brunt of it.
Y/n
With any luck, she draws negative attention.
You clicked the link to view it again but instead were lead to a page that said the content was unavailable.
Y/n
I believe she just deleted the post.
Corpse
Oh, she did. Thatā€™s awesome.
It was. Olivia was never one to swallow her pride and admit any wrongdoings. That means she would never delete a problematic post, but she finally did
Y/n
I didnā€™t really read any other comments besides you and your friends and the top comments. I canā€™t imagine what her fans are really saying.
Olivia was completely okay with letting her fans attack people. It was seriously a huge mess. She fell into the category of YouTuber with the worst most entitled attitude.
Corpse
Itā€™s good you didnā€™t read them, because they were horrible. I canā€™t believe she would let her fans do that.
Y/n
Sheā€™s done a lot of shady stuff. This is even before she blew up on YouTube. There is a lot of issues between us.
There was a lot that could be said about your relationship with Olivia and none of them were good. Forever it seemed, you had tried to make it work and hoped your sister would grow up and change but it never happened.
Corpse
I think sheā€™s a vile human. From what I have seen and her complete lack of human decency, I just canā€™t help but feel sheā€™s just not a good person and she never will be.
He was right. She would never change.
Y/n
Youā€™re right. Hey, I have to go thank Poki for letting me stay but I also need to go back to that apartment to get the rest of my stuff. Can I call you when I get back?
Corpse
Yes, of course. Good luck heading over there.
Talking to him was pretty natural feeling. It was clear now that you were getting a massive crush on him. You had a crush on a man whoā€™s face youā€™ve never seen. You couldnā€™t help it though, his personality just meshed so well with yours. Heā€™d made you feel safe and wanted.
After getting dressed, you found Poki in the kitchen making breakfast. She sent you a sweet smile when you entered the room.
ā€œThank you for standing up for me against my sister on Instagram.ā€ You were truly honored this group of friends liked you enough to do something like this.
ā€œYouā€™re welcome. I couldnā€™t just let her say that and get away with it. Sheā€™s done a lot to you, that you donā€™t deserve. Corpse messaged all of us the minute he found it and we all jumped into action. Sean and Felix were getting ready to comment when she deleted it.ā€ She explained as she set a plate in front of you.
ā€œIā€™m so honored. Thank you!ā€
ā€œOf course, youā€™re one of us now and we will never let her get away with this stuff anymore.ā€
You could just cry with how loved they were making you feel. This is what had been missing in your life. Friends who genuinely cared about you and wanted to protect you from the nasty stuff Olivia was capable of doing.
ā€œWould you come with me to the apartment to get the rest of my stuff?ā€ You asked once the two of you finished eating.
Poki nodded. ā€œOf course I will. You shouldnā€™t have to go alone.ā€
**
An hour later, you exited the elevator on the floor where you once resided. Your sister wasnā€™t home, which would be good but there was a chance she could return while you were packing. But you would deal with that when it came down to it. The two of you quickly got to work, packing your life up into the boxes youā€™d brought with you. Luckily, you werenā€™t one to collect a ton of stuff. You mainly just had to make sure your clothes and makeup were packed up. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā 
You and Poki would fill boxes and pile them by there door, then you would take them down to the car when you acquired a good amount. In the end, you figured you would fill maybe 10 boxes which is actually not too many considering youā€™ve lived in that apartment for five years.
Poki had left to go take two more boxes to the car while you finished up packing up your last few items. The front door closed, and you assumed it was Poki, but it wasnā€™t.
ā€œOh look whoā€™s here? My lovely sister.ā€ Oliviaā€™s voice was flat and emotionless.
You rolled your eyes and turned to find her standing in the doorway, glaring at you. ā€œHello, Olivia. Iā€™m just packing my stuff and then Iā€™m leaving.ā€
ā€œWho said you were allowed to come back here?ā€ She grumbled, eyeing the boxes.
ā€œWell, this is my stuff and I have every right to come pick it up.ā€
ā€œIf itā€™s in my apartment, it clearly belongs to me.ā€ She snarled.
You snapped. ā€œCut it out, Olivia. This was my apartment too, until you kicked me out last night. You canā€™t just claim my stuff as your because youā€™re salty about me having friends.ā€ She was a spoiled brat, and you were done letting her get away with it.
ā€œIā€™m not the salty one. Everyone can see itā€™s you.ā€ God she was so annoying. You taped up the last box and turned to her. She held her phone in her hand. ā€œEveryone say hi to my sister. You know, the one I posted about earlier before someone reported my post.ā€
ā€œAre you live?ā€ You asked, keeping your face expressionless. Olivia would do this.
ā€œI bet some of you remember the few videos I did with her. Well of course that was before she turned against me and decided she was going to try and ruin me. Say hi, Y/n.ā€ A sick smile played on her face.
ā€œI never consented to being in your live, Olivia. Please stop.ā€ You tried to keep your voice calm so that she wouldnā€™t have any way to make you look like the bad person. But regardless, she was already doing it.
Olivia cackled. ā€œWell I think Iā€™m free to do as I please in my apartment.ā€ You could only imagine what her fans were saying. ā€œYouā€™re right, Andrea, she is an idiot, and I should have her arrested.ā€ She spoke aloud making your blood boil.
ā€œYouā€™re so immature, Olivia.ā€ You grumbled before grabbing the last couple boxes and moving towards the door. Olivia decided to swat the boxes out of your hand, and they fell tumbling to the ground. ā€œWhat the hell, Olivia. I could have fragile stuff in there.ā€ You growled at her.
Olivia was just laughing. ā€œThis is funny. What else should I do, guys?ā€ She asked as she panned the phone around the room.
Her immaturity was giving you a headache. Poki walked in and saw Olivia.
ā€œOh hey guys, look whoā€™s here. Pokimane.ā€ She panned the camera to Poki who frowned. Olivia just laughed and started talking shit until she was cut off by the stream just ending. ā€œWhat the hell.ā€
You gathered the last few boxes, and Poki came to help while Olivia attempted to start another live.
ā€œWhat the fuck, it wonā€™t let me go live.ā€ She growled while stomping her foot like a child.
ā€œThatā€™s what happens when an influx of people report your live.ā€ Poki spoke as you both had gathered the boxes.
Olivia was frowning. ā€œWhat did you do, Y/n.ā€ She wanted to pounce at her, but Y/n and Poki were already at the door.
ā€œY/n did nothing, but I got word of your little livestream and contacted some friends for help. It will be at least 24 hours before you can have another live. But with the amount of people who reported you, well you may be banned for a while.ā€ With that, you and Poki left Olivia standing there is absolute shock.
You and Poki put the last boxes in the car. ā€œThank you, Poki. How did you get so many people to report it?ā€
ā€œWell it was actually Corpse. He texted me and informed me that she was doing a live and bothering you. He had his fans go report it, but apparently Sykkuno and Rae also sent their fans. I was going to send mine, but they had it handled. So this was all Corpse.ā€ She explained.
Hearing this made you feel so soft for Corpse. ā€œAwe wow. Thatā€™s so sweet of him.ā€
The two of you entered the car. ā€œY/n, can I tell you something without you telling him I told you?ā€
You looked over at her. ā€œYes, sure.ā€ Your heart rate kind of picked up.
ā€œWell the other day, Corpse admitted he has feelings for you, but he wasnā€™t completely sure if you felt the same way for him. But I mean I can clearly see you do. Your whole face just lit up when I mentioned him. So do you?ā€
Heat filled your face and you suddenly felt shy. ā€œI do, yes. Which is ridiculous because I just met the guy, and I donā€™t even know what he looks like. But gosh, I like him so much. When I talk to him, I feel happy. Heā€™s been so good to me through this crap with Olivia.ā€ You admitted, knowing she already knew.
Poki smiled and squealed in complete happiness. ā€œYou two are just the most adorable people! Itā€™s not ridiculous. We pretty much knew from the first time you joined us, that Corpse was into you. But oh my god, youā€™re into him. You need to tell him!!!!ā€
You agreed, Corpse deserved to know. ā€œI do. But how? Itā€™s been a really long time since Iā€™ve told someone I liked them. Shit, I feel like Iā€™m in high school again!ā€
This made Poki giggle. ā€œCalm down, Y/n. I have a plan. Letā€™s get back to the apartment and we will talk about this. Rae also wants to be involved in this.ā€
Back at her apartment, you had jumped onto a call with Rae and the three of you talked about what your plan was for you to tell Corpse what you felt for him. Rae and Poki decided to organize an Among Us game strictly for fun and no one would stream, they would also use Proximity chat.
ā€œSo we will get him to follow you around until one of us is imposter, then we will lock you into wherever you end up. Do it thenā€ Rae explained sounding so excited.
ā€œOkay, that can work. Letā€™s do this!ā€ You were nervous but also excited to finally do something good for yourself.
You and Poki set up for the gane and Corpse sent you a text.
Corpse
Are you joining the game tonight?
Seeing a text from him, made you feel giddy.
Y/n
Yep I am. So I will see you in game?
Corpse
Yes you will, angel.
Cue the insane butterflies.
**
The lobby loaded and it was you, Corpse, Poki, Rae, Sykkuno, Karl, Tina, Sean, Toast, and Leslie. All streamers you had grown to like a lot in the time you have been playing with them.
ā€œY/n, I am so happy youā€™re playing with us!ā€ Tina gushed as her little character ran around yours.
ā€œIā€™m happy to be here.ā€ You really were.
ā€œYouā€™re sister is a piece of work, Y/n.ā€ Sykkuno said.
You giggled. ā€œDonā€™t I know it.ā€
ā€œWhat did she do this time?ā€ Sean asked.
ā€œDecided to film a live when we went to get Y/nā€™s stuff from the apartment.ā€ Poki explained.
ā€œOh, thatā€™s gross.ā€ Karl commented.
ā€œI have to thank Corpse for helping.ā€ You stated to the group.
ā€œYeah Corpse was quick to text us.ā€ Sykkuno added.
ā€œYouā€™re welcome, Y/n. I wasnā€™t going to let her get away with what she was doing. Truth is, I got a bunch of fan DMs that were telling me what Olivia was doing. So a lot of my fans were already reporting it, but the tweet helped.ā€ Corpseā€™s deep voice soothed you.
ā€œI appreciate it so much. She was just being an immature brat as always.ā€
The group laughed before deciding to start the game. Poki and Rae agreed to text you when either of them were imposter. Now it was a matter of getting Corpse to follow you.
The group was on the Polus map, which seemed to be a favorite for everyone.
Rae
We should lock them in weapons.
Rae had texted you and Poki through the group text.
Poki
Thatā€™s the best place for them.
Y/n
Okay but I still have to get him to follow me.
Rae
He will. Just wait, I have a plan.
You trusted Rae and Poki to help you. Now it was time to admit it all to Corpse and hope he genuinely liked you back.
Y/n
Letā€™s do this!
PART THREEĀ  >>Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā 
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fijiangecko Ā· 3 years ago
Text
The End of It All
Vampire!Katsuki Bakugou x Witch!Reader
WC: 6k+
Warnings: Cussing
Angst - breakups and makeups
A/N: I wrote this over two years ago and just found it. If I decide to edit it Iā€™ll post that one on my AO3, or if people ask me to post it here I can <3
~~~~~~
The idea of a calamity had never even crossed their minds until a couple of days ago. Everything seemed to be harmonious between the humans and the supernaturals, but never in a thousand years could they guess just how wrong they were. In a matter of days, war had broken loose between the few humans who knew of the other world, and the extremists of the supernatural that wanted only bloodshed. The Negotiator was notified immediately, and brought a group of friends onto the scene. It only spiraled from there.
Mina and Uraraka sobbed into one another as it dawned on them that very soon everything they loved could be eviscerated, while Kaminari and Kirishima attempted to soothe them as the night went on. Midoriya and Iida ran around searching for books that could possibly lead to a solution, but there was no manual on how to fix the destabilization between the supernatural world and the human one. Todoroki sits in a chair by him lonesome, contemplating if he should leave, while Katsuki has the same thought on the opposite side of the room as he leans against the doorframe.
ā€œDo you think we should try (Y/N) again? She might pick up this time,ā€ Iida flips through a tome as he speaks, eyes glancing at Midoriya.
ā€œI donā€™t think we should. Last I heard from her she was going to visit the harpies, and if her phone went off during that meeting then we could be royally screwed. They could have a solution, so I think itā€™s better if we just have faith and-ā€ ā€œHave faith?! Thatā€™s your shitty advice?!ā€ Katsuki growls from across the room, a deep scowl decorating his features. ā€œWe all know damn well that (Y/N) could have ditched us and left the world for dead! Sheā€™s a fucking witch and doesnā€™t give a shit what happens to the rest of us as long as it doesnā€™t fucking bother her!ā€ His fangs started to grow as he spoke. During his little outburst he had walked over to the table and slammed his hands down, putting more emphasis on the cuss words than anything. ā€œShe. Doesnā€™t. Give. A. Shit. About. Us.ā€
ā€œYou shouldnā€™t say that about her, Bakugou. We know you have a past with her, but that doesnā€™t mean sheā€™s going to forget about the rest of the world. Sheā€™s not that petty.ā€ Iida is calm as he speaks, making sure not to make eye contact with the vampire, as it could set him off even further.
ā€œYou see her as a friend, and I see her as a lover. Sheā€™s a completely different person, I can promise you that.ā€ A low growl had escaped Katsukiā€™s lips after he spoke, but his ear twitched as he sensed movement outside. Looking out the window, he saw no branches move, but a bright light shone through it.
Todoroki gets up and inspects the outside of the estate, careful to not move the curtains too much. He didnā€™t want any uninvited guests knowing what room they were in. As he stared outside the glass, he could see an alchemy circle burned into the grass with your figure lying in the middle of it. Your body is in a fetal position, as if trying to protect something. Upon seeing this, Todoroki bolts out of the library without saying a word and goes out into the cold night. Katsuki runs after him to see what was going on with the rest of the party in tow.
The stream of people watched as Todoroki made no hesitation to pick you up bridal style from the ground and carry you back to the house. In your hands is an old book; its sides were ripped apart and there was a lock preventing it from being opened. The bind had decorative gold inlays, but no title. As of now, Todoroki did not care for the book, but the girl he carried in his arms.
ā€œSheā€™s breathing,ā€ he looked to Uraraka, ā€œand will most likely need medical attention.ā€ With nothing left to be said, he walks briskly into the house and finds the nearest couch. Uraraka follows him and starts to check on you and perform a series of healing spells.
Kirishima, Mina and Kaminari walk back inside and sit near the other three, but make no move towards them.
ā€œIs there anything we can do?ā€ Minaā€™s quiet voice pierces the thick coat of silence around them.
ā€œRight now I donā€™t need anything, but stay put just in case there is an emergency,ā€ Ochakoā€™s eyesight donā€™t leave your figure once. The party of four sits behind nod silently and watch as she works..
Outside, Iida and Midoriya are trying to figure out what the alchemy circle means. Not everyday does someone use such powerful magic to teleport, let alone a witch who prefers not to use alchemy at all. They carefully examined the etchings in the ground, the symbols older than anything theyā€™ve had the chance to work with. Katsuki stood a couple of feet away, also trying to figure out where the fuck (Y/N) teleported from.
ā€œWell this symbol means ā€˜ancientā€™ and this one over here means ā€˜creatureā€™, but thereā€™s one in betweenā€¦ā€ Midoriya pulls out his notebook and starts to sketch the symbols down.
ā€œThis is definitely from a different plane of existence, but Iā€™ve never seen it. Is this from her personal dimension?ā€ Iida spoke.
ā€œNo, itā€™s not. Her sigil phrase would be ā€˜nisi rogatus non transientā€™ and her keyphrase is ā€˜fiduciaā€™. Plus there arenā€™t enough swirls in the alchemic circle to fit her personal taste,ā€ the blonde grumbled. His eyes fixed over the old text, but this language was way before he turned into a creature of the night.
ā€œDid (Y/N) use alchemy way back? I havenā€™t seen her use it in decades,ā€ Iida ponders out loud.
ļæ½ļæ½ļæ½Doesnā€™t matter. Shouldnā€™t you be fucking figuring out what this shit means?ā€ The two nerds nod and walk quickly back into the library where they begin a whole new search. The vampire slowly approached the living area where his once lover was lying on the couch with a fairy over her form. A glow erupts from Ochakoā€™s hands as she tries to wake you up. Again, Katsuki leans against the door frame, eyes carefully watching what was happening.
He couldnā€™t help but feel concerned; he never truly got over you, no matter how poorly he acted. Remembering everything you had, everything you lost and the times he wished he had spent with you only caused his cold heart to clench in pain. What if I had been there when she asked? Would things be different? Does she still care? His mind raced with a thousand different thoughts. This was, afterall, the first time he had seen you in almost a century after one of the worst breakups to ever exist.Ā 
Long story short, he was more focused on hunting rather than your relationship, so you decided to give a dangerous alchemic spell a shot after having no one to talk sense into you. Bakugou doesnā€™t know what kind of spell you were trying to cast, but he does know that it caused some sort of damage to your magical force. He wasnā€™t there during the ritual, but showed up at your hut months after the disaster. You had looked sick, as if deathā€™s grip was starting to drag you down into hell, and before letting him speak you told him to leave, and never come back. After hours of screaming and bickering, he left. Not once did either of you try to speak to the other, but you both knew you were in the wrong. Katsuki wasnā€™t there for you, but you blamed him for your dangerous actions, which was in no way his fault.Ā 
Nothing brought him joy after that; not the hunt, not the warmth of another. Nothing. For almost a century he felt empty. Katsuki wanted nothing more than to embrace you in his arms once again. Take you away from everyone and keep you to himself, but he knew that it simply wasnā€™t going to happen. He knew he had fucked up and is now trying to find a way to fix it. Not in a century had he been this close to you, and it was slowly taking away his life force. For all he knows, youā€™re in a coma caused by the harpies and have no way to save the world - or you found a way to save the world and sacrificed yourself. Either way, someone has hell to pay.
ā€œBakugou!ā€ Ochako breaks his train of thought, her eyes screaming concern. ā€œI need ice, her ribs are broken.ā€ Standing up straight, he swiftly walks to the kitchen and retrieves the ice, taking a plastic bag and some paper towels.
ā€œThank you,ā€ the round faced girl was sweating at this point, tired from healing but knowing that she couldnā€™t stop anytime soon.
ā€œGuys! We found out what (Y/N) was doing!ā€ Midoriya races into the lounge, holding several books within his arms. ā€œShe was trying to make contact with the Great Ones!ā€ He flipped open some of the books, showing different languages and sigils.
ā€œWhy the fuck would she do that?! Wasnā€™t she going to see the harpies?ā€ No one needed to look to understand who was speaking.
ā€œI contacted the harpies, and they said she did speak to them, but only for a short time. They didnā€™t have anything that could help, so she left in a hurry.ā€ The green haired male put his books down on the nearest surface and flipped through a particular book. ā€œThey did say that she bought some mandrake liver, which is odd considering itā€™s very expensive and very hard to come by, but I guess if she made contact with the Great Ones it makes sense. No one has been able to talk to them in years, not after they cut themselves out of the supernatural. If (Y/N) actually talked to them, then she is the first person in a millenium to ever see or speak to them. Itā€™s a miracle sheā€™s even alive.ā€
ā€œYeah, they almost fucking killed me.ā€ You start to rise from the couch, rubbing your temples as you do so. ā€œThink I could get a glass of water, my throat is fucking killing me.ā€
ā€œYouā€™re up! And so quickly!ā€ Izuku stared in amazement at the girl who not only escaped death, but talked to some of the oldest beings in the universe.
ā€œYay, lucky me.. Can I just get some fucking water? Donā€™t mean to be rude, but I can feel my broken ribs and my dry ass throat so a little help would be appreciated.ā€ Dry as ever, you spoke to no one in particular as you lean back into the couch and press the ice bag into the ribs that are broken. ā€œCould someone grab me some rat tails, lavender powder and milk from the toad? Should fix these ribs real quickā€¦ā€
ā€œOn it,ā€ Mina hops up from her seat and runs off to gather what you asked.
ā€œHow are you feeling? Besides the ribs and headache.ā€ Ochako reaches for your hand, taking it into her own.
ā€œPretty good, actually. Great Ones offered some knowledge, albeit for a price.ā€ Peeking an eye open, you gaze at your peers.Ā 
ā€œDid you find the answer?ā€
ā€œWhat ā€˜priceā€™?ā€ The negotiator and the vampire spoke at the same time, both asking valid questions but concerned about different matters.
ā€œCool your jets, besties,ā€ fangs bared, Katuski growled at the thought of being ā€œbestiesā€ with a fucking nerd, ā€œI need to heal up before I start spilling the details.ā€ Just then, Mina runs back into the room, all three ingredients in hand along with a mortar and pestle.Ā 
ā€œI got the stuff! What do I do now?ā€
ā€œNow, you hand it all over and watch a witch work her magic.ā€ Your greedy hands swipe the contents of a healing elixir and begin to mash everything together. Tediously, your fingers throw components into the mortar, then pressing them together with the pestle makes a liquid in which you drink in one big gulp. The group watches as your ribs emanate a sickly light, making the room glow in a mysterious manner. After about five seconds, it stopped and you stood up to stretch.
ā€œMuch better, now how about we go into the library so we can examine this,ā€ you wave the torn book, ā€œand figure out how to save the world.ā€ Moving forward, you give them no time to answer. It gave them no choice but to follow you.
ā€œWould you at least answer my damn question?ā€ Katsuki remains in the doorframe, unmoving from his comfy position..
ā€œHow about you move out of my fucking way, and go to the library like I said? Maybe youā€™ll get your answer there, huh?ā€ You shoulder check your way out of the lounge and into the library.
After everyone takes their places in various spots around the library, you begin to speak.
ā€œI want to apologize for being so late, after I said I was only going to the harpies. Turns out, they donā€™t have much more information than mine and Midoriyaā€™s libraries combined. Right as I was about to leave, Tokoyami said there might be one more group I should go see. He pulled me into his private room and gave me the liver of a mandrake as well as a page from his personal grimoire. I couldnā€™t believe what I was seeing, but it was the alchemic way to reach the Great Ones. We talked for a short time after it about how to approach them and what would happen if they did or did not decide to help. Knowing weā€™re getting short on time, I did the ritual right there in his room, and low and behold I was taken to a dimension far outside our normal planes of existence. It was cold, dark and dank with a stench that rivaled the odors of giants. My senses were being attacked in the most foul of ways, but that was the least of my concerns as I was met with the eyes of not one, but three of the Greats.ā€ You shudder at the memory. ā€œWhen they spoke it was deafening. I felt like I was going mad, or at the very least I was losing all sense of control. They knew why I was there, and decided that it would be more beneficial to help me, as what is going on now also affects them.ā€ You cast your gaze downward, whispering the next sentence. ā€œThey agreed to tell me what to do only if they were given a sacrifice-ā€
ā€œEXCUSE ME?!ā€ Bakugou roared from the other end of the room. ā€œYOU TOLD THEM YOU WOULD SACRIFICE SOMEONE?!ā€
ā€œKacchan-ā€
ā€œYOU DONā€™T GET TO SPEAK, DEKU. SHE IS GOING TO SACRIFICE SOMEONE! SHE DECIDED TO TRADE ONE OF US OFF FOR THE ā€˜GREATER GOODā€™! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU ASK A GOOD FOR NOTHING WITCH FOR HELP! I TOLD YOU IT WAS A MISTAKE TO ASK HER FOR HELP!ā€
ā€œI NEVER SAID IT WAS GONNA BE ONE OF YOU.ā€ The commotion stops. All eyes are now on you. ā€œI never fucking said it was going to be one of you, I didnā€™t even finish what I was sayingā€¦ā€ Your eyes look down at the shaking in your hands.Ā 
Todoroki reaches forward and takes your hands in his own, stopping the tremble that has overcome you. ā€œGo on.ā€
You take a deep breath in, ā€œLike I was saying, they asked for a sacrifice of a magical being, but one of great power so the balance in the cosmos would be right. I tried to ask them what the requirements were for ā€˜great powerā€™, but I received no answer. Instead, this book,ā€ you put it down on the table, ā€œappeared in my hands. Next thing I knew, I was on the couchā€¦ā€
ā€œSo you donā€™t know how to unlock the latch on the front?ā€ The green haired boy slides the book to himself, examining it with a sense of importance.
ā€œNo, but I have a feeling Iā€™m the only one thatā€™s going to be able to open it.ā€
ā€œWhy is that?ā€
ā€œI mean, Iā€™m the first person in forever to even see one of the Greats, let alone live from an encounter with them. If Iā€™m not able to open it, then no one can.ā€
ā€œOkay, well are there any keys that you have on you now? Maybe itā€™s the same one as your house key or lab key?ā€ You shrugged and pulled out a set of keys from your pocket. Immediately you noticed one that hadnā€™t been there previously.
ā€œOr the one that just happened to appearā€¦ā€ Inserting the key, and twisting it releases the metal strap on the bind of the book. It makes a soft clicking noise as it opens. Greedily, you opened up the pages to see what they held, only to find them blank. ā€œWhat the fuck?ā€ Aggressively, you flip through the whole thing until you find one page where a plethora of information was held.
ā€œIs that it?ā€ Iida was peaking over your shoulder. In fact, the rest of the party had gathered around the table to see what was going on. Well, everyone except the blonde haired, red eyed vampire.
ā€œIt has to be. This is the only marked page.ā€
ā€œWell, it seems to be in celestial. Can you decipher it?ā€ You cock your eyebrow and turn to Iida.
ā€œIs that a question?ā€
ā€œHey, less flirting, more reading,ā€ Kaminari spoke.
ā€œThat wasnā€™t flirting, but not like you would know.ā€ He jolts back at the sudden attack, feigning a hurt look. Small chuckles could be heard around the room, but they died down as everyone anticipated your analysis.
ā€œItā€™s a ritual with both alchemic and abjuration magic,ā€ your eyes continue down the page, trying to make sense of all the scribbles, ā€œbut it looks like thereā€™s only one ingredient.ā€
ā€œLet me guess, a sacrifice.ā€ Red eyes bore deep into your figure as Katsuki spoke.
ā€œ...yeah.ā€
ā€œAnd where the fuck are you going to find some ā€˜great magical beingā€™?ā€ His teeth are showing as he scowls once more. It may have been years since heā€™s seen you, but he knows what youā€™re thinking.
The knuckles on your hands start to turn white from the frustration that was building in your chest. You werenā€™t intending on telling everyone how you were going to let yourself be sacrificed in the name of Great Ones. You wanted to keep it a secret from them, but Katsuki could see right through you.
ā€œI donā€™t know.ā€
ā€œFUCKING LIAR!ā€ He crosses the room with lightning speed and wraps his hands around your neck, crushing you into a nearby bookcase. Your vision is white for a split second, but returns to see a face with nothing but disgust across its features. Gasping for air, you attempt to pry his hands off of you, but it wasnā€™t worth trying as you knew the kind of strength Katsuki possesses. ā€œI know what youā€™re planning to do! You want to kill yourself because some old ass supernaturals want you to, but Iā€™m not gonna let that fucking happen.ā€ He slams you into the bookcase once more after seeing your eyes start to drift off. ā€œDo you hear me?!ā€
ā€œBakugou, get your hands off her now!ā€ Iida, Todoroki, Kaminari, Kirishima and Midoriya run over to the scene and start to restrain Katsuki. They struggle to pull him back, but after a few seconds of letting you go, your whole body drops to the floor and your lungs start to gasp for oxygen. While you are coughing, Mina and Uraraka latch onto your sides and help you up. Now sitting down, you cough trying to catch your breath.
ā€œWhat the hell were you thinking dude?! You didnā€™t even let (Y/N) fucking speak?!ā€ Kirishimaā€™s speech was a low growl, his eyes turning from the normal black color into a more yellow, dog-like eye.
ā€œIā€™m not going to let her fucking die because she thinks she is self righteous. Sheā€™s not more important than any of us, and if she thinks so Iā€™ll kill her myself.ā€
ā€œHow do you know that?! How do you know that she wants to sacrifice herself?! How do you know that she thinks sheā€™s better?!ā€ Kiri stops, waiting for an answer. When none presents itself, he continues his rant. ā€œYou donā€™t know what is going in her head! So stop assuming you know stuff that we donā€™t!ā€
ā€œKiri, stop before you make a fool of yourself.ā€ Gently, you put your hand on the shoulder of the raging werewolf. His eyes fade into the black abyss they once were. All eyes were now on you, ā€œKatsukiā€™s right. I was going to sacrifice myselfā€¦ā€ several gasps were audible in the thick silence, ā€œbut not because I think Iā€™m better than anyone here. We all are powerful in our own regard, but Iā€™ve been alive for twelve hundred years. If anyone of us is going down, itā€™s going to be me.ā€ Scoffing, Katsuki barges out of the room, unable to deal with the level of bullshit he just heard. It wasnā€™t that he didnā€™t believe he was powerful, or anyone else in the room (he wouldnā€™t say it outloud), but he couldnā€™t believe that you were willing to give up on yourself to save the world. Did you not see how important you are? Whether you knew it or not, he cared about you and he didnā€™t plan on letting you die anytime soon.
The tension built itself around the room as the still airwaves remained unchanged. Not even breathing could be heard. Standing up from the table, you put the chair back into place and made a grab for the book, but someone stopped you.Ā 
ā€œNo,ā€ green eyes bore into your own, ā€œyouā€™re not taking it. Weā€™re locking it up. There has to be a different solution.ā€
ā€œThere isnā€™t! Weā€™ve talked to everyone we possibly could have and no one else thought of anything! For fucks sake Midoriya, I had to talk to some ancient beings to get a hold of this spell and almost died because of it! Iā€™m taking whatā€™s mine!ā€ With both hands, you yank it from his grasp.
ā€œI said no (Y/N). Weā€™ll find another way. There has to be another way-ā€
ā€œThereā€™s not! What is so hard to understand! The clock is ticking and itā€™s only a matter of time before it all turns to shit, might as well fix it now and get it over with!ā€
ā€œ(Y/N), just give me the grimoire. Donā€™t make this any more difficult than it needs to be. No one here wants you to die, and weā€™re not going to let you! Just pass it over.ā€ Conflicted, your white knuckles loosen on the rough leather and place it down on the table. Without looking at anyone, you make your way to a spare room and sit on a bed, thinking about what else there was to do.
Hours passed as you thought about the end of it all. There is no other way for this to end. The fucking Old Ones said that this way the only way possible, so it has to be right? We exhausted all other resources: the scripts from Alexandria, my personal collection, Izukuā€™s personal collection and the harpies. None of us had anything. Your foot was tapping against the floor anxiously. If I could just get the pages from the book and get back to my place then it could all be over. None of them would have to worry anymore. Itā€™s been a couple of hoursā€¦ maybe theyā€™re asleep. If I take it now and make a run for it, Iā€™d have at least a couple hour head start. Then I wouldnā€™t have to worry about someone trying to stop meā€¦
With a gameplan in mind, you stealthily make your way out of the room, creeping around as silently as possible. Passing a few other rooms, the snores of several companions reassure your suspicion. Now was the time to strike. Trying your damnedest not to make the floor creak, you tiptoe through the house to the library. Youā€™re assuming itā€™s still there, but they couldā€™ve removed it. Too busy focusing on trying to make a sound, you didnā€™t realize the pair of blood red eyes that closely follow.
Upon reaching the library, your eyes land on the old leather cover that lies exactly where you last remember. Swiftly taking it from its place and reaching for its key, you took the latch off and ripped the single page from its binding. As you did so, a knocking noise was heard from the entrance, but looking at it didnā€™t give you an answer. Everything was where you left it, but the uneasy feeling of eyes on you causes a thought to cross your mind. Am I being followed? Shoving the spell into your pocket, you glanced around one more time to make sure no one was there.Ā 
ā€œO custos revelare,ā€ voice barely above a whisper and clutching the necklace of the triple goddess, the knowledge of Katsukiā€™s watchful eyes on you entered your consciousness. Great, just what I needed. How the fuck am I supposed to leave now? Maybe if I trapped him somewhere that he canā€™t be heard, or if I place a silencing spell? No, heā€™ll still be able to get someoneā€™s attention. Best shot I got is to lure him out of earshot from the others and place a trapping spell, but that requires timeā€¦ Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to do?!
Quickly trying to recover from the stream of thoughts, you make your way to the attic. This should be far enough from the others. If he screams up here they shouldnā€™t hear him, especially with all the fabric. Now how do I get the circle in place? ...goddamnit why the hell canā€™t my brain think of something? Abjuration? No, thatā€™s later. Conjuration? No. Divination? No. Evocation? No. Necromancy? What the hell, no! Transmutation is a no go as well. That leaves alchemy, enchantments and illusions. Alchemy takes too long, so thatā€™s out of the question, and Katsuki can easily overpower my enchantments. So illusions it is.
Katsuki watches as you stumble your way up a couple flights of stairs, trying so hard not to alarm anyone of your presence. He couldnā€™t help but feel amused at your little act. You just look so cute acting like a rogue trying to steal their first jewels. On the other hand, he couldnā€™t believe that after the outburst he had and Dekuā€™s own freakout you still were going through with your plan. Do you not care about him? Do you seriously not realize just how important you are? Of course heā€™s gonna stop you; the minute you stormed off he knew there was a plan being formulated.
Shattering glass littered the stairwell as the nearest window blew inward. Immediately, Katsuki checks for intruders and looks down the stairwell to see that the other windows have been broken in as well. Peering up, he doesnā€™t see your figure any more and begins to panic. With his enhanced speed he runs downstairs and starts to sniff out anything suspicious.
Leaving the crystals in their place to keep the illusion going as long as possible, you could care less about making much noise. Bolting up to the attic, you shut the door behind you and took out a pocket knife, working on a trap, or abjuration, spell. The intricate carvings were taking longer than you thought, and the panic of being caught was causing you to slip up.
ā€œShit! Fuck!ā€ Thereā€™s no time left! Once again grabbing the necklace of the goddess, you start reciting a simple fire spell and start to burn the lines into the wood floor, being careful not to burn the house down.
ā€œAdolebitque imperium.ā€ A small flame danced around the floor, as if following a line of gasoline. It wasnā€™t even a flame, but looked like the end of a stick of incense. The small embers made their way around the room, carving out sigils and words. Trapping a vampire was tough enough, but with Katsukiā€™s strength and will it was going to be even worse.
Back downstairs, Katsuki stalks the main floor, careful not to alarm something that could be in the house. His nose isnā€™t picking up on anything out of the ordinary, but he got the feeling that it was all a ruse. Looking around more only confirms his suspicion as he noticed no other windows were broken, and when he got back to the stairs those windows were put back.
ā€œThat sneaky little-ā€ his feet pound on the ground as he makes his way to your location. ā€œI canā€™t believe she- what a little- UGH!ā€ He fells dumb. He knows your magic, but he couldnā€™t even figure it out on first glance - not like he used too, that is.
Reaching the top of the stairs and closing the door, he tries the doorknob, but to no avail.Ā 
ā€œ(Y/N) open the door.ā€ No response. He waits a few seconds until he tries again. ā€œI swear to fucking God (Y/N), open the goddamn door or I will break it down.ā€ Pressing an ear to the door, he listened to double check he was in the right area. After hearing some shuffling on the other side, his fists pound against the door. ā€œI can fucking hear you, you know!ā€ When no response came, again, he grabbed the door knob and snapped it off like it was a candy cane. ā€œIā€™m coming in so donā€™t fucking attack me!ā€
You stand by an opened window, wind softly blowing through your hair and the moonlight highlighting your face in all the right ways. If only someone had a camera, this shot could make ā€œTimeā€ magazine. Katsukiā€™s breath was taken away at the scene; you looked so serene and just as beautiful as the day he met you. Although his heart wasnā€™t supposed to be beating, he felt as though it might leap out of his chest and run into your arms. You turn slowly, to face him with the ripped pages gently folded between your fingers.
ā€œHand it over. We both know Iā€™m not letting this happen.ā€ He inches closer in the room, about a foot away from the carvings on the floor. You just need to provoke him further, but the look in his eyes was killing you. They werenā€™t like anything youā€™d ever seen come out of Katsuki; even in the most intimate of moments. They screamed desperation but remain firm.
ā€œItā€™s the only way, and you know it.ā€ Eye contact hasnā€™t broken once since he bust the door open, but it only intensified as you speak.
ā€œI donā€™t fucking care if itā€™s the only way. You are not dying for this, for these people! We both know what kind of shit the world puts us through and you want to put your life on the line for them. For those BASTARDS!ā€ Screaming, he moves another few inches forward, eyes pleading for you to give in. ā€œWHAT HAS THE WORLD EVER DONE FOR YOU?! BESIDES PUT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU TO THE CURB?!ā€
ā€œIt showed me you. Didnā€™t it?ā€ The question startles him. You were the calm to his storm, the yin to his yang and yetā€¦ he didnā€™t want to admit that the world actually did him good.
ā€œNo. I gave myself to you. I wanted to be with you. I loved you. I still love you. Canā€™t you see this is fucking killing me?! Canā€™t you see that I just want to be with you?! CANā€™T YOU SEE THAT I WANT YOU BACK?! THAT I WANT TO WAKE UP TO YOU WITH ME EVERYDAY?! WHY THE FUCK CANā€™T YOU-ā€ He didnā€™t realize he had closed his eyes with rage, and that you had made your way across the room to him. In the middle of his rant, you placed your soft hand on his cheek, caressing his face. Instinctually, he presses his cheek further into your touch, opening his eyes to meet yours. It felt like he had just had a sip of water after a centuries-long drought; this was something he didnā€™t acknowledge that he needed so badly, but now that it was happening he only wanted more.
ā€œThat day that you left, I was broken. For years I was only half the person I once was, and it was because I didnā€™t have you. I thought that you hated me, and never wanted to see me againā€¦ā€Ā 
ā€œI could never hate you,ā€ he grabbed your wrist, ā€œnot after everything weā€™ve been through. Not after our sleepless nights of talking, the years of moving around and the fact that youā€™re the only person Iā€™ve ever been myself around.ā€ He sighs, the whole ordeal becoming emotionally taxing. Not once did he ever open himself up to anyone; not after you. It was hard enough for you to crack him, but once you two were through, he built up walls of steel. ā€œI never stopped loving you. You are the only one for me. Youā€™re the only person willing to put up with my bullshit and able to control my temper. Even if you are a damn witch, youā€™re my damn witch.ā€
Tears start to haze both of your visions, but you give in, letting them cascade down your cheek. Heart clenched, ready to burst, you enveloped yourself in his scent, embracing him like your life depended on it. He quickly returns the gesture and places his head in the crook of your neck. The two of you stayed like this for a moment before gently rocking back and forth. Slowly, you inch him closer to the abjuration spell.
Goddess, what have I done to deserve this? Why do I have to be the one fucking person he loves but also the one person that can save everyone from certain doom? Why am I just getting him back now, right before the end? Crying harder, you push yourself further into his chest. He didnā€™t take this as ā€œout of the normalā€ because he thought you were still crying over him; thatā€™s not saying you werenā€™t, but other thoughts were on your mind. Your body still moves closer to the circle, pulling Katsuki with you. What the fuck (Y/N). You couldā€™ve just placed the circle and left, but no. You had to stick around and make everything 1000 times harder.
The sound of wood burning turns Katsukiā€™s attention to the ground, where he sees the sigils recarve themselves into the floor. He was flabbergasted, the breath knocked right out of him.
ā€œ(Y/N)...?ā€ His voice was weak as he spoke, as if pleading for this to be a dream and not the hell he was about to go through.
ā€œIā€™m so sorry. I wish there was another way but there isnā€™t and I just-ā€ He releases your hug, his body going rigid as he starts to piece it together.
ā€œYou tricked meā€¦ after everything I said and did, you trapped me. Youā€™re gonna fucking kill yourself and you trapped me here so I canā€™t stop you.ā€
ā€œThereā€™s no other way. The Greats said that it had to be a powerful magic user, and we both know Izuku, Iida, Todoroki and Uraraka donā€™t make the cut. The harpies donā€™t have anyone as powerful as me either and it doesnā€™t look like weā€™ll be finding anyone powerful within the next couple of days. I can end this now. The panic, the worry; it could all be over with tonight.ā€ You step out of the circle, grabbing the instructions from your pocket and holding them to your chest.
ā€œYou decided that instead of staying with me, youā€™d rather die. Am I hearing this correctly? YOU WOULD RATHER NOT EXIST THAN BE WITH ME?!ā€ He ran up to you, but the invisible barrier holds him from reaching your body.
ā€œDonā€™t. Donā€™t make this about you. This is about more than just us and it is definitely about more than what we had forever ago. Iā€™m fucking sorry neither of us got our acts together in time, but the balance of nature needs to be set anew. If I had known that you still loved me, that you still cared for me, then yeah, this whole situation mightā€™ve turned out differently. But the fact that it took us almost 1000 years to get our shit together and talk to each other says a little something. Maybe weā€™re both too headstrong to be in a relationship. Hell, thatā€™s how the last one ended! So donā€™t you dare make this about you, because there are so many other people that I love and want to look out for than just you. The world is counting on me because if I donā€™t do this, then the world as we know it wonā€™t be in existence within the next few days.ā€ You turn to the window, taking a deep breath and slowing your rapid heart rate.
As you approach the window, you mutter ā€œrevertetur in terram suamā€ and the forest around the house transforms into the inside of your bedroom. Once more, you took a deep breath to ease the pain of leaving everyone behind.
ā€œTell them I love them, and I did it for the best.ā€ You walk over to Katsuki and rip off your triple goddess necklace, offering it to him. ā€œI know youā€™re not religious, but itā€™s a piece of me. So you donā€™t forget.ā€ Reluctantly, he reaches out and takes it, examining it with a furrowed brow.
ā€œI would never fucking forgetā€¦ā€ it was barely audible, but it made your heart flutter.
ā€œI love you, Katsuki. Even if it seems like Iā€™m betraying you, I want you to know that I hope you find someone who loves you and can crack that barrier over your heart.ā€ Walking over to the portal, you utter one last sentence, ā€œPlease take care of yourself,ā€ and then youā€™re gone.
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cap-winter-barnes Ā· 4 years ago
Text
What They Did To You (August Walker x Reader)
Mission Impossible: Fallout spoilers ahead (sort of)!!
A/N: This is an AU in which August comes home. I just had this idea of a really soft, loving, family-oriented August in my head and I absolutely fell in love with it.
Warnings: Like one swear word & mentions of injury
Buy Me a Coffee
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During this time of the year, the English countryside becomes increasingly colder, almost seemingly out of nowhere. Itā€™s as though, as the last days of September approach, that the sun decides it no longer wishes to provide the beautiful warmth it had during the summer months.
The sky outside is a darkening grey as you stare absentmindedly out of the window of your bedroom, the view still beautiful looking upon the expanse of greenery to the front of your property.
Moving to England had been the best decision for you, especially under the circumstances. You first occupied your quaint, sheltered home the previous year, in the midst of the Autumn season ā€“ the surrounding areas of the cottage you so adore, instantly made you feel at home amongst the beauty of the countryside.
You love the season so much so, that you bestowed its name upon the small bundle nestled safely in your arms, barely a month old.
Your little Autumn.
Such a small, delicate thing, with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. As soon as you saw that positive pregnancy test gripped between your shaking fingers, you vowed to protect and love her with your life ā€“ nothing could change that. A dusting of dark hair adorns her head and that accompanied by the beautiful ocean blue of her eyes, makes her a spitting image of her father. Your husband.
A husband you wish makes a safe return home, to you. To both of you. Despite his work and his beliefs, you still love the man the world has begun to fear ā€“ albeit under the guise of John Lark. The last you saw of him was a week before you gave birth to Autumn ā€“ he was flying to Berlin to infiltrate the CIA ā€“ that was all the information he had given you. That and the promise to come home safely. Yet weeks later, you fear the worst, spending any chance you can sparing glances out the window, expecting him pull up the driveway at any moment.
Your peace is suddenly interrupted by the incessant ringing of your phone, panic causing your heart to weigh heavily in your chest. There are only two people that have this number ā€“ your mother and August. Yet he never calls whilst on work duty, unless in an emergency, which has never occurred previously.
Autumn stirs in your arms, her small fists raising into the air in a stretch, soft gurgles escape her mouth as she begins to wake. Taking her dummy from the coffee table, you gently ease it between her lips, soothing her into silence as you reach for your phone. With unsteady fingers, you answer.
The voice on the other end of the call, you do not recognise, yet you know that he is an ally of Augustā€™s, his tone too reassuring to be a threat.
ā€œMrs Walker, your husband is alive.ā€ You sense there is more that heā€™s not saying.
ā€œWhere is he?ā€ You pull Autumn closer to your chest, a need within you to protect her even more so than before.
ā€œHeā€™s safe and will be on a private jet home within the hour, maā€™am.ā€
ā€œWhat arenā€™t-ā€œ
The call ends and you feel nauseous. Something is clearly wrong that they do not want you to know. Yet all you can do, is sit and wait for the return of your husband.
At quarter to midnight, nine hours after you received that dreaded call, you hear the sound of tyres on gravel nearing your home. Vacating your bed and ensuring that Autumn is soundly sleeping in her cot, you make your way to the window overlooking your driveway.
You are met with the sight of three Range Rovers, black in colour with tinted windows. As soon as the second car comes to a halt, the rear passenger swings open and, in a rush, out steps your husband. Despite not being able to distinguish his features, you know it is him.
Without further hesitation you remove yourself quickly from the window, uncaring of the fact you wear only a pair of black underwear and one of Augustā€™s button-up shirts. You have barely made it halfway down the staircase before the door flies open, revealing the silhouette of the man you love.
There is the briefest of pauses before you both instinctively move towards each other. August envelopes you in his arms, holding you tightly against his body as you grip the back of his shirt in your fists. Heavy sobs escape from your mouth as you revel in the feel of his warmth against your skin, the sensation of his hands on your clothed back. A forceful, yet loving kiss is placed on the crown of your head as August takes in the scent of your hair, missing the smell of your shampoo in the time that he has been gone.
As if only realising, August pulls away, a gasp leaving his lips as his strong hands gently caress your stomach ā€“ the last time he saw or felt your body, was with a full-term bump.
ā€œIs-ā€œ
You cannot see his face clearly in the darkness of the hallway, but you can just make out that his attention is directed towards the top of the staircase.
ā€œAugust, come and meet our daughter.ā€
The intake of breath that you hear from him causes a flutter in your chest. He had confessed to you, the day you revealed your pregnancy to him, that he hoped it would be a girl. A girl for him to cherish and spoil, to protect and love with his entire being.
As you are about to ascend the stairs, you reach for the light-switch, yet Augustā€™s hand stops you.
ā€œNo lights, please. I donā€™t want to wake her.ā€
ā€œAugust, the light will be-ā€œ
ā€œPlease.ā€ There is something different in his voice, if you were to guess it would seem like distress. But too caught in the moment of finally introducing August to your daughter has you brushing the thought aside.
ā€œOkay. Take my hand.ā€
August takes your hand in his, his thumb dancing across your skin. As you reach your bedroom, you ignore turning the light on and continue further into the room. Before your reach her cot, August halts, reluctantly releasing your hand.
ā€œDarling, are you okay?ā€
Clearing his throat, you can make out a nod of his head.
ā€œLet me just clean myself up first.ā€
You watch as he retreats to your en-suite, closing the door behind him, save for a fraction that allows you to see the light turn on. But as you catch just a small amount of his reflection in the mirror, you feel sick.
ā€œAugust?ā€ The raised whisper of his name startles him and as he catches your expression through means of the mirror he curses.
ā€œShit.ā€
Moving quickly, you enter the bathroom and turn your husband to face you. Immediately, tears spring to your eyes and flow freely down your cheeks.
ā€œPlease donā€™t cry.ā€
He can hardly meet your gaze as he speaks, voice rough and broken.
The red, raw skin of the right-side of his face looks painful and you cannot help but think that this is in its healing stages, dreading to picture the sight immediately after the damage was caused.
ā€œThis is why you didnā€™t want the lights on, isnā€™t it.ā€ A moment passes before he nods his head twice, a sombre expression on his face. Your hand reaches for the unaffected skin on his left side, taking his cheek in his palm, you stroke your thumb over his cheekbone, grazing his eyelashes in the process. August closes his eyes, relishing in the feeling of your gentle touch.
ā€œIā€™m sorry, I-ā€œ
ā€œWhat happened?ā€ At your interruption he meets your eyes, your gaze unwavering as your heart breaks at seeing him so vulnerable like this.
ā€œEngine fuel.ā€ More tears slip from your eyes as you now close them. With both hands August cups your face in his palms, wiping the tears away as he does so.
ā€œI canā€™t stand the sight of myself, but just knowing that I have been able to come home to you, has me counting my lucky stars. I am truly sorry that-ā€œ
ā€œStop apologising, August. Youā€™re home now and thatā€™s what matters, I just hate seeing you in pain. This,ā€ you gesture to the damaged skin, will not change how much I love you.ā€
His response is a soft chuckle before he places a chaste kiss to your lips, lingering briefly.
ā€œIf itā€™s any consolation, I canā€™t feel a thing ā€“ now anyway.ā€ A swift, yet gentle slap is delivered to his bicep as you push yourself away from him playfully. This is the way it has always been between the two of you ā€“ the way it is supposed to be. ā€œNow if you donā€™t mind, dear wife, I would love to meet our daughter.ā€
You both smile as you kiss him again. Pulling away you lead him across the room to the cot beside the window, turning the lights on as you do so.
Nestled against a soft pink blanket, lies a sleeping Autumn.
Glancing at August you see his tear-filled eyes as he reaches an outstretched finger to her tiny-clenched fist, which at his touch opens and then closes around his fingertip.
ā€œSheā€™s so small.ā€
ā€œBabies usually are my love.ā€ He meets your eyes with a playful glare before directing his attention back to the small being he helped create.
ā€œSheā€™s beautiful. Just like her mother.ā€
As if sensing the presence of her father, Autumn stirs and begins to open her crystalline blue eyes.
ā€œYet looks just like her father.ā€ He smiles in adoration as his little girl stretches. ā€œWhy donā€™t you hold her, you have a lot of Daddy cuddles to catch up on my love.ā€
There is reluctance before August reaches for her, steadily lifting her from where she lays, until he is cradling her in his arms.
Instantly, Autumn snuggles herself comfortably into his chest, almost as if she has found comfort in his arms. A pleasant ache forms in your chest at the sight of both of them together like this.
ā€œWhat do I call her?ā€
You briefly look away to find that August is lovingly directing his gaze towards you.
ā€œAutumn. Autumn June.ā€
ā€œLike your favourite season. It suits her perfectly.ā€ He moves his attention solely to the small being in his arms. ā€œWell, Autumn June Walker, I think that you are the most perfect thing I have ever laid my eyes upon. Just like your mother. And I promise, I will never let anything happen to you. I swear it.ā€
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salmonthestoryteller Ā· 3 years ago
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Against All Odds
Roswell New Mexico Coda 03x03
Isobel sighed - half in relief and half in frustration - as she parked her car by Michaelā€™s truck. Ā Her brother was unsurprisingly sitting by his fire pit, but he seemed calmer than he had at the drive in.
Michael rolled his eyes when she got out of the car and approached him. Ā ā€œIā€™m pretty sure Iā€™m safe here, Iz.ā€
ā€œThere was a fire at the church.ā€ Ā Isobel took a seat by him. Ā ā€œWeā€™re back to square one.ā€
Michael groaned, hanging his head over the back of his chair. ā€œWell, the sunflowers are from me, I guess. So itā€™s someone Iā€™d be willing to pay respects to.ā€
ā€œI thought you were convinced it was you.ā€
ā€œā€¦ā€. Michael sat up, keeping his gaze on the fire. Ā ā€œWell, Alex doesnā€™t think so.ā€
ā€œYou talked to Alex?ā€ Ā Isobel asked. Ā Michael shrugged. ā€œSo you run away from Max and me - twice I might add-ā€œ
ā€œI didnā€™t run-ā€œā€
ā€œYou never come to us for help, and trying to help you in anyway is a sure way to start an argument-ā€œ
ā€œI donā€™t need charity-ā€œ
ā€œBut you will go straight to Alex Manes and tell him everything?ā€
ā€œā€¦if I was gonna kick it, I kinda wanted to see him at least once.ā€ Ā Michael explained.
Isobel frowned. Ā The giddy feelings Michael had allowed to seep through their shared connection before Alex returned had been absent. Ā She thought perhaps heā€™d simply been too busy helping her save Max to say anything about their reunion but this didnā€™t really sound like that at all. ā€œWhat happened?ā€
ā€œAlex says if I was the one dead heā€™dā€¦ react differently.ā€ A small flicker of hope again, but nowhere near as substantial.
ā€œSo, Alex said your death would affect him deeply. Ā Sounds like a pretty enormous declaration to me.ā€
ā€œā€¦yeah.ā€
ā€œSo why arenā€™t you with him? Ā Oh, shit, is he here?ā€ Ā She glanced towards his trailer.
ā€œWhat? No!ā€
ā€œWell, I donā€™t get it. Ā What happened to all those ā€œI think itā€™s our timeā€ vibes-ā€
ā€œHeā€™s seeing someone else.ā€ Ā Michael snapped.
Isobel froze at his words. Ā ā€œOhā€¦ā€
Michael sighed. Ā ā€œYeah, so not our time. Ā Okay?ā€
ā€œBut I mean, if heā€™s saying you dying would affect him so much, how serious could he be about the other guy?ā€ Ā She couldnā€™t help but point out. Honestly, she may have to do a little digging herself. Ā She wasnā€™t above being a manipulative bitch if either of her brothersā€™ happiness was on the line.
ā€œI donā€™t know. I didnā€™t exactly interrupt their reunion kiss to ask how serious their relationship was.ā€ Ā Michael responded sarcastically.
Isobel winced. She imagined that hadnā€™t been a great thing to witness. Ā ā€œMaybe itā€™s not that serious?ā€
ā€œSerious enough to let him know when heā€™d be back in town.ā€
ā€œYeah, but he also told you when heā€™d be back in town.ā€
ā€œAlex has better options than a junkyard mechanic in Roswell with a criminal record. I canā€™t exactly fault him for choosing them.ā€
ā€œOh, Iā€™m sorry. Ā I thought you were going to date Alex Manes, not a member of my Momā€™s yoga club.ā€ Isobel quipped. ā€œIs he really that interested in boyfriend bragging rights?ā€
ā€œHeā€™s a decorated war hero. Canā€™t exactly go on dates with a criminal.ā€
ā€œDidnā€™t seem to have a problem asking you to use your criminal talents to break into a top secret alien facility though.ā€ Ā Isobel crossed her arms. Ā ā€œWait, is this why you cleaned up your act this past year? Ā For Alex Manes?ā€
ā€œLook, donā€™t we have a murder to solve? Ā My non-existent relationship can wait.ā€
ā€œThatā€™s not a no.ā€
ā€œThere were a lot of reasons, Iz. Ā Knowing about our moms. Sanders. Ā Having you, me and Max back to how we used to be. Ā And, yeah, maybe some small piece of me thought it might impress Alex. Ā Most of which has all been turned on its head, soā€¦ can we please focus on the murder now?ā€
ā€œDo I at least get a name?ā€
ā€œIsnā€™t the point that we donā€™t know the name?ā€
ā€œI mean the name of who Alex Manes is seeing that you apparently think he can brag about to his yoga club?ā€
ā€œHe doesnā€™t do yoga.ā€
ā€œIrrelevant.ā€
ā€œIf I tell you, will you finally drop the subject?ā€
ā€œDeal.ā€
ā€œForrest Long.ā€
ā€œA Long? Ā Are you serious?ā€
ā€œDropping the subject, remember?ā€
ā€œCome on, you canā€™t expect me to not say something about that.ā€
ā€œAs much as it pains me to say it, Forrest isnā€™t a bad guy. Ā Black sheep of his family. Ā Guess he and Alex have that in common.ā€
If she was already concocting a list of all the gossip mongers in town she knew who might know something about Forrest Long, Michael need never be the wiser. Ā ā€œGregory isnā€™t so bad.ā€
ā€œPlease tell me you two never-ā€œ
ā€œNo. Ā Just an observation.ā€
ā€œUh-huh. Ā So are you still seeing the bartender?ā€
ā€œWe arenā€™t serious. I donā€™t think I can be serious about someone who doesnā€™t know about us. Our collective history on that isnā€™t so good.ā€ Isobel let her eyes rest on the fire - she didnā€™t like thinking about how that applied to her own past. To Noah and how heā€™d never truly been unaware. How their entire relationship had been nothing but lies.
ā€œI hate the idea we cover another murder. Thought we were done with liesā€¦ā€
Isobel frowned, watching the flames. ā€œWhat if Iā€™m not crying cuz of who it is, but how they died?ā€
ā€œMeaning?ā€
ā€œWhat if itā€™s cuz weā€™re to blame? What if itā€™s like Noah and Rosa and-ā€
ā€œHey, thatā€™s not gonna happen.ā€ Ā Michael cut her off. Ā ā€œThe only potential evil alien around here is in a cage in the desert and heā€™s staying there. Ā Nobodyā€™s making us do anything ever again, okay?ā€
ā€œPromise?ā€ Ā Her smile felt shaky even to herself.
ā€œPromise.ā€ Michael didnā€™t hesitate.
End
Authorā€™s Notes: Ā *sideeyes Jones* If you dare make Isobel go through that againā€¦
I donā€™t think theyā€™ll actually do mind control again. Ā Though it is one possible explanation for bringing up Noah at the funeral in the vision.
Mostly this was an excuse for Isobel and Michael interaction. Cuz Isobel may live to torment her brothers, but their happiness really is important to her. Ā There is a touch of classism with the way every character who is not named Liz Ortecho treats Michael during the course of the series, some more than others. Ā Isobel, however, has definitely gotten better about it since the first season. Ā So I can definitely hear her reacting to the notion that Michael wasnā€™t ā€œgood enoughā€ boyfriend material defensively. Ā Because despite her own ā€œstepford housewifeā€ Roswell persona, she never allowed it to interfere with having Michael in her life - even when his behavior was at its worst. Ā And I can totally see her social media stalking poor Forrest and being like - yeah, no. Ā My brother is way better. (Sorry, Forrest.)
While Iā€™m pretty sure Alex has long forgotten the words that started the communication errors between Michael and him, I think a part of Michael is still very hooked on that ā€œI want to be with you, but not if youā€™re wasting your life.ā€ Ā He still feels at some level that who he is isnā€™t ā€œgood enoughā€ and thatā€™s probably why he was willing to take such a huge step back when he realized Alex was interested in Forrest. Ā He needed to prove he could be ā€œgood enoughā€ first. Ā And I need Alex to smack him over the head with the fact that he stopped caring about that shit somewhere around Caulfield.
Also, the fact that the only person Michael feels safe going to when things are bad is Alex? Ā That says things. Ā Heā€™s had moments with other characters but in each instance theyā€™ve come to him. Ā The only person Michael willingly goes to is Alex. Ā Heā€™s the only person he feels truly safe asking things out of. Ā The only one he allows himself to shed that ā€œbut if I owe them, thatā€™s dangerousā€ mindset with. Ā And thinking about that is truly heartrending.
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ialwaysgobacktoit Ā· 4 years ago
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Azriel surprises Gwyn for her birthday PART. 6
Guys just so you know i need to think of a better name for this bc like THIS IS GETTING BIIIIG (I have a playlist on spotify called "what would gwynriel sing" and i think i'll draw inspiration from there lol)
IT'S GWYN'S POV AGAIN (and this one's a little shorter lol i'm sorry... Rhys is in this chapter bc i honestly share the headcanon that Gwyn and Rhys would be close friends!)
MY GIRLS: @starbornsinger @madie2200 @katiebellf here it is!! And check out the Chapter List here
Gwyn couldnā€™t deny. She was nervous. That morning the words just rushed out about leaving the library, because she truly felt inspired by Dianeā€™s words. She had spent the previous night awake, even if Emerie and Nesta had long fallen asleep, thinking about what she had to do next. She was feeling braver. Maybe it was because that was the best birthday she had since Sangravah, or perhaps ever, due to the circumstances. She still missed Catrin like crazy during the day, still felt that familiar ache in her chest when she worked at the library in the afternoon, or went training in the morning. But somehow, after everything that has happened in the evening, the lingering image of her sister started being more of a comfort, a companion, than the sorrow and guilt she was accustomed to.
Still, she was nervous.
She did really want to leave the library, and Clotho seemed happy, maybe even proud, to let her go. Merrill didnā€™t care as long as she kept working for her, at least a couple hours a day. One day, Gwyn thought that would change too. But for now, one step at a time. The night she went to the Town House and dined with the Inner Circle was one of many small steps Gwynā€™s been giving these last few months towards more autonomy, independence, and strength. Towards the life she wanted for herself. And now, the day where she decided to move out of the library was the day she took another one.
And Azrielā€¦ Honestly, she thought she would be more scared about the prospect of having a mate than she actually did. Most of all, she was happy. She felt lucky and had the confidence that if anything were to happen between the two of them, they would take it slow, at her pace. She wouldnā€™t have it any other way. That if Azriel were to find out about the bond any time soon; or if she would summon enough courage to tell him. Because if he did know, he wouldā€™ve said something by now, wouldnā€™t he?
Yep. She was very nervous.
What she dreaded the most was the fact that Azriel, well, he may not feel the same once he found out. The Cauldron could be wrong, after all. And all these last months of getting closer to each other, training in companionable silence, laughing together, banteringā€¦ She was more than grateful for their friendship, but she knew that Azriel still had some things to figure out ā€“ about Elain. If he truly still felt something towards her, that was enough to strain Gwynā€™s hopes for the moment. To maintain the quiet feeling to herself, and what it meant; that she was indeed worthy of happiness not only alone, but with another one.
She tried to push all those feelings aside as she was getting ready for dinner at the River House, the High Lady and Lordā€™s official estate. She looked at herself in the mirror, spinning side to side. It wasnā€™t much ā€“ after all, she didnā€™t have any clothes besides her robes, nightgowns and training leathers ā€“ but the outfit the House provided was more than enough. Her baggy turquoise linen pants and her white, loose crop top made her extremely comfortable, even if the latter was slightly shorter than what she was accustomed to.
She still wore the necklace Azriel re-gifted her. When he told her a few months back about the whole story, she truly understood him. He was in a bad place at the time, but so did she. And even if he had indeed made a mistake, she was glad to have it now. To know that someone gave it to her willingly, that was the thought she held on to. First person considered or not. And besides, it looked great against her freckled skin.
A gentle knock on the door of her new bedroom sounded. ā€œGwyn, you ready?ā€
ā€œYeah, come inā€
Nesta opened the door and something sparked in her eyes as she stared at Gwyn through the mirror.
ā€œYou look beautiful, girlā€
She spun on her heels and smiled at Nesta.
ā€œI do, donā€™t I?ā€
They both laughed as they linked their arms and left the room.
ā€œSoā€ Nesta begun, as they walked towards the main entrance together ā€œHow are you settling in?ā€
ā€œItā€™s very cozy, and I just love that view. The House is providing me everything I need at the moment. Thank you for inviting me to stay.ā€ She gave her sister a grateful smile
ā€œWell, I was serious; you can stay with us for as long as you want.ā€
ā€œThat means a lot.ā€ Gwyn couldnā€™t contain her smile as she gently nudged her head against her sisterā€™s.
ā€œDonā€™t mention. I know youā€™d do the same for me.ā€ And Nesta was right. Without thinking twice, Gwyn would have done the same for both of her newfound sisters. She was so grateful and thrilled their paths had crossed this way.
ā€œBy the wayā€ Nesta mentioned innocently when they reached the common area ā€œThe room you chose, well, thatā€™s three doors up from Azrielā€™s. If you have a problem with that, feel free to say it.ā€
And as she was summoning his presence, that was the moment the Shadowsinger came to vision, talking to Cassian in the balcony ā€“ waiting for them.
Gwyn drew on a breath, staring straight at him. When he caught her eye, she couldnā€™t help her smile. And when his eyes glittered, scanning her from head to toe, she answered quietly to her sister:
ā€œNo. I think thatā€™ll be fine.ā€
*******
The River House was beautiful. Gwyn admired it as the four of them stood by the front door. It was big, but the decoration made it seem comfortable and cozy, despite its size. A true home, Gwyn thought.
Feyre opened the door, a warm smile instantly on her face.
ā€œCome in!ā€
As soon as they stepped on the entrance hall, Gwyn marveled at the big painting on display. It was a portrait of Nesta as she held the line at the Pass of Enalius. Her cunning eyes seemed to look directly at anyone who came in, daring and challenging. ā€œThis is amazing.ā€ She said, tearing her eyes from the image at last and looking at Feyre. Cassian and Nesta had already entered the living room and Azriel stood by the doorway, lingering.
Feyre was still smiling at her when she answered. ā€œThank you very much, Gwyn. I have others I can show you later, if youā€™d like.ā€
ā€œI would love to. You have a beautiful home.ā€ And she could barely conceal the emotion in her eyes as Feyre held her hand and sighed gratefully. She, maybe more than anyone, was well aware of how lucky she was to have such a family.
ā€œWe do.ā€
It was just when she reached the living room and beheld all of those who Feyre and Rhysand loved the most she felt Azrielā€™s presence still a few steps behind her, his eyes fixed upon her. A tendril of shadow curled up slightly at her wrist, as if saying Weā€™re here. So she looked back for half a second before entering further into the room, only enough to meet his cryptic gaze and give him a half-smile. And couldnā€™t help the sparkling feeling in her chest when he gave her a reassuring nod.
*****
The night was going on peacefully. Gwyn didnā€™t say much, and it was rather content in observe. That way, she didnā€™t feel exposed, and also could get to know the Inner Circle better: their dynamics and bantering, how they acted around each other and discussed both serious and light topics. Elain, for example, was sitting in a chair in the corner, drink in hand. She only joined for dinner, ate quietly and then excused herself from the table for a long time. Rhys and Feyre took turns in watching Nyx, since this evening he went to sleep early. Emerie and Mor were having what seemed to be a very intimate conversation, knees touching and heads close, and Nesta and Cassian, wellā€¦ They were being their usual selves.
And then she landed her eyes on the Shadowsinger. He was definitely the quietest of them all, even if during dinner he had participated in the more serious subjects of conversation and exchanged a few casual words with Gwyn. She could observe enough to notice he didnā€™t once glance at Elain, or her at him, and that they kept their distance. He actually seemed to have spent the evening doing the same thing Gwyn was, which was observing; except for him it was natural, a second skin. He certainly had enough time these hundred years to know well about the rest of his family, while she was doing that precisely to learn more about them. If it was easy for her to be like this, for him was instinct.
She couldn't stop but detain herself on the details of his face, though, as he now spoke to Mor, who had subtly approached him. He wore that inexpressive mask, but she could see the way his brows were slightly furrowed, his jaw set just slightly... There was something concerning him, making him uneasy. She wondered, maybe for the tenth time, when she would tell him. Or if she should let him find out by himself. And again, her heart fluttered as he put his hands in his pockets and nodded along, listening to Mor.
How could the Cauldron have chosen this? To have defined them as mates... He was the one who saved her, whoā€™d seen her low, who helped her at the very worst moment of her life. And although she would be forever grateful for it, she was aware he had enough on his plate ā€“ to burden him with her feelings... She didn't know what to do. It was at that moment their eyes locked across the room. She didn't realize she had still been staring, and quickly darted her eyes away.
Only to meet with Rhysandā€™s staring at her from across the table.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry.
Oh, shit. Shit. Gwyn contained her gasp. He heard her. She didn't know for how long, but he could read her thoughts.
I was just going to ask you if you were feeling okay.
She knew what he meant. But still...
"Please. Please donā€™t say a word". She managed to whisper to that presence in her mind.
He doesn't know? She could feel his curiosity. Although they were still staring at each other, his face yielded nothing.
"I don't think so. Please, justā€¦"
Don't worry, Gwyn. I won't tell him.
She could've cried in relieve. "Thank you."
He only nodded at her and raised his glass, and she could feel his presence fading from her mind.
*****
When they arrived at the House of Wind, a few hours later, Gwyn was still a little uneasy. She needed to learn how to shield her mind properly; even if she felt she trusted Rhysā€™s word, she couldnā€™t feel relaxed at the thought that someone else knew about what sheā€™d only recently discovered and were still trying to figure out.
She could barely stare at Azriel when they flew all the way back. They remained silent all the way to the House of Wind, and her gaze remained fixed on the city landscape below them, or on the skies above. Never on him or their closeness, even if sheā€™d caught him glancing at her a few times. They landed just a few minutes after Nesta and Cassian. When she meant to let go of his hand, he held it just for a moment longer:
ā€œDid you have fun tonight?ā€
She nodded, managing to bring a smile upon her face. She didnā€™t want him to see how nervous she was; they were never like that around each other.
ā€œA lot. Your family is veryā€¦ā€
ā€œExtravagant?ā€
ā€œI was going to say kind. But they might be a little extravagant, too.ā€
The corner of his lips tugged upward, and she let out a quiet laugh. ā€œAre you going to sleep now?ā€
ā€œIn a few hours, maybe. I think Iā€™ll hit the training ring first.ā€
She nodded. His shadows swirled a little at his shoulders. She seemed to forget about her nervousness for a second as she noticed his slightly furrowed brows, as if he was concentrating: ā€œYou know you donā€™t have to restrain them, if it tires you.ā€
ā€œThey should behave better.ā€ It was all he grunted back, slightly annoyed at his dancing shadows.
ā€œWell, I donā€™t mind at all. I like them. So at least around me, you shouldnā€™t worry about it.ā€
The seconds her eyes held his stare were enough to make Gwyn feel like she could burst ā€“ or touch him, again. So she turned away and smiled over her shoulder. ā€œGoodnight, Az.ā€
All she felt before reaching the stairway was a tendril of shadow gently curling around her arm.
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cherienymphe Ā· 5 years ago
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Best Friends Forever (Fratboy!Peter Parker x Reader)
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This is my entry for @darkficsyouneveraskedforā€‹Ā  Whatā€™s Old is New Again Challenge! This fic is inspired by #18,Ā ā€œA gentleman is simply a patient wolf. ā€“ Lana Turner. Hope you all enjoy!
warnings: NON-CON, manipulation, roofieĀ 
DNI IF THIS OFFENDS YOU
summary: Peter Parker is your best friend. Peter Parker is your only friend. Peter wants to keep it that way.
~
Peter Parker was your best friend. In fact, Peter Parker was your only friend. The two of you had been inseparable for as long as you could remember. You grew up together attached at the hip, and therefore, you did everything together.
He was there, watching in awe when you pulled your first loose tooth. You did the same when he pulled his first one weeks later. You helped each other learn how to ride bikes, double dutch, and even attempt to skateboard once. The two of you had broken so many bones together that you had lost count.
You weathered middle school together and the absolute insanity that was high school. You two had been best friends all your life, and it had never been anything more than that, so you both were equally confused when catty high school girls and bored high school guys would constantly accuse the two of you of dating. It was a thought that had never crossed your minds, and it was something you often laughed about.
There were absolutely no secrets between you two, and despite that, you still found yourself completely frozen in shock as you watched Peter slip in through your bedroom window one night during sophomore year. He was covered in bruises, and the oddly familiar red and blue fit he wore had some tears. You had stumbled off of your bed, running to grab him as he struggled to stand.
Realization hit you as he leaned against your wall, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, and your eyes almost popped out of your head.
ā€œY-youā€™re Spider-Man?ā€
It had come out louder than you had intended, and he was frantic as he covered your mouth, begging you to keep quiet. Neither one of you slept much that night as you demanded answers from him. You remembered feeling upset and betrayed that he had been hiding something so important from you, but even worse, you felt worried.
Your best friend had been put in danger so many times while you had been none the wiser. From then on, you demanded that he pass through your house to change out of his suit before going home. Not only for it to be safe for him to get home, but to put your own heart at ease too. It gave you a sense of comfort to see for yourself that he ended the night in one piece.
It was a tough secret to keep, incredibly trying to keep your thoughts to yourself as you watched his crime fighting be reported day in and day out. It was difficult to keep your worry at bay when he was late sneaking into your bedroom or to keep yourself from crying out when he was especially hurt. You were the only one who knew the truth, and the gravity of it served to further isolate the two of you.
Peter was literally your only friend and had been for as long as you could remember. What did it matter that you had never had any girlfriends, even now during college? Sure, you had always envied that special bond some girls seemed to have with each other. Of course, it bothered you a little that you had never experienced what it was like to have a best friend who could relate to you in every single way, but Peter was plenty. Yeah, there were some things that as a guy, he would never fully be able to empathize with, but his sympathy and well intentions were enough.
Besides, having a guy best friend came with its perks. Peter understood guys way better than you could ever hope to, and he was always more than eager to give you advice. Thanks to him, you could probably call yourself an expert on them, but in the end, it never did any good. You had never had a boyfriend, never even anything remotely close. Sure, it bothered you, a lot, but in the end you were grateful.
Peter saved you from regret more times than you could count. Every guy you had ever vocalized interest in turned out to be absolute garbage. At least, that was what Peter told you, and you trusted him. He was never wrong about these things. Tristan, an upperclassman that youā€™d had a crush on during your freshman year, had apparently been a racist creep. James from your junior year was a party animal with anger issues. Your first year of college, youā€™d fallen head over heels for a literature major named Logan, but Peter had to be the bearer of bad news when he informed you that the guy had a girlfriend back home and about three more on campus.
After that, you had just given up completely. You saw no point to any of it when every guy you had ever liked turned out to be awful. In the end, Peter was truly the only one you could trust. You were beyond thankful for him, and the day you could bring a guy around with Peterā€™s approval was the day you would know you found a good one. Unfortunately, you were starting to think that day would never come. You dreaded the day Peter would finally get a girlfriend, because then you would truly be a lonely wreck.
You found it odd that Peter had been single all this time too. This wasnā€™t high school anymore. In college, girls liked guys who were smart and who read and knew how to have conversations outside of sports. Add the fact that Peter had grown to be quite attractive and had even joined a fraternity, he was a catch. So it was safe to say you didnā€™t get it, and told him so one night.
ā€œIā€™ve just never met the right girl,ā€ he said with a shrug, distracted.
ā€œOh, come on,ā€ you scoffed in disbelief. ā€œSo many great girls have shown interest in you. What about MJ? She was tall and funny and her hair-! God, her hair.ā€
He snorted, a faint smirk on his lips.
ā€œI just wasnā€™t into her.ā€
ā€œWhy not?ā€ you wondered.
MJ was practically perfect, and you had never known Peter to be nitpicky. He just shrugged, eyes focused on his laptop as he typed away.
ā€œPeter,ā€ you whined. ā€œThis is just sad. One of us has to start dating soon or weā€™ll just end up staring at each other in our old age.ā€
ā€œIā€™ve dated,ā€ he said, offended as his eyes cut up to you.
You rolled your eyes, flicking your pencil at him.
ā€œI mean dating dating, not whatever it is you and your ā€œfrat brosā€ do every weekend. That house has seen more girls than a gynecologist clinic,ā€ you complained.
ā€œYou know Iā€™m not like that,ā€ he said, shutting his laptop and setting it aside.
While he was somewhat right, heā€™d still had his own fair share of fun with some of the girls who went to their parties.
ā€œYou may not be as bad as the rest of them, but you canā€™t fool me, Peter. Remember, there are no secrets between us,ā€ you replied, leaning back into the couch. ā€œWhen are you going to get a girlfriend?ā€
He didnā€™t answer, and you continued.
ā€œI know you want one. Youā€™ve mentioned it several times, and I know dozens of girls that would be thrilled to be given the chance.ā€
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, giving you his full attention now.
ā€œI justā€¦havenā€™t found the right girl,ā€ he lamely repeated.
You opted to leave it alone, skeptically eyeing him before reaching out to turn on the tv. You could feel Peterā€™s eyes on you, but he fortunately spoke before you had a chance to ask him what was up.
ā€œTo be honestā€¦there was a time when I thoughtā€¦youā€™d be my girlfriend,ā€ he quietly confessed, almost like he was afraid of your reaction.
You looked at him, shock and disbelief coursing through you. A humorless chuckle left your lips.
ā€œYouā€™re kiddingā€¦ā€
He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes were completely serious.
ā€œNo, Iā€™m not. It was senior year of high school andā€¦ I donā€™t know,ā€ he shrugged. ā€œI know we were teased about it for years and the idea was crazy to us, but one dayā€¦I realized that you were the person I was closest to in the worldā€¦and I wanted to be closer.ā€
Your eyes were wide, lips parted in awe as you listened to this confession. You had never known, and you wondered how you could have missed it. What kind of friend were you?
ā€œIt was the only secret I ever kept from youā€¦ā€
You turned to fully look at him.
ā€œWhy didnā€™t you ever say anything?ā€
He shrugged, dark eyes studying you.
ā€œI knew you didnā€™t feel the same way, so I just forced myself to let it go. And I did,ā€ he answered.
He was right. You had never felt the same way, and you started to wonder what would have happened if he had confessed his feelings to you. How awkward that could have beenā€¦ It could have ruined everything.
ā€œPeterā€¦I canā€™t believe you did that. That must haveā€¦sucked,ā€ you whispered.
He chuckled.
ā€œIā€™m not going to lie. It kind of did, but I didnā€™t want to ruin our friendship. Youā€™re special to me, and nothing would have been worth making our friendship weird or just destroying it altogether. It turned out to be nothing more than a crush, anyway. Justā€¦teenage hormones.ā€
You felt your heart clench, wondering if you would have done the same. It must have been torture for him to swallow his feelings just to keep things comfortable between you two, no matter how fleeting the whole thing was for him.
ā€œReally, itā€™s no big deal, Y/N. Iā€™m long over it, now,ā€ he waved you off.
You chuckled, moving past the brief shock youā€™d just experienced.
ā€œIā€™m glad for that. If you told me you still had feelings for me, I probably wouldā€™ve accused you of sabotage all these years.ā€
ā€œSabotage,ā€ he scoffed. ā€œListen, every single guy youā€™ve been into was downright awful. You literally have the worst taste in men-.ā€
ā€œI do not!ā€
ā€œYou do, Y/N. Honestly, if it wasnā€™t for me, who knows what you would have gotten yourself into.ā€
You rolled your eyes.
ā€œJust for that, youā€™re paying for the takeout, tonight.ā€
Ā ~
ā€œBotany? Thatā€™s crazy! I want to go into agriculture,ā€ you said with a laugh.
The guy before you, Harry, chuckled with you. The two of you were tucked into a quiet corner of the kitchen. The rest of the house was vibrating with a deep bass, the sound of noisy college students filling your ears. Parties werenā€™t your thing, but frat parties especially were definitely not your thing. Somehow, Peter had finally talked you into attending one of his houseā€™s infamous parties, and you hadnā€™t even been in the building for five minutes before you grabbed a drink with as little alcohol as possible and hid in the kitchen.
It was miraculous really that you bumped into an attractive guy who was equally uncomfortable with these things. He was funny and charming, and he wanted to study plants. You tried not to get ahead of yourself, but someone else might say it was fate that you two ran into each other. Hell, you ran into each other at Peterā€™s frat house, so the chances that they knew each other were high. Maybe Peter would have good things to tell you about him.
As if he was summoned by your thoughts, your eyes connected with familiar brown ones as he poked his head into the kitchen.
ā€œPeter!ā€
You waved him over, and his eyes flitted between you and Harry as he approached you.
ā€œHey, Parker. I didnā€™t know you knew Y/N,ā€ Harry chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.
ā€œYeah, Peter and I go way back. Heā€™s my best friend,ā€ you said, pulling Peter over.
Your best friend was being unusually quiet, and you frowned. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, noticing the way his eyes had hardened. Was he okay?
ā€œY/N was just telling me that she wants to go into agriculture. Weā€™ll probably be taking a lot of classes together in about two years,ā€ Harry threw out.
Peter chuckled at that, but it sounded off, and he turned to look at you.
ā€œI figured youā€™d be hiding in the kitchen, so I came to find you,ā€ Peter said, wrapping an arm around your waist.
A shudder passed through you at the unfamiliar gesture, but you brushed it off.
ā€œOh, you know how I am. Iā€™m glad I ran into Harry though! Heā€™s been keeping me company, so you can just go back to the party if you want. Your friends are probably looking for you,ā€ you replied.
Peter had become quite popular since you two started college, and you knew that the demand for his attention was rather high. You often felt bad about dragging him down with you. You werenā€™t really the social type.
ā€œYeah, Parker, I can look out for Y/N for you,ā€ Harry offered, a friendly smile on his lips.
You returned it and noticed the way Peterā€™s jaw ticked, and confusion filled you.
ā€œActually, I came to find Y/N so that we can go,ā€ Peter bit out.
Your frown deepened, but you didnā€™t question it as Peter gripped your hand.
ā€œOh, okay. I guess weā€™re leaving. See you around, Harry!ā€
He waved back as Peter pulled you out of the kitchen. His grip was tight on your hand as he weaved through swaying bodies and drunk students. Again, you wondered if he was upset about something. It was Peter, so you hardly ever saw him upset. You breathed in the fresh air when the two of you made it outside, and you took the time to eye him.
ā€œPeterā€¦you alright?ā€
He took a deep breath, chest heaving before he looked at you with a smile. He looked more like himself and you returned it.
ā€œYeah, Iā€™m justā€¦not feeling too good,ā€ he answered.
ā€œOh,ā€ you sadly said. ā€œAre you getting sick?ā€
He shrugged, hand in his pockets.
ā€œI donā€™t know. I probably had too much to drink. Mind if I crash at your place?ā€
You chuckled, shaking your head.
ā€œYouā€™re always welcome to sleep over, you know that.ā€
It was quiet for a while between you two as you walked back to your apartment. His hand was soft on yours, and the way his arm kept brushing against yours brought comfort to you. You were so used to his presence, borderline dependent on it, and just knowing he was beside you was reassuring.
ā€œI love you, Peter, but please donā€™t invite me to anymore parties,ā€ you suddenly whispered, a hint of mock fear in your voice.
He barked a laugh, and you joined him.
ā€œAll of them arenā€™t that bad, I promise,ā€ he chuckled. ā€œDid you really hate it that much?ā€
You hummed, releasing a sigh.
ā€œMaybe I didnā€™t hate it all that much,ā€ you admitted after some time.
He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye as a wistful smile fell over your lips, eyes gazing at the sky.
ā€œSoā€¦how do you know Harry?ā€
His hand tightened around your own just the slightest.
ā€œHeā€™s in another frat,ā€ he answered with a scoff. ā€œHeā€™s a spoiled rich kid who thinks he can get anything he wants by throwing money at it.ā€
You rolled your eyes with a shake of your head.
ā€œSomehow, Iā€™m not shocked by that, butā€¦ You know what? I donā€™t care.ā€
He stopped walking, pulling you to a halt with him, and he stared at you with a frown.
ā€œWhat? What do you mean?ā€
You shrugged.
ā€œI like him. We have a lot in common and heā€™s hilarious and so cute. Maybeā€¦ Maybe Iā€™m expecting too much, you know?ā€
Peter looked even more confused, jaw clenching as his frown deepened.
ā€œWhat are you saying?ā€
ā€œI meanā€¦ Yes, Iā€™m a huge romantic and I want a boyfriend, a serious boyfriend, like I have for years, butā€¦ You have always been a girlfriend kind of guy. Itā€™s no secret that youā€™re open to a serious relationship, and you claim the only reason that hasnā€™t happened yet is because you havenā€™t found the right girl, butā€¦ Peter, thatā€™s never stopped you from having fun,ā€ you elaborated.
He didnā€™t respond, and you sighed.
ā€œIā€™m just saying that maybe I should do the same. Maybe I should stop trying to make a boyfriend out of every guy Iā€™m into and just have fun. Like you!ā€
He forced a chuckle past his lips.
ā€œThatā€™sā€¦thatā€™s not like youā€¦ā€
ā€œI know, butā€¦ Iā€™m tired of being alone,ā€ you shrugged. ā€œWeā€™re in college, now, and the chances of me finding a boyfriend are pretty low. Let you tell it, a good portion of the guys here are trash, but that only matters if youā€™re looking for something serious, and I donā€™t think I want that anymore.ā€
Peter was uncharacteristically quietā€¦again, and you tilted your head at him.
ā€œThatā€™sā€¦a big change for you,ā€ he murmured.
ā€œYeah,ā€ you sighed. ā€œā€¦but Iā€™m really into Harry. Youā€™ll help me, right?ā€
Your pleading gaze met his dark one, slightly frowning at the way he was looking at you. He pursed his lips.
ā€œPlease, Peter? I really like him, and you know him so well.ā€
He looked away with a small sigh. He briefly closed his eyes before eventually nodding, and you smiled. He looked at you with a grin on his lips, taking your hand again as he continued the trek down the sidewalk.
ā€œYeah. Leave it to me, Y/N, and Iā€™ll help you get laid in no time,ā€ he relented.
You squealed, reaching up to shake his shoulders as you pushed him along.
ā€œYouā€™re an angel!ā€
He chuckled.
ā€œWhat are best friends for?ā€
Ā ~
ā€œOkay, Iā€™ll admit, that was much better than I was expecting,ā€ Harry relented.
ā€œSee! I told you, I am an excellent judge when it comes to these things,ā€ you replied as the two of you walked out of the theatre.
It was the sixth date the two of you had been on in 4 weeks. True to his word, Peter had helped you out, and that next morning after the party, youā€™d woken up to a text from Harry Osborn himself. A huge grin had spread out over your face, and you didnā€™t hesitate to reply.
The two of you had been talking nonstop since then about practically any and everything. It turns out that you hadnā€™t been premature in thinking the two of you had so much in common. It was true! It was almost suspicious how much of the same things you liked, including horror films.
ā€œListen, the storyline didnā€™t seem all that original, and when I had watched the trailer, I felt like Iā€™d seen the entire thing in less than 2 minutes,ā€ he defended.
ā€œOkay, okay, that I can understand, but ever since Iā€™d missed out on seeing both Insidious and The Conjuring in theatres because I thought they were going to suck, I vowed to myself ā€˜never againā€™.ā€
ā€œYikes! Both of those films were great. I just know you still kick yourself over that one,ā€ he laughed.
ā€œIt literally haunts me,ā€ you groaned. ā€œI know experiencing both of those in the theatre must have been amazing.ā€
Harry seemed to find your regret amusing, and he stopped to look at you with a smile on his face.
ā€œHey, so uh, my frat is throwing a party this weekend. I mean, we do just about every weekend, but I was thinking maybe you could comeā€¦as myā€¦date this weekend?ā€
Your eyes widened a bit, and you felt your face heat up. He seemed nervous to ask you, like he didnā€™t know how youā€™d feel about it, and it was wild to you. You really liked Harry, and you thought you had made that more than obvious over the past month. Sure, Peter was right when he said he was a bit of a snob, but it wasnā€™t overbearingly so to the point that it became a turn off. Crazily enough, you could see Harry being more than just ā€˜funā€™.
ā€œIā€™d love that,ā€ you honestly replied.
The corner of his mouth pulled upwards into a smirk, and he stepped closer to you on the deserted sidewalk.
ā€œYeahā€¦?ā€
You nodded, looking up at him as he got closer. Neither one of you said anything as he reached up to gently grip your jaw, leaning in until his lips pressed against yours. You sharply inhaled, closing your eyes as you savored this. His lips were soft, and the way he moved them against yours told you that he was experienced.
That didnā€™t bother you. Truth be told, you had always wanted to be with someone who knew what they were doing, because honestly, you had no idea. You felt flutters deep in your stomach, and you shuffled closer to him when a cool breeze blew by. He pulled away just a little, opening his eyes to look at you as you did the same.
ā€œCome on. Let me walk you back to your place,ā€ he offered.
You happily gripped his hand as he did just that.
You felt giddy, absolutely on cloud nine as you leaned your head on his shoulder. Maybe you were getting a bit ahead of yourself, but a nice and rich frat guy was asking you to be his date to his houseā€™s party. In context, this whole thing was showing a lot of promise. Guys like him normally liked to keep their options open, and him actually claiming you as his date was making somewhat of a statement.
You waved him goodbye as you made your way inside the complex, lips still tingling from the second kiss heā€™d given you just outside. You were still smiling when you rounded the corner that led to your hall, pausing as your eyes fell on a familiar figure outside of your door.
ā€œPeter, hey!ā€
He pulled himself to his feet with a small groan, stretching as you fished your keys out of your purse.
ā€œWhere have you been? Iā€™ve been waiting here for over an hour,ā€ he said, glancing at his watch.
You gave him a sheepish look as you let him go in first.
ā€œSorry. I went to go see a movie with Harry,ā€ you answered.
ā€œOh,ā€ he said in a small voice. ā€œYouā€™re still seeing that guy?ā€
ā€œThat guy,ā€ you scoffed with a small chuckle. ā€œIsnā€™t he your friend?ā€
ā€œYeah, sort of, I guessā€¦ā€
ā€œYou staying over tonight?ā€ you asked, glancing over your shoulder.
ā€œI really wasnā€™t planning to, but since Iā€™ve been waiting this long, I donā€™t want to go back to the house in the dark.ā€
You hummed, opening your drawer of takeout menus to figure out what you should order.
ā€œSoā€¦how are things going with Harry?ā€
You couldnā€™t stop the smile that fell over your lips.
ā€œGreat actually,ā€ you said, sounding surprised. ā€œHe asked me to be his date to the party his frat is throwing this weekend.ā€
Peterā€™s eyes were wide as you glanced up at him, dark eyebrows raised as he looked at you.
ā€œReallyā€¦ā€
ā€œYeah! I donā€™t knowā€¦ I wasnā€™t exactly planning for this to be anything serious, you know? I wanted to experience some light fun for once in my life, but nowā€¦ I think I can see us actually being something,ā€ you whispered.
Peter didnā€™t reply right away, only humming in response.
ā€œAre you going to the party?ā€
He blinked, heaving a sigh before shaking his head.
ā€œNah. Iā€™m not really a fan of the kind of parties they throw,ā€ he said with a shrug.
ā€œWhat do you mean?ā€
He waved you off.
ā€œThey can just get pretty wild. They regularly get noise complaints and donā€™t really monitor how much alcohol people are drinking until itā€™s too late and thereā€™s throw up everywhere,ā€ he explained with a frown.
ā€œOhā€¦ā€
You were a bit disappointed that Peter wasnā€™t going to be there, but you had to remind yourself to stop being so dependent upon him. The two of you couldnā€™t stay attached at the hip forever, and at some point, you had to start making a social life for yourselfā€¦by yourself.
Ā ~
Friday night came much quicker than expected, and you were all dressed and ready to go. The house wasnā€™t far from your place, and since it was still daylight, you didnā€™t mind walking. Youā€™d worn comfortable shoes, so it didnā€™t bother you.
Even though you would probably be considered an early arriver, the place was already lively when you stepped through the door. Everywhere you turned, you were met with someoneā€™s back or chest, and you struggled to maneuver yourself through the bodies. You didnā€™t recognize anyone, and almost wished that Peter had come with you, growing nervous until you spotted a familiar head of dark hair.
You approached Harry with a smile, reaching out to grab his arm. His eyes were wide when he turned to face you, and you frowned when he maneuvered his arm out of your grip. Your frown only deepened when he stepped away from you, glancing away, and that was when you noticed the girl at his side.
She hadnā€™t been paying attention, gaze elsewhere, but she smiled when she finally turned to look at you. She was blonde and beautiful and had perfect teeth, dazzling you as she grinned. Her perfectly manicured hands wrapped around Harryā€™s arm as she leaned into him.
ā€œHey! Are you a friend of Harryā€™s?ā€
She seemed sweet, and confusion filled you at their familiar body language.
ā€œBabe, this is Y/N. Sheā€™s super close with my friend Peter,ā€ Harry answered, barely sparing you a glance.
Your heart dropped to your stomach as you eyed them.
ā€œOh! Iā€™ve yet to meet Peter, but Iā€™ve heard you mention him sometimes. Iā€™m Scarlet, Harryā€™s girlfriend,ā€ she introduced herself.
If it all possible, you probably would have thrown up, but you hadnā€™t eaten anything all day, too nervous about tonight.
ā€œOh, wow! I donā€™t think Peter ever mentioned Harry having a girlfriend,ā€ you responded, hoping it sounded casual.
You could feel the man in questionā€™s eyes on you, but you didnā€™t spare him a glance.
ā€œWell, Iā€™ve never actually met Peter, and Harry and I only recently go back togetherā€¦what was it? Two months ago?ā€
ā€œTwo months agoā€¦wowā€¦ā€
You didnā€™t know what to say, and you finally understood the full meaning of ā€˜speechlessā€™ in that moment.
ā€œYeah, Harry didnā€™t have any plans this weekend as far as I knew, so I decided to come down and surprise him. You should have seen his face when I showed up on the doorstep an hour ago,ā€ she laughed.
You joined her, feeling like you were going to be sick.
ā€œIā€™ll let you two catch up. It was nice to meet you!ā€
ā€œYou too,ā€ Scarlet said, waving goodbye as you turned and pushed yourself through the crowd.
There were tears in your eyes, and your body was shaking. Were you on the verge of a panic attack? You stumbled over your own feet as you attempted to make your way to the door. So focused on the baby pink polish on your toes, you didnā€™t notice the figure before you until your head was colliding with their chest.
You stumbled back, almost falling had it not been for a familiar pair of hands. You looked up in shock, and everything crashed into you as your eyes met Peterā€™s. His gaze was inquiring, worry coloring his features as he studied you.
ā€œY/N? Whatā€™s wrong?ā€
You shook your head, letting it fall against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.
ā€œWhat happened?ā€
ā€œH-Harry has a girlfriend,ā€ you whispered.
You felt him tense against you.
ā€œā€¦what?ā€
ā€œI meanā€¦ I thoughtā€¦ You said he was just some spoiled rick kid. You never mentioned a girlfriend,ā€ you said, looking up at him.
ā€œI didnā€™t know. Honest. They broke up forever ago,ā€ he replied, pulling you against him.
ā€œYeah, well apparently, they got back together two months ago. The whole time weā€™d been talking and going out together heā€¦,ā€ you trailed off, shaking your head. ā€œHe treated me like I was practically a stranger.ā€
Peterā€™s jaw ticked, and he moved to go past you, but you stopped him. His dark eyes were focused on Harry no doubt, but you pressed your hands into his chest.
ā€œPeter, let it go. Please! Justā€¦stay with me? I donā€™t think I want to go homeā€¦ā€
The last thing you wanted was to lay in your bed and remind yourself of what a disaster tonight was turning out to be. Peter heaved a sigh, hands tightening on you before reluctantly nodding. He pulled you along towards the door.
ā€œCome on. We can just go to the party at my house,ā€ he offered.
You nodded, leaning against him as he walked you out. You wiped at your cheek, unsure of when a few tears had spilled over. You had fooled yourself into dreaming of more with Harry and look where it got you. Even if you had still only wanted something casual, there was no way you would have knowingly got involved with a guy who had a girlfriend. That wasnā€™t who you were.
ā€œI thoughtā€¦I thought you werenā€™t coming,ā€ you whispered.
ā€œI wasnā€™t, butā€¦ I didnā€™t want to leave you at a party where the only person you knew was Harry. Iā€™m glad I did come,ā€ he murmured. ā€œWhat an assā€¦ā€
ā€œDonā€™t worry about it, Peter. Really. Maybe this is just a sign that I should stop trying to force something with every guy I like. It never turns out well,ā€ you sighed.
Peterā€™s frat house was just as lively when you guys moseyed inside. A few of his brothers recognized you, and you waved at them. Peterā€™s arm tightened around your waist, but you didnā€™t mind it. You knew what other guys at the party would think, but you didnā€™t care. You were done with guys, and all you wanted was to hang out with Peter, the only guy you had ever been able to trust. So if they mistook you as Peterā€™s girl, and left you alone because of it, that was fine with you.
The two of you were attached at the hip throughout the night. Peter had gotten both of you drinks, and hours later, you were still nursing that same drink. This was never your crowd, and the more you made your way around the room with Peter, the more obvious it became. He didnā€™t seem to mind your company though, arm still at home on your waist. You noticed a few disappointed glances being thrown your way, and you chuckled with a frown.
ā€œPeter, I think Iā€™m ruining your chances of getting laid,ā€ you finally said.
He glanced around to see what you meant before he chuckled too.
ā€œItā€™s fine. Youā€™re my best friend. Iā€™m not just going to ditch you,ā€ he responded.
You smiled but still felt a bit guilty that you had affected his night again. You pulled away from him, letting him know that you were going to be in the kitchen. He understood and promised to join you. To be honest, you wanted him to have fun. You didnā€™t exactly take pleasure in knowing that he sacrificed his usual routine at parties just for you.
You leaned against the counter, pressing your fingers to your temples as you rubbed circles into your skin. You didnā€™t know how the night had gone so wrong. How had you been so clueless? No, no! You were not going to do that. It wasnā€™t your job to watch and hunt for signs of an untruthful man. You werenā€™t supposed to be suspicious of a guy you were seeing. This whole situation was completely on Harry.
You finished your drink, tossing the red cup into the trash with a sigh. It was amazing that in the span of 3 hours, your life had done a complete 180. You had gone from having the time of your life to being alone and miserable and feeling absolutely foolish.
You heard footsteps make their way into the kitchen. You glanced up, face contorting in a frown as your gaze connected with that of the last person you wanted to see.
ā€œWhat are you doing here?ā€ you scoffed.
He was holding two drinks, eyes apologetic as he approached you.
ā€œIā€™m sorry-.ā€
ā€œI donā€™t want to hear it, Harry. Thereā€™s nothing that you could say that can fix this.ā€
ā€œY/N, Iā€™m sorry! Iā€™m so sorry. Scarlet and Iā€¦ Weā€™ve been having problems for a long time, now, and we both thought getting back together would make them magically go away, but they didnā€™t. The night we met, Scarlet and I had gotten into a huge fight, and I was under the impression that we were overā€¦for good.ā€
You eyed him.
ā€œThen she wanted to work things out, but I had already met you, and I really liked youā€¦ā€
You looked away with a sigh.
ā€œWe were never exclusive, I guess, but it doesnā€™t matter because you have a girlfriend. You had a girlfriend the whole time we were hanging out, and Iā€™m certain that you and she have an agreement that you guys are exclusive,ā€ you harshly replied.
He glanced down, and you chuckled, but it lacked humor.
ā€œYou were cheating on herā€¦with meā€¦ Never mind the obvious of how she would feel if she found out, but how do you think that makes me feel? Do you think I like being that kind of girl?ā€
He shook his head.
ā€œNo, no, youā€™re not the type-.ā€
ā€œExactly.ā€
He at least had the decency to look ashamed.
ā€œI know I messed up, okay? I just wanted to apologize and bring you thisā€¦ You said itā€™s your favorite, the only drink you actually really like, and I thought maybe it could soften the blow of you chewing me out,ā€ he confessed.
You eyed the cup, glaring at him before taking it. You took a sip before sighing.
ā€œWell, thanks for the drink,ā€ you saluted him with it. ā€œā€¦but I donā€™t see us moving past this Harry. It was fun, but I donā€™t even want to be friends with someone like you. Iā€™m sorry, and I mean it when I say I hope you and Scarlet work things out.ā€
You brushed past him, taking another sip of the fruity mixture as you went in search of Peter. It was easy to find him, following the sound of his familiar laughter. He didnā€™t mention anything as he wrapped his arm around you, and you figured that he didnā€™t know Harry was here yet.
ā€œHey, I was coming, I swear I was-.ā€
ā€œPeter, itā€™s fine! You know I donā€™t care about you keeping me company or not. Iā€™m a big girl.ā€
He returned your smile, pulling you closer as his hand tightened on your waist.
You didnā€™t plan to stay much longer, and about an hour later you decided that you would head outā€¦after you used the bathroom. You found it much more difficult to weave through the sweaty bodies this time, and you blinked as your vision spun for half a second. You stopped to steady yourself, pressing your hand to your head in confusion.
You eventually made it to the bathroom, and you took some time to look at yourself in the mirror. You looked alright, for the most part, but you felt soā€¦off. Your fingers were tingling just the slightest, and the bass in the houses sounded incredibly far away. By the time you were done in the bathroom, you were stumbling out.
You had to hold onto the wall for support, and confusion filled you. Youā€™d only been drunk a handful of times, but this time felt different. Even worse, you had only had two drinks. You dreaded making your way down the stairs, and you had to pause and lean your back on the wall halfway down. You heard someone call your name, and they too sounded so far away. You jerked when a pair of hands landed on your arms.
ā€œY/N? Y/N, are you okay?ā€
You stared at Harry for the longest time, wondering what he was still doing here when it clicked. You frowned at him.
ā€œDid you put something in my drink?ā€
Your words were slurred, but he understood you nonetheless, and his eyes widened.
ā€œWhat? No!ā€
ā€œYou did, didnā€™t you? Iā€¦I only had two drinks, and this didnā€™t start until after-.ā€
ā€œY/N, I wouldnā€™t do that! Come on, let me-.ā€
ā€œNo!ā€ you jerked away from him. ā€œIs this your way of getting in my pants, anyway?ā€
He frantically shook his head, concern and worry and disbelief all rolled into one in his gaze.
ā€œY/N, you have to believe me! I wouldnā€™t do this!ā€
You scoffed, pushing against him, but it was weak.
ā€œBelieve you? How could I trust anything you say?ā€
He blinked, something clicking in his eyes as he looked down the stairs and back to you.
ā€œY/N, I didnā€™t get the drink for you. Did Parker not tell you he saw me? He gave me the-.ā€
ā€œHey, whatā€™s going on?ā€
You both turned to look just as Peter came up the stairs. You stumbled towards him, fighting off Harryā€™s hands as Peter wrapped his arms around you.
ā€œHe put something in my drink,ā€ you whispered, on the verge of passing out.
ā€œWhat?ā€ Peter demanded, tightening his hold on you.
ā€œY/N, listen-!ā€
ā€œYouā€™ve done enough, donā€™t you think? Get out of here, Harry, because if I tell my frat brothers youā€™re drugging girls they arenā€™t just going to let you walk out of here,ā€ he threatened.
Harry stumbled over his words as Peter helped you back up the stairs.
ā€œLeave,ā€ you heard him snap at the other brunette.
Your fingers dug into his arm as he helped you walk down the hall, arms tightening around you.
ā€œP-Peterā€¦ā€
ā€œHey, heyā€¦ Itā€™s okay. You can crash in my room, tonight, yeah?ā€
Youā€™d only been in his room a handful of times, the both of you usually hanging out at his place. It was always clean and always smelled good, and you had thought to yourself before that it was no wonder girls kept coming back. He sat you down on his bed, and you struggled to sit upright.
You heard him fumbling around in his drawers and looked up just in time to see him coming over with a huge t-shirt. You didnā€™t mind when he helped you out of your clothes, welcoming it during your inebriated state. His fingers grazed your skin as he slid the shirt over you, resting his hands on your shoulders.
ā€œY/N, can you hear me?ā€
ā€œY-yeah,ā€ you stuttered, blinking at him.
He took his thumb to widen your eyes, getting a good look at your pupils. You felt like you were having an out of body experience, and you were grateful for Peter. You didnā€™t like feeling like this, and you shuddered to think about what would have happened to you had Peter not been here.
ā€œThank you,ā€ you whispered.
He ran his eyes over you before resting them on your fogged-out ones.
ā€œYou donā€™t need to thank me,ā€ he said with a small smile. ā€œWhat are best friends for?ā€
You struggled to return the smile, and he brushed his hand along the side of your face. Your eyes fell closed at the gentle feel of his ministrations. You were somewhat in shock that Harry would do such a thing. A rapist was a big leap from cheater and liar, and you wondered what drove him to do it. He had a girlfriend, but maybe he was truly that greedy and disgusting?
You forced your eyes open when you felt Peterā€™s hand on the side of your neck. You blinked, eyebrows furrowing as you watched him lean in.
ā€œPeter-.ā€
You were cut off when he pressed his lips against your own. Your eyes widened, and you reached up to press your hands into his chest, but you had no strength. His hand slid to grip the hair at the back of your head, tightening his grip as he leaned into you.
You mumbled incoherently into his mouth as he laid you down, his lithe frame immediately settling against yours. His other hand was on your naked thigh, his t-shirt riding up to brush against your underwear. You turned your head, gasping for breath.
ā€œPeterā€¦stop,ā€ you panted. ā€œW-what are you doing?ā€
He didnā€™t answer you, opting instead to pull away and reach behind his head to pull his shirt off. You blinked as you were met with the sight of his bare chest. He leaned down again, pressing his lips against yours. He simply swallowed all of your protests, and you turned your head away again.
ā€œPeter!ā€
ā€œIā€™m doing what Iā€™ve wanted to do for years, now,ā€ he whispered against your cheek.
Your eyes widened, and confusion filled you.
ā€œā€¦what?ā€
You tried to scoot back on the bed, but he only followed, his frame still caging yours in as you both moved. His eyes were hard as he looked at you, and you felt tears collect as you fought not to cry.
ā€œHarry gets everything, you know. Itā€™s all just so easy for him, but Iā€™d never let him have you,ā€ he murmured, pressing kisses to your neck. ā€œNot after I worked so hard to save youā€¦for myselfā€¦ā€
You pushed against him again, but he didnā€™t budge.
ā€œNo, no. Peter, whatā€¦what are youā€¦?ā€
Nothing was making sense, and your head hurt and your body felt heavy and the room was spinning. Nothing he was saying was making sense.
ā€œPeter, youā€™re my best friendā€¦ This doesnā€™t make any senseā€¦ā€
Your head lolled, much too heavy to lift as you heard him fumble with his pants. Panic gripped you, but you could hardly move. You groaned when he pressed himself against you, and you could feel him hard and throbbing between your thighs.
ā€œPeter,ā€ you mumbled.
ā€œIā€™m going to be the only person who gets to be inside of you. The only one to know what it feels like to have you wrapped around them. God, Iā€™ve always wanted to know what you feel like,ā€ he whispered, kissing you again.
His fingers made their way to your core, rubbing you through your underwear. You reached up to grip his arm, but you were sure that your hold was featherlight. You let like your body weighed a ton, and the smallest of movements took so much out of you.
You whimpered as you felt your underwear grow damp, and Peter wasted no time in pushing them to the side before pushing a finger inside of you. Another soon followed, and you were panting beneath him as he worked his hand in between your legs.
ā€œPleaseā€¦stop,ā€ you begged. ā€œIā€™ll screamā€¦ā€
ā€œCan you?ā€ he wondered, lips brushing against yours.
Tears spilled over at his question. He was right. Could you even scream? You could barely speak.
ā€œEven if you could scream, Y/Nā€¦ Thereā€™s a party going on. Whoā€™s going to hear you? Hmm?ā€
He was dragging your filthy underwear down your legs, now.
ā€œPeter, please. Iā€™m your best friendā€¦ Please, donā€™t do this to me,ā€ you pleaded.
Peterā€™s eyes met yours.
ā€œItā€™s just been us our entire lives. All we ever needed was each other. I want to keep it that way,ā€ he said.
You yelped, pressing your nails into his back as he slid inside of you to the hilt. Your legs were limp around him, a scream caught in your throat. He leaned down to kiss your wet cheeks, shushing you as you struggled to adjust beneath him.
He took his time as he pulled out of you before sliding back in, groaning at the way you clenched around him. You pressed your nails harder into his back, and he hissed before reaching back to grip your wrist, pinning it to the bed. He did the same with the other and kept a steady pace.
You panted beneath him, eyes fluttering closed. Whatever was coursing through your system made it impossible to focus on anything other than the way his hard length felt dragging against your walls. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he thrust into you, never taking his eyes off of you as he watched your face.
His grip tightened on your wrists, and you gasped at the pain.
ā€œPeterā€¦ā€
ā€œItā€™s okay. Just enjoy it, Y/Nā€¦ā€
You gasped again as he picked up his pace, forehead dewy with sweat. He buried his face in your neck again, chest pressed against yours as he pinned you to the bed, unrelenting in his thrusts.
ā€œYouā€™re mine,ā€ he murmured. ā€œYouā€™re finally mineā€¦ā€
Something that was a cross between a choked moan and a sob escaped you.
ā€œI want everyone to know it-.ā€
ā€œNo, Peter-!ā€
ā€œIā€™m going to fuck you until the sun comes up, so everyone in this house will know you belong to me. Youā€™re my girl, Y/N. You always have been,ā€ he moaned. ā€œā€¦and when you limp out of this house with my marks on you, everyone will know it.ā€
He came in you with a low moan, and you sobbed into his chest as he rolled over, curling you against him. He ran his fingers down your back, lips brushing your forehead.
ā€œIā€™ll make you come before the night is over,ā€ he whispered. ā€œIā€™ll be the only one to ever touch you like this.ā€
You shook your head, and he rolled you back onto your back, still inside of you. His dark eyes bore into your own, fingers trailing over your trembling body.
ā€œYou know exactly what Iā€™m capable of, Y/Nā€¦ You know the things I can do. Iā€™d hate to have to hurt someone for touching whatā€™s mine.ā€
~
tags: @sherrybaby14ā€‹ @kellyn1604ā€‹ @xoxabs88xoxā€‹ @mcudarklibraryā€‹ @darkficreposterā€‹ @villanelleviā€‹ @sebabestianstan101ā€‹ @harringtonsblackgfā€‹
@opheliadawnwalker3ā€‹ @jtargaryen18ā€‹ @notyourtypicalroseā€‹ @readermiaā€‹
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fightabear Ā· 3 years ago
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so some time ago, someone asked me to do meta about a scene in Injustice and i wanted to revisit that scene with the scene from Year Zero in mind. and then i ended up getting deeply into injustice damian, his relationship with his two awful dads, and itā€™s kind of a mini character essay?
so! hereā€™s a warning for: tyrannical totalitariam regimes, child abuse, abusive fathers, emotional manipulation, evil superman, character death & also random he-man. please note that this is entirelyĀ about injustice and its characters, which are not a reflection on their mainstream counterparts.
thereā€™s tension between damian and bruce from the get-go in injustice, and weā€™re never really toldĀ why. if we take cues from the game (though that entire scene doesnā€™t make sense) then itā€™s because bruce didnā€™t save jason, which fits in with my reordered robin theoryĀ in which tim and jason were switched, and jason has only recently died.
now, we donā€™t know whether jason is running around as red hood right now or not. but iā€™m inclined to say he isnā€™t, as his injustice 2 ending makes a big deal of him becoming red hood. and damian isĀ closeĀ with jason in injustice 2, close enough that jason listens when damian tells him that heā€™s a lot more than bruce thinks he is and drops the shitty batman costume. close enough that during the (extremely weird, extremely out of alignment with the comic) scene in injustice 2 where damian betrays bruce for clark, jasonĀ is the name damian throws at him with the most vehemence. regardless of the robin ordeer, bruceā€™s failure to save jason is seems to be an incredibly sore point between them.
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so itā€™s interesting that bruce is already counting damian out beforeĀ injustice even starts. heā€™s comparing damian to jason - someone who he apparently no longer considers part of his legacy.Ā 
the kicker is: damian in injustice is actually probably the most morally centered version of himself. he shows open compassion and care for other people more often than he does in most of the mainstream runs. damianā€™s sense of right and wrong is solid, but what he wantsĀ is to break the cycle that gotham is trapped in. which from his perspective, is something bruce doesnā€™t seem to want to do.
injusticeā€™s version of bruce is someone who truly believes that the ends justify the means - which means heā€™s apt to do some heinous things to people until they see his side of things. he seems to view people questioning as an act of betrayal, so instead of ever explaining himself he resorts to things like installing viruses in cyborg, kidnapping hawkgirl and replacing her, beating allies within an inch of their life - all of it is fineĀ to him so long as theyā€™re not dead.Ā 
but itā€™s not fine to damian.Ā  damian is constantly horrified at the lengths bruce will go to.
damian is afraid of his father.Ā 
so, this is about a specific scene.Ā  letā€™s get to that scene. its just important to note the difference between them, and emphasize that heā€™s not going with any intent to fight. if he was going to do that, he wouldnā€™t be doing this:
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or respond like this:
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or this:
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heā€™s there to make amends, or at least try to. he still loves his father and he wants to be forgiven, and this is something that will carry on ten years laterĀ in injustice 2. damian made the choice to oppose bruceā€™s controlling nature but damian didnā€™t choose to abandon him and the bat family permanently. that choice was made for him. damian wants to come home.Ā 
and heā€™s terrified of his father. i cannot stress that enough. bruce at this point has already shown that he knows how to hurt his closest friendsĀ if they oppose him.
damian is a highly trained fighter, but heā€™s also aĀ  thirteen year old boy who knows he canā€™t overpower a man twice his size and weight.
and bruce?
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bruceā€™s entire argument really hinges on ā€˜you, my thirteen year old son, didnā€™t take my side in this argumentā€™. because, i have to put this in bold, the league was not executing the criminals they were removing from arkham. they were just transferring them to a more secure facility. something which is actually sorely needed, especially given what has just happened to metropolis. arkham isnā€™t fit to house them. and as far as damian sees it, bruce doesnā€™t like it because itā€™s removing an element of his control.
now, bruce isnā€™t wrongĀ about how things will escalate.Ā 
but damianā€™s not wrong about his motivation here.Ā  i think thereā€™s a conversation to be had about how bruceā€™s methods in trying to stop the regime actually drove it to further and further extremes. bruce never tries to talk to clark - or anyone, really. he just starts playing mind games to make them do what he wants.
it harkens back to the conversation bruce and dick have in the batplane. that bruce doesnā€™t talk to people, he doesnā€™t explain himself. heā€™s either rightĀ or youā€™re wrongĀ and he wonā€™t explain his stance. there is never room for debate. heā€™ll just stop talking and leave until you agree.Ā  there is no option where he sits and listens to an open and honest dialogue, no scenario where he entertains that he might be in the wrong or maybe things arenā€™t black and white.
and thatā€™s why injustice bruce is not a good guy.Ā 
even on prime earth,Ā damian had to bend over backwards to prove to bruce that he wasnā€™t a monster. it was damianĀ who spent months digging through the sewers for marthaā€™s pearls. damianĀ who had to prove he was capable of loving titus. damianĀ who constantly had to show that he was capable of empathy and thinking of others - bruce did none of the heavy lifting in that father-son relationship, he made damian climb the entire hill and still continues to put little effort into it.
and injustice bruce is even lessĀ empathetic and expressive than prime bruce.Ā Ā 
which is why you get a confrontation like this:
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this goes beyond dickā€™s accident and ties back into what clark said about bruce not tending to his sonā€™s who are grieving because they lost friends in metropolis.Ā  damianā€™s fed up with never meeting bruceā€™s expectations. but more than that, heā€™s fed up with his feelingsĀ coming second to bruceā€™s.Ā 
bruce has already made a judgement on who and what damian is. damian has the potential to be dangerous and requires work to fix, and so heā€™s not interested in getting to know him beyond that. he tells dick that heā€™sĀ ā€œworried aboutĀ  damian being seduced by darknessā€ but never talks to damian himself with him about it.
but clark has looked at damian and and decided that damian is good. damian has problems, clark can admit that and does, but damian is good. like bruce himself.
and ultimately why when dick dies, clark is the one that reaches out to him because he sees damian for what he is: grieving child who just made a terrible mistake. it was an accident. damian didnā€™t meanĀ for this to happen. meanwhile, bruce feels as though he was proven right. damian was dangerous and now his real sonĀ is dead. bruce will later admit, once he stops trying to manipulate damian, that damian was dead to him the moment dick died.
going back to year zero for a minute, they subtly show that damian is doing his best to be like bruce. baby damian idolizes his father. so i imagine a lot of bruceā€™s own feelings towards damian stem from self-hatred. from bruce seeing himself in his son and not liking the reflection it forces him to confront. injustice bruce projects a great deal of his own insecurities and shortcomings onto his youngest. damian is his worstĀ what-if.
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even though damian doesnā€™t deal with his grief the way bruce does. there are similarities, he puts his feelings into his fists and hits. just like bruce. but unlike bruce, and most likely because of dick, he does try to communicate. come injustice 2 he even talks about his feelings.
that doesnā€™t justify any of the violent outbursts. and he has a lot of them. he has significant issues with controlling his anger and struggles with lashing out, verbally and physically. it both worsens and improves as he gets older.
damian knows that heā€™s more than his grief, his loss, his anger. heā€™s also compassionate and capable of incredible feats of kindness. we see that in the flashback chapter in injustice 2. people arenā€™t pawns for damian, they arenā€™t a means to assuage his own guilt and validate himself as a good person. he wants to be goodĀ for those people.
damianā€™s relationship with heroism isnā€™t built on an intrinsic need for control or power, nor is it a means of validating his self worth.
people just need him. theyā€™re suffering.Ā  and he wants to be there for them.
but again, weā€™re not there yet.
so, alfred reaches out to touch damian. damian asks him repeatedly to let go. when alfred doesnā€™t, damian tries throwing him off, not realizing how much strength he now possesses.
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damianĀ  has a thingĀ about being touched when heā€™s wound up tightly. it almost always ends with him lashing out at someone. which, tying back into whyĀ he felt comfortable coming back here, probably goes into his expectation that heā€™s going to get the lights knocked out of him. because again, damian did not go to the cave to fight or hurt anyone. the pill is entirelyĀ for his own defense.
from what we know of damianā€™s childhood in both prime and injustice, violence is the expected retaliation for misbehavior. toeing out of line is grounds for getting the shit beaten out of you, and while things shouldĀ be different here....
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from how bruce reacts heā€™s not wrong to expect it. Ā note that bruce dodesnā€™t run to alfred to see if heā€™s okay, he goes after damianĀ for hurting him. itā€™s damian who runs to alfredĀ after heā€™s thrown bruce away from him.Ā Ā 
( granted, yes, he threw bruce into the penny and it almost crushes alfred )
damian apologizes and he means it.Ā  alfredā€™s first question is to ask for bruce. Ā 
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ā€œā€hawkgirlā€ā€ intervenes to try to end this fight before it can escalate further.
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damian deduces that this isnā€™t hawkgirl and blows some stuff up.Ā  bruce calls after him probably - not to have a serious heart to heart with him about what just happened, or what happened in arkham, but to try to manipulate him into taking bruceā€™s side or in the very least stop his ruse from being uncovered.
this is a themeĀ moving forward. bruce will dangle forgiveness in front of damian, but only when it benefits him and can be used to control him. eventually heā€™ll stop and will use the guilt he knows damian feels to wound him.
and hereā€™s the second theme it introduces: damian is scared shitless of his father.Ā heā€™s not afraid of bruceā€™s violence, as after this he charges straight for him time and time again, but he is utterly terrified of the lengths bruce will go to get his way.
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thisĀ is also where he takes dickā€™s suit. i think this was his way of telling bruce that he didnā€™t deserveĀ to use dickā€™s memory the way he uses his parentā€™s death - as justification for what he does.Ā  this comes up in injustice 2 later down the road, damian will bring up that bruce uses his pain to justify how he brutalizes the people around him. damian does the same thingĀ -- but we also see damian grappling with his conscience about it. he wants to be better. he doesnā€™t want to be all his violence and loss.
back to the topic at hand, damian doesnā€™t do anything with dickā€™s suit. unlike bruce, damian doesnā€™t wear his grief and guilt in plain sight. he puts it in a box and doesnā€™t look at it, he covers the wounds with anger and as he gets older, develops a death wish and basically begins seeking a noble death in order to make up for what heā€™s done. it isnā€™t until dickĀ passes the mantle to him in an attempt to steer him back on the right path that he even looks at it again.
damian isnā€™t the one that ended his relationship with bruce. bruce did. damian is very willing to reconcile if bruce genuinely wants it, but bruce doesnā€™t bother with damian outside of combat or when he needs something. damian actually keeps up visits with alfred, he gets him birthday presents, they meet up often and despite their opposing viewpoints, they get along just fine. damian even listensĀ to what alfred says. he still loves his family.
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damian himself is a mess. this line resonates because damian, too, is afraid. afraid of bruce, afraid of being what bruce thinks he is. thereā€™s only so far he can bury it under the anger.
by the next issue of year one, after the confrontation at the manor, damianā€™s discarded any notion that bruce is a good person or justified in anything he does. everything he says on this page is true.
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heā€™s not wrong. heā€™s more than bruce has even given him credit for being. injustice bruce sorts people into boxes impossible to climb out.Ā  damian made his attempt at reconciliation and instead, found out that bruce has kidnapped and replaced one of his friends to spy on all the rest. in that split second when bruce came at at him, he saw the disgust and anger in his eyes. heā€™s seen how bruce sees him and wholeheartedly rejects it.Ā 
he doesnā€™t want to be bruce. he will notĀ be bruce.
batman was supposed to be better than the league. it was supposed to be a new way. instead he just found a new, different means to brutalize and control, and a new way someone justifies causing harm. and he doesnā€™t want it.
this isnā€™t to say that damian is a saint. heā€™s a very flawed, very brokenĀ person. he went from one abusive parental situation, to another, to another, and has the damage to show for it.Ā heā€™s got bad habits from all of them, many of which he isnā€™t aware of or doesnā€™t think are a problem.Ā 
but unlike his two dads, damian doesnā€™t close himself off to what heā€™s feeling completely, nor does he decide to rush towards external solutions for his pain. heā€™s, again, very awareĀ that something is wrong. he doesnā€™t hold to his convictions the same way bruce or clark do, he questions.Ā  heā€™s deeply unhappy with who he is and what heā€™s doing.Ā 
but damian is seeking answers using a very limited toolset, and thereā€™s a very limited pool of people he can ask that wonā€™t give him a biased answer or try to manipulate him for their own means. one of the people he confides in does just that.
the other gives him the honest truth.
his relationship with selina is fraught and sheā€™s often one of the very nastiest people towards him, but itā€™s because of thatĀ  he ends up opening up to her. she isnā€™t going to bullshit him and just say what he wants to hear.
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and this is what makes damian differentĀ from them. both of them.
because he stops, because he questions, heā€™s still connected to reality. to his own humanity.
injusticeā€™s bruce is a bruce that has quietly let his humanity die. heā€™s completely given over to the cold logic of batman and the idea that whatever he does to the people around him, no matter how morally dubious, is justified so long as it means protecting lives. he might not kill, but he really stops just shortĀ of that. he just doubles down on his beliefs and takes anyone who doesnā€™t agree with him as a traitor. he will go out of his way to rationalize how a largely guilty person is innocent (harleen) and how a largely innocent person is guilty (damian). and so he uses damianā€™s ā€œbetrayalā€ - ie, damian standing with clark instead of him - as justification for icing him out. that way he can ignore all the people who have reminded him time and time again that it was an accident. Ā 
bruce also canā€™t stand that damian wonā€™t do what he says. bruce will ignore damian unless it benefits him. bruce will go on to frequently weaponize how badly damian wants forgiveness against him. there are multiple instances where he says ā€œjust do as i say and iā€™ll forgive you,Ā son.ā€
and then in the next breath, heā€™ll tell damian that he ā€œcanā€™t forgive the deathsā€, all the while he has harleen as his new sidekick. Ā  itā€™s fine that harleen helped with the scheme to blow up metropolis, killed jimmy olsen, and countless others. itā€™s not fine that damian did something he did all the time to dick - something dick himself shrugged off, because the expectation for this behavior was that dick would catch the baton - and it ended in tragedy.
because harleen listens to him and damian doesnā€™t. bruce cuts damian neatly out of his life and only really cares about him again when heā€™s a corpse.
damian, meanwhile,Ā neverĀ stops trying to earn bruceā€™s forgiveness. in the canonical bad end (or well a comic offshoot of the canon ending) damian essentially dies begging bruce to forgive him, admitting that he always cared. he launches an absolutely insaneĀ rescue mission to save his father from clarkā€™s torture and it costs him his life.
( but itā€™s worth mentioning - it takes damian showing bruce an image of karaĀ for bruce to acknowledge him. )
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even before this, damian was looking out for bruce in other ways. he was the reason selina got involved with the regime. because he offered her the chance to join and save bruce. damianā€™s anger towards bruce is less that he wants him dead, and more that bruce wonā€™t stopĀ unless heā€™s killed.
and damian is willing to kill him if bruce poses a threat to hisĀ ā€˜newā€™ family. heā€™s not going to watch bruce hurt the people he loves.
but his new father sucks just as muchĀ as his old one.
talia and bruce were more obviously abusive parents. they were controlling and sometimes asserted that control and obedience using physical violence and intimidation. in obviousĀ ways you can point to and see abuse.Ā 
damian doesnā€™t recognizeĀ clarkĀ is using him until he sees clark discard kara, who should be everythingĀ to clark and is someone importantĀ to damian. before that, he has inklings that theyā€™ve gone too far, but clark has been such a paragon of goodĀ that when he tells damian not to worry about it, he doesnā€™t. he hides all his darkness behind thatĀ  smile and tells damian heā€™s goodĀ and worthy of people loving him, that theyā€™re saving peopleĀ and they wonā€™t let another metropolis happen. clark talks to himĀ and still (seems to) accept him even when they disagree.
damian misses clarkā€™s equally as abusive tendencies because they hiddenĀ under the guise of a fatherly concern.Ā 
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clark is manipulating him into divulging more than he wants to. a boundary damian set is being broken without damian even realizing it. Ā damianā€™s uneasy. his body language goes from very easy and relaxed to overtly uncomfortable and almost submissive. itā€™s also very subtle but clark actually rises higher off the ground to intimidate and loom over him.
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damian, who has only known bruceā€™s stormy silences in moments of disagreement, doesnā€™t recognize this for what it is.Ā  clark doesnā€™t take the slight out on him. clark doesnā€™t stop talking to him because he dared to question.
instead, he loops an arm around damian and praises him, rewards him for being honestĀ and makes it seem like this is an open dialogue and not an interrogation. which it is. i wouldnā€™t call it gaslighting, but i would call it lovebombing. damian doesnā€™t realize that there was anything off about the encounter, or if he does, heā€™ll tell himself heā€™s just being paranoid.
after all. this ended amicably, not with him standing alone wondering what he did wrong, or being thrown across the room. clark basically stops just shy of ruffling his hair and calling him sport.Ā 
he was rewardedĀ for honesty. and so any discomfort he felt was imagined.
Ā i think a thing that a lot of fans miss is that injusticeā€™s damian is a forthright person. he doesnā€™t lie or deceive much, and later on it will bother himĀ that heā€™s keeping secrets from kara forĀ ā€˜the greater goodā€™. he loathes that bruce does it and works hard to not fall into that trap. he wantsĀ to be honest. heā€™s glad when heā€™s rewarded for that honesty.Ā 
because injusticeā€™s damian doesnā€™t want to be batman. he wants to be superman. he wants to be good.
but injusticeā€™s superman is not a good man.Ā 
clark keep secrets, many terrible secrets, and often hurts people and justifies it to himself. he just hides it far better than bruce does.Ā  clark is even more controlling and cruel, but he leans harder into his humanity and emotions to hide it. itā€™s easier to see bruce being cold and calculating and miss the way clark subtly uses what you wantĀ to get what he wants out of you. and you never really see it coming when he lashes out. heā€™ll apologize for it, of course, and if youā€™re not deadĀ youā€™ll forgive him, because itā€™s clark. he didnā€™t mean it. right?
bruce manipulates overtly and grandly using intimidation, clark manipulates subtly using emotion. damian only recognizes one of these things when they happen.
so clark gives damian what he wants - a parent who loves him, someone he can talk to and even show a little vulnerability with - and then uses that against him.Ā 
the worst thing -Ā  the veryĀ worst thing - is that bruce and clark love damian. he knows this. both seem to genuinely consider him their son. and he knows this.
in injustice vs motu, bruce snaps fully into awareness just as diana snaps damianā€™s neck. heā€™s awake just in time to watch his son die.Ā  Ā  and when clark is brought onto the scene, clark falls to his knees and mourns damian and laments his role in driving him to this.
but they weaponize this parent-child bond he wants against him and each other. frankly, neither of them were very interested in him for who he was. nor for helping him be better and master his anger. damianā€™s body isnā€™t even coldĀ before bruce uses it against clark, failing to acknowledge his own part in damianā€™s all too early demise.
heā€™s another chess piece on their board. one clark can use to wound bruce. one bruce can use to wound clark.
the person damian is when away from bothĀ of their influence is a more complete damian. heā€™s the very best of both of them.
the damian here is still curt and sometimes rude, but he laughs and bonds with the people around him. he values peopleā€™s freedomĀ and seems to strive for honesty and communication. meaning no one is in his war to reclaim the world doesnā€™t want to be, and he makes no move without everyone knowing.
when he recruits adam,Ā  he tells them their story and what theyā€™ve gone through and gives adam the choice to join them or stay in eternia.
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anyway, all of this is to say that even all these years later, i continue to beĀ so sad about injustice damian wayne.Ā 
edit:
now, thereā€™s actually one other thing i want to bring up because i totally forgot about it.
so. issue 8Ā of injustice 2.Ā Ā 
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if weā€™re going with the idea of the reordered robin theory, which is what makes the most sense to me considering jasonā€™s age and the friction between bruce and damian, this before jason dies. and if iā€™m wrong and the robins donā€™t have a different order, then this is before some enormous event that broke the slowly building trust.
thereā€™s none of the undercurrent of hostility and distrust that shows up in year 0, which is immediately before year 1. weā€™re not given a timeframe for when this occurs, either, itā€™s just happier times.
but whatā€™s really hard to ignore is that the dynamic between bruce and damian is completelyĀ different here. maybe tom taylorā€™s just settled more into writing the two of them, but i donā€™t think so.Ā year zero comes after this.Ā 
he even acknowledges damianā€™s anger earlier in the chapter. but itā€™s less of a condemnation of his character and more a concern that he might not be ready to be on his own. alfred is the one advocating for caution, asking if heā€™s ready, bruce is the one saying yes, he is.
itā€™s a complete reversal.
and his trust is rewarded with a night of damian abandoning the ā€œā€missionā€ā€ he was given (get home from the furthest point of gotham in three hours) to help everyone along the way. which was the real goal all along, it was a test to see if damianā€™s compassion would win out over his want to win. and it does. bruce is proud of him.
so... what happenedĀ between them? what caused that shift?Ā 
iā€™m kind of worried weā€™re never going to know. like, iā€™m so glad that tom taylor is dcā€™s new golden boy and theyā€™re just letting him build a million different aus. i buy every book he writes.Ā 
but also iā€™m dying because IJ2 was clearly planned to go on a lot longer than it did and i have questionsĀ that i know netherrealm doesnā€™t care about answering.
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egelantier Ā· 4 years ago
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Tian Guan Ci Fu
where is it and what is it
itā€™s a chinese webnovel by mxtx, the same author who did untamed; it exists as a webnovel, finished and kindly translated here, the manhwa, the donghua (animated adaptation) happening right now, and thereā€™s a live action adaptation in plans, directed by the same guy who did untamed. the donghua is gorgeous, the adaptation iā€™m unsure about but prepared to be hopeful, the manhwa seems to be very pretty. but all the adaptations only cover the very beginning of the novel for now, so i went ahead and read the novel, and i have no regrets. it helps that the translation is very good - not without awkward translatorese, but it has consistent and engaging flow and style, and itā€™s also pretty good at conveying mxtxā€™s humor without awkwardness. it reads pretty well.
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whatā€™s it about?
the world is split into two parts: mortals and various ghosts and demons and entities share the land, while ā€˜heaven officialsā€™, aka gods, live in the heavenly kingdom in the sky. pretty much anybody can become a god if they do something really heroic or memorable and/or cultivate (meditation, training, virtuous behavior) really hard. when above, the gods rule their domains and fulfill their believersā€™ wishes; they work sort of like pratchettian gods, dependent on their followersā€™ beliefs and getting influenced by them. heavens are strictly hierarchical, with their own economy and pecking order, and the gods arenā€™t particularly sinless or benevolent; mostly itā€™s a question of scale.
our hero, xie lian, is a prince of a prosperous kingdom whoā€™s been on a fast track to ascension for most of his very short life; heā€™s talented, heā€™s virtuous, heā€™s kind, heā€™s strong, and his only peculiar flaw is (somehow naive, but well-meaning) obsession with equality and value of human lives and so on. he becomes a god, unexpectedly, at seventeen, after slaying one especially dangerous god, and rises in heaven at the peak of his faith, influence and happiness.
ā€¦and then he finds out about drought and incipient trouble in his own kingdom, and, being a young and righteous god too close to his mortality, eschews heavens and returns to save everybody. it, to put it lightly, does not go well. at all. in fact, it goes catastrophically wrong, and, having lost everything, xie lian ascends again, only to get into a fight with the heavenly emperor, and get banished again, this time for good. he roams the mortal lands for next eight hundred of very lonely, luckless and hard years, technically immortal but not invincible, with his powers and his luck stripped away, and leans to make do, eking out a living as a scrap collector. his temples are desecrated, his name is forgotten, his kingdom is long gone, and - well. so it goes.
so it goes! until one day, to everybodyā€™s great surprise, he ascends once again: a humble, gentle, immune to embarrassment, unflappable man, an embarrassment to heavens, a 'laughingstock of three realmsā€™ who just wants to be left well enough alone. heā€™s Tired.
instead of rest, he gets sent to investigate a dangerous ghost stealing brides who pass through its mountain, and there, during the course of the interrogation, has his first (he thinks) meeting with a terrifying, old-powerful and vengeful ghost king named hua cheng, who likes to terrorize heavens from time to time. but said ghost king seems to be very benevolent and very interested in helping xie lian, and xie lian is pretty instantly smittenā€¦ with knowing whatā€™s the cause of such interest.
ā€¦and meanwhile, in the beginning, there'was an unlucky boy, born under the worst stars, whom xie lian saved from falling once, while still mortal, and promptly lost track of. a lot of things happened to this boy, who wanted to be the most devoted worshipper to xie lian the god of the sword and the flower. as one does, you know.
thatā€™s the beginning! from there on: investigations, heavenly secrets, old friends and enemies and acquaintances, thematic parallels, old tragedies, more pining than you can shake a stick at, grand acts of love.
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is it good?
itā€™s very, very good. itā€™s the first fantasy cnovel i read (aside from the hilarious one about a guy traveling back in his own timeline and becoming a sugar baby to a mafia boss, which was in a very different league), so i donā€™t know which things are baseline and which things are unique, but it had a very solid foundation: ambitious multilevel, multi-timeline plot coming together in the end both events- and emotions-wise, beautifully iddy main relationship, maybe multifaceted characters who change and grow and clash together in fun ways, a clear and heartfelt understanding of its own core themes.
itā€™s also, unexpectedly, very funny, in this visual, slapsticky, begs-to-be-adapted way - i found myself laughing out loud over it a lot of times, and it possesses this gift of swerve between understated but earnest emotions and all-out jokes that i associate withā€¦ a bit of prattchett and a bit of gintama, honestly. take it as you will.
(oh my god the mecha. i will laugh over this one until i die.)
it also made me cry several times; granted, itā€™s not like itā€™s this time, but those were very heartfelt tears.
and the main duo?
first let me say that xie lian was lifted out, wholesale, out of my deepest character preferences. he fell really, really far, and did some bad things, and some very horrible things were done to him, and by the time we meet him he went through everything and achieved this effortless kind of traumatized, humble, accepting, wryly self-deprecating, utterly competent chill that makes a character incredibly appealing to me. heā€™s kind, and heā€™s sweet, and heā€™s gotten any possible embarrassment at least a couple of centuries ago, and he kinda made peace with himself and kinda didnā€™t. i love him.
and, thankfully for me, hua cheng, the ghost king, loves him a whole damn lot, a ridiculous amount, an epic, over-the-lifetimes, life-shattering amount, and heā€™s a terrifying presence to everybody else and a shy, protective, sweet dork to xie lian, and every time theyā€™re together on page my entire heart is just. itā€™s AMAZING. heā€™s a great combination of playing the obsessive protective yandere stalker-lover trope straight and putting it on its head, by making hua cheng not just revere but respect xie lian, in all his good and bad decisions.
they are just so - good for each other, holy shit. they get each other so well. theyā€™re the best ever power team. i love them.
(the rest of canon is various character reenacting ā€œreally? in front of my salad?ā€ meme at them. itā€™s hysterical, and itā€™s the best. everybody teams up to tell xie lian that his boyfriend is Problematic way, way before xie lian clues into the fact that he does have a boyfriend, and heā€™s having none of it. i love it.)
and the themes?
okay, so. roughly half of this novel is ridiculous iddy pining, and a fourth of it is various tropes (off the top of my head: soulbond, sex pollen, body switch, de-age, various shades of identity pornā€¦ crossdressingā€¦) played very shamelessly. but it also really benefits from having an overarching set of ethical questions, and while it deals with them a bit shounen-style, it still deals with them, and it makes the whole text fresh, and sweet, and bold.
is it possible to save everybody? should you try to save everybody? if you lack the powers to back your convictions, does it make you complicit? when is it possible to stop the cycle of suffering, what can you do if you want to but canā€™t? if you tried and people you failed turned on you, whose fault it is, where does the blame stop?
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Detailed spoilers begin from here, and i would REALLY advise to stay unspoiled, because the domino reveals are very fun
i loved the various ways the novel sets all those pieces up and then overturns them and then returns to them. xie lian wanted to save everybody and it was arrogant naivete of an untried, untested, privileged young man who never had a real challenge before; his presence made things escalate quicker, and yet everybody around him pretended it was his attempt to make things better that ruined everything, and not a combination of factors outside of his control. and yet he accepts the blame, because it dovetails with his shame at not having enough powers to back his intent up; and yet his triumph over bai wuxian is that he doesnā€™t, after all, renege on his initial drive to help people.
my most favorite part of this novel is that its turning point, the lynchpin of the whole novel, the moment that keeps xie lianā€™s soul and safety intact, is not his personal purity and drive; itā€™s not even hua chengā€™s devotion and sacrificial love. itā€™s just a moment of little, grudging, human kindness from a little, petty, rude man whom the history will sweep away soon. the bamboo hat in the rain. the rest of the plot keeps twisting and turning and coming back to itself, but this? this was unquestionably, beautifully clear, and i loved it. itā€™s never about the gods, itā€™s all down to - fallen human is human, ascended human is human, and human is not some state, virtuous or sinful, you get stuck with - itā€™s a multitude of choices, and thereā€™s never a final one.
and incoherent spoilery screaming for people who read it already
oh my god i had SO MUCH FUN. iā€™ve been flailing on meme for days, because somebody just finished reading there too, and iā€™m still bursting with ALL THE FEELS. ruoye origins oh my god! that hat! jin wuā€™s backstory and ultimate end! e-mingā€™s praise kink! pei mingā€™s little shippery 'hohoā€™! hua chengā€™s horribly handwritten stick and poke tattoo of xie lianā€™s name! the lanteeeeeeeeeeeeerns. feng xin and mu qing on the bridge, making up with each other and with xie lian! hua cheng trying to explain to xie lian that his habit of using himself as bait and pincushion at any given moment is deeply emotionally upsetting to him, and succeeding! banyueā€™s learning from xie lian to be a truly horrible cook! the entire deal with shi qingxuan and he xuan and the wind fan in the end. THE CAVE. THE GIANT MECHA. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and aaaaaaaaaaaaa and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and i am beset, beset by feelings. come scream with me.
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lovelivingmydreams Ā· 4 years ago
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What is a happy ending?
So someone (looks sternly at @rondoel) thought giving me insight in a certain OC of theirs and making me feel things is an okay thing to do. That I won't proceed to write a heartbreaking epilogue to my two part Virgil king story. This one not as long. But still. Enjoy:
What is a happy ending?
"Why happily ever after?" King wondered aloud as He studied their latest piece of art.
No one had ever answered that question for Him. Not in a meaningful way at least. And it never truly stopped bothering Him.
"Your majesty?" Anxiety asked carefully. Probably not sure if he had been meant to hear. King wasn't so sure Himself.
Oh well. He might as well finish the thought. Something interesting might come from it.
"Happily ever after. It's so... boring. Why does everyone like it so much?" He had wondered so often...
Anxiety shrugged. "Princey loved that crap. He hated it when I called out the flaws, though he could be just as bad with plot holes.
It's not realistic at all and... well boring is one word for it." His tone and face could almost be mistaken for dismissive, but King could swear He spotted fondness in the upturn of Anxiety's mouth and a slight wistfulness in the shine of his eyes.
King however was more interested in this more nuanced perspective on the story trope. Answers at last?
Anxiety noticed his king desired for him to elaborate and immediately started fidgeting as he tried to find the words to express his thoughts sufficiently.
"I suppose... everyone thinks that's what they want?" His nerves turn the sentence into a question. "When they are little it's an easy goal. You find the one who'll make you whole, or defeat the villain, or both. And then nothing ever bothers you again.
It's not how life works though... and growing up... I think everyone still has a part of them that wants to hold on to things being that... simple..." Anxiety trailed off and looked up at king curiously. His face strangely focused as if he was looking for an answer himself.
"Simple?" King urged wanting to hear more. Anxiety was so close to making sense. So close to bringing about that wonderful feeling when curiosity was sated. A story complete at last.
"Um... yeah... I mean even I feel a little... I donā€™t know... it feels right?
When you do the right thing, even when it's hard and you get the stuff you want anyway. And when people who hurt you donā€™t win. You want the world to work like that. If not for you then at least for the servant girl, who just wanted a night off, or the waitress who just wanted to buy her father's dream restaurant. Hard work, kindness, patience... they should be rewarded right?" Anxiety explained. Sounding frustrated. "And..." he let out a resigned sigh before straightening up and continued more decidedly. "Since the world doesn't work that way... why not escape somewhere where it does?" It was passionate. Perhaps in defense of Roman's favorite thing in the world. Then that fight and righteous defiance fell away in favor of a nostalgic fondness. "Thomas did it all the time growing up," Anxiety sighed before returning his attention to the painting that had prompted the question. A Father's Day movie night.
Hugs and snacks and movies with happily ever afters galore. All of Morality's favorite things.
King had to admit it had... stung to discover that Morality had taken up the role He'd given him even after he betrayed everything that title stood for.
Had he ever felt even the slightest bit conflicted when hearing Roman calling him 'Padre'?
Or was it supposed to be fine, since he thought Roman was the only half of Him who felt attached to him that way?
Had it truly never occurred to him that while he took in the confused Roman, he left behind a disoriented and heartbroken Remus who didn't understand why daddy was ignoring him.
What had he done wrong?
Why did he never get bedtime stories or hugs from dad? Why was he shoved away, scolded, ignored?
Why was he not allowed to play in the imagination with his brother?
The last thought had plagued both halves for years.
Even Roman who had stopped admitting to it to please Morality felt conflicted during story times and hugs to this day.
Telling Thomas that he didn't want anything to do with his brother had hurt more than the bump on his head...
But all of that was in the past. They were gone and their unresolved issues were a waste of His time. He had berated, tormented, Anxiety over this. He would not fall victim to such sentimentalities Himself.
"I see... escapism then?" He muttered, trying to get back on topic and not to show the... somewhat emotional turn His thoughts had taken.
Like His halves, His 'Padre' was gone. He probably never existed in the first place.
And Morality would pay for that betrayal and the way he abandoned Remus and how he made Roman fight to earn his love, only to abandon him as well. His suffering had only just begun.
Not because it still mattered. But... any excuse to justify and fuel His wrath even a little bit more was good enough for Him.
He'd probably avenge slights against his minister simply to feign kinship and watch the traitors squirm under his rule just a bit more. Not that he needed a reason to do anything. But justified rage was so much more satisfying to set loose. Because the targets would feel, deep down, they brought this upon themselves.
"Yeah... there's enough crappy stuff going on in the world right? Thomas... wants to use his talents to make people smile. And while that's cheesy, it's also... well it's him," Anxiety shrugged. King hummed in agreement as He framed the picture and put it away. He'd barely paid attention honestly. The answer was satisfactory. But there was a new question on His mind. As He mused over His minister's attachments to His enemies and how to sever them He recalled something intriguing about his recent behavior.
Anxiety had been pulling away from Morality. Why? What had caused a crack in 'the bestest most dynamicest duoest duo'?
And was this something he could use to forge an allegiance. Or to hurt Morality as deeply as He'd been hurt. Or, ideally, both?
King smirked to Himself as He laid a gentle hand on Anxiety's shoulder. He asked about a drawing of the young side and Thomas. He was pleased to note that His minister no longer shrank away every time He moved in his general direction. He might not be comfortable with His touch yet, but he was getting used to it. Something that would surely get to the others who still tiptoed around Anxiety's boundaries.
Maybe, at some point, he could be made to truly see things His way. To see the traitors for the villains they were. Just the thought of the chaos that this realization would unleash... It would be magnificent.
Morality had forgotten something important about 'happily ever after's.
Bad guys donā€™t get them. And the victor is always the hero.
It was only right that King reminded him of the shadow side of his favourite ending.
By making him live it.
Virgil knew that it was a bad thing that he found himself enjoying talking about his memories to the king and watching them turn into pretty cool paintings.
He was Anxiety, this was definitely a crisis. He can't relax now, not around the reason of said crisis... but if he doesn't relax a little his thoughts might do something really bad. And if he doesn't do whatever the king wants, then the king might do something bad.
So he had to balance on this weird edge of anxious, but cool with it.
The others were counting on him. To stay safe, to keep it together, to keep King distracted, to find a way to get him to lay off a little...
"Worthless." And... the thing is back.
"Dude, seriously, not now!" He snapped at his... shadow.
King just looked on intrigued. Great. Now the shadow had King's attention.
"Failure," it hissed. Right... King is not his biggest problem right now.
So far the shadow had only been mildly annoying even quiet for the most part. But clearly anxious thoughts made it remember it could be a pain in the behind. And worst thing is it got to Virgil even more because it laid out his true fears for King to see and use against him.
"You... you are just... you're just a thought. You can't hurt me." Virgil insisted.
Thomas could deal with his irrational fits. Surely he could manage this thing, right?
"Monsssster," the shadow hissed. No he didn't think that anymore!
"Guardian!" Virgil bit back. Patton said so, Logan said so, Roman said so, Thomas said so... why cant he just believe them?
He found himself struggling to breath again. The thoughts... they were real now... what if they could hurt him...? Can he die? What would happen to Thomas?
"Begone!" Virgil snapped out of his near attack at the sudden outburst from King.
What...?
He looked up just in time to see a flash of metal and shadow's dissolving figure.
"It'll reform later," King muttered as he sheeted his sword.
"It became too bothersome. You should not let your creations have power over you young one. You are their master, don't forget that," he instructed calmly, not looking at him.
Did he just...?
"Return to your business now, I find that I am in need of a break," he then declared as he walked away, still not looking back.
"But..." he came to a halt. "Should you wish to finish our gallery... I might be willing to indulge your presence later."
Virgil didn't quiet know what to do, so he bowed, just in case the king could see it somehow. "Y-yes my king. Thank you," he stammered hurriedly.
When he looked up, the king was gone.
And Virgil ran. He needed to find Lo and Pat before the shadows returned.
His thoughts were a confused mess... he hadn't imagined that right?
King had really stepped in to save him instead of letting Virgil's punishment, gift, curse, whatever run its course...
And then he left it up to Virgil to decide if and when they'd finish up.
There was probably some messed up reason behind it... but still.
Virgil wasn't stupid though. Even if saving him had been a purely noble impulse, King hadn't undone his 'gift' to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Telling him to put his foot down with 'his own creations' didn't really count.
King still messed up real bad and would have to do something pretty impressive to make up for all of that.
And Virgil was pretty sure that it wasn't just his pessimism talking when he thought that the king was no where close to wanting to make nice with any of them.
Or not for the right reasons anyway.
He shook his head. He can worry about all that later. Right now he has to find the others. Before King runs into one of them.
Virgil's trip down memory lane might've been deemed 'entertaining' or whatever, but he hadn't be around for whatever had happened to make the king be out for blood in the first place.
He didn't want to find out what King's idea of 'having fun' was when it came to Pat, Lo or even Janus. Whatever they did, it was still his duty to protect Thomas. Physically, socially, mentally and emotionally. Whether he wanted him to or not.
And not even King was going to stop him from fulfilling his purpose.
@antiredhuman you wanted to be tagged if I wrote more for this au so here you go! Hope you like it!
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