#no but like seriously thank you to everyone who left very king messages today!!!!

[spaceratprodigy]

saluting my good homies today for sticking with me through my Day Of Iris reblogs! I had fun getting to show her off again and I can't wait until I have more to share! <3

time to restrain myself because my brain is already shaking the bars of it's enclosure wanting to reblog all my Faith and Max doodles againnnnn (sorry they just give me the GoodTM brain chemicals and I will explode if I don't look at them)

[malleux]

idk if my request went through cuz my internet went weird just now-- but anyways, could I perhaps get a soft corpse x reader in which they're all playing among us and Rae or Sean invites (y/n), who none of them have every heard of, and she's just very shy but has an adorable childlike voice, and is an incredible imposter? Like she's just super convincing just like corpse, and can tug at the heartstrings with her voice? thank you!

spell. | corpse husband

part two ; part three

-> Pairing: Corpse Husband x Fem!Reader

-> Fandom: uhh youtubers? idk

-> Genre: Fluff, Crack

-> Warnings: Cursing

-> A/N: hi it’s a long overdue corpse fic :) it’s not the absolute best and for that i’m super sorry i’ve just got to get in the groove of writing for him!

corpse husband taglist is closed!

You were never one to enjoy the spotlight. Instead, you were often found in the background of things, just observing the extroverts who managed to get themselves in the middle of everything.

You had a nerve to admire them- their ability to just get out there and show their true selves, despite so many people watching their every move. Just the thought of it made you shudder. Yet you couldn’t help but also be rather envious of them.

Them, in question, being Sean McLoughlin.

You weren’t quite sure how you became associated with Jacksepticeye himself, choosing to focus on the present and future with your friend rather than dwelling on your past. He was just Sean, your internet friend. And also Jacksepticeye- a famous youtuber with millions of followers.

Sean was who you aspired to be in life. Outgoing, happy, out there, everything positive in life that Sean had, you wanted.

He’d confided in you often about how nervous he’d get before streams or videos, fearing that he’d say the wrong thing or upset his fans, but he still put on a brave face and went out into the chaos. That’s what you admired. His ability to conquer those anxieties.

You wished you could do that. You were simply too nervous.

Which is why when Sean facetimed you one night- morning, actually, seeing as it was 3am in California, where you were- asking you to join a game of Among Us for one of his videos, you adamantly refused.

“Why? Please, Y/N, we need one more person.” Sean begged, “It’ll be me, you, Felix, Ethan, Corpse, Julien, PJ, and Dave. Not everyone’s playing today, it’s a smaller crowd.”

“But it’s still a lot.” You groaned, “I don’t even know them. I just know you.”

“They’re nice! You literally watch their videos.” He argued back.

“That’s the point, Sean! They’re famous, I’d just be some random chick in the game that everyone asks where the fuck she came from.”

“No, you’ll be the girl that everyone adores. Now get on, we’re playing in ten.”

You sighed as the phone hung up and turned on your computer. A Discord invite was waiting for you- Sean must have invited you for you to talk to everyone as you played. You accepted with shaky fingers and put your headphones on, pulling up Among Us and typing in the game code.

“Hello everyone- wait, who’s pink?”

“She’s a good friend of mine,” Sean explained to Felix, “Say hi Y/N. We’re streaming live right now.”

“Hello,” You couldn’t help the meek tone in your voice, smiling shyly as if you were actually on camera. “Wait, you’re streaming? Sean, I thought you said it was a recording for a video.”

“I, well. It’s a video all right.”

The group laughed, but you stayed silent, fixating your attention on a lower voice that chimed in at the end.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Corpse.”

“The King of Imposters.” PJ joked, making Corpse laugh.

You giggled a bit, “Hi…”

Felix gasped. “Corpse, her voice is like, the total opposite from yours. Her’s is so cute.”

Corpse laughed as well. “Agreed. I like it.”

As the game loaded, your heart practically dropped.

Imposter.

As if your nerves weren’t bad enough as they were. But, on the bright side, you were with Sean as the other imposter. At least it was someone you knew.

You both split up, you heading towards Electrical. Corpse and Felix were close behind you, Felix following you into the room while Corpse left. You pretended to do your task for a minute before moving to your left a minute and killing Felix.

You rushed out of the room and then headed to Navigations, making sure to avoid anybody who could have seen you leave Electrical. A few moments later, a body was reported.

“Where was it?” Sean asked Julien, the reporter.

“Electrical.”

“I saw Y/N go in there with him at the beginning of the game.” Corpse joined in, “I saw them as I was going to the Reactor.”

“I was in Electrical with him,” You admitted, still acting a bit shy. What could you say, deep voices and new people made you nervous. “But after that I left and went to do my task in Navigation. Felix was still alive and there when I left.”

“Did you pass anyone sus on the way there?” Sean asked.

“No, if they came in after I did it must’ve either been from the other way or after I was already in Electrical.” You started picking at your nail polish- a habit of yours when things got a little overwhelming.

“So you’re saying that it could’ve been from the direction Corpse was in?” You could hear the smirk in Sean’s voice.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up. Why are you so quick to throw me under the bus? I’m just a crewmate.” Corpse questioned, “You’re pretty sus if you ask me.”

Sean scoffed, “I’m just inferring that the culprit came from your direction. Never in my words did I say it was you. Sounds like you’re getting a little too defensive for someone who’s ‘just a crew mate’.”

“Uh, guys,” You quietly spoke up. You didn’t expect anyone to hear you, but Corpse and Sean immediately quieted down at your voice. “I hate to interrupt, but we’ve got to vote. I don’t want us to argue…”

Sean laughed. “Oh little Y/N, you’re too sweet. I’m skipping this round.”

As you voted to skip as well, your stomach clenched when you heard Corpse quietly repeat “Little Y/N”.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

“It’s Y/N, I’m fucking telling you! Y/N!” Julien was practically screaming at this point. You tried to stay calm, focusing on keeping your voice steady.

The group had been calling you cute and adorable practically all night, so you were seriously about to put that to use.

“I was in Medbay with Corpse, isn’t that right, Corpse?” Your tone was sweet and slightly flirty- hopefully he’d get the hint.

Corpse hesitated for a millisecond- long enough for your breath to catch, but short enough for nobody else to notice. “Yeah, she was with me.”

“She was with you after she vented there!” Julien cried, “I can’t believe this- she killed Ethan and vented away right as I went into the room! You all are fucking nuts if you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t even know how to vent…” You murmured innocently, but in reality you were smirking. Julien was definitely telling the truth, and you were internally beating yourself up for letting yourself be so reckless after a kill, but nobody was seemingly buying his story.

There was only you, Corpse, Julien, Dave, and PJ left. Sean was voted off after fucking up his alibi, leaving you alone with the rest of the group.

Corpse sighed. “You all heard the girl. She doesn’t even know how to vent.”

“Wh- she just fucking vented!” Julien exclaimed, “Corpse, man, she’s got you under some fucking magic spell if you can’t see all the evidence. Guys, back me up here.”

“She’s sus.” Dave admitted, “And Corpse defending her makes it even more sus.”

“The spell she tried on him obviously got the best of him. I say we vote Y/N.” PJ agreed.

“There’s no spell, guys, oh my God.” Corpse laughed, “I just don’t think it’s her. I’m skipping.”

“I can’t believe you guys don’t believe me!” You whined, deciding to go further with your emotional tactics, “I’m literally about to cry. It’s not me!”

And yet, despite your protests, Dave, PJ, and Julien all voted you out. Crewmates had won the game and you were giggling nearly like a maniac as everyone gushed about how you did as an Imposter.

A bit later, you had to say goodbye to your new friends and face the reality that their fans would definitely find who you were by tomorrow. Or like, in a few hours, because it was already 4am. Corpse was in California as well, wasn’t he? He should be getting some sleep too, you thought. But maybe sleep schedules were different for Youtubers. You didn’t know.

You pondered the thought for a moment before the notification sound for Discord alerted you of a new message on your phone.

Corpse:

Just letting you know, your voice definitely had me under a spell. I’d like to hear it more often

[crystalcow]

𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑//𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝 𝑝𝑡 3

Masterlist // part one // part two

Sapnap x reader !p !child reader

Pronouns used: none specified!

Warnings: swearing, death, betrayal

•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰

╔.▪️.═════════╗

Being sapnaps child will include..

╚═════════.▪️.╝

𝐏𝗼𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥

Apparently the castle got attacked

George was killed by the one and only technoblade

You haven’t personally met the man but you respected him

After all he is a legend

But he killed George

So you were dragged with sapnap when he got pinged on his coms

Dream and George were arguing on the prime path

The sight somewhat terrified you

They were supposed to be best friends?

Dream is the strongest person on the server

George was supposed to be the most unproblematic and protected person

For some reason Quackity was also there

Hiding in the corner of Tommy’s house

“You don’t give a shit about us”

Those words brought some hurt to you as they left sapnaps mouth

“Of course I care about you! I just want to keep him safe.”

The three most important men in your life

The dream team, and ultimate trio the friendship that could never crack! The ones who raised you to be who you are

They were falling apart

“George is no longer king!”

Quackity was just eating all of the drama

Damn duck

“I’ve done so much for you, I hope you don’t forget.”

“Like what?” “I helped you raise a child Sap, a damn child.”

That pissed the both of you off

As if you didn’t just recently spend a whole day with him

None the less your whole life

Being drawn into wars, multiple actually

Practically being drawn to death

“Don’t you bring them into this Dream.”

“Eret is now king again, he can actually rule this place.”

“I was the best king this server ever had!”

So there it happened

The crown was snatched off of George’s head and you were dragged along with it

“Don’t worry, we can start our own place!”

“El rapids it is”

𝐄𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐬

You were 100% skeptical about all of this

You didn’t trust that this would be good

I mean how could you

Everything that someone starts on the server

Dies, explodes, nukes, or straight up fails

So instead you went down to Lmanburg for the day!

You went to Nikkis bakery to get something to eat

She was glad to give you a couple snacks for the road

So while you were walking around the new area you spotted dream

“Where you heading off to?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

You both eyed each other weirdly

“Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”

You just laughed

Ofcourse you were upset

But you were also bored

“And?” “Come on let’s go see tommy”

So you agreed and carelessly followed the green man

You missed Tommy, after not having seen him for a bit

Fucking hell you needed friends

But when you got there

“Why the fuck is everything gone!”

You ran around the now blown up area

The tents were destroyed and signs were thrown around

Then you noticed the large pillar

You instantly ran to dream, begging him to give you a pearl

He was upset himself he lost his leech

So you threw the pearl up thankfully landing on the pillar

Looking around to see if there was any way he could’ve survived

But you accidentally tripped

And lost your first life

𝐘/𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝗼𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭���𝗼 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 ♡︎♥︎♥︎

𝐏𝐫𝗼𝐩𝗼𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐬

You woke up screaming in your bed

The three lines on your wrist now faded into two

Sapnap came rushing in holding you lose to him

You tried not to but you cried a little

This was your first time loosing a life..

And you didn’t even mean too!

“Your never fucking leaving me again.”

Karl came in with Quackity following after

Karl just like snatched you away from sapnap and just held you

That man was ready to go back in time and reverse that from ever happening

Trust me he will if you ever loose another life

So after that everyone kept a close eye on you

That was until one day you were with your dad

You both were at your old house just chilling around

Before he handed you two velvet boxes

You were in awe of the two rings that sat in them

Who the fuck paid for these??

“I’m going to purpose.”

You almost dropped the boxes

“What?”

Sapnap just kept smiling

“You really like em huh” “Yeah flame, I love them.”

So you just hugged him

Internally freaking the fuck out

What would this mean???

Three dads? What if they wanted another child! Oh hell no

So you all stood in el rapids

Candles were spread around the top of the grassy hill

There were flowers blooming from every direction and lanterns set afloat

It looked mystical

You watched as sapnap got down on one knee

Karl was in shock, tears streaming down his eyes

Quackity looked love struck, looking into sapnaps eyes with total adoration

So when they said yes your dad called you and the other two just hugged you

“I’m guessing they said yes” you laughed

“Yeah they did!”

You couldn’t help but be happy

Your dad finally found some happiness

Even tho life was going to shit

If you won’t be there

He’ll have them

𝐋𝗺𝐚𝐧𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝗺

Oh wait shit did someone spot tommy?

There was supposed to be a festival today

So you went to go check it out

Maybe throw a ball at the furry

“Go fetch!” You shouted at fundy

Yeah he was not happy and just threw you the finger

“Hey N/n is Dream coming?”

You were excited that Tubbo was actually talking to you again

“Huh? Oh yeah I think” “Great thanks”

And back to the disappointment

So you walked over to get a pretzel or some shit

And then heard everyone making a commotion

There he was, Dream walking in (angry) with full netherite armor

Damn dude respect some tradition

“Tommy blew up the fucking community house”

Did someone say tommy?

Oh you were ready to kill that bastard

Hell if Dream didn’t you most definitely will

So you followed everyone to the community house

Yeah you were ready to fucking cry

One of your homes, the place you’d always confide in since you were little

Where dream and George both helped raise you

Now blown to shreds

“What the fuck”

They were talking about Tubbo giving up the discs

Oh we are not going through that shit all over again

And this time the odds are most definitely not in your favor

Then tommy appeared half invisible

“YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD I THOUGHT YOU DIED YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT”

You litterly stabbed him, having to be held back by Quackity

“Alright hot shot, lets let them have their argument”

Tommy sent you an apologetic look already on the verge of tears

“Tubbo your not seriously considering this”

Then it hit everyone

“The discs were worth more then you ever were!”

Oh yeah we’re you already pissed off at tommy?

Yeah

And he just made it worse

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO TUBBO YOU SHIT HEAD”

Yeah you didn’t take pretending to be dead very lightly

Oh shit why was techno there

never mind, Lmanburg will be gone by tomorrow

No point killing tommy yet

Whos side were you on?

Neither. You litterly went into that battle feild and killed some shit

That was until multiple pieces of tnt landed ontop of your head

And that’s where you lost your second life

Shit

𝐘/𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 ♡︎♡︎♥︎ ⚠︎︎ᴏɴᴇ ʟɪғᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴɪɴɢ

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝗼𝐧

This time when you won’t up it didn’t feel as bad

But you still screamed

A rush of a heartburn and scars employed on your body

The second line now faded into one

Shit

You were only 16-17 and on one life??

Die young the better

You waited out in your bed until the end of the fight

Death alerts and messages drowning out your communicator

But you had no energy what so ever

Until it all went quiet

You tried your damn best to get out of bed and walked to the damaged Lmanburg

There were people crying

Others were severely hurt

Then there were those who were perfectly fine

The whole place was a crater

Lmanburg.. the place of agony and depths of your pain

Now it’s finally gone

What the hell are you gonna do now?

Quackity spotted you calling out for Sapnap

You felt like you were gonna be crushed under their hold

“I’m gonna fucking kill dream.” You heard Quackity mutter

Sapnap felt like a bad father

Who lets their kids die twice?

(Cough cough Wilbur and dream)

Then suddenly things switched around

You were walking around with a bloodied nose and black eyed Tommy

Yeah you did a number on him

But it’s okay since he was your best friend

And there was a sign inside his house

“Wednesday you and Tubbo. Bring no one or anything, lets settle this once and for all”

The final disc war

“Tommy you can’t go” “I’m going N/n, he has my discs.”

So you like cried a little bit lined up on the prime path

Giving the two probably the last hugs they’ll ever get

Prime you really didn’t want to loose them

So you ran straight to church prime

Litterly begging Master Oolong that they won’t die

“Please please please spare them. Pogchamp.”

(Please this is all jokes and old references don’t cancel me)

You got a blast message from punz on your comms with cords

“Come here. bring your best armor”

So you did so running to the nearest ender chest

If walking means saving tommy and Tubbo, it’s somewhat worth it

Sapnap made sure you didn’t leave his side as you traveled around the nether

even tho you could literally swim in the lava

So just to piss him off

You jumped in

The sigh of relief this man

Yeah he’s gotten a little more paranoid for you

But it’s okay since it’s in love

You looked around the weird black stone room

There were two giant photos of the discs

And everything was made out of the same material

No design what so ever

Tommy and Tubbo ran to you like you were gonna protect them

“Dream why” you asked as he was incased in the blocks

Down on his last life

Just like you

‘I’m sorry’ he mouthed to you

Why was he apologizing to you?

Hasn’t he hurt everyone here

You looked around the different items

Tracing the outline of the item frames

Gasping in shock as you a cage with your name on it next to badboyhalo

“Tell em what you told me! How you blew up the community house!”

Your neck spun around faster then an owl doing that 360 thing

You picked up your ace seriously read to slash his head off

“Wait wait! Lets put him in the prison.”

So they took him off

And it pained you to see it

You trusted that man for a very long time

Nothing stays the same on the Dream Smp

•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰

TUMBLR WOULDNT LET ME WRITE MORE KMS. So yes I’m sorry but there will have to be a part FOUR. I just wanted to finish this-

As always! Ask or request anything and ask if you want to be on a tag list :))

[blackbat05]

I need a break

Shangqi x Reader (Platonic) 

A/N: I feel like I’m loosing steam towards the end of my placement and wow I have never needed a break this badly before. Perhaps a short Shangqi x Reader imagine where they are both University students. Seriously at this rate I’ll just be solely a Shangqi writer HAHAHA. Doing this on my phone because I don’t want to open my work computer. Let’s see where this impromptu idea takes me to. Hope you enjoy it and as always like and comment if you wish!

Genre: PG-13

Warnings: None really, just friends supporting each other! I guess there’s an inaccurate timeline if you look at the MCU but hey this is an imagine plus if you look at some of the wiki pages, Shangqi is actually born in 1998/1999. So appreciate if you’re kind enough to go with the flow to read this comfort fic! 

‘Y/N!’ Shangqi rushes to catch up with you after class. You made an effort to conceal your tiredness but he saw it right through. ‘Gosh…you alright?’

You think to yourself. Were you really alright? The answer was pretty obvious. You were ten weeks into your placement and your emotions were a jumbled up mess. Having to deal with work responsibilities was one problem, school assignments were another issue all together. At this point, you felt like you were just getting through each week for the sake of it.

At first, you believed that what you were going through was simply a transition to becoming an adult. You thought that naturally, you would be able to persevere through the stressful periods by yourself. But of course, it has been hard.

You were a social work intern at a neighborhood youth centre, thirty minutes away if you took the train and bus. The work was fulfilling in it’s own ways, but recently there were self-doubts filling your brain, if you were really cut out for the job in the future. If you weren’t, what else could you do?

As you sat with Shangqi in the school’s student-ran cafe, you found yourself pouring out the exact same concerns to him. Credit to him, Shangqi never interrupted your monologue, he just simply listened. That’s what best friends were for. That’s what you did for him to when he ran into issues with his family.

Even then, he couldn’t deny that hearing you doubt yourself broke his heart. He had known you since high school. You mostly kept to yourself and one or two close friends. Despite joining the school’s athletic team where you were one of the main athletes, you preferred to stay in the shadows unlike some of your teammates. That didn’t stop you from going out of your way to help other students in need; like helping the girl who was in an arm cast to copy the social studies notes, even if it meant you had to do it twice. Or maybe just talking to a friend who was stressed out about their results.

Basically, you had studied your ass off to get a secured spot at this university who were only one of the few that offered the degree. He remembers you telling him the moment you got your offer, ‘I’m finally good at something. I don’t have to worry anymore!’

Shangqi wasn’t stupid. The pandemic had done some crazy things. And by crazy, it affected the self-esteem that you had been working so hard on by participating in various projects and events, with you being in charge of a drama production that was promoting on mental health. That was a big deal considering that you were a major introvert.

Online engagement was never easy. In fact he has heard some of your struggles that you’ve shared with him regarding this and it only makes him admire you even more. For someone who preferred to keep to themselves, stepping out of one’s comfort zone, to take on a role that wasn’t just simply about helping people - that took guts.

‘I’m sorry I’m just loading you with all this. I just feel…’ You trailed off, suddenly becoming emotional again. Again, Shangqi does not pry. ‘That I can’t do anything right.’ You emphasize that you had ended the statement for you were unsure that you could keep your cool if you had tried to continue on.

‘If I hear you saying sorry another time,’ he chides, ‘you’re paying for our meal later.’ Your lips curved upwards slightly before returning to its somber position. Shangqi decides that a meal won’t cut it. He needs to deploy ‘Operation Y/N’. Standing up with your buzzer to collect the food, Shangqi whips out his phone. There will be a few changes for today.

Food was definitely a cure in this situation, but it was only a part of the solution. After inhaling your ramen at light speed, Shangqi tells you that today will be a different Friday. ‘And you can’t complain! It’ll be a weekend tmr,’ he tells you. So why not? You figured that even if you went back home early, your head wouldn’t be in the right place to complete the essay for your English module.

‘Hold up! The VR studio that Katy was talking about?’ You look at the tickets inside the taxi that was taking you and Shangqi to the location. ‘How did you even, it was so hard to get these tickets!’ From the time Shangqi met you outside the classroom, he had yet to see you so ecstatic. Until now.

‘Well,’ Shangqi gives his best shrug. ‘I called in a favor from a friend. Said that it was for emergency purposes.’ He raised his fingers to make connotations in the air much to your amusement.

‘Wow… just how much do I not know about you Mr Popular?’ You teased. Shangqi decides to leave the fact on him having to persuade the Wakandan Princess in giving him free tickets.

‘Please! I swear whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it! It’s for Y/N!’

‘Ey well why didn’t you say so? If it’s for that nice friend, of course!’ Shuri leaves the entrance of the compound, an exasperated Shangqi trailing behind.

Yeah, the VR studio that Katy told them about was also funded by King T’Challa himself. With stunning life like visuals thanks to Wakandan technology, the VR studio was located in a middle class neighborhood. T’Challa believed that no matter where kids came from, they should have the right to enjoy and to explore the world. For now, he wasn’t ready to share that he was on the way on becoming a full-fledged Avenger yet - you just had too much on your plate. He’ll just have to settle with this white lie.

‘Is Katy coming?’ You were on the verge of vibrating off your seat. ‘She would love this place!’ Even when you were struggling, Y/N still manages to think about other people. Today, Y/N will put her needs first.

As if to answer your previous question, you can see an equally excited Katy waiting for the two of you at the roundabout. ‘HEL-LO EVERYONE! LET’S GET OUR FRIDAY STARTED IN PROPER SHALL WE?’ Her loud voice had attracted stares, some very displeased looks too but at this point in time, you didn’t give a damn. Katy was right, it was time to enjoy!

You wished that you could slow down time, or even replay it continuously when you needed cheering up because the only thing you felt was pure happiness - euphoria even. Your stomach was in knots for laughing hysterically together with Katy when Shangqi jumped in shock from a surprise scare from a zombie. ‘I’m keeping that for leverage,’ she tells you, quietly slipping her phone into her fanny pack. 

The Wakandans had really outdone themselves this time. Your favorite VR was the paradise VR. Slipping the headgear, you say goodbye to the smiles of Katy and Shangqi, whisking away to a beach that oddly reminded you of your dream destination - Hawaii. From where you were standing, you were surrounded by green and majestic islands. Despite their sheer size, you weren’t intimidated. In fact, you were healing. 

Your mind was no longer in the room of the VR studio. How could it when the sun kissed your skin, giving you the much needed energy that you were lacking for so long? In the room, the two sees you kick your shoes to the side, going barefoot. It may have seem strange, but with the monitor beside you, your actions were perfectly logical. 

As a kid, you used to despise the prickly feeling of sand in between your toes. But now, you grew to love the sensation that each grain of sand had on your skin. It made you feel grounded, that everything was going to be ok. You raise your virtual hand to touch your face - were you crying? 

‘She must have been really stressed huh?’ Katy whispers to Shangqi who nods in return. How he hated the fact that you were giving so much to your work but still felt underappreciated. Forget the Avengers with superhuman abilities, you were the true MVP. The VR ends and you remove your headgear. ‘I’m ok,’ you automatically reassure them despite the dry tears left on both cheeks. You step down the platform slowly, trying to regain sense of the real world. 

What you didn’t expect was the two embracing you in a hug, squishing you in between them. Maybe that had set off the waterworks. For someone like Katy, she had sage advice.

‘Life can be pretty shitty right? But I’m so proud of you fighting it Y/N. Just remember that it’s ok to be weak. I mean, I’ve seen worse from Shangqi,’ she jabs her finger towards his direction, earning a glare from him. That’s Katy, always trying to add a bit of humor to this grey world. Calming down, you let go of the both of them. ‘Thanks guys, for everything.’ 

‘Hey,’ Shangqi responds, slinging his arm over your shoulder. ‘We’re friends, so we don’t leave each other behind.’ Phone beeping, he retrieves it to check the message. ‘And look at that, nice timing. Who wants Korean BBQ?’ 

Trailing behind them, you get an amusing view of Shangqi bickering with Katy on how many Soju bottles she’s allowed to order later. As San Francisco welcomed the night, you were just thankful that you had the two of them to walk through this crazy maze called life. 

‘Last one to the shop is paying!’ 

‘Oh you’re on Mister!’  

A/N: I really just think that this was also an imagine for me to cope too. So I can only hope to finish my placement/assignments/exams well! To anyone who does studies and work simultaneously, I fucking respect you (allow me to use expletives for now, these people deserve the respect). If you’re going through a stressful time, I hope this brings the slightest comfort for you and remember… YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Again, thank you for reading! 

[blushie14]

Drawn To You [Skephalo]

Soulmate AU? …You know what? Heck yeah! Soulmate AU! This will be fun!  For this AU, whatever you write/draw on yourself appears on your soulmate. Let’s go!

Growing up, Zak has never communicated with his soulmate by writing on himself. In fact, he felt indifferent about the concept of soulmates for most of his life.

He’s seen a few people who got lucky and actually met up with their soulmate. It’s pretty rare to find your soulmate while you’re young. Most people however can’t find their soulmate that easily, or choose not to write to their soulmate for whatever personal reason.

Now this didn’t mean that he wasn’t interested in finding his soulmate. It’s not like he didn’t care. He never really had anything to say. Besides, whoever his soulmate was never contacted him either.

Zak simply has never felt the need to interact. Not until recently that is. He has been wondering what would happen if he actually tried to write to them.

Some of his friends have shared stories of how they got their soulmate’s number or how their soulmate reached out to them first. It has got him thinking about it a bit.

If he wanted to write on himself to contact his soulmate, what would he even do? Would his soulmate even write anything back? What were they even like? This person who is supposedly destined to have a deep connection with him is probably a complete stranger right now.

So Zak questioned himself, what should he do to capture his soulmate’s attention?

Then Zak had this… crazy idea one day when he was bored. He grabbed a couple of sharpies, went to the bathroom, looked into the mirror, and removed the sharpie cap.

-

It was a normal Tuesday afternoon. Darryl was going to do a late night stream, but he decided to stream a little early this time with face cam. It was a chill stream on the idiots smp, even if he was the only one online right now. It was pretty nice so far.

“Okay, VanessaTheMuffin! Fifty dollars is too much! Thank you for the dono, but no! Stap it!” He restates the donation out loud. “Do I know if Skeppy is going to get on the smp today? Well um..” He thinks for a moment while scratching the upper part of his lip.

“I am 95% sure that he’s going to join me later on? He might be doing something else at the moment… I wonder what he’s doing.” He hummed to himself before having an idea. “Ooh! Do you think I can build a little Skeppy statue right here?”

He was about to look at the chat before another donation appeared. When the donation was read out loud, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Lovemepls donated 5 dollars: Yo homie what is on your face lol

“What? What do you mean?” He looked at his chat which was moving surprisingly fast. Trying to read some of the comments, it seems everyone has been saying similar things.

SilverGalaxy: Uhhh you got a little.. somethin… Maddyisadork: A wild mustache appeared! DeezVibez: MUSTACHE LMAO

“Mustache?” He took a moment to open his stream on another tab and was bewildered at the sight. A mustache was messily drawn on him with sharpie above his upper lip. “The fudge?! What is this?!”

Darryl covered his mouth in confusion. “How in the world did- ..Where did this come from?!” Puzzled, Darryl couldn’t connect the dots on how this mustache suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He felt this strange itching sensation around his left eye, similar to the sensation he glossed over earlier above his upper lip.

Rubbing his left eye, he looked at his facecam again. “AH! Oh my goodness!” Darryl freaked out when a drawing of a monocle around his eye faded in right before his very eyes. “What is going on?!”

Tumbling Croissant: OMG AHAHAHA ADoseOfLove: Wow your soulmate has great taste! Memesnotfound: Aww your soulmate is drawing on you lol

That’s when it clicked… His soulmate.

“My soulmate is.. oh my goodness.” Darryl didn’t even know what to say or think. He has never heard anything from his soulmate before. Then the one time they decided to reach out to him, they decided to draw on his face?!

“Is my own soulmate seriously pranking me!? They even had to do it while I was streaming out of all the muffiny times!” He sighed. “I’m so done.”

Darryl chuckled a bit after the shock and confusion faded. It’s true that he was a little annoyed, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t find this even a little funny.

AwesomePeter23 donated 10 dollars: Your soulmate is something special lol. I already love them and I wanna see them draw more.

“No they- Don’t say that! This is unacceptable!” Darryl crossed his arms and pouted. “I’ve never met my soulmate before, but whoever they are I hereby declare them a complete raggamuffin!” He shouted out and suddenly felt the tip of his nose itch.

“I swear if they added something new..” Once again he looked at his facecam and found a red dot drawn on his nose. “Oh come on! Are you flipping serious?!”

Pyro_Plays: CLOWNBOYHALO!!! OwOStawws: PFFFT ComradeinArms: WRITE THEM BACK PLEASE I BEG

“You know what? I’m grabbing a pen.”

-

Zak was staring at the mirror laughing at himself a little. “This is so stupid. I look so stupid! Why am I doing this?!” Despite questioning his life decisions, he thought about what he should draw next.

He reached for a marker in order to make himself look more clownlike until he felt his left hand itch. As he was scratching his palm he found writing on his hand.

“WHY!? >:0”

Zak couldn’t help but burst out laughing at this. The fact that they decided to draw a little emoticon just made this even funnier. “Oh my god what have I done?!” He grabbed the sharpie and giggled while writing out his response.

Meanwhile, Darryl was still streaming, looking at his left palm. A message appeared on his arm and he read it outloud.

“Because I wanna make you look pretty?! What kind of excuse is that?! I- This little rapscallion! I can’t believe them!”

King Kitty donated 5 dollars: You lookin fabulous there bad!

“You are all muffin heads..” Darryl grumbled. He wrote a little angry emoticon on himself in response to his soulmate. To his surprise he didn’t get a response back, but Zak suddenly texted him that he was going on teamspeak right now.

“Oh great. Guys, guess who decided to show up?” Darryl smiled and covered his face. “Is this even a good time or not? I don’t even know!” As soon as he moved Zak into his teamspeak, he could hear him giggling far from his mic. “Hey Skeppy. I’m streaming right now, and you aren’t going to believe what happened to me!”

“Bad I did something stupid.” Zak said quickly as his giggles died down.

“Oh wow, what else is new?” He laughed a bit. “Okay sorry Skeppy, I was just joking.”

“Wooow, okay. I was gonna ask you for help but now I’m-”

“Nonono Skeppy you know I’m just kidding please don’t leave.”

“I know! I know, but Baaaaad I think they’re mad at meeee.”

“Who’s mad at you? What did you do?” Laughter poured out from Zak before he responded. “What did you do Skeppy?!”

“Can you help me make them not mad? I actually don’t know what to say next all they did was send me a dumb emoticon thingy.”

“Yes. I can help Skeppy. Can you just tell me what happened?”

“Okay So- You know how I said that I’ve never written to my soulmate before?”

“Uhuh? Wait..” Darryl gasped. “Did you?”

“Yes and I did what was probably the stupidest thing I could’ve done.”

“Oh my goodness, what did you do? I mean, it can’t be as silly as what my soulmate did.”

Zak’s eyes widened in surprise. “You heard from your soulmate already?!”

“Uhh.” Darryl looked at his face again and just laughed a little. “Yeah, they recently did. What did you even say to them anyways?”

“Oh I didn’t really say anything to them at first. I kinda… I kinda drew on their face.” He nervously laughed.

…Wait a minute.

“You.. You what?” Darryl’s casual light hearted voice suddenly turned soft and serious as a look of disbelief was on his face.

“I drew some things on my face and then they got mad at me. I said something else afterwards but-”

“Waitwaitwait.” Darryl’s heart was starting to race, but he needed to confirm this before he got his hopes up even further. “What did you draw on them? I need to know.”

Zak got confused for a moment before answering. “Uhhh well I made them look like they had a mustache. And then I drew the monocle to go with it. After that I just drew a teeny little red dot on the nose… I was running out of ideas.”

Everything went silent as Darryl stared at his screen, red in the face. He was looking at the chat and surely enough it had exploded as everyone was losing their minds.

“Bad? …Are you there?”

Mashyapotatoes: OH MY GOD NO WAY! NO WAY!!!!! Disoriented Vine: Well shit this is actually happening?! Amber: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

There was almost too much for Darryl to process. His soulmate drew on his face live on stream. His soulmate unknowingly revealed himself to him AND thousands of fans. His soulmate has no idea why he’s suddenly so silent.

His soulmate… is Zak.

The situation was so unbelievably ridiculous. Darryl, being overwhelmed with shock and delight he just.. broke down into silent laughter, leaning forward as he covered his face with both hands.

Zak, still being confused and oblivious to the situation, got concerned. “The heck? Bad?…Are you okay?! What happened?! I actually can’t tell if you’re laughing or crying!”

Darryl couldn’t really tell either. He sat up for a moment and tried to speak, but to no avail as he started laughing again, facing down on his desk with a thud.

“Oh my god.” Zak laughed a little. “Seriously, what happened?! Are you okay?!”

Darryl eventually calmed down enough to barely speak. “Skeppy, look at my stream!”

“Okay? Why?”

“Take ONE good look at my face! ..And then you’ll see why!” He shouted out.

That was when the realization hit Zak as he felt his face warming up “No… There is no way that-..” He has never searched anything up so fast in his entire life.

When he saw Darryl’s facecam, Zak burst into hysterics when he saw the same thing drawn on Darryl’s face.

“Look at what you did to me Skeppy! Look at what you did!” Darryl shrieked, laughing and facing down on his desk with a thud once again.

“NO- DUDE- NO FUCKING WAY!”

Darryl, being in hysterics as well, barely muttered out a “language.”

“AND THE ENTIRE STREAM JUST- OH MY GOD NOHOHOOO!!”

“Skeppy whyyy!! …I look ridiculous Skeppyyyy!!”

It was complete hysteria for 2 minutes straight until both of them finally started to calm down, taking deep breaths.

“Oh my god, dude I-” Zak spoke out. “I don’t even know where to begin.. you’re my soulmate! What do you even think of it!?”

Darryl sheepishly smiled. “Actually I.. I’ve always kind of secretly hoped that it would be you.”

“..Really?” Zak asked in a soft tone, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“Yes! I-” Darryl looked at his stream. “Hang on a second. Sorry guys, I’m gonna to stop streaming right here. Maybe I’ll stream again later and if not, tomorrow. I hope you all understand.”

ImForeverScreeching: Awwwww nooooooo PenguinRaven: Awww! Yeah we understand! <3 Lemon_Lime49: I just got back, why does bad look like that?

“Byeeee!” Darryl ended the stream.

“Dude, everyone on every social media is going to explode. What have I done?!”

“Oh my goodness you muffin head. I’m already silencing my Twitter notifications temporarily.”

The both of them chuckled and stayed silent for a moment. Zak was letting it fully sink in that Darryl is his soulmate. “I’m.. finding it really hard to believe that it’s you..”

“Why? ..Are you not happy about it?”

“Wh- NO! Nononono, I’m happy I’m VERY happy about it.” Zak quickly made that clear. “I just never thought that it would be you! I’m really happy that it’s you though. I cannot think of anyone more perfect..”

“Awww Geppy!” Darryl smiled. “I’m really happy about it too. Like, you have no idea how happy I am. You may have been such a muffin head, but you’re always my muffin head..”

Zak giggled a bit. “I really really want to see you now..”

“Me too.. Wanna plan to meet up ASAP?”

-

Two weeks have passed since it’s been revealed that the two were soulmates, and it was pretty wild. As they predicted, the information spread like wildfire in the fandom. Skephalo shippers definitely had a field day with that too.

Zak and Darryl took a break from making content only for a few days, but were talking to each other even more often. They slowly went back to making content and started telling their fans they were finally meeting up.

After planning everything out, Zak got on a flight to meet up and stay with Bad for a week. As soon as he departed from the plane, he felt a little nervous but extremely excited.

He roamed around the airport looking for Darryl. A few minutes went by until Zak felt a familiar itch on his left palm and looked to find a message.

“Hi <3”

Zak quickly looked around him until he saw Darryl smiling and waving in front of him. He smiled wide and started to run excitingly towards him. Darryl was surprised for a moment before raising his arms, bracing for impact.

“Skeppy!” Zak almost tackled him as he wrapped his arms around him as Darryl laughed and hugged back.

Skeppy giggled. “Did you really bring a pen with you just so you can write hi as soon as you see me?!”

“Hey, I thought it was fitting okay? You muffin head…” Darryl pouted.

Zak didn’t move away from the hug. He melts into the embrace, hugging Darryl closer as he spoke out softly. “Well.. hi..”

Darryl smiled and stared at Zak as a warm and comforting feeling washed over them. He didn’t want to let go and just wanted to keep him in his arms forever. “Oh my goodness, you just got here and I already don’t want you to leave in seven days..”

“Nooo, don’t think about that right now! I’m just happy to be here now..”

“Yeah..” Darryl wrapped his arms around Zak even more. “Me too.”

[End]

[theinvisibledreamergirl]

Chap. 7: “Friendship questioned”

A.N: And I still hate this AU and this title because it isn’t much related to the topic 🙄

MASTERLIST 

———————————————————————

Donahue’s bar was flooded with interns and residents taking some break after their long night shifts and seemed to enjoy these minutes. The fantastic four (as Klaw would call) Elijah, Jackie, Sienna and Landry and the never-separated couple Dan and Imelda were sat together discussing about the new changes of Edenbrook Hospital that were notified yesterday.

“Could you even imagine? Doing your residency with the most elite diagnostics team in the world?!” Elijah exclaimed.

“Never in my life would’ve thought of this dream.” Landry sighed in a wandered gaze.

“Screw you. This is totally obvious that I am going to be the winner of it.” Jackie put down the shot of tequila raising her eyebrows.

“Someone looks very confident.” Dan replied with a smirk.

“Of course I am not even you scalpel jockeys can stand us.”

“Seriously why didn’t you two sign up for this? Even the surgeons could be part of the fellowship.” Sienna asked.

Imy let a sigh. “Yeah we know but I don’t think we could waste our precious free time plus diagnosing the patients. Scalpel is enough for us. Right sweetie?

Dan kissed the back of her hand gently. “Of course love.”

“Aww you are so cute.”

“Yuck get a room you two already. It’s getting enough disgust in here.” Jackie admitted and everyone shared a laugh.

“What about Klaw? Do you know if she has signed up?” Landry asked curiously. She had mentioned before that she wanted to work with Ethan Ramsey closely and he was also felt in debt for saving his life from that man Miles in their first day of work.

“Hm. I don’t know but I think she had. She would never miss this rare opportunity.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Well you’re wrong.” A voice made them to turn their gazes to the tired and not so amused face of Klaw with Bryce accompanying her.

“What?!” Everyone said in unison shocked except from Jackie who snorted.

“See? I told you scalpels cannot handle the diagnosis!”

“You either are stupid for real or you have a reason that you didn’t want this.” Eiljah admitted and a sudden wave of relief was seen in Landry’s face in which Dan noticed it.

“But Klaw... why did you change your mind?” Imy asked in confusion but her expression let her that something had happened and she looked at Bryce for some answers but he mouthed.

Later.

“I’m going to the bathroom I’ll... catch up with you.”

While she was nodding Bryce gave her a knowing glance in which she replied silently with a reassuring smile.

I’ll be fine.

When she made herself disappear to the corner so her friends wouldn’t see her, she texted to Reggie.

Now. We need to talk.

Thankfully he saw the message and carefully after serving the drinks to the guys he went in the same dark room where his other friend was waiting.

“What now?” He crossed his arms.

“Care to explain your friendship with Ethan Ramsey?” She arched her left eyebrow.

He let an exhale knowing that she wouldn’t forget this despite her busy schedule in hospital.

“Fine. I’ll say this quickly... Ethan and I have known each other for ten years since he came for the first time in Boston after university. He wasn’t alone though. He was with Simon and they both needed a strong drink after their first day as interns. It was also my first week in Boston and I wanted to have a good job so I bought this bar and let me tell you-” He motioned with his index finger the surroundings. “- it wasn’t like this. It was rebuilt again thanks to them who offered their money’s to help me and we’re like partners of this bar and after that Simon decided to name it ‘Donahue’.” He chuckled. “Weird name huh?”

Reggie wanted to ease the tension that was appearing in Klaw’s face but that didn’t change it.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Klaw I seriously didn’t know you would come here. I really wanted to tell you but I just didn’t know how. Look... if you are worried about your involvement with the Mercy Park Crew I won’t tell anything to Ethan.”

“It’s not about that Reggie. I’m just upset because I thought I could trust you and the contrary. Because we’re friends right?” She hesitated at first before saying. “And about Vaug-“

“Do not try mention his name!” He glared at her giving some cold chills down her spine. She knew his anger but despite of that she wanted to try again.

“Vaughn wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk with a gangster and a criminal who left his family for his own pleasures!” He hissed. “My uncle is devastated and auntie too and I’m not going to let him to enter to our lives ever again!”

She sighed. “I know but he told me-.”

“You should go back to your friends.” He cut her off without giving a second glance.

“Reggie...”

“Go.” He said courtly. “They’ll suspect and you don’t want this, right?” She only nodded when he narrowed his eyebrows. “You go first and I’ll come after two minutes.”

Klaw did as he said. She truly wanted the two cousins to talk about their misunderstandings and solve them to be united again. But it was clearly that this would take a long time given the fact that Reggie was a hot-tempered guy even though it didn’t look from the outside to other people.

Bryce had told his friends about the tragic death of Dolores and now they could understand why Klaw didn’t want to participate in the competition. But this wasn’t the thing he worried about.

Strong arms had been looping her maybe for a couple of minutes but for her it looked like an eternity sleeping.

She blinked her eyes slowly while trying to comprehend what happened.

Oh she thought. Yes- she forgot to drink her usual pills and ran with a fake excuse to her attending to go to the locker room.

And after drinking them her body twisted in a quick motion until feeling someone calling her name.

Definitely it was a man and at first she got worried if he was the one she was thinking about.

But instead she was met with green scrubs and she could recognise that megawatt smile everywhere.

“Look who’s waken up.”

“B-Bryce?”

“Yeah scalpel jockey in the flesh.”

“What’re you doing here?” She murmured slowly.

“Uhm helping and carrying you? Because you were about to knock your head in the ground and your skull would be opened?” She giggled. He was so good at making her feel better. “Now will you tell me why’s in your locker an inhibitor bar?”

She gulped hardly trying to think of an excuse. “It’s- for calmness.”

What a great lie to say him.

“Klaw... you can trust me.” To prove it he caressed her cheek softly letting his thumb linger. Bryce Lahela had feelings for this girl like no one else and seeing her in this state- he wanted to be her saviour. “Look... I’ve seen you avoiding us in many occasions and not interacting with us at all. You refused first to play with me. Second you haven’t given any answer to Sienna about moving together and the third you’ve been pulling your leg all of this week in many surgeries just so you can’t meet us. And now this?” He shook his head. “There’s clearly something wrong with you.”

From the look of his eyes Klaw saw the sincerity and the kindness of him that never thought to come out given the fact that he was always cheerful and flirty all the time. That’s when she started to trust him and thought he wasn’t kind of manipulating person to be. But of course she couldn’t tell him the whole truth even if she wanted to.

“I...” she gulped nervously before inhaling sharply. “I suffer from PTSD Bryce.” That’s when her tears started to drop off her cheeks despite many of her attempts not to.

His grip on her tightened and pulled her in a comforting hug while she was sobbing. Bryce had never seen her in such a devastating situation because she looked strong and capable of everything but clearly this was the contrary.

“Shh... it’s alright Klaw... I’m here.”

“I’m sorry Bryce I-“

“You don’t need to apologise to me.” He frowned his eyebrows. “It’s me who should say that. I’ve asked too much for this, have I?”

“No, you moron. Of course you haven’t.��� She scolded him with a slap on his arm. “You were worried about me and there’s nothing to apologise to.”

He sighed. “Does anyone else know this?”

“Only Dan and Imy.”

“Why don’t you tell the others?”

“I’m not ready Bryce I mean... I don’t want to seem like fragile and my friendship to be built because everyone feels sorry about me. And that is really disgusting.”

He laughed revealing his shining teeth. “Well they will know it one day and you won’t escape from that.”

“If you don’t tell them of course.” She jumped from his lap to head to the door. He caught her wrist.

“Whoa hold on where do you think you’re going miss? You just fainted in front of my eyes and I am going to let you go? No way.”

“I have to go back to NICU. Ethan is waiting for me.” The last words fell from her mouth unexpectedly and that’s when Bryce grinned clearly amused.

“Well well someone calls her attending by his name. Hm was he good on his office?”

She laughed loudly. “Bryce what the hell you’re saying? I was talking about Dolores Hudson’s son, Ethan.” And when her smile faded she whispered. “She died today leaving alone the little tadpole and I’m looking after him with Dr. Ramsey.”

His smile faltered too and felt in regret saying it.

Great Bryce you made her upset.

“I’m sorry Klaw. Uhm... you can go now.” He opened the door to let her go first gently but before she left he felt a kiss on his cheek and a soft voice whispering to his ear.

“Thank you for everything scalpel king.”

Not later she joined her friends who were now looking at her with concerns. Suddenly Sienna got up from her seat and hugged her tightly.

“I’m so sorry dolphin.” She whispered sweetly like she was. It was about Dolores. “Please don’t mind our reactions about your decision.”

“It’s okay Sienna. I’m fine.” Her friend assured but she made a face like she wasn’t convinced. “I really am dolphin.” She rubbed her back.

“If you say so.”

“Klaw we’re sorry too.” Elijah said. “I mean damn. That was really heartbreaking and I’m feeling goosebumps now.”

“I can’t imagine what it feels like to grieve for your first patient so sorry from me too.” Jackie said sadly.

“Guys can you please stop this emotional conversation? We have to celebrate for your competition. Right Bryce?” Klaw smiled at him.

“Hell yeah we are fucking doing it!” He stood up letting his feet up the chair to raise a toast. “We surgeons wish you medical interns a very pleasant time with grumps like Ramsey and Mirani and sweets like Delarosa and Tennant. May the best wins! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” Everyone sipped their drinks in one gulp until Ines and Zaid joined them. Ines congratulated them with a hug whereas Zaid with his glaring face to surgeons Bryce and Dan said that even if one of the interns won they wouldn’t merit that.

——————————————————————

“Ethan come on it will be just a meeting.” She pleaded to him. “It won’t kill you.”

“I said no Harper.”

“It is a great opportunity for all of us to renew the project we have with the Banner Health.”

“I still can’t believe that you want us to schmooze in all of their luxurious, idiotic and ridiculous things only for our hospital. Why didn’t you bring Simon for this? He clearly has a much better poker face than I do.”

She leaned closer to him to tie his collar. “Well I would but since the Banner Health Representatives are interested on your research then why don’t we use this opportunity? Besides even Naveen would agree on that.” She gave him a lightly kiss while caressing his broad shoulders. “Come on let’s hit ‘em before we are late.”

Harper was a such in a good mood today that asked himself if she would’ve stayed the same if she knew the real reason why Naveen gave up his position two weeks ago.

“I came up with a decision.”

“What’s wrong Naveen? You called us in such a hurry. Everything okay?” Simon asked worriedly when he saw also Ethan standing with crossed arms behind the chief clearly disapproving.

Ethan knew this and just before they would enter the diagnostics office they debated whether or not to tell everyone about his health condition that was deteriorating day by day and still none of them had arrived into a conclusion what this illness was.

“The main position of this team will be held by Dr. Ramsey.”

“What?!” The shock was evident in all of the team’s faces. Simon was eyeing to Ethan if he knew something about this but instead he was met with a shrug.

“Please doctors calm down.”

Clearly the one who couldn’t calm down herself was Dr. June Hirata who wanted nothing more than the position of the diagnostics which had worked for it ten years and seeing that the jerk doctor take it- made her blood boiled.

“But Dr. Banerji...” Dr. Baz Mirani spoke up frantically. “I’m not saying Ethan isn’t a good doctor but... may I ask why?”

“Ah Baz. I really appreciate your concern but I thought as an old man sometimes I need to rest y’know... I’ve come to an age that everything can happen and the retirement will be the best for me.”

“Are you sick?” Edgar asked in suspicion in which Ethan felt his jaw tightened and again Naveen responded with a smile.

“My dear Edgar. If I were sick I would’ve been now at one of your operation theatres right?”

“Goodness Naveen don’t even say that!” He scolded.

“Well I guess I have to congratulate you my pal.” Simon got up and pulled Ethan in a tightly hug. “I have to say that you saved me from a big responsibility so thanks a lot Naveen!” Even though he wanted to lighten up the strange moment they were experiencing his thoughts were a fog.

“Ha. Very funny Simon.”

Naveen chuckled to them. “And also I’ve told Harper that she will be the Chief of Medicine... if that’s okay to you.”

“Absolutely Naveen.” Everyone agreed but Ethan didn’t say anything at first. His mentor challenged him with an eyebrow and he nodded in half-agreement.

“Well then doctors if you don’t have anything else to say- have a nice day!”

Ethan really wanted to tell Harper and Simon about it but he made a promise to his mentor to not bring up this conversation ever again.

“I’m really going to miss being a neurosurgeon y’know. It’s just a strange feeling not to touch the scalpel while wearing your mask and gloves to open the skull. Now the only thing that I can touch are papers. Unbelievable.” She chuckled while Ethan was driving his car. “Ethan?”

She raised her eyebrow seeing that he wasn’t paying attention to her. In these days Ethan had been acting differently since she was announced as the Chief. Surely there was no surgery that could stop her from meeting him or giving some slyly glances when they had crossed their ways. He looked deep in thought and if that was a reason behind of it, Harper would be delighted to know it if was about their relationship.

And Ethan Ramsey was thinking about a certain woman. The piercing brown eyes who had appeared multiple times in his dreams. He gripped tightly the steer trying to forget that rare smile she gave him when they were looking after little Ethan Hudson.

After making their coffees from his machine that no one in the hospital knew about it he was waiting for the other while checking his watch. He smirked at the thought of his secret. In the quiet NICU room were heard soft steps of his intern who gave him a rare smile he had never seen before.

“Am I late?”

“No you were just eight minutes late.”

She giggled and teased him. “You’ve been counting the minutes. Wow.”

“Just sit down and take it.”

He handed her the coffee packed in a plastic container just like one those of Starbucks. When she sipped it she felt another kind of taste and let out content moan.

“This isn’t Edenbrook’s coffee. It’s clearly a cappuccino.”

He shook his head before sipping. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar. This is exactly the same coffee I do in my apartment and it’s originally from Brazil. It’s the same taste and you-“ she pointed her finger to him. “- can’t deny it.”

Instead of answering her he replayed again the moment when she moved her tongue before saying the letter ‘L’.

Ethan get hold of yourself.

He sighed in defeat revealing his secret. “This is from my private coffee machine.” She clapped her hands in victory while whispering ‘yes’ to herself whereas he scoffed. “As soon as I got the office I vowed never to drink that caffeinated dishwasher again. No one knows it so...”

“I won’t tell a soul.” She said before laughing quietly and holding her hand to stop it but when she saw the warning gaze of her attending she pursed her lips. “Okay sorry.”

“Ethan?”

“Uh, yes Harper what were you saying?”

“You took us into the wrong road.”

He took a look of the signs which were leading them to Boston Common instead of the baseball stadium so he shifted his direction to the right one.

They arrived at the local bar where the baseball game was playing. Ironic to Ethan was that the two squads would always choose blue and red uniforms to play. While he was ordering two drinks to the bartender Harper got an emergency call from the hospital and that’s when he didn’t want to deal this by his own.

Jesus Christ what else are you bringing to me now huh?

Apparently his bragging on his mind was stopped when in the corner of his eyes a young woman in her sportswear appeared with her hair tied up, drinking a bit of cigarette. He almost could feel her perfume. That perfume who was standing next to him two weeks ago and his observation skills never failed him. It was indeed that kind of smell that he wanted to forget but it seemed to be inevitable.

After she texted Bryce on her phone she glanced up to see the tall figure standing in a stool enjoying his casual scotch. Her breath hitched when she realized her cigarette was still on her fingers and luckily she found the nearest bin to throw it. She didn’t want another embarrasment in front of him as she moved closer.

God damnit. How is possible that there’s not a single day without seeing him?

“Someone’s date didn’t go as well as expected huh?” She said playfully as if to break the ice but she knew that a man like him wouldn’t bring his girlfriend here. But Klaw wasn’t sure why she was enjoying this little teasing.

“Did you enjoy your smoke?” That’s where she rolled her eyes meaning that he saw it and Ethan curled the corner of his lips. “About the answer of your question no- I’m not in a date. I’m here to renew the contract between Edenbrook and Banner Health Rep and this drink was for Harper but she had to go back to hospital for an emergency case.”

“Oh I see.” She bit her lower lip nervously. The Banner surname. Such familiarity to her. But she didn’t want to think about it because she knew exactly who was behind of that great company. His words interrupted her thoughts.

“And what about you?”

“I’m trying to spend this miraculously day off with my friends. We saw a baseball game in which I had absolutely no idea how it was played and the funny thing was that I was cheering about the blue ones but then I did the same for the red ones clapping like a fool.” She giggled. “I’m literally stupid.”

“Glad that you are aware of it.”

“Hey.” She smacked his arm. “I’m not the only stupid here by the way.” She smiled while when he furrowed his eyebrows. “You clearly are staying here in this bar thinking ‘damn how am I going to survive those pesky and petulant rich people in front of me’ and trying to avoid them but you can’t do that because the deals with Edenbrook are in your hands. Am I correct?”

“Not always.” She gave him an incredulous look. “Okay you caught me. They’re trying to butter me up with lobster, fine wine and all the ridiculous luxuries they can afford.” He sighed. “It’s terrible. And I’m not a man for... schmoozing.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeeeah I’m almost believing it.” But she did actually. It was just one of her ways to not express herself and it was clearly a rule she lived with for a long time now.

“As much as it humiliates me to ask a favour of an intern... would you... join me upstairs?”

Did he just ask me to... what? But what if I meet his uncle? No. It’s not possible for him to be there. Whatever happens put a poker face... no one knows you.

He sensed her hesitation and added. “I won’t keep you much longer. I just don’t think I’ll survive much longer on my own.”

“Did I say no?” She smiled again and got up from her seat.

He smiled aback. “Follow me then.”

The box suite had a magnificent view of the stadium and a part of Boston Highway. Surely this thing wasn’t foreign to Klaw. Being with rich people. She knew how they used their strategies to attract doctors like Ethan Ramsey or anyone else. But she wasn’t worried about that. She took a brief look at the guests of the room and luckily was no sign of his uncle.

“If you are going to give me lectures about how to behave in front of them don’t.” To prove it she took two glasses of wines before he would say it.

“Then I’m waiting to see what gems are you going to reveal to them Rookie.”

“Watch and learn Dr. Ramsey.” She clinked her glass with his.

“Don’t be such confident. I’ve seen many doctors changing their priorities to be part of these things and don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”

“Got it Sir.” She winked and maybe that was a bit unprofessional but that came naturally to her and unexpectedly he didn’t even seem to be bothered. Klaw could feel her guilt building up in herself for not telling the truth to her attending what actually happened before arriving at NICU but her thoughts were interrupted until-

“Ethan, Ethan there you are!” A chirping voice was heard in the middle of the crowd now approaching them with an amusing face.

“Smile a bit Dr. Ramsey.” She muttered.

“I am Dr. Craig.” He muttered back.

“Yes from what I’m seeing now you have a very good poker face.” She mocked.

He scoffed. “I am a doctor not an actor for god’s sakes!” Their voices were now barely a whisper as the representatives were coming closer and closer.

“Then you should be.” And both shared a quick glance.

His, a worried and a troubled one.

Hers, a reassuring and a supportive glance.

He seriously didn’t expect their conversation to go flow and in such a quick way thanks to an intern. They finally managed to renew the contract and she didn’t let them escape without her request for better rates on cardiac services. This was one of the biggest achievements they’ve had and a smirk appeared on her face while turning to his gaze back.

“Okay you don’t need to say it.” He raised his hand averting her.

“The future of medicine?”

“Stop it.”

“One of the most promising doctors?”

“I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

“But you wouldn’t have won without me Dr. Ramsey. Now we’re double trouble.”

He scoffed. “I think you are the real trouble here Rookie. Besides I couldn’t introduce you as a colossal pain in my ass, could I?”

“Ha. Ha.” She mocked him while rolling her eyes.

Both of them took their seats to enjoy the last part of the game there. When she thought everything was back to normal that question came back as if slapped her face.

“Why haven’t you signed up for the competition?”

So Klaw how are you going to respond now to your mentor huh? Another lie you want to create? And you pretend that he’s a liar. Fuck it.

“As my bestie said: ‘Scalpel is enough for me.’ So I’m not going to waste that little free time in diagnosing.”

“Then why in your application was written that you wanted to be under my wing? Care to explain?”

“It was just a bingo.” She shrugged. “I mean I didn’t know with who I wanted to work so I just picked your name since I’ve read your book.”

He huffed. “You are very smart Craig but when it comes to lies you are very subtle.”

She closed her eyes for a moment while bringing back that fidgety of her fingers- and indicator that she was worried about something. “I don’t want to ruin my friendship because I know if I enter to this competition we will start to have rivalries and in the end we will never talk to each other. I’ve been thinking all of this time Dr. Ramsey, believe me. It’s not easy when you just find out that someone will dump you to get their spot on his or her place. It’s like an animalistic fight for territory but this is between people and this takes to a much cruelty and I don’t want to be part of this. I don’t want to have my friendship questioned.”

Ethan listened attentively to her reasoning and her how her logic had been analysing all of the pros and cons of being part of the competition. She clearly wasn’t a clueless intern. She was an adult who seemed to have been through a lot in her life.

“Remarkably wise outlook for an intern.” He admitted and she watched him in surprise. “Even my friends did the same when they started their residencies and now they’re apart from their rivalries and they’ve put boundaries to each other. So you’re smart to value your allies.”

She smiled while shaking her head in disbelief. “You just called me smart two times.”

He warned her. “And if you tell anyone I said that, I will disavow that entirely.”

“Duly noted.”

First, their meeting in London.

Second, their interaction with little Ethan.

And this was the third.

What else they would keep to each other?

——————————————————————

In the interns new apartment another friend of theirs joined them surprisingly with her husky dog. Sienna was the most excited one as she pulled her in crush hug leaving Klaw breathless.

“What a day, what a game!” Elijah said happily.

Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe Landry’s advice to the manager got the Nighthawks to come back and win.”

“Well I wouldn’t say it was all me.” Landry grinned triumphantly. “All I did was examine the evidence and diagnose the problem. Which is why you can all kiss that diagnostic team position goodbye.”

“Ha. Dream on, buddy. I’ll give you a run for your money!”

While they were laughing Sienna and Klaw were curled up in a couch patting Jonah’s furry.

“Why did you name him Jonah?”

“I don’t know it just came out naturally. And I’m glad I put that name too. Sienna...”

“Yes?” She asked, her encouraging smile always evident on her face.

Before Klaw would talk about her proposition to move to this apartment her phone rang.

Who in the goddamn hell calls in this hour?

She excused herself while going to the balcony and shut the glass door carefully. “Hello?”

“Good evening Miss Craig! I-I’m terribly sorry that I’m calling in such lateness!” She recognised this voice. It was the receptionist of the apartment where she was staying.

“Yes Billy. Tell me.”

“Uhm there’s a package that came from postal service ma’am and it’s from Greece.”

“From Greece? Who sent this?”

“Let me check ma’am...” she heard some ruffles and scratches. “It’s from Ms. Zelda Ahmad. The location is Athens. What should I do with it?”

Her heart wrenched when she heard her aunt’s name in such a long time. The last meeting with her was when she buried her parents and her brother and went immediately to Los Angeles. To go to that inevitable and dangerous path which seemed to never have ended for her.

“Uhm ma’am are you there?” Billy asked when he didn’t hear anything from the owner and thought to ask her again. “What should I do with the package?”

“Keep it.” She said courtly. “I’ll be there as soon as possible to take it.”

“As you wish ma’am.”

She ended abruptly the call remembering why her aunt had sent her a package. After that Sienna opened the glass door sensing her friend’s troubled mind. “Is everything okay Klaw?”

“Oh, yes Sienna. No worries but can you guys keep Jonah for a minute?”

“Yeah sure but- where are you going?”

“There’s something that I’ve should done before.” She didn’t know how she created that line and Sienna gave her a smile which she did aback. Still not knowing the reason behind of that.

If her friends would’ve known how fast she came to their apartment... clearly they didn’t know that a black muscled Porsche parked in an underground garage was everything that a girl like Klaw Craig would need. She was thankful for this vehicle to have not only the best speed but also the best acceleration to drift a bit where there were no cops patrolling.

She took the package from Billy to jump onto the elevator, her foot tapping nervously to open it. She was afraid of what her aunt could’ve sent her because it had been four years with her absence and thought for a moment of those rare calls on the phone were really something or not.

Klaw didn’t want to open the door while her breath was hitching.

“Oh come on Klaw you can do this. It’s just a package and nothing else.” She scolded herself.

She unlocked the door rapidly and headed to her suite, tossing it to the bed. Her lips twitched several times while eating the insides of her cheeks anxiously. She didn’t know why felt afraid to open it because as much as she could remember she asked Zelda if there was something that her grandma liked such as ornaments or something that she could keep it too to her home. At least reminding bits of her memory.

When she dug the knife inside of it there were some books that she read while she was younger in her years and in the end of it...

She gasped.

The end revealed some medical files with the logo of Edenbrook Hospital. It were clearly her grandmother’s.

Her eyes widened. Now she remembered. She asked Zelda that she needed to see everything that was related to her grandmother’s illness- the treatment, the surgery appointment and the doctor’s name who did the operation. Zelda had said in that time she didn’t remember exactly where she put them because apparently her sister (Klaw’s mother) Marilyn obligated her to not show anything to Klaw.

Upon the files there was a card with some words scribbled.

To my gummy bear niece.

She laughed because she dearly missed the way her aunt called her then started to open it slowly.

Agapití [Dear] Helena,

When you were younger you were always our precious niece that I, Andreas and Mama DD ever wanted. I can’t say how lucky and how proud I am that you’re now a grown woman and an independent one. You know what many other things I could’ve written to you now but I’ll just keep it short. We love you so much and I want to apologise for lying at you at first when you requested Mama DD’s files. Your mother told me to keep them away because she knew your hot temper and you would do everything to find justice. Now no one is stopping you. Here’s everything you need to know which I hope they’ll be helpful. You can continue on your quest my darling. Because I’m waiting and believe me... Mari is waiting too.

xoxo, Z

When she opened the file was the patients name and the condition of her illness altogether with the treatment in which she already knew. But the surgery appointment was nowhere to be found.

“Fuck it!” She shouted while searching for other files. “But if there was a surgery appointment then surely one of them must be on the list of the Diagnostics Team.”

Dr. Banerji’s name wasn’t on the list. The same thing was with Simon but he had told her in the 2011 he was doing some practices in New Mexico and came back after two weeks.

The only names remained were:

Dr. Akash Mirani

Dr. June Hirata

Dr. Kenji Hirata

“Who the hell are these people?” She frowned in annoyance.

Dr. Harper Emery

“Dr. Emery was in Diagnostics Team too? So she knows what has happened to Daisy.” She seethed angrily given the fact that she was a well-respected neurosurgeon. She scoffed. “Even you aren’t perfect as anyone can think Harper Emery.”

True. Nobody was perfect and neither was the last name.

Her eyes landed to the first letter...to the second, to the third until it revealed the full name with the doctor’s title.

Dr. Ethan Ramsey

She stayed still while a chill was running down her spine. Her lips trembled threatening to be welled up in tears. She saw the name again and shook her head in disbelief. Maybe she wasn’t looking properly. Maybe she needed glasses to see better. Maybe...

“No, no... it can’t be... it can’t be.” She said frantically.

She was panting hardly trying to collect herself.

She felt every emotion in one second and couldn’t understand what she was feeling. Relief? Happiness? Anger? Rage? Betray? Fear?

What she knew now was that she had a newly profound change.

Even though she had some bits of good memories with him it seemed like they were vanished.

A change that coursed down her body and made her to look into the mirror on the wall as she remembered some few words.

Competition makes them stronger.

And now she knew exactly what to do. If she wins it she would reach to the truth.

And a new confidence was now appearing even in her voice now.

“Ethan Ramsey... be prepared to see this Rookie being your closest ally.”

She smirked devilishly because if Klaw Helena Craig wanted something... she definitely would take it.

And there was still time before all zeros lined up.

—————————————————-—————

TAGS WILL APPEAR IN A REBLOG!

Part 8: TBA*

Ps: please before you think what’s going to happen in the next part interact with this post.

from now on only the graduation of high school in june is much more important for me now... and also sorry for not replying to your supportive messages and for this post too... i don’t feel like I’m ready... but i truly appreciate them...

until then... stay safe folks...

bye. ❤️ K

[itsuki-minamy]

“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 8: THE MAN IN THE SKY (Complete)

* K - The First Story (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Sunlight reflected off the surface of the sea and shone. The winter morning breeze was cold, but today, the cold was pleasant for the boy.

Gakuenjima can be seen across the sea from the boy's line of sight. A monorail passed under the connecting bridge that connected the continental side where the boy and the island were located. It seems that the students going to school in Gakuenjima were on board.

Until yesterday, it was a place full of everyday life. But now it seems terribly far away. Every day until yesterday felt like a happy dream that disappeared as soon as he woke up.

Looking back, Kuro with Neko asleep, looks at the boy with a complicated face. Neko, who escaped from "Scepter 4" during the night and used her full potential, began to feel drowsy on the way, and Kuro, who couldn't see her, turned his back on her.

Neko, who put her cheeks on his shoulders and fell asleep with a small sigh, her face was unprotected.

On the other hand, Kuro looks at the boy with a worried expression. He may be worried about the boy that he lost everything he believed in overnight. He would never admit that he was worried.

(What does it look like?)

The boy gave Kuro a warm smile.

It's probably due to Kuro's innate goodness piggybacking Neko swinging back on himself and that he's worried about the boy who may have to be cut off. The boy no longer thinks of Kuro as a scary person. He doesn't believe that even that person named "Ichigen-sama" gave him a terrible order to kill the evil "King".

"Hmm...", Neko leaked a difficult voice behind her and widened her almond-shaped eyes.

"Ah!"

When the surrounding landscape was reflected in hers eyes, Neko's facial expression filled with joy, she jumped off Kuro's back and she ran off. It seems Neko has no problem not saying a single thank you, and she just rolled her shoulders.

"It's our house!"

Neko ran to the beach and spread her arms as if she was trying to hug the school island.

"I am back!"

Neko sat on the grass near the pier and looked at the school island with a feeling of security. The boy smiled and knelt next to Neko.

"I am back..."

It was the boy who wanted to come here. However, the boy was not as obedient as Neko.

"What is this to me?"

He just whispered to him. Kuro made a calm voice as he looked at Gakuenjima.

"I must say I came again because it was all fake. Was it okay to come here with the Blue Clan chasing us?"

The boy is aware that this is risky behavior. Still, he came here again to take a look at the Gakuenjima scenery.

He's not going back there now. The boy who has already been freed from Neko's power, is no longer Isana Yashiro. He must know himself since he is not that person. No matter what kind of person he is, he has to regain his true self and make it up to him if he is guilty of it.

"It's okay!"

Neko made a loud voice to interrupt the boy's thoughts.

"Because this is our house!"

Neko's words rang out without hesitation, and the boy blinked and inadvertently put the word "house" in his mouth.

Home. A place to return.

The word created a slight temperature in the boy's empty chest. He slowly spread throughout his body and permeated him. The temperature was soaking in the back of his eyes and he realized that he was about to cry.

The boy raised his hand and gently stroked Neko's head.

"Yes. Before that, there was nothing. And although it was all fake, the last few days I spent with everyone were real. That's why it's okay to say that I have returned home."

Kukuri called him Shiro-kun. She used to tell him: Welcome Shiro-kun. Come early!

Shiro! Mishina was casually slapping his shoulder. Shiro! Do not deviate. I am waiting for fries. Let's eat together when we get back!

Now that he is not under Neko's power, they will no longer remember the boy. Even so, it certainly was Yashiro Isana at the time when they called him that. Certainly that was the place he called his home.

"Now I understand. I came back here to etch this place on my heart."

The boy closed his eyes.

He had nothing for sure now. The beloved everyday life he believed in was false, and all that remains in the boy is the mysterious memory of being shot down by a long silver-haired man from the top of an airship.

"I can't remember anything more than that, that's why I'm scared."

The boy looked back at Gakuenjima. His heart was already calm. The confusion and sadness have passed, and the boy's heart is determined.

"Let's get rid of everything. To start the real days here again."

"Shiro!" Neko jumped up and brought the boy warm body temperature.

"Shiro.", He looks at the boy with a strong gaze that Kuro hasn't given up on.

Now Kuro and Neko are close to the boy, whose existence has turned into Shiro, and they call him Shiro.

He is still Yashiro Isana.

++++++++++

In the office tea room, Munakata was making tea while he listened to Awashima's report. He made a slight noise and produced fine tea bubbles.

"As mentioned above, due to the rainy weather, each unit could not track. Until now, there is no relevant person in the transport monitoring network."

"I see. Not only did he escape my eyes, but he also evaded Fushimi-kun, who took command of the chase, and it seems like it was no accident that he was able to hide until now."

Awashima bowed slightly, put her tablet aside, and began to brew tea.

"Currently, we are reducing the siege on Ashinaka High School while following the expected escape route..."

Awashima puts anko from a tin on top of delicate Japanese sweets that seem to go well with tea, which is a beautiful flower-shaped Japanese sweet that is placed on a plate.

Munakata gently averted his eyes from the brutal sight.

"It will be difficult to capture. Apparently he is elusive. Besides, those two... what a disgusting opponent."

Awashima seriously listened to Munakata's words and placed a mountain of thick stalks on top of Japanese sweets using about three cans of red bean paste in front of Munakata. Munakata raised his glasses silently.

"I am Fushimi."

He banged on the office door and a voice was heard from outside. Fushimi rushed into the office when they replied "Please come in." Awashima looked back at Fushimi and asked energetically.

"What happen?"

"It has been reported that a member of the follow-up investigation has just been attacked and transported."

"What is the exact time of the attack and what unit was he in?"

"Chikushi, third division officer in the Eastern District, about 15 minutes ago."

"What is the degree of damage?"

"Only minor bruises, but his PDA was stolen."

Munakata, who was listening to the exchange between Awashima and Fushimi, raised his eyebrows slightly at the words.

"His PDA?"

"I am monitoring your assigned area."

Fushimi handled the tablet in his hand and projected the hologram on the screen into the air. He projected a map of the area around the stadium, which was the site of last night.

"Is the assailant known?"

“It's about the Black Dog. Chikushi said that he didn't see the other two."

Awashima frowned suspiciously. As Awashima thought about it, Munakata casually avoided the mountain of red bean paste placed in front of him.

"That night, Kuroh Yatogami continued to haunt that neighborhood."

Munakata watched.

"This was not an attack, he was just looking to make contact. Fushimi-kun, was there anything left at the scene that could be a message from them?"

"Just an object."

Fushimi also handled the tablet. Another photo appeared on the map showing the hologram screen. It was a note scrawled like "1400."

The time now is 13:45.

"I see."

Munakata exchanged glances with Awashima. Without waiting for Munakata's instructions, Awashima took her PDA and began preparing to start the reverse detection system.

Everyone in the office didn't need any more words.

Until 2:00 p.m. 15 minutes until the time indicated by "1400". There is almost nothing to do now but wait.

"Fushimi-kun, why don't you sit here and wait?"

Awashima relaxed her tone like a nimble boss and said with a voice close to private.

Fushimi showed a momentary movement, but found a terrifying mountain of red bean paste next to Munakata, and pulled his cheeks away.

"Here is ok."

"Well then, let's notify the reserve team at headquarters to prepare for the emergency dispatch."

Fushimi seemed relieved to be given a job instead of anko, and responded immediately.

The fifteen-minute wait felt as long as it was. Fushimi quickly contacted the reserve team, Munakata served Awashima the tea, and Awashima drank it beautifully. Munakata laid the monstrous bean paste aside without touching it, closing his eyes with his arms crossed as if he were next to a monster. The incoming call came in exactly at 2:00 p.m.

As the digital clock shows 14:00, Munakata's PDA rings an incoming call.

Munakata slowly took out the PDA. As expected, it was an incoming call from the PDA possessed by the attacked Tsukushi.

"I am Munakata Reisi. Who are you?"

"Isana Yashiro, or so they tell me."

He hears the same sweet voice from the boy who was at the stadium last night. Awashima operated her own PDA and began reverse detection.

"I suspected it could be you. You took a very aggressive method."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't think of another way to speak without getting caught."

"Hm. First, I'll hear what you have to say."

"It's a long story, and I will say briefly that the man in the airship is deeply involved in the murder. They treat me like a criminal, but I don't remember anything about it."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"What?"

The reverse detection result came out. Munakata raises a hand towards Fushimi as he continues the conversation, and Fushimi bows his head slightly and immediately exits. Apparently, the suspect is moving down the Metropolitan Freeway while he calls. Awashima begins contacting him to order an inspection of the Metropolitan Highway.

What do you know about the man in the airship?"

"Just enough of a small talk."

"So you can understand that it's too important to be dragged into this, just because you claim to be innocent? I think you could at least show your goodwill by giving yourself up right now."

"When you watch a detective drama, you may realize that there is no point in shouting that you are innocent in prison. That is why I decided to turn myself in for the right price."

"I see, you are a difficult man to handle."

In fact, it was unexpected that he came out so bold. He met him at the stadium last night, and although he felt the rotation of his head and the force of the game, he seemed quite hungry overnight, even though he had a remarkably unreliable side.

"That's it. So, in that transaction, if they promise to bring the blimp guy ashore so I can ask him some questions, I'll turn myself in. How about that?"

"I'd like to agree since you're willing to go so far, but the suspect's allegations in the case aren't enough to interfere with him. Even if you end up turning yourself in, if you're at a disadvantage, are your two remaining friends supposed to come to rescue you?"

"Haha, you're right. After all, was it too good?"

"No, let's accept your terms."

"Huh?" I hear a voice of real surprise from the other side of the PDA.

"I am saying that I, Reisi Munakata, the Fourth and Blue King, will stop the man from the airship, also known as the First and Silver King, Adolf K. Weismann."

Awashima is also surprised. Munakata turned his palm toward her and held it.

"If you feel like it, come visit us. Let's arrange a meeting to clear up the case. However, in that case, all three people will show up."

There was no answer. The other side of the PDA was silent and the call was cut off.

Did the matter end or did you notice the signs from Fushimi and others running towards the fountain?

"I hope Fushimi and the rest of him can hold back."

"If he can do that, it will probably be difficult. Isana seems to be an intelligent person, and Kuroh Yatogami has both cognitive and manipulative tendencies."

Frankly speaking, Awashima sighed deeply. She looked at Munakata with a thoughtful look.

"Captain… you accept that person's request and will you seriously try to stop a king?"

"Not well?"

"It's unreasonable. It would be nice if the 'Silver King' accepted the talks in a relaxed way, but when it comes to hard-line measures, it could be a battle between kings. You know how dangerous it is!"

Awashima stared at Munakata and appealed by leaning forward.

The danger is justified. However, Munakata thought that this was an inescapable path.

"Awashima-kun. I would like to meet the 'Silver King', who is a 'King' but he is roaming the sky without knowing anything about earth."

Munakata has never seen how he is the "Silver King". The "Silver King" does not meet anyone. He climbed into his airship alone and continues to float in the sky. Only the "Golden King" Kokujoji Daikaku knows him.

"The "Silver King", who has invariable attributes, seems to still be young, but he is the oldest surviving "King". In years he is like the "Golden King", who is an old man. He who keeps flying in the sky for almost 70 years, he thinks that being a spectator is his role as "King". If he resigns his duty as "King" and fled to heaven, I think he is an irresponsible man, but it does not matter. The problem is that it can be a malicious person for this world."

Tension runs in Awashima's expression. Munakata dared to smile at her.

"The "Silver King" Adolf K. Weismann, was an ally of the "Golden King" Kokujoji Daikaku during World War II. In fact, even now, Daikaku Kokujoji offers great comfort to the "Silver King". The personality and the bases Daikaku Kokujoji's are true. If Daikaku Kokujoji believes in him, I think he's a decent person."

Munakata got to his feet, left the tea room, and stood in front of the office desk, his back to Awashima.

"Awashima-kun. Is it possible for a person to remain alone for decades in an isolated place without altering his mind? Do you think that the unchanging 'King' has an unchanging heart?"

"Captain..."

"If the first 'King' may have fallen into evil, we must confirm it as soon as possible, even if it is dangerous."

Awashima still had an uneasy look on her face.

It is a natural history. The more serious the battle between kings, the greater the danger that the Sword of Damocles will fall. A dozen years ago, as a result of the collision between the predecessor "Red King" and "Blue King", the sword of Damocles of the "Red King" fell and created a huge crater in the southern region of Kanto, changing the shape of the Japanese archipelago.

At that time, the "Blue King" also started a chain of outbursts that caused his vassals to die, but there is a past in which he avoided more disasters.

Already holding a large fire called "Red King" Suoh, who is endangering Weismann's deviation, now that he is chasing a person who calls himself "Colorless King", he fully understands the feeling of reluctance.

"But... as an action to be taken in accordance with the words of the suspect who seems to intend to use this... also..."

Munakata laughed.

"No. Aside from his words, I also have reason to doubt 'King Silver'."

"A reason...?"

When Awashima tried to lean forward, the PDA rang. Awashima shifted her posture and responded immediately. The other party appeared to be Fushimi, who ran to the source of Isana Yashiro's communication, but informed her that they were unable to capture him and only found an elaborate PDA.

Munakata approached the window as he listened to Awashima's voice, who gave the following instructions appropriately.

In the distant sky, he saw the "Silver King" airship, which was as small as a bean.

++++++++++

The black cat meowed.

In the reference room of the "Scepter 4 General Affairs Division", Zenjo looked out the window, holding a pile of old files that were about to fade in his arm. He could see many members rushing back and forth.

During the last ten days, the murder of the red clan member by the new "Colorless King" and the capture of the "Red King" have not rushed into the headquarters, but today the air is even more urgent and there is tension.

But that was also irrelevant to this library, which almost only served as a warehouse for ancient materials. The storm didn't get that far either.

There was a knock on the door of the data room and a woman named Yoshino, an employee of the "General Affairs Section", showed her face.

"It's going to be amazing today."

Yoshino said, she opened the can of cat food that she brought and put it on the plate on the floor. A black cat looking out the window happily walked in and sniffed.

This black cat somehow lives in this library. It was not his intention to keep him like a good cat, but the members treated him like a good cat. Apparently, this cat has a talent for catching mice, and Yoshino, who was concerned about the damage caused by mice in the "General Affairs Section Office", came to donate the cat's food every day.

"What happened again?"

When Yoshino asked while she cleaned up the materials, she rolled her eyes behind her large glasses.

"Don't you hear? It seems that the operation will take place from now on, surrounding the Himmelreich with a helicopter and trying to catch the 'Silver King'."

"That is incredible."

"Zenjo-san, aren't you surprised?"

"I'm surprised."

It's probably because his facial expression didn't move much. Yoshino looked at Zenjo suspiciously.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. The 'Silver King' didn't come down even when Kagutsu Genji was there, but is he going to come down to the ground now?"

There was an indescribable emotion and Yoshino muttered with a downcast gaze. Yoshino bowed her head and looked mysteriously at the depressed Zenjo.

Zenjo was an assistant to the predecessor "Blue King", Habari Jin, and was part of the case involving the downfall of Damocles from the predecessor "Red King", Kagutsu Genji.

However, to Yoshino, Zenjo is just a man who organizes materials all day in this dimly lit room.

"The 'Silver King' is the 'King' who has been in heaven the entire time."

"Yes, it's correct."

As he looked at the black cat eating the food that Yoshino gave him, Zenjo suddenly remembered the words of his predecessor, the "Blue King", who was not Reisi Munakata.

(Because that is the "King of Immutability." The flow of time may be different from ours. Just as insects and people do not live with the same experience, the speed of time that flows differ according to the moment of life. The "Silver King" can spend fifty years thinking that Kagutsu will come to a conclusion in five seconds.)

Will man finally change his way of life? Can they change him? Or has he changed?

He thought about it, but soon his thoughts were cut off. He is not apt to think.

"If that's the case, you may be too busy."

"Usually I am supposed to be very busy with various procedures, but this time I am moving forward with the Captain's power, so the floor clerk's job is not so much now. Maybe it will be difficult after this. I'm sure."

"Is that so."

"That's right."

The black cat that finished eating the food began to wash its face with satisfaction.

"Emergency dispatch, emergency dispatch. Divisions 1-5 will intercept Himmelreich and take into custody the First and 'Silver King', Adolf K, Weissmann."

The broadcast in the room is played from the headquarters loudspeakers.

The black cat howled again.

++++++++++

The interior of the "Scepter 4" command vehicle was spacious, and simple desks and chairs were set up for meetings to take place. The desk was now surrounded by Munakata and various members of the mission. The command vehicle circulated on the road at night towards the Suzugaya heliport where a large number of helicopters mobilized by the police await.

Awashima was at Munakata's side and gave a report.

"Still no response from the First 'King', the third request for communication was sent at 17:00."

"We have completed the necessary paperwork. Now we are going to take him into custody."

Munakata's statement creates an atmosphere of tension and anxiety among the members.

Awashima was still not convinced of this operation. Although Munakata was fully confident, abnormal situations occur in quick succession. In particular, there was the case of the "Red King", and she felt that Munakata might be impatient.

Awashima turns to Munakata to discuss the members' anxieties.

"But under Agreement 120, we do not have the authority to investigate the Himmelreich airship, which belongs to the First 'King'. I think we should obtain permission from the Second and 'Golden King' before proceeding."

"For whatever reason, he will not allow me to get near the First 'King'. That is why I will move as much as I can until he stops me."

At Munakata's words, Awashima was a bit embarrassed to be like a child who was afraid of being scolded by her words, and she cleared her throat in a hurry.

"So at least, can you tell us why we're going so far on this?"

Due to her statement, the members' questionable eyes met on Munakata.

"It's fine."

Munakata replied.

"In the first place, this is not a sudden action inspired by Yashiro Isana. It is true that his request has made me decide to act, but I have always been aware of the First 'King's suspicious behavior."

"Is the suspicious behavior related to the series of incidents?"

Awashima asked. Before Munakata answered, Fushimi, who had been silent until then, made a frustrated voice.

"The 'Silver King' is simply floating in the sky in an airship, and the average person thinks he is an urban legend, right? How could it be related to the current case?"

Munakata projected a map of Tokyo in the air for everyone to see.

"Let's explain step by step. For decades, the Himmelreich airship has been navigating various patterns. Except for mistakes in stormy weather, the following 15 patterns."

According to the Munakata operation, 15 types of ordered routes appear on the map projected in the air.

"Originally, it looks like they were flying the optimal route compared to the weather conditions, but now they are."

Fifteen routes on the map disappeared and random lines like children's graffiti appeared on the map.

The members sensed it. There were no rules, and they stared at the random route, which seemed to vary on a whim.

"I became aware of this change only a few days ago. At first, I thought I was doing nothing more than flying along an unusual trajectory. But due to what was happening, I contacted the Air Traffic Control of the Ukita Airport, just in case. As a result, it became clear that the route began to meander as shown in the figure immediately after an incident, the routes that it had maintained for decades had abruptly changed from that point on. What is natural to suspect?"

Having said that, Munakata echoed Fushimi.

"Last night, he also approached the stadium."

Fushimi stopped and made a little surprised face. He clenched his fist in frustration at his carelessness. Awashima opened her mouth.

"No way... that incident..."

Munakata sharpens his gaze. The random route on the map disappears like a rewind and stops at a certain point.

It showed a point in the Shizume construction district. The address and "December 7, 11:45 PM, Totsuka Tatara murder case on the rooftop of the Hirasaka building, Shizume." are displayed next to the one that is lit.

The air in the limbs tightened rapidly.

Munakata stood up and looked at the members with determined eyes.

"From now on, we "Scepter 4" will begin the operation to apprehend Adolf K. Weismann, the First "King" and "Silver King". A person of interest in the Totsuka Tatara assassination case. We will advise you to Himmelreich to land at a designated airport. If he doesn't obey, hurry up and take control of the interior!"

The members stretched their backs and stood up to Munakata's loud voice, which was heard like this only in case of an emergency, and saluted in response with a "Yes!"

++++++++++

Ignoring the radio of "Scepter 4", which was heard many times, many helicopters flew and began to surround the airship.

He sat on the couch and gazed out the large window at the view.

The Himmelreich airship is sometimes called an empty whale by observing humans on the ground. The surrounding "Scepter 4" helicopters were like a school of small fish swimming around a whale.

But it wasn't bad. It is said that, if there are small scales, it will be a masterpiece.

It got fun and the laughter leaked out naturally.

"Nice... Unexpected visitors must be as lively as this!"

He began to play on the spacious floor.

He took steps while singing a hummed song.

"Come on, more! More! More... I'll sneak away!"

The party had just started.

++++++++++

"No, I can't be careful if I want to do it.", The boy laughed, and Kuro frowned and said, "You've been sick since I met you." Perhaps Neko misinterpreted it as a compliment, happily raised her hands and said, "Shiro, Kokatsu!"

The boy was in a "Scepter 4" helicopter trying to reach the Himmelreich, where the First "King" is located. Since his determination in the morning, he was able to get to this point in a whole day, so it would be quite a feat.

However, what the boy did was that Kuro called Munakata with the PDA that he had stolen from a member of "Scepter 4." After that, Munakata installed everything, and at night he settled in and put into practice the capture operation of the Himmelreich. The boy and the others just lurked on the helipad and waited. Then when all the members of "Scepter 4" tried to get on the helicopter, they put them to sleep with the illusion of Neko and Kuro's physique, went into the warehouse and borrowed the helicopter that they were supposed to ride. Currently, they approach the airship among the helicopters flying the members of "Scepter 4".

"By the way, Kuro, why can you control a helicopter?"

"Because I'm Ichigen-sama's disciple. It's natural to be able to do so much."

Kuro was proud. The boy complained like saying "That guy again."

Kuro's maneuver was not dangerous. He followed the instructions on the radio and flew into the formation placed by "Scepter 4."

As the majesty of the Himmelreich, like a whale swimming in the air, approached, the boy's heart began to scream.

Wondering if he was nervous, the boy puts his hand on his chest.

When the helicopters from "Scepter 4" completely surrounded the Himmelreich, the radio instructions came hoarsely.

"Wait just three minutes from the Captain's final recommendation! If the airship does not lower its altitude or does not respond to the light-emitting signal, as soon as you confirm one of them, connect the cable of each machine and hurry!"

At that time, the "Blue King" is about to send the final recommendation to the Himmelreich. The group of helicopters that surround the Himmelreich and stand in an orderly formation in the air is more like soldiers protecting the King of Heaven.

In the hovering helicopter, the boy watched the blimp go by.

"Hey, Kuro."

"What?"

"Can you tell me more about the 'Silver King'?"

"I have not met him in person. I only have fragmentary information that I heard from Ichigen-sama..."

"That's fine. Tell me."

The buzzing in his chest hadn't subsided in a while. Kuro, who is concentrating on maneuvering, replied without looking at the boy.

"Among the seven kings, he is special just like the 'Golden King'. But the most mysterious thing is his nature. The 'Golden King' is called the Second King, just because there is the 'Silver King'."

"In other words, is he the First King?"

"He is the first of all kings, and he rules over heaven. The only being who can compete with the 'Golden King' who is the ruler of earth."

When he was seriously listening to Kuro's story, suddenly a limb light shone from the side and he accidentally closed his eyes.

"Hey, who's the one hitting the reflector on the side of him! It stabilizes your flight more!"

He heard a frustrating scream on the radio.

"Sparkly!"

Neko in the back seat, completely tired of the difficult story, leaned between Kuro and the boy's seat with bright eyes and played with the reflector. Believing that the many switches in the cabin were interesting, Neko began to play with the curiosity of an animal cat.

"Do not behave suspiciously! We will be discovered before boarding!"

"Fu…"

Even if she was scolded, Neko just turned around and didn't care.

"Even if we are able to tackle successfully, there is no way we can stop being bothered by these meddlers."

The boy dared to laugh optimistically at Kuro, who was aware of a large number of helicopter units and had a difficult face. Although he has managed to get transportation so far, he is well aware that he is a mouthful and a great plan. But no matter which route he choose, it's still a tightrope walk. He felt that he could do something if he was with Kuro and Neko.

"Okay, then we'll take it and escape again."

"You don't even have to worry about the bespectacled boss! You see, you can't go up first unless you hurry up more!"

Neko was much more optimistic about what the boy said with such joy, and he suddenly jumped on the control board that Kuro was holding. The helicopter rocked enormously and plunged into the belly of the Himmelreich as it moved like a drunk and staggered.

"Ah, idiot!"

"Who's the idiot? The Captain hasn't made any orders yet!"

Kuro changes his complexion and the most frustrating reprimand comes off the radio.

The boy also drew his face and stared at the suddenly approaching blimp; at that moment, he felt like someone was watching him from the airship.

At the same time, he heard a roar. The dark night sky had turned bright red.

An explosion.

In front of them, the Himmelreich suddenly exploded and was surrounded by flames.

"Eh?"

Only a slight sound escaped the boy's throat.

Suddenly on fire, the whale in the sky lost its ability to fly and died, and fell on the helicopter in which the boy and the others were traveling.

++++++++++

At that moment, Daikaku Kokujoji was alone in front of the Slate.

A huge block of stone called the "Dresden Slate" was under the tempered glass on the floor.

A mysterious relic that was once studied by Kokujoji in a foreign country with friends and dreams, and has now chosen and empowered seven "kings" in Japan.

On the board, Kokujoji was looking at the Himmelreich airship, in which his friend was traveling, engulfed in flames and falling.

"Weismann. You are..."

Behind the window, he looks at the distant sky turning red and mutter under his breath.

[hela-avenger]

poison & wine- part 21

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 1743

Summary: Prince Loki of Asgard is in need of a date to take back home. That’s where you come in with a task of your own to make the whole trip with an insufferable prince worth it. Too bad that things don’t always go as planned and you end up giving more than you can take. Fake-Dating AU.

A/N:  I don’t know if you guys are ready for this one but here it is! Thanks for liking/commenting/reblogging! Please send me a message/ask if you’ll like to be tagged!

poison & wine masterlist

Though they seemed to love to spread their opinion of the prince, they really did seem to know to keep their lips sealed at the banquet. You overlook their temporal content and keep your focus ahead of you. You’re nervous, as you should be in this type of situation, but you clear your mind of those thoughts as you stop right in front of the Allfather.

Loki’s hand anchors you as Odin inspects you both.

“Lady Y/N of Midgard,” Odin calls out, immediately gaining everyone’s attention. The room falls into a silence awaiting for the king to continue. His eyes narrow down at the both of you as if trying to find a crack between you two. ”Your work is quite… admirable.”

You allow yourself to glow in his vague comment. 

“Thank you, your Majesty.” 

Odin doesn’t respond to you and simply shifts his focus to Loki. 

“The dagger?”

Loki doesn’t deem a verbal response as he raises his free hand and plucks a dagger out of the air. He looks down at you and offers the dagger for you to take. 

You do and you can’t help but marvel at the sight of it. 

The dagger has a double edged blade. Slender in shape and sharp enough that you don’t bother to touch the edge knowing it’ll slice your skin at the slight caress. The blade is fixed on a gold encrusted handle with an emerald jewel at the end. A set of runes are carved into the hilt of the handle making you wonder what is inscribed. 

“It’s beautiful, Loki,” you tell him. “Very beautiful.” 

Loki smiles down at you and takes the dagger from your hands. 

“May I?” 

Without waiting for your response, Loki takes a knee and as gently as he was in his bedroom he slides the dagger into the sheath. Murmured gasps are heard around you as Loki’s hand slips out of the slit of your dress but Loki doesn’t care for it. He simply grins and offers you a wink.  

“Thank you,” you blush genuinely as he rises up once more. “That wasn’t necessary.” 

“I’m more than happy to be on my knees for you.” 

You laugh at his response knowing the insinuation he was making and it seemed like Odin knew too. 

“Loki!” he exclaims. “Act accordingly.” 

“I shall,” Loki responds as he stares down at you. 

You should have known what was coming next but it still catches you by surprise. His hand pulls you close and his lips press against yours.

You melt into it. You have to. 

Loki’s hands are holding you against him and you have no other choice but to play the role you’re given. You let yourself be swooned and it seems easier this time. 

The kiss breaks the silence in the room as cheers erupt loudly.  

You feel Loki pull away from you and you smile up at him. He smiles in return and presses one quick kiss on the palm of your hand before leading you towards your seat. You spare a glance to the Allfather who doesn’t seem too pleased at the both of you.

You manage to sit by the queen once more and Loki holds no objections as he takes the seat next to you.  A server walks by with a jug of wine but the moment she comes close to serve you, Loki is quick to turn your glass down. 

“You’re human, remember?” Loki whispers to you. “No Asgardian wine or mead. Just water.”

“I have to be sober for this,” you mutter at him. “That’s not fair.”   

Loki shrugs as he takes up his own cup of mead and takes a drink. 

“Can’t afford having someone else find out your secret.” 

You knew he was right so you resign yourself to enjoy the rest of the meal. Frigga is kind as always and the lords and ladies who arrive at the table to pass well wishes are sweet with their words.

You fall into a sense of security that is soon easily disrupted as Odin attention returns to you. 

“To the merry couple,” he calls out to you and Loki with a glass raised. “I hope you don’t mind answering a few questions of mine.” 

Loki’s hand takes a hold of yours and he simply smiles. 

“Not at all.”

You weren’t prepared for this but Loki was the God of Lies and you’ve been good so far at evading the truth. 

“How did you two meet?” 

You open your mouth to respond but Odin raises his hand to silence you. He looks over at Loki who is surprised that his father has even acknowledged him with this type of question. It makes the both of you suspicious. 

“It was an evening quite like this one with all of Thor’s mortal friends,” Loki begins to answer. “And I wasn’t in the greatest of moods. I usually never am. The drinks were subpar as was the company and ...” 

“Permit me to interrupt,” Odin states as a smile takes over his face. “But I fear I’ve heard otherwise.” 

“What do you mean?” Loki asks. 

Your suspicions are proven correct as Odin shifts his stare to you. It doesn’t take much to realize that he knew of what you said to the girls. He had set a trap and you had fallen for it.

“I said we met through Thor,” you tell him. “He introduced us and you blew me off.” 

Loki doesn’t tense up at your mistake nor does he show any other sign of nervousness. Instead, he nods in agreement. 

“Yes, that’s how we formally met,” Loki answers. “Informally, I saw you at Tony’s gala.” 

You frown as you try to figure out what he could possibly be referring to. Loki simply leans forward and presses a kiss on your forehead and chuckles.

“I see I’m the romantic one in this courtship,” Loki states. “You really don’t remember, do you?” 

You simply shrug and Loki takes his cue to explain. You were interested to see what lie he was orchestrating to cover your mistake. 

“As I was saying, I was dragged out by my brother for a night,” Loki tells you. “He was trying to lift my mood but I wasn’t having it. I was ready to leave when I caught sight of the most beautiful being in existence.” 

He turns to look at you and you knew he was really packing it thick with flirtations.

“Me,” Loki answers. “I caught sight of my reflection and might I say I looked magnificent.” 

You snort caught off guard by that. 

“Seriously?” you ask. 

Loki presses another kiss on your embraced hands. 

“It’s not my fault you don’t recall this,” Loki chuckles. “But then again, how could you? I was not the one you came for that night.” 

You want to ask what he was droning on about but Odin beats you to it. 

“Loki, enough with the stalling.” 

Loki looks over at Odin and lets out a sigh. He turns to look at you again and takes a deep breath. His hold on your hand tightens and you wonder why. 

“You came bursting into the night,” Loki tells you. “Your hair wild and untamed, clearly underdressed and out of breath, but you had come running with this smile that illuminated the entire room.”

Your mind flickers with recognition and you are surprised he recalls that many details in the first place. 

“I had every intention of learning your name,” he continues. “Of course, I never got the chance. Your friends found you first and they were the ones whose attention you sought for. You laughed and danced the night away. Told them of your new adventures and they hung to your every word. Any chance of learning your name was gone that night and so I left. Thor introduced us the morning after and I was caught by surprise.” 

You don’t know how to respond. You had expected a lie to be told but he had spoken his truth. A truth that was yours too. 

“You acted as if you didn’t know me,” you laugh. “But you did… This whole time you did.” 

Loki looks away having been caught in his own lie and takes a drink from his mead. 

“Why didn’t you say something before?” 

“Because it was obvious that I did not have the same effect on you that you had on me.” 

“But you did,” you answer with a smile. “How could I not notice the handsome brooding man in the corner of the party?”

“I was not brooding.” 

“You were,” you laugh. “All scowls and frowns.” 

“I was not.” 

“Yes, you were.” 

“Enough, children,” Frigga interrupts with a laugh. “You’ve made your point. It was love at first sight.” 

Loki shakes his head and your face warms at her comment. 

“Perhaps it was,” you answer, feeling suddenly warm at the coolness of his hand in yours. Loki’s stare is still on you and you can’t bear to look at him at the moment. You didn’t know what was happening and it seemed like Odin shared the same sentiment.

“You two are quite the pair,” Odin states in disbelief. “Quite the pair indeed.” 

His hands slam down onto the table alarming you but gathering everyone’s attention. He picks up his golden chalice and rises from his seat ready to make an announcement. The action causing Loki to tense under you.

“People of Asgard,” Odin addresses. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the start of a strong courtship between Prince Loki and Lady Y/N. A strong step forward in the alliance between Asgard and Midgard.” 

Cheers erupt throughout the room as gold glasses were raised in praise. 

“To solidify their union further, I have decided it is high time for a tournament!” 

Loki’s grip on your hand tightens and you don’t understand why. 

“The Contest of Warriors,” Odin continues before smiling down at the both of you. “Asgards’ best putting their skills to the test and our two lovers facing the wild beast of the Forbidden Forest.” 

The whole room is filled with roars of excitement that Loki’s anger goes unseen. The tight grip on your hand disappears as his own hands slam the table. 

“You can’t be serious,” Loki exclaims. “She’s a mortal.” 

“Even more of a reason to protect the woman you so love, Loki,” Odin responds. “Take as much time as you like to prepare her. The tournament stands.”

poison & wine tag: @damalseer @just-the-hiddles @jessiejunebug @nonsensicalobsessions @smollest-soybean @assassinoftheworld @readerbandit @doyoufeelikeayounggod @strangemcuvlogs @ha-tep @i-dont-know-eiither @gene-king @day-dreaming-fox @bn-studies @is-it-madness @devilbat @victor-criss-bish @skinny-macncheese @musicconversedance @baby-bunnyxn @fandoms-allovertheplace @marvelloonie @jinxjinxednova @queenmuahaha @accio-boys @eternalqueensworld @umlvk @roger-the-reindeer @punkrockhufflefluff @your-local-abyss @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals​

Loki Tag: @unicorniorosacomefrutillas @thesilentbluesparrow @oddly-drawn-muse @josiehosiedaninja @hp-hogwartsexpress @sadwaywardkid @wolf-lover74 @sizzlingbarbarianglitter @sigyn-njorddottir

All Works Tag: @jmb959 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @hellocookiecutter @steve-rogers-personal-hell @buckybarnesyard @not-zari-tak @strangersstranger @thefridgeismybestie 

[bgn846]

Wonder Boy FFXV Younger Clarus, Regis, and Cor

“Will you stop doing that!” Regis hissed under his breath as they walked down the corridor.

“Doing what?” Clarus asked looking behind them once more.

“Turning to look at nothing, that’s what!”

“I’m telling you he’s following me,” Clarus spit out as he resumed his pace.

“Gods, we are back to that again,” Regis groaned. “You are seeing things, you should get your eyes’ checked, old man.”

“I’m only five years older than you, so I don’t think my eyes are the issue,” Clarus grumbled as he watched Regis wave him off with a frown. Clearly the prince wasn’t interested in his plight. He was being followed, he was sure of it. “You’ll see him one of these days and then you’ll have to admit I’m not crazy.”

“Lookit, Clarus,” Regis exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration, “Cor the wonder boy is not following you.”

“Yes, he is.”

Regis shouted something rude at his comment and resumed walked to their next meeting.

Turning one last time Clarus was sure he’d spotted the shadow of something moving.  Torn between wanting to check, and keeping up with his charge, Clarus decided he’d rather not get yelled at by the king for abandoning his son.  Sighing in defeat he spun on his heel and ran to catch Regis.

Despite Regis’ disinterest in the matter he decided to kill the time during the next meeting by texting him unhelpful questions.  The first message had come through as they sat around the large meeting room table being ignored. They were the two youngest members in attendance, and the council never liked hearing what their teenage prince had to say. The king had been arguing with a council member for ten minutes straight, and Regis, it seemed, thought this was the perfect cover to zone out.

Reggie 3:43pm: How do you know it’s Cor?

 Clarus 3:45pm:   I saw his little beret once.

Clarus knew he’d read the message when Regis’ barely contained snort sounded nearby. Sighing at the foolishness of it all he waited to see what the prince would say this time.

Reggie 3:50pm: The crownsguard issued beret that all cadets wear? Sure that really nails down who it was -_-

Astrals, Regis was a jerk sometimes.  Rolling his eyes Clarus typed out a response.

Clarus 3:53pm: The beret I saw was on a short person. Cor is short, he’s still practically a baby.  That is how I know!

“Is everything in order?” King Mors asked pointedly, startling Clarus.  

Curse his prince! Clarus looked up to see the king glaring at him.   Damn, that question was meant for him.  Thinking fast he nodded and managed to speak without turning beat red. “Yes majesty, I was checking on a security issue. All is well.”

“Very well, let us continue.”

Clarus pocketed his phone for the remainder of the meeting.  The next time he trained with Regis he wouldn’t go easy.

--

Regis still didn’t believe that Cor was following him, but Clarus had proof now.  He’d actually seen his face twice already.  The skittish kid had locked eyes with him only to bolt a second later.  This odd behavior had been going on for nearly two weeks now and Clarus was at his wits end. He could never catch Cor, and when he went to talk with him during training the young cadet would always find a way to slip out unnoticed.    

How someone so young could be that difficult to track was a mystery. Cor was barely thirteen and had just joined the guard.  That process alone had caused controversy.  Apparently, Cor had refused to leave the signup office until he’d been admitted. The king himself had to come and talk to the youth before he was willing to go home that day.  

However, Mors must have seen something special in the kid because when Cor came back the following day to again, demand entry into the crownsguard he was allowed.  It helped that he’d dragged his mother with him the second time.  She’d signed all the needed paperwork at the insistence of her own son.  Cor was determined, that much Clarus knew.   Aside from that, the kid was an enigma.

Even the reasoning for following him was unknown.  Clarus was not about to get outsmarted by a kid. He could stage an ambush of his own.

This was how Clarus found himself, sitting in wait, behind an enormous potted plant in the corridor.  He knew Cor had to come this way when he left training.  This time he’d be the one stalking his prey!   True to any plan, nothing went his way.  Not five minutes after stationing himself in his appointed spot, did Regis show up.

“Why in the name of the astrals are you hiding behind a pot?” Regis asked with a smirk.

“Waiting for Cor, why?”

Regis sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, “You are such a dork.  You seriously think jumping out from behind a pot will give you the upper hand?”

“I tried to talk to him before and it never works.  So I’m switching my tactics.”

“By jumping ou--.”

“Yes! Shut up!  I know it’s dumb!” he hissed. “Are you going to stand there and blow my cover or are you going to help?” The prince acted all high and mighty but he did love a good game.  Clarus watched Regis feign annoyance at the whole situation, before quickly ducking down next to him. “Good now be quiet and keep an eye out for him.”

They didn’t have to wait long before the training room doors opened and cadets began piling out.  Today was an instruction day so Clarus knew none of the trainees would go to the locker room, there was no need.  Watching as the men and women filtered past Clarus couldn’t find Cor.  Had that little stinker managed to slip away again?!

Grumbling in irritation Clarus made to stand up, “Come on I give up, I guess I’ll have a shadow tracking me for the rest of my life.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Regis questioned with a thoughtful expression.

“Well I’d be nice to talk to the kid, otherwise, the relationship is a little one-sided.”

“So now you want to get to know him better?” teased Regis.

“From what I’ve heard he’s a very promising student.  Nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with good people Regis.”

“True, true, I could always ask dad to set up a meeting for you.  I don’t think Cor could refu--.”

“Don’t do that!” a voice from behind them blurted. “I don’t wanna make the king mad at me.”

Clarus flinched, but not before Regis yelped like a little girl.   Six, he’d be teasing him about that later. Turning quickly they spotted an alert, slightly nervous-looking young man staring at them.  Cor Leonis had managed to avoid being seen and snuck up on him instead.   Maybe Mors wasn’t nuts for letting the thirteen-year-old enroll.

“Any reason you’re trying to scare me half to death?” Clarus uttered in disbelief. “I’m old kid cut me some slack.”

“You’re only twenty-three, that’s not too old,” Cor replied with a pout.

“Gee, thanks kid,” Clarus deadpanned.

“He’s old don’t let anyone tell you anything different,” Regis quipped.

“You’re only eighteen, he could call you a kid if he wanted, just like me,” Cor replied in a flash.

“Excuse me, I’m not a kid.”

“Your dad says otherwise,” Cor shot back with a knowing look.

“Enough about me!” Regis snapped. “Why are you tormenting my shield?”

This time Cor clammed up and ducked his head.

“What, no more smart things to say?”

“Highness, be nice,” Clarus sighed. “Come on I won’t be mad, why were you following me?”

Cor shrugged but still didn’t lookup.

“He’s clearly tongue-tied let's go before he finds it again,” Regis suggested as he stepped out into the hallway and straightened his vest.

“Hey! I’m not tongue-tied. I just don’t know how to ask my question,” Cor added, looking up to glare at Regis.  

“Isn’t that the meaning of tongue-tied?”

“Shut up, you’re mean.”

Clarus had no success in suppressing his laughter at the exchange.   Cor was putting Regis through his paces and it was amusing the watch. “I don’t care how you word it, but go ahead and try asking me your question,” he interrupted in hopes Cor would speak his mind.

Cor took a deep breath and leveled a look at Regis that rivaled the most beleaguered of mothers. Finally, after a few seconds, he turned to Clarus. “I wanted to know who trained you.”

“You mean to fight?” Clarus waited for a second as Cor nodded in acknowledgment. “My father trains with me along with a few other glaives. Why?”

“Can I train with you too?”

Oh, that wasn’t what Clarus had been expecting. “Uh – don’t you have trainers already?”

“Yes, but I want to train with you. You’re the shield to the future king.  If I’m to be the best then I need to train with the best.”

Any previous feelings of doubt regarding Cor’s character melted away in that instant. The kid wanted to train with him because he was the best. How could Clarus turn down a request like that? “It won’t be easy; I get tired and worn-out too.”

“I’m committed you won’t find me lacking!” Cor exclaimed.

“Hear that Regis, the kid here wants to train with me, unlike a certain prince I know.”

“Shut up, not everyone is made to be a fighter. I’m more of a thinker.”

“Is that what you do during the meetings you go to? Think?” Cor questioned.  “Cause your dad describes it differently; he said something about you needing to take your head out of--.”

“Enough!” Regis shouted. “How do you even know all of this? Do you hang out with my dad often?”

“Yeah, he’s overseeing my progress in the crownsguard program and comes to check on me. We talk about funny things. Actually, you come up pretty often.” Cor added with a smug look.

Regis merely shook his head and started walking away grumbling about disrespect.  Clarus knew that Mors was a strict father, but he also knew he loved his son.  The king wanted Regis to become a great leader one day.  Smiling at the sight of his prince sulking away Clarus looked over to Cor once more. “So you only wanted to train with me? That’s the only reason you were trailing me?”

“Yeah, I mean it’d be cool if we could be friends too.”

Chuckling at the thought of little Cor Leonis driving Regis nuts at every turn was too good to be true.  The prince needed to be put through his paces every once and a while, maybe this little kid had a bright future after all. 

AO3 link

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 224: More Like Slidin’ Go Fuck Yourself

Previously on BnHA: We caught up back to real time and learned that the Shigaraki Squad has been battling Gigantomachia basically nonstop for the past month and a half. Tomura in particular has barely eaten or slept (the others at least got breaks), yet is in an oddly good mood despite having not made much progress. Anyway, Twice got a phone call from Giran’s number, except that it turned out not to be Giran, because we of course know that the Quirk Liberation Army has captured him. Guess what else they’ve done! If you guessed “tortured him for a week and severed five of his fingers and placed them in symbolic locations to send a message to the League,” you guessed right and that’s pretty fucked up that you actually guessed that! So anyway, DetCEO, who apparently goes by “Re-Destro”, bragged to Tomura about how they have 116,516 “liberation warriors” spread throughout the country and have been preparing for this moment for generations. They want to tear down the world and rebuild it as a place where everyone can freely use their quirks. Almost doesn’t sound too bad, until you remember the whole “kidnap, torture, and dismember” thing (and the fact that Re-Destro killed poor Mickey Mouse just a handful of chapters ago). Also they knew Tomura’s exact location somehow, and Re-Destro threatened to sic all of the top heroes on them if they don’t cooperate. He told Tomura to meet them at Deika City in Aichi Prefecture so they can have an epic battle.

Today on BnHA: Re-Destro invites the Shigaraki Squad to a big ol’ murderfest free for all in Aichi prefecture. The squad takes a few minutes to debate the merits of accepting this invitation, with the most pressing arguments in favor being “they kidnapped and tortured our bro Giran” and “they know our location and will sic all of the top heroes on us if we don’t”, while the biggest argument against is the whole “it’s obviously a trap” thing. Ujiko, who’s listening in on the whole thing, warns that he won’t be able to lend them any High Ends for the time being. But Tomura doesn’t seem too concerned, and asks Ujiko to warp them over. His plan is to have Gigantomachia follow them and fuck up the Meta Liberation Army’s day, thus killing two birds with one stone for him. So they head to Deika City, picking up Dabi on the way, and are greeted by none other than fucking Slidin’ Go, who’s apparently evil. Huh. He leads them through the city, which seems mostly abandoned. “Seems” being the operative word, as it turns out the city is occupied by Liberation army cronies, who proceed to greet Tomura and the gang with some friendly violence. Tomura and co. respond in kind, and the focus shifts to Toga, who’s facing off with Kizuki from the Army who has All Might’s eyes and Katsuki’s quirk (a winning combo if I do say so myself). Anyway so now they’re gonna fight.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 226, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

so apparently Re-Destro told Tomura to be at the location within the hour, because Horikoshi has apparently learned his lesson about long, drawn-out arcs. thank you god, thank you jesus

apparently they know the League can warp, so they won’t accept any excuses for them taking their sweet time

and this is super creepy tbh

satellites. why didn’t you think of that, Tomura? here you guys are relying on secret traitors for your intel instead like amateurs

but seriously, it’s so creepy to have people with this capability and have them be the bad guys. imagine what kind of dystopian shit they’d get up to if they actually won?? it wouldn’t be pretty, I can tell you that much

obviously go meet up with them and kick their asses. or, even better, take the gorilla with you

oh my god Twice I love you so much though

Twice you are the Kirishima of villains. Tomura! listen to him! you can be villains who both win and rescue!!

oh my god Toga

TOGA I BELIEVED IN YOU WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS

Twice is passionately saying that if there’s even the slightest chance he’s still alive, they have to go

now Compress is chiming in and pointing out that charging in with no plan is a very bad idea and that Twice always gets “attached” too easily. omg. stfu Compress. so sorry for actually giving a shit, dude

so what does Tomura have to say about all this? villain he may be, but his origin story involves being “rescued” by AFO after being seemingly abandoned by everyone else (or so he believes anyway). are you going to just leave Giran to a fate like that? and then there’s the matter of that satellite tracking you too

oh shit

wow what a fucked up move dude. but effective though

ooh now he’s getting in touch with Ujiko and asking if he was listening in

Ujiko is all “you kids are always on your fancy little ‘radios’“ lol what. Ujiko it’s 2214, cell phones have been around for 250 years. get with the fucking times dude

meanwhile poor Twice is clutching his head and moaning that he’s splitting apart, but only Toga seems to care. ;_; ahh Twice

Compress is getting all hopeful and thinking that they can use the High Ends to battle the Liberation Army

but Ujiko is all “sorry but no”

please stop calling them children you fucking creep omg. do you not even care

so Hijack Noumu’s name was “Hood”, huh? farewell, High Puns Noumu. it’s been fun times but I was seriously running out of things that start with “high”, so I’m gonna latch on to this Hood thing if you don’t mind lol

well we all know AFO being gone is more of a temporary inconvenience (:

lastly, it’s very curious how he says “difficult” as opposed to impossible. please give us the deets of how Noumus are made already Horikoshi. I know I’m gonna regret being so curious but I want to know all the same. open that big ol’ Pandora’s box

Compress is all “well fuck”, but Tomura says that wasn’t his plan anyway. oh?

I bet you he wants to use the recording of AFO’s voice to get Giganto under control

ahhh, yeah, it’s looking that way my dudes

oh my god you guys

fuck me. but just. it’s the first time I’ve ever been struck by a resemblance between the two of them, is all. something about the confidence in his smile. for once he’s not unhinged; he’s perfectly in control of himself and he is a man with a plan, and just. damn. boy you look like your grandma and I’m feeling those Shimura feels though

anyway, so it’s interesting that he’s also getting Dabi to meet up with them. meaning his plan is (for the moment, at least) beyond my comprehension, because I certainly can’t figure out wth he’s thinking right now

and now Spinner’s all “we’re seriously rushing straight in?!” and pointing out that they have no idea what they’re getting into and they’re going up against an army that’s supposedly 110,000 strong

ah, okay, maybe I did figure out his plan after all

okay but then why do you need Dabi

now Ujiko is yelling in his ear “BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO IF IT WAS ALL A BLUFF?!”

and Tomura is all “well then Giganto will fucking die, s’no skin off my back”

Spinner keeps expressing doubts and it’s really starting to look like he may actually switch sides you guys

Tomura is all “don’t make me say it again”

oh good he is fixing Twice up now

... [headpats]

oh Tomura

the good folks of Deika City might want to think about getting the fuck out of Dodge you guys

(ETA: they are all bad folks. you fuckers have only yourselves to blame. have fun being dusted, roasted, compressed, and floated twice over. and Goron pounded. and whatever Spinner fucking does. is it really just the samurai sword. whatever.)

oh look Dabi did join them after all

you guys seeing them act like heroes is so fucking weird though. I know they’re our protags for this arc but still. weird

why did you agree to come?? because you love them you jerk. and you owe Giran as much as anyone

petition to rename this the Villain Feels arc you guys

oh shit

good instincts you guys! good eye, Toga!

OH MY FUCKING --

MOTHERFUCKER!?!?!

so there really was a reason chapter 219 was named after this guy, huh?? he had such a minor role but Horikoshi wanted to make sure we didn’t just immediately forget about him! holy shit. motherfucker did you even return all of those wallets??

holy shitballs this frictionless fuck hugged Katsuki and Shouto and no one suspected a damn thing

AND!!!

as we know, Katsuki was right to call attention to this. but now we know Slidin’ was being intentionally dismissive of the villain’s tech in order to hide Detnerat’s involvement! son of a bitch. that might even have been why he was there in the first place

look at this piece of shit

fuck this guy so hard

oh my fuck

petition to rename this arc the Villain Feels/Stephen King Novel arc

holy shit

well at least we know they’re all expendable. that’s good, considering the League isn’t likely to go out of their way to keep any innocent passerby from dying horribly. run that mission statement by me again one more time, Tomura? “destroy everything?” yeah that’s what I thought you said, thanks

wow and the big bads are here too already!!

if the one on the left (Kizuki, just went back and checked) fights anyone other than Toga I’m gonna lowkey be rooting for her ngl

YOOOO

WHERE DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OF A SUDDEN AND HOW QUICKLY WILL DABI BURN THEM ALL TO DEATH, DO YOU THINK

like, okay, so you wanna come at us like that then?? fun! fucking bring it!

holy shit this guy is a politician??

is that what he means by “party”? damn these guys are in the fucking government and everything

government, big business, satellites... look, no pressure here Tomura, but if you don’t win, I’m starting to think we are seriously screwed

anyway so Twice is all “who cares about these guys, where’s Giran?” and I have to admire his focus in the face of... all this

Hanabata is gesturing to the observation tower in the distance and says Giran is “waiting” over there with Re-Destro

and Twice is all outraged because they said they’d return Giran to them when they got there. “you filthy liar.” wow imagine that. bad guys lying about shit

someone or other appears to be watching everything from the nearby security cameras. probably RD. motherfucker

now these two guys are introducing themselves to Tomura because I guess they’d like to be disintegrated today

nice knowing you guys. but not really

hahahahahhaaa

I know it’s fucked up, but they had it coming, and that was some of the stupidest shit anyone in this manga has pulled in a hot minute though

um

hard not to see an explosion and immediately think of my boy Kacchan! but obviously he’s not there, so what gives??

oh shit

sladkfjalskdfowiehfoksSDLFKJSLDGKHL

okay. okay hold up. gather my thoughts. can’t just keysmash, gotta get my brain back into working order here...!

motherfucker how did I know the girl was gonna fight the other girl. well whatever

THIS BITCH HAS KATSUKI’S QUIRK BUT FROM LONG-DISTANCE?! LIKE PYROKINESIS BUT WITH EXPLOSIONS?! WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS, COMBUSTIKINESIS?? ALSO I KNEW I WAS RIGHT TO LOVE HER FROM THE OUTSET OMG

and on top of that, that gesture with her fingers is giving me strong flashbacks to [S] Cascade from Homestuck

TOGA FAKED HER OWN DEATH TELL ME MORE!?!?

ARE WE GOING TO GET SOME MOTHERFUCKING TOGA FLASHBACKS YOU GUYS I CAN’T. I KNOW I’VE SAID IN THE PAST THAT I DON’T CARE AND WOULDN’T MIND IF SHE JUST STAYS CRAZY WITH NO EXPLANATION BUT THIS IS ALSO GOOD YOU GUYS. I CAN’T LIE, I’M SO FUCKING HYPED RIGHT NOW??

TOGA YOU HAD BETTER FIT THAT FLASHBACK INTO A SINGLE CHAPTER THOUGH BECAUSE THE GOLDEN WEEK BREAK IS ALMOST HERE AND I S2G HORIKOSHI IF YOU PULL ANY BULLSHIT AND LEAVE ME HANGING FOR TWO WHOLE FUCKING WEEKS, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN MOTHERFUCKER

(ETA: THIS BITCH DOESN’T EVER LISTEN TO ME AND MY EMPTY THREATS. GODDAMMIT.)

oh my god. hype for days. you guys. this is amazing

[bisexualterror]

i was challegened by @queen-of-salt-and-fury to finish the entirety of the 🌼🌿botanical asks🌻🌙 thanks for the tag babe!!😘

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

mmm,  i gotta go with dragons 😆

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

vinyls for sure

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

hmm, i don’t know, i read more fanfiction than i do books

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

yeah, but i don’t do it very often

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

i updated my fanfic not too long ago and my reader's comments were really so sweet

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

to stop being so hard on myself 

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

 i’m curious about the ocean and what secrets it hides so probably the ocean

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

i was so young i don’t even remember who it was beside the fact it was probably a childhood friend and definitely a girl. so.. no i probably wouldn’t

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

depends on how early i have to wake up on that day and where i’m going. otherwise? nope.

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

excited

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

uhm i was living in an underground, scientist lab that kinda looked like my basement but bigger. first i was studying a space parasite and then the next i knew i about to bang Ares from Xena but then i got distracted by daenerys running past us, chasing after baby viserion. my alarm woke me up before it got better.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

rasberry chocolate

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

same here, intelligence is a big turn on. my turn off would probably be just anyone who is a dick.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?

mm i was probably last month, it was either about dany or another character because i rarely cry about anything else these days 😅

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

mm, not really. it didn’t come off as an apology to me, more like an excuse.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

lick

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

mmm, that’s a hard one, oof. uhm, i guess i’d say the princess bride

desert rose; do you like yourself?

eeeh depends on the day, but i’m trying to be better

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

sjskksk i don’t go out in the world, so no

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

i have sadly only seen america and not even that much of my own country

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

nope never. hmu if you own a castle and want me to haunt it tho

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

i’m a coward. no joke. does helping my mom get her life a little bit better count a brave thing?? 

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

the list of things i should be doing. spoiler: i am not doing them today.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

capricorn bby

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself 

i have visual snow 

i’m obsessed with cinnamon

my hands are always freezing cold

i love baking

daphne; do you believe in karma?

yeh, kind of

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

i have confessed my love to many people before, but i don’t think i really was in love with them if only because of how young i was was

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

i agree that i do admire celebrities who use their fame to help others. 

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

i don’t remember anyone read me a bedtime story, but if someone did, it was probably also a bible story

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

yes. my mom and a friend.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

sometimes i think it’s bullshit, other times i’m like 👀👀

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit? 

lol, as a black woman, this question is always so hard because - racism and sexism. i guess i’d go with 1920′s 

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

yeah, i’m down. i wanna go live on a different planet one day, or at least visit one. and who the fuck knows what kind of crazy shit we humans will have invented by then. and the humor? god our humor is weird and hard to explain now, imagine what it’s gonna be like in a 100 years now. 

primula; what makes you sad?

now we don’t have time to unpack all of that. off the top of my head though, it’s sad that so many people choose to be cruel instead of kind and half of those cruel people are in power over entire countries.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

yeah. i just stayed home. took care of my mom. wrote some.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

oof..no one. i know it’s pathetic but,,, i don’t have friends in real life right now and i have a complicated relationship with my family. so no one really.

lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

cereal and toast with strawberry jam

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

a lot. i wish i had focused more on bettering my life than distracting myself. i also wish i had been a nicer kid online and hadn’t isolated myself from childhood friends who kept trying to be my friend. trying to make up for it now.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

it’s between harry potter or doctor who

violet; favorite tv show?

im obsessing over the witcher and the mandalorian right now, it’s my raging daddy issues coming into play 

sunflower; share a favorite quote

“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” ― Sarah Williams

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

waking up. reading. showering. eating. taking care of my mom. writing. going for walks.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

painting, writing, drawing

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

get a tattoo

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

FUN FACT: i have never dated anyone ever. unless you count that one time i had an online boyfriend.

sweet pea; who means the world to you? why?

my online longest online friend, she was the first person i came out to and even tho we don’t talk much anymore i love her and tell her pretty much everything

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

i cannot choose?? how do you choose??

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

it’s between batman and lisa simpson

magnolia; coffee or tea?

both, but i drink coffee more

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

on one hand, i need more money, on the other hand i’m an attention whore...hmmmm i gotta go with loved

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

cats

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

reading fanfic and creating ocs for every fandom i’m in

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

fuck yeah!

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

green or purple. or gold. or red. but mainly purple.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

not really. my dad lives barely an hour away from me but i haven’t seen him in years and only hear from him maybe two times a month. enough said.

my mom and i are better than we were before but i’m bisexual and still in the closet and everyone in my family is very homophobic and set in their Ways, so that could change. 

both of my siblings are half-siblings. my older sister i haven’t seen in since we were kids or talked to her in years and while i could continue to blame that on our family...she’s older than me and has a car.  i’m closer to my brother because we live together he’s almost ten years older than me so we’re not super close

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

night person

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

yes. my mom.

clover; how would your friends describe you?

idk, clingy?? sksksk probably sweet.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

introvert

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

fanfic. the thing is, even if i’m embarrassed i’ll probably randomly tell you anyway 

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words

tired

horny

smiley

lotus; best memory as a child?

pretending to be a naruto style ninja with my brother

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

brown eyes. black hair.

dahlia; do you like crystals?

yesss

 buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

but.. but i have so many. i know it sounds cliche, but world hunger.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

i can’t remember the first house i got, but all i remember is getting so upset with my result that i ended up retaking it just so i can be in slytherin. 

calendula; biggest pet peeve?

people who talk over me, or people who are just so set in their ways that they’re unwilling to listen to reason

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

i’d prefer the second one, but what about a third option, i could invite some friends over to watch a movie and we could drink together while cuddling with pets

blazing star; share a secret

i had bad habit of pretending to be someone i’m not so that people will like me and so sometimes i worry that i’m still doing it and i’m just a fake person who doesn’t have their own opinion

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

happier

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? 

a long list of fictional characters

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

yes. yes i do.

nymphea; forest or river?

forest

orchid; do you like exercise?

nope, which is why i’m overweight lmao

pansy; do you like poetry?

yeah!

morning glory; any special talent that you have?

i can pick up things with my toes sksksk uhm that was true but i guess i’m good at making people smile(✿◕‿◕✿)

i tag @mutantsandproud and anyone else who wants to join!!

[marvelmadam08]

The Princess & The Nomad (11)

With your hypnosis gone and your identity fully known, you and Steve reunite and pick you right where your left off. But with The Avengers disbanded and a new danger looming in the future, what’ll keep everything from falling apart?

Summary: After a quick birthday celebration, you and the others plan an impromptu trip to Norway.

Warnings: Mentions of previous smut, hints of Bucky x Reader? Final goodbyes

A/N: Sorry it’s been a while for an update, I’m jumping back and forth between this blog and my original pieces and looking into self-publishing. Lots of big things in the works. Also if you haven’t seen Message From the King you should, Chadwick does an amazing job in that film. Enjoy!

“How many hickies are you trying to give me?” You laughed slash moaned while Steve kissed and bit in random parts of your body

“One for every year you’ve been alive.” He kissed on your pelvic bone, the next spot for him to mark

“I’m 84.”

“Exactly, so let me continue before I lose count.”

“Yes sir.” Your fingers raked through his hair, watching him kiss down your body “Best birthday yet.”

“You made mine special, I’m returning the favor.” He bit down on your hip, holding you in place with his weight, you shuddered softly. When he was satisfied with his work Steve kissed up your stomach before lightly pecking your lips.

“You know we haven’t left this room since I got here. They might think we’re dead.”

“It’s not the worse way to go. And we did leave.”

“For thirty minutes, to find the kitchen. And you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.” You nudged him with your foot, subtly reminding him of how carried away the two of you got when feeding each other strawberries. Ending up with the two of you hiding in the pantry, half naked and waiting for the guard to leave so you could return to the room.

“We’re lucky we didn’t get caught.” You started to move to the edge of the bed when Steve pulls you back into his chest “Steve-”

“I missed a spot.” He kissed on your shoulder blade

“We told Sam we’d hang out with them today.” You giggled and pulled away “It’s rude to decline an invitation the day of, especially without a viable reason.”

“I want you to myself, that’s reason enough.” Steve watched you move over to the full length mirror that sat in the corner. He smiled as you assessed the bite marks and handprints he left behind.

“Steve, I look like a dalmatian.”

He chuckled before he moved to get ready himself. Despite his not so subtle suggestion for taking a shower together, you didn’t want to run the risk of never making it out the room, so you decided to take separate showers. You watched Steve get ready, since you only had to shimmer on a new outfit, a long sleeved shirt, a scarf wrapped around your neck and long jeans, thanks to him.

“That’s not going to look suspicious.” He told you as you both walked back down to the study to meet everyone else “It’s the middle of summer.”

“Would you rather have me in a skimpy skirt and a low cut top, showing off?” You questioned jokingly

“If you wore anything of the sort, we definitely wouldn’t have made it out the room.”

“Holy shit, she can still walk.” Sam was the first one to open his mouth when you and Steve entered the study “And sporting a modest scarf, odd piece of clothing for summer in Wakanda.”

“My bikini is at the cleaners.”

“Happy birthday Kiddo.” Sam moves in to give you a strong hug

“Thanks Sam.”

“Didn’t think you two would show up.” Bucky said, leaning against the wall on the far side of the room “Guess I owe Nat fifty bucks now.”

“In American currency if you will.” Natasha smirked “Happy birthday, Rayna.”

It took you a second to remember she was addressing you. “Thanks Nat. Shall we go and eat, I’m starving.”

“Well you’ve been working up an appetite for the last two days.”

You all began to file out of the room back into the hall.

“Seriously, like rabbits.” Sam added “I pity who ever had the room next to yours- oh wait, that was me.”

“Sorry Sam.” Steve wrapped his arms around your waist and kissing you on the cheek.

“No you’re not. But you will be when Bucky and I tell (Y/N) all about the goat incident.”

“Stooping low Sam.” A light blush showed up on Steve’s cheeks

“What about a goat?”

“Apparently Stevie here missed you so much that he started having dreams about you.” Bucky started, trailing behind the group “Very vivid dreams, if you catch my drift.”

“So we’re camping out at Bucky’s place, resting as much as we can before we leave again. Steve, being the fossil that he is, fell asleep first. And starts talking in his sleep, calling for you.” Sam gestures to you

“I thought he was having a nightmare again, but when I looked up he was spooning one of my goats. And she was not happy about it.”

“Now the damn goat won’t leave him alone.” Sam laughed, you did your best to hide your amusement but failed horribly

“I’m sorry for laughing, but you have to admit it’s funny.” You said to Steve between giggles “I have tons of embarrassing stories from Asgard.”

“And you’re welcomed to tell us all about it over dessert.” T'challa greets you at the doors leading to a screening room. He reached for your hand to kiss it lightly “Princess (Y/N), happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

Fast approaching footsteps turned your attention to Shuri, who pushed her brother out of the way and wrapped her arms around you.

“Happy birthday. How are you feeling?”

Nat shot Sam a warning glare before he could say anything inappropriate. Steve did the same to Bucky.

“I feel great, no side effects that I know of so far.”

“I got you something.” Shuri reached into her pocket and pulled out a small gift box “Well I made it.”

Sitting inside the box was a bracelet made of round black beads with tiny engravings on them.

“They’re call Kimoyo beads, made from vibranium, they're multipurpose and have better reception than a cell phone.”

“It’s beautiful Shuri, thank you.” You slipped the bracelet on your wrist, they shift and secure themselves on your wrist so they wouldn’t move or fall off. You turn your hand over and the words ‘happy birthday’ shine from the beads “I just hope my powers won’t short it out.”

“It’s perfectly safe.” she assures you before turning to Bucky “Nice to see you again White Wolf.”

“Same to you Shuri." Bucky grinned

"Are you joining us for the movie?” Steve ask

“Unfortunately I have work to do in my lab, plus I am not old enough to sit in on adult conversations.” Shuri rolled her eyes

“Mother’s words, not mine.” T'challa argued “You will get your chance when you are older.”

Shuri mimicked her brother’s voice under her breath as she walked away, a guard right behind her. T'challa stood to the side to let the rest of you in the dimly lit room. The smell of food filled the room, over to your right was a table full of food complete with chicken and beef stir fry, dinner rolls, and few ribs and cesar salad.

“Whoa, you went all out Sam. I would’ve been fine with pizza.” You tell him

“I didn’t do anything.” Sam’s mouth was stuffed with half a dinner roll.

“My sister insisted, said that this should be a special birthday for you.” T'challa explained “Being back with your loved ones.”

“Oh now I wish she stayed.” You slightly pout “She didn’t have to do all this.”

“In her opinion it could’ve been better, but apparently someone ate all the strawberries that were going to be used for the shortcake.”

“Imagine that.” Steve gives you a small squeeze on the butt, you blush and bite your lip.

Everyone moved around the table, picking up different food to place on their plates. You end up drifting closer to Bucky by the crepes.

"So White Wolf? Is that what you're calling yourself now?"

He shrugged, setting down his plate to add more food "I kinda adopted it. I'm technically the black sheep here.... Well the white sheep."

"Do you like it here? You seem a lot more relaxed."

"Yeah, it's amazing. Everyone’s so welcoming, there’s little to no crime. And the sunsets are something out of movies." He gives you a friendly smile before averting his eyes again

"What's wrong?"

"Your scarf slipped." He reached up to fix your scarf back over a bite mark "Looks like everything between you and Steve is going good."

"Yeah, we said I love you for the first time."

He nods, examining a piece of broccoli. "Big step, possible wedding bells in the future?"

You blush and nudge him in his side. "I just got back, let's not jump to life altering choices."

"Alright. It's your day Princess- Rayna? (Y/N)? Which one are you going with?"

"Honestly, whichever you prefer. I have so many names at this point I’ll answer to anything.” you joke, sneaking a bit of frosting from a corner slice of cake

“Sure thing- Princess.” Bucky smiles before sauntering off to a plush chair in front of a large screen. Steve calls you over to settle in the seat next to him.

“So what are we watching? I have a year worth of movies I’ve missed out on.”

You all settle for a movie called “Message from the King”, even on their day off, Steve and the others never strayed too far from action. Although there was a lot of jeering when something unrealistic happened. Which was every twenty minutes. However, the film made you think of Odin and Thor, and how secrets tore you apart from each other, just like in movie.

“You alright?” Steve asks you, squeezing your hand

“I have another birthday request.” You tell him

“Please not here, don’t ruin the screening room with your non-stop super human, Asgardian sex-capades.” Sam looks at you with tired eyes

“It’s not that Sam. I want to go to Norway, it doesn’t have to be right now but the sooner the better.”

“What’s in Norway?” Nat asks, helping herself to another beer

“My grandfather, I want to see him.”

“Your grandfather, as in Odin?” Steve’s shocked expression spoke for everybody “The man who threw you out of Asgard?”

“Yes. He said we would see each other again before…” You looked back to the screen at the rolling credits, then shrug “I don’t know, maybe it’s a stupid idea. If he wanted to see me then he’d find me right?”

“You’ve met him already?” Bucky leaned in a bit from the other side of Sam

“Yeah, I sort of broke him out of a retirement home.”

“What do you get into when we’re not around?” Sam wondered

“I haven’t even got the chance to tell you about the huge python that nearly killed me.”

“The what?” Steve’s face grew pale

“Nothing.” You rub reassuring circles on his back

“You can tell us all about that on the way to Norway.” Natasha stood, Steve gave her a stern look “Clearly she’s made amends with him Rogers, don’t give me that look.”

“I think you should go.” T'challa chimes in “Family, no matter how dysfunctional, is all we have in the end.”

“Steve, I can understand why you don’t like him. But if he hadn’t cast me out then, I wouldn’t be here now.” You tell him “I’m going to say my last goodbyes to him. I’d like it if you were there, if not I’ll go alone.”

“After the year I’ve had, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Steve wrapped his arm around your shoulders “Wheels up in thirty.”

“We can never have a normal week.” Sam muttered as he stood “I’m taking the dinner rolls.”

* * *

When Steve said he wasn’t letting you out of his sights he meant it, you figured that out when he had you sit in the co-pilot seat before the quinjet began to take off.

“Steve I still can’t drive a car, what in Norns sakes makes you think I can fly the jet?” You asked as he strapped you in

“You aren’t flying, I am and if you need to switch out with Nat then you will.” He assured you with a kiss on your cheek

“Enough, let’s get this show on the road!” Sam punched the roof of the jet, earning an annoyed look from Nat and Steve

You peaked out the window, over at Bucky who gave a small salute from where he stood, along with T'challa and Shuri.

“Why isn’t Bucky going? He’s not afraid to fly with me is he?” You wave back to them while Steve settled in. The last time you and Bucky were on the jet together, you had just tried to kill him thanks to Dr. Schmidt.

“No, he opted out of the trip, in case anything were to happen while we’re away.” Steve says “Buck doesn’t go on missions anymore. Not even small ones. Doesn’t want to risk- relapse.”

“Oh.. is he gonna be fine while we’re gone? I’d hate taking all of you away from each.” Tony was the first person to pop up in your mind, you promised to check in with him, told him he wouldn’t lose anymore family.

“Yeah, he knows we can’t stay too long to begin with, but it anything happens T'challa will get in contact with us.” Steve flipped a few switches on the console before the jet lifted off the landing pad on the ground

“So Rayna, how are we gonna find your grandfather?” Nat asks you once you’re out of Wakanda’s barrier

“I could ask Heimdall, he might know where my grandfather is, he sees all.”

“What do you mean?” Sam’s eyebrow lifted

“Heimdall was the bifrost keeper, until Loki falsely charged him for treason. He has the gift of sight, if he wishes to see you then he will be able to find you anywhere you are.” You explained

“Loki? I thought he was dead.”

“So did I, Thor still believes he’s gone.”

“When was the last time you spoke with Thor?” Steve was the one to ask this question

“Four months? Maybe five. He continued his search for the stones, he believes I’m still on Asgard.”

“Why didn’t you go to find him? Instead of come back here. I mean, if it were me I’d look for the person who could help the most.” Sam suggested

“The world may be small but the universe is infinite. Finding my father is like searching for an empty chamber during Ostara.” You laughed at your joke, the others looked around, confused “It’s…. Nevermind.”

You folded your legs into lotus position, and closed your eyes. “Heimdall, give me sight.”

You were by a creek this time, not too far from the marketplace in Asgard but still far enough so no one could see you. A light splashing drew in your attention, behind you Heimdall was kneeling by the creek, cleaning his face.

“Forgive me for the intrusion.” You tell him

“No apologies necessary Princess. Just glad you didn’t call an half hour prior, I was bathing.” He chuckled “You wish for new information?”

“Yes, I need help finding Odin. I know he’s in Norway, but I don’t know where exactly.”

“Unfortunately I am unable to locate him.”

“How is that possible?”

“Without the bifrost, I can only see so far. My powers are limited, and I will need them in the future.” He rose to his feet and began to stroll upstream, you followed

“But then how will I find him?”

“Magic, you did learn tracking spells during your time here correct?”

“Yes, but how will I be able to reach you? What if you need me? Or if my father is in trouble?”

“You are in tuned with every soul you meet, as Goddess of life and light you will feel if your loved ones are in danger.” He stared off to the distance “I must leave, use what you have learned Princess.” He paused “And I must apologize once more, for my wrongdoings against you.”

“There’s no need to apologize to me Heimdall. I have forgiven you.”

He nods solemnly “You really do look like your mother. Norns rest her soul. It has been an honor knowing you Rayna.”

“You speak as if this is the last time we’ll see each other.” He didn’t respond, only gave you a light hearted smile “Heimdall?”

You blinked and you were back on the jet. Steve was the first to speak, seeing the concerned look in your eyes.

“Did he tell you where Odin is?”

“No, he couldn’t. Without the bifrost his powers are getting weaker. But he said I should be able to find him on my own.”

“What’s wrong Ray?” Natasha asked when she saw your face

“I think that was the last time I was going to speak with him.” You wiped away the forming tear “I think someone found him.”

“I’m sorry Doll.” Steve reached over to hold your hand

“He was my last chance to find Thor, and protect my family. Last chance to return to Asgard.” You took a shaky breath, Sam was looking over the jet, his own paranoia setting in place. You felt his anxiety “I’m good Sam, just processing. The closer we get to Norway the easier it’ll be for me to find Odin. Maybe he can help me fix this.”

“I’m sure he can.” Natasha gave your shoulder a squeeze “Now about this giant python that nearly killed you.”

Taglist: @classybai @moisoverennyi-thestarlessone @floralandspice @bi-bi-bi-bisexualz @theonelittleone @grey-junior @marvelousbuckystark @captainsthor @sebbystanlover-vk @jovialcalzonepaperzine @chook007 @dontchawishyouknewhowtosalsa @geekysimmerthings @codename-buckybarnes @marvelfansworld @emmaschhh @bruisedfaye @mackyk06 @teamcap4bucky @paigeem96 @lily-horvitz @tshollandlove @nerdypisces160 @mrs-captain-evans

New tags: @imnotgonnafightyourwar @winnielinleigh @humongousflapcloudpatrol @tayya-esthetics @nickyl316h @seasaltbitch @lifeisalohaa @dragon--dragon @godlyyoongs @damngirl-youareincredible

[livvywrites]

life’s not fair

so i had a bad dream last night/this morning, and i needed to get it out somehow. so i wrote a fic about it. im not putting this in the tags, im not sticking my taglist on it, and im putting all of it under the cut.

this is okay to reblog, comment on, etc. but it’s only been half-assed edited & not beta’d at all, so please forgive any mistakes.

warnings for: unhappy ending & references to emotional abuse (?) 

It was the happiest day of her life.

The dead, rising from their graves—hale and healthy and new again. Alexis didn’t understand the process behind it… she just knew she was going to see her mother again.

The wait was akin to torture. Her heart pounded at her breastbone; her skin was clammy; her mouth dry. She was too hot and too cold all at once. Excitement ran up and down her spine like miniature lightning bolts.

The car pulled up.

Alexis stood, heart on her tongue, watching the passenger side door.

It swung open. The sun glinted off of it, blinding her.

It slammed shut… and there she was.

Three years had passed, but her mother looked the same as she had the last day Alexis had seen her. She moved before she realized she was doing it. Her mother’s arms opened and she sank into them. Home, for the first time in three years.

She could have stayed there forever… until she heard the crunch of gravel.

She pulled away, turning to see which of her uncle’s had gotten here first… only to see a very familiar black, two-door Toyota.

She scowled. "What’s he doing here?"

"I invited him," her mother said, rubbing her back lightly.

Alexis turned, shock on her face. "Seriously?! How could you—" She stopped. "You don’t know." She hadn’t been there. It had happened after. A little over a year after, actually.

"Don’t know what?"

She glared at him, where he was striding over. "What he did to me."

  She woke up cold.

That wasn’t unusual. Not for early January, and certainly not for someone who kept the thermostat at 60F or below.

She stretched, bending her toes outward, feeling the gentle pull of her muscles and joints. She eased out of the stretch, rolled over, and grabbed her phone.

3PM. Not bad, given that she had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. She unplugged it from her charger and unlocked the phone, intent on resuming the story she’d left off from last night.

Until she caught a glimpse of her signal.

Ugh. Wi-Fi is out again. She rolled her eyes. It went out all of the time—that was what happened when you lived 100 feet further from the pole than they typically recommended.

She rolled out of bed, abandoning her blanket in a heap and made her way to the office.

As soon as she entered the living room, she could tell that something was off. The lights from beneath the Master Bedroom door and the office door were too bright. Both rooms had room darkening curtains—there shouldn’t have been so much light coming in. Ed definitely wouldn’t have opened the curtains.

Of course, one of the cats could have ripped them down. They liked climbing up them. She wouldn’t be surprised if the weight had finally been too much.

With a yawn, she opened the office door… only to stop dead in her tracks.

The curtains were gone. Not piled into a heap on the floor, just… gone. So was Ed’s second TV. And his big-ass recliner. And the hermit crab cage.

And the router.

She turned, opened the bedroom door.

Gone were the dressers, the shelves. Gone was the king size bed (which wasn’t even his!). Gone was his big-ass TV, his gaming system, his games, his massive collection of DVD’s. Gone was everything but a pile of old shoes and a couple of boxes.

Alexis’s eyes stung. Her face was hot. It felt like boiling water was sliding down her face.

She fumbled for her phone. Called him. Once. Twice. Three times. Each went to voicemail.

One of the cats start winding down her legs. She opened up her message app. Texted him. Waited. Waited. Waited.

No response.

Maybe he went back to live with his mother. Alexis found her number. Dialed. It rang. Rang. Went to voicemail.

Blip.

A text message. Not from Ed, from his mom.

Ella: In a conference. What did you need?

Me: Did Ed move back in with you? I woke up and all of his stuff was gone.

Ella: He didn’t say anything to me about that.

Panic, panic, panic.

Me: Please text me back. I’m getting really worried. If you’re not coming back, just tell me.

Google. Pizza place he worked at. Grab the number, call.

Finally, someone answers. Ask to talk to him. He won’t come.

Hang up.

Blip.

Ed: Sorry. I just can’t live there anymore.

It was what she expected. It still hurts. She’s sitting now. Cat won’t stop trying to rub on her face, knead on her leg. She hugs him for a moment, burying her face in his fur. He wiggles away, goes to look out the window again.

She picks her phone up. Dials another number.

"Grandma. Ed’s gone."

He’s made it over now, frowning as she told her tale. His arm is around her mother—it was more than he’d ever given her before she died. For all that he acted like they were together, he rarely ever touched her.

Alexis had told her mom to leave him before. If he wasn’t ready to be all in, but wanted to live in their house; sleep in their bed; mooch off their food, then he didn’t deserve any of that. He was a freeloader.

She’d been thankful for him after, though. Sure, he never gave her the mail and caused her to lose her disability; stole $600 off of her debit card and never paid it back; bitched about the house not being clean but never lifted a finger to help; brought home a cat after she told him no and then refused to help take care of it. But his presence had meant she didn’t have to leave the house, and she was grateful for that. Grateful enough that she put up with him, anyway.

And then he’d left, and hadn’t even given her a chance to prepare, to figure out what to do with the house, with her stuff, hadn’t given them time to prepare a space for her at her grandma’s. Just packed his shit up and bought a house without telling anyone.

It was infuriating.

Her mother listened, and Alexis knew, knew that she would understand—knew that she would see what an asshole he’d been, would be so disappointed in him.

"I’m sorry, Alexis," her mother said. She had always apologized for things that weren’t her fault. "He should have handled that better. But you can’t blame him for being overwhelmed. He’s never had to take care of a whole house before, or be responsible for someone else."

Alexis’s jaw dropped.

"And he knew you had your grandparents, that they would take you in."

No, no, no.

Alexis’s chest felt tight. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. That wasn’t what her mom was supposed to say. She was supposed to understand, not defend him.

Why did everyone always defend him?

She was crying again, elbows on the breakfast table, face buried in her hands. Her grandma pulled her into a hug, the side of her face pressed against her stomach.

"He just didn’t know how to take on all of that," her grandma said. "He’s not used to having to take care of anyone other than himself. Or paying all the bills himself."

"So?! He still could have told me."

"You’re here now," her granddad reminded. He’d been wanting her to move in since her mother died.

Bad things happened for good reasons, sometimes, Alexis reminded herself. It didn’t stop her from being angry. So what if she was there now? She should have been given a chance to prepare!

But he never did that. Never. On the one year anniversary, he’d driven them up to her grandma’s and just left her there, without telling her until five minutes before they left.

Because he didn’t want to deal with her being upset.

Because he was the only one who was hurting. The only one who might want to be in the house. He was a stupid, selfish—

"He took the coward’s way out," Alexis spat. "He’s supposed to be an adult but he acts like a child. And all of you let him get away with it!"

"Ed texted me today," Alexis said sourly.

Ed: Hope you’re doing okay. Found someone to take Gigi. By the way, I met someone.

What the hell was she supposed to say to that? Why the hell was he telling her that? Was she supposed to be happy that he’d moved on from her mother?

No—she knew why he was telling her that.

He wanted her to tell him that it was good, it was okay. He wanted her to alleviate his own guilt over leaving because he knew he did her wrong. And Alexis wasn’t going to give that to him.

"Oh, that was nice of him to tell you," her grandma said. "It’s good that he’s moving on."

Alexis had to focus on keeping her mouth shut, instead of letting it hang open like she wanted.

"I’ve been inviting him to the family get togethers," her grandma said. "I don’t want him to feel like we don’t want him around."

But we don’t. I don’t. "Are you serious? After what he did?" After what he put me through?

"He just wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility," her grandma said.

"You know if he had come I would have locked myself in my room the whole time, right?" Alexis snapped.

"I knew he wasn’t going to come."

But he could have. And what would you have done if he showed up, and I hid myself away? Would you have accused me of being childish, or would you have sent him away?

Would you have picked me… or him?

Alexis didn’t want to know the answer.

"Okay, what about what he did to Abigail?" Alexis crossed her arms. If what he did to her didn’t matter, maybe what he did to the middle child would.

"He made her feel unwelcome in her own home, so much that she stopped coming over," Alexis said. And then told me I wasn’t doing enough. Said I could make an effort to visit her, instead of her always having to visit me. Never mind that our dad is an asshole. Never mind the way he treated me was worse than the way Ed treated any of us.

"Abby’s always blowing things out of porportion," her mother said. Which was true. She took things worse than they were meant. It was a side effect of living with their father and his wife.

"He also fired her," Alexis snapped. "She went with her boyfriend to an important doctors appointment. She asked for the day off but was scheduled anyway. And when she called and said she was gonna be half an hour, an hour late—he told her not to bother coming in. Never mind that she hadn’t missed any days."

Her mom turned accusing eyes on Ed, but he said, "She got an attitude with me! Like every time she was on shift."

Her mom shook her head.

Alexis wouldn’t doubt it. Her sister had a temper and she didn’t always watch the way things came out of her mouth. But he was the same way. He snapped at her for doing things all the time, or pushed too far in teasing her and got upset when she snapped at him.

Alexis’s fists clenched. "You know what, fine. Fine. You wanna be with him, fine. But I’m not having any part of it. I’m staying here." She gestured to her grandparents house. "And if you wanna visit, leave him behind."

Her mother was supposed to understand. But she didn’t. None of them did. They smiled and said she had her grandparents, that she was fine, that she would be better off with them anyway. None of them understood, or maybe they just didn’t care, how that made her feel. Like she didn’t have the right to be upset. That her feelings didn’t matter. She was just supposed to pick up and move on with her life and that wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair that he got to treat her the way he had, that he got to shut her and her siblings out for a year, two years, and waltz back in now. It wasn’t fair that she was expected to be happy for him. It wasn’t fair that he got to pick up and leave without a word goodbye and she was supposed to let that go. It wasn’t fair that when she called him an asshole and refused to talk to him that she was accused of being childish, or petty.

It wasn’t fair.

She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to constantly doubt if she was allowed to be upset, to be angry, because no one would let her be. Because no one wanted to deal with it.

Because no one wanted to deal with her.

And that… wasn’t fair. 

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 3 Part 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

———————————

Chapter 3 - The Millitary Campaign in Isaach

Part 2

Meanwhile, the Isaachian court was facing its own crisis, because King Mananan knew nothing about the attack on Darna until after it had happened.

And he knew that Grannvale wouldn't overlook an assault on one of its allied cities.

He ordered Trent, the leader of Rivough, to come to the castle and explain himself.

However, Trent, afraid for his safety, did not respond.

And so, King Mananan, leading his large army, marched to Rivough, and surrounded the castle. 

But the castle gates were shut tight, and its defenses fortified.

Mananan rode up to the castle gate on his horse by himself, and yelled, "I have not come to fight, only to get an explanation from your leader! However, if he does not answer me, and you keep these gates shut, then I will have no choice but to attack! Please, listen to me! I will wait three days. Anyone who leaves during that time will be spared, no matter their crimes. After that, I will kill everyone left, even the women and children. Think carefully before you accuse me of bluffing. Is it worth sacrificing the lives of your innocent families? Even if it's just the women and children, get out of the castle!"

He was within their bowmen's range, but none of them tried to attack him.

That night, the gate opened, and a group of women and children walked out. Though the king’s army had enough space to invade, not one person moved.

-

On the morning of the second day, Mananan rode up to the castle again, this time with one of the women.

After he repeated his conditions, she said, "This is Ete! I’m safe, and so are the others, just like King Mananan promised. Please trust him."

That night, the castle gate opened again, and a large group of men came forward to surrender.

-

On the morning of the third day, Mananan rode up to the castle yet again, this time with one of the men.

"Today is the last day! You no longer have enough men to defend yourselves when we attack! I swear to you again that anyone who leaves by the end of the day tomorrow will be safe, no matter their crimes! But at sunrise, I will kill every last person left inside!" While he was speaking, Mananan noticed a man appear atop the castle wall, and draw an arrow. 

'That's him! That's Trent!' He realized, but still did not move, and continued to speak. "Everyone, think carefully! What are you really going to die for? Is it for your family? Your country? Your honor? Or is it for the greed and whims of your leader?"

Trent shot an arrow shot straight at the gap between his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Mananan unsheathed Balmung, the Holy Sword of Isaach's royal family. The arrow hit the blade, split into two pieces, and dropped to the ground."Did you see that, everyone? This is the power of Balmung! Do not throw your lives away so easily!" He said, turned his horse around, and returned to his army.

That day, from noon onwards, several men came out and surrendered, one-by-one.

Mananan asked one of them how many people were left inside, and he said that it was only Trent, his family, and a few mages.

That evening, he approached the castle yet again, and said, "Trent! Come out and listen to me!"

He waited for a moment, and just as he was about to repeat himself, Trent appeared atop the castle wall.

"What is it, King Mananan!?"

"Trent, you too are a respected leader of Isaach. I have no interest in tarnishing your family's reputation. Leave this castle tonight. I swear it on Crusader Od's legacy that I will spare your lives."

There was a long pause before Trent responded. "I thank you, King Mananan. Please take care of my family."

The castle gate opened, and about twenty people, a mix of men and women, stepped out.

Mananan took everyone back to where his army was stationed. Afterwards, he had Mariccle confirm who exactly was among the group. Trent, his wife, and his three children were missing.

-

The next day, Mananan led his soldiers up to the castle entrance, and opened the gate.

Upon walking inside, he saw Trent lying dead in front of the main building, with a sword sticking out of his chest. The corpses of his wife and three children were inside the building.

There was no questioning that it was a murder-suicide case.

"Find the mages." Mananan ordered, his expression grim.

However, the mages were nowhere to be found.

He found Trent's advisor, and asked about them.

The advisor said there had been three in total, and they'd begun working for Trent roughly one year ago.

However, he and the others in the castle hadn't seen them much, so he didn't know any details.

"They weren't members of the Loptyrian Cult, were they?" Mananan wondered.

"Now that you mention it, they might have been. I saw one of them carrying a black tome one day."

"What did Trent say before the attack on Darna?"

"That the mages had received a message from the gods. That if we attacked Darna, it would eventually lead to Grannvale's downfall."

'The mages must have deceived him.' Mananan thought.

He propped up Trent's body, and, as if the man was still alive, said, "Trent, no matter the reason for your actions, what you have done has triggered the fall of Isaach. You will pay for your sins with your life." Then, he sliced Trent's head off.

He wrapped the exposed neck in a cloth, ordered for Trent and his family to be given a proper burial, and called in the royal family's fortune teller, Gala.

She'd served his father before him, and been with him for twenty-five years, so she was already very old.

While her body had become old and frail, and her eyes had gone blind, her tongue was still as sharp as ever.

She entered the room with a guide, turned towards Mananan even though she could not see, and said, "Hold your horses, I'm comin'. They told me you needed me for something?"

"Yes, I want you to do a divination."

"I was well aware of that. That's all you ever ask me for. I know you don't wanna see this old, wrinkled face when you don't have to."

"That's not true at all…"

"It's fine. You should know not to take this old bag of bones too seriously. Now give me some time to get ready." She said, then sat cross-legged on the floor, and pulled out some incense burners and sticks from her bag.

"Somebody light these incense sticks and put them in the holders, then get out. We're gonna be talking about Isaach's deepest secrets here." 

Once smoke was rising from all of the sticks, her guide left the room.

While the scent from the incense was faint at first, it became stronger and stronger, until it filled the room.

After some time, Gala's body suddenly began to shake.

The convulsions grew and grew in intensity. Just when it seemed like her body could not take any more, she stiffened and froze.

"Mananan, you plan to go to Darna and apologize to Grannvale, do you not?" Gala's voice was deeper, stronger, and clearly that of a man's.

Though he'd witnessed this scene time and time again, that only made it all the stranger to Mananan. "I do."

"If you go, then you will die."

"Are you telling me not to go?"

There was a long pause. "Even if you don't go, you will die. And not just you. Prince Mariccle will also die. Many of Isaach's citizens will die. Isaach may fall."

"Will Grannvale attack us?"

"Yes. An army of unfathomable size will attack. They will pillage… destroy… and kill…"

"Is there no way to save Isaach?"

Again, there was a long pause.

"Your grandson Shanan will be the one to do it. If you can prolong his life, he will rebuild Isaach."

"And how can I make sure he survives?"

"He must leave Isaach."

"Where should he go?"

"…" Gala's expression hardened.

"Answer me! Where should he go!?"

"The… country… of…"

"The country of what!?"

The…country… of…forests… and… lakes…"

"The country of forests and lakes?"

Gala nodded while gasping for air and beginning to shake again.

"Where is that?"

"…"

Mananan grabbed her shoulders in a futile attempt to stop the convulsions. "Tell me!? What country is it!?"

Gala was clearly trying her best. "V… Ver…" Was all she managed to say before her head suddenly slumped, and the convulsions stopped.

When Mananan took his hands off of her shoulders, she collapsed on the floor and stopped moving.

After serving the Isaachian royal family for three generations, she had given her life to warn the king of Isaach's own end.

[gaygoetia]

The Sexist Patterns of Leadership in GoT

Note: This post includes heavy sarcasm. I'm aware that sarcasm is hard for some people to pick up on, especially in written text, so I will bold all the sarcastic parts for clarity.

EDIT: I wrote this late last night and realised this morning that Jon being heir makes sense with the line of succession and isn’t just because he’s a dude. So bear that in mind when reading this because there will be some mistakes. 

I noticed last episode that there’s actually a bunch of parallels between Dany and Cersei and that honestly when you compare how they’re portrayed it creates kind of a sexist picture of how GoT view female rulers.

Last episode painted a clear picture of how the show wants us to perceive the current situation.

Both Cersei and Dany are unstable mad women who will bring ruin to Westeros and cause thousands of innocent lives to be lost in the process.

The right choice for the throne is clearly Jon. He doesn’t want to be king but that makes him the best choice right? Who needs passion for what you do when you have the cold unbiased logic of resenting all your responsibilities?

Luckily for us, Westeros’ sexist inheritance laws declare that Jon is the true heir anyway. *Phew* If that gets out we won’t need to worry about those hysterical women! Everyone will automatically rally around Jon because he has that all important penis (which as we all know is the part of the body responsible for rational decision making)

For real though. Jon is apparently weak willed and easily manipulated enough to just go along with whatever Dany wants but somehow that isn’t framed as a flaw on his part? No, instead it’s Dany’s fault for being “too strong” for him and “bending him to her will” with her womanly wiles.

But enough about Jon (for now)

Let’s talk about Dany and Cersei.

Their stories are both very much rooted in their experiences as women in a highly sexist society. They start with very little agency and climb their way up to positions of power. And it’s a much harder climb than it would be for any male character because they’re being intensely scrutinised every step of the way. They’re treated as children or sex objects or political pawns or baby making factories. They’re talked down to and harassed and abused. They’re called ‘whores’ and ‘bitches’ and ‘sluts’ just for daring to be women in positions of authority - or hell just daring to be women (cos it’s not like any woman in the show is spared from that kind of language)

So how to they get to those positions of power? Well it’s mainly by losing everything they love. Dany becomes the ruler or the Dothraki when her husband and child are killed. Cersei becomes Queen once she has lost her husband and all three of her children.

Not that it was easy for them by any means. The deaths of their husbands and children (dragons included) were a necessity for them to have even a chance of ruling but actually getting to that point took immense time, effort, strategy and sacrifice.

And that kind of sums up the problem with the women in power of Game of Thrones. If they want power they must sacrifice everything they care about to get it (in ways that just aren’t true of the male characters)

Furthermore they have to sacrifice traditionally feminine attributes like empathy and compassion as well as the feminine ideals of motherhood and romantic love.

Hell, this episode Sansa suggested that in some way she was grateful for the abuse, rape and torture she suffered at the hands of Littlefinger and Ramsay because if it hadn’t happened she would “still be a little bird”. It is a reference to The Hound’s nickname for her in King’s Landing and it evokes the image of someone delicate, innocent and pretty - again, traditionally feminine attributes. It is implied that Sansa’s trauma has strengthened her and that without it she couldn’t be the well-respected, capable leader she is today. Needless to say, this is a pretty fucked up way to perceive both trauma and female leadership.

There are no secret benefits to trauma. While it can cause people to grow and change in positive ways it is in no way a necessary evil required for self improvement, and to show it as such is deeply harmful. Neither abusers or their victims should be taught that victims should be grateful for the abuse they’ve suffered.

But I digress. My point is that Sansa had to sacrifice her innocence in order to gain agency and a position of authority. She was raped and abused by her husband and manipulated and abused by a man who claimed to love her; a man she trusted. Through these experiences she lost all the idealised notions she’d once had about marriage and romance. She went from open and trusting to bitter and cynical. And though their deaths were certainly deserved, her murder of Ramsay and Littlefinger marked a significant and darker change in her once very pacifistic character.

Even ignoring all of the abuse and neglect she suffered during her marriage to Robert, Cersei was only able to sit on the Iron Throne by sacrificing all of her children and it looks like Dany will have to pay the same price in order to succeed.

These two women, while far from flawless rulers themselves, have faced adversity at every turn in their quest for agency. Meanwhile everyone is just desperate to put Jon in a position of authority despite him continuously fucking up.

For example: Jon is democratically elected to be Commander of the Night’s Watch - and it goes so well that he gets assassinated by his own people. Then he is inexplicably voted by the Northern people to be King in the North... and immediately bends the knee to a foreign queen who implies she’ll happily let her dragons eat them all.

Wow what a great leader. Turns out those sexist inheritance laws were right all along. Thank God they’re in place or the throne could have gone to *shudders* a “strong woman”

Seriously though. Twice now Jon has been elected into a position of power that he doesn’t really want and immediately turned everyone against him by making incredibly unpopular decisions. This is the guy who’s apparently the perfect choice to rule seven kingdoms? He can’t even keep one happy!

Say what you want about Cersei and Dany but they have fought tooth and nail for everything they have and at great cost. Jon has faced his share of losses and hardships too but when it comes to positions of power, Jon has had everything pretty much handed to him.

So what message are we left with?

“Work hard for years, sacrifice everything you love and then maybe - just maybe you’ll get the authority you desire... only to be replaced by someone who didn’t try at all and doesn’t even want it”

It��s a depressing message as it is but it’s even more depressing when we take a step back and consider its gendered implications.

Think of the female rulers we’ve seen in Game of Thrones. Dany, Cersei and Ellaria all gained power at the cost of their children’s lives (and those of their lovers in the case of Dany and Ellaria) Olenna’s scheming to get Margaery on the throne led to the death of all the other Tyrells, wiping out her entire line. 

Every time women in Game of Thrones try to claim power they are narratively punished for it and for what? To show that the person best suited to rule is the white guy those outdated sexist laws always said would be?

And of course none of this is even touching on how racism and homophobia intersect with sexism on this show but other people have talked about that more eloquently than me and if I tried to go into it here this post would end up novel length. TLDR; GoT punishes female characters for daring to want agency in a patriarchal society while encouraging us to root for the enforcement of sexist and outdated inheritance laws.

[emilyplaysotome]

Chapter 14 - Goodbye and Hello

Catch up on all Chapters here:  http://emilyplaysotome.tumblr.com/post/173554646607/down-the-voltage-rabbit-hole-the-sequel-master

“There’s no way it’s him!” Soryu exclaimed, holding the icepack to his cheek.

He was sitting on my couch and had hit the side of his face on the sidewalk when he’d collapsed as his old memories flooded back. Not wanting to make more of a scene than I already had in front of my building I dragged him upstairs and patched him up.

Similarly as I’d done with Hiroshi, I explained everything that had happened, including the fact that he’d tried to mug me on the train. 

He apologized profusely, cursing the king and what had happened as well as reiterating once more that he was, “not the man he once was” despite the fact that it seemed his true nature was destined to be that of a criminal. When I explained that things would be complicated from here on out seeing as how he was now involved with the New York City mafia scene, his eyes drifted down and I saw actual tears start to well up in the gangster’s eyes.

“Seriously? I…I…”

“I know you worked hard to change. I have an idea that’ll fix this but I don’t know how you’ll feel about it.”

“I’ll do anything to avoid sliding back into the man I once was!”

“Then we’ll ask the king to send you home. Back to the Tres Spades and we’ll say goodbye right now.”

“Goodbye? But…Naomi.”

I could feel myself getting choked up too but I nodded, “I want you to be happy Soryu and I know that’s not going to be here…with me.”

What Soryu didn’t know was that the king had already decided that he would be going back. Like me, he knew that Soryu would never be the man I’d choose and that this “second chance” was only a byproduct of the game I was currently playing. Of course Soryu was hot, and of course I was fond of him and proud of him for turning his life around. It was especially because of that last fact that I knew the king was right when I read the message, “2/6 - time to send this one back to my realm for his own good.”

The mob here was not some otome fairy tale that ended with Inui being sweet and clumsy. The mob here was ruthless and if we weren’t careful the reformed Soryu would quickly get snuffed out for fear that he might rat on his previously illicit activities.

“I want you to know that I still love you,” he said. “I’ve always loved you. And I’ve worked to become the man that you deserve - one who will never make you scared…ever again.”

“Thank you,” I said, gently taking the ice pack from him before I wiped the dirt from his scraped face with a warm cloth. “But I hope that you realize that as you are now you’re a better man than you once were. I might have been the catalyst for you to change, but I sincerely hope that you continue to live this way...for your own happiness. And for a future you can be proud of.”

It was then that my ex-boyfriend, ex-mobster, cold-as-ice Soryu cried like a baby, and I held him in my arms for a good fifteen minutes until he regained his composure. 

When he did, we agreed to spend our last few hours together in good spirits and seeing as how he was Eisuke’s best friend, I figured that I might as well get his take on whether or not he thought it possible that the other king from his realm might be part of my game.

“There’s no way it’s him!”

“You’re positive?”

“I just…Eisuke knows how I feel about you. He’s my best friend and despite what people say about him, he really is a good person.”

I understood what Soryu was saying and I didn’t want to push the idea any further with him. I agreed that it would certainly be surprising if Eisuke was in fact the sixth man, but the way Soryu was dismissing the idea had far more to do with his feelings about me and Eisuke than it did as an objective third party to the situation.

“Just like his best friend,” I replied with a smile as I returned the ice pack to the freezer.

“How does it look?”

“You’ll probably have a bit of a bruise but you always look handsome when you’re a bit roughed up. I’m sure once you’re home the women of the Tres Spades will be falling all over themselves to try and land a date with you.”

A disgusted expression passed over Soryu’s features and I laughed, “You could stand to give more women a try you know…”

“No. You were different.”

“The only thing that was different about me was that you got to know me...as a person.”

He started to reply, then pursed his lips with a slightly confused expression and said, “Explain.”

“You had to get to know me because I was living with you. You initially saw me as a woman and then started to see me as Naomi as time went on…you have to do that with women.”

“But they all like perfume, and dresses, and they only want me for my money and connections!”

“Maybe some, but not all. And you won’t know until you actually have a real conversation with them. Just talk to them like you talk to your friends.”

“But they’re women!” He insisted.

I laughed, “I got news for you Sor, women are people - even in your realm. I know that because I’ve played a teacher, a baker, a police officer…you name it. They had hopes and dreams and opinions and you’d be happy with any of them. Maybe even a maid at the Tres Spades...someone you never noticed before but who is capable of loving you more than I ever could. And you deserve that. This man who worked so hard to better himself…he deserves it.”

His dark eyes looked back at me with a melancholy expression, but he forced a smile and quietly said, “I understand.”

“I’m glad. Be happy Soryu.”

It felt like a natural goodbye and I was unsurprised when a flash of light filled my apartment, revealing the king who nodded at Soryu with a polite smile. It was obvious that since he’d sent that message, the king had been watching me and he looked pleased at how entertaining our goodbye scene had been.

Neither of us fought was about to happen, and Soryu gave me a hug before stoically walking over to the king.

“Are you ready?” The king asked.

Soryu glanced back and I smiled despite the fact that I was crying. When he turned to face the king I caught one last glimpse of those broad shoulders and large back before he was gone.

“I have to say Naomi,” the king said with a smile, “you’re starting to make me sweat a little. Good luck this week.”

The king didn’t wait for a reply from me - he was someone who thrived on the dramatic and that last remark was enough to make me question if he was about to throw a massive curveball my way. Regardless, the day had taken its toll and I was ready for bed.

Seeing as how I had to work out with Hijikata tomorrow before I went into the office, I figured I might as well call it a night despite the fact that it was only 10 pm.

I woke the next day refreshed after a solid eight and a half hours of sleep. I had closed a chapter with not one, but two of the men in this realm and it was time to see how I felt about a third who was a bit of a mystery.

I threw on some workout clothes and ate half of a protein cookie at home and the other half during my walk to the gym, in the hopes of not passing out during what was about to be a strenuous hour. When I entered Edge Fitness, I saw Hijikata waiting for me with a smirk and he nodded in approval seeing as how I’d arrived 5 minutes early to my 8 A.M. workout.

“We’ll warm up with a light 2 mile run today,” he said, leading me to the treadmills after I’d dropped my bags into a locker.

“Ok!”

“Someone’s energetic this morning,” he said with a sneer, “I guess that means I can really go hard on you today.”

“Do your worst!” I said with a smile, though not meaning a word of it.

Hijikata let out a laugh and the second he did I saw this world’s iteration of Shinsaku Takasugi antagonistically drape his arm around Hijikata.

His light brown hair clung to his skin, which was covered in a even sheen of sweat. Standing side by side the two were built very similarly, and their tight attire made that all the more obvious. They both wore shorts that hugged their muscular backsides with Edge Fitness tank tops that left little to the imagination when it came to their impressive chest and arms.

The image felt as if it were something out of a Boy Love manga - a smooth looking, well built man covered in sweat as a slightly grumpier one wore an expression of protest beside him.

“The demon trainer laughs? Who knew.”

Hijikata immediately shook Shin’s arm off of him and snapped, “Get outta here Taka, I’m working.”

Shin didn’t seem to care, and instead he chuckled and used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead purposely giving me a peek at his perfectly defined abdominal muscles. I was feeling painfully thirsty that morning and though he and I didn’t have the best history together (not that he seemed to remember anything from Otento), seeing his abs first thing in the morning left me with a little grin on my face.

“Hey, we haven’t met before - everyone calls me Taka. I’m going to be training you after I retire Tosh,” he said to me with a confident grin.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Naomi,” I quickly said, which only seemed to make Shin smile wider and Hijikata look angrier.

“I’m jealous that Tosh is allowed to train such lovely clients. A demon like him should never be allowed near someone as delicate as yourself.”

“Oh but that’s where you’re wrong,” I said with my head held high, “I’m quite strong and you’d be quite foolish to underestimate me based on my appearance.”

The comment caught both men off guard in the best possible way, and I watched as their attention stayed on me and their eyes filled with something in between lust and admiration.

“With that said, it’s already been five minutes into my warm up and I haven’t started so…it was nice meeting you.”

Hijikata smiled triumphantly and stepped up onto the treadmill beside me, away from Shin. 

He hit a few buttons and before I knew it I was running 2 miles at a ten minute pace, which doesn’t sound too difficult but proved to have me panting after a minute or so. Shin left us to it after I started running, though he did say something about looking forward to seeing me around the gym.

I could tell that his comments irked Hijikata and I hoped it was because I was making progress in getting him to see me as more than just a client. That day however, his workout kept me moving at a pace that had me out of breath and barely able to think, let alone seduce.

By the end of our hour, sweat was pouring off of me and I felt incredibly smelly and unsexy as Hijikata used our last few minutes together to help me stretch. I didn’t particularly want him touching me in such a state, but I tried to keep my cool as his hands ran over my calf as he extended my leg.

“Have you been meditating?” he asked.

“Yes,” I lied, “I’m really trying to make it part of my routine.”

Hijikata smiled triumphantly, “Checking in with your body only leads to having a healthier one.”

I gave a little nod and Hijikata pushed my leg a bit further, causing me to let out a little yelp.

He chuckled and when I asked why he was laughing he cooly lowered my leg back to the ground and said, “That was cute. Good job today. I’ll see you tomorrow at 7.”

I smiled and nodded, happy that he had remembered that Mondays the company lets us roll in closer to 10/10:30 whereas the rest of the week I try to get in by 9/9:30. It was a small detail that showed he was thinking of me enough to remember something like that, and I made my way to the showers.

Seeing as how I lived a few blocks away, I could have easily gotten ready at home. However, that wouldn’t have let me show Hijikata how cute I looked in my work clothes and so I made the plan to get ready and dressed and say goodbye looking my best if only to put in his head what it was that he might be missing.

The past few workouts he’d seen me looking like a total scrub, and in order to undo that image, I gave myself a sleek blowout and donned a tight black dress that was still office appropriate. 

I was feeling pretty good about myself as I applied a bit of tinted moisturizer to my face and a light coat of mascara on my lashes. Once I felt completely confident that this was going to be the best I was look, I jammed my belongings into their appropriate bag and attempted to walk in the wedges that would soon be exchanged with a pair of flats once I was back home. I planned to drop off my belongings and make the quick swap before heading into work, but I wanted Hijikata to think that I was the kind of confident woman who could rock some wedges that made her legs look amazing.

The second I exited the locker room, I saw Shin and Hijikata arguing about something at the front desk. They were so focused on each other that I worried my hard work would be in vain, so I tried to be as breezy as possible in my approach.

“Thanks for today - I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said to Hijikata with a smile, hoping that he would be so awed by my beauty that he’d feel compelled to ask me out then and there.

As if my mind had been read I heard a voice call out and say, “Hey - we should go out sometime.” 

I froze at the stairwell hoping that it belonged to the right otome man in the game I was playing but when I turned back, and saw Shin smiling at me as Hijikata stared daggers at him.

“You’re not my client, so I don’t see a problem with it. We can talk about it tomorrow,” Shin said and before I could shoot him down, he walked away.

I stood frozen on the spot, my plan having backfired slightly and to make matters worse I had no idea if Shin was asking me out because he was indeed the sixth man or if it was merely to get a rise out of his rival.

Posting this guy early because I’m prepping for a busy work week! Hope you guys like it :)

If you’ve enjoyed the story, please show your support by sharing it with a friend or buying me a coffee!  

Thanks for reading :)

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