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garbinge · 5 months ago

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The Year of 1969

Johnny Davis x F!Reader Benny Cross & F!Reader

Summary: You decide to leave Chicago with your brother and have to break the news to Johnny.

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: Grief. Loss. Main Character Death. Canon Spoilers. Angst.

A/N: First Bikeriders fic I’m posting!!! But I have a buuuunch more coming. I decided to rewatch today and just got hit with this idea. Enjoy!

The Bikeriders Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989

You put it off for far too long. To the point that now you were juggling with whether it’d be worth telling him now or have him just figure it out when you were gone. That’s what you were currently doing, right outside The Stoplight, deciding which option would hurt him less. You knew which one would be easier for you, just leave without a word, but you also knew it wasn’t fair. He just had to say goodbye to his best friend, Brucie, and you saw how much that wrecked him. And now you were going to pile this on as well.

Before you could think anymore your legs pushed you through the doors of the bar, the light smokey haze mixed with the low sound of music meant that it wasn’t busy, just a few of the guys. Made sense since it was still light outside, most of the guys were probably still working but the ones that were here probably had earlier shifts or were off like Johnny who didn’t have a trucking run for another week.

“He-eey.” The voice was cheery as Corky welcomed you in. It caused a few other of the guys to look up and greet you with smiles, Johnny included. His smile wasn’t as big as the others, or even like his normal grin. That’s what made this even harder, when Johnny lost Brucie, not only did things with the club change, but so did things within Johnny. And now you were going to break him more.

“Hey guys.” You smiled, similarly to Johnny.

“Where’s your brother?” Cockroach leaned forward, “told me he’d let me take a few shots on his camera one day, learn about loading film n’ stuff.” He was smiling from ear to ear, looking at the other Vandals as he boasted. Little did Cockroach know, your brother was packing up his stuff for New York as you stood there with your stuff in the car already.

“He’s uh–” You thought of an excuse but just couldn’t bear it and turned to Johnny. “Can I talk to you for a second, Johnny?”

The guys might have been a little oblivious sometimes, but they picked up on your tone immediately. Their smiles were vanished from their faces and suddenly they were all trying to look anywhere but at you and Johnny.

“Yea–uh, let’s go outside.” Johnny was standing up and placed his hand around your back lightly to guide you outside.

The sun was starting to set, it was honestly one of your favorite times at The Stoplight, the way the sun would cast its golden rays on the line of bikes that would be outside. Maybe it was the artist in you, since living with your brother you tended to see the beauty in things like that. Moments you wanted to capture and keep alive forever. It was a shame that now, as the sun glistened on the paint jobs of the bikes and the road fell silent and Johnny stood a few feet from the bar entrance, this was a moment you’d never want to remember, one that’d you drink to forget.

“Smoke?” Johnny asked as he stood on the sidewalk near the curb.

“I’m alright, thank you.” It was then that you moved to stand next to him, arms crossed, taking a deep breath as the words started to move from your mind to your throat.

It took you a few minutes, ones that you two just stood in silence for. That wasn’t unusual for you two, there were tons of times where you and Johnny didn’t talk, it was usually because you were doing other things, his mouth was preoccupied with your own, or the guys were around and your conversations were with them all. But right now it felt unusual because normally when it was just you two, you’d talk, about everything and nothing at all. The TV shows you’d watch, the news, stories, you’d love to tell Johnny stories, real ones, fiction ones. You’d talk about the shots you took on the camera your brother gave you, your purpose. It was what brought you here in the first place, at your brother’s place. Lack of purpose. You thought if you’d learn about what Danny was up to at school, you’d learn something yourself, and you did. But you weren’t sure if photography was truly it. It was Johnny who told you that you should tell stories, like the people on the news when it clicked. You wanted to be where the action was, a writer and newscaster.

“You see those guys with those helmets they launched up into space?” Johnny broke the silence after exhaling the cigarette smoke. “Travellin’ round the moon and the stars and stuff.” He was nodding. “That, uh, Barbara Walters you told me to watch was reportin’ it. Cool shit.”

“Johnny I’m leaving.” You blurted the sentence out, the pain coming right along with it as you felt your stomach knot.

It was like instinct, he looked over at your car. The suitcases were piled up in your backseat, the one that you two so frequently found yourselves in over the last few years.

“Where ya headed?” It was far too casual for your liking, but you also knew not to expect much else from him.

“New York. With Danny.” You mentioned your brother’s name and he nodded as it all clicked in his head. He could’ve been mad, said something along the lines of maybe trying to do something for yourself for once and not follow someone else’s dream, someone else’s life. But he knew it wouldn’t have been true. He knew exactly what you were going to do once you were in New York.

“Heard they got that, uh, big music festival out over ‘dere in the uh big apple, you oughta head there and check it out, write a story on it.” He was pointing in a direction like it was where New York was as he spoke. “Nixon election’s comin’ up too, could write about that.” He dropped his head to the left, his face moving to a frown, thinking how that could also be a viable option.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” Any other time you would have loved to talk about all the stories you were going to get over on the east coast, but right now you were just hoping you could leave on semi-decent terms with Johnny.

“S’no problem.” He inhaled one last puff of the cigarette and dropped it on the ground.

You were turning to look at him now, arms still crossed, emotion building up as tears in your eyes.

“Stop all dat.” He tossed his arm over your shoulders and looked out at the sunset. “When you leavin’?” While he knew it was tonight, he wanted to know how much time he had left, it would determine what he’d say, how he’d act, although the more he thought about what your answer would be and what he’d do, the answers all felt pretty similar.

“Later tonight, I got a couple hours.” You were leaning into him, arms still against your chest as you brought your hand up to wipe the tears.

“Get back in dere.” He tipped his head toward the bar. “Grab a drink, we’ll hang for a while.”

“For a while.” You accepted his offer, looking back up at him.

“Go.” He smirked, his arm releasing you now. “Before more show up and you’re left with the shitty beer. I’ll be in in a minute.”

As you went back inside, Johnny’s smile faded. He pulled out another cigarette and walked over toward your car and just stared at the bags in the back as he smoked the cigarette down. He must’ve lit up a few because when he came back to it, there were about 5 buds on the ground next to him, the sun had set and Benny was approaching him.

“Everything good, Johnny?” He was leaning curiously toward the man before he entered the bar.

“No, s’not.” He mumbled under his breath as he let his head fall back for the quickest second before looking over at Benny and joining him at the entrance of the bar. Johnny’s hand raised and flew over Benny’s shoulder. “Hey, yea, everything’s’well.”

________

“Hey, you hear about that weird thing over in Chicago?” Your coworker walked up to your desk and interrupted a thought of yours. Your eyes closed and you collected your frustration as you looked up and made eye contact with them.

“What weird thing?”

“Someone was murdered in Chicago.” Your coworker leaned on the wall of your cubicle. The first part of the sentence, surprisingly didn’t shock you, as a news reporter you had received a lot of stories similar and you were really concentrated on making this deadline for your next piece to end up in the paper, but when they said Chicago, you started to pay attention. “Chicago?”

“Yea, some gang violence or something. They sent someone out there to report on it, I think Gary from features, he’s packing up his stuff now. Seems like they’re gonna write a big thing on bikers and the uprising of motorcycle clubs.”

That’s when your heart started to sink. “You get a name?” Your body was frozen but you were waiting to hear someone’s name that was familiar to you for you to grab your things and leave. Cal. Zipco. Benny. Corky. But not his.

“I think Johnny something–Davis! Johnny Davis.”

Within seconds you were in your car, one destination in mind, you had gotten more information on a small town radio station which is how you learned where it happened. The whole drive you wouldn’t let your mind think about it, let it be real. As you pulled up to the abandoned parking lot, you wouldn’t have been shocked if you didn’t even put your car in park, you were stepping out so quickly. You weren’t exactly sure what you were looking for, but it was true that you’d know when you saw it. Because you did. The blood stained on the pavement made you freeze and that’s when your heart finally broke and reality sunk in.

You remembered your last memory with him.

His hands wrapping around your face as he leaned against your car, his feet still on the curb but his back against the car. You were on top of him, laughing as he placed a kiss to your lips. “Thanks for the last minute farewell party.”

“If you gave me a heads up, coulda had Corky bring streamers.”

You remembered how much pain that comment brought you and how he realized it immediately.

“Hey, ey, ain’t meant nothin’ bout that comment. Just shootin’ the breeze with you.” He kissed you again, this time with no smiles, no laughs just pure passion.

“Let’s go for a ride.” You whispered against his lips, your way of prolonging your goodbye.

“Think it’s probably time for you to head outta here, s’late.” Johnny still had his arm around you and his other lightly touching your face.

“One last ride.” You whispered again.

Johnny knew if he got you on his bike, he’d drive the night away in avoidance of letting you go. He also knew every time he got back on his bike he’d think of you and he couldn’t handle that. So as he kissed you quiet again, his left hand moved to open the passenger seat of your car. He didn’t say anything but he didn’t need to. You knew what he was saying. You pushed off him, despite everything in you wanting to crawl back on him in that awkward position and stay there forever. As you dropped your bag in the passenger seat, he closed it and walked around to the driver’s side and opened it up. With a deep sigh, you plopped inside and immediately leaned out the window, your arms crossed hanging outside.

He leaned down, his arm resting on the top of the car’s roof now. “Will miss you tellin’ me those stories, but I’ll, uh, get one of the guys to help me send a letter to subscribe to the New York news.”

“Just don’t have Corky imitate my voice.” You smirked. “He really exaggerates my midwestern accent.”

“Nah, I’ll just call ya and have you read ‘em to me.”

“You promise.” Your face got serious, it felt like that statement needed reassurance. Most of your relationship with Johnny was all jokes and fun, so you needed to know if he was serious. He stared at you for a minute, his face getting serious as well. His hand tapped the roof of your car, “You better take the ‘spressway, 490s always backed up.”

He didn’t break the promise, because he never made it.

“Will miss you listenin’ to my stories.” You mumbled, staring at the blood stain, trying to imagine what happened and every scenario was wrecking you thought by thought, until your thoughts were interrupted by a loud engine approaching.

Your body turned and you saw Benny Cross, eagerly walking up and standing next to you. Emotion heavy on his face as he stared at the blood stain. Neither of you said anything, just stared. There was no tension, just every other emotion you could think of instead.

“Heard you left.” It should have made Benny jump but he felt numb and just nodded before talking.

“Not long after you did.” Benny agreed.

You just acknowledged him with the same gesture. “I’m back in Chicago.”

“Me too.”

Silence again, still both of you just looking at the red mark that had turned deep red almost brown on the dark pavement.

“I’m done riding.” Benny broke the silence this time. Your head turned to look over at the bike that he took here and that he’d likely drive out of here and you frowned in confusion but then you realized. He just came back just like you. When you said you were back in Chicago, you weren’t really back in Chicago, you were just back in Chicago, like 1 hour back. Your car just drove over the Illinois border an hour ago, and you think Benny did the same.

So now, the two of you just stood numb, over the blood of the one man you both knew and loved, wordless as the grief draped over both of you.

#The Bikeriders #the bikeriders movie #Tom Hardy #Johnny Davis #Johnny Davis x Reader #the bikeriders x reader #garbinge #my writing

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that-ari-blogger · 7 months ago

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Spoilers Ahead (Hunting Palismen)

Usually, when I write these introductions, I can be vague with the story enclosed within. I can ask questions that I will try to answer in the post itself, and I can hint at the plot of the episode.

This episode, however, changes the trajectory of the story in a way so significant that I can’t be vague about, and this starts at exactly one minute into the episode, before even the title sequence.

So, join me, for a jaunty trip into an episode that might be a deep psychological meditation, or a character introduction, or maybe its just a silly fanfic for a FromSoftware game. If you don’t know which of these is true, you have been warned.

SPOILERS AHEAD (The Owl House, Bloodborne)

I’m going to start with Kikimora and her dragon, because I know why you are reading this post, and I’m enjoying making you wait.

Princess is a phenomenal dragon design, and it works as an extension for Kikimora. The creature is entirely made up of hands and fingers, which is creepy as hell, but it also carries the symbolism over from that.

Hands are, for the most part, how people interact with the world. They are how we manipulate things. For example, this blog is being typed onto a keyboard by utilising my own hands. However, hands are often used for self-expression, some of the oldest symbols of expression are handprints on cave walls.

So, Princess is an extension of Kikimora’s agency. Princess is an extension of Kikimora’s will.

Kikimora also features a hand in her design, replacing her hair. And considering how she acts in relation to Belos, that chain says a lot about her character. Kikimora lords over people below her, but she is really just as much of a pawn as they are.

A Kikimora is actually a creature from Slavic folklore, and can be associated with a few things, including sleep paralysis. That’s not especially relevant to this episode or post but keep it in mind as you watch the show. It’s neat how writers adapt folklore to suit their stories.

Anyway, The Owl House has a theme of anatomy, it is literally set on the corpse of a massive, kinda dead creature, and places aren’t so much named after body parts as actually are those body parts.

So, what gives?

Here is my reading: The show is about identity. It is a bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story about a teenager trying to work out who she is. So, the anatomical metaphor becomes set dressing explicitly intended to remind you of this struggle. Every place Luz visits is part of a person, every experience is part of her, and makes up who she is.

Speaking of identity, the palismen. I am running out of ways to say that this show is dissecting Luz’s entire deal, but it is, and here we see the nuance of that start to creep in. Luz wants to become a witch, which is a great thing to want, but this episode begins to ask what that actually looks like.

If you are following my blog, you might have seen some of my posts on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Don’t worry, you don’t need to have read any of them for this to make sense). In those posts, I bring up the gulf between intellectual and emotional understanding.

Luz is kinda the opposite of a few characters in She-Ra. Where they can make statements and plans on things based on information but are then emotionally unprepared to act on those plans, Luz has emotionally accepted her story and her goal, but she can’t articulate it.

The question of why Luz wants to be a witch has been answered already. It was answered before the first credits rolled. Luz wants to find acceptance. She doesn’t want to change to fit people’s expectations, she wants people to understand her and embrace her for who she is. Being a witch will enable her to do that.

The reason she can’t choose a palisman, is because there is no way that she can verbalise this emotion at this point in her story. She still has a long way to go.

But, from a writing point of view, what if you want to speed up character development a little bit? What if you suddenly have a time limit on your story set by arbitrary higher ups who don’t actually understand storytelling at all and just want to make money off of it? How do you solve that problem?

The best catalyst for character development is a good antithesis foil, an equal opposite to your chosen character, who can challenge their worldview from a place of similarity and encourage growth naturally through healthy friendship or rivalry.

Which brings me to the Golden Guard, who really focuses in on the “equal” part of that. This entire episode exists to position him and Luz on equal footing in everything. Their status by themselves is empty, their magical ability is so-so, they both project confidence despite actually having very little, and they are both massive nerds.

Their age is even similar, that’s the point of the reveal. It’s the “we’re not so different, you and I” trope done really well.

But, as I’ve mentioned before, the point of a mirror foil is to have two character be really similar, so that their differences stand out by contrast, and there are some significant differences.

The most important similarity, however, is that they both need to be understood through their relationships with others, and that is where the bulk of their opposition lies.

Where the Golden Guard acts as an equal to Luz, Belos acts as an equal to Eda. He is a parental figure, and he features a transformation. This puts the two in the same category, but unlike the two’s protégé, they have nothing more in common.

Belos’ transformation gets revealed exactly one minute into this episode. The introduction of the story lays out his plan, his subordinates, everything, and then it shows us this. And, I am going to go off topic again to link the series to a different FromSoftware game, Bloodborne.

Bloodborne, aside from being objectively one of the greatest games ever made, is a story with many meanings, with one throughline being the horror inherent in abuse of power and in the xenophobia required to keep that power in place. It deals with religious trauma derived from those abusers changing their religious doctrines away from their roots and into a form that will suit their own selfish desires. If you hadn’t noticed, those are all things that The Owl House deals with through the character of Belos.

I want to stress quickly that the two stories are most definitely not the same. Bloodborne goes into some territory that The Owl House stays very much clear of, and while I heartily recommend it, I also recommend reading the content warnings first.

Belos actually links directly to the character of Vicar Amelia in design and in story. Vicar Amelia is a symbol of the Healing Church’s blindness and hypocrisy. She praises the source of the current disaster that the game focuses on, and then she transforms into a chimeric, bestial creature before an altar, at which point she attacks the player.

Belos, meanwhile, gives a sermon to glorify a spell that will allegedly bring about salvation in the most overtly sinister way possible, then he retreats to the altar of himself, and turns into a chimeric, bestial creature.

Which is something that undercuts his advice to The Golden Guard.

“Please, be careful, our family is gone because of wild magic. I can’t let the same thing happen to you.”

If Belos was telling the truth here, it would have complicated the story. Suddenly, freedom comes at a cost to other people. And the weird thing is, he isn’t actually lying, he’s just not telling the entire truth. That’s some setup that will be paid off in a later episode.

The audience, however, is inclined to disbelieve Belos when he says this, because a) he’s just been explicitly shown off as a cult leader, and those are usually not the most trustworthy of people, and b) he’s the villain of the series who has spent an entire season up to this point lying to Lilith, the man has a history.

At the end of the episode, when the Golden Guard reveals his failure, he is met with threats, and a sob story.

“These outbursts are painful, and so is watching you fail.”

Yes, these threats are hurting you, but look what they’re doing to me. Look at how you are hurting me. Feel guilty.

Also, maybe Belos hasn’t been so accurate in the past as to only damage the Golden Guard's hair. Maybe some of those scars didn’t come from battle.

What this means for the Golden Guard is that he has a manipulative parental figure, in contrast to Luz’s parental figure who, let’s be honest, can’t strategize for toffee.

Look how happy he is, he's got a hobby. It's cute.

“I’ve never seen glyphs before, but it seems very similar to the elemental magic practiced in the savage ages.”

You wanna say that again, buddy? That’s a lore drop and a half and you just brush it off like it’s nothing?

The Golden Guard now exists in relation to Luz, and he will gain connections as the series progresses, each deepening his characterisation.

That’s an intentional thing on behalf of Belos, by the way, the fact that The Golden Guard is isolated. It means that he is barely more than a henchman, a tool. The Golden Guard won’t question Belos’ orders because why would he? He’s got no reason to doubt that Belos is telling the truth.

But the day out with Luz reveals that the Golden Guard is his own person, in a way that he isn’t allowed to be with Belos. When he spoke about wild magic in the introduction, he was glared down, but now he stops himself.

“You’re not my friend. Your just the Golden Guard.” “My name is Hunter.”

Luz’s greatest strength is her ability to act as a catalyst for change in others, and Hunter is the perfect example of that.

This conversation relates to that theme of identity in a really weird way, because in a series about the freedom to express yourself in whatever way you see fit, the greatest insult Luz can think of is “you are nothing more than a label”.

Hunter's signature move involves teleporting behind someone, and we've actually seen this before. The only other people to use this, were Eda and Lilith, when they fought each other. There's a connection there.

But she is proven wrong about that. Hunter extends his name like an offer of apology, he still plans on taking the palismen, but he owes Luz something. So, he concedes that she is right, he is more than a label, that more just includes being her antagonist.

Although, looking at this name, is he? Is he more than a label? Hunter is a name, sure, but its also a job. Hunter is Belos’ guard dog, his attack hound. In this mission, he was sent out to hunt palismen. There is nuance to this character, but it’s a lot deeper under the surface than even he thinks.

There is one thing that I need to bring up, and its something I talked about in my discussion of the season opener. But Hunter is cool.

I love how easily he switches from terrified of Belos to calm and Machiavellian with Kikimora. Everything about him is an act. I wonder whether that will come up again.

Like, this isn’t something that is measurable, or definable. But Hunter is cool. He’s badass, he’s smart, he’s calm (most of the time). I've been joking about his edgy ass aesthetic with the "I'm Batman" thing, but there's a point to it. He’s cool.

But he’s also neurodivergent. Like, that’s kinda a given for most of the characters in this story, but Hunter falls under the bracket too.

The reason I bring this up is that, usually in storytelling, neurodivergence is one of the factors that goes against the coolness factor. But Hunter doesn’t show off that duality at all, he manages to be both, and I would argue that he never ceases to be either in the entirety of the show.

Freedom of expression, the way he decides. Just something to think about.

But, I started this post by talking about how Luz needed a foil, and Hunter acts as one in a quiet way. He pressures her into taking her time to think, and plan. He shows her that she doesn’t actually know what she wants in the long term, and so her final resolution at the end of the episode is to wait until she understands.

"At least you have your future figured out now." "At least you can figure out your own."

Part of growing up is maturing at your own pace and taking things one step at a time. When you’re ready, then you can act.

Final Thoughts

Hunter is my precious boi, and that’s not an uncommon opinion in the Owl House fandom.

The kid is obviously drawing inspiration from Zuko, in his everything, but to say that they are the same character is a disservice to both. Zuko’s story revolves around personal honour, while Hunter’s exists as a vehicle to talk about freedom.

Hunter is also braver than Zuko, precisely because he is scared all of the time. Zuko runs on adrenaline and anger, for the most part, and it usually doesn’t appear that fear factors into his plans at all. Hunter is, at all times, bone numbingly terrified of failure, or rejection, and even himself, but he powers through anyway. That’s real courage.

Also, Hunter doesn't get redeemed. Zuko does some truly villainous things, so he needs to attune. Hunter doesn't really do much wrong. He's just kinda a jerk in his first episode, and quietly intimidating in the rest of the series, that ain't a crime. Hunter doesn't need redemption, he needs a hug and a bowl of soup.

Next week, I’ll be taking a look at Eda’s Requiem, which, I’m fine. I got this. No crying. Stick around if that interests you.

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #what's so special about...?#character analysis #the owl house #toh #toh hunter #toh luz #toh golden guard #toh belos #meta #meta analysis

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somegirlontheinternet135 · 1 year ago

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For anyone who doesn't know what Diabolik Lovers is. . . you don't want to know, and don't need to know. . .

But if you're curious, or had watched the series, keep reading

As the opening suggests, I've recently fallen down the "Diabolik Lovers" rabbit hole, very similar to "Madoka Magica" but not in a good way. . .

I'll probably be the first to say that Diabolik Lovers is the ultimate guilty pleasure anime; it's bad, but it's good at being bad, which I entirely blame on the fact that the show was made in 2013. . .

There was a lot of issues I had with the series, but the biggest caveat I had other than the thorny vampires, was the story. Cause other than the mom coming back to life and new vamps, it was ��Boring✨

Especially the ending!

And because I disliked the story so much, I've made a whole mental reboot in my head. What do I mean by that? Basically taking the entire series in my head and giving it ✨A complete makeover✨

I'm talking redesigns of old characters, introducing new characters, worldbuilding, and an actual story! Which all of that, I could go on and on about, but given my very messy schedule and several other projects, I don't think I'll be able to

So for now, I'll talk about what I'm most proud of: The story

(Massive spoiler warning)

(Tw: Heavy topics will be discussed, stop reading if you're uncomfortable)

Alright, let's talk about. . .

✨Diabolik Lovers: The Glass Labyrinth✨

This takes place in the modern day, roughly 5 years after season 2; things still haven't changed, and Yui is still very much stuck with the vamps. Yui is, as expected, extremely depressed; not only is she trapped with bloodthirsty vampires who constantly torment and ab*se her, but she has no family nor friends to run to. All except for one little creature she acquainted with, a peculiar dove

Ever since she started reading on the balcony alone, the same dove would always fly over to where she sat and approached her, even letting her scratch its head. Yui was surprised at first, but having no one else to be around other than her ab*sers, she lets it go and the two become good friends

But it doesn't take long for simple head scratches to turn into full blown therapy sessions, as she begins lamenting all her feelings to the creature. Talking about how alone and trapped she feels, and wishing she were a dove so she can "fly away from this horrid life. . !" Of course, all the little guy could do was sit and listen, again this was a bird, not a miracle worker. . . This routine would go on for at least a few months till one day, when she's out on the balcony reading, waiting for her little bird friend, it arrives as normal, but Yui is quick to notice that something was off, it wore a strange device. Fortunately, she was able to get a better look once the creature landed, it was one of those capsules they used for messenger pigeons

Yui takes the capsule from its back and opens it, which the dove gladly allows. Revealing the letter inside, she finds out that the letter was from the dove's owner. They asked if she wanted to talk more in the letter, to which Yui, desperate for friends, immediately accepts the offer. Quickly, she flips the paper over and begins writing, asking general questions like who they were and where they'd come from; but before she could roll up the paper again something happens. The letters begin to shift into another sentence in different yet beautiful handwriting, reading:

"Who I am isn't important, but what is right now is getting you someone to talk to, you seem like you need it." Before disappearing from the page. Yui, although shocked, response back just as fast as before, asking how it knew that, it merely said it could tell from her rather shaky writing. It's quick to change the subject, asking general questions about her, to which Yui very much responds to them. Her and the talking paper begin having a conversation, still so curious about who was really behind it, but within minutes, their subject begins to change into something far more mysterious. Witches

Being the religious girl that she was, Yui knew quite a bit on witches, how the devil would leave his marks on unexpecting women, their familiars, the trials against them, a tiny bit of everything. When writing it all down, the paper disagrees with her, saying that witches are far more complex than she lets on. It goes on to compare witches to vampires, how, unlike them, a witch and her familiar are much harder to spot. They can be anywhere. . . When Yui was about to ask how it knew, she puts two and two together extremely fast. Just before she can ask any more questions, the paper burns into ashes, startling her, and the little dove? gone without a trace. She lets the realization sink in as she watches the ashes scatter in the wind. That dove, the dove that visited her constantly, the dove she's been venting to. . . was a witch's familiar

The next day, it was all she could think about. Did a witch really try to contact her? How did they know so much about her? Why her specifically? Questions that were, understandably, messing with her head for what felt like days, the only way for her to gain closure now is to do more research, a lot more research. And unfortunately, she knew exactly where to start. . . The vampire brothers

Fortunately, Yui's interaction with the dove and paper were left under their radar, but for everything else, they could tell something was up. Something was plaguing her mind, and they knew it. Despite some bewildering and bizarre guesses they were making to what it exactly was, Yui had to pick one of the brothers to ask for information; she knew that Subaru or Reiji would be too stubborn to give a full answer and god forbid if she asked someone like Laito, Kanato, or even Ayato. Making her safest option, the eldest brother, Shu. So later that night, sneaking past snoozing vampires, makes her way to Shu's room. But before she even knocked on his door, she knew that Shu wouldn't give away that information for free. . . yeah, we can all see where this is going. . .

For the sake of everyone's sanity, let's use our imaginations and picture Shu sticking a straw in Yui's shoulder or something-

Once inside Shu's room, their interaction goes to following:

Yui: Ok, kinda an off-topic question, but what do you know about witches?

*Shu stops drinking her blood*

Shu: Witches. . ? They're old hags who fly around on broomsticks and eat small children. . .

Yui: . . .That's what you think witches are. . ?

Shu: Well, aren't they? Why are you asking?

*Yui gets a little flustered but manages to keep calm*

Yui: Oh- n-no reason! I just thought that someone like you, a vampire, would believe that witches existed-

Shu: *Heh* Obviously not, witches don't exist, and if they did, they'd be a huge threat to us, us especially

Yui: Wait, why?

*Shu realizing his mistake*

Shu: uuuuhhhhhhhhhh-. . .

*Cut to Yui being kicked out of Shu's room*

Although it wasn't much, Shu had unintentionally given her just enough information to guide her on the right path of where she needed to go next. She sneaks back to her room, not before bumping into Laito. . . yeah, the guy wanted a midnight snack. . .

In the years she spent with the vampires, not only did she get a little braver, but a little smarter too. Using the vampires' dislike for loud noise to her advantage, she plants tape recorders of various loud and repeating noises and hid them in various hard-to-spot locations, that whenever they'd turn on, it causes the brothers to go mad trying to find the source of the sound, and for extra measures, she places one of Kanato's "wax figures" in her bed to give the fake illusion that she was sleeping. And with the brothers distracted and using a homemade rope, Yui is able to sneak off the balcony and leave the mansion, all the way to her local library

She estimated the time it would take for the vampires to find the device to be roughly an hour, so she makes every visit count. There, Yui was able to learn not just more on witches, but their relationship with vampires. She learns three major things:

Vampires and Witches had been coexisting alongside each other for years, but the most talked about and cataloged were the witches (The witch trials)

The relationship between the two beings is extremely shaky, one second they're completely peaceful, another they're at full on war with one and other. Through most of history, however, they had a business-relationship; a vampire could sense a witch from miles away and would often do tasks for a witch in exchange for their help and or guidance

(This is the most important one) A single witch or any magic user can take down an army's worth of vampires, within minutes. . .

A witch can fight a vampire. . . and win

Yui gets a habit of preforming this plan often, each word of the books enticing her more and more. She was thankful to have a working library card, but even if she did bring some of the books with her, it would immediately give away what she was doing to the brothers. Besides, Yui absolutely adored the new amounts of alone time she was getting. And, as a bonus, she gained more of a resistance to dirt and bugs, due to sneaking outside so much, and being completely willing to dodge the vampires by any means possible, even if it meant crawling through the mud and jumping into bushes. But of course, all good things must come to an end. . . And on one rainy night, when in her normal study nook, she gets confronted by Reiji, who had followed her all the way to the library

The interaction goes as the following:

*Reiji places a hand on Yui from behind, startling her*

Reiji: I should've known something was off. . .

Yui: Reiji-san! I-

Reiji: Now, explain to me, why exactly have you been leaving the manor?

Yui: H-how did you?!-

Reiji: Let's just say it was a hunch, and. . .

*Reiji trails off and pulls out one of the tape recorders from his jacket*

Reiji: Judging by how many of these you've been leaving around, it was likely you've been doing this often. . . Now, if you could be so kind as to give me an answer. . .

*Reiji starts to get more irritated*

*Yui, although scared, tries to stay calm and makes up an excuse*

Yui: Well Reiji-san, you see-

*Reiji cuts her off, noticing the several open books she left carelessly*

Reiji: What exactly have you been studying here anyway?

*He instead focuses on the area surrounding them, picking up one of the books*

*Yui tries to stop him, but fails*

Yui: Uh!- Reiji-san! You don't have to do that!! Please give it back!

*After reading a few sentences, he fixes his glasses and sighs, assumingly unimpressed*

Reiji: Witches. . ? Do you really believe in such fairytales. . ?

*He looks down at a now scared Yui*

Reiji: Stories of women possessing magical powers aided by the devil, and using said powers for either malicious purposes or to help others in need. . . Just more folklore and nonsense created by mortals. . .

*Reiji shuts the book with one hand*

Normally, this would be chalked up to his constant need to judge and him wanting to play the role as the "smart one," but there was something about his body language that didn't match his tone nor what he was saying. Yui managed to notice small things, like how his eyes widened before he fixed his glasses, or how he pushed the book closer to his face, as if wanting a better look, it was almost like he was surprised she was reading about this stuff. . . And when she attempted to confront him on it, he quickly got defensive, even going as far as to grab her hand, scolding her to never question his authority, but decides he wasn't going to hurt her, saying that he didn't feel like punishing her. So, with that, the two leave, Reiji pulling Yui by the hand, all the way back to the mansion, to which a bunch of "happy vampires" were waiting for her

Despite their negative and overall cruel comments, once Yui went back to her room, she couldn't fall asleep, especially with all the information she'd gathered. She formed somewhat of a theory board in her head, taking what she knew and trying to figure out what it all meant. The books, Shu's comment, Reiji's body language, everything was or could be important. Yet out of all that was being sorted in her mind, what she found most jarring was the fact a witch was the only being strong enough to take down a vampire. She laid in bed, eyes open and unmoving for hours, till finally the morning light sent her back into reality. Once she got up, she was, as expected, very tired, clearly noticeable by her dreary eyes and messy hair, and when she made her way to the dining room, Laito humorously remarked how she "looked like she just rolled out of bed"

At the dining room table, Ayato and Subaru were talking about a popular theme park that's near their area, but all eyes are shifted to Yui once she sat down. Laito's perverted comments of how he much preferred her half-asleep state as he played with her hair without consent; Kanto's attempts of gaslighting her, saying she wouldn't be so tired if she'd just stayed put like she was supposed to; even Reiji telling them to stop; it was all routine to her at that point. After he scolds two of the brothers, he's quick to scold Yui next, telling her to fix her behavior because they had a big day planned. What was their plan? Well, the Mukami brothers had gotten tickets to the theme park Ayato and Subaru were just talking about and invited them all to go with. Of course, this got the respected amounts of excited and nonchalant reactions, but not everyone was too happy. . .

Subaru, although excited for the trip, was extremely hesitant to bring Yui along with them, given her sneaking out so much, questioning the others if she really deserved to go. And taking the opportunity for more alone time and possibly the chance to go back to the library, she accepted her punishment, telling the brothers that she deserves it. To which Reiji is quick to stop her, asking what kind of fools she mistaken them for. It was obvious that if they left, Yui would just try that little stunt again. She was going, whether she wanted to or not. . .

Fast forward to when they actually got to the theme park. The gang meets up with the Mukami brothers, who were more than happy to see Yui again. . .

*Kou yells out to the group*

Kou: There you are!

*They all turn around, seeing the Mukami brothers walking towards them*

*Azusa runs ahead, like an over excited puppy*

Azusa: Eve!

*He proceeds to run up and hug Yui, making the other vamps a bit defensive, but that drops once the other three show up*

*Laito giggles a bit*

Laito: Well Little B*tch, looks like someone's happy to see you!~

Ruki: Nice seeing you all again! Glad you've made it

Subaru: *Uh* *Duh!* This is the most popular theme park in town right now! Why wouldn't we show up?!

*Reiji fixes his glasses, unfazed*

Reiji: It'd be rude to turn down an invitation. . . And if I may ask, why did you want to meet us here in the first place?

*Reiji takes the matter way more seriously than it had to be*

*Ruki laughs a bit*

Ruki: This is merely just for some rest and relaxation is all! We hardly spend any time together and we thought this would be the best way to do so. . . And besides. . .

*Ruki trails off, looking over to Azusa, still very much latched onto Yui*

Ruki: It's nice to see Azusa so happy. . .

Reiji: . . .Is that so?

*Yuma chimes in*

Yuma: Yeah, on the ride here, all he could talk about was that little piggy. I don't think I'd ever seen him run that fast. . .

*Meanwhile, Azusa was still very much hugging Yui, the triplets watching in slight amusement*

*Yui was too tired to attempt to pull him off herself*

Azusa: I missed you. . . so much Eve. . .

*He hugs her a bit tighter*

Azusa: Did you. . . miss me too. . ?

*Yui tries to choke out a response, despite having the air squeezed out of her*

Yui: I-I missed you too- Azusa-kun. . .

Kou: Alright Azusa, let her go or she'll pop!

*Kou pulls Azusa off her, Yui immediately taking a breath after*

Kou: I'm sure she's happy to see all of us! Aren't you little Maso-kitty?~

Yui: Oh! *Um-* yes, of course. . .

From early on in their interaction, it's safe to say that Reiji was still a bit iffy about the Mukami brothers, even if they formed their little alliance almost years ago; and the fact that Ruki paid for everything. Aside from that, the Mukami brothers planned the trip cause they were generally interested in the main vamps and wanted to get to know them more. It seemed like everyone was excited for this trip. . . well, "almost" everyone. . .

As part of her punishment, Yui would be paired with the triplets, as well as Kou and Azusa, entirely going on the rides and attractions that they wanted to go on; which were all, unironically, mostly horror based. And sure, there were some rides and sites she enjoyed, but that didn't distract from the fact that the whole time, the vampires were watching her like hawks, further reminding her how trapped she was. Want to know what was so interesting? This behavior doesn't go unnoticed! Whilst Azusa was holding Yui's hand, guiding the group to the ride he wanted to go on next, she thought she heard whispers. . . Whispers from girls amongst the crowd! At first, she tried to ignore them, thinking they were merely voices in her head as a result of not sleeping. But as they continued, the more apparent they got. . .

"Is that who I think it is?!-"

"No way, it's her. . !"

"Look at the guys she's with. . ."

"They look scary. . ! Like serial killers. . ."

"Could you imagine what she has to go through. . ? Poor girl. . . "

"Honestly, if I were her, I'd probably drive my car over a cliff, it'd be better than what she probably has to go through. . ."

"Don't say that! She's been with them for years, who knows how bad her situation is. . !"

Left and right, the whispers didn't seem to stop. Although it being very obvious just who they were talking about, Yui didn't seem to believe it, and heck, a part of her didn't want to. . . She'd lived with the vampires for so long, and for just as long, people just didn't seem to care. . . Not enough to get her out of that situation nor enough to help her. And by that point, she'd already seemed to accept that. . . in till she got a look at the crowd herself, finally seeing the tens of hundreds of eyes on her. These girls were talking about her and her alone! And honestly, why wouldn't they?!

Through their eyes, Yui was basically being dragged to these different locations, with her head down and a visibly sad look on her face, her dreary eyes only doubling it; she looked, acted, and was miserable. Back to Yui, to say she was surprised would've been an understatement, but not before long, Kanto gets in front of her, blocking her view of the crowd and demanding attention. This would continue throughout their visit, Yui would hear whispering and once she'd turn her head, one of the vampires would be in front of her. And as this pattern continued, it became very obvious to her of what they were doing. . . They were clearly trying to distract her, block her from the truth in some way. By all means, she could've confronted them, but by that point it was already too late. . . She was much too tired to fight back, and even if she did, she'd doubt that her attempts at rebelling wouldn't last long. . . After all, she was only human. . .

Continuing on their trip, just when the sun was starting to set, the vampires decided that it was probably time to meet back up with the others, but not before making a quick pit-stop at the nearest restrooms. As the guys took their time doing their business, Yui, waiting outside, catches something moving in the corner of her eye. . . a small, white, flying something, if you will. . .

Just flying above her, was that familiar dove. . ! She couldn't believe it. . ! Ever since her hyper fixation on witches, she'd never had time to be around the little creature, she even doubted if it would even come back anymore after she learned the truth; but there it was, flying circles above her! It whistled and cooed, as if to tell her something, before darting off in another direction, like it wanted for her to follow. Suddenly all the energy she lost a day before, came flooding back into her body, and with little time she had to think, she sprinted in that same direction, not looking back, and chasing the dove. Now, for as ridiculous as this sounds, it was actually due to a much bigger flaw in the boys' plan. Originally, they were going to work in shifts, one person was going to watch Yui whilst everyone else did their business, and the one thing they never thermally talked about was who was gonna watch her first, nor did they estimate just how long they would each take, so they were all treated to the pleasant surprise of seeing each other in the restroom, with none of them watching Yui

*Azusa and Kou leave their restroom stalls at the same time*

*Kou sighs*

Kou: *Sigh* What a great day! Think it's time we head back now, don't wanna keep our little Maso-kitty waiting!

*Azusa nods his head*

Azusa: Agreed. . .

*Just when they were about to leave, they see Kanto washing his hands at one of the sinks, shocking Kou*

Kou: What the- Kanto?!

*He doesn't notice them at first, already looking down at the sink, but once he hears his name, he peers at the restroom mirror, seeing the two there and turning around, just as surprised as they were*

*Kou gets angry at Kanto because he, to him, was supposed to be watching Yui*

Kou: What the hell man?! I thought you were watching Yui!!

*Kanto, having no idea what he was talking about, gets irritated as a response*

Kanto: What-? No! I never said that!!

Kou: Dude didn't you listen?!, we all talked and agreed you would do it first!!

Kanto: Oh please, we'd never agreed to that!! And besides. . .

*Kanto turned to, and staired death-daggers at Azusa, who was still very much confused*

Kanto: Last time I checked. . . We'd agreed to let Azusa be the first to watch her. . .

*Kou is quick to defend him, blocking the two from each other*

Kou: Hey man! leave him alone!! He has nothing to do with this!

Azusa: I. . . was supposed to be watching Eve. . ?

*He tilts his head*

Azusa: But. . . I thought. . . Ayato was doing that. . .

*Just then, Laito and Ayato walk out from the nearby urinals to meet up with the rest of the group*

Laito: Well gentlemen, shall we goin-?

*Seeing Kou there, the two are shocked, since they believed that Kou would be the first to watch Yui*

Laito: Kou? What on earth are you doing here?!

Ayato: Yeah man, what the hell?! You're supposed to be watching Yui!!

Kou: Dude no!! That's not what we talked about!!

*Azusa puts two and two together, quicker than everyone else*

Azusa: So. . . if we're all here. . . then who's watching Eve. . ?

*That realization hits the rest of the group like a truck*

Ayato: Oh sh*t! PANCAKE!!

But just when they sprinted out of those restrooms, Yui was nowhere to be seen. . . Oh crap. . .

"Well why can't they just teleport to her?!?!" Is what you're probably asking, and the simple answer is that they can't anymore. That's right, we're getting rid of their whole teleporting ability! They got away with it for too long, it's dumb, it's stupid, you're welcome-

Moving on, of course the vampires go full "manhunt mode" trying to find her, assuming that because she was so tired and the fact that she wasn't a great runner, she couldn't had gotten far, right? Well, unsurprisingly, the exact opposite happened. Yui manages to make her way to the other side of the park, somehow avoiding the other five in the process, still very much on the trail of the dove. Speaking of which, the little dove flew and flew while Yui just followed and followed, eventually leading her all the way to a run-down funhouse, far away from all the other attractions. It flies into the building through one of the only open windows, to which she's quick to follow suit, although rather scared and questioning whether or not the place would even be open, Yui is proven wrong once she placed her hands on the door, allowing it to creak open. . . no turning back now. . .

Seeing the building from the outside, it led her to question to what it was exactly it closed down for, because despite how old the building probably is, it still looked fairly decent. Entering and exploring however, she very much understood as to why, each corner and crevice of the building were covered in not just black mold but were riddled with the bite marks of rats and other creatures. As grossed out as she was, Yui kept moving, using what little sun was left peering through the windows as her source of light.

She needed to find the dove, she had to! Cause in her mind, maybe just maybe, it would help her learn the truth. . . did a witch really try to talk to her. . . and after several minutes of searching, she finally found it. Inside an open room, with its walls coated in mirrors, was the little dove, sitting right in the center of the room, waiting for her, helpfully illuminated by the last few seconds of golden hour. Yui was overjoyed, and ran toward the creature immediately, going on to tell it how happy she was to see it. After so much waiting, she'd finally would get some form of closure! But their little reunion doesn't last long. . . Just moments after Yui enters the room, the once completely open-door slams shut, startling the both of them and causing the dove to fly into Yui's arms. Both were, respectfully, confused by this, considering they were the only two who'd entered the building to begin with

Turns out, other girls weren't the only ones sneaking glances at her. . . Men stared too, but rather than viewing her as a victim, they saw her as a price tag. . . This one group in particular knew the vampires were overprotective of Yui and would go through extreme lengths to keep her in their mits, thus, the kidnapping. And given the brothers are rich, we all can probably tell what will happen. Out from the shadows, the group of men revealed themselves one by one; to make matters worse, Yui could recognize so little about their faces before she started backing away in fear. That only continued when they started talking, and by the first sentences she already knew exactly what their plan was. . .

She hoped the little creature in her arms would help her, but it was just as scared as Yui, beginning to quiver in her arms, even it knew they couldn't handle these guys alone. . .

Now with the two surrounded, this seems like the end. . .

But strap in everyone, this is where things get good!

Remember the mirror-covered walls? Well, one of the men notices and points out something disturbing about their reflections. The images presented, instead of showing the regular facial features, it showed the men with black holes for eyes, as well as large, drooling a gap smiles, it looked like a kid scribbled over the mirror with a black marker. And before anyone could know what was going on, something just as terrifying is displayed, the images begin to distort and move in ways unlike any funhouse mirror can. What were supposed to be faces began laughing, their arms increased in length, and parts of their flesh were fused together, almost like something stripped out of a horror movie. Using their elongated arms, they stretch themselves out of the mirror, each reflection grabbing their respected creator and pulling them to their fates. Yui watches in speechless awe as the men scream and struggle for freedom, but are left helpless in the hands of the mirrors. . .

Sooo. . . They're dead. . .

Pretty much every moment of that scene was jarring, but what made it even more jarring were their reactions. Yui, rather than going into instant terror or fear, is left in a state of shock, maybe she was still processing what happened, perhaps she thought the encounter wasn't as terrifying as having bloodthirsty vampires at her neck; but one thing's for sure, she'd never seen something like that before. As for the little dove, its reaction was the polar opposite, it cooed in cheer and glee as it flew from Yui's arms and onto her head, snapping her back into reality. She attempted to calm the creature down and figure out what was making it act like that, but to no avail; till, from out of the blue, a feminine voice began to speak to both of them, echoing within the room and only increasing the little creature's excitement

"Good work Apollo! You've got her!"

Somewhat startled by the sudden talking, Yui violently turns herself around to find the source, causing the bird on her head to fly off and onto her shoulder, still just as happy for some reason. When she asked who said that, the dove finally directs her to the very front of the room, there, the final unused mirror stands. But instead of showing anything that merely resembled her reflection, it showed something entirely different. Like some kind of magic, bright, colorful blobs of light began to shine from the mirror, turning her confused shock to amazed awe. Gears in her mind began winding as a curious gleam gets into Yui's eyes, she walks forward, still ever so curious

The feeling she got was almost magnetic, continuing to creep forward it were like time itself stopped just for her, and by then, she'd already long forgotten about the vampires hunting her down, truly during these moments. . . nothing mattered other than to reach the mirror. . . Only when Yui reached the middle of the room, is when she abruptly stopped. Thankfully, her sudden stop made her come back to her senses for a little bit, so although still curious, she couldn't understand why. . . she wanted to keep moving but her body kept telling her not to

Obviously, this starts a small argument between her mind and gut, both fighting for control as Yui stood there helplessly, rightfully confused the bird on her shoulder.

"Cmon, cmon!- We're so close, keep moving!"

"No, no, something is bound to happen! We should stay put just in case. . !"

But as the two sides continued to bicker back and forth, the still yet radiance mirror began to move, vibrating violently, bringing the internal argument to screeching halt; and Yui immediately understood why she stopped. Suddenly, a white aura glowed from the mirror edges, the rapid shaking causing cracks to form on its surface, and once more, that feminine voice speaks to her once more

"Awh, having trouble deciding to keep walking, are we?~"

"It's honestly understandable, I mean if I saw a glowing, shaking, mirror, I'd walk towards it too right? *Hah!*"

"Oh! Another thing, terribly sorry for what happened earlier. Me and Apollo expected you, but, weren't expecting the guests. . ."

*Even more cracks form on the mirror*

"*Sigh* supposed I kept you waiting for long enough, don't you think. . ?"

"You've worked so hard and gone through some much. . ."

*The mirror becomes almost entirely broken*

"I'd say it's time we finally met: face to face!"

And with that, the mirror finally shatters, nearly making Yui fall back in fear, covering her face and the dove with her arms as to not be injected with the shards of glass that were flying across the room, yet only exciting her bird friend. Once she thought the coast was clear, Yui hesitantly pulled down her arms to see what was in front of her, then she saw what she thought to be unexplainable. The mirror was shattered, but the colors underneath still remained, creating this luminous, unworldly, entrance. . . like a portal to another dimension

Gaining back her footing, Yui was, respectfully, tooken back by the sudden jump-scare of broken glass and surprised by the vortex in front of her, but the little creature didn't seem to mind, fluttering off her shoulder and atop the strange gateway, yet by then, she'd already put the pieces together and knew exactly who was about to walk through that door. Like clockwork, a faint silhouette formed in front of the entrance and began pulling itself out of the reflection. This was it. . . The moment she'd been waiting for. . . The witch that's been trying contact Yui, the witch that sent their familiar to her at a time of need, they were finally going to meet. . . And honestly, Yui was whole mess of emotions at that point, scared was one thing for sure, but a sudden wave of joy and determination as well. Finally, she would get the answers that she so desperately wanted, and nothing was going to stop her, not even bloodthirsty vampires. . .

Stepping out into the real world, the figure fairly resembled a human, with a short structure and a thin hourglass figure, perfectly matching their voice. They lightly dusted off their shoulders as the dove cooed in joy and fluttered onto one of them

"*Sigh* Not one of my greatest entrances, but it'll do. . ."

They turn to a, very much in awe, Yui, and begin to walk toward her, amused by her reaction and the look on her face. Slowly but surely, their figure changes, becoming more human and revealing their true form. They've shown to be someone roughly Yui's age, brunette hair with bleached tips and the richest of hazel eyes; wearing 70s attire, a red beret, red-painted lips and an amused yet sweet smile. Now in front of her, there were so many things Yui wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but due to experiencing so many emotions at once, it awkwardly came out in one sentence

"Y-you're. . . you're-"

"What? A beauty? A muse? *Gasp* Your savior?!"

"Y-You're the witch. . !"

". . ."

"*Eh* I get that a lot. . ."

"Niji Shikisou, The Painter Witch, at your service~"

"Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Eve. . ."

As they did a little curtsy to introduce themself, new questions as well as old remaining ones were swarming Yui's head, and they were very aware of this, and although they wanted to clear things up to make things easier, what Yui didn't know was that time was running thin. Just before Yui could say anything else, they quickly cut her off, telling her they understand how confused she must be, reinsuring her that she will get the answers soon as long as she was patient and if she trusted them, offering their hand. And like the Painter Witch said, she'd come so far. . ! After outwitting the vampires and commending to their torment for years, she deserved to know the truth. . ! So, Yui, wanting the truth more than anything, takes Niji's hand, accepting their offer, which pleased them that she was so willing to cooperate

But everything can't be too easy, they're quick to direct the group's attention to the ground, where most of the largest shattered glass shards laid. Forcing herself and Yui to crouch down and look at the shards, Niji uses that same spell to alter the current reflections, to show what exactly was happening concurrently. Just like before, it instead revealed the actions and faces of all ten vampires. . . and they looked angry! Turns out while searching for Yui, the triplets, Kou and Azusa rejoined with the rest of the group, and were getting close to their half of the theme park. Of course, Yui was absolutely terrified by this; now if this were one-off thing, the brothers would probably find a "creative" way to punish her, likely a whipping or taking turns drawing her blood, but remember, she'd done this multiple times to this point forward. . .

So, case in point, if they find her now, they'd rip her to shreds, or worse! But before Yui could properly panic, Niji calms her down, reinsuring her that she has nothing to worry about with them around. Very much unintentionally reminding her of a very important fact, witches are stronger than vampires. They go on to say that they've already had a plan to deal with the vamps, and they were gonna need mirrors, a lot more mirrors! Despite having even more questions, from that point forward, Yui had never trusted another person more in entire life, there was no time to chat. Grabbing onto her, Niji forced the two of them back up again, saying they had no more time to waste. With that, pulling Yui by the hand, they sprint toward the shatter doorway, forcing the whole group inside! All the while, Yui fully trusted her, despite having no idea what her plan was. . .

~Meanwhile~

Both Sakamaki and Mukami brothers were still searching for Yui, the sun was now completely out of the sky and all the lights in the park were coming on. Once the group rejoined, the rest of the main vamps, Yuma and Ruki were all rightfully angered by them losing Yui, causing the group to argue a bit, only stopping once Reiji breaks them up and reminds them of the task at hand, putting an end to their fight for the time being. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they scout a majority of the theme park for their prey, and looking at their plan on paper, it was pretty uncoordinated, cause despite working together for half the search, they could only cover so much ground at a time, making their attempts to find Yui even more difficult than if they just split up into groups of two. Making matters worse, they weren't the quietest nor the sneakiest either. . . Yuma and Subaru, so angry about her sudden disappearance, caused massive amounts of damage to the park itself, to which they were narrowly caught by park staff

This was entirely Reiji's idea, due to still not trusting the Mukami brothers, and finding the plan as a way to not only find Yui, but also to keep a close eye on them in case they tried running off with her again, despite how time consuming it would be. At that rate, the vampires kept searching and searching as it got later and later into the night, eventually making their way to the other side of the park, where all the old and unpopular attractions were. Irritated, Kou climbs up an old signal tower to get a better look at their surrounding area, the view he got wasn't the best, the tower he climbed was a bit smaller than what he expected and the night sky away from any source of light wasn't helping either, but he made do with what he had. When yelled at from the ground, asking for what he saw, he did a slow 360° with his body, scoping out the land. He yelled out the repeated phrase "nothing" as he went full circle, at first he didn't see much, just rundown buildings, the night sky, nothing too special. It's only when he got about halfway around, he saw something truly unexpected. . .

"W-W-Wait. . ? What are those sparkly star things. . ?"

"A-Are those particles?!"

From out in the distance, Kou saw bright yellow, glowing particles, radiating from one specific area. Bewildering him, cause aren't all the attractions were supposed to be closed? And what made more suspicious, were that the particles were coming from one specific area and nowhere else. . . Once Kou came down and reported what he saw, they were just as confused as he was, and despite how big of a red flag that is, the guys were running thin on options on actually finding Yui, so they headed there without another thought, desperate to reach her again, and once they did, it was nothing like they've ever seen before. In front of them was the most saturated building the group had ever come across, covered in every hue of the rainbow, the building itself looked like something straight from Las Vegas, like one of those fancy and over-the-top casinos, and at its entrance were flickering, neon-glowing signs reading things like:

"Alastor's Wine: Best Served Cold Finale!!"

"One Night Only!!"

"Don't Miss It!!!"

Alongside a sign of an amorphized dove. All radiating, you guessed it, the glowing particles Kou saw earlier. Internal alarms were blaring in their heads as everything about that place practically screamed "trap!" But at that point, they were already getting desperate, a majority of them were tired from the searching and wanted to get things over with. So slowly, they crept up to the building's entrance, watching each other's backs in case something happened. Pulling Ayato in front, the rest of the group decided to send him inside first, and annoyed but still wanting to keep his pride, he grudgingly agreed. Right away, and like Kou, he notices the unexplainable, how despite the building being so unyieldingly bright, there were no signs of any lights, no stage lights, no electrical cords, nothing; so either they used really powerful technology, or this was the building's natural colors. . !

The groups kept moving despite, and luckily for Ayato, the building had no doors, which made taking a look inside a tinier, all be it being ten times saturated on the inside than on the outside. With everyone in front of the door, they all got a look inside, it seemed safe enough, neither of them still weren't too sure. . . what if the gateway is rigged with traps? Sheepishly, Laito suggests that Ayato should go first, since he made this far taking the lead, to which he immediately regrets, because he knew a rattrap when he saw one. . . It went on back and forth between the guys, everyone pointing fingers of who'd be willing to sacrifice themselves of entering the strange building, eventually sparking yet another argument between the vampire, but this time, Reiji is even quicker to end it. . ! He breaks up the fight in half, loudly scolding them that their bickering wouldn't get them anywhere closer in retrieving Yui, and how he was gonna get everyone inside? He thought of that too. . .

Turning to Ayato, he asked for one of his shoes, and although confused, he reluctantly does give him one. Reiji goes on to explain that he's going to throw it into the building, and if nothing happened to it, that meant that the room was trap-free and it was safe to enter, earning a collective "ooohhh!-" from the rest of the group; there were many times where Reiji truly felt like the "smart one," this was one of those times. . . Anyways, with the object in hand, he throws it into the building, already thinking that this plan is was just a waste of time as is. Yet, instead of the shoe just getting a long distance in the air before hitting the floor, because, well, gravity. . . The object, immediately upon entering the building, completely changes. Its appearance alters, lightening in color and matching the building's insides, which takes the entire group by surprise. That's when Reiji finally notices just how different the insides of the building were from the outside

Cause while everything outside looks sturdy, simple and well, normal, the inside of that building looked almost "hand-drawn", it looked more smoother, rounded, like something straight from a classic Disney film. But just before Reiji or Ayato could question anything further, Laito, obviously thinking that it dragged on for quite long enough, just pushes them in without warning. Uncalled for sure, but exactly what the group needed. . .

"Laito, what the hell?! What was that fo-?! Wah-wait a sec. . ."

Similarly to the shoe, both Reiji and Ayato's appearances change just like that. Becoming more detailed in their physicals, again, like it was straight from a classic Disney film. Of course, everyone had their questions, Ayato even asks if they'd all took something earlier. But no time to think about that! They have a Yui to catch! They had to keep going, so with the unintentional greenlight, everyone else entered the building, a few of them marveling in their new looks, and quickly began their search. . . They fell for it

With that, we finally learn about Niji's plan, and unsurprisingly, it involves using Yui as bait, but not in the way some think. Niji, as holder of the Painter Witch title, was no stranger to creating vivid illusions that mess all sorts of minds, so they knew immediately what they wanted to do. Using their magic, they transform the building, turning it from a crusty run-down attraction to a marveling casino within seconds. But, as fate would have it, they knew the vampires weren't going to fall for such a trick, so that's where Yui comes in! Niji could change the casino all she wanted, yet there were still some things she couldn't, more importantly being, Yui's scent, which was behind by her earlier. . .

Exploring inside, every room had the typical over-exaggerated casino vibe, blinky lights, colorful machines, any bell and whistle you could think of was there, but of course, that's not what the vampires are here for. They immediately recognized Yui's scent from the hallways she'd traveled in before, and reverted back to their instincts, scouting each and every room in search of their prey, all now irritated and dead set on finding Yui. Till finally, all 10 of them, after tracking down her smell at its strongest, led them to grand and alluring doors, jackpot. . !

Yui's scent was now stronger than ever, and they were ravenous, like they've haven't eaten in years. Both Yuma and Subaru swing the doors open with full force, allowing everyone to run inside without a second thought. The room inside completely matched the door that guarded it, the place was almost entirely covered in large round tables, all draped in simple white cloths, looking to be a sort of preforming area, at half of the room was a massive stage, weirdly shaped and leveled by stairs going up, covered in even more bright colors and blinky lights, but the strangest thing about it were the mirrors littered all across its walls, including one giant mirror in the center, only lit with dim lighting. Yes, something was especially off here, red flags were all over the place. The group didn't let their guards down for a second, checking their surroundings and watching each other's backs. Their eyes were glued to the stage, waiting for something to just pop out, and eventually something did. . .

"Finally, you all showed up! I was starting to get bored!~"

*Niji's voice echoed within the room, practically jump-scaring the vampires and throwing them into defense. Looking all around to find the source of her voice*

"Do you know how easy you're making this for me? I could've made my get away at any moment, but *sigh* I knew. . ." "I knew that little pests like you were much too persistent. . ."

*The group gets slightly irritated, noticing that the voice was feminine*

Yuma: Who the hell are you?!

"Who I am is none of your business nor of your concern thank you. . ." "Not like it'd be much use to you anyway. . ."

*She only fuels the flame as most of the group got angrier, how dare this woman talk so condescendingly to them. . !* *Quickly realizing she was the one responsible for Yui's disappearance*

Ayato: Alright, quit the horsesh*t, where's Yui?! We know you have her!!

"*Hmm?* I have not the slightest idea what you're talking about"

*Before Ayato could bark back, Kou places a hand on his shoulder, giving a nod while smiling as he stepped in front of him*

Kou: Look lady, there must be some misunderstanding here. Our little Maso-kitty happens to be our property, so if you could just hand her over-

"Oh! You're talking about Ms. Eve! *Haha!*" "Yes, she's safe and sound with me and I plan to keep it that way. . !"

*At that point, their patience was already growing thin, like ravenous dogs ready to snap. Subaru shoves his way to the front*

Subaru: *Ugh* You piece of sh*t!! GIVE US THE MORTAL OR ELSE!!

*Suddenly, the giant mirror at the center of the stage begins to glow, the same as before but brighter than ever* *The group shields their eyes*

"Oh temper, temper!~ What got you so worked up?" "Are you upset I have your little toy?~" "Well too bad! You weren't putting her to good use anyway. . !"

*Cracks begin forming on the mirror* *Most of the group peak to see what was happening*

"Yet to come this far. . ! It gets harder and harder to tell whether or not you actually care about her. . !" "*Sigh* suppose there's one way to find out. . ."

*Finally, the mirror shatters, sending glass all over the place and causing the group to fully cover their faces* *Once it sounded like the coast was clear, they all slowly put down their arms*

*All eyes towards the now broken mirror, Niji steps out of the carnage as once unnoticed spotlights shine onto her, revealing her form and sickly-sweet grin* *Revealing her true form, the vampires were a mix of shocked, confused, and angry. Subaru, so angered, immediately began running up to the stage, all the while Reiji immediately realized something sinister about her*

Subaru: Why you!!-

Reiji: Subaru, wait!!

Just before he could even land a finger on her, she swiftly dodges the attack, shocking him, and delivers a colorful blow, causing him to go flying into one of the mirrors on the side. She then proceeds to turn to the, now horrified, vampires, shocked that she managed to take down Subaru so easily, and finally realizing who exactly they were up against. From her back, Niji proceeds to pull out a paintbrush, holding it in both hands before it magically increased in size, letting it go and allowing it to levitate in the air like it was nothing. It floated above her as it began to spin violently, the bristles extracting a colorful paint-like substance as the wind around them became sudden and almost violent. Niji begins cracking her knuckles

"You all do love Ms. Eve, don't you?~" "So, why don't you all stand up and fight me for her?!"

And it was at this moment, they knew. . . they f*cked up. . .

With a blur, Niji gave all ten vampires the most colorful beat-down ever. . ! Seriously, paint was everywhere! And unlike Niji who has magical powers, the vampires didn't have weapons, only having the cloth-drawn tables as ways to block their attacks and as projectiles, which she'd merely blast. But regardless, it didn't matter what they did or what they threw at her, cause Niji would just hit them even harder, it was hopeless. . ! All the while, she would continuously tease them, asking why aren't they using "their powers?" And in all the commotion, you had to wonder, where was Yui in this? Keeping this part brief because of time

Well, Yui alongside Apollo, was climbing up to the roof of the building. As a part of Niji's plan, once the vampires were defeated, Niji would fly the two away, allowing Yui to leave the vampires' grasp entirely. Obviously, Yui was hesitant but wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that, so she ran to the rooftop as fast as she could. But before Yui could make it, she gets confronted by a paint-covered Azusa, who saw her heading upstairs and tried to beat her to it, He made one final attempt to convince her to stay with them, saying how things wouldn't the same without her, only to be cut off by Niji, pressing the back of enlarged against his own, threating him not to say another word, forcing him to back off. They proceed sprinted pass him and toward Yui, grabbing her hand once more and guiding her directly to the rooftop

Every moment, Niji just seemed to surprise her more and more, whilst also confusing her at the same time. Why did she do so much for her? For what reason was she being picked out? What did it have to do with being "Eve?" How did they even know she was "Eve?" Yet despite all the questions, a part of her felt. . . relieved, like years-worth of chains were magically being lifted from her body, this was her chance of escape, and she took it without another thought. Arriving on the rooftop, as Niji prepares their paint brush for their escape, Yui grabs ahold of their wrist with both hands, and just thanks them. For, well, everything, for giving her a friend, for saving her from those creepy men, everything, small tears welled up in her eyes as Niji turns and smiles at her, saying it wasn't a problem, before instantly scooping her up, and onto the magical brush

Both of them on basically a broomstick and with Apollo on Niji's shoulder, the two take to the skies, Yui held on for dear life while Niji was as calm as ever. Just before they'd could fully leave, the vampires showed up just at the nick of time, all injured and covered in paint and bruises, already angered but unable to reach them due to them being very much flightless, they were unsurprising powerless, and Niji takes the chance to gloat a bit while they were still in the air

*They giggle*

"Awh~, what's wrong? can't make it up here?~" "You know, if you want her so bad, why don't you just fly up and get her?~" "I've always wanted to see a vampire turn into a bat. . ."

*The bloodthirsty vampires were beyond angry and ready to snap, but from below, they looked like angered little dogs*

Ayato: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH?! WE'LL RIP YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!!

*Reiji started to bark back as well, his now extremely cracked glasses almost completely fell off his face*

Reiji: IF SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAD ANY BRAIN, YOU'D STOP TREATING THIS AS SOME GAME!! HAND OVER THE MORTAL!!

*Despite the tears rolling down his face and the obvious redness, Azusa tried to stand his ground and act tough*

Azusa: You. . . you big bully. . ! L-let go of Eve, LET GO OF OUR EVE RIGHT NOW!

*Yui's eyes were closed out of fear during the yelling, she wasn't used to being so high up. But just by their voices, she was surprised, she'd never heard them this angry before. . .* *Niji just looks down at them, unimpressed but amused, before laughing*

"Oh no~ I'm so scared!-*hahahah!*" "I knew you would all get mad, but I didn't expect you to be this hotheaded- Oh!- That reminds me!"

*They snap their fingers as warm-colored particles release from their fingertips*

"I left a little surprise for you, think of it as a parting gift!" "Just be careful going downstairs, ok?"

*Within seconds, the brush began to lift higher into the air, Yui holding on all the tighter as she felt it shift*

"Well gentlemen, I think it's time we'd depart. . ." "Terribly sorry it has to end like this, but don't worry. . . We'll take good care of her. . ." "Bhyeeee~!"

And just like that, they were gone. . . The vampires watching speechless, in horror, as the witch shot up into the sky and disappeared, Yui only catches glances of their faces as she, Niji and Apollo flew off. . .

. . .

You still here? Good. . .

As you can probably tell, this's one of my longer posts, and I'm not too confident not many people let alone anyone will read it, but I had a lot of fun writing it so, screw it I guess

Big apology for taking so long, I thought it was going to be easy but man, did it take me longer than I expected, to a point I had to write some parts in school TwT Overall, I did this project for fun, as well as trying to bring in more darker and mature elements to my writing. Despite how time-consuming it was and how trashy the actual anime was, I genuinely enjoyed putting my personal spin on this show and giving it the rewrite it deserves. I'm not entirely sure if or when I'll bring this back, maybe if it gets popular enough-

How I actually found this series is still beyond me though. It really felt like I just looked at the show and went, "yeah, I can fix him. . ."

Anyway, be on the lookout for my other projects And as always, stay tuned^^

#diabolik lovers #diabolik oc #diabolik lovers au #sakamaki brothers #mukami brothers #dlabolik lovers ayato #diabolik lovers reiji #diabolik lovers laito #diabolik lovers kanato #diabolik lovers subaru #diabolik lovers shu #diabolik lovers kou #diabolik lovers azusa #diabolik lovers yuma #diabolik lovers ruki #AAAAH THE TAGS!!!-

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iliveiloveiwrite · 2 years ago

Text

Here // R.B.

Request: can you do something for Robin from Prompt List 2, with prompt 2 and 21? x - anon

A/N: My first Robin fic! I hope it’s okay, I'm pretty nervous about posting this one. It goes without saying this is a female reader. This is set after the events of season 3 bc I’m trying to keep spoilers to a minimum.

Warnings: female reader, nightmares, anxiety attack, established relationship

Word count: 0.9k

Robin was struggling. It was subtle at first; complaints about not sleeping or sleeping poorly, shaking hands that were hidden under tables or napkins or blankets. But as time progressed, you could see the extent to which Robin was struggling. She had never opened up about the cause, but you knew that she had been caught up in their trouble at Starcourt Mall. And that trouble had left its mark on her. The extent to which, you had no real idea.

—————————————————

It’s the rough movements of the bed that start to wake you; the way the blankets pull taut before relaxing again, only to stiffen a moment later. You can feel the thrashing of Robin’s body; her limbs kicking out wildly, knocking into you more than once. You wait a moment; waiting to see whether Robin would settle back down into her dream or whether she would crawl her way out of it as she had done multiple times in the past few weeks.

“Robin,” You murmur, voice rough with sleep. “Robin, my love, I need you to wake up.”

The words have no effect on her. She doesn’t hear them; she doesn’t recognise them. She’s so far gone into her nightmare that the only person that could bring her back was herself. Pulling yourself up, you bring your knees to your chest, giving Robin all the space she needs to thrash around the bed.

“No!” Robin screams, sitting straight in bed. The word is hoarse in her mouth; how long had she been screaming? She rubs a hand across her forehead, wiping away the sweet that had gathered there. She hadn’t dreamt of that night in a long time; her nightmares tended to revolve around the Russian interrogation and finding Steve injured. To dream of the mind flayer, watching Billy Hargrove die right before her eyes and the pained screams of Max Mayfield.

“Robin?”

No answer. Robin sits beside you, her hands trembling as she tries to catch her breath from the impending anxiety attack. Immediately awake, you sit to attention, gathering Robin in your arms and holding her tightly. “Don’t worry darling, I’m here.” You whisper, voice as soft as the blankets surrounding your waist.

Minutes pass, and the only sounds in the room are Robin’s laboured breathing and your occasional hush. As her breathing calms, you loosen your hold on her. “Do you feel okay to tell me what’s wrong?” You ask, concern lacing your tone. “You’re starting to worry me too.”

Robin hesitates; the whole story on the tip of her tongue but the words failing to come to her. She knows exactly what she wants to say but not how to phrase it. Mostly, she’s worried that you won’t believe her – that you’ll laugh and dismiss her, that she’ll lose you because of it.

“Whatever it is, Robin, you can tell me.” You whisper into the dark of the room, a hand running through Robin’s hair.

One deep breath, and Robin begins her story.

For the next hour, you listen carefully as Robin explains what happened last summer – the Russians, the interrogation she went through with Steve, the mind flayer and its attack on Hawkins and how it was covered up with some bullshit story about a fire breaking out. It all spills out of her; the words flowing freely after the initial first sentence.

As she falls silent, you sit there, utterly bewildered that Robin experienced this and was barely getting through the aftermath. Anger surges within you; not at Robin, but at the lack of care provided in the aftermath.

“You’ve gone through this alone?” You question, eyes wide as you come to terms with the story.

“Steve helps,” She murmurs, hiding her face in her hands. “He’s been through this twice before; he’s practically an expert at this point so it’s nice to have someone to talk to, but there’s only so many time you can go over the same story and question the decisions already made.”

“You have someone else to talk to now,” You state determinedly, resolutely deciding not to leave Robin’s side again.

“You believe me?” Robin whispers, voice unusually timid.

“Without a doubt,” You announce, placing a hand to your heart.

Robin feels the tension leave her shoulders. Her muscles relaxing as she lets herself breathe freely for the first time in what feels like a long time. Her main worrying since meeting you, since fallowing for you was that you wouldn’t believe what she had gone through at the mall – that the story was so outlandish that it could never be believed by any sane person. So she stamped it down, kept her tongue tied with every single time she tried to talk to you about it.

“I was so scared that you wouldn’t believe me,” Robin laughs, her voice breathy. “That you would think it was all nonsense because let’s face it – it doesn’t sound believable.”

“No, it doesn’t,” You concede. “But I believe it because it’s you. I’m here for you,” You state devotedly, “Always will be.”

Robin settles back into bed; the night a lot cooler now that secrets had been revealed and conscious’ were clear. Her head rests on your shoulder, nose burrowing in to the soft material of your t-shirt as she breathes in the faint scent of jasmine that she has come to associate with the perfume you always wear.

Your words wash over her; landing on her skin and binding with her bones. She can feel her heart rate begin to calm; weariness starting to claim her as her universe rights itself once more.

There would be a long way to go, but so long as Robin had you, she could manage it all.

*******

Stranger Things taglist: @neptunes-curse @echovqmps

#robin buckley x reader #robin x reader #robin buckley #robin buckley fanfic #robin buckley imagine #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagine

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kyberphilosopher · 4 years ago

Text

Smile

Word Count: 3467 Requested: yes. Based off ‘505′ Warnings: strong hints to sexual disposition. Spoilers if you squint.

“I’d probably still adore you with your hands around my neck... I did last time I checked.” -Arctic Monkeys, ‘505′.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

With hoarse breath and unwavering eyes, you look up to the stars as you speak. “So, you’re really going to do it then?”

“I have to,” you hear him say. His voice has gotten far more mature and calm since the first time you’d heard him speak. Still angry and determined, but in an intelligent, adult way. Eren is a more capable person now. The only thing left to do is wait and see if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing.

“What do you think are the chances of winning?” you question. A shooting star whizzes across the sky at that very moment, and it’s gone before you can think of a wish.

You turn around to face him, but his eyes are already on you. Once upon a time, Eren’s eyes were emerald and teal and deep. Now they’re paler. They are cold and steady as a byproduct of who he’s become. It’s hard not to wonder what he’s thinking about when he looks at you like this, especially since he’s become harder to read over the years.

At first, Eren was one of the most insufferable people you’d ever met. He acted out so often, it was hard to see him as another person of intelligent life. You mostly just minded your business through your cadet years, usually hanging around Reiner, who was also difficult to see as intelligent life. Sometimes you and Eren would argue, but it was never passionate. You just had different world views.

Things got better when you found out what Eren really was. Since you hadn’t made top ten, you could only choose between the Garrison Regiment, or the Scout Regiment. And with Eren’s newly discovered power showing the promise of hope, you decided on the Scouts. He liked that.

After that, it was hard not to mature at the same time as he. Eren often blamed himself for the death and carnage that surrounded the regiment. You were solely responsible for the passing of your best friend. And after everything that happened with the government, almost dying at Shiganshina- you knew you couldn’t stand this much longer. With your relationship with Eren still budding in its early and steamy stages, he was the only one you told of your desertion. You abandoned the corps, finding a small, abandoned farm within wall Maria to hide out in.

Eren was too tired and sick of everything to think you were being cowardly. He wanted to leave too. Maybe come with you. But Eren had plans in the works that he couldn’t leave alone. He visited you less and less. Luckily you never made a fuss.

And now Eren wants to end the world, to save the world. How does he expect you to react to this?

“I just thought I should see you,” Eren replies. You know he’s deflecting your question. You’re not stupid.

You nod slowly, blinking as you think. “Am I going to die?”

Your companion crosses his arms calmly. “Yes,” he tells you.

There it is.

“You know I can’t support you in this, right?” you tell Eren, equally as calm.

He only replies after a moment, also in deep thought. “I know.”

You look back up to the sky, sighing out through your nose. “Why did you come, Eren? Did you want me to tell you that I think you’re doing the right thing? Or was it because you need to let out some anger? I wonder.”

“I did want to see you.”

“Do you still?”

Silence.

“Yes.”

“And I suppose there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”

“No.”

The stars are glittering with pastel hues, like a rainbow, or kaleidoscope. Each one is a different size, bordering on different shapes, all fusing and melting together like your idea of heaven. You can barely even see the midnight color of the sky through all them. It is beautiful, but it’s also bitter. Everything is bitter, here.

“I didn’t make myself any dinner yet,” you say. “Couldn’t think of anything.”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

When she was alive, Eren’s mother would make a soup for the family. It was creamy, hot, filled with meat and cheese at the bottom. Eren never liked soup, but he did love that dish. She was always sure to make extra for him, so that he could enjoy it for several days. And although it wasn’t until after she was gone that Eren realized he rarely ever thanked her for it, it was still one of the warmest memories Eren had.

He fills your wooden bowl with it, being awfully generous. He knows that even though you haven’t eaten much in the last few years, you too had grown fond of the soup. He knows no matter how slowly you force it down, you are enjoying it. It burns the roof of your mouth every time, but you’ve never cared. All that matters is the creamy sauce, and the cow cooked to perfection.

You stare at the fireplace beside you, flames cackling and licking upward. Eren sets the bowl in front of you, and takes the seat on the other side. You know he sets his long hair behind his shoulders. You’re already prepared. From your pocket, you produce a stretchy brown hair tie on the verge of snapping, handing it to him.

“Thanks,” he says, even though this routine has happened however many times he’s seen you.

“You’re welcome.”

The soup is as amazing as usual. You’re willing to bet Eren makes it even better than his mother did, but you dare not say it aloud. It’s creamy, perfectly seasoned. It goes down your throat, still steaming.

“Does Mikasa know about this?” you question, taking one more delicious bite.

“No. None of them do,” Eren answers. “Armin will figure it out soon.”

“You want me to kill ‘em?”

Eren shakes his head. To a lot of people, this would be taken as a joke. But this is nowhere near it. Your tone is too casual, too low for it to be humor of any kind. And the way the man across from you reacts- he’s thinking the same thing.

“No.”

“How are they, then?”

Eren thinks as he takes another bite, the warmth creeping up his chest sweetly. “They’re alright for now. I don’t know for how much longer. I can’t see everything.”

“Can you see who’s next?”

He squints at his bowl as if he were angry, but his eyebrows barely move. “Sasha.”

Sasha. She was always a good presence to have around. While she seemed like the type of person who would annoy you, it was hard to hate her. And you admired her keen intuition anyway.

“Will you give her something for me?”

Eren nods. Then you both go back to eating for a few seconds, basking in the orange glow from the flames.

“How are things here?” he questions after a minute.

“The same,” you tell him. “I think the cow might die soon.”

Some people might reply with condolences, or sympathy. But your lover does not, and you do not expect him to. “I’ll get you a new one,” he says flatly, almost like a promise. You nod once.

Despite the atmosphere which can only be described as bitter, you’re glad to see Eren again. You’re glad that he’s alive, and as alright as he can be. The bed is always colder without him, heated up only by your lingering fingers that you pretend are his every other night. Whenever he leaves an article of clothing behind, usually on purpose, you hold off on washing it so it can smell like him for you as long as possible. Then there are the hair ties you keep either in your pocket or on your wrist, specifically for him. The razors in your cabinet he often didn’t even bother using.

Even with the sullen demeanor that had managed to overtake both of you, there was at least one thing you cared about in the world still. Maybe it wasn’t the most conventional kind of caring, or the healthiest coping mechanism. But it was still caring. And all that you cared about was him.

You knew you weren’t Eren’s first priority. You were probably second, or third. It didn’t bother you. Eren’s head was one of the first things lost when the truth was presented to him. It came back coldly and sternly, in contrast to how previously hot and impatient it had been. But by then your head had also grown colder and sterner. In simpler terms, Eren did care for you. He did love you. But he would consider letting you die if it meant achieving what he set out to do, and you knew this.

Across the table, Eren lifts his head to look up at you as he chews slowly. The burning meal slides down his throat easily, albeit painfully. It doesn’t even register with him, his piercing eyes slowly gaining a glint from the fire light.

You meet his eyes after a few seconds, feeling them on you. You don’t say a word, don’t even give a questioning look. You just hold him patiently, which is something the two of you find yourself doing often.

“You can’t stop it,” Eren speaks, looking you dead in the eyes with a steady gaze. There is love behind his eyes, far behind the anger, but you can tell from the tone of voice he is trying to tell you something as if it were an order. Your lips part slightly from the intensity radiating from your lover, who doesn’t move a muscle. “You’ll be free soon.”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Dinner ends. Eren helps clean up the dishes for you and goes to get water from your well so you can clean easier. You already know from the way his thumb brushed against your own when you took the bowls that you’ll likely be bent over the sink in a few minutes, which you don’t mind, but you wonder if he’ll be willing to be softer than usual as an apology for what he’d said earlier.

He’d meant to scare you. You’re intelligent enough to figure that out. Even though you don’t scare easy, and you didn’t even give an extreme reaction, the look in Eren’s eyes had made your heart drop to your stomach. Sometimes you forget that Eren sees everything. Then he says something like that to remind you in the most memorable way.

The wooden door opens and closes behind you. Boots scuff the ground for a few seconds, drawing closer and closer as something in you sparks with anticipation, as it always does. A pail of water hits the surface beside you, partially sloshing over the sides, shining silver in the moonlight from the tall window in front of you. Finally, ultra hot hands slide around your waist and push gently but tightly against where your ribs diverge.

A jaw leans down on your right shoulder, chin poking against your collarbone. Locks of hair brush against your own, just as the hand on the left runs across your side to finally put a small band in your pocket.

“I did miss you,” Eren’s low voice seemingly growls, his chest rumbling softly against your back.

“I was thinking about you,” you admit with monotone, knowing your lover can read through it like as easily as a knife slices through skin.

“I hope I didn’t worry you,” he says, though you can also read through his own tone. He probably didn’t care about worrying you. He definitely doesn’t still.

“You didn’t.”

You place a both bowls in the sink, running your fingers over the dirty spoons. Eren’s orbs follow your movement. You can feel his chin change positions ever so slightly in the coming seconds.

“Can you pass me the rag?” you ask, eyes focused on a piece of food on the spoon that doesn’t even exist.

In response, Eren doesn’t pass you anything. Only his right hand gives you any kind of acknowledgement, passing from on your ribs to down lower. His fingertips skin over the erogenous zone under the waistband of your undergarments.

“I worried about you,” Eren murmurs boldly. The hot fingertips pass under the cloth finally, pricks of stubble on his jaw scratching your neck and shoulder as he shifts. “I wanted you to be okay.” His left hand raises to grasp the breast above it. Slowly at first, then firmly, like a warning. Everything is a warning with him.

Your head lulls back uncontrollably. The back of your hair matts up as it rolls against his own shoulder.

“I said you worried me,” your partner grumbles. “Did you hear me?”

“No,” you lie lowly, refusing to let your voice shake despite the shiver in your throat.

“Mm,” Eren hums in condescending understanding. A force presses against your core, which has turned burning hot and ice cold at the same time. The force pulls away, a string of something smooth and slimy following it that makes a sound draw from your lips. It’s high pitched, weak, and unstoppable. You’d be embarrassed if you weren’t so associated with Eren.

His hand gives your breast a firm squeeze, soreness blossoming from the center. Your back arches quickly and returns lax against him, though now something pokes against your bottom that makes your eyes pop open with a new alertness. Eren’s hand gives you no time again. From your chest, it flies to your throat, holding it back with soft strictness as the other finally dips into the hot pool between your hips.

“I worried about you.”

A strangled groan releases from between your lips again, this time fully carried up through the air. To Eren, it must sound like nothing more than music, or background noise.

Thick cylinders pump inside you to the knuckle. They feel better than your own. They always have.

It feels good. Full. Tight and fast and like the inside of you is quivering under the weight of something that you can’t see or hear. Eren is like a blanket supporting you from falling over, keeping you upright with his grip and his fingers buried inside of you. Prodding every angle, every spot. Not necessarily romantically, but still lovingly. He has always had this goal during intimacy. Nothing matters but communicating to you just how close he wants to be.

“Eren,” you choke, a dribble of spit sliding from the corner of your lips.

“Again,” he hisses in response. His fingers hit a tight spot, making every muscle in your body clench at the same time.

You don’t say another word, your mouth hanging partially open as you focus on everything around you. And it’s all Eren Jaeger. His smell, his growls, his voice, his breathing, his chest, his muscles, his hair, his anger, his bitterness, his intelligence, his determination. It’s overwhelming. It reminds you of getting swept in one of those waves at the ocean he described to you. He’s yours. No- more likely, you’re his. End of story.

“I said again.”

“Eren,” you moan.

His head nuzzles into your neck comfortingly, his fingers pushing faster and harder. You can feel how warm you are, never mind how slick. And the way your own body holds around his digits every time he pulls away is enough to make you all the more warm and slick.

But then...

What is he doing?

He had said “you’ll be free soon”. And yet, here he is, gripping you tightly as he forces you into the corner of submitting. And yes, it is hot. It arouses you as it always has. But something about it makes your stomach turn into a knot of unpleasantness, in contrast to the other one of liquid pleasure.

“Eren,” you strain, squirming against him.

Eren speeds up again. A grunt falls from his own mouth from his own power, and you know he’s getting off almost as much as you are. It doesn’t stop feeling good. Feeling euphoric.

It’s getting rougher. Rougher and harder and faster, more intense.

“Eren.”

Another gruff moan from him.

“Eren! Stop! Stop!”

Eren’s palm softens away at once. It lifts away, his eyes opening and his hand stilling inside of you. He watches you shake as you gaze up to the ceiling, wide eyed. Your thighs sputter, entire body twitching. You didn’t cum.

His eyes trail over you. You’ve worked up a steady sweat glistening and glowing, shivering and shaking and quaking because of him in the best way. You’re his. His partner, his friend, his ally he knows for a fact he can rely on.

“C-can we... Eren...”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Drips of water dribbling down Eren’s temple. One of your hands are threaded in his brunette locks, holding them back so you can have an uninterrupted view. The other hand is dabbing cloth against his forehead and hairline, bathing him softly.

He’d gone a while without bathing again. You could tell. Eren’s eyes are glued to yours, deep teal memorizing all the flecks in your own as if he hadn’t a million times over.

Eren loves you. Dearly. He’d travel all seven hours and forty five minutes just to tell you that. He doesn’t know what made you stop earlier. He doesn’t ask. But he’s not mad. Overall, Eren understands that it doesn’t matter what you asked to stop for. You give the word, he obeys. Not because he has to, but because he loves you.

Still, he knows something is wrong. You don’t show it. You’re steady, calm, mature, apathetic as always. But in the pit of Eren’s stomach, something brews. A warm, strange feeling of intuition and omniscience.

“You look very pretty today,” Eren ventures, wondering only of your response. “Did I tell you that?”

Your eyes squint. “Thank you,” you reply back.

The cloth continues to rub against his skin, cleaning something that probably doesn’t even exist. Dirt, maybe. Eren’s stopped taking care of his skin in the past few years.

“You’re welcome.”

Your eyes squint again. This time, they gloss over with sharp wetness like glass. The eyebrows crease like a break, your bottom lip trembling as you suck it between your teeth.

He doesn’t know what he was expecting. But your lover wasn’t expecting this.

Eren hates when you cry. He can remember the first time he’d seen it, but not the most recent. You didn’t cry often- you were strong. Crying over something as useless and flimsy as emotions didn’t seem worth it. So what was this for? What were you about to make Eren break down inside over?

Your hand falls limply from his forehead. Shoulders hunch over in defeat, staring down at the floor as your hair covers over your face. And then the sniffles come, choked out coughs like sobs.

Eren can see the lightest of bruises he’d left on you from earlier, but you’d never had a problem with it before. No, it was something else. But what?

Silent, your teeth grit together as you wince, tears streaming down your face inexplicably.

“Earlier w-when you,” you gulp, snot beginning to form, “when you- I did worry a-about you. I- I don’t know why I didn’t...”

You stumble forward. Eren stands from your bath tub to catch you as you slump against him tiredly.

“I hate it when you go.”

Eren switches positions with you, pushing you down to sit on the edge of the tub. He takes the wet rag from your hand and holds your shoulder back so he can have a good look at you. Then the cloth dabs against your own forehead, just as you had done to him.

“I hate it here,” you sigh, a single tear drop blurring your vision as it falls finally.

Your lover moves the cloth from your head to your cheeks, smearing the wetness into your skin and away. They moisten and dry, your eyes red and shiny. Eren tilts your head up under your jaw, creasing his brows and using the towel to clean closer to your eyes.

“If it helps,” he says, looking straight into your eyes, “you’re crying, but I still think you look pretty.”

You’d be lying if you said that didn’t help even a little, because you love him.

A soft smile creeps to your lips, your hands dropping in between your thighs.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

No I didn’t reread this lmfao enjoy. Hope I did you justice anon

4K notes · View notes

oh-katsuki · 4 years ago

Text

Jealousy (Connie x Reader)

phases of love collab | masterlist

Pairing: Connie x Reader

Summary: You take Sasha’s place.

Content Warnings: Implied aot ending spoilers, smut, angst, character death (reader), some fluff, romantic sex, slight cockwarming, drugs / alcohol

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: This hurt me to write so I hope it hurts to read. Thank you so much to @dande-lion and @eremiie who beta-read this and gave me so many suggestions because I didn’t like the way I worded it. I would not have been able to be happy with this without you, ILYSM

For @mikaberries collab! Thanks for letting me participate!

Connie’d never loved like this before. He can’t recall a single time in his life that he’s felt so truly connected to someone, so deeply ingrained in someone else’s being that he doesn’t know who he’d be without them.

Connie had you wrapped in his body, dick buried in you so deep and legs intertwined so gently. His delicate fingers sunk into your skin as one wrapped around your waist, the other around your head. There was nothing rough about tonight, nothing exemplary or particularly outstanding except for the fact that he was hopelessly in love with you.

Connie was infatuated with you. He couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t feel enough of your skin against his as he fucked himself up into you with steady flicks of his hips. You felt so good around him, hips grinding to meet his with gentle moans. He wishes he could have this moment forever, wrap it up and keep it in his pocket so he can feel it whenever he needs to. The way your gummy walls hugged him or how you breathed in low and deep sighs with each of his thrusts.

“So beautiful…” He exhaled against your skin, pulling back to take the hand from your head and run his thumb along the plump skin of your cheek.

You gave him a lazy smile, eyebrows furrowed together in focus and pleasure as he leaned in to kiss you. It was delicate at first, pumping into you slowly, keeping up his sluggish pace. Connie was taking you in, appreciating the feel of your lips on his and the way you tasted like sweat and sex and something akin to cinnamon.

Connie wasn’t working towards a goal, arm wrapped lazily around your body, sticky with sweat while he admired your feel.That was the best way to put it— he was simply letting you both admire each other’s feeling, whispering sweet nothings, he just wanted to love you. So he fucked into you languidly, mind clouded over and head spinning.

He could remember clearly every moment like this he’d had with you and he was about to lock away this one with the first time he saw you, your first kiss, your first time. He doesn’t know why this moment in particular strikes him so deeply, but the way you look and your cunt fluttering around him has his heart swelling with love and pride.

You’re his.

There was nothing to be discontent with, no doubt seeded in his heart about another man, no jealousy bubbling in his gut. You were only his and he knew it, he could feel it in the desperate little sighs of his name as you came closer to your high, heat building in your stomach as the candle beside the bed dimmed as it burned through its wick.

The two of you had been like this for hours, Connie unwilling to let you go until he’d felt you come undone around him so much that he’s all you think about— you’re all he thinks about. He was already all you thought about though, already taking up the most space in your mind even when you weren’t creaming around him. Still, you couldn’t complain, so wrapped in his smell and feel that you let him keep rutting his hips into you, arms looped around his body and fingers digging into the muscles of his back.

But it’s true, Connie’s love for you was incredible and you felt it with every stroke of his big hand against you, in the way your skin buzzed as if it were whispering its own sweet words between his. Words of praise whispered over the pillow, lips brushing past each other’s ear to mumble quiet “I love you’s” that rattle through each other's bodies like coins down a well.

When you finally came undone in a steady rise, like water bubbling delicately over the edge of a too-full container, you whimpered, teeth sinking into the muscle of his shoulder. Your legs trembled as he held you tightly, slowing his movements and letting you bury your face into him, looking for anything to ground you as your body rolled.

Connie loved your voice, the whine of his name that spilled from your lips and the way your cunt clenched around him, pillowy and soft. He loved you and with that profound knowledge, soon met his own high with a stutter of his hips, cumming deep into you as he buried himself to the hilt.

You stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other, Connie unmoving within you as you panted against each other before your breathing fell into an even rhythm. How was he supposed to let you go? How could he be expected to pull out and let you pad to the toilet. It would only be a few minutes but he found himself dreading the moment you stirred in his arms. He’d let you meld yourself to him like this if it were possible.

“You know that I’ve got to get up.” You chuckled into his chest, turning your head to glance to the nightstand. “And I’d like to get up before that candle burns through and I have to stumble through the dark.”

It was growing dim, nearing the end of its life span as it casted a low light across the bedroom. Connie’s desk was faintly illuminated in the corner but you were focused on the way the light danced over his features, displaying the apples of his cheeks that rounded with his smile.

“I know,” he sighed, pulling you closer, “just don’t wanna let you go right now.”

“You big baby, it’s only a few minutes.” You say, peeling yourself from him and pulling him out of you gently.

He was soft already, but the act itself was intimate and you could feel the way he started to spill out of you as you moved to the other side of the room, wrapping a robe around yourself before leaving the bedroom.

Connie watched you as you left, admiring your hips and your figure as you receded into the darkness. How had he gotten so lucky? He somehow managed to snag the girl the entire regiment was crazy for, and– as you both moved through the ranks– managed to fall so irrevocably in love with you that he’s forgotten who he was without you.

Still, he wouldn’t trade it for the world, wouldn’t trade you for the world.

He was deep in thought by the time you returned to bed, discarding the robe and snuggling up beside his naked figure.

Of all the things that had changed recently, you hadn’t. You remained the woman he loved more than anything, still smiling. He remembers the way you’d joke with your friends and squad, evenings spent laughing at a pub with all of the captains after your promotion.

Every major event of his life had been spent with you and you both had made it out clean, more appreciative of the love you shared. Connie cherished every part of you, every fleeting moment with you.

And he was certain that he’d do it for the rest of his life.

---

They’d suspected that Eren had gone awol. That he’d gone off on his own. Connie should have stopped him, they could have talked some sense into him before he fled to Marley, attacking a congregation of world leaders and forcing the Scout Regiments hand.

You both had separated so quickly, each moving away from each other in your own individual squadrons without so much as a stay safe. You both always did. Connie couldn’t have imagined that you’d be one of the six who didn’t make it home.

He couldn’t have guessed that the child would sneak aboard the ship and point the rifle toward Sasha’s chest. But Connie could have predicted the way you jumped in front of her, moving before you had time to think to shield his best friend from the shot.

Connie would never forget the look in your eyes as your blood seeped and pooled onto the cold floor of the airship, his warm hands pressed to your cooling chest, covered in a thick layer of your blood. You looked content, the same look you’d flash at him before any expedition. You were at peace and you smiled up at him. A far too pleased smile for someone who was slipping from Connie’s hands faster than he could process— faster than he wanted you to. How could you be smiling? He was losing you.

It was like you to take a shot for a friend. You always put your comrades before yourself like that.

You and Sasha were both brave that way, the only difference being that today, Sasha would return home to her lover and you would not. Your body would stay in the morgue for the night before they placed you six feet below the ground in a graveyard not far from where you lived.

How is it that you could be so close so far away at the same time? He’d never get to feel your body against his again, never hear your laugh that rings like chimes on a spring day, and looking at your grave after the funeral procession, he could only think about how quickly your blood had cooled on the floor of the airship. Connie stared at the fresh dirt under the headstone, trying to bring anything but your lifeless eyes to mind. He tried to think of your smile, of the crinkle in your eye whenever he’d say something stupid, but instead he was reminded of the uncharacteristically stiff way your body laid in the airship and the wan tone of your skin as your precious years drained from your face.

---

As time passed jealousy bled into Connie’s life. Slowly at first, in the waning hours of the morning when he’d be awake and full of drink. He found himself thinking about you constantly, your picture flashing through his mind with startling clarity.

He’d wake up in the middle of the night, grabbing at the sheets beside him– searching for you, wondering in his half asleep state where you’d gone, only to be reminded that this time you weren’t coming back to bed. You’d no longer take your trips to the bathroom and you were much farther away than a few minutes. Instead, he was reminded that he’d have to spend a lifetime without you.

A lifetime without your presence. How unfathomable. So he buried himself in drink, in alcohol, in fighting a war he no longer had a reason to fight. It was bearable that way, his days without you. He was occupied. Working until his hands shook and his feet ached, then drinking to quell the pain. It was all he knew in those following days, working for a peace you’d never know, drinking to forget your time together, sleeping in hopes that he’d see you in another world. But the next world wasn’t for him. Life mercilessly kept him alive, despite his carelessness in the fight.

When the war finally ended and things came to a quiet halt, everything became harder. Eldia rebuilt its streets, patching up the wounds that battle had left on it, and with the power of the titans gone, Eldians were negotiating their terms of peace and fighting the good fight to total freedom. Connie found it difficult now to focus on anything but your absence.

He’d move down the cobbled streets of Marley and be reminded of you at every turn, reminded of something you’d never get to see. He thought of your plans for the future and the way you’d agreed to marry him once peace finally came, but peace came and went without you.

The summer months in Marley were the most beautiful. They brought couples and children and laughter. You’d have loved them. In between peace negotiations, Connie would let himself wander through the streets. Why he even bothered to go outside? He had no clue, but he still did it everyday without fail, wandering until he ended up in the same place he always did. He’d find a seat in the park and watch the couples, listening to the way the ocean sounded as it beat against the shore.

It was supposed to make him feel better, supposed to remind him that things were okay now. But all he felt was unimaginable rage. A rage that grew brighter with each gust of wind and each rustle of leaves. Each happy chuckle of passing couples and each aimless laughter of stumbling children. Connie was jealous, perpetually and undeniably.

He was jealous of the time the two of you never got. Jealous of the people who would spend their lifetimes with their lovers and get to cradle their children. Jealous of his own time, the years he had left ticking by slowly and twisting the knife in his gut with each turn of the month on a calendar. He was jealous of Marco who was no doubt with you now, jealous of Erwin and Miche and anyone they’d ever lost because they were with you.

Why did everyone else get so much time? What made them so different from you? Connie couldn’t understand a world where someone else deserved to survive to see the end when you didn’t, where people other than the two of you got enough time to live out their lives.

Connie didn’t have that luxury and you surely didn’t either.

The weight piled on, the greed, disgust, and envy weighed on his shoulders like boulders. A person can only take so much, can only struggle for so long under such a profound feeling.

It was the day the negotiations were finished, the day the war came to a true end and Eldians were no longer discriminated against legally, that he broke.

He fell to his knees in his temporary apartment after getting home and seeing the bare walls, the ones that lacked pictures because he’d never gotten to take any of you. You would have loved today, would have pulled him into the living room to dance or even invited all of your remaining friends to your shared apartment to celebrate. Connie could practically hear you telling him to appreciate the day, your voice chiming like bells in the recesses of his mind. It was haunting.

“Fuck!” He shouted, slamming his fist onto the counter and collapsing to the floor as sobs wracked through his body.

His friends had followed him to his apartment, worried for him. They had been for a while and today was the breaking point, watching him sway down the steps of the courthouse without so much as a word. They could hear him crying through the walls, hear the guttural cries that seemed to push through him so angrily.

Connie’s stomach was twisting in painful knots, it was years of being tired, years of missing you crumbling all at once in a crescendo of anger and unimaginable grief. He was sick, his heart wrenched in his chest, hammering against his ribcage, something your heart could no longer do.

It was sickening, how his bones wracked and how his shoulder shook with every shuddering sob. His own walls were finally let down and his veiled emotions crashed over him appallingly fast. How did he carry around this weight, this grief, for so long?

Connie couldn’t pick his head up from his hands when his friends came in, ushering themselves past the entrance to crouch on the floor with him, Jean’s arm bracing his frame and helping to keep him upright. They let him cry like that for a long while, letting the sounds echo through an apartment that should have had you in it.

They all missed you, but they had already done their mourning. In doing so, they’d left Connie behind to fend for himself. Left him alone like you had.

“She’s watching from somewhere, Connie.” Jean’s voice piped up, low and reassuring.

“Y’know-” Connie choked out, sniffling. “Everyone talks so much about this a-afterlife.”

Another sob wracks through him.

“About his place where the dead go once they’ve finished their time here.” He was shouting now, voice rising.

“I just wish that maybe there was some fucking proof that she’s still there.” His fists balled up against the floor. This time Connie doesn’t try to stop the cries to talk, he pauses to let himself sob before speaking again. “Because right now I can’t find a single reason to believe she’s out there and I don’t know what I’d do if I never got to see her again.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to move on? How do I carry this weight? How can I keep taking steps forward when she’s not at the end?” Connie’s eyes snap up to Jean, his hand coming to grab his wrist.

His eyes were pleading, crying for an answer, something, somebody to tell him that there was something to look forward to. That you would be at the end of this stupid game called life. His voice came up from the deepest recesses of his body. Eyebrows pulled up in anguish, eyes glassy with tears that refused to let up as he peered into his best friend’s eyes. Connie knew he couldn’t answer, knew that there was no one secret to getting through this, that he’d have to power through on his own. But he was so angry, so exhausted from fighting.

“Why did it have to be her!” He gasps, eyes going wide as realization courses through his shaking body. “Why didn’t she get more time, why didn’t she get to fucking see today?! Why was it me? _____ would have known what to say today, would have had the perfect words. I’ve never had them, never had anything to say.”

Connie inhaled deeply, blinking until limpid tears decorated the fabric of his uniform. “I need her here. I need her.”

That was the last thing he said that night, letting himself cry on the floor in the company of his friends who tried in vain to calm him. He raged against fate, body heaving in tremendous sobs that left his chest feeling emptier than before, inhaling in great pulls because with each cry he could feel the water flooding his lungs. Invading, violating, and wretched with every wail. Everything served as a reminder for his jealousy, ugly and painful in its existence.

Connie knows you’d have hated this.

Could you see him right now? Were you watching in the months to come as he hit his lowest low before slowly starting to pick himself back up, finally formally forgiving Gabi even though he hadn’t blamed her for a long while.

It took a long time for him to gain that semblance of normalcy and once he returned to Eldia from overseas, he went straight to your grave, finally able to face your name scrawled on the headstone once again. Connie hadn’t expected it, but with time the jealousy faded into a dull ache. He spent hours in the graveyard that day, staying with you until the sun had long set over the horizon and the air nipped at his skin. Connie would take any time he could have with you, even if it was like this. And as he sat there talking about the newfound peace, he hoped you could hear him.

He was filled with regrets about you. He wishes he had made you laugh more or studied the way you threw your head back in a smile because after so many years the memory had faded to little more than a silhouette. Connie wished he had taken pictures of you, kissed you on the day he met you, married you. But he couldn’t.

Connie wondered if you were watching him all the time. Did you watch his healing, the way he picked himself back up after being shattered and broken for so long. Maybe he’d glued part of you to him when he patched himself up, maybe he still gets to carry some of you with him in the corner of his heart he knows is reserved for you.

Did you see the day he met her? The woman he’d marry one day. She’d caught his eye because she reminded him so much of you, especially in her smile. Connie couldn’t help but think you’d had something to do with it, some cosmic influence that led her to him.

He thought of you on his wedding day as his bride moved down the aisle, radiant in her beauty. Connie loved her the way he loved you, deeply and honestly. He thought of you the day his first child was born and on every day after that because he saw you in every part of his little girl. He saw you in the way she laughed and the way she ate, the way she stood up after scraping her knee to keep running.

Connie told his wife about you, about the love he lost, and his daughter thought of you as family, despite never meeting you. Your name fell from his family’s lips so often that it was like you’d never left this world in the first place.

He healed, Finally, time began moving again and that sickening envy slipped from his veins like melting ice. He was no longer jealous.

He still goes to your grave, every Sunday. He brings his family and sits his daughter on his lap to tell stories about you, about every aspect of you. Partly because he wants her to know, but also so that he can remember. It’s like a prayer, uttering your name as they sit in the grass that had long grown over the dirt with such reverence, such adoration.

The wind moves through the trees, shaking leaves from their late summer bloom and Connie swears he can hear you laughing, deep and rich and so like you.

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knullanon · 4 years ago

Text

invincible bullshit that i came up with 10 days ago i just forgot about it

ngaoevnbiaebiw its here @anxiousnerdwritings i hope you like it i got inspired by you to write this

words: 2196

warnings: past arguing, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE SEASON 1, shooting, arguing, past manipulation

“Reports of who killed the Guardians of the globe are starting to surface, with our agents finding out about the supposed killer: we know they spared Omni-Man, killed the rest of the members, and then fled. We also know they are not from earth. Lots of people have speculated that Omni-Man is the one behind these killings, however, the government has ruled out that being a possibility, since there was no evidence of Omni-Man doing these actions. More at 7 tonight on-”

The program stopped playing as you saw a contact appear on the top of the screen, and reading it, you immediately perked up.

Swiping on the green button, you happily said, “Hey, Dad! What’cha need?”

You heard a chuckle from the other end, before he said, “Hey kiddo, how you holding up?”

“Nothing much going on here, you good over there?”

“Yup, mostly everything is fine. You know my work, they always have something for me to do.”

“Hopefully that clears up soon.”

“Yeah, hey, listen, where are you right now?”

Ugh, not this again. Your mood slightly dropped as you remembered a few years ago, when you first met Cecil. He wasn’t as good as he is now, and he would always be asking where you would be. Even in school. However, that was all in the past, since you were older, he now knew that you were responsible enough to do things on your own. At least, that’s what he wanted you to believe.

“Uh, well, I was just gonna go hang out with some friends and then go back home. Why?”

“Ok, listen to me very carefully: one of my guys is gonna pick you up near Bridgetown, ok? You’re gonna get a bracelet from them and then I’ll explain the rest here.”

What the fuck? “Oh, um, ok, when will they be there?”

“About 5 minutes. Be there soon, love you, bye.”

He hung up the phone quickly, which was extremely rare, even for him, since he would never show his love to you out publicly and you would feel weird if he even did. However, on the phone or in private he was a completely different person, having a great personality and he was an even better dad.

Well, he did say to hurry up, and 5 minutes. You checked the time and when you saw it was near 1. You strided your way towards the street he told you to meet on, and cheerfully thought of the ways to hang out with your friends after whatever he wanted to do. Maybe you could go to the mall? Maybe the food court? You’ve been meaning to try those damn milkshakes at that new bar everyone is talking about, but it was always so crowded. You never liked crowded places in the first place.

Suddenly, your phone rang again. This time, when you checked, it was your dad again. Strange. It was weird for him to call you twice in a row. He usually got to the point within a few sentences.

Picking up the phone, you said, “Hey dad-”

“________, listen to me. Get to someplace safe now. Get out of the road. Get out of the public. I don't care if you have to go inside someone else’s house, just get out of sight.”

Stopping in the middle of the road you let out some surprised stutters. “Wh- Dad, what are you talking about?”

“_______, please, just listen to me when I say this, you are in danger and you need to get out of there.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

You were shuffling around trying to find a good place to “hide” while your dad went into complete panic mode in his voice. “_______, find a place to hide, and whatever you do, get out of open space.”

You heard him speak to someone off the phone, before he cursed out loud. “I have to call you back, but someone will be there, wherever you are, ok? I… I love you.”

Before you could answer him, he hung up the phone. Anxiety was the only thing you could feel, as you looked around the desolate neighborhood. There was a reason why you chose this area over others: it was quiet and small. Not only that, but the only people who walked this way were people who were not fond of bigger crowds. In fact, you haven’t seen anyone go this way for a long time. You always wondered why, since it was the perfect way to get robbed. Of course, that would never happen, especially with all those lessons from your dad about self defense.

The street you were on had walls surrounding the sidewalk to prevent people from going into people's backyards, probably. They were too high up to climb, and they were concrete, so it wouldn’t be easy to just hop over and call it a day.

However, you were almost at the end of the street, and you knew there was a little patch of bushes and leaves that would provide the perfect cover. They were almost as tall as your dad, which always made you wonder who was watering them to be that big.

Pacing quickly towards the end of the street, and seeing no one in sight made you let out a sigh of relief. Either dad was overeating or something bad was happening, and you don’t know which would be worse. When Cec- dad overrated, it always got messy, no matter what it was about.

“Why were you out so long? I was about to send a team after you-”

“Cecil, it’s fine, I just had to talk to my-”

“Don’t call me Cecil, and don’t try to make excuses, tell me who you were with right now or I swear to god-”

You forgot the memory almost as soon as it came up, instead choosing to focus on getting to the brush where you could hide until C- Dad came to pick you up. Wherever he was. Actually, did he give you a time that he would be there?

You got a weird feeling that made you sprint towards the bushes and dive in, like there was someone behind you. You ignored it and forced your way on all fours, ignoring the cuts and scratches you were getting on your arms and legs.

There was almost a whooshing sound above you, and you wondered if your dad sent a fucking jet to get you. But that thought left your mind when you heard it right next to you, along with the sound of someone making a harsh landing onto the street. You were able to hear the little bits and pieces of concrete fly off the ground to hit the ground again.

You stayed completely still, leaning on your arms while your body was facing the street. You heard something shuffle, like moving fabric around, before a familiar voice hit your ears.

“Who’s there?” they- he said, and you were about to cry out of relief when you heard it. “Omni-Man?”

~~~~~

“Cecil, why do you think Nolan would go after ________?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Cecil didn’t look at Debbie, instead focusing on the map in front of him, wondering where Mark could’ve been.

“What reason would he have to go after them? I just- he wouldn’t just attack a child, would he?”

Cecil felt his head start to hurt. Goddamnit, why did Nolan want to go after you? You had nothing to do with anything, besides being Cecil’s daughter. … is that why he was after you? Just because you were related to Cecil?

No, Nolan wasn’t stupid. He knew you weren’t his biological daughter, Nolan knew Cecil took you from somewhere.

He probably thought you were just someone that he got for fun, which was the furthest from the truth. Cecil didn’t-

“Sir, we’ve found Mark Grayson, along with your daughter, not at the same locations, but-”

“Where is she?” Cecil didn’t try to hide his worry in his voice. It didn’t exactly help when the agent said, in a monotone voice, “She's with Omni-Man, sir.”

~~~~~

“________? What are you doing here?”

Peeking out from the bush, you saw Omni-Man walk up towards you and hold out his hand. You graciously took it, and helped yourself up. Even when you were standing at your full height, Omni-Man was way taller than you. Like, way taller. He could beat your dad within an inch of his life even with all of that combat stuff he learned over the years.

Of course he could, he’s Omni-Man dumbass. Ignoring the thought, you answered, “I’m, uh, busy.”

You saw him give a small smile. “You’re busy hiding in the bushes?”

“Yes.” you cursed internally for answering that so quickly like an idiot. You weren’t expecting him to let out a laugh. He continued while you stood there, confused as all hell.

Finally, he said, “You know, you’re a terrible liar.” You laughed along with him for a moment, before saying, “Yeah, I know.”

His face suddenly darkened, before he said, “So, why are you out here?”

The laughter in the air was gone now, only replaced by crushing silence as he waited for your answer. You felt yourself shrink under his scrutinizing gaze. He looked like he was judging you for just standing there. Well, he could’ve also been judging you because you were in a bush just 10 seconds earlier. After a few more seconds, you broke.

“C- Dad said to hide somewhere.”

“Aren’t you too old to be playing those games?”

“Yeah, I am, but apparently someone was gonna come and get me. He just said to get out of open space.”

You heard him mutter something under his breath, before he scratched the back of his head.

“Well, I can see why he would want that.”

“Really? Why?”

“A mob boss named Machine Head.” When you gave him a confused look, he elaborated, “Machine head was a guy who took down the new Guardians of the Globe along with… Mark. They thought they got him, but unfortunately they weren’t able to kill him.”

“How does that have anything with me?”

“... You’re Cecil’s daughter. Cecil was the one who found out about Machine Head. And took him down. Machine Head wants revenge against Cecil for ruining his plans, so he’s probably going to take it out on you.” When you still gave a surprised stare, he asked, “Do you really not have this happen often?”

“No, Dad keeps me inside alot…” your voice trailed off when you heard your phone ring, and picking it up, you saw it was your dad.

“Hello?”

“_________, I told you to get to somewhere safe!”

“I-I am! I’m with Nolan!”

“Hey, Cecil, don’t worry, I’m right here.” Nolan’s voice was filled with sarcasm, probably an old joke between the two. After all, they were both good friends to each other.

“No, you don’t understand, ______, listen to me-”

Suddenly you were grabbed by your arm, and dragged down. You were caught by Omni-Man before you hit the ground, though. Looking behind him, you saw two trucks coming towards you, along with multiple people in them, with weapons of all sorts.

You didn’t have time to ask who they were or what they wanted, as Omni-Man grabbed you and pulled out off the ground, and into the air. It took you a few moments, but you realized you were in the air. Flying.

Reaching for your phone in your pocket to call your dad back, you realized you must’ve dropped it. However, you weren’t about to waste your energy trying to get it back. Especially not when you were high above the ground. So you simply hung on for dear life as Omni-Man flew away from the shouting people in the cars.

~~~~~

“Where is she?”

“She went with Omni-Man, sir.”

Cecil stood there for a moment, wondering what the fuck happened. It was obvious now that Nolan had no intentions to harm you, but why would he take you and not tell you anything? Cecil wondered before something was handed to him. “We found this near where they took off, sir.”

It was your phone. Completely crushed to bits. “Omni-Man took it from her and crushed it without her knowledge, sir.”

“You started to shoot at her?! What the hell were you thinking!?”

The men stood there, completely still realizing their mistake. “We’re not kids playing at some game, this is real life. And now- I-” he really wanted to kill Nolan now. Debbie was going to become a widow, and he really didn’t care.

Walking up to the truck that was nearest to him, he opened the back and shuffled around, trying to find something, anything that would be of use.

Then he found his favorite gun. The only one he could actually hold himself without another person that stopped Omni-man.

Loading the ammunition, he walked over to Donald, who had a tablet in his hand. “Sir, we’ve found where they’re going.”

Looking at the area on the map, Cecil tapped his wrist watch, and said, “Good. Get the backup ready, and get Mark Grayson. Get Invincible.”

#yandere invincible #yandere nolan grayson #yandere cecil stedman #originally i was gonna put the invincible logo at the end but i didn't want to do that much work cuz im tired rn

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jenstar1992-2 · 4 years ago

Text

Here with You

Pairing: Echo x reader/ Hunter x reader

Warnings: Mentions of nightmares/ trauma, reliving a traumatic experience, Order 66 (because it’s a warning in itself)

Word count: 7,103

A/N: Well, I knew it, it hasn’t been a whole day since I saw the Bad Batch premiere, and I’ve already gotten my first writing idea (yes, this took me like two days to write because I kept getting interrupted). I just couldn’t get the image of my poor baby Echo in that med bay and seeing the trauma those damned Separatists caused him out of my head. All I want to do is hold him and never let go, he deserves the world. This was originally just going to be an Echo x reader, but it turned into a Hunter x reader as well, because I just couldn’t help myself, I love them both, and wanted both of them to get some lovins. Also, I get the sense that Omega is a smart kid, and that she’s pretty well spoken, so I tried to write her as such, while still keeping that childlike innocence, so hopefully it comes across that way.

So much had transpired within the last few days and you were still trying to wrap your head around all of it. The jedi had been almost entirely wiped out in a single day, and while you were certain their had to be other survivors besides yourself, you were unclear as to what that number was. Luckily for you, you had been amongst friends when Order 66 was given, and your men turned on you. If it weren’t for the Bad Batch, you were certain you wouldn’t be alive right now.

As you sat in the cockpit of the Marauder, the memories began to flood your brain, which caused involuntary tears to fill your eyes.

You and your men had been sent to Kaller to aid Master Billaba and her troops. However, upon your arrival, you were greeted with a pleasant surprise. It turned out, Clone Force 99 had been on planet already and had taken out a large amount of the droids before you even landed.

You had worked with this group before and had even enjoyed the experience. While your men thought their tactics and unprofessional antics were unnecessary and even a bit annoying, you found the group to be, for lack of a better term, fun. You had been around stuffy, uptight individuals for so long, it was nice to have a change of pace, and while your men were great, they tended to be sticklers for the rules and rarely wanted to take risks.

You also got along with this team rather well, enough to consider them good friends, but you were especially close with their newest recruit. You and Echo had known each other well before he joined the Bad Batch, even before his accident at the citadel, and had been friends for just as long, although as time went by and you found yourself encountering him more and more in your life, you slowly realized you might feel more for the trooper than you should, more than you’d ever admit aloud. So, when you’d heard of his survival and rescue, you had been elated, and that happiness resurfaced at the thought of seeing him again.

You exited the gunship and saw the rag-tag group of clones speaking with Master Billaba on the now quiet battlefield. They turned as you and your men made your approach. As you got closer to the group, you scanned the faces of its members before you found him, smiling brightly as your eyes connected, he did the same.

You came to stand before their leader, raising your gaze to meet the man’s unwavering stare.

“Sergeant”, you greeted him, extending a hand formally, which he took without hesitation, shaking it firmly.

“General, good to see you again”, he said with a smile.

“You too”, you responded.

You’d always liked Hunter, from the beginning he’d always struck you as a respectable man, and you admired the fact that he could allow his men to be their reckless selves while also keeping them in line, but only when necessary, it seemed. There was something else too, something you hadn’t noticed right away, but after a few more encounters with the man, you put it together, coming to an all to familiar realization, one that brought butterflies to your stomach, while also bringing about a slight anxiety. How could you let this happen, it was bad enough falling for one man you couldn’t have, but two, you were sure the universe was out to hurt you.

“General (L/N), I’m glad to see your trip was a safe one, and better late than never I suppose”, Depa said, drawing you from Hunter’s gaze to hers.

“Sorry Master Billaba, we were assisting Masters Luminara and Yoda on Kashyyyk when we got word of your need for reinforcements, we got here as soon as we could”, you said, then looking around at the desolated droids scattered across the landscape. “Although, from what I can tell, you seem to now have a handle on things.”

“Yeah, thanks to these guys”, Caleb, Depa’s padawan, exclaimed, gesturing to the group of men before you. “You should’ve seen it, they took all those droids out in a matter of minutes, it was incredible.”

You chuckled. “Yes, I’m well aware of the marvel that is Clone Force 99, and they do put on quite the show”, you said, shooting a quick glance Echo’s way. “Incredible indeed.”

Your words caused the trooper to smile shyly at you.

“Yes, well, we’re still glad you’re here, we just launched a counterattack, and the more assistance, the better”, Depa said.

You nodded. “You need us, we’ll stay”, you said before turning to your troops. “Men, a counterattack has been launched, I want you to rendezvous with Master Billaba’s troops and aid in the attack, Commander Roran, you’re with me. Let’s move!”

With that your troops dispersed, leaving you and your commander where you stood. You turned back to face everyone.

“So, how can we help”, you asked.

“Actually, I don’t think we’ll be needing your assistance after all, in fact, this war might soon be over”, Tech spoke up, causing you to give him a confused look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, according to the encrypted comm chatter, Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi has found and engaged General Grievous on Utapau”, he responded.

“If he captures, or kills Grievous, the separatist command structure will collapse”, Echo chimed in.

“And most likely the droid armies along with them”, Tech finished.

“It can’t be that easy, can it”, you asked, looking to the jedi master.

“While it is an interesting theory, I would not bet our hopes on it, we should focus on the task at hand”, she replied.

“I agree, we should focus our energy on this attack, strike while we have the advantage”, you said.

Hunter nodded. “Any orders, or shall we do what we do”, he asked, directing his words at Depa.

“What do you think General, should we let them ‘do what they do’”, she asked you.

You chuckled and folded your arms over your chest. “Probably our best bet, what do you think Caleb”, you asked the padawan.

“I say we let them, but only if I can go with them”, he responded.

You looked to his master, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Very well”, she said, giving the boy permission.

“Ronan and I will tag along too”, you stated, then looking to Hunter. “Just in case you guys need a hand.”

“Hope that wasn’t a jab at me”, Echo said, coming to stand beside you while simultaneously lifting his cybernetic arm.

You immediately regretted your choice in words and stammered your defense.

“N- no, I didn’t mean, I would never.”

He let out an amused laugh. “I’m just messing with you General, sorry”, he said.

You then scowled at him before poking a finger at his chest plate.

“Not funny”, you said, but couldn’t keep the smile from forming on your face.

“I said I was sorry”, you heard him say as you began walking in the direction your troops had gone. He soon caught up and walked alongside you.

You chuckled. “Well, it’s nice to know you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“Nah, but I did lose a couple other things”, he said, face turning slightly serious.

You stopped walking and just stood for a moment, a sad expression now adorning your features. Noticing your actions, Echo ceased his movements as well and looked back to you.

“What is it”, he asked.

You went to stand in front of him before you spoke your next words. “Echo, I am sorry for your loss, truly I am, but honestly, I’d rather you be here and missing a few limbs, then for you to not be here at all. I’m just glad your alive, and that I get to see you again.”

He stared at you for a moment with an unreadable expression before smiling and nodding.

“I guess you’re right, and I’m glad our paths crossed again, I…”, he began, clearly wanting to say more, but stopping himself. You caught on though and decided to voice it for him.

“I missed you too”, you said, giving him a warm smile, prompting one of his own.

You both began walking once more to catch up with your comrades.

“You know, I was actually surprised you recognized me, what with the countless differences and all” he said with a chuckle.

You shook your head. “You can change all you want, I’ll still know it’s you”, you said.

“Yeah?”

“Yep, you might’ve changed a lot on the outside, but inside, you’re still the same Echo I’ve always known and loved”, you said, saying the words before they fully registered with your brain, but once they did you nearly froze in your stacks, your face instantly reddening with embarrassment. You quickly tried to back track before he could respond. “I mean, uh, well, y- you know what I mean.” Smooth.

He chuckled, amused at your obvious embarrassment of your less-than-ideal choice of words yet again.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean”, he said, giving you a reassuring smile before seemingly letting the subject drop, much to your relief.

You nodded as you carried on toward the others.

Suddenly, a wave of emotions flooded your mind, and it was as if hundreds of voices were crying out within the confines of your skull. You stopped, placing a hand to the side of your head in an attempt to stop the dizziness that accompanied the voices.

Echo noticed and came to your side, placing a steadying hand to your back.

“Are you okay”, he asked, clearly concerned.

“S- somethings wrong, I feel… death, so much death, I don’t know…”, you began through heavy breathes, but you were soon cut off by the sound of blaster fire.

You both looked to see Master Billaba’s men attempting to gun her down as she deflected their blasts with her lightsaber. Before you could fully process the sight in front of you, you heard Caleb yell for his master, seeing him rush past you, saber ignited and ready to jump to her aid.

“Caleb, no…”, you shouted, but before you could run after him a burning pain in your left arm stopped you.

You grabbed your now wounded arm and turned to see Roran facing you, blaster raised and aimed directly at you.

“Commander”, you said in confusion, but before you could get another word out, he was firing again. You were able to deflect the blasts with your saber, yelling at him as you did so. “Roran, why are you doing this?”

Suddenly, the blasts stopped as Echo came to your aid, wrestling the blaster out of the commander’s hands before knocking him out cold. He then rushed to your side once more, seeing you kneeling and clutching your head.

“General, (Y/N), (Y/N), can you hear me? Say something”, he urged, but try as you might, you couldn’t form the words to respond.

Your head was swimming in a sea of pain, death, and betrayal, most of which you were certain weren’t coming from you, more like from the force itself. You’d felt disturbances in the force before, but none like this, it was all encompassing and soon you found yourself slipping from consciousness from the intensity of it all.

***

When you finally came to, you found yourself laying in a bunk aboard the Havoc Marauder. When you tried to sit up a hand caught your shoulder and gently coaxed you back down.

“Easy (Y/N), you don’t want to push yourself, you sustained a pretty bad injury, you should rest”, a familiar voice said softly.

“Echo, what, what happened… they turned on us, why would they do that”, you asked, looking at him with confusion and sadness mixing in your expression.

“I don’t know, we’re still trying to figure that out ourselves, but you’re safe now, I won’t let them hurt you again, you have my word. Now rest”, he said, trying to comfort you, but knowing it wouldn’t help much given what you’d just been through.

“No”, you heard someone say, the volume of it startling you slightly, and you looked to see that it was Hunter, who had just entered.

“What do you mean ‘no’”, Echo asked him, confused.

“I mean, she can’t stay here, it’s not safe”, he explained, and when you both gave him a befuddled look, he continued, “It’s Crosshair, there’s… something wrong with him. I think whatever happened to those soldiers is happening to him too, but I can’t be sure.”

“What makes you think that”, you questioned, finally sitting up and turning to place your feet on the floor.

He looked behind him, making sure you three were the only ones in ear shot before bending down to your level.

“He tried to kill that padawan”, he said, so low it was almost a whisper.

“Caleb, is he alright”, you asked, fear and concern thick in your voice.

“He’s alive, but other than that, I’m not sure. He ran off after…”, he began, but the words died on his lips.

You nodded in understanding. “So, what should I do, where should I go?”

“Stay here, on Kaller, find somewhere to hide. We’ll go back to Kamino and sort this out, once it’s safe, we’ll come back for you”, he said.

You nodded, agreeing to do as he said, knowing you really had no other option at this point.

Shortly after this conversation you readied yourself to leave, Tech giving you some medical supplies in case you would need to re-bandage your arm before they returned.

Echo ended up accompanying you in your search for shelter, telling the others he wasn’t going anywhere until he knew you’d found somewhere safe to stay. You had resisted the gesture, wanting him to get as far away from danger as possible, but he insisted.

You found a cave a few miles from the ship’s current location and decided it was as good a place as any to crash for, what you were hoping would only be, a few days.

“You sure you’re going to be okay here”, Echo asked, looking into the cold, dark cave.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve stayed in worse places. Besides, it’s the safest place we’ll find in the wilderness, and it’s dark, perfect for hiding”, you said in a poor attempt to lighten the mood, you didn’t know why, force of habit you guessed. Although, all this earned you was a sad smile from the trooper.

“We’ll be back soon, just stay out of sight until then, okay?”

You gave a small smile, bringing your hand up to your forehead for a two fingered salute. “Yes sir”, you said. This actually earned you a small laugh, which at this moment was music to your ears. You lowered your hand and looked into his eyes, taking on a more serious expression. “Just… be safe.”

“I should be telling you that”, he said.

“Yeah, well, I beat you to it”, you said, half grinning.

“I will if you will.”

You nodded. “Then I will.”

Suddenly your body was moving without you telling it to, and you found yourself wrapping him in a tight hug, closing your eyes to keep from crying, and soon the gesture was returned, leaving the both of you in a long embrace.

“Don’t forget me, okay”, you said, the threat of tears evident in your voice.

He squeezed you a little tighter. “Never.”

***

Turns out, you didn’t have to hide out in that cave long at all, as they had returned to retrieve you within two days’ time, with a new crew member, but without Crosshair. You two hadn’t been the best of friends by any means, and the man’s standoffishness really irked you sometimes, but you’d always known that deep down, he wasn’t such a bad guy. So, when the boys had told you what had happened between their return to Kamino and their escape from the planet, it put a surprising strain on your heart. You wanted to be angry with Crosshair for his actions, for attempting to kill Caleb and other innocents, but you just couldn’t, especially after you were informed of the inhibitor chips planted within every clone trooper. You couldn’t be mad at him, you couldn’t hate him, because it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t any of their faults, they were being used just like the jedi had been, if not more so, and this knowledge extinguished any hatred that had grown in you since the day that order was given.

Thinking back on all of this had you shedding silent tears as you watched the streaks of light pass before your eyes, attempting to let yourself to be swept away in the beauty that was hyperspace. This always seemed to calm your mind, but it didn’t seem to be working this time, so you simply stared and let the tears run down your cheeks.

“Hey, you okay”, Hunter asked from the seat beside you, having temporarily taken over piloting the ship in order to allow the others to rest.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by his words and quickly wiped the tears from your face before answering.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, still just trying to figure all of this out”, you replied somberly.

He nodded. “I understand, we still don’t have it all figured out either and with every answer comes new questions”, he said.

You hummed in agreement. “I guess my biggest question is, why now, why did Palpatine wait so long to put this grand plan in action? I mean, he could’ve done it years ago, but no, he waited… waited for us to get close to those who would eventually become our executioners, and worse, he took away their free will to do it. Those troopers, they weren’t the men they used to be, it’s like they were brainwashed.”

“Tech said they were programmed and when the chips were activated, it basically took over their minds, so I guess, in a way, they are brainwashed”, Hunter said, looking back out at the blue glow of hyperspace.

“Those poor men”, you said after a moment of silence.

Hunter turned his head to look at you, an astonished expression over his features, he then let out an amused huff.

“You are truly a wonder, you know that?”

“What”, you asked him, confused by the comment.

“Even after everything you’ve been through, and after what they did to you and your kin, you still feel pity for them”, he explained. “You’ve always been able to see people for who they really are, and forgive them for their faults, it’s commendable, and it’s something I’ve always admired about you.”

“You admire me”, you asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning in amusement.

He gave you a single nod. “Always have”, he said, giving you a soft smile.

The way he was looking at you made your cheeks begin to heat as a light blush covered them, and you turned away in an attempt to hide it, but he noticed, and his smile widened a bit as he looked back out the view port.

“I think you’re right by the way, about Palpatine waiting so long to execute his plan. I think he wanted you all to build those relationships, that trust, with your men, so that, when the time came, he could not only take you all out, but destroy your conviction as well”, he said, his voice lower than before.

“That’s a bit ominous, given our current situation”, you said, only half joking.

He turned to you suddenly, eyebrows raised in mild shock.

“(Y/N), you don’t think we’d… we’d never hurt you, I’d never hurt you, we’re on your side, I promise”, he said, hurt in his eyes. Did you really not trust him?

Seeing his reaction made your heart squeeze, you hadn’t meant to hurt him, you were just confused and scared. You felt as if your whole world had come crumbling down around you, and you were still trying to resurface from the rubble. But you knew you were wrong for thinking, even for a second, that you couldn’t trust Hunter and his men.

“I know, I’m sorry. I do trust you, all of you”, you said, trying to sound reassuring, but it only came out as sadness.

It looked as if the sergeant was contemplating something, his hands reflexively grabbing at nothing as they opened and closed on his lap. You knew he wanted to do something, wanted to comfort you, but he also didn’t want to invade your space, worried that would be crossing a line. So, you took the initiative.

You reached over and took one of his hands from his lap, holding it softly before giving it a reassuring squeeze and sending a smile his way. This prompted him to smile back, and you both just sat like that for a minute.

Suddenly, you heard a commotion from the bunks, and your name being called out by a desperate voice.

Recognizing the voice, you jumped up from your seat. “Echo”, you said, concern in your tone, before looking back to Hunter.

He simply nodded. “Go”, he said softly.

You gave a confirming nod and let go of the hand you’d still been holding, before quickly making your way to the bunks.

When you entered the room, it took you a second to assess the situation before you. Echo was laying in his bunk, breathing heavy, head shaking from side to side, and body trembling, as if he were in a state of terror. All this while Omega stood by the bunk, watching with concern. She looked back to you when you entered, then ran to you.

“I tried to wake him, but it’s not working, he keeps calling for you, you’ve got to do something”, she said in a rush, voice and eyes full or worry for her new friend.

You bent down to her level and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, I know what to do, you go wait with Hunter, okay? Everything will be fine”, you told her, attempting to quell her worry.

You then stood and made your way to Echo, sitting on the edge of the bunk and looking over him with your own worried expression. You really didn’t know what to do, you’d never been faced with something like this before. He was clearly having a terrible nightmare, and you wanted to help, so you just acted on instinct.

You placed a hand on his shoulder and shook lightly, softly calling his name, trying to wake him as gradually as you could, as you figured startling him awake would be counterproductive. However, this didn’t seem to work, and hearing your voice only caused him to say your name more. Seeing him like this broke your heart, and for a moment you felt totally helpless, but then you had an idea. You moved your hand from his shoulder, bringing it to cup the side of his face, your thumb instinctually beginning to rub soothing circles on his cheek, and you bent down to speak quietly in his ear.

“Echo, it’s (Y/N). You don’t have to be scared, I’m here, I won’t let them hurt you anymore”, you said, gently grabbing his flesh hand with your free one and holding it to your chest. “I’m here for you, I’ll always be right here with you, it’s okay. Wake up Love. Come back to me.”

As you spoke you could see him slowly calm, and with your final request, his eyes fluttered open, finding yours instantly.

“There you are”, you said softly, a smile spreading over your face. You were just relieved that the nightmare was over, and he seemed to be calming more with each passing second.

As he took in your presence before him, he let out a relieved sigh, but then looked to you with a strained expression.

“(Y/N), I… I was back, back with them, back to that day, I… I didn’t know how or why, and I just…”, he said in a desperate rush.

You shushed him, and let your hand continue to stay where it was in an attempt to sooth the frightened man lying next to you.

“I know, it’s okay, you’re okay now, you’re here with me, you’re safe, I promise”, you reassured him.

This seemed to work, and he let out another sigh as he closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing once again, coming back to a steady pattern in no time. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed the position you both were in; you were sitting very close beside him, one hand resting on his cheek, while the other held his hand close to your heart, with his clutching yours in return, like you were his lifeline, which he had to admit, wasn’t far from the truth. You were the one he could trust without question, the one he could confide in, always had been.

You noticed this too and immediately went to pull away, slowly dropping his hand as you did, cheeks now burning. You didn’t get very far though, before he grabbed your wrist with his newly freed hand. “No”, he said, and pulled the hand back towards his head, coaxing you to return it to its previous spot. “Don’t stop… please.”

You stared at him for a moment with an unreadable expression, before finally giving him a tentative nod and continuing your earlier action of rubbing your thumb in circles on his cheek. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the pillow, relaxing easily under your touch, this causing you to smile, glad you could be of comfort to him. You stayed like this for a while before your curiosity got the best of you and you voiced the question that had been on your mind since you first heard him call your name.

“Echo”, you said in a questioning tone. He hummed in response, not opening his eyes. “Why, why me?”

He looked at you then, confused. “What do you mean?”

“When you were having your nightmare, you, you called out for me, I was just wondering, why me”, you explained.

“I did”, he asked.

“Yeah, quite a few times actually. Was I in your dream or something?”

He looked away, a bit embarrassed.

“Not exactly”, he said.

You used the hand that was still on him to lightly pull his head to face you, speaking once his eyes were fixed on yours once again.

“Echo, you know you can tell me anything. What is it”, you asked.

“You weren’t in the dream, technically, and it wasn’t really a dream, more like I was reliving a memory, the memory of the citadel, and…”, he explained, his words dying off as he found it hard to voice them.

You placed a reassuring hand on his chest and gave him a nod in understanding.

“So, you were reliving that day, I’m sorry, I know that can’t be easy. But I still don’t see what that has to do with me, I wasn’t there, if I had been, I would’ve taken that blow for you”, you said, suddenly feeling tears behind your eyes, but you fought them back internally.

His eyes widened and he quickly grabbed your hand from its spot on his chest, squeezing it firmly.

“No, don’t say that”, he said urgently, suddenly sitting up, causing your hand to slip from his face, instead falling to rest at the intersection of his shoulder and neck.

“But…”, you tried to say, but he cut you off.

“No (Y/N), I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, least of all on you”, he said, staring directly into your eyes. You could only nod sadly as you tried to keep your emotions in check, which was getting harder as this interaction continued. He then softened his gaze and let out a long breath. “You were there, in a way.”

You gave him a confused look, about to ask what he meant, until he continued.

“After the explosion, I just laid there for a long time, feeling everything and nothing all at the same time, I was basically just waiting to die”, he told you. Your heart squeezed at his words, as the tears threatened to rise. “But then, I heard someone’s voice calling out to me, your voice. You were telling me not to give up, not to leave you, to keep fighting, and so I did. I bared the pain and rejected the urge to just slip away, even after they took me, I fought through all of it, because I knew that if I survived, then there was a chance I’d make it back to you, and… I really wanted that.”

That’s all it took, his words hit you straight in the chest and flowed through you, causing the flood gates to release and the tears to fall. Echo looked worried then and released your hand, bringing his to cup your cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad”, he said, internally wishing he hadn’t said anything.

You shook your head. “You have nothing to be sorry for, and I’m not sad that you told me, I’m glad you did”, you said, wiping the tears from the other side of your face. “Honestly, I’m just happy your alive, and that you did find your way back to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. When I heard what happened on Lola Sayu I couldn’t believe it at first, it didn’t feel real, but once I accepted it was… I had never felt true grief until that moment, and the sense of longing was almost unbearable. All I kept thinking was how I was angry with myself for wasting the time I had with you, lying. Lying to you, and to myself.”

“What are you talking about, lying about what”, he asked, sliding his hand down to hook a finger around your chin and turn your face back to face him after you’d turned it away during your confession.

You took a deep breath before speaking next. “I lied to you before, when I acted like that slip up was just a poor choice of words, I meant exactly what I said. See, the truth is, I was upset with myself because I never told you…”, you paused, finding this confession to be much harder than you had thought it would be to get out, “never told you that I…”

After another long pause, Echo decided to take the initiative, seeing as he knew exactly what you wanted to say, as it was the same thing he’d wanted to say to you all that time ago, still did. He used the hand that had a hold of your chin to pull you to him as he caught your lips in a kiss, one that while soft, was full of so much emotion it was almost palpable. You were surprised at first, but soon melted into the kiss, feeling completely content with staying there as long as possible.

Much too soon for your liking, Echo pulled away, but only to place his forehead against yours and let the long overdue words slip from his lips. “I love you too.”

Your smile reached your ears as his words filled you with untainted happiness, which prompted him to smile widely himself. Why had you both waited so long to do this, you didn’t know, but you were glad it was finally happening.

“Why did we spend all that time hiding, when we could’ve just done this”, you asked.

He chuckled. “Because we were both cowardly idiots”, he said.

You hummed in agreement. “I still can’t believe you did all that for me”, you said in a more serious tone.

He pulled back to look into your eyes. “Of course I did… I’d do anything for you (Y/N)”, he told you.

“Anything?”

He nodded in response and you smiled again.

“Kiss me again”, you said, it was more of a request than a demand.

He smiled and pulled you close so your face was mere inches from his.

“Yes Ma’am.”

***

It had been a good fifteen minutes since the cries had stopped and no noise could be heard from Echo’s bunk. Omega was no longer worried, knowing you had it handled, but her curiosity was starting to get the best of her.

“What do you think their talking about in there, it’s so quiet, maybe I should…”, she said as she got up from the co-pilot seat, moving in the direction of the bunks, but she was stopped by a hand grabbing her forearm, causing her to turn and stare at Hunter questioningly.

“Don’t, they’re fine, and it’s none of our business what their talking about, so just let them be, alright”, he said, giving her a warning look, one that wasn’t all that intimidating to the young girl, but she listened nonetheless and returned to her seat.

After a moment she spoke again, not being able to take the silence any longer.

“So, what’s the deal with those two, are they together, or is it some secret that everyone knows about except them”, she asked the sergeant.

Hunter laughed, this kid really was perceptive, not that anyone with eyes couldn’t see the attraction between you and Echo, it had always seemed so obvious to him, which is why he never spoke on his own feelings for you.

“Yeah, there seem to be… unspoken feelings between the two of them, but I’m sure they’ll get their acts together soon enough, especially now that they’ll be around each other more often”, he told her.

She thought on this for a moment before responding.

“I think so too… and what about you”, Omega asked him.

“What about me?”

“Are you going to get your act together as well”, she asked, raising her eyebrow and grinning at him.

“What are you talkin’ about kid”, Hunter asked, wondering if she’d somehow figured it out.

“Seriously, I’ve only just got here and I can see it”, she said.

“See what?”

“That Echo isn’t the only one who has feelings for the general.”

Hunter turned to the young clone, a look of surprise on his face. Very perceptive indeed.

“Why don’t you just tell her, at least one of you should pluck up the courage to do it”, she said.

He exhaled heavily as his features returned to a more neutral expression.

“It’s not that simple kid, there are just some things you’re not old enough to understand. Besides, it’s not reciprocated so there’s really no point, she’s made her choice, and I have to respect that”, he explained, hoping that would be that. However, he wasn’t going to be that lucky.

“Your wrong”, Omega said simply.

“What?”

“Your wrong, those feelings, they are reciprocated, yeah she likes Echo, but she likes you too.” She said it with such confidence that it made him wonder if the statement was true.

“Really, and how do you know that”, he asked, an almost sarcastic tone in his voice.

She shrugged. “Female intuition.”

He raised a suspicious brow at her but decided not to think too much on it.

“Hm, well, even if you are right, she’s still made her choice, and I won’t get in the way.”

“Won’t get in the way of what?”

Your voice made both of them jump a little. You had just made your way back to the cockpit and had clearly overheard the last bit of their conversation.

“Nothing��, Hunter said, watching you come to stand beside Omega, perching your arm on the headrest of the co-pilot chair and leaning on it.

“Really? Didn’t sound like nothing”, you said, raising your eyebrow in suspicion.

Omega suddenly perked up and turned in her chair to look up at you.

“Hey (Y/N), do you think it’s possibly for someone to love more than one person at a time”, she asked.

You were a bit taken aback by the question, but figured you’d answer, seeing as how you were being very honest today.

“Yes, I do, it actually happens a lot more often than you think”, you responded, purposefully avoiding Hunter’s gaze as you looked at the child.

“And what does that person do, you know, when they realize they have feelings for more than one person”, she then asked.

“Well, usually that person then has a decision to make, and they just hope they don’t break any hearts in the process. You see, love can be a tricky endeavor. However, I think if someone does fall for two individuals at once, then there are other options”, you said, rather matter-of-factly, given the topic at hand.

“Like what?”

“Those involved could always enter into a relationship all together, I suppose”, you said, wondering just how far she was going to take this conversation.

“And that would work”, she asked, seeming almost hopeful.

“It’s possible, yes, but only if all members involved are okay with it. They all need to know that’s what’s going on, and there can’t be any secrets”, you explained.

“Huh, I guess that makes sense”, Omega said, seeming content with your explanation. Then another thought seemed to hit her. “Hey (Y/N)?”

You hummed in response.

“Have you ever been in love”, she asked curiously.

“Omega”, Hunter said firmly, giving her another look of warning.

“No, no, it’s fine”, you informed him, not wanting him to reprimand the girl for just being curious. “To answer your question Omega, yes, yes I have.”

“With more than one person”, she continued.

You raised an eyebrow at her and crossed your arms over your chest.

“What’s with the twenty questions, am I being interrogated or something”, you asked, only half joking.

She shook her head. “No, just curious is all.”

“Uh huh, well why don’t you stow that curiosity away for later and go get some rest, it’s quiet now”, you told her.

“What did you do, I mean, how did you get him to stop”, she asked as she stood from her seat.

“I just let him know that he was safe, and that there was nothing to be afraid of”, you said, which wasn’t a complete lie.

“That’s it”, she asked.

You nodded. “That’s it.”

She gave you a look of suspicion but didn’t act on it.

“Okay”, she said, drawing out the word, and made her way to exit the cockpit.

“Sleep tight”, you called after her as she disappeared down the small corridor. You then turned back to the view port and took a seat in the now empty chair, sighing heavily before finally looking to Hunter. “Well, that was interesting, care to tell me what that was all about?”

“Not really”, he said, turning back to face forward.

You raised a brow. “Seriously?”

He shrugged and kept his gaze where it was.

You sighed again and leaned back in your chair. “Alright then, but I think it’s worth mentioning that the kid knows what she’s talking about, you might want to listen to her every now and then, she’s quite intuitive.”

He looked to you then, confusion on his brow.

“What do you mean”, he asked.

You laughed. “I mean, what she said about me is true”, you said.

His eyes widened a bit. “You, you heard that”, he asked, and you nodded in response. “How much of it?”

“Enough”, you said simply.

He looked away again as he spoke. “Then you know it doesn’t matter how I feel, you’ve made your choice, and I’m okay with that, I’ll have to be”, he said, trying to keep up this act of indifference.

You turned in your seat to face him. “You keep saying that, but, what if I don’t want to choose, because how you feel does matter, Hunter. At least, to me it does.”

He turned his head to meet your gaze. “What exactly are you proposing”, he asked.

“Nothing yet, just letting you know that, I know, and that the feelings are mutual.”

He smiled at this and nodded his understanding.

“What about Echo, have you told him yet”, he asked.

“We talked, and confessions were made… finally”, you said with a smile.

You both laughed then, happy to finally air things out a bit, all the pent-up emotions were wearing on all of you it seemed, and it felt nice to not have to hide it anymore.

“How do you think he’ll feel about your non-proposed proposal”, he asked with a grin.

“I don’t know, but we’re all adults, we can sit down and have a civilized conversation about this, and… we’ll figure this all out”, you told him.

He gave an amused huff. “You make it sound so formal.”

You nodded and gave a light chuckle. “At first, yeah, but I get the feeling that once this proposal is made, all persons involved will be… willing to give it a try”, you said, taking his hand and holding it in both of yours. “Then things will get more… informal.”

He smiled. “Yeah, how can you be so sure”, he asked, leaning toward you.

You smiled back and leaned in as well, your faces now only inches apart.

“Female intuition”, you whispered, your smile turning a bit smug.

He chuckled in amusement. “You’re ridiculous”, he said, before closing the gap between you.

The kiss was sweet and felt just as right as the ones you’d had with Echo, and just like those ones, this kiss ended all to quickly, but you were content to sit back and bask in the afterglow, you didn’t want to rush things after all.

You both sat there a moment, leaning back in your seats, staring out the view port, arms stretched as your hands sat, intertwined, between you. Maybe this really could work, only time would tell.

After what felt like hours, but in reality, had only been minutes, Hunter looked to you with a soft smile.

“I’m glad you’re here with us”, he said.

You smiled back and gave his hand a light squeeze.

“Me too”, you said, and you both stayed like that for a long while, enjoying a view you each thought was much better than the one outside the view port.

Little did you know, behind you Omega stood at the entrance of the cockpit, looking on silently and grinning from ear to ear, feeling quite pleased with herself.

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halcyon-writings · 3 years ago

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plans we made

kento nanami/reader

- you thought it would be a normal night, that he’d be back in the morning.

notes/warnings: manga spoilers, i like to think i can write fluff but then the angst creeps behind me like joe baker does to ethan in re7

You’re preparing for bed, when you hear his cell phone ring. With a silent but resigned understanding, you reach over to the night stand, handing it to him as he enters your shared bedroom.

While not privy to the conversation, you take a few keywords from the call, Shibuya station, and curses.

The call is short, and Kento’s answers are clipped, he’s in work mode now. You watch as he gets ready, then again, you had known something like this was coming. From the things he had talked to you about it that is.

He’s tying the uniform tie you know he has different patterns of, and you sit up, beckoning him over as he does dutifully. You loop the fabric once more. While he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Try not to stay up,” He murmurs against your hair, you of course snort quietly.

“I won’t if you try and take it easy,” You answer smartly.

“Aye aye,” A feint smile on his lips and soon enough, he stands back up fully, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

You lean back onto the pillows, bringing the blankets around you as you hear his footsteps growing further away as he leaves. However it doesn’t shake the unsettling feeling you have in the back of your mind.

It could’ve been only minutes, or even hours, but unfortunately not sooner enough, you sleep.

When you come to, you look over to the clouds, they’re just rolling in, the sun is hidden.

Then the familiar pitter patter of rain starts, until it’s essentially down pouring.

Your hand reaches forward, but the other side of the bed is cold, you sit up, feeling the familiar dreaded feeling in your mind stir. The rest of your home is silent, your eyebrows furrow as you inspect it, things from the previous night left the same, untouched.

Had he come home last night?

You tighten your robe around yourself, as the slight chill in the air perhaps isn’t the only reason your hands shake.

Perhaps the work they had called him on was taking longer than planned, you attempt to rationalize to yourself as you prepare breakfast.

But then a day passes. And so does another, and then another.

You thought it would be a normal night, that he’d be back in the morning.

A knock on the door startles you one morning and you jump, the stove is turned off and the pan is moved off of the heat while you wipe your hands on a kitchen rag.

You know Kento wouldn’t knock, and he rarely told anyone of his home, not unless he trusted them completely.

You open the door to find a glasses wearing man, in a suit but with bandages peaking out from under his collar. He’s looking at anything else but you, but you’re far more concerned about why he may be here in the first place.

“You’re ______, correct?” He seems to stop himself before quickly bowing, “Ichiji Kiyotaka, I’m an associate of Nanami-san.”

You nod, quietly stepping aside to allow him in, your eyes trailing to the brief case in one hand and then to the file filled with papers in the other, clutched tightly to his chest like a lifeline.

“I’m sorry but I don’t really have a lot for a guest currently,” You admit half sheepish, “I wasn’t expecting anyone right now, could I at least offer you something like a water?”

At this he shakes his head.

You clear your table, knowing that whatever he was here for had to do with the items he carried.

“You may have to sit down for this,” He begins, but he half stammers the rest, that dreadful feeling returns as you fiddle with the rings on your finger.

“Kento Nanami has died.”

You hear your ring fall and clink on the floor.

You don’t even know how you’re not a mess, but you pick the ring up with shaky fingers, putting it back in its place.

“Explain.”

And he does.

You were never a sorcerer. Whether it was fortunate for you or unfortunate was never clear. On one hand, Kento had done his best to keep you away from such things, wanting this place to be safe for both you and him. But on the other, you could barely wrap your head around it, curses, jujutsu, all of it.

But you know that the man before you is telling the truth. Not from the tears gathering in his eyes, but the way he pulls out the very papers you could remember Kento filling out one day, as he would tell you it was a surprise.

“Have you ever thought about moving?” He had asked one day, before all of this, before it all went wrong.

You had remembered shrugging with a curious look on your face, “If I could, but you know work is a lot, and moving is expensive.” He only hums.

There were plenty of times you knew that whatever work that involved his skills as a sorcerer always ended with a hefty check, and while that was nice, you just never got used to it, you simply liked to work because it was something to do.

“Perhaps one day,” He offers and you smile and nod. “One day, I’d love to go wherever as long as it’s with you.”

“This is something he left to me to handle,” Ichiji says, “Jujutsu sorcerers always see the most risk when it comes to their jobs, and it’s not rare to see any sort of will left for family and loved ones.”

That makes your blood run cold, while you knew it was a dangerous occupation, from the nights Kento would return more bruised than anything, and then one time some months back with his side stitched up. But now it all had hit you.

“May I...?” He has the documents in his hand. You can’t even speak, your throat burns too much to even try, so you just nod.

“This shows all that he has left behind for, signed to a _____ _____. From funds to property. Both here and internationally.”

You just look confused, before Ichiji slides another paper your way, the manila folder he had carried close to his chest.

When you open it, it doesn’t look like much of anything, a simple map of a small town, houses clearly marked. Your eyes take several looks at the map, until you finally notice the familiar neat handwriting that you knew belonged to him.

It was a small house, at least how it looked on the map, but undoubtedly something he took time to meticulously pick out. The words you read makes it feel as though your heart has stopped.

The house is circled. And next to it?

‘A place to grow old in.’

A hand moves to your mouth as you try and take a deep breath to calm yourself, before your eyes trail again, a small place, he labeled “Bakery- for breakfast.” The noise that leaves you sounds like a choked sob and a laugh. You look into the manila folder, finding a short envelope and within it a key.

You can’t help but think bitterly to yourself, he always had a plan, didn’t he?

You close the folder, before your eyes meet Ichiji’s once more. Prodding him to continue, because if he didn’t, you weren’t certain on if you were going to breakdown or not.

He explains the aftermath of Shibuya, that with this new rise in curses, they were spread thin, and that making sure to let anyone know that may have had a loved one that had grievously been injured or died was less enforced than making sure to get any sorcerers here.

But he couldn’t not do anything, he had owed it to Nanami for saving his life after all.

“So what now?” You ask once you clear your throat, “Is it too dangerous to be here?”

“Right now, it’s... uncertain,” He says nervously. You had some hope that this was at least one of the things he had permission to talk about. At least you were somewhat aware of how shitty the higher ups were in this line of work.

“But it’d be best to move to a more secure location.��

You look back down at the folder, then at the key in your hand, “I’ll.. I’ll pack a bag then.”

Ichiji nods, he stands, as you lead him to the door, he offers his condolences for what had happened. Before looking at his cellphone, giving a hurried goodbye.

The door shuts with a soft click, and your back meets the door as you slide to the floor with a tired exhale. You don’t even know if you want to cry or go back to bed and pretend it’s a nightmare.

You simply don’t know anymore. The ring on your finger feels heavy.

#jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk imagines #jjk imagine #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen imagine #nanami kento imagines #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento imagine #mine

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itsnothesameasitwas · 3 years ago

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hiii! this month I’ve read a lot of great fics, so I decided is time to start my monthly fic rec… that means I’ll be doing a short fic rec and recap every month with my favorite fics of the month

note: the fics I’ll be mentioning weren't necessarily posted recently

!!! - please be careful and read all the tags and/or warnings before start reading and left kudos and nice messages to the authors <33

❀ Divinely Blessed by thinlines @thinlinez | 17k | Explicit | ABO | fic post

“I heard you, Ni. But what do you mean?”

“What do you mean what I mean?”

Harry rolled his eyes as he shoved his alpha friend down onto a seat. “Did you mean you lick someone out or…?”

“Nah, mate! It was me! I got licked out!” Harry could only stare at Niall in horror.

Alpha Harry prides himself on having the bravest and most caring omega who might or might not just fulfill his sudden curiosity.

note: for some reason i don’t know i fell in love with the ABO and found this fic someway and WOW! it’s really fluffy and sweet and while i was reading all i could think about was “god! i really want someone who love me like Harry loves Lou and viceversa” and also has a great smut scene, funny and well writen (cliff ily babe)

❀ Promise me you won’t run away by thinlines | 23k | Explicit | ABO | Español

“Does kissing me stop you from having bad thoughts?” Harry asked, voice muffled into the collar of Louis’ dress shirt. Louis chuckled at this. He trailed a hand down Harry’s back, feeling the muscles tensing along with his touch.

“I guess you can say that. You’re a good distraction.”

“Then I will be the best distraction.” Harry answered, pulling back and watched Louis’ lips unashamedly.

“Come distract me, then.”

Or the Prince/ Knight AU in which Harry left Louis, but the omega never once gave up on them.

note: this fic is beautiful and really REALLY well written, i need to say i cried and im the most cold person in the world but this caught me and I LOVED IT! but also when i finished it i got mad because in the end notes was the spanish translation and i read it in english lmao; anyway i love it!!!... summing this up, the fic made me thought about that LOVE ALWAYS WIN <33

❀ Twist the knife by jishler @jishlerfics | 6k | Explicit | Angst / Smut | fic post

Infuriating, but Louis missed it. Louis missed him. His thighs and his chest and breath and warmth and toothbrush next to Louis’. He missed sex with Harry but he missed his presence more: Louis would settle for watching Harry get himself off if it meant he got to see him; hear the voice that was like a soothing balm over all his wounds.

Two weeks after their breakup, Harry wants his toys back.

note: i definetely don’t read smut in purpose and the reason i’ve read this was because i love the moodboard BUT i need to thank the person who put it on my dash because i liked it so much!! was fun to read and the smut is pretty well written :))

❀ Hold you now by solvetheminourdreams @solvetheminourdreams | 131k | Angst with happy ending | fic post | playlist

The string within Harry's own sweatpants is now dangling outside of his pocket, stretched so far out that the seams of his pants have tightened. His eyes remain hyper focused on Louis, how oblivious he is—scrolling through his phone without a care in the world, while Harry feels his tilt on its axis.

Three years ago, Harry Styles said goodbye to communications consultancy firm McQuiston Worldwide, leaving a life of travel and agency PR behind. When he accompanies his best friend to a family wedding across the Atlantic, he'll be forced to reopen old wounds and face his past—one that no one wants to hash out, but may just have to.

note: at the end of the first chapter i was emotional, is the kind of fic that you feel every single emotion, the one you literally feel are part of it... it’s perfectly well written and please give it a chance and check all the stef’s works because she’s a super talented writer... if i say something else i’ll probably do spoilers so, shut up ana.

❀ The money mark by brightgolden @brightgolden | 52k | Explicit | ABO | fic post

Harry's heart beats faster in his chest as the name sinks in. The Tomlinson name is awfully familiar, and he isn’t sure how many rich Tomlinsons are out here in London, but he knew one. Seven years ago.

Like all fine things in the world, Louis Tomlinson ages exceptionally well.

Where Louis is Harry’s first sugar daddy who dumped him over text and their paths cross, seven years later.

note: THIS IS MY FAVORITE FIC OF THE YEAR. sorry, but this fic is super well written, is omega harry + alpha louis and find smth like this is almost impossible! but i loved the fact that harry could be an omega and a sugar baby but he’s independant and strong and wow! it’s amazing; everyone should read it because it’s really good!! (ps. louis is the alpha of my dreams, he’s a complete gentlemen)

❀ Sweet like candy by neodiamond @neondiamond | 4k | General Audiences | ABO | fic post

Louis is an Alpha with an odd obsession for gummy bears. Harry is an Omega who makes friends a little too easily. They meet on the bus.

note: this is the cutest fluffy fic I have ever read! strangers to friends to lovers <333

❀ Literally making love by Brooklyn_babylon @twopoppies | 30k | Explicit | Robot/Human Relationship | fic post

Holding up one of the android's eyes to the workshop’s windows, he smiled as the light picked up the gold flecks in the pale green of his irises. Louis had always paid attention to even the tiniest details.

All Louis intended to do was rescue someone in need from loneliness. He had no idea it would be himself.

note: science + me = signal error BUT this fic. OMG. how to say this is one of the fics would be in my recap at the end of the year; i have read another fic by Gina and was really good but this is probably my favorite between both of them... all i know and want now is to create my perfect partner lmao.

❀ I’m gonna keep this love, if you let me by pixies @tomlinbuns | 26k | Explicit | ABO | fic post

Louis makes Harry pretend to be his boyfriend one night out. The rest is history.

note: this one is simple to discribe... the best of the best. one of my favorites abo fics, funny, teasing and very romantic. i enjoyed so much read how these two guys fell in love with each other. god bless this fic <33

❀ Beautiful stranger by lovelarry10 @chloehl10 | 66k | Explicit | ABO / Mpreg | fic post

“Did you want to- oh. Uh, sorry, I-” Harry stuttered, licking his lips as he looked over Louis’ bare torso, not focusing on the ocean ahead of him. “You’re very distracting, Lou.”

“Trying to tell me you haven’t seen a topless Omega before?” Louis asked, walking back to his rucksack and grabbing a bottle of suncream out of it before returning to stand by Harry.

“Not one as stunning as you,” he thought he heard Harry mutter as he started to rub the cream into his shoulders.

*****

When Alpha Harry Styles attends the Gucci Cruise 2020 show, he knows what to expect: clothes, clutch bags, and a few too many pretentious people. What he doesn’t expect, however, is to run into an Omega who is more beautiful than anything on the runway.

note: this fic is from 2019 but who cares, i loved it so much and i want to thank/blame @justalarryblog because she unintentionally recommended it to me in her abo fic rec post and now i want someone like this harry in my life... is it too much to ask? because is one of the most beautiful abo fics i’ve read this month and wow. if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for??

❀ Waiting on you by beckywritesthings @beckydoesthings | 21k | Mature | Mpreg | fic post

“Do you want to touch?” Harry asks, taking one of his hands off to tangle with Louis’. His open invitation finally drags Louis’ attention away from his baby and up to his face, blue eyes wobbly with emotions. It’s clear that he’s too taken to really form words, so Harry takes the initiative to press their laced hands against his shirt fabric, warmth from the skin radiating through.

Louis pushes his shirt up to his chest, taking Harry’s hand and pressing it to hold the fabric in place. His hands return to warm skin, palms even more scalding now that there’s nothing in between them. And then, as if that wasn’t enough for Harry’s heart to handle, Louis leans in, pressing his lips right above his belly button.

“Hi, baby,” he says, lips moving across his skin softly. “I’m your… I’m Louis.”

Or Harry is pregnant with a stranger’s baby and Louis doesn’t know. It’s a minor detail that Harry’s both living with Louis and in love with him. No big deal.

note: this fic is really new, someone reblogged the fic post and when i saw it first i was like ‘huh?’ and then suddendly (in less than a minute) decided it was the next thing i’ll be reading and now i’m completely in love with it. Lou i need to say you’re the kind of guy everyone wants in their life <3

-----------

❀ all the love, ana. xx

#monthly fic recs #larry fic rec #trackinghome #1dsource #tracksintheam #it's too late to publish this??? idk and idc hope someone like this #and again thanks to the author for their amazing fics!!!#28th appreciation #my fic rec

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oneyeartoparty · 4 years ago

Note

I’ve been reading ur post and I just wanna request the brothers reacting to MC being fully able to fight back and win against belpie but didn’t in fear of hurting him? Probably knowing he would be a strong opponent too sorry if it’s too much😅

Hi! Its not too much at all. I hope you enjoy and thank you for the request =D

This contains: Mentions of violence, injury, being attacked, being trapped & death. Also has spoilers for Chapter 16.

Lucifer

Lucifer felt a feeling of dread, something quite rare for him, build up within him when he saw you and a floating Belphie in his demon form wrapped in chains appear before them on the staircase.

He was keenly aware of how much danger Belphie was in, and how he didn’t understand the situation at all. He was too preoccupied with attempting to free himself and hurl obscenities at anyone in range to notice he was close to being crushed.

Not wanting to see his youngest brother meet a grisly demise, he starts trying to calm you down and ensure you won’t harm Belphie.

When Lucifer learns Belphie tried to murder you, he becomes visibly angry. He might not show it outwardly often, but he has grown fond of you during your time in the Devildom, and losing you because he failed to safeguard you, from one of his brothers no less, would’ve incredibly upsetting for him.

Before Diavolo and Barbatos arrive, he’s able to convince you to slightly loosen the chains wrapped around his sibling, something he would secretly be proud of given the circumstances and your ruthlessness when it comes to defending yourself from unruly demons.

Once the truth of the situation is revealed, and everything has calmed down, and in Belphie’s case, been freed, Lucifer takes it upon himself to ensure you’re feeling ok after the incident and ensuring you get any support you need. He realises your happiness is important to him, and he’ll do whatever he can to make sure he can see your smile every day.

Mammon

When you descended the stairs with a little calf on a lead trotting behind you, Mammon was, like his brothers, incredibly confused. Where did you get that calf and how did it even get down into the Devildom in the first place?

It took him a few moments to recognize the cowhide had a pattern identical to the pillow Belphie always carried around. Had you used your magic to turn Belphie into the calf?

Of course, his human would be able to easily do something like this to one of the most powerful demons in existence. How could you not? He knew you were skilled and powerful enough to pull this off. It was hilarious when he thought about it. How frustrated must Belphie to have been turned into a helpless little calf?

But then he realised why you would’ve had to have done something like this. He knew Belphie hated humans, he was certainly capable and willing to kill one. That was the reason you had turned him, wasn’t it?

Mammon has rarely felt as much rage toward one of his brothers as he felt at that moment. Had you not been so skilled at magic, you could’ve been injured, or more likely, killed by Belphie. He was close to launching himself at his defenseless sibling when Diavolo and Barbatos burst in and revealed everything.

From many months after the incident, Mammon would keep a closer eye on you. He wanted to be there to protect you if something like this happened again. He wanted to be the one you could rely on and who could keep you safe.

Leviathan

Leviathan would never admit it, even well after the incident, but the sight of his youngest brother turned into a cardboard cut-out was hysterical to him.

The angry look on his brothers temporarily cardboard face as you tossed him from the top of the stairs and watched him slowly floated down to the floor has always bought him joy even during his saddest times.

He was keenly aware that you wouldn’t have done this unless Belphie has done something to warrant it. Since you were a human, it didn’t take Levi long to surmise that was the case, the idea confirmed by his brother’s cardboard form being in demon form with a rage-filled look on his face.

Levi didn’t blame you at all for doing this. You’d defended yourself and done so in a way that only embarrassed Belphie. He knew you could’ve done far worse, and he was glad for your restraint, though he doubted Belphie realised just how lucky he was.

When Diavolo and Barbatos finally arrived and revealed the truth behind recent events (and along with the brothers, convinced you to turn Belphie back into his regular demonic self) Levi checked on you in his way. He was both upset and overjoyed by the mix of events on that day, so he tried his best to stick close to you and make sure you were safe and happy. He even sent a few compliments your way, which was rare in more public settings.

Levi did punish his younger brother in his way for his stupid actions. Whenever the three of you played together, he’d always do his best to ensure Belphie came last, though he didn’t need to try too hard since he was usually napping 5 minutes into any game.

Satan

Satan wasn’t sure what he was expected when he and his brothers arrived back at the House of Lamentation, the last thing they were expecting was the peace they encountered. Belphie wasn’t known to be destructive, but angry demons did have a habit of smashing things unnecessarily.

When you appeared on the stairs, a book gripped in one hand he was relieved. You were unharmed, though he saw visible annoyance and fear in your expression. He knew then that something had happened, and it wasn’t good.

You walked straight up to Lucifer and handed him the book, saying in no uncertain terms that you weren’t freeing Belphie until you were certain he wouldn’t try killing you again and received a massive and genuine apology from the demon in question.

Dumbfounded, Lucifer opened the book, and Satan quickly moved beside him to get a look. The inside was a children's book, specifically the story of Snow White. The story followed the usual plot, except walking along the pages, looking angry and in his demon form, was Belphie.

He was enraged by his predicament. He was helpless in the pages, able to walk amongst the pictures but unable to change anything. He could move between pages but was unable to escape.

Later in the day, once everything was explained and Belphie was freed (and has given a substantial apology) Satan would congratulate you on easily subduing his youngest brother with ease and acknowledge your abilities.

He also vowed you would never need to use your powers in such a manner again, and he would always be by your side to defend you and keep you safe.

Asmodeus

Asmodeus must admit that the snow globe you had trapped Belphie in was both an ingenious way to contain the enraged demon and a beautifully designed piece he would gladly own if it weren’t a temporary prison.

He has wondered why of all things you were carrying the snow globe when you approached the group of demons. This wondered turned to concern when he saw the annoyed look on your face.

Once you’d explained what happened with Belphie he immediately came to your side and gave you a check over. The fact that this happened at all was atrocious, not to mention it was caused by his own younger brother.

His brothers tried to convince you to release Belphie, but Asmo doesn’t think he should be released just yet. After his actions, he deserves some punishment. He even offers to keep the snow globe in his room. He’ll be a perfect guardian of the object. Plus, he had already planned the perfect setup for some Devilgram photos including the snow globe.

He couldn’t hide his disappointment when Lucifer shot the idea down with a stern glare in his direction.

Once the truth of the situation and the truth of your origins was revealed my Diavolo and Barbatos, and Belphie freed (though Asmo still thought he should’ve been kept in there for a little longer), Asmo spends his time doting on you.

He knew situations like this could stick with someone, and he didn’t want you to feel alone or unprotected (even though he knew you could look after yourself). He also gave Belphie an earful about how stupid he was and warned him to never do that again, or he’d been dealing with both of you.

Beelzebub

Beel wasn’t concerned when you approached them with a sleeping Belphie floating along behind you on a bed of pillows. He was used to seeing his twin napping in strange situations, so this wasn’t different.

This changed when you told the group of demon brothers that Belphie wouldn’t be waking up until you had assurances that he wouldn’t try to murder you like he had just moments before.

Beel’s concern was torn between you and Belphie. Humans were fragile, and even one as powerful as you could be hurt by a demon-like Belphie, so he understood why you defended yourself and weren’t relenting. But Belphie was still his twin, even though he was wrong, he didn't want him trapped in eternal sleep.

He checks on you first, making sure you’re unhurt. He tells you he is immensely hurt by Belphies actions and hopes it doesn’t permanently ruin your relationship with him or ruin the chance of you mending things with Belphie.

After that, while his brothers are checking on you, he looks over Belphie. He is unhurt, but he is deeply asleep, far more so than he usually is. He affectionally moves some of the hair covering Belphie’s face just as Diavolo and Barbatos enter the room and reveal everything.

Once everything settles down, Beel spends his time trying to mend the relationship between you and his twin, and make sure you’re doing well, both mentally and physically. You’re both his family, and he will do whatever he can to make sure you’re both safe and happy.

Belphegor

Belphie thought you were an easy mark when you first met. A gullible, stupid human who he could easily string along to earn both his freedom and destroy the Exchange Program.

It was this arrogance that leads to him ignoring you when you talked about being a powerful magic user. No doubt you were only an expert in sleight of hand party tricks and were simply trying to impress him.

Imagine his surprise when he tried attacking you but found himself trapped in a near-transparent bubble instead.

Even his most vicious and powerful attacks in his demon form were unable to penetrate or dent the sphere now surrounding him and this only served to increase his fury.

He was so focused on trying to escape he didn’t notice you taking him down to the house’s entryway where his brothers were gathered. Their argument below quickly turned into pleading for you not to hurt him and to please let him down gently.

You were adamant though. You wouldn’t hurt him, but you wouldn’t let him down until you knew he’d stop attacking you.

You would later explain to Belphie you weren’t lying and were indeed a powerful magic user. Your abilities were spotted by the Sorcerers’ Society at a young age, and they took you in and taught you all they know.

He’s both impressed by your skills and grateful that he was never close to hurting you. He vows to himself to never again hurt you and to support you forevermore to make up forever thinking of hurting you.

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cheri-translates · 4 years ago

Text

[CN] Victor’s Birthday R&S

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an event which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Victor’s 2021 birthday collection:

🐼 r&s ♡ l belonging date l video call l moments and texts l asmr

[ Released on 8 January 2021 ]

[ CHAPTER ONE - Special Present ]

Victor is about to welcome his 15th birthday.

This year, the first birthday present he receives is, as usual, from Little Vick’s zoo. Standing in his room and seeing the box filled with animal plush toys, Victor frowns in slight resignation. When he was young, his parents asked him which was his favourite animal. Without putting much thought into it, he gave the panda as an answer. Since then, he’s been constantly receiving all sorts of presents featuring pictures of pandas from his parents. When he was 9 years old, he even “owned” an actual panda.

As what his father says, since it’s rare for Victor to express that he likes something, there’s definitely a need to fulfil his wish.

Even though he doesn’t dislike this gift, he finds it a little difficult to handle when the zoo sends him a huge box of souvenir plush toys since he shares the same birthday as Little Vick. Other than these, the box would also contain photographs of Little Vick’s everyday life, taken by the rearing staff. Victor would keep them, and send the plush toys to the children of relatives.

[Note] In CN, the panda’s name is 言言 (Yan Yan). But MC used the name “Little Vick” in an EN Moment post, so I’m using it too!

This year, he plans to follow the same routine. Just as he tidies up the items in the box, a knock comes at the door.

“Please come in.”

He turns his head, watching as his father walks in and leans next to the door, a coat draped over his arm. It looks like he just returned from work.

“Are you done with work?”

“Mm. Dad freed up his weekend. Since your birthday is coming, why don’t we head out together?”

Victor looks at his father’s slightly fatigued expression, and contemplates for a while.

“Okay, as long as it isn’t too noisy.”

The man casts a fleeting glance at the cardboard box in front of his son, then offers a suggestion.

“Want to see Little Vick?”

“There are a lot of people in the zoo during the weekend.”

Victor answers very quickly. As such, the man recollects the places he’s taken Victor to in the past, attempting to find a location his son would like.

“What about the countryside park?”

“Okay.” Victor agrees, then raises his head to look at him. “Dad, has Aunt been at home recently? I’m thinking of sending these plush toys to her.”

Seeing the man nod, Victor takes up the adhesive tape and re-seals the box. Watching his actions, the man sighs in his heart.

Trying to figure out what this kid likes - it’s truly a difficult question.

[ CHAPTER TWO - Growing Up Problems ]

It’s a pretty long journey to the countryside park. Victor stuffs this year’s pictures of Little Vick into his backpack, preparing to flip through them along the way.

Actually, ever since adopting it, he’s never visited the zoo to see Little Vick.

He doesn’t really know how to define the relationship between himself and that panda. His neighbours call their three dogs “Boss”, “Second Boss” and “Third Boss”. The moment they’re called, they would rush to the owner, and are as close as family. But Little Vick needs to be meticulously raised by professional staff. Even if it’s given a name, it doesn’t mean it has become someone’s pet, much less a “family member”.

Moreover, everyone knows that a little kid can’t afford to rear a panda. Even if the adoption certificate has Victor’s name on it, he hasn’t offered anything personally. This makes him feel that his connection to Little Vick is even more indiscernible.

Precisely because of this, Victor is always a little surprised whenever he flips through the album featuring its growth. In just a year, Little Vick has grown by quite a lot, and looks like an “adult” - but it’s only 6 years old this year.

The car halts before the traffic light. The man leans over to look at the photographs in Victor’s hands.

“It’s grown quite a lot again. Animals always grow up more quickly than humans.”

“Mm.”

After a short silence between the two, Victor mutters softly.

“...I also wish to grow up quickly.”

Hearing Victor say this suddenly, the man is a little shocked, turning his head to look at him.

“Why?”

“Because there are many things I can’t do right now.”

The man deliberates on his choice of words. “The reason why Little Vick can grow up so quickly is because its lifespan is relatively short. But you're different - you have sufficient time to live out every stage properly.”

After the man finishes speaking, he doesn’t get a reaction from Victor for a long time. From the rearview mirror, he discovers that Victor seems to have sunk into a deep contemplation.

Could talking about such things be too heavy for his son’s birthday? The man lifts his hand to loosen his tie, planning to change the topic.

"But there’s still a chance for you to do things yourself if you want to.”

“For instance, you could try paying for Little Vic’s adoption fees.”

Seeing Victor raising his head, he continues.

“The adoption fees for Little Vick are in yearly instalments. Once you have the ability to do so, Dad won’t help you pay for them.”

Victor hesitates for a moment. “Doesn’t that still require me to wait till I’m older?”

“As long as you're able to earn money from me, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Didn’t you learn about the stock market simulator from Dad recently? I’ll let you use the profit in exchange for an equivalent value.”

Victor straightens up slightly in his seat, and asks in slight anticipation. “How much is it every year?”

"A hundred thousand yuan.”

[Note] Approximately USD$15,500

Victor lapses into silence for a while. To a kid, a hundred thousand yuan is indeed not a small number. Seeing his expression, the man prepares some words of comfort. However, he suddenly speaks.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

[ CHAPTER THREE - The Moment of Meeting ]

The car stops at the entrance of the park. Within it, father-and-son look at each other in dismay.

Five minutes earlier, the two of them were notified by the carpark staff that the park has temporarily ceased operations due to some internal revisions. As such, they have no choice but to head to another place.

“Looks like we should have given them a call to check first.”

Seeing the rare expression of vexation on his father’s face, Victor retrieves a map from the storage compartment. The both of them stare at it together, and it seems that the Loveland City zoo, which is only dozens of kilometres away, is the most suitable replacement.

“Shall we take a look?”

Sensing that his father is waiting for his answer, Victor hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement.

After registering the adoption certification, the staff of the panda area enthusiastically receives the father and son.

“Little Vick’s birthday is coming soon. It’d definitely be very happy to see the two of you.”

Walking into the warm venue, there are excited visitors everywhere. With such an atmosphere, Victor starts feeling slightly expectant too.

“The one at the front is Little Vick.”

The staff brings the two of them before a glass room. At the front is a panda which is hugging a ball and amusing itself. Victor leans closer to the glass, giving it a detailed look. Little Vick seems to have been taken cared of very well. Its fur is fluffy, it looks sturdy, and refuses to let go of its favourite toy.

The man laughs inwardly as he watches his son subconsciously draw nearer to the glass. He even thought Victor didn’t like such adorable animals - it turns out he just refused to admit it. The phone in his pocket vibrates unceremoniously, and he signals to Victor, turning around to answer the call in a corner.

When it’s time for the pandas to eat, the rearer brings a large bundle of bamboo into the glass room. Seeing the look of anticipation on Victor’s face, the rearer specially brings a small bamboo leaf close to the glass. As expected, Little Vick sets down its toy and paces over. After circling the bamboo leaf twice, it suddenly lifts up his front paws and plops onto the glass. Victor is stunned, subconsciously bending down, reaching out to attract its attention.

The staff smiles as he looks at the boy and panda. “Looks like Little Vick really likes you!”

“...”

Saying that he wasn’t pleasantly surprised would be a lie. Victor looks at its slightly curved lips, and smiles along with it.

Should he greet it, or should he just stay like this quietly?

While he’s struggling internally to come to a decision, Little Vick slides off the glass, plopping its bottom onto the ground. Finding a comfortable position, its back faces Victor as it starts gnawing on the bamboo.

...as expected, eating is more important.

Victor hurriedly retracts his smile, straightening up to look at the back of its head. In order to alleviate the embarrassment from earlier, he broaches a new conversation topic.

“May I know,” he turns to the staff member at the side. “If it’s considered an adult now?”

“Yes, it’s already at an age where it’s seeking a spouse.”

“In that case, will it live together with its family in the future?”

“Pandas are very solitary, and Little Vick’s a boy. Even if it has children, it’d still lead a solitary life.”

As though in deep thought, Victor nods. Although these animals look charmingly naive, they aren’t as weak as imagined, and don’t need to rely fully on those around them.

As compared to them, perhaps he truly hasn’t grown up yet.

[ CHAPTER FOUR - Repaying Love ]

Returning from the call, the man sees Victor staring at the back profile of Little Vick. Even after leaving the panda area, he doesn’t speak.

“Why aren’t you talking?”

After a while, Victor responds.

“It doesn’t seem like it’d remember us.”

The man recollects the image he saw earlier. With some understanding, he nods.

“If we visit it a few more times in the future, it might remember.”

“But... so many people visit the pandas every day. I’m just one of them.”

“Victor, let Dad ask you something.” The man pauses in his footsteps and looks at him. “Without considering other factors, do you like Little Vick?”

Victor nods very quickly. The man continues with another question.

“After knowing it wouldn’t respond to you, do you still like it?”

After thinking about it for a while, Victor nods again. The man laughs slightly, bringing him towards the resting spot near the lakeside.

“Not being able to return the same emotions yet not affecting your liking towards it - isn’t this very good?”

“But it’s usually living in the zoo. We can't rear it personally. This kind of liking can’t establish any connections.” Victor seems to hesitate. “I remember you mentioning that the reason for “liking” is to establish connections with other people.”

The man pauses in his steps, turning his head to meet his son’s puzzled gaze. He sighs softly.

“What Dad tells you is not necessarily always true. You need to learn how to assess the appropriate occasion and target. You and Little Vick aren’t able to understand each other. Protecting it from afar like this isn’t a bad choice.”

Victor frowns slightly. These words are slightly confusing, and seem to contain things he has yet to understand.

“In that case, what if there’s mutual understanding?

A cool breeze brushes past. He watches as his father blinks, concealing a very small emotion in his eyes.

“A person who is willing to understand you is someone who is wiling to walk down the same path as you. If you meet that person someday, you must definitely cherish them.”

Because their original plan was to visit the countryside park, the man also brought the cake along. Since the scenery by the lakeside isn’t bad, the both of them select a bench and sit down. The man hands the cake box to Victor.

“Do you mind eating the cake a few days in advance?”

“I don’t mind.”

Victor takes apart the ribbon. Inside is a very exquisite cake, a small brand logo printed on the bottom right side of the chocolate sign. Perhaps noticing his slight pause, he quickly hears his father’s voice.

“...this year’s cake was bought.”

“It looks very nice. Thanks, Dad.”

“The zoo doesn't allow for the lighting up of candles. So we’ll blow out the candles and make a wish at home.”

“Okay, it’s all right.”

Victor carefully cuts out two slices of cake, handing one to his father. The two of them sit next to each other, eating cake while staring at the lake, neither of them speaking.

[ CHAPTER FIVE - Important Person ]

After returning home and having a bath, Victor walks towards his room with relaxed steps. While passing by his father’s bedroom, he vaguely hears him talking to someone over the phone.

It’s so late. Is he still working? Victor is about to continue walking, but his ears suddenly catch a few special words.

Weather, zoo, birthday... His father doesn’t seem to be talking about work, but about very trivial topics to someone. Just as he’s about to step away from the door quietly, his father calls out to him.

“Victor, come in.”

“It’s late and you aren’t asleep yet.”

His father sets down the phone, not giving him a reply. Victor glances at the screen which has yet to dim, and it displays that he isn’t currently in a call. His father doesn’t seem to know how to explain that “phone call”. After a moment of silence, he suddenly broaches another topic.

“Dad didn’t give you a present this year. You’re going to be 15 soon. Do you want something different?”

“You’re referring to...”

“For example, a present belonging to an adult.”

“Anything is fine?”

“Tell me what it is first.”

After giving it some thought, Victor scans his father’s room. Most of the items are either things he already owns, or things he doesn’t need in the far future. After taking a look around, his eyes fall back onto his father - to be more precise, the dark coloured tie he’s wearing.

“I want to buy a tie.” Victor pauses, then adds on. “One with a darker colour.”

Actually, there have been many occasions when he’s needed to wear a tie, and he doesn’t lack them. But most of them cater to his age, or are for school performances, and he doesn’t have one which is formal. Also, considering his mother’s preferences, the colours and patterns of the ties in the closet are very outlandish. One of them even has panda badges on it.

Perhaps thinking about the same image, his father suddenly laughs.

“Okay, you’ll pick one yourself tomorrow. But I have a condition.”

“Go ahead.”

“The reason why we didn’t light candles or make a wish this year is in hopes that you’ll say it directly when you want anything in the future. Especially when it comes to important wishes - you need to tell them to important people as soon as you can.”

“However, if it’s something I can do, I don't want to trouble someone else.”

“To some people, it isn’t troublesome.”

After saying this, he tousles Victor’s hair. Victor seems to comprehend it vaguely. In the past, he used to teach Victor how to be independent, so why is he suddenly changing his attitude?

Could it be that someone like his father has moments when he wishes to rely on someone else too?

Returning home the next day after buying the tie, Victor is once again called into his father’s bedroom. The two of them stand properly before the full-length mirror.

“The pattern of a tie is very critical, but tying a suitable knot is also very important.”

He watches as his father retrieves a tie from the closet, turning around to face him.

“Today, I’ll teach you how to tie a formal knot.”

“Okay.”

Before being taught, Victor never expected that such a complicated knot existed. Even though he follows his father step-by-step, the final knot ends up being crooked. Refusing to give up, he removes the tie, giving it another try.

“Does this knot have a name?”

“Eldredge Knot.”

“What occasion requires such a knot?”

His father doesn’t give him a direct answer. “The more complicated the knot, the more important the occasion. Even if you were to only use it once, it’s worth preparing for it.”

Victor watches his father in the mirror. He doesn’t say more, and simply tells him to practise by himself before turning around and leaving. Victor spends an incredibly long time in front of the mirror before he finally ties it into shape.

When he turns around, wanting his father to check it, he sees the wedding photograph of his parents out of the corner of his eye. This photograph isn’t foreign to him, but he still takes a curious, careful look at it.

With this, he finally understands what his father meant by “occasion”. In the photograph, the knot the father tied is the exact same one.

[ CHAPTER SIX- A flowing love ]

One more photograph of Little Vick nibbling on bamboo appears on Victor’s desk. Even though there’s a huge “generation gap” between him and Little Vick, the way it eats seriously without being picky is worthy of acknowledgement. Victor thinks - if he can fork out the adoption fees and enable it to lead a healthy and happy life, it counts as a one-sided, reasonable expression of liking it.

Aside from studying, Victor spends a lot of time over the following days researching stocks intensively. After a couple of transactions, he manages to recoup more than his original investment. This sale enables him to accumulate enough to cover the adoption fees. With the success of the stock market simulation, his father, as agreed, deposits the money into Victor’s savings account.

“Next year, you can see Little Vick with pride.”

“It’s fine as long as I can continue providing it with a good life.”

The man sighs in his heart when he looks at Victor’s small, deliberately stern face. It appears that he’s still troubled by Little Vick not remembering him.

"However, I heard that it could have its own children soon. Could I continue adopting its children?”

The man is a little surprised, but responds seriously.

“It’s your own decision. You have to ensure that you have the ability to do so in the future.”

“I’ve done some calculations. Before I turn 25, I can repay you for all the adoption fees over the years.”

“Does this count as your wish?”

“No, it’s a plan.”

The man chokes up for a moment. Even though Victor is at an age where nothing daunts him, he rarely boasts. If he can truly walk down the path he has planned, it’s truly worthy of admiration.

There may still be much his son has to learn, but he’s wiling to believe in him. But before that, he still has to return to the previous question.

“So what's your wish?”

The self-assured mini adult suddenly grows uneasy after hearing this question.

“I wish... that you’ll see me as an adult next time.”

“Hm?” The man displays an amused expression.

“If there are certain things I can do, you can let me shoulder them for you.”

At the sight of Victor’s resolute expression, the man can’t help but laugh.

"I could consider it, but you have to first learn how to not wear your tie crookedly.”

He looks down. Without realising it, his tie has become loose, and hangs on him crookedly. He hurries to the mirror to straighten it, but still looks in the direction of his father out of the corner of his eye.

The call which didn't get through in the bedroom earlier - Victor knows who it was made to. A proper calculation of the time differences , and the gentle tone used to talk about trivial matters - he’s already heard it for many years.

Certain things can’t be re-lived. But at least, they can continue through other means.

As a person who is about to become an adult, he believes he can do it.

Fun fact: Victor tied the Eldredge knot in his Deep Love Date T^T

🐼 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc victor #CRYING

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aomineavenue · 4 years ago

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Homesick (Miya Atsumu x f!Reader) | 001. the unexpected.

Summary: Six years ago, L/N Y/N wouldn’t exactly say that she loves her life. It had always been problematic but her best friend, Miya Atsumu, since she was eight when she moved to Hyōgo, has always been there for her, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. However, things would always fall apart for her ever since, so she should have expected of such. Running away from her problems seemed like the easiest route to take at the time, so what happens when the past comes barging back into her life demanding answers? Will she be able to confront her demons?

Pairings: Miya Atsumu x f!Reader

Updates: irregular.

Genre: Angst, ANGST I LOVE ANGST, a lil bit of fluff here and there.

Warnings: Language, etc. (Will be mentioned once posted because I don’t want spoilers huehue)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for the reader and my ideas. I do not claim any images used for content in this fic, everything goes out to their respective creators unless it is mentioned that it is mine.

Status: ongoing. | series masterlist

↩ intro | the unexpected | a mother’s nightmare ↪

mia’s speaks:

Okay, so before we start the story. I’d just like to explain that this may be a slow burn kinda thing because I fully want everyone to understand yn’s point of view after she ran away six years ago. We will eventually enter Atsumu’s point of view along the story, but for now, I hope you guys like this! Let me know what you guys think!

It had been six years and to this day, it still haunts you. Well, what they say is true anyway. Everything you run away from will eventually continue to haunt you until you decide to face it head-on. Needless to say, you were feeling pretty pathetic. Six years later, and that is still what you felt to this day. Pathetically sad.

The cool air emitting from the air conditioner set up in the living room, mixed with the early morning cold winter atmosphere that engulfed most of Japan with its beautiful white coat, brushes against the patches of exposed skin causing you to shiver slightly, silently cursing to yourself for forgetting to turn the appliance off during the night before. You had awoken too early for your liking, the sun barely peeking as you left the comforts of your bed to grab a cup of coffee. You were never a morning person, only because it was the time where you were often left with your thoughts as the time slot was usually unproductive.

During such unproductive hours, your thoughts usually consumed you. If it weren't about work or the handful of people you hold close to your heart, it often leads you to thoughts of your life six years ago. You wondered what it would be like if you hadn't opted to run away from reality a few years back during your high school years. Your train of thought often wandered to countless possibilities if you had faced your problems earlier on. To you now, running away seemed almost petty. Well, sorta.

Would you have been happy? Would they have accepted things? Would you have grown apart? Would they have pushed you away?

Sadly, you'd never know. This is only because you fear the truth so you refuse to return and seek certain answers that no doubt will only lead to ultimate disaster. You fear the consequences of your actions. To simply put, you were a coward.

You move your gaze away from the hot cup of coffee on the kitchen counter over to glance out of the window from your apartment, watching the dark skies slowly fade away to signal a brand new day on the horizon, the sun painting the sky a bright calming hue. Any minute now, your friends that had decided to crash at your place during the previous night are bound to wake up. Your tiny space had become some sort of safe haven for when they needed to hide away from their own problems, or when they needed you to nurse their drunken states.

Despite it sparking irritation within yourself, you could never bring yourself to deny them. The group had been nothing but a solid help for you the past six years when you fled from Hyōgo and where you settled yourself in the comforts of your late father's best friend back in Kanagawa, Suwa Riku, reconnecting with one of your childhood friends, Suwa Reiji. The loving Suwa family accepted you with open arms, practically calling you their own despite the situation you dug yourself in. Honestly, if they had turned you away, you would have probably ended up in the gutter somewhere in Japan as you had no other place to go. It wouldn't have even shocked you if they were to turn their backs at you when you had first came knocking on their front door, practically drenched from the pouring rain, it was barely enough to conceal the tears.

However, despite the past they barely knew, they accepted you with open arms without an ounce of judgment. If they were curious, they asked politely, and if certain questions were too difficult for you to answer, they respected your need for privacy.

When you had left everything behind in Hyōgo, you wanted to forget. You had deleted your previous profiles from any sort of social media platform that you had and changed your number when you had the chance. To everyone in Hyōgo, you completely disappeared, a mere ghost that residents either often gossiped about or have completely forgotten, it wasn't as if you were well known within the community, but—still, your disappearance had quite the impact. However, since no one has found you yet in the past six years, it probably meant that your mother didn't care. You assumed the same for your handful of friends. You stayed with the Suwa Family in Kanagawa for at least a year and a half, time for yourself and to get adjusted to your new life before you convinced yourself to get a job that will lead you to a somewhat peaceful life, you needed it for support, now more so than ever. Once again, you are in debt when your childhood friend Reiji offered you a job as a manager for their group. Of course, how could you say no? Despite the busy schedule, you managed enough, sometimes giving you the ability to be flexible.

Ah, yes. Suwa Reiji, the lead singer for the famous boy band, Galaxy Standard. The two of you had been friends before you had moved to Hyōgo when you were eight years old. Despite the distance between the two of you, when your father was still around since your fathers were close friends, the two of you did keep in touch. However, as you grew older and found new friends in Hyōgo, the need to keep in touch disappeared almost instantly. Thankfully, despite years of not having any contact with each other, the two of you reconnected, happy to be back in each other's lives.

The past six years, as you tried to find yourself and finally settle independently, Reiji was there.

And despite the exhausting job of managing a boy band, you adored it. It kept you occupied. Despite the boys being famous, you opted to keep your social media platforms private, or rather secret, only your friends and a few of Galaxy Standard's fans knew of it. Although the fans knew of your existence, you wanted your personal life private and thankfully, the management and fans respected that with the help from your friends who are aware of your situation. You wanted to stay hidden. Accompanying the boys in certain events, despite being a girl where it was typical for fangirls to grow upset because of the close contact with their idols, the fans respected you and often held polite conversations with you.

Yes, despite the troubles you have, you wouldn't deny the fact that you were indeed happy, but lately, something in the back of your mind has been irking you, making you feel extremely uneasy for not knowing what it could be. It frustrated you to no end.

"Someone looks like a vein in their head might pop," you hear Reiji tease as he approached. You roll your eyes before turning your attention over to the man that intruded your thoughts. Bless him, you were slowly becoming crazy with all the thinking. However, you weren't going to praise him or anything, despite Reiji's calm and humble personality towards others, he was a completely different person towards you; often teasing, most days very playful.

You snap back playfully, "Good morning to you, too." He occupies the seat across from you, despite stumbling to your apartment the previous night completely drunk from a party, the man before you showed no sign of a hungover, you were used to it by now. "Seriously, you and Shizuma need to find some other place to crash. I don't even know how you roped him into drinking, he was absolutely thrashed when the two of you arrived. Normally, he'd be the responsible one."

"Yeah, but once he starts drinking, there's no stopping him. And Nah," he chuckles as he leans against the counter, a yawn escaping his lips as he spoke midway, "Your place is comfy but also because I get to see the cute faces of my favourite nephews almost instantly, it's a bonus."

"Uncle Reiji!"

"Where's Uncle 'zuma?"

Speaking of the little devils. Both of your attentions snaps at the two identical figures that stepped out of their shared room and into the vicinity that you and Reiji occupied.

The sight of their sleepy states warmed your heart at just how cute they have grown. Ah, yes. Your two boys. One of the two reasons why you preferred to keep your personal life, private. Of course, there was also Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro to think about. Your precious boys, your utmost priority. Everything you could ever want and more. They were the two that you could finally call home. As much as you know that your existence wouldn't be much of a big deal to the fans since you weren't entirely famous, you refused to let your boys get caught into any unnecessary drama that your friends have often got themselves into, so despite having famous uncles, you kept them shielded whenever you can. Of course, the fans of Galaxy Standard were aware of the existence of your little boys, often swooning when one of their idols were photographed with one of the twins. Needless to say, it always made the fans crazy, but you were grateful that the fans were respectful and never crossed the line whenever your boys were included.

Of course, the main reason why you wanted everything to be kept private was that you didn't want certain people to know the secret you've worked hard to stay hidden, but Japan was big, wasn't it? You often reassured yourself that it was impossible for paths to cross.

"Why are you looking for your Uncle Shizuma when I'm here?" Reiji asks, feigning hurt in his expression as both six-year-old boys approach, yawning and sleepily rubbing their eyes.

Atsuhiro, or rather Hiro, as he liked to be called sighs as he shakes his head at his uncle, "But Uncle 'zuma is the best."

"Now you take that back young man!" He scoffs as he playfully places his hands on his hips, "Who do you think raised you?"

The little boy tilts his head to the side as he watches his uncle in amusement of his antics, "Uncle 'zuma helped too! Mommy says he even helped out changing diapers which you didn't do!"

"But Uncle Reiji's the best! He always plays with us!" Atsuhiko, Hiko, retorts as he rushes over to his uncle to give him a high five, "Mommy, Uncle Rei said he's going to teach us some tricks like he did back then in Stride! Isn’t that cool?"

You send a glare towards the man that was mentioned by your son, who only avoided your gaze as he ruffles your son's hair, "Maybe something else. You can ask your uncles to teach you how to sing and dance like they always do, just not that dangerous sport."

Atsuhiko groans in protest while the other twin approaches you, wrapping his short arms around your leg, "Do you think they can teach us volleyball?"

"Oh yes!" Atsuhiko yells out happily agreeing with his twin, his dismay for his mother's earlier disapproval flying out the window as he looks at you with hope in his eyes, "Volleyball is so cool! Can we mommy?"

Almost instantly, a lump formed in the back of your throat at the mention of the mere sport, a reminder. It wasn't as if you were against the sport, but what caught you off guard was the interests your boys clearly showed. How ironic.

As you raised the two, whether at times you were alone or had help, you often pushed the twins away from certain reminders of your past. What was that? Anything that reminded you of your past in Hyōgo was pushed aside. It was rather petty, you knew that yourself but as the twin boys grew throughout the years, it didn't get unnoticed how their features screamed of the one and only Miya Atsumu. Well, you expected that—he is the father of your twin boys, but you silently prayed during your pregnancy and as you raised them that their features would come from your side of the family instead of his.

But of course, somehow you've upset the Gods for your pettiness. This was your consequence. A daily reminder. There's no denying of your love for your boys. They were your life and you wouldn't change anything because then they wouldn't exist. However, you've grown hateful of your past as years gone by. Your hatred for the awful memories had made it more difficult to forget.

You expected the interest in volleyball before they even mentioned it to you today. The clues in their shared room were enough for you to pick up that they were most likely to take after their father in a sense, not that they know of such.

Earlier, about two years prior when they first started in kindergarten, it was inevitable for such to talk about your families, you remember experiencing such back then despite it being foggy. They returned home, despite being young, they were smart for their age and bombarded you with questions without holding back; wondering about who was their father and where he was, or if Uncle Reiji or Uncle Shizuma were their fathers. Back then, you couldn't bring yourself to tell them the truth or even utter a single word about the man missing in their lives.

You experienced a whole week of silent treatment from your two boys because you refused to answer, their stubbornness hard as a rock. You refuse to answer their questions? Well, they, of course, fight back by refusing to talk to you. Oh, children, right? Of course, Reiji and Shizuma were a big help because to the twins, the two of your friends were practically the only father figures that they had. Since Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro refused to utter a word to you, they tried their best to talk to the twins, avoiding certain parts that they were too young to know about, and explained that when they grew up and they were ready to know, you would eventually let them know.

Bless the heavens because, after that, your two boys returned to their loving yet sneaky nature, never asking or mentioning about their father again. However, the majority of the conversations about their father were kept in secret between the two. Atsuhiro wanting to know more while Atsuhiko pushing the idea away, but not wanting to upset his brother, he keeps his dismay of their missing father from Atsuhiro, who grew more eager to find his father as years go by.

"What's with all the excitement at such an early hour? You two always have so much energy. What's this I hear about wanting to play volleyball?" Shizuma saves you from answering and you share a silent communication to send your gratitude for the interference.

Atsuhiro breaks out into a grin at the sight of his favourite uncle and immediately approaches him, "Uncle 'zuma, do you know how to play volleyball? Can you teach me and Hiko? Please?"

Shizuma chuckles in response, ruffling the little boy's messy locks, "I'm not that good but if you and your brother are serious about wanting to learn volleyball, I know a friend that may be of help."

"You do?" Atsuhiko asks, excitement in his voice.

You repeat, arching a brow in curiosity, "You do?"

"Well he's more of Asuma's friend than mine but we're good acquaintances," he answers with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'll see what I can do for my two favourite nephews."

"Yes!" The twins exclaim happily at the same time before running towards each other to share their routine handshake.

"Now that's settled," Reiji starts, clapping his hands together to grab the attention from everyone in the room, "Aren't you two supposed to be getting ready for your day with Grandpapa and Grandmama Suwa? You wouldn't want to keep those two waiting, I heard they have a really big day planned ahead for the two of you."

Ah, Grandpapa and Grandmama Suwa. Reiji's parents, and well—your substitute parents and the twins' substitute grandparents. Despite not being biologically related, they treated the three of you like a real family. They helped you throughout your pregnancy and at the same time raising your two boys. They did what any grandparent would do, discipline and spoil them. You wouldn't change it for the world. The love they had for your boys was overwhelming, and Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro completely adored their substitute grandparents just the same.

Atsuhiro releases a gasp from his lips at the realization of the big day, he had been excited, to say the least, rushing to get prepared whilst Atsuhiko frowns and stays rooted in where he stood, "But today's Uncle Asuma's birthday! I want to go too!"

"No can do, kiddo." Shizuma shakes his head, crossing his arms across his chest; an indication the twins are familiar with that meant it was not up for any negotiation. "You know this party isn't for little boys, your Uncle Asuma already told you this, but he promised to take both of you out tomorrow to make up for it. You and Hiro can celebrate his birthday tomorrow, I promise."

Atsuhiko releases a dramatic sigh, throwing his little hands in the air as he stomps his way to get ready, knowing that if he were to argue, he would inevitably lose. Oh well, he thought to himself, Grandpapa and Grandmama are the best anyway.

"I don't know how you do it, 'zuma." You let out a laugh, shaking your head. "Those two have become spoiled to the core because of all of us, yet when it comes to you and their Grandpapa Riku, they suddenly become little angelic-slash-monsters who obey every command."

Shizuma lets a grin spread on his lips, "Some things can't be taught. Anyway, I'll get going. I have to help prep Asuma's party. I'll see you guys there."

"I'll get going too," Reiji declares as he stands up from his seat, "Don't back out of the party, I'll drag you there if I have to, I swear."

You roll your eyes at them, more so at Reiji than Shizuma, shooing them with your hands as you follow them to the front door, "Yeah, whatever. I'll be there. Stop worrying."

Dropping the twins at the Suwa Residence after eating lunch together was often smooth sailing as the twins always adored spending the day with their substitute grandparents. However, Atsuhiko expressed his dismay of being left behind once again insisting of wanting to attend his Uncle Asuma's birthday party, you had to pry his hands away from his grip on your leg. Thankfully, you had help from his Grandpapa Riku, and after waving goodbye to a smiling Atsuhiro and a scowling Atsuhiko, you were off to get a few errands done before heading to Asuma's apartment to celebrate his birthday, taking your sweet time to avoid your favourite, yet rowdy bunch of friends, only because they probably wanted you to help them set up the party, which you didn't want to take part in.

Honestly, you could have chosen otherwise but decided against skipping the errands that would most probably pile up despite the break Galaxy Standard was having. Plus, you may or may not have, forgotten to get a gift for Asuma and if you showed up empty-handed, well, you weren't going to hear the end of it.

Hours went by as you got through your list of errands, you were left with messages and certain phone calls that you ignored throughout the day, you were finally able to buy a suitable gift for your friend. All there was left to do was show up to the party that was apparently already in full swing. Thankfully, your friend's lavish apartment was around the corner.

You waited for the traffic lights to signal the safe journey across the busy streets, your grip on the neatly wrapped gift on one hand slightly tightening against you as you shiver from Japan's cool winter breeze bustling through the air, something you're still obviously not very fond of. For as long as you can remember, you hated the cold. It was a bitter reminder of the times you were utterly alone. You always preferred the warm temperature, whether it was from a fireplace or someone else, it kept you from going numb, made to remind you of reality.

The sound of your phone ringing startles you from your thoughts and you pull the device from one of your pockets, Reiji's name flashing across the screen. You grumble to yourself of his impatience before answering the call, bringing the device up to press against your ear. Before you could utter a word, he beats you to it in a demanding tone, "Where are you? You're late."

"Hold your horses, Rei." You answer in irritation as you look up ahead to check the traffic lights that still had the signal to stay where you were, "I'm almost there. Be patient." However, you couldn't process the words Reiji muttered next from the other line. Someone calling out your name catching your attention, your eyes widening slightly at the realization of who it was. Immediately, you cut off Reiji's rambling from the other line and ended the call, slipping the phone back into your pocket as you feel your shoulder tense at his presence standing next to you. "Osamu."

"So it is you," he blinks in disbelief, his eyes drinking your features bit by bit to check if he was dreaming or not, "You look different, I barely recognized you if it weren't for your voice, but it really is you."

You nod stiffly, "I suppose I would since it has been six years and all. What are you doing all the way here in Kanagawa?"

Suddenly, a memory flashes across your mind. A memory of earlier in your apartment, Shizuma mentioning a friend who knew how to play volleyball. No, it couldn't be, right?

"Ah, I'm actually checking a few spots around here for my business," he lifts his shoulders in a shrug, "So Kanagawa, huh? This is where you've been hiding all this time?"

Your lips press into a thin line, feeling uneasy under his gaze. Of course, you would, you're practically hiding a really big secret. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to chat. I have plans and my friends are already egging me on for being late."

The traffic lights save you from a painful conversation, signalling that it was safe to cross but before you could take a step away, you feel him grasp onto your shoulder to pull you back. You turned your head to face him, ready to fight him off but you halted your actions at the sign of sadness his features displayed. You took the time to examine his features, your heart practically leaping as you were able to take in everything unlike seconds ago where you were purposely trying to leave. Of course, back then when you were friends, you considered Osamu as handsome. I mean, why wouldn't you? You were practically in love with his twin brother who you found extremely handsome at the time. However, that wasn't what ran through your mind. You began thinking that Atsumu probably looked just as good, and suddenly you felt a shitload of bricks slamming right down on your shoulders, the feeling of panic surging through your veins, wondering if Atsumu was around too that you failed to notice Osamu pull out a small card from his wallet, holding it out for you to take. He seemed to read your thoughts as he spoke to reassure you, "Don't worry. He's not here, but..." He trails off, looking at you with hope in his eyes, "take this, it has my number on it. When you're ready, I'm here to listen. I always have been. I want to know what you've been up to. I want to catch up."

At Osamu's reassurance, you feel your shoulders slowly relax as you take the card from him, your eyes scanning the printed numbers and words, Ongiri Miya, making you realize that he hadn't pursued Volleyball like his twin often rambled on. You flicker your gaze up to meet his once more and he gives you a small smile. You slowly nod as you slip the card into one of your back pockets, "I have to go."

He watches you leave, the smile he had instantly morphed into a frown as he watches you walk away once more and eventually disappear from his line of sight. He silently prayed that you would contact him when you could, wanting to reconnect with you after all these years, to know why you left. He promises to himself that when you do decide to reach out, that you wouldn't mention anything to his idiot brother.

He noted the shift of your body, how your shoulders relaxed at the mention of someone not being around, he knew that you had thought about his brother. And it only confirmed his suspicion of you leaving because of what his brother had done six years ago, the last day people saw you in Hyōgo. However, something still was missing, he still craved an answer. You couldn't have left just because of Atsumu's actions. So what was it?

Either way, he was determined to find out. You may have not known it then, but Osamu cared about you a lot. However, due to you being blinded by his twin brother's light, you failed to notice. He wasn't going to let you go this time, he'll find a way to get you back in his life. His phone blares his ringtone, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he brings his phone up, he grumbles underneath his breath at the sight of his brother's incoming call. Speak of the devil.

"What is it?"

He hears his brother whine from the other line, "Can't I just call my brother once in a while?"

"You only ever do that when you're in trouble or need something," he retorts with a roll of his eyes.

Atsumu laughs in response, "How'd the shop searching go? Anything interesting so far? When you coming back?"

"Hold up, what's with the questions?" He laughs at the sound of his brother's enthusiasm. It's true, they often disagreed with each other but when it came to supporting each other's passion, they were always there for the other. He shifts his gaze over to where you stood moments ago, a smile ghosting his lips at the memory of the brief conversation the two of you shared. "Yeah, maybe something interesting here in Kanagawa after all." He listens to his brother speak excitedly over the phone causing him to shake his head at the ridiculous tone. "Oh? He's here? Maybe I can hit him up..."

After the encounter with Osamu, you practically quickened your pace to Asuma's apartment, your heart beating erratically. You hadn't even realized you were holding your breath until you were gasping for air. Luckily, the majority of Asuma's guests were preoccupied that they hadn't noticed your entrance. You were sure you looked embarrassing looking extremely flustered.

You hear your name being called and as soon as you caught your breath, you notice Shizuma calling you over, Asuma and Reiji along with someone you seem to recognize but can’t seem place in your mind. Walking over, your lips curl up to a small smile as you extend your arm to hand over Asuma's gift, "Happy Birthday, 'suma. Here's my gift."

Asuma's eyes instantly light up, retrieving the gift from you, "I was going to get mad at you for being late but since you have a gift for me, I'll let it slide. Did the boys pick this for me?"

"Gee, aren't I lucky." You drawl sarcastically, a laugh being shared within the group as you shake your head, "No, you think those two would let me give them your gift? They said they'll give it to you tomorrow when you take them out. Hiko was upset when I left him with his Grandpapa Riku, though. He had this cute little scowl." Your three friends laugh, imagining their nephew in their heads. You flicker your attention over to the person who was watching you interact with the others with amusement, you smile at him politely. "I'm sorry. How rude of me."

"Oh, right!" Shizuma speaks as soon as your name slips out of your mouth to introduce yourself, holding out your hand for a shake which he grabs, "This is the friend I was talking about that can teach the boys volleyball."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He starts with a grin as he shakes your hand firmly, his enthusiasm infectious. Releasing his grip on your hand, he sends a little wave, "Bokuto Koutarou I'm a friend of Asuma's. Shizuma here was just telling me about your boys and how they were interested in volleyball and I wouldn't mind helping them out."

Asuma adds, "He's a professional volleyball player for Japan's V.League in Division 1. MSBY Black Jackals was it?"

You watch as the man who you thought kind of resembled a horned owl nod his head towards Asuma's direction, something about him oddly familiar. You hum along, eyes widening slightly at the information. "Professional? Wow, colour me impressed. Wouldn't you be too busy to train two six-year-olds, then?"

"I'll speak for everyone who knows her two boys that they're absolute devils," Reiji chuckles with a shake of his head, "Fast learners though. We'd teach them how to run like in Stride if we could but their mother over here refuses."

You scoff, "Because that sport can be dangerous!"

"Stride, huh?" Bokuto butts in, interested. "But yes, I have some time to teach. I'm sure they'll be okay. I owe Asuma anyway. I don't mind."

The corners of your mouth twitch to an unsure smile. You didn't know if you were going to go through with this if you were honest, but it isn't exactly something you can reject as your three other friends were present, and they would do anything for their favourite set of twins, spoiled rotten those two were.

"Don't worry," Shizuma claims, nudging you with his elbow as he gives you a reassuring smile, "They'll be in good hands, one of us will find the time to attend their little training. We're not as busy lately due to our little holiday anyway."

You hum softly as you continue to examine Bokuto under your gaze before something in your mind clicks, eyes widening ever so slightly. “I think I know you! Weren’t you at the Christmas Party last year that Reiji held?”

He nods with a grin, “I was actually. Asuma invited me and I went along with a couple of friends. Funny how we’ve crossed paths before and yet we’re only meeting now, ay?”

“Ah, yeah. I think I remember now, sort of.” you laugh, nodding your head in agreement, “That party was crazy anyway. I don’t think anyone wants to remember that crazy night. Especially Reiji.”

The man mentioned scoffs, rolling his eyes. “That’s why whenever I plan parties it’s never at my place anymore.” He shudders at the memory, “Drunk bastards doing the nasty at my place. And that model’s awful moaning could be heard even when the music was blasting.”

You scrunch up your face in disgust, “Thankfully I left early then,”

An awkward laugh escapes Bokuto’s lips as he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, “Yeah about that...”

“That was you?” you and Asuma let out a gasp, eyes widening while Shizuma bursts out laughing. Reiji on the other hand, obviously not amused at the information.

“Dude, what the heck!” Reiji exclaims, brows furrowing, “The least you could have done was choose a guest bedroom rather than on my own bed!”

“Oy!” he laughs, holding his hands out, “I didn’t say it was me. I was just saying I know who it was. It was one of my friends, but I’d rather not say who.”

Asuma joins his older brother Shizuma in laughing at the side while you try your best to calm down Reiji by tugging on his arm. “Anyway, Bokuto. I think we should talk about the schedule of your training with my boys. I’m sure they’ll be excited when they find out someone will be training them volleyball.”

Somehow, a part of you was screaming at you, telling you that this wasn't going to end well. Of course, you didn't realize at the time that you would come to regret such a decision, not like you had any say against it either. Your little boys were spoiled rotten and often got their way whether through innocent means or their sneaky tactics. It didn't help that their group of uncles were wrapped around their little fingers.

Ah, yes. You hadn't realized it yet, but it was the start of a roller coaster ride.

#atsumu x reader #atsumu x you #atsumu imagine #atsumu imagines #haikyuu #hq #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #atsumu miya x reader #miya x reader #miya imagine #miya imagines

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grailfinders · 3 years ago

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Fate and Phantasms #169

Two builds in one day? That’s right! Today’s my birthday, and that means I get to pick the servants! As a birthday gift to myself, we’re making Caster of the Nightless City! As usual, expect spoilers in the build breakdown below the cut and in their character sheet here!

Scheherazade is a Creation Bard to truly bring her stories to life, and a Genie Warlock to create her own Bedchamber of Survival.

Race and Background

Wildly, Scheherazade is a Human, giving her +1 to all abilities. She’s also a Guild Artisan with one of the most demanding patrons in the world, giving her proficiency with Insight and Persuasion.

Ability Scores

Your Charisma better be as high as possible, you’re literally famous for your storytelling skills. After that is Wisdom. Anyone can read a story, but to tell a story you’ve got to be able to read the audience. Your Intelligence is also pretty good, because let’s be honest, remembering over 1,000 stories is pretty goddamn impressive. Your Dexterity isn’t awful, because we need to be able to go from standing to dogeza in seconds. This means your Constitution and Strength are rather low. Sadly, telling stories doesn’t make you all that battle hardened.

Class Levels

1. Bard 1: Being a bard gives you proficiency with Dexterity and Charisma saves to avoid fireballs and being banished to other dimensions. (Though I guess banishment is better than death?) You also get proficiency in three bard skills, that is to say, three of any skill. Performance for storytelling, Acrobatics for faster dogezas, and History for more story material.

You can use Bardic Inspiration to give a d6 to an ally Charisma Mod times per long rest, and these dice can be added to pretty much any d20 roll to make it a bit better. (Not yours though, heaven forbid you have to get out there and... attack things.)

Speaking of not attacking things, let’s talk Spells. You cast em with Charisma, and get stuff like Blade Ward for taking less damage and Friends for convincing people to let you live in the first place. You also get Charm Person for a similar reason, Bane to weaken their offense if they still want to try anything, Feather Fall to avoid death by heights, and Silent Image for the first of your storied illusions.

2. Bard 2: Second level bards become Jacks of All Trades, adding half their proficiency to ability checks they’re not proficient in. By becoming more useful, you’re less likely to get killed! Probably. You also get a Song of Rest to boost healing during short rests. Healing is good, healing helps people not die. Finally, your Magical Inspiration lets allies add your inspiration dice to damage or healing caused by spells. Again, healing is good, and I guess doing more damage can be nice sometimes.

Speaking of doing damage, we’re not doing that. Instead, grab Sleep for a bedtime story.

3. Bard 3: Graduating from the college of Creation will help you bring your stories to life thanks to your Performance of Creation. As an action you can create a nonmagical object once per long rest or by spending a 2nd level spell slot. The item must be medium or smaller, and can only be worth at most 20 times your bard level in GP.

You can also help your allies star in legends of their own with Stories of Potential that add extra effects to your bardic inspiration depending on how they’re used. Ability checks get advantage on rolling the inspiration, attack rolls deal thunder damage to nearby creatures if they fail a constitution save, and saving throws add temporary HP to their users.

You can also cast Calm Emotions to keep the king from beheading you in the morning.

4. Warlock 1: Now that that’s taken care of, let’s get some help from a Genie. Picking this patron gives you a Genie’s Vessel, a tiny object like, say, a scroll case, within which you can find a Bottled Respite that you can hang out in for up to 2x your proficiency bonus hours per long rest, but you can only enter once per long rest. Any items you leave behind stay in the respite until the vessel is destroyed or you take them out again. Also, I gotta remember to point out the inside is bigger than the outside, space isn’t an issue for you.

You also learn to imbue your attacks with a Genie’s Wrath, adding thunder damage equal to your proficiency bonus to one attack per turn. You don’t really attack that much, but it’s nice to make every bit count.

Speaking of attacking, you can actually do that with your new Spells! You still use Charisma, but you have Pact Magic, so these slots don’t mix with your old ones. The plus side is they recharge on short rests instead of long ones, and you can still cast bard spells with warlock slots and vice versa.

You get Minor Illusion for cheap lifelike stories, as well as Eldritch Blast for the ever-present caster balls. For first level spells, you get Detect Evil and Good and Thunderwave for free, as well as Comprehend Languages because copyright doesn’t exist in D&D, and Protection from Evil and Good. Some kings are evil, some are good, but very few are neutral. (WARNING: does not actually protect against good or evil aligned humanoids)

5. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations, ways to customize the selling your soul experience. Armor of Shaodws gives you free mage armor to avoid dying, and Eldritch Mind makes it easier to concentrate on your spells, which are keeping you from getting killed.

Speaking of spells, Sense Emotion lets you read the prevailing emotion of a nearby creature as an action, and you can repeat the action each turn. Good storytelling requires you know what your audience wants.

6. Warlock 3: Third level warlocks get a Pact Boon, and Pact of the Tome gives you a super cool magic scroll that gives you three cantrips from any spell list. You get Guidance and Resistance for added protection, and Mage Hand. Handling hot objects can be dangerous! Now you don’t have to do that.

Besides that, you get second level spells here, like Enthrall. Being the center of attention is dangerous, but you’re the most personable member of the party, so this might be less dangerous than letting them talk. You also get Phantasmal Force and Gust of Wind for free, letting you attack with fictional characters and just make things a bit more dramatic.

7. Warlock 4: At fourth level you finally get your first Ability Score Improvement, which will be used to round up your Dexterity and Constitution for a higher AC and higher HP. Not dying’s good, you should try it out.

You also get Prestidigitation to add minor effects to your stories, and Flock of Familiars to summon background characters.

8. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks get third level spells, like Major Image to make larger effects for your stories. You also get Create Food and Water and Wind Wall for free.

On top of that, the invocation One with Shadows lets you turn invisible as an action in dim light or darker, and lasts until you move or take an action. When a truly good storyteller gets going, the story takes on a life of its own, and they just sort of... fade into the background.

9. Warlock 6: Sixth level genilocks get an Elemental Gift, giving you resistance to thunder damage. Like Cursed Arm always says, you can’t travel the desert without protection from wind. As a bonus action, you can now fly for 10 minutes Proficiency times per long rest. Admittedly you don’t really do that too often, but I’m sure you can illusion up a big genie hand or something to lift you up.

You can also summon a main character now thanks to Summon Fey. You can create a small fey creature in one of three moods that can teleport around and fight for you. Fuming fey get advantage on attacks after teleporting, mirthful fey can charm creatures, and tricksy fey create magical darkness which you can use to turn invisible.

10. Warlock 7: Congrats on your fourth level spell slots! Your freebie spells are Phantasmal Killer and Greater Invisibility to put less focus on yourself and more focus on the terrifying monsters you can summon. You can also use Hallucinatory Terrain to reshape the world into the world of your story. You can also use Trickster’s Escape once per long rest to cast Freedom of Movement on yourself to get the hell out of dangerous situations.

11. Warlock 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for better spells and better stories. You also learn how to Charm Monsters to avoid even more danger by just... getting along with everything.

12. Warlock 9: Ninth level warlocks get fifth level spells, like the freebies Creation to make even more nonsense out of nothing and Seeming to again, avoid danger. On top of those, you can use Modify Memory to retcon your stories to prevent your audience from getting too upset. You also gain the Gift of the Protectors, allowing you or another creature to write its name on part of your scroll. The scroll can hold the names of Proficiency people, and once per long rest the first creature to drop to 0 hp sticks around at 1 hp instead. You can also erase names if you have a falling out, but since it’s first come first served you might just want to keep this to yourself.

13. Warlock 10: Tenth level genielocks get a Sanctuary Vessel, allowing you to take up to 5 willing creatures into your Genie’s Vessel with you. You can eject creatures as a bonus action, by leaving yourself, dying (don’t do that one), or by destroying the vessel.

On top of all of that, creatures that stay in the vessel for at least 10 minutes get all the benefits of a short rest, plus they add your proficiency to any healing they get from hit dice. That’s on top of the d6 they were already getting from your song of rest.

Oh right, you get another cantrip too. Grab Blade Ward again. You can never be too careful.

14. Bard 4: Yeah, did you think we were done with bards? Nope! This level of bard gives us another ASI that’ll max out your Charisma for the best spells possible!

You also learn Message, because miscommunication can be deadly, and Lesser Restoration. You never know what kind of status effects might doom your party, after all...

15. Bard 5: Fifth level bards get their inspiration bumped up to d8s, and they finally become a Font of Inspiration to recharge their inspiration on short rests. I wanted to get sanctuary vessel as quickly as possible for the sake of getting your bedchamber of survival, but it’s awfully tempting to put these two levels earlier, ngl.

You also learn how to Feign Death, because nobody’s going to bother killing you if you’re already dead, right? This spell makes you or the targeted creature effectively dead by the reckoning of anyone around them. They can’t take actions, are blinded, and can’t move. They get resistance to all damage except psychic, and any diseases or poisons they’re affected by are frozen until the spell ends an hour later.

16. Bard 6: Sixth level bards can use Countercharm to protect their party from effects that would charm or frighten them, giving them advantage on those saves for a round.

You can also put on an Animating Performance to turn a large or smaller object into a Dancing Item, which follows your orders, given by your bonus action. You can do this once per long rest, or by spending a third level spell slot.

Your last bard spell is Catnap, putting up to three creatures to sleep for 10 minutes. If they stay asleep the entire time, they get the benefits of a short rest. Dying of overwork... what a horrifying concept.

17. Warlock 11: At eleventh level, instead of getting your spell slots made bigger you get a Mystic Arcanum, allowing you to cast a sixth level spell once per long rest. Guards and Wards is very useful if you’re paranoid, creating wards to protect up to 2,500 square feet of space (a.k.a. 100 5′ squares). You can specify creatures that are immune to effects, or a password that does the same thing.

In corridors, fog fills the area, and forks in the road have a 50% chance of forcing creatures down the wrong way.

Doors are magically locked, and up to 10 doors in the area can be covered by illusions.

Stairs are covered in Webs that regrow when destroyed.

You can also place: Dancing Lights in four corridors, Magic Mouth in two places, Stinking Cloud in two places, Gust of Wind in one corridor or room, and Suggestion in one five foot square.

Casting Guards and Wards in the same place every day for a year makes it permanent.

18. Warlock 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Constitution for better concentration and health. You also learn your last Invocation, Minions of Chaos! Once per long rest you can cast Conjure Elemental using a warlock spell slot. It is a little bit risky, but even you have to be willing to stick your neck out at some point. Might as well be level 18.

19. Warlock 13: Your seventh level Mystic Arcanum is Mirage Arcane, allowing you to reshape reality in a square mile, altering the entire terrain to your story and even making entire structures out of nothing. Even creatures with true sight will still feel the illusion, so feel free to recreate the tower of babel and hide out on the top of it.

20. Warlock 14: Your capstone level gives you a Limited Wish from your patron, recreating any spell of fifth level or lower once per 1d4 long rests. Sometimes your story just needs a Maelstrom, and nobody’s going to wait for you to take 9 levels of druid just to finish a story.

Pros:

If your DM rewards creativity and you’ve got the mind thoughts to power this build, this build will treat you very nicely. This whole thing is basically an excuse for the roleplayer inside of you to ham up your acting, chew the scenery, and distract everyone from the rogue rifling through their pockets.

Speaking of distractions you can make some really good ones. Show up to the BBEG’s lair, butter them up with some stories, then trick them into entering your vessel, and then they’re trapped in there for up to 12 hours. If you can trick them into allowing you to catnap them, that gives the rest of your party a full 10 minutes to ransack the place before they even know what’s happening. You can always kick them out if they’re being unwelcome guests, but there’s no way for them to leave on their own outside of killing you. And that’s easier said than done, because...

You’re really hard to fight. Between all the illusions, summoning creatures to fight on your behalf, the invisibility, and the altering reality in a mile radius, landing a blow on you is an ordeal, especially if you know they’re coming.

Cons:

If you’re actually stuck in a cage match with an enemy it’s gonna take a while, because you really aren’t built for damage. You have a negative strength stat, and your first damaging spell doesn’t show up until level four. Just bring them into the vessel, help them relax, and put them to sleep with catnap, that’s way less work than actually fighting them.

On a similar note, anything that can see through your illusions is going to cut through you like butter, because you’re pretty squishy. Only 15 AC and just shy of 150 HP means you should avoid fights like... well, you do in canon.

Another side effect of your squishiness is that your concentration saves aren’t that great, which is really bad for an illusionist/summoner. Neither your animated item nor your invisibility use concentration though, so you can actually get away with more than you’d think, it’s just a complicated juggling act. And trust me, you do not want to drop them in the middle of combat.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Caster of the nightless city #warlock #bard

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keanureevesisbae · 4 years ago

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eunoia - prologue

Summary: Sam is trying to adjust to a life post-Steve Rogers.

Sam Wilson x Quinn (Asian ofc)

Warnings: Some spoilers for Civil War, Inifinity War, Endgame and TFATWS

Wordcount: 2.2k

A/N: Did I just abandon my other wips to work on this one? Maybe. This story follows around 50% of TFATWS storyline, but it’s not identical. I honestly don’t know whether or not people are gonna like it, but if you do, please let me know 🥺Our boy Sam deserves all the fics 🥰

Masterlist // eunoia masterlist //

Not a day goes by that Sam doesn’t think about Quinn. It was at the Joint Terrorist Centre’s headquarters in Berlin when he first saw her on security camera’s. While Bucky was being interviewed, a different set of cameras showed another interrogation room. It was nearly identical to Bucky’s room, though the difference was that there a woman was strapped in a similar containment cell. They had found her earlier that day and according to some intel she was part of another Hydra program, though there was not much known about her yet.

With the reactivated Winter Soldier Program, Sam tried to capture Zemo, before the fugitive disappeared into the crowd. Together with Steve, they took Bucky into an abandoned building. While Bucky slowly regained consciousness and both Steve and Sam being distracted, no one noticed someone sneaking up behind them.

In a twinkling of an eye, both Steve and Sam were tied up with one rope, despite the two of them being on opposite sides of the room. With a certain focus, the petite woman marched up to Bucky, ready to do whatever was her task. As her fingers wrapped around his neck, tips digging in his neck, Bucky seemed to recognize her. A soft ‘hey’ from the Winter Soldier was enough to snap her out of it.

The rope stopped cutting into Sam’s skin, as the woman looked around her. She dropped the rope and she ran her hands through her long black locks. There was something about her that intrigued him. Her eyes darted from one side to the other, before they landed on him.

Sam didn’t know her that long, but he could see that there were a lot of undisclosed feelings. She was confused, maybe even a bit scared.

She introduced herself as Quinn, though adding the fact that she had no idea what her real name was and Quinn seemed fitting.

Just like Bucky, Quinn was also a target of Zero’s spree. She remembers Zemo breaking her out of the secret and deserted Hydra facility back in Munich, where she was put into cryogenic stasis. Zemo released her into the world, only for her to be caught within a few hours. She had no idea if that was Zemo’s intention, her getting caught that soon.

‘Just a few hours ago,’ Quinn explained, ‘there was this guy with black hair, questionable facial hair, who told me to catch a guy. It was a picture of you.’ She gestured towards Bucky, who tilted his head as his gaze softened.

‘You remember me?’ Bucky asked her.

She shrugs. ‘I don’t know,’ she whimpers. ‘I didn’t when he showed me the picture, but… There is something I sort of remember of you. You walked into the room, dressed in all black, looking visibly exhausted. You were in this other cell and looked at me and told me that it was all gonna be okay.’ Quinn let out a soft—yet meaningless—chuckle. ‘That’s not quite working out.’

Without any more painful questions, Steve suggested she came along and Sam and her actually fought alongside the rest on the airport, making sure Bucky and Steve were on that flight and just like the rest who stayed behind, they were imprisoned in the Raft.

Sam watched her, day in, day out. She was yet again strapped inside a containment cell within her cell, another counter measurement to make sure she was unable to escape. Sam saw how she kicked an entire van to the side on the airport, without breaking a sweat. It made him question whether or not she was just cooperating or if the restraints were really working.

Her petite frame was perfect for her to blend in the crowd, in contrast to Bucky, however strength wise, they were around the same level.

Speed wise, it was Quinn who had the upper hand there.

She simply sat in the cell, staring ahead of her. Sam wondered what happened inside her head, but when they made eye contact, all he could see was sadness and hopelessness.

At night, when the lights were dim and everyone was asleep, he told her that it was all gonna be okay.

‘How do you know?’

‘I just do,’ he said.

For the first time, she smiled at him. ‘And I just have to trust you on that one?’

‘It’s the wisest thing to do. Besides, what have you got to lose?’

After Steve freed them from the Raft, he did not know what to expect from her. Deep down, Sam kinda hoped she would join him. On the airport, it was obvious how well they worked together, but just like Clint, Scott and Wanda, she decided to live her own life.

And just like that, she disappeared.

Sam never thought he’d see her again, but when they all met in the New Avengers Facility, when they learned about Thanos’ plan to capture all the Infinity Stones, she walked in as if she never left. She stayed close to either him or Steve, not once speaking up about what she did in the meantime and Sam never felt like he could ask.

When they landed in Wakanda, Quinn took him aside and asked: ‘You got my back?’

He smiled at her, realizing that his efforts in gaining her trust back at the Raft and the Facility had helped. ‘Always,’ he promised.

But he didn’t keep his promise. He didn’t have her back like he promised.

Quinn was the last person Sam saw, before he disintegrated into ashes, together with half of the world population. Her hand on his cheek, as her eyes darted from side to side, slightly confused of what was happening, but also realizing that he couldn’t have her back anymore.

While Sam was aware that she was right there on the battlefield after they were all brought back, the first time he saw her was on Tony’s funeral. After Steve told him, Banner, Bucky and Quinn he was going to return the Infinity Stones and Mjølnir—looking back on it—it was obvious she knew what Steve decided to do. Sam can still hear the words that left her lips then: ‘Are you sure you want that to be your future?’

Sam did not know what it meant then, but he sure does now. After he received the shield minutes later of a much older Steve, Quinn did what she always does: disappear.

He never knew where she went, what she was doing and while he respects her decision, he still thinks about her. Every single day. His hope of seeing her again, hasn’t faded away and sometimes it frustrates him. He barely knew her, why is he so hung up on her then?

Sam lets out a sigh, as he drives his truck over the roads to his destination. It has been a rough couple of weeks. He is working closely together with the United States Air Force and after a few missions, he made his decision whether or not to give up the shield.

Without Steve, the shield is nothing.

He desperately needs a break from all of this and there is no place like Delacroix Louisiana to wind down from the hectic of an after Blip world. He had been there two times, but both times ended abruptly as the Air Force needed him.

Now, he has the time. All the time in the world to relax and forget about an Avenger like life.

Sam parks his car on the dock and his nephews AJ and Cass are the first to notice him. ‘Uncle Sam, uncle Sam,’ they exclaim.

‘Ah, there you two are,’ he says, hugging the two boys tightly.

‘How long are you gonna stay this time?’ Cass asks.

‘Awhile,’ is the answer he is giving his nephews, but that is mostly because he wants to keep them in suspense a little.

AJ scoffs. ‘That’s not an answer.’

‘Okay, okay, gotta give you that,’ he chuckles. ‘How about: at least two weeks?’

The two boys high five each other. His sister Sarah loudly places a crate on the ground. ‘Finally,’ she says, ‘took you long enough.’

‘Nice to see you too,’ he retorts with a smile, before giving her a hug. ‘Missed you.’

‘Of course you did,’ she says. ‘We missed you too, just like almost everyone here. Almost got me thinking that you’re the favorite Wilson sibling.’

‘That’s because I am.’ He carries the crate to where Sarah wants it and he smiles when his eyes land on the family boat. ‘She sure is a beauty.’

‘A broken beauty,’ Sarah says, ‘that is costing me a fortune.’ She places her hands on her hips as she says: ‘With both the house and the boat needing some fixing up, every penny I got to spare is going to the house.’

‘Is this about you wanting to sell it again?’

‘Yes, since I’m not willing to sell a working organ on the black market in order to afford its repairs.’

‘I told you I would fix it,’ Sam says.

Sarah rolls her eyes. ‘Yeah, you told me that months ago, but the boat still isn’t working. You know the situation, Sam, the thing’s gotta go.’

‘Sarah, you’re kidding. We grew up on this thing.’

She scoffs. ‘Yeah, I know, I was there. It’s just that I cannot afford it anymore.’

Sam sure loves his sister, but there are moments where he—just like back in the days—he’d want to put her behind the wallpaper, making her shut up. It’s always this doom thinking. Everything or nothing at all, there is no in between. ‘You know I can help with this.’

‘Yeah, big help you’ve been.’

Sam clenches his jaw. ‘Well, I’m sorry I was taken away by the blip.’

‘It’s not about you being gone for the blip,’ Sarah says. ‘It’s about the fact that there is too much for me to do here. I need to keep the house, so it’s either keeping the boat or the business and since the business is my income, it’s only logical that the boat has got to go.’

Great, he has been back for a few minutes and he is already having this conversation with his sister. ‘I’ve got this, Sarah, I promise.’

She doesn’t believe him, he can see it in her eyes, but decides to drop the matter. Maybe she realizes too that this is no conversation for them to have after he got back for only a few minutes.

The two of them step back on the dock, where his nephews are stretching out their necks, almost like they are searching for something. ‘Whatcha looking at?’ Sam asks. ‘See a pretty lady?’

‘Is that,’ Cass starts, only for AJ to exclaim: ‘Auntie Quinn!’

The two boys drop their stuff and rush over the dock to the woman Sam never thought he’d see again, let alone right here. Quinn holds out her arms and despite the boys being nearly the same height as her, she still manages to catch them both as they jump in her arms. They must’ve known about her enhanced strength, Sam thinks to himself, otherwise they wouldn’t have jumped right in her arms.

But that raises another question: how could they’ve known?

‘Auntie Quinn?’ he asks Sarah.

Sarah nods. ‘Auntie Quinn,’ she confirms.

She’s gonna leave it at that? ‘Care to explain?’

‘I think it was two weeks after you were blipped away. It was chaos here, like literal chaos. People were missing, I hadn’t heard anything from you. She walked up the dock and offered her help. I thought for at least a month she was an angel send from the heavens. She told me she saw you right before you were blipped away and that she went to your place back in DC. She found out about us and decided to see how it all went down here. Thankfully she did, because I desperately needed her help. She assisted with the business, helped raising the boys.’

To say he is confused, would be an understatement. ‘She stayed here?’ he asks. ‘During the entire blip?’

‘Oh yeah,’ Sarah says, holding up her hand to Quinn. ‘I think all in all, she stayed here for four years. Sometimes she went away for a few weeks, but she always returned. Near the end, she called me and told me that Steve needed her. It’s actually the first time I’ve seen her in a while.’

Sam can’t stop looking at the big smiles and chuckles being exchanged between AJ, Cass and Quinn. She hugs his nephews tightly and even from a distance he can tell she is scolding them for growing taller.

‘I think that without her,’ Sarah continues, ‘I barely would’ve made it. She was slightly clueless though. Had issues with the simplest tasks, like cooking and day to day stuff, but she’s a fast learner.’

It shouldn’t warm his heart like it does, but Sam can’t help but smile as he realizes that Quinn went on the look out to care for his family.

‘She told me she had no memories of growing up. Poor thing,’ Sarah says, shaking her head as she as well looks at the trio. ‘She tried so hard to remember, but in all those years she spend here, no luck. I wonder if she does now.’

She doesn’t. Sam doesn’t need to ask her, because he simply knows.

Quinn still doesn’t remember her past.

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