#not sure if these actually count as spoilers but better safe than sorry | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

separatetheyolk · 2 months ago

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Breathe | Charles Leclerc X Trans!British!DriverReader

ʚɞ featuring: Charles Leclerc

ʚɞ you (the first trans driver to ever step foot into F1) are still dealing with the pain of unsafe binding years later.

ʚɞ warnings: fluff, mentions of unsafe binding but I ain’t going into detail because I don’t want anyone actually doing it, swearing, transphobia, didn’t proofread lol sorry, y/n used

ʚɞ word count: 1830

ʚɞ note: FtM or trans masc in mind. He/him pronouns used for reader. I beg please bind safely. It really fucks you over if you don’t

mclaren

liked by youruser, f1, landonorris, and 15,876 others

mclaren We are beyond proud that Y/N has felt comfortable to come out to not only us, the grid, but to the rest of the world.

Y/N is the first transgender driver in F1 history! To be part of such a large step forward in this industry is a huge honour and we are all immensely proud of you! 🏳️‍⚧️

@/f1 @/yourusername

comments

user1 Did they just out Y/N as trans???

user2 They better not have omg

user3 Nono! Y/N has actually just came out on his own social media about an hour prior. And I’m sure that McLaren wouldn’t post this without his permission.. right?

yourusername @/user2 i fear you may have missed my own social media post. @/user3 is correct! and admin did double check with me before posting aha <3

liked by mclaren, user3 and 315 others

landonorris proud of you, man!

lewishamilton 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

user4 women don’t belong in this sport!

user5 Spoiler! He’s not a woman!

liked by yourusername

user6 F1 really has gone downhill. This is absolutely ridiculous. I refuse to watch this sport anymore.

yourusername up your arse mate no one gives a shite 🏳️‍⚧️

liked by charles_leclerc and 215 others

user7 Not Y/N being a pr nightmare before the season even starts 🤣

liked by yourusername

user8 As a trans person this makes me so happy omg 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1 and 13,238 others

f1 AND IT’S Y/N WHO TAKES POLE IN BAHRAIN!

What a result for Y/N! It’s certainly a way to kickstart your season! All eyes are on Y/N to see what tricks he pulls out for the race on Saturday.

@/yourusername @/f1

comments

user1 DAAAMN look at this kid go!

user2 well, at least he had a better start than Stroll did

user3 Not exactly a hard feat to beat but at least Stroll actually made it to the finish line.

user4 THIS ISN’T A WOMENS SPORT!!!

user5 oh here we go

yourusername have a feeling there’ll be a lot of this 🙄❄️

user6 uno reverse used in the best way possible

user7 WHO IS THIS ICON

yourusername 💅💅

“I don’t understand why they have to be such dicks..” Charles mumbled, looking down to you with a frown on his face. A frown that you decided he definitely didn’t suit. “You’re a driver. Just like us. A guy. Just like us. You’re no different.”

You sigh softly, shutting off your phone and set it down on your chest. Reaching up with one hand you smoothed the creases forming on your boyfriends forehead. Your second carefully taking the phone from Charles’ hands. He really needed to stop reading these comments.

“But I’m not to some..” you whispered. “As much as I want to be, I’ll never truly be the same to everyone. I’m an icon to some, another driver to others, a complete stranger to most and a vile freak of nature to the remainder.”

Charles didn’t like that. He didn’t like that last part one bit. He ran his hand gently through his boyfriends hair, letting his fingers comb through tangles, shaking his head. “Mon amour, you are far from a freak..” he spoke softly. Voice holding such love it felt like your heart could burst. You watched the man above you grow confused as you let out a huff of laughter, shaking your head.

“Baby, I know I’m not a freak. I’m just stating there are some that think I am. And while they’re wrong.. so very wrong. I can’t change everyone’s minds.” You sigh softly, hand now moving to the back of your boyfriend’s head. Thumb running against the freshly cut hair.

You soon sit up with a groan, stretching out. Toes pointed, arms pushed to the air, back arching and popping. “But-” you started off, sounding strained until your body slowly relaxed. Stealing a kiss from your boyfriend as you stood. “I’ve got you.. so everything’s all good in my corner.” You smile to the other, grabbing your coffee cup and heading to the kitchen to fix yourself another.

“You really shouldn’t have anymore of that! The race is tomorrow!”

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc and 12,204 others

f1 Five races in and Y/N has already secured his first win with the Chinese Grand Prix! 🏎️🏁

But can he keep up the pace?

user1 Absofuckinglutely he can!

user2 No. He can’t. He’s only in his second year. He’ll mess up somewhere along the line.

user3 found the vestappen fan

georgeeussell63 Some clean driving there, mate. Enjoy your celebrations!

yourusername knew there was a reason your my favourite

liked by georgerussell63

landonorris drinks on me then, I take it?

yourusername ah, well. @/georgerussell63 sorry but your title has been taken

georgerussell63 traitor

yourusername <33

user4 Y/N AND GEORGE??

yourusername 🏳️‍🌈 but not for him

georgerussell63 ouch

yourusername oh hush

It turned out that Mr. Know-It-All in the comments was correct. You did indeed screw up. And you screwed up big time. Ninth race in for specifics. The Canadian Grand Prix. It wasn’t a particularly bad crash. Or at least, not by F1 standards. You didn’t split your car in half at least. No. Instead, you got a bit too close to your beloved boyfriend, went up and over his car. And somehow in what you’re sure would be in spectacular fashion on the replay flipped your car upside down.

Once you did eventually manage to get out of your car, you were waving medical professionals away. You felt fine. Nothing felt broken. A bit banged up and sure, there’d probably be bruised knees and a bruised ego. But you were fine. Of course, that didn’t stop Charles from hounding you with questions once you got back to your drivers room.

“Baby- babe-“ you held your hands up, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. You move to set your hands on either side of his face, which seemed to stop the questions well enough. You rose your eyebrows allowing the smile to settle on your face as your thumbs gently brushed against his cheeks. “I’m fine..” you whispered quietly, pressing a kiss to the man’s forehead and sighed softly. “Bruised knees probably. But nothin’ that’s broken.”

“You’re absolutely sure.” Charles demanded an answer.. yet again, his hands moving to cup your own, pressing a kiss to the palm of each. “Chérie if you’re hurt we need to know.” You loved Charles, you really did. You loved the attentiveness. The caring side. The way he looked to you like you were his whole world. Hung the stars in the sky just for him. But you were fine.

“I’m fine my love-” the ‘love’ came out strained as your body jerked. Face twisted in pain as a sharpness radiated from your chest suddenly from a deep breath you’d took. The suddenness of which it impossible to hide from Charles. And instantly, the man was back on your case.

“Baby? Hey- hey what is it? What’s wrong.” He asked rather quickly. Brows furrowing, face twisting into concern as his hands moved to your side.

“My ribs-” you tried to get out.

“Ribs? From the crash?”

“No-”

“Are they broken?”

“No Charles-“

“Baby did the crash hurt them?”

“Jesus Christ on a bike will you stop.” You manage to get out, hands gripping his arms. “It’s from when I used to bind.” Each inhale brought that same sharp pain back. Like someone was jabbing a large needle inbetween two of your ribs. You hissed as another hit, trying to shallow your breathing some.

“Okay.. okay.” Charles thought for a moment. He read this somewhere.. no not read. It had came up on TikTok. At this point, your feed was bleeding into his own. Merging together into some fucked up culmination of shared humour. “Okay..”

You watched in confusion as Charles moved to the floor. Back firmly pressed to the wall. One hand waving as a silent gesture to join him, the other tapping the floor between his legs to tell you where to sit. Hesitantly you made your way over, keeping your breathing short to not cause anymore unnecessary pain. Charles pivoted you before you sat down so your back was facing him. Then, gently began to tug at your fireproof suit.

You followed his lead, moving to sit in between those legs, feeling him pull you close and legs stretched out. In this position, he practically forced you to sit up straight. Giving your lungs the most room you possibly could to breathe without any hindrance. “Deep breaths..” you heard from behind, feeling Charles press his face into your neck. One hand on your hip, another resting on your stomach.

“Charles, I can’t.” You spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It hurts. It’s fine. It’ll go away on its own in a few seconds.” Or well, that used to be the case. Now it took a few minutes to thirty. Or at least you think that’s what the record was.

“I know mon amour.. but it’ll go away quicker like this. Please?” He tried to encourage, pressing loving kisses to your neck, behind your ear. Anywhere his lips could reach skin there were kisses in it’s path.

Reluctantly, you begin to do as he asked, taking a deep breath which again, caused that same pain to erupt in your side. Inhaling sharper as a result. And, again, more pain. “I know..” Charles whispered against your ear, lifting his head up to rest against the side of yours. Beginning to take deep breaths himself. Deep enough so you could feel it and copy. “I know baby.. come on.” He encouraged again, pressing a firm kiss to your temple.

Again, you took another deep breath. Charles continuing to talk you through that pain too. Slowly, the gaps in between became shorter. Until you were consistently taking them. And two or so minutes after, the pain was gone.

Charles however, was still whispering to you. He hated seeing you in pain. However cliche it sounded. The idea his Y/N, his boyfriend, was in pain hurt him too. Moving now to spin you round. Pulling you onto his lap so your shoulder was resting against his sturdy chest. He removed the cap from your head, directing said head to his shoulder and you didn’t need to be told twice. Finding your home in the crook where it met his neck. Nuzzling into it and let out a sigh.

There was silence for a moment. Letting reality sink in before you spoke. “M’ sorry..” it was timid. Quiet. Not fearful but.. it didn’t ooze that same confidence your voice seemingly always held.

“What for, chérie?” Charles asked in response, hand moving now to rub small circles onto your back. Pressing kisses to the top of your head.

“Crashin’ into you..” you muttered, eyes fixed to your hands set in the orange lap of your suit. Picking at skin around your nails. “Scaring you.. worrying you..”

Charles couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Light and warm. You watched as he separated your hands with one of his own, intertwining together fingers on your left hand with those on his right. “Baby.. I’m always gonna worry. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.” God you loved a sappy Charles

First post doooone

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simp4wom3n · 2 years ago

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The Quiet One Pt III

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x fem!reader

Summary: After moving to New York with Tara to escape their past, y/n finds themselves desperate to keep her girlfriend safe, especially when a new killer is on the loose. ~ Word Count: 7.526k ~ Warnings: Scream VI spoilers, graphic descriptions of blood and gore, swearing (I think that's everything)

A/N: Hi!!! part 3 is finally here!! i'm sorry it took so long I have actually been so fkn busy its a lil painful I won't lie. This one also took a while to write so hopefully you guys like it - and yes there will be a pt 4 coming soon. <3

Pt1 ~ Pt2 ~ Pt3 ~ Pt4 ~ Pt5

A packed frat party with dizzying lights and deafening music wasn't the typical place you chose to reflect, yet here you were, sitting on an old couch, drink in hand, dressed in a pirate costume with your fellow crewmate nowhere to be found.

Moving to New York was easily one of the better decisions you had ever made. Escaping the small town of Woodsboro that provided you with nothing but nightmares felt like a breath of fresh air. As a matter of fact, the only thing you were glad that Woodsboro gave you was Tara.

You had been dating since your shared 3-day nightmare over 6 months ago, and your relationship grew stronger every day. That was at least until something shifted. Something in the way Tara looked at you had changed. The usual squeal of happiness at the sight of you was replaced with an almost irritated sigh. Your presence becoming more of a burden for the girl than a blessing.

Sure, you were overprotective. How couldn't you be? She was quite literally all that you had left. Sam, Mindy, Chad. They were all there, but none of them knew you like Tara did. None of them loved you like Tara did.

After the two of you were Richie and Amber's 'pin cushions', you ultimately decided you were sick of being the loner that everybody could take advantage of. The small, insignificant girl that everyone laughed at and made fun of. The weak punching bag that gets stabbed and shot on repeat.

Instead of relishing every opportunity to be alone, you now practically hate to be alone, the horror of the attacks leaving deep and permanent wounds. You rarely distanced yourself from Tara. When being with her was impossible, going to the gym with Chad was your next best option.

Although you didn't see the point at first, you quickly realised that the extra muscle would not only help you regain the strength you'd lost due to your extensive wounds, but it would also improve your ability to protect Tara, or more specifically, beat the shit out of anyone who tried to touch her.

Unfortunately, your overbearing need to protect Tara landed you in this position. Painfully reminded of what should be by Mindy and Anika's cuddling less than a few metres away from you, you blankly stare at the array of drunk teens in front of you, singing and swaying to the music whilst probably eyeing up their next hook-up.

"You alright there, y/n?" Anika's sweet voice breaks you out of your drunken haze, your sour mood and distant stare evidently not as concealed as you thought. "Yeah, fine... I'm getting another drink" You chug the rest of your drink, the poorly mixed liquid burning the back of your throat as your face scrunches at the taste, before you push yourself up off the couch, not particularly interested in a drunk heart-to-heart conversation.

Stumbling your way through the crowd, mumbling "excuse me"s and "sorry"s to every person you bump into, you make your way towards the kitchen to steal what was left of the cheap liquor.

Your muffled apologies were cut off when a strong shoulder barged into you, almost knocking you off your feet. Your drunken gaze quickly turns towards the inconsiderate asshole who ran into you, your face scrunched in annoyance until your eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar bandana.

"Tara?" Her clearly intoxicated eyes met yours briefly as she was dragged through the crowds, her arm being pulled by a dude you presumed to be an egotistical frat boy. Every ounce of alcohol left your system as you sobered up instantly, your feet quickly following their trail despite having to shove past a few unhappy partygoers.

"Tara!" you exclaim as you catch up to them on the stairs, where Tara walks in front of the jackass, willingly leading herself into an inevitable death trap. Her head turns to face you, a look of disappointment on her face that you try to brush off. "She's good down here." You sarcastically smile at the boy, grabbing Taras's arm as you gently try to pull her back down the stairs.

"Come on, let's go" "No, y/n... It's fine, I want to" "Wha-" "See y/n... she wants to" The douchebag smirks as he firmly grabs ahold of Tara's other arm, forcibly dragging her up the stairs as she loses her footing. Her grunts of pain cause every last bit of your patience to evaporate as you run up the stairs after her.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" you yell violently, yanking him down the steps by the shirt. His back collides with the wall, forcing him to stumble before regaining his footing and charging towards you. "Get the fuck off of me!" he yells, but you hold your ground. "You want to go motherfucker? Ok." Tara's protests from behind you go unheard as you uppercut him hard in the chin, his head jerking backwards as he falls to the ground in agony, blood spilling from his lips.

"Touch her again, and I'll send you to the hospital next time", You threaten him, your eyes catching a glimpse of Sam appearing out of the crowd, a slight smirk on her lips at the scene in front of her - she loved the new you.

"Y/n?!" Your focus is stolen from your moment of victory as you turn around and are met with a furious Tara. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She scoffed in disbelief, shaking her head before she carelessly pushed past you, her shoulder bumping into you.

"Dammit"

"Tara! Will you stop?" you called after her as she continued walking quickly away from you, the rest of the group following behind you. Was the punch a little overboard? Maybe, but at the end of the day, that dude had it coming.

"I cannot believe you did that.", she yelled at you, her tone laced with irritation. "That guy was a dick. He was going to take advantage of you!" "So?!". Your jaw dropped as she finally faced you, her face purely showing frustration. No sarcasm, no guilt, nothing. You couldn't believe what you had just heard. The thought of Tara consciously allowing herself to be dragged away by some guy that would undoubtedly take advantage of her, or worse, infuriated you.

"So?! What the fuck do you mean so?!" "Maybe I didn't care because at least I would finally get away from you!... I mean, look, y/n... you're looking out for me, I get that, I appreciate that, but you never leave me alone unless it is physically fucking impossible for you to be there... you have to let me go." Her harsh tone softened the more she spoke, perhaps realising the words that were falling from her mouth as she stared into your tear-ridden eyes.

"Let you go?" you grinned wryly as tears streamed down your cheeks. "How do you expect me to do that, Tara? I love you... You are literally all that I have left. You are all that I care about. I-I moved to fucking New York because of you, like... I-I can't."

Despite Tara's gaze softening at your cries, your heart cracked as you realised that you were hanging onto her by a thread. Uncontrollable sobs began to escape you as your hand attempted to keep them in. A mixture of embarrassment and guilt washed over you as you turned on your heels and ran off towards the apartment you, unfortunately, shared with the gorgeous girl you were running away from.

In times like these, you resented the fact that you shared a bedroom with Tara.

Before you ran away, you thought you saw a flash of guilt in Tara's eyes, a thought which helped somewhat soothe your racing thoughts as you verged on the edge of a breakdown.

She was right. She always was. You never left her alone, that was true, but you couldn't let her go. You just couldn't. It had been months since Dewey was brutally taken from you, and you still have nightmares about it. She knew that. She was the one who used to comfort you when you would wake up in a cold sweat, the pictures of Dewey lying dead on the floor fresh in your mind.

You used to think you had no love to give, but now it seemed you had too much.

The rest of the group had returned to the apartment shortly after you barged down the door with tears streaming down your face. You had taken cover in Sam's room, knowing that Tara would similarly seek the comfort of your shared bedroom once she got home.

When you heard the front door slam shut and the shuffling of footsteps outside the closed bedroom door, you shot to your feet as you checked over yourself in Sam's mirror, hoping to wipe away the remnants of your recent meltdown, the weight of Tara's words still pulling on you.

With one last deep breath, you turned the door handle slowly and softly, a slight creak escaping its worn hinges. When you poked your head around the corner, you noticed your bedroom light was on, and the door was wide open, which you took as a sign of Tara's presence.

Slowly padding softly across the wooden floor into the living room, you spot Mindy sitting on the couch as Chad and Sam move around the kitchen. Mindy's kind eyes land on your dishevelled figure as you sluggishly approach her, falling back into the sofa next to her with a distant look on your face.

"You alright there, matey?". Your brows furrowed slightly at Mindy's odd choice of wording before realising you were still in your pirate costume. You chuckled slightly as you wiped at your eyes, your head nodding subtly as you gave the girl a small smile.

You sat silently for a moment, the sound of cupboards opening and closing echoing from the kitchen as Chad appeared to be searching for something. "Go talk to her.". Your eyes shifted back to the girl sitting next to you, a knowing look on her face as she smiled at you gently. You glanced toward your bedroom, watching Quinn exit the room before Chad entered, closing the door behind him.

Your jaw clenched slightly as your gaze returned to Mindy, a hesitant look on your face. "I don't think that's a good idea." You spoke softly, knowing she was upset because you wouldn't leave her alone, so there was no point. "Oh, come on, you know you want to. Just go. Go, go, go." Mindy shooed you off the couch and towards your room, your eyes landing on the door as if you were about to enter your worst nightmare.

Your hesitancy to enter caused Quinn to beat you to it, opening the door suddenly, mumbling something about her phone. You stood back, waiting for her to leave so you could try and talk to Tara. Or at least that was your plan until you heard Quinrn say something that made your heart sink.

"Did I cockblock you?"

The rest of the conversation from the room didn't help as your eyes were welled with tears. What the fuck was Chad doing with Tara in your bedroom for Quinn to say that. You harshly bit your lip in an attempt to calm yourself, an attempt which failed miserably as Chad exited the room and saw you, his face immediately stricken with guilt.

"Fuck this"

Before he could put together some fake apology, you were already turning around and bolting towards the front door. Grabbing your jumper and keys from the nearby hooks, you slid your shoes on as you shakily undid the many locks keeping you trapped inside this godforsaken apartment.

Ignoring the worried look from Mindy, when you finally got the door open, you practically jumped out of the apartment and slammed the door behind you.

Sobs wracked your body as you ran down the decrepit stairs and out the door onto the dark street. You knew it was prime time for a Ghostface attack, but at this point, you were happy to be the live bait.

Dragging your heavy feet up the winding stairs, your energy has completely depleted after your last hour of wandering through New York's streets. You didn't even have the power to think coherently, your mind completely blank as you scaled the stairs towards your apartment.

After aimlessly staring at your feet as you trek towards your door, you only pick your head up once you reach the top of the staircase. The front door was wide open. An unfamiliar figure stood in the doorway watching the TV whilst what appeared to be your entire friend group watched with them.

Sniffling and wiping away the tear tracks from your cheeks as you stalked towards your door, you entered slowly and rounded the male figure, a person you now recognised as 'the hot guy next door'. You looked at him queryingly before your eyes scanned the rest of the room, everyone looking glaringly concerned.

When your gaze finally lands on the TV, your heart sinks as you read the headline. Another ghostface attack. "What the fuck is going on?" your voice causes everyone's heads to turn towards you, some of them unaware of your presence until now. Your posture shrunk even further as everyone glared at you - some were soft, whilst others were deadly.

"Where were you?" Tara asked, a mixture of anger and concern laced in her tone. You hesitated. You didn't feel like voicing to the whole room how you had walked around aimlessly whilst sobbing and attracting weird and worried stares from random people.

"Just on a walk. Needed some fresh air." Your voice was quiet as you spoke, your eyes never leaving Tara's. She noticed how red and puffy yours were, how tears had stained your cheeks despite your blatant attempt at hiding it.

"Impeccable timing", you heard Chad mutter quietly, probably thinking you wouldn't hear it. Your gaze shifted to him as you looked at him insulted. The fact that he was even insinuating that you could have had something to do with it made your blood boil.

"Pack a bag. We leave in ten." "Sam, wait, Sam!". Sam walked quickly into the kitchen, Tara hot on her tail. You were too focused on the idea that now, because of your sulking, everyone in this room no longer trusts you. Tara might not trust you.

With a blank stare, you drag yourself further into the living room before collapsing on the couch Tara had previously occupied. You instantly brought your knees to your chest and buried your head in them, tears beginning to resurface as it appeared the world hated you more than ever.

Surrounded by Tara's perfume, you tried and failed to wrap your head around the returning nightmare that was brewing. Not only were you losing your grip on your beloved girlfriend, but you were now likely about to face up against another psycho who wanted nothing more than to see your and your friends' bodies dead in the ground.

As Tara and Sam's argument migrated back into the living room whilst Quinn phoned her dad, the sound of Sam's phone ringing echoing through the room caused you to flinch, your body beginning to involuntarily shake.

When she hung up on the caller, you breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, your relief was short-lived, as you noticed Sam's face drop after she talked to Quinn's dad. She hung up the phone with a sorrowful yet determined look on her face, "I have to go to the station", she spoke as she moved to leave the apartment.

Before anyone could stop her, she was out the door, yet your eyes shifted towards Tara's sporadic movements as she searched for her jacket. "I'm going with her", she finally spoke after noticing everyone's questioning eyes.

As she reached the apartment door, she looked over her shoulder at you expectantly, almost anticipating that you would follow her. On any other day, you would, but at that moment, you selfishly decided that you were too hurt to follow after her.

After all, she didn't want your protection. Right?

You missed the look of disappointment on her face as you averted your eyes from her, instead choosing to focus on the TV. Clenching her jaw and nodding subtly, Tara turned back around and ran down the stairs after her sister.

You soon realised that letting her go was one of the worst decisions you had made to date.

They had been attacked. Of course, they had been attacked. The one time you let your emotions get the better of you, Tara almost ended up dead.

You knew the world hated you.

When you had gotten the call from Quinn's dad about the attack, you had never run so fast. You sprinted straight down to the station, desperate to see your girlfriend and make sure she was ok, even if she didn't want to see you.

When detective Bailey finally released them, you sat anxiously in an old and uncomfortable chair at the entrance to the station, your leg bouncing vigorously as your teeth dug into your bottom lip.

The sound of approaching footsteps caused your head to whip upwards, your eyes landing on Tara and Sam, visible injuries nowhere to be found on either of them.

You got to your feet quickly, standing impossibly straight as the girls finally reached you. You took a second to scan Tara, double and even triple checking that she was ok. That she wasn't hurt.

You wouldn't forgive yourself if she was.

Releasing a shaky sigh of relief, you softly nodded, whispering, "I'm glad you're ok", before turning on your heels and heading towards the door. Tara's face scrunched slightly at your behaviour, unsure why your usually confident and over-the-top personality was so... dull?

She kept her gaze on you as she followed you out the door, only to be surrounded by a bunch of reporters. Microphones and cameras were shoved in your face, and questions were hurled left and right.

You had to fight the urge to put your arm around Tara's shoulders, your head and heart at war as you still failed to comprehend how Tara felt. Whether she still loved you or not. Whether she would welcome your touch or not. You had no idea.

With the end of the sea of paparazzi finally in sight, you were seconds away from escaping until a familiar voice filled your ears.

"Gale Weathers. Channel 4."

The three of you simultaneously spun around with shock and disgust on your faces. "Do you ladies think you're the reason the Ghostface killer has come to the big apple?". You scoffed at her words, earning a raised brow from the woman.

Sam humourlessly chuckled in disbelief before you watched her swing a punch at Gale. The crowd of press gasped as Gale somehow dodged the hit altogether, a smug smirk making its way onto her face. "Nice try, sweetie, but I've done this dance before."

Your want to wipe that smug smile off her face was satisfyingly fulfilled as Tara punched her straight in the face, knocking her back as another gasp filled the air. You couldn't help but smile as Gale turned around, her mouth agape while holding her cheek.

"Stay away from us.". Regardless of your current problems, you had never felt more in love with Tara as she walked away without another glance in Gale's direction. The smile still lingered on your lips as you moved to follow the girls away from the cameras. To your dissatisfaction, Gale followed.

Listening to Gale try to justify herself for writing about what happened in Woodsboro all those months ago just made you more infuriated. 'Those fuckers can die in anonymity' is what she had said.

Yet look at her now.

When Sam mentioned what Dewey would think, you immediately tensed up, your gaze dropping to your feet as you sucked in a breath. Knowing that any mention of Dewey's name triggered you, Tara's gaze momentarily lingered on you before she returned to the conversation.

You zoned out of the rest of said conversation, only picking your head back up when Sam and Tara started to walk away. You watched as they headed towards a taxi while you began to walk back to the apartment.

"Y/n? Where are you going?" Tara's soft voice caused you to turn back, her eyes questioning you as her brows frowned slightly. "I-I was just gonna walk home... you kn-" "Get in." Tara interjected, earning a surprised look from you. "I-" "Y/n, get in the damn taxi." "Ok."

Just like before, she still had complete control over you. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't say no to her. You watched as the two sisters entered the taxi before you rounded the car and followed on the other side. With the three of you in the back seat and Tara in the dreaded middle seat, avoiding physical contact with Tara was impossible as your shoulders and thighs brushed against each other.

Nothing but the faint hum of the radio filled the backseat as the vehicle drove away from the station. This distance, or lack of it, between you and Tara, was both comfortable and unsettling. You hadn't taken your eyes away from her hand, conveniently situated on her thigh, barely inches from yours.

The need to grasp her hand grew too strong for you to resist, so you gently brushed her pinky finger with yours before proceeding to intertwine your fingers. You mentally sighed at the softness of her delicate hand as soon as it was within your grasp.

Holy shit, you had missed her touch.

With the back of her hand facing upwards, your fingers gently moving against her knuckles, you studied her scar, which had served as a daily reminder of what the two of you had gone through together.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there... I should've -" "It's ok." Your eyes finally met hers as she gave you a warm smile, reassuringly squeezing your hand. "But what if you got hurt?" "I didn't... that's all that matters." Your eyes had begun to water slightly, the guilt of letting her go resurfacing as you looked her dead in the eyes. She gently leaned in and kissed your cheek sweetly before allowing you to rest your head on her shoulder.

Maybe everything was going to be alright after all.

"Ok nerds, listen up."

Mindy's monologue. A staple of the so-called 'franchise' you were tied up in. The whole friend group gathered on the grounds of your college, preparing to hear the numerous rules that undoubtedly come with the new title of this fucked up nightmare you were all living.

"Rule one! Everything is bigger than last time."

Great. Already off to a fantastic start. As Mindy began to explain what that meant, you grew increasingly concerned, not for your own safety, but for Tara's.

"Rule two! Whatever happened last time, expect the opposite."

Even better. Now, It apparently made no difference whether you had gone through this once before or not. To be honest, the idea of a serial killer following the conventions of a movie was still absurd and utterly terrifying to you, knowing full well what kind of fucked up shit happens in horror movies.

"And Rule three, no one is safe."

If your heart wasn't already racing, it was now hammering out of your chest as the gravity of the situation became clear. Tara shifted next to you at Mindy's comments, evidently similarly disturbed by the new rules.

But what frightened you the most was what Mindy said next. "Any of us could go at any time... especially Sam and Tara.". You had never felt so sick. You could feel beads of sweat dripping down the back of your neck as you nervously turned towards your girlfriend, fear overtaking your features.

Her eyes met yours briefly with a matching look of concern as Mindy started listing out the suspects. You had to admit Mindy was really good at this whole monologue thing, naming all the apparent suspects and their motives with ease.

That was until she looked in your direction.

"And finally, y/n.". You looked at her with wide eyes before your head rapidly scanned everyone else to see if you were the only one who didn't expect this. "The jealous girlfriend of the Tara Carpenter... who is also now, apparently, jacked.". You shook your head in denial. There was no way this was happening.

"Mindy, w-what? How come I'm a suspect? I mean, I was there for Woodsboro like you guys were... w-why?" you said, gesturing to the so-called 'core four' completely confused. A sense of betrayal was beginning to rise within you as Mindy continued to look at you with an almost sympathetic smile.

"Never trust the love interest," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "And besides, you have literally nothing to lose." Your mouth fell open. You inhaled sharply to keep your tears at bay, the comment being a ridiculously low blow from someone who typically looked out for you. "No parents, no Dewey. Even before the Woodsboro attack, you had no friends."

"Mindy!?" you heard Tara protest from next to you, clearly upset by her words. You sat in silence for a moment, processing what Mindy had said, and as much as you hated to admit it, she was right.

"No... she's right," you spoke sadly as you nodded your head, "But that's also why it wouldn't be me. I love Tara. I couldn't do anything to hurt her... ever.". You could feel Tara's eyes on you as you stared at Mindy, practically begging her to believe you, not that it mattered, seeing you weren't the killer.

But as far as everyone else was concerned, it very well could be you.

You were still slightly shaken from the group conversation a few hours ago, the realisation that you had nothing to lose playing on your mind as you sat on the couch with Anika. The 'core four' were too busy laughing whilst preparing dinner in the kitchen, whilst you spoke drearily with Anika.

"Have you guys talked about it?" Anika spoke, referring to your fight with Tara the other night. She did her best to comfort and guide you through your suffocating thoughts, your heavy bags under your eyes speaking volumes after another sleepless night. "Not really, no." "Why not?" "I don't know... We haven't really had the time, but I'm also just scared to bring it up."

Despite your new tough(er) exterior, you were still just as soft on the inside as you were before your meek existence got flipped on its head. "Well, I know for a fact that she loves you, and you love her. Your Y/n and Tara, you'll power through." Anika speaks softly, a playful smile playing on her lips as your head bobs gently, letting her words soak in.

"Yeah, well. I sure hope so." You finally move your gaze away from the girl sitting across from you, your tired eyes now landing on the TV screen as the news plays. Just as you begin to relax and enjoy the rest of your night, a new headline flashes across the bottom of the screen, erasing any traces of joy from your face.

'Sam Carpenter Named as Prime Suspect'

"Um, guys?" you shouted from your seat, loud enough to reach the others in the kitchen, whilst leaning forward to grab the remote. Turning the volume up as you hear footsteps enter the room behind you, your face scrunched in confusion as a video of Sam plays whilst the reporter's words make her out to be a psycho.

You risk a glance behind you. Sam's expression was completely blank as the light from the TV flickered on her face. You felt bad for her. You truly did. You struggle to grasp the fact that your friends didn't entirely trust you, and here she was with the entirety of New York being told she was the killer.

You were so preoccupied with the idea that the news dared to make this a story that you didn't notice Tara's eyes shifting to you. Her gaze has been drawn to your worn face. Your ordinarily bright eyes were heavy and unfocused as you stared in bewilderment at the television. She felt terrible about what she said to you a few nights before, and her heart only broke when she discovered how much damage her words had caused.

When Sam hastily turned the TV off and left the room, Tara's eyes left your figure briefly as she watched her sister move to sit solemnly at the dining table. She sighed defeatedly, the effects of Ghostface on the two of you shining brighter than they ever had before. Tara spared you one last worried glance before she followed her sister out of the room.

Chad and Mindy ultimately followed the girls, leaving you and Anika in stunned silence. The air in the room became unusually silent, the old pleasant chat between the two of you suffocated by the apartment's new tension and terror.

You sunk deeper into the couch as you pulled your legs up to your chest, the thick air ultimately releasing slightly as the sound of laughter flowed through the living room from the dining area. Tara's laughter rang in your ears, a sound you had so desperately missed.

You thought you felt her stare on you earlier, but you were too terrified to face it, your conversation with Anika still fresh in your memory. You leant your head against your knees and slowly closed your eyes, the general sound of genuine joy filling your ears as your breathing slowed and your body relaxed for the first time in ages.

You take a moment, revelling in your newfound tranquillity, to think on the emotional rollercoaster you had been sentenced to ride. Tara's love for you had never been questioned, and it wasn't her you didn't trust the night you stormed out. You knew she'd never cheat on you (or so you hoped), but you were unable to avoid what was staring you in the face.

Both at the party and in the comfort of your own home, someone you trusted and some random frat boy had come disturbingly close to finally severing the thread on which you dangled from the end of. You were holding on to Tara with your life, completely and totally unwilling to let go.

You heard the laughter slowly die before a harmony of notifications dinged throughout the apartment. You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket as you and Anika exchanged a confused glance. Hesitantly pulling your phone out of your pocket, you blinked in numbed horror as a photo of Quinn being attacked by Ghostface opened on your screen.

With the previously unheard sound of groans and bangs filling the apartment, you and Anika bolt up from the couch as the others run into the room, eyes focused on Quinn's door. Tara runs towards the door, but you instinctively grab her arm and pull her back towards you.

The feeling of her skin on yours makes your heart skip a rapid beat. You attempted to hide how her touch had affected you as you stepped in front of her, happily offering yourself up to essentially be her meat shield.

Despite your scars burning at the thought, you would much rather be the one to get stabbed if it meant Tara would be ok.

The noises of a struggle ceased as you all stood frozen, your eyes locked on the bedroom door. The silence was deafening. Your dry lips parted in silent terror, unsure whether to breathe or to scream. A single drop of sweat slowly crept its way down your forehead, the suspense reaching an all-time high.

"Run."

You recoiled in horror as the door burst open, Quinn's mangled and bloodied body being thrown out. Anika let out a piercing scream as the body collided with her, taking her to the ground with it. You try to ignore the gruesome sight in front of you as you focus on helping Anika up off the floor.

"Y/n!" Your head whipped around at the sound of Tara's distressed scream. "Wait, Y/n! Come on!" You watched in horror as Chad dragged her out the front door, leaving the rest of you to try and fight off the killer that was standing in front of you.

"Shit. Tara!" When you had Anika back on her feet, you instantly tried to follow your girlfriend. If Chad were to have learnt anything from what you had gone through, you would think it would be to not split up. That is the number one rule in legitimately every horror movie.

"Rookie."

You made the fatal mistake of assuming they were foolish enough to allow another person to escape while scrambling towards the door in a rush to avoid the killer's gaze. The others in the room watched in horror as the masked assailant slashed their knife upward, slicing directly through your left eye.

A grotesque scream erupted from your chest as you fell back onto the floor. The left side of your face felt like it erupted in flames, a powerful throbbing, making it impossible for you to think as the world spun around you. With your good eye, you watched as a steady stream of blood poured out of your gaping wound, which spanned from your jaw and through your eyebrow.

The left side of your face was paralysed with pain unlike any you had felt before. You tried to apply pressure to it with your shaky hands, but the moment your cold fingers touched your split flesh, another broken scream escaped your lips as a wave of nausea washed over you.

Mindy and Anika's screams flew straight over your head as you kneeled on the floor, the taste of blood flooding your senses as the pool of blood underneath you grew wider by the second. You didn't notice Sam's arms hauling you up off the floor until her face came into your now-restricted field of vision.

"S-Sam," you sobbed, her eyes widening and her face turning pale as she saw your profusely bleeding wound. She didn't say anything as she carried your broken form into Quinn's blood-splattered room with Mindy and Anika. She let you go the moment you walked into the room, closing and locking the door behind her to keep Ghostface from following you.

The banging on the door shook the entire room as you worked hard to slow your breathing. As you stood up, the adrenaline in your system began to kick in, and the banging at the door ceased as Sam's troubled gaze met yours.

"Y/n! Bathroom door! Hurry!" Sam whispered desperately towards you as she maintained her iron grip on the bedroom door handle. Turning your head too hastily towards the door, your vision blurred from blood loss and genuine blood falling into your eye as you lurched towards it as swiftly as you could.

As you passed through the bathroom, your hands left bloody handprints on the walls, your journey delayed by the disgustingly disfigured body of one of Quinn's many lovers - you could never tell the difference. With tears dripping from one eye and blood from the other, you returned your focus to the open doorway.

As your eyes left the mangled body, the sight of the infamous Ghostface mask made you jump as yet another scream left your lips. Your reflexes were quick as you reached for the door, trying to close it before the killer got in, but in your weakened state, they easily pushed the door back open, knocking you back as you stumbled into Sam.

They took another swing at you, thankfully missing as Sam pulled you away before you lost another eye. The two of you quickly retreated into the bedroom before you successfully slammed the door shut. Mindy joined you in trying to keep the door shut by fiddling with the lock while Ghostface proceeded to kick it down.

The room shook violently as you and Sam pushed a dresser towards the door, hoping it would serve as a better barricade. Finally getting it in front of the door, you and Mindy stood firm as you continued to resist Ghostface's merciless attempts to tear the door down.

You could feel your adrenaline beginning to wear off as the paralysing pain returned to your face. Peering down, you noticed how your blood had stained a large amount of your skin a dark crimson colour. 'That's a lot of blood.'.

Scrunching your face in pain only caused another wave to hit you as you whimpered. "What are we gonna do, f-fuck." You whispered to yourself brokenly, closing your eye as you tried to ignore the fact you were being violently shaken by someone who wanted nothing more than to kill all of you.

With your only good eye shut, you failed to notice as Sam opened the window and pulled a ladder across from her boyfriend's apartment until she yelled, "You guys go first!". Your eye snapped open at her words as you took in what was happening.

You stayed silent as Mindy argued with Sam, eventually leading to Sam crossing the ladder first whilst you continued holding your makeshift barricade. Once Sam had crossed, Mindy looked towards you. "Go, Mindy.", you spoke assertively. She tried to argue with you, but you were having none of it. "Mindy, go! I've got the door. Just get across the fucking ladder!".

Despite your vision being impaired by your own warm blood, you watched with a ghost of a smile as Mindy and Anika exchanged a sweet kiss before Mindy climbed out the window. You suppose that was one positive about everything that was happening. As far as you knew, Tara was safe, and that was all you needed.

The banging at the door grew louder as Mindy cautiously climbed the ladder. Your frail body was being pushed around by the shaky door as you yelled furiously, "Mindy! "Please hurry!" When she finally made it to the other side, you groaned and turned your attention to Anika, who was bleeding out on the end of the bed.

"Anika, go.". Her wet eyes shot up to yours, looking at you as if you were insane. "Go, Anika. Please.". A few extra tears slipped from her eyes at your words, your complacency at being left alone to die hitting her harder than she expected. You gave her one final nod before she started climbing out the window.

Your grip on the door was slipping with each passing second, the constant banging and rattling eventually leading your feet to slip on the pool of blood that had accumulated beneath you - whose blood? Nobody knows. As you plummeted to the floor, the door shattered behind you, your gaze immediately moving to Anika, who was still less than halfway across the ladder.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." you mumbled desperately as you watched Ghostface finally stalk through the doorway with you in his sight. That was at least until he heard Anika's whimpers from outside the window, causing their masked face to follow her cries. Their head tilted menacingly as their path changed, no longer walking towards you but stalking up behind Anika.

You could hear her panicked cries from your place on the floor, and despite your natural relief that you weren't the chosen target, there was no way in hell you were letting them touch Anika.

You scramble to your feet as Ghostface stabs their knife into the window sill, grabbing the back of their robe and pulling them away from the window with every ounce of strength. As you swing your arm at them, missing their head and instead hitting the headboard, they stumble back into the bed with a grunt.

You didn't quite calculate how you would fight them, seeing you were basically blind, but that probably would have been a good idea.

"Dammit," you mutter worriedly as you trip backwards, your bruised knuckles doing no good as Ghostface stands back up and elbows you directly in your fresh, gaping wound. A hoarse scream escapes your throat as you collapse onto the ground in agony.

Your agonising screams could be heard across the ladder, forcing those on the other side to panic even more. When they saw Ghostface reappearing at the window, their shouts and pleading grew louder as they tried to urge Anika to come across.

Waves of pain shot through your entire body as you curled up on the floor, sobbing hysterically as you couldn't move no matter how hard you tried, absolutely paralysed by the pain.

As you tried to lift yourself off the floor, the sound of Anika's screams resonated in your ears, combined with the violent shaking of the ladder. At this stage, you were crying violently, knowing that if you didn't hurry up and get your shit together, Anika would be their next victim.

All because you couldn't handle the pain.

You leapt off the ground in a final fit of rage, lunging at Ghostface to throw them off-balance until they eventually backed away from the ladder.

It wasn't until now that you noticed the lack of Anika's screams.

Your face paled as you briefly looked out the window. Your blurry vision was met with a glaringly empty ladder and a completely distraught Mindy. Your lips began to quiver as your eyes met Mindy's, the tears that fell down her cheeks telling you everything you needed to know.

Your heartbreak quickly turned into pure rage at yourself and Ghostface.

Your breathing grew thin and ragged as you turned back to the tall black figure, your body shaking with rage. You could almost feel their arrogance from where you stood, evidently relishing seeing you distressed.

They ripped their knife from the window sill before tossing it playfully in their hand. You, on the other hand, remained unfazed, solely concerned with the idea that this mother fucker was going to suffer for what he had just done. You rapidly ducked as their knife swung towards your head before smashing your fist into their masked jaw, their shrouded form staggering backwards at the impact.

"You. Fucking. Asshole." You spoke as you continued to throw punches at them, your rage fuelling every last bit of energy you had left. Ghostface appeared to be taken aback by your sudden outburst, at a complete loss as to what to do with their knife remaining useless in their hand as they try to protect themselves from your furious blows.

With one final punch to the face, their body crashed into the wall behind them, as they fell unconscious. With tears falling consistently down your face, you gave the killer one last look as you stood up and backed away towards the window (you never trusted them to actually be unconscious). The others began yelling your name in relief and desperation when they saw you, assuming you were dead after single-handedly defeating the madman.

Their calls broke you out of your rage-filled trance as you sucked in a large breath before looking across the ladder towards them. The pain was beginning to resurface as you felt your knees start to buckle underneath you.

"Y/n! let's go, come on!" Sam called out to you, desperation laced in her voice. You climbed out the window with one last glance at the body before you. As Anika's body came into view, you felt yourself holding back a gag. The sight of her body, combined with your weakened state, almost made you pass out and share a similar fate.

Your gentle whimpers accompanied you as you carefully climbed the shaking ladder, Sam and Mindy's beautiful voices promising you that everything would be OK - you had no option but to trust them. As blood flows from your agonising wound onto the ladder's rungs, you crawl with as much focus as possible.

Closing in on Sam's boyfriend's window, the girls both reach their arms out to you as they grab onto you and pull you into the apartment. The three of you collapse to the ground in a heap, clutching each other tightly as if one of you might slip away if the others let go.

"Tara and Chad are on their way", you heard Sam's boyfriend say as you continued to sob into her shoulder, her hands carefully avoiding your face. You remained in that position as you felt your body begin to go numb as your blood and adrenaline continued seeping from your body.

Feeling your body go weak, Sam pulls your head back gently as she goes to help you lie down. Mindy and Sam gently place you on the floor, lying on your back, your bloodied and distraught face facing the empty ceiling.

"Holy shit, y/n!"

Your girlfriend's distraught voice did not affect you as your single eye started drifting shut slowly. As blackness starts to encroach, you catch a final glimpse of Tara as she appears next to you, her face stricken with worry as her hands hover near your disfigured face.

"Y/n!?"

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just-jordie-things · 2 years ago

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[part eleven] to build a home - gojo satoru

word count: 7.4k warnings: !!manga spoilers!! swearing, jjk-verse style fighting series summary: when (y/n) (y/l/n) catches wind that the notorious sorcerer killer, toji fushiguro, has children, she makes it her personal mission to find them. the catch being she couldn't tell a soul about them- the risk of the zen'in clan learning about them was too great. keeping the secret isn't the hard part, it's lying to her friends, shoko ieiri, geto suguru, and of course gojo satoru, that she struggles with. especially when satoru has suddenly become so keen on keeping an eye on her lately.

series masterlist

[part eleven] : “Brazil” ___

(y/n) woke up to six texts the next morning, which was a lot, but not as many as she was expecting after a huge fight with one of her supposed best friends. A part of her wanted to shut her phone off and keep it that way for the day, knowing that today was going to be stressful enough without the technology keeping anyone updated every second of every day. The thought was brief, knowing she couldn’t actually ignore the world. But she could daydream about it.

Three texts from Shoko, two from Tsumiki, and one from Suguru.

Deciding to open the messages from Tsumiki first, she opened the photo attachment. This proved to be the right first choice, seeing the bunny shaped pancakes that Tsumiki made for herself and Megumi that morning. She saved the photo to her phone right away.

[tsumiki]: megumi said they’re almost better than yours!

(y/n) smiled at the message, and typed back a quick reply.

[(y/n)]: looks cuter than mine :)

(y/n) got out of bed and finally got to work on her morning routine, partially to distract her from the other messages, and partially to give herself some time to figure out how to respond to them.

It was the right thing, pushing Satoru away, even though she had to be cruel to do so. To his heart, and hers. If she didn’t, he would only make it harder for her to keep her secret, and if he got involved… (y/n) could barely stand to think about it. The Zen’ins were a force to be reckoned with, Shoko’s words came to mind often. And Satoru had already had a run-in with them, even if it was just Toji.

‘Just Toji’ had done a lot of damage, she recalled the night in the kitchen those few months ago, the scar on Satoru’s throat would be burned in her memory for life. Even if it was gone now, it almost killed him. He almost killed him.

So despite her broken heart, and despite the way her entire body ached when she thought about what she’d said to him yesterday, (y/n) had to keep Satoru out of this.

If she played her cards right, she could protect everyone. Tsumiki, Megumi, and Satoru. She could keep them all safe and under her protection, she just needed a little more time to figure out just the right steps to take to do so. If they could all be patient for a little while longer…

Once she was cleaned up and dressed in her neat uniform, (y/n) finally opened the messages from Shoko.

[shoko<3]: are you okay? satoru said you guys had a fight [shoko<3]: he didn’t tell us any details, but he seemed pretty upset. [shoko<3]: it’s not like you guys to fight like that. i just want to make sure you’re ok

(y/n) huffed. She didn’t want to push Shoko away like she had to with Satoru, and she didn’t think she’d have to. Her and Suguru had always given her more space than the Six Eyes user, but given the circumstances, she supposed it made sense for Shoko to reach out like this. Satoru was her friend too.

Although it was odd that he hadn’t jumped at the opportunity to tell them the nasty details of what she’d said to him.

[(y/n)]: just a fight. no big deal.

She winces as she sends the message, knowing it wasn’t going to ease Shoko’s worry in the slightest. It was barely scraps of what really happened.

[(y/n)]: i’m sorry i worried you, but i’m ok. see you in class, i got a new assignment to tell you about :)

It was redirection at it’s finest, and surely Shoko would see right through it, but (y/n) hoped it was enough for now to downplay the situation and keep Shoko from having any interest in it.

All this time, and she’d still barely learned how to tell a convincing lie.

With that, she opened the last message.

[suguru]: let’s meet before class.

She paused longer on his single, context-less text than she had with Shoko’s. Surely he wanted to give her an earful on how she’d treated his best friend, and surely it was going to be just as cruel, if not worse. But when Suguru wanted information about something, he wasn’t as easy to distract as Shoko was. He wasn’t going to accept a cigarette as a peace offering and pretend it never happened. He was bound to be upset.

If Yaga wouldn’t have her ass for it, she’d skip classes altogether and avoid all three of them. She could use the extra training time before she left tomorrow, or maybe she could check in again with the Fushiguro kids. Anything would be better than facing any one of them.

She decides Suguru is the lesser of three evils.

[(y/n)]: alright. coffee in the kitchen? ten min?

Her fingers tremble against the side of her leg as she walks through the halls, hoping not to run into anyone as she beelines for the small kitchen off the common room. Today’s an odd day that she’s grateful there aren’t many jujutsu sorcerers in the world, and much less at this school.

She’s there five minutes after she’d texted Suguru, and to her surprise, he’s already there too.

“You and I have always been the punctual ones,” He muses when she enters. He turns away from her to pour a cup of coffee. “I’ve always appreciated that about you”

“I appreciate that about you, too” (y/n) replies, and even though it’s the truth, she sounds disingenuous. Even her honest moments started to sound like shitty lies these days.

She hadn’t braced herself for what was to come, but even if she’d tried, no amount of time would have been enough. This was the part where Suguru tells her everything she already knew- that she was a terrible person, and a terrible friend. Her fingers tap against her leg without any rhythm. Just fast.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Suguru says, casting a glance over his shoulder at her as he finishes off the warm drink with cream and sugar. “You can sit if you want, might be a few minutes”

“I don’t mind standing. I’m a bit on edge, I’m sure you understand” She tells him honestly. Suguru nods.

“I do. I have to admit, I’ve been feeling the same way lately. Just… off,”

It’s quiet between them for a minute, until he turns to face her, handing her the cup of coffee he’d finished.

“Two creams, two sugars” He tells her with a smile.

(y/n) can’t help a small smile back as she takes it, thanking him quietly. It was thoughtful of him to remember exactly how she took her coffee, but as nice as the gesture was, the bitter feeling of regret echoes in her chest.

“We can get straight to the point, Suguru,” She sighs, dropping her gaze to the steaming cup in her hands. “I’m sure you’re… upset”

He doesn’t say anything right away, and the few seconds of thoughtful silence gives her a chance to double down on her metaphorical emotional walls, so hopefully when he lays into her, she won’t cry.

“Do you think it’s a good thing that we protect non-curse users no matter what?”

Her head snaps up, completely taken aback by the question. Not due to it’s nature, she simply wasn’t expecting a deep look into morals first thing this morning. Not after what she’d done.

But maybe somehow the two things were connected. (y/n) proceeded with caution.

“I suppose, yes,” She answers. “They can’t protect themselves the way we can protect them, right?”

“Right…” Suguru seems to agree, but his eyes glaze over and he seems to go elsewhere, like maybe he didn’t believe completely in her words. “Even though not all humans are good?”

(y/n) raises a brow as she takes a tentative sip of her coffee.

“We’re humans” She says, like it’s a reminder, like it’s something one could forget about oneself. That they’re human.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Suguru chuckles, shaking his head. “But… you know what I mean”

She didn’t.

“You think non-curse users are that much different from us?” (y/n) asks, trying to understand where he was going with this.

“You don’t?” He asks, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly.

Sure, non-curse users lived different lives than those in the Jujutsu Society. But (y/n) always thought of it as the purest form of ignorant bliss- as they didn’t even know the horrors they were shielded from. It was actually one of the many reasons she wanted to take the vow to protect them.

She didn't answer his question, but she didn’t have to. Suguru picked up on just exactly what she was thinking.

“Don’t you think it’s odd?” He asks a different question instead.

(y/n’s) face twists into a confused expression. How was this leading into her fight with Satoru? This… was about her fight with Satoru, right?

“Think what’s odd?”

“That they’re the cause of the very thing we’re going to dedicate our lives to killing,”

Suddenly, (y/n’s) body feels stiff. Her hands are clamped tightly around the handle and round edge of her mug, and her feet feel glued in place. Her eyes feel glued, too, watching his every move and expression, trying to figure out what was going on, or what the hell he was talking about.

Killing, the word rings in her head like it’s explicit, and he just said it so casually. Briefly, she recalls Megumi using it to describe exorcizing a curse, before she corrected him of the proper terminology.

However Suguru wasn’t an eight year old child who was new to this world. He was well aware of the proper vocabulary. He’d chosen to refer to it as killing with purpose.

“And they have no idea…” Suguru continues, but he trails off again. (y/n) wonders what’s going on his mind that he’s so lost in.

“Suguru,” (y/n) speaks softly, and she tries to keep that tone as she continues. “I don’t think I’m following you” A short laugh escapes her, but it’s quiet, and nervous.

“Ah, I’m not making sense,” He chuckles, raising a hand to the back of his neck. “I guess what I really mean to ask is… do you think it’s always worth it?”

Well, that question did nothing to clear up the confusion.

(y/n’s) silence was enough of a tell to Suguru that she didn’t understand where he was coming from, and she wasn’t going to. This deflates him, but she’d never know it, as his little smile and curious eyes didn’t falter for a second.

“Well,” (y/n) sighs, trying to think of the right thing to say.

She wasn’t sure where he was coming from, but he seemed… lost. Like he’d been questioning himself and his path as a jujutsu sorcerer a little too harshly. She could understand that, at least.

“I know sometimes making the world a better place is… slow work… but for me, it’s my passion,” She shrugs her shoulders lightly. “And when I start to doubt myself, I just remember who I’m doing it for”

Suguru nods, but something tells (y/n) that it wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

“I see,” He says, and lets out a soft sigh. “And do you keep that mindset when we’ve just protected a trafficking ring from curses?”

(y/n) blinks, and fights a shiver from swimming down her spine. Where was this coming from? Why was he being like this?

“Suguru…”

“You remember that day we were sent to retrieve Riko Amanai?” He asks her.

“Yes…” She answers, the cruel memories of that failed mission flooding her mind as soon as she heard the girl’s name.

This conversation made her uneasy enough, but now her stomach was churning and her knuckles were turning white around her mug of forgotten coffee. She wanted an out, but every word Suguru spoke seemed to keep her frozen in place.

“All of our efforts that day, to protect her, and to make sure no one else got hurt-”

“Why are you bringing this up, Suguru?” (y/n) cut him off. She didn’t need him to relive everything that happened that day- she did that on her own almost every day. “You’re really going to rewrite your moral code over one bad mission?”

For the first time during this talk, his face sours. (y/n) knows she should apologize for snapping at him, but she doesn’t. Instead, she gives him a piece of her mind.

“You work me up into thinking you’re upset about what happened with Satoru, and then waste my time by telling me you want to- what, rethink the entirety of your life’s choices?” She scoffs at him, and sets her mostly-full mug of coffee down on the counter, a little more forcefully than she needed to.

Suguru’s face is blank now, and he’s harder to read, but she’s done with this guessing game where she keeps losing.

“If you want out Sugu, I won’t stop you,” She tells him, staring him dead in the eyes without the fear or hesitation like she had before. He notices this. “I certainly didn’t stop Nanami. Your life is your own to control, so stop acting like you were forced into doing something you didn’t want to,”

His eyes narrow at her choice of words, but she ignores it.

“That said, if you left now, it would only prove to be a waste of your talents. You’re one of the strongest men in the whole world, no force on earth could take you on. So if you leave, you’re only proving that the world was wrong”

That peaked his interest, and now he was back at his word games.

“That so?” He hums, amused by the thought.

“You’d be proving the world was wrong about you. And that despite your abilities, you’re not strong enough to handle them,” (y/n’s) voice softens, remembering this was her friend, and despite everything, he was her friend. “I care about you Suguru, so… if you’re done with this…”

Something in her expression changes, and Sguru can see that her irritation had worn off, melted into something softer. She looks defeated, almost, but forces a small smile anyways.

She’d changed. Just like him. Sometime between the Star Plasma Vessel incident and right now, something had morphed her, aged her, made her look tired. He could see it in her eyes, and the waver in her half-baked smile. It was all there before him, begging him to ask her what she’d been up to these last few months. He understood Satoru’s curiosity now, when he saw her up close. (y/n) was a different person now. And this certainly wasn’t because of some romantic affair.

“I won’t stop you” She sighs, finishing her thought.

Curious now, Suguru tilts his head at her.

“I told you once I wasn’t going to interrogate you about what you’ve been up to in town…” He starts, and instantly (y/n’s) stomach is churning again. “But now I see that whatever it is, it’s changed you, hasn’t it?”

The way he smirks has her blood boiling. The protective nature that Megumi and Tsumiki had brought out of her had her fingers curling against her palms in tight fists, which didn’t go unnoticed by Suguru. He eyes her defensive stance with intrigue, before meeting her eyes again.

“There’s not a force on earth that could drill it out of you, is there?” He asks, and her lack of response is answer enough. He clicks his tongue. “Interesting”

“You’re right Suguru,” (y/n) admits in a mutter. The soft, worried tone she’d held for him earlier long gone, now that a part of her felt as though her kids were threatened. “I have changed”

Her eyes are piercing now, only furthering Suguru’s amusement.

Whatever this stupid secret is, it must be a good one, he thinks to himself, suddenly wishing that Satoru had the guts to force the damn information out of her. Surely he was the only one of them who could, but of course his feelings had gotten in the way and the weak part of his heart only resulted in him getting exiled from the girl’s life. Suguru didn’t care about exile, and if he was honest, he didn’t care about this secret either. His interest lied in the hold it had on her.

Looking at her now, with her hands balled into fists, her posture rigid, and her eyes piercing into his with a venom he’d never seen before, much less directed at him, he knew it must be worth something to her. Something big.

“As have I,” He finally tells her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

(y/n) looks him up and down, noticing even his aura felt different.

Bad different.

“This secret of yours…” He trails off, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Is it worth your life?”

Her defensive stance falters, for a brief second, but Suguru doesn’t give her the chance to actually respond to his question. He didn’t need her response. She’d made it perfectly clear the lengths she’d go to keep her covert life just that- and while he was a little curious just how much further she could be pushed before she snaps, he leaves.

Suguru doesn’t say a word as he brushes past her, he doesn’t even look at her. Just walks away with a smug smile, and an aura around him that was strangely… eerie.

(y/n) stayed planted in her spot in the kitchen for a few minutes longer, her mind swarming with paranoia.

Was this all because he was upset about what happened with Satoru?

Were the mind games meant to throw her off, and throw herself down a rabbit hole?

Or had he actually figured her out? Was he aware of Megumi and Tsumiki? But that couldn’t make sense… he would have had to follow her, and she would have noticed his presence if he had, right?

No, none of that could be it, he was barely making any sense, he must have been prodding at something else completely.

With a sigh, (y/n) shoved her hand through her hair, as if it would provide any relief to her overworked and throbbing brain. The mental torture Suguru had managed to put her through in the last ten minutes was worse than any curse she’d ever taken on- even that one Special Grade with the tentacle arms who nearly ripped her leg clean off.

He’d never spoken to her like that before. He’d never acted like that before. It was completely out of character and it had her completely overthinking about everything that had happened in the last few months.

But she didn’t have time to overthink. She had to get to class and act like everything was normal, tell Shoko about the assignment she was leaving for- which was tomorrow- and keep up the act that no one needed to be suspicious of her because there was nothing to be suspicious about.

When she finally left the kitchen and hastened her pace to get to class on time, (y/n’s) heart was pounding in her ears so hard, she was sure she was going to get a headache.

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep all of this up.

But if it could only be a little longer… ___

Suguru hadn’t gone to class. Yaga had briefly mentioned something about a last minute assignment that the elders had sent him on, and (y/n) wondered if that had to do with his sudden urgency to talk with her. She wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone, but with her weekend being taken over by her own assignment in Brazil, they likely wouldn’t have crossed paths otherwise.

Propping her head in her hand as she paid half of her attention to Yaga’s lesson, (y/n) wished he’d just gone on the mission and skipped their conversation altogether.

She’d stopped her notetaking a few minutes ago, her mind wandering off to a million other things that seemed more worth her time.

For starters, how quickly she needed to get through her assignment tomorrow so that she could rush back to Tokyo. Even with the cursed tool that she’d given Megumi, she didn’t want to be out of the country for longer than she needed to. A lot could happen over one weekend. One weekend is all it took for her to get into this mess to begin with.

She scribbles something in her notebook when Yaga’s eyes land on her, feigning interest in his lesson. What was he talking about? Special grades? A history lesson on early jujustu society?

Peeking over to Shoko on her right, she noticed that she’d managed to take her notes diligently, as usual. Surely she’d let (y/n) borrow them to brush up on later.

On her left, Satoru did not seem to have the same work ethic as Shoko, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. She knew that he did his work when he needed to, and he knew the material like the back of his hand, but (y/n) wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him take notes. He tended to just steal hers whenever he pleased.

Although he probably wouldn’t be asking for them anytime soon.

He didn’t look any different than usual, his expression bored even hidden behind his sunglasses. She wasn’t sure how she expected him to look, wasn’t sure if he’d show up to class disheveled, tired, maybe even send her a mean look. But he looked normal. And besides not speaking or looking at her, he was acting normal too.

Somehow that felt worse.

(y/n) had her things collected and was out of her seat as soon as class was done for the day. She was out the door even before Yaga. Rushing out wasn’t exactly necessary, seeing as she and Shoko were going to meet up for lunch, but the quicker she could be out of a space shared with Satoru, the better.

Besides, a few extra minutes to collect her thoughts was much needed. Although she didn’t have much time, as Shoko was jogging up to the table just a minute after (y/n) had sat down.

“Alright, you better start explaining yourself,” The short haired brunette said through quiet pants. “Because Satoru won’t say shit- and you just booked it out of there! What the hell?”

(y/n) hoped that her expression remained neutral, even though she was internally cringing.

“It’s complicated, can we just not talk about it?” She sighed.

“No!” Shoko nearly screeched as she plopped onto the bench across from her. “No we can’t just not talk about it! That’s crazy!”

(y/n) frowned, but Shoko didn’t seem to mind the uncomfortable tension settling between them, because she continued her rant.

“We don’t just fight and not talk to each other, (y/n). We’re best friends. All of us”

“No, you’re my best friend and you come with a matching set that follows you around” (y/n) mumbled. And now they follow me around too, she thinks bitterly.

“That’s not fair or true,” Shoko rolls her eyes. “You love them both, too,” She says like it’s a reminder. “And I know Satoru gets under your skin… but… that’s just what he does, and I know this can’t be about that because you’ve let him get under your skin for three years now. So fess up already. What. Happened?”

(y/n) stared at her, pleading with her eyes that she could just drop it. She didn’t have a good enough explanation, and she didn’t want to lie to Shoko anymore than she already has.

She really should have thought this through when she cut things off with Satoru.

“Is it… romantic tension?” Shoko asked slowly.

“What!? No!” (y/n’s) voice betrayed her as it raised and cracked, making her sound completely unbelievable.

“Oh really?” Shoko raised a brow. “Because you know that I know that he’s been sleeping with you since Haibara passed”

There’s a pang in her chest upon hearing his name. A harsh reminder that no matter how much time would pass, his name, his memory, would forever be surrounded by a haunting cloud of pain. That was grief, she supposed. Nonetheless, (y/n) mustered up the will to roll her eyes at Shoko’s insinuation.

“Sleeping sleeping,” She mutters. “That’s it. Nothing funny”

“Yeah right,” Shoko scoffed. “You’ve had funny business between you since day one. If you didn’t go through some weird non-couple couple fight, why the hell was Satoru in a pissy mood saying you were done with him?”

Now she was toggling the line between mildly annoyed and genuinely pissed off. The ongoing assumption that Shoko had once made as a joke was no romance between her and Satoru. And now, there was nothing left between them at all. It was becoming too much. Her mistakes were getting on top of her like an overdose, filling her to the brim with melancholy, and anger.

“Because we’re not friends anymore, I guess!” (y/n) exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “I’m sorry it’s not that juicy, okay? He was just getting too irritating and nosey, and I needed some freaking space, is that so awful?”

“No, but it’s a fucking lie,” Shoko shook her head. Her words weren’t as malicious as they sounded, but she knew she needed to start calling out bullshit when she smelled it. And (y/n’s) bullshit was starting to pile up so high that Shoko could barely make out what was real anymore.

(y/n) huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t want to fight before I go away on an assignment,” She sighed, dropping her defensive stance and leaning over the table towards her friend. “Please, can we not fight about this?”

Shoko frowned, mirroring (y/n’s) position, and reaching for her hands. She squeezed them gently, and she doesn’t let them go.

“I’m worried about you, (y/n/n),” She admits, quietly, like she was afraid to be vulnerable with her. “You have to admit you’ve been acting strange, you’ve been missing from campus, like, all the time, you barely answer your phone or even give us any answers when you’re back. I’m not trying to be nosey, really, but…” She trails off for a minute, chewing on her bottom lip. “This isn’t like you. And Satoru… I’ve never seen him hurt like that. You guys treat each other better than that”

(y/n’s) throat began to sting with the familiar burn of tears, and she prays she thinks of something fast before she has to shut Shoko out the same way she did to Satoru.

“Shoko,” She mumbles, sniffling. “I can’t explain it, okay?”

Shoko’s shoulders slump, defeated. But she keeps a hold of (y/n’s) hands.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I know it’s not fair but… but you have to trust me, please”

“Are you in trouble?” Shoko asks in a whisper, even though there was no one around them to eavesdrop. “Does this have to do with the Zen’ins?” She adds in an even quieter voice.

The way (y/n) stiffens and her eyes widen tell Shoko she’d guessed correctly. Her own eyes blew wide with shock, the fear that had been nagging at the back of her mind finally proving to be true.

“(y/n)-”

“It’s nothing, Shoko, seriously, I’m begging you to leave it and not worry about it-”

“Not worry about it?” She hissed back at her. “How could I not worry about it? So what is it then, you’re seeing someone? Is that it?”

(y/n) doesn’t say anything, her brain is processing all of this too slowly to figure out what the smartest lie was to go with. If she agreed that she was dating a Zen’in, surely Shoko would go back to Satoru and Suguru with that information- and their reactions would be less than pleasant but…

What was her other option? Tell her that she was actually harboring a member of the Zen’in Clan and his sister? The children of the famed Sorcerer Killer? The very man that almost killed Satoru? Was she supposed to confess that it was practically the opposite of what she’d been thinking?

That her backup plan if all of this went south was executing the head of the clan and anyone else who tried to harm the Fushiguro children?

(y/n) pulled her hands out of Shoko’s, rubbing them down her face and taking a deep breath. Think. There must be a better option. You’ve made it this far, so think!

“Shoko… you have to promise not to tell-”

“Oh my fucking spirits,” Shoko mimicked (y/n’s) position, covering her face in her hands and shaking her head. Don’t tell me that it’s fucking true”

(y/n) doesn’t say anything, she didn’t know what to say, but it seemed she was out of time to come up with a better lie than a secret affair with a Zen’in.

Which left a pretty nasty taste in her mouth.

Shoko gasped, one of her hands falling over her open mouth, completely floored by this information.

Sure, when (y/n) first started sneaking off, she thought maybe she was hooking up with someone, flirting with a cute guy at a cafe or a bookstore, and she would have been totally fine with a secret like that. It would have been cute, and fun.

“I want to throw up” Shoko grumbles.

“Okay, that’s a little-”

“If you say it’s overdramatic, I don’t want to hear it. I mean- I mean… seriously? Who is it anyways? Wait- no, don’t tell me, I don’t even want to know because then Satoru is gonna ask and he’s… oh my god, that’s what happened isn’t it?”

She hadn’t even blinked yet. The pit in (y/n’s) stomach continued to grow, and Shoko’s shock only worsened.

In a small movement, (y/n) nodded her head.

Shoko’s silent for a minute, before she shuffles into her pocket for her cigarettes and a lighter. She remained silent and staring off at nothing as she sparked up and took an exaggeratedly long drag. (y/n) eyed the cigarette longingly, and Shoko passed it over after flicking the ash.

“He was pissed, huh?” She asks.

(y/n) nods again.

“Yeah… yeah he was pissed,” She says, avoiding the parts that were actually lies. After taking her puff, she continues. “And I… I didn’t handle it well. I think I… I know I really hurt him, Shoko”

“You did,” Shoko sighs, recalling the way a hollow eyed Satoru had joined her for lunch yesterday. “I just… why didn’t you tell us sooner? Maybe we.. maybe we could have talked more..?” She’s making weak suggestions, knowing there was nothing to be done of it now.

(y/n) shrugs limply, taking another drag before passing the cigarette back.

“You hate me?” She asks quietly.

Shoko gives a wobbly smile, shaking her head.

“I could never hate you, (y/n/n)” She sighs heavily.

(y/n) mirrors her weak smile.

“Thanks, Shoko,”

The short haired girl nodded back at her.

“I’m really sorry” She adds as an afterthought, but it’s genuine.

She knows she’ll continue to feel sorry for a long time. Maybe even forever. The guilt on her shoulders had become so heavy she slouched in her seat. It spread through her whole body, making her sick to her stomach, her knees weak, and she’d even noticed her hands trembling.

Shoko didn’t deserve this. She thought she was getting closure, she thought she was finally understanding what (y/n) had been up to. Even if she was unsettled by the so-called confession, it was something. And it was still just a lie.

“I know” Shoko replies softly, stumping out the dead cigarette.

When she gets up and leaves, (y/n) watches her pull out and light up another one on her walk back to her dorm.

(y/n) hung her head in her hands in her lonesome, fighting the urge to break down into tears. She wished that she could tell them all to hold on for just a little while longer.

Just a little longer, she scoffs to herself, her throat burning. How much longer was just a little longer going to be?

And on top of it all- now she had another lie to maintain. It was pitiful, but at least Shoko was so disgusted in her that she didn’t ask anymore questions. ___

(y/n) really should have cleared her mind better before going to Brazil. Taking on major assignments while in a negative headspace wasn’t safe, and it was one of the first things you’re taught when you enroll in Jujutsu High.

(y/n’s) headspace had become a toxic wasteland.

All of her time before she actually arrived in Manaus was spent in her head, diving deeper and deeper into the pits of despair. She knew she wasn’t doing herself any favors, but once it had started, she couldn’t distract herself from it.

Normally she would turn to her friends to distract her from a bad bout of anxiety. A smoke break and a walk with Shoko, a movie night with Suguru, a trip to the candy shop with Satoru, any of those things right now could have easily relaxed her nerves and brought her out of her tormented mind. This realization only worsened her mood.

She overthought every terrible lie she’d told her friends while on the ride to the airport. While waiting at the gate, she worried about Megumi and Tsumiki being alone while she is not reachable by phone when on the plane. And the flight was the worst of all. Even with connecting flights it took up her entire day. That gave her twenty-four hours to assume the worst was happening. No in-flight movie, no music, no book could distract her mind and give her even a minute of peace.

But when was the last time she felt any peace, anyways.

When she finally did land in Brazil and got settled in the hotel she’d been set up at- which was probably the nicest hotel she’d ever been sent to on an overseas mission, compliments of Yaga taking pity on her, surely- she couldn’t settle in.

She’d been told to get rest after her day of travel, brush up on the notes of the Grade Two she’d be on the hunt for, but to leave that hunt until the next day. Yaga had told her clearly the morning she left that her rest was a requirement, and not to jump into the assignment on little to no sleep after an extremely long day.

Of course, as soon as she’d dropped her bag onto the queen sized bed, she realized there was no way she could get a wink of sleep with her sour mood. She’d certainly lie awake in bed all night, letting it worsen until her entire body ached.

Her eyes landed on the harness that held her swords. They sat in their sheaths, perfectly cleaned and sharpened from the day before, waiting to slay something. She’d barely touched them since the Star Plasma Vessel incident, and with all the despair inside her, she knew that a quick rage on a Grade Two would be cathartic.

Cracking a smile, she grabbed the harness and snapped it on before taking off out of the hotel room, eager for the hunt and the release of pent up distress.

Maybe I’ll have to thank Yaga after all, she thought to herself as she took to the streets of Manaus. Maybe this assignment would be exactly what I need. ___

By the time (y/n) returns to her hotel, she’d decided against thanking her teacher. It wouldn’t be a priority when she gets home.

She’d exorcized the Grade Two Curse, and while it hadn’t been an impossible task, it had been greatly difficult, and with her standing as a Grade One Sorcerer, it was humiliating to realize how far she’d fallen behind in her training. But after putting up a good fight, it finally showed it’s weakness and (y/n) dove for it instantly, slicing it’s head clean off with large swings of both of her blades.

She’s still straining to catch her breath even now as she washes the blood from her arms, before stripping off her ruined uniform. She’d have to change before she headed out again.

Now that the assignment was over, she couldn’t stand to delay her return to Tokyo even one minute longer. She was set on washing up, packing what little things she had, and heading straight back to the airport.

Her booked flight wasn’t for two more days, as Yaga had given her extra time to travel and explore. But she was already far ahead of schedule, and she found no excitement in spending time in another country when there were people back home waiting for her.

If I’m able to get on a flight tonight, I’ll make it home by this time tomorrow, she thought to herself, scrolling through the options on her phone, ignoring the hefty prices under each one. A last minute flight wasn’t ideal, but she’d trade in the ticket she had and save what she could.

Now that her distraction of an assignment was done, her sickeningly anxious thoughts were starting to slip into her mind again.

She made great haste in getting herself to the airport, contacting the manager on duty for her assignment to let them know she was wrapped up, and would be on the first flight to Tokyo. ___

By the time (y/n) gets back to Tokyo, it had been three days.

But while she hadn’t slept longer than a few minutes here and there on the excruciatingly long flights, when she landed back home it was a straight shot for her to go to the Fushiguro house. She couldn’t possibly make a pitstop to the school to drop her things off- or even take a shower.

It was late into the evening, around the time she would normally put the kids to bed, but she had a feeling they’d be awake, seeing as it wasn’t a day she’d normally visit them. And to her delight, as she approached the house, she could see the flickering of a tv through the living room window.

When she knocks on the door, she sees two heads spin around over the back of the sofa through the window, at first cautious, but then excited as both kids leapt off their seats to greet her.

Tsumiki throws her arms around (y/n) as soon as the door opens, and the older girl drops to her knees to hug her properly. Maybe she squeezes a little tighter than she normally would.

Megumi bashfully hangs behind his sister, but the wide smile on his face tells (y/n) he was just as happy about her return as she was. She ruffles up his hair just because she can, and tells them both how happy she is to be back.

“Was it awesome?” Tsumiki asks.

“Did you exorcize the curse?” Megumi talks over her.

“Head up to bed and I’ll tell you all about it” (y/n) orders, and neither of them seem bothered as they turn off the tv and scramble up the stairs to get ready for bed.

(y/n) lets herself take a moment to sigh and revel in the utter relief to see them both okay. She’d been convincing herself they must have been fine, since Megumi never used his emergency Cursed Tool, and none of the texts she received from Tsumiki were out of the ordinary. But nothing would satisfy her nerves until she could see them in person, and assess for herself that they hadn’t been in any harm.

When she ascends the stairs, they’re already waiting for her, with their teeth brushed and their pajamas on. She grins ear to ear.

“If only you were this good for me all the time,” She teases. “Maybe I should take assignments more often, huh?”

“We’re always good” Megumi rolls his eyes.

He’s still smiling.

“I suppose that’s true,” (y/n) muses. “And guess what good kids get?”

“Candy?” Tsumiki asks hopefully.

(y/n) laughs as she reaches into her pocket, pulling out the two small items she’d managed to snag from a shop at the airport.

“Better!” She exclaims, handing a gift to each one of them. “Gifts!”

Tsumiki squeals as she eyes the pretty bow she’d received. A large, puffy pink accessory, complete with lace edges and shiny pearls at it’s center.

And when Megumi is handed his gift, a small keychain of a fluffy black dog with starry, anime-like eyes, his mouth makes an ‘o’ and his eyes light up with recognition.

“Just like my Divine Dog” He says as his mouth stretches back into a smile.

“That was the idea,” (y/n) chuckles. “Sorry they’re small, I didn’t have a lot of shopping time”

“I love it!” Tsumiki grins, holding her accessory to her chest with adoration.

“Thank you” Megumi’s voice is softer as he clutches his own gift carefully.

“You’re very welcome,” (y/n) replies. “Now you guys head off to bed, because I want to get home to go to bed. I’ll tell you all about my trip when I come by tomorrow afternoon” She lets out a tired sigh, and the Fushiguro kids follow the instruction.

She bids Tsumiki goodnight first, shutting her door after the girl crawled into her sheets. When she turns to Megumi’s room, he’s still wide awake, sitting upright on the side of his bed. He’s still holding his keychain in his lap, admiring it with bright eyes.

“You ready for bed?” (y/n) asks him, leaning against his door frame.

He looks up at her, blinking, before stating the obvious.

“You look tired”

(y/n) chuckles, almost bitterly. Tired was an understatement.

“A flight from here to Brazil takes an entire day, you know” She tells him, walking into his room.

Megumi crawls into bed and under the covers, giving her the seat on the edge of his bed. She plops into it with a huff, the simple action of sitting providing a ridiculous amount of relief to her overworked body.

“A whole day?” Megumi repeats in awe.

“Sure does,” (y/n) sighs. “And on top of that, swords are pretty heavy, and I’m out there alone trying to exorcize this huge curse!”

His eyes light up with excitement, wanting to hear more about her mission. But (y/n) tucks him in as she always does before she leaves him for the night, and he knows she’s not going to tell him more tonight.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you want to know about it tomorrow” She says with a smile, knowing he was on the edge of his seat.

“Fine,” Megumi huffs, and then quietly adds, “Can we get pizza?”

(y/n) laughs, but nods her head in agreement.

“Pizza sounds perfect,” She says, earning a smile from the boy. She hesitates before leaving just yet, wanting to relish a little more in seeing him perfectly unharmed.

He had no idea how much she worried about him when she was away. The feeling must be reaching what a mother feels for her own children, an overwhelming need to protect them, no matter what it costs.

Suguru’s menacing words rang in her mind.

This secret of yours, is it worth your life?

After telling Megumi goodnight and wishing him sweet dreams, she’d finally come up with an answer for him.

Yes.

And if I had the chance to do it again, I would.

Tiptoeing down the stairs, (y/n) did a quick lap of the house, making sure there were no chores in desperate need of her attention before she left for the night. Even though her bones begged her to rest, she wanted to make sure everything was in order after a few days of being absent. To her pleasure, the house seemed perfectly clean and tidy.

She’d have to treat Tsumiki to more than just a bow, she mused to herself, heading for the pile of mail on the kitchen table. All she’d do tonight was sort through the junk and the bills, which she’d worry about paying tomorrow.

After tossing the unnecessary mail in the trash and sliding the water bill into the drawer for important papers, that left only one envelope. It was blank on the front, which puzzled her, wondering how it had gotten mixed into the rest of the lot. Or how it had even been mailed in the first place Turning it over curiously, her heart dropped at the only marking on the whole envelope.

A wax seal she recognized instantly.

Her blood ran cold, and her fingers went rigid in their hold on the letter.

The unmistakable seal of the Zen’in Clan.

___

a/n: long chapter of sadness hahahahaha i don’t remember how to sleep.

taglist: @whats-humanity-lol @malinq-ashida @mor-pheus@bekahtaylorgriggs@pookiea@megumimind@thealchemical@pearlstiare@niallerhere@96jnie @purpleguk @peqch-pie@yukinemaroop@makis-girl @sadtoru @kamikokii @nerdiel-has-no-braincells @googlesheetshoe @vzleria @hilzup @cole-silas @iam-mia9 @stxrrielle @ezrahour

xoxo ~ jordie

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thefanficmonster · 11 months ago

Note

hii would love anything with sydney adamu x reader if ur still taking requests!! or even just headcanons honestly just need more syd content on here

Hi hun! Oh I'm always delighted to write for Syd, I'm obsessed with her 🙈 Hope you enjoy the fic darling 💌

Pairing: Sydney Adamu x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Bear S2, Swearing

Genre: FLUFF

Summary: When Sydney's left to do menu research duty on her own, she comes to realize a few things.

Her calls are going straight to voicemail, it's half an hour past their agreed upon time to meet up and she's frankly fucking tired. She's used to doing things on her own, knowing not to expect much from other people. But still she's astounded by how shitty this is. It's not like they have all the time in the world - quite the opposite actually. Every second counts. And Carmy just wasted 1800 seconds of precious time Syd could've used for menu research.

She's given up hope and is now waiting for the train to the first restaurant on her list, puffs of smoke escaping her mouth as she periodically sighs in continuous disappointment she can't suppress no matter how hard she tries. The momentary tranquility she finds from the chaos of the restaurant is time she cherishes, until it's interrupted by her ringing phone.

She's not even surprised to see it's not Carmy who's calling. She is, however, surprised to feel a wide smile stretch across her face when she sees your name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, hi." She hears the exhaustion in your voice, the yelling in the background explains the reasoning behind it. "I know you and Carmy are probably eating some wonderful food right now but I really need to talk to someone sane or I'll commit a crime."

A laugh rattles Sydney's chest, a genuine, wholehearted laugh, "Nah I'm actually bored out of my mind waiting for the train. Alone. I'm more than happy to keep you sane for a sec."

"Wait, alone? Why are you- Richie for fuck's sake put the hammer down!!! - Sorry about that. Why are you alone?" Syd hears the click of a lighter on your end, signaling you're out for a brief smoke to prevent the aforementioned potential crime. Possibly a murder. Possibly of Richie.

"Because Carmy has dropped off the face of the Earth." She sighs, stepping onto the train that's finally arrived, rescuing her from the Chicago cold.

"That's unlike him. I'd be concerned if - Fak, honey, you're gonna wreck the fucking pipe! - You know what, never mind that. I'm sure he's fine. You wanna....not be alone maybe? I wanna be anywhere but here right now."

Syd could use some alone time, or at least that's what she was telling herself before you called. Now, she couldn't imagine spending her afternoon any better than visiting different restaurants and doing menu research in your company. "I'd love that. I'll be at The Montgomery."

"Cool, cool. It's a date."

Sydney playfully rolls her eyes as she hangs up the phone, the dory smile refusing to leave her face.

The two of you have been essential for each other's survival and sanity ever since this whole restaurant fiasco started. Her with her brutal realism and you with your unconditional optimism, it's safe to say you balance each other quite nicely, bringing you close and forming a strong bond between you.

Somewhere along the way, flirting started being sprinkled throughout your interactions, mostly from your end. But it's not like it's one sided. You both have fun toying with the potential of there being something more. Just as a joke, of course.

But in every joke there's a half-truth. One half from her and one half from you forms the whole truth - that you're both idiots that should stop hiding behind teasing and sarcasm and just say what you're feeling.

There hasn't really been much time for that though, not among the dust, mold and other substances currently littering the restaurant-in-the-making. You're a little too busy knocking down walls to build bridges.

You make it to The Montgomery half an hour later only to find Syd nose-dived into a notepad, jotting down impressions and ideas. You're not nearly as well-versed into the culinary world as she is but you're still more than willing to endure her long rants about each menu item and how it can be made better and incorporated in their own.

She's been sending you ideas, even cooking a couple of them for you to try these past few days. You don't have the heart to tell her you have the palette of a broke college student - you're not crazy to turn down free and fancy food. But it's not like Syd doesn't know that though. She does it more as an expression of what she cannot say with words. As her very own love language, curated just for you.

"Is this seat taken?" You smile down at her, motioning to the chair across from her.

She looks up, her whole face lighting up when she sees you. "I'm sorry, it's reserved."

Chuckling, you sit down, shrugging off your jacket, "Well, they clearly don't deserve it if they have you waiting here all on your lonesome."

You receive a playful eye roll in response. You get that a lot from her. And you find it adorable.

Syd pushes one of the plates towards you, handing you the second fork, "Try this, it has potential."

With some analysis of the layout of plates and bowls on the table, you quickly gather that what she's offering you is a concoction of two different dishes. You can't pick out what the individual dishes might consist of so this collaboration of the two is a complete mystery to you.

But if Syd says there is potential, you'll be damned if you don't believe her.

You pick around the plate, getting a little something of everything on your fork. The flavor is so full and different, almost overpowering. However, you can clearly see that potential Sydney was talking about.

"Thoughts?" She prompts you, waiting for your rating.

You tilt your head to the side, furrowing your brows, trying your hardest to gauge what ingredients have been used. Unfortunately, to no avail. There's no denying that it's good though. "It's something." You eventually say, causing Syd to scoff and shake her head, "However..." This grabs her attention and her gaze is back on you instantly, "...it's too overpowering. Heavy, even. If we serve this we'll need to plate it with some lemon slices or something to freshen up the flavor. Lighten it up, you know?" Seeing the grin on her face, you find yourself getting a little flustered, unsure if you just made an absolute dumbass of yourself. "Did that make any sense?"

"My thoughts exactly." She laughs, reaching to switch out the plate in front of you for a different one, "Oh and also, I pulled some strings and booked us a kitchen to test some stuff out tonight."

Your brows perk up, the corner of your lips pulling up in a smirk, "Us?"

"Mhm..." She hums in response, avoiding your gaze briefly as she grows slight flustered. Look how the turn tables. "I mean, if you're free, of course."

"I'm always free for you." You contain any flirtier remark from escaping your mouth. Because this is sincere. This is nothing short of the whole truth. You're always free for her. Even if you aren't, you're willing to drop everything for her.

And little do you know, she feels the exact same.

Syd nods, finally meeting your eyes again, "Cool. It's a date."

Fucking dorks

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear fic #sydney adamu #sydney adamu x reader #sydney adamu x you #sydney adamu imagine #syd adamu #sydney adamu fic #sydney adamu fanfic #sydney adamu fanfiction #carmen berzatto #carmen berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto x you #fic #fanfic #fanficiton #reader #x reader

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acefaun · 11 months ago

Text

Kaeya~ The Curse

Synopsis: God!MC brings back a container of cleansing water from the pool they came across on their adventure with Dainsleif in the Chasm. They hoped to give it to Kaeya… But it seems as though they were a little too late to help. Hopefully they can make up for lost time.

⚔️Masterlist⚔️ Gender-neutral, God MC! ~Spoilers for Chasm Interlude Archon Quest after Liyue A/n: Popping into the Genshin fandom with a self-indulgent serving of my favorite Ragbros! 💕 I read a few fanfics about how Kaeya might have had a similar reaction to Dainsleif during the Archon Quest, so I decided to add my own bit to it with a little bit of the SAGAU aspect of MC being their ‘god’.

–Word Count: 2,800–

I had been gone from Mondstadt for too long, I mused as I took in the fresh air around me. Being in the Chasm for weeks on end made me cherish the feeling of the open air in Mondstadt. The free wind was so much less stifling than suppressive rocks.

Still, however grateful I was, one person remained on my mind on my trip home. The cool container that rested within a pouch against my leg reminded me that my mission wasn't over. On my recent adventure into the Chasm with Dainsleif, we found the ruins of an ancient civilization that the Abyss was using for another of their schemes. Their goal was to bring Khaenri’ah back, but we put a stop to their nefarious plot.

While it would have been nice to see the ancient citizens of Khaenri’ah freed from their curse, it would have caused much more suffering and loss than done any actual good. There wasn't a chance that their plans would meet with surefire success, after all. In fact, I—along with Dainsleif—was certain their plan would fail spectacularly. I had Khaenrian friends to protect, and I would never take a chance playing with their lives.

My fingers brushed against the cork of the bottle I carried. I wasn't that powerful, but even I could feel something comforting from the bottle. I couldn't imagine the discomfort and suffering that those cursed had to go through without a hint of relief. By having this water nearby, I hoped that Kaeya might feel some reprieve.

Kaeya never divulged anything about himself to me, out of fear that I was the god from Celestia that sent his nation to ruin. So, I wasn’t entirely sure how Kaeya’s lineage really affected him, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry. Fortunately, each adventure I went on seemed to lead me to more answers that he probably didn't even know himself.

Still, I might have been overthinking things… After all, Kaeya was only a descendant of Khaenri’ah, he wasn’t there when it was destroyed. But that Abyssal scheme was terribly effective—even Dainsleif had to rely on me to resolve the situation. I had to prepare for the worst and hope for the best with Kaeya’s unknown situation.

It was early in the night when I walked through the gates of Mondstadt. Luckily, if all was as well as I hoped, I knew exactly where my friends would be gathered.

I was grateful that, as soon as Dainsleif and I finished our quest, he understood the urgency with which I had to return home and check on my found family.

Opening the door to the Angel’s Share, it was unusually quiet, and my apprehension only grew. My eyebrows furrowed as I noted a few regulars, but there was no bard. There was no exasperated Diluc or rambunctious Kaeya. “Charles,” I asked, walking up to the bar. “What's the lull? Isn't it usually more lively here at night?”

“Your Excellency,” he addressed me formally. “Sorry. You must be looking for Master Diluc. He's visiting Master Jean tonight. You might be able to find him in her office.”

My eyebrows furrowed further. Something was wrong for the alcoholics to be missing and Diluc to be in the Knight's headquarters. I prayed I was jumping to the wrong conclusions… I couldn’t wait for an explanation. “Tell me what happened.”

He let out a brief sigh, his empathetic eyes landing on me. “I heard that Captain Kaeya fell ill. I wish I had more to tell you, but the Knights have been keeping things quiet since. No one really knows what happened yesterday-”

“Yesterday?” Then my suspicions were unfortunately correct. Kaeya was affected by the Abyss’s device, and no one was there with Kaeya to help or understand why he was suffering. Before Charles could give another word, I was flying out of the door. I was thankful the foot traffic was light as I raced up the stairs to get to HQ.

The knights were quick to fling the doors open for me as soon as they recognized my intended path. Nearly crashing into Jean's office door, I flung it open, startling those inside. Jean immediately stood from her chair. “Your Excellency, you're here. There's been a problem-”

“With Kaeya,” I finished for her, my eyes flickering across the faces in the room. There was Jean, Diluc, Barbara, and Amber. They were no doubt all gathered there for the same reasons. But I needed them to cut to the chase. “I heard. Tell me everything.”

Jean gestured for Amber to tell the story from the beginning. Taking her cue without hesitation, Amber walked me through her version of what happened, “I was just returning from my patrol yesterday afternoon when I ran into Captain Kaeya. He looked… bothered; but I didn’t think he was feeling unwell or anything. I was about to ask him about it when he just… Well, I don’t know what really happened. He just looked like he was in so much pain; it was so bad, he looked like he couldn’t breathe and then couldn’t even stand on his feet.”

“We were thrown completely off guard,” Jean commented. Apparently it wasn't the most subtle thing. Many citizens panicked at the sight of the Captain in such agony and went straight to the Knights of Favonius to report the emergency.

Barbara then added anxiously, “We tried our best to help and make it bearable, but nothing we did worked. We spent all night trying everything, well into the morning. Even with my hydro vision, I couldn’t seem to ease his symptoms. Eventually, we had to send for Master Diluc… We thought they might be at odds, but we were sure he might know something to help. I mean, something like that wouldn't just randomly happen, right?”

Of course, she assumed it was some natural affliction. It wasn't poison, and it wasn't something they could heal with their church medicines. They had Kaeya’s situation all wrong, and Diluc didn't seem like he told them a word.

Guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders. I tried to stop the Abyss Order as quickly as I could, but there were too many abyss mages for me to work swiftly and efficiently. Not to mention, Dainsleif was in agony and his friend was dying in front of him. Stopping the Abyss took far too long and drew too much attention to Kaeya. I could only imagine how long of a night it must have been for Kaeya to endure.

But what could Diluc have possibly done to help, anyway? This situation never happened before—and I would be sure it never happened again. None of what happened was precedented. With my gaze flickering to the apparently frustrated red-head, I paused, taking in his appearance. I knew he didn't enjoy working with the Knights of Favonius, but this particular agitation was new. It was time I got his side of the story. “Diluc… What did you-”

“I came to see him as soon as I was informed, and when I got here, they refused to let me in his room,” Diluc hissed, withholding so much wrath that it left me surprised.

Jean sighed, all of them looking awkwardly away from the angered man. She supplied me with an explanation, “At first we thought getting Diluc would be the best response. But… As soon as we had Kaeya inside of headquarters, he started shouting that he was burning. It wasn’t a fever, and he seemed like he wasn’t in his right mind. Knowing vaguely what happened between them, I made the last minute call to keep Diluc out. Your excellency, you have to understand… I did what I thought was best for Kaeya given the circumstances.”

“He could have been dying, and it was ‘for the best’ that I couldn't see him,” Diluc retorted. He didn't need the weak excuses of the Knights of Favonius, he wanted to make sure his brother was okay. He couldn't do that if they restricted him from going as far as the first floor.

“I disapprove of how you made the decision to keep Diluc out after so quickly inviting him to this mess.” I snapped at the group of knights in defense of Diluc. “What happened between them is in the past and had nothing to do with what happened to Kaeya. Diluc,” my steely gaze softened as I met Diluc’s eyes of adoration. Of course, he knew I would understand everything. I would take his side. I offered to him, “Come with me. We're going to go check on Kaeya. I came to help.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t hesitate to follow me out of the quiet room. Everyone else meekly remained where they were for just getting scolded by me. Still, I had trouble waiting for Diluc as I practically rushed to leave Jean’s office.

“Captain! Captain Kaeya, please go back to your room! You're not-” The knight that was chasing Kaeya down the stairs, faltered at seeing me. “You're Excellency! I'm sorry! Captain Kaeya shouldn't have slipped past us! Ah!” The Knight panicked as Kaeya immediately flung his arms around me, his larger frame almost overtaking me. “C- Captain, please, that's their Excellency you just-”

“(Name)!” My eyes widened at hearing Kaeya call my name. Hardly anyone ever used my name. Everyone respected me, feared me, cherished me, adored me. Using my name was disrespectful, something frowned upon. But I loved hearing it from them. I loved when they used my name and not some impersonal title.

“Kaeya,” I replied with his name, in turn, my hands resting on his back.

“It feels nice…” Kaeya muttered, his arms tightened around me, holding me closer. “I felt when you got to Mondstadt. You felt different from usual, but I needed to find you. Please, let me hold you. It doesn't hurt anymore.”

“We're going home, Kaeya,” I hushed, trying to soothe him as best I could. I knew the water I had with me was really what was drawing him to me like this. But for now, I wanted to make up for not being faster. Just like Dainsleif, even Kaeya would need time to recover from the strain his body was put through. “Diluc’s going to take us back to the manor, and we'll take care of you.” Similarly to how his grip tightened around me, I pulled him closer, my fingers sinking into his unkempt hair. “I'm sorry… I'm so sorry.”

He hummed, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything more as he basked in the presence of the cleansing water. Though the effects of what happened lingered in his system, he was feeling better just by being with me. He knew I was his god.

Diluc hesitantly pressed closer, despite the eyes of onlookers that were judging us. “If the manor is where you want to go, I suggest we depart. Kaeya, can you walk?”

Kaeya could—he just bounded down the stairs for me—but he'd never make it as far as Dawn Winery. Awkwardly, I mentioned, “I'm agile, but I'm a bit of a limp noodle when it comes to weights. I'm afraid you'll have to carry him, Diluc. He’s been through a lot.” Reaching for the pouch at my side, I untied the strings and held the bag out to Diluc. “You can hold on to this for now. I have one for you when we get home. It'll help him feel better.”

I didn't explain much just yet as Kaeya was carefully lifted, and he relaxed into Diluc’s arms. No one dared to question or stop me as I left with the two brothers accompanying me. I wasn't necessarily leaving because of the way Diluc had been treated. I was leaving purely because of the confidential matter that only involved the three of us.

Taking us to the teleport point, the journey home was short, and we took our time to get relaxed in Kaeya’s room, where he passed out almost immediately. It was the first time he was almost entirely free of pain since the incident.

“If I may ask,” Diluc started slowly, his hands grazing over the pouch you gave him with the concealed bottle inside. “What exactly is this?”

Diluc knew mostly everything about Kaeya—who he was, where he was from, why he was in Mondstadt. He also knew Kaeya as a brother, which was where we were now. He wanted his brother to be okay and as annoying as usual, not bedridden.

As promised, they deserved answers. So, I began my summarized explanation of events, “I went on a mission recently against the Abyss Order. They… tried to revive Khaenri'ah against my warnings of what would happen. They were determined to cleanse the Khaenrians of their curse. However, all that resulted was suffering. Every living soul with that curse was in unbearable agony. It could have been devastating if I hadn’t gotten there in time.” My downcast eyes landed on the gentle rise and fall of Kaeya’s chest. “Even a nation away, he probably thought he was dying. I could only do my best to fix it as quickly as possible—but I wasn't strong enough to take care of them as fast as I wanted to. Who knows how long Kaeya was suffering because of me…”

“But you took care of them,” Diluc reminded me, knowing I would no sooner fall into self-loathing. “You did good against a powerful enemy. You should be proud. Whatever this water is… you managed to bring it here to help him. Don't think what you did wasn't adequate.”

Pursing my lips together, I knew better than to argue. He would only try to make me take it back. Diluc cared much more than he let on. He wouldn't let me shoulder the guilt. So, rather than dwelling on that, I changed the subject back to the pouch. “I forgot, I brought a bottle for you as well. However, I mean to go back and collect more for you to store in the Winery in case of emergencies like that one.” Taking the pouch back, I opened it, pulling out the glass bottle of cleansing water. “This was in an ancient city. Apparently, it acts as a cleansing water, soothing the effects of the curse. It won't cure him, so it does no good to drink it. But having it near will help.”

“Cleansing water,” Diluc repeated, observing the seemingly normal water that I held. It was strange that Kaeya couldn't even tell what he was attracted to when he found me in HQ. From what Diluc could tell, Kaeya could simply sense the water from that far away. “It's fascinating. I'm sure we'll have to keep a greater supply. I… feel like I should ask how you came to know that this water would help him when it looks and feels like normal water to those without the curse.”

“Because that fountain was where the cursed went to meet a peaceful end,” I replied quietly, avoiding mentioning my travel partner. In truth, I probably wouldn’t have suspected what the effects of this water truly were if not for Dainsleif’s explanation. “It seems sad, but this water is truly the only thing that seems to be able to give some respite.”

Diluc hummed, his eyes now searching Kaeya and wondering when his sad end would come. Luckily, he wouldn't have to suffer so much anymore thanks to my efforts. Diluc watched how I delicately traced Kaeya’s still hands, my eyes overflowing with guilt. “You did your best. I wish you'd be kinder to yourself.”

I hummed, but I didn't agree or disagree with him. “I'm not finished with my mission against the Abyss… but… I'm not leaving Kaeya right now. You can stay too. Mondstadt can do without their Darknight Hero for a while. Kaeya needs us more than they do.” Kaeya deserved to be coddled after his horrible experience. I'd do my damned best to ensure it never happened again.

#genshin impact #genshin kaeya #genshin diluc #kaeya alberich #diluc ragnvindr #kaeya x reader #genshin impact fanfic #genshin fanfic

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princess-of-the-corner · 10 months ago

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Lost Mineta Fic

Because I’m STILL SALTY ABOUT THIS, is it SO HARD for me to recommend a good fic, do you know how many fics there are of Mineta being a decent person!? It ain’t many!

So, as much as I remember (I swear-)

(TW for sexual harassmen, not sure if it counts, but better safe than sorry)

(Unfortunately this is long so under the read more it goes!)

Fic was called “Sour Grapes Are Hard To Swallow”, or something similar

It’s mostly from Mineta’s pov, and starts shortly after Kamino, when all the kids are moving into the dorms. The fic basically starts with Aizawa and Yagi going to the Minetas to talk about the dorms, and we get our first look at Mineta Sr., who is basically Fanon!Mineta!Grapist. the meeting is tense, with Yagi at one point noting Mineta looks like someone in a hostage situation, but Mineta Sr agrees to move his kid into the dorms. After the teachers leave, We also get a pretty good look at Mineta’s home life, and … yeah, Fanon!Grapist is the best way I can describe him. Mineta Sr is a close-minded, Quirkist, anti-mute Homophobe. He’s the picture of toxic masculinity, and seems to be doing his level best to impart it onto his son, which is actually going pretty badly, and Mineta is conflicted about the fact that he isn’t more conflicted. Like, Mineta is aware he is not what his dad wants in a son (he apparently takes after his absent mother in looks), and he’s starting to wonder if maybe that’s a good thing.

A quick jump here, but part of what I loved about this fic was that it made Mineta an actual CHARACTER, rather than a collection of jokes. Someone with hobbies, and feelings, and aspirations, things that I looked at, then compared to canon, and went, “yeah, I can see that” (which, considering how little they gave us, I’m not sure how impressive that is, but there you go). For instance, Mineta likes art. He’s actually very passionate about it, and is a fairly good artist. One of the things he and Kaminari do while hanging out is play video games - Kaminari playing the game, and Mineta just watching, enjoying the set design And artwork. He and Jirou have the same taste in music, and even swap playlists sometimes. He’s apparently a fairly good tutor for the sciences. He likes animals, especially bunnies, because they always look soft. And most of this wasn’t explicit, it was more “show, don’t tell”. Again, considering how little they gave us, not much, but it was SOMETHING.

Also, Mineta is bisexual, and TERRIFIED his dad will find out.

Like, there’s a scene/flashback of Mineta in middle school getting a crush on a boy, and how badly it went for him when he tried to ask his dad about it (spoiler, it’s how he learns that Pop Off will eventually start bleeding if he pushes it too much). Mineta basically admits to himself that he only acts how he Does, because it’s the only thing his dad ever praised him for - acting more like HIM. As the fic goes on, it becomes about Mineta, now basically out of his dad’s house, not HAVING to act like his dad, and how he deals with it. It also goes into some of Mineta’s thinking, which, while a bit warped, makes a weird amount of sense, and you kind of start to see where he’s coming from.

Like, yes, even in the fic, he ended up groping a few of the girls (and was summarily told off, given detention, and Did not do it again) but there’s a very awkward scene after a few people have learned what his dad is like, that someone points out Mineta made it a point to avoid ever doing any hero exercises with Hagakure. So, apparently, the way it went in Mineta’s mind - groping girls was something his dad was basically expecting of him as “a red blooded male”. He actually talks about the first time he did something like that in middle school (which was an accident he decided to double down on), and when they called his dad, his dad just laughed. When Mineta got home, his dad actually told him he was “proud” of him, in a roundabout way (which, yes, is messed up, that’s the whole point). So Mineta kept doing it, kept getting calls home about it, and it got his dad off his back about other things - like his art. However, Mineta was still aware it was bad, so he tried to make sure it was fairly fast, obvious, and on girls who clearly had no problem knocking him off (even if most of this was subconscious). However, he’s also vaguely aware of social norms, and all of this shit was above the waist, over clothing - Hagakure’s costume is literally boots and gloves. We later find out that Hagakure DID actually have an actual costume, it was mostly a joke saying she didn’t to freak people out, but Mineta didn’t know that. Apparently, he was genuinely concerned he would grab a naked Hagakure somewhere Not Okay, so avoided doing any exercises with her just in case. Keep in mind, it wasn’t that he WANTED to grope her, he was just conditioned to be EXPECTED TO, and the only solution he saw was making sure he never had the chance.

and yes, all of this is SEVERELY MESSED UP, but thats The point. The fic is pointing it out, saying “Wow, this thinking makes a sick kind of sense, but man, isn’t it fucked?”. They even Have Mineta and Bakugou have a conversation, shortly after Bakugou runs into Mineta and his dad over a weekend. Bakugou talks about how his mom, as much as he loves her, has really messed him up. How he acted a lot like she did, how he internalized a lot of shit she believes, about emotions making you weak, about caring making you weak, about having to stand alone to be strong, even if most of it is a bunch of bullshit. About how physical they are with each other, and how he didn’t even realize how much damage that was doing until he saw Deku without a shirt once, and realized how many scars he had. About how Bakugou is trying his best to shed some of her toxic ideas, but how hard it is.

As the story goes on, Mineta is finally starts accepting himself, especially when he starts crushing … on Kouda. No, I am not joking, this was a Mineta/Kouda fic, and I kid you not, that shit was ADORABLE. It starts as the subplot, Kouda and Mineta paired up for a school project, and Kouda finding out that Mineta draws (something he’d been hiding from basically everyone but Kaminari). They start bonding when Kouda invites him to hang out so he can draw some of Kouda’s animal friends, and just gets more tooth rottingly sweet from there. Mineta starts to realize that, after Kaminari, Kouda is probably his best friend. He doesn’t judge him, even when Mineta’s being a dick. He’s teaching him Sign Language, even though Mineta sucks at it. However, he starts to get conflicted, because Kouda is EXACTLY the type of guy his dad would call [a bunch of slurs] but he’s nice! And his Quirk is actually really cool! Not to mention they went to a museum together, and he let Mineta rant about post-modern Impressionism, and they got ice cream, and he’s really cute, andwaitwhatHOLDON-! Eventually, Mineta BiPanics, blurting out most of this to Kaminari, who is a good bro, and helps him out (while also privately planning to murder Mineta Sr.). There’s a lot more back and forth, but Mineta does eventually realize that if he wants to be himself - be happy - be a HERO - he needs to stop trying to be his dad. That he’s ABLE to stop being his dad. He’s in a place where he can safely break away from his dad, with people who will support him and keep him safe.

Now, some other random shit:

- Mineta is technically part of the Bakusquad by the end. No, I’m not kidding.

- Mineta hides his drawing in part because his dad kept insulting Him for it, and he doesn’t want anyone else too

- Kaminari only found out about Mineta’s drawing habit by accident, and he had to really work at it to make the other boy realize he wasn’t going to tease him for it

- Yes, Mineta and Kouda end up dating. For their first kiss, Kouda has to hold Mineta up, which Mineta is embarrassed about but also pleased with (he likes to be held)

- at some point, after Sero and Mineta have a bonding moment, Kaminari dubs them “Sticky Bros” (the two kind of like it despite themselves, and take it as proof they’ve been hanging out with Kami too long)

- Kaminari already kind of suspected Mineta Sr was a prick, as did, funnily enough, Jirou. Kaminari because several of Mineta’s statements seemed like red flags; Jirou, because Mineta sent her at least one playlist by mistake that was of the “Oh, these song choices aren’t concerning in the least” variety

- Everyone finds out Mineta can draw when he does a massive group picture of the whole class in their hero costumes as a birthday present for Aizawa. He actually ended up doing a fairly accurate job of drawing Hagakure’s face, revealing that he’d figured out a light reflecting trick to sort of see her. Later, said light reflection trick is semi-key to Hagakure figuring out how to turn her Quirk “off”

- when Mineta is panicking about his crush on Kouda to Kaminari, he confesses that he briefly had a crush on Shouji, purely for his hugs. Mineta is very small, and enjoys being picked up. Shouji picking him up, he says, is the platonic ideal of being cuddled.

- Mineta and Mina team up for a heroics class against 1-B, and end up kicking Monoma’s ass after he insults Bakugou

- Mineta comes out to most of the class during a game of Truth or Dare. Its right after Tsuyu, Tokoyami and Shoji reveal they’re dating, and he figures if everyone is accepting of that, they won’t much care about him being bi

- Bakugou ends up deputizing Mineta during study nights, because he can apparently explain certain things in a way Mina, Kwami and Sero will understand.

- Yaomomo finds Mineta’s phone at one point after he loses it, and sees a string of texts from Mineta Sr that make her concerned

- there is a big breakdown, where Mineta Sr shows up unannounced, makes a big scene, and Mineta has a panic attack the moment he leaves, thinking the class is going to hate him. I’m actually NOT going to describe it, because just reading it almost gave a sympathy panic attack, and I’m not doing that to myself

-There was also a scene where Mineta explains himself to his classmates, and apologizes to them (The girls in particular) for his behaviour. Everyone is more or less understanding, on the caveat “yeah, we get why you did that shit, and we are trusting you not to do it again, the moment you do we are beating your ass”.

- Ships as follows: Bakugou/Kirishima (like, two weeks after they start living in the dorms); Jirou/Yaomomo (apparently started dating just before the Summer Training Camp); Kaminari/Shinsou (Shinsou is not yet part of their class, but Midoriya keeps dragging him along, he and Kami hit it off); Tokoyami/Shouji/Tsuyu (about halfway through the fic, honestly adorable); Midoriya/Uraraka/Shouto (secondary background subplot about how all three are in love with each other, but think the other two are in love, and keep trying to step aside so those two can be happy. When Tsuyu announces she’s dating both Shouji and Tokoyami, all three have an epiphany, and spend the rest of the fic trying to figure out if the other two are into it. Someone makes the joke that their class has the Stable Poly Trio, and the Chaotic Poly Trio); Iida/Hatsume (not technically dating yet, but heavily implied that they will at some point); Sero/Ojirou (author joked they bonded over being “the plain ones [who are actually badass]”); Aoyama/Hagakure (the definition of dramatic, pansexual disasters); Mina, currently single (the author said they see Mina as grayromantic); Satou, also single (AroAce); Aizawa/Present Mic; and finally Mineta/Kouda

- Fic finale was Mineta Sr disowning Mineta after finding out his son was “a homo”, leading To Mineta becoming a ward of U.A. under Midnight, who was Sort of his mom figure at that point. Mineta Sr also ended up arrested, because he thought it was a good idea to use his Quirk (secreting some kind of adhesive from his skin) to “shut up that gay cockatoo” (Present Mic) leading the PM almost asphyxiating.

Obviously, the fic was better written than my rambling, but here we are. If anyone finds the fic, throw me the link, cause this is the fifth time a fic I really like just FUCKING VANISHED after I recommended it, and I’m starting to wonder if I am cursed.

Honestly this sounds fucking fantastic and I hope someone finds the link

#submission

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snowyaika · 9 months ago

Note

Say, can we get Agent Texas with prompt 9? Reader can be a freelancer if you want!

prompt: “what are you going to do, shoot me? do it.”

pairing: agent texas x gn!freelancer!reader

word count: 1.02k

warnings: season 10 spoilers, all lowercase, swearing, gun violence, south violence, reader is kind of pathetic, some angst, no use of y/n

notes: this is mostly crack, got more serious in the end though! this is more so just to help me get back into writing for rvb !!! sorry if it’s so rushed, there is literally no plot to this one. more coming soon! 🫀

—

ever since becoming a freelancer, there are some things you’ve just come to never forget.

for starters, never offer to spar with carolina when she’s in a bad mood (or good, either way you get a free ticket to the infirmary).

don’t play along with wyoming’s knock-knock jokes, they’re never good and they just leave you questioning why you still speak with him.

drinking with york always ends up with you waking up to an empty wallet, especially when he and north team up on you.

and lastly, the most important of them all, the sound of kicking ass always means agent texas is nearby.

so when you hear the ship's alarm systems go off, tanks bombing the docks, and the gravity getting powered off? you wish you had york with you to make a bet that it was all because of her.

you had been on your day off when everything started going to shit.

heading to the training grounds (because apparently exercise helps when you’re out on missions) was when the alarms started to go off.

assuming it was the run of the mill invasion from some small organization that had issues with our immoral ways of life, you started to make your way to the shipping docks to make quick work of it, if carolina hadn’t already.

halfway, the ship's gravity goes haywire and you have to float your way there? okay, not as normal.

arriving to see tex absolutely rock a floating tank trying to kill her? what the fuck was going on?

not one to barge into conversations, you happily take your time making yourself known, instead staying at the sidelines watching while the poor tank gets thrown around like a ragdoll.

after witnessing the tank basically bomb itself, you finally decide to get involved (of course, only when you saw tex look your way).

“hey there,” you awkwardly wave, not quite sure how to deal with the raging man-eating woman in front of you. for starters, maybe get on your knees and beg for her not to kill you?

looking down at her gun, your mouth moves before your brain can even catch up, “what are you going to do, shoot me?”

“...”

it’s as if you can hear the confused face she’s making. you and tex never had any problems. sure, she’d kick your ass in training more than you could count, but there was no bad blood between the two of you.

sadly given the circumstances, and all the weird shit happening on the ship, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“i’m not.. going to shoot you? you’re on my side.” her words sound like a question, like she can’t believe you had said something so stupid.

“oh… right.”

it’s almost as if you forgot the talk you, her and york had prior to this. about how the immoral things your group did was actually worse than you thought it was, and how you were planning to put an end to it all.

it’s not like you were in the wrong though, tex is scary when she fights (and maybe more attractive than you’d like to admit).

“dumbass,” she muttered under her breath as she put her gun back, walking over to you.

“where’s york?” you ask, not out of concern, but out of fear of being alone with tex for any moment longer than you need to be.

how would you know if she decided she didn’t like you anymore and cut off your head? put a bullet straight through your brain? push you against the wall and make out with you?

“making things harder than he needs to be.” as if on cue, the lights flicker and the ship jostles.

you let out a small gasp, stumbling towards tex and grabbing onto her wrist for support. her hand flies to your shoulder to stabilize you, and you can feel your body burn where her hand is.

“hey,” she whispers, her face (helmet?) leaning down to yours.

you gulp.

“y-yeah?” you clear your throat, breathless. oh my god ohmy god ohmygod. are we about to kiss?

“the gate is opening. more men are probably coming to stop us.”

oh.

you tilt your head to look behind her, and just like she said, the gate opens to reveal–

not men, south.

“son of a bitch,” you whisper, letting go of tex and standing straight, your hand hovering over your hollister in reflex.

south looks pissed, more than usual. you follow tex’s lead, walking side by side to confront the raging freelancer.

you notice too late that she has a fucking grenade launcher, and you’re sent flying as you try to dodge her oncoming attacks.

thank god, or maybe, thank north for stepping in at the time that he did.

once tex leaves, probably on her way to the director, things escalate. south goes batshit with the grenades, and north does his best to counter her.

not wanting to interrupt the family reunion (you really need to know what their family holidays were like), you decide to branch off to find york.

when you find maine making his way to where tex just left, you inwardly curse. of course you got stuck with the brute.

you don’t even bother putting up that much of a fight, knowing whatever you do is pointless and a waste of energy against someone like him. you’ve never won against him, so what’s this fight going to change? you figured that after he slammed you into the wall, nearly knocking you unconscious, he’d leave you alone to continue whatever he was set out to do.

no, life never worked out that way for you. when he ripped off your helmet, you had already accepted your fate. if the searing pain of your AI being taken from your nape wasn’t enough to make you want to die, him pulling out his gun and aiming it at your head did.

apparently, there is one thing you’ve forgotten since becoming a freelancer.

your love for allison, your will to live for her, will never amount to maine’s thirst for power.

—

#rvb x reader #agent texas #agent texas x reader #allison church #allison church x reader #red vs blue #red vs blue x reader #freelancer x reader

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jackie-gremlin-ghost · 1 year ago

Text

It took the finale freaking breaking me to finally make OCs for this series 😅 And it also kinda counts for a continuation idea I have.

This is Ginevra "Ginny" Wolfe and her daughter, Francez, but she prefers to go by "Fran".

Spoilers for the finale ahead (I know it’s been a couple weeks, but better safe than sorry)

Ginny is a feisty Italian-American single mom and Todd’s paternal cousin, and she’s the one who bought his old house after the finale. He actually called her as soon as his house went on the market because he couldn’t think of anyone better to have it.

Over the years, Ginny had wanted so badly to reach out to him… but had so much to deal with on her own, especially after the loss of her husband Garrett. So when her favorite cousin (who she heard through the grapevine had become somewhat of a recluse years back) just up and called her out of the blue one day, telling her that he was selling his house to go travel the world with his best friend like he’d always wanted when they were kids, to say she was relieved would’ve been an understatement.

Fran, meanwhile, has what she refers to as the “Neurodivergence Triple A Plan”; Autism, ADHD and Anxiety. That doubled with her over-enthusiastic love for all things mythical, cryptid and occult, it naturally made her a bit of social outlier. And the loss of her dad didn’t make things easier. She retreated into herself for a long time, sleeping most days and barely even speaking unless spoken to. Her mother was terrified for her health at this rate. She’d already lost the love of her life, like hell she was losing her baby. It was a rough road and took some time, but she was able to get her to agree to therapy and begin to heal. It was a while after this that Fran was made aware that her “Uncle Todd” was coming for a visit, and she was about to take a big step in the next chapter of her family’s life.

A few months later, the three of them met up in Chicago to catch up and finalize everything on buying the house. While she was elated at seeing her cousin the happiest he’d been in years, Ginny was a bit apprehensive a first; uprooting from everything they’ve known and moving to another state, let alone a new town? She wasn’t afraid to admit it scared her. Todd was quick to reassure her two things; 1) A change of scenery and a clean slate might be just what Fran needs, and 2) Taking big risks are a part of life and what makes it worth living. And in a town like Brighton, Fran was sure to make some great friends and make a lot of memories.

So not long after Todd headed off on his next big adventure, Ginny and Fran started their own by moving to Brighton, not yet knowing that as their moving truck was pulling into town, it caught the eye of a young girl.

————

So yeah, I kinda have a story in the planning stages for this, so I can’t give away TOO much, but I can show you one thing: Ghost!Fran (No, she doesn’t die, but she’s also NOT a Wraith. So, have fun with that little tidbit 😉)

#the ghost and molly mcgee #tgamm #tgamm oc #my ocs #my art

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devildom-moss · 2 years ago

Note

Spoilers for lesson 11/12 (i totally forgot)

I was scrolling through your page, and a question struck me..

What would have happened if MC died in the blue unknown place idk the name of?

There's no Lilith to recover her from the dead, shes kinda still a human.

Just wanted your thoughts on this <3

Continue writing your masterpieces and remember to eat, sleep, and dont do drugs!

Sincerely, 💜

Sorry I left this in my inbox for so long 💜anon. I actually hadn't read that lesson yet by the time you sent it, and I remember rushing to read it because of this ask, but then I just didn't reply. . .big oops. And thank you so much for such kind words!

Obviously, because it's a game, they can't leave MC for dead. I have a couple thoughts on this.

Solomon would absolutely lose his shit if MC dies. At that point in the game, he's probably the character who adores MC the most. I don't think he could mentally accept MC dying, so he has to do something.

If MC died, and their soul was capable of being harvested (because who knows what weird rules the Fountain of Knowledge has over it), Thirteen would take MC's soul right then and there. Her affection for MC combined with the desperation of Solomon and the others might persuade her to keep MC's soul safe while they try to figure out how to bring MC back to life. Solomon is determined to find a way (and to a slightly lesser degree, the brothers are too).

Furthermore, as shady and mysterious as Nightbringer is, I don't think he would put MC on a path that would kill them, especially not before he gets his way, so there's got to be a way to revive them. Solomon is certain of that much. (also, are we all okay with the potential that Nightbringer is Barbatos?)

Ultimately, I think it would shake out a few ways. The first two kind of lean towards a deus ex machina resolution: either Michael steps in and has the power to save MC (similar to what he did with the waking them from the coma in lesson 13) or Nightbringer has enough power either course-correct time and fate because he miscalculated or his intention was to kill MC and bring them back to life - assuming he has that power available to him somehow (some ancient spell lost to time, probably).

The other way is that the Fountain of Knowledge isn't human made, so Solomon still can't reverse the curse affecting MC on his own. However, the game is always bringing up not intervening with humans and the balance between the 3 realms, so what better way to resolve the issue than for all three realms to intervene in the life of one human? I think that means one representative of each realm needs to step in.

Solomon will obviously be there to represent the human realm. I think because (obey me original game spoilers) Simeon falls in the present timeline, he's the least risky candidate to be involved with something like this, so Solomon would ensure that Simeon took on the task (I think Luke would offer if he knew an angel was necessary and that it was the only way to save MC). Additionally, Simeon is stronger than Luke, so that helps. The demons would probably all be fighting to be the one to save MC. (And Diavolo may be as underhanded as to mention that fallen angels might not count as representatives of the demon realm - which would just be a messy argument. Meanwhile, Barbatos and Mephisto don't want Diavolo to do something so reckless).

I think Solomon would ask Barbatos to do it. For one, the pact makes it so that he can force Barbatos's hand. Second, Solomon won't risk MC over a technicality (fallen angel vs natural demon), so he won't ask Asmo to do it - and he sure as hell won't let Lucifer do it. Third, Barbatos showed him the Fountain of Knowledge when he was younger. In a way, he feels like Barbatos is slightly to blame, and Solomon wants him to take some responsibility. Thirteen may also have to get involved because she's a reaper.

I don't have any concrete ideas on this, but maybe with the right spell, the right magical item, and magic channeled from all three realms, Thirteen could help force MC soul back into their body and bring them back to life.

#ask #replies #💜 anon #obey me #gn!mc

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brainrot-yumm · 7 days ago

Text

hello, dogman enthusiast/fellow overthinker here who owns a lot (but not all) of the books, and I have very few answers but still that's better than nothing aint it

I'm very sorry if at any point I start coming off like i'm "um, actually"ing you, I'm just having fun treating the questions like puzzles

There are significant spoilers below so I'll block it to be safe

one) ''silly and unrealistic unless they're projecting'' is crazyyyyy

two) I'm pretty sure the implication is that Greg the dog is significantly more sapient than Knight. It was emphasized a whole bunch that Greg had a ''supa smart'' brain (at least one that was smarter than Knight by a lot). And despite having dog instincts, he still is fully capable of making plans and understanding complex conversations and gestures (ex. he becomes Chief's wingman after a certain point so he understands human displays of romance enough to help replicate them) so I'm like 95% certain that if Knight's head had been decapitated juuuust a little higher up for Greg to have the human vocal chords, that would've been a talking dog. if he had opposable thumbs he woulda been the one driving the cop car.

two point five) THE MOST SPOILERS HERE. the Petey redemption arc takes a lot longer in the books. like in the book that the movie took most inspo from (tale of two kitties). they don't team up at all. Petey just watches and goes "eh, I'm evil, whatevs". He still sacrifices himself by going in 80HD but he isn't pardoned at all, it takes like 5 more books before he actually turns to good and starts properly coparenting Lil Petey. Movie just had to super quickify it for runtime reasons. So is Dogman a little dumb for befriending the murderer of his bestie? maybe. but at least it wasn't an instantaneous thing

three) You're so right he absolutely does not see that human body as his. Lol to him. But also, while animals absolutely can experience loss, being able to understand the why's and specific memories of his past to grieve over should absolutely be counted as a sign of intelligence. Also buying a doghouse from the real estate lady. Dogman pays taxes. Dogman DOES taxes.

four) thinking about it, I'm pretty sure he does most things via muscle memory. Cause the thing with Knight was that he had kung-fu skills, right? that's a very mental thing to be able to do. He had to be trained for that. So if Dogman can still do kung-fu or whatever, than either it's because there's a little chunk of Knight still left in his head, or the muscle memory of the body carried onto the dog. I'm sure he probably still needed physical therapy of some kind though, cause like, as you said, brand new body he's working with. My guy has a new center point of balance. He doesn't even have a tail to balance with, for pete's sake. poor dude. It makes more sense as time goes on and he gets used to the change, though

five) George and Harold are reading stuff like Wuthering Heights at this point. If they were allowed to canonly age any more we would be subjected to the most thought provoking psychological material ever. They're gonna make it big in their world.

six) what's Dogman's lifespan looking like? Will he age by human years or dog years?

seven) what about illnesses? How did Dogman's immune system not reject an entire new body? How did Knight's immune system not reject a new head?! Is he more likely to contract dog diseases or human diseases? Could he potentially accidentally be the best place for viruses to mutate?

eight) what would be the most ethical, if Dogman fell in love with Knight's ex-girlfriend, Petey, or Sarah Hatoff's dog Zuzu? That's a fun puzzle to think about.

nine) no idea about the food one. I just. ionknow. Dogs and people are both omnivores. Das all I got

that is all

I've never wanted someone in-universe to look at a character and go "what the fuck did they do to you" until now

(Minor dog-man spoilers but nothing that wasn't seen in a trailer until stated otherwise)

I'm pretty sure everyone's gone through the "I just thought of the concept of dogman for more than two seconds and have decided it's fucked up" phase but its destroying my mind at the moment

Now I know I'm not supposed to read too into it because George and Harold's writing is generally silly and unrealistic unless they're projecting but i'm going to do it anyways.

How does dogman even make noise?? Are the stiches attached by the top of his neck or the base?? Because that drastically changes his vocal range if it's one or the other. I'm assuming it's he's attached to officer knights body at the base of his neck so it makes sense that he can't speak.

Does he need physical therapy??? I'm pretty sure the human body isn't supposed to move like a dog's. We've all seen him move like he would if he was still normal but no matter how natural it feels we're bipedal and he's forcing his body to do quadruped. Would he have to curb his dog behaviors in order to not harm knight's body? (Note: In my eyes, he 100% doesn't see officer knights body as *his*, even though he controls it. It is one of the last things he has of him after all.)

But he does have moments where he just doesn't do that at all and walks and runs like a human should + whatever fighting style he uses. Is he doing these things off of muscle memory from officer knights body?? If so, what the hell happens if he wants to learn something new??

What does his diet look like? We've seen him eat dog food but I'm pretty sure that's not healthy in the long run for a human's body. I don't know anything about serious about biology, but dogs can't eat chocolate because of their stomach, no? So can he taste chocolate for the first time? Does he inherit Knight's allergies??

[Spoilers below the cut, but the general idea is questioning if he can be counted as sapient or not, so buh bye if you haven't watched it yet!]

Most importantly to me, because I really want to enjoy the Detey ship but there's always this question ringing in my head, did he get smart enough to be counted as sapient? The procedure was vague as George and Harold fumbled the specifics but there had to be some neural surgery from his brain to his body right??

It was cute and all, but his interactions with petey, especially after becoming his friend after he recently killed his best friend was a bit concerning in the mental department. I know most of this can be boiled down to "the middle schoolers aren't Shakespeare" but come on lemme overthink about this

I NEED ANSWERS THAT I WONT GET GAAAAAAAAAH

#dogman

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betajams · 6 years ago

Text

i absolutely cannot figure out the whole broken key 2 hint hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

#complaining about keys #deltarune #deltarune spoilers #im actually not sure its if its specific enough to count as a spoiler but??#better safe than sorry!

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certifiedskywalker · 4 years ago

Text

Trouble Doubled - Bucky Barnes

Even after everything, you’re still the person who Bucky Barnes runs to when things go bad. Only now, he brings Sam who fails to hide his grin when he sees how James melts under your touch.

WARNINGS: Blood, stitches, and TFATWS possible spoilers (I think I was vague enough)

“Ouch! That’s going to hurt in the morning!”

“Ha, it hurts now, actually,” Sam grumbled.

You pressed your lips together to stifle the grin that threatened to spill over them. Unable to help yourself, you glanced at Bucky in the hopes he too was biting back a grin. Stood by the door, slightly shrouded in shadow, you could make out the half smile that played on his lips. Though, his expression quickly melted into a grimace as Sam groaned. Reality quickly crashed back down on your shoulders and you turned back to the man laid on the table.

“You’re not going to like this.” Before Sam could ask what ‘this’ was, you began to palpate his wound. He flinched away from your reach at first, but then settled in the discomfort.

“Mm, yeah, no, that doesn’t feel good, Doc.”

“Not a doctor,” you said, still pressing lightly into the bruised flesh. “And I have to make sure you didn’t crack a rib. Otherwise, you’ll need a doctor.”

“Gotta work on your bedside manner,” Sam said as he winced. You pulled your hands away with a sigh and he met your eyes. “Bad?”

“In the grand scheme of things, no. Just try not to throw yourself off a building for the next few days. Think you guys can manage that?”

“Maybe. Harder to fly without jumping first.” Sam groaned once more as he sat up and the pain seemed to convince him to heed your warning. “We’ll try, Doc.”

You rolled your eyes at him before turning to look at Bucky. Still tucked in the darker corner of the room, he seemed small. His brows were knitted tightly together by worry and you imagined that, if he met your gaze, you would see concern in his eyes. Pushed forward by your own worry, you strode over to him. At your growing closeness, Bucky lifted his eyes to yours.

“Your turn.”

“I’m fine, Y/N.”

Despite his protest, Bucky did not lock himself in place. Instead, he gave in and let you lead him by the arm, over to the table. Sam eyed him with a wide grin as Bucky landed in the same spot he had sat in only moments ago. He mouthed something to the century-old soldier that you caught, but could not make out.

“What happened to taking it easy? You told me after, you know, that you would ease into things.” You gestured to the rags you had used to clean Sam’s more minor wounds; the fabric pieces were now dyed a reddish pink from blood. “That doesn’t seem like easing into it.”

“You didn’t see the other guy,” Sam quipped.

“I like to think you didn’t leave any of him left,” you fired back as you pinched Bucky’s chin between your forefinger and thumb. “Look at me.”

Bucky did as you told him to and met your gaze. You took a sharp breath in at the sight of him, at how his pupils blew out slightly as you studied his reaction. All at once, the air around you grew thick. This close, you could smell the sweat and ash on his skin, along with hints of whatever air freshener he had in his apartment.

Was it coconut? Sandalwood? You couldn’t parse out which as you found yourself lost in the blues of Bucky’s eyes. The sound of Sam clearing his throat shook you from your haze.

“No signs of a concussion.”

“Really?” Sam asked, grin still plastered on his face. You raised a brow at him in question before you turned back to Bucky.

“Why? Did you hit your head?”

“No,” he said, clearly tired of Sam’s commentary, “but if I did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Super soldier or not, a head wound is a head wound. Can you?” You gestured to his jacket and, with a sigh, Bucky pulled it off his shoulders.

“How do you two know each other again?” Sam asked, glancing around the room. “And why are we in an abandoned building.”

“Hard to trace us back here. Didn’t want to lead them to Y/N’s place,” Bucky said, tossing his jacket to the side. He winced as he did, and then you saw the blood.

“Barnes!"

With reaching hands, you peeled back the crimson-soaked material of his shirt. Your movement revealed a long gash along his side that, with each breath, sent dribbles of blood to his hip. Sam made a sound of surprise and mild disgust at the sight. You were inclined to agree with another shout, but you were too caught up in how to stop the bleeding.

“Lay back,” you ordered, pressing Bucky’s shoulder. He yielded and you pushed his shirt up to expose the entire length of the wound. “Why didn't you show this to me earlier?!”

“It’s not that bad.”

"You're bleeding," you huffed, "which is pretty indicative of bad, if you ask me. Sam?"

"This is not my battle,” he raised his hands and shook his head. “I know better than to intrude on a lover’s quarrel.”

Neither you nor Bucky spoke up to correct him. In your mind, you came up with a quick excuse: Bucky was bleeding and you needed to focus on stopping it. Sam’s comment could be corrected later. Though, when Bucky didn’t speak up, you felt your chest tighten. As you worked on dressing the gash, you glanced up at him and found his blue eyes trained on you. He was dwelling on your silence too.

You pulled yourself out of the whirlpool of his gaze and reached over his body towards your medical supplies. As you stretched, your chest pressed lightly against Bucky’s, but you swallowed hard and refocused.

“Sorry, need to sow you up.”

Bucky didn’t respond, but he did avert his gaze. He found some spot in the ceiling to stare at instead of you. His distraction allowed you to work without the prickling temptation to sneak glances at his features; for the most part. It was only when Sam moved to stand over at your side you did you look up from Bucky’s wound.

“What?”

“Nothing, just wondering how many times you’ve done this before.”

A bitter laugh slipped past your lips at his reply. “Too many times to count. If it’s not an Avenger, it’s a masked savior from Hell’s Kitchen. Someone always needs stitched up.”

“But James here is your favorite patient?”

“Sam.”

Bucky’s tone set you on edge. It was warning, cold, and unlike the teasing you had grown fond of. Sam, knowing better than to piss him off, backed away from the table. You looked from him to Bucky and back again. When Bucky did not dare to meet your gaze, you felt a lump form in your throat. Tension weighed down your tongue, stopped you from saying a word or asking a question, despite your want to.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be, old man. I’ll check with Torres, see if he has anything.”

Bucky’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above you. He was quiet, like the first time you met, and distant. His gaze seemed far away, as if he were looking through the ceiling of this hideaway. After you heard the door of the room close behind Sam, you went back to work on Bucky’s side in silence.

Carefully, you sowed the gash and tried to keep your hands steady. Every other jab with the needle made Bucky wince. You flinched at his sharp intake of breath and mumbled an apology before you went on to the next stitch. Five apologies later, the bleeding slowed and you gently pressed a crisp, white bandage to safeguard your handiwork.

Immediately after you secured the gauze, Bucky moved to sit up. Before he could, you pressed on his shoulders again and pinned him in place. Though, you knew you couldn’t have pinned him if he hadn’t let you. Your upper body strength was nothing compared to his, you both knew that.

“Don’t move,” you said softly, “you’ll ruin my work.”

“It’s gonna be hard not to.” Bucky met your gaze and, in the dim light of the room, his eyes looked dark, almost sad. Something in his face, perhaps the dull, yet familiar laughter lines around his mouth or the bags under his eyes, alleviated the tension that had silenced before.

“You told me you wouldn’t. That you would take it easy and focus on making amends.”

Bucky closed his eyes at the disappoint that laced your tone. “I tried. I wanted to, Hell, I need to, but I can’t. I never could.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Bucky began to sit up from the table top, “I’m a soldier. I need the fight.”

You watched as he moved, as your hands slipped from his shoulders and fell back to your sides. He pulled his shirt down over his freshly bandaged wound. When he was covered, Bucky looked back up to you, saw your frown and frowned too.

“Soldiers get to come home,” you pointed out, arms crossed over your chest.

“If they’re lucky. I’ve never been lucky.”

You bit the inside of your cheek at that. He was right. Bucky told you his story once before, after a therapy session left him feeling a bit more dry than high. He told you that he couldn’t tell you everything, that he wouldn’t. He didn’t have to, but you still hoped for him.

“Luck can change.”

Bucky scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet. Now, at his full height, he towered slightly over you. Despite his looming figure, Bucky did not scare you. Even when he told you his story, what he had done, Bucky did not scare you.

“Yeah, well, luck, or fate, or whatever, brought me to you and here we are,” he gestured to the dusty dwelling around you. You looked around with a careful eye before you playfully shrugged.

“I’ve been in worse dives.” Bucky chuckled, a unforced sound that rose up from his chest against his will. “Really, I have.”

“I don’t doubt it. But we put you in danger, asking for your help here. I put you in danger.”

“Oh, are you serious?” You threw your hands up in the air, “there’s always going to be danger in this world. Aliens, war, bad luck.”

“I wanted to keep you safe,” he pressed, taking a step towards you.

You could smell the perfume of the air freshener again, how it clung to his clothes. It distracted you, threw you into thoughts of what his apartment looked like, if he would ever share that part of him with you or if he would keep it locked away with his full story. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from asking, from wasting your breath on a question he wouldn’t answer. His words would have to be enough for you and, as if on cue, Bucky echoed his sentiment.

“I wanted to keep you safe.”

“How noble, wanting to keep me safe, Barnes. Just me?”

Silence was your immediate answer. Silence and Bucky’s full attention. You didn’t miss how his eyes flickered down from yours to your lips then back again.

“Just you.”

In the quiet that followed Bucky’s statement, you became frighteningly aware of your heartbeat again. It wasn’t pounding like before, but it felt loud, like it was pressing against your ribcage, begging to leap out and into Bucky’s arms. As if propelled by it, you found yourself leaning in towards his warmth just as he seemed to shrink away.

Before he was out of reach, you lifted your hands to his face and cupped his jaw. Stubble prickled your fingers and palm, though you were far too enraptured to care.

“Then stay alive,” you said softly, “change your luck and come home.”

In your mind, you did not picture Bucky’s home as his mystery apartment. Instead, you saw only this moment captured by some invisible third party. You saw home as just the two of you and the image made you heart beat a bit faster.

“I’ll try.”

“Good.”

For a moment, the two of you just stared at each other, stewed in the new, easier tension between you. But then your resolve broke and you lips broke into a smile. Bucky mirrored your expression, a lopsided grin resting comfortably along his features. His eyes fell to the floor between you before he looked back into your face.

“Can...can I kiss y-”

“Yes, Barnes, please.”

Without wasting another second, Bucky leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. Your hands slipped from his jaw to the back of his head where your fingers tangled in the soft strands of his brown hair. One of his hands found your waist and pulled you close to him, while the other cupped your jaw. In sync, his mouth moved against yours and everything around you melted away.

No more wonderings or mystery. It was only you and Bucky, come danger, trouble, or bad luck; and Sam who lingered outside the door.

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