#obviously there needs to be SERIOUS consequences
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Camp Seventeen: Chapter 3
Pairing - Afab!reader x ot13
Word count - 16K
Genre - Greek Demigod AU! Weâve got crack, smut, fluff , angst, hurt, comfort, all of it in this series, buckle up!
Previous chapter
Chapter summary - As the days in camp seventeen unfold the many burdens you had tucked away in your heart, you dive into the sorrows you had presumably left behind. Thankfully (or not) a musical moment and a menacing monster serve as unforeseen distractions.
A/n - I do have a taglist so comment on this post to be added! As usual, the member and warnings will be added in a weeks time to keep suspense :) This chapter is a bit heavy, the plot is thickening so please do take your time with it - I promise things will make sense eventually!
Special thanks to @monamipencil! Your comments made my day Lola <3
âChief.â Soonyoung took a worried step forward, hand slipping out from yours. âIs everything okay?âÂ
âIf youâre here it's either not serious enough or it's too serious.â Minghao frowned at Seungcheol, crossing his arms. âMy guess is the former.âÂ
âThe camp is under attack.â Seungcheol sighed, running his hands through his hair like he was embarrassed. âOfâŠ.âÂ
âOf what?âÂ
âO-of geese.âÂ
âGeese??â Soonyoung looked at him stupidly. âLike plural of goose, geese?âÂ
âWhat other kind of geese do you know, you dumbass.â Seungcheol rolled his eyes.Â
âI don't know. The kind of geese I know donât attack human establishments??âÂ
âItâs obviously some elaborate prank by the children of Nemesis, considering it's their companion.â Muttering, Seungcheol stuffed his hand in his pockets. âThose winged brats are just wreaking havoc everywhere - theyâve broken all of the farm's tools, theyâve made a mess of the dining hall, theyâve shat all over the houses-â Both boys groaned. â-it's a catastrophe.â
âAre we sure itâs not Jeonghan?â Soonyoung narrowed his eyes. âWe all know how much he enjoys stuff like thisâŠ.âÂ
âJeonghan also loves to watch the consequences of his very well planned antics.â Seungcheol scoffed. âAnd heâs not at camp - he said he was going to the city forâŠ.. something, I donât know but no, itâs not him.âÂ
âIf it's not him then how did these birds enter camp at night?â Minghao raised his eyebrows confused. âThey shouldnât have been able to pass Wonwooâs nighttime defenses.âÂ
âHe says they might have sneaked in during the shift handover. Apparently Hansol and the hounds were the only ones patrolling when he was settling up because Jihoon was busy elsewhere.â Seungcheol looked straight at you, almost accusatorily.Â
What the hell, how was this your fault?
âThereâs no need to look at her like that.â Minghao took a step forward, half covering you behind his frame. âYou should talk to Jihoon about being more responsible with his time.âÂ
âThatâs not the point now.â Watching both men glaring at each other, Soonyoung tried to ease the tension. âWe should be discussing how we can get rid of those menaces.â
âWe've been trying.â Seungcheol groaned. âBut neither Jun nor Hansol are able to communicate with them for some reason. It seems like they are some weird mix of domestic and wild.â
âThat's strange.â Minghao frowned, lost in thought.Â
âSomething does seem off.â Soonyoung agreed. âNot only have they breached Wonwoo's protection but they're also some sort of unheard half breeds? Two anomalies cannot be a coincidence.âÂ
âMoreover, it's not like the children of Nemesis to prank.â Minghao frowned, staring at the ground. âPettiness isn't their nature.â
âWhat other reason could they have to do this?â Seungcheol crossed his arms, muscles tense. âRevenge?âÂ
âMaybe, or it might not even be them.â Sooonyoung looked lost in thought. âSeungkwan and I will speak around with our contacts. Iâm sure we can find out something.â
Seungcheol nodded, âIn the meantime we need to clear them from camp premises before they cause more destruction.â
âThen why aren't you at camp doing that chief?â Minghao narrowed his eyes at the leader. âWhy is it that you're here, like there's more important things to worry about?âÂ
You didnât have to look to tell that Minghao was glancing at you over his shoulder.Â
Soonyoung didn't seem to think his presence was suspicious. âHe's the Son of Zeus, Hao. Geese and him don't really go well together.âÂ
You vaguely recalled Jihoon telling you something in the Iliad about Zeus, geese and the Helen of Troy.
âIs that it?â Minghao raised his eyebrow amused. âBig olâ chief afraid of some feathered friends?âÂ
âIâm here for Soonyoung.â Seungcheol gritted between his teeth. âAnd I asked for the message of the attack to be passed to him alone.âÂ
Your eyes followed Soonyoungâs which focused on the group huddled in the corner - a bunch of the most beautiful people you had ever seen, snickering away.
âFucking Aphroditeâs children.â He muttered knowing all three of you were purposely misled here in the interest of creating a scene.âHow can I help, chief?âÂ
âWe were wondering if your ability to induce intoxication can calm them down so they can be captured?â He looked unsure. âHansol and Jihoon were ready to shoot down the birds but if this really is a prank, we donât want to harm their animals and seek trouble with the other camps.âÂ
âEven though this might be their fault?âÂ
âWe have enough on our plate this season, Soonyoung.â It was very apparent that Seungcheol was trying his best not to meet your eye. âThe last thing we need is more camps to be against us.âÂ
Soonyoung nodded like he understood. âWe should leave then but Chan is too drunk to drive-âÂ
âI got here on Wonwooâs bike.â Seungcheol waved his hand, dismissing the younger oneâs concern. âYou and I can head back first and the rest of the teamâŠ...Minghao, are you sober?âÂ
The man in question nodded.Â
âGood, gather everyone immediately and make sure they reach camp safely, especiallyâŠ.âÂ
Seungcheol glanced at you, his expression a lot softer but the anger you felt for him had not changed.Â
âIâm not leaving yet.â You spoke up for the first time, earning the leaderâs confused look. âI don't want to.â
âAre you drunk?âÂ
âAnd what if I am?âÂ
âItâs a Thursday night Y/n, we have training tomorrow morning-âÂ
âUgh I donât care.â You grabbed a canned cocktail from the nearby table and popped it open, ignoring Soonyoungâs widened eyes. âYour camp, your rules, whatever the hell youâve got going on, I donât care for it Cheol- oh sorry, Seungcheol.â You corrected yourself. âI will leave this party whenever I feel like I want to leave this party.âÂ
âStop being a child.â Seungcheol was clearly holding back his anger. âThereâs enough going on back at camp now for you to-âÂ
âExactly, go deal with it chief. Iâm sure youâll all fare better without the âweak linkâ around.âÂ
âY/n IâŠâ He sighed, watching you drink in big gulps. âFirst of all, you shouldnât be drinking that-âÂ
âCan someone please explain to this man that Iâm not going to listen to him.âÂ
âCheol.â Minghao looked pointedly at his leader who was on the verge of snapping. âIâll bring everyone back to camp safelyâŠ. everyone.â He emphasized again. âYou and Kwon should get going now.âÂ
âYeah.â Soonyoung nodded before turning to you and grabbing the bottom ends of Minghaoâs jacket, aligning them as his voice fell to a whisper. âY/n, thatâs a sex potion too.âÂ
Eyes popping out, you nearly spat out your drink. âI thought it was just the beer??â He nodded. âYeah, so did everyone, hence the improvisation.â He pulled the zip up, adjusting the jacket on your shoulders. âTake care sweetie.âÂ
You nodded, eyes briefly meeting Seungcheol over Soonyoungâs shoulder. He lookedâŠ..indifferent as he stared back.Â
âCome on Kwon.â He muttered, turning away as the Soonyoung dropped a kiss on your forehead before taking a step back and jogging away to catch up with his leader. You only let out a breath as their figures disappeared in the rain that only got heavier.Â
Before you knew it, a familiar feeling began licking up your spine, warmth spreading all over your being just like it had earlier. As you slowly turned to Minghao, embarrassed to meet his eye, he straight up shook his head, looking amused.
âNah uh. Ignorance I can understand but stupidity?â He scoffed. âThat's your problem.âÂ
âMinghao-âÂ
âFight it Y/n.â He grabbed a macaroon, stuffing it in his mouth as he began to walk away from you. âFight it.âÂ
Unlike Seungcheolâs house, the room you woke up in did not have sunlight streaming in.Â
Stretching on the large king size bed, you glanced at the now empty space beside you - the man who had given you company last night was no longer there and rightfully so considering it was way past training hours.Â
Ignoring the pain in your head, you swung your feet off the mattress, glancing out the window. The view is much nicer than Seungcheolâs house - there all you could see were endless trees and hills but here you could see much more of the camp, particularly the common cabin, where everyone was slowly walking towards after hitting the showers. Slightly annoyed and very bothered that yesterdayâs events were about to repeat, you sighed, heading down the stairs, making your way to the dining hall. Unlike yesterday though, no one spared a glance at you as you walked in.Â
You could tell they were all tired - you saw much of the aftermath of the geese ambush as you returned to camp late last night. Considering everything looked normal today, you figured the boys must have spent all night cleaning up before reporting to train in the wee hours of the morning.Â
âY/n,â Mingyuâs voice called out to you from behind as you turned to him. âYou left this in my workshop last nightâŠ.âÂ
As you glanced at the jacket in his outstretched hand, the eyes of the other boys flickered between the two of you.Â
âThat's mine.â Minghao walked up, swooping his garment in his hands as the attention of the room shifted to him. You gulped as he walked away from the hall wordlessly.Â
You figured you should say something considering the silence was only getting worse, maybe apologise for missing training yet again but before you could say it, Seungcheol got up and walked right past you without saying a word.Â
Lips parted, you watched him leave once more, refusing to say anything, refusing to listen to you, simply being stubborn like he always was.Â
Fine, if he was going to be a bitch, so were you. Following his suit, you walked out of the hall in the opposite direction, leaving everyone inside baffled.Â
The heat of the water just wasnât comforting.Â
You knew it was hot, there was steam all around, the tiles of the shower were covered in condensation and designs you had mindlessly traced with your finger. But rather than scalding your skin off, the boiling hot water just felt like a tickle. Annoyed, you turned off the pouring water and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around your body, tucking it in front of your chest. As you ran your hand through your wet hair, you looked at yourself in the mirror.Â
Water was dripping from the wet strands, running down the many darkening, reddish purple marks on your neck and shoulder. You knew they would get darker as days passed but you didnât expect them to look so bruised up already. Running your finger across them you sighed - last night was a horrible mistake. Sure you were under the influence of some messed up concoction but sleeping with more than one member of the camp was ridiculous to say the least.Â
What was more burdensome was the idea that maybe there was more than the concoction involvedâŠ. Soonyoung had broken up with his girlfriend because of you but neither he nor you were sure about what exactly he felt for you and Minghao? You had noticed he was generally protective of you since you had joined camp and thought it was just because he was nice, but the way he pulled you away from Soonyoung every time the two of you were a little more intimate? That did not seem very âgeneralâ.Â
Shutting your eyes, you tried to push the details of last night out of your mind. Thank god you listened to your trainer when he told you to fight it. Otherwise when you asked Mingyu if you could crash at his place in order to avoid Seungcheol and found yourself sharing his king size bed, maybe you would have allowed yourself to make another mistake. You couldn't make another one so soon.Â
Tightening the grip of your towel, you turned towards the changing rooms, slightly startled by the figure that just walked in.
Wonwoo - also in his towel, hanging low at his waist, moving as silent as a shadow as he walked towards the showers. You should have felt exposed, more conscious, given you were barely dressed, and covered in innumerable hickies but you didn't feel a thing. Because Wonwoo hadn't spared you a glance. He walked past you like he couldn't care less, like you weren't there.Â
âWhat is your problem?â
After days of watching this man behave so unnecessarily indifferent to you, you finally spoke up, mind already disturbed by a hundred and one things.Â
âWhy do you always behave like I don't exist?â You crossed your arms, staring him down. âIf you're an introvert, I can understand, Hansol doesn't interact with me much either but at least he doesn't behave like I'm invisible, like he can see right through me-â
âBecause I can.â His voice left him deep and cold as he turned to you. âBecause I can see right through you.â
You scoffed. âWhat-â
âBecause regardless of what you pretend to be in front of others, I can see the real you. I know things about you that you won't even admit to yourself.âÂ
 âWhat-â You emphasised again. â-can you possibly know?.â
âWhat can I know?â He raised an eyebrow. âI know you're a loner Y/n. You've been one your whole life. Your biological parents never cared enough about you, you don't have any siblings, you've never bothered to make friends, you've always been alone.â He took a step forward. âEven though it was circumstances that drove you to loneliness, you always told yourself that it was your choice, that you wanted to be alone because itâs easier that way. Itâs easier to tell yourself that you chose to distance yourself from everyone rather than admit that you were rejected. You knew you would never be accepted. You knew no matter where you were and what you did, you would never fit in. You knew you were a freak.âÂ
Eyes widening, you stared at his nearing figure.Â
âBut now? Now you're finally in a place where you belong. You are finally with your kind but you're still terrified - you're scared that maybe, this isnât where youâre meant to be either. You're scared that if you accept these people and they find out what you really are, they'll leave you too. They'll break the heart you've been safeguarding for all these years.â
Your heart was quite literally in your mouth.Â
âThat's why you rebel. That's why you call this place 'camp' and never âhomeâ. You say things are hard and you're having trouble adjusting but what you're really trying to do is establish that you always are and always will be an outsider - youâre trying to escape the pain that will come when you're finally abandoned. That is why you'll always look for reasons to leave this camp. You'll never let yourself belong, you'll never let yourself become one of those here. So tell me, why do I have to try and bother with your existence when youâre just looking for the first chance to run?â
And somehow, now you could feel the heat all over. It was uncomfortably coursing through your whole body, burning you inside out in a way that made you want to rip out your skin but you already felt so bare, so naked in front of this man.Â
But before any words could leave you at all, Wonwoo took a step back and then another till he retreated out of sight and into the showers. It was only when he disappeared that you finally let out the breath you were holding.
Maybe the more logical thing to do was to dive into the lake before you hit the showers but here you were, stripping into just your inner wear and jumping into the ice cold waters, desperate to cool yourself off. As you submerged yourself further in the waters, you shut your eyes, submerging into the darkness as well.Â
The fire burning inside you because of Wonwoo's words was just not dying. For the first time ever, it felt like you had truly looked into a mirror because every single word that came out of that man's mouth was true. So, so true.Â
And he was right when he said you've never admitted these things even to yourself because you were never really one for introspection. It wasn't like you to explore your thoughts, understand your nature, figure out the intentions of your actions. No, none of that.Â
You were impulsive. You dived head first into things. You made decisions, then considered the consequences. You were reckless, you lived fearlessly, you lived like no one and nothing else mattered.Â
Because nothing else did matter.Â
Ever since you were young, you were on your own. You were not even sure when your mother left you, you had no memories of her and your father? The man who was barely ever present, abandoned you 3 days before your 12th birthday. From then your life had been just yours alone. You worked odd jobs to feed yourself, you worked hard to study, you studied harder to work better and life just went on like that. You didn't have many friends to compensate for the solitude either. Making friends was somehow not very easy for you - how were you supposed to explain the shambles of your life to people? How were you supposed to establish any kind of relationship with anyone when the only ones you ever had, walked out on you?Â
You were better off alone. You were always better off alone.
That was until one incident turned your entire life upside down.
The days leading up to your arrival at camp are still a blur to you. The flames, the masked men, the court, the meeting of dozens of people - it all still felt like a fever dream. But one moment was still very clear in your memory - the moment when you were standing at the shrine of your mother, in front of her statue.Â
Goddess of the hearth, home and hospitality they said. The old man beside you was going on and on about her. About her powers, about what a wonderful woman she was, about how delighted you'd be to meet her.Â
You, though, felt like you were stabbed in the heart you had so carefully locked away.Â
When the masked men revealed the truth of your parentage, when you learnt about your mother, you let that hope in you grow again. You thought maybe with this big secret finally out youâll finally get to meet her. That she would finally be a part of your life.Â
Thatâs why when they gave you a choice at the swearing in ceremony to join camp seventeen or go back to your mortal life, you chose the former. It was for her, it was to be with your mother, it was to finally feel home.Â
But as you stared at her statue, offering your respects after the ceremony, it was like someone was drowning you in cold water. Nothing about the expression on her face felt remotely homely, nothing about her felt warm and loving to you - she did not feel like a mother. Rather she felt cold, distant and unwelcoming, just like you imagined the woman who abandoned you would look like.Â
And with time, you realised your fear was right.Â
Ever since you arrived at camp, all you did was wait. Wait for just one conversation, maybe an explanation, or even just a glimpse. But there was no indication of her. She didnât drop by the camp, she didnât respond to your invocation at the temple, she didn't care at all, just like she hadnât in the last twenty five years.Â
The pain of being re-abandoned was so strong that, with each passing day, it began to gnaw on your insides. The breaking point was perhaps realising that you were her only progeny yet you didn't matter to her. It was a blow you had refused to accept but one that had most definitely broken you internally. You had uprooted your whole life for her, you made this new world yours but at what cost - daily incessant instructions to train, classes after classes teaching you how to fit in, members continually trying to make you feel at home. You didnât want this home, you didnât want these people, you only wanted her.Â
Wonwoo was right, you were never here to be a part of this camp, it was merely a stepping stone to your final goal. You were indeed looking to run.Â
But before you could wonder about how Wonwoo knew all these things about you, a hand wrapped around your waist. In a flash it pulled you out and tossed you onto the bank as you launched into a coughing fit, throwing up water.Â
âWhat the hell Y/n?â A worried voice patted your back. âWhat were you thinking?âÂ
In between your fit, you raised your head to meet the sight of a set of extremely well chiseled abs, rivets of water dripping down them. Gulping you cleared your throat and scooted back, suddenly aware that you were very very minimally dressed.Â
Your saviour Seokmin, looked away from you realising the same as he grabbed the shirt he had tossed into the grass before jumping into the water and handed it to you. Taking it from him, you slipped it on.Â
âWhat is wrong with you?âÂ
âWhat?â You frowned. âI'm fine.âÂ
âYou were underwater for so long, I thought you drownedâŠâ Seokmin muttered, pushing his wet hair off his face. âAre you okay?âÂ
âI'm okay.â You mumbled. You weren't but you knew he wasn't referring to your broken heart.Â
âYou looked distressed.â Or maybe he was.Â
âI just⊠had some thinking to do.âÂ
âWell underwater isn't the best place for that if I'm being honest.â He chuckled. âUnless you're Poseidon's child.âÂ
âWhat, only you have a claim on water?âÂ
âNo, only we can breathe underwater.â He somehow looked embarrassed. âThough I was well into my teens before I discovered that.âÂ
âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âI was terrified of water as a child, wouldn't go near it.â He laughed. âIronic for the Son of the Sea right?âÂ
You scoffed. âA little.âÂ
âWhen my aura got stronger, my father found me and helped me get habituated to the waters, that's how I-âÂ
âYour father?â You gulped, knowing the answer even as you asked him. âYour father as in Poseidon? Poseidon helped you?âÂ
Seokmin nodded like it was obvious. âI was so scared of any kind of water body, he would lure me in with my favourite snacks. As I got older, I stopped falling for such tricks so he took me to Olympus and made sure I was personally trained in those olympic size pools-â
âFucking hell.â You got to your feet, much to Seokmin's confusion, tripping as you did.Â
âY/n careful!â He quickly got up, catching you before you hit the ground again. âAre you okay-âÂ
âNo.â You shook your head.âI am not.âÂ
And with that you walked away from there, body alight with a different kind of fire now. You needed to find someone immediately.Â
âJihoon, we need to talk.â
As you slammed the door of Jihoonâs house open, you were met with silence.Â
This was the first time you were in his residence and somehow if you had to picture how his home looked, it was nowhere close to this. You assumed the son of the Sun would prefer whites or lighter colours but most of the minimal furniture in his house was a dark black, standing out starkly in the small room. But right now wasn't the time for you to ponder about his interiors, there were more important things you needed to talk to him about.Â
Turning on your heel, you shut the door behind you, wandering into this backyard instead. You knew Jihoon had his own personal gym somewhere there and if Soonyoung was right about his tendency to work out, it was highly likely you would find him there.Â
âHi Cow.â You waved at the half asleep animal under the tree, lazily blinking at you. As though it read your mind, it pointed its head towards the small path on the side before tucking its head between its legs and dozing off. You followed its directions, reaching a large tinted greenhouse and when you opened the door you were greeted by two dozen gym equipment. In the middle of it all was the man you were looking for, his bare back facing you as he hung off a bar, pulling himself up with way too much ease.Â
âY/n.â Well it was no surprise he recognised you without even a glance. âTo what do I owe the pleasure?âÂ
âWhy has everyone on camp decided to be shirtless today?â You mumbled, walking in, looking around.Â
Chuckling, Jihoon jumped off, turning to you as he landed. Eyes running down your body, he cocked his head. âIs that why you chose to go bottomless instead?âÂ
And it was only then that you realized you didn't fully dress yourself before storming away from the lake in just Seokmin's shirt.Â
âI was hot.â You shrugged, pulling down the shirt.
âHot you are.â He mumbled, sitting down on the bench, grabbing a pair of dumbells. âThere's way too much heat in your body, which means you're either mad or ovulating and I'm not sure how I can help with either.âÂ
âThe former.â You rolled your eyes. âAnd only you can help with it.â
âGo on.â He sighed, curling the weights, his biceps bulging with every move. Tearing your eyes away, you cleared your throat.Â
âI want to meet my mother.â
âWhich one?â
âHestia.â You crossed your arms. âI have something to ask her.â
âI'm still missing the part where I can help.âÂ
âYou said you'll teach me how to reach out to her.âÂ
âI did.â He grunted, focusing on his workout. âAnd I will, every Thursday at 4-âÂ
You grabbed the dumbbell with surprising ease and put them down before leaning over the man before you, expression threatening.Â
âLee Jihoon, I swear to god, if you don't help me right nowâŠâ
Your words trailed away as his eyes shifted down to your neck, the shirt no longer hiding the bruises that were littered all over it. You glanced down before straightening yourself, taking a step back. Jihoon got up, pushing his hair back, eyes fixed on you.Â
âI justâŠâ You sighed. âI just want to meet her once.âÂ
âThen go to the camp temple and invoke her presence.âÂ
âI have, everyday. She doesnât respond.âÂ
âThen thereâs no way I can help you Y/n.â He grabbed his towel, wiping the sweat off his arms. âOne can only meet Gods if they wish to meet you and I think your mother has made her wishes very clear.â
âI donât care what she wishes.â You spoke between gritted teeth. âAnd you said if I played my cards right, my mother would come looking for me.âÂ
âI also said it would take years of training to become worthy of that.âÂ
âI don't have years, Jihoon. I want to meet her as soon as I can.âÂ
âAnd why the newfound urgency?â He frowned. âWhat changed overnight?âÂ
Wonwoo.Â
âSeokmin said his father taught him to swim, that as a child he took him to Olympus.âÂ
âSo?â
âSo how come my mother never cared, Jihoon? Why is it that she still doesn't?âÂ
âI already told you-â
âI don't buy that.â You shook your head. âHow can a mother be ashamed of having a child? Of her only child?âÂ
âYou'd be surprised.â Jihoon looked at you pitably. âGods aren't like humans.âÂ
âThen let her say that to me.â You took a deep breath. âLet her give me that closure so I can stop losing my mind over this. I just want one meeting with her please, is there really no way?âÂ
âThere is one.â He hummed, crossing his arms, his pecs bulging behind them.Â
âAnd what is that?âÂ
âBy doing a sacrifice.â Â
âSac-sacrifice?â You looked at him shocked. âLike those cult stuff?âÂ
Jihoon rolled his eyes, forgetting just how little you knew about this world. âSacrifice is an age-old tradition made by our ancestors to please the gods, to gain their favours.â He leaned against the treadmill, slipping into his professor role, just like he had yesterday. âAt times of droughts, they used to call on Zeus for rains. When crops were ravaged by pests, Demeter was the one to turn to. When they were at war, Ares was their savior. But,â He sighed. âcalling upon a god was not so easy - it required time and perseverance and procedure-âÂ
âWhat kind of procedure?âÂ
âIt was insanely complex.â Reaching for his bottle, Jihoon began walking out of the greenhouse, you following closely behind. âFirst, men would have to climb to the top of mount Olympus to get holy fire, then they would gather items for sacrifice. Every god has a set of items that they just cannot refuse. Dionysus loves his gemstones, Poseidon will do anything for seasalt. Artemis is harder to please, she likes a very specific kind of wildflower. If one offered enough of these to please the gods, then they would appear and were obliged to extend one favour in exchange. But âenoughâ was where the problem lied.â As he bent down to pet Cow, you stared far off at the horizon, lost in thought. âThe Gods were incredibly difficult to satisfy, it took large amounts for anything to be âenoughâ for them. There were demigods who had spent ages trying to invoke them, even losing their minds in the attempts.âÂ
âThatâs degenerate.â You frowned, as he stopped again, this time to grab a bunch of herbs from the wall of his house.
âIt was.â He began plucking the leaves, grabbing handfuls. âEventually, when the Oracle of Delphi was made in charge of the Demigods, things changed. Any demigod who wished to do a sacrifice had to obtain a scroll from her - the Scroll of Sacrifice. A piece of paper that would explicitly state just one thing that the gods wanted in exchange for a favour.âÂ
Pushing the nearby door open, he stepped in.Â
âSo youâre saying,â You followed him into his house. â-the only way for me is to go to the oracle, get a scroll, sacrifice whatever is needed and then in exchange I can earn her favour and make her answer my questions?âÂ
âTheoretically yes, but in reality,â He shook his head, opening yet another door and walking in. âit wonât be that easy.âÂ
âWhy not?âÂ
âDelphi only hands scrolls to very few demigods, ones she deems worthy and even if she does, they're incredibly difficult - the sacrifice demanded in exchange is almost always impossible to let go.âÂ
âHow hard can it be?â You frowned. âWhat kind of sacrifices do they ask for?âÂ
Jihoon sighed, the incessant questions finally getting to him. âYou do know your weekly classes are for exactly such information right?âÂ
âBut I want to know right now.âÂ
âCan I at least tell you without having you stare at me getting dressed?âÂ
Oh.
Apparently you had walked behind him straight into his dressing room.Â
Muttering an apology, you stepped out as he shut the door behind you.Â
âSo,â You half spun on the balls of your foot. âYou were saying?âÂ
Another one of Jihoonâs sighs reached you before his voice. âThe Gods are not fond of being obliged to hand out favours - that's why they make sacrifices nearly impossible. I heard Apollo asked for a demigodâs sight and the boy fell to his death before he could even ask for what he wanted. Aphrodite made one of her own children give up her ability to loveâŠ.. it drove her to insanity. And one of those who prayed to Zeus has been chained to a rock on an abandoned island for nearly twelve years and he still has five more years to go. There are endless stories like this Y/n and each of them will only tell you not to opt for such madness.â He opened the door, now fully dressed, a pair of shorts in his hand. âHere.âÂ
You took it from him, looking a little stumped. âPlease wear them Y/n. I can barely look at youâŠâ He muttered walking away again and you quickly slipped on the pair that was just a little too big for you. Following him past a room full of what seemed like musical instruments, you walked into a small pantry.Â
âWhat about Hestia?â You gulped, images of her cold face flashing before you. âWhat has she asked in exchange?âÂ
âHonestly, I donât know.â He threw the herbs he had gathered earlier into a motor. âIâve never heard of anyone whoâs really seeked her favour.âÂ
You scoffed. âOf course not, what would they ask her help for? Light up their fireplace?âÂ
Jihoon looked up from the paste he was crushing, slightly miffed. âYour mother is no minor goddess Y/n. She's the caretaker, the protector. Hestia is worshiped in every place called home.âÂ
âHow ironic.â You smiled sadly. âHer own daughter has never had a home.âÂ
âUnfortunately, no god considers it their responsibility to take care of their bastard children.â He looked pointedly at the counter. âSit.âÂ
âWhy?âÂ
âJust sit Y/n.âÂ
âBut why?âÂ
Sighing, Jihoon rolled his eyes and grabbed you by the waist, hoisting you onto the counter effortlessly as you bit back a scream. As though nothing happened, he continued to do whatever it was he was doing while you tried to calm your uncharacteristically racing heart.Â
âIt's also unfair to blame Hestia for not having a home when your mortal parents were the one who were supposed to care for you.â
âI know.â You muttered looking down at your fiddling fingers. âThis may sound insane but finding Hestia might be easier than finding my mortal parentsâŠ. I don't know a thing about them.âÂ
âI know someone on camp who can help-âÂ
âBut I don't want to find themâŠ.yet. I don't know what to ask them.â You looked up as Jihoon pulled out a ladder from the side and began climbing it, reaching for something on the higher shelves. âIâm not prepared to find out if they know the kind of monster I am.âÂ
âWhy would you say that?â He looked at you over his shoulder, frowning. âYou donât even know what your powers are, right?âÂ
You gulped, staring at the floor, mind racing back to a conversation last night........
âTry not to touch anything.â Mingyu warned as you strolled along his workshop in the faint light of the moonlight. âIâm not really sure if any of these are still hot. I donât reallyâŠ. feel heat.âÂ
As if you did.Â
Hanging out with Mingyu wasnât really on your cards today. After Minghao had left you to deal with your little problem on your own, you had silently made your way out of the house and down the street, searching for a pharmacy. It mustâve been a good twenty minute unsuccessful walk before Mingyu, who was driving around on his bike looking for you, spotted you. You told him you were looking to buy some pills for a headache so he offered to drive you to the nearest store. He didnât need to know what you really needed was some plan B. After you had procured what you wanted and he started heading back to camp, you told him to take the longest route possible. While he obliged, you wrapped your arms around his waist and drifted off, not wanting to think about all that was plaguing your mind. Not wanting to think about Seungcheol.Â
But heâs the first thought on your mind the moment the bike halted at the camp gate. You didnât want to see him, not now. Mingyu was generous enough to agree when you muttered wanting to take up his offer to crash in his residence. He didnât question the change of heart, instead he carefully walked you through his workshop, bringing you to the stairs on the other side, leading you up to his house. You though are far too enthralled to follow him.
âYouâve got quite the space here.â You pursed your lips impressed, stripping out of the jacket as he smiled proudly. âMust never be boring.âÂ
âIt isnât.â He admitted. âMaking weapons doesnât take me too long, leaves a lot of time on my hands for other experiments and endeavors.âÂ
âSuch as?âÂ
âI like creating little automations.â He shrugged. âMachinery that allows me to be creative and makes life easier. Like the one that's currently out there chopping up wood, for your house.â
âOh.â You raised your eyebrows looking around. âWhat else have you made?â
âToo many to remember.â He laughed. âBut my best creation is probably my bike. It took months of trial and error. Couldn't have done it without my best buddy.â
âWonwoo?â You had noticed the two were significantly closer than the rest. There was definitely some story there.Â
Mingyu laughed. âYes Wonwoo is the best but no, I'm talking about that little guy.âÂ
He pointed behind you and you turned, finding yourself about 500 meters away from a not so little three headed dog, snarling at you with all three of its mouths, drooling leaking from the edges. You took a careful step back and another, crashing into the chest of Mingyu who had sneaked up to you.Â
âWhat is that?â You whispered, voice shaking just a bit.Â
âThatâs Cerberus, my pet.âÂ
âThatâs a pet?!âÂ
âItâs Wonwooâs actuallyâŠ.. But yes, heâs a pet and heâs really friendly, donât worry.âÂ
âHuh.â You breathed, not believing his words but only relieved cause you noticed he was chained. âAnd he helps you with your experiments?â
Mingyu nodded, steering you away from there, walking you toward his house once more. âCerberus is a very powerful creature - heâs immensely strong, uncharacteristically intelligent and most importantly, heâs my fire source.âÂ
âFire source?âÂ
âThe most important tool for a blacksmith like me is the flame - you see those.â He pointed at big cave shaped structures lined neatly on the edge. âForging presses like that require fires that cannot be ignited by tiny matchsticks. It takes a powerful source to work them, like Cerberus.âÂ
You tensed, just a little. âSo Cerberus can create fire?âÂ
âHe breathes fire.â Mingyu clarified. âCerberus is from the Underworld, like most mysteries in our world. So yeah, he is one of the few creatures that can create fire.âÂ
âC-canât you?â You scratched the back of your head, trying to seem casual. âYou said you donât feel heat so canât you⊠make fire too?âÂ
âDonât be silly Y/n.â Mingyu scoffed. âFire is one of the five natural elements. Even the gods, your mother included, can only control fire, not create it.âÂ
You were right. Even here you were a freak, even here you didnât fit in.Â
None of Mingyuâs excited explanations about the various projects he was working on went into your head. There was only one thing you could think about - You didnât belong here and you needed to leave before everyone realised that.Â
â...and thatâs why I donât have a guest bedroom but donât worry, my bed is king sized.â Mingyu leaned against the stairs with a small smirk dancing on his face. âThough I canât promise I can keep my hands to myself.âïżœïżœ
You rolled your eyes, pushing him to lead the way up. The only thing that gave you comfort as he laughed was the knowledge that if you burned, Mingyu was perhaps the only one who couldnât hurt with your fire......
âY/n.â Jihoon hopped off the ladder looking at you quizzically. âWhere are you lost?âÂ
âIâŠ.â You cleared your throat. âI just meant, I donât know, what if my mortal parents are aware of any kind of powers I might have? What if⊠thatâs what kept them away from me?âÂ
âThen thatâs all the more reason you have to find them.â Jihoon shrugged. âIt would help us-â
âNo.â You firmly shook your head. âJustâŠlet me just talk to Hestia first, everything else can wait.âÂ
âAs you wish.â He held up the bowl of whatever concoction he was mixing, a green paste staring at you. âIn the meantimeâŠâ
âWhat is that?â
âIt's my special ointment for bruises. Makes any and all scars and wounds disappear.âÂ
âIâm not hurtâŠ.â Your voice faded away as Jihoonâs eyes landed on the red, purple and blue trail of hickies on your neck.Â
âAre you sure you want to go around parading the evidence of your threesome last night?âÂ
âIâm not trying toâŠhow do you even know it was a threesome?â
âThose are clearly marked by two different men.âÂ
You rolled your eyes. âIs this another one of your body reading tricks?âÂ
âYes but anyone who knows you were at your first Aphrodite rager last night will be able to guess that much.â Jihoon shrugged, standing right before you. âIn fact, three is a rather small number there, most scenes tend to involve a minimum of five people.âÂ
You felt your jaw hang as Jihoon looked amused.Â
âSo do you want it gone or not?âÂ
âWhy?â You cleared your throat. âYou think I should hide all this in case the other boys make assumptions like yours? That I ought to have some shame?âÂ
âNot shame, I thought you might appreciate some privacy.â He shrugged. âGiven thereâs someone who you have been particularly wary of these days.âÂ
Seungcheol.Â
How did this man know everything?Â
Sighing, you gripped the edges of Seokmin's shirt and pulled it over your head, baring your neck to the man before you. Trying not to smile, Jihoon slotted himself between your dangling legs, pushed the hair off your shoulder, gently tending to your bruises.Â
âIt might sting.â He warned right on time as you grabbed his bicep with your free hand, feeling pain shooting up your nerves as the cold ointment touched your skin.
âBreathe.â He instructed, softly running his fingers along your collarbone. âItâll pass.âÂ
You figured listening to the expert might be better so you did, trying your best to ignore the intimate proximity between the two of you.Â
âWhile we are at it,â You looked away as he blew on your wounds, cold wind caressing it. âDo you also have something for potential STDs orâŠ. You know, ensuring our kind doesnât replicate?âÂ
Jihoon chuckled. âAgain, demigods donât get sick Y/n, STDs donât mean anything to us and we donât âreplicateâ either so thereâs really nothing to worry about.âÂ
Suddenly, every cell in your body stopped functioning. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
Jihoon blinked at you like he was only just realising what he said. âUhâŠ. Demigods are barren Y/n, weâŠ. cannot have children.âÂ
Though you were sitting it felt like the ground had been pulled from under your feet. Like everything around you had stopped. Like everything had ended.
âY/n are you okay?âÂ
How could you be? You just learnt that you could never have children, that you could never be a mother. All your life you didnât have a family but now? Being a demigod had robbed you of your chance to ever have one in the future. You wanted to peel that part away, rip it and throw it somewhere far away, get rid of this side of you that had done nothing but make everything worse.Â
Jihoon seemed to have understood the storm inside you. Or felt it. He was quiet as he grabbed a washcloth and slowly wiped away the ointment, the bruises beneath it starting to look a lot lighter already. As the sting ebbed away, the pain in your heart felt more apparent, coursing through you, hurting everywhere.Â
At that moment your eyes trailed over the soft and sharp features of his face burrowed in concentration, your admiration for it overpowering every other thought.Â
Thatâs it. Thatâs what you needed again. A distraction.Â
Now that his job was done, Jihoon tried to move away but your grip on his arm was like a vice. He glanced at it then at you with a raised eyebrow.Â
âSo you're telling me-â You cocked your head at him. â-even though I let two men cum inside me yesterday and if my prediction is right, another will get his turn today - I'm not at the potential risk of anything?âÂ
Jihoon raised his eyebrow. âNo you're not but pray tell, since when did the daughter of Hestia dabble in predictions? I thought that was in the hands of Apollo's prodigy.âÂ
âIt is.â You ran your hand down his arm, feeling every ridge of muscle under your touch, voice leaving you in a whisper. âThe possibility of my prediction coming true or not is in your hands really.âÂ
Jihoonâs eyes darkened as your tongue darted out to lick your lower lip slowly. Before you knew it, his hands gripped the thickness of your thighs and with a quick jerk he pulled you closer to him, your legs wrapping around his waist. Jihoon looked up at you and you down at him, breaths mingling in anticipation.Â
âI know what you're doing Y/n and I know why you're doing this.â He spoke ever so softly. âBut I'm not a distraction kind of guy so if there's ever a time you really want me, then you'll have me.â
With that he pulled you off the counter and let you lower your legs on to the floor, looking away. Given the kind of tension and the comfort you had grown to have with him and most importantly how unbelievably hard he was, his length right below your ass, you didn't think he'd say no. It was fair, he was allowed to. It wasn't his fault you were looking to jump any given person just to take your mind off things.Â
Nodding, and mumbling a soft thanks for the ointment, you grabbed your shirt and walked past him, only stopping by the corridor to return what was his.Â
âSorry.â Muttering you slid off his shorts and placed it on the shelf beside you.Â
Jihoon surprisingly let out a soft groan. You thought it was because you were suddenly minimally dressed but you noticed his eyes were gazing between your legs, on the wet spot of your underwear. You tried to press your legs closer, suddenly feeling very exposed but all it does is darken the spot, making things worse.Â
âFucking hell.â Jihoon muttered and in a flash you were pushed up against the wall, trapped between it and him, caged by his arms on either side. âI'm only just a man Y/n.â
Your eyes flickered down to his pants, the outline of his hard on starkly visible. âUh huh.âÂ
âDo you still want this?âÂ
You cocked your head, hand running down his chest and over the tent in his pants as you smirked. âI predicted it.âÂ
âAllow me to make a pre-â His words faltered as you squeezed his length. â-prediction as well.âÂ
âBy all means.âÂ
âYou're gonna cum three times before I do.âÂ
âOh really?â You raised your eyebrows and spat into your hand, slipping it past the waistband of his pants, wrapping your hand around his length. âI don't think so.âÂ
âThat'sâŠ.â He half panted, watching your hand do its job, his own hands still against the wall like they were taped to it. âGetting a headstart is cheating.âÂ
âYou're slow.âÂ
âI'm savouring.â He smiled, leaning closer. âI'm in good hands and I know you're soaked. It's only a matter of time before you're begging.âÂ
You chuckled softly as though you were amused by his assumption but true to his words, your walls were already fluttering, clenching around nothing as your legs squeezed together. Jihoon, like the master of reading your body that he was, put his hand right in between, cupping you over your underwear, the pressure of his palm on your clit ever so light. From the soft sigh that left your mouth you both knew you were faring far worse than he was - truly, it was brave on your part to challenge him.
âJihoonâŠ.âÂ
He hums in response as the pace of your hand falters.
âTouch me.âÂ
âI am sweetheart.âÂ
âMore.â You wrapped your free hand around his wrist, breath shaking and Jihoon allowed you to lead him exactly where you wanted him - past the hem of your panties, right where the wetness was pooling between your legs.Â
âGood fucking godâŠâ He swore like he didn't expect you to be this drenched. What a funny guy. What did he think was gonna happen when he was this undeniably hot?Â
You on the other hand expected him to be a tease, to draw this out, to make you beg. But to your complete surprise, he wasted no time in sliding two thick digits in, making you squeeze his length at the sheer stretch of the intrusion.Â
âSweetheart, you're gonna kill me.â He muttered, shutting his eyes tight.Â
You wanted to apologise, you really did but whatever words were leaving your mouth didn't seem to be making any sense. Not when Jihoon was picking up the pace, taking turns pumping, curling and scissoring his fingers inside you. You felt your back arch on its own, head thrown back as an unholy moan left your being. Fuck he was right, you cannot possibly think of anything else now - this man was capable of turning you into a complete wreck before you could even get a moan out of him.Â
âYour bruises have nearly disappeared.â He noticed with your neck bared to him once again. âIt was prettier marked.â
âMark it then.â You panted, composing yourself, getting back to stroking him again. âDo whatever you want.âÂ
And that's enough to break his resolve, as you felt his fingers slowing down while his teeth ran across the skin of your shoulder. Taking advantage of his momentary fixation, you ran your thumb across his slit, feeling the precum spill onto your fingers. Jihoon groaned, his mouth getting more aggressive on your neck as you gripped his bicep again, sinking your nails into it.Â
Fuck, there it was.Â
That tightening in the pits of your being, there it was, slowly climbing as you felt your legs starting to shake and Jihoon smirking against your skin, reading all the signs like he knew your body inside out. Thank god he could because just when you needed it, he slid in another finger and curled them up, reaching that sweet spot that had you instantly snapping, falling apart. Â
He stilled his movements as you convulsed around his fingers, holding onto him tight but before you could even come down from your high, he started moving again.
âJi⊠Jihoon.â You whimpered, chest heaving. âFuck fuck fuck.âÂ
And before you know it your barely ebbed orgasm blended into a second one and you were practically gushing out into his hand.
âDamn sweetheart.â He smiled at you like he was a little too pleased with himself. âYou're an easy one.âÂ
Excuse me?Â
You could barely get a hold of yourself but that wasn't the most pressing matter - how dare he dismiss you so easily?Â
Given your mouth was dry you swallowed on nothing, and shoved him back with just a small push. Jihoon looked at you confused initially, then his eyes widened as you dropped to your knees and he realised what you were up to. But just as your hand reached the waistband of his bottoms and he pushed the hair off your face, more than ready to fuck your mouth, a loud sound rang through the silence of the afternoon.Â
âShit.â Jihoon muttered pulling you up. âThat's code purple.â
You groaned. âWhy are there so many fucking colours?âÂ
Frowning, he threw you your clothes before leading you to a small basin to wash your hands and his. âWe need to go. Itâs an emergency team meeting.âÂ
As he scurried around grabbing his things, his bow and arrows to be specific, you dressed yourself once again, watching him. Guess neither of your predictions were coming true after all.Â
Noticing you were still lost in your thoughts, Jihoon sighed and grabbed you by the hand, leading you out of his house and to the dining hall of the common cabin where apparently all team meetings were held.
When the two of you had reached, thankfully only Soonyoung and Seungkwan were there and though their expressions were full of questions, they asked none. Before you knew it, everyone had gathered and whispers going around as they settled in their seats but the moment Seungcheol raised his hand, they died down.
âWhat's the matter?âÂ
Seungkwan nodded at Soonyoung who stood up, looking around.Â
âKwan and I sent some messages out today asking about the geese attack last night.â He shook his head slowly. âIt seems no camp is responsible for it.âÂ
Minghao spun the blade in his hand with a frown. âSo it wasn't a prank or an act of retribution?âÂ
Seungkwan shook his head. âConsidering how we all thought their nature was odd, Hansol connected us to some Hunters of Artemis.â He laid out a map with four red crosses. âThey gave us four locations where birds like this were sighted.âÂ
âSo this was just like any other animal attack?â Seokmin leaned back, looking relieved.Â
âI'm afraid not. It may or may not be a coincidence but the Hunters also claim that all four locations have been frequently exhibiting very high energy signals, signals that might belong toâŠâ Seungkwan gulped. âThe Chimaera.â
A strange silence descended upon the room as glances were exchanged. You looked at Jihoon questioningly but he looked troubled.Â
âThe fire breather.â Chan let out a low whistle. âIt hasn't been heard of in centuries.â
âIt seems to be on the move off late.â Hansol tucked the arrows he was polishing into his quiver. âIt's hunting.âÂ
âAnd I think the geese are its agents.â Soonyoung pointed out. âGeese have always been symbols of vigilance and surveillance. Whatever the Chimaera is hunting, I think it's using the birds to trace it. That's why neither Jun nor Hansol could understand them, because they aren't wild or domestic - they're monsters.âÂ
âChan,.â Seungcheol straightened himself. âAlert Olympus, tell them we need troops-âÂ
âIt seems Olympus assigned the hunt to Artemis, â Seungkwan added. âAnd you know how the Hunters function. Their goal is to capture the beast, not kill it so they have been taking their time to strategize.âÂ
âWell we can't wait for them to figure things out.â Jeonghan stared at the map on the table, a hundred things running in his mind. âWe're going to have to hunt the monster on our own.âÂ
âUs?â Minghao looked around. âDo you even understand how powerful the creature is-âÂ
âShould we just sit back and wait for it to attack the camp then?â Jeonghan raised his eyebrows. âBecause whatever it's looking for is here and monsters aren't patient creatures.â
âI know, but-âÂ
âMinghao.â Seungcheol interrupted, warning. âJeonghan is our strategist, we'll let him decide what's best.âÂ
Minghao nodded begrudgingly as Jeonghan pulled the paper towards himself, Soonyoung handing him a pen.Â
âWe'll split according to our assigned partners.â He began drawing out lines and scribbling names. âSeungkwan and Soonyoung, you two head to the demigod union in the city and alert them, in case we need back up. Minghao and Jun, I want you both here for camp protection, Mingyu and Wonwoo as wellâŠâ He looked thoughtful. âIf the Chimaera decides to attack the camp in our absence, Cerberus is the only chance we have against it.âÂ
As all four boys nodded, Jeonghan turned to the rest.Â
âThe remaining of us will go to the four locations. Everyone will use an energy reader and find the location of the Chimaera. Once youâve narrowed down its location, alert the team to gather for a hunt. Any foolishness such as going after the monster on your own will not lead to punishment because you'll already be dead.â He glanced around. âIs that understood?â
Mummers of agreement echoed in the room.Â
âJihoon and Hansol, you two head to the one in the south, that's the biggest area but your hounds should help cover it. Joshua and I will head east, Chan and Seokmin will head west and SeungcheolâŠ..â His eyes landed on the leader who was very evidently shaking his head. âSeungcheol and Y/n, you two will head north.âÂ
You looked at Jeonghan in disbelief.Â
âHan,â Seungcheol spoke before you could say anything. âI don't need a partner, I've always been a lone hunter-âÂ
âThat was because we were an odd number of members. But now there's 14 of us so Y/n will go with you-âÂ
âIt's a dangerous mission and she's untrained.â Seungcheol spoke between gritted teeth. âShe will be better off in camp-â
âShe will be safer with our strongest warrior.â Jeonghan argued back. âYou cannot always be team leader Cheol, learn to be a team player. Y/n will accompany you.â
âNo I wonât.â You shook your head. âI have no interest in being where I am not wanted.âÂ
âY/n, it's not a choice.â Jeonghan sounded tired. âI'm the strategist and this is an order-âÂ
âI don't care.â You got up, firm about your decision. âI'm not going anywhere with this man.âÂ
And with that you stormed away from there, ignoring the faint voice of Jeonghan who sighed and continued giving instructions.Â
âWe leave tomorrow at daybreak.âÂ
You stared at the schedule in your hand wondering why on Earth you hadn't looked at it before you stepped into the classroom. Admittedly all your time went in washing up, changing your clothes, grabbing lunch and rushing for your afternoon lesson, but you should have noticed what was in store for today.Â
Friday - Quest Strategy (Choi Seungcheol, Yoon Jeonghan)
And you didn't want to see either of them right now.Â
But before you could grab your things and leave the room to make it seem like you were never here in the first place, Jeonghan arrived, standing against the door, watching you pack up.Â
âYou need to stop running away from everything.âÂ
As he walked in, you looked up, rolling your eyes. âAnd you need to stop interfering in my life.âÂ
âMy decisions as strategist aren't personal Y/n, I do what's beneficial for the camp and its members.â He leaned against the board. "Accommodating your individual preference is not a part of my job profile.â
âOkay, that's great, then be prepared for only one of us to come back alive tomorrow.âÂ
Jeonghan rolled his eyes at your dramatic statement. âWhat happened between the two of you?âÂ
You scoffed at him. As if you were going to tell him.Â
âSeungcheol has been my comrade since we were teenagers, I know him better than anyone and I know for a fact that he's not the villain you're making him to be.â
âOh he's not?â You crossed your arms. âOkay then explain why when I was throwing myself onto him for days, he kept avoiding me but the moment I walked away from him, he came chasing? And did the man at least go through with that? No, he decided to leave me hanging yet again and then he behaved like everything that's happening is my fault?â You threw your hands in the air. âNo apology, no explanation, he just continued to avoid me and when I finally got him out of my mind, then he decided he wanted to talk to me? I didn't want to, but he couldn't even respect my space and ended up coming to the party andâŠ.âÂ
âAnd?â Jeonghan looked curiously.Â
âAnd I think he knows that I slept with SoonyoungâŠ.â You didn't meet Jeonghanâs eyes. âand Minghao.âÂ
Jeonghan hummed, nodding his head, taking in all the information, as you added quickly.Â
âBut it was only because all of us were under the influence of aphrodisiacs-âÂ
âThat's irrelevant.â Jeonghan waved his hand. âWho you choose to be with and what you choose to do is entirely your choice. But you think Seungcheol is mad about that?âÂ
âI'm not sure. I have a feeling he is.â
âThat's not right.âÂ
âNow you see my point?â
âI didnât say he wasn't stupid.â Jeonghan rolled his eyes. âBut I still stand by the fact that he's not a bad person.âÂ
âOkay mate, you need to get your head out of your bestie's ass.âÂ
Jeonghan laughed, shaking his head. You expected him to say something snarky but his expression slowly turned serious.Â
âDo you know why you're in Camp Seventeen Y/n?â
âBecause I'm a demigod?â That was perhaps the first time you had said that out loud.Â
âYes but why this camp?â
âThe Oracle assigned me.â
âPartly.â Jeonghan nodded. âThe Oracle of Delphi only assigns demigods to camps that are willing to take them. Seungcheol was the only leader willing to take you.âÂ
Your lips parted in surprise as Jeonghan continued.Â
âDo you know what was supposed to happen the night you were kidnapped and brought to the court?âÂ
You shook your head.Â
âYou were going to be attacked.â Jeonghan let out a deep breath. âThe sudden activation of your aura after years of dormancy seemed to have drawn in a lot of attention. Days after your little incident, Olympus sent out a report that the levels of monster activity in the city were unprecedentedly high. They said there was a large influx of monsters and we had to be alert but I don't think so. Especially not after what we learnt today.âÂ
âWhat do you mean?â
âIt's not monsters but one monster that came to the city.â Jeonghan looked at you keenly. âI think it was the Chimaera and I think you are what it's hunting.â
The things in your hand slipped and hit the floor with a thud. You?Â
âYou mean⊠I'm the threat in this camp?â
âYou're the one in danger.â He corrected. âBut yes you are the threat and more importantly, Cheol knows that. He always knew that. It was evident from the start that you were a monster magnet, that you are some kind of anomaly and that making you a part of our camp would only mean more danger but he said it didn't matter. He said as long as someone needed to be saved, he would do it. He said he would be your protector and that's why you're here Y/n - because Cheol made the choice to safeguard you.â
You blinked at a loss of words.Â
âEven yesterday, when the geese attacked and we didn't know what was happening at the party, his first instinct was to check if you were okay. That's why he came to the rager. Thatâs also why he's been so frustrated, why he doesn't want you to accompany him tomorrow. Your safety is his first priority.âÂ
Letting out a deep breath, you ran your hand through your hair, internally beating yourself up. You had no idea.Â
âWill Seungcheol be coming for the lesson today?â
Jeonghan shook his head. âI don't think so, he's busy at Mingyuâs workshop, preparing for tomorrow, like you should be doing too.âÂ
âI can't possibly learn anything by tonight that'll help me tomorrow.âÂ
âYes you can.â Jeonghan walked up to you. âWe can try and understand why the Chimaera is after you. We can discuss your lawsuit considering it was the root cause of everything and see if it gives us any answers. Let me just call Wonwoo and-â
âAbsolutely not.â You quickly grabbed all your things again. Wonwoo was still on the list of people you didn't want to meet. âI need to find Cheol first.â
And with that you swung your bag over your shoulder, rushing out of the classroom, leaving a sighing Jeonghan behind.Â
When you reached Mingyuâs residence, Seungcheol was indeed in the workshop along with a couple of camp members, inspecting the weapons for tomorrow. Immersed in their discussion they didn't notice your presence until you stepped in and Cerberus let out a low growl, his eyes following you.Â
âY/n.â Mingyu jogged up to you, looking concerned. âWhat are you doing here?âÂ
âIâŠâ You gulped looking at Seungcheolâs back. âI was hoping to talk to Cheol real quick.âÂ
âWe're in the middle of a meeting, I'm not sureâŠâÂ
âPlease Mingyu, it'll be quick.âÂ
âI can ask him but-â
âGyu.â Seungcheol looked over his shoulder. âWhat's the matter?â
âY/n is here,â Mingyu raised his voice. âShe wants to talk to you.â
As lightning ripped across the sky, Seungcheol let out a deep breath âSend her away.âÂ
And for the nth time you could hear your heart breaking because of Seungcheol.
 âSeungcheol I just want to apolo-â
âI don't want to hear it.â He turned to you, voice hard and gaze unforgiving. âPlease leave.âÂ
Mingyu looked at you apologetically as did the other members, Jihoon included. Taking a step back and then another you walked out, the low grumbles of the thunder not louder than the thumping of your heart.Â
Sometimes you really had to remind yourself that Natalie was in fact a pig and not a dog.Â
You tended to forget given how much she liked to be taken on walks and sniff everything around. Today she took you from Seungcheolâs house to Mingyuâs to Seungkwanâs to the common cabin and finally to the temple where she found a spot of wet mud and decided to roll in it. That was until she spotted Wonwoo walking by, perhaps heading to secure the camp's borders for the night, given it was nearly dusk. You looked away from him but your pet decided to jump up and follow him like she always loved to do.
Sighing, you walked over to the area designated for campfire and sat on one of the logs, picking on the chips of wood nonchalantly. When the cold wind of the evening caressed your skin, sending shivers down your spine, you looked around, making sure no one was watching you. Realising you were all alone you waved your hand, watching the flames dance on your palm before they floated over to the wood in the middle, lighting the campfire. You stared at the orange flames, Jeonghan's words ringing in your head again - I think you're what it's hunting.Â
It couldn't be a coincidence. A powerful monster, a fire breather that had been quiet for centuries, wanting to find you of all people. That couldn't be a coincidence. Was it possible the Chimaera knew something about you? Did it know why you were such a freak?Â
And why did Seungcheol choose to protect someone like you? Why won't the man just let you hate him peacefully? He just had to be so righteous and brave and goodâŠ. But if he cared about you so much, why did he always pull away? Why did he never reciprocate?
It seemed like life only liked to throw questions at you, never any answers. You were too tired for all this. You just wanted to stop thinking. You just wanted this day to end and let yourself be taken away by sleep so you could forget all this. You just wanted some peace.Â
As though the universe hated you, at that exact time, Jihoon walked out of the temple, hands shoved in his pockets, mind clearly elsewhere. You were thankful he hadn't noticed your presence and had almost left the premises busy in his own world until he suddenly stopped at the edge of the trees, turning back to see you.Â
As your eyes locked his, he sighed walking back to you, sitting just over a foot away. He didn't say anything and you didnât know what to say.Â
âYou're nervous.â He pointed out. âYour heart is racing.âÂ
You shook your head exasperated. âDo people tell you how annoying it is to be around you?â
âNot quite.â He chuckled. âI don't like being around people.â
âWhy am I the exception?âÂ
âYou came looking for me.âÂ
âYou literally just came and sat next to me.â
âI meant earlier.âÂ
âI'm talking about now.âÂ
âI justâŠâ He sighed, turning to you. âI just wanted to say, donât take whatever Seungcheol says to heart. He has too many pressures on him as leader, especially in situations like this-âÂ
âYou know, that excuse is getting very overused. Is his consistent dismissal of me justified just because he's a busy, important man?âÂ
âIt's not.â Jihoon shook his head. âBut I thought you should know - his heart was racing just as fast when you came to talk to him. It always is around you.â
You scoffed, tired of people telling you the same thing.Â
âAll that tachycardia could be pathological. He should get himself checked-âÂ
âThere's clearly something he's unable to tell you, some reason for why he is the way he is.â Jihoon justified. âGive him a chance to explain himself.âÂ
âI have to give him a chance?â You looked at him incredulously. âDid you not see how he sent me away?â
âYes I did, it was the same way you ran away to a party when he wanted to talk.â Jihoon rolled his eyes. âIf you both just keep being idiots like this, things are never going to get better.âÂ
âHonestly things donât have to.â You tugged on the sleeves of your shirt. âIt's not like we are star crossed lovers or something. This infatuation or crush or whatever it is, it will eventually die down. All I hope is for us to at least be courteous with each other but he can't even seem to do that.âÂ
Jihoon stared at the ground. âAre you trying to convince me or yourself?âÂ
That was a question you didn't have an answer to. So you ignored it.Â
âI just want us to be pleasant over tomorrow's hunt, that's all. But something tells me things might just get a whole lot worse.âÂ
âAre you making predictions again?â Jihoon chuckled. âHave you still not learnt that you're horrible at it?â
âHey, that's not fair.â You laughed along. âBesides, the day is not over yet.âÂ
âOh you still think you stand a chance with me?âÂ
You narrowed your eyes at his laughing self. âI didn't say it had to be you. But you said you could make me cum thrice - I only came once.â
âTwice.âÂ
âOnce.âÂ
âYou're forgetting that I can read your body.â He cocked his head at you. âTwice.âÂ
âWhatever.â You rolled your eyes. âStill less than three.âÂ
âYou and I both know if I wasn't interrupted I could've done it.âÂ
âNot true.â You shook your head. âIf I blew you, you didn't stand a chance.âÂ
âHow ever will we know which of us is right?âÂ
He looked at you, something darker swirling behind his eyes and it made your insides twist. There was a way to find out and given how empty you had been feeling since earlier, maybe you would have, if only Seungwkan didn't walk over, settling down on the log across yours. Although Jihoon and you were already sitting apart, the two of you moved further away.Â
âNatalie is sleeping in Jun's barn apparently.â Seungkwan informed. âWonwoo has too much to do today - There won't be a shift handover tomorrow since Hansol and Jihoon will be heading for the hunt.âÂ
You nodded, not really understanding because you didn't really bother to actually. Your mind was entirely elsewhere, wondering about other possibilities.Â
âWe uh should probably sleep early since, you know,-â You got up swinging your arms. â-big day tomorrow.âÂ
âYeah.â Jihoon followed your suit, slowly standing. âBetter get good rest.âÂ
Seungwkan nodded, glancing at Hansol who was walking over, âYou two go ahead, the two of us need to have a little chat.âÂ
You nodded as the man in question sat beside Seungwkan, poking the fire with a stick, avoiding your eyes as usual. Unbothered, you turned to Jihoon, catching him already looking at you.
âJihoon can I-âÂ
âY/n do you-â
Both of you looked at each other, gulping.Â
âI uhâŠâ You tried yet again to feign casualness. âI wanted to ask for the ointment you gave me earlier, for bruises. I⊠have many mosquito bites.âÂ
âRight.â He scratched his head. âI was going to offer you the same.âÂ
âOh good.âÂ
âYeah good.âÂ
Seungkwanâs eyes flickered between the two of you but it was only when Hansol looked up that you realised just how suspicious this must seem. Waving an uncharacteristic bye, you quickly left, Jihoon following at a considerable distance as you made your way to his residence.Â
The events of earlier today repeated in a similar fashion - Jihoon plucked a few herbs and walked into his house. You followed him, straight into his pantry this time considering neither of you needed a change of clothes. He proceeded to grind up the greens in a paste as you leaned against the door, watching the strong muscles of his back. Fuck youâd love to run your nails down that.Â
âWhat are we doing Y/n?â Finally stopping whatever he was doing, Jihoon gripped the edges of the counter, his expression unseen.Â
âI donât know what you are doing.â You shrugged. âI am just here to prove I was right.âÂ
Chuckling, Jihoon turned to you. When he saw you slowly unbuttoning the shirt you had donned, his eyes darkened. âStraight down then left.â He turned back to whatever he was doing. âWait in my room.âÂ
Pulling your shirt off your shoulders you threw it at him, letting out a giggle and walking away.Â
âI donât like to wait!â You announced, following his instructions. Almost.Â
On the way your eyes fell on the music room you had seen earlier, legs instinctively taking a detour. There were all kinds of instruments in there - banjos on the wall, guitars lined up beside the drum set. There was a large grand piano too and a huge computer with all kinds of equipment around. It was impressive to say the least.Â
âI said left, not right.â Jihoon walked in, one hand shoved in his pocket, another holding on to a strange, black drink.
âYou have a recording studio here.âÂ
âI would say you're observative but it's pretty obvious so that would be an overstatement.âÂ
âHow do you power these?â You turned to him. âWithout electricity?â
âWell youâre analytical, Iâll give you that.â He let out a small laugh before he explained. âIâm the Sunâs progeny - a little solar energy goes a long way.âÂ
âSo all of these work?â You looked around surprised. âCan I listen to something youâve made?âÂ
âI donât think weâre close enough for that.âÂ
You rolled your eyes. âBut weâre close enough for you to have your fingers in me?âÂ
âYou asked for it.â He shrugged. âAnd Iâm a giver.âÂ
Laughing, you ran your fingers across the piano. âCan you at least play something for me?âÂ
Jihoon looked at you for a solid minute before he let out a resigned breath. Setting the drink down on the counter, he grabbed a saxophone from the wall and aligned it with his mouth. You leaned against the piano, urging him to continue with the tilt of the head.Â
As the sultry sound of his melody rang through the room, you found yourself swaying to it - it was a good piece, a sexy one that definitely worked to set the mood. But you had ways you could do that on your own too.Â
Nearing him, each step matching the rhythm of the music, you ran your hand along his groin, feeling his erection already waiting for you. Smirking to yourself you got on your knees before him, hands working on his waistband and surprisingly, you heard him mess up a note.Â
âUh oh.â You tutted, looking up at him. âNo mistakes, no fumbling or Iâll stop.âÂ
Jihoon tensed under your touch, continuing to play his piece, facing turning red but the melody not stopping. Unzipping his pants, you just about leaned in to give the bulge in his underwear a butterfly of a kiss when you felt a chill run down your body. Something was wrong.Â
As though youâd lost all sense of autonomy, you could feel yourself moving back, sitting on your heels, your hands proceeding to unclasp your bra instead. Sliding it down your arms and throwing it away, you got up and shimmied out of your shorts and underwear in one go. You gulped as Jihoon watched you sit on the black couch across him, breaths shallow and fast, chest heaving because this wasnât you - you somehow had no control over your body. You didnât mean to pull your legs up and spread them open or run your fingers along your slit, or slide them into your wet hole as though you were putting on a show for him. Yes you felt good but none of this was you.Â
Jihoon watched with hooded eyes as you pumped your fingers in and out, free hand moving up to squeeze a boob. Everything moved to its own accord, working you up with a vigor you would have never used on yourself, the sound of the wetness and your moans almost drowning out the song. Your back arched as you felt everything tense, but your eyes did not leave Jihoonâs who finally could not take it anymore, setting the sax aside, leaning over you.Â
His own fingers found your clit, rubbing onto it in a way that unmistakably tightened the coil in you. Whimpers left your mouth and though it felt like you were in control of yourself again, you couldnât stop. Not now, not when you were feeling so good, not when you were so closeâŠ. Not until Jihoon whispered.Â
âCome on sweetheart, cum for me.â
And you did, around your own fingers, eyes seeing white as he continued to tease your clit, a groan rumbling across his chest.Â
âWhaâŠâ You panted, slowly coming down from your high, arousal leaking out of you. âWhat the hell just happened?âÂ
âThat-â Jihoon smirked, straightening himself. â-was my prediction coming true.âÂ
âBut why could I⊠why could I notâŠâÂ
âControl yourself?âÂ
You nodded.
âBecause the song you just heard is what we call Apolloâs Anthem.â He cocked his head at you victoriously. âIf mastered, the one who plays it can make anyone dance to their tunes, like you just did.âÂ
âThatâŠ.â Your eyes widen with realization. âThat was you? Making me do all that?â
He nodded.Â
âNow that's cheating.â You huffed, pulling your legs together, pressing them. âI demand a rematch. We're gonna have to redo-âÂ
âNext time.â He fisted the material at the back of his neck and pulled his shirt over this head. âRight now there's another prediction we need to work on.â
You furrowed your eyebrows as Jihoon stripped out of his pants, baring himself completely given he had gone commando underneath.Â
âFor fucks sake, I've been hard since the afternoon and there's nothing I can think other than cumming inside you.â
A triumphant smirk danced across your lips as you leaned back, watching his callously stroke his length.Â
âYou know, I had my fill with three orgasms today and I'm quite exhausted. I see no reason I have to indulge.âÂ
Jihoon blinked at you. âDidn't you want to be proven right?âïżœïżœ
âNope.â You shook your head. âMy math teacher always used to say, the truth never needs to be proven, it always reveals itself. He was a hot man, now that I'm thinking about him, very irresistible.âÂ
âCan we please not talk about your hot math teacher while I'm jerking off?â Jihoon groaned. âNow I'm thinking of my math teacher and he was a gnome of a man.âÂ
You laughed, watching as he picked up the pace, desperate to finish himself.Â
âIs your right hand satisfying enough?âÂ
âNo but I'll have to settle for imagining it's you.â He whimpered. âAlbeit it's not even close to how tight you were.âÂ
You hummed, suddenly feeling both pity for him and curiosity as to just how much a dick as thick as that could stretch you out. âDo you still want to fuck me?âÂ
âWhy is that still a question?âÂ
âI'll allow it.â Spreading your legs again, you ran your fingers along the folds again, this time wantonly, smearing the remnants of your previous orgasm all over. âBut only because you've to hunt tomorrow and I don't want you to be distracted, thinking about dicking me down-.âÂ
âStop talking and move over.â He muttered and finally you listened, shifting to the side as he sat beside you. Wasting no time, he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you into his lap, his dick grazing against your clit, sending a jolt down your body. As you held his shoulders, he pumped himself a few times before aligning the tip right at your hole, dragging it along the wetness agonisingly slowly.Â
âJihoon for god's sake, just put it in.âÂ
âSay you want me to fuck you.âÂ
âYou want me to fuck you.âÂ
Your bratty-ness was met with a painful spank on the ass.Â
âSay it.â He rubbed the area softly, before spreading the cheeks, the head of his dick ever so slightly entering you. âSay you want this as much as me.âÂ
You tried to chase that feeling, sink further down his length, but his grip was strong and unnerving.Â
âFuck Jihoon please.â You whined as his mouth wrapped around your nipple, sucking it. âLet's just do this already.â
âCanât hear you.âÂ
âJihoonâŠâ You begged as he pulled out, leaving you clenching around nothing.Â
âWalls are soundproof sweetheart.â He reached up, nuzzling your neck. âLet me hear you.âÂ
âFor fucks sake, fuck me already Jihoon!â You babbled, desperate to not lose the feeling of him sliding into you again. âFuck me, fuck me, fuck me-âÂ
âRide me.â He whispered, pushing you down on his cock, the sheer thickness of it nearly splitting you open. âGod you're so tight.âÂ
âAnd you're so big.â You moaned, as you bottomed out on him, feeling every inch of his thickness against your fluttering walls.Â
Jihoon allowed you to adjust to his length, mouth working on marking your breasts instead but when you began involuntary squeezing him he pulled away, biting his lip like he couldnât take it anymore.Â
âY/n....â He mumbled, fingers gripping your waist tighter. âMove.âÂ
And you did, like your life depended on it, knees digging into the couch taking support. With his hands sliding down to your ass again, he helped too, bouncing you on him with a pace you could not have managed on your own. You threaded your fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck, head thrown back, guttural moans leaving you. Jihoon seemed to enjoy all of it, the way you sounded, the way you felt around him, the way you gripped his hair as your core began to tighten threateningly. You could tell from the way he chose to hold you in place instead, thrusting himself up into you and your arousal dripping down his length filthily that you were close but he was far from ready for this to be over.Â
Oh this was going to be a long night.Â
âY/n wake up.â It was the soft shaking that drew you out of your sleep. âItâs nearly dawn.â
Jihoonâs face hovered over yours, looking tense. You stretched awake, blinking your eyes open, looking around - you were still in his music room, lying on his couch. You mustâve slept here last night, you didnât even realise when you went into a deep slumber. From all the bedding on the floor you figured Jihoon crashed in here with you despite having a room of his own in his own house. Slightly thankful that he was gracious enough to not leave you alone, you sat up, pulling your hair into a bun.Â
âThe boys are done washing up if you wish to hit the showers.â He gathered the remaining of your clothes on the floor, which was really just your bra and handed it to you. âYou should also eat something. We skipped dinner last night.âÂ
Of course you did.Â
Youâd never had sex this intense before last night. You vaguely remembered cumming nearly three more times - once while you were riding him, right before he emptied his load right into you and two more before he pulled you off him and had you on your knees on the couch, your ass and his cum dripping out of you on display for him as he fucked you and filled you one more time. After that, right before you faded into a deep sleep, you also recalled him cleaning you, handing you that black drink from earlier and helping you get dressed - eating was not even on your agenda before you passed out.Â
But now admittedly, you were hungry and also in desperate need for a shower so you swung your legs off the couch and got to your feet. Taking a step was particularly difficult though, given how sore you were.Â
âHere.â Jihoon handed you a glass of the same potion. âItâll help with the pain.âÂ
Muttering a small thanks, you downed the bitter juice in one gulp. As you returned the glass he handed you a small box of a very familiar green ointment, looking pointedly at your neck. Apparently he had given you his own set of the very bruises he had healed yesterday. Scoffing, you took it from him, walking away, towards the main door.Â
âAre you okay?â He asked from behind as you nodded, looking over your shoulder.
âThank you Jihoon, for everything.â and with that you shut the door, stepping out into the darkness before dawn, taking a deep breath.Â
Something about Jihoonâs expression told you he was expecting you to say something more but you didnât have anything else to say. He was a distraction, you were successfully distracted and now you were back to your reality and the real world. Now it was time to face Seungcheol again.Â
Realising the sun would be out in a while, you quickly headed for a shower keeping your head down not to meet the eyes of the boys busy loading the cars at the edge of the camp. As you walked into the bathhouse you wondered if you would meet your regular bypasser at this time of the day too and brushed off the possibility but to your complete surprise, Wonwoo, fully dressed for a change, was right there, leaning against the lockers as though he was waiting for you.Â
âYou're on time.â
âAnd I don't have the time for you.â You rolled your eyes, grabbing your towel, heading towards the showers.
âCareful Y/n.â Wonwoo called out from behind you, his voice a lot less nonchalant than it normally was. âThe Chimaera is no small monster. It's dangerous, manipulative and feeds on chaos.â
You glanced at him over your shoulder as he continued.
âIf things take a turn and you're forced to face it, do whatever it takes to fight it. Don't think, don't analyse, just do it.âÂ
Frowning, you turned to him, wondering why he was suddenly saying all this but without explaining himself any further, Wonwoo straightened himself and simply left from there.Â
By the time you had arrived at the dining hall, right around the time the sun had begun to peak from behind the mountains, all the boys had gathered around the table, dressed in armours and gear. Jeonghan was leading the meeting again, walking around handing something that looked a lot like a golden medallion.Â
âKeep your energy readers close to you at all times - the Chimaera is a very intelligent monster but it's not very fast, so in a critical situation, early detection may be what saves your lives.â Noticing your presence, he walked up to you, holding the medallion out. âThis is an energy reader. The way demigods have auras, monsters do too and this little handy thing can pick up on it. The closer you are to a creature, the warmer it gets so pay attention. If the medallion manages to pick the right frequency, it will morph into an image of the monster so you'll know exactly what it is. Understood?â
You nodded.Â
âTurn.âÂ
And you did, as he pushed your hair onto a shoulder and secured the chain at the nape of your neck. You ran your fingers across the golden indentation of the surface curiously - it was kind of heavy.Â
âYour armour is in Cheol's car.â Mingyu piqued from his seat. âSo are the flares and your looking glass.â
You turned to Jeonghan who understood the confusion etched on your face.Â
âYou are, at no point, allowed to abandon your partner but on the off chance that you are separated, send a flare and it will help him identify your location and a looking glass-â He pulled out a small pane of glass from his pocket. â-is how you can communicate with the members. Just say the name of whoever you want to talk to and they'll appear on it.âÂ
Finally understanding you nodded, as Jeonghan handed you one last thing - a folded paper.Â
âThis is a copy of the map. Seungcheol will be driving so be sure to guide him properly.âÂ
You looked over his shoulder at the leader who seemed tense.Â
âWhatever is going on between you two, please just keep aside for one day.â Jeonghan looked at you pointedly and sighing, you nodded. You would be courteous with him, you could do that much.Â
As the boys began shuffling around, getting to their feet and leaving the hall, a hand on your arm stopped you from following.Â
âBreakfast.â Jun held out with a small box that looked like it was filled to the brim. âEat on the way. You'll need your energy.âÂ
Muttering a grateful thanks, you took it from him, glancing at Minghao who was standing beside him, arms crossed.Â
âI know you're not fully trained but every demigod should have a weapon on them when they're out in the real world.â Your trainer put a pair of daggers in your hand. âTwin blades. I think they'll suit you.âÂ
You turned the sheathed weapons in your hand, liking how light they felt. Minghao seemed proud of how comfortable you were.Â
âStay safe doll.âÂ
He called out as you left, a new unknown fear coursing through you as everything got more and more real.Â
By the time you reached the gates, everyone else had already taken off, leaving only Seungcheol leaning against his G wagon, waiting for you. The things Mingyu mentioned were in the passenger seat, neatly folded when you opened the door. As you tried to quickly slip them all on, Seungcheol waited, not offering to help, not even looking, just staring out at the woods. When you finally clambered in, he got in too, turning on the engine and taking off swiftly. You stared at the map on your lap - fuck, it was a long ride.Â
In the 2 hours that the two of you had been driving, the sun had fully risen, you had finished your breakfast and not one word that was irrelevant to the route had been exchanged. You stared out of the window, watching the trees whizz by - you had crossed much of the town houses in the outskirts and the road was getting narrower and lonelier now. It made sense why a monster would hide out here.Â
âHow much further?â Seungcheol asked, fingers drumming the wheel.Â
âUntil we reach the big olive tree.â You peered at the map trying to understand the images instead given you couldn't read Greek. âThere we turn left.âÂ
Seungcheol hummed, then silence descended once again.Â
It was a miracle you went through so much time without saying anything to the man beside you. Considering it was just the two of you and neither of you could run, it was the perfect time to talk about everything going on but you found yourself complying with Jeonghanâs instructions and keeping quiet. Perhaps because you had too much on your mind.Â
As nonchalant as you tried to seem, the Chimaera terrified you. It wasn't because it was apparently a big scary monster but because it was seeking you. You were no idiot - you knew that if a creature that powerful wanted to kill you, it could have at many instances when you were being particularly reckless. This one definitely wanted something else from you and the thought of that was more terrifying. What could a monster possibly need from you?Â
You didn't know. And maybe like most things in your life you wouldn't get to know. Like you didn't get to meet Hestia, or didn't understand why your powers were so different, or didn't know how to cope with the fact that you could never be a mother. It was perhaps just another thing to add to this never ending list.Â
âY/n.â Seungcheol's hand on your arm pulled you out of your thoughts. âHow many times do I have to ask? Is that the tree?âÂ
You glanced at it and then back at the map and nodded. âYeah, sorry, that's the one.âÂ
Shifting gears Seungcheol slowed down, turning left like you told him to but to both of your surprise, the road ahead led straight into a forest that was submerged in darkness despite it being so early in the day. Confused, Seungcheol turned on the headlights as he drove ahead but the moment the car moved ahead, the lights turned off.Â
Frowning, he tried again, only to receive the same result - the lights kept turning off.Â
Annoyed, he stopped the vehicle, grabbing a rather large lighter from the dashboard and stepped out, opening up the hood. Unbuckling your belt, you followed him.Â
âSit inside Y/n.â
âHow are you supposed to hold the lighter and fix this thing?â You grabbed the light from him and held it over the engine. âIs there a problem?â
Seungcheol peered at the machinery, frowning. âI don't think so. I don't know whyâŠ..â He trailed off like a realisation hit him. âDid you say the tree we crossed was an olive tree?â
âI think it was?â You held out the map for Seungcheol to see. âI can't read Greek.â
âThatâs not an olive tree and this isn't any ordinary forestâŠ.â He turned to you, both your faces illuminated by the faint light of the fire. âThis is the Forest of Nyx, the Goddess of the Night.âÂ
âIs that why the lights won't work?â You whispered, feeling a chill run down your body. âIs that why it's so dark?âÂ
âIt's always night at her realm. No light, no Gods, no eyes are allowed here.â He gulped as though he suddenly realised the proximity between the two of you. âNo one can see us here.âÂ
You frowned not understanding what he meant when he shut the hood, the headlights surprisingly flaring up again. Before you could even process what was going on, he pulled you up against him, the lighter dropping from your hands due to the sheer force as your body pressed against his.Â
âCheol-â
âNo one can see us Y/n.â He whispered, eyes drifting to your lips. âNo one.âÂ
And in a flash, his mouth was on yours - hot, wanting and desperate.Â
You gripped his arms, taken aback by the suddenness but when he pulled you closer like he didn't even want air between the two of you, you ran your hands up his chest and neck, threading them into his thick hair. Taking that as a sign of approval, he moved his hands down, briefly squeezing your ass before catching hold of your thighs and lifting you with unsurprising ease, wrapping your legs around his waist. You moaned when you felt his tongue slip into your mouth, his hands annoyed by all the armour as though they wanted to rip it out.Â
It was only when you felt breathless and pulled back that he finally let you go. Looking up at you equally breathless, eyes almost pleading, the words that you'd been dying to hear left his mouth at last.Â
âFuck I've wanted this for so long.â He groaned. âI wanted you for so long Y/n, pleaseâŠ.âÂ
You gulped, stiffening when you understood what he was begging for.
Choi Seungcheol wanted to fuck you.
A/n - aaaaand scene hehe
If you've managed to make it till the end, congratulations, this was a long one, I'm sorry buttttt Cheol enthusiasts (aka everyone) y'all are in for a ride next chapter hehe, stay tuned!
And if you enjoyed reading, please don't forget to leave feedback in the comments or tags - we've got lots of chapters to go and hearing thoughts really helps <3
#svthub#thediamondlifenetwork#kvanity#seventeen ot13#Seungcheol smut#Jihoon smut#Scoups smut#Woozi smut#seventeen smut#Seungcheol angst#scoups angst#seventeen angst#seventeen series#seventeen Ă reader#Seungcheol x reader#Jihoon x reader#seventeen crack#seventeen fluff#seventeen imagines#seventeen scenarios#seventeen Seungcheol#seventeen scoups#seventeen Jihoon#seventeen Woozi
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shawn spencer, through a series of comedic should-be-impossible hijinks, gets turned into a cat without anyone knowing its him. he elects to hang around the station and help out however much his four paws can.
hilariously, it doesnât change that much.
some notes:
hes brownish-orange (kinda like henryâs hair in flashbacks??) which means he is close enough that he has the orange cat curseâą
trying to decide on what breed he is. obviously mixed but what is in the mix?? main thoughts are havana, bengal, and siamese
okay final thoughts: bengal-siamese mix with a havana-like coloring for both eyes and coat.
hes a chatty cattyyyyyyyyyy,,,,,,,, yapper frfr
dog-person lassie and cat-person jules (she canonically has two cats)
he is so indecisive on if he should try and communicate that he is shawn to the station. on one hand theyd know hes safe and maybe be able to help him fix this. on the other jules has literally played fetch with him. a few officers have hand fed him. several cat things occurred. he would never live this all down (human shawn after hes asked where he was for like two months: (heavy sweating) i dont remember)
shawn sleeping in lassieâs chair and on his lap. he started doing it for the laughs but now he has realized that oh no this is actually comfy. tragedy.
half the station supports shawnâs cat shenanigans. a third just take videos. the remaining sixth try to call animal control on shawn but he always gets away and hes back in the station like two hours later so eventually they give up lmao
while all this is happening the station is also stressing because of shawnâs disappearance. they cant find any evidence for what happened. shawn went out to pursue a lead and just vanished. consequently, shawn is trying to make them all feel better with cat shenanigans
he refuses to use a litter box. it does not matter that he is so so small now he is using the fucking toilet. (the officers start leaving the bathroom door open a crack so he can slip in lmao)
shawn reading over case files while sitting on them. hes participating (and solving them)
shawn as a human accidentally left a pineapple stress toy in the station (maybe on some forgotten corner of lassieâs desk or smth lmao) and as a cat he rediscovers it and decides to play ball using it. all this to say that people start calling him pineapple because of it. honestly hes quite happy with that name over some other possibilities
jules is the only one allowed to touch the pineapple toy. he doesnt trust lassie not to try and dump it or something like the spiteful person he is and he certainly doesnt want anyone else touching it. (he would allow lassie to touch the pineapple toy if it werent for that fact though)
(shawn very carefully putting the pineapple toy down in front of lassie for the first timeand staring up with his big ole eyes and lassie stares back and externally his expression is hella flat but internally hes like oh no. oh no its growing on me)
BIG NEWS: cats can in fact eat pineapple, just not a lot since as a fruit it has a lot of sugar (not good for cats), HOWEVER⊠âItâs hard to see why because cats donât have the taste buds that let them enjoy sweet flavors. The strong sweet and tangy taste of pineapple is mostly lost on them.â
shawn finally managing to get someone (probably buzz) to give him some pineapple only to be utterly HEARTBROKEN bc it DOESNT TASTE LIKE PINEAPPLE ANYMORE !!!!!!!!!
juliet holding him like a little baby as he is purring like a freight train
LASSITER HOLDING HIM LIKE LONGCAT AS HE IS WAILING LIKE THE DAMNED
literallyyyyyy thisss,,,,
he breaks into the chiefâs office to lounge on her desk and she gives him hardcore side eye before, after a while, just sighing and starting to pet him. âthis station doesnât exactly need a mascot, you know,â she tells him, to a reply of mrrp, âbut i suppose a little bit of cheering up wouldnât be too bad.â very carefully, she taps him on the nose. âbut not too much. this is a serious line of workâno making a mockery of my station.â the dull thunking of a tail smacking repeatedly into solid wood made no promises.
inconceivable amounts of cat fur everywhere and on everyone. no one can brush him because he wriggles away like an eel and dramatically grooms his fur out of their reach. so he just sheds everywhere. hes got a thick coat there is so. much. fur.
he keeps sneaking into crime scenes. no one is sure how but they suspect he is hitchhiking in lassiterâs car. no one can prove it tho bc they cant fucking find him. the crazy thing is that he leads them to evidence sometimes like a narcotics detection dog but with completely random items that usually seem nonsensical at first. until they prove otherwise. consistently.
lassie to himself: man this feels just like dealing with spencerâs psychic shit. weird.
GUS FIGURES IT OUT FIRST. not because he saw anything but he just saw a newspaper about this cat solving crime with the cops and he was like âoh my fucking god. it canât be.â and then he pulled up to the station yoinked said cat and went to an isolated corner to freak the fuck out with it. âshawn what the hell happenedâ he goes, and shawn meows with feeling
juliet watching gus talk to pineapple the station cat in the corner of the bullpen: ???????
several cops having the all-important conversation of what to label him as. theres no snappy cat version of K9 they can use. K9 is supposed to sound like âcanineâ but thereâs no letter to cover the fel inâfelineâ
some say F9 and some say L9 and a few say FL9 or just straight up FEL9
BY THE WAY!!!!! âPolice cats are becoming an increasingly popular addition to law enforcement teams around the world. These feline officers are being trained to assist their human counterparts in various aspects of police work, from sniffing out drugs and explosives to providing comfort and emotional support to officers on dutyâ SND ALSO âBecause they are uncommon, police cats receive a lot of press. Many show up regularly in media posts. If your local department has a police cat, donât be surprised if you see stories about them on the newsâ
police cats are a real thing!! shawn is not an official police cat but he is at this point an unofficial one. on rare occasions he might even listen to an order or two (the station thinks he may have been specially trained by some probably-illegal group or smth, escaped, and decided to imprint on the station) (btw this is an actual issue with some police cats. as independent creatures theyre not as predictable as dogs and might not follow orders, which is an issue in high stakes situations n shit)
#boomâs fic posts#i LOVE putting magic in thr psych universe i think its such a funny combination#psych#shawn spencer#carlton lassiter#juliet o'hara#burton guster
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Mit2uba's Trauma: An Analogy
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Tw: I will be discussing the abuse Mitsuba has suffered from his environment, nothing that isn't in the manga, but I want to give a heads up. Additionally, I'm fortunate to have not gone though any severe traumatic experience myself, and am instead using my general knowledge, meaning if anything is incorrect here, please point it out!
(Also manga spoilers obviously)
I'm not pretending this hasn't ever been discussed, however I have yet to see an analogy of the consequences of Mitsuba's creation and (practically nonexistent) upbringing.
I'm going to divide this post into sections, but they won't really be organized, maybe chapters is a better definition. This thing is l o n g, so without further ado:
1: Mitsuba being paralleled to a puppet:
This is done quite often, although not in the same ways. Besides the psychological aspects of being Tsukasa's "puppet", as in being forced to do as he says and overall being under his control, but there are physical correlations too.
Tsukasa referring to Mitsuba as a "Thing"
Mitsuba lets Tsukasa hold him. This is much more then a surface-level fact considering Mitsuba usually rejects contact/uses it as an excuse to blame others. This is easily explained by "Mitsuba is simply scared of Tsukasa, he can't tell him no", except Mitsuba doesn't look scared when being held, he just looks, expressionless.
More then that, he completely trusts Tsukasa with his body weight, leaning into his touch and allowing himself to be comforted by it. This obviously occasionally backfires horribly
While Mitsuba being punched is framed in a humorous manner, the implications and weight of it are very heavy. It's all fun and games until you remember this is how Mitsuba is being raised, and it's all he's ever known. If Mitsuba doesn't want to do what Tsukasa tells him too, he gets punched. If he talks back, he gets kicked out of the broadcasting room (we'll get back to this later). If he asks to be Tsukasa's friend, he gets fireworks shoved down his mouth.
And the results of this... well:
This one in particular is interesting to me:
"It's just Mitsuba being surprised because Kou suddenly raised his voice". But that's not what's being illustrated. Upon hearing "brace yourself" even from someone like Kou, who wasn't planning on actively trying to hurt Mitsuba, he literally stiffens, pales, and begins to tremble and sweat, dropping the piece of chalk he was holding (those things break way to easily, yk he was serious). It's not shock or surprise being drawn, it's just genuine fear.
This could very well be me overthinking, but Mitsuba falls in what is almost a doll-like manner, arms and legs completely stiff.
2: Social rejection and trivial treatment:
The Mitsuba chapter (ch. 40) was worse then I remembered.
Mitsuba runs away from the broadcasting room in search of a better, safer place to stay. Only to understand he has none.
What's worse is that these are the characters we see being far kinder to the rest of the cast. We see Yako, Hanako and weirdo super-natural teacher together in his living quarters, watching tv together, but when Mitsuba approaches them...
(Tsuchigomori eventually does stay with him, but his opinion of him doesn't really change.)
"This guy's a pain, I'm out of here"
Tsuchigomori doesn't know Mitsuba, the only time we see them meet was when Tsuchigomori refers to him as emergency rations (above), and when he answered Mitsuba who asked him a question (answer starting with "You seriously don't know?" (YES SIR HOW WOULD HE KNOW HE'S LIKE ONE MONTH OLD)).
He probably heard he's a prankster from Hanako, which is why he wants nothing to do with him.
The point is despite Mitsuba needing to run from the closest thing he considers a "home", not a single supernatural actually understands his situation. Hanako borderline hates him, Nene barley understands he's a different Mitsuba, and Kou tends to accidently frame it as Mitsuba's CHOICE to stay with Tsukasa in the broadcasting room.
This is sadly something that can happen in reality, children trying to escape their less-desirable homes can often find themselves, sickeningly, returning after not finding somewhere or someone to take them seriously.
The most deranged part of this is that as a result of nobody properly digesting that he needs help, Mitsuba himself frequently convinces himself that everything is normal.
The implication that every time Mitsuba fights with Tsukasa he needs to just fend for himself until enough time has passed for Tsukasa to forget is sad. He's an outcast between the wonders for replacing the old No.3, despite his only other choice being death, which they don't know.
Sakura is probably the closest thing Mitsuba has to family, being in a similar situation to him, but it's incorrect to say she truly deeply cares about him. She's fond of Mitsuba, but never goes out of her way to help him when Tsukasa hurts him, and seems to have put her personal safety and goals as a higher priority then him (this isn't Sakura slander, I love my queen).
Natsuhiko treats him like a pet more then a human, and sometimes hits on him, which is just gross. Despite this Mitsuba genuinely appreciates him and sees him as an older brother. It's cruel to see this one-sided ordeal.
We don't actually know Mitsuba's true opinion of Tsukasa. In an almost realistic manner, his opinion is constantly contradictory. Mitsuba is scared of Tsukasa, but at the same time he only feels 'safe' when he's around.
Also, contrary to Sousuke, Mitsuba is more scared of Tsukasa then thunder, which could either mean that Sousuke's phobia of thunder was memory-correlated, or that Mitsuba is SO scared of Tsukasa that thunder is nothing in comparison.
Mitsuba freezing after hearing Tsukasa's voice
vs:
We know Mitsuba is aware that Tsukasa is not treating him okay, but by the time we learn this (pp arc), Mitsuba has half convinced himself that Tsukasa is doing everything he's doing to help him, and that "nobody else can help him anyways". Genuinely Mitsuba is one of the most subtle-yet-obvious victims portrayed in media I've even seen.
3: Ok-yeah-that's-not-okay moments
Do I really need to add anything.
I will anyways. Mitsuba is a dramatic by nature, unrelated to any of the emotional damage he's suffered. The fact that Tsukasa can make him stop crying just by demanding it really shows how bad he messed up Mitsuba. The ability to stop crying on command out of fear..... somebody save him.
Stay away!
Can't add to many pictures because of the tumbler limitations, but in every one of these scenes Mitsuba totally freezes, only regaining control and suddenly snapping once someone (aka Kou) does anything intimidating to him.
Going in-depth about the similarities between Kou and Tsukasa is an entirely different ordeal, but in short summery:
There's a carefully built connection between Tsukasa and Kou, that deserves a post of it's own.
4: Symptoms of trauma:
Trust issues are heavily associated with a problematic childhood, so it's not very surprising that Mitsuba struggles to trust anyone besides Tsukasa, even if he doesn't want to.
Very commonly appearing alongside trauma, self destructive behaviors are a tragically common coping habit. I don't think I need to add any pictures for this one, as practically every other sentence Mitsuba says have some 'Just let me pass away' coding to it.
Lack of memories is a symptom that appears in very severe cases, and while it isn't completely accurate to Mitsuba it's an interesting addition considering Mitsuba has no memories.
5: Character design:
Mitsuba has lots of chains and locks in his wonder form, a lock on his neck (which has multiple interpretations), one preventing his heart from beating, which could be a clever metaphor for Mitsuba further constricting his humanity by "choosing" to become a wonder, but most interesting:
What looks to be the remains of a leg shackle.
Mitsuba in a box labeled as fragile.
6: This definitely isn't symbolism for an eating disorder:
"I'm always hungry, no matter how much I eat" -M
"You starved yourself from all this moping around, just because you didn't want to eat something different?" -K
Can we talk about how the fandom collectively just skipped over the huge reveal that Mitsuba STARVES HIMSELF. Because I feel like that really wasn't talked about. As if this guy doesn't have enough going on, he now has to deal with constant starvation, dehumanization at new never-seen-before-pace, and the loss of his will to exist in the first place.
He is both metaphorically and physically falling apart, constantly in physical pain. When he isn't in physical pain it's because he's experiencing gut-wrenching psychological torment as he can't stop eating live beings. I don't blame this guy.
The only person who knew of this was Tsukasa, until he "told" Kou. Told is in quotation marks because it was never really Mitsuba trusting Kou enough to open up about the hell he's enduring, as mentioned before Mitsuba doesn't exactly know how to trust. The fact was forced out of him due to a dire situation, but Kou could not have reacted in a worse way:
Pro tip: If your reaction to learning that your best buddy is suffering from a complicated relationship with food, is shoving said food into their mouth violently, you might need therapy just as much as they do.
Kou is still unaware that Mitsuba's diet contains living things too, but if we're being honest that doesn't really put Kou in the right here. Like, man, I know you're freaking out because your friend just asked you to end him, but please take out your anger on something that isn't him.
And don't act surprised when this is his reaction:
This is arguably the a result of post traumatic stress disorder. Mitsuba didn't just escape, he hid in the nearest corner, making himself as small as possible, hid his head and trembled. The reason I'm calling this out as PTSD is because the only other time he panicked like this was right after Tsukasa shoved the bird heart down his throat.
So for both situations it's:
Tsukasa force feeds Mitsuba -> Mitsuba loses control (starts attacking everything)
Kou force feeds Mitsuba -> Mitsuba bites Kou
And the results are the same. He reacted the same way because mentally it was the same situation to him, It doesn't matter what the intentions were, Kou triggered an event(s (considering he's eaten multiple supernatural and is absolutely repulsed by it)) that Mitsuba had no intention of revisiting.
Summery:
Mitsuba's trauma is often overshadowed by more obvious displays of mental scarring, like with the Yugi twins and Kou, and is often represented with irony or humor, including by the creators themselves.
Even without everything he's gone though, Mitsuba was always a hopeless character. He just existed one day. He doesn't have anything, anyone. He's never been told he's loved, he's never felt sunlight, he never got to play, he's never had anyone tuck him into bed, or read him a story. He was robbed of his childhood, and any connections besides the few who remember him for someone that he isn't.
This entire post wasn't even scratching the tip of the iceberg in terms of how much grave emotional turmoil Mitsuba has faced. And will face. Yeah I don't know how well his trust issues will cope with Natsuhiko leaving him to die. If he lives.
The idea of this long rant was to point out that Mitsuba's trauma and mental struggles are just as, if not more, relevant then his physical ones. And they do affect him, and they do have consequences. And they will most certainly come back 20x worse later on in the plot. I would say to prepare mentally, but I know tbhk fans can handle just about anything.
Thank you for reading!
ăŸ(â§âœâŠ*)
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This is a longer one, sorry đ
About that ask you replied to about Marinette's parents. I didn't grow up in a healthy household and i struggle to form a properly informed opinion on Marinette's parents in all this mess.
Cause clearly they are very loving, caring, and supportive, but they aren't perfect either. They are realistically human. They have blind spots, didnt actually RAISE her apparently when she does things wrong, and hardly give Marinette any boundaries or consequences to face, which now evolved into her neither being able to handle anything not going her way nor having to actually take people into consideration and go through with improving on the things she said she should.
Im pretty sure Marinette was a very friendly child who didn't cause too many problems, if at all, so now that she's a complicated teenager who actually needs some boundaries and discipline they dont know how to handle it. Thats the picture im getting. Not to mention that they don't know Marinette is Ladybug so they have no idea what's caused all these extreme changes in their daughter and how to accommodate to properly help her.
But in my eyes, without the whole Ladybug thing, this is still a pretty normal and realistic portrayal of a modern family, so Marinette is simply a normal ass kid. She's clearly spoiled to a solid degree and emotionally shielded the way most middle class kids from central Europe are. Just because her family isn't perfect doesn't it mean she's being abused or her parents are bad. For me, they are a realistic healthy family. Whatever faults her parents have are pretty common things parents do wrong.
But this now raises the question for me how exactly to go about Marinette's family. Obviously her parents didn't to everything right in their parenting, so those flaws of Marinette can be traced back to them while Marinette at the same time SHOULD normally STILL be asked to grow out of it the way any normal teenager should, it's just slightly more challenging.
But then I see discussions that take it way too far imo but I don't know where exactly to draw the line.
It is correct that Tom and Sabine for example seem to know very little about their daughter's friend group to the point that they just let Sabrina into Marinette's room. The common argument I see being raised here is that Sabine is neglective because she doesn't know that Sabrina isn't Marinette's friend.
Now this doesn't feel quite right to me. Marinette's parents seem to be pretty much unaware that their daughter was bullied in school which unfortunately isn't at all uncommon. When the parents are neither told by the child or the school, then how are they supposed to know? The most they seem to know is that Marinette has a hard time with Chloé, but I never had the impression that they know how serious this was. Marinette sure was never shown to ever voice any of that.
So Sabine thinking Sabrina is Marinette's friend is a fair enough assumption in my eyes. I remember back when I was 12-13, forming friendship in a collective class is alot easier when you're a kid. Kids just go with the flow like that and become friends in 10 seconds even if they aren't spending much time with each other directly. Forming connections tends gets more difficult as one grows older.
I don't think at that age parents can be faulted for not keeping track of all their kid's friendships. Sabrina running up to Sabine and claiming she's Marinette's friend and Sabine believing her is honestly nothing too special.
What I take issue with, though, is that Sabine just let Sabrina go into Marinette's room ALONE. That a parent, imo, truly shouldn't do.
And yet, one still wouldn't call her a BAD parent for that, right? It's very flawed, but obviously Marinette also continues to rely on her parents doing that with the amount of times Alya just gets to come and go however she please, even with Marinette not being there, despite Marinette knowing Alya merely year at this point. Way less than Sabrina for example.
There is this persistent grey area here that I can't quite place. Marinette's parents are very obviously very trusting, but the way the show portrays it seems to border on neglective imo, but it's based in their daughter just getting free reign most of the time so Marinette can do shit in her room and leave for long periods of time for example that parents should normally check on their kids for.
So, at the same time, is it actually neglect? Thanks to being Ladybug, it is Marinette who has pulled more and more away from her parents and since season 4 is doing so to honestly very unnecessary degrees. There is little reason for why Marinette constantly locks herself and Alya into her room and doesn't spend much time with her parents when all that Marinette is doing in there is panicking and not doing something actually productive most of the time anyway. You may as well just spend time with your parents instead of crying to Alya that you supposedly CANT (while taking over Alya's life and being the actual reason why SHE cant)
Teenagers at Marinette's age starting to pull away from their parents is nothing uncommon. So I'm pretty sure that's just how it looks like for her parents. Marinette is starting to grow up and doesn't prioritize spending time or sharing her life with them as much anymore.
Can't pretend like that's not a sad truth parents have to deal with, so the kid's friends are trusted by the parents to know their kid in ways they don't anymore.
Marinette has very loving and caring parents who don't push her to involve them or share what she doesn't want to. Now here is the question. While this is neglective to a degree and Marinette does seem to be affected badly by it, is this necessarily something her parents are doing objectively WRONG? From their perspective, their daughter is growing up and so busy that they aren't much of a priority in her life. She's pulling more and more away and her parents try to adjust to that supportively without being given context as any parent must.
Clearly the created distance has Marinette now incorrectly believe that her parents aren't actually a real support system anymore, the way Marinette didnt even try to reach out in Kwamis Choice and her thinking she has lost EVERYTHING at the end of season 4 and then proceeding to act like she doesn't think she truly has anyone or anything in season 5 too.
Now, is Marinette thinking that she has NOTHING at the end of season 4, and still seeming to think so in season 5, something her parents failed at teaching her better?
When a kid starts pulling away from their supportive family, because they are so used to having them, and ends up convincing themselves that their parents dont count anymore as support because it isnt as perfect and easy as they'd like, is this a failure of the parents for not sitting their child down to remind them that the kid isn't the emotional equivalent of an orphan now the moment they have to do something alone?
Or is this simply a normal thing a teenager has to realize on their own? That just because the loving parents aren't a perfect support system anymore, doesn't it mean the kid just gets to disregard them fully as an option the way Marinette constantly does?
Because, well, this IS what it constantly feels like for me when it comes to Marinette.
When Marinette takes offense with her parents not unconditionally believing her all the time, is it really always her parents fault for not having raised her to handle push back better, or is it also just a natural part of growing up that you have to get over yourself and realize that your parents too need context for the situations you're in (e.g. Adoration) because growing up means you're parents shouldn't just handwave all the accountability away you potentially have to take now because you're not an 8 year old anymore and capable of genuine wrongdoing?
Yes, her parents definitely failed a solid bit in regards of leaving Marinette emotionally immature and unprepared when it comes to pushback, criticism, or considerations of others.
But to what degree are her parents actually WRONG in wanting Marinette to learn it for herself now because that's normally how it done?
Do her parents REALLY have to sit her 14-15 year old ass down and teach her that other people have feelings and lives of their own? That reality exists outside of her head and feelings? Or should a teenager be expected to learn that themselves, especially one that's so busy and involved in everything as Marinette? Cause it actually seems to me that her being Ladybug caused her stunted development in this regard. Because being Ladybug always serves as the right excuse to always demand and expect the others to do the learning cause she's "too stressed" and "too justified as leader who doesn't owe anyone anything, but is owed everything herself cause she says so".
It's seems that it's rather that being Ladybug caused the damage in Marinette's development which her parent can't know about, and not that her parents are particularly failing by not holding their daughter's hand all through growing up even more to spoon-feed her every bit of development she should grow into now to make sure its as pleasant and easy as possible?
In my opinion, from teenage age onwards it's not the parents' job to tell their children at any uncomfortable or challenging occasion what's right and wrong and do all the work in the child's personal development into a young adult. And isn't that what Marinette's parents are being criticised for anyway? That they don't let their daughter face disappointment, discipline, and struggles because it makes her upset? But now they are in the wrong for wanting to have their daughter learn and figure things out in their own, but fully intend on always being there for her in every way when she needs it?
There definitely IS a complicated grey area here where these two parenting styles badly overlapped and caused problems.
Tom and Sabine DO give Marinette way too much free reign cause it badly clashes with how little discipline, rules, boundaries, and consideration she was raised to actually having to oblige to as part of living with other people.
Marinette was not well prepared for the freedom she now has, but looking at it in general, the problem seems much more to be Marinette being Ladybug, and not necessarily that she's a teenager who lacks refined emotional intelligence because she grew up shielded and cuddled. If Marinette had a normal life, she would have some more trouble growing out of it, but it's not like her parents ruined her.
I think it's that Marinette is Ladybug that is to blame here. Because that's how she was put in a position where she learned that she just needs to stomp her foot, scream, cry, or use her titel to make it so that it's always everyone else who has to do the learning and not her. Marinette's concerning entitlement grew through being Ladybug and not tolerating anything but having all the support, resources, and everyone beneath her in the hierarchy who must submit to her will or else she cant function.
Whatever problems her parents caused in her upbringing should have been easy enough to grow out of. It's LADYBUG who stunted that development because Marinette learned that she has the option to just demand that everyone has to cater to her instead. That is not her parents fault, but it always leaves me at the same problem of not knowing how to properly dissect and discuss what blame Tom and Sabine objectively have in this.
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This is a very insightful and interesting essay, Anon. When it comes to Marinetteâs parents, it's really hard to call them âbad parentsâ, because they're really good at many things that come to parenting. They're supportive, they respect Marinette's space and privacy, they believe in her ability to handle herself and Marinette clearly feels safe with them. And you're also right that it's extremely difficult for them to guide Marinette learning social-emotional skills now that she's a willful teenager and wouldn't be receptive to her parents âcorrecting her behaviorâ if they even knew there was something to correct.
I also don't think Marinette's parents can see all the issues with Marinetteâs conduct. She is a very âeasyâ child; she's polite, she respects authority and doesn't get into purposeful mischief. She's the exact kind of child adults don't worry about, so they don't have to constantly keep an eye on her. Especially since a lot of her problems come to the forefront as Ladybug, a whole new part of her life her parents arenât involved in.
The thing here is that 14-year-olds not knowing that other people have feelings or how to deal with disappointments is exactly why early childhood education is now emphasizing the teaching of these skills so much. For a long time, there was a belief that kids learn social-emotional skills naturally and there's no need to purposefully teach them, because kids will âget itâ when they're âold enough to understandâ. Except that we have now discovered that they don't, in fact, just naturally âget itâ. These skills need to be taught in early childhood, starting from simple ideas like âyour friend is crying because you took their toy, donât do that againâ and moving up from there. And the only way to teach these things in a purposeful way is to put your small kids with other small kids and let them do small kid things, even if it results in someone ending up crying, especially if someone ends up crying, because learning to deal with your own emotional responses and other people having emotional reactions to your actions is, in fact, an essential life and relationship skill. The theory of mind (the understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings that can differ from your own) is something that preschoolers are expected to learn and should get support in learning if they don't.
Iâm saying Marinette should already know this stuff. Her parents and possible kindergarten teacher should have taught her almost a decade ago.
However, I donât disagree with your assertion that being Ladybug is why these common problems with Marinetteâs conduct are such a big issue for her relationships now. Because her upbringing neglected to teach her essential social-emotional skills, and sheâs been shoved into a position of not just power, but absolute power where no one is in a position to question her, sheâs now a nightmare boss who expects everyone else to be fully committed to making the broken system sheâs running run smoothly while she comes up with some nonsense project to keep busy so that she has the excuse to take her frustrations out on everyone beneath her.
If Marinette was just constantly ditching her friends so that she could do something relating to her love quest, Iâm pretty sure the most severe, realistic consequences for her friends would just be them thinking she doesnât want to hang out, feeling bummed and no longer inviting her. Marinette being in a position of leadership both exacerbates her social-emotional ineptitude and makes its consequences more severe, because now theyâre facing dangerous situations and the leadership only doesnât care if they get hurt, but sometimes actively hurts them for the sake of achieving some other goal in the future.
We must consider that Marinette has been Ladybug for only a year, while her parents have raised her since birth. Anything being Ladybug has taught Marinette was learned on the basis her parents gave her. I donât think this is an either-or situation. Now that she's an independent teenager, of course her parents expect her to pull away, be private and figure things out on her own. What Marinette is doing wrong now is on her, because she's the one taking on all these responsibilities, leaving others in the dark, not consulting anyone who doesn't just appease her and making decisions for others. However, this being her go-to approach shows us that her parents failed her in the past.
I think Marinette's parents are doing everything right for an older child, but I also think they were very out of their depth when Marinette was a small child. She clearly wasn't taught this stuff that has to be taught at an early age because she's now a teenager and seems to have no clue how interpersonal relationships work. Of course she's still too young to understand everything, especially romance, but she lacks basic understanding of mutual friendship as well. It just really feels like Marinette's parents have never had any expectations for her, even when she was a small child throwing a fit when she didn't get her way.
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this country is so violent. goddammit we are going to teach kids that murdering other kids is wrong by... putting a 14 year old to death. awesome, that definitely will do the trick.
edit: man I totally misunderstood the article I was reading, I don't think he can be given the death sentence but he will probably be getting life without parole.
#please dont get me wrong i absolutely will not cry for this pos kid but the death penalty is wrong period full stop#it is not a deterrent#it is not going to serve justice#it is just revenge#thats all#and im sorry but if a kid does this shit then something went wrong and thats on community and society#obviously there needs to be SERIOUS consequences#but consequences do not mean THE DEATH PENALTY#fucking christ i hate this country#also go the fuck after the parents what the fuck#the fbi shows up to question him and the dad LAST YEAR because there was a credible threat and he still accessed fucking guns???#i just saw an interview with a sweet baby kid who witnessed it#i cannot imagine#we have FAILED these kids#gun violence#school shootings
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okay i'll seriously stop now (just a maybe) anyways please get into milgram listen the songs watch the mvs and all! <3
but just to ramble a bit: fuuta really is. so similar to the viewers/es
#⯠ê°á starry thoughts à»ê± *·Ë#⯠ê°á milgram à»ê± *·Ë#he's a twt user and kinda chronically online LMAOOO okay but to be serious. he doesn't really realize the#real world consequences of his actions until it's too late. and in the mv he so obviously shows regret and all#there's a scene where he's looking at his self from before doing the spraypaint again and tbh yeah dudes sadistic w that kinda thing#sadistic but in sort of a good way in a sense that he wants to deliver justice. but then things escalate too far as well#<- probably starts calling out people for the smallest things. not anymore about justice#or it still is about justice but even in the littlest of things... anyways yeah he likely starts it but then the others r the ones#who put more flame to the fire. i think he has problems w attention too so this kinda yk. makes him feel seen... or idk how to phrase it#bcs dude spends most of his time online right? the whole gaming thing might be an escape from reality in that he#likely doesn't have much friends if any at all (he also doesn't really get along w anyone in the prison. but i think he is a good person bc#he cares for haruka bcs hes younger). hmm. fuuta knows what's the deal with milgram#anyways yeah i think it is all just so interesting. he's definitely regretful and feels guilty and also... he's hinted at stuff#uhm. worrying. stuff. if yeah? idk how to phrase it but i think it is safest to really vote him innocent (also he deserves it imo)#he still needs to improve w some stuff but then again i dont think we should be Extremely Harsh#yk scruntinizing everything. voting him guilty again for a 'small' yk. not that what hes doing is negligible but i mean that he's#starting to improve (even if his... mental state is getting worse it seems) and it feels wrong and is exactly what he calls out#es/the viewers for if we vote him guilty for the smallest of mistakes/injustices even when he's yk. getting 'better'#sorry for terrible explanations here i hope it makes sense oml#i dont think fuuta meant anything bad fr. and then the drama audio w es like... agh wait im putting that aside for now bcs goddamn#i think there's smth to do w. Pressure. ofc. duh. LMFAO. maybe peer pressure to join in the cyberbullying#he likely didnt mean for it to escalate but maybe he started losing himself in it all w a sort of hero complex#ahhh trying to tie together stuff from the 1st trial and 2nd trial is complicated bcs the two have similar but different themes
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=====>
you bartered,
you were proven right,
you prepared provisions,
you were abandoned...
its fine, you already know Bdubs isn't linked with you. The sun is going down, you need to get moving to find your soulmate.
It looks like others are already finding theirs, and you really don't want to follow suit on what the two who wear them did.
you decide to travel by boat, the obviously superior mode of transport compared to a horse - just because you are petty and nothing else.
But which direction should you head? It really doesnât matter as long as you run into new people, might as well just choose at random.
Because, surely, this decision will be void of serious consequences. Right?
=> Joel: Go Forwards
Start Over -- Go Back
#quadruple life#life smp fan session#trafficblr#joel smallishbeans#bdoubleo100#hey its starr#sorry for the wait#first time talking in tags#make your decision wisely#or dont#honestly either way works#pov: joel
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hc!friends to lovers
natalie scatorccio x fem!reader
summary: going from friends to lovers with nat
warnings: golden retriever gf x black cat gf dynamic, nat is secretly a softie, drugs and mommy/daddy issues mentions, cursing, pure fluff, not proofread
đ§ to this day, nat still has no idea on how you two became friends. you were too different
đ§ it started with you complimenting her makeup once and she was so rude cause she thought you were making fun of her
đ§ âyour eyeliner is so pretty,â you tried to be nice just to receive a âfuck offâ and a middle finger right to your face. you were flabbergasted! you were just trying to be nice to a pretty blonde girl and now you were her enemy?
đ§ your huge smile disappeared in seconds and when nat realized you werenât mocking her, she got desperate. âoh, shit. you were actually serious?â
đ§ she was constantly being slutshamed and harassed by the mean students and the idea of being complimented by you didnât even make it to her head
đ§ you were too sweet for her taste. too smiley, too happy, too soft and too excited. her words, not mine. but damn, you were pretty
đ§ not that she would ever tell you that, but being friends with you was better than spending her days alone or with the other two guys she had for friends but were nothing but drug buddies
đ§ âdude, what the fuck is that?â she grunts at the second you show her one of your favorite songs by backstreet boys âitâs so cheesy!â
đ§ you held her arms and made her dance with you and she was so embarrassed and tried to brush it off by complaining a lot but her eyes didnât lie. she kinda enjoyed that
đ§ then, late at night when sheâs unable to sleep, she secretly listen to the too happy and annoying shit type of songs you liked just to think of you :(
đ§ she eventually found herself enjoying the cranberries, spice girls and lots of your catchy pop or soft songs while doing chores and would never forgive herself for that
đ§ at first, nat was easily annoyed by you. by your overwhelming enthusiasm and positivity and how you would always see the good in others even if they didnât deserve
đ§ however, that didnât mean you wouldnât speak up for her. if anyone was caught talking shit about nat, you were always the first one to have her back. âexcuse me? hi. thatâs my friend you are talking about and you might wanna apologize to her right now!â
đ§ bless your heart you really tried to be scary like her. at least the intention was there right
đ§ âi donât need you to defend me,â she was already snarling at you but you could see in her eyes that she didnât mean that. she just didnât like being vulnerable in front of others
đ§ nat was tough, she could take care of herself. you knew that but you couldnât let anyone be mean to her
đ§ âi know, but i care about you!â âyeah, whatever đđâ
đ§ and it worked the other way around as well. a single threatening glance of nat was enough to make anyone scared of even saying your name. yes, you were a pain in her ass but she was the only one who could say that
đ§ âbut you just said she was annoying,â her friend kevin defends himself from her scary look. âdonât call her that, assholeâ
đ§ nat couldnât invite you over to her house trailer so you would usually hang out at your house or secret places she knew
đ§ nat is a really lonely and independent person and thatâs a consequence of her unstable childhood. running away from the mess she had for parents, she eventually discovered a nice small park with pretty trees around and thought it would be the perfect hiding spot
đ§ smoking with nat? obviously a must. you would give her the old speech saying that it was terrible for her physical and mental health (đ€âïž) even if you were 100% sure that she wasn't listening and was just giving you ironic commments. "you don't say, princess"
đ§ deep down, very deep down, she appreciated you
đ§ âkevin told me he caught you listening to backstreet boys yesterdayâ you smile at her, watching her messy bleached hair cover half of her face as she smokes
đ§ âfucking kevin,â she mutters under her breath and itâs the perfect opportunity to play around with her. âarenât you gonna deny it? wow, you must really like me, natâ
ïżœïżœïżœïżœ âshut up, princess.â
đ§ it was meant to be ironic but since the first time she called you that, you two were sure that it was nothing but a caring nickname and you were a complete sucker for it
đ§ spending time together became a casual thing and as essential as breathing. that didnât go unnoticed
đ§ showing up to support her on a game day or just practice, holding a big sign with her name written with gliter gel pens and smiley faces and cheering so loud that people near you had to cover their ears
đ§ thanks to that, she was so flustered that couldn't focus on the actual game
đ§ classically, the yellowjackets would always make fun of her when you were around but especially when you werenât. âare you happy that your girlfriend came to see you today?â van teases nat and suddenly she became their favorite subject to talk about
đ§ âsheâs not my fucking girlfriend!â she flips them off and storms off to hide how unbelievably red her cheeks were
đ§ nat didn't take long to realize she felt different about you. but her doing your eyeliner to match her after you insisted didn't help. it was pretty hard to mantain her toughness when you were lying in bed with her on top, straddling you with face so close that you could smell the blunt in her breath
đ§ "thanks, nat. what do you think?" you ask when she's done
đ§ "not bad. thanks to me, obviously," she acts casually but she's like đ§đŒââïžđđźâđšđ” seeing you with her goth ass makeup
đ§ being jealous of you near anyone who would say hi to you was also a clear sign
đ§ going from friends to lovers with nat would be something hard for her at first. she isn't used to trusting people that much. loving someone? what was she thinking?!
đ§ this means that she would definitely push you away, intentionally or not, and would act weird for days until you finally confronted her
đ§ and she tries to be rude to make you leave but it doesnât work. eventually she opens up about her feelings, shaking and at the verge of tears, and you hug her tightly
đ§ âi like you too, natâ
đ§ holds your chin when kissing you đ”âđ«
đ§ jealous girlfriend that was always there to keep an eye on you but wouldnât say the words âiâm jealousâ even if her life depended on it
đ§ dating nat meant her having part time jobs to save money for weeks just to buy you something nice for your birthday or to take you to a special place in a special occasion. you cried like a baby
đ§ you were aware that she struggled with money and you weren't rich either, so you kept things discreet. you would come to her with a tape with lots of songs that reminded you of her, "nat, you won't believe what i made you!"
đ§ âi have no idea, baby..." but she definitely did cause you would do that at least twice a month
đ§ she would be the first one to say âi love youâ accidentally and got so stressed trying to fix her mistake with a cough but you had heard her and was freaking out, smile from ear to ear
đ§ âyouâre a moron, i love youâ it took her five seconds to go from đ to đ§
đ§ âi love you too.â
đ§ when it comes to affection, i feel like she would be hesitant at first, not knowing what to do. having sex with random people was really different from wanting to show her love for you, it was harder
đ§ realistically, nat wouldn't be the touchy type. she never really experienced affection from her parents (at least not in a long time), so it would be something new, but wouldn't be opposed to it once she realized how comforting it felt
đ§ 100% touch starved. you stroke her cheek once and she's tearing up already
đ§ pretends to be bothered but always melts completely when you kiss her and loves to hold hands and intertwine fingers
đ§ not everything was perfect and sharing feelings wasnât easy for her. either way, you were always there for her, listening to her talk about her shitty parents or just comforting her after a bad day
BONUS!!!
đ§ if the iconic barbie movie was released in the 90s, you would BEG her to wear pink clothes to go to the movies together and she would deny it every single time
đ§ âbut it would be so cute! we would match đ„șâ you insisted, knowing that she was so close to cave in
đ§ âitâs gonna make me look stupid, i donât wear pink. quit it, princess,â nat nods, convinced that you would eventually forget about it
đ§ a week later, nat is found at the movie theater looking like a damn flamingo
đ§ âwhat happened to you? met an unicorn on the way here?â shauna mocks her as soon as she sees the blondie wearing a bright pink suit and black boots, matching your same color dress
đ§ âshut up,â she gives them her middle finger
đ§ âhappy wife, happy life,â tai murmurs and she just nods, defeated. shauna, tai and van, all in pink thanks to your incessant pleas, followed her to get the tickets while you and jackie were excitedly buying snacks and pink popcorn containers shaped like barbieâs car
đ§ (she definitely cried at the end and you had to kiss her tears away)
#had a hard time making this not angsty#yellowjackets#yellowjackets x reader#natalie scatorccio x reader#natalie scatorccio
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tending to jj's cuts and bruises after he defends your honour... (based on this post and this request) [0.8k]
"Ow."
Your hands work diligently at the cut etched across his cheekbone from your stance between his legs. For a moment, one wanders off, stroking his non-battered cheek in a silent apology for the added pain.
"You did this to yourself," you state matter-of-factly. "No one told you to turn into the Hulk."
"Well, you don't have to be mean about it."
"I'm not trying to be mean. I just don't understand why you can't let shit go sometimes."
You move on to his split lip. A jagged, dark red line cuts through the mouth that you think about far too often. You ache to kiss it, believing that maybe you occupy the healing powers he so obviously needs, but then you think better of it.
There's no way he feels it too.
You dab a wet towel at his lip, cleaning off the dried blood, and once his mouth is free, he chooses to defend himself, thankfully with his words this go around.
"You didn't hear what he said about you, Y/N/N. I wasn't about to jus' let him get away with that shit."
Your eyes meet his, and you pause your movements. Though you appreciated his loyalty and how he'd always stick up for you no matter the cost, you never enjoy when he actually goes to those great lengths just to protect you.
Simply having him in your corner was more than you could ever ask for.
"Kelce is an idiot. I don't care what he has to say about me, and you shouldn't either."
"Well, I do. He's lucky he didn't leave in a bodybag."
Your eyes narrow at him. "You're impossible."
"'M jus' sayin," he says. His tender and sore hands travel up the sides of your thighs, warmth blossoming through you in their wake. He gives your flesh a squeeze. Funnily enough, he can no longer feel the pain flashing through them like lightning bolts now that he's touching you. "I'll never let anyone say or do anythin' to hurt you, princess. I'll always protect you."
You feel the warmth bloom in your cheeks, and you're eternally glad that he isn't holding your face the way he always does. You'd be busted if he were.
You offer him a small smile, one you can't suppress. How can you be expected to after those sentiments?
"Look, I know I probably sound like a broken record, but you can't keep putting yourself in the position to get in trouble. You're not a kid anymore, and you've had enough run-ins with the law as it is."
"'M not scared of gettin' in shit, Y/N/N."
"I'm serious," you frown down at him.
"So am I. Fuck the opps."
You scoff, wanting to wipe that devilish smirk off his face. "You sound like Pope."
"Who d'you think taught him that?"
You know he thinks this is all just a joke. Not the defending you part, but the getting in trouble with the law part. He'll always do what he feels he needs to, regardless of the possible consequences. It's just how he is. Still, you don't think it's a joke. You hate how Shoupe and the rest of them take all his indiscretions and use it as ammo to remind him that he'll never escape the southside. You'd hate to be the reason that he 'proves them right.'
"J, I mean it." You set the items that occupy your hands down on the marble counter, and grab his face in your hands, careful of his cuts and bruises. "All I'm asking is that you try and keep it together. Please. I don't like watching you get hurt."
He's silent for a moment, analyzing your words and the sincere look on your face. Yeah, you're his best friend, but it's always a nice reminder that someone actually wants to look out for him and care for him.
He likes it even better when it's you who's doing so.
The corners of his lips turn up and his hands migrate to the backs of your thighs. He uses his hold on you to urge you closer. "You're worried about me."
You give him an incredulous look. "Yes, JJ. I worry about you. After all this time, I don't even know why you question that."
"'Cause you're the only one who does."
You melt inside, and you're sure you do so on the outside as well. Your eyes soften, and to distract him from it, you go back to cleaning him up, reaching for some q-tips and the disinfectant.
His eyes flutter closed when you touch him again.
"If you wanted attention, you coulda just said so," you joke, unable to resist poking fun at him.
"Shut up," he says, laughing softly. His eyes are open again, and he looks up at you so tenderly that he wants to tell you what he's been feeling all this time.
I love you.
It's on the tip of his tongue, but when he wills it to leave his mouth, they refuse him.
He goes for the next best thing.
"Look, I'll try to...control myself. No promises, though."
A small smile graces your lips. "Thank you."
concepts ; concepts (ii)
#ê° â daydreams ê±#ê° â jj maybank ê±#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank x you#jj maybank x y/n#jj maybank imagine#jj maybank prompt#jj maybank blurb#jj maybank brainrot#jj maybank brain rot#jj maybank concepts#jj maybank concept#jj maybank thoughts#jj obx#jj outer banks#jj maybank obx#jj maybank outer banks
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can a Resquest of TFO Sentinel prime with Cybertronian femme reader, that the reader is pregnant and that is her conjux
TFO!Sentinel/Femme!Reader [hcs]
tw: accidental pregnancy, established relationships, Sentinel is a jerk (as usual), yandere!Sentinel, possessive behavior, very brief mention of abortion, narcissistic!Sentinel, OOC (?). terms used: sire - a father, sparkling - a child. word count: 840 words. a/n: the tw sounds scary but it was funny to write.
Oooh no, poor thing, how did you manage to get pregnant by this guy out of everyone? During one of your shared moments of intimacy, you both found out that none of you have any protection! And you two can't get your servos off each other because everything just feels too good, too right? Don't worry, Sentinel is fast enough not to finish inside you, trust him (never trust him with this).
Jokes aside, in my opinion - Sentinel is not a family person at all. Firstly, he's too busy for something insignificant as a family, and secondly, that would mean you are going to pay less attention to him. A whiney, loud, crying mess of a cybertronian is just not something he would dream of.
So if you do end up being pregnant, it was probably an accident.
I imagine Sentinel being a total dumbass about it. Not because he's uneducated about pregnancy, of course not. He's just used to getting laid with one bot and another without any consequences. Usually they don't call back, and even if they do, who the hell would believe them? Sentinel Prime accidentally knocked you up? Sure, we all trust you, hun.
However, he can't just dismiss his own conjunx. That's the moment where he needs a good amount of time to process everything. Sentinel hates the idea that he would not be able to bring you to every fancy meeting, showing you around for everyone to see like you're his luxury item, something everyone can watch but can't touch. Then, he would have to sacrifice his moments of intimacy with you, since you would be too tired, not in the mood, and dangerous for the sparkling.
His possessiveness over his conjunx is incredibly high and even ridiculous. Sentinel probably keeps you in your shared berthroom more than usual, which at first might sound sparkwarming and very caring of him. Like aww, he wants you to rest and not bother about a thing! He's such a good conjunx. In reality, Sentinel is searching through various doctors on Iacon, the ones he can bribe, so not a single word comes out of the room. He doesn't want his people to talk about his personal life behind his back.
Sentinel, obviously, also makes sure no one but him knows about it. Maybe Airachnid gets to know too, but it's not like you can keep something from her, the spider lady most likely knows about your early signs of pregnancy faster than everyone. Faster than Sentinel, lol.
During the early stages of your pregnancy, Sentinel is pretty stressed out himself, even though he doesn't show it at all. Because, what do you mean, he is going to be a sire? When you actually tell him this, he would loudly laugh in your face. You're totally joking, are you? Wait, why aren't you laughing? ...Oh.
When he realizes it's not a joke, that's where he gets serious. I am not going to sugarcoat it, since he might think about getting rid of it. Quietly and painlessly, it is early enough for the process to go smoothly. No one gets to know about it, and by the end of it, you will go back «to normal», and that's perfect for him.
But the more he thinks about it, the more he gets conflicted. What if someone finds out? Sentinel Prime, the great leader of Iacon, got rid of his own sparkling? He can already taste the bitterness on his glossa, when he reads the articles, various comments, his ratings and support from the parties are getting lower and lower. What a nightmare.
But when Sentinel sees you, sleepily wrapping your servos around his arm, nuzzling against his shoulder, so close to him that he can almost hear the faint beat of a spark inside you, he decides to keep it.
He grows prideful through some amount of time. His conjunx, carrying his sparkling. Sentinel sees his sparkling as something of his own too, just like you are his.
It is too early to think about his sparkling being the next ruler of Iacon, his heir, since, well, Sentinel doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon, but he does like the idea of making a tiny some-sort-of-royal-family of his.
For everyone else, Sentinel Prime is the best sire anyone dreams to get. Why wouldn't he, if he's their protective, hardworking leader? In public, this tiny, soon to be growing family is a role model of how every family on Cybertron should be. Inside the closed doors, what you have is not what someone would call «perfect». Sentinel might claim that he loves you, he genuinely loves you and his sparkling, but you would never tell if he's pretending or not. You might just believe him with this one.
#sentinel prime x reader#yandere transformers x reader#yandere transformers#transformers x reader#transformers one x reader#tw yandere#yandere x reader#tfo sentinel prime
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no one can tell me that miguel isnât the biggest gentleman ever!! He will carry your bags, open doors and all that like his life depends on it (all of it obviously with his constant frown but deep inside he couldnât be happier)
100000% i hope you don't mind i went with miguel and civilian!reader
you've been dragging miguel around all day. it's his consequence for being gone for a couple weeks with no notice.
"miguel, what do you think about these?" you're modelling a new skirt, short enough that miguel's cheeks flush when you turn around.
"they're pretty," his lips don't form a smile, but his tone carries all the adoration his face doesn't.
you pick one in three different colours and miguel grabs the bag before you can. "where else did you want to go?" he asks and you smile like a madwoman.
miguel thinks it's adorable how you get excited to spend time with him. you're bouncing on your feet as think about wehre to go next.
"maybe the bookstore? i saw there was some new books that were supposed to be released yesterday," you take a look at his face and then think better. "or maybe we can go for ice cream? i don't want to keep you too long."
miguel tsks. "you're not keeping me anywhere," his free hand grabs yours, "where do you actually want to go?" miguel knows the answer.
"bookstore," you say it shyly and it pulls a real smile from him.
"c'mon then." miguel leads you across the street, hand swinging in yours as you cross. he fights another smile then.
"you can't pay for everything this time, miguelito." he groans at the nickname. "i'm serious, it's always a lot."
miguel shakes his head, "don't care, i need to get something on cellular reconstruction and something on organic chemistry." he doesn't actually need those books. heâd much rather use a peer reviewed study, but a little white lie to actually have to be at the till when you place your books on the counter doesnât seem a big sacrifice.
#miguelo'hara#miguel oâhara x you#miguel oâhara x reader#miguel oâhara#miguel o'hara#miguel o'hara fic#miguel o'hara x black!reader#miguel o'hara x you#miguel o'hara x reader#miguel o'hara drabble#miguel o'hara x yn#miguel o'hara x y/n#miguel o'hara fanfiction#miguel o'hara one shot#miguel o'hara fluff#across the spiderverse#miguel x reader#miguel spiderverse#miguel spiderman#miguel x you#miguel oâhara x yn
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I was here when mouthwashing was just a demo. here are some things I noticed.
I caught on to the fact that Curly was likely innocent and that Jimmy was an unreliable narrator based on the "Take Responsibility" word scramble and Jimmy's asshole behavior. Because of this, I also did not think there would be supernatural horror, I thought itâd be man-made and psychological, which I was right about.
What I did not expect was the subtle depiction of how workplaces fail victims of rape and misogyny.
What I did not expect was how backgrounded the late stage capitalism critique ended up being.
late stage capitalism: a red herring
From the Demo, you focus a lot on the corporation as the main antagonist, probably because Wrong Organ devs were hiding the villain protagonists.
Ominous posters, a Polle monster chasing you, those ominous TV commercials glorifying working for a corporation, the fact that all this horror was over fucking tooth-rotting mouthwash. Really paints the picture of a corporate horror or conspiracy a la âTime to Orbit: Unknown,â where every chapter unveils a new corporate conspiracy for money and power.
but instead, in mouthwashing, the capitalist aspects are merely plot devices to explore the horror surrounding mismanagement and its consequences.
A power tripping coworker and an enabling manager who got him the job. An eager-to-please kid and an established supervisor willing to take advantage. Flaws in how the hierarchy is decided, leading to the one person who shouldnât have had power getting the power. Lack of sensitivity training (or whatever thatâs called) surrounding things like Title IX concerns, such as the uneven gender dynamics or what to do in the event of a crime or the fact that the person doing the psych evals isnât getting any evals.
Notice that none of these things are unique to capitalism, theyâre issues youâd have to plan for in any workplace/organization, whether that be socialist or capitalist or whatever. The capitalism exacerbates the issues or catalyzes the consequences of them like a plot device, but the issues donât originate from there.
For example: the lack of any woman other than Anya.
Yes, this was most likely exacerbated by late stage capitalism understaffing to cut corners, leading to skeleton crews, but that the crew we DO have is mostly male is more related to misogyny or gender roles.
Perhaps women don't want to work on these freighters because of the danger of being trapped in a confined space with men. Maybe the jobs required for these freighters, like mechanic or pilot, are male-dominated. Or maybe the hiring manager had a bias where they viewed men as more competent, etc. The fact of the matter is that the cause is the same when you dig down deep into it: misogyny.
Or the layoff. The laying off of the crew is its own form of evil, but its consequences arenât the ones being explored within this story. Most of the crew die of the horrors within the ship before they ever have to face it. In fact, the horrors within the ship don't really even have anything to do with the layoff at all. Itâs a bit of a red herring.
Rather, the actual cause of this gameâs horror is the mismanaged fallout of Jimmyâs assault. Most obviously in that scene where we see Curly for the first time, wherein Curly doesnât take Anyaâs safety concerns seriously, even when Jimmy is actively threatening to make everyone disappear so neither of them have to face the consequences of the assault.
I initially misread that scene as Curly evilly conspiring to let Jimmy crash the ship so neither of them would take the fall, hence us finally seeing Curly's âtrue face.â Because I read what Jimmy said as inherently threatening and serious, I thought Curly had agreed to that awful plan and only got cold feet at the last minute.
Itâs only from reading other comments that I realized Curly had most likely assumed Jimmy was blowing hot air and needed to cool down in that scene. Or that he was making an inappropriate joke akin to his 'sexually attracted to cartoon horses' thing and wasn't being serious. Curly didnât realize Jimmy was actually talking about a real plan until it was too late stop it (makes me wonder if Jimmy was actually attracted to the horse, too).
Thus, it goes from a story about corner-cutting late stage capitalist megacorps to a story about cartoonishly evil, power-tripping men to a story about how we enable these men with failures in our system.
Much like how the beginning of the game, when Jimmy crashes the ship, a failure in the safety systems is what allows the crash to happen (Seriously? One pilfered key is all you need to send your ship into a crash?), a series of social safety nets had to have failed to let him into the cockpit in the first place. The true face is not Curly conspiring to crash the ship out of cowardice and greed, but his inability to face what his friend has done.
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the thing that I've got to say is that it really is ethically straightforward that you should vote Harris.
it's not even a trolley problem, it's a trolley triviality. I don't want to use the meme because it seems disrespectful to use those specific images of MS paint people when these are real lives we're talking about.
The analogy itself is serious, though. it looks like this:
the track diverges at the lever; many people are on lower track, while no one is on the upper track. then: the tracks re-converge and continue, and there are people on the track after that convergence.
The point is that the leverâthe voteâcan be used to prevent those lives on the lower track from being lost, but cannot save the lives lost after the re-convergence.
it differs from the classic trolley problem in an extremely important way: there isn't anyone on the upper track. as such, it's not a question of "who do we save?"âit's only a question of "do we save the people we can?"
(I need to emphasize, because many on this site have long shed the shackles of reading comprehension, that this does not mean that no one dies as a consequence of U.S. or presidential policy choices in a vacuum. It means that your vote cannot prevent that, but your vote can prevent strictly more people from dying, with no trolley-problem type tradeoff of "who do we choose to die".)
~~~~~
you might think that this is abstracting away too much of the real situationâbut it turns out it's ironclad.
to see that it is, and reconcile it with reality, we have to ask: what is not modeled by this analogy? where might it fail?
this amounts to asking the question: is there a benefit to killing the people on the lower track that makes doing so "worth it"?
that is: what justification might you have for saying "yes, we actually need to let those lives on the lower track, the ones we could save with the lever, be lost"?
and the answerâas you might have guessedâis that there is no such justification. no peculiar fact about voting means that you should let those people die.
~~~~~
so why do some peopleâvery passionatelyâinsist that not voting is right? I'll survey a few of the most common attempted justifications I've seen, such as:
"I'm not going to vote for less genocide." This is obviously equivalent to "I am totally fine with more genocide!", a truly horrific stance, and yet I have seen it nearly verbatim from so-called "leftists" a few times. My guess is that this usually stems from a kind of perceived moral contamination: a feeling that a "vote for" a candidate is a moral alignment. This is artificial; not real; not consequential. A vote only makes you responsible for the difference between the two tracks while they diverge. Touching the lever doesn't make you responsible for the track. Choosing between these two outcomes is all voting can doâand because voting for most is easy, and doesn't stop you from doing anything else, there are no trade-offs. No "I'm not at the lever, because I had to work on another way." (If your vote is suppressed, that's another storyâbut this doesn't imply a general anti-voting stance.)
Ironically, some who aren't voting feel they are "keeping their hands clean", when they are in fact actively increasing the chance of more death and suffering. This is kind of the definition of getting your hands "dirty"; it just doesn't feel like it because they're not touching a voting machine, which is kind of just magical thinking. it's not a point not made frequently enough, I think: what some think of as "doing the right thing" here is very much doing the wrong thing, with respect to their own underlying values of right and wrong, and with respect to what they say they care about. those who claim to have the moral high ground by not voting do not actually have it at all.
On that note, some people (fewer, though) seem to think that touching the lever does make you responsible for the track in a real outcome-based way. That somehow, voting lends "legitimacy" to the track, and that by not voting, we are maybe creating a future with no people on tracks. This is just not true; a dangerous fantasy that asks you to sit back and wait for a utopia that's not coming. There are enough voters in this upcoming election that that institution is not going anywhere anytime soon; you'd need a coordinated movement of not voting plus plans for what to do after the state has lost legitimacy, and that is just...obviously not here. To think otherwise is to live in that fantasy, and so to abandon ethical thinking at all, as ethics comes first from a confrontation with reality. you cannot act ethically without acting practically. However: the margins are thin enough that a few people deciding to vote (who wouldn't otherwise) could actually change the outcome. You can actually save the people on the lower track.
Some people think that the tracks never separate at all, or that the same people are on each, or that one way or another, Harris and Trump are "the same". If you think this, please look beyond tumblr "leftists" for facts here. You've been bombarded with all and only all the bad stuff about Harris (not arguing with most of thatâthough there are misconceptions, e.g. that Biden/Harris provided no protections for trans people); but you haven't seen how much worse Trump is on every single one of those cases, issue for issue, including Gaza. If you think Gaza can't get any worse, you've essentially written everyone still alive there off for dead. Likewise for any group who would suffer more under Trump. Needless to sayâdon't do that. The comparisonâthe difference between the diverging tracksâis all that ethically matters when deciding whether to flip the lever or leave it alone.
Some people think voting is primarily "speech", a means to communicate (or worse, merely express), and probably do not realize that this means they think the outcome of "sending a message" (which would do nearly nothing in real terms) is worth killing the people on the lower track.
Similarly, some people think that it's meaningful to "punish" Harris or the dems. (Truly, putting punishment over the cost in lives and suffering is the most horribly american thing to do here.) Some people just want the feeling of punishment, of blame; some people try to excuse their actions in advance ("well, if the dems lose, it will be their fault"), conveniently omitting their own agency in voting, and thus excusing them from the practice of acting ethically at all. Some people think that punishing the dems will actually push them left in the future, to which I say: you don't have a good reason to think this at all, based on history. Parties go where the winning is. And if you do still have a hunch to the contrary, I am sure you don't have a good reason to be reasonably certain of it. This means that you are paying for a gamble, a mere chance, one unsupported by fact, with the lives on the lower track. You can find another way.
~~~~~
Let's be concrete for a moment.
Since this is about difference, let me gesture to a few obvious differences between Trump and Harris: LGBTQ+ rights, Gaza, climate change, mass deportation of illegal immigrants, education, voting rights (and, yes, democracy), the economy, housing, the long-term future success of leftist movements and activism (much more difficult under Trump, who, no joke, has said neatly verbatim he wants to use the national guard and military to handle the leftist "enemy from within", and who can now do so thanks to the supreme court's ruling on presidential powers), everything Lina Khan and Deb Haaland are doing, etc.
And before you respond with something bad the dems or Harris are doing with respect to one of theseâI know. Now compare it to Trump on the same issue. That is the only thing relevant to acting ethically in this brutal, tightly-constrained situation.
For example: Harris doesn't want to ban fracking or reduce oil consumption (bad), but wants to fund renewables, stay in the Paris agreement, strengthen climate initiatives in general.
Trump wants to completely gut funding for renewable energy, withdraw from the Paris accords, dramatically increase oil consumption, commercialize NOAA, weaken the EPA, and so on.
We don't get neither. A vote for none is a vote for "worse is fine by me". We are handed the terrible task of making one of these work, and any person actually, practically concerned with that would choose to try to make the Harris version work then spend precious resources fighting the overwhelming tide of the Trump version.
Only someone who does not actually care about these issues is okay with letting Trump in.
Unless you are capable only of black-and-white thinking, unless you can write off the lives in the difference and convince yourself this is ethical, you can see that letting Trump in only lets more lives be lost, and does not reduce anyone's suffering. No trolley "problem". No trade-off.
Voting Harris is not moral alignment. It's not unconditional support. It is maybe the most conditional action you can take: there are only two real outcomes. One not only has more people, as in a trolley problem, but also results in the death and suffering that would result otherwise.
~~~~~
So there it is, spelled out in the most painstaking detail I'm willing to give to a tumblr post: a few of the failure modes of reasoning that lead to not voting. Often simplicity is too simple, a meaningful departure from reality, but in this case the opposite is true: the simple argument
There are two possible outcomes: one of them eases no one's suffering and creates a great deal more. Therefore choose the other, instead of allowing the worse one to come to pass.
âstands up ethically in this case to every sublimation of righteous anger into misguided action.
And I am not using "righteous" sarcastically: it is right to denounce the Biden/Harris admin on Gaza, it is right to denounce the dems on not doing enough for climate change, etc. But that is not the question being asked by your vote. Do not give the right answer to the wrong question.
The question is only: Harris or Trump? Which outcome should happen, now, in the real world, when it's one of exactly two, when "neither" really, truly isn't an option?
If you do not vote, what will your answer be to the people on the lower track? I am sorry; I dreamt nobly, of no track, no lashings at all. No, I was not kept from the lever. It did not even compromise my dream to push it. Still, I just couldn't bear to touch it; still, you had to die, to save me this discomfort.
acting ethically does not always feel righteous. it is not always a release valve for righteous anger. it does not always feel like progress; sometimes it is only the prevention of catastrophe. it is still ethical. it is still necessary. vote Harris. vote to save the people you can.
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Forsaken as a revenge story fascinates me but not because of anything really related to the revenge story itself but rather the context surrounding it. like, "revenge is wrong" stories are everywhere and almost expected at this point, and Forsaken is no different, really. Forsaken says going on this path of revenge will turn you into a monster, but... we as the player don't really care? And why should we! Uldren killed one of our favorite characters! And every expansion before this has us killing something, so it's not really out of the ordinary.
This feeling is especially reinforced by how much Bungie tried making the young wolf a self insert during y1 (which REALLY did not last long). We, the player (if you played d1/y1 anyway) are angry at Uldren for killing off the most popular character at the time. It's PERSONAL now. And sure, the ending does feel like we're kicking someone who's already down (Ghost says it himself: Uldren's already done for), but we got the bad guy! The end, right?
Nope! Our actions have immediate consequences! Ghost is scared for us. We have to watch Petra struggle with the events of Forsaken while trying to lead a city of people stuck in a perpetual 3 week loop. Mara is obviously not happy with us (and we know we have to deal with lightbearer Uldren at some point). We may not feel bad about killing Uldren, but it doesn't feel great either. And unlike most past Destiny expansions, Uldren isn't an obligatory unequivocally evil big bad alien we need to shoot because this is an fps, he's... just some guy we barely knew anything about before now. Sure, he was a dick to us, but watching his descent into madness throughout the campaign is downright uncomfortable. All our past enemies, in comparison, have been rather straightforward: they're trying to kill us? well we gotta kill them first.
Forsaken also marks a MAJOR tonal shift. It literally kills off the comedy relief. Every release after Forsaken has a noticeably more serious tone (and while humor isn't completely absent (Saint, Crow, Fynch, and Nimbus have their moments) Forsaken's story is a particularly dark one, and it seems to carry over the rest of the year as we first start to consider the "line between light and dark"). It was definitely much more noticeable at the time of release, but Cayde's death has an impact not only on the characters but the tone of the story overall (he is the perfect example of characters continuing to haunt the narrative imo) and clues us in as the audience that shit is about to get Real.
and what happens the next year? We find a Pyramid ship.
this post is kinda all over the place but MAN not a day goes by that I don't think about Forsaken and how good it is as a self contained story and as an expansion that sets up a lot of the major players leading up to final shape! it's not really controversial to say that Forsaken is one of destiny's best expansions (story wise at least I'm not touching that power grind with a 10 foot pole) but I feel like a lot of that sentiment comes from the fact that it came out after curse of osiris/warmind which. no hate to either of them but anything that came out after them would look really good in comparison.
anyway uhhh forsaken good uldren did nothing wrong (JOKE I feel like I have to specify this is a joke people have taken this statement from me seriously before)
#destiny 2#destiny#destiny the game#uldren sov#destiny 2 forsaken#petra venj#welcome tooooo arctic rambles about forsaken and doesn't even say everything they want to about it#(another post is inevitable. sorry)
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Hey ! Can I ask for the Diasomnia boys reacting to a male!Ignihyde!reader who join the gargoyle club (idk if it's name) ?
Like, the reader is really just interest in the gargoyles, and isn't scare of Malleus (or anyone, really. Man is too tired for being scare.)
Ignore it if you don't want to write it.
Have a good day/night ! And happy new year too.
characters: diasomnia boys x male ignihyde reader
tags: platonic, canon compliant, fluff, imagines + scenario format; mentions of malleus in literally everything, lilia being a dad
warnings: none
author's notes: reader is so idgaf energy i love it. also i just remembered the small font feature exists LMAO do tell me if it's too small, i'll change it back to the original size!! if not, i'll change my previous posts to the smaller font. also you have a good day/night too anon ! and happy new year :D
Malleus Draconia
Oh? You want to join the Gargoyle Studies Club? Youâre being serious? Oh!
Words cannot describe how happy he is about a fellow gargoyle appreciator though his expression doesnât really show that
And to think you see him as just another dude⊠such honor was bestowed upon himâŠ!
Heâll excitedly bring you to every gargoyle heâs found on campus and infodump about them - and youâd write them down somewhere if youâre in the mood
Sometimes youâd find new gargoyles and bring him to them and you start to do likewise
Even outside of club activities you two geek out about gargoyles at times which has earned you two the title of nerds
âHave I told you about the time Iâve met talking gargoyles? I never thought I would see such a dayâŠâ
Gargoyles aside, he has times where he confides his personal daily life in you and in turn, heâll ask you whatâs it like being in Ignihyde, etc
After being around each other so much, it feels weird when you guys arenât together - some people would ask where Malleus is whenever youâre on your own, and vice versa
People found it weird how close an Ignihyde student is to someone from a different dorm too and youâre not sure if you should be flattered or not
But in a sense, Malleus really is your other nerdy half.
Sebek Zigvolt
You?????? Join the club where Malleus is president and is the only member of?????????
âWHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOUâRE WORTHY OF JOINING SUCH A CLUB?â
Well, for one, the fact that youâre unfazed by his constant yelling and therefore probably too tired to be fazed by anything, consequently making you the perfect companion to Malleus because you wouldnât react inappropriately to Malleusâ conduct
And that you actually are interested in gargoyles. That too. You tell all this to him
He clutches his head with one hand, debating your logic. You donât know how and why but he accepts your argument
That doesnât stop him from monitoring you twoâs activities from afar but, again, you couldnât care less. A sixteen year oldâs fanatics is just part of the growing process
Outside of club activities, he interrogates you on what youâve discussed with Malleus and you just tell him the truth: gargoyles
At some point, he gets so engrossed in your infodump about gargoyles his eyes shine with a new light
Of course, he mentions something about Malleus obviously liking something so interesting and befitting of his status - but he also thanks you for enlightening him on the topic and that heâll go to you for more information if need be
Youâve converted him. You sometimes see him clutching a book about gargoyles around the school. Itâs filled with notes sticking out of the pages. And a portion of that sometimes heâll run to you to confirm about a fact or two
Maybe itâs safe to say you two are kind of friends now.
Silver
He doesnât think too much of it other than being glad that Malleus finally has a fellow gargoyle fan he can geek out with
Heâd see you and Malleus chatting it up around campus and he canât stop the tender smile on his face from making an appearance
Sometimes he himself will try to strike up a conversation with you and gargoyle geek aside, he finds that youâre just a pleasant person to talk to and be around
He admits heâs not too close with any of the folks from Ignihyde aside for the Shroud brothers but you brush him off by saying that nobody is really
He also admires how you donât really let anything get to you. Again, you shrug it off by half-joking that youâre too tired to be scared by anything at this point
He somewhat empathizes with you on that point, grieving over his narcoleptic tendencies with a heavy sigh
You try your best to cheer him up or if you have experience with such things, you give him advice on how to manage it
You then jest that he can tag along with you and Malleusâ club activities whenever heâs free if he wants. The more, the merrier, right?
He ponders it for a minute and nods. You didnât think heâd actually accept the offer
âI donât see a reason to refuse. Sebek and I have accompanied Malleus on his trips before. Iâm sure this time around will be more fun with you here.â
And so you all do. You all have a royal time together - and the joy on Silverâs face is especially princely.
Lilia Vanrouge
He sheds (crocodile) tears at the thought of Malleus finally having an additional member in his one-man club more friends
Since youâre chill about it, he is too! As long as you get along with Malleus, everything will be fine and dandy
If anything, heâs a bit impressed by how it takes more than the average amount to gain a reaction out of youÂ
âŠand a bit concerned. Are you sure youâre getting enough nutrients? His paternal instincts kick in when you tell him youâre too tired to have a reaction to anything
He knows that Ignihyde students are mostly shut-ins but he still advises you and makes sure you get a balanced diet
Itâs like heâs adopted yet another son
âOh, (Y/N), you really ought to take care of yourself more.â
You grow a bit annoyed at him sometimes but you know his intentions are good so you donât protest
You do feel very loved though. You didnât expect this much from just joining a club for a topic youâre genuinely interested in
But you have to admit it is kind of hard to come by people who arenât intimidated by the Malleus Draconia, even if you donât see it as anything special
Whatâs special, though, is the affection Lilia holds for you.
#writing#twst#twisted wonderland#twst x reader#twisted wonderland x reader#platonic twst x reader#platonic twisted wonderland x reader#twst x m!reader#twisted wonderland x m!reader#twst x male reader#twisted wonderland x male reader#malleus draconia#malleus draconia x reader#malleus x reader#malleus draconia x male reader#sebek zigvolt#sebek zigvolt x reader#sebek zigvolt x male reader#sebek x reader#silver twst#twst silver#silver x reader#silver x male reader#lilia vanrouge#lilia vanrouge x reader#lilia x reader#diasomnia
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Stress fracture | K. Tobio x F!reader
Warnings: Cursing, injuries, timeskip spoilers, arguing, hurt/comfortâ ïž
An: repost from my Wattpad
Female reader.
Wc: 1341
"You're so stupid sometimes, Tobio." You sigh as you shut his door for him. He waits for you to round the car and get into the drivers seat before answering.
"Am not." He huffs.
"We're supposed to meet up with your sister and mom, but instead we're on our way to the doctor." You sigh, eyeing him for a second before turning on the car.
"I didn't think I'd get a stress fracture, didn't even know that was a thing." He mutters the last part to himself.
"Your body isn't keeping up with you, obviously you're going to stress your ankle out and injure it." You feel bad for scolding him over injuring himself, but you've warned him for weeks to ease up on the training.
"I should be back in about a week or two right?"
You look at him like he's crazy, "Doesn't it hurt?"
"I mean, yeah, but it's like a minor thing, right?" He continues, not taking his injury too seriously.
You shut your eyes despite driving then quickly open them, "Tobio.. I don't even know what to tell you right now."
"Why's that? I'm being serious." He frowns.
"Yeah, that's the scary part. You'll probably be out for longer than that." You sigh, knowing he wasnât going to take this too well.
"I can't." He denies.
"Injuries don't work that way." You shrug, "Just focus on getting better, yeah? Plus you've barely been home.. so."
"I spend plenty of time at home." He argues.
"To sleep and eat, but we don't see much of each other." You explain, all of a sudden feeling nervous.
"We've talked about this already." He says, turning his head, finding the window much more interesting.
"And I'm going to say it again, you need to let yourself rest." You're trying your best to not have this conversation blow up.
"Are you sure you're not just saying that so I can be with you longer? I told you how demanding my job is." He crosses his arms.
"Tobio, I'm not trying to argue with you right now." You grip the steering wheel tightly.
"Then what're you trying to do?" He scowls.
"Take care of you. You're injured and I'm concerned at the amount of training you're putting yourself through." You explain
"My training's just fine." He crosses his arms and faces his body towards the window. He's so sassy sometimes.
You decide to leave it at that, the rest of the car ride was silent. The clinic comes into view and you notice your boyfriend shift uncomfortably in the leather seat.
You tried your best to park as close as you can, knowing you'd have to help Tobio get out of the car.
"I can get out myself." He glares and opens the door before you can even turn the car off. You roll your eyes and decide to let him suffer. He begins to walk and immediately scrunches his face in pain.
You walk in front of him and into the clinic, he was being stubborn so you'd let him suffer his own consequences. The lady at the front desk attends you and you're both waiting for your husband.
Tobio is limping as he walks in, pain evident on his face. "Would you like me to get you a wheelchair, sir?" The woman asked.
"I can walk myself." He says to her, she raises an eyebrow and motions for you both to follow her. A small part of him wanted you to help him, but he was never going to ask.
You take it upon yourself to aid him, he grumpily lets you, deep down he's really relieved. His ankle was throbbing. He's finally sitting on the bed in the room, scooting all the way to the back so his injury wasn't just dangling.
His phone is buzzing with texts and calls from his sister and mother, he ignores them and is waiting for you to speak to him. You look the other way, finding the wall entertaining.
He scoffs, what's so appealing about the wall? You don't even react to him. The doctor enters the room and begins to examine his ankle, finally being told he's out for 6 weeks.
The doctor gives you a list of things to help quicken the healing process, you listen intently to what is being said.
"The doctor's more interesting than me, huh?â Tobio says as he's settled in the car.
"Don't Tobio." You warn.
"Now you wanna talk to me? I bet you're happy I'm gonna be home for so long." He says.
"What's gotten into you? All you do is spend your time playing volleyball, I understand that's your job, but when's the last time we had a date night?" You question, beginning to drive.
He ignores your question, "That's quite literally my job."
"I know it's your job, but you're overdoing it. We don't eat dinner together anymore, we don't go out on dates, I go to bed alone and wake up with you already gone." You say frustrated.
"I warned you about this when we first got together, you can't expect me home all the time." He faces you.
"I'm not saying that, Tobio, you're not even listening. You're upset because you have a stress fracture and you're out for 6 weeks. You don't need to be taking that frustration out on me. I just miss spending time together, that's all." You finish your little rant and he stays silent.
Tobio gets out of the car by himself and is waiting by the door for you to open. He limps to the couch in the living room and pulls out his phone. He begins to realize you're right, he's been staying after a lot more and leaving much earlier for practice.
An important match was coming up and he just wanted to be the best he could, unknowingly he was pushing you off to the side. Now he feels like he's an assholeâno, he knows he's being an asshole.
You went up to your shared bedroom and haven't come out since. You've taken some time to cool off and answered some messages, mostly informing his mother and sister about what happened.
Tobio struggles to go up the stairs, at the top he's breathing heavily and sweating. Your head turns towards the door hearing it open.
He limps onto the bed and scoots so his back is resting on the headboard. He didn't even realize as he was getting situated and being careful to not injure himself more, that you'd left the room. "Fuck." He groans.
You now sat on the couch, focused on your phone. Your husband didn't struggle as much as when he was going up the stairs, he made sure to be quiet so you wouldn't move.
He sits next to you and you begin to stand up, "I won't be able to follow you if you go back upstairs." He says out of breath. "Please just stay." His hand reaches for yours, his eyes looking at you apologetically.
You glare at him and sit back down. "What do you want."
He sighs, "I'm sorry for earlier. You're right, I was upset because I'd be out of volleyball. I didn't mean to make you feel like I don't want to spend time with you."
"I know, it just hurt how you kept getting defensive about it. I'm aware of your job being demanding, but we'd still be able to do things and relax." You explain and he listens wholeheartedly.
"I know, babe, I'm really sorry. We have an important match coming up and I went a little crazy." He agreed. "I'll do a better job, I promise."
You smile, "I'm sorry for not helping you get out of the car."
"I deserved it." He laughed, "I know you'll take good care of me, no more running off, I can't keep up." You both laugh.
"Come here." You say and press your soft lips to his. "I'll take great care of you."
#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu#haikyuu x female reader#haikyuu x y/n#haikyuu x you#hq x reader#writing#haikyuu!!#hq#haikyuu kageyama#kageyama tobio#kageyama tobio x reader#tobio kageyama x reader#haikyuu tobio#hq tobio
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