#oh I love this brief little interlude for the party | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

infernalodie · 3 years ago

Note

have you ever listened to that one lana del rey song with The Weeknd? it’s call star girl interlude. (this isn’t part of the imagine, just thought about sharing this song with someone 🤷)

anyways- i was wondering if you’d be up for an imagine with cassie howard x male!perez!reader where the reader and cassie have been dating after she ended things with mckay. the reader has been in love with cassie ever since first meeting her when he went to pick up maddy at cheer practice and offered her a ride home. since he’s maddy’s older brother, he’s close to the friend group and therefore is protective of the girls (especially rue, since he, lexi, and her have been friends since pre-school). he was also the one to help calm maddy when she didn’t want to cooperate with the detectives when they found out about her bruises, and the reader had been livid finding out that nate jacobs had laid his hands on his sister, which sent him a flurry of emotions and almost killing nate until maddy had to physically hold him back. its their graduation ceremony for their last year and they’re celebrating it together with a party at the Howard household. the reader is trying to convince cassie and the girls to tag along in his and maddy’s yearly trip to Vegas? (or wherever you prefer for a summer trip)

also- hope you’re doing alright, mate. moving around is hard. it’ll get better :)

I just listened to that and oh my god...horny vibes asf lol!

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 || 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝

"𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩�� 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦"

Inspo: Daniel Caesar - Get You Justin Bieber - 2 Much

Pairing: Cassie Howard x Male!Perez!reader

Summary: You had always had a large influence in Cassie’s life and many others. Yet, you never expected a single thing in return besides her love.

Warnings: Smut, fluff, and a bit of angst

Words 2673

DNI IF YOU’RE YOUNGER THAN 18!

The midnight air was filled with pure excitement from fellow kids seeking to further their night of bliss. After all, it was the graduation party and everyone was searching to enjoy this little break of time and space from all the drama that seemed to infest East Highland. This was everyone’s chance to truly let go and be free from everything, and that didn’t happen much in not just East Highland, but Highland as a whole.

You. You were all Cassie had on her mind the moment she stepped into the Perez household. Her sense was amplified by 10 with the most manageable thoughts of you that weren’t related to sex. And when she saw you sitting in the corner of the house, arms wrapped protectively around Rue and Lexi’s shoulders, who were laughing at the hushed whispers you spouted as you pointed at a few partygoers, likely making fun of the poor souls, she felt her excitement sprout from the dirt that had accumulated over the brief days of not seeing you.

That’s the type of effect you had on her. For small breaks in time and days, she feels lost without you, no way-finder to guide her to the lifeline you provided her every single day.

“Maddy, I don’t have time for this!” You whined. “I have to grab us food for tonight. I don’t want to have mom nagging me about being late for this shit.”

You were seated on the hood of your car, rubbing your eyes from the exhaustion and lack of sleep of studying. One of the biggest downfalls in your opinion when it came to school. Doing all the tedious tasks that were asked? Fine. But staying up past 3 AM to get ready for a test? Oh, you would rather have Maddy patronize you with all her make-up and outfits.

Your sister, who was standing beside you, rolled her eyes. “Relax, alright?” She said. “The food isn’t running. And we might need to grab more. My friend is staying over for the night.”

Her smart comment made you roll your eyes. She always had a tendency of being a smartass when it wasn’t exactly needed in a conversation. When you were about to question her on her last statement, Maddy lifted her head and her lips formed into a grin. “Cassie!”

Turning your head, your lips parted at the beautiful blonde making her way over. Cassie? You swear you have heard that name around school and from the multiple phone calls you have heard your sister have in the late hours of the night. At the time, there was no putting a name to a face as the school had been kicking your ass.

But now, Cassie, this beautiful blonde with the most beautiful smile had finally been given to you. Leaving you breathless as Maddy and she ran to one another and hugged.

There was no way for you to stop staring a bit longer than appropriate. Could anyone blame you when such a beautiful girl suddenly appeared? She something close to an angel coming down to earth to bless you and your fellow despicable race with the gifts she would give to the world. Her voice, her beautiful blue eyes, long luscious blonde hair that glowed under the sunset, and that smile that you had a suspicion was more than anything remotely close to innocent.

They made their way over with Cassie’s baby blues connected with yours. Lips twitched into a smile as you stood up from the hood of your car. Offering a smile as your sister and the blonde devil stopped short of a few feet from you.

“Y/n, this is Cassie.” Maddy’s greeting was replaced with you holding out your hand for the blonde.

“Pleasure to meet you, Cassie,” you said. “I’m Maddy’s brother. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Cassie took your hand, shaking it with that beaming smile of hers. “I know who you are,” she announced. “Lexi’s my sister. She talks a lot about you.”

“Your sister is Lexi?” You asked, lips forming a smile of disbelief. “You two don’t look at all similar. Still beautiful though.”

That had been the first time you ever saw Cassie. But it sure as hell wouldn’t be too long later that day when you would see her again.

Birds could be heard tweeting just beyond the walls of the Perez household. The faintest sound of a movie being played on the TV and casting light towards the shadows that invaded each corner of the living room to the kitchen.

Maddy sleeping soundlessly on the couch, unknown to the soft slapping of skin clapping together just beyond the couch and in the dark kitchen. Cassie was bent over the island, tears springing from her eyes, fingers interlocked with yours as your body shadowed over her. Her head craned to the side just enough to allow her lips to connect with yours. The kiss was heated, full of need.

In no way, had she expected to be bent over a counter with her best friend's hot brother fucking her senselessly. But she couldn’t find the tiniest bit to care about the complications of such. The way your tender hands rubbed her back as your hips slammed against her ass, creating ripples on her skin, she was lost in the bliss. Feeling each punch of your cock against her cervix causes her head to go lightheaded.

And the way your tongue tasted of her arousal, she was addicted. Needing even more than what she was already exposed to. The way you had gazed down at her with such lust had her folding to her knees, metaphorically and literally. She couldn’t get enough of everything you had to offer her.

You parted just a breath away, hips rolling into her ass and causing the girl’s eyes to flutter with a whimper falling from her lips. You watched with a smirk, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

“I knew you weren’t innocent, angel.”

Since then, Cassie knew there had been something between you two. Maybe not at first, but as time went on, she showed up more, something had developed. A friendship most likely as she now called and texted you quite a bit during her free time with school. It’d been your last year and she was more than keen to spend every moment she could with you.

But as fate liked to play its little game, you had been pulled into the chaos that revolved around Maddy’s relationship with Nate. From the start, you had hated the kid the moment you met him, and you were sure the feelings had been mutual. And as much as you hated it, you didn’t step into it considering this was your sister’s relationship. It hadn’t been your place to speak on such a thing when it came to someone as snappy and rude as Maddy.

It was only after you and Cassie got together, that you found out how much bullshit Nate had done to your sister. Now, you had suspected something going on when Maddy showed up at home with bruises around her neck. You questioned her on it, and at the time, she denied it being anything. But when your parents called you to the police station to calm her down, she confessed it had been Nate.

Of course, you were insistent on saying something to the police and getting justice, but she begged you not to. So, her being your little sister, the girl you could never deny, you left it alone. Decided to instead, just be there for her with Cassie coming around to help take both of your minds off the piece of shit that didn’t live that far from your home. Maddy may not be weak or helpless, but you always protected your sister. You never let someone get away with treating her like shit or laying an unwarranted finger on her.

And in many cases, when you went to parties with Maddy and Cassie, both girls had to restrain you from doing anything. Practically dragging you to the other side of the party where the rest of the girls would come and keep you company. They all knew of your protectiveness over Maddy as it travelled to them as well. Having, in many situations, beat guys to a bloody mess when they hurt or said some douchebag comments towards any of them.

But Nate wasn’t just any other type of douchebag. He was a monster. A despicable excuse of what could be considered a human being. He shared the same oxygen as you and you wanted to change that.

The front door to McKay’s house opened, revealing Cassie with a ton of kids partying in the background. But the blonde was greeted by you and some of your other friends, who she had met before. They were all trouble, including you. Each of them had been some of your friends since grade school and they all had grown up in the slums of Highland. All of them had something in common with one another. So, the sight of them wearing tracksuits with their hands behind their backs, she could only guess that your presence came with chaos.

“Y/n, what’s up?” She asked as you cupped her cheek.

“Head home, Cass,” Was all you told her before moving past her and stepping further into the house. “All you little ass kids need to get the fuck home now!”

You pulled out a pistol with Joey and Clay pulling out their own. But the sight of the weapons had kids scrambling and quickly searching for the nearest escape. “Get your asses moving!” Clay barked at some kids that sprinted past him.

Rounding a corner, you came face to face with Rue, Jules, Lexi, and Kat. “I’m going to need you all to hand over any drugs or alcohol in your possession,” you quipped.

“What the hell are you doing here, Y/n?” Lexi asked and gasped at you waving your pistol.

“Gonna have a nice chat with our little friend, Nate,” you told her before turning to Joey. “Joey, get them out of here and into my car.”

The four yelled, protesting for you to reconsider, but you didn’t listen. Moving up the stairs where you could hear the faintest sound of moans and grunts. You knew Nate was here as it had been the reason Maddy decided not to show up tonight. So, you considered this moment to get some payback.

Turning down the hall, stepping closer towards the sounds of pleasure, you smirked. “The po-po’s is here!” You imitated in an extremely high tone, earning a quiet snicker from Clay. “Y’all better run, man! These white cops are crazy! They just shot Carl and they ain’t stoppin’, man!”

Once you arrived at the door, you kicked it open to reveal a frantic Nate Jacobs and a random blonde you didn’t care to know or get to know. When Nate saw you with a gun, he started rushing towards the window, which you were quick to start.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, white boy?” You grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face into the window. Cracking it as you grabbed him and tossed him to the ground.

“Time for you to get dressed and get the fuck out, sweetheart.” Clay tossed the girl her clothes, which she took gladly and took off out of the room.

You grabbed Nate and tossed him into a nearby chair. “You know why I’m here?” You asked. “And I suggest you answer correctly or else I am going to shoot your tiny dick off, Nate.”

Nate winced, touching his forehead that had a fresh new cu. Blood dripped into his eyes, only furthering his deliriousness with him murmuring incoherent words. Having had enough, you smacked his cheek. “I’m not gonna ask again, Nate.”

“You’re here because I threatened her,” Nate groaned. “I put a gun to her head.”

“Correct,” you acknowledged. “Now, I’m giving you this one warning once. Stay the fuck away from my sister, my friend, and anyone else affiliated with me or else I will kill your parents and post all the videos of your daddy fucking guys, alright? I have no problem going to the police and telling them you’ve been blackmailing Jules and has child porn, ‘kay?”

He groaned but nodded nonetheless. Making you sigh and turn to Clay, which he understood and turned his back to you. Giving you direct access to the backpack that you unzipped. “Now, Nate,” you grumbled. “Knife, wrench, or blowtorch?”

The boy frowned, looking up at you in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Pulling out the items you had previously listed off, you grinned at the boy. “Choose the punishment or Clay and I will beat the living fuck out of you.”

No one has ever dared to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing when it came to you, your friends, and Maddy. Especially when they found out Nate had severe burns across his chest and legs, hospitalizing him. But everyone knew Nate deserved it, even if you might’ve gone overboard with your message.

But as twisted as it may seem, Cassie loved you for it. Willing to put your life on the line for the ones you love. And all you ever asked for in return was their love and compassion to be in your life.

Maddy, who rose from her chair, snapped her fingers and slowly got everyone’s attention. You lifted your head to find Cassie having started to make her way over, but stopped short when Maddy sought everyone.

“Now, we’ve all graduated and we don’t have to deal with the bullshit of school,” Maddy started. “Y/n and I didn’t just invite all of you over for no reason.” Maddy motioned to you with an eager smile. “Would you like to tell them?”

With a sigh, you moved away from Rue and Lexi, quickly pulling Cassie into your arms with your front pressed against her back. The action caused Cassie to grin widely, tilting her head to look up at you, meeting your beautiful smile.

“Well, Maddy and I are going to Vegas and we were wondering if all of you would come along?”

The question had a few of them murmuring, some joyous with the idea and others hesitant. “I would be paying for all the tickets with Maddy paying for the food and transportation,” you reassured. “All you would have to do is just come and have fun.”

Hearing that was enough for everyone to quickly agree in extremes. Leaving you to look down at Cassie as she turned in your hold. “Do you think this is a good idea?” She asked. “You’re gonna be broke at the end of this.”

You shrugged dismissively. “As long as I get to be with you, I’ll be happy.”

Cassie smiled, leaning up to give you a short and delicate kiss. “As long as you fuck me in front of the view of the city, I’ll be glad.”

A mischievous grin formed on your lips as you felt the twitch in your pants. “Be careful of what you ask for, baby.”

“Y/n!” Cassie’s face was pressed to the window, displaying the whole view of Vegas below. It was so fucking nice.

But she couldn’t think much about it, turning her head to watch you grip her hips and fuck the life out of her. Gasp’s tumbling between her bruised lips with your head resting against her shoulder. The warmth of your body with her cold one was the perfect mixture to haze over your thoughts. Her walls clamping around you repeatedly, how deep you were inside her, it was all too good to ignore.

An arm wrapped around Cassie’s stomach and pulled her to have her back pressed against your sweaty front. Hot pants fell from both your lips as chuckled. “How did I get you?”

#cassie howard #euphoria #maddy perez #euphoria hbo #euphoria imagine #cassie howard x male!reader #cassie howard x reader #cassie howard fanfiction #sydney sweeney #cassie howard x male!perez!reader #euphoria x male!reader #cassie howard x male perez reader #cassie howard fluff #maddy perez fluff #cassie howard smut

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sinner-as-saint · 4 years ago

Text

Power Over Me - 5.

Bucky Barnes x Reader AU

Previous Parts

Run-through: CEO James Buchanan Barnes is a dominant. And he’s spent the last 5 years searching for his perfect submissive. Then one night, he finds you. He thinks everything will fall perfectly into place now; but he thought wrong. Turns out your unfortunate past which still haunts you to this day, and some of his enemies are, well, connected. Things go wrong. And your bond with your dom is tested in many ways…

Themes throughout the series: dom/sub dynamic, smut, dirty talk, angst, fluff, soft dom!bucky

Things changed that one night you and Bucky attended a dinner party.

Things changed for the better actually.

It started when you made the bold decision to wear the collar while you were going out for the night, to attend this dinner party thing hosted by one of Bucky’s business partners. Bucky walked into your bedroom, to find you in the bathroom; eyeing your appearance in the mirror.

“You look gorgeous, baby.” He walked in and wrapped his arms around you from behind, shamelessly eyeing you up and down as well. He admitted you looked drop dead gorgeous in that dark red gown. You smiled at his words and placed your hands on his arm circling your waist.

“Thank you. You look amazing as well,” you added, “Sir.”

He frowned for a brief moment. Then he saw the collar on your neck. It was shining as the light reflected on it. He smirked. “You’re wearing my collar.” He noted, kissing up your neck till his lips reached your ear. “You know what that means, don’t you?” he paused, letting his words echo in your head. He sounded playful, teasing yet powerful. His words sent chills down your spine.

You remained quiet, nodding and watching him intently through the mirror.

“It means that I get to play with you,” he whispered, his hand reaching down and stroking your thigh through the very risqué slit at the front of your dress, “I get to toy with your body,” he continued, slipping his hand past the slit and up to your thong. He watched you through the mirror. You gasped as he shamelessly and easily slipped his finger past your thong and lazily brushed your clit. “I get to tease you,” he paused, pressing his lips right beneath your ear, you whined under your breath, “however I desire.” He kissed his way down you your neck again as he pulled his hand away from in between your legs. “Yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

He pulled away from you and smiled, “Now come on, we’re getting late.” He winked and held your hand as you made your way out of the room.

Oh well… this would end up being quite an interesting night.

And it did indeed.

When you two walked into the room, you made all the heads turns. Bucky held his head high, he was proud. So proud to show you off. He looked at you and you had a shy smile on your face. He tightened his grip around your waist, don’t worry, I’m right here.

You smiled up at him and scooted closer to his side discretely, I know.

When you finally got to your assigned seats, Bucky was up to no good. While there were countless, formal speeches being made, Bucky took advantage of the dimmed lights to mess with you. You were taking a sip of your red wine when you felt a warm hand on your leg, slipping through the slit of your dress shamelessly and casually like it were the most normal thing to do in such a situation.

You quietly placed your glass back on the table and glanced around. No one was looking over at you two, everyone was busy looking at the man who was talking about something a few tables away from yours and Bucky’s.

You looked over at Bucky, silently pleading. He smirked as his hand just moved higher and higher up your leg. He inched closer to you, “Be a good girl for me, and be quiet.” He spoke in his strict voice, yet you caught the playful tone of it.

“Yes, sir.” You responded, whispering and making sure no one hears you.

You tried your hardest not to squirm as his hand inched closer and closer to your dripping core. You looked flustered so Bucky leaned in and pretended to whisper in your ear but he ended up biting your skin and made you gasp instead. “Shh, be quiet I said.” He chided, purposely as he knew damn well he wasn’t making this any easier for you.

You held back a whimper. “Sorry, sir.”

He hummed, approving of your apology.

He inched closer to you again, “Look around Y/N, no one knows about your dirty, little secret.” He mumbled and gave you an innocent kiss on your shoulder while his fingers found your underwear, moved it aside. You shivered at his words. “No one knows what your collar means, or what I’m doing to you right now.” He pushed his fingers past your wet folds. You had to bite your lip so you don’t moan as you discretely squirmed in your seat.

Bucky was shameless, and he didn’t hold back as he gently stroked your walls, his thumb slowly rubbing your clit and you tried your hardest not to moan. “Sir, please…” you begged, under your breath.

He chuckled, quietly just so you can hear. “Please what, Y/N? Ask nicely.”

Fuck…

“Please make me cum…” you begged again. “I want to cum around your fingers, sir please.” He was pleased, and he sped up. Stroking you faster, and faster. Taking you higher… and higher. You were scared you might accidentally let out a moan. The thrill of him touching you so intimately in a room full of people fueled the fire in you. You moved your hips barely noticeably. But nothing escaped Bucky’s eyes, especially not when he was watching you so attentively.

Bucky chuckled. Then leaned in to whisper in your ear again. “You think I don’t see it, huh?” he cooed, purposely making you shiver just with his voice. “Think I don’t know you’re thrusting your hips against my hand?” he smirked, pushing his fingers deeper inside you and curling them just right. You gasped again. “You shameless, shameless girl. Right in front of everyone, really?” he teased and you just whimpered and leaned back in your chair.

He continued he sweet torture. The pressure built nicely in between your legs. His fingers stroked you so slowly that the pleasure was almost agonizing. “You’re so desperate to cum that you don’t even care that there’s so many people around, huh?” he whispered.

“Sir, please…” you didn’t know if you begged him to stop teasing you or begged him to make you cum, despite how immoral that would be – you wanted it. He chuckled.

“Can’t even beg properly.” He scoffed. You held back another moan. Had you been in his playroom right now, you were sure you’d be moaning wantonly. He leaned in to kiss your cheek innocently, as if he wasn’t knuckles deep in you. “It’s okay, baby. Cum for me.”

That was all you needed. You let go, coming undone all over his fingers. Little whimpers left your mouth, your lips parted as you came as quietly as you could.

“You did so good, baby.” he spoke, giving you yet another kiss on your shoulder.

The highlight of the night, however, wasn’t the little sexual interlude you had under the table. It was how Bucky introduced you to one of his friends.

A man approached the two of you while you and Bucky stood by the bar, talking in hushed tones about nothing in particular. Bucky noticed the man and his face lit up.

“Stark!” they shared a hug and made small talk. But the next words from Bucky’s mouth stole your breath away. “Tony, this is my beautiful girlfriend, Y/N.”

You were not unpleasantly surprised, but it was just that you weren’t expecting it. You forced a smile on your face despite the brief shock. “And babe, this is one of my oldest friends and business ally, Tony.” Bucky introduced the two of you.

Girlfriend…Babe… oh.

You couldn’t stop thinking about it the entire night. You were silently smiling to yourself even on the ride back home. Bucky caught you a few times, but he didn’t question it. He waited. Eventually, you reached home and you still were going around smiling to yourself, but barely talking to him so he had to intervene.

He grabbed you gently by the shoulders once you stepped out of the shower in your bedroom, wrapped in your bathrobe. Bucky stared at you for a little while, trying to see if he could guess what was going on but he couldn’t. So he reached around and unclasped the collar, taking it off and placing it down carefully on the bedside table.

“Okay, what’s going on?” he asked. You frowned.

“What do you mean?” you asked back. He sighed.

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. Is something wrong? Did I overstep a boundary? You should have told me t-,”

You smiled and cut him off with a kiss. You reached out and cupped his face and kissed him deeply. His hands slowly trailed down to your waist and he pulled you closer to him, wrapping his hands tighter around you. You smiled through the kiss, and you felt him smile back as well. You pulled away after a little while.

“Hey, we’re okay. I’m just, a little overwhelmed. Emotionally.” You answered his previous question. His eyes screamed his confusion so you continued. “I’ve never been a girlfriend, in love and a sub all at the same time before.” He visibly relaxed at your words. “I just needed some time to process it all. That’s all, Buck.”

He smiled, pulling you in for another kiss. Getting a little cocky now, he added, whispering against your lips, “So you admit you’re in love with me, huh?” he sounded teasing. Then you realized that you had just confessed and you blushed. He chuckled, pulling away. “Hey look at me. Take all the time you need because you’re not going to be anyone else’s girlfriend, or in love with another and definitely not anyone else’s sub ever again.” he meant it. “You’re mine.” he added, “And I am hopelessly in love with you too, babe.”

You smiled and kissed him deeply again. It’s funny, you always thought that declarations of love had to be done in an over the top manner. Like on top of the Eiffle Tower, screaming at the top of your lungs or something cheesy and crazy romantic like that.

But this, here with Bucky; the two of you standing in your dimly lit bedroom, both in your bathrobes, freshly out of the shower and smelling like each other’s favorite scent – this meant so much more. You would choose this over Eiffle Tower any day.

You poured all you felt for him into the kiss. He did too. And before you knew it, he was walking you backwards towards your bed in the middle of the room. He gently laid you down and kissed you senselessly; undressing you rapidly in the process, getting rid of the robe as quickly as he could.

He kissed every inch of your skin on his way down your body.

Your collar bones, down your breasts, your stomach and each one of your hip bones – taking his sweet time. He got rid of his bathrobe and pushed his face in between your legs in no time; his tongue teasing your entrance softly while you tugged in his hair. He was quiet, other than the occasionally humming and the shameless moans as he tasted you. He didn’t taunt you like he did in the playroom, or tease you like he did when you had his collar on.

He was passionate, and loving and hell bent on showing you just how much he loves you. You squirmed under him, tugging at his hair gently as he ate you out like a madman. Wet sounds and moans filled the room. He made you come all over his tongue rather quickly, and his hunger only grew more and more from there.

He had that fiery, feral and hungry look in his eyes as he kissed his way up your body and pinned your hands down above your head while he stared down at you. You looked up at him, and saw nothing but adoration and lust in his eyes. He leaned in to kiss you again. You felt his tongue stroke the top of your mouth, and his hands touched you wherever he could; your breasts, your waist; leaving trails of goose bumps wherever his fingers touched your skin.

He settled in between your legs again, pulling away from the kiss impatiently and pushed himself inside you, slowly.

“You’re all mine.” he whispered in your ear in between grunts and moans as he sped up into you, making you feel all of him while he stroked your walls perfectly. He took his time, not speeding into you just yet. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to yours, letting himself be thoroughly consumed by you.

He didn’t control you, he didn’t order you around. He just felt you. And every fiber of his body screamed your name.

You gasped and moaned as he set a pleasurable pace, making you lose your mind with how gentle and loving he was being – a stark contrast to the lover he usually was in bed. You moaned as he bit and licked the skin beneath your jaw; stretching you out and moving in and out of you like his life depended on it.

Your hands didn’t stay put where he placed them. You couldn’t help but wrap them around his broad shoulders and your nails dug into his skin as you felt a pressure forming around your lower region. Bucky groaned as he felt you wrap around him deliciously. Fuck…

He grabbed your hands and placed it on his chest, “Touch me.” He sounded so… hot. You gently trailed your hands down his defined abs and moaned louder as you felt him.

He sped up just a little, rocking his hips against yours. He stared into your eyes, speeding up into you again. He grabbed your hand from his chest and guided it down to your abdomen, pressing it down gently with his own hand covering yours. “Feel us…” he sounded breathless as he stared into your eyes. You felt it then, the bulge which formed under your skin each time he pushed in and out of you. Fuck…

He grunted and moaned and growled as he felt his release approaching. He quickened his pace, leaning down to kiss you.

“You’re mine, you hear me?” for a split second, the dom in him spoke up. You shivered, with a smile on your face. You nodded, unable to speak. He chuckled. “Can’t even talk, huh? You can’t do anything when I’m so deep inside you, can you, baby?” he teased, owning all of you with just a few words.

You threw your head back and moaned, unable to respond because he was right. You were so full, stretched out to your maximum as he kept pounding into you. You couldn’t focus on anything else at all. Bucky sped up, pounding into you harder than before; the sounds of your skin slapping one another resonated around the bedroom.

He lifted one of your legs up and hooked it at his waist, thrusting deeper in you. You were right on the edge with that one deep push. Your mind was a foggy mess. Your moans were wanton and shameless. Please…please…please… you had gotten the habit of begging, you couldn’t help it.

You heard Bucky’s deep voice whisper in your ear. “I know, I know baby. You can’t hold it anymore.” He pushed deeper in you with each word. He groaned. “I want you to cum for me, come on.” Bucky bit down on your shoulder as he pounded into you mercilessly, making you scream loudly and beg him for more.

He placed one of his hand gently around your neck and he leaned in to whisper in your ear again. “I love you.” he simply said, feeling your walls beginning to clench around him. He leaned down to give you a messy kiss on the lips, “I love you so much.” He pulled away to look down at you.

You whined, struggling to open your eyes. You managed to look him in the eyes. “I love you too.”

He smiled down at you. “Cum with me, baby.” You barely heard him as the only thing you focused on was the sounds your bodies made when in contact with one another; along with your whimpers and his incoherent words while he fucked you like there was no tomorrow. You felt the pressure building as he took you higher.

With a few more strokes of his thick cock, you felt his thrust becoming irregular, and felt his cock throb against your walls. That triggered your violent orgasm.

You tightened around him, and he groaned and whispered your name quite a few times before coming undone; buried deep within you – growling and mumbling swear words under his breath. He fell right into your arms, laying carelessly on top of you.

His chest heaved, as did yours. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders. You gave him a kiss on the neck. “I love you.” you whispered against his warm, damp skin.

He sighed in delight. He supported himself up on his elbows again and looked down at you with a smile on his face. “I love you more.”

Bucky was whipped. And so were you. But him more so. He was even more clingy and needy than he had the habit of being. Your time in the playroom remained the same, he was the most perfect dom you could ask for. He pushed your limits just right, respected and cherished your submission more than ever.

But once outside the playroom, he would just melt at your touch.

Ever since that night, where you confessed your love for one another; things had taken a wonderful turn. You had gotten much more playful and confident. To a point where you would purposely break his rules just so he could punish you.

Bucky found you in the kitchen one Saturday, cleaning the counter. Weird.

“Baby, are you cleaning?” he asked, lingering around the kitchen entrance. You looked up at him and didn’t answer, purposely. He frowned, not thinking much of it as he walked in and over to you. He wrapped his arms around you from behind and nuzzled your neck, feeling the collar against the tip of his nose. “The housekeepers will be here in an hour or so. Leave it, let’s go upstairs.” he whispered the last part playfully in your ear.

You cracked a little smile, then regained your composure. “No.” you said. Bucky frowned again. What was up with you all of a sudden?

“What did you just say to me?” he sounded a lot less playful than earlier. Almost there…

“I said no.” you dropped the napkin and turned around to face him. He saw the look on your face and chuckled.

“Are you trying to misbehave on purpose, baby?” he asked softly, figuring it out.

You smirked, suddenly feeling all confident and cocky. “Maybe. What are you gonna do about it?” you sounded more sassy than you intended to.

He chuckled, almost not believing what he was hearing. He pressed your body backwards against the counter and pressed himself closer to your front. “Do I need to remind you,” he whispered, his nose trailing along your neck, “that you’re supposed to behave while you’re wearing my collar?”

You shivered as he used that voice. You persisted, audaciously. “So what if I’m wearing your collar? I can do whatever I want.” You added.

He pulled away and in less than a second, his hand reached up to grab your throat. His long, cold fingers wrapped around your neck and pulled your head forward and closer to his, just a little. He squeezed just enough to make you lose your mind, but still allowing you to breathe normally. “Try that again, sweetheart.”

He saw the excitement in your eyes. That look of victory. Well fuck, now you had him right where you wanted him. Bucky scoffed. “You’re so bad at being bad.” He shook his head, still not letting go of your throat. “Turn around, lift your dress up and bend over.”

You shivered again, a pleasant chill dancing down your spine. You listened this time, without disobeying or making a sassy comment. You did just as he asked, and bent over the kitchen counter, waiting. Luckily you didn’t have to wait for too long…

Bucky pulled down your underwear and spanked your backside until it was burning hot. And you moaned as each spank landed closer and closer to your throbbing clit, making you wetter and wetter. “This will teach you,” he spanked your left cheek one last time, harder than before, making you whine in pleasure and pain, “to not act like a brat just to have your way. Understood?”

You whimpered. I want more. “Yes, sir.” You hissed when he pinched your sore butt. And the tingly sensation intensified as you heard the sound of him unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. Oh yes, please…

You felt his tip press against your folds as he slowly rubbed his cock up and down; parting the wet folds at your entrance. He groaned under his breath as he pushed himself slowly inside of you. You gripped the counter tighter as you steadied yourself for his thrust. Slowly, he filled you up; stretching you out.

Each time he filled you up, the tip of his cock brushed against your most sensitive spot, and you moaned out loud each time he did so. Your mind was hazy, all you could focus on was him slamming into you. His thrust was animalistic, and rough. Each time he slammed into you, your front crashed against the counter, achingly. But the pleasure made up for the pain.

“Don’t you provoke me like that again, baby. You hear me?” he asked through gritted teeth.

You whined under him, helpless and happy as he pounded into you. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” You apologized, weakly. Your voice barely above a whisper as you tried to make yourself make sense.

His hand flew to your hair and he grabbed a fistful of it, and pressed your face further into the counter. You whimpered as his pounded into your core. His pelvic bone smacking against your butt each time. The sounds of your skin slapping against one another was downright obscene, and the grunts leaving his mouth was even more so.

You felt a familiar warmth washing over you, and a pressure building in your lower region. You knew you couldn’t hold it any longer. And when your walls clenched around him, Bucky knew you were close as well.

“Think I should let you come around my cock babygirl? Huh? Will you misbehave and talk back and argue again?” he cooed, his voice laced with lust and desire.

“No sir, please…” you whimpered, followed by a loud moan.

He scoffed. “You did that all on purpose, didn’t you?” he sped up in you. “Is this what you wanted? You just wanted to be owned, didn’t you?” he grabbed your hair and pulled you up and leaned in to whisper in your ear.

Yes. Yes please.

“You just needed to be reminded who you belong to, and who owns you, is that it?” he taunted. “You wanted to be used and fucked like a toy, huh?” Bucky accidentally moaned.

Oh he wasn’t going to last and he knew it. “Fuck… come with me, baby. Come on…” It didn’t take much for you to come undone after that. Gushing out around his cock, walls pulsating around him; you came, hard. He did too. With a few strokes against your walls, he came right after you.

His warm load shooting inside you, your body trembled against the counter. He caught his breath and pulled out. He pulled your underwear up, then your dress, and finally; he pulled you up against him. Your back was still against his torso, and his arms were around you. Your hands gripped the counter still, trying to steady yourself.

He nuzzled his face into your neck, kissed your skin and moved his lips to your ear. “Are you okay, my little pearl?” he asked, kissing down your neck. You nodded. “Just wanted me to give you some attention, didn’t you?” he asked and you nodded again. He chuckled.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs.” you let him guide you upstairs, thinking he would run you a nice warm bath but he tugged you towards the opposite direction. He looked down to see you frowning. “What, you thought I was done with you?” he scoffed. “You still misbehaved on purpose. You deserve a punishment, don’t you think?” he spoke, and you bit your lip. Nervous and excited altogether.

“Y/N, playroom. Now.”

---

Things were great between you and Bucky. You were each other’s perfect partners. But trouble was never too far. After all, once your tragedy has been set into motion, there is no way you can escape it. It hit you like a bullet, one you couldn’t dodge.

---

You could see the little paradise that you built, with Bucky, burn down and crash the moment you stepped out of your office building that day, on your way out to grab a quick lunch. You saw someone standing in front of you, looking down at you with piercing blue eyes.

Thor.

Back then, you wouldn’t have dared to look him in the eyes. But now, with all the respect and love and care and affection that Bucky gave you, your wounds had healed faster than you expected. So you faced Thor with your head held high and a poker face. No fear, no pain, no hatred – just indifference.

“Hello, Y/N.” he spoke, taking a step closer to you on the sidewalk. You didn’t take one back in fear like you used to and that made him raise an eyebrow. You stood proud and tall and faced him.

“Hello, Thor.” You spoke, a fake smile on your face. He didn’t have the power to make you feel anything anymore, not even fear or hatred. That’s how much he didn’t matter at all.

He seemed surprised, but chuckled anyway. “You’ve lost the manners I taught you, I see. Is that how you greet your master?” he asked, amused almost.

You scoffed. “You were never a master. You don’t have what it takes to be one. You took advantage of me.” You enjoyed the look of surprise on his face. “Besides, you didn’t teach me shit. What you did teach me was to be afraid of you. And that’s not what masters do. Masters and doms are to be trusted. And I never trusted you. You used me.” you ended calmly, with yet another fake smile.

He looked down and then looked back up at you. His hands shoved in the pockets of his coat. “If you were mine, you’d be begging for forgiveness on your knees right here, right now for even using that tone on me.” He said, trying to break you down.

You scoffed. “Yeah well, I’m not yours anymore, Thor. Now get out of my way.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

He smirked. “Oh yes, how can I forget? You’re with Barnes now, isn’t it?” his words made you frown. How did he know? And why did he say it like that?

“I am.” You responded, keeping your reply short. You didn’t like the smug look on his face right after you said so.

Thor chuckled, sinisterly. “How smart of him! You know, him and I have been competitors and each other’s biggest business rivals for over a decade now.” He chuckled darkly. “At some point during those years, the rivalry got… too personal.” He smirked. “Now what better way to show his superiority and arrogance over me and my company than to buy,” he paused, “the one who used to be my sub.” He ended with a grin which made you uncomfortable.

But nothing made you feel worse than what he had just said. What the actual fuck? It felt like the busy city around you had either stopped or had disappeared entirely. Your heart sank. Your breath hitched in your throat.

…buy who used to be my sub… Thor’s words echoed in your head. It couldn’t be. Right? Thor was obviously lying. He had to be.

“He did not.” You simply said. Your heartbeats rang in your ears as Thor laughed, mocking you right there on the sidewalk. And you had never before felt so small.

“So he chose you at the line up?” Thor asked. No. No…

You cleared your throat, attempting to get rid of the lump forming in there. You couldn’t, it was there to stay. An indication that betrayal was on the way. Betrayal and cruel, cruel heartbreak. You refused to think, so you stopped thinking.

“No.” your answer caused the smirk on Thor’s face to get bigger, and bigger.

Thor continued, his words pierced that dagger further and further into your heart. It hurt. It burned. It made you want to scream and shout and made you wished you hadn’t stepped out of the building at this time.

“You still owed the club, didn’t you? You think they just gave you away like that?” he taunted. His voice dripped of victory. Not victory over Bucky, but victory for being currently successful in breaking you down. He continued. “Barnes settled what you owed them. Then paid again, for you.”

No…

Thor kept going. “You’re so naïve and gullible.” He chuckled, stepping closer. “You may hate me, but remember, he’s not better than I am. He bought you too.” Thor smirked. “I know because I was at the club recently, the people told me.” He took a step back. “Now you know the truth.”

No…

“Barnes bought you to show off, to me. You’re like…” Thor trailed off, looking for the right word to hurt you better, “this trophy that he got. And he’s waving it in my face in triumph.” He smirked. “You’re nothing but a symbol of his arrogance, and pride and ego. You’re just there so he thinks he’s better than me.” He scoffed. “He must’ve paid quite good money for you as well.”

That hurt. That hurt like a thousand cuts all at the same time.

“Anyways. Have a good life, Y/N.” Thor left.

And you remained stood there, on the sidewalk. People walked past you, and it was all a blur. You just looked down at the concrete sidewalk people mindlessly stepped on. It was worn out and fissured, much like your heart. It was just there for people to step on and use to get to where they needed to be – much like you.

You walked back into the building and managed to hold in the tears as you walked up to your boss and asked her of you could leave for the day. You said you felt sick. It was true, you did feel sick. Sick and used, and betrayed and heartbroken.

You took a cab home. No, not home. You took a cab to Bucky’s place. And once inside the vehicle, you cried silently. Bitterly. You thought of all the times Bucky said he loved you, and how that first day you told him all about how Thor bought you and how Bucky had seem like a balm to the wounds you had.

You thought of all the times he had told you that you were safe with him, and how he wouldn’t hurt you. All the times you believed him, thinking he chose you. He didn’t. He had bought you, just like Thor had.

You don’t remember walking into his house. Or why you began tidying up the place, or making sure everything was spotlessly clean. Your movements were mechanical, your heart numb. Tears streamed down your face as you cleaned, for a moment it felt like you were back with Thor. The tears stopped at some point. But the pain was still there.

Bucky… the thought of his name made you cry again as you sat there on the stairs, thinking about what you would do next. You thought about how Bucky had held you in his bed last night, after making love to you. And he was so excited this morning at breakfast, about date night tonight.

As some point you were angry. So angry at everything. Then you pitied yourself because, how could you have been so stupid to begin with? Of course the club wouldn’t just give you away while you still owed them money. You should’ve questioned them. You should’ve questioned Bucky before falling in love with him.

Love… it sounded so transactional now. Had Bucky really just bought you to show Thor that he has the upper hand in whatever rivalry they have? Did he even mean it when he said he loves you? What about all the intimate bathtub talks you had? Were any of those real? You had trusted him for fuck’s sake! All for what? Just to find out from a piece of trash that Bucky bought you from the club?

Also, why did this revelation hurt more than anything Thor’s ever done to you?

You didn’t realize how much time you had spent overthinking on the stairs. You checked the time at some point and it was around 5 p.m.

He must be on his way home…

You got up, heartbroken and hurt, feeling used and betrayed. With a thought in your head, and your mind made up.

When Bucky finally checked his phone in the car, as he got in the driver’s seat to finally pick you up from work and make his way home, he saw that he had received a message from you. It said that there was no need to pick you up from work, because you were already home.

Weird, usually you told him why. He tried calling you but you weren’t picking up. Oh well, must be in the shower getting ready for date night. He smiled at the thought of you, and patted the inside pocket of his suit – where was carefully tucked a small black box, with a shiny ring inside.

Today, after dinner, Bucky intended on proposing to you. He had been thinking about it for over a month now, and he knew he desperately needed to spend the rest of his life with you.

He got home, and the house was quiet.

“Babe?” he called out.

No response. He decided to check the downstairs area first before walking up to your bedroom. He checked the kitchen and found no traces of you. Just an awfully clean kitchen. Same with the living room, and the library. You didn’t get home early just to clean, surely.

He walked up the stairs, confused. “Baby, come on. Where are you?” he called out again, stepping into your bedroom. Still nothing. He stopped and listened to see if you were in the shower. Nope.

He walked into his bedroom, which you both shared now, and there was still no you in sight. “Y/N?” he called out, he was utterly confused. He tried calling you again, but then he found your phone on the bedside table. He walked up to it. Next to it, on the bed, he found the clothes you had worn to work that day, carefully folded.

What the hell?

He tried to piece it together. This was normally the things you would do back when you were with… Thor. He remembered you telling him how Thor liked seeing you in his playroom first thing when he got home from work, and how it was part of his rules that you tidy the house and clean first.

But why would you do all that here?

Bucky rushed to his playroom. He found the door unlocked. He walked in, a terrible, terrible thought in the back of his head just picking at him.

He found you.

You were kneeling by the bed, head hung low, hands behind your back. Naked, with just the collar on.

“Baby?” he called out again. You didn’t answer. He walked up to you, stood in front of you. He reached down to touch your hair softly. “Are you okay, my little pearl? You want playtime?” he asked, gently playing with your hair. Fuck, he would’ve given you the world should you ask for it. But what had gotten into you?

You spoke up finally. “I want you to hurt me.” You said, voice shaky and quiet.

What? This wasn’t you… he knew immediately that something was wrong.

“Babe, look at me.” He gently grabbed your chin and tilted your head upwards, causing you to look up at him. Then he saw it.

Your watery, red eyes. The sad look on your face. The betrayed look in your eyes. Oh no. Oh no… he knew exactly what that meant. But given the headspace you were in, he knew it would be hard to convince you otherwise.

“Baby, listen to me. We can talk about this.” He tried pulling you up, but you refused. “Let’s go to the study, and we’ll talk. Okay?”

He didn’t care that he was breaking the rules of conduct of his playroom. Hell, he’d get on his knees and beg if that’s what it’d take to make you listen.

“No.” you answered, lowering your head again. “I said what I wanted. It’s your job to meet my needs.” You whispered. He heard, and damn that hurt.

“Y/N, babe listen to me, you-,”

You cut him off, not even bothering that you were breaking the playroom rules as well. “No! Use the whips, and canes. I’m arguing and talking back in your playroom, can’t you see?” you had tears streaming down your face again. You sounded so hurt.

“Please don’t do this to me, Y/N.” he pleaded, successfully pulling you up this time. You didn’t fight back. He placed his hands on either side of your waist. “We’ll go to the study, and we can talk about this.” He repeated.

“No!” you argued again. “Do it! I’m breaking all your rules, please! Hurt me, sir.” You pleaded, teary again. Not sobbing, or crying, just broken and hurt.

“Baby please…” he could feel his heart breaking in two. “I won’t do that. I don’t do that.” he could never hurt you in a situation like this. Never. “I won’t hurt you. I’ll never hurt you, and you know that.”

You scoffed, blinking and letting the tears fall. “Why not? Thor used to.”

Oh no. Oh no, please. Please this is not happening. Bucky felt like he was being pulled apart limb by limb. “I’m… I’m not him.” he answered, hurt.

“Yet you bought me just the same.” You said, and his world came crashing down. No… no please.

He blinked, breathing heavily. One wrong move, one single wrong move and he could lose the love of his life forever. “Baby, it’s not what you think.” He was ready to beg for forgiveness, but he knew nothing could make this any better. To get past it you’d both have to get through it. There was no escaping this. “They were planning on bidding on you.” he confessed.

You didn’t bother knowing who the hell consisted of ‘they’. You were hurt, and angry and now falling apart. At the same time.

“So you bid the highest?” another dagger went through Bucky upon hearing your words.

“It’s not like that. Baby please, understand. I know it sounds and looks wrong but I… I couldn’t leave you there. I just couldn’t.” he said, truthfully.

You almost chuckled. “You said my submission was priceless. Yet you paid for it.” he knew those words of yours would haunt him till the end of time if you ever leave him today. “I trusted you. I gave you everything. I left my entire life behind for you.” you paused, he lowered his eyes, unable to face you. “You lied. You paid for me like I was a whore.”

He was quick to object. “Don’t say that! I lo-,”

“You knew Thor. This whole time, you knew who he was. He’s your business rival, is he not?” you asked.

Fuck. “Yes he is.” He kept his head down.

“Was buying me part of your plan all along? About how you would prove to him and the world that you were the better one? With the most power? You wanted to prove all that by buying something he used to own?” you sounded bitter. So bitter that Bucky winced with each allegation.

“Baby…” he trailed off, still not looking up at you. “No. Please.” His voice sounded barely above a whisper.

You let the tears fall silently as you moved away from him and walked towards one of the robes he always kept in the playroom, just in case. You put the robe on and approached Bucky again.

“I was just a pawn in your sick game, wasn’t I, Mr. Barnes?” you asked and his heart shattered. No, you’re my everything please don’t do this. His mouth didn’t open to say the right things to you. He just kept his head down.

“I was the stupid one. I fell in love with a man who bought me. I was stupid for thinking you were the better man, that you loved me back.” you laughed dryly. “You’re no better than him in the end, are you?” your words hit him like a heavy rain of stones.

He spoke up this time. “Y/N, please. We can talk about this. I lo-,”

You cut him off again. You smiled, sadly. “There’s nothing to talk about, Mr. Barnes. I’m gonna leave now.”

No, no, no!

“No, you’re not going anywhere. We’re going to talk about this, and we’re gonna solve this. You’re not leaving me.” He sounded a little more assertive than he had this whole time.

“I wasn’t asking. I was telling you that I’m leaving.” You said, firmer. “Besides, there’s nothing to solve. You paid for me. I’ll just go back to the club, they’ll give you your money back. Don’t worry, I know it because it’s happened before.”

Baby, no… please.

Bucky’s chest heaved as he tried to contain all his emotions. He couldn’t. He walked over to you and grabbed you by the shoulders, shaking you gently in frustration. His grip didn’t hurt, the look in his eyes did. “You’re not leaving me! You’re mine, you hear me?” his eyes watered. “Y/N, you… you’re mine.” he sounded calmer by the end of his sentence.

You got out of his grip, and pushed him away, taking a few steps back as well to create some distance between you two. You reached behind your neck and unclasped your collar. You snatched it off your neck and threw it at him. It hit his chest and the two of you watched as the collar fell to the ground, much like your relationship.

“Winter.” You spat and turned around to walk out of the room.

You left. Leaving behind in that playroom a man with a broken heart. A single tear streaming down his face, wishing he could’ve done things differently…

a/n: don’t kill me pls

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes angst #marvel #dom!bucky

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kotosnoozy · 3 years ago

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「fourteen」 chapter 1

"Yuri did confess to me about one crush. First one he ever had, I’d wager, from how nervous he seemed. I had expected it to be Lady Estellise here,” Hanks says, the corners of his eyes crinkling mischievously as she flusters, “but the one detail he did give me certainly ruled that out quick.” “O-oh?” Estelle stammers. “Mmm, well. Apparently whoever they are, they’re significantly older than him. About 14 years, I think he said.”

On the nature of Yuri's first crush.

He hadn’t thought much of it at first.

Hanks’s fond babbling about Yuri over their extremely well-earned dinner is incredibly revealing about the usually cool-headed leader of their motley crew. The old man proves himself a riveting story-teller, keeping their entire party entertained for hours on end despite the incredibly long and taxing 48 sleepless hours they’ve had.

(‘Though there was almost a permanent sleep in there for some of us,’ Raven finds himself thinking morbidly, before digging his bitten-down nails as deep into his ankles as he can to distract himself)

It feels like the only time any of them stop smiling and laughing is to take another mouthful from their bowls of curry, piled high from the seemingly endless and eternal pots of the stuff in the knight’s mess hall (or in Rita’s case, to test out another formula against the system Alexei’s locked the princess into - luckless so far, but she’s yet to lose determination).

Hanks has provided all sorts of anecdotes: the adventures of a baby Yuri who had just learned to walk, quicker to his feet than Flynn but still only babbling in response to the younger’s full fledged scolding - their dynamic had formed incredibly early on, it seemed; fond recollections of helping him to learn to bind properly, their first real bonding experience that had endeared them to each other as adoptive-grandfather-and-grandson; prideful recounts of Yuri’s development from childhood cynophobia into a renowned dog-lover, of all the other little things Yuri had been scared of as a child and grown out of in time (and those he hadn’t - Raven makes a few mental notes for later reference); all the fights Yuri and Flynn had gotten into over the years, and the brief interlude where they had dated in their teens (‘If anything,’ he laughs, ‘the bickering became even more frequent at that point - thank heavens they didn’t last!’); and of course, everyone’s old favourite - that one time 2 years ago when he’d thrown Adecor into the river on tax day.

Raven’s heard that one on a number of occasions from all four of the people who’d been present when it occurred - it somehow never gets any less funny.

While most of Brave Vesperia and it's honorary members are thrilled to learn more about their favourite rebel, Yuri himself is less than happy about Hanks laying out his life story for everyone to see. It's plain on his face - the grimace of a man who appreciates how much his parents love him but would really prefer they didn't tell his date about the time he streaked naked through the town and peed in a fountain at 5 years old. His embarrassment is palpable, a pink glow to his ears that slowly spreads to his cheeks the longer and more intimate Hanks’ stories become.

It’s as he brings up Yuri’s childhood dream of joining the knights so he could sweep a princess off her feet, pointedly winking in Estelle’s direction, that their so-called fearless leader bolts to his feet. He spins on his heel, making a beeline to the other side of the room, and plonks himself violently between a bewildered Adecor and Boccos, immediately thrown from their confusion into annoyance as Yuri’s food slops all over both of them.

His previous dining companions merely snicker in his wake, Hanks chuckling fondly.

“He’s always been so easily riled, that boy. If this is how flustered he gets over just you lot hearing all this then I can’t even imagine how he’ll be when he finally shacks up with someone.’

“Wait, but didn’t you say he dated Flynn when they were younger?” Karol asks, head cocking to one side.

“Well between you, me and our gatepost friends here,” the old man says, leaning in - they all follow suit, as Hanks’ eyes pointedly glance over to Flynn, “I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings if he hasn’t realised, but I always got the impression that Yuri was far less invested in their relationship than Flynn. It was Flynn who asked him out, after all.”

“My, that does surprise me. Yuri’s always seemed like he’d be the more proactive of the two when it comes to romance.” Judy muses.

Hanks raises his eyebrows, thin lips twisting into an uneasy frown.

“Wait a minute,” Rita says, leaning even further forward. “You’re not saying Yuri never had feelings for him are you?”

He winces, gaze averting. Raven feels his eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

“They’ve always loved each other, of course. But the tone of that love seems to differ between them. Their relationship was what happened when they tried to figure that out, it seems, but ultimately…”

“They just weren’t compatible as partners of that type?”

“Right.” he nods to Estelle. “In all honesty, Yuri might give off the air of someone with considerable relationship experience, but it’s Flynn who attracts more attention. And seems more interested in others in turn.”

Raven finds his gaze wandering between the two in question - Flynn has managed to find himself eating amidst a small crowd, knights and lower quarter folks alike, all of them doting on him and telling him stories, and him listening attentively to each of them in turn. Yuri, meanwhile is… wrestling with all three of the ex-Schwann Brigade’s most prominent knights simultaneously. Astounding.

“Yeah that tracks.” he finds himself murmuring, nails scratching through the chest hair that rises above the collar of his shirt. Even if Flynn wasn’t the most eager to please others between the two, the young man radiates a natural charm that draws others to him like a moth to a flame - it’s hard to forget how he was upstaged the time he took him drinking in Dahngrest. Yuri, meanwhile, has a proclivity for trouble and a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth with his wit. While endearing, he can’t imagine it’s the most efficient for pursuing new connections - even if he’s managed to attract all of the motley crew Raven’s currently sat with.

“So Flynn’s a secret ladies’ man and Yuri, despite all the pomp and swagger, has absolutely no game?” Rita snickers, casting a wry look across the room at Yuri that he’s too distracted to notice.

“Well I don’t know about that. Flynn’s a man’s man if nothing else, never shown interest in women to my knowledge. But… I don’t think Yuri’s ever actually been interested in dating , full stop.”

“No way, really?!” Karol barks. The exclamation draws the attention of the groups sat closest to them, even Flynn, momentarily, before they go busily back to their meals. Flynn’s expression as he looks at them is pondering, almost puppy-like, and Karol’s panic is practically visible as they watch him seemingly wrestle with whether to come over and see what the fuss is about. Then the woman at his side taps a hand to his elbow gently, and his manners win out - she successfully steals his attention back around, all of his interest in their discussion completely forgotten.

“Well. It certainly seems that way anyway. I remember him asking me, back when they dated, how he would know if his feelings for someone were romantic. He didn’t seem to understand my answer very well."

“That’s unexpected. I suppose my advances have all been vain!” Patty whines. Raven finds himself snickering - whether Patty’s affections are genuine or not is one mystery he's yet to solve, but her playing it up is never any less entertaining or fun to tease.

“Though now that I think about it… he did confess to me about one crush. First one he ever had, I’d wager, from how nervous he seemed.”

Patty surges forward onto her hands and knees, scrambling to get in Hanks’ face. Surprisingly, he’s not that caught off guard - perhaps used to it from Yuri’s exuberance as a child, or that other kid from the lower quarter who’s off chasing Repede on the far side of the room.

“I need all the details, matey! Don’t spare a single one!”

Hanks chuckles.

“I’m very sorry young lady, but he didn’t tell me all that much! I had expected it to be Lady Estellise here,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling mischievously as she flusters, “but the one detail he did give me certainly ruled that out quick.”

“O-oh?” Estelle stammers.

“Mmm, well. Apparently whoever they are, they’re significantly older than him. About 14 years, I think he said.”

“My my! That’s quite the considerable age gap.” Judy coos, tone teasing in spite of Yuri’s absence. She turns over to look at him, sitting atop a pile of knights and triumphantly tucking into a second of four bowls (spoils of war, Raven would wager) - they all do, in fact.

“Kid’s got taste at least. Nothin’ quite like the mature allure of an older lady~'' Raven sing-songs, half-joking. Rita jabs him in the side harshly.

“Shut up old man-- you said you thought it was Estelle he had a crush on right? So are you saying this is recent? ”

It’s like a switch flips in all of their heads simultaneously. Faces filled with shock whip to look at Hanks, who sits sheepishly clutching his bowl.

“Whoops. Might’ve let a little too much information slip on that one. I was probably meant to keep that detail private…”

“Oh my go--”

Rita slaps a hand over Karol’s mouth before his shriek draws too many eyes over. They all meet each other's' gaze one by one - Yuri's crushing on someone for the first time ever at this exact moment - before turning to look back at Yuri again. He’s mid-mouthful, spoon clutched in his hand like a shovel and sauce dripping down his chin, as he turns to survey his surroundings and catches their eyes.

“What?” he chokes out around his mouthful, just audible over the bustle of the rest of the room. He must see the sheer shock on their faces, as concern starts to cross his face and his gaze wanders to Hanks. “Wait, what did you tell them, old man?”

Hanks chooses that exact moment to get up, incredibly swiftly for a man his age.

“Well, thank you all for keeping me company, kids, but I must be off to… check on other people in… other parts of the castle. Right. Goodbye.”

The speed at which he heads for the door is quite remarkable - Yuri barely manages to scramble off his knight-pile-cum-throne before he’s gone from sight, and presumably halfway down the corridor before Yuri makes it out of the room after him.

It’s a shock, that much is certain. Raven hadn’t thought Yuri would be interested in older women - or people he supposes, he’s never really shown any inclination to anyone before in a romantic sense, so certainly not any specific gender. He’d never much struck him as the type.

But then he hadn’t struck him as the type to be interested in any type of relationship until this curveball of a conversation had come along. So hey, why not. If Yuri was into older people, he certainly wasn’t intending to torment him about it. Other than maybe one opportunely timed quip.

Honestly, he really hadn’t thought much about it at first.

But then the kids throw their own curveball.

“I can’t believe Yuri likes someone so much older than him!! Like, I guess I get the appeal of someone a little older than you for like… security or something, I dunno. But man, 14 years!!” Karol exclaims, as quietly as he can for his excitement. “I wonder if we know who it is.”

Rita barks a laugh, catching a distracted Patty off-guard. She begins anew whatever calculations she’d been making on her fingers as Rita shrugs exaggeratedly.

“I bet it’s some big-boobed motherly-figure in the lower quarter or something.”

“Well if all he wanted was big boobs and a nurturing personality then I’ve been here this whole time, all he had to do was ask!” Judith sighs, sly smirk giving away her lack of sincerity.

“Hey,” Patty pipes up suddenly, drawing their attention. “Isn’t Raven about 14 years older than Yuri?”

He feels the cogs in his brain whirr to a stop.

Suddenly, he is thinking very much about it.

“Oh yeah!” he hears Karol chirp. No doubt he checks the calculations on his own fingers, but Raven doesn’t register it if so, hard as he’s trying just to think at all. “Haha, that’s a weird coincidence!”

Estelle giggles.

“Imagine if it was Raven he had a thing for!”

He feels their eyes on him instantly, but it takes a moment for his brain to catch up. His own eyes must be wide as saucers, as they look at him, the mirth starting to fall from Estelle’s expression - he forces a ridiculous grin to his face.

“Haha, yeah imagine that! Someone like Yuri fallin’ for a washed up old fart like me!” he cackles, voice strained even to his own ears. “That’d be ridiculous!!”

The kids buy it though, Karol laughing along before pulling the others back into their debate about exactly who the mystery object of Yuri’s affections could be. It’s Estelle whose gaze lingers on him, just a moment or two longer, as the facade starts to crack, but she must see it - the silent plea in his eyes - as she turns back to the others not a moment later.

If anyone notices that Raven is mentally tapped out until they all go their separate ways for the night, then they’re at least polite enough not to mention it.

⇷-------------

Raven is a strange one.

This is Yuri’s third time meeting the man (or fourth, if the time Rita threatened to set him alight in Capua Torim counts as an actual encounter) and in all honesty, it’s hard to get a read on him past him being very obviously shady.

He seems as though he might be someone of consequence, if the quality of information he so casually throws like bones to random guards is actually as quality as he would have them believe. Either way he’s certainly silver-tongued, plying the others in Yuri’s makeshift travelling party into submission fairly easily despite their initial apprehension about him. Karol and Estelle are charmed by him, by his goofy antics if not the lolloping drawl of his accent, though they make no effort to hide the fact that they find him fishy. While Rita is far less taken, she seems to be placated by him taking her punishments, both fire and fists, like a champ.

The charm isn’t exactly visible to the naked eye though. He skulks at the back of the group, heavy footed and posture slouched. His clothes all seem far too big for him, obscuring the shape of his body in a way Yuri supposes is meant to make him seem unassuming, and he’s already displayed a number of habits that he knows would make any upper quarter noble’s toes curl - picking at his ears and the skin around his nails, before chewing at the nails themselves.

He has to admit though, he’s quite handsome in the face beneath the mess of dusty brown hair. Not in the same way as Flynn, with his big blue eyes and tousled blonde hair, the very picture of a storybook knight. His crooked nose, chapped lips, stubbly chin and hollow cheeks certainly make for a more unconventional type of attractive, but they all come together to create a certain appeal. The brightness of his eyes certainly helps too.

Also the combat prowess. Fighting ability is always an attractive quality in Yuri’s opinion, but especially in a travelling companion.

For a self-professed old man, Raven’s far more nimble than Yuri had expected. Sure, he’d made quite the getaway back in Capua Nor after he’d sold them out, but he’d assumed that’d been a one-off desperate sprint, not the norm. Apparently he was wrong, based on the nimble footwork he employs to dart out of the way of a particularly feisty howler. It doesn’t escape his notice how Karol nearly falls flat on his ass when Raven rushes past him and twists himself at an insane angle to fire an arrow across the way, skewering a beetle between its mandibles before it can take a bite out of Estelle.

“Woah, Raven!! Yuri, you’ve got some serious competition for your acrobatics now!!”

The bark of laughter leaves his throat unwittingly.

“I didn’t realise there even was a competition!”

He sees Rita roll her eyes as she releases a torrent of water behind her, clearly disbelieving him and with good reason; he’s never been one to back down from a potential competition. He breaks away from the corner of the forest floor he’s been holding down, using the momentum to propel himself up and over Raven, carrying it into his sword as he flips to crash it down into the skull of another monster. Raven whistles appreciatively as it disappears into dust.

“Not bad, young ‘un!”

He throws a smirk over his shoulder, ego swelling at the genuine awe on Raven’s face.

“How’s about it, old man? First to twenty?”

The awe transforms into a grimace in an instant.

“Ahhh, I dunno about that. Ol’ Raven’s never really been one for competitions, let alone effort. ”

He scoffs.

“Oh, come on. We’ve got no choice but to fight to get deeper into the forest anyway, right? So why not make a game of it? Not like it’ll actually be any more effort than you were already putting in.”

Raven purses his lips, seemingly unconvinced. His eyes narrow slightly as he stares off, deep in thought, the blue-green seemingly increasing in intensity. For all he’s been putting on the act of a court jester, Yuri is certain in that moment that there’s a deep intelligence to the older man; something unspoken, a wisdom beyond his years.

(Not that he knows how old Raven is but. Well, he gets the feeling that while he’s certainly older than he and his travelling companions, he’s not actually pushing middle-aged yet like he makes out)

Fwip!

He comes back to himself to see Raven’s face closer than before, upside down, chin in line with his collarbone. His bow arm (and subsequently the bow itself) is extended past his shoulder, the other loose by his head having just fired. Behind him there’s a thunk. A screech. A pop. And then silence.

“Looks like that’s one ta me~” Raven coos, eyes hooded as he smirks. He rolls his back, lithe and catlike, to stand himself back upright, stretching his arms out until his shoulders crack. For all his complaining about aches and pains so far (extremely numerous for the time they’ve been travelling with him, maybe an hour at most), he certainly doesn’t move as though he has any joint issues.

Despite his shock, he finds himself laughing.

If he’s honest with himself, he’s just as charmed by Raven as the kids are. He’s never made a connection quite like this one; with someone who can go toe to toe with his dry wit, and make it out the other side without being angry with him. Rita had been the closest (since Niren at least, but Yuri prefers to avoid thinking about the only father he ever knew if he can). But while Rita’s great with a back and forth, she’s easily riled, easily flustered. It only takes one slightly wrong jab and she gets stroppy, or else loses all interest in the situation.

Raven, for all his strangeness, has so far matched Yuri every step of the way. They’ve fallen so easily into a steady banter, something of their own personal comedy routine for just the two of them, some form of it present even from their first encounter way back in that jail cell. To have someone who can appreciate his snark, and give it back just as good while they both know it’s all in good fun? He’d never realised just how much he’d appreciate a relationship like that.

So yeah, Raven’s a little suspicious. But as far as Yuri’s concerned, he’s willing to offer him the benefit of the doubt for the strange comfort he gets from their repartee, just so long as he doesn’t do anything too crazy.

He slaps Raven on the shoulder, moving past him to continue deeper into the oversized brush.

“You got me, old man. But don’t you worry, you won’t be holding that lead for long.”

Raven merely cackles in response, wordlessly filing in behind him.

-------------⇸

There’s only one real constant within their travelling party, and that’s that the sleeping arrangements are ever-changing.

It takes a little while for him to notice, though in his defence the first week or so he’s with them is certainly not a typical week. In the more recent days, they’d gotten lucky with inns having enough beds for all of them, but the first few nights had been entirely sleepless in the hustle and bustle of, y’know, stopping a war, taking down the Blood Alliance and colliding with an actual genuine-article ghost ship.

(He’s still not sure what that was all about if he’s being entirely honest, but he’s old and ““wise”” enough by now that he knows there are some things in this world that you simply shouldn’t question)

So it’s Nordopolica where he finds himself bedding down with his new companions for the first time. The constant hustle and bustle of Palestralle’s workers and the fresh colosseum season unfortunately means there isn’t much free in terms of rooms. On the plus side, the three double beds they’re provided are plenty enough space for them all to be able to sleep comfortably; Fomalhaut’s rooms are quite spacious, nothing at all like the army barracks of his youth (though he supposes that should be expected from a city that considers itself something of an entertainment hub).

Raven takes his time ambling in behind everyone else, absently watching how effortlessly Repede transfers his pipe from one side of his toothy maw to the other. Rushing would be pointless, in his opinion, because he can already envision how everyone will double-up. Rita is sure to claim a spot beside the princess, for whose sake she could not be more clearly continuing to travel for despite her protests, and Judy won’t want to get lumped with a snotty (though admittedly quite sweet) brat or some dirty old man she hardly knows - he’s gonna get stuck with the kid, and the two of them can have a very one-sided competition over whose shitty little brain can give them the most nightmares in one night, and Raven will be perfectly content with that, thank you very much.

(It’ll be him who wins that one - hormone-induced nightmares are nothing compared to the horrors your brain can produce when you have blood and a war on your hands)

And then Karol throws him for a loop by tossing his bag semi-gently to the floor before diving into bed after Rita , of all people.

She hardly even makes a fuss. There’s a yelp - what sounds like it could be the start of the protest Raven would expect from such a combination - before she settles almost immediately.

“Just make sure you don’t kick me awake again, got it?” she barks pointedly at him, before rolling to face away from him and promptly cocooning herself in the blanket. He laughs at her, kicking off his shoes and fluffing up his pillow, seemingly content.

Wide-eyed, Raven turns to the girls - surely he can’t be the only one caught off-guard by this, it seems unthinkable for Rita not to put up a fight to sharing with Karol , and there’s an exclamation of surprise right on the tip of his tongue - only to find them claiming the second bed for themselves, Judy helping Estelle to unfasten the complicated buckles of her dress. He bites his words back, head whipping away; much as the image of a pervert works as a brilliant cover to convince the kids of his idiocy, peeping on the possible-crown princess as she gets changed is certainly not a thing he’s ever aspired to.

And so he comes face to face with the final bed. His bed he supposes, strange as it may still be to him. Yuri’s already making himself comfy on the left side, shirt and jacket thrown over the bottom edge of the bed frame. He stretches his arms up and over his head, muscles rippling as he yawns. He catches Raven’s eye as they fall back down, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes.

“Looks like it’s you and me, old man.” he says, patting the sheets next to him with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

He can feel his own lips quirk to mirror Yuri’s, even as he fights to push down the instinctive panic.

“And here I was hopin’ ta share with my darlin’ Judy!” he whines playfully, flopping down beside him face first in a show of dramatism.

“Sorry, Raven. I just couldn’t miss the chance to cuddle up with Estelle!” comes her voice, sing-songy, from the bed she’s claimed. He can see, as he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees to get better situated, that she’s doing exactly that. She’s practically spooning the princess, face buried in short pink locks, and Estelle herself looks the very picture of a tomato (not that he wouldn’t himself with Judith’s considerable… assets pressed against him).

“Well so long as yer not a cuddler yerself, Mr Lowell.” he jokes, rearranging himself onto his back before pulling the duvet up to his chin. For all that they’re in less than ideal circumstances with sharing beds, he’s glad to see Palestralle don’t skimp on the furnishings for their inns - the linen is incredibly soft, smooth against the pads of his fingers, and it’s a smart fabric choice for an inn in so changeable a climate.

Yuri huffs a laugh.

“I think I can hold myself back this once, just for you.” he says, tone laden with sarcasm. He watches Raven with keen eyes as he lounges on his side, head resting in his hand. Raven wonders how he can sleep like that - how his arm doesn’t cramp in the night, doesn’t wake him up in a fit of panic when he can’t move it, breathing shallow until the blood flow returns. He forgets, sometimes, that not everyone enters a blind panic over the little things.

“Why, I'm honoured! Yer benevolence knows no bounds!" he coos back, nose scrunching in amusement. Yuri smiles as he reaches back and pats Repede where he stands by the bed - a silent request to turn off the overhead light. The pooch complies, trotting off with a clack of his pipe between his teeth - Raven’s constantly caught off guard by the dog’s intelligence, the number of strange things Yuri’s managed to teach him (or perhaps that the dog has taught himself? He’s still not fully certain how much of a hand in training him that the young man’s had), and this is certainly another for the list.

“Damn right it doesn’t. Better make sure you show me the respect I deserve.” he says. He meets his eyes again as the blastia clicks off, dousing them in darkness. They crinkle with mirth, the abyss within softening even more as Karol giggles at their antics on the other side of the room.

They find themselves in a staring contest, of sorts. Or maybe closer to a game of chicken? He’s sure Yuri sees it that way at least, if his unblinking gaze is anything to go by. For him on the other hand it’s… something else. What exactly he can’t say. He’s just... transfixed .

Because Yuri’s plenty handsome on his own - perhaps even beautiful, if that’s more your thing. Raven’s already seen him turn a great many heads in the short time they’ve been together, including both the illustrious head of Fortune’s Market and the great forgotten war hero himself. Maybe he’d even let himself cast an admiring glance his way, if he hadn’t picked specifically womaniser for Raven’s bullshit cover-up trait.

But when the sea-breeze blows gently, kicking up the curtains, and the moonlight shines into the room, it catches him just so. The glow is ethereal, transformative, and it brings out the hidden flecks of golden brown in the depths of Yuri’s eyes, spins the silk of his dark hair almost chestnut. And just for a moment, he can trick himself into believing she’s here, the Canary herself, laid opposite him with a fond teasing smile, and oh god the hole where his heart used to be aches to reach out and touch her--

But for all her perfections, Casey’s eyes had never glowed quite like that had they? Never stared directly into his soul, made him almost want to bury into her arms and let her shoulder his every burden for him. Her kindness had inspired, but never been so bottomless that he wanted to abuse it, had never come off her in waves to the point it was visible in every little line of her face despite any grandstanding. Never so gentle to the broken that he could almost convince himself that he doesn’t need to run, that if he’s seen he’ll be accepted wholly, flaws and sins and all.

Not like Yuri. Not at all like Yuri.

The curtain drops, or else the clouds must roll in overhead. Either way, the moonlight vanishes, and with it goes the last vestiges of the illusion.

“Aye-aye, sir.” he all but murmurs, his voice tighter than just moments ago. He hopes, as Yuri’s face twists in concern, that his own face doesn’t give away the turmoil of his heart.

“You alright, old man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Hah, maybe I have!” he laughs, but it sounds notably hollow even to him. Still, he doesn’t break eye-contact as Yuri seems to peer directly into him, seemingly scanning his every thought and feeling, hope and dream.

The last thing he sees as he slips into sleep is the gentle embrace of the abyss. While his dreams are plagued by nightmares, a broken body bleeding out in the sand, he finds it’s the best night’s sleep he’s had in years.

-------------⇸

The town is silent, other than the gentle rustle of the sea breeze through the trees and the crunch of the dirt path beneath his feet.

They’ve been here all day, but Yuri’s not sure he’s used to how incredibly peaceful Yormgen is yet. He’s not sure he ever will be, either. He’s used to the bustle of the city, the shouting of vendors and newsies in Zaphias’s main market as carts laden with goods and people roll by. It feels like there’s always a dog barking, a clock chiming, a baby crying in the city, and the background noise helps him to switch his brain off in a way that the country never can.

Halure had been quiet to him - the calm atmosphere of the day, the slowness of shop transactions and conversation, had already been a lot, but for there to be a perfect stillness as night fell rather than an increase in bustle as drinkers started to take to the town had been the real whiplash. Despite a relatively large population, the town didn’t have a single dedicated bar to its name, and it’d thrown Yuri for far more of a loop than he’d ever expected.

Yormgen is even stranger. There must be all of fourteen people in this entire town, he thinks, and every single one of them vanished into their houses the moment the sun started to set. The only conversation he's heard that he hasn’t been directly involved in since Duke showed up and smashed their apatheia (he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t still annoyed about that) is that of his own travelling companions bickering over what to make for dinner with their limited ingredients as he stepped away to find their mysterious disappearing old man.

Raven took the loss of the crystal hard. Or at least, Yuri thinks he did. He certainly vanished quickly when they decided to wait around while Rita took some time to investigate. He’d been right next to him one second and then gone the next, before they’d had a chance to agree to meet back up for dinner at sundown. With no one having seen him all day since to let him know, it’d fallen on his shoulders to hunt him down and drag him back. Raven might’ve been plenty energetic on their first trip through the desert, but they all know better than to let him make the return journey on an empty stomach. The man eats like a bird at the best of times - he really can’t afford to be doing that now.

He’d grumbled and whined about it being him who had to go find him, but in all honesty he’s kind of pleased. He’s found himself surprisingly worried about the old man - this is the first time since they’ve started officially travelling together that he’s pulled a disappearing act. Normally it’s hard to get him to shut up for more than 20 minutes at a time, so the better part of a day without seeing or hearing from him at all is completely unheard of. If his silence doesn’t mean he’s curled up and died somewhere, then Yuri knows that he’s the only one of their party who stands any chance of fetching him with both of them left unscathed.

He’s explored the residential side of the town (if it can truly be called that) extensively already throughout the day. Not that it was hard to do - other than the homes of locals that are a bit further out, the town proper is essentially three big buildings and a deck. He’d quickly concluded that there were very few places to hide a man with a proclivity for such a bright shade of purple amongst the muted timber and the gentle green of the grass. The only conclusion he can come to is that Raven must’ve headed to the other side of town, to the sea of flowers that makes his sinuses itch just looking in their direction.

For all he knows they’ll give him a headache, the flowers are incredibly pretty. It had been the bushes of pink and blue trumpets that had caught his attention in the midday, as Estelle had run over to them in delight and plucked a few. She’d fashioned a few little fascinators, of sorts (a skill she’d learned in the finishing school she had no doubt been forced to attend as the potential future Empress), and spent the better part of an hour lacing them into everyone’s hair. If he looks back over his shoulder, he knows he’ll see Judith wearing the pink blossoms - rhododendron, Estelle had called them - with pride, while Karol nervously fidgets with his own, worried they’ll fall out, ruining the princess’s hard work.

Now, however, in the amber light of the sunset, it’s the flower tunnel that draws his eye. Not that he hadn’t noticed it before - it’s impossible to miss, vibrant as it is. But he’s never been the biggest fan of yellow, always a little bright for his tastes. The way the light bounces off the thousands of little flowers is certainly eye-catching though, setting them in such a way that their radiance is somehow easier on the eye. They’re impossible to look away from as he draws closer, some emotion he’s unused to, couldn’t possibly name, stirring in his chest. The chains dance gently in the breeze, bouncing against each other like a bead curtain, and something about it makes him nostalgic for the familiarity of the Lower Quarter.

Then he spots him, further in, beneath the boughs. His hand rests comfortably on the handle of the knife he keeps at his waist, the other left to the mercy of the breeze as he stares up amidst the blossoms. They bathe him in their glow, mingling with the dying rays of the sun, casting him almost golden . He’s mesmerised by the sight himself, it seems, completely off-guard for the first time in the couple of months Yuri’s known him - for all he plays the fool, Yuri would be an even bigger one not to realise how keenly Raven follows the every movement of all those around him.

But right now, he seems… defenceless. Open. Fragile. Unaware that a world aside from him and the sea of flowers even exists. He could do whatever he wanted to Raven in this moment, he thinks, and he just knows the man would be equally surprised by anything. Something about that knowledge, this vision makes his chest feel light, almost airy.

The image sears itself into his mind, unbidden, and he knows instantly. No matter how hard he tries he’ll never erase it.

“Laburnum.”

He startles as Raven speaks. Perhaps he hadn’t been as unaware as he’d thought.

“Huh?” he grunts dumbly.

“These flowers. They call ‘em Laburnum. Or golden rain in some parts.” he says, flicking his eyes (almost the vibrant green of dense aer with the glow) over to acknowledge Yuri. He goes quickly back to gazing upwards, almost reverent. “Pretty apt.”

Yuri finds himself eyeing the flowers again as he moves closer. They’re strangely shaped, the blooms, unlike any he’s seen before. The petals curl back and in on themselves, clustered closely together in a way that hides the little shock of red in their centres. Stranger still are the buds, gently curved in a way that reminds him of the plantains he’d seen in Dahngrest’s market.

From the right angle, they could almost look like birds in flight, or indeed a sudden burst of rainfall.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Raven’s lips quirk into a smile. His eyebrows set into something pensive, wistful even.

“They’re pretty rare these days. Didn’t think I’d ever get to see a single tree with my own eyes, never mind a whole grove…”

The melancholy that’s settled over him like a veil is impossible to ignore, his voice distant as though transported to another time. There’s a pressure at the base of Yuri’s throat as he watches him, finds himself wanting to do… something. He’s not sure what. Just anything to pull him from his reverie. But of course, in the end all he really knows is sarcasm.

“Wouldn’t have taken you as the type to know about flowers.”

It seems to work somewhat. Though perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised - he and Raven have always been strangely in sync.

“Wouldn’t be much good with the ladies if I didn’t know about little things like flowers, now would I?” he says, finally turning to face Yuri more fully. His eyes soften with mischief, and yet still seem tight with… well if Yuri had to put a name to it, he’d wager it was grief .

A half-joke then; his flower knowledge almost certainly learned on behalf of one lady, though he’d wager not women generally at all. After all, for all he seemed to enjoy playing the womaniser, his actions often seemed chosen to purposefully push them away if anything.

Yuri rolls his eyes in faux-annoyance. Raven smiles. It gets closer to meeting his eyes than he expected it to.

“I can’t imagine just throwing their names around is especially impressive. Seems more like the absolute bare minimum.” he says, hand coming to rest on a cocked hip. Raven’s smile widens, coaxed out of his shell somewhat by the familiar teasing routine.

“Ah, but whoever said I only knew their names?”

His eyebrows raise instinctively. To know flowers’ names is one thing, but any other details aren’t usually common knowledge; their language, how to arrange them, the best methodology for their care all usually things known solely by the upper echelons of society, or else those with enough money in their back pockets to take a chance on starting a related career.

“Don’t tell me…” he trails off, fixing Raven with a sceptical look. The old man’s face splits into a wide grin, hand coming up to flash a peace sign. Dork, his thinks impulsively as he huffs a laugh, surprised at the fond tone the word takes in his mind. Then quick as the cheer arrives it drops again, leaving the previous melancholic half-smile splayed across Raven’s face.

“These wouldn’t be much good in a bouquet though, pretty as they are. If bein’ deadly poisonous wasn’t enough, they’re usually used as a symbol of the forsaken. ” he muses, the last word spat like something dirty from his mouth.

“Who the hell would look at these and decide that? ” Yuri barks out. His expression must look as bewildered as he feels - Raven laughs at him, gentle but genuine.

“Yeah, it seems like a lot, right?” he says. His gaze drifts away from Yuri’s, losing focus and staring past him, through his shoulder. “She always liked them though, in spite of that.”

“...She?” he asks, carefully. He doesn’t want to sound eager, too nosey. Doesn’t want to push when the old man is this fragile. But he can’t help his curiosity - this is the first he’s mentioned of his past, the first clue to piecing together the admittedly fascinating mystery that is Raven. The man himself seems to realise it too, that with just one sentence he’s revealed a huge part of himself he hasn’t previously. Graciously, he doesn’t scramble to hide it away as Yuri might’ve expected.

“Ah. Old friend.” he says softly, as though divulging a secret. “She’s… gone now. But she was always a big fan of flowers. These weren’t her favourite but. She liked ‘em plenty.”

It slips out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

“Not like you to spill your past out in the open like this, old man.”

It takes all of his mental strength not to kick himself as Raven’s expression shutters, the nostalgia, longing , vanishing from his face in favour of something more carefully guarded. His eyes though, expressive as they are, can’t hide the pain.

“Ah. I suppose they got me feelin’ a little nostalgic. Forgive me.”

The silence stretches out between them for miles and miles as he watches Raven, Raven in turn watching the dancing laburnum above his head. His eyes flicker from bloom to bloom, as though cataloguing each one carefully, trying to commit their shape, their profile to memory. Yuri finds his eyes drawn to his lips as they purse, a gentle pout taut in a manner that gives away the nervous chewing of the inside of his mouth. His thick eyelashes fan over his cheekbones as he blinks, and Yuri hates the silence of the country, because it’s weird sappy shit like this that the bustle of the city helps him to avoid thinking about.

Raven’s a lot like these flowers , is the thought that springs to his mind, unprompted. And it’s ridiculous really. Completely nonsensical. The kind of thing Karol might come out with on a night where he’s overtired, that they’d all tease him for mercilessly until they pass out. But there’s nothing to distract him from it - he’s surrounded by the evidence, and the more he tries to ignore it the more sense it seems to make to him. The two parts of his brain war with each other, unrelenting, and he can feel the push and pull starting to show on his face.

Then a single blossom falls from the canopy above. It lands perfectly atop Raven’s bangs, perched there like a peepit in a tree, and he can’t fight the analogy anymore - Raven certainly looks forsaken, in that instant, the pain swimming in his eyes. And yet usually so bright and cheery, like the flower’s vibrant colouring, almost desperate for attention as he jokes around-- and then pushing people away, like a poison, when they try to get close. An exterior crafted to make you underestimate him, and yet a hidden strength, swift and deadly on the battlefield. A sunny disposition that washes over you like a summer rain, calming and refreshing.

He’s not sure anymore if the golden glow bouncing off Raven’s skin is from the flowers, or just simply the man himself.

A light breeze jostles the flower, and it slips from his hair. The strange shape hooks itself onto the crook of his nose and it wedges firmly, even as the wind picks up, cascading more petals down onto them both. Raven either ignores it, or doesn’t notice, his eyes falling closed as he lets nature wash over him.

He steps closer carefully, unthinkingly. He feels as a moth to a flame, though why he couldn’t say. He’s unfamiliar with the stirring in his chest that rises at the sight, doesn’t understand his compulsion to reach out, to touch Raven. To check he’s still solid and there, that he hasn’t been blown away on the currents of the wind like his namesake.

His hand reaches out, plucking the flower from Raven’s face gently. The old man startles instantly, eyes snapping open and meeting Yuri’s as he flicks the blossom to the floor. Raven’s eyes scan over him, looking for answers that he’s not sure he’ll find. Yuri certainly wouldn’t be able to explain if he were to ask. He simply looks between the sunken blue-green, carefully smoothing more fallen petals from Raven’s shoulders.

“For what it’s worth,” he says, voice practically a whisper beneath the howling of the breeze, far gentler than he’d expected it to be, “I think I understand why your friend liked them.”

Raven’s eyebrow cocks, ever so slightly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he answers, lips quirking into a small smile, something genuine and raw and delicate that he doesn’t recall gracing his face before. “They’ve got a certain charm, I suppose.”

Raven’s breath hitches - he doesn’t hear it, only sees the narrowing of his nostrils, the bobbing of his Adam's apple. His eyes are so round, as the melancholy starts to subside slowly, leaving something inquisitive in his wake. It’s an expression he’s sure he’s seen on Repede before when he was younger, still training, still struggling with learning to sit on command, and it feels strange to compare Raven to a puppy, but it certainly isn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to him in the last 24 hours.

It feels like hours before Raven breaks his eyes away, anything raw and gentle immediately traded for bluster and jokes as he ducks his head.

“What’re you doin’ hangin’ out with me amidst the flowers anyway?” he asks, voice a little hoarse as his teasing lilt starts to creep back to him. “The others will start to talk if we keep havin’ these secret rendezvous, young man! How scandalous!”

He slaps his hand to his chest, feinting horror at their make-believe tryst. Yuri snorts, socking him lightly in the arm. Ridiculous as his jokes are, he can’t help but be pleased to see him return to some semblance of normalcy.

“I came to get you for dinner, dumbass. After that, you can feel free to go on ahead to Nordopolica.” he says, turning back around to lead the way to the others with a nod of his head.

Raven snickers at his own antics, hurrying to follow after him as he pulls a hurt expression.

“What, you wanna get rid of me so soon?”

“Wrong.” he snorts, head turned pointedly away in an effort to ignore his self-deprecating jokes. “I just wouldn't want you to miss the new moon and your chance to deliver the letter all on our account.”

The beat of silence that follows is just a touch too long for their usual banter. He turns back to Raven, worried momentarily that he’s run off again and he’ll be on a wild goose chase for the rest of the night, only to find him following attentively behind him. He’s looking at Yuri, expression… totally indecipherable to him for once, actually. It’s a rare occasion for him to have no idea what the old man is thinking.

“What?” he asks, eyebrow quirking. Raven simply smiles, wide and catlike.

“Oh, nothin’ important~” he sing-songs, taking over the lead in the moment Yuri pauses. “Honestly, I could do fine without your concern.”

Yuri scowls.

“Wrong again.” he says, moving to keep pace, their back-and-forth continuing until they arrive back at the inn, and the campfire their party has set up.

(He never does figure out what Raven’s expression had meant on that day, but when he finds the small laburnum branch tangled in his hair alongside the rhododendron the next morning, he quietly stows it away in the bottom of Karol’s bag, heart fluttering strangely in his chest)

-------------⇸

The speed at which Mantaic’s locals manage to throw the party together is honestly quite astounding.

The stalls of the inn concourse have cleared their tables of their wares, already starting to accumulate piles of local cuisine - barely an hour since the news of the Flynn Brigade’s arrival started to spread throughout the town, whispers abandoned in favour of joyous cries despite the extreme early hour, and already there’s a feast to rival one for a noble. People of all ages are wide awake and gleeful, even very young children who don’t fully understand what’s happening squealing with joy at seeing their parents’ and older siblings’ excitement.

The princess tries to help where she can (as always) - shakily carrying huge steaming pots to their directed positions, assisting in dragging tables out of homes to line the streets. Were Flynn not so busy tying up loose ends with the stragglers of the Cumore Brigade, Judith’s sure he’d be dancing around her like a mother hen. Instead, Karol and Rita have become his stand-ins, getting roped into helping themselves albeit minus Estelle’s unshakeable enthusiasm.

She’s glad everything turned out okay in the end. It had been with great unease that they’d all drifted off to sleep the night before, distressed at their powerlessness, their lack of time. Battling with the princess’s impulsivity had been hard, especially in the presence of her big round eyes and quivering lips, but a necessary evil. There really wasn’t anything they could’ve done. Judith remains firm in her belief - it would be impossible to rehabilitate a man like Cumore in jail. Even with the combined influence of Flynn and Estelle, the strength of their idealism and naïveté, a man as corrupt as he would never conform to concepts like morals and ethics. He would only change in death.

The man’s fall from grace, while certainly better than allowing him to run amok, does little to satisfy her in all honesty. The townspeople, however, just seem glad to be free of his clutches, regardless of the flaws in the Empire’s justice system. She can’t blame them really - she’s sure she’d feel the same in their shoes, the ever-lingering threat of death by dehydration or being eaten alive finally lifted from their shoulders.

She’s glad for the lifting of the tense air that had settled over their travelling party the night before. That there’s a smile on Estelle’s face again is good too. For the sake of the guild, nothing more , she scolds herself mentally, quashing the leap in her chest as the baby blues smile in her direction.

She finds herself counted as one of the old souls on this occasion; the small group who are extremely pleased for the turn of events and the freedom of the people, but are either too tired or consider themselves too uninvested to actually lend a hand. Raven is a regular to this group, fucked as his sleeping pattern is, and it doesn't surprise her as much as she thought it would that Patty too sits among them.

Yuri sitting back, however, is new.

Something is off with him. Something has been off with him since… well, certainly since their discovery of Cumore's little scheme. He’s never been the most talkative of their group, a man of relatively few words until it comes to snide jibes and teasing, or else rallying speeches to raise morale or call outs for something he perceives to be an injustice.

(She’d say he was self-righteous - but then, by that same line of thinking, isn’t she also?)

His usual quietude has never felt like this though - dense and oppressive like thunderclouds, holding a tension that, if referred to, threatens to strike like lightning, harsh and quick and painful. It’s possible he’d just slept badly, but she doubts it. She and Yuri are painfully alike at the best of times and in this, it seems, they continue to be.

Yes, for Yuri, the biggest champion of justice among them, to still be so tense, so incredibly on edge… It’s extremely telling.

The only one who seems to have noticed Yuri’s torment other than her (and his faithful pooch) is, of course, Raven. It’s no surprise - he’s always kept a close eye on Yuri, in the time she’s known them. She’d heard tell that the Don had taken an interest in Yuri when he’d met him, in a way usually foreign to him in regards to newcomers. Normally it would be years - years of hard work, of craft and contributions in the name of the guilds, for the man to so much as glance in your direction, let alone learn your name (understandably so for so busy and powerful a man). Yet Yuri had waltzed in and garnered his full attention in the space of a few hours, at best.

That Raven has clearly been instructed to stake him out, in addition to his apatheia hunt, feels natural. Less so is a good chunk of what he actually seems to be observing about Yuri - she’s sure the Don would much rather see a report on his fighting capabilities, his disposition, the flexibility of his morality in a pinch, than whatever he’s gleaning by staring at his back when he takes his shirt off, or watching the flow of his hair in the desert breeze.

(That is, however, a report she would quite like to read, if for nothing more than watching the burn of Raven’s ears at the request)

This morning, however, the eye he keeps on him is careful. Though the ever-present catlike smirk that plays over his lips remains, there’s something considering to his gaze - a scheme in the works but not those of his usual calibre. Nothing designed to rile Rita, fluster Estelle or make the kids laugh (though she’s sure if he can tie his usual goals into whatever he’s concocting then he certainly won’t shy away at the chance).

If she had to guess at his intentions, she’d have thought--

The blaring of a horn throws her suddenly from her train of thought - the celebrations are brought instantly into full swing by a makeshift band of passing guildsmen throwing their own contributions into the mix. Judith doesn’t consider herself a big listener of music, in all honesty, but she’d be hard pressed not to recognise the juxtaposed staccatos and legatos characteristic of Dahngrestian swing - while lesser known within Empire towns like this one, the style is famous the world over.

She hasn’t had many opportunities to join in with the festivities the guilds are known for throwing, where dancers step and twirl faster than the barkeeps can pour drinks (and really, isn’t that an impressive thought, considering the drinking culture in Dahngrest?) She’s bore witness to their local dancing customs only once or twice, and never within the heart of the city itself, and she knows with certainty that while her footwork on the battlefield might be immaculate, she has two left feet for dancing - would certainly never dare to attempt swing. She has great sympathy for the townsfolk who, while enraptured by the melody, feet tapping along jovially, seem as though they don’t know quite what to do with it.

Altosk’s second, on the other hand, is ecstatic. He barks a delighted laugh that startles Patty, almost jostling her from the table she’s perched upon, and finally momentarily draws Yuri from his reverie. She watches, amused, as he throws Yuri’s grumpy, inquisitive look a wink before springing to his feet.

“Hey, kid!” he calls, flagging Karol down as he heads to the middle of the concourse. Their illustrious guild master looks up from the mabo curry bun he’s attempting to swallow whole, wide-eyed. Raven grins, crooked and gummy in a way she’s come to associate with his mischief.

“Why don’t we show these lovely folks how it’s done, as thanks for their hospitality?”

Karol is practically vibrating at the concept. In a flash he’s pulling off his gloves and whipping his bag over his head, dumping the pile in Rita’s lap (eliciting, of course, an incredibly over the top yelp of annoyance). He scarfs down the remnants of the bun as he hops over the table he’s sat at, scampering over to Raven in a manner that does nothing to hide his enthusiasm.

“You better not stand all over my feet, Raven!” he calls as he draws closer, face pulling into a pout that doesn’t quite ring true. The noise Raven makes in response is rather like that of a strangled cat.

“The nerve o’ kids these days!” he bemoans, pinching his sinuses with a shake of his head. “I’ll have you know yours truly is the pride of Altosk! Ya won’t find a better dancer in all o’ Dahngrest, not even the Don himself!”

“Uhu, suuuure. ” Karol drawls, disbelieving, as he comes to a stop by his side.

It’s as he does that Raven ducks his head close to the boy, hand a shield to cover whatever he says. His words are inaudible, but if Karol’s terrible attempts at hiding his furtive glances in Yuri’s direction are anything to go by, Judith would have to guess it’s something about whatever Raven’s scheming for Brave Vesperia’s second.

The band seems to catch wind of their plans, slowing the jaunty tune down to allow the two to begin. Karol dusts his hands off on his trousers bashfully, ridding himself of any remnants of curry, before taking Raven’s hand in his. Their movements start off slow and creeping, almost unnatural to watch, but it quickly becomes apparent to her that they’re motions meant to teach rather than for actual dancing - an enunciated display of footwork for the surrounding beginners as they take their time to get a feel for each other as dance partners.

And then, Raven taking Karol’s waist, they begin in earnest. Movements still slow, but now fluid as water, they begin to turn around one another in the style she vaguely recognises, and while she knows nothing about dancing, it’s clear that they’re extremely good. They match each other's timing perfectly, not a step out of place, and she could believe they were gliding if not for the dust their footsteps kick up.

Karol is good, of course, especially for a kid of his age (she wonders idly if he might’ve had a brief foray in a dancing guild, prior to joining the Hunting Blades), but Raven is really something else. She’s never seen a man able to move his hips in such a way, sashaying in a way that’s frankly a little hypnotising - if she thought he were truly interested in her, then this’d definitely be enough to make her begin to consider his earlier flirtations more seriously. It’s frankly criminal, she thinks, that his trousers and jacket do so much to obscure his ass.

As they become more comfortable, they begin to ramp it up a little - they take it in turns to twirl one another, alternating between wide sweeping arcs, Raven displaying his extreme flexibility to twist beneath Karol’s arm, to fast tight twirls that almost remind her of Rita’s casting motions. For these, Karol spins so quickly she’s surprised he doesn’t completely lose balance and land face first in the dirt. Instead he simply laughs jovially, really getting into the spirit of it and losing himself to the music. Raven’s responding smile is fond, like a father watching their kid, and she could almost believe they’ve both forgotten about their ulterior motives, if not for how Raven keeps glancing in their direction every other time he’s facing their way.

It’s as Estelle drags Rita out to join them, accompanied by a group of the locals, that Judy feels something ugly snare her heart and promptly takes the opportunity to cast a considering glance instead to Patty and Yuri. The smaller is bouncing where she sits, gleefully watching the dancers - she seems antsy to join in, if only she could find a spare partner who wouldn’t accidentally crush her.

Yuri surprises her - while he might not be completely out of his funk, he’s watching more attentively than she previously expected. She gazes at him curiously for a while as he leans his head on his hand, watching the Dahngrestian pair’s increasing frenzy. Karol’s giggles are near constant, and Raven’s been infected by his happiness, laughing obnoxiously himself. The creases of Yuri’s eyes tighten, even as the rest of his face fails to emote, as his eyes seem to lock on Raven’s face and stay there. She smiles.

“Ahem.” she coughs, sharp and decidedly fake. Yuri and Patty both are startled away from the party, turning to her. She raises her eyebrows pointedly at the former, coy smirk rising to her lips. His eyes widen in response, as Patty turns confusedly to look at him, before he flusters, turning away from the party entirely. She laughs.

It’s at that moment that Karol comes spinning towards them, hand freed from Raven’s grasp at last. His smile is blinding, and he’s struggling to catch his breath, but he still seems to be full of energy as Raven follows behind him.

“Patty, you probably know a bit of swing, right?” he asks her, real question thinly veiled by his proffered hand.

She’s a clever lass, though. “Hah! Of course I do, matey!” she declares, grabbing it firmly and pulling him back out into the street.

Raven watches them go fondly, before turning to her. With a flourish, he bows to her, graceful as a knight but with none of the prim and proper charm.

“Judy, my darlin’, could I convince ya to honour ol’ Raven with a dance?”

His eyes never leave hers as he asks, gaze sharp and lacking all pretense of genuine flirting.

Ah, so that’s his game is it?

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly!” she declares exaggeratedly, hand to her chest. “Not when Yuri so clearly wants to instead!”

The effect is instant. She barely has time to note the twitch of Yuri’s ears at the sound of his name before his head whips around to look at them.

“Hu- what?”

Raven springs back upright, throwing his hand up to clutch at his own chest.

“Yuri, darlin’, if you wanted to dance with me then all you had to do was say so! No need to make Judy do all yer dirty work for ya!”

He closes the gap between them in a matter of steps, as Yuri’s face grows more panicked by the second.

“Wh-- no, what?! Judy, no, I can’t dance , JU--!!”

She smiles as Raven takes him by the hand and tugs him away. Yuri’s expression reminds her of a bunwigle, caught unaware in the middle of the night, backed into a corner with no escape. It’s incredibly endearing, and certainly a nice change from the faux-apathy he’s been stewing in.

As they move away she watches as Raven’s expression transforms from mischievous to something more careful, considerate. He doesn’t guide Yuri to the middle of the crowd as she’d expected, where their friends spin with reckless abandon, but instead to a quieter area of the dancing space. Yuri seems just as confused as she feels, more than likely expecting Raven to have humiliated him with his lack of skill. They’re far enough away that whatever the older man says to reassure him is lost to her, but he smiles and takes Yuri’s hands gently.

Her heart swells at the careful way Raven teaches him, easily pulls him out of his darker thoughts and concentrates his mind on something else. Yuri doesn’t strike her as the sort to let himself be taken care of, but she doubts he even realises that’s what’s happening - probably sees it instead as some sort of challenge. It’s nice. She might not have known him long, but she feels close to him in a way she hasn’t felt with another person for… a good ten years, she’d wager. She’d forgotten what it felt like, to see good things happen to someone you care about.

He trips over Raven’s feet often, but Raven doesn’t let him get self-conscious about it - instead exaggeratedly pretending to trip himself in a way that allows Yuri to chip in and tease him. When there’s one failed attempt too many and Yuri attempts to break away, he simply pulls him back in, closer, and looks him in the eyes.

(She feels a little bad for still watching, personal and intimate as the moment is becoming, but it’s hard to find anything else interesting at this point)

“What is it I always say when I’m fightin’, Yuri?” she can just about hear the old man say over the wail of the trombone.

Yuri’s tone is monotonous, even as his face starts to rise into an affectionate smirk.

“‘Ooo, eee, ow, my back hurts?’” he says, quirked eyebrow a dead giveaway for his bullying. He receives a light slap to his arm for his trouble that leaves him laughing openly in a way she… hasn’t actually seen from him in the time she’s known him.

Huh.

“That it’s just like dancin’, ya dolt!” he says. He laces their fingers carefully before starting to move once more through the basic steps. “You’ll see what I mean before long.”

After a few more failed attempts, Yuri finally starts to figure it out. He still steps on Raven’s toes more often than not, but it’s to be expected for a newbie in the face of a dance as rapid as swing - she’s quite impressed at how fast he’s picked it up in all honesty. He’s already doing a damned sight better than Rita, whose motions are still awkward and stiff as she’s twirled by Estelle (though she looks to be having the time of her life, in spite of it).

They look very sweet together, in all honesty. It’s the most she’s seen either of them relax in front of other people - Yuri’s snark is quickly abandoned as he starts to really get into the swing of it, and most of Raven’s jokes and teasing go along with it. They’re just a couple of normal guys in their own little world, dancing together beneath the rising sun, looking genuinely happy for once. Watching them laughing together, she finds her own spirits raised too, even as she continues to sit to one side like a wallflower.

And she’s glad she did. If she hadn’t, she’d have missed out on this potentially one-time-only sight of Yuri’s carefree smile. Would’ve never seen the sudden change in Yuri’s demeanor as he looks up at Raven mid-spin, eyes widening, before his expression becomes suddenly raw.

He’s not watching his feet at all any more - he’s just going with the flow, and reading Raven’s movements and they’re incredibly in sync to say Yuri has all of 10 minutes of experience. It’s strange to think it, but he seems to be having fun , doing something other than fighting, even despite his mess ups. Yuri’s uncharacteristically crooked smile, as his eyes never leave Raven’s, is blindingly beautiful, and piques her curiosity.

Before today, when she’d seen the admiring glances the Raven had sent his way, she’d have thought he was barking up the completely wrong tree. Now though (although she doubts Yuri’s realised the way he’s starting to look at the old man) she’s really not so sure.

Then the moment is gone.

Behind her, she hears him. Flynn, barking orders to his brigade, accompanied by the protests of the now-bound followers of Cumore. And in that exact instant, Yuri stops stock-still. Raven goes crashing into him, frantically apologising and trying to check he’s okay, but it’s as though he isn’t there. Yuri just stares past her to Flynn, eyes wide and unseeing but… terrified , if she had to take a guess.

She can hear Raven call to him as he slips his hands free from his grip, and he looks up glancingly. He mutters something, what she can only imagine is some excuse, or a few words of apology, before he’s stalking off towards the inn and shutting the door behind him briskly.

Raven, standing alone and off to one side, looks very small in that instant. Like he doesn’t know quite where he went wrong, what he could’ve possibly done differently.

Perhaps, just this once, she can take pity on him. After all, if there’s anyone who can fix her left feet…

Standing and smoothing down her skirts, she heads over to him, taking his hand, and he startles. His big blue eyes look up at her, puppy-like, and it’s like Estelle the night before all over again. She sighs, already regretting her question before she asks.

“Is the offer still open?”

He smiles. Solemn. But it’s a start.

me, age 12: haha yeah raven blatantly has a thing for yuri and i love them together, but i guess there isn't much to imply yuri likes him back huh me, age 24, seeing the 'Happy Birthday' skit for the first time and learning the Very Specific Age Gap between Yuri and his first ever crush: a

ftr no one in the vesperia party is cishet no i will not take questions

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boop-le-snoot · 4 years ago

Text

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 27

First time reader click here

TWs/Summary: If you read carefully, you knew this; if you didn't: reader was drugged at the party. Hangover from Hell ft. boys being cute, Loki being best friend material and reader fully integrating him into the Gen-Z community via Monster energy drinks and depressive music whilst being sad. I live for Loki/reader friendship tbh.

So folks, this is the last big plot thing before the endgame. I reckon it's about 10-15 chapters left until out happy ending and the next bit is going to focus on developing reader's and Stephen's relationship. There will be smutty parts too - either chapters or interludes, idk, depending on how well they'll integrate into the story.

I love y'all.

Ow, was my first thought upon waking up. My head throbbed something fierce, the pressure behind my eyelids was unbearable and my mouth tasted like a bog on a sunny summer's day. I was warm, from both sides, and one of the bodies felt foreign in everything besides the smell - sandalwood leaked through the lead curtain of alcohol and sex.

Needless to say, I had trouble piecing together the fine details of last night but had enough coherence to remember our... Activities. I was sore and Strange's long arm was still possessively draped over both me and Tony. The luck was on my side as I carefully wiggled out of his grasp, padding to the bedroom on quiet feet. The sorcerer barely moved, only grumbling briefly at the loss of my warmth and immediately quieting, shamelessly snuggling into Tony.

I would have not exaggerated if I said it was the worst hangover of my life. It was baffling, really, because I'd gone way wilder and didn't suffer half as much after effects; my first attempt to brush my teeth ended with my face resting against the toilet bowl, my empty stomach rejecting what little liquid in it was left as the room spun on its axis. That was incredibly embarrassing and I hoped my boys wouldn't wake up to witness my best impression of a bum - and they didn't, both men still sound asleep and interwined like snakes when I put on the shirt closest to me and departed in search of coffee.

My mood only worsened. Steve and Bucky were already up, shoveling an impressive amount of eggs and bacon, as Bucky quietly teased Steve about his own hangover. The blonde man was slightly greenish, disheveled - we traded equally glum looks and nodded to each other in silence. The smell of food made my stomach churn and I retreated, one black coffee in hand, towards Bruce's lab, having been informed by Friday that neither Tony not Stephen planned on waking up.

"Morning, Princess," Bruce smiled kindly, pushing his glasses out of the way to hold me close and give me a sweet kiss. "Had fun? The boys still asleep?"

I giggled at Bruce calling Tony and Stephen boys. "Yeah. I wouldn't be wearing Stephen's shirt if he was up and about, I think." I pointed out the obvious.

Bruce chuckled, holding my face to give me a long, thoughtful look. I stared back, hoping convey my respect and adoration without having to say a word; like Tony, I wasn't particularly apt when it came to talking feelings. Whatever Bruce was looking for, he found it, and sealed it with another kiss, twice as long and twice as sweet. We stood like that, my head on his shoulder and my arms firmly holding him to myself, until the elevator dinged behind the glass wall, revealing a shirtless Stephen and Tony in his pajama pants, both men bickering animatedly.

"Aw shit, here we go again," I rolled my eyes, unhappy about the possibility of the magic being broken. I rather preferred all three men to be like yesterday: friendly, kind and relaxed.

"I will kick them out if I have to," Bruce shrugged, turning me around to face them.

Tony smiled, seeing me, stopping mid-conversation. "Princess, I am disappointed in your lack of manners. You left me with Merlin and he is mean." The engineer unceremoniously snatched me from Bruce and smooched me, hangover breath and all.

"Gross, Tony," I rolled my eyes, giving the man a light shove in the chest. "Morning, Steph," I addressed the third man who had gone back to his usual stoic expression. Just to see his resolve crack, because I loved pushing his buttons, I gave him a good morning kiss too, and was unexpectedly blown away by the eager response from his side. As I pulled back, I noticed his cheeks dusting a light pink.

"I came to get my shirt but I think you'd rather keep it," The sorcerer's fingers caressed my skin beneath the collar of his shirt, voice still low and scratchy from sleep and those magnetic eyes fixated on the exposed flesh of my chest, no trace of previous awkwardness.

"You sure 'bout that?" I pushed one of the sides off, exposing my shoulder, seeing Tony gulp the remainder of my coffee, one hand already messing with the screen that Bruce was focused on. "I think I look better without it," I would never miss an opportunity to tease the uptight man.

"Quite," He grinned, "It's a shame I didn't get to see much last night..." Two could play this game, okay.

"Oh, but you will," Tony piped up suddenly, a hint of smugness in his voice barely covered by Bruce's fond chuckle. I really didn't know what to say, suddenly overwhelmed with the attention, my emotions amplified by the hangover - party drugs tended to exaggerate my anxiety on the comedown.

And what a comedown it was. My social energy ran out very quickly so I complained about a nasty headache and retreated into my room, Bruce's gentle hands pressing a bottle of Ibuprofen into my own. Despite my attempts to tame my rioting body, it got worse before it got better and shortly before lunch, I had thrown up twice more. Pissed off, I ran a bath with cold water and sat in it until I felt somewhat human to prepare myself for a journey to Wanda's apartment - as a last resort, I was going to chug on of Pietro's Monster energy drinks that I knew he kept hidden there.

The retrieval was a success. Cans securely hidden in the kangaroo pocket of Tony's oversized hoodie I had thrown on, I had to make a haste detour to throw up once again - the closest bathroom was in Loki's apartment and I only managed to knock twice before throwing open the door and making a mad dash for the porcelain throne, a very confused Asgardian following my movements with raised eyebrows.

"Hangover from Hell," I croaked once the first wave subsided. Loki nodded in understanding, waved a hand to summon me a water bottle and shut the door behind himself.

As I sat there, desperately trying to understand why was I feeling like utter shit... It clicked. Bile rose to my throat once again, and I just dry heaving, mulling my revelation over and over again.

I didn't take any drugs. I had been drugged. My memories became hazy and dream-like shortly after someone had given me the drink... Someone, who? It was a split-second moment; Sam, even in his drunk state, didn't keep his eyes off me for too long. Maybe it had been someone the team knew? Possibilities began playing out in my head. Cursed was my overactive brain - the anxiety from the leftover drugs was making me panic.

"Fuck, FUCK," My hands shook - I only noticed it because I had spilled water on myself, adding cold and wet to the unpleasant sensations I was already experiencing. "Why am I such a fucking fuck-up." Taking a drink from a stranger seemed downright idiotic now. Middle school bullshit.

"Are you alright?" Loki's worried voice interrupted my inner monologue.

"Yes," I replied, voice cracking. "No. I don't fucking know."

The door all but flew open, the Asgardian taking several long strides to take a good long look at me. The frown on his face tells me all I needed to know about my physical and mental state.

A slender hand tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "What happened?"

I laughed tersely, feeling tears to begin welling in the corners of my eyes. "I'm an idiot," Seeing his face get annoyed briefly, I conceded: "I got drugged yesterday. My drink."

The hand that he had slid between my shoulder blades froze. I felt his whole body go rigid and his nostrils flare, the smell of ozone and something foreign - magic - filling the small space. The air around us became charged with the power of his anger. "Pardon?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

I physically fought with the need to flinch away from him, settling for lowering my eyes and staring at the dark stain on my hoodie. "I got carried away dancing. Someone handed me a drink and my stupid ass just shotgunned it," I confessed, picking at the wet spot. "And I can't tell anybody because I had a threesome with Stephen and Tony," I suddenly realised, my voice raising in pitch. "They're gonna think I didn't want it and feel bad. You know how Tony blames himself for everything under the sun..." Another wave of dizziness and nausea hit me as I leaned against the wall closest to me.

"Alright," Loki conceded after a brief pause. "We absolutely are telling the others. I'll make sure they understand," The Asgardian stated firmly in a tone that bore no argument. Seeing me lift my head to protest, he interrupted me before I could say anything: "Did you... Did you want it?" He asked me, hooking a single finger under my chin to look me in the eye.

I nodded, feeling my face heat up.

"You're not lying. The team knows of my ability to detect lies. Nobody will blame anyone..." Loki trailed off, obviously already plotting something. I wished it were a prank both of us were conspiring on instead of... Trying to make sense of this cluster fuck of a shit show. The circus called, they seemed to have left their clowns behind. "Although I will have a word with Sam." The Asgardian muttered darkly.

"No, it's not his fault. I just got too relaxed, I need to pucker up and be responsible for myself," I protested, damn well knowing it wasn't the Bird's fault. Everyone was drunk and I should've known better.

"It's not yours either," Loki sneered, seeing right through my self-loathing. It took a deep, slow sigh for him to calm down. His expression softened and the hand that was on my back resumed the gentle stroking as he scooted closer to me to press my side against his chest. "Vile people of this kind aren't exclusive to Midgard. It could have happened to anyone."

I nodded, my logical part briefly taking over as the waves of nausea and dizziness waned. I stifled a giggle, coming to another sudden revelation. "You holding up my hair as I barf out my hangover? That makes you qualified for the position of my Best Friend," I stated with a snort.

Loki chuckled, relaxing bit by bit. "I accept the position," His voice was unusually soft and a little bit shaky; I chose to tactfully ignore it. "Shall I call for assembly in the war room?"

I sighed, the dread and anxiety creeping it's way back in. "Can we just... Wait a bit? I have something- hold on-" I rummaged around my pocket, taking out two cans of Monster. Loki eyed them curiously and I extended one to him. "It probably won't do much for you but for me it's a last-resort hangover cure." I popped open the metal cap, seeing him do the same. "Be warned though, it tastes kinda funky if you're not used to it," I announced the disclaimer but it simply egged Loki on.

The scrunched up face he made was pretty funny. "It's sour but sickeningly sweet at the same time? I can't tell," He briefly eyed the written ingredients on the can.

"There are a bunch of flavors. Pietro likes the plain one, I like the purple one better, it's not so tongue-burning." I paused to inhale loudly. "If this is what college life looks like, I don't want to go," Mustering up my courage and gathering my balls in a knot, with one broad motion I closed my nose and poured the carbonated acid down my throat until my eyes watered. "Gimme a minute," I hiccuped, trying to keep it down.

Wide-eyed, Loki took a chaste sip of his own drink, eyeing me warily. He looked part impressed part disgusted with the little stunt. "I am pretty certain that is counter-productive."

"Caffeine make brain and body go skrrt," I argued back. "Friday, play my "grant me the sweet release of death" playlist. I'm upset," I announced and the AI obliged silently, the first notes of Placebo's 'Exit Wounds' beginning to play. If I was going to mop in a stranger's bathroom, I was going to do it with style. Even if said style was just simply stealing in my own misery with emo background music.

Loki stared at me, I stared back, both of us lost in our respective minds. At one point, he began swaying to the music slightly, resting the cool tin of the can against his cheek; I followed suit, mouthing along to some of the lyrics. It took us about a dozen songs to finally finish the liquid acid that was Monster energy drink and my ass felt like the bathroom tile itself: flat and hard.

"Do you ever feel like the universe just hates you for no fucking reason?" I groused, taking Loki's outstretched hand and slowly feeling the blood rush back to my legs.

"You wouldn't believe," He rolled his eyes in solidarity, vanishing away the empty containers. "Norns, give me a Hel-damned break."

I laced his arm through mine as we exited his apartment, feeling considerably less upset than I was before. I couldn't protect myself, but one look at Loki's sullen, irritated expression was bound to scare off anyone who dared to interrupt our mission.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub @mostly-marvel-musings @vozit @littlegasps @pilloclock @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads @hermione-grangers-wife @individualistfem @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95

#party favours #bun writes #tony stark x y/n #bruce banner x reader #stephen strange x y/n #tony stark x you #tony stark x reader #bruce banner x you #bruce banner x y/n #stephen strange x you #stephen strange x reader

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melisusthewee · 3 years ago

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WIP Wednesday - Let’s Talk Music

Thank you to @cleverblackcat @kittynomsdeplume @noire-pandora and @morganlefaye79 for tagging me!

I don’t have any writing to really offer today. I’ve been trying to work on that Haven fic but unfortunately Aloysius hasn’t been co-operating with me despite all my best efforts to make him speak. I may take a break from writing and pivot towards completing some art memes, but Wednesday just sort of crept up on me and here we are. So instead, I’m sharing something that both is but also isn’t a work in progress?

It’s “in progress” because while I’m happy with where it currently is, I’ve said that about playlists and soundtracks before and later changed them. I’ve worked hard on this and talked several friends’ ears off about songs I’ve heard or artists that seemed to work and thanks to their feedback I think this is a really good one. It’s gone through several edits as well, and may potentially even go through more down the road. So I’m saying this counts for today.

If you give it a listen (and I hope you do because I’m very proud of it so far), I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover an artist you didn’t know before. It clocks in at around 51 minutes and features 13 tracks which span Quinn Trevelyan’s story and important events of the main game through to Trespasser.

If you are interested, below the cut is a list of tracks and a brief blurb or description about who or what they’re meant to represent. I was going to go into things in more depth and talk about how I built it, why I picked the songs I did, and the B-Sides that were left on the cutting room floor, but after realizing I had written nearly 4 pages about just as many songs, I realized it was too much for anyone to read. So below is just a very brief summary and I think that most of the music would speak for itself, but I’m happy to expand more on anything that anyone finds either interesting… or confusing. (There is also Solas content because I knew a few of you love that.)

You have to click on this sentence to go to the playlist because Tumblr’s coding for “Read More” seems to be conflicting with the HTML code to embed a functional playlist. Because of course it is.

Quinn’s tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune as his story is a series of unpredictable highs and lows. What the Maker giveth, He also taketh away. The playlist follows that trend of highs and lows with upbeat songs followed by darker or more mellow ones. Whenever I create a playlist, I try to think of a general tone or sound that I want to be carried through the soundtrack. I want the overall genre or sound to tell the story as much as the individual songs. Because of that, you’ll see artists repeat a couple of times, and when they do it’s always intentional. You’ll also notice that most of the vocalists are male. This was again intentional because this is Quinn’s story, and he’s a man. They are his songs and I wanted the vocals to reflect that.

The Cult of Dionysus - pre-Conclave Quinn

Quinn at his most basic and stereotypical before any character development happens whatsoever - poppish, upbeat, and maybe just a little obnoxious. He smokes, he drinks, he fucks, and nothing else matters.

The Sound of Silence - Aloysius’ Theme

I like Aloysius as a more practical view and examination of Quinn and the cult that grows around him. He affords an opportunity to look at Quinn both as the Herald but also as just a person. He is stoic and mild-mannered, a dutiful soldier, and an excellent foil for Quinn. This is also absolutely a reference to an Arrested Development joke.

Isle of Dogs - Quinn’s true theme

Quinn is a walking disaster constantly falling victim to his own hubris. There’s a morose sort of resentment to the lyrics, of someone who is constantly struggling against the tide. In a lot of ways, this is basically a reaction or push back to all the crap I have put him through.

Providence - “In Hushed Whispers”

There are no Templars here. The first few lines relate a lot to the dismissal the fledgling Inquisition receives from what remains of the Chantry, but the rest of the lyrics are very much about the mages and Fiona’s dealings with the Venatori.

Seven Devils - “In Your Heart Shall Burn

No male vocals in this one to symbolize the change in perspective. This is both a bit of an easy and obvious choice for this story beat. Female vocals for Corypheus might seem strange, but when I created my Warden’s soundtrack I tended to use powerful choruses and female vocals for anything related to Blight, Archdemons, or the darkspawn. I carried that idea over to this as Corypheus is one of the seven Magisters.

Caesar - becoming the Inquisitor

This is a softer and quiet interlude in the wake of the loss of Haven and struggle through the snow. If the previous song marks the end of the first act, this song marks the beginning of the second.

King - “Here Lies the Abyss”

In my written world state, Alistair is both the king and the Grey Warden contact (this goes back to that longform fic I am working on). I suppose it’s a bit unfair because in the end that has a major impact on why Quinn makes the decision he does at Adamant (a rather threatening letter from the Warden helps too). Think of this as a duet between Quinn and Hawke.

My Type - the love interest

“Here Lies the Abyss” was completed first, then a romance triggered, then “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts”. This is that sort of inbetween interlude and is very much inspired by how I may have flirted with multiple characters a little too much and basically triggered several romances at once. I also went into Quinn’s playthrough having no idea who I was going to romance and just let him shop around. And it came down to a coin flip in the end, so “you have a pulse and you are breathing” is pretty much the only standards he has.

Boheme Supreme - party at Halamshiral

All I have to say is that I love techno swing, every single lyric in this song is perfect, and I want you all to picture Quinn Trevelyan walking into the Winter Palace with his Inner Circle entourage around him, dressed up in that outfit I drew with that peacock feathered cap and having a drink in his hand throughout the entire night’s affair.

Hell’s Coming With Me - “Doom Upon All the World”

This is the climax of the main game, the rematch between Quinn and Corypheus which I have to imagine is more impressive in concept than it was in game. I chose the dialogue option when Corypheus calls Quinn an imposter, “I am the Maker’s chosen” as his final challenge. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this main is actually very Andrastian. But he is, and the lyrics, “I am the righteous hand of God/And I am the Devil that you forgot/And I told you one day will see/I’ll be back I guarantee/And that Hell’s coming with me” are the perfect declaration.

Paradise - Jaws of Hakkon & The Descent

Another interlude song. If the previous one is triumphant than this one is the beginning of a bad turn. In the interim between the events of the main game and the Exalted Council, things begin to go wrong in little ways. His relationship with Cassandra begins to break down, eventually ending in the two of them having frequent spats and going their separate ways after returning from the Frostback Basin. This song is deceptively sarcastic about how good things are.

I Still Love You, Judas - Solas’ Betrayal

Solas… oh, Solas. Does this song indicate a very complicated and layered relationship between Quinn and Solas? Yes! Have I attempted to unpack any of this? Nope! Have fun with this one!

Tagging for this week: @kita-lavellan @silvanils @nivenor-krosis @drag-on-age @rosella-writes @inquisitoracorn

Battle Cries - Quinn and Cassandra

I saved this one for the very end because it is a story within a story. It is sad and bittersweet, but also not. This entire thing feels to me like a duet between Quinn and Cass on what was good, what could never last, and that it’s all over now but that’s okay. Because “this isn’t a breakup, dear heart, it’s a season finale.” Does this mean that Quinn sounds like Joey Batey when he sings? Sure, why not.

#wip wednesday #oc: quinn trevelyan

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holdurown · 4 years ago

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🐺RULES OF WOLVES REVIEW🐺

hey so i uh. finished the book last night and here are my thoughts

disclaimer(s): this will be long and also probably incoherent. if you have different opinions that’s great, and i will be glad to hear them, just please do not be mad at me. some more important things to know might be: a) i read this in a very short period of time so my brain is a bit overloaded and that might affect my perception of the plot. b) i don’t care abt the darkling, i basically never have

also spoilers obviously

alright, let’s start with stuff i didn’t like so we can get that over with:

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

i really hate the trope of big bad gets defeated and it’s really narratively and emotionally satisfying and then they just...get brought back. it cheapens the end of ruin and rising for me. that was the one time i felt anything for the darkling, when he just wants to be remembered right before his death. but then he gets brought back. and i’m like 😒 ok. so i didn’t really enjoy his chapters, i don’t enjoy him as a character, and i thought his chapters stalled the plot.

the plot pacing...maybe it’s just because i did a speed run through it, but there was maybe too much going on? like the characters were doing totally different things away from each other, so some parts felt rushed. it felt like some important scenes were cut for time. one example is when david dies. we leave off with genya saying she can’t find him, and then we go to zoya’s pov at his funeral. but zoya was somewhere totally else right before? anyway, some parts felt like they were just there to wrap up loose ends, and i was kind of skimming

i could’ve done with a little more on zoya’s feelings for nikolai. like her internal monologue. we got a little bit of it, but between her realization that it’s ok to love people and let them in and the scene with their kiss, i could’ve used a bit where she was like, “oh, i need to tell him now.” a scene where she’s kind of realized that she deserves him?

this is minor, but i really thought we would get a scene between jesper and leoni where they talked about his mom’s sacrifice, idk i thought it would’ve been a nice full circle moment

WHY DIDN’T WE GET THE NINEJ REUNION IN NINA’S POV?! IM GOING TO ******* *** yeah i really wanted that

at the end, i felt like we were missing some kind of emotional climax. i don’t know exactly why i feel this way. i think it’s because the battle with zoyadragon happens and then we go straight into nikolai making a bid for queen zoya. maybe the emotional climax was supposed to be the darkling? idrk

aaaaand that’s all i can think of for that

THINGS I LIKED (OR LOVED)

the emotional beats felt very similar to fire (by kristen cashore) in some places and that’s my favorite book. the idea of pushing people away because you’re scared of the grief of their death? go read fire!

that zoya ended up on the throne. i liked it a lot, it just feels right

hannina, because i’ve been gunning for them since king of scars came out and i couldn’t find fan art or fics or anything, they are so underrated. i could talk abt them forever. the idea of nina being able to heal from the pain of matthias’ death and move on with someone else? i loved it. i think sometimes fandoms have a hard time coming to grips with the idea that people can love more than one person in their lifetime

hanne trans rep! i think this storyline was developed well, even though i kind of wanted them to be able to run wild and free in the countryside. ruling a kingdom seems stifling, but that’s just me

nina bi rep, and you know what? we get such shitty bi rep in ya fantasy, i’m still recovering from whatever the fuck sjm did. thank god for nina. the best bi rep in any ya fantasy i’ve read so far💖💜💙

that brief interlude in ketterdam. was it necessary? maybe not, but it was one of my favorite parts. i just breathe a sigh of relief when i’m around the crows again

genya and zoya and alina and nina’s friendship. i already said it in a post, but well-written female friendships are surprisingly hard to find in ya. friendship is inherently romantic! zoya holding up genya after david. zoya’s feelings for nina in contrast with how nina thinks zoya feels about her is just (👩‍🍳💋)

SO WHAT NEXT?

i don’t think we’ve gotten any news abt a sequel, so this is probably the end of the grishaverse for now. what i want most of all is a collection of short stories from different povs all around the grishaverse. just one chapter little slices of their lives. here’s some possibilities i was dreaming up

inej taking down a slaver’s ship, being a pirate, in her element

hanne and nina on vacation from ruling, maybe riding horses, just some fluff

jesper and leoni meet, it would be emotionally charged, they would talk abt his mom and she might start teaching him more fabrikator things

nikolai and linnea opjer? just linnea opjer? i’m so curious about this character

kaz waiting for inej to sail into the harbor. he’s by the docks, he has some kind of present for her. them bickering? sitting on a roof together? idk i just want to live in kaz’s pov when he’s thinking about inej

what are the khergud soldiers up to?

nikolai’s off doing diplomacy things, being charming, in his element, but then he comes back for zoya’s surprise birthday party. this would just be so good

reunion of the crows?

i’ll probably think up more. they could essentially be like one-shot fics, but i want leigh to write themmmmm

to finish, here are some parts i highlighted

hmmm i wonder what this reminds me of... “I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.” oh yeah that’s it

this whole rant was such a mess i’m truly sorry if you made it this far

#rule of wolves #row spoilers #zoyalai #hannina #book reviews

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sunfloweradoring · 5 years ago

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the one where five become four

masterlist

Hey everyone! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that has been following my writing recently, it’s absolutely insane to think nearly 300 people have read a couple of them! It means the world to me, so thank you <3 K xxx

word count: 2.7k

The boys had been on tour for a matter of months now; I couldn’t actually remember the last time I physically saw Harry. However, what got me through the lonely nights and long hours we couldn’t speak to each other was the knowledge I had - knowing he was doing what he loved and enjoyed above all else. There was only a few weeks of tour to go before they would all be home and with the people who loved them.

Everyone seemed just that little bit extra excited at this tour break because Zayn was to be getting married in this interlude. Perrie had kindly asked me to be a part of the wedding party, meaning me (along with many others of her close friends) had been beavering away back home, rigorously planning away from the wedding that seemed to be speeding towards us faster than we could process.

It made me so happy to see her so looking forward to the marriage - it was evident how she felt about him; and I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like for my own wedding. This year would be mine and Harry’s fifth together, and it only encouraged the small flame of excitement within me. Of course we’d spoken about marriage and the future we could have together, but he was yet to pop the question. I knew that it was definitely something I could do myself, but there was something in me that really wanted it to be Harry that asked me to be his wife - for the rest of our lives.

I didn’t mind though, I was beyond happy where we were in our relationship currently. I felt so lucky to be a part of his hectic life and I loved to hear all the tour stories each time we got to sneak in a phone call or text.

He really was the love of my life.

I couldn’t contain the smile that was threatening to come across my lips as I dialled Harry’s number and patiently listened to the dialling tone.

“Hello, love.” Harry’s gravely tone greeted me. Almost instantly, a frown took over my features as I pulled the phone away from my ear to quickly inspect the time. I’d been careful to leave my call late enough in the day to avoid waking him; yet his voice sounded like I’d done just that.

“Hiya, baby.” I gently responded. “Did I wake you up? I thought it was the afternoon or something there?” I questioned, leaning my body back against the pillows of our bed, my right hand absentmindedly stroking over his side of the bed as I spoke. There was a brief amount of shuffling on the other side of the phone before he spoke again.

“Y-yeah, it’s like three or something.” He replied. Now I was a little concerned. It really wasn’t like Harry at all to be so blunt on our phone calls - especially after so many weeks apart. Perhaps he was just feeling the distance particularly hard today, or recording hadn’t quite gone as smoothly as hoped.

“You alright, Haz?” I was careful to keep my voice soft and smooth to prevent him from detecting my concern.

“One sec,” Harry quickly replied before I heard his voice again, this time, though, at a distance from the phone. “Mate, I’m on the phone,” There was a muffled response from whoever ‘mate’ was. “No, I don’t wanna keep talking about it. We’re all in the same boat, here, I think we’ve talked about it enough for one day, don’t you think?” There was a brief moment of silence before: “You still there?” I hummed in response, now completely confused as to what was taking place on his side of the the phone.

“Baby...” My voice was met with a loud huff.

“Zayn’s thinking of taking a break.” He suddenly said. “He said he’s feeling too pressured and wants to go home for a week before coming back and continuing the tour.” Whatever I was expecting to be wrong, it certainly wasn’t anything like that.

“What?”

“He said we’ve been doing this almost nonstop for years and that he needs time to go home and breathe.”

“Oh my god.” I muttered, hand pushing the hair from my face. “Have you guys been talking about it all day? Is that what you just said?”

“Yeah; he just announced it at breakfast this morning and then just kinda shut himself in his room. He missed all the recording we were meant to be doing today. I don’t even know if he’s gonna come to the show tonight.”

“What are the others saying about it?”

“Liam and Niall seem to having some sort of existential crisis about it. But honestly I’ve never seen Louis so angry before in my life.” As he spoke his words seemed to become more and more strained.

“And you?” I spoke after he finished.

“What about me?”

“How do you feel about it?” His sniffles told me all I really needed to know but he did speak up after a minute.

“God I feel so conflicted.” His tone was a mixture of frustration, sadness and pure disappointment. I didn’t speak, allowing him time to continue. “This is like... the best thing that’s ever happened to me; this opportunity to go around doing things I love in different parts of the world, meeting fans, you know? And yeah, of course I understand the pressure he’s going on about; we’ve been putting out an album basically every year since X-Factor, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like a chore - it’s something I want to do. It’s something we all want to do!” Pause. “Well, I thought we all wanted to do it.” He added quietly. I really felt at a loss for words. I’d never heard Harry sound so manic before and I worried what would come of this new situation.

“Are you coming home?” I asked.

“N-no. Well, at least, I don’t think we are. I think it’s just him.” Another silence came over the phone. I really didn’t know what to say to him that would make it any better. “Baby...” Harry trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“Can you come? I just... I just really need you here right now.” I could hear him feverishly fighting back tears.

“Do you want me to come?”

“Yeah...” It almost sounded like a child, desperately calling for the comfort of his mother.

“Of course I can, my love. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

----------------

I managed to get a late night flight out that same day, getting me in the next day, early morning for his timezone. The hours on the plane seemed to pass at a snail’s pace; I couldn’t contact Harry; I couldn’t see if there was any news about anything for that period of time - only fuelling my anxiety at the situation.

Finally, though, the plane landed and I was able to get into the airport, through immigration and retrieve my bag without too much delay. My knee nervously bounced against the floor of the car the entire ride towards the hotel. Harry had already notified the reception that I was to be arriving, so they gave me a key to the room without trouble. I almost ran to the lift, pressing the button about four times; as if it somehow sped up the process.

I scanned the numbers on the walls next to the doors as I made my way down the corridor; I was pretty sure that this entire floor was dedicated to the boys and their extensive team, but I wasn’t about to waste time knocking on a million different doors. As I came closer to the end of the corridor I could hear shouting from inside room 803. I quickly glanced down at my phone, open on the text Harry had sent me with the information for the hotel.

‘Mine is 803, they should give you a key but I’ll leave it open for you xxx’

I huffed out a breath, pulling my small suitcase to a stop as I reached out for the door-handle. Before I could pull it, however, the door swung open and a red faced Niall was stood in front of me.

Since 2011 Niall had become one of my best friends. A part from Harry (obviously) he was the one I was closest to in the band. We shared many things and I’d often been the one he called for advice on girls, or even held him (in a purely platonic way, of course) as he cried about his most recent heartbreak. He’d also been my shoulder to cry on in the times Harry and I experienced a particularly tough fight and was always willing to help both of us out in any way he could. His surprise to be met with me was evident in the way he spoke my name.

“Hey.” He cleared his throat, rubbing his palm roughly against his face. “I guess you’ve heard, then?” He asked, stepping to the side to allow me to enter the room, seeming to have forgotten about his departure of the space.

“Yeah.” I nodded in sympathy, reaching out to rub a soothing hand up and down his arm.

“I just can’t fucking believe he could do this.” Harry came into my view as Niall spoke, his eyes red rimmed.

“He’s just stressed, I’m sure he’ll come round. Just let him go home for a few days and cool off.” I suggested, walking towards Harry to pull him into a hug.

“Let him go home?” Niall repeated.

“She doesn’t know, Niall. She’s just got here.” Harry speaks, voice croaky.

“Don’t know what?” I asked, keeping my arms around Harry’s middle as I pulled away enough to look up at him.

“He’s gone.”

“Gone?” I spoke Niall’s words again, looking between the two men in the room in utter confusion. “What do you mean he’s gone?” Harry pulled away, taking my hand to lead me towards the sofa in the room as Niall pushed the door closed and followed us. Harry and I sat, legs touching, on the sofa as Niall sunk down into the chair opposite.

“Well you know that I said he just made the announcement at breakfast yesterday?” Harry asked, leaning back in the cushions, arm slung over the back of the furniture behind me. I nodded, urging him to continue. “He just stayed in his room pretty much all of yesterday; he spoke to Lou before the rest of us left for the show, he didn’t come, even though he said he would.”

“He was gone by the time we got back.” Niall finished.

“Oh my god.” I breathed, my head falling into my hands. “Well what the hell does that mean?”

“We don’t know.” Harry replied. Both men looked in a right state; I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me neither of them had a wink of sleep last night. Both of their hair, usually pretty immaculate, was now roughly sticking out every which way as if they’d been pulling and pushing at it in frustration.

“Has any of his family said anything?” I asked. “Perrie?”

They shook their heads in reply, looking down sorrowfully. Suddenly the door was pushed open and one of their body guards walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt,” He started, shooting me an acknowledging nod. “There’s been some... developments.”

“What developments?” Niall asked.

“I think you should just come into Liam’s room, there’s a meeting.” He said, refusing to say anything and standing to the side of the door, watching the three of us.

“I’ll stay here.” I offered, watching Harry and Niall get up.

“No, come.” Harry said, holding his hand out. I took it, following him as he pulled me towards him, his hand at the small of my back as we were led by Niall out of the room. Collectively we muttered a ‘thanks’ to the man holding the door open as we went to the room three doors down.

“One sec,” I said, feeling my phone vibrate in my back pocket. “I’ll meet you in there.” I slipped it out, giving them an encouraging smile and nod before answering it - not looking at who the caller was. “Hello?” I was answered by someone crying out my name. “Perrie?” Harry stopped, reaching out and grabbing Niall’s arm to stop him continuing into the room as they both spun around to watch me.

“It’s Z-Zayn.” She continued to cry.

“What’s happened? Has he made it home?” I asked, exchanging a worried look with Harry. As I spoke, Louis, Liam and their tour manager emerged from the room, all standing and watching me.

“What’s going on?” Liam whispered. Niall quickly explained.

“He just texted me. He said he’s back in London, but he said that was it. He wasn’t going back. The band is over for him. And so are we!” She hiccuped between each sentence, her explanation laced with sobs. My heart seemed to come to a juddering holt at her words.

“The band’s over? What do you mean? You’re over?”

“He’s called off the wedding!”

----------------

I sat in Liam’s room next to Harry as their tour manager explained the situation. “So he’s quit?” Louis asked after what felt like an eternity of silence between the seven of us. It was evident in his ton and body language it was taking every fibre in his body not to rage.

“What the fuck?” Niall cried, face falling into his palms. His shoulders were shaking, showing us that his tears were falling. Liam moved to sit on the arm of his chair, pulling him into a hug, but it was clear he himself was fighting tears.

“And he’s broken up with Perrie?” Liam confirmed, looking between me and their manager. We both nodded.

I was absolutely stunned. I didn’t know what was going on. The last twenty four hours and been a rollercoaster, a whirlwind, going from one thing to the next in what felt like a flash.

“Christ... I can’t believe this.” Louis said. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to me that Harry remained silent. I turned my head to look at him; he seemed to be in a sense of shock. I gently squeezed the hand that was in mine.

“Haz...” I prodded quietly, my other hand rubbing up and down his thigh gently.

“Can we go?” He croaked, averting eye contact.

“Um... I think we’ll be right back.” I spoke up, standing and waiting for Harry to follow. The other seemed to have an unspoken understanding; all feeling this sense of numbness and loss. We made our way back to Harry’s room in silence. I pushed the door shut behind us, watching cautiously as Harry went straight to the bed and almost fell onto it, his gaze staring up at the ceiling. I slowly approached him, laying beside him without a word. Both of his hands were sort of cupped around his mouth, eyes welling with tears.

“Come here, baby.” I whispered, pulling his body into mine as he let out a choked sob. His head rested on my chest as I wrapped him in my arms. Soon more sobs escaped his mouth, morphing into an almost continuous cry as his body shook. “Shhh, my love, it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. Just let it out.” I spoke gently into his hair as I kissed the back of his head. With each passing moment my heart was breaking more and more. Never had I seen him like this and it saddened me to no end.

About half an hour had gone passed where he had uttered no words or sounds. “Thank you,” His voice was hoarse and muffled into my jumper.

“What for, my darling?”

“For coming, for being here. For just... being you.” He whimpered. I sniffled, a couple of my own tears falling from my eyes.

“Of course.” I replied, squeezing him gently. “Of course.”

Neither of us knew what was going to follow this day; would the band continue? Would this be the end of the road for all of them? All I did know was that as long as Harry and I were together, we could weather any storm thrown our way, because we loved each other, supported each other, unconditionally.

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #one direction #one direction imagines

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years ago

Text

tapestry 👑 XXX

Warnings: dark elements, dub/noncon (fingering)

This is dark!(king)Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: King Steven had a wandering eye but you never thought it would fall upon you.

This Chapter: The king has some fun.

Note: Hey, it’s me again. I wrote this chapter after work in the brief interlude between soul crushing shifts. Hope you enjoy.<3

Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply! Love ya!

masterlist

After Priskham, the progress continued to Lord Stark's lair at the Iron Tower and continued on to Lord Barnes's hold of Brooks's End. The castle had been abandoned for two centuries before him as its former family had been extinguished for their part in a plot against the Rogers' Dynasty in Western Uprisings. You suspected its history loomed in the mind of its current keeper.

The king was as diligent as ever but since your first night upon progress, you had done better to let him his desires. You didn't dare pretend at sleep again and when he made a request, you took it as an order. And Barnes, well you avoided him as you could, for his sake and yours. Not that he would look at or talk to you.

To mark the first full day in Brook’s End, Barnes arranged a feast. The wild boar, for which the locale was famous for, was served roasted with a medley of vegetables, and endless wine and ale. The king had a hand in the event; he bid that Barnes take a seat of honour upon the dais for his efforts. Steven sat in the middle and you were thankful to have him as a barrier.

You sat quietly as you ate. You didn’t have energy for much else. Travel, the king, the court; it all piled up. You listened instead as you awaited dessert, eager to retire for the night. There was to be no dancing as no band could be acquired but there was little outcry at the announcement.

“A final stop at Drissot and we can make for Shell’s Harth.” The king said gaily. “Asgard does seem most eager to have us and I’ve never the pleasure of visiting, even when that witch was alive.”

“King Thor did write of a tournament. Do you think it wise to partake?” Barnes asked dully as he rubbed his finger along the rim of his goblet. “It could be a scheme. A pointed lance could be easily disguised or a sword conveniently confused.”

“Always so paranoid, my lord,” Steven teased. “Besides, it might have been a few years since my last, but when have I ever been felled at a tourney?”

“Never, your highness,” Barnes answered. “But that was among your own people.”

“I would be more concerned with a taster to guard my plate,” Steve countered. “And my queen’s.”

The king reached blindly to you and ran his hand over your skirts. He didn’t look away from Barnes as he gripped your leg through the fabric. You swallowed and looked down at his hand. He didn’t rescind it as he continued to talk.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Surely,” Barnes answered with a cough. “I was thinking… we might send an ambassador ahead of us. He shall need a party as well to see him safe. Perhaps a mole or two…” He paused and you felt the shift in your hem; the king’s fingers on your thigh as he gathered your skirt slowly. “To attain a preview of the Asgardian court?”

“Hmmm,” Steven said thoughtfully. He carried on tugging your skirt up, up, up, until it was past your knee. You tried to catch the hem and he yanked it sharply. A warning. “I suppose it wouldn’t be ridiculous.”

You stared at the king’s hand as it moved. You followed the brocade along his arm and tried to glance his expression as he kept his face to his companion. The tables below were unable to see past the long cloth hung over yours; the crest of the king beside that of Brook’s End. Steven slipped his hand past the satin and Barnes cleared his throat.

“And we should, uh…” Barnes’ voice was stunted and looked at each other. His gaze sent a thrill through you as his eyes rounded. He blinked and gulped and turned his attention to his goblet. “We should, um, keep an eye on his brother as well. Prince Loki is known for his spies; for having his ear… to the, uh… to the ground most anywhere he treads.”

“Oh, yes, I was not keen on the rodent.” Steven snarled.

The king shoved his hand up until it met your vee. You squeezed your thighs around him and he pinched you sharply. You squeaked as he forced your legs back apart. He began to rub you with two fingers. You gritted your teeth and tried not to show your discomfort to the people.

Barnes was silent. He emptied his cup and placed it on the table with a hollow clunk. Steven did not relent. The nobleman sighed and shifted in his chair.

“Your highness,” He hissed. “I do not think this… appropriate.”

“Why, this is my feast, is it not? You did declare in my honour?” Steven taunted. “And I find myself rather bored without a band and so I must entertain myself.”

“Then do excuse me,” Barnes insisted as he made to rise.

“No, you shall stay. We are not done talking,” Steven purred as he swirled his fingers and you gasped. You grabbed the side of your chair and pressed yourself to the tall backrest.

“Please, Steven, she is your queen. You would humiliate her in front of her own court.” Barnes remanded. “Is that the only reason you sought to wed her? To spite her for her denial?”

“Denial? She is mine,” Steven chuckled. “Look at her. She’s trembling, isn’t she? Always so receptive.”

“Don’t do this,” Barnes’ whispered.

“Who can see but you?” Steven challenged. “I do wonder why it should disturb you so. You did not protest when it was Rose you brought to me. When you did see her to my chambers. Or the one before that… Was it Laura? Lana? Even when it was Eleanor, you did not flinch.”

Barnes’ nostrils flared and he gulped. He reached for his goblet again and found it empty. Then he grabbed the ewer and swore as he found it dry as well. He tossed it back on the table and sat back heavily. He crossed his arms and glared at the king.

“Don’t look at me, look at her,” The king ordered. “Look at that face. Do her lashes flutter? Her eyes roll back? She bites down and you can hear her breathing through her teeth. And she is wet. I can slip inside…” He paused as he pushed his fingers past your entrance and his palm against your clit. “So easily.”

“Steven…” You begged as you touched his wrist. “Please…”

“Do you think she begs me to stop or to cum?” Steven looked to you with a smirk. “Do you think it matters?” He turned back to Barnes. “She is my wife, my queen; mine to do with as I please.”

“Why are you doing this?” Barnes growled.

“Because I can.” The king sneered as his fingers worked faster inside of you. “Because, my lord, I want you to recall this whenever your eyes stray to her; whenever they linger on her as they are want to do; whenever you have those lewd little thoughts that do darken your eyes so.”

Your hands went to the table as you clutched the wood. You struggled not to cry out as you leaned forward into his hand without thinking. Your feet arched in your slippers and the crowd blurred in your vision; a streak of colours and voices. You shook your head as the ripples began to spread along your flesh. As the familiar prick started in your core.

“So watch, my lord, and remember who is king and who is subject,” Steven spat. “Who holds power over…” He paused as you spasmed. You sat back enough to cause the chair to wobble and held in a sob as you came. “Who.”

He slipped his fingers out of you as you tried to steady your breath. He lifted his hand to the light and admired the glisten before he licked them. Your head spun as your eyes found Barnes through the haze; he was livid and pale. His nails were sunk into the arms of his chair and his jaw was squared.

“I have never forgotten, your highness,” He said.

“Good,” Steven smirked and tugged your skirts back down over your legs until it fell upon its own weight. “See that you don’t.” He sat up and glanced around the chamber. “Shall I call for more wine?”

👑

You were to be at Brook’s End for a week. Three days in and you found the place unbearable. The king made it thus. He wouldn’t stop fucking you until you were screaming and he hadn’t grown any subtler in the presence of his host. Only half a week before you set out to the final stop upon your tour; until you would be on your way to your sister.

That day, you spent apart from the king. You and your ladies read from a poetry book, explored the east wing where portraits hung along the walls, and attended your prayers and meals together. For a time, you forgot the king and his favoured lord; although you wondered if his preference was very fervent anymore.

And then you were to return to your husband. You lingered with Marion in the corridors but knew you could forever. You clung to her as she bid you farewell and watched her go. Your guard was silent as you led him through the halls. You hated his thin, unmoving lips and his bushy brows. You missed Dolan. And Marion. Should you mourn them too?

You stood outside your doors for a moment. You looked over to the guard as he took his place opposite the king’s. They didn’t seem to notice you. As you stepped forward, they opened the doors for you and you stepped inside. The king was there, at his desk. He didn’t lift his head as you entered.

“My queen,” He said as he finished scratching his nib across the parchment. “I’ve been awaiting you.”

“My apologies, I did find myself prolonged by Lady Marion,” You lied. “How was your day, husband?”

“Fine enough,” He sat up and set his pen down. “And you, wife?”

“Fine, as well,” You neared the other side of his desk. “Though I do tire.”

“I should hope you aren’t very tired,” He stood and you fought not to wince as he rounded the desk. “I had it in mind that we might play a game.”

“A game?” You repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Cards? Do you know ‘Horses’, or prehaps ‘Lances’?” He asked and you blinked in surprise.

“Uh, yes, of course,” You smiled and for a moment he was silent. He looked down at you as he touched your cheek.

“Then you choose and we shall play,” He bent and pecked your lips. “First I should like a change of clothes.”

“I suppose I would too,” You said. “I like a challenge so I think Horses should do.”

You followed him to the bed chamber. There was a flutter in your chest. True excitement alongside a sense of relief. You always played cards with your sister; you weren’t very competitive but you enjoyed the past time.

“Horses it is,” He agreed.

He loosened your laces for you and his hands did not wander. You were further surprised. You let the silk fall down your arms and undressed with a sigh. You pulled a robe over your shift and looked up at Steven. He pushed his hair back and stretched; his own robe hung open over a pair of shorts.

“I have set the cards out already,” He said. “You may deal as I pour the wine.”

“You know I do not drink very much wine,” You replied. “Is there water? Milk?”

“The wine is part of the game.” He led you to the table and waited for you to sit before he did. “For each round, the loser will drink.”

“Oh,” You took the deck of cards as he pulled the pair of goblets towards him and filled each with the dark wine. “Hm, well then I suppose I should want to win even more.”

“I wish you luck,” He slid a cup towards you. “So, let us begin.” You dealt six cards to each of you and set the deck in the middle. “Shall I draw first or you?”

“I should allow you the pleasure,” You sorted your cards by suit and waited for him to start.

It was promising at first. You each flicked your cards down one at a time and while you were not winning, you were not losing either. An even match until the last was laid down. The king cried out Horses and you shook your head. A sneaky move but not illegal.

“Drink,” He urged.

You exhaled and took your cup. “To your victory,” You raised it and drank.

As you set it back down, he tutted. “You must finish.”

You lifted your brow but he did not waver. You lifted your goblet again and gulped deeply. You nearly choked as you emptied it and as you replaced it on the table, your vision swam just a little. He poured you another glass and shuffled the deck. He slid them to you and let you deal again.

And you lost. Again. You huffed and looked into your cup. It was quite a bit of wine. He laughed and gathered up the cards. “My dear, it is only your second cup.”

“I told you, wine does not agree with me.” You pleaded.

“You might still catch up,” He gloated. “Shall I deal this time?”

“As you wish,” You grumbled as you took your cup again.

The wine was sweeter and easier to swallow but it had a more potent effect. He filled your cup again and you held in a belch. He doled out the cards and you swept up your hand and almost fumbled them. He let you draw first this time and you groaned. Not a good start. He flicked his first card down and you yours. You tossed each onto the pile in quick succession and you were ready to celebrate until that last card. The same trick.

“Lord!” You exclaimed as you threw up your hands. “You must cheat, my king.”

“I did change so that you would not suspect cards up my sleeves,” He held out his arms as his robe hung loosely from them. “And I haven’t anywhere else to conceal them.” He reached to nudge your goblet closer to you. “Do not be a sore loser.”

“I am not… sore.” You argued and grabbed the cup. “Next game.”

You drained the cup, a little dribbled down your chin, and slammed the cup back down. You felt bubbly and wobbly. You leaned on the table to steady yourself. The king dealt the cards and you took them clumsily. You had to win this time.

“How about this. For each card, I will ask you a question for each card and you may ask me one?”

“Ask you what?” You said through thick lips.

“Anything you wish. Shall I draw?”

“Go ahead.” You waved your fingers at him.

He drew and flopped the card down. “First question; I know you to be innocent before we wed, but did you ever kiss another before me?”

“What?” You scoffed. “N-no. Who would I kiss?”

“Is that your question?” He asked.

“No,” You laid down your card. “Why… did you choose cards for tonight?”

“Because they are simple and everything else is so complicated.” He answered. “And… I don’t know. You make me feel… young again.”

“You’re not old,” You chided. “Wait… are you?”

“Not your turn,” He warned and slapped his card down. “Did you ever fancy anyone before me?”

“Fancy? I… my king, why do you ask these things?”

“It is only a game,” He intoned. “I am curious. So answer me.”

“Not truly, I think,” You played with the corner of a card. “I suppose I did know which men were… handsome.”

“Oh, naughty,” He smirked. “Go on.”

You played your card. You licked your lips and thought of another question. “Do you cheat at Horses?”

“No, but I did not warn you of my skill,” He grinned and his card was added to the stack. “And did you list Lord Barnes among these handsome men?”

Your face was hot. Not just from the wine but from his question. Your mouth was acrid as you opened it. Your voice caught in your throat. You swallowed and found it at last. “My king…”

“Your honesty will not rile me,” He leaned an arm on the table, “But your dishonesty should.”

You stared at him. The edges of your vision were fuzzy and your eyelids were heavy. “He is not unattractive.” You answered.

You didn’t look at your cards as you placed the next. Your voice quavered. “Why the wine?”

“To soften you.” He admitted. “To weaken you.”

“And these questions?” You prodded.

“Not your turn.” He set down his card. The king. “When I did make you cum before him, did you imagine it was him touching you?”

You frowned. You reached to your goblet. He hadn’t refilled it yet. “I do not want to play this anymore.”

“It is too late to forfeit. Now, I did play my card.” He stared at you; his blue eyes unwavering. “I told you, your honesty cannot offend me.”

You pressed your lips together and touched your cheek. You nodded. “Only…” Your voice was brittle. “Only for a moment.”

He sat back and waited. You took your turn. You stared at the table in shame. “I have no question. You may ask yours…” You looked up slowly. “For I know this was a trick indeed.”

“I do not ask to entrap you, my queen,” He slipped a card onto the table. “Because I do trust you. I ask because I am curious. I ask because I know your character. And I know his.”

“And you distrust him?” You set your cards down and touched your temples as the wine seeped into your brain.

“I… don’t know,” He said flatly. “You are drunk, wife.”

“I am,” You grumbled as you slumped and held your head.

“Then let us finish our game,” He pointed to your cards upon the table. “And I will see you to bed.”

#tapestry #Steve Rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers x reader #fic #au #medieval au #series #mcu #marvel #captain america #bucky barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes

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thebonerpit · 5 years ago

Text

home with you [fic]

Starkercest, 1596 words, [E]. TW: inc*st, alcohol

A brief interlude when Tony is home from college on a break. 100% transparency here, this is actually part of a fic I wrote AGES ago for a completely different fandom. I can’t remember if I ever posted it or not? But I found it in my drafts and liked the scene so I repurposed it. I’m hoping to have actual new content to share soon!

“Peter, what the hell is this?”

Tony gingerly lifted the box off the counter, holding it away from him as if it had some kind of infectious disease. The remaining liquid sloshed around in the bottom as he held it out towards Peter, who was currently lying upside down on the couch, his face flushed bright red.

“Wine.”

“No, Peter, this is not wine. This is wine in a box. It’s barely even deserving of the same name.”

Peter shrugged (upside down) and didn’t seem to notice that his t-shirt was slipping down his body, exposing his taut stomach. Tony exhaled lowly and dropped the box back on the counter before going over to sit on the floor by Peter’s head.

“Is this some kind of teenage rebellion thing?”

Peter looked up at Tony with an expression that might have been approaching innocence had he not been too drunk to prevent a small smirk from twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“What if I just like box wine?”

Tony sighed. “No one likes box wine, Petey.”

Peter frowned slightly. “Do you think if I stayed like this long enough my head would explode?”

“I don’t know, but how about we avoid the possibility all together, huh? Come on.” Tony pushed himself up on the couch and reached down to grasp Peter’s bare waist. His skin was almost hot to the touch and Peter blinked his eyes furiously, trying to focus as the rush from being suddenly upright caused him to sway precariously on the edge of the sofa.

“Hey,” Tony said quietly, holding Peter’s face with one hand, “don’t fall, you’ll crack your head open. Mom would kill us if we got blood on her new carpet.”

Peter giggled and threw Tony a lazy smile before swinging his legs off the back of the sofa. He clumsily shifted around before settling himself down on Tony’s lap.

“Here, now you can hold me up.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but sure.” Peter had draped himself over Tony’s body and his warmth break tickled Tony’s neck. “Peter...”

“What?” The voice was muffled as he had now rested his head on Tony’s shoulder and was practically breathing in the fabric of his shirt.

“Peter, listen to me. Dad’s home, remember? We agreed never to do... this when he’s here.”

“Dad can kiss my ass.” Peter giggled again and brought his hands up to caress the back of Tony’s head, raking his fingers gently through the dark hair.

Tony closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy it for a brief moment before pushing Peter away. “Peter,” he said with as much sternness as he could muster.

“Tony,” Peter replied playfully.

“He would kill us.”

“I can be quiet.”

“You’re never quiet.”

Peter considered that for a minute, biting his lip thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. Tony prepared himself to get up but was interrupted when Peter leaned in and started nibbling on his neck.

“Did we not just have a conversation about how this was a bad idea, and that you – especially drunk you – would wake up the entire house with your... enthusiasm?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Peter whispered between wet kisses, his breath bringing up goose bumps on Tony’s neck. “It’s not going to be me making all the noise tonight.”

Tony’s eyes widened with surprise. “Apparently box wine makes you almost as cocky as me.”

Peter just laughed and began trailing kisses along Tony’s jaw line. Tony grasped the back of Peter’s head and wound his fingers through his thick, wavy hair. He always said that haircut made Peter look like he was perpetually fifteen, but secretly he loved being able to run his hands through it like this. It was soft, and warm, and it made him feel at home.

Peter had made his way to Tony’s mouth and was now kissing him in earnest. He tasted sour from the cheap wine, but Tony barely noticed as their tongues wound together and tiny moans escaped from both of their mouths. Peter squirmed in Tony’s lap, grinding their bodies together, and Tony grabbed his hips in an attempt to hold him still.

“Lemme go,” Peter said with a hint of a pout playing across his face.

Tony shook his head. “You’re always so eager, baby. Sometimes it’s better if you slow it down.”

“What, like now, when Dad could come downstairs at any minute?”

“... good point. Maybe we’ll save that lesson for another time.”

Peter rolled his eyes but he was grinning widely, and he dove back in to capture Tony’s mouth again. The room was quiet save for the ticking of the old grandfather clock, and the rustling of clothing and frantic breathing from the two boys entwined on the couch.

There was a sudden absence of warmth on Tony’s lap, and he began to protest until Peter shifted down to his knees on the floor in front of him. His face was still flushed, now from both the wine and the heat of his own pleasure, and he looked up at Tony through that one loose curl of hair that never seemed to stay put.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Tony breathed, running a thumb along Peter’s lower lip. Peter opened his mouth at the touch, flicking his tongue out to taste Tony’s skin before taking his thumb wholly in his mouth, sucking on it gently, never breaking eye contact.

Tony was beginning to ache, his erection straining against his pants. He started to undo the top button but Peter quickly took over (always so eager) so all Tony had to do was lift his hips as Peter pulled the pants and boxers away. He immediately took Tony in his mouth, moaning around his cock and sending vibrations up through his body.

“Oh, god,” Tony said, probably too loudly, before he remembered they were trying to be discreet. Peter released him for a second and smiled.

“Told you.”

“Shut up,” he said in a much quieter tone, although it was gentle... he was always gentle with Peter. He wasn’t sure why, really, although he never stopped to think about it until now. Perhaps it was because he felt safe, private, like no one but Peter would ever see this side of him. He wasn’t able to be this kind of a person in public. He just... couldn’t. Tony knew Peter probably resented him for it, but he had a reputation to uphold. He was acerbic and cocky, the smartest one in the room, the playboy, the party boy, wild and chaotic and free. People like that don’t hold their brothers close in the middle of the night as if they were afraid they might float away at any minute...

“Hey.” Peter had sat up taller on his knees and was staring at Tony, eyebrows furrowed together with concern. “You disappeared there for a minute.”

Tony smiled and leaned down to kiss Peter warmly on the lips, long and soft and tender. “I haven’t gone anywhere,” he said, letting his forehead rest against Peter’s. Peter smiled in response, and Tony reached up to brush a thumb across his eyebrow that had been slightly crooked ever since Tony could remember, adding endearing personality to his handsome face.

Peter slithered back down Tony’s body and grasped his cock firmly before taking it in his mouth again with renewed enthusiasm. Tony bit his lip to keep himself from moaning out loud as Peter licked and sucked and enveloped every inch of Tony with his wet, hot mouth.

Peter’s technique kept getting better each time and Tony couldn’t help but be jealous as he thought of who else Peter might have been practicing on while he was away at college. He gripped Peter’s hair a little harder, clinging on to him as his head bobbed up and down.

“Look at me,” Tony rasped lowly. Peter flashed his eyes towards Tony, gazing up at him through thick eyelashes. He smiled as much as he could, Tony’s cock still full in his mouth, and hollowed his cheeks as he took all he could, his tongue continuing to trace slow, lazy trails up and down Tony’s shaft.

Not allowing himself to look away from Peter’s eyes, Tony shuddered and gripped on to Peter’s shoulders as he came. Peter’s eyes widened a bit, not expecting Tony to finish so soon, and he gagged slightly. A small amount of come that Peter wasn’t able to swallow dripped from the corner of his mouth and down his chin, and Peter blushed furiously, embarrassed that the brief illusion he had of being in control of the situation had vanished.

Tony, still breathing hard and shuddering with the aftershock of his orgasm, cupped the side of Peter’s face clumsily, wiping away any remaining wetness. “C’mere,” he said lowly and brought Peter up close to his chest, wrapping him up in his arms.

“I love you,” Tony whispered, a sentiment that was only ever whispered, and he was so quiet he wasn’t sure if Peter even heard him properly, but he felt Peter’s body relax into him and mirrored the action with his own. Their breathing became low and even as they both drifted in and out of a light sleep, the warmth of the wine still running through Peter’s body and Tony fading into the feeling of his own spent pleasure.

Neither of them heard the soft footsteps as Howard stepped out from behind the doorframe, an indiscernible expression on his face as he watched his two sons curled up on the couch like lovers.

#starker #nff #tony x peter #starkercest #tbpwrites

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Green Eggs and Ham: “Train” Review or A Little Better Now (Patreon Review for Emma Fici)

Hello you happy people and all aboard! We’re back on the Green Eggs and Ham Train for a Train themed episode. Train. As you can tell I like trains... admitely I don’t see enough episodes et on them and I don’t buy books or obess on them but I like the idea of a train, the comfort, the use of a mode of travel that was once common but is now simply used on occasion with the dawn of air travel, and it confining our heroes to a smaller space with limited room to move. it’s good stuff. I even tolerae the band train... I mean yes their music is okay at best, but the lyrics.. are wonderfully delightfully insane. Who else would use a garbage bag as a genuine romantic metaphor?

When last we left off things ere a bit ehhhhhhhhhhh: Sam went from delightfully quirky with some issues ot adress to annoying, and Michelle went from kin dof a bitch ot ENTIRELY THAT BITCH. Outside of Guy’s mental breakdown/heatstroke episode involving hallucinations of green eggs and ham, yes that did in fact happen, it wasn’t much to write home about and I worried the series simply had a good PILOT but the series itself wasn’t going to be fun sit through.

If I was right or I was rilla.. will have to wait till after the cut. But first as always i’d like to thank the person who payed for this episode Emma Fici. Emma is one of my closest friends and one of two patreon patreons. If you’d like a reivew of your choice eveyr month guarnateed, then please hop over to patreon.com/popculturebuffet and back me at the 5 dollar level. You also get access to my exclusive discord where I ocasoinally post about work in progress stuff and tlak to my falns, to pick a short any time I do one and EXCLUSIVE review, as well as helping me hit my stretch goals. So line up, sign up then join me under the cut.

So we pick up where we left off with Guy hurtling into a lake. Eh I dunno i’ve heard being naked ina lake is pretty neat.

youtube

All you’d have to do is take off the hat and your there. But Sam saves him wiht the weird train of hats he put at the end of the car for some reason, and our heroes are saved.. but down a vehicle. Oh and Sam’s vehiclular neglgence costs a bunch of fish their home.

And our heroes are without a car and Guys at the end of his rope with Sam.. I mean granted he’s been there since he met the guy but it’s down to like the tiniest thred, not helped by Sam casually stealing his wallet to pay for train tickets depsite Guy , UNDERSTANDABLY, not wanting to hang out with the guy who has stolen with him, gotten him implicate din animal trafficing and dosen’t really respect personal space. Also it’s taken me embarassingly long to remember Micheal Douglas played my boy Hank Pym in the Ant Man and the Wasp films. Seroiusly I don’t know HOW I forgot that, him being aged up and thus unable to do ANY of the things he is constnatly denied credit for in canon (Founding the avengers, being the first ant man.. and the first goliath and the first yellow jacket and the first giant man.. and the only doctor pym...).. but instead the film kept his troubled nature and ego, but removed the domestic abuse (which is something I will not go into but needless to say the comics version went above and beyond to try and make up for that and redeem himself soley because it was the right hting to do) and by making im older still gav ehim a roll as Scott’s mentor. What i’m getting at is I freaking love Hank Pym and I could’ve been making hank pym jokes for several episdoes now. That’s a mistake I itned to recitfy.. right away as Guy looses his suitcase as a result of it and whie he lcaims not to be bothered his voice says otherwise. Eh i’m sure the world can wait for ultron Guy.

So anyway, Guy reluctantly agrees to the train travel idea and being parked across from Sam on the grounds he has no real other options. Meanwhile the BAD GUYZ.. and i’ve also decided to drop spoilers as the series is two years old, most people reading this have probably seen the series, and it makes analysis rough when I have to dance around spoilers. So yeah the BAD GUYZ aren’t villians.. kind of a dickhead on the blue guys part, but not EVIL. They figure out their going by train it’s a whole thing.

ON the train we run into michelle again...

Yeahhh for the first half she’s as inusfferable as she was the last two episodes and it lead me to believie the rest of the series was going to be constant suffering as she’d be in every episode, likely because they DID get Diane Keaton for this and you don’t waste Diane Keaton. You just don’t. But while they got their money’s worth in having her on screne wise they just..w asted her for the first 2 and a half episodes: Michelle is a judgemental, unpleasnt suffocating bitch and it’s going to take a lot , even if this episode helped, to make me truly like her as a person.

Case in point her first two scenes this episode are just.. dragging her daughter past a play place uncarring about her feelings because while I DO get she cares about her child’s saftey and is terrified afte rloosing her husband.. it dosen’t EXCUSE her actions. It dosen’t forgive her locking her daughter up constanlty, not talking to her like a human being and oh yeah PUTTING A FUCKING LOCK ON HER SHE CAN CONTROL. I mean my god I don’t think they INTENDED for her to come off as abusive as she does, and i’ve seen far worse inteitonally and untietionally, but it’s still not remotely plesant. There is a larger issue baked into that the episode brings about, but we’ll get to that.

And naturally at breakfast.. she procedes to top herself. ONCE AGAIN she treats guy like trash as guy UNDERSTANDABLY didn’t want to talk to her after her previous layers of bullshit which, just as a refresher, involved insulting his invention constnatly (even if it turned out ot be dangerous she did not know that till the last second) then refusing to help a man BAKING in the desert and mocking him to his face.

So yeah unsuprisingly instead of you know, APOLOGIZING for that episode or anything else she mocks him again and calls him sad. I just.. I get they were trying to have her come off as a jerk and then slowly develop.. but you can’t overdue the jerk part. It has to be juts the right amount and if it is this much there has to be a commpuance. There is none as far as I can tell because god is a spiteful two faced prick.

So naturally Sam forces the two parties together, and orders green eggs and ham for everyone, except guy who refuses. We do get a really great bit though as EB turns down the idea and we get a tremendous rant from Micheal Douglas as he talks about how a girl in his clash, veyr likely just him, got a rash from tring new things and you shouldn’t and to watch out for the scarlet beetle he’ll steel your ants and try to conquer your planet and is not a guy in a costume but in fact an actual beetle. EB naturally tries it.

We get a brief interlude with Snerz that’s funny enough: he outright calls his visotrs flunkies, they enter to the song money, and his minon throws dollar bills at their feet. I imagine this is what visitng Mar a Largo is like. They turn up his noses until he mentions getting a chickarffe for his animal crutelty wall. And i’m torn about Snerz. On one hand he can be generally entertaining in his dickery.. but ont he other I do question why he’s in EVERY episode. We don’t NEED him in eveyr one and I feel he’s only in them because Eddie Izzard was expensive so they had to get him as a regular to justify the cost. We really DONT’ need this scene funny as it is and it adds nothing so far. Maybe i’m wrong and these guys end up being important. I don’t know.

So yeah so far this episode was miserable getting through and I expected it to be another long sit... I was wrong. The second half.. is really damn good and reminded me why I liked this series so much. No really. We get two stories,both really good following one half of each pair teaming up. As for why their split Guy is annoyed with Sam, as well as dosen’t want him letting the chickaraffe out because you know lots of people dosen’t want ot go to jail and leaves to find a quiet place to work on watching paint dry while Michelle tucks a sleeping EB in, her first really truly humanizing moment, which should NOT have taken three episodes but hey, i’ll take it, and goes to find the same.

So starting with Sam and EB, naturally Sam takes all of a minute to let his buddy out and it gets loose on top of the train. EB hears the familiar sound and gives chase and the two meet properly. After Sam covers for his buddy and realizes the creature is asleep in his car safe now, he properly talks to EB and we get a truly magical sequnece: The two talk with Sam whoelheartdly supporting her free spirit and finally giving the girl what she badly needed: someone who treated her not as something to be tied down but you know.. a child who just wants some expression and as she literally lets her hair down, It’s truly adorable and it just has a magical quanitity as they enjoy the beautiful view from the train top.

Granted this takes at urn later when EB brings up her mom, and Sam.. supports her mom, pointing out she’s just looking out for her.. which she is but in a deeply unehalthy way and I don’t like the show just.. brushing over Michelle’s terrible actions because “she’s her mom”. But it’s also hard to tell if they are: Sam’s mom left him as we’ll find out, so he likely colors his memories of her rosey and simply envys EB still HAVING hers. It’s not BAD stuff but I don’t like a work saying “You should love your family just beacause your related”. Instead of because they lovea nd support you and if they dont’ love you or treat you remotely well or don’t give an ass about you fuck them. Thankfully I DO love my family and have no issues with them, my immediate family at least, but i’ve had friens with downright abusive or neglectful parents. It’s not that black and white. Ducktales also hammered in the family theme but was transparent in how it can me messy, harm each other and that it took true love and consideratoin for it to work at it’s core.

It’s still not a terrible scene and what comes next is neat as earlier it was shown the train has loops, because Seussworld, and now that’s a problem because their on top of it. Michelle’s jail braclet thing ends up coming in handy the first loop, as while she can’t unstick it means she and sam can suririvie it. They do get it loose, turns out the password was indeed password, because of course, and they end up narrowly suriving a roller coaster bit of track, with the help of MR. Jenkins who I can finally name because EB names her in the next scene. Understanding her need for a pet, Sam deputizes her, and gets her back in bed in time for the next plot.

Speaking of which winding back a bit as these two go back and forth, Guy goes through two rather hilarious cars: First a bath car that has a bubsby berkely style water number and then a model train car.. with the train on the track showing guy watching guy watchin gthe train etc.

It’s great. Guy ends up finding the quiet car.. and Michelle. And in her first scene of acting like a human being and not if julie powers was a soccer mom, Michelle, while standosfish as usual, not only unites with guy to shush a loud guy in the car, but is genuinely apricative when Guy helps her get her place back, she was doing some literal bean counting.

The two genuinely hit it off, first with some adorable silent bits and then by talking, with Michelle appreciating his now safer job and warming up to him. Keaton and Douglas have GENUINE chemestry and it annoys me itt took the series this long to use that instead of wasting Diane Keaton on being

It’s really great stuff and i’m actually rooting for the two.. once she gets her shit together obviously. Guy does make the mistake of lying abotu knowing about the chikcaraffe.

This ends up being bad as he finds out EB knows the next day and after she leaves the car RIGHTFULLY tears the fuck into same for getting him accused of crime, stealing from him and now puttin ghim in a precarious situation. While Guy DID lie, he idd so well meaningly and trying to impress someone whose ineherntly judgmeental. Douglas also does REALY well in the scene, calling sam out but it dosen’t feel cruel.. it’s justified. While guy is miserable and does need to work on himself.. Sam also needs to work on himself and is putting guy in serious danger just by forcing him into his animal smuggling scheme.

So Guy leaves.. and naturally given the unvierse hate shim runs into the BAD GUYZ, who aren’t much better. No really they refuse to belieive guy might be innocent, use excessive force on everyone. They have better GOALS than sam but I woudln’t really call them good people. Smash to black and we’re out.

Final Thoughts: This one was better. As I said the first half or rather third drags slightly but once we get to the two seperate plotlines it’s REALLY damn good stuff and reminded me what the series was capable of in character in creativity. Hopefully it keeps this up

Next Time on the Blog: We return to mewni for the penultimate chapter of season 3 as Moon and Eclipsa have some fundemtnal disgareemnts on how to handle Meteora that wind up costing both dearly.

See you at the next rainbow

#green eggs and ham #guy am I #sam I am #dr seuss #netflix #animation #patreon

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stillebesat · 4 years ago

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The New Hire

Sanders Sides: Roman, Logan, Virgil Blurb: Roman has never known his brother, Logan, to break a promise. Until now. Fic Type: General, Human!AU Inspiration: For the Anon who asked to see Roman’s POV from my other Fic The Interview. Warnings: None Taglist in Reblog. Author’s Note: This fic is Roman’s POV of events that occur halfway through Chapter 4 of The Interview, but you don’t necessarily need to read it in order to enjoy this oneshot. :)

Roman ran a hand through his hair as he stalked through the halls of StoryTime!, growling under his breath as he descended to the next floor.

Of course. It was just like Lo to vanish from his office right when Roman needed him. For being known to never leave the building, Specs sure had a knack for not being where he was supposed to be when Roman’s Creative Muse decided it needed a second opinion.

Must be a twin thing. He distinctly recalled Logan complaining that Roman had done the same to him.

Still.

It was really unlike Lo to so completely disappear from the upper levels that it had forced Roman to search the entire building for him.

He exhaled, turning to go down yet another hallway, head on a swivel. It was unfortunate that their twin telepathy didn’t extend to tracking because if Roman didn’t know better, he would think Specs had left early.

Ha.

The sun would split in two first.

And--Roman glanced at his phone as he came to the balcony overlooking the lobby below, swearing under his breath when he saw the time.

Sure, he supposed his Creative Muse was at fault for having a light bulb moment right before he was due to go interview yet another starry-eyed dreamer for StoryTime!’s creative team, but he hadn’t thought half an hour would make so much of a difference until he couldn’t find Specs.

Now though he’d have to--there!

Roman straightened, a thrill of triumph rushing through him at spotting his twin about to enter the elevator below with some other guy in tow. “SPECS!” He called, his voice echoing around the lobby as he rushed for the stairs. “THERE you are!”

Finally. Maybe he could tell Lo his brilliant idea on the ride up. Maybe two minutes would be enough time to get his opinion before Roman had to bound and gag his Creative Muse so he could focus on being dull and boring long enough to get through the interview process before once more allowing his muse to run free.

At least this time Remy had sworn up and down that this interview wouldn’t be a waste of his time because he was certain that this Virgil person would pass Roman’s stringent pre-qualifications for getting hired.

Crofters he hoped so. He was tired of having his new hires wash out.

Forgoing using the stairs in favor of sliding down the railing to get to him that much quicker, Roman landed in front of his twin before the elevator doors had finished opening. “About time I found you!” He said, jabbing a finger at him as his brother dropped a smile that Roman long ago discovered meant trouble though he had no idea how that related to him or the purpled haired disaster in a suit standing next to his twin.

He’d have to ask later. Creative Muse needed answers. NOW.

“You have perfect timing as always, Roman.” His brother said, placing a hand on the kid’s elbow, pulling him inside the elevator. “I was just heading back upstairs to find you.”

Roman blinked. “Find me? What for?” He demanded, following the two of them inside, hitting the button for the ninth floor. “I’ve spent the last twenty minutes trying to track you down and now you want to find me?”

Sometimes their ability to know when one of them needed another was a freaking curse. But seriously, what were the odds that they would both go seek out the other at the same time!

Roman ran a hand through his hair, fighting back his irritation. And with a stranger in the elevator there was no way he could use this brief interlude to get Lo’s opinion. He didn’t tell just anyone his brilliant ideas before they were fully realized. “Of course you do this to me two minutes before my next interview--”

“For Virgil right?”

Roman gaped at him, eyes narrowing as the doors slid shut. Okay, their twin telepathy didn’t extend that far. “How did you--”

“I just hired him for your department.” Logan said, gesturing to the third member of their little elevator party.

Roman froze, blood roaring in his ears as he clenched his hands, fighting to not hit the emergency button that would stop the elevator in place so he could have longer than twenty seconds to clarify that he hadn’t heard what he just thought he’d heard.

“You. WHAT?!”

They’d freaking TALKED about this! After the disaster that occurred two years and ten months ago with Logan’s meddling they had come to an agreement that his twin wouldn’t interfere with Roman’s methods for hiring people!

Surely Logan. His twin. The superhuman computer that could recall the most mundane information at the drop of a hat hadn’t forgotten that little fact and hired this fashion disaster of an emo in front of him without consulting Roman first. Right?

Wrong.

“I hired him--am I not speaking clearly today?” Logan asked, looking to the kid with a raised eyebrow. “You did the same thing when I told you you were hired too.”

The kid--Virgil shook his head as he crossed his arms, rubbing the spot Lo had grabbed when he’d been pulled into the elevator. “No. It’s just a statement that not many people will find believable...apparently.” He said, mismatched eyes -which really had a unique color shade that Roman would love to take a moment to dra--NO. Stay FOCUSED. One Creative Muse idea at a time!...after dealing with this potential PR disaster.

“Oh no, it’s believable,” Though he hoped the kid’s portfolio was a cut above his ability to dress himself, otherwise Remy would receive quite the earful on what qualified meant when he got back. “If I allowed your interview to be scheduled in the first place.” But If Logan liked him enough to hire him...Roman was pretty sure that wasn’t a good sign. A pity. Remy had been quite convincing that Virgil would work out.

“But, Specs!” Roman growled, glaring at his twin as he held out his hand for what could only be Virgil’s portfolio under his arm. He hoped Lo had actually looked through it this time before pulling the trigger. “We agreed you wouldn’t interfere--”

“With your hires.” Logan finished. “I know. But trust me, brother.” He said, stressing the word as he handed Roman the portfolio.

Brother.

A word that should never have been used between them while within StoryTime!’s walls.

Roman froze, eyes flicking to Virgil and back. “He?”

Logan’s eyes glittered, but not with anger. No, Roman would have thought they were filled with silent laughter as he adjusted his tie. “Knows we’re related, thanks to you.”

WHAT?! HOW?! Oh no. Lo couldn’t blame this on him! He’d never even seen the kid before now!

“To me?! I haven’t said a word--” He denied, taking the portfolio and flipping it open as he leaned against the wall, barely taking in the images on the page. He valued his independence far too much to let just anyone know that he and Logan were related in any way shape or form.

Gah. He fought back a shudder. No. NO. Roman would do anything to keep that particular secret from getting out. He’d done his time in school being treated like he and Logan were the same person unable to form their own identities outside of being the Prince Twins.

And yet.

Somehow the secret had gotten out.

HOW?!

“Virgil.” Logan said, turning to the third occupant in the elevator. “Care to explain?”

And WHY was Lo taking this earth shattering revelation so calmly?!

“I…” Virgil flushed under their combined stares, setting his chin stubbornly. “The Sherlock screenplay.”

….Come again? That screenplay hadn’t ever seen the light of day! Well...beyond the one picture he’d posted ages ago. Roman frowned, flipping to another page, watching from the corner of his eye as Virgil visibly paled, hands gripping onto the railing around the elevator.

“I-I noticed that Logan’s name wasn’t completely covered when you took the picture”

And Roman thought you couldn’t stop a heart more than once.

Apparently he was wrong.

Surely. SURELY that photo he’d posted wasn’t their downfall. He’d been careful to cover Logan’s name! He was sure of it! Yet this kid was telling him that--that---

“And I dug around a bit--” Virgil swallowed, darting glances between the two of them. “Do people here really not know you’re related?”

Ha. They both shook their heads. “No.”

That was the whole point of Logan becoming known as Specs here. Why Thomas had agreed that his real name wouldn’t be found anywhere in StoryTime!’s records. Why Logan had taken to wearing glasses again instead of contacts. To give them a chance to be seen as individuals and not as a pair.

Virgil scoffed, gesturing between them. “But you two look exactly the same!”

“Only a handful know.” Logan clarified, pointedly adjusting his glasses.

“Like three people--Specs does great as Clark Kent--” Roman jerked his head up from the portfolio. Wait. “Don’t tell me you hired him because he’s blackmailing you!?” He demanded, jabbing a finger at Virgil.

Surely Logan wouldn’t let himself be backed into such a corner! He was the one who’d ensured that people wouldn’t connect that they were related. One little picture couldn’t have done so much damage that Logan couldn’t get out of being blackmailed into giving the kid a job because of it!

Virgil flinched, but took a step forward, eyes blazing. “I wouldn’t do that, Princey.” He growled.

So the purple wallflower did have some bark. “Princey?” Roman repeated, narrowing his eyes. Not the most unique of nicknames but...usually people didn’t do that here. Nickname him back. It was always ‘Yes, Mr. Prince. No, Mr. Prince. I can’t take it anymore and I quit!, Mr. Prince.’

It was...refreshing in a way.

Virgil faltered, glancing to Logan. “I--I---uh.”

Crofters, he was like a feral kitten confronting a Lion.

Logan shot him a look, eyes glittering with that hidden humor again, before giving Virgil a reassuring smile. “Go on, Virgil. Speak your mind.”

Logan was encouraging this? WHY?!

Virgil set his jaw, staring Roman down despite the obvious tremor to his hands. “I’m here because you were willing to give me a chance, sir. No other motive. I want to work here on my own merit. Not through...through blackmail.” He practically spat the word. “My Two Princes theory was just that. A theory until Lo--Specs here confirmed it.”

Logan visibly winced at that.

Huh. Roman tilted his head. That was....something. "Well…color me impressed that you got Dr. Roboto here to confirm anything, kid. Usually he's sealed tighter than a jar of Crofters." Usually Roman was the only one who could convince Lo to reveal things he didn’t want revealed.

He snapped the portfolio shut as the elevator doors opened, hiding the artwork from any potential prying eyes. No need to let anyone else see them just yet. Not until Roman actually agreed on the hiring of this kid. Not until he could actually sit down and look at the images himself. "Don't count your eggs though. I'm not so easily swayed."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Page twenty-eight." He said tapping the top of the portfolio as they stepped out onto the landing. "Then you'll understand one of the factors that lead to me hiring Virgil."

Roman scoffed. "One image led you to hire him over my head? Are you addled?"

What could be so good that Logan chose to defy him and hire the kid? Sure, Remy had sworn that Virgil would be a good fit. But no one could be so unique as to get hired on one page alone!

"I would…agree." Virgil said slowly, biting his lip as he glanced to the portfolio in Roman’s arms.

Roman blinked. Come again? “You agree?”

Sure, people usually agreed with him to try and stay in his good graces, but most artists would preen over the knowledge that one image got them hired.

Virgil shrugged one shoulder, glancing between the two of them as they made their way down the hallway. “Well...yah. Compared to my other works, I don't see how that one-"

The kid thought his other works were better? Logan hired him on this one mystery image that he was confident would rock his brother’s world and it wasn’t even a piece that Virgil thought was his best work?

How good was this kid?

How stupid was his brother?

Logan shook his head, pulling open the door to Roman’s office, gesturing them inside.

Typical. Roman fought not to bristle at the fact that his twin was taking charge in HIS domain.

"I can assure you both that my cognitive function has been unaffected in my decision.” Logan said at least allowing Roman the dignity to enter first. “Your overall work is beyond noteworthy, Virgil, and while the one drawing is A factor.” He stressed the word, eyes once again glittering with that humor as Roman took his seat, plopping the portfolio on top of the desk. “For my decision to hire you, it is not The factor. Your work shows a much larger variety than any others I’ve seen.”

Roman frowned. Okay...so maybe his brother wasn’t soo addled. But still. One image? “The thing weighs a ton, I would hope it would show some range.” He said, once more flipping through the pages to see what was so great about this ‘page twenty-eight.’

Honestly...from his quick glances at the other pieces...he could see why Remy and Logan had both been impressed. There was variety, creativity with lighting and color, a feel of familiarity that already sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was on a mission Roman would have stopped to inspect each piece more closely so he could figure out why it felt so familiar when he’d never met this kid before.

It really didn’t help that he couldn’t see why Logan would decide to blatantly break his promise.

“I wouldn’t think you’d mind the size, Roman.” Logan said, straightening his tie. “You are the one interviewing for ‘fresh blood’ are you not or was there another reason you were whining to me just last night about the lack of talent in your department?”

HEY! He pushed to his feet, hand resting on the page before the supposed glorious I-can-break-my-promise-and-hire-you-on-the-spot artwork that had Logan running rogue in his department.

His bemoaning the lack of creativity in his department was a thing said in total confidence and shouldn’t be broadcasted to the new guy even if he was in on their little sibling secret no matter how good this art piece was.

"A Prince does not whine!” He declared, flipping the page. “I merely bemoan the lack of talent people these days seem to ha--” Roman froze taking in the aching familiar Sallyized version of Jack Skellington that had been his obsession and lock screen on his phone for the past six months. “WHAT?!”

He didn’t realize he yelled the last word until Logan smirked, adjusting his glasses as he closed the blinds on the windows to Roman’s office.

Yah probably not a good idea to let others see him totally fangirling, but AAHHHH!!!!! He couldn’t believe it!

Roman shoved to his feet, heart pounding like a drum in his chest as he practically climbed over the desk to shove the picture into the Virgil’s startled face. "You drew this?!"

No way no way no way! He HAD to be dreaming!!! This kid was his beloved Stormcloud?!

Virgil blinked down Jack Skellington before raising an eyebrow, mismatch eyes shining with confusion. "Yes?"

Oh. OH. OH! CHRISTMAS HAD COME EARLY!! Roman placed the portfolio on the desk, careful to keep it open to page twenty-eight because he wasn’t quite convinced just yet that he wasn’t dreaming and if he closed the portfolio maybe it would disappear but no. This had to be real! He pulled out his phone, quickly pulling up Stormcloud’s webpage with the Sallyized version of Jack front and center with the exact same stormcloud signature on the bottom, before shoving his phone in Virgil’s face, the kid practically going cross eyed in the process. “You're telling me this is you?” He asked, anticipation filling every fiber of his being. “That you're--!"

"EmoKnightmare478?" Virgil asked without missing a beat as he ran his hand through his hair. “Yah. That's me, Princey, but how--why?"

“YES!” Roman cried out, grabbing Logan and pulling him into a waltz around the room that only lasted for like two seconds before he had to stop and just jump up and down in a circle with Specs like the fangirl he was at this wondrous turn of events. "YES YES YES YES YES YES!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, LOGAROO!! YOU FOUND STORMCLOUD! HE APPLIED! HE WANTS TO WORK--!! LOGAN! AHHHHH!!!!"

“Am I...missing something here?” Virgil asked, resting a hand, protectively on his artwork, safely keeping his distance from Roman’s prancing.

“Roman’s been a fan of your account for the past couple of years.” Logan said simply, looking over his shoulder at their new hire as he turned in place with Roman. “He looks forward to seeing your bi-montly updates like one looks forward to opening presents at Christmas.”

Virgil went white, his other hand reaching to grab onto the desk as he swayed. “You’re a Fan?” He squeaked.

"OF COURSE!!” Roman cried, finally freeing his twin from his finger-numbing grip to fall down to his knees at Virgil’s feet, arms spread wide. Even the Greats had people that they secretly admired. “Do you know how much I positively adore your twist on a Nightmare Before Christmas series?” He asked eagerly. Every piece had been simply superb. A gift from the Gods. A supreme act of creativity that Roman could only hope to replicate. Stormcloud had taken his favorite Halloween movie and brought it to new heights, giving complexities to even the minorest of characters leaving him in awe every single time.

“Tell me.” Roman said, still on his knees, clasping his hands together like a beggar. “What would it take to commission you to draw the entire cast Sallyized for me? One large painting to hang there over my desk? Anything's on the table. Name your price."

“I--I--uhhh--” Virgil leaned away, hands scrambling on the desk.

Logan exhaled, grabbing Roman by the shoulder. “Perhaps you should tone down the adoration and stop terrorizing your new hire?” He suggested, tightening his grip.

Right. Right. Roman batted away Lo’s hand, rising to his feet. Of course. This wasn’t a Comic Con convention. He had to maintain some sort of decorum, but THIS WAS HIS STORMCLOUD HOW COULD HE NOT BE EXCITED?!

“He’s--He’s not--” Virgil drew in a shallow breath.

Not what? Not serious about his request for a commission because he definitely was!

Logan shook his head. “Well...even if he’s not, I shall assuage your fears anyway. You will still have your job even if you refuse, Virgil. Crofters forbid it doesn’t do Roman any harm to be told no every now and then.”

Roman scoffed at that. Oh, yes it did. He much preferred getting what he wanted thank you very much and being spurned by his favorite artist for a commission he’d been dreaming of for months may just kill him then and there.

Still. Logan did have a point. As Virgil’s potential new boss, he did have to set clear boundaries and this definitely had blurred the lines a bit. “Oh yes, your job isn’t ever in question with this, Stormcloud.” Roman said, offering him a smile as he spread his hands peacefully. “Specs hired you and from what I’ve seen so far,”

He would need to take a very in depth look at the artwork within that portfolio when he got a chance. He needed to see what else Virgil had designed. But that would have to come later. “I second it, but.” His eyes went wide and pleading as he clasped his hands together. “I will be very very very heartbroken and will be giving you super sad puppy dog eyes like this every time you see me for the next--”

“Three hours?” Logan asked, adjusting his glasses as he pulled his brother back another step to give Virgil space to breathe.

Roman made a face. Way to ruin the moment. “I was gonna say a week, but probably.” It would hurt, but he could handle the rejection...maybe. Probably. He didn’t know for sure. People didn’t usually say no to him when they knew who he was.

Virgil swallowed, licking his lips. “You...really would…pay me? The Prince? Would...pay me?”

“Of course! I said--” Roman turned to Logan. “Did I not say that, Lo? Any price. I said that!” He wasn’t a heathen expecting Stormcloud to do such an intense art piece like that for free. No. Roman knew the value of art and Virgil’s artwork would be worth every single penny!

“You did indeed.” Logan nodded.

“Great!” Good to know they’d been clear on that. “Here.” Roman took Virgil by the arm, pulling him to a seat at his desk. “Specs will draw up your contract for the position. Wages, hours, expected responsibilities, rules and policies, so on and so forth. I trust he was quite thorough in whatever interview he gave you right before you found me right? Right. But you and I.” He smiled conspiracally, pulling up a chair. “Need to talk shop. Come on. Commission. How much?”

Logan rolled his eyes as he slid into another chair in front of Roman’s computer, his fingers already flying over the keyboard to pull up the necessary forms to print out. “Of course, leave the boring paperwork to me.”

“It’s what you’re good at Specs.” Roman waved vaguely in his direction, his full attention on his favorite Stormcloud. “Come on Virge, can I call you Virge? Name your price.”

“I--I---Okay...uhmmm. Well…” Virgil rubbed the back of his head before dropping his hand to where Roman had touched him. “Were you actually wanting one large painting of everyone together or individual pieces that form a scene if placed side by side?

Individual….Pieces?! Roman leaned forward, fighting to not grin like a madman. “I was thinking the former, but the latter intrigues me. What would be the difference?”

“Well…” The corner of Virgil’s mouth twitched as he rested a hand on his portfolio. “You said name my price. Does it have to be just...monetary?”

Oooooohhh. Roman smirked to his twin who shared the same smile back. More and more he was seeing why Logan had gone over his head in this. Their new hire was going to fit in rather well here if he was already thinking like that. He hardly doubted that Lo had had time to fill Virge in on their whole betting system here which meant he probably was thinking to set himself up nicely here at StoryTime! before his first day.

“No, no it does not.” Roman sat back lacing his fingers together. “What were you thinking instead? A higher wage? A better position?”

The soft typing from behind him stopped and he could only assume that Logan was waiting for Virgil’s answer as well.

It was one thing to claim to not want to blackmail the twins. It was another entirely to not try and make a grab for power when you had the chance.

Virgil gave a soft growl, shaking his head. “I told you, Princey. I’m not here because I have blackmail on you or want to take a bribe.” He spat the word, his eyes alight with an inner fire, Roman hadn’t seen in a long long time. “Personal commissions are and will always be considered separate from my job here. I won’t argue for things that I haven’t yet proven that I deserve to get.”

Roman relaxed a little at that. “Alright…” He said slowly, listening as Logan began typing again. “But if your asking price doesn’t include money, power, or position.” He raised an eyebrow. “What then are you wanting me to pay in?”

Virgil visibly swallowed. “Well, I would charge per character piece of course.”

Of course. If they had been talking money then Roman could see how this whole thing could get extremely pricey for him with each character being on an individual piece.

But Virgil didn’t want money.

“And for Jack.” Virge placed a trembling hand on his portfolio. “My price--” He licked his lips, but didn’t break eye contact as Roman leaned forward. “My price would be that I can wear my hoodie to work.”

A...hoodie? Roman again shared a look with Logan. The price of having the magnificent Sallyized Jack Skellington gracing his office walls all hinged on the ability for the kid to wear a hoodie?! WHY?!

Logan raised an eyebrow, before shrugging a shoulder showing that he had no clue either why a hoodie would be worth one divinely inspired Jack Skellington, before he returned his attention to the laptop, a slight wrinkle between his eyes forming as he frowned. “You are aware that our dress code is--”

“Business casual, yes.” Virgil said, pulling at the collar of his shirt, his fingers trailing down his tie. “And I can,” the corner of his mouth twitched in distaste. “follow that to a T, if this particular option doesn’t work for you, I promise. You just said--”

“Name any price.” It was unconventional but it worked and maybe, though he highly doubted it, the kid would look better in the hoodie rather than the ill-fitting suit he currently wore.

Roman nodded, pulling out a pen and paper, quickly scrawling down the names of a dozen characters from the movie that he for sure wanted Sallyized.

Best to write it down now than spend the next whoever knew how long trying to remember just which price belonged with which piece.

“For Jack.” He said, fighting the giddy feeling rising in his chest as he circled the name and wrote ‘wear hoodie at StoryTime!’ next to it. “I’ll allow the wearing of the hoodie here for low key, everyday work things. BUT.” He stressed the word as he looked up. “Any meetings, presentations, or red carpet events you’ll need to nix it. Deal?”

Virgil let out a breath, relaxing as he leaned forward giving Roman a large genuine smile. “Deal.”

Logan’s Pov -The Interview: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Virgil’s POV for Chapter 3 of The Interview

#The New Hire #The Interview #stillebesat #Sanders Sides #Roman #Logan #Virgil #Creativity #Logic #Anxiety #StoryTime!

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tomorrow-human · 4 years ago

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MY THOUGHTS ON iDKHOW'S ALBUM DEBUT: RAZZMATAZZ

So I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME have just released RAZZMATAZZ today and heres what I think...

[SIDE A]

¹LEAVE ME ALONE:

A bombastic opening track. Was released in the beginning of August...? Probably? This song just SCREAMS at you with retro futuristic funkiness. It has 8-bity flourishes in the instrumentation and seems to be maybe talking to the same person as Choke (from 1981 E.P.) and the title track Razzmatazz have been (or maybe a separate entity as suggested by the vinyl booklet and Indoctoration?).

Anyway, fantastic track, great opener, and nice mood-setter.

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²INDOCTORATION:

It's... eerie. It's not a song in the same sense as Leave Me Alone, despite having a wobbly backing track. It's a spoken interlude that seems to be initiating you into Tellex maybe? It yet again mentions the White Shadows that will be overseeing your progress with Tellex. It seems oddly nostalgic for some reason. That's strange. Overall, solid little piece of lore building that really reinforces the concept aspects.

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³MAD IQs:

It's the first song from this album that wasn't released as a single and it made my jaw literally drop. It has a similar lyrical and vocal structure to the opener and New Invention, but what I like is how much they were able to do with it, though it makes you wonder about how far apart these songs were written; but In the context of the albums concept and the Tellex stuff however, it could be interpreted as a corporate decision, this repetition. The minimal instrumentation in the verses with Ryan's sturdy drumming and Dallon's bassline makes me go fucking bananas. It's so fucking great and full of this punchy energy. And the HARMONIES. YES. "Voluntary victim~" "I'm burning~ in your mad IQs" SIR STOP BEING SO VOCALLY TALENTED. Also I think i heard him shriek right before the bridge which? Snazzy. So Mad IQs, energetic track, filled with more of iDKHOWs signature darkness.

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⁴NOBODY LIKE THE OPENING BAND:

Ah yes, Opening Band. Ironic considering how often iDKHOW are the opening band, but I'm sure that's obvious, seeing how they usually sing this one at the start of their gigs. It was actually (I think) the first or second song I didn't know how but found through youtube so I might be pretty biased here. It's a sweet sounding change of pace with the instrumentation being made up of only the piano and tambourine that tells of a typical opening band, that no ones ever heard before and likely will never hear again, via a sympathetic narrator with a hint of the typical iDKHOW teasing. In all honesty, it would've worked better as the album opener, which then could've been followed by Leave Me Alone, but it's a nice change of pace overall.

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⁵NEW INVENTION:

I already reviewed this song on my other blog right here so imma keep this brief. It shares similar aspects to Leave Me Alone, with the music video concept and song structure, but It manages to darken the narrative, and the choir-esq harmonies sound like ultra bright neon lights that only push this mood further. It still is a magnificent song and by far one of my favourites in the album.

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⁶IN THE GALLOWS:

MASSIVE SHIFT IN STYLE HOLY FUCKOLY-. The track opens with a very cutesy old timey little piano intro and starts the verse with a little funny beat. If you don't listen to the lyrics, it sounds like a silly little oldie song. But as we all know, iDKHOW doesn't do silly. The lines "For you, I'd die▪︎Or kill myself▪︎which ever makes you smile," From just the first verse are a prime example of this. The narrators murderous and suicidal intentions have clouded the romantic attraction into obsession- And I kinda like that, in a poetic way. The chorus is a standout, with the calm start to the explosion in the line "I'd swing from the gallows and wave" that just swings at you with a baseball bat to the chest. Oh, and the sax solo? Magnificent. This whole song is a chefs kiss from me.

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⁷CLUSTERHUG:

I love the lyrics of this song the most of it all. It sounds like a rebellious teenager wrote it after thinking about how shit their hometown is and wanting to get out. It also incorporates how much the narrator would want to do all this with their crush, adding that slightly goofy and pretend-aloof chorus of "only if you'd like me to I could fall in love with you" as if they weren't already in love or at least that's how I see it. The vibe of this song is more pop-y than the rest of the album, but that's more likely because it was repurposed for Razzmatazz after being originally written for The Brobecks, their older band. It's a nice little tune :).

[SIDE B]

⁸SUGAR PILLS:

This. Will. Get. Stuck. In. Your. Head- and. You. Will. Like. It. Basically, just seems like a song about drugs that, for some reason, reminds me of Gorillaz (who I dont even listen to). But the BASSLINE AGAIN- Jesus help me live. It has more of that energy we saw with the first few tracks and adds even more electronic elements. It's probably my second favourite song from this album that's not a single because of how fun the chorus sounds. What else can I say? I can just imagine myself bopping to this in the car screaming 'SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR PILLS' On a hot day.

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⁹KISS GOODNIGHT:

It's so sweet 🥺. It's one of those songs I could imagine a character in a movie singing to someone from a stage. If you want pretty song vibes just listen to it. Because it is a pretty song. And that's all I have to say on it. Now allow me to take a moment and shove it into my pretty song playlist that acts like my personal lullaby machine.

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¹⁰LIGHTS GO DOWN:

Yes. F u n k y. Give me that sweet sweet disco energy, thank you. It's just filled with all these *☆~blingy and sparkly~☆* effects, and, combined with the drumming, the result is just glorious. The best part of this song is in my opinion the bridge where it goes darker lyrically and in sound that just naturally slides into another funky-ass sax solo. I can definitely see myself dancing to this at a party and then in later years growing nostalgic for those days.

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¹¹NEED YOU HERE:

It's supposed to be happy in tone and hopeful slightly but it just makes me sad. It's a song about how, because Dallon has to tour because it's his job, he has to be away from his family often. And he had nO RIGHT ADDING HIS DAUGHTERS VOCALS AND RECORDINGS INTO THE MIX ITS LIKE HE WANTS US TO CRY. It's not my favourite of the album, not going to lie here, but it's also such a sweet song with nice instrumentals and vibe 🥺 so that's all I'll say.

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¹²DOOR:

It seems like this one was written around the time sad ukulele music was really at its peak but am I complaining? Fuck no because this song is great. It just gives it to you straight, that if the narrator ever does anything that the recipient doesn't like, they can always cut them out of their life. It's nice in that regard- you don't usually get songs that don't try to deflect the pain or gain pity. We need more of these kinds of songs. The shortness of it really adds to the effect of this being more like a regularly said thing, even though I'm always a bit sad that it ends so fast. It does, however, nicely close the near end of the album before Razzmatazz.

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¹³TOMORROW PEOPLE:

Creepy Tellex thank-you note. You're welcome..? I want no part in your conspiracy tho. Go away weird American corporate man voice.

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¹³RAZZMATAZZ:

And there it is. The title track. Like new inventions, I have already reviewed it here on that same blog so this will be brief also and more just thoughts. It's a great closer and is more old timey than most of the songs here as well. And with the last instrumental and sax solo, we come to the albums inevitable end... until next time.

[GENERAL THOUGHTS]

Overall, this was a fantastic little debut for iDKHOW and I loved it. So worth the pre-order. The songs were great and the lyrics were just excellent. My only real criticism is that the song order on Side A was a bit strange. I feel a way to fix this would be to throw Nobody Likes The Opening Band into the beginning, then have Leave Me Alone as a second track, and maybe even switch one of the songs on this side with one from Side B (either Mad IQs or New Invention with something else but then that would be kind of stretching it). Or maybe even switching Clusterhug with Mad IQs or New Invention could work. So in general? Razzmatazz good album. Next question.

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Thank you for reading, anyone who happens to see this and have read this. Hope you've enjoyed some of my thoughts on the debut and agreed with at least 2 points I made. See y'all on another review (or shitpost)!

-L.J

#idkhow #i dont know how but they found me #idkhbtfm #the i dont knows #dallon weekes #ryan seaman #lenas opinions #razzmatazz

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friendlyfrat-boy · 4 years ago

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The Long-Nosed Spy Who Loved Me:

Chapter I: The Beratie

Good, but not worthy of a star.

That was how Sanji would describe the food so lovingly placed before him. It wasn’t anything too impressive to look at, no fancy swivels of sauce, no decorative parsley for contrast… but it was good. The sausage, that is. Slightly reddish in colouration with a surprisingly spicy twist, filled with seasonings most likely lent from the countries down south.

This restaurant, the Beratie, was not the kind of restaurant Sanji would have personally considered worthy of having a Michelin critic visit, but he hadn’t been the one to choose it. The only person who had gotten inside East Berlin to take a look at the restaurants without being riddled with holes by MGB operatives was Sanji’s fellow critic Gin, and he did have a rather… homely taste in food and restaurants.

Then again, all food critics had their personal tastes, making that a particularly easy crime to forgi-,

“Ding ding”

Sanji was briefly brought out of his musings by the jingle of the doorbell. Another customer? In this famine-ravaged hellhole of a city? Indeed, a group of people entered, clad in too-big clothing that hid meagre bones and little flesh. The shifty group of people cautiously stepped through the diner, eventually taking their seat in a stall. One of them carried a rather suspicious-looking briefcase, but…

It’s not like Sanji was here to people-watch. So, instead, he turned back to his food, namely the home-made sausage, the creamed potatoes and-,

“Ding ding ding”

Yet another one? Oh, well, it still wasn’t any of his business. Sanji didn’t even bother to glance up at whoever had entered, and just turned back to his food. But he couldn’t focus on the myriad of tastes lingering on his tongue. No, he just couldn’t help but listen for the steps of whomever had entered.

The steps he couldn’t hear.

There was no sound to be heard, a pure absence of footsteps that confused Sanji to such an extent that the mashed potatoes could just as well have been pulp.

Maybe somebody had left the restaurant? That might have been a good explanation, had Sanji not been alone until just a minute ago when the shifty party had entered. Someone had entered, and he couldn’t hear them.

Well, even so, it didn’t matter to him, so-,

“Ah, are you the accomplice?” Sanji jerked his head up and looked around, only to notice a man sitting right in front of him. Confident. His tan face was shaped into a friendly, open smile, framed by black locks and a chestnut flat cap. Sanji suspiciously eyed the man, recognizing how casually he was dressed. Suspenders and a tie but no jacket to finish it made it look somewhat incomplete, childish, even.

Sanji met his gaze. Dark, calm eyes. The abyssal sea. Murky, cloudy, unclear. Twinklings of… something. Looking right at him, evaluating his every move, his hitching breath, the tremble in his hand…

“-I-... Pardon-?” Sanji stuttered, clasping his fork a little tighter to keep his trembling under control. He’d just been a bit shocked that the man appeared so quickly, that’s all!

The man frowns, scratches his cheek and finally shrugs. “Dude, no need to keep up some persona. There’s nobody listening, see?” saying so, the man gestured toward the mostly empty restaurant. Sanji turned back to him, and couldn’t help but let his brows furrow.

What the hell was he saying? Was he on something? Yeah, alright, let’s ignore him. He had a mission of his own, after all, and that was to ensure that this restaurant truly wasn’t worthy of a star.

Shit, it’s all cold now. Well, that was a criteria as well. Better get to-,

“Those fellas over there are the hit,” the man explained, not even trying to speak quietly.

“-Hit?...” Sanji couldn’t help but ask. He really should have known by this point that humouring this blind-eyed fool was folly. The man’s features lit up slightly, but it was almost too subtle for Sanji to tell. Chin resting in his hand, the man gave a sly smile.

“Oh, yes, our hit! But, uh, not of the, like, killing variety. We’re not going after them, per se, just their-…” the man tilted his head, took a look at the group and jabbed a thumb at their feet, “that briefcase they’ve got.” A competitive grin flashed across his face, but it was gone as soon as Sanji noticed it. “Ah, I almost forgot! The name’s Usopp!”

Sanji stared at the hand stretched out across the table. “Um. I’d rather not tell my name.”

Usopp blinked.

“Oh! Not used to having a partner? Well, that’s alright, but you should really loosen up a bit!” Usopp said, leaning back as he retracted his hand. While the man started rambling about how he’s been on plenty of missions before this and that a lax attitude is everything, Sanji noticed how the group of men were starting to leave.

“Usopp?” The man in question stopped talking. “Are they supposed to leave?” That shut him up good. Usopp’s head swivelled around, fearlessly staring down the casually escaping targets.

“-Shoot! Let’s go!” Luckily, Sanji had finished his food, otherwise he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be dragged outside by the arm. Even so, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Usopp was clearly stronger than he seemed, and for some reason Sanji himself didn’t really understand, he didn’t struggle or object. Something was bringing him into the open air outside, and it wasn’t just Usopp. Or maybe it was just Usopp?

Maybe. Hopefully not.

Well outside, Usopp finally let go of Sanji. They were standing just outside the Beratie, but Usopp had somehow dragged them a little to the side, into the shadowy alleys. If Sanji wanted to escape, to leave this weird conspiracy behind, this would have been the moment. But he didn’t. He just stared into the eyes of Usopp, waiting for him to speak.

“Alright, so, just follow me, yeah? You… you do know how to sneak, right-?” Sanji was about to shake his head, but Usopp waved it off before he could admit that he wasn’t criminal in any way, shape or form. “You know what? Forget it, I didn’t say anything. Sorry for doubting you, partner. Let’s get to it!”

It might have been a sweet sentiment if Usopp hadn’t been wrong.

In the end, Sanji just sort of followed Usopp while he stalked the group they’d seen earlier. This was probably a crime, but… it was thrilling. Sure, it was thrilling to be a kind-of secret food critic too, but this… this was exactly something that a spy would do.

...Wait…

Was-, was that what this was? Oh no. Oh hell no.

Sanji shook his head violently, banishing all such thoughts that this situation might actually be serious. Nope. Not happening. The mere idea that a spy, any spy from any country could be stupid enough to mistake a cook for his partner, that a spy could be THIS stupid repulsed Sanji too much to accept that it might be true.

“-Everything alright, partner?” Usopp asked, briefly stopping to glance back at his “partner”. Although his words were kind, for some reason, Sanji couldn’t see any warmth in his eyes.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry, I was having some uncouth thoughts. Pay me no heed.” Sanji tightened his tie (only to remember he had a clip on it, so he didn’t even need to tighten it at all) and evaded stepping on a half-rotting rat.

Usopp scratched his chin, frowning slightly. “Well, if you say so. Just don’t get us busted, alright?”

Sanji nodded, and they continued. Before this, Sanji hadn’t known East Berlin had this many sketchy alleyways to walk through. Neither did he know that they smelt this bad either. Jesus Christ, that half-eaten rat back there didn’t even put a dent in this foul odor! Despite his unusually long nose, Usopp didn’t seem bothered by this in the least.

Fishing out a napkin from his back pocket, Sanji held it up to his nose in hopes of keeping out the smell, but he was sure all it did was soak his beloved napkin in alley-smell.

They stopped. Usopp gave a shushing sound, and held a hand behind his back to stop Sanji from taking another step. “What’s wro-,” Sanji was about to say something, but he noticed their “hit” had stopped as well. They were meeting with someone. One of the men in the group they’d followed held the briefcase tightly before stepping towards the unknown exchange, reached out the briefcase, and…

And then Usopp slowly, discreetly, pulled out a gun, pointed it at the “hit” doing the exchange, and…

“-Holy shit!” Sanji exclaimed, stumbling back at the exposed firearm. Usopp’s head snapped around, face twisted in surprise and anger, but the jig was already up.

“-The situation’s been compromised!” one of the hits exclaimed, bringing the entire group’s attention to Sanji and Usopp. The briefcase was shoved in the arms of the youngest and most agile member, who immediately took to flight with such force that his flat cap flew right off his head.

The rest of the members drew handguns from the insides of their coats, and Usopp retreated around a corner before they could get any bullets flying.

Sanji gasped as bangs like that of clattering pots and pans rang out, chipping at the bricks of the corner they hid behind. A strong hand gripped Sanji’s shoulder and he looked up, his terrified eyes meeting the calm, slightly annoyed eyes of Usopp. The spy - he could have been nothing but that very thing - smiled calmly and gave Sanji a pat on the shoulder.

There was a brief interlude in the gunfire, and during this short moment, Usopp threw himself out of their hiding-place, proudly raising his handpiece and firing it without a moment of hesitation.

Sanji covered his ears, but it didn’t help in the least.

Lights flashed in front of his eyes, so he closed them, too. It was too loud and too bright and too terrible and Sanji wished he was back home in Grasse making food for his brothers and parents instead of this damn hellhole of a city. He should never have agreed to come here. There was a reason nobody dared enter East Berlin, or even East Germany at all for that matter.

After only a moment, it all stopped, the lights and the sounds and everything became quiet. But Sanji kept his eyes and ears shut tight. He was only roused from his cowering when a hand tapped his shoulder.

“Hey. Hey. Heeeeeyy.” Sanji peeked an eye open. Usopp was standing over him, perfectly cool and alright, and once he noticed that Sanji had noticed him, he gave a relieved smile and scratched his neck. “-Was this your first shoot-out-?” Sanji nodded slowly. Usopp smiled sadly. “...Sorry. I should’ve prepared you. This really is your first mission, huh?”

Saying so, Usopp grabbed a hold of Sanji's trembling hand and dragged him up on two feet.

And then he let him go. Without Usopp as an anchor, Sanji stumbled forward, emerging from their protective corner in a much less intimidating way than Usopp had. ‘Round the corner, he saw a massacre.

Minced meat.

Before Sanji had become a highly secretive critic for the illustrious Michelin Guide, he’d been nothing but an exceptionally gifted cook. Taught in the ways of soup-making and sous-vide cooking, and… and butchering. He’d never been forced to kill an animal, thankfully, but he’d become an expert at taking it apart. The bones can be used for broth. The blood can be boiled to create soup or sausages. And the brains…

Cervelle de veau. Traditional cooking. Foreign food. There were so many uses.

The body was a miracle of ingredients, all of value, and now…

Now he could no longer see them as that. Bodies littered with scattered, imprecise shots. A dead hand clenched and unclenched. Grey matter and red blood mingled on the filthy streets alongside roaches and flies, already brought out to feast.

Sanji could feel his lunch coming back up.

Usopp peeked out from the corner, took one look at Sanji’s pale complexion and instantly became worried. “Hey, partner-?”

Sanji expelled the contents of his stomach behind a trash can.

A hand was placed on his back. The hand of a man. The hand of a murderer. The hand of a spy.

Sanji attempted to shrug off the hand, to show his umbrage to the situation, but in his trembling weakness, he could barely even try. He was swept back into the bystreet they had all come from by Usopp, stumbling over his heavy feet. Out of sight, out of mind. Except, when he thought about what he’d just seen, he could yet see a still, extremely detailed image. The random shots with no rhyme or reason. The brain and blood on the pavement. The-, no… no, he hadn’t seen a briefcase. The briefcase.

“Where-, did,, did he-?”

“Yeah, he escaped. Kind of a shame, too, but I got the others!” Usopp said triumphantly. Even if Usopp obviously didn’t like how that kid ran away, it made Sanji happy knowing he wasn’t another one in the pile of meat. Another victim. That did raise the question, exactly what was this situation? Usopp didn’t seem to have any noticeable accent of any sort, not British or German or Russian or Bulgarian or Spanish, so… Where exactly was he from? Was this an international crime, or-?

Usopp snapped his fingers. “Look, buddy, I’ll get this all cleaned up, so you just head to the hotel in the meanwhile, yeah? The Going Merry? I’ve got a table booked, so don’t worry. I’ll be there in an hour or so.” Sanji slowly turned his head, mouth opening and closing fruitlessly, only to finally say:

“-Y-, yeah, okay, I’ll… I’ll be there,” he promised. And then, he walked away, leaving Usopp to… to the “clean-up”.

For a while, Sanji just sort of wandered around. After seeing such a sight, he couldn’t honestly say that he feared East Berlin any longer. Or maybe he feared it more now, knowing it housed such monsters and such bodies?

The Going Merry. Such an odd name for a hotel. Not that he was going there.

-No, if there was anyplace Sanji wasn’t going, it would be the Going Merry. He already had a room in another hotel, one that his superiors had provided him with, so… And even if he did choose to go to the Going Merry, what the hell was he supposed to do? Wait around for some mass-murdering spy to pop up and share a drink with him?

Sanji could feel a tender blush assault his cheeks. Yeah, right. Like he’d share a drink with that dumbass spy who couldn’t even find his own partner. Sure.

Like that’s ever gonna happen.

Sanji fished a cigarette out of his jacket and took a puff. The smoke quickly dissipated in the chilly early-evening air. The streets were almost barren, and any green that might have been there before the war, no, the wars, had thoroughly died by this point. Not that the Soviet overlords had bothered replacing any of them. Not after the Battle of Berlin.

If West Germany was in a rut, what kind of state was its eastern neighbour in?

Sanji gnawed on his bitter cigarette. What the hell is happening in here? What kind of conspiracy could a spy have any business uncovering?...

For some reason, Sanji could feel his feet carrying him back to his hotel. But he could tell he wasn’t there to check in. No, after just a few moments of showing identification and climbing stairs and grabbing his meagre luggage, he stood back outside, holding a little piece of paper that the receptionist had given him.

A little piece of paper that detailed how to get to the Going Merry.

This was the stupidest thing he had ever done.

#one piece #fanfic #sanji #usopp #usopp x sanji #sanji x usopp #spies au #Usopp is a spy #Sanji is a food critic #the year is 1947 and shit is about to go down

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