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aidanezra · 2 years ago

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Happiness is Fleating (Part One)

A/N: Long time, no see! I am so sorry for disappearing. Completely lost motivation to do much of anything creatively. And got sick, again. I'm okay now though, just some chronic illness stuff but I'm going to try and bounce back, hopefully with some more original works and maybe fics of heartstopper, dbh and stranger things. As well as anything in my drafts lol.

I've never seen a crossover with Doctor Who and Detroit: Become Human, anywhere. I know this is definitely a very specific niche and I hope those of you who enjoy my writing will enjoy it! It should be at least a two-parter, this just being the start of it. As always, I'm figuring out the plot as I go, anywho, I hope you all enjoy it! And again, gif choice has very little to do with plot lol.

Summary: Reader is devastated after the death of Connor during the fight for android rights, in denial, they use the Tardis to go back in time the day before he died, but The Tardis has other plans.

Theme: a lot of angst, sorry

Setting: a world where equal rights exist except for intelligent ai, also in the dbh universe where the doctor who universe merges.

Pairings: Tenth Doctor x Gn!Reader, Father!Hank x Son!Connor, Reader x Connor

Fandom: Detroit: Become Human, Doctor Who

Warnings: swearing, character death, grief, alcohol

Words: 2,391

<-Previous || Next-> (To be Continued)

----

"Hey, hey, stay. Please, stay." I practically whisper to Connor. I've held him in my arms for who knows how long, awaiting the doctor as he finishes off some Cybermen. He told me to stay here and keep Connor awake until Ten could come help. It's been so long and I don't think he's going to last any longer. The blue blood seeping from the gash on his side, looking at it makes me feel so hopeless and fearful that this is it. "Please stay, I can't lose you, Connor."

"Do me a favor, travel with the Doctor, and live your life. Please don't fret over me, I'll be okay." A soft smile creeps upon his features, his free hand, the one not holding onto his wound, reaches up to brush against my cheek. I hold his hand there with mine, the waterfall of tears threatening to fall.

"What about Hank? He needs you, Connor, you need him." I turn my head to place a gentle kiss on the palm of his hand. It's cold, his heaters have failed already.

"He'll be okay," Smiling again as he pauses, his blinking begins to slow. He continues, practically reading my mind, answering the questions yet to make it from my throat. "You'll be okay too. The Doctor will take care of you."

"You'll be okay." He mutters, throwing me one last smile before his systems shut down, everything slowing and turning off. And he's gone. He's already gone.

I hold him closer to me, rocking back and forth as I'm riddled with debilitating sobs. I move his hair out of his face, tangling my fingers in his locks, leaning my forehead down to touch his. Tears finally escaping from the confines of my eyes, dripping onto his cold--dead features. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save him and now he's gone.

I stay there, the lifeless Android held tightly in my arms. I lose track of time, letting it flow past me and letting grief evelope my being. Rocking him, whispering what good he could have done, muttering sorries while holding back sobs. Apologizing for failing him and letting him die.

Voices call out my name, muddled by the pain-stricken in my heart, a pair of hands gently pulls me away and up to stand. I close my eyes, ignoring the others around me. When I look back, I see someone take away Connor, carrying him away to whoever the hell knows. I scream, trying to run after him, to take him in my arms and somehow bring him back. I'm restrained as I struggle against their grip, screaming bloody murder. They've taken him, he's gone, he's really gone.

-----

"Y/N, you know you can't bring him back. He's gone." Ten tries to reason with me, he's been trying for the past few hours. But I could care less. I have a fucking time machine at my whim and I'm going to use it.

"Yes, I can. Him dying wasn't supposed to happen and you know that." I snap at him, running around the console, flipping switches, turning a couple knobs, and pressing a few buttons in the process.

"You could create a paradox! Not even remembering you saved him!" He counters, trying to pull me away from the console, I wiggle from his grip, jumping to push the final lever. It bangs, the Tardis whirring to life.

"I don't give a shit about paradoxes, he needs to be alive." I stare blankly at him, gripping onto the console, readying for the usual turbulence.

"Fine, you do this. But if you fuck up, don't come crying to me." His lips form a straight line, as he stares daggers at me, if looks could kill, I'd be six feet in the ground.

I roll my eyes, "I don't fuck up." Pursing my lips, I play with my next remark, weighing the consequences. "Unlike you."

He lets out a small sound, only to be described as a growl. Wow, mature. He steps back, anger painted on his features as the Tardis comes to a stop. I step back, turning on my heels and running out the TARDIS doors, yanking them open. I slam them shut, stepping out and onto the grass of the Earth before me.

"Y/N!" the Doctor practically growls as I hear him run after me, I walk farther away from the Tardis, looking for any sign of what day it is. I meant to come back the day before he died, to keep him far from the fight. So he wouldn't-- Nevermind.

The Doctor reaches me, his hand grasping my shoulder tightly, "Be careful."

"Sure." I hiss through clenched teeth, venom dripping from my voice. He cringes, regretting what he said before.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes, features softening.

I break from his grip, finding a digital newspaper laid on the bench not too far from where I stood. I grab a hold of it, then look beside me, noticing where I am. I'm stood in the park that looks over all of Detroit, I have no clue what park it is or in what relation to everything else it is. But I know what happened here. I look down at the newspaper tablet in hand, inspecting the date. when I find it, strategically placed in the top right corner, I throw it on the ground.

"Goddamn Tardis!" I yell, running my hands through my hair half hazardly, ready for another breakdown.

The Doctor must've followed me because when I turn to stalk towards the Tardis, he stands there, stopping me. "What is it?"

"Did you do it? Huh? Did you change the coordinates so you could get your fucking way?" I seethe, ready to stomp off, but he stops me. Looking at me with an innocently concerned gaze.

"Change the coordinates? No, I don't even know how to do that!" He yells back, turning on his heels to face away from me, ready to jump back into the TARDIS himself.

"Then what the hell happened?" I yell, chasing after him. He reaches the TARDIS, attempting to open the doors. Nothing, it doesn't budge. He tries to unlock it with his key, still nothing. Sonic, nothing. Brute force? Also nothing.

"She locked us out. She changed the coordinates. One of us must be needed here." He sighs, kicking the ground.

"Why the hell the day after he died?! That does nothing!" I throw my hands in the air, storming off. I head over to the railing that looks over the river. I shove my head into my hands. Tears threatening once again to fall. I hold them back, trying to keep my composure.

He stays silent, standing beside me at the railing. I raise my head to look over at the view, trying to come up with any reason as to why she brought us here. Why today of all days? I swear I set the exact date and time- Why would she do this, why would she change it?

"What do you think happens today?" Ten asks me, his hands having hold on the railing, keeping himself steady. I shrug, letting out a sigh of frustration, and anger-- everything that I could possibly be feeling at the moment. Hatred, sadness, grief- all of it.

"I don't know. I only know what was meant to be, what happened before. I- I never knew what happened today. If anything." He rests his hand on my upper back, trying his best to console me. Guess he's given up on anger.

"We need to find Hank." He tells me bluntly, in a tone that's expectant, expectant of me. But why?

"What good would he do? I'm sure he's furious with me." I let my gaze direct itself to him, my eyes meeting his. His expression is so soft, eyes glinting with something I can't even find the words to describe, his mouth formed in an understanding frown, eyebrows knitted as if I just told him everything I had bottled up. He looks as if he read my mind and my heart and knew all my thoughts and feelings with a single look. Breathe in.

"I don't know, but if he isn't the puzzle piece, he may lead us to what truly is." He holds my shoulders gently, his lips twitching up into a soft grin. Breathe out.

"Fine," Breathe in. "It's worth a shot I suppose." Breathe out. I go in for a hug, wrapping my arms tightly around him, "This doesn't mean I've forgiven you by the way. I'm still cross with you." As I say that, I press my face into his chest, hiding, hoping that if I hold onto him tight enough, I'll fade away and never feel again. Never exist again.

"Noted." He lets out a soft laugh, then pats my back as I step out of his grasp.

"So Hank's place, should we start our search there or the bars?" I ask, my hand reaching out to him.

He takes my hand in his, "The bars."

----

"Five bars and we've come up with nothing! Zip! Zilch!" I groan in frustration, kicking the ground with my foot as I dig my hands deeper into my pockets.

"What about Jimmy's bar? That's where we first met him, maybe he's there." He suggests, his shoulders shrugging, hopelessness painted in the browns of his eyes.

"He could be home as well," I add, wrapping my arms around myself as I gaze around me. It's decently cold, and it feels like it may snow soon. The road we stand on is completely abandoned, with no sight of another person, Android, or even a car.

"He could be, but there's a higher chance we'll find him at Jimmy's. He did just lose..." Ten then stops himself when he sees my expression fall, furrowing his eyebrows and then taking a sharp breath. He looks away, "I'm sorry." His hands are stuffed in his pockets when he looks back at me. "I really am. I am so sorry."

"Jimmy's bar then." I change the subject, looking away from him down the long and winding road before us. Littered with protest signs and..Android parts? But we just won the revolution yesterday? Maybe it's old, yet to be picked up and taken care of. And how did I not notice this until now?

"Allons-y!" He puts on a goofy grin, trying to lighten my mood as he holds out his hand for me, wiggling his fingers. I take his hand in mine and he runs. Again.

We take a few corners down the sidewalk along closed down buildings, lights off, and closed signs out. This doesn't feel right. I haven't seen one building besides the bars in town that are open or at least look semi-taken care of. We take a right at an intersection, where a grocery outlet is sat on the corner, aka the only open building I can see. I look in and for a second I think I'm seeing things when I see a speckle of brown hair poking up, an Android jacket donning on the person in ownership of the brunette locks. I stop Ten, my hand gripped onto his jacket sleeve. I stand there for a moment, trying to get a good look at the serial number on the jacket. The Android moves closer to the door, down an aisle and I catch a closer glimpse -- RK...800? No, no, it can't be!

"Ten..." I whisper and he catches my gaze, as I point over to the Android with Connor's hair and jacket.

"It can't be.." He grabs my hand in a tight grasp, turning me around and away from the grocery outlet, making a run down the sidewalk. We turn another corner to the right and we find the Jimmy's bar sign just a block away. This time we speed walk, our fingers intertwined with one another, whether for comfort or for security.

"You think he's here?" I whisper, gazing into the window of the small and very worn-down bar.

"Like you said, it's worth a shot." He gives me a warm half-smile, shrugging his shoulders.

"I suppose," I give him the same smile before looking forward again and opening the door. We step inside one after the other, me first with him following--our hands still intertwined--as the bell rings indicating our presence. I look around the room, a lot of middle-aged men sat in the booths that line the wall, a few younger-looking blokes sat at the bar--except for one. Hank is sat in the middle of the bar, his gray hair pulled up. Since when did he pull up his hair?

"Hank!" I call to him, waving as I make my way to sit in the vacant barstool next to him. He turns to me, donning a warm smile.

"Oh! Y/N! And the Doctor! I thought you two left yesterday?" He exclaims, waving back. Ten then takes his spot next to me, his hand resting on my leg.

"We intended to, but we felt like it was too soon. I uh, wanted to check on you, Hank." I try to give a soft smile, but I end up failing, turning into a faded grin.

"Why'd you need to check on me? I'm fine!" He assures me, my gaze moving to the door behind him.

The bell on the door rings again and out of curiosity, I gaze over. My jaw drops a bit, and Ten must catch my dumbfounded expression when his head turns in the direction of the door as well.

"Is that...?" I whisper, my hand flying to hold his.

"Why is your face like that? You look like you saw a fuckin' ghost, Y/N." Hank chuckles, bringing his drink up to his lips and then downing it in one go. I cringe, the idea of drinking that grosses me the fuck out. Must hurt like hell too. I shake my head, gaze still locked on the new customer. Connor. Connor's alive? I swear he was.. That he was gone?

"Well, I think I did." I sigh, my breath shaking. Hank follows my gaze towards the door.

"Connor?" His voice wavers, mumbling nearly inaudible, but I manage to catch it, my free hand resting on his shoulder. "I.. I haven't seen him in two months."

"What?"

<-Previous || Next-> (To be Continued)

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lolawassad · 3 years ago

Note

Hey I know this is a very specific and it’s totally okay if you don’t or can’t write it, but I was wondering if you can write a one shot where the reader is Octavia in the scene in episode 10 season 2 where she fights the grounder (yk the scene where she tries to prove herself to indra?) but the reader actually wins. Would it be possible to make it a john murphy x reader as well? Like he sees her fighting the grounder and is like god dayyum or sum?

p.s I know this is an exceptionally long request and It’s absolutely understand or if you aren’t willing to write this request!! :)) (btw i’m the person who requested the previous one shot) :))

Awesome awesome!!

Let me write this for u!! <3

Tw : sexism, violence, cussing, mention of NSFW

Im also very awesomely going to make y/n speak another language! I hope you like that little touch

Also i just realised i misunderstood? Reader is fighting the grounder not the grounder octavia is fighting, if you want me to write one differently dont be shy to request one! Ill just write it as reader fighting a grounder and still make it poly? Idk if u'll like it

Octavia x reader x murphy

I walk out of arkadia and notice the grounder have arrived, i see murphy being pushed and walk over, kane is talking to both of them "whats going on" i whisper to octavia who is also standing there "the one thats not skai kru is mad because murphy was there when his village got killed by finn" she whispers to me before putting her arm around my shoulder "kane wants him to say sorry" she scoffs softly.

I giggle which makes murphy's head shoot up to me, the grounder also looks with a smirk "Heya pretty, chit do yu say yu en ai go don some fun" he says before standing before me, he goes to brush a piece of my hair behind my ear but i softly push octavia's hand off of me and stand chest to chest with him, making octavia and murphy scoff loudly.

I smile at him "rot op klojo" i say my innocent smile never leaving my face, his smirk grows thinking i said something nice in return "beautiful girl beautiful language" he says as his hand goes to cup my cheek. Its then i grab his fingers and press "it means fuck off douchebag" i spit before headbutting him "you dont just go up to girls and ask them for fun and then try to touch her hair, motherfucker" i can see kane glare at me from the corner of my eye but indra stops him before he can walk up.

The grounders hand reaches for his forehead and he glares at me "pretty girls like you should just shut their mouths and look pretty, only good for their holes" he gets up and pulls his fist back to punch me with his right hand.

I duck, then throw a punch with my left hand which he blocks with his dominant hand and i giggle before my right hand swings to his face, he doesnt expect this move and it breaks his nose.

He stumbles back a bit before running to me and his hands wrap around my throat "kinky" i say before kicking him in his balls which makes him drop his hands, and then i knee him in his broken nose.

Hes now laying on the ground and i straddle him "do you give up?" I yell into his face, he shakes his head and i punch him "how about now?" And he nods his head.

Then i hear clapping, its indra "impressive" she says offering me her hand "and you have never fought?" She asks

I shake my head "i watched karate kid and cobra kai" she looks confused "those are weird names for people" she says, i go to correct her but arms are thrown around me "y/n that was so cool?!?" Octavia yells before kissing me on the cheek.

Murphy scoffs loudly making us turn to him and he walks up to us "you missed dumbass" he sneers at octavia before kissing me on my lips "that was so fucking hot, i wouldve beaten him up myself but you had that shit handled" he then turns to octavia and kisses her forehead before walking away.

Octavia yells after him "you missed dumbass" before kissing him, its then i notice my foot hurts, i look down and notice a knive in it "hey thats nice and all but im gonNA DIE" i yell the last part out.

They separate and rush over to me, they follow my gaze and notice the knive "princess that wont kill you" murphy says "idiot" he mutters softly before lifting me up and bringing me to abby.

Octavia is quick to follow "so you promise she wont die right?" She asks murphy, he rolls his eyes "god did i really fall for two dumbasses?" He asks quietly, i scoff "so mean, no more kisses ever" i say which makes his head turn super fast to face me "fuck did you say?" He sneers "you cant take away my kisses i just got them" he says before kissing my jaw.

"no no i think y/n is onto something, also can you stop for a second" octavia says when we reach the ark, murphy stops and looks at her, eyebrow raised.

She smirks and sticks her tongue out, then pulls it back in and kisses me on the lips "oh no wait you cant do that to him, your lips are amazing y/n"

Abby clears her throat "if ur uh.. Done kissing my daughter i would like to ask whats going on?"

Murphy glares at her "shes injured. Clearly. And since clarke isnt here you need to help her, you cant refuse cause tavia and me will murder you if you keep y/n in pain" murphy spits out to my mother who always preffered clarke over me.

"I would never do that to her" abby says before leading us to a hospital bed, she starts taking care of the knive and the wound.

When shes done i turn to murphy and octavia "did good right?" I ask and their eyes soften, they nod their heads yeah "so where are my KISSES" i yell out the last part for dramatic effect.

They look at eachother and roll their eyes, then walk up to me and prep my face with kisses, then octavia speaks up "i want you both to be mine" she says, murphy then also speaks up "i want you both to be mine too" then they look at me.

I slowly get up a say "i need to think about it"

They both scoff "yeah right, just admit it you want to be ours so bad, we know how you look at us" octavia says and murphy nods his head.

"Your right i wanna be yours" i say while softly diving into their arms "but im the dom" i say softly, that makes them both scoff and look at me "dont challange us butterfly" octavia says to that murphy adds "you are lucky you are cute princess"

Luckily for everyone involved abby left right after fixing my foot.

That night y/n octavia and murphy share a room in arkadia, bellamy doesnt like the relationship.

But lincoln? Well he wants to join

Part 2??

Buy me a coffee?

#the 100 x reader #x reader #john murphy x reader #john murphy x y/n #murphy x reader #the 100 #x y/n #john murphy x griffin!reader #octavia x reader #octavia blake x reader #blake x reader #polyamory #octavia x reader x murphy

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hankwritten · 3 years ago

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Hofstadter’s Law

Demoman/Soldier, 2k

Request for MinnesotaMedic821, Drunk

“You sure this best way in, Jane?” Demo muttered quietly as he gazed up at the looming concrete spires of BLU base.

“I am very sure!” Soldier said, not quietly at all. Practically yelling actually. Right in Demo’s ear too, what with his arm slung around the RED’s shoulders as the only thing keeping him upright.

“Shhh!” Demo hushed him. “You want me to go half-deaf as well as half-blind? ‘Sides, the last thing we need right now is the other BLUs hearing us.”

Soldier’s head, lolling like a pad of butter sliding around a hot pan, took a long and winding trip from one side to the other. “…Why?”

“…Because I’m a RED in the middle of a nest o’ BLU corn snakes?” Demo raised a brow. “Ach, you really did have a number done, didn’t you? Remind me not to let you near the Everclear again.”

“Okay! I will definitely remind you!”

Demo eyed him dubiously. “Remind me what, Jane?”

The grey shell of the helmet stared at him for several seconds. “…What?”

“Let’s just get you in, aye? We can do all sorts of filling in each other’s memories when your toesies are tucked safe under your covers.”

But in order get the Soldier safely in bed, they’d need to first traverse the minefield of potential termination that was the center of BLU operations. No problem at all really. It was late—even if some of the mercs had hit the town like Demo and Soldier had, they’d certainly be back by now, fast asleep, no chance at all of waking up and discovering a very difficult to explain situation in the form of an enemy merc carrying around their Soldier. As long as they were quiet, they’d be perfectly safe.

Demo guided Soldier towards the back doors, at which point they promptly ran into the enemy Demoman.

The BLU, spread out on a fabric lawn chair surrounded by dust, desert, and least a half-dozen bottles, blinked wide-eyed at the pair who’d just come around with the low-speed but high-inertia gait of a drunk couple. He shook his head slightly, as though to dispel the ‘ole three am fog and ascertain that yes, that truly was his teammate being helped along by the RED demolition’s man. Demo, for his part, froze like he’d been staked to the ground.

Soldier, as heavy things are want to do, kept going at his expected velocity. It nearly took them both over—Demo had to abandon the arm under his shoulders, lunging to haul Soldier up the waist and folding him in half like a Panini.

“Well,” the BLU in the lawn chair said, “you two look like you had fun.”

His face was a mish-mash of raised brow and, perplexingly enough, a smirk at the corner of his mouth as he bore witness to the two truants. Most shockingly of all, there wasn’t a trace of surprise on his face now, just those shades of smug amusement you put on when watching a particularly entertaining drunkard. The fact that Demo was used to having that expression leveled at him was neither here nor there.

“Er…” he said eloquently.

The flash of dread that’d shot through him when he’d caught sight of the BLU was the worse case scenario of course: reported on, fired, dead in a gravel pit somewhere, all rendered in gory detail by his mind’s eye. (His overactive imagination a bloody menace sometimes.) But as the BLU continued to sit there, not sounding the alarm, not even looking particularly worried, Demo’s fear for his own neck slowly morphed into confusion.

“I was just er-”

“Oh, hello Demoman!” Soldier chimed in. “We have been out. Drinking alcohol!”

“I’ve heard that’s a fun pastime,” his teammate commented mildly.

“Don’t tell him that,” Demo complained, hauling Soldier to an upright position. “Jesus, this er, isn’t what it looks like, honestly.”

“Sure it isn’t,” the BLU said, wearing what could now be identified unmistakably as a smirk. He gestured with his bottle. “Back entrance ‘s that-a-way.”

A little ball of defensiveness, not matter how unjustified, rolled around in Demo’s gut to the point he wanted to stop and give the other Demoman a piece of his mind. Which would probably involve lying. And then consequences to lying since Soldier had already given away this wasn’t a one time thing. He shut his gob and took the out.

Until the hum of the BLU’s resumed tune was far behind them, until the curving architecture of the base would keep them from being overheard, he didn’t dare start asking questions. Only when he was sure that the corner they’d rounded was at a significant distance away did he accusatorily hiss, “what was that about?”

“Hm?” Soldier asked pleasantly. He fixed a dopey smile on his friend, a second ago which had been the responsibility of a beetle crawling a tuft of bullheadidly tenacious grass.

“Your Demo, why’d you tell him where we were? And why didn’t he flip out?”

“You’re my Demo,” Soldier hummed unhelpfully.

“Ach,” Demo said, realizing he’d get nowhere with the security lights and a whole herd of horseflies bearing down on them. “Fine, lets get you inside first. But I’ve still got some bloody questions.”

They’d arrived at the unassuming little door cut into the base’s thick concrete, welded metal gushing haphazardly from its size as though its very addition had been an afterthought. Demo motioned at Soldier.

“Pass me your keycard, lad.”

“M’what?”

“Keycard.” Demo’s heart sank. “You keep it in your wallet or something, right?”

Soldier stared at the card reader. He stared at long and hard, so long and hard that Demo was starting to wonder if the question had made it through his ear canals at all when he concluded, “I forgot it.”

“You for- Oh for the love of Pete.” Demo took the hand that wasn’t supporting his mate and rubbed it long suffering across his face. “Well that’s great. Bloody great, risk my arse hauling a drunken fart back to his base cause he can’t hold his bloody liquor, and we can’t even get in to the fecking-”

The door hissed, layers of dust shaking loose like with a sci-fi swish as the vacuum seal was opened to the desert night. Demo gawked, watching it shake away grit like it was built into the surface of Mars instead of a dead-end town in the middle of New Mexico, and letting out a wash of air-conditioned oxygen.

When it was partially ajar, it unveiled the BLU Sniper, arms folded and leaning on the inner wall.

“How…what?” Demo asked. Soldier was too busy looking at the beetle again to be perplexed.

“Heard you guys arguing from the roof.” Sniper jerked his thumb upwards. “If you were sneaking ‘round, might want to think about keeping your voice down in the future. Probably could’ve heard you all the way at RED.”

“I wasn’t- We weren’t-”

Sniper waited. When no adequate explanation was forthcoming he said, “you comin’? Cold air’s getting out.”

Demo grimaced, and began the arduous processes of lugging the Soldier inside.

Chill ran up where his t-shirt had sweated to his neck, Soldier fairing no better since they’d spent the past half hour (every moment since Demo had realized Soldier would be going nowhere on his own) with their sides pressed together. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until the cold ai) brought the slightest suggestion of relief to his (admittedly also not terribly sober) body.

“If this is going to be a running thing for you two, maybe don’t get so munted next time, yeah?” Sniper offered. It was neither reprimanding nor conversational, like this was a totally normal exchange happening here with a RED in a BLU hallway.

“Who said anything about a ‘running thing’?” Demo demanded. “You didn’t overhear that!”

Sniper raised a brow. “Soldier said you were his new best mate. I assumed that meant you’d both be out and about more than once.”

Demo grit his teeth, the pieces clicking into place. “Did he now.” He leveled his best attempt at a glare from his blindspot at the disoriented Soldier who, unsurprisingly, was more interested in resting his head on Demo’s shoulder than being reprimanded. “Well that’s good to know. Any chance you can point me to his room?”

Sniper took one gloved hand and shoved a thumb over his shoulder.

“Thanks. Cheers.”

“Goodbye Sniper,” Soldier said belatedly, a good three minutes after he’d disappeared around a corner. “Oh hey! My room!”

“Jane, is there anyone you didn’t tell about us?” Demo demanded.

Soldier thought for a moment. “…I didn’t tell any REDs.”

“Jane,” Demo groaned. “This is supposed to be a secret. What if one of them tells the Administrator? You want that? Going to be hard ever meeting up again if we’re both six feet under.”

For the first time, a bit of shame managed to reach the Soldier through the woolen mesh of his inebriated state, and he looked at his shoes. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I just got really excited. Wanted everyone to know I was hanging out with you.”

Demo sighed heavily, not up bullying his friend when he was in such a pathetic sate already. “I know you were. Ach, it’s fine. We’ll talk ‘bout it later.”

Later being sometime after he’d managed to deposit Soldier onto a four-poster, though with the way the night was going it seemed like that moment would never arrive. His outlook wasn’t improved when he opened the door of Soldier’s room and found that not only was it Soldier’s room, but the occupancy of the entire Offense division.

“Whzzat?” Scout said, rolling to his elbow just in time to be bombarded by the hall light. “Ahg, dammit Sol. What the hell man?”

Demo didn’t bother freezing this time, successfully desensitized to literally every BLU on the planet stumbling across his ill-advised trip through the enemy base. Instead, he walked over, dropped Soldier on the bed, and began helping him unlace his boots.

“What the-?” Scout said when he finally lowered his arm. “Oh right. You. Jesus, how ‘bout a little consideration for the sleeping guy?”

“Mmrrhaunna,” came from the bundle in the corner.

“Yeah, what they said.”

“You don’t got the right to be begging consideration from anyone, jackrabbit,” Demo said hotly as he frees the military-grade combat boots from Soldier’s feet. He threw a blanket over the man’s form, who sighed appreciatively and said something about how this would earn Demo a medal. “‘Sides, don’t need to worry about me no more. I just came to drop of your sergeant and get out of here.”

To prove it, he backed out of the room with hands raised. Mission complete. Time to get out of here and bring this mortifying night to an end.

He might have gotten away with it too, if Pyro hadn’t shot straight up and pointed an accusing finger at him. “Mrrhaha! Hudda hah ha hoo.”

Demo reared back slightly from the Pyro who was still very much in their rubber suit, now with added nightcap. Whatever the hell they were saying, they were very impassioned about it. He looked to the Scout for help.

“They want you to tuck them in too,” he said, and the light flooding in from the single open door was good enough to see that he was smirking as he did so.

“Wha- I’m not bloody tucking anyone in,” Demo said hotly.

“Hudda ha. Mrra haa hur ha.”

“You tucked Soldier in,” Scout translated. “Only fair.”

“Gurrhaha.”

“…Otherwise they’ll tattle.”

“I cannae bloody believe this,” Demo groaned, rubbing his face.

Grudgingly, he made his way over the giggling pyrotechnician, absolutely giddy to have gotten their way. Thankfully boots weren’t part of the pajama equation, and Demo had only to tuck in the blanket’s edges ‘round a pair of socked feet and a squirming, suit-clad body. When he tried to leave it at that, a keening noise stopped him, and he was forced to repeat the process for Mayor Balloonicorn. All the while, he could feel the Scout staring smugly at the back of his head.

“D’awww, ain’t that adorable. Going to be hard to be scared of you now, though. Y’know, after you swung by to give us goodnight kisses and all that crap.”

“Just for that, I’m going to have a sticky trap with your name on it, boyo,” Demo pointed an accusing finger in Scout’s direction. He just shrugged.

“But uh,” Scout added, just as Demo was finally about to make his escape. “Glad you turned out to be cool though. He was really gung ho about tonight. Its nice he has good friends besides us.”

Demo cast his gaze to Soldier, who’d fallen fitfully in the short while it’d taken to get Pyro off his back.

“…That’s good. It was a fun time.”

“Oh yeah?” Scout wiggled his eyebrows. “How fun?”

Demo took one of the pillows he’d used to burry Pyro in and flung it at Scout’s face.

“Sticky trap. Your name.”

He could still hear Scout snickering all the way out into the hall.

#demosolly #tf2 fanfiction

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captaincravatthecapricious · 3 years ago

Text

After the Circus Part 4

Some thoughts from Tim. I did not edit this, sorry.

@janekfan

cw: strained friendships, arguing, fainting, dizziness, trauma, references to Jon's getting covered in lotion, disassociation, food mention, mentions of panic attacks (none in the story), canon typical season three Tim headspace (although he's being less mean!)

Tim’s eyes are burning. He rubs at them absently. Christ, his back hurts. Elbow numb from pressing it into the break room table.

He feels like he hasn’t closed his eyes longer than to blink since after Prentiss with those pain killers knocked him flat. Feels like he hasn’t even blinked since Martin found out that Jon was kidnapped. Didn’t even have that small bit of respite that is due to most creatures.

He can’t take his eyes off Jon’s fragile form.

He’s asleep on the couch. Jon, that is. Martin has dozed off at the table. Chubby cheek smashed into it. He’s pale, Martin is. And tired. There are deep circles under his eyes, almost starting to rival Jon’s. Tim wants to brush the hair off his forehead. Wants to tell him that it’s going to be okay, but Tim doesn’t believe that it’s going to be okay. In fact, he’s fairly certain it won’t be. Especially not after the Unknowing.

Maybe… Maybe he could try. For Martin. Maybe.

A quiet voice from deep within says that maybe he could even try for Jon. Maybe.

After all, what had Martin said? Something about not letting the Circus claim any more lives. A voice that sounds suspiciously like Martin whispers that that includes Tim’s life too.

Imagining things.

Christ, he needs to sleep.

Nothing keeping him here now. Not really. Just… worry that he though he was done having.

He really thought he could quell his care for his …the people who used to be his friends.

The people he wouldn’t mind trying to be friends with again.

Which leads him back to Jon. Who he’s been staring at since …well he’s lost count.

He’s asleep on the couch. He’s shivering, but Tim isn’t going to take the blanket from Martin.

Tim might almost want to care for Jon (while aggressively pretending not to care, of course). But… but he hasn’t earned blanket rights. Not after every hurt Jon has caused. (The Martin in his sleep deprivation induced imaginings reminds him that most of the hurts were not caused by Jon. Most, actually. Jon caused some, but not most). But Tim isn’t ready to believe that. Or even if he believes it, not admit it for long enough to give Jon the blanket.

In any case, Martin deserves it more. Poor, optimistic, besotted Martin. Tim tries to call him stupid. Just in his head. But a phantom, imagined voice (maybe Sasha’s?) shuts that thought down. Christ, he’s losing it. He needs to sleep. Take a double shot of sleepy time cold medicine and hope that knocks him out.

He’d do that now… but he isn’t leaving Martin here.

And Martin isn’t going to leave Jon. Not like this. Not in a million years.

Apparently Martin is A-Okay with someone stalking them and just going back to calling him a friend.

Stop it, Tim. Not helpful.

And Jon really just looks frail and pathetic. And that’s just made him angry recently, but right now… right now it makes him angry at the Circus.

Which… not the best way to fix a friendship… if that’s even what he’s trying to do. And he doesn’t know that for sure. He isn’t sure of anything. Head and eyes full of sand. Burning and heavy and gritty. Can’t think. Doesn’t know if what he’s feeling makes any sense.

The feelings don’t even feel like they belong to him. Not at this stupid hour.

What time even is it? His phone ran out of juice, he thinks. Died not long after Jon fell asleep again, before Martin fell asleep, before Tim took up his vigil. Feels like he’s taking over for Martin. Trying to care in his stead. Trying to care enough that Martin will let himself get some proper rest.

Which… which means Tim needs to do something. And by something …well that probably means he needs to open his home to both Martin and Jon.

Martin’s flat is too small for just one extra person, even as small as Jon, and there is no way in hell that Tim is going to let Martin alone with Jon. Not when he knows Martin will give everything he has left to watch out for Jon. Martin is quickly running out of things to give.

Not that Tim has much to offer, but he can’t let Martin burn himself out completely on Jon.

And Jon… well Tim hasn’t exactly been paying attention, but he thinks Jon is essentially homeless. If him going back to sleeping on a shelf is any indication. Or intending to, if he hadn’t passed out before reaching it.

See, Tim isn’t that bad. He brought Jon to the cot. Miles better than a shelf.

Probably, anyhow.

Jon might have a mattress by now.

He idly wonders if that hypothetical mattress would be like the one Tim used to host sleepovers on.

Like the one Tim and Sasha and Jon shared on late nights after drinks and days full or research.

And then he feels decidedly ill. Because the Sasha in his memory isn’t the right one.

He’d be sick if he had the energy.

But he doesn’t.

So he just readjusts and ;ays his head down on folded arms. Back glad of the movement, but still protesting the new position just as much as the last.

He’s decided, though. When Martin wakes up, all three of them are going back to his flat.

Until then he’ll watch the delicate rise and fall of Jon’s chest. The rest doesn’t look easy. Hasn’t since he got back. Tim has to wonder if it’s been that way since Prentiss. But he’s too tired to think. Only has it in him to watch.

Watch Jon whimper in his sleep. Too weak to move about, like Tim knows Jon does when he isn’t weighed down by another person or his weighted blanket.

He considers going to grab that blanket for Jon now, but he doesn’t have the energy to move. (And a private part of him is worried that Jon will vanish if he looks away for even a moment. Like he will be stolen away again. Or that he will just… stop breathing. Just fade away quietly without anyone to notice. Or… care.

So. So Tim tries very hard not to think about where else he’s heard these words as he waits, and he watches, and he listens.

When Jon wakes with a strangled scream, Martin nearly falls out of his chair. Tim barely blinks. Too tired to even move at that point. He doesn’t want to think about how long he’s been awake.

Martin’s by Jon’s side by this point. A hand smoothing down his hair, and Jon’s crying again.

Distantly he thinks he should probably try to get Jon to drink something or eat something. Get some salt and water into him somehow. But Tim is too tired to do that, and Jon’s crying too hard to do anything.

Tim gives himself 30 seconds. 30 seconds to close his eyes, then stand up.

He should be alarmed by the head rush that nearly takes him back down. That’s not something he experiences too often, but… well he hasn’t exactly been taking care of himself.

He trudges off to see if he can remember if he brought anything in with him. If he did, he’ll grab that and anything that Martin might have brought in, and after that he’ll grab Jon’s weighted blanket.

his feet feel like lead and he’s trying not to stumble over himself or the trailing blanket. He’s got Martin’s bag over his shoulder, with the Tim’s water bottle and phone charger shoved in on top of Martin’s stuff. Keys in his pocket. Phone is his pocket. Stifling a yawn in Jon’s blanket.

He prods Martin with his shoe.

“Come on, Marto. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not leaving him!” Loud and sudden and panicked.

It starts Jon whimpering again.

Pathetic, he thinks before he can stop himself.

“He’s coming with us. You can take the blanket or Jon, but either way, both are coming with us.”

Martin glares at him in bleary suspicion. “Where?”

“My flat.”

“Why?”

“So you don’t fall asleep at the table again. And if that means getting Jon and you on my spare mattress or in my guest room, then so be it.”

Martin slumps. Partly because Jon is needing something or other, and early because …well… he looks basically dead.

Tim can see when he gives in.

Marin nods.

Tim can also see when Martin realizes there is no way he can carry Jon, at least not until he’s gotten some proper rest. And Tim doesn’t make Martin admit it.

He hands off the backpack and the blanket, and scoops Jon up himself.

Jon’s eyes flutter shut. Heart racing against Tim’s chest, head lolling against his shoulder. Fainted again. It’s… starting to get worrying, in all honestly. He hasn’t seen Jon this badly off since… well the few times he was running some truly scary fevers and the one time he didn’t sleep for an entire week.

Jon isn’t feverish. At least Tim doesn’t think he is. Which means, it’s not a fever or it’s very low. So Tim has to guess whatever Jon went through lead to a hell of a flare up.

Nothing to do for that now.

Maybe he can stop by a charity shop and get Jon a temporary cane tomorrow. After he’s slept. After he’s certain he won’t pass out from lack to sleep, himself.

Get Jon a new cane, and hope Jon is up for solid food, because damn Tim wants crepes.

He would sell his soul for some crepes.

Martin is struggling to his feet. Just as warn out as Tim.

It isn’t a long walk to Tim’s flat. He tries to hail a cab, but… he guesses it’s a weird hour on a week night. No one is out.

It isn’t a long walk.

But Martin stumbles into him every few steps. Trying to lean over to check on Jon.

Jon is… conscious? Maybe?

But barely.

He nudges Martin onto the couch. Then drops Jon into his lap. That should keep Martin from going anywhere.

Then Tim drags out the sleepover mattress. It hasn’t been out since… since Sasha was alive.

Since before the Archives.

It smells a little musty. But… it feels like home as he tiredly wrestles some sheets onto it, and kicks his coffee table out of the way to make room for it.

Martin stares at him uncomprehendingly.

Tim leaves him to it.

Tim fetches a lucozade for Jon, and two glasses of water.

He goes and showers. He brushes his teeth. He throws on some sleep clothes.

Martin still hasn’t really moved.

Tim lifts Jon off his lap and onto the mattress. He sets Jon down with more care than he can really take in right now. And takes his place on Jon’s side.

Jon looks to be sleeping, not unconscious now. Good.

“Marto you can shower if you want. Feel free to find some clothes if you do. Something should fit. Or you can just… take a load off and join us. Whichever. But I’m going to sleep.”

It’s been ages since he’s slept with Jon. But… it feels like home. Or… something like home. He buries them both under Jon’s blanket, and under the spare duvet. Drawing and arm around Jon, trying not to get lost in the tight feeling in his chest when Jon snuggles up close and tucks his nose against Tim’s clavicle.

Tim pats the empty side of the mattress, and giving Martin something adjacent to a smile.

When Tim wakes up. Martin is sound asleep in some sweats that are oversized on Tim.

He feels… heavy. Both from exhaustion and from the weighted blanket.

He can’t tell what time it is. Blackout curtains are drawn against any light that could be. It’s just… a dim grey… meaning there must be light spilling in from the kitchen. Probably light out, then.

Then… then he spares a glance for Jon. Looking small and beaten in his arms.

His eyes are open, and… he might actually be lucid this time.

He makes a small question sound.

It damn near breaks his heart.

“Why are you being so nice?” His voice is still wrecked. It looks as though Jon might have burst a blood vessel whilst sobbing at the Institute, but he can’t be sure in this light. Still. It hurts.

He also doesn’t have an answer.

Pity is the wrong answer to give to Jon, and he knows it.

But… it was some pity. And some for Martin’s sake.

He doesn’t know what to say.

His silence, however is scaring Jon. Jon who is starting to hyperventilate.

“Hey. Hey. It’s okay. I… I don’t know why. But… I couldn’t leave you there. And I couldn’t leave Martin even if I could.”

Jon finally seems to notice that Martin is basically spooning him. And makes a small sound.

He looks back at Tim, a little teary.

“Glad to see you awake, but maybe you should rest a little more. I’d get you something to drink, but I don’t think I can get out without waking Martin. But… but if you do need anything, I’ll risk it, so uh. Let me know?”

Jon just shakes his head, and buries his face in Tim’s chest.

Tim is… surprised. Last time he was this close to Jon, Jon flinched away. And that kind of makes him feel sick to think about. And this… this makes something melt in his chest. Something he hadn’t felt in a while.

“Get some sleep, bud. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Jon hmms, and Tim lets himself sleep.

#the magnus archives #tma #fic #hurt/ comfort #whump #cw dizziness #cw fainting #cw strained friendships #cw suicidal ideation

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cosmiclatte28 · 4 years ago

Text

Maniac (Taeyong x you, Yuta)

warning : mention of Taeyong being a maniac and mad scientist.

It’s pure fictional and no these are nothing real and Taeyong is not like that. Please just read this for fun :) enjoy!!

The sparks of fire from connecting wires, constant buzzing noise from the generator in the dim room, and the wet shirt drenched in sweat didn't stop the young scientist in finishing his biggest project.

Grunting when his sweat falls on his hand and causes the screwdriver he held falls, he tosses them to the table and walks away to take off his shirts. He wipes his sweaty face and body with a towel he has in his garage and gulps the last volume of water.

Right in time when he finishes his water, a man enters the room with two cold beer and a plate of sandwich

"Take some break Taeyong," the man with a hint of Japanese accent walks to sit beside the bare-chested man with red hair.

Taeyong smiles a little when he sees the blonde Japanese guy calmly makes himself comfortable sitting beside him.

"Your accent is getting better." Taeyong wipes his hands to the towel and chugs on the cold drink Yuta brought.

Yuta chuckles "Thanks, I practice hard like you told me to." He looks around and sees the project Taeyong is working on

"How is it?"

Taeyong sighs "I cannot connect the last wire and burnt some of the metal pieces."

Yuta stands to examine the thing closely, he's Taeyong's best partner when it comes to robotic and he's been a lot of help in designing things.

"Let me try, my hands might be handier." Yuta focuses his eyes on the wires and opens a palm waiting for Taeyong to toss the tool he needs.

Taeyong just tosses the connector and lay down on the sofa for a moment he needs to rest his eyes.

"Tae!" Yuta's happy voice wakes him up. Taeyong scurries to his side and smiles when Yuta made the last wire connected.

"Thank you!" He pats Yuta's back several time as his eyes scan through the metal pieces.

"What next?" Yuta also sounds excited and interested in seeing Taeyong finish this project successfully.

"I just need to put in this programmed chip." Taeyong explains as he bites his lip when pushing the microchip into the socket.

The two young men hold their breath and almost forgot how to breathe when the metal piece standing in front of them opens their eyes.

"YOU DID IT!!!" Yuta hugs Taeyong tightly and even carries him and make one spin to congratulate his best friend's hard work.

Taeyong cannot hide his happy tears "Thank you Yuta! It's also thanks to your help!"

He did it, Lee Taeyong, 27 years old, made his first project comes to life.

He built an artificial intelligent that resembles human up to 90%. He graduated with a computer degree and some gifted robotic skills and with the help of Yuta, his father introduced Yuta to him before he graduated.

Taeyong shared a house with Yuta and felt comfortable enough to tell Yuta about his project, Taeyong built the garage to be his workshop and Yuta as his project assistant.

Yuta designed the human robot, according to Taeyong's description and requests. Yuta worked so hard on making the outer body of the AI to look like human and he did not disappoint Taeyong when one day Taeyong woke up to a pretty AI suite.

"You're crazy!" Taeyong said when he first touches the 'skin' of the robot Yuta worked on for a month.

Yuta shook his head "I just found the best materials! This looks super pretty because your design in first place is already breath-taking. Plus I know what I want more." Yuta tapped his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze "I know it's hard for you Tae, but if your wish is to make an AI based on (y/n), I promise I'll support you, besides I am happy to get a new friend." There’s something fishy on the way Yuta pronounced new

Taeyong hugged Yuta for his gentle words. “You’re always my friend and I always let you know my other friends too, what do you mean?”

Yuta chcukles “I mean the one like me. I finally have an artificial intelligent friend Tae.”

Taeyong looks into Yuta’s eyes and memories come back flooding his minds.

Yes, Taeyong had just lost the love of his life. He met you when he was a bachelor and he asked you out on your second year. You dated and graduated together only for you to tell him the news that you're terminally ill. Taeyong was shocked and surprised, he asked you why you never told him. And as cliché as it sounds, you told him "It's for the best."

Taeyong recorded all of the things you do with him, he secretly noted down everything you liked to do. By the time you left him forever, Taeyong already has the most important things he loves from you.

It took him a year to finally feel less sad than before (though still sad).

He told Yuta his idea of making an AI to replace you because he felt so empty and Yuta is always in for things to make Tae happy again.

For one-year Taeyong started working on the program, then to the metal bones and with Yuta's help he got the outer design perfect like you. There are so many trials and errors and Taeyong ever feels like giving up, but Yuta is always there to cheer him up and telling Taeyong it is okay to rest and when he wants to continue Yuta will help. That makes Taeyong continues his project until today.

Standing before him is a 98% copy of you. Physically this is like you, with no organs but he programmed you to have feelings and inputted memories from your dates with him. He tried his best to make the old (y/n) into this shell of metals and wires and silicone.

Right now, the AI he's working so hard for is reciting the greetings Taeyong programmed and Taeyong smiles when he heard your voice there. Well he had recorded some phrases of yours he loves and put it in the program.

“I am going to take a good care of her and make sure she is comfortable!” Yuta happily takes over the computer program and monitors your new health.

Taeyong takes a step back to sit on his sofa. There he sees Yuta and you, trying to communicate with one another. Taeyong smiles sadly when he realizes all of his life, he’s been surrounded by artificial things. His father was a famous smart inventor and he made Yuta, the first AI designed to take care of Taeyong, make him happy and make sure he gets all the helps he needed. Yuta was built perfectly for Taeyong’s father’s generation, though in some things like language his dad set Yuta to speak Japanese so Taeyong can practice his Japanese. After his father died of old age, Taeyong taught Yuta Korean, and updated some of his program. Now Yuta was programmed more like a friend rather than a guardian figure. Yuta doesn’t look like a robot, some of Taeyong’s bestfriend wouldn’t know if Taeyong did not tell them.

Yuta has been the greatest friend he has, although he is artificial he is capable of feeling and showing emotions.

Taeyong chuckles when his mind comes back to the present. Beside him, you sit while resting your head on his shoulder, the same way you always did back then. He caresses your hair and whispers, “I love you (y/n), to the point where I became crazy.”

That night Taeyong can finally sleep in peace when he knows he has you back right beside him, sleeping safe and sound.

“I am sorry honey if I turned into a maniac. But I, Lee Taeyong, am your maniac.” His eyes glint in the dark and he pulls over the blanket over his head.

As mad as a scientist can get, when one has their desired goal they won’t stop until they get it.

Yuta sits back on his private room. He plugs his charging battery into the socket and sits down while his hand reaches out for a pen and a paper. Carefully Yuta notes down the things that happens to Taeyong today. He notes how Taeyong finished his project, he notes how he is also happy to see (y/n) back in the form of an AI and Yuta cannot wait to have some time alone to tell (y/n) the things she needs to know living as AI. Yuta places the paper into a neat folder coded by years. He puts it back to the shelf next to four other years. Taeyong’s dad programmed Yuta to always make daily entries of what happens to his son, and Yuta will never forget that obligation. Taeyong never know about this, but Yuta’s sure one day Taeyong will see just how much things he had done in this life that bring a lot of happiness to others and to Yuta.

Yuta knows Taeyong looks like a mad scientist, a maniac, but for his entire life Yuta has only known these types of people as his family. The inventor and Taeyong. Yuta just learn about other people’s life that is different than his when Taeyong’s friends come to visit.

All in all, Yuta is glad his young master, or best friend is now happy with the love of his life. Carefully Yuta glances to his small monitor in his hand, it is the countdown to the day he will be shut down. He was programmed that when Taeyong reached the biggest goal he has, and when he got a new replacement Yuta might be shut down permanently. Taeyong doesn’t have to know this, Yuta saw how hard it for Taeyong was to let you go when he knows how many days were left.

The young AI investigates his screen, 72:00:00 and the countdown started.

Yuta smiles when he peeks his head over to see his best friend already finding his happiness back. Right, 72 hours should be enough for Yuta to make sure (y/n) knows everything she needs to know about Taeyong.

He’s glad at least he can finish his goal, shutting down is not something Yuta’s afraid of. He just wants Taeyong to be happy and he’ll rest forever in peace.

Little did Yuta know, Taeyong will realize about the countdown and he will find a way to stop it.

end

how is it? Did you see it coming that Yuta is an AI too? I had this crazy plot just in the crazy hours before I can sleep... I am sorry if this is messy, it’s done in a rush when I had the inspiration and my brain was working well.

Please look forward to the 12 days of Christmas fanfic project!! I finished everything and you’ll be able to read it starting from 26 Dec!

have a nice holiday!!

#taeyong x you #taeyong x reader #taeyong x y/n #taeyong x yuta #yuta x taeyong #yuta x reader #taeyong au #yuta au #taeyong angst #taeyong fluff #taeyong imagines #taeyong scenarios #yuta imagines #yuta scenarios #taeyong nct #nakamoto yuta #nct imagines #nct aus #nct masterlist

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goobiegoobert · 3 years ago

Note

Yup! Talk about ur oc<3

-🧅

HOGH,,, OKAY

Warnings: Mentions of death, being attacked by animals, and generally this character is a bit of a cunt

art was commissioned from my friend lye

The one on the right is my oc Oliver Lloyd, she's a computer scientist who engineered his AI companion as a momento to their mothers last words. The AI in question is to the left and my friend Mikey's oc whose named Corinne!

Oliver is a bit of the bitchy and mean type, they will go out of their way to belittle and ruin peoples day for their own personal pleasure. Its often seen that they bully people for being short or even for their lack of attention to her as a person because of how badly they crave others attention. With this being said they also hate to have people around them and at the end of the day constantly try to push others away saying it's for their own good, when in reality she's rather afraid. Constantly afraid about people leaving as soon as they get close, this stemmed from growing up his father walked out on them and left him and their mother to keep the bakery running together.

At least that was until her mother had fallen ill. For about two years their mother was in and out of the hospital fighting cancer sending the young boy away to live with their aunt who lived in the UK. But upon their mother's death Oliver's aunt shunned him out of the house and into the streets wanting nothing to do with the child.

Roaming the streets for a period of time Oliver can't seem to remember how long they'd eventually broken into a fenced off factory trying to use it as a short cut to somewhere else. Though, it seemed to quickly backfire when guard dogs had quickly overtaken the young teen and mauled his face until a man, by the name of John Eldonder Lloyd, had pryed the animals off her and rushing them for much needed medical care, despite the cries from Oliver begging not to go anywhere near a hospital.

In the end Oliver was somewhat fine but had lost feeling in their lower face on the righthand side due to a large chunk of his flesh being torn off leaving their teeth and gums exposed.

Said man introduced themselves to Oliver and had begun an adoption process since he felt pity but overall understanding of loneliness for the boy, even with every step of the way of Oliver attempting to push this man away it never seemed to work. At one point the two shared a cup of tea together and some Ling talking until she'd finally agreed it'd be good for her to have some companionship with this man. John had provided a steady father figure to Oliver and actively taught him about their job since Ollie had shown much interest towards the passion. Together they managed to build Corinne, a self learning Android who's algorithm acted somewhat human but as one would assume had plenty of faults. For the first year everything was overstimulating to Corinne leading to her shutting down forcefully on their own dime. At first it was frustrating but eventually Corinne had begun moving around the house outside of Oliver's room and was learning about the world around her which at the moment consisted of a one story house.

Eventually all good things came to an end when John passed away at the age of 56. Leaving Oliver alone once more. This time as a bright 17 year old boy he'd decided to work on themselves and started to date a pretty girl he'd met at a café. Things ended up not working out for the best, which had Oliver turn away again his only companion being Corinne. Now the two are Roaming the streets often hopping between countries trying to find what could await him in life.

The scientist has very little attachment to gender and therefore identifies with genderfluid and just allows people to use whatever they feel like using in the moment. On the other hand they're openly polygamous and Omniromantic with a heavier preference towards men / masc leaning people. It's hard to get in a relationship with Oliver due to deep rooted issues and overall fear.

Oliver's voice claim is Dr. Facilier, and Oogie Boogie from the nightmare before Christmas.

Okay I think I've spilled enough so if you want more just ask because I really love Oliver a lot and it's his 1 year anniversary as a finished character!!

#🌐 . oc posting #🧅 . anon #📺 . boo speaks #📺 . boo talks

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theblackberrygirl · 4 years ago

Note

Hahahahha how the turns have tabled I'm in your inbox now >:D

Okay but Peter can totally lift Mjolnir and when he lifts it for the first time he doesn't know what it means and everyone's like O.o

Peter and Nat are both Little Mix fans and will paint each other's nails while blasting Wings or smthing

Karaoke nights at the compound. Discuss

Natasha is really really bad at dancing and she has to go to a fancy party with lots of dancing so Tony teaches her how to waltz and slow dance and such

Peter and Dr. Strange's cloak are besties and the cloak loves him more than Strange

The team watching the baby monitor footage from Peter's suit and teasing him endlessly about the embarrassing shit they found. Nat also takes part, but she keeps everyone from going too far and Tony is absolutely merciless with the teasing

Nat and Tony frequently have nightmares or can't sleep and they'll always meet up in his lab and watch movies with hat cocoa

Clint and Peter are the pranksters of the bunch and constantly mess with everyone else but never prank Nat because she's literally the queen on pranks and if they do, they're gonna end up with a bed full of ants

This is a lot I'm sorry 😅

OH SHIT HOW THE TURN TABLES-

(I’m going to be back in your inbox soon I have an angsty note in my notes app where I’ve been taking out my anger in the form of painful headcanons)

YES I LOVE THIS OMG. Thor goes to leave to get PopTarts or sm and Peters just like “wait mr. Thor you forgot your hammer :)” and hands it to him and everyone just screams.

THEY WOULD and they’d gossip and talk about the rest of the team. Clint’s in the vents painting his own nails and listening >:)

KARAOKE NIGHTS WITH THEM WOULD BE WILDDDD AHHHH

Natasha, Peter, and Steve would do some stupid songs. They’d be dying laughing the entire time bc they’re dorky idiots

Thor wouldn’t really understand but Valkyrie would drag him and Bruce up there for fun. Thor would LOVE it and Bruce, being the awkward baby he is, would just stand behind them like 🧍‍♂️

Pepper probably used to do musical theater in high school and Tony’s a dramatic bitch so they’d steal the night with some great duet lol. A Whole New World from Aladdin maybe?

Ok but this becomes SO much funnier when you combine it with the fact that she did ballet for like at least a decade.

-“Romanoff, I’ve SEEN you do ballet in the gym, how are you this bad?”

-“They are very different styles, Stark. Now shut up before I slice your fingers off.”

-“Yeah but like there has to be SOME overlap, right? You do HAVE a sense of rhythm, I’ve seen it, so why the fuck can you not understand this?”

-“I do ballet by myself, this is very different.”

-“...sure.”

THE CLOAK FAVORTISM PLS- Peter names the cloak Robert

Nat participates but she keeps a REALLY close eye on Peter to see if someone takes it too far. She gives several death glares to anyone who goes too far. Everyone’s absolutely terrified of this tiny little ginger ball of rage so one look is enough to shut them up

UGH THE INSOMNIAC BABES I LOVE THEM. They make cookies at 3am and Tony gets flour everywhere and Nat doesn’t leave a trace (spy tendencies) and it’s so funny to watch. “You spilled more flour.” “How?! It’s still above the bowl!” They always watch a funny movie or something animated (specifically Pixar/Disney movies). They both love Tangled. Tony’s favorite is the Toy Story movies bc even tho the toys aren’t AIs, they remind him of Jarvis and Friday. Nat’s favorite is Inside Out bc it shows the complexities of mental illness and inner emotions (Tony pretends not to see her crying after the Bing Bong scene. He knows she’s probably thinking about her own childhood that she lost)

YES OH MY GOD THEY SO DO. And you KNOW that they’re super elaborate and planned out. Anytime someone wants revenge on them, Clint always gets it bc they don’t DARE fuck with Natasha. Rumor has it that Tony tried once and didn’t leave the Iron Man suit for a week.

I love our headcanon exchange friendship it brings me so much joy. Also I rly needed these bc I’m reading a rly sad fic rn lol

#shut up elle #gale 🌬🍂#marvel headcanons #avengers headcanon

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shortyisweird9 · 4 years ago

Text

'Lonely ghost serie'

Chek and heartache- part III

Tw⚠️:swearing, referring of dark themes such as suicide attempt and mental illness.

The morning rays hit your eyes gently, tangible by their warmth,as you forced yourself from another dream of nothing but blank.

You groaned as your cat,Didi, comes running towards you: purring, meowing and chirping in pure happiness. You knew the reason she does this; your previous cat, Martha or Dildo- your roommate Sergiu called her that because of her dickish attitude with him- used to do this everytime so the little one, Didi, just followed her mother's lead.

Everytime she does that is like a small needle stabs at your heart especially when just 2 weeks passed since Martha died of old age- the black cat was adopted when she was senior, abused and malnourished, your heart knew you couldn't leave her to be laid to rest like a nothing. You adopted her, she bit you and you petted her, she hissed you hugged her, you did everything you could think of to show love even brush her fur with a wet toothbrush end to mimic sweet kisses coming from her mom. The cat soon realized that and started living again. Cautious of your other 3 roommates, cuddly with you.

Anyway, you got sidetracked with reminiscing. You heard your friends in the kitchen, Sabrina throwing away the take out boxes and Sergiu preparing some tea, probably to calm his stomach after all the spicy curry he ate last night.

You fixed the oversized white t-shirt and pull the marine blue shorts out of your bottoms, Didi already waiting you by the door.

You all, Sabrina,Sergiu,Ace and you, live in a quaint apartment, turned from campus housing, right next to one of the malls of the city. It had two small bathrooms, a living room , three petite bedrooms ,a tiny kitchen, a rounded balcony and a hallway. It was much smaller than your family home but it was in a central zone where your family home was outside the city's boundaries. You chose it not only because you wanted to spare your family from driving you to university but also because you needed your freedom, your space. Your parents were very understanding of that.

-Y/n e trează? ( "Is Y/n awake?") Ace asked as he sipped on his black cofee.

Without, he would pretty much be a grumpy hedgehog with spiky tealish mohawk. And who wouldn't love that?

-Nu încă, ah! Uite-o! ("Not yet,ah! There she is") Sabrina exclaimed, getting up to hug you and leaving the smoking tea cup by the window.

"Hello." You said ,voice grungy and eyes shut from the light.

You felt the warm hands of your Arabic friend on your face filled with moles and couple of marks from recently popped pimples, you let yourself be engrossed into it ,the touch starvation you carry like a cross chosing for you.

You hear her laugh, she always had a pretty laugh and a prettier smile . She was the beauty of the group, with big puffy sand yellow curls, brown skin with red undertones and black eyes who glow in pure happiness. She was stunning and a sweetheart with an obsession on the colour red and butterflies.

"Someone is needy." Ace teased.

"Shut up or I will staple those hair triangles on your scalp. "

You wanted to say something better but Sabrina then started massaging your lower face in a circular manner with her thumb. You knew you couldn't do anything anymore except melt.

-Anyway ,unde e Sergiu? ("Anyway, where is Sergiu?")

-Ți-o făcut ceai, cane e pervaz. S-o dus până sus să o ajute pe Florentina.("He made you tea, the cup is on the windowsill. He went upstairs to help Florentina.") He said, taking another sip of his cup.

-Ooooh, Florentina. You two began as Ace shook his head in amusement.

You and Sabrina were known to be ruthless in your teasing of the guitarist with long brown locks and beard.

Florentina was a crush of his, a freshman in the University of Arts who played the violin beautifully. Small,with olive skin, long red hair keept in a 1960s hairstyle and green petite with a triangular shaped face. She was a sweetie with a love for fantasy book ,autumn and ferrets.

-Oh, yeah?

-Dup, iubitul ei se mută cu ea. ("Yup, her boyfriend moves in with her")

-Oh.

Ace sucked in his lip ,his face filled with disappointment just like theirs now.

-That sucks.

-Numai spune,Sabrina.("You don't say,Sabrina")

Just then, the door clicked shut. Sergiu is back, this will be awkward.

-Ce vă uitați așa la mine?("Why are you looking at me like that?")

Neither of them could properly looked into the warm brown eyes of the man whose glow seemed to fade a bit, Sergiu was a stubborn man who shut his feelings deep inside, only through his song you could tell he was suffering. Just like you, I suppose.

-Am auzit...("We heard...")

You bit your lips as your long fingers played with each other, twisting and tugging while your nerves grew. Last thing you wanted was another fight where you all force the man to open up. He had suicidal tendencies, sometimes he came too close to actually do it but you were there and you needed to be there now too, even if he doesn't like being taking care of.

Sergiu rolled his eyes at you, his heart hurt from how rigid your posture was, eyes were worried about him but also scared, teeth grinding themselves not out of anger but out of care and fear.

He knew you hated arguments and shouts with dying passion. You always cried when someone raised their voice in less than friendly manner, you hated this reaction of complete terror, you hated looking weak but now you hated letting your friend burn himself because of an unfortunate love triangle. So you swallowed your nerves and braved on, it's about him ,not you.

Sergiu wanted to protect you all from this negativity, especially you and Ace. You had a big event to organise , Ace's sex reassignment surgery is coming up soon. You both have your own problems to dwell ,you didn't need to have him as one too.

However somewhere in his head, a voice telling him that he was wrong ,that voice that took the shape of you in the night of July.

You were crying, your grey hoodie wet from the rain as you cling desperately to him, not daring to move.

He was the reason why you crying, why you yelled profanities our of worry for what he was about to do. He...He tried to throw himself off a bridge ,the same bridge you two first shared your kiss.

That dark episode still irked your minds in the darker moments, late in the night nothing but your mind to keep you company and that's torture in itself.

You thought you could help him, change whatever hurts him and make it go away. That was your biggest mistake, you can't change a person that's not your duty , your duty was to support them through tough times and help them see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. A duty you solemnly swore to uphold even if he didn't liked you to. There's no fucking way you let him do that again,not if you can be there for him. Like he was always there for you, your big guardian with a guitar that spews flames in shape of songs.

-Y/n..

-Te rog, Sergiu. Nu ascunde. ("Please, Sergiu. Don't hide.")

Your eyes were desperate for him to talk it out in any shape or form. They implore for him to vent, to not hid between fake lies like " I am okay" or "I'm fine."

-Bine,bine. Tu ești șefa. ("Fine,fine. You're the boss.")

————————————————————

They talked and talked and cried and laughed and cried again. A never ending circle of venting ,small earthquakes which instead of fracturing the friendship , it onlyakes it stronger as it should.

-Te simți mai bine?("You feeling better?") Your voice ran timidly on the top of your apartment building, watching over the brutalist styled architecture.

-Un pic, doare știi dar asta îmi arată cât de îndrăgostit sunt de ea. Iubirea adevărată pentru mine nu se referă doar la a iubi doar dacă te iubește reciproc, nu , să iubești fără să forțezi persoană să te iubească înapoi. Să îi porți de grijă, să o protejezi, să o ajuți fără să fi un egoist, fără să te aștepți să fi iubit înapoi. ("A little, it hurts you know but this shows how much I love her. True love for me doesn't mean to love just so they will love you back, no, to love someone without forcing them to love you back. To care for them, to protect them, to help them without being an egotistic, to love without expecting to be loved back.")

-Poetic.

He laughed at that , starring at the setting sun ,his lit cigar forgotten fumed between his painted fingers. His hair blown gently by the wind , he looked like a masterpiece.

-Scuze..pentru tot.("Sorry...for everything. ")

-N-ai de ce. Mi-ai făcut chec până la urmă așa că balanța eternă este restabilită.("You don't have a reason to be. You made me chek in the end and thus the eternal balance is restored.") You joked, munching quietly on the piece of cake, his jacket keeping you warm.

-Haha. Cine ar fi crezut că checul are fi o gustare bună când îți dai vent.("Haha. Who would have thought that chek will be a good snack when you vent.")

Indeed, who would have thought of that but one who cried in the sore days filled with heart ache.

————————————————————

Hey,guys!💖

Hope you like the third part of the serie, I wanted to focus on "your life" and your friends backgrounds this time. The translations are not 100% word to word but enought to give you context.

Anyway, I hope you like it. Stay safe!

Tagged 💗💗:@moolujk @gaysludge @simonsbluee @yoyoanaria @cherry-piee @magenta-skyline @yikesyikesyikes95

#corpse husband x reader #fanfic #hopefully not cringy #lonely ghost serie

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shintorikhazumi · 4 years ago

Text

Romero and Julie (Act I: Truths and Lies)

A/N: Thought of it while I was looking up K-on’s romeo and juliet episode and accidentally typed “Romero”.

...I know i have so many wips, but this will most likely be a 2-shot or a 3. It’s not going to drag on that long. I think... I believe...

... I think...

...5 chaps at most?

Also, this story is as sloppily written as that search prompt, so I apologize. (I keep writing romeo as romero for some reason.) I don’t know how to write anymore, it seems. Also, I didn’t reread this for checks. Sorry again. I just... yeeted this out as soon as the last word was in place. Anyway,

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which but their children's end naught could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;

The which, if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to me-

“I can’t believe the utter bullshit I’ve just read.”

“Lady Claudine!” Mahiru gasped, unable to believe the words she’d just heard coming from the noble lady sat across her.

“Oh, come now, Mahiru. You can’t tell me you actually like this piece of work?” Claudine sighed, shutting the book and placing it on the table. She stared at the cover a few minutes more before pushing it away from her in disgust.

“Hmm? I don’t get it. It is a piece? And it is a work?” Mahiru’s escort cocked her head to the side in confusion, giving Claudine a look that requested clarification.

“Dame Karen.” Claudine sighed, resting her elbows on the table and propping her head up in her hands. She ignored Mahiru’s wide eyes at her ill-mannered display and went on with her exchange with the female knight. “I’m saying it’s a terrible piece of work. Terribly inaccurate.”

“Ohhhhh. I get it.” Karen nodded, eyes wide, expression enlightened before it settled into a smile. “I think so too.”

“Right?!” Claudine thought her voice was a bit too enthusiastic there. Clearing her throat, she calmly reiterated. “Right? I actually had high expectations for this as many of the noble ladies I’ve come across recently have been flaunting their copies of the script. They even dubbed it as the ‘New Romance Bible of High Society’.” Claudine rolled her eyes. She would have made a gagging motion, but she was certain Mahiru would cry blood at that.

“Besides, I can’t believe they’d try to make a reference to my family name for such a piece, and even claim to have modeled the heroine after me when clearly, she is nothing like me.” Claudine continued to criticize. “Therefore, I have fair reason to dislike such a novel.”

“It’s not all that bad, is it?” Mahiru tried. “I managed to read up to half of it, and I believe it was alright.”

Claudine stared at her blankly. “I decided to give Junna the benefit of the doubt here, as she has been my long-time tutor and friend. I believe in her recommendations.” Claudine pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “So, I’ve read the book cover to cover.”

“Oh?”

“It was the worst decision I’ve ever made.” Claudine lamented. “Nana should have stopped her from picking up such a horrific title. I can’t believe she actually liked it enough to recommend it to me.”

“Maybe she thought it would be a nice read since it was about you?” Karen offered her opinion.

“Who would want to read about themselves in such a sad excuse of a tale?” Claudine played with her tea, swirling it in the cup. “Maybe if it was written more tastefully... Anyway, I can’t stand the book so maybe I’ll just give it away or use it for fire.”

“Madame Junna will feel sad to hear that, you know?” Mahiru sighed, taking a bite of her cake. “She might even cry.”

“No, she won’t.” Claudine chuckled with a wave of her hand, but then Junna’s face flashed a brief moment in her mind, and it made her pause in thought. “...right?” She wasn’t so sure all of a sudden.

“Lady Claudine... she sulked for three days when she’d heard you laughed during one of the most tragic plays of our generation.” Mahiru deadpanned.

Claudine’s brows furrowed, unable to recall the events that Mahiru was referencing.

“Que?”

“Remember? We went to Brighton theatre the other day?”

“...”

“Brighton?”

“Karen! You were with us too, you know!”

“Ah-”

Mahiru looked to Claudine excitedly. It seemed as though she’d finally remembered.

“That comedy skit Junna recommended?”

“Again, it was tragedy!”

“The one where the main character got shot after being stupid enough to not take a shield after he was advised to? The ‘A sword is mightier than a pen, but the sword is my...’ my...” Claudine thought hard, struggling to find the right words in her memory. “Something or other.” She gave up.

“Kuro-chan!”

Claudine grinned at the nickname, pleased that she was able to rile Mahiru up another day.

“Okay, okay. Enough teasing, I know.” She laughed, patting her friend on the head and gaining a blooming blush in return. “You were just too lovely, I couldn’t help myself.” She flashed a charming smile that made Mahiru burn even hotter, and made Karen pout.

“This is why you’re so... and nobles keep... hrmmrrgghh...” She grumbled. “And yet you complain about being crowded and you....”

“What was that, Dame Karen?” Claudine chuckled, eyeing her friend with an amused look.

“Oh, nothing really, Duchess Claudine.” Karen fired back.

“Hey now, don’t go spreading lies, my dear knight.” Claudine frowned.

“I speak no lies, milady. Everyone knows that you are the one who has been handling estate affairs as of late.” Karen spoke seriously all of a sudden, irking Claudine secretly.

She didn’t want to think of those things right now.

Before Claudine’s mood sunk further, Karen- with a quick flip of a switch- had returned to pouting. “And I’m not your dear knight.”

Oh, Karen could be so perceptive, sometimes. Claudine gladly accepted the bail.

“I know.” Claudine smiled, half-grateful, half-teasing. “You are Mahiru’s, right?” Claudine wiggled her brows suggestively. Karen flushed hot red, and Claudine thoroughly drank in her new target’s vexation in enjoyment.

“Kuro-chan!!”

Claudine admired the twin tomatoes in front of her. Life had been a drag lately, but time with her friends always seemed to offset all of those.

“Oh right. And Hikari’s too.”

Claudine broke into hysterics at the display of flailing arms and incoherent half-yells of denial at the mention of her knight’s name. She swore she could physically see the steam coming off of the pair in front of her. Was it from anger, embarrassment, or both? Probably both, Claudine supposed.

“Kuro-chan, you are seriously so mean.” Karen whined, fanning her face uselessly as the heat showed no signs of subsiding.

Claudine wiped a tear from her eyes. She’d laughed so much her sides were beginning to hurt.

“I’m terrible, aren’t I?” She smiled.

“That you are, Milady.” A stoic voice suddenly inserted itself into their conversation.

Claudine found herself jolting in her seat at its proximity from behind her. Whipping her head around, she sighed in relief at the sight of her escort.

“Hikari! At least alert us sooner if you’ve arrived!” Claudine complained. Her heart beat strongly against the palm she’d rested against her chest in an attempt to calm herself.

“I have arrived, Milady.”

“No, like I said. Say that sooner!” Claudine huffed, settling back into her seat, leaning her head on her palm once more. Claudine spared a glance at Karen and Mahiru who were looking rather bashful, eyes averted from the newest arrival.

She covered her mouth with her hand to hide the growing smile on her face as her knight stared at the pair across them. Claudine patiently awaited the usual awkward interaction between her friends that she knew would play out soon. She counted the seconds off in her head, knowing exactly when the first move would be made.

3... 2... 1-

Like clockwork, Hikari faced Mahiru and Karen head-on, straightened her posture, and bent into a deep bow of greeting. “Lady Tsuyuzaki.”

“Dame Kagura. It’s a pleasure to see you once more” Mahiru responded calmly.

However, Claudine caught the way Mahiru’s brow twitched. Her displeasure was skillfully hidden behind that gentle smile she’s known for forever, but Claudine would like to believe she’s adept enough at deciphering the true meaning behind Mahiru’s masks called grace.

She internally shook her head, hoping Mahiru could soon find the freedom to be free from the expectations laid on the lady known as ‘High Society’s Saintess’, and be able to express emotions outside of simple joy, kindness, or sympathy.

Turning to the other knight, Claudine waited for what Karen’s reaction for today would be. She had a variety for different days. Sometimes it was openly voicing her disappointment, and other times it was a response just as curt and detached as Hikari’s.

“Dame Ai-”

“Karen!” The owner of the name interrupted. “Just Karen. Karen is fine... H-Hikari...”

Oh? Today was a little more bold, Claudine noted. Usually Karen would only politely request the other knight to refer to her by her given name, even if it bore her title. This was a fresh attempt. Now, how would her dear knight react?

“Dame Karen.” Hikari stated blankly, completely unfazed by the hiccup in her usual greeting routine.

Claudine lightly slapped Hikari’s arm-earning her a confused yelp- before throwing Karen and Mahiru a consoling smile; one that told them there was always a next time to attempt to woo her clueless knight.

She watched Karen’s shoulders drop in a sigh, and Mahiru cover her relenting smile with her fan. She should talk to Hikari about this sometime again. For now, however...

“So? What goes on back at the manor?” Claudine took a sip of her tea that had now gone cold after she’d ignored it a while. With a minute flick of her finger, it grew warm in her hands and she smiled, hoping her friends hadn’t noticed.

She heard her knight groan from behind her. Quite a rare happening, to be frank. Hikari was usually very careful with her actions and reactions, so Claudine braced herself for some unpleasant news.

“Master Cyrille has finally arrived.” She reported dutifully.

Claudine somehow heard the frosty bite in her tone. It was understandable. Cyrille was her elder brother of four years, and the heir apparent to their household.

-Or that was how it was supposed to be.

He and Hikari never really got along after- ehem- certain incidents had taken place a few years ago. Those incidents also happened to be part of the reason why his successorship was being reconsidered at present.

“How did Pa- Father react?” Claudine caught herself before her small childish habit would be revealed.

Hikari scratched her cheek, another nervous habit of hers that Claudine had learned about after years of being together. “They had the usual debate. Right as he arrived.”

That was expected. Claudine knew something like that would happen. So why was Hikari so bothered.

“The young master came onto the premises yelling right away from the gate about being the rightful heir or something along those lines.”

This too was within Claudine’s foresight.

“I can’t believe he’s making a fuss on foreign land. We’re not here to start a war, we’re here as representatives of a peace treaty.” Claudine shook her head in disappointment.

Her family, the Capulets, had hailed from the Western empire and had been residing for a few months on Eastern lands. After hundreds of years of warring with the east, they had experienced the first fifty years of a truce. Finally, the two empires had decided to build friendly relations to completely cease all the needless battles between them. After fifty years of an ambiguous standstill, the emperors had finally decided to send forth representatives to celebrate the golden year of peace between them and cement the alliance of the nations.

As the grand ducal household located at the border of the empires, their family had naturally been selected. This was also the West’s acclaimed ‘reward for service in battle’ to their family who had always fought to protect the precious border.

Yes, all that struggle in history, and her brother might just be the one to render it all useless in one fell swoop.

Not that it would have been the first time.

“Anything else, Hikari?” Claudine could feel her headache coming on.

“They argued in the study.”

“I figured.”

Hikari still radiated nervous energy, and Claudine just had to wonder why. “What are you not telling me yet, Hikari?”

“... Master Cyrille kept pressing that he was the rightful hair to the Dukedom... then Your Grace was angered and said that... that...”

“Hikari?”

“You’re not going to like it.” The knight warned.

“Obviously not.” Claudine replied flatly. “From how you are at this moment, I’ve already figured that out.”

“The Grand Duke said he’d rather make you the heir... instead of Young Master Cyrille... so he wishes to speak with you back at the estate.”

Claudine’s eyes widened. She knew there was a possibility that this outcome would arise. She just didn’t think it was that possible. She had already voiced her stance on this in the past to her father. She was not willing to take over their family as head. She had other plans in life. Plans of freedom and of adventure; she had other desires that were probably not suited for a woman carrying royal blood.

Yet she longed for that particular life. Thus, she could not be the Duke’s successor. She’d suggested that her father give the title to their youngest sibling instead who was seven years her junior.

He might not be ready now, but he could still be groomed to be the perfect candidate in the future. She was sure Gabriel could do it, irresponsible as she may sound at that moment, pushing it all onto the child.

“Kuro-chan?”

Mahiru’s tender voice reminded Claudine that her friends were still there, quite worried that she’d suddenly froze on the spot.

“My apologies, Mahiru.” She got up, bowing deeply. “I know you’ve gone out of your way to prepare all of this for me, but-”

“Hey.” Claudine felt a warm hand on her cheek, guiding her to stand back up. Mahiru’s gaze was kind as it always was, full of tender empathy. “Go. A few tea and biscuits aren’t going to go to waste just because you’re not around.”

Claudine managed a small smile, taking Mahiru’s hand into her own two.

“You have Karen anyway.”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm? What about me?”

The two young ladies laughed at their inside joke for a few moments before embracing one another goodbye.

Karen had offered one to Claudine as well, and she gladly accepted.

After being sent off with the best of regards and well-wishing, Claudine tried to not think on her dread the entire carriage ride home.

She just knew it was going to be a messy affair.

//-//-//-//-//

“Claudine.”

“Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke heaved a sigh, gesturing for his daughter to take a seat across from him. “I take it you’ve already heard from Hikari?” At the nod of Claudine’s head, he sighed once more. “I’m really sorry about that. I am aware that you do not wish to get involved in such dealings. However, I didn’t have much else to say. I could not think of any other argument at that moment.”

Claudine could see the exhaustion built up in her father. She felt bad for being so insistent on her own wants that she’d possibly pushed him up against a wall. However, she could not deny that this was the only path she was willing to take.

Taking her father’s hands and planting a kiss on them, she reassured him. “I understand, papa.”

“Claudine...”

“I am also at fault, anyway. I know you’re being pressured by the Royal family into a succession ceremony soon, and yet... I’m adding onto your troubles.”

“I just- I don’t understand why they are so adamant on it... yet at the same time I know why.” Duke Capulet’s expression turned stern. “I suspect this is the first prince’s doing.”

“Paris?”

The duke nodded, clearly unhappy at the mention of the name. “I don’t understand why your brother went against my guidance to not associate with him. The second prince would make a far better friend, as well as future ruler.” His frown deepened. “And yet, that imbecile, Cyrille...”

Duke Capulet brought Claudine’s hands to his forehead, bowing before his daughter.

“After all that fool, Paris, had done to you...”

Claudine shuddered at the memory of her days at the academy and the forceful ‘courtship methods’ of the first prince. Had her father been a different man, she feared she would have been long-engaged to such a twisted brat who hid behind a cunning smile and the power of the crown.

He was sure never to push too far, or too dangerously, but Claudine knew he was bordering terrible, terrible deeds. She was just glad she was far away from him now.

“Claudine.”

Her father lifted his head up, eyes saddened, but commanding in a sense as they stared into Claudine’s own. Claudine immediately knew that his next words would be incredibly important, that they would be of the utmost value to her and her life, as well as their entire household’s. She just knew that their weight would be something she would have to endeavor to bear for everyone’s sake.

She knew because he rarely ever asked her of anything that she did not desire. She knew that something must have happened to allow the Grand Duke to tremble in this way, before his nineteen-year-old daughter, with a gaze that was begging her to comply.

“You have to get married.”

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine swung her sword, ridding the area of the final beast and collecting its glowing core off the puddled ground. Handing the gem-like item to Hikari for safe-keeping, she slumped against a tree, sinking to the ground that dirtied her pants with mud that had formed from the night’s rain.

“Are you hurt, milady?” Hikari inquired, already rushing forward to do a thorough body-check for any injuries on Claudine.

“Nothing of the sort. Also, I told you not to address me that way while we’re out adventuring. What if someone found us out?” Claudine ran a hand through her damp bangs, grimacing at the repulsive feel and smell of blood and grime in her hair.

“My apologies.”

Times like these, Claudine wished she hadn’t focused too much on learning combat spells back then. She should have taken the foundational classes with Nana more seriously, and looked into metamorphosis magic sooner. She wouldn’t have to worry about issues such as being discovered then.

Better to start late then never, she supposed. She could only manage to change her hair and eye color, as well as clothes for a small amount of time for now, but she was working on changing her entire appearance for extended periods soon. Then she and Hikari could go off on any journey or mission without being recognized.

“Claudine?”

The soft calling made her smile. It was rare for her knight to address her so casually, and even rarer was the tenderness she allowed to escape in her voice. Claudine placed a hand on Hikari’s head, petting it lightly.

“Yes, Hikari?”

“Do you not want to get married, Claudine?”

The question wasn’t what she had expected. She hadn’t even told Hikari about her current situation yet. She must have listened in on the conversation secretly.

“If my dad had caught you...” Claudine laughed at the realization, shaking her head.

Hikari remained silent.

Claudine scratched her cheek, looking away from the knight’s expectant gaze. “It’s not as though I don’t want to.” She admitted. “I just...”

“Just?”

“I haven’t found a person I’d like to share that kind of joy with yet.” Claudine spoke with a loneliness to her tone that they both weren’t quite familiar with. “I haven’t gotten to know anyone who makes me want to experience that kind of relationship.”

Hikari didn’t seem to understand fully, but she nodded nonetheless. “Okay.” She decided not to push further, noticing her master’s discomfort. Instead, she held out a hand to aid her up on her feet.

“Thank you, Hikari.” For the assistance and for listening, Claudine said in her heart. “Shall we head back to the guild now? Wouldn’t want Cyrille to barge into my room first thing tomorrow morning and find it empty.” Claudine half-joked.

If Claudine knew her brother, which she did, she knew he’d have searched for her at the dinner table tonight already, but her father had likely made an excuse to keep him out of her hair ‘til morning. She already knew that he would want to speak to her on matters regarding the prince, or succession, or whatever it was he did that was likely no good.

If he ever got into Claudine’s room without supervision, she was afraid he’d stumble upon things he wasn’t supposed to, and would likely use it against her.

Her conversation with her father resurfaced in her mind. His words on finding a suitable partner, a suitor, and the reasons behind it were invasive, consuming her every thought.

Cyrille was trying to set her up with Prince Paris for some reason. He was willing to pull all stops to do so. It seemed that he had went ahead and made a proposal to the royal family under the authority of ‘Heir-apparent’ to the Capulet Dukedom. He’d sworn that once he was made Duke, she’d be married off into the imperial household as a way to strengthen the standing and influence of the emperor.

Whatever he had been promised to make him act so selfishly and vilely, Claudine didn’t even want to know.

As of now, he held no real power over her father. Neither did the first prince, in reality. Deep down, however, both Claudine and the Grand Duke knew there was more to this arrangement than two boys and their greedy egos being fed. He feared for the future.

With all they had already gotten away with in the past, Duke Capulet was suspecting that someone else held the strings to the puppets dancing to a tune. They had yet to know what gears were turning in a suspected grand scheme, but it must not come to pass. This was what their family feared the most, and why Claudine must not get involved with Paris.

In order to have a valid reason to reject such a candidate, she needed a better one. That was the part she had to play.

There was just one small problem-

“You there!”

A voice echoed through the shadow and mist of the forest, horse hooves stomping rapidly against the wet ground. Quickly, Claudine brandished her sword, pointing it in the direction from whence it came. “Hikari! Get behind me!” She commanded, left hand twitching in anticipation.

“Now see here, Milady. I’m the protector suppo-”

“Don’t move! Stay where you are and drop your weapons.” The voice commanded, a silhouette beginning to form in the distance.

“Like hell we’ll listen.” Claudine grumbled, sword still at the ready with a glow that traveled from its hilt to its blade.

“I’m warning you!” The voice echoed once more. “State your name and your business here. And don’t even think of trying to fight or escape.”

Claudine fixed her glare on the figure coming into the light of the clearing they were at, magic barely finishing its work of turning her hair black as Hikari’s shifted into a shorter cut. It was the best she could do at such short notice. Hopefully the night would be kind enough to be their mask and they wouldn’t be recognized afterwards should they escape successfully.

“Again, I order you to state your names and your business here, strangers. Are you not aware that these grounds belong to the imperial family?” The powerful stomping halted right in front of the women, a sharp huff from the steed sending them reeling back in disgust.

Finally, underneath the gaze of the moon, a figure cast in stardust light appeared before them, hooded cloak hiding the identity of the horseman.

“Who are you.”

Claudine continued to glower at the newcomer, unrelenting as she kept her lips tightly shut. Who was this person? Why had they suddenly been approached? This place was supposedly a mission ground for adventurers and hunters hoping to earn their keep by clearing out the ghouls and demons that infested this uninhabited land.

“Who. Are. You-”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Claudine spoke levelly through grit teeth, ready to slash at any given time should the newcomer move in a threatening pattern. “We’re only here on quest. Adventurers if you will.”

The cloaked man dismounted and walked up to Claudine, staring a few inches down at her. “Is that so?”

Claudine hated that he was even trying to intimidate her. Placing a firm hand on his chest, she pushed him away somewhat gently, not really wanting to potentially aggravate the already-tense situation. “Yes. That is so.” She confirmed, scowling. “For us at least. But what about you?”

Claudine eyed the man, watching for any suspicious movements. He returned the gaze, looking her up and down, searching her expression for signs of dishonesty. He seemed to have found nothing as his aura of hostility calmed drastically, and he sighed.

“I’m an imperial guard, patrolling.” As he said that, a sword was raised, still sheathed. Claudine was shown the imperial seal on the scabbard and she relaxed somewhat as the guard backed off with a small bow. “As I’ve mentioned before, these grounds are under the jurisdiction of the imperial household.”

“Apologies, sir. However, we were unaware of this fact as this place has been a known hotspot for adventurers for many years- or so we’ve heard.” Claudine explained, now sheathing her own sword.

“I understand.” The guard nodded. “I also apologize. While your statement held truth in the past, as of recent, this forest has been deemed more unsafe than it used to be. It’s not just magical beasts or ghouls that lurk these shadows now. Reports of spies, terrorists, and bandits trying to enter the capital via a newly discovered route through the woods have been reported, so we are at high alert.”

Claudine hummed, taking in their current situation. “I see.” Claudine nodded, agreeing to his words. She had expected these kinds of threats to arise as the peace treaty ceremony approached and more nobles from both empires flocked to the main city. It was an opportune moment to spark disaster, and even a civil war.

Good on the west to take quick measures.

“As such, I must ask for your identities to ensure the safety of all.”

Not so good for Claudine.

“I, er-”

“As you are adventurers- and I, of course, believe in your words, I would just like to see your identifications and know your names. It’s a quick process then I can let you go. That is... if you have nothing to be suspected of.”

Truthfully, she shouldn’t be as nervous as she suddenly was at the moment. However, there were a few issues with that request. For one, no one but Hikari, the Grand Duke, and the Head Guild Master of the Eastern Empire knew of her being an adventurer. She had been registered under special circumstances that had been agreed upon, and her issued permit in order to accept quests in the west was also an unorthodox arrangement, and very much a secret one.

When she’d first arrived at the guild hall, she was given an identification badge that also served as her permit like the rest of the adventurers. However, this did not contain her name at all. Instead, it only contained her registration code and where she had come from.

As a law-abiding citizen for the most part, she hadn’t ever needed to do much besides flashing the shiny trinket from a distance at other guards in passing.

This time, however, was different. She was certain that it would be scrutinized and most definitely questioned.

“You sure are taking an awful lot of time to simply identify yourself.” The stranger’s tone of voice was still calm, but his aura had shifted noticeably. “Is anything the matter?”

“No, not at all.” Claudine responded, proud that she’d managed to keep her voice steady. Reaching into her polo, she pulled out the chain that held her badge, presenting it to the imperial guard, praying that he wouldn’t check it as thoroughly as she’d feared.

“Um, excuse me. Why isn’t your name imprinted on it?”

‘Damn it.’

“Allow me to come clean.” Claudine spoke, instantly regretting her choice of words. It made her sound like she actually was someone to be wary of. She should conjure some believable alibi at least.

“Milady-” Hikari stepped forward, but was blocked with that same imperial-branded sword from earlier.

“It’s alright.” Claudine reassured before her knight could retaliate. One wrong move and they could actually be in jeopardy. Not only them, but the entire event of a peace treaty could lay to waste if they were not careful and would get found out.

“Go on.” Was the command.

“I’m actually...” Claudine licked her suddenly dry lips, thinking of how to say it. “I’m a daughter of a noble, and I’m operating under... rather private conditions.”

Okay, she hadn’t meant to be that truthful. If at all.

“How can I believe such a tall claim?” The cloaked man stepped closer to Claudine, now incredibly suspicious. “To which family do you belong?

Claudine had no time to secure a valid name, speaking the first that came to mind. “Sa-Saijou.” Another truth that would surely deepen her dug grave.

“Saijou? As in the Marquess Saijou?” She could almost shrink under that examining gaze. “I’ve never heard of or seen you before though.”

“I- I’m not his child, no. I’m a niece and I’ve been staying with relatives in the west. It was an arrangement made when I was very young, and I have only since been allowed to return here.”

‘Damn me and my inability to lie.’

“I’m sorry, as much as I’d like to believe you, I’ll have to take you with me for some questioning.”

No, no, no. This was not good. Claudine couldn’t risk more people prying into her identity. Also, she could feel the strain of her magic that was about to undo itself. She couldn’t keep up appearances- quite literally- for much longer.

“If you would come quietly.”

They had to bail.

“I’m sorry, but we-”

Suddenly, an arrow flew right by her head, barely grazing her cheek as sounds of multiple hooves and wolf-like growls filled the forest.

“Tsk.”

“Milady!”

“Stand back, you two.” The guard moved in front of them, sword drawn and aimed towards the origin of the arrow and sounds. Quickly, those same sounds began to shift and spread, as if circling them.

Claudine and Hikari quickly drew out their own swords, as the former launched a quick area check spell discreetly.

‘Twenty? No, thirty. Thirty men on horseback... at least ten hunting wolves.’

As Claudine weighed their situation, a harsh gust of wind came hurtling towards them, the hood on the imperial guards cloak coming off, revealing long brunette locks tied up in a ponytail.

The sight of such smooth strands on which the moon’s beams bounced off so gently almost made Claudine forget the gravity of their situation, eyes bewitched- captured- by stunning violet gems that she couldn’t believe she’d failed to take notice of before.

“It seems they have a mage in their midst.” The knight, now fully facing Claudine, addressed them. “I’m sorry to ask this of you after having suspected you; and while I still doubt your credibility, I would like to shamelessly enlist your assistance as of the moment.”

There was something in his gaze, in his entire beautiful expression, that compelled Claudine to know more, to say yes, to help him.

“Truly, you are quite shameless.” She grinned, head held high. “I would have done so without you asking.”

The smile she was rewarded with sent her heart into a frenzy. It wasn’t a handsome grin, no. Claudine took note that under the moonlit night, this man oozed a dignified beauty that was quickly distracting her from her mission at hand.

“You have my gratitude.”

Claudine nodded, willing herself to not stare for longer than necessary as she and Hikari took stance.

With their backs to each other, they stood in wait, counting down the seconds to their adversaries’ arrival. Claudine sighed ruefully as she felt her transformation spell fade, this instance confirmed as she glanced over at a now long-haired Hikari. She could just feel questioning eyes burning their gaze into her golden hair.

She was not looking forward to having to explain this too.

“What.” She spat, meeting the stare of her temporary ally, hoping no questions would come right now.

“Oh nothing. Just wanted to tell you something.”

“And that is?”

As she said that, gruff looking men arrived in the clearing, their disgusting smirks clearly indicated that they were looking down on the small group they’d surrounded.

Claudine was beginning to feel irritated. She hated being underestimated.

She barely caught the grin thrown her way as the guard launched himself at the group. She did, however, receive every single insulting word of challenge.

“Don’t hold me back now, Little Miss.”

Oh it was on,

“Insufferable asshole.”

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine did not frequent pubs. They weren’t her type of hangout spots. And while she wasn’t one for leisure cafe dates or tea parties with the other noble ladies, she did love the peace of libraries and the refreshing mountain creeks.

Needless to say, this place intimidated her more than any imperial guard could hope to.

“Not a good drinker?”

It wasn’t that. It really wasn’t.

If anything, both Claudine and Hikari were strong drinkers. Just not... public drinkers, she supposed.

“No.” Claudine sighed, taking a seat across the pretty man- damn, he was beautiful. Claudine would have almost mistaken him for a woman. He was tall, but not much taller than Claudine, and his voice wasn’t all too deep, so maybe she wasn’t wrong. Maybe.

“Then what has you so down, milady?” His tone of voice was playful, and Claudine knew she was being teased. He probably still didn’t believe in her whole ‘secret-noble-adventurer’ story.

“I’m just tired.”

“Hoh? Already? From that little excursion?”

Claudine growled, pounding the table with her fist. “Well, if someone would have just stayed out of my way while we were fighting earlier then-”

“Now, now. Don’t go blaming someone else for these kind of things, Young Miss. How are you ever going to survive as an adventurer if you blame others for your mistakes? Being able to take responsibility for one’s self is one of the most important traits in the field.”

Claudine clicked her tongue. She knew she was purposely being toyed with. “Shut up.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Miss.”

“And why the hell not?” Claudine’s glare went ignored as the man waved over a server to place an order.

Turning to her with that same smug smile that was equal parts gorgeous and incredibly annoying, the guard spoke. “Because I want to get to know you better.”

Claudine scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Starting with your names.” He clasped his hands together, resting his chin atop them. “I at least believe you are of some noble descent. If the silence of your companion, and her respect towards any of your earlier actions and decisions hold any significant hint to that.”

“Glad you’re at least that sharp.” Claudine huffed, putting up a mask to hide her inner thoughts that were struggling to come up with some alias for both her and Hikari.

“So. Names.”

Anything. Anything.

“J-Julie!”

Curse that damn book and the sudden memory of it!

Claudine inwardly cried as she gave away that piece of false information, even screwing up the actual name she was supposed to use.

“Julie... Saijou.” The brunette looked at her skeptically, but nodded. Somehow accepting it for now. “And your companion is?”

“She’s-”

“Kagura Hikari.”

“Hikari?!” Claudine whipped her head about in shock. So much for discretion! Just what was this girl thinking?!

“I’m sorry, Milady. But I think it is in our best interests to be as honest as possible.” Hikari bowed apologetically to Claudine before turning to her fellow knight, face blank and giving nothing away. “I am uncertain if you’ve heard of such details, but the Saijou’s have long since had ties with the Capulet family of the Western empire.”

Claudine covered her face with her hands, now groaning into her palms. She could only hope this wouldn’t ruin her already fragile freedom and put their positions at risk.

“They are the relatives milady has mentioned before. Her aunt married into the family, you see.”

Ah, so that was how Hikari was going to play it.

Well, maybe it wasn’t a bad excuse. Claudine believed the knight was considering any future encounters with the imperial guard since they would be attending palace events soon.

She spared the guard a glance, and was surprised to see that he actually looked to be convinced of those words. Not that they were much of a lie in the first place.

“I see! I understand. My apologies then.”

Claudine held back her sigh of relief, not wanting to give even the slightest thing away anymore.

“Yes, that’s it.” She said, trying to add onto their story. “And about the identification badge... well... you wouldn’t really expect any noble children, much less ladies, join an adventurer guild and all that.”

“I suppose so.” The guard chuckled.

Soon, their drinks had arrived, and Claudine found herself staring into the golden liquid the man across from her was downing to keep her eyes of his too pretty face, a question nagging on her mind.

“And you?”

“Hmm?” Placing his glass down, he gave her a curious, yet smug smile. “What about me?”

Somehow, Claudine wanted to wipe it off his stupid face.

“We gave you our names and background. It’s only common courtesy to introduce yourself properly in return, is it not?”

His growing grin was really pissing her off.

“Right, of course. Excuse me for my rudeness since earlier.”

“No kidding.” Claudine complained, waiting rather impatiently for his information. Not that she’d ever remember it, much less use the knowledge for any future plans. No. Not at all.

Not even for that.

“Hmm, well you could call me Romero.”

Romero.

Really, now. Romero?

Again, that damn book was really trying to force its way into Claudine’s thoughts. She internally cringed at the association.

“Romero. Of course that’s your name.” She rolled her eyes, not believing it for even one second. “You certainly look like a ‘Romero’.” She stated sarcastically. ‘Romero’ here looked as eastern as eastern gets.

“You wound me, Lady Julie. Can’t a man adapt a name of different culture simply because it suits him this much?”

“I didn’t say anything against it.” Claudine waved, taking a sip from her drink. It was cold, a little bitter. She liked it.

“Your expression says all there needs to be said.”

Claudine smirked, leaning across the table. “Oh? I’m glad it does then. Sir Romero.”

The man’s eyes glinted in amusement as he leaned forward as well. Claudine huffed. So this is how they were going to play it.

“So, Lady Julie. I said I’d like to get to know you.”

Claudine nodded. “Know all you want, then.”

“You say that so easily, but are you sure?” Really, this man unnerved her like no one else. His gaze was piercing, yet dull. It was clear, but betrayed no thoughts nor intentions of his.

Claudine nodded again, but a little less confident now.

“Then, if I may be so bold as to ask,” Romero began. “What business do you have here in the capital? Besides the whole peace treaty, I suppose. If I recall correctly, it is not a requirement for all nobles to attend, and I know the property of both the Saijou’s and Capulet’s are a ways away from here.”

Claudine swallowed a lump in her throat, wondering what she should say. “Isn’t it the greatest honor for any noble to be able to claim that they stood as personal witness to the changing of times?”

What a generic answer.

Bless Junna’s etiquette lessons that were coming to fruition.

“Ehh, how boring~”

Somewhat.

“Be that as it may, it’s the truth.” Claudine raised her glass back up to her lips, taking in more of that golden liquid.

“Is that so? Just that? Nothing else?” Romero pressed.

“That’s all I’m willing to divulge, Sir Romero.” Claudine said sternly, eyes ordering him to back down. Even for an imperial knight, wasn’t this a little too impudent?

“Fair, fair.” Romero responded, hands up in the air in surrender. “I must have overstepped my boundaries. My apologies.”

Claudine downed her drink, ignoring him for a moment.

“I’m simply curious. And to think, for the sole purpose of this event, you went out of your way to get an adventuring permit for quests from the main guild when you might only be staying a short while.” Romero continued to seek her gaze, peskily grinning in wait. “As an imperial guard, I’m just concerned, milady. It’s part of the job.”

Claudine gave him a blank look. Romero seemed unfazed.

“I just need a few more details for my report, that’s all. Something to make your story believable enough to not be sought out by other guards who aren’t as kind and considerate as me.” He winked to accentuate his statement, and Claudine threw him a disgusted look.

“If you were the least bit as considerate as you claim to be, you’d have been quiet for the last hour.”

“Harsh words, Milady. I only want to kno-”

“Milady is here to get married.” Hikari slammed her mug on the table, pinning her gaze on the troublesome man. “Now that you know, stop bothering my master.”

“Hikari!” Claudine didn’t know whether she should be touched at the intervention, or frustrated at the reveal.

“What a loyal guardian.” Romero complimented with a grin. “You’re the kind of escort the imperial palace would love to have.”

It was almost as if he were holding out bait for Hikari to take. Claudine didn’t like it.

“Excuse me, but Hikari is-”

“I belong solely to my Master. I serve no one else but her. My loyalty has been sworn. Your words are kind, but they are not right. Not for me. I’m sorry.”

“Hikari...”

Romero and Hikari’s gazes remained locked in a contest, waiting for one or the other to crack first. Claudine watched on with concern. She hoped they wouldn’t get into any serious quarrel.

To her fortune, Romero finally broke. Broke into a fit of laughter, tears of amusement spilling that he quickly wiped away.

Claudine allowed herself to sigh in relief as she finally relaxed in her seat for the first time that night.

Romero finally calmed enough to begin talking again, much to Claudine’s chagrin. “Married. I see. Married, huh?”

Claudine narrowed her eyes at the amused man, scowl deep. “And what of it? Do you think I’m too unfit for such a maiden’s dream?” If he said yes, Claudine might just be tempted to chop a ball off or too. Tempting beauty of this man be damned. He should try to see if he could snag any lady after tonight.

“No, no. Nothing of that sword, Milady.” He smiled, settling down and emptying the remaining contents of his cup. “Just... Who is the lucky fellow to have caught such a strong-hearted beauty such as yourself?”

Claudine actually blushed at his words this time. Though she did curse her heart for being swayed so easily like that, and by this insufferable man, no less.

“There is... no man... or anyone at all.” She managed to say through grit teeth, slightly embarrassed at that truth that she had about zero suitors coming for her.

She was surprised to see that Romero looked genuinely surprised. It wasn’t some faux, mocking expression. He seemed sincerely shocked at the reveal that Claudine was as single as the lonesome sun in the daytime.

“No one?”

“Not one.”

“For someone as charming as you?” He blinked those big, violet eyes, honest and innocent-looking for once.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, good sir.” Claudine chuckled, actually finding Romero more endearing than annoying at that moment. A shocker for herself.

“I just can’t believe that no one would approach you or ask you. You.” He gestured towards her. “You’re appearance is definitely a win, but more-so is your personality.” He openly praised Claudine. “You are a lovely being. I’m not saying this shallowly. I truly mean every word, Milady.”

Claudine felt her heart warm a little at that.

True, she’s heard those words before from close friends and family. Said in a particular way that she just knew was honest. However, they knew her. They knew Claudine and how she really was. As for the other noble men and women she’d met, they had always seemed to presume things about her based on rumor and first impressions, never attempting to truly know Claudine enough to say compliments that Claudine could think to consider as truthful.

Empty laud, frivolous words, backstabbing comments.

A beautiful face, they said. A cunning mind. A brash personality, an unladylike disposition.

Claudine never claimed they were false, but they weren’t exactly accurate.

Just like that dumb book.

Why did Claudine feel so moved all of a sudden. It wasn’t as though Romero had said much more than others, now that she thought about it. She’d probably have already heard those utterances before. So why?

Was it his tone? The way he looked straight into her eyes with an unguarded sincerity?

Before Claudine could find the answers to her internal queries, the door to the pub burst open, a group of men tossing over tables, and harassing the nearest bar patrons, in search of something or someone.

Romero got up from the table, as did Hikari and Claudine, hands already on their swords, ready to swing.

Claudine’s eyes met with one of the men in front, and something seemed to click in the air.

A finger was raised and pointed right at her.

“Them.”

And they charged.

“Hikari!”

“Yes, Milady.”

The knight moved swiftly, positioning herself in front of Claudine to ward off those who targeted her master, buying Claudine time as she tried to infuse as much magic as she could into her sword and limbs. She didn’t have enough mana for an entire body enhancement as she’d used a fair amount up during the earlier hunts, disguise, and fights. She knew she had barely enough to spare. Just enough to hopefully end this.

She prayed it was enough.

Romero seemed busy as well, sword clashing against spear and blades, shields and armor.

He should be fine. Claudine couldn’t spare him much worry if she had to worry about herself first.

Other patrons had also joined in the fray, but it was clear that there was a difference in the power the intruders held.

With her amplifications complete, Claudine readied herself, and in one motion, swooped past a flurry of enemies, knocking them to the ground before a new wave could approach her.

Were these also among those that Romero had mentioned? Terrorists who had actually managed to enter the city? This wasn’t good. They needed to subdue them before more damage could be done.

Where were the other imperial guards anyway? Why was Romero even patrolling alone with such a dangerous agenda at hand?

She didn’t have time to entertain any of those questions, she decided. Claudine knew she had to focus on what was happening right now. Those could be saved for later.

Focus.

Foc-

“Julie.” Romero called.

Claudine almost forgot that that was her name at the moment, barely managing to send him a confirming nod. “I’m a little busy, but what is it?” She responded, knocking someone over on the head.

“I just thought of something.”

Was it a plan on how to defeat all these men for efficiently? An easier way to protect all the innocent people from these terrorists? If so, Claudine was all ears. “Speak.”

“What about me? What about us?”

‘Huh?’

Claudine managed to throw him an incredulous look as Hikari kicked an attacker away just in time before he could touch Claudine.

“What about you- or us?” She asked, restraining another man with a single binding spell before taking away his consciousness.

“What if you...” Romero dodged a slash, countering with his own. Another masked man made a grab for him, but he easily turned the situation around, ending up on top of him, standing atop a few other bodies.

“I?”

“What if you married me?”

Claudine managed to smash a man’s skull against the wall just as she stared dumbfounded at the imperial knight who looked amazingly serious, and undeterred by all that was occurring around him.

Really?

“...Are we really having this conversation here? Right now?” Claudine questioned, movements fluid as she added to the pile of bodies behind her that were slowly being tied up and secured by a few free bar patrons.

“Yes? Why?” Romero replied nonchalantly, repelling a blow with his sword.

Claudine could not believe the audacity of this man. “Couldn’t it, oh I don’t know, wait until things have settled down?!”

“Couldn’t what wait?” Romero said clueless, stepping back from the force of one particular strike, approaching Claudine’s space.

“This talk!” She answered back, vexed.

“I’ll have you know I’m a hundred percent serious on this proposal. Despite its untimeliness.”

“And I can’t be serious thinking about it because there are so many things I have to consider. One of those being why I must reject your ‘serious proposal’.” Claudine growled as someone managed to hit her leg hard enough to cause her to go off balance.

Romero had caught her just in time, righting her and going back to his own fight. Claudine felt a little annoyed that he had so easily switched gears and was able to handle both his enemy and ally.

“Why ever not? It’s not like anyone else has made an offer?” Romero sounded disappointed.

Claudine really couldn’t explain it right now. Not in this situation, and certainly not as other people listened in.

“Because.”

“Because?”

“Just because!” Claudine yelled, sending one man up into the ceiling in uncontrolled temper.

“I need a concrete reason, milady. Else I’m unwilling to step down from this.” Romero laughed, continuing on with his battle as he and Claudine fought back-to-back.

“And I’m telling you we can talk about it later.”

“Just trying to tell you that I’m a very good candidate, Lady Julie.”

“No thank you, Sir Romero.” Claudine rolled her eyes, tossing another enemy away to the side.

“And that is because?”

Claudine noticed a quick shift out of the corner of her eye. The refraction of light off a blade gave her all the information she needed to calculate a countermeasure. With her feet firmly planted, she twisted her torso, channeling enough energy to deliver a speedy lethal blow into the attacker’s ribcage-

...and apparently also Romero’s who had decided to jump in front of her in a chivalrous attempt at saving her.

A wrong decision, clearly.

Both he and their foe dropped to the ground, on the obvious brink of consciousness.

Claudine’s mind flew into panicked disarray as she quickly knelt over her comrade, trying to think of how to help him.

“Romero! I’m sorry!!! But you’re an idiot!” She began to spout words out so quickly. “You should know that I’m a trained fighter. And why did you do that! You clearly saw what I was doing! This is why you shouldn’t interfere with my battles! Also what was with that sudden proposal in the middle of it all huh?! Are you trying to get us killed?!”

“Milady-” Hikari was at her side, trying to calm her as the fighting had finally subsided. Claudine’s vision however, was unexpectedly tunneled, worry apparent on her face as she desperately tried to aid the fallen knight.

“There’s a time and place for everything, Romero!” Claudine continued to scold, hands already taking on a healing glow. “You ought to be more mindful. And you claim you’re an imperial knight?!”

“Master Clau-”

“I fear for the empire if all the knights are like you. What, did you think you were saving me by placing yourself in front of me?”

“Stupid Romero. Now you’ve gotten hurt. You weren’t focusing at all, were you? And all for a silly proposal?!”

“Milady, I think he’s losing consciousness-”

“And you wouldn’t even let me explain why I clearly have to reject your proposal! I have very specific conditions, mind you. So don’t go mocking me once you hear them.

“Milady!”

“You see, I can’t accept your proposal because...” Claudine finally took a deep breath, a pause for once.

Hikari tried to tell her that Romero had long since been knocked out, but Claudine couldn’t seem to hear her. At this point, she’d realized it would be better to give up and allow Claudine to settle down on her own.

Hikari only hoped her Master wouldn’t break down at the realization and the embarrassing memories to come.

“-I like women.”

“...”

Hikari sighed, finally seeing the truth sink in for Claudine as her eyes widened and her hands trembled in an emotion that was no longer just concern.

“... he heard nothing, did he?”

She was in for a long day tomorrow.

“Milady...”

A/N: Uh. I think I did my best atm. Yey. If you’re wondering why Claudine has eastern friends, and supposedly they go way back, as well as why her knight is also from the east, well... see you next ep! Or I think next next chap? Ma- er, Romero needs a turn.

Also, before ppl complain to me about genderbending or making this mlw, I’m not one to mis-tag something. Just saying.

I apologize for OOC-ness

Also I’m just... really tired. I wanted to amuse myself by writing something silly or like... unusual-ish. Idk.

Meh.

~Shintori Khazumi

#mayakuro #shoujo kageki revue starlight #starira #revue starlight #my dumbassery arises once more #romeo and juliet but not really #fanfic #tendou maya #saijou claudine #kagura hikari #mahiru tsuyuzaki #aijo karen #au

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