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starstruckmoony · 1 year ago

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Hello! May I request a muggle AU with Theodore, with this meet-cute prompt: "they're on opposite sides of a wedding party to the bride and groom" (prompt is from @/thewritersafterglow on Instagram). Thank you! I know this request is in good hands :)

aaaaaa thank you anon! <3 this is the first request i've got in a while (again tysm it made me very very happy <3<3) and i had lots of fun writing it so i hope it meets your expectations!

can't help falling in love.

masterlist , requests

pairing - theodore nott x reader

trope/tags - muggle!au, strangers to lovers-ish, fluff (side note - this isn't particularly realistic because i don't really know how weddings work in different parts of the world, so i kind of just went by how they function in my country and some bits and pieces i've managed to pick up from movies and such. i know it probably won't be accurate for everybody but i tried my best LMAO)

word count - 3k

warnings - language, drinking, smoking, cheesy at the end

when you recieved an envelope in your mail one fine morning in late may, you never would have expected it to be an invitation to your primary school classmate's wedding in the english countryside. you could still recall the wonderful memory of choking on your coffee and scaring the life out of your poor cat when you saw her name plastered in big letters in the center of the paper, right below a picture of her and her fiancé. it was a miracle how she remembered you existed. to be frank, you were kind of honoured, and you made sure to confirm your arrival almost immediately. hell yeah, you were coming. free food and alcohol? who in the right mind would pass on that?

so about three months later, sometime in mid-august, you found yourself inside of a crowded venue, sweating buckets in your silky green dress, without a fan, or anybody to keep you company. a few of your old classmates were there too, but not a single one of them bothered to offer you a greeting. what a bunch of arseholes.

you stood leaned against the wall in the very back where there were fewer people, attempting to cool yourself down by fanning the air around you with your hands as you waited for the godforsaken ceremony to finally start. to nobody's surprise, the bride was a little late, and the groom's family was in a mild state of disarray. it was kind of funny, but not as funny as it would have been if you weren't feeling so bloody hot. do they not have air conditioning in here? how do people get married in these conditions? and why does the best man look more terrified than the groom?

the loud sound of somebody's shoes scraping against the tiles right next to you shook you right out of your train of thought, and you placed your hand against your chest in horror, "jesus christ." you muttered under your breath, the unfamiliar man attempting to catch his breath scared the life out of you.

he glanced at you for a split second, appearing rather exhausted (aftermath of sleeping through five alarms and having to run to the venue because his friends were too lazy to wait for him), "sorry." he offered you an apology breathlessly, leaning back against the wall to steady himself. you thought that you were being overdramatic when it came to the heat and the current atmosphere of the wedding, but this man seemed to have surpassed you. he was rather handsome though, despite being drenched in sweat from what you assumed was running, also paired with the humid air inside. his eyes were strangely captivating, and he looked a little too good in that suit of his for it to be considereded legal. were you staring? you were probably staring. you trailed your eyes away, pretending to be entertained by the groom's father who was attempting to explain the situation to the guests. you cursed inwardly, realising that you'd be stuck in there for a long time.

you turned to the pretty guy again, deciding that you should, perhaps, talk to him, "you don't look like you wanna be here." fantastic start. those probably weren't the words he wished to hear in those circumstances, but your observations didn't seem to annoy him at all. he actually chuckled instead, "am i that transparent?"

"quite." you responded a little too nonchalantly than intended, taking a quick glance at the door in hopes that you'll see the bride come in. nope. you returned to your original position. how wonderful that was, more waiting.

"do you have any water in there?" the man spoke again, pointing at the purse you had tucked under your arm.

you took it in your hands and peeked inside, knowing that you most likely wouldn't have what he was asking for, "no," you shook your head, but continued rummaging through it, "i have this, though." you pulled out a tiny bottle of liquor and shrugged before shoving it into his face.

he didn't hesitate to grab it, he would have taken anything that was liquid enough. he drank it all, not that there was much, before handing the bottle back to you with a scowl. he coughed a little as the alcohol burned his throat, and you couldn't help but snort.

"i don't know how smart that was." it wasn't, really, since it would only dehydrate him more, but it worked for the time being. he coughed again, falling back against the wall, finally able to breathe somewhat normally.

"you'll find out in a few hours," you didn't miss the smile that painted his features, and it encouraged you to carry on, "how do you know the bride... or the groom?" you questioned, wanting to keep the conversation going to kill at least some of the remaining time you had. you were bored out of your mind.

"the groom," he nodded briefly, "we went to college together, funny bloke, he invited me and my two other friends who are... somewhere in here," he stretched his neck as his eyes scanned the crowd for a short moment, "eh, whatever." he shrugged, and then reached into his pocket, but quickly retrieved his hand. it was still empty. you had assumed he reached for a cigarette before he was able to remember where he was.

"you won't go looking for them?" you queried, finding his neutrality over the whole situation slightly bemusing. it wasn't every day that a hot guy like him ditched his friends for you, and it was rather pleasant to think about. he was hoping he wasn't being so obvious about it, but you read him a little too easily.

"what, bored of me already?" he questioned, a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"i might be, now that you said that." you scowled in pretend disgust, drawing a breathless laugh from him. you shortly sunk into a not overly uncomfortable silence, both internally debating with yourselves about whether you should keep it going or not. you were kind of drawn to each other, after all. the consequence of attending a wedding without a date must have had an influence on it, you told yourself. he mustered a similar, lame explanation.

"i'm theodore, by the way." he decided to break the ice after a while, and you almost sighed in relief, "y/n." you shook his hand politely.

"nice wedding." he added, his face scrunching at the sight before him. the sarcasm in his tone was obvious.

"delightful, isn't it?" you offered the older lady that passed by you a forced smile, and then eyed her giant pink hat judgementally. you and theodore resembled a mean high school couple who had an opinion on absolutely anyone and everything, just standing there, laughing amongst yourselves and making fun of all the other guests and their stupid pastel outfits. it made sense why your classmates hadn't approached you, but you didn't let them occupy your mind any longer. you found yourself a like-minded companion for the night, one that was ten times funnier, and the prime example of eye-candy.

"imagine she never shows up." theodore said after you shamelessly fed one another with some interesting past gossip about the bride and the groom. judging by what he had told you, those two were a match made in heaven. and you could say that with your whole chest.

"god, don't plant that idea into my head. i spent my last three paychecks on this bloody dress." you snorted, dusting it off when you noticed that it had got a bit dirty.

"it looks perfect on you, though." theodore's little compliment took you off guard, and he must have noticed judging by the way he grinned.

"thanks." you felt yourself blush a little at his comment, and just as you were about to open your mouth to speak again, the bride's mother burst through the door, announcing that her daughter would be there shortly. you exchanged a relieved glance with theodore, fucking finally.

despite the long wait, the ceremony played out quite beautifully. the couple exchanged their vows, humourous and tear-jerking all at once. people laughed, people cried, somebody's baby did both. the best man hadn't forgotten to bring the rings, and the maid of honour looked happier for the bride than the bride. nobody backed out last moment, and nobody objected after the infamous "speak now or forever hold your peace". you left the venue with a smile on your face, pleasantly surprised.

theodore and his friends offered to give you a ride to an even larger venue where the reception was being held after you told them that you had arrived with a cab, and you happily accepted their offer. the two idiots he came with were just as unserious as he was, and you had soon found out that they all attended the wedding with the same intentions as you. eat food, get drunk (and then sleep in the car because mattheo wants to get wasted but doesn't want to run them off the road and kill somebody in the process).

the reception, thankfully, moved a lot faster than the ceremony. by some sheer dumb luck, you had been instructed to sit at the same table as theodore, lorenzo and mattheo. your shitty classmates were there too, so you assumed that the table was designed specifically for that - old friends from school that the newly weds didn't talk to very much, but still liked them enough to invite them.

so, after the grand entrance, loud clapping and cheering, a cute speech from the bride, more clapping and cheering, the best dinner you had had in a while, a few more emotional speeches, and even more clapping and cheering (hollering this time, too), the dj finally showed up. it was the part of the night you had been the most excited for. the first dance was absolutely beautiful and even brought a few tears to your eyes, but god, the moment you heard an onset of lower-than-nightclub-quality music blast from the speakers, your hopes had all gone down the drain.

the dance floor filled up in a matter of seconds, and you had never been more appreciative of the existence of wine. not a single song that was played in the span of fourty-five minutes was your cup of tea. and as different people's requests kept incoming, it only got worse.

theodore seemed to be having the same problem. mattheo too, considering he had about five shots in less than half an hour. lorenzo wasn't doing much better either. he was entertaining himself by making paper planes out of tissue paper and leaving them on the table like a strange art project.

"this music is terrible." theodore's voice was completely drowned out by the godawful sounds coming from the speakers, you couldn't hear a thing he was saying.

"what?!" you shifted a bit closer to him, covering one of your ears with your palm to subdue at least some of the noise.

"i said that this music was terrible!" he tried not to shout, but it would have been impossible for you to comprehend whatever he had said if he hadn't done so. yes, it was fucking awful. many people would disagree, considering how many of them were still on the dance floor, either fully wasted already or slowly getting there. at least the newly weds were having a good time, both slightly tipsy too.

"tell me about it!" you yelled back, rolling your eyes. you considered asking him to accompany you outside, for a smoke or something, though you didn't really need an excuse. anywhere would have been better than in there. but you chickened out before you were able to speak, continuing to sip on your wine in silence. silence, that was funny, mostly because of how unbearably bloody loud the music was.

lorenzo suddenly stood up, and he yelled something into mattheo's ear. the other stared at him in confusion, and then burst out laughing into his face. he turned to you instead, and you saw his lips move, but didn't understand a thing he was saying.

"huh?!" you and theo yelled out in unison, and lorenzo waved his hands dismissively at you, defeated. he pushed his way through the crowd on the dance floor and shuffled over to the dj. he threw an arm around the man, probably trying to make some friendly conversation. they seemed to be getting along.

perfect. you reached for the wine bottle, refilling your glass and taking large gulp. you were hoping that lorenzo had enough charm to sway the dj into playing something else. it took about twenty minutes of insignficant chit-chat for the man to finally nod and give him a thumbs up, and that's then the beginning of dancing queen blessed your tortured ears.

you gasped in shock, immediately getting up onto your feet and latching onto theodore's arm. he didn't really protest when you tugged at his sleeve and pulled him to the dance floor which got even more crowded than it was before. mattheo managed to fall out of his chair, but he followed the two of you and joined you in the mass of people.

"thank me later!" lorenzo yelled your way before a pretty girl grabbed his attention. the night got so much better from then on. the dj appeared to have whipped up a large playlist of abba's work, since the songs were playing one after another, each one bringing your mood up. you had completely blocked out anything that had happened before you heard the tune of the first song, and you had only returned to the table with theodore to refill your glasses before running back to the dance floor.

you couldn't recall the last time you had that much fun, singing your heart out, jumping up and down, showing off some ridiculous moves, letting theodore hold your hand and spin you around. the dj stuck to the same genre for a while, playing old pop songs, keeping everybody on their feet. some of them you didn't know, but you weren't about to sit back down after doing so for almost two hours, so you danced to them too nevertheless.

that is, until your legs started hurting a little too much for it to be tolerable and your throat had got a bit sore from belting several songs with the bride. your head was spinning too, courtesy of having so much wine. theodore took the opportunity to ask you to accompany him outside (because he really needed a cigarette) after some slow tune neither of you were familiar with had been put on.

you nodded your head took a hold of his hand as he led you out the door. you clumsily made your way down the stairs, laughing as you did so. the effects of alcohol were beginning to show themselves.

as fun as it was, getting out of there for a short while was a need. you slumped down onto one of the stone benches placed outside the venue, sighing comfortably as the chilly breeze of the night cooled you down.

you immersed yourself into another casual discussion, not a very significant one, as neither of you could even stand properly for too long without stumbling, but it was nice breather from the wild atmosphere inside. you liked talking to theodore, and even with your clouded thoughts, you knew you'd want to see him again after this. there wasn't a doubt in your mind.

"i thought i'd have to leave early." theodore laughed to himself as he took the last drag from his cigarette, and then tossed the burnt out stub onto the concrete.

"and make me stay here all alone?" you teased, although you probably would have left too if it wasn't for lorenzo and his skillful flirtation tactics or whatever the hell that was.

"who said i wouldn't bring you along?" his response made heat rush to your cheeks, and you put your head down with a breathless chuckle. you were quiet for a moment, trying to recollect your thoughts.

"you know, this might sound a little weird, but," you chewed on the inside of your cheek, not really able to think straight. you were tipsy, after all, "i'm glad i met you today," you tilted your head to the side, drunkenly observing him, "you're nicer than i anticipated." as backhanded as it sounded, that was the best you could do.

it was theodore's turn to blush after you said the words, and it didn't manage to go past you, despite him trying his hardest to hide it.

"yeah, i mean no– it's not weird, i'm uh," he trailed off, contemplating whatever it was that he wanted to say next. honestly speaking, he didn't know how to put it into words, "i'm glad we met too, you're–"

one thing that theodore hated was tripping over his words and not being able to be blunt with somebody he took a liking to, which is why he was so, very grateful to hear elvis' can't help falling in love coming from the inside of the venue.

you looked up at him when you realised which song it was, waiting to see if he'll ask you to dance. and he did, but he didn't lead you back in through the door like you thought he might. you stayed outside in the light wind, slowly swaying to the music, his hands on your waist and your arms around his neck.

you liked it better that way, just the two of you in your own little world with nobody else to disrupt you. you let your head rest on his shoulder, and his grip on your waist tightened just a little bit, like he was making sure you won't leave him. you smiled to yourself, god, that was the last thing you were planning on doing.

#theodore nott x reader #theodore nott x you #theodore nott #theodore nott x y/n #theodore nott imagine #theodore nott scenarios #theodore nott smut #theodore nott fluff #theodore nott headcanons #theodore nott fanfiction #mattheo riddle #lorenzo berkshire #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction

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ohdeerfully · 9 months ago

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Hi! Can I request Alastor x NonBinary!Reader? Like how would he react/learn about it?

hii sure thing! heres some headcanons! i struggled to write a decent bit because i honestly dont think he would care (or understand) at all, but i hope you like 'em!

Alastor x Nonbinary!Reader

Alastor x Reader (headcanons)

TW: brief mention of transphobia, but nothing upsetting or graphic join my discord!

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Tbh i dont think Alastor really understands the concept of gender outside of male/female

But he would support you either way

Probably finds out through one of the other hotel residents who correct him on a pronoun

Or he saw you looking at your body in the mirror, upset about something

“Why do you look so critically at yourself?”

You hesitated to tell him at first

I mean, he died in the ‘30s. People who died in the modern age are still super transphobic so you were terrified what he would think

You started with explaining how you felt dysphoric sometimes, like things in your body just didn’t fit

He made an awkward comment about how your figure was great, that you were a beautiful (man/woman)

Then you tried to explain how that was the problem, how you didn’t want to be labeled that way

If you prefer to look androgynous, he would actually surprisingly understand the idea. Sort of.

“Ah, like Angel Dust! Not an issue, my dear” obviously referring to the male with feminine features

I mean, kind of. Though you preferred not looking one way or another, you could tell he was trying his best to act like he understood

As an overlord in hell, he’s got much bigger things on his mind than worrying about what gender identity somebody else had. It wasn’t that big of a deal to him

Still, he makes sure those around you respect your identity because he knows it’s important to you. Demons in hell can be unnecessarily cruel, so he will hit them back with equal cruelty, either physically or verbally

Nobody can disrespect his partner like that >:(

Definitely the type to say something like “um excuse me she goes by they/them”

He tries though

if you changed your name, it wouldn't take him long to catch on and kind of just forget your deadname

it isn't uncommon for people in hell to go by a different name, so this wasn't any different

Affirmations go crazy when he notices you feeling particularly bad about your figure

Though, he usually opts to just take you out to get your mind off of it

He’s not the best at comfort, but you appreciate the gesture

Rosie has definitely made fun (polite) comments about you and him being a queer couple, though Alastor doesn’t understand these At All

“Huh :D?” is a general response from him

Again, whether or not he fully understands the concept of gender binaries, he would care for you just the same as before

#ohdeerfully #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #fluff #nonbinary #nonbinary reader #gn reader #alastor headcanons

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lesbianrobin · 5 months ago

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non-exhaustive list of films that would cause eddie diaz to have a mental breakdown and/or cry so hard he throws up:

moonlight (2016). self explanatory.

the only son (1936). eddie might actually kill himself if he watched this. he would just be silent for like hours after watching and that night he would just stand in christopher's doorway watching him sleep for like minimum forty-five minutes. he would exist in a state of profound pessimism and melancholy until he saw buck again at which point he would forget about all of that and be normal. sometimes in his life he will randomly remember the only son (1936) and be like chris. you know that i'll be proud of you no matter what you do with your life right. all i want is for you to be happy. and chris will be like yeah.... why are you talking like we're in a movie and you have a terminal illness. and eddie's like i'm not talking like that i'm being normal. i'm a father. and chris is like ok weirdo. and eddie feels better.

the babadook (2014). self explanatory.

4th man out (2015). he would be like this movie is so dumb it's So dumb and then 1. cry when adam comes out to his mom and 2. get deeply invested in the relationship between adam and nick and when they kiss toward the end he'd be like YESSSSS but then when they laugh it off and say they're just friends he'd be like oh..... and feel really upset about it for reasons he cannot explain. he would rant to buck/chim/hen/bobby for like fifteen minutes about how the whole movie was CLEARLY leading up to a romantic conclusion between them and the writers were just being cowards for going with the best bros ending and buck would be like EXACTLY and everyone else would be like 👀😳 and hen would be like well i think they were trying to make the point that gay men can still have close intimate friendships with other men without it being sexual and eddie would be like okay well then those guys shouldn't have had so much chemistry!! and chim would be like yknow some might say that you and buck have good chemistry. and buck would be like we do <3 and eddie would be like hell yeah we do and they'd fuckin fist bump or something and the entire firehouse is like oh my GODDDDDD.

but i'm a cheerleader (1999). self explanatory.

brokeback mountain (2005). self explanatory.

captain america: the winter soldier (2014). eddie reacts So strongly to this movie and nobody understands it (including eddie) except for buck who immediately and instinctively understands that eddie is projecting onto both steve rogers and bucky barnes but only the sad lonely soldier losing himself and hurting the people he loves against his will parts + completely bypassing the hero parts. also steve's like "even when i had nothing i had bucky" and eddie is like hhhhhhhhh...

the pit, the pendulum and hope/kyvadlo, jáma a naděje (1983). okay look. i'm aware that nobody knows what this is. it is a short film inspired by edgar allan poe's "the pit and the pendulum" and auguste villiers de l'isle-adam's "a torture by hope." you should all go watch it but if you don't let me just tell you that eddie would have another panic attack and/or throw up.

the lord of the rings: return of the king (2003). self explanatory.

#em talks #eddie diaz #911

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queers-gambit · 2 years ago

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Creepy Crawlies

inspired by this image by @applegin

prompt: Aemond and Helaena witness how deep your fear goes.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x female!reader featuring: bestie!Helaena

fandom masterlist: House of the Dragon

word count: 1.7k+

warnings: cursing, spoiler FREE, author has arachnophobia and projects in this, spiders (it's a warning to me), generally pretty docile. oh, and, i'm def pretending Aemond's just strong enough to carry a human, so, use a bit of your imagination.

#WhyPayForTherapyWhenYouCanWrite

In truth, you're not sure how or why it happened. Some said it was the Will of the Gods, others claimed it simply made-up, while others said it could've been your own mind playing tricks. Either way, every which way you turned, someone was there to discredit your fears.

It's not like you asked for this kind of humiliation! Honestly! Did people genuinely think you did this on purpose? Did they think you liked this? Being this way? As if it wasn't enough to have fear in general, but tenfold when nobody seemed to understand nor validate the way you were engulfed in anxiety.

Over all, the creepiest, fucking eight-legged, eight-eyed crawlie around. Something you regarded as Hell Spawn, others might call a spider. Either way, you despised the wee creatures - and though you understood boot crushes the little guy, the idea of being so close to one that you could kill it sent you into overwhelming panic.

Ah, fucking spiders.

Again, you're unsure how this fear developed but it was as if you woke up one day and couldn't stop screaming at the sight of the little creature sent from the depths of Seven Hells. Your older brother became the official "Spider Killer" of the family since you spent most of your time with him, but after getting married, your husband now assumed the role.

Years ago, both your mothers had agreed to a marriage arrangement to ensure loyalty from your House (should the time come), and six weeks after your 17th nameday, you were reciting vows to your white-haired lover. He held no quarrel with your fear, and in fact, he was the first to ever not make you feet at fault for it.

It wasn't Aemond's place to ridicule you. He's seen you with a sword, with a bow and arrows, hell, even with an axe - and sometimes, doing all of that while on horseback! He understood you to have no fear, and yet, when a spider comes in your vision, it was as if any and all rational thought vacates your mind. He's seen you throw-up from your anxiety, so, he quickly understood his role and never once complained nor belittled you for it.

Aemond didn't mind killing spiders for you. He could understand that you needed "proof" of their vanquish, showing the squashed bug on his boot, and only then would you breathe easier. However, if around his family, Aemond knew his sister, Helaena, would become upset by him harming - like alone, killing - any insect. She'd prefer them to be set free outside, and as compromise, Aemond would simply escort you out of the room to leave his sister time to collect her buggy friend. He'd walk you to the kitchens, fetch some water, watch you crack your neck, and then venture back to whatever gathering.

You always hesitated before returning to events. Most times, wherever you saw the spider is the exact place you avoid - almost as if there was an invisible fence keeping you away.

Aemond would pause you, slowly pick up his sister's jar, and show you the little fucker was safely inside with a screwed-on-tight lid. You didn't like it, Aemond knew that, but you both made an effort to actively not upset Helaena.

One day, when a thick hurricane ravaged the city, Aemond found you in the middle of lessons and decided to seek out his sister - never seeking Aegon out unless for family matters. His sister, as usual, was catering to her collection of insects, smiling when she saw him, and inviting him over. She mindlessly explained who was who to Aemond, telling him what they did or what their purpose was in an ecosystem.

He listened.

He asked questions.

He was a perfect brother.

And he didn't think you'd know where to find him on such a day, because the moment Helaena handed over a spider to Aemond, bidding he be gentle and not let Aegon near the creature (who had been in and out all day), there came a squeak by the door.

"Oh," Helaena frowned, seeing your frozen form. Her brother had told her of your fear, thinking she'd understand the best. "I-I can introduce you, if you want? Wi-Will that help? Will that help you feel safe?"

You paused, heart melting at her words. "Um... Uh, I-I don't, I, uhhh... I just don't know what will help."

"It's okay, darling," Aemond soothed, nodding at you, hands turning over to let eight-legs carry the spider around.

"Here," Helaena nodded, waving Aemond after her as she approached you. "Why don't you just watch, say hello? No touching," she promised, standing slightly behind you as if you block your exit.

"Um... I don't know..."

Aemond took slow steps, eye never leaving your face. You gulped as he took another step, and from here, he could see a sweat glistening on your forehead - so he took another step.

"Wait! Wait, no!" You begged, feeling Helaena's hands on your upper arms from behind. Aemond was too close now, and you couldn't look away from the arachnid crawling around his flesh. The same flesh you touched, the same flesh that worshiped you nightly, the same flesh that warmed your own in the night. "NO!" You sobbed, backing up so forcefully, you almost tripped over you sister-by-law. "No, Gods, please, no! NO! Just no! G-Get away from me!"

Helaena gasped your name, but your eyes were blown, hands shaking, throat swelling, stomach churning. Aemond spoke your name softly, frowning, but you could only pant as you leaned against the chamber wall beside the door. "We're gonna put her back now, okay?" He spoke softly, nodding slowly at you.

"Please, please, just kill it, jus-just get it gone!" You begged,.

"We'll get it away from you, it's okay," Aemond agreed, his sister quickly opening her jar to let her brother lower the bug into the glass. "It's okay, love, look, just look here." When your eyes flashed to his, then to the jar, he made sure to move slowly and shake the little Hell spawn from his hand.

"I'm so sorry," Helaena frowned.

"It's not your fault," Aemond promised, watching you as you tried to regain your breathing. "It's not her fault either..."

"Um," Helaena looked at you with worry, "m-maybe you'd like to see the others? I have ladybugs, grasshoppers, too. They're nice."

You gulped, "I-Is the spider gone?"

She held up the jar, turning for her little work bench and setting the jar in a satchel - out of your sight. "Is this okay?" She made sure.

"I-It can't escape?" You squeaked.

"No," the girl shook her head. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"No, no," you assured slowly, "it's me."

"Can I ask?"

You eyed her for a moment, "I don't have an answer... I've been like this since I can remember."

She frowned, glancing at Aemond. "Why aren't you comforting her?"

"She doesn't like to be touched like this," Aemond whispered.

"My skin hurts when I'm having these feelings," you admitted with a frown. "I just... You gotta let me calm down."

"Come sit?" Aemond offered, gesturing to the furthest arm chair from the work bench.

"I-I think I should leave. You guys were having fun and - "

"No, no, I want you to stay," Helaena insisted. "We can do anything else!"

"I'm so sorry," you sighed.

"Don't apologize," Aemond frowned, slowly approaching you.

"Aht!" You warned with a finger to halt him. "You're not touching me after a spider!"

"Oh, sweetheart - "

"No, no, no, no, wash your hands," you snipped. "I can't touch you, please, Aemond... For me?"

He sighed, but turned for the wash basin as Helaena lead you to the sitting area. She showed you her ladybugs and grasshoppers, and soon, you were giggling as the grasshoppers just bounced around like a little spring was on their legs.

Aemond eventually joined you, but he could see the panic in your eyes from still being in the same room, knowingly, as a spider. He understood why you wanted them killed instead of set free, and he would've done whatever it took to ensure your comfort. However, it could mean putting his sister's comfort at risk - and nobody, but Aemond, cared about Helaena's feelings.

So, when you married Aemond, you both understood that you two were essentially Helaena's keepers. If that meant capturing spiders rather than killing them, so be it, but Aemond hated watching you suffer. So, he pretended he was needed elsewhere with you to make your escape, and only when out of the room did he swear you took a breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill it," he sighed.

"No, it's okay... Thank you for getting me out of there."

"Anytime," he nodded with a frown. "I wish I could've helped more."

"You help plenty," you assured. "I should learn to knock before entering rooms."

Aemond chuckled, "Yeah, as if that would ever happen."

"Hush." But then, you admitted, "I wish I didn't have this fear."

"Then you wouldn't be you," Aemond eased, letting his hand slide around your waist. "It's okay to be afraid."

"Yeah?"

"'Course," he smirked, "because your husband isn't afraid of a thing and can easily take on the Hell Spawn."

"See!" You cried with a gasp. "You know they're devious little fuckers, too! Sent upon mankind to repent for our sins!"

"Maybe that's why you fear them."

"Hmm?"

"You sinned big time in another life and now the spiders are sent, seeking atonement."

"Oh, ha-ha. Thought I married a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, not a court jester."

"Perhaps, a bit of both?"

"You'd have to be actually funny to be a jester - OW!" You laughed when he pinched your ribcage to make you squeal. "Unfair advantage! You're so bloody tall and have an angle!"

"Hm," Aemond considered, shrugging with a relenting nod, and then stooped low to haul you over his shoulder as if a sack of flour - moving forward to your bed chamber.

"Aemond!" You squealed. "Put me down, this is not appropriate! You know I hate being man-handled! Oh, my God, please, love, there's people watching!"

"Then they can mind their own business, just like we are," Aemond grunted. "I am merely escorting my wife to bed so I can fuck the fear outta her all night."

"It's only past lunch, Aemond!"

"Then I know what I want for dinner," his other hand rose to give a playful swat to your ass; hearing you giggle as he turned the corner.

requesting rules and masterlist

HOTD masterlist

#aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #prince aemond targaryen #prince aemond #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond the kinslayer #aemond fluff #hotd aemond #house of the dragon aemond #aemond hotd #aemond x fem!reader #aemond targaryen imagine #house of the dragon #hotd #hotd x reader #hotd imagine #aemond targaryen fluff #aemond targaryen fanfic

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darkchocolatedimples · 5 months ago

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the tortured poets department (sponsored by my procrastination)

excuse my essays for each song the lyrics are so interesting to me so there’s like actual analyzation for each one.

fortnight - dex

that lingering resentment disguised by surface level friendship is that not literally him and sophie come on. “run into you sometimes, ask about the weather” the awkwardness!! “your wife waters flowers, i want to kill her” he was the #1 fitz hater for multiple reasons after all (although i think he was over it by the time keefe became prominent)

the tortured poets department - sophie

this is so keefe from her perspective come on “you’re in self sabatoge mode, throwing spikes down the road, but i’ve seen this episode and still love the show” “i chose this cyclone with you” “sometimes i wonder if you’re gonna screw this up with me. but you told [biana] that you’d kill yourself if i ever leave. and i had said that to [dex] about you so i felt seen. everyone we know understands why we’re meant to be.” also let’s be so real keefes drawing journals + goodbye letters, he’s giving tortured poet

my boy only breaks his favorite toys - fitz

guys he’s just a silly little boy with anger issues, and he’s MY silly little boy with anger issues stop hating him 😞 “the voices in his head called the rain to end our days of wild” “he saw forever so he smashed it up” he may have fucked up but it happens!!

down bad - dex

CUZ FUCK IT HE WAS IN LOVE!!! also if i may present to you: “i might just die it would make no difference” in the context that outside of sophie saw no purpose to his own life. he saw himself just as he is presented in the books: as her best friend and nothing more. so in losing that (blaming himself and his own feelings for it) what was left of him? who was left? sophie was also his ONLY friend. not to mention in the context of the fact that when he WAS presumed dead nobody cared, they still cared more about sophie.

so long, london - keefe

no not bc of london actually but because “and you say i abandoned the ship but i was going down with it, my white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment” is actually a direct reference to keefitz’ friendship falling apart as fitz got angrier and keefe got more closed off. “you swore that you loved me but where were the clues?” “im just mad as hell cause i loved this place” me when everglen is no longer keefes safehaven. nor anyone’s for that matter bc its haunted by alvars betrayal and alden’s mind break and fitz’ anger.

but daddy i love him - biana

“i just learned these people only raise you to cage you” “i just learned these people try and save you…cause they hate you” “dutiful daughter all my plans were laid…growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all.” i hate alden vacker. how do u manage to use and fuck up all ur kids by age 12 like wow. “i’ll tell you something about my good name: it’s mine alone to disgrace” she would 100% say this. she would also 100% say “im having his baby! no im not but you should see your faces.”

fresh out the slammer - keefe

sokeefe or keefitz take it as it comes. “in the shade of how he was feeling.” “as i said in my letters.” “my friends try, but i wouldn’t hear it…for just one glimpse of his smile” “swirled you into all of my poems” it’s so him it is truly.

florida!!! - keefe

THIS one’s about london! “well me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time! yes i’m haunted but im feeling just fine” ethan and eleanor wright who?? “your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in” candle shade/shores of solace type beat “i need to forget so take me to [london], i have some regrets i’ll bury them in [london]” “i don’t want to exist so take me to [london]” aw bae

guilty as sin? - dex

i don’t know how to explain but i just feel like this feeling of i shouldn’t be doing/feeling this the literal guilt and all these delusions and the sheer intensity of it all is just giving me dex. “this cage was once just fine, am i allowed to cry? i dream of cracking locks, throwing my life to the wolves or the ocean rocks” “i keep these longings locked in lowercase inside a vault” this must be the way he loves if he thinks so little of himself and doesn’t let himself have good things. “i choose you and me religiously” because at the end of the day when he makes a decision or chooses something or someone he puts his all into it.

who’s afraid of little old me - sophie

“you lured me and you hurt me and you taught me. you caged me then you called me crazy. i am what i am cuz you trained me.” all of it’s literally giving her growing into herself in stellarlune and making decisions on her own. SHE IS NOT A PAWN!!!

i can fix him (no really i can) - tam

idk its just giving him defending rayni with his life when everyone else including linh was like who tf is this girl.

loml - fitz

every sad pining song is fitz vacker to me. esp the refrences to the romance being dead but never buried... "still alive killing time at the cemetery, never quite buried...i'm your holy ghost" the way that sophie switched up on him in stellarlune (although i fully support her) didn't give him much time to recover. "are they second-hand embarrased that i can't get out of bed because something counterfiet's dead" give me heartbroken fitz!!! for once instead of angry fitz just give me tired, resigned fitz. "it was legendary, it was momentary, it was unecessary, should've let it stayed buried" is such a good summary of sophitz imo.

i can do it with a broken heart - linh

linh is so interesting to me as a parallel of fitz: meaning she, just like him, is always angry. however she masks it in smiles and kindness the way he never learned to, he just lashes out. this song feels like it’s talking about that mask: “i’m so depressed i act like it’s my birthday everyday” “i can read your mind ‘she’s having the time of her life’ …i can show you lies” “cause im miserable and nobody even knows” “i can hold my breath, i’ve been doing it since [i] left”

the smallest man who ever lived - keefe

it’s giving a letter to cassius/gisela/alvar. “and i don’t even want you back, i just want to know if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal. and i don’t miss what we had” “did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?” “in 50 years will all this be declassified and you’ll confess why you did it, and i’ll say ‘good riddance’” “i would’ve died for your sins instead i just died inside. and you deserve prison but you won’t get time” “in plain sight you hid, but you are what you did. and i’ll forget you but i’ll never forgive.”

the alchemy - sophie

“cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me. honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” aw sokeefe.

clara bow - biana

BIANA BEING COMPARED TO HER BROTHERS AND ALL THE VACKERS BEFORE THEM "the crown is stained but you're the real queen" "beauty is a beast that roars, down on all fours, demanding more...its hell on earth to be heavenly" i love her.

the black dog - fitz

bring back petty fitz!! i think the young girl not knowing the starting line could parallel with keefe not being able to understand things about telepathy that really connected fitz and sophie. i also think we could shift the angle and make it about alvars betrayal and how it sparked his angry trauma response. “you said i needed a brave man, then proceeded to play him until i believed it too.” “now i want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes…even if i die screaming, and i hope you hear it.”

imgonnagetyouback - fitz

he is 100% this delusional. he's just like me. "you'll find that you were never not mine" "even if its handcuffed im leaving here with you." "told my friends i hate you but i love you just the same, pick your poison babe, i'm poison either way"

the albatross - keefe

“one bad seed kills the garden. one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.” “the devil that you know looks now more like an angel. i’m the life you chose, and all this terrible danger.” HE IS THE ALBATROSS. i can’t wait for the movie i want edits of him to this. ACTUALLY I WANT A LOT OF THINGS maybe I’ll make a separate post about that.

chloe or sam or sophia or marcus - keefe

you saw it coming. this song SCREAMS KEEFITZ. like- “you said some things that i can’t unabsorb…you needed me but you needed drugs more.” “changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules all to outrun my desertion of you.” “if you want to break my cold cold heart just say ‘i loved you the way that you were’” WHAT THE HECK DUDE IM SOBBING “back to the moment i crashed into you like so many wrecks do” that line solidified this as keefe’s pov for me. in conclusion. SOBBING.

how did it end - biana

i propose to you: not a relationship, but the vacker family falling apart and the way they became a huge subject of gossip in the lost cities. when alden’s mind broke, while fitz had turned to anger biana became depressed, and i think this song could relate to that as well. the whole part of “guess who we ran into at the shops” feels very much like conversations others would have about the vackers at the time and when alvar betrayed them. “soon they’ll go home to their [brothers], smug cause they know they can trust him.” and i think at the end of the day when all of it happened biana was just young and betrayed and lost, because she didn’t see it coming or understand why (who did?) “the deflation of our dreaming, leaving me bereft and reeling” “i can’t pretend like i understand, how did it end?”

so high school - biana

HER VIBES ALL THE WAY she’s so cute and lovely and i want this for her (and dex. specifically dex. not anyone else.)

i hate here - sophie

was leaning dex until “you see i was a debutant in another life but now i seem to be scared of going outside” but the whole idea of escapism applies to both of them. especially to sophie though when she lived with humans and was so alone because even her own family couldn’t understand her, and she canonically is a bookworm and probably found more comfort in those other lives than she ever could in her own. "I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind...i read about it in a book when I was a precious child" "ill get lost on purpose, this place made me feel worthless"

thanK you aIMee - tam

aimee 🤝🏽 the song parents. “everyone knows that my [sister] is a saintly woman. but she used to say she wished that you were dead.” “but when i count the scars there’s a moment of truth: that there wouldn’t be this if there hadn’t been you.” thank you song parents 🫶🏽

i look in people’s windows - fitz

i thought this song sounded so creepy till I actually listened to it and now the idea of like lowkey stalking someone just to see if they still care about you or have moved on is slightly making sense. "does it feel alright to not know me? i'm addicted to the if only." it's giving keefitz (when isn't it?)

the prophecy - dex

"let it once be me, who do i have to speak to about if they can redo the prophecy?" THIS JUST REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF THE BEGINNING OF STELLARLUNE WHEN HES LITERALLY MOURNING WHAT HASN'T EVEN HAPPENED TO HIS BROTHER YET i need more dex being the oldest sibling and shouldering that burden. the love-hate relationship with his siblings while simultaneously trying to make their quality of life so much better than what he had. also "a lesser woman would've lost hope, a greater woman wouldn't beg" is so him. he is so that middle.

cassandra - tam

"so they killed cassandra first cuz she feared the worst...do you believe me now?" "you can mark my words, i said it first. in a mourning warning, no one heard." tam when keefe joined the neverseen fr

peter - keefe

pls tell me you saw this one coming. "are you still a mindreader? a natural scene stealer, I've heard great things [fitz], but life was always easier on you than it was on me." "promises, oceans deep, but never to keep" "forgive me [fitz], my lost fearless leader...from when we were just kids. is it something I did?" i think I'm just in a constant state of mourning their friendship.

the bolter - keefe

obvious reasons but also "i can confirm she made a curious child, ever reviled by everyone but her own father." "hearts are hers for the breaking, there's escape in escaping." "she's got the best stories, you can be sure, as she was leaving, it feels like freedom."

robin - dex

had to do some research for this one but apparently its talking about preserving a child's innocence! for this reason it reminds me again of dex and his siblings because of the way he really wants to protect them from things that haven't happened yet (especially considering rex being talentless). "way to go tiger" definitely sounds like something he would say to them feeling all sentimental but then, knowing siblings, they'd probably grill him about why he's being nice 💀

the manuscript -

we know the drill by now, fitz gets all the breakup songs because they could be about sophie OR keefe. "afterwords, she only ate kid's cereal, and slept in her mother's bed" while the song is discussing reverting back to childhood habits in vulnerability, fitz's vulnerability made him angry (but it was still a big change from his regular self) "looking back might be the only way to move forward" I hope he does get to move on!!! im tired of the love triangle plot if we're not gonna focus on keefitz' friendship 😭

#keeper of the lost cities #kotlc #keefe sencen #kotlc stellarlune #fitz vacker #dex dizznee #biana vacker #sophie foster #tam song #linh song #kotlc unraveled #keeper of the lost cities (taylor's version)#taylor swift #keefitz #dexiana #sophitz #sokeefe

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misscherry-26 · 1 year ago

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The Billionaire and the Stripper.

CHAPTER TWO.

Summary: Billionaire businessman, Ari Levinson, seems to have everything he could ever want: wealth, power, and success. But beneath the surface, he is haunted by his troubled past and the demons that have plagued him for years. Y/N Y/L/N is a stripper struggling with dreams of a better life. She may not have much, but she knows how to survive and make the most of what she has. But when one night Ari walks into the club Y/N works at, he is immediately captivated by her presence and drawn to her in a way that he cannot explain. As they embark on a passionate and intense relationship, they must confront the challenges and obstacles of their vastly different lifestyles. Can Ari and Y/N bridge the gap between their two worlds and find a way to make their relationship work? Or will their differences prove too great to overcome, tearing them apart forever?

Pairing: Billionaire! Ari Levinson x Stripper! Reader

Warnings: Mature content. Mention of the objectification of women (slight)

Author's note: Back into writing! I missed it a lot, but life lately has been harsh on me so I didn't have time to sit and write. This one is short but honestly it's all I got for Ari. Good thing is we get to know him. No proofread. All mistakes my own. Let me know your thoughts about this chapter after reading. Enjoy it!!

Series masterlist.

ARI

Ari doesn't know why he still frequents these places. He should have stopped coming a long time ago. But he can't and he knows why. Here he does not care about his past, present, or future. Here is nobody. This is where his responsibilities, decisions, and thoughts vanish.

So after twenty minutes of waiting, it's more than obvious that the last thing he would want is to be able to release his frustration. If he had done it himself, he would have been faster.

But this woman, not only had the audacity to be late but also to insult him. Who does she think she is?

But whatever anger, perhaps, that he felt at that moment, vanished as he turned and saw her for the first time. The woman was young and beautiful. perfect. She was wearing black lace lingerie which was ridiculously covered by a thin robe of the same color, only more transparent, so he could see everything. Her eyes seemed to mesmerize him. And when it seemed that something inside it opened, a great gray mist covered it. And he went back to her original facade. To be an idiot.

"Not so brave now, huh?" Ari smiles playfully. "I'm surprised, for a moment I thought I had heard that wrong"

TWO HOURS BEFORE

Ari suddenly wakes up, his chest moving up and down faster. Again the same nightmare. Sometimes he just thinks about how everything would feel if he didn't have those nightmares. Those memories that long ago were real.

He wonders what it would feel like to be normal. To just travel around the world knowing those not-so-well-known places that save amazing stories. He did travel around the world, although those travels were work-related. Dirty work.

Fuck, he curses. He needs to distract himself again because he already knows, like every other night, that he won't be able to sleep again.

"So? Cat got your tongue princess?" he steps closer to the beautiful woman, gently caressing her cheek. But he quickly takes it off when he sees her closing her eyes. She is scared. He knows those gestures so well.

Ari is hit by another memory again—one when he is back to his teenage years.

“Fuck… Just get out of here.” he sighs. "I don't want it tonight"

The woman is about to say something but he doesn't give her the time and instead decides to hurry and get the hell out of the room.

Taglist (open): @bunnyforhim @wintasssoldier

@buckysteveloki-me @magnificentsaladllama

@yoruse @patzammit @moonlightdivine

@alessandraavengers @xx-rennyxx

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mandy-asimp · 2 years ago

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Dragons oh my!

summary: Y/N and Lesso have been dating for a long time, but the three words have never been said, always implied. One day Y/N is with the other ever teachers and gets upset at their conversation.

pairing~ Lesso x Reader warnings~ self doubt, swords, fluff, arguing

You walked in. The other Ever teachers already sitting down and having the conversation of the day. You sat down with a seat next to you that was always left open for your girlfriend.

You and Lesso were obviously dating long before the schools combined. Which is when it became a shocker to everyone that you came out and said it when Dovey tried to set you up with the new, young male teacher. Lesso was next to you and saw how he was eyeing you.

So when she pulled you close and kissed your head, whispering a 'goodbye darling', Dovey was very confused. Which left the teacher to look away from you, and you to explain to Clarissa.

And now you were sat listening into the conversation. Obviously letting you thoughts wonder to seeing your girlfriend at the end of the day, where you sit in her lap and grade papers together.

"Well obviously! Look at the poor thing! Becomes a fumbling mess whenever she's around. There's no doubt Y/N is a bottom!" You distantly heard Anemone laugh. "Even right now, probably daydreaming about Lesso."

"Well that's not fair, as an Ever, all we sometimes can focus on is love. And Lesso is the type to lay it on thick." Dovey defended.

"I'm sorry, huh?" You finally came back. Gaining laughs from the table. "Wait, no seriously! What are we talking about?"

"How much of a bottom you are with Lesso," Anemone repeated. "We can all agree on it!"

"I am not!" You frowned.

Just then Lenora walked in. Kissing your head like every day. Causing a heavy blush to settle on your face where it was almost embarrassing how red she makes you.

"What's the topic?" Lenora asked, taking her seat. A hand resting on your thigh subconsciously.

"Nothing!" You were quick to shout.

Clarissa laughed at you. "We were talking about you two actually! How innocent Y/N is and how much of a bottom-,"

She never finished her sentence as you got up and left in a small ball of rage. Everyone had confused looks on their faces. Had they said something wrong?

But then again, how could they? You wore the innocent look so well. Always in a gown. Taught a class most claim was boring but nobody knew what actually happened in your class.

Yet, you finished your day and found your way to your room. Not bothering your usual grading session.

And your silence only lasted half an hour before Lenora came busting into your room.

"What the hell was today?!" She shouted. The door slamming right behind her and shaking the room. "Just storming out of places now?!"

You didn't answer. You just stilled and looked at your papers. The anger you had let disappear came rushing back at the earlier event.

"Y/N you have to answer me!" Leonora walked up to you, leaning against your desk. "What was said to make you leave in such a fit of rage? Was it them talking about you being a bot-,"

You had managed to move quicker than she could think. Pressing into her, you had her leaning back further on the desk. Your ragged breath hitting her cheeks as she fell silent.

"All I'm seen as is an innocent princess, even by you. I see it in your eyes every day outside of this room." You whispered, only to back up and take a deep breath. "It's almost like you let me be dominant just because you feel bad." You move away completely. Finding your way to grab sleep shorts and an Ever crewneck.

You spun so your back was facing your girlfriend completely. Undoing the bow that held your dress in place. The fabric becoming loose and easy to slip out of. Your bare back was all Lesso got to see.

"I...where is this all coming from?" She came up behind you, letting her hands wrap around your waist. A confused look dawning on her when you shook her away. "Y/N, are you seriously letting what Clarissa say get to you?"

"Is that so silly? I'm sorry I can't be an evil witch! At this point you might as well date a Never teacher instead of me. Someone who could really give you a run for being dominant!" You started saying things without any thought.

Every tiny insecurity you had that you tried to burry was finally getting to you.

"Y/N?"

"Because how could a Never like me? Let alone love me? And on top of all that, the dean for school of evil! The one who was picked by Rafal because she was so evil! And yet she threw it all away just for a pathetic princess. Where you even thinking when you said yes to me asking you out? Was it a joke? Some bet you made that now you're too deep into that you can't wait to shatter my heart and crush everything I was taught to believe?"

"Y/N!"

Tears were streaming down your face. The red burning your cheeks.

"Why me, Leo?" You barely got out. "Out of everyone, why me?"

She looked to the door. Almost like she was getting ready to run. And she wouldn't but if you weren't so set on your assumptions being right.

If she looked at the door, she must want to leave. And it just seemed like she needed someone to tell her.

"Just leave then." Your words fell out faster than you intended. "I'll just be the submissive princess who can't do anything for her own good!"

"You're being irrational! Can you just think for one damn second?!…I know there is a brain in that pretty head." Lesso stepped closer. "I choose you because you make me feel...God I hate emotions. See that's what you do to me! You give me...emotions." She gave a dry laugh. "Now, stop acting like a bottom and stop letting those thoughts get to you. You now if I wanted to top you, I would've by now. Something about you makes it hard for me to want anything in our sex life to change. I adore how you are always so different and yet so perfect."

You stared at her. Every thought in your brain of trying to figure out if she was lying to you. Concluding that she wasn't. You hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry." You mummbled.

"Don't be darling, everyone has their need to just let it out." She held you back. And when you looked up at her, she knew exactly what thought was going through your mind. Her smile told you she knew.

"I need you, please." You hummed. Hands tightening in her clothes. "I desire to be one with you tonight Lady Lesso. Please!" You were whining for her. Something you hardly would do, but when you do, she would know where the night would go.

"I'm at your use, all yours." She answered.

You went in fierce. Lips crashing to hers as you both hummed. It was passionate, full of love. Unspoken words.

And being slightly shorter than her, you always climbed up her. Wrapping your legs around her waist while you kissed her hard from above. She loved when you would do this.

Anytime you or her had a bad day, it was nothing but the softest touches. The softest words. But it was always the most wrecking orgasm.

You broke away for only a second. "The bed, honey." You went back to kissing. Your intensity being nothing but soft now. Feeling as she walked towards the furniture, slowly sitting down.

You straddled her hips right now. Arms moving to rest on her shoulders. Using the smallest force to have her laying down. The kiss never breaking.

Hands started to slither into your hair. Pulling your face back just a bit. Leonora had started to feel wetness on her cheeks. "Darling?"

Your eyes were still closed as tears rolled down. "Y/N, what's going on?" Her hands now rested on your cheeks. Brushing away the tears that were in free fall. "Can you please talk to me?"

"I...I'm sorry I can't." You got up quickly, rushing into the bathroom. The door being locked behind you.

Your eyes searched your reflection. Words from the pesky voice in your head floated in your eyes.

And you didn't know how long you were in there for just letting the nasty thoughts infect you, but when you came out, Lesso was holding your pillow asleep.

"Fuck," You whispered to yourself. Wiping your eyes and sitting at your desk.

Staring at the unfinished papers. Picking up the pen, you sighed. Thinking how lucky you were to only have less than ten left. Scribbling down correct answers and notes.

On your last paper you felt arms around your shoulder and kisses on the crown of your head. "You have to be up in three hours, come to bed."

"I'm almost done." You hum. Writing the grade on a paper before moving to the next one. "You go back to sleep though."

"I sleep better with your body next to mine." She whispered. A rasp hinting her words. "The papers aren't going anywhere. Pl..Please?"

You looked up to her. Seeing nobody there. Glancing back to the bed, she was still hugging your pillow. Then letting your eyes wander to the clock, it was past midnight. Making you scoff.

Leaving the final paper untouched as you moved to your bed. Replacing the pillow with yourself. Instantly feeling tired. The last thing you feel were arms pulling you close and soft, shallow, breaths hitting your skin.

The next day, you woke up before Lenora. Slipping out of her arms and placing a kiss to her head. You did your normal routine until you got to your outift.

Instead of a big poofy dress, you saw light blue pants. Grabbing them with a white silk shirt.

You tucked in the shirt and accessorized with golds. A chain going against your hip. A belt wrapping around. Rings and bracelets decorating your arm. And on top of it all, soft makeup.

You picked up your bag and put on white boots. Making your way to your classroom, passing some of the early risers.

You sat down, pulling out papers again to continue grading with every window and door open. That's how your day started.

Soon enough students started showing up, trying to find the teacher. Clearly missing you entirely.

"Excuse me?" One Ever rasied her hand. "Where's the teacher?"

You smiled before looking up. "Yes, Claire?"

She had her eyes widened. Everyone did. What changed in you so suddenly? The outfit was so out of the normal.

"Right, Tedros! You'll start our demonstration. I want you to swing at me with your sword." You stood up. sending your desk back a bit to have more space.

"What?" He was confused. "I'm not gonna swing at you. You have nothing to defend yourself with."

"Tedros, don't make me give you a B for the day." You were sounding so serious. But the smile on your face said you weren't. "Today our lesson is about defense unexpectedly. Tedros, here, will swing on me when I'm not ready and I will counter."

As your sentence finished you picked up on a woosh. Magic flowed through you and a sword appeared. Stopping the sword from touching you.

"Now, I'm not going to give you all real swords for this, that's insane. So! When we get out into the field, I need you all to partner up, and whoever is swinging will get a little plastic sword. I took them from the first years so they have bad ones so we're gonna make use of this!" You smiled. "But before we go out, after class you will not say anything about what we did today in class. It was a boring class of reading out the book."

From class period to class period, it lined up to your lunch. Where you stayed in your class.

Meanwhile, Lesso could only hear your name.

"Did you see the outfit today? It looked so hot!" A never had said in the back of her class.

The princess he sat next to could only agree. "The blue and white with gold? I'd smash."

The two were giddy. "And the class today?! It's literally like a new world."

"Ok! Today, because my classroom is too small for this, we're going outside. You're going to conjure up creatures. They'll have no tie to you, but they'll poof easily. They can harm so keep them under control." Lesso explained to her class.

Now, it was your class and hers in the same court yard. You smiled when she walked out. Her eyes tracing over your body and outfit. She understood what the two students meant now.

"Fancy seeing you out here." She smirked at you. "Fake swords really?"

"I'm not a risk taker. Summoning fictional creatures?" You played back. Staring as some actually could make small animals appear.

Leonora shrugged. "I'm hoping they can give me something bigger that they can't control. I need something big to happen."

"Leo." You scolded. "Nothing bad could possibly happen. The most they're summoning is a unicorn."

She sighed, "I just don't want a dragon." She walked away when a student called her over. Meanwhile, there had become a challenge in your class. An undefeated student had called to challenge you.

"You're the last person I haven't faced. And you honestly look really easy to beat." He had become so confident. You looked at him with humor.

Giving a small shrug, everyone circled around you two. "I want to fight really." He laid down his fake sword. A real one being created in your hand and you handed it over. "That simple?"

"I won't hurt you if that's what you're worried about." You wore a Cheshire grin. Signaling for him to make his move.

He comes charging at you, leading you to dodge out the way. Still with no weapon in your hand. The boy spun around, baffled by your move. He tried again, and it happened again. Only this time he spun faster and swung.

Thinking he had you pinned, his sword clinked with yours. You made your move, spinning the swords and tripping him. Your sword now on top as you stood.

You backed up so he could get up. Yet he didn't. Instead he was looking behind you. Causing you to spin and see the dragon Lesso hadn't wanted.

All your students and hers had rushed to the side. Leaving your firey redhead to defend herself. She looked petrified of the creature. That's when you finally put it together.

Leonora was scared of dragons.

You acted quickly as the dragon started to go at her. You ran up and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into you. Hugging her close as you dipped out the way. Bringing you both back up as the dragon spun around to attack again.

You stood in front of her as she hid her face in your back. Her arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

The dragon came at you quick, but your sword was quicker. Piercing through it as it turned into a puff of smoke.

Once it cleared you turned to check Leonora. "Are you ok?" You sounded calm to her, but in reality you were worried sick. "Leo?"

Her body crumbled into yours. She just held you tight and closed her eyes. "Ok, everyone you're being released early!" You dismissed your crowd of people.

Once they all left, you kneeled with her in your arms. "Honey? What happened?"

"I had a dream a few nights ago...and it was more so a vision I guess. And there was a dragon and there was you. But um the night before we were in an argument. So then you and this dragon...you fought. Only...I lost you." She tried not to let her wavering voice show. "And I saw the dragon and just thought that was it."

You cupped her cheek. You stood on your knees now, tilting her head back to look at you. "You know why I was crying last night?" She shook her head while searching your eyes. "Because I had realized something. And after the whole argument, I let those nasty thoughts get me."

"What'd you realize?" Her brows furrowed as you kissed between them.

Pulling to look stare lovingly in her eyes, a smile so wide you could feel your cheeks hurting.

"That I love you."

#lady lesso x reader #lovers #x y/n #sge netflix #sge #leonora lesso #leonora #lady lesso #the school for good and evil #dean of evil #charlize theron

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mephinomaly · 1 year ago

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[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 8

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: A few minutes later

Location: In a private karaoke room in the back of the livehouse

Keito: What is this place?

Kaoru: You don’t know what karaoke is? You’ve probably never played around like this so you wouldn’t know, would you Mr Honours Student?

Keito: I know what karaoke is. I’m asking why there’s a room like this in the back of the livehouse.

Kaoru: Yumenosaki’s pretty strict on a lot of things, so we were trying to expand our horizons. This lesson room has all the proper equipment and soundproofing, but it’s never been that popular.

Koga: Hmph. Those Yumenosaki guys who were supposed t’be the ideal customer aren’t even interested in playin’ music.

Kaoru: Yup. That’s why we made it look like a regular lesson room, so it’s more accessible to the general public. It’s a new service we’re providing.

Koga: Ah~, so that’s what happened.

Kaoru: Almost painful to see how much effort I put into managing the place. I was trying to gather as much information as I could, working as hard as I could~.

In the end, this place became a safe haven for kids who felt they didn’t have a place in Yumenosaki, and for those who wanted to use the lesson room like normal.

That room was renovated, but nobody really used it so it returned to how it was before. We started running out of lesson rooms.

Ahh, this is super nostalgic… I was really giving it my all back then.

Koga: Shoulda tried harder in yer idol activities ‘n school work. Barely saw you at school back then, ya know?

Kaoru: Well, me back then didn’t have any interest in that sort of thing ♪

Kaoru: Oh~? That’s weird…

Keito: What’s wrong? Did you see something suspicious?

Kaoru: Sakuma-san was supposed to be waiting for us here, but he’s nowhere to be found.

Keito: …Sakuma-san? What does he want from me now?

Koga: Wait, Sakuma-senpai’s comin’ here?! Hahah! I can’t wait ☆

...I acted like such a sheeple back then, it’s embarrassing.

Kaoru: Aren’t you still embarrassing sometimes~?

Rei: Yo~.

Sorry for keepin’ ya. My bad my bad… Coupla scary people caught me~. Hadta to explain some stuff to them which took a while.

Haa, bein’ popular’s a pain.

Keito: ...

Rei: Oh, you actually came, bouzu. What a good kid you are.

Keito: You were the one who called for me.

Rei: Right, ‘course. You lucky you get to see me like this.

Ain’t you embarrassed? I beat you up so hard the other day you couldn’t even stand ♪

Keito: ...

Rei: Uwaa…. Noooooo~, I was sooo embarrassing back then~...

Why was I acting like that? I should have had more tact!

Koga: ...Is that you, Sakuma-senpai?

Kaoru: Ahh, it’s like we’re right back there.

Rei: Indeed… It seems you’ve come to grips with the current situation. We are looking at ourselves in a ghost-like state.

This is hell of earth, having to watch myself act so embarrassing for such a long time. What sort of crime would you class this as?

Koga: Hn, you’re just reapin’ what you sowed. I live my life stayin’ true t’what I believe, nothin’ I’d be embarrassed by people seein’.

Koga: Kyaaa! Sakuma-senpai! Kyaaaa! I-i-i-it’s a privilege to be able to meet you like thissss![1]

Koga: ...

Rei: You’re amazing, Koga, so mentally strong… How can you not be embarrased after seeing that?

Koga: I am so sorry that was extremely embarrassing of me.[2]

Kaoru: Uwa, Hearing Koga-kun use keigo is such a treat.[3] Whilst I’m not as bad as you two, I would rather not have my immature past self put on display for all to see.

But why’s this happening? I guess it’s part of the AIIE project.

Rei: Umu… At the moment, I haven’t any more guesses.

I suspect that, since we are all connected to the same device, our dreams are being mixed together.

Koga: Do you think so? Aren’t dreams supposed t'be more of a private affair?

Rei: Well, this is technology that not much is known about yet.

Kaoru: Now I feel like I’m going to regret taking part in such a questionable experiment.

Rei: We cannot turn back the clocks now. All we can do is adapt to this current situation in as little time as possible.

[ ☆ ]

he speaks formally here

he speaks formally here too. He says ‘gomennasai, hazukashii desu’. Just so you know

keigo is polite speech!

Chapter 7

Chapter 9

#ensemble stars #enstars #translation #mephi's translations #rei sakuma #kaoru hakaze #keito hasumi #koga oogami #undead climax

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vera-deville · 1 year ago

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Vera's Hauntober 2023

Day 6 - Fog (Osamu Dazai)

09/23/2023 - 09/26/2023

Pairing: Osamu Dazai x Reader

Word Count: 1,044

Warnings: Dazai's shenanigans

Gender: Gender Neutral

Taglist: @animusicnerd, @leonistic, @pyroxeene, @savanaclaw1996, @thequeenoffishburrito, @ellssbellss, @reshi-galaxy, @hanafubukki, @hitoshislover

It was a Monday morning.

A cold, chilly Monday morning. And it was 7:00 A.M. on top of that. And it was foggy as hell.

Dazai hated the fact that he and his partner had work to do so early in the morning when they could have just skipped work and stayed tangled up on the bed all day. But work was work, and with a fastidious partner like Y/N, it was a miracle he was even allowed to wake up at 5 in the morning instead of 4.

He also hated the fact that now that they were done with their mission, instead of going back home, they had to go back to the ADA. "For paperwork," Y/N had said. Grumbling to himself, he let his eyes rake across the figure to his right, the one driving the car. Posture upright, hands firmly gripping the wheel, eyes steadfast on the road, never wandering.

Until they noticed the chocolate irises staring at them.

"What?" Y/N asked.

"I'm not allowed to look at my lovely significant other?" Dazai replied, cheekily.

"Well you better keep you eyes on the road. As the person sitting at the passenger seat, you therefore have the responsibility of watching the road and letting the driver know of any and all obstacles that may occur."

"But why would I want to look outside when all there is to look at is fog and nothing but it?" Dazai said, pouting a bit. Making sure that Y/N was at least watching him from the corner of their eye, he continued, "Besides, there's a much better sight inside the car~"

"Put a can on it Osamu. We're working right now. Be professional." Y/N chided.

"Actually, we're driving." Dazai said with a smug grin.

"During work hours, while driving to work. There's no way around it."

Sometimes, Dazai wondered if perhaps Y/N was related (even if it was distantly) to Kunikida. It sure would explain a lot. The only difference was, it was a lot more fun to rile up Kunikida than Y/N. Y/N was way too stoic for Dazai's onslaughts of teases.

Bored out of his mind, Dazai rest his arm on the window, staring out into the cloudy nothingness. As though Y/N could sense the boredom radiating off him, and more importantly, decided to do something about it, they turned on the music. Dazai didn't have a particular favorite type of music. As long as it sounded good, it was good. But he did happen to favor Y/N's tastes in music. It suited them rather well. Well enough for him to lightly bop his head along to the beat.

That is until he saw something up ahead.

"Hey, what's that up ahead?" He asked, pointing off to the distance. Y/N slowed the car down to a stop, squinting, but barely being able to see anything past the hood of their car.

"Where? I can't see anything with all this fog."

"Right there, see? Just drive up a little further, and you'll see." Dazai insisted, no longer slouching against the window in boredom.

Still squinting, Y/N followed Dazai's words and drove further little by little until eventually, they also saw what Dazai was talking about. There was something up ahead (albeit, with some distance between them and the thing). "I can't tell if that's a tree or a person. They're not moving, so it's not helping. What do you think?" Y/N asked.

Hearing no response, Y/N looked to the passenger seat, only to freeze in their seat. The hands they kept steady on the steering wheel only tightened, the sound of leather being gripped falling on deaf ears.

Dazai was gone.

Nobody was in the passenger seat.

Flipping their head left and right and every other way, Y/N tried to find some semblance of their boyfriend somewhere. Nothing. Just the damned fog.

He wasn't anywhere near their line of sight, and just for a second, Y/N wondered if they'd just hallucinated Dazai and had been talking to themselves the entire time.

"Osamu?" Y/N managed to find their voice. "Where are you?" "This isn't funny Osamu!" By this point, Y/N had started trembling in their legs. Whipping their head back to where the figure was, up ahead, Y/N decided to drive a little closer to the figure, just to make sure that it was nothing but a tree.

Except as they were driving ever so slowly towards the figure, said figure started moving.

Towards them.

By this point, Y/N was shaking in their seat, but they still tried to make out the figure through all the fog. They couldn't see any distinctive features, but they could see one thing for certain.

It was human.

Y/N gave up on trying to search for Dazai, as they tried desperately to bring back the feeling in their legs and rev back, but nothing seemed to be working out in their favor. Looking frantically up at the figure slowly approaching them and back down at the pedals and back up at the figure and back down at the pedals and back up-

The figure was now bolting towards them.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Y/N screamed. It was nice knowing this world. Sure life had its ups and downs, but in the end, it wasn't so bad. It would have been nice to see Dazai one more time though. And the ADA. And Chuuya. He's a pretty fun guy once you get to know him. Not that she'd ever tell Dazai that-

Eyes scrunched painfully shut, Y/N waited. For what, they had no clue, but certainly death would have been the finale. Except, nothing happened. No sound. No doors being pulled off their hinges. No painful grotesque death.

Just, nothing.

Gently peeking one eye through the barricade they created across their face with their arms, Y/N looked ahead, only to see that the figure was gone.

Struck by another wave of sheer panic, Y/N whipped their head around like a rabid dog, searching for the figure, only to see a deranged mad man pressing his face up against the passenger side's window.

Y/N screamed again.

Dazai.

Author's Note: Oh my hobgoblins, did I have fun with this-

I knew that I wanted to write some sort of shenanigan, courtesy of Dazai, for this fic regarding the fog and all. But the problem was that I had forgotten what shenanigan I planned on writing. Oops-

So I ended up asking a beloved friend of mine for ideas to write (he's also a BSD fan, courtesy of me), and he suggested this masterpiece. I've gotta admit, during this event, this is definitely my favorite fic so far.

Fun fact, but back when I was first planning this event, my friend actually gave me an idea for one of the future fics in Vera's Hauntober 2023 (spoiler alert, the fic idea he gave me was for Hitoshi Shinsou). Considering that this is my first ever BSD fic (that I've actually posted, that is), I've gotta admit, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would.

See you in the next fic!

Masterlist Hauntober 2023 Masterlist

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nabtime · 1 year ago

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Our Empty Graves XI

Fandom: Danny Phantom / Batman: Under the Red Hood

Pairings: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd (Dead on Main)

Rating: Mature

Tags: batfamily, hazmat AU, Nobody Knows AU, Mute!Phantom, potential ghost king danny, slow burn?, DC means Disregard Canon, AU means AU nothing is exactly the same, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, more than canon typical violence, danny is a Halfa and also a Fetch, no beta we die like basically everyone

Summary: They say that Red Hood has a loyal mutt. The man rules his territory in Crime Alley with an iron fist and a guard dog at his side. They say that Hood calls him Fetch, sometimes Fetcher. No one's ever heard him speak. Anyone who's ever seen him says he looks like an experiment gone wrong, that Hood picked him up somewhere unspeakable. They say he'll do anything Red Hood asks of him and he'll do it well. That he's strong and fast and probably inhuman. The girls say he's sweet; quiet but charming in his own way. Rival gangs say he's vicious; that he'd sooner rip your throat out than let you go.

Jason just wants to help him.

Chapter 11: we live, we die, the lifeless stars shining in the dark

Chapter Summary: Multiple conversations are had and Jason is overwhelmed in all of them.

Chapter Notes: Lifeless Stars by Palaye Royale Links: AO3 // Chapter 1 // Chapter 10 // Chapter 12 // Spotify

Jason blinked up at Fetch and his solemnly earnest expression and could not wrap his head around what the other was trying to tell him. Idly, he noticed that Fetcher got his hair cut. It looked nice, trimmed down to his shoulders and the burnt edges gone, but it still floated distractingly in the air around his head. It looked fluffy and Jason was extremely tempted to touch it.

But haircuts could only distract him for so long.

Fetcher died too… He died. But he was here. But he’d died before too. The kindest jellyfish he’d ever met had died. And it would explain the green, if Fetcher had been resurrected but Jason though he wasn’t associated with Ra’s but then what if he was. Because how else was the kid still here? So was he working for Ra’s or wasn’t he? Was it a completely unrelated instance of Lazarus Pit resurrection or something else entirely had brought him back? Was he actually a Pit Demon like Jason had accused? But. Everything felt jumbled in his mind. None of it made any sense. Maybe it was the weird feeling of having Fetcher’s hand comb through his chest still lingering and throwing his thoughts out of sort.

“What?” was about the only thing he could squeeze out of his ragged throat. He needed more information.

He watched as Fetcher fidgeted with his gloves for a time, picking at the fingers one by one before finally just taking them off. His hands were as white as his face but his nails were tinted green. It didn’t look like nail polish. Huh. They were also sharp. His hands were small but his fingers long, like you would expect to see on a pianist, elegantly proportioned. He watched Fetcher wring his gloves in thought before he looked up. He tilted his head in consideration before he mimed what looked like a fork? And then mimed shoving it forward- and then started fake convulsions.

Fucking seriously?!

“You-,” he had trouble gathering his will to address what he just saw. “Stuck a fork in a socket and electrocuted yourself?”

Fetcher then had the audacity to tilt his hand in a so-so motion and shrug. Like that explained a single goddamn thing. He wasn’t going to push it. He refused to touch any of whatever the hell that was. He would only come out of it more confused than he started. So, sure, Fetcher died by electrocuting himself like a dumb-ass but only sort of. Whatever.

He sighed, before asking the more relevant question, “How’d you come back?”

And Fetcher looked away, nervous. And Jason didn’t like that. Was it bad? Was it against his will? An experiment gone wrong? Had it been as horrific as Jason’s had been?

Fetcher shook his head.

“No?” he asked. Did he just not want to talk about it? Did he not know?

Fetcher’s shoulder’s sagged before he pulled them back and looked Jason in the eye. He pointed to himself. I. And then pulled a finger across his throat. Died.

“Yeah,” Jason said slowly, perplexed. “You died. You said that.”

Fetcher shook his head again, agitated, before he seemed to give up and put a hand through his own chest this time. Just as weird as the first time Jason saw him do it. Kid was a black hole in there, just a bunch of shit packed into his own intestines. Jason didn’t know how he did that and he didn’t want to know. It was also odd to see him root around in there when he now had first hand experience how it felt. 4/10 would not like to experience again. Four because it still wasn’t the least pleasant experience he had and while it was shocking it wasn’t painful. Felt like a fair rating all things considered.

He pulled out his trusty whiteboard and dry-erase marker and Jason was absolutely not prepared for what Fetcher wrote down when he flipped the board over for him to read.

I didn’t come back.

Oh god.

“What…” he trailed off and swallowed hard, trying to put his words together again. “Do you mean, Fetch?”

He gave Jason a small, sad smile before writing on his board again. He seemed to brace himself before flipping it over, expression wary when he did.

I’m a ghost.

A ghost. A spirit. Someone not quite there anymore. And he thought about the invisibility and the density-shifting and it made some modicum of sense, but at the same time it still didn’t make any sense at all. Fetcher was so alive. Jason could reach out and touch him. He smiled and laughed and bled. He couldn’t be…

“You called yourself a Fetch before,” he pointed out, still surrounded by more questions than answers.

The kid nodded and started writing again.

A Fetch is a type of ghost. I didn’t say so earlier because people don’t like ghosts.

He fidgeted after flipping the board over this time, jostling it so it was almost hard for Jason to read. But he managed. He didn’t like what was there.

“People… don’t like ghosts,” he said, trying to figure out who, exactly, had been so prejudice against a dead kid that he believed everyone hated ghosts. When a majority of the populace didn’t believe in them. At least he was pretty sure. He may have traveled in odd circles after coming back but he’s pretty sure he would have noticed if ghosts were suddenly a confirmed thing.

Fetcher nodded sadly, fiddling with the cap of his cheap little blue marker and avoiding eye contact.

“That’s stupid,” Jason blurted, watching the other blink in surprise and fumble with the marker- startled. “What the hell kind of discrimination is that? Ghoulphobia?”

And he watched as a smile tugged at the edges of Fetcher’s mouth, reluctant but growing. He ducked his head behind his whiteboard before angling it to write and still hide his face. Jason could tell he was still smiling, though, which is what mattered.

Ghoulphobia is a very serious problem and impacts Spirits and Undead-aligned people of all kinds. Including you.

“I’m sure,” Jason drawled, willing to let a little amusement bleed through, if only for a moment. “Speaking of spirits and the undead-aligned,” Jason began, not liking how Fetcher had counted him in that description, “what, precisely, do you mean by including me?”

Fetcher blinked. Tilted his head. He leaned on arm over the board and gestured toward Jason. You. And then he slid his finger across his throat and boy was Jason getting tired of that. Died. And then he flipped a palm up in a motion as if to say, ‘isn’t that obvious?’

“Yeah, I know I died,” Jason retorted, “but I came back. Living,” he emphasized. “Not a zombie. Got a pulse and everything.”

F etcher tilted his head back, eyes closing, looking like he was trying to gather strength. Yeah, Jason felt around the same about all this. He didn’t like this conversation and yet, here they were, having it anyway. God, he’d just gotten blown up by a clown for the second time, could he have no rest? Could he not just live out the rest of his life/unlife blissfully unaware of the intricacies of how he came back and what he qualified as now if it was anything but human.

The other shook himself a bit before bringing a reluctant marker down on whiteboard again.

Not all the way. Not correctly. Something's off- I checked.

Jason blue-screened a bit, the inside of his mind becom ing a window’s screen saver. One life-altering revelation after another here, just sucker punch after sucker punch when he was already down with a bruised jaw. He came back wrong. He’d fucked up coming back to life somehow. He wasn’t even aware that was something you could really fuck up. Should be a zero-sum game- you’re either dead or alive. But no, apparently there were more in-betweens than he’d realized. Fuck.

“You checked?” he decided to ask instead of thinking about literally anything else about this situation.

Fetcher mimed shoving his hand down and ah, yes, the hand-in-Jason’s-chest-and-rooting-around-thing he’d done earlier that Jason had decidedly not liked. Fantastic.

“Care to elaborate,” Jason said through gritted teeth. He died, big whoop. All that mattered was that he was back. That he was alive now. That he had a chance to seek vengeance, to get answers. To right the Batman’s wrongs. Even if he only had a limited time to do it. But he needed to know how much. If something went wrong with his resurrection did that mean he could die again at any moment?

Fetcher’s face twisted in uncertainty and he gave a sort of half-shrug before writing again and turning the board.

I’m not an expert. All I can really tell is that something is wrong. You have ectoplasm like ghosts do, but not a lot. And it’s like poison . I couldn’t tell you what it’s doing to you, though.

“Ectoplasm is real?” he questioned, thinking about the Ghostbuster’s movies, and deciding to not touch any of the other things Fetcher mentioned. Poisoned… He’d experienced the Pit Rage briefly when he’d come out of the Lazarus Waters but it had faded. At least he thought it had. He was a bit angrier than he had been before but he had a lot to be pissed about. “Wait, wait, do you know about the Lazarus Pits and would they have anything to do with it?”

Fetcher tilted his head in thought, pale green eyes flicking up to the side. His eyelashes were white and long and pretty, Jason noted while waiting for an answer.

Fetcher shook his head and took to writing, starting and stopping and erasing before writing again. He flipped the board over with a shrug, like he wasn’t sure about his answer.

Ectoplasm is all around, the ambient kind at least. The residue of Death. It comes in multiple forms and uses and its usually not visible to humans. You’ve seen it before because it’s in my blood. Organic Ectoplasm. Whatever a Lazarus Pit is might be ectoplasm, might not be. What you have in your system almost feels like Combative Ectoplasm. Like a bullet wound with the bullet still inside?

Jason blinked, “Like shrapnel?”

Fetcher nodded.

Jason fell back against his pillow, staring up at the ceiling and trying to absorb everything he’d learned so far. Fetcher died from electrocution that may or may not have been self-inflicted. Fetcher was a ghost. Fetch was a type of ghost, but he didn’t know what that specifically meant and he was pretty sure that Fetcher didn’t want to tell him. Fetcher’s blood had ectoplasm and was likely why it was bright neon green. Jason had ectoplasm in him and it may or may not have anything to do with the Lazarus Pits and it apparently felt like poison. Jason had not come back all the way like he’d first assumed. He sighed, deeply. What a fucking day already.

“Do I even want to know the difference between ambient, organic, and combative ectoplasm?”

The other sighed before scrunching his nose with displeasure and reluctantly erasing and writing on the board again. He seemed frustrated with every letter, like he wasn’t happy with whatever explanation he was trying to write. Great. Jason’s source of info wasn’t anything like an expert and he had no other way to find one. He was fucked.

Ambient ecto is the stuff that’s just everywhere. Like soup. Organic is the stuff that makes up ghosts themselves. Like blood and organs. Combative ecto is what it says on the tin. Used to fight. Regenerative ecto is used to heal.

Like soup? Like soup?! Jason just might kill the kid a second time if this kept up. That was a whole other forth category of ectoplasm on there too! And why was there a whole separate type of ectoplasm for fighting? Why was ambient ectoplasm just everywhere? Like? Soup? What made the types different? He still didn’t even know what ectoplasm was, aside from the ever helpful explanation that it was ‘death residue’.

“You’re killing me, jellyfish,” he groaned.

And then Fetcher was leaning over him, where he’d fallen back onto the bed in dismay, a soft look in his eyes and an excited little smile on his face that made him radiant.

“What,” Jason said flatly. What had he done to warrant that kind of expression? He didn’t deserve a look so gentle.

Fetcher pointed at him. You. He made a gesture with his hand starting from his open mouth waving outward. Called. He pointed back to himself. Me. He held one hand up, cupped slightly over the top of the other which he wiggled the fingers of- like tentacles. Jellyfish.

“Yeah?” he replied, not understanding why that would make Fetcher look so damn happy. It was just a nickname, a stupid one at that. He used them all the time, what made this time so different?

Fetcher rolled his eyes before pulling out the board again with a sigh.

You haven’t used any nicknames since the dojo fight. I missed them.

“Oh,” he said, a little choked. Fuck, what a punch to the gut. A fantastic reminder that he’d so thoroughly messed up when he lashed out at Fetcher in the dojo, let his anger take hold and jumped to conclusions. And that he still hadn’t apologized. He was a fucking mess and he didn’t deserve to have such a sweet guy around. But, for some godforsaken reason, the guy wanted to be around him. Looks like he’d just have to get over himself about it.

“Sorry,” he said, voice a little strangled. What he meant by that apology he didn’t quite know. Sorry for not using the nicknames again earlier? Sorry for not knowing that he missed them? Sorry for the hurt he’d caused with the fight itself? All of it and more?

And then Fetcher’s smile stretched wider- and on some level it hurt to look at. He didn’t deserve to see such happiness on the other’s face, not when he’d been the one to inflict so much pain. He wasn’t about to be more of an ass and fuck off about it though. That would just punish Fetcher- and he’d done enough already.

The ghost touched a hand to his chin and brought it forward, eyes warm and happy. Thank you.

“I-,” Jason said, pursing his lips, conflicted. “Don’t- don’t thank me for that. It’s not enough.”

At this the other looked perplexed, tilting his head again before picking his board back up, tapping his marker against the edge before writing.

Why? You thought I was there to betray you. You said mean things, but it wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before. Or anything that isn’t true.

And that just broke his fucking heart.

He wanted to beg and plead and make the other understand that he wasn’t a monster, wasn’t a demon, or an experiment gone wrong. He wanted to tell Fetcher that he was an angel. A precious soul. He wanted to tell him that Jason was the monster, not him. That he was so, so sorry for making him think anything else. But he knew, from experience, that words like ‘evil’ and ‘wrong’ were hard ones to shake. He’d been called all that and worse since he came back, vindictive and violent for all the things that happened to him.

Once upon a time he’d been a Robin, a spark of light and joy in the dark streets of Gotham, but those days were long behind him. He’d been afraid since his resurrection that death had changed him, irrevocably, and maybe for the worse. This new knowledge that he hadn’t come back all the way just confirmed it. Jason had come out of the other side filled with cold fury, a demon hellbent on vengeance, and he knew it. Fetcher came out of the other side an angel, a sweet soul, convinced he was a demon when he wasn’t.

He’d have to prove it. Little by little. That despite being a ghost, despite no longer being human, Fetcher was still good. That being a monster didn’t make him bad. (And maybe, maybe there was a part of himself that wanted to prove he wasn’t bad either. That while he was a monster too- he could be good again.)

“Jellyfish,” he said seriously, using the nickname with purpose, “I jumped to conclusions when I shouldn’t have. I-when your eyes went green- I just-”

And he wanted to run his hands through his hair in frustration, none of his words coming out the way he wanted. He wanted to explain himself to Fetcher, wanted to let the other know why he’d acted that way. But he couldn’t seem to wrangle them, couldn’t seem to work through the heavy knot his thoughts around it all had become. It required thinking about how he’d come back. Thinking about what had happened immediately after. Explaining all the things he’d seen and felt and had to endure at Ra’s hand. And he couldn’t.

He wanted to reach out to Fetcher, reassure him with a gentle hand that he hadn’t meant any of it. Run his fingers through that soft, cloud-like hair. Cradle his face within his palms to show him that he was unafraid to touch a so-called monster. Anything, anything to be able to convey what he meant without having to say the words. But his hands sat useless by his side, wrapped to all hell from how much Joker had broken them. His own stupidity, his own vindictiveness, had landed him here.

But Fetcher simply smiled, small and sad, and shook his head. It’s okay, he seemed to say, you don’t have to explain.

And it frustrated him because he wanted to explain. Wanted to tell Fetcher everything. He frowned and decided that while he couldn’t go in depth, couldn’t fully talk about it, he’d at least give the other something.

“I was brought back,” he began, stolidly looking up at the ceiling, “by the League of Assassins. An association that’s just like it sounds and is led by an immortal man named Ra’s Al Ghul.”

He pursed his lips, skipping over quite a bit of detail to talk about what felt more relevant. “Ra’s has a- thing is really the best word for it, even when it isn’t at all actually? I don’t know. Anyway, he has a thing against- uh- my former mentor, I guess. And he brought me back to use as a weapon against him.”

He felt a chilled hand (and he supposed being a ghost would explain why Fetch was always so cold) rest against his forearm, not demanding or cajoling, just there in support. He wanted so badly to hold it.

“What he uses to keep himself immortal and what brought me back is called a Lazarus Pit. It’s- incredibly toxic and-,” he swallowed heavily, trying to come up with any way in which to describe the Pits, “green. Very green.”

A look of understanding washed across Fetcher’s face and his hand squeezed Jason’s forearm a bit in reassurance. It burned where he touched, where he was unused to gentle contact, and he wanted more. He wanted to reach out and do the same, to touch, to reassure. To goddamn feel something under his fingertips. But his hands were beaten, bruised, and broken. He was broken. Fundamentally, broken.

“I should have never-,” he tried to say, his words growing thick and hard to speak again, “never taken it out on you. Just because I died- just because I… was afraid. And-”

The hand that was on his arm moved, another hand joining it as they both cupped his face. Still so achingly gentle. Fetcher moved closer, knocking their foreheads together and keeping his stare steady with Jason’s. He wanted to flinch away, wanted to look anywhere but into those soft green eyes- light and beautiful like peridot- because he was so scared at what he would find there. Judgment. Anger. Fear. But there was nothing but a calm reassurance within them, nothing but a certainty Jason didn’t think he deserved.

And then those eyes slipped closed, long white eyelashes brushing pale white cheeks and Fetcher purred.

“Holy shit,” he gasped as it felt like he was being surrounded by the deep, thrumming purr. It was comforting in a way he couldn’t express, in a way he’d never felt before.

It felt like the first time he’d been wrapped protectively under Batman’s cape. Like the first time Alfred had given him hot chocolate with marshmallows after a rough night. Like the first time Dick had even acknowledged him as Robin. Like the first time Bruce had hugged him. Like the first time Alfred had told him how proud he was of him. Like those rare soft nights with his mother, where she had held him and rocked him once upon a time, before everything had gone so bad.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to bask in the sound and never listen to anything else.

A deep rumble started in his chest that made both of them startle back. Beetlejuice junior blinked, rapidly, before grinning and leaning forward again, purring back. It felt like a weird feedback loop where mister King Boo’s purr caused his own to start back up and then the other would purr harder and he didn’t really know what the fuck was happening here.

“I can purr,” he said, voice flat while trying to work out how, exactly, he felt about that (not all that bad apparently, because his own purr didn’t stop). He looked back to the little guy, who was grinning wide- pleased with himself, and said, “You can purr.”

Ghost of Smugness Present nodded, happy as anything, purr growing louder and glow, somehow, getting brighter.

“How the fuck,” he asked, without really asking, the rumble in his chest making his voice stutter just a bit. Fantastic.

And Casper, the all too-self-satisfied ghost, just shrugged. Great.

So- just a checklist of things he’d woken up to so far: Fetcher himself and all the emotional turmoil just seeing him caused, pain like no other from almost dying by the hands of the Joker again, finding out that Fetcher had died and hadn’t come back, finding out that he hadn’t come back- not correctly at least, fumbling an emotionally stunted apology, and finally- mutual purring.

This was too much. He wanted to go back to sleep right now please and thank you.

“You’re awake,” came a stern voice from the doorway and it made Jason knock back into the bed with a groan. The purring from both of them had stopped the moment she spoke.

“Dr. Thompkins,” he greeted, hoping against hope that she would just knock him back into unconsciousness so he wouldn’t have to deal with the world anymore. “Lovely as ever.”

“Red Hood,” she said curtly as she made her way into the small room and began a cursory exam. When she held a stethoscope to his chest he breathed in deeply without needing to be told. He wondered how bad his lungs sounded after all the smoke inhalation. He recognized the steps to check for a concussion next, checking his reflexes and pupil dilation and what felt like a dozen other things. She was methodical and stoic as she worked, not saying a word except to direct him for the next test.

“You know,” she started, finally breaking the silence and placing the stethoscope back around her neck, “for some reason, I expected to recognize you without the helmet.”

And it was only in that moment that he remembered he didn’t even have his domino on. Bare-faced to the world. In the room with someone who’d treated his wounds plenty of times when he was younger. The only thing keeping his identity hidden was his presumed death and puberty. Leslie had narrowed her eyes, gaze roaming over his sloppy black hair and blue eyes and no doubt wondering if he was somehow related to Bruce.

“Is it because I’m prettier than you expected?” he asked, deflecting, and batted his eyelashes up at her, hoping to get her to stop looking so closely.

“Hardly,” she drawled back, tone dry.

He could sense more than hear the little slimer gijinka laughing at him from his corner. Rude.

“In any case,” Leslie said, “I don’t know what you did to yourself this time, the unknown poison almost taking you out was bad enough, but this is going to keep you down for longer than you’d probably like.”

He closed his eyes with a sigh, “I figured as much.” He opened his eyes and told Leslie, sincerely, “Sorry for all the trouble, doc. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

She crossed her arms across her chest, white coat swaying with the motion, and made sure she had his full attention. “You’re going to need help. Whether you like it or not, your hands are the worst off and your other injuries mean you can’t exert yourself. If you try to recover on your own then you’re just going to end up back in my clinic with an infection or head injury because you fell trying to do too much all at once.”

“But-”

“No. I know your type. Secretive. Headstrong. Paranoid. I don’t care. My job is to make sure I don’t have to see you again unless its a check-up.”

He sighed again, something he felt like he was doing a lot lately. “Fine. I’ll find help.”

She nodded shortly. “Now, are you alright with your friend over there listening in or would you rather he step outside while I give you a run down of what to expect?”

Jason gave little banquo a considering look. Did he want Fetcher in the room to hear all the gritty details? He wasn’t exactly shy about his injuries and Fetcher had already seen and treated them on the scene anyway. He didn’t really care if the other heard or not. He watched as Fetcher twisted in his seat, nervous hands fluttering in his lap as he waited for Jason to make his decision. What cinched it wasn’t asking himself if he cared about the other hearing it all, but more about asking himself if he wanted Fetcher to leave. And, really, the answer was no. He didn’t want to make jellyfish leave.

“He can stay,” he finally answered, watching with a small smile as Fetcher seemed to slump in his chair a bit. He wasn’t the only one that didn’t want the other to leave then.

Leslie just nodded and settled down on a stool on the other side of the bed Jason was resting on. She swiveled it and pulled a file from the pocket of her coat, opening it and giving Jason a stern glare with each diagnosis she listed off.

“Fracture to the jaw on the right side, bruised ribs, smoke inhalation damage, lacerations everywhere, and a wound to the back of the head that I’m seriously surprised hasn’t shown signs of having caused a concussion. I’d say you were damn lucky if it weren’t for the mess your hands are in.”

“That bad?” he croaked, voice cracking as he asked. They hurt. They hurt like a bitch, and he was honestly afraid to find out the extent of the damage. He knew the Joker had done a number on them, but he’d be fine. He’d always been fine before, injuries always temporary- until they weren’t.

“Hood,” she said, lips pursed, “you’re lucky you still have them.”

He grimaced and closed his eyes, not wanting to hear the words. Not wanting to face that reality.

“I did what I could,” Leslie continued, “but I’m not a miracle worker. I can preform general surgery, but to properly reconstruct your hands would take an expert. And a miracle.”

She sighed and snapped the file closed and placed it on his lap. “The details are all in there, but you really need to get them checked out by an ortho specialist, a plastic surgeon, any team more equipped to deal-”

“No,” he said lowly, still refusing to look at the rest of the world around him. “I can’t go to anyone legit.”

“You could lose them, if you don’t,” the doctor snapped.

He said nothing, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it.

The stool creaked as Leslie stood and made her way towards the door. “Whatever you decide, you’re going to need help. Your hands, if you want to give them any chance of healing correctly, need to rest.”

“Red Hood,” she said, tone serious and heavy. Reluctantly he opened his eyes and met her piercing stare. “You are going to have to trust whoever helps you with a lot. It will be embarrassing and invasive and make you feel incredibly vulnerable.”

She pointed a stern finger back at him, “Don’t chance losing your hands just because you don’t like it,” and then left.

Just- yet another bomb to drop on top of everything else so far. Had he even been awake an hour yet? How long had he been out? Was it still the same day? The same twenty-four hour period? Because if it was, Jason would like to classify all of this as one of the worst days of his life. Afterlife. Whatever. Top five. Not the absolute worst but definitely fucking up there.

He felt the tap of a cold finger against his shoulder and turned to face Fetcher, who was holding up his whiteboard and looking at him imploringly.

Will you let me help you?

And damn was spooks way too good at puppy-dog eyes. He’d ask the guy to put his gear back on to spare him the power of them, if he didn’t know that the suggestion would probably backfire spectacularly.

They were probably rushing this again. This trust thing. There were still so many secrets between the two of them, even if there were less now. Something was bound to give between them. Nothing good ever lasted in his life and Fetcher was just another person that would leave him eventually. He couldn’t die like his first mom had, so it’d probably be something worse. Jason would do something stupid and drive him away again, hurt him, make him leave.

But he’d take all the time he could get for now. He was a bit of a selfish bastard sometimes.

A quirked a small smile and said, “Sure, bedsheet boy.”

And he reveled in the sputtering look of offense that crossed Fetcher’s face. And he laughed when the other threw his marker at him, even though it hurt.

═════ ◈ ═════

“You got footage of him,” Tim stated as he stared up at the grainy image of the so-called Fetcher standing in front of the flames of the latest dock explosion.

“Mn,” Bruce replied, hands on the keys of the Bat-computer as he tried to enhance the image.

Tim squinted as the details only became more pixelated the further Bruce tried to zoom in. No amount of cleaning would render that image viable, but he left that opinion to himself. There was something he was able to notice, though.

“They really do look similar,” he muttered to himself, bringing up the image of the Doctors Fenton- that he’d yet to show Bruce- on his tablet.

Bruce stopped his work and turned to Tim without a word, demanding an explanation without actually demanding it. It was something that still put Tim on edge sometimes, but he’d convinced himself he was used to it. Tim handed the tablet over.

“It’s the best lead on Fetcher we have,” Tim rushed to explain. “The Hazmat suit he wears is customized and entirely similar to the ones worn and patented by the Fentons.”

He waited and watched as Bruce thumbed through what meager files he’d managed to scrounge up about the doctors; what they studied, where they’d studied, all their patents, their family history, the sketchy government agency they’d signed contracts with- everything he could scrape together. There were plenty of holes, strike-outs of huge swathes of information that he contributed to said government agency. Which was strange because Tim was usually so good at breaking into government severs and databases and really anything else he liked- but the GIW (a name he could not find the meaning of the acronym for) had protections like no other. What little he could find only mentioned warnings about keeping to paper and to watch out for someone called Technus.

“Ectoplasm,” Bruce stated, voice just as flat as usual. Tim winced.

“Yeah, I’m not too sure about that either,” he admitted. “But we’ve dealt with weirder things.”

“Mn,” Bruce said, tone suggesting he agreed. Then he turned and pulled all of Tim’s files onto the big screen, pulling the photos over to more directly compare. He sat down in the chair in front of the computer and focused his full attention on the task at hand.

Tim knew a dismissal when he saw one and decided to leave Bruce to his musings, figuring he could bribe Alfred into a late night cup of coffee. He felt disappointed in what little information he’d been able to offer Bruce, he needed to search more. Find more. Dig deeper. He could prove himself. He would do it. He’d help.

As he was making his way back to the manor he could swear he heard Bruce speaking to himself.

“So I really am being haunted.”

#naps fics #dp x dc #Our Empty Graves #dpxdc

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nomoreusername · 6 months ago

Text

that way

Pairing:Sonya x Aris

Summary: Despite the way they look at each other, Sonya knows she'll never fully have Aris's heart.

He doesn't love me. I know that. I know that Rachel will always have his heart. I know that he’ll always only ever want her. I know that he’ll never fall in love again.

But I swear to god he looks at me a little too long. Sometimes I swear that we could be more.

As I sit here, cleaning him up a little bit more after WCKD took their frustrations out on him, I swear there's something there. Even if they aren't as strong, there's just something about this moment that says he has feelings for me.

Nobody would be back for a while. After all, they had a plan to make. They had a friend to get back. It was just him and I, completely alone.

Seeing him wince and pull away as I held the rag to his lips, I set it down since there was no more blood left. While he definitely had cuts and bruises, it was clear where they were and how far along he had had them now.

“Are you feeling any better?”I asked.

“Yeah. As good as I can right now,”He shrugged.

“I take it that’s not much?”

“It doesn't really matter. I’m alive, aren't I? We're actually alive and out,”He pointed out.

“I know. Six months of hell, and now we just have live? It's insane.”

“So are a lot of things in our lives though. At least they'll actually calm down,”He pointed out.

“Yeah. It's gonna feel weird, but it's still good,”I agreed, looking up just to end up meeting his gaze. Not looking away, we held eye contact. Feeling my breath hitch in my throat, I was sure he felt it too. I was sure he knew just friends wouldn't look at each other like this. I don't even know what this is, but it's there. It's there, and it's not platonic. It's something else, something different.

With my eyes glancing to his lips for just a moment, when I looked up I saw him doing the same. Just as I was about to risk it and lean forward the curtain opened. Snapping our heads to the door, we saw Harriet, just standing there as if she didn't break our bubble.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No,”Aris shrugged, already having moved on. With my heart cracking in my chest, I couldn't find any words.

“I was just coming to say dinner is ready,”She explained, walking back out. With the silence returning, we just looked at each other again.

“I uh, wish Rachel was here. To see this,”He whispered.

“Yeah. That'd be, yeah,”I whispered back, staring at the ground so I wouldn't start crying.

“I’m going to dinner,”He said slowly.

“I’ll meet you there,”I nodded, still not looking up. Hearing him stand, when he walked out I wiped my tears from my eyes.

Just friends. We will always only be friends, no matter how we look at each other. No matter how long we hold our gaze, Rachel will always be first.

We will never be more than what we are now.

Friends that know something is there.

#sonya x aris #sonyaris #the maze runner #tmr #one shot #tmr ship #unrequited love

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utilitycaster · 2 years ago

Note

Was reading your thoughts RE Laudna and Imogen last night and something hit me this morning. I think as well as not wanting to be alone, Laudna’s relationship with Imogen has some foundation in obligation/sense of debt (Imogen saved her from some people, is the first friend Laudna’s ever had). Given that Laudna’s longest “relationship” was Delilah, I can see her having trouble shedding a more transactional view of relationships, even as she goes on to make actual friends.

All of which makes the convo she had with Ash potentially pretty damning; Laudna hates feeling indebted to other people, even people she is as fond of as the Bells. Likewise, Ash seems to pick up on this immediately, while Imogen seems completely unaware of it.

Thinking it about it like this, I think Laudna’s actions make a bit more sense; not only did Imogen help bring her back to life, she banished Delilah. Even if she felt it was worth push back (and the incident with the Gnarlrock I think only reinforced for Laudna that if she steps “wrong” Imogen’s friendship can and will be withdrawn), she owes Imogen so much, more than she can probably ever repay.

(RE the Gnarlrock; I’m not trashing Imogen or how she reacted - it makes sense given her character and backstory. But it’s one of those things that reminds me of my first impression of them; they’re best friends the kids are best friends; all-consuming codependency, certainty they’ll be together forever)

I have to admit I'm not quite following all of this so let me know if I misinterpreted you.

Laudna's feelings towards relationships are a little tough to get a bead on because sometimes she does very childlike things - her belief her dolls are alive, her flippant attitude towards Delilah, her complete shutdown when Dusk asked her out - but I think she does understand that relationships aren't purely transactional. Marisha explained it as sort of an extreme version of when your friends take care of you after a night of too-heavy drinking; you feel kind of embarrassed and like you were a burden, but you do understand that they do it because they care.

With that said: I do think Ashton does see a lot of relationships as transactional following his abandonment by the Nobodies, and I think is discomfited by the fact that he does things for Bells Hells because he likes them and not as a give and take, despite his original intentions. And so I do agree that they are able to easily understand Laudna's feelings here, and I'm not sure Imogen does.

I do have to say: I have been quite harsh on Imogen this past episode, not (in my opinion) undeservedly, but I think if Laudna is thinking this way...that's even worse, and I'm not sure I'd go that far. Like, I saw someone say that Imogen kept pushing back whenever the party brought up their concerns (which were fairly measured; Orym is pretty generous in his criticism given that he, his husband, and his father-in-law were all killed by Otohan) and so Laudna understood this and knew not to push it. The fact is, it's a red flag that it took more than several party members pointing out the Ruby Vanguard's body count to shut this line of inquiry from Imogen down. I think if Laudna is tiptoeing around Imogen because she's scared Imogen with withhold her affections...I mean, that's how people behave around their abusers, which I don't think is an appropriate analogy. I think the idea that Imogen is just too insensitive and self-absorbed to realize what she's saying, and both she and Laudna are both too scared of conflict to be able to unpack any negative feelings they may have, is a much more generous read.

#answered #greatgodempresspan #cr tag

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comfy-whumpee · 2 years ago

Text

Roman: Everyone

read this before Tyler

@neuro-whump, @rosesareviolentlyread, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @pumpkin-spice-whump, @whumpsday, @firewheeesky, @why-not-ask-me-a-better-question

The hour before anyone came in used to be his least favourite time. It was quiet and lonely, and when he woke up to get ready for the day, the office was silent. It wasn't like the end of the day, when he would be tired and ready to finish up and rest, watching the sunset or the lights at night through the big window in reception. It was painful anticipation, waiting to find out when people would come, what mood they would be in, and what they would need of him that day.

In the months before now, Mr Charlie had always been first in. He was the boss, he had explained, and that meant he had to show up first and leave last. Mr Charlie said he was a good example, and a good boss always led by example. He had read it in a management book. He had read lots of them.

Roman would always listen to Mr Charlie after bringing his mail, and sometimes he would learn about the business. He still didn't really understand what the company did, but it was something to do with an app, and logistics, and streamlining, and something about an organisational nexus. Mr Charlie had created it and he was very proud of it, and his college friends had liked it so much they had come to work for him.

Roman couldn't imagine them being in college, and had only a hazy idea what college was. It was like an office, but they all did the same work. And for some reason it made them like Mr Harden enough to invite him along. Or maybe he was just that smart. Dillon said he was only here because he was so smart.

Mr Harden was always next in, but he didn't speak to anyone until he had his morning coffee. Nobody spoke to him either. The other three would follow after that, everyone in by half past nine, almost two hours after Roman had woken up.

Recently though, Tyler had been coming in before Mr Charlie. Tyler lived alone, and usually when Roman was at his, he did some of the cleaning and laundry, but mostly Tyler got him to watch TV or play video games he didn't ever properly explain. Tyler had said he hated winter, and he hated breakfast, to explain why he had changed his routine.

"You make good porridge," he told Roman, and that was why he came in every day at eight, just after Roman had snuck into the gym downstairs for his shower, dressed, and eaten his toast.

Tyler would sit at the little table in the kitchen with a bowl of porridge, honey stirred in. Roman would lean against the counter. And even as Tyler ate, and scrolled through his phone, and watched videos, he would talk. Not like Mr Charlie, though. They would both talk.

It started off with the kind of thing Tyler had asked before. "What was training like?"

Roman was wearing a forgotten cardigan from the lost property, grey wool covering his hands to keep them warm. "Help At Home training is ethical and nonviolent," he said, easy as breathing. "We take classes and complete practical activities, and we're cleared for sale by an assessment on our designated capabilities."

"Is it true that they don't hurt you?"

The smile came onto his face without his volition. He had to smile, for this bit, soft and grateful and reassuring. "Never. I never saw a handler hurt a trainee. They even made sure we didn't get collar chafing."

He can hear every other trainee in his set saying the lines in unison. He hears it when Tyler asks next, "So what if someone changes their mind?"

"The contract we sign is legally binding," he recites. Tyler doesn't seem to notice they aren't his own whispered words. "But applicants can and do withdraw from the service prior to their Fresh Start."

"Fresh Start?"

"The Fresh Start is our cognitive transition from who we were to who we are."

"Fucking hell." Tyler was quiet for a minute, staring moodily at his bowl. Then he looked up. Tyler had grey eyes that always seemed unsure if they were more blue or green. Today they were greener. "Do you ever wish you hadn't signed?

That wasn't a question he had a trained answer to, so he hesitated. But the right information was in his head, just applied differently. He proceeded with care. "I can't answer that question. I am a pet before a-anything else." He paused, doubting that Tyler would be satisfied with that. "No," he answered eventually. "No, I'm…I'm not the person I used to be. So I would only be missing…um, an idea, maybe. Something that isn't real anymore."

"Huh," Tyler had said, and nothing more on the topic. "Hey, look at this dog."

Then the next week, after days to think on it, he had come up with another. "If you quit, what would you do?"

Roman hadn't thought about it before, but he did then. Tyler's elbows were on the table and their knees were touching underneath it. "I think… I'd like to try being a catering Domestic. They get hired for events as a little team, and go out to cook and serve at lots of different places."

"I didn't mean…" Tyler had started, and then cut himself off. "Never mind. This bowl's getting cold."

Now, it was the third week. They were sitting together at the little table. Tyler's knee was resting against the outside of his leg. He was leaning forwards with his phone between them, a video playing on the screen. It was some kind of food challenge, and Roman was watching it only out of obligation. Tyler made him watch a lot of things, but this was one of those times where he was the only one of them paying attention. Tyler himself was frowning thoughtfully, not reacting at all to the men on the screen and their gigantic plates.

It meant he was building up to something. Last time he'd been like this, it had been when they'd kissed. Now…

"If you stopped being a pet," he said, so quietly Roman almost didn't hear. "What would you want to be?"

This, Roman realised, was what he'd tried to ask last week. Who was Roman without the office?

"Nothing," he replied softly. "I can only be a pet."

"You can be emancipated."

The word made his breath stop in his throat. But he shook his head quickly. "It wouldn't change who I am. I am a Help At Work office Domestic. 993948."

"You can change who you are."

They had warned him about this. They had shown videos of what happened. He reached up and closed both hands around his collar. "I don't want to be e-em…" He swallowed hard. "I don't want to be someone else. This is where I belong, with my owners."

Tyler had that look on his face, the one that he had worn when he had pulled out of the kiss to see Roman unresponsive, the surprise and disappointment in his eyes. He wanted Roman to be different, but he wasn't. He was trained for specific duties and he knew nothing else. Help At Home pets are happy. Help At Home pets are content.

"Charlie's your owner. Nobody else. He could take you out of here whenever he wanted."

Roman's eyes widened as his stomach dropped. "But I-I'm made for, for an office. It's – where I belong. I'm happy here, I swear."

Tyler's eyes went cold suddenly and he leaned back, tossing his head. "You don't have to lie to me, Ro," he said, but his tone was both casual and sharp, like he was baiting Roman to react. "You can't be happy in a place that puts staples in your hands when you fuck up."

He flinched from the threat. "That, that's only Mr Harden…"

"Could be me though, couldn't it?" Tyler pointed out, his voice too uneven to be a sincere question. "Could be your precious Mr Dillon, could be anyone. And you'd just go silent and still until someone fixed you."

His hand itched and he forced it to stay still. Tyler's thoughts were alien to him, but he understood this mood. He had seen it before, when Tyler got really frustrated by a game and had to go calm down, or when he talked about his dad. It always sent a thrum of fear into his blood. Tyler was angry, and not just about not killing zombies fast enough. About something else. About Roman.

"Ro," Tyler said, and his voice stretched to cover an emotion Roman didn't understand. "Show me your hands. Come on."

Roman looked down at his lap. His hands were tucked into the cardigan sleeves. Hidden. To keep them warm, as he'd told Tyler two weeks ago. He was cold most of the time, and especially in winter. He had hoped it would be enough.

He couldn't disobey. He set his hands flat on the table. Tyler reached out and pushed the cuffs to his wrists. Holding his breath, Roman averted his eyes from the red dots scattered over the skin on the backs of both hands.

"Joel—" Tyler whispered in an instant, hissing fury.

Roman shook his head. Tyler's eyes flashed to his, wildly looking between them.

"Not Joel," he said, guessing, watching. "Dillon?"

He shook his head again. His chest was starting to ache.

"Phil? Charlie?" Tyler sucked in a breath. "All of them?"

Roman squeezed his eyes tight, but the air came out of him hard.

Tyler squeezed his fingers gently. Anger dissipated as fast as it had come on, replaced by concern. "Ro, all of them?" he repeated in shock. "I thought – Joel was always a piece of shit, but I thought, Dillon liked you…"

"He likes when I try to be still and silent," Roman whispered. It seemed important that he was still and silent now, not giving anything to trigger Tyler's rage again. "Mr Charlie only does it if I mess up."

"And Phil?"

Roman took a small, sharp breath. "He goes along w-with Dillon."

Tyler's chair scraped back, and suddenly Roman was pulled into his arms, pressed against his chest like something precious that he loved, wrapped tightly in strong arms. "I'm sorry, Ro. Shit, I'm so sorry. I knew they'd do this, people told me. Let me, I've gotta…" He pulled back suddenly and picked up his phone from the table. "I've gotta tell this lawyer I've been talking to, about you and what they're doing, trying to get you safe. Not sent back, just – somewhere else. Somewhere that doesn't beat you for existing and – god, what's wrong with me?"

Roman stayed still and silent. Tyler was talking at him, like he did sometimes when he needed ideas for social media. The best thing to do was to let him work it out. He'd get a pat afterwards, and it wasn't much, but it proved he was needed…

"Ro, are you not listening?" Tyler said abruptly, grabbing his arm again. "If we can prove you're in danger, they'll let you out of here. You can go somewhere better."

The fear surged back. He was talking about emancipation again. He was talking about failing. Nobody wants someone who can't do their job right. Handlers had always told him, told all of them. Be perfect or be sent away. The cold, cold room and all the cold, merciless eyes. Do you want to come back here?

"I'm sorry," he whispered back to the handler, to the terrible disappointment in her eyes. "I'll try harder."

You're a flagship product, all of you. If you fail, there's no future for you. There's no other place to send you. Perfection or nothing.

"I can do better," he promised. "I want to stay."

Your only future is with your company.

Tyler looked at him, and something like anger was back. He hadn't dropped their hands. He hadn't moved, just as Roman hadn't, except with Tyler it was like he was too rigid to have any yield in him at all.

"Do they make you say that?" he guessed suddenly. "That's not what you really want, is it? They made you say it."

Roman, the small part of him that he kept hidden very deep down, wanted to cry out and reply. But he only smiled nervously and said, "The only information I am – I-I was, I was required – to memorise, um, was the emergency contact details for m-my owner, and the relevant pet legislation."

Tyler pulled back, but then returned, hands dropping and coming back up. "They make you say that too. Shit, how much of you is – is them? Do you even like us?" He swallowed suddenly, looking away. "All the fucked-up stuff you said you didn't mind…"

Before he could ask, and Roman knew he was about to ask, about the kissing, the sound of footsteps both. Tyler dropped his hands like they were burning and Roman pulled his sleeves down, both of them stepping back from each other instinctively.

Roman picked up the bowl and spoon quickly, and turned to start washing them up. Tyler grabbed his bottle of water and stepped out of the kitchen. Neither looked at the other.

"Morning." Charlie's voice, already halfway across the office. "Early start again today?"

"Yeah, I don't sleep late in winter. Got to get up while the sun's up." Tyler's voice was strained, but casual, as he walked out of the kitchen without looking back. "Catch the game last night?"

"Yeah, course. Crap job we did, but pulled it through in the end."

Roman breathed out. His head was spinning and his heart wouldn't slow. Everything that Tyler had been saying was wrong. That he wasn't really himself. That he was only saying those things because he was made to. That he should be free.

There was nowhere else for him to go. He wasn't a normal Domestic who could suit different households. He was for an office, and he'd been placed in this one. He knew company secrets, account details. They were things that normal people would have to keep secret, but for Roman, it meant he couldn't leave. He couldn't be given to someone else, because he would answer any question honestly, even if he was asked about those secret things.

What would there be for him, if Tyler forced him to be free? Nothing. He'd have nothing at all but Tyler himself, and intense conversations, overbearing anger, and awkward, bewildering moments of intimacy that Tyler barely seemed to understand himself…

Better to be here. Stable and secure. Hurt, maybe, but…

But…

Tyler had looked so horrified when he'd found out everyone was doing it.

That meant there was something wrong. Tyler had barely batted an eye the first time. He'd never said a word about Charlie beating him for stress relief. He'd rarely even said anything nice. He'd been the one to bring that horrible bunny costume…

But…even Tyler thought it was too much. And there was a little voice in him, a little niggle, like a lump in his throat. It said this was wrong. It said he was scared of his so-called friends. He had to get away from them.

"Roman, get the mail!"

Charlie's call made him jump again, thoughts lost in the urgency of the irritated tone. He left Tyler's bowl in the warm water and hurried to sort out the day's deliveries.

He didn't look at Tyler. Tyler didn't look at him.

#im stupid im stupid it's 1am and i got excited to post tyler in trouble #bbu #pet whump #my fic #the birdhouse #tyler #roman

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