#she makes sure she has an audience and laughs while she proceeds with what she’s doing

[pergaminaa]

Modern au

Manon would not believe she had this interaction with her sixteen months old daughter:

There was a box of cookies on the coffee table. The child has found the box, opened and grabbed a cookie and put it in her mouth. Not satisfied, he had the cookie half dangling from her mouth while her hands went to the box again.

Manon told her to finish the piece in her mouth first before grabbing another.

What did her adorable precious daughter do? She looked her straight on the eye, shoved the entire cookie in her mouth, and reached for the box hunting for another cookie.

[pastshadows]

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 16: Ruins

Summary: After a year of blissful cohabitation, Astarion disappears without a trace, leaving behind a heartfelt letter explaining his departure. Determined to find him, you traverse Faerûn in search of your lost love, only to realize that some absences are meant to be permanent.

Returning to Waterdeep, you find solace in the company of Gale as you come to terms with Astarion's absence. But just as you begin to heal, Astarion reappears, begging for a second chance at love.

The question looms: can you forgive his abandonment and trust him once more? As you grapple with your emotions and trauma, a sinister force lurks in the shadows, targeting you for unknown reasons.

With danger closing in, you must navigate the treacherous waters of trust, love, and betrayal to uncover the truth behind the mysterious entity's motives. Will you be able to reunite with Astarion while facing the demons of your past? Can you unravel the secrets that threaten your very existence?

Setting: Post End-Game. Mostly canon compliant.

Word Count: 6.9K

Content: Explicit 18+ - intended for mature audiences.

Warnings: [Additional tags will be added, but expect mature content / read at your own risk.]

Spoilers. Mentions of in-game missable content. Violence. Sexual Assault [Implied/attempted sexual assault: Chapter 7]. Past Trauma. Murder. Death. Longing. Sexual themes. Smut. Blood drinking. Angst. Innuendos. High use of sarcasm. Completely fabricated camp interactions. Panic attacks. Anxiety.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” You ask, glancing at Shadowheart. 

Her eyebrows pinch, and she studies the map in her hands with Gale looking over her shoulder. 

“This is the correct location, according to the map.” Gale says, with his fingers cradling his chin. 

You walk through a grand wrought-iron archway toward the two-story manor with a facade of azure tiles that gleam in the sunlight. A marble staircase leads to the portico, lined with stately round columns and a double door with intricate carvings of mermaids and sea serpents. 

“You look perplexed, Gale,” you say, as he comes up beside you with his arms crossed. “Something wrong?” 

“Just lost in thought." Gale cants his head. "I cannot recall ever seeing this building before, and something with this much grandeur stands out.” 

"So, are we just going to spend the day outside or are we going to discover what treasures this puppy has inside?" Hecat prompts with her voice high with excitement. 

You barely manage to stifle the groan that tries to cow its way from your throat, but your face deforms into a disgruntled scowl despite your intentions to remain impassive. 

Why did I insist on bringing her again? Ah-yes, because it was either this or leaving her alone with Astarion.  

“We cannot just go barging into homes,” you conclude with an authoritative edge. It’s been a while since you had to take this tone with anyone, and it feels strange to be playing the role of the fearless leader again. “Gale grew up here. If he says he hasn’t seen this building before, then something is up, and we must proceed carefully.” 

Hecat purses her lips with her hands on her hips, and then she laughs like an overly energetic child. “Of course, dragon girl. Whatever you say.” 

“Well, it’s possible I missed it.” Gale says, trying to ease the tension. “Though, unlikely.” 

“No.” Shadowheart hisses with distain. She looks at you with a mischievous smile. “Kamena is right, Gale. You wouldn’t miss a bright blue building in your hometown.” 

You make a mental note to hug Shadowheart later. There’s a peculiar feeling rife in the air, and you glance around and study the environment. Though it looks picturesque, no birds fly in the sky above, no insects hover above the vivid yellow and blue flowers that line the gardens, and the salty breeze doesn’t rustle the trees or grass. 

An illusion, and a sloppy one at that.  

The Weave suffuses you, infusing every pore of your being, until the essence emanates from you in a blushing radiance. Reaching out, you project vines of power to twist and penetrate into the illusion and expel the magic that holds it in place. 

The mirage flutters and dissolves away like paint on a canvas left out in the rain, revealing a forsaken structure with thorny, sunburnt vines that run up cracked walls of dirt-stained limestone.

“Someone went through a lot of trouble to hide this,” you mutter, drawing your quarterstaff, Markoheshkir. “Be on your guard.” 

Gale fills himself with the Weave, Shadowheart brandishes her spear, and Hecat unholsters the sword she procured from the prison as you approach. The door squeaks on its hinges as you push it open and enter the grand vestibule. A discarded chandelier lays sprawled on the floor, which is layered with dust and rubble that grinds under your boots. 

It doesn’t look like anything aside from rodents and insects has resided here in a long time as you search the forgotten manor. Clothing is strewn with holy moth-eaten rags hanging from wardrobes and chests as if the drawers were retching the clothing, indicating whoever lived here fled quickly. Jewellery of all kinds still sits on tarnished silver platters in the bed chambers. 

“Don’t mind if I do!” Hecat yammers with a wide smile as she fills her pockets. 

You roll your eyes as you flip through the embrittled pages of what looks to be an old journal, but the pigment in the ink has faded with age and become nearly unreadable. 

Leaving Hecat to her ransacking, you meander through the upper-floor bedrooms and libraries, trying to imagine what this place would have looked like without the mould eagerly crawling up the walls, spreading its tendrils of decay, and the dreary, dirt-clad flooring. The ceiling was once frescoed to depict epic scenes of something that's no longer discernible through the fractures and decayed patches. 

Shadowheart trots up beside you and whispers. “Hecat is going to need someone to carry her out of here if she keeps stuffing her pockets.” 

“Good.” You lean close to Shadowheart, putting your arm around her shoulder. “I will happily leave her and her overstuffed pockets here.” 

Shadowheart chuckles under her breath. “Me too, but I imagine we will have to drag Gale away.” 

You wiggle your glowing fingers with a devious grin. “What do you think Sleep spells are for?” 

Ducking into a bed chamber, you use the sleeve of your robe to wipe the grime from the window, allowing some light into the dim space. Shadowheart follows you, pulling out drawers and opening containers, analyzing everything with a quizzical furrow pinching her brow. 

Your boots thud off a floor plank with a hollow plunk, making you stop in your tracks. Crouching, you brush away the debris and rap your knuckles against various boards until you find the source. It’s barely perceptible, but you can see the scratches where the beam has been moved. 

“Shadowheart. Do you think you can pry this up with the tip of your spear?” 

Shadowheart wedges the point of her blade between the board and pops it out to reveal a small compartment full of the silky remains of spider webs, and you cringe. 

Shadowheart laughs. “Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of spiders.” 

“Oh, don’t you start to!” You huff theatrically. “I take enough shit from Astarion over this.” 

“Well, you did throw rocks at him that one time.” Shadowheart goads, trying to stifle her chuckling. 

“Once! I did it once! Gods above. I’m about to throw rocks at you too!” 

“Spiders, huh?” Hecat simpers, leaning against the doorframe with a smarmy grin. “Don’t worry. We all have our weaknesses. I’ve got you, dragon girl.” 

You and Shadowheart glance at each other with palpable caution. Hecat has never been quiet, always stomping around Gale’s manor with footsteps so loud that it’s like her feet are made of lead. Yet here she is sneaking up and eavesdropping on your conversations. This one was innocent, but if she is capable of moving that quietly when she wants to, you will have to be more vigilant. 

Hecat reaches into the hole, shooting you a smile that looks genuine but doesn’t reach her eyes, and produces a small diary with leather straps, keeping it tied shut. She hands the item off, probably unhappy that it’s not another gem or golden necklace for her to stuff in her already plump pack. 

You open it carefully. The pages feel weak, as if they might fall to pieces like a dried leaf. The ink is dull, but there are passages that are legible, and you scan them. It’s written in an old dialect of common and speaks of meeting a handsome man in a tavern with eyes red like the sunset and skin pale and impossibly smooth like a pearl’s surface. 

Several pages have to be flipped before you find another passage clear enough to read. It talks about sneaking out to meet the unnamed man in the rose gardens bordering the estate every night, how he seemed oddly cold when they embraced, and how his smiles were only ever tight-lipped. 

Another excerpt speaks about sneaking him into the basement of the manor, falling in love, and how he spoke in sweet promises of eternity. 

The rest of the words are illegible until the last page, which reads, “I am dead. I am dead. I am dead.” 

By the time you look back up, Gale is standing with Hecat while Shadowheart reads over your shoulder. 

Shadowheart shakes her head. “Poor fool.” 

“I didn’t see a basement in this place.” You glance between Shadowheart and Gale, who both shrug. 

You meticulously search the main floor for anything that looks out of place. Hecat and you move overturned furniture, Shadowheart tosses books off shelves, and Gale uses the Weave to look for any illusion that may be still at play, but all you get for it is dirt-streaked faces and grimy hands. 

“You could just break the walls,” Hecat muses, looking around. “You’re powerful enough to do that, aren’t you?” 

“What a bright idea!” You cannot keep the poisonous sarcasm out of your voice. “I will just bring the entire place down on our heads. That will surely do it!” 

Hecat scoffs, but before she can lash you with a clever counter, Gale shouts, “My friends! I think I found something!” 

Shadowheart pats your back as you trail behind Hecat with a fearsome frown. You really would like to melt her eyes from her sockets. She’s been eyeballing Astarion ever since you returned, and try as you might, letting go, or growing up, as Astarion so harshly put it, has been a challenge. 

You’re trying, but insecurity is a rabid beast, and it hasn’t quite had its fill of you yet. 

Gale points to an unremarkable shelf built into a wall. “Seek, and you shall find! There’s a draft from the cracks in the wood.” Gale grabs your hand, sticking it close. “Feel it?” 

Although it’s barely perceivable, the air coming from behind the cracks is cooler than that of the ambient room. Your fingers trace around the edges. If there were any scratches or marks to indicate a way to open this, they’ve been hidden by peeling paint and swollen, cracking wood. 

You fill yourself with the Weave making your eyes burn pink, and Shadowheart and Gale move away habitually, an old habit from your adventures. Hecat, on the other hand, stands close, tapping her foot impatiently. You’re very tempted to let her get caught in your destruction — an unfortunate accident — but Gale guides her away before you can make up your mind. 

“Detono!” 

The wood boards are thrown inward, hailing splinters with a loud boom. The dank, mildewed air fans your sweaty face as you peer into a dark corridor. Shadowheart casts Light on her spear, and you hold fire in your palm as you make your way through the cramped alley with mindful steps until you come to a stone staircase that winds down. 

The shadows seem to stretch and distort along the stone walls ominously, and your footsteps echo throughout. It takes minutes to reach the bottom, where it finally opens up into a room with a dirt floor. There are dirty, hay-stuffed mattresses strewn about, but the room extends too far to see properly. 

You crouch as Shadowheart stops by your side. You hold your arm out to halt her and scan the earthy ground. “Traps.”  

Astarion taught you many things — identifying traps was one of them — but he laughed boisterously until tears shone in his eyes when you asked him to teach you how to disarm them. 

“Ah-no.” Astarion giggles mirthfully. The harder you scowl, the funnier he thinks it is.

“What?” You pout and shoot him the puppy eyes that you know he has a hard time refusing. “Please?”

Astarion smirks, leaning back in his chair with his hands laced behind his head. “You can look at me with your sad puppy eyes and precious pout all you like, darling. The answer is still no."

“Why not?” You snort. “Don’t you think it would be prudent for me to know? What if I get myself trapped somewhere?”

“Well, since I go where you go, I don’t see that being a problem.” Astarion grins handsomely, fangs peeking out from the perfect bow of his lips.

“You’re scared I’m going to blow myself up, aren’t you?”

“Scared?” He chuckles with a highly arched brow and a slight shake of his head. “No. I have no doubt you will blow yourself up. If you die, who is going to light the fire for me? Gods forbid I would have to return to doing it the old-fashioned way. With these nails? Truly a travesty."

“You know that I am well aware you can cast Fire Bolt, right? I mean, you don’t cast it well, but well enough to light the fire."

“Don’t cast it well? Hells below.” Astarion groans. “It’s a cantrip; there’s hardly any skill needed for such child's play. The same cannot be said about disarming traps. If you fuck that up, you die, and your dexterity is atrocious. I’ll leave the magic to you, and you leave the traps to me, yes?”

“Fine!” You relent, giving your foot a stomp because you know it will earn you another lilting giggle from him, and it’s somehow the prettiest sound you’ve ever heard. “I didn’t hear any complaints about my dexterity last night.”

"Sassy tonight, are we?" Astarion smiles, patting his lap. “Do you ever stop thinking about sex?”

“With you?” You settle with your legs at his hips and his hands around your waist. “Never.”

“Well, stop thinking and start doing, my sweet.” 

Returning at night is a dangerous prospect. You’ve been doing most of your scouting during the day and making sure you’re well within the safety of the manor long before twilight blankets the city. 

You sigh. “We will need to return with Astarion before we can proceed any further.” 

“Oh, goody!” Hecat squeals. “I cannot wait to see the vampire in action. That must truly be a real pleasure to see.” 

You close your eyes tightly, scrunching up your entire face with a white-knuckled grip on Markoheshkir. 

It would be so terrible if she tripped and fell into the traps. Wouldn't it? 

“That vampire has a name,” Shadowheart scolds with a surly intonation. “And you would do well to mind your tongue, or you’ll find yourself on the streets.” 

“Now, now,” Gale mewls in his too-cordial, assuaging intonation. “I’m sure Hecat didn’t mean to offend.” 

“I—“ Hecat trips over her own words. She tries to keep her voice steady, but you catch the faintest tremble of dread braided with embarrassment. The Tiefling doesn’t want to be left on the streets, it seems, but you cannot help but wonder if it’s all an act. “I didn’t mean to antagonize anyone. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” Hecat grabs your arm, forcing you to turn and look at her. She pleads, “Especially you. Truly. My mouth can run a little brainlessly. I’m sorry.” 

She sounds sincere, and her eyes don’t radiate any ill-will. Guilt sneaks up on you like a shadowed figure, unnoticed until it’s standing behind you and smothering your conscience in its dark silhouette. This woman has been decent to you. In prison, she protected you from the riffraff and was essential to your escape; outside of it, she’s done nothing more than make obtuse comments and salivate over Astarion, but most people do the same when in his presence. 

You wonder idly if there is anything you can do to make him slightly less earth-shatteringly handsome — a moronic contemplation. Your best idea is that you could polymorph him into a sheep, but knowing him, he would find a way to make even that look good. 

Ridiculous, bafflingly beautiful man. 

With a lungful of musty air, you acquiesce and try to gag the mistrustfulness that has made its home in your bone marrow. “It's alright. Let's return home, and we can think about if we want to return here at night. We could be walking straight into a trap.” 

Astarion greets you, standing just shy of the sun flooding in from the door, having heard your approach. “Gods. You’re positively filthy. What in the Hells were you up to? You look like you’ve been rolling in dirt.” 

“What? Not going to give me a welcome back hug, lover?” You tease. 

“Bloody Hells no,” he taunts, quirking a brow at you with a mock disdainful grin. “You seriously cannot expect me to sully all of this with all of that.” He gestures wildly toward you. 

“I’m certain I recall you enjoying a little roll in the dirt once in a while.” You taunt, shimming your shoulders with a whimsical smile. 

“Good Gods, you two really haven’t changed a bit, have you?” Shadowheart chuckles, placing her spear on the weapon rack. “At least take it upstairs, will you?” 

Astarion smirks with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “Gladly.” 

Hecat strolls past Astarion without even glancing his way, and you wonder if the woman has finally — fucking finally — taken the hint, but there is still a slight sway to her hips and the tip of her tail ghosts over his upper thigh. Whether it was done on purpose or by accident, there’s no way to tell. 

Astarion darts to the side at the unexpected contact, and his features contort in a knee-jerk response. He swallows hard, making his Adam’s apple bob, and you see it written in his eyes. 

Disgust. Loathing. All those feelings he tries so hard to forget. 

You seethe, your skin worming over your frame in a sea of flames, and you step forward with magic braced on your fingertips. Astarion slips in front of you and shakes his head in a silent plea to overlook it. It makes you physically ill, but you yield and stalk upstairs to your room to change into something less covered in muck. 

“Thank you,” Astarion murmurs. 

“For?” 

“I do love it when you act pig-headed,” he grunts, currying his fingers through his hair. “Hecat. I know you saw it, and I know you saw my reaction to it.” 

“She made you uncomfortable,” you hiss under your breath, tossing your dirty robe and trousers away aggressively. You want to say she is lucky to still have her life, and that is a godsdamned truth. Relax, you think. Astarion is capable of taking care of himself. He needs my support, not my ire. You take a deep breath and say, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“There’s nothing to talk about, really,” Astarion laments, sitting on the bed with his hand on his forehead. “Not that you’re not aware of anyway. It was a spontaneous response to being touched in a way I wasn’t expecting, and perhaps a little too close to home, if you catch my drift, but I am not convinced it was purposeful.” 

Sometimes you wonder if you pushed him too hard in the Shadowlands when he confessed. Should you have backed off and been his friend instead of his lover? Is that what would’ve been better for him? In the moment, it felt right to hug him, but sometimes you look back and see it as a selfish thing to do when he was telling you he didn’t enjoy intimacy. 

Oh? Intimacy brings up feelings of disgust and loathing? Well, let me press my body right up against yours without asking!

Foolish fucking woman.

You cannot help but worry that you cause the same discomfort on occasion when you touch him unexpectedly. Though his issues surrounding affection are difficult for him to navigate, they are also undeniably demanding of you. Where you find solace in his touch, regardless of whether it’s expected or sudden, the same cannot be said about him, and it’s all too easy to misplace the mindfulness of that fact. 

How often do you touch him out of reflex and cause the same feelings to crop up? How many times has he ignored it and simply let it happen without saying a word? 

“Don’t.” Astarion pleads suddenly right in front of you, taking your hand and pressing it to his chest in the way he knows soothes you. His face and voice are a ledger to his anxiety. He blurts frantically. “Don’t pull away from me now. Don’t run from me. Please.”

In another lifetime, you would’ve asked the questions plaguing your mind without hesitation. You have memories of when communication was harmonious and uncomplicated. He would tell you when you were being an obstinate, pigheaded child, and you would tell him when he was being a haughty, old prick. 

And then he left me, you think, in the dead of night. 

That time is dead, buried in a graveyard of uncertainty and doubt. You’re beginning to trust him; day by day, it gets easier and a little less daunting, but will you ever be that confident in your relationship again? 

Astarion’s crimson eyes don’t leave yours, and his thumb sweeps across the back of your hand, the picture of patience. You allow your body to lean into him slowly so that he knows your intention — a gesture of comfort and reassurance that you aren’t going to race out the door like you’ve done on so many occasions. His response is unforced and natural, wrapping his arms around you and holding you tight. 

“Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours, my love.” He coos, soft and gentle, in that whisky-warm voice that allays your turbulent thoughts. “You can talk to me about anything.” 

You mull it over in your head, not completely sure that you can handle starting down this particular road. Quiet minutes stretch out between you. Astarion’s hand rubs slow circles across your back, but he does not press you further. 

“Do I ever make you feel like that?” You mutter against his chest, sheltered in his arms from whatever painful truths this ends with. “I forget sometimes to make my intentions to touch you obvious or known. I need you to remind me when I lapse.”  

“Oh, love, no.” Astarion smiles as you venture a glance up at him. He leans forward but halts inches above your lips, making you meet him halfway. You kiss him, your hand caressing his cheek. “When it’s just us, you needn’t be heedful of when or where you touch me, Kamena. You haven’t made me feel that way in some time, but if you ever do, I will tell you. I do not intend to keep anything from you again.” He reassures. 

“Okay.” You exhale heavily through your nose and try to relax the rigidity in your body. “I still get scared sometimes that you’re going to leave again, that I’ll wake up one morning and you’ll be gone.” 

“I know,” Astarion sighs, kissing your forehead. He takes your arms and gently guides them around his waist, encouraging you to touch his back with a steady gaze. When you hug him, you rarely wrap yourself around his waist, ever mindful of his back and scars. It is a show of how much he trusts you and how your touch does not bother him. “I know it will take time, and I will never stop trying, but do you think you will ever be able to trust me again?” 

“I’m trying,” you reply truthfully, even though it’s far more complex than that. You bury your face in his chest, finding it easier to confess when he isn’t staring at you with those eyes that impair your ability to speak honestly. “It just... it still hurts.” 

“I’m well aware. You mutter in your trance sometimes, begging me not to go or to come back.”

A flush of embarrassment tidal waves through you, pricking across your skin all the way to the tips of your ears. Hells. You knew you often woke up screaming, but you didn’t realize you were also talking during your rest.  

You wave it off, trying to play it as insignificant and something you can easily disregard. 

Astarion grabs your arm. His touch is gentle, but his expression is grave. “No. Don’t pretend it’s nothing when it is anything but.” 

You ground yourself and attempt to persuade him. “They are just dreams, Astarion. It’s really not— “ 

“Serious?” Astarion retorts, clearly a little irritated that you think you can manipulate him into believing this little white lie. “It is significant, Kamena. Those fears, the ones I caused, do not just infect your dreams; they bleed into the waking world as well. I see them on your face; endeavour to catch them before they latch on and take root; keep them at bay as much as I can.  

“I do not begrudge you, but don’t discount your residual pain.” Astarion looks askance, his eyes darkening like cloudy skies. “If you minimize it, then you also discard the effort I am putting in to dispel them and prove that I am here and I’m not going anywhere.” 

“I--" you stutter, trying to govern the impulse to keep cementing your suffering behind a wall and hope he doesn’t see it. Your throat feels dry all of a sudden. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I know this has been difficult for you as well. I didn’t mean to undervalue your efforts.”

Astarion’s eyes return to yours, full of hope and appreciation for acknowledging that you know he’s trying. “Thank you. Now, quit leaving me in this dreadful suspense. Did you find anything on your little expedition today?” 

You dig through your bag and hand him the diary. “Not much, but the place was glamoured like the bog, if you remember.” 

“Do you think my memory really that fickle?” Astarion scoffs while he pours over the pages. “I may not remember everything from two centuries ago, darling, but I vividly remember a couple years ago, especially your sun-kissed skin, rosy cheeks, and eyes that could slow galaxies. Though, I would have preferred if you had left that illusion in place.” 

“Perhaps it would have been more pleasant, but it was pretty funny to “Baaa” at the Redcaps, no?” 

Astarion laughs. “You surprised me that day.” 

“Really?” 

“Oh yes,” Astarion simpers with a smug grin. “I did not expect you to bleat like a sheep so well — a flawless performance, truly.” 

“A flawless performance, truly,” you repeat, doing your best to imitate him with a mocking flair. 

“Sorceress.” His eyes swing up from the journal with a handsomely quirked brow. “Not half bad! You’re improving.” 

You giggle at his praise. “Do you still have armour and weapons, Rogue? Or do we need to go on a thieving spree?” 

That gets his full attention, and Astarion’s head jerks up. “I would never say no to a night of splendid depravity, but I do indeed still have my armour and weapons. Why?” 

“There’s a basement positively brimming with traps that need disarming.” 

“Hm, well, now I kind of wish I picked the thieving spree.” Astarion pouts. “Disarming traps all night sounds like much less fun.” 

“You could always teach me how,” you taunt. 

“This again? Gods.” Astarion groans, smoothing his hand down his face, exasperated. “The answer will be no until the end of time, sweetheart, but nice try.” 

“You suck sometimes.” 

Astarion laughs, saunters over, and folds his arms around you. He presses the sculpted muscles of his chest against your back and kisses your neck, tracing his lips up the column. “I am a man of many talents. I suck, bite, and lick, if you ask nicely enough, love.” 

“Please.” 

“Good girl,” he purrs. 

Approaching the derelict estate slowly, Astarion’s eyes flit about the shadows as he methodically scans every concealed corner. He holds out a hand, halting you and Shadowheart at the archway, and listens. You and Shadowheart know this routine well, and you stand muted and motionless until Astarion indicates otherwise. 

“I don’t hear or smell anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn’t mean they are not waiting downwind or out of sight.” 

“You don’t say.” Shadowheart snickers satirically. “I would never have guessed that. Thank you, Astarion, for your impressive observations.” 

“You’re very welcome, flower.” Astarion drawls with a boyish grin. 

It feels like old times watching Astarion in his strikingly etched, black leather armour with gold stitching and buckles. Shadowheart still wears the Adamantine armour from your travels, but it’s been dyed sky blue, white, and gold. You adorn Wavemother’s robe, dyed deep lilac, orange, and black. The chains have been altered to include dragons that appear to soar up your chest.  

It is, unsurprisingly, Astarion’s favourite among your robes. 

Brandishing Markoheshkir with a flourish, you keep the Weave poised at your fingertips as you make your way inside. 

“Do you think I could have a little look around?” Astarion asks, looking at you for permission as if you were still the leader of the ragtag group of misfits. “Perhaps I will find something you… overlooked.” 

“Missed,” you grunt. “You want to look for things we might have missed. Be my guest, but if you’re looking for valuables to steal, Hecat already pocketed them all.” 

Astarion nods, strolling off to pick through the ruins of someone’s life long since dead and turned to bone dust. Your fingers pass over dainty figurines that are chipped, dulled, and antiquated. 

“How did you get Hecat to stay behind?” Shadowheart asks. 

“I don’t know if you remember, but I can be exceptionally persuasive, and if that fails, intimidating.” 

“Oh,” Shadowheart picks up a tattered book, tossing it aside. “How could I ever forget your silver tongue? It got us into and out of so many situations.” 

“Didn’t it?”  

“Who do you think these people were?” Shadowheart’s brows furrow. “They were obviously affluent and left in a hurry, but people with this type of money don’t tend to just go missing without notice.” 

“Left, taken, or were killed.” You cast Light on your quarterstaff to illuminate the gloomy space and peer around. 

“Killed,” Astarion concludes, descending the stairs with silent but rapid steps. “Massacred really.” 

“How do you know?” Shadowheart frowns. 

“Come now. Need I remind you that I’m a vampire?” Astarion crouches, sweeping away the layers of grime to reveal tenebrous, old floorboards. He twitches his fingers at you, and you toss him your glowing quarterstaff. He hovers it above the cleared patch and gestures toward an almost invisible discoloration. “Blood,” he concludes. “Very, very old, but blood nonetheless. It’s positively hither and yon in this place.” 

“Hither and yon?” Shadowheart giggles. “Hells below. I do forget how old you are.” 

“Curious.” Astarion arches a brow at her with a dastardly gleam in his nebulously red eyes. “I never forget how much of a child you are.” 

Shadowheart scoffs indignantly, her arms crossing with a scowl. 

Astarion chuckles, spinning Markoheshkir like he would his daggers, and then handing it to you. “Well, shall we head down into whatever horrors await us? You’ve only paid for my services until dawn, sorceress. It will cost you extra if I have to make an additional visit to this hellhole.” 

“I don’t know if I can afford your fee, Rogue.” 

Astarion pivots on his heel, tugging you by the waist into a chaste kiss with a knavish grin. “I am positive we can work something out, love.” 

Shadowheart grunts her displeasure, making Astarion smile against your lips. You give him a playful shove away and point. “I’m not paying you to stand around.” 

“Oh,” Astarion murmurs with a wink. “I do like it when you take charge and boss me around.” 

Descending the stairs is even more imposing with the knowledge that you could be walking straight into a trap. The drum of your heartbeat spikes, and your breathing starts to quicken. Astarion glances back with a nod that tells you he still hasn’t detected anything unusual lurking in the abyssal depths. He offers you his hand, and you take it gladly. 

At the bottom, you, Shadowheart, and Astarion all shuffle into the minimal space that Astarion indicates as a safe zone. Each of you tries peering into the nethermost bowels of the basement, but the shadows are far too thick. Even the Light emanating from Markoheshkir is hardly enough to brighten the vicinity around the three of you. 

Shadowheart stares at the ground with a mix of trepidation and hesitancy. “Can you disarm traps in such low light, Astarion? Safely, I mean. I rather like my limbs attached to my body.”

“Not all traps are bombs, my dear.” He drawls nonchalantly, taking your staff and holding it out over the ground. “And these are an invigorating mix between acid and explosives. Hmm. If the acid is combustible, we would be in for quite the show. Not to worry. I can defuse these in my sleep. However, I’ll need some light, so Kamena, you need to stick close to me and step only where I indicate, understand?” 

“Are you sure?” You ask, gripping his arm. 

“If I was not sure, I would not have you follow me. I would never put you in danger.” Astarion assures with his eyes anchored on you, covering your hand with his own. “Do you trust me, Kamena?” 

A nod to your earlier conversation where you admitted you’re still afraid he’s going to leave. You meet his gaze resolutely. “I trust you. Lead on.” 

Astarion leads you through the tangle of traps, pointing where to place your feet. With Markoheshkir gleaming and slung across your back, you let fire hover in your palm at a distance Astarion deems safe and impel the element to burn white-hot. It is, admittedly, an excessive expenditure of your sorcery. 

Even with Astarion’s mastery, it’s a slow-going process. There are far more traps than you were able to perceive at first glance, and the room extends further back than you anticipated. It seems every time Astarion has you proceed, you get naught more than a couple of shuffling steps before he’s crouching over another trap lying in wait for a careless foot. You glance back at Shadowheart, who has cast her own weapon with Light and call back to make sure she’s safe. 

“Tell Astarion to bloody hurry up!” She grunts. “I think he’s out of practice.” 

Astarion rolls his eyes, groaning under his breath as he fiddles with the device before him. You watch the deftness of his fingers as he makes short work of the mechanisms. It’s obvious why he refuses to teach you this particular skill. You wouldn’t possess enough patience or adroitness to perform this task. How Astarion knows which wires to cut, levers to adjust, or shells to remove is a mystery to you. They all appear different visually. 

“She knows I can hear her, yes?” Astarion grumbles, wiping the sweat from his brow. 

“She knows. Are you getting tired? We could take a break.” 

“Tired?” Astarion quirks a brow at you with a frown. “What gives you that impression?” 

“You’re sweating,” you reply bluntly. 

“Yes,” he says snidely. “You are hovering a white-hot orb of flame over my head.” 

“Why didn’t you just say something?” You scold him, trying to hide embarrassment. You know you’re being overzealous with the brightness. “I think I can coerce it to burn cooler.” 

It’s an utter certainty that you can; fire is in your blood, and it bows to you, but it will require more endurance. As adept as you are, power is not limitless. 

“I didn’t say anything because it’s kind of like being in the sun again, Solicallor.” He smiles authentically, but there is a sadness behind it that he doesn’t try to hide. 

He misses the sun.  

You nod your understanding, but still focus on marginally reducing the heat. 

“How did you learn this?” You blurt out the question that’s been whirring around your mind since you started watching him. 

You can’t imagine a magistrate would have much use for this, even a crooked one. Picking locks, absolutely, but this?  

“Books at first.” 

“Books?” 

“Yes, darling, books. You know those things with paper and words all bound together? Books.” He teases. 

“Ha-ha.” You say flatly. “I meant it more like you can learn this from books?” 

“The basic principles of it anyway.” Astarion nods. “The application of them requires a little more hands-on experience.” 

“There is not much to do during the day when you’re a vampire, besides trance, so I would read.” He glances up at you. “At night, after my orders were completed, I would peruse the city and disarm every trap I found. I blew myself up, poisoned myself, and had my skin eaten away by acid plenty of times before I got it right. Cazador would get positively peeved when I returned injured. It was good fun. Looking back at it now, I think I was trying to get myself killed, either by the traps themselves or Cazador.” 

He seems bemused by the whole reminiscence, and you’re trying to decide whether to be horrified or not.

“Vampire spawn are obnoxiously hard to kill.” He muses thoughtfully. “I think that’s the last of them.” He stands, eyeing the ground and looking for anything he might have missed. He reaches for the quarterstaff draped across your back. “May I?” 

You nod, and he takes it. He instructs briskly. “Stay here. I’m going to double check.” 

“Astarion…” 

Astarion squeezes your shoulder comfortingly. “If one of these things blows up on me, I will survive — a little blood and I’ll be right as rain — but if one blows up on you, it could kill you, and I would never be able to forgive myself. Please don’t be mulish for once. I will be right back, and you’re more than welcome to continue scowling at me.” 

You huff, rubbing your forehead. “Fine.” 

Astarion strolls off confidently while you mutter under your breath, keeping the fire in your palm animated mostly for the solace it provides. You observe Astarion’s movements only by the lambency of Markoheshkir bobbing around in the dark like a dancing spectre. 

He returns, calling out to Shadowheart to let her know it’s safe to move about. 

“Should we spread out and search, or should we stick together?” Shadowheart asks, directed at you. “How big is this place?” 

“I’m not sure.” Spreading out doesn’t sit well with you when you don’t know what could be skulking around in the darkness, but time is also of the essence, and it would be more efficient. You find yourself giving instructions, falling back into the leader role you so loathed. “Spread out, but always keep each other in sight. We can work our way down systematically.” 

You recast Light on one of Astarion’s daggers, making the spell keeping Markoheshkir aglow fade. Astarion opens his mouth to protest, but you cut him off. “I have fire. I don’t need it.” 

It surprises you when Astarion merely nods and concedes. He knows well enough that there’s nothing he can say to change your mind, and it’s a pointless venture to try. 

You can veritably hear him in your head calling you pig-headed, and you smirk to yourself as you start combing through the space. Mattresses litter the ground, stained and soiled. Pieces of loose paper, utensils, cracked or broken dinnerware, and sometimes stuffed animals are scattered around chaotically. 

When you finally get to a wall, it’s just plain bedrock. This place is more of a cavern than a basement. Droplets of water dribble down the stone, and gnarled roots reach out from the ceiling like spindly fingers. You swallow hard when you come across sets of rusty shackles and bindings affixed to the walls, nailed straight into the stone. A shiver runs down your spine; whether it’s from being cold or your increasing disquietude, you’re unsure. 

It may have been prudent to wear a thicker robe.  

You, Shadowheart, and Astarion don’t need to communicate much as you work your way through foot by foot. It takes little more than a glance or a curt nod for any of you to indicate you’ve found nothing and it’s time to proceed.

The nostalgia is equal parts wonderful and unnerving. You cannot deny that you enjoy having a clear goal — the danger and exhilaration of peril — but the small voice of reason affirms that this, too, is another way of running from yourself.

Barrelling headfirst into hazards gives you something to focus on instead of facing the fact that something within you is broken, perhaps beyond repair, and you don’t have to admit to yourself the thing you fear most — that you will never be able to trust Astarion again and any chance of a real relationship is fated to fail. 

Can you go to bed every night terrified that when you wake, he will not be there? Can you spend the rest of your days wondering if today is the day he disappears? 

Furthermore, is it fair to keep him with you if you’ll always doubt him? 

Your inability to let your fears go and move forward affects him just as much as it affects you. Would he be better off finding someone else — someone who can be with him without reservations, someone who can love him completely and utterly without worry. 

He deserves that, the kind of love you had for him before, and you’re not sure you will ever be able to get back to it. 

“Kamena!” Astarion hollers with a too-high, almost panicked timbre that rips you from your contemplations. 

You lunge into a sprint, Shadowheart following closely behind, both of you with spells already sparking on your fingertips, and Markoheshkir poised by your side. In your alarm, your mastery of your dragon Hellfire slips, and flames writhe over your body like a nest of molten serpents wrestling to escape.

Astarion is standing by a dilapidated desk, with moss growing over the surface and up the tottery legs. He holds a piece of wet parchment in his hands that he’s inspecting with a dismayed look. 

He hands it to you when the flames around you wane. “Recognize these?” 

The red ink has been smudged and streaks down the parchment like crimson tears, but you would know these markings anywhere. You’ve been trailing your fingers over similar ones every night. 

Infernal script.

Thank you to all those who read/like/comment/follow/reblog/etc. I'm forever thankful for the support. I love reading your comments ❤️

Chapters Master List - Shadows of the Past

AO3: Crossposted

If you're interested, I also write fanfic for Ascended Astarion x Spawn Tav - Fangs and Fractured Hearts

Small Notes:

Shadowheart is the best ❤️

Infernal script - rarely a good sign.

Still wanna know your thoughts on Hecat!

[froggywritesstuff]

dating gwen stacy (hc's)

ship/pairing: Gwen Stacy x g/n!reader

request: anon: hey! can i request some romantic headcanons for Gwen with a gender neutral? thank you sm :)

warnings: fluff, angst if you squint, not proofread

A/N: spoiler free

Gwen isn't always the best at showing her feelings

but when it comes to you she'll be damned if she doesn't try

love languages are acts of service and physical touch

you're not sure if it's her spider-sense or girlfriend-sense, but somehow she can always tell whenever you need help with something, and somehow appears just in time to help 

love love loves cuddling you

in the early stages of your cuddling, she's always the big spoon, but after a few months of cuddling and dating, she'll eventually ask to be the little spoon

will always be holding your hand

if you ask to play with her hair, she'll laugh and attempt to act cool, but in reality she's trying not to squeal in front of you

late night texting almost every night

if you text her in the middle of the night, she'll tell you off for being up so late, as if she doesn't go to sleep at three am

you listen to music together, and she always makes you playlists of songs that remind her of you

she definitely swings over to your house whenever she misses you

but she didn't tell you she was Spider-Woman for a while

she didn't want any chance of you getting hurt by someone who was trying to hurt her

but she didn't realise she was hurting you by not telling you

it didn't take long for you to start getting suspicious when she would mysteriously cancel dates last minute with no explanation multiple times

when you confronted her about it and asked if she was cheating on you, she wasted no time telling you she was Spider-Woman

the thought of you thinking she was unfaithful was unbearable 

your relationship is definitely better with no secrets

if you're not afraid of heights, she'd definitely swing through the city with you, holding you so tightly. she'd be a little hesitant at first, scared that something would happen to you, but after a few times - and lots of reassurance from you - she'd be way more comfortable

after fighting someone, she swings over to your house and reluctantly lets you fix up her injuries

she tries bringing you up in any conversation, she loves talking about you, she'll literally have the biggest smile on her face as she gushes over you

her band is so tired hearing about a date you two went on

but her band does love you, despite how tired they are of hearing Gwen ramble on and on about you

and you best believe she invites you to every performance her band does

she has the biggest smile when she sees you in the audience

her band teases her all the time, but she denies whatever they’re saying everytime without fail 

MJ: you're such a simp for them

Gwen: i dunno know what you're talking about *proceeds to go on another hour long rant about you*

[krys-in-the-playhouse]

OC Brainrots #4: 'Bullying' Napoleon Hours

Haven't done a brainrot post in a while, so I thought I'd use this one to play along with Mo's (@xxsycamore/ @kissmetwicekissmedeadly 's) bullying Napoleon on his birthday prompts and see what my ikevamp girlies would do faced with the opportunity to 'bully' everyone's favorite former emperor.

For previous brainrots, check out the oc masterlist!

Thea

For Thea, I'd imagine her taking the imitating him route, more to tease him than anything. Like, maybe they're out doing shopping errands together a la that one story event where he's out getting groceries with Theo when they run into Shakespeare.

You know what, Theo can come get groceries with them too and he's a little jelly that Naps and Thea are having such a fun, silly conversation and he's feeling a little green-eyed that another man is chatting up his girl. Then, they happen across a handful of his students who asks him about this fencing technique they can't seem to get right.

Always happy to indulge his kids Naps goes to them while the other two are alone. Theo reveals about his jealous feels and Thea thinks it's cute and reminds him that she doesn't feel anything more for Naps than friendship, then proceeds to prove it by imitating him, deepening her voice, speaking in a bad French accent, and fencing with a stick she found on the ground, making Theo chuckle.

But don't think Naps will let this atrocity stand, oh no, as he sicks his students on her with tips on how to improve her form with a flourish of his cape not unlike a swooshy skirt twirl he's likely seen her do with her skirts on occasion, along with a cheeky little tease towards her in Italian (intentionally with his old Corsican accent) which makes her cringe. Theo laughs harder.

Abby

For Abby, she wouldn't be the type to intentionally bully Naps. She doesn’t wanna bully anyone, it's mean, especially someone as nice and cool as Napoleon! Would bullying even work on him? From someone like her? Surely not!

So, with that thought in mind, the best her teasing would come to is telling him something that he's been laughing at for the last five minutes isn't really that funny.

Like, she's a future person, so things in the past are going to be a little different than what she's used to in the modern day, right? Let's take laundry for example. Turn of the century France doesn't have automatic clothes washing machines and likely won't see them for a few more decades yet, unfortunately. Which means laundry day is an all-day test of strength and patience, especially when you need to wash for eleven people plus yourself. She has a personal vendetta against Arthur and his shirt fronts and collars because of the dried blood that refuses to come out and will glare at him every laundry day because of it.

On this thankfully perfectly temperate and sunny laundry day, Sebastian off doing a different chore (there's always a chore to be done in this huge mansion), but he had promised to come help her later on, so she was left on her own. And she gets to Arthur's pile of shirts that need to be cleaned and starched. And guess what she sees on the front and on the collar?

Well, she might have had thoughts of eviscerating him with a palette knife but the thought of cleaning his clothes again afterwards stayed her hand.

What she hadn't counted on was having an audience for the stages of wrath she went through as she looked at the offending white shirt. Namely one former emperor that happened to be passing by, returning from his adventures in town or something. He probably would have passed her unnoticed except he couldn't stop himself from laughing when he saw her face. First, the disbelief taking over her, moving quite rapidly to her clenching her teeth and clutching the fabric tightly in her tiny hands, to disgust, to finally letting a breath out and throwing the soiled shirt quite harder than necessary into the steel pot on the ground, splashing soapy water onto the grass. 

Napoleon laughed at the scene, loudly, making Abby jump and squeak in surprise, embarrassed that her little show had been witnessed. She wanted to go crawl into her room and hide in her shame, but laundry still needed to be done so she continued her task despite the red on her cheeks and ears making her look like a cherry tomato. Pouting, she also mumbles that she wasn't trying to be funny, making Naps smile sweetly.

He apologizes and takes off his jacket, intent on helping her to make up for laughing at her. He gives her some gentle head pats and took on the task of scrubbing Arthur's shirt for her. He then promises to threaten him for putting her through this arduous ordeal, his punishment to be to wash his own shirts if he does this again. Abby, finally, smiles a little, feeling a bit better, which makes Naps smile more, happy she wasn't angry anymore.

Thanks for coming along with me for this 'bullying' adventure with Napoleon!

[living-lucid-dream]

Blind Pico AU (Part eight, aka: The calm before....)

Part One Previous Next

Boyfriend has a joint interview with Mommy Mearest to announce his upcoming album and to promote the final concert on the Philadelphia leg of Mearest’s tour. Girlfriend and Pico are with him in a dressing room at the talk show soundstage while a makeup artist works on getting him ready for the camera. Boyfriend has a hard time sitting still for the poor makeup artist. He complains that he never has to mess with all of this before any of his gigs and asks if it’s really necessary.

Girlfriend tells him to trust her, he’ll be glad he had it done. (“You’ll look like a pasty, shiny ghost under all the lights if you don’t!”) She tells him that Dearest wore makeup all the time onstage during his performing days—he even did his own eyeliner and everyone knows how cool it looked. Then she suggests that maybe Boyfriend could try some eyeliner.

Boyfriend says no thanks; his face already feels too weird for comfort and he’s not confident he can stay still enough to not get poked in the eye, which makes the makeup artist laugh. He also grumbles that he can’t believe Girlfriend does this every day.

Once the makeup artist is finished, he asks “So do I look like I’m ready for my close-up?”

Girlfriend says he looks like a movie star and gives him an air kiss (“Don’t want to mess up the makeup artist’s work!”) Pico gives him a thumbs-up and says, “Yeah, sure. You look like a million bucks.”

Boyfriend grins and tells them thanks. Pico bats his eyes and says, “You’re welcome.” Then Boyfriend realizes: “Wait…you can’t even see what I look like, you dork!” Pico and Girlfriend laugh and Pico tells him if Girlfriend’s saying he looks good, then he believes her. A stage director comes to collect Boyfriend. Pico and Girlfriend wish him luck and say they’ll be watching backstage (or in Pico’s case, listening).

The audience absolutely screams when Boyfriend joins Mearest onstage. Boyfriend finds that the talk show soundstage is very different from the concert venue—even with the bright lights, he can still see most of the audience. Some are holding signs for Mearest…but more seem to be holding signs for him!

The host asks Boyfriend if it’s nerve-wracking to share the stage with such an established star as Mearest. Boyfriend says no; he already knows what he’s going to do before he takes the stage and he knows it’s going to be great, so why would he be nervous? The crowd cheers wildly. Mearest seems to be annoyed this response, but the host commends him for his confidence.

Next, the host asks Mearest how she feels about helping such a talented up-and-coming artist get his start. Mearest remarks that she remembers the advantages she had when she was getting her start as a musician and that she appreciates how important it is to support relatively unknown artists when they are just starting out. In fact, she can’t wait to help the next batch of nobodies at the next stop on her tour. The crowd seems to be a little less enthusiastic about this response, while the host comments on her magnanimity.

Then the host says that they know that the tour isn’t the first time she’s performed with Boyfriend. They play a clip of Boyfriend battling Mearest on top of the moving limo. Boyfriend laughs and says, “Oh yeah, I remember that! We went through so many backup dancers!” He also points out Girlfriend, bragging that he was glad to have his “smoking-hot bae” with him.

The host asks them to re-create the moment in an impromptu performance. Boyfriend jumps out of his seat, clearly all for it. Mearest looks like she would rather die, but grits out “Of course.” They proceed to reprise MILF with Boyfriend adding further embellishment to the original performance. When they finish, the host exclaims that they were sensational and the audience cheers again. The host goes on to say that they were both so great it’s impossible for them to determine who was the winner—which is why the audience is going to make that call!

The host instructs the audience to cheer for whoever they think won that round. A good number cheer for Mearest, but the applause for Boyfriend is deafening. The host laughs and says, “Looks like the public has spoken” and declares Boyfriend the winner. Mearest offers up a strained smile and gives Boyfriend a stilted “Congrats.”

The host then remarks on Boyfriend’s wildly successful single and asks him about the rumors saying he might be planning to release a full album. Boyfriend confirms that he is excited to start recording for the album and that he even has a name picked out for it: “Friday Night Funkin’!” The host asks where he came up with the name; Boyfriend explains that the first Mearest concert was on a Friday night—and pretty much all of his other performances before that were also on Fridays and they were always funky so…Friday Night Funkin’ it is! The crowd seems to love the idea.

The host thanks Boyfriend for coming and gives a reminder that next Friday will be the last chance to see him in action for a while, as Mearest will be leaving Philadelphia after that performance but that they’re sure it won’t be long before Boyfriend is back onstage. They call for one more round of applause for Boyfriend, then the cameras cut and he is dismissed. Mearest looks like she absolutely wants to strangle him, but she can’t leave because she’s slated for another interview segment.

Boyfriend hurries back to where Girlfriend and Pico are waiting for him. They each tell him he was amazing and give him a kiss. Girlfriend suggests that they celebrate by going downtown. Boyfriend asks Pico if he feels like going out and Pico tells him sure, why not?

They proceed to spend the day milling along the shopping district, stopping on occasion for Boyfriend to sign autographs or even take a picture with fans. They sip on milkshakes together and play mini-golf (Pico initially grumps that he can’t play mini-golf, but Girlfriend and Boyfriend talk him into trying and promise to guide him where he needs to hit the ball. The results are mixed, but Pico does end up with a better score than Boyfriend because Boyfriend just hits the ball as hard as he can every time). Then they top off the day by going to an upscale karaoke bar.

While at the karaoke bar, Boyfriend gets a call from Dearest, who tells him that the record deal is secured. Dearest tells him he should come by the record label tomorrow to sign the contract and to have a small celebration. Boyfriend tells Pico and Girlfriend and they both say that they will come to the studio with him tomorrow. They all agree that today has been great and Pico thinks that maybe things are going to be alright after all.

Late that evening, Darnell is channel surfing at home when he comes across a broadcast of Boyfriend’s interview from earlier in the day. He sits back to watch, chuckling over  Mearest’s obviously souring expression as the interview goes on. The segment following Boyfriend’s feature includes Mearest meeting with her self-proclaimed biggest fan.

The fan is a young man named Tyler McCaa. He is of average height and build with dark hair. The host mentions that this isn’t the first time he’s met his idol and Mearest confirms that he had a meet-and-greet backstage after the first concert. Tyler is very clearly pumped to be onstage with Mearest again and has a hard time focusing on the interview. The host asks Mearest if she has it in her heart to give the fan another meet-and-greet after her final Philadelphia show and she acquiesces. Tyler pumps his fist and that’s when Darnell sees it: a tattoo of a round Zen maze on Tyler’s wrist.

Darnell’s jaw drops at the sight. Quickly, he calls Pico to ask if he’s free tomorrow. Pico apologizes, telling him that he already has plans to go to the record label for Boyfriend’s signing party. Then he says, “Hey, is something going on? You sound like you’re stressed out.” Darnell tells him that nothing’s up and that he’ll talk to him later. Then he calls Nene and says, “We’ve got another social call to make.”

~

We're getting close to the end, folks! Probably two more parts will cover the rest of this semi-summarized form of the AU.

[luv4fandoms]

Let it snow (CH 1) Older!Billy Loomis x Fem!OC

So I have decided to try, TRY being the key word, to do Fluffcember this year. Now I don't know how often I will be able to get chapters out because, well, life, and also making presents for all of my family. But I've been wanting to write and this idea popped into my head. I will also being doing it a bit differently, instead of just using 1 prompt a day I will be picking and combining them, also don't be surprised if some chapters are spicier than others lol. That being said, I hope you enjoy this story!

The story is set in 2024, and using Billy's age in the movies he would be 46.

Willowcrest is also set in Maine

I considered this an oc since I talk about her name and looks and such but the story is set with a "You" point of view.

It will be explained later on why Billy's last name has been changed to Jones. (I also chose Jones as a nod to Skeet's character in Riverdale

Chapter 2

I also have a Ko-Fi, just in case anyone wants to tip with a $1 coffee ❤️

This story is also on ao3

Word count: 5,750

Pairing: Billy Loomis x Fem!OC

Warnings: Alludes to bad past relationship

Prompts: Holiday decorations/Slippery

⚠️ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢��𝐠 𝐦𝐞.⚠️

You made sure your phone was pointed out towards the road as you drove along, even if you did drive slowly due to the ice, you wanted to capture the beauty before you.

“Y'all, when I say that this has to be some of the most beautiful scenery” you told your future audience, staring in awe at the snow around you.

“I'm only a few minutes away from the town, I know I'm driving slow but even with snow tires I'm new to this, Y'all know that where I'm from in south Georgia we don't get snow like this” you laughed while you made your way towards the big sign that read…

“Welcome to Willowcrest, we made it everyone, I'll cut the camera for now and pick back up when we get to the house” you pushed stop on your phone and righted yourself…This is where you would be living from now on, was it a change from Georgia, yes, was it what you needed? Also yes. You knew the house was near the outskirts of town, something you were happy about, you didn't like the thoughts of living in the middle of a bunch of people. Following your GPS while it wound you around less plowed roads you came to the long drive to your new house. It was narrow, only a little wider than your pickup, and thick with snow.

“You got this girl” you told the old classic before giving it a little more gas and climbing down the road, soon seeing the small cabin grow closer. It was a cute little thing, two bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, one bath, with a decent size kitchen, living room and a fireplace, not to mention a wrap-around porch. But what really made the house for you, was the fact that the seller was leaving all of the furniture, a steal if you do say so yourself.

“Whelp-” You started while putting the truck in park.

“You ready to see your new home Cassie?” you looked over at the Fraffy riding shotgun, her tail wagging as she looked outside, her winter coat and boots already on her. You quickly grabbed your phone, and opened the door, Cassie bolting out beside you, as soon as she hit the ground she took off, running full speed into a pile of snow and quickly popping out the otherside before bouncing around. You couldn't help but laugh as you watched her have fun. Pressing the record on your phone once more you angled it towards the house.

“Well everyone, here it is! Now I know it looks small, but I mean…it's only Cassie and I sooo. Let us proceed!” You walked towards the house, capturing a shot of Cassie bounding around still. You unlocked the door and pushed It open, it was dark inside, but not stale luckily, that meant that the previous owners hadn't left the house for very long. It was dark, the curtains drawn so no natural light was coming in, but a quick flip of the switch let you know that the power company had indeed turned the power back on. The living room was spacious, with a dark green sectional placed against the small dividing wall, as well as floor to ceiling bookcases along the opposite wall, only stopping to frame the large tv that hung above the fireplace. You turned your camera towards the kitchen, a large kitchen with plenty of counter space, a farmhouse sink, and an island bar area with a wooden tabletop.

“Plenty of room to cook, bake, and can stuff once I get my garden going” you tell the camera. You walked down the hall to show the bathroom, it was a simply decorated one with wrought iron fixtures and such, but at least it had both a tub shower combo.

“This is the master bedroom” you stated, opening the door across from the bathroom. The room was large, a dresser and window were on the far wall, while the queen size bed rested in the middle of the wall to your left, across from it on the wall to your left was a decent sized wood burning stove.

“I feel like I'm going to get such good sleep tonight, especially after all that driving ” you laughed, while closing the door.

“And then” you started while opening the left side door at the very end of the hallway. You looked up the staircase after turning on the light.

“Slightly creepy I know but” you made your way up the narrow stairs and emerged in another large room.

“Now I could make this the master bedroom, but I'd rather keep it the one room with the stove and instead make this my craft room! Can't you picture all of the yarn on this wall, my sewing table on that one. I'll probably keep the bed there by the window since I didn't bring my couch. But yeah” you turned the camera back to you as you made your way back down.

“There is just one last thing” you told everyone, opening the other door at the end of the hall, you emerged on your back porch and turned the camera back around.

“Look at all that space!” Before you had at least two cleared acres.

“And that is just the cleared area, there is three acres of woods” you laughed, giving a little scenery view before turning the camera back around and stepping back inside.

“So I have to get everything in, get a fire going, and then probably head out to get some groceries. But this is it everyone, the next step of our adventure, I wonder what Willowcrest has in store for me” you smiled at the camera before pressing stop. You looked over at the couch, noticing that Cassie was already curled up on it and asleep.

“Ok, fire is first” you nodded, walking out to the woodshed and gathering up some logs, before coming back in and getting started…luckily your brother taught you how to make a fire, so it wasn't long til heat flooded the cabin.

“Now to move boxes” you sighed, making your way out to the trailer still attached to your truck and tossing off the tarp covering everything. One by one you brought in boxes of books, movies, kitchen supplies, fabric, yarn, every essential you thought you would need. You moved them into their respective rooms and sat down for a moment to soak in some warmth, you looked over at Cassie who was now sprawled out, still asleep, and wondered about taking a nap yourself, it was only about ten am after all.

The room was dark as you walked through it, the air thick and almost suffocating. You couldn't see anything, your ears straining to hear as you walked through the darkness. You weren't sure how long you walked, it felt like a never ending tunnel where the walls closed in faster and faster, when suddenly, you caught something…a light, it looked like a door. Finally! A way out. You started to run…or at least tried to, but suddenly everything was in slow motion, what should have been a run was a slow walk, and though you were moving forward, you were doing it much slower than what you wanted to. You began to panic, feeling like time was running out. You needed to reach the door quickly, you reached forward, tried to push forward, anything.

“HEY!” An angry male voice yelled.

You jolted awake with a jump, panting as you looked around, Cassie still asleep, the fire still roaring, everything was the same as before you fell asleep. Running your hand along your face you grabbed your phone and checked the time, almost noon, you wondered if there were any coffee shops in town.

“you wanna go for another ride?” you asked Cassie, watching as she picked up her head before flopping back down, going back to sleep.

“I'll take that as a no” you chuckled, getting up and making sure the fireplace cover was secure before grabbing your keys. Outside you unhitched the trailer before climbing in your truck and making your way towards the town. Your GPS led you down winding roads until the woods broke away to the port, the large river calm today as you drove past, you noticed the large New England homes to your left and the few shops dotted about on your right, but you kept going until you were in what you figured was the downtown area, the shops now a constant line down the streets, all fully decorated for Christmas and you knew there had to be a coffee shop somewhere down here. You decided to simply park and walk along the shops since it wasn't too cold, so you quickly found an empty parking space along the road. Before you got out you grabbed your phone and filmed a little shot of the shops, cars passing by as a few people walking around. Getting out of the truck you got onto the sidewalk and began making your way down, passing clothing stores, antique stores, a bookstore that you made a mental note about. Art studios, hunting and fishing shops, and hardware stores. All of which had some form of Christmas window display, lighting, or decoration, you smiled at it, your old town didn't really do anything for Christmas, it was just another day. You started to walk by another shop in your search for coffee when you had to stop and walk back.

“The Yarn Barn” was written in fancy yellow font on the glass door, your interest was piqued. You pushed open the door, and a soft ring of a bell alerted whoever else was in the shop, which was only a couple people.

“Hello! Let me know if you need anything” a girl smiled from behind the counter, the top of her large glasses hidden by the bangs of her bright orange bob, her white turtleneck covered by a large baggy brown cardigan.

“Thank you” you smiled back, turning to look at the shop, it was fairly big but had a cozy feel, different types of yarn lined the walls in rainbow colors, while the large island in the middle held crochet hooks, knitting needles, stitch markers, tape measures, everything you could think of, as well as bundles of hand dyed yarn. You felt like you were in heaven. You made your way around, grabbing a few yarns you felt like would make a cute scarf and beanie, you had never used wool before but first time for everything right? Plus it would be good content.

“Hello” you smiled at the young girl, she looked like she may have been a few years younger than you.

“Hello! Did you find everything ok?”

“Definitely” you laughed.

“You'll be seeing a lot more of me”

“Oh? Extreme hobbyist like me?”

“Business, I have a crochet shop and youtube”

“Get out! Seriously, do you have a card?” She asked as she finished adding everything up.

“I do” you smiled, fishing a card and the money out of your purse. She quickly finished your transaction before looking over your card.

“Do you mind if I sit it here with the other cards so people can find it?”

“Not at all, I'd really appreciate it” you smiled, happy to have someone appreciate small businesses.

“No problem at all, I love to help out fellow businesses. By the way, you're new here huh? I've never seen you before” she asked, bagging up your yarn.

“Yeah I just got here today”

“Long trip?”

“From Georgia” she looked over at you with wide eyes.

“That's quite the drive, why the change if I may ask?”

“Just wanted a change of scenery” you shrugged with a laugh.

“Well that is definitely a change, I'm originally from Wisconsin, I had a bit of a shock coming here, but I can't imagine”

“Definitely the first time seeing snow stick to the ground” you laughed and she openly gasped.

“You've never seen snow like this?!” You shook your head.

“Oh you have to come to the lighting ceremony tonight! It happens at seven, they light up the tree in the middle of town as well as all of the shops, it's a huge deal for the town!” she told you excitedly, her hands making gestures as she talked

‘this must really be a big deal’ you thought, nodding along.

“That sounds like a lot of fun actually, are pets allowed? My daughter loves looking at lights”

“Of course! It's fun for the whole family after all” she laughed.

“Well then, count on two more being there” you nodded, watching as she slightly jumped and clapped.

“You won't regret it, it's the best way to ring in the town! Oh shoot, I totally spaced, I'm Kate by the way” she offered you her hand.

“Evie” you smiled back, shaking her hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you Evie, and let me be the first to welcome you to Willowcrest”

“Thank you, it's nice to meet you as well” you looked over as the bell rang, indicating another customer.

“well I better get going, I'll be back though” you laughed, heading for the door.

“I look forward to it, and seeing you tonight”

“see you there” and with that you walked out, stopping only a few steps away, you quickly peeked back in, watching as Kate's head looked up.

“Do you know of any coffee shops around here?”

“There are a few, but I recommend The Kumo Cafe down the road, trust me, you can't miss it” she smiled.

“Thank you so much!” You waved and walked back out.

‘Right down the road’ you nodded and began making your way down, passing more shops,so far Willowcrest seemed like a town you could really see yourself living in for a long time, beautiful scenery, awesome shops, nice people, kawaii cafe…wait. You stopped in front of the pastel pink building, the Christmas display in the window of cute candy themed chibi animals, the mascot on the door, a very anime like cloud, and bubbly pastel blue font that read.

“Kumo Cafe”

“Oh you have got to be kidding me” you smiled, always having been a fan of Japanese stuff. You opened the door, your eyes widening as you looked around at the pastel pink, blue, and white walls decorated with what you could only guess were original characters. The floor was matching checkerboard, the booths were pink while the chairs were pink and blue gingham, streamers hung from the ceiling and beside the counter were two booths inset into heart shapes on the wall with the words.

“All you need is love and coffee” above them.

The counter…the counter was filled with sweets of every kind, and behind the two women were multiple coffee makers. The menu hung high on the wall, decorated with more characters.

“Oh this would be the perfect place to record some content” you told yourself, suddenly realizing you hadn't asked Kate if you could film the yarn shop, you'd have to ask next time. You made your way towards the counter, the smell of coffee making you feel like you floated to it.

“Hi! Well you're new” the one woman spoke, her bright pink natural curly hair complimenting her dark skin. Her pastel pink turtleneck slightly hidden behind her pastel blue apron that had the same cloud character as the door.

“Hello, is it that noticeable?” You laughed.

“Small town, we know everyone” the other girl spoke, looking behind her at you while she made the coffee. Her dark hair in pigtails under her pastel blue beret, her light eyeshadow and slight wing complimented the almond shape of her eyes, and you could tell she was wearing circle lenses. Her white sweater dress under the same apron as the first girl.

“Not many new people?” You asked, watching as she turned and handed the coffee to the other customer.

“Not here, vacationers sure, but not residents” she stated

“I'm not passing through?” You joked, watching as she joined the other girl.

“Na, you got the vibe of a resident” the first one spoke.

“Vibe?”

“Yeah, and it's not just your cute cottagecore fit. You just seem like someone who has decided to settle here” she told you.

“That's…scary accurate” you laughed

“I'm a sensitive, It's my thing” she shrugged.

“Melody” she stated while holding out her hand.

“Evie” you smiled, taking her hand.

“Like the Pokemon?!” She smiled wide, her eyes seeming to sparkle behind her glasses.

“You could say that” you giggled.

“That is so cool!”

“I'm Hitomi” the other girl laughed at her friend, taking your hand to shake.

“Nice to meet you both, I love your cafe also, this is so cute! Could I film in here for YouTube stuff? Like blurring out faces of course.” You asked.

“Oh my God of course!” Melody replied excitedly.

“If you want, we can do a bit of an introduction and then some like b roll of us making your coffee” she suggested. And that was exactly what you did, you let them introduce themselves and talk about how they started up the shop, then Melody let you behind the counter to film Hitomi making the coffee. You paid and filmed around the shop, telling them that you would see them at the lighting ceremony and introduce them to Cassie. You made your way towards the door, noticing the light snow starting to fall again, making sure your bag and purse was secure on your arm, you stepped out onto the sidewalk and turned to walk across the street…Everything was fine…Until it wasn't. Your foot hit a patch of ice on the sidewalk's edge and you found yourself falling backwards, your hands going to the sides to try and grab something, but nothing was there. Letting out a small squeak, you continued to fall until you felt an arm stop you, and help you stand. Taking a second to try to slow down your heart rate, you looked up and were met with dark brown eyes, his gaze intense as he stared down at you, making you feel…someway.

“Thank you” you said after a moment, slightly stepping away from him, where you could now see him a bit better. He was older than you, maybe by ten, fifteen years if you had to guess. His hair was slicked back and dark brown, and he had just the right amount of facial hair, you found yourself thinking that it suited him well, which surprised you since you usually weren't a fan of it. But it was still his eyes that kept you still.

“No problem, you're not from around here”

“Everyone keeps saying that, didn't know it was that obvious” you slightly laughed.

“Locals would know to be careful about the edge of the sidewalk” he motioned to the slick area with his coffee cup before taking a drink, never taking his eyes off of you.

“Ahh…yeah…they don't really have that much ice in Georgia, at least not where I'm from”

“Georgia? Long way from home, what brings you here?” He asked, almost like he was studying you.

“Wanted a change of scenery, threw a dart at the map and it landed here” you shrugged, causing him to raise a brow.

“It's the truth officer…Jones” you stated, reading his badge, having only realized his uniform.

“Odd way to relocate” He smirked

“Maybe, but it worked,” you replied, watching as he moved closer.

“Well, Miss..”

“Mills”

“Miss Mills, be careful, you're not in Georgia anymore” he gave you a small smile, almost a smirk, before he walked past, making his way towards a sheriff's car. You watched him go, letting out the breath you didn't know you were holding.

‘He's a cop Evie, bad idea’ you told yourself, watching as he backed out of the parking space and drove off.

You headed across the street, checking out the shops on the other side before heading back to your truck and making your way to the grocery store, where you picked up all of the essentials as well as dog food for Cassie, who, was just waking up when you arrived back at your house.

“Lazy bones” you smiled, patting her head as you began putting things away, your mind drifting back to officer Jones.

You filled your day with unpacking, cooking dinner, and generally just trying to settle in, until it got closer to seven.

“You ready girl?” You asked, holding up Cassie's fur lined coat. She quickly jumped off the spot she claimed on the couch and allowed you to put her coat and boots on before following you out to your truck, your breath coming out in puffs of smoke as you slightly shivered. Man It was going to take you a little bit to get used to this cold.

The ride into town was a lot shorter now that you knew what you were doing, and once you got close enough you realized just how big of a deal this ceremony was.

“Dang I think the whole town is here” you told Cassie while quickly pulling into the only parking space you came across, you looked out at all of the people gathering around the giant Christmas tree, you wondered where Kate, Melody, and Hitomi were, or if you'd even be able to see them in this crowd.

“Guess we better get a spot” you told Cassie, hooking up her leash and helping her out of the truck, her tail practically vibrating as she waited for you to get your phone. The two of you made your way towards the crowd, keeping your eye out for a mass of pink as you figured Melody would be the easiest to spot, but you were stopped by an elderly couple aweing at Cassie and asking if they could pet her, you allowed it, knowing she would be sad if you denied her free pets. After talking for a bit the couple welcomed you to the town and you all walked closer to the tree.

You stopped once you figured you were close enough and again looked for your new acquaintances, but your eyes didn't land on a mass of pink, a pastel dress, or bright red hair. Instead they met the same gaze you had been thinking about all day. Officer Jones was leaning against the brick wall outside of the hunting store, his eyes watching you as he nursed what you could only assume was yet another coffee. You blinked, wondering if you should acknowledge him or just stare back, deciding on the former you lifted the hand that held Cassie’s leash and gave a small wave, watching as he gave you that same small smirk he gave earlier and lifted two fingers away from his cup in a makeshift wave, his other hand still buried in the pocket of his coat.

“EVIE!” You heard your name spoke excitedly before that pink you had been looking for came into view.

“Hey Melody, hey Hitomi” you smiled

“is this Cassie?” Hitomi asked, already crouching down alongside Melody who was currently petting Cassie.

“This is her”

“she is so adorable!” Melody gushed.

“Oh my God she is precious” a new voice spoke up. You looked over to see Kate looking down at Cassie.

“Hey Kate”

“Katie!” Melody smiled, hugging Kate, you guessed you shouldn't have been surprised they knew each other, they seemed like they would travel in the same circle. You found your eyes looking over again, spotting him still standing there, but this time there was a woman beside him, a blonde who looked closer to his age. They were talking, laughing as you watched her place her hand on his chest for a moment while he smiled at her. You watched her begin talking animatedly again, him nodding before taking another sip of his coffee, his eyes suddenly darting back to you, catching your gaze once more. You quickly looked away, realizing you had gotten caught.

‘Stop it Evie, don't even entertain the thought’

“Oh come on guys it's about to happen!” Kate exclaimed as everyone began walking closer to the tree, you followed along, squeezing in behind Hitomi, Melody to the right of her, and Kate to your left. You heard voices grow closer behind you, a woman and a man, and it didn't take you long to realize who's voices they were as they approached.

“Oh this is always so exciting isn't it Billy!” She stated happily.

“Best part of the season” he finished, but you caught something, it was faint, and well hidden, but you could have sworn you caught a tone of disinterest. But before you could think more Cassie began whining, her big brown eyes looking up at you before looking around.

“Oh, you can't see huh baby” you realized, reaching down and lifting the fourty pound pup up. She situated herself, happily looking around before her eyes settled behind you, her tail wagging.

“Hey pup” you heard him speak, before you felt him petting her.

“She's not heavy?” You heard the woman beside him ask, you gave a small glance back to let her know you were acknowledging her but didn't want to interrupt Cassies's pets.

“Na, perks of growing up on a farm” you laughed, adjusting Cassie.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE! LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!” A man up front shouted before everyone began counting down from ten, and, well, you didn't know what you were expecting, but this was far more magical. As soon as it hit zero the entire town was flooded with lights, from the tree to every nook and cranny of every shop. You gasped as you looked around, Cassie’s head jerking around as she took it all in, her tail in overdrive, she had always loved Christmas lights.

“better than Georgia?” Kate asked with a giggle.

“So much better” you stated, still in awe as you watched the crowd disburse.

“Oh Ms. Wilson, Officer Jones I didn't see you back there” Kate suddenly registered the two.

“Dear I've told you, call me Sophia” the woman told her while you sat Cassie back down now that there were less people.

“but I don't think we've met” she stated while looking at you, she seemed friendly enough, on the outside..but you felt like there wasn't something right about her.

“No we haven't, I just moved to town, Evie, nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you as well” she smiled while shaking your hand.

“We don't get many new residents,” she stated.

“so I've been told” you replied, looking over at Melody and Hitomi.

“so what brings you to our little town?” Sophia asked, and just as you were about to answer, a different voice answered instead.

“Wanted a change of scenery, threw a dart at the map and it landed here” everyone looked over at Officer Jones, who, if you heard right, was named Billy.

“How?” Sophia asked while he looked at you with that same small smirk.

“First day here and she already fell for me” you knew it was just a joke about you tripping, but the look in his eyes told you he meant it in both implied ways. Which made you quickly correct him.

“I tripped, he caught me before I fell. I'm not used to ice”

“The edge of the sidewalks?” Hitomi asked

“Yeah, right after I left the cafe”

“well it's a good thing he was there, you could have gotten really hurt” Melody said, worry in her tone

“yeah,” You nodded

“thanks again by the way” you told him, watching as he shook his head.

“just part of the job”

“helping beautiful women is always the best part of the job” another man said while coming up beside him.

“Officer Hernandez” he offered his hand with a large smile, he seemed younger than Billy, closer to your age.

“Evie” You smiled, shaking his hand.

“Oh cool! Like the Pokemon?” He asked, causing Billy to look at him like he was stupid, but Melody chimed in.

“That's what I asked!” You couldn't help but laugh as they walked away to talk and look at the displays.

“Billy, why don't we go look at some of the displays too, I heard Debbie put a lot of work into hers” Sophia smiled, Billy looked back at you but answered her.

“Sure, but I'm still on duty Soph” he finally turned to look at her before she grabbed his arm and began walking, you watched them go, an odd feeling settling in your stomach.

‘Let it go Evie’

“Come on girl” you told Cassie, walking in the opposite direction and pulling out your phone, you'd have to get Hitomi to airdrop you her video of the tree lighting for your video. You made sure you got all of the business names in your shots before showing the displays, each one grander than the next, each one more and more, well, Christmas-y, you couldn't help but smile.

“This is so pretty! I'm so glad they decided to do a Christmas light display this year!”

“Yeah it's cool”

“Oh! Do you think we could get some hot chocolate? Really get into the spirit!”

“for fucks sake was coming here not enough?! You really know how to fucking push it you know, just look at your lights and be happy”

You felt the smile slip from your lips as you phone slowly lowered, the memories replaying clearly in your mind. Your lip quivered, but you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, shaking your head as if to shake out the thoughts before you kept filming, unaware that your small episode had been seen by a watchful gaze. You finished filming all of the shops before meeting up with everyone. Everyone wanted to get a moment to say hi to your audience, even Officer Hernandez, who quickly pulled Billy over, much to the older man's annoyance.

“you don't mind being on YouTube do you? I don't have to put this in if you don't want me to” you told him, watching him run a hand through his hair.

“na you're good” he told you, while the younger officer threw his arm around Billy's shoulder.

“You, on the other hand, are cut off” he told him, grabbing the coffee the young man had.

“Hey, I got to stay awake”

“At your age you have enough natural energy for that”

“At thirty your natural energy starts decreasing” Hernandez defended.

“See if hasn't decreased that much”

“Evie, do you have to have coffee?”

“She's like in her early twenties,” Billy told him.

“Thirty one, and I drink it every day” you replied, making both men stop.

“You are not thirty one” Billy stated.

“Was born in ninety three”

“You're a year older than me?!” Hernandez looked shocked and honestly, slightly horrified, you simply shrugged.

“How?!”

“Good genes, women in my family never look their age” You stopped the recording while laughing at their shocked faces.

“That's just how it is gentlemen” you told them.

“Sorry, it's just hard to believe you're only fifteen years younger than Billy” Hernandez said while shaking his head

‘46’

“Well if it makes you feel better, both of you look younger than your ages” you smiled.

“It does thank you,” Hernandez replied, earning an eyeroll from Billy. You hung out with everyone for a little bit longer before you noticed Cassie starting to get cold.

“Well I think I'm going to call it a night, need to get this one home and back to her fireplace” You told everyone, the girls quickly hugging you and kissing Cassie, officer Hernandez shaking your hand and telling you to swing by the station anytime. Sophia shaking your hand as well, though much more hesitantly you noticed. But as you went to shake Billy's hand he simply shook his head.

“I'll walk you to your car, make sure you don't slip again” he smirked, watching as you rolled your eyes.

“I will never live that down” you huffed, causing him to slightly laugh. You wished everyone a goodnight and began towards your truck, Billy easily walking beside you.

“Have a good night?” He asked after a moment.

“I did” you smiled, letting the silence settle in again.

“Got a feeling you're gonna fit in here, seems like you already have a lot of friends”

“And a few enemies” you said under your breath, but he caught it if his chuckle was anything to go by.

“Sophia doesn't like competition”

“Who says I'm competition for anything?” You asked him after you helped Cassie into the truck, you turned to look at him and found him much closer than before, his eyes once again gazing into yours as if trying to read your life's story. Before he just gave you that same little smirk and gestured with his head for you to get into the truck. You wanted to roll your eyes and ignore him, but for some reason, you just turned and got into the truck, him closing the door before you rolled down your window with the hand crank. His hand grabbed the now open window as he spoke.

“Drive safe, the roads are slippery around this time”

“Luckily my truck handles it better than my shoes do” you joked before adding.

“Thank you, I will, you drive safe too”

“Will do” he said staring at you for a moment before he pushed off, smacking the truck door and backing away.

“Welcome to Willowcrest Evie”

“Thank you Officer Jones”

“Billy”

“...Billy” you smiled, he smiled back before turning and making his way back to the crowd while you pulled out and made your way back home, driving a bit slower just in case. Once inside you started up the stove in your bedroom and got changed, returning to Cassie already passed out on the bed. Settling in you grabbed your phone, thumbing through the videos before finding the one you were looking for.

“you don't mind being on YouTube do you? I don't have to put this in if you don't want me to”

“na you're good”

“You, on the other hand, are cut off”

“Hey, I got to stay awake”

“At your age you have enough natural energy for that”

You stopped the video suddenly, quickly turning off the phone and putting it away.

‘Don't Evie, it won't end well’

There it is! Chapter 1! Much to be revealed still, but for now, that is where I leave you.

I will also leave you with pictures I found to model Cassie, Hitomi, Melody, and Kate after.

Cassie

Hitomi. Melody. Kate

[zeegaazeegaah]

Hii, can you make a Gavi imagine about him being jealous or something like that, it would be amusing to read. I love your work, thank you!💕

A/N: Before I begin I request you people to not put imagines under his name tag. Someone recommended it. I really appreciate it but please keep the tags all fanfiction related (i.e. - imagine, - x reader, - blurb). I do not want what I do light-heartedly and as a hobby, to reach the wrong audience. Please. None of us want that.

xxx

jealousy; gavi

word count: 963

Gavi enters his house to see her shoes near the doorstep. One thing about his girlfriend is that she is very serious about cleanliness. Even though she never stays over, she makes sure to keep his house neat whenever she can. He had asked her to not bother but she insisted it helped her get her mind off things that stress her.

He is late today. She never really stays over for that long. Another thing about her is her seriousness about her future. She takes her uni life undeniably seriously. Always arrives at his home an hour or two earlier than him and gets as much studying done as possible yet she never misses a chance to spend time with him whenever she can. He admires this trait of hers.

Usually, they spend whatever time both of them have by cuddling and making out and have debate on silly things that don't matter but she always makes sure to leave his place before midnight. However, it's about 1 am and her shoes near the doorstep imply she is still there.

At the unusual sight, he tilts one head to the side, eyes narrowing while doing so. He is visibly confused. She would've greeted him normally but now she is nowhere to be seen. He slowly unzips his jacket and drops his backpack. Something tells him to tiptoe in his own house and so he does.

He tiptoes into the living area. He doesn't notice at first but then his eyes land on her head peeking from the couches. It's as if she was trying to hide from him but what he notices has his mouth wide open. She not only has his controller in her hands (he doesn't mind at all if that's what it seems like) but also has her eyes glued to the gigantic screen before her which shows what she is doing. She is not only playing FIFA but it seems she had bought Pedri before.

He lets out an amusing scoff, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall to watch her play for a couple of minutes more, initially assuming she would notice at some point but she didn't. She is way too immersed into the game.

This led him to walk up to her and plopping down on the couch as if nothing happened. To which, she jumps and turns the screen off before them like a reflex action. She lets out an awkward laugh and proceeds to make an awful attempt at acting normal. "Ah, you're back. I was waiting for you."

Gavi observes the entire ordeal. He is amused but he is equally jealous as well. He can't help it for some reason. She bought Pedri. Did she buy him? He sends her an overly sweet smile before turning the screen on and pointing at it, "Did you buy me?"

She grimaces before replying. "Well, if you know I didn't, why do you ask?"

The stressed expression on her face has to be the most adorable sight he has witnessed in a while. And that makes him even more jealous. Why'd his adorable girlfriend not only not buy him but buy his best friend?

He wiggles his brows at her, "Why Pedri?"

"Ew, dude. You're my boyfriend, what's with that face?"

"I'm merely curious." He shrugs.

"Well, I am curious. You talk about your best friend all the time and I wanted to observe his-"

"Through a game?" He cuts her off with a chortle.

"Yeah?" She narrows her eyes at him, not liking the way he is behaving. "Do you want me to go up to him randomly and tell him 'Hey boyfriend's best friend, can you show me some kicks?' like asking him to do a twirl for me?"

He bursts out laughing so hard he has to clutch his stomach at some point as it starts cramping. "You could just show up at our practice one day-"

"Absolutely not." She flinches away.

"Why?" He presses on, curious to know the reason.

"It's awkward!" She exclaims as if it's the most obvious thing ever.

He finds himself breaking into a small smile. His eyes not leaving her face as his cheeks heat up. One of his hands reaches behind her back and begins to draw circles. Her eyes crinkle at the gentle gesture, a soft smile forming on her face as he looks back at him.

Then he remembers he was jealous just a moment ago and fakes a cough while leaning away. "You still should've bought me."

Gavi doesn't know his lips form into a pout as he says that. He is not aware of how cute he is and can get more so as time goes by. This time she looks at him amused and leans towards him. Her hands reach to clasp his larger hands in hers and draw on his palms. He looks down and can't help but smile before looking into her eyes. She holds eye contact with him before leaning to cushion his lips between hers.

It's soft when he tugs her bottom lip between his. He smiles when he has to chase after her lips every time she breaks away to either gasp or giggle. It's full of admiration when they hold their gazes the entire time and don't think of rushing for once. It's full of love and silent understanding when they finally break away and he envelopes her in a hug, resting his head on her shoulders. It's full of peace, even for just a short amount of time when she reaches to rake her fingers in his hair and his eyes close as he breathes in the smell of her shampoo.

He really can't stay jealous of her. Not at all.

[maleyanderecafe]

Hey there was a mobile game I wanted to recommend you check out! It’s called MazM: The Phantom of the Opera. Obviously the phantom himself is a well-known character and prime example of a yandere, and this version’s Raoul also takes on that trait a little (although it’s mostly because Christine is in a life or death situation and this he’s protective over her), he’s very sweet and doesn’t wait a moment to shower her with praise. Anyway it’s a pretty faithful retelling of the original book and was extra fun for me as a yandere-lover as you play as Christine caught in between the yandere and the actual boyfriend. I think it’s coming to the switch soon as well if you want to wait for that.

...Are you sure that Raoul just takes on this trait a bit...?

Joking aside, sorry it took me so long to answer this ask. I was originally going to watch a walkthrough on youtube, but then I realized that you said it would be on switch and since I just got my switch emulator, I ended up playing with a friend. I will say that there is a lot for me to say about this game, so this will be a long read.

First things first, I'll admit that I've never actually read or watched the Phantom of the Opera before, so I genuinely have no idea what happens in the story. This is where my friend who I was streaming for comes in because she has read the story so she helped fill me in on what happens (she's also making a yandere vn in the future which I will be spamming the heck out of because yandere vn). I think from what she told me, most of the story is relatively accurate, though some parts are changed for one reason or another (for instance, The Persian has a name in this game, but in the original, he doesn't), which has some pros and cons for some characters. Overall though, the story was pretty good for a first timer like me since it really let me experience what the Phantom of the Opera is truly about. I think the creator Mazm did a good job for historical detail, which makes sense considering their platform is about creating games that reinterpret famous stories (they've also done one for Wizard of Oz and Jekyll and Hyde which I sort of want to play), and there are a lot of different notes the player can collect in the game that give more historical insight into what is going on.

The story for the most part is pretty linear. There are some choices you can choose, but except for two, they don't really affect the story. For the most part, the game plays as a visual novel, though you do have to walk around to talk or interact with things to proceed the story. There are cats and notes that lie around the game too, with the notes giving more historical insight and the cats being used as hints in case you don't know where to go. The story is about a detective trying to find out the truth of the Phantom of the Opera at a request of a client whos husband was a victim of him, but most of the story is played through a flashback.

There are also small minigames as well that aren't too difficult, though I honestly felt like some of the minigames got to be tedious at times, specifically the one minigame where you have to press the order of the mirror combo which I found really annoying because besides the fact that I'm bad at those games, you had to do it every time you wanted to enter under the Opera house, which was just... ugh. The game itself seems much more optimized for mobile than it was for switch considering how slow the characters move (and its really slow walking to different places sometimes) as well as the fact that it takes forever to load between different scenes and there's no touch screen option for switch (that I know of). Plus the buttons for moving and pressing hints were annoying to deal with (though this could just be because I'm using an emulator). I also kept getting confused when I was playing, since sometimes I would walk around the entire opera house trying to figure out what to do next, only to learn that I was suppose to talk to someone that was literally five steps from where I spawned. The last thing I found annoying was the fact that there's no option to skip dialogue which is really annoying when I wanted to replay a specific part of the story to take some screenshots. If you play this game, it's probably better to play it on mobile than on switch.

In terms of artwork, Mazm's Phantom of the Opera is really gorgeous, from the overworld sprites to the dialogue sprites to the background and CGs. I love how cute the overworld sprites are (I think Jammes and Raoul's are my favorite, they're both so cute) and every background is really nice to walk through and gives a good atmosphere of what it's trying to show. The character sprites for each characters are nice and varied. I can always appreciate characters that have recognizable faces and shapes, since a lot of times I have face blindness when it comes to characters that look way too similar. The CGs of course are super well done and I love all of them. Overall, the artstyle of this game is very solid and I love the way it looks.

The main character of the story was Christine, who looks really good ( I really love her hair), was for the most part alright initially. While I found her to be a bit naive (because she believed that there was an actual Angel of Music when it was just... the Phantom), she was for the most part alright, and even ended up saving another character from the phantom. However, I found her actions annoying after she met the phantom, specifically the part where she agreed to stay underground with the phantom for two days and would be released as long as she didn't touch his mask, and guess what. Right as she was literally about to leave, SHE TAKES OFF HIS MASK, AND FOR WHAT? YOU WERE JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE?? The other thing that bothered me was the after being trapped with the Phantom for about a month, she is given free reign to go back above ground, under the conditions that she only goes to the opera house and at home. During this time, she's expected to break it off with Raoul, so she fakes a honeymoon with him before he leaves for the artic. However, during this time, she doesn't tell anyone, not even Raoul about what the Phantom is up to. She has an entire month, an ENTIRE MONTH to tell someone that the Phantom is likely to hurt people (as previously he had dropped a chandelier on top of the audience) and she just... didn't. Understandably, she might have been afraid that the Phantom might have heard her, but still, what is he going to do to the possible 100 people that Christine could have told about him. She could have saved people from death if something like that were to happen. Near the end, she does get proper character development and learns to choose things for her sake and not others, which was pretty nice and does stand up to the Phantom after all the trauma (and doesn't get stockholm sydrome, thank goodness), but I still think that a lot of her actions could have probably been written better to make her less naive (since apparently in the original she was about 16ish while in this remake she's about 20 so it's less awkward between her and the phantom).

Raoul is the next character I'll be talking about, because even though he is very adorable, he also has one braincell and talks about Christine way too much. My friend and I actually decided to make a counter on how many times Erik and Raoul say "Christine." Erik says Christines name 128 times and Raoul... says it 340 times. This isn't even counting his introduction and only starts up to when Erik is introduced as a formal character and also doesn't count any time he says it in the overworld. 340! My friend kept on joking around that because Raoul says Christine so much, his brother Phillipe became an alcoholic because he's so tired of Raoul talking about Christine. Raoul only really has like three things going for him: the fact that he was in the military, the fact that he's part of the Chagny household and Christine, and that's it. Throughout the story, his goals are pretty much always related to Christine, whether it be to give gifts to Christine, being worried about her or trying to protect Christine from the Phantom. When the chandelier drops on half the crowd during one of the performances, instead of being worried for them or trying to get out of the Opera House, he instead looks for Christine, who is on stage and quite literally in the safest location within the theater. I would consider him a redeemed/protective yandere though, considering his priority is always Christine (he even gives up his own family name to be with her) and he's always trying to protect her. There's a part of the story where Raoul becomes really unhinged when it comes to protecting Christine, lashing out her her friends and other members of the Opera house. He does some really dumb stuff because of the Phantom, specifically throwing away Christine's ring that she got from the Phantom (that she also literally told him before that as long as she's wearing the ring she wouldn't be harmed by the phantom and he just...?? okay??). When he's tortured in the mirror room, he hallucinates Christine blaming him for her capture, and he even cries while hallucinating that Christine friendzones him (which I though was actually really funny, even if it was a tad bit stupid). His redemption comes near the end of the story where he apologizes for being so emotional and realizing that he was a bit of an obsessive beast, and in one ending he lets Christine go to travel the world. To be honest, I don't know if Raoul would continue to be as protective and obsessed with her even after the Phantom's death, but I guess there's not really any way to know.

The Phantom, or Erik (which I know is his cannon name but it makes me laugh because he really doesn't look like an Erik) is the main villain of the story. Unfortunately, in this version, I don't think I can call him a yandere, for one simple character: Melek. Melek, as far as I know isn't in the original story, is a prisoner that Erik has after she refused to marry her. As a character, I do actually like Melek since she's the one of the more sensible characters in the story and she's the more rational one between her and Christine, but her role in the story basically deconfirms Erik as a yandere, at least in this version. For one, Melek is a blind maid of Erik that he did fall in love with and trap, similar to how Christine was, which kind of comes off as Erik being the kind of person who would trap any girl that he likes. Even if this is the case, I don't understand why Erik would keep her alive even after she fell for Christine. Supposedly the reason is that Erik wanted to make Christine feel despair and he did attempt to kill her, but Melek survives and he just... doesn't do anything with her. Honestly, if Melek were straight up not in the story, I would have put him as a yandere because pretty much all of his other actions point to a more possessive/worship type of yandere, but because of Melek it's just not possible in my eyes. Besides that Erik sort of reminds me of a chunni in this version (he's like this absolute darkness is my curse! Like people with 7th grade syndrom seem to have), it was kind of hard for me to take him seriously in certain times. He is very intimidating when he threatens Christine, but his overdramatic nature (which I know is something he's always known for, just this version is uh...) really makes him seem like a child. Erik is for sure suppose to be more antagonistic in this version, considering the addition of Melek and his general actions of possession towards Christine and his disdain for Raoul, but near the end we do see more of his story and we see just how devastating his life is from the moment of birth. I did feel really bad for him when Hatim/The Persian keeps on mentioning the prince he used to work with because its really obvious that he still has trauma from it (and he keeps begging him to not talk about his past and the Persian just... keeps traumatizing him I guess) and the fact that he was treated so badly because of his appearance, but this doesn't excuse his actions in the story. Christine does try to sympathize with him using her own tragic backstory, which Erik kind of pushes away (like bro, we're not trying to see whose parents are worse, she's just trying to sympathize with you, dang) as not being tragic. I think that Mazm did present him pretty well in this story, not showing just his antagonistic side but also his more tragic side. Sadly, like I said, I can't consider him a yandere because of the addition of Melek, at least not in this version.

In terms of other characters, I really like the trio of Meg Giry, Sorelli and Jammes- the friends of Christine. From what I can tell, they're all a bit more aged up in this version, with Sorelli being the oldest and Jammes being the youngest and I feel like they gave more character to them than in the original version. Sorelli is the head of the dancers and the dating partner of Phillip de Chagny, Raoul's older brother and she's the mature and strong willed one of the group, wielding a blade that she uses to protect her friends. I like the fact that they made her a bit more protective and in one of the overworld sprites its mentioned via rumor that Phillip fell in love with her after he saw Sorelli swing her dagger, which I thought was pretty cute. At the end though, after Phillips death, she realizes that she was struggling too hard to climb up the social ladder and decides to forge her own path. In the beginning she attempts to protect her and her friends from the Phantom, declaring that she'll stab him if she sees him. Next is Meg Giry, and from what my friend told me, she was very young in the original books and kind of scardy cat. In this version, she's a bit older but maintains the scardy cat position, and is very terrified of the Phantom. She does gain more character development during the story, standing up to her mother and the managers and overall being a more assertive and confident person, which I thought was a nice touch. Last but certainly not least is my best girl Jammes. In the original story, she barely makes an appearance, but in Mazm they made her quite literally the best character. For one, the canonical reason why there are so many cats hanging out in the opera house is that Jammes keeps on feeding them and letting them in and she has named all of them after the Opera House staff. Jammes loves to spin and has a cute animation and while she can be loud and a bit strange sometimes, she can be smart and assertive when she needs to. Jammes always pushes the other three into being better and protects them when needed (for instance, when Phillip lashes out at Sorelli, she steps in and demands that he apologize for his actions) and can be really smart at times (she's the only character that attempts to at least cover her mouth when the Phantom's fragrance, a hallucinogenic gas, starts to fill up the box seat, despite others who have been in there not even trying) and is the one who stands up for Christine's abuse as well as for the dancers at the opera house being treated unfairly by the manager as she organizes a strike against them. She also becomes part of the women's suffrage after the events of the story. I could go on and on about Jammes, but instead I'll leave a cute picture of her at the end of this entire analysis. Besides those three, I did like Carlotta, the original singing lead of the opera house. Originally, she became an antagonist towards Christine after she became the lead singer, however, she did apologize to her afterwards and befriended her once more before traveling the world. I love her interactions with Raoul because she basically said that Raoul only has Christine and military training and when he gets angry and lashes out, Carlotta glares and him, causing him to cower (this actually does happen multiple times), and I just found that really, really funny. Mifoid, though useless in the story is actually pretty cute as well, I love his bouncing animation. The last character I'll talk about is Phillip because he became meme material for me and my friend considering he probably is so tired of Raoul talking about Christine (we joked that the reason he was sent to military was so that he didn't have to hear her name again) and while he is mostly a decent but strict character in the story, his last appearance really makes him out as a jerk. I did think it was kind of weird that Phillip was so willing to let Raoul go to the Artic mission considering nobody that has gone there has ever returned, and he was rather elitest towards him, not letting him marry Christine because she's of lower

class but during his last chapter before he dies, he goes on a frenzy after he and Raoul have a fight, revealing to Sorelli that he only dated her for fun and not to actually settle down with her, which is just horrible. It's a bit sad though that Raoul only saw him as someone who tried to get rid of him considering that Phillip did raise Raoul and that his last actions were an attempt to save Phillip from the phantom, and yet Raoul barely has a reaction after seeing his body and doesn't even go to his funeral. It's really sad that Raoul didn't even really cry after seeing Phillip's body, considering that he was basically his father figure.

Overall, it's a good game to play and a good retelling of the Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't consider the Phantom to be a yandere in this game, but I do think that Raoul is one. Thank you for this recommendation!

[shego89notabot]

Meet Cute

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/Darcy Lewis

Rating: Teen and up audience (for swearing)

Warnings: Swearing; mild violence; Darcy’s taser can be used more than once (because in my world Tony never died and he totally hooked a girl up)

"And why were WE asked to play chauffeur to this scientist?"

Bucky was grumpy. He was beginning to think he maybe should have just said no to Sam. But, no, here he was traveling in the middle of the night to retrieve some scientist.

"Apparently Doctor Lewis is a friend of Thor. Known her since his first arrival and all. Bruce asked if we could make sure she was safe. Special favor." Sam patiently responded. He was getting used to the two moods of the man next to him, grumpy and grumpier.

"Friend, huh?"

Sam shrugged, "Friend. There has been recent, credible chatter about her. The not so friendly kind. She's being moved to another, secret location but Bruce is concerned enough to think she might need a little extra, temporary, protection."

Bucky gazed out the window. To be honest, it's not like he had anything else going on and Sam was a good guy and usually decent company, if annoying at times. When Sam had shown up out of the blue and asked if he'd like to help it didn't take long for him to pack a bag and join him.

Bruce had asked for their help. He liked Bruce. The big, green doctor was calm and sensible and one of the few people he could tolerate for long periods of time. If Bruce felt strongly enough about the threat to this scientist then he'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

Soon they were pulling into the parking lot of a small building. A van was parked haphazardly by an entrance which in and of itself was not alarming. What was alarming was a man lying on the ground not far from the door.

"Shit." Bucky muttered under his breath. Sam stopped the vehicle and the both jumped out, hands going in jackets for weapons.

They both cautiously made their way towards the door. "I'll see if there's another entrance," whispered Sam.

Bucky nodded, face grim as he checked the pulse of the downed man and finding he was still alive, merely unconscious, he watched as Sam rounded the corner then quietly headed to the door and put his back to the wall next to it. Listening, he heard loud voices from deeper within the building. He didn't hear anything closer so he turned quickly into the doorway, gun up.

Inside was a hallway with doors opening to either side, several feet from the entrance. The door on the left was open and that was where the noise and light was coming from. He walked over to it then stepped just inside to find a man grappling with a woman, the woman in question loudly cursing the larger male.

"You asshole! Let me go," she bites his arm.

"Ow, you bitch!" He then proceeds to throw her against a metal file cabinet and she falls to the side, stumbling, before grabbing a chair that was nearby and hitting him in the side with it. He grunts before pulling out a gun and aiming it at her head. She freezes, eyes big, then snaps her left arm up, shoving his gun hand up while bringing her right hand up from her side and shooting him in the center of his chest with her taser.

Bucky watches in slight awe as the small, dark haired woman smirks with satisfaction at the other man as falls, shuddering and drooling to the ground. "Lady Sif taught me that one, asshole!" Then she notices Bucky. " Oh, fudge. 3? Hey, I'm armed! Back off! ". She points the now expended taser at him.

Bucky gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile then raises his left hand in surrender while putting his gun away. "Doctor Banner sent us. Are you Doctor Lewis?"

"Us?" Darcy looks confused for a moment before Sam pushes in through a second door at the other end of the room. Sam takes in the scene and, noticing the man still twitching in the ground, relaxed with a smile.

Darcy places her hand on her hip. "Wow, Dr. B sent in the big guns, huh? Well, you guys have any zip ties or anything? These two aren't going to restrain themselves."

"Two? " Bucky moved forward and peers down around the corner of a desk that had been blocking his view of a second unconscious man. His eyebrows shoot up and gets a good look at the woman in front of him. Long dark hair, blue eyes, full, generous lips and a pretty coke bottle figure under the turtleneck sweater and jeans she was wearing.

He watched as she tugged her crooked glasses back into place and bit her lip and gestures at the unconscious men and cocks her hip. "Yeah, these two. I mean, I used my taser on both of them so we have a little bit longer but it'd probably be best to get them restrained before they get themselves together."

Sam grabs a power cord off the table near him and proceeds to restrain the men while Bucky just stares back at the small doctor. Bucky steps forward, and extends his hand to Darcy, “James Barnes and this is Sam Wilson”. His breath catches as she gives a brilliant smile and shakes his hand. “Darcy Lewis. And it is a pleasure to meet you”.

Sam stands after tying up the goons and realizes she’s still holding Bucky’s hand and the two are just staring at each other. He clears his throat and smirks as the two startle a bit and blush - seriously, Bucky blushing?

“You might want to grab anything important so we can get out of here before their reinforcements arrive,” Sam says.

“Right!” Darcy smiles once more at Bucky then heads over to her computer.

Bucky watches her and quietly mutters to Sam, “Just how good a friend of Thor is she? Is she a friend or a friend friend?”

Sam shakes his head. “Why don’t you ask her? I’m going to walk outside and check on that guy in the parking lot”.

Sam leaves the room and Bucky shuffles his feet. She was just so pretty. But now was not the time to sit there and get goofy over a pretty face. She was just attacked and there might be more coming. His protective instincts kicked in and he strode over to her to see if he could either help or hurry her along.

“Um, can I help with anything?”

She flashes that dazzling smile at him again. “This is it. I learned years ago while I was working with Jane to keep all the important stuff close by.” She waved at the laptop in front of her then closes the laptop and puts it in a bag. “I’m all yours!”

Bucky grins at her statement and she blushes. “I mean I’m ready to go with you. Away from here. Ok. Um, this,” she lifts the bag, “is the important stuff. We can get the equipment later.”

Bucky is having a hard time reconciling this pretty, blushing woman with the badass that put down two men nearly twice her size but he’s loving it. He can’t get over how taken he is with her and wonders if when she’s safe would he, could he, ask her out.

He offers to hold her bag but she declines only to wince when she tries to put it on her shoulder. “Ow. Guess I’ll be bruised from that idiot. Can you help get this over my head?”. Bucky helps her get the strap over her head so the bag rests comfortably across her body and goes behind her and lifts the strap to free her hair from under it. “Comfy?” he asks and he’s dazzled again by her smile.

“You know, if this situation weren’t so serious I would totally ask you out for coffee or something.” She shrugs, “but I’m sure you have plenty things to keep up you busy-no time for that sort of thing, right?”

Bucky smiles, “I think I would like that. But maybe we can make it dinner and a picture, doll? Or some dancing?”. He offers Darcy his arm and she takes it.

“That sounds fantastic.”

“Um, I’m not gonna have some Norse God hunting me down for moving in on his girl, right?”

Darcy laughed. “No! He’s just a friend.”

“Well, then. It’s a date.”

[shimmersing]

Constellation

Part One | Part Two | Interlude | Part Three

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, Gen Relationships: Female Jedi Consular | Barsen'thor/Male Republic Trooper, Jedi Consular | Barsen'thor/Republic Trooper Characters: Female Jedi Consular | Barsen'thor, Jedi Consular | Barsen'thor, Qyzen Fess, Yuon Par, Parkanas Tark-Lord Vivicar Additional Tags: Angst, Tython, Emotional, Mentioned Mutual Pining, Fluffy, Sad, Melancholy Returning to Tython after shielding the last master suffering from Vivicar’s Force plague, Aitahea is faced with more struggle in her efforts to heal the Order and keep the Force in balance. Tired, injured, and longing for someone she can’t have, perhaps ever, the lines of her responsibility as a Jedi and her own convictions begin to blur. As Aitahea nears the end of her quest to save Yuon Par and the other Jedi Masters, she’s confronted with painful revelations and answers that only give rise to more questions. Shouldering the lives and minds of Jedi across the galaxy – alone – may prove to be more than Aitahea can bear.

Part Three

AN: I highly recommend you read Impending, a once-upon-a-oneshot that snuggles right into Constellation here, between parts two and three. Enjoy!

May the Force be with you.

Standing in the airlock, Aitahea let the echo of Erithon’s voice roll over and through her, like she might flow through saber stances during practice. Six syllables, like the spiral of a breath, a last sigh of hope to cling to in her fierce exhaustion and anguished determination.

It was the first time they’d spoken since Alderaan; everything else had been missed calls and quickly dashed-off messages. She’d mentioned her return to Tython, but not her weariness, loneliness, or how since leaving Alderaan, the only dream she’d remembered on waking was of him, humming Star by Star and stroking her hair. As far-flung as they’d been, she had doubted he’d see her injuries in a grainy holo.

Instead, she’d simply listened.

Erithon’s mother and sister had given him no end to their questions about the “princess” - as his youngest niece had gleefully declared - having seen their gala appearance splashed across the holonet. He’d explained with proud reticence that he had been harassed into calling to say hello for them, but he hoped she was doing well, of course.

See-Too had whirred politely in the common room entryway, a subtle warning that the other crew had begun stirring in response to their arrival. Aitahea had gently interrupted Erithon a final time, thanking him for calling, but she was needed urgently. He’d nodded, evidently used to the same, and then… “May the Force be with you.” She hadn’t even had a chance to reply, to wish him the same, before the call had disconnected, and she’d been alone again in the dark.

Minutes later, the Luminous had docked to Vivicar’s stolen ship, though Sia had only done so under protest.

“I don’t fucking like this, Ai.”

“There’s no other way, Sia. I trust you to keep the Luminous safe.”

“Yeah, me too, but what about you?”

Aitahea had pressed her lips into a tight line and turned away from her friend, unable to offer anything more to assuage Sia’s concern or her own guilt. The Progress had made all reports on time, presumably under Lord Vivicar’s control, so no one in the wider Republic knew that anything was awry.

Qyzen had refused to let her board alone, though she’d helplessly argued for it. They both knew she was still healing, only maintaining the shielding by a hair’s breadth. Vivicar’s ruinous intrusion on the ritual had done more damage than Aitahea had been willing to acknowledge. Sia had muttered under her breath something about needing to get a kolto tank installed in the med bay.

The Progress was shrouded in flickering darkness, the black of deep space. The stars still glittered, but coldly, distantly. Aitahea wasn’t certain what they’d find on board; there were many lives, but they writhed beneath a shadow grown powerful. Qyzen waited beside her as the airlock cycled to admit them to the hijacked ship.

The first rush of soldiers took her off guard; she flinched at the sight of Republic insignias below fevered eyes and slack faces. A growled warning from Qyzen brought her back to the task of disabling them with as little harm as possible.

It all horrified her, this perversion of so many things she held dear. The horrible stain of the dark side flowed on the ship and everyone aboard. She could barely hold it in check, growing steadily more vulnerable as her shielding was meticulously assaulted.

Vivicar was blessedly silent until Aitahea reached the first computer console. When he finally spoke, it was like being plunged into dark water. The consular reeled, fighting to keep her fingers on the control panel and not digging into her own temples.

I wasn’t sure if you’d be foolish enough to come aboard, Aitahea. But I can sense your presence.

Aitahea swallowed hard against a wave of nausea. “And I sense a man tormented by the past.”

You are blinded by the light side. You can’t understand what you face.

Biting back a sharp retort, Aitahea shoved away from the console – she didn’t possess the necessary slicing skill to coax open the blast doors from there. She could cut her way through the thick durasteel with her lightsaber, but time felt too precious.

Nearby were a few barrels, each with a combustion risk label splashed across it. She could fling them into the door using the Force, but it would be violent and destructive.

Oddly, Aitahea found she didn’t mind that so much right now and lifted a hand. The explosion was terrific, throwing back her hood. The wave of heat quickly grew so intense Aitahea had to shield herself and Qyzen until it abated.

As they stepped through the hissing, superheated breach, Vivicar’s voice echoed in a hateful thrum. Come to me, Jedi. I’ll show you how light can be snuffed out.

Aitahea swayed briefly, closing her eyes. There was no part of her that wasn’t in anguish. If this wasn’t already snuffed out, what could possibly be worse? She felt alarmingly close to knowing exactly what.

May the Force be with you.

It was Erithon’s voice this time, no tainted whispers, just her own beautiful memory. A light in the dark. She could follow that through this horrific present; through anything, perhaps. Aitahea opened her eyes, signaled her companion, and forged ahead.

Most of the unwitting fighters in their path could be stopped with a Force wave, tumbling them unconscious but mostly unharmed to the floor; but the squad leaders would be hardier – she knew from experience.

The first squad leader, a hulking being of indeterminate origin, was waiting for them at the first intersection, alone. The soldier didn’t fall for Qyzen’s feint and instead hoisted his cannon toward Aitahea, spraying cryogenic fluid. She flicked it away, readying her lightsaber to deflect any shots from the holdout blaster she knew he’d be hiding.

Qyzen shifted into an effortless and decisive strike, taking advantage of a seam in the trooper’s armor. Aitahea shuddered, feeling the soldier’s perception flare out, leaving nothing but gleeful darkness seething in every shadow.

“Herald?”

“I’m fine,” she bit out. “Let’s proceed.”

After navigating a few more hallways, they located the secondary computer terminal. She’d barely set her fingers to the keypad when Vivicar splintered her thoughts.

Tell me, Aitahea, what was it like? Letting your life force drain away to shield a stranger from me - how did it feel?

Aitahea frowned at her suddenly balled-up fists, unclenching and resettling her fingers on the keys before replying. “Painful, but I endured it.”

Pain makes us stronger. And the pain I have endured is beyond your comprehension.

That is why I have won.

Her throat seized, but even after swallowing hard, no words came to her, all her skillful, diplomatic platitudes absent.

“Hunt is not over until beast is skinned, dark thing,” Qyzen rumbled. The console began blaring a klaxon warning, and droids began pouring into the room.

You will understand soon. If you live that long.

“Your power and tactics have brought you this far, but no further.”

Until now, Aitahea had imagined Parkanas Tark as a youth, bright with potential and the Force. But the being that turned to face her as she dragged herself toward the bridge was aged, wretched, and twisted by the dark side.

“This battle was decided before you stepped aboard.”

“I’m tired of your delusions,” Aitahea hissed, past exhaustion and numb with pain. “Explain yourself.”

Vivicar gave her a mocking bow. “As you wish. My plague isn’t just a disease; it siphons power from its victims. With the proper rituals, that power can be channeled. Soon, the combined strength of your Masters will make me the most powerful Force adept who has ever lived.”

The pressure against her shielding intensified, thousands of threads – lives, she realized – suddenly pulled taut. Trembling with the strain, Aitahea took a step forward. She hadn’t come here to bicker; she’d come here to help.

“Turn away from this path, Parkanas. The Order can help you.”

Vivicar laughed.

“Oh, Aitahea.” This time, she visibly flinched when he used her name. “Parkanas Tark died long ago. Even ‘Vivicar’ is merely a skin to be shed. Parkanas offered himself to me on Malachor Three, to crush the Order that destroyed us. He embodied my spirit.” He lifted his hands, a seething glow thick with the dark side writhing around him. “I am no lost Jedi, no ordinary Sith Lord. I am Terrak Morrhage.”

“You can turn away from this path, Parkanas,” she beseeched, fumbling for words while he stalked toward her. “The Order can help you. Just… just come home.”

“No one can oppose me, certainly no child, barely more than a Padawan.” He grinned, ghoulish and without remorse as he ignited his lightsaber. “I am beyond flesh… beyond death!”

Aitahea realized tears were slipping from her eyes, her vision blurring. She was so tired. “No one is beyond the will of the Force,” she whispered, uncertain who the platitude was meant for.

Morrhage laughed again, a sound like plasteel shredding. “I will crush you, Aitahea, and your shattered body will fuel my rebirth!”

For a fleeting moment, she thought of running. Simply turning about, dashing to the safety of the Luminous. She questioned the choice she’d made on Tython, to come here carrying so many injuries, so much guilt and fear. Should she have stayed to heal? She remembered what the Noetikon of Secrets had explained, that the Jedi Master who had created the shielding technique had given his life to end Morrhage’s first plague. Was Morrhage right? Had the light blinded her?

Aitahea took a breath.

The light didn’t blind. Light revealed, left no shadows to hide in. Light nourished; light gave everything yet lost nothing. Light was right now in this moment, not in the past, and would always be in reach in the future. If light called, light would answer.

Aitahea called out.

“Parkanas! I know you are there; I sense you!” Morrhage ignored her outcry, continuing to advance. Aitahea sucked in a breath, ignited her lightsaber, and took a defensive stance. “Help me stop this monster, Parkanas, please!”

Morrhage attacked with spectacular brutality, thousands of years of rage and hatred against Aitahea’s weakened shielding, against her physical self. The Jedi parried and dodged, evading strikes she couldn’t hope to block. Qyzen Fess did what he could to aid her, but Morrhage was fixated on Aitahea. Her body quailed under the assault, shredding her determination. There must be another way…

Morrhage’s next attack struck true, and Aitahea lost a few moments to fiery agony searing across her left side. Reckless with pain, she flung out a wild, violent Force wave that sent Morrhage to the floor and left several nearby panels crushed beyond recognition. A few precious seconds passed while she waited, panting, for her vision to clear.

The fallen Jedi, the false Sith lord, struggled to his knees, glaring death toward Aitahea as she approached.

“Impressive, Aitahea, but my victory is already complete. My plague has spread farther than you can imagine. Jedi Masters across the galaxy are succumbing to it as I speak. The plague binds these Masters to me. Hundreds of them… the heart and soul of your order.

“You feel it, do you not, Aitahea?”

No lies this time; Aitahea could indeed feel the mingled torment of hundreds more Jedi as Morrhage siphoned their lives for strength. Every crack in her shielding, down to the smallest hairline fracture, screamed in agony.

“Kill me, and you will kill every Master I have ever infected. Every one! Shielded or not, they are still bound to me.”

Aitahea dispassionately placed the blade of her lightsaber at his throat. It felt like someone else doing it. She spoke in clipped tones, her voice unrecognizable in her own ears. “Free those Jedi, Morrhage. Now.”

“And if I refuse? Will you cut us down? What choice do you have? You cannot let me live, and I am deathless.” Morrhage leered, his dark victory seemingly assured, and took one more jab: “Your shielding talent cannot harm me. You’ve lost!”

Everything went silent and impossibly still. Your shielding talent cannot harm me. Of course not. It was never meant to harm, only to heal, to offer a path toward the light that anyone could take at any time, without judgement, without conditions, just… a welcome home. The path that she’d longed for, that she’d tried to circumvent over and over, a path she could not offer until she, too, chose it.

Aitahea lowered her arm and deactivated her lightsaber. “I can save you, Parkanas.”

Morrhage reeled back as Aitahea drew the Force around her. The effort would not be without risk, but it was the path that lay before her. Another stillness enfolded her, this time of peace, willingness, and release. Fighting had never been her forte or focus; she was a healer, with words and hands and her lightsaber only when absolutely, undeniably necessary.

Now, she isn’t simply performing the shielding ritual; she is part of it, wholly within and throughout, a numinous space that feels like a Coruscant ocean, like the forests of Tython, like warm sun and a hand to hold on Brentaal, all at once.

Now, she realizes how to bring it full circle; she must allow the Force its will, stop trying to control it, and just let go. Light spills through the cracks in her shielding, and everything is suddenly and wonderfully illuminated.

May the Force be with you.

Parkanas – and it was with every certainty him; the sudden burst of hope where none had been the moment before was unmistakable – went flying backwards, away from Aitahea and leaving the vulnerable spirit of Morrhage isolated before her.

The spirit howled in fury. “No, this body is mine! Damn you, Jedi!”

Aitahea noted with detached amusement that she was levitating, Morrhage’s furious tirade a soft rumble in the background. She felt untethered, undefinably light. Closing her eyes, Aitahea exhaled a long breath and stepped softly down to the floor.

“When my strength returns, no matter the years – I will destroy you,” Morrhage snarled, but Aitahea was already walking toward Parkanas, feeling her own strength returning. She brushed past the raging specter, and in a few more moments, it had disappeared.

Qyzen had already lifted Parkanas Tark to his feet. He had a hand to his head, and Aitahea allowed a thread of sympathy to unwind, a guide to the path she hoped he would be able to take, too.

Parkanas Tark stared at her with open disbelief. “I’m… still alive. You spared me.”

She half-smiled. “Healed you.”

“My mind is…” Parkanas shook his head again. “Clearer now. But – it was your duty to kill me and destroy Morrhage.” His eyes – still smoldering amber, revealing a bitter internal strife – begged for an answer. Why?

“Too many Jedi have been lost already.” Aitahea lowered her gaze, the barest of brief moments to grieve for those lost. “Including Parkanas Tark.”

“Perhaps he deserves another chance, but…” Parkanas’ voice trailed off, adding in a pained whisper, “I cannot return to the Order.”

Swallowing hard against the lump in her own throat, Aitahea pressed. “Tython has its hidden places. Its forests.” That half-smile danced across her lips again, and for a flickering moment, she was light years away. “You could find peace there.”

“I could… go home.” Parkanas grew still, eyes distant and filled with evergreen leaves and rushing water. After a moment, he startled, reaching out to grasp her hands. “But first, Jedi, listen. Take this warning in exchange for my life: You can’t trust the Order. Or the Republic.” Aitahea drew breath to contradict, but he continued. “You may be their heroine now, but they will abandon you, too.”

Aitahea pulled away from Parkanas’ frantic grip, shaking her head while she scrabbled for a coherent thought. “Why…What do you-” Nothing coalesced, leaving her once again a diplomat with no words.

Parkanas held her gaze. “Remember that.”

“We felt it! A massive shift in the Force. The Masters you saved have reported a sudden improvement in their condition. The plague is over, thanks to you.

“And… I sense Parkanas Tark. For the first time in many years. How can that be?”

Aitahea nodded at Master Syo and glanced sidelong toward Parkanas, who was being assessed by Tharan and Holiday. “You can ask him yourself, Master. When he returns to Tython, he can answer all your questions.”

Her companions had dashed through the ship as soon as she’d signaled their safety. Bringing medical equipment to help with the injured and traumatized crew, Prelsiava Tern had even dragged along a protesting See-Two.

“I told you there’d be plenty for you to do; look at that console! It’s completely trashed! Go on, get on it,” Sia had ordered, and the affronted droid had conceded, tottering over to examine one of the smashed panels.

With the logistics managed, and a scant few moments to tuck away the memory of Parkanas’ unsettling words, Aitahea had commed the Council, Master Syo answering with his victorious statement: We felt it!

“Well done, Aitahea. The Jedi Order owes its survival to you.”

Relief swept over her like a wave. “It’s my privilege to serve.”

“Hurry home. We’re waiting for you.”

Aitahea felt nearly presentable again by the time they arrived on Tython. She’d had her injuries treated. She’d eaten and bathed. She’d slept, mostly dreamless but for dappled sunlight and burbling water.

As they touched down on Tython, Aitahea marveled at the incandescent radiance of the Force within the hallowed walls of the Jedi Temple. Each Jedi shone like a bright star, a constellation she’d missed terribly beneath the weight of the shielding. Even Qyzen shimmered, kindling with satisfaction and pride. Beneath all, the grand symphony of Tython itself soared.

In the Council chamber, Master Yuon, Master Syo, Master Satele, and Master Jaric were waiting. Schooling her expression into practiced serenity, Aitahea dropped into a bow, only lifting her gaze when Yuon spoke.

“You have saved untold lives through your defeat of Lord Vivicar and destruction of the plague.” Aitahea felt Yuon’s pride in every syllable.

Even Master Jaric was smiling. “There’s a title reserved for the most prestigious among us, whose wisdom and skill safeguard the galaxy. It hasn’t been bestowed in thousands of years.”

Aitahea became keenly aware of her flushed cheeks, suspended between delight and disbelief, and nodded in vague acknowledgment.

“You have proved worthy,” Master Syo declared. “Now, the Council names you Barsen’thor, warden of the Order.”

Absurdly, Aitahea’s thoughts turned to how much she’d enjoy reading about the other Barsen’thor that had preceded her. Would the archive even contain that knowledge? How many thousands of years? Who were they, who had they set out to be, and what had they done to arrive where Aitahea herself now stood? The Force bloomed with assurance. “I will do all I can to live up to this honor.” Aitahea clasped her hands, sweeping into a low obeisance.

“I never imagined your potential would take you so far.” Yuon beamed, and Aitahea returned the expression as she lifted her head.

Yet concern laced Master Syo’s next words: “And not a moment too soon. We have need of you. The Council has received word that the Republic is facing a new threat.”

“We need time to prepare a war council,” Satele clarified, much to Aitahea’s unspoken relief. “The Supreme Chancellor himself will be attending.”

“I stand ready, Master,” Aitahea assured.

Accepting her pledge with a nod, Syo nodded towards the doors. “Take time to record your journey in the Jedi archives. History must know of your actions.”

Aitahea blinked, more surprised at her own surprise than anything – of course there should be a record of the current Barsen’thor as well; that’s the first place to start, obviously – and almost missed Master Syo’s final words. “We will contact you when the war council is ready. For now, the entire Order will know that there is a new Barsen’thor among us.”

After a round of congratulations from each of the Masters, Aitahea and Qyzen left the Council chamber, ostensibly to bring her story to the archives.

“Scorekeeper smiles, Herald. Is great honor your people give you.” He gestured broadly, sending a few initiates scurrying out of the way. “Points beyond measure!”

Her heart sang with gratitude. She’d trusted him as her ally, her second, her friend; and he’d returned that trust hundredfold. Questioned and advised her, criticized and coddled her, but never judged her. Steadfast and patient, always. If what they had done brought points-beyond-measure to her, he’d have the larger portion by far. “We hunt together, my friend. Whatever my score, you share it.”

Qyzen paused, abruptly turning to face her. Traffic streamed around them; Temple life carried on. “Is… a noble thing you say. My thanks, Herald.”

“My thanks to you as well, Qyzen. Thank you for…” For protecting me? For challenging me? For warning and guiding and validating me? For seeing me when even I could not? “…for everything.”

“Must share the story of this hunt with your Order. It is good to share knowledge.”

Aitahea thought of the Noetikons, the immense value of them for so much beyond the lore and history of the Jedi. Even after becoming one with the Force, they had set alight a path for so many Jedi after, herself included. Like she might, generations from now.

Blinking back tears and knowing full well she couldn’t have hidden them if she’d wanted to, Aitahea smiled. “Then I must make yet another request of you: that you tell the story with me.”

Qyzen regarded her for a long moment, long enough that she began to fret that she’d somehow stumbled into an insult. “You are Scorekeeper’s Herald,” he said solemnly, “and you are true Jedi.”

Aitahea nodded, feeling and breathing and illuminating the Force around them.

“I’m home.”

Part One | Part Two | Interlude | Part Three

[aphoestrope]

Fictober '22 - Day 3

prompt: #3 "That was not my intention." original fiction: tales of the realm - medieval fantasy!AU rating: teen and up audiences (may not be appropriate for audiences under 13) warnings: none.

---

“That was not my intention.”

Clearly, he is not convinced. The silence that fills the chamber is tense and unwelcoming—not one lord or lady speaks a word. Around the long table, the Nine sit and converse; about politics, public affairs, trades. They raise issues and solve some, perhaps argue when discussing one or two issues. The ambassador comes at a very convenient time, when his voice can be heard by the ones who hold tremendous power over the whole kingdom.

“Tell me then, Ambassador, what is your intention?”

The young man occupying the seat furthest—at the head—slowly stands and leans forward just a little. His palms pressed against the wooden table that’s much older than he is, remaining expressionless although his gaze burns. The rest of the council doesn’t share that same fire, but they are as curious as he to hear the answer.

“I apologize if my suggestion sounds rather crude, Your Grace,” The ambassador’s head is bowed in the slightest, “I am merely saying that the Queen’s absence would surely hinder our efforts, and it’d be wise for Your Grace to take initiative—”

When he lifts his head, the presence of the young man surprises him. His blond hair is sleek on the top and his head completely shaved under. His blue eyes are focused solely on the other one, a tiny smile is playing on his lips while he reaches to grasp the other’s shoulder.

“I am but a King Consort, my lord.” He says matter-of-factly. “I abide by the Queen’s words—exact words and orders.”

“Though I must say,” one of the lords chime in, making the two of them turn to see the source—the head of House Baynard leaning back slightly with his fingers crossed on top of his fat belly, “the Ambassador’s idea might be quite useful to reestablish connections with other kingdoms that are soured after the rebellion.”

The King Consort that people doubted first then admired years later snorts in amusement, patting the terrified man’s shoulder repeatedly before making his way back to his chair.

“I agree,” He nods, “but surely we will not be committing treason just for that cause, will we?”

He can hear the lords and ladies laugh and chuckle at his joke, somehow lessening the tension in the room a little.

“The Queen is absent because she is with child, Ambassador,” He emphasizes, shaking his head a little, “not ill or dead, so let’s not speak as if she is.”

Knowing that the topic has become surly and he is defeated, the ambassador bows his head a little in obedience and understanding.

“I will bring up the matter to her.” The King Consort finally concludes. “You may go, Ambassador.”

He waits for a few minutes to make sure he is not hearing any more footsteps outside the meeting hall. Then, he bursts out laughing that he tries to lessen down as quickly as he can. Even amidst a serious matter, he can still find a gap to joke around.

“You scare the poor man, Lord Sylvar.” The familiar lady comments.

“Wasn’t my intention, Lady Reya,” Raegys replies with a lingering smile, “he’s just too serious, I can’t help myself.”

“Can we proceed to the next agenda, then?” The head of House Ravvanore tries to bring order into the small chaos.

The young consort nods in agreement; time to return back to securing the kingdom.

“Alright, what’s the situation on the mountain borders?”

[thinwhitewritings]

A Shot and A Story - Ashton

Summary: Based off of that one video of Ashton bringing a fan on stage to take a shot with her for her birthday - can’t stop thinking of it and I need it. 

Warnings: Alcohol, drunk endeavors, lots of touching, crowds, mini makeout sesh

Rating: 18+ (no smut, a lil kiss kiss and some adult stuff but not smut)

This is unedited because I’m impatient. Enjoy!

You’d been dying to go to a concert for your birthday. Especially your twenty-first. A drink in your hand with music and friends - how could it be better? So, your friends all pitched in to get you guys floor seats to a 5 Seconds of Summer concert. You had all seen them live on your own but this would be the first time you went as a group, and it was beyond exciting, especially since they just so happened to have a show on your birthday. 

The only drawback had been it wasn’t in your hometown. You had to take a small trip to get to the city where they were performing, and somehow your parents had booked a hotel for the four of you who were going, a birthday gift they’d called it. You were surprised either way. The group checked into the hotel, which was just down the street from the venue, a few bars littered along the street - which you would hit at some point. If that was before or after the show, you didn’t care. You were here with your favorite people and going to see your favorite band for the first time in a very long time - and got to get drunk all the while. 

Your friends had brought goodies along, including a sash, mini shots to sneak into the venue, and a sign that said ‘She’s 21 today, get her drunk!’ They claimed it was for the bars, but one of them decided to sneak it with you to the show. You’d gone to dinner and gotten plenty of attention in the form of a free drink from a guy across from your table, and a free dessert from the restaurant. You felt on top of the world, and the night was just getting started. 

You made it to the show with ease, using the opening act to get drinks from a bar in the arena, coming back to your spot just as the lights came down. Screams erupt from the crowds around you, and you felt the excitement from your chest to your toes. The band came onstage with energy, opening up the show with enough motion and lights to blind an entire highway of cars. Song by song passed, your friends making sure you continuously had a drink in your hand. About halfway through the first half of the show, your friend broke out that magical sign, holding it above all of you as you sang along and bounced and screamed. They’d just wrapped up Empty Wallets when Luke speaks up. “Hey, wait, wait - who’s birthday is it?” He asks, pulling an in-ear out and coming to the edge of the stage, pointing in your groups direction. Before you can get a word out, they begin shoving you forward, Luke laughing as they beg for him to get you a drink. 

“Who told you there was alcohol up here?” Ashton remarks, now moving out from his drum set holding up a red solo cup. 

“Ash, you’re very clearly holding an unmarked beverage. In a solo cup of shittin’ things.” Michael laughs. 

You’re trying to pay attention, but a security guard has moved the barrier so that he can lead you to the stage ramp - and it hits you, holy shit this is actually happening. You’re thanking the buzz that’s in your veins for the lack of nerves you have once you’re on stage all of them greeting you with wide smiles and cheers. “Ok but really, to... no one’s surprise, there is alcohol up here.” Calum points to the bottle towards the back of the stage, Ashton quickly grabbing it as the others start asking you your name. One of them asks to double check that you are in fact 21 before pouring out alcohol in front of a whole ass arena. Once it’s in Luke’s hand, he’s moving to Michael’s side, leaning into him as they both assess the card. “Yep, that is definitely today.” Michael confirms. 

“And that is 21 years from today - we are clear for take off everyone.” You haven’t said more than five words but you just feel blissfully happy. A hand comes up to your back and you jump a little, not expecting it, but are greeted with Ashton at your side. He’s leaning into Calum’s mic for everyone to hear. “This might look like water, but I promise everyone that this is 100% tequila.” Screams come from the crowd as he hands over the plastic cup, raising it. You take it and match him, about to take the shot before he stops. Under the immense amount of sound and projected discussion from the other bandmates, Ashton leans to your ear, his free hand taking your wrist carefully and very lightly. “Wait, let’s link arms.” He pulls back with a look of ‘you wanna?’ and you give a wide grin and a nod of your head. With ease, your arms are intertwined and you are nearly chest to chest with the drummer. A few more cries leave the massive audience you have before they all give you a hug, a few birthday wishes before dismissing you off stage. 

Your friends are all shaking your arms and bouncing incessantly when you return asking how you felt, and generally freaking out. The only thing you could get out was “Please tell me you have that on video.”

. . . 

After the show, you decided to run over to one more bar before you headed in for the night, really wanting to make the night well rounded and capture all of the experiences you could. Getting to the bar you realize that it’s actually more of a club. And when you get in there, you almost immediately lose your friends. You’d managed so well up until now, but you figure that you’re better off trying to find them at the bar, since there was only one of them. 

So you navigate your way there, and flag down a bartender for a drink. As you finishing up your payment, you could’ve sworn you heard your name. You turn your head a few times, looking in the crowd for your friends’ faces - only to come up with one that wasn’t in your group. It’s Ashton, approaching with what seems like a crew member behind him, both of them with a glass of beer in their hand. “Hey! It’s the birthday girl!” He greets, swinging an arm open to offer another hug, which you happily take. You back up, holding your drink before leaning towards him, his head dipping to listen to you. “Where’s the other guys?” He gives a nod, a hand running through his hair. 

“They were kind of exhausted, and bailed on me. They’re holed up at our table. No fun if you ask me.” He taunts, giving you a smile which you return. He moves to introduce the guy behind him, to be met with a stranger. You can’t help but laugh as he exasperatedly turns back to you. “What the hell, do I smell or something? I showered before I came here.” He jokes and you can’t stop the smile on your face. 

“If it’s any consolation, my friends and I got split up the second we got here. So it’s kind of a miracle that you managed to have him around that long.” Ashton laughs at your words, and you find a hand on your back again as he leans in. 

“He probably went to our table. Do you wanna go check with me?” You give a nod once he’s asked, and he grins, hand unmoving from your back. He proceeds to guide you to the table he speaks of, a few more familiar faces which all light up at the sight of you. A few utterances of your name come through again, greeting you happily. 

You sit with the group, meeting Sierra and Crystal while you were there, finding yourself somehow completely comfortable with this group. Afterall, you practically grew up with these guys, even if you’d never met them until tonight. A few rounds go by, and you’re finally starting to think about calling it a night. You’re looking at your phone, seeing that your friends have all said to just meet at the hotel, as they’re not having any luck finding each other, let alone you. You try another text - seeing as this happened because you couldn’t get any messages through - and hope that if any of them go through it was that one. That you were safe and had plenty of stories to tell. You’d been chugging water after the third round, telling Ashton that you’d needed to head home tomorrow and wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be sick for the drive, which he then cut you off in response. He however, had still been drinking. So as you lean into him to speak, his arm wraps around you, staying planted as you speak. “Do you know where the bathroom is?” You ask and he nods, the hand holding his drink points in the general direction. 

“Do you want me to walk you over there?” He questions, and you look at him, seeing his features in the very dim neon lights. His hand feels firm, but his thumb is slowly tracing an up and down line into your skin, and you’re trying your best to soak it in. This had to be a dream. The whole time you’d been at the table, his hand had jumped around, on the booth back just above your shoulders, on your thigh, pushing hair out of your eyes - any way he could linger on you he had. Which is why you let him escort you to the bathroom. 

The walk over was pretty uneventful, aside from Ashton spilling the rest of his drink due to someone elbowing his glass. He was annoyed by this, but didn’t let it show in his expressions. In the hallway of the restroom, it’s rather dark, give for the slight light shining through the cracks of the closed bathroom door. You’d turned to Ashton to tell him he could go back to the table, but he’d thrown his beer glass away, and was facing you fully. The hand that had been in yours, now slinks up to your waist, the other matching it. He can see you’re about to say something and leans to your ear to speak. “What is it beautiful?”

Suddenly, you don’t want him to go back to the table. When you see his face again, his forehead is nearly on yours, your breath hitching. “N-Nothing. I just...” You shake your head minutely, being careful not to move too much in the crowded space. Your eyes meet as music blasts around you, not letting you be able to think. His face suddenly is encased in light as the bathroom door swings open. His eyes shift to the door and he looks back to you. “Bathroom’s free.” He points out, and in the boldest move you’ve ever made, you grab his hand on your waist and pull him into the bathroom. 

Ashton shuts the door and locks it with a click, being quick to move back to where you had been positioned before, but this time, takes no time to cup your face and pull your lips to his. Your eyes shut as your own hands move to gently hold the bottom of his arms, as his tongue dips along your bottom lip. Hands move from your face to the back of your neck, your energies moving so simultaneously. You finally pull back from what seems like forever to someone banging on the door. The two of you had both looked to the door and you laugh. “Let me use the restroom, and then we can go back.” You offer, slowly pulling away to move to the stall, and Ashton’s head tilts, looking to your backside. 

“And by back, you mean my hotel room, right?”

So much for your parent’s hotel room ‘gift’.

[apronnash]

Just thought of such a great, yet horrible way for a Buddie confession. Okay, so don’t hate me, but here’s the episode/fic idea:

The episode opens with Buck bloodied and lying on the ground in the middle of the road. There are muffled voices and shadows dancing around him. A car alarm blaring in the background. He just stares up at the audience. His voice comes over to narrate something Grey’s Anatomy style about wishes, love, death, and missed moments.

Cut to black.

Earlier. Buck wakes up in the same kind of position in his loft bed, eyes looking through the screen. It’s bright and sunny and he hops out of bed to make breakfast. He’s got a shift today and he needs to run some errands for this big dinner he planned for tonight. Today’s the day he’s gonna tell Eddie he loves him.

Meanwhile, Eddie’s prepping Chris for school with Carla and they discuss his dinner with Buck and how he feels awkward he hasn’t told him that he and Ana are moving in together. Carla is *shook* - and knowing Buck and Eddie finally speaks her mind: “are you sure you’re doing this for the right reasons?” Eddie’s confused and tries to say something when Carla interrupts and says “don’t lie to me, I’ve seen the way you’ve been eyeing our Buckaroo lately; and Chris tells me you’ve been spending more time thinking about him than pretty Miss Flores.” Eddie goes all red and tries to make excuses, but Carla’s not having any of it. Finally, he says, “I can’t. Buck’s too important to me and besides, he’s got Taylor.”

Little does he know, Taylor’s long gone to NYC for a new job as a reporter for NBC.

Buck’s walking out of Whole Foods with bags of new ingredients he and Bobby have been working through in their quest to explore the culinary world. Buck crosses the street and BAM! A crash - cut to black.

It’s 12:32pm and Buck still hasn’t shown up for his shift. Bobby, Hen, Chim, and Eddie are starting to get worried. But their concerns are interrupted by the alarm. A vehicle accident plowing through a crowd of pedestrians on Lasalle (just made that up lol). Eddie shudders, a sudden wave of worry washing over him.

Now, it’s back to the opening scene. Buck can’t move - it hurts all over, he just stares helpless at the audience as blood seeps through his clothes and mouth. Whimpering.

The 118 pull up to the scene and they check on the driver. This woman is distraught - “I didn’t seem him coming! I didn’t see him coming!” Eddie shivers… he’s hit with deja vu. He gets her checked and proceeds to the epicenter of the commotion, presumably the person who was hit.

Chim and Hen are bent down by a blonde man. Eddie rushes over but is stopped by Bobby. Eddie’s confused - why can’t he help? “You can’t do this. You’re too close to this.” Bobby mutters.

Eddie’s heart drops into his stomach. He uses his strength to push Bobby aside and pushes past the crowd to see Chim and Hen crouching by Buck’s side, body broken, skin pale and bloody, body angled in the same way Shannon’s was in her last moments.

Eddie’s world slows. Every emotion he felt then, he felt now. Maybe even worse the second time around. Bobby tries to pull him back, but he doesn’t relent. He crouches down next to Chim as he puts a neck brace on Buck. Buck, slowly looks at Eddie, whispers “E- Eddie… you-you’re here” through the severe pain he feels in his chest, with a pained smile and tears flowing down his face. “Looks like m-my luck finally ran out this time,” he says effortfully.

Eddie tries his best to keep it together. “You’re gonna be fine, Buck. You’re gonna be fine.” He turns on medic mode and tries to help Hen and Chim finish up their check. Hen and Chin exchange a solemn look and shake their heads as they begin changing their course of treatment, trying anything to keep Buck alive. Eddie follows along as he tries to keep Buck talking. They get to a point where they just have to hoist Buck on to a gurney and transport - he’s losing time.

Chim gets into the front of the ambulence, while Hen and Eddie get into the back. Hen’s getting the monitors set up and all the tubes and wires placed onto Buck’s body. “Eddie…” Hen looks over to him with watery eyes.

“Wha- what are- why aren’t you doing anything?” Eddie exclaims.

“When I put this tube in… there’s a good chance it may not come back out.” Suddenly, Eddie’s breathless. These are almost the exact words she said to him when it was Shannon.

He turns to Buck. “Eddie, listen to her. We- we don’t have much time left.” Buck is weakly holding on to Eddie’s wrist.

“No, Buck. Don’t say that. Stop it. You’re going to be fine.” He can feel his voice shaking.

“I- I don’t feel anything anymore,” Buck explains. “Eddie, I- I have something to tell you.”

Eddie can’t stop the tears flowing from his eyes now. “Save it for later, when you’re in your hospital bed, awake.”

“I- I’m not sure if I’m gonna make it. Eddie, I- I love you.”

Eddie’s heart explodes.

“Eddie, I’ve been in love with you for- for so long. That’s what I was gonna tell you tonight.”

“But, what about Tay-“

“She’s gone. New York. New job. Look- It took me so long to figure this out, but- but it’s you. It’s always been you and Chris.”

“God, Chris.” Eddie’s tears flow more fiercely. “You can’t do this, Buck. You can’t do this! He- I- we will never forgive you for this.”

“I- I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Buck cries weakly. “All I ever wanted was to be a part of your family.”

“You are! You always were. Come on. You’re in my will for gods sake. I LOVE YOU TOO!”

Buck smiles and reaches for Eddie’s face. Eddie grabs his hand and kisses it. He leans and kisses him. “I love you too, okay? I love you too. So, fight. I put you in my will because you are a fighter, now fight it, damn it! Whatever light you’re seeing, whatever’s calling for you, fight it, Evan!”

There’s so much emotion in his voice, so unlike himself. Buck laughs, seeing the love of his life finally being honest with his feelings. “I love you…” his voice fades on the last word as the monitor starts to flatline.

“No! No! Buck, wake up! Wake up!” Eddie pleads. Hen pushes him out of the way and intubates him. It’s no use, as the monitor is still flat, the long beep signaling no heartbeat ringing through the ambulance. Hen moves to compressions. It doesn’t work. Eddie pulls himself together. He grabs the paddles and yells “charge!” and shocks Buck. His heart comes back momentarily, but then flatlines again. He keeps going.

“Eddie- I” Hen says, crying.

“No! I know he wouldn’t stop fighting for me, for us. So I’m not stopping for him.”

Eddie alternates between compressions and the paddles. They finally arrive at the hospital. The back doors open as he’s mid-compressions. “Male, 29, multiple traumas - he was hit by a car.”

The doctor looks at the monitor: “how long has he been down?”

“Approximately 5 minutes.” Hen replies.

A brief pause. Then “Call it.”

“What?” Eddie yells. “No, stop. What are you doing.”

The doctor holds his hands up and gets closer. “I’m sorry, he’s been down for too long, I’m afraid- I’m afraid he’s-“

Eddie cuts him off. “He’s not! He’s not gone. Come on, Buck, wake up. Come on, Evan!”

He can feel Hen’s arms reach to pull him away. Suddenly, the heart monitor picks back up. It starts slowly, then gradually get’s stronger.

“He’s back!”

“Alright, let’s get him to OR 2! Stat!”

The doctors grab the gurney and rush off.

The last scene leaves Eddie with Buck’s blood over him, standing alone looking through the ER doors as they shut in front of him. Cut to black.

[miraculouscontent]

what happened with optigami??

Ugh happened.

- Episode begins with Nathalie in bed with a screen in front of her, and Gabriel sitting next to her and watching. It's explained to the audience through Nathalie what she and Gabriel have been up to since "Miracle Queen," since they learned the heroes' identities. The screen shows each hero and their civilian self, and Nathalie created a sentimonster called Optigami (a mechanical butterfly - think Tippi from Super Paper Mario but edgy) with eyes that can appear on the wings that can possess any object and record what it sees, transmitting it back to Nathalie's screen) to reveal Ladybug's secrets. Optigami stalked the civilians, but they were just teenagers who "spent their time at school or activities outside of it" (thanks, Captain Obvious).

- It's said that Ladybug still entrusts the civilians with miraculouses, but has rules to prevent them from discovering her identity (Wayzz is also shown on camera despite kwami not being visible via technology; magic, I guess???). Optigami has tried to follow Ladybug, but hasn't managed to catch her. Nathalie considers the sentimonster useless, but Gabriel has an idea, pointing out the vulnerability of civilians returning the miraculouses and suggesting Optigami hide there. Gabriel makes a plan for all the holders to appear and to have a supervillain that Ladybug will need another hero to beat.

- Cut to Audrey shouting at someone about glitter when she gets a call from Gabriel, who talks about a fashion icon award from her magazine that she should give to his son. Audrey agrees to send invitations right away.

- Marinette is shown in her room, staring at her invitation with a big smile because Adrien is on it. Alya explains to the kwami that everyone is invited to the event where Adrien will get an award and that's why Marinette has been frozen staring at the invite for the past ten minutes. The kwami talk about being invited too since "everyone" is invited, and Marinette snaps out of her trance to deny them; no owner, no trips. Trixx argues that he can go because he has Alya, but Marinette reminds him that she (Marinette) has the miraculous. Trixx tells her to give Alya the fox permanently. Alya agrees with this decision, especially now that she knows she's Ladybug, but Marinette insists that it's too risky and that one of the rules she's sticking to is to not give out any miraculouses. Trixx turns away in a huff, arms crossed, while Alya assures that it's fine because it's Marinette's decision and they have to leave now anyway. Marinette snaps back into her fawning state, staring at the invitation again.

- The students show up at the event, specifically Marinette (the only one who makes no sense), Adrien (who's there for the award), Alya (Rena Rouge), Nino (Carapace), Kagami (Ryuko), Luka (Viperion), Kim (Roi Singe), and Max (Pegase). No other students showed up. While they're heading for the elevator, Nino and Alya are doing something on a tablet and do a special high-five in celebration. Kim also uses the stairs instead of the elevator, insisting he'll be faster and telling Max to time him. After he charges up, Alya slides up to Marinette and talks about the elevator being perfect to get close to her "secret crush." Marinette, who was literally fine a second ago, starts freaking out at the idea of her and Adrien accidentally touching, bracing herself against the elevator's frame when Alya tries to forcefully shove her inside. The elevator closes without her and Marinette sighs, telling Alya that she doesn't want to rush it.

- People are starting to sit down for the event and Alya and Nino are doing their high-five again (which Marinette smiles sadly at). Audrey is impatient and demands to start filming, but Alec isn't back yet. Meanwhile, Optigami flies in and goes into an Adrien picture to hide, which makes Nathalie's screen light up on top of her bed. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth via earpiece that Optigami is in place.

- Alec is in the restroom playing on his phone. Shadow Moth places an amok in his staff and makes a sentimonster that looks exactly like Alec. The real Alec comes out and is confused, then cowers at Shadow Moth and the sentimonster Alec. SentiAlec leaves the restroom, showing over-dramatic flair as he jumps on stage. A few people are thrown off, but Audrey doesn't care and just wants to get started.

- The filming officially begins and everyone is shown watching the event. SentiAlec is barely into his introduction before he starts openly trashing Audrey (such as calling her outdated), which shocks Audrey and briefly makes Chloe laugh until Chloe catches Audrey glaring at her. SentiAlec adds a comment about the award ceremony being rigged, then isn't phased when Audrey starts to say he's fired. He finishes the line for her in a question tone, saying it's too late anyway as Audrey has already made a fool of herself. Audrey, ashamed and humiliated, then gets akumatized by an akuma Shadow Moth sends.

- At the appearance of Style Queen, Marinette and Alya give each other a look. Alya whispers to Nino that they should prepare in case Ladybug needs them, so the two slip off while Marinette goes in the other direction. SentiAlec still insults Style Queen, then flees when Style Queen tries to shoot him, managing to escape. Style Queen goes to shoot Adrien, but her arm is cut by a chair that Kagami throws. Kagami yells at Adrien to run and Adrien stands there and cries out, "Kagami, no!" Style Queen then fires at Kagami, turning her into glitter, and only then do Adrien and Chloe bail. Nathalie then informs Shadow Moth that Kagami (Ryuko) has been eliminated, and Shadow Moth says that they need to find the others before Ladybug arrives. Optigami flies out of the Adrien picture to go searching.

- Adrien manages to slip into an elevator to transform, but before he can, Marinette slips into the same one to transform, both stopping and Marinette having to make an excuse for saying "Tik--". Adrien presses a button and claims he was about to get help and Marinette says he's wonderful, though corrects it to "brave." The elevator doors close and Marinette says that Ladybug will come while Adrien says that Chat Noir will come too, though they both look away nervously afterwards.

- Chloe, meanwhile, pops out from behind a table to tell Style Queen where Alec went. Style Queen reminds Chloe that she'd laughed at her, then goes to shoot her. Chloe uses Zoe as a shield, but the shot causes Chloe to turn into glitter anyway, just alongside Zoe instead of Chloe alone. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth that Chloe is eliminated, then tells Optigami to find the others.

- Max is leading people downstairs to the nearest exit. Nathalie sees it through Optigami and informs Shadow Moth, who informs Style Queen, who makes a tornado of glitter to surround the building, turning the building itself glitter-encrusted with Style Queen's mug on top. This movement apparently knocks out the elevator's power, which sends Adrien and Marinette stumbling to the floor. The people that Max had been trying to lead out are approached by Style Queen, who shoots all of them. Max is eliminated.

- Both Adrien and Marinette try to reach for the elevator's buttons at the same time, their hands touching. Marinette apologizes sheepishly, then tries one of the buttons, but to no avail. They try to pull open the door, but it doesn't work. Marinette is sure that Chat Noir will save them, and Chat Noir agrees nervously, but also brings up Ladybug as an option. Marinette then texts Alya to tell her that she's stuck in an elevator. Alya texts back to ask if she's with Adrien, adding a wink emoji. Marinette responds that--yes, she is, and Alya becomes nervous.

- At the same time, Nino gets a text from Adrien that he's stuck in an elevator with Marinette. Nino thinks it's cool and Alya laughs nervously, pretending to agree. Alya asks Marinette over text how she's going to make this work, and Marinette says that she has a plan but needs to be alone. Alya tries to split from Nino, insisting that she'll give Ladybug a signal that they're there, but Nino wants to go with her. Alya insists, saying that it'll be better that they not get shot as a group, but Nino gives her the lovey dovey eyes and says that he won't let her do it by herself. Alya relents, but says that she has to go somewhere first ("if you know what I mean"), kissing Nino's cheek and then running off.

- SentiAlec returns and Shadow Moth gets rid of him. The real Alec escapes and smacktalks Shadow Moth when he's out of earshot, but Style Queen promptly shoots him. Shadow Moth then tells Style Queen that people are trying to escape into the events, so Style Queen turns into glitter and goes through, finding Luka (who's leading Mayhem carefully through the vents) and turning both of them to glitter, eliminating Luka Couffaine. This leaves three left: Kim, Alya, and Nino.

- Marinette calls the kwami using her phone, as there's a mini cell phone inside the Miracle Box. They all answer at once, which shocks Marinette as she throws the phone in shock, embarrassing her in front of Adrien asks who it is and Marinette makes a hurried excuse about talking to the fire department. She proceeds to act like she's really talking to said department, explaining the situation. Longg says that they're on their way and Marinette hurries to reject the idea, arguing that "helicopters (flying) are bad for the environment." She suggests "riding a horse" instead, and her voice is heard through the elevator and Style Queen picks it up, following after the voice. Optigami also possesses the elevator and spots Adrien and Marinette, with Marinette still repeating the horse comment, which finally makes the kwami realize that she means Kaalki. She's huffy about it, claiming that she's a noble steed - not a horse - and Marinette must mean Fluff. Sass agrees, as apparently horses and rabbits had a common ancestor. Fluff cheerfully talks about going to prehistory and Marinette shouts to deny it, grinning weakly at Adrien for how ridiculous she must sound. Adrien then notices the pair of eyes watching them and ushers Marinette away, shushing her. Marinette notices what Adrien does and ends the call.

- Style Queen opens the elevator doors and looks down at the elevator shaft to where Marinette and Adrien are. Marinette touches her miraculous anxiously and Adrien stares at his ring, internally debating with himself. They both turn at the same time, saying they have something to tell the other, but Nathalie notes that Optigami is only seeing Adrien together with Marinette, who isn't on their list. Shadow Moth discourages Style Queen from going after the elevator and Optigami leaves.

- Adrien sighs in relief, then asks Marinette what she wanted to tell him. Marinette insists it's nothing, asking what he wanted to say, and Adrien claims that he was just wondering what the eyes were. Marinette says she doesn't know, but that they should stay hiding and she'll text Alya to get help. Kim, meanwhile, has just gotten up the stairway, asking if he's won, and Style Queen happens to be right there, shooting him on the spot and eliminating him.

- Marinette sends Alya the kwamis' number and Alya calls it, hearing Trixx complaining on the other line about how Marinette should've let him come. At the same time, Alya gets a call from Nino that she has to reject, which worries Nino enough for him to try and slip up. Optigami happens to be in the extremely specific room and spot to see Nino, which Nathalie informs Shadow Moth of. Style Queen swoops by, turning Nino to glitter, and Shadow Moth gets an idea, making a SentiNino to lure out Alya.

- Alya is running down the stairs when she hears Nino calling her. At the same time, Kaalki pops in through a portal and encourages Alya to jump through. Alya runs in and the portal closes behind her, then she asks Kaalki about kwami using their powers without a holder and that leading to chaos. Kaalki insists that she never causes chaos - only contributes to the extraordinary - and the scene jumpcuts to the Eiffel Tower in the desert.

- Alya gets a text from Marinette, telling her to bring the bee miraculous. Alya taps in the code for the Miracle Box, then takes out the fox and bee. She transforms into Rena Rouge and makes an illusion of Ladybug to keep Style Queen busy, but hesitates as she looks back at the Miracle Box. She pulls out the turtle and Longg questions if Marinette asked her to do that, to which Alya insists that it's a precaution. Kaalki makes another portal and Rena runs through with both Kaalki and Ladybug, the scene jumpcutting to a gate-esque monument on the moon.

- Rena and Ladybug split up, but Rena stops when she hears Nino calling her. Optigami possesses the wall as Rena runs up to "Nino" (SentiNino) and shushes him. Nathalie informs Shadow Moth that Alya is already transformed and has a kwami with her, which shocks Shadow Moth (idk why Shadow Moth can't see that since it's his sentimonster but I've also given up on making sense of this episode at this point).

- Rena gives SentiNino the turtle miraculous. Shadow Moth, through SentiNino, asks why he's receiving it from Rena, and Rena explains that she's doing it for Ladybug while Ladybug defeats Shadow Moth. She tells SentiNino to transform and help her, then runs off. Nathalie mutters about how the only people who've given out miraculouses before were Ladybug and Chat Noir until now, and Shadow Moth deduces that Alya isn't an ordinary holder. Either way, he's not concerned about their plan, having SentiNino transform using the turtle. Optigami merges with the miraculous as well and SentiCarapace runs off.

- SentiCarapace enters the room where MirageLadybug is fighting Style Queen. Shadow Moth monologues (through SentiCarapace for some reason but no one can hear him anyway I guess) a bit about his victory and Ladybug having no idea what's about to happen, and then the scene cuts to Rena Rouge entering the elevator Adrien and Marinette are in via Kaalki.

- Rena Rouge explains that Ladybug sent her, then has Kaalki make another portal. Rena takes Adrien first, which allows Marinette to be alone. Tikki congratulates her on the idea and Marinette thanks her before transforming. Rena Rouge, meanwhile, drops Adrien off on a rooftop and tells him that she'll come back for him later. After she's gone, Adrien talks to Plagg about it being hard to get back into the building. Plagg suggests they go home and Adrien insists they can't yet. He transforms.

- Rena re-enters the elevator through another portal, promptly high-fiving Ladybug. Rena and Kaalki boast about the great job they've done, and Ladybug nervously asks how many times Kaalki's used her power. Kaalki admits she's used it a couple of times and Ladybug laments all the catastrophes that must've happened. The scene jumpcuts to a trail sinking into the ocean and a skyscraper sinking into a volcano, plus many more objects on the moon.

- Ladybug says that they can't waste more time. She puts on the bee and unifies, then the scene jumpcuts to the two suddenly in the room where Style Queen is fighting MirageLadybug. LadyBee congratulates Rena on her good job, then notices SentiCarapace on the other side of the room. She looks confused and Rena sheepishly suggests that they can never have enough help. LadyBee squints at her, but admits that she was right and Carapace will be very helpful. Rena slumps in relief.

- LadyBee spawns Lucky Charm and gets a compact mirror (same lucky charm as in "Pixelator," for reference). However, she doesn't notice anything inherently useful, and notes that she can defeat Style Queen without her lucky charm. She shrugs it off, since it doesn't matter how they defeat Style Queen, and just tells Rena to end her illusion. Rena has MirageLadybug hide behind a table, which Style Queen shoots and groans as she realize that Ladybug isn’t there.

- LadyBee goes up behind SentiCarapace, surprising him as she tells him that she needs him to protect her. Shadow Moth has SentiCarapace agree, then monologues to himself and "talks to LadyBee" (not really, he's just being a weirdo) about how he won't tell Style Queen anything and how nothing will stop him from winning.

- LadyBee goes in to attack Style Queen with Venom, ducking under tables and doing various maneuvers before jumping up in the air. Style Queen fires, but SentiCarapace protects her with Shellter long enough for LadyBee to fall within range. SentiCarapace drops Shellter just in time for LadyBee to stab Style Queen. She divides Pollen away, then breaks the objects and purifies the akuma. Style Queen de-akumatizes and Audrey looks at Ladybug, confused. Chat Noir is outside, about to Cataclysm the building, when the glitter effect vanished. Puzzled, Chat Noir awkwardly opens the door and runs inside.

- Audrey echoes Chloe's "ridiculous, utterly ridiculous" line as she walks off, and Ladybug sneaks the magical charm onto Audrey's hat. Chat Noir arrives at the scene and sees Ladybug, Rena, and Carapace, asking how they got in. Kaalki greets him and Ladybug apologizes, saying that she would've gotten him had she known his identity. He's not bothered and takes the opportunity to flirt. She banters back, then has to leave to get Rena's and Carapace's miraculouses. She tells Chat Noir to wait there, which he does.

- The three go to the roof and Rena comments on how easy it was to defeat Style Queen. Shadow Moth, through SentiCarapace, says that it's because she has good partners. They fist-bump, at which point Carapace and Rena de-transform. The two return their miraculouses and Ladybug notes that she didn't have to use her Lucky Charm, still finding it weird as she usually manages to defeat the villain with it. Shadow Moth, meanwhile, is ready for his place to go down.

- Ladybug presumes that she just needs the lucky charm to fix everything, then turns around while staring at the open compact mirror. Through the mirror, she sees Alya offer SentiNino a high-five, which he looks put off by before giving her a regular high-five in return (no, Alya doesn't react to this). Ladybug remembers their secret high-five from earlier, then turns and suddenly says that they have to be even more careful from now on. She reminds them that Shadow Moth knows the identity of some of the holders and is obviously using that information. She asks if that's right, getting in SentiNino's face and calling him Shadow Moth. She apologizes to Alya and explains that the Nino in front of them is a sentimonster. Nathalie insists that it's impossible for Ladybug to know and Shadow Moth wonders how she found out.

- Alya staggers back and collapses to her knees in shock, and Ladybug hurries off the room to yoyo herself into the room where Chat Noir is, where he's found eating a cookie. Ladybug tells him to detroy the object in her hand, but Chat notes that it's a miraculous. She tells him to trust her and Chat destroys it (since he never used his still-ready Cataclysm from earlier), which Optigami is forced out of. Nathalie gets a strong headache from this and Shadow Moth punches a restroom door in anger, monologuing about how he'll win one day and that SentiNino isn't needed anymore. He snaps his fingers and both SentiNino and Optigami disappear.

- Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug then, which fixes everything including the miraculous (weirdly, they only show Max and Kagami being restored; screw Luka and Kim I guess??). Nino also shows up on the roof to see Alya (no, I don't know how he knew she was there) to hug her, and Alya smiles before hugging back.

- Chat Noir and Ladybug hop a large distance away and Chat asks her how she knew there was a sentimonster in the miraculous. Ladybug thanks her lucky charm for it and says that it always shows her the right way (*shudders at "Chat Blanc" flashbacks*) even though she was briefly led astray. Chat Noir just hums in serious thought.

- Later, in Marinette's room, Alya laments that Shadow Moth almost demasked Ladybug because of her. She also admits that she shouldn't have taken Nino's miraculous. Marinette says that she's right - she did make a mistake - which is why she has to make a difficult decision. She tells Alya that the most important thing is to learn from one's mistakes, and thus she herself learned that she needs an ally to replace her if something ever happens. She takes Alya's hand, then puts the fox miraculous inside, closing Alya's fingers over it as she tells Alya to keep the miraculous with her at all times. Marinette adds that she'll also tell Alya everything she knows, and the two hug as Trixx brags to the other kwami that he's always right even when he's not.

- The episode seems to end at first, but then there’s a post-endcard scene where Gabriel sits on Nathalie’s bed and admits that they don’t know their enemies as well as they think. He notes that Alya seems to have a special position now that Ladybug is guardian, and talks about getting to know her better. The episode ends there.

[tteokggukk]

welcome to my youtube channel → kth

✳ pairing: idol!taehyung x youtuber!reader

✳ genre: fluff, taehyung scenario, stranger to lovers, reader is an artist who posts art videos on youtube

✳ warnings: none!

✳ words: 2.9k

✳ a/n: hello, this is my second bts oneshot/scenario. i just like to write for fun but if you’d like to let me know if there’s anything i can improve on please do so! i’d love to know how to improve. anyways, i hope you enjoy!

"Hey guys, welcome to my YouTube Channel."

You spoke in front of the camera. Sets of acrylic paint were spread out across the table next to a stand that held an 18x24 inch canvas. You were in the middle of making your seventeenth video, a highly requested one at that, and deep down you were ecstatic to start working on the painting.

Never in your life did you think you would ever start a YouTube account. You always considered yourself a very shy and private person, not one to go out of their way and broadcast themselves all over the internet. Your best friends, however, were two very well-known YouTubers and always found a way to include you in their videos and live streams. Somehow people liked seeing more of you, and so you were convinced by your best friends and the audience to start your own YouTube channel.

But you weren't very accustomed to bringing a camera everywhere with you to document and share whatever was happening in your daily life, you found it too awkward and you were still camera-shy, so you decided to create content in a way that would still keep you comfortable while doing something you loved.

An art channel.

Your channel blew up pretty fast. Requests started pouring in here and there. You became known for your very calm demeanor and artistic skills, so you took this as an opportunity to sell your works online as a way to earn some extra money for your future. Occasionally, you'd do lives to talk to your fans and you were happy at the support they showed you, which only encouraged you to keep making videos.

"This was a highly requested video, and I honestly can't wait to get started," you told the camera, mentally telling yourself to insert the comments and messages you got in your DMs to paint this Adonis-like human being. The requests started coming in after you had an Instagram live where you did some quick sketches while playing some of your favorite songs in the back, and people noticed one of the songs you played was by him.

"You guys also asked if I could sell this painting, but because of the "high demand"," you spoke, adding air quotes, "I'd like to keep it up for auction so the proceeds could go to different fundraisers."

You started mixing different colors in your palette and showed everyone the picture for your reference.

"So, without further ado, today I will be painting Kim Taehyung."

"Hey guys, welcome to my YouTube Channel."

Taehyung watched as you spoke in the video, looking behind you to see a bunch of art materials. The title of the video was left ambiguously, only being named most requested video, leaving him no clue on what it was you were going to create this time.

He's been watching your videos for quite some time now, ever since your channel started rising. Art was one of his major interests and he absolutely adored the way you made your videos with the calming, ASMR-like sound of mixing paint and how you skillfully glided the brush across the canvas. On days when he found himself tired and in need of a quick way to relax, he'd subconsciously find himself binge watching videos on your channel— even repeating several videos since you were only starting. He found it fascinating, but also because he found you interesting.

Because of your channel, he even created an anonymous YouTube account just to leave nice comments on your videos along with a private Instagram account to be able to watch your lives.

Needless to say, he didn't miss that one live where you played the song Winter Bear. It made his whole night, making him sleep with a smile on his face.

"This was a highly requested video, and I honestly can't wait to get started." 

He watched as a bunch of comments started appearing onscreen popping up one by one as they gradually got faster, eventually covering you. It took a moment before it sunk in that he was the highly requested person they wanted you to paint. He paused the video, wide-eyed, before shouting in excitement. Jimin had to come in and check what the whole commotion was about.

"Y/n's going to paint me!" Taehyung exclaimed, his mouth turning into his famous boxy smile. 

"Ah, the YouTuber you really like?" Jimin smiles before sitting down next to Taehyung who continued playing the video, "I wanna see."

"You guys also asked if I could sell this painting, but because of the "high demand", I'd like to keep it up for auction so the proceeds could go to different fundraisers."

"Wow, she seems really kind," Jimin says, while Taehyung only nods, his eyes glued to the screen.

"So, without further ado, today I will be painting Kim Taehyung."

He felt his heart beat fast when you mentioned his name, and without realizing it his ears have gone all red. 

On screen, you began sketching, "You guys have also been sending me a lot of questions lately, which is why I decided to tweet about doing a q&a."

"What questions did you ask?" Jimin asked Taehyung.

"I asked her if being an artist is something she'd like to pursue," Taehyung told him.

"Ooooh, trying to get to know her," Jimin teases, "Our little Taehyungie has a celebrity crush."

Taehyung rolls his eyes but breaks out into a grin anyway, "I just respect her artistry."

"Right, okay," Jimin snickers, obviously not buying it.

Taehyung knew he was telling the truth, though. It was impossible to have feelings for someone who you only knew through a screen. He found you attractive for sure, but he of all people would know that almost no one is completely one-hundred percent themselves on screen. Genuine as you may be, there are still things that are best kept to yourself. He couldn’t lie though, if given the chance to get to know you, he’d never pass up on that offer.

"Someone asked why I don't use that much ready-made paint," You spoke on screen, "It's ‘cause I learn a lot from mixing my own colors, and also I just really enjoy it."

The painting was beginning to come together halfway through the video and Taehyung's question finally made its way to you. "Kimyeontan95 asks, ‘is painting a career you want to pursue? I love your work, by the way’."

"That was basically I love you," Jimin holds back a laugh, earning him a light punch in the arm from Taehyung.

"Thank you so much, kimyeontan95, and no, painting is just a hobby of mine and a way to earn some future savings. I actually really want to be a novelist."

Taehyung smiled after hearing you answer his question. Later on, the video was over and his portrait was complete. He hurriedly redirected himself to the link that was provided for the auction.

Something in him wanted to have that painting no matter what, so he set himself as the highest bidder and eventually had it mailed to his home where he put your work up in his room to cherish.

A day after your video was posted, you woke up to a thousand notifications from your phone. Hundreds of people were mentioning you in tweets and you had numerous missed calls from your best friends and some texts telling you to check your online art shop. You groggily scroll through your feed, a bit confused as to what was happening.

I wanted to buy this painting and I had it in my list, but now it's unavailable!

Y'ALL WHAT RICH KID SET THE HIGHEST BID TO A MILLION DOLLARS IM CRYING

@yourtwittername are you planning to sell a new collection?

a million dollar bid wtf swownwowksodiowl

Someone just bought all of @yourtwitterusername's paintings. I'm crying in broke eye—

but like what if taehyung set that bid? @yourtwitterusername

What?

I just woke up and my mentions are pouring. What is going on? You tweeted.

Thousands of replies began coming in leaving you feeling overwhelmed and confused on where to start. Everyone was telling you to check your site, and so you did. You felt your heart almost stop beating when you saw that every single artwork you had up for sale were sold out. Nothing was left behind. You checked your emails, and the confirmations were there.

How could this have happened overnight?

ALL MY WORKS ARE SOLD OUT?!?!?!?? WHO COULDVE DONET THIS??? You tweeted, hands shaking.

You felt your heart race, a wide grin that could go even wider if possible was plastered on your face. You tried to stop yourself from screaming in excitement but couldn't so you ended up jumping up and down and doing happy dances before calming down to assess the situation. Finally, you sat down in front of your laptop to see where all your works were being shipped to.

Replies started coming in.

CONGRATS YOU FIGURED IT OUT

WILL U RESTOCK

AHSKWJOA CONGRATS BB

I'M SO HAPPY FOR U

BUT Y/N WHO BOUGHT THEM ALL

Checking your emails, you discover that your art works were all bought by one person. Anonymous. There was no name and someone requested to have their personal information redacted. 

Anonymous? Surely this wasn't a joke?

The person kept their name anonymous. You tweeted and muted the notifications just to allow yourself to focus on finding out who it was that bought everything.

At the bottom of all the removed personal information, there was one username that you were sure you've heard or seen somewhere.

@ Kimyeontan95. 

Underneath the username was a short but sincere message.

"Your videos have always helped me wind down after a long, busy day. I can't express how much you inspire me with your talent and how I wish someday you'd teach me to be half as good as you, as I'm not very gifted in the painting department. I admire how you put your gifts into good things, and I very much idolize you in one way or another. This is just a small way of showing my support for you, but also because all your works are amazing and I'd love to have a small room filled with my favorite art works. I look forward to reading works of yours soon, future novelist.”

Feeling the heat creeping up on your cheeks, you smiled to yourself. The letter was definitely heartfelt and you wanted so badly to thank the person who sent it.

Later that afternoon, you decided to go on live to personally thank the anonymous buyer for buying your works and for sending that wonderful note. You fixed yourself up a little bit and pressed live as thousands of your followers began to tune in.

"Hello, everyone," you greeted, smiling. Replies with greetings started coming in and you couldn't help but chuckle at the eager messages your followers were sending. They truly made you happy.

As expected, several questions began pouring in.

"Right, so, I wanted to do this live because of what happened. As you may have noticed, all my works were suddenly sold out which definitely took me by surprise," you started, "Unfortunately the buyer left everything anonymous. They only left what I assume is a username and a short letter, which I will keep to myself for personal reasons."

@follower1WHAT

@follower2 will you keep selling your works?

@follower3 THATS SUCH A SWEET GESTURE THO OMG/

@follower4 am I the only one who thinks a secret admirer bought it

@follower5 check my YouTube channel I made a theory on who bought her works

@follower6 i rlly think it's taehyung

@follower7 I’'m so proud of you :(((

"If the person who bought all of my paintings is watching this, I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate the letter as well, you've honestly made me the happiest person on Earth," you smiled.

@follower8 AWWWWW

@follower9 ANON COME OUT

@follower10 i really wanna know what the letter says

@ Kimyeontan95 I'm glad :)

Your heart stopped at one of the replies. You took your phone immediately from its fixed position with wide eyes and began scrolling up fast because of the immediate replies coming in. Wasn't that the username?

@follower11 what's going on?

@follower12 y/n are you okay?

You could no longer find the reply so you set your phone down, fixing it back in place.

"For a second I thought the person who bought it was watching my live," you sighed and smiled nervously, "So anyways— I'd really love to express my gratitude so if they're watching, please contact me. I can't say thank you en—"

Suddenly the replies were frantic. People were sending keyboard smashes here and there. Only a few of them were actual coherent comments. "What is going on?" You asked as you began scrolling through.

@follower13 Y/N CHECK VLIVE

@follower14 TaEHYUNF IS ON LIVE

@follower15 I kNEW IT THOUGH???

@follower16 Y/N CHECK TAEHYUNGS LIVE

@follower5 Y'ALL I WAS RIGHT I SAID CHECK MY YT

Keeping your live on, you grabbed your laptop as fast as you could to check out the links being sent to your live. When it finally loaded, you could've sworn you'd have a heart attack. 

"Oh, I think she's watching me," Taehyung grinned through his live, holding his phone in front of the camera. He quickly shows the viewers his phone screen, which showed your live of you watching him through your laptop. Your eyes widened and you looked back at your phone camera that was broadcasting your live, then back at his live.

Taehyung started giggling, "I guess we're just watching each other, huh?" He smiled. Behind him were packed and unpacked parcels of paintings you recognized were yours. If it was even possible, your eyes grew even wider at this, "Oh my god," you breathed out.

"I should probably introduce myself," Taehyung spoke, "Hello everyone, I'm Kim Taehyung. How are you all doing? Today I’m planning on redecorating my room after our practice. What are the packages behind me? Oh, these are paintings I recently bought."

"Are those my paintings?" You asked out loud, though you knew the answer. 

"Are those my paintings?" Your voice echoed from Taehyung's broadcast as your live was streaming from his phone. He grinned sheepishly, "Yes, these are your works, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," You smiled, "You were the buyer?" 

You mentally slapped yourself for asking such obvious questions, but you just couldn't believe everything that was happening now.

"Yes," he chuckles, "I really love your paintings." Suddenly the sound of Jimin’s voice echoed from behind and Taehyung quickly stood up to lock the door, knowing he’d get the teasing of a lifetime if Jimin came and saw him talking to you.

"Thank you so much, I—" Your voice began to crack and your eyes welled with tears that you tried to fight back, "I really appreciate it. And the letter, that was really sweet."

"No, thank you. Wait, don't cry—" Taehyung spoke nervously.

"I'm just so happy," You laughed while wiping the tears off.

The replies from both ends were coming in like crazy. On one hand, majority of everyone watching found the whole scenario cute and started pairing you two out of nowhere, though there were a few haters on the other. It didn't really bother you, you were just so happy someone you idolized noticed your work.

"I'm glad," he was watching you with a fond smile through his phone, then the sound of the Jin’s voice began coming from outside Taehyung’s room, "Sorry for this sudden grand reveal. I really can't stay on live for too long but I'd love to keep talking to you." He spoke.

"Oh no, that's okay," You spoke fast.

"Do you mind if I send you a message? Assuming you already know the username," he asks.

"No not at all, I'd love to keep talking as well," your heart was beating erratically now. You didn't have to see your face to know how red it was becoming.

"Alright, great. Um, before I end this vlive I just wanna say you're a great artist and to all my viewers watching this, please support y/n's artworks and her channel! If I see any negative comments, I'll be taking responsibility and I'll unfortunately have my agency involved in taking those out," he spoke in a commercial tone kind of voice, "And to y/n, I'll be keeping in touch.” The door from behind him suddenly bursts open and Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook rush inside.

“You were talking to her!” Jimin shouts excitedly.

“Finally!” Jungkook claps.

“Is that why you kept the door locked?” Jin teases.

“Bye, everyone!" Taehyung quickly waves goodbye to the camera and smiles before turning the broadcast off. 

You sat there stunned, almost forgetting you were also on live. You turned to your phone which was still recording you, "That was unexpected."

Suddenly, a notification in your DMs popped up. "I'll go ahead and process everything that just happened now, bye guys! See you in my next video." You ended the live with a wave and smile.

You quickly went into your direct messages and found the same username, Kimyeontan95. You opened it and found a picture of Taehyung holding one of your paintings with a peace sign on his other hand, the other members behind him posing with your other works, making you laugh.

Your heart fluttered at the message below the picture.

I hope this isn't too sudden, but would you like to go out with me sometime?

a/n: hello! if you finished it, thank you so much for reading! i hope you liked it hehe. i think i’m gonna keep posting the stuff i write bc i have so many ideas for the other members as well. also this is fun hehe. if you wanna read my other work, let’s fall in love for the night, ← here’s a link! thanks again for reading and please look forward to my future writing/edits.

[szeherezadaa]

Bakugou HC

We know canonically Bakugou is a good pickpocket (chapter 219). Bakusquad learns about it (and some more) gradually.

(It turned out to be long af and drabble-ish, but it’s basically fluffy Bakusquad shenanigans with Bakugou being talented in yet another field.)

It starts with Kaminari who wants to mess with Bakugou a little. They’re studying in Bakugou’s room, but Kaminari is exhausted and wants a break, so he steals the pen Bakugou marks their mistakes with that is currently laying on the table — alone and unprotected, easy prey. Bakugou is distracted at the moment, he’s explaining something to Sero once again. Kaminari hides the pen in the pocket of his hoodie and shoots a smile at Ashido who’s also low-key dying and has asked for break at least three times already.

“Okay, Sparky, your turn,” Bakugou says and Kaminari slides him his worksheet on the table, and then finally looks at him with an innocent face-

-and sees Bakugou marking all of Kaminari’s errors with the exact same pen he did it all this time. Kaminari checks his pockets frantically, but they’re empty.

“Something’s wrong, Sparky?” Bakugou asks in a daring tone not even sparing him a glance. Kaminari just shakes his head, blurting out one nervous “no!”. It’s too nervous to pretend nothing happened, but Sero is too engrossed in correcting his mistakes and Kirishima looks like he’s fully focused on the textbook but while his body is here, his mind is probably fifty thousand miles away, so only Ashido actually notices.

She’s the next one to try to stea- to borrow something without asking from Blasty. She wants to see if it were Kaminari who messed up or if it’s the case of Bakugou being insanely good at something once again. Honestly, is there anything this guy can’t do? So, she decides to kill two birds with one stone. She has an agenda of stealing clothes from her boys to wear them, but she didn’t try to take Bakugou’s clothes yet. It’s a good opportunity to do so.

She sneaks into his room one day, right after school when barely anyone is back in the dorms yet; the excuse of organizing a movie night later at the tip of her tongue if for some reason Bakugou is already in his room. She’s lucky though, because when she enters his room, it’s empty. She opens his closet, pulls out a black hoodie with some band logo on it — it’s the softest one he has, she knows — and she’s about to put it on and leave, when the doors to Bakugou’s room open and Bakugou himself enters. She hides the hoodie behind her back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Bakugou demands, opening the closet and pulling something out of it. Ashido laughs nervously and avoids looking him in the eye. In this brief second she did, she felt like his piercing gaze reached her soul. She starts to babble — how she was looking for him and about the movie night, it would be great if he joined them — while he goes to the bathroom to change from his school uniform. When he opens the bathroom doors, he’s wearing black hoodie with some band logo on it, the softest Bakugou owns.

Wait.

“Wha-” Ashido checks her hands and sees a dark red jacket she’s not sure she’s ever seen before.

“I’m not gonna be an easy target like Shitty Hair or Tape Face. If you want to have my hoodie, you have to put some fucking effort into it. Now get the fuck out of my room.”

Ashido leaves.

Kirishima and Sero know because Ashido barged into Kaminari’s room, when they were playing video games together. She tells them everything. Kirishima isn’t exactly surprised, his bro is amazing after all.

Kaminari decides they should test it. See if there is something they can steal from Bakugou and have him not notice it. Ashido agrees eagerly. Sero shrugs, says he will help if he can, but mostly will be there as a witness. And a reporter, kind of, with his phone always ready to snap a photo or record a video. Kirishima isn’t sure if it’s a good idea — mostly because stealing isn’t manly — but the rest convince him, arguing that they don’t actually want to steal anything from Bakugou, just tease him, mess with him a little- The point is they don’t have any malicious intent, just want to have some harmless fun and judging from Bakugou’s reaction when Ashido tried to steal his hoodie, he knows it and already treats it as a challenge. So yeah, Kirishima agrees in the end, sue him.

The problem is, Bakugou is insanely good at it. He notices every time and it’s almost scary — whenever one of them have their hands on something belonging to Bakugou and are ready to present it to the rest of the squad, it turns out he already pickpocketed it back. He’s quick, and subtle, and efficient, and although two of these things are normal for him, Bakugou being subtle is somewhat surreal. They don’t really give up, but they stop focusing on it. They try to gain the element of surprise back, so they have to stop for a while. Lull Bakugou into a false sense of security.

They are kinda taken aback though, when Bakugou uses his skills out of his own initiative instead of as a mean to get his stuff back.

They’re sitting in cafeteria during lunch break, and Kirishima gets a text that makes his face as red as his hair in a matter of a second. It doesn’t go unnoticed by his friends.

“Who are you texting? You’ve got a crush on someone? Did they agree to a date?” Ashido floods him with questions, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Kaminari and Sero join the teasing, so Kirishima blurts out hurriedly:

“No! My mom was cleaning our attic and found a photo album from my childhood. She just sent me an embarrassing photo.” He hopes it will calm them down. He forgets one thing.

“Show me!”

“C’mon dude!”

His friends are a pain in the ass, all of them.

“No way!” he screams and tries to keep his phone out of his friends’ reach. He picks up his bag, hides his phone inside, zips the bag and holds it close, as if it was his most precious possession. It kind of is in this particular moment.

“Please, bro. I swear I won’t laugh.”

Kirishima knows it’s a lie. He refuses, stares down at Ashido and Kaminari and Sero (the traitor. Kirishima didn’t expect anything else from Ashido and Kaminari, but Sero? He trusted him) and refuses to give in to their puppy eyes. It’s tough, he’s gotta admit it. And then…. And then he hears Bakugou’s voice.

“I thought it would be something more scandalous given your reaction, Shitty Hair.”

No. He didn’t.

Except he absolutely did.

Kirishima glances, panicked, at Bakugou holding Kirishima’s phone in his hand.

“It’s not that bad, don’t be a pussy.” Bakugou rolls his eyes and puts Kirishima’s phone on the table - closest to Kirishima but not out of Kaminari’s reach. Kirishima sees this little smirk on Bakugou’s face that Bakugou always wears when they manage to convince him to some shenanigans he won’t admit out loud he enjoyed. Kirishima knows Bakugou will use his skills more often, now.

They created a monster.

Luckily Bakugou doesn’t really use his powers for evil. Well, he doesn’t use it for evil on Sero, just on Kaminari, Ashido and sometimes Kirishima, and for Sero it’s enough actually. The number of times it happened doesn’t mean they know everything about his skills though, Sero discovers one day. It should be obvious in hindsight, but Bakugou has this weird talent where whatever he does, whatever new thing you get to know about him, you’re both surprised and not at all, at the same time.

They’re doing groceries together, and they’re getting back to the dorms already, when a villain attack happens. The villain in question isn’t really strong, luckily, but has some weird teleporting quirk that moves random people to random places. They help the hero who arrived at the scene and once the villain is arrested, the hero asks them to stay here a bit longer and help people who weren’t hit with the teleporting quirk find their friends and family. More specifically help some kids, who can’t find their parents now. More specifically Sero and Bakugou are supposed to babysit the kids until the hero and his sidekicks find the missing parents.

Sero sees Bakugou frown but he doesn’t argue. Sero knows kids aren’t exactly Bakugou’s forte, especially not crying kids, so he tries his best to calm them down quickly. It’s not that easy. Sero sees Bakugou’s hand sparkle with mini-explosions. It doesn’t really calm the kids down either.

Finally, Bakugou snaps and points at a little girl with a witch hat on her head and a dark blue cape with yellow stars on it on her shoulders.

“Will you shut up if I show you a magic trick?”

The girl doesn’t look even a little bit calmer, but she hesitantly nods her head nonetheless, her lips still trembling and tears still streaming down her cheeks. Bakugou’s roar, although scaring some kids more (or, like, again; Sero actually made them stop crying and it’s all for nothing now, thanks Bakugou), brings all the kids’ attention to Bakugou. He kneels on the ground and shows his little audience that his hands are empty, then proceeds to pull a coin out off the witch girl’s ear. He shows the coin to all the kids, rotates it holding it with his index finger and his thumb, then closes his palm into a fist. When he opens his palm once again, there are two coins — between his index and middle finger, and between his middle and ring finger. He closes his palm into a fist one more time, and when he opens it, it’s empty again. The kids gasp.

“Your other hand!” one kid exclaims.

“Clever little shit,” Bakugou grins, “You thought you’re so smart, huh? Well, not this time.” He shows the other hand too; both are equally empty.

“Once more!” one kid demands.

“Once more!” the Clever Little Shit agrees.

“Once more! Once more!” the witch girl starts to chant. Other kids join her.

“Fine,” Bakugou says, then pulls out the coin again. He moves it on his fingers, throws it in the air, then catches it in his fist. Once he opens his palm, there are three coins, all between his fingers, minus his thumb. He closes his fist again and once he opens it, it’s empty once more. He looks at all the kids, then at Sero.

“Yo, Tape Face, check your pocket.”

There’s no way, is there?

Sero swears if there are coins in his pocket, he’ll start Bakugou’s fanclub. He’ll build him a shrine, because apparently Bakugou’s not entirely human.

His pockets are empty. Kids moan with disappointment (and to be honest Sero doesn’t know himself if he’s more disappointed or relieved he doesn’t have to build the shrine after all), but Bakugou’s not deterred.

“Well, then maybe you check under your hat, brat,” he addresses the witch girl. She looks at him with doubt but also with hope and takes her hat off.

A dozen of coins fall to the ground. Kids scream — excited, full of awe. Bakugou gathers all the coins from the ground, closes them in both of his cupped hands and shakes them.

“Blow,” he says to the Clever Little Shit. Clever Little Shit does as he’s told and Bakugou opens his palms. There are candies in his palms, the ones that Hagakure likes and of which they got three packages earlier, because she asked. Kids squeal, gather around Bakugou, each takes one candy and there is just excited chatter, no wails for lost parents anymore. Bakugou shows one more magic trick before the hero and his sidekicks appear with the kids’ parents.

The police takes Sero and Bakugou to leave their testimonies, and they’re finally free to go.

“So. Magic tricks,” Sero starts, once they’re on their way to dorms again.

“Shut up.”

“No, dude, wait! It was so cool! You should do it more often.”

Bakugou only grunts something that sounds like “fuck off, I’ll do what I want”. Sero knows Bakugou’s just abashed, because there wasn’t any of his usual bite. He smiles.

He has to tell the rest of the Bakusquad all about it.

Their class gets to know how skilled Bakugou is when one evening they’re all sitting in the common room and Bakugou wants to go to sleep but his friends want him to stay for a movie night. Or, at least one movie. They all deserve a break after a long week full of surprise quizzes! The rest of the class tries to respectfully convince him too, some tell him to “live a little” but before Iida, as the responsible class prez he is, manages to tell everyone that they should respect Bakugou’s opinion instead of flooding him with silly reasonings, Bakugou pulls out a sheet of paper, writes “all the fucks I give” on it, shows it to the whole class (they’re all quiet now, curious what he’ll do, although half sure he will just explode it), then proceeds to make it disappear in a true illusionist fashion.

Some of their classmates lose their shit, some stare in awe, some in shock. Midoriya smiles this soft smile of his, with stars sparkling in his eyes.