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studiojeon · 3 years ago

Text

troubled outsiders | intro - jjk

| summary | - how you two end up pining for each other.

warnings: none :)

content: idol!jungkook x student!oc, friends to lovers (because it’s THE superior trope okurrrt), jungkook is quiet and shy but a social butterfly when needed (and when it comes to oc but you’re not supposed to know that yet), oc is both a badass and a socially akward queen, she has TWO friends and only because one is dating the other (like... same), the Lee Charyeong is her bestie, oc works at bighit and feels like everyone either fears her or hates her, author nim is a crackhead and has no plot planned for this series whatsoever (doesn’t know if she’ll keep this up, we’ll see).

words: 1.93 k

His presence was overwhelming, to say the least. Even if he were surrounded by six hundred other equally handsome men, somehow, to you (and the majority of the female population, at that point) he was as captivating and magnetic as they come. Jeon Jungkook didn't pay no mind to no one, but sure as hell everyone became hyper aware of his existence and essence in time. And that didn’t exclude you.

Yet, as nonchalant and indifferent as the man could be perceived, in reality he was more considerate and friendly than the aura he exuded. You knew this because working in the same company had to teach a thing or two about the people who literally carried said company and the whole industry at some point, still you barely knew four or three people, including your assistant and Jungkook, whom you had met once.

The opportunity of working at the company had come to you out of the blue, quite literally, you were attempting to send one of your assignments in when an email appeared in your notifications during your sailor moon study break.

HYBE Entertainment

We’re glad to inform you that you’re being recruited for the position of Logistics Manager in one of our sub companies, BIGHIT Entertainment. We’ve thoroughly looked through the CV you’ve submitted and are very interested in your capabilities and what you can contribute to our organization. One of our other managers will gladly meet you on a day you can both agree on. Make sure to answer this email to get more details about your interview.

“Nani!? THE FUCK?” sure as hell that your eyes and cognitive functions were deceiving you (ADHD) you went over the text a little over three times in a row before the message settled in your mind. This was sus.

Before even considering a reply you made a quick call. “Fucking Lee Chaeryeong” you spat on your end of the line. “You did this, didn’t you?”.

Her silence was more than enough to have you cursing her under your breath. “I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about but it most likely was me. Does it have to do with a sex toy in particular?”

“No” you denied almost monotonously, guessing the pile of boxes in the corner of your room with her names on them was what she referred to. “Does anything come to mind if i mention BIGHIT FUCKING ENTERTAINMENT?”

It was her. All those conversations during the summer about how badly you wanted to work in the entertainment business as marketing staff of some sort had their effect on your friend, who, despite all your excuses and denials, knew you better than you and your mom combined did, and because of this, was sure as hell you were not making a move towards that goal whatsoever. So, being the boss bitch she was, she took matters into her own hands, was what she explained.

You concluded that was the reason you had reached a point in your life where you had more experience than most recently graduated kids in your field, because Chaeryeong had you moving every summer break. You had been the manager of a coffee franchise and convenience store during you junior and senior years, and also figured a way to improve the marketing management strategy of a fucking restaurant while at it. Not to toot your own horn, but you were kind of cool.

Or not. “I hope this job satisfies your workaholic ass for once, I’m running out of ideas”. Chaeryeong spat before hanging up.

Sure as hell it would.

On friday afternoon, you made your way to the HYBE INSIGHT building and introduced yourself to your recruiters who promised to give you a call at some point. “It went fine” you told Chaeryeong once you were in your car. And it was the truth, however you weren’t so sure if they would actually hire you at some point since well, you were a girl in a male dominated industry and, in your opinion, there were always better people than you. “Wanna go grab coffee?”

“I want to. But, I have practice today. I’m actually on my way there. Please avoid driving through Hongdae today, this shit’s packed.” You sighed and thanked her for the heads up. You missed your friend, badly. You hadn’t seen each other in three weeks, and you didn’t even live so far away from each other (you did, but it had been worse before). You two had very agitated lives to say the least. Chaeryeong was a kpop group member, and well, you were jumping from job to job and getting your phD in Business Management at the same time. It was hard to find moments to spare together during some periods of the year, but you guess the anticipation made your encounters better.

“Talk about anticipation” you slammed your forehead against your desk, taking a breather after such an anxiety packed situation. Short story: you got the job (for some fucking reason). And you had gone through a whole week of expectancy and anguish. Not getting that job would have broken your heart, and ego at the same time.

You guessed the law of attraction tactics Chaeryeong had taught you had sorted their effect and were what led you to your current position in life.

“Miss _____, your presentation’s ready” your work assistant gave you a comforting pat in the back as she took a seat somewhere next to you. You were nervous, shitless. It was your fifth week at the job, and being the proactive woman you were, you had collected lots of data in order to come up with a resources management plan.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and more than a hundred people sat in front of you, waiting for your speech. Including him, who you’d once bumped into accidentally during one of your data recollections runs inside the building.

You hated having the need to impress others yet, hence your anxious behaviour. But this was a decisive moment in regards to your validation in your new job and how you’d continue to be perceived during your work stance (no reason to panic at all)… you needed to get it together.

“I think I just pissed off a bunch of old men right now,” you told your assistant right after you got off stage. “I need a bathroom break”. Linh gave you a reassuring smile, one she always had plastered on her face.

“Take as long as you need to. I’ll give you a call once the rest are done”.

The commute to the bathroom was unnecessarily complicated in your opinion. You had spent a little over a month rushing through the hallways of the building and you swore every single day your spatial orientation got a bit more fucked up. There was no way there wasn’t a single bathroom on the floor you were in, that would just be atrocious. “It’s not completed yet” someone said beside you as you stared at the half empty map the company had projected on a wall next to the elevators. “Where do you need to go?”

Kim Taehyung of all people in the world was talking to your ugly and unworthy ass. Your breath caught in your throat and after staring for at least five seconds your body finally reacted to your orders. “Oh, um… the bathroom. I’ve been looking for it for a good ten minutes” you explained with a nervous laugh.

“Trust me, I get it. I still get lost over here” he smiled gently. “It’s in the hallway in the middle of the next hallway”

You laughed at his very ambiguous explanation. “Thank you” you bowed your head and made your way to said destination.

It was in the hallway to your left, not your right, and it took you a while to figure out that new piece of information. Once you were staring at yourself in the mirror, you realized that you looked considerably tired and exhausted from all the social interaction you had undergone throughout the day. You were used to the side stares and whispering you’d get whenever you entered a room at that point, but some days you just wished you could get a break from them. After all, it wasn’t your fault you didn’t look Korean at all, and that you also didn’t fit the stereotype of a foreigner.

You got that from your mom, both the non Korean features and social fatigue. But that wasn’t even the problem most of the time, it was your friendly and smart nature which she had also passed onto you. Some would consider it a blessing, but to you it was a burden, like a clear glass that shielded you from introducing yourself into other people’s realities. You had few friends and people to trust, but in your everyday life you had to deal with the pressure of standing out too much and that came with a lot of negative energy from others. You sigh as you spray your favorite fragrance on yourself. You could be feeling like shit, but no one will ever catch you slipping.

But that excluded him apparently. You hadn’t noticed that on the other side of the hallway was the men’s bathroom and the realization hit you as you were calmly getting some tea from the vending machine. “Good afternoon” the man greeted you as he made his way out the hallway, but stopped in his tracks right after he noticed you. “_____! Hi” he smiled at you and you wanted to die, suddenly forgetting what you were ordering in the first place.

“H-hi Jungkook” You smiled back, poorly attempting to put your wallet back into your backpack.

“Need help there?” he noticed your agitated state and held your bag for you. He smelled just as heavenly as you had expected, somewhat between big dick energy and flowers. Oh, and he also remained as kind and polite as you remembered him.

Seeming as if he wasn’t planning on continuing his path to wherever he was heading to in the first place, he stood quietly by your side, waiting for you to be done with your deal. “How have you been?” you break the ice for him.

Quickly, you grab your tea and start walking back to the auditorium together, unaware of your surroundings or the suspicions that could arise. “Busy, but very good. How have you been? I saw your presentation earlier… I wish I understood half of what you said but you still sounded amazing”.

And you would never admit it out loud, but you were positive you were blushing (and falling in love too - platonically, of course). “Oh god, you think so? I basically told them they’ve been doing things wrong all along so maybe you’re the only one who’s appreciative of my work” you handed him the second can of iced tea you bought without him noticing. You swear his eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. “Payback for the other day” you smile at him.

The first time you two had crossed paths you didn’t look nearly as glamorous as you did now. In fact, you looked incredibly disturbed and in pain, carrying a huge pile of paperwork in your hands. But as soon as sweet Jungkook noticed your state, he offered you a hand and somehow ended up helping through your multiple data collecting trips that afternoon. It was a nice day.

“Anytime” he took the can in his hands with a shy look on his face. “Unless I’m practicing, you know…” you look down at his feet, with huge black boots engulfing them, and you smile due to their contrast with his personality. “Here, i’ll give you my number so you can call me whenever you need to put all those papers back. Hopefully I’ll be around” he added as he pulled his phone from his back pocket.

Way to get a girl’s number, my god.

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marvelous-imagines · 4 years ago

Note

Imagine Johnny that the reader is Johnny's girlfriend and is a typical Nerd who loves to read comic books and is addicted to games and her friends end up making fun of her

considering I'm a huge nerd YES AND DONE LOVE!

Johnny Lawrence x reader

Warnings: mild language. Slight angst. Fluff!

You couldn't help the wide excited smile that bloomed on your face, pure joy engulfing you warmly as you looked into the full length mirror, taking in your new shirt. The bold lettering that read captain America along with the majestic figure himself in his signature stance with the American flag blowing around behind him as he held his glorious shield. The shirt was art, beautiful and truly a masterpiece... And it's yours, thanks to your boyfriend.

"johnny I love it!" you exclaimed happily, turning back to look at the blond, his grin wide as he watched you while leaned against the wall of your bedroom.

"I thought you would, when I saw it through the store window I knew it was something you'd want" he shrugs cooly, "although you're lucky no one saw me in the nerdy store full of losers" he jokes while pushing off the wall and walking over to you, placing his hands on your waist.

"now johnny... Are you calling me a loser?" you ask him, eye's locking on his baby blues.

"not you, you're my beautiful little nerd" he leans down so his face is closer to yours. You smirk and quickly peck him on the lips before pulling away from him and looking back at the shirt.

"thanks for the shirt Johnny, I love it!" you say ecstatic. Johnny let's out a chuckle and swiftly wrapped his arms around your waist from behind.

"I think I deserve a kiss for my good deeds" he spoke while nuzzling his face into your neck. His breath tickling the skin there which causes you to giggle.

"if I gave you a kiss Lawrence you would definitely turn it into a 14 minute make out session and I have 3 minutes to arrive at Tiffany's house before I'm late" you placed your hands over his that was resting on your hips. He groans as he looks at you through the mirror.

"do you have to go to Tiffany's?" he questioned with a pout, and when he gave you the puppy eye's you almost wanted to bail out on your plans so you could stay with your boyfriend.

"yes, I promised I'd help her do birthday planning for her younger sister, then after we've planned shopping" you say reluctantly pulling away from Johnny's warm strong arms. He whines and nods in understanding.

"okay, I'll call you tonight babe" he said while walking to your bedroom door, "love ya y/n" he was his last words before he left. You smile fondly at where he once stood before grabbing your shoes and heading out the door as well.

You giggled loudly at your two friends Rebecca and Tiffany, while you all was seated on Tiffany's sofa while planning her younger sisters upcoming birthday party. You three had been laughing and joking around, talking more about boys then planning the actual party.

"last weekend me and Tommy went on our third date" Rebecca said with a smile. Tiffany let's a teasing grin spread across her face as she focuses her attention on the red head seated in between you both.

"oh, what happened on this date?" Tiffany wiggled her eyebrows in suggestive manner. You roll your eyes at your friend and smack her shoulder playfully.

"like I'd ever tell you anything tattle tale" Rebecca snorts, picking up the notebook full of ideas for the birthday and jotting something down before tossing it back on the table.

"oh c'mon, isn't Tommy apart of that badass karate thingy? He's a total badass!"

"my boyfriend knows karate too Tiffany" you decide to join the conversation with a little smile, just the thought of Johnny making your heart skip a beat.

Tiffany scoffs, shaking her head. "y/n sweetie we're talking about actual guys, not some comic book guys you have a crush" you lift a brow at her harsh tone. Of course your friends wasn't fond of comics as much as you was. They often teased you for liking comics, calling you childish and nerdy. But they was still your friends and you suffered through the constant teasing and insults.

"she's actually dating Johnny Lawrence, that cute blond boy you drool over at school" Rebecca spoke up as you just simply grabbed the notebook and jot down some ideas for Tiffany.

That seemed to make her choke on air nearly as she had wide eye's. "he's dating her?! The nerdy, quite little -

"what's so bad about being nerdy?" you cut her off angrily as you tossed the notebook aside and crossed your arms. Starting to feel offended by her this time.

"it's lame, all the comic books, the stupid dolls you collect - even that stupid shirt! It's childish y/n. You need to grow up" Tiffany spat out harshly, leaving you feeling a wave of hurt weigh down on you. What if she was right?

"it's not childish -

You tried to explain but she cuts you off with a laugh, "and all you do is play stupid video games, you spend more time in comic stores and arcades then hanging out with actual people" she laughed, Rebecca stifling a laugh beside you which has you feeling even worse. You thought they was your friends...they didn't understand just how amazing comics was, they was a escape, a slice of peace from chaos every once in a while. And video games was fun, a nice way to relax after a long day.

"you guys just don't get it... The two things are awesome" you grumbled quietly.

"awesome? You're a nerd y/n, I don't even see why Johnny would date you" her and Rebecca laughed loudly as you feel tears start to build up in your eye's. You stand up and storm out of the door, your tears you tried holding back escaping.

It was nearly 15 minutes later when you arrived home, laying on your bed and taking in what your friends said. Why would Johnny date you? You was a nerd, you loved superheroes and video games. Your friends was right... You was childish, you sat up and take your captain america shirt off and slip on a plain t-shirt and lay back down. Johnny was a total badass and deserved someone better then you, someone who he was most likely ashamed of being seen with.

As you laid in your bubble of self loathing a knock on your bedroom door disturbs you. "go away!" you said loudly while you swing a arm over your eye's while you laid on your back.

"geez you sound so happy to see me" the familier sound of your boyfriend said, "it's Johnny, i left my wallet in you're room I think, I can't find anywhere else..." he spoke from the other side of the door.

You sigh and stay in your position, "come in" the sound of the door opening then closing was the only thing heard, soon followed by Johnny's voice once more.

"why aren't you wearing the shirt I got you?" he asks while picking it up off the floor and sitting on the edge of your bed, "what's wrong?" you slowly move your arm off your eyes and look at him. He instantly saw the sadness swimming in your eye's.

"do you think I'm childish?" you ask him quietly, slowly sitting up in bed and looking at him. He gives you a confused look before shaking his head.

"no, why would I?" he says while playing with the shirt in his hands, his eyes roaming your face trying to understand what's wrong.

"because I'm a nerd... I'm a loser Johnny, I don't even know why you're dating someone like me" you said with growing irritation at yourself. Johnny placed the shirt on the bed at gives you a stern look.

"I'm with you because I love y/n. I love everything about you, I love you for you" johnny said while scooting closer to you and placing his hand on your cheek, forcing you to look at him, his eyes holding nothing but truth, "what even made you think like this?" he murmured. You let out a deep breath while leaning into his touch.

"Tiffany and Rebecca" you muttered while looking away from his gorgeous blue eyes. He sighs and scoops you up in his arms and placing you in his lap, you was surprised by the abrupt movement but soon melt into his loving arms that was wrapped around your waist.

"if they were guys and kick their ass's for making you even think for a moment that you're a loser" he said causing you to giggle a little. But he continues with a serious look, "you're not a loser, you're cool and I love that you like video games and comics... It shows that you have a fun a personality and not a boring one like Tiffany and Rebecca's" he placed a kiss on your nose, you giggle at him and lay your head on his shoulder.

"I love you Johnny, you're the absolute best" you muttered while closing your eyes and basking in his loving embrace.

"I love you too y/n, every little detail" he muttered back, running his hand up and down your back. You truly did love Johnny, no one in the world could make you as happy as him, even when you felt down....

A/n: it's short as usual and shity, even I know that bruh😭 but here it is, I wrote it while suffering through a party (I have really bad anxiety and hate crowds so I write while standing in a corner to prevent panic attacks)

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marjansmarwani · 4 years ago

Text

maybe, I’m afraid

3.8k || ao3

Episode 2x06, but with Carlos (as it should have been)

Just me here again to give Carlos the screen time he should have had.

A little late to the party maybe (I have no idea how you all manage to get fics up within 24 hours of the episode, I am in awe of that ability) but I still felt the need to make my contribution.

--------

Most days Carlos was pretty sure that after 7 years on the force he had seen everything there was to see.

Other days he got a call to respond to two teenagers trapped in a homemade minefield and he was forced to reevaluate that sentiment.

It doesn’t take long to figure out all there is to know, including just how bad it really is, and by the time the familiar ladder truck pulled up (because of course it was the 126) he was waiting outside the passenger door to give Owen the rundown.

“Officer Reyes,” he greeted when he saw him, “I’m surprised to see you. I thought this would be a little out of your jurisdiction.”

Carlos shook his head, “Just barely within it, another half-mile and the sheriffs would be handling the call.”

“But you managed to snag it, lucky you.”

“Can’t say I would have been too upset if I had missed out on this one,” Carlos agreed drily.

Owen hummed in agreement as he surveyed the scene, “What are we looking at, exactly?”

It was a bleak picture: two brothers, trapped. One injured, both scared and stuck in an active minefield without a map. And the bomb squad was at least 40 minutes out. He saw his concern reflected on Owen’s face as he considered the situation and all the implications. If they waited, the boy would die. If they went in, he would be possibly sending some of his people to die too.

And yet Carlos knew what choice he was going to make before he even opened his mouth. He had learned so many things during his time with TK, and one of them was that in so many ways he and his dad were a lot alike. If it were his call, TK wouldn’t have been able to leave those boys in there either. So when the instruction came, he wasn’t surprised.

“We’re going to need the heaviest duffel we can find and spray paint - the brighter the better.”

Carlos locked eyes with TK briefly as he and the rest of his team turned to start gathering supplies, giving him a smile and hoping that it conveyed everything he wanted him to know: it would be alright, no matter what.

He almost believed it too.

All was calm at the start, the 126 functioning like the well-oiled machine they were. In no time they were prepped and Owen was striding back towards the ambulance, asking the new guy if he was ready to go. The discussion quickly transformed into an argument and Carlos couldn’t help but glance back over at the minefield and the brothers. Every moment they argued was one less moment these boys had. Carlos was considering stepping in when a new voice entered the discussion, effectively bringing the escalating argument to a halt.

“I’ll go.”

And Carlos froze because he knew that voice. He would know it anywhere, it drew him like a moth to a flame in any room. He turned slowly to find TK standing slightly apart from his crew, stance relaxed but jaw set in determination.

“I was a dual function FD medic in New York,” he explained, voice calm and firm, “all my certifications are up to date. I can do this.”

Carlos didn’t need to be looking at him, didn’t need to see where his gaze shifted to know that those last words were directed at his dad. The knowledge made Carlos’s heart ache. The fact that his boyfriend still felt the need to prove himself to his dad after all this time and all he had accomplished killed him, but the thought of TK willingly walking into the minefield killed him even more.

But it wasn’t his choice to make and when Owen nodded, he felt a cold dread spread throughout his body. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. Today was not supposed to be the day he watched his boyfriend walk into an active minefield. That day was never supposed to come, and yet here it was.

He walked over to where TK was switching out his gear, struggling with a strap that was twisting over his shoulder. He reached out for the strap without a word, smoothing it out and snapping it in place. They didn’t speak as Carlos stepped back, surveying the harness and gear for any other twists or issues.

“It’s going to be fine, Carlos.”

TK’s voice, soft and reassuring, broke the silence and Carlos met his eyes sharply. He wanted so desperately to believe him, but there was a field filled with explosives that had already claimed one life today behind them and he was finding it hard to be optimistic.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked instead.

TK pulled his helmet on, his steady gaze never leaving Carlos, “Of course I’m sure, the kid’s going to die if we don’t go out there, Carlos. I need to help if I can.”

Carlos reached down to grab his medical bag and held it out to him. He didn’t like the thought of the man he loved purposefully putting himself in harm’s way, but he also knew TK. As much as he might hate it sometimes, this was TK: always ready to help, always willing to put himself at risk if it meant saving someone else, and there was nothing Carlos could do to change that. And he wouldn’t want to - it was a part of TK that made him who he was: someone that Carlos loved with all his heart.

When TK reached out to take the bag from him, he didn’t release it immediately. He let his grip linger for an extra moment as he studied TK, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Just, be careful,” he told him softly. TK gave him a small smile, and Carlos released his grip on the bag, allowing TK to walk away, towards the minefield. He was still watching as he ascended the ladder that would drop him out onto the minefield when he felt the presence of others appearing at his side.

“He’ll be okay kid,” Judd said quietly, eyes never leaving the sight of the two Strands climbing to the end of the ladder.

“You don’t know that Judd,” Carlos responded just as quietly, already feeling his fingernails digging into his palm as he clenched his hands at his side.

“No,” the older man agreed softly, “I don’t. But I do know they’ll be as careful as they can.”

Carlos nodded, eyes tracking every movement desperately. They had reached the edge of the ladder now and he watched as Owen tossed down the duffel, as they both reeled back in preparation for an explosion. He could feel his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat as they waited, but there was only silence and after a moment, he allowed himself to breathe again.

“I don’t know if my heart can take this,” Paul lamented from his left, “that was nerve-wracking and they still have a long way to go.”

Carlos nodded wearily, but caught his retort before it slipped out of his mouth: if they made it that far. He didn’t need to release that idea into the universe and the others didn’t need to hear it. So he swallowed it and continued watching. Each and every movement they made was agonizing to watch, but each and every thud of them landing unharmed gave him a moment to catch his breath, a brief reprieve for his heart to beat normally. They had settled into a rhythm, and everything was going smoothly.

Until it wasn’t.

The sound of the mine exploding filled the air around them and worked its way into Carlos’s soul. It sent shockwaves through his body as he watched, desperately trying to see through the haze of smoke and debris. He couldn’t see him, he didn’t know if he was okay.

That fact was more than enough to bring on the fear. It attacked him with a vengeance, freezing him to the spot. He felt as if the whole world froze in that moment; suspending him in the terror of not knowing, trapping him with doubt and fear.

And then he heard TK’s voice, and he could breathe again. It might just be the most wonderful thing he had ever heard.

When Owen’s voice sounded across the radios, confirming that they were both in one piece, time picked back up at its usual pace. He felt himself sag in relief, grateful for the knowing and supportive hand on his shoulder from Judd. He spared a glance at the others, seeing his relief reflected on their faces and in their stances.

Marjan let out a long breath, “That was…”

“Intense,” Paul agreed grimly, “let’s never do that again.”

They all nodded, and Carlos couldn’t agree more.

If there was an upside to that moment it was that the path forward was now clear and the two Strands made quick work of the rest of the journey, closing the distance between them and the boys in seconds. Carlos watched in awe as TK slipped into medic mode the moment he reached the boys’ sides, calmly managing the scene and taking care of the patient. It was a wonder to watch. He handled it all with focus and compassion, quietly reassuring the boys even as he gave instructions to his dad and administered care. He was cool and steady even as he delivered the lifesaving compressions, forcing the teen’s blood to pump through his veins with his own hands. It was only minutes before his voice sounded over the radio, announcing that the injured boy was stable and no amount of fear or worry could have stopped the intense pride Carlos felt in that moment.

“Kid’s got some skills,” Judd observed with a fond smile and Carlos could only grin.

Paul nodded, “Looks like someone’s been holding out on us, that was pretty impressive I must admit.”

“Badass is more like it!” Mateo exclaimed and Marjan, standing next to him, laughed even as she placed a hand on his arm.

“Steady Probie,” she reminded him, “they still have to get out of there. Let’s not jinx anything.”

Her words tempered the celebratory mood of the group, but even though Carlos had never let go of that fear (he knew he wouldn’t until TK was out of the minefield and at least 2 miles away) it felt different from before. It was wrapped in that pride now, and even as Carlos watched them prep to move and the bomb squad moved out to locate and detonate any mines along the path, he couldn’t shake that. It was almost stronger than the fear now, this pride he felt for TK. That was his boyfriend; the person who had just saved two young brothers in the middle of a minefield was the man he loved. Just when he thought that he had come to know every bit of his body and soul, he managed to surprise him all over again.

It took every ounce of restraint and professionalism Carlos had to not rush over to TK the moment he cleared the edge of the minefield. He forced himself to wait, focusing on his own job while keeping a watchful eye on TK as he reported back to Captain Vega, as he got an exam from the new paramedic. It wasn’t until he headed back to the ladder truck that Carlos broke away from the crowd, meeting him at the side of the engine. TK looked up as he approached, a smile on his face and a greeting on his lips, but Carlos pulled him into his arms before he even had a chance to speak.

He held him tightly, savoring the feeling of his breath on his collar and the faint sound of the beating of his heart. His familiar scent filled Carlos’s head with each breath and he closed his eyes. He would have been happy to stand there forever, feeling this and just being them and while he knew they couldn’t, he was determined to have at least a few moments more before the world interrupted. If nothing else, the universe at least owed him this.

“I’m okay Carlos,” TK said evenly, his voice muffled against Carlos’s shoulder.

But you almost weren’t. The words rang through his head, but he didn’t speak them. Instead he pulled away just enough to see TK’s face as he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” TK assured him firmly, placing a steady hand on his chest, “the new medic looked me over but I could have told you anyway, I’m fine. Not injured, my dad and I both made it out and so did the boys. This was a win Carlos, I’m more than okay.”

And he was, Carlos saw as he studied him. He was beaming; enthusiasm pouring out of him. His eyes were alight with something Carlos couldn’t name and he was practically vibrating. Despite everything, Carlos couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He was still worried, still terrified by all the ‘what ifs,” but seeing TK like this gave him a lightness he couldn’t have imagined feeling even a few minutes before.

He shook his head, trying to mask his smile with little success, “I am glad you’re so pleased with yourself, considering you almost gave the rest of us a heart attack.”

He had been going for a joke but he instantly regretted it when TK dimmed, “I’m sorry,” he told him sincerely, “I didn’t mean to scare you guys, especially you. I just knew I could help…”

Carlos interrupted him, moving his hands so they were on each of TK’s shoulders, “You have nothing to apologize for Ty,” he assured him firmly, “you did the right thing. You saved a kid’s life and you did amazing. I am so proud of you.”

TK’s smile returned, softer than before but still glowing with pride, “You are, are you?”

Carlos leaned down to place a soft and tender kiss on his forehead, “I am. So incredibly proud. You’re a pretty impressive guy, you know that?”

TK’s smile could have lit up the world and Carlos would have been happy to let it. But they were both still on the job and decidedly not alone, as they were suddenly reminded when Paul peaked around the side of the engine. He smirked at them before calling over his shoulder, “Yeah, they’re decent back here, you guys can come around.”

Carlos rolled his eyes at his friend while TK casually flipped him off. Paul crossed towards them, completely unfazed before reaching out and pulling TK into a hug of his own. “You can’t keep scaring me like that man,” he told TK when they pulled apart, “I’m getting too old for that crap.”

TK rolled his eyes at his teammate and Carlos chuckled. He looked behind him to see the rest of the team materializing.

“That’s my cue,” he told TK, “I need to get back to work and get this scene wrapped up anyways. I’ll see you at home later?”

TK nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand, “I’ll be there right after my shift.”

“Think you can make it until then without nearly dying on me again?”

“I’ll do my best,” TK assured him and Carlos smiled.

“That’s all I ask,” he responded, “I love you.”

“Love you too, Carlos.”

Carlos smiled at that, the warmth he felt every time he heard those words from TK rushing through him. With one last squeeze of the hand holding his own, he stepped away, letting TK’s team get in their time. As he reached the corner of the engine he looked back, still feeling the whirlwind of emotions deep in his chest.

But TK was safe and happy - he couldn’t ask for anything more. So he turned the corner and returned to the task at hand.

----------

“You know, that call today? It felt good, really good.”

Carlos looked up from his dinner sharply to see TK idly playing with his, his focus clearly elsewhere. “Please don’t tell me this means you have decided to become a real-life minesweeper, I am going to have some objections to that,” Carlos deadpanned.

TK laughed lightly, shaking his head, “No, not quite.”

“Thank god, I don’t think my heart could handle that.”

TK shook his head fondly at Carlos before his expression grew more pensive, “I didn’t mean the minefield, or even the danger or adrenaline. I meant the saving the boy part. I know I do that all the time as a firefighter, but there’s something different about doing it as a medic. I haven’t had the chance to really do any medical calls since moving to Austin, with the way the department is structured.”

“You’ve never really talked about it before,” Carlos noted, “I’ve seen you do medical stuff in the field, but before today I didn’t even know you were dual certified.”

TK shrugged, “It just never really came up, I guess. It’s pretty typical in New York, but their firehouses are structured differently. I guess once I made my peace with being down here I never really thought about it again. It’s not like I could do both the same way I used to.”

His tone was almost wistful as he turned his gaze down to his plate, but Carlos had a feeling he wasn’t really seeing the food on it. “Sounds like you miss it,” he ventured after a few more moments of silence.

“Sometimes I do.”

“So why not go for it?”

TK looked at him sharply, but Carlos just shrugged, “What? You’ve spent most of the past hour talking about it and you mentioned how the new guy quit and there’s an opening on the paramedic team within your first 10 minutes of showing up tonight. I know you and I know you’re already thinking about it, so why not try it?”

“Even if I applied, there are so many other candidates. There’s no saying she’d pick me.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. She knows you and how dedicated you are to your job. She saw you in action today, willing to take the risk that someone else wasn’t in order to save a patient. You did the job well and you did it under insane pressure after months of not doing it. If I were her, I’d be wondering what you’d be capable of on an average day.”

TK looked startled at the efficient takedown of his doubts, but Carlos just raised an eyebrow, “Next?”

He would dismantle his boyfriend’s doubts with logic one by one if need be. Whatever it took for him to start believing in himself the way Carlos did.

“I’d have to leave the team,” he said softly, “I wouldn’t be working with them anymore. We’re like a family, I can’t just leave them.”

Carlos reached across the table to take TK’s hand in his own, “It’s not like you’d be leaving the station,” he reminded him, “you’d still be in the same building and on the same schedule. And they’re not going to feel like you abandoned them, Ty, they’ll still be right there. And right here,” he added with a laugh, gesturing towards his living room, “we’ve fed them, I don’t think we are ever going to get rid of them now.”

That pulled a smile out of TK, but there was still so much doubt in his eyes that it hurt Carlos to see it.

“What do you think they would say, if you told them it was something you wanted?” he asked instead, “Do you think they would tell you to forget about it? To stay with them because it was more comfortable?”

“No,” TK said quickly, “of course they wouldn’t.”

“So why are you worried about them? They want what’s best for you and they always will. Unless,” he hedged when TK’s expression didn’t clear, “they’re not the ones you’re worried about.” TK pulled his gaze up from the table and Carlos saw all the confirmation in them that he needed, “Your dad?”

TK nodded, and Carlos sighed. “TK…”

“It would be a big change Carlos,” he said softly. “Except for my probationary period, I have always worked with my dad. I don’t want him to take it personally.”

“But it is a little personal, isn’t it?”

He was careful to keep his tone even, non-judgemental and he watched TK closely, waiting for his response.

“Maybe a little, yeah,” TK admitted. “I feel like this would be a way for me to really see who I am without him right there. It’s not like this is a reaction to him or any news he may have shared recently,” he added hastily, “I would hope I’m past the ‘blowing my life up to piss off my dad’ point, but it is something to consider. And…”

He trailed off, but Carlos had a feeling he knew what was going to come next, “And you’re worried he might take it personally?” he suggested.

TK nodded and Carlos sighed and set down his fork, reaching across the table again to pull both of TK’s hands into his own, “Look,” he began, “what’s important is why you’re thinking about this. So, what is it? Why are you thinking about becoming a paramedic?”

“Because I think I’d love it,” TK said without any hesitation, “because I feel like it’s the best way I can help people.”

Carlos smiled at him, squeezing the hands in his grasp softly, “Then I think you have your answer. You should do this because it is what you want and because it is right for you. That’s all that matters. Everything else - and everyone else - will fall into place.”

“And if they don’t?” TK asked softly, and Carlos felt a pang in his heart at the sound of so much doubt in the other man’s voice.

“They will,” Carlos assured him. “Nothing ever stays the same, remember? And your dad knows that. We all know that. And,” he added, leaning forward in his seat to close some of the distance between them, “I will be here for you, every step of the way. No matter what.”

The smile TK gave him warmed every inch of his body. They sat in companionable silence for a while, intertwined hands connecting them across the table until TK spoke again.

“If you really mean that,” he began with a grin, “I could probably use some help with my resume.”

“Anything for you,” Carlos quipped back, but even as he said the words he squeezed their clasped hands. He meant that, in every way possible. He would be here for resumes and job interviews and everything in between, as long as TK wanted him to be.

Judging by the way TK met his eyes, and the soft ‘thank you’ that fell from his lips, he had a feeling he felt the same way too.

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robbyswayzekeenes · 4 years ago

Text

badass━ demetri (cobra kai) imagine

demetri x badass fem! reader

requested by @klt123456

i hope you like it! just a lil demetri with his badass gf and some making out in the dojo :))

It wasn’t uncommon for there to be competition between high school students. Typically, any teenagers would be warring over who was the most popular, or the most attractive, but something you never tended to find high school students fighting over was who was the toughest. Then again, West Valley High wasn’t like any other high school. Since karate had infested the Valley like it was 1980, people had been changing. It was no longer about who dated who, and who fucked who-- no, the priority was now who could whip the other in a full-blown karate fight. And whilst there was a lot of competition for the top spot; whether it was Tory, or Hawk, or Miguel, and sure, they were all in the running. But everyone knew that the toughest kid at West Valley High was Y/N L/N.

The h/c didn’t look like much. (Your height) and seemingly harmless, she was anything but intimidating. If anyone were to suggest to an outsider that she was the toughest kid in the Valley, they would be ridiculed, especially when compared to Eli’s mohawk or Tory’s resting bitchface. But the thing that made Y/N really badass compared to any of the cobra’s or anyone at Miyagi-Do is that, whilst had been training in karate for a year or so, the girl had been fighting competitively since she was eight.

Red Tigers Karate was the only dojo left in the Valley until Johnny Lawrence brought back Cobra Kai. It had started back in the 80s and was the only one left after they all closed down. It wasn’t particularly busy, not like the rush of people Cobra Kai had received after Miguel’s fight in the cafe, but Y/N had been fighting there since she was a kid. Karate was always the best way for the girl to relieve anger, and now everyone was doing it. Despite the different styles, it was no competition that she was by far the best. She wasn’t defensive and passive like the style taught at Miyagi-Do, and she wasn’t all aggressive and merciless like Sensei Lawrence taught at Cobra Kai. The girl’s karate style was the perfect combination of offence and defence, which made her practically unbeatable. Y/N was badass as shit. And everyone knew it.

Demetri was the opposite of badass. Lanky and skinny, with gimpy, out of proportion limps, karate was definitely not his strong suit. He’d taken many beatings, even before karate came back to the Valley, and for a while, these beatings were even coming from his best friend, Eli. Sure, he’d had his victories in karate, for instance, when he had kicked Hawk into the trophy case during the school fight, but all in all, he had not had many successes when it came to karate. However, Demetri’s biggest success was somehow winning the heart of the biggest badass at school; Y/N L/N herself.

The pair had somehow become friends in school, despite the dark haired boy being very much terrified of her. And from there, their friendship had blossomed into a beautiful relationship, and the pair were both incredibly happy, despite the fact that Demetri had no idea how he’d ended up with someone so far out of his league. Since the karate war had started, Y/N had begun training more and more at Miyagi-Do, helping Daniel train the students, and now, after Kreese’s latest attack, helping Johnny Lawrence and the former Cobra Kai’s learn to fight in a style that wasn’t all offence. Today, whilst Daniel and Johnny were outside separately training Miguel and Sam in order to prepare them for the tournament, Y/N was playing a little game.

“Okay,” The h/c grinned, hopping onto the mat and getting in her stance. “Let’s play a sparring game. Winner stays on. I’ll start.” Demetri could see the mischievous twinkle in his girlfriend’s eye, but of course the new members of Miyagi-Do were not aware of the girl’s capabilities. “I’ll take you on,” Mitch had said with a cocky smirk, and the boy was flat on his back in less than ten seconds. Y/N pushed one strand of h/c hair from her face, winking at Demetri who was trying overly hard not to look impressed. “Who’s next?” The girl grinned, exhaling sharply as at least five new sets of eyes marvelled at her. This was the first time the combined dojos had seen each other fight, and they wouldn’t be the first to underestimate the seemingly innocent girl.

“Alright, Y/N, I’ll take you on,” Hawk said, stepping forwards, his scar twitching as his face twisted in determination. The red haired boy climbed onto the mat, and though he would never admit it to his girlfriend, Demetri was worried for her. He knew full well what he was capable of, and he had the scar on his arm to prove it. However, the brown eyed boy was wrong to doubt, as in thirty seconds, Y/N had Eli in a pin. “I win,” The girl breathed, one of her h/c strands falling from her bun. Eli got up with a huff and walked to the edge of the mat again, taking his spot next to Demetri.

As training went on, Y/N took every student on, working her way around everyone except Demetri and every time being victorious. “Holy fuck, she is badass,” Bert breathed after being thrown to the floor less than five seconds. He was the penultimate student, and still no one had managed to beat Y/N. Demetri let out a steady breath as he knew the time had come for him to get his ass handed to him by his girlfriend, and certainly not for the first time. Hawk smirked playfully before whispering to his best friend; “If it took her thirty seconds to get me down, I reckon she’ll have you in three.” “Actually, last time it was two,” Chris chimed in, earning a playful laugh from the others which caused Demetri to blush. However, it was at this moment that Sensei LaRusso chose to step into the dojo alongside Sensei Lawrence.

“Training’s finished for today, guys,” Daniel spoke, and Demetri was hesitant to let out a sigh of relief. As much as he loved Y/N, he would rather not have his ass kicked in front of the other teens, even if she had done the same to the rest of them. “You got lucky, Met,” Chris grinned, clapping the dark haired boy on the back as they began to file out the dojo. “Great training today, guys.” The h/c haired girl smiled, though Demetri’s brown eyes caught the mischievous glint in her e/c ones, and his eyebrows raised. “Sensei, if you don’t mind, I wanna train with Demetri a little longer. We didn’t get to finish today.” As soon as those words escaped her lips, the boy knew he was screwed. “Sure thing, Y/N. Thanks for all your help. It’s good to have someone round here who knows karate but also knows what it’s like to be a teenager.” “No problem,” The girl smiled, her eyes meeting Demetri’s with a smirk. “Yeah, and it’s good to have someone round here who’s an actual badass, too,” Sensei Lawrence chimed in, earning a disapproving look from Daniel. “I”m badass as fuck, I’ll have you know,” The man argued, and Y/N chuckled, closing the dojo doors and forcing the men to take their childish bickering somewhere else.

Demetri exhaled deeply as his girlfriend turned to face him. “Didn’t think you were getting out of a fight, did you?” The girl asked with a smile, causing the boy to roll his eyes. “Gee, anyone would think my girlfriend enjoyed kicking my ass.” “Maybe I do,” Y/N grinned cheekily before pressing a chaste kiss to the tall boy’s lips. “Now come on, in your stance.” Reluctantly, Demetri planted his feet and lifted up his guard, quirking an eyebrow at the girl who adjusted her hair where it sat atop her head before saying; “Ready? Hajime.” The h/c pounced forward, throwing a kick to Demetri’s head which he barely managed to block. She then threw one, two, three consecutive punches, but the boy shielded them all. She’s going easy on me, Demetri decided as not one of her shots landed. Scoffing slightly, the dark haired boy threw a feeble punch, but it was intercepted. “Come on, Demetri. You can fight better than that.” “So can you,” He pointed out, causing Y/N to smirk. The girl threw another kick, but he blocked it with the palm of his hand and retaliated with the same kick. A stupidly predictable move, even when she was taking it easy.

Y/N caught the kick under her arm, leaving the boy fighting for balance as she rotated their stance before forcing Demetri backwards, never letting go of his leg. His back hit the wall of the dojo with a crash, and the boy winced slightly. “Oops,” The h/c said, but she didn’t seem at all apologetic. “That was technically not a karate move,” The pedantic boy pointed out as Y/N finally let his leg drop to the floor and stepped inside his guard. “Neither is this,” She whispered, taking the collar of his shirt and pulling him down into a bruising kiss. Demetri was quick to reciprocate, much happier to be kissing his girlfriend than fighting her. Y/N’s hands snaked up to the boy’s dark hair as they continued to kiss, Demetri’s back pressed against the dojo wall. His hands slotted themselves inside the gaps of the girl’s vest top, setting them on her bare waist and making her shiver. “This,” Demetri mumbled in between kisses, “Is much better than fighting.” “We both know I could still beat you at this,” Y/N responded, pulling herself even closer to the boy so that their chests were flushed together. The two continued to kiss until they heard the opening slide of the dojo door, and hurriedly jumped apart.

“What are you- really, guys?” Sensei Lawrence asked as he stood in the doorway, his eyebrows raised. “Sensei,” Y/N breathed, though it’s not like either of them could deny it with their bruised lips and Demetri’s messy hair. “I don’t wanna know,” He interrupted, before glancing at Demetri; “Good going, kid.” The boy blushed a deep red as Johnny went on. “I won’t tell Daniel if you won’t.” Both teens nodded aggressively, knowing full well how Mr LaRusso felt about kids making out in his dojo. “But if you’re gonna fuck, at least clean the mat afterwards.”

#demetri #demetri cobra kai #demetri imagine #demetri cobra kai imagine #demetri x reader #cobra kai #eli moskowitz #hawk moskowitz #cobra kai season three #miyagi do #making out in a dojo #johnny lawrence #daniel larusso #daniel larusso x johnny lawrence #man i love demetri #demetri x badass reader

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spaceskam · 4 years ago

Note

For Title Tuesday can I get Malex + 25?

tags: alternate universe, swordfighting, blindfolds, the inherent romance of finding your equal in battle

25. the color of your eyes [ao3]

“Do you remember what they said about Icarus?”

Michael grinned wildly as he held Eurydike between his thighs, checking his hair in the mirror before he started tying the blindfold around his eyes. Isobel just didn’t understand. Maybe he was being overconfident in insisting he could do the entire competition blindfolded, but he was here to look good and show off for all the little earthlings. The blindfold accentuated that more than she could possibly comprehend.

“That he had high desires and died going for them,” Michael responded. Isobel scoffed so loud that Michael couldn’t help but laugh.

“If that was what you got from that story, we need to give you a better review,” she snapped. Michael shook his head.

“I’ll be fine, Isobel. Do you really think any of the Earthlings are going to pose any real challenge? And, let’s be real, no one from our entire planet is going to fuck with me too hard. They wouldn’t stand a chance even if they did, but we all know we’re against them and not each other,” Michael explained.

This was the first time his father had (stupidly) invited the humans to their competition. It was to show camaraderie. Put up your finest soldiers, you sons of lords, let them show off in this battle! But no one wanted them here. Michael felt the need to make a point.

“You worry me, that’s all,” Isobel sighed, “At least Max is properly trained with his sword. You trained yourself on your little spear.”

“Hey! Don’t call Eurydike a spear, she’s a glaive. Apologize,” Michael pouted to her general direction.

“I will not,” she said, “And for someone who hates humans so much, it’s bold of you to name your spear after one.”

“Glaive.”

“Whatever.”

Isobel patted him on the cheek and gave him a warm hug. It was clear she was genuinely worried and he tried not to take it as a personal insult to his capability. It wasn’t a secret he was the best swordsman in the Dreq Coterie and was probably the best out of all of the different Coteries on the planet.

His mother along with Isobel’s mother and Max’s mother all three ran the Dreq Coterie politically and socially, though Michael’s father was the one who ran most of the social events. That being said, Michael was well known and, admittedly, very privileged. He’d begun sword lessons very young and had found his calling in the glaive by the time he was 16. He remembered his mother having a fit about his choice of weapon while his weapons teacher had praised him for giving him something fun to work with for once. Everyone chose swords.

Not only was the glaive badass, but it often threw the average swordsman for a loop. It required a different stance, different balance, different placement, different strengths. How could they possibly compete with something they know nothing about?

It always meant Michael excelled at these things. He understood their weapons and they never understood his. It was a very, very beautiful thing. A beautifully hilarious thing. It meant he looked forward to every competition. It was all for fun, no one really got hurt past a few scratches or anything, but it was to show off nonetheless.

Michael waited in his room until Sheyric, his unofficial brother, strolled in and immediately snorted.

“I look good, don’t I?”

“Your arrogance precedes you,” Sheyric said. Michael felt his blindfold tighten before Sheyric touched up his curls a bit. “There. Now you look good.”

“I always look good.”

“Again‒arrogance.”

Michael laughed and grabbed Eurydike, holding her in his hand as they started their walk towards the competition grounds. Sheyric would be competing as well, though in a completely different facet. His specialty was archery and while the man was incredible at hand-to-hand combat, it was never smart to bring an arrow to a sword fight.

“Did you get a look at the humans? Were they trembling with fear?” Michael asked, leaning close.

“Not quite trembling, but they were clustered together. They seemed to take this whole competition thing as more of an actual fight than an event to celebrate our Coteries and togetherness,” Sheyric said. Michael went to open his mouth to say that he took it rather seriously, but Sheyric was already ahead of him. “You don’t count. You just like to show off. You’re still kind to the people you best.”

“Well, of course. I don’t want them to hate me because I’m an asshole. I want them to think I’m kind and better than them and hate me for that,” Michael said. He took each turn with practiced ease. He’d walked these hallways so many times in his life, his eyes weren’t necessary to get through them.

“I should push you into the wall.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would and The Bloodvisage would do that little laugh she does and shake her head and say ‘oh, Sheyric, don’t be mean’ and I’ll say I won’t be and smile and then I’ll do it again,” Sheyric said with the tone of someone who knew he was the favorite. Which really didn’t count because he was his mother’s apprentice. Everything he knew about archery, politics, hand-to-hand combat was because Michael’s mother taught him. Michael might’ve been jealous if he cared.

“Shut up,” Michael laughed anyway and then they stepped outside, taking a deep breath and smiling at the sound of people talking and preparing for the fight around them. It was a nice sound.

“Are you going to be able to make it to your spot with your dumb fucking blindfold?” Sheyric asked.

“Of course I will,” Michael insisted.

“Mn,” Sheyric grunted, clearly lacking faith in his abilities. Michael would’ve argued, but he and Sheyric were already walking to the same spot.

The Dreq Coterie was filled to the brim of skilled fighters and politicians and it was why they were one of the big six. If Michael felt like being polite (which he often didn’t) he might’ve extended that to Earth and say the big seven. But there was absolutely no kind of alliance on Earth. The only thing the entire planet agreed upon was that they were skeptical of Michael’s people.

He wanted to keep them skeptical.

“Michael,” Max hissed the moment he got close, “What are you doing?”

“Being a show-off, I guess.”

“You’re going to get yourself actually hurt if you do shit like that,” Max told him.

“I already said that,” Sheyric said.

“And so did Isobel. Look, I get none of you have any faith in me, but that doesn’t mean you have to be total dicks about it. Just accept I’m better than you and we can move on,” Michael bragged. Max and Sheyric both shoved him at the same time and Michael laughed loudly.

The competition began with his father’s booming voice, his natural bravado carrying across the entire yard. Michael remembered thinking he was so cool for that when he was little. He knew now that the cool one, albeit strict, was his mother. She was the one who gained the title of The Bloodvisage after defeating thirteen men with nothing but a classic cutlass, a battle axe, and skill.

Different fighters from different Coteries fought with skill and Michael almost wished he was able to see it, but he wasn’t about to risk taking his blindfold off and seem less cool. Instead, he listened while Max fought Evarius of the Piri Coterie and won before losing to Gontas from the Zand Coterie. Other Coteries were battling it out on different parts of the field and whoever the last two standing were would be brought together.

Michael sat back and waited for his turn. His name was eventually called and he got up, listening to the cheers as he twirled Eurydike with practiced precision. He loved that sound. He would be going against the previous winner, Astram of the Kynd Coterie which was a smaller Coterie in the southeast. Michael hadn’t seen him today, but he knew he was a pretty big guy who was a fan of dual swords.

“Ah, Little Rath, you’re feeling bold, I see,” Astram taunted. Michael grinned.

“I’m going by Michael these days,” Michael said. These days really meant since he was six and Astram really knew that, but it wasn’t uncommon for people to still call him Little Rath if only to remind him that he was named after his father.

“I know,” Astram said.

The beginning of the fight was announced and Michael dodged his blades with ease, already knowing that he swung nearly immediately to catch his opponent off guard. Michael swung Eurydike and hit the wooden side against his calves and he heard a soft grunt. Michael grinned.

It went like that with the next string of opponents, dodging and knocking them around with Eurydike and fighting blade against blade until they ended up on the ground and his foot on their chest. He knew them and their fighting styles well which is probably how he got away with it all while blindfolded, but he would never admit to that.

Rath, his father, let him be praised as the winner of this round and a break was announced. They were meant to eat, gather their strength, and socialize. Michael kept his blindfold on.

“You’re ridiculous,” Sheyric scoffed, handing him a flask of water. Michael downed it and leaned back, smiling in his general direction.

“I’m winning.”

“You’re going to be blinded the moment you take that thing off.”

“Nah.”

“I heard a guy from Earth made it to the final four, so you might get to fight him,” Sheyric said. His hand touched Michael’s chin and a damp cloth swiped across his cheek where he’d got nicked. It wasn’t deep enough to really even bleed or hurt, but it was a cut nonetheless.

“Good, I hope I do.”

“I hope you don’t,” Sheyric scoffed, “You’re going to get your ass kicked. He’s a general’s son.”

“I’m The Bloodvisage’s son, what does that have to do with anything?” Michael wondered.

“Because you don’t know his fighting style. That’s right, I know that’s how you’ve gotten this far,” Sheyric said. Michael didn’t stop grinning.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to kick his ass.”

Sheyric sighed, loud and long, and swatted his leg with the cloth. “You’ll have to kick Lachlia’s ass first, then.”

Michael pouted just a little bit at the name. She was easily one of the most gorgeous people his planet had produced and he hated that he had to be blindfolded while fighting her. She was from the Rhox Coterie, a little group of under 100 in the North, and they all specialized in war hammers which was unbearably sexy. They usually didn’t get very far in competitions though since it was rather easy for them to accidentally destroy others’ weapons and they usually played it safe. Lachlia, as always, didn’t give a shit. He always cherished the bruises she gave him.

“Don’t pout, she thinks you’re annoying,” Sheyric laughed.

“No, she doesn’t, we’re best friends.”

“Sure,” Sheyric snorted.

After a while of relaxing and re-hydrating, his father’s voice announced that the next round would be beginning. The first set would be Michael against Lachlia and then Desiric from the Krin Coterie, another one of the big six, against Alexander from Earth. How boring did that sound? Just Alexander from Earth. How did he even make it that far with something that boring attached to his name?

“Please be gentle with me,” Michael said as he strolled up to where Lachlia was. She huffed a laugh.

“You’re lucky they let you keep your precious stick,” Lachlia said.

“Why is everyone so mean to Eurydike? What did she do to you?” Michael wondered. She laughed again and then they announced that the fight had begun. “Come closer so you can pretend you can win in a non-deadly fight with that hammer of yours.”

“You’re such a loser,” she told Michael. He grinned.

“Yeah.”

Michael could hear the air around her hammer as she swung and he dodged it, though he felt that it was close enough to almost hit. He liked that feeling. It was exhilarating.

Now, Michael wasn’t that skilled at battling against war hammers. He was used to swords and other bladed weapons, but this was a little different and Lachlia knew how to use it. The only reason he got around it was that he knew how she fought. They’d been fighting since they were kids.

He knew that she relied on her left leg rather than her right and he knew that she was swift and nimble. That being said, he swung towards her right side and anticipated her jumping out of the way, so he quickly spun Eurydike and hit her left leg with the blunt end of his blade. Lachlia gasped and he really did almost take his blindfold off to make sure it didn’t cut her, but he realized it didn’t matter when she straight up punched him in the arm.

“You can’t just punch me!” Michael said, trying not to let his guard down though he found it funny.

“Oh yeah?” Lachlia asked and he didn’t have a warning before she just jumped on him. The wind knocked out of him as he hit the ground and pushed Eurydike out of his reach.

“This isn’t a wrestling match!” Michael said as he caught his breath, but he was laughing and let her pin him down. She was strong, he had to give her that, and it took him a bit before he wrapped his leg around her and flipped them over even while she was laughing.

“You’re such a dick.”

“Sounds like you like me,” Michael said.

He put his full weight on her as he used his leg to feel for Eurydike, trying to keep Lachlia pinned even as she squirmed and hit him, but they were both still laughing. He got Eurydike and quickly pushed himself to his feet, putting his foot on her abdomen and putting the wooden side of Eurydike on her chest until they announced him as the winner.

“Piece of cake.”

“Barely!”

Michael extended his arm to her, pulling her up to her feet. He shook his head as he tugged her in for a friendly post-fight hug.

“You let me win,” he said quietly, keeping by her ear.

“They announced the Earthling as the winner far too quickly,” she said, “He wields a curved one-handed broadsword, favors his left side, and can jump pretty high. You’re better at fighting broadswords. Kick his ass.”

“Have I mentioned today how you’re my favorite?” Michael mused, grinning even as she shoved him back.

Michael went back to his side to hydrate and receive a little mini-pep talk for his fight with Alexander of Earth. Sheyric even did him the honor of making sure his hair looked nice. Michael was more than a little pumped with adrenaline. Of all the times he’d had to meet Earthlings, he never got to fight any.

He couldn’t wait to show this one that he was much, much better.

Michael walked back out to the field and waited until he heard footsteps approaching him.

“You think that blindfold is a good idea?” the guy asked in rather impressive Antarii. Michael was instantly struck by how fucking nice his voice sounded in his language which was actually not at all fair or allowed. He twisted his grip on Eurydike.

“Yeah. I plan to win and, well, I’m a guy that likes to make a statement,” Michael bragged.

“So it’s not an excuse to use for when you lose?” Alexander of Earth asked. Despite the niceness of his voice and fluency of which he spoke his language, Michael couldn’t even offer a cocky grin. He just wanted this to begin and he wanted to win.

“I’m not going to lose.”

“Mhm, okay.”

His father announced the beginning and Michael kept his hearing keenly aware of Alexander. He heard his footsteps crunch as he walked to the side of him slowly. Michael raised Eurydike and spun her casually, preparing to dodge or throw or slash when needed.

The broadsword caught the sound of the wind as he swung and Michael blocked it with his blade with perfect precision, pushing him back and spinning Eurydike to use the wooden end to shove him back even further. He didn’t stumble to the ground though, unfortunately.

He did, however, swing again very quickly. Michael matched him beat for beat, relying on the sound of the air. He was a little annoyed that he hadn’t tripped Alexander up yet. He kind of liked the idea of not even working up a sweat. That would’ve been super cool.

Instead, Alexander delivered a swift kick to his thigh less than a second after he swung his blade, catching him off guard. Michael stumbled and grunted in annoyance and swung Eurydike in his general direction, but he didn’t hit anything. How high could he jump exactly?

Michael listened for him again and heard nothing for a second too long and received a swift kick to his ass which did actually manage to knock him to his knees. Before he could get up, Alexander of Earth kicked him in the back which pushed him to his hands and knees.

“Oh, come on, this is too easy,” Alexander laughed. Michael quickly rolled onto his back and swung his blade with enough power to throw Max off course, using that moment to get to his feet.

“Don’t get too cocky.”

“Pot, kettle.”

“Huh?” Michael asked, but he didn’t let the weird words distract him as he dodged another swing and then another. Lachlia didn’t warn him that he was fast.

The broadsword almost broke a rule just then as he swung right for Michael’s face. He was fast enough to block it by holding Eurydike with both hands out in front of him, though even he had to admit his pulse spiked.

“What the fuck?!” Michael spat, throwing him off, “You don’t go for the fucking head!”

“Who said I was going for your head?” Alexander asked and he kicked Michael again square in the chest. It did knock him on his ass and Alexander’s foot pressed into his chest, forcing him on the ground. Michael was heavy breathing through his teeth.

The tip of Alexander’s blade caught the blindfold and the blunt side grazed his nose as he took it off. The light blinded him momentarily, but once he adjusted, he got a good look at this asshole’s face.

And not only was he a good fight who spoke fluent Antarii, but he was the most attractive man Michael had ever fucking seen. They locked eyes and he had the most beautiful brown eyes he’d ever fucking seen, full of mirth as grinned.

“Now, fight me for real and not just a way to show off,” Alexander instructed.

What the hell kind of beast was he?

Michael didn’t waste time, though, as he grabbed Alex’s ankle and threw him off. He made his way to his feet with Eurydike in hand and charged. This time they met beat for beat with much more authenticity, blade clashing against blade, matching each turn and lunge and dodge. They fought. And they fought.

And never had Michael felt more like he’d found his equal than he did then.

He wasn’t sure when it went from being infuriating to exhilarating, but it happened and the fact that there was an entire crowd watching them faded from his mind. It was just them, fighting, matching each other and enjoying it.

“Okay,” Michael said, both of their breaths mingling between them as Alexander stepped closer. Their weapons were crossed between them and he was even more attractive up close. He was sweaty and strong and talented and beautiful and why the fuck did Michael ever go blindfolded, he missed a whole day of watching him fight. “Okay, we could call it a draw.”

“We could,” Alexander said, but he shoved Michael back as if trying to get him on the ground again. It wouldn’t be that easy this time.

“Alexander,” Michael said in response, unable to repress the grin on his face.

“Alex,” Alex corrected, eying him slightly, “Rath.”

“Michael,” Michael corrected.

“Michael,” Alex repeated.

“Alex.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Alex took a careful step back. Michael grinned and took a step back of his own. The more space put between them, the more he became aware of the fact that they were still being watched.

“It’s a draw,” Alex said, pointing his blade at him, “This time.”

“This time,” Michael repeated, nodding because that meant there would be a next time. “Hopefully once more before you return to Earth.”

“Watch your back,” Alex said, looking Michael up and down with those fucking eyes, “I don’t plan to go to sleep tonight as a draw.”

Michael grinned so wide it was probably obvious this wasn’t just a normal fight to anyone around them, this being the first draw in decades aside. He couldn’t wait. Alex was… incredible.

“What the hell was that?!” Isobel and Sheyric both hissed at him once he got back. Michael could barely hear the other noise around them, his eyes still on Alex as he faded back into his people.

Michael could barely even blink.

“I think I’m in love.”

#malex #malex fic #michael guerin #alex manes #roswell new mexico #my fic #title tuesday

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sweatergirlsposts · 4 years ago

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Imagine Being Jacob’s Imprint and Him Taking You To The Cullen Party

Title: Bite Your Tongue

Pairing: Jacob Black x Fem!Reader

Request By: @lolabunny2008

(A/N: I changed the personality of the reader to come across as more a confrontational badass, I hope you guys like it)

Four words, party at the Cullens. Jacob, your boyfriend, invited you come along to the graduation party at the Cullens to introduce you to Bella. You were pumped because this was the first true party that you had been to since moving from Las Vegas.

When you lived in Vegas it was non stop partying every other night, but that was until you had your little incident. You don’t like to reflect upon what happened that night but what’s done was done. Seeing the troubling behavior you had in Vegas, your mother decided that it was time to move away and start anew in the small town of Fork. No big parties and no big city, it was all greenery and a quiet town.

You tried to leave many times in the first few weeks of being there, but none were successful. Tried driving to Seattle to catch a plane, didn’t work. You tried leaving by bus, didn’t work. You tried hitchhiking, Chief Police Swan had to come pick you up after your mom called.

A lot of times your anger would get the best of you in the arguments after your attempts to leave and it wasn’t pretty. Your mom could only think of one thing that she could do to prevent you from getting in anymore trouble with her and prevent you from getting in trouble with the police. Anger management classes.

‘To hell with those’ you’d think when the idea was mentioned. You weren’t gonna bother with some stupid class that teaches you to be mindless and obedient.

The classes would start at around five in the afternoon, giving enough time to get home from school and go back. When your mother had dropped you off for the class at the high school, you waited for her to leave the area so you could sneak off. With nothing to do for an hour and a half you had decided that you would go take a trek through the forest.

The hike had taken you quite a bit of a distance toward the northern ridges, where the mountain streams would be, in the thirty minutes you had been in the forest.

You had taken a break by the bankside of a small ravine when you noticed movement behind your form a couple meters away. You turned around to find a mountain lion watching your form in the grass. One thing you did learn in school back home in Las Vegas was you could do one of two things when coming face- to-face with a mountain lion. One, make yourself look as big as possible to look intimidating or two, run as fast as you could.

Being the bad bitch you are, you never stood down from a fight, even if it was against a mother fucking man eating mountain lion. You spread your arms and started cursing at it, trying to make yourself like a bear to the predator. The lion cowered from what you assumed to be your stance and constant cursing, but turns out there was something much larger and scarier to the mountain lion that stood behind you.

Jacob had found you wandering around the forest. You stood on the Cullen side while he stood on the Quileute’s. He didn’t see your face but just followed your form feeling a strong tug dragging him along. At a lower part of ravine you had stopped and Jacob eyed you from the other side wondering why you were out by yourself at around this time. Predators would be out at this hour hunting for their next meal with the cover of the falling sun to hide them.

Jacob saw the mountain lion that was stalking you from it’s place in the grass. You had turned around to see it eyeing you for it’s next meal. Jacob had to do something, he couldn’t let you get hurt, but that would mean revealing himself to you in this form and entering the Cullen’s territory.

He did what he felt was right. Jumping to the other side of the ravine, to your unbeknownst, he stood behind you intimidating the mountain lion. The mountain lion, who became submissive to the presence behind you, ran away with the tail between it’s legs.

You were so proud of yourself for five seconds because you scared off a mountain lion, until you could feel a bigger presence behind you. Of course already being in a defensive mode you did what you would’ve done to the mountain lion or anyone that would try and attack you, you threw your fist.

Jacob did not expect this. He expected that you at least turn, scream, and run away, but not throw your whole fist like you are Mike Tyson in a fight. As you threw your deadly hook, Jacob couldn’t help himself but admire your face for the first time when you twisted around. And that was when he felt it.

The pull of his gravity no longer attached to the earth but now to you, his imprint that was going to land a punch to his muzzle. You were so beautifully poised in your movement to defend yourself, how could he not admire your reflexes as he felt himself fall further in love with you. He was so used to being the defender and not the defended, it was a nice change to see that you could protect yourself unlike others he knew.

That was how your first meeting with him went two months ago. Now in present times, Jacob wanted to introduce you to Bella at the Cullen graduation party. Agreeing to go, Jacob also brought along Quil and Embry. They had become good friends of yours, despite you getting them into some of your shenanigans and sometimes getting them in trouble with Sam.

Pulling up to the party on Jacobs bike with Embry and Quil on their own, you admired the exterior of the property but it wasn’t like anything you hadn’t seen in Vegas. The houses, including you old house, were a little more extravagant in Vegas.

Jacob helped you off the bike and gave you a full once over.

“Don’t you look sexy, you trying to impress someone (Y/N)?” Jacob joked before giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“Nah babe, if anything you friend should be trying to impress me after what she did to you,” you noted facing the house.

Jacob had told you about Bella coming over and using him as emotional support when her boyfriend had dumped her, and when she had heard that she had a chance of getting him back she had dumped Jacob like a hot piece of shit. You thought it wasn’t right, if anything you thought that she should've been honest with her intentions instead of dragging Jacob along. You were furious that this girl treated your man like this and wanted to give her a piece of your mind but Jacob told you not to.

Jacob had been helping you control your anger like he does when he doesn’t want to turn. You guys would meet up in the forest every time your mother would drop you off for anger management classes and would practice plus steal a couple kisses here and there.

Jacob turned you back around to him to look in your eyes, “I know you aren’t particularly fond of Bella but can you try to be, please for me? We’re on their land we have to be at least,” Jacob paused before finding the right word, “polite”

“Fine,” you bite your tongue holding back from saying “as long as she is”.

“Thar’s my girl,” Jacob kisses your temple before holding your waist with one arm and leading you inside, as Embry and Quil trail behind.

You guys walked into the lively party, you recognize most of the people as peers of yours from school. The vibe of the party felt relaxed and joyful but not thrilling like the parties back home, but this wasn’t back home so it would have to do.

After climbing the stairs to the main part of the party, Jacob looked around to find a familiar face amongst the crowd, Bella’s face you assumed. Finally noticing her on the opposite side of the party, where most people were chilling and not on the dance floor, Jacob guided you over.

Bella walked over to Jacob, Embry, Quil, and you looking lost at the party.

“Jacob, hi,” Bella said going in for the hug to which he reciprocated removing the arm around your waist. Jacob placed his arm back around you.

“Hey Bells, congrats on graduating”

“Yeah thanks, glad it’s over,” Bella expressed awkwardly looking around. You guess she was looking for her boyfriend but to also avoid the tension of them being in close proximity.

To end the awkward air Jacob spoke up again, “Bella this is (Y/N), my imprint and girlfriend”

“Sup,” and you nodded your chin up. This was something you usually did instead of nodding your head down. You liked establishing that you didn’t bow to no one.

“So you stuck with Jakey over here,” Bella tried to joke not knowing how to interact with you.

“And you’re stuck with the stiff,” you sarcastically joked back but it coming across as slightly defensive. Jacob squeezed your side to remind you about your promise before coming in.

“(Y/N) just moved here a couple months back from Vegas,” Jacob cut in, “I saved her from a mountain lion when I was out on patrol”

“So she knows about you?”

“Actually she knows about more than just us,” Jacob uttered looking down.

That’s right, Jacob had told you not only about Sam’s pack but he had to tell you about the Cullen’s because you lived in Forks and not on the reserve. The treaty made it hard sometimes to watch you but you go to the reserve most of the time so he could protect you and more.

“You told her about them?!” Bella spoke under her breath annoyed that Jacob told you about the Cullens, “Jacob, what the hell? That’s not your place to tell her about that.”

“What, is there something wrong with that?” you piped into the conversation, “Jacob just wants to protect me. I’m not sorry he told me, especially if I’m going to stay in his life”

You went there. If Bella was going to chastise, manipulate, and try to control Jacob like she did when her boyfriend left, you weren’t going to let it happen.

“It is just as much his secret as it is yours and your boyfriends family. Don’t try and call him out for doing something he thought was right. Especially if it concerns the one’s he loves. You’re no longer one of the only humans apart of this and in danger. Now excuse me I’m going to go find a drink,” you turned Jacob’s head towards yours and planted a kiss on his lips. You could feel his lips turn from tight-lipped to a smile under yours.

Breaking from the kiss, you turned on your heel you went to try and find a decent drink in the house.

“Wow didn’t expect that,” Bella breathed out, running her hands through her hair, after being slapped with that reality check.

“Yeah sorry about that, she means well but she’s a little firey. She just wants to make sure that I’m protected as well. You’ll like her when she warms up to you,” Jacob told Bella still smiling about the fact that you only chewed her out at your lowest level of anger.

It could’ve been a lot worse but Jacob knew that you were trying to bite your tongue. You had good intentions but the way they came across wasn’t always the most pleasant way.

After Alice had her vision at the party and they discussed about the Newborns coming to Forks, Jacob, yourself, Embry, and Quil enjoyed the rest of the party.

As the night came to a close so did the party, but something did ponder on your mind. You might have been a little harsh with meeting Bella at the beginning of the party and it did make your chest fill with guilt. You could’ve been nicer but something needed to be said, just at least not like that.

As you walked out of the house party with Jacob, hand-in-hand, Bella had come out to wave a quick goodbye. Bella stood on the porch steps when she called out to you guys.

“Jacob!” the boy in question turned around to see her standing on the porch,”I’ll see you tomorrow at the thingy”

Jacob nodded, “See ya then Bells”

You let go of Jacob’s hand before leaning over to him and whispering in his ear, “Give me a minute, you can start up the bike”

Jacob looked between Bella and you before understanding what you were about to do, “Don’t punch her please”

“I won’t babe, promise,” you winked before walking back over to the porch.

You observed how Bella visibly tensed up at your approach like she was ready to either cower away or square up to fight. She stuffed her hands into her pockets after wiping them on her black leggings.

“I want to apologize, which is something I don’t usually do, about the way I came off,” you paused before continuing,”But I was just saying what had to be said. Im’ma be brutally honest and tell you what you did awhile ago to Jake was horrible. However, I’m willing to put everything about tonight and before in the past, alright?” you remarked more with assurance than as an actual question.

“Yeah that sounds good. It was nice meeting you,” Bella took her hand from her right pocket and offered to shake it as a peace offering. You shook it trying to be polite about the situation before walking back over to Jacob on the bike.

Your handsome boyfriend passed you your helmet, before kissing you on the cheek.

“I’m proud of you,” he gleamed as appreciation that you were good for the most part and then apologizing.

“So proud that I get a reward when I get home,” you muttered into his ear biting your lip seductively.

“Maybe,” he teased and then kissed you passionately on the lips. You loved when Jacob would give you kisses like this in the woods like no one was there watching.

“Get a room!” Embry yelled over to you two. Him and Quil waited on their bikes, that are already to go, waiting for you two.

He broke away to put on his helmet and you did the same. Jake waved over to Bella before revving the engine and skidding out the driveway with Quil and Embry in tow.

You couldn’t wait until you got back and see what your reward is.

MASTERLIST

#jacob black #jacob black x reader #jacob black imagine #jacob black imagines #jacob black oneshot #twilight #twilight imagines #twilight x reader #twilight imagine #jacob black x fem!reader #midnight sun #midnight sun 2020 #wolf pack #twilight wolf pack #wolf pack imagine #x reader #reader #imagines

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onlyhereforangst · 4 years ago

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WWR

i mean i only had three weeks to get it done so naturally i’m finishing it three days before the next ep airs, would you expect anything less?

Ok we start off hot with a subtly jealous Nick scene and I love it. Ellie is like stunned that such a thing even exists “a covid crush” because lets be honest, she probably has no eyes for anyone else at this point - even if it’s been a YEAR (well 10ish months) a whole ass YEAR since the jail cell scene and can I just tell you I am mad about that. Why they do us dirty and skip a whole dang year?? Why can’t we quick flash forward every couple of months?? I mean I know it has felt like an entire year has gone by in a week, RIP 2020 no one will miss you, but like I wanted to see it 😩 and I better get at least some kind of explanation for whatever the F has gone down between these two from “well what are we gonna to about that as we stand 5 inches apart” to now. I demand this explanation.

Anyways, back on track here - Nick is jealllllllous BUT different kind of jealous for this man because for once he’s not all dark and broody about it. He’s over here willingly, *willingly* bringing up said jealousy aaaand he’s smiling about it (!!!) because despite them still not being together (where’s the Gibbs’ headslap when you actually need it amiright) he’s not worried about this crush. He knows her feelings and his so it’s like yeah I’m a little jealous but also I’m gooood, I got this one in the bag 😏 (also can I just say I need Ellie to show him he does not in fact ‘have this in the bag’ if he’s gonna act like a little shit and push her away).

This whole thing about babysitting and not wanting to take care of other living beings is very very very interesting considering they both loved taking care of Charlie (Cody, I blame this on pregnancy brain thank you @thekeyboardninja) in the end AND EVEN TALKED ABOUT PARENTING EVENTUALLY. So like, where did we backtrack??? Excuse me who allowed you to do such things. I’m feeling like they likely backtracked (this was s16 after all) because once again, the dust settled after their super close vulnerable moment and they went and hid behind those stupid walls they both have and somehow convinced themselves that being alone was better for them. IT’S A LIE YALL IT’S A LIE. You being together and taking care of each other is exactly what you need and it’ll be perfect and amazing and just DO IT ALREADY 😭

The team moment with Jimmy is so 🥺 and throughout the episode. I’m not going to touch on that stuff much because this is ellick focused but also because I truly do not need to sob again (even if I called Breena dying from covid like months ago and knew exactly what was coming with all of it but you know, I still cry, it’s fine, I’m fine).

Ellie knowing Gibbs uses a weighted blanket and Nick doubting her is just comical to me 😂 mini side note before we get into how they have a thiiiiiing and it’s called always getting dibs on the elevator in tandem for months and McGee HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL. These two are so in sync even if they are still spectacularly failing at talking this out & taking that next step. Also months of Gibbs riding down the elevator with just those two…….the third wheeling must be slowly killing the old dude, give him a break you two.

Tell me why these two have the exact same stance in the bullpen- could you be more obvious?? You rubbing off on each other. And then the walking up to the barbershop scene I caaaan’t. Ellie is SO flirty. Like so flirty. Who is this new Ellie and why do I love her so much. But Nick gives it right back too and her little giggle with shoulder shrug is just perfect. She’s fiiiiinally letting herself *feel* more and let it be out in the open and it’s just so great. I love seeing this character development for her 🥺 walls coming down, being more forward with her flirting and feelings and it’s all I’ve ever needed. Also we’re gonna take a small detour into Nick’s pants I mean the notebook he casually stashes in the front of his jeans like it doesn’t make a person look RIGHT. THERE. Don’t ask me why it’s hot, I don’t know the answers to the universe, it just is. We knoooooow Ellie is loving it’s location there, she wouldn’t mind flirtatiously taking it out at the next stop to “check” where they needed to go. You know, just helping a partner out- don’t worry Nick she’s got it handled 😏😏🔥🔥 Ok back from our detour, when Nick asks if she’s got him and she answers so quickly and almost with the undercurrent of “of course I do how is that even a question I’ll protect you until the day I die” (yes this is what she says), I love.

Ok since when does Nick like puzzles and how does Ellie know this??? He was most certainly NOT a puzzle kind of guy when he first joined the team so are you telling me that maybe Ellie and her nerdiness (come on there’s no way she doesn’t love puzzles) got Nick into puzzles??? Also also also does everyone remember that time in covid lockdown where literally everyone and their mother did five thousand puzzles because we couldn’t leave our houses? Soooooo is this a nod to Ellie & Nick spending some time together doing puzzles (at presumably Ellie’s apartment because she’d be the one to have said puzzles) and turns out Nick loves them even more than she did???? Is this what you’re making me read in between the lines NCIS? Because I am most certainly ok with this.

Ooooooooh-kay this 8pm thing for Nick. SO many possibilities. It’s been confirmed it wasn’t Ellie (which I won’t lie was my immediate wish) via Steven Binder on twitter (which I also won’t lie, my angst heart loves it’s something else). My take is it’s something (not another girl though) personal- I would *love* if it was therapy or some type of personal development thing. I think he realizes over the past year he has involuntarily retreated emotionally from Ellie even if outwardly it doesn’t show (no personal space and continued flirting). I think he *knows* he’s doing it emotionally and yet can’t figure out how to stop himself from doing it- like on the outside of his body watching him make a dumb mistake but unable to change a damn thing. SO I feel like whatever this 8pm thing is will play into that. It’ll somehow be related to Nick diving deeper into himself and trying to get more in touch with the parts of himself he loves to ignore/hide/push down. That could be therapy, a self-help class, getting in touch with family (but I don’t think he would feel the need to get secretive about this. i mean he already brought up Lucia to this dude, why would he all of a sudden be ashamed of a dinner/meeting with his mom or dad or something? i just don’t buy that). But anyways back to the point- it’s something Nick feels the need to hide in shame because that’s how he’s been conditioned as an undercover agent who feels the need to be tough and strong for everyone and being vulnerable is WAY too scary (helloooooo enneagram 8 nice to meet you I’m also an enneagram 8 Nick isn’t it fun).

I don’t know why them talking so casually on the phone, while Nick is getting ready for the day no less is so damn pleasing to me. The simple domesticity of it all because it’s totally something one would do with their spouse is just 🥰🥰 And then their little freaking smiles can THEY NOT. Ellie you like glazed donuts?? Is this some kind of hint? Innuendo? Just a glaringly obvious chance to flirt and you don’t give a rat’s ass you’re in the middle of the bullpen with Gibbs’ listening to your conversation so you’ll take that chance anyways because you’re head over heels for this guy? Either way Nick’s little smirk oof. I think he takes it as all three of those things and he’s *perfectly* ok with it. UNTIL until, there’s always an until with you Nicholas god damn. Ellie nervously asking about NIck’s apartment 🥺 she may be head over heels but she’s still a little shy and unsure. She thought that jail cell moment would break things through for them and yet she’s- not to quote Taylor swift or anything because why on earth would I do that- right where you left her. WHY NICHOLAS WHY. Since we know Ellie has seen and is very familiar with the inner workings of Nick’s apartment come 16x10, I presume he moved, and it sounds like recently. From the looks of this new place it’s niiiiice. For someone who doesn’t like a lot of things (see s14 when he joins team I don’t remember the exact ep sorry) - he sure managed to settle into that apartment quite nicely. It’s furnished well, it’s homey for DC. And if he’s moved into it since after the jail cell, letting Ellie in is likely a big step in his eyes. But we know this has got to be a weird shift for Ellie. Seemingly so comfortable in each others’ spaces and now she hasn’t even been invited over?? Yeah you smell something fishy girl just like I do. Even if Nick has a cute ass smirk at the end of his little charade to hang up the phone. Wipe that smirk off your face sir you owe us I mean Ellie an explanation and a visit to your apartment. SHE WANTS TO BE YOUR HOUSEGUEST. SHE WANTS TO BE IN YOUR HOUSE. SHE WANTS TO BE IN YOUR PANTS WHILE IN THAT HOUSE. JUST LET HER ALREADY. Ok I’m done, moving on.

Ok the guys opening the doors dramatically to let the one (1) woman on the team make a super badASS entrance is just 🔥🔥🔥 yes love it.

Excuse me why does Ellie feel the need to completely turn her body from the rest of the team/bullpen to be 100% faced on Nick. Body language don’t lie bitch I see you. And Nick stealing a glance at Ellie before having to answer McGee’s question about roommates…..interesting, very interesting sir. You thinking about how she’s going to react to some rando being in your apartment AND staying the night before she has?? You thinking about making her a permanent roommate?? But of course he turns to quick humor for a hot sec because this is Nick and then shockingly, like actually shockingly (is this that personal development, soul-searching, deep dive into emotional wonderland rubbing off on him??? Is it working is this foreshadowing???) he goes and gets deep on ‘em. And McGee calls him on it and I love it, I really think this is some foreshadowing here. I think we’re seeing some of the work Nick is doing on himself, getting himself ready for as serious as a relationship as he knows it’ll be with Ellie, paying off. He’s thinking about ~*emotional*~ consequences to actions and OOF yes. The growth, I live for the fucking growth. “It’s not easy to get through the tough transitions on your own” you say as you literally tried to do that for actual YEARS until you met this team. Until you met Ellie. Until you realized that emotional fallout was a real thing and you my friend are a terrible victim to it. Because guess what- exhibit A is right here about to ask you to dinner and you gonna turn her down. You quite literally tried to get through a tough transition (re: Ellie’s kidnapping & the two bombs) by yourself. That dust settled and you immediately emotionally retreated, not physically- emotionally. You went back to what you always knew, the lone wolf on your own, endure the tough transition. And yes you’ve been doing some work on yourself, but now- now you realize it. You can’t do work on yourself alone. You can’t go through this shit alone. You need your support system- your person. But that thought truly terrifies you. You’ve realized it but are you ready to act on it? Not quite yet. You might be close, but you still can’t bring yourself to be honest with her yet. When Ellie nervously asks Nick if he wants to grab a bite you can feel her start to (it’s probably been there quite a while but she’s tried to ignore the feeling of him emotionally shutting her out and pushing her away but the houseguest thing brought it back full force) really worry about where they stood. She won’t completely admit it to herself because she knows what was said in the jail cell wasn’t a lie or a dramatization for either of them, but that worry that’s been creeping in like a vine is taking hold. Nick saying “there’s something I need to take care of” hmmmmm I feel like this is SO vague. And probably purposely done so by the writers but I just - if it was solely him bringing the dude back to his daughter’s why wouldn’t he just tell Ellie that? What would be the harm in her knowing this? She’s aware you’ve bonded so why would he not just say that? I feel like there was definitely something else he thought he would go do after it. With all the talk of tough transitions and then his obviously pre-made plans to drop this guy off, I just feel like there was some other task he had planned before McGee called him. And him discussing the reset button (I’ll get to this) just kind of solidifies that for me. He’d been doing a LOT of reflection that day and he had something more major planned, I just wish I knew what 😩 Ok back to Ellie’s response, she’s honestly shocked and a little confused at his ominously vague answer. And I’d wager a tiny bit of hurt is in that expression too. All those vines of worry taking hold? Yeah, that’s why. They even just tightened and made her speechless for a second. The emotional withdrawal she feared was being confirmed in front of her very eyes. Because (at least on our screens) the last time Nick turned down a bite to eat with her? Oh yeah, he was dating fucking Elena. (Once again, I don’t think he’s got another girl but y’all this is the parallel Ellie could easily draw seeing as it was only a few months ago, supposedly.) And he even looks almost guilty about turning her down, like he knows it’s probably hurting her (and their relationship) but he can’t help it. He hates that he’s doing it and the words coming from his mouth (good lord it’s like the end of 17x07 with overprotective/you’re like a sister to me all over again) but he can’t stop it. And then my heart breaks for Ellie when she tries to put on a brave, strong face that claims she isn’t bothered by his rejection yet we all knoooooow 😭😭😭 He gives her a small little “night” and she’s just standing there wondering where the hell she went wrong with this, how she read them all wrong.

Ahhhhh the glorious reset button, ya love to see it. When he claims he has the opposite problem you can see his faraway look in his eye. You know *exactly* what, or better yet who, he’s thinking about in that moment. He knows he has to stop avoiding his emotional growth with Ellie. He knows he has to stop hitting the reset button the second things between them get real. And I think he’s known this for a while now but is finally, finally coming to grips with taking real steps forward. Taking steps to embrace the vulnerability he’s terrified of. Finally putting that reset button away 🥺

Ellie knowing Nick has one tie is just another swoon moment. Yes I could get dirty with that (see my tags on previous gifsets for proof) but like, also this is so real of them? They know so damn much about each other it’s insane. She may not have even been in his apartment yet but she knows he owns one tie. Like- come on. Nick you think you’re emotionally distant from this woman but my god it’s the opposite. You two are so intertwined you don’t even realize it as you chuckle and try once again to avoid thinking about that reset button. And then Jimmy goes and reads that letter and I sob. Yes I sobbed. Like I said not getting into this part because my pregnancy hormones can’t handle this (I’m barely rewatching this part with audio ok). But Jimmy’s words voiced over a shot of ellick…take my heart why don’t you. “To hear a laugh, and know that your life would change for ever” like come ON. First, Jimmy you slay me and second, all I can picture is Ellie chuckling with Nick in the bullpen showing him the clicker settings and Nick loving it. Nick your life would be changed forever in that moment I hope you knew. Ellie, pulling her arm around Nick’s for strength, support, I just-. Despite the turmoil she’s been going through, the doubts and the worry that’s crept in- she still feels it. She still feels love for this man and knows her life was changed forever when she met him. No matter how long she tried to deny it, she knows. And that little piece of her that desperately clings to Nick getting his head out of his ass and opening up emotionally to her, that piece decides to break that sliver of personal space and lean on him for support. She needs to touch him- the man who she can’t picture losing like Jimmy lost Breena. She needs to feel him still there, even if he hasn’t completely realized his life changed forever because of her- she has. Gripping his arm for the comfort it gives in knowing he’s still by her side, his hand brushing hers as an involuntary “I’ve got you” (even a reset button pusher like Nick can’t help his reflexes). The gravity of the fragility of life weighing heavily on them both, they hold each other. They’ve got each other. And good god is that poetry we just need them to actually fucking TALK ABOUT IT 😩😭

I don’t know if I even have side notes but I do appreciate NCIS paying homage to the utter grief this pandemic has been. Jimmy being the one to lose a loved one was quite honestly the perfect scenario to me. It shows just how cruel this pandemic has been, ripping even the most optimistic, happy people down to their knees in grief. It’s something that shouldn’t be glossed over and I do hope they continue to have this arc of struggling with grief throughout the season. I think it is so relatable and refreshing to see played out legitimately on the screen. I don’t want happy, go-lucky stale content. I want something real and something tangible. Yes I love my mindless entertainment, but it’s also nice to see *real* drama on a TV drama. At least, that’s my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’d apologize but isn’t that why you’re reading this to begin with? 😘😘

#ellick #ncis #wwr #18x07 #torres x bishop

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whumpwriterforlife · 3 years ago

Note

I love your writing! You write Nyx(and Cor & Crowe) so well! I don't know if it's alright to send in more requests, so feel free to ignore this, but I would like to request forced to kneel with Nyx. Please continue to share your writing as you like, it never fails to brighten my day!

It's most definitely alright to send more requests, don't worry! Here you go, forced to kneel with some badass Nyx. Thank you for your continued support and interest in my writing, it means a lot to me <3

BTHB - Forced to Kneel

Those crossed in blue have been done, pink ones have been requested.

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Characters: Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius & Cor Leonis (with mentioned Libertus Ostium)

Whumpee: Nyx Ulric

Word Count: 1749

Warnings: None

Can be found on ao3 here

“Down on your knees!”

Nyx rolled his eyes and made no move to comply as he stood there, surrounded by a handful of armed men. He flipped one of his kukris, studying the blade for a moment before sliding it back into its sheath. The other was still in his grip, ready for action. Nyx shook his head and looked at the man in charge. “And why would I do that?”

The man scoffed, something dark and dangerous flashing across his face. Nyx frowned. There was a condescending tone to his voice as he spoke, “You’re not a very wise man, are you, Glaive Ulric?”

“Wise enough to make it past your security without being detected.” Nyx shrugged. He didn’t let the fact that the man knew his name phase him. It was a poor intimidation tactic as far as he was concerned, considering he had had his name and face plastered on news — against his wishes — on numerous occasions because apparently he was the poster boy for the Kingsglaive, regardless of his stance on the matter.

“Yet foolish enough to come without any backup,” the man pointed out as he slowly sauntered closer. A brave move for a man who was noticeably smaller than Nyx and clearly not a fighter. Then again, he had two armed men flanking him, one on each side. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy to get through my men and free your friends?”

“Did you really think that,” Nyx paused to glance around the hall, “five men, plus yourself, would be enough to stop me? You know my name, you know what I’m capable of.”

He didn’t even wait for his words to sink in before he threw his kukri and warped. He landed in front of one of the underlings and struck him to the temple, knocking him out. He could kill them, it wouldn’t take much, but the men could be interrogated and used to bring the whole organization down. Nyx also detested needless bloodshed. Underling Two tried to come at him with a knife but Nyx moved out of the way and disarmed him with a twist to the wrist. Panic flashed across the underling’s face as Nyx hooked his hand behind his neck and threw him against the wall.

Two down for the count, four to go.

A gunshot echoed in the hall, and Nyx grunted as he felt something rip through his side. His kukri slipped out of his grasp, clattering across the floor, as his hand dropped to his side. His hand came back red with blood. Nyx hissed but there was no time for him to worry about it as underlings Three and Four charged at him. Underling Three had a stun gun in his hands and Nyx could hear the nasty crackling sound coming from it as it came alive. He ducked under Three’s arm, wincing as his side protested, and grabbed him by the wrist. Underling Four didn’t realize Nyx’s plan until it was too late and he was writhing on the ground as the electricity coursed through his body.

Underling Three cursed and twisted in Nyx’s grasp. The stun gun fell to the floor but Three managed to break free and shove Nyx back. Nyx stumbled a bit, Then underling five was on him, throwing punches at him. The first couple Nyx managed to block just fine but then one got past his defenses and landed right above his injured side. A strangled noise ripped out of Nyx’s throat as he instinctively curled around the wound protectively. It gave Three and Five enough time to grab his arms and force him down to his knees.

“Stay down!” one of the underlings ordered.

Nyx hissed, baring his teeth, as his knees hit the floor and pain reverberated through his body. His chest heaved up and down, breathless, as he tried to push past the white-hot pain. He still had a job to do. A hand snuck into his hair and wrenched his head back as the man in charge came to a stop before them.

“Well,” the man began, his face twisting into a smile that looked all kinds of wrong, “It would appear that, yes, five of my men were enough to bring you down.”

Nyx bristled at smug words. “Good for you.”

The man glanced at the two underlings that were holding him down and brushed them off. “You needn't hold him down, just stand guard. I have a feeling he won’t be trying anything again.”

Nyx’s eyes narrowed, and he could feel the hesitancy in the two underlings as well as they let him go. This man was either extremely brave or stupid, possibly both. Nyx lowered one of his hands over the wound on his side to apply pressure. He had fought in worse condition. It would hurt like a bitch to keep going but Nyx wasn’t one to just give up. “Why is that?”

Behind the man, a door opened and a handful of new underlings piled into the room. Nyx rolled his eyes but there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. The man had called backup then. The plan was coming along nicely. That didn’t mean Nyx didn’t think the man wasn’t stupid — he most definitely was.

The man looked down at Nyx with an unreadable expression. “I find it curious that the Crown could only spare one single man for this rescue mission. Of course, there’s been rumors about how some important people find the members of the Kingsglaive more expendable, but I couldn’t bring myself to quite believe that. Intriguing.”

Nyx shrugged. “Are you sure I came here alone?”

The man frowned at him, a calculating look on his face. Nyx just flashed him one of his more charming smiles. The man’s eyes narrowed and he turned on his heels to look at the newcomers. Nyx could see him tense as he shouted, “Who’s guarding the glaives?”

“Rendell, Sir,” someone responded.

The man dug out his phone and tapped furiously on it before bringing the phone to his ear. Nyx just watched him, his smile never wavering. A minute passed. The man didn’t get a response. The phone cracked against the floor as the man threw it with a frustrated growl. His eyes were filled with fury as he locked eyes with Nyx.

“What did you do?” he snarled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“Me?” Nyx asked innocently. “Nothing. Well, I did bypass your security, get here and knock out a few of your guys but you already knew that much. Now I’m kind of… well, bleeding all over your floor. Sorry about that.”

The man stormed over to Nyx and pushed him down with a foot to the chest. Nyx winced and gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying out as his side was jarred.

“Don’t expect me to believe that. Something is going on, and you know exactly what it is,” the man told him in a low, icy tone. His foot moved down on Nyx’s chest and over the hand he was using to apply pressure on the wound. Nyx stiffened, a sharp curse leaving his lips as the man put more weight on the wound. “Tell me, and I won’t make you suffer.”

Nyx laughed but it came out strained. “Did you ever consider— that maybe I’m not the rescue party,” he said and groaned when the man’s foot shifted. He still smirked though, despite the pain. “That maybe, instead, I’m the decoy.”

The man’s face twisted with fury but before he could do anything, Nyx had summoned a knife from the armiger and thrown it across the room to warp. The room burst with activity and noise, the doors on both sides of the hall flung open as other glaives rushed in. Nyx faltered as he landed from the warp, sinking down onto his hands and knees. He lowered one of his hands back over the wound and hissed. Getting shot sucked big time.

There was a crackle of magic next to him and Crowe appeared next to him. There was a deep frown on her face as she took in the way he was holding his side. She muttered something about idiots under her breath as she moved Nyx’s hand aside to inspect the wound.

“Dammit, we need to get you to the medics, now,” she told him. She pulled Nyx’s arm over her shoulder to help him stand up. “I don’t have any potions left.

Nyx groaned, leaning heavily on Crowe. Despite being smaller than him, Crowe was strong and supported him with little trouble. Nyx licked his lips and swallowed hard. “Did they- the others, they okay?”

“Yes, they’re all fine. Some were a bit roughed up but nothing a few days’ rest won’t heal,” Crowe said as they started walking. “You, once again, are somehow in the worst shape. You fought them, didn’t you? When you were explicitly told not to.”

“Bah,” Nyx muttered, “The situation called for it. Can you- I think I left one of my kukris there.”

“I’ll have someone get them,” Crowe promised. “Then I’ll call Cor and let him know you were being an idiot.”

Nyx rolled his eyes but regretted it as the world spun in his eyes. “You two… mother hens.”

“You should make that three, I think Lib is waiting outside,” Crowe told him and Nyx could hear the amusement in her voice.

“Of course he is,” Nyx scoffed but then his voice softened. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A few minutes later Crowe left Nyx with the medics and stepped aside to go through with his threat to call Cor. Nyx grumbled about it, telling her to wait until he was in the hospital and already taken care of but she wasn’t having any of it. So, in the end, Cor was waiting for Nyx at the hospital when the ambulance got there. The doctors wanted to keep him there for a while as they needed to dig out the bullet before they could use any curatives on it. Cor never once left his side. It was nice and made Nyx feel all warm and fuzzy which is what he told Cor, in his special high-on-painkillers way that was mostly incoherent mush. Cor just laughed and subtly recorded it to send to the group chat that had him, Crowe and Libertus in it.

#badthingshappenbingo #forced to kneel #final fantasy xv #nyx ulric #crowe altius #cor leonis #libertus ostium #hurt nyx ulric #bamf nyx ulric #nyx ulric whump #kingsglaive final fantasy xv #my writing

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procrastinatorimagines · 4 years ago

Text

Our Little Secret (Part 4)

Fandom: TVD / The Originals

Series: Our Little Secret

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 //

Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 // Part 11 // Part 12 // Part 13 // Part 14 // Part 15 (Final)

Pairing: Klaus x Reader

Warning/s: none

Word Count: 2,552

Summary: It’s the Mikaelson family ball and Y/N just wants to have a magical evening with Klaus, but nothing is ever as it seems in Mystic Falls.

Tags: @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce // @april-14-blog // @akshi8278

It was a dance, it was just a dance, so why were you feeling so self-conscious?

Klaus had figured that it would be the best way to keep you safe, now that his family already knew about you going out in public together, and meeting his mother, seemed like the best way to ensure no blood would be spilled.

You’d noticed a change in Klaus recently, spending more time with his mother and family had given him a more optimistic approach to the future, and you were happy to see that this future he envisioned contained you.

He’d left you a dress, a gorgeous off the shoulder saphire ball gown, the price of which you didn’t even want to think about as you stroked the fabric on its hanger. Perfect fit, not that you were surprised, Klaus had always had an eye for that sort of thing.

Glancing back at that dress as you did your hair and make up, you started to feel optimistic too, maybe things were finally starting to look up In Mystic Falls, maybe...

Elena wasn’t happy that you were going with Klaus, but she’d been too preoccupied with something else to put up much of an argument, which wasn’t like her. There was definitely something else going on, but her and the Salvatores were keeping you in the dark. You’d never exactly been in their inner circle as such, but you knew they were keeping even more from you now that you were with Klaus, you just hoped everything was okay.

The house was swarming with elegantly dressed people as you arrived, Klaus waiting outside for you, arm out to take. His face lit up when he saw you, taking in the dress like he’d never seen it before, even though he’s the one who bought it.

All your fears about tonight melted away when you saw his smile, all that you wanted to focus on tonight was the two of you.

“Hello, love,” Klaus greeted you with a kiss on the cheek, “you look perfect,” you blushed, smoothing down the skirt of the dress as he smirked. Dresses weren’t usually your thing, especially something as fancy as the one you had on now.

“Thanks,” you replied, straightening out his tie a little before heading into the main room. You couldn’t help but look around in awe, the Mikaelson household was... impressive to say the least, it took your breath away. The columns, the marble, the chandelier... They certainly had refined taste, you guessed after a thousand years anyone would.

Klaus twirled you slightly as he led you onto the main floor, where some couples were already enjoying a moderately slow dance, it looked like a fairytale. It felt like one too as Klaus put a hand on your waist, leading you into a dance.

You couldn’t help but smile, looking up at Klaus as he looked at you in wonder, he was mesmerised by you. “I’m glad we get to do this,” you told him. Your friends and sister hadn’t arrived yet, so you were glad for some uninterupted moments with Klaus, and you relaxed into the magic of it all.

“There’s no one else I’d rather be here with,” he told you honestly, spinning you in time with the music and pulling back into him closer than before, faces inches apart as he dipped you gently. This was all that you’d wanted, to be out with Klaus in public, everything else a million miles away, you could almost forget about anything else that had happened, and for a second you allowed yourself to feel normal. You were just a girl, and he was a boy, and you were enjoying a dance.

That fantasy didn’t last long though, as you spotted Damon, Stefan, and Elena entering as Klaus leaned in for a kiss. He stopped when he noticed your expression harden a little, turning to see them enter. Elena’s eyes went straight to the two of you, flanked by the Salvatore’s like they were her bodyguards.

She looks amazing, she always did, and with the Salvatores looking like that, it looked like some kind of cat walk as they swept across the floor and into the hall. You and Klaus paused your dance as the music began to change.

“Everything alright love?” Klaus asked you with a nod in the direction of your sister. You wanted to say yes but honestly you weren’t sure, they couldn’t be planning anything for tonight could they? Besides, what was there to plan, everyone was on peaceful terms now, weren’t they?

“I hope so,” you said honestly, not being able to give him a proper answer as you saw the rest of his siblings fill into the hall. Most of the guests had arrived now, Klaus would be going to help make a toast with his family soon, and then you’d be formally meeting them as his girlfriend.

You felt extra nervous, you’d probably have felt the usual level of nervous meeting your boyfriend’s family if he was a regular human, but Klaus was a thousand year old Original vampire, whose siblings were just as old and whose mother was a seriously powerful witch. No big deal right?

“They’ll love you,” he tried to reassure you, sensing the dread that was creeping in. He seemed so sure, so happy now, you wished you were as confident as him about this whole situation, but you still had this feeling, something you couldn’t shake.

But you tried, putting on another smile as you squeezed his hand, “well as long as you do, that’s all that matters,” you told him as Elijah called everyone to attention, standing in the middle of the spiral staircase, glass in hand for a toast.

Klaus winked at you, kissing you on the cheek quickly as he made his way to where his siblings were taking their places. You gravitated a little towards Elena, not wanting to stick out too much in the crowd as the Mikaelson’s began to look around at the guests.

You had a sinking feeling that some were sizing up their next meals, but you tried to shake that feeling, you eyes shooting to the new figure that appeared next to the siblings. She was older, more mature looking and dressed like she knew just how powerful she was. Her very stance seemed to command respect as she listened to Elijah make his toast.

Esther, their mother, you realised as you watched her, only half listening to what Elijah was saying, noting the way her eyes skimmed the crowd, looking between you and Elena curiously as she did.

Elijah wrapped up and everyone toasted, the Mikaelson’s all making their way down on the main floor to mingle. Klaus made a beeline straight for you, looking proud as his mother headed in the same direction.

You and Elena shared a look, and you could tell she was concerned about you, but she gave you a small supportive nod, one which you returned as you took a breath and met Klaus half way.

“Mother, this is Y/N, Y/N, this is my mother,” Klaus introduced the two of you, unable to contain a happiness you’d rarely, if ever, seen on him so openly. Esther offered you her hand to shake, her smile more tight and contained as she surveyed you carefully.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you told her as Klaus put an arm around your back.

She nodded, “the pleasure’s all mine, it’s good to finally meet the person whose made my Niklaus so happy, thank you.” Klaus looked a little embarrassed but your heart couldn’t help but swell.

“Well he makes me happy too,” you told her, not sure why you’d felt so nervous about meeting her. It’s not like you needed anyone else’s approval to be with Klaus, that much had been clear already, but you had to admit, it felt very good to be accepted by Klaus’ mother.

Klaus clearly looked like he felt the same way as he looked between you and his mother. That’s what was different, you realised, Klaus looked younger almost now, not so much weathered by the years now, like his mother being here had lifted a weight from his shoulders.

“I would love to stay and chat, but I think I best do some rounds first,” Esther excused her self, looking back at you for a second with an expression you couldn’t quite read before she headed off. You didn’t have a chance to think about what that meant before Klaus practically swept you off your feet.

“Another dance?” He offered you a hand very dramatically, dipping into it as he grinned at you, practically bowing.

“Don’t mind if I do,” you giggled, curtseying as best you could as accepting his hand, letting him bring you back onto the dance floor.

You lost track of Esther quickly, as Elena, but you didn’t give it as much thought as you should have done, too caught up in the moment with Klaus, your worry pushed away. Later, you’d wished you had given it more thought, realised that the evening had been so perfect that it must have been too good too be true.

But soon you were laughing and dancing with Klaus, so caught up in your own temporary happiness as you shared a champagne toast with all the other guests and enjoying the delicious food being served.

Before you knew it, Klaus was walking you home, both of you happy and content with your amazing night, his jacket over your shoulders as you talked and laughed. It was dark, but you could see the stars as you walked. Elena was already home when you arrived on your front steps, the light shining from the living room and her bedroom.

Your hand was still in Klaus’ when you paused at the door. “Tonight was perfect,” Klaus said, wrapping his arms lazily around you as he drew you in for a goodbye kiss. You were a little lightheaded when he eventually pulled away, or maybe it was the champagne, but whatever it was it had left a warm and pleasant feeling all over you.

“Yeah it was,” you replied, resting your forehead against Klaus’. “Goodnight Klaus.”

“Goodnight Y/N,” Klaus said finally, accepting his jacket back from you as he gave you another quick kiss, neither of you wanting this night to end but knowing that it had to.

You didn’t go inside straight away as Klaus headed down your steps, looking back at you multiple times before he disappeared from sight. Only then did you sigh, taking a breath before straightening up. Tonight had been a dream, but you knew it was about time to face reality.

Elena and the Salvatores had mercifully left you both alone most of the night, besides the occasional small talk, or back talk where Damon was concerned, so you didn’t know quite what to expect when you headed in. But it was time to face the music.

You unlocked the door and headed inside, not finding Elena in the living room or kitchen as you made yourself a glass of water, finally slipping off your heels and wandering up the stairs, a small smile still on your face as you made your way to your room.

Elena was clearly in hers, her door open a crack to reveal other figures too, Damon and Stefan no doubt, you thought as you opened your door, pausing as you caught your name being mentioned.

“Y/N will never forgive me,” you heard Elena saying, conflict clear in her voice as Damon scoffed.

“It’s for her own good, and for the good of everyone else,” he replied, “he’s a monster, and none of them are innocent, she’ll realise that eventually.” Were they talking about Klaus, the Mikaelsons?

“Damon’s right Elena,” Stefan agreed, “we’re better off without them.” You swallowed hard, not even daring to breath as you kept listening, hand frozen on your door handle. Without them?...

“Esther’s giving us a free pass, a way to kill the Originals once and for all, and I say we take it, you’ve already done the first step,” Damon said as your face turned to one of shock and horror.

They were going to kill the Mikaelson’s, kill Klaus, and Esther was helping them... That’s where they both disappeared off you, you realised, kicking yourself for letting your guard down, not registering what was happening right in front of you.

Damon saw you then out of the crack in the door, face falling as you turned quickly, dropping both your shoes and glass of water. It clattered to the floor as you tried to make your way down the stairs, but Damon was much quicker than you, blocking your path.

Stefan and Elena made their way out of the room then too, and Elena at least had the good sense to seem guilty as she stared at you.

“Well this won’t do,” Damon said, standing firm as you tried to push past him.

“I won’t let you do this,” you told them. Why couldn’t they see that Klaus wasn’t the demon they all thought he was? The Mikaelson’s were making a home for themselves here, they didn’t want anymore trouble...

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Damon informed you as Elena cast him a warning look, “what? We can’t let her tell Klaus.”

Elena was at a loss for words so Stefan spoke up. “Damon’s right, she’ll warn him the first chance she gets, we need to do something with her.”

“I’m standing right here,” you interjected angrily, “and you are not going to do anything to me. Elena-” you pleaded to your sister as she shared a look with Damon, having a silent conversation you couldn’t follow before they both looked back to you.

“I’m sorry Y/N, but it’ll all be okay, you’ll see, this will only be temporary I swear-” she tried to explain but you were hardly following.

“Elena what the hell are you talking about?” You demanded, your stomach dropped as strong hands grabbed you. Stefan looked sorry, but Damon was clear in his objective as he whisked you away from your sister, your house.

Before you knew it you were in a dark room, whirling around to find Damon shutting a large door. You were back at the Salvatore house, you were in the damn dungeons.

“Damon!” You yelled, slamming into the door as it shut, locking you in. “Damon!” You tried again but he shook his head.

“Sorry Y/N, but it’s for your own good,” he told you through the bars as you slapped and pushed at the wood, unable to do anything.

“You can’t leave me down here!” You cried out as he turned to walk away.

“It won’t be for long,” he promised, but it was a cold comfort for the one stuck in a cell.

You screamed in frustration, not saying anything in particular as Damon left, leaving you all alone, with no way to warn Klaus... They had a way to kill him, and you were stuck here, unable to do anything.

Sobbing you fell back against the door, slipping to the floor and curling your knees up to your chest.

What the hell were you going to do now?

#klaus mikaelson #the originals #the vampire diaries #klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus mikaelson imagine #klaus mikaelson imagines #the originals imagine #the originals imagines #the vampire diaries imagine #the vampire diaries imagines #our little secret

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sweet-evie · 4 years ago

Note

I really felt annoyed on that kallen and lelouch scene where kallen landed on top of him in a sense where both has something to go back after the battle i mean lelouch was asking her to go back with him, I just felt where would c.c. be after the battle, will she be forgotten after it? Will it be like okay c.c. your job here is done you may go and we will go back to our own ordinary lives, will lelouch just let her go if she decided to go....lol and the list go on, (this is me speaking beyond shipping and as a c.c. enthusiast) and if i didn't know that the director is pushing c.c. and lelouch to each other i will forever hate the series cuz c.c. deserves the best (i mean its very obvious with the official arts and scenes and i remember reading something about it before) (can we also assume that c.c. got jealous on that part too lol what would happen if c.c. didn't speak about tabasco will they kiss? lol) I also really have a love hate feeling w/ kallen, she is really a good pilot and i kinda ship him sometimes with suzaku, sometimes not because i love him with euphie, but really that tension whenever they are together fighting or not Idk if its their strong and badass character but they really look good and compatible with each other but then I really love her with Gino the most lol i mean if i find kallen and suzaku compatible then i find kallen and gino most compatible hahaha Its just that kallen can show that she can be weak/soft can be tired or can breakdown (and not the always strong her) with gino. (I hope you can understand this part) I love it when gino picked her up after her battle with suzaku. How I wished gino appeared more in the series, was introduce early and they had scenes more together. I sometimes dislike her cuz she is over reacting in a lot of times like she is just too much and almost in par with nina's reaction most of the times haha (i kinda dislike/hate kxl scenes in a sense too that its one sided like its mostly k and l shows no interest but sometimes it look like there is a mutual feeling between both of them(i mostly felt its one sided shen watching the movie especially the resurrection) (What can you say about their scenes?, when he put jacket to her while she was wearing bunny girl costume, the refrain scene, when she fell on top of him, when she was captured, their kiss? etc.) BUT if you look at c.c. and lelouch relationship and scenes together its just too consistent lol i just love it how lelouch always assured and pursued her from that rooftop scene after battling with Mao, if she is a witch then he'll became a warlock, when he discovered and promised her about fulfilling her true wish, when she asked him if he hated her for giving him the power of geass and about to do something if kallen did not interrupt and bonus: that resurrection scene when he decided to become L.L. (I LOVE WRITING THIS PART OF ASSURANCE AND PURSUING ABT CLUCLU, MY FAVORITE XD, pls add some if i forgot something) i also kinda agreed to that statement except c.c. part lol going around that Shirley -> Lelouch Lamperouge, Kallen -> Zero and C.C. -> Lelouch Vi Britania but doesn't C.C. knows all lelouch's persona and had been supportive and stayed with him from the very start and in whatever path he chose? 😂 I hate it that people come at c.c.'s age and that she witness lelouch grow up like, is her immortality her fault? Like people are okay for male characters of 123456790 age falling for main girls in dramas or some animes for example but not okay if its c.c. lol SORRY THIS POST IS SO LONG it was supposed to be focus only on the first part about THAT scene 🙏

Whoa~ You’re not lying, this is one hell of an ask 🤣😂😅 I read 4 topics in this xD:

Lelouch, Kallen, C.C. scene

Kallen ships (Suzaku or Gino)

Kallen x Lelouch vs C.C. x Lelouch

C.C. & Lelouch's Age-gap

Let’s go in!

Lelouch, Kallen, & C.C. Scene

(can we also assume that c.c. got jealous on that part too lol what would happen if c.c. didn't speak about tabasco will they kiss? lol)

Maybe, but who knows, to be honest. xD The whole interaction was very impulsive, considering the fact that Lelouch was still fresh off of bouncing back from his depression, which Kallen had witnessed and was at the brunt end of.

When Kallen fell on top of Lelouch, I do believe both of them were thinking about that one moment where Lelouch tried to use Kallen to forget his current circumstances. Perhaps part of Kallen wanted it, but knew it wasn’t right. So I adore her for bitch-slapping him. xD The idiot deserved it.

C.C. was just there... I’m not sure if she was jealous or not. Maybe she didn’t give a fuck xD Before I could form my own conclusions, the entire scene is interrupted again because Zero gets called out into the control room.

Kallen Ships (Suzaku vs Gino)

I agree with most of your points in this part.

Personally, in my own fics, I ship Kallen with Gino a lot because for me, Suzaku belongs with Euphemia by default.

But, I do see the chemistry and the sexual tension that could go between Suzaku and Kallen. Like maybe their fights are really just unresolved sexual tension 😂🤣

I imagine a romance between them would be very explosive, passionate, and rough. I don’t just mean this in terms of sex, I imagine their entire dynamic would swing this way too. They’re really opinionated, and they both literally fight for what they believe in, and their conviction is strong enough to rival each other’s.

Suzaku and Kallen just clash magnificently. On the other hand, Gino’s and Kallen’s personalities probably combine. They have things in common, but not too much to the point of being passionate and aggressive at the same time.

KaLulu vs CLuCLu

What can you say about their scenes?, when he put jacket to her while she was wearing bunny girl costume, the refrain scene, when she fell on top of him, when she was captured, their kiss? etc.

In that scene where he put his jacket on her, I think that’s gentlemanly of Lelouch. It’s something I expect from him considering he was born a prince, and also, he has a little sister. On a sidenote, I adore both him and Suzaku for being respectful towards the women in their circle, for the most part.

That refrain scene was a moment of grief for Lelouch and he was being erratic. I said it once or twice, I’ll say it again. I am so happy Kallen bitch-slapped him. It shows that she’s not willing to put up with bullshit, and believes that Lelouch is definitely better than that. Kudos to her, she may have slapped him to his senses. For Kallen, it was a moment of, “Please be who we need you to be.”

It was a brilliant turning point for Lelouch as well. After Nunnally was given the role of Viceroy, Lelouch, at least, realized that his war and his rebellion against Britannia wasn’t just for his sister anymore. It was for everyone he cared about too. It was for the people who counted on Zero’s idea of freedom and perhaps peace.

In summary, I made my stance clear on KaLulu on a separate post long ago. But the gist was, they may have felt romantic feelings for each other, but it was probably brief and suppressed in favor of their grander goals and all that shit that was already going down. Romance just wasn’t appropriate for Lelouch or any of the characters who had something at stake in the war.

In the end, Kallen chose Japan, and Lelouch chose Zero Requiem. That is that. 😊

BUT if you look at c.c. and lelouch relationship and scenes together its just too consistent

Lelouch & C.C.’s relationship is a slow-burn from the get-go. It’s part of the reason why it’s so appealing to me.

Let’s be honest, Lelouch doesn’t even view C.C. as human until halfway to R1, and C.C. took almost all of 2 seasons to acknowledge the fact that she cared about Lelouch.

i also kinda agreed to that statement except c.c. part lol going around that Shirley -> Lelouch Lamperouge, Kallen -> Zero and C.C. -> Lelouch Vi Britania

I understand why a lot of people like this argument. I, for one, believe there’s a grain of truth in it.

BUT in my own honest opinion, I think that is a little unfair to Kallen and Shirley. I’m sure Lelouch cared about the two of them in unique ways and perhaps chose to hide behind masks around them to protect them and to preserve his own façade. Hell, he lied to his own sister for most of the entire show because he thought it would protect her and would shield her from the horrors of the world. (It didn’t turn out well, did it? 🤣) Still, my point is, Shirley and Kallen would have been willing to understand and know Lelouch’s every mask. Lelouch himself, just didn’t let them. And it was for their own good, I believe.

So why C.C.?

If there’s anyone in the world who can understand people’s multiple points of view, it would probably be C.C... She lived through most of mankind’s history, and she’s been alive long enough to take multiple perspectives in, meet different types of people, and see lots of ridiculous shit xD Lelouch slowly becomes aware of this fact as the series progresses, and we do see him have deep conversations with her from time to time. She’s capable of being objective. She knocks some sense into him a lot, especially during the beginning. One notable example of this that I will never forget is the episode after Lelouch realized Shirley’s father died because of his actions. It showed how immature Lelouch was being and how idealistic -- thinking war only took out the bad guys in his side of the story. Point is, she knows when to chastise him and when to offer her consolation, which is part of the reason why Lelouch would pick her as accomplice anyway.

but doesn't C.C. knows all lelouch's persona and had been supportive and stayed with him from the very start and in whatever path he chose?\

C.C. does know him. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘supportive’, nonetheless wholly supportive.

C.C. had her self-serving reasons, just like Lelouch. C.C. was looking forward to the moment Lelouch could acquire enough power and take her Code from her, so she could die. That’s why she saved his ass a lot in R1 and perhaps at the very beginning of R2. Her wishes and her intentions morph very slowly, and at one point, perhaps even blended together -- half still wanted to die, the other half was slowly empathizing and caring for Lelouch.

But yes, none can deny that she stayed with him from start to finish.

C.C. could have left after Charles & Marianne died, and I don’t think Lelouch would have blamed her if she did -- considering it was obvious that he couldn’t fulfill his end of the contract anymore. But she stayed. She stayed and helped, and kept her promise to stay with him to the very end.

Lelouch & C.C.’s Age Gap

I hate it that people come at c.c.'s age and that she witness lelouch grow up like, is her immortality her fault? Like people are okay for male characters of 123456790 age falling for main girls in dramas or some animes for example but not okay if its c.c. lol

Lelouch & C.C.’s bizarre age-gap is literally not any different from an age-old vampire or any other immortal falling in-love with a human.

I can certainly point out plenty of stories that half this same massive age-gap, and its fans still love it.

#lelouch x c.c.#lelouch x kallen #suzaku x kallen #cluclu #lulucc #code geass #wbad ask me #wbad blog

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itsuki-minamy · 4 years ago

Text

“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 11: THE NIGHT BEFORE (Complete)

* K - The First Story (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Awashima bowed deeply into the command car parked in front of the Gakuenjima bridge.

"I'm sorry. Not only did I let the 'Red King' escape, but I also made this happen... it's all my responsibility."

"The expression on your face accepting such humiliation is not all bad."

Before Awashima seriously apologized, Munakata joined his hands and said that with a serious face.

"Captain."

"Feeling responsible for not being able to stop the 'Red King' is a sign of considerable arrogance."

The apology became an advance and she turned her eyes to guilt, but Awashima lowered her eyes again without saying anything to return to the lines of Munakata.

"Yes."

Awashima received it mysteriously, understanding that it was not an unstoppable mistake, but a reckless attempt to stop him.

Munakata stood up silently and left the command vehicle without further pursuit or mention.

"Still, it was troublesome."

Awashima also got out of the command car following Munakata and stayed a bit behind. Munakata looked towards Gakuenjima in cloudy weather. The panic that might have happened there couldn't be seen from here, and the island beyond the connecting bridge was silent in the middle of the sea.

But now that island is in danger of ending even this country.

Munakata opened his mouth with a sharper light in his eyes.

"The 'Red King' Mikoto Suoh occupies the school island. The purpose remains..."

"Capture Totsuka Tatara's killer."

"That's right... But if that person was another 'King', it would be really annoying."

"You mean the 'Colorless King'?"

Before Awashima, who said that with a firm expression, Munakata continued speaking.

"Unlike other kings, the Seventh King, the 'Colorless King', develops his own unique abilities with each substitution of him. You won't know what he looks like until he appears."

"A trickster who stirs up relations between 'kings'. He's like a joker in a deck of cards."

"Awashima-kun, I hate the joker. That smells like deception... I feel like he lacks justice. Especially when he's out of my hands."

Awashima was a bit surprised to see that he was blatantly thinking that it would be fair if he had the joker. However, even though she thinks he's pretty badass, she doesn't think he's wrong.

Munakata sighed a bit frustratingly, which was unusual for him.

"Well, it would be much easier if he remained secluded in the mountains like his predecessor Ichigen Miwa."

"An unpredictable 'Colorless King' is added to the 'Red King', which is equivalent to a bomb on the verge of detonation. I must say that this situation is extremely dangerous."

"Because we have not been able to capture the existence of the 'Colorless King', we have no choice but to hold down the 'Red King'. A full-scale collision with the Red Clan is inevitable."

By confirming the seriousness of the current situation, she was prepared. Awashima turns to Munakata, lines up her legs and stretches her spine.

"All units are ready for battle. You can give the order whenever you want."

Munakata looked back at Awashima after a brief pause.

"Awashima-kun. Can I make a rather selfish request?"

Awashima was surprised by the sound of the word "selfish" that came out of Munakata's mouth. Before Awashima asked the content of the expression "selfishness", it was not an order, instruction or request, a white thing fluttered next to Munakata's face.

Munakata and Awashima looked at the sky together.

From the heavy cloudy sky, the white shards began to flicker like petals.

"Snow."

Munakata muttered like a soliloquy.

++++++++++

The amount of snow that began to fall at dusk increased and piled up as if to cover the colors of the world.

Suoh was lying on the clock tower that he had knocked down, whether it started to snow or at night.

When he lay on his back on the rocky shore of the clock tower and looked up at the night sky where the snow continued to fall, he felt that the world had become two colors, black and white. The snow that touched his skin quickly melted and disappeared, but the snow that had accumulated on his clothes and hair was thickening on the board.

From the bottom, he heard small footsteps and the sound of chunks of rocky shore falling.

Suoh didn't move and was listening to the approaching noise.

However, he heard the sound of the rocky shore collapsing and reached out. What he grabbed with his left hand was Anna's hood.

"What are you doing?"

Suoh puts Anna's small body, which he clutched like a kitten, next to him and asks.

Anna blinked on the spot and looked at Suoh with a serious face.

"Because the snow piled up on Mikoto."

"What with that?"

"I'm in trouble if I can't see the color red."

Anna complained, looking very serious.

Suoh thought of the world through her eyes, which only reflected red, for a moment, but he couldn't quite imagine it, so he stopped immediately. Instead, he slightly released the power of red and the heat melted and evaporated the snow from his body.

The white snow that covered Suoh disappeared and Anna loosened her eyes a little.

"Mikoto's red is the most beautiful."

Anna said. It was like trying to give something important. Since Anna has few words, she seems like she puts an invisible power in every single word she says.

Anna lay down next to Suoh. When he reached out, she obediently put her small head on Suoh's upper arm.

"It's cold?"

"It's warm next to you. This is the only warm place."

Snuggled into Suoh's chest like a small animal, Anna closed her eyes silently.

Suoh silently looked at Anna, who closed her eyes as if she was at ease.

When he thinks about it, Anna has rarely asked Suoh for anything. The only thing she asked for was (I want Mikoto's red).

Maybe it was just that moment when she wanted to be a member of Suoh's clan.

Suoh finally heard the wish. He shared the flame with Anna and gave her what she called "red" to make her a member of his clan. He knew it was not the same as doing it to street boys in search of power, but he offered his hand on fire as she wanted.

Since then, Anna has been with Suoh. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't ask anything, she just snuggles with Suoh, she stares at Suoh's red and squints in satisfaction. Even now, even though she can see ahead of anyone, she remains silent next to Suoh.

When he was in the "Scepter 4" detention center, he remembered that Fushimi had come to see him only once. He doesn't know if it was a sweetheart-type action that he used to have in "Homura", or if he just wanted to complain, he came to the front of Suoh's cell, where no one but the members could approach him, and he threw up a few sentences, though he was strangely scared.

(Are you playing the fool?)

Unexpectedly, he thought he was a polite and serious guy.

(I wish I hadn't gathered around you with all your friends.)

He disagreed with anyone because it seemed dishonest to everyone, but he thought it was good to have someone blame him like that.

Furthermore, that revived the words of an irresponsible man who said the exact opposite of Fushimi.

(Your power is not to destroy, but to protect.)

At the very least, he made a dome-shaped shield releasing the red power with a small outlet, feeling like this. The little red shelter was warm and protected Anna from falling snow and chills.

When the falling snow approached the shield, it reflected the light and turned red, and he vaguely thought that he must smoke.

++++++++++

Yata continued to look around the large school, as he skated on the roofs of the school building.

That criminal boy has yet to be found. Yata was appointed an entire island watchdog due to his mobility and good eyesight, but the job of just looking was frustrating.

Beyond the connecting bridge, "Scepter 4" is waiting. If they attack quickly, they will withdraw it, but they just line up a series of strict armored vehicles and observe this situation, and they do not move easily.

(I wonder if he will always come.)

He thought about it, and it didn't matter! He shook his head immediately.

Fiuuu fiuuu. He heard the sound of a finger whistling from a distance. Seeing that, Yata felt slightly offended. He thought he should use the PDA, and thought about ignoring it for a moment, but in the end he dutifully kicked the concrete on the rooftop and flew between the school buildings with his skateboard.

"What are you doing? I'm not a dog, so I'd like you to stop calling me that."

Upon landing, Yata sighed and looked at Kusanagi. Kusanagi, who was still in the whistling stance, laughed fearlessly.

"You are not a dog, I thought you were a crow with great night vision. What did you observe?"

"There is nothing unusual on the island. There were some idiots trying to escape, but they weren't that damn bastard, so I tied them up and threw them into the school building. Passing the bridge, it seems the Blues have the area completely surrounded."

Kusanagi took out the cigarette and it was probably troublesome to use his lighter, so he moved his finger to make his own flame appear from his fingertips and set it on fire. Yata, who doesn't smoke, secretly thought that the way he used his fingertips like flint was great.

"If we do face it, this time it will be a full-scale war."

"I say let's go get them!"

Yata clenched his fist with all his might at the words Kusanagi spoke as he exhaled smoke.

"I can't wait for it."

Fighting spirit boiled up and the power of red seeped out from the body, enveloping Yata's entire body in a faint red. Kusanagi shrugged and laughed a little.

"Don't get excited. You really do a better job when the blood circulates less through your head."

"It's hard to stay calm at a time like this!"

"Yata-chan, you'd be better off if you weren't such an idiot. But it wouldn't be you, if you weren't an idiot."

When Yata was congested and about to scream, Kusanagi suddenly looked at Yata with a slight smile and seemed to be cheering him on.

"You especially get excited when Fushimi is involved. Well, I can't blame you since they used to be partners."

For a moment, deep in Yata's eyes, he took the hand that held Suoh's flame, accepted Suoh's flame, and the moment he got the mark, the scene flashed.

(Yeah! This is a genuine companion!)

When you pass through the Suoh installation, you will see a tattoo-like "mark" in the shape of a flame somewhere on your body. Yata is proud of it, which is proof of the above.

When Yata graduated from high school, he and Fushimi received the installation from Suoh, and at the same time, they both received a mark under the left clavicle in the same place.

He remembers Kusanagi, who was watching them, saying that it was the first time that someone got the "mark" in the same place where the other's was.

Yata was happy that he seemed to prove that he was a partner of Fushimi.

When the feelings at that moment seemed to revive, Yata bit the surging emotions and said to Kusanagi forcefully.

"No matter how much you say it, it sucks."

Fushimi's finger with flames. A flame that crushed the "mark". A smile that looked at him with contempt.

Yata fought back bitterly, recalling the scenes he wanted to forget in a chain reaction.

"Besides, he was the one who betrayed me first."

Kusanagi glanced at Yata and shrugged a little.

"By the way, since you will be guarding the area for the rest of the night, there is something I would like you to do."

Kusanagi easily changed the story, turned his face to Yata and spoke.

Yata opened his eyes to the content.

"Eh? Why is it like this...!"

"There was a request for a 'personal meeting' in route from the lieutenant over there for me."

"Why don't you get it?"

Kusanagi forgave the yapping Yata with a smile. Kusanagi sometimes showed him a smile that he didn't know what he was thinking.

"The next time we meet face to face, it will be a war without questions. If you want to talk before that, you can't."

"But..."

"It is a violation of the rules to attack the messenger in war... But if other people know about it, I will have the same revulsion as you. Keep this matter here alone."

Kusanagi seemed to accept it and touched Yata's shoulder when he closed his mouth without complaint.

"Trust me, Yatagarasu."

Kusanagi called Yata's nickname and stepped away from the rooftop.

Yata, who was left alone, was silent for a while and then shook his tongue.

(From now on, the "Blue King" will come alone to this island.)

He remembered the words he had heard from Kusanagi and threw them away.

Yata does not like the "Blue King". He just doesn't like him, and he feels like he's going to take important things away from Yata, because he's going to attach a flirtation to Suoh, whom Yata respects more than anyone else.

Yata squeezed his eyes shut.

As he talks to Kusanagi, memories that he did not want to remember came to mind and they did not disappear.

Until a few years ago, Yata and Fushimi were best friends.

They met in middle school and spent their youth together. The two of them were holding something that surrendered to each other, but they could breathe well side by side and they had a great dream if they were together.

Yata still doesn't know where something went wrong.

He was in the back alley in front of the HOMRA bar where he ended up with Fushimi.

"I joined 'Scepter 4'." Said Fushimi. For Yata, it was a declaration of war in his ears.

"Bastard, what's wrong with you now?"

After being stunned for a moment, blood suddenly spilled over his head and Yata grabbed Fushimi's chest and squeezed it. Fushimi didn't move and looked at Yata with icy eyes.

"Didn't you hear me? I joined 'Scepter 4'."

"What for?! Why did you betray me? Depending on why..."

When he shook him hard, he swayed while Fushimi swayed, and was looking at Yata with rumored eyes seemingly distant from him.

He was shaken by Yata's hand and his neck was exposed, revealing the "mark" of "Homura" under Fushimi's left clavicle. The pride of "Homura", who is in the same place as Yata, and a test of Yata's partner.

When he left, Yata put his fist on Fushimi's "mark" and pushed hard.

"This is a sign, probably our pride! Even though I have this on my chest, why you...?"

"Pride?"

He asked Fushimi's voice, which turned wetter. Somehow, it was a voice that pushed through the emotions that Yata didn't really understand.

The fingertips of Fushimi's right hand harbored flames. Yata was confused when he saw the tips of his five muscular fingers emitting red flames. He had often seen red power in his knives during battle, but this was the first time he had seen Fushimi use this type of flame.

Facing Yata, who forgot his anger for a moment and waited for Fushimi's next behavior, Fushimi put his burning fingers on the "mark" below his collarbone and scratched his hard.

He heard a burning sound on his skin.

The "mark" was on fire. It should be hot. It should hurt. However, Fushimi scratched the "mark" up and down with a distorted smile as he sweated.

He drew a red-black burnt line at the "mark", as if it were a strikethrough.

Yata's entire body was bleeding. His limbs grew cold and didn't move well, and his lips trembled. The scent of Fushimi burning his skin drifted to the tip of his nose and he felt the rocking motion in front of him.

"Ah... the pride you say has collapsed, Misaki?"

Fushimi said. Fushimi's voice was slightly hummed with a smile, probably because he was encouraged to endure the pain.

Yata was beginning to lose track of her feelings, whether it was anger, sadness, or despair.

However, even when Fushimi hurt himself so terribly, he was ignorant of the fact that he was trying to destroy "Homura's" pride and Yata's essence.

Fushimi continued speaking with a distorted smile.

"You ask me why I betrayed you? Because this is stupid. Although we have a special power, everything we do is play punks and gangsters. I really suck in 'Homura'."

Yata's emotions, which had been scattered and disturbed, slowly integrate into one. He was angry. Anger rebuilt Yata, who was about to collapse, and gave him some power in his abandoned childlike mind.

Fushimi desecrated what Suoh gave him, which Yata prized above all else. Fushimi imitated spitting at Suoh, who gave birth to Yata's locked world.

"Saru! Even though you were picked up from the street by Mikoto-san, how dare you be disrespectful to "Homura"?"

In response to Yata's anger, Yata's red power overflowed to the surface of his body and he burned. He dissipates the heat to evaporate the tears that had risen.

He looked into the eyes of the man who once called his partner with the intention of shooting.

Fushimi shook his shoulders and laughed out loud. His eyes glowed with a dark light, but he lifted the edge of his mouth satisfactorily.

"That's right, Misaki. Don't laugh, look at me all the time."

"Damn traitor... I'll kill you...!"

The path between the two was divided.

Unable to understand what Fushimi was thinking, Yata suffered the sensation of ripping out his internal organs over and over again. He wondered why, he went to the place they shared and gritted his teeth.

(But that's okay. If you want me to look angry, I will. If you stand in front of me, I will crush you.)

Shaking off the pain in his chest, Yata took off across the sea.

At the end of the Black Sea, a group of blue lights lit by "Scepter 4's" armored vehicle floated in a row.

++++++++++

Munakata, who arrived on the island in a small boat at midnight, thanked Kusanagi for welcoming him with a slight bow of his head.

Kusanagi replied with just a small bow and started walking without exchanging words.

Kusanagi took the lead, followed by Munakata. The snow flickered but kept falling.

Instead of going to the school building, he was heading to the shrine at the back of the island in a wooded area so as not to bump into other members.

"Wait here."

In front of the stone steps of the shrine, Kusanagi turned around, letting out only a minimum of words. The fact that he was on the brink of war was taken into account, not himself, but Kusanagi was called from behind when he was about to leave.

"Why?"

Kusanagi stopped and looked back. The orderly "King", dressed in a blue uniform, looked a little different than the usual Kusanagi knew, irreverent man, calm and serene, transcendental. There was even a childish atmosphere that he kept asking why he didn't understand.

"You know what he's waiting for at the end of this rebellion, right?"

When asked directly, Kusanagi did not have an answer. His question was correct, but he thought that Kusanagi would not be convinced when he answered.

"Breathing and living is crazy."

To say that, Munakata had an expression that was the opposite of what he was convinced of, and made an icy voice.

"So you're dying to 'live' as you call it? Involve unrelated students and endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of countless citizens?"

Kusanagi smiled silently with a slight smile. He wasn't afraid to hear legitimate accusations from him, but he didn't mean to argue, so he chose silence.

Seeing Kusanagi like this, Munakata erased the irritation and discomfort from his facial expression and said in a simple voice.

"If you are so stubborn, why did you accept my offer?"

"Because you came to speak to him as an individual, not as a 'King'. I have neither the right nor the will to reject you, and I prefer that you see him."

Munakata said nothing more. Kusanagi started walking leaving him this time.

Kusanagi broke through the bushes surrounding the shrine and headed toward Gakuenjima's front place, trampling the fine snow. Immediately after entering the gate, where a clock tower was built as a symbol in the square, but it was knocked down by a light blow of fire from Suoh, and now he was lying on his side. The collapse of the clock tower was probably still neglected there.

The menacing threat to destroy the clock tower made the noisy students quieter and easier to handle, but a bit over the top.

(King's flames are too big, right?)

Totsuka said that when he was with him.

Yes, that was the first winter that Suoh became the "Red King", and Totsuka and Kusanagi became members of the clan.

It was a flickering snow night like today, when Suoh mistakenly controlled his power and burned down an entire abandoned building.

After getting rid of the situation, Suoh, Kusanagi, and Totsuka were walking down the snowy night street. Suoh was in a bad mood, but Totsuka said with a smile as usual, "King's flames are too big, right?"

Suoh made a little irony and let out a rarely misunderstood voice: "It was bad." Totsuka laughed in amusement.

"Didn't you say you didn't like it? No one complains that firepower is too strong like the sun."

"I don't want to be like the sun."

"That's right. King is a king, not the sun, so he doesn't just keep burning, but he burns and burns as he wants."

As Suoh thinks. Kusanagi appears to be frowned upon when Suoh, who hides the urge to destroy himself, hides on the back of his chest and behaves the way he really wants.

"I hope you are a little more dexterous. I wonder if the building often burns from the impulse of things."

"King is so clumsy!"

"Hahaha.", Totsuka laughed, and Suoh hit him on the head with a "Shut up."

Then, he practiced using the flames skillfully, and Totsuka turned his palm to the sky. A flame floated on the white palm like a dot and a red pill, which transformed into a butterfly shape and fluttered. The flaming butterflies rising from the palm of his hand flutter in the flickering snow, as if they were actually alive.

"This is an unexpectedly difficult and good practice."

With a red clan flame called the "Flame of Destruction", Totsuka would often do something clean and smooth, like a child enthusiastic about working with clay. They were mostly butterflies, birds and other creatures that flew free, showing off the beauty of the color of the red flames.

Kusanagi and Suoh looked at the red butterflies flying on a winter night with their detoxified eyes. The flaming butterflies that flew while scattering sparks were somewhat blurry and cute.

"But you can do something with a terrifying flame of destruction."

"King's flames aren't all scary. It's warm and clean."

In fact, Totsuka spun a fire butterfly and wagged Kusanagi's nose, claiming it would be hot and clean.

Emerging from the thoughts of the past, Kusanagi exhaled a white breath into the cold air.

It was a snowy day like today, but when he thought that he felt much warmer than today, Kusanagi laughed softly when he found a small dome of warm colors wherever he went.

"Yes, I know. The 'King' sleeps all the time, though his vassals are hanging around."

Kusanagi shouted slightly towards the dome of red light that floated above the clock tower that lay on its side.

The dome of light was formed by Suoh's power. Suoh was lying next to Anna. The inside of the dome was hot due to the power of the red that controls the flames. The broken tiles of the clock tower were decorated white with snow, but there was no snow inside the dome, and Anna, who was lounging outside at midnight in December, did not appear to be cold at all.

"That's what it means to be a 'King'."

Kusanagi shrugged while Suoh was lying down.

"No, I think there is a problem with your image of a 'King'. Well, I'm not saying you have to work with us, but…"

Kusanagi frowned after saying that in a scared voice.

"...You are waiting?"

"Yes."

Do you think it will work?"

"Yes."

Suoh also gave a minimal answer to the questions. Kusanagi sighed with a bitter smile and lowered his eyebrows.

"Well we'll humbly do our best to catch him before then."

When he sat on a cracked tile, he turned his back on Suoh and Anna. Staring up at the night sky where the snow was falling as he felt the signs of him behind, the fluffy heat approached from behind and the fine snow that had accumulated under Kusanagi's feet began to melt. Suoh seems to have expanded the dome a bit.

He was deeply moved by the fact that he sometimes used gentle power, and was reminded of the flaming Totsuka butterflies that he once saw.

As if carried away by him, various memories so far emerged one after another in Kusanagi's head and exploded.

"When I met Totsuka, I wondered if that boy was not enough. I felt it was dangerous for him to get close, but he was happy saying that he would become a servant of the king."

Before Suoh became "King". Although he had a difficult and scary personality, he met Totsuka, a middle school student who called Suoh King and laughed at Suoh, who was just a high school student who did not carry something so troublesome and so big. It seemed like it was a long time ago, and it seems like it was yesterday.

The three of them hung out, hanging out and playing like fools. Eventually, however, Suoh became known as the "King" by people outside of Totsuka, and was chosen by the Slate and became the "Red King".

Kusanagi remembers the first time he saw the sword that appeared above Suoh's head. That day he was cloudy. In the cloudy sky that he hung low, a huge sword appeared while emitting red light. Instinctively it turned out that he ruled Suoh's fate.

Kusanagi thought that the huge red sword, which was shaped like a flame and pointed downward, was beautiful and terrifying.

"Don't put your sword to your head."

Kusanagi giggled and said that. Suoh seemed to be a bit embarrassed or confused, with an indescribable thin smile, causing flames to appear on both hands. He extended his right hand to Kusanagi, who was enveloped in the red flame, and his left hand to Totsuka.

"Would you like to hold my hand?"

The fate of Suoh, who possessed a powerful flame that could burn everything, changed, and the fate of Kusanagi and Totsuka, who held his hand, also changed.

"But you have become a literal 'King' to 'Homura'."

Those were the days of the angry clan. The number of friends and people who thought that the HOMRA bar was his home had increased. Between them, Totsuka always laughed. He kept trying to make the place where his friends gathered around Suoh a fun place.

"I thought you were a bomb that wanted to explode, not a guy who would protect or rally people, but... I guess Totsuka saw something different in you."

Suddenly, he heard Suoh laugh with only his breath behind him.

"You are more right than Totsuka."

Kusanagi also exhaled and laughed. Kusanagi himself believes so too. However, he believed that Suoh was a "King" even though he was not of that type.

"Even so, since you became 'King', you have become a weapon that shoots at enemies to protect what you need to protect, not an explosive bomb. With you and the people around you. At first, I thought that I could have a good time. "

It was fun.

Kusanagi obediently thought about it.

"Don't say that, it's irritating."

Suoh said that with a very irritated voice. Kusanagi laughed lightly this time and stood up.

"I'm sorry. When you're older, you start trying to hold on to the past."

He turned around, changed feelings, and called out to the girl next to Suoh.

"Anna, come with me."

Anna got up and looked at Kusanagi with her red eyes. Just by looking at him, Anna attended and took Kusanagi's hand as if she knew everything.

Kusanagi hugged Anna from the top of the clock tower tile, and Suoh turned off the warm red dome and lifted half of his body.

"Someone has come to see you."

He doesn’t ask who he was. Suoh had a slightly subtle expression, but he silently jumped off the rocky shore.

When he told the location, Suoh said nothing and walked silently towards that place.

Looking at his back as he walked away, Kusanagi spoke words that he had never said or intended to say.

"Couldn't ask for a better king."

++++++++++

He hears the sound of stepping on the snow.

Munakata was on his way to the shrine, waiting for the King of Steps. Looking down from the side, he saw a red-haired man walking through a snow-covered torii gate and up a long stone staircase.

The cold snowy night was horribly quiet, and Suoh's silent footsteps seemed to be the only sound in the world.

Even seeing Munakata, Suoh giggled a little and approached slowly without accelerating.

"I thought sharing the same air as me made you want to throw up."

"Sometimes I want to breathe poison."

Munakata laughed wryly and pulled a box of cigarettes from his chest when Suoh stopped in front of him. Facing Suoh's unexpected face, he added one and offered it to Suoh.

Suoh obediently took out the cigarette and put it in his mouth, and before Munakata reached for a lighter, he lit the tip of Munakata's cigarette with his finger. Suoh's flames turned red in front of him for a moment, and when he realized it, Munakata's cigarette was on fire. While Munakata was puzzled, Suoh laughs with an evil child face, slid down the side of him and climbed the stone steps to the top.

With some relief on his shoulders, Munakata inhaled slowly and deeply the cigarette smoke.

It was the taste of the cigarette he smoked for the first time in a long time. When he was an adult for a while, he first bought a box and smoked it to find out how he tasted, but got no more impressions than that.

He understood how to enjoy the taste and aroma, but it was not enough to balance the disadvantages they gave him and others, and he did not get into the habit of smoking.

But now, he was grateful for the cigarettes. He felt it would be a little easier to get away from his being, letting himself be carried away by the bitterness and sweetness that he felt on his tongue and the sensation that his skull was tingling.

He walked to the top of the stone steps and looked at Suoh, who shook the cigarette from him and for a moment purple smoke glowed silently.

"I'm going to get straight to the point."

Munakata said.

"Peacefully leave this school. I can't overlook the way you're involving unrelated high school students. If you do it now, he could handle this before things got out of hand."

"That's a good idea... is that what you hope it says?"

"It's not an idea, it's an ultimatum. You've gone too far, Suoh."

Suoh didn't seem to move the dust or move, and he was smoking slowly.

"That being the case, let me kill the criminal who murdered Totsuka Tatara, who calls himself the 'Colorless King'."

This time, Suoh slightly moved his expression. He looked at Munakata with a helpless and surprised face, and then laughed wryly.

"It's an interesting proposal coming from you, but... I refuse."

"I am sure you have seen the terrible form of your Sword of Damocles. The Sword is the symbol of a 'King' and manifests its true form depending on its condition. Your sword will soon fall."

"Oh, really?"

"Your deviation from Weismann is already at the limit. If the burden of killing a 'King' is applied here, it will definitely reach its limit, and you could cause a repeat of the Kagutsu crater tragedy. You no longer have any right to be 'King'."

Munakata looked at Suoh and said that out loud. He told him the same thing as in the dark detention center of "Scepter 4" with the urgency that there was no time left. He even felt like praying.

"It's time for you to resign, "Red King"."

Suoh laughed.

"I never acted like a 'King'."

He smoked the cigarette Munakata had given him. Munakata grabbed Suoh's chest and pushed him down hard. Suoh fell backward onto the stone pavement covered in fine snow and relaxed without resistance.

Munakata bit his back teeth angrily, easily knocking him over.

Suoh was the only man who didn't always turn out as expected. Excluding the reason why Munakata preached, he fought the sword of Munakata with a fiery fist, destroying the ideal order of Munakata with chaotic violence.

Even so, Suoh was never afraid of Munakata and stood in front of Munakata. He now he was being ridden without resistance upon being defeated by Munakata. Munakata did not recall anger under justice, even personal hatred, in his attitude as if he was willing to accept anger for the destruction of sin.

The hand that grabbed Suoh's chest was shaking when he flinched because he was too strong.

"There are ordinary unrelated students here. Your men are here too."

He said to Suoh from a close distance.

"Do you understand?"

Suoh, who had been avoiding the chase with a relaxed demeanor until then, did not look away, did not move his eyes, and looked directly into Munakata's eyes closely.

As he looked at Munakata with a slight immobile eye, Suoh slowly tied his words together as if saying something.

"I'll hang my head. You'll do your job. That's it, right?"

At that moment, Munakata's entire body was struck by a feeling of helplessness that he had never felt in his life.

Munakata relaxed and released the hand that was holding Suoh's chest.

He froze and stood, aware of his emotionally heated head.

"You are a savage. You are beyond my understanding."

"Huh. Did you think you could persuade me? That's not your style."

Suoh also stood up saying that.

Not even at the gala could it be like that. He didn't understand Suoh, but he could tell that he understood him at the same time. At least he knew Suoh wouldn't bend his will here.

However, he believes it would be different if it were his own gala to surrender.

Above all, he would feel bad if he had to hit Reisi Munakata's words as an individual before facing him as the "Blue King" who championed a cause.

"Not really… I just came to see my friend."

When he turned around and said that he wasn't even at the gala, Suoh expressed his most amazing emotions. The expression quickly turned into a bitter and embarrassed smile.

Suoh dropped the cigarette he had just grabbed, and stomped on it.

"Come on."

Suoh turned his back on Munakata and said that in a soft voice.

The two of them, looking in different directions, stared at the chunks of snow falling in front of them for a while.

"Suoh, are you sure you don't change your mind?"

"I'm sure."

Munakata lowered his eyes.

The snow was a little bigger than before, and it fell softly to the ground without a sound and piled up.

The passion he simmered in Munakata had cooled, and the coldness of the snowy night had penetrated to the core of his body.

"Idiot."

The words he would normally never use disappeared as if they were absorbed by the snow.

++++++++++

The exterior of the connecting bridge in Gakuenjima was surrounded by members of "Scepter 4", and the interior of the campus was guarded by members of "Homura".

However, none of them could see the "King", so by making full use of Neko's cognitive manipulation ability, they were able to reach Gakuenjima's bedroom and the place that was the boy's room without being discovered by anyone. To those who passed near the boy, they just looked like a cat, a dog, and a working garden.

"I returned!"

When he opened the door to the room he was used to living in, the words naturally leaked from the boy's mouth. However, he snuck into a scene far from the family room.

"Ah! What happened here? A thief?"

The boy's room was charred black. There was a large hole from the wall to the floor, and the rebar was exposed, and the churning snow was piling up at the edge of the room. The bed the boy was always lying on, the chabudai where he ate delicious rice with Kuro and Neko, and his favorite rice cooker were charred.

"What world would thieves blow up the wall to enter?"

Kuro said with a rough face. Certainly this high temperature burned mark is likely a powerful explosive, or the Red Clan's job to manipulate the flames at will.

When he was looking around the room, he heard Neko yell, "Nyaa!"

"My cup! She was my favorite!"

There was a broken bowl in Neko's hand. This is the bowl that was used when the three of them surrounded the chabudai and ate Kuro's homemade food. The bowl, which had been filled with white rice, was now split in half and stained black with soot. Neko was staring at the bowl in her hand with teary eyes.

The boy also lifted his tattered shirt on the ground and sighed a little.

"I desperately escaped the aircraft crash, but my homesick home ended like this..."

He was exhausted because he escaped from the helicopter involved in the accident through Kuro's ingenuity, he entered the hotel (it was a love hotel because he was not in a position to stay in a normal hotel) to recover his energy and physical strength. The boy's body was also recovering, but when he saw that this place, which was his base, was destroyed, he was disappointed.

Kuro also lowered his eyes with a harsh expression.

"We heard that Gakuenjima was occupied by 'Homura' and we hurried back, but I never imagined that the 'Red King' would show up."

"And it appears that the Blues have the entire area blocked off. Well, I'll put off looking for my true identity for now."

"This has become serious. At worst, this school could become a battlefield between clans. Perhaps we shouldn't have come here."

Neko, who was trying to hold the broken bowl together, puffed out her cheeks.

"I told you before! This is our house! It's only fair that we go back to our house!"

Looking at Neko who appealed to his claims, the boy was motivated to recover from his feelings of depression. It is not the case when he stumbles in a place like this and cannot escape from here.

The boy stood up with a strong forehead and laughed at them.

"Neko is right. We have to clean our own house. So what should we do now?"

In the middle of the boy's words, Kuro unconsciously touched his chest. The boy knew well what he was keeping there. Kuro's late master, whom he loves from the bottom of his heart. It's a voice recorder that records Ichigen Miwa's haikus.

"Would you like to ask Ichigen-san?"

When he asked him with a smile, Kuro replied, "What?" with a face that he realized what he had achieved for the first time.

"He had the power to look to the future, right? Then he could have given us some advice before our current situation."

When he thought about it, Miwa's words on the tape recorder helped him choose whether or not to kill the boy on the spot and encourage him to search for his true existence.

It was a casual question for the boy, but Kuro looked at the recorder that he took out of his pocket with a serious expression and thought for a moment.

"No, we already know what we have to do."

Kuro returned the recorder to his pocket without listening to it.

He looked directly at the boy and said.

"We have to rescue Kukuri and the others. That's obvious. You don't have to listen to Ichigen-sama's words to know that."

Kuro, who maintained his stance that Miwa Ichigen was everything and should be prioritized above all else, prioritized his own will and decision.

That fact surprised the boy a bit and encouraged him even more.

"Yes, that's right. Let's find out where Kukuri and his friends are. Neko, let's go."

"Huh? But I still haven't done..."

Neko looked down to put a stop to the bowl she was holding, that had the cracks stuck in a dangerous balance.

The boy smiled gently at Neko.

"Okay. We'll be back soon."

"Yes."

Neko still had a sad and lonely face, but she stood up. When she left the room where she lived with the boy, Neko said it was a "house" and looked sad.

"Goodbye."

She said a little goodbye, and Neko closed the bedroom door.

#k #k project #k the first story #k novel

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percywinchester27 · 4 years ago

Text

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-3)

Word count: 3.8K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Some angst, some fluff, mention of depression

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23 I love you, Athina <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

Monday morning rose brighter than it had a right to be; to the point that the sun was stabbing you in the eyes. You had been over and over the plan in your head throughout the weekend. By now, you were absolutely sure that you had mapped every second of the day and nothing could go out of hand.

The plan went sideways almost as soon as it started.

You dropped your bag at the threshold of the lecture room with a loud crash. All of the last row turned to look at who was that much of a klutz. You did not meet anyone’s eye as you took a seat at the very end of the top row. Maybe that would make you inconspicuous.

It did not.

“Y/N!”

Madison slid next to you on the bench, followed by her brood of friends. Lacey and the other two, whose names you didn’t remember.

“How are you, Sweetie?” Madison asked sympathetically. “You looked awfully ill when you left the other day. We were so worried about you! Weren’t we, Mer?”

Meredith- you remembered her name now- did not look worried in the least.

“What happened?” Madison asked.

“I was just really faint,” you answered automatically, having anticipated this. “I’m feeling much better now. Thank you so much.”

Madison looked relieved. “I’m so glad, Y/N. I wanted to check on you over the weekend, but I didn’t have your number or knew where you lived. You have to give me your number right away.”

You did, and she texted you immediately.

“Awesome!” she said. “Now you have my number, too.”

You tried to smile. “Hey, if it’s not too much, could you tell me what I missed in the two days?”

Madison became animated instantly. “Well, lets see. After you left, there was advanced legal writing by professor Mills, then Supreme Court Litigation by Professor Mcleod and Organisation and transactions law after that. Most of Friday was free except for another lecture by Professor Mills. I have the notes. Once you put your email id on the class database, I’ll forward mine to you.”

“That’s seriously more than I can ask from you,” you said, feeling small.

She placed her hand on top of yours. “You’re not asking. I’m offering.”

“Thank you!” You said, looking down.

Madison huffed. “You thank me too much, Y/N! Besides, you really didn’t miss any of the fun.”

“What do you mean?”

“Professor Winchester didn’t show up either,” Lacey giggled. “Didn’t we turn up fifteen minutes early for his class on Thursday? And the man never came.”

Your stomach lurched, a feeling you hadn’t quite experienced in years had you feeling lightheaded.

“Well, he didn’t completely disappear,” said the blonde. “He did turn up for the last half an hour of his lecture on Friday and outlined the syllabus of the semester.”

“He looked stiff and serious. Nothing like his first day here. And even that day he stormed off, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Madison nodded. “Right after you left, Y/N. It was a bit weird.”

You swallowed nervously, your forehead already clammed up. What was it? Was it fear or worry that you felt for Sam? You had been so wrapped up in your chaos that you hadn’t stopped to consider about Sam, assuming that he must have grown passive and wouldn’t care about the past anymore.

Sam had looked warm and at ease with himself that day, happy even, while you had only survived all these years. You’d be lying to yourself, if you said that the image of Sam on the podium, smiling at the students hadn’t felt like a knife in your gut.

But if he had not turned up for classes either… did that mean….

There was noise at the front and you saw Sam on the podium. He looked every bit as dressed up and neat as he had on your first day, if not a bit more severe.

He greeted the class curtly, and instantly jumped to the lesson. You tried not to stare, but it was hard to look away. It was harder still to keep looking. His features seemed more angular now, and he was definitely leaner than when you had first set your eyes on him. Today he was dressed in a dark grey suit and no tie, the button at his throat was undone.

He spoke for an hour about the merger of disputes and cases where it had benefited the original plaintiffs and not once did his eyes stray towards the corner of the class where you sat. It was as if he was deliberately avoiding that very portion of the classroom. He wasn’t genial today. A good teacher, just like he always had been, but absolutely formal. When the class ended, he retrieved the attendance sheet from a kid in the first row and exited the class.

“Well, that was quite intense,” whooshed Meredith. “Hadn’t pegged him for the serious sort.”

Blonde hair giggled at the double entendre, and you almost gagged.

“He’s actually quite good,” Madison murmured, uncharacteristically serious. “He knows what he is talking about.”

Absentmindedly, you nodded. Not that you had paid much attention to the lecture, what with your heart struck in your throat.

The classes that followed weren’t as eventful as the morning and you were more than grateful about it. The other professors all seemed so knowledgeable and expert. You had enough on your mind by the time you left the university, your plate already full of assignments.

When you got home, Meg was sprawled on one of the two sofas that came with the house and were perched in the living room.

“Hey,” you said tentatively.

Meg raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that you were initiating a conversation after a whole week of thoroughly avoiding her.

“Hey,” she said.

You placed your bad and laptop on the side table at the entrance and went to sit on the empty sofa. “I’m sorry about not greeting you earlier… I was going through some stuff.”

“Clearly,” she snorted.

The hurt must have shown in your eyes, because she straightened up into a sitting position.. “I’m not offended,” she said. “Locking myself in my room and avoiding human contact like it’s the fucking plague is my monthly PMS schedule. I’m not mad or anything.”

“Oh, alright,” you breathed out.

Meg looked amused. “Your face is like an open book,” she said. “If you keep that up, you’re going to be a terrible lawyer.”

You didn’t fight her on it. It was a problem… it always had been. Over the years mostly it had been a blank and your boss had commented on your excellent poker face… but clearly even the dumb expressive face was back with all the feelings.

“I don’t know what you’re studying,” you changed the topic.

“MS, Applied physics.”

“Damn. That sounds hard.”

Meg chuckled. “You really think that, don’t you? You look terrified.”

You rearranged your expression into what was just polite interest. Enough with Meg’s expert face reading class.

“You wanna grab dinner?” Meg asked.

“Sure,” you said. “What’re we doing?”

“I made some stir fry. I didn’t know if you’d be up for dinner, though.”

You felt terrible about skipping the meals and in turn her company over the past week.

“No worries,” she said, getting up. “I’ll just toss some pasta and we’re good to go.”

“Hey, Meg?” You asked, “I see you’ve stocked up the pantry. It’s incredibly kind of you. I might drive to the supermarket tomorrow after classes, why don’t you let me know if there’s anything you want.”

She looked at you with some surprise and a hint of actual liking. “Sure. We can make a list over food.”

“Great,” you smiled.

The rest of the week passed without any more surprises, and you took your time to settle in… getting to know Stanford- both, the University and the town. You attended all lectures regularly and gave your hundred percent effort to every assignment.

In classes, you listened with utmost concentration… all except one. Civil Procedure wasn’t a lecture, it was slow seething torture. Watching Sam talk on the podium, interacting with students simply made it hard to breathe. The walls of the lecture room converged in on you while you gasped for air. On Sam’s part, he ignored you completely. It was as if you didn’t exist at all. Over the course of the week, his stiff, formal stance loosened and you could see more and more of the guy who had introduced himself on the first day. You didn’t know what you had been expecting from him? That one day he would suddenly look at you with hatred and throw you out of the class? That he’d lose his mind and yell at you? Ask you the questions that you didn’t want to answer?

But even for all that, he’d have to acknowledge your presence. Look at you. Somehow the ignoring and pretending that you didn’t exist was so, so much worse. It was killing you. Every second of the class, you fought your tears. However, you did not miss a single class.

Apart from those two hours everyday, you were doing well, all things considered. On Thursday, you packed more food than just your lunch, and after classes, walked to the Green Library. It was just as breathtaking as it had been on the first day. You set out to find that one table that felt right. After a quarter of an hour of testing and teasing, you finally found a desk that looked oh so inviting. It wasn’t the one below the tall, arching windows, but rather a small desk niched between the bookshelves. It was perfect.

You unloaded your bag, and set to work with the assignments that had been set for the class by Professor Mills. You personally thought Jody Mills was a total badass. She took up cases that others were too scared to touch. Her assignments didn’t require you to reference too many books, so you could make yourself comfortable in the chair. Your mind wandered as the time passed. There were a lot of things to be thought through. For starters, if you had to afford living here, you needed a job. Your savings would last a couple of months at most. The expense of moving across the country then having to pay for the lease of the apartment had taken a massive toll on your bank account. By the time holiday season began, you’d be as broke as the china in your grandma’s old cabinet.

Earlier, you had put in an application at the Student’s employment centre for oncampus jobs. You weren’t hopeful, given the number of applications they received, but you sure meant to check in on them next week in hopes that something suitable might have come up.

It was past 8 in the evening when you finally wrapped your stuff up, somewhat satisfied with how your assignment had turned out. You lowkey congratulated yourself on finishing it a week before the deadline as you made your way back home, crashing the minute you found your bed.

********************

18th July 2008

“Y/N! There’s someone here to see you!” Jo hollered from somewhere in the living room.

Thankfully the door to the room you were sharing with Jo was open.

“Coming!” You yelled back, wondering who could it possibly be. Maybe it was the postman with your grandma’s letter. She was a weird old lady who still loved writing handwritten letters. Gramps had been to the war and their love story had blossomed over letters sent across borders. Even though gramps had passed away many years ago, she still got that rosy look on her face whenever she talked of him. You wanted a love story like hers. Was it too much to ask for?

You made your way down the steps two at a time, excited for the letter. Maybe she had sent cookies along with it. Oh, how you loved her.

On the bottom step, you stopped. Sam Winchester was standing in the hallway, one hand balancing a lot of books, the other scratching the back of his neck, looking adorable in old jeans and an open button up over his t-shirt.

“Hey!” He said.

You were wearing a loose shirt without a bra over a pair of boy shorts, with hair falling over your shoulders. Needless to say, you were mortified.

“Give me two minutes,” you muttered and rushed back upstairs.

As you were pulling on a pair of leggings, it occurred to you how dumb the interaction had been. He was here to see you and neither had you invited him in nor asked him why he was here.

To add to your embarrassment, when you returned downstairs, he was still standing at the bottom of the stairs five minutes later, exactly where you had left him.

“Why’re you still standing here? Please come in!” You urged, scandalised that you had kept a guest waiting like that. Gran would have tutted so hard had she been here.

Sam followed you into the living room. Jo was lounging on the smaller sofa chain and you glared at her. She could have easily invited him in when she opened the door.

But no! How else would Y/N suffer in life?

Jo gave you the evil grin and waved to Sam.

“Would you like something to drink?” You asked, not meeting his eyes.

“I’ll have coffee!” Jo ordered and you threw her the stink eye again.

You gave Sam a chagrined look. “I’ll put the pot on the stove for her anyway. Do you want coffee?”

He looked like he was trying very hard to smile. “Black please. With half a spoon of sugar.”

You tried to calm your nerves as the pot boiled. Being a nervous wreck wasn’t going to help your case.

When you brought the two mugs of coffee outside, Sam was reading one of the books he had bought along and Jo was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Jo?” You asked, carefully placing the steaming mug before him on the table.

Sam shrugged. “She said she suddenly felt sleepy. And that you should drink her coffee because you both like it the same way.”

Oh, that sly girl.

“So, what brings you here?” You asked, taking a seat next to him on the sofa.

Sam smiled shyly. “You said you could use a second pair of eyes for the application.”

He had come all the way from wherever he stayed just to help you with the applications?

“Really?”

“Sure.” He tilted his head, the bangs on his forehead sliding to one side. He just had such beautiful hazel eyes. You have to avert your gaze so you wouldn’t just blatantly stare at him.

You excused yourself a second time and pulled out all your application stuff. Forms, copies of essays, documents and everything. It would be absolutely stupid to not make the most of this opportunity.

Sam took his time with all of it, going through each paper carefully and you counted your breaths to keep away the anxiety. At least he wasn’t laughing at how ridiculous your applications were. That was something. When he was done, he slowly put the papers down and looked up at you.

“Where else have you applied?” He asked.

You told him.

“You didn’t think of applying to any major universities?”

You shook your head. “I didn’t think I had a chance… and I don’t even think I was cut out for those.”

Sam reached out to place his hand on top of yours. A tingling sensation went up your spine. “Y/N! This looks great. Your essays are top notch. You should apply to Ivy Leagues.”

“I’ve already missed deadlines for them… and there are some good universities on my list as well.”

“But you deserve better!” He insisted.

You shrugged. “I don’t have that sort of money, and before you say scholarships, I don’t have those types of recommendations either. I come from a small town. People who are born there, spend their whole lives in the same house. They are happy with what they have.”

“Are you happy with what you have?” He asked, the light from the setting sun hitting his face, illuminating those eyes so they looked like burning topaz.

“I’m happy,” you said, looking at your lap where his hand rested on yours. He seemed to have forgotten about it. “But I know I can do better… for myself and my Gran.”

You made the mistake of looking up then… into his eyes, and they were closer than you had expected them to be. As if, he had no control over it, his hand reached out to touch your hair, the fingertips caressing your cheek on their way there. Slowly, but surely, he drew your face towards his… and you went, willingly. His lips had barely grazed yours when there was a loud noise in the hallway.

You sprang apart.

“Y/N!” It was Jo.

Ordinarily, you’d have flicked your tongue at her or something for interrupting like that. Afterall, she was the one who kept egging on you to get lucky, and the one time you had… that too with Sam frigging Winchester, she had to come barging into the room. Uhgg… Jo was going to get it.

But her face was completely white, and her hand, which was holding the phone, was shaking.

“Y/N,” she whispered again. Your neighbour called. It's your grandma… she passed away last night.

********************

You woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of the blaring alarm.

Gran!

The worry felt so fresh, you had to remind yourself that it had been seven years since she had passed away. Grief was peculiar like that… even after years and years of feeling it, some days it just felt fresh and new. Sad memories opened up the box of more memories, not all of them sad. The thought of gran was always accompanied by a warm feeling and memory of sunlit kitchen, and freshly baked bread.

This… dream or whatever it was had triggered more than just that… you could almost feel the whisper of Sam’s lips on yours. You had suppressed it so long that the feeling was almost forgotten now and how it ached knowing that you would never feel it again. The raw, desperate part of you tried to cling on to that feeling, the memory of his touch. It was three in the night, no one could blame you for wanting this comfort of your own memories. As painful as they were when you were completely in your senses, in this darkness, they were all yours to do what you pleased with them. However, like a dream, the memories kept evading your grasp. The more you tried to hold on it, the further away it slipped. Sleep eluded you completely after that.

Needless to say, you were tired and sleepy and irritated by the time the last lecture for the week commenced. You hadn’t memorised the lecture schedule yet…. you only knew when the Civil Procedure class was. First lecture on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the last lecture of Thursday and Friday. Lacey had mentioned something about Sam having to travel to the City for work on the first three days.

Sam was dressed more informally today. He was without a coat and glasses, hair just a little out of order… less sleek.

“Oooohhh looks like the professor had a rough night!” Lacey giggled.

“You don’t know that,” Madison shushed. “Maybe he’s single.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Lacey rolled her eyes. “He lives in the faculty residence on Alverado row. And his house is definitely a family house, not a bachelors pad… So that means he at least has a woman.”

You caught your breath. Alverado row was right behind your Santa Ynes street, where you lived. Literally right behind, less than a block away. You knew a majority senior faculty staff resided there, but it had never crossed your mind...

“I don’t see no ring,” snarked Rebecca, Madison's blonde friend, who was sitting a row ahead of you to the left.

You quickly looked. She was right… there was no ring. Your heart skipped a beat.

“Doesn’t have to be a wife,” Lacey made a face. “Could be just a girlfriend.”

“Whatever,” Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t mean we can’t try our luck.”

It stung, listening to them talk about it stung more than you wanted to admit even to yourself.

“Before we start today's lesson, I have a question for you,” Sam said, calling everyone’s attention and the gossip promptly stopped.

“Basic Property damage,” he said. “The plaintiff has proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the defendant is liable. The only issue of debate which remains is the amount of damages to be recovered. Before the last hearing, new evidence comes to light about a completely unrelated matter where the plaintiff has unintentionally harmed the defendant. If you were playing the part of the DA, what would be your obvious course of action.”

‘Settlement’ you muttered to yourself, just loud enough for the few people around you to hear.

“Anyone?” Sam asked, and on cue, Rebecca raised her hand.

“Settlement!” She called out.

“That’s correct,” Sam said, “It should occur to you faster than lightning to draw out a settlement. Good job there. That was quick.”

Next to her, Madison was looking at her friend incredulously. Then she turned around and gave you a sorry look. The boy sitting on her opposite side, the blond one, who had snickered at you on the first day also raised an eyebrow.

You didn’t care one way or another if Rebecca got the praise for your answer. You were simply relieved that you got that answer right… and that you were able to concentrate in the class better than you had been able to uptil now.

Perhaps that was the reason that it caught your attention, the quickest flick of Sam’s chin in your direction, before he stiffly averted his gaze. When the class ended, few students rushed to Sam’s desk, while you made to leave the room.

“Hey!”

You turned to see the blond dude standing right next to you.

“Y/N, isn’t it?” He asked.

You nodded.

“Brad,” he offered his hand. “Brad Rowan.”

“Nice to meet you.” you murmured, shaking his hand whilst glancing at the door.

“So, we have a party tomorrow evening,” he said, grinning with too much confidence. “Down at the western dorms. Everyone cool is coming. You should, too.”

“Thank you,” you said politely. “But I already have plans for the weekend.”

“Better than spending time with me?” He winked, stepping ever so slightly in front of you.

You were firm this time. “Yes.”

“Oh, let her be, Brad.” It was Madison, who had come sauntering down the aisle. “If she says she’s busy, she probably is. We’ll miss you, Y/N!”

You threw her a grateful look… Madison didn’t seem to catch it.

You said your goodbyes to her and Brad and left the room quickly.

Maybe it was your imagination, but out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sam’s gaze flicker towards you… if only for one moment.

********************

A/N 2: The next chapter is Sam’s POV ;) So we’ll finally know what’s up with him, huh ;)

PLEASE let me know what you think of this story?

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greekgeek21 · 4 years ago

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Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - some badass demigod training!!

Hello, and welcome back to...my horrible explanation for being absent! Coming up on this episode, you'll see me explain that I had my first 2 lacrosse games of the season and was left with bruised ribs. If anyone ever says that women's lax isn't a real sport cuz there isn't contact, you can tell them that someone from a fanfic website said they had bruised ribs from playing.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. We're starting to get some actual plot movement I think so have fun with that. Honestly, I kinda forgot what happened in here so...yeah. Please comment, like, follow, and reblog! Stay safe & happy reading!

- your author

Ω ♆ Ω

Percy and Annabeth woke up to the sound of a startled shout. Frank's startled shout, to be specific. They both shot up right away, their battle instincts kicking in, but Frank had seen enough.

"Seriously guys!? Again?" he exclaimed.

"Nothing happened!" Annabeth reassured, "We just fell asleep!"

"We did kiss a little," Percy muttered, and Annabeth shot him a death glare.

"Not. Helping," she whispered scathingly.

A sense of complete déjà vu washed over Percy. Except this time, the rest of the Seven were standing in the doorway, watching on with various amused expressions on their faces.

"Oh, this is perfect. Coach Hedge is gonna love this," Leo smiled in maniacal glee.

"No, Leo," Piper ordered, "You're not going to do that. Instead, we are going to get this meeting over with so I can get some sleep."

"Aw...you ruin all my fun!" he exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta do it when Calypso isn't here," Piper said.

It was true. Calypso and Piper are probably the only ones who could actually control Leo. Calypso because of Leo's fear of losing her or just general fear of her, and Piper because of her charmspeak.

"Ok! That's enough. We're getting sidetracked. We need to start this meeting." Jason clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

He gave Percy a meaningful look; one which said to 'take it from here.' So Percy did.

"Um, well, Annabeth and I wanted to talk to you guys about what's been going on. We need to come to an agreement on what we are allowed to say and do with the Avengers. I don't think we should show them the full extent of our powers because it seemed like those spies were looking for a reason to lock us up," he started, "And I'm not particularly fond of being put in a cell. How about you?"

"Yeah. And we need to figure out a way to deal with the bombings without them figuring us out. The mortals seemed pretty Hades-bent on releasing the big secret, and that never bodes well for people like us. I know that we need their help, but I don't trust them." Annabeth said.

"We can just say we were born with the powers, and have no idea why. I mean, it's technically true," Jason offered.

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, now what about the pattern? What is it?" Piper asked.

"All of the places are big parts of the Greek and Roman world. Brooklyn Bridge is near Manhattan, the home of the Gods, Portland: Mt. St. Helens, where Typon used to be held, LA: entrance to Hades, Long Island: Camp Half-blood, and San Francisco: Camp Jupiter," Annabeth answered.

"Woah," Jason whispered, shocked.

"Yeah, but that's not our biggest concern. We also need to figure out how to hide our identities from the world while we're fighting with the Avengers," Annabeth said.

Everyone else there hadn't even thought of that. It comes in real handy to have a daughter of Athena around sometimes. Ok, not sometimes, all the time. All of them would be really dead without her quick thinking and planning.

"Um, I could try to see if the Aphrodite cabin could cook something up?" Piper suggested, "But most of them are still getting used to fighting, so they won't really know what to make. They need help with the designs."

Leo shot up from where he had slumped down into the desk chair, "I can help! Well, the Hephaestus cabin can. We can help design it so it's battle-ready."

"Good. We'll need those soon, I think. I have a feeling that we're going to have a lead soon, so we need to be ready when it comes. This is just one quest, so there is no need for people to think we're some kind of superheroes," Annabeth said.

"Aw! But I already had a name picked out!" Leo exclaimed.

He looked like he was about to let them in on his superhero name, but Annabeth held up a hand with a glare that clearly said to not speak unless he wanted to lose some very important parts of him. That kept him quiet, for sure.

"Is that all?" Frank asked, towering over them all.

"For now, yes. Remember, say the absolute minimum and stick to twisting the truth. If you reveal any new information without the others knowing, call a meeting to let us know," Annabeth confirmed, nodding her head.

"Great, now I can go back to sleep," Percy said, pulling Annabeth back down with him.

The others filed out soon after that, already hearing Percy's soft snores as they left and returned to their respective rooms. Ok, so Jason and Piper stayed in the same room like Percy and Annabeth did, but nothing happened. It was just nice to be in the arms of someone who cares about you, you know?

Ω ♆ Ω

"Up and at 'em, kiddos! It's training day!" Tony gleefully exclaimed over the speakers that Percy was absolutely sure he did not see in his room.

Percy groaned when he saw what time it was: 6:00 AM. He knew he wasn't allowed to (and that it was wrong, of course), but he wanted to kill Tony so badly in that moment. It would be quick! Nobody would suffer!

But, alas, he had to actually work with the man-child. It might not come off like it, but Percy takes war very seriously, and this was starting to feel like a war. Or at least, it would become one if they didn't stop it soon. And to do that, they needed the Avengers, apparently.

That was the only reason that he followed Annabeth in getting up and ready for the day. He took a little longer than Annabeth, but at 6:30 AM, they were stepping out of his room. They saw that the others were slowly doing the same. They were all tired. There weren't any big dream incidents, but that doesn't mean that staying up until midnight and then waking up at six in the morning won't do something to you. Even Leo looked exhausted, with big puffy eyes from rubbing them in an attempt to wake himself up quicker. If Leo Valdez was tired, then you knew that it was too early for this.

Also, you have to remember that they'reteenagers. Teenagers aren't meant to be up super early- it's a scientific fact, Percy thinks. Annabeth once told him something about their melatonin not releasing until later at night, so they could stay up and sleep in later.

What? Percy pays attention to what she's saying sometimes.

"I hate Tony," Piper grumbled, practically falling asleep on Jason.

"You and us all, chica," Leo mumbled before letting out a huge yawn.

"What did he say was going on? Training?" Jason asked, looking over at Annabeth for answers because she seemed the most awake of the group.

"Yep. Training, whatever that entails. I don't know, so be prepared for anything. I really hope it has nothing to do with electronics, but knowing our luck, and how Tony has been so far, it will, so just try not to get too close," she answered.

Leo tiredly saluted her, "Yes, ma'm."

Hazel rolled her eyes, "Come on, Repair Boy."

She grabbed his arm and started leading the way towards the living room, which was their best guess at where the Avengers were.

As they were walking, they were interrupted by the disembodied voice of JARVIS, "Excuse me, but I was told to direct you to the training room, where the Avengers are currently assembled and waiting for you. Shall I proceed?"

All of the demigods were still really weirded-out by the AI, and there was no way it was ending soon. It's just a reminder that they were currently in a building basically composed entirely of technology, one of their greatest liabilities. Liabilities were a dangerous thing in their lives.

"Yes..." Percy answered hesitantly, unsure where to look.

"Then please follow the arrows projected on the ground, sir," JARVIS said.

Sure enough, there were large white arrows pointing them away from the living room, so they followed them. It was about a two minute walk to the elevators, where they were told to go to the 60th floor, which was apparently one whole training room by itself.

Ω ♆ Ω

"So let me get this straight, you guys want us to...play a video game?" Frank asked, gesturing to the giant room around them.

The Seven were quickly ushered by the Avengers into a big room with a bunch of white, padded tiles all around them as soon as they had reached the training floor. There was only a viewing window and an exit that disappeared when the door was closed. Then, Tony explained what they were going to be doing. None of them really understood it yet.

"No! I want you to fight the LMDs! The robots! They will simulate different levels of skill to evaluate your skills. Understand?" Tony punctuated each word, quickly losing any sense of patience he had started with.

"Yeah. We got it," Annabeth sighed.

Ok, she was sure she was the only one of them who realized that they were about to break one of the rules they established last night on the first day. They were about to fight robots. TECHNOLOGY.

This should go well, Annabeth thought.

Steve interrupted before Tony could make a snarky comment, "Good. We'll start with fighting separately and then together as a group. Afterwards, we'll see how you work with different weapons."

"Aye aye, Cap," Leo joked.

"Leo, focus. We're about to fight ROBOTS." Annabeth tried to get the son of Hephaestus to understand the severity of the situation. "You have a back-up plan, right?"

He could talk to machines. Robots were machines. Therefore, he should be able to get them out of this mess if anything went wrong.

He gave her a nod of understanding, and Annabeth settled back into her natural stance rather than her tense one. Well, she's always tensed for battle. At least in her natural one it's less obvious.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Tony asked over the intercom.

"Uncle Leo will go first, right?" Percy joked, referencing to one of Leo's favorite nicknames for himself.

"Sure! I just need to know how much damage I'm allowed to do," Leo said, looking up at the Avengers.

Annabeth was shocked that he had even thought to ask that, and apparently the Avengers were, too.

"Um, just let go. There's nothing you can do to break this room. I designed it myself," Tony answered, still arrogant even through his confusion.

"Come on out, the rest of you," Natasha instructed.

Once the rest of the demigods had exited the room and stood next to the Avengers at the viewing window, Tony pressed a button on a screen that made a compartment in the walls of the room open up, revealing a row of floating LMDs.

"Now, I'm going to start you at Level 2, okay? It gets harder as you move up. The LMDs should stay the same form throughout every level, though. Ready?" Tony said.

Leo pulled his war hammer from his magical toolbelt and lit it and his arms on fire, "Ready."

Tony had to shake himself out of his shock before he pressed the start button, but when he did, every one of the mortal heroes had sat on the edge of their metaphorical seats, eager to see just how powerful these kids could be.

Plus, the kid had just pulled a giant war hammer from his normally-sized toolbelt, and then proceeded to light himself and the hammer on fire. They were bound to be curious after that display.

They knew the very basics of the young heroes' abilities, but most of that stuff was based on just what they had been told. Actual, visible proof is what they wanted.

All at once, the LMDs transformed into the Avengers minus the Hulk. Repeat, they changed into the Avengers. Leo had to fight a copy of the Avengers, alone.

Percy was freaking out inside. Sure, he trusted his friend, but Leo was a joker, and he tended to not understand how serious things were. In this case, he hoped that didn't happen.

"This should be interesting," Natasha remarked.

"No, this should be terrible. Tony, you never told me you were using this setting," Bruce said, rushing up to the other scientist, "He's just a kid."

"I think they've made it clear they aren't just kids, Jolly Green. It's fine. If they wanted to be treated like the rest of us, then they need to pass this test," Tony said.

Bruce looked like he wanted to say a lot more, but Jason stepped up to stop him, "He'll be fine, Dr. Banner. Leo may not look it, but he's powerful and he's smart. He can handle this."

Jason looked so sure of himself that it was enough to convince the doctor that it would be okay.

In truth, Jason had no idea how this program worked. There was a good chance that Leo did not, in fact, have this handled.

While this was being discussed, Leo had already started to fight the Iron Man LMD. He was currently alternating between swinging his hammer at it and firing balls of fire. The LMD had only been hit a couple of times because it kept maneuvering around the attacks by flying away.

It was getting tiresome, and Leo wanted it to be over with. So, he dropped his hammer and set a determined look on his face, glaring up at the robot.

The Seven were grinning, already figuring out what was happening, while the Avengers were just plain confused. What was the kid gonna do? Glare them to death?

Then, Leo started grinning and they knew it was all over.

He crouched down onto the ground and placed a hand on the floor, closing his eyes in concentration. The LMDs seemed to be as confused as their originals.

Three seconds passed before Leo's grin grew even more, and then he spoke a single word, "Stop."

And they did. Every single LMD lost their form and fell to the ground, limp and unmoving. Leo stood up, dusted his pants off, and turned to the viewing window to see his teammate's reactions.

They were priceless.

"That's how you do it," he said, "Am I done?"

Tony literally shook himself out of his stupor, "Yeah, sure. I need to reboot the LMDs."

When Leo came through the door, the rest of the demigods crowded him, patting him on the back and laughing at his dramatics.

"What was that?" Natasha demanded, breaking through the teens to tower over Leo's elf-like form.

Okay, maybe tower isn't the right word. She was taller than him, but not by much. Natasha was just very intimidating.

"Uh...fighting?" Leo tried.

Natasha's glare hardened, "You know that's not what I mean. What did you do to make the LMDs stop attacking?"

Leo glanced at Annabeth, who nodded in consent, "I talked to them."

"You did what?!" Tony exclaimed.

"I talked to them. They were pretty boring, to be honest, but I was able to shut them down," he answered.

Tony let out an incredulous laugh, "That's not possible! You can't just TALK to machines!"

"He can, and he did," Piper said, smiling proudly at her best friend.

"But–" Tony's voice died out.

"How come you never told us of this ability?" Natasha asked.

"You never asked," Percy answered simply, not liking her interrogatory tone at all.

The spy looked like she wanted to continue the conversation, but Clint whispered something in her ear and she stepped back with one last glare.

"Welp! That was fun! Who's next?" Tony clapped his hands.

Everyone turned to see that he had gotten the LMDs back online and back in the Avengers' form.

Piper sighed and started to walk to the door, "I guess I'll go next."

Before she could enter, Steve asked, "What weapon are you going to use? Your powers won't work on the robots."

Piper smirked at him over her shoulder before pulling Katoptris from its sheath on her thigh. Apparently, the Avengers had yet to fully break through the Mist, and they could not see her having that strapped there this entire time. But when she pulled it out, they seemed to finally be able to see it for what it truly was. It makes you wonder what they thought was there before. A ruler, maybe?

"I've got this," she stated before slipping into the training room.

Ω ♆ Ω

It was obvious Piper had been taking more lessons on dagger-fighting with Annabeth. As soon as the first person attacked, she was slashing and stabbing like crazy. Her lithe form was swisting out of the way of punches from Steve's copy, while Clint's arrows were shooting at her from behind.

Tony had clearly upped the level of difficulty after seeing what Leo could do.

Piper ducked under one of the arrows, and then shot back up to land a finishing blow to the center of LMD-Steve's chest. Then, she ripped Katoptris out of the robot and turned to throw it at Clint's copy, which just barely managed to avoid getting stabbed.

She was running on pure adrenaline now. It was best to imagine these opponents as monsters. Sure, when they actually fought humans, they would need to not kill, but these were just robots.

Cilnt's robot shot it's last arrow, and it exploded right before her face, stunning her into stillness. In that couple of seconds it took for her to recenter herself, Natasha's copy jumped onto her back for a chokehold. Piper struggled, but the LMD had been designed to know all of Natasha's known skills, and it was working. The Iron Man LMD landed and shot a stunning shot at her chest: the final straw for Piper to finally surrender.

She knew they wouldn't kill her, but she was not in the mood to be knocked-out. It left you with a massive headache.

So she tapped out.

"Ok ok, I'm done. I'm done," She panted as she was released, rubbing her neck.

Piper was not happy about having to surrender, but it seemed like the Avengers had been thoroughly impressed with her skill with such a small weapon.

"I'll do next," Annabeth declared, high-fiving Piper on her way out.

"Good luck," Piper said.

"Don't need it," Annabeth responded, pulling out her drakon-bone sword.

Out in the control room, Tony said, "Is that a bone?!"

"It's whatever you want it to be," Hazel grinned, manipulating the Mist just a bit.

"You scare me sometimes, Miss Metal Detector," Leo muttered, glancing at Annabeth's sword, which had shifted into a machete.

He wasn't sure whether to be impressed by Hazel's skill, or weirded-out by Tony's brain.

"Make sure to move to difficulty up a bit," Percy told Tony, "She'll be insulted otherwise."

The billionaire seemed to be getting used to the teens' weird ways because he didn't even flinch when he heard that, and instead moved to comply.

"And...here we go," Tony said over the intercom, "Good luck, Annie."

"My name is Annabeth!" she shouted before going into the fight.

In this level, every single one of them attacked at once. Annabeth back-bended under Steve's copy's punch, and then kicked up into LMD-Natasha's face. After, she turned and sliced the Iron Man armor on the side, just under the armpit. She had picked that as a point of weakness before she had even stepped into the building.

"She's good," Natasha relented, watching as the daughter of Athena thrusted her sword into Steve's robot foot.

Seeing that Clint's LMD copy was not going to get any closer to her, Annabeth pulled out a hidden dagger and threw it in a perfect line to hit it in the center of its forehead. Then, she turned and blocked a punch from Natasha's robot, who had recovered from the face-hit. The spy copy used the Iron Man LMD to jump up and wrap her legs around Annabeth's neck, trying to do a scissor hold, which failed because Annabeth rolled forward, slamming Natasha's head into the ground. The left a big enough dent that the LMD wasn't getting back up.

That only left Iron Man to deal with.

She settled into a fighting stance, but didn't attack, choosing to wait for her opponent to make the first blow.

Percy was grinning. This was what they needed: a good way to blow off steam without it possibly ending with one of them dead.

"What is she waiting for?" Steve asked.

"She's playing with it. It's fun for her," Jason answered, "It's Annabeth."

Finally, the robot got impatient and attacked. It sent a stun blast at her, which Annabeth quickly avoided. After, she ran up to the wall, kicked off of it, and jumped up to drag the Iron Man LMD down to the ground, where she sat down on it and landed a few punches. But she quickly realized punching wasn't doing much good.

"Judo flip! Do the judo flip!" Leo exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

When it wasn't him being the one attacked by Annabeth, it was super entertaining.

Annabeth sighed, but a smile was pulling at the edges of her lips. She hauled Iron Man up, who was still recovering from being slammed down to the ground, and got a good hold on it's arm. Then, she flipped it over her shoulder with an ease that only came from years of experience.

With a huge smile on her lips, and a last glance at her carnage, Annabeth walked back out to the control room.

"How was that for a kid?" She asked Natasha.

"Not bad," she got for an answer.

Ω ♆ Ω

Jason, Hazel, and Frank's individual tests went-by pretty quickly. Jason electrocuted all of the robots, rendering them immobile.

After that, and with another new batch of LMDs, Hazel used her Spatha to slice and cut through the robots. In the end, it proved too hard for her to do it with just a sword, so she pulled a chunk of the wall out and smashed it against the LMDs until they were in many different pieces.

Frank ended up having to forfeit, but not before getting every single Avengers copy but Steve down. Steve ended up having him in a chokehold that was just too difficult to get out of. And Frank had already transformed into many animals, so he wasn't sure if he could've changed back if he had transformed again.

If it wasn't obvious, Percy was avoiding doing his turn. He was trying to stay in the corner, and out of the notice of any of the adults. However, that wasn't possible with two spies in the room. They notice everything.

"Percy? Your turn," Natasha said.

So much for that plan.

Percy hesitated, "Um...about that, I don't think I should go."

Natasha raised her eyebrows in mock-surprise, but it was actually Steve who spoke, "You have to go, son. In order to work well together, we need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. This will never work without you doing this."

"Plus, we promise it's completely safe," Bruce added in.

Percy sighed, admitting that he wasn't going to be able to worm his way out of this one. Instead of fighting, he turned to whisper to Annabeth, "Don't let me get out of control."

Annabeth gave him a sad look, "Percy, I know you have control. I trust you. You just need to trust yourself. You would never hurt us. I know that for certain."

The Avengers were watching this interaction like hawks, but the other demigods were averting their attention. This happened sometimes, Percy and Annabeth going into their own world that only they could understand, and it was best to just let them be. Plus, privacy is a real thing people. The moment seemed almost too intimate for them to interrupt.

Percy still seemed to be having trouble believing Annabeth's statements, but he went into the training room without another protest. His shoulders were sagging in defeat, and he seemed to be folding in on himself. He was never one for attention, but that was a bit much in Leo's mind.

However, Leo and the rest of the Seven didn't have a full grasp on just how uncomfortable Percy as with using his powers now. They didn't know what happened in "that place."

"Are you ready, Percy?" Tony asked, readying the LMDs again.

"Yeah, I guess," Percy answered.

Annabeth was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, "Just breathe, Perce," she whispered under her breath, "You can do this."

She had to put on a brave face for her boyfriend, but she truly was terrified of Percy's potential. She had seen it first-hand in their trip underground, and it was nothing to be underestimated. The Avengers didn't know what powers they were playing with here. She only hoped that her insistent trust she was putting in Percy was going to amount to truth.

"We'll start you on Level 5? Based on what your friends can do, I think this will be a good start," Steve asked.

"Sure," Percy responded, bringing Riptide from his pocket.

"What's he going to do with a pen?" Bruce whispered to Clint.

The Seven all smiled at each other. Little did the mortals know, that pen was definitely not just a pen. It was always amusing when people saw what Riptide truly was for the first time.

"Alright. Here we go," Tony said, starting the simulation.

Percy closed his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and popped the cap off of his pen. Opening his eyes, you could tell something had shifted in him. He was in his natural element now, and nobody could stop him from achieving his goal.

That goal just so happened to be mutilating some billionaire's robots.

"Let's have some fun," Percy said, charging the first LMD.

He was a flurry of motion. His fighting style was a mix from Greek, Roman, and modern martial arts that he had learned from Annabeth. He'd kick one adversary just to turn and thrust his sword into another one trying to attack him from behind.

"He's amazing," Bruce said in wonder, mesmerized by Percy's skill.

The son of Poseidon was relying only on his hand-to-hand and swordsmanship skills, rather than his powers, but that barely slowed him down. If the mortals wanted a display of his competence, then he would give them one.

Annabeth had a proud smile on her face as she watched Percy judo flip Natasha's robot over his shoulder and slammed it hard enough to the ground that it "died," ending his fight.

That had gone well, considering Percy's worries.

However, he knew better than to let his guard down just yet. As all demigods know, life never gives any breaks. That, and the Fates are cruel.

Ω ♆ Ω

"Ok, guys. Let's take a lunch break, and then we'll do some more training, but this time, with only abilities," Steve said.

Percy had put his sword away, and was not standing in the viewing room with the rest of the heroes, mortal and demigod alike. All of the teens looked and felt exhausted, so it was a given to take a break.

"Got it, boss," Leo saluted, turning and exiting the room, heading no doubt in the direction of the kitchen.

"I guess that means we're leaving," Percy laughed. A real, genuine laugh.

It made Annabeth smile larger than she had in a long time. Improvement is always good.

Soon, everyone was gathered around the kitchen and living room area. Percy and Leo were scavenging for food while the Avengers and the rest of the Seven talked. So far, the hunt was not going as planned.

"Tony! Are you seriously telling me you're a billionaire, and you can't afford some decent Cheerios?!" Percy yelled.

"Yeah! Who goes grocery shopping around here?" Leo exclaimed, holding up the near-empty jug of milk.

The Avengers all looked at each other in confusion, "Who DOES go grocery shopping?" Bruce asked.

"Pepper, sometimes, I think. She must've been busy this week," Tony answered, "We can just order some Chinese or something for now."

"That should work, but if you're going to house these boys," Annabeth pointed to Percy, Leo, Jason, and Frank, "You're going to need a lot more food around at all times. Their appetites could rival that of an elephant."

Hazel let out a tiny laugh, realizing Annabeth's little pun about Frank. She received a small smirk in response.

"Teenagers," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes, "Always hungry."

"Now wait a second, Tony, I remember seeing you eat an entire large pizza by yourself just a couple weeks ago," Natasha remarked, smirking at her teammate.

Tony only glared in response, and then he told JARVIS to order lunch.

"Well, while we're waiting, I'll explain what our next exercise is," Steve said, "Basically, we're going to see and document your powers, but in a more controlled environment. You won't be fighting anything, but this will be more focused on precision than quantity. We need to know your full capabilities so that we know where to put you in a fight. Is that okay?"

He was asking their permission as more of a courtesy than an actual question, obviously, but the demigods still nodded their heads in confirmation. It wasn't like they couldn't leave at any time if things ever got too out-of-control.

Or at least, that's what they told themselves. In all honesty, nobody trusted each other yet. They could be shot down by the Avengers if they tried to run away, for all they knew, and that's what the scariest thing was. Neither group really KNEW the other group's intentions, only what they had told each other.

Everyone was walking on thin ice, whether it was known to them or not.

Ω ♆ Ω

I hope you liked it! Remember, this is also on FF, Ao3, Inkitt, Webnovel, and Wattpad.

other chapters :)

#pjo #percy jackson and the olympians #Percy Jackson and the avengers #mcu #marvel #the avengers #the seven #demigod #fanfic #wattpad #writing #ao3 #inkitt #superhero #webnovel

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cottage-babe · 4 years ago

Text

Burning Scars part IX

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Masterlist

mad zuko >:(

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny?

***** This chapter takes place on Season 2 Episode 15 (thats right, Tales of Ba Sing Se time)*****

___

“Hey, let me get that for you!”

Y/n brushed past Zuko and grabbed the hot teapot before his hands could reach it. She hurried over to the the table he was giving the tea to and poured it into the customer’s cup. They thanked her and she quickly went back to the tea station to return the pot.

“Whew,” She sighed, “today’s been busy, huh?”

Zuko glared at the girl and roughly pulled the teapot out of her hands.

“I don’t know, maybe if you actually let me do anything then I’d be able to tell.”

He walked over to a table requesting a refill angrily.

Y/n pouted and looked over to him.

Okay, maybe she’s been a little bit overboard lately. For the entire day, Y/n had been helping Zuko out a lot. And by ‘a lot,’ she meant with everything. A table on his side of the room requested a napkin? She’s right there behind him handing him 20 cloths. A kid dropped a cup on accident? She’s already got a broom and is pushing Zuko away from the glass shards. A new customer ordered a fresh cup of tea? There’s no way Zuko’s getting to the pot first.

The girl knew that he was getting annoyed with her antics, but she physically couldn’t stop herself.

Pao had opened the shop up a couple days after the Jet incident. He needed time to replace the broken tables, cups, teapots; almost everything. It was a good thing he didn’t blame Zuko for the mess or else he would be having a ton of money pulled out of his paycheck.

On the bright side, everything looked a lot better than before. There were no more damaged chairs and chipped cups; everything was new. It must’ve been the insane amounts of cash that Iroh was making for the owner that allowed these smoothly painted furniture.

Speaking of which, Zuko was carrying a couple cups already, so he wouldn’t mind if she cleaned up the tables on his side, right?

Slowly, to avoid his glare, she sneaked around while his front was turned toward the tea table. He was distracted pouring some tea (wait, the pot’s too hot, I should be the one doing that!) so she took advantage and quickly gathered up the empty, used cups. There had been a rather large family at this table, so she had to balance a lot on top of each other. Once they were balanced in her hands, she carefully took a step back to see if anything would topple over. When nothing moved, she turned around gracefully and began her way over to the kitchens.

Only, it wasn’t as gracefully as she imagined.

Zuko had somehow made it behind her with the cups of tea he was delivering. Whether or not her saw her, she wasn’t sure, but when she quickly turned, their bodies smashed into each other.

The cups in her hand toppled down and shattered against the floor. The piping hot tea in the boys grasps fell too, but not before spilling itself all over Zuko.

He hissed in pain and tried to wipe the hot water away with his hands, but only burned his hands in the process.

Y/n just stood there, struck with fear.

“I-I can-just let me-”

“No!” He yelled and pushed her helping hands away from his body. “You’ve done enough!”

She took a step away and her eyes began to tear up. Spirits, when did I get so emotional?

Y/n ruffled around the pockets of her apron and pulled out a dishrag. “I can help clean this up, I’m sorry.”

Zuko roughly grabbed the rag out of her grasps and shook his head. “No, Just go on break or something.”

He wants me to leave?

Instead of fighting it, Y/n just nodded her head and took a couple steps back. She wanted to help, honestly, but she’s starting to learn that one of the ways to diffuse a situation with Zuko is to let it be. If he says something, he means it.

Y/n took off her apron and walked out the front door. She cringed as she saw the amount of people in the shop watching their argument; surprised looks on their faces. They probably weren’t expecting something like this at such a highly recommended shop.

When she finally made it away from prying eyes, she decided not to go too far. She found a cluster of empty crates outside the shop and sat down, defeated.

Spirits, she really wished that Iroh was here right now.

The man had requested a day off on this specific day and didn’t tell the teens the reason why. When they asked, he just said that he was old and needed a break every once in a while. Zuko seemed to believe it, but something seemed off to the werewolf.

Despite her wariness, she left for work in the afternoon with Zuko and hugged him goodbye. There hasn’t been many days where they were separate.

The shop was running semi-smoothly with his absence. She was in charge of making the tea; Pao and Zuko honestly didn’t know how. She wasn’t the best at it, but if Iroh’s secret ingredient truly was ‘love,’ then the tea must taste fine (she may or may not be kissing the side of the teapot before every batch is made, but she’d never tell).

“Y/n, hey!”

Y/n looked up in surprise. She didn’t know a lot of people in Ba Sing Se; only her neighbors and her roommates. And of course Jet, but he was probably in jail right now. Wait, now that she thinks about it...

“Smellerbee? Longshot?”

They walked up to her and smiled; well, Smellerbee did, but the stoic expression remained on the other’s face.

“I know it’s been a while, but are you free to talk right now?” Smellerbee asked while scratching the back of her head.

Y/n hesitated and almost said that she needed to head back in right now. She really didn’t want to talk to these two; they were in the same group as Jet, so who’s to say that they didn’t share his beliefs? Instead, she pushed back her mistrust and gestured toward the wooden boxes surrounding her. Maybe she’ll listen to what they have to say, just a little bit.

The two sat down beside each other and glanced at one another. One thing Y/n has learned from the hours they hung out on the ferry was that Longshot spoke through his facial expressions. She had never heard him speak aloud, yet his friends always knew what he was thinking. They were probably having an entire conversation right now while Y/n sat silently, observing the two.

Finally, Smellerbee looked back at Y/n and sighed.

“We’re really sorry for what Jet did to you and your friends. We tried to stop him, honestly, but he never listened.”

Oh.

That was the only thing that she could think for a moment. It was a short apology, but it held so much information. Y/n knew that she had trusted the girl every since she met her; Smellerbee reminded her so much of Ayano, her sister. They both shared this determined, badass characteristic to them that just made Y/n feel so protected.

Plus, when she thought about it, Jet had said things like ‘I know what you are!’ but never ‘We know!’ Maybe they were telling the truth and weren’t a part of Jet’s wildly correct beliefs.

Y/n nodded her head, “Do you know how long he was following us?”

“S-since we all made it to Ba Sing Se.” The girl hung her head shamefully.

Really? For that long?

“Wow...” She paused and shivered, “It feels weird knowing that he’s always been there.”

“I know, and we’re really sorry.” Smellerbee looked up at her once again. “We should’ve done more when we figure out what he was up to.”

Y/n’s heart sunk at the guilt that seeped through the girl. It almost reminded her of herself.

“Trust me, I kinda feel the same.” When both of the teens across from her looked at her in confusion, she elaborated on her words. “While Lee was fighting Jet, I just stood there doing nothing; I felt so helpless.”

Y/n didn’t trust her human body the same way she did with her werewolf skin. This body was just so fragile. She was positively sure that she didn’t have the same strength that she normally did and it bothered her so much. What if something like that happened again and Zuko couldn’t protect himself, could she protect her new family? The answer scared her.

Then, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Longshot looking at her purposefully.

She almost looked away, embarrassed that she couldn’t understand what he was ‘saying,’ but paused when the meaning finally filtered through. Even if you tried, there’s nothing you could have done.

“I-I guess you’re right.” Y/n said quietly.

That was... weird, right?

They talked for a bit more after that before Y/n’s break ended. She waved them goodbye and stepped back into the her most recent issue, Zuko. She backed off for the rest of the day; only staying in her section of the shop and not even looking at Zuko’s side.

And the boy didn’t even bother to give her a couple words.

He was silent the whole time, only ever answering to Pao or a customer. Normally, he would talk to her a bit to pass the time, but he was giving her the complete silent treatment.

Well he is mad at you, dummy.

Y/n just knew that when the end of the day came, they would be in the awkwardest silence; if he even decided to walk with her.

To her own surprise, he did wait for her to clock out before starting the journey home. And he even decided to walk beside her, but not before sending her a glare, of course. Still, it made her heart flutter a bit.

Y/n was hyper-aware that night, she didn’t know why. For some reason, her eyes caught glimpses of shadows bouncing around on the rooftops, but she brushed it off as a play of the light. Soon, however, her ears picked up on something loud running around the alley they were going to cross.

“Watch out!” She yelled and stuck her arms out to stop Zuko from moving.

The boy’s eyes widened and he instinctively took a stance to attack. He definitely trusted her in situations like this.

The werewolf wasn’t sure what she was hearing since it was happening so fast. Was it a person? Jet? A wild animal? She wasn’t sure.

Then, a large shadow crept up the side of the building. It stretched up, up, up until it towered over the two teens. It was rare that Y/n found a creature bigger than her.

Then.... a small elephant-rat jumped out and dashed across their path, jumping into a nearby trashcan. Oh.

Y/n relaxed and let out a breath at the ugly animal, but Zuko didn’t quite have the same reaction.

“What is up with you, Y/n, seriously?” The boy raised his voice.

The girl shrunk down a bit, not prepared for his outburst. She was going to reply, but he beat her to it.

“You’ve been following me around all day, annoying the crap out of me and now this?”

Y/n looked around and saw that bystanders were listening in on them. “Can’t we just talk about this later? There’s people staring...”

“Let them stare, then! Why have you been acting so weird?” Zuko grasped her arm to stop her from walking.

“Let me go! You really wanna know why?” Do I even know the answer to that? “I’m just trying to help you! After what happened with Jet, I realized that I’m useless like this. You guy’s keep me around for spirits-know-why; I know when I’m being a burden. But since you wanna be so pissy about it, I’ll leave you alone.”

And with that, Y/n turned on her heel and continued the walk home in a faster pace. The crowd around them watched her go before continuing on their nightly strolls, but not before one kid stuck his tongue out at Zuko and said ‘meanie!”

Zuko stood there for a moment, then sighed and followed Y/n.

“Y/n, slow down.”

The girl didn’t even hesitate when she heard his voice, just continued her pace until she saw the entrance to their apartment. She only slowed once she realized that Zuko held their key.

The boy sped up once he saw her slow down and grasped her arm once again. She just glared at him and didn’t let it soften when she saw the guilty look on his face.

“Listen... I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

She just scoffed and turned toward the door, waiting for him to unlock it.

“You’re not a burden, Y/n. We’d... never think of you that way. I’d never think of you that way. Despite what I thought at first, we’re in this together now, all the way.”

She turned her head even further away from him, not wanting him to see her composure breaking. She barely even knew that she needed to hear this until those few moments ago.

“And about today; you don’t need to prove your worth to us, we already -er- love... you.”

She knew that it was difficult for him to say that, she could hear it in his voice. Despite that, Y/n turned and captured him in a tight hug. It’s been so long since she’d heard someone say that they loved her.

“I love you guys too.” She spoke into his chest. “You guys are like family to me.”

Zuko just laughed dryly and patted her head.

“Oh! Am I interrupting something?”

The two looked to the side to see Iroh, both teens moving apart.

“No! Uh, we just got home.” Y/n said awkwardly. “How was you’re day off?”

“Relaxing.” He answered before wiggling the bag on his wrist around. “And I bought gifts!”

They unlocked their door and entered their house.

“Uncle,” Zuko groaned. “We don’t have enough money for gifts.”

Iroh ignored his nephew and took the items out of his cloth bag. There were two boxes wrapped up neatly in paper; one was bigger than the other. The uncle grabbed the larger of the two and handed it to Zuko.

The teen unwrapped it unenthusiastically and revealed his gift with the same attitude. “Wow, a knife sharpener.”

“For your swords!” He replied happily before grabbing the smaller item. “And this is for you.”

Y/n grabbed the small box and just stared at it for a moment. She knew that whatever was inside would make her incredibly happy, no matter what it was. Her parents had never been the gift-giving type growing up. They only cared for making their kids the best and most knowledgeable wolves in their pack. Wisdom was their only gift.

So Y/n unwrapped it slowly and uncovered a small blue box. When she opened it, a jeweled flower shined back at her.

“Oh Iroh, it’s beautiful!” The werewolf replied as she pulled it from the box and revealed a dainty chain.

“Yes, well, since Zuko won’t let me spoil him anymore, you’re next on the list!”

Iroh helped her put the necklace around her neck and she looked at a nearby mirror to see the jewelry on her neck. Y/n smiled brightly before pulling Iroh into a heartwarming hug,

Maybe it wasn’t ideal at first, but her new family was amazing.

___

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Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here @bwndito @kiaoizz @lrmilikepie @ohmigooosh

#zuko x reader #zuko #atla #avatar

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