#sorry this might be a lil confusing i am pretty tired right now
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big-city-times · 24 days ago
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I am really curious about your headcanon of Nocan being Tangent's dad. (I am obsessed with them)
HIIIII YESSSS I GET TO TALK ABOUT THEM
i will preface this by saying that i really need to re-watch nocans episodes. i have not watched one is so so long
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heres a doodle i did a lil while back
(switching to regular case so it is more readable lol)
Tbh I don't think that Nocan is his bio dad or anything but holy shit that would be so funny. Could you imagine Tangent is out here siting his great great great uncle as his pirate bloodline meanwhile Nocan is a living viking who is still vikinginging
I would absolutely love to see a team up between them. I don't really think that Nocan would understand the concept of found family, but ct certainly does and clings to him instantly. Biggest mentor / father figure ever (other than his actual dad but thats a whole other headcanon lol)
Tangent doesn't really know how to be a real pirate, but Nocan is an actual viking. That's the coolest thing he has EVER seen in his WHOLE entire life. Doubling down on it, Nocan does not care about his rambling, and will silently listen, unless he makes a direct statement (that Nocan can counter).
This leads to their language gimmicks sort of clashing, which would definitely be how a potential team up episode would be resolved in favor of Wordgirl. They are both very good at confusing other people and also each other <3 Tangent states a direct fact and Nocan refutes it "no :( but that be right !! i know it is!! " "RIGHT? NO! WRONG!!"
Learning and teaching quietly would be the best way for them to cooperate. Both of them are terrible at being quiet <3 It would also be wonderful to see a four way team up for the Too Loud Crew (butcher and whammer) and them <33 people with poor volume control friend group when
in conclusion big viking little pirate is a very fun hypothetical to think about. thank you for coming to my ted talk
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alovesongtheywrote · 1 year ago
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hiii girlie!! it’s my birthday HAHA can i please get a nightmare academia part?? thank youuu 🫶
♥ Summary: SORRY I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY!! iirc, i got this like. right in the middle of finals season. i am so sorry :( to compensate, i have provided a holiday update!! In this chapter of Nightmare Academia, it's the holiday season and Reid pulls a lil prank.
♥ Warnings: holidays, Wham's Last Christmas
♥ A/N: this is really just a holiday blurb im ngl. happy holiday special ig!! (also. i didn't edit this. my bad lol)
♥ Word Count: 600
Series Masterlist
♥♥♥
The winter seasons were always an interesting time to be a professor.  The campus was decorated with trees and lights.  Fliers advertised Hanukkah and Christmas gatherings.  The students were so stressed and burnt out that they moved through life with a weird sort of festive calm. 
This year, that festive calm had taken on a new feature- your students wouldn’t stop playing Wham’s Last Christmas.  
You had nothing against the song.  All things considered, you liked Wham.  You liked Last Christmas.  It just got a touch annoying when the song played on a constant loop through various shitty phone speakers.  All the time.  Every day.
You weren’t sure what caused it- what earthly force could convince a bunch of college kids to listen to that infernal song so frequently?  What could get them to set Last Christmas to their ringtones?  You were pretty sure most of them hadn’t used ringtones before December.  To put it bluntly- you were confused, tired, and suspicious.  You were also ready to scream.
So you did!
“Holy shit, if I have to hear that fucking song again, I might literally explode.”
Reid looked up at you as you burst into your shared office.  His eyes were wide, as if your pre-loaded rant about Wham’s Last Christmas had caught him off guard.  
If it had, that was honestly on him.  You were only about a week into December, and you had already complained about the thing seventy-six times and counting.  If Spencer didn’t remember that, then his special boy memory powers had clearly failed him.
“Well, you wouldn’t literally explode,” Reid corrected, clearly recovered from his shock, “That’s a common mistake.  You would actually-”
“Reid, stop it before I feed you to the ghost of George Michael.”
He held up his hands in surrender, though a smile played across his lips.  You glared at that little grin as vines of suspicion tangled with the fleshy meat of your brain.
“Did you have something to do with this?”
“Whatever do you mean, Doctor?”
“I mean,” you slammed your hands down on Reid’s desk, “Are you the reason I cannot escape that fucking song?”
He leaned back in his chair, weaving his long, slender fingers together like some fucking anime villain, “And how would I pull that off?”
“Easily.  You’re you, and it’s the perfect crime.  All it would take is the promise of extra credit, and your students would do anything.  You think I haven’t noticed that the student body suddenly loves playing Wham?  Out loud?  Without headphones?”
Spencer’s grin got bigger, “Wow.  I’m sorry that your students have been using technology in a distracting and upsetting manner.  I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
“Spencer Reid, I am going to kill you.  I’m gonna choke you out with Christmas lights.  Seriously.”
He leaned in, “Are you literally going to kill me?”
“Fuck you, Reid.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
You snorted out a laugh, “You wouldn’t survive me, pretty boy.  Now, have you seen the essays my cybercrime class wrote?  They were on my desk.”
“Here-” he said, reaching for one of the desk’s many drawers.  That ended the conversation as the topic drifted to your students and the general category of crime that involved techy-whecy bullshit.  
In the weeks that followed, the volume on Spencer’s prank was turned down.  The students played it less and less, and the campus generally hummed with other holiday themed music until the break hit.  The day after it did, a package arrived on your doorstep.
A lovely vinyl copy of Wham’s Last Christmas.  
You were gonna kill Spencer Reid.
♥ Tags: @icarusignite, @usuallyunlikelyfox, @maraudersforlife2005, @fictionalcomforts, @morgthemagpie, @iiheartbowie, @digitalhearts, @corpsebridenightamare, @ghostatrixx, @reiding-writing, @mywellspringoflife, @80katie, @ms-ks-world, @currentfications, @ilse235, @emagen, @foolishwaitersblog if you asked to be tagged and i forgot, pls let me know!! if you would like to be tagged and aren't, also let me know :D
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maladaptive-day-dreams · 2 years ago
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Hiiii, you’re writing is AMAZING!! Thank you for blessing us with it🙏🏼
I have a smutty Ronance idea for youuuu, let me paint you a little picture
So, after all the Vecna stuff Nancy and Robin would stay at each other’s houses almost every night for months. It started off because they both needed someone and they were both having bad nightmares about everything. The first couple weeks they just kept each other company, sharing a bed but not touching. That blossomed into one night Nancy nervously asking Robin if they could cuddle and Robin of course agrees. After that it becomes part of their nightly routine when they spend the night together. Nancy’s the first to notice that she gets this weird feeling around Robin and she attempts to push it away, but she can’t stop thinking about her. It started off with just thinking about what they might do later and just missing her presence. BUT, then it turns into her thinking about Robin’s smile, her eyes, her hands, how she just wants to be with her 24/7, etc. Nancy has her “Oh shit” moment and realizes that she indeed has a crush on Robin. She doesn’t say anything about it though, she doesn’t want to ruin what they have going right now. Then, BOOM Nancy’s taking a nap one day after school and she has a sex dream about Robin. When she wakes up, she is soaked, so unbelievably wet. A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door and surprise, it’s Robin. Nancy was so tired from finals and still dazed from her dream that she totally forgot the two of them had plans to study for a final they had in a couple days. When she opens the door she’s stuttering because all she can think about is her dream. While they’re studying Robin notices her inattentiveness to the material in front of them and her lack of being able to focus. After an hour, Nancy gets frustrated and blurts out,
“Can we can talk? I need to tell you something”
Nancy tries to tell Robin that she likes her, but Robin isn’t getting it. So, the only way Nancy can think of getting her point across is by kissing her. They kiss and Nancy accidentally says,
“So much better than the dream”
and Robin looks at her so confused, but intrigued. Nancy tries to drop it, but Robin won’t let that happen. Robin ends up getting Nancy to tell her, which leads to Nancy’s dream becoming a reality.
(I’m so sorry if this is too much detail, my brain has just been rotting away thinking about this)
Lowkey begging on my hands and knees for you to write this
omg omg omg YOU'RE SO NICE ILY
ok you def have this pretty well thought out iiiiiii am gonna kinda pick up in the middle a lil since you did really good at laying it all out for me, I hope this lives up to what you expected!! (also sorry I got to this so late, life got busy againnnn)
Robin Buckley x Nancy Wheeler, 1.8k words CW: fluff, smut (18+), fingering, no ending bc ending things is hard rn lol
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Nancy and Robin got close after Vecna. Neither of them expected it—Nancy usually went to Jonathan and Robin to Steve—but then Jonathan pulled away to take more care of Will and Steve pulled away to comfort Dustin since Eddie was gone.
So it just made sense that Nancy and Robin would move to cling to each other with the others drifted away.
It was only sleepovers for a while. Robin never needed anyone around until after Vecna and once Nancy broke up with Jonathan, she missed having someone familiar nearby. It was always just the warmth of another’s body that they wanted, that they needed.
But then something changed. Nancy started to want the faint smells of lavender and spearmint that surrounded her Robin’s room. In Robin’s bed. She wanted to be closer to that, wanted it to envelop her, wanted it even when it was a week that they stayed in her own room, so she asked for something more.
“Hey Rob?”  she started.
Robin finished pulling a shirt over her head and turned towards Nancy who was already in her bed—it was a Nancy’s place week.
“Yeah?” Robin asks pulling back the covers and sliding in beside her.
“Could we-uh, could we cuddle this time?”
“Oh, uh-“
“Sorry, it’s weird I know we don’t have to.”
“No-no it’s ok, we can cuddle, I was honestly gonna ask you that like a week ago,” she laughs shyly.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to push you though—with Jonathan and everything—I know that was rough for you.”
“Oh, yeah, that,” Nancy trailed off.
“Sorry, sore subject still?”
“No,” Nancy smiled. “Not really anymore.”
Robin nods, “so who’s the big spoon and who’s the little one?”
“I mean, you’re taller so obviously you’re the bigger one,” Nancy laughs.
“Alright alright fine. C’mere.”
Nancy snuggles into Robin’s awaiting arms and ends up having the best night of sleep she’s had in a while. It felt nice, it felt right.
And it became their new normal. Every night, they’d cuddle. They’d get closer and hands would travel innocently along bodies and mornings would bring feelings to the pit of Nancy’s stomach and the apex of her thighs.
But Nancy pushes those feelings away and tells herself it’s only because Robin is so close to her all the time. The sleepovers, the cuddling, they’re messing with her head, it can’t be anything more than that. Right?
No, wrong. Because it’s not even about the sleepovers and the cuddling and the feelings and sensations they elicit anymore. Now it’s Nancy thinking about daily plans and wishing they included Robin in some capacity. It’s Nancy randomly thinking about Robin’s smile. It’s Nancy hearing Robin’s laugh in a group of people at the mall and turning towards them to hopefully see her. It’s Nancy staring at the blue tiles at the bottom of the community pool and trying to pinpoint the exact shade that matches Robin’s eyes. It’s Nancy thinking about Robin’s hands and how soft and warm they were on her waist last night, how they might feel between her–
She realizes that this is what she thought about with Steve and Jonathan. She realizes she has a crush on Robin.
And she can’t say anything or do anything about it because she doesn’t want to lose her.
But the thoughts get worse and more persistent. Robin is on Nancy’s mind 24/7. In her college classes, at work, at the store, at home, in bed.
That’s where Nancy was now, in bed napping around after a particularly rough day of classes at Hawkins Community College where she takes summer classes.
Well, she was napping, but now she’s awake and breathing heavily remembering the faint remnants of the dream she jolted from. The ghost of Robin’s touch lingered on her body, on her breasts, between her legs. She followed the trail that dream Robin’s hand had walked and rubbed her fingers over her clothed pussy to find herself absolutely dripping wet.
But instead of taking what images were given to her by her subconscious and finishing what was started in her dream by herself, Nancy tore off her soiled panties and rinsed off the sheen of sweat from her dream and the faint feeling of phantom hands on her body.
As soon as Nancy finished putting on a clean pair of panties and sofee shorts and an oversized tee, the doorbell rang. And who else would be there except for Robin.
“I know I’m a little early but band practice got out early and I snagged food for us and a movie if you’re up for a movie night after we study?” Robin says holding up a bag of takeout in one hand and the movie in her other.
“Shit, right,” Nancy says, pushing her hand into her forehead as if she has a headache. “I forgot.”
“I mean, that’s okay! If you have a headache we can reschedule,” she smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“No,” Nancy laughs and steps to the side to let the other girl inside. “We gotta study now or I’ll wait until the last minute and that will not go well.”
Having the girl that was just so vividly in her dream with her hands all over her body had Nancy’s head spinning. But she did her best to push aside the memories and lingering feelings and focus on studying.
Robin was sitting on the floor, her back to Nancy’s bed, while Nancy was laying stomach down on the bed above her, their heads close enough to read from the same book if they needed to. Constant movement and huffs from the girl above her let Robin know that Nancy was barely paying attention anymore, warranted since they’ve been at this for at least an hour now. She’s about to offer to microwave their takeout and start the movie in the living room but Nancy beats her to it.
“Can we can talk? I need to tell you something.”
Taken aback Robin just looks up, her eyes meeting Nancy’s quickly with how close they were. Robin clears her throat and moves to get up. “Yeah, of course.”
Nancy sits up on her bed and Robin gets comfortable seated in front of her. After a few minutes of silence Robin probes, “What’s up Nance?”
She’s trying to figure out how to tell her. To tell her that she’s all she can think about lately, that she wants her near all the time, that she wants her, but nothing comes out.
“I really like hanging out with you.”
“Oh, uh, I like hanging out with you too, Nance.”
“No, ugh, fuck I can’t,” Nancy is struggling to think of how to get Robin to understand so instead of speaking she puts one hand on Robin’s cheek and the other on her knee.
“Nance?”
“Can I?” Robin doesn’t say anything but Nancy can see it in her eyes, so she moves. She leans forward and Robin meets her in the middle. A brief, sweet kiss.
Eyes still closed, the two pull apart slightly before Robin’s hands find Nancy’s cheeks and pulls her back in for a heady kiss. One that’s all teeth and tongue and hot and wet. They keep kissing as Robin moves up to her knees leans towards Nancy enough to get her to lean back onto her pillows.
Robin tears her lips from Nancy’s with a nip to her bottom lip before trailing kisses down her jaw and neck.
Nancy’s hands run through Robin’s hair as she says breathily, “so much better than the dream.” 
That has Robin pausing her kisses and looking at her so confused, but intrigued. “Dream?”
“Oh, uh, nothing, it’s nothing, forget it,” she stumbles, her hands pushing hair behind Robin’s ears and trying to distract her by pulling her back in for a kiss.
“Nancy, what dream?” Robin laughs at the other girl’s attempt at a diversion.
“Pleaseee forget I said anything,” Nancy begs with a pout. Robin’s gaze is as firm as her grip on Nancy’s waist, she’s not going to let this go. “You’re not going to let this go are you?”
“Nope,” Robin smiles. “Not until you tell me about this little dream of yours.”
Robin’s hands are warm on Nancy’s skin and distracting where they sit just above the waistband of her shorts. Her gaze is lowered from the other girl’s as she starts talking.
“I might’ve woken up from a…vivid dream just before you got here today.”
“Just before?”
“Mhm.”
“Vivid?”
“Yeah,” Nancy breathes lightly as Robin’s thumbs start to trace circles into her hips.
“What happened in this dream?” she eggs on.
“Um-we were kissing a lot, in bed, like this.”
Robin moves one hand to tilt Nancy’s head back and latches her lips onto the newly exposed skin of her neck.
“And-uh-you were touching me-“
“Touching you where?” Robin asks, hands traveling beneath the big t-shirt that hides Nancy from her. Fingers brush over taught nipples and Nancy gasps at the contact. “Here?” she asks, pinching and rolling a hard bud between her fingers.
“Yes,” Nancy moans. “I-I mean no, no, not there.”
“No? Then where?”
Nancy’s hips buck with each tweak of her nipples by Robins deft fingers.
“Fuck, ah-lower.”
Robin runs her hand down Nancy’s stomach but not far enough.
“Rob please.”
“Where?”
“Lower.”
Robin moves her hand lower, but now too low, as she ran her fingertips across Nancy’s thighs. “This low?” she asks.
Nancy squirms below the other girl, impatient and dripping, waiting for her to touch where she needed her most.
Sighing in frustration Nancy grasps Robin’s hand that was traveling her body and places it on her clothed cunt. “Here,” she groans. “You were touching me here.”
Robin chuckles and drags her hand across Nancy’s clothed cunt and revels in the shiver it sends through her body.
“Want me to touch you like I did in your dream?”
“Please.”
And she does. Nancy lifts her hips and lets Robin discard her shorts and panties to the floor. Trailing fingers meet the wetness at her center and Robin kisses Nancy and swallows the moans that escape her lips when her fingers begin to circle her clit. The kisses are hot and wet and burning with lust and feel as though they go on forever.
And then Nancy is pulling away and her back is arching off the bed when Robin pushes two fingers into her aching cunt. Pants of ah, oh, fuck, Robin, drop from Nancy’s lips as Robin continues to piston her fingers into her, reveling at the sweet noises that leave her pink lips and the dirty wet sounds of Nancy’s arousal on her fingers.
The coil in Nancy’s stomach tightens and tightens and soon she’s caving in on herself in pleasure as she cums around Robin’s fingers with Robin’s soft praise being whispered into her ear.
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snackhobi · 4 years ago
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how we interface ;
part of the human touch verse (masterlist here)
pairing: android!taehyung x f!reader / word count: 1.7k / genre: fluff, established relationship, light smut (NSFW) / warnings: none?; this is set after the main story
a/n: so here I am, revisiting the human touch verse, finally. thank you to my beta readers @hobi-gif​ and @morndas​, I love and appreciate you both so much 💖 to the anon who suggested a ‘naughty scene’ with android tae, there’s a lil something in here for you! 
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The first time it happens, you think Taehyung is malfunctioning.
You’ve lost count of how many times you’ve held hands by now.  You never thought you could be so familiar with someone else’s hands: how their fingers entwine with yours, the warmth of their palm against your own; how their thumb feels rubbing across the back of your hand, tender and soothing and so full of love. But here you are, your hand in Taehyung’s, his in yours, like it’s meant to be there. What once was new and exciting is now a motion of comfort—as practiced as blinking or breathing.
But this? This is new, this sudden sensation of smoothness where Taehyung’s soft skin had been moments before. You glance down. You haven’t been looking at your joined hands, focused instead on the film that flickers across your TV, and there’s a beat as you take in what you’re seeing: the bare white of Taehyung’s android body, normally hidden away underneath the synthetic skin that covers him. You know what androids look like under their skin, the smooth white plastic bodies, but you’ve only ever seen a glimpse of Taehyung’s—a slip of white on his temple when he’d removed his LED, that under skeleton you haven’t seen since.
“Taehyung?” You’re uncertain what to think, equal parts confused and concerned. He doesn’t seem to be in pain; barely seems to register it at all, even, only turning his attention away from the screen at the sound of your voice. Like he hasn’t noticed anything amiss. “Are you okay?”
His eyes fall to your joined hands. “Oh,” he says. “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry.”
And just like that you watch as the skin shifts back into place, creeps from under his sleeve to cover his ivory hand; in mere moments everything is back in place and Taehyung seems unperturbed. As if nothing important has happened. He lifts your hand to his mouth, presses a fleeting kiss across your knuckles, an easy touch of affection that still has you melting, snuggling as close as possible to watch the rest of tonight’s movie.
Maybe it’s an android thing, you think. If it’s important and Taehyung wants to tell you about it, then he will. Until then there’s nothing more to do than to lean into his side and watch as Sophie and the Witch of the Waste toil up the stairs to the palace. You shift, resettle, drape yourself across your love; you feel the way a laugh rolls in his chest, contained, a smile bleeding out across his lips.
“Comfortable?” His voice is so quiet, so low. So achingly soft. 
You can’t help but smile back. “With you? Always.”
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The second time it happens, you barely notice it at all.
Too caught up in everything else to really notice the way Taehyung’s arm has gone white, skin receding from his fingers and rolled back, from hand to wrist to elbow and up to his shoulder; too busy gasping for air, eyes blown wide and skin sweat-slick, Taehyung above you and around you and inside you, all heat and pleasure. Both hands pinned to the pillow beneath your head, his fingers entwined with yours as he rolls his hips, watches the way you arch your back and tilt your body towards him, needing more, more, more.
It never gets any less amazing, how easy it is to lose yourself in each other’s bodies. How love can be expressed through lust. How even as you’re losing yourself, you’re kept grounded by Taehyung’s presence—he knows you better than you know yourself, knows your body, knows how to touch you just so, how to throw you deep into the ocean of sensation and pleasure, kept tethered only by his skin against yours. It never fails to leave you breathless, speechless, the only words from your lips a lilting refrain of his name, stuttered and sobbed, a melody of choked whimpers and keens.
Once your body is spent, you’ve all but forgotten that moment where Taehyung’s arm had turned blindingly white—too distracted by the way your peak had been building, entire body clenching hard and tight before you’d tumbled over the edge just seconds after, cumming hard and wet around Taehyung’s unrelenting thrusts. You don’t think about it, how Taehyung’s android arm had been bare to your gaze, unimportant when the two of you had been intent on something else. When he reaches for you, pulls you close, both hands and arms look just as normal: all elegant lines and honeyed skin, reverent as he touches you, drags the pads of his fingers over the tremble of your thighs. There’s no naked metal and plastic. No stark whiteness set against your skin. Just Taehyung’s familiar hand smoothing up and over the curve of your hips.
“Angel.”
You lean towards the pet name, ease into the deep softness of Taehyung’s voice, as warm as the palm that traces across your waist. Too focused on his still-simmering gaze to think about anything else right now. There’ll be time for that later.
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The third time it happens, you decide to ask what’s going on.
It’s been a long day, one that leaves an ache throbbing just behind your eyes, your entire body weighed down with it all. But Taehyung is kind and gentle, just like he always is, and it’s easy to unwind in the way he folds himself around you.
(You’re not sure you’ll ever get used to this. To the knowledge and comfort of someone’s love and support, no matter how exhausted you are, how burdened and tired. It’s not something you thought you’d ever find, and even though you have it now—have had it for long enough that you know it’s here to stay, that Taehyung is here to stay—sometimes it feels like a dream. A wild-winged flight of fancy that’s somehow touched ground in your life, become real, and is so much better than you ever could have thought.)
It’s just the two of you in the kitchen, in your own world of soft quiet as Taehyung makes you tea; something warm and soothing. You watch as he moves, meticulous and smooth, and you can’t help but smile and reach out, fingers brushing across his wrist. Wanting to feel, always.
He turns at the touch. Angles his body and his smile towards you, turns his hand palm-up so you can lock your fingers in place, every inch of you gone mellow, ochre yellow sunlight. Taehyung’s smile is subtle in his lips but obvious in his eyes—set deep in the dark of his gaze.
It’s easy, this time, to feel the way his skin subsides from his fingers. His hand is still warm (it always is) but it’s smooth and unyielding, now.
“Tae? How come your hand keeps doing this?”
A soft pause. Taehyung unravels the weave of your fingers so that you’re not holding hands any more but instead are mirroring each other, his palm and fingers against yours, held in the air in front of you. A mirror’s reflection in position.
“It’s how androids interface,” he says. “We can share information and memories like this.”
“Oh,” you murmur.
Now that you get a chance to look, really look, you notice the level of detail in Taehyung’s android body. The little dips of his joints, the darker lines that cross the unblemished white; the flush of blue across his knuckles, the soft glow of the thirium that powers him; his entire arm is alabaster apart from that blue glow at his knuckles and elbow, so pretty. Still beautiful, of course. Every part of him.
“I can’t help it.” Taehyung’s still smiling at you, at the way you’re staring at your hand against his, how they’re both similar and yet so different all at once.  “It’s an intimate thing, I think. Wanting to share with you and let you see everything. It happens without me even realising.”
You hesitate as a small breath catches in your throat. Then:
“Does it bother you? That you… can’t interface with me like this?”
Your voice comes out small. You know that Taehyung’s been concerned about his android nature, that the fact he’s a robot and not human might one day become something that bothers you. That you might find him lacking. You’ve felt the same, though, even if you might not have put a voice to it—that being human might become a barrier, that it means you might not be able to connect with him the way he wants. 
(That your two experiences in life and living are fundamentally too different and that it might all fall apart because of it.)
Taehyung’s smile doesn’t falter. “Does it bother you that I’m an android?”
“Of course not.” The answer is immediate and honest, even in the midst of your uncertainties. You’d love Taehyung whether he was an android or not—because he’s him.
“There’s your answer.” He’s looking at you with such an aching fondness, and his response is easy; relaxed. “Being an android or being a human doesn’t affect how I feel about you. I love you.”
He says this often. Reminds you daily of that unrelenting love for you. And no matter how many times you hear it, your heart swells��full to bursting with so many more emotions than you think you could ever put a name to, but with love the resounding echo throughout it all. 
He pulls his hand away from yours so that he can cup your cheek, and though the sensation of his android body against your bare skin is unfamiliar, the adoration behind the touch isn’t. Just because you interface differently doesn’t make it any less fulfilling, you think. Doesn’t make it any less real or amazing (because you are amazed, every day, that someone like Taehyung could ever love someone like you).
“I love you too.” 
The words don’t feel like enough to express every glittering facet of love you hold in your chest, but you hope that Taehyung feels it anyway. You hope that everything you do expresses that love, that it shines through, always. He deserves it. He deserves everything.
And when he smiles even wider at your words, uses the smooth hand against your cheek to tilt your head into a kiss—android or human or otherwise, you’ve never been happier.
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taglist:  @beyoncesdragon​ @vensulove​
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4dtk · 3 years ago
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based on a lil discussion with me and @moonboohoo btw this is a little ooc since sukuna is a cat lol. enjoy!
[yuji is typing...]
oh my godddd you're ordering food? i want food too wtf
anyway. i hear u about your problem. why not just ask the first person you see when you get back home?
[(y/n) is typing...]
you want me to ask my cat??????
[yuji is typing...]
oh no not the cat, that feline is the devil himself im sure
the person delivering your food, ask them!!! maybe they'd be willing to give you a chance
[(y/n) is typing...]
hey!!!! :( dont be mean to sukuna :((
your maine coon curls up against you as you flop down on the couch with phone in hand, the other switching on the television with not much thought. your hand naturally strokes the cat's fur, jumping channels from one to the next in boredom as you wait for the delivery.
sukuna's purring carry on even when the doorbell is rung, accepting the food with a smile and careful hands. when you don't return, however, the cat perks up in curiosity, seeing the familiar twirl of your hair around your fingers as you engage in a conversation with the person at your door.
"so... is tomorrow okay?" you ask, tired of waiting for the perfect partner to come and sweep you off your feet. the other goes to answer, but sukuna interrupts before they can, hissing with the swishing of his bushy tail. it's as if he was a human himself, staring down at the delivery person despite the massive height difference.
"ah, s..sorry," you rush to place the food down, picking up the majestic cat into your arms to cradle him, "my cat's pretty aggressive to strangers."
"we could always reschedule it?" they say, shrugging their shoulders, "doesn't look like your cat wants me in the house if i were to come over tomorrow."
you smile apologetically, "'m sorry again."
they wave a hand, both in goodbye and dismissal of your apology for such a trivial thing.
the cat descends from your arms gracefully, walking off like he hadn't just cost you a future partner. as sukuna prances off, you roll your eyes at his dramatics, reaching for the food before finally settling down in front of the television again. at least now you had a purpose of going channel surfing.
it wasn't a very productive day, clocking out at an early 11pm to get ready for tomorrow. scrolling through social media was your favourite pastime, slotting in a bit of 'me' time before succumbing to sleep with sukuna snuggled up against your side. 
the next morning wasn't merciful; with its bright rays shining through the window and the annoying construction going on from across the street, you could almost feel your annoyance levels rising before you got the morning routine.
"she wanted to invite them into the house? thank god i swooped in before they could agree. what right do they have to hang with (y/n)?"
what's worse is there was murmuring just at the foot of your bed, the pacing of their footsteps deemed too loud by your groggy, grumpy self.
wait.
"who's there?!" your shout catches the attention of the male, hand pointing at the owner of the noisy-ass footsteps with fear.
his messy pink hair was enough to catch your attention, but the tattoos littered across his arms and face was enough to make you gasp. you keep your mouth shut when he looks you over with red eyes, meeting yours with a tilt of his head. it's a sukuna habit, even when he's a human.
"who... are you?"
"seriously?" he asks unimpressed, crossing his arms over his exposed chest.
"sukuna!" you jolt in surprise at your missing cat, "sukuna?"
there's genuine concern and confusion when you repeat his name for the third time, coming to terms that he might really be in front of you.
"s...ukuna?" you whisper in caution, inching towards him as he keeps his eyebrow raised at your clueless state. tracing your hand across his carefully drawn tattoos was the first thing you did before moving on to his unkempt pink hair and mouth, where he still possessed his canine teeth.
he recoils as part of instinct, an uncharacteristic blush appearing on his face.
you overlook his behaviour but instead groan, falling back into the bed behind you in panic from the situation you've just encountered. your head comes up to gaze at the other, frustrated that he hasn't gone away after slapping your face, blinking your eyes or even falling off the bed.
"fuck. so you're real then."
"tch, then what am i? am i not matter, a material that constitutes the observable universe and, together with energy, forms the basis of all objective phenomena?"
you blow a raspberry, "did you get that from my science notes? god, whatever, let's get you some clothes."
luckily, with your wide array of oversized shirts, you were able to dress him decently. despite your confusion, you still were very interested to know how he came to be in your small apartment. with a skilled hand, you brew some coffee for the both of you, handing him a steaming hot cup after a few minutes.
"i change every night," sukuna says nonchalantly, immediately spitting out the bitter drink in repulsion.
he makes a disgusted face, “what the fuck is this?”
you deadpan, "really? all over my floor?"
getting up, your hands reach for the paper towels to clean up the mess that your cat-turned-human made, cringing at the way the paper towel turns brown with the immediate soak-up.
“but this is the first time i’ve struggled to change back. i’m not sure how i do it normally, but jeez, drinking your goddamn coffee makes me wish i was a cat again.”
with each passing minute, he gets on your nerves and by now, he’s shoved the drink back to you. standing up, he stretches his muscles like how he usually does in the mornings, allowing for every part of his toned body to show itself.
there goes the annoyance...
"well, i can't say i'm not attracted either..." you mutter to yourself, gulping down the extra cup before placing them in the sink. the laptop you frequent makes its way onto your lap not so long later, bringing up a essay due in the next week. you decided to start early this time and made sure to pace yourself, trying to rule out the last minute rushes you always settled for.
an arm encircles around your waist, taking you by surprise when you let out a squeak. sukuna is nuzzling himself into your arm while you try to frantically delete the out-of-topic sentence that was making its way onto the word doc.
"what are you doing?"
"morning routine," he simply says, laying his tongue on you without any warning.
"oh god, sukuna, no!" you groan, pushing him away from his tight grip on you like he usually does when his body is propped against your chest. you've woken up too many times, struggling to breathe because of his weight.
he retreats reluctantly, really wishing he was a cat again as he grunts at your behaviour.
"have it your way," sukuna mumbles, his naturally grumpy self amplified by your rejection. you thought back to the times your maine coon normally sat beside you quietly, basking in the way your fingers typed on the keyboard.
what could be any different? plus, you'd have a reciprocation of your head pats.
there's a tug on the other's wrist, "you can lay. just no- no licking, okay?"
you almost scoff at the sukuna rolls his eyes, but his actions betray him anyways because he's laid down beside you, curling into your side as he places his head into your stomach.
the desktop's illumination shines brighter than the morning's rays, hypnotising sukuna into a slumber as you play with his hair.
you wouldn't have noticed the male if he hadn't introduced himself, but his brash personality matched your cat too closely, knowing you were the only one he'd show affection to despite the constant hissing and glares he sent to your friends.
a gentle grasp of his hand snaps you out of your thoughts, bringing back memories of the way he'll lay his paw on you, even during the first time where you met him in the animal shelter.
sukuna stays peaceful throughout his sleep, pink hair slowly becoming messier the more he cuddled into your person. he was content now, at least, as you read over the essay to correct any mistakes.
it lulls him in and out of consciousness, stuck between wanting to hear your tender voice and relishing being embraced in his sleep.
either way, he was positive he wanted to spend the rest of his cat (or human) life with you.
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ceruleanchillin · 3 years ago
Text
5 Day Stay
| Or, Angel down bad for a week |
Angel x F!Reader
Warnings: language, infidelity, Angst (?), lil bit chili spice at the end
Mon:
Angel felt he was too young to consistently feel so bone-tired, yet that’s how his day had been ending for weeks now. Sometimes it was all he could do to get off his bike and make it to the door, only to have to rest his head against it to prepare to make it to the couch and collapse.
Tonight was one of those nights, and he wanted to be dead to the world until it dragged him back into it.
It was the smell of mixed spices that hit him first. It felt like he was in suspended animation, and slowly being released as different things started to register to him.
His TV was on, someone was rummaging through his kitchen, and music played faintly from his desk. Thinking back to the last time an unwanted guest was in his kitchen, he placed a hand on the holstered knife fastened to his back.
The fridge door closed, and you appeared in the window, eyes focused intently on whatever you were cooking on the stove.
He exhaled, feeling like complete shit. It only spoke to how weary his mind was that he could forget you were staying with him for the next week. Especially after the conversation that led to it.
“I don’t know Angel…really I can afford a motel for a few days.”
“Here? Rusted-through pipes will be the last thing your landlord is worried about when you bring back bedbugs and shit.”
Your eyes had widened at that, but still you brought up the thing that had been chained to your hesitation. “I mean….do you think it’s ok to do this? After we…Nails..Ang-“
He remembered a flash of irritation, more so at himself than you, when you said that. “Yes querida, fuck. If you’re so scared, I most likely won’t even be there the way things are going. Nails is out of town til’ next weekend…”
“Relax Ignacio.” you had cut your eyes at him, and he’d felt his dick jump like it did whenever you gave him attitude. “I’m just not trying to be a problem.”
Your voice calling his name brought him to the present. He caught the last part of your statement, that you didn’t know he’d be back.
“Yeah, we got in earlier than expected.”
“While you’re standing there like a weirdo, let me shame you real quick. How does a man in his thirties still have the kitchen of a frat boy?” You leaned on the sill of the divider. “You’re lucky I already knew you were sad in the kitchen. I had to bring my own tagine.”
He stepped into the kitchen, his stomach coming alive with interest. “One, I don’t know what that is, two, I can’t help it if the kitchen isn’t my preferred room of work.”
He peeked over your shoulder, but the unique pot kept him from seeing what you were making.
“Neither is the bedroom, unless that work is piling up dirty laundry.” you stuck your tongue out at him and turned back to your simmering dish.
“Ha ha. Dinner and a show, she does it all folks!” he collapsed at the table, the day catching back up with him. “Should put your ass on the club’s payroll. End the cashflow problem real quick.”
You turned to him, concern etched on your face. “I heard from Hank about that…sorry. I know now isn’t a great time for that at all.”
Things got awkward like they always did when you referenced the recent changes of his life. He wasn’t sad about getting another chance at fatherhood, this one more tangible than the last. However, he wasn’t entirely sold on everything he’d accepted along with it, and he was pretty sure you at least suspected that. It threw the previously comfortable confusion that was your relationship off track when it was touched on.
“No, it’s not.” was all he could manage.
It was quiet for a beat, the simmering of the food and quiet Neo Soul the only sounds.
“Well,” you started, turning off the burner. “At least you don’t have to eat like a ‘we got food at the house’ meme for once.”
He laughed, a genuine and needed laugh. “Ok, you know what? Keep talking about my pantry stocking skills, and I might take it personally.”
The rest of his night went that way. Anytime you and Angel got together, things were just…easy…better. You spent the evening eating in front of the TV (Angel getting all the way to thirds for what turned out to be olive chicken and roasted potatoes), trading jokes, and going over the finer points of Golden Girls. Angel learned you took it very seriously, and mocked you for being “old”.
It wasn’t until you were nodding off, and he was left with his own thoughts, that he realized he hadn’t enjoyed coming home this much since he moved in.
Tues:
Angel had dreamed he’d been back in his childhood home, but as a grown man. There was music coming from his parent’s room, and when he got to the doorway, his mom was at her dressing table. She hummed along to the soulful seventies music and smiled at him from the mirror. She said something, but he couldn’t make it out, and woke up in the frustration.
He jerked up from his position on his stomach, and slowly came to. With a grunt he wiped his hand down his face, glancing at his phone to find it was six in the afternoon.
It then occurred to him the music wasn’t just in his dream, it was coming from his bathroom. He got off the couch and followed the sound.
“Hey coma head.” you grinned at him from where you were doing your makeup.
He shook his head, trying to let go of the last vestiges of the dream, and how eerie the scene before him was.
He focused instead on the nightmare of products and alien looking tools surrounding you.
He kind of liked the mess, even if he couldn’t see the counter anymore.
“Hey hurricane Ulta.”
You made a face that was a cross between being amused and suspicious. “You sleep in your jeans and buy your shirts in pack form. Don’t act like you know what that is.”
He made a face of mock offense. “That’s so classist.”
This time you paused completely in you what you were doing and twisted your body to meet him. “Uh oh…let me find out you’re actually learning something from EZ.”
“Angel Reyes can know something about something, damn.”
You laughed, lowering your hands from where you’d been lining your eyes to avoid a mistake. “I’m only teasing you Angel Reyes.”
“Looks like you plan on teasing more than me. Some clown is gonna get his hopes and tiny dick up for nothing.”
“There’s this new club in the city that Belinda’s getting us into. It’s bad luck to buy your own drinks on the first night at a new place.” you adjusted the bodycon mini-dress for emphasis. “You doing anything?”
“Club shit.” he started picking through the products, sniffing them every so often. “Then I think I’ve got a call with Nails at some point.”
“You think?” you popped his hands when he got too close to the good stuff, or the things you were using currently.
“Yeah..I think.” he shrugged, only realizing how short he sounded when you winced.
He didn’t know why he got so annoyed when she was brought up around you. He wasn’t like that with anyone else, and he knew you were only trying to support his incoming changes.
“Ok..”
Awkward silence settled in before he found the words to break it.
“Why do you wanna know? You want me to be that clown?”
“Never.” you pinched his cheek, tone pure saccharine jest.
He muttered in Spanish, stepping around you to the toilet.
“Angel!” you exclaimed.
“What?! It’s my bathroom, I have to piss.”
“You better never make me angry Reyes, I could end your whole Casanova game with ease."
Wed:
“You holding on a little tight there mami!” Angel called over his shoulder with a laugh. “You said go fast."
“Shut up!” you giggled, but he wasn’t lying.
You’d asked Angel to take you to work on his bike since even though you spent so much time with bikers, you hardly got to ride one. You were going to the same place anyways. He had been all too happy to shake up his commute, but your speed challenge took it over the top.
He didn’t know how you were up so early, he personally felt like the bags under his eyes were like a PEZ dispenser. You’d gotten in at two am, and still got up with him at eight.
He loved watching you in the morning, you managed to be cheerful without being obnoxious, and it worked better than coffee for him.
He loved how much he was learning about you.
As he pulled onto the street beside the cafe you’d asked him to stop at, he felt your arms uncoil from around him. He may have pretended to shift just to make you pause and hold him a few seconds longer, but he wasn’t going to acknowledge that.
“I didn’t scream, and I’m not shaking, so you still have to buy my breakfast.” You unclipped your helmet, grinning the whole time.
You looked so pretty to him, with the sun hitting your eyes and hair just right. He could catch you at just the right moment, and you’d look so gorgeous, he struggled to believe you were real.
He cleared his throat, afraid his voice would crack if he didn’t. “Fair enough, come break my pockets then.”
You laughed, squeezing his chin and pointing out his pout. “You don’t even have to tell me once sir, I know my worth.”
Once inside, he trailed after you to the counter, using your head like an arm rest when you reached it. “That’s good.”
“Boy!” You swatted his hand away, and it was his turn to laugh at your adorable pout.
“New bet,” he stepped around you while the customer ahead of you wrapped up. “If I get your entire order just right, you buy lunch.”
“Deal.” you leaned on the counter, eyebrow raised at him in challenge.
Angel knew the best part of his day would be watching your expression go from smug to shocked out of the corner of his eye. He nailed every pastry, the iced coffee, and their preparation with ease.
The simultaneously impressed and amused barista looked to you for confirmation. She got a shocked nod in response.
“I know my worth too mama, so don’t skimp on lunch.”
“Fair enough.” You shook off your shock as you repeated his earlier words and shrugged. “Can’t complain I guess. I trained my work husband too well.”
He scoffed loudly, and the two of you went back to swapping smart ass barbs while he tried to ignore the lingering dip his stomach did when referred to him as “husband”.
Thurs:
Angel was a grown man, with years of grown man experience, yet he was sitting on the edge of his bed feeling like a teenager again.
The end of your stay was nearing, and every time he thought about you going back home, he felt weird. He was pretty sure that’s why he’d been a little snappy and annoyed easily at the club the past couple days. He just wasn’t ready to delve into that too much.
Regardless, he had to admit you had some growing effect over him. All morning, while he should’ve been resting and preparing for a charter visit, he was fighting off hard-ons thanks to you.
“Can I borrow your kitchen for the day Angel?” He mimicked your voice in a nasally mocking tone. “I’ll save you some when I’m done baking.”
He’d thought nothing of it when you asked the night before. Really didn’t even feel like you had to at that point.
He realized why when he saw that the desserts you were making for your friend’s brunch were elaborate as hell. The effort took all your attention, and unfortunately for him, his too.
You were baking a lot more than dessert and didn’t even know it.
Now he was hiding in his room, fighting off arousal he knew wasn’t appropriate. You weren’t his and he wasn’t yours.
That didn’t change the fact that you in a short silk lounge set, singing in French (how the hell did you know French?), doing domestic things in his home, did it for him.
He ran a hand over his hair, still damp from his cold shower, and forced himself to finish getting dressed. He had to be ready to face a room of dangerous bikers and prove his patched in worth. He couldn’t be thinking of weird little fantasies and parallels to his parent’s marriage.
He must’ve zoned out again, because you startled him enough to almost make him hit his wardrobe.
“Oh my god Angel try this! I think I did magic.” You excitedly thrust a red cookie his way.
Angel took the offered treat, and found it was a red velvet cookie. “It’s fucking good mi dulce.”
“Really?” You looked so hopeful, so beautiful, that he would’ve lied if the situation called for it.
“Yes, but you know you kill it in the kitchen.” He turned away to put on the flannel he’d fished out.
Now you were in his personal space, smelling amazing, and all his senses were under attack. He couldn’t trust Angel jr. at the moment.
“Baking is different. It’s a whole thing for me...I go all in.”
“I noticed your little Broadway production in my kitchen.” He kneeled down, pretending to look for his shoes as something to do while you were there.
“Don’t shame me.” You pressed your foot into his back, gently pushing him. “It makes for better results.”
‘shit.’ He cursed mentally at the contact.
Luckily, he heard you turn to leave the room. “Oh, EZ said to tell you to hurry up or pick up your phone.”
He rose up once you were gone and checked his phone. Sure enough, he had several missed calls and texts from Gilly, Coco, and EZ. He cursed aloud this time and finished getting ready, determined not to get distracted again.
Of course, his boys having to physically come in and get him when he did just that destroyed that promise.
Fri:
It had come down to the last night of your stay with him, and what he thought was a favor to a good friend, turned out to be more for his benefit.
The hell with the club seemed so far away when he was home now, and he’d laughed more times that week than he had the previous few months total.
Tonight though… Tonight had him so in his head he didn’t know if he was coming or going.
You, sensing something was going on with him, had invited EZ and Felipe to dinner. He didn’t know how you got the latter to agree, his dad had never even been in his home before, but you did it. It went over a hell of a lot better than the last time they tried it too.
The missteps that reared their head when his family tried to talk to each other at length were mitigated by you. You were the perfect buffer, able to get them to engage with you and then each other.
He saw his family in an unfamiliar, but favorable light. His father was actually enjoying his time with him in his house. He knew that night wouldn’t have happened if not for you.
Now, as he distractedly dried the dishes you’d washed, listening to you hit all of the high notes in Loving You, it hit him.
‘She should be my wife’ the thought came so quick, and was so loud he almost jumped, confused if it came from him or someone else.
“Hey dishwasher-less!” you nudged him with your hip. “Move those hands.”
“Why can’t we be a thing?” he blurted.
You dropped the silverware you’d been washing, eyes wide and focused on him. “Um..excuse m-…what?”
He knew that wasn’t the most tactful way to introduce his thoughts to you, but it was his way. Fuck…he didn’t even understand them fully himself.
“You heard me querida,” he put the dish down on the counter, turning to you. “When I stayed with you that weekend that my head was all fucked up-“
“Angel.” your tone made it a warning, but he kept going. He was never afraid of a challenge.
“I was inside you so much that weekend I forgot that’s not how I came in this world. I can’t believe I’m saying it out loud, but I felt home cause I was with you-”
“Stop it!” you hit the sink, rattling the contents.
“Fuck that!” he shouted back, startling you both. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a calmer tone. “Fuck that. Why can’t we talk about it? Why couldn’t we talk about it then?”
You didn’t say anything, but he saw your chest heaving with adrenaline, and realized you were just as affected by the conversation as he was.
“You just decided it didn’t matter and put it in this space we can’t touch now. It’s all fucked up!”
“Because,” you hissed. “If you remember, it was all over that Adelita chick, and I don’t know what kind of hold she has or had over you, but it was deep.”
He cringed at that, and turned his attention to the light fixture over your head, unable to meet your heated gaze.
“Whatever feelings I have for you Angel, I put them away in a place where I can still be your friend and keep things in perspective.”
“Feelings you have for me?” he latched on to the lack of past tense, hopeful.
You inhaled sharply. “You are having a baby and just got engaged. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing..I mean a lot, but nothing to do with this. I know-“
“I know,” you pushed away from the sink and reached up to cup his cheeks. “That you’re scared Angel. You’re scared, because you’re gonna take two steps you’ve never taken before at once, and you’re trying to sabotage it.”
He shook his head, taking your hands from his face and holding them tightly in his own. “No..mi dulce, no. I’ve been struggling with this all week, longer if I’m being honest. Tonight sealed it.”
You snorted humorlessly, looking around the kitchen as if something in the room would help you get through to him. “I cook you some big boy meals, and treat your speakers to some musical taste, and you’re ready for vows?”
“Don’t put this all on me. Tell me you don’t feel it. Right here and now, to my face.”
He watched your expression soften, and let you put one hand back on his face, your thumb gently stroking his cheek. “Ok, I can’t do that, but I also can’t just fall into a situation with you either.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “We both know we didn’t just fall into anything. We sat here and let it build and didn’t say shit, and now I have to. This week just made it too real not to.”
He placed his forehead to yours, his own hands cupping your face. “Please…”
He watched you have an internal battle by your changing features before you finally leaned into him. The moment you did, his lips were on yours.
He knew it was more than just a kiss a few seconds in. Everything he’d felt that the previous week was alive and confirmed between you too. He could feel you telling him you had moments like his own.
He palmed your thighs under your sundress before grasping them tightly and lifting you up. He placed you on the counter while you two separated for air. Your chests heaved in unison, and neither of you had to say you wanted the other touching you again before it happened.
He gripped your hair, tilting your head back for access to your neck. The smell of vanilla and cocoa butter surrounded him as he worked his mark all over your skin.
Your legs wrapped around his waist, and you pressed yourself against his jeans.
He hated he couldn’t feel the heat he knew was emitting from your core through the thick material of his jeans, and slid his other hand up your thigh to your panties.
Your entire body twitched when he ran his fingers over you through the thin cloth. It wasn’t just hot it was soaked.
“You need me that bad mami?” he pulled away from your neck, satisfied with his work, and beginning to work at his jeans.
“And quick.” you breathed into his ear, your tone and the sensation making him shudder.
The ache against his jeans didn’t need to be told twice to find its way into your heat. He slid your panties to side and pressed his thumb against you. You jumped, whimpering your need again, and he pulled your panties way from you.
You’d gotten them around one ankle before he was inside of you, and they were no longer your focus.
You clung to each other so tightly there’d be evidence on both of you.
In the quiet, he wondered if your mind was racing with the same thoughts that his was. What now? How do we get this again?
He pressed kisses to your cheek just as he started to move. You inhaled, your nails sliding down his back. Not quite catching the skin, but enough to set him on fire all the same.
He mapped out a rhythm by your whimpers and how you grasped at him until he crafted the right one.
This was the conversation he’d needed. Every thrust from him, every cry from you, every bit of give and take to heighten the other’s pleasure. The two of you were admitting that everything that was between you was deeper, realer than you’d wanted to admit. He loved you, and you loved him, and you were engraving that on one another.
The flirtation, the way you could be yourselves around each other, the heatless jabs. Good friends was always a ruse.
Your face was buried in his neck, and when he felt dampness he knew came from your tears, he hiked your legs higher, moving deeper.
You cried out so loudly it echoed in the kitchen, drowning out the soft crooning of an eighties songstress.
“I know baby, I feel it too.” his voice was choked by the threat of tears of his own.
He’d never been here before. Not with Adelita, not even close with Nails. He was terrified. Terrified for it to end because he never felt so good. Terrified for it to end because it might never happen again.
“Angel..” your voice sounded so small, but it was strong enough to anchor him back with you. “I’m close, I’m so close.”
“Let go,” he encouraged. “Let me have it querida.”
Your body seized up with your release, his name the only thing he caught in your unintelligible babble.
You clenched up repeatedly in the aftershocks, and that drug him over the edge with you, biting your shoulder.
His vision tunneled, pinpricks of pleasure traveling up and down his spine. Your hands smoothed up and down the area, and he realized it was because he was shuddering.
He gripped the counter for support, pulling back slowly. He was searching for a way to ask if he’d changed your mind, but the act hadn’t made words for his thoughts any easier to find.
It didn’t matter, before he could even speak you stopped him. Your eyes were glazed over with tears that had nothing to do with pleasure this time.
“That was all that I can give you Angel. It’s not right, none of this is, but it’s all I can give you.”
AN:
Am I the only one who wishes she had reference photos for their home/club layouts? Lol, it’s such a weird non-factor thing, but still. From memory, I’m pretty sure Angel only has one bedroom though.
No shade, no hate but this was partially inspired by how over Nails Angel looked when she was putting her back into it….🥴
I played with a few canon-timeline things + knocked the dust off my smut writing ability (I’m going under my humiliation rock now, no calls plz)
122 notes · View notes
user21340 · 4 years ago
Text
unexpected confession
Tumblr media
(not my gif or characters)
summary: you have a little too much to drink and nat takes care of you. you then confess your crush to a certain someone without realizing.
pairings: natasha romanoff x fem!reader
warnings: fluff, alcohol, swearing (lmk if i’m forgetting any)
word count: a little over 1k ish
a/n- just another drunk reader fluffy story. i’ve been consuming wanda and nat fanfics for a bit now and decided to write one. i’m aware it definitely has grammatical and structure issues but i’m trying (i don’t understand how to set up dialogue for the life of me)😪. thank you for reading, love yaa💕💕
also i’m sorry that this story is a lil messy i was bored in between classes. with that being said my thoughts as well as this short are scattered a lil.
It was another fun night out with the team at one of Tony’s notorious parties he threw for the littlest reasons or simply no reason at all. It was about 1:30 AM and you were completely o u t of i t. You were sitting crisscross applesauce on the cold tiles while staring at a blank wall daydreaming about being Natasha’s girlfriend. Of course you had a crush on her who wouldn’t? The only times you fantasized about being with her was when you were dreaming because someone like her would never even shake hands with someone like you, right?
Now, you hardly ever let loose and you were a pretty shy and reserved person so it was surprising to everyone on the team when you starting pounding drinks, but at this point those thoughts were quickly forgotten when your state mirrored most other team members as well. You finally broke out of your daze when you feel a soft hand pat your shoulder. You look around and see the whole team was gone meaning they most likely retreated to their rooms during the time when you were blanked out. You finally look up, much to your confusion, you see the gorgeous, surprisingly sober, red headed ex-assassin peering down at you with a expression between concern and amusement written all over her face.
“Hey y/n/n, it’s bedtime.” Natasha spoke softly.
“But I’m not tiredddd...” you whined and pouted.
“I’ll be the judge of that, babe.” she chuckled.
Your brain short circuits at the pet name as your eyes widen and mouth opens and closes like a fish. She is puzzled for a minute while trying to figure out what caused you to shut down. It doesn’t take long for her to figure the trigger which she laughs at as she outreaches a hand towards you on the ground.
You just stare at it for a couple seconds and look up at her face then back down to her hand. As amusing and adorable you are in this state she knows you better get to bed soon and hydrate yourself before you have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. She proceeds to grab your hand to stand you up. Still starstruck, you try and work with her by taking a step forward which you stumble and you grab Natasha for support which she lets you do before picking up your smallish frame and placing you on her hip.
You are more than content with the position you are in as she effortlessly carries you up to where you think your room is. Only to find out minutes later you are being placed in a foreign bed in an unfamiliar looking room.
“Hold on y/n/n I’ll be right back. Let me go grab you a bottle of Fiji water before the boys suck it down after trying Thor’s Asguardian liquor. Don’t fall asleep on me just yet sweetheart.” she half heartedly lectures.
“No! P-pleaseee don’t go!” you say starting to tear up. Natasha frowns,
“Awe, don’t cry honey, I’m just going to get you water and maybe some tylenol so when you wake up you don’t feel like shit.”.
“Oh, okay!” you smile returning to your happy self. She walks towards the door with her signature smirk on her face while slowly shaking her head at your hasty mood swings.
3 minutes later
Natasha opens her door seeing you all bundled up in her blankets and smiles. Half asleep, she makes you sit up and finish half of the water bottle. You have a huge tired smile on your face,
“Nat, can I tell you a secret?” you speak.
“Of course y/n you can tell me anything.” she answers.
“First you have to pinky promise me you won’t tell her though. Okay?”.
“Yep,” she pops the p as she intertwines her pinky with yours, “your secret is safe with me.”
“I have a crush on someone you might know.” you slur.
“Is that so?” you nod. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up because after all this time getting to know you on the team she is just utterly infatuated with every fiber of your being. She really thought you were aware of her crush on you but you were completely oblivious to the signs of flirtation she would send your way.
“She’s the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, brave, badass women in this universe, she also has eyes I could get lost in for months at a time, and I have a crush on her.
“Who?” she questions.
“Black Widow. I know I don’t have a chance with her but it’s fun to dream big sometimes, y’know? I just love her so much. She can take down men triple her size, hack into almost any web infrastructure, and god, have I mentioned she looks like a goddess yet?” you ramble while she is frozen at the end of her bed with a small smirk on her face.
“Don’t you think you should dream a little bigger than that baby?” she says as she inches a little closer to you. You shoot her a glare.
“Why? You don’t think that dream is big enough? I can’t possibly think of anything I would like more in life than to have a chance to go on a date with her.” you start off speaking full of anger but it slowly reduces to a hushed whisper.
“No, not at all y/n/n. But you really should go to bed now. We’ll talk in the morning, sounds good?” she suggests.
“Yeahh” you yawn, “just one more thing Nat, can you lay down with me? Also, you might be surprised to hear this, but you kinda look like Black Widow.” she let’s out one of the most genuine laughs you have ever heard from her.
“You know what? Now that you mention it, people have told me that before. But, of course I’ll lay with you.”
She lays on the bed right next to you. You face her and cling onto her like a koala bear.
“Night, night, Natty.” you whisper.
“Goodnight cutie.” she softly replies, placing a soft kiss to the top of your head.
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dialovers-translations · 4 years ago
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DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Vol. 1 Sakamaki Ayato [Track 4]
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Original title: 守りたいもの
Source: Diabolik Lovers Daylight Vol. 1 Sakamaki Ayato
Audio: Here
Seiyuu: Midorikawa Hikaru
Translator’s note: Whoever wrote the script of this CD just wanted us all to suffer and die from the feels, huh? Ayato is not even one of my biases so my heart is not ready to listen to the CDs of my favorite boys. T _ T If they’re all this emotional, I’m gonna need to put a bucket next to me for all of my tears. They leave it on such a horrible cliffhanger as well, I was literally on the edge of my seat.
Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 + Epilogue
→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!
Track 4: What I Want to Protect
Ayato is once again standing on top of Kaminashi tower, the wind blowing in the background.
“...Haah, haah...Kuhーー! I’ve only gone without her blood for a few days, yet I’m already this...”
( Standing on top of that tower, I came to a realization. That regardless of what I do or say, I am the one who has been dependent on her. I figured I could just suck anyone else’s blood, but hers was the only my body craved for. Furthermore, I was convinced that unless it was her blood, this thirst would not be quenched. 
ーー In other words, she is indespensable to me. However, if I let my own desires get the best of me, there is a chance I could lose this vital part of my existence. Yet, this person in question is trying everything within her power to try and offer me her blood. )
“Hahaha...She must have a few screws loose. I just can’t understand humaーー No, she is a mystery to me. She must be aware she’s pushing herself into the grave, so why would she...? Even though she could live exactly as she wants as long as I keep myself under control. ...But that is about to come to an end as well.”
Approaching footsteps can be heard.
“...Tsk.”
You walk up to Ayato.
“You’re too damn persistent. ...What do you want? I thought I told you to never show yourself in front of me again?”
You note that he has been avoiding you. 
“Isn’t it obvious why I’ve been avoidin’ you? ...’Cause I don’t want to see your face ever again. If you understand what that means, then get out of my sight already.”
You beg him to talk it out. 
“Heh! We can’t let things end like this? We don’t see each other for a few days and you turn into a real drama queen. I don’t know what the other guys whispered in your ear, but I’m sick and tired of you. ...See you.”
You reach for his arm.
*Rustle*
“Don’t touch me! ...Let go! ...You want me to suck your blood that badly?”
You nod.
“Hmph! Listen up. Your blood may be special, but...When you woke up again ーー No, when I look back at it, I didn’t like that weird behavior of yours even before you fainted. ...The way you’d go on about how you felt as if you couldn’t stay by my side for very long pissed me off as well. I don’t need the blood of someone who only knows how to fuss ‘bout lil’ shit like that! ...Now scram!!”
Ayato aggressively shakes you off. 
*Thud*
“...!! ...Oi! ーー No. You brought that upon yourself. Guess you shouldn’t have reached out for me so carelessly, huh? ...Next time you approach me...”
*THUD*
“You’ll end up like this wall, get it? ...See you.”
He starts walking away.
“...Che. Ahー Fuck! It pisses me off! ...Say, you. You know, don’t you? What’ll happen to you if I continue to drink from you. ...You’ll die. Isn’t that what you humans are the most afraid of? So why are you so persistent about having me suck your blood?”
You explain. 
“...’Cause you trust me? ...Is this the thing ‘bout me being ‘kind’ so I won’t suck past your limit again? I’m surprised you can still say that after you fainted the other day, heh! In that case, I’ll suck you as you wish. If you insist, guess I’ll make the best of it. Get your ass over here. ーー However, only if you’re prepared to die. I’m both parched and pissed off, so I’ll suck to my heart’s content! That’s what you want, no? ...Now hurry up and come here!”
You hesitate.
“...Heh! You can’t, can you? You talked big ‘bout trustin’ me, but look at you now, huh?”
You get up and walk over to Ayato.
“...! Why...!? Are you not scared...!?”
You nod.
“Idiot! Don’t actually nod in agreement! ...Ah, god! Why are you like this!? Just get sick of me already! I’ve been treatin’ you like shit, haven’t I!? Weaklings should learn to think ‘bout themselves a lil’ more! Yetーー! You’re actin’ as if you’d be willin’ to offer me your everythin’...Fuck!”
*Rustle*
“...I’m the one who’s scared. Don’t keep on remindin’ me of the fact that I can’t go on without you. I don’t want to know that! How can someone so physically fragile, be so strong at the same time? Aren’t you afraid of dyin’!? ...Because I am! I wouldn’t know what to do if I were to lose you! Havin’ to suffer from the thirst isn’t what scares me...But knowin’ that you’ll no longer be with me, it terrifies me!”
You ask if that is why he has been avoiding you this whole time. 
“...!! Yeah, exactly! That’s why I’ve been avoidin’ you! By doin’ so, I could at least protect you...Yet...You stupid woman!!”
You apologize.
“Fuck! Don’t apologize! Don’t cry! ...Geez, now I seem like the fool!”
You continue to sob.
“...Whatever. Just dry those tears. They’re annoyin’...”
*Smooch*
“...If you won’t stop cryin’, I’m gonna kiss you even more!
You suddenly embrace Ayato.
“...!? The heck you doin’...? Since you wrapped your arms ‘round me, you want me to do more, right?”
You bury your face in his chest.
*Rustle rustle*
“...I’m sorry for pushin’ you away earlier.”
You look at him in surprise.
“What...? Is it that weird for me to apologize? ...You’re never hearin’ those words from me again!”
You ask for another kiss.
“Pretty bold of you to ask for another kiss. ...But I don’t mind. Mmh...”
*Smooch*
“Nnh...”
*Smooch*
“As many as you want...”
*Rustle*
“Seems like somebody enjoyed that?”
You note he melted in the kiss too.
“...As if!!”
*Smooch*
“Hah...Fuck. Guess I should have expected that doin’ this would make me crave for...”
You offer your blood.
“...No, I’ll just content myself with this for now.”
*Rustle*
“Heh. You’re probably the only chick on this earth who’d leave herself so utterly defenseless in front of a Vampire. ‘Cause it’s me? Hehehe...Just how hard did you fall for me?”
You ask if Ayato feels the same about you.
“...Aah? What? To me, you areーー ...What’s the point in voicin’ that shit out loud every damn minute?”
*Smooch*
“You can tell like this, no? Idiot.”
You puff out your cheeks.
“...I’ll still say it every now and then! ...Especially on a day like this.”
You tilt your head to the side.
“It’s nothing. But let us stay like this...Just a little longer.”
You agree.
*Rustle*
“...Ah...But, the end has come.”
You seem confused as Ayato takes his distance.
“The sky is starting to brighten up. I’m sure the sunrise looks stunning from up here as well, but I guess I can’t wait that long.”
*Rustle*
“Remember...You wanted to watch the sunrise by the lake, didn’t you? So I was hopin’ we could at least watch it together up here but...”
Ayato pulls out a knife.
*Cling*
“Seems like I won’t make it on time. ...And here I thought takin’ my final breath while bathin’ in the light of dawn might have just made for a fittin’ end for a Vampire.”
You ask him about the knife.
“...This bad boy? It’s a silver knife.”
You move to stop him.
“Stay away! ...Not another step. Now listen carefully. ...At this rate, you’ll one day die because I sucked you dry of your blood. I can’t survive without you, but I’m sure you can keep goin’, even when I’m gone. ーー No, without me, you’d even be able to live your life as you wish.”
You tear up.
“Oi. Why do you look as if you’re ‘bout to cry? ...If you stay with me, you’ll lose time you would otherwise have, dying an early death.”
You insist that you’re prepared and that you are fine with it. 
“Don’t just decide what’s okay all by yourself. Do you have any idea how I’d feel as the one who stays behind? ーー Smile. To us Vampires, death is something worth celebration. So...
ーー Death is the right option. For me.”
Ayato stabs himself.
“Uu...! Ugh...But...I wish I could have gone see that lake again...With you. ...To be honest, I sort of enjoyed...spendin’ time like that as well. ...See you.”
He collapses.
...
*Ding・Dongー Ding・Dongー*
 ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー
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kirishimas-manly-eyeliner · 4 years ago
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A full, entire list of headcanons for a day with:
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1. ☼ waking up with him ☼6am-8am
LISTEN UP Y’ALL
IF YOU DON’T SIMP FOR EIJIRO, JUST THINK:
YOU WAKE UP EVERY MORNING TO SEE HIS BEAUTIFUL, MESSY, CHAOTIC BED-HEAD WITH HIS HAIR DOWN AND HIS ADORABLE TIRED LIL’ SMILE
now if THAT doesn’t make you simp, you CONFUSE ME
anyways, so-
if there’s one thing that kirishima chooses to do, it’s to wake up early. i am so sorry to those who enjoy sleeping in, but hey, it’s the price we gotta pay to simp 😔✋
but omfg y’all, is the sweetest baby ever when you wake up with him! kirishima would most likely cuddle you first thing in the morning (…as in like 5 am-) and pull you in closer, planting a kiss on your forehead
“’morning, my beautiful pebble, d’ya sleep well?”
butcanwepleasetalkabouthowcutehisvoicewouldberightwhenhewakesup
you’ll also probably wake up to an insane amount of talking and chatting with him, and by six o’clock, he makes sure that you’re ready to be on your way
the sun is still rising where you guys are, so it’s actually pretty dark where you guys are
he ruffles your hair as he takes you on walks outside, hand in hand, no matter how tired you are
expect him to piggy back you, saying that it’s manly bc IT ISSSSS
2. ✎ doing online school with eijiro ✎ 8am-12pm, 2pm-4pm
“i think i’ve lost complete and utter trust in everything,” you groan. “i can’t even trust my video and mute button, and i need to trust those!”
kirishima grins at you as he plants a kiss on your forehead. “how ‘bout i buy you something tasty during break, huh?”
“kirishima, we’re literally broke,” you deadpan, half-joking but half speaking realistically.
“so what?” you’ve been working so hard lately, i figured that you at least deserve something as a reward.” he squeezes your shoulders from behind your seat (don’t worry, your video’s off for now :))
you raise an eyebrow. “…something?” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
“yeah! like maybe we could go for a walk, or-” he stares at your expression before he realizes what you implied. “baby, this is a sfw blog, we’re not allowed to-”
kirishima also most definitely pulls up a chair next to you in class, even though he doesn’t even know what you’re doing. he might not be in that class, but he’ll be right next to you the whole time in case you need help
when you do need help, he peers over your shoulder and helps you solve whatever problem you have right away
the sweetheart also gives constant reassuring reminders to drink water, i LOVE HIM
but when he leaves, he also says, “study and work hard, y/n! i’ll be right here for you during break!”
he promises you a kith and a hug if you keep on striving during online classes 🥺
kirishima likes to come in during class when your video is very much on, and he peeks his head in, waves, and then smiles before heading back out of the frame
“y/n, how do you fight villains, kick butt, literally stand up for an entire school, but you still rehearse how to say here?”
“shhhhh, i’m trying-”
another scenario, “y/n, can you please answer question four?”
“sure. the book that i chose for my report was the fault in our stars by john green, which implies the message that-”
“BABY, YOU GOTTA SEE HOW LOUDLY I CAN CLAP MY HANDS IF I USE MY QUIRK-”
you mute yourself, “DON’T YOU DARE-”
he makes online school almost exciting, and he just makes everything so much more enjoyable
kirishima also takes your hand, squeezing it tightly as he kisses your knuckles. “i’ll start making lunch. good luck baby!”
3. ♨ meals and afternoon walks with eijiro ♨ 12pm-1pm
HATE YOU BREAK IT TO Y’ALL BUT EIJIRO KIRISHIMA CANNOT COOK FOR THE HECK OF IT
y’all have seen him in the training camp thing,, right??
kirishima might not be the best at cooking, but you can count on him to take you somewhere!
man knows the best places where you live, and he just about literally gets whatever you want
you guys probably leave for a walk during break at noon, and kirishima makes sure that you feel safe and comfortable around him no matter what
afternoon walks are probably the most interesting part of your day, and the way lets you put your hand in the pocket of his hoodie just- 🥺🥺
i think something that isn’t stressed enough is people who seem less vulnerable being attacked by predators, so if anyone even dares to approach you, kirishima will LITERALLY POP OFF
not like the quirk pop off-
“HEY! that wasn’t very manly of you!”
as you walk along the way, kirishima makes sure to never let go of you and make sure you feel completely safe with him
you two probably stop by a nearby restaurant and get some sort of food to-go before heading back and eating during class, but shh your teacher doesn’t have to know-
he’s such a sweetheart like honestly
kirishima makes every meal taste like 50 times better, and he makes sure that you eat and drink lots of water!
but if you’re honestly having trouble with your appetite, kirishima makes sure not to push you too hard
he holds your hand if you ever get scared, he tells a joke ease your mind a lil’ 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
eijiro makes sure that no matter what happens, he holds your hand and tells you to take it easy, but also encourages you whenever you need it
he’s so sweet, please keep him
4. ◪ crying + evening naps ◪ 5pm-7pm
crying
kirishima knows that crying is just something that’s natural, whether it’s that you’re frustrated or just feel so tired, he understands
and it’s not even like you’re having a full blown panic attack or anything. you just gotta have your daily cries, ya know?
please tell me i’m not the only one who has like scheduled daily cries-
“it’s okay, crying’s healthy for you, anyway! it’s definitely better than keeping it bottled inside you. c’mere.”
he kisses your scalp as he rocks you back and forth, occasionally wiping away a tear
kirishima reminds you that reacting some way to a bad situation is natural
“if someone was in your shoes, they’d most definitely feel that way, too! don’t feel like you’re the only one, baby, because you’re not. i’m here whenever you need me.”
after, he takes your hand and drags you to get a glass of water. “if you ever nee to cry again, you gotta stay hydrated,” he winks
he’s also so caring and soft when he sees you upset, he gives you the best cuddles as he plays with your hair. kirishima occasionally, when you’re crying, whispers in a compliment.
“your eyes are so magical.”
“you have such a beautiful smile.”
“you’re so… beautiful.”
naps
for naps, kirishima omg please jUST BE REAL FOR ONE SECOND
PLEASE HOW DID MY LIFE COME TO BEING IN LOVE WITH A COLLECTION OF PIXELS-
that beautiful, loving, emotional support shark is who i’m in love with and it’s insane
you rest your head on his chest, breathing in his scent as he places his hands around your stomach
(also kirishima would most definitely adore plus-sized people and stretch marks/acne. he loves every insecurity that people growing up may have, and that just gives me SO MUCH HOPE-)
everything is just so insanely peaceful as he has soft music playing in the background, kissing your nose and cuddling in closer with you
the blanket is directly over you, and after a long day at work, you two decide to take a break together
kirishima also most definitely makes sure to wake up earlier for the nap than you so that he could get you a cup of water
he plays with your hair and gently shakes you when you need to get back to work 🥺🥺
5. ☾ going to bed + cuddling headcanons ☽ 10pm-12am
OKAY SO I KNOW I ALREADY DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS HERE
but i literally canNOT STRESS HOW MUCH LOVE I HAVE FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL
he usually doesn’t mind if you stay up late, but as long as you take care of yourself while you’re at it, that’s completely okay!
kirishima usually likes to make sure that you have a consistent sleep schedule though, even if you look at him in the face and go,
“excuse me? sleep schedule? who’s that?”
eijiro just laughs in such a pure way before he helps you tie your hair or keep it up when you’re brushing/rinsing
while you brush your teeth though, he kinda just wraps his arms around your waist in such a gentle way 🥺🥺
he’s such a gentleman and just wants you to be happy
after, he gets you a cup of water and sits next to you on the mattress
he sometimes likes to play old rom-coms or films while cuddling next to you, or maybe some fancy lil’ disney movies
sometimes he’ll pick horror movies and say “i’m manly enough, i can take it!” and then you’re completely unfazed while kirishima SCREAMS
“b-being vulnerable is manly!”
“oh golly i love you so much.”
something i absolutely adore about kirishima is that he has so much respect for women, enby’s, whatever it is, he just wants them to feel safe and comfortable
he makes sure that it’s okay for him to wrap his arms around you, and makes sure to respect your boundaries
there’s no better place to be than in his arms when he’s wearing a hoodie and your face is rested in the crook of his neck
his chest rises and falls as he turns off the lights, and he might play some light music in the background
kirishima likes to play with your hair and makes raspberry blows into your neck aND I PERSONALLY THINK THAT’S HILARIOUSLY ADORABLE
he’ll make sure that no matter what, you feel safe and comfortable around him
you two sometimes end up having really deep conversations at like 2 am with him
for no apparent reason, you two just start talking away like it’s nothing
he holds your hand and runs his hands through your hair, before whispering comfort into your ear
“you’re so, so beautiful,”
“you have the most beautiful smile,”
“has anyone told you how nice your eyes were?”
“i love you.”
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river-bottom-nightmare · 3 years ago
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Nightwing 83 Review
guess who isn't weeks late this time. my opinion of the series is going up a little bit. it's still not great, but i'm not actively put off by it anymore the way i was after 81. not going to tag as spoilers, but be warned that they are under the cut
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i’m sure you all are well aware of this but now, but dear god i love bruno redondo’s art. like, an unhealthy amount. the pink and blue is getting to be a theme with either him or just this run, but i am definitely enjoying it. the movement in this cover is clearly obvious, but well done. you recoznize right off the bat that the cover was drawn to drag your eyes down the page until you get to the bottom, but you enjoy the whole ride there. 
also, redondo’s way of drawing a character in stages of action so we can see just how much they’re doing in a split second of movement is quickly becoming something i like to see drawn with dick, and any other character that has that sort of ease of movement and body sense, like cass or sin or maybe a super. 
and he’s in action the entire time! there’s shot drawn just to show off a shirtless comic book character, the way nightwing is so often subjected to. he’s shirtless because he’s changing his clothes, and that’s all we see, no more and no less. very practical, very well done. i like it.
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he looks so cute right here oh my god. the little squint, the hair curls. it’s adorable.
but also like. unless melinda has specifically outfitted the door spyhole so that the person on the other side can’t see dick looking through it (and in all honesty she might have) then everyone on the other side can see dick looking through that door. 
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bringing your attention back to the “i can’t see melinda’s fbi file oh no!! it’s redacted!! whatever can we do!!” stupidity. redacted files are child’s play for oracle, and definitely doable for both dick and bruce. so that’s bullshit.
now, melinda apparently grew up with the maroni family, then took down part of the family from the inside. the maroni family is a large and notable presence in gotham, one that bruce pays a respectable amount of attention to. he definitely would have grown suspicious when two members of the maroni family were taken down, and with some investigation, he would have discovered melinda’s plan. and it should go without saying that the majority of things you see batman doing? dick can do it too.
it’s not so much that i don’t like how clever the villains/antiheroes are getting. i don’t like how dc heroes are increasingly written as less intelligent. they seem to be relying on pure fighting skills or luck, which may be the case for a couple heroes, but has never been the case for most of dc’s big name heroes, the bat family included. it’s irritating to me to see this sort of stuff pop up as a major plot point when i know that, if dick or bruce had been written with the amount of skill and power that they canonically possess, this entire mess would have been sorted out years ago.
unrelated but dick and melinda have the same hair
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this may just be me, but i was always under the impression that dick doesn’t really have a “double life???”
yes, he’s talented enough to create enough differences between robin/nightwing and dick grayson’s mannerisms, way of movement, voices, and speech patterns so that it’s very difficult to put the two together.
but nightwing has never been separate from dick grayson, not the way bruce and batman is. he’s always leaned more towards clark in that aspect: his hero persona is an exaggerated, stately, larger-than-life version of who he really is. there’s no second persona, no real “dick grayson identity” and “nightwing identity.” they’re the same person with the same goals, ideas, and skills. one just pretends to abide by the law, and one gives up pretense of that.
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oh good thank god. if he’d trusted her right off the bat (hehe. bat.) i would have slapped him upside the head. at least he’s still got instincts.
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gosh the colouring on this is cool. the red has enough purple and pink tones to it that it doesn’t abruptly ruin the tone of the artwork. but it’s definitely glaring enough to take the reader outside of this personal moment they had slipped into between dick and melinda, to put them back in the present where they’re reminded that oh yea there are people hunting dick down. 
the next panel keeps this up too, in a less severe way. melinda’s bodyguard shows up (i forgot her name sorry :[ ) and subtly places us in the middle of an action scene rather than a private, personal scene.
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laughing so fucking hard have our little vigilantes grown so accustomed to breaking into places that it doesn’t even register as a crime anymore??? tim coming in through the fire escape to pick bernard up for their date and being very much confused as to why bernard is freaking out.
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i really like melinda’s shirt and now despite all the work i have to do and the fucking conference i have to host on monday i want to spend hours scrolling through clothing shops online trying to find this shirt. the mock neck/neckline is so cool i want it
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so roland just assumes that a very dangerous vigilante who is highly talented in combat and a very dangerous bodyguard who is also highly talented in combat had a fight that ended with this very dangerous bodyguard being tied up and she looks completely fine? roland just assumes that her having no visible wounds or bruises means that they got into a fight and she lost that easily? uh. aight then
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dick what are you doing. legitimately what the fuck are you doing. why are you posing oh my god. you are injured and tired and in absolutely no position to go hand to hand with one of main enemies. jesus christ run away or head to lower ground or something. don’t just stand around letting the floodlights show exactly where you are.
i don’t understand what he’s trying to do here??? blockbuster fully bought the story that dick fought them both, won, tried to get info out of them and failed, then hightailed it out of there. he didn’t have to draw roland out for a fight.
but it does look cool. the way the light just highlights his silhouette and the blue parts of his costume does look badass. he does get style points in my book for this.
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w h a t  d i d  i  f u c k i n g  t e l l  y o u ,  d i c k ?
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very classic superhero line and it does sound like something dick would say in a fit of righteous rage but also it makes me laugh so hard because all vigilantes think they’re so powerful that the law doesn’t apply to them. dick vigilantism is illegal. you’re acting above the law and pretending it doesn’t apply to you. hypocritical much?
it happens so often in superhero movies, tv shows, comics, whatever and it makes me giggle every damn time.
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pretty decent comeback but before i start seeing people writing blockbuster as a thug i’m going to remind you that he made a deal with a demon for genius level intellect. if this turns into another bane situation i’m going to be a little miffed. he’s a smart man, which makes him a dangerous and infinitely more interesting enemy for nightwing.
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this is so horribly in character i want to scream. (or. at least. it lines up with one of the versions of nightwing i have in my head.) he’s running right towards the bullets, miraculously doesn’t get shot, while making a sort-of pun. i hate this so much. i love him.
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this is cool. this art is really really cool.
he leaped from a building right towards a helicopter that’s actively shooting at him, but none of the bullets are touching him. none of the corruption of the city can touch him no matter how hard it tries, because he’s too good to be corrupted. Comic Book Logic Can Be Good Sometimes Actually.
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batman’s belt what??? swiss army knife who?? sorry, i only know nightwing’s bright blue escrima.
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this is one of my favourite things about heroes with exceptional abilities, even more so if the hero is human. the things they can do are so far beyond the realm of normal human abilities that it’s equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring every time they act.
he just used modified grappling wires to hook to the door of a moving helicopter, swung around the helicopter safely without hitting the blades, gained exactly the right momentum to swing upward again right through the opening of helicopter, then fought and tied up the men before they had any idea what was happening. that’s near impossible to do.
it’s stuff like this where i just sort of sigh in contentment. no matter how many times they leave out dick’s detective skills or conveniently forget that he’s actually a master planner and team leader and make him out to be this forgetful dude who makes everything up on the fly because of his “circus roots,” at least they won’t ever take away dick’s sheer physical ability honed to perfection. 
the art, too! in a few panels, dick’s drawn a little lightened or blurred. he’s moving so quickly and fighting so efficiently that he can barely be seen by the enemy. he’s got perfect form all the way through.
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and THIS!
there was a helicopter that had five men shooting at him with what looks like machine guns. most people would be dead. some would run away, and be nimble enough to survive without fatal hits. there are very few people, even in fucking comic books, who can look at that hopeless situation and turn it around so quickly and thoroughly that he benefits from it instead.
i just. love nightwing.
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it was funny the first time as a comic reader aware of the meme. it’s really not anymore. why the hell would you, in universe, be wearing a shirt that has a picture of your boyfriend being hit in the face by his father. 
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okay that was funny. 
look at lil bitewing, so concerned for her human!!! love her sm. 
also a question as to the timeline of things. is nightwing happening before or after urban legends? 
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i was so distracted by dick wearing a robe and briefs and nothing else that i didn’t register the second part until later. he slept for two days?? babs, baby, he recently had a very traumatic brain injury. why do you sound so nonchalant?
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@TIM X COFFEE SHIPPERS GET FUCCCCKKKKEEDDDDD
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ngl i totally forgot about that dude oops
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this comic is giving so many reaction pictures. you know how you always use the worst possible picture of your friend for your friend’s contact picture? i’m just getting so many of these.
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leslie!!! the titans!!! lucius!!! dick going to go see old friends!!!! the titans!!! this part made me so irrationally happy it really did. gar being the one to just. offer dick solutions with open arms. this was the best
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i wish i could just copy and paste this entire scene, but that would take up way too much space, so i’m just going to talk about it instead. 
you gave me my name, nightwing, and you gave me some of the best advice i’ve received in my life: beautiful little throwback to nightwing’s origin. you’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know where the name came from, or who don’t know how much clark means to dick. and the fact that dick still looks up to clark as a hero, recognizes that clark isn’t always perfect and yet continues to hold him in such high esteem, and still looks back on advice that clark gave him fondly just warmed my heart so much.
for a man who has fearlessly stood up to darkseid, bruce will do a lot to avoid a conversation: “grrr. i’m the BATMAN. i’m so DARK and MYSTERIOUS. nobody knows the true me. no one ever will. i will be LONELY for the rest of my CURSED LIFE. such is the price of a hero. ignore my farmer himbo husband in the background”
but i don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire: another nod to how much dick follows clark’s example rather than bruce. yes, this was a very poignant and important criticism, and i think it’s wonderful that this was published in a pretty popular comic book. but the thing is, there is a way to be a heroic billionaire, but only in fictional universes. the way bruce, ollie, t’challa only ever use their wealth to help people. they donate massive amounts of money to charities that they themselves create so they know exactly how the money is being used. they hire people who aren’t likely to get jobs anywhere else and pay them much more than what a base living wage is. they use their power to help push progressive laws and social change. they are helping. 
dick doesn’t fully see it that way. he spent more than half his childhood the son of a billionaire, but still believes that one could be more heroic when one doesn’t have obscene amounts of wealth. whose example do you think he followed to come to that conclusion?
superman looked up to alfred pennyworth?: i mean yea alfred may have been a wildly irresponsible guardian and one hell of an enabler but goddamn if he didn’t love his kid.
you don’t need my input. you’ve thought it all through: ooooooh this line made me grin. for so long, dick’s treated clark as a mentor and a guiding figure. he’s still seen as a kid, an up and coming, snot-nosed titan with dreams of a better world. clark still thinks of him as a kid, despite watching him grow up. but this little line was something i think dick needed sorely to hear. he doesn’t need anyone’s guiding hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t need to ask for permission. he doesn’t need clark to support him the way he did when he was a teenager. he’s all grown up now, and he doesn’t need clark’s help. i imagine it was a bit of a surprise for dick to hear that. 
honestly, i couldn’t think of a better role model: ohhh but it doesn’t stop there. clark just straight up turns the tables on dick. imagine you’re dick, and you’ve looked up to this one hero your entire life, and then one day he turns to you and says that he thinks you’re so kind and smart and worthy of a person that he wants you to mentor his son!? goes to show just how much clark trusts dick.
i swear to god dick probably cries every time he hears clark compliment him because bruce is so rare and sparing with his praise that clark giving him the slightest hint of approval is just a dopamine rush.
also, now deathstroke and superman have both asked nightwing to mentor their kids. the juxtaposition is fuckin hysterical. imagine either of their reactions when they realize what kind of company they’re with
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lets talk colours for a second, because i absolutely adore how classic colour tropes have been subverted in this comic, and in this general run really.
warm tones have usually (usually, not always) been associated with light and comfort and friendship and,,,,,well,,,warmth. whereas cool tones are usually used to unsettle, or make a scene seem colder and put the reader on edge. this varies if a comic only uses cool tones, or only uses warm tones, but if a comic uses both, this is generally well-used.
that isn’t the case in this run.
dark red, orange, and other warm tones have been used to symbolize danger, action, attacks. hot pink isn’t usually included in this colour group, but it’s definitely part of it in this case. in contrast, scenes that have cool colours give us the impression of slipping into a comfortable, calm scene with babs, tim, the titans, and other allies. even the beginning scene with superman has this blue, but then it transitions into something more golden coloured. dawn broke over dick, as his new idea came to light, and that was reflected in the art (and the sunrise setting.)
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have there ever been times when dick’s longed for the comfort of his mask because he didn’t feel confident as dick grayson? i can’t think of any. i may be wrong, but this struck me as pretty ooc.
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am i just??? gay and reading this all wrong??
cause i was under the impression that when someone says they are grateful for your friendship you don’t immediately kiss them. 
or is this like. normal straight mating rituals.
i mean he’s smiling afterward but still babs aren’t you supposed to at least make sure it’s okay first? you guys broke up a while back after you said something along the lines of “i want to be coworkers with you and nothing more because i don’t trust you or feel comfortable around you as a civilian anymore.” like lmao after you say something like that to someone i would assume that you don’t have the permission to just kiss them whenever you want.
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show of hands who else got real sad when they realized dick was talking about himself in this.
sure, he could be referencing the things he’s seen blockbuster pull, and the children on the streets. but “i’ve seen money used for enforcement,” sounds a little too close to dick’s entire life being destroyed by one man threatening the circus to pay protection money for me to completely ignore. and “i’ve seen the poorest and most vulnerable blamed and punished rather than assisted” becomes a lot worse when you remember dick was thrown in juvie for a couple months until bruce was able to obtain legal guardianship, and in there, not a authority figure believed him when he told them his parents were murdered.
he’s lived this before.
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a. mother. fucking. typo.
fucking why
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i mean i’ve stated my distaste for the batfamily groupchat before but like. this is reaching new levels of ridiculousness. jason sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. tim sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. steph sounds like she was written by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about steph and wanted to include her for “family points!!!!!” damian’s supposed to be completely off the grid, and everyone’s searching for him. i do love the way cass texts tho.
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well god fuck now i’m crying
dick got a phone call, a sorry, and a thank you out of bruce. i feel so much secondhand happiness for him, if that’s a thing. we’ll just ignore the way bruce looks ugly af and focus on the good parts okay?
and again with the colour symbolism here!
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i’m either going to love this or hate this. who knows, we’ll see.
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something something hearts something something pink is an evil colour something something. i need to know more about this guy but there’s definitely symbolism there. 
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is it just me or does this dude look like the backstabbing traitorous absolutely motherfucking piece of shit villain that killed tadashi hamada in big hero 6?
~~
taggggg list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan  @subtleappreciation @screennamealreadyused @bikoncon @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption​ @capricorn-stark​ @batshit-birds​ @comics-observer @buticaaba​ 
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ziezie13 · 4 years ago
Text
how do I be out here looking this fuckin' fly
Also on AO3
“But Daaaaad! It’s not fair. Why do I have to wear a dress and the boys can wear whatever they want?” Lily wined.
“I’m sorry Lily, but the Nostradamus Prize has a very strict dress code. Your mother has to wear a dress too,” Harry replied.
“Actually, I think Lily might have a point with this one,” Albus piped up. “Seems kind of sexist to me.”
“Yes! Thank you, Al.”
Al shrugged and stuffed a cookie in his mouth.
“It may be sexist, but this event is important to your mother. Not many sports journalists have received this honour. And while it may be a noble cause, I don’t think you can dismantle the patriarchy in a single day.” Harry paused. “And no, that wasn’t a challenge.”
Lily pouted and James entered the kitchen. He pulled up a chair next to his brother and grabbed a cookie of his own.
“What’s going on?” He asked.
“Lily doesn’t want to wear a dress to the Nostradamus ceremony,” Albus replied.
“So don’t,” James said to his sister.
Lily glared at him, “The archaic, patriarchal dress code demands it.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes James, thank you. We have covered all this,” Harry said with a sigh. “Stupid as it may be, those are the rules and that’s that.”
“Whatever. Fine. Just don’t expect me to wear heels.” And with that Lily stormed off.
Lily continued to complain about the “dress thing” up until the day of the event. James and Albus were slumped on the couch together dressed in their suits and ties. While in the next room, Lily pleaded her case one last time to both their parents.
“You know what?” James said. “She’s right.”
“I know.”
“It’s just a bunch of stupid gender stereotype bullshit.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
James suddenly sat up. Albus eyed him warily.
“Whatever you are thinking right now, don’t.”
A huge grin appeared on James’ face.
“James no,” Albus insisted.
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“I know it can’t be good.”
“Ye of little faith.” James stood and bounded up the stairs. Albus followed.
Instead of turning in the hall towards his and Albus’ rooms, James went straight to Lily’s room and opened up her closet.
“Um, James?” Albus questioned unsure exactly what was happening.
James began to flip through Lily’s clothes till he reached the ones in the back. He pulled out a few dresses with the tags still on them. Their mum had bought them for Lily over the years but they had gone mostly unworn.
He loosed his tie and began shrugging off his suit jacket. Albus raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, curious to see how this would play out.
James changed into a simple spaghetti strap one first using a couple of size charms to get it to fit. It felt strange and oddly freeing.
“What do you think?” He asked Albus twirling around a few times.
“You actually don’t look half-bad,” Albus said surprised.
That threw James for a loop. He had expected his brother to make fun of him and call him an idiot but Albus actually sounded sincere.
“You can’t wear that to the red carpet though. It’s a formal event and that dress is way too casual.”
James screwed up his face. “It’s a dress. How can it be casual?”
Rolling his eyes Albus walked over to the other dresses James had pulled out of the closet. “You’re absolutely hopeless.” Albus pulled out two dresses from the pile and handed one to his brother. “Here, try this one.”
Moments later both brothers were admiring their reflections in the mirror. James had dawned a floor-length light blue gown. The skirt had several layers of ruffles edged in black detailing and a layer of toile underneath that gave it some volume. Albus had on a simpler black silhouette that was no less elegant. The arms and bodice were made from a sheer fabric and detailed with black lace.
“You know,” James said, “I was just doing this to be a good brother and shit. Also, I thought it would be pretty funny, but ahh… I look good. I mean, bro… What the fuck? Who the fuck is this?” James examined his reflection from several different angles. “I mean obviously you look good, that’s a given, but how do I be out here looking this fuckin’ fly?”
Albus smiled at his brother’s antics, for once James was actually right. They did look good. An idea struck him and Albus began looking around the room. Locating James’ suit jacket he picked it up off the floor. “Put this on.”
James gave Albus a sceptical look.
“Just trust me.”
“Alright.” James took the jacket and put it on over the dress. He looked back at the mirror. “Oh, what the fuck? Muuum!”
James swung the door open with fervour and headed to the foyer screaming the entire way down. “Do you see me right now? Wwwwwwwwhat the fuck! Look how good I look, what the fuck?”
Harry and Ginny turned to see both their sons looking rather ravishing in a pair of Lily’s dresses. Lily stopped herself mid-rant. Her initial look of confusion was quickly replaced with a bright smile.
“How come you two pull off those dresses way better than I ever could?” She asked, arms crossed over her chest.
“I don’t know what to tell you Lils, it turns out I’m fuckin adorable so… Are we going to this thing or not?” James stood with a hand on his hip.
“You can’t wear that to the Nostradamus,” Harry said.
“Why not?” James asked defiantly.
“The dress code only says that women have to wear dresses. It doesn’t say that men can’t.” Albus added.
James gave him a proud look.
Harry looked for a moment like he wanted to argue but he was just too tired. “Sure, why not. It’s fine with me. Ginny?”
“You boys look lovely.”
“Thanks, Mum,” Albus said bashfully.
The Potter children were undisputedly the best dressed of the night. It became quite the controversy, and everyone seemed to have an opinion. The next morning the Quibbler printed a special fashion spread for the story calling attention to the Nostradamus’ outdated dress codes and quoting a young James Potter, “Our society has many backwards and outdated traditions that have slowly begun to decline in popularity after the war, but gender roles still persist. This is just one glimpse of that. No one should be told what they can or cannot wear, especially when they’re out there looking this fuckin’ fly.”
I had this idea a few days ago and it would not leave me alone so here I am at two in the morning. This is not what I thought it was going to be at all but I like it all the same, much like James LOL. And once James was in a dress Albus insisted he get one too so… sorry not sorry. The idea came to me after I couldn’t get this TikTok out of my head and then, at the last minute, I thought about Kristen Stewart at the 2018 Canned Film Festival. Also the dresses were inspired by Harry Styles who is now my new fashion icon. I blame @beedragony for enabling me. B has informed I am not allowed to blame them because they blamed me first so I guess this one is all on me.
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bleachanimefan1 · 3 years ago
Text
The Song of the Titan
Chapter Nine!,
In a secret room of the castle, Belos stood in front of the repaired door of the human realm, that he had managed to salvage and recover. He ordered an abomaton to turn on a switch and it did as it was told. Glowing green goo flowed down from the pipes of the machine and headed towards the door, powering it up. Belos took out a handmade key and stuck it into the keyhole.
It disintegrated almost immediately as soon as he turned it. Hidden in a corner, behind the emperor, Hunter quietly watched, curious about the portal. Lil rascal had managed to sneak into the room as well and landed on Hunter's shoulder and let out a small chirp.
"Shoo!" Hunter brushed his hand to get the cardinal to leave.
"Would you like to see how this works, Hunter?" Belos called out. Hunter gasped and went tense. He had heard him. The cardinal went ridged and turned to wood and Hunter quickly put the bid inside his cloak, hiding it. Hesitantly, Hunter stepped out approaching Belos.
"I didn't mean to hide, Emperor Belos," He murmured.
"We found every piece of the door, but without the power of the real key, it refuses to open," He told him.
"Is true that rain doesn't boil in the human realm?" Hunter asked. Belos turned to Hunter with a surprised look.
"It is. But, how did you know that?" He asked, smiling.
"I ran into the other human the other day. She told me," Hunter told him. He saw his uncle's smile immediately drop. Hunter immediately shifted his gaze away from Belo's cold and dark eyes as they stared intensely down at him. Hunter nearly jumped as he felt his uncle's fingers tuck under his chin, tilting his head up, making Hunter look at him.
"Hunter, I need you to promise me that you won't see that human girl again." Hunter's eyes widen a little as he stared up at Belos confused.
"What? Why?" he asked.
"She is a bad influence, especially since she's hanging around with the owl lady, learning about wild magic," His uncle told him. "She's dangerous, so promise me that you will stay from her."
"I-...I promise, Emperor Belos," Hunter said, his eyes dropping a little as he looked down.
"Don't make that face, you know how I feel about that, Hunter."
"I'm sorry, Uncle," Hunter replied.
"You know I've been there before, the human realm, did I ever tell you that?" Below asked, immediately changing the subject. Hunter looked back at him, and shook head. Belos had a soft smile on his face.
"The trees they're green, nights are quiet," He told Hunter. "I look forward to seeing it again." Then he turned Hunter as he walked down the stairs with him. "Were you spying on me just to hear these boring stories?"
"The operation at the knee, why did you switch me out with Kikimora?" Hunter questioned. Belos smiled.
"Everyone has a use, Hunter. Kikimora has her intricate little plans, the scouts carry out orders, and you, well..." He wrapped his arm around Hunter, placing his hand on Hunter's shoulder as they continued walking down the stairs. "The Titan has BIG plans for you and it would be such a hassle to try and find an replacement." Hunter's eyes widened. He was going to be replaced? No! He worked so hard to get where he was! If he was replaced then what use would he be? He wouldn't be able to help his Uncle.
"So right now you can be useful by staying "safe" here in the castle," Belos told him as he led Hunter out.
"If this is punishment for failing my last mission, I swear that I can do better!" Hunter insisted.
"Good night, Hunter," Belos smiled, closing the door.
Hunter stood in front of the door for a minute, before making his decision. He was going to help his uncle, no matter what happens. He had to prove that he wasn't a failure...not again.
Hunter turned around and ran, heading straight to his room and dropped off Lil' rascal. The little bird made a confused chirp as it looked at Hunter.
"I'll be back," Hunter told the cardinal palisman. "Just STAY here and don't be seen. I have to do this on my own."
As he turned around to leave, Hunter heard the small red bird began chirping frantically before he saw Lil' rascal beginning to fly straight towards him. Quickly, Hunter shut the door, before Lil' rascal could get out. It nearly broke his heart hearing the frantic and coming from the small bird as it heard it pecking and clawing the door.
Hunter shook his head, making up his mind and quickly grabbed a coven's scouts uniform as a disguise. So no one would recognize him, since his own had been eaten and was getting the uniform and mask fixed and replaced. He put the scout's clothes and cloak on and left the castle, heading to the Knee.
Back at the owl, Amity was prepping and fortifying the security of the house. She walked past the window, seeing Hooty outside.
"Hooty, what's your status?" Amity asked.
"The perimeter is secure nothing's getting past me!" The owl beast told her as he broke the window, coming in.
"Good! Clean up that mess," Amity smiled.
"Ma'am!" Booty saluted. He sweeped the broken glass aside, using his neck. Amity walked into the living room to see Willow coming in and placed some groceries on the table.
"Willow have you gathered the supplies?" Amity asked.
"Yes! We're ready to attack this at all fronts!" Willow told her.
"Excellent!" Amity smiled. A small white car walked over to her. Amity bent down petting the cat. "Aw, Ghost, did you help, too? Who's a good palisman! Great, now all we is-"
"Rain? Beach wave?" Gus suggested as he and King walked up behind the two girls.
"Something called "Lo-fi beats to study and relax to." We've got it all!" King shouted.
"Eda was rummaging through her basement and gave us these soothing human noises!" Gus explain.
"That's, great," Amity replied. "Wait, Eda's still here? Eda you're supposed to be helping Hooty build up our defenses." Then she heard Eda scream.
Amity walked into a room to see, Eda screaming loudly at nothing, while Azara and John watched in amusement. "Whoo! Don't mind me, I'm just learning how to turn into Harpy Eda on demand. According to this human workout, you just got to scream a lot until you forced your inner beast out." Eda said.
"Eda, this is a cartoon," Azara told her. "Of course, it's not going to work."
"Gee, you just love to suck the fun out of everything, do ya kid?" Eda teased.
"This looks ancient," Amity replied picking up the tape.
"What? No! You're telling me-Thirty years old? I remember seeing this in theaters," Era frowned.
"Yes, you're old. Who cares? We have a crisis on our hands!" Amity exclaimed.
"Chill bossy boots. Everything's fine," Era reassured her. Amity gestured Eda to follow her, along with Azara and John as she walked them to Luz's room, opening the door.
"Does THIS seem fine to you?!" Amity asked gesturing over to Luz.
"It's like I have snake for arms!" Luz exclaimed, as she wildly waved her arms in the air at nothing. Luz's hair was a mess and she was inside of a sleeping bag. Her nose was red and her eyes looked blood shot and tired. She was sick.
"Please, she just has the common mold," Eda explained. "it's harmless."
"But, she's a human," Amity said, worried. "We have no idea how this will affect her!"
"If I eat the portal key, would I return to the human realm?" Luz questioned. Azara's eyes widen.
"Luz, no!" she tried to stop her. Luckily, Amity made a small abomaton and it quickly took the key from Luz, walking away, and gave it to Amity.
"I am not giving this back until you are better, okay?" Amity told her. Luz whined and took out a small device that looked like a tomagachi and started to type something on it. Amity had one as well as it pinged. She looked at it seeing the strange emojis, not understanding them.
U R PRETTY...
"Uh, you got it!" Amity smiled and winked at Luz. Luz stared at her confused and disappointed as she closed the door.
"I got to admit, Amity, seeing you around more often is different, " Willow told her as Gus, King and her approached the them.
"I know but I was taught to see every situation as an opportunity," Amity told them. "And today I am going to show Luz that I am an awesome girlfriend!"
"Feels like is it a few months ago you almost got her dissected by your crazy principal," King pointed out.
"She did what now?" Azara asked, interested. Amity blushed and looked away.
"That was a few months ago," Gus added. Suddenly, everyone jumped as they heard Luz scream.
"AAH!" They quickly opened the door to see Luz frantically grabbing a pen and paper. "Luz!"
"Mouse! Uh, Philip's dairy entry!" Luz exclaimed, frantically. They saw the echo mouse projecting something on the wall, in black and white, like an movie from an old film reel. Azara a strange man dressed in weird clothes that looked like from the 16th century. His hair was tied up in a pony tail and had two long strands of hair hanging from his face.
"After five years, I have finally found it. A power source so potent it can pierce through realms, Titan's blood. There are old tales of lakes reflecting green trees and blue skies. The Titan's veins run through the land and many believe that these wild portals are created when a little of It's blood leaks into the water. That is how I came here, so that is the first place I shall look. I will journey back to Eclipse Lake."
"I have to go to Eclipse Lake!" Luz shouted as she finished the drawing the location down and quickly got up, practically jumping out the door. Willow and Gus quickly caught her, dragging Luz back inside the room, putting her back into the sleeping bag.
"Luz, no! You are not well!" Willow told her.
"She is shockingly strong!" Gus added.
"Alright, Luz. Me and King will get your Titan blood," Eda told her. "if you just calm down."
"Yes! Perfect chance to take our new powers for a test drive!" King cheered.
"You guys are the best!" Luz smiled. She handed Eda the paper, however it looked like it had some snot on it as well. Eda cringed in disgust and took it, holding the map in front of her, walking away.
"You might want to get that disinfected," Azara chuckled.
"I volunteer as well, as Luz's girlfriend, I must -" Amity immediately volunteered, following after Eda.
"I get, Boots. Just grab a coat," Eda told her.
"I'm coming too!" Azara replied.
"Well, if you're coming, you're going to have to wear boots. Where we are going is cold and I can't afford to have another sick kid on my hands," Era told her.
"Fine," Azara pouted but agreed.
"I'm coming as well!" John shouted. Azara frowned and shook her head.
"No, you're not. You're staying here," she told him. John whined.
"You're not the boss of me!" he complained. Azara smirked.
"Actually I am, since mom's not here," she reminded him. "Therefore, I am in charge of you." She approached him and bent down to his level. "And if YOU get into trouble, "I" get into trouble, and WE don't want that, do we now?" John pouted, crossing his arms, before sticking out his lips.
"Fine," he replied.
"I need you help look after Luz, okay?" Azara smiled. John nodded his head, understanding.
"Willow, Goops, watch after Luz," Eda told the two. "She thinks she has snakes for arms." Willow and Gus looked back at Luz who had her arms in the air before she noticed them and hissed.
High above, on a snowy mountain, Kikimora and the coven scouts were digging around outside in the ruins of an abandoned mine.
"Dig faster, scouts!" Kikimora ordered.
"Kikimora, these tunnels are unstable, maybe we should slow down?" One of the scouts suggested.
"Not now, captain. This could be my last chance to show Belos what I can do! And I just know that brat golden guard will try to spoil it!" Kikimora said. "Hey Steve! Jump over that chasm before I throw you into it!"
"She's getting so paranoid," the captain shook her head.
Not too far off, from the scouts, Hunter was hiding behind a tree as he watched them. He leaned back against the tree and pulled back the hood his cloak, only to be startled as he saw the cardinal palisman right there next to him.
"Why do keep following me?!" Hunter hissed. "How did you even get out!?"
I'm.....h#r% to h#lp! Lil rascal chirped. Hunter frowned as he looked at the bird.
"I don't speak palisman," He replied then continued to explain his plan to the bird. Lil rascal was nodding his head the entire time, listening.
"Here's the plan, I slip in with this disguise, I find the Titan blood before Kiki, I give it to Belos. Boom! I'm useful again!" Hunter smiled. It suddenly dropped as Hunter heard one of the abomatons fired in his direction. He and Lil rascal quickly ducked and took cover as the blast exploded the tree that they were hiding behind. Hunter gulped nervously and quietly crawled way before the scouts noticed him. That blast almost blew his head off!
"Ma'am, is everything alright?!" The captain asked. Kikimora's eyes narrowed with a dark glare.
"I just thought I heard an annoying voice!" She hissed.
"Uh, another way in! We'll find another way in!" Hunter stammered, nervously. He ran got up and ran away while Lil rascal rode on top of his head. Lil rascal 's eyes widened as it sensed something nearby and happily chirped.
Hunt*& Th%$ #ay!
Hunter stopped and saw the cardinal land on a branch in a tree and walked over. His eyes widen in surprise to see Eda, King and Amity, approaching.
"The owl lady and her dog and is that the youngest Blight?" He questioned to himself. Then his eyes noticed a familiar pair of green eyes as he saw Azara walking with them as well. Hunter's eyes widen and he had almost fallen off from the steep slope, slipping on a small patch of ice, as soon as he saw her. He nearly lost his breath and felt his cheeks burn as he felt strange feeling in his chest. Hunter's heart began to beat faster, watching Azara as she and the others got closer. Her again!?
"This place is crawling with tools! What gives?!" King asked.
"Titan blood is the most powerful source of magic on the Isles. I'm not surprised Belos wants it too," Eda explained.
"Well, we can't afford to mess this up," Amity said. "Luz is counting on me! I mean, us!" She blushed.
"Well, as soon as we find this Titan's blood the sooner I can get out of these boots!" Azara complained. She was shaking her feet as she walked along side them. Eda and King laughed.
"She's like a small cat!" Eda chuckled. Azara frowned, as her cheeks turned red, embarrassed.
"I heard that!" she yelled out.
"Alright, new plan," Hunter smiled. "They can lead us to the Titan blood."
Lil rascal stared at Hunter for a minute before he lunged out and pulled on Hunter's strand of hair.
I'm doing Th&$ for you# #wn &ood!
"Hey! Hey! AH!" Hunter screamed and he lost his balance falling right in front of the group. He groaned as he sat up. That little sh-
"A coven scout!" Amity exclaimed. Hunter's eyes widen underneath the mask as he looked up at the group. Eda and Amity had their staffs ready and pointed at him.
"Uh, yes, I am but a humble scout and I surrender," Hunter surrendered holding his hands up. Azara's eyes widen, recognizing the voice.
"Heh, that was easy!" King smiled. Eda narrowed her eyes at the strange scout in front of them.
"Not so fast, King. Don't you recognize that annoying voice?" She asked.
"Why does everyone say that?" Hunter replied, sadly. He quickly took off, running away, trying to escape.
"Don't let him get away!" Eda shouted. Amity made some abomaton goo fly out of her flask with a wave of her finger. It shot out, wrapping around Hunter, knocking him off of his feet, and he flipped over, falling down to the ground. His mask had fallen off, as well, revealing his face. The group walked up, looking down at him.
"This is none other than-"
"Hello, Hunter!" Azara smirked.
"Wait, you know him?!" Eda asked, confused.
"Yeah, he's the guy I've been telling you guys about." Azara told them.
"Well, did you know that he's Belos right hand man?" Eda frowned. "I thought I told you to stay away from them!"
Azara smiled sheepishly, shrugging her hands.
"The golden guard!" Amity gasped. "He is a lot scrawnier than I've imagined." King laughed.
Hunter growled and glared up at them.
"Did I do it? Did I go into harpy mood?" Eda asked, excitedly, busting through a wall of ice.
"No, you just screamed "Hoot!" and ran head first into a wall of ice," King told her as he walked into the mines from the hole Era had made, along with Amity, Hunter and Azara, "It was pretty funny actually."
"You can put down your staff, I won't run," Hunter said.
"Too bad, because I don't trust you," Amity answered, still pointing her staff at him.
"Huh? This stuff is old," Eda commented the old abandoned mining equipment that was left behind, lying about near them.
"Ancient witches used to mine the veins for titan blood-" Hunter tried to explain.
"They're not listening," Azara told him.
"Go on, fire it! Maybe the adrenaline will kick in and bam! Harpy Eda!" Eda insisted. King jumped on top of the mine drill, getting ready to activate it.
"Sounds perfectly safe!"
"Wait! Don't!-" Hunter tried to warn them. But, King had already activated the drill and it unleashed a blast of magic. It barely missed Eda and started to ricochet off the walls bouncing around wildly like a ping pong ball!
"This isn't a normal cave! These walls are made from the veins of the Titan any magic that you shoot will bounce right back at you!" Hunter shouted.
"Oh, you must be fun at parties," Eda teased. She turned back to King. "Hey, King How about you use your new power to echo-locate the lake?"
"Okay!" He jumped off the drill running to the tunnel in front of them. King opened his mouth and let out a sonic blast. There was silence, then King turned around to them, shrugging his hands.
"Nothing," he replied.
"These two are definitely going to get us caught," Hunter frowned.
"Us?" There is no us! Now, keep walking," Amity said.
As they started to head deeper into the mines, walking further in, Azara stopped when she heard a voice whisper in her ear.
Azura...
Azara eyes widened and she wildly began looking around.
"Who said that?" She asked.
"Who said what?" Amity asked. The others stopped, as well seeing Azara looking around at nothing. They stared with confused looks on their faces.
"We didn't say anything, kid." Eda told her. She frowned seeing the uneasy look on Azara's face. "Is there something wrong?"
Azara shook her head. "It must have been my imagination. Let's just hurry."
"Oh hey, look! People died here." King added. Everyone gasped as they saw a couple of skeletons lying on the ground.
"Okay, this is getting too creepy. Let's just find that Titan blood and get out of here." Amity said.
"Maybe, it's the lost souls of the witches who died here in the mines?" Eda joked. "And now they're angry that their tomb is being disturbed!"
"Eda! You're not helping!" Azara shouted. "I know that I heard someone! They said Azura..."
"Azura? You mean, the the good witch Azura?" King asked and chuckled. "But, she is just some storybook fantasy. She's not real!"
"I know what I heard..." Azara replied.
"Maybe, you're crazy," Hunter sneered and commented. Azara frowned, looking at him.
"Alright, let's just keep going," Amity told them. "Hearing voices is never really a good sign. Let's just find that Titan's blood then get out."
"You know, Luz told me about her trip to Latissa, where she met someone very interesting," Eda explained as they walked further into the mines. "A beat-up blond with no magical powers. She called him and these are her words, "A bad but sad boy," She snorted as she finished and chuckled. Hunter cheeks and ears turned red, blushing, embarrassed.
"If I ever see that human again," He muttered.
"Hey, watch it!" Amity warned him as she narrow her eyes.
"At least I'm not delusional to think that I can turn into a harpy!" Hunter retorted. Eda turned around and hissed.
"Hey, come on, give it a rest, you two!" King said, although he looked amused at the fight between.
"Yeah, listen to your rat," Hunter replied.
"Whee!" King screeched angrily and jumped off of Eda, pulling on Hunter's hair.
Suddenly, Amity shushed them telling to be quiet. She motioned them to take cover and they did. Everyone saw Kikimora, along with two abomatons and two coven scouts had made their way into the mines, too.
"Why are we stopping?" Kikimora demanded. "Is it the golden guard?!"
"No, ma'am, this is a dangerous area," the captain told her. "We need to move carefully."
"Careful takes too long! My butt is on line!" Kikimora shouted. "And so help me Titan, if you ruin this, I will throw you off of the peak of the tallest knee with a smile!"
"She definitely has issues," Azara cringed.
"That poor girl is going through something," Eda commented.
"She's also blocking the path to Eclipse Lake," Amity added and pointed ahead.
"We should create a distraction," Hunter replied.
"We should create a distraction!" Eda shouted. "You kids wait for my signal!" She and king jumped over the edge, getting into place to create a plan.
"Ha, that was easy! When they're caught, you two and I can take the Titan blood for ourselves," Hunter said as he leaned against an old mining machine.
"Stop talking like we're a team!" Amity shouted.
"Why not just quit the emperor's coven and come with us?" Azara asked. Hunter's and Amity's eyes widened in shock.
"Are you kidding me?" Amity asked in disbelief. Hunter chuckled and sneered.
"That's an attempting offer, but no thanks," he replied.
"Better than being miserable." Azara commented.
"I never said anything about being miserable," Hunter frowned, looking away from her.
"But you are, aren't you?" Azara asked. "Why can't you just admit that you need help?"
"I..Don't..Need..Help," Hunter replied, coldly, as he narrowed his eyes at Azara. She sighed.
"Everyone needs help every once in awhile," Azara told him. Amity stared at the two in silence with a disbelief look on her face.
"This is crazy," Amity said, shaking her head. "I am not working with the emperor's coven just because you two have a crush on each other."
"WE DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON EACH OTHER!" Hunter and Azara yelled at the same time. The two blinked and looked at each other.
"But we might as well work together," Hunter replied. "The owl lady and her pet have nothing at stake unlike us."
"You have no idea what you're talking-" Amity's tomagatchi bleeped in her coat pocket, interrupting her. "I was going to say, you have no-" It bleeped again. Hunter and Azara stared at her, blinking and raised their eyes staring into the witch's pocket. Amity huffed and turned around, her back facing them, and pulled out the device. Azara walked closer peeking over Amity's shoulder. She saw strange emojis on the screen but couldn't understand them. She was never really any good with that kind of stuff, it was from confusing.
"Oof, that doesn't look good," Hunter replied reading over Amity's shoulder. Amity jumped as she saw Hunter and and Azara behind her. She glared at Hunter.
"Stay back!" She demanded. He stepped away as she wanted. Amity frowned, wondering what he had meant. "But, what doesn't look good?"
"Seems clear to me, come back with results or else....you can figure out the rest," he told her.
"That doesn't sound right," Azara replied. "That doesn't sound like something Luz would do."
"No, Luz wouldn't make that kind of threat." Amity agreed, shaking her head. "I'm an awesome girlfriend!"
"Has she told you that?" Hunter asked. "We have a lot in common, Blight. We both trying to show what we can bring to the table. And we can't fail cause there's nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you are special." he finished. Azara stared at him, silently.
Amity bit her lip and looked down, with an uncertain look on her face.
Suddenly, a blast of purple magic bounced near Kikimora and the scouts. The abomatons deployed a shield to protect them.
"Why didn't you wait for our signal?!" Eda called out as she and King, ran to catch up with Hunter, Amity and Azara, heading straight into the tunnel ahead of them to Eclipse Lake.
"We don't have time to play around! We are getting that titan blood!" Amity shouted.
As they ran, Amity's tomagachi had fallen out from her pocket and landed on the ground. Kikimora spotted it and picked it up, inspecting the device with a crazed look in her eyes.
AS the group walked down the tunnel, the cardinal palisman had been following them the entire time, unnoticed by them. Lil rascal landed on Hunter's shoulder and made a small chirp.
"Hey, find a different perch, bird," Hunter replied, shrugging his shoulder. Lil rascal flew off of him. At the end of the tunnel, everyone walked out to see some strange dried up crystallized dark blue liquid surrounding all over the room.
"Is this titan's blood?" Eda asked.
"But, Eclipse Lake is farther ahead," Amity said, confused, checking the map again.
"Who cares!? We did it!" King shouted. Eda and King began to approach it.
"STOP!" Hunter shouted. "That's fools blood. Don't touch it!"
"Oh, so you can keep it all for yourself?" Eda smirked. "Pfft! Hard pass!" She slammed the end of her staff into the crystal. It cracked and suddenly the ground began to shake beneath them, before ripping open giving away under their feet. Eda and King fell into the huge chasm below.
"No!" Amity and Azara cried out. Amity was about to hop onto her staff to go after them but Hunter stopped her.
"Wait! Take me with you!" he shouted.
"Yoo hoo! Golden guard!" The three heard Kikimora call out, getting closer to them.
"Can you at least untie me so I can escape?!" Hunter insisted. "Please, I don't want to be replaced."
"Fine!" Amity groaned. She waved her finger and released the goo from Hunter, freeing him. Hunter stretched his arm as she glanced behind her, seeing the shadows getting closer. "So, where will you go now?"
"Now..." Hunter sweeped his leg and knocked Amity and Azara off of their feet, knocking to the ground. He ran and hopped into a mine cart and wheeled off. "I get to Eclipse Lake before anyone! BYEEEE!"
"That little-!" Azara growled as she got up.
"That jerk!" Amity shouted, angry as well. Just as the two were about to get up, a spear pointed at their faces. The two girls froze as they saw Kikimora and the coven scouts in front of them.
"Would you look at this, captain?" Kikimora said "We find our little fire starter." Then she noticed Azara, and glared at her. "YOU! You will pay for blinding me!"
"Well, you shouldn't have walked so blindly to my trap," Azara scoffed. "Some coven scout leader you are."
"Silence!" Kikimora shrieked angrily. The abomatons aimed their cannons at Azara, ready to fire. Azara's widened and she gulped. She stared at the end of the cannon, glaring up at Kikimora. "But, after a deal with another little pest. Then I'll deal with YOU!" The abomatons lowered their arms. Azara felt a sudden relief rush over her as they did.
"So, the golden guard is also looking for titan's blood and he took off to Eclipse Lake," Kikimora said. "I knew it! That little snake is always making me look bad. Well, now I can get my revenge!"
"Ma'am, what about the Titan blood?" The captain asked.
"Oh, yes, I'll get that too," Kikimora replied. "This is going to be a good day!"
"What should we do with these two?" The captain asked.
"Oh, I don't care," Kikimora replied. The two abomatons transformed into carts and she rode in one, as well as the other scouts as they went after Hunter. The captain aimed her spear at Amity and Azara.
"So, did you come with anyone else or...Ugh! This is boring!" she picked up Amity and tossed her into the cavern.
"Amity!" Azara cried out. She felt the captain push her as well as she kicked Azara into the hole. Amity and Azara screamed as they fell down into the dark depths. Suddenly, several hands grabbed the two girls, catching them. Eda and King pulled them up as they hang on tightly onto Owlbert. Amity quickly grabbed onto the tomagachi, catching it, just before it fell as well.
"Guys, you're okay!" Amity said in relief.
"Just barely," Era told her. "Owlbert's knocked out so we can't fly."
"I'm just like throwing it out there, but, this would be a great time to bring out harpy Eda!" King said.
"I don't know how! I tried yelling at it, scaring it-" Everyone gasped as they saw Owlbert was starting to crack.
"Did you ever think about talking to it?" King asked.
"Ha! I-I guess I didn't, but it's a wild animal," Eda said unsure.
"You thought I was a wild animal, once," King commented.
"Okay, I'll try. Just give me a second," Eda agreed. "What?! You want to make a deal? I-I don't know if I can." Owl was beginning to crack more as a large crack appeared on it's head. "Okay, okay, I'll do it! Just change NOW!" Her eyes turned black and golden irises appeared.
"Haha! Yes!" Eda cheered as she flew out of the pit in her Harpy form, carrying Amity, King, and Azara.
"What did you promise to do?" Azara asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," Eda told her.
"I can't wait to see a real life mine cart chase!" King exclaimed, excitedly.
As they reached the end of the mine tunnel, everyone had saw that Kikimora and the other scouts had gone off the rails and crashed.
"Ooh..." Everyone cringed.
"I guess mine cart chases are a lot more dangerous than videogames make them seem." King commented.
"There it is!" Amity pointed out.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Eda as she was caught by an abomaton. The captain of the coven scouts got up.
"I don't know who you freaks are, but that blood belongs to Kikimora!" she yelled. The abomaton slammed Eda to the ground with the others.
"Get to the lake!" Eda shouted, telling them to go on. "I'll take care of-" The abomaton pulled Eda away from them and slammed her into the wall.
"Eda!" King cried out in worry. Azara grabbed him and ran after Amity. The captain of the scouts threw a spear at them but Eda caught it and snapped it with her hand, breaking it in half. She turned to the captain and smirked.
"Alright owl beast, let's see what we can do!" Eda flew up high into the air and began spinning around as she corkscrew straight towards the captain.
Azara caught up to Amity and looked ahead to see a large crater of what appeared to be a pool in front of her. However, it was dried up and there was no Titan's blood. The trees that surround the pit were dried up as well as roots extended all over the area. She froze as she saw Hunter, desperately digging in the dirt.
"Don't worry, I won't pick a fight," He told them. "There's no titan blood."
"Then why are you digging?" Amity asked. Azara eyes widened as she saw Hunter turned around. His eyes looked a little off and a little crazed. Great, she was dealing with a crazy person. This guy was literally digging his own grave.
"It's simple really. Belos needs Titan's blood, to make a new portal key. Can't get to the human realm without it," Hunter explained.
"There's blood in the key?" Amity questioned. Azara's eyes widened in surprise. This trip had been for nothing! The key had Titan's blood all along...and it was the one thing that Emperor Belos needed. It can't fall into his hands!
She frowned, staring at Hunter, concerned.
"Since, I failed my last mission, I thought "Hey! A chance to make up for it!" But, I can't go back empty handed!" Hunter let out a hysterical laugh. "Not again. Long story short, this is my grave! Do you want me to make you one, too?"
"This is really bumming me out," King replied.
"That's just life, rat. Everyone has a use and if you don't-Pfft! Bye-bye! Your friend gets it!" Hunter said.
"What's he talking about?" King asked confused.
"Luz has been sending me these strange human codes. I don't understand all of them, but this one seems pretty clear," Amity explained and showed King the emojis. "Come back with results or we're done." King frowned until he saw something strange about the emoji's. He turned the device sideways and the emojis appeared to spell out words. Amity's eyes widened surprise.
"U ARE RAD," She read. "FOOLS BLOOD BAD. U OKAY. COME HOME."
Amity laughed and smiled overjoyed and happy. "Of course! This is Luz we're talking about!"
Suddenly, the three heard frantic chirping and turned their heads back to see Lil rascal trying to pull Hunter out of the hole that he had dug. He swatted the bird away from him.
"Hey, go find a better witch to be with!" He groaned, falling back into the dirt face first and shoveled some more on top of his head.
"We need to help him," Azara told King and Amity. King frowned.
"I don't think that he's your type," he replied. Azara blushed a little.
"I don't care, we still got to try and help him," she insisted. "You told me how your parents treated you. You and him have the same experiences, maybe you can get through to him." Amity nodded, understanding. She knew how he felt. This was a chance to help him. Amity and Azara walked over as they approached Hunter. Amity bent down to Hunter and Lil Rascal landed on her shoulder.
"You know, you were right. We do have a lot in common. I grew up thinking that everything was an opportunity to justify existing. But, there are people out there who won't make you feel worthless. You just got to let yourself meet them." Amity smiled and held her hand out to him.
Hunter opened his eyes and looked up at her then turned his attention towards Azara. He saw that her eyes were pleading at him to take it.
"We want to help you Hunter," she told him softly. "Come with us."
Hunter's felt his chest began to grow warm as he heart began to beat faster at the sound of her voice. It relax him, made him feel safe. Just as Hunter was about to get up, something shined in Hunter's eyes. He gasped a little and his eyes widen as he slowly got up.
"What are you?" Amity questioned before glancing down to where Hunter was looking at. The key!
Hunter lunged at her, and Amity quickly rolled out of the way. He quickly turned back towards her, with a desperate look in his eyes.
"Oh, come on!" Amity complained. "Being nice usually works for Luz!"
"Hunter, please don't do this!" Azara cried out. But, Hunter ignored her and ran towards Amity. King quickly jumped in front of her.
"Weh!" King shouted unleashing a sonic wave.
Hunter's eyes widened as it came closer. Lil rascal quickly jumped in front of him, reflecting the blast. Hunter grabbed the staff but Amity shot out some abomination too at him, wrapping around Hunter's body. Hunter struggled to get it off when suddenly he teleported out of the binding then started to teleport uncontrollably a little unleashing a yellow burst of energy.
"The staffs are weird," Hunter frowned looking at the staff. Hunter teleported again as Amity shot an abomination goo at him again to catch him. Now high in the air, Hunter aimed the staff down at them and unleashed several burst of yellow magic, and it began to bounce wildly all over the room. Azara quickly made a ice pillar as she made a spell circle with her finger just before a ball of magic hit her.
Hunter teleported next to Amity and she tried to block his attacks as he teleported wildly around her, trying to break through her shield. As he stopped in front of her, King tried to jump at him and knocked Hunter to the ground. Amity created a giant bubble with the goo encasing Hunter inside of it. She quickly got on her staff and grabbed King, heading towards Azara.
"We are leaving!" she shouted, getting ready to grab her. Azara shook her head.
"Not without Hunter!" she shouted.
"We HAVE to go! NOW!" Amity urged her, grabbing her hand. "Forget him!"
"No!" Azara argued, pulling back. "I won't turn my back on people who need my help!" Amity's eyes widened in shock.
Suddenly, the abomination cage exploded and a giant hand made out of earth smacked right into Amity, knocking her off of her staff.
"Amity!" Azara cried out trying to reach her but Hunter sent another ball of magic at her, stopping Azara in her tracks. King had managed to land safely but his horns were embedded deep in some tree's roots. Amity used her goo to make a slide and slide down to the ground landing on her feet. Then Hunter quickly appeared beside her. Amity's eyes widened.
"You really want to help then gimme that key!" Hunter shouted. He used the staff to rip the necklace off of Amity's neck and Amity quickly caught it before he could get it. She quickly made a sharp weapon and aimed it directly under Hunter's neck as he pinned her hand with his staff, glaring up at him. Hunter panted completely tired and exhausted and sweat dropping from his face.
"Listen your strong and I'm tired. If this continues, you'll probably escape. But here's the thing: we know where to find you and your human." Amity gasped. "So just, hand over the key."
"Fine," Amity said. "Just stay away from Luz." She let go of the key and Hunter took it from her.
"I appreciate it," He told her. "I, uh, mean that, too." Just before he was about to take off with Lil rascal, Azara stopped him. She stepped in front of Amity, clasping her hands together.
"Hunter, wait. Just think for a a minute," She tried to reason with him. "You don't want to do this. You know that this is not right. I know that your not happy there. You know that your not happy there. So, come with us..."
Hunter turned and stared at her for a minute, silently.
"Can you really turn your back on your own family?" Hunter asked. Azara's eyes widened. Hunter took off flying away with Lil rascal.
"Hunter! Stop!" She cried out. But, he was already gone.
"HaHa! Yes! I heard fighting!" Eda smiled as she flew in. "I'm ready to go! Where's the nerd?" She stopped when she saw everyone.
"Weeh!" King whined as he tried to pull his horns out from the tree root that he was still stuck upside down on. Amity looked like she had made the worst decision in her life. Azara was still standing where she was, frozen. Tears were slowly beginning to fall from her eyes as they run down her cheeks.
"Oh, dang it." Eda sighed.
Back at the owl house, in Luz's room, Luz gasped and suddenly shot up with a surprised look on her face. "Huh?! I feel great!" Luz exclaimed before she realized that she had mushrooms growing on her head. "I wonder if this is permanent?"
"I got to find everyone!" She yelled. She quickly got up, the mushrooms fell off from her head as she did, and she quickly ran into the hall. Luz bumped into Willow who was carrying to bowl of soup, knocking it out of her hands, along with Gus. Hooty caught it with his head. "Have the others returned?"
"Ow, ow ,ow! Just get an elixir!" Luz gasped as she heard Eda shout and ran into the living room . She saw King and Azara trying to pull on her wing go get her inside, but she was stuck at the door. "I got into harpy mode and now I can't get out."
"She also ate like nine voles on the way home?" King added.
"Hey, I had to keep up my end of the bargain," Eda said.
"Amity!" Luz ran over to her, knocking her down, and hugged her tightly. She smiled. "I'm so glad my awesome girlfriend is okay!"
"Me, too!" Amity smiled back.
"No king hug? What is this?!" King complained. "You are a swindler and a thief!"
"Come here, buddy!" Luz rushed towards him and swooped King up in her arms hugging him.
"I regret this!" King shouted. Eda leaned in closer to Amity.
"You want to break the news or should I?" she asked.
"News?" Amity asked, confused.
"The empty lake, the golden guard, losing the portal key?" Eda told her. "Today was an disaster."
"Actually, we might be okay." Amity said, as she showed Eda the Titan's blood that was stained on her glove.
"How did you get the Titan's blood?" Azara asked, surprised.
"I broke the key." Amity told her.
Nighttime was beginning to fall, and stars were shining in the sky. Hunter stared at the key in his hand as he held it in front of him. He had an unsure and confused look on his face. He felt terrible and guilty about taking the key. Then Lil rascal landed on his hand and happily chirped at him.
"Oh, hey. You stuck with me the whole time, huh, bird?" Hunter asked. Lil rascal made another happy chirp.
Orion.
Hunter's eyes widened in surprise. He had understood what Lil rascal had said! He can understand him!
"I think I understood that!" He smiled. "Is that your name? Can you say it again?"
My name is Orion, Hunter.
"Weird." Hunter chuckled. He thought it was a funny name to name a bird after a star constellation. But, it did seem to suit him. Hunter's life had been brighter since the little bird came into his life, even leading him to Azara. Hunter's eyes widen as her name came into his mind.
It didn't matter. She must hate him now. He quickly shook it off and looked back at Lil rascal.
"Can you say other things?"
Hunter continued on ahead, heading to the castle, as Lil rascal continued to chirp talking to him.
17 notes · View notes
nahimjustfeelingit-writes · 3 years ago
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Hello. I have a question other ppl please feel free to chime in. Do you ever feel uncomfortable with your weight/shape? Ok so I am not necessarily a plus sized girl but I am definitely not skinny. Im a lil fluffy but because I’m taller, 5’8 to be exact I carry it differently. For the majority of my life I’ve been non active. Now at first it wasn’t important to me because nothing I did required me to be fit so it didn’t really give me problems. Also I’ve never really dated so I haven’t carried that consciousness that weight is in all reality something that lessens your dating pool. Well just recently I’ve started to notice it a lot more. I realize now how tiring it is for me to do the simplest of things. Also side note I’m a pretty healthy eater due to a long list of food allergies and restrictions and I also just don’t like greasy salty food. I find myself trying on clothes and picking out my stomach and arm fat. I’ve been getting told by doctors and family for years friends too that I needed to check my health before it becomes detrimental. Now I will also say I use to be hugely involved in the body positivity movement and their whole motto, at least the maj of ppl I found on ig, is usually to push the narrative that they are trying to box you in and your perfect as you are and that no matter how unhealthy or overweight I became to others I had the right to live the way I wanted to live because I was doing nothing wrong and the ppl who claimed they were trying to help were fake woke and miserable because I was confident with who I was. So I listened. I found a family with them. They allowed my to ignore everyone else and live how I wanted. Well now I’ve gained another 25 pounds and I feel awful. Physically. I’m so stuck on what to do bc I don’t eat bad so it’s not like I’m internally harming myself but I know I’m maybe not as active as I could be. And I’m confused because the body positivity family has made me feel so certain about myself and made me feel like I don’t need to change but I’m starting to wonder if maybe they’re misleading a little. Or maybe I’m just gullible🥺 do you find yourself being physically conscious and progressive? Do you see issues with your body sometimes? And if you do how do you go about living healthy without feeling like your doing it to conform to societal standards. Sorry it’s so long and I know most ppl will skip this cause of the length. I don’t have many friends I feel comfortable talking to about this so I thought you guys might be able to help me…
Hey ❤️
So for me I struggle with that from time to time, mostly when I wear something and I’m expecting it to fit me a certain way and when it doesn’t (belly is out there, back rolls) I get self conscious and start calling myself fat and how I look a mess. I am in the same boat as you as far as being on the taller side and carrying my weight differently. So from first glance people would think I don’t weigh as much as I do lol. So I’ve gained weight in tue past year, maybe about 30 lbs and I have a love hate relationship with it. On one side I’m thicker, but on the other side I carry more weight in my belly and face so it’s like damn I feel fat.
Body positivity is important but that doesn’t mean to feel comfortable with yourself to the point that you don’t want a healthier lifestyle. I’m not great with eating healthy, I love starchy foods and I’ve been eating candy lately 🥴 and I am also not active I haven’t been to the gym in months!!!! So I’m currently building a home gym and I purchased a bike so I can get some cardio in. So my advice would be to work on yourself for you! And love yourself at every single stage. No matter what, you’re beautiful. It’s not gonna be easy, but start off small. Maybe go for a walk or do Zumba. As far as what you can’t eat because of your body I have an issue with ovarian cysts and my OBGYN gave me a list of foods not to eat and most of them are things I love lol so I get it.
All in all, I feel you, I’m right there with you, and it’s not an overnight process at all. It takes time, but the important thing is to always love yourself and never tear yourself down. At the size you are now or months from now, trust the process, and make some changes to be better for you. I did that like five years back and lost about 30lbs and all I did was go to the gym lol I still ate what I wanted I just became more active. I hope this helps! Trust me I know the struggle very well
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lakemojave · 3 years ago
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Land of Falling Sun 3
“Tumbleweed! Tumbleweed! I’m a little tumbleweed!”
They didn’t hear the hoofbeats in the distance. They were entranced, utterly enthralled by the sensation of rolling around in the dirt. They liked how their wings felt against the earth, and how it felt to wiggle their little legs into the air. An uninformed observer would call this behavior a dust bath, but it was more akin to a childlike wonder for life and living, acted out as a playful exaltation of solid ground. To Chipper, it wasn’t nearly so complex; they just like rolling every now and then.
“Tumbleweed! Tumbleweed! I’m a little tumbleweed!” They sang to themself like this whenever they got bored of the silence. Today, they sang this little ditty every twenty to thirty seconds. Their long, swept back hair, which normally flowed behind them majestically in the sky as they flew, became tangled, dirty, and filled with tiny branches and thorns. A small cut opened on their long, beak-like nose, which they hardly noticed.
Of course, they were dreadfully hungry, and thirsty, and defenseless, and scared, and terribly and inescapably alone; and of course, while Chipper was playing like this, none of this occurred to them, or mattered at all.
This went on for several hours.
“Tumbleweed! Tumbleweed! I’m a little tumbleweed!” They sat up to catch their breath. As the silence sank in and the loving sensation of the earth kissing their feathers subsiding, their cheery disposition faded. They looked around, becoming aware of their condition, and the vast, endless space which embraced them. They stared vacantly towards the dust cloud to the west. Their wings drooped limply to the ground. They started scratching the ground nervously with their toes, and felt a great and insurmountable dread take them over.
Then they heard hoofbeats behind them.
They snapped to attention, instantly flapping their wings and lifting up in the air, extending to their full height. They remained in place as though treading water, extending their wings out as a show of strength to this stranger. It was a man on horseback, their mount carrying a slight trot through the dirt. When Chipper rose from the ground, the rider reared his horse back, stunned by their display. This mysterious man, stunned at first, mumbled something to his horse, then readjusted himself and continued towards Chipper. He seemed a good deal older than them, as though the years had taken a toll far greater than their due. His beard looked tangled with specks of white. The wide brim of his hat had a bullethole neatly above his forehead. He had dark skin covered by too much clothing for the heat, but when Chipper got a look at the marks on his neck, they chose not to question it. He didn’t look hostile, but they didn’t survive by trusting random strangers in the desert.
“Who are you?” They unfolded their wings again, furrowed their brow, and adopted a deeper voice.
He squinted at them, coughed, and answered. “Sorry, was I intruding?”
Chipper was a little taken aback by his politeness, on account of his rough and haggard disposition. His horse, a pretty young thing whose tusks had grown out nicely, snickered and whinnied at its master’s answer.
“Shut your hole I’m doing my best,” the rider hissed at his horse, seemingly in response to something.
Chipper tilted their head in confusion. “Are you alright?” Their voice softened to its natural tone, and their show of strength dropped for a moment.
“No, not really, kid,” he said back, clearly irritated. “Gettin’ pretty sick of my present company.”
“Oh,” said Chipper, “Sorry to hear that sir. It looks capable though, and quite lovely."
The rider furrowed his brow and squinted at this remark. “If you say so lil’ fella,” he said. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait!” Chipper said, desperately at first, but then reasserting themself to the rider in another attempt at intimidation. “Wait. You haven’t told me who you are.”
The man paused a moment and regarded his horse, then looked back. “Hey what’s that?”
“What’s what?” Chipper replied, still trying--and evidently failing--to assert their dominance.
“That thing you’re doing with your voice.” He gestured towards the horse, who opened its mouth to reveal a toothy grin. “It’s curious.”
“I do not know what you’re…” they gave up, correctly reading the rider’s unfazed expression. They receded a bit, now visibly insecure. “Just thought I could scare you off. I thought humans were easy to scare.” They both paused. “You are human, right?”
“Does it matter?” The rider said back, frankly.
“I...I guess not,” they admitted. The rider spurred his horse forward at a light pace. Chipper paused a moment, then, still curious with this surly stranger, followed after him. He made no sign that their company was not welcome. “So...what are you doing out here?”
He gave her a short glance, then turned forward again. “Don’t know yet,” he said, “But here I am. Might die, might make the best of it. We’ll see.” His voice was tired and coarse, which sounded natural for a person of his manner, but Chipper could hear his fatigue. He reached for his waterskin and held it out to them: a kind, but futile gesture. “Sorry. Silly mistake.”
“Don’t worry. Happens a lot.” The wanderer reached to seal the canteen when he noticed Chipper’s left wing started to change. On their feathers were very subtle markings, apparently runes of some nature. Four of them, towards the tip of their wing, began to glow, and as they flapped to keep up with the wanderer, his canteen grew heavier. Looking inside, he saw that Chipper had refilled it.
“Wow. Thank you.” He reached for a sip, then paused. “Sure you don’t want any? We could stop and I could...I don’t know...pour you a sip?”
“Uhhh…” They felt this was too much trouble for a drink, and felt a little guilty accepting this offer for some reason. “Let’s wait till we stop.”
The wanderer shrugged. “Alright. I’ll drink when you do.” He stashed the canteen.
They both looked on, towards the towering cloud of dust in the distance. “What do you think is out there?” Chipper asked.
“Not sure,” the wanderer said. “Hopefully a town or something.” Chipper saw him consider them for a moment, likely evaluating what to do with his new companion. “If you want you can tag along till then.”
They were a little shocked by this. “Really? Why?”
He looked at them impatiently. “Wanna come or not?” He asked.
Chipper said nothing, but flew along with him anyway. His horse picked up to a trot, and Chipper flapped along, letting the knots out of their hair as it flowed back in the breeze. The wanderer tilted his hat to account for the sunlight, shading his eyes. The horse let out a neigh. “Don’t get too friendly. They won’t be here long.”
“What’s its name?”
“...Dog.”
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jae-canikeepyou · 4 years ago
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| closer | j.jh
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pair: jaehyun x fem!reader
genre: au + idol!jae & choreographer/dancer!yn
a/n: this request is long overdue but here it is! :) i’m sorry for the long wait ;-; it’s challenging to write since i’m not a dancer so my explanation’s a lil’ suckish. also! i had to edit a song remix for this oneshot, so the dance and imagination’s clearly up to you *wink wink* enjoy reading! ~j
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though you lost count of the frequent, unexplainable somersaults you experienced in your stomach, you weren’t sure whether this always happen whenever you were told to join other dancers to monitor a routine for a group. perhaps it was just you, that today felt entirely different compared to when you first started.
as far as your career went, this was the only time you felt so stressed. and by ‘stressed’, it didn’t mean that the boys’ couldn’t get the steps right— they were fast learners and the choreography you helped co-create wouldn’t be a problem to them.
nct 127’s rehearsals were at a spacious backstage for straight two days now. in those short days, there was a certain air that lingered and you couldn’t fathom it properly. with you around, the boys would suddenly crowd in a circle, anywhere in the area, and began to utter out whispers you hoped your ears were able to hear. maybe if you were reincarnated, you’d choose an animal with great hearing to be able to hear what they were saying.
and honestly it got you wanting to pull your hair out because.. what if?
what if they disliked how you were a person of few words during practice? or that they preferred if you gave more feedbacks toward their dance like other choreographers who came before you? there weren’t any hints leading to the source of action and really, if this was an actual investigation you’d be removed from the team for not having quick-wits.
taeyong immediately became your close friend right when you were introduced to them by your seniors. he had this you-can-tell-me-anything aura all over him and was the only person you always conversed with among the boys. given that you were part of the choreo team since kick-it era, the boys welcomed you; like so much. but in those greetings, a gut feeling kept bothering you that you would be pulled into something.. perhaps something you might not be able to handle? you wouldn’t know. it was a gut feeling anyway, fifty percent of your intuition were always proven wrong.
you stared at the widespread mirror, arms up to record them while examining their moves and rhythms to the beat. they were tired, you could tell with the way they swayed and continuously wipe off the sweat rolling down their temples. so you decided to give them a break after three hours of practice.
replaying the video over and over to check if they got the timing right, taeyong went to sit by your side gulping and squeezing the water bottle. “relax y/n. you’ll get more wrinkles if you keep doing that.” he nudged you gently to catch your full atttention from the phone.
“do what, exactly?” you looked at him, eyebrows furrowed tiredly above your death-gazing eyes.
he poked you with the butt of the cold bottle he held, where beads from it soaked your forehead. “this.” he lectured you again, almost annoying to the ears. “it’s not at all attractive.”
“we both agreed you have better brows than me but ouch that’s rude. i think i’m quite pretty and you know it.” you return a playful poke that had him nearly trampling backwards, a slight sting felt by your ankle once you regained balance.
per usual, you disregarded his innocent comment and continued to monitor the practice via phone. he didn’t mean it and you knew that. taeyong kept bugging you to cool off from work and hang out with them since you were all good friends to begin with. of course that development happened in a span of few months to be able for you all to reach that certain relationship.
however, was it possible to attain the level of intimacy when recently, all you felt from the other guys was the weird gap? you couldn’t even describe the awkward distance. taeyong shook both of his sleeves into sweaterpaws to rub the droplets on your forehead.
“quite pretty? you’re beautiful! you’re like a cool princess every guy wants and i’d honestly date you if what we are isn’t platonic.” he danced in a wave effect with his arm. you gently hit his chest for being very vocal even if it just was the two of you.
“aww, you always know how to make me feel better! thanks.” you sweetly compliment him for a second before your smile turned into a frown.
at the corners of your peripheral, johnny, jungwoo, mark, donghyuck and yuta all averted your scrutiny. the action was obvious and quick, but what made it more suspicious was that it happened respectively like falling dominos. although they did typical and cliché gestures of escapism from your response, still they pretended to ignore you either with their hands shoved in pockets or whistles of their own song.
a surrendering huff caught taeyong’s attention. you never sighed nor show any emotions of distress before and this was a little concerning to him. “what’s wrong y/n?” he turned around to see the others minding their own business despite taeyong already realising the edginess they showed.
“can you help me figure something out with them?” you begged as you tilted your gently slightly to the side. “it’s been weeks and i have no idea why they’re acting this way. am i that unapproachable compared to my seniors?”
taeyong suddenly pursed his lips to a small circle as if he was hiding some top secret information that was ‘exclusive for members only��. “oh- y’know.” he nodded quite repetitively but with hesitating breaks in between. he knew what you were going to ask him since it hasn’t been the first time. he usually could dodge your curiosity and wondered why he couldn’t now. “they’re p-probably just chilling.. like always.. yep.” he popped the ‘p’ and stood. “i’m sure it’s because they’re tired from rehearsals!”
things couldn’t just get any weirder. you squinted your eyes as you scooted in closer to him. “you’re stuttering. you never do that.” you pointed out, observing his wavering eyes. “do you know something-”
he stammered and gently pushed you away a little like it would stop you from asking further. “i-i don’t know what you’re talking a-about.”
“hm you sure about that?” you hummed and he mouthed a ‘yes’. “you don’t know what’s coming after you if i figure it out buddy.”
“i’m sure, y/n. stop being a worrywart.” taeyong pinched your cheeks. “i’ll let know you right away if i hear anything out of the ordinary.”
“uh-huh. jaehyun’s the one i think who’s ’out of the ordinary’. we never talked. just hi’s and bye’s and he doesn’t smile at me.” you commented as you spotted him at the entrance door. “bummer, i really find him good-looking..” your phone buzzed a message from your leader. technically he wasn’t, but a person in-charge of your schedules to teach other idol groups.
somehow you felt a wave of relief that you would be out of the venue for the day. it would be assuring to not be around 127 for a while when they behaved like they did. who knew thinking too much would bring exhaustion? this was more tiring than dancing. a lot more. you swung your phone to taeyong, telling him that you were going to leave. “i gotta go, see you.”
“oh, alright. take care.” taeyong waved subtly, confused as to why you suddenly spoke of jaehyun out of the blue.
you let out a long sigh and exited the venue with thoughts of wonder; they were good people and most definitely you were the approachable type, so why were they keeping distance besides taeyong? johnny, yuta and donghyuck were super friendly, and it’s unlike them to suddenly keep quiet. mark and jungwoo were fun to tease; seeing the expressions they usually don’t put on around you was really fishy. taeil and doyoung have similar affection for you because you were like a little sister and.. jaehyun?
well.. jaehyun’s jaehyun, and among them, he was the far-fetched one. that was what you felt from him,
from the beginning.
because every single time you crossed paths, he would look away right when you locked eyes with him. there was no smile, no expression.
nothing at all.
maybe it pinched your heart a little. and maybe there would be a right time for this. just maybe not today. hopefully that wouldn’t extend for another month. hopefully you would get to talk to him like you did with the rest of them. it was a challenging to be patient when you’ve kind of taken a liking on jaehyun despite the inexplainable treatment. he was.. cute.
once you were out of the group’s sight, jaehyun came in with a duffle bag and a beanie— that basically made his hair in a frenzy- along with taeil & doyoung. he had his arms frantically shaking as if he was trying to reason out. “i can’t hold a normal conversation without tensing up.” he dropped his belongings and joined the crowd, not noticing the growing smirks slowly coming into view from his friends.
“and you think choosing to freeze and stare would make her talk to you?” taeil asked straight up. “that’s called cowardice bro.”
jaehyun combed his hair back and wore his beanie again when the focus was shifted to him. “no it’s not. it’s called being shy.. i guess.” he crossed his arm, unsure of his answer as well.
mark took a sip of watermelon juice, later eyeing a bowl sitting peacefully on one side of the table for seconds. “hyung, do you expect to get closer to y/n if you act like that though?” he gave johnny a side-eye as he hid his smile behind the cup, to whom the latter responded the same.
“all of us are trying to keep quiet of your ecstasy towards her like you asked us to.” jungwoo implored because what was done has to be said eventually. “and now she thinks we’re hiding something from her, i can feel her suspicions for the past weeks.”
“did you make it obvious?” jaehyun hissed a little. “i warned you to act natural-”
johnny wrapped the young man in his arms, earning laughs from the others. “the one who’s not acting natural is you. i thought you’re a straight-forward kind of guy. this should be a piece of cake for you.”
“everyone, please come to the center.” their manager called them to gather up, informing details regarding the next schedule for the week.
sm town concert was just a week away and they’ve been practicing nonstop for it. the exhaustion on their faces fled when the manager said something that would make the fans see them in a different light. some staff giggled at their reactions, some told them to go with it, the rest just wanted to see how it would turn out to be. the boys weren’t expecting it, not at a sudden time like this when they’ve gotten the rundown memorised already.
normally they complied and no arguments were brought forwards. now they managed to scream all vocabularies to reason out that another dance routine would make them more exhausted than before. “we’re not pulling a prank nor a hidden camera if that’s what you’re thinking. anyway, the added part is around a minute interlude.. it’s before the actual track. only one of you will dance it.”
yeses and cheers of relief made majority of the staff exchange looks because they weren’t finish with the information they received. “this interlude is by volunteer, so whoever wants to do it just raise your hand or come up front.” the manager instructed as he wrote down the minutes, later both of his brows arched high forasmuch to his surprise, the decision was quickly decided; it would usually take the boys a while. “oh! thanks for being cooperative, jaehyun! the rehearsal starts tomorrow...”
jaehyun’s head never shot up as fast as it did just now. he didn’t pay attention to the short meeting and since all of the voices were indistinct to him, he was astonished with hearing his name being said. he wondered why they concluded with him doing the interlude. in his head a second ago, he was coming up with plans to finally— and normally— conversate with you. and upon turning around, his friends failed to keep their snickers in. they all simultaneously took a step back, leaving the dimpled boy remain standing in his position.
“...and take ten, then we’ll proceed to the last two songs for today.” the manager left the boys for a break.
wheezing breaths and heavy falls on the floor were soon followed by exploding laughters. they were like fireworks, jolting the nerves out of jaehyun and he rolled his eyes at his friends’ intentions to tease him. “that’s not fair, you guys plotted against me.” he pinched the bridge of his nose when a flush of betrayal finally covered his entire conscience.
they laughed since it was a reaction they expected, but more so when he missed out the most crucial information. “oh my g- he doesn’t know! hahaha!” haechan and jungwoo clung onto each other for support. it was too much to handle.
yuta scooted close to johnny, who had his phone up the whole time. “that was on record, yeah?” he asked and the latter grinned devilishly.
“rgha!” jaehyun growled, soon accepting the role that was predestined to him. “i swear john if you-”
“he didn’t really hear it!” mark cut him off and joined the younger ones, hitting each other and as they couldn’t believe that jaehyun, could be this dense. “wow this is insane!”
jaehyun’s ears turned faint pink. he didn’t like the excessive attention he was getting from his friends, and he has no idea what the sudden outbursts were all about. “hear what, exactly?” he had a petulant expression and shifted his weight on one leg as he waited for the answer.
taeyong choked a giggle at his question. it was similar with yours when you innocently asked earlier. “jaehyun, he said the other half of the remix duet is y/n. you’ll dance with her tomorrow, and until the concert.”
his heart pumped so fast that he didn’t know how to react; whether it was due to obvious fact that he would see you again for the third time this week, or it was your name and his.. in the same sentence.
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if there was something you didn’t like to experience again in your life, that would be spraying your nose in public. good grief, and it had to happen nearby the boys. you shut your eyes closed at the sprinkly yet piercing shock rising up from the nostrils to your head. after few seconds of calming down, youngjoon pat your head as if that would bring you comfort. not really.
“i thought hana’s doing the nct dance duet?” you rubbed the small tears from the corners of your eyes, the striking pain still lingered around your senses a little.
he shrugged that his shoulders the action made you think he has something to do with the sudden change of plans. but assuming too much would ruin your mood and affect the way you dance later, so you let it slide for today.
“i’m your senior. you’ll do what i decided on,” he gave you his phone; the title of the track was one that you were told to choreograph. “it’s about time your monitoring days are over. anyway, you’ll dance with..” youngjoon trailed off himself.
you scanned the spacious venue to figure who he was referring to. none came into your mind until jaehyun walked past by you, and youngjoon pulled him close. “ah! with him!”
oh great, i’m dancing with mr. far-fetched.
staring off into space, taeyong appeared briefly in your peripheral, mouthing that jaehyun ‘volunteered’ for the interlude— which didn’t really add up why he would decide to do this performance when he hasn’t talked to you at all.
it was funny how friendly and warm jaehyun was to your fellow choreographers. he would smile freely and offer spare bottles or snacks. however, he looked stiff now and you craved for answers for strange his behaviour. still, you would be lying to yourself if you said he somehow made you.. squirmy, in a good way.
“let’s work well.” he heard you speak as you began to walk to the centre of the venue, jaehyun soon following you from behind.
he noticed the boys sitting on bleachers for a break, secretly snapping pictures to tease him later on. they mouthed and told him to talk— he was leaving you hanging and making a lady wait for a response was not a gentleman thing to do. he was stunned with your natural beauty and to think you were before him, just made him realise that this was the chance,
to get closer.
because remembering what taeyong told him yesterday, his friends told him to step up his game after it was revealed you found him good-looking. that alone should be enough for jaehyun to have the courage to hold a conversation with you. soon jaehyun cleared his throat, pulled his t-shirt collar and bit his inner gums. “yeah, likewise.” jaehyun cleared his throat. “this should be easy. where should we begin?”
“this is the track we’re dancing to.” you fished out your phone to let him listen to the new version, noticing how youngjoon nod at you.
the said man approached, whispering words that had you wanting to facepalm. a gasp escaped your lips and jaehyun raised a brow in curiosity. “i’m gonna kill her-” your face bubbled up in subtle anger.
jaehyun couldn’t hear much, the volume of the interlude was loud enough to make your voices inaudible. he wasn’t good at lip reading too, but he felt different when his eyes met with yours. a smile you wore earlier flattened, your positivity was still there, yet little did he know the changes made on the spot. youngjoon walked back to the mixer and made jaehyun’s hair a mess.
oh how the gods and goddesses of love must’ve liked shooting arrows continuously at his barely-comprehending mind. he almost ran out of breath hearing those words come out of your mouth and he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy for him.
because to him you were a beautiful distraction.
he recalled how you first met in the practice room during kick-it era; comfy clothes, a chill person with light make-up colours and pretty much his friends instantly introduced themselves. he wished that he was close to you as taeyong was. hopefully by the time the whole concert video was out, fans wouldn’t make a meme out of him given the fact that they did when mc-ing for broadcasts, he unknowingly created a gap between himself and other girl groups.
half an hour had passed and perhaps at this minute, you decided to take back what you said; that they were fast learners. proven you wrong, again. some of them were but jaehyun kept messing up and you were close to losing your patience. he couldn’t get things right. whenever you asked him if he was alright, he claimed to have gotten the hang of the steps taught earlier.
what a lie that was. so far he has stepped your shoes, bumped you though they were minor, and missed some moves. what made you teeth grit was that he looked like he wasn’t aware he did those at all.
ugh look at him. he can do better than this. if he doesn’t catch up, i’m requesting for another member to dance with me.
although he quickly memorised his solo part before dancing with you, the one second break in between have already made him forget the next step. he wasn’t in the right mind, he knew that much and was continuously questioned himself why he lost concentration. dancing with naeun was an exemption. she was a fellow mc, and even then he was shy to hold her hand. but this? this was different. this was more than just holding hands. this included skinship he has never done before, let alone executing intimate movements.
“pretend you’re pulling a lever as she flicks her hips side and back the second time. your hands should be by her hips.” youngjoon instructed, observing jaehyun’s shaky movements at the mirror reflection with reference from the video you sent him before. “good. jae, body wave to the left. y/n to the right and both swing your shoulders outwards..”
but if he wasn’t in the right mind, you were slowly getting there too. the more you were faced with jaehyun, the more you head became fuzzy. you could feel yourself heating up and this wasn’t due to the dance at all. “y/n, caress his jaw and grab him close.”
jaehyun gulped, trying not mind his friends and focus on the routine. “oi, step in closer.” your senior said, nudging the boy at the back. “i said closer like you’re hugging her- ah.” youngjoon realised he made a mistake. the boy froze again and his figure hovered you, the lights above blocked by his shocked expression.
you were falling back.
at this rate, both of you might cause the other an embarrassment of a lifetime. you braced for impact and it was written on your face. jaehyun saw how you shut your eyes. he was afraid of injuring you and somehow did the unthinkable; not even his friends expected that from him and were worried the big guy might crush you. he flipped you around the moment you both were inches above the ground, landing on him instead. “mfgh. ow.” you heard him groan, followed by few gasps and shocked voices.
hesitantly, you opened an eye and felt his palms around your torso. he too had a sour face from the fall. “that was close.” jaehyun squinted you take a peek of you and let out a sigh, which already brought guilt showering over you. “glad you’re not injured-”
“are you two alright?” hana with concern, asked as others repeated the same question.
you got up to sit on your calves in apology but soon spotted hana and youngjoon grinning like their plan worked. so they did have something to do with this. “are you an idiot??” you sighed with a drumming heart, taking jaehyun aback. “you’re performing in two days and it’s best if i’m injured than you are.”
“hey, you’re dancing too..” jaehyun chuckled though was surprised with your sudden fits and tone of your voice, standing up to lend a hand. “..so it’s best if you’re not injured.”
he waited for you to respond to his offer and as you took it, you felt a painful throb at the left ankle. tsk, must’ve twisted a bit it when we fell. dammit jaehyun. you cleared your throat loudly. it came out more of a growl in an annoyed tone. “look, i don’t think you get it. you have two days to practice and there‘s only one you. there are many dancers who can replace me-”
“no, i don’t think you get it. you’re the only one who knows the choreography. you’re basically irreplaceable.”
perhaps if this was told to you in a different sight, you would be squirmy and walking on flowers now. but this was nothing of it. you had to remain professional and set your personal feelings aside.
“not unless if another dancer perfects the dance in two days..” you trailed off.
“okay okay, stop the talking and continue where you both left off. a fall like that shouldn’t be a reason why you’re quarrelling.” youngjoon clapped his hands, moving you in front of jaehyun to start from the top.
when you said that, jaehyun was unsure why you were suddenly irritated. he held his position for the duet before speaking words that had you all fluttery again. “well, i’m dancing with you and staff said it’s final.”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
the following day, your ankle swelled overnight and informed that you would teach jaehyun and yeri, whom you’ve chosen to be his dance partner— the only idol available prior to nct 127’s performance. you crossed arms, observing how she got the steps quicker than jaehyun. “i want you to pop your hips a little more and match the timing with jaehyun. look at him intently before he holds your hand and you letting go.”
a pout then was seen on her face, hesitant and shy to do what you instructed. “i know it’s weird but i’d like you to think what you’re doing is art..” you tried to sound encouraging and later saw jaehyun taking a break at the far end of the stage. “just expressed in forms of movements.”
yeri stifled a laugh, feeling a lot better now she saw how you looked at her fellow label-mate. “yeah that’s not how jaehyun sees it-” she hushed immediately for speaking her thoughts. “y/n, how has he not learned his part yet? didn’t you teach him yesterday?”
“trust me i did! jaehyun’s a great artist but he just doesn’t seemed focused like i imagined him to be.” you took a bite from your sandwich, and yeri giggled that you unconsciously ignored the first half of her sentence. “i mean his solo was a 15-second one. i don’t see why he would forget the rest of the 35-seconds.”
she pursed her lips and took sight of taeyong winking at her, hinting your density with these situations. “well i think he actually got the steps now.” she arched her brows, pointing at the direction where jaehyun was at. “i heard he works hard alone- not that i’m offending you! you’re a great teacher and dancer!”
you smiled as you crumpled the plastic wrap and tossed it in the bin. “none taken, i kinda understand why he would be nervous around me.”
her ears perked up and pulled you to the side. “ooh ooh you do? what is it? i’m in for the tea!”
“i pull a resting face while i monitor them. probably why he found it hard to approach me. he thinks i’m the kind who doesn’t want to be disturbed.” you and yeri walked further off the stage to sit at the very front.
she held her chest hearing how awful you might’ve felt from him. “aw that’s bitter tea! y/n i’m sure he doesn’t think that way! it just takes time, might be longer than the other guys but you’ll get there.”
“get to where?”
“to being friends, and not only the professional level.”
at another side of it, taeyong and the rest heard the whole conversation. they shared looks knowing that they had to relay the news to jaehyun, who was staring at you giggling away with yeri. he met eyes with them and had a thin lipped smile, walking towards his friends. “you guys are weird, quit the creepy smiles.”
doyoung smacked the boy’s head for the density his currently possessed. “do you know the impression she has on you?”
“who? yeri?”
now it was taeil’s turn to smack his head. “y/n, you dimwit.” he sighed, looking at your silhouette under dimmed light then onto jaehyun. “she thinks you’re great..”
“but what you do around her seems to have shown you’re not interested in her.” jungwoo completed his sentence.
jaehyun never felt so attacked by both from them and the facts thrown upon him. “what? no! i am interested in her!”
“then tell her that. it isn’t that hard to say you’re interested in being friends.” haechan bent to release the tension in his muscles.
they wanted to encourage him a little more yet were then called to stand-by for another practice, with the interlude as the beginning. the signal from the staff have ordered for the lightings and music to be queued and readied.
mark nudged him in a strength that nearly made him fall. “hey, it’s about the right time you get closer to her,” he said in a low voice, highkey referring to your ruptured ligament on your ankle yet jaehyun seemed to have missed the point. “or else there’ll be no development.”
jaehyun chugged on his bottle in silence. “what do you mean?”
“youngjoon hyung said she’ll be on leave for weeks. i don’t know how long but if you don’t do anything now, you’ll continue to live up to the impression without even talking to her.” he explained and cringed afterwards feeling taeyong and johnny’s presence among them.
“show her that what she choreographed for us is not in vain, okay?” johnny made his hair a mess, before leaving the stage to go to where you were. the stage director said his count down. you cheered on yeri with a thumbs up and the music started its tune.
a/n: can’t seem to add song in between texts, so here’s a link instead ;-; let me know if it doesn’t work :3
it was your choreography up there, that was soon to be shown to the world, recorded to be part of the rundown and later burnt in c.d’s. you felt nervous at the fact if they would really execute what you wanted to show— the form of art you put your sweat upon even if it were just 50 seconds. when jaehyun began taking yeri’s hand after his solo part, leading her then mirroring her movements, your heart squeezed for no reason. they should be able to nail this part until the last beat of the song.
but as you clenched your chest to prevent your hands from shaking, taeyong saw your expression, convincing him enough that your reaction towards this said otherwise.
the boys usually held a small dinner a day prior to the concert, for a good show and performance. yuta decided to invite you to a japanese restaurant nearby so you wouldn’t feel left out or feel a lot distant than you already were with them.
you prepared your essentials before meeting them, the tapes of your ankle band came loose and you reached to adjust it as discomfort was all you felt for a while. jaehyun knelt down to sit across you, licking his dry lips to simmer the nervousness he felt inside. “do you need help?” he asked when you looked up to notice his presence. “or is there anything i can do to help?”
“y-yeah. it needs a proper tightness to it.” you gave a faint nod. he smiled and held your left leg to rest it on his thigh.
silence was slowly killing him, he had to admit that at least. now that you both conversed, what then? would this just be another acquaintance talk like yesterday, where it was only a mere one? nothing else to it? nothing happened?
jaehyun wanted to set the professionalism to the side, heed to his friends’ words and actually become close to you. perhaps put his feelings for you behind him for the meantime. “sorry.” he conceded, which made you confused for a second. “i’m sorry.”
“from the fall yesterday?” you stretched back that your palms were your support as he taped the band around. jaehyun shook his head, making you more confused. “then what are you apologising for?”
“for making you feel like i didn’t want to talk to you since you arrived.”
you stared at him, lips parting when you finally grasped his purpose. “oh.. that! it’s okay. i’m not expecting to be that level of friends immediately.” you chuckled awkwardly because it was a bit of a lie. i mean it took a while to be good friends with the others-”
“i’m sorry that i chose not to talk to you and it might have given you a bad impression of me.” he took your shoe so you could wear and head to the restaurant. “i guess it really is difficult to when i admire you a lot. heck i even asked my groupmates to tone down their knowledge about that because they have plans to embarrass-”
he jolted at the drop of your phone and your sigh, eyes wandering and wavering at it then looking to you. he helped you stand up and when he did too, you sighed heavier, flattened lips and a smile. “my anxiety convinced me that you hated me.” you confessed, finally letting out the worry that has been bothering you for months.
you shyly looked back at him and noticed how he was fidgety as you were. you couldn’t handle the visuals he has— even more now that he was close to you. so ethereal and magnetising.
maybe this was what the somersaults you’ve been feeling all the time. the unexplainable gut feeling that you’d be pulled into something you couldn’t handle?
it was him.
jaehyun panicked at the word. “h-hate? i don’t! not even a bit. i really like you!” he sputtered, then waving his hands to deny his feelings. “i mean like as in like you as person and your dedication to all this.”
“heh..” you both turned to the voice and taeyong smirked what he heard. “just tell her already, jae.” he pointed out, and you were left clueless as they shared the same brain cell. jaehyun’s eyes grew, hoping that his friend wouldn’t expose him, but taeyong answered him with his eyes, as if his voice was almost telepathic.
‘not confessing! you’re not at that intimacy level yet! tell y/n that you wanna hang with her!’
“i-i just wanna get closer to you?” he pondered, scratching his neck from the tornado of feelings whirling inside. “as friends, not as workmates or anything.” he waited for your response, staring in your magnetising orbs that lured him into something deeper.
“we would’ve been if we talked earlier on.” you smiled, hinting that you didn’t mind taking that step with him too. “but yeah, same here, jaehyun.”
jaehyun smiled genuinely at you for the first time, no awkwardness nor forcing himself to. “yes!” he had his fists up with ecstasy that you said his name, only to panic at the time. the dinner was already starting.
taeyong exhaled and swung his arms to let the blood flow normally. “ah, now that’s settled. let’s get to the restaurant too.”
you punched his arm and he flinched at the impact and hissed that it came out more of a question than a reaction you expected. “what you get for lying that you didn’t know anything.” you stuck a tongue out.
“and i’m supposed to pay the price for it?” he rubbed to sooth the pain. “not fair.”
walking to the backstage, you slowly lifted your foot to head down the stairs. “don’t worry, they’ll get their punches from me real soon.” you whistled.
jaehyun took your hand, supporting your weight at the same time. he couldn’t rush you in the state you’re in.
“what about jaehyun? he’s the one who did all this, and had the rest of us included.” taeyong jut his lips to point to the boy, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jackets. “he should get a punch too.”
“i’m not punching someone who wants to be closer to me. it’s not a good.. first impression.” you hid a laugh with flattened lips, jaehyun mirrored you and gave a flirty wink.
with that, he managed to magnetise you, just to make his gap with you,
closer.
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pokeexehasstoppedworking · 3 years ago
Text
Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch10 Battle Gym Leader Nessa
(Will have a reference to Pokemon Twilight Wings Series.)
You slept well that night. The hotel wasn't too far from the Hulbury stadium so it wasn't a very long walk from where you four left the light house and stationed yourselves for the night. Not before dishing out the rations between the four of you. You were a lot lower on food than you thought and surprised you hadn't noticed earlier. A month's walk drained almost all of the food you had aside from a few packets of dried fruits. Thank goodness for restocking. The next morning wasn't anything too different. Gloria and Hop of course wanted to stop by the stadium and get one of them that spot to battle Nessa before another trainer took it. Huh. You wonder how the battle between her and Bede went the other day? Victor mentioned wanting to go back towards the Hulbury Aquarium and offered for you to come with them but you had other plans for the day.
"Hey, Y/n. Since Glory and Hop's going to be busy all day considering would you like to come with me to the aquarium?, Victor offered after the two of you had dug through your rations for breakfast. Your Sobble tiredly yawning on your shoulder rubbing at his eyes.
You shook your head. "No thanks. I actually wanted to check out that market down by the docks. I heard they sell all kinds of trinkets and stuff and it's been a while since I was able to go somewhere by myself and have some me time."
He nodded in understanding before smiling. "Alright then. You guys know where I'll be if you change your minds."
The two of you parted ways outside the hotel before you headed back up the road towards the docks. Already in the morning the place was all a buzz with ship horns blaring off in the distance and a few people walking around. It was a nice day with the salty smell of the ocean, the gently breeze, not being too hot but nice and warm, etc. It was a very nice day that filled your tired body with a happy feeling as you inhaled deeply. The small market place was past the restaurant and just across the docks past the convenience store you had visited the other day for supplies. It wasn't really big. There was only about five stalls set up alongside a concrete wall with one or two picnic tables a little bit a ways from them. A few people were already there looking at the stalls or sitting at the tables to eat or just to sit. Walking over you strolled up to the first stall that sold a few random things like flowers, dishes, and a couple clothes hanging up. The man handling it was talking up some of the flower pots but you weren't too interested in those so shortly after moved on. The other four were a fruit stand, someone selling records, another one selling random objects, but the last one had you notice something. Sweet smells of perfumes and spices wafted from it the closer you gotten to it. And it didn't take too long for you to find out why. A young lady was there surrounded by a bunch of incense. She smiled as you stopped to admire all the sweet smells and gave a greeting.
"Get a whiff of that fragrance! Doesn't it smell sweet?," she asked holding out some sweet smelling sticks that smelt of lilacs, "How about some incense for you, Girl? Good for meditation, yoga, relaxing, or just making a room smell nice. And it all natural so it's safe for pokemon too and helps them destress....As long as they don't eat it. Non edible."
"Destress huh?,'' you pondered looking at your sobble who seemed more interested in staring at the food stand with hungry eyes despite just eating breakfast a while ago. Considering how spooked this lil guy could be, it might be a good idea. "....What scents to you have exactly?"
You ended up using the twenty dollar bill you had saved forever now to buy some of the sea and rose scented incense and then later one or two apples at the fruit stand since your sobble kept jumping on your shoulder and chirping in it's directed until you finally did so. All of it costing almost half your money leaving you from twenty dollars to twelve dollars and some change. You found yourself wondering over until you sat down at one of the picnic tables so your sobble could sit and eat and give your poor shoulders a break from carrying it all the time. Granted Sobble wasn't really that heavy, about half the weight of a small cat, but it was nice to be able to stretch your shoulders and neck out without worrying about accidentally knocking him off. Lazily you watched it make happy noises as it greedily ate as if you didn't already give it a big breakfast about an hour ago. It was still pretty early in the morning so it you really hadn't anything to do other than just sit here and watch your sobble. But it was refreshing. With a sigh you closed your eyes and slowly put your head down on the table. The only problem with having a bunch of free time is that your brain slowly fills itself with thoughts you might not want. Like now. You had been gone for what must've been a little over a month now. How worried was your mom? She must've been worrying herself sick if you were gone for this long without any notice or clues or anything. And(tho you were HIGHLY doubtful now-) if this all IS some kind of dream universe it was certainly the longest one you ever experienced. Not only that, but you were SURELY not going to be able to start college just like you wanted. You'd have to wait another year just to start it and that's only if considering you'd be able to go home after this whole journey has finished. It was the only way you could think of that you could go back, once this is over. If it'll ever be-
"I can NOT believe this!," an angry woman's voice piped up. Startled you jumped up and blinked light rushing back into your vision.
"Calm down, Ness. Don't make a big scene in public." ....That voice sounded familiar.
"I AM calm. I'm just restocking my incense before I head back!" Now that you think about it, that angry voice sounded familiar too.
Blinking you turned around to look behind you, and your eyes widened at what you saw. Two ladies were at the incense stand with their backs towards you, one with bright orange hair and a coat you recognized and the other wore a black cap and shirt.
"First he said I should stop modeling and now he's breathing down my neck because I just happened to lose to his endorsed challenger!,'' Cap Lady growled out as she waved her hand. "I mean yeah, usually I'm busy so I cut back to one challenger a day! That doesn't mean I lost my touch as a gym leader!" She paused as the lady manning the stall held out a small paper bag of incense to her similar to the one you had. "Oh..Thank you. It just drives me up a wall just thinking about it!"
"Then don't think about it," Orange hair replied patting her friend on the back, "It'll only stress you out before your other gym match today."
Cap Lady sighed. "You're right, Sonia...As usual. It just ticks me off knowing he's in town just to see you too no less and buddy up with the crowd!! It makes me angry!"
"Sonia?"
The orange haired woman turned to you immediately as you stared back, her friend turning too and that's when you recognized the other woman too. She smiled. "Hey, Y/n! Fancy meeting you here! Haven't seen you in a while." She fully turned to you now and walked over her friend following.
You casually waved where you sat and gave a tired smile. "Yeah. Honestly wasn't expecting to see you here either. What are you doing here?"
She gestured to none other than Nessa next to her. "I was chatting with an old friend before she needed to go. Since you're here I assume Gloria can only be here as well."
You nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure she's at the stadium right now." Your gaze slowly shifted over to nessa as you spoke and you waved again. "Hello again. Nice weather you guys have here."
Nessa smiled. "Yeah. It's usually warm and sunny here all year round being the coast and all. You should visit the beach if you ever get the chance."
You shrugged. "I might. I mean I guess my sobble could use the chance to swim."
"Well, that all depends. Is your sobble a freshwater or saltwater sobble?"
"There's a difference?"
"Hey wait a minute!" Both of you turned to Sonia who was looking between the two of you with a confused look on her face. "You two know each other?"
"Sort of. She helped me out with some stuff yesterday, I didn't even know she was the gym leader until someone told me," you explained with a shrug, "I just appreciate anyone who helps carry groceries."
"Oh. I see. What are you doing here if Gloria is I assume at the stadium?," she asked.
You gestured to your sobble as it spat out an apple seed. "Someone wanted more food. I'm telling you he's worse than a kid hyped up on sugar once he sees the stuff." Both of you jumped at a ....snort? Blinking you looked at Nessa and noticed her holding her mouth and chuckling.
"I-I'm so sorry," she giggled out, "That's just the funniest thing that I've heard all day while stressing out. U-U-Usually people don't say that about s-s-sobble care."
You blinked. "Oh yeah?"
Sonia nodded as Nessa's giggles slowly fizzled out. "Usually sobbles are....how do you say it?...Massive cry babies that'll cry at the tiniest things like a baby would. It happened ALL the time with my Granny gave a trainer their first pokemon." She groaned closing her eyes as if the memory gave her instant annoyance and headaches. "They don't get an extra snack? BOOM! Crying! They trip the littlest, I mean tiniest bit. Crying! You're too busy to pet them? Crying! Forget playtime? CRYING! And don't get me started on the amount of times I had to buy Sobble Eye Drops for all the stinging and headaches. It's like walking on eggshells until they evolve into a drizzile! It's why a bunch of trainers rather chose scorbunny or grookey than a sobble." She pointed towards yours who had finished eating and began crawling it's way over to you. "In fact, the sobble Granny gave Leon for the trainers he endorsed was the pokemon who stayed in our care the longest. She must've had it for at least since it hatched and was given to her. It was such a little wimp clinging to her all the time...I never really had mush patience for them."
You jolted when something tugged on your arm, calming yourself once you noticed it was just your pokemon. "...Really?"
With a frown Nessa sighed. "She's right. Sobbles are much better suited for older more patient people. They aren't exactly really popular pokemon among starting trainers who are eager to start their journey. Most end up for adoption to pokemon centers or abandoned to the wild because the person decides it's not worth it to have their eyes burning after every battle or basically raise what could essentially be a child in their eyes." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "I remember once Raihan came all the way to Hulbury just to give me a sobble someone carelessly discarded at his gym after they lost. The poor thing was so confused and scared. It was a miracle I found someone who loved it. Much more than the thoughtless trainer who never gave it a second thought. Pokemon aren't just toys you can give away or leave lying around after you decided you outgrew them."
"THAT'S AWFUL!!,'' you shouted feeling an anger grow in you as one hand instinctly came up to grab your sobble who chirped in confusion at your actions, both women giving you looks of surprise at your shout. How could anyone DO such a horrible thing!? That's like the equivilant of someone getting a brand new puppy and then not wanting to deal with the work and attention that goes into it and then straight up abandoning it to the streets in your world!! "How could anyone do such a thing?! That's like...So not ok!"
"Well....That is very true. Its not ok. But it seems to be you and your sobble have a very special connection," Nessa said gesturing towards your sobble making Sonia take a double take at you as well.
"Huh. Now that you mention it he does looked rather relaxed. He usually never looked so comfortable before Granny gave him to Leon."
"Really?,'' you asked, "He seemed pretty ok so far. Cried like...only one time but that might be cuz he was pushed over by these rockstar wannabes."
To that the ladies seemed lightly surprised. "Really now? Well then you must have lots of patience then. Sobbles usually tend to work better with people who have lots of patience or a motherly personality."
"And considering you mentioned never having a pokemon before I'm kinda impressed too. You must be a natural babysitter!," Sonia joked. You huffed and rolled your eyes at her joke. Yeah. You sure felt like one sometimes during your journey so far.
"Oh, Scales!" You blinked backed towards Nessa as she now held up her phone to her face with a frown before looking back towards you and Sonia. "Hey. Sorry but I have to bounce. I have to stop by home then head to the gym really quick if I'm going to make it to that match on time." Turning with a smile she waved. "I'll see you later Sonia. It was nice seeing you again too, Miss. good luck with that sobble of yours."
As she walked away, the both of you waved as you watched her go before Sonia turned back to you. "Hey. If you're not really busy, would you like to come to the docks with me?" She held up a small clear plastic bag with, what looked like to you at least, dog kibble with a smile. "There's always a small school of chinchou everyone likes to feed there. I always like to visit whenever I come to Hulbury."
You paused considering her words for a moment. It would be nice to have more time with another person around your age before you had to go back for a bit and they wouldn't be expecting you for a while. So it should be fine. With a shrug you stood up. "Sure! I don't think I've ever seen a chinchou anyways."
Smiling she gestured for you to follow. "C'mon. We're pretty close anyways. I think you'd really like them."
She was right. The small market area was right across from the docks anyways, so it took less than five minutes to reach the docks. You followed her onto the pathways on the water and looked over the edge. The crystal blue water acting like a mirror letting you see your reflection and your sobble's as it blinked big innocent eyes at the water. You nearly bumped into her when she stopped and already had the bag open with her hand inside rummaging around until she pulled out a small handful of the kibble. With a toss they all went into the clear water sending small ripples as they floated and bobbed on the mirror water. That was until almost instantly bubbles appeared from under them and in a flurry of lightbulb antennas and blue skin tons of tiny little creatures swam to the surface and the floating kibble was devoured by the pokemon. You blinked as you watched them swim around. There must've been around ten of them all swimming about here. You blinked as the bag was suddenly held out to you with a smile from Sonia.
"Do you wanna feed them a little? This pokemon food is specifically made for water type pokemons' tastes," she offered.
"Yeah! Thanks!" You happily took some from her and a small blue hand tried to reach out for it too as you pulled away and gave your sobble a look. It stared at you for a moment before chirping and grabbing your nose. "*sigh* Fine." With a sigh and roll of your eyes, you silently held one piece of the kibble up to him and watched as he grabbed it from you and popped it into his mouth. Before tossing more kibble at the peeping lanturn fish like pokemon still swimming around. As before they began devouring it. "They sure are hungry huh?"
"Always are," Sonia replied tossing some more kibble to them. "It's a really popular thing to do around here if you aren't visiting the stadium or Aquarium or eating at the famous cafe up the road. Since there's a battle later today with Nessa I suspect that's why it's so vacant."
You smiled. "Yeah. I just hope everything goes well for them later today. Hop and her seemed pretty excited to go battling Nessa."
Sonia nodded. "I can't blame them. When Leon and I were they're age we were excited over battling the gym leaders too." She smiled at some distant long memory. "In fact, it seemed like it was just yesterday I was right here feeding some Chinchou and then Leon came out of no where and fell in the water! S-Said he d-d-didn't even know how he got there looking for the stadium." She giggled and you couldn't help but smile back.
"Oh. Is that anything like the time I heard he somehow ended up on top of a barn?" Sonia snorted. "Or the time he went out to catch a train and somehow ended up back in front of his house?"
"That happened?"
You nodded. "Oh yeah. He ended up waiting for me to thank me for the two's Slumbering Weild field trip after it happened. I have no idea how."
She chuckled. "Neither do I. Lee's always had a bad sense of direction just like his Da-" She froze. The once smile and cheery attitude replaced by a look of mild panic before she coughed and tossed some more kibble towards the chinchou. "Hey. Look at how cute they are today. They look like such healthy wild chinchou. Don't you think?"
It was her attempting to deflect away from what she already said. You knew that and personally you wouldn't really bother looking into it as 1. It was really none of your business and you hated budding into someone else's business and 2. you didn't feel up to making Sonia more uncomfortable than she already looked...But you couldn't help yourself since this was the second time this has happened. ...That's right. She did a similar thing at the Opening Ceremony when she asked you not to mention what she said to anyone. By now you had completely forgotten about that moment with everything that's been going on and at the time just brushed it off having more important things to worry about. But now....You looked at her and by the look in her eyes she knew what you were about to ask.
"That's right. I spent a few days between their houses and I saw their families. And I met their mothers. And Hop's grandparents." You fully turned to her with a raised brow. "And Hop's older brother. And Gloria's brother. But not have I ever once seen any of their dads nor had they even mentioned them. So that's begging the question of where's the missing link then isn't it?"
There was a pregnant silence between the two of you as you stared at her expectantly and Sonia stared back down at the water, seemingly trying to process the situation she found herself in. The only sounds was the boat horns from the docks, and the splashing around and noises of the chinchou as they still begged for more of the kibble Sonia held. And after more silence your expression softened and a guilty feeling bubbled up. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask. Even if you were traveling with them it was none of your business really. So you went to apologize.
With a sigh, Sonia finally seemed to find her words and turned to you with a sad but serious look. "I...understand if you're concerned or curious. I'd be too all things considering. But I really CANT tell you anything since it's not my place to say....By now you obviously noticed they just..aren't there and let's leave it as that."
You nodded. "Hey. I'm..I-I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
She shook her head. "No. To be honest you wouldn't be the first one to ask that question to Leon or anyone else and you probably won't be the last. But if you could do us both a solid and not tell anyone about this it'd be great."
"Believe me, I was about to ask you the same thing." You smiled. "Trust me. I won't tell us a soul."
"Thank you, Y/n. I'm glad you understand."
"Hey. Of course!"
So.....No fathers in the picture huh? A strange feeling settled into your guts that was something akin to feeling extremely guilty. And a....strange feeling of familiarity of it all for your own reasons...Then the reality hit you. In a memory of what happened back at the inn back in Motostoke. In the very slip up Sonia had made before that you had passed off until now-
"And thanks for taggin' along with the kids this far. I know we're practically strangers but there's just....I don't know....really good aura about you. I'm sure Lee appreciates it too. He's always so worried about Hop. He practically raised him after all-" All of a sudden it was like a switch flipped off in her mind and her happy smile went to a sudden shocked face. "Oh no. I didn't mean to mention that. Please forget I even said that."
You had pretty much pieced it together right after remembering that. For some reason, in one way or another, Hop and the twins had no fathers and Leon as Sonia said must've practically filled the role in which a father figure would fill. This would sum up a lot of the things you've bared witness too. Hop and Gloria's infatuation with Leon(especially on Hop's end), they're desire to climb their way up the ranks and make him proud-..Heck. Leon's behavior know that you think about it could've been summed up as brotherly...or fatherly. Sponsoring two (although it was VERY clear he was full on ready to just endorse Victor as well no questions asked if he hadn't made the choice of not competing in the Gym Challenge) kids for the challenge which as you came to know wasn't typical of a Galar Champion, buying you and them all those supplies and stuff, and with what Sonia said just set that fact in concrete. And....While that did make you feel guilty and sad for them...At the end of the day it really was none of your business. Any moment or day now you could wake up back home and none of this would have mattered, and you shouldn't really butt in between their business. Especially since you weren't planning on staying in the long run. Plus...you were trying NOT to uproot the game's progress as much as possible or no more than you might've already had done if at all with your actions. You might've not remembered how the game went entirely but you knew you were on the right track. For now at least. You continued to make small talk with Sonia about how her research was going and your trip over before deciding it was best to part ways there and bid her farewell before heading back towards the stadium. Nessa mentioned leaving to make sure she arrived on time. You wondered if Gloria was battling her right now?...Well you soon found out the answer to that question.
when you were just making your way up to the resturaunt your stomach grumbled. Making you wince a bit. Huh. Guess you were out for longer than you thought if you got hungry. Glancing up to the cafe you wondered how much a simple meal would cost? It was supposed to be famous for their food after all. With a shrug you decided on entering and seeing if they had anything your measly twelve dollars could buy. Fancy was the first word that came to mind when you entered through the double doors and a bell rung off. A woman at a front desk was the first thing to greet you along with some kind of pokemon you didn't recognize. It seemed the theme of the whole place was blue and white, giant tables lined the area with table setting and napkins fancily folded into boat like shapes, a MASSIVE window looking over the stadium, and a bar like area near the far right walls with another pair of double doors you assumed lead to the kitchen. The only other people there besides you and the lady was a man behind the bar counter who was talking on the phone with someone.
The woman smiled at you. "Greetings and welcome to the Hulbury Seafood Restaurant!" She greeted with a bow. "Do you happen to have a reservation or would like to make one?"
"Uh-..." You shook your head. Oh man. Was this one of those places where you HAD to make a reservation in order to eat? "Not exactly. I just heard your food was pretty good."
The woman still smiled. "Oh. Well then I'd be more than happy to seat you by the-"
"AHH!" Both of you jumped when a thud rang out which turned out to be the man in the chef hat slamming down the phone he was previously talking to.
"Chef, what on earth is the matter?," the woman asked.
The chef pointed to the phone scowl on his face. "My delivery boy just called. Apparently he's caught a cold and can't make it today! Out of all the days I need him most." The old man grabbed at his grey hair. "I have all these orders and no one to take them. The Chairman could show up any minute for his reservation but instead he's going to be present with angry customers calling for their orders and our reputation as Hulbury's greatest restaurant will be tarnished!!"
"Well...I could run out and deliver a few," the woman suggested.
"And leave your post!? OH no no no! That'd look even more bad if no one was here to greet them in while I cook!" He slumped forward. "This is an utter disaster! What am I to do?"
You looked between the two of them before slowly holding up your hand. "Um...If you'd like, I'd like to help."
Immediately the chef snapped his head up and blinked at you. Before a suspicious look came over his face as he looked you over. "You, Young Lady? You would please help us deliver some food?"
You nodded. "I mean..Yeah. It looks like you guys are pretty.." You gave a glance at the empty place. "-busy at the moment and I'd like to help."
After looking you up and down a few more moments the chef sighed before shrugging. "Why not? I have nothing else to lose in this moment anyhow." He reached under a counter and beckoned you to come over to which you complied before placing a small take out box onto the counter. "Thank you. I truly appreciate it. Tell you what. If you manage to deliver all the take out orders then I'll prepare you my famous 'Lucky Egg' dish as thanks. How does that sound?"
You mouth watered just thinking about free food. This just might be your lucky day after all. You nodded with a smile and took the box from him. "Sure! Sounds fair enough. Where do I deliver this one?"
He paused for a moment...before he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh uh. Well as for where to deliver the food.....Sorry. We've been so stressed out for the Chairman's visit I forgot to ask for an address." You stared at him. .....WHAT!? "B-But I heard a clickity clack sound from the phone when I took the first order. Maybe that's a clue as to where to go?"
..........You sighed. "Yeah..Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out somehow."
"That's the spirit! Come back as soon as you're done delivering that one! And hurry please. Oh! And here. Take this notepad with you. They'll have to sign off on it so I can send the bill."
You had no idea what you had gotten yourself into this time. With a groan you exited the restaurant and spotted a peculiar sight to behold. There was Gloria standing just outside the restaurant as you approuched with her back to you and you soon saw what she was staring at. A little ways from her standing in the middle of the road was HIM. Mareep Head-..Er. I mean Bede who looked bored and in front of him was....It was her. The same woman from your dream and the Opening Ceremony as well. And in front of her was...No. It COULDN'T be!! In front of them was a group of about six to eight people, but with that group was none other than the CHAIRMAN himself!!...Tho he looked a little different than the other times you've seen him. You didn't expect to see Nessa outside of her gym leader suit, but you hadn't been caught too much off guard. The chairman however was a different story. Instead of that professional slim fitting suit he wore a baseball cap, slip on white shoes, sunglasses, .....a sweater that showed how chubby he was actually under his suit, and blue shorts with white polka dots to top it all off. You could only star at the man...Was this-....This COULDN'T have been the same professional high standing man that ran the whole Galar Region! He looked like someone's Dad on a lazy day. ...You chuckled which startled Gloria into giving a yelp and whipping around to see you and the box you held.
"Holy Magikarp, Y/n! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry....Hey. What are you doing all the way over here? I thought you were having a battle today."
She sighed. "We got hungry just waiting for Nessa so Hop suggested I go grab us something while he holds our place. What are you doing?" She noticed the box you held and pointed at it. "And what's that?"
"Long story short is that I agreed to be the fill in delivery boy for a bit." You nodded past her towards the group. "Hey uh...Gloria, is that who I think it is?"
She turned around and with a huff she crossed her arms and frowned. "Yeah. The Cottonee so full of himself he needs a garden hose to wash the ego from his brain!"
".....Uh..Actually I was talking about the chairman over there, but I guess Bede's here too yes."
"Oh...Well yeah. It's weird just walking around the corner and seeing him right that. Like..what the bloody heck are those shorts?"
"Y'know I was thinking the same thing." You two continued to watch in bewilderment as the chairman smiled and spoke with the small group of people, before the woman suddenly stepped in front of him as he was about to shake another person's hand.
She held up a hand. "Our sincerest apologies," she spoke with a calm and professional tone, "The chairman is quite busy at the moment. Everyone please disperse. Please leave now."
The crowd murmered but eventually slowly parted ways, one woman saying. "Ok. See you later, Chairman."
"Oh h-hey! No need to rush off! I can still do autographs!," the chairman called after them raising a hand, "I'll even give you my pokemon league card!" To your surprise no one really paid attention and kept walking besides you and Gloria...And you rose a brow. With a sigh he turned back to the woman. "we need the support of our fans to keep doing what we're doing. Chasing them off like that. Aren't you being a little too harsh, Oleana?"
"Fans are very important of course," the woman, who must've been Oleana explained, "That's why you need to keep doing your work for their sake."
"I promise to do everything in my power to assist you too, Chairman!," Bede butted in proud of himself. Huh. Maybe Gloria had a point.
The chairman gave him a look for a moment before raising a brow. "Oh. And you were?"
Maybe it was just your imagination most likely, but you could've sworn you saw Bede frown for a moment before he answered, "Bede, Sir."
"AH! That's right! Bede! I daresay I'm impressed how fair you've come since I gave you that pokemon all those years ago. Will you be the one to win the Gym Challenge? Or perhaps it will be one of the Trainers endorsed by the Champion."
"I will prove your faith in me was well placed, Chairman," Bede assured, "I won't lose to anyone. Anyway speaking of which, I'll be on my way now." He turned and began walking away, but completely froze upon seeing you and Gloria..Well more Gloria than you as the two of them made eye contact...And he suddenly pointed. "YOU!?"
"Hey Mareep Head. How's your Hatenna?"
"WHY YOU-....YOU- ..LITTLE-"
"AH! You!" Bede practically jumped out of his skin as the chairman was quick to push past him and walk up to Gloria with a smile, Oleana right behind him. Gloria practically just stood and stared as he approuched and you rose an eye brow. "Your name was...." He thought for a moment before pointing to her. "Gloria right? We were just talking about you!" Your brow rose more. That was a complete and utter lie. They were standing right there entire time in front of you but you shrugged it off as an awkward ice breaker.
.....Gloria exchanged a look with you before pointing at herself. "....Me?"
he nodded. "Yes! I admit I'm curious about Leon's reasons for endorsing you. Ah! I just had a good idea, as I tend to do!" Brag much? "You're going to face Gym Leader Nessa soon, yes?"
"Um...Y-Yeah. I was on my way back to the stadium actually-"
"Well if you get a gym badge from her I'll hold a celebration! I'd like to get to know you a little better after all." He smiled and you felt ....odd about it all.
"Um..Y-Yeah..I guess so??"
"Chairman, we should really be going if you want to keep that dinner reservation," Oleana stated.
The chairman nodded to her before turning back to Gloria. "Alright. Please do your best, for the sake of Galar's future."
"I Uh...Y-YES SIR!!" Gloria gave her best smile under the situation.
With a smile and nod he turned and walked past her and you not sparing you a glance and you followed him with your gaze brow raised...You weren't sure, but you had a funny feeling about him and it wasn't a good funny. When you turned back around you nearly jumped the box in surprise. The woman-!! Oleana was standing right in front of Gloria so close her shadow was literally blocking the sunlight from her. The poor girl frozen under the woman's studying gaze.
"The Chairman will be heading to this town's seafood restaurant." She stated monotonely, "Win the gym badge and join him there at once. Do not keep him waiting. Am I clear, Young Lady?" Gloria didn't say anything..and you looked at her. Eyes shooting to the size of plates. She was more frozen than a glacier. ...All that came out of her was a small squeak noise making the woman's eyes narrow. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. Do not keep the chairman waiting. Head to the seafood restaurant. The Captain's Table. Do you need me to repeat myself once more, Child? Or do you understand-"
"Too skinny."
Gloria jumped having probably completely forgotten you were there for a moment as she snapped to you and Oleana followed her piercing gaze to meet your glare. ....She slowly blinked. "I beg your pardon, Miss?"
"I said you're too skinny for that," you explained as they both stared at her.
Her brow flicked up as she studied you. "And I happen to be too thin for what purpose, Ma'am?"
"Well you're certainly not fat enough to be throwing your weight around not to notice you're being a jerk," you explained raising a brow back, "Obviously she heard you with how close you are. Maybe she'd answer if you weren't so close making her feel uncomfortable like that."
They both stared at you stunned. Gloria jaw dropped and Oleana had the same face but her eyes much more widened as she stared at you. It was so quiet you could've heard a pin drop as you joined this little three way stare down. HECK. It felt like an entire hour just staring at her before her face slowly contorted back to her original bored/professional looking one and she took a step back, spooking Gloria in process as the poor girl blinked.
"Do you happen to know who I am, Miss?," she asked like you should already know this.
"Somebody who's heels makes them so tall their head's in the clouds obviously."
This time her brows furrowed, her mouth frowned, and you noticed the way her hands gripped each other. As if she was physically holding back her anger. But before she could reply a chuckle seemed to interrupt you. Blinking you turned around only to find that the Chairman guy was looking right at you. Raising a brow and humming. You rose a brow and frowned right back.
....He waved a hand off. "Oleana, you're right. We'll be late for that reservation. Give the young trainer my League card and let's be on our way."
It's amazing how fast her aura and face changed at a moment's dime. "Of course. So you will not forget the Chairman's face, I will give you one of his League Cards." She suddenly held something out to Gloria who blinked but after a moment took it. "Chairman Rose is the kind of man who gets downhearted if he doesn't take care of things he needs to right away. Go to the seafood restaurant as soon as possible so as to not keep the chairman waiting." She glanced back to you and your eyes narrowed more. "...Good luck in your battle." With that she stepped around Gloria who followed her as she went and so did you with your frown. And after the Chairman gave another look to you, also turned and walked away.
....You sighed and turned back to Gloria, only to blink when she was staring right back at you. "....Uh...H-Hey. Are you ok there? You looked spooked." Shaking. Your eyes widened noticing her hands shaking. "WHOA! Hey! Are you ok!? She didn't scare you too bad did she?"
"Y-Y-Y/n..," She stuttered. Her hands slowly clenched into fists. "T-T-That..was..." Her face snapped up to you in a smile. "AWESOME!! SERIOUSLY!! Like! Yeah she gave off major scare vibes I swear she's worse than a gengar in the darkest room! My heart was pounding so fast! Then you were all well slayin' 'ere like a beast!!...Omg." She looked down for a moment realization settling in. "....My traveling partner talked BACK to the Chairman's right hand!! What's he going to think when I show up!? I mean it was amazing to watch don't get me wrong. But STILL!!''
"Hey, hey, hey!!" You caught her attention by grabbing her shoulder making her blink at your face. "Hey. Look at me." Once you knew you had her full attention you smiled. "That woman was making you feel scared, and that's not ok. So I did what I had to do. If anything I'll get in trouble. Besides, Im a girl standing on the sidewalk holding a delivery box. They'd probably think I was just a stranger going to delivery a pizza or something. Right now you should just worry about your gym battle."
It was like a record scratch went off in her mind as she suddenly paused, face going blank for a moment before her hands suddenly snatched the top of her head. "AH!! MY GYM BATTLE!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! BUT THE CHAIRMAN SAID IF I WIN TO SEE HIM!! IF!! IF!! WHAT IF I DON'T WIN!? OMG!! CAN I STILL MEET WITH HIM IF I DON'T-"
You shook her with the hand still on her shoulder. "Gloria! Get a grip on yourself! Of course you're going to win!'' You smiled. "If you could beat Milo you can beat Nessa too! And if you lose it's fine. I'm sure he'll understand, you can't let all of that overthinking stop you ok? Be more confident in yourself, and if you lose..." You shrugged. "Then it's ok. You can always try again tomorrow or any other day. You are going to be ok....Ok?"
She stared at you for a long moment before taking a deep breath and sighing. A determined look now plastered on her face. "You're right! I'm just overthinking this! I just need to remain calm and everything's going to be fine!"
You smiled. "That's the spirit...Hey. Isn't it gonna start like..right now?"
"GAH! Y-You're right! I gotta go!" With a wave she quickly turned on her heel and ran off towards the stadium. "Thanks, Y/n! You're the best!"
You sighed before shaking your head watching her go. Well...glad that went well at least, she was a brave girl so she should be ok..But then why did you still feel eyes on you? As you turned your f/c eyes met purple ones and Bede jumped having noticed you spotted him. With a jerk of his head the other way, he quickly sped walked away from you in the opposite direction leaving you lightly confused. But you shrugged it off. Right now you had bigger fish to fry like getting this fish you were currently holding to the person who ordered it. Who ever it was. That was the thing you had to figure out as you stood there in the middle of the sidewalk staring at the box in your hands like someone staring off into space. Good gosh the guy couldn't think to ask for an address? What were you supposed to do with a click clack sound? That could mean anything....Well what kind of click clack sounds were loud enough to be heard over a phone. ....Your head turned towards the train station back towards the stadium. Didn't trains usually make a noise like that? A train would certainly be loud enough to hear over a phone. With a shrug you started off down towards the train station and right up to the first house right by it since there was two. Knocked and waited patiently as footsteps approuched.
The first one was answered by a middle aged looking man and you smiled. "Hey! Uh...Did you order seafood?"
"No. I don't like fish."
"Oh..Sorry about tha-" You flinched as the door was slammed back shut in front of your face..before you frowned. "Well he was pretty rude wasn't he?" Your sobble chirped in agreement. "Couldn't have said it better myself," you mumbled as you turned away from the door and away from the first house to go to the second. The Stadium not too far away roaring alive now with cheers. Must be Hop or Gloria having a battle with Nessa. Shame you couldn't attend but you were a bit busy right now. Walking up to the second home, you knocked on the door and waited. After a moment footsteps approuched and a sweet elderly woman answered. You smiled. "Hey! Good afternoon! Did someone here order some seafood?"
To your delight, she smiled. "Oh, are you the one delivering my food?" She happily reached out and took the box from you. "Thank you for your trouble! This restaurant's dishes are full of seafood and it's so delicious if I say so myself. They are pretty well known after all."
"Your welcome! ..Oh wait!" You reached into your pocket to quickly pull out your notebook. "I need you to-''
"Oh of course! Your tip. "
"Actually I-" You blinked when a small bag of what looked like small jaw breakers was placed into your hand tied off by a cute little red ribbon.
"I've already paid the restaurant over the phone, so I'll give you candy as a tip. There's nothing like sweets to go along with a beautiful day. You have a nice day now."
You blinked looking at the small bag. "Hey wait! I need you-" The door closed leaving you staring at it. "..to sign this. *sigh*" You held up the overly cute bag and your sobble gave it a curious look over. "Well, it's not money but it's better than nothing I guess. Wouldn't you say?"
Your trip back to the restaurant wasn't anything unusual, still faintly hearing the cheers from the gym on your way there. The only thing that was a little strange was a small group of three or four people standing outside the place trying to peep into the windows. Your brow rose but you shrugged it off and just stepped inside seeing the same woman as before.
"Sorry. We're closed at the mome-..OH! It's you young lady,'' she greeted.
"Back again?!" You looked over towards the chef and he smiled seeing you. "Excellent! I wanted to ask you to deliver some food again. Is that ok? I suspect that the package was delivered?"
....You held up the bag of candy. "Yeah. Sorry I couldn't get her to sign it. But she tipped me in candy."
"Oh. That must've been Mrs. Wesley. Don't worry about her, she has a habit of doing that." Again he reached under the counter and brought up another box. "But right now I need you to deliver this next one as soon as possible!'' You walked over and he held it out to you before slightly nodding over towards the right. You glanced over and your eyes widened seeing the chairman and Oleana looking out of the window over the stadium, not seeming to notice you thankfully. "Since the Chairman's here we're doing our best to try and not upset the atmosphere. Since you're taking care of this for us it's really taking one less thing off our shoulders to worry about."
You sighed with a smile before taking the second box from him. The fresh smell of fish and chips wafting from it making your mouth water. "Hey. It's no problem. Where do I take this one?"
He paused. "Well....I uh...Haha. D-Didn't quite get the address for this one either?" You stared. "...B-but I don't know if this helps, but I think I heard a pokemon cry over the phone this time. Like....Swiirl...Or something like that."
"....I'll...figure it out I'm sure."
Figure it out indeed! How in the HECK were you just supposed to deliver a dang food order based off a pokemon's cry?? Whelp! There was only one way to solve this! ...Visit all the houses here until you came across the right one. So that's exactly what you did. You already delivered to the lady up by the train station and the guy next to her rudely stated he didn't so that was two houses you could cross off your list. So there you went starting from one end of the long, LONG street of houses one after another smiling and asking if they ordered a take out. Every. Single. One. Said. No. Or just didn't answer at all, and to be honest you were feeling justifiably annoyed at this point. What was the POINT of having someone deliver food if you didn't know where to send them!? It must've taken you at least fifthteen minutes of walking and asking until you FINALLY caught a break coming to the very last house on the block before the road split off between the train station and stadium. You knocked and waited patiently as footsteps approuched, and you smiled when a blonde man who looked to be in his early thirties opened the door.
"Hey. Sorry to bother you, but did you order some seafood takeout?"
"Oh, I can smell the ocean. You're from the restaurant aren't you?" You nodded and held the box up to him as he took it with a hum. "Ah! I'm starving! I've been drooling while waiting for the food! Than you for delivering the food!"
"Oh hey. Before you go." You held up the notepad. "Could you please sign for this?"
"Oh sure thing. Wait right here." He turned and walked back inside leaving you standing there able to see the inside of the home as the man handed off the food to two little girls who looked so much alike that they must've been twins. A pink pokemon looking like cotton candy swirling around them. "Stacy, Lacy. Food's here. And this time don't let Pinkie eat my share of it." You stood there awkwardly until he finally came back grabbing the note pad. "Sorry about that. You know how kids can be."
"Heh. Yeah. Sorry if it took so long. Had to go the long way around to get here."
"Well you get energy from food. If you need energy you should eat balanced meals." He handed you back the notepad with a smile. "Thanks again!''
With a sigh you turned on your heel and began trudging off back towards the restaurant. Your stomach rumbled again and by this point you were seriously wondering if this was even worth any free food for? If you had half a mind you would've just quite, returned the notepad, and then just go back to the hotel to just eat some of your rations or order the cheapest thing on the room service menu. But then again, you already promised to help and free food does sound better than spending your remanding money. Plus their food was supposed to be really good. So..You made the choice to go back to the very cafe you came from and waltzed back through the doors and up to the counter this time. The chef seemed very pleased to have you back as he had already placed the last box on the counter he explained. Only one more? Oh THANK goodness. You weren't sure how much of this mumbo jumbo you could handle. You took the last box from him not sparing a glance over your shoulder in the chairman's way.
"As for the address-"
"Let me guess. You forgot?"
"Actually. No. I remembered to ask." Your eyes widened. Was this finally gonna be easy? "Unfortunately I have no idea where it is.".....WHAT?! "The customer told me to look for a green roof, but I wonder if there is such a house in Hulbury. I've certainly never seen a house like this before but Im sure you're smart enough to figure it out like the other two!"
".......Right."
Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. It never was going to be easy for you was it? It seemed simple enough tho. Just look for a house with a green roof and that should be it right? Except..none of the houses you had asked previously had ordered anything and the ones that did couldn't have possibly ordered a second time in such short notice right after getting the first. Oh well. Green roof. That's all you had to go on......and the amount of time you had spent walking up and down these streets looking for any building with a green roof was exhausting. NONE of the homes here had green roofs and when you checked the few buildings around here that weren't homes (like the light house and pokemon center-) discovered surprise, surprise. No green roof either. Oh you hoped whoever ordered this didn't live outside Hulbury. Not having any luck where you currently were, you decided to go ahead and go back down to the docks where you first went that morning. You didn't remember seeing any buildings there but it wouldn't hurt to cover all bases before giving up. Your body ended up wondering back to the market place you were once in...And you were about ready to give up. There wasn't anything around here with a green-
"HEY! Young Lady with the sobble on your shoulder!," a male voice shouted. Blinking, you turned around to one of the stalls. the one with the green and white top. A man with brown hair waved at you. "You're delivering food?" You nodded. "Well hey! I'm the one who ordered it!" He was!?...You glanced towards the striped roof of his stall.....Oh. A green roof. Whelp! Might as well get this over with. he smiled wider as you approuched. "You got here earlier than I expected! It was easy to spot the green roof wasn't it?"
No. Not really. In fact it would've been a LOT easier if he just said he was in a stall in this marketplace but instead you forced a smile and handed him the box and notepad. "Please sign here."
He gladly signed it. "The tail curry of this restaurant has a unique flavor. I love it! Say hi to the manager for me!"
You quickly grabbed the notebook. "Have a nice day!" And then you quickly retreated. A groan leaving your tired body as you dragged yourself back the way you came for a second time that day. By the time you had gotten back close to the restaurant you were sore, tired, but most of all you were hungry! OH! The food had better be worth it or else you were going straight back to the hotel to-
"Y/N!!" Hey. You knew that voice! Sure enough Gloria was waving her arm at you with a smile as you proceeded to walk towards her. Despite wanting time to yourself today you were absolutely glad to see her. "What are you doing by the docks?"
"Finishing my role as a replacement delivery boy," you answered when you got close enough and pointed at her white uniform. "Why are you still wearing your gym challenge uniform?"
"Oh uh.." She sheepishly smiled with a chuckle. "It's a long story. On the bright side I managed to defeat Nessa! LOOK!" A flash of bronze went in your face and you blinked before leaning back. A badge with some kind of blue water pattern shown before you. No doubt the water gum badge. "Feast yer eyes! I thought I was a gonna when I lost the second round, but I managed to pull a turn around and win enough rounds to pass! Ain't it great?!"
You smiled. "Hey! That is great! I'm so happy for you! But where's Hop? I thought he was with you."
"He stayed behind to set up his own battle with Nessa tomorrow. Don't worry. He already knows where I am. Said he'll meet back up with us when we're done having dinner with the Chairman."
"...We?"
"Oh.." She slowly lowered her had back down to her side. "I just...thought you'd be coming too since you were there with me when he invited me.I-...I just thought since y'know...B-But that's fine! I won't force ya to come with me. Yer probably tired from running around all day anyways."
You paused. Yes, you were tired but you were heading back inside the restaurant anyways. And if Oleana was there...You smiled. "Hey! I'd love to come!"
Her eyes lit up. "REALLY!?"
"Yeah. I gotta go in to let 'em know I'm done delivering all these confusing orders anyways." You turned and nodded towards the doors. "C'mon. Let's go eat and see what he wants. Ok?"
With a smile of relief she nodded and the two of you went up towards the doors and went inside. The woman from before was there and upon seeing the both of you greeted you both with a smile. "Welcome to the Hulbury Seafood Resturaunt. Unfortunately we're not accepting any reservations or walk ins today but if you'd like to schedule one for a later or order take out you're more than welcome-....Oh! It's you again, Young Lady."
"Uh. Yeah." You held out the notepad. "Actually I was promised free food if I delivered everything and we were both invited to eat with the Chairman over there."
"Oh." She glanced to Gloria who looked nervous, seeming to realize she was a trainer. "Yes. I recall he said something about an extra guest trainer with his party today. Chairman Rose comes here incognito, but the word always gets out when he's here." She grabbed the notepad from you. "You both may go ahead to the Captain's Table in the back. I'll notify the chef you completed your tasks."
With a thanks you both took off towards the back where you saw the Chairman, Oleana, and..HEY! It was Sonia. Relief flooding in seeing another familiar face. This might be more tolerable then...Maybe you should take this time to apologize? You glanced to Gloria who still looked nervous. If this was someone very high up and important it wouldn't hurt to swallow your pride and just apologize, if nothing else but to keep the peace and show you're willing to be the bigger person. After all you don't want to cause trouble. The first to notice you two was the chairman himself as he turned his head from Sonia to you two and smiled.
"Ah! If it isn't the young trainer I met earlier today," he greeted with a smile and raised brow, "If you're here then I suppose it's safe to say you won against Nessa?"
You didn't miss her gulp before forcing a smile. "Uh..Y-Yeah. Piece of cake!"
He nodded. "I'm so glad! Gloria, come. Let's celebrate your recent victory! On me!" ...You felt eyes on you and you turned from the Chairman's face to Oleana's who was staring right at you. ...You frowned back at her- "And I believe I've seen you before as well, Young Lady." You blinked back to the Chairman's face as he was looking at you too now with a raised brow. ...AH CRAP!! "You were the lady back there who gave my assistant quite a 'roasting' as the young kinds call it nowadays."
...You blinked. Forcing up a smile. Here we go. "Uh. hehe. Yeah. Actually I wanted to apologize to you.." You gave Oleana a glance. "-and her for that. I just thought things were getting a bit scary back there."
To your surprise he chuckled it off with a wave. "Not at all. In all honestly Oleana can be quite intimidating to others. It's one of the reasons she's so good at her job. But there's no hard feelings. Right Oleana?"
The woman next to him inhaled before breathing it back out. "Of course, Sir. Apologies accepted and all's forgiven."
"Excellent! I don't suppose you know Sonia here? She's a wonderful person to have on the research team."
"Yeah. We do actually. Hi, Sonia."
"Oh. Were you invited too?," she asked surprised.
Before you could reply the chairman interrupted you. "You two know each other? That's great! Come now." He gestured to the table directly behind him. "Please be seated." And the three of you followed him and did so after you and Gloria exchanged a glance. She still looked nervous. The order of which you sat was Gloria sat across from the Chairman, Sonia next to Gloria, and you next to the Chairman. Naturally you would've preferred to sit next to either one of the other girls but you weren't about to let Gloria sit right next to a guy you had a funny feeling over. Strangely enough Oleana didn't seem like she was eating with you four and instead opted to stand silently next to the Chairman. How odd. You watched as he oh so casually picked the napkin off his own plate. Hmm...Guess he's been here more than once. "Now that we're all together. Gloria was it? Tell us how did your battle go?"
She shrugged. "Oh. Um. I-It was pretty good. Very thrilling. It was really nice to get ta meet Nessa. She's very nice." Sonia smiled at her.
"That's all very good. If you're as talented as Leon mentioned you then you should have no problem defeating the other gym leaders."
"Well I wouldn't say that. I-It was really hard to beat her. She's a tough gym leader."
"Hey. What were you talking about with Sonia?," you asked successfully steering the topic off Gloria for the moment as the Chairman smiled.
"Oh nothing really worth talking about. How her trip was so far studying around with the legends and the Geoglph in Turffield. The theory is that the two are somehow connected but I digress. AH! Our food has arrived." You looked over to what he was gesturing at and perked up at the lady from before who greeted you carrying two plates. One obviously being some kind of fish as it was placed before the chairman who happily accepted. "Ah! My usual. You always remember." And you were surprised when the other plate was sat in front of you. It was curry, smelt sweet, and had an egg smack dab in the middle of it. "Oh. It looks like you're a regular here too I presume."
"The chef asked me to give you his 'Lucky Egg' dish as a token of his appreciation, Miss," she explained, "I hope you're ok with sweet boiled egg curry. Are the rest of you ready to order?"
"Go ahead ladies. It's on me today."
"Mm. Just a salad. I'm not very hungry today."
"...I mean. The tropical curry sounds good," Gloria guessed.
You were too busy studying the dish in front of you to notice the lady leave. Instead staring at the massive egg just sitting in the middle of the darn plate. ...You weren't up to eating something that might've been a pokemon egg no matter how much your stomach rumbled at the sight and your mouth watered at the smell. Luckily it seemed like you had a back up plan because your sobble was crawling down your arm already on his way towards your food. You extended your hand to allow the small pokemon to sit on the table next to you and without really thinking grabbed the egg off your plate and held it out to it. He smiled and happily accepted your gift with a loud chirp before grabbing it and you watched as it bit it nearly in half with one bite. Goodness. Guess you weren't the only one hungry.
"Hulbury is a seafood town. Naturally if one is going to eat here the obvious choice is the local cuisine," the chairman said already digging in, "Everything on the menu is delicious. Oh, Sonia. By the way how is Professor Magnolia getting on? I'm quite indebted to her you know. She was the one who figured out how to unleash the power of Wishing Stars and use that power to dynamax pokemon. We would never have been able to create dynamax bands without her."
Sonia sighed. "*sigh* She was saying that there's still so much we don't know about dynamaxing. It's causing her some worry. She even made me take a power spot detector with me when I started traveling."
"A power spot detector?," he asked interested, "That's the device that allowed me to discover power spots. Locations that emit galar particles and allow pokemon to dynamax. I don't like hearing that Professor Magnolia is worried though. If only there was something I could do." You glanced at him again out the corner of your eye and rose a brow. Why were you getting a weird feeling in your gut from this guy?
Sonia shrugged. "Unless you can suddenly provide more intel on the phenominon then I'm afraid there isn't much, Sir."
He hummed.".....Sonia. It may be good for you to visit the vault in Hammerlocke. I believe the key to unlocking the secrets of the dynamax phenomenon lies in the history preserved there."
Sonia blinked. "Oh. You really think so?"
"We usually study history based on what was left on it from the past. Although mostly legends at this point you know they always say that every legend has truth to it. Who knows? It might even help tie in with the lengend you've been studying currently. Oleana can arrange a meeting I'm sure. Can't you?"
"Understood, Sir," Oleana replied monotonly, "I will arrange a meeting with Ms. Sonia."
"Very good. See? Nothing to worry yourself over about. Now shall we dig in?"
The rest of that dinner get together was a blur. Honestly you were too busy stuffing your face to talk but you didn't mind. You only watched and listened to the small talk. Gloria and Sonia's food arrived a short while after and by this point they were mostly done eating as well. His other questions didn't seem too out of the ordinary. Asking how their day was? How they were enjoying the challenge so far? Talking about some of his recent appointments involving some kind of arrangement with a Prince from the Pasio Region?? You weren't sure. But the sun was starting to set soon.
"So then I figured the best way to solve the matter was to set up individual warnings for the two of them and move one to a different department under Oleana. *sigh* Both are hard workers so it'd be a shame to just fire one or both. Don't you agree Oleana?"
"Yes, Sir. However I believe it is about time we get going, Chairman."
"Hm?" He looked at her. "But I've hardly had a chance to speak with Gloria." You rose a brow. You had literally been sitting her an entire hour.
"With all do respect, Sir. It's getting rather late. I'm sure the young lady is quite tired from her day."
...He sighed. "It's regrettable but I guess it can't be helped. If something needs to get done there's no time like the present after all!" He slowly stood from his seat as the three of you watched and smiled. "Truly though I'm glad to have had a chance to speak with you ladies today. So sorry if we couldn't have spent more time together. In any case I bid you farewell."
"OH! Uh..G-Good bye, M-Mr. Chairman. Sir."
You remained silent as the two left. Narrowed eyes watching as they went...Something about those two just felt...Off. Like it didn't sit right in your gut, but you had no idea why? Was there some kind of plot in the game with those two you couldn't remember?...Hm. In any case you were glad they were gone now so you and Gloria could rela- Your head perked up with at a sigh as Sonia rubbed her face.
"Hey. You good there?"
"Does he think he's doing me a favor? He's right that the vault would be a good place to look for the legends but..." She paused suddenly looking up and noticing the two of you staring at her confused. "UH!...Nevermind! You got the water badge right? Defeating Nessa is no easy feat!"
"Uh..Yeah. What are-"
"Nessa's a good friend! Perhaps I should drop in on her!," her chair screeched as she stood up all of a sudden giving a nervous smile, "Ahaha! Yes! She'll be so happy to see me! Until next time, Gym Challenger! Nice seeing you again, Y/n!"
Both of you stared as Sonia quickly sped walked away from you two and then out of the restaurant as if she was escaping something...
Gloria blinked. "What the world just happened?"
"Believe me I have learnt in this point of my life to just go with things. C'mon. It's free food. Let's finish eating and meet the others back at the hotel."
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