#that way i can focus on what he's saying instead of not being stabbed

[majeoeje]

Beating heart

Laios x reader

Just please don’t ever go away

Part 2

“Wake up, hey! Wake up!” Said Laios

You wondered why he was making such a ruckus before you looked down and noticed the ungodly amount of blood that came out from an open wound on your stomach. Out of instinct, you hand reached down to press on the wound to try and stop the bleeding, hissing in pain at the contact

That’s right! you were fighting a monster beforehand… what was it? It was shaped like a horse but it was definitely not a unicorn, let alone a kelpie.. now that you think about it, it looks more like a donkey with the elongated ears..

Before you could recall your memory, your attention finally drifts to Laios. There was a peculiar expression on his face, well it wasn’t something comical like how he usually has, it’s quite different. The slight widening of his eyes, the schrunched up brows and the slightly agape mouth wasn’t something you had ever seen Laios expressed in all your years of friendship.

“You’ll be alright.. just stay still.. Im sure Marcille is on her way!..” he muttered “you’ll be alright..”. He pushed aside some of the hair that sticked to your forehead, perhaps an effort to soothe your pain. Not knowing how long Marcille would take to get here after being separated from you and Laios.

Laios held your bloodied hand, squeezing it tightly that he should while your other stayed still on your wound.

By the tone of his voice you would’ve thought he was saying all these things to assure himself. Was Laios perhaps… Worried?..

You weren’t sure. Sometimes the dim litted candle light can be deceiving, you thought, especially in a dark cave like this. Though you know you needed to do something hearing his endless mutterings

“Calm down, Laios” you said, your voice rendering weaker than you assumed. As you tried to sit more comfortably on the rough surface of the cave

“Why don’t you try that healing spell that Marcille taught you?”

“I’m not sure.. i had healed a scratch sure, but this is something entirely different…”

You opened your mouth to say something encouraging, but the blood that you coughed up instead surely wasn’t helping the situation.

“Gah-Ahh!!” He yelled, you found it ironic how he was the one screaming.

“I’m fine dude you..can do it! No pressure..” You said, weakly pointing a thumbs up.

Your ass is far from fine. And Laios wasn’t stupid enough to not notice.

Despite the growing worry that seeps into his mind. But he was determined to help as always, knowing him.

“Okay.. i’ll try”

You let go of your wound, it seems that the blood that seeps out has slowed down faster than you think. With that thought in mind, you guided both his hand to your stomach, squeezing it ever so slightly.

“Alright, just recite the incantation. I can take it!” You said enthusiastically before gritting your teeth, prepared for a god awful amount of pain that comes in healing magic.

He nodded before he starts reciting the incantation that Marcille had worked so hard in teaching.

And painful the spell it was, as you screamed understandably loudly feeling as if you got stabbed once again with no adrenaline helping you in slightly easing your pain. You held onto Laios’ armor the whole time, not wanting to hurt him while he was trying so hard to focus.

After a while, the pain eventually subsided, being replaced by an unbearable itch.

“I need to sit down” said Laios, feeling a dreadful Mana sickness coming his way

You instinctively pat the spot next to you, an odd habit that didn’t take long for your party members to notice. You guessed you just liked to be seated next to him. Well Laios never complained, even now as he obediently sat himself next to you.

“You did well, Good job Laios” it was evident from the closed wound on your stomach that Laios was starting to get the hang out of magic, it would be a lie to say it didn’t fill you with a sort of pride.

Not long after that sense of pride washed away though was when you noticed how awfully quiet Laios had been. You were worried yes but the cling that he has on your arm was what convinced you he was alright. At least he will be once you gave him a moment. Mana sickness surely is a pain, you thought feeling him shift in his seat to lean against you, muttering something incoherent.

“I’m hearing footsteps coming, i’m sure it’s Marcille, we’ll be alright Laios” you said, before Marcille appeared as if on cue

“There they are!!” She yelled, senshi and chilchuck immediately rushed to help you, while Izutsumi scanned the area for monsters.

You were so relieved they had found you and Laios that you didn’t mind the earnest scolding Chil and Marcille was already spouting to you. Maybe it didn’t help the fact that you smiled through the whole thing, well you were just happy to see them!

The rest of the night went smoothly though, your party had found a spot to rest for the night, and a running water. Aside from that, Laios was recovering on his sleeping bag, trying to endure his headache. You didn’t miss the amount of increased staring on his part though, making you wonder what was going on inside his mind.

But you try not to pay attention, as you focused intently on your night watch.

Hours passed, your eyelids were getting heavier to stay open

“You can go to sleep, i can take over from here” said Laios, you could see him a little clearly now that his features were illuminated with Marcille’s light spell

“Laios, it’s not your turn yet” you yawned, noting how you still have an hour left to your night watch

You look around seeing your sound asleep party, the growing love for them that you gradually succumb to was undeniable.

“I know but you just got healed, you should rest more”

“Well YOU healed me and i know there’s still some remnants of mana sickness in your head” you playfully argued

“Just let me do this for you.”

he said, you were taken aback with how desperate he sounded, it was rather emotional. It was by then that you realized this wasn’t just about the night watch

“Laios..”

He looked away.

“Is there something you want to talk about?”

You knew something was up, the growing silence that ensued was nothing but a sure evidence of his troubles.

“Tell me what’s wrong, i’m always here for you” you assured, running circles along his back.

He finally turned to face you. You never knew the golden hues of his eyes could glow in such a solemn way until now.

“What if one day, you’re not?”

The question seem to weigh less to you than it did to Laios.

“Huh?” You were confused, was it because of your accident just a moment ago? He knew that wounds and death didn’t have a severe of an impact as it did in the surface, yet the calm collected Laios could not be more worried in seeing you like that.

“What if by some chance i couldn’t heal you… or even worse you die-“ the sudden pick up of his breath was making you worry. It wasn’t long before he started to hyperventilate.

“Laios-“

“I can’t perform a resurrection spell!… i can barely heal your wound…”

“Laios!!” You whispered yell as you smacked him across the face, his hurt expression could be read clearly as ‘what was that for?’ Despite your burning desire to yell at him, you didn’t want to wake the other up with Laios sharing the intention

“You need to calm down..” you held him by the shoulder “i’m alright and i will continue to be”

He looked at you

His heart was filled with so much doubt. It’s not like he was unsure in your strength, rather… it was doubt that he could even bear that sight once more. The thought of you in so much pain was sure to haunt his soul than you would ever know.

You took his hand in yours, placing it on where your heart would be. He could feel the vivid heartbeat on the palm of his hand, the continuous beat of the pumping organ was steady, paired with the slow rise and fall of your ribcage, a concrete evidence that you were here, alive, and breathing.

“I’m here”

You didn’t know if it would work but the steady drums of your heart slowly brought him a peace of mind.

His breath eventually went back to normal, which brings you a sigh of relief

He lets go, opting to shift himself closer to place his ear on your chest, he wanted to hear it clearly, closer.. closer to you. The sudden contact startled you as your arm fell to a stiff not knowing where place it.

“Your heart rate is picking up” he stated as a matter of factly. As of this moment, you didn’t curse his density to took notice in your behaviour.

“Yeah” you coughed rather abruptly, trying to calm the flush on your cheeks. You were just relieved your party wasn’t awake to see you so embarassed.

You gulped down your hesitance, your hands eventually finding it’s way to rest on his back, before opting to play with Laios’ soft locks as an attempt to distract your mind. You reminiced on the times where he would pay no mind of his appearance thinking it was a hassle, those were definitely not a good phase he went through, but sometimes you did miss his long outgrown hair after he freshly washed it.

you smiled remembering how he lets you braid small parts of his blonde hair as a fragrant scent of mint shampoo would emit from his scalp.

Though you do like his more kept style now, Falin worked hard to learn how to trim his hair after all.

Your train of thoughts soon was cut short when you felt the hold Laios had on you tightening.

“Don’t go. Please don’t ever go away.” He said, repeating his swallowed words from earlier, his voice had found its way to be louder now that he’s calmed down, different from back when he healed you.

You felt guilty to say that your heart swelled in content hearing that. There’s something so incredibly precious to have someone care for you to so much extent that they would feel this way, you were lucky to know you wouldn’t forget that feeling as long as you were with Laios.

“I wouldn’t dream of it”

You hugged him,feeling the tightening grip that he has on your blouse, he groaned slightly feeling the warm embrace, though you kept it short, not wanting to suffocate him.

You and Laios weren’t always together . But even so, the unseperated bond that you had over the years was something that he treasure above all else.

Though sometimes he would dwell on the different path you could’ve chosen. What would happen if you were to accept your betrothal, and get married in that small village? What would happen if his father never kicked him out the house? What would happen if he stayed in the military? What if you never went into that ship alongside him?

Sometimes he could still pick up the smell of ocean in his nose when he recall that fated day. He never thought he could miss someone as much as he did you. A fated reunion, as Falin would say, before he would always brush it off and say it was just some coincidence.

He has only a vague idea of what the future will held once Falin is saved, but truly, he knew he couldn’t imagine a future where he wasn’t with you.

“What type of monster that doesn’t have a heart? Can you tell me about that?” You said, drawing incoherent shapes on his back with your fingers

Well, that surely he could do.

[waldau-archived]

I cant insert a photo here on your ask but it goes something like

"Do whatever you want!!!" X said out of anger then character Y kissed him gently. "You said do whatever i want, right?"

whatever — choi seungcheol | 1,821 words | hurt/comfort, fluff

this prompt was really cute!!!

gender neutral reader. warnings: reader is stressed out? and in need of a hug?

you love the sounds that make the house you share with seungcheol your home.

you love hearing the door creak when you open it at that specific angle. you love the sound of the clock ticking in the living room that seungcheol himself picked out. you love the sound of him walking on the wooden floor of your house, the sound of his glass when it clinks against the marble of the kitchen island, the birds chirping in the evening when you take out time to just relax against him and watch the sun set, and the sound of his quiet snores when he insists he wants to watch you watch your favourite shows, only to end up falling asleep.

there’s none of that here, in this moment.

you take off your shoes and kick them to the side, not bothering to open the cabinet to put them inside because the doors make a particularly loud sound when they snap shut, and you don’t want to risk waking seungcheol up again.

it’s been an odd couple of weeks, with you staying out late because of more work and seungcheol staying in because his workload has been relatively less for the beginning of the new year. him being at home would’ve made you happy if you didn’t have to apologize for cancelling and rescheduling dates, or for being left with energy enough only for a bath and a quick dinner, movie plus cuddling sessions replaced by cuddling in your sleep. if you were lucky to get back home in time, that is.

you stop and listen for a few moments. there’s no sound to be heard. the door to your bedroom is shut, which means that seungcheol must have already gone to sleep.

a little pang of hurt stabs your heart. it’s not like you want him to keep late hours for you, but you’re not exactly doing well in these trying times, and you’d really love to have his voice wash out your worries.

a resounding bang from the kitchen startles you. before you can even think of the worst possible scenario that could’ve just transpired, seungcheol walks out of the kitchen, a rolling pin in one hand and some flour on his hair and his rolled up sleeves. the literal definition of a hot mess.

“hey, baby,” he says, eyes widening when he sees you. “i was expecting you to be back in an hour or two.”

so it’s that bad, huh? it’s become normal for him to expect you to come back even later? you focus on the stains on his clothes instead, and the rolling pin that seems so out of place in his hand. “what exactly are you doing?”

“nothing! well, nothing much. yet. maybe you should stay out of here for a while.”

one thing about seungcheol is that he never keeps secrets. he can’t tell you a white lie to save his life, much less a black lie. “cheol,” you say, frowning, “both of us know you don’t even cook. are you baking? and why’s there flour in your hair?”

“sieving accident,” he mumbles, so quiet that you almost don’t catch it.

“should i be afraid?” you ask, pinching the bridge of your nose. you feel like your tears are a short distance away, and you really, really hope he’s done nothing more. something tells you that isn’t it, however.

“not really!” says seungcheol, but you can read him like glass at this point. the little nervous laugh and the way his nose twitches when he tries spinning facts makes you dread what you’re going to find inside. “maybe you should have a nice bath before you sleep? did you have dinner yet?”

you try to move past him into the kitchen but he blocks the entrance with his broad frame. the one time this isn’t sexy.

“cheol, let me in.”

“not until you tell me the password.”

“there’s a password now? what, something like choi seungcheol is the best?”

he giggles. “close.”

you sigh. “cheol, i’m really not in the mood to play games right now. please tell me what’s going on in there?”

he tries pulling that face, the one with the puppy eyes, where he looks at you so pleadingly that you’re generally ready to fold and do whatever he asks of you, but right now it just doesn’t work on you. the more evasive he is, the more worried you get. before he can react, you duck under his outstretched arms and into the kitchen.

rather, into the mess he’s made of the kitchen.

you’ve heard stories about junhui trying to bake. they sounded absolutely hilarious, and you’ve always wondered how he could mess up so bad that he managed to land waffle batter on the ceiling. especially when he didn’t even own a ladder to try and clean it.

it’s not funny when it’s your house that has some batter on the walls. at least it’s not the ceiling, you think, a bit hysterical, until you see flour on the…everywhere. it’s just everywhere. the counter, near the sink, in front of the oven like it’s a modern day trail of breadcrumbs that hansel and gretel would’ve followed. there’s also baking supplies scattered all over, an extremely huge sheet of baking paper lining a tray that’s sitting next to a bunch of bowls.

it’s a mess, to say the least.

“i’m sorry,” seungcheol says, gently turning you away from the sight of it. he winces when he sees your face. you don’t even know what your face looks like. all you know is that you’re tired, that you need a break, and that the last thing you would have liked to see today was your boyfriend’s face while he was peacefully asleep, and not…this.

you shake your head but no words come out.

“i’m sorry,” seungcheol repeats, setting the rolling pin down on the counter. a comical little cloud of flour rises and settles. what kind of accident even was that? “i was just…trying to bake.”

“cheol, you didn’t even know why we use baking soda till last week!”

“hey!” he says, defensive. “i asked you so i could learn. and i know this isn’t great, but—” his words dry up when he notices where your gaze lies — on the batch of cookies that are burned beyond belief.

you can’t believe your eyes, either. you’re not the biggest baker in the world, but you’ve never burned anything you’ve baked. especially not in your first attempt. maybe you’d have given up the courage to bake again if that had happened, but seungcheol clearly isn’t that bothered by it.

you don’t know if it’s because of how pitiful they look, or how long your day has been, but you feel a lump rise in your throat.

“you never even do this,” you whisper, only focusing on his face and not the mess around you. “why did you think you had to do this today?”

“am i not allowed to try things if i want to?” he asks, crossing his arms.

“it’s not that, cheol,” you say, trying to be as reasonable as possible. “i’d ask you for some help before trying something i’ve never done before. you never, ever do this. only when i ask you to help me. why today?”

“because i wanted to,” he says, almost flippant. “i’ll clean it up before you know it.”

but it’s not about the mess. it’s not about the burnt cookies. it’s not about the way he tried to block you from seeing the state of the kitchen. it’s the finality in his tone. it’s the fact that it’s not a big deal to him because he hasn’t had the day you’ve had.

seungcheol’s eyes widen when he sees your lips tremble. “are you seriously mad at me? for baking?”

“do whatever you want,” you hiss, tired and angry, feeling a single tear slide down your cheek. “i shouldn’t have looked inside.” you turn to walk away before it becomes a full fledged cascade of tears, but you don’t go far because of the hand holding on to your wrist.

“stop,” he says, holding you strong enough that it becomes futile to try and escape.

“let me go, seungcheol,” you say, avoiding his face.

“oh, no,” he breathes out, and the next thing you know is that your face is cradled in his hands and there’s a warm kiss pressed to your forehead. and your nose. and your lips. and it keeps repeating till you push him away, your face in his hands. you can feel the ugly emotions inside you ebbing away slowly, reducing to small embers that prickle the slightest bit.

“what are you doing?” you ask weakly.

“you said do whatever i want, right?” he asks, a smile on his face.

that gets you to break, for some reason. you would’ve forgiven him even if he’d gotten batter on the ceiling, because this — the sight of seungcheol with flour in his otherwise perfect hair, wearing an old shirt and beaming at you even though you’ve snapped at him — kills even those small embers.

you press your face to his chest and let the tears out silently.

seungcheol rubs your back. “hey,” he says softly. “let it out, okay? and i’m sorry about the mess. i meant it when i said i’ll clean—”

“it’s not that,” you whisper. “just…hold me?”

seungcheol complies, and you find yourself swaying in his hold in the silence of your house.

“want to talk to me about it?” he offers when you pull away, feeling slightly better. “i’m—”

“stop apologizing to me, cheol,” you say, laughing a little wetly. “it’s not the kitchen. i’ve just…i’ve been missing you like crazy and i miss just being with you without doing anything. i hate coming home late and seeing you asleep by yourself in our bed. i want…i want things to go back to the way they were.”

“so, a bad week?”

“more than one.”

“but you have me here at the end of every single day, right?” seungcheol says, pushing up the corners of your lips to make you smile. you do smile, but it’s because of the cute grin he has on his face. “we’ll get through it before you know it.”

you sigh. “it sounds good when you say it like that.”

“because i mean it. also, one more thing.”

“yeah?”

“please don’t ever call me by my whole name again.”

“only if you mess up the kitchen that bad again.”

“hey!”

“also, why were you baking in the first place?”

“because i wanted to cheer you up,” he says, sheepish, and you want to do nothing more than hold his face and kiss him silly.

“you’re an idiot, baby,” you say, cradling his face in your hands. “but you’re my idiot. and i love you.”

seungcheol’s blushing face is quite possibly enough to get you through tomorrow.

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi @nonononranghaee @hrts4hanniehae @viewvuu

[sitp-recs]

Hello! I saw your last rec for Draco being whipped for Harry. Would you have any recs for the reverse situation? Harry being absolutely smitten for Draco. I love when it's mostly from Harry POV and Draco is driving him mad. Does anything come to mind? Thank you for your lovely recs and your presence in the fandom, it's a blessing! 💜

Yes of course! I feel like I did quite a few lists for pining Harry so this one will focus on smitten Harry told from his own pov. I tried to mix old favorites with fics I don’t see recced often. I’d highly recommend checking @tackytigerfic, @bixgirl1 and ignatiustrout as they all explore this trope so beautifully!

Take A Stab At It by @sorrybutblog (E, 3k)

It’s a bit pathetic, Harry knows, to have a hard-on for the guy who bullied you in school. Kind of cliché to look back on years of obsession and hatred and think, Oh.

Hourglass Heart by bixgirl1 (E, 5k)

It only happened once — depending on how Harry counted.

Blue Sky Is Living Here Today by ignatiustrout (G, 5k)

Draco's a father, Harry's in love with him, and it's really hard to take things slow.

The Things They Never Say by bixgirl1 (E, 9k)

Harry and Draco don't know how to talk. So they do other things instead.

Sex Ed for Aurors by curiouslyfic (M, 9k)

Some things, you need to learn on the job.

i wake up falling, orphaned (M, 9k)

Draco’s always leaving, one way or another. Harry’s usually 240 thousand miles too late.

Poppiholla by @moonflower-rose (M, 12k)

Harry had accepted that he would pine silently for Malfoy forever, but one, humid summer might change that.

Take the Moon by tackytiger (M, 15k)

Harry Potter has always wanted a family of his own, and when a deadly blood curse forces him into a marriage bond with his best friend Draco Malfoy, it looks like he might just have found one. It's just a shame they’d always planned to break up after a year…

White as Snow by bixgirl1 (E, 19k)

After a quick escape from danger, Harry and Draco find themselves trapped in a blizzard, a small cabin their only refuge from the storm. It's the perfect place to recover and regroup — and to have a long-overdue conversation or two.

We Might Be Too Old for a Bildungsroman by @wellhalesbells (T, 21k)

Harry finds something he’s been looking for since the war’s end. Admittedly, the packaging’s a bit odder than he expected.

With Great Yawns and Stretchings by sugar_screw (T, 22k)

The coffee is very good. Really. And the cats are so cute. That's why Harry goes so often.

On Your Shore by @xanthippe74 (M, 35k)

Clearing out a remote house full of cursed collectibles in the Outer Hebrides? Not a problem for an experienced curse breaker like Harry Potter. Spending a week with the straight, happily-married man that he’s starting to have feelings for? And sharing a bed with him at night? Surely Harry can handle that, too.

LA, Who Am I To Love You? by @epitomereally (E, 42k)

Harry’s summer in LA is not going as expected. Pansy Parkinson keeps inviting him to parties in the Hollywood Hills and harassing him to finally go to the physical therapist, Blaise Zabini keeps slipping new strains of his company’s magical weed into Harry’s pockets in hopes of an endorsement, and Draco Malfoy keeps having sex with everyone but Harry.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

Modern Love by tackytiger (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

Azoth by @lol-zeitgeistic (E, 88k)

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait?

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Can't Sit Still by wilteddaisy (E, 193k)

Five years after the war, Harry finds himself drawn to Draco Malfoy by memories that aren't his own.

[gwandas]

Nesta saying Cassian is good and that’s why she doesn’t deserve him… What is she even talking about? Literally what has he done throughout this series for her to think so highly of him?

Him wiping away her tears and promising to protect her and her people in ACOMAF? Empty words seeing as how he and the rest of the IC abandon her and Elain to get kidnapped and tossed in the Cauldron. Like one of y’all couldn’t guard them? And then they all have the audacity to hate her for being angry about it.

Threatening to kill Tomas? More empty words, why does he deserve points for merely offering to off some guy? Especially when she didn’t even want him to do that…?

Fight in a war? That’s just him doing his job baby! I didn’t know everyone that’s ever fought in a war was automatically a good person!

The little speech everyone sucks his dick over in ACOWAR? That was HER fucking moment and it pisses me off every day that he is the focus of it. He wouldn’t even have been in a position to say those words to her if SHE hadn’t offered sacrifice herself in the first place.

He saved her in the library in ACOWAR I guess? He stabbed himself instead of her while under Briallyn’s control but I’m still not moved considering he knew he’d be FINE because of his armor. He defends her a few times to his family, sure, but none of those times were as powerful as when she defended him during the High Lord meeting in ACOWAR or against Eris in ACOSF.

So… all this to say he has not done enough for her to deserve the way she sees him. What’s worse is that when she tells him that:

“You are good, Cassian. And you are brave, and brilliant, and kind. I could kill anyone who has ever made you feel less than that—less than what you are. And I know I’m a part of that group, and I hate it… You are everything I have never been, and will never be good enough for. Your friends know it, and I have carried it around with me all this time—that I do not deserve you.”

The fury slid from his face.

He says NOTHING to contradict the idea that SHE is the one who doesn’t deserve HIM. He would LITERALLY be DEAD if not for her while she’s lucky that she ISN’T dead despite everything that’s happened. Instead, he’s no longer angry because he’s finally getting what he wants—all that matters is that he can use that self-hatred to get her to work as hard as she can to finally “deserve” his love.

[theotherbuckley]

Love your page! Do you take fic requests? Really wanting an angsty fic where Tommy is hurt and an ignorant hospital worker tries to keep Buck from seeing him.

Thank you for the kind words anon💜 here's the fic:

i thought it would be me

bucktommy | 3.7K | T

Buck really thought he would be the one to get hurt first. He’s pretty sure the universe is out to get him, and he’s had a near-death experience every other year, so he really expected he’d be the one in the hospital.

He should have known his bad luck would lead to Tommy being in that position instead—because that hurts more.

Getting a call at three AM is far less unusual than it should be, and yet, it still doesn’t prevent his heart from working overtime, pounding in his ears as he reaches to grab his phone from the nightstand.

He’d thought Tommy would be home by now.

Buck’s at his place, in his bed, wrapped in his sheet because they had plans tomorrow, and Tommy had told him to just spend the night, that way they could wake up together.

They’ve been dating for a little over four months now—and Buck has his key.

He still can’t believe it. It makes him feel a little giddy every time he remembers—he has to take his keys out of his pocket every time just to stare at them and smile.

With Tommy, everything feels so right. It’s not weird that he’s in Tommy’s bed because it’s just normal. He loves how Tommy enters the room, trying to be as quiet as possible, but Buck wakes up anyway. He loves the way Tommy creeps into bed and hugs Buck to his chest. It’s always the best sleep he ever has.

Except tonight, as it’s three AM, and Tommy’s shift was supposed to finish at twelve, and Buck’s alone, in a bed that suddenly feels all too big and much too cold.

His phone is still ringing in his palm.

His hand shakes because he knows what they’re going to tell him, but he wants to delay the inevitable for as long as he can.

It feels like an hour has passed when Buck finally accepts the call. He doesn’t even manage to let out a shaky “hello” before there’s yelling on the other end of the line.

“Where the fuck are you?” Smith’s voice practically growls through the phone.

He’s confused, but the ringing in his ears doesn’t let up. Smith is one of Tommy’s coworkers. He seems like a cool guy, not that Buck’s spent much time around him. Tommy tells him that he’s one of the best, the first person at harbour to really make Tommy feel like he could be himself.

“Uh…” Buck says eloquently, his voice breaking through layers of sleep.

“I told the hospital to call you three hours ago, so where the hell are you?” Smith seethes.

The word “hospital” stabs through Buck’s chest like a knife.

The ringing in his ears reaches its peak until the only thing Buck can hear is “hospital” over and over and over again.

It’s like tunnel vision in his brain—he can’t hear Smith still speaking through the line—can’t think—can’t blink—can’t breathe.

His breaths are too shallow. He tries to ask Smith what he’s talking about, but only a pained whimper leaves his throat.

He closes his eyes, tries to focus on the tinny voice coming from his phone. Then, patting his lips together, he forces his mouth to work, and says, “What—what happened?”

continue reading on ao3

[zahri-melitor]

I know you've all been waiting for this one: Sum of Our Parts (yes I finally got to Meghan Fitzmartin).

The very first thing I'll say: yeah, I see why DC commissioned more stuff from her after getting this and seeing the response. It's a solid opening showing her ability to write Tim.

There were a lot of moving parts that needed to be re-established and tidied up in this story, and I can see the list being worked through:-

Name: being very clear Tim is currently Robin, because since Tynion's 'Tec run ended, his name and costume have been varying by who is writing him with very little consistency.

Tim not going to university: this probably did need a push back on, because Tynion just waved the door open on that again during Joker War.

The fact that Tim and Steph are broken up (sort of essential for the plot being told)

Playing with the themes of moving on from Robin (but in this case using it as a frame to actually be the bait and switch that it's coming out instead)

Bernard is clearly an OC from the ground up who shares a name and hair colour with his previous existence. Which, look, Bernard was a pretty thin character with basically two personality traits (conspiracy theorist/trying really hard to project cool), and it is of course fairly arguable that Bernard was projecting a front at 16 that he no longer needs now he's accepted his identity. But it would be nice to have that conveyed in the text, rather than something you infer to try and connect two characters who are otherwise unalike. Especially given how much of the story is Tim reflecting on himself.

Even a line or two more about how he doesn't feel the need for a front anymore to line up with Tim having revelations. "Tell Tim Drake...he helped me realise my true self. Who I am" is nice enough but it could still use some more acknowledgement of how that changed his personality. It's just this nice parallel that could have helped develop the themes more securely. There's a bunch of possible implications you can read into the story (particularly in terms of how the Dowd parents really ARE characterised lightly as Fanon Drakes, between the polite fronts and implications that Bernard was previously abused at home in this) and this is one of the things that while I don't mind how much of this story Fitzmartin was telling via implication, a few more concrete things confirmed would have helped.

If I were going to make a solid stab of a guess at what sections of Robin Fitzmartin liked/reread in the lead into writing this, I honestly think it was Fabian Nicieza's Robin run (and probably parts of Red Robin). It's just...a lot of the characterisation has some very similar notes to it. Tim's got the same sort of smug confident edge to his internal commentary, the ways his skills are portrayed, and Detective Williams even reminds me quite a bit of Officer Jamie Harper. (I don't think she actually looked back over Willingham).

It's also very much a coming out story, and I do appreciate in that Fitzmartin does try to be delicate about it and doesn't whack you over the head with the bluntest lines possible (I just suffered through that in Infinite Frontier #0 with Alan Scott and good god did I cringe the entire way through the 'yes while you are my biological children and I have indeed been married. to women. I am gay. Listen to me come out.'), the amount of implied themes she levels through it is still substantial. It could have used slightly more focus on the actual underlying mystery.

I can also see the start of the situation where the story needs to decide whether Bernard Knows or Doesn't Know. Because both states would allow for situations with a lot of drama (and potentially identity shenanigans which are the best shenanigans), but just having it as sort of vacillating in the middle as something that doesn't need to be investigated? It's leaving a lot of potential storytelling on the floor that could instead be used to send Tim through the wringer. (Also Tim wow half of that cult probably could have figured out your identity, you weren't subtle)

Look, I don't think this story contained the greatest Barbara Gordon characterisation ever written, but it was within the bounds of overly-interfering, self-righteous and pushy Babs, which is something that does pop up at times. It felt in conversation with her characterisation in Batgirl 2009, and while I don't LIKE the way Babs is written in it, especially in regards to Steph, it makes sense in terms of the direction DC was pivoting at this point in terms of leading into the whole Batgirls title.

Fitzmartin was also clearly using Steph characterisation from very late Robin/BFTC/start of Red Robin, when they were fighting, in terms of how she's trying to have Steph needle at Tim's sore points, and set up a dichotomy of 'Steph has it together/Tim does not'.

And yes, Belén Ortega's art is very, VERY pretty.

[remember-the-fanfics]

Part two of last post

-

To be fair (Y/n) didn't have trouble for the next month, with the extermination happening, they guess Timothy actually did find a hole to die in.

They would guess wrong when he showed up with friends, who thought it would be a good idea to burn the hotel down with people inside it.

Man, this dude just keeps coming up with bad ideas.

Alastor caught them in time and stopped them while allowing everyone to get up and see the who and the what, Angel Dust, being the first one outside, saw Timothy face and quickly realized the why.

"You!" Said Angel Dust, getting Alastor interest.

"Do you know this not so fine fellow?"

"He came in like a week or so before you showed up, wanted (Y/n) to break the deal they just made with him because he's a lazy asshole." Said Angel Dust just when Vaggie and Charlie showed up.

"Why did you come get us? I would have shown this estúpido not to come back." Said Vaggie with her spear, ready to hurt someone.

"Or offer to join the hotel instead?" Said Charlie, pushing Vaggie's spear down.

"I-I would have loved too if that bastard offered, they just threatened me to leave!"

"They did! He said he wasn't doing this rainbow shit." Said Angel Dust "and they only threatened you after you insulted me!"

"Can we stab them?" Asked Niffty, showing up on Husk shoulder with (Y/n).

"Who are we-." Said (Y/n) before seeing who it was. "Oh."

"You bitch!" Said Timothy, his friends had joined in on the insults as well.

"Quiet." Said Alastor, making all of them shut up. "What should we do with-."

Timothy with a knife went for the closest person, Angel Dust, that he could reasonably kill or injure, (Y/n) didn't ask and he wasn't in anyway to talk later. As quick as he tried, (Y/n) got in the way.

"M̶o̶t̸h̴e̷r̶f̴u̶c̶k̷e̸r̷." They said, grabbing his arm that held the knife and holding him back from anyone.

"Now." Said Timothy, confusing (Y/n) for a second until they saw each of his friends had a weapon.

Everyone was sleeping, they were prepared for a fight, only Alastor could take on these sinners and maybe Vaggie with her spear.

(Y/n) needed to do something! Do something, do something, do something-!

Then (Y/n) didn't remember the rest.

-

"I'll keep you safe!" A much younger human version of (Y/n) said,

"I know." Said Someone, (Y/n) couldn't look them in the face anymore.

°°•°

"I kept you... safe." Said a slightly older version of (Y/n). They had so much blood on them, until then (Y/n) didn't know humans had that much blood in them.

"No no no, stay awake, (Y/n)!" Said the Someone, obviously trying to keep them focus and awake.

"I love you... more than anything."

"(Y/n) please-!"

'I love you more than anything, you know that?'

Was what (Y/n) trying to say.

••°•

"(Y/N)!" Said someone else, bring (Y/n) back to what they were doing. They looked around to see Timothy or what was left of him on the ground, in peices, and (Y/n) did not expect to see that much gore.

"Ew, thats not cash money to see.." They said before looking at themselves and getting the conclusion that they were the reason Timothy became a crime scene. "..What exactly happen?"

"You ripped his arm off!" Said Angel Dust, laughing nervously because how could (Y/n) not remember that. "Then you-."

"Ripped him to sheds while Alastor dealt with the rest! You kept making him into smaller and smaller peices!" Said Niffty, climbing up (Y/n). "I'm so happy this happened outside, this would be a mess to clean out of the carpet."

"Are you injured?" Asked Charlie.

"I don't think so- oh God, I'm standing in it, I'm barefoot. I'm gonna take a shower and burn these clothes." Said (Y/n), moving away from the mess they made and putting Niffty down away from it.

"That was a fantastic performance, my dear! You could almost be mistaken for a stray from Cannibal town, if only you used more teeth." Said Alastor, who enjoyed the show after making the rest disappear, killed.

"Thanks, I don't usually fight like that." Said (Y/n). "Can you magic me to my room? I need a shower and to process that." They asked, pointing at the remains.

"Very well, my dear." Said Alastor, sending (Y/n) to their room to clean up. "This was unexpected way to fix the problem, yes?"

"I'm also gonna take a bath, I feel like some of it got on me." Said Angel Dust, walking away.

"I think we all need a shower after watching that." Said Husk, joining him on the walk inside with Niffty following behind.

"Never took the young one to take a hand on approach when doing something like that, well see you all in the morning!" Said Alastor before disappearing in the shadows, leaving Charlie and Vaggie alone.

"Charlie, you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just worried about (Y/n). We've seen them fight before, never like this. They didn't remember doing this either... I just hope they are okay." Said Charlie, Vaggie nugged Charlie's arm with her own.

"(Y/n) will be fine, they are a powerful Overlord for many reasons. They were protecting us after seeing those sinners had weapons and most of us didn't, that's a good thing." Said Vaggie, trying to cheer up Charlie.

"Like a redeeming good thing!" Said Charlie. "Minus all the gore that happened!"

"Exactly, now let's go inside and take a shower please."

"Oh definitely. That got everywhere."

-

Ta dah! Slightly longer but lore about (Y/n)! They died protecting someone they care about, the why and how they actually died from is unclear for now.

I've had it in my head for weeks now on how they died, can't really spoil anything though.

I also plan for most things I write in my head and I was trying to get (Y/n) to kill the man in the last part but nooo, just arguing.

Sorry to any Timothy tis the name of the letter I typed first.

[thisisallthehattersfault]

The newspaper — the South Sea Gazette, apparently — is so old it practically crumbles under Ace’s fingers, the paper yellow and powdery with age, the edges disintegrating into nothing from however many years of being picked up and handled. The headline reads: Maniac Schoolteacher Slaughters Classroom. The photo on the front page shows a small schoolhouse, showing signs of wear and hodge-podge repair, like the town it belonged to couldn’t afford it’s upkeep but did their best anyway. The stairs leading up to the front door are bloody, and there’s more blood streaked across the windows from the inside. One small hand can be seen poking out the edge of the doorway, flopped limp across the floor. A group of Marines drag the “Maniac Schoolteacher” away from the scene of the crime in chains while he flails and struggles.

It… It’s Jiru. A very young Jiru, he can’t be any older than, god, maybe his early twenties? If that? He looks like he’s barely Ace’s age in this photo, and his face—

It’s not the face of a maniac who just went on a bloody rampage and murdered a bunch of kids. His hands and clothes are streaked with blood, but not nearly enough to account for the carnage implied behind him, and his face is wet with tears. The look in his eyes is one of such gut-wrenching despair that Ace has to tear his eyes away. The rest of the article is just — bullshit, Ace is sure, and the letters are dancing around and he doesn’t want to read it anyway so he doesn’t bother trying to make them quit goofing off and get back where they go. He just… stares blankly instead at where his hands are digging into the paper, crumbling it more under his grip.

“Ah,” Jiru says. “I should’ve put that away.”

Ace startles, whirls around. The fourteenth division Commander is leaning in the doorway, arms crossed and shoulders slumped, eyeing Ace with an unreadable expression.

“I’m sorry,” Ace says, scrambling to put the paper back where he found it. “I’m — sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop. I was coming to see you about watch rotations. Pops said you’re in charge of that?”

“That I am.” Jiru enters his room. Ace has to scramble out of his way when he walks to the desk, lifting the newspaper up delicately — not like he’s handling something precious, but like he’s handling something that disgusts him. Or, maybe, something that bites. Something that hurts to touch. “The transfers from the Moby 3 haven’t been added to the Watch Rotation yet, and won’t be until we know how long repairs will take. That’s not why you were taken off the night watch. You were taken off of the night watch for your narcolepsy, and Tate scares me, so you’re not going back on the night watch unless there’s an emergency.”

“But—”

“No buts. She will stab me with needles.”

That’s… probably true. Ace still scowls at the unfairness of it all. He focuses on that — on the absolute crime that is all these damn people caring about his health and his wellbeing and his safety — so that he doesn’t have to focus on the paper while Jiru carefully slides it into an empty drawer and then locks that drawer shut. The key gets hung up on a hook by his desk, where it’s immediately covered by the fabric of the cloak that’s also hanging there.

“… You can ask,” Jiru says, after a moment. “It’s not a secret.”

Ace startles again, tears his eyes away from the closed drawer. Jiru’s face is still unreadable, but he doesn’t look angry, really. Ace bites his lip.

“What… happened?”

Jiru snorts. “Not did you do it?”

Ace snarls, “You didn’t do it.”

Now Jiru smiles. It’s a really shitty, awful, sad little smile, and Ace kind of hates it. “No,” he confirms. “I didn’t do it.”

He walks to his bed. Takes a seat. Scrubs a hand over his face. “… You ever hear that rumor about Gold Roger having a kid?”

Ace goes very, very still.

Jiru must see his reaction, but he must misunderstand it, because his smile grows — not sad anymore, but bitter and hurting and furious. “Yeah. Wasn’t ever anything but a rumor, mind you. Stories and gossip. The Marines didn’t have any leads, didn’t have any proof. Didn’t have anything but ‘somewhere in the South Blue’ and ‘somewhere between the ages of eight years old and literally an unborn fetus’.”

Here he chokes a laugh, flicks his fez off to scrub a hand over his shaved head. Takes a slow, shaking breath, and then another one. “… It wasn’t my kids,” he says. “Every one of them had fathers known and accounted for. It wasn’t any of my kids. But, hey, what’s logic in the face of justice?”

From somewhere far away, Ace is aware of the sensation of his own tongue, clicking dry against the back of his throat. His own voice, echoing down a distant tunnel. “If — if one of them was Roger’s son?” He hears himself ask. “What would you have done?”

Jiru looks at him for a moment, considering. Scratches over his head again. “Aw, hell, Ace, I dunno,” he says finally. “I’d like to say I would have scooped the kid up and ran for it, but… back then…” That fucking smile, all bitterness and regret. Ace really does hate that smile.

“Back then,” Jiru says, “I just wasn’t fast enough.”

[in1-nutshell]

Hey me again maybe a few more interactions with team bee and old Predacon buddy maybe a bit more hijinks and stuff and maybe seeing prime again Predacon buddy will most likely berate Optimus and then hugging him because of them missing their Orion pax basically just overall acting like a mother hen and just overall fretting over team bee

I went with a little reunion with Buddy and Optimus... then I had a little fun with it.

Hope you enjoy!

Bot Buddy the Old Predacon reunites with Optimus Prime

SFW, Platonic, Slight angst, mentions of injury but nothing too graphic, Familial, Cybertronain reader

RiD 2015

Buddy was with the rest of the team fighting this ‘Megatronus’ character.

They were not impressed by the name.

Buddy and Grimlock took over most of the heavy hits and hitting, but even Buddy was struggling against the mysterious mech.

They blamed it on the age and years of damage to their frame.

Oh, they would have given for some years shaven off right about now.

Megatronus was going to get the jump on Bumblebee when Buddy tackled him.

The mech easily got them off and slammed them to the ground.

Buddy was very familiar with wounds after years of being in the arena and war. They know what a stab wound feels like, especially one near a vital area.

Buddy looking up at the mech with hatred in their optics.

Megatronus has both of his servos together raised above his helm.

“I think its about time to finally get rid of you Predacon scum from the face of this world.”--Megatronus

Buddy hears some of the bots scream for them.

All they can focus in was the sneering pain in their gut and the slow-motion servos coming straight for their helm.

This was it…

At least they would see Prime again.

A blur of red and blue tackled Megatronus down.

Out of the corner of Buddy’s optics they see him.

“Optimus…Orion…”—Buddy

Buddy’s vision gets darker and darker.

They could feel their frame get colder by the minute.

The older Predacon knew that it was a bad idea to close their optics.

But they were so tired…

They forgot to take their nap today and the ground below…

A little nap wouldn’t hurt right?

Buddy heard some pede steps heading their direction, but they had already closed their optics as the fading sound of yelling disappeared.

Buddy woke up with the sight of the last rays of sunlight hitting their face.

They groaned propping their elbows up a bit, flinching at the pain in their gut. Where the giant sword used to be was now replaced by some expert wielding. It’d take a bit of buffing out and coloring to get rid of that thing.

Buddy looked around and noticed they were in the scrapyard. Specifically in the section where they had most of their medical supplies.

It was quiet.

Too quiet…

Buddy swings their pedes to the side of the berth and tries to sit up.

That was an immediate regret.

“Primus… this is going to hurt like the Pits…”--Buddy

Buddy pushes themselves off the berth and stumbles to the wall next to them.

They slowly prop themselves up thanks to the wall.

“Now… where are the others…?”--Buddy

Buddy hears multiple pede steps coming their way.

They grabbed the closets object near them, which was a crowbar and held it tightly in their servos.

The intruding bot turns the corner and Buddy, out of pure instinct, whacks them on the helm.

“OW!”--Bumblebee

“Bee! Sorry about—Oof!”--Buddy

Bumblebee gets over the whack and hugs Buddy tightly, yet mindful of their injuries.

Buddy could feel him quiver a bit.

They patted his back a bit before he turned to them.

“You shouldn’t be out walking.”--Bumblebee

“I know, but it got too quiet and I needed to see for—”--Buddy

“I made sure they stayed quiet.”—Ratchet

Ratchet stood behind Bumblebee with his arms crossed with a tired smile.

Buddy’s optics widen in surprise.

“Ratchet?! Ratchet!”--Buddy

Buddy tries to walk over to Ratchet but the medic walks to them instead.

Both Bee and Ratchet try and drag Buddy back to the berth.

“You know what I’m going to say...”--Ratchet

Buddy does a mocking salute.

“Got it Dr. of Doom.”--Buddy

“Don’t call me that. Anymore moving and you’re going to mess up my wielding job.”--Ratchet

Buddy sits back down on the berth trying to hide the pain that flared up when they did.

“How did you get here anyways. Not that its bad or anything.”--Buddy

“I followed his signal.”--Ratchet

“Who’s—"--Buddy

“Mine.”--Optimus

Buddy’s optics widen when they see Optimus standing by the corner.

He slowly approaches Buddy’s side.

Buddy just stared at him in disbelief.

“I know this may be a lot of information to say all at once Buddy… but I am—”--Optimus

“Prime.”--Buddy

Optimus quiets down and looks at Buddy’s optics that had started to spring leaks.

“Just…just come over here…”--Buddy

Buddy opens their arms and Optimus goes in for the hug.

Buddy tries their hardest not to cry when Bee and Ratchet join in.

They really do try.

“I swear to the Primes above, if ANY of you wise bots decide to pull a stunt like that… Great I can’t even threaten you guys now, thanks a lot. There goes my reputation…”--Buddy

The four of them ended up catching up a bit before the rest of the team came back from patrol.

Finally, Prime was home.

[perpetual-fandom-brainrot]

Creeping (2) (Dark Link x Reader x Link)

Basic summary: You're in Kakariko recovering from your battle with Dark Link. You discover you didn't come home alone.

A/n: This is a HEAVILY revised version of the chapter! I completely ignored a certain major wound that Dink easily could've put back to use, so I've reflected that realization in the new plot.

This is a dark and violent fic that is not intended for children nor sensitive audiences. Read at your own risk

Read the first chapter here MASTERLIST

The sun shines bright on Kakariko village. Children are beginning to drag their parents outside so they can play, cuccos are being given their morning feed, and in many other ways life is starting to be lived. All is well for the residents of Kakariko.

Except for you, you're covered in tears and sweat as you heave with sobs after waking from a nightmare, clutching your midsection. Ever since Link brought you home a few days ago, the monster who wields his face shows up every time you sleep and mentally shatters you. Ever since you were literally brought back from death, every burst of air filling your lungs has felt unusually heavy.

"Don't think- don't think too hard about it," you whisper sharper than you intend to, hoping talking will help distract your focus. The sudden clench of your abs sends an immense sting from your stomach up your spine. "It's not here, it's at the temple in Lake Hylia, Link is going to kill it." You hug your knees to your chest and try to do more than just hope you're right. You try to do more than wince in pain and pray. Your voice cracks into a whisper when you try to say it again, "he's going to kill it." You repeat it in a mantra, a hope, a prayer, that Link will come home safe, your voice shaky from pain. You vow to repeat it as often as you need, even if you choked on your own breath.

"Of course he will, I got stuck with you instead of Mr. hErO," you jolt and press yourself against the wall, sputtering and gagging, meanwhile this darker Link continues on casually, like he's used to this, "you just had to try to be brave didn't you? I'll show you what that earns in this world, and then I'll go recover my powers from that thief," he growls. Before you can register it you're thrown against the opposite wall of the room, landing just next to your door. There's no air left in you as your vision spins and you desperately look around for purchase. You can barely breathe, you can barely think, everything feels simultaneously so fast and infinitely slow. The stab wound from the temple throbs and stings incessantly, scattering any attention you can manage to gather.

The monster saunters over to your crumpled form, gripping your face hard when you choke out, "wh- what do you-" before squeaking and shutting up. His nails aren't anywhere near as well-groomed as Link's, shaped like claws and steadily digging into your cheeks. You don't miss the glee in his eyes, which are blood-red, as he watches you stiffen and cringe in his grip.

"I don't need to mean anything," he begins going through your bags, "because it seems like the brave little princess forgot her fairy wings this time."

Your healing items. You had given them all to Link before he left for the temple again! You don't have anything to take care of yourself in case of an emergency, you don't have any way to scream for help with the grip he has on your face, and you have no vantage to fight back. Even if you did, you doubt you could make sudden moves without collapsing. Tears fall as you come to the realization: if he kills you here and now your death is permanent. If he kills you here and now Link and Navi will return to greet your corpse. Dear Hylia, please save me, you desperately think.

He hovers his other hand over your stomach and your blood freezes. You don't get time to think when he starts poking at your still-fresh stab wound with a couple of his claws. Your heart starts to race. He smirks and chuckles. Everything in you is screaming, screaming to move, screaming to do something, screaming to get away before he can sink his hand into your stomach and do whatever twisted thing he comes up with, but the better part of you knows that you won't - that you can't. To move here or resist now would spell out a violent death. At least if you can convince your body to sit there and take it, to sit there and let itself die, things will potentially feel… easier. More like it's your choice to die than the whim of a monster. You can't even get your thoughts together to internally wish final goodbyes.

The pain becomes more intense as he starts applying more pressure, efficiently reopening your wound. You want to scream, you would if his hand wasn't in the way. "When this war first started, nothing mattered to me," the pain becomes so bad that you clench your fists until your knuckles turn white. You hate the look of satisfaction as tears openly flow down your face, you hate how much it makes you feel like he's assessing some sort of prey. He only speaks again when he jerks his claw around and you flinch; "and then I was told some boy stole power that was originally meant for me. Could you imagine it, the rage you would feel hunting down something that belongs to you, only for some stupid-" he tightens his grip on your face and sinks his claw into your wound more- "little-" he moves the hand on your face to choke you instead- "girl-" you can't scream. You can't breathe. You can't do anything but tremble and writhe underneath the monster before you- "to come and take it all away?!" It slams you backwards into another wall, causing several fragile objects to fall off of it and break, and you find yourself fighting your gag reflex from having breath you don't have knocked out of you.

At that moment, you hear frantic knocking on your door. "Y/n! Y/n! Hey! Are you okay in there?!" The voices of the villagers outside are enough to spook the monster into disappearing. You can't bring yourself to move and open the door. You don't want anyone to see you like this anyway. What would they think if they found evidence of the darkness in your home? The question makes you shudder.

"I'm- I'm okay!" You manage to call out. "I tripped and knocked some things down!"

"Alright!" You hear the villager chuckling a little bit. Thankfully no other comments follow. You stand up, being careful of any sharp pieces that might cut your feet, and tread to your closet. The object of your focus hangs on the inner door. It's a simple scarf, one you typically wear out on expeditions, but you hadn't worn it to the water temple for fear of, well, the water. Now it will serve as an impromptu bandage to make sure you don't bleed out. You wince as you secure it around the wound, tying it tight to make sure it actually blocks the wound up. You just have to hope someone in the village will have a bottle you can borrow to get some potion.

Link, please come back soon. Please be alive.

[dgoldhunter]

I'm so done...

Don't get me wrong, I loved many things about apology tour (mainly Verosika) but I was hoping this to be the break from the drama of Stolitz instead of a continuation of it. And thought I loved Verosika and her final interactions with Blitz... it felt a little... I dunno.. not logical? (not her interactions, but most of the episode)

Stolas and Blitz relationship is a whole can of worms on its own, but I'm on the team that Stolas was forcing Blitz, like I mean in the pilot of HB it showed how uncomfortable Blitz was with him, and in the very first episode how he was forced to it since he was in a very dire situation (and Stolas knew about it, since he is seeing it developing in real time throught his bubbles)... (and I mean, the pilot face says it all)

But back on track...

So my questions, how Verosika knew about their break up? All of it happened between Stolas home, not even in public, and I don't think Stolas posted it on social media... also Why is she treating him so nicely and touchy? I mean on Ozzies, the bouncer showed reverence when he saw Stolas and let him in alongside Blitz.

I could see her treating him with more respect, or asking him if its alright to hug him or something because of his royal status, or at least refer to him as "your highness" (and in Stolas fashion he would be like "Oh don't need to be so formal but eh... anyway). Sure, they are in a more casual and comfortable environment, but even then, there are some manners expected when approaching a royal. If you are going to disregard his status, then why have a ladder with the different races and their social hierarchy? I get it was to show how sweet Verosika was really, but there could be a ton of approaches to this (and it wasn't hard to tell, since she was only mean to Blitz and has been speculated since her first appearance she is really nice and lovely once you get to know her).

And talking about approaches, this episode could be PERFECT to explore more about Blitz and Verosika. Yes, they talked at the end and we get to hear that the shitshow Blitz pulled on Verosika was after she told him she loved him (and she admitted she was embarrassed since it was the first time she felt that way). Put Stolas on the sidelines for a little while, and focus on these two. Maybe not a hearfelt talk for the whole episode, but making Blitz realize that before he could apologize to Stolas, he needed to work on himself first and foremost(because his apology to him was very forced as well). I think their talk came too quickly, and even then, why talk? Why Blitz would ask Stolas for forgiveness? In his eyes on Full Moon, Stolas was using him and he ended their contract, so he snapped (rightfully so, he first forced him and now is tossing him aside).

Or hell, make it about Blitzo and his past relationships including her, how he fucked up every single one of them, knowing about more about how he meet them, how he fucked up in every single one of them, make him feel remorse since the beginning, not to just feel remorse at the end just because he couldn't get the uwu bird back. (In one episode of "The mentalist" TLDR: Doc Dungan, a football star, is told to the media to be dead when in fact he is alive. He gets to watch what people really think of him, including his ex wife, and gradually this was the wake up call he needed to stop being a self-centered asshole, more things of the episode of course, but i liked this take, now that Blitz was in a somewhat similar situation of him not being dead but having the opportunity to see and hear his exs opinions, honest opinions, about him, not just the hate part).

And... putting all this behind, WTF with Verosika's psycho break with the cake? Her voice completly changed and it feel... odd. Sure, she is not fan of Blitz, and everytime he showed up, she showed the contempt and the bitterness towards him. So this change of personality of hers stabbing the cake with so much malicious intent felt really odd coming from her. Like, following HB logic (ugh, and there isn't much), this outburst is more like how Stella would react to a Stolas cake, seeing her cartoonish hate towards him and how she treats him. Verosika never had that type of "hate" towards Blitzo. In Spring Broken aside from the fight on the parking lot, she was ignoring him, until he came to challenge her. And in Ozzies was a coincidence both of them were there at the same time, and she took the opportunity when it presented to diss on him.

So her acting like a maniac vengeful ex who wants him dead seems a non logical change (and if she wanted him dead, like the scene implied, she has the resources to ask for a hitman). I get the cake was there as pettiness symbol. But still pettiness is different from hate. And then revert that change that on was during 2/4 of the episode (the manical laughter also set me off).

At the end it was showed that she still cares for him in a way (showed in the lasts bits of the episode)... so? I would also expect that kind of murderous rage from people with absolute hate and bitterness (again, like how they are depicting Stella, damn, Stella acted the same way when discussing Stolas death if I recall and in other situations when Stolas was almost hurt).

I don't think she was acting to make him feel welcome (because Stolas looked uncomfortable when she started to act that way, and I get many exes would have those feelings towards him, but... ) and she definitely wasn't drunk, even if she have been drinking since the start of the party, it think at this point, she has a very high tolerance, so she would need a lot more to get drunk.

So yea, I loved Verosika and her return, but I expected an episode centered around her (like spring broken was) instead of shifting the focus again to stolas and blitz, who have been the main focus since the beginning of season 2. If Verosika knew about the whole shit Stolas pulled, I don't think she would have invited him to the party, since the exes part means a consesual relationship, something that Blitz and Stolas thing wasn't. Hell, I think if she could, she would have called him out (again, yes, she hates Blitz, but she still cares, I don't think she would have liked to know how his ex was raped repeatedly) since now its shown that his royal status is bleh.

So yeah, the episode felt like a excuse to comfort Stolas, still make Blitz the bad guy, give Stolas the thumbs up and comfort while Blitz rots in self hate. Verosika being the tool to comfort the poor uwu bird.

Uf, this was a long rant, and even if you don't agree, that's fine. I'm just a guy who loves Verosika Mayday... but is already tired of the writing that pushes this couple at the center of all of it.

[eldritch-ambrosia]

Let me hit you with my Shade!Lancelot idea, keeping in mind I haven't seen that episode of Merlin yet. (This works for both established Arwen/established Merthur and Gwencelot/Mercelot in my mind so think of it whichever way you'd like but it does focus on Lancelot, Merlin, and Arthur.)

So! Morgana creates Shade!Lancelot using Lancelot's body and sends him back to Camelot to stir up trouble. Instead of trying to just break up Arthur and Gwen, he's meant to isolate Arthur and make him believe that he can't trust anyone except for Aggravaine.

So he flirts with Gwen, takes the knights out to have fun when they should be training/distracts them, and takes Merlin's attention away from Arthur as well, frustrating Arthur.

S!Lancelot and Aggravaine both place doubts in Arthur's mind directly as well and S!Lancelot realizes that Merlin betraying Arthur would be far worse than anyone else and sets his sights on Merlin instead.

So he keeps stealing Merlin away when Arthur needs him, makes comments about how he knows Merlin better than Arthur ever could and about how he knows Merlin sneaks away but he's loyal to Merlin over Camelot (which also upsets Arthur because that's one of his knights for god's sake!) and won't tell him where Merlin is going.

Arthur confronts Merlin about his sneaking away (magic things) and, when he refuses to tell the truth, Arthur thinks he can't trust him after all.

Merlin talks about having magic in front of S!Lancelot and, when he doesn't know what Merlin's talking about, Merlin becomes suspicious. He references something that didn't happen and S!Lancelot acts like he remembers that which confirms his suspicions but when he tries to sidle away out of the room to tell someone, S!Lancelot attacks him, attempting to choke him out.

Arthur finds them like this and S!Lancelot says that Merlin was sending information to Morgana so he had to subdue him which Arthur doesn't believe for ONE SINGLE MINUTE. Thus, they begin to duel as Merlin tries to recover his breathing and stop from passing out in the corner.

S!Lancelot attempts to kill Arthur and knocks him out, Arthur fading out with the last thing he sees being Merlin trying to push S!Lancelot's killing blow away as his servant stands.

Somehow (I'm thinking earlier in the ep Merlin finds a magical crystal that can hold souls released from the afterlife that Gaius is researching and Lancelot's real soul gets released during the ep and the crystal glows and maybe gets broken in the scuffle) Merlin pushes the Shade from Lancelot's body and his real soul is able to return to his body.

The Shade's form changes into a kind of Shadow Monster Lancelot and duels the real Lancelot now (who is very shaken and weak because he was just revived!) and, when he stabs the Shade, it does no damage. The Shade laughs and says that he can't be killed without magic and Lancelot says that then he'll just have to kill it like he killed the Griffin.

"You're a knight of Camelot and you're saying that you used magic to kill a Griffin?"

"No. I did." Merlin says, casting the same spell he did all those years ago on Lancelot's blade as he stabs through the Shade, killing it.

There's a beat where Merlin still isn't sure if it's the real Lancelot and asks him something only the real Lancelot would know, which he answers and they have a tearful/huggy reunion.

Arthur wakes up and they explain that it was a creature sent by Morgana and Lancelot is actually back with them now.

Later, when Merlin is getting Arthur ready for bed, Arthur tells him that he doesn't need to know where he goes off to because he trusts him. Merlin goes to tell him the truth but stops and thanks him instead, snuffing out the candles and shutting the door as he leaves.

(I want to hopefully write this one day but I will need to actually catch up and watch the episode first to get the vibes. Everything I know about it rn is from clips and gifs and such)

[comma-tose]

Okay so I know they aren't the most popular characters, likely due to not much being known about them, but I genuinely think there was some real potential and mystery in both Felix and Vallory's backstories.

To start with we know that Felix was extremely smart, being able to bypass Hyperion's biometric security, hack into their systems and change his information, and made one of a kind things like Fiona's elemental derringer (or Sasha's healing pocket watch before it got retconned to be that stupid crystal). He was crafty, he was intelligent, and there was some mystery in his backstory teased in Tales.

The first time we find out that he had a past Fiona and Sasha didn't know about is in Hollowpoint, when Fiona finds a picture of a younger Felix with a woman that neither her nor Sasha recognise, but with Fiona remarking that they seem happy.

It's surrounded by multiple empty bottles, and since neither of the girls have ever seen the photo before it's fairly easy to assume it brings up painful memories. The photo has a crease down the middle which would probably indicate that it was something he carried around with him, folded up in his pocket instead of just being hidden away in a drawer somewhere.

Now there's a chance it could be a younger Vallory sure but considering how it's never elaborated on I don't think that's something that can be said for certain. Either way the pair are dressed in outfits that seem similar to each other, which would probably mean that they weren't just emotionally close with each other but probably worked together as well.

Now regardless of whether or not that woman in the picture is Vallory, we know that Felix and Vallory DID have prior history together. He clearly is afraid of what she can do, she's been well aware of both Fiona and Sasha for most of their lives despite them never hearing about her before which would likely indicate she'd been keeping tabs on Felix. On the contrary, Felix was completely unaware of what was going on in Vallory's life, that August was her son until the vault key deal was already in progress, which would mean he likely wanted absolutely nothing to do with Vallory and tried to stay far out of her life, potentially even trying to hide from her to protect both himself and Fiona and Sasha.

---------------------------------

Now then, onto Vallory. Vallory is introduced as the Queenpin, she's a feared crime boss that has some connections at Hyperion and plenty of bandits at her disposal. She's tactical and cruel and is one of the main antagonists for the Tales crew.

Regarding her relationship to Felix, she clearly holds a grudge against him for some prior reason that isn't explained. Sure she's mad about the vault key deal but she goes out of her way to tear Felix out of the photo she finds of him, Fiona, and Sasha.

She also seems to focus far more on Fiona, directing her questions at her, taunting her, and referring to her as the leader of the Tales group. She's callous and cruel and can stab either Sasha or Vaughn to deliberately to fuck with Fiona and make her agree to her terms.

She has connections at Hyperion. At first it seems like it's just Vasquez she knows but then Finch is able to walk around Helios freely without having to blend in so it seems likely she has more. When this started it isn't clear, whether it was while Jack was alive or after his death. We know Hyperion had dealings with some criminals on Pandora before, like with turning people over for experimentation, so it's possible she had a hand in that or something similar.

But where I think it gets really interesting is when Fiona confronts her during episode 5. While talking about the Traveller she says "it's bigger than any I've ever seen" which would seemingly point to her being someone involved with vault hunting in the past or at the very least involved with someone else who was vault hunting. Sure she could have seen the Warrior from a distance when Jack awakened it but that's not really enough to mention the Traveller being bigger than any vault monster she's ever seen.

That's not to say I think she was a successful vault hunter or anything, but maybe that she was someone who was able to attempt it and get pretty far, or was allies with someone else that did.

Aside from that Athena seemingly knows her, and Vallory was more than willing to fight Athena before August stopped her. Vallory isn't stupid, she sends in her goons to do her dirty work when she doesn't want to get involved. For her to be willing to fight a literal assassin/vault hunter, even if it was impulsively, she must have some kind of confidence that she could actually get somewhere with that.

Hell she even has the ability to contact the Crimson Raiders and enlist the help of Mordecai and Brick to take out Athena, sure they needed to get her for Lilith but the fact that Vallory even knew that they were going after her and implies that she has some idea of why is impressive.

All in all I think that those two were really interesting characters and I wish we would've gotten more lore about them, why they knew each other, what they did before, and what exactly was going on between them.

[lovelylotusf1]

Ooh if you're still accepting prompt requests, could you do one for Lestappen for #s 8 and 17?? (Preferably with Charles being the injured one??)

Hurt/comfort! Yes!!

Warning for the aftermath & discussion of a sexual encounter that didn't go well.

Still doing prompt requests!

Red bruises (taking care of you)

“Charles, what the fuck happened to you?”

Charles closes the door and pushes himself past Max without gracing him with a reply. Stops in the middle of the hotel room to stare into Max’s eyes with a defiant look that would be way more effective if there wasn’t a hand shaped bruise on his cheek.

“Do you have something for bruises? I ran out.” There’s something in his voice that makes Max’s skin crawl. Or more accurately: there's nothing in his voice. It’s empty. As if Charles stuffed any emotion deep inside his chest, and now there’s nothing left to break to the surface.

Max almost can’t focus on the words when Charles sounds and looks this … fragile. Breakable. Charles’ eyes are red like he's been crying before coming here. He keeps rubbing his wrists, and when Max follows the movement, he can see that they’re chaffed and ringed by more horrible red bruises. Anger boils deep in his gut at the sight.

He surges forward and grabs Charles’ hands as gently as possible. Turns them around to reveal that his palms are hurt as well. His nostrils flare, but he tries to keep his voice level as he asks, “Who did this to you?”

“Max.” Charles rips his hands away, and finally, there is a hint of emotion in his tone. Annoyance. Max can take annoyance, has dealt with Charles being annoyed with him his entire life. “Do you or do you not have something to treat bruises with? If you do not, I will walk away and you will forget that this happened, yes?”

Max takes a deep breath. If Charles wasn’t worrying him so much, he would shake him until he got a name, and – And then what? He can’t really go and punch whoever hurt Charles, not when he’s a famous f1 driver and his entire career is at stake if he causes a massive PR scandal. But he wants to. Oh, he wants to do it so badly.

He channels that energy into searching the hotel bathroom for some medical supplies and returning back to Charles in record time.

Charles has sat down on the bed in the middle of the room, that vacant stare still on his face. He doesn't move. Not a twitch when Max sits down by his side. Not a single flinch when Max starts applying gel to the bruises. Like a porcelain doll. Max's heart hurts.

As he finishes wrapping Charles’ wrists with bandages, Charles shifts for the first time since sitting down. “It was a bad hookup.”

Max startles, not expecting Charles to speak up. He’s about to say something, when Charles continues, “Everything was fine until that bastard hit me. When I said I didn’t want that, he laughed in my face. Almost didn’t want to untie me. He said that if I wanted to be tied up like a whore, I also wanted to be hit like one.”

The words stab into Max like a rusty needle. A whirlwind of emotions follows, fiery fury raging in his chest. How dare that bastard treat Charles like that? He wants to curse that fucker until he drops dead and rots in hell. He wants to tell Charles how wonderful he is, how he's so brave for standing up for himself, for telling Max about it and for accepting help.

But he knows Charles. Charles doesn't want pity. He would curse Max for trying to do something like that and probably never speak to him again. Instead, Max does the only reasonable thing: Comfort Charles.

“Can I hug you?”

Charles inhales sharply. Continues staring at his now bandaged hands that are still in Max's grasps. And slowly nods his head.

Max guides Charles' hands around himself. Wraps his own arms around Charles carefully, not wanting to frighten him. But Charles has other plans. The moment Max's arms rest against his back, he basically crashes himself into Max's chest, burying his head into Max's shirt.

And he breaks down.

Charles doesn't sob. His entire body shakes, but he stays quiet. The only indication that he's crying are the tears that stain the front of Max's shirt.

Max only holds him tighter. He kisses the crown of Charles’ head and lets him cry.

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 28

PREVIOUS

FF does not like being on pain medication.

Everything feels floaty and it is so hard to focus on anything around him.

He’s almost glad that his Gran has given him something to focus on that something being helping her sell her lie to the Foxes that she only knows Polish. Coach Wymack must know but the man is a steel trap and FF finds himself envying his Gran that HER secret keeper is Coach Wymack.

“Smithy! My sweet beautiful idiot!” Nicky cries when Gran gives Wymack the OK for them to come back in. FF finds himself on the receiving end of 2 forehead kisses and a kiss to each of his cheeks from Nicky. “Next time you see a crazy mafia hitman looking to kidnap me you just grab me and RUN.” He orders pointedly, “No more cool guy shit where you take ‘em out in the weird sex alley.” He runs his fingers through FF’s hair and…

Yeah it’s okay that Nicky is the one that knows.

Nicky is so nice.

“What about Aaron?” FF asks.

“If Romero could grab Aaron when he is in whacky inflatable tube mode then I don’t think he’d be taken out by you and Andrew.” Nicky says with a watery smile.

“Hey.” Aaron’s voice is offended.

“Learn to dance at a club already. We’ve been going for years.” Nicky shoots back but never takes his eyes off of FF’s face.

“I dance just fine. I’m better than Kevin.” Aaron argues.

“Hey.” Kevin’s voice is offended.

“You are better than Kevin, but that’s not a real standard of good.” Nicky dismisses, “Regardless, next time grab me and I’ll grab Aaron and the three of us can hide literally anywhere other than the weird sex alley. We could go to the back room with Roland or, if it means you not ending up in the hospital with a stab wound, I would even tolerate hiding down in the straight swingers club in the basement.” Nicky says.

He sees Andrew and Captain Neil tense off to the side.

Oh, that’s right.

Oh fun another lie for him to focus on instead of feeling floaty. Gran always talked about the virtue of telling the truth but the only thing set free would be Nicky in a club that he’s not supposed to know about.

“I wouldn’t ask that of you Nicky.” FF says instead.

Nicky laughs and kisses his cheek one more time. “You’re my favorite family member now. Sorry Aaron, you’ve made me endure the horrors of a heterosexual relationship for too long.” Nicky says stroking  FF’s face as he looks up to where FF assumes Aaron is.

“Hey.” Aaron says in the exact same way he said earlier.

“Andrew-“ Nicky starts but is cut off.

“I don’t care.”

“That’s the spirit.” Nicky says, “Neil-“

“Nicky, I also don’t care.”

“At least you have one another to support each other.”

“Wait, what about me?” Kevin asks.

“You won’t even LEARN the family language Kevin, you were NEVER in the running for my favorite.” Nicky dismisses and doesn’t bother to turn back to the  “So Smithy is my favorite family member now with Aras coming in second.”

Two things strike FF in the wake of family conversation.

First, when in the world did Kevin get here? Why is he here? Is he going to ask the doctors to run tests on FF to figure out stealth mode?

Second, Nicky just used his Gran’s nickname. The nickname that causes FF no small amount of embarrassment. It was a youthful indiscretion! He had thought he understood Lithuanian quite well! He had wanted to impress his Great Gran and his Gran with his knowledge.

“You’re looking pale Smith, do you need more pain medication?” Captain Neil asks.

“No, I’m fine.” He is pretty sure that pain meds can’t numb the psychological pain of his friends hearing about his youthful mistakes and he doesn’t care how bad his stomach is going to hurt he wants to only take the absolute minimum amount of pain meds required to get through this so he can stop floating.

Having friends nearby makes it so much easier.

Conversations go on with him and around him. He’s tired still from everything and when a nurse comes in to try and give him more pain medication he declines. All present in the room except Gran try to convince him to take it but he declines all but the most minor amount to take the edge off.

He finally realizes that Kevin had not been with them and asks why the hell he’s here. He gets an answer that makes him reconsider being on any pain medication at all because it doesn’t really make any sense. Why in the world is Kevin telling him not to trust the nutritionist?

Neil lets him know that the FBI are going to be coming around at some point to talk to him. He says that Agent Browning is a dick but generally fine and that there will be a local agent Iruma Matsumoto stopping by before him, probably today. He looks right at Andrew and says “Yeah, I’ll talk with them about how Romero stabbed me.” Andrew lets out an amused puff of laughter that makes FF feel like he might be doing alright at this friendship thing.

He apologizes to Andrew that he can’t make the pie today and gets a flick to his ear.

He finds out that he slept through all of Saturday and that it is Sunday morning. Finds out that his Gran and Wymack had stayed over at the Columbia house last night and that Wymack has him excused from his classes this week. He also finds out that Nicky has given his grandma a key to the house in Columbia so she could stay there while she’s visiting him.

He apologizes to Nicky for messing up the clothes he’d let him borrow and earns another flick to the ear from Nicky.

Wymack hands him a new phone that Nicky has apparently set up for him. His lip quirks up slightly when he sees that Nicky registered it as ’Smithy’s phone’. Neil shows him some stuff since he has the same phone model but Andrew rolls his eyes.

“You’ve barely figured out how to set anything on your phone Junkie. You still haven’t even set a screen lock.” He says as he pulls Neil back from FF’s space.

“I’ve figured out how to change the notification ping.” Neil argues but lets himself be pulled away and if Andrew keeps his arm around Neil afterwards? No one comments on that.

He translates things for his Gran when it seems important for her to be able to respond to and helps Nicky with some pronunciations.

He falls asleep a couple times and wakes up to his friends and teammates in all sorts of different configurations. Nicky gets him some good sugar-free Jell-O from the nurses while Aaron smacks Kevin upside the head when Kevin complains that it’s not good for him and not part of the diet he’s making to get FF back on the Court ASAP. “He’s gotta be on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours after his surgery.” Aaron hisses.

“Why does it have to be clear? I can put it in a blender but it won’t be clear.” Kevin grumbles.

“He’s not going to be on puree’d food for at least two weeks idiot.” Aaron smacks his head again.

“Stop that.”

He hears from Wymack the other Freshman Dealer won’t be returning and that Sheena is now their only Dealer and she does not do defense well. Kevin’s disapproval for the Jell-O cups only grows stronger in light of this news. His grumbling only stops when Gran looks at him and says “Maybe someone should help you pull that stick out of your ass young man.” In her nicest most grandmotherly voice.

When Kevin turns to FF for a translation Nicky beats him to it, “She said a handsome young man like you shouldn’t ruin your face with worries.” He says without a hint that he’s lying.

Kevin preens at the grandmotherly approval of his looks and FF gets to know that he, Nicky and his grandma all have lying in common.

Eventually it’s lunch time and the natural hunger of college athlete boys trumps anything else. Kevin won’t eat anything at the cafeteria since he doesn’t trust the nutritionist so they agree to head out of the hospital to grab food. He’s more tired than hungry so he tells his Gran to go with them. She pats his face and promises she’ll be back with some clear soup for him per the Doctor’s order and despite Kevin’s grumbling that he could make a clear protein shake.

His Gran kisses his forehead and tells him that she’ll be back soon and that he should rest as much as he can.

***

FF can’t sleep.

He tried.

He really did.

But without the noise of everyone else his mind keeps going back to the last time he was in a hospital. He closes his eyes and he can see Gran’s pale face when she tells him that his dad didn’t make it and the tears when she tells him neither-

He can’t sleep.

So he gets up against medical advice and decides to go on a walk. He’s not been connected to any of the monitoring equipment since he had first woken up, just the IV keeping him hydrated. FF decides he wants to get his dad’s leather back because it would make him feel better. The leather jacket has weight that would keep his feet strictly on the ground and it’s something his Gran had given to him when he went off to college so that he could keep his dad close. He could call a nurse but it feels like he shouldn’t distract them with something as stupid as getting him his dad’s jacket so he doesn’t have a panic attack.

So he lets himself slip into the background and heads towards the nurse station. He thinks that might be where they’re holding his belongings. It’s a good first stop if nothing else.

He can’t help but notice a strange number of men in suits but figures that maybe they’re just there to talk to people who seem to have gotten caught up in some sort of mass casualty incident.

He makes it to the nurse station and when a whole 5 minutes goes by without a single nurse clocking that he exists he considers speaking up until he sees a nurse bagging up some clothes, slapping on a label, and heading away.

It’s nice when things work out for him.

Another suit wearing man comes up and a different nurse sees him there immediately and comes up, “What can I help you with?” She asks.

“I’m looking for someone with the last name Smith, he has a stab wound?” The man asks.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.” The nurse responds with exasperation but FF is already almost out of earshot when he hears it because he’s following the nurse with the bag.

He follows her down the hallway and she thankfully takes an elevator instead of going down the stairs because FF doesn’t know how he would have gotten his IV stand down with him.

FF walks in with her and he watches her slump as the doors slide close. Relaxing like most people do when they think they’re alone. Her shoulders go straight back when the elevator opens again and he follows after her.

He follows her to a door that she unlocks and proceeds to enter and FF sees a room full of the same bags with belongs all tagged with a last name and a room number. “Christ, why are there so many fucking Smiths in here right now?” She grumbles but takes him straight to the S section and he sees his own ‘Smith’ and room number.

He grabs it and heads out the door before the nurse and heads into the elevator.

His phone pings with a text message. He opens it and sees a text from an unknown number.

“Come to the Cafeteria. - IM”

FF stares at his phone for a few minutes before the initials click.

Iruma Matsumoto, the local FBI agent who was coming to talk to him today according to Captain Neil. It’s weird to be texted like this but this is the first time he’s ever had to talk to the FBI. Maybe it’s normal? He doesn’t really want to bother Captain Neil about what getting interrogated by the FBI is like since Captain Neil is out at lunch.

He decides to go to the Cafeteria.

FF follows the directory in the elevator and then the arrows that point him towards the cafeteria. He takes a moment to pull his dad’s jacket out and it does help him feel better. He realizes the McDonald’s toy is still in his pocket and thinks that he really should probably turn that over to Agent Matsumoto.

When he gets to the cafeteria he sees even more of those guys in suits and then he sees a well dressed Japanese man sitting by himself at a table. FF has a moment where he thinks ‘Wow that FBI agent sure does look like a member of the Yakuza.’ Before he squashes it because ‘OMG that’s such a fucking racist thing to think. Thoughts from the abyss are the worst and Agent Matsumoto is probably a perfectly nice guy.’

He takes a seat in front of the man who is surrounded by two other of the men in black he’s seen. Oh that guy was probably looking for him to bring him here so they could have the talk.

None of the men seem to notice him and FF realizes that he’s still in stealth mode. He sets the bag with the rest of his clothes to the side and clears his throat.

Three sets of eyes are on him immediately and FF breathes through the anxiety as the two men at either side of Agent Matsumoto seem to reach for something at their holsters.

“Captain Neil said you wanted to talk to me.” He says.

Captain Matsumoto raises a hand and the two men on either side of him return to an at ease position.

***

Ichirou Moriyama could admit to himself that he had been startled when a young man seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of him without any warning. He sees a bulge in the man’s pocket that says that he’s armed and he could have done anything before bringing attention to himself. He had men throughout the hospital and no one has spotted Wesninski or any of his cohorts but they had their eyes peeled for the uninvolved civilian who had taken out Jackson on his own and had assisted Wesninski’s guard dog in taking out Romero.

Interesting.

Ichirou clasps his hands together in over the cafeteria table.

“Yes, let’s talk.” He agrees.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

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The  requests to be added to the tag list keep being spread out across a few  different areas. If I missed you please just ask again in the replies I  promise I just missed you.

As stated before if you’re up here and I spelled it right but you didn’t get a notification there might be  something switched around in your settings that won’t let me tag you properly?

If you didn’t get notified on the last part it’s probably because I used tumblr mobile to post and our most beloved garbage fire site just didn’t like that.

[curapicas]

Oh look, the donghua is doing the heavy lifting for me and juxtaposing them on its own volition. (kind of a continuation of this)

Plot-wise, Li Tianchen's relationship with Lu Guang hinges basically on trying to manipulate and hurt Cheng Xiaoshi to do his bidding through hurting LG (worth noting this implies an understanding of such attachments, and the viciousness stems from a certain resentment of it + his twisted personality). I don't even remember if he's aware LG also has powers.

but tbh the funniest thing coming out of LTC vs CXS&LG is that, in a weird way, he was actually letting off his anger on the "right target", kinda? Technically? Of course I'm not saying LG deserves it nor that LTC was being anything but unhinged. But I do believe there's more than meets the eye (and probably informs the ways Lu Guang can be confronted on the narrative, more on that by the end)

Bc this show is competent, many characters have parallels with each protagonist, and LTC-LG are no different. There's a post I couldn't find that went on their reactions to their most precious people dying in front of them: whereas LTC loses all hope, LG has the means to go back, and thus doesn't even try to let go. Alas, they're both tacticians who, despiste meaning well for LTX and CXS, end up manipulating them into inaction/ignorance;

And they do so bc both feel adrift and out of options - but the show focus a lot on how powerless LTC feels about his life for it to not be a big factor. LTC fights so hard for a modicum of control that I don't even think it registers how he impacts LTX, meanwhile LG has so many variables stacked against him and his empathetic partner that he ends up prioritizing CXS' survival, even above their connection (he keeps to himself Emma's death, for example)

In the twins past, LG was the one that guided CXS into staying on task. And before that, he hid the photo even from the police. Tbh he'd never see it that way, but isn't this accidentally the best revenge for his stabbing? lol

Either way, LTC loses his hope, blames CXS and believes him to be what LTC hates the most, a nice guy who's secretly a jerk. Except. Who is actually closer to this description? A guy who can be polite but will stay passive if that affects CXS too much, to the point of lying about saving Chen Xiao's mom?

Curious to me he was also pretty straight forward in calling LG a jerk, and maybe it's just because LG botched his kidnapping attempt. But maybe he has pretty good instincts bc I don't think he even knows why he hates the man so much, lol. After all, for all Li Tianchen knows, everyone is a jerk who stands by and watch.

And maybe it makes him even angrier because he finally met someone who also has powers and is willing to call him "friend" and "play" with him. Considering his one friendship was with Liu Xiao, someone he's aware has plans, he might've even considered to have his own pet project on CXS. But the thing is, this person already seems to have a way more genuine friendship, and it's with LG.

Summary: LTC, if only he knew, would hate LG for not changing his past + being a guy who's very much capable of standing by and watch + having an actual friendship with CXS

DISCLAIMER: I think on his own right, Lu Guang values kindness in general. But LTC's vision is too black and white to even account for that.

While I'm on the topic of LG: while his passivity keeps him from being of any effective help to the twins, he's also keenly aware of the butterfly effect and that he could possibly make things worse instead, something CXS has been confronting throughought the story.

And yet. His objective is what ultimately makes us see this approach as instead of wise, more akin to the desperation of a grieving man - not unlike LTC who by the end of s2, gives up altogether of hope and follows the Big Bad. Besides, it somewhat clashes with the fact CXS actually does make a difference for the clients, be it by making the past more tender (Chen Bin's wife has sweeter memories, Dou Dou's life was actively made less worse) or the present better (lesbian noodles make up, Dou Dou's father and Qiao Ling reconcile), which is also something LG is aware of, since he agreed to deliver Chen Xiao's messages. So far I don't personally see a clean, objectively correct approach, thus I'm willing to bet it'll be whatever is diametrically opposite of Liu Xiao's, lmao

-kinda unrelated, but I've seen people mentioning an interview where Li Haoling-laoshi (aka the director) said he tweaked a little with Li Tianchen before s2, and he was meant to be (even more) obsessed with Cheng Xiaoshi, making this whole post even more hilarious