#the chicken fox thing is so unsettling | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sabraeal · 3 years ago

Note

Consider: Obi is green-red color blind

A Color by Any Other Name

Written for @aeroplaneblues for a surprise birthday gift! Many months ago she mentioned wanted to see a colorblind Obi, and I said, WELL WHAT A GOOD EXCUSE TO WRITE THIS PROMPT JOANNA GAVE ME. I hope your birthday is a good one, filled with a lot more nice surprises!

“Are you ever going to introduce me to your guard friends?” Suzu asks around a mouthful of dumpling. “Or are you embarrassed?”

To say Obi is unprepared, would be an understatement; there’s a pork bun lodged between his teeth, his gloves not only coated in pig grease but also far less effective against steam than he’d thought they’d be back when he’d just grabbed a plump little blob off the stall. He’d laughed off Suzu’s concerns about protective equipment; after all, if smiths use leather gloves, they’ve got to be just as good as an oven mitt.

They aren’t. Not to mention the roof of his mouth starting to have a real good think about peeling off and having a vacation. Maybe even with someone who doesn’t eat entire dumplings straight from the basket.

“Wha?” he manages eloquently, nearly drooling spicy meat drippings onto the street.

“I know I’m not cool like they are,” Suzu continues, warming to his new thesis. If his sudden flush of confidence is any measure, he’s spent more of time composing his arguments for this than Obi’s ever seen him work on his actual defense. “And I’m no good with a sword. Or fists. Or really any implement that isn’t a scalpel, and any opponent that isn’t already anesthetized. But I am very smart.”

There’s a thoughtful pause before Suzu adds, “Some people do enjoy that, you know.”

What Obi knows is that this kid tried this conversation on for size in front of Yuzuri, and she didn’t even bother to warn him as a courtesy. See if he buys her any more meat-on-sticks when she’s ‘left her purse in the lab’ now.

“That’s not--” he takes a hurried minute to swallow-- “not what’s happening. I didn’t...”

Even know you knew I didn’t work for the pharmacy. His teeth clamp shut around that winner, and its friend, I didn’t think you lot would want to hang out with a bunch of men without degrees. Not only would that encourage Suzu to make a scene right here, right now, but if it got back to Jirou-- well, if he thought Suzu could turn any day into a disaster, the lieutenant would make that seem like a vacation.

“I didn’t think you wanted to,” he settles on instead. Similar enough in feel, if...creatively edited. “You scholar types tend to flock together.”

“Well, sure,” Suzu murmurs, stymied, “but we’re friends too, aren’t we? If all my friends are your friends, then all your friends should be my friends.”

Only an academic could talk about arithmetic with that amount of confidence, especially the kind that involved transitive properties and letters, and all sorts of things that made Obi’s head spin.

“Well,” he hums, one boot scratching his calf. “You would know.”

Suzu whirls on him, staring down his long fox-snout of a nose. “You mean it? You’ll really...?”

“Sure. If that’s what you want.” He twitches his shoulders, more casual than he feels. “It’s fine if it’s you.”

There’s always been a lazy lilt to Suzu’s eyes, but it disappears now, all the sleepiness gone to surprise. “Me? You wouldn’t want to bring anyone else?”

“Well, definitely not Kazaha.” The glares he’d get bringing that twiggy pedant into the guardhouse might be enough to drop him dead on the spot. “And Yuzuri would be too popular.”

Suzu grimaces. “The number of admirers she’d get from a wink alone...she’d be unlivable.”

He can see it now, her ponytail bobbing with a buoyant glee, giggling through every painstaking penned line from her fan club-- “Think of all the bad poetry.”

“Honestly, that might make it worth it. At least I’ll feel better about not knowing the difference between a quartet and a quatrain.” Suzu takes a thoughtful bite of him bun. “And you couldn’t bring Shirayuki, of course.”

“Right.” Not a one of them could be trusted to keep their lips sealed; she’d hardly have to take a breath and someone would call her Obi’s lady, or ask how they met, or whether she’s still Mistress behind closed doors--

But Suzu wouldn’t know any of that. “Wait, why?”

“Well...” He has the grace to look chagrined about it, whatever it is. “You know. Her hair...?”

“Oh.” Obi shrugs. “Sure, I guess.”

“You guess?” Suzu stares. “Shirayuki has a non-zero amount of stories about being kidnapped for looking like a candied apple, and you guess there might be a fuss about bringing her ‘round to the guardhouse?”

“Well, none of you acted weird about it,” he snips, hiding his annoyance behind a bite of dumpling. “There’s no reason they will.”

“Of course no one at Lilias acted weird, Obi!” he squawks, arms flailing as he talks. “You couldn’t pay them to look at anything but their own project. But when a bunch of normal men with eyes and, uh, other working appendages see a cute girl with red hair and a soft voice, they’re gonna go crazy!”

His palm hooks around his shoulder, thumb digging into the hard knot at his collarbone. “Aw, come on. It’s not that special.”

“Not that--?” Suzu whips around, eyes round as dumplings. “Obi, she’s the only person I’ve ever seen with red hair.”

“You don’t get out much,” Obi deadpans. “No offense.”

“That’s not--” Suzu grunts, throwing up his hands-- “She’s the only person anyone’s ever seen with red hair!”

“Her dad’s is kind of red.” That observation wins him an unimpressed look, one that says you’re missing the point. “And Yuzuri had blue hair when I met her. That’s way more interesting--”

“It was dyed!” Suzu wobbles over to a wall, sitting with his head in his hands. “Shirayuki has a hair color so rare that the birth records in Clarines haven’t noted it in more than fifty years! And you think Yuzuri dying her hair with woad is more impressive.”

“Well, even her natural color is brighter than Miss’s. Not--” he waves a hand between them, quelling-- “that Miss’s hair isn’t nice enough. But I’d think that people would pay more attention to that.”

“...Brighter?” Suzu murmurs after a long moment, stilted. “Obi, could you tell me what color that sign is, right over there?”

“The one for the tea shop?” He wrinkles his nose. “Why--?”

“Just...indulge me for a moment.”

“All right.” He squints up at the moon cresting over a wolf’s head. “Blue.”

“Right, and, um, that coat over there.”

“Yellow.”

“Right.” Suzu’s voice is tight, stressed. “And what I’m wearing?”

Obi squints. This one’s a little harder, but he’s confident when he says, “Green.”

“Ah, right.” Suzu stands, a unsteady on his feet. “That would explain that, then.”

Obi blinks. “Explain what?”

“Obi,” Suzu begins, with all the gravitas of both a grim prognosis and a terrible joke. “You can’t see colors.”

It’s not the first time Obi’s played hound to his prey’s fox, but there’s something distinctly unsettling about it being Suzu that leaves him lagging behind, unsure of himself. Especially with the way he scurries through the concourse, bounding toward the mess hall with this idea caught between his teeth like chicken feathers.

“I can see colors just fine,” Obi informs him with far less confidence than he’d like. “Some of them are just hard to tell apart. Weren’t you and Yuzuri arguing yesterday about whether salmon is orange or pink?”

Suzu waves a hand at him, dismissive. “That’s different. Salmon’s both orange and pink, and what color it looks most like has to do with the composition of your eye-- and it’s pink by the way, with orange undertones--”

Between the two of them, Obi knows who he’d trust to know their colors. “Uh-huh.”

“You can’t make out red and green, which is different entirely, and--” the doors to the mess burst open beneath his hands, a noise lost in the din of a hundred scholars trying to share the same table-- “YOU GUYS WON’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST FOUND.”

The whole of Shidan’s lab-- minus the man himself-- have taken up right by the door, bags and coats piled to save them their places on the bench. Suzu makes short work of the pile on his seat, haphazardly shoving them to the floor as he sits.

Kazaha peers at him and ventures mildly, “A new way to avoid finishing your thesis?”

“No,” Suzu hums between his grit teeth, “but I have found out--”

“I don’t think we need to do this,” Obi murmurs, handing Miss her muffler. “It’s not--”

“Obi,” he intones with far more gravitas than his name has ever strictly deserved, “can’t see colors.”

“Not at all?” Kazaha turns those sharp eyes to him, like he’s a specimen under glass. “Just black and white?”

“I can see just fine,” Obi huffs, tossing Yuzuri her coat before he slides onto the bench, knee knocking into Miss’s in a way that puts his heart through its paces. “Suzu is just making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Is that so?” he hums with a grin. “Then what color is Shirayuki’s hair?”

He stifles a sigh. It’s best to put all this to bed now, before he’s stuck playing what’s this color for the next two years. “Red.”

“What’s the point of this?” Yuzuri yawns, already bored. Obi shoots her a grateful look, glad that at least one of them isn’t going to play Suzu’s game.

It’s too bad he’s already puffed up with unearned confidence, like an evolutionist at a botany lecture. “And what’s the color of Ryuu’s cloak?”

He knows it by heart-- how could he not, when the two most important people in this city wear matching ones-- but still Obi glances up, anticipating a trick. Ryuu stares back, confused and guileless. “Blue.”

“Great, good.” Suzu’s grin stretches from ear to ear. “Now what color is your scarf?”

Obi’s fingers knot in the fabric, the weft tickling the pads of his fingers. “Well, it’s...sort of reddish, isn’t it?”

This is the wrong answer.

“It makes so much sense,” Yuzuri murmurs in wonder. “You really don’t know how ugly Suzu’s outfits are. That’s why you still hang out with him.”

“Hey!” Suzu pouts. “That’s not very nice.”

“No, that has nothing to do with color, it’s the cut.” Anxiety spikes through him. “But wait, it is red isn’t it? My scarf?”

“No,” Miss murmurs at his side, cheeks flushes. “Obi, it’s...it’s green.”

He stares down at it, trying to imagine what that might look like. “Green.”

“It looks very nice on you!” Her small fingers wrapping in the fur at his elbow. “It’s your color, really.”

“Oh, sure,” he murmurs, faint. “I guess it matches my eyes.”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘it has nothing to do with the color?’“ Suzu’s hands fly to his hips, brows drawn tight over the long line of his nose. “My clothes are just fine.”

“They aren’t.” Obi leans in next to him, grin feeling thinner than it should. “But I hang out with you anyway, which means you know we’re really friends.”

Kazaha rubs at his chin, where his ode to Shidan’s goatee is failing to thrive. “You know what this also explains?”

Obi blinks. “What?”

“All the black.”

It’s not Kazaha that says it, oh no. That would be too merciful for a mortifying moment out of his life. Instead it’s low and feminine, and when Miss Kiki leans out from the other side of Miss, it’s like a siren emerging from the depths, teeth bared to tear a man to shreds. “What an interesting thing I’ve learned today.”

“Miss Kiki! How--?” He gulps. “Why--?”

“I came to deliver a message from Wirant,” she drawls, too pleased. “And it seems I’ve earned myself a fine tip.”

“No,” he breathes. “You can’t-- you’re not going to tell Master, are you? Or Sir?”

“Oh,” she hums, looking particularly hungry for manflesh. “I certainly will.”

“Oh, there there.” Miss pats his back, the sensation lost among the dozen layers of clothing between them. “I’m sure Kiki won’t tell them, not until you’re ready! You asked her not to.”

“I think that just means,” Obi mutters, voice muffled by his arms and the wall he’s throwing himself over, “that she’ll just enjoy telling them more.”

“Ah...” He doesn’t need to see her to know her grimace. “Yes, that’s...probably right.”

He lets out a heavy, dramatic sigh. It helps a little. So does a bit of flailing.

“They won’t make a big deal out of it,” Miss says, changing tack. “It hardly changes anything! I’m sure they’ll just forget as soon as she tells them.”

He peeps one eye over his elbow. “That’s easy for you to say, you haven’t spent the last half an hour playing What’s That Color.”

“Well,” she wheedles, “they are scholars.”

Obi groans, loud and long, which doesn’t help; but it echoes out over the rooftops, returning back to him, which does.

“How...?”

Miss hesitates, a gloved finger pressed to her lips. He sighs, already braced for the onslaught-- how didn’t you know? how did you go so long without knowing your colors? how do you find people if you can’t even tell what hair color they have--?

“How did you notice?”

Obi lifts his head, unblinking. “What?”

“How did you notice?” Miss repeats, more firmly this time. “You’ve spent your whole life this way, haven’t you? It must have taken something really special to realize there was more than what you see.”

“Uh.” It’s nice that it’s darker here, that it’s cold. He has perfect legitimate reasons to be flushed. “Well, it was Suzu really. He mentioned that--” his teeth clamp down around his words, not letting them out without a hasty edit-- “that people think your hair’s pretty special, and I said I didn’t get why...”

Miss stiffens beside him, a statue that breathes, and he hastily adds, “Not that you aren’t special, Miss. It’s just, the red...”

“Right.” The words comes out stilted, strange. “You can’t see it. You actually...haven’t ever seen it.”

A silence settles on them like a wool blanket; not one of those nice ones at the castle, or the fleecy ones Miss stockpiles like one day the North might run out of sheep, but the itchy, coarse-woven ones of his childhood. Uncomfortable and smelling faintly of animal.

“So,” he coughs, fixing his gaze out over the city. “What did Kiki want?”

“Oh...” Miss shifts, mouth pulling into a guilty grimace. “She came to tell me that the Queen Dowager has invited me to dinner. Tomorrow night.”

His brows raise. “Well, well.”

“Don’t,” she murmurs, head giving the barest shake. “It’s not like that.”

“Are you sure?” He shouldn’t press, but if he doesn’t, no one else will. “After you told Master--”

“I told him a list of reasons why I thought I would be a better ally as a friend, and not as a...” Miss loses steam, letting her words sigh into the air. “I’d like to believe this has to do with my work with Phostyrias.”

He watches her, careful. “But do you?”

“I don’t know,” she says, which is as good as any no.

Obi’s barely stepped into the Protector’s solar when Master asks, “What color is my jacket?”

His head swivels, delivering a glare so flat carpets would be jealous. Miss Kiki only hums, shoulder lifting in a disinterested shrug. “I said I was going to tell them.”

Fair enough.

“It’s blue,” he deadpans, flopping onto the cushiest divan. He’s too long for it, his boots spilling off one arm a idling over the floor. “Apparently I can see that one just fine.”

According to Miss, at least; she’d unearthed a slip of a book from the university’s library, outlining the limits of his sight. Little Ryuu had pored over it for a day before showing up at his door, flushed faced and nervous.

Garrack always told me I had nice eyes, he’d admitted, lingering at the threshold. I was hoping you could see them.

Cross as he is about the whole thing, Obi can’t regret that. He might not have Miss’s hair, or Suzu’s coat-- thankfully-- but Ryuu’s eyes would always look true to him.

“But not red.” Master’s mouth twitches, far too entertained. “Or green.”

“I do see them,” he protests. “They just...don’t look very different to me.”

Just another shade of yellow and brown, if those books are right. Which they are, since he’d always thought so. Subtly different, like the way Suzu and Yuzuri fought over salmon, or Master and Miss Kiki would dither over chartreuse. Just enough that he’d been able to eke by on keeping his mouth shut and a fondness for black.

Still, there’s nothing worse than finding out something new about yourself this late in the game. Especially when--

“What about the curtains?” Master inquires. “Can you see those?”

--Especially when it’s so endlessly entertaining to everyone else. “I can see them,” he grumbles, sinking further into the cushions. “Just because I can’t see some colors doesn’t mean I’m blind.”

“Then what about the note?”

Obi rolls his gaze to where Sir perches at his desk. “Huh?”

“To our red-haired guest.” Sir coughs, a flush working its way up his neck. “It’s just-- you wrote that.”

“Oh, His Grace told me that one.” A lifetime ago, it seemed. “‘The red-haired girl, you’ll know her when you see her, I’m sure.’“

Master winces. Obi can admit his talent doesn’t lie with impressions, especially ones of dour old men.

“Right,” Sir presses, voice oddly tight. “But you don’t see-- I mean, how could you find a girl that looks just like everyone else?”

“Ah...” He grimaces, scrubbing at the top of his head. “Well, I just looked for the girl who didn’t belong. It--” he hesitates, suddenly aware of Master’s eyes on him-- “didn’t take very long.”

Master’s frown belongs above one of those prie-dieu, to remind penitents that forgiveness isn’t absolute. “What is that supposed to--?”

“So what does she look like?” No one could say that after a decade of dedication, Miss Kiki doesn’t know how to do her job; she deflects Master’s brewing sour mood with the ease of a professional. “What does her hair look like to you?”

“Uh.” He clears his throat, tugging at his collar. “I wasn’t lying when I said I bought my scarf to match...”

There is a stillness to the room that is too much, too pitiful. Much as he hated it, Obi would much rather be a joke than a charity case.

“Huh,” Sir grunts, gaze still fixed to his neck. “Now I wonder what we all look like to you.”

“Well, I sort of wonder what you all look like to yourselves.” Obi let a sigh float wistfully through his lips. “At least I know that me and Miss still have the same eyes.”

There’s silence again, but this one buzzes, filled with words no one dares to say.

“What?” he laughs, nervous, pulling himself upright. “Don’t we?”

Sir grimaces. “Ah, Obi...”

Miss is quiet when they walk the walls home that night, the winter stillness making the silence and heavy as any drift. Her mouth is pursed, not with anything like anger, but something closer to consideration. As if there’s words back there she’s sorting through, trying to compose a thought that just won’t come.

Well, she should know: she won’t get anywhere if she doesn’t air a few of them out to look at. “Something wrong, Miss?”

She blinks, shaken out from wherever she gone away. Her mind palace, maybe. Suzu’d told him about those once, with busts and painting and curtained alcoves. What she’d do with a place like that, he couldn’t imagine, but if anyone asked, he’d put his money on hers having apothecary drawers instead, and gardens too. The kind with half crumbled walls, ivies curled around every stone. Cluttered desks piled high with books, and one of them with curtain drawn to let its owner nap the afternoon away.

“Oh,” she breathes, finally. “No, no. Nothing’s, um, wrong. I was just...thinking.”

He lifts a knowing brow. “So something is wrong.”

“That’s not what I said,” she informs him, primly. “I was going over my meeting with Haruto, and...”

Her lips snap shut around the words, distress narrowing her eyes. “And...?”

“She didn’t know about my work,” Miss huffs, arms wrapping tight around her chest. “Or, she did, but only what Zen had told her. Which...”

Was far less than the whole of it. He’d heard that part of her argument that night, try as he might not to. “So she invited you as Zen’s ally?”

“No.” The word is colder than any he’s ever heard fall from her lips. “That I wouldn’t mind-- I’m still trying to be his ally, after all, and if she saw me as an asset...” She shook her head. “No, she wanted to meet his...paramour, even if she didn’t say as much.”

Obi grimaces.

“And even that wouldn’t be so bad if...” Miss took a deep, steeling breath. “When I came in, after all the curtsies and pleasantries, she said, your hair is just as red as he said it was.” Her knuckles are white where they wrap around her elbows. “All those years, all those letters, and the only thing he thinks to tell his mother is that my hair...”

The rest is lost in a sigh, a cloud of mist swirling off the wall.

“It must really be something,” Obi deadpans, gaze following it off the edge. “Since it makes all these people forget how smart you are.”

She’s watching him; he can feel it as she sidles up to where he stands, hands unclenching from her arms and splaying on the crenellations instead. “Obi, you really can’t...?”

Miss hesitates, falls silent. He lets her; she’s put enough words in the air to sort through, and now all she needs is time. Obi’s happy to give it to her.

Especially since there’s a rabbit down there in the dark. A small one, moving slow, hind legs churning like clockwork winding up. It’s nose digs into the snow, snuffling around, searching--

“Can you really see better?” Miss asks, startling him back to the wall. “In the dark, I mean. That book said you could.”

“Well, after the past couple days, I’m a little shaky on what’s normal.” He jerks his chin over the edge. “Can you see the rabbit down there? Right by that sapling?”

She blinks, pressing in close. “The what? It’s just...dark out there.”

“Well,” he says, grin tight on his lips. “There’s your answer.”

Miss settles back on her heels, one hand already cupping her chin. “It makes sense. Without the distraction of color, your movement tracking must be much more acute...”

Obi only half-manages to stifle a laugh. “Seems like it definitely distracts everyone else.”

Miss goes quiet; almost too quiet, enough to make his teeth sit on edge. The seconds tick by, and Obi might play at patience, but it’s not in his nature. He glances down, just from the corners of his eyes, but Miss is already watching him, eyes strangely shuttered.

“Obi,” she says, so clear his name rings in his ears. “You don’t...? My hair, it’s not...” Her mouth works, quiet, before she manages, “It’s not anything to you?”

Anything special, she means. Because that’s what he said so stupidly last night, nothing special.

She’d tied it up tonight, finagling the strange looping knots that were partial to the queen’s court, but already some of it’s worn loose, slipping from its pins. “It is,” he murmurs. “I like it.”

She huffs, unimpressed. “But you can’t see it, not really.”

“Of course I can see it,” he laughs, weary. “Maybe not the color, but that’s fine. I like it because it’s yours.”

She ducks her head, and Obi might not be good at colors, but he can see her cheeks flush in the lamplight.

“Miss.” Her gaze lifts to his, no longer shuttered, just full. “Can I ask you something?”

Her breath catches. “Anything.”

“Be straight with me,” he pleads. “We do have the same eye color right?”

“Obi!” Miss‘s laughter bubbles bright with betrayal as she hops down the stairs after him. “Obi, please--”

“Let me grieve, Miss,” he grumbles, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’ve been a real champ about the rest, but let me have this.”

“Obi!” She catches him round the wrist, mouth twitching as she turns to him. “Is it really so bad that they’re gold?”

“No,” he mutters sullenly, shoulders slumped enough that with two stairs between them, they’re nearly the same height. “It’s just...”

Her eyes flutter wide with curiosity. “Just...?”

“It’s fine enough that they’re unique.” He spits the word with more venom than it deserves. “I just I wanted this one thing in common.”

“In common?” Miss blinks. “You mean, me and...?”

Obi would lay down his life for his mistress, but even she can’t ask him to do this, to lay down his pride for her to walk on.

“Oh!” She flusters, limbs fluttering in the air between them. He’s half-tempted to turn away again, but she grabs his face and holds him steady, her cold, slender fingers caught behind his jaw. “Just-- just one moment...”

“Miss?” he wheezes. This is entirely too close, too much--

“Yes!” He breath flutters over his lips, her own parting in a celebration of teeth. “That’s it. I see it. There’s a little, right there.”

He blinks. “A little what, Miss?”

Her teeth flash around the word, “Green.”

It’s cruel to throw a starving dog a bone, but he snaps it up anyway, heart nearly clogging up his throat with hope. “D’you mean it? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Really,” she promises, her nod serious and officious as any she might give Little Ryuu. “There’s a thread, right around the middle. Green. Just like mine.”

“Oh.” His own hands raise, leather muting the feel of her skin, but-- Master always told him about the red thread that bound him and Miss together, that drew them toward their fated meeting, but this-- Obi will take this too. “Thank you, Miss.”

She smiles, eyes shining bright in the lamplight. “No, Obi, it’s my pleasure.”

Not much different between green and red to him, anyway.

#obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #my fic #ans #this request has been sitting in my box since 2017 #when i FIRST started joking about this au #and i always meant to get around to it #but obviously my last few years have been filled with some things that have perhaps kept me #from being able to do all the things I meant to 🤣#but once Anne brought this up again #I knew i had a very good excuse to finally get this thing out in the world #AND HERE IT IS #it takes place some amount of time after the current arc

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qqueenofhades · 3 years ago

Note

an angsty 50 for darklina, pretty please?

50. Beyond the Veil

She hears him for the first time at dusk at the autumn equinox, the very moment when the days tip over into darkness, rushing toward the domain of the Starless Saint, Ravka's endless cold winter nights and heavy snowfalls. She's put the chickens out to their coop, and she's bending down to make sure the latch on the cage is secure -- there have been too many foxes recently -- when the voice comes. She thinks it's just the wind. And then she doesn't.

Alina.

She drops the bag of feed and straightens up, whirling around, her heart pounding in both terror and-- well, there's no other word for it, hope. "Aleksander?" she says, looking at the empty meadow, the line of twilit trees that border the farm. "Aleksander, is that -- is that you?"

He came to her before, after all, regardless of physical distance or emotional estrangement -- their secret meetings in the dark of his old chambers, now hers, in the heart of the Little Palace. Death is different, but perhaps for the most powerful Grisha who has ever lived, not eternal. Alina wipes her hands on her apron, waiting. Speak to me, she wants to say. Tell me that you're there. That you're safe.

Alina, the wind sighs again. It does sound like him, or maybe that is only her wishful thinking. You left me no choice, she wants to shout at him. I would have done anything -- anything -- to save you, but you forced my hand. She can't regret that the Fold is gone and Nikolai has become king, that Ravka has a chance to make amends for what it has gone through, but Alina remains profoundly unsettled about her own part in it. She knows that the man who kissed her so tenderly was also the tyrant who would have unloosed the volcra on every one of Ravka's enemies, real or imagined. You cannot reckon with the sum of Aleksander Morozova's life and leave out the poison and the destruction and the hatred, as well as the idealism and fervor and heroism. I had to kill you. I had to.

And so, here she is. On the farm with Mal, her Sun Summoner powers relinquished, the wider world believing her to be dead, the future that she always said she didn't want. How has this happened to me? Alina tries to be kind to her younger, traumatized self, the girl forced into a war she didn't want and didn't understand, the burden that was heaped on her shoulders far before her time, and which would have buckled anyone twice her age. All the hungry eyes, the desperate hands, the plaintive calls. Sankta Alina, Sankta Alina, help us, help us. It was never something that one barely-grown girl should be asked to bear. No wonder Alina cracked. No wonder she fled, back to the idea of the one place she had always felt -- however wrongly -- safe.

The farm is... fine. As farms go. Mal is still Mal, sometimes. But you can't go back. You cannot pick up the threads of an old life as if nothing has changed. Alina's hands curl and ache in longing for her vanished power, the ability to matter -- she threw it out with the rest, too frightened to understand what it meant. But Aleksander knew. Aleksander tried to tell her, to warn her, even in his clumsy and damaged way. There is no one else in the world like us, Alina.

Her head starts up; she isn't sure if that came from her memories, or if the ghost of him -- or whatever is here, haunting her -- said it instead. She peers at the shadows in the fields. Is that peculiarly man-shaped thing -- is that him? Or just another of the strange creatures that gather by twilight, and should not be looked at too closely?

"Aleksander?" she says aloud, into the stillness. "Aleksander, please, are you there?"

She would give anything to hear him answer. Anything at all.

There is only silence. The bloated red sun disappears behind the horizon. The wind blows cold, and Alina Starkov -- no more, no less -- feels more profoundly alone than she has been in her entire life. And with that comes the simplest and most difficult of realizations.

She has made the wrong choice. Her time is not done. She needs to go back. She needs to find what is hers. Her power and her dark prince alike, and make it better than it was before. Is that not the entire premise of history, the arc of the universe? They are not simply doomed to a repeat of the disaster that came before, mindlessly following the same dark path to the same shattering end. They can make it right, and raw, and real. Aleksander Morozova may yet achieve his dearest dream after all, theirs. Alina only needs to be brave enough to face it, and, she realizes, this time, she is ready.

You and I are not done, she tells the shade of the Darkling, wherever and whatever he might now be. I'm coming to find you.

[spooky season fic prompts]

#fic prompts #spooky prompts #darklina #darklina ff #i WILL fix canon with this and the helnik one #nobody can stop me #anonymous #ask

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delimeful · 4 years ago

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Brewer

third installment in the minecraft AU series! thanks to one of my patrons for requesting it!

Ender | Spider |

warnings: brief moment of panic

Logan was becoming suspicious, as of late.

Patton’s strange behavior had started innocuously enough. Logan himself had commented on how cramped the man’s house was with all those stray cats he kept inviting in, so it wasn’t that strange that he’d decided to move to a larger house.

What was strange was that Patton-- who thrived among friends-- would move to a house on the outskirts of the village, one that was a fair distance away from the iron golem Logan had crafted as well. Stranger still was his insistence on remodeling it to have a higher ceiling, despite the fact that he seemed to have no intention of incorporating a second floor.

That said, those elements alone weren’t indicative of anything dangerous. All of it could have been excused as simply Patton being Patton, were it not for the most unsettling behavior of all: repeatedly vanishing into the woods for long stretches of the day.

Logan had felt the first stirrings of panic when he first stopped by the village and found that there was no trace of Patton in either house or fields. When his old friend had returned unharmed, he’d been more relieved than curious, assuming that he’d simply gotten turned around in the forest for a bit.

The second time this occurred, he wasn’t as certain.

See, Logan only visited the village a few times a week, mostly preferring to stay in his small, isolated home to work on his experiments. It helped keep the other villagers from growing uneasy at his presence as well.

That Patton would be missing during multiple visits implied that this was a regular occurrence, and asking around seemed to confirm Logan’s suspicions. The other residents of the small village didn’t mind his wandering, so long as he continued to pull his weight as a farmer. Patton was technically the first resident of this village, and he’d done more than his fair share of helping out others, so there wasn’t a negative word to be said about him.

The man in question avoided questions on the matter, which he really should have known would only make Logan more curious about this behavior. So, he decided to do a little investigating of his own.

That was how he found himself here, trailing after Patton as the man ambled through the woods, seemingly without a care in the world. He’d just begun to believe that perhaps this was simply a new routine (and felt a little embarrassed about his speculations) when Patton came to an abrupt stop, and pulled a strip of fabric out of his pocket.

He proceeded to blindfold himself. Logan stared, confused beyond belief and more than a little worried. If it was Roman, the act could have been justified as training-- many of the monsters that roamed the land made distinctive noises, and so honing his hearing would serve him well.

But this was Patton, who would cry if he saw a fox attack a chicken. He wasn’t the type to go out hunting monsters. At this rate, it was more likely that monsters would be hunting him.

As though summoned by his thoughts, there was a low, electric hum in the air, and between one blink and the next, an enderman appeared. The creature’s silhouette was dark and looming, limbs long and clawed, purple afterimages around it.

It was also looking directly at Patton, the way Logan had only ever seen enderman act when they were on the brink of attacking. His heartbeat seemed to multiply tenfold, and he took a step forward, mentally cataloguing all the potions he had on hand as protectiveness swelled in him--

“Good morning, kiddo!”

Logan went still as Patton reached up, letting his hand hang in the air, and then--

And then the enderman placed its hand against Patton’s, making its characteristic warped noises before teleporting back and forth in place. Patton grinned, still sightless behind the blindfold.

“Okay, is it hide and seek again today?”

The enderman made two low noises, which Patton seemed to take as assent, because he began to count down. The monster teleported around Patton for a moment before striding away into the forest.

Logan watched from a distance, disbelieving, as for the next half hour, the two of them ‘played’ together. There was no denying that the enderman was an active participant. It would often teleport or coo when Patton was nearby, the noise giving away its position, and always eventually let Patton reach out and find it, ‘winning’ each round.

There were a couple close calls where Patton almost stepped into a body of water or got too close to plains where creepers resided, but the enderman always guided him away, directly or indirectly, regardless of the game. It certainly explained how Patton had survived this long on these excursions.

It explained nothing about the creature itself, though, and so when Logan finally got too close and was spotted by those unearthly purple eyes, he was careful not to meet its gaze. Some elements of his physiology had changed since he’d been struck by lightning all those years ago, but just because creepers ignored him didn’t mean enderman would. He wasn’t going to risk agitating such a unique specimen-- particularly not since it was Patton’s friend.

The enderman teleported behind Patton, making the farmer jump slightly. “Anxiety? Is something wrong?”

It chirped but didn’t look away from Logan, assessing him carefully as Patton reached up and tugged his blindfold down slightly. He was careful not to look behind him, and ‘Anxiety’ remained firmly out of peripheral vision in return.

“Logan!” Patton gasped, looking guilty and surprised. “Oh my goodness, did you follow me all the way out here?”

“I was… curious,” he admitted, “and it looks like I was right to be.”

Patton stiffened, spreading his arms slightly as though he could possibly hide the enderman’s lanky frame behind him. “He’s not dangerous, Lo, I promise!”

Logan felt the strangest sense of deja vu. Patton had used nearly the same exact phrasing about him while he was defending Logan to the villagers in town. His friend had always been the first to see the good in others.

“I believe you, and anyhow, I’ve observed that much for myself,” he said soothingly, raising his empty hands. “I’m not upset, only intrigued. I’ve never seen an enderman behave the way this one does.”

Patton relaxed, offering Logan a relieved smile. He reached behind him to match palms with the enderman again. “It’s okay, Anxiety. Logan is my friend, he won’t do anything to hurt you.”

Logan nodded in confirmation, remaining still as the enderman curiously teleported a bit closer to look him over. It-- or rather, he-- seemed to be just as curious about Logan as Logan was about him. He wondered if it was because he was a 'witch', or if any villager friend of Patton's would garner this response.

The stray thought made him pause, a new worry occurring to him. “You may want to be careful making promises about friends, Patton. This sort of thing won’t stay secret for long, and I expect Roman’s response to the situation may not be as calm and composed as mine.”

Going by Patton's answering groan, he agreed.

#sanders sides #minecraft au #ts virgil #ts patton #ts logan #enderman virgil #my writing #writing #this is just fun fluff tbh

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dustyard · 4 years ago

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Pride and Prejudice Dæmons

I reread Pride and Prejudice for the thousandth time this weekend, so have some dæmon headcanons for (almost all of) the characters! Keep in mind all forms have positives and negatives, and some of these characters simply portray certain animal’s characteristics in a negative way. That doesn’t make everybody who has these traits bad.

Elizabeth Bennet: Red Fox

I’m just saying, Elizabeth is basically the OG red fox character. Socially flexible, adaptable, intelligent, just a bit mischievous, confidant... She’s the whole package. In fact, in a world where dæmons existed, I would argue that Elizabeth would be the reason red foxes are such a popular form. At this time period, foxes in Britain were treated like vermin, and you’ll notice in the novel that Elizabeth is not often well-liked due to her sarcastic, unimpressed attitude.

Fitzwilliam Darcy: Friesian horse

Now I know Friesians are a pretty stereotypical horse-girl choice, but I think they fit Darcy well. Horses in general are socially selective, so while they do need and want socialization, they only want it with very specific people. Friesians specifically are dependable, intelligent, and loyal, which are key parts of Darcy's characterization, but being horses are also prone to anxiety and nervousness, which pretty accurately sums up our resident man with social anxiety. Being herd animals, horses are also relatively attentive to social status, which is a trait Darcy struggles with throughout the novel. Also, much like Friesians, Darcy seems intimidating and aloof but is really just a bit vain and shy.

Jane Bennet: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Beautiful, sweet, social, patient, and bred entirely to be a lovely companion to a wealthy person. Jane is a lady through and through, soft-natured and kind-hearted; she’s never thought a cruel thing about anyone in her life.

Charlotte Lucas: Western Jackdaw

Plain to look at but intelligent and resourceful, jackdaws fit Charlotte's characterization perfectly. She’s perceptive, concerned with social status, ambitious, and adaptable, all of which are jackdaw traits. She’s also empathetic and friendly, which fit these sociable birds well.

Mr. Bingley: Golden Retriever

You know I’m right. There is not a thought in that man’s head the whole book, just happiness and sunshine.

Mrs. Bennet: Pond Olive Mayfly

Her whole purpose in the novel is dedicating herself to the success of her daughters, and she does smashingly well with marrying them off. She is mostly harmless, but she can be irritating. There is also a pretty strong implication in the novel that Mrs. Bennet married Mr. Bennet fast and young, and that she feels a bit like her life basically was over once she was married, and mayflies only live for about two weeks... you can probably read into the symbolism there.

Mr. Bennet: Domestic cat

More of an introvert than the rest of his family, intelligent, a bit aloof despite the fact that he does really love his daughters (especially Elizabeth), intelligent, and enjoyable grumpy and sarcastic, he is a cat person. I picture him with a slightly scruffy tabby that just wants to nap and be left alone.

Lydia Bennet: Unsettled (she’s fifteen), but probably some type of bird (we don’t see enough of her as an adult for me to form a solid opinion)

Lydia is the definition of the pretty bird in the gilded cage. She’s ambitious and competitive, as well as a bit of a show-off, but she never quite manages to grow out of her naiveté. She’s likes pretty forms, or ones that she thinks make her look high-class, though often her dæmon has trouble holding them for too long. She’s flighty and unreliable, and it’s hard for her attention to be held on any one thing for too long, including her dæmon’s settled form.

Kitty Bennet: Unsettled (seventeen), again, we don’t really see her in adulthood

Kitty’s sweet and social, but she’s also quite naïve, gullible, vain, and she likes drama. She isn’t very strong-minded, usually just following along with whatever Lydia’s doing. Much like her sister, she likes to have her dæmon take on pretty forms that she never quite knows what to do with. When she does settle, she will probably be disappointed, having hoped for a flashy, fancy form.

Mary Bennet: Little Owl

Mary is intelligent, but she’s also frequently condescending and socially unaware, though she is communicative. She also very much has Middle Child Syndrome. She’s dutiful and self-sufficient, but she never catches much attention because she’s considered rather plain and uninspired. Mostly she’s just young and wants to be noticed by people, because her parents don’t pay much attention to her. Her dæmon reflects her dutifulness, but also her general selfishness; it’s not that Mary doesn’t love her sisters, but she is a bit envious of them.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh: Brakel Rooster

Opinionated, traditional, obsessed with social standing, vain, and prideful, as well as surprisingly aggressive and territorial, Lady Catherine would absolutely have a chicken dæmon and none of you can convince me otherwise.

Caroline Bingley: Scarlet Darter

Dragonflies are notoriously impressive hunters from a young age, and Caroline is capable, and rather ruthless. Scarlet darters are migratory insects, and like her dæmon, Caroline is always seeking out the most advantageous situation for herself. Dragonflies are also territorial (especially males), and Caroline certainly likes to stake her claim on that which she believes is hers by right.

George Wickham: Stoat

Stoat’s are resourceful, confident, prideful little animals who are capable of manipulating the people around them very successfully. Wickham is unfortunately an example of the ways stoat traits can can negatively affect the people around him. He’s smart, and puts on an attractive front, but he’s concerned first and foremost with himself, and is not afraid to lie, cheat, and ruin the reputation of a young girl to get it.

Emma Woodhouse: Indian Blue Peafowl (male) I know she’s not in P&P but I had to add her

If there was ever a person whose dæmon would fit the form of a peacock, it would be our lovely Miss Woodhouse. Vain, a show-off, judgemental, social (in an interesting way), well-versed in social hierarchy, but ultimately pretty harmless, there really isn’t any other form I can imagine her dæmon settling as. She would probably also appreciated the added “exotic” appearance her dæmon’s form would seem to give her.

#dæmons #pride and prejudice #also fun fact: charlotte lucas is a lesbian #there is textual evidence of this #all the animals are either native to the UK or are animals they would have known about in the early 1800s

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her0brine · 4 years ago

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Yo, just gush about anything, a hot take, a good ole info dump, cause I don't have specific questions but I am really interested in what you have

Alright here’s a infodump about how Herobrine feels about various mobs, since I know I briefly touched upon it in my origami Herobrine HC post!

Cat, Cod, Cow, Donkey, Fox, Mooshroom, Mule, Ocelot, Pig, Polar Bear, Rabbit, Salmon, Squid, Strider, Tropical Fish, Turtle, Bee, Spider, Dolphin, Iron Golem, Llama, Panda, Pufferfish: Feels ‘nothing’ towards them and usually just ignores them or very rarely interacts with them, and if they do interact with any of these mobs, it’s usually to get something out of them such as a particular material.

Chicken: Feels slightly perturbed around them, they genuinely don’t like how chickens seem to always flock immediately towards them (Chickens are one of Steve’s favorite livestock mobs to take care of so they essentially imprinted on Steve, and they don’t realize that Herobrine doesn’t feel the same way)

Horse/Skeleton Horse: It seems like horses have a natural aversion towards Herobrine, as if they’re aware of the unsettling aura Herobrine always carries around. Any attempts at Herobrine willingly wanting to get on one of them, they’ll immediately get kicked off. Doesn’t like Skeleton Horses as much as ‘normal’ horses, but at least appreciates how they’re not as scared around them.

Parrot: Actually really likes it when they perch on their shoulder and sing or dance around music boxes, but visually becomes disturbed if disk 11 is played and they’re joyfully dancing to it.

Sheep: Oddly likes hugging hugging them and it’s one of the few times where Herobrine actually smiles if they come across jeb_ sheep!

Snow Golem: They ALWAYS shear off their pumpkin heads, for some reason they can’t handle seeing jack o’ lantern faces. Seemingly likes the silly faces Snow Golems have though and has been caught messing around with their coal pieces to make more sillier faces.

Villager/Wandering Trader: Herobrine tries their best to flat-out avoid them, knowing that they’re absolutely scared shitless of them. Last thing they want to do is to accidentally harm of them, and to ruins STEVE’S reputation, as they keep confusing Herobrine for them.

Enderman: Ironically, they’re potentially the only non-Ender being that can actually look into a Enderman’s eyes and NOT get attacked by them. Still, Herobrine would still try to avoid them overall. Doesn’t hold back if any becomes hostile, and will flat out crush Enderpearls with their bare hands to just torment them.

Piglin/Brute, Hoglin: They rarely go to the Nether in the first place due to their odd distaste for it, and also considering that they have no need to wear any type of armor, they usually end up fighting and effortlessly slaughters the various Piglins species with no regard. Usually ends up taking some of their dropped goods to gift to Alex, as they’re aware of Alex’s distaste for the Piglin species as well but wants their rare goods.

Wolf: Oddly enough, just like Steve, they have a aversion towards Wolves since they definitely don’t want any of these relatively innocent mobs to emotionally bond to them and then DIE protecting them, which is more ironic in Herobrine’s case.

Blaze, Creeper, Elder Guardian, Endermite, Ghast, Guardian, Phantom, Silverfish, Vex: Tends to gets easily annoyed by them, so Herobrine would kill these mobs if they’re following them or managed to get in a hit. Every time a Creeper is killed by them though, they’ll actually take the time to see if a music disc was dropped (oblivious to the fact that discs are only dropped in specific situations)

Shulker: HATES being shot by them, as Herobrine already suffers from a lack of feeling physically ‘grounded’ to the earth thanks to their dead nerves, so suffering from levitation actually makes them QUITE SCARED. Upon seeing a Shulker, they’ll immediately set it on fire or bludgeon it to death, but with a worried expression instead of their typical emotionless face.

Evoker, Pillager, Ravager/Jockey, Vindicator, Witch: As long as they don’t mess with them, Herobrine is fine. However if they do mess with them, Herobrine will become so absolutely petty and will go the extra mile to kill all of them AND leave their bases as scarred earth to just leave a horrific message towards any of their kind.

Magma Cube, Slime: Just like Steve, they actually like their cute and carefree nature and will actually try to PLAY with them, but usually Herobrine just accidentally kills them by squeezing them so hard that they end up bursting.

Zombified Piglin, Chicken Jockey, Drowned, Husk, Skeleton/Horseman, Spider Jockey, Stray, Wither Skeleton, Zoglin, Zombie, Zombie Villager, Wither: IMMEDIATELY GETS ENRAGED AT THE MERE SIGHT OF ANY HUMANOID LOOKING UNDEAD MOB AND ERADICATES THEM OF THE FACE OF THE EARTH

Ender Dragon: ............................. they would like to forget that day.

#I’ll tag later all of these mobs since ohhhh my god it’s too many #herobrine #minecraft #mineblr #⬜️

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brief-candle · 5 years ago

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αℓεα ιαcтα εsт - various kny x reader [2]

part 2! and i have 2 lots of maths homework due tomorrow that i haven’t even started!! priorities!

link to part 1 if you haven’t read it!

debating making a masterlist... it’d probably come in handy

also as always, criticism is always appreciated! have a wonderful day <3

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

The chickens were restless that day, it seemed. Whenever attempts to herd them together were made, they only scattered more. Not even extra feed brought them together for long, and it was beginning to get frustrating. The farmer couldn't recall a time when they'd been this unruly. Constant squawking combined with panicked glances this way and that were beginning to take its toll upon her weary brain.

She rubbed her temple with a sigh; a headache would be forming soon, and she had a gut feeling that it would throb like none other before it. And it was safe to say that she wasn't too excited about that, especially since her gut usually spoke the truth.

Perhaps, she tried to convince herself, they were merely on edge about a fox attack. There'd been quite a few of those lately. Unfortunately there was little that she could do, as she never took a sword outside of the house. If the police happened to pass by while she had it then there'd be a lot of trouble that she'd rather not have to deal with. It didn't help much that the presence of the blade intimidated the animals into a similar state that the poultry was currently in.

Besides, foxes usually came at night anyways. Meaning it wasn't even her problem. It was someone else not doing their job, and she'd have to exchange a few words with him over this. Clearly he was too focussed on other predators that typically avoided animals.

Blades clashed, the sharp clanging of metal against metal echoing out in the dimly lit room.

The sight was startling, unexpected, so much so that the woman flinched from it. But when she blinked, she was back outside, surrounded by noisy animals who wouldn't give her ears a moment's rest.

One vacant look across the horizon brought her fully back to her surroundings, and in good time too: the sun was beginning to set. With that in mind, she groaned. Hopefully the animals wouldn't be as resistant to the idea of going back inside as they'd been to going outside. She really didn't want to have to invest in a herding dog just for the odd time that they were unwilling to listen to her. Even if the thought of a little puppy helping her out was one of the cutest things that she could imagine.

A smile spread across her face as she started her task, clicking her tongue to try and lure the chickens on the path back to the coop. To her utter joy, they listened! Clucking between them in a way that sounded vaguely chipper now, they scurried after her on their tiny little legs. It was quite a funny sight to see, and she almost wished that she could just sit and watch them scuttle around all day. But she didn't have all day, and the cattle needed bringing in as well.

There really was so much to do, but so little t

There were footsteps, many of them; sprinting, hurrying, with another set chasing them. Everything was blurry with incredible speed, hard to see in the dark.

Then she was back again, back to the fields of green that stretched far and wide, reaching up to try and reach the deep blue above. To clouds that dragged on at such a lazy speed, pale in colour with little rain to spare. Not that such a thing was surprising, as it was the middle of the summer.

But the season didn't matter. Not when she'd blacked out twice in the space of half an hour, when animals needed to get inside and she needed to lock herself inside as well. Her precious poultry was defenceless when not in their coop, and the cattle grew angry with her if they had to sleep outside. They were temperamental as is without having an actual reason to be irritated.

With that in mind, she hurried the chickens back to the coop, which at that point wasn't very far. Where they'd been nervous outside, they soon settled very well inside, meaning she could leave almost immediately to tend to the cattle. After the cattle, she'd have to tend to the guests too, which meant having to cook, strike up polite conversation, not give away that there was a demon in the basement... the usual.

The cattle were just as easily led back to the barn as the chickens had been, and just as easily settled too. This improved her mood, which had been dampened at the thought of having to tend to the guests. She didn't dislike them- not by any means, as they seemed friendly enough- but it was always a bit stressful when you were hiding something. Especially something that damning, and even moreso when the guests were those who hunted demons for a living. Who most probably despised all demons with all of their heart and soul. It was hard to blame them for that, as they'd probably lost family to demons, but her situation wasn't exactly easy to explain.

Neither was the situation that she'd walked into.

"Hey, Munjirou, move out of the way- I wanna fight 'em!" The excited growl came from the little study she'd put together, the door of which had been left open. And from the size of the room and the slight echo to the voice, she had a vague idea where her guests were, and what was happening.

Her feet dragged as she forced herself down the small hallway to the study, with the plethora of books that she'd brought back from her few ventures to the nearby town, splashes of colour found from the few valuables she hadn't resisted buying. Not that she regretted it, mind, but they certainly took a bit out of her pocket.

But that wasn't important. Not when one bookshelf in particular had been shifted, revealing the gloomy staircase hiding behind it. Indeed, they'd been snooping where they shouldn't have been, and from the sounds of their quick steps, they weren't too pleased from what they'd found. They were nearly at the entrance if she was correct. It was rather difficult to predict exactly where when the slightest noise never seemed to stop bouncing off the walls of that place.

She was correct, as but a few moments later, the familiar group from the day before sprinted away from the stairwell, staring back at it with apprehension. Zenitsu looked close to passing out, with his wheezing, intense sweating and paling skin. Inosuke, being Inosuke, didn't look particularly bothered at all. If it wasn't for the deep movement of his shoulders and chest, it was hard to tell that he'd ran up a pretty big number of stairs away from something. In fact, he looked more like he wanted to run towards it rather than away, but was being held back by Tanjirou. The latter had a hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes never taken off the dark doorway.

Wait, wasn't there only three of them before? So where had the girl come from?

The farmer was about to debate where this child- a demon nonetheless- had appeared from, before a familiar figure finally emerged. His eyes were wide as usual, matching his grin perfectly. He didn't look surprised in the slightest when he saw the owner of the house in the room, but him glancing over at her prompted everyone else to.

Zenitsu wailed as he flew over to her like a bullet, clinging onto her sleeve when he reached her, babbling about the scary demon with wild hand gestures. His voice was shriller than usual, panicked and rushed, but it became even more incoherent at the slightest move from Sanemi. In fact, when Sanemi took exactly one step onto the carpet, he screeched, knees failing him. At this point, if the demon even breathed in his general direction then he'd probably faint. Not that it'd be an inherently bad thing, considering his running nose was inches away from her sleeve.

When she saw that, she whipped her arm from him with a speed that she swore she hadn't possessed in her entire life. He began to wail and cry further.

Cry more, Zenitsu. These clothes are worth more than your tears.

"So," she started, choosing to ignore the howls of misery and fear coming from beside her, instead looking at everyone else in the room. The tension was palpable, weighing down on her shoulders, "anyone want to explain to me what this is all about?"

There was no need to try and be intimidating for this woman, as the stare she gave them seemed to do it all for her. Lacking in any form of warmth or sympathy for anyone there, it flitted from person to person.

"Anyone?" She prodded further, continuing her glancing around. Whereas she'd purposefully tried to unsettle the three demon slayers the night before to try and get them to listen to her, there was nothing but cold disappointment to be found in her face, in the way she stood there with arms crossed over her chest. Then her foot began to tap upon the carpet, a dull thud forming the countdown before she really lost her temper.

Just as she flung her arms in the air, about to deal out some scathing words to not only the snoopers but Sanemi also, the latter spoke up. The grin that was spread across his face had disappeared as he bowed his head, voice low and apologetic:

"Forgive me; I overreacted when they came down to the basement."

At this, Tanjirou froze in shock. Such politeness was extremely rare for Sanemi, after all, especially with how heated he'd been at the sight of them all sneaking around in places they shouldn't be. However the farmer simply hummed, fiery anger dampened for the time being.

"It's alright, Sanemi," the usual calm mirth leaked into her voice then, eyes softening a tad, "lift your head."

He did so immediately. If he wasn't so casual about it all, as if it were normal, then perhaps it would've been a little funny to Zenitsu. But that wasn't the case, and the glare he received for showing the slightest hint of amusement was enough to wipe it from him completely.

"And why were you in the basement?" This tender tone seeped from her words instantly, the lenience from her eyes doing the same, when she turned upon her guests. Any trace of a smile tugging at her lips only seemed to turn them downwards now. Right now, it was clear that she would have nothing but the truth from them, and was intent on not having to wait for it.

At such an attitude towards them, they flinched away a bit. The way her demeanour changed instantly was definitely unnerving, even if they'd seen a hint of it the night before. As Zenitsu turned to whisper something to Tanjirou, she cleared her throat disapprovingly. And like a kicked puppy, he whined and relented.

It wasn't even a moment later that Tanjirou lowered himself to his knees, bowing his head to the floor and beginning to shout: "We're very sorry! We believed there was a demon in the house and took it upon ourselves to investigate!"

Zenitsu, ever the bootlicker, followed his lead immediately, though with more honeyed words: "We thought that they were out to hurt you! Please forgive us!"

"There's..." she was caught-off guard by the instant honesty, having not expected this. Not to mention that having to speak between screamed apologies was quite difficult. Sanemi opened his mouth, eager to berate them for not letting her speak, but a look of disapproval from her put him off the idea. Not without sulking, though.

"There's no need to shout! Please stop shouting!" She replied, attempting to shout over them.

"We're sorry!" They responded, still shouting. In her mind there was little more to respond with than a sigh and a weary shake of the head.

Inosuke didn't move, only staring at the scene in confusion. He didn't understand why they were apologising, nor why the woman was so angry. Since he didn't understand it, he didn't copy it, nor did he say a word. Instead he only shifted in slight discomfort a couple of paces away from the scene, choosing to focus instead on the feeling of soft carpet between his toes and how he was growing to dislike it by the second. The more he thought, the more he preferred to feel the safe and familiar dirt upon his soles, longed for a floor that didn't sink beneath his weight in the slightest and didn't feel like it'd be ruined should he leap from it with all his strength as he often does.

The more uncomfortable he felt, the closer his hands itched to his blades. To the rough handles, worn down through blistering already calloused hands, that let him wield such destructive tools. Those swords which sliced through the flesh of demons like melted butter and left agony in their wake, with ridges that didn't allow the comfort of a smooth slice. This was what he found comfort in, as it was what was familiar. Simple. It didn't need thought, nor social customs to follow. Social customs that he did not understand, that no one would explain to him. That he didn't want explaining to him. All he wanted was the simplicity of battle; of killing or being killed, with the only words to be said being spoken through extreme violence.

His hands closed around the hilts, and he sprung from the carpet.

It was rare for someone to speak the language that could only be said through violence, even amongst those who practised it on a daily basis. Demon slayers often sneered at it, turning their nose up upon the way he communicated. For to them, it was the language of demons. Humans do not attack without reason. They do not fight when words could be used instead- such a thing is irrational, it is what they do not understand. And they refuse to understand it.

The two blades closed in upon the demon at incredible speeds, adrenaline spurring his arms to move quicker than the untrained eye could track. However the eye of his foe was not only highly trained but also not human, and so he tracked and blocked with such ease that he could've done it when asleep. Not only that, but even against the strength of both of Inosuke's arms, his singular sword did not even budge. There was not a tremble in his wrists, nor in the whole of his body. Not in the smile which had been brought back to his face, nor the spark of energy that had been reignited by the sudden- and unsuccessful- attack.

"How moronic are you?"

The impact was more akin to being hit by a train than a kick, sending him flying through the door panels and tumbling across the carpet. It burned, stung, with roll that Inosuke couldn't recover from. It was only upon hitting the opposite door that he stopped and was able to catch the breath that had been knocked out of his lungs. The breath came sparingly, in wheezes rather than the full breaths he craved. His breathing technique, which he had mastered a couple of years ago, suddenly was forgotten. Energy left by the spades, limbs aching when he would've leapt onto them in less than a moment's notice before; his grip, weak and temperamental, could barely grasp his swords. Yet he still rose to his feet, pride slightly wounded yet not enough to back down yet.

Sanemi's eyes didn't narrow in the slightest, but that didn't make the atmosphere around him any less intense. It screamed for Inosuke to attack, begged him to give it a shot. Invited him to lunge once more and see where he would end up, to see how many bones would still be intact by the end of it. After all, what had just happened was just a small taster of what he would be facing were he to try and set his blades upon him a second time.

Sanemi didn't give second chances.

The eye contact, which had been maintained so viciously from both sides, had been broken with a thunderous crack.

"Sanemi...!" It was the woman who had been behind him, palm still in the air above his now-lowered head and visibly seething. The aforementioned palm was shaking, though one glance at her expression told that it was not out of fear. She glowered upon the tuft of white hair, being unable to see his face, and the look in her eyes was dark enough to kill. Not to mention how her upper lip was drawn back in an infuriated snarl, "how dare you?!"

For the first time since Sanemi had known her, she was truly angry with him.

"Who do you think you are?!" She continued, not giving him a chance to pipe up and apologise, and dismissing him when he tried, "there was no need for any of that- absolutely none! Why the hell did you kick him? He's but a boy, Sanemi!"

"I'm not a boy!" Inosuke contributed, quite miffed with being labelled as something as weak as a boy. Even if he was a bit younger than them, he wasn't a child anymore. Either way, it went ignored.

"He's a demon slayer. He should be able to handle more than a tap." He bit back at her, though held back the hostility that he would have unleashed upon another if they spoke to him that way.

"That wasn't a damned tap and you know it!" With each word she jabbed a finger harder and harder into his chest, though it hurt her finger more than him if anything, for he didn't even flinch.

He leaned down towards her then, eyes slightly narrowed now in irritation. In response, she didn't lean back an inch, standing her ground until their noses were almost touching. "Oh? Do you want me to hit him a bit harder then to prove it?"

"Do that and I'm kicking you out."

That shut him up all too quickly. However, the woman still wasn't done. Crossing her arms, she tacked on: "Now, apologise."

This baffled him, outraged him. Why should he apologise to someone when they were the ones that were so weak yet had attacked him anyway? Absolutely not- he wasn't having it.

Just before she could make him, there was a shrill croaking to be heard from outside. One which they all knew well, and none were too pleased to hear. Zenitsu even whimpered from the shock of hearing it again, silently begging it not to start speaking.

But, alas, nothing goes Zenitsu's way.

The first thing the cawing halted to speak was the name of the farmer. The said person's eyes widened in surprise at that, before narrowing again.

"We'll talk about this later," she muttered to Sanemi before striding over to the door panels opposite the ones which were now destroyed, sliding one open with more force than entirely necessary and glaring into the sky. As they'd thought, there was a black bird circling openly in the air above the small indoor garden area. It made no move to swoop down, not even if it did happen to see her staring up at it.

"A demon has been located near Tokyo! You must go there and eliminate it immediately."

Just as quickly as it had arrived, it left without another croaked word. And without a word from her, either, she shut the door with a little less force than that which she had opened it with. Instead, she only let out a small sigh before turning to face them all.

"Was that a-?" Tanjirou began, but was cut off by another, louder sigh.

"Yep, it's a Kasugai crow. Only pops in when it's delivering a message and then has the gall to steal some of my wheat as it goes!" By her evident exasperation in her voice, it was very clear that she wasn't too fond of her feathered friend.

"Wait!" It all seemed to click for Zenitsu then, "wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Does that mean-" and that was all he said before he froze, pointing at the woman who hadn't moved from her place by the window.

In return, she only lifted an eyebrow, "does that mean what, exactly?"

Sanemi, who hadn't said a word since, piped up then: "yeah, go on. Tell us- don't be shy." That said, he didn't put the slightest effort into actually trying to sound friendly, he didn't even try to filter the intimidating edge from each word, nor hide it from his eyes.

"No, it's nothing," was all that Zenitsu decided to say as he shivered uncomfortable. The rattling of his bones as he did so was almost audible, him moving to stand a couple of steps behind Tanjirou as he did so. He really did not want that gaze on him for longer than absolutely necessary.

The intimidating male pretended not to notice the scathing glare he got for that.

"To answer your question," she decided to explain, just in case it wasn't very clear to them, "I'm a demon slayer, just not that active. They usually only send me out about three times a year."

"Even once is too many," Sanemi grumbled to himself, though she heard it loud and clear.

It was as if his role was to irritate her more and more that day, she thought as she turned on him with a face so surly that she looked just about ready to bite his head off. "And what is that supposed to mean, huh?"

"Watch it," he warned in regards to her attitude. He'd usually be much more respectful when speaking to her, for all that she has done and continues to do for him, but she was very much trying his temper at this moment in in time.

"Watch what, Sanemi?" Her pitch rose with the question, stepping closer to him as her own temper flared. He did little more than stare her down with vexed eyes, saying nothing more lest he be unable to stop himself from lashing out. She waited for a moment, goading him with hand gestured before giving up, snapping a "forget it" before backing away. Later she'd probably apologise for being so aggressive with him over it all and not letting it go, but she needed to cool down before then.

That was if she was let go in order to cool down, though.

"You don't know the Corps like I do," Sanemi all but growled as he snatched her arm, grip tight to stop her from leaving. It was painful, yes, but that wasn't her focus at the moment: it was what he just said.

"Well no shit, Sanemi. I'm not, and never was, a Hashira." It was common sense if you asked her, for she wasn't as close to the leader of the organisation as he was. Not physically, and certainly not mentally. If you were summoned to the Ubuyashiki residence then you had either done something exceptionally well, or exceptionally wrong. There was no in between.

"Maybe hear me out before you start butting in."

She scoffed in response, wrenching her arm from his grip. Not her brightest moment, seeing as it caused her more pain than the grip itself, but what's done is done. Her anger, although now beginning to simmer, was still very much present, but now curiosity had arisen as well. Sanemi must have said what he said for a reason, after all, and his lack of elaboration must be due to the guests still in the room.

The guests!

"I'm very sorry for all of this!" Was her first priority to them, followed by a "please forgive me." This was all said whilst bowing very deeply, so deeply that her spine was crying out for merciful reprieve that she wouldn't grant until she was forgiven. Which was fortunately very quickly, mainly by Tanjirou.

When she thanked him, she realised that she'd essentially forgotten about the girl beside him. It was undeniable that she was a demon, but it was just as undeniable that she was somehow different from the demons that she'd previously encountered. There was no hostility to be found in those eyes, only gentle oceans of the softest pink she'd seen. It was truly sad to behold her, for she was definitely still a child. To acknowledge that was also to acknowledge that she must have lost so much at such a young age, that she must have had so many years of innocence snatched from her.

She had thought life had been cruel to her, but just one look at the girl seemed to bring her whole world into perspective. Life could be so much more horrible than it had been to her.

Though her head was in the clouds, she still spotted the small gash that she must've gained from a tussle with Sanemi, as it was only just beginning to heal. She would've let this fuel her anger with him more had she not felt so sorry for her already. And so she approached her, albeit with slight hesitance. Tanjirou tensed noticeably, but she paid him no mind. This girl was clearly important to him, and she'd probably react even worse had she been in his shoes.

She stooped down a little to reach the girl's height, looking into those large, kind eyes with a smile upon her face. "Let's go, I'll help you patch up that wound a bit."

What she didn't expect was such a wide smile to be returned by the small brunette, and especially not the large hug engulfing her that came with it. It was a nice hug, one that she hadn't experienced in a long time. There was no tension after the initial shock of it all, even with those talons of hers, and she was quite surprised with herself in how quickly she reciprocated the gesture. Yes, it was a long time since she'd held someone like this, or been held like this. A long time since she'd let someone so close, especially without the aggression which she usually returned with.

Perhaps the most surprising of all were the tears that had began running down her face.

It took her aback at how liberating it felt to cry for once, to be able to release all of the negativity in such an ugly and unattractive form. To feel the anger, the sadness, the pressures and worries that had continued to pile upon her relentlessly just begin to roll away down her cheeks and onto the carpet. She was thankful to the girl for this, the girl whose name she didn't know, who hadn't said a word to her (though she was unable to due to the gag) but had allowed her tired heart some reprieve.

The world didn't deserve someone like her.

———–

"I'm fine." This was the fifth time she'd had to reassure Sanemi in the past ten minutes. She was flattered and quite happy that he seemed to care so much, but it was beginning to get on her nerves.

His eyes softened, a sight that very few ever bore witness to. One that very few would ever see. "Well, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yes, Sanemi," a breathless laugh followed, for they'd been through this multiple times in the same timeframe as well, "I know."

Sanemi only shrugged, "just letting you know."

There was silence for a bit. The comfortable kind, the one that one could fall asleep very easily in with no worries in the world. A silence that only had room for chirping crickets and hooting owls, accompanied by the odd rustle of plants in a sudden gust of wind.

Tokyo was quite a bit away. Several days of solid walking, in fact. Without a horse to take with her, it would take her at least a week to complete her mission and get back, and that was if she immediately completed her mission with no troubles and started walking back again with no breaks whatsoever.

"Sanemi?" Her voice was but a whisper on the wind, fragile and unsure. But his ears missed nothing, catching onto the faintest traces of every word she said with the utmost importance.

He hummed in acknowledgement. Words didn't come when they weren't necessary and when Sanemi wasn't particularly in the mood. It was somewhat challenging to get used to at first, but she wasn't overly bothered by it.

"Thank you."

Those eyes of his widened once more, somehow wider than usual as he glanced over to her. However her gaze wasn't upon him, nor his wine-coloured irises that held a tint of astonishment in them. They were upon the night sky, staring upwards towards the countless stars that littered the faraway abyss, a hint of a smile upon her face. He didn't spare a glance upon the sky, too focused on her face than on any bright balls of fire millions of lightyears away.

It took a while, but the words finally came to him, and they were sent out the minute that they arrived: "For what?"

That question was what it took for her to make eye contact with him, turning her head towards him at a slight angle. Her smile broadened, her usual expression of amusement lingering on her face and draining into her voice, "what do you mean 'for what?'? I'd probably be dead ten times over if it wasn't for you."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Then she cackled, loud and unashamed in the night air. To him, it was loud and bright enough to fill the universe, yet it didn't stop the cicadas chirping, nor the beating of wings in the sky of migrating birds. "Hey, there's no need to be humble! It's so unlike you!"

Now that was a backhanded compliment that he wasn't expecting, but it was easy to tell that she didn't mean it in a cruel way. It was quite flattering to him that she was able to laugh and joke around so much with him, considering that interacting with him was akin to walking on eggshells for others.

He found himself smiling as well, a sight that even she pointed out didn't show up that often, cracking yet another of her jokes which she found so funny.

Just when silence had crept in again, he decided that now was a better time than ever to ruin the mood that she'd so joyously created.

"I don't want you to go tomorrow, you know?"

"I do." Was her simple response. She didn't need words for him to know that she'd be going anyway, though it didn't make it any less frustrating for him.

"I'll go with y-"

"You most certainly will not!" The strictness in her voice was all for show, but she meant what she said: "The animals need feeding and the crops need tending to. Who else will do that if you come with me, Sanemi?"

"I can't go out in the day anyway."

"That doesn't matter!" Once again, her hands began to move in elaborate gestures to further emphasise what she said, "the animals will make do with only being tended to at night for a bit and the crops can also be done at night, too."

He responded with disapproving silence, so she reluctantly decided to use her trump card.

"I can't trust anyone else but you, Sanemi."

Wait what?

"You heard me." She was smug saying that, all too aware of his shock from such a declaration, "and to sweeten the deal even more, I'll make some ohagi for you when I get back!"

His unimpressed expression at that last piece said it all about her ohagi-making skills. That being that they were... nonexistent, to say the least.

At the sight of that, she crossed her arms and tutted, "you really do drive a hard bargain, don't you?" No response but that of a raised eyebrow, "fine! I'll rush through work when I get back so I can spend even more time with you. How about that?"

That was tempting, he had to admit. Too tempting for him to even attempt denying. So, with a sigh, he relented.

"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible!" A grin had spread upon her face, and he found it almost worth it to let her go on her mission just from the sight of it.

A hand cupped the side of her face furthest away from him, coaxing it onto his shoulder and for her to lean against him. She did so with no struggle, that huge grin morphing into a calm and content smile.

Seeing as he couldn't see her face at that angle, he redirected his gaze towards the sky. It was perfect timing for him, as a star shot through the darkness of the night sky, a bright streak following it before disappearing without a trace. As tradition would have it, he made a wish. It was a selfish wish, one which he could not bring himself to share to anyone.

He wished that she could stay by his side forever, that a moment such as this could extend to last a lifetime.

#yandere x reader #yandere kny #yandere kny x reader #yandere kimetsu no yaiba #yandere #x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #kny #kny x reader

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in-tua-deep · 6 years ago

Note

What animal do you think suits each of the umbrella kids the most?

okay what you don’t know is that i’m a sucker for a his dark materials au with daemons so i’m sorry if that’s not what you want but that’s what you’re getting lmao

forewarning: this is super self indulgent and i only have actual reasons for like maybe half of these

Luther: a dog! If you want specifics probably an Anatolian Shepherd dog bc they’re big motherfuckers and muscular as fuck. I did toy with a big animal like a bear but ultimately I think a dog just because simply: Luther obeys Reginald without question and has incredibly loyalty to a man that never cared about his wellbeing. Plus, you know, the family would rib at him about being Reginald’s loyal dog and all that. Plus it’s a good set up for his rivalry with Diego that I’ll yell about in a minute.

So yes, Luther’s daemon settles as a bigass dog. She’s pragmatic and can be cold and often tries to model herself after Reginald’s daemon. She can be somewhat self righteous and very blunt. She tends to say exactly what she’s thinking without sugar coating it and doesn’t care if Luther has to stumble to save face. “You think one of us killed dad.” Diego says. “No not ‘one of you’, specifically you, Diego. You have an alibi?” Luther’s daemon says in front of the family, god, and Five’s portrait on the mantle.

Diego: a wolf! This sets up a big rivalry between Diego and Luther as they have somewhat similar daemons except for the fact that Luther’s is a domesticated canine and Diego’s is a wild one. Luther often uses Diego’s daemon to say that Diego is too wild to lead the team and that’s why he’s in charge. It’s mainly because while Diego does his whole lone wolf act, he’s shown to be pretty protective of the people he considers his and really he does need a pack. Even though he tells Klaus no, he doesn’t bother enforcing it when Klaus insists on hopping in the car anyway. He wants to be leader of the pack, but is awkward when he tries to be in charge bless his heart.

Diego’s wolf daemon is a not-so-secret softie. She prompts Diego to interact more with his family and sends longing glances towards Detective Patch and her daemon. She doesn’t get along with Luther’s daemon and always bristles when she’s around, though Luther’s daemon tends to ignore Diego’s and act like she’s above it all which just makes the issue even worse tbh. Diego’s daemon doesn’t shy away from her instincts and refers to the family as her pack and is very vocal about both not killing Grace (though later she sits and whines when Diego does it) and letting Vanya out (Diego spits vitriol about Vanya but his daemon is suspiciously silent on the subject).

Allison: a burmese python! I will freely admit that i chose this 90% because of the feather boa in the beginning dance scene because I want Allison to have her daemon constantly draped around her neck and on her body, but snakes do tend to be associated with manipulation as well in some stories even though I can’t see it looking at their cute little faces?? But I mean Allison’s whole gig is manipulation so it fits even though I’m only justifying it after the fact lmao.

Allison’s daemon is very laid back and rarely speaks up. Allison often accuses him of being lazy because she tends to carry him everywhere and he’s constantly on the hunt for warm places to curl up in. He used to ride on the back of Luther’s daemon a lot when Allison got fed up of carrying him. Uses the fact that he doesn’t have eyelids to stare people down when they’re being irritating. Generally does not appreciate the negative press that comes with being a snake daemon and secretly him and Allison both wonder if him being a snake was a factor in her not getting custody of Claire. (Allison didn’t appreciate what he settled as and they fought about it, there’s still some tension between them on occasion because of it)

Klaus: a black cat! I almost gave him a raven because reasons but I ended up with a cat for pretty simple reasons: Klaus is pretty much a stray cat in human form tbh just look at him. Also because cats stare off into corners like they can see the dead and damned so I thought it was somewhat appropriate, and black cats are considered both lucky and unlucky depending on where you like (which lemme tell you as a black cat owner who moved from a lucky to unlucky area was a wild thing to find out).

Klaus’s daemon is very sarcastic and a lot less forgiving than Klaus himself is. They hold a grudge to say the least. While most daemons tend not to speak to people who aren’t their own, Klaus’s daemon doesn’t give a single shit and will talk to anyone they damn well please. Doesn’t get along with Luther’s daemon because they constantly talk shit about Reggie and Reggie’s daemon, but gets along very well with Diego’s daemon and has ridden on her shoulder more than once. Shares Klaus’s power in that they can see the dead but ignores them even harder than Klaus because they’re secretly freaked out that ghosts don’t have daemons. Klaus and his daemon also hang out with Ben’s daemon, who for reasons unknown didn’t burst into dust upon Ben’s death but she generally stays out of sight.

Five: one part of me says hare because of the cryptic value and eyes that look like they could kill you and also jumping jokes and another part of me says hummingbird for plenty of good reasons but an even larger part of me says that I don’t have to choose because I can just symbolically make his daemon unsettled. She wasn’t settled before the apocalypse and then he kind of… never really grew up. Part of a daemon settling is growing up and knowing yourself but Five didn’t have a chance to do that, he was too focused on his goal. They both dislike the fact that she’s unsettled because they think it’s childish, but it’s also very handy because it means she’s adaptable as fuck. Maybe she pretends she’s settled as a hare or something while they work for the Commission idk and it’s a little reveal when he’s back home. Maybe they’re also separated like a witch’s daemon due to the Commission?? unclear

Five’s daemon tends to fade into the background if you’ll let her. She tends to be standoffish but is exceptionally observant. She very rarely speaks to anyone outside of Five, even among the siblings, though she’s not above bluntly calling them out if Five isn’t around and she deems it necessary. She likes Vanya best, though she was also fond of Ben. She tends to be the voice of reason for Five and probably takes most of Dolores’s lines in telling him drinking is bad for him or that his equations are wrong. There’s probably a dramatic scene where she’s revealed to be unsettled where she turns into a big fuckoff animal and fucks up the Handler or something idk but otherwise she’s pretty content to remain a hare and do a good impression of the rabbit from monty python if people fuck with her.

Ben: something smaller and easily hidden. My heart says rat because they’re so fucking good and smart so that’s what I’m going to run with, and also because they’re often viewed negatively and Ben has a power that he also views negatively rip. Also I’m gonna be real the idea of Klaus and Ben’s daemons being absolute bros as a cat and a rat also amuses me so there’s that and this is my au i do what i want.

Ben’s daemon was withdrawn before his death and even more so after. No one knows why she didn’t turn to dust when Ben died, but she didn’t. None of the other siblings knew that she survived because she asked Klaus not to tell, worried that Reginald would experiment on her to try and figure out why she didn’t vanish. She spent most of their time before Klaus left hiding in his room, and after she hides in his clothes a lot and likes when he wears items with hoods (like Ben used to) because she likes to curl up in them. Like Five’s daemon, she doesn’t talk much.

Vanya: a spotted owl! I wanted to give Vanya a winged daemon that can’t fly for most of the duration of the plot despite having wings because of general symbolism reasons regarding Reginald “clipping her wings” by suppressing her powers with medication and all that. Honestly I mostly picked a spotted owl on a whim because I like owls (I was a guardians of gahoole kid) and I think that the hints of white on a spotted owl would be a cool allusion to her powers and also there’s some sick imagery in her powers activating and her daemons colors reversing so that he’s primarily white soooo i do what i want is the answer

Like I said above, Vanya’s daemon is a bird daemon who… doesn’t fly. He mostly spends his time on a perch that Vanya bought for him in her apartment. He doesn’t actually spend a lot of time physically on Vanya outside of when they’re travelling somewhere, and she usually puts him down immediately when she arrives at her destination. He usually just walks about the house but like a chicken can do a sort of jump/flap combo to get up to surfaces so he’s alright for the most part. I want to say part of Leonard’s manipulations was that he also has a bird daemon and they try and teach Vanya’s daemon to fly as well as for her to access her powers.

and outside of the main kids (these aren’t nearly as well thought out and are liable to change probably -

Reginald: a fox. Cunning and intelligent and adaptable, she’s regal and stone cold, never speaking directly to any of the children and she often acts as if they don’t exist or are so far beneath her they might as well not. Her coat is always pristine, her dark eyes are always watching, and her teeth are dazzling and sharp and threatening even though the kids see her far more rarely than they do their father. She’s a ruthless pragmatist and often served as an observer during their training, after which she would whisper in Reginald’s ear and oftentimes there was a new and inventive torture waiting for them. Sometimes the kids feared her more than they feared their father. She’s only ever shown anything even approaching affection to Luther’s daemon, and even that was just brushing herself past the other daemon and allowing a brief touch.

Hazel: a big grizzly bear. They often both complain about the lack of accommodations for large daemons when she has to squeeze her ass into their tiny motel rooms or in diner booths and restaurant tables in general. Tends to just stay in the hotel room and allow people to assume Hazel has a small daemon since they’re separated and her bulk is often cumbersome for missions. Has 100% charged in as the cavalry and fucked people up though don’t mistake her whining for her not being very dangerous.

Cha-Cha: my heart says a mountain lion and so that’s what i’m going with. Large and can do a lot of damage given the opportunity with those claws, pretty sneaky and damn good at his job. Is probably the one who scruffs Klaus’s daemon when they kidnap him from the house. He has a wicked sense of humor that Cha-Cha doesn’t always appreciate and always goes with for missions because he genuinely enjoys their work, doesn’t understand why Hazel’s daemon would rather stay behind.

Grace: yes I understand that Grace is a robot and no that’s not going to stop me from saying that Reginald gave her a mechanical clockwork butterfly daemon because I say so and because I think his daemon would have insisted that it’s far too creepy to look and see a human without a daemon and he’s trying to make her as realistic as possible, right? The butterfly is technically an extension of Grace, however Reginald never gave her daemon a voicebox because he deemed it unnecessary. He usually just sits on Grace’s shoulder slowly opening and closing his wings. A plot point is Grace finally naming her daemon for herself because Reginald never bothered with a name for him either.

The Handler: The Handler doesn’t have a daemon. Five asks her where her daemon is in the flashback scene where she recruits him and she laughs and tells him that that’s a rude question and never answers him. The daemon never shows up and other people and their daemons are noticeably unsettled by this. Five’s daemon genuinely is frightened by the Handler and tends to hide behind him, which the Handler comments upon with a saccharine smile. They never do figure out what happened to her daemon (though one of the office workers shares a rumor with Five that the Handler killed her own daemon for questioning the commission).

Patch: a terrier! My heart says border terrier so that’s what I’m going with. Dogged and unwilling to let go when she feels like she’s on the scent of something, she’s a good police officer even if she has torn loyalty to Diego as well. He’s a hardy little thing and he encourages her to bend the rules so much so that it used to be a running joke that her daemon might as well be Diego’s. Her daemon doesn’t bother with the hostilities and is always pleased to see Diego’s daemon. For the most part they just watch their idiot humans snipe at one another and are content to chill until Patch makes Diego leave. Their daemons always cheerfully say bye to each other and that they’ll see the other again soon even

Dave: my heart says also a dog. Probably a farm dog. Australian Cattle Dog, maybe? because my heart also says that Dave was probably raised as a good honest farm boy or at the VERY LEAST his grandparents had a farm he spent his summers on as a child. Very loyal. She absolutely adores Klaus and his daemon and Klaus’s daemon curled up with her constantly. Touching another person’s daemon is a social booboo but out there in Vietnam both daemons saved the other’s human at least once. Dave’s daemon pretends that she’s more sensible than him and often would complain at Klaus’s daemon that the sexual tension was genuinely killing her and if they kept gazing into one another’s eyes on the disco floor she was gonna barf. Klaus’s daemon would just roll their eyes because it’s not like they as daemons weren’t all touchy feely. Klaus’s daemon could be constantly seen grooming Dave’s with their little cat sandpaper tongue and Dave’s daemon constantly rested her head on Klaus’s to go to sleep sO. The scene where Dave dies is doubly sad because you see her turning into dust as Klaus’s daemon howls.

Agnes: almost forgot Agnes whoops. But I choose… a canary! Why? Because they’re bright and pretty and sing nicely and she would forever be explaining that yes, her daemon is a canary but it isn’t a domestic canary so that’s why he has brown on him and isn’t pure yellow. That and I think it would be sort of cute if Hazel’s attention was caught by pretty birdsong initially so a songbird it is. Agnes’s daemon, when her and Hazel are together, likes to snuggle down into Hazel’s daemon’s fur and make a small attempt to preen her even though she’s like a million times his size. He’s absolutely fearless and doesn’t hesitate at Hazel’s large daemon like a lot of small daemons do which endears him to the assassin duo. Like genuinely I picked canary on an absolute whim but that same goes for most of these and no one can stop me.

is that everyone?? i think that’s everyone

EDIT: I FORGOT LEONARD which goes to show how much i repress his existence

Leonard: a great skua. Am I basing this on the fact that I wanted his daemon to be a bird for plot reasons and the first mean bird I could think of was that one dude who wanted to eat baby Mumble in Happy Feet? maybe. But yeah a generally normal looking bird with the capacity for great violence there we go that’s my reasoning thank you and good night. His daemon is unsettling to literally everyone except Vanya probably tbh and Vanya calls Allison out on daemon stereotyping because Allison has a SNAKE she should be BETTER THAN THAT. But yeah that’s all I got for tonight thanks for reading lads.

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thedropdeadhandsome · 5 years ago

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Unexpected Visitor pt 2

Jaehyungparkian x Fem Reader (Fox hybrid)

Word count: 7,176

Contents: fluff, humour, supernatural, sexual content, banter, jaehyungparkian

Summary: part 2 of Unexpected Visitor

(Italic is readers thoughts. Gifs are not mine)

Since that very awkward meeting with the two men that bicker like an old married couple, even if you inform them of this with Sungjin’s or even Jimin or was it Sammy’s help, they’ll continue to deny anything more than brotherly love or weird ass bonding between them. Whatever helps them sleep better at night, you always thought, never implying anything but it’s still fun to tease.

In your own opinion you believed that Young K has gotten even more protective over you, when you are in your fox form or in your daily life when he is trying to be constantly informed of what your daily activities are. You aren’t complaining though, but it’s quite amusing to watch him argue with the others when he tries to keep you to himself. They’re all such a lively bunch but some days you worry that this is all in your head and the events happening are created by your overactive imagination.

“Okay, now repeat after me Y/n” Jae said with a devilish grin, using you as a scapegoat for his devilish plan “Brian? O Brian, wherefore art thou Brian” he said smoothly like he was performing the play. He obviously had a suspicious as fuck look on his face, knowing fully well that he wanted you to called Young K ‘Brian’ for the 100th time since you guys have met that unfortunately night, which was three months ago.

“Seriously? Does he think I’m dumb or something?” You thought, smirking sweetly back at his grinning face as you took a look around their apartment, which is a common thing for you to do when nervous or avoiding his adorably stupid face. Taking in a shallow breath then exhaling with a sigh, not wanting to accidentally let your tail or ears pop up which will then get him to tease you even more not like he doesn’t anyway. “Calm down! We don’t need him touching your tail or ears like they were doing when you change forms” you thought, shuddering slightly at that. Putting fingers through you hair “Okay fine, but if he gets angry at me it’s all your fault chicken little” you muttered annoyed as you crossed your arms over your chest making your chest more noticeable which wasn’t like it wasn’t to begin with.

At the ‘nickname’ he knew that Jimin was the one that informed you of that word so you could tease him, not like Jae was shocked or upset by you saying it, but it was kind of cute coming out of your mouth. Jae faked being hurt while pretending to not stare at your chest “Don’t you trust me y/n?” he asked forging sadness then cracking a sweet smile telling you he was just playing “but seriously, you should do it, his reaction would be so priceless if you do” he added with a tease then a nudge of his shoulder.

Right now you feel like Jae is the devil on your left shoulder, snickering and tempting you to do stupid things or coax you into bad decisions that would impact your life forever. Honestly you are exaggerating with that but you can not help but feel like Jae has bad intentions even if his target wasn’t you entirely, it’s just as bad since you are the pawn in his wicked games and probably the one who’ll cop it.

“Should I do it? No! He just wants to get on Young K’s nerves, but on the other hand I do want to call him Brian just once to see his reaction ... No, that’s definitely the devil talking, but I haven’t seen Young K in a while so maybe this is just a way to see him .... But if I do say it and Young k hates me, I’ll feel so sad .... ugh! Why does Jae have to make me do these things? Why does he have to tease me? Ugh!! This is so hard”

“Okay, fine I’ll do it,” you said finally agreeing to Jae’s request after thinking it over for a while. With that Jae smirked and looked towards Young K’s bedroom, looking forward to the reaction on the other mans face “Hey Brian?! Can you come into the living room for a second, I have something to ask you” Jae said with a grin as he took your hand and squeezed it “it’ll be fine y/n, I promise” he adds trying to reassure you, not like it has helped since it made your heart race quickly from a simple skin contact.

Awaiting patiently for Young K to appear in the living room for your ultimate doom, your heart races a little more just thinking about Young K coming into the living room. Of course, you find both men attractive but for crying out loud, why do you agree so easily to the things that Jae requests? like come on Young K is going to think you’re a freak, strange, unusual, unappealing, weirdo, crazy, oddball even though you are a special kind of human because you’re a fox hybrid but still, who uses Romeo and Juliet quotes in everyday conversations? That’s right no one.

Hearing Jae’s voice unexpectedly, Young k lifted and eyebrow wondering what Jae wanted, after all he had been working on music since he had woken up, so he wasn’t aware that you were in their apartment right now. Standing up from his chair with a groan, he began to make his way out of his bedroom. Leaving his room and heading towards the living room, he was a little intrigued by why Jae had called him yet a bit annoyed since he was sure Jae would say something so random for no reason.

Entering the living room, taking in his appearance, his hair was back to more of a chocolate brownish colour, and he was wearing sweats and a slightly loose t-shirt. “He is always so handsome! Nope! Don’t think about that, remember what you have to say. Stay calm! don’t blush!” you thought as he made his way closer towards the couch. Fingers going through his hair, letting out a sigh not looking at Jae directly yet “Yeah Jae? what do you want from m....Y/n?” He surprisingly spoken once he noticed you were there sitting beside Jae with your hands joined together. A feeling of anger, jealousy or irritation at the fact that Jae was alone with you here and didn’t inform him of your arrival, although he never told Jae he liked you.

With a nudge by Jae, looking back at him to see a shit eating grin, taking a deep breath you faced Young K, removing your hands from Jae as you slowly stood up from the couch, putting your left arm beside you while the right was fidgeting with anything that your fingers made contact with. Taking in a deep breath, looking up to meet Young K’s eyes then down to his lips then the mole on his neck, you opened you mouth feeling incredibly nervous “Brian? O Brian, wherefore art thou Brian?” you began feeling your tail and ears about to appear from embarrassment. You were about to continue with Juliet’s words in Romeo and Juliet when you quickly looked up to see what Young K’s expression was, which was a big mistake for your heart.

Young K was left utterly speechless hearing his English name leave your lips which was such a wonderful sound, his jaw clenched as he attempts to keep control and not react too much since he was sure that Jae was the one behind this. His eyes glued to yours in a very animistic lustful way but still looking innocent and sweet which was weirdly unsettling seeing as the fox side of you was very much submitting to the way his eyes were looking into yours but you can’t do what that side wanted, you’ll have to have self-control. His beautiful long fingers go through his hair as he had a very noticeable blush on his face by your words “...w..w..wow” he said still having his eyes glued to yours.

“OMG!! I knew I should’ve never listened to Jae!” You thought as you saw his facial expression and how he responded to your words assuming he didn’t like what you just said, your eyes began to water knowing that Young K dislikes people saying Brian instead of Young K and obviously that had upset him. You turned and hit Jae’s shoulder multiple times not to hard but enough for him to feel your pain “I told you that it wouldn’t work!! Why did you get me to do this? How could you Jae!” you said crying as you took off forgetting your shoes, heading straight back to your apartment, flinging yourself on your bed which resulted in your ears and tail finally appearing after keeping them back since the eye contact you had with Young K. Covering your face with the pillow as you felt very flustered and overwhelmed, lightly screaming into it as your tail swayed and your ears twitched. “Stupid Jae! Now Young K will hate me, I knew I should’ve never listened to him” you mumbled into the pillow feeling completely stupid, crying into it.

Back at the apartment you run out of, Young K was completely in shocked from you running out of the apartment, feeling completely worried about you then remembered that Jae was still in the room. Switching his attention to Jae, giving him a fed up glare “What did you do?” He asked as then took a seat on the couch beside the tall glasses man. At Young K’s question and his mind taking in the fact that you ran off, Jae began to laugh loudly which got him to fall off the couch which he deserved and having his stomach hurting from how hard he was laughing.

“Hahaha ... Did you see? ..... hahaha.... yours....haha....hers....hahahahahahaha” Jae said in between his laughter. Finally standing up taking a seat beside the other male, wiping his fake tears from his eyes.

Watching his Hyung laughing like an insensitive fool, shaking his head before opening his mouth once Jae decided to sit “Are you done laughing?” Young K asked as he tapped his foot, feeling completely upset that Jae did that to you yet infuriated with Jae for it as well. Jae nods his head as he held his stomach “Okay, I’m sorry but did you see your face ... bahahahaha” he said starting to laugh again “you gave yourself away so easily, yet she has no idea and thought you hate her” the boy with glasses added as his laughter continues, “I’m going to go calm myself down” he said standing up and heading off to the front door before Young K could notice.

Jae was right, He was so obvious with his reactions so why was he holding it back from you? He was very happy taking the steps in being more of a boyfriend to you by wanting you to himself and having you tell him your daily activities, even his reaction to what just happened was so painful clear, he was sure that Jae knew but did Jae feel the same for you? Do you know how Jae and he felt? Those are the questions he was worrying about finding the answer to.

Leaving the apartment Jae stretched his long limbs by heading towards your apartment door, rubbing the back of his neck knowing he had to apologise and make it up to you. Sighing as he took in a deep breath and knocked on your front door “Hey Y/n” he said softly but loud enough for you to hear.

Still screaming into your pillow, your eyes closed as your tail swayed side to side. Your mind thinking about the alluring gaze that Young K was giving you, cheeks going red as you rolled onto your back as you heard Jae at your front door. “I’m coming!” you responded back as you checked your face for puffiness and hair, heading over towards the door and opening it for him to enter.

“What took you so .... OMG your ears and tail are out? Haha! so cute” Jae said, stepping right in before he smiled at you. Your feet move towards the living room as he followed you excitedly, his hands grabbing your tail “ow! Jae the tail is attached to me” you said slightly in an annoyed growl, taking the tail in your hands as you took a seat.

Sitting across from you, Jae looked at you apologetic “I’m so sorry about what I made you do, oh and also the tail” he said as you gave him a nod “it’s okay, I knew you were teasing but I had to get out of there before I lose control you know, the way he was looking at me was just....” you paused taking a deep breath. “Anyway, did he guilt you into coming?” You asked trying to change the topic, seeing Jae nod then shake his head “Nah, I felt like you deserve the apology and I needed to check if you’re alright since we are friends, plus I finished laughing, and I rather avoid ‘the rage’ of Brian” he said chucking as he then looked at you intensely.

Watching Jae closely, sighing as you let your tail go “he is so obvious!” You thought. “Okay, fine you can touch it. But I’ll warn you, that I will bite if I had enough, besides my ears and tail are sensitive so be gentle” you said with a sigh as you felt Jae sitting beside you before his hands began to run alone your tail. “Your tail is so soft” he exclaimed pleased, your eyes watching his hands closely as you let out a giggle, moving your tail as he tried to touch it again to tease him. “Even your ears are so soft” he adds, fingers gently caressing your ears, completely fascinated by them.

Your eyes closed as you had a very pleased expression as he was touching your ears “that feels nice” you thought as you opened your eyes and without warning you licked his cheek, eyes widen as you jumped up realising what you done, you couldn’t believe you did that “OMG! I’m so sorry Jae” you said adorably by accident as Jae looked at you bashfully, shook his head “no, it’s okay I should’ve touched your ears like that” he said as he pretends to check the time “oh darn” he said as you did the same “I gotta get food” you said dashing off, he smiled as you understood “catch you later” he added before leaving the apartment, rubbing his cheek feeling happy and slightly numb yet hot where you have licked “wow, should probably keep this one to myself” he said out loud before heading back to apologise to Young K before they had to get to work that evening.

Life has been hectic in the last few weeks since you last seen the boys, you had your boss constantly on your case about your work as an excuse when he mostly wanted to chat you up but you held your tongue, also the boys have been busy with work which you are happy about, but they all look so exhausted and needing a break. You have been keeping tabs on them through their manager as well as popping in since you cooked for them so you do see them, but it’s smaller conversations here and there as you guys pass by each other to do the things you gotta do.

You have been avoiding Jae and Young K since that incident which was good timing on your end so you wouldn’t become awkward in front of them, although you felt guilty of that since you just couldn’t make eye contact with them without freaking out.

Today was fortunately a bright and sunny day, even more fortunate was the fact that it was your time off. You decided to spend it by hanging out with a few of your friends and doing some shopping, the day was going good until they began to bug you on why you haven’t decided to date. Running your fingers through your hair, sighing heavily “look, it’s kind of awkward to date when you aren’t exactly human” you paused looking at all of them before taking a sip of your beverage “besides what man would want me? I’m the type of woman you avoid” you said half heartily, trying to avoid informing them of your crush on the men in your building.

Your friends laughed, looking at you lovingly, one of your female friends began to speak “seriously, you are being silly. Men flock to you and you don’t even bat an eye, just hurry up because you look so lonely, and we want you to have little babies already” she said with hands clasped together as your other friend said “I completely agree not with you having babies yet part, but yes on the going on dates part” then your third friend who is a man leaned over “you need confidence sweetie, we can take you out to the night clubs and go looking for a man” he said as the other two agree and began to make plans. This worried you, you‘re not fussed about the nightlife because of the loud noises hurting your fox ears, the lights that flicker which can cause seizures, the drugs, accidentally changing forms and the way some men that are intoxicated just acts, um no thanks you’ll just stay at home.

“Yeah like finding a man in a night club would lead me to a happily ever after story, like come on that’s not where you want to find the person you want a serious relationship with” you said as you sighed “plus the night clubs and places you guys will take me won’t have the men that are actually looking. Besides, I am happy without a boyfriend” you added making them nod, knowing that they won’t easily be swayed by that unfortunately.

With lunch being over you decided to head home, telling them goodbye after they kept bring up trying to find you a boyfriend or going clubbing which didn’t interest you “why are they so like this?” You thought as you began on your way. Walking along the side walk in the direction of your apartment building, making a stop at a convenient store to get some food and alcohol to restock your kitchen.

Continuing on your way to your destination, mind wondering off about the conversation you had earlier, you didn’t notice until it was too late but you bumped into a man. “Oh sorry ..... Y/n” said the man as he grabbed your arm to stop you from falling over. Looking over towards the mans face, eyes widen when you realise who it is “Sungjin?! .... Sungjin, what are you doing here?” You asked slightly shocked quickly looking around him to see if the others were with him, which luckily they weren’t. He wore a soft smile on his lips, taking your bags of groceries out of your hands and started heading towards the apartment building, without uttering a word, knowing you’ll get the hint.

“Wait, Sungjin!” You called out, catching up to him as you started walking side by side to your destination. The walk to your apartment was quiet but you enjoyed it, watching how Sungjin just kept a steady pace with you.

“Should I ask how Young K and Jae are? No, I’ll probably sound all stalker like or something” You thought watching where your feet were going and him out of the corner of your eye.

Sensing your eyes and need to say something Sungjin looked towards you then back in front “Those two have been missing you, you know. They are too chicken to go to your place but if you like, you should come over” he said, showing a smile as you guys reach the building.

Cheeks going pink as your fox ears popped up and twitched hearing that those two have missed you, taking a deep breath so you don’t transform or have your tail just show out of nowhere. “R..r..really? I’ve missed them too” you said smiling as you both step in the elevator. Moving your fingers through your hair as you look at him as you waited for the door to open at your floor “sure I’ll love to come over” you responded as you took the bags, so he didn’t have too once the elevator door opened again.

“Great, I’ll get one of them to come get you later, see you then y/n” Sungjin said warmly as you both got out and went your separate ways to your apartments.

Once putting your things away, of course making a few plates of assorted finger food because you would always bring something to someone’s place when invited, it was common courtesy. You started to get ready by taking a shower and began to debate what to wear, of course something comfortable yet presentable since you are going over someone’s place. “Hmm not that” you mumbled as you looked through your clothes, not bothering with anything white since you’ll only get it dirty.

At the boys place, Sungjin was making sure he got everything ready with their manager picking up some extra supplies before he leaves for the night with a warning. “Young K, please stop snacking. When Y/n comes I would like to have some food for her as well” Sungjin said, lightly pushing his member out of the kitchen “Hey! Are you trying to show off or get brownie points with y/n?” Young k said in protest of being pushed. The leader shook his head “of course not, fixing the mess you and Jae pulled and maybe getting you both a chance to you know” Sungjin explains with a sigh as he checked the time “hurry up and clean up, Wonpil and Dowoon are going to get her so you both can get your shit together” he added before he watches the other run to his room to change since he showered earlier.

Hearing a knock at your door you walked over, opening the door with a smile “Dowoon, Wonpil welcome” you said automatically, turning around “I got a few dishes for you boys to carry” you said warmly.

“Hello Y/n, we’re here to escort you” Wonpil said as both followed you inside to grab the plates. Seeing the alcohol Dowoon took it in his hands “I’ll carry these” he said as all three of you left your place then heading straight to theirs. “The Princess is here” Wonpil called as you guys entered the apartment, taking the plates off Wonpil as Dowoon put the alcohol in the fridge.

“Where should I place the finger food?” You asked Sungjin as you took your shoes off. Jae racing over before Sungjin could answer “over by the table near the couch” he spoke as you nod with a warm smile doing what you were told. Turning around, smiling at them all “So, you guys have been busy?” You asked, taking a seat as the boys followed.

“Yes, we’ve been getting prepared for our next album,” Dowoon said as Wonpil freaked out “no Dowoon!” He said as Dowoon gasp “Oh sorry Hyung” he apologised as the other three sighed. “Y/n isn’t going to tell anyone” Young k said starting to eat the food you made “hmm you make great food” he adds as you blush but nod.

The night went just as smoothly simple chit chat between eating and drinking. After dinner you helped by tidy up with Sungjin. All you guys sat around having a few to many to drink as you guys talk about nonsense, it was fun and relaxing but as it got later Dowoon and Wonpil left for bed, Sungjin left an hour after that and now you are left alone with the two that makes your heart beat fast like a hummingbird flapping its wings and making you a nervous giggling mess even without the alcohol.

Leaning against Young K to keep you from falling face first onto the carpet as you guys are now in a circle on the living room floor. A blush across your cheeks from the alcohol and the closeness of both men, taking a sip from your drink as your ears and tail were out since Sungjin left. “And I told you that the sound that a fox makes it’s not like that Jae” you said loudly, leaning towards him, poking his shoulder.

“Oh yeah? Then, what sounds do foxes make?” Jae countered as Young K chuckles keeping you upright while admiring your determination. “Come on Jae, You are arguing with a fox hybrid or if we use the correct term a vixen since she’s a female fox” he said as Jae scoffed “shush Brian! I’m waiting y/n” he said.

“I knew he’ll ask something so random, but it’s that stupid songs fault” you thought, straighten your back as you took a deep breath “firstly Foxes make a lot of noises, unexpected ones, but we are mostly quiet. Our vocal range is higher than dogs, but we do some barking, scream like howling, growling and even yipping if you could call it that” you paused taking a swig of your drink “we become more vocal during mating season which females will scream or shriek to allure male foxes, or they’re known as Tod or fox dogs, though males scream during that as well” you paused “oh we also purr slightly, maybe a few other noises but it is really hard to pin a sound to foxes when they remain quiet in most of their lives” you explained ears twitching as you let out a hiccup.

At your explanation both boys nod as they were trying to process this information but alcohol would probably make them forget by morning. When you hiccuped Young K smirked “cute” as Jae nods then grins “so basically you’re saying you are loud in bed huh?” He asked as Young K grabbed a new bottle to drink trying to mask how angry he was at that question.

Cheeks going darker at Jae’s question, jumping over to shush him “shhhh! That’s not something we discuss out loud” you said leaning away “the only way you’ll know is if we do that” you said as you finished off your bottle.

“True” Jae said as he smiled, getting up as he started to stretch, checking the time “I’m off to bed, you don’t drink too much Y/n” he said leaning down and kissed your cheek “night Brian” he said cockily heading off to bed as he let out a yawn.

Young K returning with two new bottles, sitting beside you as he smiled “don’t worry about Jae, his question was just something he has been dying to ask since he first met you and so happen to perfect timing since we are all drinking” he explained as he took as sip.

Hearing that was reassuring, leaning into him more, finishing off the new bottle he just gave you. “I think I .... I reached my limit” you said as you place your hand on his thigh feeling incredible hot as the alcohol has finally taken its effect on you “B..B..Brian I feel so warm, undress me” you said in a slight purr as you stayed against him, tail swaying wildly as you stare at him with glassed over eyes.

His eyes widen seeing the change in you, remaining calm as he blush as his name was called and the way you were staring at him, it didn’t help that your hand was on his thigh. Keeping you upright as he finished off his drink “Okay Okay, I’ll take you to bed so you can rest” he said as he scooped you up, your hands wrapped around his neck.

Carrying you off to his room, trying to not look as you began to strip in his arms “please Y/n keep your clothes on” he requested softly, lightly setting you down on the bed before he sat beside you. Placing his hand on your cheek “I’ll get you a glass of water” he said getting up but you grabbed his hand.

Looking deeply into his eyes, of course you were tipsy but you still had some control left. Grabbing his hand, you caressed it gently “thank you so much” you said softly, leaning up and kissed him deeply, heart racing as your tail moves around in a swaying motion.

“Wait Y/n...You......” he said as his lips met yours, eyes closed as he returned your kiss. Pulling away, caressing your cheek tenderly “Okay, I’ll be right back” he said kissing your forehead and left for the kitchen to get water.

“I’ll be here” you said as he kisses your forehead, eyes closed as the sound of your pounding heart reached your ears. Fingers touching your burning cheeks as you couldn’t believe you kissed him. Once he left, you fell back onto the bed and passed out, zoned out with a smile on your lips, completely unaware that watching you from outside of the bedroom was Jae who saw the kiss shared by you two.

Returning to the bedroom, Young K spotted Jae and sighed “you watched?” He asked as Jae nods “well I doubt she’ll remember, besides Jae do you plan on giving up?” He asked as Jae stepped closer “I don’t plan on giving up but I don’t plan on sharing” Jae said before he disappeared again. Shaking his head Young K exhaled “Oh Jae” he said as he entered the room, seeing you asleep and smiled “you are too cute” he said to himself as he got you and himself in the bed to sleep.

A thumping of a heart beat could be heard by your ears as your body was beginning to awaken and your senses sending signals to your brain. Eyelids fluttering as you slowly took in the morning light, looking over where you were lying, you came to the conclusion that you were lying on top of someone. Rubbing your eyes lightly, looking up you gasp and say up straight making you straddle him “No way! I fell asleep in Young K’s room again” you said softly to yourself. Having an internal freak out you began to check if you were naked or any sign that would inform you that you had sex, sighing in relief when you found no evidence that took place.

Leaning over to see his gorgeous sleeping face, smiling softly as you pressed a kiss to his cheek “why can’t I find a decent man like you or Jae .. Oh! well, guess I’m not meant too” you said to yourself as you carefully got off the bed but before you could place your second foot on the floor, you were pulled back into his chest, his arms holding you in place.

“Ahh Young K” you said in surprise as his lips made contact with your neck, letting out a giggle at the sensation since it tickles. “You already have, I’m right here all for you even Jae if you want him” Young K whispered in your ear making you shudder. His fingers keeping you close as he kissed the back of your shoulder “were you planning on leaving? I can’t allow that after such a long time missing you” he said bluntly keeping you in his arms.

At each contact his lips made with your skin, your cheeks turn darker shade of redder knowing you might transform anytime with this kind of stimulation. A soft whine left your lips struggling to break free but was only pretending to escape, eyes looked back at his, gasping at his beauty “I...I...I w..wasn’t planning on leaving, I was going to use the bathroom and go into the kitchen” you explained then whined in pain as you leaned into him, the aftermath of the alcohol hurting your head.

The sounds you made was very enjoyable, nodding along to your explaining where you were heading before he noticed the pain you displayed. Placing a kiss on your temple, he leaned over and grabbed the pain killers he brought back last night before he fell asleep “take theses, I knew you couldn’t handle your liquor” he said as he rubbed your back soothingly.

Taking the pills, you swallowed them and drank the water that was put there all so. Looking back at him as you cuddle into him “so is there any chance you’ll let me go now?” You asked curiously, finding his behavior normal as he did this apart from the kisses since that first meeting.

Tapping his cheek, he nods “okay, just come back, so we can go back to sleep again” he said loving his sleep, but he doesn’t plan on napping if you don’t return.

“Okay, I promise but unlike you I probably won’t sleep again” you said smiling, slowly getting out and leaving his room. Heading towards the bathroom you bumped into Jae “good morning Jae” you said softly.

Jae looked at you sweetly until his eyes saw the hickeys on your neck, tapping his cheek “did Brian do those?” He asked a little coldly.

Lifting an eyebrow, looking at yourself in the mirror of the bathroom and gasp “OMG! How did that get there?” You asked yourself out loud, looking to Jae “I’m not sure, I only just woken up” you said confused as you closed the door and used the bathroom.

“Hmm” Jae said as he then went to Brian’s room, opening the door to see Young K changed and composing “so you got busy with Y/n last night huh?” He asked as Young K lifted and eyebrow, then smirked teasingly.

“No, I wouldn’t do anything sexual with a woman who was unable to consent let alone intoxicated and was asleep” Young K said a bit pissed Jae would think he did, looking up from his notebook as he smiled “you saw the hickeys? That was from this morning trying to keep her in bed, but she was unaware” he said pausing to set his things done “besides when I do something intimate with y/n is when she has agreed on me being her boyfriend, or informed us what she wants from us” he adds getting back to work.

Listening to Young K’s words Jae did agree with him on that, there was no way he would either do anything sexual with y/n til she has informed them on what she wants. Rubbing the back on his neck, taking the spot beside him on the bed “Sorry Man, didn’t mean to sound like an ass. Though I am a little jealous of how you both act with one another” he said as he leaned back.

“Nah it’s cool, I understand” Young K said as he the put everything away, looking at his Hyung bemused “you know she’ll probably won’t pick to not start a fight with each other, Don’t get too jealous you and y/n have your inside jokes which is fun to watch” he adds as the door opened showing you in the door way.

Looking at both of them worried “Are you guys alright?” You asked shutting the door and slowly approached them “I didn’t ruin your friendship?” You asked with slight tears swelling up.

Seeing you at the door both men smiled then getting concerned and worried over the words you were saying. Jae shook his head “You aren’t ruining anything, don’t every think that” he said putting his hand out “we are always staying close” he adds as Young K nods “we don’t want to see that smile of yours disappear okay” he said as his hand was put out towards you as well.

“Okay” you said trying to Hold back your tears knowing that wouldn’t help, you took both their hands that were stretched out to you, climbing onto the bed and sat between the two of them.

Both men let their fingers caress your cheek down to your hands, holding it closely as both places a kiss to it. “How about we stay like this for a while, huh?” Young K asked as Jae quickly left and locked the door and returned “I agree with you there Brian” he said as they both looked at you sweetly.

Hearing Young K’s suggestion you nodded your head “Okay” you said as you let your tail and ears come out feeling comfortable, positioning yourself between them even more.

Several hours past and you were out cold on the bed between the boys. Jae and Young K making music while getting Sungjin to come in with food quietly to not wake you. “So you both are planning to date her?” Sungjin asked as he set the food down watching Young k guard you amusingly, turning to Jae as he took some food Sungjin brought in “Yeah, if y/n agrees to it. I doubt she’ll say no but if it happens it’ll be quite loud ..hey” Jae said glaring at Young k who threw the sock at him, Young K shrugging at Jae’s response. Sungjin rolling eyes “honestly I’m just glad you both are stepping up because it was annoying watching you flirt with her all this time” he said as he grabbed stuff to throw in the bed before leaving room.

Young K chuckled caressing your sleepy cheek “You know we have to tell JYPE about this, are you prepared?” He asks as Jae nods lying beside you as he yawned “Yeah, I’m up for anything” Jae said as he gave Young K a soft look before looking back at you.

A lot of complicated things happen from that night, firstly Young K and Jae both asked you out and agree to sharing you which honestly shocked you but they seem to be enjoying this unusual relationship. The hardship you had to face by JYPE was exhausting yet you fought through it since those two were fighting for the relationship themselves.

All of this happen within the first 2 months of actually dating those two. Apart from that you have been spending a lot of time with them. The only problem is that you get startled by them even more since they aren’t bothered with being very subtle, especially when in public and being all touchy feely with you. It doesn’t help to have those two appearing out of nowhere always frightening you nearly to the point of transforming.

“Seriously can you both stop appearing out of nowhere? I will transform if you keep on startling me” you said as Jae smirked “but I like when your flustered” he said as Young K nodded in agreement as he stood on your other side “your fox form is so adorable, I love it very much” Young K said as both men observed you as you folded the clothes you just took out of the dryer, of course some clothes were theirs.

“I’ll take that” Young K said as you put the last dried item of clothing into the basket, wanting to object but was glad. Jae however scooped you up “well I guess I will take this” he said as Young K groaned “no it’s my turn” he said as Jae laughed and responded back.

You had no idea what was going on through their heads. Shaking your head “I can walk you know, I have two feet which turn to four in my fox form” you said amused, getting out of Jae’s arms and then stuck your tongue out “If I make it upstairs first then you have to do anything I say for the next month and if you guys win then I’ll do what you want” you said then smirked “ready, steady go” you said racing off and going into the elevator.

The boys quiet down as you were speaking, smirking as they liked the idea of the deal. Jae groaned as you took off “cheater!” He called as you raced out and put obstacles in their way. However, Young K held the basket of clothes heading up the stair “stop whining, if she wins we’ll have a very happy girlfriend” he said as Jae smirks “fine but I’ll give her a run for her money” he said as he took off fast.

“Come on, get up faster” you muttered wanting to beat them but knowing if Jae run’s you might lose. Sighing as you imagine Jae rubbing it in your face making you his slave, shuddering as you pictured something even worse. Hand landing on your forehead “I am so stupid!” You said, “why did I even say that?” you added, shaking your head. As soon as the elevator door opened, you sprinted to your door and lucky you made it there first but you crashed into Wonpil.

“Oh y/n, I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Wonpil said full of concern as he knelt down, having Dowoon and Sungjin was racing over to check on you. Just as the others reached you Jae and Young K finally arrived, both men raced over.

“Y/n! Y/n” both exclaimed worryingly, looking at their members curiously as they took in the situation.

Sungjin faces them as Wonpil shielded you. “She crashed into Wonpil” he said taking in Jae and Young K’s expressions “why were you three racing up here?” He asked as he heard Wonpil squeal.

Checking your head you saw blood “don’t shout at them Sungjin, I told them to race me to the apartment” you said getting up to unlock your front door.

Young K chases after you, setting the basket down “Oi! You have a head injury” he did as Jae and the others chased after as well.

“I know but I need to check Wonpil for his, I could never forgive myself if I cause him harm” you explained getting the first aid kit.

Taking the first aid kit off you, Sungjin pointed to the couch “sit on there” he said as he watched Wonpil take a seat with you. “I will do this, but seriously you three have to be more careful” he said starting to lecture you guys as he began to do first aid on Wonpil and yourself. Once it was down Dowoon sighed in relief “y/n, Wonpil I am glad your better” he said as Wonpil nodded.

With that the bet was canceled due to Sungjin’s nagging so unfortunately no one won. You had to go to the hospital with Wonpil to check if there was any damage which came back negative, returning home to have those two staying with you and babying you even more.

Life continued to be filled with excitement, adventures, endless laughter, tears of joy and never ending noise but you will always and forever remember that time you met the two wonderful boys you fell madly in love with, even though they drive you completely crazy.

#kpop imagines #day6 scenarios #jaehyungparkian #young k #jae #day6 fanfic #day6 imagine #young k fanfic #jae fanfic #young k scenarios #young k imagine #jae scenarios #jae imagines #fanfic #unexpected visitor #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios

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jack-andthestalk · 6 years ago

Text

Stuck on you, A Mark. Chapter 5.

Jamie’s distraught expression when I said I wasn’t in love with him, took me by surprise. I didn’t realise it would even affect him, I had tried and probably failed to bury a lot of thoughts of him, and if I conjured up any memory it was a man that couldn’t love me, and didn’t deserve my love. I had blocked out his begging, pleading and excuses in order to survive. I had also refused to remember the blissfully happy times we had and how I thought there was no one for me but him, he had certainly told me that I was the only one for him. Remembering it hurt, but once I saw his face on the balcony, I could see it all again in my mind’s eye, the hurt and pain I had seen in the same face two years before

“You didn’t lie, you didn’t try to hide it and I am thankful for that Jamie, for giving me that respect…and maybe if I hadn’t seen the image I could have tried to…forget” His hand on her hips, her hands on his chest. He hadn’t been sorry then, hadn’t thought of me, he had been thinking about something else entirely. That was partly why I left because the image was real in my mind, I mean he had told me, confessed it all but there is something about a tangible picture that makes things real. I couldn’t go on denying it or pretending it hadn’t happened. I thought it ripped me right open, but the expression on Jamie’s face when I pointed to our laptop that morning and said, “I can’t unsee this and I can’t stay”, was utter devastation.

He followed me begging and pleading while I packed, eventually as I neared the door he dropped to his knees and buried his face in my stomach wrapping his arms around my waist, “Sassenach I am begging ye, please dinna leave, I will spend the rest of my life making it right.” I reached behind my back and disentangled his hands, taking one step back, I could see the tears forming a new on his cheek.

“I can’t Jamie, I am sorry, I just …its changed us, the way I love you is different now…you made it less, you lessened us”

“Claire ya ken it was only because I thought I had already lost ye.”

“hmm” I said in a detached voice “that’s the pity, you hadn’t lost me at all then, but now you have”

I turned and left, I didn’t look back.

__________________________________________________________

After the incident with Jamie on the balcony, I had gone for a run and somehow ended up at Cathal’s place, whether Cathal sensed I was having some sort of emotional crisis he was good enough to not question it. He had no idea who Jamie was to me, and that in itself was wrong of me. We had flirted our way into bed. I had wanted it, wanted him to make me forget Jamie and forget the pain of losing him. It should have been enough, but when I ran my hands down his back and felt the expanse of his shoulders, I had to bite on my bottom lip to stop me cry out for Jamie. Nobody had or would reach me like he did and part of me hated him for it, for denying me that, I could speak to his body as if it were my own.

Cathal up until now had been a balm on my battered soul, he was loving and kind and funny, we laughed together constantly, he didn’t deserve half an effort from me. I vowed to be better for him.

___________________________________________________________

It was only a few days before Jamie made a reappearance at the apartment, Rupert had bought a flat packed wardrobe, but lacked the ability to use a hammer and nail. He had made a pleading call to Jamie, quite handy in that regard and Jamie arrived soon after. He gave me a shy smile when he passed me on the couch, for the next hour I heard nothing but profanity coming from Rupert’s room, which eventually transcended into gradual grunts. From the sounds of things they had managed to assemble most of it. I was just about to offer coffee, when I heard a loud “Fuck” followed by “for fucks sake Rupert” and “Oh Christ man I’m sorry”

It transpired that Rupert had knocked the newly assembled wardrobe straight over and down on top of Jamie’s opened palm. Rupert starting roaring my name shortly after, and I could hear Jamie hissing at him not to call me. But it was too late, I was in the room and down on my knees beside Jamie before he had a chance to run.

“Let me look at it under the light in the kitchen Jamie”,

“nay Sassenach, its fine, il just bandage it up and …” he said through gritted teeth. It was pouring blood and far from fine.

“You’ll do no such thing, you might need stitches, I am looking at it” without

Further protestations he followed me like a lamb to the kitchen, it was clearly paining him he had beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

I led him to the kitchen sink and took his hand in both of mine, the minute I touched him, something ran through me and it took all my concentration to focus on his injury. I was unnecessarily entwining my fingers through his as I examined it, holding it up nearer to my face. My heart was beating almost painfully in my chest and I was afraid he would hear it.

“I think a few steri strips should do it and I will wrap it well, for work. You don’t want to be getting an infection in it”

I lifted my head to see what he thought of my assessment and he was just gazing down at me, suddenly his good hand rose slowly and took my right hand in his, he traced the bones in my hand first and eventually landed with his thumb on my wrist, rubbing gently over the small tattoo .

“Ye dinna get rid of it?” he asked in something like disbelief, his thumb tracing idly and back over the letters JF.

My mouth went suddenly dry, “no…I…no I didn’t” I replied honestly. His head bobbed up and down in understanding, he pressed his lips together and then I saw him swallow hard, his chin trembled slightly. I lifted his good hand and turned his wrist to face me “you didn’t either I see?” he looked me straight in the eye “Never Sassenach”, he said shaking his incredulously, “I wouldna want to.”

It was the first time since his arrival in London, he had used that name of endearment and I was about to chastise him for using it but when I looked at him, his face was so full of gratitude and he had the sweetest smile, I couldn’t do it.

Rupert strutted into the kitchen took one look at our faces and said “ach Christ did I break it?”

“No” I said smiling “but you gave it a good go”

I carefully cleaned the hand, and bandaged it. Jamie watched me attentively all the time, when I was finished I splayed his hand out across the kitchen table, “it will be sore for a few days if you make a fist or that but I think it will heal well” I promised, in my best doctor voice.

“thank ye” he said in almost a whisper, eyes intent on mine, he picked up my hand that rested on the table, slowly while keeping his eyes on me, he brought his mouth to my open hand and kissed my palm. It was an act he had done thousands of times before, I told myself he did it without conscious thought, nearly like an old habit. But then he shifted his face, so his cheek rested in my palm.

“Jamie” I breathed pleadingly.

He didn’t make to move, but eventually kissed my palm again and laid it back on the table.

We sat there in silence for a minute, I wasn’t sure what had just ran between us, but I felt thoroughly unsettled and had a longing like pain in my chest.

“sorry” he whispered guiltily, he looked up at me then through his eyelashes and I thought my heart would break.

“Will you stay for dinner?” Rupert roared from the sitting room. “Claire does me a roast on Sundays if she is off”, Rupert continued. Then poking his head around the door “that’s alright Claire bear, if Jamie stays? An imploring look at me and a wink.

I just sighed,

“roast chicken Jamie?, you are welcome to stay……its Rupert’s favorite, Gellis is coming too…” I began to explain.

Jamie cut across me not answering my question clearly preoccupied with mine and Ruperts domestic arrangements, “Ye cook for him?” he asked in a scandalized tone.

“Well he cooks for me too” I replied reasonably “but if I am off on a Sunday I like to cook.

“How the hell has Rupert managed to wrangle ye to live with him and now ye tell me ye cook him as well.”

I just smiled, “leave poor Rupert alone, he was other worldly charms, do you want to stay or not?”

A shy smile spread across his face, “I would like nothing more Claire”

_____________________________________________

Gellis arrived in a flurry of activity, finishing a sentence on the phone before she even entered that flat, she crooked one eyebrow at me when she saw Jamie watching Rugby with Rupert on the couch, handed me two bottles of wine and said

“Ach well isna this cosy, just like old times!”

I gave her a warning look, which I knew she would completely ignore.

“Is Cathal coming?” she hissed into my ear. “No, he is on nights”, I tried to sound casual but the truth was I didn’t know how Cathal would feel about any of this if he really knew who Jamie was.

For the main Gellis behaved herself throughout dinner, I could feel heat rising in my cheeks when she asked Jamie if he was seeing anyone. “Are ye dating anyone then Fox hmm?” she asked swirling the wine around in her glass and sitting back on her chair, eyes squinted in scrutiny.

Jamie glanced at me quickly, a shake of his head and a gruff reply of “no”.

Gellis being Geillis wasn’t prepared to leave it there “London is a great place for dating, so many single and ready to mingle, isna that right Rupert?”

Rupert was nodding animatedly, “Why Rupert ye should….”

“No thanks” Jamie said firmly, a tight smile “I ken where yer going with this Geillis and I am not interested, thanks for yer concern all the same” he narrowed his eyes as he let the smile fall from his face. I heard Gellis mutter “Interesting”

Apart from that the evening passed without incident, it was some time later with Rupert dozing on the couch beside Gellis that I rose to walk Jamie out.

“Thanks for dinner” he said nervously

“No problem it was…” and for lacking a word to describe what is was I trailed off with “strange…I mean its been a long time since we shared a meal” I pressed my lips together in a thin line, and gave him a weak smile.

Jamie paused for a minute and cleared his throat, “Claire I was wondering…do ye think maybe…”, he rubbed the palms of his hands down his sides and then brought them up folding his arms and dropping them again, he was moving his weight from one foot to the other, as if he couldn’t stand still.

My forehead burrowed in confusion “what I mean to ask do ye think ye could find it in yerself to spend a bit of time with me again?” I opened my mouth to respond, maybe detecting my hesitancy he quickly clarified “as friends I mean you and me”

“Jamie” I began shaking my head,

He looked down at his feet and I heard him say “please” so softly my heart almost broke.

“Ok as friends” I said tersely “but if it gets weird….”

His head snapped up, a big grin on his face, “it won’t!” he said and without taking a breath “I will not give ye cause to regret it”.

#outlander fanfic #stuckonyou #the lallybroch library

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jui-imouto-chan · 6 years ago

Text

Part 4 of the Mostly Human AU

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Main Menu

Kara, Alice, and Luther are good friends of Markus. Kara and Luther need to head to Canada for a few days so they can help out Luther’s cousin, Rose, and her son/his nephew, Adam, as they had caught a nasty virus and could barely take care of themselves.

Alice had to stay in Detroit, since they didn’t want her to get sick, too.

Luther tried to contact Markus, another cousin, but he and the others were too busy to take care of her.

The members of Jericho are activists outside of their band, and have other jobs as well.

Their schdeules are pretty wack, yo.

North tells them that they could keep Alice at Hank’s house, so, due to their desperation, they hit Hank up.

Connor was out working on a case when this was happening, Collin and Conan following him around while Gavin looked on with forced disdain.

When he licked some blood for analysis, everyone freaked.

Collin was lowkey intrigued. Like, maybe blood didn’t taste so bad?? Connor didn’t react badly.

Conan tackled him as he approached where Connor sat in confusion, slapping him while calling him a “fucking idiot.”

Gavin was horrified and awed all at once.

And maybe all three of them were oddly aroused

They don’t talk about that case any more.

Kara and Luther drop off Alice and all of the things she needs at Hank’s house, then leave.

Alice was preoccupied with Sumo for a few hours.

In that time, Hank managed to give her a cupcake that Connor made.

She squealed in delight while eating it.

Hank’s dopey smile was unsettling to him, so he slapped himself in the face to get rid of it after leaving the room.

When Connor came back home, Conan and Collin flanking him, Alice thought she wasn’t feeling well and that she was seeing triple.

When Connor heard the words “not feeling well”, he immediately sprung into action.

He dashed to the kitchen, and within 5 minutes, he had Chicken Noodle Soup on the stove and some bread in the toaster.

After getting everything ready in there enough to be able to leave for a moment, he went back to Alice.

He checked her temperature, asked her how she was feeling, etc.

Collin and Conan kinda stood in the background, feeling mildly irked at not receiving any such attention. It was irrational, but eh.

Alice took a huge liking to Connor.

He makes her hair look really pretty with as little pain as possible

He gives her hugs whenever she wants

He scoops her into his arms like a toddler and then gives her kisses to her hair.

She simultaneously thinks of Connor as a prince and a princess.

She asks him to sing her lullabies and the dreams she gets as a result are so wonderful

She calls it Sleepy Magic

It further solidified her idea of him being a prince(ss)

Hank feels his heart swell when he sees the two of them together. It’s so cute.

There may as well be flowers surrounding them when they’re laughing with each other gdi

Collin and Conan aren’t on the best of terms with Alice. They keep trying to take Connor’s attention away, and Alice doesn’t accept that. They don’t like that Alice gets Connor’s attention at all.

Sometimes, when Connor is hugging her, curled around her while they’re watching a movie, she’ll turn so she’s looking over his shoulder

And she’ll stare at Conan and Collin

And then smirk and stick her tongue out

They bristle and have to remind themselves that she’s a kid

When Kara and Luther returned, they were so exhausted that they forget to call Hank to tell him they were back.

They just rang the doorbell

They didn’t expect Connor, with Alice on his shoulders,

The both of them covered in miscellaneous baking items.

Whipped cream was splattered across Connor’s face, and flour was clinging to his cheeks.

Alice’s hands were covered in flour, so there weren’t many questions as to where it came from.

Kara and Luther didn’t really talk much with Connor, still wayyyy out of it.

Alice kept on talking about Connor on their way home, but they didn’t really think much of her rambling until after they woke up later.

When they finally listened to all of the things Alice was saying about Connor, they felt kinda impressed.

Like, wow, Alice loves him a lot.

They came to really like Connor.

Kara and Luther keep on badgering Markus to grow a pair and get a ring on Connor.

Luther wants that android as his cousin in law soon, dammit.

Conan and Collin’s biological mother requires a visit every month or so.

If she doesn’t see them at her house, she goes to them.

Collin and Conan don’t feel the most comfortable around her, but they act indifferent.

So, when Amanda came to Hank’s house while the three human occupants were out, she didn’t anticipate meeting Connor.

She was intrigued by the android, and decided that she could use him for her company.

She is the current CEO of Cyberlife.

Kamski left the company a while back.

He did all of his programming and stuff at home, so Cyberlife has been trying to attain samples of his work (like Connor) in order to reverse engineer some AI that they could use to make androids similar to Connor.

The ones they already make aren’t proper AI, their code isn’t as complex and detailed.

The only androids in use are the few used in places like the Eden Club, and in some Government buildings. (Hospitals and the like)

Conan, Hank, and Collin came back home to Connor looking vaguely frightened, LED blinking red, with Amanda, despite being shorter, towering over him. She was grabbing his arm really tightly.

When she heard the door open, she smiled like a damn fox and then told Conan and Collin that she missed them.

Amanda then released Connor’s arm and walked out of the house.

Her last words still echo in Connor’s ears.

“There is little time, Connor.”

Connor was so shaken up that he went into the coat closet and locked himself in there.

He ignored the three of them when they tried to get him to open the door, to talk to them

He even ignored Sumo, who was scratching at the door and whimpering in concern for him

The next day, he acted like nothing happened, feigning a lack of knowledge about the previous day’s events.

He still freezes up when Amanda is mentioned in any capacity

X | Continue

O | Stop

——————

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follyhodger · 6 years ago

Text

Hunger & Mastery

Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island is my favorite One Piece movie, but the ending confused and unsettled me. The terrifying loss of Luffy’s crew was wiped away -- it was all just a bad dream! -- but in such a way that I couldn’t help but wonder if the awakening itself was a delusion, with Luffy replicating the Baron’s illusory preservation of lost friends. The morbid ambiguity resembled the final top-spin of Inception (which came 5 years later), and it seemed very out of place in my merry little pirate show. But the dream turned out to be standard fare.

In the first chapter, Luffy’s personal demon (vanity) surfaced in the form of a bandit and a sea-serpent. A competing virtue (love for others) is illustrated as a willingness to allow one’s own self-image to be sundered. Thus in the second chapter, Koby’s own fear of death is manifest in Alvida, who obsesses over the maintenance of appearances: vanity is understood as a force for keeping oneself intact, in a general sense. The breaking of the body is analogous to the shattering of the self-image.

But the more general takeaway is that Luffy washing up on the shore of Koby’s island is akin to Cobb washing up on the shore of Saito’s fortress in Inception: Luffy has invaded a dream. The very real conflicts our heroes navigate therefore double as a map for the internal conflict(s) plaguing some dreamer(s).

Moving forward, the question becomes What Is Zoro Dreaming About? If Luffy and Koby were metaphorically bound to their islands by an inner conflict with vanity, what psychic turmoil ensnares Zoro? The villain of each arc has thus far been the embodiment of the dreamer’s key vice, but does the same hold for Captain Morgan?

The last question is the easiest starting line (Answer: Yes!), as the groundwork for it is laid out in the story of Gaimon. The gang stumbles on an island full of chimera: chicken-fox, rabbit-snake, and pig-lion. In each case, the creature is a fusion of prey and predator, an unconventional union between a hunger and the target of that hunger. The parade culminates in appearance of Gaimon, whose body has merged with a treasure chest, an irony upon his obsessive interest in treasure. The comparison of the chimera and Gaimon indicates that hunger is analogous to desire in general. This offer some rationale for why characters aiming for pirate king (Luffy, Blackbeard, Kidd) eat the most: their appetites match the scale of their ambitions. What’s more, we can infer that the satisfaction of hunger (fullness) is generally analogous to the attainment of (and unification with!) the desired thing.

If you look at Zoro’s story such an object, the immediate answer is swords. At Captain Morgan’s base, at Arlong Park, and throughout the story, Zoro falters in battle when he lacks a full set of blades, and he re-assumes the strength of his art when the set is again complete. The VIZ translation is a bit more on the nose: having acquired a sword-count of 3 in Loguetown, Zoro remarks that he feels “whole” again. By way of Gaimon’s fable, we can infer that Axehand Morgan (and later, the sword-bodied Mr. 1) express the fusion with one’s weapons implicit in Zoro’s recurring quest to reunite with his swords.

The idea that Zoro’s antagonists function as shadowy dream-mirrors of himself (as doppelgangers) allows some nice jokes to fall in to place: when Luffy and Koby arrive at the marine base, the townspeople react with identical shock to the mention of Zoro and Morgan not only because both are feared, but because on a dream level, the swordsman and the axe-hand are the same person.

So having established that Captain Morgan indeed continues the trend of villains being manifested from (or closely analogous to) the mental configurations of the hero(es), we can return to the previous question: what psychic turmoil ensnares Zoro, exactly? What traps him in his solipsistic island, spiritually?

The answer lies in the maxim Morgan espouses as he firmly regards his axe-hand: “Strength is Everything!” The view is shared by Zoro, who aims for the title of World’s Greatest Swordsman. But in the same way that Luffy was apprehended by two competing notions of manhood, Zoro attempts to reconcile two competing notions of strength.

The notion embodied by Morgan is that of domination and mastery. Just as the axe embedded in his arm obeys his mind, Morgan regards all those beneath him (which is everyone, for he is strongest upon his island) as subordinate to his will. The townspeople exist to give him taxes, the sailors exist to kill those he wishes to kill, as though the men themselves are mere axes within his hand.

The moment that Luffy (himself very arrogant) claims Zoro could not defeat him, Zoro is faced with an insult on par with the toppling of Morgan’s self-aggrandizing statue: his supreme greatness has been challenged. Accordingly, Luffy’s challenge results in the emergence of the embodiment of Zoro’s competing image of strength: Rika, the little girl with the riceballs.

If Morgan represents a strength oriented towards vanity (that is, a strength that offers a self/image that cannot be ruptured or killed), Rika is a strength willing to face its own death -- or rather, a strength willing to submit itself to the possibility of its own dissolution? Calling to mind the progress Zoro displays in laying his arm bare to a twirling blade at Loguetown, daring fate to end him. Koby (who already had his confrontation with immortal vanity) echoes Rika’s selflessness when he attempts to untie Zoro (and again still when he shows his willingness to die before Helmeppo).

As Morgan calls for the execution, Zoro is forced to confront that he will not be permitted to nobly endure upon his cross, that he will simply die -- and suddenly he recalls the swiftness with which his undefeated rival had her life taken away. Untouchable strength united with the image of ultimate human frailty... or perhaps, fate itself replaced Kuina as the unbeatable force to be overcome...? For her sake, as well as his...

Another confusing guesture: why does Luffy assume a stance akin to the form of Zoro’s cross when he blocks the bullets? It’s not an effective pose for shielding those behind you, but symbolically it suggests that either Luffy has assumed the role of Zoro’s cross (that to which he is bound, upon which he endures?) or that Luffy is kind of enacting a poetic rendition of Zoro’s execution, at once acting as both the hanged man and the gallows? A more morbid sort of unity... but is the master the man or the cross?

Zoro assumes the position again (arms spread, as though again unified with the cross) as he submits himself to the overwhelming might of Mihawk’s blade. (And again, when baring his arm to the might of chance at Loguetown!) Mihawk himself weilds not one, but two blades in the shape of a crucifix... Is fate the wielder of the cross, or is the cross itself a symbol of fate...?

And pointedly, Mihawk easily block Zoro’s Onigiri with his little crucifix knife. Why does Zoro name his technique after Rika’s gift of riceballs? Is every strike a confrontation with his own mortality, marching up to the cross to offer his blades, fully aware that he may die? And if the hunger analogy still stands, this is itself would then be the gesture towards become full, complete, whole?

I went into this essay hoping to lay everything out, but it’s clear that I’m still struggling to understand how the meaning is being woven in One Piece. Ideally as I move forward, further evidence will let me take some of the question marks off of these impressions.

#reading one piece

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rowanheartjunior · 6 years ago

Text

A Haven for Lost Things

Chapter 2

Connor pulled up to the two story skimpy house, scanning the facade for abnormalities. Seeing nothing and no one, he snatched a sleeping Markus off the backseat and carried him into the house after scrambling to figure out the best way to punch in the passcode with a gaunt and asleep assassin in his hands.

Money. Connor required it. For Hank and for himself.

The door hit the adjacent wall with a crash, but Connor didn’t care. He kicked it shut, and dumped Markus on the living room couch with a grunt. The man opened hazy eyes and blinked at him. He managed to remain neutral despite the pain and situation.

Connor shook his head. Markus was like him, and that meant no matter what, he couldn’t let his guard down. Men like them were tricky bastards, slippery to hold and harder to keep. Which put into perspective how easy it had been to catch Markus.

It had been something Connor had been mulling over during the drive through the city. He’d been hunting the elusive man for almost sixteen months, and out of the blue, he gets lucky. People in this business don’t get lucky.

Markus must have another motivator. A reason, something to explain why he let himself get caught. He’d been a ghost for too long to be found out in the open. What were the likely options?

Markus must need something from him. Connor’s eyebrows scrunched together. But what could he supply that Markus couldn’t give himself? Markus had money, the necessary skill set, a life, what else did he require?

There was a missing piece, an empty space in Connor’s observations. He hated not having the whole story, but the only way to get it was through the man himself. Perhaps Connor had the chance to understand the mystery behind the legend, but in the meantime, he had to nurse the sickly man back to health.

The Deviant, reduced to skin and bones and exhaustion. Connor remembered hearing stories when he was younger about the one called Deviant, a title passed down from assassin to assassin. To be the Deviant was the be the best, and Connor had coveted that dream until he understood what it meant. Left with a unique set of skills and lacking the kind needed to be someone else, Connor had forced himself into a corner in a titanium cage.

Connor never cared much to decide what his morals were. It was obvious that they didn’t line up with most of the world’s population. There wasn’t a reset button to fix them, and he wasn’t inclined to adjust them either.

The clock chimed noon, its echoing sound familiar and distant at the same time. There were days when that sound meant pain and rugged eyes and alcohol filled breath and there were days when it meant roasting coffee and a grim but patient smile.

Connor left the living room and came back with a length of rope. Markus was hurt, but he knew that the man was still dangerous. Several lessons had taught him several times to alway beware. He tied it around Markus’ wrists and then to the beam of wood in the ceiling. The oak was supported and bolted into several other crossing beams. Granted, he didn’t think Markus was going anywhere.

Knot finished, Connor’s thoughts turned to food. The safe house was stocked to the brim with supplies, but the food choices were sparse. Connor didn’t cook anything more complicated than a bowl of brown rice and roasted vegetables. He could start a fire from flint and iron, run on walls, navigate through complex layouts and streets, and hit a sniper shot at seventeen hundred meters, but he couldn’t make a single crèpe.

The kitchen was basic, with only the necessary oven, microwave, and fridge. They weren’t new appliances either, the white tinged a dreary grey and drudged up brown. Rust was creeping in the stovetop bars. He wasn’t coming back here after this and Connor had never been one to clean unless a case called for it.

The silence wasn’t oppressive the way it was in the lost district. Here, there was the faint noise of cars and planes, wind clattering branches against windows, and dogs barking every now and again. There, metal clanged and doors slammed and the foundation was built upon the hidden and forgotten things, things left alone for reasons no one knew any longer.

The creature was another matter. Connor had seen it once, cast in moonlight and framed in ragged shadows. Eyes dark as a starless night and mouth crawling with jagged teeth that could rip and tear through steel with ease, the creature lacked any formal name. It didn’t need one. The very sound of its claws dragging against the road made birds silent and turned foxes and badgers aside. Doors were braced and windows left empty. The creature was always hungry and always waiting.

The lights flickered in the kitchen before coming back to their usual consistent beam. Connor ignored t and went about making a cheddar cheese and butter sandwich for himself and a chicken soup for Markus. Solid food after starvation wasn’t a good idea. He’d have to work Markus into the regular three meals a day. From prior research, treatment for the malnourished took over three months. They’d have to find another place to stay, out of the way from civilization. The country of France was lovely at this time year.

The summer heat and colliding weather brought out a lush countryside filled with various kinds of trees and grasses. Hills roamed through, rivers cutting around bluffs. It wasn’t so different from the midwestern countryside, aside for one monumental fact.

France had mountains.

Towering, jagged peaked mountains. Most were snow capped, but their bases sometimes sprouted deciduous forests that would fade into rocky outcroppings and trails. Connor had spent a vacation hiking up Mount Blac, one of France’s tallest mountains. They wouldn’t be hiding out near an tourist attraction, the likelihood of someone asking for directions increased dramatically.

The water was boiling on the stove, the rich smell of chicken and spices rising from the pot as Connor added the packet mixture. Rich was a stretch, but to Connor and certainly to Markus, it would be their version of a five star meal.

Tapping the wooden spoon on the side of the steaming pot, Connor laddled a sizeable chunk of the soup into a one of two bowls he had on stock. Tupperware and silverware weren’t high on his survival list. His contact must have thought of it; he knew himself well enough to know it wouldn't have crossed his mind.

Connor set the bowl onto the rickety coffee table. Markus stared at him with those strange eyes―the heterochromia unsettling. Markus’ eyes were unsettling without the two different colors, a barrier blocked Connor from seeing anything but a wall put up to keep others out. He didn’t like not being able to see through a person, however invasive that was.

Connor offered the bowl and no words. Markus took it and sat up, his hands trembling. The soup splashed from the spoon onto his lap as he raised it to his lips. It didn’t deter Markus. He kept at it until the soup was in his stomach or on the ragged shirt he wore.

It was a mess and if Connor had cared about such things, he might have said something, but he didn’t care, so he refrained from spoken word.

Neither had said a word to each other during their stay in each other’s company. They had an innate understanding, or so Connor thought. Both were killers and both weren’t the type to have small talk. What sort of things would they talk about anyways? Kills? Training how to kill? Their first kill?

Connor’s whole world revolved around these things, nothing else had ever mattered. Nothing besides the gun in his hands and the father back home.

He left Markus laying there, eyes staring at the blank wall, mind off in another place. There was a phone call he had to make.

The bedroom was sparse—a night stand, full size bed with black sheets, and one wardrobe with two sets of clothes. There wasn’t a window, giving the room a closed off and claustrophobic atmosphere. Markus would need a set of clothes to travel in, the ones he was wearing were torn and stained with various liquids.

Connor made a mental note to see if the one’s in the wardrobe would fit him or if he’d have to buy new ones. He pulled out the cheap phone for one last call.

Another number he knew by heart. His one friend, or the closest thing he had to a friend. His contact, who helped him get places, know layouts and hack into secret Russian KGB servers.

“Simon.”

“AK. What do you need this time?” Simon’s voice filtered in with a crack.

Connor sat down on the edge of the bed. “I need a place out in the country, not for from Lyon, France. Fifty miles at most, but away from people. I have something that came up and I can’t travel for a few months. I’ll need two thousand euros and two sets of the normal. One car, don’t care how old as long as it doesn’t break down. Guns must be kept in a different location than normal.”

Simon was silent, the clattering of a keyboard faintly coming through. “You have someone with you?”

“An old buddy, injured in a car crash yesterday and you know I hate hospitals. I want more medical supplies in the house too. Antiseptic, gauze, morphine, the usual.”

Simon hummed in agreement. “I’ll send the address over in an hour. It’ll be ready by tomorrow afternoon, probably around two. Stay alive.”

Connor hung up and laid back on the bed. He had an hour drive in the morning to pick up Gavin. The man had texted him that he’d arrive at four am. The clock read one pm. The day was dragging on, with every moment lasting longer than it should have any right to.

He stared up at the ceiling, eyes following the slowly spinning fan that didn’t circulate the air in the room. Questions reemerged.

Markus was here on his own account, this Connor knew. Connor was good at what he did, he was very good, but the man in the living room was far better at everything. Markus was the top, the pinnacle of what they could do. He’d heard stories, everyone heard stories of the Deviant. Names came and went, but Markus’ had had stayed up their for longer than most lived. Twelve years. For the past twelve years, Markus had dominated the playing field.

Why him and why now? What changed? What caused the haggard man he saw before him, with sunken eyes and sallow skin?

Connor hated unanswered questions, but he hated begging for information too. If he could find out who this man was before he was the Deviant…

But how could Connor do that? He snorted. The man had lived in the shadows, become a shadow. People had tried, they always tried—to figure out the person behind the mask.

The notoriety of never being carved out, of never being exposed had given Markus an incredible advantage. No one knew how he did it, but Connor had an inkling.

Hackers were good and there had to be their version of Deviant in the community too. A person Markus had contacted to get himself wiped out of every database. In every country. Connor sighed.

There were things to get done, preparation for Gavin and for their move. Connor spent the rest of the day doing exactly that. The boring, easy, and mindless tasks he’d done enough times that they’d lost all meaning. Their importance didn’t decrease, they still had to be done, but Connor had grown accustomed to listening to classical music and think about other things while he finished security checks, figured out plans of moving Markus and the surgery he’d require from Gavin.

Markus was fast asleep, or appeared to be when Connor checked in on him around ten. The day had quickened into night and Connor grew tired as the minutes ticked by. He made sure the rope was tight and the knot untouched before leaving the room. He couldn’t scratch the itch that was Markus. The man could have escaped, Connor had left him enough openings to leave, but there he lay, still here. Markus wanted something, and Connor needed to find out what that was.

Why him? Others had hunted Markus too, sought after the ten million for their efforts, which led to the obvious question, what made him special? Connor had encountered his kind over the past year, killed a few and left a few unable to walk. It wasn’t unnecessary, Connor was built on necessary. It was necessary to eat, to drink and sleep. Necessary to take out opponents, ranging from unconscious to dead, depending on the situation.

But the question lingered in the background as he gave Markus one last look. When he looked at him, he didn’t see everything he’d expected. The strong, unflinching stance, a cold, ruthless killer, the remarkably robotic style of thinking, none of it came to mind. In its place stood a man, human in the way he tried to understand his surroundings, human in the way he stared endlessly at the walls, deep in an unknowable place. Thin and hungry and starved for something more.

Connor disliked the word something. It implied that the thing wasn’t known or there was too much to know. Implications were dangerous and so was he. But he found himself wanting that something too, though it remained far out of reach and hidden by a dark fog.

That night he went to sleep with mysteries in his head and a problem he hadn’t yet seen, but no matter the things in his head, Connor always slept light and woke up often. Nothing changed, nothing wavered.

And by magic, Connor hadn’t noticed the light flickering on in the living room.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3

Previous Chapter: Chapter 1

#markor #rk1000 #detroit become human #gay #slow burn #assassinfic #marnor #connor #markus #gavin #simon #love #eventually #bryan dechart #valorie curry #kara #alice #Conkus

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mrplantman · 6 years ago

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mr. brightside || task 001

Location: Dr. Besty “Bee” Dobson’s Office Date: August 16th Time: 2:30 pm Inspiration: Mr. Brightside by Run River North

Arlo takes a deep breath – in through the nose, out through the mouth – and schools his expression into a lazy, relaxed grin. He knocks on the door in front of him before burying his hands into his pockets in an effort to keep them from fidgeting.

Betsy doesn’t keep him waiting for long. The door opens and he’s hit with the familiar (if slightly unsettling) smell of chocolate and evergreen – an odd combination for the middle of August. But, Bee’s always been a little odd. A little off center, for a medical professional. Probably why she’s been able to deal with the Foxes (and all their many, many problems) for this long without turning tail and running for the hills.

“Arlo!” She exclaims warmly, gesturing for him to step inside. “C’mon in.”

Knowing he’s alright with physical contact, she gives his shoulder a light pat as he passes by and… It’s nice. The whole thing is nice: as inviting as a shrink’s office can be, and yet.

He still hates coming here.

Every year, it’s the same. Every year, he has to psych himself up for this. To sit here, for an hour, carefully maintaining every inch of armor he’s crafted, perfected, over the last decade.

It’s so much harder, with her. She’s not like his teammates. Not like Brayden, or Jazz, or Jen. Not like Wymack or even Abby. She’s sharper. She knows. Every button to press, every weakness to exploit. Every year, she chips away at him as he sits and sips hot chocolate and talks about the weather. About practice and the constant construction going on on campus. About the rising price of gas and which team he’s most excited to play this year.

It’s a game of chicken. Which one of them can outlast the other as the clock on the wall ticks down.

It’s exhausting.

Like playing chess against an opponent who can read his mind. Predict every move he makes before he makes it.

Impossible.

Arlo plops down on the most comfortable, worn-in leather chair in the room, adjacent to Bee’s desk. Crossing his legs underneath him, he settles back, accepting the piping hot cup she presses into his palms. Despite knowing the hot chocolate is a gimmick, a way to loosen him up, to make him feel at ease…. He still drinks it. If he’s gotta’ come here, he’s at least going to get some sugar out of it.

Bee slides into the chair behind her desk and sets her own cup to the side. Leaning forward, she props her elbows on the table and rests her head in her hands, giving him a fond smile.

“So. Senior year! That’s exciting, huh?”

“Yeah, actually.” Arlo takes a small sip of hot chocolate, fighting the urge to twist the mug around in his hands. To squirm. “I honestly can’t believe it’s already August. Time has flown by.” He smiles softly and shrugs. “I don’t think it’s even hit me yet. That I’m a senior. It probably won’t until the first game. Or at least until classes officially start, you know?”

Bee nods, her gaze steady and unwavering.

“Time has flown by, lately. I agree. I feel like I haven’t seen you in quite a while.”

“Aw Bee. Did you miss me?” He throws her a mischievous grin and winks, for good measure.

“Yes,” she replies, and genuinely seems to mean it, “of course I did. I’ll be honest, I was… surprised that I didn’t see you at all over the summer.”

The atmosphere in the room changes instantly. Arlo feels something heavy settle in the pit of his stomach and his chest tightens uncomfortably. He knows what she means. And she knows that he knows.

Coming out of the gate swinging this year, then.

“Well, you know,” he hedges sheepishly. “I was pretty busy. Someone has to keep Brayden entertained. Otherwise he’ll start chain smoking and tearing up the carpet and dragging trash all over the house. Like one of those small, yappy dogs when you leave them alone for too long.” From anyone else, the joke might sound harsh, or critical. But Arlo’s tone is fond, and the smile creeping across his face is the most genuine one he’s had all day.

At the mention of Brayden, an imperceptible expression flashes across Bee’s face and, for a brief moment before her features even out again, Arlo thinks she might say something. But she stays quiet, and the silence stretches out awkwardly between them. Arlo takes another sip of cocoa and swallows hard, chancing a look at the clock.

God, it’s only been ten minutes.

“Arlo,” Bee breaks the uneasy quiet that’s descended on the room. “Your father died last semester. You don’t want to talk about that at all?”

Of course he does. Jesus Christ, it’s all he wants to do. Ever since he got that call, since his initial freak out, he’s been pushing it away. Shutting it out. All of it. The pain, the grief, the confusion, the isolation. The all-encompassing, ever-present hurt that’s ripped a savage hole right through the middle of him.

All he wants is to just admit it.

To tell someone, anyone, that he’s not okay.

To say it out loud:

I’m not fine.

But that would require admitting it to himself.

That would require ripping open that hole – that wound – again, after he’s tried all summer to haphazardly tie it down. Sew it up. Cut it out.

Admitting it would require going through it, all over again. Every bit of it.

And he’s not strong enough. Never has been. It’s why he hides, constantly. Why he protects himself with goofy grins and casual touches and the perpetual need for attention. For affection. Because he’s not strong enough to wear his heart on his sleeve – to flaunt his problems, his fears, his anxieties, in plain sight.

He’s not strong enough ask for help.

It’s easier to cower.

To run away.

To put on a mask.

He can’t face it. Can’t face himself.

He won’t.

“Bee, I’m fine.” He laughs, waving his free hand in a vaguely dismissive gesture. “Seriously. It’s all good, okay. Made my peace with it.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time believing that, Arlo.”

“And I have a hard time believing that we didn’t fake the Moon Landing.” Arlo gives her a helpless sort of shrug, and carefully sets his rapidly cooling cocoa on the desk in front of him. “But, what can ya do?”

“Arlo.”

“Bee.”

She sighs.

“I know that I can’t make you talk about it. Not if you’re not ready. But, I do hope you know that… What you’re doing, it will catch up to you. One day, it’s going to be too much to carry. Too much weight to hold up on your own, and you will crumble beneath it. But you don’t have to. It doesn’t have to be that way. You have people who care about you. People who want to listen. To help. You need to learn to lean on that: on your support system. Your teammates. Your coach. Your friends.”

She doesn’t mention herself, and Arlo is almost grateful. That she knows. He could never, ever come clean here. In a setting like this, surrounded by white walls and textbooks and leather sofas that a thousand other people have sat on before, spilling their problems like marbles on a wood floor, watching with satisfaction as they all bounce and roll and slide away for someone else to deal with.

“Thanks, Bee.” And it’s the most that he has. The most he can give her. It’s just barely enough. She relents, and the rest of the hour passes almost easily. They trade small talk about his new teammates, about the upcoming season and Abby’s new haircut.

As she walks him to the door, she rests a gentle hand between his shoulder blades, practiced and careful.

“My door’s always open. You know that.”

It’s not a question, so he doesn’t respond. Just shakes his head and laughs, throwing up a hand as he strides out of her office and back into the overly air-conditioned main hallway.

He makes it halfway back to the Court before he’s choking, scrambling to find a bathroom. Luckily, he’s near the Applied Sciences building – and he already knows the layout. He bursts into the men’s restroom on the third floor after a frantic rush up the stairs, and barely gets himself into a stall before he’s shaking apart. He doubles over on the ground next to the toilet, face buried in his knees as he takes in great, heaving breaths that do nothing to soothe his panic. His chest, tight before, now feels like it’s clamped between an iron vice, slowly squeezing all the air from his lungs. His sides are starting to ache from the strain, and he wraps an arm around his middle, as if he can somehow hold himself together through sheer force of will. His free hand snakes up to tangle itself in his hair and he squeezes his eyes shut, so hard black spots dance behind his eyelids.

He focuses on the whine of the florescent lights overhead.

The sound of the stall door next to his, squeaking back-and-forth on uneven hinges.

He focuses, and he waits.

Eventually, his body begins to unfurl on its own. Breathing gets easier in increments. In fits and starts, like an old farm truck, backfiring until the engine finally rumbles reluctantly to life.

He pushes himself up off the floor. Flushes the toilet, though he didn’t use it, and let’s himself out of the stall with slow, clumsy hands.

The mirrors above the sink are harsh. Unyielding. Unwilling to participate in his lie, they highlight the paleness of his skin. His shaking limbs. His dry, red rimmed eyes.

No tears. He’s not sure why.

Maybe he just doesn’t have it in him.

Mechanically, he washes his hands. Scrubs at his skin with a paper towel until he’s bright pink and rosy. He practices a smile in front of the mirror, and though it’s likely to fool no one, right now –

it’ll have to do.

#task 001 #task #panic attack tw #graphic panic attack tw #grief tw #disassociation tw #mind the tags ya'll ok??#luv you all #selfp

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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Who Is Behind Republicans For The Rule Of Law

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/who-is-behind-republicans-for-the-rule-of-law/

Who Is Behind Republicans For The Rule Of Law

A Viral Ad Released By The Group Says Republican Silence On The Mueller Report Is Deafening

Former GOP Governor Bill Weld: Trump And Barr Are Trashing The Rule Of Law | The Last Word | MSNBC

Republicans, your silence is deafening. Stand up for the rule of law.

Republicans for the Rule of Law

A new ad from the Republicans for the Rule of Law has been going viral on social media; you can see it above. Many people are retweeting it and adding instructions to listen with your sound turned all the way up, because this video is supposed to be all about silence. The spot, shot in black and white, features close-ups of Republican Ben senators Sasse, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy, Tim Scott. Theyre all looking straight ahead and saying nothing. You can hear a bit of static and the faint sound of a ticking clock.

A caption at the end reads, Republicans: Your silence is deafening. Our president attempted to obstruct justice. Stand up for the rule of law.

Todays Gop Bears No Resemblance To Party That Stood For The Rule Of Law

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on;bangordailynews.com.

Frederic B. Hill of Arrowsic is a former foreign correspondent for The Baltimore Sun and conducted wargaming exercises on national security issues for the Department of State in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The crisis in the Republican Party over the leadership role of Rep. Liz Cheney revolves around the big lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. But there is another, broader lie: the Republican party of 2021 is no longer conservative as it claims. It is reactionary, right-wing and on the verge of embracing authoritarianism.

One fact to set things straight: more than 60 court cases brought by Trump and his lawyers to claim election fraud were rejected by judges across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Secretaries of state, including Republican officials, found no fraud.

Yet Trump and his backers continued to undermine our democracy for months before, during and after the election as 3,000 Americans died almost daily from a pandemic that, as president, Trump did little to deter or diminish.

An impoverished vocabulary? The daily distortions of Fox News and repetitive labelling of unfavorable developments as fake news and cancel culture.

The Group Is Part Of A Larger Conservative Ngo That Calls For Increasing Legal Immigration & Expanding Free Trade

Republicans for the Rule of Law is part of a larger organization called Defending Democracy Together. That group, a coalition of Republicans and Conservatives, says it is opposed to the nativist tendencies in the modern Republican party. The group is in favor of free trade and legal immigration. The organizations mission statement says, in part:

Today, the Republican Party finds itself entertaining some of the same unsettling nativist and authoritarian impulses that characterized Europe throughout the 20th century. These ideals are antithetical to what it means to be a Republican, and what it means to be American.

Defending Democracy Together is a 501c4 advocacy organization created by lifelong conservatives and Republicans many of whom have served in Republican administrations and write for conservative publications. We are dedicated to defending Americas democratic norms, values, and institutions and fighting for consistent conservative principles like rule of law, free trade, and expanding legal immigration.

You May Like: What Are The Republicans Saying About Impeachment

Strategist Behind Republicans For The Rule Of Law And The Bulwark Launches New Communications Firm

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ –;Today, Sarah Longwell announced the formation and launch of Longwell Partners, Inc.;, a full-service communications firm based in Washington, D.C. Longwell is a former Partner and Senior Vice President at Berman and Company.

Longwell is joined in the new venture by Barry Rubin, Carson Putnam, Chris Herbert, and Ben Parker, as well as The Bulwark;Executive Editor Jonathan V. Last.;

Longwell is a Co-Founder, along with Bill Kristol, of the organization Defending Democracy Together and spokeswoman for its flagship project, Republicans for the Rule of Law. In addition to being Publisher of The Bulwark, she is also Chief Strategist for its parent organization, Republic Affairs , a 5013 nonprofit dedicated to strengthening our country’s core values and institutions.;

A long-time Republican strategist and former national board chair of the Log Cabin Republicans, Longwell launched her new firm to harness this unprecedented moment of political realignment and focus on solving some of the country’s most intractable problems such as immigration, erosion of core democratic values, and political polarization.

Longwell Partners CEO Sarah Longwell released the following statement regarding her new venture:;

Beginning January 1, 2020, Longwell Partners will be located at 925 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.;

Some Trumpists Turn Against Cheneys Successor

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who entered the House as a centrist in 2014 but has recast her as a Trumpist with support of Trumps disinformation, has been endorsed by House GOP leader McCarthy as Cheneys successor.

But some Trumpists are already jabbing at Stefanik as a moderate in disguise. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas sent a memo to every Republican representative that Stefanik had cast a series of votes opposed to Trumpism.

We must avoid putting in charge Republicans who campaign as Republicans but then vote for and advance the Democrats agenda once sworn in that is, that we do not make the same mistakes that we did in 2017.

With all due respect to my friend, Elise Stefanik, let us contemplate the message Republican leadership is about to send by rushing to coronate a spokesperson whose voting record embodies much of what led to the 2018 ass-kicking we received by Democrats.

Members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus have privately expressed reluctance, if not opposition, about Stefaniks ascendancy.

The New York representative has sought to appease critics by promising that she would resign as Conference chair before casting a vote that differs from the majority of House Republicans. She told reporters on Tuesday, We have a great deal of support from the Freedom Caucus and others.

Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Trump have backed Stefanik.

Recommended Reading: Who Is Correct Democrats Or Republicans

Trump Republicans And The Rule Of Law

To the editor:

Prior to the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton had been before a Republican Congress numerous times on Benghazi and lost emails. Seven investigations later it was found there was no wrongdoing. The Republicans severely pilloried Hillary Clinton, all for political gain. They are still at it.

Yet, an intelligence community whistleblower claims that Trump broke the law by illegally asking the newly elected leader of Ukraine to provide dirt on Joe Bidens son so it could be used against Joe Biden, by Republicans, in the 2020 elections, threatening him with withholding budgeted congressional funds if he didnt.

First, Trump denied he pressured the Ukraine leader on getting dirt on Bidens son. Then on Sept. 22, he admitted that he did talk about Biden with the Ukrainian leader.; So here we have a sitting president, who in secret, had talks with a foreign entity, basically asking that entity to provide dirt on a political opponent to influence a political election here at home. Shades of Mueller Report and Russian meddling in American politics.;

Yet crickets from Republicans who were ready to hang Hillary Clinton about some missing emails now are so quiet on this Trump possible treasonous act that you can hear chickens lay eggs.;

James P. ChasseSt Agatha

Get the Rest of the Story

Republicans For The Rule Of Law Agreement

PERSONAL AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE

I hereby grant permission and authorize Defending Democracy Together, a 501 organization, its affiliated project Republicans for the Rule of Law, its assigns and licensees to edit, alter, copy, exhibit, publish, distribute, and make use of my likeness, any and all video, and/or photographs I voluntarily submit for DDTS expressed use, as well as any voluntarily submitted recordings of my voice and/or any of my voluntarily submitted written or transcribed statements for any lawful purpose.

This authorization and release shall NOT extend to any other likeness, video, photographs, recordings of my voice, statements, or use of my name which I have not voluntarily submitted to DDT, regardless of medium and regardless of public availability.

I further understand and expressly grant DDT authorization to use any voluntarily submitted likeness, images, videos, recordings of my voice, statements, as well as my name, in the following manner:

Use in any reproduction, distribution, derivative works, display, and/or performance as DDT shall solely determine;

Use in any composite or modified forms and in any media, now known or later developed, including without limitation newspapers, television, radio, the World Wide Web, and/or social media;

Use for any purpose, in any language, throughout the world including, without limitation, for the purpose of education, advertising, and promotion; and

Read Also: Which Republicans Voted Against The Budget Resolution

Republicans Must Choose Between Trump And The Rule Of Law

The presidents actions Wednesday portend a choice for GOP officials: Is their greater loyalty to the president or to the publics right to know what hes done?

About the author: Conor Friedersdorf is a California-based staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

After Wednesday, elected officials in the Republican Party should have no doubt that Donald Trump will force them to choose in coming days, weeks, and months between loyalty to him and loyalty to the rule of law, between the publics right to the truth and Trumps efforts to hide it.

The president began the day with an extraordinary threat on Twitter: If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, he wrote, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!

It would be nakedly corrupt to hinge a Senate investigation on partisan game theory or retaliation rather than on the substance of the law and the public interest. Yet the tweet was quickly overshadowed by even bigger newsTrumps ouster of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

They Recently Posted An Embarrassing Video Of Lindsey Graham From The Clinton Era

New ad campaign calls on Republican leaders to condemn President Trump | KVUE

Sen. Graham says President Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in 1999: “He is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the land. He encouraged people to lie for him. He lied. I think he obstructed justice.”

Republicans for the Rule of Law

On April 22, Republicans for the Rule of Law posted a video of Lindsey Graham talking about presidential misconduct. You can see that video above. The video shows Graham saying:

This is about a person out of control. He took the law, turned it upside down. Every time there was a crossroads, he put his personal and legal interest ahead of the nation. He is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the land. He encouraged people to lie for him. He lied. I think he obstructed justice. I think theres a convincing and compelling case that he has in fact engaged in conduct that it would be better for him to leave office than to stay in office.

of course, this clip is taken from a 1999 interview Graham gave to C-Span, and the president hes talking about is Bill Clinton, not Donald Trump. But some people take the video as a sign of Republican double standards and are saying that the clip is embarrassing for Lindsey Graham, who pushed hard for Bill Clinton to leave office but has supported President Trump.

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Trump Is Growing The Gops Antirule Of Law Wing

The American right has always been home to factions that demand law and order, while declaring themselves and not the federal government the arbiters of legality. The roots of this anarchic conservatism run deep into the foundation of the Republic. Andrew Jackson, who is hailed as a great democratizer by mainstream U.S. history, was a great champion of settlers who defied federal restrictions on their liberty to kill indigenous people and confiscate their lands. The South has, of course, always had a complicated relationship with the concept of federal sovereignty. And the Christian right, once it abandoned that whole render unto Caesar tripe, has insisted that Gods law comes before mans .

This tendency made itself felt during the Obama years through the armed standoff between right-wing militias and federal agents at Cliven Bundys ranch in Nevada. And it gained new institutional form through the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group of active law-enforcement officials who believe the U.S. Constitution gives local government primacy over the state and federal governments, at least on the subject of firearm regulations.

If somebody cheated in the Election, which the Democrats did, why wouldnt the Election be immediately overturned? How can a Country be run like this?

Donald J. Trump

One Pennsylvania Republican offered some insight into her colleagues motives in an interview with the :

Republicans For The Rule Of Law Is Financed By A Democrat

Just hours after Jeff Sessions resigned as attorney general last Wednesday at the presidents behest, #TheResistance found its newest target for destruction: Sessions interim replacement, Matthew Whitaker….NeverTrump conservatives are aiding Schiff and the media in their campaign to paralyze if not remove Whitaker. Commercials attacking the acting attorney general were aired on several Sunday morning political shows. The ads were sponsored by Republicans for the Rule of Law, a group founded earlier this year by Bill Kristol, the editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard. The groups primary role so far appears to be pimping for the Mueller probe, a political witch-hunt that Kristol and his fellow NeverTrumpers pray will lead to the impeachment and removal of the president. The Left and their NeverTrump footsoldiers fear Whitaker will thwart the special counsels investigation instead of rubber stamping Muellers ever-expanding investigation as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has done over the past 18 months.

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Trump The Republican Party And The Rule Of Law By: Michael Klarman Kirkland & Ellis Professor Harvard Law School

A quick glance around the world these days can be frightening for defenders of the rule of law: thousands of officially sanctioned extrajudicial killings in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte; lengthy prison sentences on fraudulent charges for two journalists reporting on ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar; the officially orchestrated torture and dismemberment of;Washington Post;contributor Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul; the imprisonment of hundreds of opposition politicians and journalists by President Recep Erdogan in Turkey; government packing of the courts in Poland; the criminalization of immigrant aid groups and the forced closing of Central European University in Hungary.; The list goes on and on.; Surely, most Americans believe, such things could never happen in the United States.

Think again.; President Trump poses a greater threat to the rule of law than anything Americans have witnessed in generations. To be sure, the United States is not likely any time soon to see officially sanctioned killings of drug users without due process or mass incarcerations of journalists daring to criticize the government.; Yet, along a wide variety of dimensions, Trump shreds the rule of law.; The Republican Party, which has largely become a cult of Trump worshipersin the words of recently retired Republican senator Bob Corkerhas been mostly complicit.; Consider several examples.

Liberal Dark Money: Whos Behind That Bogus Gop Billboard

Who is behind the so-called Republicans for the Rule of Law funding billboards and ads pushing U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and other GOP senators to impeach President Trump?

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the group is a partner of Defend American Democracy, a liberal, dark money group thats spending a ton of money to pressuring Republicans to impeach the president.

Not only have they wrangled some Trump-hating Republicans like former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton of, ahem, Washington state to front for them in campaigns against fellow Republicans, they are also using veterans in ads urging Republicans to impeach the president.

Defend American Democracy is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the mother of all dark money groups funded by a former Clinton administration officials with more than $100 million in the bank.

The billboard on I-25 in Douglas County declares: Sen. Gardner, the witnesses must testify.

The first clue this isnt a legitimate Republican group, theyre not asking for the actual whistleblower to be a witness.;

They want to drag the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in front of the Senate to testify under oath, as well as other top White House officials.;

Which just reinforces our notion that House Democrats never had enough evidence to impeach Trump in the first place, they just want to embarrass him and his administration, and steal the election.

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Do Republicans Value Democracy Or The Rule Of Law The Answer Is Clear But Theres Still Time To Fight Back

Newt Gingrich; John Roberts; Donald Trump

Even before the latest Supreme Court decisions approving hyper-partisan gerrymandering and effectively;allowing;the addition of a citizenship question to the census, experts have wondered aloud whether Republicans remain committed to democracy. Toward the end of a recent plenary;panel;on Supreme Court reform at the American Constitution Societys national convention, University of Chicago law professor Aziz Huq suggested, We dont really know how committed the Republican Party is to the project of democracy.

If the GOP still values the rule of law, then perhaps the danger to democracy will recede after President Trump leaves office. But if the GOP no longer cares about democracy, then our political system could be in peril. Democracy probably cannot survive, after all, if one of our two major political parties is indifferent to its fate.

Unfortunately, the answer to Huqs question is clear. The Republican Party is not at all committed to democracy, and GOP leaders and voters would happily tolerate alternative political arrangements. That is a worrisome claim, to be sure, but the evidence is indisputable. Republicans have abandoned any concerns they may have had for the integrity of our political system.

Thanks to gerrymandering, dark money and voter suppression, it will remain very difficult for Democrats to capture the levers of power. They will require wave elections to do so;

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