#the closest thing i can think of i highly doubt i said anything questionable and certainly had no ill intentions

[netches-and-nirnroots]

What's the proper way to react to being told at work that proceedings are taking place because you apparently said something racist?

[enanan-ami]

i HIGHLY doubt muu being forgiven in t3 if anything happens to haruka.

shes stated shes going to let him because thats what he wants to do.

this is an entire analysis, not just what i think will happen in t3. this is me analyzing muu and putting my own opinion into what might have happened in the beginning, as well as adding the t3 theory.

M: Ah, but if you don’t forgive me, Haruka-kun will die, so I think it’d be best to not do that.

E: So you’ve heard about that nonsense too?

M: Yeah. Haruka-kun told me. So I could rest easy, according to him. That made me happy… It made me really feel our friendship!

E: You know about it and you’re not trying to stop him? Haruka, that is?

M: Why would I? Haruka-kun says he wants to do it, so there’s nothing I can do, right?

the way she words it, the way she says things. she sees him as another pawn, or worker bee, as shown in INMF.

and before anyone says im trying to make her look bad. no. im not. i feel like she does care and does want to help him, but shes so caught up in fear of what happened to her last time that she resorts to practically manipulating him. i think everything that happened to her messed her up so badly that she is resorting to making herself the one on top, because even though it looks bad to others, thats what seems right to her in order to protect herself.

if the colors in the three closest to muus hair represent her previous friends having colors in matching hues, and the pink is because of bees being attracted to that color, what does the blue in her hair mean ?

what if the blue represents haruka.

what if the blue represents how she feels close to haruka, but is afraid to have him turn on her. hes heavily codependent, and she basically has him wrapped around her finger because that is what she wants in order to protect herself.

M: Haruka-kun, I brought you some food. Are you alive? You haven't grown mold or anything?

H: .....Oh, thank you very much. Muu-san, I'm sorry, that ..... I..

M: Don't shut yourself up in that cell forever! You have to eat properly too, you know? I understand if you feel this way though, the recent atmosphere has been feeling bad lately.

H: Um, I said it's okay..... I, thought of what I should do, a little. What do I do, what do I do, to keep... My promise. For Muu-san's sake....

she. does. care. about. him. shes afraid to give too much into a relationship.

i think shes letting him do it if he wants to because the fact that he would basically sacrifice himself for her gives her a feeling of this is what is supposed to happen and friends would do anything for each other, because what if the reason she ended up bullying people in the first place is because she was forced to then her friends turned on her because she took it too far. they are who enabled her behavior.

why do i think muu killed rei ? because she was tired of rei manipulating her.

Q: Do you have apologetic feelings for who you killed?

A: The person who did the wrong thing first should apologize.

i think she could have been dependent on rei, so now she is growing into who rei was.

can i also point out the after pain lyrics ?

"If I was gone, If I had just disappeared. I overheard, I found out how much I’m not needed"

simply stating, she was the one being used before. remember these songs are coming from the prisoners hearts. SHE CANT LIE IN THE SONG AND I AM TIRED OF HEARING THAT.

"Why won’t you stop hurt-hurt-hurting me? My heart is all dried up. My sorry spells must be wearing off. But I guess some of it is my fault. Maybe it’s ok as it is. I want to feel “alive”, is it ok if I breathe?"

her friends manipulating her. i think this was her subconscious telling her that. and then also bringing her to fault for it, maybe for choosing the wrong friends.

plus, after going back through the interrogation questions.

Q: Do you regret it?

A: Mmh, I should have chosen my friends better.

...

"“I’m sorry” won’t reach anyone (I hope it will someday)"

"I was miserable, someone please help me"

"If you’re going to make me the villain it’s ok to ignore me"

i believe this plays onto her not having the original idea to bully people.

"its not my fault" could be because IT IS LITERALLY NOT HER FAULT. instead of being what you expect and it having a different meaning, she is saying it outright because its what you dont expect. she acts how she does because that is what she learned.

i think that muu trying to suppress and mask NPD could have been what caused her to react the way she does in the end. believing its all okay what she was taught.

back to the beginning point of this, muu likely being unforgiven if haruka gets killed off.

think of kotoko. im sure there were a LOT of people who voted kotoko guilty just because she almost killed mahiru and badly injured fuuta.

if haruka gets hurt or killed off, its expected that people will treat muu similar.

i also think that if anything happens to haruka, muu will be given some kind of talk from fuuta, whether its yelling, or a talk about how he could have been saved.

Q: Which prisoner do you get along with the most?

A: I'm not anyone's happy friend. Well Haruka's younger, so I take care of him.

...

F: Hey, listen. Is he okay? He's been holed up and hasn't come out at all.

M: Haruka-kun? Hmm. Yeah, probably. Muu has been taking food to him, so he should be fine. Isn't Muu amazing?

F: Huh? Do you have to say it yourself, seriously… Oh, well. I guess I can understand a bit now. When you're feeling down, it's nice to have someone to rely on, someone who accepts you. We might not fully understand from our perspective, but if you're the "salvation" for Haruka, well, that's something.

M: Salvation…? I don't really get it. Futa-kun, you've started saying strange things. Did you hit your head or something? Oh, you did. Hahaha. Oh, by the way, it's Muu's birthday today.

...

F: —Hey, are you really okay with that? If you come with me, you might also be saved you know……Haruka.

H: Yeah……since I already made a decision. I, have something that I must do.

F: Ahh, is that so…… Hey, Haruka, you truly are an idiot. If that’s the case, you won’t be able to be saved.

H: Yeah, thank you. Fuuta, I’m happy that you called out to me. Um, I’m happy that you were so kind to me. I mean it. But, this is the only way I can do this. I’m sorry......

fuuta clearly cares a lot about haruka. as much as he pretended not to in the beginning, he does. and hes grown a connection to him. while by now he is trapped under amanes mindset, he still has spoken that he cares about him a lot, checking on him and trying to find his salvation and a way to save him.

if haruka is hurt or worse, i dont think muu will escape a talking to from fuuta.

if haruka is unsuccessful but gets hurt, i do think that his relationship with muu will suffer. though i think either way muu might realize that she helped him to continue his plan in a sense. i also think that fuuta will try to drag him away from shidou and take haruka under his and amanes care. i think mikoto could also play into this. haruka is the only person to have initiated conversation with mikoto throughout the timelines of trial 2. i think that mikoto would want to do what he can to help haruka, not only because he appreciates it, though that could be his ending motivation. and if orekoto were to switch in during that time and notice the situation, theres a chance of getting more rationality out of ore and having him be seen in a better light, adding for there to be less people afraid of mikoto.

muus mental state will likely suffer, and not only will the unforgiven verdict start that spiral, but again, everything going on with haruka will make her worse.

i wouldnt be surprised if muu also attempts in trial 3.

muu in a potentially terrible mental state and already building herself off of what she sees, having a need for attention and losing it because of everything going on with haruka, plus the likelyhood of her having been suicidal previously.

in the end, trial 3 is going to be hell and there is no changing it. and muu is much more than a manipulative bully as people characterize her to be.

i have only read two muu theories. one showing the imagery of her likelyhood of being suicidal (I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR 30 MINUTES AND CANNOT FIND IT AGAIN I AM SO SORRY.) and this one which has the thing about the the hair color hues.

my thoughts may not be perfectly in order because i was thinking of all this as i typed it. if theres anything i missed, tell me. i want to understand muu better.

-Ena 🎨

[deadlygronkle]

Ancestor's legacy part 10

The Desert Chapter 1

(All parts on tumblr have the 'ancestor's legacy' tag).

Twilight groggily opened his eyes the next morning. He definitely did not get enough sleep last night to be doing this. With him dozing off at the Hero Shade’s grave and getting caught by Time. Not to mention the struggle of even going to sleep once he got back into the room.

Twilight grimaced, he could barely see light coming in from the windows, of course he woke up during the twilight hour. He couldn’t go back to sleep either. If he did he definitely wouldn’t be able to wake up in time to leave.

Groaning Twilight sat up, and took a look around the room. He could see Four, Wild, and Hyrule next to him in a pile sleeping. Getting up he gently grabbed the blanket he was using and laid it out over the three.

Grabbing his bag Twilight set to work picking up anything that he missed before he went to bed. Once he got all of his things together he started slowly making his way out of the room. While also making sure that the others were comfortable.

He gently lifted Sky up and put him in a more comfortable position on the bed. Sky is a heavy sleeper so it shouldn’t wake him, and it honestly looked like Sky was about to fall off. Legend looked fine from where he was leaning on a wall, so Twilight left him alone,though he was most definitely awake at this point.

When he got to Wind in the main section of the room he did a mental tally of the Links. He could’ve sworn Warriors’ arm was a pillow for Wind when he came in last night. Time was on the couch snoring and there was nowhere left in the room for him to go. Not to mention Wind was completely covered up, which never lasts the night, so it had to be recent.

Twilight went back to Legend and lightly kicked him whispering, “Vet, where is Cap?”

Legend opened one eye grouchily, “How should I know?”

“You’re a light sleeper and was probably woken up by him leaving,” Twilight pointed out.

“All I know is he left the room. Now let me go back to sleep,” Legend closed his eye and turned his head away.

“Thanks I guess,” Twilight murmured before double checking he had all of his things.

Twilight as quickly and quietly as he could, left the room. Luckily, Time’s snoring should have been just loud enough to block it out. Twilight wasn’t as stealthy as he thought because Warriors was standing near him unamused.

“So you're leaving soon huh?” Warriors asked, leaning on the wall closest to him.

“Just now actually. I’ll…. I’ll y’all in a week or so,” Twilight responded, quickly turning around to walk off.

“Let us come with you,” The captain suddenly said.

Twilight turned around, “What?”

“Let us come with you. We were all put together for a reason, maybe this is one of them,” Warriors repeated.

“I highly doubt a Twilight Zone would be the reason why we were all placed together,” Twilight retorted, crossing his arms.

“But it could be the reason we were brought here and why we haven’t been teleported away yet,” Warriors annoyingly pointed out.

Twilight sighed, “I don’t anyone getting hurt on my account. It’s better if you guys stay here,”

“We’ve all dealt with injuries, it’s a part of being a hero, besides the same can be said about you too,” Warriors retorted.

“I don’t think it can, I know my Hyrule well enough to stay out of trouble,” Twilight refused.

“But you don’t know our enemies. Hell we fought some of yours in my Hyrule. What’s to say you won’t encounter mine in return?” Warriors questioned, giving Twilight a pointed look.

“I can avoid them then,” Twilight deflected, uncrossing his arms and letting them fall to his sides.

“And what of the others? If you get hurt by one of theirs or don’t make it back-” Warriors started.

“That won’t happen,” Twilight interrupted sharply, glaring at Warriors.

Warriors put his hands up, almost like he was trying to placate Twilight, “I’m not saying it will! Just think about how guilty we all would feel if we weren’t there to protect you,”

Twilight didn’t say anything and instead looked away. He didn’t think about that when he made the plan to leave while everyone else was asleep. After spending so much time with the others it wasn’t hard to imagine their betrayed and heartbroken faces. Hell Sky made a good point that while it may be faster it wasn’t safer for Twilight.

At Twilight’s silence Warriors added on, “Let us help you, this isn’t another solo adventure. We are a team now, no one is going to let you do this alone,”

Twilight grimaced and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t allow the other to feel the pain of transforming. It would leave them all far too defenseless, like newborn calves . Not to mention Twilight would have to go about teaching them how to move and interact with the world. The only bright side is that they will have someone to teach them, instead of them figuring it out on their own like he had to.

Twilight had a feeling he was going to regret this, “Fine. You can wake up the others and bring them are 3 conditions,”

Warriors grinned brightly, “And those are?”

“First one is that you need to get everyone up and out by the West gate in 15 minutes,” Twilight answered, holding up a finger.

“30 minutes, Sky is tough to wake up on the best of days,” Warriors bargained.

“25, I want to get down to Lake Hylia before nightfall,” Twilight bargained back.

“Deal, what's the second one?” Warriors inquired.

“The second will be that you guys are just going with me up to the Gerudo Desert. Not any further, and definitely not into the Twilight Zone,” Twilight held up a second finger.

“I work with that for now. Though it could change later,” Warriors replied, putting his hands on his hips, “What the third?”

Twilight had a feeling there would definitely be an argument later about it. No way the others would agree to it. Knowing them they will probably follow him despite his wishes.

“Third, I just want everyone to move as quickly as they can. The ways down to Lake Hylia are very limited once the sun sets,” Twilight answered, getting ready to leave.

“I’ll relay this to the others. See you in a bit!” Warriors called out smugly as he loudly opened the door and slammed it shut.

Twilight winced at the sudden noise and could hear Warriors yelling at all of them to wake up. Twilight wasn’t going to stay around for that fall out. A cranky Link is one who will cause an outright war.

Twilight quickly left the castle, easily navigating the labyrinth that is the castle. Surely the others wouldn’t get lost after they all found their way back last night. Once he was out of the castle he practically ran to the West gate, passing the doctor clinic. Seriously, that old man had to be close to kicking the bucket, though he was a stubborn old grouch, so it was tough to say.

Making right outside the gate Twilight pulled out his horse call, the charm that Iila gave during his quest. Playing Epona’s song was like second nature at this point. He was sure Epona could hear it, he just had to play it long enough for her to find him.

After playing several minutes of Epona’s song he could hear her neighing from opposite side of the field. Twilight stopped playing as he walked to meet the galloping Epona. When Epona stopped he gently stroked her muzzle.

“You ready to go to Lake Hylia?” Twilight asked Epona, who nickered and nuzzled closer in response.

“I know, I know, we’ll see if Cap can get everyone out in time. If not then I think we can spare some time for you to run,” The wolf hero smiled as he moved to put some of his equipment in her saddlebag.

Just as he was finishing he heard the sound of the Links coming closer, just in time too. It was just a little after sunrise, with good timing the entire group could get to Falbi’s and down to the Lake before nightfall.

“I swear I could hear the music- Wait there’s Epona!” Twilight could hear Smithy call out to the other Links.

“But where’s Twi? He said he would be out here,” Twilight could hear the confusion in The Captain's voice.

Twilight rose from his hunched over position and yelled out, “Well I’ll be! You actually got everyone up!”

“I always deliver Rancher. Though I think you’ll need to share Epona, some of them are lagging,” Warriors pointed behind him to the very groggy Wind and Sky.

“As long as they don’t fall asleep that can be arranged,” Twilight confirmed, motioning over the other Links as he opened his map up.

“So how are we getting to the Desert Pup? From the sounds of it it’s somewhere close by?” Time asked, looking over Twilight’s shoulder.

“Yeah, where are we going?” Wild came up to Twilight’s other side.

Twilight pointed where they were in the map,”So here we are, and we need to get over here to Falbi’s,”

“What’s at Falbi’s?” Warriors asked as he picked up a sleepy Wind and placed him on Epona.

“It’s the safest way down. It’s even being a minigame,” Twilight explained as he folded up the map.

Sky yawned as he joined Wind on Epona, grabbing the reins he asked, “So how far away is it?”

“Well by myself I can get there in an hour by horseback. With everyone? Probably going to be an all day thing,” Twilight adjusted his bag so he could put away the map, “With luck we can get down to The Spring for the night,”

“How does Lake Hylia connect with the Gerudo Desert?” Four asked curiously.

“There is a…. Ride, the fastest and easiest way to the Desert,” Twilight answered reluctantly, starting to walk towards the correct exit.

���What ride?” Legend asked from behind him.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Twilight answered cryptically. He didn’t want the other to find out just yet that he had to travel in a cannon to get places.

After a little bit of walking Wild came up to Twilight holding out some of Uli’s pumpkin cake, “Here. I know you probably haven’t eaten yet,”

Twilight took the cake gratefully, “Thanks Cub,” before he took a bite he asked, “has everyone else eaten something today?”

“Yeah, everyone has had a bit of fruit. You are the only one who is running on empty,” Wild answered, easily keeping pace with his mentor.

Twilight glanced up, despite the fast pace the chain was taking it was nearing noon. Fruit wasn’t going to keep everyone's energy up. Not to mention since cuccos are going to be involved it would be better for them to eat sooner rather than later.

“Do you have the stuff to make a quick lunch?” Twilight asked, still not taking a bit of the cake.

“Yeah? Are we going to stop soon?” Wild asked, pulling out his Sheikah tablet to browse his inventory.

“Yup, the sooner we eat the easier the ride down will be. Hopefully,” Twilight grimaced at the mental image of the others throwing up.

Wild gave Twilight a curious look, “Just what are you planning?”

Twilight looked at Wild and chuckled, “Probably something that will get me yelled at by Time,”

“Why am I going to yell at you Pup?” Time asked, increasing his own pace to walk beside the two.

“Something that I have done since my journey that you think is ‘unsafe’. What else do you yell at me for?” Twilight stated, raising an eyebrow at Time.

“So you know that this is unsafe enough I would comment on it. Why are we even going to go do it?” Time asked incredulously.

Twilight shrugged, “It’s the best option available. I mean it’s not like I can teleport down there anymore,”

“So you did use magic at one point?” Warriors butted in loudly.

“Nope, sorry Captain, but I never did,” Twilight refused.

“So how did you teleport then?” Hyrule asked curiously.

“Yeah, was it a magic item or something?” Legend questioned, “And do you still have it?”

Twilight grinned, “Nope to that as well. It was my traveling companion who had that power,”

“Will we get to meet them?” Wind asked from in front of Sky on Epona.

Twilight’s grin faded as he remembered his last interaction with Midna, “No… She isn’t anywhere y’all can meet her. Not anymore,”

Legend spoke in a respectful tone, “Shame, wish I could’ve met her,”

Twilight softly smiled to himself, “You two would’ve either gotten along annoyingly well, or be at each other’s throats,”

“Why is that? Are we opposites?” Legend inquired.

“No, you both have the same personality. Except she was a bit more ‘proper’ even when she tried not to be,” Twilight looked back over his shoulder to meet Legend’s eyes.

“So how long until we make it to Lake Hylia?” Sky asked, doing a decent job steering Epona.

“At this rate? Couple of hours including a lunch break,” Twilight informed him.

“Do you have Zora in this world?” Wild asked curiously.

“Haven’t you mentioned them before? Like when we first met,” Time brought up.

“I think so, but yes they protect the Lakebed Temple at the very bottom of the lake. Their actual domain is upstream, it supplies basically all of the water in Lake Hylia,” Twilight explained to the group, but mostly Wild.

“Do you get along with them, or are we going to have a fight on our hands?” Legend wondered.

“Unless something changed very drastically in the last couple of months, no. I saved their king, Ralis and kept him company in Kakariko Village. Tells me to make myself at home in the Domain every time I visit,” Twilight chuckled fondly.

They continued talking amicably between each other as they walked. It was nice to be back on the trail after being stuck inside healing for days. The bruise that formed where the stitches were taken out ached occasionally when he moved wrong, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Losing an arm was definitely more painful than this.

Twilight stopped the group at the three road intersection. One where they came from, the other leading to Lake Hylia, and the third eventually leading to Upper Lanayru.

After stopping the group to eat quick sandwiches Twilight had the group continue on. This time Wind and Sky were off of Epona and Twilight was simply leading Epona with her reins. There were some bokoblins, but those were easily picked off by some arrows.

“Welp, here we are!” Twilight called out as he led Epona to the fence that blocked off the cliff.

Warriors whistled, “That is a large bridge!”

Wind ran up and jumped on the fence, “Ooooo! What’s that thing down there?”

Twilight looked to where The Sailor was pointing, “Oh that? It’s a cannon, it’s mainly to use to get back up here,”

Before Wind could continue asking questions Sky, after staring at the bridge for a while asked, “What’s the bridge called?”

Twilight unbothered answered, “The Great Bridge of Hylia, why?”

Slowly everyone turned to the oblivious wolf hero. Twilight was busy making sure he had everything from Epona’s satchel. Once he was sure he had everything Twilight was making sure that Epona would be comfortable here. There was plenty of grass for her to graze on so Epona would be fine.

“Pup?” Time asked, voice strained.

“Yeah? What is it?” Twilight turned around to see everyone’s concerned faces.

“You said this bridge is your Great Bridge of Hylia?” Time questioned slowly.

“Yes…?” Twilight answered slowly. Was this a trick question?

“Are there multiple Great Bridges?” Time asked, an exhausted, frustrated smile on his face.

“No? What are you-” Twilight remembered telling them about the time he jumped off the bridge, “oh,”

Warriors lost his composure completely as he howled with laughter, leaning on the railings for support. Wild, Hyrule, and Four were taking turns looking at each other, the bridge, and then looking back to Twilight. Wind and Sky’s faces were ashen like as they looked back to the very tall bridge. Legend looked mildly concerned but just as amused as Warriors.

Twilight scratched the back of his neck and awkwardly chuckled, “I swear the fall is less than it looks,”

Time pinched the bridge of his nose, “I highly doubt that Pup. That is definitely more than just a few stories,”

“You don’t have a glider. Just how the fuck are you alive!?” Wild blurted out.

Twilight shrugged as he fully stood up, “Luck I guess? Seems to be a common occurrence with my adventure,”

Sky leaned over the rail and looked down, “I don’t think you can scold Champion on jumping from high things anymore,”

Warriors chuckled, “Just Champion? More like any one of us when we do something risky,”

“How were you able to walk afterwards?” Hyrule asked, “That is a very long drop just to the water, and you did it when it was dried out!”

Twilight mentally crossed off ‘plan b’ of jumping off if the didn’t make it to Falbi’s in time, “No clue, I guess the goddesses took pity on me,”

Legend snorted, “Pity? More like they were actively stopping you from dying,”

Twilight sighed, “Come on, we need to get to Falbi’s,”

They walked over quickly to the weirdly built building practically hanging over the edge. The moment the others could hear the cuccos Twilight could feel the wary glances to his back.

The moment he walked in Twilight was hit with the smell of cucco feces. Wrinkling his nose Twilight continued to walk in with the others coughing as they walked in. Falbi was, like always, standing in front of the pass to jump down.

“Well, hi there Link! Welcome back to Falbi’s Flight-by-Fowl! Are you and your friends ready for a flight full of dreams and sweet, sweet bonuses? A Cucco-powered ride around Lake Hylia? You will LOVE it,” Falbi droned on, repeating nearly the same words like usual.

“Wait wait wait,” Warriors turned to Twilight, “We have to ride Cuccos down?”

“Yup, it’s not as bad as it sounds, the cuccos here are very mild tempered,” Twilight answered calmly.

“Is there no other way down?” Hyrule asked, stepping away from a curious cucco.

“Here I thought we weren’t jumping off the bridge,” Twilight dryly answered.

“Seriously? I thought you meant the other ways were too dangerous,” Legend spoke as he leaned away from a cucco Sky picked up.

“It’s either a slow glide down or a rapid plunge. But yes Falbi we are here for the ride down,” Twilight turned back to the ex circus actor.

“Great! Next up for fascination….. 9 HYLIANS. That will be 20 rupees per cucco!” Falbi answered, grinning.

“Come on Falbi,” Twilight gave a smile, “9 people, wouldn’t that count for a discount? This is also official business from Queen Zelda herself,”

Falbi thought for a second, “I’ll cut you a deal then, 15 rupees per cucco!”

“Wait, I have my paraglider. Do I still need to pay to jump off the balcony?” Wild questioned.

“Well yes, I have to make a living somehow! That cost is just 5 rupees though, lucky you!” Falbi answered, “Now that’ll be…. 125 rupees for everyone!”

“Hold on,” Legend grinned mischievously, “I have my Roc’s Cape here so that’s another 5 rupees,”

“I have my Sailcloth!” Sky spoke brightly, “That is also 5!”

“Huh, wouldn’t you know it? We both have Roc’s cape and I just so happened to have packed mine,” Four brought his out with a smug grin.

Falbi’s usual grin turned into a frown, “So four with their own gliding device and 5 without?”

Twilight glanced around, when no one brought up they had one Twilight answered, “Looks like it. What’s the new total?”

Falbi thought for a moment, “The new total is 95 rupees!”

Once everyone paid for their share in the total, the bargaining began.

“You gotta trade me Wild! These birds will definitely try and kill me the moment we are in the air!” Warriors begged.

“Nope, sorry Cap but they’ll do the exact same thing to me,” Wild grinned unashamedly.

“Sky? You get along with birds, mind lending me your Sailcloth,” Warriors asked, doing his best to guilt trip Sky.

Sky, to Twilight’s surprise, did not look even a little bit guilty as he answered, “No can do, my Zelda gave it to me,”

Warriors sulked, he didn’t even go to Legend or Four, he just reluctantly walked to Twilight, “Is there really no other way down?”

Twilight shook his head as he grabbed a particularly docile Cucoo, “Unless you want to try swimming in all that armor. Don’t worry though the Zora will probably get to you before you drown,”

“Probably?” The Captain sounded nervous.

“Yeah, they usually hang around the landing zone, and not, y’know, out here. Speaking of which,” Twilight turned to address the others, “I can’t believe this has never come up before, but are any of you poor swimmers or can’t swim?”

Hyrule raised his hand as Legend asked, “Why?”

“Well, when doing this for the first time it's somewhat difficult to land on the platform. Since I need to lead everyone to the landing zone, who here can glide around Hyrule to make sure he doesn’t fall?” Twilight asked the others.

Wild spoke up, “I can do it, my paraglider will make it easy to stay around him,”

The Ordonian nodded, dumping the docile cucco into Warriors’ arms, “Great, now who still needs a cucco?”

After getting everyone who needs a cucco a cucco, with Warriors somehow getting the cucco to cluck angrily at him. Twilight had no clue how he managed to do that, that cucco was the calmest Twilight ever worked with. Time, Wind, Hyrule, fared a lot better, though they were holding the cuccos away from their body.

Twilight grabbed the most aggressive of the cuccos and was quick to soothe and calm them. Twilight knew that these cuccos weren’t treated right. So every time he had to use this method he made sure the cuccos were released into the river.

Somehow the ones he dropped into the river ended up in Kakariko village where they were treated properly. It wasn’t the cucco’s fault that they were bought and brought here. Sometimes he would pay for a ticket to purely drop the cuccos off the edge. From what the ones in Kakariko village told him, anywhere was better than here.

“So everyone ready?” Twilight asked, securely trapping the bird under his arm as he walked to the balcony.

Once he obtained a nod from everyone he pointed with his free hand, “See that structure by the cannon? That’s what we are aiming for, try to go to the lowest two platforms, they are the easiest to land on,”

Legend had a thoughtful look, “What if we miss it all together?”

“That’s why I’m going first, so I could maybe grab one of you force you the right way, or jump in after you to help you out,” Twilight informed them before adding, “There is usually a Zora just at the base willing to help out as well if a lot of you miss the mark,”

“What if we land at the very top?” Wind asked curiously.

“You get a prize, I believe it was rupees or something when I did it,” Twilight went to the very edge and grabbed the plump bird with both hands turning around to face the others.

“What are you doing?” Time asked warily as he took a step forward.

Twilight gave his best wolfish, feral grin, “Just follow my lead,”

The Twilight allowed himself to fall backwards off the edge. Readjusting his grip on the bird midair Twilight twisted his body so the cucco was above his head and his feet were pointed at the lake. The cucco was quick to start flapping its wings, sending the two into an easy glide.

“PUP!” Time yelled out, clearly panicked racing to the edge only to see Twilight gliding away calmly.

Twilight laughed loudly, spinning slightly to yell out, “What are you waiting for? An invitation?”

The flight down was as easy as ever, he even ignored the rupee shaped rings to get down to the platforms. Letting go of the cucco a few feet off the ground, Twilight rolled to cushion the fall. He landed on the middle green platform, a good place to jump into action on either side of him.

Twilight spared a glance towards the cucco, which continued its flight path, plopping safely into the water. Then Twilight looked back to where he came from, waving at the Links to make sure they knew where he was. Counting the others, Twilight confirmed that everyone was still in the air coming towards him.

Sky, having one of the faster gliding methods, landed on the platform above Twilight with ease. Time was next, his cucco doing the best to shake him off so it was a rough landing. Luckily he aimed for Twilight’s platform so he was able to grab and pull his ancestor from stumbling over the edge.

“Thanks Pup. But never do that again, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Time ordered, lightly smacking Twilight upside the head.

Twilight chuckled lightly as he went back to watching the others, “You and I both know I can’t promise such a thing,”

Time snorted, “Yeah, I know,”

Wind landed just fine up with Sky, yelling down about the purple rupee in the chest. Four and Warriors landed soon after with Four on the level under Twilight and Time. Warriors, despite the grumpy cucco, landed on the lowest level.

“Wars look!” Wind yelled down holding the rupee high in the air.

Warriors had one hand blocking the sun as he looked up, “Nice! That’s a purple one isn’t it?”

“Yup! Oh look Wild,Hyrule, and Legend are about here!” Wind called out pointing at the three.

Twilight lowered himself, ready to intercept Hyrule whatever way he decides to try and land. There was a Link on every platform, except for the spinning and orange one. He even went so far as to drop his bag down so he could move unrestricted.

Wild landed first, easily skidding to a halt on the platform Twilight and Time were on. Legend came next, with his Roc Cape he was able to stop right in the center of the second lowest platform.

“8 down, one to go,” Twilight whispered to himself.

Hyrule landed on the same platform Legend and Four were on easily enough. The issue started with letting go of the cucco. Hyrule just didn’t let go as he landed, while the cucco flapped it sent Hyrule to being unbalanced and falling forward.

He landed too close to the edge and was desperately trying to keep his balance from falling forward. All of this sent Twilight into action. Uncaring that he would get wet, Twilight ran and jumped down using his body to block Hyrule from falling off. Before he could properly fall into the water, Twilight shoved Hyrule back into Legend, who was also trying to stop Hyrule from going overboard.

The water was colder than usual as Twilight hit it with a large splash. Holding his breath, Twilight made sure to wave off the helpful Zora trying to help him up. The Zora, presumably realized who he was, nodded like they understood, but still hovered around just in case.

Twilight breached the surface of the water with a gasp. Looking up to the others he saw Hyrule leaning over the edge concerned with the rest just staring down at him.

“You alright down there Rancher?” Legend asked, pulling Hyrule away from the edge.

Twilight grinned, “It’ll take a lot more than that to take me out! Meet me over at the bridge,”

Twilight swam over to the little wooden raft bridge that connected Fyer’s cannon ride to the Isle of Riches. Hopefully the others got the prizes from the chests while he is sopping wet. He was faster than the others so he was the first on the small bridge, just getting up as the others joined him.

Twilight shook himself off like a dog, his clothes were still wet, but his wolf pelt and hair were more damp than wet.

“Ugh, Twilight!” Wild reprimanded, getting the full brunt of the shaking.

“A little water isn’t going to hurt you Wild,” Twilight replied, getting up and fully stretching out.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Hyrule asked worriedly, Twilight could feel the healing spell ready to use at a moment’s notice.

“Yup, never better. Luckily I planned for this, and we will bunk for the night around Lanayru Spring,” Twilight answered honestly as he pinched the sopping wet fabric.

“Lanayru Spring?Is that like Ordon Spring?” Sky asked, following behind as Twilight carefully went to the cannon.

“Pretty much, though this place gets a lot more traffic and worshippers than Ordon Spring,” Twilight answered, waving to Fyer as he passed.

Warriors grimaced, “We have to get you out of your armor, you smell like wet dog,”

Four’s grin was a little too wide for Twilight’s taste, “It’s probably just the wolf pelt!”

“Hey, what’s that?” Wild asked, skillfully pulling the conversation away and pointing to the Sky Cannon.

“That’s the Sky Cannon. I used it in my journey to travel up to the City in The Sky,” Twilight informed them as the group walked past it.

“Shad mentioned it, what’s it like up there?” Sky questioned curiously.

Twilight thought for a moment, “The air is very light up there, it was hard to catch my breath doing anything. I had to where my Iron boots everywhere so I wouldn’t just get flung off,”

“Sounds dangerous,” Sky noted.

“The view was worth it, if it wasn’t so out of the way from where we need to go I would be bringing y’all there instead,” Twilight finished as they came to the cave entrance.

Walking inside the spacious cavern, Twilight knelt on the outshoot stone. He remembered standing in that very spot, staring down Zant, getting the shadow crystal, and Midna getting injured severely. Hopefully this time will go better than the other times.

“Light Spirit Lanayru, it is Link of Ordon village. I was wondering if we could camp here for a while, under your protection from monsters that could be lurking,” Twilight spoke aloud to the waters.

At first nothing happened, but then a warm feeling settled over the Ordonian. It was light and airy, but filled with power. It was Lanayru’s presence and from what Twilight could feel the spirit was telling him ‘yes’. Even looking around the entire cave was brighter.

“Thank you, I promise we will clean up after ourselves,” Twilight said gratefully.

Just like that the presence faded and the cavern returned to a normal light. Turning around, the other Links were standing at the mouth of the cave, looking somewhat bored. They probably didn’t hear Twilight or realize Lanayru was nearby. Spirits after all don’t ever show their true selves unless in times of great peril.

As he walked back to the others who were quietly talking, the ones who glanced at him had to do a double take. In fact Hyrule lightly elbowed Wild who had his nose in his slate to look. Just the confused and curious looks he was getting from the others made Twilight warry.

“What?” Twilight asked slowing to a stop.

“Uhm- your markings- do they typically glow like that?” Sky asked, scratching his face.

“My markings are glowing?” Twilight repeated in disbelief.

Wild held up his Sheikah Slate and took a picture. Then he walked over and showed Twilight the picture, “See?”

Sure enough according to the picture, Twilight’s brandings were glowing a gold color. With the glowing all around his eyes it made his eyes almost an eerie gray. Something similar happened when he was surrounded by twilight magic, but it never happened before with light magic.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Twilight murmured, unconsciously touching the markings under his eyes.

Wild studied his mentors face, “Don’t worry it looks to be dying down already,”

Warriors looked amused as he asked, “So Glow Stick, I assume we can camp here for the night?”

Twilight glared at the Captain as he answered, “Yes, Lanayru gave us permission to rest here. We won’t need a watch tonight, no monster ever gets close to Lanayru’s Spring since my journey ended,”

“Wait ‘since’? So there is a possibility?” Four asked.

“Well I suppose, but that was when Lanayru was weakened and the monster was a particularly strong one, boss level strong,” Twilight told Four nonchalantly.

“Alright, well let’s set up camp, and get some shut eye,” Time interrupted, clapping his hands.

Setting up the camp was a fast and easy task to do. Twilight, once the fire was set up, changed into a more dry set of clothes and set his gear out to dry. Twilight was grateful that he dropped his bag before he saved Hyrule from the water, and that Time remembered to grab it.

The rest of the night was filled with idle chatter and good food. Twilight was not looking forward to the conversation tomorrow. He was not going to let them come with him into the Twilight Zone. Getting turned into a ‘divine beast’ or something worse is not what he ever wants the others to deal with.

[cerebralinvasion]

kinda heavy on stalker!dazai with a female reader.. is a oneshot okay for it?😳😳 pls & thank uu

notes: of course a one shot is okay with me! i was a little tired when i wrote this i’ll admit so sorry for any possible mistakes! if this was too short or not exactly what you were looking for just let me know and i can write you another :D

trigger warnings: stalking, paranoia, gaslighting, yandere, manipulation

you bit into your lip as you walked towards the agency. you were tense, huddled into yourself. it was almost as though you were cowering. this was highly unlike you. in the past you’d take scenic routes to the agency. enjoying the quieter areas of yokohama. but you haven’t done that in a couple weeks. not since you’ve noticed it. you’re being followed. you’re being stalked. and you have been for the past while.

you wonder how long it’d been going on before you found out about it. the individual you always thought you saw in your peripheral vision. only to turn around and see nobody at all. the disappearing items from your room. never anything expensive or worth stealing. just half finished lip balms and hairbrushes. they did a good job at covering their tracks, whoever it was. you never found a door open or any hints of them having been there. if you didn’t know any better you might have just chalked it up to a few carelessly misplaced items.

but you did know better… you think. you had always been a little on the paranoid side. quick to jump to conclusions and assume your safety was at risk. but this time, this time you’re sure of it. it was always the little things. you distinctly remembered that you forgot to turn that light off when you left the house, so why wasn’t it still on when you got back? sure that wasn’t much on its own but… but you weren’t a part of the armed detective agency for no reason. and after all this evidence began to pile up you were running out of room to doubt your assumptions.

you arrived at the agency sooner than you would have thought. perhaps you were so lost in your own thoughts that the walk here seemed far shorter than usual. you took the elevator up. feeling safer already. the agency just had such a comforting aura. the people here felt like family and the office a home. you knew that no matter what was going on if you were with the agency you were safe. especially when you were around dazai. your eyes lit up as you stepped out of the elevator and your eyes landed on him. he was your closest friend after all. you trusted him more than anyone.

“osamu!” you called out rushing over to him.

“hm? (y/n)? what’s wrong? you seem tense.” his usual playful demeanor dropped slightly seeing you so anxious.

“osamu. osamu i think i’m being followed.”

“followed? like you’re being stalked?” his eyes narrowed and he lost of his previous eccentric behavior. “are you sure (y/n)? that’s a serious problem if it’s the case.”

“i mean…” you froze up, yes you were sure. but something about the way he said it. the way dazai spoke made you question the beliefs you were so so grounded in. “i think so?”

“think? you shouldn’t just think these kinds of things, you have to be positive.” dazai’s voice was so stern. he didn’t really seem angry but he did seem like he was taking this quite seriously.

“no- i just. i’m just scared, okay?” your eyes watered slightly. you didn’t wanna cry and you felt stupid for getting emotional this shortly into the conversation. but having feared for your life and been stalked for god knows how long has been putting stress on you emotionally. and dazai’s words were just putting more pressure on your already cracking mental state.

seeing your tears well dazai’s sternness melted away and was replaced with a much softer expression.

“hey hey, it’s okay.” he stood up from his office chair and moved to pull you into a hug. “you’ve always been a little paranoid but i promise no one is following you. if it makes you feel better i can stay over with you tonight. if you really are being stalked i’ll take care of them.”

“please.” you whined into his chest. god you felt pathetic. you were never like this. always so confident and sure of yourself. but something about dazai’s presence seemed to unwind something within you. maybe it was the comfort? yeah after all this stress the logical conclusion in knowing someone would be there to look out for you and keep you safe was to allow yourself vulnerability, right?

dazai smirked, his grin hidden in your hair as he held you tight. you almost made it too easy.

[pansyslut]

your three girls

reader x pansy x hermione x ginny

a/n - part 2 of truth or dare but can be read as a stand alone. i hope this isn’t too confusing because it’s really hard writing for four people. i’m sorry if this is like really bad but four people is really hard

warnings: hella smut, foursome, alcohol, face riding, mutual masterbation, humping, slight mommy kink, degration, praise, thigh riding

requested part two - @cherrysandwiine

the party was in full swing as students from various houses drink away their sorrows or jug in victory. “do you really think she would be down to join us,” pansy asks looking over at you. looking back to hermione, you, ginny, and pansy study the girl sitting far away from you.

with liquid courage running through your vains, you stand up and make your way over to her. plopping down on the couch next to her, you throw your legs into her lap. “hi ‘mione,” you say dragging out her name. she studies you for a moment and grins, “y/n i know you’re a horny drunk,” she says pausing to laugh, “but i’ve told you i’m not fucking you when you’re intoxicated. as tempting as you look,” she says mumbling the last part under her breath.

you nod in understanding. that was part of the reason you had trusted hermione in the first place. she was the first girl you had ever experimented with and you never doubted her being your first. you liked how uptight she was until you were behind closed doors. as much as she’d like to believe otherwise, she was practically putty in your hands. she always craved your touch whether it be in pent up arousal or just needing to be comforted by a friend.

taking a piece of her hair and twirling it with your fingers, you lean up close to her ear and place a kiss on her neck. “i’ve missed you, ‘mione. you’re making this extremely hard with the way you look tonight. let me make you feel better” you say with an innocent tone. you can see the wheels turning in her head, wanting so badly to say yes.

she lets out a huff and lays her head in the crook of your neck. “i’ve missed you too, y/n. i’ve been meaning to talk to you actually. rumor has it that you’re dating parkinson,” she says with a slight bitter tone. letting out a laugh, “funny you should mention it, i’ve been meaning to talk to you about it too. and it’s not just pansy- i’m seeing ginny too. we’re all together. we were all actually sorta thinking that... you know... you would like to join us one night?”

a small smirk makes it’s way across her face. “i would love to y/n,” she says placing a kiss below your ear. letting out a huff, you feel the anxious feeling leave your body. hermione always was good at making you feel at ease with her. you only hoped that your girls would feel the same way about her.

you spend the rest of the night chatting with her and catching up. ever since the night you, pansy, and ginny slept together pansy’s possessiveness kicked in and was worried about you and hermiones relationship. of course, she knew you would never cheat but you respected and understood her boundaries nonetheless.

being with ginny and pansy was a different feeling than when you were with hermione. hermione felt like comfort and easy, but with ginny and pansy you were constantly on your toes. you loved how unpredictable you felt when you three were together. although it wasn’t as serious yet, you would never do anything to intentionally hurt either of your girls. that’s why you were shocked when they brought up inviting hermione for a night when your were all laying in bed.

you all had laid down your rules and boundaries making sure that all three of you were comfortable. now a few days later, you lay in bed with ginny and pansy on each of your sides while surfing the tv. hearing a soft knock, the three of your heads shoot up and ginny being closest to the door, opens it to reveal hermione.

“um hey,” she says shuffling her feet with her eyes glued to the floor. a part of you wanted to let out a laugh at the gryfindor girls newfound shyness but you didn’t want to make her more anxious than she already seemed to be.

“you can come lay with us,” pansy says speaking up. “we were just about to watch our baking show. miss y/n over here,” she says poking your side, “is convinced she’s going to suddenly become some hardcore soccer mom when we have kids and whip out all her hidden skills she seems so keen on having,” pansy jokes lightheartedly, trying to ease the tension.

you shake your head at her jabs at you, “well ‘mione has said my baking tastes exquisite- thank you very much.” you feel the bed dip beside you as hermione and ginny join you as you spend a moment intertwining the four of you, making a mess of limbs tied together. “actually y/n,” hermione joins in, “i was only saying that to be nice. i fed the rest to ronald- merlin knows that boy will eat anything.”

scoffing, “i cannot believe the three of you,” you say shaking your head at them. “just you wait ‘til i end up on master chef, just you wait.”

your laughter seems to die down after that as you all lay in each other’s embrace, cuddled together closely. leaning to your other side, you nudge yourself into ‘miones shoulder and start plastering kisses down her neck and upper breasts. you already feel her breathing increasing, coming out short in anticipation. you take notice that ginny has also start sucking on her other nipple with ‘miones fingers clutched in her hair.

sitting up to straddle her, pansy scotches closer to the side you had left as you grab her hands and place them on your waist. lifting your shirt off, you keep her hands on your waist as you swivel your hips seductively. running your own hands down your body making a show out of it, you grip your breasts while fasting your pace on her center. you swore you could almost feel both of your pussys pulsing against one another between both of your shorts.

the three of you lay around hermione almost bending to her will, trying to shower her with pleasure. kissing your way down her stomach and pause with your lips on her center while looking up at her with a smirk. the look in her eyes were silently begging and even though you knew you wouldn’t get a verbal plead from her, you took what you got.

kissing more up her thighs, you slide off her panties and throw it across the room. running your tongue along her lower lips, you feel her fingers slide through your hair while slightly tugging your head further down.

parting her lips with your tongue, you hear pansy whisper in her ear “beg for y/n. beg for her tongue and show her how eager you are for her. go on, bun.” you knew what pansy’s praising was doing to her. her thighs clench around your head as she lets out a long whine. “please, y/n i need to cum so bad. i- i missed your tongue so much baby.”

“sit on my face,” you say looking up at her. your three girls all have a shocked look but ginny starts manhandling hermione into the new position nonetheless. now, you lay on with your head pressed against pansy’s upper thighs, laying down on her with hermione hovering over you while facing the opposite direction in a heated make out with ginny.

ginnys hands guide hermione to sit on you as you clutch her thighs and dig your tongue into her instantly. the room is immediately filled with all of your moans as mione sits on your face, ginny sits atop of your center grinding against you, and pansy starts toying with her own clit.

part of you felt so overwhelmed but the other felt like nothing than ever before. you felt a sense of euphoria coursing your body with every sense heightened. your tongue slows down accidentally as ginny starts quite literally jumping on you, begging for friction.

hermione has none of this as she just shoves her ass further in your face. letting go of one of her thighs, you reach around to pansy and kneed one of her breasts, wanting to give her more attention. patting hermiones thigh, she looks down at you in questioning but you grab her hips and force her to sit now facing pansy.

shoving your face back into her heat, pansy and hermione are now fully making out as mione fingers her slowly. hearing pansy let out a loud moan, “fuck baby ride mommies face just like that. our little cum slut, aren’t you?”

slurping up all of her juices, you fasten your pace as you feel all four of you reaching your climaxes together. ginny bounces on you while mione rides your face and fucks pansy with her fingers.

“fuck gin, hump mommas pussy. you look so good, bunny,” you hear pansy praise from behind you. letting out a loud moan, hermione feels you vibrate under her, sending her over the edge along with you.

after feeling hermione slump against you and sluggishly pull off, pansy and ginnys moans join in and you knew your two girls were cumming. looking up to ginny, you see her face scrunched up as she’s now riding your thigh and pansy thrashes her hips off hermiones hand.

“hump my hand, pans. fuck- you look so hot,” hermione speaks up, praising pansy’s before she slows down her movements to a stop. you all lay there for a long moment as your bodies buzz highly. finally, the four of you crash into the pillows and nuzzle into each other’s touch while trying to catch your breath. even though your climax has now come and gone, you lay there with a small grin thinking about how right it felt. you and your girls laying together, cuddling while murmuring sweet things as each of you drift in and out of consciousness.

“we definitely need to do that again,” ginny says practically speaking each of your thoughts. you all break out in sleepy giggles and nod as hermione places a kiss on your shoulder. “definitely.”

[isagisyoichi]

YOU MAKE ME FEEL SPECIAL!

SYNOPSIS: niko as your boyfriend

CHARACTERS INCLUDED: niko ikki aka my boyfriend hello

WARNINGS: swearing, pretend all the boys go to the same school and they're all friends for plot, normalize not writing serious boys as someone that practically hates their s/o and never opens up to them god bless, also no such thing as ooc since we dunno shit ab him so everything i say is law. SUPER LONG LOL, it's like 2k+ words 😭

A/N: i love my boyfriend and i'm v happy about all the attention he's getting (even if he will prob will b subbed out 👎) this was fun to write bc i think he would b very soft as bf and also i hate the notion that stoic and serious = boring and detached in a relationship. also first post w the new user yayyyy rip yoichisagis an end of an era for realsies.

FOR: fox anon my beloved this one is for u😩

it takes a while for you two to get together, just because niko wants to think things through and be sure he’s making the right decision, as well as him being naturally apprehensive about this whole dating thing.

when you do eventually start going out, keep in mind you're probably his first real anything, so-

niko needs to take it slow for the first month or so because he needs time to adjust and get used to being in a relationship.

when he gets comfortable around you, niko starts to talk a lot more.

niko starts to talk about his interests more-soccer, stem stuff (idc i'll die by my hc that he's a stem boy), etc. and niko's really happy that you're genuinely interested in what he has to say :)

and as your relationship progresses, niko becomes more inclined to share his inner thoughts.

“this song is so bad, i hate it and how it's everywhere,” like, babe that sucks, but what do you want me to do, take it off the radio myself? 😭

you find out that niko’s kind of a hater LOL, but it’s okay, because it means he can be himself around you <3 and the mini debates you have with each other are fun.

he’s someone you can take shopping with you if you need a solid second opinion.

“ikki, is this cute?” you niko as you adjust the shirt you tried on in the fitting room mirror.

“no.” he’s so straight up LOL. “the blue one from earlier was better.”

“this one?”

“yeah, that one. you look really pretty in it.”

ngl though, niko’s not much of a mall person. he'd just follow you around like a little puppy LOL, but he doesn't mind too much because it's for you.

communication is important to niko!!!!! he wants someone that he can have real conversation about the things that matter to him, so he rly makes an effort to have that kind of connection with you.

niko's naturally funny but he isn't aware that he is lol.

but when he does try, i feel like his humor comes in the form of sarcasm and dry wit. likes poking fun at you here and there with a lighthearted jab.

"you're so weird, y/n," is the most common one.

niko’s naturally closed off emotionally (male aquarius 😒) but i, personally, think he’d really try and push himself to be more open with you, especially if you expressed for him to do so </3

he'd be really appreciative of someone patient and understanding of the fact that he doesn't open up easily, though.

but eventually, you become the person closest to him- niko confides in you a lot, which he’s grateful for because he usually holds everything in.

not one for pda or other lovey-dovey things in public, other than the occasional holding of hands but behind closed doors, niko’s so soft around you, it’s like he’s a completely different person.

also, i feel like niko’s real handsy with you, i get the vibe he’s super touch starved 😭

although it does take him a while to get used to physical affection, once he has, niko cannot get enough. he’s always touching you when he has no real reason to.

(and because you're his first relationship, i feel like it’s just natural that niko’s going to be kind of clingy towards you.)

“you okay, ikki?” you ask as niko suddenly wraps his arms around your waist from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“mhm,” he mumbles. “just wanna be close to you.”

niko likes when you sit on his lap when he’s on his computer. you can have your arms wrapped around his neck, your head resting in the crook of his neck, or you could just be on your phone or whatever, it doesn’t matter, niko just likes you near him.

you guys don’t really talk to each other when you do this, aside from niko occasionally checking up on you and asking if you need anything from him.

but other than that, you guys just enjoy each other's touch in silence. it’s one of his favorite things to do with you.

however, if you start kissing him in the middle of whatever he’s doing and keep it up for long enough, niko will drop everything to make out with you right then and there (also one of his favorite things to do with you).

speaking of kissing- you kiss niko first.

niko would try to plan your guys first kiss out because he wants everything to be perfect.

but, he ends up taking forever to execute it because he keeps overthinking and you can only wait so long before kissing him, so you take matters into your own hands.

his kisses are sloppy and juvenile at the beginning, but he’s smart and learns quickly what you do and don’t like.

likes being kissed on his jaw and forehead the most :')

if the team ever happens to see niko kissing you, they're gonna be so annoying 😭

"yooo niko's making big moves ‼️" "my son's growing up on me!😩" "good job *pats on the back*" and niko is red all over as he drags you away from them, muttering about how childish and annoying they are 😭.

but, they're all very supportive of you guys, even if they're embarrassing as hell 🙄.

they even give niko relationship advice- which luckily, he doesn’t follow (most of the time), because, let’s be honest, if you're getting unsolicited dating tips from a bunch of teenage boys, it’s probably bad 😭.

you’re the only person niko shows his forehead to. just know that having the opportunity to see it means that niko trusts you more than anyone else :’)

repay his trust by kissing his forehead lovingly and showering him with compliments whenever you can !!!!!!!!!!

“y/n, why’re you so embarrassing,” niko says under his breath, blushing as you hold his face and litter soft kisses on his forehead, rambling about how cute he is.

always looks for you in the bleachers when he has a game and you’re always the first person he talks to after.

and the fact that you make an effort to come as often as you can means sooo much to him. definitely considers you to be his biggest fan.

real classy with nicknames- uses “my love/love,” and “darling,” the most.

his favorite petname from you is "pretty boy." gives him butterflies each time he hears it.

the first time you call him that, he's confused, but after you explain that being called pretty is basically the highest compliment a boy can receive, he gets all soft on you.

only uses instagram to like and comment on your pictures and that's it 😭.

comments stuff like “you're so pretty” and "beautiful," without any emojis because niko refuses to use them LOL.

remembers the compliments you give him! they help with his self esteem and i feel like he values your opinion a lot.

so, tell him all about how cute and smart and talented and hot and funny he is and how much you love him and he'll replay it in his head 24/7.

i think he prefers to be the big spoon, unless he's sad- then he really wants you to hold him.

niko gives me homebody vibes, so expect relaxed dates, but still nice, yk?

what i mean is niko's not gonna take you out to get gas station food and call it a day 😭 he's classier than that and he always puts in effort towards dates.

he always plans them ahead of time and takes into consideration what he thinks you'd enjoy. and he insists on paying 🤗.

but, niko always does something special for days like your birthday or an anniversary, like go somewhere fancy if you wanted to or buy a nice gift you've been eyeing for a while.

helps you with your schoolwork, 100%. most of the time niko tutors you because he wants you to actually learn the material, but if you're feeling lazy and just wanna get it over with, niko will just give you the answers.

this is a big deal because i love him and all but, niko gives me the vibe he's super stingy with his work 😭.

"this is the last time i'm going to just give you the answers, y/n." niko sighs out. "you have to start doing your homework by yourself."

niko's said that dozen of times but he's still giving you the answers free of charge. can you guys say #whipped 🤣?

LOL speaking of school, if you ever text him during class, i highly doubt that niko would entertain you 😭😭 (it's out of love, though)

y/n 💗: hiii baby imy 🥰

pretty boy: do your work, y/n.

y/n 💗: ALL I DID WAS SAY HI

pretty boy: pay attention.

y/n 💗: fine ur so lame 👎

pretty boy: whatever you say. i miss you too, by the way.

he likes to moves your hair out your face because he wants to see your pretty face better.

which is why you have to do the same with him 🥰!!!!!! makes him blush like crazy.

gets soooo soft when you post him or even take pictures of you and him together :') just the thought of you wanting to show him off makes him soooo happy.

he won't entertain you if you make a tiktok, though LOL. he's very stubborn in his belief that it's stupid.

just stands in the background with his arms crossed if you try to make him do a dance or something 😭 (he does think you look cute, though).

niko has such nice eyelashes but i doubt he's aware of it 'cause he's, y'know, a boy 🙄.

"my eyelashes are ... cute?" he questions. niko wasn't even aware that such a trivial thing like his eyelashes could be considered cute.

"yes, oh my god," you gush. "they're so long and nice, i wish mine were like that," you groan, examining yours through the camera of your phone.

"you're so weird, y/n," he says, a blush staining his cheeks. "your eyelashes are nicer," he mumbles as he kisses your forehead.

he's one of those people that prefers to be alone, but you're the exception. you know?

niko likes to keep to himself most of the time, but that whole thing doesn't apply to you, because he'd choose to be with you over being alone anytime :')

[astaroth1357]

Hi there, congrats for the 1500 subs. How about the bros reaction to an MC who's an empath?

Brothers with an MC Who is an Empath

This should not have been as hard as it was but maaan, my brain just wasn’t working. Finally got it done though!

Intro:

An Empath is essentially someone who is highly sensitive to outside stimuli like sounds, personalities, energies, emotions, or just hectic/chaotic environments. They tend to absorb the emotions of others into themselves because of this. Though their sensitivity can grant deeper understanding for others, it comes at the price of the Empath’s own emotional and physical health if not given enough time to decompress which can lead to feeling drained, irritable, depressed, or overwhelmed.

Lucifer

Oh boy, if there was ever any demon not in tune to his own emotions…

He started out legitimately not knowing what an "empath" was and frankly he didn't care to know. His main concern was just keeping the MC alive.

Though that didn't seem to be too hard because they apparently get tired quickly… or at least they had to take extended periods away from most of his brothers.

He wasn't sure why, he first assumed it was because they found his brothers annoying but that didn't seem to be the case either...

He'd see them grinning with Mammon after a jackpot, relaxing with Satan in silence, and even crying with Levi over things so niche and pointless he couldn’t imagine that they actually cared...

It wasn’t too long until they set their sights on him. 

They always seemed to know when he was stressed or when he needed to talk to someone. He'd even be embarrassed to admit there were days when he’d just hover somewhat close to them, face more or less slathered with "I really need to talk right now" but too proud to make the first move.

After some time, he decided to look up what an empath was again and it all clicked into place. They probably knew when he was tired because they could just sense it off of him.

And who knows how exhausting that must be for them...

After that little revelation he actually started paying more attention to his own health to keep it from spilling over to them, but he would still go to them to talk from time to time. He honestly never expected a human to become his closest confidant.

Mammon

Mammon has BIG energy. He’s one of those personalities that just brightens a room he walks in but damn… if he’s not a little exhausting to be around sometimes…

Truthfully, he was kind of into their whole “I know how you feel so you don’t have to say it” vibe though it was really confusing to start with...

On the one hand, they never made fun of him for his sensitive side. Not once. And they seemed pick up on the days where he wasn't feeling his best as well, which only made him happy and want spend more time with them.

But on the other hand, he'd be lying if he said that their need to recharge away from him didn't catch him off guard a lot... Hell, for the first few weeks of getting to know the MC he thought they didn't like him at all!

It took the MC sitting him down and explaining to him that they're more sensitive to things like lights, sounds, and emotions for him to kind of get the picture. It wasn’t that they didn’t like him, they just needed to be somewhere calm.

Cue a lot of “Okay human, I’ll be calm. Promise! Ya won’t even now I’m here!” in a well meaning, but pretty loud voice and not getting much better from there, bless his heart...

Even after he eventually gets the picture and stops hanging off of their leg, it does bum him out to be separated for however long it takes for them to get better (at worst, it can be days).

But he really gets excited like a puppy whenever they finally come back again! Big grins and lots of hugs (good luck peeling him off now).

Levi

Levi is... best taken in short bursts.

Though his personality isn’t big like Mammon’s, he does have a lot of lingering negativity around him. Not exactly his fault, being Envy and all, but not great for someone who’s sensitive to emotions.

In truth, Levi genuinely loves being around the MC because they “get” him even if they don’t get what’s happening.

While his brothers may roll their eyes or struggle to understand how he can put so much emotional investment into an anime or a character, the MC would always seem to feel and respect that his emotions were genuine and let him experience them without question.

… But at the same time, that sensitivity meant that they got carried in with him through his every emotion, good, bad, or somewhat erratic depending on the situation… 

Add to that his higher than usual need for validation, investment, and feedback due to his insecurity and unfortunately he’s easily the most emotionally draining person in the House...

It took some time to explain to Levi what an empath was and that their desired space wasn’t because there was something wrong with him or anything, they just needed breaks. Thankfully, being an introvert himself meant that Levi understood this a lot quicker than Mammon.

In truth, being with Levi could be fun and rewarding for both parties. During his high points, his happiness truly does shine like no other, just… don’t overdo it.

Satan

In the beginning, Satan was honestly pretty impressed how quickly the exchange student saw through his fake smiles. They’d know that there was no actual joy behind them and thus avoided him for the most part.

This was before they formed their pact so he was perfectly fine with that. Let them hide, that’s the smart idea.

But after getting to know them and going through the body-switch, he started to see that it was deeper than just some good intuition on their part. Something about them… reflected the people around them...

They appeared to be acutely aware of the emotion in a given person or a given room and reacted like they were soaking in the atmosphere they found themselves in. Taking it into themselves…

It truly confused him.

Satan is the picture of emotional control, it’s been taught to him again and again to always keep a good handle on himself because things go flying when he doesn’t. The idea of being so open to others just didn’t make much sense to him… 

Why would anyone want to live so dependent on the emotions of others? It sounded chaotic just to hear about it...

But after he opened up to them about his own inner doubts he started to think it wasn’t such a bad thing. They appeared to be equipped to help him navigate his own emotions, especially the new ones he didn’t have the best grasp on yet.

He later did his own research into human emotions, discovered empaths, and that put it all into perspective. Like Lucifer, he did his best not to overwhelm them after that but there was little worry about that anyway. Satan is, again, emotional control at its finest.

Asmodeus

Oh, Asmo picked up on their human’s little quirk relatively quickly compared to his brothers. Being emotionally observant is just part of what makes him so good at what he does.

Honestly, he enjoyed just watching them from afar… Watching the way their eyes lit up when talking to a cheerful Simeon or how huffy and frustrated they’d get along with Mammon when things weren’t going his way. It was cute to him, like a child playing “Pretend.”

Eventually, though, he started to notice that it went a lot deeper than mere imitation...

One day, Levi came home distraught about the tragic death of some voice actor he fancied and the MC was right along with him, crying as if that loss was theirs...

On another, Satan had spent the whole day silently fuming and the MC was a complete wreck, tense and on-edge for no other reason than the feeling of aggression in the air…

And crowds… crowded rooms seemed to be the death of them. So much noise and constant input, they’d have to leave so quickly…

Asmo saw all these things himself, without having to be told, and he became a refuge for them when things became too much. He has a big personality himself, but he could tone it down for a time and offer them a place away for a while.

If school, parties, or the brothers themselves just became too much, the MC could always go to Asmo’s room to vent like they let everybody else to with them. He’d keep the place quiet and calm and just help them sort things out...

Thank their father for Asmo’s observance.

Beelzebub

Legit the calmest, sweetest, nicest person to be around. Truly the best companion for an empathic MC to have.

Beel’s personality is positive, sweet, and (most importantly) stable. He’s not too bombastic nor too withdrawn, he’s not riddled with hidden stress or self-loathing, and he’s not even manipulative in any way, he’s just… Beel.

Am I saying that Beel is the MC’s emotional support demon? Yes. Yes I am.

Being around Beel is like hooking them up to a walking battery recharging station. Something about him just exudes warmth and comfort… They could be wrapped up in his arms for days and never say a word yet still be perfectly content...

Beel doesn't really mind them coming to him when distressed either because he likes being able to help them when they’re feeling drained. It makes him feel kind of special, they don’t seem to go to anyone else in quite the same way.

Usually, one of his brothers will be in a bad mood and the human will flock to Beel like a protective barrier. They'll hug him or trail along behind him like a lost puppy, which he thinks is very cute.

If they’re feeling really out of it, he’d carry them around on his back while they rest like he does for Belphie sometimes. Any time his brothers try to get too close to them or look like they’re going to bother them, he’ll just carry them away to some place quieter.

Though, the MC did pick up the deep sadness he felt for Lilith and Belphie (while he was gone) from time to time.... Which, considering how kind and comforting he usually is, just makes that dip in mood all the more painful and distressing for them. Poor baby… 

Belphegor

Belphie is another calm personality to have around, kind of similar to Beel, but since he's more prone to sadness and irritability he doesn't make the best companion…

If Beel is comfort, then Belphie is repose. Relaxed and peaceful, but also languid and sluggish… When Beel isn't around, then he makes a decent second, but only on good days.

Belphie has a mixed opinion on their uncanny ability to pick up on his feelings… He tries his best to be “mysterious” so having someone who can read him like a book gets under his skin just a little…

But he also really likes how much it helps them get to know him and understand where he’s coming from (being the youngest, he isn’t as used to being heard by anybody other than Beel). So, he’s very conflicted…

It didn’t help at all when it came to light that the MC could legitimately tell that he felt very hostile and angry towards them while he was still in the attic. When he asked why they helped him anyway, they told him so that they could make Beel happy again, regardless of how he felt about them which... ouch...

As if he could feel any worse about that particular incident… They could feel how guilty he was about that… right?

Even if they can’t he makes sure that they know that he’s sorry and he won’t do it again. Probably the lil’shit.

[stoneworldsimp]

what’s mine is not yours —a request

platonic senku x reader

warnings: swearing, anxiety, talk of insecurities and worries, gender dysphoria

your name!

your name!

YOUR NAME!

your hands slapped to your ears, eyes shut tight. i can’t take this so early in the morning.

the voices from your dream had lingered longer than you would have liked. it reminded you it was time to face another day, to endure another long long day and night of hearing the wrong things.

maybe if i went and lived on my own again…i wouldn’t have to deal with it—no. senku needs me. he needs me…what does he need me for again? you rolled onto your stomach; your pillow rustled as you flopped it on top of your head. he doesn’t need me. i’d rather be lonely than hear everyone say some bullshit about me.

everyone in the village knew you as a miss. yuzuriha made you more neutral clothes upon request, but everyone assumed you were tomboyish. luckily, no one read more into it; it was nice to dress comfortably, but it was like no one else understood. why were they still calling you a girl? and the older folks, you knew they meant well! but you couldn’t help but feel like their constant “sweet girl”s were making fun of you at this point.

i can’t do it, i can’t do it, they’re making fun of me right now, as i think. as i exist!

you felt a tear trickle down the side of your nose.

oh, you’re kidding. crying? again? is this—

a knock on your door halted your thoughts; you quickly flipped back and sat up in your bed on the ground of your hut, and wiped your face quickly. you lightly slapped your cheeks to stop yourself from continuing crying.

“yeah.”

“it’s me. can i come in?”

senku’s voice brought some sort of relief; personally you felt it was better for him to come in at such a time than anyone else.

you took a deep breath. “sure, but i just woke up. i’m staying under my blanket.”

senku laughed behind the door. a small shove was made and it opened, revealing a quite chipper senku. he liked to come early in the morning when the rest of the village was quiet.

his smirk faltered once he saw your face. you believed you hid your crying well; you didn’t think to check your red eyes or stinging cheeks.

“what’s wrong?” he asked, his words much gentler than when he asked to come in.

damn. how could i not realize i was so obvious?

with a deep breath, you whispered, “senku.. we’re pretty good friends, right?”

he snickered. “of course we are, way more than that asshole gen.”

his voice was closer. you laughed as well, and wiped your eyes clear. he slowly walked over and sat down on the floor next to you. senku was looking at you, really looking at you; it was intense, almost if he was making sure his closeness or anything about his presence wasn’t bothering you.

“okay…i’m about to say a lot of stuff. let me know if you need me to explain more, or if i’m talking too much. or—“

your words halted as senku put a hand on your shoulder, a smile light on his face. “all ears.”

you smiled back softly. “okay. so—back in..our time,”you gestured between the two of you with your hands, “i told my family and friends i was, uhm… nonbinary. like i don’t feel male or female, i use they/them pronouns; all that good stuff. still feel that way now. and, for quite some time, they didn’t believe me. not in a direct ‘you’re lying’ way, but more of ‘i don’t understand it therefore you shouldn’t understand it’ type of thing. i got a lot of shit from people who weren’t my friends, too. but with my friends’ support and getting more confidence after coming out, my parents were able to kinda see it. but yeah, it took quite some time. probably like.. eight months? even then, i had to remind them constantly, ‘not a daughter. please don’t call me she or he. please don’t call me a woman.’ but we were getting there. and right when we got petrified, right when it happened, i saw the look on my mom’s face.

“we were talking about me and my identity and it was like something had clicked in her brain. like, she knew exactly what i meant and how i felt when i said what it meant to be nonbinary. i don’t even remember what i said specifically, but i remember her expression as if she were standing in front of me right now. i was so hopeful i’d see her again, her expression got me through my petrification and even helped me break out of it. but of COURSE, i didn’t ever see her again after i woke up. and then i almost lost my own sense of self after being by myself for probably a year.. i was under the assumption i’d never meet another person again, so when i did run into your village—i had this gross feeling of dread. and i realized it was the same feeling that basically lived inside of me before i came out.”

you sat up straighter and looked away from senku. “it’s like, i have to rebuild my identity all over again. people always say you shouldn’t care about what other people say, but i can’t help it. i’m a sensitive person. i get hurt easily, no matter how hard i try to thicken my skin. they all, they all just use ‘she’ and ‘her’ and ‘that girl’ so often, it feels like they’re making fun of me, like they’re constantly telling me i’m not who i say i am. and i can’t tell them senku, being nonbinary was confusing for so many people in our time, i hardly believe they’ll understand it now. sure, my parents were fine, but it took a while before they got it. i can only imagine how long it’ll take for everyone here.”

senku was quiet. have you over explained yourself? was it too overbearing? in all honesty you’d only been good friends with senku a short while; you should have waited at least a little bit longer before letting him in on something so personal—

“it all, it all kind of makes sense now.”

huh?! “what?”

“what you told me, i think i get it now.”

you gave him a look up and down. it was possible, but you didn’t think there was much of a chance that senku would be so..cool with it. not right away. you expected some form of silent treatment for at least a day or two, so he could collect his own thoughts.

“i’m gonna say something, and i need you to listen. yeah?”

you stared at him like your brain short-circuited. what the fuck is he gonna say to me.. oh god, he doesn’t wanna be friends anymore. but he’ll be too nice to kick me out of the village. but it is his village—

“hey, hey…are you with me?” you both sat facing each other now, and his hands rested on your shoulders.

just hear him out. “yeah. all ears.”

he smoothed your shoulders with his thumb. “you’re just as valid as everyone out there. i know you’re scared, but believe me when i say they will not be mocking you in any way. sure, it might take a while for them to understand, but theyre not going to give up just because they dont get something right away. it took me a few months to fully convince this village i could help them, and even then, there were still a few who didn’t fully understand the experiments and contraptions i made until a while later. i know that isn’t the same as your situation… but what i’m trying to say is that they will try their best to know you, the real you. they aren’t going to mock you; if anything, they’ll have lots of questions to ask you.

“also, you have me, you have gen to help out in case you don’t have the capacity to answer everything yourself. i’ve a few things about gender before the stone world, and gen definitely knows a lot of things that are relevant to it as well.

“everyone here… they’re all so eager to learn, i highly doubt they’ll be unaccepting. they’ll be curious. and they’ll be happy you’re letting them in on something that is so important.”

tears had made their way down your face and on your clothes halfway through his mini-monologue; you didn’t notice him continuously wiping them away until he was finished. “it’s going to be okay. trust me.”

with a quiet sob, you pushed yourself into his arms for a hug.

“thank you.”

you knew he wasn’t particularly one for any type of physical contact, but he gladly accepted. for the occasion, he thought. his arms slowly wrapped around your slightly shaking body as you tried to calm down. neither of you spoke for a few minutes; only your soft sniffles were heard in the hut.

“senku, i think that was the most i’ve heard you talk about something that wasn’t directly related to science,” you laughed into his neck.

he laughed back. “i had a lot saved, since there were moments i could tell you were kind of uncomfortable. i didn’t want to force you into talking about it either, so i just waited. tried to figure out what i was going to say. it had to be good.. you are one of my closest friends, after all.”

both of you embraced each other a little tighter. “i hope all of this helped, i want you to live here with none of those worries. especially after so many months of having it bottled inside.”

you nodded in response.

today.. today will be the day i tell everyone not to use what they used to call me; that won’t do at all anymore.

today, i’ll tell everyone my name.

[k-s-morgan]

What He Grows to Be: Snippet 8

This snippet differs from others a bit because it's concerned with a specific arc more than with Tom and Harry. But that's why I picked it as without context and spoilers, strictly Harry-and-Tom scenes might start looking repetitive :D

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

Tom woke up in an excellent mood, the lines from Harry’s letter still dancing fresh in his memory. For a while, he stayed in his bed, mouthing them and enjoying the rush of pleasure doing so gave him. When he finally got up, he was met with tense faces of Lestrange, Black, and Mulciber. They were sitting on their beds silently, seemingly waiting for him to awake.

“What happened?” Tom asked sharply. His first irrational thought was that Harry got hurt, but rationality kicked in before panic spread, reminding him of how impossible the notion was. Even in the unlikely event that something happened, he’d be the first to feel it — in every sense of this word.

No one said anything. Instead, Lestrange gave him a newspaper. He looked so enraged that Tom was surprised he managed to stay silent.

The first thing he saw was a huge title with shaky letters: “The Heir of Slytherin — Or Is He?”

His heart twitched uncomfortably. Pursing his lips in preparation for what might be coming, Tom skimmed through the article.

Tom Slytherin is undoubtedly a rising star in the Wizarding Britain. His views are finding support among all kinds of wizards and witches, and that’s because he managed to occupy a middle ground between old pureblood ancestry and progressive pro-Muggle-born attitudes. An heir of Salazar Slytherin who believes in equality irrespective of one’s blood status; a prodigy in dark arts who became a vanquisher of the Dark Lord. Now he’s about to join the Ministry by taking a position that was crafted specifically for him. But is he really who he says he is?

Few of you know that Tom Slytherin was previously known as Tom Riddle. A half-blood himself, it’s barely surprising that he chose to appeal to both purebloods and Muggle-borns in his agenda to take power. His talks about equality and his claims that people grossly misinterpreted Salazar Slytherin’s beliefs are certainly inspiring, but are they true? Or is Tom Riddle a liar?

He can speak with snakes, that much is certain. It means that at least at some point, Tom Riddle’s bloodline was mixed with that of Salazar Slytherin. However, this alone does not give him the right to call himself his heir and even more, make statements about what Slytherin wanted and which ideals he supported. As reliable historical sources indicate, Slytherin built a Chamber of Secrets somewhere in Hogwarts for his heir to unseal. The question is, if Tom Riddle is indeed his heir, why hasn’t he done so yet? Where is the Chamber of Secrets and is the boy even aware of its existence? He told us that his knowledge about Slytherin’s true aims came from the unique books he has in his possession. Ignoring the fact that no one has ever seen these books personally, do they not mention anything about the Chamber? It doesn’t seem likely. In fact, it seems downright impossible. And if Tom Riddle lied about Slytherin’s beliefs to increase his popularity among the population, what else has he lied about?

No one has witnessed his alleged victory over Grindelwald. When asked to share his memories about it through the Pensieve, Tom Riddle refused. An anonymous source close to him confessed that the boy is highly manipulative and prone to exaggerations. He is indirectly linked to the murders of Charlus Potter and a Muggle woman who lived in his neighbourhood. So is he a hero? Or is he an impostor with delusions of grandeur who deceives everyone and ruthlessly disposes of people who do not support him?

One lie leads to another, and before you know it, Wizarding Britain will be ruled by a new Dark Lord who tricked us all by his alleged vague connection with Salazar Slytherin. Before giving him power, we have to find who he really is and what he is hiding.

“Dumbledore,” Tom said. His voice was toneless, but rage was trembling under his skin, trying to pour outside through his magic. “He’s behind this article.”

“Are you sure?” Mulciber frowned. “Why would he do this? He should be thrilled that his precious Muggle-borns are finally being treated with respect. All interviews you’ve given paint you as their supporter, so why would he—”

“Because he doesn’t trust Tom,” Lestrange snapped. He was pacing now, his face agitated. “The bastard always hated him — all of us. I just didn’t think his hatred would be stronger than his own hopes for equality.”

“Neither did I,” Tom replied distantly. His eyes went back to the article.

He’d been going out of his way to meet Harry’s ideals and shape his political aims around them. In many ways, Dumbledore’s ideals matched Harry’s. Mulciber was right, he should have been pleased to see them promoted. But Lestrange also had a point — Dumbledore’s reservations happened to be stronger. He must believe that Tom was playing a long-term game, and that as soon as he got the real power, he would reveal his true goals. Whatever Dumbledore imagined them to be, it must have been terrible enough to make him step up and try to tarnish Tom’s reputation.

“Is it true, though?” Black asked. Tom slowly looked up at him just as Lestrange whirled around in outrage.

“How can you even—” he started, but Black interrupted him.

“We never saw those books. We never really discussed the Chamber of Secrets. Do you know where it is, Tom?”

“I’ve visited it once,” Tom replied. He wasn’t lying — he saw the Chamber of Secrets in Harry’s memories. The only problem was that he had no idea how to enter it because Harry hadn’t trusted him with this information.

“You have?” Lestrange exclaimed. His ridiculously eager eyes lit up. “So you do know where it is!”

Mulciber began to grin. Black alone remained unmoved, watching him with furrowed brows.

Perhaps he sensed it was half-truth and was trying to understand what it could possibly mean. Black was smart, probably smarter than Lestrange and Mulciber combined — smarter than Tom had ever given him credit for. And right now, this was the last thing he needed. To have even his closest circle doubt him… just because Dumbledore felt threatened and wanted to be petty…

His rage darkened, turning into something vicious and vindictive. A hundred of possible counter-plans shot up in his mind, but they all crashed against one simple truth.

He had no clue where the Chamber of Secrets was. And now that the idea was planted in people’s heads, they would not let it go. He’d have to prove he knew its location or have everyone doubt him.

If Harry could just tell him…

No. He wasn’t going to bother Harry with it. What they had was more significant than any rumours or doubts that would circulate around him. Tom would rather be known as a liar and an impostor than risk stretching the trust he and Harry had been building all this time. If Harry wanted, he would tell him, but he wasn’t going to ask or rely on this possibility.

He’d have to find the Chamber by himself and make Dumbledore choke on his ‘anonymous’ testimony.

[lesdemonium]

Error Pining

Rating: T Ship: Geraskier Word Count: 2750 Summary:   When his djinn wish goes wrong, Jaskier finds himself unable to speak without excruciating pain. Geralt tries to fill the space himself. AN: a gift exchange fic written for @smuggsy for @thewitchersecretsanta. thanks so much for giving me an excuse to write physical whump for jaskier!

read on ao3  Before their argument, Geralt had been hazy, unfocused, and in dire need of sleep. He was still in dire need of rest, but now every sense was on high alert. The smell of blood and pain was so sharp, so strong, it left a metallic taste in his mouth and he just barely resisted the urge to try to clear his tongue of it. His eyes went wide, wild, as he tried to find the source of the blood. In a distant sort of way, he registered that he had been cut in their scuffle, but it wasn’t his blood he smelled. It was Jaskier’s.

Jaskier was doubled over, clutching at his neck, the djinn bottle long forgotten on the ground. His eyes met Geralt’s and he opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out before he was blinking away tears and dry heaving onto the ground. The hand around his throat was so tight Geralt wondered at how he could breathe, had a wild thought that maybe it was Jaskier’s own hand that was causing his scent to spike in pain and fear.

“Jaskier, what’s happened?” Geralt asked, bending over and hauling Jaskier back up by the collar of his doublet. Jaskier went, and when he tried to speak again, only a weak whimper came out before his face contorted in pain. His hands scrabbled at his throat and his eyes were so wide Geralt felt like all he could see was white, white, white.

“We’ll fix this, whatever it is,” Geralt promised him. Jaskier nodded weakly back.

They made it to the elf, Chireadan, who was less help than Geralt was hoping for. He asked Jaskier questions, and every time Jaskier attempted to answer, the same bitter taste of blood and pain and fear settled heavily within Geralt. The third time it happened, Geralt nearly punched Chireadan. Couldn’t he see this was hurting Jaskier?

“He can’t talk,” Chireadan finally settled on, and the look Geralt gave him must have been murderous, because he took a step back when their eyes met. “I can’t tell you more than that. Its origin is magical, and I have nothing that can reverse it. Something is ripping apart his throat whenever he talks.”

Jaskier let out a muffled hum, a desperate sound, that soon choked out and was replaced with the heavy scent of blood. 

“Sounds like not only when he talks,” Geralt said, and Chireadan’s grimace seemed to agree.

They were sent to a witch, Yennefer, but she wasn’t much help, either. She tried through the night, with Jaskier in a deep sleep, but when he awoke, nothing had changed. 

“I can’t do anything until you open your mouth to speak, bard,” Yennefer told them, and to her credit, she did look at least a bit remorseful. Or perhaps simply annoyed her magic couldn’t solve it. “Since I highly doubt you want to be singing as I fix you, there’s not much I can do for you.”

“Then how do we fix this?” Geralt asked, his voice tight.

Yennefer smiled and patted Jaskier’s hand condescendingly. “Have you considered a vocational change?”

They left, Jaskier silent and mourning beside Geralt. Yennefer’s advice was to track down another djinn, as Jaskier was unable to make the wish himself. Geralt thought this was a fool’s errand, and that Vesemir would be more help.

“I’m sorry, Jaskier,” Geralt said as they laid down to sleep that night.

Jaskier’s response was to turn over and go to sleep.

--

Traveling with a silent Jaskier was difficult for both of them. Every time Geralt looked at Jaskier, he seemed dimmer. At first, he still played his lute, but as they continued to travel and Jaskier’s throat continued to rip itself apart whenever he made even the softest hum, even that seemed to lose appeal to the bard. In taverns, Jaskier stared down at his mug, surviving the evening until he could turn in.

Geralt found he missed the sound. The silence beside him was uncomfortable, and made Geralt feel hollow. This felt as if it was his fault, as if he was the one hurting Jaskier whenever he made a sound. If he hadn’t been looking for the Djinn in the first place, Jaskier’s wish wouldn’t have backfired, and now Geralt wouldn’t have become acquainted with Jaskier’s forlorn face.

It took three days for Geralt to start talking, instead.

“Did I ever tell you about the griffin I fought outside Carrera?” Geralt said, offhand, as they traveled one day. 

He chanced a glance at Jaskier, only to find the bard staring back at him, a curious expression on Jaskier’s face. Jaskier’s lips were pressed tightly together, as if he was trying to remind himself not to speak up, and he squinted at Geralt. He looked almost suspicious. Geralt didn’t blame him. It wasn’t often that Geralt offered up his stories without a request, but Jaskier deserved something, and Geralt couldn't take the silence anymore.

So he told the tale, sparing no detail. At some point, Jaskier took out a notebook, and furiously scribbled the tale down. Often, Geralt had to stop, think about what sort of questions Jaskier would normally ask him, and try to answer them on his own. By the end of his tale, Jaskier was smiling. Despite his discomfort, Geralt smiled back. The remainder of the day was easier to bear.

As they traveled, Geralt told Jaskier of his contracts, as many as he could think of that Jaskier hadn’t already been there for. When he couldn’t think of a new story, he explained to Jaskier the difference between the vampire types, or the exact effects Swallow had on him. He felt silly, like he was play-acting as a professor, but it made the time go by faster. It also made Jaskier lighter, brighter, and eased something inside Geralt.

At night, when they were safely at camp, Jaskier began to play his lute again. Initially, they were the same songs Geralt had heard before. Jaskier’s songs, famous ballads written by other bards, lively drinking songs. As their travel wore on, though, Geralt began to hear songs he had never heard before. Soft, mournful things. Jaskier never met Geralt’s eye when he played these songs, but he did sit close to Geralt, so close that sometimes their arms would brush as Jaskier shifted up and down his lute. Geralt liked these songs best. He hoped, one day, he would get to hear Jaskier sing them.

These nights made Geralt brave.

“I ran into Eskel here, once,” he said. Jaskier didn’t stop playing, but he did look up, his eyes wide, his face open. “I don’t cross paths with the other witchers as much as I would like. You would like Eskel. He plays nice far better than I could. Doesn’t need a bard around to keep him in line around nobles.”

Jaskier bumped Geralt’s shoulder and they shared a grin. Geralt turned his gaze back to the fire and took a deep breath, but a moment later Jaskier nudged him again, this time with his knee.

“Yes, okay,” Geralt said, nodding. “I’ll go on. We were in the trials together. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to family.” Until now, his mind helpfully supplied. Geralt cleared his throat, as if to smother the thought. “You really would like him. He’s… thoughtful. Polite. Keeps his temper better. A better witcher, too. He’d make a better subject for your songs.”

Jaskier stopped playing abruptly. He placed his lute gingerly back in its case, then leaned into Geralt’s side. His arm snaked around Geralt’s, intertwining them before he fit their fingers together. Like they belonged there. Like their hands had always been meant to hold each other.

When Geralt looked up, his mouth felt dry. Jaskier’s eyes were so big, so beautiful, and he felt like he could see everything Jaskier couldn’t say in them. Geralt swallowed, heavily, and tried to speak for them himself.

“I’m.” He paused, wet his lips, tried again. “I’m glad you’re here. You make it easier. I feel less… alone.”

Geralt looked away, now. Back at the fire. Jaskier didn’t nudge him back this time, and didn't try to get his attention. Instead, he hesitated only a second--Geralt could feel the way he started, then stopped, then started again--and rested his head on Geralt’s shoulder. They stayed like that until Jaskier’s yawns could no longer be ignored, and they had to turn in for the night.

--

Geralt missed Jaskier’s voice most in the morning.

It was no secret that Jaskier was terrible when he first woke up. Grouchy, whiny, wheedling every which way. He hated mornings and he hated getting up early and would always be dead to the world for the first hour or so that he was awake.

Despite this, he always wished Geralt a good morning, even if it was gruff and his smile was more of a grimace. As he started to wake up, he’d often tell Geralt about his more ridiculous dreams. Often, Geralt was sure he had fabricated them entirely, just to make Geralt roll his eyes.

Now, Jaskier always woke up in pain. He’d groan first thing in the morning, or whine, or make some other sort of noise, and immediately his entire body would seize up in pain. Geralt had gotten softer in his approach to waking Jaskier up, trying to ease him into consciousness, to avoid the pain. It worked sometimes, but Jaskier was still too hazy upon first waking to remember why he couldn’t make noise. Then his eyes would fill with unshed tears as he desperately held out his hand for the waterskin. It didn’t seem to help, but at least it was an action Jaskier could take.

They survived. Hearing Jaskier’s silence never got easier, still left Geralt feeling hollow, but it became easier to fill the silences himself. Jaskier got better at expressing himself through the way he touched Geralt. Geralt had a feeling that had never been a skill Jaskier lacked, per se, but that he had only recently been allowed to touch Geralt. Now, he was taking his fill.

Geralt wondered how much time he had lost without Jaskier’s easy affection.

To get Geralt’s attention, Jaskier would grab his knee as Geralt road Roach, or press a hand between Geralt’s shoulder blades. He fingered Geralt’s sleeve nervously when they were in taverns and he had nothing to do with his hands. He would take Geralt’s hand as they walked through a crowd so they didn’t lose each other.

Geralt’s favorite touches, though, were still in front of their campfire. The trees around them, the stars in the night sky, the light of the fire and the way it crackled, all of it was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to the way Jaskier leaned against Geralt. Jaskier pressed himself into Geralt’s side, often allowing Geralt to wrap his arm around Jaskier’s shoulder or waist. Jaskier would play his lute, would play his soft, lovely songs, that had grown more hopeful as time went on. Geralt would tell Jaskier stories about growing up, about trouble he, Lambert, Eskel, the other wolves, had gotten into. He told Jaskier about the trials and let Jaskier comb his fingers through Geralt’s hair to comfort him, though Geralt insisted he didn’t need comforting. He told Jaskier about Renfri, about Blaviken, about his mother. Geralt told Jaskier everything.

Everything except about the way his heart hammered in his chest as Jaskier looked at him. Everything except how he sometimes dreamed of Jaskier’s voice, and woke up with a longing he couldn’t put to words. Everything except how he wanted, more than anything, to kiss Jaskier, but couldn’t be sure what Jaskier wanted.

“Can I… be honest with you?” Geralt asked one night. 

Jaskier turned to him just enough to roll his eyes at Geralt. As if Jaskier could stop him, the look seemed to say. Jaskier turned back to his lute, but his playing got softer, as if he was trying to give Geralt the space to speak.

“Right,” Geralt said. He paused, took a deep breath, rubbed the hem of Jaskier’s shirt between his fingers. “I don’t. I don’t know if Vesemir can help.”

Jaskier stopped playing and stiffened somewhat. But he didn’t turn around, didn’t put his lute down. Only stopped and waited.

Geralt swallowed thickly. “I hope he can. I think he’s our best bet. But, short of finding another djinn for me to make a wish… I don’t know how fixable this is. Unless we went back to Yennefer and had her heal you while you sing--” Jaskier let out a shiver and the stench of fear overwhelmed Geralt. “I know. It’s not good. But I don’t know how else to fix you if Vesemir has no ideas.”

Jaskier took a deep breath. He remained stiff against Geralt, but now he started playing again. His song was sad, mournful again, and Geralt’s heart ached with it. He wished, more than anything, that he could fix this.

“I’m not giving up,” Geralt whispered, some time later. “We’ll find something else to try. We’ll fix this eventually.”

The sound Jaskier made wasn’t quite a scoff. It was more a sharp exhalation, dismissive and--maybe Geralt was reaching here--a bit wounded. Geralt lifted his hand, hesitated a moment, then ran his fingers through Jaskier’s hair. Jaskier leaned back into the motion, until his head fell back on Geralt’s shoulder.

“I mean it, Jask,” he said. His mouth felt dry again. “I miss your voice. I miss the lyrics that would go with your songs, even the ridiculous ones. I miss your jokes, your incessant complaining, the way you flirt with everyone and sometimes wink at me as you do it.”

Jaskier pulled away, and Geralt froze. Apparently, he had overstepped somewhere. He forced himself to look at Jaskier, but instead of discomfort or disgust, he found shock. Awe. Jaskier put his lute away, his fingers lingering on the clasps of his case, then he returned to Geralt’s side. After another moment of hesitation, Jaskier shifted, climbing over Geralt’s lap. Jaskier cradled Geralt’s face with feather-light touches as he leaned in, pressed their foreheads together.

“Jaskier, I--” Geralt started. 

Geralt trailed off, then wrapped his arms around Jaskier’s waist. He didn’t know how to accept this from Jaskier verbally, he didn’t know what to say, but he could hold him. Jaskier let out a relieved breath, and Geralt felt the gust of air against his lips. Geralt touched his fingers to the corner of Jaskier’s mouth. Jaskier pressed a hand to Geralt’s heart.

“You’re so much better at words than I am. I wish--” He trailed off again, thumbed along Jaskier’s cheekbone, held the back of his head. “You can’t tell me what you want.”

Jaskier’s breath sounded almost like a laugh, just before he leaned in to touch their lips together. The kiss was short, simply a way to test the waters. Jaskier pulled away, only for Geralt to drag him back in for more. Jaskier sighed into Geralt’s mouth and Geralt swallowed the sound, wished desperately he could hear more, wanted to see what all he could pull from Jaskier’s throat.

It was this thought that had Geralt pulling away. Jaskier’s eyes looked hazy, his smile dopey and big, as he stroked the side of Geralt’s face and his hair. He looked the happiest Geralt had seen him in months, since before the djinn had taken away his voice. Geralt kissed him again. And again. And again. Jaskier accepted every time.

“I wish you could talk. I want to hear your voice,” Geralt whispered into Jaskier’s mouth.

Jaskier whined a little, then reared back, just as Geralt flinched away, his arm suddenly burning. Jaskier’s hands flew to his throat and Geralt ripped back his sleeve to see a second mark, just beside the long-forgotten injury he had gotten when they squabbled over the amphora. Geralt’s eyebrows furrowed as he considered the mark, wondered after what in the world caused it, only for his focus to be dragged away by Jaskier.

“Geralt,” Jaskier said, and his face broke out into the most brilliant grin. “What--I can talk again. It doesn’t hurt at all!”

Jaskier was still laughing as he dragged Geralt in for another kiss, which Geralt readily accepted. This time, he didn’t hold back any of his sounds. Each one was more beautiful than the last.

[vnderoos]

in your place ✷ draco malfoy

(gif is not mine, credit to the owner) warnings / language, steamy scene, slight choking(?) word count / 3.1k

masterlist in bio ↴

Y/N'S HEAD SLUMPED further into her hand, her cheek smushing against it, as Snape rambled on, in his usual monotone manner, about the highly poisonous nature of the Weedosoros potion. She was far from a model student, seeing as Granger had raised most of the professors' expectations impossibly higher, but she was usually more alert, especially in Potions. She felt bad at first, when she'd started to doze off in the middle of class, but when she'd reminded herself of how badly she'd slept the night before and how nice it felt to close her eyes for a few seconds, her guilt ebbed away. It disappeared altogether when she slipped out of consciousness completely, falling asleep against her hand. In her unconscious state, she began to slide forward slowly, until she let out a loud snore and her head smacked against the desk.

The impact was enough to wake her up in an instant and she gasped instinctively, her eyes shooting open. A stinging feeling spread across her forehead and there was a string of saliva that connected her mouth to her hand when she sat up. "Had a nice nap, did you, Y/L/N?" someone asked in a mocking tone and everyone erupted into laughter. Her eyes flickered over to Draco Malfoy, who was laughing along with everyone else at his own joke, puckering his lips, and brushing his thumb quickly over the corner of his mouth.

Following his movements, she touched her fingers to her face, as all of the giggling seemed to intensify, and her eyes widened when her fingertips came in contact with her own drool. She was quick to wipe it away with the sleeve of her robe. "Oh, screw off, Malfoy," she grumbled and folded her arms over the top of her desk, looking down in embarrassment as the snickers continued.

Thankfully, the commotion was short lived after that and Professor Snap came to her rescue—unintentionally, of course. The man, with his dark and flowing robes swishing with movement, lifted his arms up and slammed a book down onto his desk. "That's enough," he all-but-yelled and it was almost frightening how easily he could calm down a room. The laughter ceased without another word and her peers tore their eyes off of her, so they could turn back around in their seats. When Snape was satisfied with the atmosphere again, his dark eyes flickered over to Y/N. She swallowed thickly under his gaze. "Miss Y/L/N," he started and she tried to drown out her nervous heartbeat. "Fifteen points from Slytherin. I suggest you keep yourself awake unless you want to make it thirty," he enunciated.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, professor." She nodded once and she managed a sheepish smile, grateful that he'd chosen to deduct points instead of embarrassing her with a question about Weedosoros that she definitely wouldn't have known the answer to. Snape only scowled at her in return, before resuming his lecture about the poison, going on to explain how it's effects weren't entirely unlike that of the Drink of Despair.

When Snape had immersed himself back into his teaching and Y/N's incident seemed miles behind them, she glanced over at Tracey Davis—her closest friend since their first year, and fortunately, her potions partner for the semester. "Can you believe he did that?" she asked in a quiet voice, a look of disbelief forming on her face, and the brunette turned towards her.

"Well," Tracey countered, spinning her quill in her fingertips. A little blob of ink splattered onto her parchment and she grimaced, deciding to set it back in her ink pot before she could do any further damage. "You did fall asleep during his lecture," she said, looking at Y/N with her striking blue eyes.

Y/N shook her head. "No, not Snape," she said, her eyes flickering past Tracey's shoulder to glare daggers at Draco. He was leaning into his hand on his desk with his eyes fixated on the front of the room. She would rather suffer the Cruciatus curse than admit it, but when he wasn't running his mouth, he was kinda handsome. It was the fact that he made everyone miserable that made him so horribly unattractive to her. "That twit—Malfoy," she practically growled his name, considering how throaty it sounded when it rumbled up her throat. She must've spoken a bit too loud as his head whipped towards her. His eyes narrowed as soon as they met hers and her lip curled up at him. She flashed him a subtle middle finger and he pinched his face up in disgust, rolling his eyes at her and turning back around. "What a smug bastard," she muttered.

Tracey let out a quiet laugh from beside her, having watched the exchange. "Merlin, you are grumpy this morning," she teased, sending her a lighthearted look from the side.

"Grumpy?" Y/N furrowed her eyebrows at that. "I'm not grumpy," she protested, nodding in Draco's direction. "He's just bloody annoying. I'm going to get back at him for embarrassing me like that," she promised.

"Really? And how are you going to do that?" Tracey asked. "Wait for him to fall asleep, and then, hope he's the one drooling?" she said playfully and Y/N rolled her eyes.

"Shut up," she sputtered out in a quiet laugh and she leaned back in her chair. The gears were already turning in her head as her back hit the wooden chair. "In the courtyard later. You'll see."

—

Draco walked beneath the arches of the castle and into the courtyard, Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him as he did. He didn't miss the way a group of older Slytherin boys watched him walk by, before snickering amongst themselves when he passed. He received a few odd looks from the other house members, too. Even the Hufflepuffs were shooting him sideways glances as he made his way to his favorite spot in the courtyard.

Confusion bubbled up inside of him as two girls, dressed in yellow and black robes, walked by him, hiding their faces as they giggled. His eyebrows furrowed and he spared them a glance over his shoulder as they left. He couldn't remember doing anything worthy of talk that day, as all he'd done was sit through his classes and eat, so he turned his attention to the two boys at his sides. "Have I gone mad or does something seem off with everyone today?" he questioned, nodding in the direction of the girls that he'd just seen.

Crabbe and Goyle were about to respond with a shrug of their shoulders, but before they could offer their useless input, someone in the courtyard let out a loud wail. All three of them turned, heads spinning to find the source, and somehow, Draco wasn't surprised to see Y/N Y/L/N standing on top of one of the stone benches. She had the back of her hand draped against her forehead, her face twisted in mock despair, and she jumped off of the bench. "Oh, it's killed me," she whined, throwing her head back and pretending to clutch one of her arms in pain, and the whole thing seemed all too familiar to him. "It's killed me," she continued, and the crowd of students that had gathered around her started to laugh.

Draco could feel the anger bubble up inside of him as Crabbe pointed his finger. He swatted the heavyset boy's finger out of his vision. "I see it," he snapped, narrowing his eyes at the girl as she continued to act out an incident from his third year, when Hagrid's hippogriff attacked him. "I'll take care of this," he sneered and he started towards the girl with purpose in his stride.

Before Y/N noticed the blonde making his way over to her, she let herself fall backwards onto Tracey Davis, who giggled as she held her up. "You're gonna regret this," she cried in a high-pitched voice, "you and your bloody chicken," she finished and she pushed herself off of the girl. She, Tracey, and the rest of the students around them were laughing at her reenactment. "I know I'm not just speaking for myself when I—" she cut herself off when she turned her head and her eyes fell on none other than the subject of all of her joking.

His face was screwed up in annoyance as he walked up to the group, and though the laughter died in his presence, Y/N let her crooked smile stay sitting on her lips. "Think it's funny, Y/L/N?" he hissed, his eyes snapping up and down the length of her body, and she scoffed.

"Oh, extremely, Malfoy," she hummed, taking a challenging step towards him. "Not as funny when Mad-Eye turned you into a ferret, though," she added with a tilt of her head and a couple Ravenclaws laughed from behind her.

Draco's eyes flitted behind her, shooting off a menacing glare at them, and the laughter stopped. He looked back at Y/N, his face harboring the same dirty expression. "Yeah?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows, as if he was baiting her, and she nodded. "We'll see how you get on as a ferret, then," he snapped and his hand disappeared into his robe, fishing for his wand.

Unfortunately for him, Y/N was quicker.

She watched as his hand plunged into the pocket inside of his cloak and she, always ready for confrontation, slid her wand out through the end of her sleeve. It slotted itself into her fingertips like it'd been buttered, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent a blue flash flying in his direction. Her Knockback Jinx hit him directly in the shoulder just as soon as he'd pulled his own wand out and he was sent flying a few feet backwards into a patch of grass. His wand clattered out of his grasp upon the impact and he clambered to his feet.

As Y/N made her way over to him, she watched as his eyes darted in the direction of wherever his wand had flown. He looked almost bewildered for a moment, but he was quick to replace it with the scowl he'd near-perfected. She countered his look with a cold expression and he stepped closer to her, meeting her halfway. "You're gonna be sorry, you git," he practically snarled. She cursed the way hat her heart stuttered when her eyes locked with his, but she didn't let it faze her, looking up at him through dead eyes as he stared down at her.

"Doubtful, honey." She let herself scoff at his words, her eyes scanning the length of his body. "You might be the 'Slytherin Prince', but I'm the fucking queen," she growled, pressing the tip of her wand to the center of his chest and sliding it up to his chin. She let a small smirk tug at her lips as she tilted his head up, watching his jaw clench as he squinted down at her. "Bow down, bitch," she uttered in triumph, glowing with pride as someone whistled behind her.

Of course, Y/N hadn't planned on hexing him further, as she knew the severity of the consequences she'd face if she did, but before she could embarrass Draco anymore, Professor McGonagall cut everything short. "What in Merlin's name is going on here, you two?" she questioned, her voice dripping with distraught as she trotted right up to the group, Draco's wand clutched in her grasp. The students around them, including Tracey, scattered and Y/N sucked in a breath. She brought her wand away from Draco's chin slowly. "Explain yourselves," she said, her eyes landing on Y/N's wand, and she held out her hand.

Y/N frowned and placed it in McGonagall's palm. "Professor, I was just defending myself, he tried to hex me," she started, pointing at the blonde beside her and then herself.

Draco, on the other hand, looked at Y/N with his eyes brown wide. "You attacked me," he hissed.

"I attacked you? You were taking your wand out of your robe, was I to sit there and let you—"

"I was not, I was simply—"

"Enough!" McGonagall shouted and Y/N's shoulders shook at the sudden noise. She shot Malfoy a glare, before she turned to look at the woman once more. "I don't care who started it. Fifty points from Slytherin and detention, for both of you. Effective immediately," she said. She slipped both of their wands into the sleeve of her emerald gown and she reached outwards, grabbing one of each of their ears and dragging them to meet their fate.

—

After McGonagall had hauled them off to the greenhouses and abandoned them with Professor Sprout—a stout, old woman with a surprisingly fitting name, they were left rubbing their ears and told to scrub out the clay pots. Without magic. Supposedly, Professor Sprout was planning on using them to let the first years grow something, but Y/N didn't know why flower pots needed scrubbing, anyways.

You were supposed to fill them with dirt, for Merlin's sake.

As she violently scrubbed the bottom of a pot, she cursed McGonagall for catching them at just the right moment and Draco, too, for getting them into that mess in the first place. If he hadn't reached for his wand like the gigantic arse that he was, she never would've needed to hit him with that jinx, no matter how badly she wanted to. Now, they were stuck in the hot, sticky air of the greenhouse, wandless, and scrubbing pots until their hands their hands were raw.

Draco let out a huff of annoyance from beside her, grumbling angry nothings to himself as he furiously scraped the inside of a pot. Y/N looked up from her own work to shoot him a dirty glare. "Quit being a shit," she spat at him and he stopped all he was doing. He dropped his sponge in the pot and turned to look at her, gripping the rim of the large bowl with both of his hands. "It's your fault we're here, so suck. It. Up," she added, continuing to scrub her own pot because she was determined to prove her superiority over him, even in the subtlest regards.

"My fault?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbows, so that he was bracing himself against the thick pot. "If it weren't for you thinking you were a bloody show-woman—" he began to snap, but he laughed bitterly to himself. Draco lifted one of his hands from the pot and wagged his finger at her. "You know? I'm gonna make you wish you never did that," he threatened lowly, and her eyebrows quirked up.

"You gonna go run and tell daddy later, then, Malfoy? Is that what's gonna happen?" she questioned, watching as his arrogance seemed to melt at her belittlements. She didn't even feel bad about it, considering how much shit he gave everyone on a daily basis. Someone needed to knock him down a peg or two, before his ego grew to be the size of the castle. "And what's he gonna do?" she continued to tease, but her voice had grown lower—softer. She dropped her sponge into her pot and stepped away from it, crossing her arms over her chest and taking a couple of steps towards the platinum blonde. "Spank me?" she taunted, puffing out her lip as if she was actually worried.

Y/N felt a certain satisfaction as he clenched his jaw, grinning to herself as she watched it pulse. "Oh, piss off," he growled, spinning away from the pot to face her. Their noses were only inches apart at that point and she could feel his labored breaths fanning over her skin. His eyes, swimming with anger, were locked with her own and his jaw was set. She had gotten under his skin and she loved it.

There were, of course, some things about Draco that she couldn't help but notice in such close proximity, such as the dark blue flecks in his icy eyes or the soft creases in his forehead that came from glaring so often. He was nothing short of handsome and this only proved it. "Make me," she whispered darkly, her words weighed down with her undeniable attraction, and she didn't miss the way that his eyes flickered to her lips.

Hardly a second passed by before she was pulled in by the back of her neck. Draco's other hand snaked around her waist as he crashed his lips onto hers. She'd almost stumbled into him, steadying herself with her hands pressed against his chest as she kissed him back. To say that this came as a surprise would've been lying, taking the tension that had been building between them into account, and for that reason, she let him walk her back towards a stone pillar in the greenhouse. He pinned her up against it forcefully, the wind in her lungs exiting against his lips along with a small whine, and he smirked against her mouth. He moved the hand that rested on her waist, pressing the palm of it next to her head as he slanted his lips against hers, and the hand that held the back of her neck slipped forward, pressing ever so lightly around her throat to hold her in place.

Y/N made another quiet noise, feeling his long fingers start to apply a little more pressure, and she scrunched her fingers up in the fabric of his sweater vest. Not too roughly, though, because she didn't want to ruin the cashmere, of course, but just enough to rub her fingertips against his chest. His mouth began to stray from her own, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth and peppering them along her jawline. She swallowed thickly, tilting her head as much as she could for him with his hand around her throat, and she bit her lip when he nipped at her earlobe.

"This changes nothing," he muttered against the shell of her ear and he pulled back so his eyes could meet her own, taking his hand off of her neck and pressing it on the wall on the other side of her head.

She smirked up at him and lifted her her hands, draping them over his shoulders. "Of course not," she hummed, her tongue darting out between her puffy lips, "you're still a prat, aren't you?" she teased.

Draco didn't laugh, though. Instead, his eyes, cloudy with lust, stole a glance at her collarbone, and his upper twitched. "Do I need to put you in your place, Y/L/N?" he rasped, leaning forwards slightly.

With her eyes never straying from his own, she winked. "I'd like to see you try, Malfoy."

↴

author's note / sorry to everyone on the taglist! i know i posted this before but it got shadowbanned so i had to figure out why it wasn't showing up in the tags and repost it! thanks for bearing with me x

[angelkurenai]

Subtext - Sebastian Stan x Reader

Title: Subtext

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Warnings: None

Prompt: Hii, could you do a Sebastian imagine where you're his costar and he has a crush on you, and you're doing a interview together and the interviewer is being very flirty and checking you out and you're oblivious to it.

“You look at some of those suits and wonder: How did they even get in them in the first place? Because it's so intricate, it makes me wonder. About the actors and actresses I mean.” the interviewer added, his eyes mostly on you, but his words going out for the both of you.

“Superheroes have it so much easier all the time.” you said with a sigh “It's such a struggle to get in those suits, not to mention get the makeup on and whatnot.”

“For some it takes up to five hours for the makeup, like Karen, and I remember hearing someone once had an issue on set with the suit while we were filming Civil War and they-” Sebastian paused in thought “Yes, it took about half an hour to get on their suit. Which, by the way, is no easy thing to keep on in the scorching heat of- of the location we were filming in.”

“Oh my gosh, that day-- I still remember. A nightmare. But-” you said, your eyes mostly on Sebastian before you met the interviewer's eyes again “See? And then people wonder why I'm such a fan of the Phoenix force. Like, that thing enters your body and gives you a different outfit without the trouble of having to chance or be careful for your makeup and hair! And it has plenty of different outfits. The moment I saw that I was like: sold! Get me one, where can I get me one?”

Sebastian laughed next to you, shaking his head “I mean she's got a point. Personally speaking, though, I can't say I have to complain. I mostly wear normal clothes and a glove that covers my supposed metal arm. And even when I do have to wear the arm itself it's just the easiest. So yeah, my suit is just that and I certainly have the fastest dress up on set. Plus it's not as uncomfortable as most.”

“A lucky asshole is what he is.” you teased, trying to say with as much seriousness as you could master at that moment before breaking it with a laugh, focusing back on the question “Personally speaking, it is rather time consuming to get into my suit. But given that we've managed to keep it on two pieces I usually wear the upper part with like a pair of shorts and only when I have to film I wear the lower part. It's only then that it gets a bit uncomfortable, but again it's not for like the entire time I'm on set so it's good. Even though the look itself is... tragic, to say the least. I'm still comfy so that's what I care about though.”

“Shorts?” the interviewer's eyebrows shot up in surprise as his eyes did a once over of your body which only made you giggle “I've seen photos and let me tell you, they were far from tragic. You always look amazing, but- Along with half of the suit? Well, that's what I call one heck of a look!”

“Well, it's a lot sillier than it sounds.” you admitted with a laugh, completely oblivious to the way Sebastian's eyes narrowed “Because Scarlett had gotten me those shorts as a gift and they have tiny (Y/S/N) signs in them that earn laughter from my friends when it's topped with the top half of my suit.”

“I assure you I would most certainly not laugh.” the man in front of you said in all honesty “Not at such a sight, believe me. I would be more, like, thanking my lucky stars for being that blessed.”

But despite all the honesty, or maybe because of it too, the way the man look at you was unmistakable. Just as unmistakable as the feeling rising in Sebastian's chest. He clenched his jaw and tried to bite back any words that could so easily pour, especially if the man kept it up, and he knew it would lead to no good. Not being he was technically working but because it wasn't really his place. You were friends, granted the closest of friends and he knew and admitted it (at least to himself) that he had stronger feelings for you but that didn't necessarily mean it went both ways and he couldn't risk what you already had for it. And that itched him more, it frustrated him more and it annoyed him more, more than anything else.

He was annoyed and not just with the interviewer but with himself as well. It was this annoying feeling of wanting to do something when other men looked at you this way, when they were being too friendly and too flirty, an annoying feeling that put him on edge and ready to do something, anything, to make it stop -jealousy Chris had called it with a knowing smile -and each time his mind provided him with the word he tried to deny it as much as he had done that day to Chris. But for how much longer?

His patience, will and all-around strength was seriously tested and he had to clench his fists along with his jaw to hold himself back.

“Aw thank you, you're too sweet to me-” you insisted too oblivious to everything that was happening, unlike Sebastian next to you who highly doubted he was being only sweet to you “But I can take the hard truth: It was silly to say the least. Though, if I am completely honest, my character has had plenty of different suits and variations of the main suit and yet none of those were nearly as good as the shorts Scarlett got me. I also have an over-sized T-shirt that goes with them and there are times I seriously consider turning that into my suit for a movie. Let's add matching socks and boom, best superhero costume ever!” you laughed and Sebastian only forced a chuckle as he noticed the raised eyebrow and look of interest the other man in the chair gave you “Not that I am sure if there is even a single person that would like to see that to be honest.”

“Oh trust me, I gladly volunteer! And I'll be the first one to buy a ticket to that movie!” the man smiled, a smile that could easily be considered one of his most charming ones, no wonder one of those smiles that he used on women at bars that would have them falling or him in seconds if they weren't as oblivious as you at the moment and accompanied by a sulking- no, scratch that, by a glaring and broody man that is. And he went on “Not as if I'm not already one of the first people to get tickets to your every movie anyway.”

“Oh my gosh, stop- I can feel my face heating up!” you grinned, and Sebastian recognized it as one of the most genuine and heartfelt ones you reserved for the people you wanted closer to you “I am seriously doubting you'd want to see it, though, or anyone else. I think the fancy suits are a great factor in drawing in crowds, you know?”

“But I mean, so is good acting, right? And you're undoubtedly one of the best if not the best actress of our era, and I dare anyone to fight me on that cause I and the Oscars got all the facts on this.” and after the easy smile came the really flirty one that was hard to miss, at least to Sebastian; who only shifted in his chair and took a deep breath to calm down and listen the rest of it cause there was more “Plus, I don't know about others, but I love a woman in baggie clothes, in tight clothes or with no clothes at all. Honestly anything that makes her comfortable. However she feels beautiful is what matters. It's not my business what she does with her body too, you know?”

“A catchy line with a lot of subtext, of course he would.” Sebastian thought bitterly.

“Wow I might have a terrible memory but I don't think a man has ever told me that?” you gasped your smile getting bigger “What have you been all this time? I gotta have my friends meet you!”

“Oh just here and totally ready for grabs if you're interested!” he spread his arms wide and grinned, easily earning another laugh from you, before he let them drop and added “Though, to answer your question, you probably haven't been looking in the right place.” the man laughed, again a warm and charming chuckle, that Sebastian didn't doubt could have many women falling for him yet fearing at the same time that you'd be one of them.

The thought, as small and quick as it might have been, when it flashed through his mind, it was greatly disturbing for his entire nerve system. He felt the unpleasant shivers as his back straightened and his muscles tightened. His breathing stuttered as it came out of his lips and he could swear he felt his heart do a scary leap to his throat.

“Sorry, on her part, for not paying attention. Since (Y/n) can't come up with an answer now, I'll speak on her behalf.” Sebastian said with what he hoped looked like a small easy smile and it probably worked because you chuckled.

But before you could open your lips to speak, he beat you at it and this time every hint of a smile had vanished “We were under the impression that this was a professional interview.” he heard a small sharp intake from next to him but he ignored it “Maybe we should have checked before we came in here. Do you do this with every actress that walks in here by the way? Wonder how's that working out for you so far.”

“Seb” you muttered, but once more he ignored you.

“Must suck that I'm still the one she'll be walking out of here with and spending the rest of the day and you'll be left daydreaming about how her bed looks like. I don't need to.” he shrugged “But hey, I can always give you a tip of two for the next one that walks in, how about that?”

“Oh my- How many more minutes are there to this interview again?”

[soulmate-game]

Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

Day 1: Meeting for the first time

Not my best work, but decent. I hope you enjoy!

—*—*—*—*—*

Mari was intelligent. That much could not be disputed— and despite her dislike for the sciences in general, she was fully capable of comprehending them when she wanted to. She just usually didn’t care enough to try. But genetics? That was kinda cool. So, when she was ten years old and they began their short unit on it, she was obsessed. And by obsessed, she dove in head first. Like, the fact that her eye color didn’t match either of her parents or grandparents. How could she have blue eyes when none of them did? She delved in deeper and deeper until she uncovered a truth her parents hadn’t wanted her to figure out quite so soon.

She was adopted.

Mari never told her parents about her discovery, the epiphany only managing to sate her curiosity. Who needed blood relation when her parents loved her like real ones anyway? But as the years passed and certain life changes came up, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the mystery of where her DNA came from. The heroism thing had to have some root in genetics, right? Okay, so maybe she was just looking for someone to be mad at besides Master Fu. But still, could she be blamed?

So, when Marinette was thirteen years old, she traced her DNA back to her biological parents. And for a while, that was it. She had once again sated her curiosity. She didn’t need anything else. Her mother was dead, and she doubted her biological father knew a thing about her. So Marinette forgot about her discovery, or at least let it sink into the recesses of her brain. And there it stayed, until she was eighteen.

—* — * — * — * — *

It had to be one of the most accidentally dramatic days possible. Top floor of Wayne Enterprises, in one of Bruce’s massive conference rooms with every member of his large family in attendance. Even Kori and Mar’i were there, and Jason’s boyfriend Roy. Everyone was getting fairly restless, considering that Bruce had only informed a few of them (Read: just Dick, who was vibrating in his seat and not soothing anyone’s nerves) about what they were even all called in for. In their civilian identities, no less. It was very odd. Damian, not least of all, was sitting beside Bruce with his jaw clenched but eyes scanning the room in curiosity. He had come a long way from the surly ten year old, and he hadn’t even killed anyone in four years. He had well and truly become a Bat, and with that progress came the lessening of his old temper and brattiness.

Make note: lessening. Not erasure.

It wasn’t long, maybe ten or fifteen minutes of Bruce checking his phone and grinning secretively without answering anyone’s questions, before a businesslike tap-tap-tap sounded on the door to the conference room. Immediately, everything went silent. Kori, Tim, and Jason stopped trying to get Dick to say anything intelligible and went instead to just keeping the man in his seat at all. Bruce let out a rare, soft chuckle before raising his coffee mug to his lips. He called out:

“Come on in, miss MDC. We’re ready for our meeting,” before taking a long sip.

And as soon as the door opened all the way, admitting a short woman of asian descent with navy black hair brushing the bottom of her shoulder blades and piercing (familiar. Too familiar) deep blue eyes, he promptly choked. Trying his damndest not to get coffee everywhere, Bruce devolved into a coughing fit even as his eyes continued to flitter up to the figure just admitted into the room. The woman pretended not to notice his suffering, closing the door behind her and walking forward towards the side of the rectangular-set-up ring of tables that was closest to her and also unoccupied. She plopped a heavy bag down onto the table, reaching in and pulling out a large red and white polka-dotted journal from within, along with a black pen. But despite her businesslike movements and her silence, nobody missed the way that her far too familiar stunningly blue eyes twinkled in suppressed mirth. She didn’t seem surprised at all.

That was the last time Bruce was ever gonna let Tim do someone’s background check on his own. He should have at least looked at the file Tim had made, but of course not. Tim was capable, he trusted the boy with half of their entire family’s company. One background check on one highly reputable designer? Of course he could trust Tim.

Except apparently not. This is what Bruce got for keeping secrets.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Bruce spoke once he got a handle of himself, pushing back his chair almost hurriedly and standing. Damian followed suit, laser focused on his father along with everyone else who knew just how out of character the older man was being just then. It was hard to fluster Bruce at all those days, let alone make him choke and hurry to stand. “I— Welcome to WE. I’m—“ Bruce was cut off by a soft chuckle.

“Bruce Wayne, my biological father and employer for the next few weeks. I know,” Marinette interrupted, sending a sly smile his way. “I had a feeling somebody didn’t actually tell you my name. I was planning on coming to Gotham later this year after I graduated Lycee and demanding to get to know you, but it looks like you did the hard work for me without even knowing. But,” her smile widened in good humor as she walked up closer to Bruce, holding her hand out for a shake. “I do have to say, now that I’ve seen you in person I feel a bit cheated. With how tall you are, you’d think I would have inherited at least a couple more inches.”

“Excuse me? Who do you think you are, claiming to be a Wayne?” Damian asked, tone sharp and his emerald eyes glaring straight towards her. Bruce just took Marinette’s hand, shaking it gently from surprise, but his foot gently kicked his son in the ankle.

“Damian,” Bruce said simply, the single name laced with warning as it came out of his mouth. He turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. “It is nice to finally meet you in person, Marinette. I admit, I did not know of our relation until a few years ago, and I wasn’t in the right mindset back then to welcome another child. Besides, I had it on good authority that your adoptive parents are more than wonderful to you.”

Marinette shrugged. “I don’t mind. I didn’t look into who my biological father was until I was thirteen, anyway. I don’t think things would have ended well if you had just shown up in Paris one day asking to be involved in my life. Enough of that though,” Marinette turned to the sixteen year old by Bruce’s side now stiffened and wide-mouthed. His entire expression, subdued as it was, still managed to clearly telegraph betrayal. And then those eyes locked on Marinettes, and the emerald simmered into something much more vile and acidic. Marinette was not perturbed, merely giving the younger boy a smile and holding out her hand for a shake.

“You must be my half-brother, Damian. I expected someone carved out of stone, with how the tabloids paint you as unfeeling and cold,” she joked. Damian glared harder. She raised an eyebrow. “You seem pretty heated and angry, like a hissing cat, to me. And by the way, I never claimed to be a Wayne. My last name is Dupain-Cheng, and I don’t plan on changing it anytime soon. Having the same blood relation as you does not mean I plan to throw away the name given to me by the ones who actually raised me. But, it does mean that I will get to know you one way or another. I’m not easy to get rid of, and I’ve always wanted a sibling or two.”

That was when the room couldn’t hold it any more; everyone bar the three in the center of the room burst out laughing. It wasn’t too raucous, confusion dampening the hysteria that usually would have taken over, but there was a good round of chuckles and laughter. When it settled down, Damian’s shoulders had slightly relaxed but he still hadn’t taken Marinette’s hand. Instead, he turned to his father again.

“Explain.” He demanded. Bruce sighed, his gaze connecting with Marinette’s own identical one. He searched her for any hesitation, but only got a flash of a bright smile in return. Bruce straightened his shoulders, clasping his hands behind his back and turning to face Damian and the rest of the room.

“I found out about Marinette shortly after Damian was… introduced to the family,” Bruce admitted, resisting the urge to glance at Marinette after the hedged mention of how he met Damian. “I decided to scour every resource I had to make sure I couldn’t be surprised by another biological child. And, lo and behold, I found out that I was right to do so. Her biological mother passed away in childbirth however, so she was adopted by a couple in Paris. I did not see any need to contact her at the time. A friend of mine did happen to be in Paris back then though, and hung around to make sure Marinette was being treated well before leaving again.”

“You sent a friend of yours to spy on me?” Marinette asked, but she just sounded thoroughly amused. “Geez. Now I know where I get it from. When I was thirteen, I had a bit of a bad habit of spying on my friends when I was worried instead of confronting them head on. It took a while to grow out of, and even now I can easily slip back into the habit if I’m not careful. But, as great as this reunion is, it isn’t what I’m being paid to be here for,” Her grin turned downright wicked as she snapped open her sketchbook and clicked her pen.

“I am MDC, the owner and CEO of the up and rising fashion label Spotted Designs, where every look will turn heads and ensure confidence. Monsieur Wayne,” her grin turned into a sly smirk when she said his name, which visibly made Bruce twitch. “Has hired me today to design all of you a new outfit for his gala in four months time, as well as a casual outfit of your own choosing should you want one. Before I get started, I would like to ask you to please sign your NDAs, which my assistant and best friend will bring in for you in a few minutes, before we conclude this meeting. I go by an alias for a reason, I value my privacy, and I would prefer it if word did not get out about my being MDC just yet. Being CEO of a business I started from scratch when I’m only eighteen right now will garner attention that I am not patient enough to deal with right now.”

The silence was near palpable until Jason huffed in amusement and remarked: “Yup. I can see the resemblance.”

“Resemblance?” Duke asked, leaning forward with an incredulous look on his face. “It’s like seeing a tiny, genderswapped, innocent copy of Damian. Is anyone else terrified right now?”

“Tt,” Damian tutted, letting a heavy breath out through his nose before shoving his hand forward. He didn’t look pleased, but neither did he look venomous or betrayed anymore. “Miss Dupain-Cheng. I am Damian Wayne, and I look forward to working with you.” He greeted as if the past few minutes hadn’t happened at all. Marinette beamed, letting out a short belt of delighted laughter before clasping his hand firmly with hers.

“My competence always wins people over,” she teased.

“Only if they don’t see you trip over empty air first,” a new voice joined in, lightly joining the teasing. It belonged to a tall, blond haired green eyed man that looked about the same age as Marinette herself. He came carrying a large two-foot stack of papers as easily as if he was only carrying one sheet. Closing the door behind him with his foot, he went around the large square of tables distributing NDAs to everyone who hadn’t already signed one. “Mari’s the clumsiest person I’ve ever seen, but I’ve also seen her hand sew a double sided ball gown with a layer of knife-resistant fabric in less than thirty hours and still threaten anyone to come near with a needle to the eye, so I’ve learned to just not take anything about her at face value anymore.”

“Oh shut up,” Marinette snapped back cheerfully, rolling her eyes. “This is my best friend, assistant, and business partner Adrien Agreste.”

“I deal with all the paperwork and spotlight that she doesn’t want to handle,” he agreed, nearly blinding everyone with his beaming smile. “Now. Please sign these NDAs, and you can experience Marinette’s skill firsthand.”

After papers were signed and Adrien left, Bruce tried to start another conversation with Marinette.

“So, when did you find out—“

“I’m going to start with taking all of your measurements, if you don’t mind. You first, Monsieur Wayne.”

Bruce blinked, not used to being interrupted. “Ah. We can do this tomorrow, I wasn’t expecting—“

“That’s not my fault, Monsieur Wayne. I came here knowing exactly who I was going to deal with, and you want me to make a quite frankly horrifying amount of clothing in a very short amount of time. Any designer lesser than me would be completely incapable of meeting your deadline. I plan on sticking to my schedule, which means that we are going to get everyone’s measurements and a baseline of the kind of designs you all want done today before the end of our scheduled appointment.”

“Marinette, I would really like to talk about—“

“Arms out. And take your suit jacket off, I can’t get an accurate measurement with it,” she once again interrupted, businesslike and efficient as she took her measuring tape and lined it up against various parts of his body, jotting down the results. She didn’t entertain any of his attempts at conversation in the meantime, instead using the dead time to grill Damian on what he wanted for his suit design.

And, like a partnership that never should have existed, Damian merely smirked and played along with her game. He answered her questions thoroughly but precisely, never allowing their father a chance to make actual conversation. Next thing the poor eldest Wayne knew, Marinette had already taken everyone’s measurements and almost an hour had passed. No less than ten pages of her notebook were already filled with neat lines of notes and numbers.

“You really take this whole thing seriously, don’t you?” Tim asked, in the middle of describing his ideal suit to Marinette. She hummed, grinning up at him mysteriously. As if she was in on a joke he hadn’t heard.

“Designing is my life, Monsieur Drake. This company is something I’ve been building from the ground up since I was thirteen, I’ve made my own clothes since I was ten. Of course I take it seriously. Now. I believe that is everything I need,” she stood up, asking a few last second questions as she gathered up her things. Seeing his chance, Brucie walked her to the door.

“Really, Marinette, I would like to talk to you more. Would you like to come to the Manor tonight, for dinner maybe?”

Marinette smirked, opening the door before Bruce could and turning her head to say over her shoulder: “Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow. Do me a favor though, and try not to get too injured on patrol. I need you all in good enough shape to stand while I do your initial fittings later this week. Gotham might need it’s vigilantes, but you will all regret it if you break a bone before I can fit my prototypes to you.”

Nobody was able to say a word before she closed the door behind her and continued briskly to the elevator. Bruce stood, dumbfounded. Tim, Jason, and Dick, after a moment, started cackling.

“Oh yeah. That’s Damian’s sister.”

“Tt. At least this proves it.”

Bruce, suddenly very exhausted, turned to his son while rubbing his forehead. “Proves what, Damian?”

His trademark razor sharp smirk overtook his face as Damian replied: “Your blood children really are much more competent and effective than the strays you took in.”

“Hey!”

—*—*—*—*—*

“You didn’t have a full conversation?” Adrien guessed, looking exactly like the cat who caught the canary. Marinette had her head in her hands, her entire face red.

“I didn't know how to have an actual conversation with them, Adrien! You should have seen it, Monsieur Wayne—“

“You can just say your father, you know.”

“—Wanted to talk about feelings. Emotions! Gooey, family stuff and probably sentimental things. In front of so many people, too. I panicked!”

“You panicked and went full Business Empress mode,” Adrien agreed, patting her back in both comfort and condescension. “It’s okay. You at least agreed to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Fuuuuuuuuuck, I diiiiiid. Quick, let’s come up with a way to fake my kidnapping.”

“No.”

“Damn.”

[mc-critical]

Could you do a personality reading/analysis on Nurbanu? Her development, crucial points in her story. Also, do you think she truly loved Selim or only cared about becoming a Haseki and then working towards becoming Valide Sultan? Early S4, we see her asking Canfeda if Selim is going to become Sultan, which raises the question if she was plotting for her own benefit or actually fell for Selim?

I find Nurbanu to be a character ripe with personality, despite that she only has a single season of material. Just like with Selim, or perhaps even more so, I find what was done with her fascinating. She's the second character that follows the general pattern of a "SOW" arc and it's interesting to see how much she parralels and differs from that arc.

While Hürrem starts out on the ship that was going to the Ottoman castle, we meet Nurbanu already there, standing right in front of the doors outside; sharing the same fate as the others next to her, yet it looks like she's entering there like an external witnesser of a whole other culture. But she hasn't forgotten who she is. She's used to a fairly calm life she looks very much proud of, the life of a Venetian noble woman with dignity and pride, and that is suddenly snatched all away from her. She justifiably resents those that have done this to her. She wasn't willing to go through the harem life at first, so she wanted to take her own life. I feel this comes from her genuine hopelessness that overtook her in the beggining, the situation she was in might have been way too much for her. After all, she isn't faced solely with a sense of lost identity, her current position in the harem is the exact opposite of what she was meant to do before. But after she was saved by Selim, it was perhaps then she decided to fight and survive in her curcumstances.

That said, while it may be result of her more condensed development, I always remain surprised of how fast Nurbanu found out what exactly she had to do to go on top. Maybe I shouldn't, since part of her motivation may come from not only her natural instincts, but also her will to return to the closest equivalent of her previous position once again, but the way she orients herself, how quickly she tends to react, the way she decides exactly how to act following both instinct and logic. I really like that about her. She reacts so well in tense situations, knowing which buttons to push to get the wanted effect in all her interactions with Hürrem, Selim, Canfeda, etc. It's telling of how much one particular event can change a person, opening up traits and qualities one may not have previously demonstrated. And for me, Nurbanu is one of the best examples of this.

Her "tertiary character trait" is very unique for the show, and overall: her ability to read the stars is amazing on its own and should be more appreciated, but the way it complements her character makes it even better. It's like a consitent guide for her: whether she's going on the right direction. And when she sees she's supported by fate itself, she gets even more of a push to rise up in the hierarchy and pull a victory. I loved the scenes where she went out to see the stars and where she told Hürrem of her future - they establish a lot about her. I only wish we saw even more of it. (I feel that ability of Nurbanu's works pretty well in a thematic way, as well: it enforces even more strongly that times/eras change, just like the positions of the stars change. And the motif of changing eras is major for her future conflict with Hürrem and the SOW, as a whole.)

Nurbanu also has a very psychological side of hers that was key in helping her realize what exactly Selim needed to get the motivation necessary to fight for the throne. She so often understood what exactly he needed and what had to be done, making her a voice of reason for him that could give him her word of advice. And that evolved even more as time went on: first she helped him to stand on his feet, then both of them made plans on how to get further ahead in the game, in conjunction with her own rise in the hierarchy. Even her provocations (mostly towards Huricahan, but Hürrem too later on) seemed more intentional than anything even when they weren't. Most of the time, she knew where to hit and what to say.

Even though she had a tendency to work more alone and had the intention to rise to power from the start (similarly to Hürrem), I think she fell for Selim. Wanting power, knowing what you need to do to get it and still caring for the person next to you that advances your power aren't mutually exclusive things, especially not in that time period. Maybe all Nurbanu felt for Selim was gratitude for saving him at first, but when she went to Manisa, she did come to love him eventually. She felt jealousy anytime he touched other women and always strived to comfort him in his problems and I don't think it's solely out of manipulation, knowing the core of her arc.

For me the major goal of Nurbanu's character development, her gaining more agency to fight her way to become Valide Sultan aside, was her slowly and mostly letting go of any possible scruple left in her in order to win- letting go of her more human side. We see in many instances in S04A that there's much humanity left in her and sometimes she isn't ready to do cruel stuff, even if asked to and no matter how much she wanted to adapt, she didn't realize how far exactly did she have to go to achieve her goals until a certain point. Because Nurbanu is a very patient character that goes more "one step at a time" in Manisa. She's focused on one certain aspect of the goal that contributes to the bigger victory: first it was to go to Manisa, then to win Selim over, then to make sure no one stands in the way, then to help him get advantage, then to grow herself, then help him defeat Bayezid, then erase the obstacle of Defne, as well, to become Valide, with little to no break in between. And sometimes both her own mistakes (like beating up Huricihan) and the system's cruelty (like Mustafa's death) tend to surprise her and go to paths she didn't expect to go otherwise.

I summarized most of the major story beats in her development (and talked a bit more about her in general) here, but I'll delve into them more. Her relationship with Hürrem demonstrates the best of Nurbanu coming into her own. It's not to be denied that Hürrem was the one who gave her a head start with giving her the name and sending her to Selim's sanjack, Nurbanu's arc began with her being loyal to someone else. But she's just as brave, ambitious and determined as Hürrem and for that reason their paths were always meant to separate. Nurbanu wanted for her own time to come, not to be bound by someone else, hence she isn't one that would blindly follow orders. From the beggining she had her own compass and instincts she would follow and that slowly made her clash with Hürrem, who envisioned Nurbanu as someone loyal to her first and foremost. The distance also helped in separating them, with them only sending letters to each other, when Hürrem was doing her own thing in Topkapi, while Nurbanu - in Manisa, both working for different goals entirely. The first challange of her loyalty she faced was also connected to her humanity, to the demise of someone close to her. Even though she obeyed the order (albeit more accidentally), she swore not to repeat it again and her remaining loyal was put at doubt right then and there. But what sealed the deal was Huricihan, where I feel Nurbanu got completely disappointed at Hürrem not wanting to cover for her, which is why she put out that ultimatum in the first place.  Even then Nurbanu was surprised to detach from her completely, even though the hints were there before. I don't think she truly expected for Hürrem not to support what she worked for with Selim in the end, because it was only natural for Nurbanu to help him fight, not only preventing and covering his mistakes. Turning against Hürrem was more of a necessity for Nurbanu - she knew where she came from, but she was ready to fight for her position, even if it meant fighting against Hürrem herself. She was careful enough with her before they became full on enemies, though- she asked her for help when Selim messed up in Topkapi, she was reporting to her about the progress in Manisa, she showed the necessary respect for Hürrem. But that appeared to be over when she stole the ring, the symbolic demonstration that now, the power is in Nurbanu's hands - that's the truth and that's the future, no need to lean on the past anymore. And it's the main thing she would capitalize on now.

Her humanity shone most in two personal aspects of hers: her relation to Nazenin and her fight with Dilşah.

Her relation to Nazenin is probably the clearest showcase of her old ways she's still letting go of. Once they arrived in the harem, Nazenin seemed to adapt way faster; their dynamic changed to a point they were already on equal ground, something Nurbanu isn't used to and doesn't take very well, as a result. When Nazenin is the one supposed to go to Manisa instead of her, Nurbanu didn't like it, either, and wanted to be the one to take that chance instead of her. And when they reunited, they had to deal with the difference in their changed positions much more openly, with "fighting" about who's superior. It's like their dynamic changed in the blink of an eye and it's moments like these where Nurbanu shows her remaining pride to people in front of her, because seeing a person in a lower position before being elevated as highly as her, no matter how much she would care about her, wounds the pride she once had as a noble woman and that was on her way to keep going on. Even then she certainly didn't want for Nazenin to die and her death was about the last fraction of Nurbanu's past going away and the first step of her human side going away, too. Despite their strained relationship, Nurbanu lost a close person who's been with her from the beggining in this game. [Nurbanu and Nazenin have their share of parallels with Hürrem and Gülnihal: both pairs were together from the start and were forced to stand against each other through an order (though for Nurbanu and Nazenin that wasn't the entirety of it), both Nazenin and Gülnihal wanted to gain their agency and became understandably proud of what they've gained and both Hürrem and Nurbanu were against that and did something to them that put that kind of conflict to an end. Nazenin could also be the "Leo" to Nurbanu in terms of the past to an extent.]

Her dynamic with Dilşah, while mostly being a fight for Selim we knew Nurbanu was going to win, caused another human side of Nurbanu to go away - her bringing a dog in the harem and that dog ending up killed by Dilşah. (similarly to Valide killing Hürrem's horse, which played a role in comforting her during the Isabella arc.) That strongly implied that Nurbanu had a soft spot for animals and that she had a warm, caring side, contrasted with her otherwise cold and pragmatic nature. The killing of the dog, done solely to hurt her, helped to further enforce that coldness and pragmatism and went against any attachment, because perhaps such attachment would only render you vulnerable. 

But Mustafa's death was the turning point of Nurbanu's arc, just like with Selim. It sealed even further the path of no return when she saw something she doubted was ever possible ("can a father kill his son?") and while she has "played dirty" before, now the methods she was slowly developing were even more assured. It's like she and Selim had to become unscrupulous at all costs.

In spite of her plans working almost everytime, she has definetly acted irrationally and that is a part of her pride. She acted against Huricihan mostly out of sheer pride and she wouldn't allow for someone to challange her position, even rightfully. That ounce of pride doesn't consume her, however, and doesn't go in the way of her plans, and even if it does, she can turn things around in her favor, like with her part in Huricihan's death.

In the end, Nurbanu has reached a point where she is fixated on her own power and victory at hand, mostly discarding anything else. She looked like a very strict mother the moments we saw her as one - wanting the best for Murad and keeping an eye on who he interacts with. She's developed a huge perceptiveness and sensitivity of future threats that extended to Defne and fixed on Safiye - I feel she realized she would be a danger later down the line during their scene together, even if we leave alone her being raised and gifted by Mihrimah. She may not have expected the amount of Safiye's growing power and influence and that may have caused her to be drastic. We're meant to believe through Safiye's words that Nurbanu became crueler as a Valide Sultan, but that could be coupled by both her development and Safiye's own distinct view on Nurbanu. She probably used means similar to both Ayşe Hafsa and S04 Hürrem.

I see Canfeda as Nurbanu's guide in the Manisa harem itself that also helped her in quite a few ways. But they always came to work more as a unit, considering what is best for Selim and the future in that moment. Both of them are smart, quite opportunistic and dedicated to what they do, that's why they complement each other so well. Canfeda, similarly to Nigar, saw Nurbanu's potential to elevate, but still insisted on following the harem tradition when it was needed. (like with Selim's concubines) Nurbanu seemed really eager to learn from her. They had soft spots for each other, but the quickly changing circumstances they were in didn't allow for many "heart to heart" moments.

[just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi]

Mice in the Walls

CW: stalking, implied parental abuse, implied victim cutting ties with abuser, captivity, “it” as a pronoun meant to demean, choking, hitting, implied delusions, angry whumper, controlling whumper. 

Please read the CWs on this one. I’ll be more than happy to give you a general summary if you need (will probably do so anyway) let me know if you want a specific tag, and I’ll tag everything with this topic “Bernard tw” as he’s the culprit. 

Stay Safe loves, and do what’s best for you. 

[First Part] 

The doorbell rang and Bernard took a breath. As he opened the door, he put on his smile. The friendly smile, the inviting smile. The one he used at work and for the cashier at the checkout lane.

The mask. 

“Steven! How the hell are you?” he asked cheerfully, reaching out for a firm handshake. 

“Doing well, life’s just a joy.” The body smiled back at him, cheap wine in its hand and absurdly  ignorant of how pedestrian and mediocre its life was. Bernards eye’s skimmed over the man’s obnoxious shirt pattern, its ill filling slacks and cheap shoe polish before opening the door wider and gesturing it in with a smile. 

“Well, I didn’t invite you over just to stand on my porch! Come on in, lunch’s almost ready.” He had prepared some simple things, mostly store bought. He had no intention of trying to impress this pawn. 

“So Bernie, what’s new in the Wright household?” Steven asked lightly, setting down the bottle of wine and peering at the others displayed. Perhaps it would spark some recognition of how abject of a gift that had been. 

Bernard doubted. 

“Nothing much, Steve. Just livin the good life,” he recited as he ventured into the kitchen. 

“How’s Adam doing?” 

Bernard kept his back to the man, dishing out the potato salad. 

“Oh good, getting ready to graduate.” 

He could feel Steven pause behind him. 

“Oh? I thought something got jostled when he moved schools?” 

He bristled. Adam had moved, again. Always moving, blocking his numbers, spreading lies about him. How did he not realize that he just wanted the best for him? That he could help, that he could be a resource? The world wasn’t what Adam though it was, it was dangerous and hateful and-

The plastic container cracked. 

“What was that?” Steven asked, popping its head over Bernard’s shoulder. 

“Damn cheap plastic. Good thing I already got some out, eh?” His voice was pitched light and jovial, softly concealing his rage.  He put the now broken container to the side and picked up the bowl to set on the table between them. 

Bernard ate almost in silence, the body across from him droning on and on about the most inconsequential, mundane things. Its wife, its car, the remodeling of its house. It was pitiful. Nearly fifty-years of existence with only the most boring of conversations to show for it. Surface level, meaningless accolades that only made it seem more pathetic for how much it cared. 

The only time he found himself truly paying attention was when the conversation turned to the man’s daughters. They were also highly inconsequential, but they were the link that he had been searching for. 

They knew Adam. 

“Kesly is doing great, just about to finish high school. Man, can you believe it? Feels like just yesterday she was playing princess and pirate and now my baby’s going to college. Maddie’s just made varsity at her school.” 

Steven took another sip of its drink and winked conspiratorially at Bernard. “If Adam still plays then maybe they’ll face off some time, eh? She used to to whip his butt when they played in middle school.” 

Bernard squinted slightly with a toothy smile. “Only because he let her. And he’s gotten far better over the years.” He hadn’t seen Adam play since then, but he could only assume that his skill had improved over time.  

He took another bite of his lunch and made a mental note to find Maddie’s school and locate what colleges were in the district for lacrosse. 

Irritatedly, the conversation shifted to something pointless again and Bernard was left to wait until it could be useful. As the time dragged on, there was a dull thud from somewhere higher in the house. 

“What was that?” Steven asked, turning around its chair to look behind and above him. 

The fork bent under Bernard’s hand. 

“I didn’t hear anything.” 

Steven shook its head, wiping its mouth with its napkin. “No, no there was definitely a noise.” 

“Oh, that,” he replied casually, taking an even breath. “There’s mice in the attic.” 

A huff. “Sounds like pretty big mice to me. I can call a buddy out if you ever need anyone to do something about it. He’ll do it real cheap, too.”

Bernard waved him away, keeping the utensil under the table and bending back to its correct shape. “No, no need. I’m handling it myself.” 

They continued to chat uselessly, meaninglessly, until Steven finally decided it had wasted enough air here and would go be pointless somewhere else. Bernard watched him leave, said the expected this was great, we need to do it again soon, see you later before locking the door, finally free of such a useless creature. 

Teddy was hiding. Or at least, closest that he got to hiding with the chain giving his location away. He was between the bed and the wall, in the small space where the roof met the floor. 

He had been reading, laying on the bed trying to get lost in the book he had already read a million times. Maybe it had worked, considering that he had fallen asleep. The book fell. 

Now he was shivering in his only hiding place, desperately hoping that no-one had been home. He wished he knew what day it was, he wished he knew the man’s schedule, he could tell went it was safe. But no, there was no safety here, no regular pattern for him to latch onto. It was hell. 

The locked clatter and the ladder slunk down, filling him with fear. He was here, he had heard it. Teddy curled a hand around the bedpost. 

“Come out.” 

He didn’t, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to go back in the coal shed, didn’t want to be punished. It was an accident, and even then he was afraid that the nearly-memorized books would be taken away. 

“Now,” the man growled. Teddy shook his head and held on harder. 

Bernard groaned and wrapped the chain around his hand once, then twice, then pulled. The boy was still holding on so Bernard pulled again, harder this time. There was a small cry and a dragging noise as Teddy was pulled from behind the bed. 

Bernard looked down at him and only one thought screamed back in his head. 

Adam moved. 

Adam had moved again. 

He had moved, and blocked his number, his profiles, ever way that Bernard could contact his son were shut down, forbidden from him. He cut him out, disrespected him, shamed him left him to suffer through hours of meaningless conversation just for the smallest bits of information. 

Looking down, Bernard couldn’t contain his anger any longer. 

“You switched schools? Again? Without consulting with me? You ungrateful bastard,” he sneered, kicking the boy in his ribs. He yelped, eyes wide with fear. Good. He should be afraid, he should be ashamed of his pathetic behavior. He had been taught better than to disrespect him like this.

Teddy coughed and froze, tears starting to pour from his eyes. No, no no not this again. “Please,” he coughed, rolling onto his side. “Please I’m not Adam.” Every cough hurt, sending little bolts of pain through his chest and side. Still, he looked up to the man, staring into the steel cold eyes. 

“M-My name is Theodore Ramirez,” he rambled quickly, not for the first time. “My parents are Diana and Jonathan, they live in-” 

“NO!” The man shouted, pinning it down and wrapping his hands around its neck. No! No, no no no this! Stop! He squeezed, putting more and more weight on it’s thin throat. He would make it stop. 

Teddy wheezed, shoulders pinned down by the man’s knees. He was on top of him, he was choking him, he was killing him. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Struggling was useless, the man being so much larger than him. His clipped nails left practically no marks, drew no blood. 

“Don’t. You. Ever say that again,” growled, lifting its neck to slam it back into the wood. “Never. You are Adam, and you’re going to stay this time.” He loosened his grip the slightest bit. 

“Understand?” His question only had one correct answer. Teddy knew it, didn’t have enough air left to deny it. His head still spun from the blows, a loud ringing obstructing some of the words. 

“Y-Yes,” he managed, only the ghost of a noise. “Yes, I’m Adam. I’m sorry - I’m Adam.” The pressure let up more and more as he complied. By the end, the man was only resting his hands over the boy’s throat. 

Bernard signed and raised a hand to brush it across Adam’s cheek gently. “There. See, things are so much better when you stop lying. Let me take care of you, keep you safe.” 

The boy coughed and cried underneath him, never leaving him again.

~~

taggy boissss @whump-me-all-night-long @starnight-whump @highwaywhump @panic-and-chaos @as-a-matter-of-whump @cowboy-anon @just-a-raccoon-in-a-party-hat @milk-carton-whump

[cas-backwards-tie]

Caught Up

Five Hargreeves x Commission!Reader

New Assignment: Chapter Two

Masterlist , Chapter One

Summary: Finally you catch up with Five, however it’s not the meeting you imagined when you gave him that note.

Words: 1,414

Warnings: Slight Misogyny per era, Embarrassment.

It’d been a few days before you’d caught Five again, however you have to physically catch him in the lunchroom. He’s sitting at the end of one of the tables alone. The rest of the room buzzing with excitement as employees mingle with one another. A group of men sitting a few feet down the long table eye him weirdly. Across the room at another table, a group of girls stare at him curiously. Sliding into the seat right in front of him, you slap your tray down with a thud that surprisingly doesn’t even come close to the tumultuous volume of the cafeteria. “You’re ignoring me,” you state plainly, glaring at him as he slowly raises his eyes from his sandwich to you, “we still have work to do, Five.”

“Who said anything about ignoring?” He asks cockily, tilting his head slightly as he stares at you with an icy-cold stare. “Maybe you’re just not as observant as you’d like to think.” Clearing his throat, he glances down at his sandwich before his gaze shifts back up to you. “And I’m well aware we have work to do, but clearly it’s not going to be happening here. So if you wouldn’t mind skedaddling? It’d be much appreciated.” The sheer condescension in his tone is shocking enough to elicit a quiet scoff from you. You’ve had your fair share of unpleasant experiences in life, but never have you dealt with someone so… so blatantly arrogant. Unmoving from your seat, you both stare into one another’s eyes, neither of you making a move until- 3- 2- 1- you break. Your silent stare-off lost; so much for an attempt at intimidating him. With a deep sigh and a moment to collect yourself, you take out a pen from your jacket pocket and pull a spare napkin off your tray. The old man goes back to eating as he watches you scribble upon the paper before handing it to him, it reads:

 ‘ Room 108. 

            Meet me after lunch. ’ 

The sound of shuffling and your heels clacking against the tiled floors signals your departure. Five still studies your handwriting, the way your name is scrawled at the bottom right corner. He recognizes the room number. It isn’t too far from the Tube room, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

Sitting at your desk, you type up another report onto your typewriter. Eyes glued to the piece of paper within the folder aside the machine, you type word for word what you’d written in the notes. Focused on the other work on your to-do list, you don’t happen to notice the appearance of your new charge. It’s only when the faint whispers of your coworkers draw your attention upward to them that you know something is off. The sound of someone clearing their throat sends your head whipping over beside you; Five stands there, hands in his pockets, seemingly unimpressed. 

“I’m here,” he states, face still as stoic as before. Raising his gaze toward your coworkers, they immediately quiet, and you’re sure it’s because of him. With the amount of luck you’d had last time, you decide to pack up what you’ve currently been working on instead to focus on Five’s case. He’s an impatient one. File closed and set aside on your desk, you open up the top drawer and retrieve his file. “We’re doing this here?” He speaks again. The disgusted tone isn’t hidden, though you choose to ignore it. Whatever he has against the Case Managers has nothing to do with you.

“Yes. This is where my work is, and last I checked, ‘a pencil won’t do’, so… is there a problem?” It’s much harder to stay polite than you’d prefer, the sass in your voice just curling around the edge of your words. Staring up at the indifferent older man stood before you, you know his patience is drawing thin. Fake smile drooping into a frown, your own mirthless look overtaking your face. “Where would you rather go?” It might not be your smartest move, yet playing in his favor might earn you a swift and easy report. 

“Come with me,” he demands, promptly turning on his foot and walking back out the door towards the front of the room. 

Annoyance crosses your face as he leaves you in the middle of your office in front of your coworkers, embarrassed. They’d all failed with Five, and now he’s making you look bad. Catering to his whims, obliging him like some submissive sue. You’re not a housewife, and you’re not just some woman. While the Commission is stationed in nineteen fifty-five, you know that women are still struggling with the pursuit of freedom even in two-thousand twelve… at least they were. Surely, not everyone in the Commission understands this, the subtle discriminations everywhere, yet you were already annoyed today that they don’t have laptops instead of typewriters, and now this? Five will certainly hear about this! You will not let another man walk all over you.

Quickly gathering your things, you ignore the amused looks upon a few of your colleague’s faces. Files under one arm, pencil pouch in one hand, and water bottle in another, you make your way out the door in pursuit of Five. He leads you to a room you frequently pass since it’s only a few doors down from your room, however you’d never bothered to investigate. Exploration in the Commission is discouraged, and since it’s not related to your division, you never bothered with it. Upon entering, you see it’s a locker room; lockers line the walls, a few in the middle of the room as well, all accompanied by wooden benches. There are clothing racks to the left of the room, and a desk and chair to the right. 

“You’ve never been in here,” Five states, his smug self sitting on the bench closest to the desk. “Figures… it’s for the Intelligence Division.” Obviously, you think to yourself, aware that this is for them to pick up appropriate timely pieces for wherever they’re going in the timeline, and store their current clothing for when they return.

Setting your water bottle on the desk, files and pencil pouch cradled to your chest, you stare at him with an unpleased look on your face. “What makes you think this is a good place to work? Won’t people be coming in and out of here all day?” 

There’s a bite to your words, you’re not afraid to question him. Good, Five thinks. “Departure is only on Monday through Thursdays, not Fridays. Even if people are returning, they’ll return by three-thirty at the earliest, though I highly doubt it considering the competency of the other agents. So the sooner we start, the sooner we can get this over with.” He crosses his own arms over his chest, tweed jacket pulling at his arms.

“Fine. But if someone comes in here looking for their desk, I’m telling them it was your idea.” An angry puff of air leaves your nose as you round the desk and set your papers and pencil pouch down. “And for the record, I couldn’t carry my typewriter, so- pencil and paper will do.” One hand grabs for the chair to pull it closer to the desk while the other smooths down your skirt to sit. Tempted to clench your jaw, you glare at him, opening your file and unzipping your pencil pouch. Just as you’re ready to begin, you can’t help but feel the need to express your thoughts. They may be personal, but you feel it’s necessary to express them in order to continue working with him. “Before we start, I don’t know what time you’re from, but where I’m from, we don’t take kindly to men telling women what to do and when to do it. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t embarrass me like that in front of my coworkers again.” With a sigh and a straightening of your posture, you roll up your blouse sleeves and get ready to write. 

Five turns his gaze toward the door, still looking unfazed. It’s only a moment before he turns his attention back to you. “Noted,” he responds dismissively, subtly shaking his head, “though I’d say you’re in the wrong time if you feel that way.” 

With a roll of your eyes, you decide to let it go. “Whatever. Let’s begin with the place and time you were sent to, and the locale?”

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