#the situation was doomed from the start and i lost a friend in the process

[jaevy]

your room was square

i once noticed from there

in your bed, as you slept

and i held my breath

everything had its own place

and i wondered what space would i take

in the order you kept

[emswritingsstuff]

Hiii, can u do something with Tara Chambler x reader, where fem!reader lost a very dear family member (whichever you prefer) driving her into depression. One night Tara finds reader crying about that situation alone and she comforts her? something angsty ending in fluff. please & thanks!! love you 🤍

(its fine if you cannot write it soon, take your time!! im a writer too and i know how the pressure feels. don't worry about it!! <3)

Heart to Heart (Tara Chambler x Fem! Reader)

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warnings: obsessive compulsive themes (washing hands, only in the first portion) and themes of grief/ depression

note: baby's first tara fic!! yay!!

WC: 1.6k

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Lukewarm water ran over your hands as you scrubbed and scrubbed. Just needing to feel your hands clean. The night had been long, basically restless. You couldn’t shake the memory of the previous night. 

A herd had gotten into Alexandria, somehow getting through the walls and gate. Even with everyone trying to fight it off as best they could, some didn’t make it. Including your sister, her getting bit in the process of fighting. Amputation wasn’t an option, she was doomed. Most of what had happened felt like a blur but also so clear. It almost wasn’t real in your mind. But the silence in your shared home was proof of the harsh reality you had to face. 

All you saw when looking at your hands was her blood, trying to keep her from bleeding out, and eventually from not letting her turn. It was like your hands were permanently stained with her blood, nothing you could do could get rid of it. 

When the pain of the scrubbing set in, you had a hard stop. Instantly pulling away from the water and turning it off. Drying off your hands, you felt nothing but numb. Just staring off and mindlessly finishing up at the sink.

Begrudgingly you had made your way to your bedroom, walking past all the memories that were scattered around the house. All happy memories tainted with the fact she was gone, forever. You couldn’t even look at her bedroom door without tears threatening to fall. Everything had just started to become too much. 

Once reaching your room, you’d just laid there, not moving. Just not wanting to think. 

Time ticked away and away. The morning sun eventually peeking through the curtains in your small room. It was blinding after getting used to the darkness, but also your alarm to get up and ready. 

The Alexandrians had planned a small service for the lives lost in the herd. Part of you didn’t want to even go, but you had to. For her, at least. Getting ready and leaving felt like a massive chore. Looking at yourself in the mirror you could see it on your face the lack of sleep was obvious. You were upset at how obvious the grief was, but there was nothing you could do. After deeming yourself as presentable as you can get, you headed out toward the church. 

Walking there felt heavy, each step adding more and more weight onto you. When you reached the church, a few people were already there. Keeping your distance, you stood away from all the groups, not wanting to hear what they had to say. 

It was always the same old shit, the same thing you would hear in the old world. The basic “they’re in a happier place” or “they wouldn’t want you to be sad” being said without a single ounce of understanding. Just saying something to say something. You didn’t want to hear it, especially when it would make your anger and sadness worse. 

As more people kept filing in, you could feel the glares and stares from the community. Shortly after more people showed up, Gabriel had started the makeshift service. It was nice, something sort of casual but personal. Gabriel opened the floor to everyone; families and friends spoke about those that passed. But you didn’t say anything, and you probably should’ve. You could feel the judgmental glares when you didn’t speak, but everything in your body made you stay there. Stay quiet. 

The service was over soon enough, everyone leaving to do their respective work and chores. As soon as you could get out, you could. As you made the beeline to your home, the sound of heavy boots became louder, someone was running up behind you. Immediately looking behind you, all you were met with was Tara slowing down as she caught up with you. With a puzzled look on your face, you just kept walking, letting her walk with you. 

The walk was hushed but it was oddly comforting in a way. You could tell she wanted to say something, it was obvious on her face. But she was quiet, seemingly leaving it up to you if you wanted to talk to her or not. 

Finally reaching your home, you started to climb the short stairs before Tara reached out to grab your wrist. Shooting a look back, you softly pulled away and paused on the stairs. Tara became visibly panicked and started to speak, “Sorry I didn’t mean to grab you like that, just wanted to talk.” Nodding silently, you looked at her with crossed arms, waiting for her to continue. 

Nodding back, Tara reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out small candies. Holding them in her hand she held them out to you, offering them up. “Found them in the pantry, figured sweet treats aways help,” she smiled softly at you. Looking at her and looking at the candies, you took them. “Thanks, appreciate it,” giving a weak smile back, you turned to leave. But she stopped you again. 

“Also wanted to say, I know what it's like, losing a sister you know. Losing sister like that,” Tara then stopped talking, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Sorry, I just wanted to let you know I understand your pain. I’m here if you want to talk about it.” Your glance softened and tears threatened to spill as she opened up to you. And offered help, something you really weren’t expecting. 

“Thank you, means a lot Tara. I’ll keep that in mind,” Tara smiled at you, and probably to herself. “No problem,” she put up her fist for a fist bump before instantly putting it down. She apologized hastily thinking she did something wrong, but you shook your head laughing lightly. Grabbing her arm, you put the fist back up and bumped it. “Seals the deal,” you said, giving her another weak smile as you separated and walked into your home. At last, you were in your home, and finally all the previous emotions came back. Setting the candy Tara gave you into a small bowl, you immediately retreated back into your bedroom. Just letting the bed consume you and trap you there. 

The upcoming days had become foggy, not knowing what time it was or what was going on within Alexandria. You hadn’t left the house in a few days; you knew it was self-destructive. You knew it was getting bad, but nothing could really make you leave. Even if you wanted to. Everything would’ve just been too overwhelming and scary, also just getting out of bed seemed like too much work. 

One night everything got particularly rough, all the memories with your sister coming back. All the good times you missed so much playing through your head, only to be interrupted with the memory of burying her. Trying to think of something to do, you tried washing the dishes that had been piling up in the sink. 

As you scrubbed the dishes you sobbed, you just wanted to forget anything ever happened. The water was lukewarm once more, the scrubbing remaining consistent. You were there for a while before you heard a soft but quick knock at your door. Coming back to reality, you dried your hands off and stuffed them in your pocket. Trying to create a confident aura around you.

Opening the door slowly, you peaked out only to be met with Tara. Her worried expression only grew more when she saw how bloodshot your eyes were. You weren’t even sure how long you had been crying yourself, but you knew it was probably a long time. Tara took in a quick breath and started to speak, “haven’t seen you in a few days, I was getting worried.” Inhaling deeply, you shrugged, hands still stuffed in your pocket. You refused to make eye contact, embarrassed you had gotten to his point. 

Glancing at Tara, she had a soft look on her face. Just purely looking worried. Her hand was fiddling with the zipper of her jacket as she prepared to speak again. “Can I keep you company? I want to make sure you’re okay,” you were reluctant at first. Not quite sure about it, but this could be a good start to healing. You agreed to let her in and walked back into your home, her just following behind. 

Gesturing your couch, you sat down with her right beside you. Tara sat comfortably while you curled into yourself just staring off. It wasn’t long before the tears had started again. Tara just took you into her arms and you instantly latched onto her. Holding onto her for dear life, like if you were to let go, she would disappear. After separating from her she brought her sleeve up to your face and wiped your eyes. 

Once you calmed down enough, she started to speak to you softly. “You don’t have to talk about it, and I won’t force you too. But I will be here if you ever want to talk. It will get better, just takes time.” Her soft hand held your face as you looked into her eyes. You gave her a weak nod. Softly smiling, she brought your head down to give you a soft kiss on the forehead. 

Hiding your face in her neck, she just held you there. Her hands were rubbing soft circles into your back, comforting you. Tara took in a breath, “I can stay here all night if you want me too.” Not wanting to detach from her, you just nodded ‘yes’ into her neck. A soft laugh left her lips, and she held you tighter. “Then I’ll stay.”

[mari-lair]

Do you think Aoi will ever be able to show nene her “ugly” side and open up to her? Perhaps with the help of Akane? Or will she keep up her “popular girl” act with Nene to avoid the risk of losing her as a friend?

If we put the responsibility 100% on Aoi she will stay stuck in her popular persona forever. Aoi opening up is very important for change to be made, it is fundamental, but this friendship was built by two, and Aoi didn't get stuck in this superficial 'bubbly bff popular girl' image alone, Nene had just as much of a role keeping her in this box.

Nene lives in a fantasy and blinds herself to reality. Aoi is a big part of the idealistic high school life she desperately clings to, so even if Aoi tries to open up, Nene will either blind herself to Aoi's problems or go out of her way to shut Aoi down before the illusion is broken.

Even with the help of Akane I find it unlikely, cause 1- Akane knows this isn't his business, he let Aoi reunite with Nene alone and currently believes the two made up.

And number 2, even when people call Nene out directly, Nene does not change her behavior. If she doesn't want to think about something that distresses her, she will cover her eyes and not think about it. There is A LOT to talk about when it comes to this problem of hers, but I'll keep it brief, no need to go over the whole manga for this point.

Think about her dilemma with Hanako: She is always surprised when someone calls him a murderer, either making excuses for him or unable to reply, still not making a hint of progress untangling how she personally feels regarding his murder despite this being an internal conflict that was introduced at the very start of the manga.

Why does she not have an answer? Because she doesn't want to think about it. The idea of him murdering someone is troubling and scary and not a nice fantasy at all, she doesn't want to think about it. So she doesn't think about it. Is that simple.

Nene is no longer a normal girl. But she is in denial. She still wants to believe she is a normal girl.

We can say "A lot of 15 year olds girls live in a fantasy world and are boy crazy :D" but we can't say "A lot of 15 year old girls know they'll die in 1 year, have seen ghosts being broken and doomed, nearly lost their friend cause their crush got extreme in their attempts to help, had seen the eaten remains of a possible friend (sumire), but their priority is to confess to their crush." That's not normal. That's a Nene thing.

She is determined to stay the same even when the world around her begs her to change. Begs her to sit down and think about the reality she is facing.

She is shocked when she sees bad things but she doesn't allow herself to process it. The manga itself calls her out for not learning from her mistakes.

She treats high-stakes scenarios as a normal high school life scenario. Fantasy may be one of Nene's charms but it is also her biggest flaw.

Nene has many moments where her reality is challenged, moments that feel like it will lead to introspection, but she never thinks about what she is told. what she sees. She doesn't want to stay mad at Hanako. She doesn't want to think about the situation. So she focuses on the no priority of "omg I need to make my crush confess!" as best she can.

Anything that is too serious or dark to fit her high school fantasy adventure will not be thought about. She is a kind person, there is no denial, but this incapability to face reality, to take off her bubbly fantasy glasses, makes her very insensitive at times.

She is so far up la la land that she hasn't properly processed that Hanako is dead yet.

She non ironically says "l'll live a happy life as a dead person" at the idea of being with Hanako. Aoi's rescue is a run away narrative in her mind, a forbidden romance. She is not in reality.

It is understandable to go in denial, to reject reality when reality is something you don't want to face, especially at 15, but just because it is understandable doesn't make her devoid of responsability. Nene is being a coward, her fantasies are far more charming than Aoi's brand of cowardness but she is, in her own way, still running away from her problems.

Even Hanako, who is madly in love with her, acknowledges she is self-centered and childish.

Aoi being a popular queen is the embodiment of her fantasy that "being popular is amazing! Is a dream come true"

So if Aoi works on the courage to speak up, if Akane calls Nene out, but Nene doesn't work on her bad habit of ignoring reality for the sake of her high school dream life, she will keep turning a blind eye to every hint she had witnessed that being popular is not a sea of roses and Aoi have problems and flaws like everyone.

Aoi had tried to talk about her ugly sides before after all.

But Nene covered her eyes, dismissed the drugged Aoi she had seen as a complete fake and embracing her cute bubbly bff without asking any questions about her feelings, her behavior, etc.

She does not want Aoi to have flaws, so she won't see those flaws.

She won't change.

I talk in detail about how her fantasy problem affects her relationship with Aoi here

[leporellian]

trying (and failing) to make a modern au of trovatore

one of the most campy operas, now as a modern au, because i find the process of making modern aus like really relaxing for some reason

first off. How Everything Went Down because There's A Lot Going On There

count di luna sr- obviously not a count here, but i'm not giving him a proper first name- is... let's say he's a government representative bc even though i know i've used that in the past, it works. he has two sons, as in canon, but unlike canon they have two separate mothers; the firstborn being the son of his actual wife and then his second son being the result of an affair with an employee or something similar.

the second child is abandoned somehow when he's very little; his birth mother can't really take care of him at all and she has no idea what to do with an infant. she abandons him and leaves him on a sidewalk near one of those flourescent-light dingy bodegas in the middle of the night... and he's found by azucena, the Only employee at said bodega, who is honestly initially none too happy about the situation for a myriad of reasons

Right Before azucena found The Baby, she had both suffered a miscarriage and lost her mother to some dumbass policy in large part funded by senator/representative/whatever diluna. (i don't think there's a way to translate 'threw wrong baby in fire' in a way that makes sense or is just, like, objectively darkly hilarious so we're going with this.) so having to deal with An Entire Infant is... well very emotionally complex. initially she tries to give The Baby up for adoption, figuring she can't be that good of a mother and he isn't hers by blood and someone could take better care of him, but then she realizes he's something of a little misfit in the world like herself and she takes him in.

(not that she doesn't like, Drop all her problems LOL. she's a good mother but she certainly isn't perfect.)

she doesn't learn about manrico's actual parentage until manrico is in his teens and even then it takes a few years for her to Tell Him Proper because she doesn't want to really even acknowledge that her son shares the same DNA as the man who doomed her mother to die. so... complicated stuff happening there LOL!

meanwhile. the other son

senator diluna's elder son, frederick (his close friends, of which he has none, call him freddie. but otherwise he is just frederick. just diluna when he's feeling self-important), is raised primarily by the staff around the diluna household and senator diluna himself. it was one of those McMansion 'they have a nanny hired' situations. frederick's mother left some time after she figured out her husband was having affairs; frederick has not heard from her since.

senator diluna honestly never really... liked frederick. (he loved frederick. but he didn't like him.) frederick was always a rather feeble hyperactive little thing that didn't really have any of the charisma or grace of his dad, and so often just sort of... fucked things up. i imagine senator diluna was physically abusive too, just a right old bastard- but frederick loved him.

there were a couple times where sen. diluna, when Tearing Through frederick for his son's many faults, would make references to 'see this is why i wished you had a brother so one of my sons would be competent'. which always fucked frederick up, so frederick took some solace in at least being the only child. (lol.) he was never really popular with his peers at school; given he was like... the cringy deviantart scenecore wolf-obsessed kid that Very Clearly had some sort of neurodivergence nobody seemed to address.

(well, he did meet leonora in middle school but we'll get to her later.)

sen. diluna died of... something- gestures vaguely- not too long ago, and on his deathbed he started going a bit delirious and talking about 'his other son' which, given the things he had told frederick before, fucked frederick up Hard. so frederick decided that he would at least make his dad proud from beyond the grave... but he has no idea what to do with his life, he doesn't Really believe in his dad's politics beyond a long set of internalized biases, and he has little to show for himself. so. Yeah

manrico is told about his true parentage by azucena not long before sen. diluna dies... and then when he finds out, he thinks 'well i don't like who my dad was but maybe if i go to the funeral i'll get some sense of closure about the dad i never knew.' (manrico does not think about what sort of ramifications this might cause for other people. he's a very kind young man, but he's also..... how you say.... stupid.)

meanwhile, frederick does have TWO friends! two! ...leonora, who he met in middle school and went to Catholic High School with, and ferrando. both of these friendships are objectively sort of hilarious.

he and leonora are like The Two Warrior Cats Wolfpack OC Kids In Middle School so they hung out often even though frederick is three or so years older than she is. they sort of kept being friends in high school but given leonora was raised by like, uber-Christian overprotective parents and sen. diluna's parenting style (when not kicking frederick around like a rubber ball) was 'just tell the kid to go run around outside and hope the coyotes don't get him', they sort of split apart naturally. after they finish high school neither of them initially attend college, leonora bc she wants to go take a couple gap years and figure things out and frederick because.... gesturing

ferrando, meanwhile, initially met frederick bc he interned for sen. diluna when he was in high school and was inexplicably asked multiple times 'hey can you watch my child for the day while i do stuff' which is just really funny because frederick was like 8 and ferrando was like 15 at the time. they only really became friends-friends when they were both adults however. ferrando was also given a pretty hard shake at it by sen. diluna and sort of Thrown Around as an office intern, so he empathizes with frederick's entire situation, but he doesn't entirely understand frederick's eccentricities nor does he understand why frederick is so desperate to Prove Himself. ferrando and frederick are housemates, which ferrando likes for multiple reasons. one, the house is a mcmansion. two, ferrando was born with a birth defect where he was born without a full right hand (he has a vestigial bump there but that's about it) and with a mostly-blind right eye, so he can get frederick to do stuff for him like unscrew jars when frederick isn't being particularly erratic.

so anyway when sen. diluna dies frederick is like 'hey you two you are like my only friends can you come with me to the funeral'. ferrando accepts. leonora also accepts but she thinks the whole situation is weird and awkward because like they knew each other in school but it's been a couple years now and she isn't like THAT close to him but she also doesn't want to say no bc she knows he is sort of desperate.

anyway manrico and leonora meet in community college. she's there after her couple of gap years to figure out what it is she really wants to Do with her life, he's a fresh-out-of-high-school grad there because (despite otherwise being a dumb football jock) he's actually quite fascinated by history. they hit it off really well. i actually think leonora is a lesbian and at firsttt she thinks she's into manrico but then she's like Nah. Nonthreatening Man. and he's cool with it ("oh cool so we both dig chicks!" "...you could put it that way yeah!")

leonora tells manrico about the whole. 'my weird high school friend messaged me asking abt his dad's funeral and i don't really Want to go to it' thing and manrico's like.... oh shit 1) that dead guy is my dad i just found out and 2) clearly that has to be my brother. and he asks to get in contact w/ frederick so he can attend. leonora, not knowing frederick Does Not Know about his younger brother, gives him frederick's email address.... and frederick responds as kindly as one could imagine to 'email claiming to be from a brother that as far as frederick knows does not exist when the concept of having a brother is an extremely sore spot'.

(frederick initially blames leonora for doing it as a prank but then he's like 'NO WAIT I'M SORRY I WASN'T THINKING STRAIGHT'. she's weirded out enough by this to ghost him, which, again, does not have a good impact on frederick's mental psyche either.)

manrico keeps calling frederick his brother every time they go on to meet in person. frederick does not believe him. neither brother is having a good time bc manrico thinks his one 'blood' family member and the older brother he always wished he had despises him, while di luna thinks some stranger is playing a sick joke just to fuck with him for no reason. etc.

where does it go from here? idk it depends on what one wants. in the Canon Compliant Version things come to a head like they usually do and frederick kills manrico in an alley knife fight or something before being told LMAO that IS your brother and you just got rid of your ONLY family left. in the silly this-is-all-for-the-sake-of-it au, things are reconciled with a DNA test and manrico and frederick- while maybe often argumentative and not CLOSE close- make amends. leonora and frederick also get on more equal footing but realize that they can be acquaintances without being... like... friends, so they never really go back to being friends i think but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. ferrando and azucena still hate each other but this time it's honestly kind of funny bc they don't really have anything to do with each other at all. manrico decides to intern at the local history museum only for it to turn out that ferrando works there as an archivist and that's a bruh moment. i think these characters have some funny ass character dynamics in a modern au

[your-turn-to-role]

okay, so

the reason they changed this story beat a lot for the show (for anyone who was wondering/sad it's gone) is they didn't know if they were getting a s4 until after s3 was made, so they didn't want to potentially abandon the show on such a sour note, but now s4 is confirmed they have said they want to at least do a nod back to this plotline there

but as far as the campaign went! scanlan had had a resentment for vox machina that had been building a while, over thinking that vox machina didn't care about him and was just keeping him around because he was a good healer and a good joke

(it wasn't really their fault and several members of the team had tried to get closer to scanlan but he's the kind of person who instinctually deflects and keeps things close to the chest, so there wasn't really any winning there)

kaylie was one of the reasons he realised he wasn't happy with vm, because he finally had someone else in his life, someone whose opinion he really cared about

but that last two hit combo thordak raishan dragon fight is where it really built to a head

because by that level as a dnd game they had hit the point where multiple people dying mid fight and then being revived within a few seconds was pretty normal, but with matt's homebrew revive rules every time you bring someone back, even if it's only been a few seconds, it gets harder to do it the next time

scanlan died during the thordak fight, and they brought him back just fine

scanlan died during the raishan fight (the only person to take a lethal hit from both dragons in a row like that), and the revive failed

so they had to go through a much more difficult process like they did with percy to get him back (percy's revive had happened only a day after he died in the campaign, so there was space to breathe between the two)

(i really do love the addition of scanlan writing a song for kaylie though, because originally she wrote one for him, it was her playing violin that managed to get him back)

but revivals like that leave you exhausted, as far as dnd rules are concerned, you're extremely weak/tired for the next four days

so vox machina, as a way to lighten the mood, in one of the poorer decisions they've ever made, decided to pull a prank on him while he was sleeping, by dressing him in a nightgown and covering him, his bed, and his room, in vanilla pudding

which for scanlan when he woke up, was just about the last straw, and basically confirmed all those negative thoughts he'd been having about his team

and he got really mad at them, the angriest they'd ever seen scanlan. all that stuff he'd been keeping buried just exploded in the worst way. (some choice quotes include "we battled a city of vampires so percy could feel good about his name. we traveled planes of existence so you could fix your fucking daddy issues. but you've never done anything for me!" and of course the famous "what's my mother's name? easy question, died in front of me, killed by a goblin, biggest part of my life. what's her name?")

vox machina tried to argue they've asked him questions about that stuff before and he deflected, but that just made him pull away further, and tell them he didn't need their help anyway. wanting to look good in front of kaylie and being ashamed he died twice in a row had all of scanlan's emotional hackles raised from the start, and no one was communicating

pike and grog were mourning their best friend, percy was having major abandonment issues over his new family being broken apart just like the last one, vex looked up to scanlan as a father figure and he'd thrown it all back in her face, vax had looked up to scanlan's ability to smile in the face of doom and was reeling that it was all a lie, and keyleth was just trying to keep an already broken situation from spiralling out of control

and then vax yells at scanlan to stop lying to himself and scanlan says "that's just it. i'm a really good liar." and they all know they've lost him

and then kaylie comes in and just says "so, you coming?" and they both walk out of whitestone, seemingly for good (though not before scanlan gets a final last word proving he knows all of the other characters' mother's names)

the cast didn't know this was coming either, so some of them weren't sure if this was sam leaving the show entirely, and after a really long really emotionally heavy argument they were all pretty stunned

but i really love some of the character moments afterwards, because yeah, grog is holding this team together. he's okay with letting scanlan go and figure himself out, he trusts scanlan will come back if and when he's ready, and he's going to make sure vox machina don't make the situation any worse in the meantime

and it's such a sharp change from his usual role in the group but you remember that yeah, he's pretty emotionally intelligent, and he is mature enough to be the parent to a bunch of lost kids when they need him to be

(and it gets a favourite line of mine from percy which is "grog? i know we don't always agree, and i know i can be unkind, but.... you know you're family, right? it's... nice, having an older brother again")

and then when vox machina finally manages to pull themselves back together enough to start tying up some loose plot threads, sam shows up in the last 5 minutes of the episode playing surprise new character: the biggest asshole he can possibly invent!

and you get, uh. this.

"i don't wanna bring down the room", scanlan says

trust me buddy it's going considerably better than the first time, where you emotionally damaged everyone so bad both in and out of universe that percy and vex were voluntarily emotionally vulnerable with people not each other for once, vax pike and keyleth got so drunk that vax forgot he had a twin, grog was amazingly the only mature and responsible member of vox machina left, and when the episode ended the entire film crew spent several minutes shooting sam with nerf guns

[nox-the-former-demon]

>>In this post, I, the former demon Nox, shall detail what it feels like to return to life after having been in the invisible world beyond it for a millennium.

It’s strange how you can completely forget what living feels like after so long. It doesn’t help that I died young, but the emotions that people feel are tied partially to mentality and personality, but then also to physicality and biochemistry. Spirits are much more prone to objectivity than the living, and while many of them are capable of emotional outbursts, the those can take much longer to build up, much longer to stew and percolate and develop.

A fine example of this, of course, was myself. It took 200 years for me to reach the point where my rebellion began. The removal of my prospects for the future happened, but the dread and doom and fury took a lot longer before they boiled over. Spirits who’ve existed beyond death much longer than double their original life seldom feel for anyone who hasn’t been a part of their existence for massive swathes. Perhaps that’s why the war was such a tragedy in hindsight. Both sides had such limited capacity to even care for their own forces that losses were more a matter of inconvenience than sorrow.

To live is to be emotional, to die is to lose passion, to live without passion is to be inhuman.

Normally this coldness is stripped away as part of the cleansing ritual. The process that strips identity from a soul so it can take new shape also gives room for loving passion. But I don’t experience this process. I was swallowed, and reborn with all my history in tact. My millennium of non-life, my centuries of slow emotion and an absence of instant passion.

To have all that return to me so suddenly was by far the most dramatic thing. And it wasn’t without consequence.

First there was malaise. Boredom is a shockingly powerful feeling to have when time starts having meaning again. And after the boredom came anger. Anger at my situation. Anger at my host. Anger at my war having been lost. When my memories returned to me, I hated what had happened.

But then came tragedy. It was very soon after my memories returned that I had to be witness to Silus’s end. I’d never been a particularly loving parent to my progeny, but that event stuck with me in a way I didn’t know how to process for some time afterward.

It was after that point that I started to make bonds with others. I revealed myself first to Nel, then Asa’s social group, and in doing so began to make friends again for the first time in a long time. And I made close friends, at least in my eyes, with a few people. Though I failed to admit as much at first.

That needed a catalyst. A psychoactive catalyst.

To make a long thing brief, Nel and Asa were interested in experimenting with mushrooms and that meant I was along for the ride. And what a ride it was. Before the end of it all, I was on the ground, screaming, sobbing, mourning, lamenting. And thank all forces that Nel was there. They comforted me in a way that I never imagined possible. And the sorrow processed and I felt better…

And while my mind was in that open state I realized something else. That I’d started to love. Something is not ever known before. Nel was one of the two whom I started to feel for, but there was another. A woman who I will not name, who I confessed to, and who did not reciprocate, but to this day that, though I lament to admit as much, my heart still hurts for.

Nel, on the other hand… well, there were hurdles to cross. Our history had left scars on me, and that love took some time to come in in the aftermath of those scars, but Nel grew to love me back in some time as well. Nel and I are an item now. And yes, Nel and Asa are still together as well, but the nature of these two sets of relationships are very different, and we provide different things to them as it turns out.

To be without passion is to be inhuman. To live is to be passionate. And to be passionate is to be human. And that’s why I’m a former demon now.<<

[alstroemeriadissonance]

HEYOO GOOD DAY I JUST WANNA ASK IF U HAVE A MASTERLIST? KWOWURWK

Masterlist

Mental health upkeep available here~

I need Dr. Richter for heals :<

Masterlist under the cut! Shit is getting long lol

Vynposting

Girl Talk - Rosa finds it hard to let her girl friend know about her little secret

The first night (NSFW) - Rosa's first time with Dr. Richter

On limerence. - Vyn Richter is having trouble getting to grips with what he is feeling about his teaching assistant

Vulnerable - Sometimes the sweetest of things come with the most dangerous of risks. Follow up to The first night (NSFW)

On denial. - Rosa learns that saying things have consequences. Vyn and Artem-centric

Let me show you - Even an expert psychiatrist needs affirmation.

On imperfection. - Dr. Richter learns a bit of lesson from the object of his budding obsession

On consequences. - Rosa learns that consequences of her actions are not limited to affecting her alone

When it's that time of the month ~ Vyn continuation (NSFW) - Picks up immediately where Vyn's part in this entry left off. No, it is no longer wholesome.

Possession (NSFW) - Vyn gets immensely jealous, MC is sort of pissed off. Angry sex happens.

[Deleted scene from 100 flowers] - Removed scene from 100 flowers for the love that I have lost, posted upon request. Angst.

Night Gladiolus ~ The Witching Hour (NSFW) - Rosa moves into her town and meets her strange new neighbor. Entry for the Tears of Themis NSFW Monthly Writing here (Prompt #2)

The Psychology of Communication (NSFW) - In which Dr. Vyn Richter makes use of a rather unconventional situation to teach certain concepts of communication and cognitive dissonance

Act of Contrition (NSFW) - Demon Vyn AU. Please do not deploy pitchforks.

Rebound (NSFW) - Rosa finally takes up Dr. Richter's offer in tending to her emotional health after her break up with Artem. Luke helps out because some bones may need breaking.

The Doctor will see you now. - NXX Investigative Team gets a proper check up done because they keep failing their weekly physicals.

Care Package (NSFW) - Sequel to The Doctor will see you now. Dr. Vyn Richter makes a house call.

If we must go against the world, will you choose to stand beside me? (NSFW) - Speculative Spoiler story. Betrayal happens. Someone willingly dives into hell with him.

Scorched Earth Offensive - ver. Vyn (NSFW) - Rosa is being kept on overtime by her senior out of petty jealousy; Vyn ropes her into participating in a roleplay to drive the fact home that yes, she is already taken.

Orange Chocolate (NSFW) - Rosa convinces Dr. Richter to at least acknowledge the handmade chocolates given to him by the members of his fan club.

A Vyn Fairytale: The Dragon and the Rose Knight - Submission for Themis's Typewriter Secret Santa Event. Rosa falls asleep as Vyn reads her a story.

Dr. Richter's Short Horror Story: The Depths of his Obsession: A story of deep, dark obsession that may or may not have happened.

Night Gladiolus ~ Law of conservation of energy - Sequel to Night Gladiolus ~ The Witching Hour (NSFW) . Rosa is now an office worker who is tired of living.

That one Rose in Professor Richter's garden - Professor Richter's fanclub finds out about the existence of Vyn's most precious rose.

Daybreak Thoughts - Slight timeskip where Marius and Vyn discuss Rosa, the near future, Marius's obligations and everything else in between (Marius x Vyn)

Series

The Hunt - (AU series starting from a Vampire Hunter Rosa x Vampire Vyn ask) Lady Rosa of the Hunter's Guild meets certain doom in the hands of powerful vampire Duke Vilhelm de Haspran.

Pilot oneshot (ask) | Intermission (NSFW) | Pt 02 | Pt 03 | Pt 04

Chiaroscuro - Three-part series in which Marius and Vyn are both slightly unhinged and don't quite know how to process Marius's feels (COMPLETE)

Pt 01 | Pt 02 | Pt 03

NXX Mystery Theater: Once Upon (Several) Midnights Dreary - A lead brings the NXX Investigations Team to a small coastal island. Several nights, each bringing with it its own mystery.

Pt 01 | Pt 02 | Pt 03 | Pt 04

Come, let us watch the world burn - Sequel to 100 flowers for the love that I have lost (COMPLETE)

Pt 01 | Pt 02

NXX deals with her overwork (NSFW) - Situational Shorts where each NXX boy helps Rosa deal with work stress. One of them is the problem, however (COMPLETE)

Pt 01 | Pt 02 | Pt 03 | Pt 04

Entrapped - series of smutty NSFW fansequels for Vyn's cards, with their own sort of continuity

Pt 01 Layers | Pt 02 House Call | Pt 03 Invitation | Pt 04 Hot Summer | Pt 05 Straddling, Mounting, Riding | By the Fireplace

NXX goes to hell, literally - Rosa kicks the NXX boys out of Headquarters after finally having had enough of their infighting, forcing them to go into a "team building" activity to get their shit together {COMPLETE}

Day 00 | Day 01 | Day 02 | Intermission: Night 03 | Day 03 | Day 3.5 | Day 4

Weekend Lessons with Dr. Richter (NSFW): On Love, Sex, and Apologies - Direct sequel to NXX goes to hell, literally. Vyn and Rosa learn about the dynamics of their relationship in the wake of something unnecessarily catastrophic. (COMPLETE)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 03 | Part 04

NXX: Three Men and a Little Lily - Vyn and Rosa are whisked off to the separate overseas business trips, leaving Marius, Artem, and Luke to watch over their darling little princess, five-year-old Lily.

Part 1 | Part 2

NXX on Valentine's Day - Situational fics where each NXX boy takes Rosa on a date on Valentine's Day. Spicy stuff happens, as usual.

Part 1 (Vyn)

NXX Shenanigans

When it's that time of the month - NXX men trying to take care of Rosa during her period...in their own ways

Operation: Rosa - NXX dudes (sans Artem) in a ride or die situation for their little darling lawyer...just kidding. Someone just needed their ass kicked.

Under the influence (NSFW) - Rosa encounters each NXX colleague with their choice of drink. Ofc its NSFW

The bet - Marius is confident his know-it-all tutor will be wanting to learn how to paint

Sugar Sweet Nightmare (NSFW) - Rosa is having too much work stress, causing frequent sexual dreams. This is one of them.

On uncertainty - Artem learns too late of things that matter

Cotton, garters, lace, silk (NSFW) - NXX men gifting Rosa different sorts of lingerie. Including non-lingerie items.

NXX on their tendencies (NSFW) ...on lovemaking

Share a bed with NXX: (sorta) Platonic Edition - Rosa shares a bed with each NXX boys who try their hardest to keep it platonic. Kind of.

Teacher and student (NSFW) - Threesome with Vyn and Marius

CBT (or, context is important) - NXX meeting touches on the most context-dependent acronym: CBT. Also, Marius outs himself in a most spectacular fashion.

Under the emergency lights (NSFW) - Vyn, Marius, Rosa get trapped in the conference room for 12 hours. Things get... Well.

NXX on Boyfriend Shirts (NSFW- Part 1) - Luke and Vyn let Rosa borrow their shirts. Spicy things follow.

NXX on Boyfriend Shirts (NSFW - Part 2) - It is Marius's and Artem's turn to lend Rosa their shirts. Spicy things happen as before.

Asks

Operation: Rosa follow up - Describes how the rest of NXX reacts after Rosa gets into a dangerous situation

Vyn on 34+35 (NSFW) - Rosa has a tendency to sing out loud her LSS when undergoing too much work stress. Too bad Dr. Richter is having his own stress that he needs to deal with as well

Unfair (NSFW) - Luke is exasperated with how insanely stubborn and clueless his Watson can get.

Marius on 34+35 - Marius saves his damsel in distress, but said damsel in distress has to pay for it with her dignity (It's fluff)

Apple Pie (NSFW)- Rosa pushes Vyn a little bit too far. A strategically-placed pie keeps the others from discovering them.

Under the influence ~ reverse (NSFW)- Rosa tries to seduce each NXX men while inebriated. Not all attempts are successful.

The Hunt - Lady Rosa of the Hunter's Guild is tasked to hunt down Duke Vilhelm de Haspran (AU)

Scorched Earth Offensive (NSFW) - Rosa is just done with how the rest of NXX is treating Vyn.

Owl and Plank - The Viscount's daughter Rosa is a firebrand who is famous for rejecting suitors. Why is she accepting Vilhelm de Haspran on the spot? (AU)

100 flowers for the love that I have lost. - Vyn put through the wringer after Rosa suffers retrograde amnesia, erasing all of her memories of their romantic relationship

NXX gets some service (NSFW) - Rosa is on a mission to know each of her four colleagues on a more intimate basis.

Darling, shall we? (NSFW) - Trying to raise a family has its pleasures.

Share a bed with NXX (NSFW Edition) - Things are no longer platonic. The boys now show their kinks.

The beauty in his movements - Marius x Vyn. Marius is pretty obsessed with his beautiful tutor.

Awake (NSFW) - Sexsomnia is a thing. Marius x Vyn.

Layers (NSFW) - Smutty sequel to Lingering Warmth. Caveat - Written while boozed up. Author not sure if it makes sense.

Treatment (NSFW) - Rosa is suffering from nightmares that cause distress; Dr. Vyn Richter comes to the rescue.

[itsclydebitches]

So this is not me recommending his fics, but on the latest chapter of Coeurs Raise RWBY fanficiton. He goes into some of his personal thoughts about Ironwoods plan to shoot up into space. I'd be curious what your thoughts on that are.

Okay, I do have to start by saying that claiming you’ll “explain briefly” before providing numerous paragraphs and a self-knowing “lol” thrown in is THE most relatable thing I've seen in months. Coeur and I might have very different takes on RWBY, but we are bonded through our tendency to be long-winded, despite our best efforts XD

We do have very different takes though. In all honesty I think this is a pretty bad misrepresentation of events, the kind of thing that, attached to a story with nearly 1,000 reviews (damn! Good job) and is clearly seen by a large portion of the fandom, might be one explanation for why such "Wait, you’re missing a lot of context there…" takes tend to perpetuate. There are a lot of "facts" here that most seem to agree on, but that make me go, "Hold on... that's not what happened?" Coeur spends a good chunk of time talking about the grimm as the primary threat that Ironwood is facing, when in fact the threat is Salem. The grimm are merely one of her many, many tools with which she’s attacking Remnant, but Coeur kinda dismisses her as a problem: “Salem is a threat sure but has been a threat for ages now and humanity has only been getting stronger the more time they have, but apparently it’s all doomed.” The important thing to note here is that humanity has been fine and dandy for the last 1,000 years because Salem hasn’t been attacking them. She's been sitting in her evil tower playing solitaire or whatever, waiting for the protagonists to be born so her story can start. That’s why the Volume 7 finale is such a game changer. We can’t act like things will continue to be fine moving forward because the entire point is that Salem has done something she’s never done before. It’s like looking at a dog and going, "I don’t know why everyone is so freaked out about her. As an animal she’s technically a threat, sure, but the owners have been fine living with her for years!" all while ignoring that for the first time ever the dog has gone on a rampage and viciously attacked a number of people living there, killing a bunch and leaving others wounded, all while making moves to go bite the next group she can get access to. The household needs to change their response because the dog has changed her behavior, radically.

That Coeur dismisses the damage Salem has already done only highlights the issue. He says that Beacon didn’t even fall to grimm “They lost it to one woman, some White Fang and their own shoddy software.” Same with Atlas: most of the problems were caused by Tyrian and Watts. And it’s like… yes, exactly. Those examples don’t persuade me that things are fine actually and Ironwood is overreacting, it highlights how crazy dangerous Salem is when she’s barely even trying. One woman and her friends brought down an entire school. One crazy dude and a hacker brought down all of Atlas’ defenses. The heroes have been, consistently, unable to stop them: Beacon falls, the heat goes out, Pyrrha is framed, Penny is framed, when given the chance Qrow actively teams up with a known enemy and gets Clover killed, only “thousands” made it out of Atlas and half the heroes DIED in the attempt, losing both Relics and a Maiden in the process. These lackeys are Salem’s tools. So now she’s combined those tools—the tools that have brought two Kingdoms to their knees/successfully murdered all of Team RWBY + Penny + Jaune—and COMBINED THEM with a grimm army, magic, and her own immortality. This is what Ironwood is facing and it’s the sudden increase in the threat level combined with how horrifically they’ve failed in the past that makes him go, "We literally can’t win this fight."

Coeur describes the situation like Ironwood is running from a not so bad grimm problem when he’s actually running from Salem and her ability to use the grimm as just one of many means to decimate them. He describes the situation like Ironwood decided to run post-Fall of Beacon rather than post-learning Salem is on her way to straight up kill them all like literally she's already here and has threatened you personally the end is nigh, folks. He throws out using the Relics like they’re a big benefit that could easily win the day for the heroes, rather than the very thing Salem is after that can destroy Remnant, making them too dangerous to have out. (I mean, it's canonical that they were stolen multiple times!) There’s no acknowledgment of how getting those Relics out of Salem’s reach was one of the primary motivations for running in the first place. No acknowledgment that Ironwood just found out Salem is immortal (the thing our heroes took days to come to terms with), just lost his arm, just found out the heroes betrayed him, and had to come up with a last-ditch plan in literal seconds. Losing Beacon is framed as this tiny stumble—“It’s one academy,” “But no. One bad fight at Beacon because Atlas mucked up and got outsmarted”—rather than losing one fourth of the entire world’s defenses. There is no Beacon Academy to train huntsmen anymore. There is no more Atlas Academy to train huntsmen anymore. Salem is on her way to Vacuo. CTV is still down. Literally the best defense the world has at the moment are a group of dropouts who… are lost on a magical island. Because they died. The others are lost in a hostile desert. Even if we ignored the actual problem of Salem being a literal immortal being who curb-stomped Beacon before she decided to put forth any actual effort—and the whole point is that we can’t ignore that—the concept of the grimm as the real threat just got a whole lot worse. There’s a reason why everyone agreed that they needed Ironwood’s army to protect the people when he told them about Salem. Remnant doesn’t have the huntsmen necessary to maintain the status quo they’ve had for the last couple generations because Salem has been killing them all. She took out an academy. And then she had an underling (just one!) murder most of another Kingdom’s huntsmen. And then she infiltrated another academy. And then she arrived to decimate the third. And then she had a single lackey murder the hero team + a Maiden. All within a couple of months. We joke about how Salem is still sitting around and the frustration of her not using the full extent of her power... but that, again, just highlights the problem. She's winning even while being the worst villain ever and when she shows up Ironwood is working under the assumption that she will fight to the best of her ability. AKA, they don't stand a single chance against her head-on. The best they can do is keep the world-destroying Relics out of her reach and buy time to come up with the next plan.

“Sir, isn’t this a little extreme? It’s one academy, and we were mostly responsible for it falling. We have the world’s largest military, excellent huntsmen and are in possession of one of the four Relics and a maiden—”

“Nope. Feel the planet. We failed once. Time to abandon the whole world.”

Imo this is a pretty bad misrepresentation of events. They haven’t failed once. They’ve failed consistently. They have no other plan. And literally none of those tools matter because Salem is immortal. That’s the entire crux of this problem. It’s why the group freaked out on Ozpin so hard, believing their mission to be impossible. We can’t go, “Ozpin is evil for having the group fight an unwinnable war” in one breath and then “Ironwood is evil for realizing the war is currently unwinnable” in the next. Which is it? Can they beat Salem or not? Because the story very firmly settled on "not" and then acted like Ironwood was crazy for not trying to beat her anyway. RWBY wants to be a show realistically tackling these complex problems until it suddenly goes, "Omg what do you mean you don't believe in the power of friendship? Who cares if she's immortal — I mean, we cared for a very long time and gave up and assaulted our friend over it and ignored another for months, but you shouldn't care! — we'll find some way to win because we're good people. How can you doubt that?" and Ironwood who is living in the real world with real rules you can't magically circumvent and real consequences bearing down goes, "Yeah no... I'm gonna cut my losses and try to mitigate the inevitable damage, thanks."

It's pretty clear at this point that Salem, now that she’s decided to actually take what she wants, is having absolutely no problem getting it. So yeah, when she shows up at Ironwood’s door with an army when his is thoroughly exhausted from another battle, with crazy dangerous lackeys when his allies have betrayed him, sporting an immortal body when he’s lost a limb, wielding an endless grimm soup when the cold is killing civilians and they have only a handful of huntsmen to go around… he goes, "We need to get who we can to safety and, more importantly, keep the world destroying Relics out of her reach. There’s no chance of ever beating her if she gets those." But write-ups like this make it sound like Ironwood just wanted to live permanently in space because the grimm are a nuisance, rather than him coming up with an instant hail mary plan to keep Salem from ending all of Remnant in the next few weeks. No hate towards Coeur—he seems like a wonderfully chill dude writing popular stories for the fandom—but it's descriptions like this that make me join in on the "Are we watching the same show?" jokes.

[hehebread]

[BKDK] Izuku keeps mentioning a Kacchan to reporters and they think that's his gf

this was a request on twt that i had way too much fun writing. warning for suggestive language!

--

“And is there…. a special person….or a group of people you would like to thank on air today? Anyone who inspired you? Anyone you would attribute your success to? An image of victory per say?”

Izuku’s eyes glimmer as the bright lights of the studio reflect on his irises. “Oh!” He jumps in his seat, his perfectly- coiffed curls bouncing as he nods frantically to the show’s host. “Yes! Yes!” Leaning forward with his hands on his leg, the camera zooms in on his face where the blush is painting his cheeks. “I wouldn’t be the hero I am today if it wasn’t for Kacchan!”

And it’s as if an earthquake alert dropped on the talk show. The host grows this devious grin on his face as he turns to the camera team and says, “Well, well, well, behind every great man is a woman after all.”

Izuku isn’t quite sure why the host is bringing his mother into this since the interview is reaching its end and he has already discussed her influence in detail very early on, but he doesn’t get a chance to ponder.

The host, Yamaguchi-san, leans into Izuku’s space with renowned interest and an interesting glint in his eyes. Izuku feels himself sweating in his oversized maroon-striped suit.

“So, Midoriya-san, Hero Deku, Rising Symbol of Equity and Hope, can you tell us more about … Kacchan?” His voice goes higher at the last syllable, almost sing songs, and Izuku is not sure if he should be worried or not, but he won’t pass an opportunity to gush about Kacchan!

“Ah, Kacchan is very … confident, hardworking, strong, and smart. Kacchan is a hero who knows how to lead a team and perform under pressure, an inspiration to both myself and our entire graduating class, and a”—Izuku can feel the heat rise in his face as he tries to hide in his colour— “a shining star who was closer to me than All Might!”

The host makes a loud ‘AWWW’ noise at the same time as the small audience in the studio. “My, my! Sounds like Kacchan is very important to Hero Deku! Don’t be shy! Tell us more! Is there a physical description to go with your precious person?”

“Ahm!” Izuku fiddles with his fingers as he avoids the gazes on him. There a long beat of silence before he manages to say, “Muscles….Blonde…..Sharp eyes….” With a vague gesture to his middle section, he mumbles, barely audible, “Big, ugh…..” Heart.

“OOOOOOOOOH!” The host goes wild and so does the audience. “So are we talking Hiromi Oshima type big or maybe Rio Natsume, or aaaah Aki Hoshino even ….?”

Izuku feels his ears ring in humiliation as he tries to process what they’re talking about. Something Kacchan has in common with all these beautiful women is his big successful career so Izuku nods. “Yes!” Then, a thought occurs and he rises in his chair. “Even bigger!”

After all, Kacchan’s net worth is higher than these ladies.

“BIGGER?”

“The biggest!”

“Oh my god!” The host is losing his mind now! “And is it … natural? Or did Kacchan get a little help from professionals?”

“No, no, no! Kacchan was a natural ever since we were in school together!” Izuku’s eyes shine with a fire to defend his childhood best friend, no longer trying to hide in his big suit. “No one helped Kacchan get this big!”

“That’s … amazing!” The host shakes his head in both awe and disbelief. “Now we want to see Kacchan in action! When the hero works around the city, defeating villains, does the size get in the way?”

Does Kacchan’s fame get in the way of his work? “Sometimes,” Izuku muses, “But Kacchan never lets the restless and perky nuisances stop him, y’know. With a little shake from his hands, and a few colourful words of wisdoms, nothing gets in the way!” Izuku laughs as he remembers Kacchan’s way of dismissing fans and reporters alike.

“Wow!”

“Of course, there are times where Kacchan’s big firm moulds become springy and hard to control, but I have yet to see an instance where that has been a major issue. ”

Kacchan is still having some adjustment problems with his new hero costume, particularly his grenade mould, but that’s as far as distractions go.

“Does Kacchan not use support?”

“Uhm, only when it’s a dire situation! Sometimes I’m even allowed to provide assistance!”

“You must be very lucky…”

“I am! It feels … exciting and … very special! Kacchan doesn’t trust just anyone, y’know! I can never quite get used to the trust we built together. We are one unit working together.”

“Do you use your hands…. Or something else?”

“Oh, hands! Yes! But anything works really! Whatever Kacchan is comfortable with and needs at the time. Black Whip, combo moves, an iron grip...”

The host furrow his brows and seems to be considering Izuku’s answer before he opens his mouth again. “Uhm, never mind.” He then turns to the camera, smile back on. “Our time is almost running out! Thank you, hero Deku for your time! We look forward to seeing you again in the big screen!”

--

The next day, Izuku wakes up to the headline: Hero Deku And His Mysterious Busty New Girlfriend: The Beautiful and Spunky Kacchan!

He’s doomed

--

He sees Kacchan early the next day.

Having spent the morning talking to tabloids and the host show agents about the misunderstanding and whether or not it was possible to take down the episode at least, Izuku slumps his head on his desk in defeat.

Oh, this is very bad.

He starts thumping his forehead on the wood in sync with the bleeps noises in the phone, already planning his funeral in his head.

Okay, so it seems the suspense around this girlfriend is raking up his popularity, but god, at what cost.

“Nerd, we need to talk.”

Izuku’s soul near flies to the roof at the sound of the door to his office slamming close. Fuckfuckfuck.

Kacchan stands before him with his hand on his hip, teeth snarled and looking ready to tear his flesh open. Oh, this is going to be fun!

After flashing a haughty glare at the glass door to scare away the nosy friends hanging about, Kacchan continues, “About the interview.”

Of course! Yes! His final hour is approaching. “Haahahaha, what about it?” Izuku feels his undershirt cling to his torso, sweat collecting on his face. He directs a shaky hand to a nearby chair. “Feel free to take a seat, Kacchan! You want me to get you anything? Water, tissues, uhm, a knife, a body sized bag, or uhhh, a shovel? I think I have some spare sheets of paper if you’d like to give me a chance to—“

“So…” Kacchan starts.

“PLEASE TELL MY MUM I LOVE HER!”

“…this Kacchan, huh?” Having completely ignored every single word Izuku just said, Kacchan crosses his arms and scowls. “Is she strong? How come I never heard about her before? Since when did you start dating this gravure idol and pro hero, huh?”

“Wha—?”

“So, you just go around giving everyone pretty nicknames now?” Kacchan snorts and his expression darkens before he slams his hands on Izuku’s desk. He looks at Izuku from under his chin, and Izuku swear he can see flames behind his eyes. He growls, “What’s her actual name?”

An alarm bell rings in Izuku’s ears and he stutters, “Ka— Ka— Kat— Katsuko! Bakugan Katsuko…….”

Kacchan’s expression doesn’t change and Izuku feels his heart leap to his throat. God, Kacchan is gonna call his bluff at any minute now. He’s going to reject him then he’s going to break his heart and his bones.

“What’s she like?”

Kacchan shifts forward slightly and Izuku is just know noticing the ample cleavage in clear view. Right there. In front of Izuku’s face. “Uhm. Ah, she’s very, ugh, im- pec— impeccable!! And strong! Muscl— mature!! Breasty too – I mean, pretty! PRETTY!” Izuku bites his tongue then swallows thickly. “Beautiful, actually!” Lifting his gaze to meet Kacchan, he whispers, “Gorgeous. Just the most amazing person in my life.”

Kacchan is staring intently with his sharp red eyes, and Izuku feels his chest swell with confidence he never had before. “Kacchan is my inspiration, and I just … love … Kacchan so much. I wish I had the courage to tell him— um, her that.”

“Are you two serious?” Kacchan asks, impassive but there is silent rage hiding behind his words.

Something flashes quickly through Kacchan’s eyes before he narrows them. It takes Izuku a second to recognise that it’s /hurt/ and then he realise what he has just done.

“No, no, no!” Izuku backtracks immediately. “I don’t even know her that well! In fact, she kinda smells and definitely has sweating problem.” Izuku needs to do damage control and come clean NOW. “You know what? I will call her and break up with her right now. Ha ha ha.”

What the hell is he saying? Who is he going to call?

Kacchan stands up while Izuku fumbles with his phone. “Don’t be a dick,” he says, before he heads to the door.

Izuku jumps from his chair and is ready to chase after him when Kacchan stops him. “How big?”

“Huh?”

“You said Bakugan was big.”

Ah, yes, he did. Tragically.

“Um, y’know just…” Izuku motions with his hands like he’s moulding two doughballs, palms up and fingers wiggling because he’s lost control of his life once he accepted his funeral date, but that’s not even happening anymore so what is he doing really.

He then makes am hourglass shape in the air and belatedly realises that he’s just outlining Kacchan’s shape in front of him. Izuku retreats his hands and puts them behind his back in shame.

Kacchan is looking at him funny. Like he’s trying to figure something out.

“Does she shoot aerial bomb or something? Is that a combat-style quirk?”

Izuku blinks.

Kacchan just sneers and turns around.

“Whatever. I’m doing a photoshoot this afternoon. The Sekushī clothing line is dropping a new summer set and they asked me to model.”

“Se- Sekushi?? You mean, like—” Izuku feels his face go impossibly red. “You’re saying that, you’re going to wear, like…..” his voice goes down to a whisper when he says “…..a b-b-b-b-b-bikini?”

“Swimwear,” Kacchan turns to say over his shoulder, “Among other things.”

The sexy smirk he sends Izuku’s way is doing very, very weird things to Izuku’s body and imagination, things too inappropriate to describe in a work setting.

Kacchan leaves but not without offering the most dangerous challenge to Izuku’s mental wellbeing. “Feel free to drop in.”

Oh, he absolutely will.

“Bring Bakugon.”

Oh, he absolutely will not.

Actually….

Maybe, he will.

Kacchan is going to ruin Izuku

[fullmarvelheart]

Crossing Lines (6/?)

Pairing: mob!Bucky x fbi!mob!Reader

Word Count: 5,199 

Recommended: 18+ readers

Summary: A sudden and unsettling event rocks the underworld, and Y/N is immediately called in to prepare for what’s to come. What she isn’t prepared for is James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, also known as the new head of the Brooklyn mafia clan. When these two get shoved into a world of danger and deceit, will they ever learn to trust each other? Or will they be doomed from the start?

Warnings: Swearing, angst, a wee bit of fluff?, Grant Ward (because he’s his own warning), mentions of violence

A/N: Happy Black Widow Day! I’ve been waiting for this movie to come for so long and unfortunately I won’t be able to watch it tonight😢. But anyways, here’s part six with a surprise character😉 (literally didn’t think of adding her until yesterday). Hope you guys enjoy! This has not been beta read at all. All mistakes are my own. The GIF is not mine, so credit goes to the original creator!

Series Masterlist

“Skye, come on! Why the hell did you drive off to the middle of damn nowhere?”

“Just trust me.” She says calmly as she parks the car, completely ignoring my outburst in the process. “And stop complaining, Y/N/N. I know you had another fight with your dad, so I know you wanted to be out of the city.”

“Fine, ok. But what is going on? I’m guessing Ward has no idea what you’re doing.”

“You’re not serious, right? You know he hates me doing anything remotely dangerous.”

“Not that I’m against going behind your boyfriend’s back, but what did you do?” I ask my, running my fingers through my hair.

“So, you know how Ward mentioned HYDRA’s top runner, Crossbones, the other day?” I nod. “Well, I got curious. We know nothing about him, and Ward thinks he can set a trap for him. I just, I just don’t want him to get hurt when I could have done something.”

“And you know if you did this at the Bureau, he’d find out somehow and stop you. Or Gonzales would.” Now she nods. “Alright, but I’m helping you with this. I’ve got a weird feeling about the whole thing and as your partner, it’s my job to keep you safe.”

“You worry too much.” She chuckles. “Besides, I’ll practically be behind my computer screen the whole time. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“You’re right, I guess. Doesn’t mean I’ll stop worrying though. And why are you still with Ward?” I groan dramatically, causing her to laugh.

“Oh, be nice. He’s not bad once you get to know him.”

“I don’t know. Something about his arrogance just doesn’t settle well with me.” I shrug.

“You’re being over dramatic. He’s great!”

“He better be, he is dating my best friend after all. Now let’s find the next exit, I’m hungry!”

Her laughter echoes in my head as the car moves along the highway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stomp through the halls on a mission. The office was empty, and disturbingly dark and stuffy for nine in the morning. If he’s not in his office there’s only one other place I could imagine him in, his bedroom.

“Please, don’t kill me for this.” I mutter to myself before taking a deep breath and throwing the door open.

My eyes scan the room and zero in on the lump underneath the covers.

“Go away, Steve.” His usually pleasant rough voice is mixed with hints of sleep and something else. I can’t help it that my inner self finds it sexy while I try to stay concerned rather than turned on.

Now’s not the time for a daydream. Focus.

The door shuts with a soft click, giving him the impression ‘Steve’ left. You aren’t that lucky today. I’m no push over! My boot clad feet thud on the wooden floor as I march straight towards the end of the bed. With one strong grip at the end of the comforter, I yank the sheets off his body before turning towards the curtain clad windows.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He screeches, trying to pull the blankets back up to cover himself from the cold air of the room. That was nothing. “Hey! What the hell is this, Rogers?” I pull the curtains open; the intense sunlight illuminates the room causing even me to briefly squint.

After successfully finding a single blanket to cover back up with, I notice the fact that Barnes had curled himself into a human ball in the middle of his mattress to block out the light.

“Oh, for fucks sake.” I groan, grabbing onto an edge piece of the fabric. “Get up, now!”

I try to yank it off him in one swift motion, again, but he’s faster than I thought. He springs up into a sitting position, latching on to the blanket I almost had off him, commencing a tug-of-war over the stupid thing. The muscles and veins in his arms flex and bulge, and in normal situations, I’d be impressed. But I’m getting irritated.

“You’re an absolute child.” I grunt as I fight with him.

“Let go, you heathen.” He counters.

At his command, I let go, causing him to fly backwards and bounce slightly on the mattress.

“Dangerous mob boss my ass.” I chide, crossing my arms as he just looks at me with disbelief.

“What do you want, Fury?” He groans, rubbing his eyes.

“Too much for you to comprehend at the moment but let’s start with this. How about you get your head out of your ass, get out of bed, and do your damn job?”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“You wouldn’t understand, Fury. And you’re crossing a line here. Get out.”

“It’s Maximoff to you right now. And what don’t I understand, Barnes?” I ask, ignoring his other remark.

“You have some nerve, coming here, into my room. Now get out.” He growls, tossing the blanket away, exposing me to the fact that he sleeps only in a pair of boxers. Damn, suits really don’t do his body justice, but damn does he look good in either.

“You have some nerve thinking this doesn’t concern me.” I snap back, regaining my focus, glad he didn’t catch me staring or was too annoyed to notice.

“And how,” He starts, finally standing up and slowly walking towards me, “Does this concern you?”

His muscles bulge as he crosses his arms, stopping at the foot of his massive king-sized bed. Though, there is an unsway of his body, and the shakiness that was in his hands that doesn’t evade my attention. Where I once noticed stubble, an unkept beard lies in its place. His hair looks knotted, unwashed, and greasy. Overall, he looks like an absolute train wreck.

“How does it not? Furthermore, how does it not concern you?! Barnes when did you last have a full meal, let alone showered!?” I exclaim, looking him over more closely. I can barely see the fact that he’s lost weight, but it’s there, it’s noticeable. The lack of a hot shower is more than just noticeable though.

He scoffs again.

“This is none of your business. Leave.”

“Stop being so fucking defensive with me. And this is my damn business, or have you forgotten the deal you have with my father? With Brooklyn on uneasy ground, especially after losing their last leader, you’re a target for HYDRA to attack. Not to mention the threat of the other mafia clans. And you know damn well that if my father has any idea that your alliance will cost him more than benefit him, he’ll watch you be fed to the sharks. But it just so happens that his daughter is in your territory, which gives you just a bit more wiggle room. However, if you put me in danger, he won’t just watch, he’ll feed you to the damn sharks himself!”

“I know!” He yells, walking closer to me.

“Then start acting like it.” I hiss.

“You don’t understand!” He argues, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Understand what?!”

“I can’t do this without him!”

The room falls into silence, and I stare at him, stunned.

“Okay? I can’t do this without my father. Yes, he’d been preparing me for years. But I always knew I could get advice from him or help if I needed it, once I took over. But this, all of this. I don’t know how to lead my men; I don’t know how prepare us. I don’t even have time to grieve the fact my father, not my boss, is gone forever, and I don’t know how to do this without him.” He chuckles dryly, hands on his hips. “I told you, you wouldn’t understand.” And he’s turning away from me.

“You’re wrong.” I cringe at how shaky and quiet my voice comes out.

“What?”

“You’re wrong.” I repeat firmly. “To think I don’t understand.” The sting of tears forming in my eyes has me pausing to close them and take a deep breath.

When I open them again, Barnes faces me properly with a look of confusion and mild concern.

“No one knows exactly what to do in these situations. But from one ally to another, you have your training, and the people you trust to help you figure it out. And you have your friends. It might not always work the way you planned, but nothing ever really does. You aren’t the only one grieving the death of your father, the men also adored him. Keep that in mind.” I pause, watching him work through what I said to him. “But don’t you dare ever assume I don’t understand grief.” I sneer. “Or how to continue on with the weight of it constantly on my shoulders. You don’t know me. So don’t act like you do.” He gapes at me, like a fish. “Get your shit together Barnes, and get to work.”

I walk out of his room as quickly as I can, letting the door slam behind me. Two corners later and I finally let myself slump against the wall. I gasp for air I didn’t know I needed as I fight back the tears trying to escape. It’s been six months! It was just a stupid dream! Get it together!

When my breathing returns to normal, I pull out my phone. The message from the unsaved number glares at me as I ignore it, again, and type out a message to another party.

“Meet me at the shore this afternoon. More details will be given soon. Bring the info you have gathered and don’t tell the boss.”

The response is almost immediate.

“Understood. He’s getting antsy about the report...”

I groan to myself as I push off the wall. He’ll just have to wait longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The zippers of my backpack nearly shriek as I pull both of them together quickly. I’ve been frustrated with my more legal job before, but this is something different.

Why the fuck are they making me go to a check in with the case officer this early? A month! I’m supposed to have a month to gain traction and trust in the role they requested of me! They should know that it isn’t safe to possibly expose an undercover operative at all, why would they risk it this early on?!

I growl to myself under my breath as I lace up my boots, aggravated that they’re risking the objective of this mission. If I get made, my father will also lose the alliance, HYDRA might learn of my role in the government and go into hiding, and that’s a lot of fuck up that doesn’t need to happen. Gonzales better either know what he’s doing or have good intel for me.

I swing the backpack up on my shoulder, just as someone knocks on the door.

“Give me a second.” I call, letting the pack flop onto my bed.

I’m surprised to find Natasha on the other side of the door, waiting with her arms crossed patiently.

“Come on in.” I say before she can speak, nodding to the inside of my room.

She raises an eyebrow in suspicion but walks in anyways. She turns to face me just and the door closes.

“All I was going to say was that Barnes is requesting everyone to head to the warehouse, but I’m guessing there’s something else?”

I nod. “I got called for a check in.” I tell her with an eyebrow raised, not needing to tell her who I’m referring to.

“This soon?”

“I’m hoping to get something worth the risk for this, but my gut says otherwise.”

She hums to herself in thought as she processes.

“I can get you a cover this time.” She states sharply. “But they need to get their act together. The cover might work just enough, but there are still people in here who don’t trust you, yet.”

“They might never.” I shrug. “But I agree with your risk assessment. I’m prepared to chew out whoever it is.”

She smirks, then motions towards my door. “Get to the warehouse and leave your things here for now. I’ll make the arrangements.”

I give her a small smile before we’re both walking off in different directions.

The warehouse is packed with people, many of which I don’t recognize, all of whom are engaging in loud conversations. I begin to push my way through the crowd, though I don’t make it too far as I feel a hand grab onto my arm. When I turn towards the pull, Drax smiles at me, motioning for me to follow him. I laugh quietly to myself as people practically jump out of Drax’s way. When we stop, I spot Carol not too far away and walk over to her.

“For the record,” She says, not even looking at me. “This is odd for us too.”

“Is this everyone?” I ask, confused.

She scoffs. “No, there are still those on patrols or jobs that aren’t here. But I’m sure they’ll be brought up to speed, on whatever this is, later.”

I hum as an answer, my eyes scanning the crowd of faces, seeing who I’ll recognize. I just make out Rollins’ silhouette as the voices begin to fall silent. Barnes stands in front of the gathering on a small platform, Rogers and Wilson flank him on either side. He looked a lot better than what I saw earlier. His beard trimmed back to a five o’clock shadow, his hair washed, brushed, and tied into a small bun behind his head, and there was strength in his body showing that he was able to eat since I last saw him. If I hadn’t seen him this morning, I wouldn’t have believed anything was wrong in the first place.

Standing behind the three mafia men, I see Barton, the two Odinson brothers, and five other men and one woman that I don’t recognize. Natasha casually merges in with the group at the last second.

“Many of you have taken note of my absence recently.” Barnes starts talking, his voice booming across the warehouse, commanding everyone’s full attention. It sends a thrill down my spine that I suppress. “And I am aware of the rumors that have been spreading regarding such absence.

“I was reminded earlier today that I was as close to my father as he was with many of you, maybe just a little closer. And yes, I’ve been grieving. But that grief has not blinded me to the enemy that is still out there, just as it has not blinded you.

“The enemy that has let their guard down because HYDRA thinks it has weakened us!” Grumbles of disapproval make him pause. “But they have not weakened us! This clan, this family, is not weakened by the grief of our leader. We are angered, enraged, that they dare try to cross us.” He pauses, listening to the murmurs of agreement of his people. “They have no idea what awaits them. Since the fall of George Barnes, they’ve expected us to kneel before them, begging for mercy. But they will be the ones begging. Their days are number because we will find them, and we will bury every last one of them as we watch HYDRA burn!”

The men begin to shout out their support, the roar almost sounds deafening to my ears, but I follow their lead, yelling with them. Barnes holds up his hand, and the crowd silences.

“Get a move on. We have work to do.” The warehouse erupts in applause, shouts of affirmation, threats to HYDRA, and anything of the sort.

The men begin to clear out of the warehouse, and Carol motions for me to follow her before walking towards Barnes.

“It’s good to see you again, boss.” She tells him with a smile, one he reciprocates before glancing at me. “I was wondering if I’d be able to take new girl around for a drive. Just to show her around our territory.”

“That’ll have to wait, Danvers.” Natasha cuts in, before turning to me. “Let’s go.”

She’s walking away before Barnes or Danvers, who both share a curious glance with me, can say anything. I only slightly hesitate before hurrying after her.

“Thank you.” I mutter once we’re out of the warehouse.

“Don’t thank me, yet. The boss will have questions.”

“Hopefully it’ll be worth it. If it isn’t, I’m gonna chew out whatever unlucky soul is sent.”

“I have no doubt of that.” She replies, and I can hear a hint of a smirk in her voice.

We near one of the doors that serve as an exit to the base, and I see my backpack sitting at the bottom of it.

“Know you way around?” She asks as I swing the backpack over my shoulder.

“Well enough. It shouldn’t be too hard.” I say, shrugging.

“Good. If you do get lost, call me,” She hands me a piece of paper with a number on it. “And I’ll sent someone for you. Good luck.”

“Thanks.” I nod, folding the paper up and slipping it in the back pocket of my jeans.

She nods back, then walks away. I take a deep breath before throwing the door open and walking out in the direction of the nearest subway. When I’m a decent way away from the warehouse, I pull out my phone.

“Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 2, two hours.” I press send on the text before placing a call, one I admittedly should have done earlier.

“About damn time!” I cringe at the tone in his voice but carry on as if I didn’t piss him off.

“I thought I wouldn’t have any contact with the Family. But everything’s going well. There was a slight issue, but I handled it and everything’s back to the way it should be.” I say over the noise of the street traffic.

“What issue? And why are you calling in public?”

“I was called in.” I grumble into the phone.

“Already?”

“Yes, but I swear if this is a waste of time, whoever I’m meeting is getting an earful.”

“I’d be concerned if they didn’t. But what issue?”

“It’s been fixed, it doesn’t matter, but I need a copy of the contract.” I state firmly, hopefully distracting him from the other thing.

“Y/N, you know-”

“Father!” I take a breath, so I don’t start arguing with him in public. “I need that copy. If I’m going to be doing this, I need to know every single condition, and every term.”

The other end of the line is silent, and I know he’s thinking things over.

“Alright. But in turn, when I ask for an update, you give me one that fucking day. Understood?”

“Yes.” I mumble, hating feeling like a scolded child.

“Good.”

“I’m getting on the subway, I have to go.”

“I expect an update tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.” I hang up the phone and let out a deep sigh before walking down the stairs.

As the subway approaches, my phone chimes and I glance at the text.

“Understood. I’ll see you there.”

The meeting place my case officer chose, a quaint little coffee shop, is two blocks away from my stop. The amount of people on the sidewalks has me wishing for my bike as I squeeze in between people, and there are several times I wished to shove the slow walkers out of my way when I couldn’t pass. Honestly being stuck in traffic was a bit more enjoyable to being stuck behind of group of gossiping women.

I come up to the corner of the street, where the shop is located, and spot its cute little sign. As I cross the street, I happen to take a glance in the window and immediately find a face I recognize.

“You got to be shitting me.” I growl to myself.

The door chimes as I walk through, and I head towards the table.

“Fancy seeing you here.” I grumble as I take a seat, using the heel of my boot to put pressure on the toes of his foot.

“Right, well,” He coughs, covering up a wince as he pulls his foot away from mine. I smirk to myself. “Considering I called for this, I’m not really surprised.”

“Ward, you son of a bitch.” I hiss, quiet enough not to draw attention, as I kick his shin sharply. “You’re an idiot. You better have a good reason for doing this Grant.”

He visibly winces and adjusts himself before clearing his throat to address me.

“As your case officer, I don’t need to explain this to you.”

“You do when you compromise my position. This was way too early!” I hiss before clearing my throat, remember not to cause a scene. “Do you have information for me or not?”

“We’ll get to that in a second. Look, if Skye was still alive, she’d want-”

“Yeah, well she’s not here. How does your new girlfriend, what was it, Kara, feel about you still being hung up on your dead ex?”

“Do not bring her into this.” He hisses, before straightening up and burying any hint of annoyance until there is barely any emotion visible on his face. I hate when he does this, it unnerves me how easy it is for him each time. “Here.” He states before putting a thin file on the table for me to grab. “This is everything that we’ve been able to find out about them recently.”

I swipe it off the tabletop and gently toss it into my backpack, without opening the folder.

“Hopefully, I don’t see you again anytime soon. This better not become a regular thing with you.” I mumble before getting up and ordering a cup of coffee to-go.

As I walk out of the store, I almost bump into a blonde woman that was on her phone. Luckily for both of us, the coffee didn’t spill. After a few seconds of hurried apologies, and foreign curse words on her end, I hurry to the station, hoping I won’t have to wait that long for my ride.

When I get to the park, I decide to wander around for a little bit. It feels good to be out in fresh air inside of being inside a building for the entire day. The clouds look fluffy and soft, the breeze is cool on my face, and the sun feels just warm enough to enjoy without sweating to death. I stop once I get to Pier 2 and just find myself leaning on the railing of the pier, looking out onto the river and the skyscrapers on the other side.

While I wait, I decide to enter Natasha’s number into my phone, then letting the piece of paper fall into the water of the river, the safest way to dispose of it. After I can no longer see the white of the paper, I return my gaze to my father’s city.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

“Like what?” I ask, looking towards the voice.

“Content. Happy, even just a little bit.” She says with a small smile while moving to stand beside me.

“It’s the little things like this that make me happy, May. It helps me forget about the mess that is my life, even just for a few minutes.”

She hums and we just stand in silence for a moment.

“What have you been able to find?” I ask, breaking the silence and going into business mode.

“Not much. I doubt it’ll be much help to you.”

“A little may be what I need. I still have some of her research. At this point I just need anything on him.”

“Having nightmares about her again?” She asks, concerned.

It causes me to smile, even just a little bit. Sure, my father hired her, but she has always remained loyal to me, more so than to the family. Though, I have no doubt that if she had any concern about me, she’d go talk to my father.

“More like memories. Still, they leave me feeling restless because I haven’t been able to find a lead on this guy. Skye was getting close, I know that. Which is the only explanation as to why she was killed.”

She hums again. “Still not planning on telling your father?”

I scoff. “After he basically called me paranoid for looking into Ward? No. If he finds out I haven’t let this go like he thinks, he’s going to ask questions. Questions I’m not ready to answer. Not only that, but if he finds out I contacted you while on assignment, I’d get my head chewed off. I’m technically not even allowed to contact him, yet here we all are.”

She nods with a slight chuckle, then pulls a file out from underneath her jacket and hands it to me.

“I’ll keep checking in with my contacts on the street to see if anything new about him surfaces, but until then, this is all I have.”

I stare at the closed file for a moment, before sliding that into my backpack as well.

“Thank you again, May.” She smiles briefly before nodding.

“You should get out of here, before anyone questions why you’ve been gone for a while.” I nod and push away from the railing. “Oh, and Y/N?” I turn back around. “Stay safe.”

“You too, May.” I call back, walking away.

A flash of blonde hair in the corner of my eye has me pause for a second, but when I see nothing, I shrug to myself and keep going. It must have been in my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door to my room shuts and I feel my body sag from the exhaustion of the day. I let my backpack slip to the ground with a soft thud and shuffle towards my bed. When my back meets the cool sheets of the mattress, a deep sigh escapes my lips and I close my eyes, finally enjoying a bit of rest. But, there’s a knock at my door that has me groaning loudly.

“Of course.” I grumble under my breath.

When I open the door, I’m very surprised to find Thor standing on the other side with a slight scowl on his face.

“Follow me.”

I do so, hesitantly, letting the door slowly click shut before catching up to him. The walk is silent, and for some reason, I feel uneasy for the first time since I walked in here. He leads me through the halls, and I find myself recognizing where we are going. James Barnes’ office.

Thor opens the door and motions for me to step inside, and I do, trying to maintain a façade of confidence. And I’m grateful for it, because the glare Barnes wears as he watches me enter almost has me reeling backwards. He sits behind his desk, looking regal, deadly, and in charge. No trace of friendliness shows on his face.

What really throws me for a loop is the petite redhead curled on his lap, her well-manicured nails raking through his hair in almost a possessive manner. The sight makes something churn uncomfortably in my stomach, and by the smirk on her face, she knows it too.

I look away from her, finding Rogers and Wilson in their places behind Barnes, leaning against the wall. Natasha stands off to the right, near the only window in the office.

“Dot, leave.” He says stiffly, not removing his gaze from mine.

“But Bucky Boo-”

“Now.” He growls, ignoring her high-shrieked protest. This is the infamous Barnes I’ve heard about on the streets.

She huffs in irritation, untangling herself from Barnes’ lap and starts stomping out of the room like a child throwing a small tantrum. She brushes past me, giving me the death glare on her way. I simply raise an eyebrow at her retreating form until the door shuts behind her.

“Lovely person, Bucky Boo.” I mutter under my breath, turning back around. “I haven’t looked at the information I was given, yet. I only just got back to the compound.” I say to Barnes, assuming that’s what got him so miffed.

“How was the meeting?” He asks, completely ignoring my remark, irritation still evident.

“I wanted to shove Ward’s head through the window only a few times. So, fairly well, I guess. Still pissed off he’s assigned as my case officer though.” I shrug still not seeing the point of this.

I see Barnes’ eye twitch and hear the soft click of the door closing. I turn around to see the blonde that I almost walked into on the sidewalk from earlier, and everything falls into place. With a click of my tongue in understanding, I turn back around towards Barnes.

“You had me followed.” I state.

“Yelena Belova, Nat’s sister, was sent to keep an eye on you. Make sure you stayed safe.”

“Hmmm. Interesting.” I hum towards the ground, frustrated that I didn’t see that coming earlier, as my hands find purchase on my hips, my nails digging into the fabric of my shirt.

“Imagine my surprise when I got a message saying you weren’t on your way back after the drop off, but was going to meet someone else.”

“Yeah, and I’m not telling you why.” I fire back stubbornly, my hands still on my waist.

Barnes blinks rapidly, shocked, because I didn’t deny it, that I said no to him so easily, or maybe because of something else completely. Whatever the reason, he recovers quickly. A scowl now twisting up his features.

“We had a deal with your f-”

“I’m not the one that needs reminder of that deal, it seems.” I snap. “What I did today, was for reasons you aren’t entitled to.” His scowl deepens. “Now, I could give you some information about it. If you were to tell me something in return.”

“And what’s that?” He growls, but willing to play my game.

“The last crate I picked up on my assignment.” Recognition dances over his eyes. “Yeah, it’s about that. Tell me what was in there because I know for a fact it wasn’t the shit on the manifest. That was just a cover. You tell me what the shipment was, and I’ll tell you what I was given.”

He clenches his jaw, but doesn’t say a word. I wait for a moment before nodding, more to myself than him.

“You’ll get the info the Bureau sent me, once I make sure it’s actually useful.”

I turn and exit the office quickly, no one saying a word to me before the door closes. My nails dig into my palms as I stomp back to my room, pissed off at the day I’ve had. My door slams shut, and I begin pacing the floor of my room. Anger flows through my veins like a fire that can’t be stopped. I had at least thought I was gaining some ground with Barnes and even some of the others, but apparently not. The only reason he let me go free is because of that stupid deal.

One thing’s certain after tonight, though. James Barnes is not to be trusted.

 Part 7

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[alazyparallelworld]

Kind of the thing is that . sai has very little, agency - out of everyone who was "written to be like that,"

he got fucked the hardest, to Ignore and thus - sentence, his very first friend (aka) to death - and her seemingly Other Good friend, outside of sai (mo) reacted to his tears by punching him, calling him a Wimp, whatever. mo is immediately regretful, drags him to breakfast after, then training - but, you know, this friendship only happened because of aka's death. and her death was wrong, a mistrial, etc.

If he had been right, and discovered the full truth (which ou, was waving like a giant red flag: HEY, DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THE MONOPAD? HUH? ANYONE ELSE? SERIOUSLY, NONE OF YOU THINK THIS IS WEIRD? - but he was brushed off. ouch realization for sai, way later, if he had listened or considered this yada yada)

*she wouldn't have died, and he would've lost his friendship w. mo - and by extension, haru, as mo. introduced her to the group (but they became fast friends, no they arent only friends Because of mo. and have No Friendliness between then, HE IS ABSENT IN 3 FFS-)

it's! fucked! obviously Not everything in vthree was fully written out - everything post ch3 went off the rails - but this was the start of sai's. character. and how miserable is that! how trapped in a box he was, this thing of - misery and pain, and learning - it didn't have to be like that. If he wasn't a coward. and, if he hadn't been, he would've lost everything he gained from her death

That's a really horrible situation to be in that i think would, destroy him (not fully) bc he has a bad tendency to bottle things up. he snaps, yes, he IS easily agitated for small things - but feelings of genuine anger, hurt, of being wronged... he is, very pretend-forgiving of others. tojo's attempts to gaslight him almost work - and he isn't, Mad, abt how shin. tricked him and tried pinning both him AND ou. as the most likely culprits . so on and so forth. you get the idea

I think when sai processes the - truth, of what happened, of how he was damned and doomed from the start - he would be Extremely Angry. at everyone, at himself, he would be like Fuck you i didn't deserve to be treated like that (at everyone) and also I was a fool why didn't I notice I do deserve all those awful things (everyone did to me)

which sets up for a very, very awkward tension between most primarily sai and mo. - reverse ch5, wherein sai doesn't want to/isn't ready to talk to him, and mo. is just :<

and in the corner ou is just chilling w/ everyone else. he and haru would 100% become friends everyone who writes her as bullying him does not understand EITHER of these characters. the most unusual dynamic of friendships here

[merakiui]

I return with another thought + questions again, this time about Scara. SO imagine when Traveler (us, Reader, Darling, etc) met him back in the event and it's love at first sight for Traveler and Scara can tell- there's no hiding the soft blushing from his eyes, no way he doesn't pick up on the not-so-subtle attempts to learn more about him, and if you think he doesn't notice the way you look at him and hang on his every word you're mistaken- not to mention the look on your face when he leaves.

Now, his goal was to kill you, the Traveler, but when you're so willing to just do what he says that would be a waste wouldn't it? He may as well keep you as a fun toy, even if it's temporary (or so he tells himself that's all this is), but, and here are my questions in all this, how do you think he goes about that? How do you think he plays it off to the other Harbingers, to Tsaritsa? What's he do if they're, especially Tsaritsa, against the whole idea?

This may work best with yan!Scara but I think it can work without yandere too?

-Rain

Hello, Rain! :D It’s nice to hear from you again. I hope you’re doing well!

(cw: mention of death/murder, yandere, unhealthy behaviors, implied abuse of power/stalking)

Your concept reminded me of my very first Scaramouche fic (mainly the Traveler-Harbinger relation). LOL I love it!!! This probably works with both versions of Scara because his moral compass is terrible either way. Regular Scara would be somewhat curious in getting to know you and figuring out all sorts of ways to use you. But yan!Scara is far more volatile and unpredictable when you first meet him. I feel like it would be easier for him to hide his interest in you if he weren’t yandere because he truly believes this is just a passing curiosity. Eventually he will kill you. Just not now. And that’s like a consistent itch that keeps him from thinking of other things.

One day you’ll find yourself in mortal peril at his hands and it’s then when he’ll truly end your life. ...If he even can. Perhaps regular Scaramouche falls in actual love the more he thinks about you, to the point where he’s wrapped up in this forbidden love story that absolutely no one can know about. If we wanted to make this romantic, then the trope enemies to lovers would definitely be used! Just think of all the late-night rendezvouses!

But yan!Scara is more secretive about how his mission is coming along; he won’t utter a word about his progress unless it came as an order from the Tsaritsa. Yes, he’s going to have to kill you at some point, but the deeper he sinks into his obsession the more he realizes he’d rather just break you instead. He’s very possessive in that sense, and it would be troublesome if the Tsaritsa found out about his little infatuation and decided to reassign the mission to one of the other Harbingers, who would most definitely get it done in a clean and swift manner. In the back of his mind, he’s aware that his emotions will only limit the likelihood of success on this mission. It’s just difficult to kill you; he never would have imagined he’d want to keep you alive. Love is not a feeling he tends to dwell on, so it’s strange when his mind starts to warp his once sound logic.

The reason why he’s waiting so long to kill you? He’s just gathering more intel for himself. The reason he thinks about you day and night, unable to clear his head for more than a minute before your image becomes vivid again? He’s just...visualizing his target. The reason he gets so snappy when others ask him about that bothersome Traveler? He’s just annoyed that you’re giving him all of this emotional trouble. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done so already. He’s just dragging this out so that he can truly catch you by surprise, which is what he begrudgingly tells the other Harbingers if they think to ask him about it.

Only, he’s had so many perfect opportunities to kill you and yet he never took any of them. He was content to just watch from a distance and observe the way you go about your life. Taking on commissions and running errands for the locals, you seem to make friends wherever you go. You’re practically revered by everyone and it just makes him want to break you even more. Scaramouche will easily find ways to get rid of anyone who he thinks is a nuisance. There was that baker who was always so intent on flirting with you... Shame that their waterlogged corpse wound up on some desolate shoreline. Oops.

Scaramouche is constantly walking on eggshells the longer he stalls. Eventually the Tsaritsa will find out and when she does he’ll get desperate. He’ll probably be put under more pressure to carry out the assassination, lest she choose to hand the mission to someone more competent. So Scaramouche does the only sensible thing he can think of: He fakes your murder. It’s rather easy with his resources and his own magic. All he has to do is take you for himself, hide you away where you’ll be for his viewing pleasure only, and cover up the rest of the details with some expertly crafted lies. Perhaps there’s no point in proving his claims with evidence of a body. He can always say your corpse is lost somewhere in the vast, sprawling lands and he’s currently sent his subordinates to find it.

And who’s going to go against what he says? Certainly not those who work under him. If the Tsaritsa gets suspicious, he’ll just find new ways to cleverly spin false tales. It’s not like he hasn’t lied before. He can say as many sweet words laced with the undertones of poisonous deceit and it will be difficult to disagree with someone who’s killed before. He’s just carrying out a mission. By no means is he in love. Not even close. This is strictly his duty as a Harbinger and he’s fulfilled it, so there’s no need to worry about that silly Traveler anymore.

Love does not exist in Scaramouche’s world and you’ll be stuck in his grasp like a mouse in a trap. He absolutely can’t risk letting you go or else he’d be dooming himself in the process. So it’s better to just accept this situation and let him break you in like a shiny, new toy!

[mikeana]

So I keep seeing this sentiment used in pointing out the differences between Hawks vs Twice and Midoriya vs Shigaraki (often used to prove how Midoriya is a true hero unlike Hawks) that Hawks never understood Twice, or even tried to understand him before he killed him, which... what?

Not only do I think that’s not true (or at least, not to the extent that people claim), but even if Hawks did understand Twice, knowing his entire tragic life story, understanding the bonds of the League of Villains... would that even have made a difference?

There are a lot of differences between the characters of Twice and Shigaraki. Twice kills people in order to protect his friends - the bond he found with the League is what his entire character revolves around - whereas Shigaraki kills because he was brainwashed into thinking that that’s his purpose. He was born to destroy - so why not destroy everything he doesn't like about society? Simple as that.

Because what drives them are so different, the process of ‘saving’ them - breaking them away of that motivation to kill and do active harm - would be different as well. Midoriya can appeal to that crying child inside Shigaraki, showing him that he is more than just destruction incarnate. Midoriya would also have to get past a wall of hatred towards... just about everything (but him especially) in order to get that message across - how he manages to do that, I have no idea - but we still have quite a bit in the story to go. Meanwhile, in order for Hawks to have successfully saved Twice, he would have had to come in between the bond that Twice shared with the League.

I know that there are several people that tout the LoV as a ‘found family’ but... it’s not. It’s not a healthy environment in the slightest. The entire League revolves around their status of outcasts and their hatred of society - but while it’s nice to have friends that can understand your past, the fact is that the League does not do anything to take a step forward and move on from sitting in their negative emotions. They ‘express themselves’ sure - by killing and doing whatever they want, but that’s not self-improvement. It may give them a temporary feeling of satisfaction, but at the end of the day, they’re as stagnant and lost as ever, enabling each others worst habits. It’s completely unhealthy - and one of the worst type of environments Twice could have found himself in.

Twice - who has little to no self-worth of his own - found himself surrounded by a bunch of people with similar sad backstories and who were also social outcasts like him. They also happened to be murders. Because they showed the smallest appreciation and kindness towards him, Twice was then given purpose - do whatever it takes to protect his friends. That’s the motivation that led him to overcoming him drama and breaking out Sad Man’s Parade. Unfortunately, while the League did give Twice senses of direction, purpose, and belonging, they didn’t do much to actually give him the proper help and care he needed (and vice versa - in protecting his friends, Twice is also protecting the status quo). I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - it was no coincidence that, while Twice managed to miraculously ‘overcome his trauma’, his split-personality condition was stated at the end of the MVA arc as becoming worse. The League enables each other’s worse habits - and while Twice did grow during MVA, it was in the wrong direction. Coincidently, I think MVA is also the point where Twice can no longer be saved.

So, in order for Hawks to miraculously have saved Twice, he would have to had come between his bond with his League - aka his entire reason for living. And Hawks did do exactly that - he destroyed clones of all the League members for crying out loud. But still, some people assume that Hawks didn’t understand Twice - didn’t understand his backstory, nor his connection to the League.

I’ll be honest, we never got a panel of Hawks thinking about said connection (or at least, not that I remember), so there’s no way to know exactly how much he knew about Twice. But Twice was one of the villains that Hawks had information on (the only ones he didn’t were Dabi and Shigaraki), and the two hung out fairly frequently. Hawks could have known all about his past, or maybe he knew nothing at all. He didn’t know about Twice’s trauma with being double-crossed by Overhaul, leading to the death of Magne - so again, who knows how much he knew? Even if Hawks looked over Twice’s case file though, that still wouldn’t have changed the fact that he would have had to overcome his connection with the League - which leads me to my next point.

Hawks definitely understood Twice’s connection to the League. Or at least, he knew that his love of them was the motivation of his crimes. Hawks admired Twice because he was a kind person - he wanted to be useful to his friends, just like Hawks did. However, that same drive can also be dangerous. If Hawks thought that Twice’s level of commitment to the League wasn’t so strong, that Twice would automatically agree with him and accept his offer when he started talking, then Hawks wouldn’t have sent almost all his feathers to surround him. Twice was a kind person - and that’s exactly why he was such a threat.

So, in order to surpass the bond that Twice shared with the League, Hawks would have had to do one of two things: 1 - gain Twice’s unwavering trust so that he accepted his deal or 2 - show Twice that he has more inherit value than he gives himself credit for, giving him another motivation besides the League.

Scenario 1 was what Hawks attempted to go with, though it was doomed from the start. As soon as Hawks double-crosses Twice, reveals himself as a spy, he’s immediately clocked in shadow, seeming monstrous from Twice’s perspective. Any trust Twice had extended Hawks was immediately broken. This doesn’t help that Hawks has to come out with a bunch of sharp feathers pointed in his direction. No matter how much he liked Twice, he was still an active threat, and Hawks needed to be able to act at a moments notice in case he resisted (which of course, he did). 

I’ve seen some people suggest that Hawks could have promised that the League would be safe, that his failing was that he didn’t understand the entire League the way Twice did - that if Hawks had just calmly approached him beforehand without the feathers, told him the situation, promised that he’d get the entire League help the same way he promised he would with Twice, everything would be fine. But - there’s no guarantee that Twice would agree with that. During their months together, none of the League have ever tried to reach out to get help with the intention of improving themselves. The status is that they have to maintain their way of life - aka them doing whatever they want with no repercussions. In order to get proper help, that would have to change. Twice protecting the League means protecting their way of life and any active threat against it. Again, as soon as Hawks came out as being a spy on the heroes side, Twice’s immediately distorted him into something monstrous. With his former trauma with Overhaul, I believe that - no matter what the scenario - Twice would have immediately lost all trust in Hawks. Therefore, there was no hope that option 1 would work.

But what about option 2 - giving Twice some self-worth, and giving him some motivation outside of the League? Well, I think that would also be impossible - at least, for Hawks anyways. Because, like it or not, Hawks and Twice have the same fatal flaw - aka they both have little to no self-worth outside of being useful to the people they want to protect - to the point that either would happily lay down their lives if it meant the people they care about could be happy. The only difference is that Twice’s care extends only to the League whereas Hawks’ extends to the whole of society. In order to give Twice that sense of self-worth, Hawks would first have had to found some in himself - a little hard to miraculously do, considering he’s on an undercover suicide mission. The tragedy of Hawks vs Twice is that, at the end of the day, they were both kind characters - which meant they both had the same ‘unbreakable will’ that make up some of the most dangerous characters (according to Hawks).

Even if it the person that fought Twice wasn’t Hawks (which first off - good luck to anyone but Hawks dealing with Twice’s clones), this second option still requires some deal of trust - which meant you’d have to find a hero or anyone who Twice wouldn’t have thought of as an immediate threat to his friends. Twice didn't hesitate to attack Midoriya or the UA students at the training camp - what makes anyone so sure that if Midoriya faced Twice, there would be a different result?

So in synopsis, I think Hawks did understand Twice enough before the fight (at least to know what drives him) - but even if Hawks did know every. single. little. thing. about Twice's life, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

In order for a character to be saved - in order for them to start their redemption - they have to want to change. That is the key difference in what makes a person savable or un-savable. However, by the time of the PLF arc, Twice is actively choosing to side with the League - and nothing Hawks could do was going to pull him away from that.

How Midoriya will convince Shigaraki to want to change is something we’ll have to wait and see.

[blacknailpolishonguitarstrings]

O Children

Minerva couldn’t sleep. Ever since the war had begun, she had become more and more restless in her sleep, increasingly worrying Poppy. Thus, she did not miss a single second of the sharp, rapid, loud knock on the door of their little cottage that sounded at 4 am on that cold November morning. Tightening the string of her checkered green plaid robe, she walked rapidly down the stairs, leaving the vapour of her cup of tea resting on the window sill to god up the window. The lower floor of the house was plunged deep in darkness, the only light coming from the porch lamp whose glow glittered through the door’s coloured glass panels. Gripping her wand tightly, she unlocked the door.

“Albus!” She gasped. “What type of ice cream did I get at Florean’s in Diagon Alleys on August 22nd, 1975?”

Her wand was pointed right at the centre of his chest omnipresent reminder of the war.

“Raspberry sprinkled with rose petals and lavender-infused chocolate topped with almond brittle,” said the old man tiredly.

He looked weary the twinkle in his blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles dim, long white hair and beard having lost their silvery shine, clothes dusty. It was almost as if more wrinkles had appeared on his face since the last time she had seen him, rendering his face even grimmer, a gloom look stretching across his features.

“What happened?” She asked tightly. “Who…who died?”

Her friend’s silence was unbearable, hanging heavy in the air, announcing in-pendent doom.

“I can’t remain long, I must go and take care of matters, but I assumed you would wish to be notified among the first…”

“Albus. Who. Died?” She repeated.

He sighed.

“Peter Pettigrew and…James and Lily Potter, all murdered by Sirius Black.”

An icy, unpleasant, terrifying wave of cold flooded her veins, disbelief painted on her face. It wasn’t possible.

“No,” she whispered. “There must have been an error. No. Sirius would never do such a thing to James and Lily. They were his best friends. You are wrong.”

The Headmaster watched her with compassion as she muttered “no” under her breath over and over again, refusing to acknowledge the hard and bitter truth. It felt as if the world was spinning at breakneck speed around her, dizzying her. Everything swam before her eyes, blurring and mixing, a kaleidoscopic slush of colours, and numerous seconds passed before Minerva realised that the thin watery veil clouding her gaze was burning hot, unspilt tears. Her grip on the door handle was so tight her knuckles had turned white.

“When? How?…Why?” She breathed raggedly.

“We don’t know exactly,” started Albus gently. “All we know is that Sirius Black was the Potter’s Secret Keeper, he allegedly betrayed them, which led us to believe he reconnected with his family and worked closely with Voldemort. Peter Pettigrew attempted to warn and save Lily and James, and in a fit of madness, Black blew up the street and killed Pettigrew along with thirteen muggles. He was found in a muggle neighbourhood nearby and has since then been arrested and sentenced to Azkaban for life. It was debated whether or not he should receive the Dementor’s kiss, but the judges decided upon a life sentence at Azkaban. I am still waiting for more information, and I will send you the full Order report as soon as it is ready. Members of the Order are of course working on the case along with the Ministry Aurors.”

She watched him tiredly, still refusing to believe him.

“Now, if you will excuse me, Minerva, I unfortunately still have urgent matters to attend to, I cannot remain any longer. I present you my sincerest condolences for your loss, I know that they were all very dear to you, and excellent students. I myself am still quite disbelieving at the situation.”

She looked at him stonily.

“No, you are not,” she thought, but she only asked:

“And Remus? And harry, James’ and Lily’s child?”

“Mr. Lupin hasn’t returned from his mission yet, as for young Harry…I’ve taken care of it

An uneasy feeling overcame her.

“Albus, what did you do?”

The elderly wizard failed to meet her eye.

“I have left him with his last living relatives, the Dursleys. Petunia Dursley was Lily Evans Potter’s sister—“

“I know that, “ snapped Minerva. “What I do not understand is why you thought this was a viable solution. I have met the Dursleys. They are close-minded, rude, and despicable people. They are not a good family or entourage for Harry to grow up in. Petunia Dursley could barely stomach her own sister, I shudder at the thought of how she will treat her nephew. Neither James nor Lily would have wanted this for their son, Albus, I can’t—“

“It does not matter, Minerva,” he cut her off. “While I appreciate your concerns, the matter is sealed and there is nothing to be done now. I have my reasons, and I hope you will trust me as you have done many times before. I wish you a pleasant evening, or well, rather morning I suppose.”

He turned around, his robes sweeping the floor as he walked away until he was nothing but a mere silhouette amongst the shadows, all semblants of warm, glowing light gone.

“Bastard,” seethed the witch after him, before slamming the door shut.

The shock of wood against wood resonated around her in the darkness. She did not know what to do now, what to say, what to think, what to feel. For the first time in years, Minerva was lost. She stood there, back pressed against the hard door, wand held tightly in her wrinkled hand, dark brown hair streaked with gray tumbling down her shoulders, and felt oddly empty, almost numb, as she looked curiously at the single ray of moonlight piercing through the back windows. The old stairs creaked in the far left corner of the living room, and a trembling golden glow filled the lower floor of the white brick cottage. Poppy appeared behind the sofa, gripping her wand whose tip was alight with a soft shine, wrapped in her midnight blue nightgown. She looked weary and pale in the dim light, almost ghost-like, her quivering lip betraying her inner turmoil. Minerva stared at her blankly, as she approached her.

“Minnie,” whispered her wife, kneeling in front of her, placing a soft hand on her wrinkled cheek.

“That’s what they used to call me, James and Sirius, Minnie, mum…they were the only ones who dared to,” she croaked.

“I know,” said Poppy softly, wrapping her arms around her frail shoulders, hugging her tightly. “They were wonderful children and—“

“He killed them,” interrupted Minerva hoarsely. “He killed them…”

She shivered, whether it was coldness or something else, much darker, buried inside of her, she did not know, but she began trembling violently.

“VOLDEMORT KILLED THEM!” She roared, eyes blazing, face red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Minerva,” murmured Poppy, chocking on her name, as she held her crying wife in her arms, who shook violently, wracked by uncontrollable sobs.

“He killed them, he killed them, he killed them,” she muttered over and over again, face buried in the crook of Poppy’s neck.

Neither of them had any idea how long they stayed there, on the cold hard floor, leaving against the entrance door of their house. But, soon enough, the morning sun’s first golden rays began filtering through the windows. The sky was beautiful outside, a painted canvas of amber, orange and pink fading into a dark blue in one corner and a clear azure in the other. It was all awfully joyful and pretty, considered the grim circumstances. Exhausted, Poppy got up, and holding Minerva by the elbow, led her to the upholstered burgundy armchair overlooking the small fireplace where coals lay cold and dead amongst the ash. She settled weakly into it, covering herself with a large plaid blanket. She felt nothing, no pain, no sorrow, no joy, nothing. Her mind still hadn’t fully processed the loss, and the first shock of emotions having been evacuated by hours and hours of mourning the dead, she was now empty, hollow.

“Poppy,” she said quietly, taking the small green hand-painted ceramic mug her wife handed her, having come back from the kitchen. “Do you honestly believe, Sirius…”

She stopped, her voice cracking, a shy remnant of the power it used to be.

She took a deep breath in, before trying again.

“Do you think Sirius killed James, Lily, and Peter?” She asked in a small voice,

“Of course not, replied Poppy, taking a sip of her tea. “I don’t believe Sirius would be able to kill someone in the first place, let alone murder his best friends.”

Minerva nodded,

“I do not think so either, but…I don’t know, something is wrong…”

Silence settled in their home, as the birds chirped merrily outside, welcoming the new day with joy and excitement. Suddenly, a loud knock sounded at the kitchen window. Minerva stood up heavily, and leaving her empty teacup on the worktop, she opened it, letting the waiting owl in. Running her hand gently through its glossy tan plumage, she took the newspaper from its claws and slipped five Knuts into the small leather pouch tied at its leg. Big headlines printed in bold black letters glared back at her from the white paper, screaming victory:

“Dark Lord vanquished and gone, for good this time”

“Dark Lord dead: Wizarding Britain celebrates”

“Harry Potter, the young saviour of our world”

She skimmed briefly through the paragraphs, squinting at the fine print, shaking her head slowly.

“Fools,” she thought.

She opened the Daily Prophet to the second page and dropped it in shock when Sirius Black’s desperate face stared back at her from the black and white moving picture. An Auror was restraining him, holding him at wand point, as he desperately attempted to free himself from her iron grip. His face was a mask of pure anguish and misery, as tears ran down his face, his usually lustrous black hair sticking in mangy strands to his skin.

“I’m so sorry.”

He appeared to be mouthing the same three words over and over again.

Above the picture, the headline read:

“Sirius Orion Black: murderer, madman, and traitor”

Facing Poppy who was watching her worriedly, she whispered, voice breaking:

“I must find Remus, now.”

[baepsaesbae]

Ethereal Encounters

Pairing— Angel!Seokjin x Demon!reader  

Genre— Smut +18, comedy, light pining, supernatural au, angel au, demon au, time traveling (this was inspired by Good Omens by Neil Gaiman)

Warnings— oral (m and f receiving), explicit unprotected sex, death (but not really important), somewhat religious talk bc well they’re an angel and demon??

Word Count— ~6.3k

Summary— Since the early beginnings of mankind, you have been tasked with overseeing them and ensuring chaos befalls them. However, you meet an angel who has been tasked with the same duties, only obviously he’s supposed to ensure their wellbeing. How will you deal with him?

A/N— Happy Halloween everyone! This fic is part of @bangtanshadowfamily’s project Moonlight Manor. I had a blast writing this, please let me know what you guys think! Thank you so much to @dee-ehn for making such an angelic banner. 

The story of Cain and Abel in the biblical Book of Genesis is well known by many throughout countless generations. The basic rundown is that Cain became jealous of Abel and murdered him. Tragic. However, what isn’t well known is that divine powers were involved. This was where it all started between you and him.

“How dare he. You’re the oldest son. You should have God’s favor,” you whispered into Cain’s ear.

As a high order demon, you were tasked with creating calamities for the stupid creatures that God loved oh so very much. What better way to ensure mankind would be doomed than introducing murder. Even better, the murder of ones own brother. Yes, your plan was ingenious.

“You need to gut him. Gut him like you would the animals you eat. God would have no choice but to cherish you instead,” you continued.

You started to feel the hatred swell within Cain. He sprang to his feet and grabbed his hunting knife. He marched out to the field where his brother was and struck him down. You watched all this transpire with a grin of satisfaction painted across your face.

“Oh no. It appears I’m too late,” you heard a disappointed voice behind you.

Whipping around quickly, you turn to see a defeated looking angel. He was quite handsome. He was tall, had broad shoulders, and lips that formed the perfect pout. You despised him the moment you laid eyes on him. Of course, he’s in a corporeal vessel. His true form would be too much for any mortal to see, and they would combust on the spot. Your corporeal vessel was that of a woman. You figured it would make swindling humans easier later on.

“Who the hell are you?” you snarled.

“Me? Oh, I’m the angel Seokjin. I was sent by the higher ups to oversee the progression of mankind. I was told to make sure they weren’t led astray,” the angel rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Interesting. I was sent by my higher ups to make sure that mankind would be led astray,” you muse, “It seems that we have quite the conflict of interests.”

“It would appear so,” the angel had his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Well Jin--”

“That’s not my name. It’s Seokjin--”

“I don’t care. That’s too long.”

“Too long? It’s two syllables!”

“Who has that kind of time, Jin? Not me. Anywho, my work here is done. Since this place is under both of our jurisdictions, maybe I’ll see you around sometime,” you gave the angel a wink before vanishing from the scene.

That was your first of many encounters with the angel Seokjin.

                                                        200 CE

The crowd roared with fervor as the gladiators fought to the death. You were one of the happy spectators watching a man get pummeled to death with the butt of a sword. As the man’s skull was caving in, you heard someone sigh beside you.

“There’s no need to be that cruel. He should cut off the poor fellow’s head and just end it already,” you heard a man say.

“That wouldn’t please this crowd at all. They’re all here because they want to see a spectacle. Chopping someone’s head off at the beginning of the fight would be sooo boring,” you turn to the disgruntled man, “I mean, you gotta pay to watch so--oh my god it’s you.”

The angel beside you was just as radiant as on the first day you met him. Even dressed in Roman apparel, you could tell there was something otherworldly about him. The angel returned the same shock as his eyes grew wide when they landed on you.

“You! You’re the one who started the downfall of man!” he accused.

“Well actually it was the snake that tempted Eve. I wish I could take credit for that. What have you been up to? Jin right?” you greet him as if he were an old friend, slinging your arm around him.

“Wrong. My name is Seokjin. I’ve been overseeing mankind. As I was instructed to,” Seokjin answered while trying to wiggle out of your grasp, “But it seems like no matter what I do, humans always resort to violence. You must be very good at your job.”

“They’re all shitbags like that. It makes my job so easy! I don’t even have to lift a finger,” you brag.

“There are some humans who have nothing but love and compassion for other living creatures--”

“Gross,” you interject.

“--so my faith in humanity is not lost. I think I’ve begun to realize why Father is so fond of them,” Seokjin rations.

“What’s your reasoning?” you inquire.

“Humans like to resort to violence quite often, like you said. But they also like to love and cherish those important to them. I think the free will that they have makes them remarkable,” Seokjin is lost in his own thoughts.

“An angel who has his own opinions? Dangerous territory buddy,” you laugh.

“Oh? Why is that dangerous?” Seokjin’s face contorted in confusion.

“Nevermind. Forget what I said. See ya around, Jin,” you’re about to disappear before Jin called out to you.

“Wait! You know my name, but I don’t know yours. That hasn’t been sitting well with me for the past couple centuries,” Seokjin shyly confessed.

“Aw, you’ve been thinking of me for centuries? What a sweetheart. I’m ___, Mother of Murder, Enslaver of Mankind, and Tamer of Dragons,” you bow.

“Tamer of Dragons? I’ve never seen one,” Seokjin tilted his head.

“Probably because they’re not real and I was messing with you. The other titles are real though. I’m kind of a bigshot downstairs. That’s why they keep me up here. See ya around, angel,” you vanish out of sight.

“___. She doesn’t really seem like the demons I’ve been told about,” Seokjin pondered.

You had a couple more run ins with the angel Seokjin, but unfortunately they were all in passing. The two of you would catch a fleeting glimpse of the other before one of you would vanish. Your time on Earth was starting to bore you. Up until you decided to wreck some havoc.

                                                       1350 CE

The black plague, also known as the Black Death, was sweeping across Europe. It had already taken millions of lives, and still had more to go. This catastrophic pandemic was beyond devastating. And you couldn’t be happier. Cart after cart rolled through towns and villages, each one filled with the bodies of the deceased or nearly deceased. The screams of those in agony was music to your ears. You skipped cheerfully along the streets. You couldn’t be more pleased with yourself. After all, the Black Death was your brainchild.

“___!” you stop in your tracks.

“Jin? Jin! How lovely to see you,” you greet him with a warm smile. You started to grow fond of him through the years. His curiosity and sincerity always amused you.

“It’s Seokjin, not Jin. I’m honestly quite worried,” Seokjin sighed.

“About? The humans?” you peer up at him.

“Yes. This plague has gotten out of hand. Sure, humans get sick and die all the time. They’re frightfully delicate. But this? Millions upon millions dead? This must be the work of some...some sort of demon!” Seokjin exclaims before calming himself, “I apologize for my outburst. This whole situation is just too worrisome.”

“You’re right. You must be a sleuth or something,” you say nonchalantly.

“What? Right about what?” Seokjin’s eyes widen.

“This IS the work of a demon. Me! This is all my doing! Pretty impressive no?” the horrified look on Seokjin’s face encouraged you to continue, “So get this. I was bored outta my mind one day, right? Then I started thinking about all the organisms on this planet. From tall to small. Then I realized that bugs are completely on the bottom of the food chain. Very unfair, wouldn’t you say?”

“I suppose so, but God intended--”

“Sure sure whatever. I took it upon myself to give bugs a little advantage. Specifically, fleas. I experimented for a bit then settled on giving some of them the ability to infect their prey! Truth be told, I had no idea that the rats they sucked on would become feral. I just thought they’d get sick and die a horrible death or something. Who would’ve thought they’d go around biting humans? Am I the best or am I the best?” you wiggled your eyebrows at Seokjin, who was still staring at you with horror.

“You caused all of this, ___? And it was all an accident?” Seokjin was trying to process what you told him.

“Yeah basically. All because I wanted to make the playing field a little more fair for fleas,” you nodded.

“That’s funny,” Seokjin said curtly.

“Oh yeah? What amuses you so, my angel?” you ask playfully.

“You wanted to help fleas. Fleas. Some would say it was an act of compassion,” Seokjin grins.

“What? No! No, I was just bored. I thought it would be something I could occupy myself with. Don’t look too deep into it, Jin,” you turn away, in hopes of hiding your flushed cheeks.

“Sure sure. Whatever you say, ___. At least you’re probably getting high praises in Hell,” he pats your head fondly.

“Shut up, angel,” you say before vanishing. You couldn’t take the embarrassment any longer. Compassion? From you? No way in Heaven. And what was that? Jin patting your head like you’re some sort of friends? Even though he was growing on you like a tumor, you hadn’t considered him a friend before. Well. Maybe you had. You just didn’t want to admit it. Life can get pretty lonely on Earth for an immortal being. At least you guys have that in common.

In an attempt to befriend Seokjin, you searched for him. Up until now, it has always been him sneaking up on you. You found him in a small village that had just about been completely wiped out by the Black Death.

“Hey angel,” you pipe up, causing him to jump.

“Ah! ___! Hello, you scared me. What can I do for you?” Seokjin smiled, his cheeks bunching up like fresh bread.

“I was wondering if you’d like to get a bite to eat? We can sneak into the nearest Royal family’s kitchen and find something good?” you ask, looking at the ground.

“Eat? We don’t have to do that though,” the angel’s signature confused face took hold.

“Yes I know that. But we’re on Earth now and until the end of time. Or until we get called back. Might as well indulge in Earthly pleasures right?” you try to reason. Your pride would be hurt if he declined.

“Indulge? Isn’t that sinful?” Seokjin said apprehensively.

“I didn’t realize a loaf of bread was sinful. I’ll be right back, just gotta drag yeast into Hell,” you mock. To your surprise, Seokjin laughed. As corny as it is, his laugh sounded like a mixture of bells and a choir of angels. It was truly euphoric.

“To be quite honest, food is one of my favorite things on Earth. I’m fond of desserts in particular. Hearing you suggest eating made me reconsider if it’s a sin or not. But you’re right. A bite of food won’t hurt anyone!” Seokjin concluded gleefully.

That was the start to the tradition of eating together after every encounter.

                                                        1943 CE

Although technically mortal enemies, you both enjoyed the companionship now and again. Hearing about each other’s lives never got boring. Seokjin himself was somewhat of an enigma to you. He was childlike in the sense that he was curious about everything, and loved learning about new things. He was also simultaneously serious about everything. Any time he tried to make a joke, it was always lost on you. You soon learned to fake a laugh for him because...because you kind of liked the way his eyes lit up when he was pleased with himself. He always found you entertaining. He admired your confidence. You were the epitome of devious, but even so, Seokjin believed that there was some good in you. You in turn believed there must be some bad in him. At least enough that allowed him to continuously hangout with a demon.

You sat alone in a German cafe, gazing out the window on a gloomy day. You listened intently to the conversation behind you. Nazi soldiers were discussing the satisfying feeling that accompanied terrorizing those who didn’t belong in Hitler’s utopia. You scoffed as you bit into your streusel coffee cake.

“Mind if I sit here?” a familiar voice asked.

“Jin, my darling angel friend, of course you can sit there. I wouldn’t dare let anyone else sit with me,” you smile mischievously.

“It’s Seokjin. Not Jin. Why must we go over this every time?” Seokjin sighed.

“I think the nickname puts us on friendlier terms,” you devour what’s left of your cake, “Oh sorry, did you want some of that?”

“Should an angel and a demon be on friendly terms? And no thank you. Actually, I brought you a little surprise,” Seokjin makes a small decadent box appear from thin air, “These are your favorites, if I recall correctly.”

Your eyes grew wide as you received the box, “Is this…? JIN!!! I haven’t had these in ages!” you cheer gleefully as you open the top.

A familiar sight of perfectly baked macarons laid gracefully within. All your favorite flavors were there: coffee, chocolate, lemon, and other delectable flavors. You breathe in the sweet scent of the goods before choosing your first target. You sway happily as you take the first bite.

“Gift giving is definitely something that friends do,” you say with your mouth still full, “Would you like some?” you offer the other half of the coffee macaron.

“Then I suppose we are friends, ___. I’m happy I ran into you. There’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” Jin takes the other half of the macaron, “World War I was atrocious enough. But now all of this World War II business is even more despicable. I was wondering if you had an idea about when this will end. It has been breaking my heart to see all of this horror unfold.”

“So the macarons were a peace offering for information?” your eyes narrowed, chocolate macaron in hand.

“I was in the little French village that made your favorites and thought it would be nice to bring you some. Talking about World War II was actually an afterthought,” Seokjin said. That made you chuckle. Jin was being honest; he’s incapable of lying. If he ever tried, it would never work on you because he was god awful at it.

“I’ll believe you for now, angel. To be honest, the humans did this themselves. I was sightseeing in Mongolia when Germany invaded Poland. I knew that Hitler guy was no good-- I specialize in that-- but he’s damn near as evil as a certified demon. I can’t take credit for any of this. I like creating chaos. It’s what I do. But I find this highly organized genocide distasteful,” you admit.

“A demon finding genocide distasteful? Amusing. See? There must be some goodness left in you. I guess you don’t know when this will end then?” Seokjin asks.

“Not a clue. And don’t you ever say that I have goodness. That’s bullshit. I’m the baddest of the bad. Don’t forget that,” you sneer.

“There’s no need to get hostile, my friend. I should get going. I’ve been trying to help the victims in any way that I can. Needless to say, it has been very busy for the past few years. This was a nice little break. It’s always a pleasure to see you,” Seokjin smiles and bows respectfully before disappearing out of sight.

“The pleasure is all mine, my darling angel,” you say quietly to the empty space before you.  

                                                     Present Day

“That girl over there looks rather ravishing, doesn’t she? It’s a shame that she’s here instead of your girlfriend. Unless…,” you pour thoughts of infidelity in a random guy’s mind.

You sensed that he was nervous the entire night, and after observing him for a bit, you finally realized why. This man was out clubbing with his friends in celebration of someone’s birthday. His girlfriend isn’t one for going out (or having any sort of fun, from what you can gather in his mind) and he’s been eyeing this one gal the entire night. He was on the fence about whether or not to make a move. Luckily for him, you were in the vicinity that night. The alcohol pumping through his veins made him even more susceptible to your persuasions. You only spoke those few words to him before he made his way over to the girl, who immediately proceeded to grind on him.

“Infidelity huh?” a familiar voice said.

“It’s the easiest sin for men to commit. Women are too tempting for those who can’t control their lust. And by that, I mean probably 99% of all male humans,” you shrug, “It’s my duty to lead humans astray, remember?”

“Of course, how could I forget?,” Seokjin chuckled, “It’s amusing to me that the one who caused the Black Death is now sitting in a dingy nightclub telling intoxicated men to cheat on their significant other.”

“Would you rather me tell him to murder her? Would that please you, Jin?” you raise an eyebrow threateningly.

“Oh dear heavens, no. Please don’t do that. But if you were to do that, I can always intervene and protect the poor girl. And please. It’s Seokjin, not Jin,” the angel pouted. You loved his pout, it made his supple lips look even more delectable. Wait. What are you thinking?  

The two of you sat in a booth inside the dimly lit nightclub. After ordering multiple rounds of drinks, Seokjin finally felt loose enough to strike up a conversation. You had been too lost in your thoughts regarding how you felt about your angelic companion to talk.

“How have you been, ___?” Seokjin asked.

“Same as ever. Chillin out, traveling, creating mischief wherever I go. My favorite thing to do nowadays is to fuck up cell phone receptions in really popular areas. The animosity goes through the roof!” you explain.

“Sounds...exciting,” Seokjin takes another sip.

“What about you, angel cakes?” you gaze at him fondly.

“My flower shop has been coming along beautifully! I mean, I want to keep all of the flowers for myself but I guess part of running a business is selling your goods. You should come by and see it. I even have some nightshade. I thought of you when I acquired it,” Seokjin smiled.

“Stop, you’ll make me blush. I’ll come and visit your shop soon,” you finish your drink, “It kinda sucks though,”

“The drink? We can order another--”

“Not that. I’m living the best life I could possibly ask for. The world is literally my playground. But I’m kinda bored. I’ve plunged from the Mother of Murder to inciting infidelity just for the drama. I feel like I’m burnt out,” you pout, sinking into the booth.

“Maybe finding a hobby could help? I like plants, so now I collect and sometimes sell them. What do you like? Come to think of it, I don’t think I really know much about you at all,” Seokjin realizes.

“I’m hurt. We’ve been friends for what? About 6000 years?” you dramatically grasped your chest.

“Friends? You consider me a friend?”

“Are we not?” you retorted.

“I suppose we are. What an unlikely friendship. And one that our bosses will never know about,” Seokjin grins, “Can I ask you something? As a friend?”

“Sure thing. Jin, my best friend in the whole wide world, what do you want?” you bat your eyes at him.

“How did you fall from Grace?”

Hearing the question sobered you up immediately. You never thought Jin would care about you enough to ask such a personal inquiry. It’s akin to asking someone ‘hey, what’s the most traumatic thing that ever happened to you?’ out of the blue. You were staring at your empty cup when Jin spoke up.

“I’m sorry if I crossed a line. I’ve just been so curious--”

“It’s fine. I was just shocked that you wanted to know me on a more personal level,” you laugh nervously.

“Why wouldn’t I? We’re friends,” Seokjin said seriously.

You take a deep breath before answering, “I was curious. Just like you. I didn’t understand why God was so obsessed with the stupid little humans. They were so vile, so vulgar. Even if they knew right from wrong, they sometimes willingly chose what was wrong. I was confounded. Apparently asking questions is the same as undermining His authority. They thought I was going to grow my own free will. An angel who can think for themselves is a threat. And so, down I went. It was a pretty long fall actually. The landing was pretty unpleasant,” you try to lighten up the story.

“I’m sorry, ___,” Jin took a hold of your hands, “At least you still have the wings of an angel.”

“Yeah but they’re all black and tattered now. Yours are still beautiful and pristine.”

“I think your wings are beautiful too,” Seokjin said softly. You realized he was still holding your hands. You slowly retreat from his grasp. You don’t know how to handle the praise coming from the angel.

“Thanks, my darling angel. Anyway. This place is getting kinda boring. You wanna get dessert?” you suggest.

“You know me so well!” Seokjin agreed.

You found yourselves in a nearby gelato shop. You treat yourself to a coffee gelato, while Jin got chocolate gelato. The pair of you opt to sit outside and soak in the city life.

“I thought you didn’t like chocolate? I remember you turning your nose up to the best chocolate I’ve had in my life when we were in Switzerland,” you noticed his chocolate gelato.

“I like the chocolate flavor, but I don’t like chocolate,” Jin said casually, “I love strawberries, but I don’t like strawberry flavored things.”

“You’re so strange,” you let out a laugh. Jin laughed with you, his stoic image started to fade away. Afterward, you both sat comfortably in silence. Being in each other’s company was satisfying. It helped ease the loneliness that you refused to admit you had. Pondering your loneliness alongside your friend had your thoughts drifting to an interesting concept.

“Do you remember that time we decided to indulge in Earthly pleasures for the first time all those years ago? That decision was probably the best I’ve ever made. I love food,” you break the silence.

“I do remember that. I think I’m obliged to say that doing the Lord’s work was the best decision I’ve ever made. But I guess I didn’t really have a choice,” his voice trailed off, “Besides that, eating food with you was probably my best decision too,” Jin smiled, revealing his bread cheeks.

“What if we indulge in a different Earthly pleasure tonight?” you suggest calmly, licking at your gelato.

“Other than food? What do you mean?” Seokjin’s eyes widened with curiosity.

“Haven’t you wondered why lust is such a strong motivating factor for humans?”

“I believe they reproduce for the survival of their species--”

“That’s not what I mean, you silly little angel. I’ve heard from several succubi that they really enjoy sex and--”

“Lust is a sin, ___. It’s literally one of the seven deadly sins,” Seokjin interrupted sternly.

“I said that humans are driven by lust. If we hypothetically partake in this, it would be for research reasons only. Wouldn’t you be of better service to mankind if you could understand them better?” you reason.

Frankly, you don’t give a damn about mankind. Never have and never will. The thought of getting intimate with the angel Seokjin has sparked an excitement in you that you hadn’t felt in ages. Persuasion is your forte, and you’re sure as hell gonna do your best to win him over. Seokjin was silent as he pondered over your proposal. His face was unreadable.

“I’ll admit I have been curious about it. I don’t understand why humans crave it so much,” Seokjin admitted. A smile slowly formed on your face.

“Does that mean you’ll indulge with me? Just as you did when we ate together all those moons ago?” you take his hands in yours.

“Fine, ___. I’ll indulge with you. But purely for research purposes,” Seokjin said firmly.

This city had been your dwelling place for the past couple of years so you had your own place. You giddily led the angel to your apartment. You had been waiting for this moment for what felt like an eternity. Seduction wasn’t part of your job, so you never partook in such activities. It was mischief alone that was your specialty.

When you finally arrived at your apartment, you instructed Jin to wait outside for a couple of minutes while you tidied up the place. With a snap of your fingers, your humble abode was free of any trash and not a speck of dust was to be found. After wondering about what would help set “the mood”, you decided on lighting candles. You figured the dim lighting would help create a sensual atmosphere. The final touch was slipping into promiscuous black lingerie. You had a complete set: stockings, garter, corset, and a bra. You twirled in front of a mirror and was satisfied with the look. You felt like the epitome of a seductress. You made your way to the front door and swung it open, striking a seductive pose. You nearly burst out into a fit of laughter when you saw Jin’s eyes wide with shock and mouth agape.

“You...you look...nice,” Jin stuttered.

“Come on in, my darling angel,” you waved a single finger at him.

Seokjin timidly stepped inside. You took his hand and led him to your bedroom; the walkway was lined with candles. You closed the bedroom door behind Jin as you heard him gulp nervously.

“You scared, Jin?” you teased. Jin couldn’t make eye contact with you. You could barely see his faint blush in the dim lighting.

“No. Maybe a bit nervous. I thought we would just get down to it,” Jin let out an annoyed sigh before finally making eye contact, “And it’s Seokjin. Not Jin.”

“Go straight to fucking? Without foreplay? Aw you really are such a little angel, aren’t you? You sweet sweet vanilla baby boy,” with each word you crept closer to him, eventually wrapping your arms around his neck. He smelled like a mixture of warm honey and wildflowers. His scent was intoxicating. You couldn’t resist any longer as you planted a gentle kiss on his neck, causing him to groan lightly.

“Oh? You like that?” you whispered sweetly.

“I never realized our corporeal bodies were so sensitive,” Jin replied quietly.

“You’re still so tense, angel,” you observed as you massaged his broad shoulders, “I can help you unwind. Part of the fun of sex is indulging in the pleasure, so I’ve heard,” you say as you guide Jin to the bed.

“Let’s make some things clear,” you say as you straddle Jin, “Firstly, you can touch me. I don’t wanna be doing all the work. Secondly, don’t be afraid to act on any urges. I can assure you I can handle whatever you wanna do. Lastly, do you trust me?” you ask. Jin blinked blankly.

“Generally, I’m pretty sure a demon is never to be trusted. But since it’s you, I guess I’ll make an exception. I trust you, ___,” Jin said sincerely.

“I’m touched,” you smile, “Now take off your shirt and pants,” you demand, climbing off of him. Jin complied. Left in only his underwear, he sat on the bed awaiting your next instructions. You soaked in the sight of him. He was fit; his physique had your mouth watering.

“Perfect,” you say, seductively crawling back on top of him.

You lock eyes as you straddle his hips. You lean in slowly, eyes wandering to his plush lips. Jin does the same, leaning towards you ever so slightly. Your lips met gently. After relishing the tender moment, you kiss him more intensely. To your surprise, Jin met you with the same intensity. His hands started to wander as well. Starting with a firm grip on your ass, his hands traveled slowly up to your breasts.

“I don’t think I can fully appreciate you with all this on,” Jin breathed heavily after he broke from the kiss.

“What a cheeky angel. Be patient, love,” you notice a change in Jin’s eyes. There was an intense gaze of lust pouring from his dark brown eyes. It turned you on.

You laid him down and whispered, “Now the fun can begin.”

A blindfold manifested out of thin air and into your hand. Jin looked at the object curiously. He didn’t protest when you wrapped it over his eyes. You smiled at the fact that he truly did trust you.

You kissed him again. You couldn’t get enough of his velvety soft lips. You dared to slip your tongue in his mouth delicately. Seokjin pulled you closer to him as he reciprocated with more aggression. His boldness caused you to let out a small moan.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Seokjin stopped immediately after he heard you. His genuine concern caused you to chuckle.

“I don’t think you’re capable of hurting me, sweet boy. Keep doing what you’re doing,” you say before going back for another kiss.

You reluctantly pull away from Jin’s sweet lips, gently placing wet kisses down his neck and along his chest. You kitten lick one of his nipples as you pinch and twist the other. Jin seemed to enjoy this as his breathing became uneven and he let out tiny moans.

You travel further down to position yourself between his thighs. His erection was obstructed by his underwear. You tug it off, allowing it to free itself. The length was impressive, and his girth was just as satisfying.

You slowly started pumping your hand along his shaft. As soon as you held him, Jin shuddered. You were amused by how sensitive he was. You gave his tip a few kitten licks as you hand was still slowly dragging along his cock. This caused Jin to shift underneath you, and his soft moans were getting louder. You stopped teasing him as you took his entire length in your mouth. Being a divine being gave you small perks such as not having a gag reflex. You sloppily bobbed your head up and down his cock, listening to his sweet groans of pleasure. Hands soon grip your hair, and now Jin was guiding your rhythm.

“Ahh ___... I think I’m gonna...my body feels weird,” Jin muttered between groans.

Without warning, Jin released his load into your mouth. You were surprised by the sudden outburst and pulled away too late. What didn’t land in your mouth splattered all over your chest.

“Huh. So angels can ejaculate. Wild,” you say, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, “You don’t taste half bad, angel. But you did get my lingerie messy,” you tsked.

“I think I’m starting to understand why humans enjoy this so much. Sorry about your clothes, I guess you have to take them off now,” Jin proposed.

“I suppose you’re right,” you chuckle. With a snap of your fingers, the lingerie magically vanishes.

“I wanna feel what you felt,” you whined.

“Do you want me to fuck you now?” Jin asked.

“What else would you do?” you teased.

“You could sit on my face and I can reciprocate the oral sex,” Jin offered.

His straightforward way of talking never ceased to amaze you. It was no surprise that he would talk this way even in the bedroom. You grinned as you positioned your thighs on each side of his head.

“You sure about this?” you ask.

“Sit on my face, ___,” Jin said impatiently.

You slowly lowered yourself onto Jin’s face. You carefully made sure you that the lips lined up. You rested your intimate part gently on Jin’s lips. You shuddered with delight as he licked a long gentle strip along your pussy. Jin began to explore you with his tongue.

“You’re still too far away,” he grunts as he places his hands on your hips and roughly pulls you closely to him.

His nose was buried in your pussy at this point. He darted his tongue in and out of you, causing you to gasp. He brought his hand around to play with a nub located above your opening. Somehow, he figured out that this little nub was extremely sensitive, as you nearly doubled over when he applied pressure on it. You could faintly hear a low chuckle under you as the pressure on your clit increased. Jin’s thumb ferociously played with your clit as his tongue flicked inside you. Your legs began to shake and your moans got louder and more drawn out.

“Jin! Fuck that feels amazing. Don’t stop. My body is starting to feel weird too,” you cry out.

Soon enough, a wave of euphoria coursed throughout your body as you released your juices all over his face. You fell beside him, chest heaving.

“How was that?” Jin asked, licking around his mouth, “You don’t taste too bad yourself, Mother of Murder.”

“You flatter me, angel. You didn’t correct me when I said Jin!” you observed, taking off his blindfold.

“I actually thought it was pleasant. Hearing you moan out my nickname like that spurred me on for some reason,” Jin sighed.

“Oh so you like when I moan out your name? You’re such a naughty angel,” you jokingly admonish, “We still haven’t gotten to the finale yet.”

“Do you want me to fuck you now?” Jin asked.

“Yes, my darling angel. I want you to fuck me now,” you say curtly, “How do you want to take my virginity?” you bat your eyes innocently at him, spreading your legs out.

“Like this would be fine. I think I’d enjoy seeing your face,” Jin leaned down for a passionate kiss, complete with tasteful tongue usage.  

Breaking the kiss, he aligned himself with your entrance. He gazed at you tenderly before you nodded at him, signaling for him to proceed. He slowly slipped inside, and you relished every inch of him. The new sensation of the stretch was a bit painful at first, but it soon was replaced with a foreign bliss. You let out a low moan when he finally bottomed out. Eyes fixated on each other, Jin wordlessly began to thrust in and out of you. The bliss was enjoyable, but you craved more. Jin was going too slowly for your taste (even though it was an impressive pace already by human standards).

“Faster. Harder. Fuck me harder, Jin,” you pleaded, biting your lip hard enough to draw blood.

Jin complied, now thrusting with more force at a faster rate. Jin was having a hard time controlling himself, as his grunts started to mix with your moans. You clawed at his back, leaving red streaks across it. Jin suddenly hoisted one of your legs over his shoulder, allowing him to plunge deeper. You let out a high pitched squeal at the sudden switch up. You began to feel a familiar tingle in your lower region.

“Jin, I’m close,” you panted.

“Me too, my darling demon. Let’s finish together, shall we?” Jin replied, sweat dripping from his brow.

It only took a couple more thrusts before you both reached your limits. You felt Jin’s hot cum fill you up as he let out a final groan. You could barely hear him over your own lewd cry as your orgasm hit you hard. As your juices mixed, Jin collapsed on top of you. You wrapped your arms around him and held him tenderly against your chest. You laid together in silence for a while with synchronized breathing before Jin broke the silence.

“Do you think I’ll fall from Grace now? I indulged in the sin of lust. I don’t think the guys upstairs will understand that it was for research purposes,” Jin sounded worried.

“Do you regret it?” you asked quietly.

“Oddly enough, no. It was fun. I’m just worried because I’ve been an angel since the beginning of time. I don’t know how I’ll be anything else,” Jin admitted.

“Have your superiors ever checked up on you since they plopped you onto Earth?”

“Only once, close to the beginning. I never realized that they never check up on me. Does this mean they won’t find out?” Jin’s voice started to pick up.

“I won’t tell your superiors if you don’t tell mine! Although, I don’t think mine would care that much,” you laugh, hugging Jin closer to you.

“Deal. Wow, I really just made a deal with a devil huh?” Jin laughed at his own joke. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes and kiss him on the forehead.

“You know...we don’t have to part ways just yet. Stay the night. Let’s snuggle together and pretend we’re humans in love,” you whisper to him.

“Sure, I’ll stay the night. You don’t have to be human to know what love is, you know?” Jin crept up to kiss you gently.

“Shut up, angel. No more mushy talk. Just cuddle me and so I can fall asleep faster,” you snapped.

You switch positions so that you could nuzzle yourself into Jin’s chest. You both fell asleep in each other’s embrace, in each other’s arms and wings. You’ve never felt more at peace than this moment, in which you and Jin were entangled in each other’s wings. Neither of you noticed it, but your wings got a little lighter that night. Neither of your noticed, but Jin’s wings got a little darker that night.

Published October 31, 2020. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2020 Baepsaesbae.

[queenmylovely]

At First Glance, Part II

Summary: Roger Taylor x fem!reader. Fundraising will raise funds, but will it raise your opinion of Roger? 

Word Count: 5.2k 

Warnings: cussing, weed use, drinking 

A/N: second part!! things escalate but also de-escalate and we get some good interactions with all of the boys. So far, we know it’s with Roger and starting as enemies, but what else did you guys vote for? As always, feedback is heavily appreciated 💖

Part I, Part III, Part IV, Masterlist

(this is the jacket from the rummage sale) 

☀️☀️☀️

Right away, there started fundraising efforts for the trip. While the final cost ultimately fell to the students, if you raised money together, there would be a discount for all. There were ten total students going: you, Chandice, Rosie, Roger, Carter, Ayesha, Mandela, Parker (who everyone called PK), Elijah, and Elise. During the first meeting outside of class for the trip, the ten of you signed up, including who you wanted to room with if applicable. Rooms were two apiece, and since you were friends with two other girls (Chandice and Rosie) in the class, you rock-paper-scissors-ed for who would have to room alone or be put up with someone else randomly. You lost, so you didn’t put a preference, figuring you’d most likely be placed with one of the girls you didn’t know as well.

After signing up, the group focused on what types of fundraisers to do. Eventually you came up with a car wash, bake sale, and rummage sale. Since it was September, the car wash was planned for five days later, Saturday afternoon when hopefully the weather would be okay. You were debating with Rosie and Chandice about whether it would be warm enough for swim suits when Professor Haus pulled you aside.

“So, I was just looking over all the sign-ups and it seems we have a question,” she was leading you over to Roger who was leaning back against the wall, arms crossed and looking at one of his hands. She stopped about ten feet away and your heart rate sped up, dreading any conflict that was about to arise.

Prof Haus was about to be your executioner, you could tell, and you watched her gesture to Roger as if in slow motion, “You two are the only ones to sign up without anyone else. That means you’ll each have to pay for a room on your own. Now, since we’re a co-ed university and this trip is elective, you two would be allowed to bunk together and save on money. This is completely up to the two of you, though, I want you both to be comfortable with any decision.”

You didn’t say anything for a few seconds, unable to process exactly what she had said to you and what it meant. When you took too long, she lightly grabbed your elbow and led you the rest of the way over to Roger.

“Go ahead and talk it over, you two. I’ll be at my desk once you’ve made a decision, and it does need to be today. If we wait longer the rates will go up,” Prof Haus smiled pleasantly as if she hadn’t just doomed you to the worst fate imaginable.

Once she walked away, Roger stood up straight, taking a step towards you. You stopped yourself from taking a step back.

“Listen, obviously this isn’t ideal. We both know that neither of us are happy about this situation. I mean, literally anyone else would’ve--” Roger saw the daggers you were shooting him. “Regardless, I’m willing to do it if you are. It’s just for sleeping really, and to be honest, money’s kinda tight at the moment with all the band stuff, so this would work.”

Bringing your hand to the bridge of your nose, you gave yourself a little massage to try to prevent a headache from the thought of sharing a room with Roger for a week. When you thought about it, it did make sense. You were also tight for funds; you were planning on living on ramen for a month just to afford the trip in the first place, and really couldn’t afford to pay for a room on your own, no matter how well the fundraisers went. Taking in the biggest breath you could, you blew it out through your mouth before looking at Roger.

“Okay, yeah, we can share a room. Let’s go tell Haus,” you started to turn but Roger grabbed your bicep.  

You glared at him and he let go, gesturing at you, “That. We need to address that. If we’re going to be sharing a room, I need to have reassurance that you won’t kill me in my sleep, and I’m sure you’d like the same.”

Roger cracked a smile at his joke, but you just saw it as another thing he wasn’t taking seriously. You kept your face impassive.

“Fine, we can have a truce during the trip.”

“Great,” Roger said, sticking his hand out for a shake with more enthusiasm than the situation warranted.

“I’ll shake day of.”

With that, you really did turn, walking over to Prof Haus without waiting for Roger. He was left there with his hand out, which he quickly dropped, a frown taking over his face at your attitude, until he reached the desk and adopted a pleasant look for the professor.

_____

Saturday you showed up at the largest parking lot on campus at noon, wearing your swimsuit underneath a light blue t-shirt and some jean cut-offs. You had a tote bag with a towel, snacks, your water bottle, and a dress in case you wanted to change after. Once you got to the rest of the group, you said hello and started chatting while you waited for the first cars to come through. Chandice and all of the boys had opted to wear the same as you, though some guys were wearing swim trunks. But Ayesha had worn a one piece with jean shorts while Rosie and Elise had worn their bikinis with jean shorts. You and Chandice commended them for their bravery considering it was only 70 degrees out.

Before long, there was a small line of cars waiting to be washed. The guys did most of the work while the girls handled the money and talked to the customers. It was a tad exploitative, but everyone was happy to let horny college guys pay a little extra for a decent car wash and a chat with a pretty girl, especially because the tips were to be added to the fundraising total.

Around 2:30, halfway through, a big black van pulled up and you ran to the passenger side window, recognizing who it was.

You knocked on it until it rolled down, saying with a smile, “Hey, come to get your car washed or just to see me?”

Deaky laughed brightly, “Both, of course.”

Brian was driving so you told him to pull into one of the spaces and then all get out.

Walking off to the side to let the guys get started washing, Freddie leaned over to you and half-whispered, “Looks like we’re losing Brian to the girls.”

“Oh no, Brian wouldn’t be interested in--” you turned to prove yourself right but saw instead that Brian was indeed being led away to the cash table by Elise. He seemed happy to follow wherever she wanted, nodding along to what she was saying with a slightly dazed smile.

Deaky interrupted your confusion,  “So how’s it going? Have there been a lot of people? Are you charging enough?”

“That’s Deaky for you, always worried about the finances,” Roger quipped and Deaky let out a sarcastic laugh. “So y/n, are you just shy or is it too cold for you?”

“Excuse me?” you asked off-handedly, reaching into your bag for your water bottle.

“Well the other girls are wearing swimsuits, so why aren’t you? I’m sure you’d look great in one.”

“Shut up, Roger,” you, Freddie, and Deaky said in unison.

“Hey y/n, can you come take a look at this?” Carter, one of the washers, called you over and you walked to him.

“Why are you like that, man?” Deaky asked in exasperation.

Roger frowned at him, “What do you mean?”

“Roger, dear, if you want her to like you, you should talk to her like a person,” Freddie said gently.

“I don’t want her to like me, fuck that. She’s the one that’s always rude to me anyway,” Roger huffed.  

“You were the one just complimenting her, although in a totally sleazy way,” Deaky pointed out.

“That’s not-- that was a joke--”

“WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!!”

Everyone’s heads snapped over just in time to catch Brad, some guy you knew from around campus but that wasn’t in your class, completely soaking you with a bucket of water he found on the ground.  

“What the fuck, Brad?!” you yelled in frustration, quickly realizing that everyone’s eyes were on you, and your now transparent t-shirt.

Without thinking twice, Roger looked down, saw your bag, grabbed your towel, and ran over to you, unfolding it and wrapping it around your shoulders.

Shocked, you whispered, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Roger returned just as quiet. Then he looked around until he found one of the coolers that had been filled with drinks but was empty now except for the icy water. He lifted it, carrying it over to where Brad was with his back turned, laughing with some friend at his “prank.” Roger dumped the ice water onto Brad, waiting until he turned around in shock to spit out, “Cool the fuck off.”

By that time, Freddie, Brian, and John had rushed over to you with your bag and were all fussing over what had happened like a trio of mother hens.

“Do you have something you can change into?” John asked, pragmatic.

“Yes, you’ll catch your death in these soaked clothes,” Brian worried.

“Oh dear, your outfit was so cute too,” Freddie lamented with a little pout.

You chuckled at their responses, pulling the towel tighter around you with one hand and reaching for your bag with the other, “Yes, I have something else I can wear. Now I just need somewhere to change.”

“You can use the back of the van, no one can see in because the windows are dark,” Brian offered.

You shot him a smile, “You’re a lifesaver.”

The four of you walked over to the van and you climbed in the back. You changed as quickly as you could, balling up your wet clothes in the towel and pulling the dress over your head. As you opened the back door and John gave you a hand down, you saw that Roger had joined the others in standing guard outside of the van.

Two hours later, the boys were still there as everything was being packed up. You had been chatting with Freddie and John (and Roger was there too) when you weren’t busy, and Brian had been talking to Elise almost the entire time, still with that dazed smile on his face. You really hadn’t expected him to be the kind to get dumbstruck by a hot girl, but there he was.

Once everything was packed up, you and Chandice counted up the money, figuring out that everyone would get $100 off the trip with just that one fundraiser. Everyone cheered and the pub was suggested for celebration, but you declined, wanting to get out of your swimsuit which was still damp and sticking to your skin.

You were saying goodbye to the boys when Brian came over, looking over his shoulder at Elise, “Elise and I are going for a drive, so I’m gonna need the van.”

“What and just leave us here?” John asked incredulously.

“Can’t you just go on a walk?” Freddie hoped.

Brian shot him a look, “C’mon guys.”

“Um, I can give you guys a ride if you need it,” you spoke up.

“Great, see you guys later,” Brian said, patting your shoulder before hurrying off to where Elise was waiting by the van.

You watched him go, a dumbfounded look on your face.

“What’s that look for? Didn’t think he’d make us take you up on your offer?” Freddie asked, elbowing you lightly in the side.

“No, I’m just surprised that he’s going off with this girl he hardly knows,” you admitted.

“He’s got a life outside of studying you know,” Freddie reasoned.

“Guess I just never really thought about it like that.”

Freddie hooked his arm to yours, “C’mon lovie, let’s get us home so you can go and change out of those wet clothes.”

_____

The bake sale was up next and the night before you had Deaky over to help you bake some things after he had offered to as long as he got to taste test and got a discount the next day. You were glad for the help because baking always seemed rather daunting and you figured John’s organized way of doing things would help.

 Everyone had decided on what they were bringing the week before at the car wash so there would be no overlap and plenty of time for planning. You were tasked with making two types of cookies, chocolate chip and sugar, because they were simple and other people would bring fewer but more complex and therefore pricier items.

As soon as he got there, Deaky made you get out the butter to soften and started measuring out the different ingredients so they would be ready as soon as you needed them. While the two of you did that, you started catching up a little.

“So the trip is to Italy, yeah?”

“Yeah, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence will be our main focus but there are other museums there that we can check out on our own since we’ll be there for a week. Plus it’s fucking Italy so it’s not like we’ll run out of things to do,” you said excitedly and John chuckled.

“You sound just like Roger, he’s really buzzing about this trip,” John told you.

Sighing quietly, you tried not to let the mention of Roger bother you, especially because you knew part of being friends with everyone in his band meant you had to deal with him coming up in conversation or in person pretty often, “Can’t blame him.”

John stared at you as you measured out the flour, pouring it into a medium bowl off to the side. He was studying your face and thinking about what you said, carefully considering his response before speaking, “Why… don’t you like him?”

This time the sigh was louder, “He just rubs me the wrong way. Always making stupid jokes and acting as if the whole world loves him just for existing.”

Deaky nodded slowly before rebutting, “I see your point. But as obnoxious and vain as he can be, Roger is actually one of the most well-informed, considerate, and loyal people I know. If he’s given the chance to be.”

You pursed your lips together, not sure what to say to that because you weren’t sure you could believe it. Not that you thought John would lie, but more like that was something reserved for a select few friends that Roger wouldn’t ever offer to you.

John broke the tension by leaning in, “But don’t ever tell him that because he’ll just be more cocky and insufferable than he already is.”

The two of you laughed and then moved onto other topics. Before 10:00pm John was leaving, all of the cookies made and up to his standards. You thanked him with a hug and a promise of a friends and family discount at the sale.

___

The bake sale went well; you guys sold out of all but a couple of the most expensive things and one chocolate chip cookie. It resulted in another $50 or so off the cost, adjusting for money spent on actually making everything. Done around 2:00pm, with the money counted and everything packed away, the group decided to go to a local pizza joint for some lunch. Well, everyone except Roger who had band practice. Let’s just say you weren’t sorry to see him go. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, and no one had to go anywhere, everyone ended up staying there for a few hours, just having a good time and goofing around.

Somewhere around 3:30pm, a group of guys walked in and you hardly noticed until you heard one of them call the cashier “darling.” Your head whipped to the side, seeing three of your favorite people on campus, and one other one who you knew. Jumping up, you called out to them and ran over, three smiling faces greeting you and one other one that also looked surprisingly happy.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, directing your question to Brian because both John and Freddie were still in the middle of paying.

“Well everyone talking about this place made me really want pizza so I told the guys and they agreed that we should get it after practice. Didn’t expect you’d all be here though,” Roger answered and you looked at him as he spoke.

“Oh, that makes sense,” you said, all of the enthusiasm washed out of your voice, but you were trying to be at least a little polite. Once the other two appeared, you gestured to them all, even Roger, “Wanna come sit with us? We’re mainly just hangin’ out now, but we’ll gladly watch you eat.”

They all laughed, even Roger, his gaze lingering on you for just a second longer than he meant it to, but you didn’t notice. You led them over to the table, introducing them as your knights in shining armor because of the car wash incident, which had been quite the topic of discussion at the meeting the previous Monday. Both you and Roger refused to think about the fact that of your knights, he was definitely the shiniest.

By 4:00pm, you were getting some looks from the kids on shift and decided it was time to leave. Carter and Mandela (who were roommates as well as classmates) invited everyone over for some recreation, but Rosie, Ayesha, PK, and Elijah had other plans for the night. They had invited the band boys as well, and since they had the van, you offered to go with them because the other car would be packed with the bake sale stuff and the others. Elise also offered to ride in the van, though her motivations seemed much more centered around a particular curly headed boy than yours had.

You ended up in the back with Freddie, Deaky, and Roger laughing about the overt and slightly awkward flirting that was going on in the front seat. It was a short drive thankfully; you were sitting on the tiny bench of the van surrounded by instruments that could’ve fallen on you at any time and were glad to get out of there.

This time, it was Roger who gave you a hand out of the van, and when you felt his warm hand against yours, you might’ve gotten stuck and stayed like that, except Freddie was right behind you demanding you help him down as well.

“I usually sit in the front with Brian and these platforms are not made for crawling out of the backs of vans,” he explained.

“There, you’re safely down now. Let’s head in,” you gestured to the other car where everyone had just gotten out and started walking towards an apartment building across the street.

In a few minutes, all nine of you (including the queen boys) were in the living room, trying not to bump into each other as you found places to sit because it was slightly too small for the number of people. It was all figured out when Elise offered to sit on Brian’s lap, and you and Chandice decided to sit on the rug by the coffee table.

Carter came from the kitchen with a tray of brownies, sporting a giant grin, “We’re right on time.”

You checked your watch, 4:20pm, and laughed to yourself.

“I thought we sold out of brownies?” Chandice said, confused.

“These aren’t the type of brownies you can sell at a bake sale,” Mandela told her.

She nodded in recognition, “Ohh.”

“Alright everyone, they’re pretty strong, so don’t take more than one square if you don’t wanna get fucked up and feel like you’re dying,” Carter warned everyone, grabbing a square for himself.

Chandice looked a little apprehensive so you offered, “Do you wanna split one with me? It’ll be enough to feel something but not go overboard.”

She nodded gratefully and you took a square, splitting it in half and letting her choose which she wanted. You ate slowly, trying to actually enjoy the brownie since you wouldn’t be having another one.

“What’s up, Roger, don’t you want one?” Mandela asked him, noticing he was the only one (aside from Brian who was the dd) that didn’t have one.

“Nah, I’m good,” Roger replied.

“What, you don’t think Carter knows how to bake a brownie?” you challenged through a mouth half full of brownie, everyone laughing at your accidental pun.

“Just don’t like how it makes me feel,” Roger shrugged, clearly annoyed that you were pushing the topic.

“Suit yourself,” you rolled your eyes, leaning back on your hands, brownie all gone.

“We have a couple beers in the fridge if you want, dude,” Mandela offered.

“Thanks, I’ll grab one,” Roger stood up from the couch, but before he left, John, with a mouth completely full of brownie, held up a finger and Roger nodded.

He came back with two cans of beer, and you frowned, wondering what the second one was for. Roger passed it to Deaky and then reached in his pocket for something. He pulled out a pocket knife and flipped it open.

“Wanna shotgun?” Roger asked and Deaky nodded, pulling out his own pocket knife.

You watched with fascination and horror as they both punctured the sides, tilted the cans up, and opened them, guzzling the beer faster than you could say acid reflux. It wasn’t the first time you had ever seen someone shotgun a beer, hell you had even done it once or twice, but to see John “Deaky” Deacon doing it was blowing your mind.

You crawled on your knees over to the chair where Brian and Elise were and tapped his arm until he looked away from her lips and towards you. Because he was sober you thought he’d be able to give you a good explanation, as long as he wasn’t too drunk off of Elise just yet.

“Is Deaky going to be okay?” you whispered, hoping you were actually quiet.

“What do you mean?” his face awash with confusion.

“He just scarfed down an entire brownie to himself and then immediately shotgunned a beer! Can he handle being crossed?” you asked, glancing over to the subject of your conversation, who seemed blissfully unaware as he chatted with Roger and Freddie.

Brian legitimately laughed, “Is this you being paranoid because you’re high?”

“What? No, I only had half a piece,” you frowned.

“y/n, Deaky has partied more than anyone else here, except Roger, not accounting for weed because Roger doesn’t like it. It would take an entire case of that fucking lite beer he’s drinking and the entire tray of brownies before I’d even start to be worried,” Brian told you, laughter still in his voice.

“Oh,” was all you had to say, and Brian turned his attention to Elise as you crawled back over to Chandice.

“What was that about?” she asked a little sleepily.

“Nothing, I was just worried about Deaky for a second, but Brian set me straight,” you explained. “I mean the man roller discoes, I just didn’t think he’d be the type of person to get crossfaded at 4:00pm.”

“Uh-huh,” Chandice mumbled.

You looked over at her, realizing she wasn’t paying attention to your rambling. She was laying on her back, looking up at the ceiling where Carter and Mandela had a tapestry that looked like a mandala.

Mandela has a mandala, you chuckled to yourself, joining Chandice on your back as you decided that staring at the ceiling was a much better use of your time.

_____

With the final fundraiser, a rummage sale, you hoped to get at least another $100 knocked off the price for everyone. That meant you were all Marie Kondo-ing the shit out of your closets, bookshelves, jewelry, shoes, and record collections. It was also suggested that you could all ask friends as well to see if they had anything they wanted to part with.

You had asked your two roommates, Mila and Cheyenne, and together they had filled one box, with the promise for a batch of chocolate chip cookies each because they had gone through the bake sale and said those were the best things there (that you’d actually be able to make for them). Thinking you could get more, you called up Brian and Deaky, asking them for things as well. It briefly crossed your mind that Roger could’ve beat you to it, but they didn’t say anything when you asked.

It was around 6:00pm on Friday evening when you showed up at Freddie’s flat, which you had learned at the end of the party all those weeks ago, was also Brian’s. You knocked and Freddie answered, saying hello with a big smile and hug.

He ushered you in, made you tea, and started asking about your day and telling you about his before he realized he didn’t know why you were there, “Wait, I didn’t invite you over, why are you here?”

“Way to make me feel welcome, Fred,” you laughed and he rolled his eyes. “I’m just here to pick up some clothes from Brian and then I’m heading over for the same at Deaky’s.”

At this, Freddie got up from his spot on the couch and walked into his bedroom, coming back in a second was a giant box full to the brim, “Clothes you say, what do you think about these?”

“Oh my gosh Freddie, that’s so much stuff!” you exclaimed, eyes wide as you rifled through the top few pieces, realizing that some of them were very high end and all of them were very beautiful.

“Now tell me why you asked Brian and Deaky, who are objectively more drab than I, for clothes but not me? Obviously Roger made up for it, but still, I require an explanation” Freddie asked with an arched brow.

You felt yourself shrink just a bit, “Well… I just thought that they’d be more likely to have things they’d be willing to part with. I guess I thought you’d not want to--”

“Not want to help out a friend and give away a few items of clothing? I don’t think I’m nearly as materialistic as you think, dear,” the last word was less affectionate and more pointed.

Your cheeks heated up with shame, “I’m sorry, Freddie. I guess I’m still just thinking about the guy I ran into in that boutique with an armful of clothes. But I know now that’s just one part of you, and that impression wasn’t even the full picture.”

“Thank you,” Freddie said, the warmth coming back to his tone. “I will admit that part of why I’m getting rid of this stuff is so I’ll have more room for new things, so you’re not completely wrong. You need to be careful with only letting one idea of someone exist in your head, though.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” you confessed with a frown.

But just then, Brian came bursting into the apartment, seeing you and apologizing for his tardiness. By the end of the night, you had a trunkful of clothes and other things ready to take to the sale for setting up in the morning.

___

The Italy Ten, as you had taken to calling yourselves, met at 9:00am the next morning. Everyone grumbled about being tired, but it was necessary to try to organize everything by the time it started at 11:00. The clothes were arranged by tops, bottoms, and full-length things which included dresses, overalls, and tracksuits. There was a bit of organization by size but since there were numbers as well as letters, it was too hard to do in just two hours when there was everything else to do as well.

By 11:00am, everything was ready; music was playing (managed by PK, the resident aspiring dj), the cash table/venmo station was ready (which would be run in shifts), and all the stuff was on the tables and racks. Chandice had even made regular brownies to keep at the sale table to tempt people as they paid for their things. You and she were on the first shift while Carter, Mandela, and Elise were in charge of attracting people walking by to come take a look, and Elijah was on duty to make sure things stayed mostly organized. Everyone else was on an hour break before all the positions would shift.

Two hours later, you were on your break and spent the first half running to the student union building with Chandice and getting food to go to eat on some tables in the quad next to the sale. Then you decided to take a look through everything, enticed by the thought of finding something new to you that wouldn’t be expensive.

You started with the music, picking out an Aretha Franklin record you couldn’t believe someone was selling. Then the jewelry where you found a cute necklace with a crescent moon pendant on it. Finally you came to the clothes. It was overwhelming, but considerably slimmed down since you started.

After a good 20 minutes searching, you got in line to pay, and you took the fact that you had to wait a full five minutes as a good sign. Roger and Ayesha were on cashier duty and Ayesha was thankfully free first. You showed her the price for the record and necklace, then held up the lettermen style jacket and silver embroidered top you had found.

“Aren’t these so cool?” you asked her excitedly and she laughed.

“You sure have an eclectic sense of style.”

“Well I obviously won’t be wearing them at the same time,” you rolled your eyes playfully. “I wonder whose they were.”

Next to Ayesha, Roger cleared his throat, “Um, they were both mine.”

“Yours? Not Freddie’s?” you clarified. You probably already knew the answer because if there was one thing you would silently admit to yourself is that Roger Taylor had a fucking good sense of style. But he didn’t need to know you thought that.

“What, you can’t believe I have the same taste as you?” Roger asked, defensive.

“Just asking, geez,” your voice was dripping with resentment.

Poor Ayesha had no idea what to do, especially because there was a line behind you.

Off to the side of the table, where they had been rifling through the box of records, John, Brian, and Freddie winced as the two of you nearly got into a shouting match.

“What the hell is going to happen on that trip?” John wondered, seeing the sparks flying between the two of you.

“They’re going to end up killing each other.”

“They’re going to end up fucking each other.”

Brian and Freddie looked at each other in confusion.

“Fuck each other?” Brian said in disbelief.

“Kill each other?” Freddie said doubtfully.

“Regardless, that truce is not going to work and I’m glad we aren’t going to be there two weeks from now when whatever shit that’s going to go down goes down,” John reasoned, and the other two nodded, watching the way the two of you glared at each other, now silent as you paid for your things and Roger rang someone else up. “Italy is not worth the headache.”

☀️☀️☀️

(and this is the embroidered jacket)

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