#there were a few instances where we had an apartment but it only ever lasted like. 2-6 months at a time | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

supernovafics · 3 months ago

Text

series masterlist | last part — next part

pairing: modern!college!steve harrington x fem!reader, bestfriend!eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 6.7k words

warnings: explicit language, lots of fluff, smut (18+), fingering, protected piv sex, a bit of praise kink, mentions of reader’s strained relationship with her parents, alcohol consumption (drunk!reader and drunk!steve moment)

summary: the semester comes to an end

a/n: this turned out so much longer than expected wow but last chapter! wooo!!! (simultaneously happy and sad woo) epilogue coming next week !!

CHAPTER NINETEEN | ❝𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖❞

Fall Semester 2017

“I’m gonna come over here all of the time.”

“When we actually get a couch, feel free to be our honorary fifth roommate anytime you want, Munson,” Robin said, which made you laugh as you also nodded in agreement.

It was the first night in the apartment and it definitely showed— there were boxes everywhere, lifeless walls, and nothing in the living room aside from said boxes and a TV (courtesy of Vickie’s mom) on the floor that you all were currently surrounding. Your bedroom was also nothing but a mess, and so was everyone else’s, which was the main reason why camping out in the living room for the night became the immediate consensus.

At first, you expected it to be a night of watching bad movies and ordering takeout, but Talia— now deemed as one of the coolest people you’d ever met— was adamant about making an actual meal for you all. She said something about how nice it would be to have a real meal on your first night, and who were all of you to deny an actual home-cooked meal?

Eddie came over right when you mentioned spaghetti to him over the phone. His own shared apartment was also in a state of disarray, but he was fine with setting unpacking to the side for the time being.

“Okay, the food’s done, but I’m so sad that I forgot to get garlic bread,” Talia said. “Next time, though.”

“I can’t believe you’re already thinking about next time. You’re way too good to us,” Vickie said and the rest of you hummed in agreement.

Talia only laughed in response as you all joined her in the kitchen to grab some food and then once again settled on the living room floor. Eddie left afterward, but promised not to “eat and run” next time; none of you were entirely sure if you actually believed him.

The rest of the night felt equivalent to the kinds of sleepovers you imagine you would’ve had if you had close enough friends when you were younger. There was a mass of blankets and pillows on the floor and you were watching probably one of the cheesiest romcoms to ever exist.

The four of you already felt like a little family. And perhaps it only already felt that way because you’d been craving a feeling like that for the past few years, maybe even for as long as you could remember. In your eyes, it was somehow so easy to immediately call the apartment your home.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Spring Semester 2018

Anyone else would’ve deemed it as horrible timing— it was the middle of finals and all that should’ve been on both of your minds was studying— but neither you nor Steve saw it that way. You two had been through worse timings, you figured.

It was hard for both of you to focus on what needed to be focused on, but you and him made it work. Mostly.

You could admit that there were probably too many moments where you were in the middle of working on an essay and you stopped to text him a random thought that came to mind, and then there were other moments where he was calling you when you knew that he was supposed to be studying for one of his many tests.

Even in this instance, it probably wasn’t the best idea to be at Steve’s apartment instead of in your own space, and yet here you were anyway— “writing” an essay that was due by midnight, the last one you had to do actually, as he “studied” for the last test he had that was tomorrow.

“Okay, we should really get serious,” You said when you pulled away from Steve, maneuvering off of his lap and settling back on your side of the couch.

“What? We were just taking a quick break.”

“Yeah, and five minutes turned into fifteen,” You responded, and then proceeded to say the words that you really didn’t want to say. “I think I should go.”

Steve frowned; it was probably the cutest thing you’d ever seen. “No. Stay.”

“We’re just gonna keep distracting each other.”

He considered your words for a second. There was no way that he could deny them; you two were inadvertently distracting each other and had been for the past hour that you’d been at his place.

“Okay, what if you stayed out here and worked on your essay, and I went to my room to study. We wouldn’t be able to distract each other then.”

It was endearing how adamant he was about you staying that you were nodding along to his suggestion instead of saying how kind of silly it was, like you were little kids that needed to be separated in school; but maybe that was actually a pretty accurate description of you two in this moment.

“Okay, yeah, that works,” You told him, biting back your amused smile.

“Okay,” He nodded and smiled, giving you a quick kiss before he stood up from the couch and gathered his stuff off of the coffee table. “See you in a few hours.”

You managed to finish your essay in what felt like record time, and you hadn’t even been trying to rush through it. You proofread it two times before you submitted it and it was only a little after eleven when you closed your laptop, placed it on the coffee table, and then headed over to Steve’s room to see how he was doing with studying.

“I’m done.”

You gave him a skeptical look because the timing seemed a little too perfect. “You sure?”

“Yup, you can even test me if you want,” He said, giving you a teasing smile.

You laughed a bit as you nodded and went to sit across from him on his bed, crossing your legs under yourself. He handed over his notebook and you spent the next fifteen minutes “testing” him and, much to your happy surprise, he knew everything.

“You are, in fact, ready for this final, Harrington,” You smiled at him. “I see an A+ in your future.”

“Thank you,” He said, smiling back as he reached out to pull you into his lap and the notebook became discarded to the side.

You rested your hands on his shoulders and his settled on your hips.

“I’ve missed you,” You told him before you thought about what you were saying, and then you were quickly shaking your head at yourself. “Sorry, I know that probably sounds so dumb to say because, before this, the last time we saw each other was only three days ago, and it’s not like we didn’t text and stuff… But, I don’t know—”

He cut off your rambling with a quick kiss. “It’s not dumb. I’ve missed you too. I’m so glad finals are gonna be over tomorrow.”

“Me too,” You said and then thought about something. “Well, I’m technically already done with everything, but you’re gonna ace your test tomorrow. What time is it at?”

“One.”

You nodded at that and then looked over at the digital clock on his nightstand and took note of the time; it was only a few minutes past eleven-thirty right then.

“Okay, good, so you don’t have to kick me out yet?”

He immediately shook his head at your question. “I’d never kick you out. Even if the test was at eight in the morning.”

There was a playful tilt to his words, but you could also hear how true they were, which warmed something inside of you. You kissed him instead of saying anything else in response.

Your hands settled in the hair at the nape of his neck as you pushed yourself closer to him, getting rid of the little bit of space between you two.

It wasn’t the first time you two had been in this position— you in his lap or just simply being this close to one another. However, this was the first time that it finally felt right to do more, and you suddenly really wanted to do more.

Other times, you and him had been at your place and things were noisy and it felt as if you two could be interrupted at any given moment, so you always slowed things down instead of pushing them forward. This time, though, you didn’t want to keep things slow or ease away from him. There was no need to— no potential interruption a few feet away, or random noises that carried through thin walls.

You had never cherished the quiet as much as you did in this moment in Steve’s bedroom.

Slowly, you moved yourself against him, searching for any sort of friction, and the soft groan you received from him in response made you smile and do it again and again. You could feel him growing hard beneath you with every teasing stir, straining against his sweatpants.

“Shit,” Steve’s hands immediately went to your hips again and gave them a quick squeeze as you continued your slow movements.

“Is that okay?” You had a feeling that you knew what his answer was going to be, but you still asked it anyway and tried to sound as innocent and normal as ever.

He let out a contented sound. “Much more than just okay.”

“Good,” You responded and then leaned into his ear as you softly said your next words. “I want you, Steve.”

He gave your hips another squeeze. “Yeah?”

He was sort of guiding you at this point, controlling your movements; making you move a little quicker and then slowing you down again. It was subtle but so fucking hot and you could feel your arousal pooling in your underwear. You desperately wanted to slip out of the simple pair of leggings you were wearing so that there could be one less layer between you two.

“Mhm, yeah,” You answered his one-word barely heard question and then pulled back to meet his eyes. “Please.”

Steve didn’t need to be told twice.

He shifted things with ease— switching positions so that you were pressed back into the bed and he was settled between your now parted legs.

His fingers teased the hem of the t-shirt you were wearing, and you expected him to push it up and off of you, but he instead slipped beneath your shirt and found the waistband of your leggings so that he could pull them off of you.

The cool air hitting your now bare legs sent a chill through your body and your eyes slipped shut for a moment. When they opened again, you expected to immediately meet Steve’s eyes, but he was instead focused solely on the wet spot on your underwear.

“You’re soaked, aren’t you?” He asked as he started stroking your inner thigh, another action that sent something equivalent to a chill through your entire body.

You nodded shyly, closing your eyes again. “Yeah…”

You felt his hands find the bottom of your t-shirt again and that time he guided it off of you, leaving you in just your black bra. He leaned down to kiss you; it was slow and sweet like you two had all of the time in the world and it genuinely felt that way. “What do you want?”

“Mmm,” It was hard to answer when your brain could barely form any coherent sentences. You could feel his hand traveling upward, getting closer and closer to where you needed him to be, but it was too hard to verbalize that right then. “Fuck…”

“Go on, pretty girl, use your words,” Steve said, and the sweet term of endearment made your heart flutter wildly in your chest.

His middle finger ghosted over your clit through your soaked underwear and your hips bucked upward, but he pulled his hand away before you could feel anything and you suddenly felt so close to crying. “Fingers— Your fingers, Steve. Please.”

“Mhm,” He hummed softly and your eyes were shut but you could tell he was smirking. You were close to playfully calling him an asshole for all of his teasing but your brain was still practically running on autopilot, and then he was speaking again, anyway. “Anything for you.”

Your underwear was pulled off of you in one slow movement and you whimpered when you felt Steve’s middle finger trace through your soaked folds, gathering your slick and leisurely circling your clit. His other hand came up to firmly squeeze one of your breasts through the thin material of your bra that was the last piece of clothing left on your body.

“Take this off for me, honey,” He told you and you listened almost embarrassingly fast; bra gone and tossed somewhere on his floor in a matter of seconds.

“Good,” His finger continued teasing your clit, and the thumb of his free hand moved to rub your now exposed nipple. “Good girl.”

You barely had time to process the soft praise and what exactly it did to you before two of his fingers finally entered you and you sucked in the sharpest breath, all thoughts suddenly gone again.

“Steve…” Was all you could manage to say in the quietest voice as your eyes slipped shut and you focused on the feel of his fingers inside of you, somehow quickly finding and hitting the most perfect spots.

“You look so good like this,” Steve whispered, fingers slowly picking up speed and making you softly whine at every movement. “Spread out for me and squeezing my fingers so tight. Fuck.”

A part of you wanted to say something back— match his words and tell him how fucking perfect all of this was, how perfect he was— but your brain was effectively mush and all you could do was moan and whimper and mewl in response to him. Lucky for you, that all sounded like music to his ears.

He added another finger and his thumb found your clit, which made your body jerk harshly off of the bed.

“Steve, fuck. Right… Right there, yeah.”

The rough strokes against your clit pushed you so close to the edge, you could feel the pressure starting to build in your lower stomach. You turned your head, burying your face into his pillow and trying your hardest to hold back the scream you wanted to let out.

“Shit,” He said. “You gonna come, honey?”

You quickly nodded. “Yes, yeah.”

“Go ahead,” He told you, voice low. “Come for me.”

Your eyes opened and you met his gaze as you did. He looked completely enamored by you, which only made your orgasm hit you a thousand times harder. You could feel your heartbeat pounding in your ears as Steve continued fingering you through your orgasm, trying to prolong it for as long as possible. He withdrew his fingers when he could tell that the overstimulation was becoming too much for you.

“You’re so good for me,” He said, leaning down to kiss your cheek. “That was so fast.”

Finally, your brain was able to form coherent sentences. “You’re so cocky.”

Steve let out the softest laugh. “Mm, but you love it.”

He was a thousand percent right, but you still shook your head. “Hate it, actually.”

“Doesn’t feel that way,” He said as he pressed the most featherlight touch against your sensitive clit and all you could do was softly whine at the feeling.

He was smiling as he lay down next to you and pulled you close to him, the side of your head pressing against his chest and one leg tangling with his. It was quiet as your breathing continued to return back to normal and your mind became clearer. After the briefest moment, your hand moved to dip beneath his sweatpants and boxers.

Steve let out a low groan when your hand found his hard cock before he softly said, “We don’t have to.”

“I want to,” You told him and then moved so that you were straddling his lap again. Your arousal was practically dripping down your thighs and making the hottest mess against his sweatpants. “I need you inside of me.”

“Fuck,” His eyes slipped shut for a brief second as if imagining what was about to happen. “You sure?”

“Very sure. Really sure. Super sure,” You answered, smiling at him.

Your hands went to grab at the ends of his t-shirt, pushing it upward, and he got the hint and quickly pulled it off. You then lifted your hips so that he could push down his sweatpants and boxers, and when his cock sprang free you let out a soft sound that slightly resembled a gasp. Your hand seemed to take on a mind of its own as it reached out to wrap around his hard length again and your thumb brushed against the tip.

He let out a strangled noise. “Shit, shit.”

“Is this good?” You asked softly as you slowly started moving your hand.

“So good. So fucking good.”

It was nice seeing him become a mess due to your teasing like you’d been because of him a few minutes ago.

After barely a minute, he placed a hand on your wrist to stop your movements. You were about to ask him what was wrong, but then he was leaning over to his nightstand and rummaging through the top drawer to pull out a condom. You quickly grabbed it from him and did all of the work of slipping it on his cock, which he immediately thought was the hottest thing he’d ever seen and he was close to cumming right then and there, but he somehow managed to hold back.

He so badly wanted to let his eyes fall shut as you slowly lowered onto him, but he kept his gaze on you and he promptly decided that that was probably one of the best decisions he ever made. There was nothing else that felt more like heaven to him than watching you throw your head back and let out the loudest moan as you took him inside of you completely.

“Fuck, you’re taking me so well,” Steve groaned, still not taking his eyes off of you, and you could only nod in response.

You didn’t move for a few moments. Instead, you savored and got used to the feeling of being so full of him. When you did finally start moving, lifting yourself ever so slightly and then sinking right back down onto Seve’s length, you let out a string of curses that morphed into soft moans.

Your hands became lost in his hair at some point and he had a near-bruising grip on your hips as he guided your movements, helping you ride him.

He flipped you two over when he couldn’t take it anymore, hand finding your hip as he pushed deep inside of you.

“Fuck, Steve!”

The thrusts were rough and quick but surprisingly didn’t feel as such.

“You feel so good,” He told you. “You’re so fucking perfect for me.”

You could feel yourself clenching around him when he said his words and he squeezed his eyes shut for a second.

“You gonna come?” You mumbled, brain barely about to form a coherent sentence, but Steve nodded wildly.

“Yeah. Yeah, honey, so close.”

You mewled. “Mm, me too.”

Upon hearing that, he let one of his hands slip between your bodies to find your clit. He started circling the sensitive nub, bringing you closer and closer to that edge with him. You clenched around his cock again and your back arched off the bed, hard nipples brushing against his chest.

You came when his lips abruptly found yours in the messiest kiss; it was a mix of tongues and teeth that was perfect and pushed you over the cliff. You cried out his name again and again and again as your orgasm abruptly hit you, it almost sounded as if you were saying some sort of prayer. Steve followed suit moments after, spilling into the condom with a loud groan after a particularly hard thrust.

Your heart pounded wildly in your chest and it barely felt like it was slowing down, but eventually it did. Steve’s weight crushed you in the most soothing way possible and he buried his face in your neck, placing soft kisses against the skin.

You had no idea what time it was and you felt too exhausted to turn your head and look at his nightstand.

“Do you have to kick me out now?” You asked, mostly joking with your question.

Steve pulled away from your neck then, eyes meeting yours. “You’re staying the night.”

You were too tired to play into your joke further so you nodded your head at his words and simply tilted your head up to kiss him instead. You two fell asleep just like that for the time being, exhausted bodies and tangled limbs.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

You smiled when Steve opened the door and you fought the urge to greet him with a hug and kiss like you normally did because in this instance you were holding something behind your back. “Hi.”

“Hi,” He smiled back before giving you a curious look when he noticed that you were hiding something. “What do you got there?”

“A surprise,” You answered as you stepped inside his apartment. “A very important surprise, actually.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” You nodded and he looked at you expectantly but you let a silence linger for a few beats to make things more dramatic. After what felt like way too long of a pause, you showed him what you were holding, which at first didn’t look like anything special since all he saw was a gray plastic bag, but then you pulled out the package inside. “They’re curtains for your living room!”

Steve smiled at you immediately and you could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh. “Finally.”

“Do I get the ‘best girlfriend ever’ award now?”

He couldn’t help but laugh a little then as he reached out to pull you into his arms and then he pressed a kiss against the top of your head. “Yes, a thousand percent.”

“And they’re black too so they’ll block out the sun perfectly in the morning,” You told him as you returned the embrace for a brief second and then pulled back. “Come on, let’s put them up now.”

It took an hour to put the curtains up— the directions were a lot more confusing and meticulous than expected— but once it was done they looked great.

“Now we can fall asleep out here whenever we want,” You said when you and Steve were settled on his couch.

His hand mindlessly stroked one of your legs that were resting in his lap. “I think I’d much rather be in my bed with you.”

You looked at him, a teasing smile on your lips. “We haven’t had sex on the couch yet, though, and now it’s a possibility because we don’t have to worry about the people across the street looking in.”

“That’s a great idea,” Steve said, smiling back as his hand moved up to slip beneath your shirt and rest on your waist.

You were slightly tempted to lean into his touch, but you shook your head instead.

“Wait, no, let’s save that for later. We have other important things to do right now,” You said, and when he gave you a confused look, you leaned over to lightly poke his side. “You said you were gonna show me your favorite movie. That was the reason why I came over. Aside from gifting you your curtains, of course.”

“Oh, yeah,” He nodded as he leaned over to grab the TV remote off of the coffee table. “I haven’t seen this movie in a long time, probably since I was a kid, but for some reason it was the first thing that came to mind when I was thinking about movies I really like.”

Seconds later, he was pulling up Big Fat Liar, which you didn’t at all expect, but it was the best surprise. The smallest part of you had thought that he was going to out himself as a film bro and force you to watch some Martin Scorcese movie with him. This outcome was a thousand times better.

“I love this movie,” You told him, smiling. You also hadn’t seen it in forever, but in your eyes, it was still a classic. “It was one of the three that would play on repeat in my house when I was a kid; the other ones were Mulan and the second Spy Kids movie. At one point, my parents hid the DVDs away from me since I played them so much. I did manage to find them, though.”

Steve gave you an amused smile. “Now I’m imagining a five-year-old you ruining your entire house to find the movies.”

You let out a laugh. “Whatever image you’re coming up with is probably very accurate.”

“Hey, since we’re on the parent topic, I feel like I need to talk to yours.”

You immediately laughed again, assuming he was joking, but when he didn’t join in on your laughter or give you a playful smile, you stopped. “Oh, you’re being serious.”

“As your real boyfriend this time around, I think I should probably meet your parents before we go to a different country again,” He said, playfully smiling at you, but you were certain that he was actually being serious. If it weren’t for his abrupt mention of your parents, you would’ve happily smiled at him bringing up your and his plans for the summer; plans that actually managed to come together pretty fast.

The day that Steve finished his last final, he came over to your place and you two spent hours upon hours figuring out your plans for the summer; the places you both wanted to go, specific things to do and spots to eat in said places, where to spend the most time and where to spend the least, etc. All of the research was exhausting— you had ended up falling asleep around three in the morning with your head on Steve’s shoulder and your computer opened up in your lap— but it was the good kind of exhausting if that was even possible. The entire thing was impulsive and abrupt, two factors that could’ve easily made the whole thing be deemed as a bad idea, but you truly felt like it wouldn’t be.

You were quiet for a few moments, processing Steve’s previous words, and then you gave him a quick nod. “Okay, yeah, um, sure.”

He was easily able to pick up that something was at least a little wrong. “Yeah?”

“Yup,” You nodded again, looking away from him then and focusing on the TV. You were about to shift the conversation back to talking about the movie, but he started talking before you could.

“If you don’t want them to meet me yet, that’s okay.”

“No, no, you’re right. It would make sense if you met them. Like, if we did a quick phone call or whatever,” You said and then let out a sigh. You got quiet again and tried to figure out the best way to say what you really didn’t want to; talking about your parents was a hard feat. You had barely gotten to the point where you felt like you could easily do it with Eddie or Robin or anyone else.

Your eyes were still on the TV when you spoke again and decided to be entirely honest with Steve. “It’s just… It’s really hard talking to them sometimes. Like, talking about myself with them. Life stuff. It always feels like they won’t care.”

Steve’s hand found yours, intertwining them and giving a light squeeze. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“You’d be surprised,” You told him and then finally met his eyes again. There was a soft look on his face that you wanted to get rid of, so you quickly tried to make things lighthearted and a lot less serious and sad. “You don’t need to talk to them. The only parental approval you need is from Robin, which you have, so everything’s fine.”

Steve nodded and didn’t push you further on everything, even though you could tell he kind of wanted to. Weird and strained parent relationships weren’t foreign to him, but you could tell that he was wondering if it really was only just about that. It was a thought that you quickly wanted to shut down.

“And I promise this really isn’t about you. It’s completely about them. If I had actual good parents, I would love to tell them about you and how much I adore you, and how I can’t wait to spend the summer with you. And I’d probably go into an annoyingly deep amount of detail about what all of our plans are,” You rambled and the smile he gave you warmed your heart. “But, I don’t have good parents, so we don’t need to worry about telling them anything.”

“So, if they randomly call when we’re in London, that’s when you’ll break the news?” His question was playful and lighthearted and just what you wanted to hear right then.

“Yes, exactly, that sounds like perfect timing,” You answered, laughing a little. “Y’know this whole parent conversation is making me realize that your parents are probably gonna hate when you tell them that we’re together, or I guess, “back” together. Your mom really didn’t like me.”

It was a weird set of circumstances that you weren’t entirely sure how it would be solved. Even before Steve told them that you two had broken up because you “cheated,” you could tell that his mom wasn’t at all a fan of you and wanted Steve to be with anyone else. Probably a girl handpicked from a specific list.

“Remember when you told me that it’s my life, and I should do what I want because I have to live it?” He asked, and you nodded, the smallest smile on your face.

“I’m what you want?” It was a question that you were certain of the answer to, but you still had the urge to ask it.

Steve nodded as he pulled your intertwined hands up so that he could press a quick kiss to the back of yours. “Always. You just got the ‘best girlfriend ever’ award, remember?”

You smiled wider as you nodded back. “Ah yes, you can never break up with me, no matter what your parents say, because of the curtains.”

“Exactly.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

The party had been an idea since mid-March. Robin randomly suggested it to you and Vickie one night— “How fucking cool would it be if we threw a graduation party for Talia?”— and you both immediately agreed.

And now, a month and a half later, here it was. Over thirty people were crammed into your guys’ apartment, but everyone was having fun— especially Talia, which was all that really mattered— so it made the mess that you’d all have to clean up in the morning worth it.

It was pretty safe to say that you were drunk. It was actually a statement that could’ve been said just an hour into the party, but it was even more certain now as the second hour moved into the third.

You currently lingered by Eddie who, right at the start of the party, had appointed himself as the one in charge of the music, which didn’t surprise any of you. He was sitting with your laptop that was connected to the speakers set up in the living room. Every few minutes you jokingly suggested songs for him to play and he kept playfully shooing you away and vetoed all of your suggestions. When he actually did play the Pitbull song you requested, you laughed for what felt like five minutes straight.

Eddie shook his head at you, but there was a smile on his face, like he wanted to laugh at your current antics. “You’re so drunk right now.”

You had enough self-awareness to know that you couldn’t argue with his words, so you simply stuck your tongue out at him instead.

He couldn’t hold back his laugh that time. “And that confirms it.”

You started walking away then and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up when he told you to “Stay safe!” as you wandered off. You headed into the kitchen for no particular reason— a part of you wanted another drink, but you could also recognize how bad of an idea that would be. You considered grabbing some food; a room-temperature slice of pizza didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world right then.

A pair of hands abruptly grabbing your waist made you jump and yelp. The touch didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar, though, so when you turned and saw Steve in front of you, you were quick to smile at him even though your heart was still racing.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d seen him tonight, and you also couldn’t remember how exactly you two had gotten split up in the first place.

“Sorry for scaring you.”

That was suddenly the last thing on your drunken mind.

“Hi,” You said, practically jumping into his arms. “Where’ve you been?”

He laughed a bit at your enthusiasm. “Talking to Robin. She was rambling about this one summer class that she signed up for, and then she roped me into playing a drinking game version of Uno with her and a couple of her music major friends.”

“Oh, that makes sense. That’s one of her favorite things to do at a party. It gets very intense so I always stay away,” You said, and then noticed his flushed cheeks and lazy smile which made you laugh a little. “How much were you forced to drink during the game?”

“A lot,” He admitted and then proceeded to give you the most exaggerated sad look that you’d probably ever seen. “Turns out I kinda suck at Uno.”

You let out a soft “Aw” and leaned in to kiss his cheek, playing into how “sad” he was. “You should’ve let me warn you how good Robin is at that game. That’s why we never play it at game night anymore.”

Steve’s hands settled on your waist and he pulled you close. You so badly wanted to kiss him at that moment, and there was so much going on around you both right then that you were certain that nobody would’ve paid attention to the two of you making out in the kitchen.

Instead of doing that though, you pulled away from him abruptly. Your hand found his and you started pulling him out of the kitchen.

“Where are we going?” He asked, and you weren’t looking at him, but you could hear the amused smile in his voice.

“I need to show you something in my room,” You answered and then took a quick glance at him. “It’s super important.”

When the door was closed behind you two, you looked at Steve and he gave you a certain look.

“What did you wanna show me?”

“Hmm, weirdly enough, I completely forgot,” You gave him a quick shrug and a small smile before getting closer to him and circling your arms around his torso.

“Oh my god, did you bring me in here to seduce me?” He asked, returning the embrace immediately, and the playfulness in his tone made you let out the softest laugh.

“Maybe a teeny tiny little bit.”

“That’s very cute.”

You lifted your head from his chest and finally kissed him. It felt like it had been years since the last time you’d kissed him and it was definitely your inebriation making you so hyperbolic and over-dramatic because the actual last time was definitely just a few hours ago, but you still savored the feeling of his lips on yours.

Steve’s hand found your cheek and he deepened the kiss immediately. You inwardly sighed in contentment and your hands fisted themselves in the shirt he was wearing and pulled him impossibly closer to you.

It was when he started guiding you back toward your bed that the tiniest bit of logical thinking suddenly sunk in and you broke the heated kiss. “Wait, shit, anyone could walk in.”

Steve considered your words for a moment and then walked over to your door to lock it. “Problem solved.”

The door being locked didn’t change the fact that you could still be interrupted by any sort of harsh knock against it, but who were you to deny his logic in this moment and the stupidly happy smile on his face?

You let out a breath of a laugh as you nodded in agreement. “Problem solved.”

It was a blur of movements that led you two to laying on your bed— Steve on top of you and settled perfectly between your legs. Your skirt had ridden up into oblivion and his jeans-covered hard-on was rubbing against you in the best way possible.

“I can’t wait to spend the summer with you,” You mumbled at one point. Steve’s mouth had moved from your lips to your jaw and then down to your neck.

“Just the summer?” He mumbled against your skin. “You planning to get rid of me after that?”

You mock gasped. “Oh no, you caught me.”

He nipped harshly at your neck, which made you giggle.

One of your hands came up to find his face, pulling him away from your neck so you could meet his eyes in the darkness. “I can’t wait to spend the summer with you, and also many, many days and years after that.”

“Mm, that’s what I like to hear.”

You two were very drunk and it was obvious that most of your words were exaggerated, but your previous statement didn’t entirely feel that way.

Steve’s lips found yours again and you let out a happy hum in response. His hand moved higher and higher on your thigh which made you moan softly, and you felt so tempted to grab his hand and guide it right where you needed it to be.

Before you could do any of that or even contemplate it further, there was a loud knock on your door and then you heard Robin’s voice. “Are you two in there?”

“No!” You yelled out loud enough for her to hear. “Nobody’s in here.”

“We’re about to do the cake, so your presence out here is very importantly needed!”

The smallest part of you wanted to say no and resume what you were doing with Steve, but you couldn’t.

Your eyes met Steve’s for a second before you shut them. “Okay, we’re coming!”

“Thank you!”

Steve pressed a quick peck against your lips and then rolled off of you. “We’ll pick this up later.”

You followed suit and stood up from your bed, readjusting your skirt in the process. “I can’t promise I won’t pass out before then.”

“In that case, I’ll make sure to carry you back here and tuck you into bed,” He said with a smile as he circled an arm around you.

You sighed dreamily and leaned into his touch. “Ugh, you’re too good to me.”

He laughed a bit and then pressed a kiss to the side of your head. “You’re also way too good to me. Remember last night at the arcade? You actually let me beat you at air hockey.”

You quickly shook your head. “Shh, you weren’t supposed to know that.”

“I’m sorry, but you made it very obvious,” He said, laughing again, and that time you couldn’t help but laugh too.

You got the sudden urge to pull him back into your bed. Not even to do anything that would lead to both of your clothes coming off in the process, but to just simply talk to him. About nothing and everything until you fell asleep and woke up with what you assumed would be the worst headache. It had only been a few weeks, but you had quickly gotten to the point where you wanted to tell everything to Steve; every one of your random thoughts or whatever else was on your mind. And you always did, and he did the same.

Of course, you knew that you couldn’t do that right in this moment because another knock from Robin was inevitable. So you instead laced Steve’s hand with yours and led you both back into the noise of the party.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

next part!

taglist (lmk if you want to be added or taken off<333); @eddiernunson , @loulouloueh , @the-aster , @blckburd , @totally-bogus-timelady , @yujyujj , @irhdifartzamfyaa , @mochminnie , @munsonssweets , @blckbrrybasket , @xprloki , @definitionwanderlust , @dwcode , @sun-fiower-seed , @keerysfolklore , @damon-loves-pie , @lodeddiperrodrick , @bisexual-and-intellectual , @munsonburn3r , @negomi123 , @khena , @facexthexsunshine , @seatbacksandtraytables , @suckerfordylansstuff , @lilacccs , @thehairington86 , @welcometohellsock , @dreamerjj , @newyorkangelbaby

(if your user is crossed out it means i can’t tag you</3)

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #eddie munson x reader #bestfriend!eddie munson #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #stranger things imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington series #steve harrington fanfiction #stranger things series #stranger things fic

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hello-kuni · 1 year ago

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𝐵𝐸 𝑀𝑌 𝑂𝑁𝐶𝐸 𝐼𝑁 𝐴 𝐿𝐼𝐹𝐸𝑇𝐼𝑀𝐸 - diluc ragnvindr

body worship : masterlist

syn : after many set backs on your journey, you had no choice but to stay the night at a small inn. that cramped space did no favors for years of infatuation. how long can he last before he shows you his long kept secret?

length : 3.1k

warnings : 18+ minors do not interact, princess!reader, knight!diluc, some angst (i'm so sorry it wrote itself i swear), virgin reader (and virgin diluc but he won't tell you that until years later), body worship but it's kinda subtle? unintentionally, pussy eating, raw sex, breast play, one minor instance of power imbalance

notes : this turned out kinda soft instead of kinky, but that's okay but it'll get worse this month

as the moon rose higher and the sun sank lower, diluc made the decision to stop at the nearest inn. if it had just been him it wouldn’t have been an issue to press on the rest of the way. but with you in his care, he couldn’t bear to risk your safety.

however, so far from the capital, the cities grew further and further apart. a suitable inn would be like finding an oasis in a desert. and he was right. the inn was tiny enough to barely qualify. it would have to make do. you didn’t much mind it, though. not when you were finally outside the stuffy palace walls. not when you got to be alone with diluc.

the two of you grew up together. always at each other's side. but lately, it felt like you saw less of him with each passing day. he was supposed to be your personal guard but there was always someone new each week. part of you felt that he was avoiding you. every time that thought crossed your mind it rose such hideous emotions you fought hard to keep at bay. when it was announced you were to pay a visit to a duke in the north on official business, you jumped at the opportunity to appoint him as the head of your detail.

diluc did not oppose, but he also said nothing.

outside the inn, diluc ordered the other guards to stay outside, where they would camp for the night. the innkeeper apologized profusely about the lack of space and made up for it with a hefty amount of food. despite your protests. it wasn’t his fault such a large party ended up there.

with your one suitcase in hand, you headed into the small room with diluc in tow. he was grumbling about something you chose not to hear.

“it’s cute,” you said of the room as you set the suitcase on the floor.

“it’s small,” he remarked, though not with derision.

“well, we can’t expect much so far between cities.” you turned around and sighed. he’d already disappeared into the bathroom. the sound of running water met your ears. when he emerged a few minutes later, you asked, “is something bothering you? you’ve been short with me all day.”

“it’s been a long day, your highness,” he sighed. he never addressed you like that. you knew not to press an issue when he got like that, so you let it go. “you should bathe now before the water goes cold.”

that final statement left you no room to argue. funny how a knight could make you feel so small. with a huff, you grabbed your clothes and went into the bathroom. it was the least relaxing bath you’d ever had. this trip up north was supposed to mend the broken bridge between the two of you. but he just kept widening the distance.

you tried--and failed--to scrub away the frustration. for years something bloomed in your chest every time you looked at him. when you caught a glimpse of his smile, the concentrated look when he was on the training grounds, or the softness of his features as he napped in the garden when only you were around. he was stern and often cold to others, even when he acted in good faith. but he was vulnerable when it was just the two of you. as were you. how many nights had either of you spent consoling the other? how many traded tears did you keep bottled in your hearts?

despite your title, you dared to dream of a life where you got to be with him. happily. forever.

with a heavy heart, you dragged yourself out of the shallow tub. with the hem of the silk nightgown brushing your calves, you walked back into the room only to find diluc sitting against the wall opposite the bed. he cracked his eyes open only wide enough to peer at you before closing them again.

nothing was said as you climbed into bed. you stared at the dark ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

“you don’t really plan to sleep down there, do you?” you asked. “there’s plenty of room on the bed.”

that wasn’t true. the bed would barely be able to fit him and you side by side. but you couldn’t bear the suffocating weight that hung in the air.

“it would be inappropriate if i did, your highness.”

there it was again: that formal title. you sat up. before you knew what you were doing, you crawled to the end of the bed. all the bottled up the emotions poured out. you bit your bottom lip to keep the welling tears from falling over. your voice sounded strained as you spoke. “what did i do to drive you away?”

diluc’s head snapped forward. even in the dark, his red hair still glowed like a beacon leading you home. feeling like this, lost and confused, all you wanted was his warm embrace. the same as all those other nights. the idea of never having that again filled you with such sorrow.

“what are you talking about?”

a sob broke free. “you used to always be at my side, but now i’m always lonely. for you to put such a distance between us, i must have done something. tell me what it is. i’ll fix it.”

you had crawled off the bed and towards him. it took everything in you not to reach out to him.

he took a slow, shaky breath. he took your hands in his, the grip loose but steady unlike his voice as he spoke. “i knew that if i didn’t distance myself from you, i wouldn’t be able to keep my feelings at bay.”

“your feelings?”

“i love you in a way i’m not allowed to.”

“diluc, i--”

“don’t,” he cut you off, turning his face away. “you don’t understand how i feel about you, or for how long. if i told you all the things i want to do to you, you would have me thrown in the dungeons. please, princess, just let me be.”

he let go of your hands, simultaneously pushing you away.

you couldn’t let this be the end. not when he was so close. finally so close after so long. you leaned forward, planting your hands on either side of his face and forcing him to look at you. pain twisted his features. longing filled his eyes. and something much more intense lay beneath it all. there were no words you could find to perfectly express yourself, so you settled for gently pressing your lips against his own.

diluc stiffened under your touch. but he didn’t pull away. he couldn’t bring himself to do so. the kiss he’d always dreamed of finally happened, and he could do nothing about it. only knowing that he wanted more.

as the initial shock wore off, diluc’s body relaxed and he pulled you in for another kiss. this time laced with years worth of desire. he pushed you back, lip-locked, and you had barely the mind to put your hands back and catch yourself.

when he finally pulled away, air rushed back into your lungs. he huffed as he searched your eyes for any hint of unsurety. you were more sure of this moment than you’d ever been of anything in your life before.

he froze above you. something like regret or terror flashed in his eyes. once more, he pulled away, backing against the wall.

“if i order you to, will that change anything?” you asked.

“you know well that i can’t go against your word, and i know well you would never use your power like that.”

he was right. you sat on your knees, tired of this hot-and-cold game. “anything,” you said. hoping against all odds that this would be a better approach. he needn’t hold back anymore. “you can do anything. i want it. more than you can possibly know.”

he shook his head, wisps of red hair dancing over his cheeks. “i’ve already done more than i should. i’m satisfied.”

“i’m not.” the words came out a half shout. “how could one kiss ever be enough? i want a lifetime.”

“and i want to give you a lifetime,” he bit out. his eyes were fiery as he met your gaze in the dark. “but we both know i can’t give you that.”

“then give it to me now, if only for one night.” one night would never be enough, but it would be better than regretting having had nothing. you could see in his eyes he thought the same.

“there’s no undoing it,” he said.

“i don’t want it to be undone. not with you. never with you.”

a thin stream of moonlight filtered into the room, highlighting the bob of his throat as he swallowed hard. he stood and pulled you up with him. his body firm against yours. the rapid beat of his heart a twin to yours. what was about to happen could not be undone. if anyone found out, you would be ruined. he would lose his position and his family’s favor of the royal family for laying such hands on the kingdom’s beloved princess. why did something so pure have to feel so selfish? if only you’d been born in a lower station or he in a higher station. then perhaps this love wouldn’t be so complicated. so hidden and buried.

his fingertips ghosted down your jaw, lightly gripping your chin. he stared at your lips. you waited with bated breath. finally, he leaned down and caught your lips in a gentle kiss. if he was going to do this, he wouldn’t rush it. he’d take all night if he had to. and cherish every second while he could.

one step and then another. he walked you back towards the bed all while keeping your lips connected. he guided you carefully onto the bed, taking a brief moment to catch your breath. light kisses trailed up your jaw and back down. kisses landed anywhere he could touch. he met your gaze, steady and alight with a mix of emotions.

“i want to show you the depths of my love. i want you to feel every bit of how much i adore you.”

his words met you squarely. this one and only chance and he wanted to make the most of it. just as you did. it would be a waste of a night to not. he trailed his lips down the contours of your body, over the silk nightgown hugging every curve. he stopped where the hem met your calves. warm breath taunted burning skin. never had you wanted anything more than to feel his lips on your leg, to feel them make their way higher and higher.

his teeth dug into the plump flesh of your thigh. not hard enough to break skin, but enough to elicit a hiss of breath followed by a shaky moan. your heart raced the closer he got to your aching pussy.

propped against the pillows and your nightgown bunched around your waist, you had a clear view of diluc as his lips met yours. the first lick of his tongue had your head pressing deeply into the pillow. it was a foreign feeling. one that possibly only he could elicit. the only one you wanted to make you feel this way.

he brought his hands up under your ass, pulling you against his mouth. he moaned into you. the feeling, the taste, the reality. all of it melted together on his tongue.

“so good, princess,” he murmured. “so good.”

the bed rocked subtly as he ground his hips against the mattress. any friction was good enough, just to sate him a while longer.

your toes curled. thighs clenching tighter with each swipe and swirl of his tongue. but the worst—or best—part was each gentle suck of your clit. every earlier worry washed away, forgotten in the depths of your mind. the only thing you could focus on was his touch. each point you bodies connected, however lightly, set your skin aflame. blissfully so.

he was unhurried. taking his time as he drew you ever nearer to the peak of pleasure. his nose pressing into you clit as his tongue prodding at your sopping hole. your back arched off the bed, hands fisting the sheets. you fought hard to keep the noises budding in your throat from spilling out, lest the other knights outside begin to make assumptions. but it was a futile effort.

his name fell from your mouth amid a moan as your legs trembled with the sheer force of your orgasm. he never stopped, never slowed. he didn’t seem to care how tightly your legs closed around his head, or how harshly your hands pulled on his hair—where they had subconsciously found their way.

none of that mattered to him. not now. not ever.

it took a long moment for you to come back down. chest heaving and legs twitching. only then did he part from you. he looked up at you from his place between your legs.

“i wish you could see how beautiful you look right now,” he said, lips glistening with the evidence of your orgasm.

the thought was far too embarrassing. being so exposed in front of someone was already an ordeal of its own, to think about how you looked to him was unfathomable.

he tore you from your thoughts as he littered kisses across your belly, working his way up to your breasts, still hidden beneath silk. his lips lingered just below your collarbone as he tugged your nightgown down, enough to free your breasts.

his lips wrapped around a nipple, sucking gently. one hand came up to play with other, carefully rolling and pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. he’d be lying if he said in the years of late he hadn’t thought about this. quietly undressing you in his mind, imagining the way your breasts would look in his hands. it still seemed so unreal to him. that he was here. with you under him. time your greatest enemy. and your dear friend.

you told him he could do anything he wanted and you meant it. but he was the epitome of chivalry. never would he treat you in a way unbecoming of a princess. his touch was delicate. carefully unwrapping you with the utmost care. you could tell he was holding back, however, no amount of reassurance would make him act his deepest desires.

perhaps what that was what attracted you to him.

his devotion to his code as a knight. beyond ensuring your safety from those who may wish to do you harm.

despite loving the feeling of his mouth on your nipple, you pulled him away. you wanted his lips on yours. you didn’t want to wait any longer, not with the night slipping away. you wanted to feel him. all of him.

he seemed to understand through the touch of your lips alone. his forehead dropped against your own. “are you ready?” he whispered, breath tickling your nose.

propped on his elbows above you, his hair created a red curtain around you. encapsulating you in a world only you two belonged. where this night would never end and loving each other wouldn’t have to be a shameful secret.

you wanted to stay there forever.

“yes,” you said with what may have been too enthusiastic of a nod. your hands rested on the nape of his neck, threading through the hair there. his eyes searched yours for any hint of doubt. but your gaze was steady, unwavering.

diluc reached between your bodies to align the tip of his cock with your awaiting entrance. he sank into you slowly with a single push until his hips were flush with yours.

you winced at the stretch, nails digging into the backs of his shoulders. the pain didn’t faze him. you could draw blood and he wouldn’t bat an eye.

he kissed your cheek. “if it’s too much, we can stop.”

“no, no.” you took a deep breath and pushed your hips up. “keep going.”

he hesitated, not wanting to put your through something uncomfortable. he’d spent his whole life ensuring you were never hurt, and now he was the one causing you pain. but he trusted you. so he continued.

the first roll of his hips was short. no more than a test. the next one was longer, slower. the knot between your brows loosened with each tender thrust. your legs wrapped around his waist, nails dragging down his back.

his head fell into the crook of your neck, lips attaching to your skin. you’d heard about this feeling in conversation with other court ladies, some disagreeing with other, but you never knew how wonderful it would feel. or if it ever would again.

each long drag of his cock against your sensitive walls plucked a moan from you. the initial pain gave way to pleasure you had only ever felt in dreams that had you blushing for a whole day. you’d blush every day for months after this.

your nails decorated his back.

he spoke your name into your shoulder. not “princess” as he had always called you, but your name. you held him tighter, your pussy tightening around him with that one word.

“i’m gonna—” you were cut off by a sudden moan at the feeling of his tip hitting a spot you didn’t know could elicit such a feeling.

“just a little longer,” he said. his thrusts had grown erratic, nearing then end you were already at. little moans spilled from your lips as you came around him, back arching and breasts pressing against his chest.

he bit down on your shoulder to keep himself quiet as he came inside you. he gave a few slow, shallow rolls of his hips. your chest heaved with the effort to catch your breath.

diluc rolled over with you in his arms, not yet pulling out. if only to relish in the feeling of being in you. he stared at the ceiling and traced light shapes on your back. your head lay on his chest, his rapid heartbeat echoing in your ear.

“tell me it doesn’t have to end,” he said.

you propped yourself up on his chest, looking at him intently. “i’m not giving up on you, diluc. whatever doubts or reservations you may have for the future, i won’t give up.”

after tonight, how could you ever fathom spending your life with another man? he was the only one you dreamed of a lifetime with. and you would have that.

#genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact smut #genshin smut #diluc smut #genshin impact x you #diluc x you #genshin x you

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callmebrycelee · 3 months ago

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9-1-1 REACTION

First of all, the this has to be the shadiest episode title ever. Second of all, did a little kid fly a plane in this episode? Sure did! Let’s get into it! This reaction is for the season 8, second episode “When the Boeing Gets Tough…” which originally aired October 3, 2024. This episode was written by Ted Griffin and Tim Minear (All hail the King!) and directed by Bradley Buecker.

Wow! I don’t think I’ve been this riveted by 42 minutes of primetime television is a very long time. The second part of our 3-part season opener had more thrills than a Six Flags theme park. Last episode, hundreds of thousands of killer bees were unleashed on the city of Los Angeles. We then saw those bees form a bee-nado which caused a small plane to collide into a passenger jet carrying our beloved Athena. In this week’s episode, we pick up where we left off.

Holding true to my promise in the last reaction, instead of doing a beat-by-beat recap, I will be highlighting what I bee-lieve (Sorry, couldn’t resist) to be the best plot, best emergency sequence, and episode MVP. We will also check in with the show’s hot new pairing in the BuckTommy Corner. So, without further ado, let’s chat about the episode.

Best plot?

Okay, so there’s only one main plot this episode and that plot involves Athena Grant saving the day. We do have a mini plot involving the fallout from Gerrard’s almost getting taken out by a rogue saw blade, but the episode doesn’t spend too much time on that plot. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of Captain Vincent Gerrard. Anywho, let’s talk about Athena.

Athena has been charged with escorting Dennis Jenkins (Glenn Plummer) back to Los Angeles. After avoiding some assassins in the previous episode, the two board a flight. It doesn’t take long for thing to go tits up and the plane immediately falls apart upon impact. Thus lies the shade. Now unless you’ve been living under a rock, the aerospace manufacturer has come under scrutiny recently due to two separate crashes that killed over 300 people. For Athena’s sake and all the other passengers, let’s hope that the only instance of Boeing in this episode is the title.

So, why is this particular plot the best of the episode? It’s because Angela Bassett gets to do what she does best. With both pilots out of commission – RIP Captain Dominguez (Cindy Chavez) – Athena has to fly the plane because of course she does. I love this show’s continuity when it comes to its side characters. We get to see the air traffic controllers from season 5’s “Panic”. Athena is given instruction via phone on how to keep the plane in the air but thankfully she has some help from a kid named Jem (played by Carter Young).

I was on the edge of my seat the entire episode. There was so much going on both in the air and on the ground. I really liked how the 118 were coaching the passengers on how to treat the wounded. I thought it was a nice way to bring Hen, Chimney, and Eddie into the episode. I also thought Athena was the funniest she’s ever been this episode albeit unintentionally so. As unbelievable as the whole mid-air collision is, I thought Angela Bassett did a great job of keeping things (pun intended) grounded. Her acting really sells some of the mor wackier moments of the episode.

We don’t get a resolution to this plot which isn’t entirely surprisingly considering this is part two of a 3-part episode event. I do wonder how Athena is going to land the plane. There’s only so much fuel left and there’s two giant holes in the plane. We are told that at any moment the plane could come apart. I feel very confident that the writers will stick the landing (pun intended) but I reckon I’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out.

Best emergency sequence?

As mentioned previously, we have quite a few injured people aboard the flight. The one that made me squirm the most was the girl who broke her leg. Dennis making a shiv out of a toothbrush was pretty funny. My favorite emergency is the one involving the passenger named Jordan (played by James Coker). During the initial crash, the oxygen masks drop down like they always do in the movies, however, Jordan’s mask broke which means he wasn’t able to use it. The woman sitting next to him, Tia (played by Bayley Corman) speaks to Hen on the ground who tells her Jordan is most likely suffering from high altitude pulmonary edema aka fluid in the lungs.

Poor Tia has to crush up erectile dysfunction meds and mix them with water to create a makeshift nebulizer. Thankfully this works and Jordan starts to regain consciousness and gets a boner in the process. Shout out to Henrietta Wilson who is my runner-up for episode MVP. She is hands down the handiest and most intelligent character on the show. Presumably Jordan and Tia will get together because they have bonded over trauma and boners. Perhaps we’ll get a conclusion to their story in the next episode.

Episode MVP?

Athena, without a doubt, is this episode’s MVP which means she’s earned the title twice in two episodes. This episode was tailor-made for her. Athena is the person you want around in a crisis; however, I do worry about all of the trauma she’s collecting like Pokémon over the series. We see her deliver the eulogy at Emmett’s funeral. We also see her jump into the cockpit of a commercial jet without little to no regard for her own well-being. I’m honestly afraid that after this ordeal, Athena will be afraid to fly or get on a boat. We literally saw her face her worst nightmare last season and now a plane crash. Much like with Buck and Chimney, I need the writers to leave Athena alone for a while. Give her some easy work to do like write traffic tickets or something. The poor woman has been through it! Even badasses need a break.

BuckTommy Corner

We only got one half of our pairing this episode but that’s fine with me. I know Tommy will be back at some point. With that said, I imagine Tommy would’ve handled the situation with Buck and Gerrard a lot better than Eddie did this episode. Now look, I like Eddie. He’s a compelling character without a doubt. I love his backstory, and I enjoy any time we see him interacting with his family. However, after last season, I’m a bit frustrated with the guy and how he is going about things. I’m just gonna put it out there and I know the diehard Eddie and B*ddie fans will crucify me for saying this. Buck is a far better friend to Eddie than Eddie is to him and this episode proves my point. Much like Athena, Buck, too, was a bit traumatized this episode. He almost watched his interim captain get sliced in half and thankfully he was there to stop it from happening. At the end of the day, Vincent Gerrard is a villain, one of the best we’ve gotten on this series, but he’s also a human and Buck seems to be the only one who recognizes his humanity. Buck was clearly distraught by what happened, and he was really looking for his friend to provide some sort of comfort. The only response he got form Eddie was some tired old dance moves.

As much grief as a very vocal part of the 9-1-1 fandom likes to give Tommy, I do think he would’ve handled the situation a lot better than Eddie did. Tommy has proven himself to be highly emotionally intelligent. In fact, one could argue that he is one of the most emotionally intelligent characters we’ve gotten on the show with Bobby edging him out for first place. We’ve seen Tommy ask Buck how he is feeling on many occasions. When they shared their first kiss last season, Tommy immediately checked in on Buck to see how he felt about the whole situation. He also recognized that Buck wasn’t in the emotional headspace to entertain a relationship with him and gave him space to figure things out. Tommy is a thoughtful human being, and I imagine that when all is said and done, he (or Bobby) will be the person Buck runs to for the comfort he is so clearly needing post Gerrard almost getting killed.

Well, that’s my reaction! This episode was awesome. I think it’ll be regarded as one of the series’ best disaster episodes. I don’t think anything could ever top the tsunami saga, but this episode will be up there. Next week we get the conclusion to our three-part season 8 opener. Will we get to see the bees again? Will Athena be able to land the plane? Will Bobby become captain again. I reckon we’ll have to wait to see. Until next time …

#abc 911 #911 abc #athena grant #bobby nash #eddie diaz #evan buckley #hen wilson #howard chimney han #maddie buckley #blw reactions #911 reactions #bucktommy #911 8x02 #buck is bi

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lostinlewis · 2 years ago

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Old Flame ~ Part Four

Rating: M

Words: 3435

Character: Lewis Hamilton x F!Reader

Description: You learnt so much from your first love but the most important lesson he taught you was how to deal with heartbreak, even if it takes you six years. You were almost there, you almost made it days at a time without thinking about him…that was until he turned up in the most unexpected of places.

The noise from the multitude of paparazzi on the street outside of your apartment grew louder the longer you both lay there as still as possible, as if that would help you disappear from the situation altogether. The louder the noise rose from their innocuous chatter, the stronger the anxiety built inside of you. So many thoughts ran through your mind.

Was it all planned? Did someone set out to humiliate you on purpose? How the hell did they find out where you lived within hours of the story coming out? The most prevalent thought though, could you trust Lewis to not embarrass you again?

He had been stroking the skin of your arm for a good hour now, whilst you curled into the nape of his neck, both of you laying there in silence. He knew it didn’t matter what he said right now, there were no words to make this situation better, but his small touches were signs of comfort, the only way he knew to comfort you. Despite the fact he had caused this situation, you sought comfort in the warmth of his body, the protection of his stature. He was your security and your reason to need it, ironically.

There was no worse sound to hear but the vibration of your phone against the top of your bedside cabinet, breaking you both out of your thoughts in an instance. You let out a little groan as the caller's name flashed on your screen, something akin to a warning. Mum. You didn’t want to deal with anything right now, least of all her. You knew you couldn’t convince her you were okay and you also did not want to hear her stick up for him right now.

“Let me answer it, I will explain what happened so you don’t have to.” Lewis held his hand out for it, you obliged. “You can’t ignore her, babe. She’s worried about you.”

“No no, she’s fine, I promise.” Lewis answered as your mum’s voice boomed down the phone at him from the moment he answered. There was a good few minutes of silence from his end as he listened to your mum rant at him down the phone, a smile crept on your face, for once she was on your side. “I know and I’m sorry. I never want to hurt her, I promise.”

Your mum didn’t hold back on the lecturing of him, a little part of you enjoyed it, he deserved someone else telling him how wrong he had treated you. You doubted anyone had ever told him that, most of your friends were originally friends of his so they all naturally took his side after the break up leaving you with practically no one in your corner.

Lewis left the bed, naked with your phone still glued to his ear, he began pacing around the apartment, you could no longer hear their conversation but it lasted a while. When he returned he handed you your phone.

“She wants to talk to you.” You screwed your face up at him as he waved it at you, making it impossible for you to refuse.

“Hi mum.” Your voice was sombre, you hoped she would get the hint and keep the conversation to a minimum.

“Are you doing okay, sweetie?” She didn’t wait for you to answer. “Lewis said he’s really sorry, give him a chance before you make any decisions, you know he loves you.”

“Mum, it’s fine. You can stop your ‘I love Lewis brigade’ before it even starts. We’re fine, we’re just going to have to deal with this.”

“Good. Stick with him, he’s a good one.”

You rolled your eyes at Lewis who was sitting facing you, listening to the whole conversation, the widest smile on his face.

“Okay mum, bye.”

“Stick with me, I’m a good one. Wise woman.” He teased you. “We’re fine? We are a ‘we’ now?”

You rolled your eyes once more, ignoring his question.

“Her judgement of character has gotten worse over the years, I think I may have to take her to the doctor, she might be going senile.” Lewis tickled your sides as punishment for your teasing of him. “What are we going to do about all of this? About all of them?”

You gestured to the sea of people below your bedroom window who eagerly anticipated the first image of both of you the morning after the night before.

“Your mum suggested I get you out of here, I think I should too. Let’s go away, let’s escape this all.” He held your hand as if he could plant the idea in your mind through his touch.

“Go where? I have a job, Lewis. I can’t just drop everything and disappear like you can.”

“Just for two nights, you can call in sick. Please let me take you away from all of this.” His thumb stroked the top of your hand. “Please.”

“I guess I am not really ready to face the people at work now anyway, not after those headlines.” You were warming to the idea. “Okay, fine. Two nights. Where were you thinking?”

“Monaco.”

“No. Absolutely not. No way.” You protested, throwing down his hand and standing up from the bed.

“Please.” He chased after you, grabbing your hips and swinging you around to face him. “I have to fly back there for business, it’ll be the perfect opportunity for us to spend time alone. Just us two, no outside distractions. No paparazzi, no one watching our every move. Time for me to really focus on…you”

He looked you up and down as his hands held your hips, his tongue rolling across his bottom lip before he took a little nibble of it. His face made it obvious that he was thinking naughty thoughts of you.

“I left that place behind six years ago and I swore to never step foot on the soil again. I can’t do it, Lewis, I won’t.”

“Baby, please-“

“No, Lewis. I hate that place, I loved it, it was our place but you ruined it. You made me hate it. The thought of being back there, back where everything fell apart makes me feel sick.”

The look in his eyes was one of despair, the gravity of what he had put you through was evident in you in so many different ways, he would have given anything to take it all back, to make it all better for you but he couldn’t.

“Baby, I’m sorry. If I could take it all back, I would in a heartbeat but I can’t. I need to get you out of here, but most importantly we need to be alone, we need to spend time together before my race next weekend, and my apartment in Monaco is the perfect place to do this.”

He kissed your lips, despite the dramatic frown on your face. “I know it holds the worst memories for you, but it also still holds the best. I am hoping that maybe I can help you remember all of the good times, there were so many good times, way more than bad. I want to make you remember why you loved Monaco, why it was our home.”

“I can’t-“

“Please, babe. Trust me on this, you won’t hate the place once you’re there. And if you do, tell me and I will fly you back out of there straight away.”

The anxious knot in your stomach hadn’t loosened, the thought of being there still made you feel sick. You knew you would hate it, you knew that there was nothing Lewis could say or do that would make the sight of it any more pleasant in your mind. It was the place where your life was ruined all those years ago, he didn’t have a time machine to go back and unstick his dick in that girl, there was no way to repair that, so there was no way this wasn’t the worst idea he had ever had. Well, the second worst.

“Okay, I’ll go.” His smile lit up his whole face. “Two nights only and then I am coming home and never stepping foot in that place again.”

“Thank you baby, you won’t regret it I promise. I’ll charter my jet to leave as soon as possible, you better go and get yourself packed up.”

“You have a jet?” You looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t have a jet?“

You rolled your eyes at his absurdity.

Nothing could prepare you for the intensity of walking through a crowd of people, mainly men, screaming your name as you tried desperately to get to the car Lewis had ordered. He had tried to give you a pep talk beforehand, to explain that all you had to do was keep your head down, your hood up and count 30 steps and you would be at the car. He reiterated that they couldn’t touch you so it would be words more than anything. It didn’t help you face the barrage of their shouts.

“Lewis! Lewis! Do you have any comments on the story?”

“Are you two back together?”

“How does it feel to know he cheated on you once again?“

It took all of your strength to not rise to the questions they shouted at you both. He hadn’t cheated on you, this time, but the mention of it hurt just as much.

“You did amazing, babe.” Lewis murmured as he stroked the hand he held as the car drove you towards the airport. “In a few hours this will all be in the past.”

You didn’t reply, you just stared out of the window. You knew that was incorrect, nothing was ever really left in the past, was it?

“This is yours?” You spoke in shock as he led you to the huge plane that sat on the runway of the empty airport.

“No, silly. I don’t have a jet…anymore. This is just one I hire when I need to whisk a hot woman to my apartment fast.”

“I don’t know if you are trying to be funny or…”

“I don’t need to try, baby…” He teased as he grabbed your hand and quickened your pace into the jet.

He didn’t let go of his hold on you until you were seated next to him. You were all alone, apart from the pilot and one member of the cabin crew who assured you both that he would keep in his section away from you so you were to call him if you needed anything.

The plane had barely taken off when Lewis began to run his hand up your thigh, smothering your neck with kisses.

“Lewis, we can’t-“

“Why can’t we? We’ve got this place all to ourselves and we have two hours to kill, I can’t think of a better way to do it. “

“What if someone-“

“You heard the man, he is leaving us alone for the flight. Let me make you feel good, please.”

His fingers found their way down past your waistband to rest on your middle. You sighed a heavy sigh when he began playing with you.

“I just want to make you feel good, baby.” He teased your clit ever so softly with the pad of his middle finger, his kisses made their way up your neck, across your cheek until he met your lips. “I only ever want to make you feel good.”

He whispered against your lips before his tongue found its way to yours, his fingers pushing inside of you at the same time. He caught your moans with his mouth, brushing his lips against yours as he fucked you with his fingers so masterfully he had you at the point of no return within moments.

“Cum for me, baby.” He begged. “I want to watch you.”

You did just that, falling apart as his fingers tapped your spot, his thumb circling your clit. You bit down on his lip as your orgasm ripped through your body, he didn’t stop until he made you so sensitive you twitched every time he moved.

For the rest of the plane journey he held your head against his chest, stroking your cheek with his thumb as you both left the chaos behind you and headed to the one place in the world that used to be yours.

Lewis had one of his guys drop off his car at the airport. As you were driving through the streets of Monaco, the roof down on the car, his fingers locked in yours, you felt relaxed for the first time in quite a while. Much to your shock, you didn’t hate Monaco now that you were in it. Every so often he would look over at you in the passenger seat and smile, you could tell he was feeling nothing but content too. He had you home, right where he knew you belonged, if he could freeze time at this moment he would.

You noticed he purposefully avoided that hotel, something which you were grateful for. Your heart sank the moment you saw where he was pulling into the underground garage of.

“What are we doing here?”

“What do you mean? We’re going home?”

“You still live in the same apartment?!”

Your breath hitched in your throat as the anxiety built inside of you. You hadn’t even considered the possibility he would still live there. Why would he still live in the same apartment? He had all of the money in the world, why did he not upgrade?

The thought of having to face the place with so many memories, the final ones being awful, made you feel sick once again. A common theme of your time with Lewis, highs and incredible lows.

“Of course I still live here. Will you please just calm down and give it a chance.” He pulled into his garage and parked his car. “We can go up there and if you’re not comfortable, I will book us a hotel, deal?”

The amount of compromises you were making for a man who hurt you was really starting to bother you. You weren’t sure what it was about him, you were usually so strong and in control but around Lewis, it was quite the opposite.

He held tight onto your hand as you walked through the all too familiar hallway. Memories flashed back of the both of you stumbling drunk, stopping every two steps and falling into each other's arms, so in love with each other you needed physical touch at all times. He didn’t notice it, but a smile crept on your face as you thought back to the night he won his first Monaco race. He was so drunk on Champagne, you were too, you almost had sex right outside your door. Almost being the important word, he was too drunk to hold you up against the wall, so instead you fell to the floor the moment you got inside your door. You woke up to a note from a neighbour explaining you had woken them up during the night with your loud noises, you had forgotten to even close the door. You wondered if the neighbour was still there as you passed her door, a small part of you was tempted to knock and say hello. An even bigger part of you was tempted to reconstruct the scene, once you stepped inside the apartment.

You looked around the apartment, everything about it was exactly the same. The sofa, the bedroom, even the seating area on his balcony was the same. It was as if the apartment froze in time the moment you left it all those years ago.

“Seriously, you even have the same glasses?” You laughed as you examined every inch of the place.

“Why replace something that isn’t broken?” Lewis had made himself comfortable fast, changing into only shorts before taking a seat in his spot, the same spot he had claimed in the store as you both chose the sofa years before. “Can you stop looking around and come and sit with me, please?”

“It’s just so…weird. Being back here, and everything looking the same…” Your eyes still wandered around the room. “I feel like I have gone back in time.”

“I kept it the same on purpose.” You turned to face him now. “You helped decorate, you helped furnish it, every single room has a piece of you in it. When you left, when it was just me here and you were gone from my life, the only comfort I had was knowing this place had small pieces of you in it.”

“Lewis, you don’t have to-“

“No, let me finish.” His face was deadpan, unreadable. “This whole place is laced with you. When I’ve had a bad race, the first thing I do is come back here and sit on the balcony and think about the memories we’ve shared here. You might have been out of my life for six years but you have still been the only thing to give me comfort in that time.”

You could only comfort him with a smile.

“I knew you would come home one day.” He pulled you into him to kiss you. “Ouch!”

“What’s wrong?”

“You bit my lip earlier when you-“

“Oh stop being such a baby.” You pulled him on top of you for another kiss.

You made love, again. Twice now Lewis had made love to you like he was too scared to push it too far with you, twice he had almost lost himself whilst inside of you but each time he remembered that he had to take it slow with you, the last thing he wanted was to scare you off. He wanted you to be comfortable with him, used to him, before he took you back to the place he used to take you every time he was inside of you. He was so determined that this time would be different, the sex included. He needed you to know that your feelings came above anything else.

You awoke for the first time in a few days all alone, you stretched your arm out to feel for him but all you felt was paper. He had left you a note on his pillow. Who leaves a note nowadays? That’s what phones are for.

‘Morning beautiful girl, I have a business meeting this morning and I didn’t want to wake you. There’s something waiting for you in the kitchen. Love, L x’

You crawled out of bed to head to the kitchen, the sight of the apartment was still a shock even the morning after. Lewis had ordered you a huge breakfast hamper, it had way more food than you’d be able to get through in a week let alone one morning. You ventured out onto the balcony and stood taking in the scenery, a perfect view of the harbour, as you ate your apple.

It would be so easy to get used to this.

You were determined to not let yourself get carried away, you had only been back in contact with him for such a short time, it was too soon to even think about anything serious.

You spent a while on the balcony, people watching and thinking, before your phone vibrated on the table in front of you.

‘I’m on my way home, baby. I have some news x’

News? What kind of news? You figured it would probably be a new sponsorship of some kind, maybe a new project he was working on?

You wanted to take a shower before he got home, Lewis had made sure it had been a while since you last showered alone and you knew this was your only opportunity to do so. Your cases still hadn’t arrived from the airport yet, so you decided to just grab one of his T-Shirts instead. You rummaged through his drawer, holding a variant of different shirts up against yourself to find one you actually liked. That is when you saw it.

It was the box that first caught your eye, the little emerald box that looked so familiar yet you struggled to place it at first, your heart sank the moment you realised what it was. The ring was the last thing you had left in the apartment, on top of his pillow, before you walked out. The ring that neither of you had even dared to bring up since you reconciled. The ring that Lewis had proposed to you with just a few days before he slept with someone else.

PART FIVE

#lewis #ex #Old Flame

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royaltrios · 18 days ago

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2024 writing retrospective

i wrote some fics this year, as i always do. i want to talk about it for entirely self-absorbed naval-gazing reasons

this year, unlike last's which was a lot of dgs, was 90% genshin impact fanfiction. this is slightly embarrassing to look back on as i dont fuck with genshin (or gacha) anymore. despite that, the characters stayed with me (and maybe still do a bit, in my own way) for the better part of 3 years, so i felt like they were the only thing i could write as nothing else i partook in this year ever really got to the "i can and want to write gay fanfiction for this" territory.

so genshin. or; three characters from genshin. ive always liked genshins world despite stopping playing it for good halfway through this year. i liked the chiscara i wrote for it, i think just by blind passion and confidence that comes from spending time with the characters alone the fics ive done for it are some of the best and most fun ive written. photosynethesia, my nahida+scara retrospective that i finally finished in summer of this year (after starting last april!) is my favorite fic ive ever done. i keep going back to it (despite my ever-present battle with past and present tense) and going, yeah, this was really good. i find whenever i focus and write stuff with no sex to lead up to, i feel good about it. probably because im doing something different than what i always do.

i started this year with a fic about being cold, which i wrote whilst visiting my very good friend up in minnesota. one night we walked from their apartment to a gay bar in minus eleven farenheight wind chill. i wrote a lot of that fic in little cafes and sitting on their sofa bed. i loved their warm apartment (they've since moved), talking about storytelling with them over borscht (i miss borscht so bad, i keep telling myself im going to finally learn how to make it, but i dont totally know where to find beets here, and japanese sour cream sucks)

i didnt write for all of my spring semester. i graduated, finally. i took a ferry an hour to meet my internet friends and live in a house with them for a few days. i felt out of place for about 24 hours and then i didnt anymore. i love being around people who are all unhealthily into the same fictional people. the friend who picked me up and drove me talked about my fanfiction and how much they liked it to my face. like quoted instances from it. that was something completely new to me, and im still shocked that people out there read and think about my stuff at all, despite my daily ao3 email telling me that they do. everyday.

after photosynesthesia, my favorite is probably the aforementioned last year's snow. the good memories of writing it, and i honestly think it turned out pretty well. im a fan of their characterization there. then i had a lot of fun with bloodflow, as i allowed myself to be looser and funnier with some of childe's narration, because, well, hes childe. i liked all the chiscara i wrote this year, as most of it was written in a like frantic obsession driven one and a half month spiral before i moved.

there was a final chiscara fic i wanted to complete to round off my series, but ive marked the ao3 collection as complete for now. i dont want to really think about genshin anymore, and id much rather put it as a whole, behind me. still, i wrote good for it. im glad about that. maybe one day ill write that last fic, but probably not.

recently i read a manga that rewired my brain chemistry, as things are known to do to me from time to time, and so ive been writing for that. it feels really fun to get out of genshin fantasy world and write things i know, like being in undergrad, and modern day tokyo. plus theres age gap and guilt, two of my favorite things to talk about ever!

i started on some dgs fics this year, which id like to go back to eventually when this onslaught of wayama yama manga lets me go (im considering writing fic for two characters in a 30ish page oneshot, how crazy is that? they dont even have character tags on ao3). and regardless i miss writing about barok pining, asoryuu doing nothing and saying nothing and it meaning everything. i miss being able to write in my bastardized victorian fiction style!

though i got close to writing rgg fic this year, i didnt ever get there (i dont like writing before i know the full story, and rgg is, unfortunately (?), almost ten games long. i did, however, discover bible's rgg/judgment fics while on vacation in california in may, and theyre some of the hottest porn ive ever read. really, theyre great. i love how detailed they are. i think about them practically every day. they judgment ones are literally like, tied to the actual game to me.

other than really good yakuza porn (i still think about the keihin-tohoku line every time i pass the keihin-tohoku line in tokyo station-- ive even ridden on it a couple times!), ive also been revisiting the canon series by endles and miko, which still staggers me with its length and attention to detail. goals, honestly. gtsk's insane nahida+scara stuff is some of the best poetry ive read period. i can't believe how good it is. i wish all of genshin was just their fics. mango's fics i still read every single time i get the notification in my email, and even if i know basically nothing about honkai star rail, singularity is one of the fics that gives me a feeling most like 'home' that ive ever read.

ive been more into the idea of getting into a characters viewpoint when im writing them, even though i write 3rd person exclusively. i feel like the words they use and observations they have, even the tone and length of sentences should be filtered through that character's viewpoint before anything else. if a character is simple and quick, then their pov even in third person should reflect that: shorter sentences, slightly simpler turns of phrase. the same goes for the opposite. id like to keep that in mind going forward.

i moved across the world earlier this year. it snows a lot here, more than where i was before. im still writing. ive even started reading again, which i didnt do much of in my final semester. the first month in my hot, empty apartment i finally finished all of svsss, a series that is extraordinarily dear to me for how goofy it is. i think its by far mxtx's best and most earnest. nowadays, im riding out the end of the year by mostly sitting at my kotatsu and writing, or laying under my kotatsu and reading. god i love books, indie publishing, kinky weird fanfiction. i love words. ive been reading words in other languages and i love those, too!

i mentioned i started the year writing about being cold. the fic ive got going now is also about being (slightly less, but still) cold. maybe im just a cold guy. but its nice to write while the snow falls out my balcony window, in a place i only recently began calling home.

here's to more words in 2025, and more ill-advised fanfiction too.

#fic tag #fic notes

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likesunsetorange · 8 months ago

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Somewhere beyond the sea sounds interesting if you care to share about it

ooo! this one is one of my favs!! i’ve shared a wip before, but basically after the finale ended and there were all those “interview” vids that came out, i was inspired by the one about eren mikasa and armin taking a trip to hizuru!!! so basically the au is like a “fix it” au, where eren doesn’t die and ema go to hizuru together and eren confesses his feelings!!!

i had shared a bit more where eren and them try on their kimonos for the first time

i had wanted to finish it for em week last year but yk life happens LOL!! but i can share a snippet!! personally i think its one of my favorite au’s and it was before i got more comfy writing canonverse (before i did the cabin au) and i really love how i wrote eren’s pov!!!

Eren’s life had been comprised of a series of What ifs.

What if we were born into a world without walls? What if I could have saved mom? What if I had never become a titan shifter? What if I was stronger? What if I was so much more? What if things were different?

And so on, and so forth.

Being picked apart and prodded at, being utilized as a military weapon from the age of fifteen, witnessing the death of those he respected and considered friends—it was only natural for his mind to wander into the bounds of questioning whether this was all his life would amount to.

Would he always be a soldier? Would he live long enough to see a life of peace for the people of Paradis? Would he ever truly be free?

Being a young boy who had been stripped of every ounce of innocence before he had even reached adolescence, there wasn’t much left to hope for in his six to seven years left of life. Even if he would have achieved his desired freedom, would he really have been truly free? His life had been given a definite ending before he had even been granted the chance to let it even truly begin.

But so much of his life had been spent pondering a future he could have had, knowing that his time on earth was finite (more so than that of others around him), he never bothered entertaining the what ifs about a future that didn’t involve being a soldier and titan and curses.

Entertaining such trivialities would only remind him of a life he would never and could never have. His life was a like a clicking time bomb, and he would cherish the last few years he had left with those who he deemed important and special, hoping and praying outside forces wouldn’t get to him first.

Maybe it was pessimistic of him, but in a world that had given him very few moments of joy, it was to be expected he would feign on the side of despondency. He had long thrown away the childish feelings of hopefulness—having hope had yet to amount to anything for him.

And this feeling of inevitable dread only escalated when he had gained access to memories of those before him, and visions into the future that had yet to come. The tiniest slivers of faith that he had carefully tucked into the deepest crevices of his brain—the ones in which he’d pull out at his most desperate moments—had been shattered in that instance.

There was nothing left to hope for. There would be no exploring the world, there was no life beyond the sea that was worth learning about, and there would be no happy ending, for him, at least. Eren had long since accepted his fate—he would become the antithesis of everything he had imagined himself becoming, and then he would die—his demise was ultimately something he had come to terms with.

Happiness and peace and their relative associations were not attributes allotted to him, it was something that he had been acutely aware of since he watched the tragic ending of his mother’s life. But it wasn’t as if Eren had been someone who was ever associated with those words in the first place.

Eren had never been gentle, his presence was most notable by traces of claw marks in everything he touched. He had never been peaceful, even as a child he was filled with aggression and rage—how could a child who had been capable of killing in cold blood ever be considered peaceful? Eren was someone who was capable of cruel and horrible things—he had seen the future he would create more times than he could count—and the ending that he had seen for himself, though tragic, was even more merciful than he felt he deserved.

So for Eren, he felt as if there was no longer a point in dreaming about things that life would never grant him—his dreams were exactly that, dreams, merely figments of his imagination—silly, unavailing, and childish dreams.

Until one day they weren’t just nonsensical, unattainable dreams, but something that was now plausible and real.

#asks #sbts #vic’s wips #ema

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saints-who-never-existed · 1 year ago

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numbers 1,3,7,8,12,24 for the choose violence ask game

1. the character everyone gets wrong

I answered this one in the previous post by, of course, waxing lyrical about dear sweet Ned.

I don't think everyone gets him wrong necessarily, just that the fandom's view of him is often quite limited and there's not always enough understanding or appreciation of his whole character arc.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I’ll not point to any one instance of it but I really hate the take I’ve seen several times on here that can essentially be summed up as “Hur dur isn’t it just so hilarious and fitting that these white colonialist men got their just desserts and died gruesome terrifying deaths? Karma lol” As if – real-life or fictionalised – they don’t deserve sympathy or even the tiniest bit of kindness.

Obviously they aren’t martyrs who should be lionised and obviously colonialism is fucking horrible. No one is saying otherwise, even the show itself isn’t saying otherwise.

But they were real people at the end of the day. Real human beings with rich inner lives, with people who loved them and with a job to do. They weren’t walking up the gangplank rubbing their hands together like supervillains thinking “Fuck yeah lads, can’t wait to snatch up some land and do violence to native peoples!”

I dunno, I just find there’s a really disturbing lack of humanity and compassion in those kinds of takes.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

There aren’t any characters that I actually hate but there are quite a few that I think are often done a disservice by the fandom (just insofar as I’ve seen, obviously everybody is somebody’s special little guy).

I was thinking about Des Voeux the other day, for example, who's an incredibly interesting character whatever way you slice it.

In real life, the dude was like 19, was one of the few who signed the Victory Point note and had the responsibility of commanding men double his age – one has to imagine that he was something pretty special in order to do all that.

In the book, he’s a solid presence from what I remember and is one of the last loyal men standing in the end.

And in the show, he’s pragmatic and ruthless right from the get-go, not to mention that he speaks quite frequently of violence, and yet is trusted specifically by command (namely Fitzjames) right up until Terror Camp. Dude definitely knew how to play the game, at least in some ways.

And yet, all I ever seem to see is him referenced as a horrible little gremlin man with a piss-kink… I’m not saying he can’t also be that but I am saying that he isn’t only that

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

I have a confession to make… I’ve never had any bother telling the different characters apart…!

So yeah, my silly answer is any time people are just wildly incorrect in their white-man-in-navy-uniform identification game. Like in that BTS photo of Dundy throwing down shapes at Fitzjames’ funeral where everyone seems to think it’s Little being miserable beside him where it could not more obviously be Jopson.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I am very intrigued by Dr Stanley and I think more people should be.

I know this will be unpopular, but I honestly don’t think he’s going out of his way to be a dick on purpose. I just think he’s a deeply damaged, unhappy man who began shutting himself down long before we ever even got to meet him.

And it breaks my heart, not least because there’s still a person in there!

We see just a few wee glimpses of it. I for one love the way he’s just that tiny bit impressed when Goodsir finally back-sasses him, and that’s to say nothing of his scene with Collins. I mean, it’s just about the only time we get to see him attempt a smile! I honestly don’t think Stanley’s unwilling to help in that scene, I just think he’s so far gone himself that he literally lacks the ability to.

Anyway, people shouldn’t necessarily like him but they should have more feelings about him.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

See, I don’t really have an answer for this one as I don’t think I’ve been involved in much discourse beyond my own ramblings…?

That said, the first thing I thought of was a truly outstanding post I saw a while ago but can now no longer find that involved a chart denoting which characters have milk and how likely they’d be to let you suckle at it because, lemme tell you, that post re-terraformed my brain and slapped me straight in the tits.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of it and find myself disputing character placement and lactation capabilities…

#Ask Game

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loving-family-poll · 13 days ago

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2nd Ultimate Incest Tournament- Round 1

Propaganda under the cut:

Liam/Noel:

The Gallagher brothers have a very intense relationship that doesn't make any sense to the outside viewer unless one considers the possibility of incest. For 30 years now they have been utterly unhinged about one another in the public eye. Noel has often made incest jokes; Liam once said on-stage once "we had sex last night" referring to him and Noel. Even people writing in actual books and magazines have picked up on the vibes (some stuff that has been printed about them fully feels like it was written by tumblr incestinas except it's like. actual fucking journalists). Also there was this one time in 1996 where they kissed each other with tongue in front of 40 thousand people.

They have been described as “in love with each other” by both themselves and third parties. the lyrics “you’re my lover, i’m your brother.” they kissed with tongue at loch lomond in 1996 and have also been photographed/videoed kissing on the mouth other times. liam regularly groped noel onstage. liam’s entire twitter is just propaganda too. liam talked about impregnating noel once. noel frequently talks about how physically attractive liam is. liam claims that he’s noel’s muse

their song guess god thinks im abel has the lyrics "i could be your lover" while comparing themselves to you guessed it abel and cain. and like. a thousand more instances of them being weird about each other. also noel REALLY wanted a sister and he mentioned it quite a few times and said well liam IS basically a sister or something like that. normal behaviour

Liam literally called himself Noel's good boy on twitter, and called him god a few times after reunion. Noel said he loves make women cry and the only thing that's better is make Liam cry so he can laugh and call him a woman. They literally kissed with tongue and loch lomand is not their only kiss they have two more photos of different kissing to, they literally used the japan kiss video for reunion video. YES THEY DID THAT TF. Noel said they are head over heels in love and said it's illegal in many countries. Also Noel said Liam is like his ex-wife a few times or shit like those cunts are fucking crazy

Other people have described them as more like boyfriend/girlfriend than brothers and said they’re in love. someone on twitter asked liam “if you’re john lennon, who is noel?” and liam said “yoko ono.” another time someone said on twitter “you defo rimmed noel when you were younger” and liam replied “you jealous?"

Deeply weird about each other getting married (them not attending each other's wedding which occurred month apart and then getting divorce around the same time and they stayed at the same hotel for months), intense infamously love-hate relationship and is everyone's favorite soap opera, noel saying "on stage i just wanted him..there's only two of us that will ever get this", prominent theme of shame and crime and impossible dream in noel gallagher works, the elusive meaning of wonderwall which noel insisted is not about anyone but there's good amount of evidence that it referenced back to their childhood and their shared bedroom, liam having mental breakdown several times on twitter about noel, liam's my brother is getting a divorce playlist to which he shared with his 3 millions twitter followers, incest-baiting on main ever since the reunion, brother and lover being interchangeable for noel when writing lyrics, noel (allegedly) lying to liam that his girlfriend cheated on him in order to sabotage their relationship before oasis took off, liam hating noel's latest (ex) wife (sarah), noel writing "the owner of the star on stage" after liam's autograph and so many more insane shit

"[Liam] thinks all the songs are about him. He even thinks Wonderwall is about him." –Noel Gallagher (1997)

"It's all about me it always was and is" –Liam Gallagher (2023)

Japan kiss (kiss is at the end) loch lomand kiss

PLUS they’re back together after 14 years of estrangement! The narrative!

Edward/Alphonse:

Two brothers try to resurrect their dead mother as children and in the attempt become alchemically bonded together. Sacrificing life and limb for one another, professing to be “practically the same person,” having their bond blessed by the canonical god itself, and in one dimension sacrifice everything they’ve ever known to spend the rest of their lives together.

Canonically have their souls tied, go everywhere with each other, travel through dimensions and give up everything just to be together

Ed would kill for alphonse and alphonse would die for ed but they are so soulmate coded that they would go against their own principals too: ed would die for alphonse and alphonse would kill for ed IM OBSESSED also they keep talking about how much they need each other and wanting to touch each other constantly they gay as fuck

They need to kiss sloppy and FUCK! They are literally so canon in the 2003 anime… Al says “Brother, I want to touch you” or something like that in an episode. Ed would literally sell his soul for his brother.

#tumblr polls #tournament polls #incest poll #liam/noel gallagher #gallaghercest #edward/alphonse #elricest #round 1

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rainbows-fanfics · 2 years ago

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All’inzio (Chapter 11)

Summary: A soldier-in-training, Valerie hopes to join the Valencian Army to avenge her father’s death under the wing of General Rooke. But when she happens to catch the attention of Commander Kane, her plans take a different turn.

Human AU of the Armada from Pirate101, where Kane meets his Queen.

Pairing: Kane/Queen

–

Note: The title translates to “at the beginning”.

–

The first thing she did that night, upon returning home and putting her new dress where it belonged, was to write to her mother. Her last letter was filled with all the new things she experienced at the start of this week, but there was...so much more to write about now. She made brief mention of the unfortunate swimming lesson where she nearly drowned...but she did not want to scare Emilia in any circumstance, so she made sure to write about the pleasant things that happened lately. And that meant finally letting word out of her time with Kane. She mentioned him being responsible for the new apartment, but let herself write more of their talk from the other day.

She kept some things she learned of him a secret, figuring his experiences with war were personal. She could picture her mother having several questions about it. She kept things to a respectable amount of detail, but allowed some room to fawn over them. How could she resist? This was the man she had feelings for, and what she learned about him only increased her interest. She even gushed about him buying her a dress - all simply because she was getting stares otherwise. She wrote of him in a good light, and sent the letter off on its way that next morning.

She wore the dress out for the day, on her way to her lessons. She noticed the different reactions she received from nearby gentleman and the lack of scoffs from fellow women. It was quite the peaceful trip to her lesson with Aristide. By the time she was there, he was standing out front, tending to the flowers sitting on the window sill. When he saw her arrive, he gave a small comment on how lovely her new dress was and how good she looked in it. She went inside to carefully store it away, wanting nothing but for it to be safe and untouched.

"We are going to be doing things differently today." Aristide informed her. "What I did last time was....ah... how would one say, unacceptable?"

Valerie smirked. "Kane talked to you, didn't he?"

He opened his mouth for several moments. She realized this was the first instance she ever used Kane's name instead of his title. She hoped he wouldn't pry. Thankfully, he didn't. "-Yes....not really talk, but he showed his disapproval for what happened. That is why we are going to be taking certain precautions..."

She wasn't surprised when she found him taking flotation devices out. There was something different about him today. She could only imagine whatever Kane might've told - or warned - him about. He was cautious about getting her in the pool, but she was less afraid this time when he gave her something to float with. She found some comfort from hugging something close while she was in the water, especially when that 'something' was keeping her afloat. Aristide gave her an informative lesson that day about floating, and demonstrated methods on how to do it. Something about their time together felt...more formal than the last few ones.

She bid goodbye to him and found herself eager to leave. She wanted to spend a full day without receiving any looks for once. It felt almost natural to be back in her dress, and noticed how comfortable it was to wear now. She can see the appeal of wearing these...it gave her so much movement, and she felt like a true lady! One that belonged in such a place as Florenza....She pushed her hair back as she went outside, ready to be part of the crowds for once.

But when she found a figure at the end of the walkway, she knew her plans would change.

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

Kane's direction changed lately.

He never planned to stay in Florenza for long. In fact, he intended to leave ages ago and remain elsewhere. He was needed back in Cadiz, with his strategists and soldiers. Anywhere else besides an island filled with snobbish, unicorn-obsessed people. He admired everything Florenza had to offer for their studies, their accomplishments in the arts and sciences...but the people here were too conceited for his taste. And that was saying something, as he worked for the most vain man in Valencia.

So, why is he here? He already knows the answer, but it's still baffling.

He didn't involve himself in the lives of his soldiers or those who worked for him. He didn't need to. He had an important profession that kept his time and attention. But what happened was that he let himself get curious. He did what was necessary, collected what he wanted, but there was something possessing him to want more. It wasn't the manifestation of his study nor was its cause, but one recipient in particular that led him astray:

Valerie Toscani.

His fascination with her was as unadulterated as he led on. And he blamed that on how capable she revealed herself to be. But there was more after he scratched that surface. He thought her beautiful the moment he saw her, even in the uniform of his cadets. The way she performed was just as enthralling, and he was annoyed at how quickly he picked up on that. His interest from then only continued to grow. She caught his attention. After he learned more about her, he wanted to continue this involvement.

That was the slippery slope that led him here.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door close. He glanced up and found the woman of his thoughts strolling towards him with a bright smile. He noticed the dress he bought for her situated comfortably on her frame. He put her in his favorite color per his taste, as he thought it would compliment her the same. This held true, as he found himself admiring the way her dress glittered when she approached him.

"Have you been waiting here?" He nodded. She blinked in surprise. "Why...?"

"I arrived a little early. I stayed here until your lesson finished." He led her on the sidewalks to start their walk to her apartment. "Did your instructor correct his mistakes..?"

"-Well, if you could call it that. I heard you scolded him more than you informed him."

He briefly recalled his talk with Aristide that morning. If he was emphatic at all, he hadn't noticed it. In his mind, he gave him a thorough explanation on what he did wrong and how to correct it. Kane remembered being a little strained during the process; it was stressful to recall how scared Valerie sounded when she confessed she nearly drowned. He understood such a thing was traumatic for her, and wished for the situation to improve. He knew how to get through to anyone in an instant, so Aristide should've understood the point well.

"It's my job to do that when expectations aren't met. Things did go better this time, right..?"

"They did. I was only teasing you." He looked away. "Aristide gave me something to float with and taught me how to do it on my own."

"Wonderful job." He noted this process may take awhile at the rate it was going. "You got back in the water quickly."

She rubbed her arm and smiled at him. "Our talk yesterday helped me. It meant a lot that you cared, you know."

He focused on their direction, noticing it would take a few minutes until they were there. He didn't come today to act as an escort - as suitable as it was. Their conversation further encouraged his interest in her. Not that there was anything particularly astounding about her presence - but her company was...enjoyable. He grew tired of following all the formalities whenever they spoke. He wanted those barriers down, as he intended to speak with her more. It grew tiresome hearing his status constantly after awhile.

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

When they were finally there, he assisted her inside the complex, where he followed her up the stairs and to her room. She expected him to come right in, as he found her holding the door open for him. He went to say something but found his mind blank, so he thanked her and followed after. He watched as she fussed with her hair and looked around. When she saw him standing in front of the door, she motioned for him to get comfortable on the couch and tugged at the end of her dress.

"Wait here," She told him. "I'll be right back."

And so he obeyed. He sat himself on the furniture and waited for her to return. His eyes wandered in the meantime, at how simple she kept her decor, to the few framed paintings she had on the walls. That was all he looked at before she came back into the room. He rolled his head towards her and noticed what changed.

Around her neck was a string of pearls, each a similar yet slightly different color situated comfortably against one another. His eyes locked on them as he thought of how attractive it looked against her skin. She must have noticed his stare, as she began to slide one of the pearls between her fingers nervously.

"That's a nice necklace."

"This was a gift from my father. It was a present for my training graduation." Her look turned a little sad. "They're real. He put them together himself."

Kane had nothing else to say at that moment. He stared a little more at the pearls, ashamed he hadn't realized they were real at a first glance. He stood and made his way over to her, attempting to get a better look at them. He realized how improper it would have been to keep his eyes locked on her chest, and met them with her instead. He quickly glanced down at them, being the last time he'd concern himself with it.

"--A meaningful gift." He brought his fingers to the pearls on his own, allowing his gloved hand to make contact with her skin. He lightly stroked their surfaces with his thumb. "-It looks lovely on you."

Her jaw fell open, but no words could leave her mouth. He prolonged the contact by casually looking over the pearls, then setting them back to rest on her collarbone. His fingertips felt hot as he withdrew - not realizing how badly he wanted to touch her skin. He recognized the impulse the other day, but he wasn't expecting to catch an opportunity. Reluctantly, he pulled away and allowed a reasonable amount of space between them. She urged a little closer to him.

"Kane..." She changed the subject. "The dress helped me. I've gotten less stares. You were right...I looked just like them, and they didn't bat an eye."

"That's to be expected. It compliments you well." His eyes met with hers. He felt that same warm feeling in his chest again. He was sure it wasn't because his uniform was too tight. "You should keep the necklace with it. Gold and white is a wonderful combination."

She brushed her hair to the side, eying him coyly. "Funny, I'm coming to like black and gold instead..."

It didn't take a genius to recognize she was talking about his clothes. He smiled unconsciously. "-Perhaps, we should try that on you sometime."

"I would be more than honored, Commander."

He cleared his throat. He had to focus and not waste his time. It troubled him how distracting she could be. "-Valerie, I've a reason for returning to you. I wanted to discuss with you-"

"Oh! If you want to talk, I insist we get comfortable."

Before he knew it, he was promptly sat on the couch by her small hand. She rested herself close to him as she folded her leg on top of the other. There was an eager look in her eyes as she waited for him to speak again. He was expecting her to be willing to hear from him, but her closeness took him by surprise. It didn't bother him regardless. He found himself situated nicely as he rested one boot on his knee. He took it upon himself to ask her one matter that's been on his mind - a topic that first intrigued him about her.

"-I recall from our first arrangement you mentioning your father; the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his passing." He chose his words carefully. "I know your personal distaste with pirates, but I want to understand more. How strong these feelings are, and how prominent they are with your goals."

She took a deep breath. "So, you want to talk about pirates..."

He nodded, but deep down, felt himself on the verge of losing his composure. He recognized how weak he was around this topic - how long he buried similar thoughts of his as to not burden his work. That was their first likeness he caught onto, and admittedly, the reason among others he wished to know more from her. He was hoping these feelings would be validated when he'd hear elaborate. As she closed her eyes and prepared her words, he mentally hoped they'd be the ones he wanted to hear.

"I never met one myself, but I have every reason to hate them. Things would be different if I had my father in my life. But I'll never know because of their selfish, greedy habits... Every story I heard of pirates is how they steal, kill, and feel no guilt for any of it. How can they feel better about themselves after taking the lives of innocent people? I will never understand it, and it makes me so..angry..."

She was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists hard in her lap. She took a moment to cool off. In that time, Kane looked at her in a mix of wonder and admiration - listening to how firmly she said her words, and how he could hear the venom dripping from them. It evoked a strange feeling...one he didn't have the time to understand. He knew one thing: he wanted to hear more.

"I have friends who were attacked by pirates. Who went through horrible things, and..." She looked away. "-Their lives were never the same. All of these stories, the women wrongly touched and spoken to... it inspired me to fight for them. To get rid of these horrible men who think it's justified to do whatever they want to girls. Everything they stand for is disgusting. I wish there was an end to them already."

He was so busy staring at her that he hadn't noticed the silence. She brought her eyes to his and he realized her story was finished. How unfortunate...he was waiting for more. "-That was enlightening."

His response made her confused. "Why did you ask me about this?"

"-Because I agree with you. You're speaking of a problem not many people address." He leaned forward. "I mentioned my navy was working to abolish piracy, but there is a much bigger problem at hand. I fear pirates are going to become a near issue for Valencia."

"Are you sure this is something to be sharing with me..?"

"You already recognize it. What happened to your father is one of many instances reported about them as of late. And quite frankly, they are as horrible as you speak. I've had run-ins with pirates myself. They are not cooperative to law. That is why they get away with the things you've mentioned - their influence is not one I wish to see in my homeland."

She looked interested now. "So, you're saying you think pirates are going to come to Valencia..."

He held up a gloved finger. "-Mere speculation. I'm just concerned about them. They are rogues with principles that contradict everything I stand for. I had yet to meet anyone that was directly affected by them. I hold no personal grudge, but I am always willing to listen to anyone's victimization."

"I lost my father to them. They've hurt people dear to me. And they are the only way I will get justice for my loss." Those words sounded so emotionless as they left her lips. She decided to change subjects. "-Would you care for some tea, by chance..?"

He told her 'yes', as he was looking for any chance to prolong his stay. She dipped her head and disappeared into the kitchen. He was left alone with his thoughts and shut his eyes. He received the words he wanted to hear, but he wasn't sure what to do with them yet. He hoped this matter would find its way between them again, as he did not intend ending this discussion here. Her footsteps came in and she set down small plates to hold the cups for them. She noticed his stare and cleared her throat.

"How long do you intend on checking in like this..?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"With me. Hearing of my lessons and...letting me get to know you." She stood up straight. "This has only been my first week, and I've seen you twice so far. I'm wondering how often you plan to come around, is all."

He sat back in his seat and looked away, mentally working through his schedule of his time here in Florenza. If he were to tell the truth, he wasn't needed that badly here at all. He was biding his time to check in on her. Sure, there were the matters of checking in on his fortress and overseeing his men stationed here...but there was nothing in drastic need of improvement. His soldiers did well here and had very little to report to him. That resulted in plenty of free time, which he spent in leisure working on his own projects. If he were to stay any longer, the only chance of getting actual stuff done was crammed with such little time...But what he'd be staying here for was another matter of itself.

Could he see that being worth it?

His eyes darted back over to hers. "-I will be here on the days of your lessons, to meet with you after them. I can't promise I'll make it to every one."

"Four days a week...?"

"Only if you'd like." He hesitated. "If you do not wish for my presence, I can leave you be in Florenza."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to rebut, but the sound of whistling came from the kitchen. She mumbled an apology as she rushed into the other room. He sat back as she came with the kettle and poured the water in, allowing the tea to brew. She sat down next to him then remembered what she was about to say.

"No! I mean...I would like to see you. You are the only person I know here right now, besides my instructor." She laughed nervously. "And I think four days a week is plenty....if that's the most you can manage."

"Then that's how often you will see me."

She appeared to be delighted as she grabbed for her cup. "I'm glad to hear that...I'll be looking forward to spending this time with you, Kane."

The two of them enjoyed their drinks in silence. Kane mulled to himself that this is how he will be spending his next few weeks - or as long as this would take. It was an awfully long time since he put any effort into getting so well-acquainted with someone. It was with a woman as well, he noticed. Not that he didn't want to go out of his way and meet new people - just that no one had been interesting to him in a long while. And he was still pulled in by Valerie's words, how beautiful she looked out of her uniform for once. He was curious with her, and their company was anything but boring.

They made eye contact as they returned their cups at the same time. He got to see her eyes flutter as her fingers brushed along his knuckles. This was a decision he would not regret.

#pirate101 #p101 #pirate101 kane #pirate101 queen #kane x queen #fanfiction #all'inzio #fanfic #agh!!!!

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lilacookiee · 2 years ago

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So today, I went through my iCloud and because it's been at max capacity from old photos for the longest of time, I could never actually thoroughly go through them to get rid of old photos but a year down the road, I never realised how big of a blessing that would be.

I stumbled upon hundreds of photos and videos of the life I shared with Jerry, I realised how truly real and gentle love had been with you, and how empty I must’ve felt, and how painful it must’ve felt for you to have to come to accept to let go of someone you loved so much because of unchangeable situation, and for me to have someone to love immediately after you. It must’ve been painful to watch me move on to someone with extreme passion that probably made you felt like you never meant anything at all. But surely that wasn’t the case. There will always be a space in my heart that remains filled with memories of you, more so than any partner I’ve ever had because 3 years is a long time, and I’ve grown the most with you and I’ve watched you grow time and time again, so it’s impossible to ever replace you. So in my heart you will remain, no matter who you are with, and who I am with.

I pray I find someone will love me just as much as you did, and I pray that when the time comes, it will last, and religion won’t be in the way again.

Looking back over the 6 months being single, I cried over a boy who’s love burnt with passion, but there wasn’t a bone in him that could commit to an everlasting love. Falling in love with him was like adrenaline, it was almost as if I was impulsively deciding on doing something crazy stupid, enjoying it, at risk of death or injury. It’s like an extreme sport, crazy fun, unpredictable, addicting but you have an inherent probability of dying or getting injured. Most times you’re lucky but when it falls through, coming back from it is more difficult than ever. It cuts you deeper than the loss of a soft love that just couldn’t work. But that’s just it isn’t it? I played with fire and I got burnt. Exciting, and then you realise it’s only fun and happy until it bites you back in the ass

But you know what helped me today? Looking at photos of the me before him. How real love towards me looks like. How you and I forgave each other time and time again, instances where we swore that we would never see each other again, we fought and you ran to your sister’s home and I would lock my doors and be so angry I wouldn’t want you to come back home, yet my heart would soften, and before I call you or when I do call you, you would already be on your way back home to see me.

Countless times, over the 3 years we fought, we always made up, times we thought one another would never change and we found ourselves unconsciously changing a few months down the road because we just really enjoyed each others presence so much that nothing that came between us was big enough of an obstacle to keep us apart. Petty or big issues just became a page of our history. Well, normal relationship problems aside, your ugly traits and mine aside, ultimately we only broke up for good when the love for one another was not enough to be a reason to forgo the love and commitment to our gods. But looking back at it despite the break and the mistakes, we had it all. I was anxious and you made me secure, each and everyday, I never delved deeply in what you did or how you made me feel that way, but looking back on our photos, I get it now.

I never realised how many photos we have of us where you were gently kissing my head, videos and pictures of you randomly embracing me without asking, how often you kissed me lovingly, how friendly you’d joke with me, how tender you were when you held me, how lovingly you looked at me, and how you would compliment me like I was the only girl that existed in your life. And funnily enough, as my memories are tied to photos, I remembered that before some of those photos and videos, we had big fights or silly altercations where I would sulk or get upset over little things, yet when I take videos after we made up, the love and how gently you treated me never changed.

You’d always remind me that you’ll love me even if I was jobless, even if I was handicapped, even if someone splashed acid all over my face, you’d still be by my side. It wasn’t just empty words you gave me, but from the way you loved me or treated me, it spoke louder than anything you could’ve said, no matter how bad you were at communicating.

I knew you loved me because I know it wasn’t because I’m able or I’m pretty, it was because you saw through my flaws, you held me through the hard times in my life and despite the pain of our differences that tore us apart, seeing and feeling the forgiveness you showered me with, truly define what love really is, and in turn, you softened my heart to love you the way you loved me.

Being in love with you made me learn to love more earnestly and honestly than I ever did, which is a good thing with the right person, but incredibly dangerous when given to a person who doesn’t treat my heart with care.

How can I ever thank you for loving me that much? You loved me despite my ugliest flaws and mistakes, forgave me countless times and kept the love flowing. You taught me how to love better despite my rough tendencies. Now, I love and forgive to the best I can, hoping I could even get close to how you could forgive me for the worst things I’ve ever done. Even though our paths have diverged and moved forward with the hands of time, I’m now relearning what it means to be loved, and how I should continue to love, despite all the pain I’m experiencing. I’m grateful I stumbled upon our photos and videos because it serves as a reminder to me that there is someone out there who would love me the way you did, to show that real love goes beyond time, space, and fights.

Seeing our love made me remember how safe it felt to be in a secure relationship with someone who chooses to love you despite your flaws and believes in a better future as a couple, rather than the addicting thrill and adventure of a fiery passionate love with the chance of love burning out or burning me at any moment. It also set the bar for me not to be so hung up over a boy who doesn’t know how to love someone enough to look for the light at the end of the tunnel, someone who isn’t strong enough to stay even despite the hurdles that come his way and to not love someone who is incapable of loving anybody enough to cherish their presence to make things work no matter how steep the mountain may seem at first.

It made me realise that I deserve someone honest, who doesn’t lie to me or himself to keep an imaginary happy image of a relationship going on to me, the world and himself afloat. That I deserve a love with someone who no matter how bad the fights get, or how far we run, or how hard it may seem, always comes back around because of the genuine love and forgiveness for each other that we share.

Thank you Jerry, you’ve thought me so much back then and even now, more than a year apart and without contact, you still manage to help me without even lifting a finger. I’m glad someone genuine loves you now, and I feel so genuinely happy seeing videos of the two of you. Although it didn’t always start off that way, but I’ll always have mad love for you because our love is never meant to intertwine more than what has already transpired, so I’ll smile and let a prayer slip through my lips for your happiness, whether it’s her, or if by the grace of God, me, should you ever convert and it leads you back to me, i don’t know.

I used to want to control what happens in my life, and worry and hurt in the process. But now I really don’t want to fight what’s in store for me, I let things go and unravel as it comes while loosely following a goal in my life, and if I meet someone who loves me along the way, whether it happens that ex I almost married, or you, or just about anybody I can open my heart to and is a person who is capable of loving me you the way you did, I’ll be eternally grateful.

I am hopeful and I am stronger now, because the me a year ago, could never be alone after a breakup, the me then would’ve never seen the beauty in the solitude you loved so much to bask in, and most definitely, the old me would have shattered at the sight of old happy memories, whether it may be Bryan. Jerry or him. But I don’t now. I’m so proud of me. Taking a trip down memory lane, something I didn’t expect to go through tonight, showed me that I am someone worth loving and I shouldn’t have been been treated nor destroyed the way I was last year.

I’ve been on my knees crawling day by day, and by the time I look back, the memory is so much further from me than what I my mind had exaggerated it to be. Truly eye opening. I’ll keep moving forward, smile and be happy with someone in the future. I know it’ll come.

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emilyrosediary · 2 years ago

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His testimony, not mine

My testimony is not over; what a joyous line I am able to spell out for you today.

For the last few months my lock screen has been set to a quote reading, “and if not, He is still good”. I had seen the quote one day and thought it would be a good reminder. And over and over again these words have remained true, He is still good. Through every heartbreak, He is still good. Through every struggle, He is still good. For every plan I have set in place that gets broken, He is still good.

March twentieth was another scary day in my recovery journey. This is a reminder that recovery is not linear. On this day I was scared of myself, scared of my thoughts, and scared to be left alone. Crying to my mom we took a visit to the emergency room to get me a psych evaluation that ultimately saved my life once again. I am so grateful to have such an incredible support system with amazing people who truly have my best interest at heart. On top of that an incredibly patient and loving family who continues to provide me with the resources I need in the middle of an all-consuming crisis moment. Life can truly be scary sometimes.

Now I know you may be thinking: Emily, we have seen this happen before, so a third time, really? Yes. Once again, recovery is not a linear path and sometimes life throws you curveballs (or in this instance, giant boulders). We were once again caught up in a blinding moment where the only conceptual way out in my mind was to end my life.

We recently celebrated a year clean for me, a huge milestone. I am happy to report we are still clean from self-injury. In the midst of a crisis, I was able to scream for help before I ever put a razor to my skin again. ( Yay for mini-victories in the middle of scary times)!

Ok back to the point. Life throws boulders and God catches them. Once again, what could have been the end to my story was not the end.

I am by no means a perfect Christian. I have never claimed to be, I never will claim to be. I am a sinner, who disobeys God daily, yet I am protected and loved fully by God. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8). My God died on the cross for me. For the sinful, broken, shattered version of me. What an overwhelming demonstration of sacrificial love.

Once again through the midst of a crazy time in my life of full-time school and working part-time, on top of managing just every day stressor of being a young adult God was on the back burner. I hate to say it but I would be lying to you if I didn’t admit that. Through the chaos, He was barely a thought except for the occasional prayer thrown up or Sunday service I habitually attended. God had again become an afterthought in my life. ( Clearly, I am not the poster child for the Christian faith over here). Once I began to feel my mental health declining triggered by a panic attack, I still wasn’t running to the Healer. It was easier to turn to worldly ideas and ways to cope than to turn to God. This ended in a relapse for me. A hospital stay that I had not accounted for in my six-month life plans.

Yet, throughout my time in inpatient, I began to dive into a book written by Sadie Robertson titled Live. This book is a dive into what it truly is to live through Christ and for Him. This book was one I had bought a while back and had never truly set the time apart to read. There were opportunities to do so but I often spent those hours glued to my devices probably lost in a Tik Tok rabbit hole. Well God finds a way to reach us whether we are ready for it or not. This crisis had lead me to five days in the hospital. (Now if you don’t know much about mental health support, inpatient is where they work to achieve stabilization in a locked-down hospital setting. There are no phones allowed, no outdoors, just time strictly to focus on feeling safe). While I was there I asked my mom to bring me this book, I had been meaning to sit down and read it, and what better time than this? I had hours to sit between support and educational groups so I turned to Live. God knew the words I needed were hidden in these pages. If I wasn’t going to set time apart, He was. God has a plan for my life and I truly needed to run toward the source of life in a time of life or death.

These pages allowed God to speak life into me. Life into the heart of a broken, hurting nineteen-year-old girl. We praise God for modern medicine that got me back on the road to feeling like me again. We praise God for the caring staff who selflessly worked to get me back on the right path. And we praise God for a support system to carry me through another terrifying moment in my life. Because the truth is, I didn’t want to die, I wanted to LIVE. I mean truly live. Not live a life of exhaustion, heartbreak, tears, and sleepless nights on an empty stomach. I mean true life. A life that is only found in Him.

When the only option felt like death, it was an invitation from God to truly live.

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funakounasoul · 7 months ago

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How would you go about localizing she loves to cook and she loves to eat?

I had to re-read this one because, for a moment, I thought, "Wait a minute. The manga IS translated." No no, you mean a full on rework of the story to suit a different audience (in my case, US since that's where I'm from)

Well, keep in mind, Anon, that everyone has different ideas of how to go at it. I personally grew up with the localization styles of DiC/Cloverway with Sailor Moon, Pokemon in general (especially when it was heavier on the Japanese themes) and ADV (at least with Azumanga) and in those instances, they were still in Japan, but a few things got changed up to find US equivalents. Pokemon was worse (jelly donut, anyone lol) but I digress.

The main things we would need to keep intact in a localization would be the following:

It's a story about two adult women coming together via food

It would still have to have the mentions of social issues women and lgbtq folks go through this day and age

It needs to still be lighthearted and uplifting. It can have "hard read" moments, but there needs to be a sense of of a gentle reminder to take it one step at a time, breathe, but keep pushing for a better future, especially with those you love dear, even if they are found family.

I think the main cast should still have the same orientations/gender identities they are in the original. I mean, I think it'd be okay but the end of the day, it's specifically about women (transwomen are okay too!). The acespecness of most of the cast? Please keep that intact, for sure. There's just not much rep in general! Oh and they still should be older women (at the very least keep the general age order that Yuzaki-sensei has provided us of Yako>Nomoto>Kasuga>Nagumo) and Kasuga has to be the tallest and heaviest as that is litetally part of her character, too.

Anything else can change, really! You want a poc cast? Make them poc! You want American Nomoto to be like...from Kansas and American Kasuga from Maine and they became neighbors in an old, giant house that now serves as apartments in upstate New York? Yeah! There's your setting! (Especially as even Kasuga is surprised at some of Nomoto's Miyagi dish variations despite having moved from only one prefecture away, so wherever she's from in canon sounds like they share similar platters like where they're currently living...which I think is Yokohama? Just based of what I've read, anyway. It's a guess, but near Tokyo is what I'm saying lol)

The only thing that is a struggle is the whole last-name addressing that is pretty iconic for the story. We don't really call people by last name all too often, do we? Maybe in a work setting, but they don't work in the same place. Like...how does one even translate the use of that without sounding awkward?

Canon Nomoto and Kasuga are polite toward one another, yes, but you can still translate their dialogue to fit their age equivalent casual speak in other languages thanks to dialogue nuances and body language

I guess they could both have names that sound old-school but can be given nicknames (because, eventually, even original Nomoto and Kasuga will start using given names! Surely!!)? Like I dunno. Someone is named Elizabeth and is called Elizabeth by the other woman, and then for The (Eventual) Moment, or even when American Nagumo tries the -chan naming equivalent, we get to hear something like "Lizzy" and it speaks volumes to that character.

...Well! That was a lot of typing. Definitely helped pass the time at work. I think I turned it into an adaptation more than a localization, though. Whoops~ But honestly, I think similar points can be used as localizing the base story.

Feel free to use these thoughts as starter points if one ever wants to make a "their country" AU fic or something lol

#asks #tsukuritai onna to tabetai onna #she loves to cook and she loves to eat #tsukutabe asks #localization involves a lot of thought yo #i would try to keep it as faithful in premise as possible personally #but i wouldn't be afraid to change names or give them different designs #just...don't make it about any guys plz #you got 'what did you eat yesterday?' for that :p

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intellibloghub · 8 months ago

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j-graysonlibrary · 1 year ago

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The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four Chapter 20

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 118k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: In order to save the world from the continuous subjugation and potential annihilation at the hands of Tiandi, hard lines must be drawn. The Great Spirits that were imprisoned ages ago must be unsealed and awakened, no matter the consequences.

The players are divided—those who stand blindly with Tiandi, such as Xiang Merra and her disciples versus those who want to tear the system down and give the power back to the people. Even a few of the most religious Lords change their minds when they learn the truth of the world—that Tiandi is no more than a dictator with no love in his heart.

It is up to the last, real Xiang and the ill-fated Chaaya to put everything they have into tearing God from his throne and creating new possibilities for the future.

Full chapter 20 under the cut

Chapter XX:

As soon as Raine was out of the room, Ami readjusted herself, crossed her legs, and placed her hands over her knee. Her eyes, usually warm and smiling, were now sharp and pointed. Kira half expected her to open with a curse or maybe even a slur.

“You know,” she began, already subverting his expectations, “The last time I spoke to someone about Raine’s love life, it was Heidi.”

“I had heard, sort of.” Kira, at least, knew that Ami had urged Heidi to confess that night, so long ago. He decided he would not mention the fact he eavesdropped on the majority of the confession itself.

Ami nodded, finally looking away and toward the ground. “I did not especially see a difference in Raine around her so much as I saw how she clearly cared for him. And, given her personality, I felt she would have been a good match. Straightforward, honest, loyal…I always wanted someone like that for Raine.”

“If it makes you feel better, I thought there was a chance they would end up together as well, at a certain point,” Kira admitted, hoping to show some commonality. It might have been the only thing he could offer, depending on where the conversation went.

“I noticed the next morning that nothing had come of the confession.” Ami uncrossed her legs and then rubbed her hands together, presenting more nervously now. “Then I heard about Heidi’s marriage and baby so, clearly, any future there was completely off the table.

When Raine told me that she had a husband, I was happy for her. I also realized that, when I wanted to push them together, I was not considering what Raine, himself, would want. I thought I knew what was best for him and that, because he had no experience in romance, that he would need help.” Ami gave a breathy laugh.

“He could be oblivious,” Kira said. He had learned much during the time they spent apart and, not only had his cynicism increased exponentially, but his ability to read people was sharpened. Raine, for instance, had not needed anyone to tell him that there was something going on between Pangu and Kaz or between May and Fujin whereas, had he been presented with the same evidence before, he would have been completely unaware. It seemed that tackling his own feelings had made him keener about others too.

The only downside, Kira had found, was that there were less opportunities to tease him.

“Tell me about it.” Ami sighed and stared at her lap. “I…I will tell you the same thing I told Heidi. I used to like Raine, in that way, when we were children.”

Kira was not shocked—he had pretty much guessed as much already. Still, he gave her some reaction, lifting his eyebrows up. “Did you ever tell him?”

She bobbed her head up and down. “As you can imagine, he told me no. I still love him, as a person, as my brother, but I have always wanted him to be happy with someone. If…if he is happy with you, even if I don’t understand it, then I am happy too.”

“Honestly, I am just as surprised as you.” He chuckled. “When he told me how he felt, I was sure he was kidding.”

The look on Ami’s face shifted. Some interest flared. “…Did you like him already?”

To that, Kira had to laugh. “Oh, that would be an understatement.”

She perked up even more. “Y-yeah?”

“What all do you want to know?”

“When did you fall for him?” Ami asked, taking to wringing her hands together. Her nerves were still on clear display but she was more invested in the potential story-time than anything.

“Well, we actually met, briefly, when we were both kids.” Kira watched as her eyes widened. “Right after he joined the military and was sent to a border town. I was there with my mother; he gave me a candy he got from the barkeep, and told me that if I wanted to escape my situation, I should join the military too. He left quite the impression on me.”

“…How serendipitous that you met again…” She blinked a few times and then pulled her feet up onto the sofa to get more comfortable. “Did he recognize you?”

“Not at all, but let us not get ahead of ourselves. I did wind up joining the Kyrie military as soon as I could….” Kira dove into the most sanitized version of his story as he could manage and he kept the focus of it on Raine and his feelings for him as he knew that was what Ami was the most interested in.

Funnily enough, the orphanage was the setting where he had reminded Raine of their shared history. That day felt like it had been decades past but was, in actuality, just under two years ago. Really, combing through all the major points in his and Raine’s story, for Ami’s consumption, re-contextualized a lot of things for him.

Of course, he never stopped caring for him, even at the lowest points in his recent past, but the amount of tenderness he felt, just at the memories, was alarming. He wanted Raine back in the room. He wanted to be holding his hand again. He wanted to make even more memories with the man he had loved since before he even knew what love was.

***

In the middle of the night, sleep evaded Raine. He had a pleasant time with Kira, after learning that Ami, at least, was accepting of him. They had done little aside from kiss, as it was not their bed, but even still, Raine was fulfilled for the time being.

Only Ranmu remained distant and he suspected that was the cause of his overactive mind.

He dethatched himself from Kira, slipped away, and carefully made his way down the stairs. The old house croaked and moaned under his weight but it was not so severe as to wake anyone.

Raine walked to the kitchen, reached to the top of the cabinets, and found the old bottles of spirits that his mother always kept on hand. She would not miss a bottle, he reasoned, and took it with him as he walked out the back door. He expected to be alone and have some time for reflection but he quickly spotted Pangu.

After having spent several hours playing with children while still having to keep a shield up over the house, Raine would have guessed that he would be dead tired, not still awake.

“Can you not sleep either?” his Xiang asked, kicking his feet out from the steps.

Raine sat down beside him. “No.” He popped the cap off of the bottle in his hands and took a swig. The woody taste was overpowering but there was a sweet note that came in at the end and salvaged it. After a rough swallow, he offered Pangu a drink.

“Thanks.” Pangu took it, showing clear disgust as he drank. “Ugh. Strong.” He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “So I heard from Kira that you told your family about you and him.”

“Yes. I did.” Raine drank again, longer. He hissed on the exhale. “I thought it was fair to be honest. Ami seems alright but I fear Ranmu is overwhelmed or she thinks differently of me.”

Pangu had not told his own family for almost that exact reason. He passed up on the next offer to drink and looked out, into space. “I think she will be okay. She may just need to sleep on it. The fact that she did not ask us to leave is a good sign, right?”

He managed a smile. “I suppose. And I did know that she would not be happy at first yet I still… The more silence I am met with, the less sure I become about whether telling her was the correct decision. Perhaps her living in ignorance would be better.”

“You lying for the rest of your life is out of your character,” Pangu cut him off and then smiled up at him. “I would have you no other way and I doubt she would ask you to hide yourself in her presence. Maybe it is my terminal optimism speaking but I do think she will understand in time and share in your joy.”

“Yeah?” Raine swished the drink in his hand and then took another sip. “I do hope so. I would like them both to see Kira as a part of the family.”

Pangu attempted to see, in his mind’s eye, his best friend spending long weekends in the orphanage, doing domestic chores all while chatting with the women about trivial things. In his imagination, Kira’s skin was darker again and the black spots were scarcer. He was healing from the miasma.

His smile dropped when he realized what he was doing but, before Raine could notice anything amiss, he switched topics, “So, are you eager to see King Raime again?”

“Eager is not quite the word I would use,” his first disciple answered with a quiet laugh. “But it is necessary and I hold onto the belief that he will gladly help us.”

“And then Undine can choose you,” Pangu added with a sideways smirk.

Raine nudged him. “One thing at a time.” After a swig, he asked, “What about you? Are you eager to free another Great Spirit?”

“Like you said, it is necessary.” Sighing, Pangu looked even higher into the sky, tracing the constellations with his eyes. “My feelings on the matter have been an aside. When I am done, I can have some reprieve and soak it all in.”

When he glanced back to Raine, he was met with a frown. “I know this is all incredibly serious but I think you should try to have some fun in the process. At least, enjoy the moment while it is happening instead of only thinking of the next step.”

He was right on the mark and Pangu started to nod without even realizing. He had been focused on what came next, for a time now. Even when he went to bed with his lovers, his mind could get away from him.

“I will try,” he told Raine, starting with that moment, and he took another drink of the strong liquor.

In the morning, the mood had shifted. Ami dragged Kira into the kitchen, asking him to help with breakfast despite his insistence he was not good at cooking. She settled for having him chop ingredients and, while they were busy, Ranmu walked up to Raine with a smile.

“He is a handsome man,” she said and patted Raine’s arm, “and you seem to care for him a lot. Bring him back when all of this is over and I can make a better judgment.”

It was more than he could have hoped for, especially after just one night, so he hugged her with delight. “Thank you, mother. With more time, I am sure you will come to love him too.”

Pangu watched from a distance, pleased and also a bit jealous as he was left to wonder if he could have had a moment like that with his own mother had he only been honest. He supposed he would never really know but he was, truly, happy for Raine. Kira too.

Full of breakfast and with even more snacks for the road, they said their goodbyes to the women and children. Raine put on his armor and felt a lot more like his old self but he still was not quite there. He was beginning to think he would never again return to that version of him.

But, when he looked at Pangu and Kira and realized that he was journeying with them again, who he was did not matter so much. It became a smaller detail—one that would fall into place at the right time.

Pangu cast the spell to disguise them as they walked through Castelle’s streets though he fully intended to withdraw it once they came upon the palace gates. They would not be able to enter otherwise (unless they snuck in which seemed counterproductive to him).

“Are my friends still there?” Pangu asked as they approached. He glanced up at Raine who was, still, probably, a little too tall. He was not sure how to fix that fact with the type of magic Gong had taught him.

“You mean Sampra and Ryu?”

He nodded.

“They should be. Though, I cannot say for sure whether they are working today or not.”

Pangu grinned, just considering the possibility of running into those two. Since they had begun preparing for their Kyrie trip, he had been thinking of them. The last time he was in the capital he had not seen them. Even if he had, he might not have remembered them fully.

“Merra did not come down on them?” Kira asked.

“I do not think she knows how close they are with Pangu,” Raine responded with a sideways grin.

Once the outer wall was in sight, Pangu removed their disguises and marched forward. Raine’s appearance alone got the attention of the first guarding pair and they were let through without any trouble.

Then, they saw them. The two, dressed in matching dark blue armor and holding a private conversation between them, came into view and Pangu ran the rest of the way.

“Sampra! Ryu!” he called out and watched their scattered response.

Sampra gasped while Ryu opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. After a few, collective, moments of silence, Sampra shouted back, “Pangu?!”

“Kira too,” Ryu said and pointed at him.

“Raine…Pangu…what is happening?” Sampra could not decide who to look at.

“A lot,” Raine answered, as vaguely as possible.

Ryu shook his head forcefully and took an extra moment to compose himself. “Our King took you for dead, Raine. And Pangu…we all thought you were dead. For over a year now.”

“What about me?” Kira asked, smirking.

“Oh, well, we knew you were out there, somewhere,” Sampra answered with a mousey demeanor.

“We tried to avoid the Chaaya gossip,” Ryu clarified.

Kira cackled. “It’s true, you know. All the terrible rumors you heard. I am the Chaaya and Pangu did die.”

The two men shared a confused look. Pangu laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah…I did. But I’m fine now?”

“H-how…?” Sampra frowned.

“Long story.” Pangu offered a smile as an apology.

“If May was here, she would tell it in a heartbeat,” Kira mentioned and he, Pangu, and Raine laughed.

Of course the guards were confused but Ryu did not linger in the moment for long. “So, I take it you are here for our King? Coming back like this has to be a last resort of some kind with how risky it is for…well, all of you.”

Raine nodded. “Yes. Would you mind escorting us?”

“With pleasure.” Sampra grinned and looped his arm with Pangu’s.

Their complete bewilderment at the situation aside, Pangu was glad to see that they still saw him as a friend and wanted to be on his side. Had they more time, he would have loved to sit down and go over all the finer details with them.

Ryu led the way, wanting to give the King some warning before just presenting the three of them in the throne room. They could hear his muffled talking from the other side of the door while Sampra looked between them with a nervous smile.

“I am sure he will be happy to see you too, Pangu,” he said.

“If not, I will understand. I know this past year and a half has not been easy on him.”

“That is not your fault,” Sampra countered immediately.

Raine set a hand on Pangu’s shoulder and seconded, “It is not. King Raime knows this.”

Kira, as expected, took a different approach. “If he says anything, I’ll knock him out.”

No one scolded him as they all knew he was (mostly) kidding. When Ryu popped his head outside to beckon them in, they shared one final look to bolster their morale and then walked inside.

King Raime stood from his throne and took a few steps forward on the long, ornate rug and he glanced between the three of them with a tired expression.

“What, exactly, is going on here?”

#the xiang chronicles #my novel #my writing

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