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kaistarus · 4 years ago

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The Key to Love is Timing

Pairings: Hinata X Reader

Words: 3.5K

Summary: If the first confession fails... Just bottle it up for a few years and hope for the best? Hinata messed up the first time, but he's not one for quitting.

Notes: This has lots of manga spoilies. I just love time-skip Hinata and he deserves more content 🥰

Masterlist // Ko-Fi

Karasuno high school loomed in front of you. The place that served as a sanctuary for so many years, helping you build lasting friendships and memories in classrooms that would soon be filled with new freshmen to take your place. It was bittersweet knowing your locker would soon belong to someone else, but you could only hope it would serve them as well as it had you.

Almost everyone had left the school grounds since it was nearing sundown, but you needed a while longer to say goodbye. You trailed your hand down the granite pillar that held the small canopied entrance. You were never good with goodbyes, and it would be hard to leave your friends behind. You’d made your plans to keep in touch and although you were the realistic type you still held had hope it could work out.

There was only one person you had avoided talking to...

“(Y/N)!”

You inhaled slowly before glancing over your shoulder at the boastful voice coming from across the courtyard. Hinata. You were hoping you’d run into him, whether you’d let yourself admit it or not. You noticed his sleeves were rolled up his forearms and that the schoolbag hung casually over his shoulder contained his uniform jacket-the sleeve hanging out loosely-as he pushed his bike toward you.

“Hey, yourself,” you tightened the grip on your own bag and languidly came to meet him at the front of the entrance. He was slightly out of breath when he reached out, taking large gulps of air to gather himself before speaking.

“I was hoping you would be here. I lost track of time and was worried I missed you.” He gave a crooked grin that made your heart skip.

“Well, I figured it would take you forever to say good-bye to Kageyama.”

He tilted his head in confusion before his face lit up. “You were waiting for me?”

Your eyes widened at your mistake. “No. I mean, I didn’t not want to see you, like, if we bumped into each other that would’ve been cool, but I wasn’t purposely trying to waste time...”

Smooth.

You found yourself unable to meet Hinata’s eyes until you heard a lighthearted laugh. His genuine smile was framed with unruly autumn hair that contrasted the cherry blossoms of spring that were flying through the air. You broke your Hinata induced trance when you realized he had swiped your bag from your grip.

“Um, excuse me?”

Instead of responding he took to placing your bag on the opposite handlebar from his own bag and pushing his bike ahead of you. You blinked, confused, before catching up to the boy.

“Since when do you carry bags?” You raised an eyebrow while gesturing to the bike. “Usually you whine about how it’s abuse I’m making you push your own bike.”

“I don’t know. I just feel like it,” he shrugged and turned away from you which only raised your suspicion that he was up to something. If he tried to steal your bag or pull some last day of school prank on you… you were so not in the mood.

“Wait, where are we going?” You realized you’d just been following the familiar backroad without thought. “Are you walking me home?”

“Yes.”

“Then why aren’t we going to the halfway point? My house is completely out of the way.” You crossed your arms and narrowed your eyes at Hinata’s scrunched up face. “You’re acting really weird. Should I be concerned?”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“Thanks. I’m thinking about doing it professionally.” You stuck your tongue out at his deadpan glare and ignored the grumbling that followed. You focused on the warmth in your chest as you teased him and not the lurking dread that dweld with every step closer to your house.

“When do you leave for University?” Hinata’s question made your stomach twist.

“April,” you shrugged. “I leave for Tokyo a few weeks before classes start.” The silence that followed was unbearable. “When… do you leave?”

“Two days.”

You nearly gave yourself whiplash with how quickly you turned to him. You had figured he would be leaving quickly, but you always envisioned a month or two at least. Your time had been wasted and you didn’t even realize.

“That’s…”

“Soon.” He finished. You nodded slowly. “I wanted to start training as soon as possible. I need to learn everything I can about beach volleyball so I can be the best player possible.”

“I’m so happy for you, Hinata.”

And you were. Even if the smile on your face felt a bit forced you knew that you truly meant those words. So you ignored the ache in your heart because it came from a selfish part of you that was scared to lose someone you cared too deeply for. Someone who had the courage to chase their passions to new continents. You shoved down the pain and focused on your admiration at his continuous drive for self-discovery and improvement.

There was no time to pity yourself.

“We’ve both got adventures ahead of us,” Hinata said with an ear to ear grin on his face. You could only nod in agreement because Tokyo was nothing like Brazil, but you had your own sense of self-discovery you supposed. Slowly, Hinata’s face dropped into something more weary and his eyes drifted to his feet. “But…”

“But?”

“It’ll be weird not seeing you all the time,” he started, lifting his head to the sky. You followed his gaze, but found nothing of interest beside the cloudless sky slowly fading to peach hues as the sun set. “I mean, you won’t be coming to my games or bullying me at school.”

“I don’t bully you.” You deadpanned.

He waved you off. “You won’t be able to come over and help me teach Natsu volleyball when she complains I’m not a good enough teacher either.”

“Well, not everyone understands your ‘wam’ and ‘zoom’ into a ‘fwump’!” You said while moving your arms into random receives and spikes to match the sounds.

“Nishinoya did,” he narrowed his eyes. “Whatever, the point is you’ll be gone and… I’m going to miss you.” He glanced over quickly. “More than the average person.”

“I’ll miss you too.” You nudged his shoulder. “Lighten up. You’re acting so weird today.”

“I’m not acting weird…”

“You are!” A gust of wind sent cherry blossoms floating toward you from the trees that perched along your path. You held out your hand and let a few settle into your palm before smirking at the boy beside you. “Cherry blossoms, carrying my bag, talking all mushy. If you were anyone else I’d think this was some poor attempt at a love confession.”

Hinata stumbled over his steps before pausing all together and you furrowed your brow at him before realization struck you. His face had blossomed red in a furious blush and his eyes were set on you determinedly in a way that had your heart racing.

Your mouth went dry. “Hinata-”

“I’m not good with words.” He took a shuddering breath and his fists clenched. “Going to Brazil is my dream, but when I think about you not being there I kinda feel like I’m gonna throw up or something. And when I’m not thinking about volleyball I’m usually thinking about when I get to see you next so…” He glanced up at you more confidently and you started to panic. You’d wanted this for so long but… “I don’t know a lot of things, but I know that I love volleyball. So, it would only make sense that I also lo-”

“Stop.” You put your hand up between you both. “You can’t…”

“What are you talking about?” He tilted his head confused. “I’m pretty sure I can. I mean I’ve been debating it for at least a year now so-”

“A year?” Your eyes widen before you shake it off. “Nevermind, I meant not now. Not when you’re about to leave and I’m about to start university and…” You clench the material of your pleated skirt. “It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

He furrowed his brow at you and his eyes scanned your face. “How wouldn’t it be fair?”

You took a few shaky breaths to calm yourself and to hold back the unshed tears that burn in the back of your eyes. “I don’t want to be a burden to your training in-”

“You would never be a-”

“But it’d feel that way.”

His tongue stuck out the side of his mouth while he was deep in thought. You always found that a cute quirk, but now you were just desperate to know what possibly was going on in his head. He scratched the back of his head and glanced toward the sky once again, but like before you saw nothing of interest there.

“Okay,” he said, meeting your eyes once more. “Next time then.”

You blinked. “Next… time?”

He gave you a crooked grin. “Yep, it’s not like I’ll be gone forever.”

It seemed like such a silly thing to cry over such a naive promise, like he would actually still have feelings for you when or if he ever decided to come back to Japan. The realistic part of you knew it was a childish fantasy, but let him believe his bold words like you knew only Hinata could. However, the hopeful part of you, the one that leaked tears the moment Hinata’s smiling face was out of view, clung to the idea of his dramatic return and your tragic love story.

But days turned to months, and months turned to years, and you were no longer a child. You had come to terms that the world wasn't made for fairy tale endings.

~*~*~*~

Nearly four years had passed since that day and for the most part you had moved on from it. You take a deep breath before flashing your laminated badge to the security guard that would allow you to enter the massive gymnasium. No matter how many times you come to these venues it still gives you a thrill being around the chaotic environment. The crowd’s chants, scuffling of athletes shoes, coaches encouraging shouts and rushed commands all created a cacophony unmatched by anything you’d ever heard. It was a no brainer that you were addicted to the atmosphere, eventually building yourself a career that allowed you to become a part of it all.

You had plenty of time before the match started to conduct the interview you’d been assigned for that day. You glanced at the scoreboard and a nervous ball hit the pit of your stomach at seeing MSBY Black Jackals vs Schweiden Adlers. You attributed it to the number of people in the audience, rather than the person you’d been lucky enough to be assigned to interview.

Nope. This definitely had nothing to do with Hinata Shoyo.

As you unnecessarily prepared your notes, pen, and recorder for the fifteenth time since you’d arrived at the arena you glanced into the audience. Your eyes landed on Yamaguchi and Yachi waving wildly to you from the stands and you waved back, taking note of the empty seat Yachi was pointing to beside her. Looks like you’d be staying for the match after all.

You stretched your arms above your head and let out a sigh, adjusting your blazer before glancing over your shoulder to where MSBY had now filtered onto the sidelines. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the tufts of orange hair bouncing between the team and you hadn’t even noticed your soft smile until Bokuto was pointing in your direction. Hinata’s head whipped toward you and you felt yourself freeze. If you were back in high school you’d probably describe this moment of staring into his amber eyes as magical in some way, but you just felt embarrassed you couldn’t remain composed while on the job.

He sends you a crooked grin and with a light shove from Atsumu he’s jogging over in your direction. You take a deep breath to center yourself before he’s way too close in your personal bubble.

“Hey.” He smirked at you. It was a familiar look, but he carried it differently. He radiated a newfound confidence that he didn’t have last time you’d seen him. Had he also gotten taller?

“Hi.” You breathed out. Internally cursing yourself for allowing him to have such an effect on you after so many years.

“You, uh, look really nice” He said, amber eyes bright and genuine. They were still so open, like shameless windows to his every emotion. At least that hadn’t changed.

“You look pretty good too.” You said quickly switching your focus to your notes. “How’s being back?”

“Trying to give me a pre-interview?” He smirked, raising a teasing eyebrow. “Don’t think I agreed to that one.”

“Just trying to get a better feel for the client,” you shrugged. “Not required, I suppose.”

“Client?” He pouted.

“This is a paid interaction.”

“Well, let’s keep it PG cause I’m really only good at volleyball for now,” he smirked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Your face dusted light pink at the suggestion. Yeah, he’d definitely matured over the last four years.

“Here’s the questions I’ll be asking,” you decided to ignore him, along with the cute pout he gave at being ignored, and get straight to business. “I’m going to be recording our conversation for my writing, so don’t worry about stumbling or speed or anything. Just relax and take your time.” Hinata’s eyes were soft when you looked back up to make sure he was paying attention. “What?”

“You’re just so cool.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek to calm your nerves. “It’s not that special. I’m just doing my job.”

“But you’re so good at it. You look badass.”

You shrugged. “I’m going to start the recording now,” you said and the moment he nodded in acknowledgement you pressed record. “Hinata Shoyo. MSBY player 21.” You said, marking the interview for yourself to which he just raised an eyebrow. “So, this is your first interview, right?”

“I had small ones in Brazil, but this is my first one as a professional player in Japan.” He smiled widely. “I made sure you were the first interview I had.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I got a few offers, but they didn’t matter to me if it wasn’t you doing them.”

You blinked at the confession, and found yourself lagging as you looked for the next question. “Um-okay, well, this is your first professional game this season on the starting line-up. What made you choose MSBY?”

“They were the best team at the time having try-outs!” Hinata crossed his arms and nodded. “I have to beat Kageyama after all.”

“It had nothing to do with Bokuto?” You tilted your head. You honestly thought he picked based on friendship.

“Nope, but that was an awesome coincidence!” He leaned closer to you and you looked around awkwardly. “So, what made you choose to be a sports journalist for volleyball? Anyone important in your life?”

Your heart began beating rapidly in your chest and you pushed Hinata’s face back with your notepad. “I’m sorry. I thought I was conducting the interview.”

“Well, as the client I feel I would be most comfortable answering my questions in a back-and-forth style.” He smiled innocently and you deadpanned. “Also, this is my first time, remember? I’m still learning.”

You rolled your eyes before deciding to just humor him. “I knew a kid in high school. Pretty obsessed with volleyball, so I spent a lot of time around it.”

“He sounds pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, it really depends on the day.” You said, making Hinata pout and grumble under his breath. “So, you went to Brazil for your career. How was it different there?”

“Beach volleyball is so different. It's an entirely new game compared to here. Less hands, more feet. There’s the wind and then the sand. It was really hard getting used to.”

“Will you be using some of that technique tonight?” You asked.

“On the court or...?” He smirked slyly with mirth dancing in his eyes. You glared at him and he sighed. “I mean, yeah. You’re staying for the game, right?”

“Um--I...yeah.” You answered awkwardly, looking between Hinata and the notes. He raised an eyebrow at your weird response.

“Are you dating someone?” He asked bluntly.

“What?” Your ears shot to your shoulders at his question, but he just looked at you calmly. “I-What does that-Why?”

“Cause you’re acting weird.”

You furrowed your brow and glared at the courts flooring beneath you. ““How do you think Brazil has impacted your playstyle?”

“You’re avoiding my question,” he said as you continued to avoid the question. He let out a groan before continuing. “You’ll definitely see it through my receives and blocking. I think it’ll really surprise people in my first match back.” Hinata answered smoothly. “So, are you single or…?”

You raised a brow. “Does it matter?”

“Duh,” he scoffed, dragging a hand down his face.

You sighed dramatically. “No, I’m not dating someone currently.”

“Currently!?”

“Oh my god, we’re like 22. Yes, I dated someone for a while just...” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “I heard you were called Ninja Shoyo in Brazil. Do you know where that came from?”

“I don’t know, probably because I’m Japanese.” He waved it off and you furrowed your brow grumpily at his lazy response.

“Hinata you have to at least try to-”

“Do you still love me?”

You choke on your breath and nearly let the recorder slide out of your hands, but Hinata manages to grab it with quick reflexes. He holds it between you, tilting his head with an inquisitive stare.

“I don’t know what you-”

“Because I still love you.” He declared, refusing to break eye-contact as he finally confessed what he’d held on to for so long. “Have for over four years. I kept waiting for the right time, and I’m finally back now for good so… I feel like this is it.”

You stood there in disbelief and tightened your grip around your notebook in an attempt to ground yourself. This was not part of your plan. You had given up on this long ago. “There’s no way you still-”

“It never faded. There were a few times I wished it would,” he looked away almost shamefully. “Only when it hurt a lot, like, when I felt really alone. But even when I tried I just couldn’t. I’d read your articles and everything would come back, ya know?”

You nodded slowly. You remember how it felt when Yachi sent you the article about ‘Ninja Shoyo’. The way your heart had leapt just from seeing his picture. You had stayed up the entire night rereading the poorly translated article and telling yourself you just missed an old friend, nothing more.

You dumping your boyfriend a week later had absolutely nothing to do with it…

“It’s complicated.” You settled on. There were too many factors now.

“Then we can figure it out,” his wide smile nearly sent a thrum through your heart you’d been unknowingly yearning for. “No need to overthink. We have plenty of time.”

Your heart swelled at the words and their implications. “I guess… there is.”

“You said you’re staying for the game?” He asked, which you confirmed with a nod. “Awesome. We can eat and catch up or something.” His eyes widened as he waved his hands between you. “Doesn’t need to be a date. We can just hang out like old times.”

“But what if... I want to call it a date?” You asked nearly above a whisper, twisting the ball of your foot into the ground.

Hinata paused before breaking out into a crooked smile. “Then I’d be fucking thrilled, but no pressure. Okay?”

A whistle sounded and you both turned to see the MSBY’s coach waving to Hinata as the rest of his team took the court for warm-ups. You frowned at the sheet in your hands. “We barely made through the questions…”

“There’s tons of material on here,” Hinata winked as he pressed your recorder into your palm. “You can interrogate me with whatever after the game too.”

You smiled affectionately at him as another warning whistle came from his coach. He apologized to you quickly before running off toward the court. Your cheeks warmed when Bokuto ruffled Hinata’s hair and Atsumu gave a few suggestive looks in your direction while whispering in Hinata’s ear. But when he gave Atsumu a shove, his face a flaming red, you knew you hadn’t been kidding anyone.

The lights dimmed in the arena and you made your way to where Yachi had been seated in the stands. You kept glancing toward the sunshine boy who managed to light up your life the second he returned. Someone with that strong of a magnitude couldn’t help but attract everyone around him.

As he bounced around the court, laughing boastfully with Bokuto, the only thought in your head was that it should have been obvious. Of course you had never stopped loving him.

How could anyone stop loving someone like him.

#haikyū!!#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#hinata #shoyo hinata #hinata shouyou #hinata shoyo #hinata x reader #love hiimmmmm #this got so long #i don't even know #more self indulgence #manga spoilers #hinata shoyo x reader #hinata shouyo x reader

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remmushound · 3 years ago

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Beyond the Bay chapter 1: Omen in the Lights

Authors note: I know I said this was only going to be posted on A03, but I have decided against that and made the choice to expand it to my regular postings on Tumblr; there will be three posts a week; Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

It was late September, the heat of summer waning to give way to the autumn chill that had started to sweep its way through the city. The first snowfall had yet to arrive, but with the cold settling over New York, it wouldn’t be long before the city was blanketed in white. The moon reached its peak in the night sky and was beginning its downward descent into the west; if anyone had been looking up at that moment, they would have seen something miraculous. A falling star, illuminated brightly in the inky purple sky. Falling to earth on a mission from the stars and crashing into the Hudson river, sinking below the surface, a blinking white light pulsating all the way down

~~~

Deep in the undersewers of New York, in the old tunnels that even the most experience sewer workers didn't dare to enter, was a world forgotten by all but the rats and the creatures unseen. The steady drip drip drip of distant, decaying pipes were to this world like bird calls were to the surface. A constant, steady drumming that ceased not night nor day. Sometimes, the soothing drips would be jarred by the rumble of something old, far beyond its best days, giving a groaning complaint of its age. Rarer still would be a crash that told of one of those ancient structures living its last moments before succumbing to the fate of collapse.

Other than that was the pitter-patter of tiny rodent feet as rats, this worlds most plentiful residents, went about their days searching for scraps on which to feast upon. Sometimes they’d come in swarms, all seeking to indulge in the same noxious smell that invaded their senses. Other times they came alone. But they were always there, mostly unseen, some were bolder than others.

This day there was a noise other than the drip and scuttle and groan of everyday sewer life. There was the sound of motion, the steady echo of rubber bouncing off stone. The powerful strike of muscle against muscle, shell against shell. The sound of the biggest creatures to call the undersewers home, crashing against each other as they all fought over the basketball. Leo and Mikey vs Donnie and Raph.

The game went on for hours. Longer than any human game. Longer than any crash of giants on any continent. It went on for nearly eight hours before the self-set timer ran out and named Leo and Mikey the winners. The win, of course, was taken with very little modesty by the youngest brother. Leo was glad that, in his twenty-two official years of life, he had learned to tune out the incessant bickering of his two youngest brothers as Mikey boasted of his glory and Raph simmered in his defeat.

Still, even someone with as much patience as Leo Splinterson could only let the bickering go so far until he decided to intervene.

“Okay, okay, you both did well.” Leo got between his brothers, pushing Raph back just slightly. Mikey was more than happy to start hanging over Leo’s shoulders, still running that motormouth of his.

“Don’t feel bad, Raphie!” Mikey put extra emphasis on the childish nickname, “You may be a foot taller, but I gots an extra foot in the game brother!”

“Extra foot in the— that don’t even make sense!” Raph almost snarled.

“You don’t make sense!”

“That don’t make sense either!”

“Cool it.” Leo said finally, “The game was a good warm up for tonight's patrol.”

Those few words made the three younger Splinterson brothers melt into groans.

“What?” Donnie complained.

“No way!” Mikey groaned.

“Seriously?” Raph threw his arms out and then slapped them back down against his thighs.

“What?” Leo said, and then again louder, “What? We go on patrol every night!”

“But Leo, it’s our mutation day!” Donnie groaned. “And we’re exhausted! Plus, April made us that cake—“

“Which we can pick up after patrol.” Leo said simply.

“But what about dad?” Donnie frowned. “You know he likes us to spend our mutation day together.”

“It’s just three hours.” Leo said. “We’re ninja first, always. You know that. Dad will understand.”

Leo turned to leave, the frustrated mutterings of ‘no fair’ and ‘just had to ruin a good thing’ falling on his deaf ears. He didn't turn around; he already knew his brothers were following him, no matter how they dragged their feet or complained. This was their duty, mutation day or not. He couldn’t stand the thought of missing even the smallest occurrence that could cost them greatly in the long run. Shredder hadn’t been seen since Krang’s very temporary control over the city, but that didn't mean the Foot Clan wasn’t still active and preparing to strike. They had to be ready.

The patrol went by with little difficulty. Everything they saw were the same, normal things they’d seen in the weeks before. Men and women stumbling drunkenly home after a night out; the brothers, of course, would follow the latter to ensure she got home without trouble before going on with the patrol. Other than the women they escorted home, they also witnessed the average amount of drug deals taking place and teens sneaking out of their bedroom windows, and homeless trying to keep warm as they prepared for another long, hard winter; Donnie made sure to slip every single one of them a twenty. Whether they would use it for drugs or food was up to their discretion. Donnie didn't care either way. Who was he to judge?

Raph’s whistle stopped the brothers. Two sets of blue eyes and one set of green turned to him as the team fell to still silhouettes. Raph jerked his head toward an alleyway across the street, and four silent shadows passed over the lamp-lit road. Leo’s eyes scanned the area in its entirety searching for anything that could tell of trouble. Anything out of order. He heard three sets of breaths, not counting his own. No voices. No scuffling that didn't come from his brothers. Still he took in all the tiny details that tied together like an intricate spider web.

Down in the alley, he saw, was a woman, her hair grayed and wearing a sleeping gown. There were no shoes on her feet and no caregiver in sight, and every step of the elder was slow and shaky. Her voice came through the alley in a language he couldn’t understand, so he turned to Donnie for further confirmation of what he was sure he already knew. Donnie listened to the words carefully.

“Guys, I think she’s lost.” Donnie said, flicking his goggles down over his glasses, “Her vitals are stable, but its freezing.”

“What’s she saying?” Leo asked.

“Uh… she’s asking for help.” Donnie said.

“Should we go down there?” Mikey asked innocently, looking up to Raph.

“What, and scare her outta her skin?” Raph asked, showing his canines.

“We can’t just leave her!”

“We ain’t gonna, doofus!”

“Donnie—“ Leo started.

Donnie held up his finger for silence as he started to pace the length of the rooftop, speaking into his headset. “Hi, yes, this is Donatello. You know, giant turtle, four eyes. There’s this old lady here…” He went on to relay their location and explain the situation further. His conversation with the authorities lasted only a few minutes before he ended the call. “Police are on their way.”

Leo nodded. His eyes had never left the alley or the wandering lady as she continued to call out. They stayed there waiting, watching her until the police arrived and even after that, making sure the old lady was safe in the police car being driven home. Only then, sure of the lost woman’s safety, did they continue with their patrol. They didn't get very far however before Mikey stopped and gawked at something.

“Woah!”

“What is it?” Leo asked. He followed Mikey’s gaze into the night sky and felt his jaw drop.  

Donnie looked up next, and then Raph; the former took a long, wheezing gasp while the latter remained silent in his awe.

“What in the fabric of time is that?” Donnie asked.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” Mikey beamed, “And I’ve seen April!”

“Glad we came out now, aren’t ya?” Leo smirked, elbowing Mikey in the side.

“Yeah…” Was all Raph was able to say.

It was like all the painters in the world had gotten together, pallets in hand, to pain the sky in streaks of gold and pink and cerulean. Colors bright and bold, melting into each other like a mixing bowl of everything beautiful in the world. A field of flowers woven into the heavens. The lights over the sky rivaled the brightness of the city itself, and in beauty, New York could never compare.

After their night of patrol and a quick stop at April’s to indulge in delicious, homemade cake, the brothers returned to the lair. Long strides carried Donnie past his father, Splinter’s words of welcome met with a mutter and quick departure. The rat only laughed and shook his head, for of course the first thing his second oldest would want to do after a night of work was to head immediately to his lab for more work. After all, when Donnie’s thoughts hardly let him sleep, it was always good to get some extra studying in. He had to keep up to date with all the latest news, even if it had only been a few hours since he had last checked. Raph stayed around just long enough to give his father a half-hearted hug before hurrying off to his room, and Mikey jumped over the old rat like he were an obstacle on the way to the kitchen. Leo was the only one to return Splinter’s welcome home greeting with a greeting of his own, immediately sitting lotus-style before his master to give a report on the night's events.

Pulling up articles to scan for anything interesting, Donnie was immediately flooded with several dozen headlines on the same subject: the beautiful light-show currently swallowing the New York City sky. Some of them were calling the lights a second Aurora Borealis, while other papers said that rockets or satellites were to blame. In fact, most every paper had a different story! A different theory of origin for the sudden glow. When the turtles had witnessed it on their patrol, it had taken such a long time for them to pry their eyes away from the beautiful canvas; even Leo had fallen victim to the painting in the sky! Along with the headlines, Donnie pulled up an influx of videos and pictures documenting the strange occurrence from all angles of the city, some even joined with reports of a meteor crashing into the harbor. Donnie had seen no meteor, but that didn't mean there wasn’t one!

“Hey.” Mikey, as air-headed as he could be, never failed to somehow always sneak up without Donnie hearing him. The box turtle leaned his full weight on his brother's chair, shoving handfuls of Cheetos into his mouth and crunching loudly in Donnie’s ear. Crumbs fell from his open maw as he chewed enthusiastically. “S’mething cool happen?”

Donnie growled and yanked his chair out from under Mikey, snickering as the youngest brother was just barely able to catch and right himself.

“You know there is Mikey; we saw it!” Donnie said, scooting his chair back in while dusting it free of crumbs. “Every article here is talking about those lights we saw! No one knows what they are!”

“They’re cool is what they are.” Mikey said, nodding his head and swallowing his mouthful before saying, “Do they have a cool name yet? Bet they have a cool name.” He pointed at the screen with his pinkie finger as he cracked open an orange energy drink and started to chug it.

“Everyone’s calling it something different.” Donnie reported, “But whatever they end up calling it, it’s beautiful. Something like this is a once in a life time experience!”

“Isn’t everything in our lives?” Mikey asked, followed by a burp.

“I guess.” Donnie snickered, “But there’s no telling if these lights will be there tomorrow night! I… I really wish I’d documented it, but I was just… too busy thinking of all the possibilities!”

“I know what that’s like.” Mikey nodded.

“It could be a solar event, or a chemical reaction, or a whole new phenomenon—” Donnie whined as his fingers worked quickly to pull up the most recent reports. “According to these, the lights are still there… and it’s just barely four-thirty.” He pressed his lips tightly together and tapped a pattern on his desk, “M...maybe if we hustle, we could still get some decent pictures before day breaks.”

Mikey nodded and smiled. “We totally could, dude.”

“Yes!” Donnie stood up, rushing past Mikey and started to reassemble his gear, pulling cameras and recordings and notepads— he brought three, just in case— and his goggles too. He could never leave home without his goggles! “We could and we are!”

He grabbed his good camera, a big bulk of a thing the size of his head, and pushed his way past Mikey.

“Are we going somewhere?” Mikey asked.

~~~

They were cutting it close. Very close. But Donnie couldn't pass up the opportunity to get at least a few decent pictures. The ones already posted to the internet by awed humans were one thing, but to get the pictures on his own, from the vantage of the highest buildings, was something else entirely. Donnie could only hope that the solar event would take well to the filters of his camera.

“Just a few more pictures.” Donnie promised Mikey as he set up his camera for another great angle. “Then we can head home.”

“Okay.” Mikey’s response was automatic, the words little more than jargon to the younger brother. No doubt Donnie thought the other turtle bored out of his mind, but it was the exact opposite really. Mikey was so focused on the lights in the sky that his mind wouldn’t let him think of anything else.

They were so beautiful, flashing and blipping in and out of reality with a mind of their own! Mikey rubbed his eyes. He wanted the lights to stay but they kept leaving. He was desperate to reach a hand out, believing he could touch them the little blips he tried, but his arm refused to listen.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Donnie asked. He snapped another picture of the lights, glad they hadn’t left yet; even with the brightening sky they were just as vibrant and visible as ever. Mikey didn't respond, but that went unnoticed by Donnie being too focused on his current task. “Wonder what it looks like from space!”

Mikey laughed. He laughed but he felt tears on his cheeks. The shinobi whined and lifted his left hand to rub his opposite arm as he felt goosebumps start to dance up the length of his body; at least the left one still listened, he figured, unlike the right one that was like dead weight. But the lights were too beautiful to care, and they were getting brighter too! Closer it seemed. Mikey forgot about his goosebumps as he reached up to touch the colors that started to dance all around him. They felt solid and hot, like burning metal— like he was touching the same stars that started to dance in his head!

Mikey’s lack of response was finally noticed by Donnie. The mutant peeked up from his work to glance at Mikey, groaning with the belief that the turtle had wandered off after a cat or another pizza pigeon. The belief was unfounded and replaced with confusion when he found his younger brother still there, right where he had been when Donnie last checked, still staring. His eyes seemed glassy and that made Donnie tilt his head. The technician’s eyes trailed downward to Mikey’s arm, which looked uncomfortably stiff, muscles bulging and veins defined as if he were under great strain.

“Mikey?” Donnie asked, setting his camera down to take a step closer to his brother. “Are you alright?”

Mikey smacked his lips together as pure heat flooded his mouth, like he had just swallowed a handful of peppers. Shadows were around him, speaking words he couldn’t hear, but they were so familiar to him that he tried to respond.

“Fer… repub… not… don’t like....” Mikey tried. His words came out wrong— that wasn’t what he wanted to say! He tried it again. “Great...er...ggg…”

“Mikey!” Donnie ran forward, wrapping strong arms around the ninja’s shell when Mikey began to slump forward, almost enough to fall off the edge he was standing on. Donnie yanked him back, pulling Mikey to fall back onto the roof instead; Donnie’s body worked to soften the fall for the other turtle as they both went down, the older cradling the younger.

The lights were still there, still overhead, and still blinking their toxic song.

#New beginnings #theyre 22 now #it’s been two years #what could be happening to Mikey one wonders?#beyond the bay #bayverse #rottmnt #bay/rise crossover #bay/rise

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nebula-jazz · 4 years ago

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Fictober prompt 28

ROTTMNT Donatello x reader

Note: Sorry I have been gone for so long! I have been wrapped up in school and I also know that this isn't my normal fandom... This is completely self indulgent because he popped on my feed on youtube and he was my first comfort character. And now I found ROTTMNT and I got hit in the face by my best friend on exactly my type... Intelligent, gremlin, cocky, and emotionally unavailable... So this is a complete callout to everyone who has the same type no matter the gender and please enjoy this drabble. And fully expect on several different fandom releases on Halloween including a oneshot for His World. But enough of my rambling! To the story!

You had been in quarantine for nearly an entire year and now your favorite month had been ruined by the hussle and the bustle of your closest aunt asking you to come to New York. Her explanation was that she was taken ill and she needed someone to look after the house and your youngest cousin April O’Neil, much to your distaste.

It was not that you hated your youngest cousin, opposite in fact you adored her, but you two never exactly saw eye to eye on most things. You two were so close up until about five or six years ago and then she changed and you felt as if for the worst. This change caused you both to drift apart.

Since she was your only friend and family member that got you; this distance caused you swirling into an unhealthy mind set. And you got caught up with the wrong people at the worst time in your life as your younger brother disappeared and your mom got distant.

Which lead you here, packing all research that you had gathered over the past few months since the shredder accident, your Bo staff, and other essential items. Taking the time to slide the delicate frames of your glasses up every few minutes. Your boss Baxter had called you a few minutes ago saying that he set you up an apartment and a plane to New York and expected you be ready for training with Rocksteady as soon as you landed. Thinking about it made you flinch.

Grabbing the metal case with your research, your duffel with clothes and toiletries, and your backpack filled with snacks your Bo and training clothes you headed down stairs. You kissed your mom on the head who was on the phone at the couch; gently leaving a large stack of cash that should last her awhile. You slipped out the front door and slid into a sleek car that Baxter had sent for you.

During the car ride you stayed silent, typing away at your computer, jotting down the breakthrew that you had made. Your specific specialty in his company was the idea of spirits and how to harness them, extract them, and even switch with them. Baxter had found out about you and what people and even yourself, at the time, believed as a silly project about four years ago. You had proven that spirits were real and that there was a possibility to do something with them.

He accelerated you through highschool and college, easily making you apart of a team and gave you everything that you needed for your research. You honestly didn’t care what he would do with it as soon as you had perfected everything in your now extensive project. All you cared about was getting your mom and brother back and he promised to keep the investigation open if you handed all research over to him as soon as you were done.

You barely slept on the plane. Fear creeping up your spine and turned your veins icey as you mulled over what was waiting for you when you landed. The training with Rocksteady was not normal. As he was a huge hog and the training was to get you faster, but it would inevitably end with a concussion and a broken bone as it normally would. Then Baxter would inject you with some green liquid that, yes would accelerate the healing process and you would no longer have any broken bones, but it would feel like your entire body was on fire and your back feeling like it was being ripped to shreds.

You eventually drifted into a fitful sleep. You felt like you had barely closed your eyes before you were woken up by the gentle but cold hand of Baxter. You were in a car now just outside of headquarters.

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

“Oh MAh Gawd! Y/N! What happened to you?!” You winced at the worried yell that came from April. You had just gotten released from the lab and your head was pounding from the lack of food and water.

“Just a little scuffle just outside the office. Don’t worry about it.” You croaked out and offered a, what you hoped to be, a reassuring smile. You tried to swallow against the sandpapery walls of your throat.

You felt her soft but calloused hands cup your face as she looked at you. You winced as she prodded at the dark bruises on your jaw and forehead. She lead you to the kitchen where she started to clean the bruises and cuts up.

After several cups of water and an entire pizza, which you had devoured, she was now questioning you.

“So you are working for Baxter?” she asked, you gave her a quizzical look as you swallowed another bite of the second pizza that she had ordered. You had heard the slight tremor of fear in her voice and now it set you on edge.

“Yeah..” You answered slowly and pulled out your laptop. “He is funding my research. Take a look.”

You pushed the computer over and let her skim through the many pages of work as you dumbed down what she was reading.

“So... what you are saying is that you could put someone in a comatose state and do whatever you wanted to them but at the same time you can still talk to them in a spiritual state?” she summarized. With a soft smile you nodded, your eyes heavy from the long two days you had.

“However there are some side effects. With the trials that I ran at home it is extremely difficult to put them back in and more often than not their mind can completely erase one or multiple people from their memory. They will always remember the time they were, what I call, Ghost. There are still kinks in it but i'm pretty sure in this state there is a possibility to redirect this targeted amnesia to get rid of trauma.” You said excitedly.

She gave you a terrified look and excused herself and ran out the front door into the dim light of the dawn. You felt like you had been punched in the gut. Tears formed in your eyes and you fought down the urge to sob and throw up your food. You slammed the computer closed and stormed into the guest bedroom. You had honestly thought that she was going to be proud of you. She seemed genuinely excited about your research. But it was April, you shouldn’t have expected anything less from her.

A few weeks drifted by lazily and October was slipping through your fingertips. April was avoiding you, especially after you caught her in the act of trying to steal your laptop. So today, as a way to get away from the dreariness of the apartment and the fearful glances of April you were in the lab. You were in a loose hoodie and had a stack of pizza boxes next to you along with a large jug of water on your other side. You had just gotten done with another training session and were now working on a new test. it had gotten dark out and Rocksteady had volunteered for the new test.

You scraped your hand roughly through your hair in frustration as the program refused to start for the third time. You huffed in frustration, and looked up in alarm as the security alarms started to go off. You heard an explosion from behind you. Reaching down and grabbing your Bo you didn’t notice the jug being knocked over causing the computer to go haywire. You panicked as you tried to shut down the computer and the large machine pointed at whatever caused the explosion.

However you were too late to stop it from going off once you were able to press the emergency shut off just in time to prevent it from happening again. You heard a shout and roars from Rocksteady. you tried to reach for your more enhanced staff but were swiftly knocked out. All you saw as the world started to darken was green and a ghostly purple figure.

~~~~~~~~

That was a couple of days ago. You were now with 6 foot tall turtle ninjas. They had explained, with the help of April, what Baxter was going to do with your research. The person that you had shot was their brother Donatello. The genus out of the group who was allowing you to use his lab as you tried desperately to keep his body stable and fix his state with what little tools you had.

Your own paranoia had shot through the roof as any fast movement caused you to flinch very heavily. You and Donnie had found out that Baxter was injecting you with mutagen after a nightmare filled night caused wings to sprout from your back.

You stayed away from the other three turtles and only finding solace with Donatello. You both could ramble on and on about different projects you both were working on and the other would listen intently.

You hadn’t noticed how comfortable or how hard you had fallen until you reached the end stages of completing the ray that would make him right.

Neither of you two had noticed that you had started to flirt with each other. But everyone else knew and were eagerly waiting for him to return to normal. They were excited to see him finally kiss you and actually take you out on that date that he had been teasing you for a month with. April was happy to see you smiling again.

You didn’t realize how much you loved him or he you until you both were going over some of your note s to make sure everything was in order.

It was the end of November, just before thanksgiving. Donnie was excitedly telling you that he had been working on a surprise for you with Shelldon. That he wanted to give it you in person. And that he was excited to finally eat something instead of just watching everyone else eat. He was also rambling on how he was totally going to spar with you.

“i'm excited to finally get an infamous hug from you Don!” You chuckled barely paying attention to the notes and more on him. He laughed and he floated closer to you.

“I’m excited to give you one Angel.” he said cheekily. You glared lightly at him and the nickname that he gave you after your wings came to be.

You however stopped in your tracks as you read the small but major detail that you had mentioned to April all those weeks ago. The air ran from your lungs as a soft. “Oh.” escaped your lips.

“What?” he asked worried. He turned to the computer that had your notes on it and read through it and his face dropped. Tears welled in your eyes and the amount of hurt that ran through you was like that day that April ran.

And something inside of you knew, even as Donnie tried to think of anyone, anyone at all that he could possible forget, you knew it was going to be you. You stared at him tears running down your face and it was then you realized how hard you had fallen. And how much you will lose.

Two days before Thanksgiving was the day that was planned to fix him. You were in a room alone with his Ghost. You couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Here,” he said softly, and gestured for Shelldon to bring a small box forward. “This is for you... don’t open it until my eyes do.. ok?” He said leaning down and trying to catch your eye. You looked up at him, willing the tears back and smiled brightly.

“Will do Don! I will see you for that hug ok?” he smiles back softly and nods. He hovers his hand over your cheek, you lean into it until you feel the cool radiating off of him and you closed your eyes.

That unspoken ‘i love you’ rang through you head as you heard the machine wurr to life. You only stare at him as he floats by his sleeping body and you pray, you hope, and you plead to whatever god is listening. To allow you to have him, to allow him to remember you. As you slowly nod your head and you hear April press the button.

~~~~~~~

You try to stifle the sobs in your throat as you hear him and his brothers enjoy their thanksgiving meal that April and you had prepared for them. He didn’t recognize you as you sobbed in happiness when you saw his eyes open. He thought of you as a threat.

You carefully pulled out the small box as Shelldon floated beside you. You looked at him and he bobbed his head in acknowledgement. Slowly opening it you tried to steady your shaking hands. Inside was a locket, a bit larger than one you would find in a jewelry store. You carefully opened the locket and you saw a picture that you had taken with ghost Donnie and the music box version of your both favorite techno song. Engraved on the other half was the french translation of I love you. A loud sob ripped its way from your throat as you clutched it to your chest.

Donnie was leaning against the wall closest to where you had ran off too. He was watching his brothers laugh and eat with their father and April. He had heard sniffling from the tunnel and quietly escaped the celebration to see where it had came from. He was surprised to see you covering your mouth and Shelldon with you. He was going to call to his creation until you had looked at Shelldon and pulled out a velvet box.

He waited a moment, watching you open it and something inside. He had to nod his head to the song that played. He did not expect the loud sob or the wail that came out of you next. He heard his brothers stop laughing and heard a soft.

“They opened it...”

“Yeah...”

“Poor Y/N... I can’t imagine.”

“Why can’t we tell him my sons?’

“Because he wouldn’t believe us.”

“Yeah! And he already distrusts Y/N... and they asked us not too.”

“A broken heart is something that can kill my children. Especially with a love that deep.”

Donnie didn’t hear anymore from his family. And confusion seeped into him. What happened while he was out?

#rottmnt #donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello x reader #donatello x reader #april o'neil #x reader #tmnt

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flyinghome-againstthewind · 4 years ago

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the best by far is you: chapter 13

Read on AO3

Previous Chapter

For all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you - Cecilia and the satellite

————

Summary: An exploration of Claire & Jamie’s story if their firstborn had lived and they had the chance to be parents together of wee Faith Fraser before the Battle of Culloden.

Chapter 13

April 16, 1746

Jamie watched, disbelieving, as Faith tumbled seemingly from mid-air and landed at the foot of the stone, unleashing a scream at the top of her lungs as though she’d been hurt.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up, gathering Faith into his arms at once to try and calm her. His heart beat erratically in his chest. Even as he held her, he didn’t want to believe it to be true.

It hadn’t worked. Faith couldn’t travel through the stones.

Cumberland’s troops would ravage the Highlands as Claire had said, flocking out from the very battlefield Jamie had stupidly brought his child to. Oh god, his child… with her bright burn of red hair that matched his own. He was a dead man... and she was indisputably his own if they were found together.

He let out an unearthly howl at the stone, clutching Faith tightly to him. She should be two hundred years away from him now, in the safety of Claire’s embrace. “Ye were supposed to take her!” He screamed, his eyes boring into the rock. Why hadn’t it worked?

Faith shrieked at the top of her lungs, a painful pitch that rattled Jamie’s brain in his skull. She kicked her legs frantically against him and pushed on his chest to try and get away, which only made his grip on her tighten.

“I’m sorry. Oh God. Mo chridhe, I’m sorry. Tha thu s��bhailte,” Jamie murmured.

And then he heard it.

The scuffle of soldiers nearby and British voices approaching them.

“Faith,” he whispered sharply, feeling as though his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. “Shhhh, mo chridhe, please.” His hand slipped over Faith’s wee mouth, careful not to block her nose, while he strode to the other side of the stones, away from the direction he and Claire had come from.

They would’ve seen his horse, undoubtedly.

Faith’s screams dropped to a pitiful whimper against his hand and when he glanced down, he saw her eyes were wide with fear. “Christ, I’m sorry, lass.”

“--heard a child, sounded like from up there.”

There wasn’t time to think, only to act.

He slipped around the farthest stone to stand just outside the stone circle and crouched down to set Faith there in the grass. “Mo chridhe, ye canna leave this spot and ye canna make a sound. Not until I fetch ye. D’ye understand? Stay put and stay quiet.”

Wide, unblinking eyes stared up at him. Faith was silent, but like the calm before a storm, like she could break out in screams again at any moment.

There wasn’t time for anything else, though. He could hear the men approaching and he had to leave Faith there in the hope that she would listen. Jamie crossed to the stone directly opposite where he’d hid Faith and pressed his back against it, facing the center. He drew his sword slowly, being careful to contain the sound. From what he could tell, there weren’t many men approaching ‒ two, maybe three soldiers by the sound of it ‒ but whether they were patrolling or deserting, they weren’t likely to show mercy to him either way. Especially if they recognized him.

He was poised and ready, keeping his breathing steady even while his heartbeat thrummed in his ears. One was close, approaching from the other side of the stone he stood against.

Movement ahead of him caught his eye and he stood transfixed as Faith braced her palms on the grass just beyond the edge of the stone and leaned her head around to look back at him.

No.

Panic flooded his veins. She met his gaze and he shook his head abruptly in warning. Her eyes flickered over somewhere beyond him and his blood ran cold.

“Christ, there is a baby up here.”

A voice, just a few steps behind him. Faith retreated back behind the stone with a small cry, but it was too late.

She was spotted. And they were out of time.

The first man to walk past the stone hadn’t even seen him coming. Jamie struck the side of his head hard and fast with the butt of his sword and watched the man drop like a stone. One man down.

He turned and advanced on the other soldier, who had in his haste not bothered with his musket and instead drew his sword.

“What the devil are you playing at?” The man spat, and Jamie considered for a moment what a strange thing this was to happen upon, a Highlander warrior and a small child on a desolate hill. “Wait, you’re‒”

The moment turned into a clash of steel, no longer having the luxury of considering anything other than that he had been recognized and he was the only thing standing between this enemy and his child.

The struggle to overpower the other was brief, fueled by the protective fury of a parent whose child was in danger. Jamie came away from the fight alive ‒ victorious ‒ because he had to be. There was no alternative for him.

The second soldier lay sprawled in the grass, partway down the hill, his eyes open but unfocused.

Jamie wiped the blood from his sword before sheathing it. When he looked towards the stone where Faith hid, there was no sign of her watching, no sound from her anymore. He swallowed roughly and moved on suddenly shaky legs towards where he’d left her. “It’s me, mo chridhe,” he called out softly just before he reached the stone.

She was sitting up against the stone and flinched when he came into sight.

He dropped slowly to one knee before her and fought the overwhelming urge to grab her and run. “Ye did good, lass,” he murmured. “I ken you’re scared but we’re safe.” For now, he thought. “And I will keep you safe. But we have to go.”

He held his hands open to the small child. “C’mon. We have to get away from here.”

The sounds from a not-so-distant battlefield still thundered in the air and it felt like an eternity that Jamie waited until Faith raised her arms up toward him, giving him permission. He picked her up and stood, holding her tight for one moment with the back of her head cupped in his hand. The panic that had risen from their encounter with the British soldiers finally began to dissipate as he felt her little arms twine around his neck. God… they were alright.

“We have to go,” he repeated, and turned to press a kiss to the side of Faith’s head.

But go where?

He’d had days to fine tune the plan that had been brewing in his mind over the course of this war. A final failsafe if they couldn’t avoid Culloden. And everything went according to plan except for Faith, unraveling the final part completely.

He turned and began to walk back toward his horse, keeping Faith carefully shielded from seeing the bodies of the two men, when he noticed his plaid there in the grass near the center stone.

Claire.

It was his plaid, but more often than not, it had been wrapped around her shoulders for added warmth. It must’ve fallen at some point during their goodbye.

He crouched down and grabbed it, holding it tight to his chest with his free arm. Faith’s head lifted off his shoulder and looked at him curiously. He realized then that he had been inhaling the scent of it, the faint lingering smell of Claire still on it.

“Here,” he said gently, tucking part of it under her arm. “It’s soft and it’ll keep you warm.”

For the first time since he’d seen Faith again, the tension between her eyebrows relaxed and her fingers began to play with the fabric of his plaid. “There ye go.”

He made his way down the hill toward Donas, eyes scanning for any other signs of movement. But besides their chance encounter with those soldiers, they were entirely alone.

Once at the foot of the hill, he wrapped his plaid around his chest, leaving room for Faith to sit comfortably in the cocoon it made for her. With her secured, he swung up carefully onto Donas and glanced down to check that Faith was alright. Her head was pillowed against his chest, and she stared out at their surroundings. Though he was sure she was still terrified from the recent events up on that hill, she’d fallen silent once more.

He checked again that the plaid was holding her securely so that his hands were free to hold the reigns. Then he kicked his heels into the horse’s sides and urged him forward at a brisk pace, a direction already in mind. The Highlands would be no place for the child of Red Jamie, that he knew. He’d considered turning towards Lallybroch, towards where his men were surely marching, but only for a brief moment. Nae, he’d ruled out anywhere that was familiar to him for the sake of his child’s safety. The Highlands would be crawling with British soldiers ‒ and for years to come, if Claire was correct.

There was an eerie calmness around them as he rode away from Craigh na Dun and away from Culloden. Taking that in, Jamie felt assured in his belief that the Lallybroch Frasers would be able to slip away undetected and head home. For the moment, the epicenter of conflict was Culloden Moor and he was keenly aware of his own brief window of time to move about undetected.

He would head for Inverness first and gather supplies. Plot his next course. Move south from there.

A thought came to mind then of a potential ally residing in town. He turned the thought over in his mind as they rode. Yes… that could be beneficial.

As they approached the town of Inverness, he slowed the horse’s pace, keeping an eye out for Redcoats or any other apparent threat. But while the chaos of war was raging not far from this place, the remaining inhabitants of Inverness were only those uninvolved in the fighting.

He dismounted and tied Donas to a post before unbundling Faith and shifting her weight to the crook of his arm.

Despite how sparsely populated the town seemed to be, Jamie still hurried inside with Faith, wanting to limit their exposure. They slipped through the quiet hall and up the stairs, pausing in front of a door.

He pounded on the door and waited, hearing the sure sounds of someone stirring on the other side. The door swung open and he met the gaze of one wide-eyed Mary Hawkins Randall.

“Please let us in. I need yer help.”

“I don’t understand. Where’s Claire?” Mary interrupted his poor attempt at filling her in on the situation with the one question that landed like a punch in the gut. Mary looked puzzled and too distracted by the fact that if he was here with his child, his wife should be here with them.

He inhaled sharply, his mind grappling for the words. He hadn’t said it out loud yet, hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on it when Faith’s life was in danger. “She’s… she’s gone.”

“Gone?” Mary’s voice rose to a high-pitched whisper. Her hand covered her mouth as his meaning took root. She shook her head at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

Aye, for those Claire left behind, she was lost to them forever.

Faced with Mary’s display of shocked grief, he felt suddenly that the air in the room was too stifling, that the room was too small somehow. He rose from his chair, needing to move ‒ as if that might keep the grief from touching him as it did Mary.

“I‒ I can’t believe it. Sh‒she‒she can’t be gone,” Mary sputtered before dropping her head into her hands and crying softly.

He turned and watched her before his gaze swung curiously over to Faith where she had sequestered herself with Mary’s hairbrush and comb and was busy playing with her own hair. Faith paused at the sound and looked towards Mary, her eyes round with concern. Brows furrowed together again.

Moved by the need to set Faith’s young mind at ease, he went for a glass and poured a bit of wine for Mary. She looked up when he approached and accepted it gratefully, and he took a deep breath before he dove into the reason he was here.

“Ye must’ve seen the broadsheets by now. Ye ken I’m wanted by the British crown for treason. So I canna turn back home. I intend to flee, but the less my face is seen around here, the better. I ken people here are no’ too loyal to the British crown, but times are hard and that reward money is verra tempting. Now I’ll need some supplies before Faith and I can leave, but it would help us greatly if you could gather those for us.”

He waited, but Mary’s gaze stared through the floor, her expression pinched with emotion, and didn’t immediately respond.

“Could ye help us, Mary?” he asked gently.

She nodded, looking away as she wiped at a tear that spilled quietly down her cheek. “Yes, I‒” He noticed that her hands were clasped so tightly around the glass of wine that her knuckles were bone white. “I can help.”

With Mary running out for him to gather a few items, he found parchment and a quill and quickly began to write a letter for home. They would think he had died, if Murtagh shared his plan with them, which Jamie was quite sure he would. And they would think Claire and Faith were both gone, even if they didn’t know the details. But if the British realized he wasn’t numbered among the casualties of Culloden, then they would go stirring up trouble at Lallybroch and Jamie wanted the chance to set the record straight.

At least… as best he could, with what he could share.

He also couldn’t count it outside the realm of possibility that the letter might be intercepted before it reached its destination, and so he sat quietly for a while, puzzling out his message.

At length, he began to write, his words scratched onto the parchment in a mix of French and Gaelic as he tried to assure his family that he was alive through coded phrases.

Tha mo sorcha air falbhm, he wrote. And then stilled in his progress. Read the words back over and inhaled sharply as the finality of his words hit him.

My light is gone.

He could at that moment hear something clatter to the floor as Faith unabashedly explored Mary’s rented room. A timely reminder that he wasn’t alone, that there was one very important reason for why he wasn’t bleeding out on a battlefield right about now.

Mais j'ai toujours la foi, he added. But I still have faith.

Jamie finished the letter, including his recommendation at the end that Jenny should burn the letter after it was read. He folded up and sealed the letter and then rose from the small desk to find Faith had managed to unlatch Mary’s trunk. She held it open above her head with one hand while the other dug through Mary’s dresses.

“A leannan, leave Mary’s things alone,” he chided gently.

“No.”

His brows shot to his hairline, but Faith didn’t even check to see how her refusal was accepted. She grunted suddenly, but he realized it was not in response to him, but due to her struggle to keep the trunk open while only having one hand to explore the treasures within.

“I can see that lid is heavy, lass. Ye’ll hurt yerself if ye’re no’ careful.”

“I careful.” Her words also came out in a grunt.

Jamie sighed, reminded once more exactly whose child she was.

He crossed quickly to where she stood and grabbed hold of the lid. “Faith,” he called to her softly, waiting until her eyes met his. “Would ye like to come wi’ me…” he flashed the letter with its bright red wax seal, “and help me deliver this?”

Faith stepped forward, hands outstretched for the letter, and Jamie grinned triumphantly.

When Mary returned, Jamie had already arranged a room for him and Faith for the night and left the letter with the proprietor of the boarding house ‒ the man had already seen him and Faith upon entering the building so it hadn’t seemed an added risk to take.

Jamie helped Mary with the bundles and listened as she summarized what she’d been able to obtain from his list. Most importantly had been a change of clothes for him that wasn’t his Fraser kilt and plaid. Mary had been able to find enough ready made that looked as though it would fit well enough, and a few items for Faith as well. Since it wasn’t much altogether for both him and Faith, Mary had purchased some fabric, too.

Jamie smiled tightly at this, wondering if she understood that it would be just him and Faith on the run and there wouldn’t be much time for making clothing. Well, it had been a nice thought on Mary’s part.

“And I found this…” Mary unraveled a small, hooded cloak and held it out to Jamie. “Looked to be about Faith’s size.”

He took the garment from her, rubbing over the soft fabric with his thumbs. It was a soft brown color and the cloth was heavy and warm. The hood, he noted, could help obscure her red hair. “Faith, come see what Mistress Mary bought ye.”

Curious, Faith wandered over and her eyes lit up when she saw the cloak. Jamie fastened it around her shoulders when she drew near and lifted the hood up over her wee head. She peered up at him from under the hood, bright blue eyes dancing with joy. She looked remarkably like Claire when she was happy ‒ and that thought came to Jamie with a bittersweet sting.

Faith’s hands came up to touch the top of the hood and she smiled. “Mine!” She crowed suddenly and raced away to the other side of the room.

Jamie huffed in surprise, his eyebrows raised. He looked sideways at Mary and offered reluctantly, “She, uh, she has two wee cousins near her age ‒ both lassies. She’s used to anything and everything being fair game among them, I suppose.”

“It’s alright.”

Mary handed over the last parcel, smaller than the others.

“Ye were able to find everything?”

“Yes, it’s all there.” She stared at him dubiously for a moment. “And you’re sure it’ll work?”

“Weel, I’ve never tried it, but I did listen to my wife when she described the wonders of certain plants to naturally dye yer hair.” He looked to Faith where she was twirling in her cape, making the edges flair out. “And the best chance we have is to make Red Jamie not so recognizable, aye? So it’s worth trying.”

“And what about Faith? Will you‒”

“No,” Jamie said quickly, his gaze still glued to his child. “No, we have bonnets she can wear now, but I canna…” He wasn’t sure he could put it into words, the wrongness that he felt at the thought of dyeing Faith’s hair. She was… she was something that came from him and Claire, perfect in that combination that made her uniquely Faith and also completely theirs. Made from their flesh and bone. And Claire had loved her red hair… he couldn’t stomach the thought of trying to alter Faith in that way.

They worked quickly to prepare the dye and then Mary helped him apply it to his hair.

“How long does it last?” She asked as she worked.

“Dinna ken. I’ll bring what’s left with us and will likely have to restock as we go.”

He looked over to see Faith watching them curiously as he transformed his hair from red to black. He smiled at her, but she only cocked her head to the side in response.

The time spent here while Mary had run out for them had been much needed. It allowed Jamie to think ahead, plan their next steps, and anticipate the risks. And in that time, an idea had taken shape. “Mary,” he began, unable to see her where she stood behind him. “How long do ye intend to stay here?”

“Oh,” she said softly, like she hadn’t really considered the question before he asked it. Perhaps she hadn’t. Her beloved had died only a few days ago, he reminded himself. “Well, I‒ I suppose that depends on… John.” There was an odd waver to her voice when she said his name, and he wondered if there had been any further interaction between the two after poor Mary had been tied to him in marriage, only to watch the man turn around and beat her dead lover.

Jamie took a deep breath. He felt an odd sense of duty towards Mary. Though Murtagh laid vengeance at her feet for what happened in Paris, it seemed as though the poor girl had endured more pain and bad luck than was owed to one so young ‒ and many of those challenges could be tied back to the time they were all in Paris. “I dinna ken how to tell ye this, Mary, but I didna want ye to have to wait on this news.”

He felt her hands still over his hair. “What are you talking about? What news?”

“About yer husband.” He twisted in his chair to look back at her. Claire had told him over and over of Randall’s death at Culloden. If they truly couldn’t change the outcome of the war, it stood to reason that by now, Randall was already dead. But he couldn’t exactly explain how he knew that to Mary. “He rejoined his regiment after Alex’s death, aye?” Mary nodded. “There was an accident this morning. A musket that was fired unintendedly within the camp. Randall was struck… he didna survive. The army will likely attribute his death to the battle to cover the accident.”

Mary was white as a ghost, dumbfounded and silent.

“Do ye understand, Mary? He’s gone.”

He canna hurt ye now.

Her brows furrowed together and she sucked in a deep breath. “H-h-he’s gone,” she repeated.

Jamie thought he saw a flicker of relief on her face before she turned her gaze curiously back to him.

“How do you know this?”

“Word spreads quickly in a war,” he said evenly. “Especially when a captain is struck down by one of his own. It might be some time before the army informs kin of their losses though, so I thought ye deserved to know, seeing how this changes things for ye.”

“Changes things?”

“As Randall’s widow, ye are entitled to some things ‒ his officer’s pension for one ‒ so ye’re not without a means to get by. But ye also have no cause to stay in Inverness, away from everyone ye know.”

“I… I could go home.”

“Aye, ye could.” He watched her closely as the news settled in. She seemed to warm to the idea of going home ‒ or perhaps simply leaving this place. “I have a proposition for ye, though. Faith and I will be traveling south to Edinburgh.”

“B-but Edinburgh is‒”

“Aye. The British overtook it months ago. No doubt they still have troops there to hold it. But if I recall, ye have some family there, do ye no’?”

“Yes. An aunt. But‒”

“Travel with us to Edinburgh. I will escort ye there safely and deliver ye to yer aunt. In return, yer presence with us makes us less conspicuous. No one will bat an eye at a young couple wi’ a child.”

Mary breathed in slowly, seeming to consider this. “It still seems an awful risk to you.”

“Anywhere I go from here is a risk.”

“You won’t stay in Edinburgh, surely?”

“No. But it’s a large city and much easier to hide in a well-populated place like that. We’ll lay low, wait for the ports to open back up.” Jamie smiled ruefully. “And then at first chance… I’m getting my daughter out of Scotland.”

“Where will you go?”

“Doesna really matter to me where we end up. I only want Faith to be able to grow up without threat to her safety just because she’s mine. And… and without her mother to care for her, I’ll be damned if she loses her father, too.”

Mary glanced over to where Faith sat quietly playing, still wearing her cloak. “I’ll go with you to Edinburgh,” she said at last. Her gaze swung back to Jamie and she smiled sadly as she added, “For Claire.”

With his distinct red hair successfully colored black and arrangements made for Mary to join them in the morning for their departure, Jamie and Faith gathered their things from Mary’s room and retreated to their own.

He watched Faith’s sluggish steps beside him and determined that the first thing he would do tonight was get wee Faith ready for bed.

Though she had seemed to take much of the day in stride since arriving at the boarding house, her eyes grew wide when Jamie mentioned sleep.

“Auntie Jenny?” Faith asked him, her voice rising to a pitch that told him tears would soon follow.

He stood there mutely, not wanting to answer her. What could he say to make her understand? They were far from home and couldn’t go back.

“She’s no’ here, a leannan. Tis only me.”

“My Maggie?” She pleaded hopefully.

Regret sliced through him, swift and painful. He hadn’t meant to cause her harm like this. “No, lass. I’m sorry.”

Like a burst in a dam, Faith’s screams were sudden and forceful. She backed herself against the side of the bed, away from Jamie.

He took a few steps toward her, intent on trying to soothe her the way he always had when she was a bairn, but Faith’s cries rose in pitch and volume when he moved closer. He froze, watching helplessly as tears poured down his daughter’s flushed face.

“No!” She screamed at him, bracing herself against the side of the bed. Her next words came out in a rush, blending with her loud cry, but he didn’t need to understand her to know that she wanted her Auntie Jenny, wanted to be at home. He kept the distance between them, but squatted down to her level.

“Faith…”

The word had barely left his mouth when Faith quickly scaled the bed and launched herself face down into the bedding. Her cries were muffled into the blankets as she stayed there, stretched out in a prone position in the center of the bed, but she continued to wail and scream to the point that Jamie was scared to go near her, lest he upset her further.

So instead, he retreated to a chair and sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers interlaced together and bracing against his chin, and listened as Faith’s muffled sobs continued to fill the room.

He wanted nothing more than to go to her, but he’d resigned himself to the fact that he was a stranger to her, responsible for her being plucked from her home and the loved ones that she knew.

His hands scrubbed over his face before he leaned back in his chair, his gaze resting on Faith. They were safe at the moment. He’d managed to get her away from Culloden unscathed and keep his promise of safety.

But he had no earthly idea how to help her now.

He felt as unsure of himself as he had when he came back from the Bastille and found out his child had survived and lived three months without him. He’d felt like an intruder on her life then, already so bonded with Claire…

Oh God… Claire.

She would’ve known exactly how to reach Faith. Was it only that morning when he’d watched the two of them together? Had seen how even with the months apart from her, caring for Faith seemed as natural to Claire as breathing?

It had taken every ounce of strength to push thoughts of Claire out of his head today, to not dwell on the implications of what happened at the stones. There were a few times it had struck him that she was truly gone, but each time, he pushed it down. Because there was Faith to focus on and to protect, and their future to plan for.

But now… seeing his wee child in agony, he could hardly bear the weight of it all. Faith should be two hundred years away from this time, in the comfort of her mother’s embrace, in a place where she would be safe. He recalled how she had looked earlier, her wee face peering out at him from the other side of the stone this morning, and dropped his face into his hands.

She could’ve been killed…

Lord, it was all wrong. A cold, dank feeling settled around his heart at the thought of what this meant for Claire. He hadn’t allowed himself to imagine what she must be feeling, arriving back in her time without their girl.

A sob tore from his throat, and he gasped painfully for his next breath. How many times in the last several months had he held his wife in a poor attempt to soothe her empty arms? And now he’d sent her away from Faith forever. Though it hadn’t been his intention, he couldn’t think of a single other act of cruelty towards Claire that would measure up to the magnitude of what he’d done.

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” he cried out, feeling a wrenching pain in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Claire!”

He must’ve been louder than he thought because he drew Faith’s attention. She turned her head to the side, still sobbing, and her gaze sought him out. He locked eyes with her and felt something tumble in his chest. Faith looked distraught and confused, and the urge to hold her came back with riotous force.

And he thought of how ashamed Claire might be if she knew he was sitting with his guilt instead of holding their child, squandering the time with Faith that Claire didn’t have.

His next breath was shaky. He wiped at his face as he rose to his feet and approached the bed. Faith didn’t move or react this time and he slid his hands under her shoulders to lift her off the bed. Her crying didn’t cease in the transfer, but she did curl in at his neck in a way that made him think she wasn’t so sorry to be stuck with him after all.

“There, m'annsachd. Shhhh…”

Her cries became more rhythmic, interrupted like clockwork by hiccuping gasps to force herself to breath in. She was winding down, at least. He spoke gently over her in Gaelic, knowing it was what she would’ve heard at home with Jenny and Ian. Something familiar and comforting, he hoped.

He wasn’t sure how long he paced the short confines of their room with her. She had grown considerably since the last time he’d done this, but there was something inexplicably comforting for him when he felt her fingers curl around his shirt collar and hold on, the same thing she used to do as a wee babe. “I do love ye, Faith.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “So much… it feels like my heart could burst open from it.”

Faith’s cries had waned to half-hearted whimpers that only surged in volume when he shifted her weight to his other arm. She doesna want me to put her down, he realized.

“Dinna fash, a leannan,” he crooned. “I’m here. I’ve got ye.”

He felt her heave a sigh against his neck and it triggered his own, releasing some of the night’s tension from his body. “I’m so sorry, lass. God, am I ever sorry…” The words slipped out on the heels of his sigh, so quick he barely registered that he’d spoken them aloud to her. But once formed, the words opened up the cavernous well of apology and regret inside him, and he had the sudden need to unburden himself. Even if she didn’t understand the weight of what had happened, the extent of the loss he’d caused her.

“I- I broke my promise to ye. And that is unforgivable. I swore that I would see yer mam safely returned to ye and instead I’ve… I’ve split ye apart. Christ. A leannan, she loves ye so much ‒ more than her own life ‒ and ye have no idea. I’ve deprived ye of that. I canna begin to say how sorry I am. How ashamed I am.” Tears were spilling quickly down his face, but he managed to go on speaking, his voice husky with emotion. “I dinna think I can live wi’out her. She… she was my heart.” His hand moved in slow circles along Faith’s back and realized suddenly that she’d fallen quiet ‒ not asleep, but no longer crying or whimpering.

“But I will live every day keeping you safe from harm and… and reminding ye that ye had the most wonderful mother. That is my new promise to you. That is what I owe to Claire. I will tell ye everything about her, so ye can know her in some small way. ” He turned and pressed a kiss to her temple and then felt the gentle pat of her hand on his cheek in response. He exhaled a smile. “Still such a sweet wee thing. I ken ye’re scared and lost and I dinna blame ye a bit. But we’ll be alright. Dinna fash yerself, a leannan. Lay yer head and rest. I’ll guard ye while ye dream.”

Lord, that I might be enough… and oh Lord, that they would be safe, Claire and the child…

#outlander fic #OL fic #jamie x claire #faith fraser #outlander #tbbfiy #the best by far is you #my fic

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beelziebabie · 5 years ago

Text

The First (Human) Deviltuber - Obey Me Brothers x Reader

Interactive?: At some parts, yes (Later on)

Gender: Female MC

Edited?: yuh

Notes: i stayed up until 1 am on tuesday but today doesnt REALLY start until 7 am on weekdays and 11 am on weekends. so this still counts as a monday post fight me😎

CHAPTER TWO

“MC.. what is the meaning of this?” Lucifer sighed and put down his pen, turning his desk chair around and looking up at the little mini army you had scuffled together. Eyebrows raised, he sat in his chair with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. Through his irritated facade, he looked the slightest bit amused.

In a ‘confident’ stance, you glared down at him with his other five brothers standing behind you. You looked like a bunny with guard dogs surrounding you.

It was quite pitiful.

“We all agreed that we should go to the human world!” You crossed your arms and firmly placed down your foot.

“Oh, here we go again..”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Look. We can go to the human realm for like.. a vacation! I’ll pay for everything. Clothes, Food, whatever! You guys can stay in my house or at a hotel, whichever you want, and everyday we can do something different!“

“No, MC,” He turned around and picked up his pen again, scribbling something down on the papers in front of him. You groaned and moved over to the side of him.

“It’ll only be for what, two weeks? I'm sure you haven’t been in the human world in a while.. so I can show you guys around! I'm sure there's something you haven't seen yet,” You continued, skimming the room to see the brothers' expressions.

Leviathan noticed you looking and gave you a thumbs up, while Beel nodded with a smile and Asmodeus clapped his hands lightly. ‘You're doing great!’ He mouthed to you.

Your smile only grew wider and you brought your attention back to Lucifer. “C’mon, Luci. You have six people against you on this.”

Lucifer murmured something under your breath that you didn’t catch. He turned to face you with an unreadable expression and you couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

Still, you kept up your assertive smile. The staring contest lasted a couple seconds, then he finally groaned and turned away. “Fine. I’ll be letting Diavolo know about our travels.”

“Yess!” You fist bumped the air then wrapped your arms around Lucifer’s shoulders, pulling him so close that your cheeks were touching. “Thank you Lucifer!”

“..Let go of me,” He said though he didn’t make any effort to move away. You giggled lightly and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, pulling away from him.

Once you backed away from him and he recollected himself, he cleared his throat and went back to his work. “You all may leave now. We leave tomorrow morning. MC, text me the details later.”

. . .

Honestly you didn’t expect him to comply so quickly, and then make you all leave the next day. You thought it would take more convincing than the equivalent of a 7th grade presentation.

“Oi MC, hurry up will you?” Mammon opened the door and sat on your bed. You blinked away your daze and looked over to him.

“Ah, sorry, I must’ve been spacing out. I’m almost done,” You hurriedly shoved the last couple of folders and notebooks into your bookbag then swung it over your shoulder.

“You were the one who wanted to even do this, don’t go spacing out at the last minute,” He clicked his tongue and shook his head, taking a lollipop from your desk and popping it into his mouth.

“Yeah yeah I know,” You laughed lightly, smoothing out any wrinkles in your shirt. You then looked around the room to make sure that you didn’t forget anything.

“Okay! I’m ready.”

“Good, ‘cause you took forever,” He stood up and walked ahead of you with his hand in his pockets. “We were waiting for so long. Felt like I aged, like, 5000 years.”

Again, you laughed nervously. “Sorry.”

. . .

The seven of you finally made it back to the human world. More specifically, the front of your house.

“It’s not nearly as big as the House of Lamentation, but it’ll have to do,” You smiled at them then turned to open the front door— only to realize that you didn’t have your keys.

“Shit, uhmm..” You bit your lip as you felt around your jeans for any sign of your house key. They weren’t there.

“Is everything okay, MC?” Satan said from behind you. He tried to glance over your shoulder but you swiftly whipped around and nodded your head.

“Mhm! Yes, we’re fine over here!” You clasped your hands together and put on the most convincing smile you could.

You could tell they could see right through it.

“Ah, I just uhm, forgot something. Yeah, and I have to get it from uh..” You looked around your surroundings and pointed up at your balcony. “There!”

“I see..”

“I’ll be back in one second,” You said, putting down your bag and getting into a jumping position.

With a couple of failed attempts, you finally were able to grab onto the thick railing and use the side of your house to pull yourself up. You clung to the railing tightly, fearing you would fall, then rolled onto the other side of the balcony and stood up with a proud grin.

“She does know that we can fly, right?” Beel said to Lucifer, watching as you climbed from the balcony to the roof and through a small window.

Lucifer sighed and shook his head. “Let her be.”

After a couple of moments of the boys waiting outside in the April heat, they heard the patter of your feet from outside the door. A click, then the door opened swiftly.

“Come in!” You said, hand on your hip and your hair all tousled.

. . .

“Okay. Lucifer is sleeping in the spare bedroom. Beel is on the pull-out couch in the living room, Leviathan is on the basement couch, Mammon insisted on a blowup bed in my room.. Asmodeus has the other basement couch. Any objections?” All the boys sat on the living room sofa (and some on the floor) staring up at you as you repeated the same thing for maybe the 4th time.

“Yes,” Asmodeus was the one to speak up this time. You sighed and nodded to him. “Yes, Asmo?”

“I still don’t understand why Lucifer gets a whole room to himself! Shouldn’t that be me? I’m the one with the biggest setup here,” He whined and puffed his lip out. You pinched the bridge of your nose.

“Lucifer is the oldest so he gets his own room. Unless you want to share a room with him?” That shut him up immediately.

“Since that's over with, you guys are free to do whatever you want. Just no destroying my property please,” You said, hands on your hips and your eyes narrowed.

“Can I trust you all?” You tapped your foot lightly and each brother nodded firmly.

“Of course!”

“Definitely.”

“Mm.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, sure lol,” Leviathan was already turning on the TV and trying to figure out how to turn on your PlayStation.

“Why wouldn't you trust me? You can trust me with anything MC!”

“I’m glad to hear that, Mammon,” You smiled softly and ruffled his hair. He weakly swatted your hand away.

“I’m not sure if that’s 100% true though..”

“Shut up Asmo! You’ll probably bring a witch to her house and mess up one of her rooms!”

“I won't! I’ll get a hotel or something! You’d probably steal her gaming set and sell it or something.”

“I would never!”

“Haha, uhm, guys, please don’t do that.”

“Hey, MC? You might wanna check this out...” Leviathan tapped your shoulder and you turned around. He pointed to the TV and you have never felt your heart drop so quickly in your life.

“..Im so fucked.”

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall we date obey me #tfdt #god i love beel so fucking much #cookie monster boy #he munch #💗💖💗💕💓💞me rn #the first deviltuber #i need melatonin pills

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rottmntquotes · 4 years ago

Text

Out Of Commission

"Ooooohhhh yeeeeeaaaahhh! I can't believe Hueso allowed us to be the first ones to try his new pizza!"

A symphony of agreements was let out in response to Leo's cheer, followed by excited chanting as Hueso approached the table. Despite the cacophony the boys were creating, Hueso managed to fight back an annoyed sigh, setting his new pizza down on the table and watching as his best customers prepared to dig in. Before this could happen, however, Donnie got a call from April, who alerted them to a battle that was going on between two mutants in Central Park. Much to their dismay, the team was unable to gather the pizza to go, but Leo decided to take a slice and swallow it whole as they stood to leave.

"Can't let your kindness go to waste!" Leo shouted, stopping mid-run and turning around to swallow another slice. And another. And another. "Hueso, this pizza is super fucking good!"

"LEO! GET OVER HERE!" Raph ordered, huffing as Leo complained loudly. No more words were said afterwards, and the boys were gone in no time. Once they were finally gone, Hueso chuckled, gathering the remaining slices of pizza- which meant the two slices Leo was forced to leave -and taking them to the back to throw them away. Knowing that the pizza was good enough to feed any of the turtles was enough reassurance to Hueso that it would be good enough to feed everyone else.

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

"I swear to bob, if we have to deal with those ferret mutants one more time, I'm going to use my Ōdachi to dig my own grave."

"You said it brother."

"I hear that."

"Don't have to say that again..."

Calming silence followed the brief conversation, and the boys sat on the floor in the main atrium before deciding to break apart and go to their rooms. For the moment, none of the boys had enough energy to take showers, so they collectively decided that they would take care of those necessities in the morning. As bedtime came, everyone seemed fairly relaxed, and the night went by without a hitch.

At least, for everyone but Leo.

"Ugh... stupid stomach... why are you so upset?" Leo whined softly, curling in on himself and shuddering. Teeth chattered rapidly and low growling echoed through Leo's room, accompanied by soft whispers that made Leo's eyes shift constantly in search of the sources. At one point, Leo swore that he saw a small child run past his room, and it aroused a side of him that he didn't even know existed. Low growls turned into loud hissing, and Leo crawled onto the ground, stalking towards his room's archway on all fours. With every step, Leo became more and more tense, his body instinctively preparing itself for a scuffle. Once he was finally at the archway, Leo crouched down, going silent and waiting exactly six seconds before racing out of his room, screeching loudly and yelping as he fell off the ledge of the sewer.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHO'S THERE?!" Raph roared, shooting out of his room with a pillow in his hand. Donnie and Mikey ran out of their rooms as well, holding a paint brush and a snow globe respectively. No sight of an intruder was found, and Raph started to think that they had all dreamed the same thing.

That is, until Leo let out a loud cry of pain.

"Leo!" Raph, Donnie, and Mikey shouted in unison, hopping down and circling around their blue loving brother to see what had happened. At close range, it could easily be seen that Leo had broken his left arm, and twisted his right ankle, explaining his pained cry. Donnie went to work effective immediately, helping Leo up and handing the Slider to Raph, following his brothers back onto the ledge and leading them to the lab. Leo was then sat down on Donnie's resident cot, being distracted by Raph and Mikey while Donnie got to work on setting and slinging Leo's injuries. Granted, Leo did attempt to bite and scratch Donnie with every bout of pain that appeared, but other than that everything turned out fine. After being patched up, Leo was left alone in the lab, having been given a few pain pills to keep him stable throughout the night. Unfortunately, Leo's insomnia chose to strike that night, leaving him unable to get a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Donnie walked into the lab to check on Leo, raising a brow as he caught his twin sitting in front of a wall and mumbling. Nonchalantly, Donnie walked up to Leo, crouching down and trying to decipher what Leo was saying. Despite the close range, Donnie was unable to understand his brother's words. With a hum, Donnie gasped with revelation, snapping and focusing his attention on attempting to use their ever-popular twin telepathy. It took a good while, but Donnie was finally able to enter his brother's psyche, humming in surprise at the strange sights he was met with.

Unlike the normal bright and beautiful landscape that his twin's mind usually harbored, Donnie found himself in the middle of a foggy and dark swamp. The sounds of bubbling sent shivers down Donnie's spine, and he groaned in distaste as he realized that he was standing in some sort of dark sludge. The vegetation around Donatello was rotten and crumbling, the sky was smothered in heavy clouds, and any sort of wildlife present let out terrifying screeches in place of their normal chirps, squeaks, and sweet sounds.

"Brother... what has happened to you...?" Donnie whispered, forcing himself through the thick sludge and using his limited sense of smell to try and search for his brother's scent. The task proved to be difficult thanks to the messed up atmosphere, but Donnie soon caught sight of Leo. Smiling, Donnie moved faster, eventually managing to get next to Leo. "Hey, what's going on here? Why is everything so messed up?"

Leo whimpered, turning to face Donnie with a deep frown. The sight alone was enough to make Donnie sick, and the feeling got worse as Leo opened his mouth to say something, only to fall forward and begin hurling violently. This was all it took to drive Donnie out of Leo's psyche, and the Softshell backed away from his twin with the trademark speed of his species. Loud panting seemed to be all Leo needed to stop his staring, and he groaned pathetically, falling forward and shaking. Donnie- being the scientist he was -went into doctor mode immediately, checking all of Leo's vitals and cursing under his breath as every one of the tests proved to be spiking aggressively.

"Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Leo!" Donnie shouted, drawing Leo close and cradling Leo until he stopped shaking. "Leo...? Are you okay?"

An eerie silence was what Donnie received, and he held back a concerned huff, lightly gripping Leo's jaw to turn his face forward. As soon as the duo made eye contact, Leo hissed, moving like a viper despite his injuries and biting down on Donnie's shoulder, clamping down hard enough to make sure that he stayed attached to Donnie's shoulder. Screams and cries of pain and terror rang through the lair, drawing in the rest of the family. Raph went into action as soon as he saw what was happening, using one of his claws to loosen Leo's grip.

"Mikey! I need you and dad to pull Leo back! And do it fast because I have no idea how long I can keep Leo's bite loose enough!" Mikey and Splinter nodded, racing forwards and tackling Leo back, holding him down and doing their best to ignore the bits of skin and scales that were caught between Leo's teeth. "Keep him down! I'll wrap Donnie up!"

"No! We will not be able to hold him down for that long! Raphael, I need you to go into my room and look under my bed! There is a box labeled with a dragon's tooth, and I need you to grab it and bring it!"

"But dad-"

"DO IT NOW!" Raph squeaked, racing off to do as told. In the meantime, Mikey was following Donnie's instructions on how to patch up the large injury, and Splinter was using every bit of strength in his tiny rat body to hold his son down. As much as it hurt Splinter to watch his son suffer like this, he knew that feeling sorry for Leonardo and trying to talk about things was not going to work. Thankfully, before Splinter could drift farther into his thoughts, Raph returned with the box, sliding it next to Splinter and panting. "Good. Now hold your brother down."

"Master Splinter, what's going on with him?" Raph asked, his heart nearly stopping as he finally took notice of Leo's rapid heartbeat. Splinter shook his head, admitting that he did not know, much to his dismay. Two more seconds passed, though they felt like two hours, and Splinter was not surprised by the gasps of shock that he earned when the boys saw what was harbored in the box.

"This muzzle and these bindings should be strong enough to keep Leonardo stable. They are made of the strongest and finest material known in the Hidden City, and I have been saving them for a time like this." Splinter explained, scooting close to Leo and using a finger to press down on a pressure point to put Leo to sleep. "I never wanted this to happen, but I knew that it was destined to. You boys are growing up, and your animal instincts mixed with the ooze in your blood was bound to become a normal part of your lives."

"Wait, are you saying that this is because of us growing up?" Mikey asked, watching with slight disgust as the muzzle was placed on Leo.

"I am saying that it is likely. But we cannot know that for sure. I learned many of the things about raising you as children from books, movies, and TV shows. But there is only one person who is able to tell us more about the ooze and how it affects the composition of those it mutates..."

"Ugh... are we going to go to Draxum's apartment?" Raph asked, catching the beaker that Mikey threw at him; much to Donnie's horror.

"Yes." Splinter confirmed with annoyance. "We are going to Draxum's apartment."

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

"So you are saying that he simply started to attack the purple one out of nowhere?"

"Yes, Barry. That's what we're saying."

Baron Draxum snorted, putting a fist up to his mouth and snickering softly. Splinter and Raph sneered at Draxum's reaction, holding back choice words and leaving Donnie and Mikey to themselves. At the moment, Donnie was instructed to sit down on Draxum's refurnished couch, resting and trying to keep himself calm despite the blood that was still beginning to pour out in generous amounts. Next to Donnie sat Mikey, who was attempting to cheer Donnie up by regaling tales that happened between him and Todd. On the floor lay Leo. No sounds came from Leo, even as his eyes stayed wide open. His pupils were dilated, breathing unsteady, and though he would make eye contact with his family regularly, they each swore that it was like he wasn't even looking at them; rather that he was looking through them.

"Draxum, when you are done with your childish behaviors, we would appreciate it very much if you helped us understand what is going on here." Splinter hissed through clenched teeth, throwing his ears back to convey his anger. Draxum chuckled one last time before clearing his throat, looking down at Leo and humming.

"I hate to disappoint you, Lou Jitsu, but I must admit that this is something I am unable to help you with." Draxum admitted, feeling an odd sense of... something at the sight of one of his creations being in such a state. "Unlike what you might want to believe, the things you have described to me are in no way, shape, or form related to my ooze. And do be reminded that I spent years studying both the ooze and turtle species before combining them."

"Well then what are we supposed to do?! Who could we possibly go to that knows enough about the mystic types to help us?!" Raph groaned, letting a tense quiet befall the group before a loud gasp resounded between them. "No..."

"Raphael, we must."

"But father, she has done so many awful things to us! How can we trust her to help?!"

"We cannot, Donatello, but unfortunately she is the only other one we can go to..."

"If that's the case, then I would like to go as well! Let me say hello to an old enemy." Draxum rubbed his hands together, smiling darkly as he did so. "Let us go and try to bargain with Big Mama..."

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

"Alright, you know what to do boys. Look for Big Mama, and when you see her, do not engage. Keep her in your sight and keep us updated on where she is so we can join you."

"Yes, father."

"Got it pops."

"We'll find her, dad."

Splinter frowned and watched his healthy sons fan out through the Hidden City, his ears swiveling to better pick up the sound of Leo's labored breathing. A mustard coloured plastron rose and fell with each of Leo's breaths, and quiet wheezing drove spikes of pain and sadness through Splinter's heart. A heavy hand fell on Splinter's shoulder, and he turned to look up at Draxum.

"Do not worry, Jitsu." Draxum started, sitting down and staring at Leo's stiff body. "While your children may be stubborn, and reckless, and irresponsible, and make stupid decisions, and-"

"Are you trying to make me feel better, or insult my sons for the next half hour?" Splinter interjected, glaring at Draxum sharply.

"Right, my apologies." Draxum then moved his hand from Splinter's shoulder to Leo's neck, showing a rare display of affection. "While they do have all of those things, they have many other positives that outweigh the negatives. They are each intelligent in their own ways, strong in their own ways, perseverant, caring, sympathetic, energetic, and so many other things! They are all of these things, and not because of themselves. They are all of these things because of you, Jitsu. You have done a wonderful job taking care of these boys, and there is no one else who could have possibly-"

"DAD! DRAXUM! YOU HAVE TO TAKE LEO HOME!" Raph's frantic screaming startled Splinter and Draxum out of their conversation, and they stood up abruptly. In one swift movement, Draxum picked Leo up, holding the young turtle close and keeping a tight grip on the blue clad mutant. The duo stood still, looking around for any movements that would signify that Big Mama or her goons were nearby. The atmosphere was tense, and it took only one mistimed step for Splinter to throw a kunai at a nearby alleyway, smirking at the sound of the blade hitting even the smallest bit of skin.

"Draxum! Take Leonardo to the Candy Store!" Splinter ordered, knowing that Draxum was aware of what the order meant. In a split second, Draxum raced away, not turning to watch Splinter take down Big Mama's goons with little to no effort.

"Do not worry, blue one. We will find some way to fix you." Draxum assured, stopping and hiding behind a thick buildup of brush. More wheezing came from Leo, leading Draxum to believe that Splinter may have fastened the muzzle too tight. Out of an unexpected bout of pity, Draxum loosened the muzzle without second thought, doing the same with the rest of Leo's bindings. As soon as Draxum loosed the bindings surrounding Leo's legs, the mutant turtle screeched, easily sliding out of his binds and pinning Draxum onto the ground. The action was enough to shock Draxum into fighting back, and he used a vine to throw Leo out of the brush, his ears falling flat against his face as he watched Leo race off into the Hidden City. "This is not going to end well..."

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

Where am I? What am I doing here? How did I get here?

Leo panted and whimpered with every step as he raced through the Hidden City, shocking each citizen with the sight of seeing a teenaged turtle running past them on all fours.

I have to find my family! Where are they?! Why aren't they with me?!

Blurry vision and terrible coordination accompanied Leo in his frantic search for his brothers and/or father(s), leading him to believe that he had been injected with some sort of virus or poison. Part of him didn't want to believe that he had been poisoned, as the last time he was poisoned he had caught on fire.

Why is everything so weird?! I can't see anything right! Raph! Donnie! Mikey! Splinter! Draxum! Where are you?!

All of a sudden, Leo felt two hands wrap around his waist, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, taking the time that his enemy was shocked to attack. With a bite to his assailant's arm, Leo kicked the enemy back, returning to his search for familiar faces.

Where are they?! Where is my family?! Where. Is. My-

"Well, lookie-lookie what we have here! My little champion turtley-boo!" Leo knew that voice, those words, that tone. It was Big Mama, but he couldn't see her! He could smell her, he could hear her, he could sense her presence, but all he saw was a blurry blob of lavender.

Big Mama... oh-ho-ho, wait until I'm done with you! When I get my claws on you, I'm gonna-

"Gunna eat... dump the... and keep... you see the... GOT YA!" Leo fell forward, coughing and whining as he attempted to even out his breathing. "Brothers... eat... keep at... don't you... hope..."

"Oh, you poor thing! You seem to be more woozy-frazzled than normal!" Big Mama chimed, leaning over to boop Leo's nose. A weak bite was sent in Big Mama's way, followed by a wheezy hiss. "And here I thought you were smarter and stronger than this."

I am! You awful Yokai! I'm not so weak that I can't fight you!

Leo gave another weak hiss, trying his best to push himself up. When he failed, Leo started to sob, taking notice of how weak his body had truly become. He didn't feel anything, he couldn't see anything, and his body was beginning to give up on him. Whatever this was, it was attacking Leo with a vengeance, and wasn't looking to give up until Leo was dead.

"Hmm, I must say that I am beginning to feel a bit of pity for you." Big Mama admitted, patting a finger on her chin as if thinking intensely. "Hey! I have an idea! What if I were to help you? I could help nurse you back to help, and in turn-"

"NO! No... don't... coin... flip..." Leo spat through his tears. Big Mama shook her head in disapproval, booping Leo's nose once more.

"Let Big Mama finish." The disguised Yokai then smirked deviously. "Now, I will help you, and in turn... you will fight in my Battle Nexus for the next year. You will be in my debt, and you will not be allowed to have your family help, or see your family without permission."

"Would... die..." Leo ground out, high pitched whimpers becoming more and more audible. "Rather... would... death..."

"I'm sure you would, young one." Big Mama giggled. "But I don't think your family would enjoy that very much."

No... don't do this...

"Just think, how would your brothers feel?" Big Mama hummed, putting her hands on her hips. "And your father, and your close friends? I'm sure none of them would be very pleased. Now, of course, none of them would be jumping up and diddly-down when they find out about the deal, but at least you'd be alive! To make it sweeter, I may just make it so that you can see your family twice a month for 12 hours each time! How does that sound?"

...

"Don't... can't..." Leo stopped, thinking over Big Mama's words and grimacing at how awful the truth was. "...Okay..."

"Good boy! Now, let us go and get you fixed up! Can't have a weak champion now, can we?" On any other day, the word Champion would have made Leo's heart soar, but now it just seemed like a mockery. The sound of grunting was followed by Leo feeling his body being lifted up. He had no strength to fight back, so he did nothing more than let himself be carried to Big Mama's Battle Nexus.

And, dear Pizza Supreme...

A nap really sounded good right now.

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

So, yeah; I realize that I left out the others after the second third of the fic, but I couldn't really think of anything to use them for that wouldn't end with the whole "Family getting back together and learning a lesson about love and acceptance" trope. That would have completely ruined the original intention of ambiguity for the ending, so I shall leave it up to you to determine how they react/respond to learning about this deal.

*It took me a while to realize that I didn’t make it clear what was affecting Leo. In short, he has Belladonna (Nightshade) poisoning, and it was contracted by a new ingredient in Hueso’s pizza that was mixed in with the pizza sauce. The side effects were displayed throughout the fic, and trust me when I say that it took some time to think of how it would effect him - what with him being a mutant turtle with human DNA and all.

#RotTMNT #Rise of the TMNT #Fanfic #This Is An Experimental Fic #Sorry If It's Confusing #I Got Sleepy Halfway Through

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lunarapocolypse · 5 years ago

Text

Shigaraki Week: Day 3

Sorry if this is bad, I didn’t have much inspiration today

Party?/Split/Tainted

@shigarakiweek

Tenko, no, Tomura writhed around in his bed, pulling at the artist gloves that seem to caress his hands. He doesn’t like them. He doesn’t like them at all. He supposes one would expect that, since he’s never had to wear them before. He’d been training himself on finger dexterity but until he mastered sleeping with curled fists he wouldn’t be able to sleep without his gloves. Oh how he loathes them.

He gets up to check the time. 3:00 AM. Three hours from the time he was supposed to wake up. Sensei said 6 hours was a good amount of time to sleep for the eleven year old, not too little so it wouldn’t damage his brain cells much, but enough to train him to not need rest as much. Tomura didn’t really like it considering that he woke up in the middle of that time anyways, but he’d go along with it for now. When he became king he could make his own sleep schedule and not have to listen to Sensei’s words all the time. Not that he minded too much. Sensei was kind to him, Tomura just preferred to go at his own pace.

He sighed, getting up. There was no point trying to fall back asleep, he was far too awake. Might as well get an early start. He rolled out of bed, not bothering to turn on the light as he went over to the computer monitor. He’d eat later, since he didn’t have to wake up until later might as well play games to pass the time. Games were the only joy he had throughout the day.

Three hours passed by quickly, he groaned as he logged out. He wondered if Sensei would notice if he took a day off today. He didn’t feel like doing anything, and Sensei wasn’t home at the moment. He had left a few weeks ago, something with All Might. Whatever.

“Happy birthday Shigaraki Tomura.” Says a monotonous voice from behind the bar counter. Tomura opens the fridge, getting out orange juice.

“That’s today?” He asked, pouring himself a cup.

“April 4th, you’re turning 12 today. You don’t remember?” Tomura shrugs at that.

“Haven’t been keeping track.” If Kurogiri could frown through that mist he would be.

“I’m getting concerned for you, Shigaraki Tomura. You should be more aware of your surroundings.” Tomura rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah whatever. What’s so special about a birthday anyways? It’s just the day I was born.” he complained, rolling his eyes. Kurogiri’s worry only increased. He could remember a five year old boy smiling excitedly as his master gave him a cake. The change of Tomura Shigaraki was necessary in order to defeat All Might, but sometimes the mist felt like his master pushed the boy too far.

“Is Sensei still gone?” Tomura asks, as usual. Kurogiri only nods.

“Tch.” Tomura sighed, walking away.

“But he plans to be back back by this evening.” That halted the boy.

“Huh?”

“He wants to be there for your birthday, so he’ll come by this evening.”

“I...I see.” Tomura mumbles. A wave of relief coms over both of them as Tomura lets a small smile slip. Kurogiri knew he missed the man, no matter how much he tried not to show it.

“Whatever, I’m going. Sensei left me some work.” He mumbled, walking away. “See ya Kurogiri.”

“Until later, Shigaraki Tomura.”

Kurogiri sighed as he wiped the bar counter. All For One was planning on fighting All Might of all people, did he expect to be done in time to celebrate Shigaraki Tomura’s birthday with him? That would be possible, but it would cause a problem if he got hurt too badly. He just hoped his master kept his word.

Tomura hummed lightly, finishing the tasks Sensei sent him. It was nothing much, just tests that would help with building his IQ as well as giving him logical skills. Apparently his brain was developing so he needed to do a lot of these. He wasn’t really sure but he didn’t question it. Sensei had his reasons, and Tomura trusted him. He had always trusted Sensei, he was the only one who truly cared. He let another smile slip knowing he’d be back in the evening. He couldn’t wait to see him again, it had been so long.

“Argh...another headache…” He groaned. He’d get headaches often, it always felt like he was forgetting something important. But he couldn’t remember what. Perhaps it was his childhood? He couldn’t remember it but that was okay for now. He’d remember it someday, Sensei said he would. Until then he had to wear his family. His family would help him feel the anger he needed.

He wondered if there was ever a time where he wasn’t this angry, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. So what if there was a time like that? It couldn’t have been any better than right now. Right now he had Sensei, and he was set to become the king of his own world in the future. Who needed a time without anger if that was the case?

But the idea of it often slipped into his mind. And some days, he was in the mood to entertain it.

Perhaps there was a time when he wasn’t so angry. When he wasn’t so damaged, so tainted. So cracked and broken. Perhaps there was a time when he was happy and laughed like any should. Perhaps there was a time when he wasn’t so stressed, when he was okay. Perhaps there was even a time where he idolised heroes!

The him of that time would be so foolish.

“Kurogiri?” He asks, after a while.

“Yes, Shigaraki Tomura?”

“When is Sensei coming back? It’s 5:01, that’s the official start of evening.” Kurogiri chuckled.

“Patience. If evening has only just begun, he’ll come by later.”

“You seem doubtful.” Tomura pointed out. Kurogiri heaved a sigh.

“...I’m worried he might not make it in time.” Tomura laughed at that.

“Of course he will! He said so, right?”

“He did…”

“Then it should be fine.”

“I suppose it will.”

Shigaraki Tomura’s faith in his master was both admirable and unnerving. It was supposed to be that way, but Kurogiri couldn’t help but think this was a little too much. He went back to cleaning glasses, trying not to care. He wasn’t supposed to care.

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

“Kurogiri, it’s 6:00.”

“He’ll come, don't worry. You said it would, right?”

“Yeah.”

Tomura sighed, glancing out of the window. The sun was shining brightly on his eyes, making it hard to see. Annoyance bubbled inside of him. What was taking him so long? He sighed again, making sure to be as loud as possible so Kurogiri wouldn’t forget he was there. He often did that because he was so quiet. He stared at the clock once again and let the minutes pass him by.

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

“7:00. Where is he?”

“Patience Shigaraki Tomura, he’ll come.”

Tomura could only hope he would. His patience was wearing thin as well as his hope. He could vaguely remember a time something like this happened, like a deja vu. Interesting. Was it a memory of the past? Perhaps it was. If so, then this wouldn’t turn out the same way as it did then. Tomura knew he was different now, better now. Sensei said he was. So he’d believe it.

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

“9:00. Is he coming?”

“....”

Tomura flicked a piece of crumpled paper Kurogiri’s way after hearing the lack of response. The mist man seemed to just sigh and pay no mind.

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

11:45. 11:45 and Sensei wasn’t back yet. Tomura scratched at his neck.

“He said he’d come he said he’d come he said he’d come he said he’d come…”

There were still 15 minutes left, right? He’d come by then, right?

“Shigaraki Tomura.” He looked up to see Kurogiri staring down at him.

“Yes.”

“Your Sensei has contacted me. He deeply apologizes, but it seems he won’t be able to make it today. Or come home for the next few months.” Tomura’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“He got into an accident. I am not aware of the details, but he was barely alive. Doctor Ujiko is helping him, but until then he cannot return home to you.”

“....I see. I’ll be in my room then.” With an awkward shuffle, he walked back, a dejected slump in his posture. He didn’t even throw his switch at the wall, or decay part of the floor like he would when he were angry. Rather than angry he seemed saddened.

“Shigaraki Tomura.” The boy turned back with a vicious glare.

“What?”

“...There’s still fifteen minutes left. Would you like to blow out the candles?”

“Huh? Candles?” Kurogiri warped a small cake to the area, Tomura stared incredulously at it.

“I made this earlier, we were supposed to cut it with Sensei. He can’t be here, but the two of us can celebrate at the least. And when Sensei comes back, you can tell him about it.”

“...You made this?”

“Yes?”

Tomura scuffled over, still black faced.

“Thank you.” He mouthed. Kurogiri smiled through the mist.

“Anytime, Shigaraki Tomura.”

Perhaps Sensei wasn’t the only one that cared. And as he blew out the candles Kurogiri had lit, Tomura let out a dark chuckle. Some party. But it was okay.

Shigaraki Tomura may have been tainted, may have been the opposite of what Tenko was, but that was okay.

He wasn’t angry at the moment.

#i was tired today #so it's not my best #Shigaraki #shigaraki tomura #mha #bnha #shigarakibirthdayweek #shigarakiweek #tomura bnha #shigaraki bnha #tomura shigaraki #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #kurogiri #mamagiri #kurogiri bnha #mha kurogiri #bnha kurogiri #Luna tries to write

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inkribbon796 · 4 years ago

Text

Little Wonders Ch. 1

Chapter 1: Let Your Clarity Define You in the End

Summary: Dark goes house cleaning to flush out a dangerous mole in his network.

Chapters: 1, 2

Dark was outside his office, talking with Google when Logan walked out of his office. There were a couple papers in his hands that the Entity was reading through.

“Is this everything?” Dark asked Google as Logan came to stop a non-confrontational distance away. Logan had only been working for Dark for a little over eight months now, but he’d learned enough about him to tell Dark was already in a bad mood. All Logan could do was stand and wait to either be abruptly dismissed from the meeting he was supposed to go to, or for Dark to usher him inside.

“Yes, he wasn’t doing too much before he disappears from Florida state records,” Google answered calmly, his eyes tracking to Logan before smiling and looking back at Dark. “You’re certain I can’t take care of him myself?”

“Bim is in a hunting mood,” Dark refused. “If you’re lucky, you can keep the brain.”

“Unfortunate, but I’ll have to accept it,” Google allowed and then walked away.

“Ahh, Sanders,” Dark gave a small smile as his attention turned to Logan. “I was a bit worried that you had left early.”

“I leave on average at 2200 hours,” Logan commented walking into the office when Dark silently ushered him inside. He slowly closed the door behind him.

“Sit down, I won’t keep you long,” Dark promised, hands knit behind his back as he strode to sit behind his own desk. “I’ve been looking over your notes concerning my Lost One’s files. Some very useful ideas, wish I could still use them.”

“Did something happen?” Logan was braced for the bad news and an even later night.

“Yes, three of my Lost Ones were arrested, and Yancy is on parole,” Dark admitted calmly. “The whole mess was taken care of an hour ago.”

“I didn’t even know you had left,” Logan admitted. “I assume they are none the worse for wear.”

“Apart from Bim’s overdramatics, they’re all fine, the heroes were too busy thinking they were being coerced to start roughing them up,” Dark commented. “I honestly had nothing to worry about.”

“That’s good news,” Logan agreed.

“It is,” Dark replied in a thoughtful, rueful tone. “But the heroes know a bit too much about Yancy, which means we’ve got a bit of a fly on the wall in my network because they know things Yancy never told them.”

Before Logan could fully decide what to say or give options on how to help smooth over the problem, his chair was abruptly spun around which surprised Logan because he hadn’t heard anyone coming up behind him and hadn’t thought the chair was designed to spin.

Even through the distractions, Logan knew he was probably on a short list of suspicious individuals. The person he came face to face with was familiar but not in a way Logan could place.

“Hey Lo,” Orange smiled as he looked at Logan. “Having fun playing dress-up? That’s usually Princey’s thing.”

The Side frowned when he saw the guarded but uncertain look on Logan’s face. “Huh?”

Logan was braced for something, trying to remember where he’d seen this person before.

Dark came up behind them, “Something wrong?”

“He doesn’t remember me,” Orange answered, he took Logan by the lapels of his suit, which Logan immediately and indignantly tried to pull away from him. “Come on, Lo, you know me? Remember?”

“Oh,” Dark recognized, and put his aura on the top of Logan’s head, his aura lightly searching for something until he found it. The Entity pulled off another aura, almost like a mesh of spell work that kept Logan complacent and unaware of what he was doing, and Dark could practically feel the Host’s magic all over it.

As Dark’s aura subsumed the other aura Logan had a disoriented look to him before his laser focus landed on Orange and he startled in his grip. “Unhand me!”

“Nah, you’re already in deep shit, where would you swim to?” Orange grinned, Logan pressed back into the chair as Orange leaned over him, hands on the chair arms.

“Enough,” Dark cut in, using his aura to rotate back to look at Logan. “So, Mr. Sanders, is there any part of your resume that you weren’t lying on?”

“My distain for disorder and puns,” Logan answered.

Dark moved his hand and Logan felt something like a hand on the front of his throat, phantom claws on the soft flesh of his throat. “You of all people should know how I feel about moles, Thomas.”

“What?” Logan was barely able to still talk without claws sinking into his throat. “My name is Logan.”

The pressure in his throat abated for a brief second, but Logan wasn’t allowed to feel much of anything when Dark scored his aura claws down. Logan cried out, his cheek burning with sharp pain, and it felt wet. The Logical Side presumed it was with his own blood. The panicking part of his brain wanted to call out for Patton or Roman, he was acutely aware he wasn’t wearing his communicator.

“AAHHHHHH!” Logan screamed, and Dark physically grabbed Logan by the throat, pinning him to the chair, a bunch of papers in his hands.

“Thomas F. Sanders, date of birth: April 24, 1989. Gainesville, Florida.” Dark began casually reading off the paper and Logan tried to fight off the wave of palpable fear. Dark had gone looking for Logan and found Thomas instead.

Logan wasn’t sure what was worse. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to lie and make Dark believe he really was Thomas . . . and after this was all said and done, hope Dark would toss the papers away and not look deeper into them.

But Dark was always good at spotting lies.

“I am not Thomas,” Logan decided. “He doesn’t exist, Orange, you know my name is not Thomas, do not participate in this pointless charade.”

“Hmm,” Orange hummed, grabbing Logan by the hair and forcing him to look up, “nope, you’re Thomas alright, that dopey optimism, that personality that people can’t help but love!”

“Faksehood!” Logan shouted at Orange. “I am not Thomas.”

Orange slapped Logan on the cheek that was still bleeding. Dark was sitting behind his desk again, the quick change disorienting Logan a bit.

Dark was still looking at the papers, “You never told me you were an actor. A couple Community Playhouse credits in Gainesville, Hot Mikado, ooh, Singing in the Rain. I hate that one.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Orange paused in his sadism to question Dark, his face twisting up in the only Thomas-like display that Logan had ever seen from the other Side.

“I hate actors,” Dark scoffed, balling up an entire page and tossing it into the trash bin. “Wil adores the movie, but Singing is the Rain is about actors, which means I hate it all the more.”

“Harsh,” Orange scoffed. “Bad date?”

Dark glared at Orange, “I’m not going to humor that statement.”

“You know I am not Thomas,” Logan reminded Orange, his anger consuming his fear. “Why are you helping with what I assume will be my death. This will affect you as well.”

“Not as much as you think,” Orange smiled.

“Why are you insisting I’m Thomas?” Logan demanded. “Insisting such is offensive and incognizant.”

“Well unlike the others who want to fight over that name, Princey’s got all those social skills, and Pop’s is an emotional basket case. But you,” Orange tapped Logan on the nose, “have all those memories like going to school, Thomas’s folks, stuff like that. So if anything happens to those pesky little things, Thomas will die. Even if all the others fuse and try, they’ll never have those memories. Even if Princey rehearses until he believes his own performance they can’t bring them back. So if you die, it’s a win-win.”

Logan had been listening to Orange gloat and jeer and he hated that he had the gall to wear Thomas’s face while he said it. So he did something impulsive in his pain and anger, he spat in Orange’s face, moving to punch him but Orange was faster, slamming his fist into Logan’s face.

Over and over again.

The other Side was trying to get at the bloody scratches already present. In the scuffle Logan’s glasses were knocked free and Orange stomped on them, almost like a pained connection, Logan felt it when he heard the frame crack.

“You know, I’m sick and tired of Thomas this and Thomas that. News flash, Teach, he would have hated and been afraid of me. Why should I want to go back to that, to being so thoroughly buried I may as well have now existed to him? The best thing that ever happened to me was when he was broken apart and I was taken away from you.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Dark cut in, his aura wrapped around one of Orange’s arms. What Logan couldn’t see because of his destroyed glasses, was the knife he’d pulled. “I need him alive for a bit longer and you’ve said your peace.”

“I thought you were going to off him,” Orange scoffed.

“Not quite yet,” Dark flicked his wrists and a Void portal ripped open, forcing Orange from the room.

“So, Logan,” a dark shape moved in front of Logan’s vision again as Dark sat down in front of him. He heard a tearing of paper.

“Regardless of who you were,” Dark clipped what remained of Logan’s glasses to the front of his shirt. “It’s time for you to choose, Sanders. The heroes, or me.”

“I think my decision would have been obvious,” Logan told him. “You and your network are deplorable and I have greatly enjoyed my work in helping to dismantle it.”

Dark clicked his tongue, “Regrettable.”

Logan felt Dark aura tighten around him and the chair like a snake and Logan just braced to get his neck snapped. He hoped it would be quick and he wouldn’t feel it.

To Logan’s mounting tension he was pulled through a Void portal and Dark was bringing him down what seemed to be a dark corridor. Logan had the ability to gaze around and wished that he could see where he was. It looked interesting.

“Trying to figure out where you are,” Dark mused proudly.

“My habit is to obtain information on new places or experiences,” Logan explained.

“Well,” Dark sounded smug, “no need to bother with that tonight.”

At that moment Dark caught movement down one of the tunnels and he threw his aura to scare the creature or person off. Logan tensed when he felt Dark’s aura curl up around him before the Entity struck.

“I hate the rats around here, I swear the magic from that old hag makes them grow bigger by the day,” Dark scoffed in disgust.

“You are going to have me eaten?” Logan asked tensely, fear bubbling back up onto his mind.

“Not by the rats,” Dark corrected. Dark opened a steel door, his aura moving into the cracks to open it from the inside, the rusted gears grinding loudly.

“Finally!” Bim shouted when the door opened, he was polishing his already immaculate scalpels and knives. Dark noted the darker eyes, sharper teeth, and almost sunken eyes. “I’m starving here, Old Man.”

“Yes, I merely had to pick him up for you,” Dark set Logan’s chair down, his hands on his shoulders. “He meets your outrageous standards, I hope.”

Bim looked at Logan and smiled and ravenous excitement, “Oh, what did he do?”

“Does he work or should I slit his throat now and be done with it?” Dark demanded harshly, the door being locked and sealed behind them.

“Yeah, yeah, just let me get the table open,” Bim said, and Logan heard the clicking of metal, his heart was racing.

“Well Sanders, I look forward to seeing which hero is missing in the coming weeks,” Dark smiled as he whispered quietly into Logan’s ears, patting him once on his shoulder.

Logan felt Dark’s aura grab him and began fighting it, trying to reach for anything but Dark dropped him onto a metal table. His wrists locked into a tight metal cuff at the top and his ankles locked into a similar cuff at the bottom. He had almost no room to struggle.

“Do not leave evidence,” Dark ordered his progeny. “The heroes will come looking for this one.”

“Shit, it’s like this is my first rodeo,” Bim scoffed.

“I mean it, be responsible,” Dark ordered and Logan heard the Void being ripped open, leaving him alone with Bim.

#Superhero AU #Masks and Maladies #Thomas Sanders #Markiplier #Logan Sanders #Darkiplier #Googleplier #Orange Side #Bim Trimmer #magic #death threats #angst #resentment

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grootpoepjeplasjehoofd · 5 years ago

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Tomorrow (September 17) the Israeli elections will take place. This is the latest poll. The numbers may be a bit wonky given that voter turnout is expected to be particularly low due to this being the first back to back election in Israeli history and the myriad measures that Likud is putting in place to prevent Palestinian Israelis from voting. These numbers don't look good at all, I predict that there will either be a Netanyahu government or he will fail to make a coalition and there will be another round in another 5 months.

The 'liberal' / left parties standing this time around are Kachol Lavan, Joint List, Labor, and Democratic Union. Together if this projection is correct they'll have 53 seats of the necessary 61 to form a coalition.

The right consists of Likud, Shas, United Torah, United Right, Otzma Yehudit, and Yisrael Beitanu. According to this projection they should have 67, but there's a problem.

Yisrael Beitanu, the party of Avigdor Lieberman, is a very right wing and very secular party (this is a problem) currently embroiled in a feud with Netanyahu and Co. Lieberman therefore with his 9 seats will be the kingmaker in this election.

Kachol Lavan has been making googly eyes at Lieberman for a while now. They even have a vote sharing agreement in place to scoop up the votes of those parties who fail to pass the threshold. The trouble lies in the sheer unlikelihood of Kachol Lavan, a center right party that through the sheer insanity of Israeli politics gets to be The Left™ being able to form a successful government. On the one hand, Lieberman fits into this grouping as someone who wants to curb the powers of religious authorities, on the other hand he's a professional racist, opponent of a peaceful resolution with the PA as opposed to the other parties of this would-be coalition.

But he's also unwelcome in right wing pro-Netanyahu circles. He's responsible more than anyone else for the debacle that caused Israel's elections in April, as he had a scuffle with Netanyahu for being too soft on Hamas and ultimately left the Likud coalition. His secularism is a threat to United Torah and Shas, who almost exclusively represent religious Ashkenazis and Mizrahis respectively. Personal feuds between Netanyahu and Lieberman aside, his presence is anathema to these religious factions as now more than ever he has been pushing for mandatory drafting of Haredi Jews, who currently have exemptions. It's a collosal burden to keep all of them together in a coalition.

The Kachol Lavan-Lieberman alliance is even more fraught. Assuming that Gantz and Lapid can successfully create a coalition between Yisrael Beitanu and the other parties they would need, they'd still only have 62 seats, meaning that all it takes to bring down the government is two MKs deciding that they're unhappy with the government and going independent to leave the coalition. Meaning, it's over, another round of elections. And even if by some miracle this coalition holds together, with such a toxic mix the best that could happen is a haphazard maintenance of the status quo that leaves everybody unsatisfied and brings back a right wing government in the coming elections.

The one thing that can be said for certain is that tomorrow is going to be a real clusterfuck no matter what happens.

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alindakb · 5 years ago

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Letters to my Parents - Saturday 30 April 1994 - by Alinda

Saturday 30 April 1994

Dear mom and dad,

The Easter holiday didn’t feel like a holiday at all. We had so much homework we spend most of our time in the library studying. And when we weren’t studying, Draco and I had Quidditch practise. Hermione seemed to live in the library. She was always already there when Draco and I would finally get out of bed. And she never left before us. I think she was close to tears most of the time. I tried talking to her about her workload, but she just snapped at me and told me to leave her alone.

Draco took over all the responsibility for Buckbeak’s appeal. He’s always faster with his homework than me, and once he was done he would pore over enormously thick volumes with names like ‘the handbook of Hippogriff psychology’ and ‘Fowl or Foul? A study of Hippogriff Brutality’. And he did all this next to helping me with my homework. I think I’m really dating the smartest boy in this school.

Quidditch practise was every day during the holidays. Marcus wanted us to be ready for the match on the 23rd. We’d have endless discussions about tactics and Marcus kept drilling into me that I was only allowed to catch the snitch if we were more than 50 points ahead of Gryffindor. They had a lead of 200 points, so we needed more than that to win the cup this year. Draco would hide his laughter against my shoulders every time Marcus brought it up again.

The final was a big deal this year. Slytherin had lost the cup against Gryffindor in my first year and last year the cup had been cancelled. And with me and Draco on the team, the entire house was convinced we could win. Tensions in the school were at a breaking point. Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean stopped interacting with us because it ended up in heated words about which team was better every time. And other students also had scuffles in the corridors. A fourth-year Gryffindor and a sixth year Slytherin even ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

It was worst between Marcus and Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor team. They throw hexes at each other every time they saw each other. At one moment Wood treated to hurt me or Draco and ever since then Marcus made sure there were always people protection us. It made it hard to show up to classes on time.

I was more worried about my Firebolt. When I wasn’t flying on it I locked it into my trunk to make sure no Gryffindor would be able to sabotage it. Draco was worried that Nott or Crabbe might do something with it, but they wanted our house to win just as much as everyone else, so I believed they would not do anything to jeopardise our chances.

Hermione complained the day before the match that she didn’t know who she should support. She is a Gryffindor and all, but her two best friends are in Slytherin and on their team. She kept going back and forth with arguments why she wanted to support Gryffindor or Slytherin. It all seemed so unfair to her that she had to choose a side.

When we got back to the Slytherin common room that evening everyone was nervous. Marcus kept walking up and down the room muttering to himself. Derrick and Bole were polishing their beater bats and Adrian and Miles kept going over the tactics we all agreed on for the match. I just sat down next to Draco on a sofa. I didn’t want to talk because every time I opened my mouth I felt like making a run for the toilets.

Draco took me to bed that night. He kissed me and told me everything would be alright. He kept petting my hair until I fell asleep. Not that I had a good night of sleep. No, first I had a nightmare in which I had overslept and that they had to use Crabbe instead. And then I dreamed that the entire Gryffindor team showed up on flying lions that could spit fire. I tried to get away from them but I had seemed to have forgotten my Firebolt and I fell to the ground at rapid speed.

And that is when Draco woke me up. It took me some time to realise it was still the middle of the night. Draco handed me some water and then I curled back against his chest and let his sweet words dose me off to sleep.

The next day I spent a lot of time on braiding Draco’s hair. I was so nervous that the hair kept slipping through my shaking fingers. When it was finally done we went down to the Great Hall as a team. The Slytherin table applauded us on our entrance. It was nice to see how the entire house was supporting us, especially because the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had cheered for the Gryffindor team when they walked in. Only Luna had touched up her outfit with the Slytherin colours. She smiled at us when we left the Great Hall.

None of us spoke when we changed into our robes. I was glad when Draco sat down next to me on one of the benches and grabbed my hand. He looked paler than usual. And when Marcus told us it was time, Draco gave me a soft kiss before we left the locker rooms.

And before I knew it the game had started. All my nerves vanished as soon as I was up in the air. I glanced around and saw that McLaggen was on my tail, so I sped off in search of the Snitch. I listened to the commentary of Jordan who was a typical Gryffindor and made it sound like every goal Draco made was a lucky mistake. He couldn’t have it that our star player was better than all three Gryffindor girls. Spinnet, Johnson and Bell had trouble taking the Quaffle from Draco. And even Fred and George their well-aimed Bludgers didn’t slow down Draco.

I think it was a good thing that Wood was a keeper because he looked like he wanted to hurt one of our team. Points went back and forth for some time, but Slytherin stayed in the lead. If was just never enough to win the cup. So even though I spotted the snitch a couple of times, I didn��t chase it. Every time I spotted it I faked a look of concentration and pulled my Firebolt around toward the other side of the field. McLaggen kept following me, not spotting the snitch but being stupid enough to think I would lead him to it. Like he could outfly me if I would spot it first.

And then the moment came that we were sixty points ahead. I soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with McLaggen speeding behind me. And then I saw it. The snitch was sparkling twenty feet above me. I put on a huge burst of speed, I stretched out my hand, and then suddenly, the Firebolt slowed down. I looked around and saw that McLaggen grabbed onto the Firebolt’s tail and was pulling it back. Madam Hooch saw and gave a penalty to Slytherin, which Adrian scored easily, making our lead even greater. Only the snitch had disappeared and McLaggen was still hovering beside me. I was sure he was going to try to stop me again if I saw the snitch now.

The game went on and the Gryffindor’s scored another twenty points. We needed ten more points for me to go after the snitch again. I watched as Draco and Marcus passed the Quaffle between them, trying to pass the Gryffindors, but they all blocked their way. So I raced down and made them all scatter so that Flint could score. We were again sixty points in the lead. I smiled until I saw McLaggen dive with a triumph on his face. A few feet above the grass was a tiny, golden glimmer and McLaggen was closing in on it. I urged my Firebolt downward but McLaggen was miles ahead. I flatten myself to go even faster. Slowly I got closer to McLaggen. I think a Bludger almost hit me, but I was only looking at the snitch. I passed McLaggen, reached out my arms and grabbed hold of the snitch. I pulled out of my dive and held up the golden ball tight in my fist.

The Slytherin side of the stadium exploded. Marcus sped towards me and seized me around the neck, sobbing unrestrainedly into my shoulder. And then I got hugged by Adrian, Miles, Draco and even Derrick and Bole. We were all shouting that we’d won the cup. We moved as one back to the ground and were greeted by our housemates. They lifted us onto their shoulders and walked us to the stands, where headmaster Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. Marcus took the cup and kissed it before he handed it to me. I lifted it into the air while Draco wrapped his arms around my waist. We both couldn’t stop smiling. I handed the cup back to Marcus and Draco spun me around in his arms. His lips were on mine in seconds. We devoured each other until Professor Snape told us that we were ruining his good day.

That evening we had a massive party in the dungeon. There were Butterbeers and so many snacks. We celebrated until I couldn’t stand on my legs anymore. Draco carried me to our dormitory and Blaise shouted at us to remember to use silencing charms. We both laughed and once in bed, Draco took his time undressing me. He kissed me everywhere and I came inside his mouth. I thought getting jerked off by him was amazing, well I can tell you, having him suck me off is even better.

We both stayed in bed the entire Sunday, just enjoying the afterglow of winning the cup. Blaise and Gregory also couldn’t stop talking about it. We had a really fun afternoon. And then Monday started and we had to concentrate on our schoolwork again. Draco has me studying every night because exams are only two weeks away. So I probably won’t be writing to you until they’re done.

Love you both.

Harry James Potter.

#letters to my parents #drarry #Harry Potter #Draco Malfoy #quidditch #harry in slytherin #quidditch final #hermione granger #AlindasStories

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dopcmine · 5 years ago

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⋆ 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑫𝑼𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑮 — * ⋆ ╰ hey , did you happen to see DAMON NAM on campus today ? you know , the JEON JUNGKOOK look-alike in our seven am class ? yeah , that SENIOR . ah , well they had their SILVER NECKLACE on their desk this morning and left without it . i wanted to return it … but i have to get to class in five minutes . wait , don’t you see them around at THE APARTMENTS ? oh , great ! can you bring it to HIM then ? ugh , thank you so much. you’re the best ! now i know they get the rep of being EGOCENTRIC but you don’t have to worry . they’re always MAGNETIC . and who knows , maybe you two’ll hit it off ! i know that they’re a INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS major too . well , i have to jet before i miss my exam but i’ll catch you at the frat party later , right ? oh , you should bring DAMON ! it’s always fun having the PLAYBOY around .

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 :

fullname: damon nam

nicknames: none

age: twenty-three

d.o.b: april 15, 1996

zodiac: aries sun, leo moon, scorpio rising

gender: cismale

sexuality: bisexual

occupation: tattoo artist @ body electric tattoo and piercing

𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 :

twt & insta handle: p7ayboy

insta followers: 1.3m

twt followers: 1m

tik tok: 750k

𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 :

cruisin’ around l.a with the windows down, drinking cold beers on a hot summer afternoon, old school music playing loudly from his apartment, late night kbbq dates with the gang, old childhood scars from fights and playing outside until late evening, silver jewelry around his neck and wrists, street racing, rolling blunts on the hood of his car, face smudge with oil and sweat working on his car, stumbling around the city on the lookout for his favorite food trucks, tattoos up to his neck and down his arms all the way to his back, a gold virgin mary necklace hanging from his rear view mirror, belting out to romantic spanish music drunk and slurring the words, always moving forward and never looking back, selfish tendencies, playing with people like a deck of cards, carrying a butterfly knife with him at all times

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 :

born and raised in east los angeles, damon had to grow up a little faster than his peers. he comes from a working class family, his parents both public school teachers trying to get by like every other family. being one of the very little korean-american families in maravilla, damon used to get picked on and bullied to the point he refused to get out of bed in his early elementary days. but like any kid, he made friends with some of the neighborhood kids that went to the same school he did, and they stuck by his side. it gave damon the confidence to stand up for himself now that he had his little group to the point he repeated the bad words they taught him in spanish to the same little boys that would pick on him, not knowing what it meant but knowing it was something about their moms that caused one his many first fights to break out in the school yard. after that, damon and his little band of misfits became a little notorious for getting into scuffles with other students.

he stayed in maravilla up until high school, venturing north to a new house due to his dad being offered the position of principal at a junior high. damon went on to attend lincoln high school but it wasn’t hard to fit in, nor was it difficult to fall into step with a new group of friends ( some of which he knew from his earlier days when he used to sneak out of his house with his friend and venture off ). high school was a ride, even if damon had found a place where he belonged people still loved to talk shit and damon loved nothing more than confrontation. he got into fights behind grocery stores, there was fights in empty parking lots where groups of people showed up before everyone scattered the moment they heard cop sirens down the street. damon did get caught once for a misdemeanor the summer before sophomore year and his parents had to get him out which was a hell of a ride home, both his parents almost losing their voices taking turns yelling at him.

it was that moment that his parents made him attend mandatory after school classes, starting smack in the middle of summer. it’s safe to say he was very angry about it but found no outlet to get it out on when he was confined to the library. he started doodling instead of doing his homework while he was in there, soon off he started drawing more and he had talent. he could draw any picture you put in front of him just by looking at it, and soon he started to create his own. that very same summer, on one of the rare days his parents let him out to go to one his friend’s birthday party, he met their older brother, covered in tattoos from his legs to his arms. old english font and a portrait of a woman he later learned was his wife. he was entranced by the ink that decorated the man, asking him questions as the man grilled the carne asada, coughing every once in a while the smoke blew in his direction.

too keep it short, damon wanted to do that. he wanted to draw permanent drawings on people and he wanted his own. he drew more, filling more sketchbooks with his own ideas and interpretations of others. he started working odd jobs after school, trying to save up for his own tattoo gun and ink, even venturing off to tattoo shops to observe them before he got told to scram. at the age of sixteen he had his own set and it wasnt long before his friends lined up to get their first tattoos done by damon. just little small things that didn’t require damon to worry too much about safety and health. the first tattoo he made on himself was a lucky eight ball and a match, now faded on the sides of his fingers.

at seventeen his got his fake id not only for booze but to get a job at a parlor -- not tattooing -- but cleaning up after them, keeping the store tidy and clean. he had a car at the time, an old beat up chevy, and it took him thirty minutes to get to body electric. the owner new damon was underage but he let him work anyway. point is, he was taken under his wing and became an intern, an apprentice, and by the time damon hit eighteen and got his tattoo license, he was able to work a couple hours at first. from 18 to now, damon has been in the same place with a booming following on social media -- which is thanks to his good looks and talent.

he’s been wanting to drop out of ucla because of how in-demand he is now. he’s tattooed celebrities, from socialites to rappers to all sorts of people. he hooks up his old friends from where he grew up for free, and his close friends at school too. but overall, damon makes hella bank now. which is why he finds school pointless, however, the owner of the parlor he works out told him that if he didn’t finish his bachelors he’ll fire him. the owner definitely grew to treat damon as a son, and wants him to venture out and travel with his talent, but he wants him to be smart about it and learn the ropes of the business industry. it’s why damon stays despite not being too happy about it, but it’s his last year and he’s going to make it one shot of patron at a time.

𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔:

damon is trilingual -- english, korean, and spanish ( considering he grew up in a heavily latinx/chincax neighborhood as a child, the language latched on to him ).

he’s very appreciative of the chicanx culture because he grew up around it, and they took him in despite not being chicanx himself he was still treated as family by his close friends. ( and also because i’m biased to my own culture and east los is heavily mexican/latinx )

he almost joined a gang but it was around the time he was forced into after school study where he found his outlet through art.

he knows how to dance pero like cumbias and shit, he’s hella good at it.

damon makes it his goal to be good at everything, it doesn’t even matter what it is.

he has a bmw he fixed up and uses it for street racing -- races which he wins most of the times ( just ask dae lmao ).

he can drive under the influence of weed but i do not condone this behavior !! but he can do it, but he’s beent doing it, don’t try this at home guys, or alone.

damon was a little heartthrob in high school though, going out with the girls and hooking up with some guys.

he was honestly one of the popular kids growing up, he was in THAT group that people longed to be a part of because they were always out mobbing, drinking, throwing parties and being out. they had fun, but they were also notorious trouble-makers.

his tik tok thing started as a joke because damon looked like the eboys that began to trend and now he has dae help him film them just for the hell of it, because why not. he’s got nothing to lose, it’s a good laugh in the end.

is a gym rat, he’s out there doing weights and bulking up and boxing because sometimes he just wants to procrastinate his homework and that’s valid, plus he’s gotta stay in shape with all that heavy drinking and weed intake.

patron is his best friend -- after dae of course lmao.

damon’s actually never been in love??? like he’s had maybe three s/o’s but it was never that serious? except maybe for his first one? but he’s never experienced something where he feels genuine care for a person and love, it’s mostly just lust and like the need to experience what it’s like being with someone but it never rlly takes off

𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:

gang shit: this one’s already taken up by whoever’s in the no homo chat but like, let me plot out dynamics with you all cause ion know how damon is gonna treat y’all characters if we don’t talk about it lmao

enemies: damon could always use some tbh, those are fun because damon grew up around people that have given him a hard time and he isn’t one to back down from a good altercation

an ex: listen, damon isn’t that great of a person he probably cheated on them only because he didn’t know they were exclusive and frankly, he doesn’t really even remember agreeing to be something but they were and even if damon knew, he still went ahead and did it.

highschool sweetheart, THE ex: listen this one is...particular and super specific. must be a girl/nb but latinx because i picture this being the person who really really taught damon more than he already knew, from dancing to romantic spanish music, etc. perhaps they weren’t in love but they did care about each other, damon even still has a gift i picture she gave him ( a gold virgin mary necklace ) hanging from his rear view mirror. this is like...when we can take up more chars ig? idk just thought i’d write it down

flings: hookups ig? except not people involved with dae cause he isn’t about to fuck no sloppy seconds lmao, if not he venturing out to usc away from ucla lmaooo

idk what else to add im so tired and this is so late and i just want to post it, so if y’all got anything else just hmu tbh

#bruins.intro #im late lol

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