#this is referring to the Wrong Man Falls fic btw | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twilightpoison · 3 years ago

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It’s been brought up to me that a lot of my content is Isekai based. However I didn’t want this to be a Ieskai HC post. Instead let me tell you all about a stupid thing I came up with as a kid that I’ve been meaning to make into a fic for so long.:

What if the characters you play actually can feel your presence and/or can hear your commentary when playing?

Fair warning I never play Hyrule Warriors and Twilight Princess so let me know if I got things wrong.

Head canons under cut!

General head canons (These are all platonic headcanons btw.):

- Let’s say that the simple reason that you are here was to help the chain. Think of it like you’re the groups companion on this journey. Who better then someone that knows about each hyrule?

- The people who dealt with a lot of magic recognize you at first. The others need a bit of a push to connect the dots but everyone gets there.

- The connection wasn’t as strong at times during their original adventures, so its not like they could always hear you or sense you.

Time:

- You saw him and it was clear he has another sibling now.

- Time knew you where telling the true, that you followed both of his adventures however he wasn’t going to be fully open to you.

- Guess who isn’t scared of Time? You.

- Literally at one point you’ve pointed at Time and with a straight face says “thats a child”.

- This is also how the chain found out that Time actually fought the moon technically.

- “You fought Majora on the moon while it was falling. That’s not the same thing.”

- You meet Malon and it was an awkward first meeting since how do you explain this in the first place.

- Yet the two of you got along amazingly.

- When you and time are alone you instantly ask Time if he knew how she got the cow in his house. He kinda just… stares at you? Like you just met his wife and thats what your asking about?!

- The answer was that he wasn’t sure how she did that but the cow isn’t in his old house anymore. Since different timelines and all.

- It’s honestly weird for him to have someone remember both of his adventures in confidence.

- All be a little awkward hearing someone go, “oh yeah! Time had to do something similar.”

- Early on Time did go over boundaries since he really doesn’t like to talk about his adventures to much.

- So instead you both agree to be as cryptic as possible or at least there is an attempt on your part. Since your the only other person that can confirm or deny his claims.

- And no. You also don’t know his true age. But your guess is the closest.

Twilight:

- Since he is one of the Link’s that is drenched in magic, he recognizes your aura instantly.

- Chaotic sibling energy.

- If he is giving Wild or any of the other Link’s a hard time you are by his side calling Twilight out. Unless if the person in question did something truly idiotic then you let him go off.

- Speaking of, you call this man out as much as you possibly can. Like hell if you’re going to let the others think he isn’t a gremlin.

- He did try to stop you by covering your mouth but you licked his hand. So…. guess what he isn’t trying again unless it’s necessary.

- Somethings are kept a secret though. Since he did live through it and even if it was stupid he still could of gotten really hurt.

- You both play good cop, bad cop to the younger Links all the time.

- Twi is surprisingly very open with you about his adventure, to finally talk to someone about it with out having it sound crazy is nice.

- He also has some questions about you and your life. Since before this adventure started you just disappeared.

- The two of you honestly get along like two best friends who haven’t seen each other in years but still can banter like its the good old days.

- Knowing only small amounts about what they all been through it’s nice to know that you’re looking after the others as well.

- That feeling makes him really push himself to protect the family he has here and luckily you are here can smack him upside the head before lecturing him.

Warriors:

- heeeeey… you know what happen the last time he met someone that was suppose to be watching over the hero’s spirit?

- Yeah, so….War’s isn’t so keen on trusting you like some of these Heroes.

- You seem nice and not obsessively crazy. If anything what makes him decide to give you a chance. It’s seeing you get along with the other Heroes post battle or around the campfire when you think no one is watching.

- The moment that he recognizes you. You were cursing out some monsters and calling Dink every name under the sun. Which he actually remembers hearing your panicked voice briefly when fighting Cia.

- Anyway, you guys are a sass duo and even a trio when you get Leg involved.

- You steal his scarf sometimes with Time and Wind’s help

- He finds you and Wind wrapped inside of it leaning on time and his heart just- clenches, he has more siblings now!

- Then Warriors realizes he has another sibling… another sibling that will prank him…

- You two can be found discussing tactical strategies. Mostly him teaching you though since depending on the person not many people will know how to lead an army. Yet he is a good teacher and you catch on pretty quickly.

- Same with Twi, Warrior’s needs someone to pull him back sometimes it seems. Who better then to remind him then the person that already saw his lowest moment when his ego got the better of him?

- Seriously speaking. He wouldn’t come to you to talk. If anything he will try to avoid you if he wasn’t his best. In his head he has a reputation to uphold. Which will lead to a heart to heart. No sass. No banter. Just you and him sitting down to remind him that he is human.

- He needs a hug. Please give him a hug.

Sky:

- Sky actually didn’t recognize you at first!

- Yes he felt your presence and hear your voice in his adventure, but that was a while ago at this point. Also he isn’t as connected to magic as the others are.

- He does slowly befriend you despite everything.

- It wasn’t until you referred to a certain demon lord as a ‘B*tch A** Clown’ and a flood gate of memories open up for him. Memories of you cursing out Ghirahim, calling the imprisoned an ‘avocado with feet’ and so on.

- Nothing really changes between you two honestly, he just accepts it.

- If anything he becomes more open to you about everything, setting clear boundaries on what he doesn’t want to bring up. He will tell everyone about the curse eventually, but just hasn’t found a good opportunity too. Things like that.

- You do have to argue with Sky that the curse wasn’t his fault since you were also there when it was put on him, also the fact that he didn’t asked to be cursed in the first place.

- Most of the time you two are together its to get away from the chaos that the group of nine heroes could bring.

- Walking or sitting in silence is how you two end up most of the time together. It may not look like you two are bonding. There are some days while Sky is wood carving you would work on your small hobby as well. Then there are days he plays the harp and your reading.

- Despite it all he really enjoys the peace you bring. There is a sense of comfort that you have.

- When you and Sun finally meet. The first thing you ask him is to be invited to the wedding and it may or may not been in front of her too…

Wild:

- The recognition was really slow for him like Sky. Since Wild just got off of his first adventure he didn’t actually notice you were gone.

- It was until he realized that he couldn’t hear your panicked voice or snarky remarks when fighting in his head. That he finally realized you where outside of his head. He was quick to connects the dots after that.

- There was a moment where he didn’t know how to react since he just figured that you were just from his imagination.

- He now has another adventuring buddy with Hyurle! Though luckily you do keep the both of them from harm. Mostly because if something happens to them you will get in trouble with like Twi and Leg and thats never fun.

- Though you have your moments. Shield surfing and paragliding are on top of that list and Wild is all up for teaching you the ropes.

- The topic of the history of hyrule gets brought up a lot with the two of you. Since his era has a lot of connections to the past era’s. He is all up for learning about what came from where. Soon theories start to fly about.

- When You, Him and Flora are finally all together. There is nothing stopping you all from bouncing off theories. With your outside knowledge mixing with what they know. Things start to fall into place.

- The answer to why the timeline is like this doesn’t get answer. But hey! At least you all are having fun!

- If you can’t cook he will teach you that too! If you can! Well buckle up your going to share your knowledge with him whether you want to or not.

- Once you know how or get used to cooking while camping, you help him out a lot and its these moments where you both talk the most.

- It’s comforting to him to know he wasn’t alone this whole time.

Legend:

- As soon as you two locked eyes he felt instant dread. Yes he knew. No he isn’t going to opening up to you.

- Playful Insults to bond? Yeah that’s literally how he talks to everyone so no special treatment.

- He keeps you at a distance but its not actually working.

- You talk about his adventures so casually like it happened a few days ago. You avoid Link’s Awakening though. If you got hurt with the plot twist then you could only imagine the pain Leg went through.

- “I’m still trying to process the fact you married a tree.” “Hey remember that one time with Yuga, you slammed face first into a wall so hard you knocked yourself out?” “God do you not wear pants because of the fish thing?”

- This relationship is literally: Only I can bully this one.

- He fears the moment you meet Ravio and Fable knowing full well you all will bond over teasing him.

- Overall though he knows you got his back no matter what, to the point he finds himself confining in you slowly.

- Guess who is also teaming up with Hyrule to get Legend to sleep. It you.

- Once you probably have forced him to sleep by getting wolfie to lay on him. It was the wolf or yourself. In the end it was both of you and he was trapped.

- A sign that he was becoming soft towards you was when he started sharing his items with you. He trusts that you know how to use them and if you don’t he is actually willing to show you.

- He regrets giving the bee badge to you.

Hyrule:

- Another person that is drenched in magic. It only took one look at you for him to realize who you were.

- The two of you were awkward as anything at first. Since to you he never really spoken in his adventure so you didn’t know how to picture his personality.

- There’s a lot of mystery in your mind about him since again there isn’t much to go off of with what your given in game. It’s weird for him to hear about how you interpret his personality from that perspective.

- Hyrule didn’t honestly expect you to try and befriend him tbh. It mostly him over thinking it.

- You do follow him sometimes when he wants to wander around and explore. Mostly because you claim he finds the coolest things when he does.

- But its just a excuse to actually get to know him.

- The two of you trade stories and questions about each of your lives. There might be things you know that he might not know of about his adventure and his hyrule.

- Of course never going into to much details since there are things you couldn’t tell him.

- Hyrule honestly was dreading the day you all would land in his Era. He loves his home but is also very aware of it not being the most…welcoming place.

- So it’s more then surprising to him that there is even more then the glint of familiarity and excitement on your face. Knowing full well what dangers where a head of you, you still were open to exploring his world to the fullest.

- It’s honestly refreshing to see someone love his era as much as he does.

- Another boy that needs hugs, please give him a hug.

- You both cheer each other on though.

- This relationship is just aggressive support between you two and the others.

Four: (I’m actively mixing the Four Sword game and manga just to be clear.)

- Not sure if he would know exactly who you where since during the second adventure your voice and presence bounce between the four of them.

- Yet I also feel like he took after you because he was a child in his first adventure, which worries you a lot. Since you did have choice words for Vaati.

- The first to realize was Vio then it went Blue, Red and Green. Despite being in the same head it was just a theory they had over all. They all had their own ways of confirming it.

- Vio noticed the small things you do around Four. Like not stepping on their shadow, and covering Four when things got chaotic in their head. Small references here and there. When the two of you are alone he almost quizzes you about things. Just to see how much you know and to see if your telling the true or not.

- Blue recognize your mannerisms being something he picked up on during the first and second adventure. Only vaguely since again he was a child / there was only a small part only with him. Your fighting banter when your in battle made you see where Blue got his colorful language from…

- Your comfort was what clued Red in. He remembers your presence more clearly then the others from the first and second adventure. It was a comforting (yet chaotic) presence in their adventures that he latched on to. More so from his first adventure since as a kid he made an imaginary friend to process the fact he could sense and hear your presence. When you came back in the second time around it felt so natural for Red to have you there and really helped make him go forward through his small journey.

- For Green? It was a lot of things but when he see’s you treating each color differently when they are in charged. It’s a refreshing sight to be honest. He just enjoys hearing and seeing that his brothers had someone to confide in. Even when they switch who is in control you some how could tell and spoke to them accordingly.

- They were all some what surprise that none of the others picked up on your treatment of him swapping so much. Yet their also glad because their not ready to reveal themselves quiet yet.

- As Four or as you nicknamed him ‘Rainbow’ the two of you tend to sick together when the world’s shift around. Since his body needs more time to recover.

- You two are another pair that cheers each other on when the moral is low.

- He introduces you to the Minish! Getting you a jabber nut so you can speak to them too. You can’t shrink down to properly talk to them so this was the next best thing.

- The four of them makes you a dagger to bring home to remember him by, there’s a kin stone imbedded where the blade meets the hilt.

Wind: (hello self projection my dear friend)

- Wind didn’t recognize you ether at first, yet he didn’t even blink when you join everyone. He was fully on board with getting a new member and is easiest the most opened.

- It was when you two are alone together that something clicked in his head. You see during the Wind Waker he was alone most of the time when he was on land. So he had to face a lot by himself.

- Having you was reassuring to him when facing some of the monsters alone, especially with the puppet ganon fight. The two of you both agree that it was creepy.

- CHAOTIC SIBLINGS PART 2… well kinda

- Wind is a lot more mature then you realized but you two still have those moments.

- You, Aryll and Grandma get along too! So he and his family basically sees you and the chain as family.

- Pranking buddies! You’re targets would never know. Mostly because your covering up for him. You two team up with Four and Wild so the pranks can get chaotic at times.

- No matter what age you are compare to him and if your ok with it he does like platonic physical affection. Your going to be trading off with Warriors a lot of the time for cuddles or it’s the three of you together.

- You teaching him our worlds sea shanties and him teaching you his? Heck yeah! Even making up songs with the others is something on the table and in the works which is nice.

- It’s another thing to bring back home thats personalized!

Honestly since I’ve written all of this down I want to write the fic more. Though I’ll probably not only because idk if people would even read it lol. So it will just be a bunch of head canons. Anyway rambling is done.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu headcanon #Isekai au

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aeonghaseyo · 3 years ago

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Under the Streetlight - Alexandra Trese x Reader

Song fic based on the song “Mixtape: OH” by Stray Kids

A/N: It’s actually my first time writing a song fic, and one using the English translation of a K-pop song I love so much. Please stream Mixtape: OH in Youtube! Btw, I tried my best for the reader to be of any gender haha

T/W: imagery of blood

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You were just a college student in Manila, trying to get by this one year in your program that seemed as if it was out to kill you. Why not though, with all the shit ton of schoolwork you had to do as well as org work you willingly volunteered to do?

As you waited by a jeepney stop by a streetlight that might as well have been like a spotlight hovering upon you, you pondered upon a lot of things in your head and stopped to make a note to yourself.

‘Note to self: I should really work on saying no once in a while. If I say yes to so much work during this sem I might be dead faster than I think.’

Even making this note to yourself made you feel stressed all the more, with your body automatically fidgeting, and you, conscious enough of your own habits when faced with stress and anxiety, tried your best to fend it off either by forcing yourself to stay still or by letting your thoughts wander to more exciting scenarios.

One scenario in mind played: you on your knees under that same streetlight, with a woman clad in a black coat wielding a curved blade that seemed to gleam its own light even in the darkness. This undaunted, short-haired lady in a defensive stance, aiming to keep you from being kidnapped by the aswang in your area that would risk even the secrecy of their existence in the estero’s out of hunger they never bothered to control. Your entrails would have been their main course, and your soul their dessert, until the infamous Alexandra Trese came to your rescue within a split-second, not even giving you time to scream out loud for help.

As there were only two of the aswang who were going to salvage you to satisfy their hunger pangs, it only took mere moments for Alexandra to take them both down without a drop of blood on you. Even while she was splashed with blood, you looked upon her in awe and admiration.

The mere thought of her figure post-rampage painted your cheeks red, as you also recalled the memory of her holding out a hand to you to help you up. The fear brought about by that near-death-by-aswang experience really made you literally weak on your knees, so at first you struggled to stand up right after you shakily gripped her hand.

When I get my hands on you

When I set my eyes on you

I get breathless and I’ve never felt this way before

I can’t explain this

It feels so different

So I want it more

No doubt, something coursed through you back then that made you gain just a little bit of strength to momentarily stand on your own two feet. You had that strength, alright, but you didn’t look it with the paleness of your face giving your state of weakness away to the woman in front of you.

“You’re safe now, you don’t have to be scared,” you heard Alexandra reassure you, and once again your knees were jelly.

So you stumbled.

Blessed by her swift reflexes, your savior caught you effortlessly, and you couldn’t help but hold on to her arms and look into her unwavering black orbs. Another moment passed as she helped you back on your own two feet, her hands still on your shoulders as if to give you a sense of security amidst a relatively dangerous area.

You muttered an “I-i’m so sorry, ma’am,” to which the babaylan-mandirigma corrected you, “Call me Alex. You don’t look well enough to commute, and the streets are especially dangerous at this time of night. Let me take you home.”

I just want to whine

I’ll stop being calculative

I want you to notice how I am feeling

As if you would notice that I was lying

I don’t want to just be around you like the scent

She saved your ass from being a part of the aswang’s menu, and you thought that was just the bare minimum you deserved at that moment. You clearly didn’t expect her to help you up while you were definitely still weak on your knees, and you didn’t expect her to suddenly take you home.

So your mind momentarily went blank.

Just like a PC that has been restarted, you began processing Alexandra’s offer to take you back home, and your feel yourself getting conflicted between letting her take you home for you to finally let another person help you from the ordeal you had sustained, or refusing her help just so you could prove you can still handle your own.

But you were left with no choice as Alexandra said, “I insist. You’re much safer with me.”

With one speechless nod from you, she led you to the car where her two bodyguards were waiting and helped you settle at the back of the car, where she usually took her place.

I thought I knew

I was so confident that I knew everything

But I didn’t know, with you

As I get close to you, it gets more complicated

Even when I have something to say, my head goes blank

At the end of the day, I’m saying just meaningless words

“Another rampage, bossing?” one of the bodyguards, who was driving the black Sedan you were in, asked. “Those aswang sure are relentless.”

“At least you didn’t need to call us for help though,” remarked the other bodyguard, who looked like he was the twin of the man who spoke earlier.

Right beside you, Alexandra let out a sigh for self-relief and responded, “Those aswang were easy prey. They were reckless enough to just corner a helpless passerby out in the night without any calculated plan of attack.”

The long-haired man at the wheel then replied, “Too hungry to even think, eh? ‘Yan tuloy.”

You paid no mind to the rest of the conversation between Alexandra and her bodyguards, instead finding yourself thinking about how secure you felt as the babaylan-mandirigma helped you up on your feet earlier under that streetlight. To you, her expression was nonchalantly serious, with a slight hint of concern that never escaped your perception.

That concern never appeared for your eyes to see, but you felt it. It was there. Just for you, at that very moment after she saved you.

The train of thought halted to a stop in your head as Alexandra finally turned to you and said, “I never got your name. Do you want to tell me what it is?”

Turning to her with an expression akin to that of a child talking to their first crush, you stuttered, “I-it’s (Y/N). T-thanks again, for s-saving me back there, I t-thought I was gonna be a goner!”

Her eyes never leaving your form, she then replied, “It was a relief that I got to you before those monsters did.”

“Serves me right for waiting for a jeepney at an area without people, huh?” you remarked with a nervous chuckle, as a sign that you’ve finally found your keenness in freely attempting a conversation with Alexandra Trese, of all people.

You thought she would reply to what you would refer to as a careless remark, but it seemed that you were wrong as one of the twin bodyguards replied to you instead.

“You were easy bait for those aswang, but no worries. Bossing got to you just in time.”

When I hold your hand

I feel like being a baby again

And I go whining and saying, “Don’t look at me like that”

I look you in the eye and take one step closer to you

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a baby

Finally arriving at your place, Alexandra ordered her bodyguards to wait for her by the Sedan and turned to walk you to the front entrance. Out of gratitude, you finally mustered to thank your savior once again, which she answered with a nod and her replying, “Take care of yourself next time,” before she finally turned to where her vehicle was parked.

You felt your heart sink then as she walked to the car by herself. What has gotten into you? She just saved you from an aswang attack, as is her duty as the mediator between humanity and the creatures of the underworld, and she probably doesn’t have the luxury of time to be the subject of anyone’s interest or courtship. So what was the matter? Why were you feeling as if you wanted, scratch that, needed to see her again?

Countless times before, you swore to yourself that you were the type of person not to fall for just anyone, regardless of how extraordinary they seem, regardless of whether they stood out in your eyes or not, out of fear of this weakness being exploited anyway and you being set up for disappointment in the long run. No, you would never let fragility get the best of you just because someone outright snagged you from a close call of an aswang attack.

Regardless of your distaste for showing weakness, that beating heart of yours nagged at you to call out her name and spend a few more seconds with her anyway.

Driven by your own resounding heartbeat, you called out to her while race-walking towards her, “Alex!”

Ey (I’m a)

Can I call you baby?

Ey (I’m a)

In front of love, I’m just a baby

Just like that, you got her phone number, along with a reminder from her to call her when you need help with anything out of the ordinary, which is pretty much another way of referring to supernatural occurrences or anything involving the supernatural realm.

Under that same spotlight by the jeepney stop at night, still alone, you exited to your phone’s main menu and find your thumb almost grazing the contacts icon at the bottom of your screen. You pressed on that Contacts icon and found Alexandra Trese’s name right under the “A” list in your contacts, underneath a bunch of registered numbers without any proper names to them. With longing, you stared at that name along with her number.

‘I have your number, Alex. Can I call you anytime then, even when I’m not in trouble?’

I know I shouldn’t whine about it

I know it well that you’re everything in my mind

My heart wants you

I want your love

This feeling is so toxic

You’re the only antidote

“Fancy seeing you here again, (Y/N).”

The heart that was already fluttering in your chest skipped a beat upon hearing that familiar voice. Quickly, you turned to the owner of that special voice right beside you, belonging to none other than the person who has been plaguing your thoughts since that fateful night. As if by instinct, you smiled lightly and greeted her, “It’s good to see you again here, Alex. What brings you here tonight?”

I’m sure about my feelings but I can’t control them

The way I talk to you, treat you, and behave towards you

Is so immature

Mature person, Mature love

Mature man, I thought it would be easy

Everything is difficult in front of you

Alexandra filled you in on her agenda for tonight, “I was wondering if there was going to be something unusual happening tonight that concerned the aswang clans that have gone out of control. Strangely, nothing has been happening in this particular street, unlike the last time I saw you here.”

Your (e/c) orbs gone soft, you looked upon her as you replied with a chuckle, “And then you found me instead.”

Her own eyes slightly widened, the woman before you cleared her throat and answered, “Yes I did. And I’m relieved to know you’re safe tonight.”

Time passed, and the silence between you and Alexandra remained as she stayed vigilant and prepared for a possible aswang attack that could happen right where the two of you were standing right now. Worried, you checked the digital clock on your phone once again, which read, “11:43 PM.” Upon being aware that it was actually past your bedtime, your features manifested a look of both worry and frustration, and Alexandra seemed to have noticed it herself.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)?”

“I am, it’s just,” you let out a tiny whimper as you continued, “it’s past my bedtime already, I had to stay behind in school to help out with an org activity the day after, and I haven’t even studied for my exam tomorrow. I hate it when I can’t ride a jeepney right away going home.”

Hold your horses. Did you just rant to Alexandra Trese about your current predicament?

What should I do?

Am I under the illusion?

Will this end easily?

(Oh na na na na what should I do)

Closer (Oh na na na na what should I do)

I want to come to you and get to you

Out of embarrassment from the complaint you just uttered to the person who once saved you from the aswang, the person who brought you home out of kindness, the person you have admired for a long time but never had the chance to tell out of fear of rejection and quite possibly your own consideration for her duties to both the human and otherworldly realms, warm blood rushed to your cheeks and you covered your face as you apologized, “Sorry Alex, I didn’t mean to bother you about my own personal troubles. I can handle it by myself, I promise.”

A hand on your shoulder finally prompted you to look right at her, your head finally unobscured by the hands which formerly shrouded the remains of your embarrassed demeanor.

“Want me to take you home again, (Y/N)?”

This was your one chance to be with this one hell of a woman yet again, like the last time you both were under that same streetlight by the jeepney stop.

What made the current circumstance different from before was that you were not afraid to accept her offer this time. You were hell-bent on getting Alexandra to remember you as much as you continued to remember her and savor that special memory with her.

(Baby)

(I want to come to you and get to you)

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a

With an unexplained expression driven by a growing fondness for the babaylan-mandirigma before you, you finally replied to her, “Of course Alex. Thanks again, I appreciate it so much.”

Alexandra then took you by the hand and led her to where that same black Sedan was parked. Cherishing the warmth of her hand, you slightly tightened your hold as if to say, ‘I love holding your hand, and I don’t plan on letting it go anytime.’

I look you in the eye and take one step closer to you

No matter how much I plan and prepare

When I’m with you, I’m just a baby

Ey (I’m a)

Can I call you baby?

Ey (I’m a)

In front of love

I’m just a baby

#trese #alexandra trese #alexandra x reader #alexandra trese x reader #trese komiks #trese netflix #trese x reader #trese fanfic #trese fanfiction #fanfiction

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autisticcassandracain · 3 years ago

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Morpeus’ Mirror

Fandom/Characters: Batman Comics, Duke Thomas & Jay Thomas

Wordcount: 5621

Summary: Duke wakes up, and the world is perfect. Someone’s idea of perfect, at least. Or: Duke wakes up in Jay’s perfect world.

Warnings: suspected suicide attempt and probably an unrealistic portrayal of how a hospital would handle that (the suspicion is wrong, btw), a quick scene of a car crash, references to transphobia.

Notes: Written for @duketectivecomics’s Duke Week, Day 3: Free Day (yes I did decide to wholly ignore the meme theme to write a 5000+ word character study fic, bite me). You can read this on AO3 here!

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For a second, he forgets what he is doing.

"Duke!" His mom shouts from the bathroom. "Have you seen my wig?"

It snaps back to reality. He's holding a knife and a hot piece of toast, and beside him, his dad's making coffee.

"You have like twelve!" he shouts back, hastily reaching for the butter. "Which one?"

"The nice one!"

"Oh, yeah, that narrows it down." He spares a glance at the clock. "Mom, you have three hours until work, and I have thirty minutes till school, figure it out yourself."

"Young man, don't you dare leave the room while I'm -"

And he runs out of the door, toast in his mouth like some kind of anime girl, his dad laughing loudly behind him. He needs to catch the bus -

Stops. He doesn't need to catch the bus. School is barely a five minute walk away. Dad told him once they'd specifically chosen the apartment for that reason.

A bit of honey drips onto his jacket, and he quickly angles his toast away from it. The streets of Gotham are never empty, except maybe at night, so it's already busy even though it's barely 8 AM. He forgot his hat when he left, and huddles into the fur lining of his coat. Of course, snow started falling as soon as he stepped outside, and little snowflakes stick to his hair. They disappear when they land on the ground, but that probably won't last.

He goes back inside.

"Remembered that you live five minutes from school?" Dad asks, bemused.

"Shut up."

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

Duke rolls his eyes and goes to sit with his dad at the table. "Should I bother finishing my toast before helping mom find her wig, or will she kill me if I do that?"

"You're in luck, she already found it." Dad sips his coffee. "Any other important life facts you're forgetting?"

"I make one mistake -"

"What are you doing today?"

"Obviously -" he stops. Opens his mouth. Closes it again.

Dad grins. "That's what I thought. For your information, you and Jay are going to the mall to buy Christmas gifts."

Duke slams his face on the table and groans. "How did I forget that?"

His dad pats him on the shoulder. "We all have those days, kiddo."

"Don't call me that."

"I'm your father and I can call you what I want."

And for some reason, hearing those words almost makes him tear up. Duke swallows through the lump in his throat, and says, "I'm eating this toast and leaving."

When he steps out the door again, fifteen minutes later, the snow's falling harder, and there's already a thin white coating on the railing.

Luckily, this time, he didn't forget his hat.

///

Thankfully, the mall isn't busy, and it actually doesn't take long for him and Jay to find their presents. They almost walk past the McDonalds on their way back, look at each other, change their mind and go order.

"You know our parents will hate us for this, right?" Jay says, casually.

Duke snorts. "They let us go out alone, it's not like they didn't expect this."

"Hey!" Jay points at him with a fry. "You may be a baby, but I'm a grown adult. My parents don't 'let' me do anything."

Duke wants to reply, but his mind blanks. For a moment, it's like he short-circuits. Then he comes back online.

"So, how are you doing?" Jay asks. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Duke shakes his head. "Good, I think. I mean, same old, same old, you know?"

Jay smiles. "I'm glad to hear that."

///

He can't sleep. No real reason for it, seemingly, his brain just decided that it didn't want to function tonight. With nothing to do that won't wake up his parents, he just scrolls his phone.

It's quiet, like always, nothing really going on at night. For some reason, he keeps checking the news, as if any of the updates interest him. Just a bunch of rich people talk, some minor crimes. Gotham hasn't been real dangerous in years, not since the Joker was finally transferred to some high-tech prison out in another state, and the newspapers still haven't quite adjusted.

He looks out the window. The next apartment building is quite a ways over, but there's some poles sticking out. Though it's too dark for him to accurately gauge the distance, he could use those to swing over, he thinks. For a moment, he lets himself imagine it, jumping from pole to pole, knowing he'd die if he missed even one, and a smile slips onto his face.

A soft knock snaps him out of his thoughts. "Duke?" his mom's voice comes through the door. "Are you awake?"

Duke tip-toes out of bed to open the door, and there his mom stands, still in her cap and nightgown, leaning against his doorpost. "Mom? What are you doing up?"

"I'm supposed to meet a kid in two hours." She raises an eyebrow. "What are you doing up?"

He shrugs. "Couldn't sleep."

His mom studies him, using that analytic gaze he imagines she studies new kids with at work with, and asks, "Any reason why?"

"Not really. Just wasn't my day. Night, whatever."

"Ah." Her brow furrows. "How much did you sleep?"

"Dunno -"

"Don't know."

"Don't know. Five hours?"

She grimaces. "Are you feeling okay enough to go to school today?"

He does. Five hours of sleep is much less than he's used to, but for some reason, he barely feels it. "Sure."

His mom nods. "Good. Well, do you want to have breakfast with me?"

"Please."

The clock says it was already six. It'd been four when Duke woke up, and he hasn't checked the time since. Hard to believe he'd spent the entire time scrolling through Gotham Gazette headlines, but hey, stranger things had happened.

It is peaceful early in the morning. His mom puts water on for tea, and Duke listens to the soft whistling of the kettle as he looks outside. In the morning light, it is clear that he wouldn't ever be able to make the jump to the next building, not even if he used the poles.

It's weird that this disappoints him.

///

Duke stops in his tracks when he sees Jay waving at him.

"Jay?" Duke asks, confused. "What're you doing here?"

Students stream past them, eager to get away from school as fast as possible, glaring at Duke for stopping in the middle of the entrance. Jay grins. "Was in the neighbourhood and figured I'd ask if you wanted to get something to eat."

"You got the money for that?"

"Sure." He gestures at Duke to follow him, which he does, unblocking the entrance. "Didn't I tell you? I got a promotion at the Gazette."

Duke blinks. "Really?" He bumps Jay's shoulder. "That's great, dude!"

"It is!" Jay's eyes glow almost as much as his smile. "And it means I've got something extra to spend, even with Christmas coming up."

They go to a café they used to go to as kids. Duke remembers running underneath the tables as Jay tried to catch him, Aunt Jacky complaining while Uncle Mack and Duke's parents just laughed. But it's been years since he'd last gone, and he has to study the menu before ordering a hot chocolate and brownie.

"God," he says, swallowing a piece. "This is divine. Remind me why we don't go here more often?"

"No money," Jay replies easily.

"I don't care, I'll do the dishes for this, I'll make a deal with the manager."

Duke washes the brownie down with even more chocolate, in liquid form this time, and Jay asks him, "So, how's school?"

He grimaces. "Boring, mostly. I swear it's gotten worse in the past few weeks. I remember being able to get through a day without wanting to fall asleep, but I really can't tell you how."

"But you've been keeping your grades up? Have you gotten in any fights recently?"

"No, though God knows I've wanted to." Duke raises an eyebrow. "Hey, what's that 'recently' supposed to mean? The last time I got in a fight was three years ago!"

Jay's fork stops halfway to his mouth, a piece of cheesecake precariously balancing on the edge of it. "Huh," he says, not moving an inch. "I suppose it was."

"And what do you care about my grades, anyway?" Duke goes on. "It's not like you're my dad."

Jay puts the cheesecake down. "I guess not."

There's a weird edge to his tone, as if he's only halfway there. Then the waiter comes to ask if they want a refill, and Duke forgets all about it.

///

The Thomas family isn't large, but their apartment is small, so Christmas is always an affair. There's sounds of pans clanging and people talking coming from the kitchen, intermingling with The Grinch and Stella's excited screeches as Grandpa bounces her on his lap. Jay's next to him holding napkins and cutlery, following after him as he sets the plates down.

Uncle Mack and Aunt Jacky come out of the kitchen, carrying gravy and mashed potatoes, and Aunt Jacky smiles at him, and suddenly, it feels like a noose is constricting around his throat. He only barely manages to keep the rest of the plates from shattering.

"Are you okay?" Jay asks from behind him, a worried edge to his tone.

"Fine," he manages to force out. "Just need some air. Sorry."

He pushes past Jay, and as he leaves, he catches Uncle Mack walking to Jay, and nearly turns back around to - what? To what?

Why's he angry?

Shutting the bedroom door does next to nothing to shut out the noise, so he opens the window and sticks his head out of it. It's dark enough that he turns to the sky, half expecting to see the bat signal, but there hasn't been a need for that in years, has there? The uniquely Gotham smell of smog, garbage, and wet stone wafts through the air, and it feels comforting, familiar, but it does nothing to dampen the anger in his chest.

What's wrong with him?

///

Jay showed up at their doorstep, drenched in rain, clenching a half-zipped bag of clothes, and cried his eyes out on his mother's shoulder while his dad was in the other room, yelling so loud that Duke could hear every word.

"Your own child!" he screamed. "I don't give a shit what your 'beliefs' are, how could you do that to your own child!"

///

A hand lands on his shoulder, and Duke nearly throws himself out of the window.

"Hey, whoa," Jay pulls him back and steadies him. "You okay? What's going on?"

"Why are Aunt Jacky and Uncle Mack here?" Duke asks. "They were banned from Christmas ages ago."

Jay frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh, they kicked you out?" Duke says slowly. "For being trans? It was a whole deal, super traumatic, mom recommended therapy but you never went?"

Jay looks at him like he's crazy. "Duke, I'm not trans."

Now it's Duke's turn to look at him like he's crazy. "Yes you are? I distinctly remember you being trans on numerous occasions, including but not limited to when you were buying me my first binder."

Jay looks so weirded out it's almost funny. "Why would you need a binder if you don't have breasts?"

"Yes I d-"

He doesn't.

It's - he's only just noticed. He doesn't have breasts. His body is completely different from what he remembers, and it's not - not unpleasant, but -

"Duke, unless this is your weird way of coming out, you're not trans."

"Yes I am," he snaps.

He remembers going to his first pride, the elation he felt when he got his first flag, helping younger kids at the GSA, getting into fights with the school about changing his name, getting into fights with social workers about changing his name - why did he have a social worker, did mom bring him to work -

"Duke, I think you're drunk."

"What? How would I even be -"

At that moment, he sways, and Jay barely manages to catch him.

"Someone must've spiked your drink," he hears him say, from far away. "Probably Grandpa, that's his idea of a joke. Maybe you should just sleep it off."

Before Duke can reply, he's asleep.

///

The teacher drones on and on about something or another, and all Duke can do is watch the seconds tick by on the clock before he's free again. Around him, his classmates are doing the same, and as one, they jump up when the bell rings.

Jay isn't there to come pick him up. He's been doing that more often, lately, which is kind of weird, but it's not like Duke minds. Still, it's nice to have some time for himself again.

He walks home on autopilot, thinking about the amount of chemistry homework he's got, debating whether it's worth ripping the answers from the internet or the glass groupchat, whether his parents would notice if he did that, if it'd come back to bite him during the test -

and he's not close to his house at all.

He blinks, and he's in a rich people neighbourhood, way, way too rich for him. The houses here are larger than his entire apartment block, and in the distance, he can even see Wayne Manor. Only now does he notice how much his feet hurt, and how much lower the sun has sunken. He must've walked half the city to get here.

Why on Earth did he go here?

///

"Any reason you're so late?"

Duke kicked off his shoes. "Walked to the wrong house."

Jay just continued to stare at him, arms folded.

"I'm serious!" Duke protested. "I've been going to Wayne Manor for a year now, is it so weird it'd be a habit by now?"

"What, you weren't picked up in a limousine?"

Duke shrugged. "I liked the walk."

///

"Jay wants to know if you're free tomorrow."

Mom sticks her head through his door, a phone in her hand. Duke groans from where he's buried himself into his arms, sitting over the three separate textbooks he's supposed to study before next week.

She chuckles. "I'll tell him that's a no."

///

"Have you been keeping up with your friends at school?"

Duke raises an eyebrow. They're sitting in the café, celebrating the end of the exams with even more chocolate than usual. "What are you, my mom?"

Jay rolls his eyes. "Can't a cousin be worried?"

Duke shrugs. "Honestly, we just don't... seem to click anymore? I don't know, I just don't feel the need to hang out with them. That said, no, a cousin can't be worried, dude, I already get more than enough of this from my parents. Lay off."

When it's time to leave, it occurs to Duke that Jay'd been quieter than usual.

///

His parents are driving, talking to each other in the front seat while Duke plays a game on his phone in the back. His mother laughs.

A car rams into their front, metal compressing, stopping just before it reaches Duke but easily catching his parents, and Duke has just enough time to think they're dea-

///

"Duke?" his mom leans into his room. "Sweetie, we need to talk."

His parents are standing in the doorway, with a weird expression Duke can't quite place.

Later, he figures it was a mixture of guilt and pride; guilt for leaving Duke, and pride for having landed their dream jobs, even if they took them far away from Gotham.

"We'll Skype," his dad promises, but it doesn't stop Duke from feeling oddly empty.

///

Life at Jay's isn't that different from life with his parents, at the end of the day. They have different habits, of course; his mom always insisted on a good breakfast, but Jay just grabs a banana and runs out the door. His dad liked reading, Jay prefers watching sports. But when it all comes down to it, he goes to the same school, and has roughly the same rules.

His parents' absence... it's not that it doesn't bother him, because it does, more than it, by all rights, should. They Skype daily, and they seem happy, and they'll come to visit him in a month or two. But every time he wakes up and finds himself in an unfamiliar bedroom, when he doesn't hear his dad's off-key singing in the bathroom and the smell of his mom's coffee, it's all he can do to stop himself from crying. There's a hole in his stomach, an emptiness he should find strange, but instead, it's weirdly familiar.

He goes through his days with a clawed out stomach and doesn't tell Jay about it, or anyone else, for the matter. He doesn't want to talk about it, doesn't even know how to explain it, and besides, Jay's so happy to care for Duke. Not that he's told him, but it's noticeable in the way Jay smiles more, comes home earlier from work, pats his shoulder, and pays attention to his grades. Caring for another suits him. He'll be a good father, one day.

But Duke still has his parents, and the scheduled Skype call feels more out of place than their absence, somehow. He clings to it like a dying man.

///

"What're you reading?" Jay asks one day, after he comes home.

Duke's upside down on the couch, casually flipping through a pamphlet. "A karate black belt gave a replacement-gym-class-thingy at school today," he says, scanning the dojo's opening times. "He said he could give us a discount if we wanted to come learn at his dojo."

"No," Jay snaps, and the ferocity with which he said it made Duke look up. Jay's shoulders are tense, the fist with which he's holding the grocery bags white-knuckled. His jaw's set tight, and there's an odd determination in his eyes. "You're not fighting."

"I mean, it's not like I'd be fighting for real," Duke argues. "Just seems fun to learn something new, you know."

"Absolutely not."

"But -"

"I said no!"

And that's the end of the conversation.

///

He watches the clock tick by, second by second, as the teacher drones on and on, and he doesn't catch a word of it. It all slips past him as if it isn't even there. Around him, his classmates watch the teacher, and even the ones least interested still seem like they're there.

Duke doesn't feel like he's there.

Twenty seconds have passed. Four hours until school ends.

///

The days pass by, one after another, always the same, and Duke lives them as if they're not real. It feels like he's an alien, watching everyone live their normal lives in their normal ways, listening to Jay tell him about the mundane problems at his job, hearing his classmates talk about their own childish issues. Duke knows he used to be one of them, the same way he knows he used to be a baby, born a little too early, but just like that, he cannot remember how that was, how it felt, or if he was even truly alive back then.

One evening, he doesn't know why, he starts looking up old news. Articles about the crimes the Riddler used to commit, the ones where Batman couldn't solve the riddle in time and had to resort to brute force to rescue the people involved. And he grabs a pen and paper, and he tries to solve it.

Before he knows it, Jay is knocking at his door, telling him he needs to get up and go to school.

He hasn't slept that night, and feels more alive than he has in ages.

///

It becomes an obsession, of sorts. Look up old riddles, solve them, and when he runs out of those, look up other crimes by the former Gotham villains, see if he can figure out an alternate way Batman could've solved them. He starts looking into the Robins; it's common knowledge there's been at least three, but the only shift anyone's been able to pin-point was the first, after a nearly-adult Robin was exchanged for a smaller one. So he tries to find the points when they switched.

He shifts through article upon article of Robin, looks at hundreds upon hundreds of pictures, keeps his theories in a little notebook, and in the margins of his schoolwork, and his head during dinner.

A part of him vaguely wonders if it's unhealthy, to think about old vigilantes so obsessively. But he only ever feels alive when he's trying to solve the mystery of the Robins, when he's researching the Rogues and figures out how one of their crimes could've been prevented, when he reads article upon article about Batman and wonders what it would've been like to soar across rooftops.

He doesn't tell Jay. He doesn't know why, but he feels like everything would fall apart if he did.

He's reading an old article on his phone while walking home, and only glancing up when he reaches a traffic light.

There's a girl in the crowd at the other end of the street. She has brown skin, short hair hidden underneath a cap, piercings on her face, and Duke drops his phone as he realizes he recognizes her.

"Izzy -" he shouts, before realizing there's no-one there, and he doesn't know an Izzy.

///

"Look," he said to Izzy. "I still think it's a really, really bad idea to introduce you to Jay."

"Why?" she asked, amused. "Afraid I'll embarrass you?"

"No, afraid he'll make the connection between me, you, and the Robin Collective."

"And if he did, would that be so bad?"

"Would make it a lot easier for him to guess that I'm the Signal."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "You worry too much." And knocked on the door with a smile.

///

The next apartment building is far away, but there's poles in the alley. Duke could probably jump it, if he tried.

His phone is broken; he can't remember why. He remembers that he used it to research something, but he can't remember what. Half his schoolwork has gone missing, which means he'll have to re-do all of it, and he'd kind of rather die.

Not literally. He really, really doesn't want to die.

It's difficult to explain that to Jay, at the hospital.

"Why the fuck would you jump out of the window!" Jay yells, raking a hand over his head. That's another difference between Jay and his parents: Jay actually swears. Duke grimaces.

"I just... wanted to try it," he says lamely. It's a horrible excuse, even to his own ears, and behind Jay, the doctor looks skeptical.

"Mr. Thomas, if you've been having suicidal urges, it's best to be honest about it," she advises, with a kind voice, tapping a pen on her clipboard. "You're exceedingly lucky to have escaped your fall with nothing but a broken ankle, and if a similar... accident happens, we'll have no choice but to put you on suicide watch."

"I'm not suicidal!" Duke protests. "I'm just..." He trails off.

"Just?" Jay asks. There's a wild edge to his voice - no, more than an edge. His voice is so wild it sounds more like he's snarling. His eyes are no better, wide and blown open, as if he's been doing drugs. But he hasn't - he's just worried, worried for Duke, and he's dealing with it by screaming. "Just what, Duke? What could possibly motivate you to pull this shit?"

"I -"

"You're going to die!" Jay cuts him off, his voice near hysterical. "You're going to die doing this! One day, you're not going to land the jump, and you're going to break your neck instead of your ankle! Or you'll get shot, or you'll get beaten to death, or you'll get caught in Joker gas just like -"

///

"- your parents!"

Duke stumbled back, clutching the table. "Don't you dare talk about my parents that way," he hissed.

"Am I wrong?" Jay asked, his voice rising. "You're running at those goddamn crazies, and at some point, you'll be running at the Joker, instead of away from him! What's to stop you from inhaling that gas, just like your parents?"

"You don't get to use them as an argument!" Duke's yelling too now. He'd tried to keep his cool, but he couldn't, not at this, not when Jay decided to bring his parents into it. "You don't get to use the fact that my fucking parents have gotten their minds so poisoned they can't think of anything but horror, can barely sleep, can't spout anything but venom, can't keep down the food they eat, as a goddamn argument!"

"I get to use whatever the hell I need to make you see that you're killing yourself!" Jay shouts back.

"If you'd just listen -"

"I'm done listening." Jay stalked past him, grabbing his coat from the hanger. "I need some air."

"There's an attack going on outside -"

"Well, then maybe you'll get what it feels like to see someone running towards their death"

///

He's home, and his ankle isn't broken, but he remembers it being. He remembers Jay yelling at the hospital. He remembers walking to Wayne Manor instead of his apartment, he remembers having a meltdown over being cis, and he remembers -

He sits down on the roof next to Jay.

"When did you figure it out?" Jay asks, not looking at him.

"Just now," Duke answers. "You?"

"A while ago." Jay leans back, turning his face towards the sun. Their apartment building isn't that high, but still, they can see past a good portion of the Gotham skyline. It stretches out towards the horizon, only interrupted by the occasional bird. "I know I should've said something. You don't need to lecture me."

"I wasn't going to." On the building across from them, a crow is nesting. It stares at Duke with beady eyes, before turning to feed its chicks. "I came in after you, you know."

Jay smiles faintly. "Yeah. I figured."

"We need to wake up."

Jay turns to face him. "Do we?" he asks. "We've been here so long, and we haven't died. We haven't lost anything. We could just... stay, couldn't we?"

But then, as if smelling something bad, Jay's face contorts. "Unless you feel like you have to fight the bad guy, like you," there's bitterness in his tone, "vigilantes do."

"The Dreamer's been defeated already," Duke replies, ignoring Jay's implications for now. "You were the only one we couldn't wake up from the outside."

"Then why leave?" Jay asks. The bitterness has faded from his tone, replaced with something almost pleading. "It's perfect, this life. I know it's not real, but what does it matter, at the end of the day, as long as we're happy?"

Duke sighs. He leans forward slightly, onto his knees. Pain returns to his ankle, and he's careful not to smash it into the building when he swings his legs off the ledge. "Do you know why I jumped out of the window, Jay?"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm assuming you saw a crime happening in the alley and didn't think."

"No. Nothing was happening. Nothing at all. That was the problem." He's sitting there, on the edge of an apartment building, and it might not be that tall, but it's tall enough to make him scared when he looks over the edge. He stares the the ground, and watches people walk in the city beneath him. "That was the problem. I was bored."

"You were bored?" Jay asks, incredulous. "That's it?"

"Have you ever been really, really bored?" Duke asks Jay, still looking down. "Not just not knowing what to do, or feeling aimless; that's normal. I mean, so bored that you start looking at scissors, because if you stabbed them through your hand, you'd have to go through the hospital, and at least that'd be something exciting?"

Duke turns to look at Jay, and finds him horrified, his eyes wide and his hand clamping the edge of the building. Duke smiles. "That's how I feel all the time, now."

Duke gestures to the city around them. "This world - it's your idea of perfect, not mine. Would my parents have gotten into a car crash if it was my dream?"

At that, Jay winces. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean - I don't know why that happened, I'd never want your parents to die. Not just because of - I love them, I really, really do."

"I know," Duke reassures him. "When you walked out the door into the Dreamer's attack, after we had that fight, there was a moment I wished he'd get you." He looks away. "We've all wished for things we didn't mean, even if it lasted only a split second."

Beneath them, a little girl races past a crowd of people to catch the hand of a woman, presumably her mom. "But the point stands; if this was my world, that never would've happened. I love you, Jay, and I appreciate what you've done for me, but if I had a choice, I'd be living with my parents, not you."

Jay shrinks in on himself, a little. "Yeah, I know."

"But that's not all." Duke continues. "You didn't listen when I tried to tell you why I was the Signal. It's because I can't be anything else, now."

The crow at the other building was done feeding her chicks, and flew up again, high above them all. Duke's gaze followed her. "Even if - when my parents get better, I'll keep being the Signal. It's not about duty. I want to help people, yeah, and I absolutely feel like I have a responsibility to do exactly that, because I can. Especially since I've gotten these powers."

Jay's brow furrows. "Powers?"

"I'm a meta," Duke answers. "I can control light, and shadow, now, too. Still trying to figure out how it all works, but, well, with great power comes great responsibility, doesn't it?" He shrugs. "But that's not the real reason I'm doing this."

"Then what is?"

And Duke turns to Jay, leaning away from the edge, and smiles. "Because I like it," he says. "Because I'm an adrenaline junkie. At this point, I've spent so much time escaping death at the last second, that going back to a normal life just wouldn't work." He gestures towards his ankle, now wrapped in a cast. "I think we've proven that, here."

"So I'm just supposed to - what?" Jay asks, balling his fists. "Accept that you're going to risk your life for fun, every morning?"

"You could help me," Duke offers. "I could let you in on the cases I'm working on, give you a comm. You can help Izzy and Riko with planning patrol routes and monitoring alarms, if you want. But, yes, at the end of the day, you're just going to have to accept that I'm going to risk my life, every day, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because I love doing it, and don't know what else I'd do."

Jay's fists stay balled, for a second, before he takes a deep breath, and releases them. "I never told you why I joined the military, did I?"

Duke blinks. "You didn't. Honestly, was kind of weird to see you become a bootlicker, all of a sudden."

"I was undercover," Jay replies, and Duke nearly falls of the building. A corner of Jay's mouth quirks up. "Surprise. Some colleagues at the Gazette had uncovered what they thought was the start of a giant military cover-up job for corruption and human rights violations, and they needed an inside man. I'm a good actor, a great one even, and the others couldn't lie for shit. So I was basically the only choice, and well," he shrugged, "it isn't like I could say 'fuck that, I don't care how corrupt the military is or how much people suffer because of it, I feel like having my own cozy life in Gotham', you know? So I went. And even when I heard about you, and your parents, I finished the job before coming back, because I realized it was just that important."

Duke stares at Jay, his mouth hanging open, but before he can get himself together, Jay continues. "So when I saw you in that superhero get up - my first thought was oh God, not him. I hated playing hero. I hated it so much, with every fiber of my being. And my job wasn't even that dangerous, all things considered, and you're so much younger - Duke, I can't loose you, I really can't."

"I know," Duke answers. He can't say anything else. "I know."

Jay's begging when he says, "Promise me you won't die."

Duke looks away. "I can't."

It's quiet, for a minute. The city has fallen silent. The people have disappeared. The streets are empty.

Then, Jay sighs, and stands up.

"I can't stop you, can I?" he asks. He sounds resigned, and his eyes are sad.

"No," Duke replies. "You can't."

"And you won't be happy otherwise?"

"No." And even if he could honestly give a different answer, he's not entirely sure he would.

Jay closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath. "All right," he says. "All right."

The sky breaks down, piece by piece, and it eats the city as it goes, devouring it whole. The nest on the next building over disappears, and it's followed by the building.

Jay envelops him in a hug, and Duke leans his head on his shoulder.

"We'll do it together, then." Jay whispers.

And they wake up.

#dukeweek2021 #duke thomas #jay thomas #my writing #my posts #god i can't stop thinking about how much better this could be in the hands of a better writer #or even just me with more patience lmao #also yes i guess i did end up erasing half of jay's personality #but in my defense he's got like. 2 character traits so far #and they're 1) cares for duke and 2) is ex-military #and since I didn't wanna make him ex-military. too bad <3

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randomcanbian · 4 years ago

Note

(re: Fandom Meme) B, D, N, P, R, Y ??? (also if you feel like answering T again about anything else pls do (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) (also let the record know that your first answer was *chef kiss* wonderful and should've been canon imo (╯▽╰ ))

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

Felix x fem!Byleth from FE3H... I thought it’d be the same as f!Dimileth (the fandom version of it at least) where the man is like ~~ohhhh I’m a monster I’m so broken ahhh I push people away and go on berserker rages because of my tragic backstory~~ and the woman has to be gentle and kind, the epitome of femininity (despite being a mercenary who had been trained to kill since she was 11...), basically put himself above her on so many levels and the onus is on her to ~~fix him~~~...but apparently not??? The fancontent is so gorgeous and has them as equals, both lonely people who’ve had their childhood taken away from them, both who’ve closed themselves off from the world (or in Byleth’s case, has never known how to open herself up to it), both of them seeing themselves in each other, both taking it upon themselves to meet each other half-way and from thereon help each other process their past and walk forward into the future...damn man, the kinship and the partnership in this ship... (also it really helps that 1. Felix is awed at Byleth’s swordsmanship and tactical mind and pushes himself to surpass it, forming a foundation for a healthy rivalry 2. the fandom does not forget that Byleth is her own person and not just Felix’s partner *cough* Dimileth *cough* Edeleth *cough*)

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t

Hmmmm well sometimes I wished (in general) that I could actively ship mlm couples, just because there’s so much content for them :)) (don’t get me started on how fandom gravitates towards male characters and mlm ships...lmao someone way back then gave me the excuse that it’s because the actual creators put more effort into their male characters and that they end up becoming more complex and interesting and like *looks at my fandoms where there are just as many girls as guys, just as interesting (if not more so) backstories and dynamics and interactions for the female characters, looks at the sheer number of mlm shippers in those fandoms who squeeze the most out of every insignificant moment for their male characters while ignoring the depth and complexity of the female characters* sure)

N - Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

Glee

1. Fanfic with more “out-there” ideas :)) (Don’t get me wrong, there are fanfics that fall far from Glee’s high school/young adult/modern-coming-of-age setting, and even for fics that do fall under those spheres there are some that deal with complex, intricate themes in such an incredible manner or even if not that are just plain enjoyable but like,,, there aren’t enough for my ever-expanding hunger HAHA)(my last couple of fandoms were dark fantasy/sci-fi/whatever The Good Place is so I guess I just got spoiled lmao)

2. More analytical thinking LMAO I guess it just frustrates me that there are so many people in the fandom who take things at face value??? Given how biased the writers are and how shit they are at continuity it really doesn’t make sense to me that so many people take things so literally haha

3. More fanart unu I totally understand though that the fandom isn’t as big as it once was but a girl can dream, you know?

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Something that I had wanted to write for Brittana (since 2012!) but never had the brain cells to: a sailor!AU where the characters live on a flat world and they’re trying to sail towards its edge (encountering so many mythical beasts and legends on the way) (may or may not be inspired by C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader haha)

Special mention to this AU since I've used for at least three fandoms by now haha: Pygmalion&Galatea!AU wherein one character creates a statue and her love for it brings it to life :)))

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships

LMAO I went through Bae Doona’s body of work (what was available of it at least) in 2015 and ended up shipping her character Park Hyun-nam with her best friend (Yoon Jang-mi) in 플란다스의 개 (Barking Dogs Never Bite)...I wrote a very small ficlet of them (I literally had to create the section for them in ao3...and lmao I just checked and I am still the only fic in there HAHA)(please don’t look for my account btw all my fics are so self-indulgent and atrocious huhu) and I also made this gifset of them :))) As far as I know I am literally the only one in the entire world who ships them HAHA

Similar story for her character Ri Bun-hui in 코리아 (As One)...although honestly if it turns out that a decent number of people have seen this movie I’d be surprised that no one else shipped Bun-hui with Hyun Jung-hwa??? Because they??? Tennis table rivals from North Korea and South Korea who have to team up to win at the Olympics??? Jung-hwa trying to get Bun-hui and her team to loosen up??? Them becoming closer??? When the Olympics are over and the North Korea team have to go home, and Jung-hwa chases after the bus and tries to reach for Bun-hui’s hand, realizing that they might never see each other again??? I??? (Just...I had to make this gifset of their hands: when they first meet each other, when one takes the other’s for comfort, the last time their fingers will ever touch...)(Also let’s ignore that it’s a re-telling of real life event akjsndaskj haha)

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all

(Thank you roseate ;u; I’m glad that you agree and are interested with my headcanons ;o;)

Santana’s a trivia nerd and is the type to deep-dive down Wikipedia pages which is why she makes all those obscure references :))) (Also a more specific version of this headcanon, not something that I’d die defending but like,,, something that I won’t let anyone take away from me lmao is that she’s a TV/movie buff, dabbles in comics (specifically, DC and follows character like Wonder Woman, the Birds of Prey, Poison Ivy/Harleyquinn, Batwoman, and Renee Montoya), and started getting a little into theater/musicals after spending time with Kurt and Rachel :))) She also has a record player back in Lima and has a bunch of vinyl records back home (back in high school she’d play a couple of slow songs and just slow dance with Britt in the privacy of their bedrooms uwu)(imagine this scene and this song playing in the background ;u;)

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

BTS, because so many of my friends are KPOP fans

Genshin, also because so many of my friends are into it

魔道祖师 (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) because my close friend fangirls over them so much and we just exchange anecdotes with me and Glee/Fire Emblem and her and TGDC

Critical Role and My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast because my gf is a huge fan of them :))

Not quite there yet, but I am looking forward to having Dostoevsky’s extended universe as a secondhand fandom HAHA

#ask meme #thank you for the questions!!!#(mayhaps you'd like to do the ask meme yourself so I could ask my own questions 👀)#(also I am so so sorry for taking so long with replying to your messages ;o;)#(you ask the most interesting things friend and I gotta make sure that what I'm saying isn't complete gibberish aksjdnasjkdna)#(also!!! feel free to chat me up on tumblr even if I haven't replied yet (if you want to!))#(I may take forever to answer messages but I'm a lot more prompt with short-form chatting ;u;)#(also ngl I miss hearing your Thoughts hehe))#roseateinferno

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nialltlynch · 3 years ago

Note

For the writer ask meme - 8 & 20?

oh thank you 💟💟

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

I talked about this a little bit but I gave it some thought after trying to read last night and, if you'll allow me a moment to spiral, I think what it really comes down to is I do reading and writing for different reasons. they fulfill a different aspect of creativity for me. sure, they both end up in the same creative well, but the actual nerves that get tickled are different (this isn't scientific, dont call me on this, im bullshitting!). they're interwined, for sure, but very different. writing is more about processing and organizing my own viewpoints, my own feelings. reading is more about stretching those viewpoints. I want to be argued with, I love having a debate. and reading is having a long drawn out debate where I wish to be convinced of something. convince me this world is real. convince me what these characters are feeling is valid.

and so I think if I read the same as I wrote, I would essentially be reinforcing my own ideas. and while there's not anything inherently wrong with that (because yes sometimes I do just want an idea to be repeated to me over and over again) I dont think that's necessarily where I want my head to be always. and so I consciously make an effort to read outside of what I write. reading is breadth and writing is depth, if that makes sense.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

ahhhh ok so im very bad at this because I dont think I have enough long form works to pull from so im gonna talk about magpie for a second because ive been thinking about it since I went back and read through what I had posted and subsequently forgot every single thread and where they were all headed (my notes do not make the path anymore enlightened) EXCEPT I remember having background declansey feelings.

so, long story short, magpie is an au where niall lives and builds his girllboss underground empire with declan and ronan and the story itself is sort of how that all falls apart for Varying Reasons. one of which is baby boy, patricide-fantasizing declan lynch who is an excellent right hand man, perfectly groomed successor, and seemingly loyal to a fault (shit oh my god this is kind of a major spoiler but I dont even know if ill finish the fic so OH WELL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT anyway) has been long conning niall's eventual downfall. which, for him, started out as simply disarming niall and effectively taking over the business himself, but as the story progress turns to him having to make the choice of if he's going to kill his dad or not. (he's totally down for it, btw. just. so much rage.)

ANYWAY all of this would have been happening in the background and further obfiscated by ronan's pov which is both dimissive and completely misunderstands basically everyone and their dynamics. I feel like I teasted a bit too much with the declansey mention at the beginning of this paragraph but yeah gansey is there and plotting with declan because *checks notes...discretely crumples notes and throws them in the trash* it's a work in progress. the point though is that I had an absolute blast weaving these little things into declan's interactions because. ronan isn't really wrong, per se. he just doesn't have the whole picture. and honestly that was such a fun little breadcrumb trail it might be the very reason I go back to writing the story even though I kind of spoiled the whole thing. yeah

send me a meta writer ask!

#asks and answers #this is just a wall of text i am so sorry 😭

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malereader-inserts · 6 years ago

Text

In the Secrets of You

Fandom: Riverdale Pairing: Archie Andrews x Male!Reader Summary: A look into the life of Archie Andrews, his soft side that no one but you get to witness. Word Count: 1,448 Request: “Could I ask for perhaps some Archie fluff, please? I read your More Than Exes fic and fell in love with it and Archie lol. Your writing is fantastic btw I love this blog for existing.” Warning: lol non, but this is a bunch of nonsense that I thought was cute and a look of a normal relationship - kinda has no plot of it?? A/n: IDK, what’s wrong with me - want to do request but then I want to write for game of thrones (because i’m back on my bullshit) but then again I feel like I can’t do some characters justice and I should focus on the characters I have

Archie stares at his best friend with wide eyes, there was a stupid grin on his face as he leans his chin against the palm of his hand. He watches your lips move, unable to hear your words as he was stuck in his own little world. Betty and Veronica share a look before fully turning their attention to you.

“(Y/n), do you realise that Archie isn’t listening to you at all?” Veronica asked, her hand waving about with a half drank coffee, “Almost like he’s smitten with you.”

“Archie doesn’t swing that way, guys,” You sighed, desperately wanting to look over to your right and stare at Archie, but you held great self-restraint.

You could chuckle to yourself, you didn’t know how long you and Archie can keep up with the act of being just best friends, friends who have grown up together since they were five. But, you and Archie have been in love for quite some time now.

Archie thought he was just attracted to the girls, he’s kissed almost all of the girls after that summer he got hot. But, when you came greeting him on the first day of school, his heart skipped a beat, like a whole shift had occurred and he had no idea what his mind was thinking.

Love isn’t meant to be complicated. It’s the little things that make you fall in love with someone. Archie had done so many things to get unholy thoughts of you and him out of his head. He tried to distract himself from you by kissing girls, dating Veronica, Valerie, and such.

Nevertheless, he finally gave in to his emotions, he wanted to be yours. The best friend he grew up with. Archie seemed to be happier, more stable, more normal. You were his rock, his voice of reason, the person he can hold to and tell his troubles to.

But, it was also the way you complimented him on his smile that makes him smile even brighter, it was the way you called his name in the hallway that gave him butterflies. It’s the chills you give him when your lips finally touched him for the first time.

You pulled Archie along, rolling your eyes as you see Archie flush almost as red as his hair. You chuckle as you watched the red hair boy, grinning down at you.

“You’re an idiot, Arch,” You mumbled. “Thought you didn’t want us to be public.”

“It’s impossible to not get a smile on my lips when I see your beautiful face in front of me.” Archie complimented, making you flush with embarrassment, “I like us being a secret because-”

“It feels more real, no expectations of others, no prying eyes, no nothing. Just us and that’s all.” You finished off, you agreed with him that you like keeping moments to yourself, but sometimes, you just want to look so loved up in public.

You want to stroll down the school hallway with a grin on your face as you swing back and forth your interlocked hands. You want to kiss him near his lockers, a glare off any cheerleaders who think they can steal Archie away from you. You want to hug him, hold him tight as if the world was burning and not be looked weirdly.

“I’ll see you at mine, later?” Archie asked, walking by your side to his next lesson.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, wild cat.”

“Miss me, Isak?” You asked, waltzing into his room after greeting his dad.

“Is this one of your tv show reference?” Archie asked, closing the door behind you and softly kissing your lips, “I don’t get it.”

“Skam, Isak and Even?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow, “What about Mickey and Ian from Shameless?”

Archie looked at you blankly, “You’re talking nonsense.”

“Gives me the perfect excuse to binge watch my favourite shows, with my favourite couples while cuddling with my handsome boyfriend.” You patted him against the chest as you throw off your hoodie and shoes.

Climbing into his warm bed, Archie chuckles. Grabbing his laptop, knowing this was the best time to be curled up to each other and watch some shows while munching on some snacks. As you unlock his laptop, he goes down the stairs to grab whatever he can get.

Fred was in the kitchen, he was reading a book. He looks up and beams at his son, his fingers tapping against the kitchen island before grabbing his mug of coffee and taking a careful sip. Fred blinks and smiles thinking how Archie was so oblivious.

“Hey, Arch, just want to know that I like (Y/n).”

“I hope so dad, we’ve known him for almost thirteen years,” Archie commented as he gets soda pop out of the fridge.

“I mean, I like (Y/n), I think he’s a rather dashing man for you.” Fred announced, then casually sipping his coffee when his son snapped his neck to look at him, “Don’t act so surprised, son.”

“How?”

“Please, the way you look at him gave it away,” Fred waves him off, Archie’s shoulders relax when he sees his dad smile.

“I think I got lucky, dad,” Archie was grinning now, ready to spill everything to his dad. Almost like a girl gossiping with her friends, but with Archie it was different.

His eyes held some just pride and joy, his hands were shaking but it was because he was excited to talk about you. His tone was lightly higher but very much more excitable, Fred could tell that Archie could talk for hours about you and there would be no way in heaven you could stop a boy who is in love from talking about their significant other.

“Look at the way you smile!” Fred teased, pinching the cheek of him, “Go, talk to me later about it. Go enjoy the rest of your Friday with (Y/n).”

Archie nods, Fred was sure his boy gave himself a whiplash but questions it no further when the red hair boy grabs all snacks in his arms and climbs his way into his room. Dumping everything on the bed, you raised an eyebrow at him.

“Move over,” Archie nudged you as you shuffle closer to the wall. He slips in with you as you and him open various sweets and crisp packets.

Archie settles himself next to you, his head against the edge of your shoulder as you tapped the space bar, the intro of your favourite show plays. As he gets comfortable in the presence of you, his mind drifts away from the show and onto you.

Archie couldn’t wait to wake up to you and have those lazy mornings. When he wakes up and you are beside him, sleeping peacefully. The mornings where you and he don’t need to rush for school, allowing the bed to pull you two back in as you pull each other closer. The mornings where no matter what the weather we’re smiling together. The mornings of pancakes and bacon, dancing around the kitchen with music playing in the background. He looks forward to the sweet and simple moments spent with you by his side.

Archie snuggles closer into your neck, your arm wrapped around his shoulders protectively as you eat a twizzler. He takes in your scent, new books and cookies - chocolate chip ones.

It was moments like this, you liked being a secret couple. You didn’t have people blasting your phones with wanting updates with your relationship with Archie Andrews. Moments like this, you were happy to be in the comfort of him, to be softer and relaxed around him. Both of you letting down your walls for a few hours together.

Your mind was ripped back into reality when a soft snore had escaped from your boyfriend. You giggled a little rolling your eyes that your boyfriend had barely passed twenty minutes of your favourite show. You push back the laptop to face you, you can continue to rewatch and eat - Archie needed his rest, you figured as much as he comes home looking grumpy after football practise.

Fred Andrews enters the room, half an hour later - he thought the room was awfully too quiet for his liking. Though he grins to himself when he finds two boys wrapped around each other, softly snoring - exhausted.

Fred shakes his head as he switches the laptop off and moves all the snacks from the bed. It was almost as if you sensed it was clear to move closer to Archie, so you did. Fred chuckles as he brings the covers closer to you and Archie, happy that his boy was happier than ever.

#archie andrews #archie andrews x male reader #x male reader #riverdale #riverdale imagines #riverdale x male reader

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dc41896 · 5 years ago

Text

Worst Fear (1)

A/N: So I had this idea for this little fic (that’s only 2 parts btw) and thought it would be funny to write and was also really excited about it, but honestly looking back on it, idk how I feel about it. Hopefully what I had in my head transferred over how I wanted and is entertaining to you guys :). Not gonna lie i honestly don’t feel like it does, but I also might be being hard on myself so again I hope you guys like it! Oh and Florian’s not really in this part as much as he’s in the second so sorry about that.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2,603

“Alright SO, today I’m thinking after we eat, we go to the mall and shop for a while. Then we go to the movies and maybe tonight we get lit!!!!” Alani, your best friend since high school, cheerily says as you both walk into the restaurant. You haven’t been able to hang out as much as you’d like due to your hectic work schedules, so you planned for today to be a much needed girls day to do any and everything you wanted.

“Sounds like a plan, but we both can’t get lit. Well at least your level of lit, so you can do that for the both of us while I make sure you don’t get us kicked out or banned from said establishment,” you laugh causing your bestie to roll her eyes.

“Hey, I’m not THAT crazy when I drink thank you ma’am,” she replies laughing along with you as you both are led to your table by the hostess. Before you can get seated comfortably in your booth, your friend hits your arm making you yelp an “Ow!” And look at her like she’s lost what’s left of her mind. “What was that for?!” You whisper yell trying not to cause too much of a scene. “Oh that didn’t hurt! Stop being dramatic and look at the mountain of men over there!,” she replies nodding her head in the direction of the table located in front of yours.

Following her head, your eyes land on a table of 3 nicely built men talking amongst themselves. One was shorter in height than the rest but had a very suave and high-class vibe about him, but not in a snobby way. Like he owned a yacht that he would occasionally take out in the warmer months. The next was tall, but seemed like he was more so on the reserved side. Mainly when it came to new people though. The last one was just as tall as the second, but was more muscular than the first two combined. With his backwards cap and chain, he exuded a vibe that was like no other and would immediately draw anyone to him. However, that last statement was something you knew all too well and experienced first hand for yourself. “Y/N?!” You heard, snapping you out of your trancelike state. It seems that you were so busy looking towards the men that you didn’t realize you caught the eye of the last one and he had since made his way to your table.

“Florian! Hi!” You smile hoping that you weren’t staring for too long and potentially about to make this an awkward experience. “Hey! How’ve you been?!” He excitedly asks as he slips next to you in your booth and gives you a strong bear hug.

“And who’s your friend?” Florian asks as he reaches his hand out across the table. “Alani. Nice to meet you Florian,” she smiles while shaking his hand. As you both chat for a minute, she can’t help but to look shocked at how you seem to know the man she was just drooling over and never mentioned him in conversation before.

“I can’t stay for long, but I would love to hang out with you before I leave. Your number’s still the same right?” He asks as he stands up to leave, “Yea it is, um just let me know what day works for you. I have some time off so I’m free for the next few days,” you reply not breaking eye contact from his expressive green ones.

“Ok great! I’ll text you next time me and my brothers plan something,” he smiles before saying goodbye and leaving you and Alani a shooken mess, but for different reasons. “Florian! Hi!” she mockingly repeats, “How do you know him and why haven’t I heard anything about him before?! Spill the whole tea kettle!”

“You have heard of him, remember muscle beach bae?” You sigh as you slouch in the booth relieved that the interaction was over. “Yea the one who could get it any day? WAIT A MINUTE!!” Your friend gasps finally putting the puzzle pieces together to realize that Florian was the bae in question.

“Yea,” you reply taking a drink from your glass of water. While you weren’t a heavy drinker, you honestly wouldn’t mind a shot or two at this very moment. “Just don’t be weird about it ok?”

“I won’t I promise. But our plans have now changed for the day to be any and everywhere that man and his brothers are” your friend smirks making you wish that you stayed in bed today.

______

“The way I see it, you have a lot of explaining to do, starting with how this all got started,” Alani says as you both look through the rack of colorful clothes in front of you. “Alright alright, you want the sparknotes or the play?” you ask referring to if she wants to hear the long or short version of the story.

“What do you think?” she replies taking a shirt out of your hand that you were currently looking at so she has your full attention. Being your best friend for so long, Alani knows how you’ll busy yourself doing the first thing you can get your hands on whenever you get nervous or anxious. Seeing how she had never heard about this guy in detail and yet he had this effect on you, something had to have happened between you two.

“It happened about last year this time,” you start with a sigh mentally preparing yourself to have to relive this story all over again. “So as you remember last year I was helping out my uncle at the restaurant for a while until he could hire more employees. Since the place was right by the beach, on my breaks I would walk to the water and just sit either reading a book or laying down and that’s where I met Flo,”

“Wait Flo? Oh we got nicknames now! I KNOW something happened then” Alani interrupted with a Cheshire cat smile making you laugh. “That doesn’t count as a nickname, that’s just a shortened version of his name,” you explained with arms crossed and a smile similar to that of a child who just got his way.

“Still it’s informal, which means that there’s some comfort there that you could use it,” she retorts with a smile similar to yours causing you to drop your arms and mimic what she said in the manner of your favorite spongebob meme. “Anyway! One day while I was there reading, a soccer ball rolled beside me and he ran up apologizing and asking if it hit me. I kept telling him it didn’t but he was really sweet and wanted to be sure I was fine,” you smile at the concerned tone he had and how he squatted down to be somewhat at your eye level.

“Aww that was sweet! What happened next giggles?” she asks leaning on the rack of clothes and making you glare for the nickname she just gave you. “He told me have a good day then grabbed the ball and left. The next couple days though we kept seeing each other at the beach and while I thought he probably didn’t notice, he did and mentioned it when he came up to me. We talked for a minute about what we were doing in the area and then he said that seeing each other that much must have meant something so we exchanged numbers before we both went our separate ways.”

“Ok all this seems innocent enough, so why are you acting like you’re afraid of this guy or something? He didn’t do anything while you guys hung out did he?” Alani asks in a more serious tone, straightening up from her relaxed state. “No! No nothing happened…and I’m trying to keep it that way,” you reply looking down at your sneakers. You knew nothing was wrong with having a crush on him, but crushes came with feelings, which would more than likely become stronger and make things even more complicated.

It’s not that you despised love, you felt quite the opposite actually. You couldn’t wait until the day you found the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with and do everything those cute couples you saw on YouTube and Instagram do. But you also knew with love could come unexplainable behaviors and that’s what scared you the most.

Of course for your family and best friend you would do any and everything you could to make sure they were happy and taken care of. However, having that same love for a man to potentially take advantage of and cause you to go to a place you never thought you would added to that fear and caused a feeling of dread to envelop you whenever a crush developed.

“Look, I know you’re trying to guard your heart and feelings, which is totally understandable, but also don’t potentially miss out on something great because of a fear Y/N,” Alani responded knowing how you tended to view crushes and would distance yourself when you felt yourself falling even more. “Plus you don’t even know if he feels the same! He might just look at you as a really close friend and not want to go there, which would kinda hurt but also you wouldn’t have to worry!”

“Yea but that’s the thing we don’t know. I mean that may be the case now, but what about the future? Plus that doesn’t stop my own feelings,” you reply giving the hanging clothes in front of you your attention again. “Then why don’t you tell him?” Alani suggests making you quickly snap your head up to look at her as if she had just revealed she was actually from Mars.

“Um are you insane?! I can’t do that! Didn’t you just hear me say I would like to keep nothing from happening?” you ask looking around to make sure no one was staring at you from your outburst. “Yes I did, but calm down and hear me out. You want to get over your feelings so why don’t you write a letter, email, whatever you chose that is for him but you don’t send it to him. That way you technically did tell him, but he doesn’t know so nothing becomes weird and everyone is happy. Total win-win if you ask me,” she explains before picking up a dress and holding it up to herself.

You had to admit, she had a point. You could get these feelings off of your chest, which was a way to start getting over Florian, and he would never know anything about it since you wouldn’t send it to him. Well, unless you randomly decided to tell him one day or during a drunken night out. Other than that, no harm no foul and you guys could continue being friends like nothing happened.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” you admit holding out your hand to join with hers to do your secret handshake. “I know, I’m a genius,” Alani replies acting proud of herself by doing a hairflip. After making your purchases, you continued walking through the mall stopping at your favorite stores to see what else you could find that you didn’t need.

______

Although you guys planned to stay out all night, you both felt that after eating way too many nachos at the movies you should call it a night. The last thing either one of you wanted to do on your full stomachs was squeeze into outfits and be trapped like a bunch of sardines in a club. Making your way back in your apartment, you feel your phone vibrate and see Florian’s name flash across the screen.

Flo: Hey! I was thinking we could all hang out tomorrow sometime. You and Alani, me and my bros. Any ideas?

Y/N: Hey and sounds good! Honestly no not really lol, we’d be down for anything though, we’re not picky I promise

Flo: Lol ok cool. Meet at my place around 1 then we can all decide what to do

Y/N: Ok that’s fine. See you then! :)

Flo: See you tomorrow! Night :)

Y/N: Night!

“Ok, let’s get started on this letter,” you say to yourself after you send a quick text to Alani letting her know the plans for tomorrow. Clearly she must’ve been asleep or away from the phone to not immediately say anything about the goodnight text or smiley faces.

Since you knew the message would be long, you decided to use your iMessage app on your laptop to write everything you needed to say to Florian. Hopefully he wasn’t still in your conversation or else he would definitely see the dots and know you were about to say something. Seeing as though he said goodnight, you assumed his phone was closed.

At first it felt silly typing all your feelings and you felt like a school girl sending a “Do you like me? Check yes or no” letter to your crush. But as you began to let go and release everything, you felt this weight lift off your shoulders. As you finished your last sentence, you looked over everything proud of the fact that you finally shared what had been going on in your mind. In a way, it was actually therapeutic and you were a little surprised that Alani had a good idea this time.

With heavy eyelids and a yawn, you turn towards the clock to see that it’s 2 am and you still need to get ready for bed. You started to erase everything then, but since you were so sleepy you decided you would do it in the morning before you left to hang out with the guys. Closing your messages and your laptop, you placed it on your desk before moving towards the bathroom.

_________

“Wakey Wakey!!” Alani screams in the call box making you lean backwards so your eardrums would remain intact. “Ow! Could you not yell at me please, thank you!” you laugh before buzzing her in to access your apartment. It doesn’t take her long to arrive at the door and knock as loud as she possibly can, which you’re sure woke up your neighbors if they weren’t awake already.

“I’m just making sure you’re up! Ready to go?” she asks before flopping on your couch. “Yea let me get my phone really quick,” you reply walking to your room to retrieve your phone that was still charging on your bedside table. However, you noticed your coworker texted you to ask a question about one of your clients.

As an attempt to multitask, you decided you would use your Alexa to send the message right before you walked out the door. “Hey Alexa! Send message to Dorian,” you say waiting for her to respond with her usual reply.

“Ok! Sending message to Florian” her robotic voice echoes through the living room making you freeze and look at your machine hoping it didn’t say what it just did. “Alani….did she say Florian or Dorian?” you ask feeling your heart race and palms become sweaty. You already knew the answer, but there was a small part of you that hoped that it wasn’t so.

“She said Florian, but from the look on your face the real question here is what was sent to Florian just now?” Alani asks standing up and making her way over to your side. “Please tell me you deleted the message you ‘wrote’ to Florian to get your feelings out.”

To Be Continued...

Tags: Tags: @themyscxiras @honeychicana @crushed-pink-petals @lady-olive-oil @ellixthea @lovelymari4

If anybody else would like to be tagged just let me know! :)

#florian munteanu #florian big nasty munteanu #florianxreader #florianxWOC

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sterek · 6 years ago

Note

Hey! So I’m new to the fandom I watched Teen wolf seasons 1-6 within 4 days lmao, but I was just wondering could you recommend the best sterek au fics? Your blog is amazing btw!

Sorry it took me a while, but here you go! These are my favorite AU fics in no particular order :) (and thank you boo

A Crooked Way to Fly by andavs [14k G]

“We can’t just leave him here to die.”

“He’s an emissary, Scott.” Derek tried to make his tone empathetic, but Scott’s tendency to fight back on everything always grated on his nerves. “His pack is gone, he won’t survive more than a day or two either way.”

“Then we should stay with him.”

Derek sighed as he studied the man for a moment; he was too pale against the fur rim of his hood, almost grey from lying out in the snow, and his cloak was stained with dark dried blood around a protruding arrow shaft. It was unlikely he would even last the night. They would probably be able to carry on in the morning with little time lost, if any.

It wasn’t a horrible idea, Derek decided reluctantly. They hadn’t been able to set up a real camp for a few weeks in the open foothills, and they were all on edge from sleeping in exposed areas. A defensible place to sleep would be good for them, even if they were surrounded by death. They would be able to give the pack proper burials, at the very least.

“Fine. One night,” Derek relented, already moving away to check on Isaac. “He’s your responsibility.”

Put Down in Words by paintedrecs [203k, M]

“Oh,” Stiles said, his voice coming out low and breathy, “fuck me.”

“I don’t think that’s on the syllabus, but we can check to see if there’s a spot open in any of his classes,” Scott said, grinning.

“This isn’t an actual professor, though,” Stiles insisted, unable to resist brushing his thumb over the sharp line of the man’s bearded jaw. He was laughing at something off-camera, the shot taken in three-quarters view, his coat collar casually rumpled and opened to reveal a sliver of a simple grey t-shirt. The whole thing was deliberately calculated to lend him a more accessible feel, and god help him, Stiles was falling for it.

When Stiles signed up for Dr. Hale’s intro to history class, he had two goals: knock out the credits his advisor was bugging him to complete before he graduated, and spend a few hours a week daydreaming about his sexy professor’s salt and pepper beard.

Derek, a few months away from turning forty and not sure when his life had started feeling so damn lonely, had never encountered someone like Stiles before. Bright-eyed, sharp-tongued, determined to throw Derek’s carefully cultivated world into disarray…and absolutely the last person Derek should be falling in love with.

Cupboard Love by mklutz [32k, G]

He’s carefully balancing the sandwiches and the two biggest tupperware containers he could find that both had functioning lids when the front door opens and he almost drops everything right there in front of the stupid fountain.

If that’s Derek Hale, he’s definitely not a mountain man.

One life stand by Vendelin [84k, E]

Stiles is used to selling himself to make ends meet. But it's getting harder to keep those ends meeting, and there's only so much of Stiles to go around. Until a too-fancy car shows up in his neighborhood, and he meets Derek Hale.

All Derek wants is Stiles's time, someone to stay on his arm for events and smile for the cameras. It's the easiest job Stiles has ever had, the best-paying one he's ever had, and he's more than happy to sign up.

Derek is everything and nothing Stiles expects him to be, with his tailored suits, sharp mind and his quiet way of caring. But it's just a job and Stiles never meant to fall in love.

In Other Words, Baby, Kiss Me by primroseshows [61k, E]

Stiles has simple goals in life. To successfully complete his secret radar project without getting fired, to get a cottage on the Moon, and to untangle his mess of feelings for Moon Station 3 deputy, Derek Hale. Heck, he'll even settle for two of the three.

The Circus at the End of the World by mikkimouse [91k, E]

Three hundred years ago, the world ended not with a bang or a whimper, but with magic.

Since then, magic has been outlawed, and the world has clawed its way back to some kind of stability, with people and shifters alike divided between living within the walled safety of the Havens, or the small, less protected outposts dotting the frontier.

Derek Hale and his sisters, Laura and Cora, are the proprietors of Hale's Circus of Magic, Monsters, and Mystical Wonders, known colloquially as the Circus at the End of the World. They and their ragtag pack ride the rails between the outposts and the Havens, performing for those who can pay (and some who can't). Their circus is a small haven in and of itself, a place of safety for those who have nowhere else to go.

It's a quiet life...until Stiles Stilinski joins the crew.

The circus has something Stiles needs—a ticket into the Haven of Santa Francesca. His father has been abducted, and Stiles is determined to get him back no matter what he has to do.

But Stiles has another secret, one that puts him and every member of the circus in danger. And if he's not careful, it could get them all killed.

The Silent Fury by andavs, rosepetals42 [31k, M]

Derek is about to leave, content with the smell of blood as proof that the Fury is dead when he hears it.

A heartbeat.

It’s faint and uneven and even with its help, it takes Derek a full minute of scanning the clearing before he finally spots the small heap that must be the human. It’s down on the far side of the canyon, almost completely hidden by a tall oak tree and–Derek jumps down before he thinks about it.

He knows what he has to do. Furies are dangerous. Furies are fire and smoke and a funeral he barely remembers. He lands almost silently and makes sure his hands are fully shifted into claws and then slowly moves forward.

Or, a How to Train Your Dragon AU

Kindred Spirits by Stoney [104k, E]

Anne of Green Gables/Teen Wolf AU.Stiles is the adopted son of the Sheriff, brought to Beacon Hills to hopefully stay for good. A family, a best friend, school, Jackson as Josie Pye (because who else could he be?) and the mystery of a dark haired, green-eyed boy which leads Stiles to discovering a secret within himself.

Sell Your Body to the Night by Dira Sudis (dsudis) [121k, E]

"No," he repeated impatiently. "I'm not a cop. I'm someone who wants to exchange my money for your sexual services. I was told you were in that line of work."

"I, uh, yeah, sorry," Stiles said. He glanced around again and then up--the full moon was almost directly overhead. Just one of those nights, maybe. "Yeah, I am. I do that."

But Then What... by Stoney [24k, E]

Senior year is almost over, and all Stiles needs to do is keep his head down to survive. A teacher calls in a favor, leaving him stuck tutoring Derek Hale, one of the most popular jocks in school and a member of a group of douchecanoes who have bullied Stiles for years. He's someone Stiles totally hates. Totally. Like, doesn't like him even a little bit. DEFINITELY isn't attracted to him.

Except that is a total lie. Fuck his life, seriously.Senior year is almost over, and all Stiles needs to do is keep his head down to survive. A teacher calls in a favor, leaving him stuck tutoring Derek Hale, one of the most popular jocks in school and a member of a group of douchecanoes who have bullied Stiles for years. He's someone Stiles totally hates. Totally. Like, doesn't like him even a little bit. DEFINITELY isn't attracted to him.Except that is a total lie. Fuck his life, seriously.

Little Wild Animal by DiscontentedWinter [61k, E]

Derek Hale finds a feral human on his pack's property.Humans are supposed to be extinct.But then, Stiles is full of surprises.

(also read the other work in the series, it’s more original fic than sterek but i adore it!)

I Know Where Babies Come From, Derek by DiscontentedWinter [51k, M]

Stiles finds a baby on the porch.

It looks exactly like him.

Well, this is awkward.

Don't Speak by fatale [68k, T]

The Alpha pack has systematically attacked Stiles and his friends for months, testing their strengths and weaknesses. When one of the Alphas goes after Stiles, he awakens in the hospital and realizes that something's wrong. Very wrong. All sounds seem to hurt him, he can't understand what anyone is saying, and when he tries to speak, it's gibberish. How is he supposed to deal with the fact that he's lost the ability to communicate with his dad and his friends?

Without his ability to talk, his sarcasm, and his wit, what does Stiles even have left? Enter Derek, the only one who seems to make it better.

Occam's Razor by MissAnnThropic [49k, E] [and also read the sequel!!]

When Stiles goes to sleep, he’s a junior in high school. He wakes up in a world where he’s twenty-four and married to Derek Hale. Stiles just can’t seem to catch a break.

Specialized Technical Intelligence and Logistics for Earth and Space (S.T.I.L.E.S) by Yiichi [63k, NR]

“What the hell kind of a name is Stiles?” he asked.

“You know, a series of sounds spoken in a particular sequence that represent my identity, primarily, referring to me?“ the AI – Stiles – answered cheekily, crossing his own arms in front of his chest, mirroring Derek’s position.

“Ooh, this one’s feisty,” Peter smirked.

Tiny Houses by ohmyjetsabel ]77k, E]

"So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.

God, he dreams.

He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves by owlpostagain [35k, T]

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.”

“There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly.

Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding:

DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK Stiles gets cranky when we scare him

---

Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.

The entire Bodice Ripper 'Verse byStoney!!!

Fly a Little Faster by mirrorkill [32k, T]

Everyone knows when you go back in time, you shouldn't step on an ant, just in case you accidentally kill your own grandparent or something. But what happens when you go back in time and, uh, accidentally interrupt the one event that apparently made the Grumpiest Alpha in Town into a ball of mindless manpain?

Well, if Marty McFly can do it, so can Stiles Stilinski. All he has to do is get Derek and Paige to fall in love before he gets pulled back to his own time. And before he makes anything worse. That's easy as pie, right? Right?

Enemy Lines by qhuinn (tekla) [149k, E]

This is the story of werewolf Derek Hale and human Stiles Stilinski: two people who grew up in the same town but completely different worlds, their realities split by the war between men and wolves.

Years later when Derek returns to Beacon Hills, he does it as Alpha of a military pack on a mission to capture those responsible for the region’s resistance. With his main objective, Sheriff Stilinski, out of sight, he settles for the next best thing: his son, Stiles.

Neither of them suspects they’ll need to trust each other if they want to make it out this alive.

an exaltation of larks by llassah [25k, E]

There are times when he feels as if they could fall into bed together, easy as breathing. If Stiles were not highborn, if he were an omega without connections, Derek would be sorely tempted. As it is, he resists. Derek wants, he yearns, but he resists. Still, the sight of Stiles in his cot is enough to test him, even now that it is familiar. At the end of each lambing season, he sleeps for a week, worn down by months of hard work, of relentless struggle. He doesn’t know how he’ll feel by the time Stiles leaves, how he’ll feel after long days and longer nights spent resisting the insistent tug of Stiles’s scent and the inclinations of his own foolish heart.

All Derek wants is to get through the lambing season with his body and spirit intact. He had thought that the blizzards would be the main danger, not a highborn omega with beautiful eyes and a stubborn streak.

Move A Mountain by ZainClaw [69k, E]

Stiles goes camping with his friends in New Mexico after graduation where they befriend a biker gang led by Derek: a guy whom Stiles can’t decide if he will be either relieved or devastated to never see again once their week is up.

The Importance of Turning Around Three Times Before Lying Down by otter [31k, M]

It’s like this dog has walked out of all of Stiles’ childhood dreams and into the real world just because Stiles wanted it hard enough. He is the most awesome dog ever, and he and Stiles have a bond. A deep, unbreakable bond because this animal is his soul mate, obviously. Now he just has to convince the dog of that.

Stiles's Story Time by trilliath [125k, E]

Where Stiles is a librarian who is in charge of the kids' reading hour and such. And Derek is 6-year-old Scott's adoptive dad. And Stiles has his own take on Stories and Scott loves wolves and Derek tries not to admit that he likes the way Stiles's face looks in those glasses.Or something like that.

Not Your Disney Romance by Rawren (Zimothy) [42k, M]

After a long-forgotten agreement of an arranged marriage between Derek and the daughter of another pack's alpha resurfaces, Stiles takes it upon himself to become the most amazing fake fiancé that a clueless, desperate alpha werewolf could wish for.

There is a Brotherhood by minusoneday [21k, E]

So far, college has taught Stiles three things:

1) Eight am classes are cruel and unusual and should be avoided at all costs, even if it means having to enroll in something truly hideous instead, like Econ 101.

2) Dorm security is just as tight as Stiles’ orientation leader had promised it would be, and the dude guarding Scott’s dorm in particular does not respond well to bribes.

3) Mrs. McCall clearly had no clue what she was talking about when she’d insisted that Scott and Stiles needed to branch out and room with strangers, so it’s all her fault that Scott ended up with a total dick of a roommate and Stiles got stuck all the way across campus with some guy who has a girlfriend two towns over and is thus never around.

Or, the one where pledge brothers Stiles and Scott start a prank war with Derek Hale's fraternity.

Prince Among Wolves by Rawren (Zimothy) [101k, E]

Looking for full day/evening sitter. 2 twin boys age 4. Must have exp. w/werewolves. Must be human. No pedophiles. No teenage girls. Pay negotiable.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation by grimm [118k, E]

There's something weird about Beacon Hills that Stiles can't quite put his finger on. The way everyone in town knows his name the day he arrives. The way they insist the melancholic howling that echoes through the forest every night is just a dog. The way his dad denies getting a dog, even though Stiles comes home to find one sprawled across his bed, some big black thing whose eyes gleam red in the right light. The way that massive oak tree out in the woods vibrates under his touch, pulsing with sickly life.

There's something weird going on in this town, and Stiles is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Cornerstone by Vendelin [83k, E]

Suffering from PTSD, ex-Marine Derek Hale moves back to Beacon Hills to open a bookshop and find a calmer life. That’s where he meets Stiles, completely by accident. Stiles is talkative, charming and curious. Somehow, despite the fact that he’s blind, he’s able to read Derek like no one else.

[Not!Fic] Random Craigslist Missed Connections Derek/Stiles Not!Fic of Doom by fire_juggler_writes (fire_juggler) [17k, T]

An AU in which Stiles is lonely and addicted to the Missed Connections page on Craigslist, Derek is a hermit with a persistant sister, Scott gives unexpectedly good relationship advice, and it all ends happily-ever-after.

Trust Fall by Stoney [144k, T]

Stiles is fairly certain that a case could be made for every bad thing in his life coming back to Peter Hale. This time it's pissing off a powerful witch, who retaliated by swapping Stiles and Derek a la Freaky Friday, because sure. That makes sense. Um, there are GPAs on the line, not to mention the whole thing where his dad wants to shoot Derek on sight. Except who he sees as Derek is actually Stiles, and Stiles did not sign up for filicide.

Great. Wait...does this mean he's the Alpha until they figure this out? Holy. Shit.****

Derek had stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a few minutes trying to control the panic as he saw himself as Stiles. As the loud mouthed human friend of the pack. He was going to kill Peter. He was going to kill the witch, then he was going to kill Peter. Maybe even resurrect him again just to kill him all over.

They were going to have to play this cool. They would have to stay calm and focused. Which is of course why the universe threw him into this situation with someone who physically couldn't be calm and focused.

Of course.

Stand Fast in Your Enchantments by DevilDoll, Rahciach [76k, E]

"Stiles knew damn well what a pissed-off wolf sounded like, and every hair on the back of his neck was telling him that somewhere in this room was a very pissed-off werewolf." An AU in which Derek is feral, Stiles is magical, and they eat a lot of fast food.

Safety in Silence by Survivah [66k, M]

It's perfectly understandable. Even Derek wouldn't want to be Derek's soulmate.

Where The Inevitable Isn't by Survivah [41k, M]

Stiles has a magical thingamajig that's supposed to get him out of danger. Trouble is, it took him really, really far out of danger. Like, to the point where he isn't in the same universe anymore.

"A part of Stiles had been thinking that he’d come home, and just go, 'hey, Derek, are we mates and you just haven’t said anything about it?' and Derek would reply, 'now you mention it, we are indeed! Now come to my bedchamber, where we will have super hot sex and then cuddle after!'"

"Pretend this is our den, kay?" by Survivah [16k, M]

In which Stiles is raised by (were)wolves, and he and Derek are childhood sweethearts that never stopped. Also, Kate Argent is a homicidal maniac but a very helpful plot device.

The Boy and the Beast by Dira Sudis (dsudis) [116k, M]

In which events in Beacon Hills go rather differently from the start, and a Beauty and the Beast (ish) story ensues. (Scott is not a teacup and no one sings about their feelings.)

#sterek #eternalsterek #recs #rec list #i'm missing some that sadly were deleted but!#Anonymous #asks

482 notes · View notes

gukooky · 6 years ago

Note

Um excuse me,,, WHAT???!?! NONONONONONO JUST WHEN THEY BOTH REALIZED THEY LOVE EACH OTHER?????

yUP SUCH BAD TIMING WHOOPS

Anonymous said: awwwwww ion like the angst 😖🥺

sorry bb i love my fluff too but we need some suffering every now and then asdljasd

Anonymous said: IM SCREAMING OMGGGGGG YOOOO. MY HEATT LITERALLY BROKE WITH THAT LAST UPDATE 😭😭😭😭

AWWW NO BB HOPEFULLY I CAN MEND IT SOON

Anonymous said: I woke up to cry at the update and now I can’t go to sleep because I keep thinking about it 😂😭

ngl i feel so honored to make someone feel so emotional rn??? IM SORRY SDLASJD

Anonymous said: :(

Anonymous said: "May" be about to throw hands with a specific someone 👊🏼😤👊🏼

hAH I LIKED THAT PUN ASLDKJSAD

Anonymous said: I'M RIPPING MY HAIR OUT OMG -reference to part 39 btw ;)

ooooh i see what you did there ;)))))))

Anonymous said: WTF NO Y/N BAD Y/N STOP

Y/N DIDNT DO ANYTHING ASDLJSA

Anonymous said: I need this photo of taehyung from part 40🙏

which one bb??

Anonymous said: NOO!!! EVERYTHING WAS SO GOOD ISBBWHEBWBSB

IT WAS GOING SO WELL....darn

Anonymous said: A BITCH IS GONNA FITE MINA AND WHOEVER THIS IRRELEVANT HOE IS IM GONNA FITE. on a real note tho i really hope she’s not gonna believe this random ass number bc she knows they’re are crazies out there who would do anything for attention cough mina cough

yeah damn mina be digging herself into a hate circle oof,,,,i mean,,,if this person had proof to,,,that’s kinda hard not to believe o.o

Anonymous said: OH MY FUCKİNG G O D!!! İSTG İF THİS SHİT ENDS UP SUPER FUCKED UP İM JUMPİNG OUT OF MY FRİKİN WİNDOW!!!!!HOW DARE SHE BE SO STUPİD AND BELİEVE THAT BULLSHİT UGHHH🤬👺

DONT JUMP OUT YOUR WINDOW ASDLJSAD Y/N BE VULNERABLE GIVE HER SLACK UWU

Anonymous said: will jungkook find out about tae and mina hooking up behind his back?

good question!!! i dont wanna give too much away but i’ll just tell you this, IF he finds out,,,there wont be any angst as a result :) bros before hoes

Anonymous said: Don't get me wrong I love this au and some angst but please I beg you don't make Y/N fall for this bullshit. Everyone would see through this suspicious messages, especially that she knows Mina is after Tae. Just don't make her one of this naive stupid girls like in every other au/fic 🙏🙏🙏

okay rip o.o i get your point anon but honestly if i were in this situation and some girl who’s the dude i love’s ex girlfriend came @ me telling me all this stuff WITH proof i’d be hella sus of the dude...esp if he NEVER mentioned the ex (it’d kinda seem like he’s hiding something from me?) and she approached me in a sweet kinda regretful kind of way like may did. maybe if she gave a more mina approach i’d be like “okay back tf up bitch im calling my mans” sO we’ll just have to see how she’ll take it 0.0 also, y/n also has mina’s number so she has no reason to believe this is actually mina or someone mina knows shes talking to

Anonymous said: So how long is this angst gonna last because i want to prepare my poor heart for heart ache

uhhhh idk a few parts?

Anonymous said: i feel like y/n knows -the girl- is lying??? weren't y/n and tae together before he left because y/n has to come over and take care of tannie??

perhaps...it’s a plot hole 0.0

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the-glow-of-the-cities · 5 years ago

Text

A Five Letter Problem- Prologue (part 1)

Summary: When you're suddenly reunited with your estranged father, you get a little more then you ask for. In the span of two weeks, your life is flipped upside down, you move out of your mother's small, Boston apartment, and into your father's enormous tower in NYC. Pretty soon you've found a family and friends, but knowing who you know means danger is lurking just around the corner.

A/N: So... This is the first chapter of my first fic... like ever... It’s been up on AO3 for a while, but I’m putting it up chapter by chapter on Tumblr now so boom! Btw if anyone ever wants to chat (about this fic or otherwise) just hmu pls. ALSO, I have no clue how child protective services works so I kinda made shit up, don’t murder me, please

Warnings: References to drug/alcohol addiction, implied child neglect

Words: 1.1k

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter Playlist

You have a problem.

A five letter problem. You have a problem that consists of your last name. No, not your last name, his last name. Your problem is the name Stark. Specifically Tony Stark, that's your problem. “What?” “That’s what it says here, miss.” “And I’ve told you that’s not right.” “Miss that’s what your birth certificate says.” “Bullshit.” “Miss-” “Bull. Shit.” “I’m sorry miss, but I’m required by law to contact your closest living relative in a situation like this.” “He is not my closest living relative.” “I’m sorry, but we have to make the call. However, you can do a blood test when he arrives if you’d prefer.” “Fine, you know, whatever, go ahead, but I can personally guarantee that whatever document you have is wrong.” “Alright miss. For the time being, do you have any relatives in the area you can stay with?” “No, but I have a friend that will let me.” “Excellent, why don’t you give me their phone number and I’ll be right back.” You write down your best friend’s name and number on a piece of paper, then hand it to the man in front of you. Alice would help you figure this out, she always does. As the CPS worker leaves the room, you resign yourself to a long wait, filled with unwanted thoughts and brewing emotions. Today was finally the day. The last straw finally broke the camel’s back, and you were glad goddamnit. The camel didn’t have to struggle, and you didn’t have to fight to keep the camel going. The camel was your mother. More specifically your mother and her, well, less savory tendencies. She had never hurt you, and you knew she never would, but every day, in the early hours of the day while the sun was still behind the trees, and yet the sky was just starting to become very slightly lighter, your mother would come stumbling through the door. When this happened, she would smell like alcohol, weed, or some combination of the two. One particularly rough day she came home smelling like urine, that was fun. You hated it, hated her. No, you didn’t hate her — only it. You knew you didn’t because every morning when she stumbled through the door you would always do the same thing. Fill a glass of water, start a shower, lay out fresh pajamas, replenish the water bottles in the fridge you always left there for your mother, tuck her in, and dispose of whatever substances she smuggled into the house. Then you would lay out her clothing for work, get the painkillers from their hiding spot in your room, ration out your mother’s dose of pills, re-hide the pills, and pack her a lunch before sneaking in a few fitful hours of sleep before you really had to get up. If you hated her, you wouldn’t go through all that trouble for her.

A knock on the door shook you out of your thoughts.

“Miss Y/L/N? May I come in?”

The same irritating voice of the social worker crept in through the cracks in the door and into your ears.

“Come in.”

“Well we contacted your friend Alice’s mother, and she says that she would be happy to take care of you until we can contact Mr. Stark.”

“When will she be here to pick me up?”

“20 minutes.”

“Alright.”

There's a moment of silence as you think, trying to figure out what else to say.

“I-I’m sorry, but I never caught your name.”

“Oh, of course, it’s Joshua James, but just Joshua works just fine.”

“Joshua. Got it.”

“Is there anything I can get you in the meantime?”

“No, I’m ok, thank you.”

“Well let me know if anything comes up, miss”

“Wait, Joshua, I actually can think of something. Any chance I could get a notebook and pencil in here? Please?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

Once again he leaves you to your thoughts and the short, yet excruciatingly long wait.

------

Tony’s POV:

Tony sits at the dinner table in Avenger’s Tower. His team around him, all eating Chinese food from the place down the street, talking, laughing, bonding, and having a good time. He’s listening in on a conversation between Natasha and Clint, who is in on one of his occasional visits to the tower, about whether or not water has a scent when Jarvis’s voice cuts through the din.

“Excuse me, sir, you have a call waiting for you in your office, they say it’s urgent.”

The conversations fade away for a second while Jarvis speaks.

“Thanks, Jarvis, please tell them I’m on my way,” he paused and addressed the group, “I’ll be right back, try not to kill anyone or destroy anything while I’m gone, ok, children.”

He could hear the uproar from the rest of the group outside the kitchen and smirked to himself at his own joke. As Tony walked into the elevator he ran through a mental checklist of what the call could be about: could Rhodey be calling to check in? Unlikely as they had spoken the day before. Fury calling to ask about the team? Equally unlikely after the events that led to the fall of S.H.E.I.L.D just a few months ago. A business meeting he had forgotten about? Impossible, he had Jarvis take note of all of those the moment they were made. With the ding and lurch of an elevator reaching its destination, Tony steps into his office and decides he’s utterly stumped.

“Jarvis, patch me through to the caller please?”

“Done, sir.”

“Hello, this is Tony Stark, who am I speaking with.”

“Hello, Mr. Stark. This is Joshua Jones with Child Protective Services, I’m calling to inform you that your daughter has been removed from her mother’s custody, and, as you are her closest and only living relative, we are obligated to contact you about your daughter’s future living conditions.”

Tony is silent for a moment, contemplating what this man just told him, “I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”

“You did say you’re Tony Stark, did you not?”

“I did, but I don’t have a daughter.”

“She seemed to think it was unlikely as well, but that’s what it says on the girl’s birth certificate.”

“Look, is this some kind of sick joke?”

“Sir, I can assure you I am serious.”

“What’s her name?” Tony says, in a soft, curious tone, after all, if he did have a daughter he knew exactly what he was going to do.

“Y/N Y/L/N”

“Oh,” says Tony, he does remember your mother after all. Of course, he will still need to run a DNA test, but damn it, he might have a daughter. He tries to form a coherent sentence over the commotion of thoughts in his head, but all he can muster is a confused, and yet slightly excited “huh.”

#writing #writers on tumblr #my writing #marvel #fanfic #fic #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #imagine #self insert #stark!reader #stark!daughter #peter parker #A Five Letter Problem #aflp

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hayjeon · 6 years ago

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Cut Me Open Story Talk

Hiya guys!

For new readers, a story talk is sort of an author’s post-word thing/director’s cut sort of thing where I make some commentary about the fic! :)

For old readers, welcome back for a good ol’ story talk! It’s been a while since I did one of these, because it’s been such a long time since I’ve written a full fic that I enjoyed rip but nonetheless it’s so good to be back!

Warning, don’t read this before reading the fic, unless you want it to be spoiled :o

Whew! That was wild ride. It had a lot more drama than I intended it to have, but I needed the whole thing to arc in the way that it did to make everything wrap up nicely.

First of all, thank you to the honorable mentions: @katrina-noona who helped me and gave me a ton of advice and pointers! I love you so much, you’re honestly the reason I was even able to finish this monster lmao

+ the two anons who preferred to be kept anonymous, but were really honest to me about their marriage and divorce process! Thank you so much :)

Okay, let’s get to it!

I realized that I’d been writing a lot of...normal(?) fics. You know, the regular, enemies-to-lovers, or friends-with-benefits!aus, and nothing really...actually portraying the nitty gritty parts about relationships/love.

I mean, literally the last full fic that I wrote was with Seokjin and their love story is literally so digustingly perfect. I wanted to do something completely different than that. So I thought of this!

I had the chance to observe 3 years ago my own parents’ nasty divorce process. (btw they didn’t end up getting divorced) but it was so hard to see the two people you respect most always fighting like that and miscommunicating. I had to be the middle-man, and they were both talking to me, trying to make me take their side, and as a freshman, I was so overwhelmed and scared of doing something wrong. In addition to all the stresses to going to college 300 miles away from home, and a college with so many other smart people on top of that, and making new friends and new community and dealing with a ton of weight-gain, my life at home was falling apart at home too.

And so I learned very closely that love has a nasty side to it. Feelings are so fragile and they get hurt, no matter how strong the person. My mother is my role-model. She’s been through a lot, and I love her so much for it. And my dad too. They’re both so strong, but the divorce process hurt them so much, and it hurt me too. They’re fine now, and have come to accept their differences and live together in harmony, learning to forgive and communicate better. But that didn’t make the whole 3-year-old process any easier.

So instead of writing just another generic fall-in-love, live happily-ever-after kind of story, I decided to portray that in here. Yoongi and Y/N are perfect for each other. We can all see that.

But it doesn’t mean that their lives are perfect to a t. Instead, they go through real struggles, like issues with having children or dealing with mean mother in laws, incongruent schedules, being tired all the time, having to conceal some things, being afraid to acknowledge the truth....all of these things are real and raw things in a relationship that I felt important to integrate into Cut Me Open.

And I want to reiterate one important thing: this fic wrapped up nicely, obviously. But I was careful to mention that even though they made up, it wasn’t a generic happily ever after:

“Sure, to be fair, after you and Yoongi had resolved your issues and decided to cancel the divorce, you still had to try. Love didn’t come that easily. If it was easy, then it wouldn’t be true love.

You and Yoongi had to attend marriage counseling sessions, make an effort to start going on dates again, and had to have long talks in car rides home to resolve and sort out all the miscommunications. You had to give up some of your responsibilities as Chief so that it would be easier to focus on being Yoongi’s wife, and also designate some work for him. Yoongi had to give up a few surgeries so he’d have time to spend with you after work and dedicate some to share the responsibilities of chief.

The both of you had to make a sacrifice. But it was worth it.

True love, without sacrifice, you learned, meant nothing.”

I hope that this was made clear enough to you guys, that yes, they made up fairly easily compared to others, and this is just a fic that wraps it up nicely. But whether or not a marriage works or not, it all depends on the timing and honestly the extent of sacrifice a person is willing to make.

I have a friend who’s parents split up and now have their respective marriages with beautiful wonderful people, and are so much happier than if they had tried to force their first marriage to work. And I respect that and support that 100%. Sometimes, certain people are not the ones who you believe those sacrifices are worth. That’s why people go through divorces. It’s very real. But I believe there is someone out there that makes it feel worth it.

If that’s not even a significant other, but it’s actually a friend, a child, or even a future you, then go for it. It’s gonna be worth it.

And for some, I know that marriage is difficult, and sometimes it feels like one side isn’t sacrificing enough. In that case, I really truly strongly believe in 1) a strong support system of friends/family, and 2) outside help. Y/N and Yoongi both had these, a community of friends and family who helped them and they also were willing to go to counseling to help sort it out. This is totally okay. You have a support system, and it’s really actually okay to seek out help. It doesn’t mean you’re going to fail, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It just means you’re willing to try.

And to wrap it up, I just want to reiterate that there are always two sides to a story. HAHA a bunch of ppl said things like they wanted to punch Yoongi or they hated Yoongi, and honestly same. I did kind of build him up to be a passive asshole in the first part, but as soon as you read part 2, I hope it closed all the frayed edges and made sense why Yoongi made the choices he did.

Communication is so important in any relationship. With a friend, with a child, with a spouse/sig.other, or even yourself. It’s so so so important and I hope this fic portrayed even a little bit of that to you :)

Again, thank you so much for reading Cut Me Open! I truly enjoyed writing this fic, and I’m so happy that it’s finished, although I wish I could’ve done a litlte better with the second part because it started going a little all over the place in my haste to finish it on time. T___T

But thank you guys for your support, and like always, please let me know what you thought! I absolutely adore your guys’ feedback and questions and commetnts, it’s the reason I continue to write <3

Good night,

Hay

PS. I made a timeline/outline for myself to reference while writing the fic because it jumps around everywhere, but if you guys want to see it, this is it!

#story talk #fics #writing #cut me open

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 6 years ago

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More of the Misadventures of Aish rereading Misadventures and fixing typos, like a cowardly fool because I can’t sleep

chapters 21-25 oh no here we go

(actually I did this in like November on my phone but only just now remembered that I never posted it so here ya go, this is all weeks old)

Okay so with the chapter titles, I didn’t actually start naming them until about ch27 or so, but I had already nicknamed this chapter something like “IT’S FRIENDSHIP YOU COWARDS” bc this one got a surprising amount of notes on tumblr and I’m 99% sure most of the people who read it did not realize that this is in fact a Kimax fic

And also THIS CHAPTER WAS THE TURNING POINT. I could either have kept the fic rly lighthearted until way near the end, or decide to start shoving in the Angst much quicker. 3 guesses what I picked >:D

Oh highkey same Alix?? except for me it’s not superpowers or anything it’s just called “anxiety disorder”

The obliviousness physically pains me

I’m the guard who just blatantly lets Alix steal popcorn. also why was there just casually popcorn there. god I don’t even know what I was thinking when I wrote any of this

Oh yeah I remember!! I was mad at people setting off the smoke alarm while making popcorn in the middle of the night!! just uni things am I right

...why am I noticing now that the whole popcorn thing is just a metaphor for Kim’s entire love life I am going to throw this fic out of the window I swear

IT REALLY IS, UGH I HATE THIS, ARE YOU TELLING ME I DID THAT BY ACCIDENT

this is a freaking game of Civilization where one civ takes a runaway lead in the science victory while the rest are all still stuck in the industrial era

Kim is me watching dinosaur movies too tbh, dinosaurs are so frickin rad

well this is depressing

and adorable

I hate so much that I know what the Bad Dream means I hate it I hate it I h

IT’S OKAY KIM I’M PROUD OF YOU, YOU’RE MY SON AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

“It’s not up to you to question why people care about you so just roll with it” damn past me, that’s actually some really good advice???

Alix is a Kimax shipper even this early in the fic, btw. whenever she talks to them about each other she’ll always say stuff like “oh yeah you two are so close” or “he cares about you so much” without specifying whether she means that platonically... my dudes... she’s shipping it

Kim having an existential crisis in early hours of the morning is such a mood because it’s 2am and I’m having one right now

BAD FORESHADOWING, YES BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING SOON LIKE ASSASSINATIONS AND STUFF, YOU WEREN’T WRONG

Alright chapter 22 now

the carriage guards!! my favourite characters in the entire fic!!!!!! they’re the BEST okay they just casually chill at school through the entire thing and only show up again in the last chapter omg they’re so amazing I love them??? absolute LEDGES

Kim’s parents being all like “yeah if our son doesn’t wanna come home from school then just KIDNAP HIM and bring him back lmao”

“Hey, do you want me to threaten your guards with my snake or something?” WAS THAT FORESHADOWING??? BECAUSE SHE VERY MUCH DOES DO THAT LATER. TO DIFFERENT GUARDS YES BUT IT’S LEGIT A THING SHE DOES

talking on the phone is stressful? yes it’s that good old “anxiety disorder” again, really a pain tbh

god I’m so proud of Kim, already that good good character development

also Kim’s grandma is me

omg I have to put Kim and Alix’s dumb chess games in the sequel, I came up with an entire thing about how they blatantly cheat etc and it’s ridiculous and Max gets a headache whenever he has to “referee” (aka make sure they don’t fight), it’s so great okay

me: *thinks about chapter 34 and throws up*

oh I’m the snake too btw. the snake also will hate chapter 34

Max holy moly repressing your feelings isn’t healthy??? stop that

hhhhhhh chapter Lila now, like literally that’s the entire chapter 23, it’s basically just Lila

this is just the damn Volpina episode

dupainchien!!!!! dupainchien!!!!!!!!!

I know this isn’t even that much of a big deal in this fic but like... can Marinette and Adrien just get together already lmao

hskdjhdkjfhgs for the record Lila and Kim is actually a pretty good ship?? but they’d both try to out-brag each other and it would be ridiculous so uh

hm anyways. time for CHAPTER AROACE

Kim’s like. ABOUT TO start falling for Max oh thank god, I need this

Lila: *just stabs Kim’s homework with a parasol*

Kim just... Did That??? WE STAN

(oh and later note: in this he just treats Lila like how Adrien treated her in Chameleon lol)

I remember at this point I wasn’t sure if Lila would actually really return in the fic, and then literally like 2 chapters later I brought her back already because damn that girl needs a redemption arc

do I hug Kim or do I hug Max?? you FOOLS, you ABSOLUTE BUFFOONS, I am going to hug ALIX for having to deal with all their romo bullshit

Max trying to get drunk on orange juice is the mood

JULEKA’S MAGICAL GAYDAR!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!

(also Juleka is absolutely wearing a Reflekta dress)

Juleka, outright: “Max. my dude. alix is aroace you dense idiot. you are all idiots. you absolute fuckwits.”

I’m still the snake btw

hhhhhhhhhh I wanna make a daisy chain now, or just go outside and sprawl in some grass, I can’t because it’s 2.30am and I live in the city and it’s winter, screw this fic for making me miss my school days

oh no I’m having an allergic reaction again

I mEAN IT’S CUTE THO, IT’S CUTE, BUT I KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN A BIT LATER SO THIS IS JUST PAINFUL

“You need more sleep” me calling myself out

I am going to hit Kim over the head,,

STOP BEING WEIRD JUST TELL HER YOU LIKE HER?? GOOD GOD I DON’T EVEN SHIP IT AND I STILL WANT YOU TO GET A BLOODY MOVE ON

oh good, he wants to smack himself in the face too

no nonono no Alix I think you are cute too. but you see, I mean it in the adopting way. but you ARE objectively adorable (source: the Reverser episode and also like all the other episodes) people just don’t say it in this au because of your TERRIFYING PET SNAKE

she offered to give him a telephone... lov that foreshadowing

*unimpressed* “are you in love with me?” OH FUCKING FINALLY

skdfhskdjfhsd avoiding people and having a heart attack when someone knocks on your door? I see the return of that anxiety disorder eh

Alix didn’t bring the snake (me) with her on purpose bc she knows Kim is still a bit scared of it at this point and doesn’t want him to be in a bad mood while she’s crushing his heart and soul

GOD YES I LOVE THIS SCENE

I hate myself because when I was writing this I was thinking “oh mood?? oh mood worm same hat???” and yet still. didn’t. realize. I’m. aro. *le sigh*

I’m gonna cry this is so sweet

“So are bossy, intimidating, hot girls your type?” no actually because Ondine is neither bossy nor intimidating (tho yeah she is hot) (and not particularly relevant in this fic unfortunately)

Alix is not in fact as oblivious as she claims to be btw, she just thinks it would sound mean to say “oh yeah I guessed you had a thing for me but I aggressively ignored it bc it annoyed me since I’m aroace lmao”

I’m genuinely going to hecking cry omg I remember now why this was my Ultimate Brotp for so long ugh it’s so good, @ ZAG LET KIM AND ALIX BE FRIENDS

I’m laughing?? so hard??? at the fact that their height difference is so ridiculous that literally like he has to kneel down??? god this is the funniest thing

oh also btw she was internally debating with herself like “should I give him the mistletoe kiss?? sounds gross but I feel so bad for him dammit” and decided to right there on the spot because she was lowkey curious anyway, which I’ll be honest is still an aro mood

OMG I’M ACCIDENTALLY SUCH A GENIUS OMG LISTEN NO LEMME EXPLAIN

SO LIKE. there are two (2) instances in this fic where I tried to pretend to be funny by dropping in the word “heartrate”. one is near the beginning, and the other is right here

in other words, the exact start and end points of Kim’s crush on Alix?? AND I DID THAT BY ACCIDENT OMG I’VE CHANGED MY MIND I’M PROUD OF MYSELF NOW

oh... oh no. uh oh. the dreaded evil Chapter Twenty Hecking Five

it’s called “Pain” for a reason. also my OG nickname for it was “Death”. also for a reason.

I even listened to Death Valley (the FOB song) on repeat while writing it (along with the next like 9 chapters lol) because the word DEATH just seemed so accurate

no really this is THE real turning point in the fic, where it stops being just a dumb teen movie and starts being all A N G S T Y

like this is the first chapter that has NO lightheartedness AT ALL

okay. here we go

this is all??? foreshadowing??? for dumb chapters like 30 and 34??? I Hate

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE SNAKE

I’M HAVING A HEART ATTACK JUST READING THESE WORDS THIS IS SO HORRIFYING ALEXA PLAY DEATH VALLEY

this is the equivalent of seeing a kwami die, for the record. like I know kwamis can’t die but THIS IS HOW IT WOULD FEEL

god this is even worse in hindsight knowing what happens later, bc poor Alix is all like @ herself “oh well it’s a nightmare so it’s not real” and I’m just like... oh dear. honey. sweetie. welp. I mean on the bright side you’re psychic so that’s kinda cool right

I love how Jalil is actually really sweet and a genuinely cool brother, you just never get to see it when Kim’s around bc he hates Kim lmao (I mean for good reasons..)

“I can’t live without this snake!” I MEAN YOU’RE NOT WRONG

these timeline powers are SO cursed man. why was I so evil and cruel holy actual shit

(the whole “some character deaths but not really” tag refers to all this clusterfuck btw)

okay it’s funny how this bit with Adrien is the Collector episode despite it not having aired yet when I wrote this, I guess I’m psychic too

Nathalie being sympathetic huh? not so much in the sequel when I get round to it...

Adrikins being all “I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER” I’m dying

uh yeah there’s a difference between being grounded, and like, literal actual house arrest

damn... capitalism really is bad

so is imperialism

fix this damn typo thing where I used the word “soon” twice in one sentence like was that really necessary

DUPAINCHIEN

I love how Kim is so obviously bi that even Marinette notices and straight-up tries to set him up with a hot commoner boy

oh noes here comes The Death

Hi Aish Snekwami, I am afraid

god imagine how horrible it must be??? to have something traumatic happen in another timeline but you’re still aware of it in this one so you still suffer the effects even though nothing bad happened in this timeline????

Max shows up for two seconds this chapter to remind everyone that I have an anxiety disorder again and then hecks off, good for him

HOLY FUCK?!?!?! IMAGINE LITERALLY DYING ACTUAL DEATH IN ANOTHER TIMELINE AND EVEN THOUGH YOU SURVIVE IN THIS ONE YOU STILL HAVE TO LIKE. FEEL THE WHOLE TIME YOU’RE DYING OF GODDAMN COBRA VENOM HOLY FUCK WHY DID I MAKE THIS SO ANGSTY

I mean I think I remember writing this when I was on a very heavy painful period which full-on incapacitated me but like even that’s nowhere near as bad as fucking. snake. bite (ye I did some research, it was creepy...)

man this is so evil... I can’t

THIS IS HOW IT FEELS TO DIE

god that’s so haunting ughhhhhhhhh

honestly whenever I stub my toe etc I always think to myself “is this karma for that time I lowkey killed Alix off in chapter 25?” and yeah, it probably is

OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH FOR NOW

#more like the misadventures of aish having anxiety #random stuff #misadventures

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aglarelen · 6 years ago

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The Frat Boy Lumberjack Universe

And without warning...Here’s Frat Boy Lumberjack!Chris Fic!!!

This is the first story from a universe inspired by @sfreeborn in this post, and thus, the Frat Boy Lumberjack Universe was born. I started with a small tiny idea, until my over active, wordy ass imagination got a hold of it and it has spawned multiple story ideas. Most of which, like this one, are inspired by “Desperado” by The Eagles. Hopefully, I’ll get to write them in some way or another, but until then, enjoy this offering. I hope y’all like it.

Comments are appreciated, but as Erykah Badu said, “I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit.”

One Important Note: I did use a real Fraternity name, although the characterizations are fictional. It’s tough to research and create a fictitious fraternity, so I named it and based it on high school friends who joined and guys I knew in college from various houses. I mean no offense to any member of the real fraternity, past or present and get nothing from this but the comments of my readers. It was simply the easiest thing to do so that I wouldn’t get stuck in the research and never finish the story.

Word Count: 3518 (This should be a warning in and of itself. 😄 I’m a wordy bitch at times.)

College/Frat Boy AU, fluffy stuff

Including: Frat Boy!Chris Evans x OFC, mention of Frat Boy!Sebastian Stan x 2nd OFC, btw Thomas “T” Easley amazingly looks just like Tom Hardy lol

In Three Quarter Time

“Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds boy, she’ll beat you if she’s able. You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet.” - The Eagles “Desperado”

Elloree was in the mood for a beer, but not a frat party. Her roommate, and best friend, Daniella was dragging her out anyway. It was a stroke of luck that Elle had been assigned Dani as a roommate freshman year. The two young women got along well, becoming fast friends, although their tastes could be quite different. Dani was beautiful, a social butterfly with a romantic attention span to match. She flitted from one boy to the next, never promising anything to anyone, beyond tonight. Her weakness for frat boys drew them to the party that evening.

Dani’s current crush was a brother at Tau Kappa Epsilon, TKE. The Tekes were hosting and it was the only reason that Elle hadn’t refused to go outright. She was well acquainted with many of the guys. Their president, Tom, had adopted her as a little sister during the first football game her freshman year. A particularly angry fellow had taken offense at her penchant for jumping to her feet. The commotion attracted attention. He got indignant and disrespectful. The Tekes got aggravated and protective. She had been sitting with them ever since, the only female allowed, because she could be just as rowdy as they were. Two weeks later, T introduced her to a pledge named Chris.

They spent the rest of the game talking, flirting, and bonding over their shared love of football. The problem came later that night, in the form of a sorority girl named Bethany. Bethany was the very model of the negative sorority stereotypes with a sense of entitlement that entered the room before she did. A tall, thin brunette with a short skirt and long legs, she laid claim to Chris, on the idea that Sisters got dibs on pledges. Chris had been distracted by the fancy, shiny new toy in the room before Elle even arrived. She couldn’t blame him, Bethany made it too easy. She made it her mission to get and keep Chris, flaunting it in Elle’s face every chance she got.

The only bright spot was that Bethany was not allowed at football games. Brothers could sit with their girlfriends separately, but pledges were required to sit with the group as a bonding activity. This guaranteed Elle time with Chris and they became close friends. Fall slowly faded toward winter and the weather got colder. Like many of his brothers, he grew a beard, and it aged him. He went from a fresh faced boy to a super sexy man. She loved his aesthetic, equal parts ball caps and plaid shirts, keg parties and Carhartt, and called him “frat boy lumberjack.”

Elle was falling harder than ever, but the new look seemed to annoy Bethany. Elle noticed how Bethany’s perfectly made up face would screw into a look of disgust when Chris kissed her cheek. She continued to mention he should shave, despite his protests. Many times Elle would come in from class grumbling about how she had seen the couple at lunch, Chris fawning over her and Bethany nitpicking him. The only time Bethany seemed to really enjoy Chris was when they were drunk and all over each other.

When spring semester ended, she was glad. Heading home for the summer was just what she needed, family, friends and no Chris. Out of sight, out of mind, she thought. She was wrong. Soon she began to see him in the people she passed on the street, or the guys in the food court at the mall. His face invaded her dreams and it was driving her mad. By the time fall semester rolled around, she was done. Her feelings were drowned out by annoyance and she tried her best to avoid him. Most days it wasn’t too tough, but game days it became a chore.

The first home game, Elle returned to the fifty yard line seats with the Tekes. Although, she avoided Chris, sitting next to T, who had become like family. She tried to ignore him, but wondered why he was still sitting with the group. No longer a pledge, he was free to sit with Bethany. Elle was annoyed. Added to the smiles he flashed as he passed her on campus, it seemed that he was purposely trying to get under her skin. It was the reason she wasn’t in the mood to party, but tagged along for Dani’s sake. She was needed in order to make the appropriate introduction between Dani and the object of her affection.

Arriving at the party, Elle quickly scanned the crowd, and saw no sign of Chris or Bethany. Relief washed over her as she lead Dani through the familiar house to the kitchen. There she found Mack, the Gatekeeper and one third of the Musketeers, as she called Chris’ buddies. Knowing her well, he handed her a Stella with a wink and smiled. She returned the smile and tapped her bottle to his as she turned to Dani.

“So, have you caught sight of your prey,” she asked and took a swig of beer.

Dani was leaning on the counter, peering from the pass through into the crowd of revelers, “Not yet.”

Elle laughed, “Could you give me an idea of what he looks like?”

“Hot guy, blue eyes,” she said waving her hand as if this should be all Elle needed, “When I saw him he was wearing a TKE shirt.”

“You know who you just described,” Elle rolled her eyes and took another drink.

Dani turned suddenly, “Sorry, I couldn’t see his hair color. He had a cap on and disappeared into the science building before I could catch up.”

“Okay, just let me know if you see him,” she sighed, “or him.”

“I’ll warn you,” Dani smiled, knowing which him she was referring to.

“Elle,” the loud voice drew her attention. Tom was across the kitchen in two strides, wrapping her in his large arms, “I’m glad you came.” Releasing her, T stood between the two women and draped his arms gently over their shoulders, “What are we doing, ladies?”

Elle chuckled, “Looking for a man.”

“I thought you only had eyes for our boy,” T teased.

“For Dani,” she rolled her eyes, “She saw a hot guy the other day in a teke shirt. Wants me to introduce her.”

“There he is,” Dani exclaimed, “Grey shirt, black jeans.”

T saw him first and called out, “Seb,” motioning for the man to join them. The man’s face lit up when he saw Elle and quickly made his way through the crowd. T kissed each woman on the head, “Be good ladies,” and left the room.

The man in the grey shirt appeared in the doorway and greeted Elle, “Itty bitty.” She rolled her eyes at the nickname and chuckled.

“Sebastian,” she indicated the woman next to her, “This is my roommate Daniella.” Turning to Dani, she reversed the introduction, “Dani, Sebastian.” Dani extended her hand to shake Sebastian’s, but he took it and lifted it to his mouth for a kiss, without breaking eye contact.

Elle rolled her eyes again, “Okay, my work is done. I’ll be out in the swing.” Taking her beer, she walked out the back door and over to the swing. Sitting down on one end, she pushed slowly with her toes. She watched Dani and Seb through the kitchen window as they laughed. Knowing Dani’s ways, Elle hoped that Seb wouldn’t be mad at her. Last year Seb had dated a sorority girl for four months and Elle had seen how hard he’d taken the break up. He moped around for weeks. It was good to see him happy again, but how long would that last if Dani jumped to another guy tomorrow.

Elle’s eyes drifted up as she thought. Before she realized it, she was staring at Seb and Chris’s darkened window. He must be out with Bethany, she thought, grumbling. As long as they didn’t show up at the party, she’d be fine. Hoping for the best, she leaned back and looked up at the sky. The slow movement of the swing helped to relax her and her eyes closed as she drifted. She never even noticed the figure approaching from the house.

Chris made his way downstairs looking for a beer. He’d been in his room since the game ended trying to get some homework done, but all he could think about was Elle. He’d been looking forward to sitting with her at the game. He wanted to talk to her, to let her know that Bethany was gone. She wouldn’t be ruling his life anymore, keeping him away from Elle. But she had ignored him at the game, sitting with T, and not once looking his way. He had realized that he screwed up and was just looking to drown his sorrows when he entered the kitchen.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned to leave. Glancing out the window as he turned, he caught sight of her. She was sitting on the swing, head leaned back, eyes closed, drifting slowly back and forth. As he stood watching her, a hand came to rest on the back of his neck, squeezing slightly as words were spoken, “You break her heart and we’ll have words.” T was standing next to him, the grip on his neck just tight enough to emphasize his meaning.

Chris raised the bottle and spoke, “I think I’ve done enough already. It was pretty clear at the game that she wanted nothing to do with me,” his voice echoed the defeat he felt. His eyes never left Elle as he took a long pull from the bottle.

T’s hand moved to his brother’s shoulder, “People put up walls to protect themselves. Sometimes, they leave a window open.”

Chris turned his head, not quite looking at T and sighed, “I don’t want to hurt her. I just want her to be happy.”

T clapped Chris on the back, “Go tell her.”

Hesitantly, Chris walked out the door and across the small yard. Words swam through his head, but nothing seemed to work. Tired cliches and greeting card sentiments just weren’t going to do. He moved toward the swing, quitely coming to a stop a foot away, “Mind if I sit?” His voice was low, but she still gave a little start at the sound before gesturing her approval with a nod. Chris carefully took a seat, trying not to move the swing too much. Waiting, he let her move the swing as he matched the rhythm. They sat in silence for a long while, neither really knowing how to start.

“I deserved that,” he finally spoke softly, “at the game today. I don’t blame you. I did it to myself. I made a mistake. I made a lot of mistakes.” He was rambling. He knew it. She knew it. Her hand came to rest on his forearm and he calmed. When, after a few moments, it remained, he tentatively placed his on top. She made no move to pull away and he risked a quick glance in her direction. Her head bowed, she stared at their hands and he stared at her.

Chris wanted to move, to gather Elle in his arms and hold her tight. He desperately wanted to go back, back to the night they met and erase the past year. He wanted to push Bethany away and find Elle, to get back all the time they’d lost. He needed to tell her why he had been so weak that night, weak enough to fall for the illusion that Bethany presented. For the first time, the words fell into place in his head, and he just let them fall from his lips. “She’s gone. I ended it. I should have done it sooner. I don’t know if it was foolish pride or pity, but something just kept me hanging on.”

He ran his thumb over her skin, “It’s over now and I sure as hell don’t miss her. She was a poor substitute for what I really wanted.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “What I saw in your eyes scared me. I wasn’t ready to stand up and be that man. Bethany just wanted a boy toy, so I let her take control and you paid the price. I let her hurt you. I hurt you.” Chris put his finger under Elle’s chin and lifted her face. His eyes met hers and he held her gaze, “That’s not going to happen again. I’m not going to hurt you anymore.”

Elle’s heart ached as she looked into his eyes, so sincere, and yet she knew what he meant about fear. She was afraid of what he might do later. He was right, men were weak when it came to creatures like Bethany, beautiful, confident, and bodies built for distraction. She cupped his cheek, “The best laid plans of mice...”

He finished the quote for her, “and men so often go astray. You don’t believe me.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” she began her voice thick with emotions she was trying to hold back, “I just understand all too well. There are two types of women, security blankets and ‘big boy’ toys. Security blankets make you feel better. They’re the old reliable, there to fix you up when you fall down and comfort you when the world hits back. They eventually get left behind as you grow out of them.” She dropped her hand playing with the hem of her shorts, “ ‘Big boy’ toys are the fancy ones you take out and show off, shower with attention, and raise your status. Bethany. Me, I’m a security blanket.”

“Your wrong,” he said, “I don’t want Bethany.”

She jumped in before he could continue,”Why not? She’s gorgeous, tall, thin, always perfectly put together in her heels and tight clothes.”

Chris laughed and shook his head, “She’s fake, all makeup and high maintenance. It’s all a front that she puts on for the world. It’s armor to hide the insecure, jealous, petty, ugly person she is inside. She likes pledges because they’re young and easy to fool. Once you figure out what she’s really like, it’s over.” He threw his head back and raised his hands to the night sky, “Why did I fall for her? I don’t even like all that shit.” He dropped his hands, slapping his thighs, “I like wet hair and sweatpants. I like sneakers and ponytails. I like you.” He let his head drop as he leaned forward, his forearms on his knees.

Elle thought for a moment about what he’d just said, then looping her arm through his, she leaned against his shoulder, “That’s funny, cause I like frat boy lumberjacks with hearts of gold. I like good morals, a guy who loves kids and desperately wants to be a dad.”

Turning, he kissed her forehead, “She didn’t know that.” He was quiet for a moment before he continued, “She never really listened to me. She always wanted to change the way I dressed and begged me to shave.”

She suddenly lifted her head, “Don’t you dare!” Reaching up, she ran her fingers along his jaw and the soft new growth from where he’d buzzed his head for the summer. “I want you just the way you are,” she smiled and pulled him closer, pressing her lips to his. It was soft and careful, as if she was unsure how he’d react, but she should have known. He had always treated her with the utmost care and respect. His hand moved to her cheek, the touch gentle and loving.

The kiss was so different. Bethany was hot and hungry or cold and emotionless. Kissing Elle was wonderful, warm, and meaningful. His fingers curled into her hair and he combed them through the soft waves as he pulled away to speak, “I’ve been waiting all summer for that.”

“Waiting all summer,” she asked, disbelieving, “You could have called.”

Chris chuckled, “Could’ve called? You ignored me at the game. Would you even have picked up?”

Elle scoffed, “Yeah.” He dropped his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Well, maybe,” she stumbled over the words when he grinned, “not on the first try.” She collapsed into his arms in a fit of giggles. Gasping for air as she tried to explain, “I, I was so, so done with Bethany and,” she took a deep breath, “and with you. I was just happy to be home.” Her voice lost some of its mirth as she continued, “I thought ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ but it ended up being ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ It made me angry that she could have you and I couldn’t,” she huffed.

He giggled as he squeezed her tight in his arms, “You were jealous.”

“Oh, I,” she began to protest, but admitted defeat, “was, so stupid.”

“Not stupid,” he shook his head, “I’d be insane if you were dating someone else.”

She balled his t-shirt in her fist and thumped his chest, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Covering her hand with his, he sighed, “It’s over. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you, but it’s the past. I just want to be here, tonight, with you. And every night, for as long as you’ll have me.” He was getting emotional, and blinked away tears as he thought about the things that he had missed. His mind drifted to memories he wished he had, Christmas, snowball fights, lunches in the Campus Cafe, late nights in the library, Valentine’s Day.

He remembered the night of the spring formal with Bethany. He went because he was supposed to, not because he cared. Elle was playing ‘Call of Duty’ with Georgie and Mike, and didn’t know Chris was still there. She was in the kitchen when he came downstairs. Her breath caught when she saw him and she nearly dropped her beer. “You look good,” she said a tiny smile curling her lips, “but your tie’s crooked.” She put the bottle on the kitchen island and reached to straighten it. He didn’t protest just watched her face as she bit her lip. “There,” she said patting his chest with both hands, “Behave.” He had kept his promise, despite Bethany’s attempts otherwise.

His heart clenched at the memory, and an image formed in his mind, fueled by the Disney movies he secretly cherished. He waited as Elle descend the stairs, sparkling like a princess in the light. He imagined holding her in his arms as they twirled around the dancefloor. His mother was a dancer and she had taught her boys how to do it right. No lazy swaying in her household. Her boys were gentlemen, and Chris could waltz. The skills were wasted on Bethany, who spent her time taking selfies and getting plastered. He willed the memory to be replaced by the one he imagined.

He didn’t even realize what he was doing until Elle giggled, “What are you humming?”

He had been swaying ever so slightly to the beat, " ‘Moon River.’ ”

“You know ‘Moon River,’ ” she asked, a bit surprised.

He huffed, “There’re a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Pushing to his feet, he pulled out his phone and began tapping. She glared at him wondering what could be so important on that phone that he would walk away. Suddenly, a melodic trill filled the air as the phone connected to the speakers in the yard. Now, she was really confused. Setting the phone on the patio table, he held out his hand, “May I?” Blushing furiously, she took his hand and let him pull her up. To her surprise, he assumed a perfect ballroom hold. Then, with a smirk he called out, “Hey, Siri. Play ‘Moon River’ by Henry Mancini.”

The song began and he lead her into a waltz. The look in her eyes was a mix of astonishment and pure joy. They danced without a care, as if there wasn’t a frat party going on only yards away. Chris wasn’t what she had expected him to be. He was more than your typical frat boy, more than your typical boy. He was surprising and she couldn’t wait to learn more of his secrets. “Well, Christopher,” she laughed, “what other talents are you hiding?”

He smiled, “In time, m’lady. In time,” and gave her a twirl. As the song ended, he pulled her close and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “This,” he said resting his forehead against hers, “is how it should feel.” They stood for a while enjoying the moment. Then he moved suddenly, leaning to the side, and hooked his arm behind her knees. She squealed as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the swing. Sitting down, he rested her in his lap and began to slowly push the swing back and forth. She nuzzled into his neck as his arms tightened around her, agreeing that this was exactly how it should feel.

Tagging: @sfreeborn and @katiew1973

#my fic #Chris Evans #Frat Boy!Chris #frat boy lumberjack #Chris x OFC #Sebastian Stan #Frat Boy!Sebastian #Sebastian x OFC

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