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loves0phelia · 7 months ago

Note

hi could you rewrite the scene in ep 6 season 2 where Electra (now y/n) and Matt kiss to not get caught by security but add your own twist please? :)))

Faking Kiss

Summery: After years you and Matt meet again during a mission?

Words: 3.1k

Warning: Spicy (not smut), violence, grammar mistakes.

A/N: Thank you for requesting i love this scene!

While girls your age were learning to ride bikes or learning how to count to one hundred you were taught how to take a punch.

The people who had taken you from your family had taken away your childhood. You never got to dress up for Halloween, to go out and knock on people’s doors for candies. You never fell asleep to your mother singing you a lullaby. You never got to sit in a class along with other kids to learn.

You watch kids do all those things while you were perched on a roof with a sniper in hand. You dreamed of being like them. You needed to be free.

As you grew up you started gaining interest in law and justice so you stole books from local libraries while you were supposed to be on missions to kill and read, read and read again. You taught yourself everything you needed to know.

At the age of 17, you took the opportunity to run away. After reading various magazines about college and teenage life you created yourself a name, a life. Before that, all you were was a number amongst others.

During a mission, targeting a wealthy man, you removed the tracker in your neck, changed into civilian clothing, and stowed away your black leather suit in your backpack

Immediately after losing contact with you, the men you worked for began looking for you. For two years you stayed hidden, away from the radar, until at 19 you applied to college.

Since your escape, your once-short hair had grown long, your body changed, seamlessly blending you into society. With fake birth certificates, you became Y/N Y/L/N without any complications. Your fraud skills even secured you a spot at Columbia University in New York. Admittedly, it may have been risky, but you desired more than anything, to pursue law and justice, to help others unlike those who had disappointed you.

During college, you made your first friends. Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson. It was everything you ever dreamed of.

COLLEGE MEMORY

A very drunk guy with dirty blond hair laughed loudly as he swayed side to side with a white walking cane he held for support.

“Watch out everybody! I'm blind, Matt Murdock!” he laughed, still walking like he had 5 shots of vodka in his system.

“Most people just say- Matt Murdock” The brunette who wore sunglasses, held his stomach as he laughed.

“I look like most people?” he asked genuinely.

“I don't know, I can't see” The blind guy answered in a cocky way, proud of his joke.

“Well at the moment that might be a blessing, because I'm the only one who can see the beautiful girl in front of us” That's what made you look up from your newly bought law book, that you had bought with your very own money. It was the first book you didn't steal from the library since you ran away and you were fascinated by it.

“Oh?” The blind student stopped abruptly just like his friend had done.

“Hi,” The blond said, catching you off guard. Nobody had yet to try and talk to you on campus since school started about a month ago.

You looked behind you to make sure he was talking to you and when you realized he was you answered his greetings. Your voice came out more like a whisper.

“Are you studying on a Saturday night?!” He yelled when he noticed the book on your knees that you were previously reading. You nodded and he gasped.

"Hey, Foggy, maybe we should give that a shot too," suggested the other, the extroverted one objected immediately.

“So beautiful lady, I'm Foggy and this boring one over here is Matt what's your name?” his eyebrows wiggled like gummy worms as he flirted making you giggle.

You didn't know that Matt was starstruck by you. Your laugh, your scent and your aura were something right out of his dreams.

You gave them your name and like you guys were friends for years, Foggy extended his hand down to you asking you to accompany them on a night of, and you quote, “mischievous adventures”

You grabbed his hand and he pulled you up to your feet before you guys started walking nowhere but everywhere at the same time.

As the night ended and the sun started waking, you walked to their dorm and when you entered, you watched Matt help Foggy into his bed like a toddler who had fallen asleep on the ride back home from the amusement park.

You chuckled as you watched him struggle, and a few minutes later, Matt and you quietly slipped out into the hallway.

“Hopefully we'll see you soon?” His hand brushed yours. You thought it was by accident but if only you knew how Matt had desperately tried to touch a part of your body all night.

“Of course” Your smile was shy. You couldn't understand the strange fluttering feeling in your stomach as he looked at you. It was like something you had never experienced before.

After that night you three spent the integrality of the college year stuck together like glue. Every Saturday day was destined to hang out. Matt and you came so close to admitting your feelings but just as you were about to, they found you.

Freshly graduated, diploma in hand, you strode proudly toward the rendezvous point Foggy and Matt had designated. As you rounded the concrete wall outside, you spotted a car with tinted windows. Even though the car seemed inconspicuous, your heart sank as you noticed four men standing beside it. Locking eyes with one of them, a chill ran down your spine as the man pointed directly at you. Without hesitation, they all sprang into action, sprinting in your direction.

You dropped everything. Your diploma you were so proud of, your backpack with the books you had bought and your life.

END

Each passing year saw you found yourself in new cities or even countries, determined to evade their pursuit. But fate seemed to have other plans when you discovered yourself in Hell's Kitchen at the same time as them. Now, it was your chance to turn the tables and finally catch them.

You mapped out their plan and you found out they were organizing a gala to target parents with children they could steal and turn into their hit man.

You dressed up in the prettiest silk white dress you could find, your hair, now dyed in a different colour, was half up and half down curled and even though your features had changed a lot since your college years you applied makeup to make you unrecognizable.

You entered the gala with no problem. You were trained well you knew better than to get caught the first second.

Soft music and the clinking of champagne glasses rang in your head as you slipped away from the scene. You had to find out where they were keeping the children and you needed information. You knew exactly where to get it.

In a vault, in the boss's office. You would find the exact location.

You spotted a bodyguard, guarding the elevator as you made your way to it. You could have taken the stairs but you needed to be the least suspicious possible.

"Sorry, ma'am, but upstairs is off-limits, restricted area," he informed you, eyeing you up and down, prompting you to fake a pout in response.

“Ugh, the bathroom downstairs is all taken and I have to fix my lipstick, really bad” You crossed your arm under your chest purposely putting on display your breast.

You smirked when his eyes shifted to take a look.

“If it's just for lipstick I guess I can make an exception.”

"Seriously? You're an angel," you beamed, giving his arms a playful rub as he obligingly pressed the floor button. With a ding, the doors slid open, allowing you to step inside. As the doors closed behind you, a smirk crept onto your face. It was too easy, as always.

Now on the upper floor, you began looking everywhere for what could be the main office.

Your heels echoed loudly on the floor, earning a frustrated groan from you. Why did they have to be so loud?

You tried walking more discreetly until you bumped into a muscular body. The impact made your hair fall in front of your eyes, shielding your vision. His hands grabbed your forearms and before you could try to beat the man you were pushed against the wall in a dark hallway.

As his hand loosened, you quickly pushed your hair out of your face. Your eyes widened in surprise as you recognized the man you had bumped into.

“Matt?” You barely finished the word before his hand was on your mouth preventing you from uttering another word.

“Someone is coming” You stopped mumbling beneath his hand to be let free after he whispered in your ear. Everything was so silent you thought he was crazy until you heard the faint sound of boots approaching.

The guard paced down the dim hallway, clutching his weapon tightly, while you and Matt stood in the shadows. After he passed, you exhaled in relief as Matt gently released his hand from your lips.

“Matt,” you said, dumbfounded. Between all the people you could've run into it had to be him. The guy who you left behind without any explanation.

“You shouldn't be here y/n, it's dangerous,” He said and your brows furrowed. How had he recognized you?

“How did you know it's me?” you asked and he shook his head.

“It doesn't matter, you need to leave. These people who organized this gala are bad.”

“I know Matt, I'm here to stop them” You admitted it wasn't time to come up with a lie. Even behind his glasses, you could see the confusion etched on his face.

“How did you know about them?”

“Why are you here?” You both speak over each other and before you could let him talk again his head snapped to the side, listening to something you couldn't hear.

“One of the guards is talking about you”

“How do you know that-” he shushed you and continued.

“He says you went to apply your lipstick but never came down?” he said, making you groan, you had taken too much time talking with him.

“It's a dumb excuse I used to get up here. Now if you would excuse me I have something to do” You pushed him gently out of your way and went to walk out of the hallway he had pulled you into. His hand quickly grabbed on to your arm again tugging you back.

"You follow me," he growled into your ear and then started walking. You couldn't quite explain why you trusted a blind man to lead you, but you did.

Almost like he knew exactly what you were looking for, he pushed open the door to the main office you were targeting. Flipping the light switch, the room flooded with brightness, light bouncing off mirrors to create an almost blinding effect.

You began opening every door, every drawer looking for the piece of information you needed. But you saw no signs of a vault or anything of the sort. You grabbed your hair in frustration.

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

“Information where the kids they have captive might be. It was supposed to be in a vault in this exact room but I can't find anything”

“How do you know about the kids”

“Because I was one of them” he listened to your heartbeat, he knew you weren't lying.

He wanted to ask more questions but he knew it wasn't the right time. You were running out of time, not gaining.

As he concentrated on the beat of your heart a harsh buzzing interfered with the soft sound.

He walked and touched the bookshelf with his fingers. He could hear the electricity travelling in the walls.

He felt an interruption in the current when his finger grazed an old Shakespeare book. He pulled it down, and a secret door revealed itself.

“Holy shit, how did you know?” you smiled and walked into the tiny space the door that previously opened allowed you to walk in.

“I could hear the signal”

“Through the walls?”

"I can hear a lot of things. Look in this drawer," he directed, saving you the trouble of opening every single one by pointing you to the correct drawer.

The paper with all the information you needed was on top of the files and books. Not very well hidden.

“We have to go, now” You folded the paper and quickly shoved it inside your bra.

You both ran in the main hallway but before you could get to the elevator an alarm started blaring and blue lights flashed. Matt grabbed your hand and dragged you to an empty conference room and through the frosted glass you could see multiple shadows with guns searching for you.

“You have to stay behind me okay? I don't want you to get hurt” You say before tying your hair up.

"Oh, I know how to fight, sweetheart," he declared just before the men barged into the room where you were hiding. Without hesitation, Matt slid over the table and delivered a kick to one of them in the face.

Impressed but confused you had a sudden surge of energy, you sprang into action, fists flying and they clashed into jaws and noses. The room echoed with the sound of impact as yours and Matt’s strikes landed with an intense force.

Your movements were fluid and precise as you used your kicks and punches against the attackers. You and Matt fought as one, your movements synchronized almost perfectly.

And when the last men fell, defeated and broken, you both stood almost unarmed. But not for long.

you ran to the next level almost getting caught once again. However, you managed to hide again in another room. That's when the idea came to you.

“Kiss me” you whispered as you started to pull down your hair from your ponytail, making them cascade messily down your back.

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowing as he struggled to process what you said.

"Kiss me, Matt, please," you pleaded. Without hesitation, he captured your lips with his own.

As you kissed, you instinctively reached for his tie and pulled it. Your hands unbuttoned his shirt and you whispered against his lips.

“Act like we're having sex and act drunk” his lips went to your neck and his tongue laid against your pulse. You moaned loudly, exaggerating it a little. Without needing to say anything his hand gripped your waist and lifted you on the table you were leaning on. His hands went higher and higher until he was pulling down the straps of your dress. At the same time, you lifted your leg and put it around his hip and his free hand grabbed it and squeezed the skin. His mouth came back to yours and he kissed you until you couldn't breathe.

You let out another moan of his name when the guards entered and put you both at gunpoint.

“Don't move!” he yelled.

You and Matt put on a show of surprise. Giggling, you swayed on your feet, mimicking the unsteady movements of someone who had too much to drink.

“We are so sorry,” Matt said out of breath and tried buttoning his white shirt.

“We thought we could sneak in here… we'll be right out of here” he laughed before turning and the man grabbed his collar and pushed him roughly. Your heart rate elevated when you saw this.

“Be careful with him!” You said as you tried to wipe the red stain of lipstick that had smudged on your chin.

As the man restrained Matt, he aimed his flashlight directly at his unseeing eyes, prompting an eye roll from Matt that spoke volumes.

Meanwhile, the second guard firmly gripped your arm, holding you in place. With a nod, the guard said in his walkie-talkie that the situation was under control and that neither you nor Matt was a threat.

“You need to leave,” he said and Matt continued apologizing before earning a firm “ Now!” from the man.

You grabbed his hand and walked away from them with a small laugh. You both walked to the now working elevator and entered with nothing opposing,

“I don't know what you are Matt Murdock but you're not human” You laughed when the door closed. “You can hear through walls and fight while also being blind?” You heard him snort after you finished your sentence.

"We have a lot to talk about," Matt murmured as the doors of the elevator opened, lacing your hands and sharing a light-hearted chuckle at the absurdity of the evening. You both walked out of the Gala.

Making your way to your car, you glanced at Matt, wordlessly telling him your desire for him to join you. Without a word, he understood, falling into step beside you as you unlocked the car door.

You settled into the driver's seat, and he quietly took his place beside you. A moment of comfortable silence passed before you broke it with a teasing tone.

"Are you going to tell me how you did all that?"

He met your gaze, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Are you going to tell me why you disappeared?"

"If you spill your secrets first." you shrugged.

"Fine, I'm Daredevil," he confessed.

"What?!" your eyes grew three sizes and he simply nodded.

“I have so many questions,” you said as you wondered,

“Your turn” he grinned.

"Remember I told you those men raised me as a child earlier?" you began, your voice trembling a little. "Well, I ran away, and on the day of graduation because they found me. I had to leave everything behind. I loved you guys so much, Matt. I never wanted to leave, but I didn't have a choice."

With each word you spoke, he could feel the sincerity in your voice, and not once did your heart falter or deceive.

His hand grabbed yours for the millionth time that night.

"I was so lost without you," Matt confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Me too," you replied softly.

"I don't want to lose you again," Matt admitted, his voice filled with a quiet intensity.

You intertwined your fingers in a silent promise. "You won't," you assured him.

At that moment, as you sat together in the car, you knew that you had overcome the past. Nothing would separate you and Matt. If anyone or anything tried to pull you apart you would fight it together.

#matt murdock fluff #daredevil born again #matt murdock angst #matt murdock imagine #matt murdock x vigilante!reader #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock fanfiction #matt murdock #matt murdock x y/n #matt murdock x you

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boozenboze · 1 year ago

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Some Sunny Day

Summary: We all know Captain Price and how he is described to be a crotchety soldier who has been through a lot. So what would the loss of someone special to him effect him Side Note- This occurs before Task Force 141 is formed and when Price was a lieutenant. Warning: Angst

Females, She/Her She/They DNI Being in the Military is a job that will cause pain, loss, camaraderie, and friendships that may at some point be broken. Price is a well versed man in this category, having been in the Military for 18 years of his life. He has watched many of his brothers and sister fall on the field, and it melded him into the man he is now. During his upbringing, there was one person that had been strong enough, one person that he had known when he first enlisted in the Military. C/n, also known as M/n L/n, had joined the Military around the same time period of Price. They've grown a lot from the time they had first joined, and they've been by each others side for years. Through high and low they comforted, defended, supported, and overall cared for one another.

When they were given time off, they would use that time off to find solace in one another's presence. Price would read a book, enjoying the peace and quiet of the room while M/n would lean his head on his shoulder, either falling asleep or reading the book along with Price. They would also have a specific time, 8:37 p.m exact, to be able to enjoy a cup of tea together at the end of a long day. The way his h/c hair framed his face was something that never failed to captivate Price, and the way he never failed to lighten the mood also drawn Price to him. The two men, when on leave from the base, usually go to the beach or just stay at a hotel for more...private time.

When on the field, Price would be keeping a lookout for any dangers that could potentially harm his comrades, and especially M/n. Even when knowing M/n was a tough cookie and could handle himself he never failed to call out for him on the radios, just to ensure he was alright. Even when the s/c skinned male got injured, he always smiled through the pain, as a way to give reassurance that he'd be fine. Their relationship was something that a lot of people would dream of having.

Although

Nothing can truly last forever

//////

It was chaos, the smell of smoke and the sound of gunfire was the only thing that filled M/n's senses as he hid behind a low wall. He was in the main building that The mission went terribly wrong, leading to buildings being destroyed, soldiers on both sides being KIA, and smoke making it hard to breath. M/n had been injured, badly, due to the fact that he was in the middle of the crossfire.

He sustained 2 gunshot wounds, one being in the leg and the other being in his side. He reloaded his sniper rifle and fired it again, despite the nasty feeling of his own blood oozing from his side, making him feel dizzy. He could hear the sound of Price's voice cutting through on the comms system, but due too all the noise going on around him plus the feeling of slowly drifting away didn't help. His grip on his weapon faltered as his body began to give into the exhaustion and pain.

//////

Price could be heard barking orders, his comrades all retreating and about to depart from the field when he realized. M/n was still in the collapsing building, so in a rush he began to yell into his radio, calling for his fellow soldier, his friend....., his lover....He could hear the sound of static coming through on his radio, an ounce of hope filling him.

He moved so quick on his feet, knowing he was short on time to find M/n and get out of the area safely. There was fire, the crackles drowning out the sound of enemy soldiers footsteps as he stumbled into a room.

There he was, laying lifeless on the ground. Price had has his fair share of times when his blood went cold, but this was on another level. He took one, then two, three steps before dropping to his knees and frantically cradling M/n's body. He felt for a pulse, and there was one.....a very weak one.

"Come on sergeant we're getting outta here!" Price ordered, his tone serious and seemingly unaffected but his expression said otherwise. He began to pick M/n up but the sound the e/c eyed male let out made his heart ache, the other man was in pain and that was clear. He gently set him down again, thoughts racing as he tried to think of how he could get M/n out safely. The sound of an pained cry alerted the remaining enemy soldiers, making them go in the direction where M/n and Price were. M/n, in his barely conscious state was able to hear the footsteps, and used whatever strength he had left to push himself up against some crates behind him.

"P-price...you need to go.." M/n said, looking at Price who had a look of perseverance on his face. He knelt down next to M/n, cupping his face.

"I'm not leaving you muppet, we're gettin' out of this to-" Price was cut off, M/n's voice cutting through his words

"No....no, there's not enough time." M/n croaked, undoing his dog-tag and holding it out for Price to take, a smile on his face as blood came from his mouth. "You need to go, love, go..."

Price stared at M/n's weakened form, the chains of his dog tag dangling from the openings of his fingers, the smile he was giving. His heart was breaking, his breathing becoming labored as he shakily took M/n's hand, taking his dog-tag, and holding the males hand tight. He didn't want to let go, not yet, not ever, but it seems that the world was against him like every other time. He slowly brought M/n hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss upon it before resting the males hand down gently, watching as his breathing began to slow.

He couldn't watch, and as the enemy began to approach Price ran for it, didn't look back despite how much it hurt not too. He gripped the dog tag, regrouping with the remainder team. Inside the truck, Price kept his gaze to the floor, gently tracing the writing graved into M/n's dog tag. He stayed silent, not saying a word.

//////(Present day)//////

Price was in his office, looking through files, signing paperwork, overall doing his usual duties as captain. He was tired, still carrying a lot of hurt and guilt on his shoulders after all that.s happen during his upbringing in the military. Though there was one thing that kept him going, that made him not give up.

After finishing up his work, Price got up to make a cup of tea. He boiled some water in a kettle, grabbed his favorite tea, and tea-cup. He then poured the hot water into the cup, unwrapping and placing the tea bag inside. He watched the tea leaves stain the water a cool brown color, before adding some lemon and a tad bit of sugar. He brought the cup to his lips, sipping the drink slowly, savoring the taste and smell. Small things like this never failed to bring back memories, which caused him to sigh, a brief chuckle leaving his lips as his hand went to grip M/n's dog tag. He pulled it out of his shirt, eyes softening as he gently traced the letters of M/n's name. Gaz and Soap were always nosy, pestering Price about why he has two dog-tags ever since he first got seen with it. He wouldn't get specific, but he would say it belonged to someone very..very special to him. He wore it for comfort, for reassurance, for hope. Hope that some day, he and his true love would finally meet again, some sunny day....

//////

A/n: Hi 🙂

#cod x male reader #gay #mw2 x male reader #male reader #captain price x male reader #lgbtq #john price x male reader

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callsign-mustang · 2 months ago

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Figure you out

Figuring them out… that’s all he could think about. Sure, he learned their favorite bands, their favorite color, those little books they read thinking no one knew, studying their expressions when anyone spoke, observing their every single movement… following the little sergeant as they went about their days like it was all he lived for. Their stupid significant other… they were a damning reminder the sergeant wasn’t his… yet.

His presence was like a shadow they never saw, looming over them but never seen. Learning it all… dedicating days to ensuring they were always in sight… sacrificing nights of sleep to watch them from the window. It was like a tumor, growing… gnawing at his insides as a rabid beast would a meal.

Konig felt a hole burning in his throat from the vitriol he had to choke down when their partner would come to call. They knew nothing of his sergeant. Stupidly choosing the table right beside his as he pretended to type up reports and the like on his laptop. Yes, he was typing something up. But it was not at all work related.

As the partner held out a bouquet of flowers, he was thankful for his sniper hood as it hid his sneer. Quickly returning to his laptop to hide his reaction, not before he caught a glimpse of Reader… wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t trained himself to notice every single detail of their expressions. The twitch of their brow, the pause before giving a big smile.

-You’re faking… you hate roses… you think they’re cliché… why do you act like this? You like Dahlias… black dahlias… I remember, *Schatz*…-

‘Got you a ticket to that artist, hopefully you will have leave then so we can go together, Honey.’ The way he said it… Konig knew he had gotten the tickets in good faith.

-Oh, how stupid is he? You hate rap… you like indie bands because you had a phase in high school… you like rock because it reminds you of nights at home with your parents… you like old country… quit pretending… he doesn’t know you, not like I do…-

By the end of the hours long visit with Reader’s partner, Konig had a pages long rant of the incident typed out on his laptop. He reread it over and over. Why was reader still with this partner? He didn’t know them like he did. He knew what they liked….

The truth was that he didn’t even think Reader’s partner knew them. Talking so incessantly about *his* dreams, *His* friends, *His* accomplishments that Reader didn’t even get to speak about what they’d done. Oh, what Konig would have done just to have the sweet Sergeant utter a single word to him, to acknowledge him… he felt like a pathetic fool, vying for the attention of a soldier who didn’t even know he existed. This is what reader reduced him to… and honestly? He didn’t care.

He was the one who got to see them at their most vulnerable… at their most confident. He was the one there when they took their first life in the field, when they went through the stages of acceptance. He saw them in that primal state of protective instinct for their team, the look in their eyes when they did all they could to save a fallen comrade. In his eyes, they’d never looked so perfect…

He never could understand why a civilian would bother with a relationship with soldier if they couldn’t cope with the fact that a soldier’s job wasn’t all flags and salutes. The Colonel wanted to feel sorry… to feel bad that the man had left her… but he couldn’t. All he could feel was a sense of excitement, of hope and elation. ‘You killed someone. I can’t get past that… I’m sorry.’ That was all he knew of the call with Reader’s call to their partner after the fact.

Konig had been the one to comfort them, savoring the feeling of holding them for that moment. Doing all he could to ease the pain they felt… some twisted part of him enjoying how they clung to him for security. This hug was so much longer than the ones Reader ever shared with their partner. His gloved hands instinctively rubbing at her back, caressing their hair as he spoke comforting words.

-It’s okay, *Mein Schatz*… it’s okay…-

Murmuring sweet words to make them stop shuddering and sobbing. Glaring daggers at any of the others who dared come close to the sergeant during this time of vulnerability. He could imagine himself holding them in a different setting, wooing them with the knowledge he’d gathered these past months. He’d be a much better partner than the former ever could be, more attentive, more supportive. The feeling of them in his arms was almost too much… the murmurs turning from words of comfort to the things he’d longed to say since the first time he watched them.

-I could love you so much better than he could… loving you… is easy… and it’s what I’m made for, *Schatz*… just say the word and I am yours…-

#konig fanfiction #konig call of duty #konig mw2 #konig cod #konig modern warfare #konig x reader #basedoffasong #Spotify

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thedragonchilde · 4 months ago

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Going back and making notes for the first dozen episodes, since I downloaded the series! Here I have 1-6

"Gundam Fight Begins! The Gundam That Fell to Earth"

-some prime worldbuilding opportunities already!

-Domon’s first smile of the series is toward a child :)

-I wish we'd gotten more of Rain’s gadgets

-if these kids lost their parents in the last Gundam Fight, Sophia would've had to be just a baby. These boys raised a baby!

-we never get more on how the KoH title (and by extension the rest of the Shuffle Alliance) is actually known to belong to an elite fighter

-it's a shame that Michelo is such a hate sink because he's regrettably quite fashionable

"Roar of the Winning Punch"

-second episode, second instance of Domon in a bar. Is that whiskey?

-when the hell did he have time for 100 bouts? Even if you fudged his age, that doesn't make sense. They have to be counting practice or something

-Chibodee does NOT take embarrassment well

-and this is why they're rivals - that was a solid punch!

-ah, the shady government officials, who assassinate rival fighters and… hypnotize/brainwash people?

-little Chibodee!

-why is Mount Rushmore on the colony?

-the phallic sword positioning makes its debut

-”we'll eliminate you as well!” Damn, okay

-how can she know what Domon's suit-up sequence looks like and call Chibodee the showoff

-“Oh yeah”

-”why don't you just finish me off/I bet you pity me/my dream is now over” shit, the “Star of Hope” isn't very optimistic, though I guess that appellation was given to him to live up to rather than him choosing it

-he doesn't get why the crowd is encouraging him, let alone Domon. Oh honey

-”you're one of the good guys” hee :)

"Beat the Dragon Gundam"

-Sai, why are you sleeping in the road

-you little shit

-lol Chinese Gundams and water

-there's a lot of moving parts in this plot so I feel like I don't have much to say

-besides various versions of “you little shit”

-a draw! Nice to see Domon not winning handily

"Challenge! The Red Rose Knight!"

-They actually designed a Sand family crest

-ah, early installment weirdness, Raymond (or his lookalike) is with the princess

-DAMMIT DOMON

-is George psychically interfacing with his Gundam? Like, he's not in it, and he doesn't have a remote. Voice activation? And he's able to stand on it while it's moving, that's some A+ balance

-what is that bottle? Booze again?

-is he gently shooting her down or is he just oblivious? Probably the latter, since he's confused that she didn't want to listen to him wax poetic about his Gundam

-Marie-Louise how did you come up with this

-okay Domon going along with the plan is actually pretty funny

-who makes a toilet with an outside lock

-”I see nothing before me with the exception of this man” das gay

-he's not going to finish you, George, because that would mean you'd let go of the tower

-the French in that letter actually kind of sucked. And with @amplexadversary's headcanon that Domon is a polyglot, I wonder if he theoretically could have written it

"Great Escape! A Captive Gundam Fighter"

-“Why are there names of countries on this?” How do you know how to read Japanese?

-oh, this will be a huge scandal when it gets out

-for someone his size, Argo is quick as hell, being able to knock Domon out of the sniper's way

-okay, is Nastasha military or law enforcement?

-the eternal question: are suit-ups usually like this and just truncated for time, or is it only that difficult for Domon?

-Nastasha is a little turned on by being talked back to

-is it an asylum or a prison??

"Fight, Domon! Earth is the Ring"

-Kyoji shows more outright attraction to Rain than Domon does :P

-Domon gushing about Master is adorable

-saved by the mom! I'm guessing Domon didn't want to talk about the science stuff he could never get into

-so the finger snap activation is a Kasshu trait

-more early installment weirdness, with evil!Karato and an alternate explanation for Ulube’s mask

#g gundam #thinky thoughts #series notes #meta

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kneelingshadowsalome · 1 year ago

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This is my third time in your inbox, I'm so sorry 💀💀

Can we get more insight on Konigs childhood? You mentioned abuse from his father. What exactly did he do to Konig and his mother? Why did he cut his face up? Why did his mother not leave him? Where are his parents now? Was his childhood the reason he joined the military? Will he fully open up to the reader abt it?

Ty for tolerating me 😭🙏🏾

Please. My inbox is always, always open and I love these questions! (Like... someone wants to hear my ramblings about mentally unstable, fictional men?? You are godsend, my friend 💖)

Thoughts on König's childhood:

CW/TW: emotional, verbal & physical abuse, talk of personality disorders (by someone who is not a psychologist lmao), aggravated assault/murder, self-hate

So, I wrote König as a sociopath (otherwise known as antisocial personality disorder) with borderline pd. He's also neurodivergent (prob. ADHD). Now I don't know shit about these things but I tried my best to do some research on different pds and neurodiversity and thought this potpourri might fit well in König's character profile.

Unlike psychopaths, sociopaths are made, not born. So his dad had a definite hand in creating one out of König. He thought his only son (K is an only child in my canon) was a freak because he was bigger than "normal" kids, tall and lithe and on top of everything else, behaved oddly. König was bullied at school which made him even more asocial and anxious, which in turn made his dad project his own insecurities onto König even more. He needed to imprint it on König that he's a freak by cutting him.

There was a strict routine and order in his childhood home: dinner was to be served at 6'o clock sharp, every piece of clothing had to be pedantically ironed, no tv past seven, etc. Any misstep on these rules and there would be violence, mainly verbal and emotional but at times, physical too. König's mother was never enough, nothing she did was ever enough. König for sure did everything wrong by simply existing. For a boy of his size, he learned to become surprisingly invisible at a very young age.

Sometime during his teenage years, he started to have enough. He started to rebel, learned how to walk tall and straight, started to jog and train inside his room, do 100 pushups every morning. The idea of joining the army was born during these times as well, and becoming a sniper was soon König's biggest dream.

He enjoyed when his schoolmates, even some of the teachers, began to fear him (if you cannot be loved, better be feared than ridiculed). He was the odd, silent, big freak who was only getting odder, bigger and more silent every day. People at school literally feared the day König would arrive at class with a gun.

His father started to cut him even more when he began to show signs of independence and grit. At some point König realized he could easily beat his own dad if he wanted to. At 15 he started to go to the gym, and a year after, when he saw his father yell at his mom about something utterly insignificant, he finally snapped, took a simple kitchen knife and drove it to daddy's ribs (16 times).

His mother had a tiny mental breakdown after that. She didn't want her child to get into trouble, but seeing such a violent murder was the last straw for a woman who had tried to keep the peace by playing by this crazy tyrant's rules. The reason she hadn't left was because she feared he might kill them both. (Also the breakdown was far more severe than the one reader had after the break room incident, and it def. brought back some not so fond memories)

König got the minimum penalty for the crime because he was a juvenile offender. His mother forgave her child quite soon and deemed that her husband was evil and that König did the right thing for freeing them from such a man.

Things got better after that, but his mother was forever damaged from everything that had happened. She began to blame herself for not divorcing her husband sooner, for then he would still be alive and König wouldn't have suffered so much in his hands. One of the reasons König started to wear the hood was because he didn't want to remind his mother of what had been done to him. Instead, the mask only caused her only more pain. She started to avoid her own child, even fear him, feeding into König's insecurities and anxiety even more.

When König finally joined the army at the age of 17, it was to get away from home and pursue his dreams to become a sniper. He thought it might be best for his mother, too, if he wasn't around the house to remind her what had gone down and how her only child was not only a monster, but a murderer, too.

König's childhood is so filled with trauma that he has pretty much distanced himself from it. The geographical distance helps too, and he's not keen on taking reader on a vacation to Austria, for example. But he will open up about his past if and when he sees it's safe to do so. Sadly enough, the thing that bugs him the most about it is he fears he might look weak in reader's eyes. He's been in a survival mode for so long that he doesn't quite understand that he was a child at the time, and should've received love and care.

Btw I totally got inspired by @random-thot-generator 's gospel truth on how König's first kill was his own father! Also the Conan t-shirt as his (first) mask is my canon now

#answered #könig headcanons #just friends fic #yandere könig

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normal-thoughts-official · 2 years ago

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Hopping off that last post slightly to say that I also think a good part of the reason Joe can afford to still feel everything so intensely is because of Nicky. Not just because of the obvious part where they are both sickeningly in love and have been for thousands of years without ever feeling it any less, but also because I think Nicky built a dynamic with him that allows Joe to stay so passionate

(There's more than just that, obviously, such as the fact that the group NEEDS someone like Joe, who isn't jaded or cool headed, but I already talked about that on the other post)

Nicky is the ice. That's a fact. He's not cold as in unfeeling but he is extremely cool headed. The greatest example of that, in my opinion, is the way he treats Booker after his betrayal: while Joe rages and screams at him, Nicky just tells him to leave it. You'd think that he isn't mad, but in the end, Nicky is the only one who doesn't say goodbye to Booker. Nile talks to him at the bar. Andy tells him about his punishment and hugs him. Even Joe looks back and gives him a nod, despite his anger. Nicky doesn't acknowledge him. I don't think he looks at him or talks to him once after they learn about the betrayal. He isn't telling Joe to leave it because he isn't pissed; he is saying it because now is not the time and they need to focus on getting out of the lab. Rationality first, feelings later. The goal always comes first to Nicky. He's a sniper, he's calculating, he's steady. It's the main mark of his character, in my opinion

So, he provides the steadiness that Joe needs, which allows Joe to not become quite as steady himself

I see that in pretty objective, practical ways - their dynamic in battle being the most obvious example. I am once again bringing up the battle outfits; Joe is more focused on his damn baseball cap than on packing his weapons. He puts his scimitar on his back (completely impractical) and then also tries to carry a bag slung over one shoulder (that keeps bumping into the scimitar and going back and he needs to keep readjusting it in a never ending battle with his own setup). He has like one gun on him. Meanwhile Nicky is Weapons Georg-ing his way through the desert like nobody's business. And then we see that half of these weapons are meant for Joe. Nicky is so attuned that he knows instinctively when Joe has ran out of bullets and he passes him guns without either of them even needing to look at each other, much less say anything; it's completely obvious that this is something they have been doing for centuries, that it comes naturally to them. If Nicky weren't there to give Joe weapons, Joe would have to have an ounce of practicality and keep his love for the vibes at bay long enough to pack efficiently. But Nicky IS there, and so Joe can afford to be the dorky, somewhat carefree man that Nicky adores, and bring some levity as they are heading to their mission (his cocky, teasing little smile as they are in the helicopter, for example)

If Nicky weren't there to stay between Joe and the door, if Nicky didn't sleep with a gun in his hand, then Joe would have to. But he does, so Joe doesn't, which allows him to dream peacefully and without worrying too much about whatever nonsense might be heading their way. I could keep going, but you get the picture: Joe would have had to keep more of a lid on his feelings if Nicky weren't there to take care of the practical problems that demand a cooler head

(And just to be extra clear, by that I don't mean that Joe is a Hotheaded Angry Brown Man and Nicky is The Voice Of Reason. I mean that Joe is a romantic and an artist, someone who's very in touch with his feelings and open about feeling them, which makes him uniquely vulnerable in their line of work. And that Nicky, knowing that, covers his blind spots)

And Joe, in turn, covers Nicky's blind spots as well, of course. He's the one (quite literally) holding Nicky together, making sure he doesn't let that overly rational head of his get the better of him and bury his feelings too far. Where Nicky hands Joe weapons, Joe finishes off Nicky's kills; most of the time, when they're fighting together, it's Nicky incapacitating people and then throwing them over his shoulder so Joe can kill them. That always stood out to me, because we know that none of them like killing; I think this is Joe's way of shouldering that weight for Nicky, making sure he has less to worry about and feel bad for, too

I used to think that Joe was the emotional protector and Nicky was the physical protector because of that (like, obviously both do both, but this was the role they took most prevalently). But the more I think about it, the more I realize that Nicky is also protecting Joe's feelings; because Joe doesn't have to grow more jaded and cool and rational if Nicky can do that for him. So he can continue to be who he is - light, passionate, loving, intense, open, vulnerable - because Nicky's got his back. It's my personal headcanon that Nicky has vowed to himself that he'd do everything in his power to keep Joe from losing that spark in him, and he's making good on that promise

It's a very interestingly equal relationship, where they not only balance each other out, but in doing so, allow the other to remain who they are, because that stark difference is part of what they love about each other

#god i missed writing meta. it's been a while #the old guard #tog #yusuf al kaysani #joe the old guard #nicolò di genova #nicolo di genova #nicky the old guard #joe tog #nicky tog #kaysanova #joenicky #meta #long post #no tldr #no plain language

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 8 months ago

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Sweet dreams (part 1)

Usopp x reader. This is part one of two. This fic is dedicated to the lovely @ushoppu.

Neru means to sleep in Japanese - or at least I hope!

*****

There were three things Usopp was sure of, enough to bet his life on it.

First: three months after meeting her, he had a huge, undeniable crush on (name).

Second: if he did not declare his feelings soon, he would end up losing his mind.

Third: today was his chance.

At the very least, it had to be. Usopp had found out he was terrible at hiding his feelings, especially when (name) was involved. He had attempted to impress her with his stories, even more grandiose and absurd than those he had once recounted to Kaya, and only ended up making a fool of himself; also, for some puzzling reason, every time he did something with her, talked to her or even just found himself in her proximity, Usopp started stammering and became much more awkward and clumsy than he usually was - like the several plates he had let fall and break on the floor once that he and the object of his passion were helping Sanji clean up after dinner one day could attest.

Not that (name) had any fault for his behaviour; brave and strong-willed, she was also a kind, friendly girl, who never made fun of or criticised any of his shortcomings, but who always seemed interested in whatever Usopp did or said, and appeared to appreciate his company. They had become close friends in the three months since she had joined the crew; whether (name) would be interested in him as more than that, Usopp had no idea, but after dwelling on the matter for more than one sleepless night, and having noticed another man flirting with the girl on the last island the crew had made a stop on (fortunately she had ignored him, but the event had been enough to make Usopp realise that the girl might not remain single forever) he had decided it was time to make his move, if only to stop making a fool of himself every time he approached her. He would tell (name) he liked her, he really really did, and then perhaps he would discover his feelings were reciprocated… or perhaps they were not, and (name) would tell him she’d rather they remained good friends.

Which would be disappointing, but still better than nothing.

Fortunately, today the Straw Hat crew had set anchor in what was widely considered one of the most beautiful islands of the Sea, as well as a popular destination for couples’ holidays and weddings. Such a romantic place was probably the perfect place for his declaration, or at least, Usopp sincerely hoped, it would convince (name) to grant him at least one date, and consequently the opportunity to show her what an affectionate and attentive and protective boyfriend he could be. Usopp was ready to give his best shot: he had washed his hair, put on a new shirt, and even stolen some cologne from Sanji’s cabin; when he joined his friends on the deck to go ashore, his heart was beating hard enough in his chest he was sure the others could hear it.

Then he realised (name) was absent.

The day was relatively cold but clear, not a cloud threatening the almost blinding azure of the sky as the five young pirates gathered on the deck, the island’s little harbour behind them. Nami, standing near her beloved tangerine trees, was the first to speak. “Alright, we can go; if someone gets lost…” she started, glancing significantly at Zoro, who ignored her “We’ll meet here tonight. As far as I know there are no Marine bases on the island, but newspapers are delivered here, so let’s all be on our guard in case someone recognises Luffy.”

The small crew’s captain smiled proudly, as usual when someone mentioned his bounty; he took Usopp’s arm under his. “Right! Let’s go explore this island!” he exclaimed, but the sniper hesitated, glancing anxiously at the door behind him, the one closer to the girls’ cabin.

“Are we not waiting for (name)?”

“Oh, she’s not coming.”

“What?!”

Nami shrugged, as if to express that the decision had not been hers. “I thought she would come as well as usual, but she said that since we now have the treasure, it would be wise to keep one person on the ship at all times, in case a thief or another crew tries taking it.”

“We should take turns, then.” Sanji mentioned.

“That’s what I told her; but (name) said she was fine with staying the whole day, I don’t know why. Perhaps she has a book she wants to finish reading.”

(name) was an avid reader, regularly taking advantage of the Merry’s small library and buying new books on almost every island they docked at; Usopp respected that, as well as her commitment to keep their treasure safe given the fact she had provided them with the chance to acquire it. On the other hand, that was probably the worst occasion the girl could have chosen to have a day in…

Or maybe not?

“Well, we’ll bring her some food from the market.” Luffy said, clearly disappointed (name) would not join them but determined to enjoy the outing nonetheless “Let’s go, I wanna see what’s good to do around here…”

Usopp cleared his voice. “I think I’ll stay behind as well.” he said.

“What? Why?”

“Well, there are a few things I wanted to do… I’m building a new slingshot, and… I think I’m coming down with a cold, I’d better stay in for today…”

He was blabbering, and even though his dark complexion should have made it harder for his friends to see he was blushing, Usopp was sure Luffy and the others would easily see through his words; and indeed, a moment later he saw Zoro grin, while Sanji and Nami exchanged an amused glance.

“That’s good; you and (name) can keep each other company.” Luffy said. Usopp wondered whether his captain had also perceived his real intentions in deciding to remain on the Merry, or actually thought he was just worried for his health “Take care of the ship, you two.”

Usopp promised he -I mean, we- would; he looked at his friends departing towards the harbour, waving their hands and wishing him good luck for your new girlfriend - I mean, weapon, and hoped that good fortune was indeed on his side.

He returned below deck and, struck with inspiration, he reached the ship’s kitchen to prepare two cups of tea, choosing (name)’s favourite blend; he surely wasn’t as good as Sanji’s, but he hoped she’d appreciate it nonetheless. He’d knock on her cabin, and say Hey, I didn’t feel like going out either, wanna do something? Maybe we can fish, and… there is something important I wanted to talk to you about…

But (name) wasn’t in her cabin; Usopp found out when, after knocking for a while, and hearing no sound coming from inside the room, he opened the door just a little, and found it empty. Where could she have gone? To the toilet, perhaps? He could wait for her to return, hopefully before the tea got cold…

And finally (name) did return; Usopp saw her striding along the corridor, a determined expression on her pretty face. She stopped abruptly seeing him, clearly caught by surprise.

“Usopp… what are you doing here?” she asked; for a moment the sniper had the impression she was not happy to see him, at all “I thought you had left with the others?”

“W-well…” he stammered, forcing himself to swallow before quickly thinking back to the excuse he had used with the others only a few minutes before “I decided to stay in to work on my new weapon… and I made some tea for both! It is jasmine tea, your favourite.”

“Oh! Wow, I didn’t…”

For a few seconds, (name) clearly struggled to decide how to react; then, finally and to the huge relief of Usopp, she smiled. “That was very kind of you. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention. What do you have there?” he asked, noticing her right fist was closed around something “Is that… the key to the warehouse?”

The warehouse was actually a small, windowless room near the stern of the ship, that the crew had mainly used to store provisions, sails that needed to be repaired and whatever they thought they would need one day but wanted to keep out of the way; in the last week, their treasure had also been kept there, the only key in Nami’s possession.

At least, Usopp had thought it was. “What are you doing with it?” he asked, his tone devoid of any accusation or suspicion; nevertheless, (name) seemed to blush.

“I… I thought we should get an idea of how much the treasure is worth, since we may need to begin spending some of it soon.” she explained in the end “Obviously I have asked for Luffy’s permission, and Nami gave me the key.”

“I see.” Usopp said, impressed; they had all celebrated finding the treasure, but until that day no one had thought about checking its actual value, even though the content of the chest was literally everything they owned and without it, they would soon find themselves starving “Well, if you want I can help you.”

(name) smiled. “I’d really like that, Usopp; thank you.”

They walked to the storage room, located at the end of the corridor; having unlocked the door, (name) placed the key on a table, while Usopp did the same with the two cups of tea.

The large chest they had retrieved from its hiding place a week ago was at the back of the room, hidden behind a pile of wooden planks; it was heavy enough that the two young pirates had to pull it together closer to the lantern on the wall, the only source of light in the room. Usopp opened the lid, and smiled at the sight in front of him, the inside of the chest filled to the brim of coins and precious stones.

“I bet there are enough berrys in here to pay Luffy’s bounty.”

“I’d rather not put it like that, but I think you’re right.” (name) said, and smiled “Before we make sure, I thought we had a drink to enjoy.”

They sat cross-legged on the floor, their knees brushing against each other; (name) took a sip from her cup, and smiled appreciatively. “Usopp, this is delicious! Jasmine tea is my favourite, but this is especially well-prepared. Did you ask Sanji to teach you?”

“I didn’t; I must have a talent for it.” he confessed, proud of himself; a moment later, though, his smile dimmed “I… I used to make tea for my mom; she was sick, too sick for doctors or medicines to help her, but she liked tea, just like you, and I thought that somehow, if I made it exactly like she wanted, like she preferred it… it might help. It didn’t, of course, but it made me feel less useless.”

“I’m sure your mom appreciated your help, even more than the tea.” (name) gently said. She took his hand in hers, a chaste, comforting contact that filled Usopp’s heart with tenderness; so many years after she had passed, talking about his mother was still painful for him, but Usopp was happy to have shared that intimate memory with (name).

“Luffy told me your dad is part of Red-Haired Shanks’ crew.” she said after a while as they enjoyed their tea, a quiet, vaguely romantic intimacy having filled the dark room.

“He is! One day I’m gonna meet him, and by that time I’ll have become a great pirate as well.” Usopp said excitedly; he was proud of his father, and all he wanted was for Yasopp to be proud of him as well, of how stronger and resourceful he had become “What about you? Do you have a family somewhere?”

(name) thought about it for a while, her eyes following the sway of the lantern on the wall. The girl had already been on her own, travelling the world, when she had met Luffy and the others, and Usopp had never heard her talking about her childhood or her parents “Well, I have a father, technically speaking, even though we have never lived together; he preferred his other family, with his older children and the wife he had already been married to when he started seeing my mother.” she said in the end, her tone only marginally bitter “And my mom still lives in the town I was born in.”

“Are the two of you close?”

“Not as close as I wish; but I know she loves me, and one day I’ll see her again, I’m sure.”

A smile passed between them; no matter how determined he was to tell her how beautiful and amazing he thought she was, and how much he liked her, Usopp found he liked simply sitting with her, talking and pretending no one else existed but them.

Unfortunately moments like those rarely lasted, and after a while (name), having enjoyed her tea to the last drop, stood and offered her hand to Usopp to help him do the same.

“Let’s take care of our treasure, shall we?”

She seemed excited, even anxious about it, which was perhaps to be expected, since she had been the one to propose they looked for the treasure. One day, roughly a week before, she had mentioned a story she had heard previously, about a neighbouring island -actually, nothing more than a rock in the middle of a particularly dangerous stretch of sea- where a precious treasure was said to have been hidden, guarded by some kind of monsters. On hearing the story Luffy’s face had immediately lit up, the others hadn’t even tried to dissuade him, and their young captain had immediately decided they would make the treasure theirs - which they had, even though the crew had been lucky to escape with their lives, since the rumours about the presence of monstrous guardians were true. After all, searching for and finding treasures was what pirates did, and the whole crew had celebrated their first success, not to mention the fact they now had a way to support themselves.

Usopp and (name) got to work, deciding at first to assess how much money the chest actually contained; they spread the coins on the room’s floor in piles, and found out they did have enough to pay for their captain’s bounty, and then some.

“Thirty-two million three thousand fifty berries; that’s quite a sum.” Usopp happily considered as he wrote, having retrieved a pen and a notepad from his cabin to keep count “And we also have the gems!”

“I have no idea how much these are worth.” (name) confessed, admiring what seemed to be a ruby almost bigger than her hand, her feet surrounded by other precious stones “But I bet it’s a lot. We’ll have to find a bank or a rich merchant to exchange them, and hope we don’t get ripped-off.”

“We’ll find a way; at least we have enough money to eat and repair the ship if we need to. Oh, there is still something…”

A lone object, almost invisible in the relative darkness of the room, laid on the bottom of the chest; Usopp retrieved it, looking curiously at the trinket now in his hands.

It was not another gem; it didn’t look particularly precious either. Roughly as large as his hand, the statuette seemed to be made of marble or another heavy rock, and it was carved in the shape of an elephant, its trunk raised and a tiny gem placed in each of its orbits.

Strangely enough, even though its position and the lack of windows kept the room’s temperatures low and the statuette had been hidden at the bottom of the chest for days, untouched, the little elephant was warm, just like the teacup had been in Usopp’s hands half an hour before.

It was pretty, Usopp considered as he observed the statuette and tried to assess its value, unaware of how (name)’s eyes had focused on him, and on it, the sort of trinket one could keep on display on a shelf or use as a sentimental gift, but he doubted it was worth much. Perhaps they could find a lover of stone baubles, or a fan of elephants, who would be willing to buy it…

“That’s cute.” (name) murmured quietly as she approached.

“I agree. If you like it I bet the others would let you keep it, I doubt we could get even a few berries out of it…”

She didn’t answer; had Usopp looked at her right then, he would have seen how tense and worried she was, and the sadness that filled her eyes. He did not, too busy wondering why such an uninteresting and -at least apparently- valueless object was part of the same treasure as heaps of gems and enough money to ransom the most powerful pirate in the East Blue, but Usopp blinked when an hand entered his field of vision to gently but firmly take the elephant statuette from his grasp and place it on a crate nearby.

“What…?”

(name)’s hand took his as the girl lowered them both on the floor; Usopp had always thought she had lovely eyes, brighter than any of the gems spread around them, but now there was something in her gaze he had never seen… an emotion that was determination and sadness and shame all in one. “(name), what…?”

“Usopp, can I tell you something?” she murmured; a moment later, as in a dream, he felt her hand rest on his cheek, their thighs now pressed against each other. Usopp felt a wash of heat filling him; they had never been so close, especially not when alone, and there was something different, new in her… a sort of sweet, vaguely shy but intense desire he had no name for but that he knew perfectly, having felt the same for months…

“Y-yes?”

She took a deep breath. “I… I like you. I really really do, much more than you usually do with friends. I think I have cared for you since the day we first met, and just being close to you is enough to make me happy. I think you’re amazing, clever, kind, and… and very handsome. I… I have never felt this way before…”

She looked at Usopp under her eyelashes, shyly waiting for his reaction, but he didn’t have one to give; it was as if his brain had stopped working.

“Usopp? Oh, Gods, I’m sorry, this is… so inappropriate…”

“Are you serious?”

“W-what?”

“Do you really mean it?” he insisted; he knew that was not the sort of declaration one uttered lightly, not to mention (name) would not play with his feelings with the intent of hurting him, but he couldn’t believe it: he had hoped that day he would find the courage to declare his affection, but receiving that sort of confession himself was… was beyond his wildest and most ambitious dreams!

“Y-yes. Yes, of course I mean it, and I hoped… you would feel the same…”

His heart was singing. He looked at (name), still embarrassed but hopeful his feelings would be reciprocated, and for a moment Usopp was so overcome with emotion he was unable to speak.

Fortunately, it passed.

“This is the happiest moment of my life.” he whispered, and he saw the happiest, most relieved smile ever open on the face of the girl in front of him.

“Really? I’ve always thought… you look uncomfortable when we are together…”

“Of course! (name), you are… you are amazing! I’ve liked you since the first day, and I was not uncomfortable; it was just that you are so sweet and beautiful, any time I tried talking to you I ended up making a fool of myself.” Usopp confessed; he gently took her hand in both of his, and swore to himself he would never let it go “The truth is… I stayed on the ship today in order to talk to you; I wanted to tell you how much I liked you, but you beat me to it. I… I don’t really know what love is, that sort of love at least, but I think you might be the one to teach me.”

“Oh… oh, Usopp…”

For a whole minute they simply stared at each other, hand in hand, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. Usopp swallowed, suddenly wondering whether it would be too… too forward to try and kiss her, but suddenly he saw something change in the expression of the girl in front of him… a sudden sadness filling her eyes, the melancholy of someone who remembered a past happiness that was lost forever.

And at the same time he started feeling weird; tired, in a sense, even though it was still early afternoon and he had slept just fine the night before - not to mention that, excited as he was, he should have felt more awake than ever. He was not; in fact, strangely, he suddenly felt… drowsy, even sleepy, as if his last rest dated back to a week before…

“Believe me when I say I am sorry, from the bottom of my heart.”

“(name), what…?”

And then her face was much closer to his, close enough Usopp could feel her breath on his face; he gulped, already anticipating what would happen in a moment, but even then, he felt an unexpected, unshakeable wave of sleepiness wash over him. What was happening to him?, he wondered vaguely, his mind already struggling to form coherent thoughts, this was not normal, he was fine two seconds ago and he had not exerted himself to the point of needing to rest in the middle of the day; there was something strange going on, something he could not…

“May I?”

… explain…

A moment later, (name)’s cool lips pressed against his. She used a scented lipstick, Usopp had heard her mention to Nami once, but the only taste he could perceive at the moment was hers, and it was the sweetest, most delicious thing he had ever experienced. He moaned softly, eagerly returning the kiss, but when he tried to raise his hand to caress her hair, he found out he couldn’t; his eyes were closing, not for an instinctive impulse to let him focus on the heavenly sensation of (name)’s mouth on his, but rather because he simply didn’t have the strength to keep them open…

Oh, Gods; he was going to fall asleep while he and the girl he had pined after for months shared their first kiss. Usopp didn’t think he could survive the shame, not to mention even the most devoted woman would get offended, but more than embarrassed, he was startled, because this was not normal, something weird was happening to him, he was falling asleep, maybe to never wake up again…

He felt (name)’s hands rest on his shoulders, ready to support him.

“I… I can’t…”

“I’m so sorry, Usopp.” she murmured, and he wanted to ask why, for what, but he didn’t have the time. He fell forward, and by the time (name) had supported him and laid him down on the floor he was already fast asleep.

You wonder for a moment if it would be appropriate to take a blanket from your room to cover him with, since the room is relatively cold, but you have no time to waste, since you don’t even know yet whether there are regular ferries to Koa and you need at all costs to be there before midnight.

You stand with a sigh to walk to the crate, and retrieve the object you are doing all of this for; the small marble elephant looks harmless, even uninteresting as you turn it in your hands, but it feels strangely warm, as if it had been stored in a furnace instead than at the bottom of a chest. Whether this is due to the magical powers the statuette is purported to possess, or it is just your imagination, you don’t know and even less you care; the only important thing, that you hope and have ceaselessly prayed for weeks, is that it will help you - that it will be enough to do what is now now more important for you than anything else.

Even more important than your own feelings; even more important than the shame of hurting and breaking the heart of a person who has done nothing to deserve such a treatment, but rather who has always been kind and friendly to you, and who now you know shares and reciprocates your affection.

You contemplate Usopp’s unmoving form at your feet, laying on his side with an arm bent under his cheek; he sleeps soundly, apparently deep in a pleasant dream given the faint smile on his lips. This is the easiest way, the only way, you could have done it; he will sleep profoundly for at least ten hours, or until the others return and wake him up, which won’t happen before the end of the day, and by that time you’ll be far away, hopefully having used the statuette as you were asked to do. You couldn’t tell him and the others what you needed to do; after all they have told you the deal would be off if you didn’t come alone, and you would never be able to forgive yourself if your friends got hurt.

You need to go now, and any moment you waste is one she could get hurt, but no matter how worried you are for her sake, you can’t stop looking at Usopp, at his chocolate-coloured skin and braided hair, feeling at the same time on cloud nine for the sweet moment you have just shared, and heartbroken at the thought you are going to lose him forever. Confessing how much you care for him only served to unnecessarily complicate things, as well as probably to make him feel even worse when he’ll wake up and realise you have left, but you couldn’t help it: your feelings for Usopp have never ceased growing since you first met, and as you struggled to hide how scared you were for her and realised you might have to leave the friends you had quickly grown fond of soon, the only moments you felt completely at ease, even happy, in were the ones he was with you, with his sweet smile and ridiculous tales.

And now you’re going to lose him forever. You don’t know whether Usopp is the One -truth to be told, you’re not even sure you believe in soulmates to begin with- but what he said about discovering what it means to be in love by meeting you touched your heart… not to mention you feel exactly the same. You still know each other too little to make plans for the future, but you could have been happy together; and you know you’ll keep him in your heart forever, as well as the kindness and affection of the best friends you have ever had.

For the first time, after three months of fear and having spent days agonising about what to do, you feel anger - anger at the bastards who not only have kidnapped her, which is horrible enough already, but have also forced you to take responsibility for it and to betray your friends. You had been travelling for two years on your own before meeting Luffy and the others and you were perfectly happy with your life, but those five young pirates have quickly become a second family for you, the brothers and sister you never had and always wished for; you already miss them terribly, and you don’t even want to know what they will think of you for abandoning the crew without telling the other and after having neutralised -non violently- one of your crewmates.

They might despise, and even hate you; you accept it, because you can’t do otherwise, and keeping her safe is worth whatever sacrifice you might be asked, but at the same time you can’t help mourning what you are about to lose… especially Usopp, who has opened your heart to feelings you had only heard expressed in love songs, and makes your heart beat faster every time he smiles at you.

His notepad is on the floor, the page covered by Usopp’s tiny, spidery handwriting; you turn it, wondering for a moment about what to write, and in the end you decide that while it would be tempting to explain why you are leaving the crew, you can’t risk them running after you to help. You might not be a member of the Straw Hats anymore, but the last thing you want is for them to get hurt.

In the end, the only thing you write is DON’T LOOK FOR ME; before you can stop yourself, you add a tiny heart on the page, then place the notepad back on the floor. You retrieve the elephant statuette as you still look at Usopp, wondering if he will hate you as well.

“I’m so sorry.” you murmur, too low for him to hear, and then turn to walk out of the room as you force yourself to stop sobbing.

“Usopp, wake up!”

“Are you sure he’s alright? Maybe we should look for a doctor…”

“He’s asleep, not sick. I’ll fill a bucket with water, that’ll do the trick…”

“Shut up, all of you! Usopp, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?”

He tried, still partially asleep and as a huge yawn escaped his lips, finding his crewmates gathered in a circle around him, their faces expressing various degrees of worry and perplexity.

“Usopp, are you alright? Where is (name)?” Luffy asked. The sniper didn’t immediately answer; he felt as if he had slept for a month, a slumber deep enough to border on coma.

“I need coffee.” he mumbled.

“What? Usopp, it’s almost dinnertime…”

He could not stop yawning. “Please. I need a cup of coffee - wait, make it two. Wait, make it two mugs of it - I think I’ll never wake up completely again…”

But wake up he did, after drinking the coffee Sanji had poured for him in the largest cup of his arsenal, and then sticking his face under the kitchen sink to let freezing water pour on it.

By that time, the others were still waiting for an explanation, but Nami had checked (name)’s part of their cabin and reported her backpack had disappeared, together with a few clothes and other essentials, and the latest book she had bought.

“Where has she gone? Didn’t the two of you have to talk and stuff?” Luffy asked; in the meantime, the others had retrieved the notepad from the floor, openly staring at the brief but determined message written on it.

“She’s gone.” Usopp murmured; still groggy after the deep sleep (name) had plunged him into, he felt heart-broken, fully convinced that the girl had taken advantage of his affection to neutralise him and… what? Why had she done that? And how? “We were here, she told me you guys had given her permission to enter to check the treasure, we counted the money together, and then we… we started talking, and she…”

He couldn’t say it. The shame was too deep. He had actually thought she cared…what an idiot he had been!

“... she touched me, and I suddenly felt sleepy, like I hadn’t slept for a month or someone had hit me on the head, it wasn’t normal! And the last thing I remember is her saying she was sorry…”

The five young pirates shared a look, all of them both perplexed by the behaviour of their crewmate and instinctively worried for her, before Nami handed Usopp the notepad, the page turned to the one he had written. “Check if something is missing.” she urged him.

Usopp obliged, quickly examining the heaps of coins and precious gems on the floor, and assessing the situation was the same as before his long nap.

“She didn’t take anything.” he summarised, completely bewildered; he had instinctively thought (name) had put him to sleep (how?!) to then steal the whole treasure and disappear, but the truth seemed to suggest the opposite. Usopp, still in the dark regarding the girl’s motives, felt guilty for immediately assuming the worst “I don’t understand…”

“Unfortunately she has; and given the fact she has taken her things, I don’t think she plans on returning.”

“Well, wherever she has gone, she clearly doesn’t want to be found.” Zoro pointed out, nodding towards the short message on the notepad “Did she tell you guys she had friends around here? Someone she could have gone to meet?”

The others shook their heads. “I don’t understand.” Luffy murmured; he seemed shaken, as if he had seen (name) being dragged away, even though all seemed to suggest the girl had left out of her own free will “She wouldn’t leave us, she is one of us…”

“No, I don’t accept it! Maybe she was afraid for some reason, or she had something important to do…”

He looked at Usopp, silently asking for his opinion and support, but the sniper had neither to give; he opened his arms helplessly, but a moment later his eyes fell on something Nami was silently pointing at on the notepad page (name) had written.

It was a heart, tiny but enough to make a sob escape Usopp’s lips; he pressed a hand to his mouth, for a moment struggling to control his emotions as panic mounted inside him.

“We have to find her.” he said earnestly “I don’t know what she has done to me, or why, but she didn’t do it to steal or hurt us. She seemed sad, maybe Luffy is right, maybe there is someone who-who has threatened her…”

The others agreed the matter was worthy of investigation; whatever reason had led (name) to run away, and the fact that she had been part of the crew the least time of them all, she was one of them, and they all wanted at least to make sure she was safe.

“How can we find her, though?” Sanji pointed out “We don’t know anyone on the island, and if she has left hours ago, by this time she could be anywhere.”

The others explained to Usopp they had been forced to return to the ship sooner than expected, having caught wind of a Marines expedition being headed to the island.

They decided to begin searching immediately; Usopp was about to follow the others out of the warehouse, too worried for (name) to think about putting back the heaps of coins and gems inside the chest, when suddenly he realised something was missing: the tiny marble elephant, that he remembered the girl had placed on a crate before leading him to sit on the floor with her to - and here Usopp felt himself blushing again.

The statuette had disappeared; he quickly checked around the room to make sure. Of all the riches at her fingertips, (name) had only taken that apparently valueless trinket before running away. Why? Was the tiny elephant actually precious in some way, and the girl had stolen it to sell it and keep the money for herself? It was a reasonable explanation, after all (name) had been the one to mention the treasure to the others, but something in Usopp’s heart told him the truth was more complicated than that.

“Usopp! What are you doing?” Luffy urged him from the room’s door “Let’s go, we have to find (name)!”

Having no way of knowing whether the girl had gone into the island looking for something or someone, or rather she had sailed away, the crew decided to first check at the harbour.

Sunset was still hours away; Usopp thought for a moment how nice it would have been to admire it as he and (name) walked hand in hand, smiling softly at each other and oblivious to the rest of the world, countless kisses still warm on their lips.

The harbour was lively despite its diminutive size, the song of the backwash filling the air. Sailors moved to and fro to load a cargo, checked the passengers disembarking or took care of the upkeep of their vessels; none of the ships flew the Marines’ flag, which was reassuring, but they all knew they had to leave as soon as possible in any case. Zoro, Sanji and Nami spread to talk to the owners of the few boats docked at the wharf, while Luffy followed Usopp to the small building that housed the office of the harbourmaster, who they met as he locked the door behind him.

“You’ll have to return tomorrow, boys, I am done for the day.”

“We just need an information, sir.” Usopp said as he stood in front of the -older, taller, much bigger- man to stop him from leaving “We are looking for a friend of ours who might have asked you about ships for some islands around here.”

“No one asked me anything today; I was too busy with paperwork.” the man explained with a sigh; he seemed anxious to leave “I need to go home, now.”

“Please, it’s very important; our friend is roughly our age, this tall, with (colour) hair…”

“I really don’t know what to tell you; perhaps this girl spoke directly to the captain of a boat bound for the place she had to reach. This sort of transaction doesn’t really concern my office, so I have no way of knowing…”

“How do you know it was a girl?” Luffy intervened.

“... sorry?”

“”He said we were looking for our friend.” the young captain pointed out “But you knew already this person was a girl and not a guy; you called her she. You saw her, didn't you?”

The man bit his lip; he looked embarrassed, and clearly unhappy at having been exposed.

“Please.” Usopp insisted; he had never been so worried for anyone since… well, since his mother had started falling sick “We have reason to think our friend might be in danger, that someone might want to hurt her; tell us where she went.”

The harbourmaster yielded, and told them a girl matching (name)’s description had approached him as he took a smoke break out of the office to ask for a passage to a tiny island called Koa, not far from there. The man had attempted to warn her, since Koa was infamous as the den of a dangerous band of criminals, but she didn’t seem worried - nor surprised, in fact; no captain would accompany her to Koa and wait there while she attended to her business and then bring her back, but the harbourmaster had introduced her to someone who had then lent the girl a rowing boat so that she could go by herself.

“How far is Koa from here?”

“With your ship? Thirty minutes at most.”

The harbourmaster pointed them to the right direction, and rummaged in his pocket to take something he then offered Usopp.

It was a banknote, folded on the long side as he knew (name) did with her money.

“Your friend paid me to keep my mouth shut on her destination; she knew someone would look for her.” the man explained; he didn’t seem particularly proud of himself for having accepted the deal “Whatever the reason she had to go to Koa, it had to be very important. I really hope you find her.”

Usopp hoped the same. A moment later, he and Luffy were running towards the wharf, calling their friends to tell them they knew where (name) had gone.

The way I had absolutely not thought about Mantis when deciding reader's powers and still I have completely copied her...

#One Piece #One Piece Live Action #OPLA #Usopp #Usopp x reader #Jacob Romero Gibson #Bellona's stuff

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paracosmicparadox · 2 years ago

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So, I'm falling back into the FFXV kick, and I have decided that I disapprove of how little complex character development Square Enix has given the guys?? Like where is the emotional depth beyond surface-level cutscene angst?? So I took matters into my own hands and have compiled a handy little list of headcanons / expanded canons that I think make sense.

Noctis: Has clinical insomnia and frequent lucid dreams (sorta a given, but bear w me bear w me)

Feels the weight of having to take so much on from such a young age much, much more than he lets on

Loves to argue

Would've been happier if he and Luna stayed as childhood best-buds rather than betrothed fiancés (controversial, ik, but it just didn't seem like he cared that much for her romantically to me?? Like he obviously cared about her, but it seemed like a really strong penpal vibe rather than a "We're-gonna-get-married-and-be-the-next-hotshot-couple" vibe. If you disagree, coolio, I'm not gonna debate w you on this one)

Has a natural sadness to his eyes regardless of what he's feeling

Went through an anime phase (possibly still in his anime phase, idk)

Social anxiety for the win

Severe RBF

Prefers tea over coffee (black tea is best---particularly lavender earl grey)

Can play the cello (practicing tho?? Don't know her)

Writes the most beautiful poetry when The Motivation™ strikes him (usually when he's home sick and half-delirious)

Prompto: Has ADHD and clinical anxiety, but is undiagnosed and doesn't take any meds for either of them.

Is legit like SO SMART, but can never focus, so not many people take any notice

Wears contact lenses (he had glasses as a child and I refuse to believe he had some high-tech corrective surgery to eliminate the need for them when lenses are cheaper and less risky)

Doesn't drink caffeine because it makes him jittery

Doesn't drive the Regalia when the guys are around because having other people in the car distracts him from the road. Also he tends to drive like a speed demon, which worries Ignis to no end.

Sunburns insanely easily

Could legit become a hitman if he wanted to with the amount of gun-knowledge he has. It doesn't matter what firearm you put in this boy's hand---pistol, SMG, sniper, rocket launcher, you name it. He can and will hit the target every single time.

Addicted to adrenaline

Pansexual

Has a lot of self-loathing (we see a bit of this in Ep. Prompto) and talks with an online therapist about it via text whenever his lows hit him. He's making great progress in learning how to heal and how to accept himself for who he is beyond the mask he wears for others

Ignis: More than a little bit of a control freak, and works very hard not to be too overbearing or critical about his friends' misgivings

Hypochondriac

Wants to protect everyone all the time and mentally kicks himself when he doesn't get there fast enough

Is SO PROUD of Noctis's journey and felt a stronger hatred towards Ardyn than anyone else in the group for what he forced Noct to go through (he stayed up at night sick to his stomach with hollow rage and baked nonstop to take his mind off of it)

Can verbally obliterate a man, but only rarely chooses to do so bc he's classy like that

After losing his eyes, he notices so much more beauty in the world than he used to (the sound of rain on the Regalia's roof, the specific gait of each of his friends, the smell of salt on the wind in Galdin Quay, the flawless feel of one specific silk tie he has in his repertoire, etc)

His internal compass is never wrong

Regularly takes antacids for his stomach

Has the straightest teeth you've ever seen

Demiromantic

Gladio: Hates being wrong: it's his way or the highway

Actually so much smarter than the musclehead jock front he puts up

A little vain and easily jealous (this man has a Jealous Face like no other)

Thunderstorms are his favorite; his ideal place to be is at a campsite, during a storm, with a well-worn book and a mug of Irish coffee in hand

Would throw himself in front of a bus for any one of his friends

Would beat up kids for the folks he cared about in middle school and spent the time he wasn't training to be a Crownsguard sitting in detention with the most unrepentant, smug, and-I'd-do-it-again look scrawled across his face

Can make a better smoothie than anyone (except maybe Iggy)

Spotify junkie

Had a dinosaur phase as a kid and can still name random facts about them whenever the opportunity presents itself

Avid technology-hater and only has a phone to make calls and join the others in playing King's Knight since they begged him so profoundly (he's sure the thing's going to be his downfall)

Gets most of Prompto's pop culture references

#prompto #noctis #ff15 #noctis lucis caelum #gladiolus amicitia #ignis scientia #ffxv #headcanon

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hope-to-hell · 4 months ago

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If not for love of money. A.M. x Reader. Let’s suppose for a moment that he lived— such is our privilege. The story ends when we say it does. The epilogue for this man will be written in blood, but it will be written. Smut, angst, f!reader.

————

This isn’t a story, not really. Not when there are weeks and miles between you, not when secrets are nested within one another such that you’ll never reach their center. How could there be a story in this disconnect?

You’ve never heard his real name and anyway it doesn’t matter: you won’t find him until he wants to be found— or more precisely, until he wants to find you. It’ll be on a fine spring evening when he appears in the hallway of a far-too-expensive restaurant, steady and calm, eyes dark like wine.

Hey. I was in the middle of dinner. Which you won’t really say because he’s got a hand over your mouth and the other working its way down. He’s precise here as in all things, following the threads that connect people, places, (money, guns, silent deaths, and the way he simply has to look and there you are with your pretty cunt twitching in anticipation as your blood makes an about-face to pool, hotly thrumming, at the apex of your thighs).

He knows because he’s at the center of it all, cutting a thread here and tying off another there. Spider, you call him one evening at that villa by the sea. He presses you up against a marble column and nips his way sharply down your throat. Gonna bind me up and suck me dry? And of course there is no answer but his hand closing around your wrist, turning your palm up to bite down hard on the meat of it; when he presses your hand against his fly, the blooming bruise pulses nearly as hot and insistent as he.

And oh, his heavy hand upon you is a gift; his nails, though short, press aching crescents in your flesh; his teeth are so, so white against the endless night above. Don’t think. Just act. Let him do the thinking for you; let him pin you here between the ache of cold tile against your knees and the firebrand-heat of him as he feeds you his cock. There will be no trace, no evidence, nothing to bind him to this moment. He will give you his seed and then a sip of something strong to wash it down; the drink is bitter and pulls sleep swiftly in its wake, and when tomorrow comes he’s gone again.

You don’t call. You never write.

It’s not for love of money, not really; it’s for the love of being good at the job, for the satisfaction of seeing the exchange go off without a hitch (and— let’s be frank— for the hair-trigger moments when it’s just him and his wits against the impossible.

Improbable.

Whatever.)

It’s about knowing there’s no one else who can do this, not like he can; he follows the threads and cuts away anyone and anything that’s served their purpose. It’s never been you and him against the world— that’s some Bonnie and Clyde bullshit, silly little-girl dreams that have no hold here. It’s him at the helm, steering his way through a vast dark sea, cutting through the waves. This work is in his veins, flowing red and hot. How does a man like this come about? Is he born with an eye toward vicious cunning, winding himself about the bones of the world to take from it as he sees fit? Or is he made, through long years of learning how to bite and tear his way to some nebulous goal?

It’s not like you go to school for this stuff. I just want to understand a little. I’m not gonna ask, I just want—

Ah, ah. Hush, now. Be good for me and take it, won’t you, pretty thing. And so he turns your mind toward other things, to salt and skin and the gasps that catch thickly in your throat behind the heat of him.

Follow him into the house. Let him scent the air to his satisfaction before he gives you the key. No bugs, no hulking men hiding in the next room, no sniper’s scope watching from across the road. Welcome home, he says. Home— or at least as close to it as you can get— is a quiet place where he can find you when he pleases, with a high wall around the garden. But come next year, home might be grass grown strangely green under the open sky, at least til the dogs come digging ‘round to gnaw your bones. And it wouldn’t be anything personal— it never is.

Despite all this, you wait. Quietly, at first, days bleeding into one another until autumn comes calling again and brings with it an air of fuck it. Go and get him already. You find him in a hospital bed, face slack, seemingly more bandages than man. There is a sense of— not smallness, exactly; it’s more like seeing him from far away. I didn’t think anyone would come for him. It’s been so long. I wonder who he wa— who he is. Behind the nurse’s words are rumors and whispers, spinning stories about the nameless stranger, what he’d done, who hated him so much they’d torn him near to pieces.

And now here he is, at the end of a trail of crumbs (scraps of overheard conversation, speculation about a handsome John Doe who came in looking like hell and has thus far been too damned stubborn to die, calling all over— your call is important to us, please hold— until someone gives the answer you need and now you will forever hear smooth jazz in the depths of your nightmares). Here he waits inside a body that grows weaker by the day, the echoes of voices and mechanical pulsations filtering in until at last he tears his way up through layers of sleep to find you waiting.

Hey. I, uh. You wanna get out of here?

It’s just that this house wraps itself around him like a coat, like there’s no one else who could be sitting at the kitchen table with you, sipping coffee— cream and sugar, if you please. There’s no harm in a bit of pleasure— moving slowly like it pains him to lift his cup. Everything is temporary. The best you can hope for is to leave your ghost behind.

Huh?

There is something in him now, between serpent and wave, beneath skin that shines with the slick pink of new scars, something thick and hot and greedy. He paces the halls with a burner phone in one hand and a carven walking-stick in the other, picking up loose threads. He breaks, rebuilds, cuts, ties. The cat’s cradle he weaves grows ever stronger; these long months outside the game may have set him back, but he is clever and tenacious and—

He reclines against mounds of cushions, beckoning you to him with the barest motion of his hand. He is softer now, thinner, building himself back piece by piece, but still his sharp teeth shine in the lamplight. He strokes himself slowly, deliberately, eyes unblinking. He says ride me, then like it’s a gift, like he could roll you beneath him, like his body doesn’t begin to shake when he holds himself above you like some crumbling god. Don’t ask if I’m alright. I’ll tell you when I’m not.

Sure. Feel him there, deep in your guts. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, since you’ve had him. So take your time and savor this: heat and slippery wetness and the gut-punch oh when he strikes something incandescent inside you. He sees the tremble of your thighs and says nothing, but his fingers dig into your flesh: five bright points of pain that light your path to the edge.

Count his scars but do not pity him; he has a blade hidden in his walking-stick and even when it’s sheathed, it thrums silver-sharp under his hand. The work has waited for so long and he is aching to pick it up again. Some men are driven by the love of money, of power, or of exploration; but he— he hears the silky whisper of threads weaving together. Soon enough he’ll leave you cold and lonely. And you still don’t know his name.

#a.m.#a.m. (reacher)#a.m. (reacher) fic #a.m. (reacher) smut #a.m. x reader #a.m. x you #underappreciated villains club

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