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sunfish-studies · 3 years ago

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Moonrise

✄・・・ Feathery Ink [Karasuno Manager Series]

➜ Pairing: Karasuno x Manager! Reader

➜ Warning: none

➜ Notes: This is a separate series from Crisp Leaves. Similar to Crisp Leaves, manager in this story will be portrayed as a girl. She will be tall. This is just my appreciation towards tall girls, you guys are amazing.

Previous: ‹ Greed › | Next: ‹ Illusionary Hero ›

↷ SUMMARY ↶

It’s finally summer vacation training camp!

After the fight, Hinata and Kageyama weren’t really talking to each other–Coach Ukai even separated them during practice, Hinata in team B while Kageyama in the other. When practice was over, Kageyama was working on his tosses with Yachi’s help while Hinata drive elsewhere with his bike to practice on his own.

“Ah, he’s with my grandpa.” You asked where on earth did Hinata go, and that’s your answer from Coach Ukai. Apparently, Hinata was training with the previous Coach Ukai at their home. That left you with managerial duties and some extras like buying supplies for the training camp.

The injury you received of course was noticeable by the team–it almost send both Tanaka and Nishinoya into rampage, but you quickly said it’s not a problem and it would heal in no time. While you could make up some excuse for Daichi, Sugawara, and Ennoshita, you couldn’t with Shimizu. With a stern look from, you finally spilled the beans and she promised not to tell anyone.

While Kageyama wasn’t talking to Hinata, he’s definitely talking to you more now–along with walking you home if you chose to stay at practice longer. With that, you learn more about him and how he’s undoubtedly a volley ball dork through and through.

The time you had to depart from school to Tokyo for the training camp at night, he offered to picked up from your house so you could walk together to school.

“C-can I sit next to you…?” the raven-haired boy asked. Of course, you agreed wholeheartedly since Yachi will be sitting next to Shimizu and sitting alone didn’t seem to be fun. At first, you talked about some mundane things and watched a few videos saved in your phone before falling asleep leaning to each other.

“KAGEYAMA!!”

“HOW DARE YOU STEAL A HEADSTART!”

And it incurred the wrath of both Tanaka and Nishinoya when they realized. Thankfully, Ennoshita was quick to shut them up by slapping them on the head and Daichi glared at them menacingly for causing a ruckus.

“Well, the grand guest finally arrived,” when you carried the big bag filled with your essentials outside the bus, it was immediately gone from your hands. Kuroo plucked it from your grip so he could carry it instead, sending you a small smile.

“Kuroo-san, it’s been a while.” Greeting the older boy, you stepped to the ground.

“It’s nice knowing you stick to your promise,”

“Well, it’s impossible for me to not join the training camp. And,” you looked up to the building upon the stairs. When it was in Nekoma High School before, this time training camp was held at different area–however, you didn’t complain because even during summer, the place was cool with many trees surrounding and breeze swept by. “Why are we in a different place? I thought it’s being held only in one place.”

Kuroo hummed. “It’s a tradition for training camp during summer vacation happened in Shinzen. This place is cool, so it’s great. Why? You wanted to be cooked under the sun instead?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Hinata! Did you grow any taller!? Oh! Otohaku-chan!! You’re looking pretty as always!!”

“Lev, shut up.” Kenma scolded.

“[NAME]-CHAN!! Make sure to cheer for me, alright!!”

“She won’t, Bokuto-san. And please don’t call her by her first name when she didn’t mention you could.”

Thank goodness, Akaashi had a say because you didn’t know how to reply that without wanting to upset Bokuto in the process. The first match was Karasuno against Fukurodani and it didn’t go well–your team splendidly didn’t sync because everyone went to try the new moves their practicing, resulting they had to take a new kind of penalty.

Along with Yachi, you watch as everyone sprinting uphill. And it didn’t happen only one time, every time they lost a match, they had to do one before walking down and downing their drinks. It went until the last practice–which they splendidly managed to lost.

“Hitoka-chan, could you look over Kageyama-kun and Hinata-kun in my place,” you whispered to your best friend, referring to the duo who’s clearly itching for practice but couldn’t exactly say it clearly as they still in bad terms with each other.

“Yeah! I was thinking about that too!” the two of you nodded in determination.

“Uhm, [Name]-san,” Yamaguchi called out to you, rubbing his nape sheepishly. “I want to practice serve, could you watch over?”

Smiling you nodded, “Sure Yamaguchi-kun! Let me get my notes first, okay?”

The taller boy blinked in confusion. “Eh? Notes? What for?”

“To look over your progress overall,” you kneeled down to put on your outdoor shoes. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“O-oh, okay.” Yamaguchi could only reply that as he didn’t know how exactly–he knew he shouldn’t be flustered or feeling special, but he couldn’t help to feel warmth bloom in his chest. He knew you were an attentive person, and it’s nice to know that applied to everyone on the team even though you’re mostly stick with Kageyama, Hinata, or Yachi.

Jogging towards the sleeping quarters, you could’ve arrived faster to pick up your notebook if Bokuto’s call didn’t halt you from doing so.

“OOH!! [NAME]-CHAN!!” he called out from the third gym. You noticed that he wasn’t alone, Kuroo and Akaashi’s also there and surprisingly Tsukishima. From that, you concluded that Kuroo must have something to do with it–probably taunting the blonde into joining. “Could you throw us some balls!?”

“Eh?” you blinked. “But, I have to get some notes for practice-“

“Just a few, come on!” Bokuto didn’t even give you a chance to explain–instead, he dragged you by the wrist.

So here you were, arranging an apology speech for Yamaguchi while throwing some balls for Akaashi to set. That and giving Lev some glances to check if he’s still alive or not on the floor. The setter already apologized to you in Bokuto’s place, but you immediately dismissed it since you didn’t mind either.

“Geh!? Otohaku-chan!?” Lev must be exhausted seeing as he barely noticed you’re in the same area.

It amazed you on how Bokuto still managed to kill the spikes viciously after series of practice match all day–his stamina is top-notch, nothing less from one of the best players in the country. Watching Bokuto’s spikes meaning also watching Tsukishima tried to block them.

Not once did he managed to successfully shut one out, but with Kuroo’s finally joining the cross was killed almost in an instant. While Bokuto is a formidable opponent in attacking, then Kuroo would be terrifying in defense. No wonder Coach Ukai was making him a great example for a solid blocker.

Tsukishima is indeed smart and calm as he read the opponent’s movement, but,

“Your blocks are pretty weak.” You flinched as Bokuto blurted out what you had in mind regarding Tsukishima’s block–and it sure pissed the taller blonde off. “Your arms are so frail that I’m scared I’m gonna break them. You need to stop the ball like you mean it!”

“I’m still a growing boy!” Tsukishima replied, clearly trying to hide his annoyance. “I’ve just started gaining muscles and getting taller!”

“Talk like that, and the little shrimp is gonna hog all the glory.” Kuroo remarked. “You guys play the same position, right?”

Ouch, you couldn’t help but thought. That hits the sore spot.

“I don’t think it can be helped,” Tsukishima said with a smile after a few seconds of silence. “The difference in natural talent between me and Hinata is too great.”

Before Kuroo could argue, the players of Nekoma began piling into the gym and Tsukishima finally managed to excuse himself successfully this time.

“Looks like you stepped on a mine, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi commented.

“You pissed him off,” Bokuto dragged. “At long last, Kuroo-kun, the master of provocation, has failed.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have thought that.” The black-haired captain sighed.

“Thought what?” Bokuto questioned.

“Karasuno’s shrimp is definitely strange and a threat, but in terms of technique and experience he’s like a baby bird. Plus, he’s really short. I never would’ve thought guy with glasses, who’s far taller and much smarter, wouldn’t only think they’re not equal but actually think the shrimp is above his level.”

Sighing for the second time, he rubbed the back of his head before giving you an apologetic look. “Sorry, I pissed off your middle blocker.”

“I don’t think you pissed him off,” you couldn’t exactly say that it’s fine because it’s not your place to do so. “But you did hit a sore spot, Kuroo-san.”

“Otohaku-san, shouldn’t you get going? We’ve hold you long enough from you whatever you want to do.” Akaashi reminded.

“That’s right, then I’ll excuse myself.” You bowed down and walked towards the exit–you immediately retrieve your note before finally helping Yamaguchi with his serves after being held for some time.

The next day, you’re helping Eri, Kaori, and Yukie cutting watermelons given by the parents from Shinzen High School. Surely, on this hot summer, sweet and cool watermelons would make anyone’s mouth began watering. It was also a great short break for the boys as they enjoy the watermelon while sitting on the grassy hill beside the gym.

“Do you want extras, senpai?” and just like other managers, you distributed the watermelons while asking if the boys wanted seconds or not. This time, you’re offering a few that’s still on your tray to Tanaka, Daichi, and Asahi.

“Ooh, don’t mind if I do, [Name]-chan!” Tanaka reached out for another slice.

“Me too,” after him, Daichi also took a slice from your tray.

“I’m okay with mine for now,” Asahi politely rejected your offer. “How about you eat some too? It’s quite a hot day.”

“I’ll go it after everyone’s seconds are done,” you remarked, intending to circle around the separate crowds for the nth time but Tanaka quickly interrupted.

“Everybody has their share already! I’m sure they don’t mind.” Your upperclassman commented. “Besides, our beautiful manager deserves to have rest!”

“Somehow, it doesn’t correlate…” Asahi muttered, smiling nervously.

At the end, you ended up sitting down beside Asahi and munching on a slice of watermelon. Your upperclassman was right for one thing–enjoying the fruit in a hot summer day was a great way to cool down, you instantly felt refreshed.

“Sorry, by the way.” The four of you looked up to the call, seeing Kuroo approaching and out of blue apologizing. Surely, your upperclassmen were confused with this except you.

“About what?” Daichi questioned.

“I think I might have pissed off your glasses guy yesterday.”

“What?”

To make it clearer, the cat captain sat down with his back towards you and began explaining the situation occurred the other day–you admired how both parties didn’t once interrupt nor getting things heated up, they knew this wasn’t something big and could be resolved by just a simple apology.

“Wow… Tsukishima actually helped out with free practice even if you cornered him into it,” Daichi hummed in understanding.

“Your manager too, but that’s Bokuto’s idea,” you didn’t know why on earth Kuroo decided to brough it up but seeing your upperclassmen were nonchalant about it (except maybe Tanaka, though he was quickly being shut up by Daichi) it’s also not a big deal.

“So, what did you say?”

“I provoked him and said he was going to lose to your shrimp over there.”

“I’ve definitely noticed that Tsukishima seems to feel inferior to Hinata somehow.” Asahi remarked, probably remembering a few words Tsukishima said to him.

“I’m not sure if this is relevant, but my sister mentioned someone tall named Tsukishima also joined the volleyball team during the Little Giant times.” Tanaka mentioned, surely this is new to all of you because Tsukishima wasn’t the type of person who talks about himself much.

Daichi’s head perked up. “Tsukishima has an older brother?”

“Oh, I’m not sure.” Tanaka quickly replied. “They could’ve just had the same last name and not be related. Do you know anything about this, [Name]-chan?”

“I don’t, but if I know, I think it’s not my place to tell since Tsukishima-kun would undoubtedly be annoyed because of it,” you answered, which made Tanaka hummed in agreement.

“Hey, we’re about to start!” Sugawara called out.

You didn’t know about Tsukishima having a sibling or not, however,

“This is just a club. Why do you put so much into it? It’s because you put so much into it that you suffer later.”

You couldn’t help but think it’s somehow related to what he muttered the night before.

Yet again when the sky softly bathed in orange glow, Karasuno had to pay their losing with penalty–you along with Yachi and Shimizu also Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai watched as the boys bolted uphill accompanied by yelling (well, this was mostly Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya).

“Here,” you offered a water bottle for Kageyama. He couldn’t even reply a ‘thank you’ from how harshly he was panting and you could only sympathize with him–more than five matches in a day plus penalties were rough.

“Thanks,” the raven-haired boy finally rasped after downing probably a half of the water from the bottle. You also handed him a towel so he could wipe away the sweat dripping down from his temple.

“So, how’s training going?” you finally asked, which triggered a sighed from him.

“No progress.” The frustration was getting to him definitely–while you were only watching for some time since Yachi’s already there to help him, you understood that Kageyama failed more than he succeeded. He knew he was getting nowhere and time was short, if he’s not geared up it will be a problem.

“I can’t give you any helpful advice but I think you should practice under Coach Ukai’s watch,” you mentioned, and Kageyama listened carefully. “He probably has ways that could help you. You couldn’t do this on your own Kageyama-kun, you need guidance.”

Nodding firmly, he replied. “Yeah.”

“I can’t wait to see your toss,” you then added, giving him a smile. “It’s going to be amazing for sure. You did pinpoint toss to Hinata all this time.”

The boy fell silent for a while, and you almost regretted saying those words–did you somehow step on a landmine? Did you piss him off? Did you touch the nerve-

“I promise to get done and you’ll see it.” The negative thoughts were gone from your mind as you stare at those blue eyes filled with determination. You found yourself smiling at his promise.

“I will be waiting then.”

“Sensei, what do you think of Tsukishima?” Coach Ukai asked your advisor while the five of you were watching the match between Karasuno and Ubugawa.

“I think he’s taking this seriously,” Takeda-sensei answered, although rather confused from the question.

“How about you, Otohaku?” and you didn’t expect to be involve in the conversation also.

“Uhm… he’s doing his work, but lack of effort? I think he’s not giving his all.” you replied but somehow became an unsure question in the end.

“You’re right,” Coach Ukai remarked. “I feel like Tsukishima gets a passing grade but never tries for 100%. I’m not asking for him to become more passionate, but if he’s not going to give his all, I’m gonna have to change regulars. I need players who can win a match on the court. He’s the tallest and essential to the team. If Tsukishima could become a strong blocker, our defense level would go up a lot.”

“I see,” Takeda-sensei nodded in understanding.

Not long into the game after Tsukishima served, there’s a collision between Daichi and Nishinoya for the ball–at first, it was nerve-wracking because if one of them was hurt it could be bad. However, seeing that the two dismissed it as if it was nothing was relieving.

“Everyone’s so motivated.” Yachi commented.

“Everyone’s more motivated now than I’ve ever seen them before,” Shimizu frowned in worry. “But sometimes it’s almost scary. Collisions like the other day can definitely lead to major injuries.”

Another spike went through but received perfectly by Kageyama, the ball bounced to the air and Tanaka was the second one to get it, passing it immediately to Asahi.

“It’s a little short,” you muttered, noticing the ball was hovering near the net–exactly to where Hinata was. From how he’s staring at it, he’s most likely to steal it–but then he tensed up, snapped his head to the side to give Asahi a stare and stayed in his place in the end.

“Let him know the ball is yours.”

You stared as Asahi successfully killed the ball even with three blockers–grinning from how he stole a score and holding them team together so it wouldn’t become lawless. The attempt was enough for you to let your shoulders relaxed.

“Maybe I didn’t need to worry after all.” Shimizu sighed in relief.

Asahi turned to face you, giving you a smile and an outstretched fist–you immediately returned it with the exact same gesture.

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pekotranslates · 3 years ago

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Traces of Two Pasts: Episode Tifa - pgs 40-52

Disclaimer: Also, I started this for fun so that my friends who don't have access can read it. I'm just another fan like you. With that said, I do try to be as faithful to the original source material as possible, and for those of you who can read Japanese, please support the author by buying his book.

Not everyone agreed with Chief Zonder's decision. The elderly—a major force in the village—began to make noise. They seemed to take a liking to Zangan's longevity exercises, and regretted not being able to memorize what was taught to them. They wanted someone to check if their poses were correct, and wished to learn the remaining exercises he was supposed to have taught them.

The village chief paid a visit at dinnertime.

"Hey, Tifa..." he said with a sullen expression. "Will you teach the old folks how to do Zangan's exercises properly?"

"Why Tifa?" her father asked. She just knew he would ask.

"Because Zangan named her. Told me that if we ever needed someone to mentor us, Tifa would be qualified. Said that she had the most controlled form* out of everyone who gathered there that day.

Kata, which means “form” in Japanese, is the term used to describe specific sequences of motion that are used to practice technique and execution in martial arts

It pleased her knowing that someone spoke of her like that when not in her presence, but it also caused her to be slightly embarrassed.

"Zonder, don't get my family involved."

"Aw, c'mon! I'm already in big trouble as it is. The old folks just won't let it go!"

"Hmph!" Brian Lockhart snorted. He enjoyed seeing the village chief squirm. She couldn't tell whether or not they actually got along with each other.

"Tifa, what do you think?"

"I'd just be teaching the elderly people those exercises, right? If that's all there is, then I'd like to try."

"Tifa..." her father began, but he swallowed back his complaint. He knew that it wasn't good for her to have too much time on her hands. "Well, if you're gonna do it, then do it right."

While preparing breakfast, Tifa heard a knock at the door, and opened to a woman’s face she barely recognized. It was an elderly woman called "Mon Amie" who was an aunt of sorts to Chief Zonder. Her hair was pulled back into a bun so tight that it looked like her eyes were being pulled straight up!

"Good morning to you. It's been a long time, Tifa. I heard that Zonder told you all about it. How about 2 gil per hour?"

"Sorry?" She had not heard about any renumeration.

"Well, you are thirteen now. Not a little girl anymore, so that doesn't cut it for you, eh? Alright then, how about 4 gil?"

"No, I don't want any money."

"That won't do. We are taking this very seriously, and you will be properly paid for your work."

No matter how much Zangan trusted her, would she really be up to the task? But, being able to earn her own money sounded very appealing, as if a whole new world had opened up to her.

Mon Amie took Tifa's silence as her wanting to bargain for higher wages.

"6 gil."

"Alright. 6 gil it is then."

"Brian never did leave the village. He wanted to keep Thea all to himself." Mon Amie suddenly brought up her parents during their exercise routine at the public square.

"Really?" said Tifa, adjusting Mon Amie's arm posture. She needed to get her to straighten her back and push out her chest a bit more for the desired result.

"She was quite the popular one, that child."

It wasn’t very pleasant hearing her mother being called "that child", yet Tifa encouraged her. Listening to the elderly tell old stories was a part of her job. The responsibility she felt from receiving wages tempered her patience.

"You should leave the village," said Mon Amie suddenly. "Doesn't it sound like fun going around to different places with Master Zangan?"

"It sure does."

"Alright, you don't have to play along with me. No need for you to learn things like that. Just think about it carefully, okay? Something needs to change for women here in Nibelheim."

Tifa silently nodded as she propped up Mon Amie's arm.

"There weren't any women around in my day who held this kind of thinking. But that Strife girl”—she was speaking of Cloud's mother—"tried to leave. Not sure if it's because she hated it here, or if she dreamed of going to the big city."

Mon Amie abruptly altered her pose, ruining her base form.

"To the traditional Nibelheim women, she seemed pretty unconventional. We all refused to accept her ways, but secretly felt the same. Even though we scolded her, deep down inside we were cheering her on. We even felt jealous of her for carving out her own path. Perhaps she changed something in us, little by little.”

Tifa lifted up Mon Amie's knee. "Up high like this. Thank you."

She supported Mon Amie as the woman’s body rocked back and forth.

"But Claudia remained in the village, didn't she?" said Tifa.

"Well, that’s because she fell in love. You see, a man traveled here. Claudia was helping out at the inn at the time. She must have been taken in by the outside air he brought with him. And he was a pretty fellow. I’m sure you see it when you look at Cloud. That boy got the best of both his parents!”

“Right…”

“But, just like the wind, he just couldn’t keep still. Not sure if Cloud learned how to walk yet, but around that time he told her he would go to the mountains, but never came back. They found his belongings though. His body probably got eaten by monsters. You were lucky you didn’t meet the same fate.”

Tifa braced herself. Was she going to bring up that incident?

“Cloud egging you on to climb Mt. Nibel… Maybe that was in his blood.”

Mon Amie’s body began to sway. Tifa had stopped holding onto her causing her to lose her balance. She couldn’t regain her footing in time, and fell flat down on her backside.

“Alright then," said Tifa. "Now let’s use the opposite leg. Please lift up your knee.”

Tifa held out a helping hand to her, but Mon Amie refused and got up on her own.

“Quite strict for a pretty face.”

“That’s because I get paid 6 gil to be.”

Before long, she became more attentive. She noticed Mon Amie lifting up her other knee, but it was at the wrong height again. While Tifa helped her to adjust, Mon Amie said, “You really don’t remember anything? You know, about that accident you got into?”

She was eight years old when she got into that accident on Mt. Nibel. Cloud was with her. The villagers chose to believe the story based on Emilio and the others’ testimonies, and nothing else could be said about it. Tifa really couldn't remember what happened.

"No, unfortunately not..."

Whether the elderly came to her for exercising or just to chat, it was tougher than she had imagined. Her father laughed at her and said he wouldn't have anything to do with them, even for 100 gil.

They never listened and were set in their ways, even the ones who kept away and smiled modestly at her. They just had a different view on things, and sulked if nobody paid them attention.

The topics they discussed also surprised Tifa, and sometimes hurt her too. She disliked whenever they brought up how her body looked so grown. There would be someone who sensed her discomfort or resentment, and would try to change the subject, but then it would turn into whom she should be with and things of that nature.

So, all things considered, Tifa preferred hearing them going on about herself rather than her father’s failed romances, or whom her mother used to hang out with before she got married to him. To the elderly townsfolk, her father and others his age were still “the village youth”.

After her day finished and she was about to go to sleep, she thought to herself that maybe there would be a time when she would be the one telling someone else about what happened today, or about some news she heard from another person. Telling the same stories over and over again, everyday just like the next, until she, herself, became just a relic of an era in village history.

※

“They confused me at first, but I got used to being around them, and then it wasn’t so bad anymore. That feeling of wanting someone to talk to—Everyone has that,” explained Tifa.

“So that’s where you learned to entertain guests? From spending your time talking to old folks?” asked Barret.

“Possibly. Maybe that did me good. More and more of the elderly signed up, and they started calling their morning gatherings the ‘Calisthenics Club’.”

“It’s like that at Seventh Heaven too,” said Barret with some intensity.

Aerith urged him to talk.

“It used to be just a small shop owned by this one gramps, but when Tifa started working there, the business picked up. Men crowded the place. Know what I mean, Red?”

“What I’m more interested in is what happened to Zangan afterward? I can sort of imagine based on your fighting style, Tifa...” said Red XIII.

“You’re right. There was a little more that happened before I got to where I'm at.”

※

A month passed after the start of the Calisthenics Club. All morning Tifa would teach the exercises and set aside time for her reading and arithmetic. The afternoon she'd go to the mountains and work hard towards building up her strength and stamina, and then would return home before sunset so her father wouldn’t worry. At night she would examine Zangan's writings and practice her form, reviewing the materials over and over again so as to not overlook anything.

One day, she received a letter from Emilio. He wrote about the fast-paced lifestyle in the big city, and told her about everything he found perplexing: arguments he had had with people, things he ate, the social inequality, and their differences in moral values.

“But whenever I get discouraged, it’s you I think about, Tifa, and then I imagine that day when I’ll come and get you. I'll write to you sometimes and teach you about the city, so you won't be so confused when that time comes.”

Who do you think you are? That's how she honestly felt reading the letter.

Zangan appeared, acting as if nothing had happened. He knocked on the door just in time to greet her father and asked for his permission to call Tifa out, and then led her to the river where they first met.

“Master Zangan, please let me be your student. I want to be stronger.”

“That’s exactly the answer I was looking for, but what’s the matter, Tifa? I sense your impatience. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“That’s not it!” she replied, but felt self-conscious. “No… It’s because I got that letter from my friend.”

“What kind of letter?”

“I think it’s because I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to lose to anyone who left the village.”

“Hmm. My hand-to-hand combat techniques are not meant to be used to make you feel superior to others.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t. But the answer to that can only be found through diligent study. All right. I will acknowledge you if you pass my test.”

“Test?”

“Show me everything you’ve learned from Volume 1. You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

Tifa performed a sequence of forms from the physical training method.

“One more time, from the beginning.”

“Okay.”

This time Zangan interrupted with instructions.

"Check the book to see the direction your palms should be facing."

Tifa crouched down over the book and flipped through the pages. The form was wrong from the very start. Should have been above not below.

“I was wrong.”

“Try again.”

When she extended both hands and slightly shifted the direction of her palms, she felt a different set of muscles tingling.

“Everything from the Book of Secrets must be obeyed. Don’t try to interpret it another way or decide that your way is better. While disciplining your body, you must learn to be faithful to your decisions. If I take you in as my student, you will become stronger. So, you must cultivate your mind to control that power. The greater and stronger the power to handle, the greater the responsibility of its owner. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

The second time around, Zangan pointed out any minor mistakes she made. Each time she would have to go back and confirm with the Book of Secrets before advancing, which made things take twice as long. Fatigue built up in her arms and legs.

“Alright, now relax and close your eyes. Focus your attention and check the condition of your body. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“My upper back… I wouldn’t say it hurts but it feels like it’s burning...”

She slipped her right hand underneath her left armpit until it touched the lower part of her shoulder blade. Digging her fingers into it felt good.

“Hmph!” Zangan gave a satisfying nod. “That’s your shoulder blade. What you’re pressing into is the trapezius muscle. Surrounding it is your deltoid, infraspinatus, psoas minor and other muscles. The second volume will teach you how to train each one of those muscles on your back,” he said, while holding out a booklet to her. It was Volume 2.

“If you want to live your life with pride then pay close attention to your back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, chest out. Walking through life with a beautiful posture is also part of your training.”

“Got it.”

“Let’s get started. Well then, onto Volume 2, No. 2-1-1, scapular push-ups.”

Zangan immediately prostrated himself on the ground, and lowered his chest. Tifa hastened to follow his example.

“All you're doing is supporting your whole body with your arms. Concentrate on your shoulder blades. Rotate them outwards—protract, retract, protract.”

It was her first time experiencing those movements. How was she supposed to move to protract her shoulder blades? She couldn’t picture it in her mind. Glancing over at Zangan she noticed he was rotating his shoulders outward, something her cat, Maru, often did.

“You look like a cat,” she said.

“Right. There’s a lot we can learn from cats.”

She focused her attention on her scapula, going up and down, until the repetition of movements were drilled into her body. Zangan rose and watched over Tifa for some time before clearing his throat.

“Good!”

The movements were subtle but still made her perspire.

“That’s because the muscles across your back are wider. Moving them increases the blood flow and raises your temperature, so that’s why you’re working up a sweat.”

After completing Volume 2, Tifa was sweating profusely. She felt unthinkable pain throughout her whole back.

“Alright, any questions? If you do, now’s your chance.”

She wanted to say, yes, but nothing came to mind at the moment.

“If not, then we’ll move onto Volume 3.”

“Huh?” she couldn’t help but shout. Her whole body was screaming in pain. Zangan ignored her and continued.

“Volume 3 is for chest and abs. We’re going to train your front body. The pectoralis major muscle is roughly divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. There are several different ways to effectively train it, but I’ll teach you the basic concepts.”

“Alright…”

“At your age, your overall motor skills are complete, and in that regard, you excel. You haven’t had any special training, have you? If so, then you must have been born with this. Treasure it.”

“I will.”

She felt energy pour into her body. Perhaps listening to Zangan talk with a relaxed mind helped her to recover from fatigue.

“After a while, we’ll concentrate on building your muscles. But you will not be using any equipment except your body. We won’t be using barbells or dumbbells until you’re much older. Besides, our Zangan-ryu hardly finds them necessary. That is because I prescribe individual fighting styles that suit each of my students. You don’t need arms built like logs or a bulky chest. What you need is to build up a fighting style that will utilize those reflexes, that body, and your speed. Well, what do you want to do? Shall we call it a day?”

“No. Please go on.”

She didn’t want to disappoint the first person who had managed to earn her respect.

“Yes, that’s the spirit! Alright. But we’ll stop here for today. Let’s call this current level of fatigue your limit. Keep it in mind. You have a long way before you can try to challenge that limit to surpass it. Continuity is more important now than ever.”

On their way back, a realization came over Tifa regarding Zangan’s test. It didn't annoy her. If her father tried to make her work like that she’d probably stop talking to him for three days in a row. With those thoughts in mind, she walked her teacher back to the inn.

“Say hello to your father for me.”

As she stood in front of her house she could smell the scent of spices in the air. Spices that her mother liked to use in her best recipe. It was her father’s favorite dish, but since Tifa didn’t really like it, it was hardly ever served at the dining table.

She opened the door and said, “I’m home.”

“Welcome back.” Her father, dressed in an apron, peeked out at her from the kitchen.

“This smell… Huh? Is it mom’s?”

“I was really craving it... Oh, but I made something else for you.”

She was filled with remorse. She didn’t like the way he looked or the tone of voice he used when trying to gauge her mood, but it was all her fault for making it that way.

Novel by Kazushige Nojima

Translated by pekotranslates

Proofread by Eerie

#ffvii #ff7r #tifa lockhart #traces of two pasts #aerith gainsborough

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fukurodaze · 4 years ago

Text

some days

pairing: post-timeskip! oikawa tooru x fem!reader genre: angst wc: 2.4k warnings: cursing, stress, anxiety, homesickness, insecurity requested by @dasighosamu <3: “oikawa video chatting regularly with his girlfriend that somehow convinced him they’re okay [...]”

a/n: i.. am.. so so so sorry this took so long... many of the negative feelings here are taken from my own personal experiences as well, so i’m very sorry if this seems a bit impersonal for some people, but i tried to make it feel as y/n-able as possible! enjoy!

special thanks to nat @natszoo for beta reading! love u :(

LISTEN TO: blue - taeyeon; through the night - iu

you feel it in your bones. you feel it rumble and twist and turn. some days you feel it more. some days you feel it less. you know what it is today.

it’s so empty, you think, movements like a crack of sound in silence. you had woken up in the afternoon today, the room still dark yet covers already warm. oh, you feel disgusting.

the least you do is open the curtains, hoping to squeeze in some sunlight for the day you had almost missed. you remember, though, to wake up for today, because it’s saturday. you look forward to saturdays, actually, because it has in store one constant that you hold onto - facetiming your boyfriend, oikawa tooru, at 7pm.

it used to be everyday that you facetimed him, until careers advanced and work took up more and more space in lives. still, you would always watch his matches when they were televised (it was a hassle sometimes, though, to get through to argentinian television channels, but it was worth it) and he would text you good morning and goodnight in your timezone most days (it slips his mind sometimes, but you could never blame him; you like the texts anyways). and it’s okay, really, it’s okay that you don’t get to see him that often. it’s just that work gets a bit harsh sometimes and you live alone and most of your friends live quite a bit far from you and you feel like you’ve cried to them about tooru way too many times and-

okay, you are not okay. but you hold on. you try to hold on.

you get yourself an instant meal in the fridge, feeling well into the shitty weekend when you see the stack of dirty dishes in the sink. you wash them anyways, thinking that it might be a way for you to feel a little bit better. you don’t want to be irritable when you’re with tooru, because then he’ll just worry. he already worries enough about himself - the least you could do is smile. right?

it’s what you tell yourself as you slap on some skincare, hoping that the various products containing tea tree essence and papaya are enough to mask the layer of sleepless nights and early mornings on your face. it’s not like you’re afraid of him seeing you in your dejected state; it’s more like you wouldn’t want the only time you spend with him this week be a negative memory.

now, you settle on the carpeted floor of the living room, laptop placed on the coffee table between the couch and the tv you never really use anymore. you remember when tooru had bought you this apartment right before an off-season with promises of him visiting in the summer. he even insisted on that nice tv screen for netflix nights.

but alone, you prefer a laptop; so you’re thinking of selling it, yet you don’t want to pass up on the chance that tooru might come back one summer.

eventually, the facetime on your laptop sounds its ringtone, and a smile grows on your face as quickly as you pick up the video call.

"wait- can- can you hear me well?”

you purse your lips, your tired eyes seemingly so much more eager to stay open. you say, “yeah, i can hear you well. can you?”

he hums, and there’s a loving silence that ensues. you don’t really know what to do with your insides feeling all warm again, so you fold your legs to your chest and let out a light laugh. it’s him.

“wow,” you mumble through chuckles, “hi, tooru.”

“i missed you, pretty girl,” he coos. you see how tooru has his back against his headboard, one arm folded behind his head and the other holding his phone up. it’s seven in the morning there, you reckon, and he looks like he’d just showered.

“i missed you too. just showered?”

your boyfriend nods, “woke up later than usual today, but it’s, like, hot outside even at six in the morning. or maybe i just sweat too much.”

you giggle, “here, it’s so cold already. i can’t even go anywhere without a sweater - i even sleep with socks these days.”

“are you sure your heater’s doing fine?”

“my heater’s almost on its highest setting. i’ve just been getting so cold lately? maybe i just hate winter...” you trail off as you hear your own stomach grumble. still hungry...? you mutter to yourself, standing up to get a little snack for yourself, “tooru, i’m getting a snack. just keep talking, though, i can hear you.”

tooru’s smile falters a bit when he hears of you getting cold. he knows you’ve never really minded winter, using the season as an opportunity to stack up on cozy clothing and coats. hell, he had heard you say once, during one autumn, that you were so excited for winter because “you could finally wear the hoodies and sweaters since you felt too warm for them even during autumn and spring.” back then, tooru had told you that you were just too warm of a person.

but maybe he’s just thinking too much into it. he hasn’t been to japan in a long time, anyways. maybe it really is that cold.

you come back with some toast and a glass of water. a crisp, warm bite into the food makes you feel relieved. you tuck your hair behind your ears, putting your focus back on tooru. “so, how’s everything?”

“everything... is... a lot.” tooru makes his way off of the bed, telling you, “seeing you eat just makes me hungry, too. lemme get some food.” he brings his phone with him to the kitchen, propping it against a vase on his dining table, giving you a perfect view of the kitchen.

“welcome to my cooking show!” he exclaims as he lets go of the phone. it falls immediately, of course, but he takes care in propping it against some more items. it works somehow.

“i just recently perfected my egg poaching technique,” tooru smirks as he takes two eggs from the fridge, “it’s kind of flawless, not gonna lie.”

“can i see?”

he sets the eggs down on the countertop, making his way to his phone before pausing, “erm, due to camera placement issues and a shortage of hands, i am unable to give you a full view of my absolute skill. is that okay, baby?”

you nod, your lip protruding slightly in a quiet pout. tooru’s pointed it out before, but it seems like every time he calls you baby your body automatically responds with a little pout. he looks at you with calm eyes, “cute.”

as he makes his eggs, you let him go on about the people around his neighbourhood, the results of the ca san juan tryouts from last week, his new team members, and one restaurant he’s found around town. he tells you, “their food is just so good. i’ll take you there someday.”

your cheeks raise slightly at his last statement, “really? tell me more about it.”

“well, it’s a bit expensive, but so worth it. they sell japanese stuff, actually, and i seriously kid you not, it tastes exactly like food from home.”

home, huh?

“maybe when i visit one day i can bring you some food from home, too.”

somehow, the mention of home stings a little bit tonight.

it’s an off-day, off-night, off-week, you’ve told yourself, and now that the week is ending with a call from your boyfriend, you were positive that it was going to end on a high. here, you stand corrected, with your throat getting all tied up threatening hot tears from the corners of your eyes. you’ve made it this far in the week, why must you cry in front of tooru, of all people?

you take a long gulp from your glass of water in an attempt to blink back your tears. you’re glad that tooru’s back is facing the camera as he takes out a plate to put his eggs on.

you quiet down intensely, afraid that any word out of your mouth will come out as a choked sob. of course, tooru notices, whipping his head around with a faltering smile.

“y/n, are you alright-”

“um, tooru, i think my laptop’s running out of battery, so i’ll reconnect the call from my phone instead, yeah?”

tooru nods, and you hastily stand up, clicking blindly at what you thought was the red hang-up button. your legs carry you to the kitchen, a place where tooru can still hear you even after the both of you thought you had hung up, to get another glass of water.

but your arms don’t go so far as to reach for the tap, and instead, they only hold onto the edge of the countertop, trembling lightly against the cold marble.

“shit,” you curse, head hanging as tears flow down your cheeks in warm waterfalls with your breath unsteady, your neck heating up. you see how some teardrops make little puddles on the shiny countertop, and some are swept away when your hand flies over to rid them, swiping in quick motions, angry that your body betrayed you by crying.

“stop crying, goddamnit.” you mutter, “it’s going to be so obvious, and tooru’s just going to worry, and he’ll just find it a hassle to stay with you, and-” you can’t even continue your spoken train of thought when you choke on your own words, your legs not even enough to support you up.

“what a shitty week...” you slide down to the floor, trying to steady your breath. you tell yourself to hurry up with this damned cry, as you told him you were going to call him again on your phone. maybe you could say it was the wifi.

you look up, wondering why, why do i feel like this?

is it because you just miss him? is work just getting hectic? should you be going out more? but it’s cold... nothing’s been working out lately. it’s just become doubts on top of doubts and you don’t know where to stop.

on the other hand, tooru’s freezing up. he can still hear your sniffles from afar, and as he stares at the warm plate of poached eggs on toast, he wonders if it would be okay to call out to you.

it’s not like this is the first time he’s ever seen you cry, because you two have seen each other in more ways than one. still, tooru feels his heart crumble at the fact that he had had absolutely no clue as to what you had been feeling all this time, whether it be just a week, a few days, or a few hours. he wants to call out to you, hug you tight, wipe your tears, do something to make you feel better.

but tooru doesn’t really know how to make his way through this, seeing as the distance is too far for any physical comfort. he’s learned he’s not as good with comforting words as he is with flirting, but now that he doesn’t flirt with anyone other than you, he doesn’t know if he even is good with words at all. he thinks, if you were to be okay with him reaching out to you, why were you choking back your tears? why were you so quick to hide what you felt? why do you not want him to worry about you the same way you worry about him?

tooru likes to think things through, especially when he’s never felt so unprepared with you before, as he’d been used to resorting to physical comfort in the past. but in this moment, through all the doubts and negative thoughts, his mouth moves faster than his brain.

“y/n, i’m still here.”

in this moment, your breath hitches and you make the dreaded way back to your laptop, your eyes swollen and cheeks glossy.

“y-you heard everything?”

your boyfriend nods, “do... do you want to talk about it?”

you shrug, swallowing slowly. “i don’t know how to talk about it, really,” a shallow laugh falls from your lips, “some days- this week- it’s just not... it’s been low, for me.”

tooru’s chin leans patiently against his forearms, eyes focused on you.

“oh god. i haven’t cried in months,” you exhale, “and it just happened to be in front of you. i probably look ugly, or something.”

your boyfriend shakes his head, “you and ugly are words that simply do not go together.”

“you can keep crying, if you want. i’ll be here for you.” he affirms, “we take care of each other at our lows, remember? no matter the distance.”

you sniffle a bit more, your sweater sleeve damp from your tears. his words are new, but it makes you feel much less alone.

the call fades into you attempting to steady your breathing once more, and tooru reassuring you left and right. maybe it does feel nice, you begin to think, to have someone there with you. to know that they’ll care for you as much as you’ll care for them.

in the midst of your thoughts, tooru calls out, “y/n?”

you hum in response, and he continues, “i wasn’t supposed to tell you this, since it’s not final, but there’s a possibility that i’ve been selected to play for the argentinian national team in the olympics next year. in tokyo.”

you do a double take at him. “wait, you... in japan...?”

he loves seeing you smile like that. “i was called in a meeting yesterday. they were pretty positive about me being a starting setter, but, again, it’s not final.”

your shoulders drop a bit, “but there’s always a chance, right?”

“well, ‘not final’ is just their way of saying ‘don’t tell anyone yet’. and how could i not tell you?”

you giggle a little, “maybe if you come over i might have some use for this big ass tv you bought for me.”

tooru laughs, “i’m coming home, y/n.”

here comes your second wave of tears.

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umbralstars · 3 years ago

Text

Alright now that I've talked a bit about his province it's time to talk about the man himself. We should all be aware of the few bits of canon info we got about Rufus, but here's my own general thoughts about his character and the relationships he has with his family.

Rufus is 13 years older than Lambert and wasn't exactly thrilled when his parents decided to make Lambert heir instead because of him possessing a crest while Rufus didn't. Rufus understands logically why Crests are useful for rulers to have (the legitimacy they offer along with a powerful Relic if a ruler needs to defend the state is useful and he won't deny that) but doesn't believe a Crest necessarily makes one automatically a good ruler. Recognizing early on the faults in Faerghus' system of governance, and feeling like he has something to prove, Rufus was hell bent on leaving his mark on Faerghus whether he's king or not.

Rufus is actually an incredibly intelligent politician who studied not only the governing systems of old, but also tried to learn as much as he could about foreign governments so he could reform Faerghus. He's been reform minded since he was a teenager. Even spent a good portion of Lambert's formative years impressing his ideas onto his younger brother, until Lambert knew enough to start coming up with his own ideas and debating solutions with Rufus. While the brothers were never the closest, Rufus implicitly trusted Lambert because his brother was just willing to trust and listen to him and that meant a lot to Rufus. He did more than his fair share of criticizing his younger brother, but at least he knew Lambert could find appreciation in that.

As Grand Duke of Itha, Rufus had a certain view on wealth and how a government should be structured.

He firmly believes that wealth should be used to glorify the state through great public works and that a well educated populace along with a well fed and protected populace led to the greatest societies. He still lived large and made it known, but he had a more patriotic attitude towards his wealth and believed he had a moral obligation to spend it on Faerghus' greatness. Under his rule, Castell Itha went from a cultural backwater in Faerghus to having one of the largest public libraries (something that would be replicated in Fhirdiad with Lambert turning the Fhirdiad College of Sorcery's library into a royal one open to the public) in Fodlan and having better urban planning than many cities in the Empire. He personally encouraged the creation of great works of art, poetry, and new magical techniques all for the good of Faerghus. He believed that Faerghus could be a cultural powerhouse and he was going to make it so by Sothis.

Rufus' aspirations weren't just limited to Itha either as he was of the opinion that Faerghus' incredibly decentralized governance style was holding the Kingdom back from greatness. Ever since Loog, the Kingdom had been an almost confederation of various states who paid homage to House Blaiddyd and the royal court but devolved so much power on internal matters they were functionally independent. The Kingdom's codes of chivalry were mostly developed and lauded by the crown as a way to retain some centralized authority and respect, but the various states in Faerghus could pretty much beef with each other as they pleased. Nowhere worse was this problem than in the northern reaches of Faerghus. Because much of the north has sided with Loog there was never any consolidation, so the north was made up of hundreds of duchies, counties, baronies, etc that could give the Holy Roman Empire a run for its money.

Rufus saw all of this as a blight on the Kingdom and made it his life's mission to fix it when he became Grand Duke. Lambert and him were working towards a goal of essentially a federalized monarchy with a strong centralized government. It's the entire reason he started to consolidate power and take out anyone who dared to get in his way. He also has a very 'my way or the highway' outlook on the other noble houses and wouldn't hesitate to screw them over if they don't fall into lines or prove to him that they're incapable of leadership.

Rufus can also be incredibly petty and spiteful if he feels he's been offended in some way. House Galatea is the big example of this. Galatea had been having financial problems for decades before hand, and the Count spurning Rufus on his betrothal request for peaceful inclusion in the Grand Duchy he considered a grave insult. Rufus didn't incite the rebellion as some claim but he did capitalize on it because he wanted to show how weak Galatea was and undermine the Count's authority. A more bloody example came when a smaller noble house in his domain tried to kill Rufus and his heir to take the riches for themselves. While they failed on both counts, Rufus decided to purge the entire family and their supporters with having the ringleaders tried and executed leaving the rest to flee for the Alliance.

The only House he begrudgingly respects is House Fraldarius because he does consider Rodrigue to be a capable leader and they do somewhat get along. They encountered each other a lot and, while Rogrigue is critical of Rufus' certain proclivities, they were able to be amicable to one another. He dislikes how many nobles fled to House Fraldarius due to the perceived aggression on the Grand Duchy's part. But for him, as long as Rodrigue was on Lambert's side with the reform measures he can share power in the north. He and Margrave Gautier have always disliked each other for numerous reasons, but the two don't clash over territory so they can tolerate each other's presence.

Rufus is also a mixed bag of being extremely charismatic, but pretty much only becomes so to woo people or get what he wants. In all other aspects of his life Rufus was domineering and stubborn with his beliefs and in his social life. He was and still is extremely piss poor at handling emotions and this includes his own. He could also be cold and ruthless when it came to pursuing his goals and was willing to do shitty things to get results.

Speaking of doing shitty things yes the man is a prolific womanizer, and every single relationship he has with the women in his life and his children is unique. He does frequent brothels and has done so since he was in his late teens. He courts heiresses to incorporate their houses into his territory or for purely political gain. Many of the children he has had may very not consider him a father at all simply because he's never been in their lives for whatever reason. At bare minimum he makes sure his mistresses and his bastards have at least a comfortable living situation, but that's about it. Rufus is obviously not incapable of loving people or considering his children family, he just doesn't a lot of the time while he never wishes ill upon them. There are a few instances where this was not the case and he was much closer to his mistresses and children, but they were honestly few and far between.

Since I mentioned his family other than Lambert and Dimitri it’s OC time.

Rufus and Emyr

Darya Artemi was probably one of the few women Rufus ever truly fell and love with. He initially approached her in the same way he had heiresses in the past with just intentions of courting her along with her soon to be lands, but somewhere along the line he genuinely did fall for her. When Emyr was born and it was discovered he had a Major Crest Rufus jumped on the opportunity to make him the heir. They never did legally marry, but she was Duchess Consort in everything but legality. Darya was mostly fine with having an open relationship with Rufus as long as he was around for her and their children.

Rufus as a parent is just as domineering as in every other aspect of his life. He could be caring but extremely strict as well and pushed for perfection in everything Emyr did. He wanted his son to be the perfect heir for the province he was building, and be like him in many aspects. Emyr did love his father and wanted to live up to every expectation.

When Darya died, Rufus experienced one of the first major depressive episodes in his life. He pulled away from his children, threw himself into work and all of his vices, and became even harder on Emyr than he was previously. If her death wasn't enough, some of his mistresses felt an opportunity to get ahead and tried to fill the void or even remove Emyr on a few occasions. The houses never really leveled out again and both Emyr and Rufus clung to the perceived stability they had before Darya's death to their relationship's detriment. They never could come close to breaching those vulnerable waters.

When Emyr ran away with Katya, it came after years of strife between him and his father that did permanently damage their relationship. Rufus was devastated when he lost Emyr and Katya along with a good portion of his family. He grew even more depressed, lost control of the court entirely, and never could form anywhere close to a good relationship with his nephew. He lost a good number of relationships during the four years before his death in friends and family. He spent the last years of his life guilt ridden, dogged by horrible rumors, and trying to keep together a country which was begging to rip itself a part.

For Emyr's part, he never did wish for his father to die in the way he did. In some ways he did love Rufus even after everything. Emyr is like his father in many ways and terrified of becoming him in many others.

TL;DR: Rufus is complicated.

#fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fe3h oc #rufus blaiddyd #emyr artemi blaiddyd #fire emblem #rufus analysis #oh he is my beloathed #a good ruler until he lost control of everything #and pretty complicated personality wise #he's got his good and his bad parts #blaiddyd bastards #a lot of this IS for my own personal writing and so obviously a lot of it is very embellished #but feel free to take any aspect of this if it jives

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myreygn · 4 years ago

Text

Intimacy

thanks for your patience with me @ticklishfrog and i hope this piece can make up for the wait! this is a post for @ticklishraspberries femslashfeburary fic exchange and i’m a little late but alas, at least it’s here now!

prompt: Margaery is getting a new gown fitted, and can't stop giggling. Sansa asks her about it and finds out she's ticklish. (i changed the asking part a bit, i hope that’s not ruining it for you ^^’)

wordcount: 2188

~~~~~

“M-Marge, stop it!”, Sansa blushed like crazy and tried to shove the insatiable lips away from her neck, but the brunette was relentless. Her hands wrapped around the younger one's waist and pulled her closer, lips still at her neck, making her shiver. “Marge! Not now!”

“Why not?” Margaery rested her chin on Sansa's breasts and looked up at her with big, shimmering brown eyes. “Am I not allowed to kiss my beloved when I want to? What kind of world is this?”

“That kind where you're engaged to a king who's just waiting for me to give him a reason to kill me and who'll get one pretty soon if the tailors walk in on us being intimate with each other.”

Margaery sighed and shuffled away a bit. “Fair point. Let me at least brush your hair. I don't think Joffrey can punish you for beauty care.” She grabbed a hair brush, then positioned behind Sansa.

The red head showed one of those rare, soft smiles that her brothers used to drag out of her by inappropriately fooling around and that were now an expression only Margaery got to see, and leaned back into the light contact of the hair brush. Being with Margaery was exciting and relaxing at the same time. She had learned to love the little smirks the about-to-be-queen threw her way, had learned to close her eyes around her and to fully indulge in her touches, to trust her enough to let her do things with her body she hadn't imagined someone doing since Sandor Clegane had saved her from the men who had tried to rape her. But Margaery was different. Margaery was sweet and gentle and never did anything to make Sansa uncomfortable. Margaery was simply everything she had wished for in Joffrey and she felt blessed by the Seven to have her here in King's Landing.

A careful knock on the door made Sansa flinch and almost immediately she felt Margaery's hand on her shoulder, reassuring and calming. She relaxed against the brunette's chest for a moment. “You're so good to me”, she whispered and breathed in Margaery's scent. “I just wish I could give something back to you.” Margaery chuckled. “You're here, aren't you? That's really all I need.”

It knocked again, louder this time, and they heard a woman's voice asking from the other side of the door: “My lady? Are you in there? The tailors are here.” Margaery stood up. “Let them in!”

She was already only wearing her underwear, welcoming the tailors with a wide smile. “Good morning, come in! I hope you don't mind Lady Sansa joining us?”

Said Lady Sansa gave the servants a gentle nod when they bowed and claimed how happy they were to have her here with the king's fiancee and she knew they were telling the truth; who wouldn't happily take the opportunity to spend time with the scandalous northern traitor-daughter?

But Margaery did not seem to be willing to throw her beloved to the wolves just like that. Chatting and joking she kept the tailors' attention focused on her, showing interest in the draperies they used and complimenting their skills, praising the results and asking them, who made which one of her favorite dresses she had in the closet. An hour passed by, another and the tailors seemed to have fully forgotten about Sansa, Margaery's kind smile and her sweet words and how stunning she looked, even in just the draperies. From time to time she smiled at Sansa and the redhead had never felt so safe and happy since she had left the North. Margaery was here. Margaery would look out for her.

The dress was beautiful. And even though Sansa felt amazement at the sight of all the unfinished, yet dazzling outfit, she couldn't help but being immensely relieved that it wasn't her who would have to wear it. No, it was Margaery and Sansa felt sorry immediately – how could she be so egoistic to be happy about the marriage? Not that she was really happy, of course she would've rather had Margaery all to herself, but it felt good to know that Joffrey wouldn't have her like that.

“Something like that”, the first tailor, a man named Rusko with a harsh bravosian accent, said and plucked at the high collar. “We'll probably make this more round”, his hands wandered down to the light silk lying on the lady's shoulders, “and maybe we'll just leave that out, it's distracting. And here –”, his hand gave Margaery's waist a light squeeze and he was cut off by a giggle. He looked up to her confused, but she waved his gaze off with twitching lips. “It's nothing, please continue.”

Rusko did as asked, explained how they'd change the dress, how loose or tight it would be in certain areas and where the embroidery would go, constantly accompanied by giggles and twitches from Margaery. She seemed to quiet literally tremble under the careful touches and while the tailors clearly ignored it, Sansa's thoughts wandered to the memories she had from a long time ago.

Robb pressing Jon to the ground and squeezing his ribs rapidly until the bastard was crying with laughter. Jon, Arya and Bran ganging up on Robb, making him scream through the whole castle. Robb and Jon tickling Arya and Bran to make them listen to them. Bran and Robb carefully tickling Rickon to cheer him up. Sansa herself had never been part of their little games; Arya had tried to include her once but had gotten screamed at by Septa Mordane who had been convinced that this would be no appropriate behavior for a lady. Sansa had always enjoyed watching her siblings from afar though. A smile parted her lips.

It took the tailors another hour until everything was sorted out and they grabbed their stuff to leave, not without looking at Sansa, disappointed – understandable, they practically threw away their shot to squeeze out the biggest scandal in all of Kings Landing. Margaery had done a good job distracting them from it and came now over to Sansa as soon as they were alone again. “Everything alright?”

Instead of an answer, Sansa stood up and reached for Margaery who quirked an eyebrow – it wasn't very alike for the Stark girl to seek physical contact in such an open way, but who was she to refuse to hug her beloved? A happy grin spread across her lips as the king's fiancee literally hopped into the open arms, pulled Sansa over to the bed and let herself fall on it, pulling the younger one with her. They shuffled around a bit until everything was comfortable, then Sansa sat on Margaery's hips and smirked down at her.

The about-to-be-queen folded her arms behind her head and grinned. “I like where this is going!”

“Oh do you?”, Sansa asked softly, laying her hands on Margaery's sides and stroking up and down over the thin dress. She waited until the brunette had fully relaxed into the touch, then she gave her unprotected torso a few rapid squeezes.

Margaery's eyes literally bulged out of her head and she quickly darted down to grab the attacking hands. “Wha-AH! Sansa! Naha ah!” She squirmed, bucking her hips, but Sansa's seat was steady.

“What is it, Marge?” More squeezes, dragging a few chuckles out of the other girl. “Are you hurt? Wait, let me check for bruises.” She began to poke up an down Margaery's sides and all over her tummy. “Where does it hurt the most? Here? Or here? Marge, you need to talk to me!”

Sansa smiled, noticing Margaery's surprise because of the unusual behavior as well as her hands still grabbing Sansa's wrists but not pushing her away – also she hadn't said Stop once yet! The Stark girl wasn't really sure how to read that, but at least she had by now figured out why she was behaving so strange herself: Margaery always comforted and took care of her and Sansa remembered tickling to be something fun – this was her chance to reward her beloved! Now, back to the hands...

“So it doesn't hurt, hm? It must be tickling then – are you ticklish, Marge?” The brunette shot her a glance through the laughter and flushed cheeks, clearly saying something like 'Well, what do you think?!'. Sansa nodded slowly and allowed herself another smirk, making Margaery blush even more. “I see. And say, do you like it? I'm just asking because you're not trying to stop me.”

“I-I doho!”, Margaery gasped and Sansa raised an eyebrow, surprised – she knew that Robb had always liked it too, but she also remembered how long it had taken Jon and Theon to make him admit that every time. But alright, Robb wasn't Margaery and Highgarden seemed to have its very own policy with intimacy anyways.

“I see. So you don't mind if I do this, do you?” Sansa grabbed her prey's hips and began to massage deep circles with her thumbs into the prominent bones, a technique she had seen Arya using to Jon and with Margaery it appeared to work just as well. The brunette shrieked and bubbly laughter escaped her lips. “Ahanaha Sahahansaa! Ihit tihickles!”

“Yes, you know, that's kind of the point, Marge”, the Stark girl proclaimed sweetly, letting her hands explore more of her beloved's beautiful body. Said beloved giggled breathy. “Buhut I dohNAHA SEHEVEN HELLSAHAH!”

Sansa almost took her hands off – almost. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction from the usually so calm and collected lady but fine, nothing to be bothered by.

“Oh? Your thighs, hm? Is this a good spot?” She continued to squeeze the soft flesh, making Margaery shriek and weakly kick her legs. A tear rolled down her reddened cheek. “Pleahaese!”

“Please what?”, Sansa imitated a phrase that Theon had often used on Robb and Jon. Now she had to pay attention – if Margaery told her to stop, it would be serious since she had refused to say it yet, but if she just repeated herself, Sansa could continue. That's what she had observed in her siblings' tickle fights and Margaery seemed to enjoy herself, so Sansa didn't by all means want to do something wrong and make her uncomfortable.

It appeared she didn't have to worry about it; neither did Margaery say Stop nor did she begin to cry like Bran did once. On the contrary, she squirmed into the touch rather than away from it, making Sansa smile and doubling her efforts. After a minute though, Margaery seemed to be out of breath and more tears followed so Sansa slowed down. “Too much?”

“A-a bihit”, the brunette giggled, then smiled widely. “But ihit's fun!”

“Where do you want me to tickle you then?” As inexperienced as Sansa was, as good did Margaery seem to know about this particular preference of hers and working together could improve this experience further for both of them. Sansa had noticed that she had a lot of fun with this as well and it took their relationship to a whole new dimension – not only regarding the kinds of intimacy, but also her chance to grasp the nettle of their interactions from time to time.

Margaery thought about it for a bit, probably to take the chance and catch her breath, then raised her arms above her head and looked at Sansa promptly. “But be nice, will you?”

“Of course, dear, why would I not?” Sansa smiled, glad that she hadn't crossed any boundaries, and lightly scribbled over the smooth skin of Margaery's armpits, making the brunette giggle and grasp the bed sheets. “Quiet sensitive here, aren't you?”, the redhead mumbled. As an answer, Margaery just leaned back further and purred between the giggles.

Sansa chuckled with her, continuing the soft touches for a bit more until Margaery squeaked and took her arms down, panting and keeping her eyes shut. Sansa handed her some water and let her sit up, giving her the time to recover. Margaery took it gratefully, then smirked at her. “Now where the hells did that come from?”

The Stark girl shrugged her shoulders. “I told you already today: you're always so good and sweet and I wanted to give something back. Then I saw you twitch at the tailors' touches and it wasn't hard to conclude what made you flinch. My siblings always did it and I thought it might be fun.”

“It was, it was!” Margaery laughed. “But you were so teasy, it was... a bit out of character.”

“Well, I had the best teacher”, Sansa said and Margaery beamed with pride. “Oh, did you?”

Sansa nodded seriously. “Theon Greyjoy.”

“Oh, you!”, the brunette cried and threw her onto the bed, climbing on top of her. “How about a taste of yours and Theon's”, she frowned, “own medicine then, hm?” Her expression softened at the excited yet nervous look on Sansa's face. “I'll be gentle. Promise.”

Sansa nodded.

#game of thrones #game of thrones tickle #femslashfeb2021 #tickle fic #sansaery #established relationship #sansa stark #margaery tyrell #lee!margaery #ticklish!margaery #ler!sansa

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jimlingss · 5 years ago

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Sugar and Coffee [1]

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

➜ Words: 3.8k

➜ Genres: 99.5% Fluff, 0.5% Angst, Pâtisserie school!AU

➜ Summary: It isn't hard to be a pâtisserie chef, but it's not a piece of cake either. It seems like for you in particular, life keeps throwing in one wrench after another. It always finds ways to make your sweets bitter. The cherry on top is Jeon Jungkook — a rival with a sensitive sweet tooth who always finds ways to complain about you.

cr.

Baking is an art form. It takes more than just having ingredients and following a recipe. It’s the flavour, texture, taste, and the presentation. It’s knowing why when things go wrong and how to fix it. It’s knowing the right kinds of ingredients to pick, how much of each should be combined, what techniques and methods to use. Baking is therapy. Baking is scientific. It is art. The ingredients are as follows:

Fresh strawberries

Sponge cake

Sugar

Heavy cream

Vanilla extract

You slice the freshly washed strawberries into halves as the stand mixer whips the two cups of heavy cream and quarter cup of sugar into medium peaks. Once you’ve got your components prepared, you slice the cooled sponge cake into two layers and set the bottom layer on a cake board on the turning cake table. You spread the whipped cream evenly with an offset spatula and layer the strawberries with cream on top. Afterwards, you place the other sponge cake on top and repeat the process. You finish the shortcake with strawberries on top for decorative purposes and pipe flowers with a twelve inch piping bag. “Very well done! Everyone give a round of applause for Y/N’s shortcake demonstration.” The teacher claps and the students around the counter follow suit. “Now it’s time for the real test.” She begins slicing the cake into pieces, but you’re not nervous whatsoever. You know you did a great job and your strawberry shortcake is worthy of salivating over. And as expected, while your classmates take careful bites and allow the flavour to linger on their tongue, there’s nothing but praise. “Wow, the sponge cake is so soft and moist.” “The cream is so smooth.” “It’s so fluffy.” “It’s melting in my mouth.” Even the teacher is nodding as she eats. But of course— “Isn’t it too sweet?” Jeon Jungkook has his brows deeply furrowed with a soured expression like he bit into a fucking lemon. His fork is cleaned but he puts the utensil down with a noisy clank, not wanting another bite. A muscle in your cheek twitches. “Didn’t you say that last time?” “Yeah.” He shrugs. “But you didn’t follow my advice. Obviously.” “Maybe you just have sensitive teeth, Jonhson.” “I don’t,” Jungkook deadpans, not appreciating how you pretend that you don’t know his name. “I don’t see anyone else complaining.” “Because they’re too nice to. If you can’t take criticism, then there’s nothing I can do, Y/N.” There are eyes flickering around. This happens often enough that no one’s particularly surprised, but there’s still bated breath held amongst your classmates. You open your mouth to retort. But the teacher eats with a thoughtful look, and then nods. “You’re right, Jungkook. You could lessen the sugar just a tad, Y/N. The strawberries are quite sweet this time around. Just goes to show that ingredients might always change, everyone!” “Okay.” You force a smile. “I’ll make a note of it.” “Alright class, now that we saw the demonstration, off you go! Watch that whipping cream! It shouldn’t be soft or hard peaks!” Everyone turns to leave, but your glare connects with Jeon’s until he turns around all the way. No matter what you make — Jeon Jungkook always complains that it’s too sweet. He’s a fucking ass. “What was up with that?” There are audible murmurs behind you. “I thought they were going to fight.” “In the kitchen? No. Maybe outside — but you know how it is.” “They still hate each other over the September incident?” “Well Jeon almost got Y/N expelled….” You turn around and once they realize they’ve been caught gossiping, they look away with big eyes and they quicken their hands. “So, uh, pass me the cream!” “Y-Yeah.” The teacher brings your attention back as she finishes marking the rubric. “Thanks for doing that demonstration for the whole class, Y/N. Job well done as usual. Just lessen the sweetness and you’re good to go.” You’re given ninety five percent. Full marks lost because of that asshat. You hope he can feel your glare on his backside. Eventually class ends and with your station all cleaned, hands washed, and apron put aside, you leave. Outside of the room, is the most handsome man on the planet waiting for you. The person who you love wholeheartedly. The person you’re most excited to see. Your person. He’s dressed in a white turtleneck sweater that you got him last year for his birthday, black jeans, and that baby blue trench that’s always soft to the touch. His dark hair is brushed and he’s leaning against the wall casually. But the glimmer in his sheepish eyes betrays the nonchalant exterior he tries to put on. And the corner of his plump lip pulls into a tender smile. “Hey—oof!” Laughter bubbles out of Seokjin’s mouth and his arms wrap around your frame after you quite literally leaped onto him. You barely manage to pull away from the man, having the strongest urge to stick to him forever. “I missed you.” You pout and he grins. “Missed you too, sweetheart.” You lean in to kiss your boyfriend silly. He holds you by your waist and you greet his plump, soft lips that makes you melt in a chaste peck. After a moment, you break away and he wraps an arm around your shoulder. “Should we go?” “Yeah.” Your steps sync together. “You won’t believe what happened to me today.” “What happened? Tell me.” The pair of you walk down the corridor together as the rest of the class continues to spill out. There are girls who caught sight of the heartwarming interaction and they hold their books to their chest as they sigh wistfully. “God, I’m so jealous. I want to be in love too. When am I going to get a boyfriend?” “At this rate, never.” “Hey! Rude!” “I’m kidding!” She giggles. “You just won’t get someone like Seokjin.” “Let’s be real, no one is gonna get someone like Seokjin — he’s just...perfect.” “They’re such a good couple, aren’t they? They’re gonna have such pretty…” Their voices fade, but Jungkook exits and hears their commentary. He turns to steal a glance at your backside down the hall. Jungkook scoffs audibly. “What?” Taehyung catches up to his best friend and swings an arm over his shoulder. The same-height brunette follows his line of sight and hums. “Jealous you’re not in a relationship?” “As if. It’s just pathetic, is all.” Jungkook looks away and they make their own way to the dining hall. “You really handed it to Y/N today.” Taehyung grins mischievously. “Like damn. I didn’t think her cake was half-bad. But you’re not scared it’s gonna come bite you in the ass, Kook? Y/N’s gonna hammer you down when it’s your turn for demonstration.” “So what? Like she knows what she’s even doing.” “Are you sure about that? She seems pretty decent at what she does to me.” “Decent isn’t good enough,” he says blankly. “She thinks she’s the shit but she came here to follow her boyfriend.” Taehyung whistles. “You still mad over September?” “She just irks me. Always has.” “Right, didn’t you guys go to high school together? You, Jin and her…” “We never talked. Whatever, it’s not worth talking about and wasting our time. Hey, what’s on the menu for lunch?” “You tell me. Jimin never texts us what’s new today. Dude just eats and then goes.” “What class does he even have right now?” “Bakery safety and sanitation.” Jungkook grins, remembering just how nightmarish that class was. “Rip.” The two of them turn the corner, moving the opposite way from you and Seokjin, and the hallway empties out.

Anxiousness boils at the pit of your stomach. Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for ever since you found out your application was accepted into the institution and you were successfully enrolled. Whatever results appear, it might dictate where you’re headed in the near and far future. The experience that you gain in these two years will pave the path to your career after all. “It’s today?” Moonbyul puts down her spoon. “Isn’t the paid internship in May? It’s only November.” “The posting went up for us in November too,” Hani pipes up past a mouthful of eggs. “Remember?” “Did it? It was so long ago, I forgot.” “It was only last year.” Sandeul rolls his eyes. “You haven’t gotten that old.” “I sure feel like it.” “Well if anything, you sure look like it.” “Umm, excuse me?” “Okay, okay, guys,” Your boyfriend interrupts with a laugh. “You’re freaking out Y/N even more.” They mutter apologies, but you smile. In an attempt to calm yourself down, you ask, “Where did you guys end up going?” After all, they’re a year ahead of you and they’ve been through the entire process. Any advice is helpful advice at this point. “Sandeul and I got hired by a hotel,” Hani says, “The Marriott. It was a pretty sweet gig, kind of tough though. Out of the entire class, I think five of us went there in total, so we were pretty lucky that we knew each other. It was long hours, but I learned a lot.” Sandeul scoffs. “Can’t say I did.” “When do you ever learn?” Moonbyul bites back. “My internship was at a private club,” Ken recalls, interjecting as the two of them argue again. “But all I baked was bread all day. It was awful.” “Oh god.” You look to Seokjin. “What if I have to bake bread all day? I hate yeast.” Jin laughs and he lifts his thumb to affectionately swipe at the corner of your mouth, getting the spaghetti sauce off your skin where you missed. “You’ll be fine. Promise. You’ll probably get hired at a catering company like I did. Or maybe a pastry shop.” “God, I hope so.” “Which did you apply to?” Hani asks, playing with her noodles. “Just a bunch of them. Restaurants, catering companies, shops. I applied to I think ten.” “Oh, you should be fine then.” “But I heard sometimes they put you in ones you didn’t apply for.” “That rarely happens. Don’t worry about it.” She bats the air with her hand, easing your worries a little more. Your boyfriend smiles warmly. “See? Told you so.” You nod and check the time. It’s five minutes to noon. And with that realization, you get up. “We should go.” “Don’t they email you?” Sandeul asks, pulling himself away from his argument with Moonbyul and ignoring whatever half-hearted and playful insult she throws his way. “Yeah, but the physical posting gets put up faster.” You’re jittery, hopping on both feet and Jin chuckles before he gets up too, taking your food tray and his to dump into the trash. They wish you all the luck you need and you’re off with Seokjin by your side. You’re excited and afraid, not exactly sure what to expect. You just hope you get your internship by the same catering company as the one Seokjin had. They liked him enough that they’ve ensured him a position after he graduates. If they hire you too and you do well enough, they’ll hire you back and you’ll get to work with him. It would be absolutely perfect. You can already imagine it. A small apartment in the city. Working together. Coming home together. There’s not a better plan out there. The hallway is crowded with lots of people pushing past to look at the posting. There are loud conversations, eager claps and cheers, to disappointed sighs and whines. “Wait here, okay?” You turn to Jin, not wanting him to be stepped on or pushed by the crowd. “I’ll be right here.” He squeezes your hand before letting go. And you push past the horde of students. “Excuse me, excuse me. Sorry…” “Aw man, I have my internship at a grocery store?! This sucks.” — “The hell is Dog World.” — “Oh my god, oh my god! I got into the East Wood Country Club! Fuck yes!” Finally, you stumble out of the crowd to the very front. The list is grouped together by locations and you search your name on the paper posting. After an antagonizing minute, you find it. “Kim’s…..Wedding Cake Company….” Blood drains from your face. It runs cold. Jeon Jungkook is coming with you. // You stomp your foot and cross your arms. You’ve been pouting for the past hour. But you can’t help the distress — not when you were still unable to comprehend it. It was the worst news on Earth. You thought your eyes were wrong, that maybe the posting or printer made a mistake, but the email wasn’t any different either. “I can’t believe I have to go with that jerk! It’s all ruined!” “I know, baby.” Seokjin pouts with you, sympathizing with your situation. He pulls you in to plant a kiss at the top of your head. “But you’ll be okay. Promise.” The way he says it calms your nerves, but that doesn’t mean you still aren’t frustrated to no end. There was only one paid internship to be done. One that was supposed to pave your way, help with the rest of your career, teach you things that couldn’t be learned through lectures and classroom work. But your one shot is destroyed. In shambles. What should be a fantastic experience is going to be a dreadful one. Why did things never go right for you? “I just….I just really wanted to be hired at your company.” You look up at him, eyes stinging and glossy with tears that threaten to shed. Your plans are ruined. “It’s okay. You can always apply after graduation.” “I know.” You sigh. “But of all people, why him?” A few hours later, the pair of you catch up with your friends at the dining center for dinner, and they quickly notice the way you’re not necessarily jumping for joy, but rather grieving. “Not...good news, I presume?” Moonbyul gasps. “Did you not get hired anywhere-OW!” She rubs the spot where Sandeul smacked the back of her head for being tactless. “It’s not that,” you reassure them with a small smile. “My internship is at Kim’s Wedding Cake Company.” Ken’s eyes are enlarged. “Oh shit.” “Wedding cakes?!” Hani sharply inhales. “That’s brutal.” “No, it’s not that either. I don’t mind. It’s just…” You steal a glimpse at your boyfriend. For one, you wanted to go where he went and secondly— “I’m with Jeon Jungkook.” “Who?” Ken asks, brows furrowing. “You know, the black haired kid,” Moonbyul says in an attempt to jog his memory. But the man’s impassive expression doesn’t waver or alter. “You literally described at least a quarter of the population.” “The one that looks like a rabbit, you idiot.” Hani makes grand gestures. “The deer-looking fellow. You know, the cute one.” “Right!” He snaps his fingers, as if that was enough to remember him by. You shake your head. “He’s not cute. He’s an ass. Steer clear territory.” “Can’t you steer clear from him?” Sandeul asks before he slurps up his carbonara and then chews in his cheek. “There’s like what— four or five kids coming with you? You can probably avoid him if you wanted to.” “No.” It dawns on you just how bad the circumstances are. “Apparently only two of us are going there. At least I didn’t see anyone else assigned to that place. It’s only going to be just him and I.” “Yikes.” “Not helping, Hani.” Seokjin gives her a look that makes her sheepish and mumble an apology. “It’s not going to be that bad.” He reaches for your hand underneath the table, a private place without the prying eyes of his friends. “It’s only for three months and it’s during summer. It won’t happen for quite some time.” “Yeah.” You squeeze your hand tenderly with his. It’s wondrous how effective Seokjin’s reassurance is. You feel like there’s no reason for you to be afraid, for you to dread the inevitability. He makes you feel like you could take on anything. All plans have their obstacles. Maybe this is just yours. Things always have a way of working out after all. You’ll get your experience, do your internship without talking to him, and then apply where Jin will be working after. You just have a feeling — call it your intuition — that it’ll work out. // But you’re still somewhat unsettled. You wonder if there’s a way you could switch. At least it wouldn’t hurt to take your chances and ask, then you knew you tried and did all you could. So with a hopeful heart, you approach the office area and open the door. The secretary is gone from her desk, maybe gone to take a bathroom or coffee break, so you take a seat in the waiting area. One second passes before you overhear a familiar voice that you’ve grown to detest. “—don’t see how I’m qualified at all! I haven’t even learned about wedding cakes yet!” The frustration is tangible. “It’s a course for next year!” “Then you’ll get a head start from your classmates, Jungkook.” There’s an audible sigh and his voice becomes calmer. “Miss. Kang, please. I just don’t understand how I could be put in something I didn’t even apply for.” “What do you want to do, Jungkook?” “Pardon?” “What is it that you want to do after you’ve gotten your diploma?” “I want to be a chocolatier.” There’s a pause. “A Master Chocolatier. I want to compete in The World Chocolate Masters. That’s why I applied for Oliver’s and Tokyo Confectionery. Spending my time and my internship at a place that does chocolate is important to me. Not wedding cakes.” “Well, you’re lucky then. I personally know the couple that runs Kim’s Wedding Cake Company. They’re good friends of mine and the man who runs the place with his wife is actually a chocolatier. He studied in Paris and has been in the industry for more than ten years. I feel like you could learn a lot from him, Jungkook. Remember, it’s not the place you go to, but the mentor that you have. Think it over. Give it a few days. If you still have concerns, we can talk about it.” Jungkook huffs in exasperation and grabs his bag. He mutters a reluctant ‘thank you’ before leaving the office. He doesn’t take one look back but on his way out, he catches you staring straight at him in the waiting area. His steps slow but then he scoffs, looks away and walks out. When you get a chance to talk to the lady organizing internships, it’s brief — she apologizes and tells you there’ll be no changes made. There’s no arguing, you know that much. Not when Jungkook quite literally tried every desperate plea in the book. You end up leaving and at the same exact time, Jungkook exits the men’s locker area, changed back into his regular attire. The two of you nearly bump heads, running into each other. “Are you following me?” he flat out asks when your eyes meet. You raise a brow, freezing in the middle of the hallway. “Excuse me?” “Are you following me,” he repeats with a sharp tongue, obviously still peeved over his previous interaction with Miss. Kang. But you don’t know why he’s putting it on you and making such outlandish accusations. There was absolutely no limit to his cockiness. “Get your head out of your ass, Johnson. I don’t have the time or day to follow you around.” “Then what are you doing here?” “I don’t think I need to tell you where I am or what I do.” “Whatever.” Jungkook rolls his eyes and brushes past you. But you turn onto your heel and shout after him— “Do you really think you’ll make it?” “What?” He shifts around to glare. His thick brows are knitted, mouth downturned. “Do you really think you’ll make it as a chocolatier?” You meet his eye and a smirk pulls on your features. A rush of air leaves your nose in a snort. “You? Really? You want to compete in The World Chocolate Masters? That’s cute.” “At least I have actual ambitions and goals and I’m not here for the sake of my boyfriend.” “Excuse me? What are you trying to say?” “Don’t play dumb and act like you didn’t follow your little boyfriend here.” “You don't know anything about me, Jeon.” “I don’t? I know that you’re not passionate about baking, that’s for sure. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have fucking stolen—” “Fuck you,” you spit. “I didn’t.” “Yeah right.” Jungkook scoffs. “Get real, Y/N.” He gets the last word. Jeon Jungkook turns around, walking away with his bag slung over his shoulder. You shout insults after him but he ignores it, making you look like the fool. Tears sting your eyes and your teeth grit. He’s an asshole through and through. You don’t know why you even bother wasting your breath. If Seokjin was the most patient, kindest person and the person that you love the most — then Jeon was the complete opposite. You will forever detest his very being. // Your hand is squeezed and you’re brought out of your thoughts. “Babe? What’s wrong?” You look to your boyfriend. That’s right — you love him and this man loves you. There’s nothing else that could ever matter more than this. “Nothing. I just had...a really long day today.” Seokjin stops walking and spreads open his arms wide. He gestures to you. “Come here.” A smile pulls into your features and you jump into him. Jin laughs, stumbling back as you cuddle into his chest. His arms wrap securely around your frame, shielding you from the cold, from the darkness of the night. You feel safe. “I love you.” He hums and kisses the top of your head. You’re beginning to feel better already.

#bts fanfic #bts scenario #jungkook fluff #jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenario #bts seokjin #bts slice of life #bts slice of life au #jungkook series #Y'ALL THIS IS GONNA BE THE SWEETEST THING Y'ALL EVER DARN READ #istg reading and editing ch 1 again brings tears to my eyes #im so excited to finally share this series #I HOPE YOU'RE READY

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joyrose-fandomer · 3 years ago

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Please, don’t fall for me (Sanders Sides fantasy school AU) Chap 3

Relationships : Future (Prinxiety, Intrological, Mocite, Platonique Moxiety and platonique Analogical)

POV : Virgil

TW : Water, Manipulation

Previous<<

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Virgil couldn't focus on anything after that.

He kept looking at the pamphlet and the folded paper on his laps.

The pamphlet showed a picture of a big white building. It looked like a bad copy of Harvard.

It was named "Pine hills High school and College of art, sport and science" which was long for nothing and boring like literally any school.

But most importantly, it looked pricy. So Virgil looked around the pamphlet but he couldn't find any price anywhere.

Tss, of course, they wouldn't.

It said on the pamphlet that the school had good infrastructure and good results in every sportive, artistic and scientific field. That it had 100% chance for the student to have a diploma and list several students that became important.

Virgil didn't know any of those names and most importantly, never heard of that school.

On the other hand, the folded paper was a lot less fancy. There was no picture only a name and a few commentaries.

It didn't look official in any way. In fact, it was very obvious that Remy had written everything.

But it gave a strange feeling, like the ink and paper weren't normal. Like it could disappear at any moment if Virgil stopped looking at it or if anyone else looked at it.

He knew it didn't make much sense, but he could swear that he saw the words glitter from time to time.

"The Argus school" was the name written on the paper.

"School for young magical creatures to learn how to control their powers in safety."

So, like a school of magic? When did Virgil step into Harry Potter?

It was so cliché and suspicious, Remy was surely messing with him.

What if it was all an elaborate prank?

What if it was a kidnapping technic and Virgil was falling straight for it?

Should he call the police?

Would they believe him?

But what if it was not a joke?

It was so unrealistic but it explained so many things...

That day when school ended Virgil didn't directly go home.

He went to the pool.

"Hello, do you have a ticket ?"

The young women at the entrance asked.

Oh. Well, he needed to confirm that too eventually.

The high school boy took a deep breath.

"No, I forgot...sorry"

Her voice was suddenly a lot softer.

"It's ok, I can give you one. It's 7$"

Alright, he won't have to meet her again, he could do it.

He took off his mask and hood

"I'm sorry miss. I forgot to bring money"

She blinked like she was trying to adjusted her eyes after being flashed with a stong light.

"Alright, I will take your name and you can pay later"

"Wait really?" Virgil exclaimed, not expecting the woman to actually let him get away with it so easily.

The woman smiled. "Yes, but don't tell anyone, I'm not supposed to do that. So what's your name ?"

"Virgil Apkallu"

"That's an interesting name could you spell it ?"

Virgil spelled his name like he always did. Before remembering an important fact.

"I don't have my swimsuit!"

She laughed. Virgil couldn't blame her, he really didn't think that through.

"Do you want to go home to pick it up?"

If he got home it would be too late, his father wouldn't let him go back out again.

He looked up at the women. Making eye contact with someone for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

"If I go home I don't know if I would be able to come back..."

She froze and thought for a bit before walking away and coming back with her wallet.

"Here, go to the dispenser and get yourself a swimsuit"

"Wha- but it's your money, I can't"

"It's fine kid, it's just 2$. Now go before we close"

Virgil sighed and bought simple black shorts. He thanked the woman and she let him get in.

He felt guilty. He knew he didn't ask her to do all that and she was the one who insisted. But he couldn't help but feel like he manipulated that woman.

But it's what he was trying to do, didn’t he ?

The pool was empty. It was late and during fall it was too cold to go swimming.

The pool attendants weren't here, probably thinking that no one would come at that hour.

So Virgil had the water for himself.

Time to get it over with.

The good thing with being an anxious mess like Virgil is that you end up collecting techniques to get rid of disillusions.

Often the biggest disillusions were the hardest to get rid of. It's the ones that make the less sense.

Like thinking everyone you meet want to kill you, or that your parents were secretly robots.

But the good thing is. The bigger they are the easier it is to prove your brain wrong.

If you don't turn into a wolf under the full moon, you're not a werewolf.

If you don't have magic powers you're not a witch.

And if you can't breathe underwater you're not a siren.

A normal human can't survive underwater for more than 5 minutes, a trained diver can stay at best 12 minutes.

Virgil only had to stay underwater until he felt the huge to breathe.

If he could stay underwater for longer than that without needing to go out to breathe then... haha no, it was stupid last time he was just confused because he fell into the pool in the middle of a panic attack.

He will be out in a few seconds.

He slowly went down the stairs. The water was colder than he remembered.

It was probably reckless to test that alone but at least no-one was here to stop him.

Once he was in, the cold was a lot more bearable. In fact, it was numbing pleasantly.

The only swimmer went around the pool using the border to hold himself. But he didn't really need it, it was mostly the lack of confidence.

Eventually, he let go of the side of the pool and swam to the center of the water.

He felt free. Like floating in space. Swiming was so easy, it was second nature.

Virgil set the timer at 0.

And go !

He let himself sink.

The echoes of the empty room, the lapping of the water, the far-away cars.

It all dissolved into silence.

The golden hue of the sunset reflected all around, slithering in the water like hundreds of glowing vines.

Virgil was still holding his nose under the water but he didn't feel the need to breathe. Actually, he was already breathing.

He brushed the side of his neck. His skin was taking off but it didn't hurt.

He breathed in.

Water entered the gap in his neck.

He breathed out.

Water went out of the gap.

Gills.

He never had gills. Since when did he had gills?

He let go of all the air he was holding in a string of bubbles.

He watched them float away. Reflecting the sunlight, making them shine the away fairy lights would.

Bright and clear.

When he tried to breathe through the nose, the airway seemed blocked and he ended up breathing by his Gilles again.

He was breathing underwater. He could see underwater.

He could see and breathe better than on land.

His hair fell on his face.

He could see his own eyes reflecting in them like a mirror and his eyes reflected his hair the same way.

This was new. Usually, they were both jet black.

He swam to one of the Hublot around the pool.

His hair reflected the pool around, perfectly merging with the water like they were trying their hardest to disappear. His eyes were hardly any better. They were glossy and blue with gold lights just like the water around.

Usually, his eyes were so dark he could barely see his pupils well now that his eyes were different... He still couldn't. Apparently, his pupils also got this mirror effect.

This one was probably not a new thing. The boy could remember every time someone had the great idea of pointing a flashlight at him only to scream because his pupils were shining like a wild animal.

The confused boy swam around.

It was so simple, like taking a walk around the park.

So peaceful,

So comfortable,

So pretty,

So safe,

It felt like home.

Virgil didn't know how much time he spent here. He didn't want to look at the timer.

He didn't want to walk. He didn't want to choke on air. He didn't want to feel the pressure of the world.

This was where he belonged. He was happy.

He didn't want to go.

He looked up. The golden light turned silver.

It was night. He needed to go home.

With a sigh, the half siren swam out. Posing the timer but not looking at it.

Everything was so heavy out there. Virgil dresses up slowly and difficultly. His clothes stuck to him and made moving even harder.

Taking a deap breath of his inhaler and dragging himself away from the pool.

The woman looked surprised that he was still here but she still waved him goodby with a smile.

The cold autumn wind gave him a headache, the boy hid his wet hair in is hood and walked.

By the time he arrived home, his body was freezing.

His mind bearly felt anything.

"Do you have any idea how late it is?

I was so worried! Where were you ?!"

His father immediately yelled when he opened the door.

Virgil stayed silent. He didn't feel guilty, just, empty.

He walked around mindlessly, working only on muscle memory. His father still yelling behind him but he couldn't hear anything.

When he took off his hood his father went silent and stared at him wearily.

"Virgil, why are you soaked ?"

His son took a deep breath and locked eyes with his parent with a serious expression.

"Dad. Who is my mother ?"

***<>============<>***

Sorry, the story didn’t advence a lot this chapter, I really just wanted to right water again ! (^u^’)

Tag list : @angstysunshine @sander-sides-fics

@moments-of-selves @sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes (I still don’t know if you want me to tag you or not so if you want me to stop just tell me ok ? (^u^))

#sanders sides fanfiction #fanfiction #sanders side au #virgil sanders #sander sides

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ghoulciifer · 4 years ago

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new follower and wow your writing is so good 😩🔥 so glad I found you! 👉🏻👈🏻🥺 if you are still doing requests, could I get a SFW snippet of Kageyama’s first reaction when seeing his future s/o. I imagine he wouldn’t know what to do with himself and I love imagining him getting flustered and then his team making fun of him because they’ve never seen him like that before 😂 well thanks for having requests open! Have a lovely day! 🙏🏻☺️

request: Kageyama meeting his future s/o + the team’s reaction.

word count: 1.1k

tw: none

tags: embarrassed kags, sweet, sweet fluff

notes: anon 🥺 you are the sweetest thing, oh my goodness. you made my day. thank you so much for following me and enjoying my content, that makes me so happy!! please feel free to interact or request as often as you like (w/o spamming ofc), my inbox is always open. this is actually the first time i’m posting a drabble on tumblr so, here you go! as always, thank you for the request and ily ❥

“Another, Kageyama!”

“Right!”

Sweat dribbled down his temple, tickling his skin until the drop caught the curve of his jaw and slid down to his chin. He brought the hem of his practice jersey to wipe at his mouth swiftly before adjusting his stance once more. Fingers at the ready, eyes trained on the ball, Kageyama’s body moved on instinct to meet the flying object mere inches away from the net.

Fingertips. Air. Palm.

Another successful set sent to Hinata’s powerful swing, another successful quick attack. The orange-haired boy practically jumped for joy as he slapped his reddened palm against Kageyama’s in celebration. This was it - their hard work was finally showing results, their goals coming to fruition. Nationals were so close they could taste it.

“Alright boys, take 5. We’ll do one more round of laps before wrapping up with another practice match.”

Ukai’s voice echoed off the gym walls and bounced right into boys’ ears, who all grunted a quick ‘yes, coach’ in response. Kageyama wiped the sweat from his forehead with the drenched collar of his shirt once more before making his way to the collection of water bottles sitting at the corner of the gym. Strange, he thinks, usually Yachi is there to pass the bottles around during breaks. He does a quick look around and realizes she was nowhere to be seen - a pang of guilt hits him at not noticing their co-manager’s absence.

“Oi, where’s Yachi today? Asahi finally scare her off or something?” As if on cue, Tanaka inquires just what Kageyama is thinking.

Asahi looks as if he might pass out, most likely thinking he just might have scared her off. The shy ace’s reaction makes the team laugh.

“Nah,” Daichi slaps a reassuring palm against Asahi’s shoulder, “She just had a lot of class work to catch up on from being sick last week.”

“Besides, aren’t we supposed to meet another candidate for co-manager today? I think that’s where Kiyoko’s been this whole time.” Suga adds while holding a towel from both ends around his nape.

Tanaka and Nishinoya scramble over each other to pester the silver-haired boy into giving more information about the ‘new babe’ joining the team, but he reveals he’s just as clueless as the rest of them. Kageyama also wonders briefly who this candidate might be, another first year, maybe? He shakes his head - it doesn’t matter. Whoever they might be really wasn’t any of his business. Besides, his only concern at the moment was perfecting his technique in preparation for nationals. He could get to know the new manager once they reached the top.

“Wow, looks a lot bigger on the inside.” A soft, unfamiliar female voice breaches the testosterone filled air and suddenly all eyes turn to the source at the entrance of the gym.

Kiyoko stands clad in her usual black tracksuit, clipboard in hand, and engaged in conversation with the culprit at hand. Kageyama swore his heart stopped beating for a moment. Could a human being truly be that beautiful?

“WOAH, KIYOKO, BABY, WHO’S YOUR FRIEND, HUH?” Tanaka and Noya blabber in unison while Daichi and Ennoshita hold them back like a pair of rabid dogs. The soft giggle that erupts from your lips in response to Kiyoko’s annoyed sigh resonates all throughout Kageyama’s body, urging his heart to beat even harder against his chest - God does he want to hear that laugh again. He decides right then and there he would do anything to be the reason you make such a sweet sound, all for him. The mere sight of you doesn’t allow him to fully register that you are, in fact, still a stranger… and he’s been staring slack jawed this entire time.

“Woah, Kageyama, why is your face so red? And why is your mouth open like that?” Hinata innocently pokes at the awestruck boy’s shoulder and speaks with a voice far too loud for Kageyama’s liking, exposing this embarrassing moment in its full glory to the rest of the room. Yourself included.

Kageyama is quick to clamp his jaw shut and turn slightly with a pout etched into his lip just before your eyes land on him, face much redder than before. However, his reflexes weren’t quick enough to avoid the wandering eyes of the rest of his teammates.

“Ooooh, does the king see something he likes? A crush, perhaps?” Tsukishima is the first to deliver a teasing blow, adjusting his glasses with a playful glint in his eye. Yamaguchi can’t help but snicker at his side.

“A crush? Who would he have a crush on??”

“Isn’t it obvious, basketball head? The pretty girl he’s never seen before.”

“Ooooh! She is pretty! I can see why you like her, Kageyama!”

Death. That’s what Kageyama wishes for the most at this very moment. A swift death that will take him away from this torture. He tries to hide the mortification in his features as the team continues to tease him for acting so out of character.

Meanwhile, as you watch the scene unfurl before you, you can’t help the heat that rises to your cheeks and crawls up to the tips of your ears. Did he really think you were that pretty? This boy you’ve never seen before, so enamored by the sight of you that he just… shut down? Perhaps the tall blonde was right, and the way Kageyama was now avoiding your gaze was answer enough to your question.

Kiyoko once again apologized on behalf of the herd of boys clambering around Kageyama and swore ‘they weren’t usually like this’, pulling you aside to have a chat with coach Ukai about your upcoming training. Admittedly, he was unsure about having two managers next season but, Kiyoko definitely talked you up enough to convince him that it might not be a bad idea, what with the team’s continuous growth. Besides, it was fairly obvious the boys had already taken a liking to you.

Kageyama spared a glance your way while being put in a headlock by Tanaka, Nishinoya gripping his shoulders and bouncing around while Daichi, Suga, and Asahi stood by with their faces buried within their palms. Perhaps it was chance that you happened to look his way during that exact moment, but the second your eyes met for the first time, it was as if the world stood still and all he could feel was you, even all the way across the gym… and the soft smile you sent his way only made his body melt further.

Maybe he would make an effort to get to know you before nationals.

#kageyama x reader #tobio kageyama x reader #tobio kageyama fic #kageyama tobio #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fic #haikyuu #hofortendouwritesfanfiction #hofortendoudrabbles

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arsonistvoyager · 4 years ago

Text

A Jedi for a Clone ; Captain Rex x Reader

PART 2 HERE

pairing: Rex x Reader

Summary: Imagine you're Pong Krells former padawan, now freshly knighted jedi, and you feel hatred towards the clones, especially the 501st, and you get put on a mission with Anakin. The clones are all a little scared to get close to you but also feel a little guilty (because they're angels) since you saw Krell when he was still a good jedi and they feel like they took your parental figure. But then the more time you spend with them you realize what your master actually did

a/n: this is pretty much my first time writing anything remotely star wars x reader so whoever comes across this bear with me. i’m a stupid little beginner lol.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, General, we expect the shuttle to arrive within the next 10 to 20 minutes.”

Anakin nodded as he looked over the cliffs that the 501st had set their temporary camp up on.

Arami was a planet located on the outer rim, not far from where Anakin had grown up, meaning barely outside of Hutt Space.

It had not been long since separatist forces had invaded the sparsely populated planet and had begun to enslave its population – doing so right under the republics eyes. To provocate them into a fight, Anakin had thought when the council had brought up the news of yet another separatist invasion. To make it seem like the Republic was illegally occupying neutral worlds and forcing them onto their side.

Anakin had known it was a set up from the very beginning, but the council had insisted that he take care of the problem. To be more specific, the council had sent Obi-Wan to give Anakin the orders, knowing of the connection the former padawan and master had and how Anakin was less likely to refuse the mission if it came from his almost-father figure.

And of course Anakin did want to refuse. He despised being anywhere near Hutt-Space, more specifically, his old home world of Tatooine. Too many bad memories were connected to that place. In the end he reluctantly accepted. It would be a quick mission. The seperatists had supposedly not sent many of their droid forces. An easy task for the Jedi General. And it may or may not have been his deeply rooted hatred for the slave business that convinced him to take on this mission.

As he looked over the cliffs near the coasts of an Arami ocean he had to admit the planet was barely anything like the sandy, vast, emptiness of Tatooine. If he closed his eyes and listened to the clash of waves he could almost pretend to be on the beautiful idyllic plateaus of Naboo, nobody but a certain senator by his side.

The only thing ruining the beautiful scenery inside his head were the excited and anxious chatter of his men, his troopers, behind him. The council had sent Anakin and the five-oh-first without any aerial star destroyer support. Not even the senate, nor chancellor Palpatine had been notified of the decision. It was supposed to be a quiet secret between them and the Arami people they would rescue.

The only other person assigned to the mission was another Jedi General. A senior padawan that had been knighted only months ago and Anakin and his men were about to meet her.

Formerly Commander now General (Y/N) (L/N) had made a name for herself within the last two years of the war, not only by rising up in ranks and in the favor of many High Jedi of the Jedi Council but also in her skill of many force techniques and abilities as well as the success rate of her missions.

Many civilians knew of her as a saviour, many jedi knew her as one of the top notch generals of the outer rim. The clones however would only know her under one name. Master Pong Krells Padawan.

The shuttle had barely exited hyperspace and reached the Arami system when whispered rumors circulated around Anakins men.“Krells Padawan. She’s really coming.”

“Do you think she’s bringing a clone battalion with her?” “Nah I heard she doesn’t work with clones. Not ever since...Umbara, y’know.” “I heard she used to command several troops until she heard the news of the Generals death. I’ve heard she...slaughtered her own men in a fit of rage.” “Banthashit! Don’t listen to all the rumors you hear in 79’s, Echo.” “I swear it’s true!” “Did you guys know she wields two lightsabers?” Anakin could not block their voices out, as much as he tried. The force surrounding his men was practically shaking with their insecurity. He hated that they felt that way. And he hated himself for not being on Umbara when it happened to help his men. He regretted leaving his men in the care of that psychopath in the first place. But how should he have known? The regret clawed its way into his mind anyway.

As for General (L/N)...She was not an unfamiliar face to him. In fact, because she was not far from his age, the two of them had often been in meditation and intergalactic geography classes together, as younglings. She had been nice to him. Helped him once with one of the questions when Master Mundi had asked him about the surface of Mon Cala and he had been too occupied with his daydream to realize he had been called upon. After whispering a quick “thanks” she had giggled in response, before focusing her attention back onto the Jedi Master. That was before Obi-Wan took him on his first mission, followed up by many more. As a result Anakin spent much less time with the other younglings. Maybe he had seen her once or twice in the halls of the Jedi Temple, Anakin could not recall it. Had Master Krell been by her side? He didn’t know either.

When Anakin had consoled his men after the nightmares of Umbara he had been more than surprised that many of the clones, Rex included, felt horrible for what they had done to the Jedi Master. Anakin at the time had thought it was due to their extensive training on Kamino, where they learned to obey their Generals under any circumstances. Only later had he found out someone had gone to his men and told them all about Pong Krell, his devotion to the Jedi Order and his kindness towards his fellow Jedi.

And of course, about his very young Padawan.

Anakin had wanted to console her as well, had wanted to check up on her to make sure she was alright after the horrible news reached him. He knew very well the feeling of guilt about not being able to do something about the death of someone beloved and how the darkness would very easily latch onto that feeling and devour it. The council forbade him to act.

Instead they sent him on another mission – far from Umbara – a small planet in the mid rim. Simple humanitarian acts. The council had probably thought they showed mercy and compassion. Bantha shit.

The young General turned around as he received a message on his comlink. A trooper signaled him that the shuttle would land shortly. Anakin thanked him and started walking towards the landing area they had cleared up. As he walked past his men he noticed how they tensed up and muted. As if their earlier “whispers” hadn’t been loud enough for the entire system to hear. He sighed and regarded them with an empathetic gaze before he made his way to the front. He hoped they knew what he meant by that. He understood their fears.

The shuttle had settled on the ground and Anakin and several of his troopers watched as the ships ramp rolled out. Seconds later a figure emerged from the bright lights of the ships. There she stood, General (L/N), clad in dark jedi robes. She took less than a second to inspect her surroundings, looking the clones right into their eyes before her gaze fell upon the fellow Jedi General. With a strong, confident walk and a serious, stern expression she stepped down the ramp and made her way to Anakin, ignoring the soldiers saluting her arrival. --- You felt the clones’ nervousness in the force the moment the ship had touched Arami grounds. Good. They should fear you. They should shake underneath their bright white armor.

Blue. They had chosen blue to paint their generic armor. A pathetic attempt at individuality. Red would have been more fitting in your opinion. Had Master Krells red blood spilled on their neatly painted armor when they murdered him in cold blood? You had asked yourself the question numerous times. It still haunted you.

Dozens of eyes fell on you and you resisted the urge to shoot them a glare, deadlier than the two blue lightsabers attached to your hips. The council had sent you of all people on this idiotic mission. And you knew you had more important missions to attend to – in the calmness and familiarity of your own presence. Not surrounded by mindless clones. The killers of the kindest man you had known in your life, nonetheless.

“General (L/N)”, Skywalkers voice sounded. “It’s a pleasure to have someone as talented as you here with me.”

You knew of Anakin Skywalker. The golden boy of the galactic war. In fact, you had idolized him before Umbara had happened. Of course you knew he had nothing to do with what had happened, as he had been deployed elsewhere at the time, just like you yourself had been. B ut the fact that he continued to work with jedi-killers had shocked you. How was he able to live with these men that had killed one of you?

“As it is for me, General Skywalker.”, you finally answered, taking the hand he had reached out to you and shaking it firmly. “My deepest and sincerest apologies for what happened to Master Krell.” Oh no. “I want you to know that I-” You didn’t give him the chance to continue what he had intended to say. No – you did not need his empty words of pity.

“General I think we should discuss our strategy now.”, you instead cut him off with. “Yes...Of course.” Skywalker rubbed his forehead and sighed, stretching his arm out towards the location of their main tent. “But I just want to-”

You didn’t even give him the chance to speak, before abruptly turning towards the direction he had pointed at, determined to get this mission over as quickly as possible. It was then that you ran face first into a tall, broad man that had seemingly come out of nowhere. And your heightened Jedi senses had been too clouded with Skywalkers presence to recognize the other person.

Normally this simple occurrence would not have fazed you in the slightest. But this was Arami and aside from yourself and Skywalker there were only a certain group of people on the planet. Clones.

Instinctively your hands went to your lightsabers and your mouth curled into an angry scowl, eyes burning with fury. What imbecile of a labor-bred traitor had dared to step in your way?

You locked eyes with a blonde clone in full armor, clutching onto his helmet and already taking a few steps back. “General forgive me. I didn’t mean to-” The grip around your right lightsaber tightened. Had it not been for a decade of training in the arts of meditation, you would have probably jumped onto him like a feral beast and rammed your lightsaber right through that stupidly dyed head of his. Instead you decided to exhale deeply through your nostrils and stared right at him.

“It’s General (L/N) to you, soldier. Unlike you I have a name and I would prefer it be used to address me properly.” He could barely look into your eyes.

“Oh you’ve met, Rex.”, you recognized Skywalker's voice from behind you. “Captain Rex to be exact. One of my most trusted men.” Yes you knew of the silly little nicknames the clones gave each other and you were also aware of what Anakin was trying to accomplish, but you decided to not fall into his trap and walked towards the command tent.

“You okay, Rex?”, Anakin asked shortly after you left, laying his hand on Rex’ shoulder in a soft attempt to comfort. “Yeah...Yeah General. I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to apologize. I told myself now or never. But when I saw her I – I froze.” Anakin frowned, his eyebrows knitting in disbelief. “Rex you know you have nothing to apologize for. You acted in the name of justice.” The clone trooper stared at the ground, before putting his helmet back on. “If you say so.”

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

a/n: Originally I wanted to write out the entire idea of her sitting down with rex and talking it out and realizing how she had been in the wrong and even make it a little romantic but then i got a little carried away in the process and it turned out WAY too long anyway so- enjoy this. whatever it is. I’d call it experiment and me dipping into unknown territory to see if i want to continue lol Maybe I will do a second part where they actually work it out tho

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #sttcw #clone wars #the clone wars #captain rex #captain rex x reader #captain rex x you #anakin skywalker #anakin #skywalker #clones #tcw #reader #reader insert #clones x reader

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zarathelonewolf · 3 years ago

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Currently writing the first two chapters of my KNY AU... They're about the main OC, Masako, and how she exactly became a Demon Slayer. I'm gonna spoil you something: it wasn't really easy for her, since she was her father's only daughter, and he became more protective of her when he came back from a mission so gravely injured that he had to retire and become a cultivator: she had always trained with him before that moment and listened to his stories, and although he already knew the dangers of the profession his daughter wanted to choose... the dangers of the path he had chosen and that she wanted to follow... he had let her passion for training fester. That was because she was already showing some form of propensione for the Stone Breathing, which her father was expert of.

However, after his injury, even if he did let her train on her own as he occupied himself by training other apprentices as cultivator, he forbid Masako from ever becoming Demon Slayer: she could still train for leasure, or as a hobby, but now that Ryu (her father) had lost both his friends, an arm and a leg in his last mission, he really didn't want her to end up the same way he had.

Just like Hinata, one of Ryu's trainees, had told Masako one night before going to bed, when she asked him why Ryu didn't want to send her to a possible death but was OK doing so for other young promises... Ryu's only crime was loving her too much, and worrying like every parent would have in his shoes.

She rebels, one night, by taking his father's kusarigama while he sleeps and letting her frustrations go in the forest, using the weapon to create a whole opening among the trees. She knew the first forms of Stone Breathing by self-taching and observation of her father, so the devastation was pretty heavy. She was seen by Kaito, the apprentice Ryu was training at the time, and then scolded by her father and never allowed to train anymore... Not even in her free time, or with a staff, like she had done until her rebellion. He did so because he realized that, to keep her truly away from the world of Demon Slayers, he had to use a firmer hand. He ignored her when she started to try and make amends in the days afterwards, and the Masako Ryu had known until then started to fade: she treated him with immense but cold respect, tried busying herself by doing more "feminine" activities and spending more time with her mother instead of her father, didn't ask him for stories or stare at his training with apprentices anymore... she interacted much, much less.

Ryu realized that he had done something wrong: he had lit a fire in his daughter ever since she'd been eight by letting her train with him, and now that he had lost so much and retired and that she had grown up to fourteen years, in his attempts to shield her, he had severed a strong bond and turned her world upside down. He remembers her last words after the forest incident: she had said, utterly devastated, that the embers in her heart would never truly be set ablaze and that they would have never burned anything worthwhile... That all her efforts in the end were for nothing, and that she would have changed nothing through them.

Ryu, at some point, grows tired of the atmosphere and follows Kaito's suggestion: he writes to his old Sensei, his cultivator, Fukunaga. Since Fukunaga's style isn't to text back, he pops out in front of Ryu's house with his eagle to pay him a visit.

Fukunaga listens carefully to his former apprentice, then asks him to see his daughter and allow her to show him what she was truly capable of.

After examining Masako's performance, Fukunaga has a loooong talk with her father. Since he was affectionate towards his students, former and present, but didn't let it cloud his judgment, he concludes that it would be infinitely better for Masako to become a Demon Slayer instead of letting her fade away, and that if Ryu would keep being immovable, Fukunaga would have trained her himself, to ensure the hardships of her life as a Demon Slayer would be lightened by solid experience, training, and validation. He also observed that it would be wiser for him to contact "an old friend of his" to teach her the basics of Wind Breathing: she wasn't totally compatible with Stone Breathing, and the imput of Wind Breathing could allow her to develop a Form that would be perfectly fit for her: it wasn't the first time Fukunaga attempted joint training with another cultivator in tow.

He gives Ryu a week to decide, and then he leaves, after sparing an encouraging look to both father and daughter.

I bet you already know where this is going: Ryu allowed her to follow Fukunaga, and she swore to him that she would have come back after her eventual Selection, and every mission, to reassure him that she was alright.

During her training, which goes on until she's 16, she fuses Stone and Wind Breathing creating Diamond breathing: it uses two swords, one bigger than the other; the bigger one is used to charge the enemy, as shield even, and for the heavier strikes. The lighter one is used for feints, and strikes that require speed and precision. Trust me: it was incredibly wonky when she first developed it, and Fukunaga and Igarashi (her cultivators) had discouraged her idea in the beginning, but as unstable as her first version of the style was, she survived the selection...splendidly,might I add, even getting herself a friend.

She becomes Pillar when she's 18,almost 19,after destroying a draconic demon on her own: a Lower Moon that swam noisily and messily in a river, making it flood often and becoming the doom of the nearby villages. She gained three ugly scars on the left side of her face, maiming her left cheek and her chin,and one on her back, but her smile stayed just as fierce and her eyes never wavered, even if one of them was milky and her smile looked scary as hell because of the wound; she was lucky she didn't loose mobility of that side at all. Her Hashira alias is Diamond Pillar, from her now almost perfected Breathing Style. She makes best friends with the old Stone Hashira and the Shadow Hashira. Shadow Breathing, for those curious, derives from Wind and Water Breathing: his main holder bonds with Masako because their styles both developed by fusing two already known techniques, and the Stone Hashira respects her efforts. Shadow breathing will become lost in the Canon era because of his holder's misterious death; don't worry, he isn't the one that has the demon friend. He dies while on spy duty: he had infiltrated Douma's Cult, and Masako is sent there with his tsuguko as replacement of the Shadow Pillar... The same mission in which her tsuguko will lose his humanity, and immediately rebel Douma's influence out of pure spite and conviction, saving some prisoners and his teacher in the process.

Masako sees the Stone Hashira retire and leave the spot to Gyomei Himejima (19 years old) when she is 23,and gets her own tsuguko when she is 26: her tsuguko, Kai, is extremely bubbly and optimist to a fault, and she has become more serious with age, but they get along nevertheless.

She is 29 and he is 17 when they investigate the Shadow Hashira's disappearance in Douma's cult and Kai becomes a Demon.

When they are far away from Douma's clutches and sure that he isn't interested in the pursue anymore, Masako has to make a tough choice: but even if her tsuguko agrees with her that she has the duty to kill him and offers himself to justice, she chooses to spare him in the end. She tells him to regain his optimism, because his rebellion has shown her that he would be on the Demon Lsayers side no matter what, and he was still fighting his new monstrous instincts as they spoke, so there was still plenty of humanity in his heart.

In her report, she writes that Kai was lost when they evaded Douma's Cult because he covered her escape with the civilians, and that other infiltrations of the Cult were discouraged.

She spends a whole year helping her former tsuguko, hidden in a cave close to her very narrow den, manage his cravings for human flesh with every method immaginable: she fed him wild animals, exercised in meditation, and allowed him to sleep much more once she understood that it would inhibit the stronger fits of hunger. She neglected her duties as a result, worrying her colleagues, especially the very perceptive Gyomei. They were already suspicious because her report had, um, "plot holes" so to speak, but they had dismissed them believing that it was hindered by her recent loss. It was the other reason they gave to her difficulty of going on missions... But they became flabbergasted when, at 30 years old, she disappeared. Like, just, poofed out of existence. She didn't participate to an Hashira meeting, and the now super-worried Himejima charged himself with the duty to check out her den and ensure that she was alright.

When he entered, he immediately felt the stench of human blood, and... and of a Demon. He had touched the walls and the floor, and realized they were caked with blood: there were no plot holes that time, a fight had happened. Her den had been well hidden, but a Demon had clearly managed to get there. He didn't find a corpse anywhere, not even in the area around the narrow house in the mountains, and using his hyper-sensitivity, he had concluded that Masako had likely been killed a week before... and none of them had noticed. Not even finding her crow, he stopped his investigation and called an emergency meeting, explaining his findings.

Little did they know, Masako had realized that she couldn't hide anymore and that they may have found out about Kai's condition, so she had to enact a fake death: she made Kai use some of his Blood Demon Art to give the feel of a demon's attack, and wounded herself on her forearms and her shoulder, not fatally, but she still splashed the blood on the walls, and then ran away with Kai. She also let him destroy some trees and rocks of the place, and part of her house.

Kai would, again, beg her to kill him, because he still somehow saw himself as an hindrance, a burden, that she had to bear and that had led her to abandon her higher responsibilities. It was his fault that they were on the run, and with an unknown future, now.

Masako, though, is adamant: she chose to stay by his side out of her own volition and following the evidence that he was still human deep down and that his demonic instincts wouldn't win anytime soon, so his condition could be managed. She tells him that they can still fight the un repenting demons without necessarily being Slayers, and that they had new options to reconsider: all the while, they would stand by each other.

Kai is finally convinced. He lets out a roar and he finally curses Douma and Muzan by yelling their names, without dying in the process: thus confirming that he has fully severed his connection to the two, and Muzan's Name Curse doesn't bind him anymore. Kai then follows Masako.

So... For those of you that have gotten until this point: congratulations.

This is, at the moment, Masako and Kai's story. Know that they will meet the rebellious demons later during their self exile,and they still slay bad demons on their own as the White Spirits, two vigilantes.

They will meet the Slayers in the Canon age, when Masako is 34 and Kai is... Um... Oh geez.

How old would he be? 25,maybe,but since he is a demon... I dunno, is it really important?

Remember, this is FANON MATERIAL. THE ORIGINAL WORK IS GOTOUGE-SENSEI PROPERTY, KIMETSU NO YAIBA, AND I CLAIM IT IN NO WAY. MY FANFICTION AND FANARTS ARE NON PROFIT, AND I OWE THE INSPIRATION TO THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.

See ya!

#kny #demon slayer #kny au #kny OCs #kny fanfiction #kny fic #Masako KNY OC #Kai KNY OC #Fukunaga KNY OC #Ryu KNY OC #Hinata KNY OC #Kaito KNY OC #Demon KNY OCs #this is but an AU of kny #which doesn't belong to me #it' gotouge Sensei's work #this is all non profit #do not steal the OCs

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tickletastic · 4 years ago

Text

Training Days

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Ship: Non-explicit Sterek and Thiam

Summary: The pack can take a break from training for a little while, so Scott disguises entertainment as another session, unknown to Liam and Theo.

Today’s training was a lesson in self-control. It was supposed to teach the new betas how to stay stealth in situations where they may be under pressure. Scott had claimed that he went through the same training, which is why Derek was there now. But really he just wanted to see his new betas squirm. Training had been going great, and they definitely had time for a break. Well, a break for Scott at least, one that was disguised as another training sesh.

Scott had introduced it to Liam and Theo as an exercise in staying stealth no matter the circumstance, but it was also going to be a lesson in interrogation techniques.

The two of them had been tied to separate chairs, Liam certainly easier than Theo, who tried to fight his way out the entire time.

Now, Liam was looking uneasy, strapped into his chair with his arms chained to the arms of it. Theo had his usual smug look on his face, but Scott, Derek, and Liam could all smell the same unease on him that Liam was visibly feeling.

“So,” Derek began, pacing back and forth between the two chairs, a wide smile on his face. “Today we are going to do a little exercise in self-control and staying quiet. This is an exercise that all of the betas have gone through: Erica, Boyd, Isaac, and even Scott. Even I went through something a little similar to this at the hands of Peter, my mom, and Laura.”

“Actually, I don’t rem-” Erica clamped a hand over Boyd’s mouth, dragging him away by his arm.

“Hey, Boyd and I are gonna go shopping, see you guys later!” Erica rushed, pulling Boyd straight out the door of the loft.

Isaac and Allison had decided to join them, promptly saying their goodbyes too.

Liam tilted his head in confusion, the same way a puppy would. Derek just went on to resume his little speech. After all, he wasn’t completely lying. His family had definitely put him through similar training, but he had always found it cruel and unusual. He had, however, mentioned it in passing at a pack meeting before Liam and Theo joined, and Stiles, Boyd, and Erica had taken it upon themselves to inflict it on Scott and Isaac.

“So, Scott and I will inflict some touch on both of you. The goal is not to escape, actually, it’s quite the opposite. The goal is to stay as quiet and as still as possible. I don’t think either of you will have to worry about wolfing out, so just worry about trying to stay quiet, and try not to give in, alright?”

Liam nodded eagerly, still looking a little nauseous. Scott smiled, trying to ease his beta somehow.

“Alright, so, I’m going to help you with the training exercise, Li, because I think I’ll probably be a little less sadistic than Derek.”

Theo visibly paled, and Stiles snickered under his breath.

“So, are either of you ticklish?” Derek asked, trying not to appear too mischievous when Liam had paled too.

“Hell no,” Theo started to struggle, preparing to break the chains that he was stuck in.

“Hey, we gotta do this Theo. The goal isn’t to escape, it’s to exercise self-control.” Scott tried to calm the chimera, but Theo looked absolutely panicked. When Derek placed a hand on his shoulder, he froze completely.

Liam, on the other hand, had begun to giggle hysterically when Scott had started to walk towards him.

Scott motioned for Derek to back away from Theo, and Scott did the same, the two of them standing in front of the two chairs. They both looked from Theo to Liam and back again as they took the sight in. Theo looked completely defeated, while Liam had yet to stop giggling.

“We’re not gonna count this, but you gotta calm down Liam,” Scott warned, moving closer to Liam and placing a hand on his shoulder. The touch just caused Liam to laugh even harder, desperately trying to make himself stop. Liam was trying to get out words, but he couldn’t stop. Scott backed away, trying to let Liam calm down, and Kira came to take the lead.

She knelt in front of him,putting her hands forward where he could see them. “Hey Li, you’re gonna need to calm down, alright? You can do this, you’re great at self-control.”

Liam was calming down, gasping for air while he stopped giggling. Scott gave him a moment to breathe, thanking Kira for helping them out.

Once Liam had calmed down, Scott motioned at Derek. “We’re going to start now, alright guys?”

“Who do you think will break first?” Lydia asked Stiles, both of them watching from the couch.

“Oh, Liam for sure, what kind of question is that?”

“Want to put money on it?”

“Fifty dollars says Liam breaks first.”

“Fifty says it’s Theo.”

The two of them shook hands, Stiles smiling since he believed he would be $50 richer by the end of the night.

Scott and Derek started, Scott starting at Liam’s neck and Derek starting at Theo’s ears. Liam had initially let out a snort, but now he was scrunching up his face, huffing softly as he used all of his willpower to internalize his mirth.

Theo had twitched, but otherwise his face still held that same dumb smug look that it always did.

Derek wanted results, maybe Theo would be able to hold out on his laughter, but Derek definitely wanted to see him squirm. Derek moved one hand down to Theo’s ribs, and the chimera started to wiggle in his seat, trying to buck Derek’s hands away from his sensitive skin.

Scott, too, had moved, spidering over Liam’s knees. Liam didn’t have super ticklish knees, something that Scott knew. Scott was trying to stack the cards against Theo, and Liam was beginning to pick up on it.

“Just don’t giggle,” Lydia encouraged Liam, giving him a smile when he looked her way.

“Awww, he’s gonna giggle, I can see it. C’mon Liam, we know you wanna crack up.”

Liam shook his head, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

Lydia, Stiles, and Kira were getting a little bored, they had expected someone to crack up right away, but instead, they were five minutes in and nobody was laughing. The three of them had all strayed in their attention. Kira and Lydia were watching a video on Kira’s phone, and Stiles was fidgeting with his own.

Nobody was really paying attention, which is why the giggling caught them so off guard when it finally had started… and when it didn’t sound anything like Liam’s.

the room went completely silent as everyone turned their heads towards Liam and Theo. They hadn’t been paying attention when the high pitched giggles began, but now that everyone was looking, they got to witness the wide smile on Theo’s face and his head slumped downward, his eyes closed tightly.

It was the sweetest sound that any of them had ever heard. It was so carefree and cute, and much different from Theo’s usual demeanour. Derek was tickling Theo’s tummy, and Theo just couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer. He let the feeling overtake him, and he was giggling freely as Derek spidered over his skin.

Who knew that Derek was the teasing type? Theo was just the unlucky one who got the displeasure of finding out. “Hey, are you laughing at me? C’mon Theo, stop laughing, it’s not nice.”

Theo snorted, which was apparently the funniest thing he had ever heard, because he just started laughing even harder at the sound. Theo’s entire body was shaking with the strength of his laughter. It was almost as if he was forgetting that he was supposed to act cool and unbothered about everything, because he had stopped trying to fight the smile on his face altogether.

It was almost like the tickling brought out the child in Theo.

“Deheherek no!” Theo squealed when Derek pinched his thigh, trying to kick out but unable to because of his chained up predicament. Theo’s smile was so wide that it split his face, the rest of them had never even seen him smile, let alone like this. “Ohohoh my gohohosh, plehehease! Plehehease stahahap!”

Derek decided to try Theo’s ears again, and the teenager shrieked before dissolving into more frantic giggles. So far, Theo’s thighs still seemed like his worst spot, but there were other places left to try. Derek knelt down, looking up at Theo, who looked absolutely terrified.

Liam, having been something with Theo that he didn’t know how to describe (lovers? Boyfriends? Friends with benefits?) already knew that Theo could be pretty sensitive. He didn’t hate getting tickled, but his feet were unbearable. He almost pitied the situation that Theo was in, considering Scott had stopped to watch the show, and he wasn’t receiving the same torture.

“Wait!” Theo and Liam both screamed out at the same time. They had all expected Theo to protest, but Liam caught them off guard.

Now it was Theo’s turn to giggle uncontrollably for no reason as Derek went closer to his feet. Theo didn’t know what had gotten into him but he was anticipating the worst, unable to stop the laughter from pouring out of his lips.

“Scott, I think Theo’s had enough,” Liam tried to reason. He couldn’t really understand why he was trying to reason for Theo, but he knew just how unbearable and overwhelming Theo could find it sometimes.

“I think we might just be getting to the best part, Li,” Scott said, a smirk on his face. “Anyways, Theo is certainly not a man of mercy, why should we have mercy on him?”

Theo screamed at a volume that could only rival Lydia’s, before falling into hysterical, silent laughter. Theo wasn’t even wheezing for breath through his laughter, it seemed like he was just gushing out a continuous stream of joy that he couldn’t prevent.

Derek snickered at the gasp that Theo let out when he looped his fingers between the chimera’s toes. When Derek finally did stop, Theo was gone. He hadn’t even registered that the sensations had stopped, and he just continued to laugh as if he were still being tortured.

Lydia, Stiles, Scott, Derek, and Kira watched on in shock as Liam looked on with worry. Derek even unchained Theo, but he just continued to giggle hysterically. Scott decided to let Liam out too, seeing that it seemed like he was the only one who knew how to help.

Liam got up, kneeling in front of Theo and taking his hands into one of his, the other rising instinctively to cup Theo’s cheek.

“Hey, Theo, are we doing alright?” Liam asked, rubbing his thumb up and down Theo’s cheek. The chimera had flinched at first, but now he was opening his eyes, laughter still bubbling out freely.

“I- hehehe- I’m ohohokay,” Theo nodded, bringing his hands up to cover his face.

“It’s alright, The, just breathe. The tickling’s over, you can breathe.”

While Liam tried to calm Theo down, Stiles looked pointedly at Derek. Of course, there was no malice behind it, but Stiles tried to give his boyfriend the sternest look that he could. “You broke one of the baby betas!”

“First of all, he’s the same age as you and Scott. Second of all, this is totally not my fault!”

“It so is!”

“How was I supposed to know that Theo would be worse than Liam? Have you met Liam? He’s a five-year-old in the body of a sixteen-year-old while Theo is stone cold! How was I to know?”

“Oh my God can you two just stop bickering? Derek, you did break Theo, but Stiles, none of us could have known that this could even happen. Even me, and I put money on Theo laughing first,” Lydia lectured them both, shaking her head.

Liam wasn’t paying much mind to the rest of them, and Theo could barely even focus on anything except trying to breathe. Liam had started to run his fingers through Theo’s hair, still cupping his face with his other hand, and Theo was trying desperately to force his lungs to take air in. It was happening far too slowly for his liking, but slowly and surely he was starting to breathe a little slower, wheezing every few moments.

“He’s got like this touch thing,” Liam began, looking between everyone else in the room while he was still trying to get Theo to breathe, “I don’t really know how to explain it, but I think it’s from the dread doctor experiments. Sometimes he can handle it, but sometimes touch is kind of overwhelming to him.”

Scott nodded thoughtfully, “Why didn’t either of you just tell us?”

Theo groaned, shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath.

“Hmm, what was that Theo?”

“He said it’s embarrassing,” Liam snapped back, sending a glare Stiles’ way, “I’m sure he’s embarrassed enough as it is, do you have to make it worse, Stiles?”

“It’s fine, Li” Theo started, pausing for a breath, “Stiles, if you wanna make fun of me then we can take this outside.”

“I don’t think you get to just put up your tough guy act after we’ve all witnessed that.” Stiles retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Watch it Stiles, keep it up and you’ll be in the next training exercise.” Scott warned.

“Whatever, I’ve already lost $50.”

Liam stood up, grabbing Theo and leading him to one of the spare bedrooms so the two of them could take a nap. Before they were out of sight, Derek called out. “Hey Liam? Don’t forget that we never finished your training.”

A shudder ran down the teen’s spine, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he slumped into the bed, holding Theo in his arms.

#ticklish!theo #theo raeken #liam dunbar #stiles stilinski #scott mccall #derek hale #isaac lahey #allison argent #lydia martin #kira yukimura #erica reyes #vernon boyd #thiam #ticklish!liam #teen wolf

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 5 years ago

Text

Humans are weird “Hypnosis”

Hope you guys are already having a great weak :)

BOOK UPDATE: You guys have been asking when my next update on wattpad is going to be within the next week, so don’t worry. My beta readers have chapter three, and I am feverishly working on the chapter after that.

The fairgrounds were alive ad teaming with color. The once deserted terrestrial moon had since been turned into the largest ever recorded outdoor market that had ever existed. The introduction of humans into the GA had brought the universe new and unconsidered ways of selling, buying, and tourism. On all sides humans and aliens alike were demonstrating their artistic craft. There were metal workers, carpenters, sculptures, artists, leather workers, and artists. A few industrious groups had even crossed inter-species borders to collaborate on projects. They had a real tough time pulling Sunny away from a Drev/human blacksmith partnership that created Drev armor in the style of medieval humans and human armor in the style of the Drev, but now after she had purchased herself a helmet, which Commander Vir, Adam, openly admitted looked ‘friggin awesome’, but then again, that was coming from someone who had purchased himself a cape, and insisted upon wearing it because it “made him look fancy.”

Krill tried not to be distracted by the frivolous, but turned out to have a great weakness for a specific vendors art works which depicted surrealist landscapes. Of course, when captain vir pointed out that they travel the universe and often see things just as strange, the doctor pointed out that, this way, he could look at how pretty it was and not worry about how dangerous it was.

They cut a strange group in the crowd, a human, a Drevv, and a Vrul, one wearing a steel- horned helmet, the other a cape, and the third holding a large roll that was almost taller than him.

Technically they were supposed to be here providing security, but out of all the jobs they had been given, recently, this one was surprisingly easy. They met up with another “Patrol” walking down the main thoroughfare and found hat Cannon, sunny’s brother had also purchased himself some new armor.

They walked with each other for a few minutes before a voice caught their attention over the roaring of the crowd.

“COME ON IN, SIT DOWN, AND ENJOY IT BECAUSE I’M ONLY GOING TO BE HERE ANOTHER DAY…. YES YOU THREE.”

Adam lept easily onto sunny’s back peering over the crowd trying to see what it was all about.

Sunny craned her head back to look at him, “What is it.”

He squinted, “Hold on, I can’t- wait a HYPNOTIST hell yeah! I love those guys. Come on lets go before all the seats are taken.”

“What is a hypnotist?” Sunny wondered, but received only a pat on the muzzle.

“You shall see.”

She blinked shaking her beak in mild confusion. Krill inflated his helium pouch and allowed Sunny to drag him through the crowd. A few of the other humans followed along curiously as did Cannon.

Together they made their way to a row of benches and took their seats. Sunny looked on stage to find a well dressed man in a suit, standing in front of a line of chairs. He didn’t look particularly special, but who was she to judge. He glanced around at the crowd for a few more minutes hollering for people to come in. Once the crowd was filled up, an assistant pressed a button at the back of the stage, and a sudden flash of blue light surrounded them before fading away to a dim shimmer.

The sound field left the interior quite silent, and the man cleared his throat taking a sip of water, “That can’t be good for my voice.” before smiling and clapping his hands together, “let's get started, how many of you know what a hypnotist is?”

Most of the humans raised their hands.

He glanced around the crowd, “Well that was to be expected, for those of you inhuman visitors, a hypnotist is someone who is trained to bring other people to a state of, what should be best explained as, deep state of concentration and suggestibility. We have used hypnotism for thousands of years in psychological treatment, relaxation techniques, and certain types of medical procedures. However, I’ll have you know now that it is STILL one of the most controversial techniques in both the psychological and physiological medical fields, however, I’m not a doctor, I am an entertainer, so we shouldn’t have any issues here today.”

He looked around the crowd, “Let me get rid of a few common misconceptions about hypnotism. First of all, if you don’t want to be hypnotized you CANNOT be. There has never, ever been a case of someone who was hypnotized against their will. This as to be something you are willing to participate in because most of the work is done by the subject, and not me. You CHOOSE to allow me to do my work, the second misconceptions is that, once you are hypnotized, you will not be persuaded to do anything against your moral code, like murder, or injuring someone, unless you are that kind of person anyway, and in that case it isn’t my fault that you’re a terrible person.”

The crowd chuckled.

“So no one will be dropping any deep dark secrets on us that they wouldn’t already tell us anyway. Last of all, if you are a human you have 100%, for sure, been in a state similar to hypnosis before. Daydreaming, meditation, driving home and then realizing when you got home that you cannot remember driving home, all those states are, in essence a form of self hypnosis, so what I am going to do here, is, I am going to give you a bit of a test, and then pick those of you who seem good subjects to be part of my demonstration. If you do not want to be hypnotized than don’t do the test, simple as that. I invite our inhuman friends to try too because I would find it very interesting to see what the results are.”

He motioned towards his assistant, who fiddled for a moment with a speaker before the soft eerie sci-fi music began, “Don’t look at me like that, we are on a moon circling a gas giant, so I can choose whatever weird music I want….. Alright, now those of you who want to try this, can I have you stand up,there we go, some aliens too, that’s good.”

Sunny glanced to her left and right. On her left Adam had taken to his feet, but that wasn’t surprising. On her other side, rill was looking on skeptically. Her brother Cannon had chosen to stand. Sunny herself was content to simply watch and see what would happen.

“Alright, everyone ready? Good…. Now those of you who want to participate I will ask to close your eyes, and when you close your eyes, I want you to hold your hands out in front of you, your right palm facing down and your left palm facing up. Now on your right hand, I want you to imagine that you have a string tied around your wrist, and on that string is a balloon, those things in the fair that are really colorful and filled with helium for those of you who don’t know. Now as you hold your hand there, the balloon gets bigger and bigger, and as it gets bigger and bigger, its filled with more helium, and as it is filled with more and more helium, it pulls you hnd higher towards the sky. Your hand grows lighter and lighter. Your arm is being pulled towards the sky higher and higher making your arm feel lighter and lighter.”

Sunny watched in general amusement as the participants right hands began to raise slowly towards the sky. Over to her right, Krill would have rolled his eyes if he could. The man continued to speak his voice retaining a distinct cadence repeating and then continuing to repeat the same instructions, and as he did hands raised towards the air. A couple of people peaked towards their counterparts sitting down once they realized it wasn’t going to work on them.

“Now in your right hand I want you to imagine you are holding a weight, and every second I keep talking the weight grows heavier and heavier dragging your hand towards the ground. Heavier and heavier the weight gets while lighter and lighter the balloon gets.” The man continued to speak as he stepped down into the crowd glancing around at the subjects. He made a few people sit back down , examined another and then came around their side of the room stopping at Adam, who, to sunny’s amusement, probably wouldn't have raised his arm any higher or dropped his arm any lower.

He looked pretty dumb.

The man paused at his side, placed a hand on his shoulder, and began to whisper something in his ear. Sunny and Krill couldn’t hear it from where they were sitting, but then the man reached up and tapped Adam on the forehead.

“Sleep.”

The crowd gasped.

The humans laughed.

He collapsed like a wet bag of sand s if his spine had suddenly vanished, knees buckling and sagging forward face first. Sunny lunged to catch him, but the hypnotist had already caught him grunting slightly under Adam’s dead weight.

Krill leaped to his feet in shocked horror stepping forward to help, but the man held up a hand, “It’s alright.” he grunted under the dead weight, “here, do you mind?” Before she could say anything, the man had turfed Adam’s corpse? Onto her lap. He sagged towards the floor, and she caught him, holding him in place with all four of her arms as his arm dangled towards the floor.

Krill reached over and felt for his pulse.

“What the hell.” He muttered

“What/” Sunny whispered to him

The Vrul held up an appendage for a second counting internally, “His pulse….. 45 bpm.”

“Isn’t that….. A sleeping heart rate?” She wondered unsure.”

Krill nodded. Off to their left another human slumped into her seat. This went on until about 12 people had been incapacitated. Adam was still not moving.

The hypnotist took a stand back on stage, “Alright now I am going to count back from three, and once I count back from three, those who are asleep are going to wake up, and then I’m going to ask them to come up on stage. When I count back from three and say wake up they are going to wake up and then come up on stage…. three …. two ... one …. Wake up.”

Adam stirred, lifting his head groggily from Sunny’s lap blinking owlishly around looking almost confused.

“Please welcome our volunteers to the stage everyone. Sunny nuged Adam to his feet, and, almost drunkenly he plodded up the isle and onto the stairs. By the time he had taken a seat in one of the chairs he APPEARED to be awake bright eyed and looking around at his neighbors as they introduced themselves.

Sunny wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

The hypnotist walked down the line pausing near the woman who sat Next to Adam, “What is your name Ms?”

“Jessie.”

“Ok Jessie, tell me, do you think you are hypnotized?”

She nervously shuffled her feet, “Um, no, I don’t think so?”

“Well don’t ask me, I don't know.” He turned to Adam, “Can you raise your arm for me, Sir, yes right there.” He then reached out a hand to the woman, “Well it was nice to meet you Jessie.” With a sharp tug he pulled on her arm, “Sleep!” She collapsed head first onto Adam, who looked a little more than surprised. The hypnotist moved his arm to keep hold of her, “Hold his for me will ya.”

Adam looked horribly uncomfortable as the man went down the line asking others their names and then causing them to collapse onto each other “Asleep.”

He eventually made his way back to Adam, “Comfortable there?”

Adam shrugged, “Um…. not sure.”

“Not sure, well why don’t you tell me your name.” He had reached out to take Adam’s hand.

“Adam.”

“Alright, Adam, are you hypnotized?”

“Er…. I don’t know>”

“If you had to guess?”

“Um…. Yes?” he looked pretty confused, and sort of nervous despite the fact he was smiling.

“And what do you do for a living.” The handshake was getting really long and awkward.

“I captain a spaceship.”

“Wow, thas a new one. Well Adam, do me a favor, and why don’t you look in the crowd, and focus right there on your blue friend, yeah the shiny top of her head right there, and Sleep.” He jerked his hand forward, and Adam collapsed over the top of the first human one arm dangling towards the ground. The crowd giggled.

Krill still looked quite skeptical.

The man spent the next few minutes repeating his instructions to relax repeating, “And as you go deeper and deeper into this state of relaxation, you will feel your muscles relax, the muscles in your face, the muscles in your arms, the muscles in your back, all deep and relaxed and limp, relaxed and limp, loose relaxed and limp.”

The crowd burst into a fit of giggling as Adam and his neighbor slipped onto the floor. Adam’s mouth was wide open lying flat on his back crumbled in a heap.

The hypnotist paused behind them and chuckled, “This always happens, can never keep them in their chairs, now, I know some of you out there are probably skeptical.” He looked pointedly at Krill, “Im looking at you spider legs, I can spot a skeptic a mile off. Now I know what you must be thinking, if he CAN”T hypnotize people against their will than it isn’t real, they are just pretending, but no; what you don’t understand is, I am not doing this, they are doing it to themselves, and they are using me as an excuse to do it. Think about it, wouldn’t you want to be this relaxed. What I have done is convinced THEM that they can make themselves relax.” He reached down picked up Adam’s arm and dropped it, and like a wet noodle it flopped back onto the floor, “You can’t just fake relaxation like that. These people really have convinced themselves, through my suggestion that they can do this, and that they should do it. They have DECIDED to follow my instructions.”

There was a murmuring from the crowd, and Sunny turned to find that, her brother, Cannon had fallen to the floor supposedly unconscious. The hypnotist raised his head, “Do we have another one….. Oh look at that, he’s not human.” More muttering as he stepped off stage, walked over and woke Cannon up, “Do you want to come on stage with us.”

Cannon paused and then drunkenly nodded his big head. Sunny found it greatly amusing as the tiny human led her 9 foot brother onto the stage, “Here, just sit down right her big guy till I figure out what to do with you…..” He glanced at the crowd, “happens to me every time. Someone in the crowd always gets it,” He tapped Cannon on the head, “Sleep.” he hit the stage with a loud echoing thud, but otherwise looked rather peaceful.

The man did a few more demonstrations with rigidity as opposed to relaxation, explaining the entire time what he was doing so the crowd could follow along with his intentions, “Oh now when I count back from three you are all going to wake up, and you are going to feel relaxed and fresh, and great, but when you wake up you are going to see the most beautiful person you have ever seen, guys girls, girls guys doesn't matter, he or she is the perfect specimen, drop dead gorgeous, you would do anything to impress this person. Three two one… awake.”

Sunny couldn’t help being amused at the sight of ten humans doing their best to impress an imaginary hot person. One guy stood up and began posing like a model, the women twirl their hair around their fingers, one woman even adjusted her chest. The crowd giggled. Her brother Cannon didn’t seem interested, and probably wouldn’t, not after the death of his made, so he just looked on quietly approving following some unknown Drev back and forth across the stage.

Adam on the other and, went red, shuffled his feet, and promptly crawled over e back of his chair to hide.

The crowd howled with laughter.

“Hey, hey Adam, where are you going.” Adam did not show his head. The hypnotist went back behind the chairs, “What are you doing back here.”

“Pretty girl.” Came the muttered answer.

“Well don’t you want to impress her.”

“No…. yes��..no.”

“Well why not. Come on you fly a spaceship, how could she not be impressed.”

A loud whisper this time, “What if she sees me.”

The hypnotist had to stifle a giggle, “Well that’s alright if you want to stay here that's alright, I’ll Come get you when the coast is clear.” He stepped out from behind the chairs. Sunny wasn’t entirely sure if she should laugh hysterically or feel bad for him. The other members of the crew were giggling madly from the side.

Krill had at least accepted he was stuck here at this point, and so looked on at the antics with mild amusement.

“Ok ok, the hot person is gone now, you can all return to your seats.” Adam moved a bit shamefaced from behind his chair and took a seat. “Alright, here is an easy one, the hot person is gone but all of a sudden you are going to realize that I am suddenly very very naked, and not only am I horribly naked, but I am also about 100 years old.”

The expressions of disgust, embarrassment and avoidant eye contact was greatly amusing.

“Um…. sir, sir.”

The hypnotist turned to Adam, who had stood from his seat.

“yes , Adam.”

“Um…. you’re not…. Wearing anything.” With one hand he offered up the cape he had bought earlier, “You should put this on.”

The crowd laughed, the hypnotist turned to look at them, “Such a kind your man.”

“Sleep.”

The entire group collapsed back into their seats, and in some cases, onto their seats and then onto the floor.

Sunny found herself chirping madly with glee and amusement. Whether it was real or not was beside the point, the humans were doing goofy things He had one human convinced he was fighting ninjas, another that she had forgotten her name, a third that she was the world's premier prima ballerina.

He walked up to Adam’s sleeping form, “The person whose shoulder I am touching and only the person whose shoulder I am touching, when you wake up you are going to realize that you do not speak English at all, hear that you do not speak English at all, three two one wake.”

Adam lifted his head.

“What’s your name.”

The human made a strange hissing and humming noise at him.

The crowd murdered in surprise. They hadn’t exactly expected him to start speaking fluent Vrul either. The hypnotist looked on in surprise and reached up to switch on his translator, “Oh I see, you don’t speak English…. Ha ... isn't that interesting. What would happen if you couldn't speak Vrul either.”

He tried, and when Adam began speaking again, Sunny was stunned. The noises he was making were deep and guttural originating from inside his belly and chest. It used a lot of grunting gurgling, clicking and hissing far deeper than the human’s usual voice…..

He hadn’t told her he was learning how to speak Drev…

“Alright when you all wake up, you realize that I have something you really want, and in order to get something that you really want, you are going to have to bring me a gift, the best gift you can think up.”

What followed was probably the funniest thing Sunny had ever seen. It was pretty tame at first, a few of the humans simply pulled out money, some gave him the things they had purchased at the fair. Cannon walked into the crowd, grabbed one of the crew members and brought him up confused and laughing to sand on stage.

“What is this?”

“Gift.” Cannon grunted

Howling laughter.

“What am I going to do with this?” The hypnotist wondered trying to hold back a laugh.

“Good mechanic.” Cannon grunted patting the human on the head, who was nearly doubled over laughing.

Another human came up on stage holding his baby.

Sunny was pretty sure some of the humans were crying now, “What the hell is this!”

“My firstborn son.”

“What do I have that you would trade your firstborn son for?” the hypnotist choked.

The human stood confused holding the baby for a moment, “Um…. second born son.”

Sunny lost it.

Trying to keep a straight face, the man turned to Adam, only to find he was proffering his own leg, the prosthetic one obviously. “Can I have my friends back now?” He wondered

The man looked down confused, “Aright Mr. Unexpectedly wholesome, back to your seats everyone.”

By the end, Sunny’s sides hurt, even krill looked like he was having a good time. The man had convinced them they were all naked which was amusing to watch. Many hid themselves, a few made themselves comfortable, Adam looked resigned, Cannon was unaffected.

He did a few more things before time was up before convincing the humans they were awake and no longer susceptible to his hypnosis. Adam stumbled down from the stage looking a little confused. Sunny motioned him over.

“So, when were you going to tell me you could speak Drev?”

He groaned, “Shit, that was supposed to be a surprise.”

She just grinned, “It was pretty good.”

“Really?”

“Really…..” She smiled, “You should have seen yourself.”

He blushed, “Was it bad?”

“I almost peed myself. I’ll have to tell you about all the stupid things you did later.” She wrapped one arm around him, and he tried to escape but found the attempt useless.

Krill walked past, “Yes…. I should have to write a paper about this….. Still don’t entirely believe it, but a good paper.”

Adam sighed, “Oh great, now the entire galaxy is going to know about me being an idiot.”

Krill didn’t look up, “Don’t worry, they already know.”

“Thanks for that.”

#humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are space oddities #humans are weird #earth is a deathworld #Earth is space Ausralia

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patrickstargang · 4 years ago

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To Heal (Shadow of Kyoshi fic)

Chapter 1: The Other Side of Peace

Chapter 2: Master and Student

Chapter 3: A Cause for Celebration

Chapter 4: Taking Off The Mask

Chapter 5: Call to Action

Epilogue

Kirima found herself bending the water coming out of the cracks of the ceiling, trying to add new drops to the shape she was precariously creating. It was a way to pass the time while everyone waited for Hei-ran to show up. Wong tried copying Kirima by collecting floating dust, which was plentiful at the estate’s entrance. It was one of the bigger rooms in the entire complex, which would be more lively with the usual maids doing their work but now appeared like dead space.

Kyoshi was off to the side of the room, her anxiousness stood out among the other bored members of the Flying Opera Company. Out of all of them, she was the one waiting for Hei-ran’s arrival with the most anticipation. Though it didn’t feel like anticipation, more like dread. Dread at having to talk to Hei-ran again but also dread for what Atuat’s diagnosis would be once she finally sat down with Rangi. Kyoshi already took her back to the infirmary since they would be showing up soon, but time kept making the tension of the wait more palpable. The thoughts came running back into her head, so she tried to create a distraction for herself.

Kyoshi saw a puddle created from the rain and tried to bend it. It began to move up in the air for a few moments but limply came back down to the ground. She attempted to move it again but it only yielded the same results. Her fingers began to strain. Something was wrong. She should have easily bent a puddle of this size like it was nothing. Why was it refusing to bend now?

Kirima continued to gather water droplets, oblivious to Kyoshi’s struggle. “So when is the old grouch showing up, we’ve been waiting for hours.”

Wong shrugged, his dust pile along with him. “Maybe they got caught in…..boat traffic?”

Kirima carelessly let the water formation out of the air, splashing into the ground. She pushed her hair back and let out an air of frustration. “Well, I guess its no harm waiting for another few hours,” she spoke sarcastically, more than what was usual for her. “Who knows, maybe she’ll show up busting through those doors right no-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the doors busted open. Everyone in the room flinched in surprise, Wong accidentally flinging his floating dust pile right into his face. At the open doorway stood an ominous silhouette, with a smaller less intimidating silhouette standing behind it. The silhouettes revealed themselves to be Hei-ran and Ataut, both drenched from the rain. Hei-ran looked like she was possessed by the spirit of fear and anger, revealed by her strained stance and a face that could instill terror into the strongest warrior. Atuat smiled and waved at everyone.

Hei-ran looked as though she were about to speak, a very terrifying concept for everyone in the room. Instead, she quickly got out her chalkboard and began writing furiously. After only a few seconds she turned the board around for everyone to see.

“WHERE IS SHE!?”

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Kyoshi could hear part of the one-way argument outside the infirmary. It was hard to hear what was going on since Hei-ran’s scribbling sometimes got louder than Rangi. She barely heard any of what was said except for one key thing: “It wasn’t her fault.”

Her heart sinks. There could be a lot of implications to that, even with context. Kyoshi slumped down on one of the nearby benches, a feeling of defeat across her face. She knew she was done for. Kyoshi promised to protect her daughter with everything she had, and even then she slipped up. She anticipated the berating, being called a menace to her daughter that only puts her in danger.

As those thoughts began arising, she noticed another nearby puddle. She breathed in, reached her hand out, and tried again. The water wouldn’t even budge this time. It felt like hitting a liquid wall, it was impossible and yet it was happening. Her frustration got the better of her as she slammed her fist into the other side of the wooden bench, leaving a massive hole. It took a moment for her to realize what she did. She grimaced while trying to flatten the fragments of the wooden plank back into place. Then she heard the infirmary door open.

Hei-ran appeared from around the corner. She took a look at Kyoshi, then the other side of the bench. She decided standing was fine. They both sat (or in Hei-ran’s case, stood) in silence for many moments.

Kyoshi tried to speak before Hei-ran sped through an entire piece of chalk.

“Before you say anything, Rangi told me the whole story. Including the part where you saved her.”

Kyoshi slowly glanced down at the bottom of the chalkboard.

“And I’m sorry about Yun, you did the right thing.”

That name still opened up wounds for Kyoshi. Even now it was hard for her to accept everything that had happened, that it was now all in the past. Her friend was gone. He was gone a long time ago.

She felt a pat from Hei-ran on her shoulder. She seemed to understand the pain Kyoshi was feeling now, since Yun was also her student. Hei-ran wasn’t one for emotions so something like this meant she was serious. For the years that Kyoshi has known Rangi’s mother, this felt like the most sincere gesture she’s given to her.

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Kyoshi decided to go back to her work as Atuat was starting her checkup on Rangi. When she returned to her workspace, she found Jinpa had left her a pile of letters. Most of them were from diplomats across the Four Nations inviting her to visit their towns and villages. Most of them she would have to decline since her main priority was the situation with Fire Lord Zoryu.

But her mind kept drifting back to Rangi. She was reading the notes but not processing them. Her focus was off, her mind was on other worrying things.

Jinpa came into the room, carrying another sack full of letters and invitations. Kyoshi broke her waning attention on her work, only to grimace at the approaching pile. “Where are all these letters coming from?”

“Well, most of these were from the hideout in Ba Sing Se. We’re just finally getting them sent back here. Sorry if it's a bit…..excessive.”

Kyoshi let out a long sigh as she put down the paper she was holding. “It’s probably for the best, I needed to get this all sorted out anyways. How much more is there?”

“Oh, only five.”

“Five more letters?”

“Oh, no…..five more crates of letters.”

Kyoshi gave Jinpa a piercing stare, one that showed little emotion except for slight annoyance. Jinpa awkwardly smiled tip-toeing backward out of the room.

“I-I’ll be back,” Jinpa pointed his thumb down the hall. “With more…..” He finally exited the doorway.

Kyoshi breathed through her nose and looked back down at the table. She noticed that it was covered in a blanket of documents and invitations. And this wasn’t all of what she had to look through today.

She decided to take a break. Kyoshi began walking down the halls of the estate, heading to the infirmary. While Zoryu was her top priority as the Avatar, Rangi’s health became her top personal priority.

Kyoshi passed by Hei-ran, who was sleeping on the bench that she put a hole through. She was sleeping, but in reality, it looked more like a stiffly adjusted power nap. It must have been the equivalent of sleeping for a military official. She quietly snuck her past the terrifying woman, making it to the infirmary doors before Atuat opened them up.

Kyoshi stopped in her tracks, moving out of the way so Atuat could get some space. She quietly closed the doors and wiped a bit of sweat from her brow.

Kyoshi slightly raised her hand. “So how is sh-”

Atuat put a finger against her lips, signaling for Kyoshi to lower her voice. Kyoshi hunched down and grimaced, not realizing how loud she said that.

“Sorry” she whispered.

“It’s alright kiddo. She's sleeping right now but should be back up in about an hour.”

“I’m surprised how quick it was.”

“Well, when ya know what your doing the process is pretty simple.” She grinned with the same kind of arrogant flair that Rangi would give off.

But that only reminded Kyoshi about the most pressing question. She struggled to come up with the words. She lowered her head, she couldn’t stand to see the sympathetic looks if her worst suspicions come true.

“....Sifu Atuat.” Her voice was shaking before she could even ask.

“Yes sweetie?”

“There's just one more question I have. About her injury. When I first healed her, I wasn’t sure if there was any permanent internal damage. Later on, I had a suspicion that it might be more serious than that, because of how deep the spear had gone in and the chance of infection. Sifu Atuat…..is she going to die?”

The brief period of silence made the wait worse. Kyoshi closed her eyes, her hands turning into fists waiting for the dreadful reply. She had to prepare herself for her worst nightmare to become her reality.

“Nope.”

Kyoshi’s eye shot open. She unbowed her head, her face frozen with confusion.

Atuat could read her confusion as clearly as Hei-ran’s chalkboard. “Oh believe me, I was shocked too. Considering how you described the injury, I thought it would be much more serious. But I made a thorough check and there wasn’t a single puncture to any of her vital organs, or any organs really. To be honest, it doesn’t make much sense to me.”

The wind was knocked out of Kyoshi. She had been expecting the worst for quite some time, so she didn’t really know how to react when something went right for once.

Atuat pointed at Kyoshi, her voice was quick and direct. “Did you do the extraction technique every day, like we talked about in training.”

Kyoshi’s face was still frozen, so she replied with a nod. Atuat stroked her chin, trying to assess the possibilities. The seriousness didn’t last long as she jokingly nudged Kyoshi on the side.

“Maybe the spirits blessed you with some kind of special healing powers.”

The tension broke from Kyoshi’s face, letting out a light chuckle. Atuat joined in.

“But seriously, I don’t know what you did, but it worked. She’s in good health now. The only thing she's got from it is a scar on her back.” Her eyes measured Kyoshi up and down, then she chuckled again. “You know, it looks like you’ve made a fine water healer of yourself.”

Kyoshi breathed a sigh of relief, a relief that was impossible to describe. She didn’t know it then, but she was smiling. It wasn’t like the fake smiles that she had to put on before. She bowed, her hand connecting to her fist. “Thank you, Sifu.”

Atuat ruffled Kyoshi’s hair while she was still bowed. “Oh come on, you don’t always have to call me Sifu.”

It was strange to her, having a Sifu who was more of a friend than a teacher. But at the same time, what she did teach Kyoshi became invaluable when the moment needed it.

She unbowed herself, letting her hair stay ruffled. Atuat darted her eyes at the infirmary doors.

“Come now, I know there's someone you want to see.”

#avatar #atla #the rise of kyoshi #the shadow of kyoshi #kyoshi #rangi #hei-ran #kirima #wong #atuat #jinpa #trok #tsok #fan fic #to heal part 2 #to heal chapter 2

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misc-headcanons · 5 years ago

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NS.FW Kid/OC Scenario: The Old-Fashioned Way

"Remind me again why I can't just use my Devil Fruit to make us both orgasm instantaneously?" Minerva crossed her arms while she looked up at Kid from his bed. He was at the door to his quarters, locking it to prevent any of his other crewmates from interrupting him--well, interrupting the two of them.

The first time he'd tried to make a move on Minerva, she'd returned his sloppy kiss and used her Devil Fruit to stimulate his brain as she ran her fingers through his hair; just as he'd started to unbuckle his belt, he'd felt an orgasm jolt through his body out of nowhere, causing him to fall back and nearly black out from the sudden-yet-pleasurable shock. When he managed to form words again and ask what the hell she did, she simply shrugged. "I figured we could save time if I simply gave you an orgasm now," she'd replied matter-of-factly. "Why spend a long time trying to get to a result that I can give you instantly?"

Kid had stared at her, confused. He'd appreciated how efficient she was as a crewmate, but...come on, part of the fun in fucking was the buildup to it! Yanking clothes off each other, leaving all sorts of marks on each other, making her voice get louder and louder as she begged for him to make her cum…

From then on, any time he'd tried to sleep with her, she'd cut him off by making him cum instantly using her Devil Fruit and then continuing about her business. After a month of this, he'd decided he'd had enough and had pulled her into his quarters, leading to where we are now.

Kid strode over to her and threw his coat off onto the floor before scooping her up in his arms. "Because," he insisted, kissing her neck as she shivered and tried to stifle the pleasurable sigh coming from her lips. "I'm sick of cumming in my pants all the time when you do that weird brain thing. And I wanna show you how fun fucking the old-fashioned way can be."

Minerva raised an eyebrow as he tossed his metal arm aside on top of his coat. "Eustass, you're going to scuff your prosthetic if you toss it so carelessly," she scolded. His remaining hand traveled lower and lower to cup her backside. "How many times have I--"

Kid cut her off with a rough kiss that muffled her surprised squeak and the moan that came afterwards. Minerva wondered if all embraces between couples were so primal as his tongue snaked around her mouth; sometimes it felt like he was trying to eat her face whenever he kissed her, and this time was no different. When he pulled away to bite at her neck and collarbone, she felt lightheaded and laced her fingers through his hair. As nice as this felt, she didn't want to spend time doing something so "frivolous" when she could be doing something more productive on the ship.

Just as she was about to use her Fruit, Kid swiftly pinned her arms above her head and towered over her. He used his own Devil Fruit to keep her pinned with his prosthetic metal arm while his other hand tilted her head up to face him. He frowned at her disapprovingly. "Oi, what did I just say? No brain shit this time," he said. "Never thought I'd have a chick get me to say this, but I actually want to take it slow."

Minerva rolled her eyes, but there was a small curious smile that turned up the corners of her lips. Truth be told, she'd never done this the old-fashioned way before; it would be interesting to explore something new, even if she wasn't so used to learning something in such a "hands-on" way. She relaxed her arms and looked up at Kid. "Alright, alright," she conceded. She shifted her weight and pursed her lips. "But if we're doing this, I want to be the one to take off my clothes. Knowing you, you'd just rip them off."

Kid smirked and released her arms and kissed her neck again, and Minerva bit her lower lip as he traveled down to her chest. She reached down and removed her blouse, revealing a simple dark bra underneath. He cupped one of her breasts and felt her breath hitch as her nipple hardened through the fabric. "You know me pretty well," he teased. Before Minerva realized what he meant, he hooked a few fingers underneath the center of her bra and easily tore it, exposing her bare breasts.

Minerva's mouth dropped and she glared up at him while smacking one of his shoulders. "I specifically told you not to tear my clothes, you brute--Ah!"

Kid cut her off when his tongue swirled around one of her pert nipples, and she moaned at a higher pitch than before. His other hand lazily kneaded her other breast, and he felt her hips rise up a bit as she rocked against him. "You say I'm a brute like it's a bad thing," he said with a smirk. He quickly undid his pants and Minerva followed suit by tossing her ruined bra aside and shimmying off her shorts, leaving her in a pair of noticeably damp underwear. She glanced at the tent in Kid's boxers and her face flushed as he palmed himself a bit before leaning down to prod at her underwear with his fingers. "See? I told ya this was better," he said smugly. He pulled her undergarments aside, and when he pushed one of his calloused fingers inside of her, she gasped and sighed. Her own hands ghosted over her breasts as Kid explored her with his fingers, and her hips rocked back and forth.

"Ah, Eu-Eustass," she murmured, clenching her thighs in anticipation every time his fingers curled and grazed a particularly velvety spot inside of her. She knew enough about anatomy to realize just where he was focusing, and one of her hands trailed down to her clitoris to add even more stimulation. "Right there, p-please…"

Kid smirked and nudged her hand aside, and she whined in frustration. Why would he not want her to focus there? When he quickly leaned his head down to circle her sensitive button of flesh with his tongue, she forgot any sense of annoyance or indignation as she bucked her hips; her own strokes had been soft and feather-light, and the sudden roughness of his tongue against her left her seeing stars. Normally he wouldn't care about getting a lover "warmed-up" before fucking them, but...Minnie was different. She wasn't a fuckbuddy, and the whole point of this was to show her how satisfying sex could be when you took some time.

Even if his oral technique was sloppy and all over the place, he definitely didn't hear any complaints from Minerva. She'd used her Devil Fruit on herself countless times before when she needed to relieve some stress, and was familiar with the burst of pressure and pleasure that came with an orgasm. Still, this newfound sense of pleasure bubbling up inside of her was new; she'd experienced a climax before, but this sense of buildup and tension coiling in her was brand new. Even if it was taking longer to reach that inevitable conclusion, these new sensations left her breathless as she begged for him to keep going.

As he pumped three of his fingers inside of her while his tongue swirled around her clit, she snaked her fingers into his hair and dug her nails into his scalp. The sensation made him moan against her, and her eyes rolled back slightly. "Eustass," she panted, "I'm s-so close to...Ah, please, keep...Oh, Eustass…"

For someone who was normally so eloquent, she was having trouble stringing a full sentence together. Kid chuckled to himself and slowly removed his fingers from her aching cunt. Minerva let out a desperate shiver, and her already-warm cheeks felt even hotter when Kid wiped her juices off of his chin before licking his hand clean, refusing to break eye contact with her. Normally she would have been embarrassed at such a shameless display of lewdness, but all she could think about now was how empty she felt without his hand inside of her. She bucked her hips impatiently. "Eustass, please," she sobbed, reaching up to grip his hand and bring it back down to between her legs.

Kid slid off his boxers, and Minerva's eyes widened as she looked down at his cock for the first time. It was a bit odd that she'd made him climax so many times in the past without ever seeing a glimpse of it, and she hadn't realized just how large it was. "Y'know, usually I hate when ya call me 'Eustass' instead of Kid like everyone else," he muttered with a small devilish smile. She looked up eagerly at Kid, and as he lined himself up with her entrance she felt the head twitch slightly. "But hearing ya say it like that isn't as annoying as it usually is." He leaned down to kiss her, and she gasped through her nose as she tasted herself lingering on Kid's tongue. He stroked himself as he kissed her, wanting as much lubrication as possible to avoid making her hurt too much when he finally entered her. Keeping himself from just shoving his dick inside of her was torture, and he growled impatiently a bit as he tried to restrain himself; self-control wasnt really in his nature, but he knew it'd be worth it in the end.

Minerva wrapped her arms around him to pull him closer, and she let out a small shivery giggle. "If it bothers you so much, we c-could compromise then," she teased, stroking his back with her fingers. "Why don't I call you...Captain?"

Kid stared down at her, and that dam inside of him broke the moment he heard her call him 'Captain'. He entered her with one slam of his hips, and Minerva gasped sharply before moaning at this newfound sense of fullness. His pace was fast and rough, and to his surprise she wasn't asking him to slow down or be a bit more gentle; in fact, she was begging him to keep going. She gripped the back of his head with one hand and dug her nails into his shoulder with the other, and when he grabbed her hips just as harshly he felt her walls tighten around him. He left a series of bites and harsh bruising kisses on her neck and collarbone, and he relished in how her moans grew louder and higher.

"Fuck, you're so fucking tight," he growled, the head of his cock brushing against her cervix. Minerva hiked her legs around his waist, desperate for Kid to hit that particular spot inside her over and over again. As he thrusted into her at this new angle, he looked down at her expression. She was normally so cool and composed, but now...now, she was a mess. Her lips were parted as she panted and moaned every time he hit that sweet spot inside of her, unable to talk or even think about anything but the pressure building inside of her. Her eyes crossed a bit every time his cock met her cervix, and a trickle of her (or was it Kid's?) saliva fell down one of her cheeks. Her purple hair, normally neat and tidy in a ponytail, fanned out behind her and stuck to her forehead with a thin layer of sweat.

Minerva managed to realize in her cloudy haze that Kid was looking down at her, and the corners of her open mouth turned up into a small smile. Normally she'd be mortified to be seen in such a state, but with how good she felt right now, she didn't care at all about how foolish she might have looked right now. Her chest rose and fell as Kid's pace quickened, and she rocked against him to match his speed. "Mmm, Eust--ah, C-Cap...t-tain…" She blushed deeper as she said the 'wrong' name once again. "S-sorr--ah, C-captain…"

Kid used his Devil Fruit to reattach his prosthetic arm and push her thighs forward until he had her in a mating press, and he felt her walls get even tighter around his cock. He left another series of bruising kisses and hickeys on her other shoulder. "Call me whatever you fuckin' want, Minnie," he groaned, feeling himself getting closer and closer to cumming. "Fuck, fuck, you're so fuckin'..."

As he feverishly pounded into her over and over, she raked her nails against his skin and he made sure to look at her as he felt her getting closer to her own climax. "Eustass," she moaned, "I...I…" He slammed his hips against her as fast as he could, and he felt her tighten and squeeze around his cock as her voice became more frantic. "Eustass, y-yes, I'm about t-to--Oh, yes, Eustass, yes, yes, yesyesyesyesyes--Ah, fuck, Eustass~!"

He groaned loudly as he came inside of her, continuing to fuck her through her climax and his. A wave of pleasure roared in his ears and when it had finally subsided, replacing the sound of his own heartbeat with Minerva's heavy breathing and incoherent murmuring, he buried himself to the hilt inside of her and looked down at her again. Her chest rose and fell as she panted, and her eyes were half-lidded. Her face was flushed and radiated warmth like the rest of her body, and he could feel her hands trembling on his head and shoulders.

With his cock still inside of her, he guided her legs back down onto the bed and rested his head in the crook of her neck for a while. He sighed contentedly, almost purring against her. Minerva shifted around a bit underneath him, and bit her lip when she felt a small amount of Kid's seed drip out of her around his softening cock. "Er...Eustass…"

"Mmm?"

"Why haven't you...er...pulled out of me yet?" She wasn't used to having sex like this, and had no idea about what was typically done afterwards. Her anatomy and biology textbooks hadn't mentioned anything about what was typically done post-coitus.

"Feels good," Kid muttered. He nuzzled her neck, and she let out a small sigh of agreement. He felt his eyelids lower a bit, and he struggled to stay awake; he tended to fall asleep immediately after sex, but as nice as she felt around him, he didn't want to fall asleep while he was still inside her. A few minutes of silence later, he slowly slid himself out of her. Minerva's eyelids fluttered and she let out a small moan as she felt more of his seed trickle out of her now that she wasn't completely stuffed.

Kid groggily reached up with his arm and held her against him as he lay on his back, and Minerva rested her head on his chest. As he fell asleep, he absentmindedly stroked her hip and smirked. "See? This is way more fun than your brain thing," he said smugly.

Minerva let out a small "Mmm" to agree with him. "I admit, it has its...advantages," she said slowly. She rested one of her hands on Kid's. "But now I'm curious to see what would happen if we tried combining both methods." She cuddled up to him and smiled with her eyes closed. "I wonder what would happen if I made the two of us climax like this over and over in a short span of time while you're still inside me…"

The thought of that alone made Kid's cock instantly perk up a bit, and Minerva felt it poke against her backside. "Buuut, I'll save that for another time," she said with a smile. "We're both a bit too worn out for some of the experiments I have in mind."

Kid heard her breaths become more and more heavy, and so did his eyelids as he fell asleep with a small grin on his face. If this is what it felt like to fuck her before these 'experiments' of her started, he was more than happy to help out with her research.

#ns.fw #one piece #one piece scenario #one piece scenarios #kid #eustass kid #eustass kid/oc #minerva #kiderva #mine

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