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darkmatilda · 2 months ago

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╰┈➤ the pumpkin reaper

epilogue

previous parts:

1 2 3

in which you and reid are visiting your brother in hospital after he tried to commit a suicide

tw: mention of a suicide attempt

contents: spender reidxfem!bau!reader, it's an epilogue, please check the previous parts if you missed them!

words: 3.1k

You couldn’t believe those words came out of your mouth, but they did. And what’s more, they were sincere.

It was late in the evening when you were heading back to the office in Quantico. No case ever ended with just catching the unsub – after that came the long hours of report writing and paperwork. After everything you’d been through, the team almost forbade you from taking on that task. Instead, they insisted that you go straight home and get some proper rest.

You rolled your eyes and nodded, like a child whose mother insists they zip up their jacket. Hotch was nowhere to be seen, Morgan was listening to music with his eyes closed, Emily and JJ were absorbed in their conversation, and Rossi… well, Rossi was doing whatever it is Rossi does. So, you reached for the case files and tucked yourself away in a quiet corner of the jet. You wanted to go over everything again, even though you knew that as soon as you saw Logan's photo, all the unpleasant memories would come rushing back with relentless force.

But before you could open the folder to the first page, someone simply took it from your hands. You looked up to see none other than Reid—blue shirt, sleeves rolled halfway up, a look of perpetual sleeplessness, his usual worry, and… joy. Small, but noticeable.

You, too, were almost disturbingly happy. Escaping death filled you with a mood akin to the high after smoking two joints back-to-back. Of course, it would only last for a brief moment; by tomorrow, you’d likely be tossing and turning in bed, plagued by nightmares. A familiar pattern.

"I don’t even want to see you trying to work right now," Spencer said, taking a seat next to you and placing the folder beside him, just out of your reach. Or at least far enough that you’d have to put in some serious effort to grab it—and your sore ribs had no intention of letting you do that.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" you asked, rolling your eyes. "I don't want to sleep."

"Kafka on the Shore?" he suggested.

"I've already read it. By the way, what was the deal with the soldiers and the hut in the woods at the very end?"

"Well, that's an element that leaves a lot of room for personal interpretation."

"Thanks for the explanation, that told me a lot," you chuckled. You pulled your knees to your chest, trying to get more comfortable in your spot, but the movement triggered a wave of pain. You hissed.

“They should have kept you in the hospital for at least one night,” Reid said, suddenly straightening up. “Do you need anything? There might be some ice around… or I could just leave, and you could lie down…”

“No. You’re staying,” you decided firmly. He raised an eyebrow at your abrupt response. You quickly followed up with an explanation. “Well, I’ve finished reading my book, and you took my files. So now you’re responsible for my potential boredom. It’s your duty to entertain me.”

“Yeah” he agreed with a smirk “It’s my duty”

"So, how do you plan to do that? Are you going to dance? Sing? Juggle?"

"I can't dance or sing, and I don't have anything to juggle. Is it enough if we just talk? Or is that too common of an entertainment for you?"

You pretended to think for a moment.

"Fine, I guess."

"Then what are you planning to do when you get back?"

"Visit Jeremy."

"Oh, right, sorry…”

"Come on," you interrupted, waving your hand. A moment of silence followed as you hesitated before speaking again. However, you remembered that you had decided to stop staying silent about your worries and problems, at least in his presence. "It's just... it really stresses me out. I don't know how I should talk to him, I'm afraid I'll panic when I see him..."

Spencer cleared his throat before answering.

“That... can really be tough,” he said, not bothering to lie or reassure you that everything would go perfectly. “But hey, remember that he’s probably looking forward to seeing his big sister. Even if you start talking about something you think is silly, he’ll be happy just to have you there.”

He made you smile, though the corners of your eyes began to gently dampen. You wiped them discreetly, not wanting to burst into tears on the jet.

"I hope you're right. And I hope he doesn't hate me for not being there for him..."

You stopped, feeling him take your hand. You realized you had been clenching it into a fist for quite some time.

"I don't know Jeremy, so I can only guess how he'll react. But I'm sure of one thing—he definitely doesn't hate you."

For a long time, you simply stared at your hand in his warm grip. Your fingers relaxed, releasing the tension that had been between them, becoming limp yet yearning for the touch.

"Spencer," you said suddenly, taking a deep breath. "I don't know if I can ask you this... but... you've been there for me this whole time and... okay, I’ll understand if you say no, but... would you maybe... want to visit him with me? I don't know if I can do it alone."

You waited for his response, your heart beating faster with each passing moment. Maybe it was too much? Maybe you shouldn’t be asking him for something like this; maybe it crossed the line of your acquaintance? Just a year ago... no, even a week ago, you never would have imagined you’d be begging anyone for something like this. You would have forced yourself to do it alone, ignoring your fear.

He simply smiled.

"Of course, you can ask me to do that. And I'm glad I'll be able to accompany you."

The sound of quickly pressed keys echoed as you gave the hospital receptionist your brother’s last name.

The stark whiteness of the place and the blinding, intense light felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The thought of seeing Jeremy soon made you tremble. You had so many questions for him, including why he even tried to take his own life, but you knew you couldn’t ask them just yet. He didn’t need an interrogation to satisfy your curiosity; he needed support.

You were so overwhelmed at the thought of seeing him that you shifted impatiently from foot to foot. You felt stressed but also excited. After all, he was your little brother, and you missed him. Standing beside you, Reid smiled slightly, noticing your behavior. If you were hurting him by squeezing his hand as tightly as you could, he didn’t let it show.

"Who are you to the patient?" the receptionist asked.

"His sister."

"And you?" she turned to Spencer.

"A frie—" he began, probably intending to say friend.

"Fiancé," you interrupted, quickly offering a word that began with the same letter. You worried that if the woman found out he wasn’t connected to you or Jeremy, she might ask him to stay in the waiting room. You didn’t expect him to go into Jeremy's room with you, but you wanted the reassurance that he’d be right outside, not on the other side of the hospital.

Reid first looked at you like you were crazy. You tried to silently signal him to join in on your desperate act. Luckily, he caught on incredibly fast.

"That's right, fiancé. Basically, husband. We're getting married... tomorrow," he improvised, nodding with such conviction that he almost seemed to believe it himself. "Well, actually, not tomorrow, but the day after, because tomorrow is Sunday, and we’re Catholic. In our religion,

“Darling,” you gritted through your teeth, seeing the receptionist’s confused expression.

“In any case, I’m very close to the patient,” he emphasized.

If he said anything more, you would’ve nudged him with your elbow.

“Well… in that case… the patient is in room number fourteen. It’s that way…” She pointed in the right direction. You thanked her with an overly wide smile. “And… congratulations.”

“God bless you,” Reid said as he waved goodbye.

You quickly turned around, so she wouldn’t see your burst of laughter. As soon as you were out of the receptionist's sight, you hit him on the back so hard that a woman with a cast on her arm almost dropped her coffee. He laughed, and you awkwardly tried to hide how much the whole situation amused you as well.

“If I had let you say one more word, she wouldn’t have let either of us in,” you complained. “She would’ve thought we were freaks. Religious freaks. Or maybe point us to the psychiatric ward.”

“Hey, I’m not the best actor. You should know that,”

“I didn’t know. I’ll remember for next time, though I’m not sure if there will ever be another situation where you’ll need to pretend to be my husband.”

"Fiancé," he corrected. "You decided that yourself."

"Basically a husband. You decided that yourself."

You didn’t say anything more, only grabbed the edge of his coat sleeve to slow his pace. You were standing outside room 14, right in front of the door. You didn’t even peek inside; you weren’t ready to see Jeremy just yet.

“I need one more minute,” you whispered.

“Take all the time you need,” he replied gently.

The playful mood that had accompanied you both was gone. Not knowing what to do with your hands, you stood on tiptoe and began adjusting his poorly tied scarf.

“Sorry,” you muttered under your breath. “It’s been bothering me since I saw you.”

"I'll wait for you here, okay?" he asked quietly. Because you were so close to him, he barely had to raise his voice at all. "Jeremy doesn’t know me, I don’t want to just show up unannounced..."

“Are you coming in or what?”

You turned around, startled, to see none other than Jeremy. Lying on the hospital bed, poking at a container of chocolate pudding with a spoon, and most importantly, awake.

At first, you were surprised, but soon emotion took control of your body, and you ran to him as if he were about to disappear.

"Oh my God, I can finally see you..." His shirt, which you hugged tightly, muffled your words.

"The pudding spilled on your jacket."

"I don't care."

He chuckled into your hair, holding you tighter. You stayed like that for a moment, desperately holding back tears. If even one had surfaced, you would’ve fallen apart like a child.

ou pulled away after a long time, immediately noticing that his eyes were also filled with tears. However, he quickly wiped them away with his hand. Still, he was a sixteen-year-old boy, and crying in front of his sister felt like public humiliation for him, a shame that would last forever. You tried to do everything you could to avoid looking at his wrists. Both hands were wrapped in bandages, and from the conversation with your father, you learned that they had put in a lot of stitches. You focused on looking at his face—young, similar to yours, with the same blue eyes.

"Are parents visiting you?"

He shrugged.

"Father, surprisingly, more often. Mother drops by irregularly and talks about strange things. Apparently, our neighbor's dog has worms, and it really pisses her off. My mother, not the neighbor. Though, probably the neighbor too..."

You didn't know why you started crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." you mumbled, your words slurring. “I should have gotten here earlier, and I didn’t. I regret so much that I didn’t, I’m sorry. I should have been here the moment you woke up.”

He didn’t say anything, letting you lament. Finally, you wiped away the last tear, then apologized to him about eighteen more times. You sat together in silence for a moment, busying yourself with wiping the dirty jacket. He wasn’t joking about the pudding.

“How are you feeling?”

He shrugged.

“Tolerable, I guess. By the way, who was that guy who came in with you?”

You turned toward the entrance, but Spencer was nowhere to be seen. He must have sat on one of the chairs outside the room, and knowing him, he’d probably started reading some medical brochure.

“A friend,” you replied briefly. “I hope it doesn’t bother you that I brought him... It’s just…”

You didn’t know how to explain that you couldn’t have made it here without support.

“He works for the FBI too?” he asked, suddenly curious. “Would he tell me more about the job than you do?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, pretending to be dead serious.

“I won’t let him tell my little brother any graphic details.”

“I’m not a kid!”

“To me, you are, and always will be.”

He looked like he was holding back from sticking his tongue out at you.

“Call him,” he asked. “I’d love to meet your friend. Is he a friend, or a friend?”

“Jeremy, you’re ridiculous…”

But you fulfilled his request. Spencer stared at you with wide eyes when you told him that your brother wanted to see him. As he entered the room, he almost tripped over... probably his own feet, since there was nothing else to trip on. And that’s how the rest of the visit went, the three of you together. Jeremy alternated between complaining about the hospital food and bombarding Reid with questions about absolutely everything related to being a profiler. He had always been fascinated by it, but after everything that had happened to you, you couldn’t, with a clear conscience, recommend that job to him. Spencer had been explaining everything in detail to him, and for the next hour, you almost felt like an intruder in their private conversation, which amused you instead of offending you.

Spencer left a moment before you, giving you a chance to say goodbye to your brother privately. When you finally released him from your embrace, promising you'd come back tomorrow, the same nurse who had spoken with you at the reception entered the room. She was checking Jeremy’s condition as you headed for the exit.

“Wait,” she suddenly said. “I think your husband left his scarf.”

She held up the purple scarf, indeed Reid's. You were about to thank her and take it when you noticed Jeremy’s mouth hanging open, and with horror, you realized what she'd said.

"Forgive me, dear sister, but what the fuck?”

“So, he’s convinced that we had a secret, spontaneous wedding that you didn’t tell him about?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

In reality, Jeremy had probably realized immediately that there was a misunderstanding, but he just couldn’t pass up the chance to tease you. He would likely bring it up again for the rest of your life. You were also worried that you'd get an angry phone call from your mother asking why you didn’t mention your “wedding,” but overall, you were content with how the meeting went.

You both walked together in an unknown direction, neither of you sure when you should part ways or if you even wanted to. You didn’t want to, but you had no idea about him. The weather was much better than in the town where you had spent the last few days. The fewer trees meant that autumn wasn’t as pronounced. It was only present in the chilly, gusty wind.

"If you don't have any plans, how about going out to eat?" you suggested.

"Sure." Reid agreed immediately, and the corner of your mouth twitched at the speed of his response. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Well, anything. There's a good restaurant on the corner of this street... Oh, God, I just remembered, I owe someone dinner as a thank you."

"Dinner? As a thank you?" he repeated with a strange look on his face. Before he could say anything else, he caught himself and snorted. "Interesting. Just curious, is it someone I know?"

"Oh, you know him." You continued with a barely suppressed smile. "Do you remember James Rivas? The forest ranger?"

Reid literally stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Dinner? With him?"

"That's right. Well, he saved my life, so I guess I owe him that."

You were shocked when you learned how your team knew where to find you after you were kidnapped. The bunker Osborne took you to was unknown to the local authorities, hidden deep in the forest, far from any paths. When the rumor spread through the town about who was responsible for the murders and that an FBI agent had been kidnapped, the forest ranger showed up at the police station. He revealed that he knew the place where you might have been held because, as a child, he used to go there with friends, including Logan Osborne.

But of course, you had no intention of taking him to dinner. You just wanted to laugh at Reid's reaction.

"You're absolutely not owed anything by him!" he blurted out with emotion, a hint of anger in his voice. "If he'd only remembered that he knew about the existence of some bunker, you wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place. You wouldn't have had to go through that hell, and I wouldn't have been losing my mind the whole time, not knowing what happened to you. Plus, have you forgotten what an awful person he is? He's arrogant, self-absorbed, and full of self-admiration—do you really want to have dinner with someone like that...are you laughing?"

He furrowed his brow, completely confused by your reaction.

“God, Reid, I was just joking! I’d rather die than spend another hour with that jerk. Especially voluntarily,” you explained, laughing between words. Something in his remark made you smirk. “Were you really losing your mind when I was kidnapped? “

“You’re impossible," he snorted. “Where’s that restaurant?”

“Wait, don’t change the topic and answer my question”

He simply looked at you, tilting his head to the side.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

taglist: @miriamnox @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @nightfullofparadox

thank you everyone for reading <3

#criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds #spencer reid #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #aaron hotchner #derek morgan #criminal mind #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fic #spencer reid angst #doctor spencer reid

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starlight-bread-blog · 10 months ago

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Why Katara's Lines Come Off As Rejecting In EIP

Like I said in a previous EIP meta, this will be a doylist meta and an isolated look into the scene and the second half of book 3. So first things first, what are Katara's lines and body language?

As soon as A\ang brings up the kiss, she turns away, and just says she doesn't know.

When he asks her why doesn't she know, she seems slightly irritutated for a second, gives him a perfectly reasonable explanation, but doesn't hold eye contect for too long before drifting off.

A\ang keeps pushing, so she puts an end to this. This time she stays faced to him to say she is confused, signifying she's more comftable now that his questioning has ended.

Now it is clear as day that A\ang violated her boundries and she is pissed off.

Her lines and body language tell us two things I wish to break down:

Katara is very uncomftable talking about the possibility of a future romance and can't commit to an answer.

The reason she gives is that she is because she's confused.

2. Katara States That She is Confused

Let's try to take her at face value here. She's genuinely confused about her relationship with A\ang. Do you know what is the first role of storytelling? Show don't tell. If the writers wanted to show us that Katara trurly is confused, we should be seeing Katara grapple with that.

It wouldn't break the "Will They Won't They" tension, if anything, it'd amplify it. We can see this in action all the way back in season one, where Katara also is confused and considers if A\ang is a possible partner.

So, is that what we see? Small moment/moments of Katara looking at A\ang, being confused and considering him as an option? No, we do not. Instead, what we get from Katara, is...

We are told that Katara is confused, but what we're shown is Katara completely ignoring the source of her supposed confusion. What we're shown is not confusion, it's denial.

This is a sharp contrast to how well the writers made sure to remind us that Katara is still angry at Zuko over the course of these very episodes. From her threatening him when he first joins, to a mean spirited comment (at 0:21), there was a clear effort to keep up the tension, to make sure you know that Katara hasn't forgiven Zuko yet, until said tension is resolved. Meanwhile with Katara and A\ang what we see is the show, and by extension Katara, in denial to the whole event.

1. Katara is Uncomftable and Unable to Commit

If she is in denial and A\ang is making her face reality, would her behavior in the scene be compatible with that? Would she keep on avoiding the topic? Could her words register that way based on who she is? To know that, we could ask: does she have a history of shielding A\ang from reality?

(If the scene was revealed to be her shielding him), this isn't to say that Katara would consciously shield him the way she does here, she could've genuinely thought she was confused. There would be many ways to interpret the scene. However, it is in character for her to want to keep the peace to protect him from being hurt. Therefore, her lines in EIP could easily register to be of a similar fashion.

The show continuously refused to show Katara being confused, showing us nothing but denial. When she is faced with the reality, she refuses to commit when having a history of trying to shield A\ang for as long as she can. And this is why Katara's lines in EIP come off as rejecting.

#anti kataang #anti kat@ang #anti k@taang #TAGGING FOR VISIBILITY->#zutara #zuko x katara #katara x zuko #zutara meta #pro zutara #anti anti zutara #zutara analysis #zutara evidence #zutara forever #zutara nation #zutara should have been canon #zutara supremacy #zutara was robbed #zutarian

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urinarythreatinfection · 6 months ago

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YOO what up!! You should def do some luffy x reader stuff. Safe for work plz I’d love angst or just some good hcs. I always wondering how he’d react when you like argue with him and you like flinch or back down and how it’d play out.

Thx pookie

Sorry for taking a bit, it's the weekday and I have school (I also stayed up watching videos on bloodborne lore on sunday). Anyway as apology I'll let you choose how this goes. Option'll be at the end.

Kindness Isn't Spineless.

Luffy x gn!reader angst. 1,088 words. Part 1.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“Again…” You look inside the fridge and sigh, the leftovers you had got eaten again. You know exactly who it was . This had been happening for a while now, the first time it happened you told yourself it was okay, the second you said it was okay again, the third you finally talked to Luffy to ask him to stop, this is now the 4th time. You don’t even know why you bother at this point. Closing the door to the fridge you leave the kitchen and see Luffy fishing with Usopp, seeing them talking happily makes you feel worse; like you’re the dumb one getting upset over some missing food while he’s unaffected. “Dammit…” You end up just leaving to go to your room, not wanting to sour their mood with your own unhappiness. After shutting the door behind you, you flop onto the bed and sigh. You keep telling yourself the same things you have before, it’s just food, Luffy is more important than some leftovers, no need to get upset over something so small… but it’s not making you feel any better. Not when something so simple as continuing to eat your leftovers shows so little respect. “Maybe.. Maybe I should try telling him again, maybe he’ll listen this time.” You mumble to yourself and get up, walking out of your room and going back to where Luffy and Usopp were fishing. “Luffy?”

“Mm?” He hums.

“Can we talk for a bit in my room?” You ask him and he’s silent for a moment before turning his head to look at you.

“Can you wait? I’m fishing right now.” Is his response, your heart sinks and you consider saying yes, but decide to steel your heart and refuse.

“No, the fish aren’t going to disappear. You can continue fishing after we’re done.” You manage to muster out. He sighs and gets up, following you to your room. Once you’re inside, closing the door, you confront him. “You ate my leftovers again.”

“Oh, yeah I did. Oops.” He says, way too casually for him to care.

“Luffy I told you it wasn’t nice to do that, I don’t want you eating my leftovers. Sanji already makes you a lot of food and those leftovers were ones I got from the last island we went to. I was really looking forward to them since it was a specialty there.” You explain.

“Yeah, they were really good.” He responds, and you frown. Luffy’s acting so uncaring about all of this, he isn’t even being stupidly happy about it. Usually when he’s caught eating something that wasn’t his he fights about it, trying to weasel his way out of getting scolded; but this is just straight up rude.

“Luffy…?” You call his name, not believing what you’re hearing.

“Yeah?” The captain yawns. “Can I go now?”

“Luffy, what's wrong with you? You’re acting weird.” This is stressing you out.

“You’re the one acting weird, it’s just food. You can just get something else, maybe ask Sanji to make you something.” His words make you scowl slightly, you’re trying to stay calm but he’s being so disrespectful it hurts. It hurts and it’s making you angry.

“Why are you being so rude, did I do something?”

“Hmm…” Luffy puts a hand to his chin. “Well I mean it doesn’t matter anyway.” You tilt your head in confusion. “Cuz you’re just gonna forgive me, even if I keep doing it. So there’s no point in being all sorry about it, yeah?” You stare at Luffy in shock, he can be selfish at times sure but not like this; and not to a crewmate, this isn’t mentioning that you too are lovers as well.

“Luffy you’re being really mean, don’t say that.” You say, your eyebrows furrowing into a pained expression. “You’re hurting me.” Black eyes look away, not even bothering to meet your gaze. “Look at me, Luf, don’t just look away. Please?” He doesn’t respond. “Luffy! Please don’t do this to me. I’m sorry for getting mad at you, don't just ignore me like this…”

“You’re so spineless.” He finally responds with a frown and your heart sinks. “I don’t like it, you’re not even trying. It’s kinda um…” Luffy looks for a word in his head before it pops into his mind. “You’re really pathetic!” A smile forms on his face.

“Luffy!” You yell

“It’s true though. I liked you because you never backed down for what you believed in, but now that we’re dating you don’t even do anything to me. It’s annoying seeing you so much of a coward where you back down at any argument with me. I don’t like it.” Once he’s done there’s silence for a bit, Luffy’s about to try and continue when you stop him.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” You apologize and he perks up, but you don’t end it there. “I should’ve known, you don’t like cowards or crybabies. I don’t blame you, so we don’t have to be together anymore.”

“Wait, you-” He’s interrupted.

“No Luffy, I get it. You’ve made it clear enough that you don’t like me.” You talk as you start to move him out of your room. He tries to reach for you when you go to shut the door on him but you flinch away like he’s lashing out. It shocks him to freeze, giving you the chance to shut the door and lock it.

The captain stares at the door, spaced out before he snaps out of it. ‘...I think I messed up.’ Luffy thinks to himself and knocks on the door, but you don’t answer. He continues this for a while and considers breaking the door down but the image of you flinching away from him like he’d do something as horrible as hitting you is shaking his resolve. ‘I don’t want to see them do that again.’ He frowns, unhappy. His plan was to make you mad enough that you would gain confidence and grow a spine, but this went wrong. He made a mistake, or maybe this is really just you? Luffy doesn’t know, he hasn’t been in a relationship before, but he wants to know; and he wants you to tell him. You did so well when you didn’t back down and told him to follow you to talk, even when he was fishing. He was so relieved he even sighed, but now it’s all messed up and he’s stuck outside this door wondering if breaking it down will make things worse.

_____

The options are if he breaks down the door or not and whether you want this to have a happy or bittersweet ending (asker only). You dont have to say if you dont want tonyou can also just tell me to continue if you dont want the choice.

#one piece #luffy x reader #angst #monkey d. luffy #fanfiction #one piece x reader

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ladykailitha · 1 month ago

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The Au Pair Boy 8

Yeah...so because of the mix up last week with accidentally posting two chapters in one and having to split them...if I want my backlog to last until the end of the year, you're getting another one of these to make up for it.

But this chapter is so super cute and sweet, I teared up editing it, soo...

The boys get together for the first time, Eddie is amazing, and Wayne is too.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

It was the first D&D session. The kids had been meeting up to that point to work on their characters and decide who the DM was. All the little nitpicky things that went into a campaign before they even got started.

They were arguing who should be DM, Mike thought Will should. Lucas and Dustin thought that Mike should since he had the most experience.

“But I don’t want to DM!” Mike cried. “I always DM. I never get to play.”

Steve held up his hand with a wince. “I have a suggestion, if I may.”

Every head in the room turned to him like creepy dolls in horror films, slow and menacing. “What’s it called when it’s not a campaign, a one off?”

“A one-shot?” Lucas asked, tilting his head to the side. “Is that what you mean?”

Steve snapped his fingers. “Yes! That’s it. Have like an adventuring business where they post different jobs for the characters to do and if idea gets picked, you DM for the week. And then next week the remaining ideas will be chosen from so you don’t have to DM twice in a row if you don’t want to.”

“But how would experience work?” Dustin huffed in annoyance. “Because your character wouldn’t get experience for the job.”

“What if for that game the DM’s character is off on a different adventure?” Will suggested excitedly. “They won’t get magical items, but they’ll get the same amount of gold and XP as everyone else.”

“Yeah, I like that,” Lucas said, nodding with a smile slowly growing on his face. “This way even I might try out DM’ing because it won’t be as scary to run a one-shot as it would a full campaign.”

“I’m definitely down,” Mike said, “it would mean I’d get to play, too. And try out this new build I was thinking of.”

The four of them turned to Dustin, the newcomer. “So what’s gonna be, Dusty?” Steve asked. “You in or not?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dustin said. “I think I can make it work. Let’s do this!”

And they all started rolling up their characters. There was a gnome artificer, a bard, a fighter, and a thief. Steve didn’t think the party was very balanced so he suggested the adventurer’s guild as they decided to call it should sell potions, weapons, and armor as well as standard adventuring gear to their guild members for a fraction of the cost.

That went over even better than the initial idea.

Steve just sat back and enjoyed the chaos. He wasn’t going to tell them that the original idea had come from Eddie. They had been talking about D&D because the kids were coming over and Eddie had told him about the idea he had always wanted to do, but never found the time.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Steve went to go answer it. It was Wayne.

“The girls just wanted to say good night before they went to bed,” he explained.

And sure enough, hiding around each of the older man’s legs was a doe-eyed little girl in their sleep attire.

“Oh my gosh!” Lucas cried. “They’re so cute!”

Everyone else turned around to the open door. Janice came out from behind Wayne and toddled up Steve.

“We aren’t supposed to play in here,” she admonished him. “Why do they get to?”

Steve picked her up and turned to the boys. “These are friends of mine, Janie and you’re daddy gave them permission to be in here. And when you’re older, you’ll be allowed in here, too.”

There was a tug on his pant leg and he looked down to see Joan begging to be held too. Steve huffed, but picked her up too. “Boys, this is Joan and Janice Munson. Joanie and Janie, this is Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will, you know.”

The two little girls waved shyly. Joan put her thumb in her mouth and Mike huffed a small laugh. He came up to her and offered her a ring pop that no longer had the sucker on it, but it had a wide base that wouldn’t accidentally go in her mouth and a little nib.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said gently, “I bet your finger doesn’t taste very good, does it?”

Joan shook her, but kept sucking away.

“But it makes you feel better, huh?” Mike continued. Joan nodded. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you suck on that instead? That way you don’t have eat your yucky fingers.”

Joan took the toy from him and replaced her thumb with it.

“Now isn’t that better?”

She nodded and tucked her head under Steve’s chin. Steve mouthed ‘thank you’ and Mike just nodded before going and sitting down. He steadfastly ignored all the wide-eyed looks from the rest of the boys.

Steve gave both girls big hugs and then set them back on the floor. “Good night, girls. See you in the morning.”

Wayne took the little girls off to bed and Steve settled down to play mediator to four grumpy teenaged boys.

He had barely gotten settled when his phone rang. “Hello?”

“Stevie, Stevie,” Eddie said excitedly. “Have they started yet? Please tell me they hadn’t started yet.”

Steve burst out laughing, causing all four boys to look over at him strangely. “No, you dork. They’re in the middle of creating their characters right now.”

“Video call on the big screen,” Eddie said practically vibrating on the other end of the line. “Pleaaasseee!!”

“Hold on,” Steve said fondly get up and fiddling with something on the wall. All the boys shouted “WHOA!” when a large screen TV dropped from the ceiling. He got the remote and turned it over to the video calling app.

Then Eddie’s face appeared on the screen much to the kids utter glee. “Welcome young travelers! I am Edmont de Luc master of the adventurer’s guild.”

He zoomed out and they could all see that Eddie was dressed in black leather armor and gloves, with a broadsword strapped to his back. He was clearly in front of some kind of white sheet to block out the rest of the hotel room.

The kids roared their excitement as Eddie controlled the table to look like the adventure’s guild. They giggled as Eddie described each thing and it came to life in front of them.

“So, who’s DMing first?” Eddie asked rubbing his hands together. “Because if no one wants to, I’ve got one for ya!”

All the boys looked at each other, wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear. They all shouted over each that they wanted that very much.

“Just have Steve scan your character sheets,” Eddie said gleefully, “and we’ll get started.”

Steve did as he was asked and then sat down to watch them play. Eddie was a good DM, doing voices for all the NPCs and weaving everything together.

When Steve stepped out to order more pizza, Wayne spotted him in the hall. “Hey, I’m glad I was able to catch you outside...” he made a hand wave gesture toward the D&D room, “of all that.”

Steve laughed. “It is a bit much, I’ll admit. But Eddie Face Time’d in and they are having the times of their lives.”

Wayne chuckled, shaking his head. “That boy never could resist playing D&D. Anyway. I just wanted to tell you that I was getting ready for bed.”

“All right,” Steve said, “I’ll make sure they aren’t too loud, what with your room being closer to the game room than mine is.”

“I appreciate it,” Wayne said with a nod. “It’s real nice of you setting this up for them. And Eddie for going along with it.”

Steve smiled broadly. “It was the least I could do, kids at fifteen shouldn’t have to work, and with so many of the people we hired having actual teenagers help, I thought this was a nice way to pay that back.”

“You’re good man, Steve Harrington,” Wayne clasped him on the shoulder and the bid him good night.

Steve smiled as he watched the elder Munson go. He was more like his nephew than you could tell at first glance. The first of which was definitely that they looked rough on the outside but were gooey marshmallows on the inside.

He ordered the pizza and then a roar erupted. Steve turned on his heel and ran. That didn’t sound like an excited roar, that sounded like the sound of four very upset teenaged boys.

“What do you mean that we can’t do that?” Dustin was yelling. “It’s in the rules!”

“I mean, Elendril Whitehart,” Eddie said firmly, “is that if you do that, the whole mountain is going to come down on you and your entire party.”

The entire room fell silent.

“Everyone roll a perception check,” Eddie said gravely. And when most of them passed he calmly told him that the pillars holding up the temple were unstable, but as it was built into the mountain, the whole thing would indeed come down on their heads.

“So my intrepid adventurers,” he continued spreading his arms wide, “what are you going to do now?”

Steve sighed in relief as they all settled back down. He made eye contact with Eddie as the boys all had their heads over their character sheets and Eddie winked and smirked. He settled down to watch the game until the pizza arrived.

Finally they were done and they all settled down to wait for their parents to come get them. Steve had offered to take them home as Wayne would be watching the girls but he got turned down.

He privately thought that Joyce, Claudia, and Karen all wanted to see the house and talk to him. Especially since it was a stranger’s house. Yes, Will and Lucas worked there, but they hadn’t met Eddie and were concerned.

Sure enough all four of the moms came up to Steve twittering on about how were they, were their any problems, who was Eddie Munson. And Steve answered all their questions and told them that he was there the whole time and everything was fine.

Sue Sinclair was the least worried because Charles had seen the place and she trusted her husband’s judgment. Claudia had known Steve and while she was concerned about Dustin joining in with a group of boys she hadn’t met before, she trusted him to look after her Dusty. Joyce and Karen had both known Steve from when he ran with Nancy and Jonathan in high school, but it had been a few years and wanted to catch up.

All four of them left secure in Steve’s abilities to watch over their sons.

Steve waved at them as they drove off and walked back into the room. It was a disaster. He slumped against the door and seriously contemplated paying the Mayfields extra to clean it up for him.

But then he decided he wasn’t a sadist and got to work cleaning up the worst of it at least.

He was throwing away the pizza boxes when a voice startled him from behind.

“You do know that is why we have a cleaning service,” Eddie intoned dryly. “So that they can clean up after parties and things like D&D sessions. And two toddlers.”

Steve jumped, startled. He whirled around and saw that the app was still up on the big screen TV.

He looked down at the large back trash bag with a blush. “I know. I even thought about leaving it for them in the morning...”

“So do it,” Eddie said sternly. “It’s what I pay them for. I already told them it would probably be a mess and to come with hazmat suits.”

Steve set the garbage bag down and wandered over to the big screen. He crossed his arms over his chest protectively. “It’s a throwback from my own mother. She couldn’t stand knowing that our cleaning service could dare to think that we weren’t clean people.”

“When I spoke to them about the job after you vouched for them,” Eddie said, “I set clear expectations that this is house with small children expect spaghetti on the fucking ceiling, socks under the sofa, and toys in the fridge. Then when you brought up those boys having D&D here, I warned them about that, too. I remember what I was like when me and the boys got together to play. So let it go.”

He let out a shuddering breath and then two. “Yeah. I’ll try. Thank you!”

“I’ll say good night and sleep well, fair prince of the nannies,” Eddie murmured and the screen went dark.

“Good night, Eddie,” Steve whispered back and then turned everything off and pulled the screen back up into the ceiling.

As he got ready for bed, the more he realized how entrenched he had become in this household and how dear they had all become to him. And of course none more dear than the weird little man who decided to get dressed up and DM for a group of teenagers he’d never met because he saw his friends and him in them.

He climbed into bed and with a sigh finally admitted to himself, that yes, he was falling in love with Eddie.

Part 9 Part 10

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog @tartarusknight @gregre369

2- @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @cryptid-system @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi

3- @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch

4- @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @ollieolive @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1

5- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

6- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

7- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

8- @sadisticaltarts @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @dolphincliffs @steddie-as-they-go @steddieislife

9- @kultiras @morallyundefined @themoonagainstmers @fearieshadow @blondie1006

10- @thesecondfate @wheneverfeasible @depressed-freak13 @genderless-spoon @yesdangerpls

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #nanny au #rockstar eddie munson #nanny steve harrington

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shanastoryteller · 1 year ago

Note

Happy Holidays Shana!! I really love your prompts about Greek mythology. Could you write a continuation of Hades or God's and Monsters?

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Zagreus is mid word when he stills, eyes going distant. "Huh. I'll be right back."

"You're joking," Megaera says flatly. "You can't just drop this on me and-"

"Technically, Than did that." He would really prefer if Zagreus didn't pull him into this. "I'll be quick. She's calling me, it can't be anything good."

"Who's she?" Megaera demands but Zagreus is already gone. She scowls and turns to the others. "Who's she?"

"Eliana, maybe," Sisyphus offers, completely unruffled at Megaera's ire. "At least take a look out the balcony. This is the highest point in the court and the view is really spectacular."

It is. Thanatos hadn't known the underworld could be beautiful before he'd seen what Zagreus had built.

Her eyes narrow. "How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, I can't say for sure," Sisyphus shrugs, his lips almost curling into a smile. "I wasn't really there for the beginning."

"I was."

They both turn to Patroclus. Eurydice is the only one of them that's suitably wary of either him or Megaera.

"He grew poms in my clearing first," he continues. "It's where we grew things until it became too full and then he created this. Zagreus has woven protections around it, to keep others from stumbling upon it accidentally, but I'm sure you could find it if you looked."

Megaera crosses her arms. "I'm not leaving."

Patroclus shrugs. Eurydice looks longingly towards the door and Sisyphus seems to actually be enjoying himself.

Thanatos stiffens, pain with no physical cause blooming from his chest. "He's died."

"Really?" Eurydice asks, taking a step closer. "He doesn't really do that anymore."

"Except for show," Sisyphus adds, frowning. "But you're both here."

Before Thanatos can decide how he feels about that, Zagreus is slipping back through the mirror, flicking off blood from his arms. "Sorry about that, Artemis wanted a favor."

Thanatos cannot have heard what he thinks he did.

"Artemis?" Megaera repeats dangerously.

"Oh, she told Aphrodite by the way," he adds casually, then pauses. "Actually, she was pretty surprised to see me, so I guess Artemis just called me and let her figure it out herself. Cold."

"Well, this is all unraveling," Patroclus says, but he doesn't seem that worried about it. Not nearly worried about it as Thanatos thinks he should be.

Zagreus shrugs. "They can keep a secret. Also it's been almost fifty years already, this can't go on forever. I suppose I could just challenge Demeter outright?"

"Do not do that," Eurydice says.

Thanatos wants to sit down.

"Have you LOST YOUR MIND?" Megaera screeches, grabbing Zagreus's shoulders. Her nails dig into him, but he doesn't bleed. "You can't do this! You can't - have you - this is crazy!"

Zagreus shrugs, pressing her nails deeper into him. "What's she going to do? Kill me?"

"There will be war," Thanatos says quietly while Megaera seems lost for words.

"Long overdue, if you as me," he says casually. "She's killing a lot of people, Than. She's undermining the other gods and making things worse for everyone all because she lost her daughter. She's turning against her own domain because her grief is more important than her duty. I can't make my mother talk to Demeter. But I have the power to stop her, to put an end to this winter. So I have to stop her."

"This isn't your responsibility, Zag," Thanatos says quietly.

"No," he agrees, expression souring. "It's my mother's. But if the goddess of spring won't do her duty and put an end to winter, then I will."

"Why?" Megaera asks, something small and scared in her that Thanatos hasn't seen since the first time she heard of Zagreus attempting to escape. "Why does it have to be you?

"I am a son of life's beginning and of life's ending." Zagreus says gently. "I know there is balance. I exist because of that balance. When I was born, I had too much of my father, and Nyx filled me with my mother's blood, because I can only exist when there is both." Thanatos hadn't known that, hadn't known how exactly his mother managed to save a stillborn Zagreus. "Who else, Meg?"

She doesn't have an answer.

There isn't one.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #geekyladypumpkin #hades game

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mehiwilldoitlater · 2 months ago

Text

Black Cloud , Red Fire (Part 3)

(Part 1) (Part 2)

"Did I REALLY have done that?"

"Yeah! Trust me, I was surprised, just as you now!"

"Wow, I REALLY did use magic."

"Why so surprised?" The cranky old voice of the Keeper cane from the walls of the old caverna: "I told you that you had what was needed! After now, I guess you'll have more trust in your skill."

After the defeat of the Elder, or, like you said, his liberation, you and the Deatined one had a small stop near where the Snake guy was defeated, enough to take your breath, and then started to travel again.

Beyond the wooden shrine that he was protecting, the entrance of once was the old cave of the bear, where he was defeated by Sun Wukong and the assistance of Guanyin. As much as you could say, it was... a cave. Where you guess and old beat should live, but what you didn't know was that it went deeper than it looked.

Before entering, the monkey had taken out of his sack the old mantle that you'd retrieved from the ashes of the original Lingxuzi.l, Extended it to you.

"Why are you giving me this?" You asked, raising your eyebrow.

"Well," he started, "I think it would be better for you to hold it...just in case."

"Just in case forrrrr what?"

"Oh, I don't know...we had been talking about fire for like all this way up here, and I'm...fearing something could happen."

Despite the slightly bad Omen that he had just brought upon you two, you decided to follow Già Insticts and take the mantel. In your hands, you started to notice a few things that you haven't after it's retrieving.

The small rope holding it was made of gold and decorated with jade pearls at the ends of the strings. Golden decorations were visible between the fabrics, along with some more made of the same darker shade of the silk. At the touch, it wasn't cold at all; in fact, a warm feeling crawled through your fingers, almost like touching a freshly ironed piece of garmet.

With the mantle in your sack, moving between the dark and the shadows of the cavern, you were concerned about the last enemy that you two were supposed to meet.

After the long road, the many encounters and enemies, there he was, just a few steps closer. You couldn't believe that, despite it all, you were able to actually make it this far. You felt a strange sense of heavyness; your duty wasn't complete, and you were closer to the relic than even before.

Thinking about that thing, your mind crawled back to the thought of Sun Wukong and his actions.

He wasn't perfect, you got it, and in all honesty, you weren't that convinced that brought him back. Life was the right choice, but you didn't have any choice. He was, now right now, the most reasonable option for you to go back home.

But what if he didn't want to help you out?

This scary idea made you ponder... to the point that you had almost fallen into a giant hole!

"Watch It!" The monkey was fast enough to catch you up, putting you back on your feet.

"You're distracted!"

"Oh, I'm just thinking..."

"It's about earlier?"

How could a simple monkey be so perceptive? You looked around. It wasn't the right time to talk about those staff...

"We can... discuss this later? Please?" It was more a prayer than a request. The monkey, on his own, decided to oblige. He knew the matter, and he too wasn't so sure right now.

The cave, the longer you went, seemed to have crossed the mountain itself. Sometimes, it opened to the outsider, allowing plants and trees to grow in a small angle of green. Other times, it was just cliffs that followed the side of the rocks, allowing a view of the outside. More than anytime, it was just a jump in the pitch black of the bowels of the mountain.

Trees grow wherever the sunlight allows, their roots deep in the rock of the cave, growing high, reaching the summit. As far as you could say, it was just a splendid place to leave, not fitting for such a cruel Yaiguai like the bear.

Beautiful, but not without danger.

It was the doorstep of their master household; of course guards and warriors, the best at least, were guarding it without trace of tiredness or fear. Those wolves were different, to say the least, and they preferred to fight in the dark, taking advantage of their knowledge of the structure of the place against the monkey, but every time, like before, none of them were strong enough to beat him.

After a long road between the rocks and some cliffs, a long tunnel took both of you to an exit. The mountain ended there and, guarded by two heavy soldiers, a giant door.

You sensed...something there. Not the relic, but something... alive.

After the two guards were taken off, whatever was waiting for the two of you was just behind the door. The monkey posed his hands on the wooden surface, but he didn't' push; instead, his eyes met yours.

"You know what's waiting for us here... Once we're with him—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Step beside," you said, raising your hand. He waved his own.

"No...be carefull." He seemed stressed, like searching to say something that he had been mustering for some time.

"Listen... When they told me about you, the Bián huá, they didn't tell me everything... I guess that it's for lack of knowledge." His hands left the door, looking at you with a mix of concern and sadness.

"And I know that... it's hard; now I get it. You must feel a lot of things right now. Visions, old memories..."

While he was talking, or more like rumbling on his own words, trying to make sense, you noticed one thing: he was worried—like really worried—for you and for whatever was happening in your head.

"What I mean!" I cleared his throat. "It is that if we want to get through this, getting back the sage and getting you back home, we must do it together, so please talk to me. About everything!"

So...he really was worried about you, about your doubts and your second thoughts about bringing back the old Sage...

You needed to get through this, and, despite your uncertainty, you had someone that wanted to back you up.

You felt better, even if Just a Little.

"I will," you said, caressing his shoulder. "Just try not to die on me.. I REALLY don't want to be on the bear menù."

He chukled a little; his hand gave a strong but soft squeeze to your own.

You left his shoulder, following him in the action of opening the wooden door together. A few steps ahead, that was what you needed to do.

Leaves were falling in dim sunlight that slowly was leaving, making the area look darker than ever. Two fires were lit in front of two structures that preceded the main structure of the temple. It wasn't different than the other temples that you had met on your journey, only for this one to be bigger and far more well conserved, just like the one where you met that beast that took the name of the old wolf. Incense aromas flew around, and the sound of bells echoed slowly and gently.

The place radiates calm on a first glance, like every other, but deep down the rumble of something dark and twisted made your guts twisted.

Someone was sitting there, meters from you, in a meditating pose.

It seemed like a man, his vest around his torso, decorated with golden lines and its reddish tone, the long Mala that crossed his chest from his shoulder...

He was a monk, no doubts, but despite the attire, his looks gave more to him. His body was big, the relaxing pose just hidden the muscles that could have been possessed by a fighter, and his skin was covered in old scars, mostly the sign of really bad scratches made by teeth and claws. His face, covered in a well-kept white beard, was stuck in a stern that cracked only when he spotted the two of you entering the gate. He wasn't surprised to see you there; in fact, by the presence of something that seemed like a weapon near him, he seemed like he was expecting the two of you.

He could have fooled someone else, but after all the road, you knew that the monk was no one but the Black Wing Guai.

"Five hundred years." His voice, which seemed perfectly matched for someone like his own, finally broke the silence. He rose up; he wasn't just big; he was taller than expected, a good human foil for a bear. He reached for the weapon, a long spear, conteplating in it, scoping away some dust from it.

"I have rebuilt the temple. Now it's grander in scope."

"More likely made a home for himself and the guais, I would say," the monkey said between his teeth, giving you a smirk. That bear didn't learn so much from Guanyin herself...

Then he kept talking, but time your blood boiled by the subject.

"All those monks consumed by the fire turn to wandering ghosts, roaming in Black Wind Mountain... It was I who granted them eternal repose!"

"Repose?!" You scoffed; your voice was very audible. The monkey looked at you, trying to keep you at a distance, while the bear was looking at you, raising his thick eyebrow. "You tried to revive them! And then you hide away to not lose your face!"

"How dare you speak to me like that?! You should keep your mortal at bay, monkey!"

"OOHH, don't you dare me!" You step closer again, pointing your finger at him. "Those monks were never at peace! They were suffering all along! And the poor wolf, Lingxuzi... You really believed that he would just accept killing his kind just to go along with your plans?!"

" AH!" He laughed "You like to point fingers, but didn't you just stand beside him while he had risked his life?! Unlike, I have even restored the charred scriptures piece by piece! But my matter is not with you...small human."

This one made you sick. Everything he had done—taking away the mountain from the keeper, resuscitating poor souls only to cause them more suffering, hiding his own looks and misdeads with some other acts that were only useful to him! Even if he were a monk, he just weared the mantle, but he surely wasn't even close to one. He started to ingore you, pointing his gaze towards the monkey.

Just like they said...his spitting image.

Oh, he had never forgotten what the Sage had done to him all those years before—the shame to be bound, the years of isolation... He had paid off his debts; he had something in return—something powerful! It was funny to obtain strength from an old enemy that once had almost destroyed you, but such the wheel goes. And even there, that fear was always present in his soul, something that someone could just believe to be the product of a paranoic mind. But every time a new monkey came to the mountain, every time another human was alongside them... With each death, his fears were drowned, making him laugh of himself about this silly nightmare, but this time, his fear had come true.

"But, oh yes, I always knew," he laughed, his aura starting to emanate an aggressive tone. "One day you shall return!"

He struck fast; his spear pierced the air, crushing on the ground. The monkey held you, jumping away from his opponent blow, giving you then the time to move away from the fight. The massive body of the bear was then engulfed in something that reminds you of a black swirl of dead leaves, moving around with such force that even the wood of the piles cracked around. That was his power then! He had surely held the title of his name...

But you didn't want to walk away like that!

"Wait, I can help!"

"It's too-" He pushed you away again, dodging a swift of the spear. "RISKY!"

"B-but..."

"Oh, what's the matter, oh destined one?! Since when the Great Sage is so afraid of letting a mortal get hurt?! She's not your master even!" The bear kept on attacking the monkey, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't properly respond to his blow with you around. He was taunting him, or taunting Wukong to be more precise.

If those weren't working on him, they did work on you. You wanted to help so badly, you could use at least one spell! But...you didn't know how, and last time was just by chance.

"Please, Y/N!" The monkey screamed, "You'll help me! Let me handle this one! I promise!"

"Oh, but let her, Great Sage! I'll give her the right lesson that she so desperately wants to learn!" Out of the blue, the object of his attacks changed, striking now towards you. You started to retreat quickly, begging for your power to just start to work.

"Y/N!" The monkey darted to you, using his staff to counterattack against the bear. "Too scared to take on me that you had to go against her?! You truly are a coward, like the story said."

This time it was the turn of the monkey to taunt the bear, and he surely was more touched by his words and remarks. Despite the technique of the guai, the new spells and the ability of the monkey gave him more advantage in certain situations: taking new forms, the binding spell, his gourd that helped him to retrieve more strengths... Just like the last time, the monkey had always an ace up his sleeves.

That damn monkey...why did he have to return and ruin everything again?!

The fight kept on going again and again, giving you little choice but to back down. You felt so useless. Why did you have to find out that you could do something and still be a dead weight in his fight?! He still wanted to protect you, but you wanted to be of assistance to him!

Between your doubts and more destruction of the temple, a final blow of your monkey was enough to finally strike down the monk. He stumbles on his feet, losing grip on his spear, holding instead of his side, hurting from the battering.

"You have some cheap tricks... Meet me at the summit if you dare!"

Without the both of you could do anything, he vanished in the swirl, flying away from your sight.

"He had run away!" You screamed, almost trying to run after him.

"He just has the relic with him!" The monkey pointed out, sensing nothing unusual in the place around you.

Insted, another smoke appeared, alongside some scoff. The old Keeper had reappered!

"The spell he just cast may appear intricate, but it's not hard to learn!"

"Hello there, old one..." you sighed.

"You say?" the monkey continued, "it seemed quite strong!"

"Ah! That black bear's expertise is lacking! Serving Guanyin didn't help him much!"

You laughed, hearing how much this grand protector that he claimed to be was just wussing a big mouth!

"This is just making my day! Now, what ar-" Suddenly, a strange gale engulfed the three of you in a string swirl of leaves that could cut your skin. You tried to cover your eyes, protecting yourself from the dust, when you felt a strong paw holding your waist, rising you from the ground. You couldn't see much, the black swirl making it hard to see at all! What the monkey could see, isntead, was that black mass before moving around, leaving an empty spot where once you were!

"Y/N!" The monkey screamed, noticing the fainting tone of your robes in that black swirl.

"COME AND FIGHT MONKEY!" His laughter echoed around you, making your ear hurt. "AND BE FAST BEFORE I MAKE THIS ONE MY DINNER TONIGHT!"

Laughing, the bear started to ascend the mountain while you were struggling with all your strength to get loose his grips.

The monkey tried to run, but as soon as he reached the limit of the temple, you were gone.

"No no no no!" He started to panic. Who could possibly know what could happen to you alone with that beast? Before he could move another step, the old Keeper had already blocked his passage.

"Hold it, little one!" he sais, trying to calm down. "This is not the time to be taken by fear!"

"He took you! I must go and help her!"

"I know! He knows what he could do, but here in this temple are hidden treasures that will aid you! Quickly! Find them and only then rise to the top!"

The Keeper was right; he needed to recover from a few wounds too, but the idea of taking too much time was unbearable! Yet he reluctantly started to search, prying to not be late.

///

Everything was moving around you. It felt like you were dragged everywhere and yet stayed in the same place. Struggling was hard because you didn't know how to struggle.

You couldn't see where you were going; you guessed higher by what the bear had said; the only understandable object in that confusion was the setting sun on the horizon, slowly fading behind the mountains.

When your body had finally taken its form back, your captor had thrown you on the ground, making you roll for a few meters. You coughed, feeling the air coming back in your lungs, massaging your abdomen, and feeling the aching of every possible muscle in your body. Facing the sky, there was no mountain in sight, only the vast expanse of blue and a few clouds. He had taken you to the top of the mountain...

The pavement where he had thrown you away was made by hand, a large forecourt sourronded by giant pines and, towering like the same mountain where it was built, a pagoda made of stone.

While you were coughing and trying to understand where your captor had taken you, you felt a strange sound: the flattering of a pair of wings.

The sound was strange. It was like your ears stopped working for everything, except for that sound.

It was constant, almost like a bird butterfly trying to fly frantically against the wind, and, with that, you had the clear sensation that something was observing you. Then you noticed something small and yet shiny, like a small sun irradiating a light at the summit of the pagoda, posed like a flag on the structure.

You felt it, like a bolt running inside your brain. The relics, you found it!

Without thinking, you stood up and tried to launch yourself towards the pagoda when a strong hand clutched you in his grasp, raising your body like a rag doll.

"Not so fast, Little One..." His voice sounded far more sinister, more deeper than before: "I have some more plans for you!"

His body was battered, full of the wounds that your friend inflicted on him on his first meeting, but what really started to upset you was his skin. It seemed loose, like a dress that started to lose stiffness, and from the wounds you were clearing, see some...furr?!

His face, which seemed almost like it was melting on itself, was contorted in a beastly grime, showing a set of sharp teeth that could rip a leg in one bite. He was furious, but his grin showed a side completely far from the act of the pious monk that he had showed to everyone.

"LET go of me, you Creep!" You started to kick and punch the hand and arm that were holding you midair, but the few damages that you made were mostly ajinn that kept on falling, revealing even more of his true nature. He laughed at your attempt, slowly piercing his own face with his free hand, which now was more similar to a paw than a human limb.

His talons, sharp and big as a knife, puerced his own skin, slowly shredding it like some piece of paper. You stopped trying to get free from his grasp, your eyes glued in horror to that horrifying show. Blood started to purr, only to be absorbed by the thick, black furry of the beast that slowly started to get bigger and bigger. The hand that was holding your shirt was now a paw that big that you seemed like a Barbie in his clasp. The dark eyes slowly became like two furnaces, looking at you with a malevolent glim.

"No more talking, ah, Little One?"

The monk was now gone; what remained of him were shreds of skin and a pool of blood at your feet. Now in front of you stood the Black Bear Guai, a giant made of pure muscles and brute force.

You trembled in his grasp, realizing now in what kind of mess you were. That thing was able to rip you a part by just pulling you by a limb; instead, he started to slowly walk towards the pagoda. The sound of the wings became stronger and more frantic—a scare and aggressive bird.

You kept on punching and kicking, now more than ever useless against that walking mass that held you hostage. With a small push, he opened the granite doors of the tower; a few brached here and there, and, with his free hand, he took one, still approaching the center of the room. The room was full of every possible treasure that a bear could find appealing, such as food and goodies from the woods and what a human could die for—golds, jewelry, and precious religious items—and everything was stored in piles or in old barrels.

So much to be a poor and pious monk.

Without a care, he threw you on the ground; your back collided with a small pile of apples that had fallen on the ground, rolling on the stone pavement.

You hissed for the pain while he was looking at you menacingly, the bracier still fuming in his paws.

"Last time," his beastly voice resonated like thunder. "That damn monkey had made quite a mess at the temple, allowing everything to burn. He saved that monk the last time. Let's see how good he's now."

And with that, he launched the bracier towards a few jars that broke at the impact with it, and, with a roar, a pyre of fire suddenly started, eating everything that was near it.

With a roaring laugh, the bear disappeared in the same cloud of black leaves, shutting the rock doors behind him. He wanted to roast you alive!

You tried to open the door with all your strength while hearing the fire cracking and burning everything with it. There must have been some wine in those jars, because the explosion just spread the same liquid around, making the fire run faster. Smoke started to invade the room, and your only way out was close shut!

You started to panic; breathing was already hard without clean air; now it was just impossible! You wanted to scream; your nails started to dig in the rock, and your shoulders just hurt after the many impacts on the surface of the door. Was that it?! Was that really the end?! Burned alive after that long road, just a few feet away from the relic?!

The more the fire grows, the more the fear starts to set in you.

"I...I don't... I don't want... I promised to tell you everything... I don't want to die!"

You screamed, feeling the tears start to accumulate in your eyes. In those moments, many thoughts come to you and to your friend...Your friend...

The monkey! The mantle!

Ho, could you forget that?! He had given you that because he felt it was right! Whatever kind of deity gave him that hunch, BLESS IT!

Trying to control your shaking hands, you reached for your bag, and, after sensing the silk in your hand, you extracted from it the red robe. As you sensed the danger, the mantle magically spread over you, covering your trembling figure in one move, and the golden string fastened itself to your neck.

Suddenly, it was like the fire wasn't even there. The heat was long gone; only the gentle warmth of the mantle was there, and, to your surprise, that wasn't the only merit of the mantle: the air, thick of smoke, was now fresh like a summer breeze. You took a long breath, feeling finally the freshness and the cleanliness in your lungs. You felt like, in that moment, another message from the universe for you.

You were meant to live; you needed to survive.

The fire was spreading, but knowing that now you were protected again by your dear friend, even if unintentionally, you felt secured and calmer now. Your eyes were safe from the smoke, alongside your lungs, but you needed a few minutes to find what you believed was your only way out of that: a small ladder leading to the next level of the pagida. Well, it was a tower after all; it was meant to go up.

And so, up was your way out, near the relic... You started to move, prying that your friend had the same uck as you.

///

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

Another strike, another foe fallen to the ground against the charge of the monkey. His calm demeanor was completely gone, now possessed by a rage after the bear had captured you.

He had found many treasures in the temple, but most of all, he wanted to find the bear who just broke his head in half. The road after that wasn't that difficult; this time he had the Keeper to guide him, showing him the right way, a long path full of the remains of others structured that lead at the summit of the mountain. Finding the enyrance of the climb was almost a lucky event, hidden behind some fabrics and blocked by debris.

He was sure that there he would have found you, the bear, and hopely the relic.

Of course that was the last defense of the bear's most polite possession, because now all the enemies that he had encountered were stronger and more aggressive than before. Their weapons now were meant to kill him, to stop him more than ever, but he was far away from being done.

Now, other than anger, fear started to crawl through his spine. During his climb, he had seen smoke and the smell of it, and it wasn't good, especially since the more he ascended, the more the scent became stronger than before. He prayed that nothing bad was happening, that you remembered the message that he gave you, and to be smart enough to be out of the fight. And between some curses and prayers, his fears took form.

A pagoda, burning like a torch in the night, the smoke like a dark cloud full of rain, grew in the sky. The fire had spread toward the courtyard, now devouring the trees and the statues that decorated the area.

He frantically searched for you, hoping that his guts were wrong, when that damn voice spoke again.

"He once told me: Out of sight, out of mind is a fool's task; seeing but seeing through is what wise men do. But didn't he turn mad...by what he saw too?!"

His laugh echoed between the roars of the fire; the dark cloud came back like before, this time larger and darker than before. His foe reappered, now fully changed, and a black bear double the normal size roared to him, showing him his claws and teeth, ready to end the fight in his favor.

The monkey did not stand down, only rising his staff, pinting at him in anger.

"Where's Y/N?! Where's my friend?!"

"Oh," he mocked, "she reaced her ancestors already. Let me help you reach her!"

The monkey looked back at the pagoda. Maybe there was still time! He launched and tried to avoid the bear getting closer, only to get hit by one of his paws. He was pure muscle in one strike; the m-onkey, now only the size of a child confronted to him, had a small disadvantage, but he didn't care at all.

What he cared was for his friend, stuck in a burning structure that could have collapsed at any moment! He stood back again with one jump, regaining his posture, while the bear only laughed again.

"Distracted, are we?!"

The monkey started running again; this time he was able to avoid another of the bear punches, but as soon as he was near the pagoda, the ground started to shake in a single shake, making him lose balance and get hit again.

"Oh, destiny! Your master is not so pleased! I thought you wanted to take the relic! But one human is enough to make you lose interest?!"

"Just Shut Up!"

He used his staff against the bear face, striking directly in his eye. A huge howl, even for an animal, came from the Guai that started to back away. Holding his snout in his paws, he cried and destroyed everything in his path, lamenting the loss of one of his eyes.

While the bear finally had him catch a break from his assault, he tried another time, but this time it wasn't the beast that didn't give him enough time to reach the door; it was the unsufferable heat coming from the fire. It had already taken the ground level; whatever it contained was lost to the fire and the smoke, and soon, the entire structure was about to fall down.

"Y/N! Y/N!!" He screamed, hoping to hear your voice, but nothing came. He needed to open those doors, or just try to get on the untouched levels of the pagoda, but the same paws that had attacked him had already pinned him on the ground this time. Fire was devouring the bear furr, emanating a disgusting smell of burnt flesh, but it seemed that the pain wasn't in the beast's concerns right now. The monkey struggled, trying to escape from his clutches and the fire, trying to reach with his hand the lost staff that had flown a few meters away from the impact.

"You had ruined everything! I'll kill you like I did with that stupid mortal!"

Then, an apple struck him in the head with a loud smash, poulp scattered on his muzzled and on his still good eye.

You tried to hold your grip on the parapet of one of the pagoda windows, trying to not fall to your not so unpleasant death by falling down from the third level of the building. When the bear saw you, for a moment he seemed confused and scared. How did you even survive!?

"I have more here with me, you cheap off Winnie Pooh!"

The monkey saw you, and a gleam of relief and happiness colored his face.

The bear growled to you, realizing that you did not just survive, but you were even mocking him! He was nice enough to let you die by the fire, but if you wanted to die from his own hands, then fine! So be it!

He launched towards the building; his massive body collided with the structure that was already losing security. You lost grip on the window by the string shake that he had provoked, but, lucky for you, while slipping from the curved roof, you avoided a big fall on the ground by grasping the edge. You started to try to get back on the same roof while filing the flames and the bear breath under yourself.

He had almost catched you when, at the corner of his eyes, he saw something growing and a stick on his face, making him fly on the other side.

"What's the matter?! Getting distracted?!"

The monkey laughed when the table turned, and, with the help of his staff, he had caught you, helping you land on the ground safely.

When both of your feet touched the ground, his arms crashed on you just like yours on him, hugging each other in relief.

"Oh Gods, I've almost... thought that..." He couldn't even pronounce those words; he had imagined the worst for you. You squeezed him tigthly, feeling his breath near your neck.

"You won't get rid of me that easily!" You tried to laugh about it, freeing him from your arms. Then, you put the mantle around him, feeling that this time he needed more than you. In the distance, the bear had rose again, furious by your constant strike and coming back.

"Go and give him a lesson, Tiger! We have a mission to accomplish!"

And, with a huge grin and his refound security, he marched towards the bear, facing him with not a single trace of fear. This time, it was personal.

This time the bear had lost his upper hand. He was furious, angry, and without control, while the monkey kept his cool in every strike and every blow, using all of his new tricks that he had learned. Maybe it was the fact that he knew that you were alive, but the fight from before was just a small act on what he was able to do. In fact, the bear couldn't take a chance, and, with another of the staff blows, he falls to the ground, making a huge cloud of smoke appear.

He knew that he couldn't win; that damn monkey was... something else. After emitting a last roar, he dissipated again in the same clouds from before. Intuitively, the monkey held your hand, fearful of another kidnapping attempt, but this time the bear did not aim for you or him.

"You cunning wretches, I'll spare your sorries lives for today!"

In his form, he reached the edge of the pagoda, towards the light that was shining at its summit.

"Fortune is no longer on your side! No one will come to your aid!"

"The relic!" You screamed, seeing that he had already snatched the light, starting to fly around.

"All I need is to take it elsewhere and rebuild everything anew!"

His laugh echoed in the sky, savoring his final victory against you too. You wanted to run after him, but the monkey stopped you, pointing him with his finger.

"Something is...off here..."

In fact, there was something off. The light seemed to have reacted to the sudden snatching, emitting some light esplosion that made the projectory of the bear confused and random. Even the bear's voice seemed to be in pain and confused about what's happening, until the same light emitted a final and huge explosion that made the guai fall to the ground and retake his original form.

"Great...SAGE!"

Those were the words that he had spoken, while the light now, on your ears, emitted the cry of a bird.While looking at you and your friend, his voice sounded more apologetic, and he started to bow in reverence.

"Oh, pardon me, Young Sage! Mercy, Young Sage! Have mercy! Please, honorable lady, show mercy on this poor bear!"

"Oh?!" The monkey mocked, "What's happened to all that bravado that you showed us before?! Now we're the Young Sage and the Honorable Lady?!"

The bear bowed again, touching the ground with his massive head.

"I was just a pawn of the Celestial Court! If given a choice, who'd dare to challenge the mighty Wrecker of the Celstial Palace?!"

"Oh please!" you cointued, completely unwaved by his cries, "like the Celestial Court could trust someone like you!"

"His words ring true." The Keeper suddenly appeared between you and the monkey, gesturing with his staff towards the bear.

"Old Keeper! Do you buy his story?!" The monkey gestured towards his now apologetic challenger.

"No matter how daring he was," he explained, "he had not the nerve to harm the Great Sage."

"So it's true...it was the Celestial Court?!" You said, now more shocked. Yes, the Court did send armies to kill Sun Wukong, but why gave to the bear the relic?! "But why?!"

"The meaning, I do not know. There must be someone else pulling all the strings."

This information was...ominous. That meant that someone had clearly orchestrated the entire affair, but then why? For what purpose?! The bear raised his head, looking to you and your friend.

"Exactely! And this thing is eerie! I had no idea how to make use of its power, except to enshrine it up there, tricking lesser yaoguais into offerings."

"So...you tricked the all?! They believed you were there to help them!"

"Ma Tianba was right," the monkey continued, "you were just telling lies!"

For a moment, the bear feared for another beating. Another idea pops up in his mind.

"If you'd pardon me,I-I'll go back to Guanyin to atone for my actions and be put back on the Encaging Band! You will never see me out there anymore!"

"Oh, ignore his nonsense!" The Keeper spoke before you could just say what you thought about the bear and his sorries and excuses."Go now, young ones, go and retrieve the great sage's relic."

I'll go back to Guanyin to atone for my actions and be put back on the Encaging Band! You will never see me out there anymore!"

"Oh, ignore his nonsense!" The Keeper spoke before you could just say what you thought about the bear and his sorries and excuses."Go now, young ones, go and retrieve the great sage's relic."

You and the monkey looked at each other, realizing now more than ever that you did make it to the end. The light, in a few movements, loses his first appearance, showing its true form: a bird, similar to a rooster in certain ways, started to fly in the air, like stretching its wings after a long period of sleep.

Its sound was crystal, sweet, and kind in your ears, and with such grace it posed on the monkey arm, looking at you both. Only now have you noticed the curious presence of two iris in both of its eyes.

"His eyes...this is...the Great Sage eyes," he whispered, trying to touch the bird that enjoyed the small scratches.

"You did it," you whispered. "You really did it!"

"We did it," he whispered back.

///

When the first sentinels saw the two of you reaching the Mountain, the first cry of joy emerged from the monkeys village. If a monkey didn't come back from its voyage, it didn't come back at all, so when the news that you were coming back came, everybody was ALREADY in a festive mood, screaming and exclaiming about their brother and the Bián huá returning home.

"Brother is back! Big Brother is back!"

"The humans too!!"

"They haven't been eaten!"

The smallest one started to run around and jump in his arms, laughing and hugging. With the bird on your shoulder, you watched the scene tenderized by the bond that all of them shared. You had to admit, you were a little jealous...until a bunch of other monkeys decided to jump on you in happiness.

"Y/n! Y/N! You're back and alive!"

"I am"you tried to break free, "but I think I'll soon die here!"

While holding one of his younger siblings, the Money couldn't stop smiling watching you. It was a hell of an adventure, but you grow up so fast... He wasn't lying when he swore that a spark had lightened in you!

"And so, the two pilgrims came back from their journey..." The cranky old voice of the old monkey came from the small path of rock, surrounded by some youngsters following their master in welcoming you and your friend.

"An unusual sight, I must say..."

"Master," the monkey came forward, bowing in respect, "we did it. We retrieved the relic."

The sound of flapping and the sweet chirp came from above. The bird gently posed itself on your shoulder, and, for some reason, while it was looking at the old monkey, you almost thought that they... knew each other? Nah, just an impression.

The old one gently caressed its feathers; a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"It seemed that you had quite the adventure, huh?"

"Oh, we had!" You said with enthusiasm, "He was incredible! We met the old keeper of the Mountain; he actually knew Sun Wukong! And there were so many monsters, but we met so many new friends!"

The old one laughed at your description, almost like a child describing their day to their parents. You sighed, your hands on your hips, looking at your friend with a hint of sadness.

"Well, too bad I had to go now..."

"Hehe...go where exactly?" The old monkey stepped forward, ChiLiang at your confused face.

"...Home? My job is done here; we found the relic."

"Relics, y/n. More than one." Said your friend, noticing your perplexion, "There's six senses, remember?"

"Five more?!"

"But you found the First One. The first step had been taken, my dear..."

"I almost died back there..." You retorted to the old monkey, "No one knows if we could take the others..."

"No one knew you could retrieve the first one either... and yet..." His trembling hand motioned towards the bird, singing happily to be back in a place that it seemed to remember.

"Every adventure has a beginning and an end. But, for now... you rest."

With these words, the old monkey had left the both of you to talk about your adventure with the youngest ones, so eager to know about the fight that you spoke of.

That night, the village decided to hold a party to celebrate your victory, with fruits and food from all the mountains as the main course and wine that flows as fast as a river. Despite the realization that your duty wasn't complete, you must admit that the joyous atmosphere was contagious even with you, and after some time of overthinking about your situation, you soon joined the party, alongside your friend.

"I'm exhausted..." You said, collapsing on a soft cushion not so far from the bonfire of the party, the monkey soon followed you with two peaches in his hands, handing you one of them.

"I noticed! But don't you dare get away now; we have a bargain, remember?"

"Uh?... Oh right..." You remembered the promise that you two made before the fight. "But I don't want you to ruin your mood..."

"My mood," he continued, biting the peach. "It's about you talking to me."

"Wow, you really care for this, don't you?" You sighed while he looked at you with some half-closed eyes.

"... That old sage wasn't that good, was he?"

"... He was... difficult, I guess." He was measuring his words, but clearly he did hold him in some regard, his old king...even if now he had some doubts of his own.

"He hurt so many monks back there...he didn't care if they were good or bad..."

"He wanted to protect his master; he had his own motivation."

"...would you do the same? Hurting others for protecting me?"

He didn't respond, since he ALREADY did.

"... I don't want you to become aggressive and have some clearly anger management issues!"

"He had what?"

"My point," you sliced in two the Peach, "is that we found some good guys on the road...and the one that we learned their story was just...sad old souls...even the Elder..."

He looked at you; your sad expression was full of compassion even for the ones that wanted to hurt you, and you understood their motive... everyone there was a victim.

"...in that case, when we bring him back, we're both going to teach him a lesson!" He said, throwing away the seed of the peach.

"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to..."

"No, you're right. He needs to properly tò pay some respect for all of those dead monks AND for the troubles he had put US in!" He laughed a little, and, deep down, you felt better. Yes, that was certainly a thing to do on the list.

"And we need to understand some more things... what the Keeper said was kinda ominous..."

"Yes," you responded, "but... one step at a time. Firstly, you need to teach me how to defend myself. This damsel in distress thing is cute and all, but it's kind of overwhelming, and I'm really fed up with being the dead weight on you."

"Oh, I don't mind! I like feeling important..." You both laughed at his stupid look when he said this. Then, you clapped your hands, an idea coming to you.

"Oh, I GOT it! We should give you a name!"

"A name?"

"Well, a proper one! I don't want to call you Just Monkey forever!"

He was... baffled, somehow. Tò received a name; it's not something that monkeys usually do. A few of them received One, really important monkey, to be precise, but this was the first time that this idea was presented to him...

Not like it wasn't appealing, but a name means... a lot. It means to be more than just part of the Monkey clan; it means to exist.

"I... well... if you like?"

"All right... umm," you started to ponder... It needed to be a fitting name, something that could depict him.

"...How do you say Destined One in your language?"

"Ummm...well...Destiny Is Yuán fèn and—wait, hold it!" He looked at you, straight in your eyes, "Are you calling me the Destined One, just in another way?!"

You looked at him, holding your breath...then a blasting laugh escaped from your mouth, and you needed to hold yourself to not fall behind.

"It fit! Perfectly actually!"

Despite the stupidity, it was in fact a fitting name... And he started laughing.

Yuán fèn...It wasn't such a bad idea!

///

Between the frogs, the cricket, and the birds, the sound of some paws crashing on the water was heard in the swamp.

The heavy breath of a canine, far different from the ones that had decided to stay on the mountain under the Keeper's watchful eye, stopped the silence that brought the water. A scout searched for something in the shallow waters, sniffing and moving around with delicateness, fearing for whatever it was searching for to be crushed or hurt.

It stopped, clearly aware that it had found what it was tasked to find, clearly satisfied, judging by the tail swinging.

"Yes, yes, I'm here... He took his sweet time to send you to fetch me; at least I regained an actual form..."

White scales shined in the moonlight that were reflected in the waters, a contrast between the yellow irises. Slowly, it started to crawl on the black fur ,finding a good place to avoid hurting its searcher and tò not fall on the ground during the run.

"They actually did it; they freed the Elder and the souls of the monks...and the relic..." He sighed, "It's still too early to know if they're the right ones..."

A White came from the creature while starting to leave the pond and the swamp.

"Eh...maybe you're right...if my brother has hope, then I'll pray for them too..."

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aanoia · 2 months ago

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Orphic (pt. 6)

pairing; Ao'nung x Sully!reader Orphic; (adj.) mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding words; 1,605 warnings; nothing Pt. 1; Pt. 2; Pt. 3; Pt. 4; Pt. 5 Guys what is this chapter? It's so short hello? I stared at my laptop for 10 minutes trying to figure out what else to add that would make sense to the story and I have noooooooooooo clue :] but yeah that's Ao'nung's reaction, yipee, and an argument, yipee. I'm gonna work hard to make chapter 7 much longer and better quality, so bear with me please, thank you P.S. the support I've recieved on this story is amazing, thank you all so much <3 please keep the comments rolling in, they make me sooooo happy

The group of children that was recently so joyful and filled with laughter, now has an invisible tension. It was hard to notice at first glance, but looking closely reveals the two seemingly in the middle of it all. The longing, confused looks from one, rejected by the other with a heavy heart.

Tsireya bites her lip in worry, glancing between her brother and Y/n, “So… we’ve kind of shown you guys everything. What would you like to do?”

Lo’ak smirks at her, “Y/n mentioned something about cliff jumping- we should do that.” Y/n bites the inside of her cheek, shutting her eyes. She could feel him looking at her.

Tsireya smiles, “Cliff jumping! Oh, yes, that sounds like fun. Rotxo?” She looks at the boy questioningly.

Rotxo offers a small smile, “Let’s do it.” He rises to his feet, helping Kiri up as well. The rest of the group follows, Y/n sticks close to Neteyam, hoping her brother would scare Ao’nung away. She should’ve known better.

“Y/n.” His voice is soothing as he softly grabs her hand. She doesn’t look at him, she can’t. “Hey… where have you been?”

“Uhm,” Her voice is trembling, and she internally curses herself. “Just in my marui… I’ve been sick.”

Ao’nung nods with a frown, “That’s what your dad told me… do you feel better now?”

Y/n nods, pulling her hand away. Hurt flashes on Ao’nung’s face, but it’s gone as soon as it comes. “Yeah, but I might still be contagious, so…”

“Oh…” He sighs softly. “Okay, well, I’m glad you’re better.”

“Yeah, uhm- thanks.” She turns away from him, biting the inside of her cheek roughly as she calls to her ilu.

A few days later, Ao'nung sits with his jaw clenched as Y/n laughs at something Rotxo said. His heart clenched with his fists, and he has to refrain from standing and storming off. He was so hurt and confused as to why she was suddenly being so aloof towards him. She's the first person he's ever felt safe enough with to pour his heart out, and she's just ingored him with no warning.

Most of all, it made him angry. His peers are slowly noticing him returning to the boy he was before he met the Sully girl. He's even started to rekindle the flames with his old friends. The change is noticed by his parents, and it worries them deeply. Ronal wonders if her decision was a mistake, but she's too stubborn to ever admit it. Besides, she has found a good Metkayina girl perfect for her son, and Ronal is sure she'd be a great Tsahik.

The Sully family have also noticed a subtle change in the eldest daughter. She's talented at putting on a mask, but they can see her smiles thinning. They see the happiness she had once acquired slowly falling away. It worried them beyond belief, but every time they'd attempt to bring it up, she'd just brush them off, claiming that everything was normal.

Obviously, no one believed her, however the least convinced was Neteyam. He's noticed the difference in the both of then. His sister, once effervescent and fun, now dull and quiet. And his friend, who became kind hearted and soft, has gone back to his terrible ways. He's tried to be a voice of reason, but to no avail. Neither will listen, and neither will talk. He's completely in the dark, with no knowledge of what's happening between the two.

One night, Ao’nung finally snaps. His old friends laugh in a circle as he stares intently at the fire. Images of her flash through his mind, and he replays memories he has with her. He can almost feel her lingering touch on his skin, like a ghost that fades away before he can reach it. Her eyes stare back at him, her lashes fluttering closed as their faces near. But she pulls away, standing and leaving him behind. Confused. Hurt. Angry. Helpless. This girl has him helpless, he realizes.

So, Ao’nung abruptly stands up, and all his friends’ eyes train on him. He doesn’t give the group a second thought as he walks away, kicking up sand. He doesn’t hear them calling his name, only the pounding of his heart against his chest, and the similar rhythm of the waves crashing along the shore. He held the anger of the ocean, fierce and unforgiving as his fists clench, and unclench, and clench, and unclench, in a restless mantra.

Giggling and whispering quietly to each other, Lo’ak and Tsireya’s happy atmosphere was broken by Ao’nung roughly grabbing ahold of Lo’ak’s shoulder and forcing the boy to face him. Lo’ak looks at Ao’nung with wide eyes, his heart speeding up just a tad as his hands instinctively tighten into a fist.

“What the fu-” Lo’ak spits, but he’s cut off.

“Where is she?” Ao’nung asks shortly, not interested in bantering with the boy.

Lo’ak’s brows furrow, “Where is who?” Tsireya holds her hand out between the boys, “Ao’nung…”

“Y/n.” Her name feels like venom coming from his mouth. “Where is Y/n?”

Lo’ak swallows thickly, glancing unsurely at Tsireya, “On the beach… I think. I don’t know-”

Ao’nung doesn’t respond, instead turning towards the beach and leaving just as quickly as he came. Lo’ak and Tsireya stand in shock, a heavy tension settling in the air. They glance at each other momentarily, before Lo’ak lets out a deep sigh, running a hand over his face. What has his sister gotten herself into?

Once Ao’nung finally sees her, he freezes, his confidence draining. She’s sitting, gazing at the horizon with a troubled look on her face. Her brows are drawn together, and his thumb itches to soothe the crease like he’s done so many times before. Like he’ll never get to do again. His eyes harden once again, and he continues his journey.

“I need answers.” He demands once in earshot. His voice wavers ever so slightly, but he’s able to conceal it. Y/n’s head whips around, and she stumbles to her feet. “I need them, and I need them now.

Worry fills her body, and she glances around nervously. If Ronal were to see this, she doesn’t know what would happen.

“Answers for what?” She asks, trying to act unbothered. But she knows he can see right through her. Of course he can.

“Why?” His voice is quiet, almost inaudible. “Why would you lead me on like that? I mean- I know I’m not a great person, or whatever, but that’s just fucked up, Y/n.”

Her ears flatten against her head, “I didn’t say that- and I-” She hesitates, at a loss for words. She wants to pull him into her arms, holding onto him tightly while she whispers; ‘I didn’t lead you on, Ao’nung. I like you. I like you. I love you.’

“You what?” His tone is angry now, raising slightly. “What, Y/n? Tell me!”

“I don’t know, Ao’nung. I’m sorry.” She doesn’t raise her voice.

“That’s not good enough!” His fingernails dig deeply into his palm.

She gulps, shaking her head, “It’s all I have- I don’t know what else to say.”

His bottom lip quivers. Y/n is unsure if it’s from anger or sadness. “You really have nothing else to say but “I’m sorry?”” He pauses for a moment, as if waiting for a response. “I know you, Y/n!”

Her heart clenches, and she looks away, “No, you don’t. Not if- not if you think I could love you.” She said it in a way that should have made him believe she can’t love, as if she isn’t capable of it.

His throat burns, “You give out pieces of yourself to people but never let people see the whole picture. I’ve seen it. I know who you are. Through and through.” He swallows the lump in his throat. “But I don’t know why you’ve left me alone. I don’t understand.” He takes her hands in his.

It takes everything in Y/n to not let herself relax with his touch, she pulls her hands away. “Don’t touch me.” She hates that she said that. She hates that he knows she didn’t mean it.

“You don’t have to pull away- Y/n, please. When we were together, everything was right- for both of us. And you know it! Please, you know that we are Eywa’s plan.” He begs. He begs and the world freezes for her. This boy. This complicated, and confusing, and beautiful boy, is in front of her, begging for her to just love him. He’s pleading for her affection, for the chance to prove that he can be everything she’d want him to be. So ignorant to the fact that he is who she wants him to be.

“Stop it.” She whispers, her voice cracking. “Stop it, damnit.” She bites back tears as he grabs her hands again, pulling them to his chest.

“I’ll never stop. You are a coward and you know it. You and I are it. Stop lying to yourself.”

Y/n doesn’t think about what she says next, overcome with fear, “I don’t care about you!” The bitter lie flies from her lips as she tries to rip her hands away from his. His eyes flash with hurt, disparity, for a brief second before impassiveness takes over. He lets her go.

He stares at her, as if looking into the depths of her soul, “Such a goddamn liar.” He whispers, before turning and walking off without another word. Leaving behind the woman he loved.

my masterlist

If you'd like to be added to my main taglist comment or DM me!

taglist;

@skeletondeerart @munson-mayhem @4-ln4 @cypherpt5fttaehyung

#avatar 2009 #avatar wotw #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #aonung #aonung x reader #ao'nung #ao'nung x reader #tsireya #jake sully #atwow #awotw #kiri sully #neteyam sully #lo'ak sully #tonowari

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redskull199987 · 1 year ago

Note

i have two so I'll probably send them separately, but at the same time I feel like that would be a lot of notifications (also fem reader please); #1 is giving mike schmidt head under his desk while he's at work and stuff , #2 is like playing with mike's hair and stuff to help him sleep and cuddling with him , and #3 is mike bending reader over his desk and going to down because he's had a pretty bad shift and needs to relieve stress. you can just do one or all, it's up to you

First of all, this is only one of these three requsts, the second one to be precise. The others will follow of course, don't worry. Until then, I hope that you enjoy this one. I had lots of fun writing this:D

So hear my Voice, remind you not to bleed

Mike Schmidt x fem!reader Request Word Count:1.3k Warnings:tooth rotting fluff,kissing and hugging, that’s all, slight movie spoilers Summary:You knew that your Boyfriend had trouble falling asleep, so you did everything you could to help him find his way into sweet sweet dreamland…

Masterlist

You felt like shit. At least, that was the short version. And the longer one wasn't even that much longer. To put it simply, you had an awfully long week. And that was probably an underestimation.

You fought murderous animatronics, a creepy dude in a bunny costume, a feral cupcake and after all that shit, you barely escaped with your life. And while you were fortunate and had only obtained a few minor scratches and bruises here and there, Mike had a few life threatening flesh wounds and Vannesa was lucky to be alive at all, after her father had stabbed her.

Your Bones ached and your head was pounding, as you finally made your way home. Unfortunately, you couldn’t just ask your Boss to give you a few days off because you had several Animatronic-induced wounds scattered over your body. Heck, you were happy you didn’t just lose your job after not showing up for three days in a row.

All you could do was tell them that you got involved in a car accident and that you and your boyfriend had been in the hospital for a few days. Much to your favor, they believed you and the fact that Vanessa was still in the Hospital only backed up your little lie.

Your Mind was still racing, as you reached your little Home. It was already dark outside, as you stepped into the comfort of your Apartment. You saw Lights coming from the Living Room and the Sound of the TV slowly made its way into your Brain and pushed away the gruesome memories of the Pizza-Plex.

“Mike?”, You shouted into the darkness,”Abby? I’m Home.”

You didn’t receive an answer, so you quickly discarded your shoes and Jacket and walked into the Living Room. Only now, you noticed Abby sitting in front of the Sofa, drawing with her Crayons and listening to the sound of the TV.

“Hey Abbs.”, You smiled and leaned down to greet the little Girl. She practically beamed at you and gave you a small hug.

“Have You eaten yet? Where’s Mike?”, You quickly asked again as you rose back to your feet.

“Yes, we had Spaghetti with meatballs.”, Abby stated happily,”And Mike said he was tired and went to sleep already. He told me I could stay up for a little bit longer:”

“Okay then.”, You mumbled, gently running a hand through Abby’s Hair,”I’ll go join your Brother in Bed. Don’t stay up too late, okay Love?”

Abby nodded at you profusely before turning her focus back on the Half finished Drawing in front of her. You looked at her once more, before deciding to finally go see your Boyfriend in your shared bedroom. You knew that he was always tired. Even before you started dating. You knew what you were getting yourself into.

But after recent events, his insomnia seemed to get severely worse. He could barely fall asleep anymore and even if he did, he’d be awake again a few hours later, jumping up with heavy breaths and a sweaty forehead. You always tried to comfort him and be there for him, but you still felt like you weren’t doing enough. Like, you should do more. But you didn’t know how.

With a sigh, You slowly pushed your bedroom door open. You were surprised as you realized that the lights were still on and Mike was sitting in the middle of the Bed, still fully dressed.

“Mike?”, You asked with furrowed brows,”Are You okay, my Love?”

He didn’t answer you at first. Only as you got closer and sat down next to him, he looked at you.

“S-Sorry, must’ve been lost in my thoughts again. I didn’t notice you coming in.”, Mike explained. His voice was raspy and tired. With a soft smile, you grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly:”It’s okay, don’t worry. You wanna go to sleep?”

Mike only gave you a nod and got up to change into his sleeping attire,which consisted of a Shirt and some sweatpants. You quickly followed him over to the wardrobe and before he could pull off his hoodie, you carefully hugged him from behind, resting your head on his shoulder.

“I love You.”, you uttered against his skin. You could see how the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and the shiver that went down his spine.

“I love you too.”, Mike answered, taking a hold of your hands and turning around in your embrace. For the first time today he gave you a smile. A lazy one, but you saw that it was genuine. You quickly leaned forward, planting a kiss on his cheek, before you connected your lips with his in a tender kiss. You felt his hands wander to your waist and he pulled you closer. Warmth radiated off of his Body, while his lips worked against your own in passion.

As you finally parted due to the lack of oxygen, both Mike and you were panting against each other's lips. It was quiet for a few minutes and no one said anything, while the two of you just enjoyed each other's company.

But then you reached for the hem of his hoodie and as Mike realized what your plan was, he obediently raised his arms, so that you could pull the hoodie off of his body. After you let the Hoodie fall to the Floor, Mike grabbed the Hem of your sweater and the two of you repeated the whole action, but with your roles reversed this time.

It didn’t take long, until you were both in your sleeping attires after you lazily helped changing each other.

With a drowsy smile, You grabbed Mike’s hand and pulled him back towards the bed. You had of course noticed that his expression wasn’t really the happiest, as he was afraid of having nightmares again. He had told you about them. It was always the same. He saw Abby, Vanessa or You getting stabbed by William Afton and there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t move or scream. He just had to witness it.

“Come here.”, You mumbled and held out your hand as you saw that Mike was hesitating to lay down. His gaze wandered from the sheets to your face and it seemed like the soft smile you gave him did the trick on him. He gently grabbed your hand and let himself be pulled down by you. As his head was laying comfortably in the crook of your neck and your hands were slowly brushing through his hair, Mike let out a deep sigh.

“It’s okay. I’m here with you, Mike.”, You mumbled into his ear. You felt how his arms slung around your waist, pulling you closer.

“I know.”, Mike muttered under his breath,”You’re here.”

He took a deep breath in again, before you finally felt his body relax against yours. You quickly grabbed the blanket, pulling it over the two of you.

“Just concentrate on my voice.”, you said, soothingly rubbing his back with one hand, while the other still brushed through his hair to calm him down,“Listen to my voice. You’re not alone. I’m here with you.”,

“You’re here with me.”, Mike repeated quietly. You only nodded and continued to mumble sweet nothings into his ear. And within Minutes, you felt his grip on you loosen ever so slightly, while his breath became more even.

With a soft smile, You kissed the crown of his head once more, before also letting your eyes fall shut. If Mike could sleep, you could sleep too. And if he woke up, You would wake up too, no matter what.

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janeyseymour · 10 months ago

Text

Won't You Be... My Neighbor? -pt 2

Part 1.

Summary: Throughout the preparation for Melissa's court hearing, you find yourself falling for her.

WC: ~2.35k

“You’re a lawyer?” Melissa looks at you as if you just told her you were actually born on Mars.

You nod confidently. “A damn good one too.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here in West Philly?”

You chuckle. “I grew up around here. Liked the area, never really cared to leave.”

“Wow,” she whispers out in amazement. “Would you really be able to help me? I’ll pay you of course.”

You roll your eyes. “Of course I can help you. And don’t worry about a payment. I’d be happy to help you out.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she states.

You wave a lazy hand in dismissal as you sip your wine. “No it ain’t. Just… cook me a couple meals, and we’ll call it even.”

That gets the redhead to laugh a little. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Tell me a little about him,” you prompt.

So she does. The two of you chat long into the night, and it’s only when Melissa yawns for the fourth time that you smile at her, finish off what little remains in your glass, and stand. “I suppose I should let you get to bed. But let’s… reconvene soon?”

She nods sleepily. “I’ll see you soon, Y/N. And seriously, thank you.”

“Have a good night, Melissa.” You leave the apartment and head down the hall to your own.

As you crawl into bed that night, you think about everything that she had said to you. Genuinely, you feel terrible for the woman a few doors down. She seems to have put her heart and soul into that marriage, only for all of her hard work and care to go down the drain. And from what you can tell, she isn’t exactly swimming in money right now- especially taking on a new apartment and having a young child to care for on her own. But she’s doing everything she can right now to make it work, including working overtime at her school to tutor children who need extra help. Her ex-husband is making absolutely no contributions aside from the extra hell that he is giving her. You find yourself even more motivated to help your neighbor win her case against her husband and gain full custody of her son.

It’s a few days later when you run into Melissa again, and she seems just as frazzled as she was the first day you met her. JJ is on her hip crying again, pleading to not have to go to the grocery store.

You are just coming in from a rather long day at work, and while the last thing you want to do is look after a small child (one who will need lots of tender love and care to calm down), you make your way over to the pair.

“Hey,” you say softly as you adjust your briefcase slung around you.

Melissa runs a hand through her hair. “Hi.” She turns her attention back to her son. “Sweetheart, we have to get groceries for the week… but Momma promises she’ll be quick.”

“I don’t wanna!” the little boy screeches.

“Missed nap time at daycare,” the redhead whispers over his head. Then she presses her lips together in a fine line as she continues to bounce him on her hip. She tries to calm him with a few short hums, but JJ just continues to cry out.

You blow out a breath. “I can take him for a little while you go grocery shopping,” you offer softly.

Those green eyes meet yours immediately. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind,” you say with a soft smile. “And it looks like you could use a break from kids for at least an hour.”

“Are you sure?” Melissa breathes out. “Because I can take him- he is my son.”

“I know he is,” you chuckle quietly. “But I also know that it’s okay to lean on someone to help you, and I told you I’m here for you.”

The teacher sighs softly. She looks down at her crying little boy. “Baby, Miss Y/N says you can stay with her while Momma goes grocery shopping, how does that sound?”

JJ whines out, but he looks to you with curious eyes and nods just once. His cries immediately start to soften as he realizes he doesn’t have to go to the dreaded grocery store and sit in that uncomfortable cart. He rubs at his eyes as he lets out a small yawn. “Momma?”

“Yeah, JJ?”

“I love you,” the little boy mumbles into Melissa’s shoulder.

“I love you too, honey,” the woman smiles softly as she presses a soft kiss to his head. “Can I put you down now so you can go with Miss Y/N?”

JJ nods, so Melissa sets him down on the ground. He immediately reaches for your free hand that isn’t holding your water bottle.

“Be a good little boy, okay?” the redhead instructs softly to her son. He nods, and you lead him down to your own apartment.

He’s as happy as a clam to sit with you while you go through a few more papers, and then you know it’s time that you should probably start making dinner. With a soft sigh, you lift him to your hip and start pulling out ingredients to make a meal.

“Dinner?” the little boy asks as he starts playing with the baby hairs that have fallen out of your ponytail.

“Yeah, hun,” you smile softly. “How does spaghetti sound?”

“I love pasetti,” your little neighbor mumbles.

You chuckle quietly as the way he says the word but nod. “Then that’s what we’ll have. Does your momma like spaghetti?”

He gives you a cheeky smile in response.

By the time that Melissa comes around to collect her son, you have him calmed down, fed, and giggling as you play Candy Land with him. However, she looks absolutely furious when you open the door.

“You okay?” you ask her quietly, although you very much know the answer already.

“Peachy,” is what she retorts. “C’mon, JJ. I have to get dinner started.”

“But Y/N already gived me dinner, and we saved some for you!” the little boy announces from his place on the floor, donned in one of your sweatshirts.

The redhead furrows her brows. “What?”

“I hope I’m not overstepping,” you say softly. “But he was hungry, I was making dinner, and I figured you might like to come home and not have to cook today.”

“That… wow,” Melissa sighs quietly. “Thank you.”

“It’s on the stove, and if it needs warmed, you’ve seen where my microwave is,” you smile at her as you return back to your game with her son. “Feel free to grab a glass of wine too if you want.”

As the redhead makes her way into the kitchen, she realizes that she can’t remember the last time someone made her a home cooked meal, even if it was something as simple as spaghetti. Joe had cooked for her maybe once as a way to get into her pants, and before then… it was her grandmother while her own parents were in the middle of their terrible divorce and custody battle.

The mother gets her dinner, and then she’s settling on the floor next to her son. She eats in silence, enjoying the fact that she does not have to entertain her son. She also watches as you handle him with such ease, making him smile and giggle the way that only she and Barb can get JJ to act. He’s such a sweet little boy, and the redhead would be lying to herself if she said that watching you with him didn’t make that small attraction to you just the slightest bit bigger.

You of course let the little boy win, and when he does, you tickle him relentlessly claiming that he was just too good and that he must’ve been cheating. His infectious laugh only makes you chuckle, and you know that you would do anything to keep this little boy happy- he already has a piece of your heart.

Then he tiredly crawls into his way into your lap and lays his head on your chest. “Sleepy,” is all he gets out as his eyes start to droop down.

The redhead stands, only half finished her meal. “I guess I should get him-”

You raise a hand as you stand and settle the two of you on the couch. “Don’t even worry about it. He can sleep on me while you finish your meal, and then you can tell me why you came in so pissed.”

Melissa chuckles, but she situates herself back on the floor. She watches the two of you for a bit as you lull her son to sleep with mindless humming and your fingers combing through his hair.

After a bit, you look down, and you know JJ is asleep. “So, you wanna tell me what had you so pissed?”

“Fucking Joe,” is all Melissa sighs out. “Told me that he’s looking for the best family lawyer in the city and that he’s gonna get custody of my son.”

“Well he’s screwed then, because that would be me,” you roll your eyes. “And I’m already taking your case on. Speaking of, there are a few papers I’ll need you to fill out in my briefcase, but I can get them to you tomorrow.”

“You’re the-” her eyes go comically wide.

“I am,” you say cooly. “85% success rate, and he doesn’t know that the odds are already stacked against him with most judges tending to rule with the mother having custody. And if he tries to pull any shit, I’ll make his life a living hell.”

And Joe does try to pull a bunch of shit- threatening Melissa, having his lawyers try to find loopholes around most things. And you just document it all. You and the redhead prepare for the case mostly after long days of work over a meal with that sweet little boy curled up in your lap and wearing one of your sweatshirts.

As the two of you prepare for the court case, you get to see more of the Schemmenti household. You get to see Melissa when she’s at her happiest, playing a simple round of Chutes and Ladders with JJ to take a break from all of the preparation. You also see her when she’s done up for school, and you swear she’s taken your breath away quite a few times. But you also see her at her lowest of lows, when she’s terrified that she’s going to lose JJ and that Joe’s threats are genuinely scaring her to the point of tears. You see her when she’s clad in her pajama bottoms and Eagles sweatshirt, ready to rip her hair out over the meltdown her son is having, and yet she’s still soft and warm with him. And it all… it makes you feel honored that you get to see her for everything that she is- apparently that isn’t a common thing for her to do, to let people in. And yet here you are, getting to know her and see every side of the redhead- even the parts that she doesn’t want you to see.

Her son is obsessed with you in the sweetest way, always coming and knocking on your door to ask if you can play a game with him or to simply give you a hug before he gallops his way back down to his own door with a proud look on his face.

You would be lying to yourself if you said that you weren’t happy to find yourself a part of their little bubble and that you were falling more and more in love with your client each and every day that you get to see her (which is of course everyday, whether that be to chat over dinner, prepare for the hearing, or just a simple ‘hello’ as you pass each other in the hall). But she… she’s your client, and she’s going through a messy, messy divorce, and you don’t even know if she likes women. You have your own theory that she’s bisexual, but nothing has been confirmed. You can’t, in good conscience, make a move on her. So you don’t. You sit with your feelings and try to not let them consume you.

The day that you spent hours preparing for comes, and Melissa slides into her place very nervously with her son in her arms. She looks absolutely stunning in her dress pants and blazer, and JJ looks precious in his little outfit that you have no doubt is his Easter best.

“I thought we spoke about not bringing him here,” you say in a hushed tone.

The redhead runs a hand through her hair. “I know, I know. My sister was supposed to watch him, but she bailed last minute, Barb can’t watch him because she’s working at the school, and you’re my other babysitter.”

“He better stay quiet,” you warn. “It’s not uncommon for judges to put children in contempt if they’re noisy.”

“He won’t be,” Melissa promises you. “He’s got his little fidget toy, and we already talked about how to act because we don’t want to get taken from Momma.”

The hearing is long and arduous for all parties, but when that gavel comes down and the judge rules that Melissa has sole custody of her son with Joe only being allowed supervised visits due to his excessive drinking, the threats he had made, and his other habits you know it was all worth it.

The mother immediately bursts into happy tears while Joe starts to fume. He starts screaming and cursing, and the court officers begin to rush him out.

He’s not out of the room before he can get out, “You’ll pay for this, you bitch!”

Melissa, too caught up in smothering her little boy in love, doesn’t even pay attention to his words. And later on, she wishes she would have.

TAGS: @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @thesamesweetie @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @sapphicxrat @a-queen-and-her-throne @sunsol-22 @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson

#melissa schemmenti fanfiction #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfiction #abbott elementary

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scoonsalicious · 11 months ago

Text

Unwanted: Chapter 1, Unarmed - Pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Mild language, Bucky and Reader being Tolkien nerds, light fluff, mention of rabies (it's a super scary disease and we should all be vigilant, okay?!)

Word Count: 1.6k

Previously On...: You just had the pleasure of meeting the very handsome Bucky Barnes. Despite a little bit of awkwardness during your first encounter, you have a feeling your life is about to get a lot more interesting now that he's been introduced into it.

A/N: You know what? I said I wasn't going to do this, but I thought "fuck it!" and decided to post all of Chapter 1: Unarmed. My anxiety is too high to just sit on it. So, please enjoy Ch1. Pt2! Pts 3 & 4 to follow!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @blackhawkfanatic

The next evening, you were making your way back to your suite after a productive, albeit exhausting, day in your lab. You were working on a crisis prediction real-time monitoring system to anticipate global threats. You were convinced it would allow the Avengers to respond to trouble faster, but perfecting the privacy algorithm had been an absolute pain in the ass, and you still hadn't gotten it quite right. Technically, you could have farmed the project off to a subordinate; hell, even a team of subordinates of a subordinate, but this was one of your pet projects and you insisted on being hands-on in its development.

You had your tablet open as you walked, chewing on your thumb and reviewing the dataset from the run of your latest algorithm model one more time. Closer, but not good enough. If you were going to convince Tony that this was a program worth implementing, especially at its projected cost, everything had to be perfect. "Damn it," you muttered to yourself.

You rounded the corner and ran smack into Bucky's chest, dropping your tablet and causing him to drop the three books he'd been holding under his remaining arm. "Oh, shit-- I'm so sorry," you uttered as you bent down to retrieve the dropped items. Bucky leaned down to assist you, but you waved him off.

"’S my fault; I've got it," you told him, piling up his books for him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Bucky leaned up against the wall and chuckled while you stood up and handed the books back to him. "I doubt you could hurt me," he said, smiling softly. "No offense."

You let out a small laugh. "None taken." He was a super soldier, after all. Stealing a glance at book spines, you couldn't suppress the smile that crossed your face. "Lord of the Rings," you nodded appreciatively. "Have you read them before?"

Bucky looked down at the books tucked under his arm. "No, first time. I read The Hobbit back when it was first published in '37, but these didn't come out until after..." he trailed off, but you knew what he meant. After he'd been abducted and brainwashed, turned into a murderer.

You nodded in understanding. "I'm actually really excited for you," you told him. "What I wouldn't give to be able to read them again for the first time."

"You a Tolkien fan, then?" he asked you. When you nodded, he continued: "When I finish them, maybe we can talk about them sometime? Steve's not really into fantasy."

"Yeah, I'd like that," you said. "If you're interested, we could watch the movies. I'll warn you though; they're long as hell, but their masterpieces. I mean, they didn't need to turn The Hobbit into three separate films, but still, they'll blow your fucking mind."

Bucky ran his tongue over his lower lip and you couldn't help but follow the motion with your eyes. "That sounds like fun," he said, his eyes twinkling with... something. "Your place or mine?" Was he… flirting with you?

"How 'bout you finish the books first, then we'll talk logistics," you teased. "Hey, speaking of, what floor did they end up putting you on?"

"Um, this one, actually," he said, tilting his head toward a nearby door.

"No shit," you remarked, laughingly. "You must have done something to piss Rogers off, because he put you right across the hall from me."

Bucky looked down, scuffing the toe of his boot against the carpeting. "He said it was the quietest floor, thought I'd prefer that."

You pursed your lips, considering. "Yeah, that makes sense; it's just been me on this level for ages. It'll be nice to have some company for a change."

Bucky looked surprised. "Stark's kept you down here all by your lonesome? That doesn't seem very nice."

You shook your head and dismissed his concern with a wave. "Oh, no-- Tony hates that I still live down here, actually. He put in all new living quarters a few years back. Everyone migrated upstairs, but I was the only one who didn't want to move."

"Why's that?" Bucky asked, appearing genuinely interested.

"I've lived here since I graduated college," you admitted, "back when it was still just Stark Tower. When Tony relocated here from Malibu to rebrand it for the Avengers, he wanted to redo everything, which meant fancy new suites for everybody. But I love my rooms, so I asked to stay put. They've been my home for so long now and I guess I just like the stability, you know?"

Bucky nodded thoughtfully. "And Tony thinks highly enough of you that he let the blow to his ego slide?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I have enough dirt on him that he felt like he didn't have much of a choice." You snorted, not able to keep up the pretense. "No, but seriously, I know you and Tony have a complicated... history, but he's not a bad guy. Ego as tall as this Tower, yes, definitely, but he's also incredibly kind and generous. He paid for my entire college education-- undergrad, post-grad, doctorate. I owe everything I have to him."

Bucky shifted against the wall. "That is pretty generous. And he never expected anything from you in return?" He didn't say the words out loud, but the implication was there. Had you slept with Tony in exchange for your diplomas? The innuendo should have bothered you, but it had been posed to you so many times over the years, you'd stopped being offended by it. Before Pepper, Tony had had quite the reputation, after all, and an MIT education didn’t exactly come cheap. Most people couldn’t understand why he would offer a full ride to someone who, at the time, had been a complete stranger.

"Tony appreciates talent," you clarified. "When he finds it, he cultivates it, nourishes it, does everything he can to help it grow to its fullest potential. But he does like to get a return on his investments, and my skills have helped him make a lot of money." You shrugged your shoulders with a chuckle. "I love my job, I love the work we do, I love the stupid weirdo family we've built here, so I've always considered meeting Tony to be the best thing that ever happened to me. He's kind of like my own fairy godfather."

"So, what exactly does he have you do around here?" Bucky asked. "I know Steve said you did computer stuff, but you said it was an over-simplification."

You ran a hand up to rub the back of your neck while you considered your answer. How best to explain your position to someone who was born before the invention of the television? "Okay," you exhaled, "so, short answer is that I'm the CTO, the Chief Technology Officer, of Stark Industries and, under that, I run the Avenger’s Technology and Innovation Department. It's sort of our take on Research and Development. I've got a lab where I'm in charge of about 450 scientists, engineers, computer programmers, analysts, et. cetera. And our entire job is coming up with cool new ways of making things easier for the Avengers. Like, new features for suits, developing useful programs, coming up with new defenses and weapons, that kind of thing. And if we've got missions that require heavy computer- or tech-work, I come along for on-site support. I'm combat-trained and good with languages, so that comes in handy in the field. There’s probably a ton of field agents that could go in my place, but for Tony, it’s a matter of trust."

Bucky let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Damn. That's impressive. You're a little intimidating, you know that?"

Laughing, you tucked your tablet under your arm. "Please. I'm about as intimidating as a hamster." You paused to think. "Maybe a hamster with rabies, but still a hamster."

A series of beeps emanated from your tablet. As you pulled it out to check the alert, Bucky moved away from the wall. "I'm so sorry-- you were heading back to your room and I've basically been holding you hostage this entire time."

"Actually," you said, silencing the notification alarm that had distracted you, "That was just a reminder I set for myself to eat. Sometimes I lose track of time in the lab and completely forget to have dinner. Are you hungry? You could join me."

Bucky pulled his head back, regarding you as though he wasn't sure if you were serious.

"Or, if you don't want to, that's cool," you said quickly once you noticed his hesitation. "I mean, you wanted a quiet floor. Annoying neighbor is probably the last--"

"I'd love to," interrupted Bucky with a grin. "I'm just surprised someone like you would want to spend time with someone like me."

"Someone like me? Hey now, for all you know, I could be an absolute trash person," you teased, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

Bucky chuckled, his eyes sparkling with a newfound warmth. "Well, I highly doubt that, but I guess I'll find out soon enough."

"Don't say I didn't warn you when you do." You cocked your head toward the door to your room. "I'm going to change out of my work clothes. While I do, how about you decide what you're in the mood for, and we'll go from there. That sound good?" Bucky nodded as you let yourself into your room. The evening had taken an unexpected turn, but you found you were looking forward to spending more time in the company of Bucky Barnes.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes #mcu bucky barnes #james barnes #bucky x y/n

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tourturestarradio · 3 months ago

Text

𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Pairing: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami (more added later) x Mermaid reader!

Prompt: After your family jewels were stolen you were determined to get them back joining you closest friend Monkey D. Luffy on his adventure to become the king of the pirates.

Warnings: none, this follows the live action!!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮

⋆｡°✩ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚★⋆｡˚ ⋆ ┊ ┊ ┊ ⋆ ┊ ┊ ★⋆ ┊ ◦ ★⋆ ┊ . ˚ ˚★

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 dry I wrapped myself in the silk robe Sham gifted to me, leaving the bathroom I made my way down the long hallway I found my way to the wardrobe peeking my head inside I saw Nami and Zoro inside, but not Luffy.

I could feel fins glowed at the thought of what happened moments ago. I shook my head of the thoughts "Y/n hurry and pick an outfit" Nami called out "o-oh! um ok..." I looked around looking through the endless amounts of clothes.

Trying on many different dresses getting both Nami and Zoro's opinions on them I went behind the cover up thingy sliding on a new dress it was my (f/c), and it was a pretty dress I looked over it seeing it matched my standards for clothes 'no sleeves, doesn't cover my gills, bottom doesn't cover my fins...perfect!' I thought to myself.

I stepped out from behind the cover up thing "o-okay you guys hated the other ones, so what about this one?" I did a little twirl, Zoro stared wide eyed muttering "wow" while Nami smirked "that's the one" I smiled a little "o-ok!" Nami ran her fingers through my hair "I can help do your hair" she offered.

I shook my head "no it's okay. I got it" Nami tilted her head "really I mean your hairs pretty long I could tie it up for you-" she reached and gathered my hair up into a ponytail I panicked and swatted her hand away "No! I-I mean. ehem...n-no thanks" I flattened my hair out, "sorry...I-I didn't mean to s-shout at you"

I gulped and hurried out of the room to calm my shaky breathing.

Zoro watched as Y/n hurried out of the room Nami muttering "nevermind..." he glanced at the door then back at Nami "did you see what was on her back?" he asked, Nami looked at him confused "what?" Zoro continued "she had a scar on her back." Nami's eyes went wide for a moment "what?" Zoro nodded "when you were putting her hair up it looked like she had a scar on her back" he explanined.

Nami sighed "something happened to her, but I don't think she wants to talk about it.." Zoro nodded "she hasn't even told Luffy, maybe she's not ready to tell yet." Nami nodded "but we can't worry about that right now, we have a dinner party to attend." Nami stated.

────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──

Luffy and Usopp stuffed their faces with the small food "thish is shoo good" Luffy said through bites, Usopp nodded "I know right reminds me of the time I slayed a dragon. cooked over an open flame and ate it." Zoro picked up a drink ask Luffy shouted over to him "you should this!"

Zoro picked up a glass that was filled with alcohol "I got all I need right here." Nami was speaking with a man who looked like a sheep.

"I-It's so hard to walk in these..." Y/n mumbled, both Luffy and Usopp looked at her. Sucking in a breath they both began to cough up their food choking, Y/n panicked "o-oh my gosh! A-Are you guys okay?!"

After a second of choking they caught their breath "wow Y/n...you look great" Luffy complemented, Usopp nodded in agreement.

Y/n nudged him "you don't look too bad yourself" she laughed, Klahadore cleared his throat "may I present miss Kaya" walking down the steps Y/n smiled waving at her.

Kaya waved back at Y/n "you look beautiful" Y/n waved her off her fins glowing "u-um s-same to you!" a fluttery feeling grew in her stomach. Walking over close to Zoro she grabbed a drink "hey Y/n" he called out, she glanced at him "yeah?" he stared at her "how'd you get that scar?"

She tensed up almost dropping the glass she was holding "w-what are you talking about?..." Zoro gestured to her back "the scar on your back how'd you get it?" he asked, Y/n put the glass down "I don't...I don't kn-know what you're talking about..." she muttered.

Zoro looked at her "Y/n come on you-" she stopped him "even if I did have a scar i-it's none of your business of ho-how I got it." she stated, walking away. Zoro felt bad for making her upset Nami watched as Y/n left the room to follow Kaya and the others to the dinning room.

Going over to Zoro she looked confused "what did you say to her?" he stood up "I asked about the scar." Nami facepalmed "you idiot. you said it yourself "maybe she's not ready to tell yet" if she wouldn't even tell her best friend since childhood what happened why in the world would you think she'd tell you?" Zoro opened his mouth to speak but Nami stopped him "ya'know what nevermind. just apologize and don't bring it up again."

Nami went into the dinning room Zoro followed close behind and sighed.

Entering the lavish room Nami smirked "wow..." Zoro spotted Y/n sitting next to Luffy who was scarfing down food, she picked at her food not really eating much her mind obviously preoccupied.

Sighing he sat across from her while Nami sat in the empty chair next to Y/n, "Y/n. you okay?" Y/n seemingly snapped out of her dazed state "huh? oh u-uh i'm okay..." Nami tilted her head "you sure?" Y/n nodded "yes i'm okay. just thinking."

Kaya watched as everyone else ate their food Klahadore standing next to her "here Buchi has prepared your special soup" Buchi placed the bowl down Y/n looking at it in disgust "looks nasty." she muttered.

Nami looked at Kaya "Kaya it's your birthday you should be able to eat whatever you want." she stated, Klahadore quickly spoke "well Miss Kaya's medical condition necessities that I closely monitor her dietary needs" he sneered.

Nami cut back "does that also mean you need to speak for her?" Klahadore glared lightly at Nami and Nami glared back, Usopp could feel the rising tension so he decided to speak "Luffy didn't you need to take to Kaya about something?" he questioned.

Luffy nodded "oh yes! Usopp told me you owned the whole shipyard" Kaya corrected "my parents founded the shipyard and Merry has been running the business ever since they passed." Y/n frowned at the mention of her parents dying.

Was it starting to feel cramped in here or was it just her?

Standing up sharply she turned her head over to Kaya "may I...may I be excused?" Kaya looked confused but nodded "oh um yes you may."

Y/n walked out of the dinning room with her heels clicking against the floor, going outside in the garden she sat by the pond catching her breath. Breathing in and out she stopped herself from unwanted memories filling her head. Sitting on the edge of the water she watched as the flowers floated around.

Deep breath in and deep breath out.

Relaxing her shoulders she stared out into the night sky "Y/n" she jumped up and back "oh Zoro...it's you..." he stared at her "Y/n i'm...I'm sorry for asking you about your scar. didn't mean to make you upset" he admitted. Y/n felt her heart warm "it's...it's alright it's just...that scar holds a lot of memories for me." she muttered.

Lightly tugging her the top of her dress down Zoro looked at her back seeing a long jagged and uneven scar run down the middle of her spine like it had been cut.

He sucked in a breath it was bad. Pulling her dress back up she muttered "that's where my dorsal fin should be." Zoro slowly started to understand "it...it was cut?" Y/n nodded silently, "by who?" Y/n shook her head "I don't wanna talk a-about this anymore please." as much as Zoro would want to hear more he didn't want to push her.

"Alright.-" Y/n wrapped her arms around him, he tensed up "thanks for apologizing. And listening you're the first person I've ever told about that." Zoro sighed patting her head "you're welcome" she let go of him as he stood up "i'm going back inside. you coming?" Y/n shook her head "I need a moment to relax. and don't tell anyone about my scar...please."

Zoro nodded and walked away hoping the darkness of the night hid his blush well enough.

A hand snatched a sack off of the clowns head, he looked around the empty big top only to see no one there "is this the best way to ask for an autograph? I mean sheesh fans have gotten so toxic lately" he shouted out, only to be met with silence.

A gruff voice spoke "I'm no fan of yours" he let out a low growl "I run things here in the east blue. I'm here to remind you of your place in the food chain." Buggy stared at the shark man in front of him.

Standing tall in front of him Arlong spoke "you pull a jobin my seas, you gotta pay tribute." Buggy stumbled over his words "b-but Arlong baby you don't gotta worry about me, i'm small potatoes. Piratings more like a side gig."

Arlong clicked his tongue "Kuroobi tells me you ransacked orange town." Buggy sweat dropped "r-ransacked?! you should have seen the place when I got there. i-it was a real fixer upper." Arlong grew annoyed of his talking and grabbed him "you bore me, clown." opening his mouth to bite a chunk of flesh out of Buggy's neck Buggy panicked.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! You know who's really out there disrespecting you? it's that little rubber prick in a straw hat named Luffy. and his little side kick Y/n" Arlong loosened his grip on him.

"Y/n...? So she's all grown up now...heh." Buggy nodded mildly confused about how Arlong knew Y/n but he spoke anyway "y-yeah and she's a real piece of work. annoying but nice eye-candy."

Arlong grabbed his face shutting him up swiftly "watch your mouth clown. now this Luffy, i've never heard of him"

Buggy explained "he knocked over a marine base in shell town, he's got a map to the grandline talking shit about finding the one piece." Arlong dropped Buggy letting him catch his breath.

Arlong scoffed "finding the one piece? An excuse for humans to spread their filth across the seas." Buggy sat up "listen why don't you, let me live and then I can help you find Luffy and Y/n?" Arlong grabbed the back of Buggy's head "and how do you plan on doing that?" Buggy smirked "I have eye's and ear's everywhere." he chuckled.

Letting him go a sack was placed over his head. Arlong thought to himself 'now what is my little Y/n doing swimming around with a human for?...'

Y/n sat munching on some brownies she made, duh to her not eating at dinner she grew hungry late in the night, Usopp was also in the kitchen shooting stones and the pots and pans "so you know how to bake?" Y/n nodded "yes I used to bake all the time with my brothers" Usopp looked a little shocked to hear she had brothers.

Looking at the pan he looked back at Y/n "can I have some they smell delicious" Y/n nodded "sure I didn't make a whole pan just for myself." Usopp immediately grabbed a thick slice biting down on it he felt like he tasted heaven on his tongue. "So good" he stuffed his face full of the brownies causing Y/n to giggle.

"I take it you like them?" He slowed down and nodded his head swallowing his food, brownie crumbs were around his face "you got a little something" she pointed to her face he lifted his hand to wipe off the crumbs but he missed completely.

Y/n sighed trying to stifle a laugh "a little more to the left" he missed again causing Y/n to huff pickling up a napkin she carefully wiped off the crumbs from his face. Usopp felt his heart rate increase 'no, no Usopp you like Kaya remember. Kaya.' he reminded himself.

Y/n put the napkin down chuckling "you okay" Usopp blinked "u-uh yeah I-I'm totally fine" 'someone save me!' he screamed in his mind, as if the heavens heard his please Luffy and Zoro walked into the kitchen "you couldn't sleep either?" Luffy asked.

Usopp shook his head "not after a dinner like that." Luffy walked over as did Zoro "I hope I didn't get you in trouble with Kaya. sometimes I get carried away" he reached out and grabbed the brownies Y/n made.

Usopp chuckled "oh nah it was worth it seeing that look on Klahadore's face, I thought his head was gonna explode." he laughed, out of curiosity he asked "is all that stuff you said true? ya'know with the clown and the Axe hand?" Luffy nodded "mhm! Every word."

"The one piece, you really going after that?" Luffy nodded "yep and i'm gonna be the one to find it and become king of the pirates" Luffy smiled.

A/n: Another chapter down!!! Boom! what do y'all think happened to Y/n? alright see y'all next chapter have a good day/night!!!!!

Tag List: @luuffyswife @ghostlyworld @valen-yamyam16 @juhdoche

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seuonji · 1 year ago

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night shift ★彡 xu minghao

xu minghao x yn ln

彡when yn’s juniors finds trouble with some fellow college mates, yn goes through mountains just to get them justice, even if it means needing to infiltrate and make friends with the most intimidating clique on campus.

masterlist

#14 white tee! | # 15 lucky charm! | #16 …!

notes: there’s a writing part under the cut! (1.6k words)

last post before the new years!!! so excited for next year! hope you guys enjoy this one<3 thanks for keeping up, love you!

soonyoung had driven to your place and you were notified they were there as jun called you. you silently left the house not wanting to be questioned by thing 1 (cheol) and thing 2 (han) questioning your whereabouts.

you eventually got to the venue of the competition. it was dark and the dim lights glimmered over your face.

“minghao’s already here?�� you asked as the three of you walked up the stairs. “yeah, he should be in getting ready in the back or something, let’s head to the stage and find a spot!!” soonyoung beamed.

it was a long wait, tons of dancers came out and it was like nothing you’ve experienced before. it was only now you realised you have been too cooped up in your room and taking your role as vice too seriously.

and soon, the man of honour showed up.

“now we have xu minghao, winner of many battles before, let’s give him a round of applause!!” the host cheered out. everyone was loud that even with soonyoungs astronomical voice, it seemed like minghao didn’t notice you guys there.

suddenly jun bent to your ears, “look, minghao’s looking around.”

you turned to him and looked as if you have a question mark above your head.

“he’s checking and wondering if anyone he knows came to see him, of course he’d never admit it but he’s looking,” he softly giggled.

you let out a chuckle, that sounds so minghao. you slowly reverted your attention to the stage and minghao got into his starting positions.

you didn’t expect to be so in awe the next few minutes.

“MINGHAOO!!”

“HAOO!” jun and soonyoung continuously chanted.

as his performance came to an end, he seemed like he could finally hear since he finally faced the direction of where the noise was coming from. the area where you, soonyoung and jun stood. and what a face he made when he saw you.

as he thanked the host and jumped off the stage, he immediately made his way to you guys.

“yn?” he said dumbfounded.

“minghao! you did amazing!!” you rubbed his shoulder and commended him.

he felt his ears get warm and he’d never been so dumbfounded before. usually it was only soonyoung and jun that came to these things, along with mingyu and seokmin but most of the time they were too busy but he was thankful for any efforts they put in.

“who’s at work?” he asked totally puzzled.

“seokmin,” jun sternly said it was a bit scary.

minghao just squinted his eyes, further feeling puzzled but the adrenaline was so high he just wanted to let off some steam.

“uh, let’s get drinks?” minghao blurted out and looked at everyone.

as college students, it would be understandable to drink alcohol. but, with the vice president around, they were all pretty wary. so here you were, huddled around a small table, drinking juice.

“you never told me it was a competition. let alone, you never told me you were performing!” you whined.

“i didn’t think you’d be interested!” he fought back.

“he’ll forever be like that yn, you need to pry things out of him,” soonyoung sighed and his tiredness with minghao showed as he laid his chin on his hand.

minghao quietly hid his face behind his drink but all of a sudden, the rooms lights dimmed a bit more, catching everyone’s attention.

“well now begin the announcement for this months’ dance battle winners!” the host walked on stage and the cheers came in waves.

as always, the tension had to be built and announcements were taking long. as time passed, soonyoung and jun were holding hands and hitting each other as suspension rose.

“in third place, kina!”

your eyes bounced around the room and you happened to catch a glimpse of minghao’s hands in a fist. he was anticipating.

“in second place, jinni!”

oh, there was a chance for minghao to be first place.

the winners were getting on stage and you poked minghao and pointed to he stage, teasing him telling him he’d be next. he slowly leaned closer to you and whispered, “the competition this month was great, i don’t know if i’ll place.”

you punched his shoulder and whispered back, “you deserve it, stand up already.”

he diddled with your hands stopping you from pulling him up and then you whispered again, “if you win it’s because i’m your lucky charm.”

his response to your words was unexpected, you don’t think you’ve ever seen him laugh so loud.

and amidst your banter, the announcer spoke again, “and in first place, minghao!”

your whole group stood up and even the table almost fell making you all laugh.

just before he went on stage he whispered once again to you, “maybe you are my lucky charm.”

and you don’t know what influenced him, perhaps everything that night was going so well but he went in for a hug with you. just a simple hug.

the ride home was like a victory experience. soonyoung and jun sat in the front and soonyoung hung the medal on the rear view mirror as if he won it but it was all in fair game and support to their dear youngest.

“it was really an insane performance,” you patted minghao’s shoulder as swayed as if you were drunk, you were actually just really tired.

“it’s not much,” minghao laughed and stayed humble about the situation.

“no really it was great i think it’s the best ones i’ve seen,” soonyoung popped into the conversation, looking at you both from the rear view mirror.

“well i hope it was worth skipping work today,” minghao joked.

you just realised, you skipped work.

“ah shit i need to tell joshua i’m not at work.”

“you report everything you do to the president?” jun turned around and asked.

you pursed your lips as you realised not everyone knows about your living situation.

“well he’s my roommate and he offered to bring me to and from work,” you explained with a smile.

“ooh you guys are close if you’re roommates,” soonyoung bluntly replied.

“yeah they’re close,” minghao smirked to which yiu gave him a death stare.

and it was as if something clicked in jun’s head as he heard the words come out of minghao’s mouth.

after a long talk about your living situation, the hype and energy died down. soonyoung was focused on driving while aswell singing to every song on the radio. jun was playing some cat game on his phone and you and minghao were continued talking.

“so joshua knows where you are now?” he asked.

“yeah, just told him i’m not going to work today,” you simply explained but in reality havoc was being raised at home.

jeonghan was pinching the bridge of his nose complaining that you shouldn’t be taking your days at work for granted while joshua was trying his best to defend you.

“how’s it going between you two?” he asked in a mildly teasing voice, catching jun’s attention. jun was secretly listening in the front but he almost let his facade slip.

“hm? what do you mean?” you asked back without showing nervousness.

minghao just raised his brows with a smile knowing you knew what he meant.

you laughed lightly and tucked your hair behind your ear, “nothing new.”

minghao pouted his lips and nodded, he never wanted to pry but he was losing things to talk about with you it was the only think he could think of talking about but now he felt bad for bringing up anything.

but he wanted to provide some comfort, he understands the fear of rejection. so while patting your head he whispered, “it’ll be okay.”

you grinned as a response and turned your body to the front, “yeah.”

meanwhile, jun was reporting his live hearings to his fellow mate seokmin and the rest of the car ride was silent but with some chatter here and there.

eventually you got home and was lucky enough to avoid an argument with jeonghan.

after taking a warm bath and getting the after party smell off of you, you used your phone just before going to bed.

you let out a sigh and smile of acknowledgement of the fun you had that day and then you shut your phone and dug deeper into the space of your bed.

but suddenly, your hand itched to watch the video you filmed of minghao dancing.

play

you knew minghao was noticeable but with the spotlight on him, he was the only one you could see in this moment. and watching the way his body flowed to the music you saw how he’s powerful but there’s a sense of gentleness in every beat he moves to.

he was just as delicate on stage as he was with you. it reminds you of the way he’s cold when it comes to conversations but he’d never fail to come to your service when you’re in need.

his gaze and his words are sharp like a knife but with every meeting, every game you’ve played and with every shift, your heart grows fonder of mingha—

huh? what are these feelings? joshua’s the one you love.

that same night, minghao watched the replay of his performance and he watched the version you filmed. he actually never felt comfortable watching videos of him performing but he was deeply entertained by all the ‘ooo’s & ‘woah’s that could be heard in the background courtesy of your voice.

there was even an ‘oh shit’ at the end of the video by the end of it because the camera was barely pointed at him. you couldn’t focus on taking a proper video because you were that amazed.

and just before he turned the lamp on his bedside table off, he saw the medal he won today reflecting off the light.

he’s won a lot of medals in his life but today in his mind, he mentally thought, ‘thank you, lucky charm.’

lights off.

funfact: minghao thought he saw you in the crowd but he was mildly convinced he was hallucinating. he didn’t quite understand why you’d be there but he didn’t mind that yiu were.

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