#will do nothing to fix the larger situation. it seems to be mostly a comfort thing. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

barnesbabee · 4 years ago

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[B]reeding Kink || C.S

[ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴇɴᴄʏᴄʟᴏᴘᴇᴅɪᴀ - ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ʙ]

Summary: He broke into your house, and now he’s breaking you. (it's not fucking consentual non-con it's just inmate!San istg)

Pairing: Choi San x Reader

Words: my fairy godmother said it was 4311 words

Genre: Smut

⚠ mention of drugs, breeding kink, mentions of blood, mentions of violence, inmate!San ⚠

You woke up with loud banging on your door. It was so sudden, you didn’t know what time it was, what was happening, or where you were. It took you a quick second to scan your surroundings.

It was 2am, or so said the clock on your bedside table, and you were sitting up in your bed, startled and confused about the booming sound echoing through your house.

You got up from the bed and hurriedly wrapped your robe around your body, however, just as you were getting to the living room to look through the peephole, the door burst open. You covered your mouth with your hand to prevent any noise from coming out and hid behind the sofa, praying to whatever wanted to help you that he hadn’t seen you.

You closed your eyes tightly and started breathing heavily as you heard the loud footsteps roam around your house.

It was hard to breathe and you felt as if someone was pressing on your chest.

You opened your eyes slowly and peeked behind the couch. You could see a man… His appearance wasn’t clear as the whole place was dark, the only thing illuminating the room being the moon. He had a broad back and dark hair, that you noticed, and he wore heavy, black boots, that left a trail of dirt wherever he walked.

Who was he? What did he want? Why was he in your apartment?

You hid back and waited until you could no longer hear him.

The silence of his steps felt unsettling… Your chest rose and fell rapidly, and it took all of the courage you had to peek around the couch once more.

However, this time you were met with a man’s face. He wore a wide, Cheshire Cat-like smile on his face as he stared right at you. You could almost feel his warm breath hit your face…

“Hello, doll!”

You opened your mouth to scream but the male was faster. He slapped his hand over your face, preventing you from yelling for help or anything of the sort.

The male approached his lips to your ears.

“I’m gonna need your help doll…”

You took a look at his appearance. He had on a white, stained, and slightly ripped wife-beater, along with a flashy orange jumpsuit. You examined his body carefully. His hair was damp and his inked, very well-built arms were shiny, he had been running. You were inspecting everything as carefully as you possibly could.. when you noticed.

Was that blood!?

There were little spots and splatters of dried, red liquid all over his clothes, which made you widen your eyes. What the fuck had he done!?

He noticed your sudden change of emotions and realized you had seen the state of his clothes.

“Listen, I don’t wanna hurt you. I need you to hide me, I’ll explain everything but you’re not in danger, yet.”

The ‘yet’ at the end of his sentence sparked something in you and you began struggling under his hold. He gripped your arm and forced you to stop shifting.

“Calm. Down. You’re not in danger, but if you call the police on me, if you yell for help, you will be. All you have to do is be a good girl and cooperate, because if anything goes wrong, all you need to know is that there are eight of us, if I get caught it won’t be looking too pretty for you.”

You looked at him, eyes still widened and breathing very heavily.

“You got it?” He asked.

He slowly removed his hand from your mouth and placed it on his thigh. You were full-on crying in fear at that point.

The male said nothing, he just sighed and ran his hand through his sweaty hair. He also didn’t know what to do. He had no idea where the other seven were, he had no idea if they were still alive and he honestly didn’t know what happened next.

“Y-you should take a shower.” You told him, as you finally felt the reek coming from him.

He looked down at himself and nodded. The male stood up and looked at you.

“I can’t trust you though.”

“W-what then? You’re just going to stink forever? Are you going to make me sit in the bathroom while you wash?”

You were just mocking him, but from the way he shrugged you could tell he didn’t mind one bit to have you in the bathroom with him. You refused at first, but you didn’t really have much choice as he dragged you around looking for the bathroom.

You sat on the toilet, facing the wall as you crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“I can’t believe you’re okay with this.” You complained.

“I was in prison, doll, I had hundreds of men looking at my ass every day when I showered, having a girl in a bathroom with me isn’t exactly a nightmare.”

You were both silent. The sound of the water hitting the floor echoed in the room and the water was so hot that the atmosphere around you two became foggy.

“Fuck, this is heaven…”

You would’ve chuckled if you weren’t so scared and uncomfortable.

“You know, we have warm water in there, but there are so many people taking showers at the same time so it just ends up being cold all the time. The showerheads are also really old, so they get clogged all the time and there’s barely any water coming out… You come out looking mustier than when you went in.”

You smiled at that. You could tell he was a people person, he was comfortable enough in this situation to tell life stories and maybe that was the purpose, but you started slowly feeling a little at ease. So much so that you gained the courage to ask the question you were scared of.

“What were you in there for?”

You had to know. You couldn’t have a conversation with him, you couldn’t not feel uncomfortable and uneasy without at least knowing.

There was silence, and the water turned off.

“Murder.”

Your eyes widened from the nth time that night and you felt all blood be drained from your body. The sense of fear and anxiety washed over you once more, and you didn’t know how to react. Should you run? Should you stay? Should you speak, or should you be quiet?

A little childish giggle sounded in the bathroom almost forcing you to look behind. He pulled the shower curtain to the side, and although this man was naked from head to toe right in front of you, your eyes were glued to his face. The giggling was creepy, you hated it.

“I’m joking, I went in for drug abuse and distribution.”

You took a deep, shaky breath and closed your eyes, letting your head fall forward. You shed a couple of tears out of stress and relief.

“You… fucking idiot.” You cursed at him, still feeling a little lightheaded.

He giggled once more and wrapped a towel around his waist, after roaming about the bathroom looking for one.

“Why… Did you have blood all over you then?”

He pointed at his abdomen, where a deep cut that your eyes had completely missed stood.

“It was mine. Mostly… Listen escaping prison isn’t that easy and there’s trap wire and people shooting, if you’re not bleeding it’s because you’re Michael Scofield, and sadly we’re all kind of stupid.”

Although he moved like the wound didn’t hurt, you couldn’t help but worry about it. You pointed at the ripped flesh.

“Can I… Can I fix it for you?”

He cocked his head to the side as he looked at you, silently questioning himself as to why you would want to help him. He shrugged, nevertheless. He wasn’t about to decline help…

“I’d like that.”

He tied the towel tighter around his hips so it wouldn’t fall, and sat down on the toilet you were previously resting on. You reached for the cabinet over the sink and took the medical supplies from it.

“This is going to hurt a bit so just, distract yourself by telling me about you.”

The male scoffed at your words.

“I’ve been to prison, I don’t think I’ll be hurt by- oh f-fuck!”

You giggled at his little curse as you pressed the gauze with hydrogen peroxide against his wounded skin.

He rested his head against the wall and flexed his abdomen.

“O-okay so, my name is San I’ve been in there for 2 years and- fucking Hell go easy on me!”

You giggled and mumbled a soft ‘sorry’ as you listened to his stories. You tried very hard to focus on your job, but your eyes would sometimes wander around his torso and covered thighs.

“I uh, I started selling drugs when I was eighteen, I got thrown out of the orphanage and my little sister came with me, and I wanted to make good money so she could go to university.” he paused for a second, wincing as you switched products “It was fine for a while, I made some friends there which was nice. I never really had friends, cause I kept moving from the orphanage to foster houses back and forth, so I never stayed in one place long enough to make lasting friendships… B-but it didn’t go so well cause I got caught in a swoop and the eight of us went in.”

When he finished the story you had no idea what to say… You felt a little bad about what he had just told you.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine, life isn’t always kind. Plus,” he stopped to grab your chin and bring your gaze up to his “I never said I was a good person, doll. I just said I was tryna get my sister to a better place.”

You stared into his eyes for a second, before snapping back to reality. You stood up and mumbled something along the lines of ��I’ll get you some clothes’ as you walked off.

Some of your larger garments fit him quite well. A pair of large, black joggers and a yellow hoodie that looked stupidly big on you. He had to go commando however, since you didn’t happen to have a pair of boxers lying around.

You set up the couch for him to sleep in as you weren’t about to give up your bed for an inmate that had just broken in, but he seemed pretty content in the comfort of your couch.

“You sure you don’t need some company in there, doll?”

You chuckled at his bold attempt and pressed your tongue against the inside of your cheek.

“Yes San, I’d rather keep the convict at least one hallway away.” You joked.

Although you felt a little more comfortable around him, knowing that he wasn’t 100% a scumbag, you couldn’t let your guard down.

Your theory was proven when you woke up not much later after you fell asleep with a shadow looking straight at you from the doorway. Not remembering that you had a guest, you yelled.

He immediately came rushing to your side and shut you up with his hand.

“Why did you scream!?” San asked, panicking.

You removed his hand from your face harshly.

“Because a huge shadow man was standing in my doorway like a lunatic! What are you doing!?”

“It’s… It’s 7am I’m hungry.”

You shot daggers at him through your sleepy, hooded eyes.

“Do you not sleep?”

“Not really… We have a lot of sleep deprivation in there.”

Somehow he had this habit of making you do things by making you feel bad. And this was no exception.

You groaned and dragged yourself off of the bed, feeling kind of embarrassed about how terrible you looked compared to him. Although his hair was messy, it still made him look good, as it further defined his jawline.

You didn’t know what he wanted to eat, so you just pointed at your cabinets and began teaching him what was inside of each of them.

As you did all of this, you realized how often he’d brush his dark locks back, in order to get them out of his face. You looked at your wrist and surely enough there was a spare hair tie on it. You offered it to San, who gladly accepted the item and tied his hair in a small ponytail.

You started walking back to your bedroom, to resume your interrupted sleep, but a pertinent question popped in your mind, and sleep was no longer your biggest preoccupation.

You turned around and walked back to the kitchen, to find San shoving his hand down the cereal box and eating it dry.

“San… What’s your plan here? I mean, in the long run. You can’t just crash in my sofa forever.”

The male in question looked at you, a suggestive gaze playing in his eyes.

“I can always crash on your bed.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you as he said this.

“I’m serious, San. This can be really problematic for me! Do you realize the trouble this could put me in? If someone finds out you’re here I’ll have so many legal complications! I’m on the fourth floor, why did you even choose my apartment!?”

San went quiet for a second and looked at the floor.

“You’re the 69th apartment…” He replied quietly.

You rolled your eyes and turned around, stressed out about his response, while rubbing your temples.

Before you could get very far, however, the man grabbed your wrist and made you turn around.

“You’re right, I’m sorry… We agreed to meet up in an abandoned building a couple blocks down from where we lived. We needed to lay low for at least a couple of hours. I got lucky I managed to lose the coppers, but I don’t know about them…”

He had sat down by the dining table and buried his head in his hands. For some reason,

you felt as if you should comfort him, so you approached the male softly and pet his head slowly.

“I can try to help with the smaller things!”

But little did you know that that statement would soon come back to bite you in the ass, when you came home later in the day, after your very tiring night shift, and found eight very big men sitting around your living room, just chatting it up as if it was their own house.

Ignoring the possibly dangerous men sprawled on your floor and couch, you closed the door and walked towards San.

“What… The fuck.” You said through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm.

“Well, you said you could help with the smaller things, and that side of the town was flooding with cops looking for us, so I figured we could come here to lay low!” He said, gesturing to his friends.

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply.

“When I said small things I meant maybe food or warm water to shower with. I didn’t mean I’d be the shelter for eight hooligans!”

“What did you just call us?” One of them calmly asked.

You looked behind San to face the bleached haired male, who had a mixture of angry and offended on his face. It suddenly hit you that all of these escapee inmates were in your house, staring at you as you insulted them, and nervous tears started brimming in your eyes.

“I-I’m sorry Sir, but you are sitting on my rug and you came from jail I think I’m entitled to be upset right now.” You told him, holding up your index finger.

“Listen I’m sorry but overstaying my welcome-”

“Oh, you think you’re overstaying!?”

Already sick of your snappy attitude, San gripped your arm and pushed you back against the wall, causing you to wince and drop your keys. His face was millimeters away from yours, so close you could feel his breath on you.

“Listen doll, I don’t think anybody wants eight wanted criminals in their living room but you don’t have a choice, okay!? Neither of us would be here if we had a better choice but we fucking don’t, so why don’t you make this easier for all of us and cooperate?”

You had no choice but to nod, as you swallowed nervously. San let go of you and sighed, disappointed that he had to resource to violence.

There was an awkward silence, that the male you had known the longest felt the obligation to fill.

“So, uhm, these are my friends… “ He said and began introducing them one by one.

Some of the men remained expressionless, only giving you a nod as a greeting, while a couple smiled politely and the rest chimed a small ‘hello’.

“Did you… All go in for the same thing?”

“Friendship goals, right?” The male you now knew to be named Mingi said, stealing a smile out of you.

There was the heavy silence again… And you searched deep in your head for what could solve the awkwardness.

“Are you guys hungry? I don’t have enough food here but I could go out and buy some chicken. I don’t think it’s safe to have people deliver.”

They all agreed and so you went on your way, to buy food for all the unwanted guests. It was probably a bad idea to go out on your own and carry all this chicken and alcohol (that you bought hoping that the eight men would become bubblier and less threatening after consuming it) but you still thought that was a better scenario than being caught in public with a wanted criminal. So after about forty-five minutes of struggling, you managed to get into the house with three huge bags: two for the chicken and one for the drinks.

Their eyes all lit up once you stepped foot inside of the house and suddenly they resembled little kids. The men instantly attacked the food, proceeding to hurriedly unwrap the chicken.

“Damn Y/N, were you in jail too?” San asked when he saw you hungrily devour the food. It seemed like you too hadn’t eaten anything that good in years.

You quickly flipped him off and continued eating.

Your speculations were correct, and as the empty alcohol bottles started piling up, the room started echoing with happy chatter and laughter.

All of the stress and panic about the situation started washing off from them as the hours passed by and you had to admit, hadn’t they been wanted criminals you wouldn’t have minded being a part of their odd friend group.

“H-hey Y/N, you should sit here, it’s more comfortable.” San joked with a sly smirk, as he patted his lap.

“Keep trying, lover boy.” You told him as you rolled your eyes.

San then placed his hands around your waist and pulled you to sit on his lap, keeping a slight grip on your body, soft enough for you to leave if you were uncomfortable.

“Was this a good enough try, doll?” He whispered in your ear.

You said nothing, and your silence made him chuckle as he pulled you back, until your back hit his chest. Somehow he was right. It did feel more comfortable… And maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that San was actually insanely hot, but all of the tension left in your body evaporated, and you felt yourself melt into his touch.

All of the sounds started fading into the background and you didn’t even acknowledge the rest of the boys, as all you could feel was the way San was drawing shapes on your thighs with his long fingers, and how you wanted them a little farther up your body. You pressed your thighs against each other, and this action didn’t go unnoticed by San, who squeezed them tighter in his hold and groaned in your ear.

You could feel a hard-on beginning to form in San’s pants, as it began poking your ass. You shifted in his lap, causing his boner to harden by the second. He gripped his waist tighter and pressed you down on his growing problem.

“I really want you, doll, I think you want me too…” He whispered in your ear.

“You’re imagining things San.”

He rolled his hips up and held you in place, so you could feel every curve of his fully hardened member press against you. Of course he noticed the way you inhaled shakily and giggled. Giggled.

San was indeed an intriguing person…

He kissed a couple of spots on your neck, and bit down on an area he found softer, managing to steal a small whimper out of you.

A couple of heads turned towards you and they smirked, acknowledging what was happening, but not wanting to bother or steal the moment away. They turned their attention back to the other men, leaving you two isolated once more.

“Please, let me fuck you, doll… I wanna feel how well you clench around me. Will you let me do that?”

Your mind was clouded by pleasure and curiosity, and so you stood up and grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards your bedroom, not even bothering to give him a verbal response.

The second the male heard the door click, he pushed you against it with his body and smashed his lips against yours. His hands were obsessed with your hips and thighs, constantly squeezing them as you grinded against his crotch.

He tapped the back of your legs and you wrapped them around him. San carried you to the bed as if you were made of feathers, and even though his tongue was harsh against yours, the way he let you down on the bed was soft.

The two of you only pulled away when the confinement of your clothes started becoming unbearable. You peeled the work clothes (that you had never changed from) hastily from your body. San undressed just as quickly, and he couldn’t believe his view. After all that time being incarcerated he managed to have someone so good looking so willing to fuck him… He smirked and slapped your thighs, proceeding to grab them as he kissed your jaw, then your neck, then your chest, then your stomach, only stopping when his lips were dangerously close to a place you’d be wishing for him to touch you. He stopped and looked up at you. God, he wished he could take a picture of you right now… All jittery and messy, needy and aching for his touch.

"F-Fuck San, please!“ You begged, finally, when the teasing became too much.

"Anythin’ for you, doll."

He teased your entrance with his tongue before entering two fingers, as to prepare you for what was to come. San squeezed and bit your thighs as his fingers entered you in a high speed.

"Oh my G-God, San- I want you in me."

He groaned at your neediness, and shoved the fingers that had previously been in you past your lips.

You maintained eye contact as you sucked slowly on his digits.

San lined up his cock with your entrance and pushed into you slowly, causing you to wince slightly and bite his fingers.

The male immediately removed his hand and moved both his hands to rest on your waist.

"Y-you okay, doll?” He asked, afraid he’d hurt you.

"Yes- yes, move…"

San bottomed out inside you with a loud groan. He didn’t move for a second, trying to take in how tight you were and how good he felt. And even though he tried to hold back by starting to thrust into you slowly, he soon lost control. His hips snapped against yours uncontrollably fast and neither of you cared if the moans and whimpers could be heard in the next room.

"S-shit, look at you doll, taking my cock like a good girl-“

You gripped his arms, digging your nails into his skin, loving the way he talked to you.

Something about seeing all of those artworks in san’s body made you feel more attracted to the male.

"You feel so good inside me Sannie.”

The pet name and the little praise caused his cock to twitch inside of you, and you could tell he was almost there, by the sloppiness of his thrusts.

You wanted to see what he looked like in pure lust, you wanted to do the dirtiest things with this man, his sinful figure bigging out someone you didn’t even know you had in you.

"I-I need to cum doll, where do you want me to-“

"Inside me! Please, please cum inside me San!” You begged as you clung onto him for dear life.

His cock twitched once more, and he looked at you with a mix of surprise and lust in his eyes.

"Y/N are you sure cause-“

"Fucking breed me, San! I want your cum dripping out of me, please!"

The intensity of his thrusts increased as did the grip he had on you.

"You want me to breed you? Hm? Make you mine forever? Turn you into a bad girl for me? Y-you’re so dirty…”

"Y-yes! God yes!“

"Oh f-fuck!” Was the last thing he managed to yell as he buried his member deep inside of you, shooting white spurts of cum that covered your walls.

It was the way his body trembled and the way his mouth fell open with small whimpers that caused you to climax right after him.

His sweaty body collapsed on top of yours as he slowly pulled out, and you could feel the cum drip out of your hole.

For a couple of seconds all that could be heard was the heavy panting, until San lifted his head and looked at you.

"Fuck, I guess you belong to me now…“

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backtobackbakubabe · 3 years ago

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Speak Easy Part 6

Bakugo x Reader, Dabi x Reader

Words : 4954

Masterlist

Reader has a siren quirk and has spent the past several years of her life as a captive being experimented on by “heroes” Now that she’s out she needs protection and safe place to heal. Who will be the one to put her pieces back together?

Words with ‘this’ is dialogue written in her journal rather than said out loud and and words with ~this~ is dialogue said in sign language rather than out loud.

***********************************************************************

You had attempted to rush off to your room, but you hardly made it back into the house before your knees gave out. It wasn’t even because your legs were tired. If that were the case, you would have gladly crawled just to get away from him. No, you fell because your head was spinning.

You couldn’t seem to catch your breath as the world spun around you. You curled up on your side and let the tears silently stream down your cheeks. You didn’t know how to make it stop because you didn’t even know what was happening. Were you having another panic attack? Was it a side effect of drowning? Was this what it felt like to break Cogernot’s quirk?

Regardless you did as Dabi taught you. You closed your eyes, you took as deep of breaths as you could manage, and you counted.

You heard him step into the house and you could feel the heat radiating off of him as he sat next to you. He made no attempts to touch you or say anything. Which was probably for the best because you could feel yourself on the verge of a mental break.

This was going to be the thing that pushed you over the edge. The whole time you’ve been here you’ve kept your shit together. In all fairness it was mostly due to Dabi’s strict routine. He didn’t give you time to wallow of feel sorry for yourself. From day one he focused on your recovery. But it wasn’t until now that you realized you never talked to him about what happened to you. It was almost as if he thought if the two of you didn’t talk about it, you would just somehow magically forget it ever happened. You bottled it up and pushed it away, but it was still there. Threatening to explode all over the progress you had made. Today just might be the day.

“I know you want nothing to do with me right now… but –“

Your eyes shot open to see him reaching a hand out to you. You smacked it away. ~Don’t touch~

Dabi visibly flinched. Why had you just signed at him? Had he not just broken you free of that shitty quirk? Had he failed? Was this all for nothing? He almost started to panic himself but then he remembered you HAD spoken. Even if your words dripped with hatred and your eyes cut him to the bone. You spoke… out loud…

He desperately wanted to pull you into his lap. To calm you down. To praise you and comfort you. But he knows he can’t. He’s lost that privilege. You don’t even need him anymore. You’re starting to walk just fine on your own now. You don’t need him… and he was the one who helped you get there.

The thought upset him more than it should have. He didn’t even want you here to begin with. How had you managed to crawl under his skin so much? You had wormed your way into his life and now every thought was consumed by you. Taking care of you, feeding you, making you strong again.

You slowly stood up and gave him one last glare before storming off to your room. Well in your head you stormed off, but in reality, it was more like a drunken wobble. You were still soaked to the bone and you were starting to shiver. You had made a puddle on the kitchen floor where you had been lying, and because that was just the kind of day you were having you slipped right through it.

Dabi was on his feet and hovering behind you. His hand gripped your elbow to steady you. You activated your quirk and let him feel the rage bubbling inside you. You wanted him to know how angry you were, how hurt and betrayed you felt. At first he gripped you tighter, but eventually your emotions overwhelmed him and he had to let go, just so he didn’t have to feel them anymore.

You ripped your arm away the second he dropped it and continued towards your room. You threw the door open and slammed it behind you. You slumped to the floor and did something you had needed to do for weeks now. You screamed. You let all of it out. Your anger, your fear, your heartache. You screamed until your throat was raw and your head pounded.

When you were done you took a deep breath, picked your head up, and let the numb wash over you. You stripped out of your wet clothes and hoped into a warm shower. The whole time the only thought in your head was ‘Why?’

The next few hours passed in a blur. You managed to get out of the shower and get into bed, but you couldn’t sleep. Your adrenaline was pumping. You couldn’t convince your body you were safe enough to sleep. It remained in fight or flight. You sat there in silence hugging the pillow to your chest.

It was so quiet that the creek of the floorboards outside you room made you jump. “Y/n… I know you’re mad at me… but you still need to eat something.” You heard him shuffle around a bit. “I’ll just leave it out here by the door. I’ll be in my room….”

You didn’t move from your spot on the bed until you heard his door close across the hall. Part of you knew that you needed to eat. But a larger part of you just… couldn’t. You didn’t understand. The food was right there, you just needed to open the door. But for some reason you just couldn’t make yourself do it. So instead you rolled over and pulled out your journal.

There was something ironic about you didn’t really need it anymore, yet now was the time you were most desperate to write in it. So you did. You poured your thoughts out page after page. Everything you wanted to say to Dabi, everything you wanted to say to Katsuki, to Izuku, to Todoroki and Kirishima. You started writing down memories of what had happened to you, in as much gory detail as you could remember. You wrote and you wrote and hours passed as you hunched over your notebook just looking for the right words to take the pain away. What would it take? What did you need to do to make yourself feel better?

It wasn’t until there was a soft knock on the door that you realized how deep into it you were. “Y/n… Be mad at me all you want, but don’t take it out on yourself. You need to eat something. Please. I made lunch. I’ll leave it here.” You heard the scraping of a plate being put on the floor outside your room.

How was that man capable of being such a monster, and yet so soft? He literally tried to kill you and now here he is worrying over you because you’re not hungry? Funny how dying tends to fuck with a person’s appetite.

You began to really think about Dabi. His motivation in all of this, what did he gain from helping you? Was he just doing his little brother a favor? Sometimes he treated you like his bratty little sister, and then there were nights like last night… You felt your face heat at the memory of you riding his thigh. It had felt so right at the time, but now it makes your stomach twist.

“Y/N! Can you at least say something, so I know that you’re fucking alive?”

The audacity of this fucking man. He wants to make sure you’re alive… after he almost killed you….

You picked up a cup that had been sitting on your nightstand and threw it at the door. It shattered on impact and it had felt to fucking good. There, that should be enough confirmation for him.

“GOD DAMNIT! ENOUGH Y/N! I’ve let you have your pity party. I don’t care if you’re mad at me. I don’t care if you want to throw a fucking tantrum. But you WILL eat something. This is getting fucking ridiculous.”

You picked up the lamp and threw that next. It was sturdier than the cup had been, so it wasn’t as satisfying but it got your point across none the less.

“Y/n… open the door please. We can talk about this.”

He had to have known your door wasn’t locked. It was one of the laws. It was one of your laws. Yet he made no attempt to open it. He remained on the other side with your uneaten food.

“Well if that’s how you want to be then fine. I guess I’ll just have to sit here and talk to the door then.” You heard him slide down the door as he sat down, leaning against it. “I’m sorry. I fucked up. I need you to know that. I need you to know that I realize how fucked up what I did was. I don’t want to make excuses, but I do want to explain. And I want to do it when you can look me in the eye, so you know I’m not lying.”

Again, he was met with radio silence. He sat there for a long time. Finally, after what felt like hours he stood up, “I guess I’ll go start dinner then…”

You looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see how late it was. Usually around this time you’d be finishing up with the pool, you cringed. Yeah safe to safe you won’t be getting back in, probably ever.

Dabi forced himself to leave your door, carrying your second uneaten meal of the day with him. He woke up his laptop and started up the video for today’s lesson for sign language. He watched it as he cooked, but he didn’t absorb anything. He was too focused on trying to find a way to fix this.

His hands kept clenching and unclenching. He knew what he needed to do. But it was going to suck. If it would get you to eat though then he didn’t care.

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew you wouldn’t die from not eating for a day. He was more worried about the psychological part of it. When he got out of the league, he had started messing around this hot shrink. She had a real savior complex, but the one thing she got right about him was his need for control. After being abused for so long he had to have control over every situation. Which sometimes when he really felt helpless included his eating habits. When everything else felt out of control, at least he could control that. At least he could decide when and if he ate. He was nervous you were pulling the same shit. He didn’t want to see you waste away because you were desperate for something you could control.

He’d swallow his pride. He’d do this for you.

A knock on the door had you groaning.

“Hey dork. It’s me. Dabi called and said you weren’t feeling well. I made some spicy ramen with pork… You gonna let me in before it gets cold?”

You jumped to your feet and ran to the door. You cracked it open at first to make sure it really was Katsuki and that he was alone.

He smirked at you through the small gap, “Don’t worry he’s not with me, now let me in before I kick the door down.”

He opened it enough for Katsuki to enter and then quickly shut it again. He waited and followed you over to you bed and took a seat at the foot of it. “So, Scarface was a little vague on the details, but he said you were mad at him and refusing to eat.” He placed the warm bowl of ramen into your hands, “Want to talk about it?”

Your stomach started to rumble at the familiar smell of Katsuki’s cooking. You couldn’t deny yourself any longer. You took a huge bite and almost moaned at how good it tasted. You quickly took a few more bites before wiping you mouth on your sleeve and sighing. You needed to talk about it, but was Katsuki really the best option for that? The chances of him blowing up the house was pretty high.

You reached a hand out and put in on top of his and released a calming feeling. “Uh oh…must be bad you’re already trying to calm me down.”

You gave him a halfhearted smile, “Uh… well…” The sound of your own voice made your skin crawl. It sounded wrong, even though you were pretty sure that’s how it always sounded. It made you pause for a moment to collect yourself.

In that brief pause Katauki’s eyes almost bugged out of his head, “Wait a fuckin minute! You’re talking again? Since when? Holy shit!” You could feel his excitement bubbling up along with pride and admiration. It was sweet, and it gave you the boost you needed to keep going.

You played with a strand of your hair, “Since…. Now…. I guess.” You averted your eyes embarrassed, “Or well… since I… well I kind of drowned… briefly.” You looked back up and saw fire behind Katsuki’s eyes and anger was coming off of him in waves.

“And where was Dabi when this happened?”

You knew you were practically signing Dabi’s death certificate but telling Katsuki this, but you weren’t going to cover for him either. “He was there….”

Katsuki’s fist clenched, “Don’t tell me the bastard watched you almost die and didn’t help you.” You bit your lip. “Y/n… what are you not telling me?”

You put both hands on him now desperately trying to overwhelm him with calm emotions. “He was the one who held me under…”

His hands tore away from yours as they crackled with a very real threat of explosions. He stood and stomped towards your door, not even bothering to ask you to elaborate. You knew you needed to stop him, there was no scenario where this ended well for anyone. “Katsuki stop.” He ignored you as he reached for the door. “Katsuki… please.”

He froze with his hand hovering over the doorknob. His voice was dark and oddly low,“Y/n… there is nothing you could possibly say to me right now that would change my mind about killing the mother fucker.”

You couldn’t believe you were actually about to defend Dabi, but it wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t at least tell Katsuki the whole story. “Even I told you he did so I could talk again?”

He turned to look at you and signed as he spoke, “I still don’t care! You were learning sign… you were communicating just fine.” He threw his hands up in exasperation, “Why was him drowning you even fucking necessary?”

Katsuki was starting to take that familiar condescending tone with you and you honestly were not in the mood for it. He had done this a million times growing up. He’d make up his mind about something and make you feel dumb until you agreed with him. “Look I’m not saying that what he did was right. I’m not saying I’m not furious with him. Me not speaking was because of some guys quirk.” You stood and made your way over to Katsuki and began pushing him away from the door. “Dabi knew the guy and said if my brain thought I was dying it would somehow reverse the quirks affects.”

He stopped walking and it was like pushing against a brick wall. “You could have fucking died y/n!”

“Do you think I DON’T KNOW THAT?” You pushed on him again, “Do you think I’ve just been sitting here all day twiddling my thumbs? Today has been fucking awful! I don’t need you to talk sense into me. I don’t need you to kick the shit out of Dabi. What I need if for you to just sit down with me, and just- just let me be. I don’t know!” You gave him one final hard shove which lead to him sitting back at the end of your bed.

His eyes were a mixture of sadness and hurt. “I’m not trying to make this harder on you, I promise. But he put your life at risk and that’s not just something I can just be okay with.” His hands reached up and cupped your cheeks and brushed away a tear you hadn’t even realized was there. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but I would kind of prefer you to stay alive… you aren’t allowed to die before me. Especially at the hands of some ugly sociopath.”

You leaned into his touch, “Please, for me. Just let it go for now. Let this be between me and Dabi. Be mad all you want, believe me I’m pissed, but you don’t need to get involved. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

He pulled you towards him and moved one hand to cradle the back of your head and pulled you into his arms. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Only because you said please. But I hope you know this means I’m coming to check on you more often now.” His fingers carded through your hair. “Actually… if you’re not comfortable here anymore… You could always come stay with me.”

“I thought that was too dangerous, what with heroes and villains alike apparently looking for me.”

He chuckled, “I’d love to see someone try. They’d have to go through me.”

“Yeah, but you can’t always be around… you have a job to do. An important one.”

He gave a sad sigh as his grip on you loosened enough for you to pull back and look at him, “Yeah… I do.” There were a few tense moments when your eyes connected, and you could see the way his eyes drifted to your lips as he licked his own. Ever so slightly he started leaning in closer to you.

Your breath hitched in your chest, as your brain went a mile a minute. Sure, you always had a feeling things might end up this way between you and Katsuki. There was a time when you went to bed every night fantasizing about the moment he would finally break down and admit he liked you. You had known him since you were children and there was always this feeling that if ever given the opportunity the two of you would end up together. But, for some reason it felt… off.

You leaned your forehead against his. “I don’t think right now is the best time for this.” You watched his eyes close as he tried to school his emotions. “It’s not that I don’t want to, because believe me I’ve thought about it. But right now, my life is in shambles. It’s not your job to fix me. That’s my job. And I need you to let me do it. Okay? I need you to let me do this on my own.”

He groaned but nodded as he pulled his head away from yours. “I don’t like it, but I get that I have to respect it.” His thumb rubbed soothing circles on your thigh. “I don’t want you to have to do this alone. I’ve always… Fuck.” His cheeks tinted the lightest shade of red. “I can’t stand to watch you struggle. It sucks knowing you’re out here stuck with him, dealing with so much shit that you should never have to deal with.” He hung his head low, “I just wish I could fight your demons for you. I wish I could lock you away and keep you safe from all the evil of this world.”

You pulled his chin up to make him look at you. “Katsuki you have always been there for me. There hasn’t been many problems in my life that I haven’t solved leaning on you for help.” You saw a glimmer of pride in his eyes. “But this isn’t something you can punch away. It isn’t something you can yell at until it stops hurting. I have to do this on my own.”

Tension was thick in the air. You knew there was so much he wanted to say. You could tell he was ready to fight you on this. But he surprised you by nodding and untangling himself from you. “I need to get going. I have a lot of work to do.” You could see the subtle sting of rejection in his eyes but he quickly covered it with his trademark smirk. “You say you don’t want my help but I’m going to anyway. I’ll help by locking up every single shithead that anything to do with your kidnapping.” He stood up and gave you one more, quick hug. “And that’s a fucking promise.”

You followed him as he left your room, intent on walking him to the door. You wanted to make sure he actually left instead of picking a fight with Dabi. But luck never had been on your side. You exited the main hallway and Dabi was sitting in his normal recliner. He looked up eyes cold as they landed on Katsuki, much softer when they found yours. You tried to give Katsuki a push in the direction of the door, but he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Oi! When I gave you the fucking list of things to do to help her with her period, I don’t remember drowning her being on it!”

Dabi’s eyes returned to Katsuki’s agitated one and for a while you thought he wasn’t going to answer. “Did you get her to eat something?”

“Don’t avoid the subject. You’re fucking lucky she begged me not to hurt you. Otherwise your ass would be dead.”

You something like surprise flash in Dabi’s expression. “Bold of you to assume that I am the lucky one here. It seems to me she was just trying to protect her little pet Pomeranian from getting hurt.” He grinned at the way Katsuki’s hands popped in anger. “But thank you for getting her to eat. She had me worried.”Bakugo lunged at him but you quickly stepped in the way and put a hand on his chest. You looked him in the eyes shaking your head and have him a shove towards the door.

Dabi could feel his stomach sink at the fact that the only words he had heard you say was “fuck you” He knew you had been in your room chatting away with man boobs and it stressed him out. Even now you refused to speak in his presence, and it killed him. He was the reason you could speak again and yet you refused to speak to him. That idiot Bakugo had nothing to do with it and yet gets to reap the benefit of Dabi’s sacrifice.

Dabi’s blood began to boil. He knew Bakugo would never in a hundred years have the balls to do what he did. He wouldn’t have the nerve to go through with it. Dabi did what he did for you, even if you refused to see it that way. Does he hate that he had to do it? Yes. Is he sorry, of course. But does he regret it… not really.

He watched as you pushed until Bakugo was successfully out of the house. As soon as the door was closed you turned and started to run back towards your room “OH NO YOU DON’T!”

He stood up and chased after you. “We are talking about this weather you want to or not. You can’t hide from me forever. You can’t mope around all day, not eating and expect me to just let that go. Law number seven we eat three full meals a day!” He got to your door just in time for you to slam it in his face. He had been so patient with you today. Not once had he forced himself into your room even the door was unlocked. He respected the fact you needed space. However, when he reached down and noticed that you had locked the door, he didn’t feel so bad about what he was about to do.

“Law number six! No locked doors!” His pressed his palm flat against the wooden door and burned straight through it. He burned a hole big enough for him to reach his hand through and unlock it from the inside.

He carefully avoided all of the broken glass on the ground from earlier. And stomped over to where you were trying to ignore him. You went through your dresser, picking out what you planned to wear to bed. You took a step towards the bathroom, but he stepped in your way.

“Y/n. Can we please talk about this?” You tried to step around him, but he just moved to block you again. “FINE! We don’t have to talk about it, but you will listen to what I have to say!”

You crossed your arms over your chest stubbornly and avoided making eye contact with him.

“I know what I did sucked. But I HAD to DO IT!” His voice was steadily getting louder. “You had to think you were dying. What did you want me to do? Hold your hand, tell you everything was going to be fine, and then pretend to drown you? It wouldn’t have worked!” He leaned over you and grabbed your chin forcing you took look at him. “I knew you’d be mad. I knew it might fuck up all the progress we’ve made. But I did it anyway! I did it for you!”

You slapped his hand away. “You DID IT FOR ME!? YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!”

There it was. Your voice. It hit him like a truck and it was enough to spur him on. “Yes for you! So you could talk again! So you could start to take back what those fuckers took from you! I decided you liking me wasn’t as important as you being able to talk again. Go ahead and hate me, but I need you to understand why I did it! What I was willing to sacrifice!”

Your eyes bore into his and it honestly almost sent shivers down his spine. “I understand just fine! You see me as this sad little broken girl. You thought I was so broken that you were willing to risk my life to fix me. Let that sink in Dabi… you gambled with MY life. What the hell were you sacrificing?”

“YOU!” His voice dripped with emotion. “I was sacrificing any chance I had with you so that one day I could watch you take back your life and get revenge on the people who hurt you.” He ran a hand through his white hair. “I would literally burn every single one of those monsters and piss on their ashes if I thought it’d help. But I know it wouldn’t! That’s a privilege that only belongs to you and I’d do anything to be able to watch you do it. Because I know you’re not broken! You’re a badass who doesn’t need anyone’s help. You are one strong bitch!”

There was pain in his eyes “I didn’t gamble with your life y/n, because I was so sure I wouldn’t let anything happen to you I was so sure nothing would go wrong.” He reached a hand out to touch your cheek, and surprisingly you let him. “Go ahead and activate your quirk. Feel what I feel. Feel what it was like to think I killed you. Feel what it was like to think that I am the monster everyone thinks I am…”

You activated your quirk and was hit so hard with anguish that you practically choked. He was grieving, even now, and somewhere buried under all his pain was something else entirely. But you weren’t ready to address that. “I hate what I did to you, but I don’t regret it, because it worked. It made you stronger. And in this fucked up world, only the strong make it out alive. So yes, Y/n… I did it for you.”

You felt you heart pounding in your chest. This was either the most fucked up or romantic thing you had ever heard, and you couldn’t figure out which one it was. Your hand came up to his that was still on your cheek. For a while you just stood there. Absorbing each other’s presence, then out of nowhere his lips cashed to yours.

Some animalistic instinct took over as you immediately wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer. He leaned over cupping your ass in hands and picking you up until your legs wrapped around his waist.

His lips pulled away from yours to start kissing down your neck nipping at your ear before returning to your lips. You squealed when his hand lightly slapped at your ass.

He made his way to the bathroom and sat your ass on the counter, his hands sliding up your thighs as he pulled back to look at you. “Law number thirteen?”

Part of you wanted to say no. You were still furious with him, but all your brain could think about was the orgasm you had just from riding his thigh. Your body was aching to be touched and from the look he was giving you, he was aching to touch you.

You slid your hand under his shirt and so lightly he almost didn’t hear it you muttered, “please.”

*****************

Tags: tags: @falling4fandoms @wifunozomi @here-in-never-land @whore-for-anime@klecksstorys @aurorahoneybuns @theunknownrandom @insane-without-delirium @frenchsfryys @officiallydarkgeek @neofixcs @music-is-all-i-need @katsuki-bakubabe @unadulteratedtastemakerpoetry @dabislittlemouse @aimee1602 @pinkhatlizzy @kunaigirlx44

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love-and-monsters · 4 years ago

Text

Harpy Model

M harpy X GN human, 6,762 words.

This story is based on this post that I was tagged in by the lovely and talented @p-gretz. Thanks for the inspiration!

You fumbled with the camera equipment in your hands. The tripod kept trying to escape under your elbow, but shifting to secure it would mean losing the lens cap, and grabbing for that jeopardized the magnifier you had balanced against your collarbone. If people stopped dumping things on you at every given opportunity, you probably would have been alright, but being the lowest member on the totem pole meant your status was barely better than a self-propelled table.

The tripod slipped another inch down and you automatically grabbed at it. The sudden movement unbalanced the camera in the center of the pile. With a clatter of plastic, it slipped free, tumbling toward the ground.

A feathered hand snagged the camera strap, jerking it to a halt seconds before it struck the ground. “Need some help?” a slightly accented male voice asked.

“Thanks, but I got it,” you said. A total lie. You could not have had it less if you’d tried.

“Nonsense. At least let me take something so you can get better situated.” Before you could protest again, he had removed several of the objects, tucking them into his feathered arms.

Without the constant danger of dropping something if you so much as twitched, you were able to shift the pile in your arms into a better position. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I-”

You froze. It felt embarrassingly out of character for you to look at someone and freeze, but his face made something in your chest do backflips.

He was elegantly made up, with touches lengthening his lashes and emphasizing his cheekbones. His hair was pale and curling in little waves around his ears. Delicate feathers sprouted around his neck, trailing down toward his arms. They were pale white, with touches of pink. His tail was easily the most striking part of him. Long, green feathers made a train behind him that brushed the floor and gave him the impression of a trailing cloak. He stood delicately on bird-like talons, poised like a dancer.

Fortunately, your freeze only lasted a couple of seconds, and you disguised it by pretending to drop and recover one of your many items. “Sorry. I’m trying to go to studio, um. A12, so I’ll just be heading over there-”

The man laughed. It was more gentle than mocking, but you felt your stomach shrivel in embarrassment regardless. “Really? Then you’re heading in the wrong direction. I’m headed in the same direction. I can walk you there.”

“I wouldn’t want to bother you,” you said.

“It’s not a bother. You seem like you could use the help.” You blushed furiously, but the man didn’t seem to notice. He shifted the camera he’d taken from you into a more comfortable position in his arm. “Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”

“Yeah. I’m, um. The new intern, basically. You’ve been here for a while?”

“I work with a few different photography places as a model. But I’ve had a contract here for some time.” He flicked his tail casually. “If you need help, I can show you around a little bit when we’re done. This place can be a real maze until you get used to it.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose on you like that. I mean, you’re probably really busy and I don’t want to take up any of your valuable time-”

The harpy laughed. “My time is hardly the most valuable time here. And, if we’re being really honest…” He leaned in close to your ear. His feathers tickled as he put a hand up to his mouth. “I don’t mind making some of the people around here wait. They’re all really stuck up.” He leaned back and dropped you a glittery wink before strolling on ahead. “Come with me! It’s this way.”

You hurried after him. He had a particularly flowing, graceful way of moving. It wasn’t hard to believe he was a model- even if you hadn’t met him in the studio, you would have guessed it. He moved like he was always on a catwalk.

The studio was particularly maze-like. There were multiple winding halls with several doors each. Only a few small signs gave any sign of where anything was, and casual racks of clothes strewn around the hallway blocked more than half of them. The harpy, however, strode through the halls with a practiced ease.

After several turns, you finally came across a door marked Studio A12. The harpy pushed the door open and paused to let you through before stepping in himself.

“Revali! You’re late!” An impatient-looking woman glared across the room at him. You froze automatically, but he just put down the equipment he’d been carrying on a nearby table and gave you a wink.

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” he said. You turned away from him as your supervisor approached you.

“You’re late too,” he said.

“Sorry. I kind of got lost.”

“I know it’s your first week here, so I’m not going to scold you for this, but being on time is important here. At least for the photographers.” He cast a disparaging look at Revali who was chatting cheerfully with the stern-looking woman. “Models get more leeway.”

“He doesn’t seem so bad,” you said. “I thought a lot of models here were kind of stuck up.”

“He’s not stuck up,” your supervisor agreed. “He’s got the opposite problem. He doesn’t take anything seriously. One of those types who float through life on nothing but their good looks.”

The photoshoot started right after he spoke and you were immediately swept up in the business of it all. Your job was essentially doing whatever anyone needed of you, and they needed a lot. You spent most of the time scrambling around, fixing lights, grabbing accessories, fetching camera equipment, and being a general gopher. The photoshoot lasted only an hour and a half, but you were exhausted by the time it was over.

You sagged by the door, waiting for your next task to be assigned. Revali was having some sort of conversation with his manager that seemed to be verging on an argument, at least on her end. Revali looked as casual as ever.

His manager said something stabbing a finger in his face. He didn’t even flinch. He just lifted one of his shoulders in a slight shrug and, with a flick of his tail, strolled away.

“Ready for the tour?” he asked as he walked over to you. He had a particular way of walking, like he was constantly on a catwalk. It really was more of a strut than a casual walk.

“I already said you don’t have to. And, um, I don’t want to get you in trouble.” You made a subtle head motion toward his managers, who was alternating between looking at her phone screen and glaring at him.

Revali tossed his head. “She’s not my mother. She doesn’t control me. I do what I like. And right now, I’d like to take you on a tour of the studio. Why don’t you come with me?”

You glanced back at his manager. Revali shifted in front of you, blocking her from your sight. “All right,” you said. “But it can’t take too long. I’ve still got other responsibilities to take care of.”

Revali nodded and gestured for you to follow him out the door. “Like I said, this whole place is kind of a maze. I swear, they designed every section to look as similar as possible. But, you can figure out where all the studios are because it’s broken into sections. The stairwells are always marked with the sections. Even numbers are always to the right when you get off the stairwells and odd numbers to the left. Here, I’ll show you how to get to a couple of the bigger studios-”

Revali was right- the entire place seemed to have been designed like a weird, spiraling maze. You ended up needing to take notes on everything he told you. When you finally came to a stop, you were almost dizzy from all the turns you’d needed to make.

“Where are we?” you asked, looking around. “I haven’t been in this part of the building before.” It was almost indistinguishable from the other parts of the building, with eh same florescent lights and powder blue walls, but there were larger signs next to every door and they were spaced closer together.

“Yes, you probably haven’t needed to come down here yet.” Revali opened one of the doors and stepped inside. It was a small room with a large mirror taking up most of one wall, a couch, a minifridge, and a few racks of fancy-looking clothes. “They’re the model rooms. Those of us who have long-term contracts here get our own little spaces when we’re not working.” He strode across the room and sprawled on his couch.

You stood in the doorway. One of the models taking an interest in you and then inviting you back to his personal room? It was hard to keep your imagination from going places. “Hey, uh. I don’t want to be rude, but if you invited me back here for some, uh, fun, I’m not really into casual flings, so-”

Revali shrugged. “Whether or not we have sex is entirely up to you. I’ve had a couple flings in here. Honestly, they didn’t do much for me.”

If he had been attempting to make you more comfortable, it had backfired. Great. Now you didn’t want to sit down anywhere. You remained in the doorway. “Why did you bring me here, then?”

Revali shrugged. “You seemed overwhelmed,” he said. “And it’s much quieter down here.” There was a series of thumps and cursing on the other side of the wall. Revali glared at it. “Mostly, anyway.”

You plucked up your courage and settled on the couch next to him. He grinned. “Also, it’s lunch time and I like eating with other people. I make way too much food all the time.”

Revali grabbed a few Tupperware containers out of his minifridge and lay them out on the table next to you. Most of them appeared to be some sort of meat covered in a thick sauce. Revali was looking at you eagerly, so you took the fork he was offering and took a bite.

“Oh!” you said. “It’s good!”

“Yeah?” Revali said. “I cook when I’m stressed, so I always have more food than I need.” You took a few more bites, enjoying the richness and spiciness of the sauce over the umami of the meat. Revali leaned back, watching you eat with a strange amount of intensity.

“Um. Are you going to have some?” you asked, gesturing to the food. Revali made a face.

“Can’t. I have my own lunch here.” He pulled out an uninspired-looking salad with a few strips of grilled chicken on top.

“You make food, but then you don’t eat it?” you asked. Revali shrugged.

“The life of a model. I do need to keep in shape,” he said. “But I’m always cooking, so you can come over any time you want. I’ll give you a free lunch.”

“You could try at least one bite,” you said. You lifted a piece of meat on your fork and held it out to him. Revali lifted a brow. “Come on. You made all this. I’ll feel bad if I’m the only one who gets to eat it.”

Revali’s brow lifted a little higher. “Well, if you’ll feel bad, I suppose I have no choice but to spare your feelings.” You had intended for him to take the fork from you, but instead, he leaned forward and picked the chunk of meat off the fork with his teeth. He sprawled back and chewed, eyes closing. “Mm. It is good.”

You glanced around the room. It was slightly messy, with clothes and makeup strewn all over the place. Nothing was dirty, but it was a little cluttered. “How did you get into modeling, anyway?”

Revali opened his eyes and pushed himself more upright. “It was a few years ago. Just started doing a few local things, then I got scouted by my current agency. It’s not the most fun, really, but it’s pretty good money. Better than flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant, at least.” He shrugged. “Never finished college, so my job prospects are pretty limited.” He eyed you. “What about you?”

“I finished college a month or so ago. Studied photography. I’m hoping that this internship will lead to an actual job in the future, because right now I’m kind of living off my savings.” You gave a weak chuckle. “I kind of wanted to do my own photography thing, but, you know. Better to have a stable job.”

“Don’t I know it. I’d love to do some more interesting projects, but these ones pay well, which is what my manager likes.” Revali checked his phone and grimaced. “I’m going to have to head to my next shoot in a few minutes. You can hang out here if you like. Just put stuff back when you’re done with it.”

“I should probably be getting back now anyway,” you said, standing up. “Thank you for the lunch, though. You’re a good cook.”

“Thank you. Come back any time. Like I said, I’ve always got food. Actually, let me walk you back to the photo area. Just to make sure you get there all right.” Revali held the door open for you as you stepped into the hall.

“I’m not that hopeless,” you said, starting to head down the hallway. Revali snickered and you stopped. “What?”

“You sure?” he said. “Because, uh, you are going the complete wrong direction.”

“Oh,” you said. “I. Um. That’s embarrassing.”

“You’ll get used to it. Eventually. Here, I’ll show you the way.” Revali linked his arm through yours. “This all right?”

“Sure,” you said. “Thank you. Again.”

“No problem at all! Now, we should probably hurry, so I don’t get yelled at twice in one day. My manager would blow a blood vessel.” Revali headed off at a rapid trot, forcing you to jog to keep up.

Meeting him for lunch became a regular practice after that. He usually had something new and interesting for you to try, and he seemed to enjoy your company. Every day, you would slip out of work and head down to his dressing room for at least half an hour. A few times, you lost track of the time and had to sprint to make it back to your next shoot.

“They’re really putting you through the ringer, huh?” Revali said as you collapsed on his couch. He was wearing the sparkliest blue jacket you’d ever seen. Whether it was actually for a shoot or not was up in the air- Revali was the sort of person who would wear it out and about.

“It’s all right. I wish I was allowed to do more than just menial labor, though. I knew I was going to get the tasks people didn’t like when I started, but I wish I had more learning experiences. I feel like I’ve barely held a camera for something other than handing it to someone.”

Revali stretched his arms over his head, wings twitching. It was always interesting to watch the way they moved. They were a combination of wings and arms, with feathers sprouting all along his arms and the wing tip and hands separating at the wrists. Whenever he wore long sleeves, he needed to cut slits for the feathers and tied the ends closed around his wrists. They were usually tied closed with some sort of bangle, so he nearly always jingled when he moved his arms. “That’s a bummer. Have you been able to take any photos at all recently?”

“Nah. I’ve been too busy. When I get home from work, all I want to do is collapse. And I’ve been having trouble getting inspiration. I’ve been trying to get out more and do some shoots in nature, because it’s a lot nicer than the manufactured settings we have here, but I’ve been having trouble finding a model.”

Revali sat up straighter. “Having trouble finding a model, hm? Well, isn’t is just so fortunate that I happen to have some skills in that particular department?”

“Are you sure? I can’t really pay you much. That’s part of the reason I’ve been having trouble getting some models. When your job isn’t paying you anything, you can’t afford to hire someone for an afternoon. And I’m just not connected enough to find someone willing to do it for free.”

“I think we can help each other out,” Revali said. “I do actually need some new photos for my portfolio, and I think it would be nice to have a more natural setting. Let me use the photos and I’ll do it for free.”

“You’d be willing to do that? And you’re not too busy? I know you’ve kind of been running ragged for the past few days,” you said.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Like I said, it gives us both something we want.” He whipped a phone out of his pocket and started tapping on the screen. “Let’s see. I’m free Saturday afternoon, if that works for you?” You nodded. “Wonderful. Text me your address, I’ll stop by and you can take me wherever you want.”

Your phone timer dinged and you jumped to your feet. “Oh, shoot, I need to get going. Um, I guess I’ll see you then? And thank you!”

“Don’t worry about it, cutie. Just go.” He waved a hand at you. “I’d hate to see you get yelled at on my behalf.”

You scrambled out the door, waving goodbye to him once more before heading down the hall.

Waiting for Saturday became the highlight of your week. You deliberated over the best location, eventually picking a slightly secluded, riverside area. Revali had agreed to bring some of his own outfits, which he had allowed you to approve. They were simpler than the outfits he usually wore to work, with more natural colors, but he still looked good in them.

You spent a lot of time fussing with your cameras on the day of the shoot. It would be terribly embarrassing for Revali to show up and see you unprepared.

The knock on your door was startling. You carefully placed your camera on your table and hurried to answer it.

Revali was leaning against the doorway. “Hello, darling. Ready to go?”

He was wearing some fancy-looking gold and silver makeup and he’d done something to plump up his tail. It was long and fancy typically, but he’d added long lines of beads and fluff to his tail, making it look even more striking than usual.

“Wow,” you said. You were suddenly overly conscious about how messy your hair was and the fact that you’d just kind of thrown on the first clothes you’d laid your eyes on in the morning. Would it be weird if you made an excuse to go change? “Uh. Do you want to come in for a minute? I just, uh, need to finish something up.”

Revali stepped into your house. “Nice place,” he said, glancing around. You snorted.

“Please. I’m renting a house in the middle of nowhere that has, like, three rooms. Uh, make yourself comfortable. I just need to, um. Grab a jacket.”

“It’s nicely decorated, though. You have a good aesthetic sense.” Most of the stuff you had was from second-hand stores, but it did all sort of go together in a sort of farmhouse-chic way.

You hurried into your room and swapped your old sweatshirt out for a nicer shirt and one of your nicer jackets. The pants were staying, they were good enough. You hurried back out into the kitchen. Revali was examining a few of the photos that adorned your walls.

“You take these?” he asked. They were mostly nature shots, images of animals or flowers up close or landscape shots of rolling fields or mountains.

“Yeah. Most of them were for class. I just hung up the best ones,” you said.

“They’re nice. I like them. Do you like taking picture of nature better? Than of people, I mean.”

“Um. I mean. They’re both nice, just in different ways. There’s something really meditative about taking pictures of nature. It’s peaceful. Working with people can be harder, but it’s also kind of rewarding? Like, taking photos for a wedding is really nice. You get to capture a really great moment in someone’s life and then, when they look back at it, you help them remember the good moments. I like being able to do that for people.”

Revali looked at you. His eyes were bright, assessing. “Why do you work for the studio? It’s not any of those things you said, peaceful or rewarding. It’s mostly just stressful.”

“It makes money,” you said as you headed for the door. “Why do you work for the agency?”

There was a pause, long enough for you to get in the car. “Because it makes good money,” Revali finally said. “And it also means I get my face out there. I like being well known, you know.”

“I can’t imagine wanting that. I like being behind the scenes way more.”

Revali settled back in the seat and watched the fields roll by. “Where are we headed?”

“Um, there’s this nice little riverside area in a stand of trees. I thought it might make for some pretty photos.” You glanced at him uncertainly. “I hope that’s okay with you. I know you said you’d be okay with a nature shoot, but hope you’re not going to be too upset with a little dirt. I’ll try to keep you out of it, but-”

Revali burst into peals of laughter. You twisted your head to stare at him before realizing that you should probably keep your eyes on the road. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I shouldn’t laugh! It just struck me as very funny, but you had no way of knowing, of course.” Revali wiped a stray tear away. “Do you know where I grew up?”

“No,” you said. He hadn’t told you, had he? Revali seemed unoffended. He ran a hand through his hair, which somehow still looked artfully tousled. You were temporarily distracted by the way little tufts curled loosely around his ears. Hurriedly, you turned your gaze back to the road.

“I grew up on a farm,” he said. He fluttered his feathers. “I’m a cockerel harpy- I’ve got my fancy show feathers, but I’m not exactly a bird of paradise. It’s a family thing. I grew up working in the dirt and mud, and whenever I go home, I’m expected to do it again.”

“I never would have guessed,” you said honestly. He had the soft looks of someone who had never worked hard labor, but when you looked him over again, you could see how his smooth muscles might have come from farm work. “Your family didn’t mind, then, you going to be a model?”

“You think I have some sob story about running away from my strict farm father to pursue my dreams of being in the spotlight?” Revali smirked at you. “No. My father was disappointed, I think. He did want me to carry on the tradition. But I’ve got two younger sister who are much more invested in the farm life, so he didn’t have any fears about passing everything on and both my parents are the ‘follow your dreams’ sort, so they probably would have let me go anyway. I’m not sure they understand what I see in modeling, but they support me nonetheless.”

It was a short drive to the little grove. You parked out of the way and gathered your camera equipment while Revali looked around the area. “It’s pretty,” he said, inspecting a spray of yellow flowers. “You have a good eye.”

“Thanks.” You carefully placed the tripod. “Okay, first things first. I want to get some full-body portraits first, then we can move on to the up-close stuff.”

Revali was easy to work with, easier than you would have guessed from the number of arguments he got into with his manager. He posed gracefully, responded to your every critique thoughtfully and carefully, and even put up with your artistic considerations with far more patience than you would have expected. Even when you spent several minutes forcing him to hold a pose while you got the angle just right, he didn’t complain.

About two hours after you had started, you called a break. Revali shrugged his artfully-held jacket back on and lounged against a tree. “Can I see some of the photos?” he asked.

You considered for a moment, then handed the camera over with the same care you would with a baby. Probably more, really. “Just don’t break anything, all right?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Revali said. “I’ve only ever dropped two cameras. And one of them survived with only minimal damage!” You stared at him in wide-eyed horror. “I’m kidding! I’ll be very careful.”

He clicked through the camera’s photo roll. You sat nearby, leg jittering nervously. His expression was inscrutable.

“These are nice,” he said after a few moments. “I mean, they’re quite good. Better than a lot of the shoots I’ve been to recently. I like the shadow and light here.” He tapped at the photo on screen. You leaned over to see which one he was talking about. It was one of the close-ups, where Revali was staring up through the trees. The sunlight dappled leaf shadows across his face and picked up the flecks of gold in his dark eyes.

“It’s just a photo of your face,” you said, a little embarrassed by the praise. “I mean, it’s hard to make you look bad.”

“Oh, you’re being too modest. A poor picture can make anyone look bad and my lovely face can only do so much. You’re the one who set up the shot and was all clever with the lighting and whatnot.” Revali gave a little wave of his hand. “Honestly, it’s better than a few of my modeling pictures. And you’re much better at giving direction than most of the people at the studio. I swear, the number of times I just get told to look pouty at the camera is ridiculous. Or ridiculously esoteric shit. ‘Think about your best friend returning after a long time away’ my ass. Just tell me exactly what to do with my face and I’ll do it.” He stopped and gave you a slightly embarrassed look. “Not to make this about me, of course. But yes, you are quite good. It’s a shame you don’t get more projects.”

You shrugged. “I’d like to do more independent stuff. But I just don’t have any connections and I’ve been having a hard time getting gigs and, well, it’s just hard when you’re getting started.”

Revali tilted his head to one side. “Things will get better,” he said. You huffed out a sigh.

“I hope so. I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t get to do something interesting in my actual job soon.” You fiddled with a few of the camera settings again. “Ready?”

“Certainly.” The photoshoot commenced once more. Revali seemed to be putting his all into the shoot, which you appreciated. He probably could have slipped by with just posing halfheartedly, but he was really putting effort forward.

You spent longer on a photoshoot than you had expected. Revali was nice to work with, cracking little jokes at every opportunity and being patient with any technical mishaps. The sun had started to sink toward the horizon by the time you were done.

“Sorry that took so long,” you said. “I didn’t mean to take up your weekend.”

“I’m really fine.” Revali flicked his tail, combing his fingers through the long feathers. “You apologize a lot, don’t you?”

“I just don’t want to come across as rude,” you said. Revali laughed.

“That’s one thing you certainly don’t do,” he said. “I enjoyed myself.”

“Still,” you said as the pair of you headed back toward his car, “why don’t I buy you dinner? It’s the least I can do.”

Revali looked down at you. His dark eyes glittered with interest. “If you’re offering, then I’ll certainly take you up on it.”

It took some driving around, but you eventually settled on a small café fairly close to Revali’s townhouse. He selected some sort of salad and you picked out a sandwich. Revali was right, the place was quite good. “I’ve never been here before,” you said. “I guess I haven’t been eating out for lunch as much, though.”

“I’m pleased my cooking is so good to you,” Revali said. He picked at his salad, moving the leaves around more than he was eating them. A knot started to form in your stomach.

“Hey.” Revali looked up. Your tone must have been strange because his expression became serious. “Um. You don’t, um. Eat much.”

Revali lowered his fork. “Ah. I did notice you staring during meals, but I suppose I was trying to flatter myself, thinking it was entirely my good looks.”

You felt hot. “I’m sorry, I know it might be rude to bring it up. But I’m just a little worried. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Hm,” Revali muttered. He put down his fork and shifted in his seat. His feathers rustled and ruffled. “I did have some trouble with eating well when I was younger. It never developed into a full-blown disorder, but I have always had a bit of an issue with maintaining my looks. I suppose my current representation isn’t helping with this issue.”

“Your manager?” you guessed. Revali gave a tight-lipped smile.

“Yes. I gained a pound the other week and got a bit of a lecture for it. Apparently, thin men are in right now. Harpies are usually fine boned and slender and all that, but I suppose it’s not quite enough for her.” A swell of anxiety crested behind his words.

You fiddled with a toothpick. “Can you get new representation?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t. She is the only available representative for the company I have a contract with right now. And even if I could switch, I don’t have any guarantee that the next manager would be any better. Extreme dieting is not exactly uncommon in the modeling industry.” He sighed, picking up his fork and poking at the salad a few times before spearing a large bite and shoving it into his mouth. “The contract actually expires in a couple weeks,” he said, swallowing the bite. “She’s not happy about it. She really wants me to sign on again, but I haven’t done it yet.”

“What’ll you do if you don’t sign on again? Try to go somewhere else?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been modeling for a few years now. I’m not sure what else to do. But I’ll admit, I don’t love the culture. It’s not great for my mental health, in all honesty. I just don’t know what else to do.”

He looked so despondent that you couldn’t help but reach across the table and take his hand. He stared at your fingers for a moment before lifting his gaze to yours. “I’m sure whatever you chose will be the right thing,” you said. “I think, if your modeling career is bad for your mental health, then you can quit. You’re more than just a pretty face, you know? You know more about photoshoots than you think you do. You’ve got a good sense for lighting and you’ve even got a better idea of colors than I do. And you’ve got a really great fashion sense. I think there’s a lot you could do.”

Revali blinked at you for a moment, then his face broke into a breathtaking smile. A blush stole across your face, blazing in your cheeks. He looked unbearably beautiful. It wasn’t just the features of his face, though they were all very good. It was the clear and genuine delight that the smile conveyed. “I don’t think I’ve had someone compliment me so sweetly in a long time! At least, not on something other than my looks.”

“Not to mention, you’re a kick-ass cook,” you added. Revali laughed and took a sip of his water. You weren’t sure, because he had quite a bit of makeup on, but you though you could see a hint of pink tinging his cheeks.

“If I’m looking for a less stressful job than modeling, I don’t think being a chef is a good choice. And I’m not quite good enough to be in the industry. But it is nice to have my skills complimented.” He took another sip. “But thank you. Being a model can make it so your looks are the most important part of your life. It’s good to be reminded they’re not the most important thing about me.”

You shrugged. “Hey, I’m not much in the looks department, so I’m pretty good at looking past that.”

“Now, now, don’t be modest. You’re quite cute yourself,” Revali said, dropping a glittery wink. You felt yourself flushing again.

After dinner, you returned home and bid Revali a farewell. You spent the evening examining the photos you’d taken. Most of them were quite good. At the very least, they would make good photos for your portfolio. You considered them for a few moments, then pulled up the bare bones of your website and started uploading the photos.

The next day, you joined Revali for lunch again. He was wearing more than his usual makeup, but even so, you could see the slight puffiness around his eyes. “Tired?” you asked.

“Ughh. My manager and I got into a fight last night, after I got home. Things were said.” He massaged his forehead. “Tell me something good, darling, I need it.”

“Um,” you said. “I set up my website last night? Or I started setting it up, at least.”

Revali focused fully on you. “Your website?”

“Yeah. Um, I hope you don’t mind, I put some of the pictures we took up there. I want to see if I can start freelancing, at least in my free time.” Revali perked up. The tired look slid off his face.

“I don’t mind. I’m used to having my pictures all over the place. So, you’ve decided to start doing your own thing, now?” He leaned toward you.

“At least a little bit. The hardest part will be getting clients. Once I build up a little bit of a base, I can start getting people by word of mouth and stuff. But it’s difficult now.”

“I’d expect so,” Revali said, but he appeared to only be half paying attention. His gaze had become a little unfocused, like he was thinking about something else. “You know what, my next shoot’s in a few minutes. You can hang out here if you want. I’ll see you later.”

You met for lunch a few times in the next couple of weeks. Revali’s mood seemed to have improved. He was much more cheerful and, to your great relief, he seemed to be eating more.

It was almost exactly two weeks after you’d had your photoshoot when Revali sought you out at work. “I was going to come by for lunch,” you said. “Is something wrong?”

Revali seized your hands. “No. Things are great! I just told my manager to fuck off!” He proclaimed it loudly enough that several people in the vicinity turned toward him. You ignored them.

“That is great! I’m so glad for you,” you said.

“That’s not everything,” Revali said. “I have a surprise for you.” His tail twitched and flicked with excitement. “Follow me!”

Revali tugged you through the building, down to his dressing room. “Okay. Remember how you were talking about having trouble getting clientele?”

“Yeah,” you said cautiously.

“Well, I’ve been a model for a while. Which means I have some connections and some favors.” Revali opened the door and tugged you inside. “So, I thought I’d call some in!”

The room did not look different. You looked cautiously at Revali. “Uh. What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“This!” Revali snatched a stack of papers off a table and thrust them at you. You flipped through them. “It’s the information of people who want to have photoshoots! There’s a couple of weddings, one person wants a pet thing, a couple of people want you to take photos for cosplays- I told them all that you were really good and you’re easy to work with and a bunch of people were willing to give it a shot.”

“You got me gigs?” There was a note of incredulity in your voice. “Like, paying gigs?”

“Yes! I told you, I have some contacts and some favors. I pulled a few strings.” Revali fluttered his wings.

“Thank you,” you said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“All the information you need is there. You can contact them all for more information, but it should have the basics.” Revali sprawled across his couch. “I figured that if I was going out, I might as well use my connections for good.”

“Going out?” you said, perching on the couch next to him.

“Yeah.” Revali rubbed at the back of his neck. “I told my manager to fuck off, remember? There’s a solid chance I’ll get blackballed for it, and even if I don’t, I don’t think I want to do this modeling thing anymore. It hasn’t been great for my mental health. And I’d like to be seen as more than just a pretty face.”

“You have plans?” you asked.

“No. I’ve got some money saved up. I figure I can afford to coast for a little bit. And if it really gets bad, I’m sure my dad would be happy to have me back on the farm.” He laughed, but you caught the slight downturn of his mouth. You ran your finger along the edge of the paper stack.

“If you’re interested, these are a lot of jobs. I think I could use a little bit of help,” you said. Revali blinked at you. “I can’t pay much, but it’ll be a little bit of money and if I start getting really good, I can hire you on full time. You’ve already shown you’ve got an eye for this stuff.”

“Really?” Revali said. He stared at you disbelievingly. “You’re willing to do that for me?”

“It would help me as much as it would help you. I mean, you’ve already been a huge help and you’re not even working for me yet. I think we’d make a good team.”

Revali looked enormously delighted. “Oh, thank you! You’re incredible!” With no warning, he ducked forward, his hands came up to the sides of your face, and he pressed his mouth to yours.

Your brain short-circuited temporarily. There wasn’t a single coherent thought in your mind. Just a bunch of sensations. Mouth. On your mouth. Kissing. Revali was kissing you. Passionately. His hands were on your face. His feathers were tickling you. His breath was warm on your face.

He broke away from you before you could gain enough sense to kiss back. Revali grinned sheepishly. “Oh. That was sort of supposed to be the grand finale. We were supposed to go out for dinner first. I just got excited.”

You pulled your thoughts together. “You were going to ask me out?”

“I thought you deserved something for taking me out a while ago. And I’ve been thinking about asking you out for a while. But you looked so cute there and I was very grateful, and I just couldn’t help myself,” he said. “I hope you didn’t mind too much?”

“No,” you said. “I didn’t mind. At all.” Revali smiled. You were drawn to the curve of his mouth, the fullness of his upper lip. “But, maybe just to make sure, we should do it again?”

Revali’s smile got bigger. “You know, I was thinking that I’m not going to have this dressing room much longer. There are a lot of things we could do in here. Celebrate our moving on and all that.”

“Let’s start with kissing,” you said, “and we can see where it goes.”

Revali leaned closer to you. “Start with kissing. I can do that.”

#exophilia #harpy #harpy boyfriend #monster boyfriend #monster lover #his name is a reference btw #rooster harpy #male monster

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ragingpancake · 3 years ago

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I Will Try (To Fix You) - Part 2

It’s ten days before Carson deems Rodney “well enough” to return to his quarters. To date, this has been the longest infirmary stay that Rodney’s ever had and truthfully, he should probably stay a bit longer. His kidneys still aren’t functioning as well as they should, which means Carson’s been closely monitoring his water intake and urine output and a whole host of other things that John knows Rodney is embarrassed about. He’s also not entirely steady on his feet, courtesy of the muscle spams that wrack his calves and his thighs, bad enough sometimes to nearly bring him to tears. It’s ten days before John, Carson and Elizabeth have a very real, very difficult conversation about what a prolonged stay in the infirmary will likely do Rodney mentally, left with nothing really to occupy his time except, well, time to think about just how close he’d come to death. Carson is reluctant to release him; they haven’t yet gotten him back to solid foods and of course his kidney function is still a concern, but John knows Rodney, knows that he needs to be anywhere but here and he argues his case: Rodney can come stay in his quarters. His team is grounded for the foreseeable future, courtesy of John who is unwilling to go off-world without his entire team and while he’s offered to temporarily reassign Teyla and Ronon to Lorne, they share his line of thinking. Rodney can come stay with John, but he has his whole team who’ll be watching out for him, who will bring him for twice daily check ins, if needed, who will monitor any time spent in the lab, who just want Rodney to have some semblance of normalcy during his recovery. It must be an impassioned speech, because by the time he’s done, Elizabeth nods her consent and John finds for the first time in ten days, it’s a little easier to breath.

--- Rodney, predictably, complains about the arrangement. He’s not keen on having a babysitter and that hurts John’s stunted feelings more than he’d ever admit out loud. But when Carson makes it clear that the only option is an extended stay in the infirmary, he relents pretty easily and all that’s left is to prepare John’s quarters. Easy peasy. Right? Wrong. It turns out that the room John’s claimed for himself isn’t quite meant for two people. It’s small and while it’s fine for just him, he knows that it’s going to be too cramped, too claustrophobic and so he spends the eleventh day scouting out some of the larger quarters near the East Pier with Teyla, pretending to understand when she makes suggestions based on where the light from the rising sun falls and which room has the best view of the ocean, which she believes will aid in Rodney’s recovery. He’s never been much into new age bullshit that seems to be pretty common across two galaxies, but he’s willing to shove a couple of crystals up his own ass if it means getting Rodney better.

He enlists Ronon, Lorne and a couple of marines to help move their things. John leaves his own quarters to Wallace, Gregory and Barnes despite how uncomfortable the thought of them seeing his own personal effects makes him, and he takes Rodney’s room with Ronon and Lorne. Rodney, for his part, has a lot of stuff. It takes the better part of the afternoon to get everything moved over, including Rodney’s deceptively heavy prescription mattress, his four laptops and the whiteboard that he’d swiped from the labs within the first week of their arrival. John’s stuff, save for his own bed, mostly fits in a couple bags. By the time they’re finished, he’s tired, shoulders and back aching, reminding him just how fucking old he’s getting, but still, he trudges down to the infirmary, plastering a smile on his face for Rodney as he steps in through the paneled doors. “Hey buddy,” he greets. “Got us all set up in some new digs. Wait until you see the tub in this one,” he says, nodding as Carson comes over, Rodney’s chart in hand. “He all good to go, Doc?” “I suppose he’ll have to be, now won’t he?” He asks and there’s a scowl there that John cheerfully ignores. “I expect him back here at 10 and 2, Colonel. A minute late for either appointment and he’s back here, d’you understand?” “10 and 2, just like a steering wheel. Got it, doc. How about the food situation?” “Yeah, what he said,” Rodney frowns and John knows from previous experience just how miserable a clear liquid diet can be. “I’m alright with him startin’ on solids, but take it easy,” Carson warns. “Nothin’ too heavy,” and Rodney waves him off, but despite his lackadaisical nature, John really is taking this seriously, committing everything to memory. “Got it. We good?” Carson pauses for a moment before he sighs. “Aye. But not a moment late, Colonel!” He warns as Marie and Simpson come, pushing a wheelchair that Rodney tries to vehemently refuse. John settles a hand on his shoulder gently. “Hey, hey. C’mon. Easy. It’s a pretty long walk to the pier, alright? Let’s not push it too much on your first day.” “Traitor,” Rodney mutters under his breath and John actually does smile because it feels a little like it used to before those God damned Carneans. John steadies the wheelchair while Marie and Simpson maneuver Rodney into it and after what feels like forever, they’re finally on their way. “You did get my laptops, right?” “Yes, Rodney.” “And what about the Athosian soaps from the bathroom? Those were made specially for me by Gita and, and, and the medicinal properties-- “We got ‘em.” “My mattress?” “Of course.” Rodney harrumphs like maybe he’s expecting John to have forgotten something, as if John would ever. “What about—” “Your favorite red pen that you use to mark up all those damn physics journals? Yep. Got that too. We grabbed everything, buddy. And if there’s somethin’ you need that we don’t have, just say the word and we’ll make it happen.” Rodney falls strangely quiet at that. --- It’s easy to live with Rodney. Lorne had very nearly pissed himself from laughter when John said so after the first few days and honestly, John took a little offense to that on Rodney’s behalf. Sure, he’s messy and he’s loud and the longer he’s out, the more of his biting sarcasm is returning, but John’s all for it, especially when he considers the alternative. (And he does consider it, frequently, usually in the dead of night when he wakes up from nightmares of vomit and grey skin, of an antidote recovered too late). But honestly, save for the fact that John now has to deal with Rodney’s dirty clothes strewn across the room and the stupid whiteboard that takes up the space that John’s surf board should be occupying, not much has changed at all, a testament to just how much time the two of them had spent together even before this. John follows Carson’s instructions to a T, and okay, maybe that’s a little different too because John’s always been the one to avoid the infirmary at all costs when it comes to his own health and

well-being, but he’s not taking a chance with Rodney’s. He takes him to his appointments and at nights, when the muscle spasms seem to be the worst, John sits with him on that stupidly comfortable bed, kneading the tight muscles in his legs as he tries to distract Rodney with shitty 80s movies and random banter about anything and everything that he thinks will goad Rodney into a tirade that’ll take his mind off of the pain. He even lets Rodney have four hours a day in the labs, split into two hour segments with an hour break in between. Normalcy. That’s the goal here and Rodney’s always at his best when he’s in his element, berating scientists and defying all laws of physics. That’s where Rodney is when everything goes to hell. --- It’s been twenty days since the Carneans. Ten days of the two of them cohabitating, ten days of Rodney slowly working his way back to normal. He’s been subsisting entirely of power bars and MREs, which, while not entirely healthy has been cleared by Carson if only for the fact that they provide sustenance without being too taxing on Rodney’s still delicate system and John’s just thinking about whether or not he can try to convince Rodney to try something a little more substantial from the mess later that evening when the call comes in over the radio. “Zelenka to Colonel Sheppard, please respond.” He sounds harried and John closes the latest mission report from Lorne’s team, already on his feet and moving when he taps his comm. “Sheppard here, go ahead Doc.” “I need you in Science Lab 3 please. There is a… situation.” “What do you mean by situation, Radek?” But when Radek keys up his comm again, John can hear the panicked wheezing in the background and he picks it up to a swift jog. “I believe Rodney is having a panic attack,” he says. “I have tried to bring him around but nothing is working and I--.” “I’m on my way. Sheppard out.” He meets Ronon in the corridor and he doesn’t even have to say a word before the Satedan is altering his own course, following after John. They can hear it before they even open the door. Rodney’s on the verge of hyperventilating, the sound of his ragged breaths interspersed with pained moans and Ronon is quick to clear the lab of well meaning scientists who are gaping at the scene while Radek tries to shield Rodney from view as much as possible. “Hey, hey,” John says soothingly, trying to keep his voice calm despite the way his heart is beating against his ribcage. “I’m here, buddy. Rodney, look at me. Hey, hey,” and he reaches out, finger under Rodney’s chin as he tips his head up, wild blue eyes meeting hazel. John wants to take Rodney’s hand, but his arms are wrapped around his middle, clutching his stomach so tightly and John glances over at the toppled plate on the floor, shards of glass now mixed with what looks like not-meatloaf. “Talk to me, Doc,” John calls over his shoulder at Zelenka. “What the hell happened?” “He was out of power bars, but hungry, so Miko thought perhaps he might be enticed to eat by something from the mess, knowing that this,” he gestures, “was Rodney’s favorite. He managed a couple of bites and everything was fine until… until it was not.” “Cramps,” Rodney rasps, reaching out to grip John’s wrist painfully. “Cramps. Poison, I—I can’t--.” “Get Carson down here,” John snarls, voice softening as he turns back to Rodney. “Hey. Listen to me, buddy. Carson told us this could happen, remember? The cramps. That’s why we started light. You’re okay though. I promise, Rodney. You’re okay, I’m right here and I need you to breathe.” It takes a bit of manhandling but John manages to get Rodney up enough that he can slide behind the other, drawing Rodney back against his chest, taking a couple of deep breaths. “C’mon, buddy. Breathe with me. You’re alright. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Rodney.” That’s how Carson finds them a few moments later, Rodney trembling against the other, but thankfully no longer hyperventilating. “He’s alright,” John says, glancing up at Beckett. “Panic attack when

he tried to eat and cramped up.” “I thought—I thought--.” John pets through Rodney’s hair gently. “I know. You thought it happened again, but it didn’t, right? We’re gonna go down to the infirmary with Carson though and let him check you over so you can see for yourself.” “Easy, lad,” Carson says as Ronon comes over to help Rodney to his feet with more care than he’s shown anyone else, guiding him over to the gurney before he tugs John to his feet as well. “John—” Rodney rasps, the name catching his throat as the cramps hit again and he curls on his side, swallowing hard against the panic beginning to rise again. “I’m here,” John reminds him again, moving to take Rodney’s hand. “You’re alright, I promise.” And he is. He will be. John will be sure of that. --- The panic attacks don’t last long. He still cramps painfully when he eats, but the team is always with him at meal time to help him through it, John always, alwayseating a third of his food before switching his tray with Rodney’s for him to finish it, confident that there’s no poison. The effects of what had been done to him still linger, still present often and painfully, and sometimes, John doesn’t think what he’s doing is enough. That he should be doing more, that he should’ve done more back on that fucking planet to have saved Rodney from this entire ordeal. But Rodney’s getting better. John can see that when he goes longer and longer without a muscle spasm, or the first time he pees on his own and calls John in to see how clear it is, proof that his kidneys are finally starting to function normally. “You know,” Rodney says one night after they’ve pushed their beds close enough together that if they each scoot over to the edge, their shoulders are touching, “it probably won’t be too much longer until we can go back to our own quarters.” There’s an uncomfortable knot that twists itself up in John’s stomach at that but he swallows against the lump in his throat and says casually, “oh yeah? That’ll be cool. I guess.” “Yeah,” Rodney says and then he falls silent for a moment, as if waiting for something. Apparently, his impatience has returned full force because he doesn’t even give it a half a second before he’s speaking again. “I mean, unless we just… don’t?” Okay. That’s unexpected. “I just… this has been incredibly difficult, Colonel. Uh, John,” he corrects, “and you’ve… I know that this is probably because of some weird, misplaced guilt you’re harboring, because that’s how you are, Lieutenant Colonel Martyr, but… this has been okay… hasn’t it?” “Rodney, I--.” “I know I’m difficult. I’m messy and I’ll be going back to keeping weird hours soon enough and, and, and I know I can be annoying, but you’ve put up with that remarkably well and so I just thought--.” “I don’t want to go back to being alone,” John blurts out and he can feel the tension leaving Rodney’s body beside him. “Good. Me neither.” They fall into a comfortable silence then for a moment, the only sounds being their quiet breathing and the sound of the ocean waves through the open window. (Teyla was definitely right about picking this room.) “It’s not guilt,” John says after a moment. “I mean, not that I don’t feel guilty, because I should’ve never--.” He clears his throat and stops himself before he goes down that road. “You’re… I dunno. You’re McKay. Rodney. And I… when I found you that day, I thought you were dead,” and he can feel Rodney flinch at that, but he needs to get this out, he thinks. “I thought you’d died and I just… realized that I would’ve gone out of my fucking mind if you had, Rodney. Like, legitimately crazy because you’re… You’re you and I’m--. I’m yours. However you want me. If that means we forget this conversation ever happened and go back to how it was before all of this, I’m okay with that, but I just… I had to tell you because I came really fucking close to never getting another chance to.” Rodney is quiet, doesn’t say anything but after a moment, John can feel the other’s hand brush against his own before he

squeezes two of John’s fingers. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time in all the time we’ve known each other.” And John laugh out loud at that, an actual laugh, and as he does, he feels that knot inside of him loosen just a bit. “Which is to say,” Rodney continues, “that I… would very much like to notforget this happened. I… suppose that I’m yours too. Maybe I always have been.” John doesn’t know where they’ll go from here. He’s under no delusions that this will be easy, any of it, but when has it ever been? All that matters though is that they have time now to work through it, to figure it out together. Maybe they’ll fix each other.

#mcshep #hurt/comfort #hurt rodney mckay #whumped rodney mcay #john sheppard #rodney mckay #sga #stargate atlantis #fandom: sga #angst #poisoning #panic attack

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chaoticevilbean · 4 years ago

Text

Voltron Humans are Weird 3/?

Lance tugged at the suit he wore, hating it with every fiber of his being. Ever since the Alteans found out humans are mostly water, they insisted that the Paladins wear special suits that covered from their necks to their ankles to avoid a catastrophe. Allura and Shiro were to explain the situation, and arrangements would be made to let the Paladins wear normal clothes if possible. They'd been lucky so far that no one had died from something like a handshake. But the suits were skintight to avoid any water escaping too early, and Lance hated it.

It was sunny as well, so Lance desperately wanted to be free from the fabric that regulated his temperature. It made him feel constantly at a neutral point, and he just wanted to feel the blaze of heat from sunlight and bask in the warm glow. It took nearly half an hour to even get past the pleasantries and another two hours to get the arrangements set up. The humans were escorted to an open pavilion, like a gazebo, where there were several pitchers of water for the Terrans to drink, and every diplomat that came with had full-covering clothing to protect their skin. The Paladins were given a place to change, and Allura made the mistake of saying that they could wear whatever they wanted seeing as they worked so hard protecting the universe that the diplomats did all the safety work.

It wasn't a mistake to Lance, but it was to the aliens.

Lance forwent the shirt and jacket, instead putting them with his suit. He was glad he had managed to find some old Altean clothing and make shorts out of a pair of blue pants. He slipped the shorts on and sprinted back to the gazebo to find his fellow Paladins in much different attire. That is to say that they were wearing their normal clothing and Hunk was the only one to not wear the full outfit. All he'd done was take off the vest.

"Lance, what are you wearing?" Allura seemed perturbed by his lack of covering, but the Cuban ignored her, instead finally leaving the shade and flopping down on the purple space grass. It was softer than regular grass, like silk or one of those really soft blankets. The teen hummed at the feeling of sun warming his body, soaking up every ray like a lizard.

His peace was interrupted by the screams of the diplomats and Allura. He wondered why until a guard ran forward with some sort of umbrella that held a shield all the way around the being's body. None of the aliens had been in the sun. Coran had mentioned in the briefing that the sun was out for only about a quarter of their year, meaning they had no natural adaption for the heat and radiation. The guard had almost reached Lance when the Paladin launched to his feet and took off running away from the shade. He was a Cuban boy, and he loved the sun. Humans were already terrifying, what was one more thing like this. It wasn't even that weird considering the solar cycles of Earth.

As Lance was being chased down by now several severely concerned and mildly fearful guards with umbrella shields, Pidge managed to get the diplomats to calm down by saying she was a scientist and could explain it all. Although some looked stunned that she said she was a scientist. Maybe they had social castes or something? They wouldn't understand being both a warrior and a scholar. Research for another time.

"How is the Blue Paladin handling the heat? Not even the adaptive nature of the Alteans can adjust from the shade to the scorching temperature."

"Earth has several climates. Lance is from one that is more hot and that's why his skin is darker as well. He can handle the heat just fine because he grew up with a similar temperature. Next question."

"How can he also handle the cold of the shade then? Even if he could withstand it temporarily, he should be stiff from the lower temperature, and he spent over two vargas in it."

"Humans can handle temperatures ranging from -40 to 50 degrees Celsius, which Allura can calculate better for you. We prefer the 0 to 30 degree range, and many humans can live in most climates on Earth. There aren't many places that aren't inhabited at this point, and part of that is due to our ability to adapt to new environments with relative ease. Next."

"How many climates?"

"Hundreds, next."

"What are the worst? To give us a better view of your extremes."

"Some places have active volcanos, so we have to be careful of the molten rock they spew. We have tectonic plates, which cause earthquakes and can bring down entire cities. Our Poles are extremely cold, under -60 degrees at least. Next."

"Some of you live near active volcanoes?"

"Yeah, and we swim in the nearby groundwater because it has good minerals for us. Next."

"Your planet has earthquakes? And they can level entire cities?"

"Yeah, but that's our fault. We built them on fault lines. Next."

"Did you learn your lesson?"

"Yeah, when the buildings fell down, we built them back up better than ever. Next."

"You rebuilt the cities in the same spots?"

"Yes, next."

"How did you find out your Poles were so cold? From what our scientists know of Terra, it's rather undeveloped comparatively."

"We sent people. Before you ask, yes, the first few groups died, and yes, we sent more with only slightly better equipment. Humans are curious about our world, and we'll do a lot to discover more. Next."

"Why is the Blue Paladin refusing the shade if he can handle the cold?"

"We live on the Castle, and only get a simulated version of sunlight. It's not often that we get to relax a bit and enjoy our surroundings. Lance misses the sun and its heat, so he doesn't want the shade. He wants to sunbathe, like a snake or a cat or something. Call the guards off and you'll see." The diplomats, somehow managing their fear of and for the humans and their planet, did just that.

"Lance, you're free to tan!" Hunk shouted over. Lance, trusting his bro, skidded to a halt, then let himself fall backwards. He wasn't too far from the group in the gazebo, having had to run circles around the guards. Hopefully Allura didn't notice that the guards were rather undertrained. They could barely maintain the chase! And they couldn't turn very well.

The diplomats and Allura watched with fascination as the Terran boy simply laid on the grass, eyes closed and letting the sun shine directly on him.

"Feeling better, buddy?"

"Mi hermano, we better get these allies! I'm not giving up this chance!" Hunk laughed, especially when Shiro received questions as to what Lance meant.

"He's saying he's glad you have sunlight and it's another reason that we should be allies. Mostly a joke."

"But why?"

Lance paid the conversations no mind. He only moved when Hunk yelled, "Turn!" at him. It was something they came up with so Lance never got close to burning. He would flip over whenever the call went out. The Cuban laid through the entire peace talk and treaty signing and whatnot, and groaned in displeasure when he was told it was time to go.

He was up on his feet in a second once Pidge said she'd taken some time while waiting for Allura and Shiro to finish up calculating how to fix the fake sunlight that gave them Vitamin D on the Castle. More sun, whenever he wanted, and it wasn't the weak sauce of the giant Altean ship? Yes please!

Feeling much better than before, Lance ran over to the group, refusing the shirt Hunk tried to give him. It was a halfhearted attempt, given that the Samoan knew his bro wouldn't want it in the first place. The team of Terrans headed back to the Castle, this time taking the sunny route. The diplomats and Allura remained in the shade, discussing some less political topics. One in particular came up.

"Is there any way to obtain more information about Terrans? We would never have known that the Paladins were so adaptable and biologically dangerous if you and the Green Paladin had not told us."

"Actually," Allura smiled warmly, "my advisor and I are compiling a log. 'A Guide to Humans', we titled it. I can give you viewing access, although, I must warn you. Almost all of our information is in the preliminary stage. We know next to nothing about humans and their planet, and we may find that some of the data is false. An example that recently happened was that we found Terrans have strong tolerances to quite a few poisons. But we had to update the log a second time after investigating further and discovering that only some of them have strong tolerances. Most have mild tolerances, but only a few can handle some toxins in larger amounts."

"Which poisons?"

"I believe it would be better if I simply sent you the log."

A varga later, Allura and Coran were adding a few new sections to their guide.

Due to the many different climates that somehow coexist on Earth, humans have a large range of temperatures they can tolerate, along with having the ability to adapt to a new temperature very quickly. On the Terran scale labeled 'Celsius', humans can handle temperatures from -40 to 50 degrees, with their comfortable range being about 0 to 30 degrees. Some humans prefer warmer temperatures and some prefer colder, depending on where they were raised.

To elaborate on the different climates Earth sustains, there are a few extremes that should be made known. Some populaces live near active volcanos, occasionally submerging themselves in the dihydrogen monoxide found nearby the deadly formations. They claim to do it for the beneficial properties found in the substance. Another climate is the freezing cold of Earth's poles. They are, at their warmest temperatures, 0 degrees or less. Humans, with their still young technological advancements, deemed their curiosity of the poles a worthy cause to send groups of their own people to the frozen locations. After the deaths of their initial teams, they sent more.

Earth also has tectonic plates, and earthquakes are common enough that Terrans often pass off the tremors as normal. Some cities are built on fault lines, and are damaged by larger quakes. Humans, instead of doing what most races would and relocating, rebuild their cities in the same places with better foundations.

Be receptive to suggestions a human may give about how to handle a new climate. They likely have a good knowledge of how to withstand different temperatures and how to handle the unfamiliar conditions. If a human requests specific equipment for the trip, it would be best to supply. Most Terrans will never risk the safety of themselves and others to extort the goodwill of another being. The younger a Terran is, the less likely they are to be greedy in those situations, unless the Terran is not fully matured, in which case they will not understand the circumstances well.

#voltron #vld #voltron oneshots #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #earth is space australia #oneshots #humans are weird oneshots

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thelibrarbian · 3 years ago

Photo

Alright. Alright, he could do this. He was the Great Papyrus, he knew how to fix bones, he knew how to heal, and Fell wasn't– His HP was stable now. There was no need to panic. It was fine.

Or: Underfell Papyrus is injured on patrol and four skeletons deal with the aftermath.

---

Rating: T

Tags: Platonic Edgepuff, Multiverse Shenanigans, Injury Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Graphic Description of Injuries, Healing Magic, Papyrus Tries His Best, Everyone Needs A Hug, Eventual Fluff

Chapter word count: 1944

---

I wrote a thing!

I started working on this for Camp NaNo in April. It was supposed to be a one-shot... it did not want to stay a one-shot :’D

Read on Ao3

or below the cut:

Papyrus rarely slept.

For all the unusualness that this night was about to bring, in this regard it was perfectly normal. It was 1:30 in the morning and Papyrus was wide awake, sitting up against the headboard of his race car-shaped bed and scribbling increasingly intricate puzzle designs into a notebook when he was interrupted by an urgent knocking from the front door.

He silently sprinted down the stairs on sock-clad feet - he didn't want to wake his brother, after all - wondering who could be visiting them this early in the day. Most monsters he knew did not share his sleep schedule (or non-sleep schedule, as the case may be) - the most likely explanation was that Undyne had burned down her house again with a midnight snack.

He skidded to a halt at the door, reaching for the handle. The knocking hadn't stopped; if anything, in the few moments it had taken Papyrus to come downstairs and open the door, it had only grown in intensity.

The monster on the other side was not Undyne.

And Papyrus realized that something was very, very wrong.

He only caught one glimpse of the sharp-toothed, fur-hooded version of his brother before he was pushed aside without so much as a 'hello' as Red staggered past him. It was rare for their parallel universe doubles to visit unannounced, but that surprise quickly faded when Papyrus' eyes fell on the second, larger monster that Red was dragging more than carrying inside.

To say that Fell looked bad would have been an understatement. He was hanging limply in Red's hold, his armor dented and torn open in places, and even though his clothes covered most of where Papyrus suspected the worst injuries to be, what he could see of the damage was bad enough. He thought he could make out several spots of something dark in the snow, leading from the basement to the front door, and he firmly decided to think about it later. Or not at all.

Thick beads of sweat were clinging to Red's forehead as he panted, visibly struggling to hold onto his brother. With a rather undignified noise of alarm, Papyrus sprung into action, helping Red to bring Fell into the living room and lower the tall monster to the ground. Cleaning, too, was something to worry about later.

He saw Red open his mouth, looking as if the next sentence was taking him a lot of effort to get out, then took one glance at Fell's plummeting HP and didn't wait to hear whatever Red was going to say. A second later he was crouching next to his unconscious alternate, his hands on his breastplate - stars, that piece of armor was not supposed to bend this way! - and pushing healing magic into him.

Papyrus was proud to proclaim that he had trained and mastered every aspect of magic at his disposal. He was a formidable fighter and a more than competent healer, but even so, whatever had happened to Fell was almost past Papyrus' abilities. Trying to stop his HP from falling felt as if he was attempting to catch running water with his hands. Which! Was not quite as impossible as it initially seemed, but it took all his concentration to bring the damage down to a slow trickle. He thanked the stars for having blessed him with such a large pool of magic reserves - he did not want to imagine running out in the middle of this.

Just when he thought he was starting to get things under control and could think about asking what in Asgore's name had happened to them, there was a soft huff next to him, then an equally soft thump as, in the corner of his eye, Red slumped to the ground.

"Oh no, not you too!" Papyrus reached out to catch him, but he wasn't quite fast enough - at least the carpet Red had landed on was soft - and as soon as his concentration on the healing slipped, Fell's HP started plummeting again.

Papyrus was not panicking! Solely for the reason that he absolutely could not afford to panic right now! He sent one desperate pulse of green magic in Red's direction before placing both hands on Fell again.

"SANS!!" There was a very small part of him that felt bad for waking his brother at one-something in the morning, but the majority of Papyrus was painfully aware that he did not have nearly enough hands to handle this situation alone. It took a few long seconds (during which Papyrus was absolutely not panicking as he tried to stabilize Fell's HP and prayed that Red wasn't about to dust in the meantime) before he heard shuffling steps upstairs.

"bro, what's-" There was a pregnant pause as Sans, thank the stars, seemed to figure out for himself what was going on. A second later, the familiar sound of a shortcut right next to Papyrus announced that his brother had foregone the stairs entirely on his way down.

Papyrus had no time to watch what exactly Sans was doing, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed him crouching down next to Red for a minute before he got up and disappeared somewhere behind Papyrus. A few moments later, the front door fell shut and the key clicked in the lock. Sans didn't say anything, for which Papyrus was grateful - he couldn't get distracted at the moment. He also didn't seem particularly panicked about Red's state, which Papyrus could only take to mean that his brother's alternate was not about to dust right there and then.

Sans wandered off again to somewhere, and Papyrus returned his full attention to Fell. It took a few more minutes before his HP wasn't dropping any further, and Papyrus finally dared to let his magic fade out.

"don't suppose you know what happened to them?" came Sans' voice from somewhere in front of Papyrus.

"No." He checked Fell again before he dared to look up, first at his brother, then at the unconscious Red next to him. The latter had been arranged into a more comfortable position, a cushion from the couch under his head. "Is Red alright? No, forget that question, what am I saying, obviously he would not be taking an impromptu nap on our living room floor if he was-"

"he should be fine," Sans reassured him before Papyrus could work himself further into his not-panic. "he isn't hurt, just exhausted. one shortcut too many, if i had to guess." He rubbed the back of his head. "'m gonna take him upstairs so he can sleep on a mattress, but… thought you could use a hand here first." He nodded towards the unconscious Fell.

Papyrus relaxed marginally. "Thank you, brother." It was only then that he noticed the first-aid kit on the ground in front of him that Sans must have brought with unusual, but very welcome helpfulness. "And yes, actually - an additional appendage or two would certainly make things easier." He carefully inspected Fell's armor, looking for a way to take it off with the least amount of movement possible.

His caution turned out to be justified. As he and Sans started removing the armor, Papyrus got the disturbing impression that the breastplate was most of what was currently holding Fell's ribcage together. It almost seemed like a miracle when they eventually managed to get the dented pieces of metal off him without causing any further damage.

Sans was looking vaguely nauseous.

The undershirt came off much more easily than the armor, mostly because Papyrus declared it unsalvageable after one look and had no qualms about simply cutting it apart. After his earlier struggle just to get him stabilized, Papyrus knew that what he was about to see would be… not good. He braced himself before he pulled the fabric aside, barely hearing Sans' muttered curse next to him.

He… had not been aware of just how many scars his counterpart had. Not that Fell usually made any attempts to hide them, but it was only now that Papyrus realized that almost every bone he could see was marked in some way. But those injuries were old, and he didn't let himself linger on them when there were much more pressing matters.

The right side of Fell's torso was a mess. There was barely a rib that wasn't broken, cracked, or bruised. Where the largest dent in the armor had been, a section of his ribcage was caved in entirely, the bone fragments just barely held together by magic. At least the healing magic had served to stop the bleeding, though, so Papyrus moved on, wanting to get a full picture first.

Fell's arms were smeared with something that could be either blood or marrow, but the cracks and cuts he found there were relatively minor by comparison. (He decided that it was not the right moment to speculate how much of the blood had belonged to someone else.) The same was true for the rest of the injuries - they were numerous but small, as if Fell had been caught in the middle of a tight bullet pattern, but aside from the ribs nothing looked immediately concerning - until Papyrus reached his legs and found one tibia snapped cleanly in half.

Sans had gone completely silent. When Papyrus glanced over, his sockets had gone dark and he looked like he was about to throw up.

"Sans?"

No response.

Papyrus swallowed dryly. "Brother?" he said, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Sans jumped slightly, blinking rapidly before his eye lights reappeared - tiny specks of light in his sockets that immediately darted over to Papyrus. "y-yeah? sorry, think i spaced out for a moment." His gaze flicked briefly to the unconscious skeletons on the floor again, then back to Papyrus. "what now?"

"First of all -" Papyrus gently squeezed Sans' shoulder, meeting his eye. "It's going to be okay, brother. This is nothing we can't handle." He adamantly refused to believe anything else. "Okay?"

"'kay."

"Secondly… If you could bring some water and clean towels, that would be much appreciated."

Sans gave a nod and disappeared, returning shortly after with the requested items and a mask of calmness plastered onto his face. If Papyrus hadn't seen him just a minute ago, it might have been convincing.

"Thank you." Papyrus looked his brother over. "I believe Red has been napping on the floor for long enough," he said.

Sans paused for a second before a look of understanding passed over his face. "right." He didn't take the out that Papyrus was trying to give him. Instead of taking Red upstairs and staying there with him, he only lifted him onto the couch and loosely draped a blanket over him before returning to Papyrus' side.

"I am quite certain that I can handle this myself, if you would rather be elsewhere," Papyrus felt the need to clarify.

"'course you can, bro." Sans crouched down next to him. "but an extra hand would help, right? 'm fine, really. just got a bit rattled there for a sec."

Papyrus rolled his eyes, more out of habit than anything else, and Sans' permanent smile became a bit more genuine.

"just tell me what to do." He wiggled his fingers. "extra hands at your service."

Alright. Alright, he could do this. He was the Great Papyrus, he knew how to fix bones, he knew how to heal, and Fell wasn't– His HP was stable now. There was no need to panic. It was fine. And Sans was helping, so it was doubly fine.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the first-aid kit, and got to work.

#undertale #undertale fanfiction #papyrus #sans #underfell papyrus #underfell sans #hurt/comfort #platonic edgepuff #my writing #out of action fic

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adiabolikpastel · 3 years ago

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Title: Lunar Eclipse Masquerade

Reiji pt. 3

Rating: PG-18

Word Count: 3,183

Pairing: Reiji x Callista (mxf)

ღ Reiji and Callista reflect on the night - and wonder about what comes next. Hidden between all their problems, something strange happens when the two are face to face. ღ

Mun Yu: We did it! These are the last pieces of the LEM story. The end to our Lunar Eclipse. I hope that you have enjoyed the ride, and gotten to know the stories on this blog better! Tune in at the end of it all for Authors Notes!

☆+ ﾟ .+ .ﾟ.ﾟ｡ﾟ｡. +ﾟ｡ﾟ.ﾟ｡☆*｡｡ . ｡ o .｡ﾟ｡.o｡* ｡ .｡

Despite what most people think, demonic beings are very social creatures. The elites hold countless balls and parties, celebrating their immortality together, and entertaining one another with stories. Typically, they are done in celebration for something – though this is not always the case. All types of beings from across the Demon Realm will come if the host is of high enough prestige.

There would be no such host if it was not for Karlheinz. Seated as the head of the Bat Clan (vampires), Karl’s reach spans far. Being the widow for the former Demon King’s daughter, and having children of the first blood, an invitation from the Vampire King is not one to refuse. Though why would you? In his immaculate castle within the Demon Realm, Eden Castle, it is always quite the spectacle. While the celebrations held in his Human World mansion are nice, nothing compares to a true night of pleasure within the true home of the King.

On this night, there was to be a Masquerade in honor of the first Lunar Eclipsed Moon in over two years. While this night may serve each species differently, the idea to celebrate its return was simply too tempting. For this reason, Karlheinz took it upon himself – or rather – his house, to host the event. This extended to his offspring as well, regardless of their personal agenda. Members of every social elite race accepted the offer, and gathered for a truly unforgettable evening

The remainder of the night went by with little interest. Once Kanato’s mess was cleaned, there wasn’t much for Reiji to do. It was rather boring. In this solitude he found himself longing for Rika more than ever. He honestly had half a mind to visit her after all this was finished. Punish her for missing this opportunity to be with him.

There were times when he enjoyed Rika’s independence. She was a self-made woman, which honestly he was proud to stand beside. However, there are times when the need for her out weights that. This would be one of them.

Like his brothers, Reiji wanted to parade her about in front of other demons. To show them something out of their reach. The surge of dominance. Truly there was nothing quite like it. At least not to a being like himself. Yet all night he was forced to see his brothers expense that exhilarating feeling.

First Laito runs off with some woman, though that was not new for him. Honestly, when will he mature? It felt as though he were the youngest sibling. Even Subaru showed better manners. Speaking of – he just took notice that his half-brother had come with that android like shadow of his. Perhaps he spoke too soon about Subaru’s maturity. Bringing his ‘baby sitter’.

Although, considering what Reiji was sure the two of them got into – it would be somewhat appropriate for him to accompany Subaru. Their relationship was unsettling. He was sure Shu was also involved with that AKUMU as well. Though he hoped with their plan, Shu put that behind him.

Ayato seemed to have the best time, it was actually somewhat peaceful with him and Yuko-san. Either of them alone was trouble, so it was surprising that together they were behaving. Or perhaps they had a larger scale prank in mind that Reiji was yet to notice. Regardless, it was annoying to see them together. Simply for the fact that he was unable to be with his beloved. It did not help that Yuko and Rika share similar blood. Smelling Yuko was close to smelling Rika – just enough to tease his senses. However, it was clear the two were different.

The other brother with a date, who also caused the most ruckus, was Kanato. Reiji had gotten over that fleeting feeling of jealousy a long time ago when it came to those two. Yet tonight, he could not help but acknowledge that small tinge. Not that he was wanting Yuuki-san on his arm. It was more the general desire once more to have his own love. Any kind of attachment to the young woman now was simply familial – if any at all.

What might be the most upsetting, however, was the fact that even his father had ‘someone’ on his arm. Even if that was the – secretary that he brought on not too long ago. Their relationship was the most… unsettling. Reiji wasn’t sure what bothered him more. The fact that someone as grand as his father was having relations with a common siren, or the fact that the siren was a male who paraded himself around as a female. Even tonight, he clung onto his father’s arm like some sort of harlot.

The sight of them made him ill. Reiji had always respected his father, but this, well – perhaps the man was getting on in age. His life choices were showing that. Once the plan to take the throne was completed, Reiji was slightly worried that Skye Oakly would become a problem for them. That there was something their father was plotting with the siren.

While it was bothersome to see the others enjoying their time with someone dear, it was somehow comforting to know that he was not the only one alone tonight. Shu had also come without a date – though that was mostly by choice. Shu had yet to find a mate, which again, was why he was perfect for the plan. With no attachments to this world it would be easier for Shu to take the risk of fighting their father. He had nothing to lose. Reiji hoped that his brother would be enough for the task. He would be lying if there wasn’t a more hidden motive behind it all.

With his brother fighting, Reiji would not need to. There were many reasons behind that, and on this night of the Eclipse, he felt them all plaguing his mind. Even the ones he never thought to admit to himself. The most evident being that he was not good enough. Always second to Shu. Would his strength alone be enough to defeat their father? Reiji seriously doubted it. Then there was the most obvious thought of dying. He could not bare the idea of leaving Rika behind in such a way. Life had just found a meaning beyond simply existing.

Was that because of Rika as well? This was something Reiji had also not allowed himself to think about. No longer was he suck in this never ending night of repetition. Rika offered him something more. A life beyond. A life. A Future. That was all something he could not risk. So it was selfish of him to ask that Shu take on that burden. To risk his own life for the comfort of his own, and their siblings.

Lastly there was the deep rooted desire to see Shu loose. This was something Reiji truly hated himself for thinking. Damned if it wasn’t for the moon, he would still not think of it. That feeling since childhood. This hatred of his brother. It was something, in their current life, which Reiji was attempting to get over. Now that he was with someone who also had relationship issues with their sibling, he wanted to be better about it. Wanted to form some sort of bond with Shu. For deep down he knew that behind all that hatred was –

Enough of this self-refection! Reiji shook his head, forcing the moons influence out of his mind. This was not the time to get lost in thought – let alone thoughts that would do him no good. With that, he decided to locate his brothers so they could return back to the mansion. The only one he needed to locate was Shu, who had mysteriously vanished for most of the night.

Reiji hoped that he had not simply left the event. It would be prudent of him to at least try to get used to this life. If he was going to be King – things would change. As he scanned over the attendees, Reiji’s eyes happen to fall onto a familiar set of horns. A familiar dress. Ah, that young woman from earlier. Calli, was her name, if he recalled. She was headed to the dance floor, how envious, but a woman her age was bound to have suitors.

As the band prepared for their final set of the evening, the crowds seemed to part for her and whomever she was dancing with. While sweet symphonic notes filled the air, Reiji was able to see the hand that took hers. Shu!? What?! Reiji was shocked to say the least. His lazy brother was actually dancing. Wait – more than that – who he was dancing with!

Was he aware that Calli was the daughter of a demon lord? He was almost certain she was Ajax’s daughter. One of the noble clans. Eagles. If he was planning on doing something – no – Shu wasn’t like that. Was he? Reiji fought with himself on this matter. Would Shu honestly come to this event and try to leave with someone? He knew what was at stake here!

Not to mention who this ‘someone’ was! Surely if her father saw the two of them- Reiji quickly tried to locate the Eagle King. Thankfully he was currently occupied. Reiji recalled that he was the type to talk a lot. How could he fix this!? There had to be something, anything – even if it was just to get her away from Shu. That’s it!

Callista followed with Shu’s movements while the soft orchestra played for them. It was rather strange to be dancing with him – mostly because the two had just met. Also, and more so probably, because they had both agreed to officially go along with this ‘engagement’ their parents had devised. While the situation wasn’t ideal, there was little she could do about it on her own. It was comforting to know that Shu was also unsure about all of this.

Despite how the evening had started, Calli could breathe easier now. She had been so nervous coming to this ball. While at the main family home in the Makai, earlier in the month, her father had explained the idea of the arranged marriage to her. Of course immediately she was against it. What modern woman in her right mind wouldn’t be?

The idea that her life would be traded away for some, political gain, was atrocious. Callista wanted no part of the discussion, stressing to her parents that this was not the future she wanted. Her mother, Catalina, was more understanding of her position. This was not something the family had ever wanted for their daughters.

Being the current head of the Eagle Demon’s, Callista’s father, Ajax, had a world of responsivities to uphold. However, he had never, not once, allowed those to directly affect his children. Her older brothers, Alexander and Meteo, were welcome to choose their brides. Even if they were only choosing from the eligible demons within the high court. Smaller family names within the Clan.

Her eldest sister Evangeline, was able to marry a man she loved. While he was no price with large titles, she was given that choice. Sister Lucille was now married and living in the human realm. Even Ioanna, the closest sibling to Callista in age, was not forced to wed. She was out traveling the realms. Allowed to spread her wings, fly to far off places, to be free.

Something that Callista knew little about. Being the youngest for quite a long time, her parents – mostly Ajax- were protective. Calli was never allowed to travel without them. Sure the family took many vacations and trips to far off places together, but, her siblings were all able to do that themselves – or with friends. Which Calli was severely lacking. No one wanted to play with the Eagle Lord’s daughter – who not to mention was a shut in.

Though, growing up like that, she didn’t hate it. In fact, now there was nothing she loved more then to curl up and read. Read about anything really, whether it was fiction or non. The books she loved the most were about culture. Learning how humans and other demon species live. Gaining a better understanding of the world, without actually living in it. Thinking about that now, it sounds depressing actually.

All that to say, why does it now fall to her, to give up the kind of life she had always wanted? Why was this suddenly her responsibility, when being the fifth born, really shouldn’t mean anything – according to the books she had read on succession. So what made this different? Had the Vampire Lord’s son seen her and decided he liked her? Were things in the clan so difficult that her father had to secure and alliance this badly? Even if they were to wed, that would only have her lead in the name of the Bat Clan one day – not the Eagle – so what was the point? What did it all mean?

Callista found herself focusing on those questions as the news of this Masquerade came to their doorstep. The invitation to attend was extended to her parents, but it also made a special note to bring her along. Callista begged for her parents to reject the proposal. That there was no need for such a union. That it would do their people no good. That it would ruin the happiness she wanted for herself. She had thoughts that the three of them came to an understanding. That at this party, Ajax would reject the offer from Karlheinz.

That was until her father actually talked to him. She should have known. The most powerful being in the realms would have something in mind to bend things to their will. Sure enough, after their talked, her father came rushing over to tell her the great news. She would marry Karlheinz eldest son.

At first, Calli wondered if it would be the one she met on the balcony. Having met him just before the news, it might not be so bad. He seemed well put together, and spoke with an air of intelligence. She was happy to have met him under her own terms before being forcefully introduced to some stranger. Unfortunately, it was not him, and that very fear came to pass. She was presented to another man.

This one was taller than her, but not as tall as the other. His hair golden, and eyes deep as the sea. He looked at her with such… contempt? Or was it simply confusion? It was apparent that he was not prepared for this. Perhaps he was not told of their union until this moment. Well, she wasn’t either – at least the idea of following through with it.

It was nice to get away with him for a while. While introduced as Ririe, Shu was not quite what she was expecting from the next in line for the great power behind the Bat Clan’s leader. While his mannerisms might look incorrect, to the trained eye, you could see the years of practice that went into his existence. The way he moved and held himself, told her that he was raised with proper etiquette.

Shu was handsome. She had no complaints with his appearance. He did seem rather lazy – or perhaps he was simply tired from the night. The first time alone with a newly announced fiancé should be to nap on a fountain. That being said, there was grace in everything he did. There were no wasted movements. Every muscle he had was well trained, no matter how hard he might have tried to hide it.

While Shu released her for a twirl, Callista found a new set of hands take her own. Pulling her from Shu’s lead, and into another’s. A hand moves around her waist, while the first hand guides her into the frame of a new partner. Looking up, Calli’s eyes are met with a pair of pale magenta. Glared over just slightly from a pair of glasses, and the lights from above reflecting and blocking their connection.

For a brief moment, the world around her faded away. It was something like – looking into the eyes of- well… she couldn’t quite explain. A sudden feeling washed over her entire being. Normally if someone grabbed her as such, she would protest. However- something in this moment felt… safe. Secure? There were no precise words to describe it.

“Forgive me for intruding, I had promised her a dance when we met before. You don’t mind, do you Shu?” Reiji spoke to his rather confused brother. In typical Shu fashion, he simply shrugged and left the two of them alone. Reiji let out a small sigh of relief, thankful that Shu was not serious about pursing a night spent with Ajax’s daughter. “My apologies, Lady Calli. I did not mean to interrupt your dance but I –"

Reiji was spotted in his apology when he looked down to see her golden eyes looking back at him. They were mesmerizing. It has been ages since Reiji was truly able to look into the eyes of someone like himself. Not that looking into Rika’s eyes was not enchanting – but this – this was different. A new element of excitement flashed through him.

The knowledge that this woman could with stand his strength. That the eyes locked with his own were just as deadly. The body that was pressed against him would not bruise and break under the simply act of pulling her to him. The feeling of being with another immortal. It was exhilarating.

Callista could feel the power behind the arms which held her. Unlike with Shu just moments ago – these hands were full of purpose. A desire to hold her close. Even if it was simply to move her from Shu. Now in this embraced state, Calli would recognize this new partner as Reiji Sakamaki – who she had met earlier, just before Shu.

For brothers the two of them did not share many features. The same could not be said for her siblings – they all looked similar to one another. Yet these two, not even their hair color matched. Calli wondered what else was different. Their speaking patterns for one – Reiji was much more elegant with is words. Shu simply seemed to say whatever he pleased.

“I … was simply unware if your – father knew that the two of you were…” Reiji searched himself to find the right words. It was bad enough that his brother had stolen a dance with one of the great Lord’s daughters. Now he was doing the same. Yet as he held her against him – he found himself unable to let go.

She barely understood what he was saying – these overwhelming – almost primal, instincts were quite the distraction. “Oh… I-"

“Callista my dear!” Ajax’s voice boomed both of them back into their senses as the large Eagle brought himself over to them. “We must be going! Much to do back home to prepare for your big move!”

Reiji and Callista backed away from one another, both exchanging awkward glances and nervous laughs. “You are moving once again?” Reiji ask, composing himself. “Where will your family take nest for now?”

“Sadly my daughter’s journeys with us have ended. She will be moving into the Sakamaki Mansion! To get to know her new fiancé! Young Lord Ririe! The two should be very happy together – it’s quite the match if I do say so myself!” The demon let out a haughty laugh as he placed an arm around Callista.

“It… would seem we shall get to see one another again.” She blushes, embarrassed by her father’s outburst.

“So it would seem.” The news came to Reiji slowly. As he bid Callista and her father farewell, he couldn’t help but replay it in his mind.

Not only was this new woman about to enter their mansion – but she was … for Shu? Shu? His brother? This was impossible. How could that have even happened? Did Ajax come here with intentions of the two of them getting married? Or was it-!?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Reiji could feel his father’s presence. His will. A calling to seek him out. Reiji looked about the – now less populated – ballroom. While he could not locate his father, he felt his message. Felt the intent behind his actions. Karlheinz knew of their plan. It would seem that – what was once something as simple as training Shu – now grew more complicated.

☆+ ﾟ .+ .ﾟ.ﾟ｡ﾟ｡. +ﾟ｡ﾟ.ﾟ｡ ROUTE END ☆*｡｡ . ｡ o .｡ﾟ｡.o｡* ｡ .｡

#writing #Lunar Eclipse Masquerade #LEM

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shintorikhazumi · 4 years ago

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A Mom, A Grandchild, and A Wife For the New Year

A/N: So, have you seen HiBiKi StYle #448 with AiAi and Maho-nee doing the cooking relay? It’s one of the most chaotic things I’ve ever enjoyed xD. There’s a subbed version on YouTube haha. This gave me an idea for a fic, but I’ll probs be mostly basing it off the first half. Maho-nee is better at cooking than Aiai it seems, but character-wise, I feel like Claudine cooks better than Maya so…

I was supposed to release this on time for New Year’s, but ended up frustrated and reading other fics instead, so my sincerest apologies.

Fudge… this was not supposed to be this long. I told myself it would only be 1k-3k words, but hoho, no. 7-frikkin-thousand words. Stupid Khaz. Haaa…

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

“Umm…”

“So…”

“What exactly-“

“-Do we do with… that.”

“Junna-chan! Don’t call her “that”! She’s a child! A person!” Nana scolded her partner, also very perplexed with the situation right before their eyes.

“Well, she wasn’t a child five minutes ago?!” Junna replied with the same amount of exasperation in her voice.

“Then she’s a person! A human. Don’t call her… “that”.” Nana replied, gesturing towards the little girl seated on the living room carpet, looking to seven pairs of eyes staring back that held various emotions ranging from stressed, perplexed and confused, curious, excited, and just plain weirded out.

“Well, she’s certainly been a handful these past few minutes.” Junna sighed, looking around the living room area for some kind of toy to hand to the child to distract her, and keep her in place, behaved, while the rest of them searched for a way to fix this situation.

“Come on, Jun-Jun! She’s pretty cute, if you think about it.” Karen exclaimed, taking a step closer and reaching her hand out for the child to take. “See?”

“She’s quite pretty too. Though she always has been.” Mahiru murmured, taking her spot beside Karen and inwardly squealing as the little girl beamed at her after she petted her hair. “So adorable.”

“She seems kinda smart too.” Futaba pitched in after seeing how the person had acted- despite the various mishaps they indirectly caused- in this situation, trying to walk about and nearly smashing her face into the table, or trying to hand Nana a book she was reaching for when she held the girl in her lap, but almost dropping it on the larger girl’s foot.

“Well, sure. She’s all of those things.” Kaoruko rolled her eyes. “After all, she’s Also Tendou Maya.”

No one could refute the statement, seven heads bobbing in agreement.

“So?” Futaba looked to everyone in curiosity.

“So, what?” Junna replied.

“HAHHAHAHA, Mahiru-chan, she said so what, she just said ‘so what?’” Karen hollered, Junna’s statement making it seem like she didn’t care.

“Karen-chan… I don’t think you’re supposed to laugh at that in this situation…”

Ignoring the tiny deviance, Futaba continued. “How are we supposed to tell Kuroko about this?”

“…”

“Ah.”

Was the girls’ collective reaction. They hadn’t thought about that until now. Claudine was currently out of the dorm to do some shopping as she had volunteered to prepare dinner for tonight to celebrate the coming new year as no one from their little group had decided to go home for the holidays, now that they were in their third and final year. She claimed she had always cooked for her parents each time she went home so it was a habit she wanted to continue, even away from home.

Of course, everyone was more than willing to allow her to do so, curious as to the French’s cooking. Nana and Mahiru, along with Junna had offered helping hands to which Claudine accepted should she need them eventually. But for the shopping process, she’d rather do it on her own as she had yet to decide on what she’d like to make and did not want to inconvenience them with hopping from shop-to-shop undecided for hours on end.

They didn’t mind at all, but after some reassurance from the former child actress, they let her be, awaiting her patiently in the dorm with nothing better to do as school had been closed for the holidays.

Maya had begged- yes, begged- Claudine to allow her to come, but she was only met with a flick to the forehead and a firm, ‘No’. And even Maya knew never to push it when Claudine was that determined. Begrudgingly, she watched the love of her life walk away, taking the top star’s heart and soul with he-

“Don’t be so dramatic while I’m away, do you hear me?” Claudine had warned, familiar with how Maya’s thought process worked. She gave Maya a kiss on the forehead to temporarily satiate her clinginess. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

With that, Saijou Claudine had left for her little shopping trip. And now, three uneventful hours had gone by.

Or well, the girls hoped it had just been that.

As they were lounging in the dorm’s common room, Maya suddenly started feeling sick. She had crouched down, curling into a ball on the sofa. Worried, Nana approached her and put a hand on her forehead to check her temperature, wincing at the terrible heat that radiated off the poor girl as she pulled back immediately, feeling like she’d get burned.

Turning to the other inhabitants of the room, she gave separate instructions such as telling Hikari and Karen where to get the cooling pads and icepacks, respectively; she told Futaba and Kaoruko to grab Maya’s blanket and pillows, as well as some spare clothes should the girl feel cold later on due to the extreme and sudden fever. Junna had grabbed Mahiru to accompany her to the school clinic to find the nurse, and maybe get some medicine. If she wasn’t there- understandable as they had been told that the school would be closed for the holidays- then they would have to find the nearest pharmacy for some over-the-counter fever medicine.

“Tendou-san!” Karen was the first to accomplish her task, the icepack retrieved from the fridge just a few steps away. Her squeak made everyone returning to the room even more cautious now.

“What’s wrong?” Junna queried, now donning her coat and boots, coming from her room.

“She’s … shrinking…”

“You mean shaking, BaKaren?” Hikari muttered, brows furrowed in confusion.

“No…” Nana’s voice wavered, unsure at what she and Karen were seeing, and how to tell the rest just what it was that they were seeing. “She’s literally… shrinking.”

“…”

“Well damn, if I’ll be. So it’s possible for her to be cute, after all.”

“Kaoruko!”

//-//-//-//-//

“So ya think keeping her in our room is goin’ ta work? That’s some sloppy judgment coming from you, Junna-han.”

“You have the larger room between us, so if she doesn’t turn back soon, you have enough space for her to sleep.” The bespectacled girl pointed out. “Saijou-san possibly has the largest room, but that defeats the purpose of keeping this issue a secret from her, right?”

“Remind me why we’re keeping this a secret from her, though? Wouldn’t it be better to just tell her?” Futaba sighed.

“Who wants to do the honors and tell someone as fiery and protective as Saijou-san that her girlfriend is a small child, and possibly cause even more panic and distress?”

“…”

“But Karen and them have more space, don’t they?” Futaba brought their attention back to the first topic, backing Kaoruko up, really not wanting to babysit two children.

“The enormous amounts of trust I have in Mahiru is negated by equal amounts of doubt I have in her roommates when it comes to childcare and many other matters.” Junna stated, pushing her glasses up.

“Hey!”

“You got a point.” Futaba sighed, acquiescing.

“Futaba-han!”

“I can at least trust Hayanagi-san to behave when she wants to.”

“That’s bein’ a little mean, don’t ya think?”

“Now, now~” Nana, ever the peacemaker, calmed everyone down.

“Fine. But we’re takin’ turns watchin’ the little brat. I can’t have her ruining my routine.”

“Your routine is mostly just you fucking around, though.”

“Futaba-han!”

“Futaba-chan!!!” Mahiru cried, not having enough hands to cover both Hikari’s and Karen’s ears.

“Nana… were you trying to cover my ears too?”

“…”

“Na!”

The tiny voice stole everyone’s attention.

“What…”

“Na! Na!” The little brown bundle giggled, looking up at the blonde, opening up her arms, asking to be carried. The tallest of the bunch squealed in delight, scooping up the small child, spinning her about.

“I’m so happy, Maya-chan!”

“AWwwww, that’s so cute!! And dang it Banana, why are you her first word!! I wanted to be it!”

“I think ‘Karen’ is a little hard for a toddler to say as a first word, Karen-chan.” Mahiru responded, patting the dejected girl’s head.

However, Aijo Karen was not one to be discouraged. “I’ll be her second word then!”

“Karen-chan…”

“Come on, Tendou-san. Say it with me. Ka-ren. Ka-ren.”

“Kawuko!”

“Nooooon!!!” Karen cried in despair.

“Oho~” Futaba clapped, impressed. “You can’t tell me that that don’t make you happy, Kaoruko.” She teased the bluenette who simply turned away blushing.

“I thought my name was difficult… isn’t Kaoruko-chan’s name harder?”

“Just move on, Karen.” Hikari sighed, rubbing the said girl’s back in comfort. “After all, I’m gonna have her say my name before yours.”

“Hikari-chan!” Mahiru cried.

“How old is this kid anyway?” Futaba asked, shifting the conversation to a new topic.

“Beats me.” Junna shrugged. “Nana, can you ask her?”

“Sure~” Nana replied, still playing with Maya, tossing her up in the air slightly from time to time, the child very pleased, apparent with how she laughed unabashed. “Ne, Maya-chan.”

“Na?”

“Mhm, Nana-oneechan wants to ask you something. If you can understand me, I hope…” She chuckled nervously, wide eyes giving her their full attention. “How old are you?”

It seems the little brunette did, in fact, understand as she held up two fingers.

“Wow, that’s younger than I expected.” Junna muttered, stroking her chin in thought. “Maybe I should have Mahiru watch over her, after all. It’s a little too worrying if someone without enough experience handles a child as small as her.”

“Nn?! …b-but we already decided on the arrangements, didn’t we?” Kaoruko suddenly interjected, surprising everyone.

“Oh~? What do we have here~?, Kaoruko, did you actually get attached to the idea of taking care of the kid, just now?” Futaba’s teasing returned, poking at her roommate’s side.

“N-not at all? I just thought that for convenience sake, we shouldn’t complicate our original plans.”

“Whatever you say.”

While everyone else switched between watching the pair bicker, and Nana playing with a tiny Tendou Maya, they failed to remember just why they were planning on hiding the child- or better yet, from whom they were hiding her… until the person in question’s voice through them into another state of hushed panic.

“I’m back!” This voice belonged to none other than the 99th class’ second seat, Saijou Claudine. Tendou Maya’s better half, as she would put it. “Ara? Where is everyone? Nana? Junna?” She called.

“Ah crap. Saijou-san is back.” Junna face-palmed, feeling her stress build up.

“Eeehhh, wha-what do we do?!”

“HIDE THE KID.”

“Calm down, Karen-chan, Hikari-chan. You too Mahiru-chan. Your grip is gonna kill Hikari- chan’s hand.” Nana worried at that last bit, seeing the poor London girl’s hand color a deathly pale. “Really, Mahiru-chan, you should let go right now.”

Junna groaned. She had wanted to go over this plan better. Guess they had no choice.

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” She called for everyone’s attention. “Nana, Mahiru and I will distract Saijou-san by helping her with dinner preparations as we originally planned, earlier. We will try our best to not get her to look for Maya, or go to her room, and we’ll come up with an excuse.”

Heads nodded in understanding.

“The rest of you, watch the kid.” Junna gave the four a hard stare as the “mom friends” of the group filed out of the room one-by-one. “If you somehow meet with Saijou if you go out of this room, and she asks anything regarding Tendou-san, just say you don’t know or something.” And with that, the door was shut, the quartet to their own devices… oh and the baby, too.

…

“So… what now?”

//-//-//-//-//

True to her word, Junna and her companions were able to keep Claudine at bay, the girls in FutaKao’s room remaining undisturbed for the most part as they played with Maya for over an hour.

All had been going well, so far, but it seemed as though they had run out of games to play and the child and Karen alike were beginning to get bored.

This was dangerous.

Futaba preferred that no one venture out for the sake of ‘fun’.

“HUH?!” Her partner’s distressed cry grabbed her attention.

“Kaoruko?”

“These damn parents, at this particular time?” She muttered. “Futaba-han, I need you to come with me to the gate to pick up some stuff. My parents said I must retrieve it by myself since I chose to not go home, therefore no servant is going to be allowed to help me during my… independence, they claim.” Despite the clear reasons, Futaba remained seated.

“Why can’t you go by yourself? Someone needs to watch these kids.”

Kaoruko rolled her eyes. “Even I know how bad it could get to leave these two with a very small child, but if I could do this by myself, I wouldn’t even ask.” Futaba didn’t seem convinced. “It’ll take us five minutes. We grab the items, then we come back to find these three conked out and asleep, yeah? Now come on.”

There was clearly no room for the redhead to argue as she was dragged out the door by a rushing Kaoruko.

Hikari and Karen shared a look, shrugged, then returned to playing with Maya.

Or tried.

The child didn’t seem to like their current toys right now, throwing them about the room with a frown, and getting increasingly louder in her complaining cries.

“What do we do, Hikari-chan?” Karen turned to her best friend for help, but to no avail. “Ah!” She snapped. “I know! I think I have a toy in our room that would get her to quiet down! Let’s go get it!” Karen tugged at Hikari’s sleeve, pulling her onto her feet.

“Do we take her?” Hikari asked monotonously, pointing at the child- and… did she get… a little bigger? And had she been wearing that outfit earlier? Maybe Karen was just imagining things.

“No, we might get spotted walking with her.” She shook her head. “We’ll just run for our room then come back!”

Hikari didn’t question it, only suggesting that they lock the door as they left, Karen agreeing it was for the best.

With that, they left the child alone in the locked room with a wave as she just blinked back at them, staring at the closing door. The two bounded down the hallway, attempting to speedily retrieve the needed items before little Maya could get into any unsupervised trouble.

It barely took them three minutes to retrieve as many child-entertaining games and toys as they could find. As they walked up carefully to the door of Futaba and Kaoruko’s shared room, they met up with the said girls carrying semi-large boxes.

But that wasn’t important.

If she could do so without drawing attention to their little group, the young heiress would have screeched an ear-splitting scolding towards the two. Instead, she had to settle for a harsh series of whispers. “I thought we told you to watch her, not leave her alone!”

“B-but…” Karen whimpered. “She was starting to get really loud, and-and, we locked the door when we left, anyway.”

“you WHAT?! We don’t have keys on us!!!”

“…oh, dang.”

Futaba, equally frustrated, tried the doorknob anyway, brows raising high as it opened with little resistance. “Huh? I thought you said you locked it?”

“Eh?? But we did! Right, Hikari-chan?”

Hikari wordlessly nodded, brows now furrowed.

“No… no… please, don’t tell me…” Everyone burst into the room, eyes darting about so fast. Futaba and Karen had begun to look everywhere, beneath the bed, inside the locker. Kaoruko and Hikari decided to traverse the halls, hoping they’d catch sight of a little head of brown hair, to no luck.

What they did catch, however, was the confused gazes of Nana, Junna, and Mahiru as they were making their way back to the room, Claudine telling them that they had helped her enough and she could take it from there. They had reluctantly agreed to leave, but they supposed Claudine would now be too occupied to even think to look for Maya.

So what was going on, right now?

“Guys?”

“Oh no. It’s Junna.” Hikari drawled, panicking inside, but not letting it show.

“Hikari-chan? Weren’t you supposed to be watching…” Mahiru trailed off as a sniffling, teary Karen exited the room, running into her arms. “Karen-chan?!”

“…gonee!”

“Huh?”

“She’s gone! Tendou-san!”

“WHHAAATTTT-“

Before Junna could give everyone an earful, Nana dispatched all the girls around the dorm that wasn’t close to where Claudine was to avoid drawing her suspicion, seeing the girls move about in search of something. Rooms, other halls, bathrooms, spare practice rooms, the storage. They were to comb through every nook and cranny for Tendou Maya. There was no need to check the Kitchen as the trio who had assisted Claudine had just come from there and could confirm that the French was the only person present there and they had encountered no tiny top star on their way back to the room.

And so began the great ‘Tendou Maya’ hunt.

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine hummed a tune from their latest play, setting down the last of her prepared ingredients on the counter next to the stove. Mahiru, Junna and Nana had been of great help and they had finished preparing the desserts for later first to be able to set it aside in the fridge. All Claudine had left to do was to actually cook the meal.

“Where’s that large pan that I need…” Searching through the cupboards, she found exactly what she needed, placing the heavy pan on the stove and turning it on to start heating. Continuing her previous humming, Claudine suddenly jumped at the feel of something pulling on her pant leg.

What in the…

She was greeted by wide, curious violet eyes, blinking up at her innocently.

“Um…” There was something oddly familiar about this child currently standing beside Claudine. She just couldn’t put a finger to it. She didn’t look any older than the age of three or four, but she didn’t seem to have any guardian accompanying her either.

“Hi!” The lass greeted, beaming brightly at Claudine. The latter couldn’t help but smile back. She loved children, after all. And she secretly admitted to herself that this one, in particular, was absolutely adorable.

“Why, hello there.” Bending down to the little girl’s level, said girl staring up at her with large lilac eyes, while clinging to the hem of her apron, Claudine greeted back. “Bonjour~”.

The different language seemed to throw the child off, and Claudine could almost see the little cogs spinning in her head. “B-Bon… Bonzoo? Bonzhoo? Bonju?”

Claudine laughed airily, patting the brunette’s head tenderly. “Close enough. Bonjour.”

The child simply nodded this time, relenting on learning this strange word for now.

Claudine temporarily turned the stove off before turning back to her little companion, hands on her hips as she scrutinized the young girl’s features. “You really do look so terribly familiar.” With gorgeous violet eyes, lustrous chocolate hair pulled back in a ribbon-

Something clicked. “Ah! Are you, by chance, a relative of that insufferable Tendou Maya? You’re much cuter than she is, though.” Turning to the other girl, Claudine was surprised to see her pout despite the compliment.

“But I’m Maya! This. Is. Tendou Maya! I’m the cutest!”

Now, this confused Claudine. Was she a big fan of that infuriating woman? “Not only are you the spitting image of her, you even talk like her. I swear she is a bad influence.” Claudine sighed. “So, do I call you Maya?”

She was met with enthusiastic nodding, and she could only giggle at the sheer adorableness of it all.

“Alright, then. Maya.” Straightening up and looking about the room, hoping for some guardian to walk in, or perhaps her Maya, claiming the child as her secret relative, Claudine found no one, eyes trailing to the clock on the wall warning her that her time to prepare dinner was growing ever short.

She sighed again. Guessing that she should get a move on, she tried to point to the couch with a smile, nonverbally telling the kid to take a seat and wait there. About to return to her previous task of cooking, Claudine almost missed the way those large purple eyes stared at her in wait, as if asking a question. It made the blonde realize very quickly.

“Oh! Where are my manners.” She crouched down, eye-to-eye with the child, offering her hand out for a shake. “My name is Claudine”

She saw cute little brows furrow, wrinkles forming in the “Maya’s” forehead. Easing them away by massaging the area gently with her thumb, Claudine laughed as the child began to test her name out. “Ku-, Ko- Kro… hrnnghh” The child tried in vain.

Claudine laughed lightly.

“Kuu-chan!”

“Eh-“

“Kuu-chan!!!” It seemed as though the child had given up on trying to pronounce her name right, and the little moniker she had come up with made Claudine feel the tiniest bit shy.

“Now, now. Not that I don’t like that nickname you’ve come up with somehow… The real Tendou Maya would never give up, now would she?” She teased, feeling somewhat satisfied at the blush that flooded the little girl’s face. “But I guess, you could continue to call me that, if you so wish. Still, I do hope you will someday be able to pronounce my name properly.” Claudine hadn’t the slightest idea why she wanted such a thing, even if it was still later in the future, but she felt compelled to do so.

The child nodded, beaming at her brightly once more as she hugged Claudine’s leg.

“Okay, I really need to be getting back to my work. So, if you’d just allow me to…” Gently hoisting the girl up, causing a fit of the cutest giggles Claudine had ever heard in her life, she placed her on a stool in the kitchen where she could easily turn to check on the girl every once-in-a-while. “There we go.”

“Kuu-chan?”

“Please behave yourself now while waiting for your mommy, or daddy, or… someone. Onee-chan needs to get back to cooking so that everyone can have a nice, yummy dinner. Maybe you could even join us. So, would it be fine for you to sit and wait for me? If you want to play, we can do so once I’ve finished this.” Satisfied with the nod she was given as a reply, Claudine patted the girl’s head once more for good measure. She then turned on the stove and continued her work, pouring in her oil and mixing in her ingredients.

A moment later, she realized that she needed a spice from the cupboard. Quickly going to fetch it, she was surprised as little Maya clung to her waist, arms wrapped around her, nuzzling into her stomach.

“Kuu-chan! Play with me!”

“Maya, now didn’t we agree that you would behave while I finished my task?”

The girl pouted, but released Claudine nonetheless.

“Thank you.”

And she was back to cooking. Cooking with a heavy pan reminded the French woman of how proud she was of her strength, tossing the mixture of ingredients inside with ease. For just a moment, she looked back to check on Maya, screaming horrified in just a second as she spotted the girl reaching for a knife, tiptoeing by the edge of counter, head not even reaching the height of the countertop. If she left this to go on, the knife could fall wrongly and hit her if she reached it. Claudine rushed forward, moving the sharp knife away, far out of the child’s reach.

Panting as she settled the girl back in her stool, fixing her with a very stern look that commanded, ‘stay’, Claudine got back to her food, hoping it wasn’t burning or anything. “Is this what it feels like to be a mother? To have kids?” She groaned.

Hearing shuffling come from behind her, she whipped her head about, catching the guilty look flash across the child’s face as she attempted to climb off the stool again.

“Please stay, okay? I’ll play with you all you want after.” She sighed, once more, placing the girl on the stool. “I know you’re bored, but I really cannot leave you to wander about on your own without supervision. You might get lost or hurt, and being the one to have been with you last, I really will be responsible. I’d like to actually ‘be responsible’. Please?”

The little girl pouted but nodded her understanding. Claudine felt relieved. Until-

“Kiss?”

“Wha-“

“If Kuu-chan gives a kiss, Maya will stay!” Blushing, but considering her options, Claudine relented.

“Fine.”

“Wai~!”

Finally feeling as though her struggle with childcare was over, Claudine finally got back to work, not hearing any noises that indicated trouble, breathing in her relief.

“Thank God.”

Finally finishing her first dish, she set it aside, turning to grab the ingredients for the second… dish…

Where was the child?

And who was this elderly woman now seated in her place?!

“My, my, ma Claudine, you look wonderful, cooking for me, shining in all your youth.”

She would have asked who the hell this lady was, but by the way she was addressed, she could only assume that it was, “M-Maya?”.

“Ah~ Has time frozen your beauty in place? Even the universe can’t help but admire such a flower, unwilling to let you go.” The lady lamented. “And yet here, I shrivel away, though not without all my passion blooming still in my heart.”

“You’re… Maya… right?”

“Who else would I be?”

And yes, who else would she be, Claudine agreed. Those stunning purple eyes, the particular shade of brown in the colored streaks of hair still present amongst the white, Yes. This was Tendou Maya, indeed

Honestly, Claudine surprised herself with how well she was taking all this. She would have spent more time wracking her brains over this crazy phenomenon, but then the clock caught her attention and made her realize that she had been in crazier situations than this. This should not be all that unbelievable. She had been through worse with Maya. So long as the girl still existed…

Claudine could prioritize finishing her dinner preparations.

Maya would surely turn back to normal soon.

Right?

Therefore…

“Maya. I implore you.”

“Ask anything, my love, and I shall-“

“Please behave yourself so I can finish what I have to and find everyone so we can figure out how to turn you back.”

“Of course, deary~.”

“I mean it.”

“…o-of course… dear.”

“Maya?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Claudine got started on her next dish, somehow thankful that Maya actually seemed to be cooperating. Was it her current age that made her less energetic? Maya was quiet, behaved. At least from what Claudine was hearing, which was nothing but silence, she hoped the silence meant Maya was just sitting, resting and not… dead or anything like that. Right? …right?!

Whipping her head about, Claudine caught the elderly woman walking about in some random direction, looking a bit older than she did earlier and… a whole lot blinder it seemed, as she hit her face against the wall.

What did I just say about behaving…

“Oi, grandma. I told you to stay put.” Claudine groaned in exasperation, moving to retrieve Maya. “Now I feel like those children or grandchildren made to take care of their elderly family.”

“Who… are you?”

“HA?”

“I’m starting to feel starved…”

“Don’t just go jumping from one topic to another, Tendou Maya…”

“What did you say?” So this granny was deaf too.

“Snacks, snacks… something soft enough for her teeth… I don’t want them to break…” Considerate as ever, Claudine started searching about for something to hand to this annoying woman. Spotting something on the counter, she picked it up, examining it for a second. “I guess tofu will have to do.”

With a spoon, she scooped up a portion and brought it to the old woman’s mouth. Upon feeling the familiar metal, her mouth opened, taking in the food. “Ara, Tofu~”

“Wow… that was fast. You knew right away.”

“It’s delicious.”

“Well, I’m glad.”

“But it would be better with Soy Sauce.”

“You are insatiable…”

“Add soy sauce!”

“Grandma, you’re so noisy.”

And Claudine’s woes continued.

//-//-//-//-//

“So? Did you have any plans of revealing this to me? At any point in time?”

“Sorry… Kuro-chan. We thought you’d get angry…”

Seven people now sat in seiza in their living room, one of them being an adult Tendou Maya, it seemed, possibly in her late twenties. She had shifted through ages at least thrice since meeting up with Claudine. The rest of the girls had given up on searching after two hours or so, and upon hearing Maya’s familiar voice conversing with Claudine from the kitchen, they all bolted, panting as they stood before the pair, their demeanors giving everything away- that they had been aware of this from the start.

“I am angry.”

“Urgh…”

“And if I would’ve been angry anyway, then why didn’t you all just tell me from the start?” Claudine frowned even deeper, if that was possible. “I thought we were all comrades here, fighting together. Shouldn’t this be one of the things we try to figure out as a team?”

“We’re… sorry…” Guiltily, the rest of the stage girls hung their head in apology. It still wasn’t enough for Claudine, however. She wanted an explanation.

“Did no one think of telling me?” With everyone else avoiding her gaze, except Maya who looked strangely happy to be scolded, she turned to the only one standing, busy taking way too many photos of the girls. Why did Claudine feel stress build up y just looking at her? “Nana?”

“It seemed fun.”

“Nana/Nana-chan?!”

Of course, it was. Claudine sighed- before her stomach growled, leading her to blush a lovely shade of red. Eight heads turned to her, some amused, some sheepishly concerned.

“Ah, it’s already this late.” Junna exclaimed, the clock reading seven-pm-sharp.

“No wonder Kuro-chan got hungry~”

“W-W-Well, whatever. Let’s have dinner then sort this… thing out.” The French tried to cover up her embarrassment, walking over to the food she had prepared, getting ready to take it to the dorm’s veranda where tables had been set up earlier by Junna, Nana and Mahiru. They were planning to eat outside and see if they could enjoy some fireworks displays that were sure to come soon from neighboring areas, and could be seen from where they were. “We can’t solve Tendou Maya’s problem on empty stomachs.”

Laughing in relief, the girls soon got up one by one, helping out with the set-up, ready to at least enjoy the end of the year, regardless of how wacky it turned out to be.

//-//-//-//-//

After all the food had been consumed, and Maya had shifted through her age one more time, now taking the appearance of an eight-year-old child, with no leads, and darkness shrouding them, they decided to put off their investigation until tomorrow. It would be safer then too.

For now, they’d enjoy the end to their year as a group of comrades, friends, and family.

To everyone’s excitement, Kaoruko and Futaba had brought out two fairly large boxes, the ones they had fetched earlier from Kaoruko’s family. It seemed as though they were actually quite pleased to hear that their daughter had such wonderful friends who she actually wanted to spend a time as special as New Year’s with. In their happiness, they had bought her so many fireworks. Sparklers, little crackers, fountains, even the really beautiful ones that burst in the sky.

Nana, Junna, and Futaba took charge of setting those up safely in the yard, while Mahiru’s team fetched buckets of water for safety reasons.

As they played under the stars with their multi-colored lights flashing about, Claudine took the entire scene in before her. In spite of all the troubles, mishaps, fights, and trials they had gone through this past year, and even the years before in Seishou, Claudine would never trade the bonds of companionship she had built with her friends for anything in the world.

Running through their supply of fireworks, as well as energy, everyone proceeded to lay down on the blanketed lounge chairs that Nana had had the foresight of setting up, predicting that everyone would want to stay outside in each other’s presence for a little while longer while waiting for one grand fireworks show that had been advertised the past few days in the news.

They knew they’d be able to spot it from where they were in the yard, so they eagerly anticipated it, the television that had been turned on in the living room had some host of some show leading off a countdown.

“Kuu-chan?”

The little girl called for her attention, tugging at the hem of her sweater, those Violet eyes searching Claudine’s very soul. She hummed in response, petting the girl’s head lovingly.

“Still not going to give up on that nickname?”

“Will you stay with me forever?”

The sudden question and disregard of her playful comment had her surprised, but the contents of the question had her heart stop for just a second.

“W-will you leave me then?”

Her lack of response must have worried the girl. Had she been frozen for long?

“W-well, that is…” If she were talking to… her Maya- oh who was she kidding?! No matter the age or appearance or… whatever, this was for a fact her. Maya. Still. If this were the normal Maya, she would have responded differently. How should she tell this child the heartfelt truth while remaining in reality without crushing her hopes and dreams?

“Kuu-“

No, it was because it was her Maya regardless of the factors, that she could and would answer the way she believed was most fitting.

“Yes.”

“E-eh?” Maya looked like she would just cry right then and there. Claudine pinched her cheek lovingly before explaining.

“I cannot guarantee that I will always be by your side physically. There will be moments in life where we will have to be apart. And physical separation may be one way, but we aren’t perfect people, did you know that? Sometimes, our hearts may drift due to various circumstances.”

“I… I don’t like that…” Eight-year-old Maya sulked. Claudine laughed, before opening her hand palm up, asking the child to place hers in the larger hand.

“I know, I don’t either.” Claudine placed a chaste kiss on the back of Maya’s hand, successfully pulling a blush out of her. “And that’s exactly why I shall strive my hardest to stay. I will try my best to remain by your side for as long as I can.” She smiled that disarming, charming smile of hers. “After all, isn’t giving my all in everything I do my strongest point? And if there come times when I cannot be near you physically, then…”

“Claudine?” She’d be lying if hearing her name from Maya plain as that didn’t make her feel immense amounts of joy and satisfaction.

“I’ll just have to entrust you to keep my heart for me until I come to retrieve it. Oui?”

She watched the girl nod, no words coming out of her mouth. Could Claudine count this as a win against the insufferable woman? Maybe it wasn’t fair to battle it out against a child, though.

“How about we join the rest in the countdown?” Claudine asked, as she guided the girl to the many lawn chairs on the veranda, taking a seat on one and patting the space in front of her so that Maya could sit between her legs.

The little girl obliged, and they heard the TV slowly reaching the tens in the countdown.

[“Twelve, eleven… Ten…”]

“Nine.” Hikari murmured so soft with a smile, taking Mahiru and Karen’s hands as she stood between them.

“Eight~” Nana smiled, chancing a glance at a Junna sporting a rare child-like excitement.

“Seven.” Kaoruko whispered in a moment of seriousness, staring with great admiration at Futaba’s back that seemed so large, despite the girl in question being quite small.

“Six.” As if she felt that gaze, Futaba turned with back with a charming smile, something different, but so so warm in her eyes directed at Kaoruko.

“Five.” Mahiru murmured, looking to the two people she loved most in the world, surprised that they were already staring her way, telling her that they would always watch over her.

“Four!” Karen jumps excitedly, pulling Mahiru and Hikari into a tight hug, before kissing them both on the cheeks.

“Three…” Junna whispered, eyes sparkling, nothing else but the warmth of Nana’s hand keeping her rooted to the reality of the world as she felt herself hypnotized by the suddenly very silent and vast night sky, not a single firework present… yet.

“Two!” A small Maya in Claudine’s lap cheered, leaning back against the blonde woman’s front.

Claudine had hoped she could share this special moment with the one she cherished above all things. Well, she was, but… she didn’t think it would be… like this. Still. Maya was Maya, and Claudine would love her and stay with her for all time.

“One.”

The lights were splendid, brighter and more passionate than many of their stages. It ignited hope and starlight in the girls, and they watched on in awe, greetings of Happy New Year along with hugs and kisses being thrown around.

“Happy New Year, Ma Maya.” Claudine whispered, hugging the small bundle in front of her, wrapping her arms around the small Maya, heart just a little heavy. “I love you.”

In her silent pain, she had failed to take notice of the being in her arms taking on a glow, and slowly growing, transforming unnoticed by everyone entranced by the lights in the heavens.

“My, what a heartfelt confession. It certainly made my own heart flutter… Saijou-san.”

She could not lift her head up any faster, heart beating miles upon miles per hour, eyes wide as she drank in the familiar, but very missed sight of Maya. Tendou Maya. Her Maya… oh beautiful, lovely, sweet, incredibly infuriating Maya.

Standing up, turning around, and then getting down on one knee by Claudine’s side, Maya returned the gesture of placing her lips softly against Claudine’s fair hand, a confession slipping out so smoothly, so naturally from her lips.

“I love you with everything that I am, as well, Ma Claudine.”

…

Suddenly, Maya was looking very panicked, and Claudine would have asked why if the girl hadn’t reached forward, wiping every tear that slipped from her eyes.

“Did it move you that deeply, my darling Claudine?” She joked, though her anxiety was very clear in her voice. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to upset you. Please… please, if you feel hurt, tell me where and I’ll-“

Maya was very quickly squeezed into a breath-taking hug, Claudine staining Maya’s sweater in her relieved tears.

“You utter idiot! Do you know how worried I actually was if you wouldn’t turn back to normal?!”

“Well, you know how Cinderella’s little spell goes; as the clock strikes midnight, the magic wears off and-“

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, I understand.” Claudine rolled her eyes.

“Oh, but you don’t. Let me finish, my dear Claudine.” Maya grinned. “Once the magic wears off, all she is left with is a normal girl, in normal dress, with nothing but her bare and honest heart as the proof that she is the one the Prince fell in love with.”

Maya turned Claudine’s hand over, kissing her palm, then up to her wrist.

“Isn’t it the same for you, ma Claudine?”

“Y-you… I…”

“As Cinderella left her Prince for but a moment, they both strived to be together again, and to stay together forever. They made such a beautiful promise, as well. In the form of lifetime vows.” There was that familiar cheeky glint in Maya’s eyes, but Claudine couldn’t find it in her to be annoyed. “And you’ve given me your vow, so how about I give you mine?”

“What…”

“Saijou Claudine. I will forever devote my soul and my love to you. And I may not always be with you in body, and sometimes in mind… but my heart will always be yours.” She laughed, adding an afterthought. “And I might prefer it if you never returned it at all. I believe you are the safest person to keep it.”

“M-mechante va!”

“EEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!!” Karen’s screams cut through the air, and through their little moment. “It’s Tendou-san!!! She’s… She’s NORMAL!” She screamed, waving her hand, pointing a finger at Maya, directing everyone’s attention to the girl at the end of it.

“Tendo-san!!!”

“Heya, Maya-chan~! We were actually beginning to worry.”

“T-Tendou-san is… she’s okay now, right? She’s normal again, right?” Karen shifted her gaze around the circle of friends, seeking confirmation that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.

“I’m afraid I never have been, Aijo-san.”

“EH? O-oh no, is something still wrong?”

“On the contrary, everything is perfect! I am simply back to my usual amazing self.”

“…”

“And annoying self, it seems.” Claudine quipped with a faux disheartened sigh, shaking her head. “You really are the most infuriating woman in the world.”

“You love it.” Maya quickly replied.

“I do.” Claudine responded just as quick, so calmly, so naturally that it threw everyone, especially Maya off.

“I… I see.”

“What happened though? Why did that happen?” Junna, ever the curious mind, asked the important question.

Maya hummed, thinking for a moment, before smiling a mysterious smile.

“Let’s just say that’s the magic of a new year.”

With everyone sure that Maya was now okay and back to her usual self, they all began the clean up before splitting off into their respective rooms, saying their good nights and welcoming the much-needed respite.

Claudine had dragged Maya to her room, very deprived of Maya’s usual annoyingness and affection that she would never admit she wanted.

As they lay on her large bed, in their night gowns, warm under the covers and entangled in each other’s arms, Maya planting kisses on the crown of Claudine’s head, she heard the smallest whisper, almost missing it.

“…I missed you.”

The brunette smiled, pulling away for a moment, and reaching into the pocket of her nightgown, pulling out a small box.

“Claudine.”

“M-Maya?”

“We are but young souls who’ve had the pleasure of crossing one another’s paths, and a lifetime vow involving marriage, though I’d certainly want it now, is jumping the gun, even for someone like me, I suppose… but for now…” Opening the case, she revealed a heart, one side black, and the other white. Separating the pieces, she had both of them sit up on the bed, before she moved to sit behind Claudine, both of them conveniently facing the direction of the room’s large mirror.

Claudine watched as Maya’s hands moved to take the ivory piece, gently guiding the thin, golden chain of the necklace around Claudine’s neck and clicking it in place, before moving her hair to one side and kissing the bare part of the blonde’s shoulder.

She remained there for a moment, before trailing upwards, leaving small nips and kisses along Claudine’s shoulder and neck, nuzzling from time to time, taking in her lovely, flowery scent, thoroughly embarrassing the girl.

“Okay, okay! That’s enough!” Claudine screeched, moving away, grabbing at the case Maya had left on the bed and retrieving the ebony-colored half of the heart, transferring her seat behind Maya. “Your turn.”

“Of course.” Maya chuckled, behaving herself for once. She stared at Claudine through the reflection on the mirror, smiling as she saw the blonde’s hands fumble momentarily with the jewelry, before shakily bringing it about her neck. “Nervous?”

“Shut up.”

“I love you.” Maya grinned at the sight of Claudine’s blush deepening as she snapped the ends of the chain together, before leaving a secret kiss in the top star’s hair. “I will gladly take that as an ‘I love you too’.

“Do you not know what it means to be quiet?”

“But of course, I do.”

“Then-“

“I just choose to annoy you instead.”

“You-you!!”

“I will marry you.”

Claudine choked.

Maya turned around to face the girl, taking two warm hands in hers, caressing them gently, each knuckle, both palms, each finger, lingering slightly on Claudine’s left ring finger.

“One day, I will. I swear.”

“…”

“So when that day comes, I won’t let you complain that you’re dealing with a difficult child, or a troublesome old lady.” Claudine rolled her eyes at that, smiling fondly. “But I welcome any and all complaints about me being an infuriating wife.”

“Oh my gosh…” Claudine laughed, but tears were already escaping those gorgeous rose-red eyes Maya fell in love with so deeply. “You are just… ugh… Mechante va!”

And despite her words, Claudine couldn’t help but draw Maya in, pressing her lips against that ridiculous grin; tenderness and intensity, a embracing warmth and scorching passion altogether found in one kiss. Love and irritation, relief and hope... a promise and a confirmation.

“Happy new year, ma Claudine. I love you.”

“I love you too. And a very happy one, indeed… ma Maya.”

[“And more happy years with you to come.”]

A/N: I’M DONE. I’M JUST. DONE. YES. THIS TOOK ME FOUR DAYS INSTEAD OF ONE BUT IDK IT SEEMS WORTH IT, MAYBE? PLEASE TELL ME. I’M DYING TO KNOW. COMMENT, KUDOS, REBLOG AO3 OR TUMBLR JUST- haha. Okay. I’m calm. Ahhh~ MayaKuro. I just read that doujin by Takano Saku yesterday. As well as reread the mangas of starira.

Anyway… Thank you again, and a happy new year to you all!

~Shintori Khazumi

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sxveme-2 · 4 years ago

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blueberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

Description: A single mother. Juggling being a mom, a full time pediatrician, and a difficult ex who believed now would be the best time to finally be a father. A soldier ripped out of time. Ex-assassin turned superhero. Learning how to balance a new domestic life with handling demons of his past, while facing the trials of the future. a love story began over something as simple as chocolate chip pancakes with hidden blueberries.

Disclaimer: I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

Status: Edited

Note: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter Thirteen: The One With the Aftermath

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1937

"He did what!?" Gen and Rose's high-pitched squeals vibrated through the cellphone, resulting in Lily dropping it from her hands in surprise. Lily had broken the news to the two about the actions taken by Mr. James Buchanan Barnes just hours before in her kitchen. The way his calloused hand and cool prosthetic rested against her pale cheeks, holding her face as though it were a fine piece of china that would break if he applied too much pressure. Followed by the pressing of his petal-soft lips to her own, creating undeniable friction between the two not even Lily's deflective tendencies could deny. All over a cup of coffee.

"Okay woah, let's relax there," Lily sighed while finishing zipping up the flower-patterned muted coral skirt she had slid on above her white lace tank top. Her hand gripped onto a cropped red cardigan that hit just below the waist of the high-cut skirt. A cute and simple outfit that encompassed the true aesthetic of Lily Osborne. One that the girls on the phone disapproved of. Speaking of which, "It was just a kiss...it doesn't mean anything, right?"

Two conflicting parts of Lily seemed to have been raging war in her mind. On one hand, she prayed and hoped that the kiss meant nothing to him. That it was simply a heat of the moment sort of thing. The tension and adrenaline of the night had welled to a head in Bucky and he made an impulsive decision that didn't mean anything. It was just a kiss. Nothing more. Nothing less. But on the other hand, Lily secretly wished that the kiss was out of some sort of romantic feeling. That he had kissed her because the slight crush that Lily had on the man out of time was reciprocated. And that he felt the same way that she did. But honestly, she wouldn't believe that if someone wrote it in the sky out of the smoke from a plane. Mostly because she herself didn't believe it was even remotely possible. A guy like that liking a girl like her? It was a cliche trope but she never thought in her wildest dreams he would even look at her in a way like that.

"You should totally ask him," Rose chimed in, seemingly shooing someone away. Lily had figured the two were sitting in the kitchen at Gen's cafe, munching on pastries as they awaited even more juicy gossip from Lily. But they would be sadly disappointed because the kiss was really the only news that Lily had. But it wouldn't stop them from hoping, "He seems like an honest guy. He already kissed you and you kissed back, what's the worst that could happen?"

After a few more minutes of back and forth between the three girls, Lily hung up her phone to focus on fixing the mop of golden hair atop her head. It was only 9 o'clock in the morning, and after the events that had transpired the night before, Lily didn't expect to see Hunter come in to her room or down to the main floor for another while. Bucky, however, Lily didn't know if he was wandering around her home, or if he had taken off somehow. If the avengers sent someone to pick him up or something. But, after leaving the soft curls be and dancing across her shoulders, Lily would soon come to learn that answer to her confusion before.

Sitting at the birchwood dinner table sat Bucky Barnes and Lily's son plowing down on some frosted flakes while laughing over something. Lily stood on the landing of the stairs, heart growing even larger than it already was. It felt as though the beating organ inside of her may explode at the drop of a hat if she kept staring at the beautiful moment in front of her. A beaming smile on her son’s youthful face and a mirrored one on the stubble-covered and worn face of the Winter Soldier. Neither boy had spotted the blonde staring longingly at them from the staircase, and she prayed silently that they didn't. Instead, she slid her phone out of her skirt pocket and took a quick picture, wanting to relive the moment a million times over if she could.

"Mom!" Hunter exclaimed when Lily's feet hit the bottom of the stairs finally. He shot from his chair and curled his slim arms around the waist of his mother. Lily smiled gently as she bent down to rest a kiss on his forehead before turning to the older man who too seemed to watch in bliss at the interaction. A similar expression to the one Lily wore just moments ago.

"Morning buddy, didn't expect to see you awake right now." the blonde smiled after Hunter released her from his grip and returned to his seat. She bent down to pick up Joey's dish, the dog's ears perking up from the mat in front of the door to the backyard. After she filled up the dog’s food and gave him his morning kisses, Lily found herself sitting at the table across from the brunette man that had stayed in her guest bedroom the night before, "Frosted flakes this morning, hm? I thought these were only for Saturday breakfasts and your birthday?"

"I pulled them out, they were the first thing I saw when I opened the pantry, I hope that's okay." His timid voice radiated across the table towards Lily, causing her eyes to shift from her son over to the rugged man that sat across from her at the table. A faint grin spread along her slightly puffed features caused by her morning rise. For a second, their eyes met and the world melted away as it always seemed to do when they met iris's. Something that Lily was sure she wouldn't be able to get used to.

-----

Not too long after all three had completed their breakfast, Lily had to excuse herself. She had a duty to call her lawyer today and set up a review of her and Scott's custody agreement. There was no way in hell after that stunt occurred, Scott would be keeping partial custody of their son. He left Hunter home alone with a clearly lousy babysitter, as well as he had lied to mary about who her child was left in the hands of. Everything about the situation was already unnerving for Lily. One part in particular that just stuck in her mind like it had been superglued, was the fact Hunter had said that the person attempting to break into Scott's apartment, or at least get his attention, was there specifically for Scott. Not just to play a heinous joke or commit a petty crime. No, they were looking for Scott Harvey specifically. And that one part did not sit well with Lily.

But instead, she had a New York-level lawyer to handle.

"Lily! it's been ages since you've called. what can I do for you today love?" the man's raspy voice echoed through the phone she held to her ear.

Carter Evanson was the man that helped Lily through the roughest parts of her divorce. Kept her sane through the entire process alongside Rose and Gen. She had been so thankful for his kind words of encouragement as she would recount the numerous emotional trauma stories she had faced in her marriage to Scott. How he hadn't touched her in ages. How whenever he came home he was drunk and always smelled of another woman's perfume. But Lily never decided to look further into these things back then. He had made her believe that nothing she did would ever make her good enough. He was the best she would get. No other man would want a woman who already had a kid and a divorce under her belt. Scott Harvey had manipulated Lily into believing she was less worthy of just about anything in the world, and she continued to believe it to this day.

But Carter's kind voice created a sense of comfort throughout the whole divorce process. Always encouraging her and remind her how good of an idea this was. That everything would work out for her. How she was strong enough to get through it without chickening out like she always seemed to do. Whether it was his warm and energetic voice that would constantly play in the back of her mind when sitting down at Scott's lawyer’s table, writing out their custody agreement as well as their splitting of assets. And because of him, the divorce became final and the majority of assets and custody landed in the a-line skirt-covered lap of Lily Osborne.

"Hey Carter, I need to set up an appointment with Scott to redo the entire custody agreement. Something happened and Hunter cannot go back there- oh I'm getting another call," Lily continued, clearing her throat after placing the lawyer on hold and answering the call, "Doctor Lily Osborne."

"Ms. Osborne? This is sergeant Harrison, we just interviewed the man who attempted to break into your ex-husband's apartment last night and uh...we need you to come into the station. Right now if possible." the police officer explained, his voice reverberating through the front of her mind, setting off her heart into a mile a minute race.

-----

Arriving at the LAPD station, or more specifically, the 88th precinct, Lily rushed through and up the elevator and up towards where they had instructed Lily to go. She had to apparently see the culprit, so after convincing Bucky to watch the young boy that is Hunter Osborne, she arrived at the precinct in a rush. The moment she heard the elevator ding, she ran out in a rush and past the small gate that blocked off the desks from the public. She saw the Sergeant she spoke to on the phone and let her ballet flat-clad feet rush forward.

"Ms. Osborne, thank you for getting here so fast." the large man sighed, neck-craning down to look at the small blonde that had rushed through, "here, come with me." Sergeant Harrison sighed softly while leading the young doctor towards the interview room.

He walked her through the doors that kept them separate from the criminal that sat in front of the two-way mirror. The moment that Lily spotted the man in front of her, the young girl had to furrow her eyebrows together. The mop of blonde hair atop the man’s head screamed at Lily in a violent signal that there was something very wrong here. The way his shoulder slouched and the fact that she was unable to see his face because of his hunched posture. She figured he was too embarrassed or ashamed to even look at himself in the mirror that the police officer and Lily looked through. But his body type, his hair, the bracelet that sat on his hand looked so familiar to Lily.

"Alright sir please state your name quickly so we can get this show started." a woman's voice sighed as she entered the room that was blocked off from Lily's presence. She was a breathtaking beauty and it almost took Lily back before she reminded herself that was not exactly what she was here for. To be honest, she wasn't 100% sure why she was actually here.

A screeching behind her caught the blonde’s attention. The Sergeant that had brought her in had pushed a chair up behind her, gesturing her to sit. Saying a quick remark about how she may need to with what she was about to learn. It caused her heart to set off into such a quick beat that she was worried it may explode inside of her chest. Whatever was about to happen clearly wasn't good news for Lily. So she sat and waited. And almost threw up.

"My name is Cedar Osborne."

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johannas-motivational-insults · 5 years ago

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Catra’s refusal to admit mistakes

Something that seems to baffle much of the SPOP fandom is why Catra can’t just admit her mistakes and try to do better instead of continuing to dig herself a deeper and deeper hole. To be fair, the situation is very baffling. It’s complex. There are a ton of psychological issues in play, and when they interact things can get very messy. I’m going to do my best to explain Catra’s thought processes and hang ups and hopefully not write a fucking novel in the process. (But if you do want a novel that analyzes these concepts in a lot of depth, go check out my fanfic Demons. Shameless self-promotion, whaaaaat?)

I have already gone into how Catra’s external locus of control comes into play, so I’m not going to break it down in as much detail here. To sum it up, though, Catra has an internalized belief that she can’t really control anything and isn’t responsible for her behavior since it’s not her fault she was put in a shitty situation in the first place. She doesn’t believe she had any choice but to be the villain. This is deeply rooted in her fearful and abusive upbringing where she had little to no control over what happened to her. A large part of that is how consequences didn’t match behavior, i.e. she wasn’t rewarded for being good and her punishments were overly harsh as well as inconsistent, affected by external factors.

There’s also the sunk cost fallacy to consider. That’s the idea that you have to get something out of your investments (of time, money, effort, etc.), even if the costs keep piling up. (In terms of money, think of people who gamble larger and larger sums of money out of determination to win back their initial bet.) For Catra, this fallacy has convinced her that if she changes course and gives up on her goals, then everything she suffered in the Horde and all the effort she put into moving up in the ranks would be for nothing. She thinks getting to the top and proving her worth/winning respect would be the ulitmate triumph. Of course, we see her struggle with disillusionment over this in season 4, which helps set the table for what we hope will be a redemption arc.

These are only two examples of the ways Catra’s abusive upbringing affected her ability to admit her mistakes. The effects of abuse (especially in one’s childhood) are pervasive, affecting your thought processes and perception of the world in a million little ways that are hard to undo. I’m going to dig deeper now into some of the other reasons Catra struggles with this. They include an authoritarian environment, scapegoating, toxic leadership, poor behavioral modelling, an exaggerated fear of punishment, and the resentment of injustice.

(Please note: in this meta I’m not trying to make excuses for Catra and say she should not have to accept responsibility for her mistakes because she was abused. My aim here is to explain why it’s so difficult for her to shoulder blame in hopes that people will better understand her.)

Also under the cut, I’m going to finish this meta by examining how Angella and Glimmer are foils to Shadow Weaver and Catra, how Glimmer had a better example set for her and has now set an example for Catra.

Authoritarianism, injustice, and fear

It’s important to understand that Catra was raised to believe that apologizing or changing course makes someone a weak person or, worse, a bad leader. As Adora says, displays of weakness are strongly discouraged in the Horde. And in an authoritarian, militarized environment like the Horde, admitting mistakes is seen as a sign of weakness. You will very rarely, if ever, see authority figures admit they were wrong, let alone try to make amends for it. And since rank/pecking order is so important in these environments, that behavior filters down because no one wants to be at the bottom.

Fact is, no one who was raised in the Horde is good at admitting they were wrong (except maybe Scorpia, but she’s Scorpia). Even Adora is bad at this. She takes on responsibility for everything and blames herself when things go wrong, but that self-flaggellating catastrophizing is not the same as critically evaluating one’s actions and their effects on other people. That in particular is something she struggles with.

This may be a problem in the Horde at large, but it’s even harder for Catra to admit her mistakes because she has been blamed for a lot of things unjustly, as well as bullied by her peers and abused by her superiors. Accepting blame for anything feels unfair because she has already suffered the consequences of many things she did not do. In her mind, hasn’t the world punished her enough already without humiliating her over the mistakes she has made? Her defensiveness makes sense, in this regard.

Not only do abuse survivors tend to be defensive and angry at the world for the unfair lot it gave us, we have a very hard time being vulnerable with anyone. Because what if they hurt us too? Admitting mistakes and accepting their consequences puts you in a very vulnerable position, and when you are used to being punished unnecessarily harshly and/or undeservingly, submitting yourself to someone else’s judgment is terrifying. These experiences (especially when they occur at a young age) wire people a certain way, make you constantly afraid even when there is no need.

Toxic leadership and poor behavioral modelling

Returning to the environment factor, where do you think Catra learned this behavior of shirking responsibility for her actions? Fact is, Catra never had anyone model to her how to say, “I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I will try to fix it.” Militarized environment or not, Shadow Weaver and Hordak aren’t the type of people who are willing to admit their own mistakes and failures. They come up with excuses or pass the blame off to other people, usually Catra. Whenever something goes wrong, Hordak blames it on Catra and all her “failings.” Whenever Adora disappointed, Shadow Weaver assumed it was because Catra was holding her back. Catra is their scapegoat. They do not apologize to her, acknowledge any harm they’ve done to her, or make any attempt to fix it.

This is especially true of Shadow Weaver, who raised Catra and was the main adult in her life throughout her childhood. Even when confronted with the damage she has done to Catra, she refuses to accept responsibility or acknowledge any wrongdoing. We have seen this in literally every season in which they interact. Catra is rightfully salty about her unjust treatment but Shadow Weaver brushes off her anger, making excuses or sidestepping the accusations.

In 1x10, Catra throws Shadow Weaver a bit of shade while comforting her after Hordak gives her a scathing lecture. Shadow Weaver immediately deflects with an insult before acknowledging her own behavior but not its detrimental effects or her responsibility for it.

Catra: Don’t worry about that thing with Hordak. I've got loads of experience being yelled at. Mostly by you, actually. You get used to it.

SW: I will not get used to mediocrity like you, and I certainly don’t need your pity! ...I was hard on you, I won't deny it, and I won't apologize. I just wanted to prepare you for the world. I wanted you to be strong.

In 2x06, Catra flat out confronts her about it, and she offers a justification for her behavior, still refusing to show any remorse. When Catra persists, she sidesteps it by responding to another part of her outburst.

Catra: Why did you treat me the way you did? Why was I never good enough for you? Really, I wanna know.

SW: Because you remind me of myself. You always have. Nothing was ever easy for me, either. I wasn’t born to power like Adora and... others. I had to earn my power, fight for it. Why should it be any different for you?

Catra: I was a child when you took me in! What could I have possibly done to deserve the way you treated me? I am nothing like you! You are old, and bitter, and weak!

SW: Ah, but you are like me. And just like me, you’re losing your position with Hordak, I can see that even from my cell.

In 3x04, Catra has all but lost hope, throwing shade and heavy accusations at Shadow Weaver. But she does make one last desperate plea for acknowledgment of the harm done to her, right before she’s hit by the crushing realization that she has once again been pushed aside for Adora. Here, Shadow Weaver doesn’t even react to the emotional content of Catra’s statement.

SW: Catra, there’s no need for us to be enemies. I can help you. I can offer you a way out.

Catra: So, what? You’re on the side of good now? You made me this way, and you get to be the good guy? Do you know what happened to me after you escaped? Do you even care? You couldn’t wait to get away from here, from me! ...But you came back for Adora.

SW: I came back to stop Hordak. I will make sure he’s destroyed. Don’t make me destroy you too.

Saying she came back to stop Hordak is sort of an excuse, but Shadow Weaver doesn’t say it like she’s trying to appeal to Catra, unlike the two earlier conversations. Once Catra rejects her offer (which we know is disengenuous, to boot) she doesn’t even bother pretending to care. Catra’s resisting her manipulation and is no longer someone she can use, so why bother?

Notably, this is right before Catra learns about the dangers of the portal (i.e. that she made a mistake when she resolved to open it) and tasers Entrapta for trying to stop her, then immediately doubles down on that mistake by sending her to Beast Island. She got one more example of refusing to acknowledge her mistakes or accept accountability right before she does it herself. The statement “Adora was right” definitely gets to her too, but she was already in an unhinged state after being tortured by Shadow Weaver, once again with no apologies. Just something to consider.

So, Catra came from this environment where she got blamed unfairly all the time yet never got any sign of remorse from the people who hurt her. As I alluded to above, in this kind of situation it’s really easy to slip into the mindset of “why should I apologize when no one ever apologized to me?” (Especially if you’ve been through a lot of forced apologies, which are always humiliating, but particularly so when you are being unfairly blamed.) This is not an easy cycle to break. When you have this constant sense of injustice weighing on you, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the world owes you something as payback and therefore you shouldn’t have to try to better yourself or move past it.

This also ties into Catra’s obsession with getting a win when she is someone who seems fated to always lose, no matter what she does. It’s not just about getting back at Adora, it’s about settling her score with an unjust universe that has always given her the short end of the stick. It’s pride and indignation and pain all mixed up in one toxic soup that pollutes the minds of the abused, and it is not easy to get over. Watching Catra hopefully start to do that in the final 13 episodes is going to be incredibly cathartic.

Glimmer and Angella as foils and examples

Full disclosure, I am writing this meta partly in response to people shitting on Catra and acting like Glimmer is so much better than her after I made a gifset contrasting their reactions to realizing their mistakes. So, I want to finish by comparing all of these observations about Catra’s upbringing with Glimmer’s upbringing. Angella is by no means a perfect parent, but she loves her daughter and tries to do what’s best for her. Most relevant to this discussion, she’s willing to admit her mistakes or change her mind when presented with new information.

For instance, Angella flips at Glimmer over the invasion by the Horde soldier in 1x03, but once she learns said soldier is She-Ra she listens and puts faith in Glimmer’s judgment, despite her misgivings. In 1x10 (in a great parallel scene to the Catra/SW one mentioned above), Angella surprises Glimmer by caring more about her well-being than her mistakes, and she admits some of her own: she ordered the battle that got Micah ‘killed’, and she gave up on the first alliance. She literally says, “I am the one who failed.” And in 3x06, she sacrifices herself in an attempt to make up for all the times she failed to act and protect people she loves.

Angella has enough humility to admit her own flaws and consider other viewpoints, and she’s not afraid to change her mind or say she’s sorry. That set a much better example for Glimmer growing up than Shadow Weaver did for Catra and Adora. And now, Glimmer has set an example for Catra. When Catra is at her lowest in 4x13, drowning in her mistakes and self-hatred and wanting to die, Glimmer shows her that she too can change course and try to correct her mistakes.

Like, did you all see the look on Catra’s face when Glimmer says she can’t use the weapon and needs to try and stop it? When Glimmer gets up Catra follows her, because this is such a compelling sight to her, something she’s never seen before. It was almost like she was thinking, “Wait, you can do that? You don’t have to double down on your mistakes?”

This is something Catra has to see, not only for its novelty but because it could give her guidance, and hope. If Glimmer can change course and atone, maybe she can too.

#spop #she ra #catra #child abuse #meta #she-ra #catra and shadow weaver #catra and hordak #locus of control #sunk cost fallacy

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monomonomagines · 4 years ago

Note

Can I get a thing with kirumi,souda,fuyuhiko,sakura and Celeste who's s/o is very afraid of horror movies but tries to play it off like they aren't but they are noticeably jumpy afterwards seeing one?

Sure thing Anon! I hope you don’t mind me going into a bit more detail about when they’d comfort S/o as some are more observant but if anything isn’t to your liking feel free to tell me! After all, I’ll gladly fix up whatever I goofed if I did at all!

Kirumi

Kirumi herself wasn't a fan of horror movies though she was perfectly content with watching them so long as you were by her side.

It wasn’t that she was ever fearful of them but she mostly only enjoyed them as it allowed her to spend her time simply allowing you to hold on to her if need be or providing for you any other way you’d need her to.

She wasn’t very pushy with her help, normally allowing you to take your time to admit how fearful you would get, but she normally noticed it far before you would even realize.

That’s why, per usual, she held a rather stoic face as you two came to the end of the movie playing this time.

You had seemed jumpy as she quickly caught onto but she still had kept her mouth shut, remaining patient as she asked you a simple, “Are you alright, S/o?”

You wanted to tell her you were, you didn’t want her to know of your fears or how badly the movie affected you so you simply shook your head, boldly brushing off her concerns at first.

However, as you continued to act noticeably jumpy, even towards her if you didn’t see her for a moment or if she placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you, she couldn’t help but become overwhelmed with her own desire to help.

She normally wouldn’t act so rash but as she didn’t know what else to do had quickly pulled you into an embrace, uttering out how it’s ok and that you’re safe.

She would protect you so there is no need to worry yourself, she’d assure you, refusing to let go of you until you seemed to show signs of improving.

“S/o I do hope you know that if there’s anything you need, I’d be happy to aid you in any way I can so please, rely on me. I’ll permit no harm to come your way.”

Kazuichi

Kazuichi isn’t the most attentive guy when it comes to his surroundings, especially during a horror movie.

All he can focus on is trying to keep up his own “cool guy” act as he doesn’t want to look like a fool around you.

He cared more than anything about what you thought of him and would be devastated if you thought anything ill of him or even worse, that he was lame and a coward.

All throughout the movie, he ended up clinging onto you just as much as you would on him, both of you trying to brush off your jumpiness with a laugh and excuse with neither of you noticing that the other felt the same.

Kazuichi was skeptical if you realized or not as he wasn’t the best actor but as he seemed to make it through the end of the movie with you, he felt a bit of confidence finally growing in his chest.

He made it, with his image intact! This was great! If not for him trying to hide his own jumpiness he would’ve cheered.

Perhaps, that action though is what exposed the two of you. Overcome with excitement he grabbed onto you, intending to pull you into a hug and instead causing you to visibly jump and yell, causing him to follow suit before he could even comprehend what the two of you were so scared for.

“Wh-what’s wrong!? What’s going on!?” He cried out, looking frantically about the two of you as you awkwardly let out a small laugh.

You tried to assure him it was nothing but even Kazuichi wasn’t that stupid. He could tell just from looking at you now that you were as jumpy as him right now and he didn’t want things to stay this way at all.

“Y’know S/o, it’s ok if you’re scared,” he says, taking your hand into his own, “i-if anything, I’m a bit jumpy myself right now so you’re not alone. If you want we could even go lay in bed, I mean, it always feels a lot safer under the covers and stuff right?”

Fuyuhiko

While Fuyuhiko was more attentive than Kazuichi was, he was certainly no Kirumi.

He’d sit out the entire movie with you, not thinking much about the first few times you would react to any of the scares.

However, as the movie crept closer and closer to its eventual end, he quickly took note of how you grew increasingly jumpy.

“You know, if you’re so scared of it, you don’t have to watch it!” He yells out, not realizing how loud he was due to his frustration until he saw your body jump once again.

He knew he wasn’t the most gentle when he got frustrated, he was the Ultimate Yakuza after all and he had his own struggles with his anger but at that moment he knew he scared you.

He didn’t intend to but he made you jump and he felt awful.

Without a second thought, he brushed aside your excuses as he looked at you with a rare concerned expression.

“I’m not buying any of that bullshit,” he says, trying to keep his voice softer this time, “I can tell you’re scared so I’m not leaving this on. Give me the remote!”

Ignoring the excuses pouring from your mouth once again, he quickly grabs the remote from your hands, flicking off the TV and dropping the remote to his side dramatically.

He didn’t care if he seemed stubborn or childish to you right now, what he wanted was to make you feel better and you’d best believe that he’d do whatever he can to accomplish this!

Losing any sense of pride, he pulled you into a hug, brushing your hair back as he reassures you that he’s right there and that even some stupid monster wouldn’t be a match for him.

“Do you know who you’re talking to? I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, The Ultimate Yakuza! As if some guy with eyes all over his body could take me, that’s just more points I can hit him anyways!”

Sakura

Sakura, similar to Kirumi and Fuyuhiko, wasn't easy to stir up.

She was steeled enough to act calm and rational in most situations, rarely seeming affected even by any real-life horrors she might encounter.

However, she also was attentive enough to notice that this wasn’t exactly the case for you.

She didn’t mention it as she didn’t want to damage your pride at all, but she could certainly tell that you would be more of a mess without her here so she simply laid her larger hand next to yours for you to grab if you so pleased.

She wanted to do more of course, but with the way things were she was a bit apprehensive, worried that she might make you jump even worse than the movie playing before the two of you.

That’s why she didn’t even utter a word, even as you took her offering, grabbing onto her hand and squeezing her for dear life as you jumped again and again at the scares.

It wasn’t actually until the end of the movie that she finally spoke up, nearly causing you to jump in itself due to how shaken up you were.

“S/o, you’re far too shaken up! Let’s put something else on to calm your nerves.” She says, releasing your hand as she gets up and looks to you, giving a small gentle smile.

“I’ll put on some soothing videos and get you a drink. It should help you to recover your strength.”

Celeste

Celeste has no issues with horror movies, quite enjoying them herself if they happen to have anything to do with vampires especially.

This didn’t mean that her attention was fully on the movie playing in front of the two of you though.

Celeste was rather observant herself so she could easily see through your brave act, noticing immediately how you tried to brace yourself for each scare, only to look worse off than you had before.

She had noticed but she didn’t want to say anything to address it either. If you wanted to put on a brave act so badly, she wasn’t going out of her way to say anything. After all, that was all on you.

Or so she thought, but Celeste couldn’t help but go soft when she noticed your looks worsening even as you both neared the end of your current film.

She was a fan of the pale look but certainly not to this extent. With how bad you looked she couldn’t help but worry, despite her poker face hiding even those kinder feelings of hers.

She could tell there was no stopping you if she addressed your skittishness now, so rather than say anything she made an excuse herself, giving an exaggerated yawn as she announced, “I’m feeling rather tired, S/o. How about we finish this movie another time and head to bed together?”

She was normally a good actress but when she saw the face you gave her she could already guess that you were going to spill excuse after excuse of how you weren’t scared, even if she knew better.

“S/o, you know that you cannot hide such a thing from me, yes? I can tell you're scared even now, so I wanted to take a break. It should be the greatest honor for someone like me to be worried for you, shouldn’t it?” She asks, smiling matter of factly as she grabs the remote from your hands to turn off the TV.

She wasn’t the best at opening up to you but you could tell she cared. You knew that just as much as you knew not to argue with her, feeling a smile cross your features as she brushed off her own evident worries the way you did.

“You shouldn’t be focusing on a silly movie like that when you’re keeping me waiting, right?”

#danganronpa #danganronpa imagines #dr1 #dr2 #drv3 #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #danganronpa goodbye despair #danganronpa killing harmony #danganronpa x reader #x reader #kirumi tojo #kazuichi soda #kazuichi souda #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #fuyuhiko kuzuryu #sakura ogami #celestia ludenberg #ask #mod toko

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the--highlanders · 4 years ago

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21. Lucky

on ao3.

“What good luck,” the Doctor was saying cheerfully, “that the side door happened to be unlocked.”

Good luck was not exactly how he would have put it, Jamie thought, wrinkling his nose and trying in vain to shake some of the water out of his boots. There was no other word for the pipe they were wandering through but damp. The overflow of the canals above them filled the bottom in a layer several inches deep and thick with grit and algae, and the walls were so slick with moisture and overgrown with stubborn little plants that they might as well have been sodden themselves. But the Doctor traipsed on, sometimes whistling to himself happily, mostly espousing the many virtues of the path they had found.

“And what good luck,” he was carrying on, “that it’s such a direct route.”

“Aye,” Jamie said, for what must have been the thousandth time. “Very lucky.” He would have much preferred to try and catch up to this beastie through somewhere with a little more light, that was for sure. But the Doctor never seemed to mind about the darkness. Jamie could only hope that the creature was not similarly immune. “What are we gonnae do when we find it?”

“Ah. Yes.” A rustling sound echoed down the pipe from ahead of him, and Jamie could only imagine that the Doctor was rifling through his pockets. Sure enough, only a moment later something cold and metallic was thrust against his stomach, and he fumbled to catch hold of it. It was something like a set of manacles, just slightly too large to have fitted inside the Doctor’s coat. “We’re going to trap it and see if we can’t take care of whatever it is that’s making it more aggressive than it should be.”

“Oh, aye.” Jamie thought it over for a moment. “How are ye gonnae figure out what it is?”

“Well, we’ll simply have to get a closer look at it, that’s all.”

A hard pit of dread sunk through Jamie’s stomach, and he glanced down at the manacles in his hands. “No.”

“It’s quite simple,” the Doctor said soothingly. “All you have to do is catch it and get those around its hind legs. Its front legs aren’t strong enough to carry it particularly far.”

“An’ then you’ll get the easy job of walkin’ up to it afterwards, I ‘spose?”

“Oh – I wouldn’t exactly call my part easy.” The Doctor held up another something, and Jamie squinted at it, trying to figure out its shape from the way the few fractions of light that lit their way glinted off its surface. Tweezers, perhaps, or a small knife. Maybe even a syringe. “It could still bite my hand off while I’m tending to it.”

“Great,” Jamie muttered under his breath. “That’s very comforting.”

The Doctor stopped so suddenly that he bumped right into the back of him, shoving him forwards against something solid. “Oof! Do watch where you’re going, Jamie.”

“Sorry,” Jamie muttered. “I cannae see so well as ye can.” He leant over the Doctor’s shoulder, craning his neck to see a door looming out of the darkness before them. “What’s this, then?”

“I’m not sure,” the Doctor murmured. “By my estimations, it shouldn’t be closed.”

“Is it not the way up tae the surface again?”

“No, it can’t be – we haven’t come far enough, and there’s nowhere for the water to have gotten out. It’s almost as if it’s – well, some sort of airlock.”

Jamie glanced around at the walls of the pipe. “What’s an airlock doin’ down here? I didnae think anyone came this far.”

“Well, they don’t, not normally – but there is a system for sectioning off certain pipes to control the inflow into the canals. So it doesn’t flood after it rains, you know. Some of the excess water will be kept here until it can be safely carried downstream and away from the city.”

“An’ if it’s closed – is it full?”

“Well...” Leaning forwards, the Doctor pressed his weight against the circular handle in the middle of the door. It let out an awful whining sound, metal screeching against rusted metal, but he only managed to turn it a little way before stumbling back again, rubbing at his palms. “I don’t see why it would be. There hasn’t been an overflow for some time. No, I think this must be the way forward.”

There were too many things wrong with the whole situation for Jamie to wrap his mind around them all. The Doctor would figure it out, he told himself. He always did in the end. And yet he did have suck a knack for missing the obvious…

Something was echoing down the pipe.

Almost like the click of claws on metal, half-muffled by water.

Turning around agonisingly slowly, Jamie found himself face-to-face with a very large, very luminescent, and very toothy missed obvious.

“Doctor!” he hissed, tugging on the sleeve of the Doctor’s coat without daring to turn away from the creature. It stretched its head forwards, sniffing at him, and he screwed up his face against the rancid raw-meat smell of its breath. “Doctor!”

“Jamie!” the Doctor hissed back. “I am trying to get this door open!”

“Doctor...” Jamie gripped his shoulder tighter against the Doctor’s efforts to shake him off. “Ye know how ye said it was lucky? That we could get down here?”

“Yes, I did, didn’t I.” Leaving Jamie to hold onto him, the Doctor threw his weight onto the door handle once more. It jumped – fell still – then slowly, painfully, began to turn. “And I dare say it’s rather lucky that this isn’t too securely locked, either.”

The door slid open a tiny fraction. Cold water slopped over them through the gap.

“Ah,” was all the Doctor said as he hurriedly slammed the door closed again. Turning around to meet Jamie’s eyes a little sheepishly, he caught sight of the creature looming over them. “Ah.”

“Aye.”

The creature took a step forward, the dim light radiating out from its fur just enough to highlight its long, sharp snout and slavering jaws. Jamie pressed himself back against the Doctor, who in turn leant against the door, frantically trying to lock it again.

“Jamie,” he said, his voice low and barely concealing his panic. “You know how I said all those things were lucky?”

“Aye?”

“Well, I’m beginning to think we’ve been… set up, as it were. Sent on a wild goose chase.”

“Ye mean – someone knew we’d go through that door? An’ sent this thing after us?”

“Something along those lines, yes.”

Tilting its head back and forth, the creature fixed first one beady eye on them, then the other. Jamie leant back, turning slightly towards the Doctor. “I don’t suppose ye have any ideas.”

“Well...” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the Doctor’s gaze was held firmly on the creature’s underside. As it stamped and shuffled around, he caught a glimpse of what he was looking at – an enormous pustule of glowing purple liquid hanging from its stomach. Even in the sickly light, he could see that the skin around it was reddened, the veins cast in stark black. “I do have one idea.”

It had been a small knife in his hand, Jamie saw, and with a rush of horror he realised exactly what the Doctor was thinking. “Ye can’t!” he exclaimed – and the loudness of his words made the creature screech, spraying sticky saliva over them. It lunged forwards, and they ducked out of the way in unison, leaving it to crash against the metal of the door behind them. Stunned, it pulled back to shake its head, and Jamie bit back another exclamation, this time of triumph. Darting forwards, the Doctor paused to grasp the knife more firmly before stabbing it into the pustule.

The creature’s first screech had been nothing to the ear-shattering roar it let out as the growth burst open. The Doctor barely managed to duck out of the way in time before its contents splattered over the walls of the pipe, leaving only smoking gaps where plants had once grown. Fumbling for Jamie’s hand, he pulled him away, but the creature was thrashing around, too caught up in its own pain to notice them. The luminescence was slowly draining from its fur, pouring out alongside the purple liquid. Convulsing, it smashed its head against the door once – twice – three times.

A crack had appeared in the metal.

It widened – split – and bowed inwards. Water began to flow through it, a trickle growing into a larger spray, making the creature startle and stumble backwards. Fumbling around in a frenzy of limbs and tail, still bellowing out its fright and pain, it fixed its eyes on the Doctor and Jamie once more.

“Ah, Jamie...” The Doctor reached out for his hand. “When I say run...”

The crack split open even wider, sending water thundering into the pipe.

If the Doctor had yelled run, it was lost in the cacophony of water and creature and their own pounding footsteps. The pipe was too narrow for them to run side by side, but they kept their hands clutched between them as they went, the Doctor pulling Jamie onwards. From the crashing that echoed down the pipe behind them, he knew that the creature was following close behind, though he did not dare spare a glance over his shoulder. It could easily trample them to death, he thought in a wave of horror, though he wondered if it would not be the water that got to them first.

Shaking himself, he fixed his gaze on the Doctor running ahead of him, mustering what was left of his breath to call out. “Is this really what ye call lucky?”

#second doctor #fanfic archive #my writing #sketchtober 2020

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greyias · 5 years ago

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FIC: Smoke and Mirrors - Chapter 1

Title: Smoke and Mirrors Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: T Genre: Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn Synopsis: Something's rotten on Carrick Station, and Theron won't rest until he finds out what. But picking at the frayed threads of suspicion quickly unravels a conspiracy much larger than even the Republic's top spy can handle on his own. (A mostly canon-compliant retelling of the Forged Alliances storyline, as seen through the eyes of Theron Shan.) Spoilers: Forged Alliances. SWTOR Lost Suns and Annihilation. Some things in the Vanilla storyline, including the Revan flashpoints. Author’s Notes: Out of necessity, parts of this story will contain scenes from the game itself. Whenever possible I’ve tried to rewrite them so that they hopefully remain fresh and interesting, while still retaining the essence of the scene itself (so hopefully it doesn’t feel like you’re reading a transcript). This one is also going to be a bit slow to start, but it’s going to be a long one.

When the Supreme Commander of Republic Forces called — it was generally a good idea to answer. Even if he just so happened to be your father.

However, this was official business, so Theron Shan decided to ignore that fact as he strode into the large office located in one of the corners of the Senate towers. The receptionist had waved him through without any fuss this time around.

Perhaps she had gotten used to him at this point — she hadn’t even glared at him this time. He supposed that was progress. It was nothing he had done, of course, just a bit of guilt-by-association. She and Marcus Trant, the Director of Republic’s Strategic Information Services had gotten quite chummy a little while back, but alas, she was not to become the third women to hold the title of “Mrs. Trant”. Easy come, easy go as the saying went.

Come to think of it, maybe the lack of glares this time around had more to do with the fact that Trant hadn’t accompanied Theron. It was a mystery for another time, though, as his gaze fell on the figure seated behind the desk in the center of the room.

Jace Malcom was an extraordinarily tall man, he towered over Theron by at least a foot or so, and between the height, his deep gravelly voice, and the gruesome scars crisscrossing his face, the man could come off a little imposing. Theron wasn’t easily intimidated though, and he had a… unique situation with Jace. — considering the fact that the man was his father. Biologically at least, or… whatever.

It was complicated.

Theron hadn’t even known who Jace was, outside of his military record that was, until they’d met during the mission to take out the Ascendant Spear. Their first real meeting as father and son hadn’t exactly gone well, it was awkward, Theron had just wanted to leave, and most of their interactions outside of a professional setting had just been a bit like that. On the job, they were good. Despite popular opinion, Theron could take orders (when they made sense), and off the clock they… well, they were trying to settle into something resembling familiarity. The “father-son bonding sessions” were thankfully few and far between. Theron liked Jace well enough, and they certainly got along better than he and his mother, but it wasn’t exactly like they were going to go out and throw the gravball around any time soon.

However, this meeting request had come through official channels, so thankfully that probably meant things would be less awkward and weird. At least he hoped.

Theron cleared his throat, pulling the older man’s attention away from the datapad he was reviewing. Seeing his visitor, some of the deep lines on Jace’s face smoothed into a smile. “Ah, Theron, you’re early.”

“Traffic wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.” He folded his arms in an effort to look casual. “Trant had a Senate briefing, so you get me instead.”

“That’s all right, I was hoping you’d be here for this. We can loop the director in later.”

“Your message was a bit vague,” he said, “just that you had some intel you wanted to discuss?”

Jace nodded. “One of my men came to me with something he picked up in the field — regarding Korriban. And a way we might be able to strike back.”

Theron’s eyebrows shot up. “Hitting Korriban? You can’t be serious.”

“I am.” The elder man looked at him grimly. “This all started on Korriban, it would be fitting for us to start the death knell for the Empire there.”

Korriban had been one of Jace’s first stations, and where he had met the future Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Satele Shan — who just so happened to be Theron’s mother. Theron shifted the weight of his feet, a habit he’d unfortunately picked up in these conversations when the subject of his mother came up, even indirectly as it was now. He hated having a tell, even something so minor and with someone like Jace who while sharp, probably hadn’t picked up on it.

A change of subject from ancient history back to the present was probably in order — and a lot more comfortable. So Theron addressed the deeper issue at hand. “SIS has been trying to get a mole on Korriban for years, and everyone we’ve tried to embed there winds up dead. That place is a death trap.”

“I’m not asking anyone to go undercover,” Jace assured him. “I’m thinking more smash and grab. But before that, I want you to look over this intel and let me know if you think it’s viable.”

“Me?”

“You were the one who cracked how to take out the Ascendant Spear — if anyone can do the same with Korriban, it’s you.”

It was a high compliment, and genuinely based on his skillset, rather than a form of nepotism. After their success against the Ascendent Spear, Theron had been tapped as a resource more and more for Malcom’s office. It had kept him out of the field more than he liked, but the tangible results of his work on the overall war was satisfying in its own way.

“That seems simple enough,” Theron said, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Any reason for all of the cloak and dagger?”

“Considering the target I don’t want to take any chances. I want someone I can trust taking point on this.”

Theron couldn’t quite decipher the look on Jace’s face, but nodded a thanks all the same. It was… odd having someone be so complimentary and open about that kind of thing. Trant’s usual way of expressing gratitude was a cutting sarcastic remark. Which he was fine with — it was familiar. Easy. But the mark of a good spy was adapting to the situation at hand.

Even if that meant a little bit of inadvertent father-son bonding.

Jace handed over a small data chip. The fact that he wasn’t trusting any of this on any network channel spoke volumes about the need for discretion.

“I’ll look this over and get you an answer as soon as possible.”

That seemed to satisfy Jace, but as Theron made his way out of the office and out into the streets, he was unsettled. The reason for that feeling wasn’t readily apparent, but hopefully once he had a chance to dig into the data he’d figure it out. He tended to trust his gut on these things, but a chance to strike as rich of a target as this was too good to pass up on a mere bad feeling alone.

The more he dug into the intel that Jace had given him, the more Theron had to admit that the Supreme Commander was right. A strike on Korriban not only seemed viable, but had the potential to yield invaluable information that could finally lead to an end to the war.

A Jedi named Jensyn had come away from an encounter with an apprentice to a member from the Dark Council, revealing that they had databanks in their main chambers with some of the inner-most secrets to the Empire. A literal goldmine of information that could turn every future battle and operation to the Republic’s favor. It was almost too good of an opportunity to pass up, and so Theron kept digging. Every intelligence report surrounding the encounter checked out, and just because he liked being paranoid, Theron looked into the Jedi too. The man had served aboard the Telos in its campaign in the Albarrio and Relgim sectors, and had an exemplary service record. The closest thing he found to a red flag was the copious amount tea Jensyn liked to consume.

As far as Theron could tell, the intel seemed clean.

That just left the minor problem of storming Siths’ the inner-keep. Just getting on the ground would have been an issue, except that apparently a SpecOps commander named Rian Darok had found a gap in the patrols on Korriban. It wasn’t a large one, and they’d never be able to launch a full-scale assault… but a strike team could make it through and perform an extraction.

Theron filled a large mug to the brim with caf, settled into the most comfortable chair he could find at SIS Headquarters, and got to work mining everything they had on Korriban. He had to cobble the data together from a variety of sources to even get a close picture if it could be done. They had old schematics of the ground layout, but due to the age he had to cross-reference it with a report from an escaped acolyte to confirm the probable obstacles facing a strike team on their route from the landing zone into the Academy. This, coupled with bits and pieces of security information scraped from the almost-defunct Imperial intelligence, yielded an access point for someone on the ground that could allow a talented slicer to insert an exploit. It was technically doable, but the resistance the ground team would face stacked the deck against the op’s favor.

“Viable but a logistical nightmare” was how he summarized it to Jace and Marcus the next morning, gratefully accepting the giant mug of caf the Supreme Commander had ready for him the moment he walked in the door.

“Pay up,” Marcus said, and Jace grudgingly handed over a credit chip.

Theron narrowed his eyes at the both of them suspiciously over the rim of his mug. “And what was that for?”

“Just how quickly you’d go for caffeine,” Marcus said casually.

Theron fixed his boss with a glare before taking a very long drag of the zippy brew. Apparently being Supreme Commander came with some perks, because if the spy wasn’t mistaken, this was the more expensive Alsakan Mountain roast. The director just shook his head and turned to the datapad with all the findings, letting out a low whistle at the potential yield if the operation was successful. As both of the older men perused the data, Theron barely suppressed a yawn. The all-nighter had come at the tail end of an op, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was probably needing at least a few hours of sleep.

“You could have taken two days to look at all this,” Jace said lightly, “but I appreciate the enthusiasm.”

“Intel can go stale quick.” Theron shrugged off the paternal concern easily.

“All the reason to act quickly,” Jace said, “if Trant can spare you for a little bit.”

“Please, take him. Much less of a headache for me.”

“I’m really feeling the love here,” the agent muttered.

“You’d feel more if you turned your expense reports on time.”

“You have to get a thrill somehow since you’re not out in the field anymore,” Theron shot back easily. “I’m just trying to help.”

“You see what I have to deal with?” Marcus pointed the question at Jace, who just shook his head.

“Well, I’m happy for the loan, Marcus,” he said, turning the subject back to the matter at hand. “I can see how logistics can get sticky, but I think I’ve got someone who can help with that. Colonel Darok has a knack for this kind of thing.”

Having spotted the hole in the patrol route, Theron had to admit the man had a keen eye.

“You’d need a small army just to get through that many Sith. No way to get that many troops in,” Theron pointed out. “I don’t even see how even a master tactician is going to navigate that. ”

“What about a small strike team?” Marcus asked.

“Might work, but they’d need to have hides of durasteel.”

Jace looked thoughtful for a moment, before he headed over to his desk and pulled up a few dossiers on a datapad. He paged through a few, before handing it over to Theron. “Have you ever heard of the Coruscant Aegis?”

“Never met them personally,” Theron paused to take another sip from his mug before continuing, “but one of them provided cover fire on an extraction for me once.”

Marcus snorted, apparently remembering the incident in question. “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

“I needed to make a hasty exit, and the lady was kind enough to clear a path. At least I think it was a lady—there was a lot of blaster fire. Pretty sure she called me insane.”

“That sounds about right.” Marcus heaved the heavy sigh of the wearied soul.

“I suppose I owe whoever it was some thanks,” Theron said. “Probably wouldn’t have made it out without the assist. Some nice flying and shooting.”

“They’re good at what they do,” Jace agreed, “the best actually.”

“Are any of them lightsaber-proof?” Theron asked sarcastically.

“They haven’t let one stop any of them so far.”

Theron juggled the mug and datapad, skimming through the personnel files as he continued to sip from the sweet caffeinated nectar. He tried to school his expression as he skimmed through the major highlights of each name, but the laundry list of heroic deeds associated with each individual was quite impressive. A notorious smuggler who had taken down the Voidwolf. The commander of Havoc Squad. Even a member of the Jedi High Council. It was the last one that made Theron stop and frown.

“Is this last one even real?” he asked.

Jace nodded solemnly. “She is.”

“It says she killed the Sith Emperor.”

That got Marcus’s attention, who leaned over Theron’s shoulder to read the dossier. Not liking the crowding, he handed the datapad over to his boss, and proceeded to prop his hip on Jace’s desk, still nursing the mug of caf.

“You asked for a small army,” Jace pointed out. “Any of them would be able to perform the extraction.”

“I’d say in that case we should get them all,” Theron said, “but they’re probably pretty scattered.”

Their window of opportunity to strike for this was going to close fast, though, so time was of the essence. It was probably also best to keep the number of those aware of the operation on the lower side too. Even if they were going to take on the entire Sith Academy, and maybe even the Dark Council.

Jace nodded. “You probably can get one in all likelihood.”

“Me, huh?”

“Colonel Darok will be in charge of the operation,” Jace clarified, “but I want the SIS involved on this. This is too big of a target to not bring in our best.”

Theron caught the backhanded compliment, but instead of responding verbally, he just nodded. “I can do some recruiting if you want. You have a preference?”

“Surprise me.”

Jace flashed him a brief knowing grin, and Theron checked the urge to roll his eyes. He was fairly certain Marcus wasn’t aware of the familial connection, so showing disrespect to the man who was technically his boss’s boss probably wouldn’t help things in the long run. Knowing the way his luck tended to run, Theron would probably need to appeal to the director’s better nature in the next month for some reason or another. Theron didn’t intentionally cause diplomatic and inter-departmental incidents, they just tended to… happen. Sometimes. And by sometimes he meant like clockwork.

“I’m going to need a little time to dig into the files if that’s the case,” he said instead of rising to the teasing.

“That’s fine.” If Jace was disappointed in Theron’s utter professionalism, it didn’t show, and the moment of levity slipped away. "It will take me some time to get Darok caught up and for us to put a battle plan together.”

Theron nodded and pocketed the datapad from Marcus. “Exactly how much time are we talking about?”

“Enough that you can sleep on it,” Jace tried to keep his tone light, but Theron still caught a hint of paternal concern threading underneath.

“Sleep?” Marcus snorted derisively. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“I sleep when I’m bored,” Theron shot back.

“Good. Then you’ll be out before you even get through the first dossier.”

“Are you kidding? This is better than a holo-drama.” The spy tapped his pocket where he had stowed the datapad.

Jace just shook his head, amused, and the discussion turned to other matters of intelligence. Theron let himself out once he finished his mug of caf, the weight of the datapad in his pocket a reminder of the upcoming mission. Despite the caffeine, he could feel fatigue pulling at him. Either the long hours were getting to him, or the unsettled feeling from the previous day was still eating at him. Maybe after he was able to study the personnel files some more, he could take a moment to review his notes and pinpoint what was bothering him. And then he could get some sleep.

Next Chapter

#swtor fanfiction #theron shan x jedi knight #Theron Shan #Female Jedi Knight/Hero of Tython #oc: greyias highwind #otp: adorkable #smoke and mirrors #SoR Fic O Doom #fanfic #greyfic

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kunrendeotaku · 4 years ago

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Chapter 6

“Okay!” Star bounces through the steam filled bathroom towards the shower, and the look on her face gives me a bad feeling. “Star, you remember what I told you about how to use the knobs, right?” I throw her a pair of clean towels, leaning against the bathroom counter while still in my own towels. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Hot and cold and righty tighty lefty loosey or whatever.” Star slams the stall shut and begins tossing her own clothes over the stall door with a lack of hesitation that surprises me. Its definitely not my first rodeo, so it doesn’t bother me knowing shes naked on the other side of that glass or seeing her underwear (petticoats? Chemise? Weird shorts? Medieval underwear is weird, especially with that almost modern blend, so i’m not sure what to call the little light dress and poofy, almost boxers I assume she was wearing under her dress) lying over her other clothes, but usually it kind of freaks exchange students out to have me in the room while they shower.

Regardless of male or female, I have to say. Although, the female response the first few times can be a bit more...violent. I distinctly remember the black eye I got from Jeane, a french girl who stayed with us a couple years back. Maybe being a princess, Star is used to changing and bathing in front of other people? I heard they used to get servants to wash and dress them back in the day, though Star seems independent enough that I doubt she had servants do that for her. If someone in her castle (does she have a castle, or just like a mansion?) actually is supposed to be the one in charge of cleaning this force of chaos, I really quite pity them. Anyway, long story short, I recognize that it's weird for me to do this, but I really have to make sure she’s safe! It's just a bit more weird that she seems not to care herself.

I watch her silhouette through the cloudy glass finally managing to turn on the water, and a sharp yelp echoes out from the shower. Clearly not quite the temperature she was expecting, though whether too cold or hot I couldn’t say. I decide to grab a nail file from its spot (outlined in a thin layer of chalk!) on my side of the counter and do my daily cuticle care. Hangnails could lead to terrible things, after all. The feeling of the abrasive surface dragging against my nails relaxes me, over the next few minutes. Really, this whole situation relaxes me. Star might be the...weirdest of our exchange students so far, but she still fills what always feels like a hole in the household when we don’t have one. I wonder if I would react like this if I had a brother, or sister? Sharing a bathroom, not feeling relaxed unless someone is watching my back? I don’t really know.

Out of the shower comes a steady stream of giggling mixed with yelps and weird curses as Star clearly can’t keep her adhd hands away from the knobs. She doesn’t seem capable of letting the water temperature be, getting bored within a few seconds no matter how comfortable she makes it. I’ve heard that if people are locked in a room with a box that does nothing but shock them, they’ll eventually start poking the box even though it hurts them, just out of sheer boredom. We hate that more than pain by quite a bit. I feel like I’m watching that process happening right now in fast forward, seeing Star freeze or burn herself every few moments. It actually worries me a bit that she might forget herself and blast a hole in our shower, but a quick glance around shows that she left her wand on her side of the sink. At least that won’t be a problem.

I nearly jump right out of my towel when I hear her scream “Marco!”, and opt to drop my nail file instead to grab and right my only current covering. “What, Star? Now my file is all dirty.” I begin grumbling, leaning over to snag the nail file from the ground. Just as I do so, I hear another, much louder clatter of something hitting tile-this time from inside of the shower itself. I blink, leaving the poor file where it lies and looking up at the shower. Luckily, based on her silhouette, the falling object wasn’t Star herself, but she seems squeezed into one of the corners. “Marco! I think I turned the knob too much and it broke! Now the shower is in like, super volcano heat mode. Can you fix it??”

In spite of herself, even Star seems embarrassed to ask a boy into her shower, her voice shaking with nerves for that last sentence. It's a first for me as well, I might act comfortable with all this, but familiarity is a thin blanket of defense against the realization that we’re both teenagers, alone in a soon to be very small space while wearing almost nothing. “I don’t think that's a good idea, Star! Just turn it off, grab your towel, and get out.” She messes around with the one remaining knob for a few moments, before it too pops off and falls. “That didn't work! And I haven’t gotten to play with the weird bubble syrup soap yet. Pleaaaase?” Surely she has shampoo in her dimension, or something like it. I just chalk this particular bit of oddness up to Star’s personality and sigh, a blush coloring my cheeks. I pinch the towel tighter, and glance down below my waist to give a warning look towards mister happy. Entering into a shower with a naked girl or not, I really don’t need any tenting going on around Star after only knowing her for a day.

“Fine, I’m coming in. Just...cover yourself up! I won’t look in your direction.” I wait until she gives the all clear, still huddled in her corner of the shower, before slowly pulling open the shower door. I’m immediately blasted with a wave of steam and small sprays of hot water-jesus, its has to be near boiling. Do we even have water that hot in our shower? I keep my eyes glued to the tile floor, and notice the pair of temperature knobs immediately. They’re sitting in the spray itself, which will make for a painful snatch and grab, but should be possible. The other thing I see is a pair of pale, surprisingly small feet. I wonder if she has her boots made larger than she needs to for some reason? Looking up further make it clear what her leggings usually hide, that her calves are just as toned as her arms. No delicate daisy, Star. I have to physically force myself not to look up any further than that, turning my attention back to the knobs.

Star, uncharacteristically, stays silent throughout this. Maybe she’s feeling just as awkward as I am. Or more so! I at least have a towel, after all. She just has….Don’t think about it Diaz! I grab both knobs with a slight his of pain at the hot water, my hands going as red as my face must still be. I’m afraid to look down at my groin, but at least it should be mostly hidden with me kneeling down and hunched over. The next issue immediately makes itself clear to me, after having acquired the knobs. In order to fix them, I’ll need to look up where they usually go-and Star will be directly in my line of sight. Half out of need and half out of teenage boy hormones, I raise my gaze.

A weird mixture of relief and disappointment engulfs me as I realize that Star is actually shockingly well covered. Her giant cloud of blonde hair has been moved from where it usually sits behind her, to in front of her shoulders. Everything from her knees up is completely hidden by the thick, wet blonde locks. Even her face is partially obscured, though when I look into the small part of her cheeks and eyes I can see, I realize she either was burned by that scalding water or is blushing even harder than I am-every bit of her face is the color of a tomato. She intently whispers to me “Marco, hurry up!” Which finally distracts me from my shameless ogling. I feel my cheeks attempt to experiment with new shades of red as my embarrassment at being caught staring at a ‘naked’ girl hits me, and I try to just quickly screw the temperature knobs back on.

Placing them at their perfect sharpie marked spot, I warn Star not to touch them again before finally backing out of the shower, closing the stall door, and standing back up. My heart slows down from beating a million times a minute, and I hear a similar release of tension in a sigh from the other side of the shower door. We both slowly find our previous positions, I finishing off my nails by the counter, and Star having distracted herself with the wonders of shampoo.

It's not long after that Star leaves the shower, wrapped in her own pair of towels. Her hair towel isn’t exactly equipped to deal with the sheer volume of her hair, but its doing its best. By mutual silent agreement, we don’t mention the shower escapade. Better news, now that I’m back in familiar territory, Marco Jr. has completely settled down-no damning tenting below the waist. “Now we can just head to our rooms and get dressed. I, apparently, have a lot of cleaning to do-and you need to have a chat with Mom ASAP. As soon as possible, is what that means Star.” I answer the question I can see forming on her face before she even gets the first word out, which has her giggling. “Okay! I’ll swing by your room later then!” She claims, before opening up the door and allowing two showers worth of steam to invade the house.

I pretty quickly follow her out, though I make the turn to my room instead of hers. Everything I own is back! In a giant, disorganized pile in the center of the room. I feel my eye twitch at the sight, slam my door behind me, and get to work on the first priority: Finding my Jam-Jams.

#star vs the forces of evil #svtfoe #rating: mature #marco diaz #fanfiction #fanfic

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gb-fics · 4 years ago

Text

Camping

Fanfiction:

Kiryuuin Shou x Kyan Yutaka (Golden Bomber)

Note: Happy birthday, Kirisho! This is not really a romantic fanfic, but rather one about friendship ^-^ It’s set during Shou’s on-going 24-hour livestream camping on his birthday - more precisely while he is in his tent to sleep, so I thought I’d post it before he gets up :D I know it’s not accurate (larger tent for example, because his is TINY XD), but I did my best to adjust it to the real setting (^-^)

Frustrated Shou put aside the leftovers of his meal and forced himself to flash a quick smile at the camera. Of course, there were plenty of leftovers. Shou had cooked too much for a single person. He had felt like he ought to treat himself on his birthday, but it hadn’t changed the fact that one person alone could only eat so much. There was something sad about that. Shou wished he hadn’t opened the second bottle of alcohol. It turned him sulky.

He closed his MacBook and waved at the cameras.

“Good night, everyone”, he said. “Let’s meet again tomorrow morning. Bye-bye. Good night.”

He wondered, if the fans were able to tell he was feeling down. He tried to cover it up with another smile.

Bustling to clean up outside of the pavilion had forced him to run through the rain. The downpour of the afternoon had turned into a slight drizzle, hardly audible on the roof, but still enough to make his black jeans cling to his legs damp and uncomfortable. Somehow, he hadn’t expected it would get this cold at night. Shou wished he could ignite the bonfire again to warm himself.

He put up the sign that told everyone to tune in on the livestream at 8am again. He felt bad for making the fans wait so long, but he needed the rest. And the fans were probably tired as well. He had kept them up long enough already, without having anything interesting to offer in the first place. Just a lonely, old man drinking by himself. Not very entertaining. Shou hoped the fans hadn’t been bored or disappointed while watching him. Maybe they had expected more action today. Hopefully they had had a good laugh at Shou setting up the tent by himself at least. It had been quite a hassle.

It was a big tent, large enough for a group of five and not easy to set up by yourself. Originally, he had hoped he wouldn’t be alone tonight. He had thought it would be fun for the band and the fans, if they all went camping together.

But his suggestion had been thrown out by the others immediately. Too bothersome, too rainy, it was Shou’s birthday anyway, they fans wanted the focus to be on him.

Shou had not dared to point out that mostly because it was his birthday, he didn’t want to be alone.

The fans were watching him of course and he was grateful for that. He always planned those events on his birthday to feel less lonely, knowing that so many people were watching him. But it wasn’t quite the same. He craved company right now. He craved being special to someone, not just as an idol, but as a person. He would have loved to know that the others cared enough to put up with the camping for him.

But they were co-workers first of all and Shou shouldn’t forget about that. Just because Yutaka, Jun and Kenji were the most important people in his life, didn’t mean it was the same for them. It was Shou, who lived for the work most of all and he couldn’t blame the others for having a life of their own. They had people in their life, whom they loved, while all that Shou had, was the music and his bandmates. It wasn’t their fault he felt lonely and not their duty to fix it, either.

The rain was getting stronger now. Shou felt several drops hitting the top of his head as he walked over to the tent. But it would be more comfortable inside for sure.

The camera was still running, the light still illuminating the empty camping chair and the message to the viewers. With the light turned on outside, it would be bright inside the tent as well. Shou realized he had forgotten his sleep mask.

Unzipping the front of the tent, Shou hesitated for a moment. The night was cold and rainy. He wasn’t sure he had brought enough blankets, either. Maybe he should just drive home. They had agreed on this earlier, in case the weather turned so bad, it became impossible to spend the night outside.

But it would be such a disappointment for the fans. He had promised them he would go camping. Anyone could sleep at home. It would be boring. He felt like he would betray them, if he did.

And maybe, there was a little spite mixed in with his motives as well. If Yutaka and Jun and Kenji were here tonight, and they had agreed to give up together, it would have been fine. He would have to think of his bandmates first. But they had abandoned Shou tonight – on his birthday. A part of himself wanted to suffer, just so he was allowed to be mad at them.

He bent over and crawled into the tent. As soon as he entered, he noticed the drip. The last time they had used this tent, the holes had been there already, but somehow it had become worse over the past few months just lying around.

Shou felt for his bedroll. The outside was wet.

Quietly he cursed under his breath.

He had tried to put additional cloth onto the tent from the outside, but it had kept sliding off. Shou had forgotten to bring anything to make it stay on.

He had thought of calling the staff to get something from the city, but it would have taken quite a while and the rain had already started to lessen. It hadn’t really seemed like that much of an issue. All the holes were pretty small by themselves. It was enough to turn the tent moist and uncomfortably cold, though.

Shou changed into his pyjamas. At least the pants were dry.

He had to take off his jacket and realized it was even colder than he had assumed. He thought of wearing the jacket over his pyjama while he slept. But the jacket was wet and he would have to crawl into his bedroll with it, turning everything else wet as well.

Maybe it would be the right decision to give up and head back to the city. But Shou had never been good at giving up. He was too proud. He had been too proud to beg the others to join him, too. Maybe, if he had asked more directly, they would have changed their mind. But that awful, stubborn part of Shou had decided it would be better to feel wronged than to show vulnerability.

He made sure the tent was properly zipped, then he crawled into the bedroll. The inside had luckily stayed dry, but water kept dripping in right next to Shou’s head. He hoped the floor wouldn’t be soaking by tomorrow morning. He was running the risk of catching a cold. His hair was slightly wet, too. He shouldn’t act this unreasonable at his age. He should take care of himself. A cold was always a threat for his voice, too. At the age of 36 years, he really ought to know well enough to not let his pride get the better of him. But then, he had always thought at the age of 36 years, he’d have settled down already. He had thought on his birthday he would be with someone, who loved him. He hadn’t thought he would spend his birthday all alone in a tent. The fans were watching him, sure, but the people he personally felt close to weren’t.

Even his bandmates had made a pretty big point out of not watching him tonight. 24 hours would be too long, they had said. They knew what he was like, they didn’t need a livestream to watch him, when they saw so much of him all the time. And somehow, they had a point. But Shou still wished they cared enough to watch him.

He closed his eyes. He felt too cold to fall asleep, but he had set the alarm for tomorrow quite early. He didn’t want to be caught sleeping in when so many people were watching him.

So many people, who weren’t even close to him. He knew that he shouldn’t be bothered by it, but if the fans could watch him, why not the people he considered his friends?

Especially Yutaka had been quite aggressive about not wanting to watch him. Shou told himself, that he wasn’t hurt about that. If Yutaka didn’t want to spend his time watching Shou camping, Shou couldn’t blame him. He had thought things were developing differently between them, but obviously, he had been mistaken. Not even wanting to watch his livestream on Shou’s birthday – least of all spending it together – clearly showed that their meetings lately meant nothing to Yutaka. They had just hung out, because they had nothing better to do – no concerts, no live appearances – and they had needed the company. It hadn’t been dates. And the fact that Shou had stayed over at Yutaka’s place several times and that his couch was so uncomfortable, that they had ended up sharing the bed, meant nothing either. They were just friends and not even very good ones as it seemed.

Shou tossed to the side. A drop of water landed on his cheek. He gritted his teeth. Judged by the clattering on the roof, the rain was increasing. Shou hoped it wouldn’t turn into a serious downpour.

He should just go home. Whom was he trying to prove something to, anyway? The fans? Himself? Yutaka, who wasn’t even here tonight?

A sudden noise from outside stirred Shou.

He heard a car approaching at rapid speed, brakes screeching, and then a door slamming shut. It sounded as if the driver was leading a personal vendetta against their car.

Shou shot up into a sitting position.

Who was that? Had something happened? Was there an emergency? Only the staff was supposed to know where to find Shou. Was he in trouble? Was everyone alright? The only reason someone might interrupt his birthday event, was indeed a case of emergency.

Shou heard footsteps approaching the tent rapidly now. A dark silhouette was showing against the light from outside.

Maybe a crazy fan had found out about his location somehow? Was Shou in danger? Would someone come in? Was someone going to attack him? Or make the situation very uncomfortable?

The entrance of the tent was zipped open with a violent jerk and Shou flinched back. He felt for the flashlight he kept by his side. He switched it on and pointed the light beam right at the entrance – the very same moment someone stuck in their head.

“Oi, what the fuck?! Are you trying to blind me?!”, Yutaka shouted and raised his hand to shield his eyes against the light.

Shou lowered the flashlight immediately.

“Sorry”, he mumbled sheepishly, too surprised to not feel guilty. For a moment, he forgot it was Yutaka, who had ambushed him.

Then Yutaka slipped into the tent and shook his head, getting the wet hair out of his eyes, like a dog trying to dry itself. He had obviously run through the rain.

He looked around the tent and flicked his tongue as if he wasn’t pleased with what he saw.

Shou stared at him. He was wearing nothing but over-sized shirt and sweatpants. He looked like he had forgotten to get dressed before jumping into the car.

“What are you doing here?”, Shou finally managed to get out.

“Oh, please”, Yutaka said and held something up.

Only now did Shou realize that Yutaka was carrying a huge roll of duct tape with him.

“I know this tent is a leaky motherfucker”, he declared.

Without much ado he took the flashlight from Shou’s hand, who was still too shocked to hold on to it. Yutaka pointed the light beam at the roof overhead. Then he ripped off pieces of duct tape with his teeth and plastered them across the holes. It looked awful and provisional, but Shou had to admit, that it was undeniably effective.

“Where did you get the duct tape from?”, Shou asked, just watching Yutaka for a moment. He was so caught up in his work, he was hardly paying attention to Shou.

“Home”, he said and tore another piece of duct tape off with his teeth. It made him look wild, aggressive and oddly sexy. “I started driving when the rain got heavier in Tokyo. I couldn’t believe it, when I saw you took this tent. It leaked the last time we used it already. You should have been prepared.”

“So, you were watching the stream”, Shou concluded hesitantly.

Yutaka lowered his arms, but didn’t turn to look at Shou. Instead he inspected his work, making sure he hadn’t missed any leaking spots.

“I was tuning in shortly”, Yutaka said after a long pause. He spoke kind of huffily.

“Thank you”, Shou admitted softly.

Now Yutaka did turn to look at him. His dark eyes were surprisingly tender.

“Well, someone has to take care of you. And you are doing an awful job at it yourself. You shouldn’t be sleeping out here in this weather. You’ll catch a cold.”

Shou pulled up his shoulders defensively.

“So, you want me to go home? Then why fix the tent?”

Yutaka shrugged and grinned. The light of the flashlight was casting weird shadows on his face. It made the bags under his eyes look very dark.

“I want you to go home”, he confirmed. “But I know you are way too stubborn to listen to me. Not wanting to disappoint the fans and all that. As if they give a fuck where you sleep, seriously. They just want to watch you.”

Shou opened his mouth to protest, but Yutaka just held up a hand to stop him.

“Yes, yes, I know”, he said. “And that’s why I fixed the tent. I don’t even want to try arguing with you. Now, you got a dry piece of clothing in here?”

Shou furrowed his brow, but turned to look through his clothes.

Yutaka was speaking more firmly than was usual for him. Somehow, Shou found that weirdly attractive. Yutaka seemed to have come here with a purpose. Maybe Shou was just happy, that he had showed up at all. Maybe the sleepovers recently had meant something to Yutaka as well.

Shou grabbed the shirt he had worn earlier today and held it out to Yutaka.

Yutaka took it and then leaned over without further explanation. Shou’s first impulse was to pull back, but Yutaka just put the shirt over Shou’s head and started to towel off his hair without warning.

“Look at you”, Yutaka scolded him gently. “Going to sleep with wet hair like that. You want to lose your voice, so we’ll all be left without a job?”

Shou snorted, but let Yutaka dry off his hair, although he wasn’t doing so very gently. The rough touch felt nice anyway. Shou felt cared for. He hadn’t expected anyone to show up here tonight.

Once he was done, Yutaka tended to his own hair, using the shirt to towel it off as well. Then he looked around the tent once more.

“Looks like I fixed it, didn’t I?”, he asked and his voice sounded strangely proud and insecure at the same time, as if he wasn’t sure if Shou would really be impressed by his accomplishment.

Shou looked around as well. No rain seemed to seep in anymore. The tent was dry now and almost cosy, although it could have been a lot warmer.

“You are going to stay?”, Shou assured, suddenly scared, that Yutaka might just leave now.

“Sure”, Yutaka said. “I didn’t come out here all the way to let you out of sight again. I need to make sure you survive this night and don’t die of pneumonia or something.”

Shou looked around the tent once more, although he knew that Yutaka had brought only the duct tape. He wasn’t even dressed properly.

“You didn’t bring a bedroll”, he observed.

Yutaka shrugged again.

“We can share”, he pointed out. “You don’t mind sleeping close, do you? We’ve been sharing the bed recently and I thought …”

“There are cameras outside”, Shou cut him short and nodded to the entrance of the tent. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

Yutaka smirked.

“They can’t look inside, can they?”, he said. “Come on, it will keep you warm.”

He pointed towards the bedroll.

Shou bit his lower lip and hesitated for a moment. But then he was so happy that Yutaka had showed up and he loved sleeping close to him. And it was cold and no one would ever find out and what did it even matter and he really loved sleeping close to him.

With awkward motions Shou crawled back into the bedroll, leaving the zipper open, so Yutaka could slip in next to him. Their bodies were pressed together closely all of a sudden and Yutaka felt incredibly warm.

He tried to pull the zipper back up, but it got suck halfway. The bedroll was too small for both of them. But Shou didn’t think it felt too bad anyway.

He buried his face against Yutaka’s neck, his arm around Yutaka’s waist. They had fallen asleep like that often lately. Shou felt safe with his limps wrapped around Yutaka like that. There was nothing sexual about it – at least there wasn’t tonight. Shou had felt so cold and lonely before and Yutaka was warm and the sound of the rain played on the roof of the tent. It just felt cosy and intimate. Maybe there would be more in the future, but tonight, this shared bedroll was all that Shou had needed.

Ironically, Shou had always thought he would feel safer falling asleep in someone’s arms; that he would like to be held. But when he was with Yutaka, he just wanted to hold on to him desperately. Knowing that Yutaka wouldn’t leave was all that Shou needed to feel safe.

Yutaka switched off the flashlight. It remained bright, though. Shou missed his sleep mask again.

He could feel Yutaka’s chest heaving with each breath. His body was weirdly tense, as if he was trying to suppress a shiver.

“You are cold”, Shou observed.

His shoulders were growing cold, too. He wished they had at least one additional blanket.

“It’s fine”, Yutaka said.

Shou smirked, because Yutaka had called him stubborn before. Yutaka was quite stubborn himself.

“You should have brought blankets”, he teased him. “Bringing only duct tape. You should have known that was a bad idea.”

“And you didn’t bring blankets and even forgot the duct tape”, Yutaka reminded him. “I think I’m winning here.”

Shou chuckled and pressed his eyes shut again.

He was cold, yes, but with Yutaka this close to him, he already felt a lot better.

The fact that the others had not even wanted to watch his livestream had made him feel unloved. He wanted his bandmates to care about him as much as Shou cared for them. But at least Yutaka seemed to care.

Somehow, Shou was glad that it was just the two of them right now. They wouldn’t cuddle this openly with Jun and Kenji around.

He also felt a tiny little bit sad, though.

Yutaka was the only one who had shown up for him, because of their involvement with each other lately. He was here, because he had romantic interest in Shou. And that was great. Shou wanted Yutaka to have romantic interest in him. But that also meant, that if he blew this and if it didn’t work out between them, he’d be alone again.

On a weird level, Shou wished Yutaka would be here as his friend and not as his date. 36 years and he wanted to know that someone cared for him unconditionally. It seemed about time.

Next to him Yutaka made a funny little noise.

“You want to go back to the city?”, Shou asked.

Yutaka grunted.

“I won’t be the one to make you give up”, he said. “I couldn’t forgive myself that.”

Shou moved his thumb, gently stroking Yutaka’s chest where his hand was resting.

“If it gets too bad, we could try to call the staff to bring out more blankets.”

“It will be fine”, Yutaka soothed him. “Let’s just try to fall asleep.”

For a moment, they lay in silence. In the distance Shou could hear a faint noise; almost like a car engine. He wasn’t sure, though, until he heard a car pull up outside. It seemed to park in the area free of trees behind Shou’s shooting place, right where Yutaka’s car was already parking.

“Are you expecting any more men to tenderly hold you through the night?”, Yutaka asked mockingly.

Shou boxed against his ribcage lightly, which wasn’t easy, because in the bedroll together, they hardly had space to move.

A door fell shut. Shou held his breath, waiting for what would happen next. Maybe it was someone from the staff this time?

“Let me out”, he asked hoarsely, suddenly worried, that someone might open the tent and find him and Yutaka curled up together.

Surprisingly, Yutaka did not argue, although he usually loved to argue with Shou. He unzipped the bedroll and rolled over, so Shou could sit up and crawl towards the entrance on his knees.

He unzipped the tent carefully, squinting his eyes as he peeked outside. He could vaguely make out a person opening the trunk of their car. As they straightened up again and walked towards the tent, they were carrying so many blankets in their arms, that it was impossible to even see their face. All that Shou could spot above the blankets was a shock of washed-out purple hair.

“What’s going on out there?”, Yutaka asked from behind.

Shou smiled widely and opened the door of the tent more widely.

“We’ve just got ourselves some blankets”, he announced, although Yutaka could obviously see that. They were handed inside first and Shou passed them on to Yutaka, who immediately started to unfold them.

Only then did Jun pop in his head and crawled into the tent awkwardly, nearly tripping over while taking off his shoes.

“Jun, what are you doing here?!”, Yutaka called out. “Can you even survive a night without your silk towels and vegan soaps, or will that make you cry?”

Jun snorted and rolled his eyes visibly. He was dressed way warmer than Yutaka. He had even thought of putting on a proper sweater.

“Well, what does it look like?”, Jun said dryly and grabbed one of the thinner blankets, wrapping it around Shou’s shoulders without paying attention to his protest. “I saw on the stream, that this idiot here only brought a bedroll and no blankets. I knew he was going to freeze.”

Jun shook his head and made himself comfortable next to them. All of them were sitting cross-legged now, wrapped up in blankets. The rain outside had stopped for a while, but it still felt cosier inside.

“So, you were watching, too”, Shou said and couldn’t hide his smile.

“Sure”, Jun said and huffed quietly. “We know what happens when we let you out of sight.”

He turned to Yutaka.

“And what are you doing here?”

Yutaka shot him a dark glance.

“Don’t act so surprised. You stole my idea, when you saw me on the stream.”

“When did you get here?”, Jun asked.

Yutaka shrugged.

“Fifteen minutes ago? Half an hour? I don’t know.”

“Well”, Jun said. “The drive up here takes about an hour, genius. How was I supposed to know? I left home, before you got here.”

Yutaka pointed to the roof of the tent.

“I fixed the holes. You know the tent was leaking.”

Jun looked up and inspected the duct tape construction critically. Then he looked at Shou sternly.

“You knew the tent was leaking. And you knew it would be cold. You are hopeless. You’d be lost without us.”

Shou tried to feel offended, but still he couldn’t stop smiling. Jun had no idea how true that was. Shou would be lost without his bandmates. Without them, he’d never have succeeded at anything. They were the reason he was able to live off the music and the shows that he loved. Everything, he had reached in the 36 years of his life so far, he had reached thanks to them.

“Too bad Kenji isn’t here”, he said quietly to change the topic.

“We could text him”, Jun suggested.

Shou shook his head.

“I’m sure he is asleep already. It’s late.”

Yutaka cleared his throat and rubbed his palms together as if he was trying to warm up his hands.

“Still cold?”, Shou asked and wrapped the blanket Jun had given him around himself more tightly.

It was nice with which naturalness they had both shown up here to take care of him. Yutaka fixing the tent while scolding him. Jun wrapping him in a blanket while scolding him. And neither of them trying to make him go home. Neither of them was trying to make him give up. They just went along with his stupid ideas and did their best to support him. It had always been like this. It was how their band worked. Shou wished he could tell Yutaka and Jun, how much he loved them.

“I’m fine”, Yutaka said. “I could just use some …”

He was interrupted by the noise of another car pulling up outside.

“Well, fuck me, I don’t believe this”, Shou said and stared at the entrance of the tent incredulously.

Jun started laughing.

“Well, I’m curious, what he brought”, Yutaka said.

Shou shook his head and eyed Jun and Yutaka suspiciously.

“This was planned, right?”, he assured. “You planned this.”

“If we did, we’d share a car, idiot”, Yutaka said. “Think about it.”

Shou turned back to look at the entrance of the tent.

For a while, everything stayed silent, then someone rattled on the tent from the outside.

“Shou, Shou, you in there?”, Kenji’s voice called out.

“Where else am I supposed to be?”, Shou called back and shook his head in amusement.

Jun crawled over and opened the tent.

“Eeh?!”, Kenji called out when he saw him. “Jun? What are you doing here?”

He bent down and crawled inside, starting to cackle as soon as he spotted Yutaka as well.

“Oh, I’m last, really? And there I thought showing up here would be a great surprise!”

“You should have driven faster”, Yutaka said and pointed to the large backpack Kenji swung from his shoulders. “Now, what did you bring? I fixed the tent, Jun provided blankets. A snack would be nice now.”

Shou laughed and nudged Yutaka’s shoulder.

“It’s night, how can you be hungry?”

Kenji opened his backpack and got out a convoluted bedroll. Then he presented two Thermos bottles and a set of plastic cups.

“I brought hot tea”, he said and unscrewed the first bottle. “It’s important to stay warm and hydrated to not catch a cold. I was sure you wouldn’t think of that.”

He poured a first cup and handed it to Shou.

Shou closed his hands around it firmly. The warmth of the tea was seeping through the plastic and heated up his palms. He felt very warm on the inside, too.

He looked at Yutaka and at Jun and at Kenji, who were all filling tea cups for themselves now. And he knew that he hadn’t wasted his years, focusing on the band activities. Sometimes, he wondered if over all that work, he had missed the right timing to find someone to love him and someone to found a family with.

But he hadn’t missed his chance for finding love by giving everything to the band. His family was right here with him.

“Thanks for coming out all the way here, guys”, he said and raised his tea cup.

“Of course”, Kenji said and smiled. Even in the shitty beam of the flashlight, he looked handsome and his eyes were kind and his smile genuine.

“We wouldn’t let you celebrate on your own, would we?”, Yutaka added and grinned at him with his charming, aggressive smile, that made Shou’s heart pick up pace. He looked forward to their next sleepover already.

Jun raised his tea cup as well, the colour of his hair nearly washed out and faded completely. He looked affectionate.

“Happy birthday, Shou”, he said and they clinked their cups together.

And sitting in a dry tent, wrapped up in blankets and drinking hot tea with his bandmates, Shou felt like it might be his happiest birthday yet.

#Kiryuuin Shou #Golden Bomber #Kyan Yutaka #kirikyan #utahiroba jun #Darvish Kenji #fanfiction #fanfic

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