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taehoneys · 1 year ago

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BAD GUY | EIGHT

+ Jungkook and you both have a secret that could end your relationship.

— Summary: A certain video circulates the school after your big mistake and you never do mistakes, but you did this time… a big one: J e o n J u n g k o o k

— Pairing: Jungkook x Reader ft. Taehyung

— Genre: Drama

— AU(s): College!AU Fratboy!AU

— Warnings: Fingering, Oral, choking, all kinds of sex, okay? Oh, and sometimes it’s unprotected. Breeding kink (?)

— Chapter Word Count: 4K

— Chapter Note: I am updating this with one eye open, and burning up with a lack-of-sleep fever. I wasn't going to let you guys down anymore!!

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

How many times have Jungkook and you crossed paths, unknown to you both?

Once?

On the first day of class, when you two were figuring out the campus layout. Both too busy looking down at your phones to apologize when you bumped shoulders.

Twice?

When you boarded the city bus after class and sat across from him. It was a 15-minute ride into the city. Jungkook entertained himself by watching you play with your loose-knit sweater holes.

Thrice?

At midnight, when the donut shop in the student atrium was the only thing open. Jungkook, Taehyung, Zelo, and Hoseok were crowding by the register, too busy laughing about who knows what. You and Juli brushed past, donuts and 5 lectures of statistics crammed into your mind.

Jungkook would argue that you didn't go completely unnoticed that time. And every time after that, you had his full attention. From when you slipped into his lab to make up for the one you missed in yours, scouted the fraternities, to when you sat in his economics class.

He didn't plan for banter between you two, but it made each boring class fly by. There was only one time he was seriously annoyed. The infamous time he threw the invitation your way. In truth, he had failed his calculus exam a class before (everyone actually failed), and he was too stressed to pay attention during the lecture.

You implied that his sex was all he had to offer. As if that's all he was capable of? He, after all, attends on a scholarship. A scholarship he earned for achieving a 4.0 GPA and being STEM club president in high school. The only thing that made the corner of his mouth lift a little was that you obviously thought a lot about how much sex he was having. Did it bother you?

It had to a little, right? That's why you stepped foot into the frat house with his invitation in hand. Because you were curious. You were trying to get something on him again (except he had no idea how serious you were about this). So he made sure he kept an eye on you. Though things got harder -literally- when alcohol was in his system.

Your taunts left his head spinning. The way your breath hitched before 'Daddy', the smile clear in your voice. It left him with no choice but to push off the couch to find you. Determined, he pushed through the crowd, ignoring the hands that reached out to him.

It was at the bottom of the stairs where he found you. With your hand on the handrail, you raised your eyebrow. Your eyes said you were bored, yet a small smile on your mouth said you were waiting for him. He narrowed his eyes on you, as if saying there was nowhere for you to run. Because you could either go down the stairs into him or up to his bedroom.

Before a word slipped past his lips, you slowly climbed up. Your hands dropped to the bottom of your dress, lifting a little with every step of the floating staircase.

Heat flashed through his body as he viewed your hand slip between your thighs, pushing your panties aside to reveal a glistening center. His mind raced with the possibilities of what you were thinking about.

You giggled, closing your legs and resting against the wall at the top. Jungkook took the opportunity to hurry up the stairs. And when he stumbled to the top, he turned you into the hallway, squeezing your waist harder than he meant to.

As your back bumped into the wall behind you, a dangerous glimmer came across your eyes. Jungkook dropped his gaze from your lips down to where your dress rode up more.

God, your thighs. They looked soft, and he'd do anything to knead them in his hands. Or better, have them squeeze around him as he eats you out. Jungkook's eyes fell back over your face, and he watched the way you press your tongue against your teeth. Busted.

"I have a confession," he told you. "I have thought about choking you."

You trained your eyes on him. Slowly, his hand traveled to brush your hair away before he wrapped it around your neck, carefully pressing his thumb on the side of your throat.

You gave him the middle finger, biting down on your lip.

He chuckled, holding up his own. Except, he made you follow it as he brought it between your legs. Lightly, his middle finger trailed in your folds, the silkiness of your panties making him hard.

Your chin instinctually tilted and when he did it again, he was welcomed with dampness.

"Careful," you moaned with purpose. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd want to fuck me."

"Enough" he whispered, the alcohol on his breath fanning your face. He stumbled closer, but in a way that was hiding you from the people coming to and from the hallway. You two were visible but not visible enough in the dimly lit and smoke filled corridor.

When you looked back at him, it was with feigned innocence. An expression reading I don't know what you're talking about.

"Enough with the act," he clarified. He was fed up with you acting like you were such a good girl when he was sure you were the opposite.

Your fingers danced up his chest, feathering his neck before your hands interlaced behind it.

"Okay," you said in a small voice, tilting your head.

Your approval shocked Jungkook, making him scrunch his eyebrows.

"I'll drop more than my act... " your eyes looked down to his full lips for a moment. "If you get on your knees and worship me."

You hold his burning gaze. The tension growing so thick that Jungkook caved in that moment. He dropped quickly to the ground, and you straightened up like you didn't expect him too.

In truth, it was like Jungkook was waving for your permission. Before you took what you said back, he threw your leg over his shoulder and lifted his head to cup over your mound.

The hitch in your gasp told him you lost all the air in your lungs, making him smile.

"If I didn't know any better..." he muffled against your panties, "I'd say you want to fuck me too."

And not waiting another second more, he swept your panties to the side and ate you out in the hallway of the frat house. He lapped with his tongue eagerly, breathing in harshly through his nose, your aroma making him hungry for more.

You unraveled, shamefully. Although you squeaked protests, you yanked his hair and sunk his head closer. Riding the waves of pleasure, you felt your face heat up, your hair over it not helping.

Jungkook looked up at you with doe eyes, mouth glistening and fingers softening your side. He knew he had you when you drop into his arms. Catching you, he lifted you up where you could envelope your legs around him.

Bringing you into his room, he kicked the door closed. And placing you onto his bed, he continued where he left off. Kissing, sucking, rolling, lapping, rubbing, he did it all with a euphoric chuckle in between. Your moans edged him, increasing from quiet to airy to whiny.

He could listen to them all day.

Giving his mouth a break, he lifted away and let his fingers achieve your climax. When you arched up, his palm roamed down your side.

"Fuck, ___. Did you forget how a good girl's supposed to act?"

He was right, you had forgotten. Your task almost slipping out of your mind.

What he didn't know was when he reached over to play music, you had pulled out your phone from your bra to press record before sliding it under the pillow. And before he noticed, you brought him into the bed to lie down so you could climb on top.

And that video was never supposed to be put out.

- - - - - - - - - - -

When was the last time you had a good night's sleep? We're talking pulse undetectable kind of sleep. Sleep that you wake up feeling as if you've been pulled from the depths of the earth. This sleep was so concerning you were debating whether you needed to be checked for sleep apnea.

It took a lot of effort to open your eyelids, one fluttering after the other as you get used to your muscles again. When your vision clears, the confusion brews.

You question if you ever left Taehyung's room. Then, the room becomes crystal clear, making all the memories hit you at once. The bonfire, Jungkook and Nina, the fight, the kiss, the shower. You almost orgasm for the fifth time --- not really, but it was overwhelming to experience a night's long event in a flash.

Soft humming turns your attention to find Jungkook at his desk. He looks softer today as his oversized cream shirt swallows him. His hand glides across his notebook as he jots down notes from his laptop, his other hand drumming on the surface of the desk. The sun is shining on him, and the way his hair gleams it's chocolate hues makes you want to run your fingers through it again. But what entertains you the most is the golden round frames on his face. Oh, his face. The bruise had gotten worse. You suck in your breath, remembering how fast Taehyung threw his fist across Jungkook's face last night.

You must've been staring for so long because he picks up his head and glances over. With a double-take, he processes that you're awake.

You wish you were a graceful waker-upper with flowing hair and a radiant face. Instead, you squint as you sit up, and attempt to fix your (his) shirt that's twisted around your body.

"You're a morning person," you mumble.

Jungkook snorts, twisting his pen between his fingers. "Morning? It's already 3." Amused, you watch how he spins it. A smile tugs on your face, recalling how he did that in class. Then his words sink in.

3 p.m.?! Oh, hell. Juli has probably already sent out a search party. It wouldn't have gotten far knowing Yoongi would calm her down, but at the expense of spilling the beans. And that's if videos of you didn't spread. Not to mention, when you walk out of this room, you'd have to face Taehyung.

Fuck, this was worse than a hangover.

Your pulled from your thoughts hearing Jungkook climb onto the bed, you look at him raising an eyebrow. When he gets close enough, you frown, which stretches his smile. As he hovers over your lips, your annoyance melts away.

"Fucking love that," he murmurs.

"Hm?" you open your eyes.

He scrunches his face cutely, "How you act so tough, until..." He pauses, and you give a wobble of your head to say 'go on'. He takes your lips quicker than you realize.

You stare at him until you turn away to crack a smile. You hate that he's right. Are you that weak for him?

He smirks, pointing his eyebrows at you because yes, yes you were. In response, you take his glasses from his face.

Jungkook lunges at you, kissing you harder. His smile matches yours as you catch up to his excited kisses. Was he waiting for you to wake up this whole time to do that? Your morning kiss turns from fun and cute to serious when he nips your top lip. There's a brief hitch before your lips are tingling, your teeth accidentally clashing, and your losing air, unable to catch it when he keeps diving for more.

"J-Jung-"

Your phone rings loudly, causing you both to untangle. To your surprise, you find it charging on his nightstand.

Jungkook pants and adjusts himself at his waistband. "Sora found it. It's been going off all morning."

You close your eyes before taking it from the charger. "Juli... she's going to kill me."

Unknown to Jungkook, you were talking more about the relationship than not answering her calls. But you'll have at least the entire drive home to figure out how to explain it to her.

Jungkook lays back against his headboard, holding his hands together, looking over your shoulder. "Nah, she knows you're fine. I texted her."

You freeze. "Texted?"

He looks at you proudly. "That you were safe and sound with your boyfriend."

Your heart skips a beat.

"And...?" Your voice catches in your throat.

"Wanna find out?" Jungkook unclasps his hands and tugs the phone out of your hand, happily.

"Wait, from my phone? How did you even unlock-"

He holds it in front of your face with a cheesy grin and you watch it unlock. Your almost too stunned by his cleverness.

He's caught up in reading her text that he forgets to read it out loud. You lean in to face her mass texts.

You (Jungkook): I'm fine~~ With my new boyfriend💋 Juli: Bitch wtf?! ! ! Juli: Serious orrr Juli: Hello???? Juli: It's been 2 hours, slut!! You better be having the best sex of your life Juli: Oh, so you can text Yoongi you're okay, but not ME Juli: You have 1 hour😤

"She wasn't wrong," Jungkook rolls out of his mouth and you supress a smile.

"Well-"

"I don't want to hear it." Jungkook sets the phone aside and hovers over you. You give in and fall back, staring up into his doe eyes. Even though his face is bruised, it's still one of the most attractive faces you know.

You inhale slowly, feeling the warmth bubbling in your chest. Today, was the first day of your relationship with Jungkook. It made you nervous. What would your days with the once campus playboy be like? How would everyone react? You two were in opposing fraternities, making it so unexpected. Then, there's the girls that would be jealous and who'd wonder why he chose you out of all of them.

Even you know your worth, and couldn't help but wonder what drew Jungkook toward you. If you told him a month ago, he'd go as far as fighting his best friend over you, he'd tell you to go to hell.

Jungkook bends closer, and you feel his soft lips against your neck.

"Tonight's Meet the Greeks." You whisper out.

He hums to confirm, the vibrations making you close your eyes.

"We only have a couple of hours..."

"Perfect." He opens his mouth and kisses where he's at.

You entangle your fingers in his hair. Not what you meant.

"Don't you need to set up your presentation?" You try to control your voice, but he's making it hard.

"It's on my laptop. I saved us some time by having disabled the password so I can just-"

He lifts his hand and mimics opening the laptop quickly, all the while his lips remain working on your neck.

You roll your eyes. That's so him.

You still had a lot to do, like go over your speech, pick-up the flyers, and get ready. But your mind gets hazy with how Jungkook's worked his way up to your ear, gently blowing in it. And the next thing you know, you're going back under the covers.

- - - - - - - - - - -

You turned down Jungkook's offer to walk you to your car. He still had to get ready and you knew all the possibilities of what that trip to your car could turn into. You were enough trouble, you didn't want to add late to a fraternity meeting on the list.

As you walk down the hall, you look up when you hear a door close.

Who else could be stepping out of the bathroom other than Kim Taehyung? Walking out of Jungkook's room, you knew you had a lot of people to face. He wasn't the first one on the list you wanted to encounter.

He looks up, hair dripping droplets down. As he put the necklace back around his neck, his muscles flexed under his tight tank, his sweatpants hanging low as he must've quickly thrusted them on after his shower. You suck in air between your teeth because you lost all bragging rights of him.

Taehyung blinks, his eyes flickering anger? Sadness? Resent? Disappointment? Everything all at once?

He lowers his lids as he drops his hands, necklace hanging where it should. "Congratulations."

There was a chance he was being genuine. Yet, you couldn't help make the situation so awkward that the tension physically hurt. "Taehyung," you breathe out shaky, "I'm-"

He shakes his head. Leaning forward with a lopsided smile, he winks. "I said 'congratulations'."

Nodding your head, you lock your lips tight.

He brushes past you, but calls your name when he's a little further away.

You face him, cheeks flushed.

"Whenever you need me... you can come to me."

He lifts two fingers but instead of holding it by his eye as usual, he holds it over his mouth. He spreads his tongue out between his fingers. Your lips part in shock.

"I don't even have to be there." Backing away, he holds out his arms in a shrug.

While holding your breath, you watch him chuckle before walking back to his room.

Kim fucking Taehyung.

- - - - - - - - - - -

It had been 2 hours since you left, and Jungkook's high wasn't wearing off. Despite the bruise on his nose extending out to under his left eye, he grinned. He didn't win the fight, yet he felt victorious. He was curious about what rumors people were circulating about that night. People had to be smart enough to speculate it was about a girl. What would their reaction be like when they find out it was over you? And that you chose Jungkook? He throws his head back, elated that you're going around calling him yours.

After tonight's meeting, he plans on stopping by your place, surprising you with hot food from Yum's food truck, and putting on whatever was new this week. The fall weather was perfect for horror movie so maybe he'll suggest that. And then tomorrow, the two of you could drag yourselves out of bed to study in the library. You'll hate him for it, but all will be forgiven when he gets you your favorite drink from the coffee shop by the entrance.

Monday, you'll plot how to give Dr. Lim a heart attack, and that might be as easy as walking in holding hands or him stealing kisses in the middle of lecture. Tuesday, he'll leave his frat meeting to go bother yours. Wednesday, he'll crash at your place and woo your roommates with chicken and soju. Thursday, he'll steal you after class and take you downtown until late at night when string lights illuminate the block and music plays loudly on the speakers.

Friday, you'll go to the city's pier and he'll show off on the zipline before taking you on the ferris wheel a thousand times. Saturday, he'll follow you around as you do your errands, even if it was simply doing your laundry for the week, sneaking in butt pinches when he can. Sunday, he'll bring you home and while you grocery shop for the week, he'll introduce you to his neighborhood grandmas (who dote on him), so they can have something new to brag about.

And the next week, you'll do it all over again.

As he walked into the meeting room, his grin set off a round of curious and knowing ooooohs. He bears his teeth and widens his eyes, overwhelmed with how questions are thrown his way. With a wave of his hands he dismisses the comments about Taehyung being thrown out of the fraternity.

He sets his laptop at the podium and unclenches his jaw. "Nope. I'm not kicking him out of the frat."

Namjoon leans forward and raises his eyebrow, arms crossed across his chest. It's his way of asking Jungkook if he's okay. He nods his way, reassuring him.

"We had a misunderstanding."

Jimin mutters the word in disbelief. "A misunderstanding would be like the time you drank his drink and he told you he had mono, not 'want more?' A misunderstanding is not trying to concave each other's bones."

Namjoon raises his arm to block Jimin's view of Jungkook, trying to get him to calm down.

Jungkook has to hold onto the podium with both hands. He gulps, "Well, I'm not kicking him out, but it's his choice if he's staying."

Another member speaks up, "Without Taehyung, we don't have a treasurer. We might actually have to cut back. He paid for everything!"

Jungkook tenses up, feeling the stress weigh him down. Taehyung did a lot as treasurer, even paying any difference in what they couldn't fundraise. If they lose him, it could be the fall of the fraternity if they didn't pull their shit together. Jungkook hated that. He hated relying on Taehyung for money.

He continues, "We might have to actually fundraise-"

"Not leaving the frat," a low voice interrupts from behind them. The one who speaks up looks like his face dried and shriveled upon hearing Taehyung.

Taehyung walks and pulls out the chair with his foot before plopping himself down. "So you can keep being my sugar baby."

"Sorry," he squeaks.

Jungkook and Taehyung lock eyes. Taehyung stares back with empty ones. After a few pauses, his left hand comes up to bring his vape to his mouth. Jungkook flickers his eyes away, quickly recomposing himself.

"Alright, then. Let's just get tonight over with. You all know what you need to do... tables, chairs, banner, catering, music... I still have to finish the presentation."

The volume increases as the meeting ends, everyone suddenly acting responsible to prepare for tonight.

Jungkook can't help but feel awkward with Taehyung in the room. The two couldn't just brush off the asshole things they said. Jungkook knows he should be the first one to apologize since he threw the first punch, but he couldn't move his two feet. Taehyung was going to leave soon to set up his DJ equipment, so maybe the apology could wait?

Except, Taehyung wasn't leaving. He kept sitting there at the table, vaping, checking his nails, or whistling. At some point, when Jungkook looked up, Taehyung flinched under his stare as if Jungkook's gaze hurt the bruises on his face. Dramatically, he touches them and looks back at his hand in mock terror. Jungkook scoffs, almost pointing to his own nose that he should x-ray.

With a deep sigh, Jungkook mutters an apology.

Taehyung sticks a finger in his ear, looking around the room like he didn't hear him. He yawns, smacking his lips at the end. Looking at Jungkook he raises his eyebrows. Hmm?

Jungkook shakes his head, tapping the side of his laptop. "I'm sorry."

"So you'll hand her over?" Taehyung doesn't miss a beat.

Before he can frown, Taehyung jumps up from his chair. "Kidding."

"For the record, I'm not sorry for what I said."

"Good. 'Cause neither am I." Taehyung shrugs.

Jungkook nods, feeling a little bit better. "Now go make sure the microphone and speakers are set up."

"Yes, president." With a salute, Taehyung turns and grabs his jacket off one of the hooks on the wall. The jacket only sees the light of day during events like this since he doesn't regularly wear it.

Jungkook looks back at his laptop, the screensaver running. A video thumbnail appears and he narrows his eyes, recognizing that the video was taken yesterday based on his outfit. He looks around the room to make sure that no one is left. As he presses play, drunken memories slowly return. His eyes widen and he quickly disconnects the HDMI cord from the projector.

"Jungkook!" Someone calls for him from outside the room.

He clears his throat and walks over to help lift the marquee light up letters on the cart.

That video on his laptop was another one that was never supposed to go out. Maybe if Jungkook hadn't left his laptop unattended...

it wouldn't have.

___________________________________________

Bad Guy Taglist @nglmrk @happyflowergalaxy @infernal-alpaca @kokoandkookie @giadalin @sugarp3ach @jknk @daddypkj @maichiverse @marcoazz2 @thisartemisnevermisses @shatzkrinslinzki @jentle-monster @bunnybearrj @choco-chip-kookie @trickylittlewitch @brilliantmoon7 @moonchilddna @sionaaa @go0dasgolden @hrts4kook @mageprincess7 @everythanggoes @freakitti @cantchooseanamebye @bbtsficrecs @bnagtanx1306 @hiii-priestess @somehowukook @kumakoyan @nqseo @multiasf @picturethosesmiles @angelarin @ellesalazar @september-husband @daddychims

I hope the taglist works, sorry if I missed you! And for everyone reading, thank you! For those who responded to my "need-support" post, know that you HELPED!! This goes out for you!

#Jungkook x reader #Bad Guy!Jungkook #Jeon Jungkook smut #JJK #BTS smut #Enemies to lovers Jungkook #College au #Jungkook college au #fratboy jungkook #taehyung

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oxymorayuri · 9 months ago

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𝐶𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝟷𝟷

𝐹𝑖𝑔𝘩𝑡! »

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐷. 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝐿𝑎𝑤 ✘ �� 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: Katsumi Ishizuka

Story: The princess of Tanata

(Long Fic)

➽ Click on this link to see all chapters.

Spoiler: none

Warnings: none

slowburn with plot

Wordcount: 2413

Text in italics emphasizes the reader’s thoughts

Bold and italic text emphasizes Law's thoughts *~*

Tagging: @slytherinambitious - @sassyyassi - @norasincubi - @cottoncandyloverrrr - @one-piece-frvr7

A/N: Hello my sweeties ♡ Thalia is an important character in this story… Even if she's not the main character, I have big plans for her... And to be honest, I've already fallen in love with her character! Stay tuned. I already talked about her appearance in the last chapter, but I wanted to give you a picture of her, or something that matches her aesthetic. I present you; our Thalia!

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: left | right

Before you know it, a week has passed.

It's been quite an exciting week and you're amazed at how well everyone has settled in. Some friendships have formed, not only between you and them but also between the pirates and some of the citizens of Tanata.

With a smile, you think back to these days. You are glad that everyone gets along so well.

Law and Chopper told you a lot about modern medicine and you were amazed at how professional they were in their element. Every evening you met for a cup of tea in the royal family library and talked about medicine. Even though it was always a lot of informative stuff, you still go relaxed to bed and sometimes with butterflies in your stomach.. because every time Law leaned over to you, to show you something in a book, you felt the heat building up inside...

With your eyes closed, you enjoyed the memories. You sit on a bench by a large training ground and calmly swing your legs.

You finished your duties a little early and you are apparently the first to arrive at the meeting point.

Ambrosios found a really good friend among the pirates, so it seems. He met Zoro in a pub yesterday and the two of them hit it off right away, or so you think…

Because this morning Ambrosios showed up at Hera's palace full of determination and challenged Zoro to fight. If you know Ambrosios then you know that's a good sign, because he only wants to fight those he respects or puts on the same level as himself.

You are really looking forward to the fight, which is about to begin, and a few others want to watch it too.

You can hear Thalia and Nami shouting in the distance.

You get up from the bench and wave cheerfully to the women.

"And y/n, who do you think is going to win today?" With an arm around you, she pulls you close to her. She's a little shorter and you have to bend a little, but you return the hug by wrapping an arm around her too.

You think about it for a moment.

"Uhmmm, so I've known Ambrosios my whole life… He's almost as strong as Zelos and I know that through experience." Even though you were a princess, Ambrosios never treated you gently when you fought together. You were a worthy opponent to him, more like a rival.

"But when I run into Zoro, it's either that he's training or drinking. They're quite similar in that aspect, so I'm really curious… It's 50-50." You can't quite make up your mind and remain neutral.

"I'm sure Zoro will be the winner!" Nami says proudly, with her hand on her chest. Together you burst out into a laughter.

Together you take a seat on a picnic blanket that Thalia had brought with her and Nami surprised you with a basket full of tasty treats from Sanji.

Your eyes lit up at the sight of the sweets. Sanji even included a little note: "Bon appetit, ladies." he wrote in a fancy handwriting. That gentleman.

Your eyes go over to Thalia, who is delighted with the dessert. Sanji had actually prepared her favorite dessert…

The two of them have started a 'little romance' over the days...

"Tell me, Thalia.. you and Sanji? How close are you guys?" You lean over to her. Your mischievous grin crosses your face. The blonde is startled, blushing in a deep red and is about to tumble backwards, but Nami reacts quickly and catches her.

"Well, it's the same as before…" She runs her fingers through her fine blonde hair a little insecurely.

The backstory to this: This 'little romance' the two of them are having, is truly a love drama...

They write poetic letters to each other, sometimes several times a day! And when the two of them met by chance in the city or when she is with you, they would talk as if they were in their own world. From the outside, they seem like soulmates.

Totally cheesy, but it suits your best friend.

Over time, more of the pirates and friends came to the fighting ground. Bepo came running up and happily called your name. Behind him you can see Law, Shachi, Penguin and Ikkaku following.

You girls give the new arrivals a friendly wave. They joined you on the meadow. Ikkaku took a seat on the blanket and took something out of her bag.

"I've brought us something really delicious!" she happily presents the bottle of wine. Yaaaaay!

You women cheer and pour yourselves some of the wine. You talk cheerfully like teenagers while you wait for the fighters.

Ambrosios was the first to enter the square. He proudly presented himself to you ladies in his golden armor.

"Greetings, beautiful ones. Greetings, my princess." he greeted you separately and kissed your hand. You roll your eyes at him. That Casanova.

"Where is the swordsman?" He asks energetically, spreading his arms. His muscles flex at the slightest movement.

"He's probably lost again." Nami makes a remark as she calmly drinks from her glass.

Your gaze wanders across the sky. The sun flashes through the trees, creating a beautiful play of light and shadow.

"Ahh, there he is!" Ambrosio's battle ready voice brings you out of your thoughts.

Zoro and Robin come walking up. Zoro and Ambrosios greet each other with a firm handshake, their looks are serious but eager to fight. They grin at each other.

"Hey Robin! There you are! Good thing you brought Zoro, we've been waiting for ageeeees." complains a slightly drunk Thalia. She has barely finished a glass and is already tipsy but she's a lightweight when it comes to alcohol anyway. Robin laughs a little at her as she settles down and closes the gap between you and Thalia.

"Yeah, I met him on my way here. He seemed a little disoriented." - "HAH! I told you so!" sneered Nami.

While the men warmed up briefly, people chatted amongst themselves. Some placed bets on their favorite and talked about why they were betting on the person in question.

You listen intently as Penguin and Shachi argue about the possible winner and Law sits between them... The back and forth between the two and the way the captain tries to get out of their argument, brings a giggle from you.

From the side, you hear the clink of swords being unsheathed. All eyes are now on the men, as they stand opposite each other in a fighting stance. All conversations came to an end and everyone waited eagerly for the one making the first move.

You never really noticed until now, but Zoro seems to be fighting with three swords. One in each hand and the third between his teeth. Ambrosios draws his sword and holds it firmly in both hands. The huge blade reflecting in the light.

He has taken the family heirloom out of the cabinet for this fight. Remarkable. It is a sword that has been passed down in their family for generations.

Ambrosios was the first to make a move. He dashed straight at the green haired man with insane speed, his blade pointed directly at him.

Zoro continued to stand in place, his posture firm. Just before Ambrosios could swing his sword, Zoro leapt into the air and spun around to make his first move.

"Oni Giri!" Zoro tried to charge a strike from the air but Ambrosios was able to deflect it with ease. The broad blade of his sword makes it easy to dodge attacks.

With quick movements, their swords clashed constantly. It was hard to keep up, even for you. It almost seemed as if their energy was limitless and you can see the passion burning in their eyes.

They both give their all.

You can see that they both find it downright thrilling to fight with each other. Those madmen. You think.

The fight has been going on for a while now and it looks like that both are on the same level.

"Oiii ZORO! COME ON! GO, GIVE HIM ALL YOU GOT!" Luffy shouts as he jumps excitedly into the air.

The crowd cheered for their favorite every time he landed a good hit or blocked a heavy blow. The fight is even and in your eyes you're just waiting for someone to make a mistake.

You know that Ambrosios is a man of perfection, but you realize that Zoro is also an attentive opponent.

Even when the two seemed visibly out of breath, it didn't change their fighting spirit. Their pride is too great for them to back down.

After countless blows, however, the unpredictable happened.

Ambrosios fended off a strong attack and began to falter. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Completely out of breath, Zoro stood over him. His grin almost wider than his face. With one of his swords pointed at Ambrosios, it's clear who the winner is.

"I'd say the match is over." Satisfied, he puts his swords away and gives him his arm so that Ambrosios can pull himself up. As they both stood in front of each other, the Tanata warrior placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder.

"You are an excellent swordsman, my friend." Zoro holds him firmly by the arm, returning his words.

"I can only repeat that." The two come walking arm in arm towards the cheering group. This was never about who was the strongest. It was about the passion to fight.

The two have forged a noticeable bond through the fight and both toast to their fighting with a mug of beer.

"Now that I've warmed up, I want to fight your strongest man!" Zoro announces, as if the hour of fighting just now, was a piece of cake.

Ambrosio's laughter was very hearty at first, but towards the end his laughter had a sinister edge to it...

"Zoro you are insatiable." Ambrosios lies down on the grass, his gaze directed upwards.

"If you want to fight the strongest, I'll have to disappoint you. Zelos is currently on a mission and therefore not in the city."

Zelos is still in the process of building a line of defense, in the forests of Tanata. The strange ship still seems to be circling the island and from what the king says, it is now certain that they are not trying to get out of the storm…

Zoro groans unhappily. He looks like he still has so much energy he wants to get rid of.

"But there's one more person." Your eyes go over to Ambrosio's without moving your body.

Don't you dare, Ambrosios.

He looks at you without anyone noticing. His grin widens as you shake your head slightly.

"Is it the king?" Nami asks. Ambrosios bursts out laughing loud and heartily. The young woman looks over at you, confused. You shrug your shoulders a little warily and smile gently at her. You hope that Zoro will lose interest, but unfortunately you don't know him well.

"Come on Ambrosios, spit it out, who is it?" He shakes his battle partner and looks at him expectantly. Ambrosios sits up.

"No, it's not the king. The king is strong but he's the fourth strongest in my opinion." He answers Nami's question.

The people around you are very curious and no one makes a sound.

"Zelos is the strongest man, but there is one woman who is stronger than all the others." Zelos eyes are on you and quickly you realize that everyone is looking at you.

Zoro's broad grin disappears.

"And who is this woman?" Zoro didn't seem to get the message.

Luffy joins the confusion and applies some pressure.

"That's right! Tell us, who is it!" Excited, Luffy gets very close to Ambrosios. Without any problems, he pushes the boy away from him with his hand in his face.

Annoyed, Nami groans and pulls Zoro towards her by the ears.

"THAT'S OBVIOUS, YOU IDIOT!" She scolds him. You can literally see the gears moving in Zoro's head… but there is no sign of realization. Frustrated, she lets go of him, she just can't take any more.

"It's y/n!!!" She yells at him.

In a flash, Luffy and Zoro's eyes are now on you too. Luffy looks at you with a sparkle in his eyes while Zoro's combative grin returns.

"Uhhhh hehe, well now it's out." you admit in defeat "Surprise!" you add a little uncertainly.

You feel quite uncomfortable that all the attention is on you. Of course you're excellent with a sword, but you're pretty overpowered thanks to your devil fruit.

You know how hard the others train and even think it's unfair that they call you the strongest… Of course you have trained a lot and even if your fighting technique is excellent, you think that someone else could certainly be stronger with the devil fruit.

Zoro ignores the uncertainty in your voice and stands up, only to kneel in front of you.

"Princess, please do me the honor of fighting you!" he lowers his head.

"I can't Zoro. I don't fight for pleasure." you reply softly as you cross your arms in front of you. Hastily, he looks into your eyes with a serious look.

"This is not about pleasure. It's about honor and respect. I respect you my princess, so please do me the honor and let me fight you!" His hand tightens on the hilt of his sword. His eyes flash at you with a steely determination and to your disadvantage, the people cheer in unison 'Go princess!, go princess!'.

You admit your defeat and sigh. Your eyes meet his again. You can't shake the feeling that if you don't fight him, he will annoy you until you part ways.

…Until you part ways…

"You know what, Zoro?" Who knows, maybe one day you'll regret it.

Maybe one day you'll regret not showing the pirates Tanata's strength. The ambition, courage and technique.

"LET'S FIGHT!"

You jump up and some of the people cheer and follow suit.

See you next time, kiss kiss ♡

➽ Next chapter

#trafalgar d water law #trafalgar one piece #one piece #law x reader #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar d water law x reader #trafalgar law x oc #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgardwaterlaw #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom #one piece fanfiction #one piece fandom #trafalgar law

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likes-words-and-shrimp · 1 year ago

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For anyone who wanted to watch the Tales of Symphonia Festival 20th Anniversary stream from a few weeks ago, but couldn't get the ticket, I decided to record the entire thing and put it up on g drive. It's been split into different sections and is unsubbed. So, here you go! (This may or may not stay up forever, depending).

Starts off with two character skits, then a concert, the main scenario, some free talk with the VAs, more concerts plus a fan showcase, and a final skit that one day I'm going to translate because it was so adorable and sweet.

Some highlights of the main scenario in particular include: sassy Genis and Raine banter, Presea being precious, Regal teasing a flustered Sheena, Lloyd getting a mini heart attack from Colette, Noishe's dog whines in real time (you won't guess who voices him), a trip down memory lane reliving all of the party members' traumas, cute Flanoir and Altamira deluxe suite reenactments, the audience choosing whether Zelos lives or dies, Colette's VA doing a fistpump of victory for her special scene, Sheena and Zelos sharing one brain cell, extra Mithos dialogue, and actual closure?? between Lloyd and Kratos, all written by Symphonia's scenario writer.

Anyone can feel free to translate, or wait until the DVD is up for preorder. But I had a lot of fun watching this, and think other people will too.

#tales of symphonia #lloyd irving #colette brunel #kratos aurion #tales of symphonia 20th anniversary #mine #the VAs all did such a great job in it #and Colette's VA being so happy she gets her scenes is so fun to watch #also I really liked Genis' VA too she does a phenomenal job with his scenes #(almost) every character gets a monologue but Raine's was really focused on and I thought that was cool #tumblr is pretty low key so I'm only mentioning this stream here and nowhere else lol #if you can buy/want to buy the dvd for this later definitely do but I know not everyone can and it's a pain to get proxies

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ateez-himari · 4 months ago

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[240715] FAREWELL

[NEW UPLOAD FROMM HIMARI]

[AM 9:17] Oh my god can you believe this is happening Tiny?! Members of B.A.P sunbaenim finally released another song called farewell! I love it so much, Wooyoung oppa scolded me for playing it on repeat (look at the tiny Totomato in the middle)

[AM 9:17] ㅎㅎ You're right my outfit was inspired by Shishimato today because I get to be a fangirl again! It's been so long...I was 17 I think when they disbanded now I get to be a BABY at 22!

[AM 9:18] My bias wrecker let me think...Jongup sunbaenim! Some people thought it was Zelo sunbaenim but I always thought he looked a lot like Yoongi oppa

[AM 9:18] Ahh I see it's because you guys think I have a thing for rappers ㅎㅎ Now that I think about it it's true, even in girl groups it's the rapper that I like. When Yeeun unnie talked to me on Good Girl I had no idea what to say, I felt like I was so red! Now we're friends

[AM 9:19] I really hope I get to meet the members of the new unit, maybe go to a concert if they host one. I remember my brother didn't let me watch the music videos when they had just debuted ㅎㅎ It's been such a long time since then

[AM 9:19] Yongguk sunbaenim sent me a text earlier reminding me to stream the song ㅎㅎ We talk a lot but I always get nervous. He was such a huge idol of mine when I was growing up and getting into the industry, it's so surreal to talk like this

[AM 9:20] It seems basic but Wake Me Up is my favorite B.A.P song, I'm listening to it right now. I'm going through the entire discography actually that's how happy I am

[AM 9:20] I have to go on a date now, I'll see you soon my Tiny! Please go stream Farewell by BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON sunbaenim! ♡ Love you so much, kisses!

#ateez au #ateez imagines #ateez 9th member #ateez extra member #ateez female member #kpop oc #HimaSocial♡#HimaFromm♡

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konfizry · 7 months ago

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no because you see actually the fact that zelos hates kratos' guts is by far my favorite aspect of zelos. like like the whole betrayal thing and whatnot, honestly, can't relate man, sorry about what happened to you i guess buddy but personally i dont care i just dont

but then back when i found out through finally playing his route + watching tof2 tls that the guy will diss kratos at any given occasion i was taken with renewed appreciation for him. its just too good. (and actually, there are signs of it even before that. like when you run into kratos in sybak and supposedly zelos doesnt know him at all but he still takes a moment to loudly go "omg fuck this guyyyyy" once kratos has left the scene and it's just ertghrteguhireg. zelos actually makes a couple more efforts to have lloyd trust kratos as little as possible. meanwhile theres that character skit in the flanoir area where kratos warns lloyd that there may be "someone in his group with ill intentions be careful no i won't elaborate bye" or whatever. all while k and z are presumably routinely in voice chat arguing over kratos' ridiculous grocery list. what a mess. both of them.) i unironically love it fr. i think it both makes perfect sense from a character perspective, and is hilarious. also it's nice to have one dude be openly hostile towards kratos. what can i say, i live for drama.

so anyway im glad we can all agree that the iselia ranch is a missed opportunity for an absolute train wreck of a skit that should have have happened but didnt.

#it's the one time they can be together come onnnn. where is my one-sided magical swordsman cat fight :(((#tales of symphonia spoilers #kratos is my fave and i love it when he gets dunked on hes a stupid hoe and i thank zelos for his efforts in reminding everyone of that fac #also i cannot for the life of me forget how #colette's flanoir scene is her telling lloyd how amazing kratos is #zelos' heimdall scene is him telling lloyd how much of a fuck up kratos is #and in both instances lloyd seems to have a more positive opinion of kratos afterwards #zelos i dont think you're very good at this #(SAME SHIT HAPPENS IN TOF2 IIRC. zelos starts digging up dirt on kratos. lloyd pries answers out of kratos. kratos explains.#“wow kratos thank you so much for everything you've done for us”#drghdsgtfudsg if i were zelos i'd be fuming. i'd betray the group again over this #(to be fair i think they (colette especially?) do thank zelos for all his behind-the-scenes work as well. but still))#(kon it's been three days why are you still thinking about this)#kratos is where dismissive/manipulative parental figure and betrayal-generated guilt collide #for zelos #for the sake of his own sanity he cannot see kratos get away with (or worse; obtain forgiveness for) any of this shit IT CANT HAPPEN

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umbry-fic · 3 months ago

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Epitaxy

Summary:

Cursed to be the saviour, she wonders if she must walk eternally alone.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

Characters: Colette Brunel

Relationships: Colette Brunel & Lloyd Irving

Rating: G

Word Count: 5584

Mirror Link: AO3

Original Post Date: 29/08/2024

Notes:

Written for the TOS 21st anniversary celebration! Happy birthday Symphonia! 🎉 (This is the furthest thing from the theme of "celebration" haha but I wanted to write my favourite character :P)

Something of a Colette character study, written to Empurple by Harumaki Gohan. There is a slight canon divergence regarding Colette's illness. More notes are in the endnotes on AO3.

~~~

The world had fallen away from her unfeeling fingertips, numbness creeping up her skin like an insidious creature, seeking to devour her whole. Her mouth tasted like ash, her heart coldly silent in her chest, so much so that it could be mistaken to have shrivelled and died. Rays of sunlight danced cheerfully across the room, but they seemed so oddly far away, their warmth unable to reach her. An unbearable pressure was building up inside of her, but when she opened her mouth to let it rush out of her, she found that it got stuck in her throat, her lips unable to utter a single sound.

Her entire body beginning to tremble, she raised her gaze to the mirror she knew hung on the other end of the inn room, already certain of the sight that would face her.

Red eyes met her gaze.

Colette shot awake, blanket clutched close to her chest as she panted, panic squeezing tight around her heart as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

She had no desire to find the same mirror that had starred in her nightmare, hanging tauntingly on the opposite wall and encroaching into the corner of her vision, reflecting her terrified form. But she had to know - and thus, keeping her gaze firmly rooted to the floor, she silently got off the bed and padded over with hesitant steps, her breaths still rattling in her chest and threatening to overwhelm her.

Heart pounding in her ears, she jerkily raised her head, bracing herself for what awaited her.

Blue. Her eyes were still blue. The same as they were when she checked every morning after waking up and every night before going to bed.

All the breath rushed out of her, and she gingerly placed a hand against her reflection. Her mirror image didn't waver at all, nor did it dissipate like a mirage crafted just to dangle false hope over her head. Her wide blue eyes didn't darken and dissolve into red - they remained the very shade she'd been born with.

Just a dream, she told herself, in an attempt to calm her rapid breathing. It was then that she noticed that the glass against her palm, which should have held the early morning’s chill, didn’t register at all against her skin. Neither did the smooth wooden panels against her bare feet. There was only the faint echo of sensation, a prickling like the cold was attempting to force its way past a nigh-impervious barrier.

Turning her hand over, she sighed, watching her Cruxis Crystal wink in the morning sunlight as she shifted away from the mirror. One of those days, then.

“Colette?” A voice blearily called out her name, a messy head of brown hair slowly finding its way out of the mess of the covers she’d made in her flight from the bed. “Is something wrong?” Lloyd asked, holding back a yawn, sleepy russet eyes blinking at her.

For a moment, she was tempted to say nothing. But…

Redirect, Zelos had sighed the last time they'd seen each other, reluctantly giving her advice as he slumped over a table, the shared weight of her secret, heavy but brittle, resting in the space between them.

“Bad dream is all,” she whispered, her shaky voice easily carrying over the silence.

It wasn’t a lie.

Just not the full truth.

“Come here,” he offered readily, his gaze flooded with so much affection that she couldn’t help but look away, guilt raking its claws over the walls of her heart. The boy she loved wore his heart on his sleeve, and he was not at all aware of the complicated web of deception she had once again spun around him as she continued to pull the wool over his eyes. Nails digging into her arm, she wanted nothing more than to confess the truth, to ease the vice grip over her heart. But as always, the words stuck in her throat, growing thorns that lodged themselves into flesh.

Even now, she couldn't live true to herself.

Still, she gladly clambered into his open arms, his familiar embrace calming her as she buried her face in his chest, grasping for the tiny fragments of warmth she could salvage. His presence was comforting - that was a single truth that would never change. Fingers ran through her hair as his lips brushed against her forehead, his gentle touch slowly soothing her, even as she was stabbed in the heart with a dozen broken shards.

As she took his hand, she prayed that one day, he might understand.

~~~

When she’d stepped out of the Seal of Fire and into the arid desert, leaving behind crumbling rocks and a smothering sense of heat that had been relentless, she didn’t realise she’d left behind something else among the endless, smouldering lava, lost forever.

Agony had held her in its clawed grip as she struggled to draw breath, what felt like burning hot metal pressed against her chest. Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind that night, and she gasped a sigh of relief at the peek of the morning sun over the dunes of sand, for with the gentle touch of sunlight left the pain, leaving her hollowed out but alive.

It was only once the sun said farewell once more, sinking below the horizon, that she was able to place a finger on what had been missing for the entire day as she walked alongside everyone else, seeing nothing at all as she retreated into her thoughts. The gradual pull of fatigue had been absent, leaving her wide awake even as darkness set in. Sleep had been a constant, if unnoticed, companion all her life, and it had simply vanished within moments, leaving her to stare at Kratos’ still back under the brilliant light of the stars as he sat guard and she feigned sleep.

Quietly, she told herself it was a good thing. It meant she would never again be plagued by nightmares of her possible failure, of all the people she would have condemned to suffer if she didn't complete this Journey. It meant she had more time at night to let her gaze rove over the friends she held dear, who she would inevitably have to let go of when she ascended the Tower. Her gaze lingered on Lloyd - the unruly flop of his fringe over his eyes that could never be tamed, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the soft expression on his face as he slept.

Just a little more time to memorize that which was precious to her.

As the days passed, bone-deep exhaustion settled in every inch of her body, unable to be alleviated by the solace of sleep. While her eyelids didn't feel heavy, her head did, like her brain was stuffed full of cotton wool, liable to leak out of her ears. She passed the nights counting the stars, staving off thoughts about all the ways she was inadequate. Already, she was so far from the perfect image of the Chosen that existed in everyone's minds. A lost cause from the very beginning, no matter how many times the priests chastised her, for it seemed nothing could mould her into that perfect figure that everyone wished to see.

Unbidden, her thoughts turned to an old memory. Of waking her father up as a small child, no longer able to remember the bad dream that had so rudely torn her from the gentle embrace of sleep, but still shaken, tears welling in her eyes. Before everything had changed, before she’d learned to hide her emotions and draw away from those around her even as she stood right next to them, to tuck away anything that could be considered undesirable.

Suddenly blinking away tears that never came, she was glad that they had been taken from her, if only so they could not give her lie away.

With the chilly night air that made her shiver and the stars as her only company, she passed the night alone.

~~~

She’d denied it, at first, the hints of green speckled on her shoulder the more pressing issue. She'd brushed off the gradual wavering of her senses as nothing, firmly pushing it into a tiny box in her mind that didn’t need to be opened. Nights when she couldn't sleep were simply because of worry, keeping her up and unwilling to give her a break. Meals she couldn't taste must be because of anxiety. Days when the touch of her peers faded to a whisper of warmth…

As the green scales continued to spread down her arm, each inch of skin it took hostage radiating a burning pain, she kept quiet. There were more important things to be done! Like reuniting the two worlds, putting a stop to Cruxis’ machinations, and ensuring no one else had to suffer. Compared to what everyone else was going through, her own problems were minuscule.

Even after her affliction was exposed to everyone, as she shied away in shame, clutching her arm close to her side, she said nothing. She was already worrying all of them enough, making them run around the two worlds, wasting time just to find a cure for her. This would surely go away once she was cured, so there was no need to tell them.

None of them suspected a thing. The genuine joy that had bloomed in her heart when she’d first wrenched free of the prison her soul had been trapped within had been enough to convince them that the loss of her senses had been put far behind them, even as that joy withered.

After all, it had been enough to convince her as well. The soft brush of the wind against her skin, the patter of raindrops against her palms as she’d raised them to the sky, the food she had practically shovelled down during dinner, the taste enough to bring her to tears… It had been enough to convince her, for a short time, that it was over. That she could be…

It's your own fault, her voice echoed in her ears when she stared into the mirror, watching herself get consumed by scales that glinted in the light of the dawn, reminding her of the Cruxis crystal attached to her neck, no longer able to be removed, a constant reminder of the role she had played.

Surely this was punishment for her failure. For abandoning her duty, for hesitating at the final sacrifice. For even daring to think that she was allowed to be happy. An imperfect weakling, through and through.

All she could do was endure.

~~~

She frowned when she raised the fork with spaghetti wound around it to her lips. It tasted like nothing, its texture like cardboard against her tongue. Across from her, Lloyd was grimacing and eating around the chunks of tomato like his life depended on it, loudly complaining all the while and barely avoiding spitting chunks of food into Genis’ face as Genis frowned at him. The sight, and the usual consequences (namely Professor Raine smacking Lloyd on the head with a rolled-up textbook) were usually enough to elicit a smile, but now all they did was light an uncomfortable flame in her heart, licking at its walls.

So this was the next thing to be sacrificed, then.

When Lloyd ran over to her and offered her the tomatoes, as he’d been doing since they were children, she took them from him, telling him that he didn’t need to take her bell peppers anymore. Ignoring his surprised blink and the slow furrowing of his brows, she forced down the tomatoes he’d left behind on the plate, feeling each piece as they dragged painfully against her throat. Her free hand held onto his tightly, refusing to let go, clinging to his gentle warmth.

She could still remember the moment she’d first tasted bell peppers as a small child. Her grandmother had packed her lunch for a long afternoon spent entirely with the priests memorising the scriptures, having to endure their barbed tongues whenever she stumbled over a verse. She’d sat down on one of the pews, shoulders slumped in exhaustion, before sitting ramrod straight when she felt a glare settle on her. Shakingly taking one bite of her lunch, she’d promptly choked and spat out the accursed slice, unable to stand its texture against her tongue.

The priests had not been happy. To be picky over food was too petty a thing for the Chosen, they had said with those severe expressions drawn on their faces, reminding her of the leering monsters that crept in dark shadows in scary stories. Think of the people who had laboured over the fields to grow this produce, who had shed sweat under the vicious sun, while the threat of the Desians hung over their heads all the while. To refuse to eat the food that had come from those efforts would be like spitting on it, like forsaking the gratitude of the people she would save.

It was not fitting behaviour for the Chosen.

So this was a good thing, she decided on the days to come, as she accepted new meals from whoever was cooking that day, uncaring of what it contained as she forced down all that she could. There was no longer any need to be picky when everything tasted the same.

She could finally live up to those virtues that had been hammered into her skull since she was young, which had always been out of reach, no matter how much she chased after them with her hand outstretched.

Because without that, she had nothing at all.

~~~

“Couldn’t sleep?” Zelos’ casual voice broke the silence of the night as he slid smoothly onto the stool next to hers at the otherwise empty dinner table.

She swallowed, realising she hadn’t heard him coming at all, as lost in thought as she had been. Over the flickering flame of the candle that had been burning all throughout the night, valiantly keeping the shadows to the corners of the mansion, his piercing gaze rested on her, causing her fingers to tighten on the handle of her cup. A cup of coffee that she knew was hot, but was barely warm in her hands.

“You're really not going to tell anyone?” he asked, leaning forward, their respective Cruxis crystals reflecting the waning light, the tone of his voice telling her exactly what he was talking about. The tension leaked from her shoulders, and she sighed. Figures he would be the one to catch her in the act.

It might have been easy to pass him off as nothing more than a lazy, arrogant young man, but behind that facade was a highly observant person who had also worn the mantle of Chosen, who had witnessed the ugliness that hid behind the shiny veneer of the title.

“You didn't either,” she whispered. It was not an accusation, nor a judgement. Simply an observation.

Sheena had told her about the orange wings that had shone on his back in the darkness of the Tower. And that would mean he’d endured the very same process she had - slowly losing everything, and yet keeping it all under wraps, a secret cradled close to the chest. He'd done it alone, spent the sleepless nights awake without letting anything slip.

“You're right, I didn't.” The smile that sliced across his face was bitter and tired, a far cry from his usual smirk. “But you could say there were… extenuating circumstances.”

She sucked in a breath, feeling the cold of steel against her bare neck, and shoved those memories far away.

“I will tell him.” She hated how weak her voice sounded to her own ears, even though she wasn’t painting yet another lie. She wanted to tell Lloyd, with her own words, without needing to have the truth dragged out of her like a chain, link by painful link. She wanted to place her trust in him, like he’d told her to, for she knew he would never betray it. “Just….”

It was so difficult to push the words onto her tongue, to ignore the tiny voice that still whispered in the back of her mind that her suffering was hers alone to endure.

“I know.”

She stared at the steam rising from her cup, and they both lapsed into silence. A moment of commiseration between two liars who had never learned how to stop lying, who found it nearly impossible to bare their souls, fearing a retribution that would never come.

Two smiling fools, through and through.

“You don’t have to stay up with me, you know.”

“I really can’t sleep.” Zelos waved off her protest, and she smiled gratefully at him, even knowing the reason he couldn’t shut his eyes was because of the vivid images that would flash behind his eyelids when he did, haunting him even now, months after the worlds had been reunited. She had experienced the same, after all.

It was the simple matter that her heart now felt just a little lighter, the weight of her secret shared between two souls.

~~~

Stumbling out of the Balacruft Mausoleum, she heaved a sigh of relief, having once more successfully driven off the assassin that kept popping up along their Journey. She wished to know what fueled the determined spark in the assassin’s amber eyes, so that they might come to an understanding and lay down their weapons. She had no desire to shed any unnecessary blood.

“Colette!”

She turned as Lloyd’s voice reached her ears, eyes widening when she nearly lost her balance and fell. It was then that she realised he was holding her hand in his.

When… had he taken her hand? She hadn’t even noticed. Had he been holding it the entire time? How… hadn’t she…

“Your hand!” Lloyd exclaimed, worry written across his face, and she stared at the blood oozing from the cut in her palm. A wound she hadn’t even felt, would never have even realised she’d sustained if he hadn’t pointed it out.

Red leaked and leaked over her skin, and she found herself suppressing trembles as she was unable to tear her gaze away, even as he fussed over her. The dying embers of her soul scattered to the wind, pouring out of her from a crack that could not be sealed as she remained frozen in her own tiny world, an incessant buzzing in her ears. She had long since stopped resembling anything close to human - she was no longer even the girl who had walked out of Iselia, knowing she would never return.

Even as Lloyd refused to let go of her hand, she found that she could no longer feel his touch. Not the roughness of the calluses she had memorised long ago, not his fingers running soothingly over her knuckles, not his warmth which had never failed to make her feel safe. It had been locked away from her forever, and she could only struggle to remember the ghostly remnants of it, nothing but cold emptiness against her skin.

This was fine, she whispered to herself that night. It meant she could no longer feel pain from all the tiny scrapes and bruises she accrued from her various trips and falls. She would no longer have to bite her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain, rapidly wiping away tears with her arm so no one would see. It was…

Curling into a tiny ball, she screwed her eyes shut, all the lies she had told nipping relentlessly at her heels.

~~~

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried telling him. There were so many instances when she had tried, when she had opened her mouth only to stumble at the finish line. When she’d taken a bite of the lunch they’d prepared together while camping in the forest and found it bland against her tongue. When he’d rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched his back while she sat calmly, having counted the stars all night. When she’d tripped and he’d caught her, the two of them nearly toppling over, his arms securely wrapped around her waist, his warmth failing to reach her.

She had tried, and tried, and tried, in a way she never had before. To clumsily get the words out, to explain that the Angel with eyes the colour of blood had never left, looming behind her at all moments with a cold hand on her shoulder, grip so tight it hurt.

But he always seemed so happy.

So light, the weight that he’d carried with him for the final leg of their journey having been lifted, scattering into tiny motes of stardust. His smiles were bright as he explored this newly reunited world, awe and wonder clear on his face as he helped as many people as he could, all while collecting Exspheres at a steady pace, moving ever onward towards his goal.

(There were, of course, still nights when he awoke gasping, eyes wide and seeing something else entirely, his hands twitching for his swords. She would hold his hand on those nights and hum softly under her breath, running her fingers through his hair until he relaxed.)

And, every time, she would close her mouth, swallowing the words.

She didn’t want to weigh him down. To hold him back in any way. To shatter that joy with something as trivial as what she was facing. After all, it was nowhere near as bad as it was before!

On most days, she could enjoy the warmth of his embrace. On most days, she could fall into the thoughtless escape of sleep, letting all of her anxieties dissipate. On most days, she could taste the sweetness of fruits, coming to rest on her tongue. On most days -

Whenever her thoughts raced in this direction, she would forcefully bring it to a stop, letting her excuses run right into a brick wall. She could at least admit to herself that it wasn’t alright, not at all. That she was once more drowning as she painstakingly maintained the perfect facade, waiting and waiting for the day the forming cracks got too wide. Terror that she was doomed to slip back into that prison roiled within her - a wild, vicious beast, clawing away endlessly at her insides. Old guilt over her perceived failure as Chosen still refused to die, hissing in a discordant chorus that this was already a merciful punishment - she deserved so much worse.

Holding close the memory of a little girl who had so easily opened her heart, she would sit silent, reminding herself not to lie to her own self anymore. At the very least, she could do that much.

~~~

Lloyd had dug and dug, refusing to give up, until he had finally dragged the truth from her. The ugly, bleeding truth, once more leaving her hollow, her heart having been scooped out of her chest long ago. But somehow, he hadn’t glared at her in disgust, even knowing now what she’d become, knowing that something had broken permanently inside of her. He had only pulled her closer, and she had -

Her throat had burned, and she’d wanted so badly to cry, for reasons she couldn’t understand. But she could admit that it was nice, for someone else to know. For there to be someone helping to cover for her, so that she didn’t need to pretend so much to be sleeping, or eating. For a few moments, she could release the mask and let it drop to the dirt, and simply be. Now there was someone who really knew, who could pull her back when her mind drifted away into that endless void. She was so exhausted, whole minutes slipping between her fingers sometimes when she couldn’t recall what she’d just been doing.

The fourth seal stole her voice, and swaying unsteadily outside the Tower of Mana, she barely restrained herself from scratching at the pale skin of her neck, hoping that it would somehow free what had been taken from her. With her voice permanently dead in her throat, there was no longer any hiding her condition from the rest of her companions. The veil had been ripped to shreds, leaving her vulnerable.

There was no rejection to be found there either. Only compassion and even anger, all for her sake, so passionate and warm as it washed over her, patching the cracks in her soul. It was a kindness she didn’t deserve nor understand, but she craved it nonetheless, cherishing it as she counted down the days till which she would have to climb the endless stairway to Heaven.

Still, she concealed the final piece of the puzzle, knowing she had to keep it hidden at all costs. That was a truth that no one else could know - it was a truth that she could no longer even reveal, no longer having the words to do so, even if the temptation was there.

Slipping from her inn room in Hima after speaking a farewell for each of her friends in her thoughts, she gave the stars that had kept her company for the past months a final glance, before taking the first step towards the Tower that loomed in the distance.

~~~

She giggled when the little puppy licked her hand, its rough tongue leaving a trail of sticky saliva behind. Not at all minding the mess, she petted its head with her clean hand, ruffling its brown fur as its tail rapidly wagged. Next to her on the bench, Lloyd grinned and leaned back against steady wood, content to watch her as the gentle breeze caressed their skin.

“Bye, puppy!” She waved farewell to the dog as it padded away. It was so cute! The ways its ears flopped, its soft fur… There hadn’t been time to come up with a name for it yet, but if she and Lloyd came across the same dog tomorrow, she would certainly do so!

Turning her head to once more squeal over the puppy to Lloyd, she met his warm gaze, and… And all of a sudden, she found that she didn’t want to lie anymore. She didn’t want it hanging over her head constantly, creeping into her thoughts during peaceful moments like this one, casting a cloud over her cheerfulness as she suddenly found it impossible to breathe.

“Lloyd? I… I have something I need to tell you,” she whispered, taking his hand, watching his expression go from curious to worried, likely finding this situation very familiar. Even as she sat silent, slowly mulling over the words she was attempting to string together, he didn’t say a word, occasionally squeezing her hand to remind her that he was right there beside her, ready to listen.

The unrelenting fear from before was still there, rearing its ugly head and beginning its final vicious struggle. Fear that something terrible would happen, that this was still her fault, really, that she should just shut her mouth and endure like she’d always had. But it was easier to pin the emotion down, to take a deep breath and step past it, for she could vividly picture Lloyd’s reaction - he would call her an idiot for keeping any of this from him, and then he would do his very best to help her. Because he loved her, even if it had taken a while for that to sink in and become fact in her mind.

Perhaps he would be angry that she’d kept this from him for so long, lied and concealed as if her life had depended on it when she’d promised she wouldn’t do it again. But she could deal with what came after. Once she was finally free, once she had eased the burden she’d carried, once she knew, with full certainty, that she would never need to let go of that which was precious to her.

She wanted to be the one to speak the truth this time, instead of having to hiss it through gritted teeth. To finally break the cycle.

So she pushed past the lump in her throat, letting the first word fall from her lips. Clumsy, messy, unrefined. But it was a start.

The rest would follow.

~~~

With her heart locked in chains, all she could do was curl into a tiny ball, no longer bothering to suppress the tremors that wracked her entire body.

She had all the time in the world to think, watching through red eyes as her body moved without her input. The world seemed so far away, muted and quiet, and so she pulled further away in the opposite direction, inch by inch, something shuttering in her heart. All that swirled in her mind were not the memories she had wished to cherish before she had set out for what she had known to be her final journey, but rather the events of the last few months.

Everything that she had lost, her entire self gradually, excruciatingly being carved out of her, for this. She had thought what awaited her was death, but surely this was worse. Unable to die, all of her thoughts stuck in a never-ending loop in her head as she slowly faded away, endlessly facing her failures, reflected in the floor of the Tower of Salvation, and carrying the legacy of a dozen other girls, staring at her with dead eyes and wings that had lost their light long ago.

What appeared in her mind was the young girl who had been so open with her feelings, who had freely sought the company and comfort of others, who hadn’t hesitated to speak the truth. That girl was long dead - she had personally sunk the knife into her heart and scattered the tiny pieces into the night, murdering her old self in pursuit of the perfect Chosen who she could never find.

Yet she was all she could think of now.

She’d been such a fool. Who had she really been lying to all this time?

~~~

She couldn’t breathe, the air freezing in her lungs as blood congealed in her throat. Her wings, usually weightless, now felt like they were pulling her to the monochrome earth. An Angel, chained to the ground, unable to fly -

Someone shook her awake, her breaths coming rapidly, one after another, tumbling into each other until they all got tangled together. She couldn’t see much through her blurry vision, just a smudge of vibrant colours that was a stark contrast to the images that had flown through her mind just moments before. A hand gently brushed the tears from her cheeks as a voice calmly talked, all while she simply breathed, returning to a steady rhythm instead of the stuttering mess it’d been before.

“It was just a dream,” Lloyd whispered into her hair as she opened her eyes once more, his arms lowering to wrap around her - an impregnable wall that would always protect her. “You’re alright now.”

Taking a few more deep breaths, she leaned into his touch, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Warm, though it was a little muted.

“How is it today?” he asked, because he always did nowadays whenever she awoke violently from a nightmare. It was a routine they’d both become used to. Her sense of touch was the most volatile, and it tended to fluctuate with her mood. It was useful for him to know if it had gotten particularly bad, so he could keep a watchful eye for the things she tended to miss whenever it dipped below a certain threshold - the small scrapes she sometimes accrued from innocuous activities, or the larger injuries that she might not realise she’d sustained from when they stumbled into an unavoidable battle.

The tender manner with which he tended to her wounds - carefully bandaging a deep cut, or applying ointment to a small scrape - always made her heart clench in her chest as gratitude welled in her heart. He never begrudged her for wasting time, never complained, even when she was the one to bring up how it was an inconvenience. Only bumped her shoulder with his, telling her with great conviction that he really didn’t mind.

On the worst days, when all her senses went haywire and everything was too loud, each little sound blaring in her ears like a siren, he would sit with her and keep her company, gently refusing her insistence that she was fine to move on. And on the best days, he would initiate contact as much as possible - the curling of warm fingers against her own, the brush of soft lips against her forehead, the safety of an arm around her bare shoulders - giving her more to remember on days when she felt endlessly cold.

“A seven?” she replied, pressing her hand against his to gauge if the number was accurate. “I don’t think it’ll get any worse.”

Nodding, he opened his mouth to say something more - only to let out a massive yawn that made her giggle. “We… can rest for a little while longer.”

Still giggling, she snuggled closer to him, amused to find that he had fallen asleep mere moments after those words had left his mouth. Letting her eyelids flutter shut, she pressed her ear to his chest. Wrapped in a gentle embrace, she drifted off to the steady sound of his heartbeat.

In this moment, she was loved.

#fanfiction #tales of symphonia #colette brunel #tos21

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