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portaltothevoid · 2 years ago

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you're losing me part iv -- copia x reader, ex!terzo x reader

Summary: Your cheating ex is the leader of the Satanic church and you caused a scene in front of the whole congregation. You've been summoned to meet with him, alone, to be served your punishment. Turns out, you're destined for more than you could ever imagine...

A/N: buckle up buttercups, you're in for a doozy. please read the warnings. also this is my first time writing real smut please be nice to me. this little idea i had has grown into something i never thought it would and it is my overflowing cup of reason to live juice. and yes i switched gifs around because i'm new here and found the perfect one for part iii soooo did a little switcheroo. ps there’s a lot of lyrical easter eggs for my fellow swifties

songs: coney island by tswizzle, tempt me by stone nobles (please check out this band, i beg of you. trust me.)

word count: 8.4k (😬😬😬)

warnings: (this chapter deals with some dark stuff) dubcon, manipulation, talk of self-sabotage, flashbacks, oral (f!receving), fingering, p in v, rough sex, choking, fingers in mouth, allusion to panty-sniffing kink (kinda), horror elements, allusion to degradation (the bad kind), female reader, terzo heavy, google translate latin, some google translate italian (i took it in high school but that was forever ago, so i tried?)

“A summons?” you gasped jumping up from the couch. “A summons?! Oh, great. Perfect. Wait, what exactly is a summons?”

“It’s a meeting with Papa… alone…” Copia said, his voice balancing on the edge of feigned calmness and panic.

“Why the fuck does he need to see me alone? He can’t excommunicate me without witnesses, right? …Right?!” Your voice was rising in pitch as you started to pace around the living room.

“I-I don’t know, tesoro. No matter what happens, eh, I don’t think he’ll let you go that… easily.”

“Okay, okay, we just have to remain calm and- and think about this rationally. I-it could just be the slap on the wrist for the outburst, right?”

“Maybe…”

“Then again, if I’m alone in his office it’ll probably be a slap across my ass,” you grumbled, rolling your eyes. Copia couldn’t even respond, he just made a growling sound from deep inside his chest. You held your hands up defensively. “I’m just saying.”

“If so much as lays one finger on you–”

“He won’t,” you interrupted. “What happened after I left mass?”

“I got up to run after you and the fucker, very condescendingly, reminded me…” he trailed off as a realization smacked him across the face. “He reminded me I was to lead the closing prayer, which he assigned to me at the last minute. Cazzo! Quel figlio di puttana (Fuck! That son of a bitch…) planned this. He knows what he’s fucking doing,” he fumed. “That’s why he couldn’t wipe that fucking smirk off his face.”

“Oh fucking hell, we are so fucked,” you groaned, sitting back down on the couch with your head in your hands.

“Eh, maybe not if we’re already figuring out his plan?”

“True... Okay, so… we just have to think like Terzo.” A repulsed shiver went down your spine at that thought alone. “His comment to me was planned. He wanted to get under my skin. Point for him. I spat wine in his face and told him to fuck off in front of literally everyone. Point for me. But he was testing me to see my reaction or maybe it was just to test your reaction, or both? Either way, it didn’t matter because he made it so your duties came first no matter what I did… Point for him. He’s in the lead and now I’m gonna have to be in his office tomorrow. Great. Just fucking great.”

“So he’s going after me now too…” Copia sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

“N-no. Not just you.” Your voice faltered as you felt your insides do a somersault. A realization of your own drained every emotion from your face. “He’s going after us. He’s going– He’s gonna try and break us apart.” Copia looked up at you, dumbfounded. Of course. Of course that’s exactly what Terzo was doing.

“If he can’t have you, no one can…”

“Do you remember what a big fucking deal it was to get me on the books for living with him?” Copia nodded, not liking where this was going. “I… I never officially moved out… I just… came here. He’s… he’s going to reassign my living quarters tomorrow. That's what this has to be about.”

“Oh Satana mio…(Oh my Satan)”

“Call Sister Imperator. Right now. She can rush the paperwork, can't she?”

“Amore, even if we could, he’d still have to sign off on it in the morning,” he sighed.

“I can’t just sit here and wait for morning. Even if that’s not what the summons is going to be about, at least let’s cover our asses. Now… Call. Her.”

He ignored the warmth that traveled up his body from you being stern and demanding with him and started the call to their superior. She answered right away and you were sitting on the edge of the couch. “H-hi, uh, hello, Seestor. I’m sorry it’s so la– Sì. She received the summons… Eh, sì, that’s why I’m calling you… No… Okie dokie, Seestor.” He hung up the phone after that.

“Did you really just ‘okie dokie’ Sister Imperator?”

Copia just shrugged. “She’s expecting us in her office.”

“Hmph!” you hummed triumphantly as you got up. “Told ya we needed to call her.”

He rolled his eyes at your gloating. “Andiamo, anidamo (let’s go, let’s go),” he said as he placed a hand on the small of your back, letting you lead the way out of the apartment.

Copia knocked swiftly on Imperator’s door. Seconds later it was opened. “Come in. Quickly!” she hissed. The Sister took her seat at her desk, while you and Copia sat in the chairs in front of her. She stared at you, her lips pursed. “That was some stunt you pulled at mass today, Sister.”

“I-I… he… I’m–” you stuttered and then abruptly shut up when she held her hand up.

“I knew of the nature of your relationship with Papa and I know that it is no longer. I know of the infidelity… on both your parts. Save the apologies. I heard what he said to you. When I was your age… I would have acted similarly… I did not bring you both here because of that incident. Clearly Papa Emeritus III is out of control and it’s only going to get worse.” She spoke matter-of-factly. There was no animosity in her voice towards you, this was strictly business.

“I think he’s going to try to separate Copia and I,” you blurted out quickly. You winced at the frantic tone of your voice.

“Yes I know. I have your room transfer papers ready. Luckily, it’s before midnight, so tomorrow he won’t have a say in where you end up since this is already being put in motion. Sign here and here,” she pointed with her pen as she spoke and handed a clipboard over to Copia who then passed it to you.

“Do you… do you know what else is going to happen tomorrow? At the summoning?” you questioned timidly.

“No. I only caught wind about the transfer. But, Sister, you must be prepared. We are thwarting his plans. Whatever happens tomorrow, you cannot retaliate via a spectacle. I am fully on your side here, but we need to bide our time.”

“So… What? I’m just supposed to take the public humiliation and whatever else he’s gonna throw in my face?”

“I think what Seestor is trying to say, cara, is that behind closed doors you can say anything you want to him, but whatever you say to him, we don’t know if he will retaliate right then or wait to strike,” Copia said calmly.

Sister Imperator gave a short nod in agreement. “Your reactions have to be calculated. You cannot let your emotions get the best of you in the moment. You’ve done so well holding yourself together, I know you are capable of this.”

You felt the weight of everything come crashing down on you, overwhelming you. All you could do was chew on the inside of your cheek.

“I know you know this more than anyone, Sister,” Imperator continued, “Terzo is out of control and out of line. This is becoming nothing but a game to him. As Papa, he feels no one has the power to tell him no. At the rate he is going, he will only bring ruin to this Ministry. And I, for one, will do everything in my power to keep that from happening. I know Cardinal Copia feels the same.”

He nodded. “Sì, Seestor. I do.”

“I will do whatever it takes, Sister.”

“Do you know why your role is so vital to this?” Sister Imperator questioned. You shook your head. “You were the only one that could tame Terzo. For a while, I had thought we found our solution to our problems with him. But he is a wild animal. No amount of domestication will tame that beast. You also possess magical and ritual talents well beyond your years. You are a very valuable asset to the church as a whole. If all goes according to plan, your efforts will be regarded in the highest favor from the Dark Lord himself, I’m sure.”

You were too stunned by her praise to notice that Copia shifted uncomfortably. Sister Imperator shot a glare at him to stop before you looked up from your hands. “I– Um, thank you, Sister.”

She gave you a stiff nod as she began to organize the papers on her desk. “Oh, and, Sister? Should anything happen to you, be it comments or gestures, report it to myself or Cardinal Copia. Immediately. If I am preoccupied, tell someone or myself that you have a very important document for me to review. Understood?”

“Yes, Sister,” you nodded.

“Very well then. I will have this processed and on Papa’s desk by sun rise.”

Copia got up and bowed to Sister Imperator. He held out his hand for you to take your leave. Just as you both were a step away from the door, you turned back to her desk. “Sister Imperator?” you asked innocently.

“Hmm?” she murmured without looking up at you.

“Thank you,” you said sincerely.

She finally looked up at you, her eyes darting between you and Copia. An uncharacteristically warm smile spread across her face. “No need to thank me yet.” Her demeanor turned back to its usual stoicness. “Now go get some rest. The both of you. You’ll need it.”

~~~~~

Even though you somehow managed to fall asleep, you felt like as soon as you drifted off, you heard the incessant beeping of Copia’s alarm. You rolled to face the ceiling and groaned, but didn’t allow yourself any more time in bed. You wanted this over with. You had no idea what was about to happen. Delaying it wasn’t going to solve any problems. Reluctantly, you got up and showered quickly, putting on your makeup afterwards. While Copia got ready for the day, you searched your side of the closet, trying to decide the best approach for this summons.

Earlier last week, while Terzo was tied up in meetings, you and one of your favorite Ghouls went back to the place you once called home and packed up the rest of your things. When you brought in the last box, and the Ghoul was to return to his post, he gave you his signature straight-lined, toothy smile, something he rarely did around humans. He stood at your side and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, nuzzling his head into you. The affection was so endearing you didn’t mind his mask slightly clunking against your head.

“Thank you for always being there for me, Swiss,” you told him. He had caught you crying on more than one occasion, always wiping your tears away or badly misbehaving around Papa when he realized that’s who was the reason for your sadness. “Don’t forget about me, okay?” you laughed delicately. The Ghoul put both their hands over their heart and shook their head. How could they ever forget the one person who treated them like an equal and not as just a devout servant or like some kind of pet?

His shoulders slumped when it was time for him to go. You put your hand on the side of his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze and said, “Be on your worst behavior for Papa. Be the best little shit I know you can be for me, alright?” He perked up and nodded excitedly, happily accepting this task from you. “There we go, that’s my favorite Ghoul,” you smiled warmly and scratched under his chin as his tail swished. He flashed you one more of his signature smiles before turning heel and heading back.

You sighed. “I miss the Ghouls,” you grumbled as you continued to flip through all the clothes you had hanging. You could wear something plain, albeit respectful, just what all the Sisters wore day-to-day. Maybe something more formal… But then you found it. It was a dress you saved for special occasions and events and luckily for you, you had yet to wear this one. A devilish smile went across your face.

Looking in the mirror, smoothing out any stray wrinkles, you nodded to yourself. You looked hotter than hell. You had your wimple on, but pulled some hair out to have it frame your face. You fluffed your bangs, then applied your red lipstick. Yeah, this’ll do.

You walked out of your room, causing Copia to look up from his phone. He almost choked on his coffee at the sight of you.

The dress was a black satin that hugged your body. Leaving very little to the imagination, it had a plunging neckline and an open back. Its asymmetrical hem fell just above your left ankle, while the right side hit the top of your thigh, showing off your whole leg when you walked. On that leg, you had a garter with a single Grucifix dangling from it, made of black diamonds. It had been a gift from Terzo, you only hoped it added insult to injury. For shoes you wore simple, black, strappy stilettos.

“Y-you’re wearing that for h-him?” he stuttered in shock.

You grinned a Cheshire cat smile as you walked over to him. Tilting his head to the side you were on, you leaned down and kissed him. Your hand trailing down his chest, a finger dragging across where his pants started under his cassock. “Oh, caro, this dress isn’t for him. I’m dressing for revenge.” You dragged the hand holding his head across his jawline as you pulled away. “You got a little…” you said quietly as you used your thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth. He could only stare at you as you walked towards the door. His eyes wide and filled with lust. “Meet me back here for lunch,” you said, your tone commanding. You looked over your shoulder with a delightfully sinful grin to see Copia nodding fervently.

Just before you stepped out to leave, he called out, “Be careful, amore. Per favore.”

“Always am,” you responded as you shut the door. Taking one long, deep breath, you began your trek to the summons.

Dark Lord, give me the strength to mask my emotions, to not let them overpower my actions. Please, give me your strength and guidance to get through this. Nema, you thought to yourself, eyes closed and focused as you stood outside his office and set your intention. You elegantly knocked on the door.

“Entra.”

Let the battle begin.

He sat with his elbows on his desk, chin perched in his folded hands. You felt him eyeing you as you walked over to the chair across from him, sizing you up. His face dropped slightly, taken aback by your appearance. His lust for you consuming him.

“You did this all for me, sorella? Or would you still prefer I call you tesoro mio?” His voice was sultry, dripping with sweet honey. It made you sick.

“Sorella is fine, Papa. You summoned me, I only thought it best to wear something more formal,” you smiled politely.

“I always did like the way you think…” he mused under his breath, but still loud enough for you to hear. You ignored the comment. “Do you know why I summoned you, tesorino?”

Your expression held firm as you kept your air of professionalism intact. “I can only assume it has to do with the incident from mass.”

“Actually, I wanted to discuss your living arrangements. But you see, a very curious thing happened. There were already papers on my desk dealing with just that. Isn't it funny how quickly things can get done when you know the right people, hmm?”

“I see it as a blessing. The Dark Lord works in mysterious ways.”

“That He does, that He does…” his smile showed he was impressed by your response and ability to dodge the question, but his tone suggested he knew the move was calculated. “Well, with that out of the way now, I suppose we have time to talk.” He looked at you through his lashes. He softened, his voice quieter. Was this his way of waving the white flag? You weren’t talking to Papa now, you had Terzo in front of you. The real Terzo. However, you weren’t about to drop your guard so easily.

“What is there to talk about, Papa?”

He shook his head, his expression forlorn. “This isn’t business anymore.” When he looked up at you, he dropped any and every mask he was wearing. Even behind his papal paints, you could see how broken and defeated he actually was. “You left… and then I returned home one day and… every trace of you was gone. Poof. As if you were never there. As if we never happened…” he took a deep breath, it was unsteady. He bit his lip in an effort to control his emotions. You stared numbly at him. “Do you remember the first night I stayed with you? When you were sick?” he whispered.

Of course you remembered. How could you forget? You had a nasty cold. You texted him early that day, telling him you were sick and you’d have to reschedule dinner. He told you to rest and get better and that he would see you soon. You didn’t think ‘soon’ meant him showing up at your door later that evening with two quart containers of minestrone soup (that he made himself from his nonna’s recipe (and with Primo’s guidance)) and a bouquet of flowers.

“What are we watching, tesoro?” he asked as he settled in behind you, holding you, arm wrapped around your waist. You felt guilty having him there.

“You really don’t have to stay. I mean I don't want to get you sick and… Really, I’m fine on my own, especially now that I have soup!”

“Amore. Just because you do well on your own doesn’t mean you have to be on your own, hm? I'm here because I want to be, because la mia ragazza preferita (my favorite girl) is sick. If we fall asleep watching tv, then we sleep! There’s no use arguing with me, you know,” he said as he pulled you closer to him and pressed gentle kisses on your neck. “I'm staying– right– here.” His voice was muffled from barely taking his mouth away from your neck as he punctuated each word with a kiss. The affection made you bubble with laughter.

“I'm glad you’re here,” you said shyly. It was at that moment you knew you had a difficult conversation ahead of you. One that could make or break your relationship with Terzo, but you were falling for him. Hard. Nothing could stop your momentum. He had a reputation and if he loved you like he said he did, he’d commit to you. Wouldn’t he?

He let out a content sigh that pulled you out of your thoughts. He nuzzled into your shoulder. “Sono tua. Tutta tua.” He paused before adding, “Solo tua.” You froze. Did he read your mind? Did he feel the same as you? (I am yours. All yours. Only yours.)

“Solo mia? Davvero?” (Only mine? Really?)

“Sì. Sì,” he murmured affectionately as he placed a kiss on your temple. “There's no one else I want to share my time with. You’re all I think about, all I dream about, amore. You ground me. Make me feel like… I'm not… I’m not as— You make me feel like I'm worth loving. I want… us… I want to be esclusivi with you.” A sudden bashfulness came over him that you had never seen before. He was also so cool and collected, but you could tell just from the sound of his voice and the way he was fidgeting, tapping his fingers on your arm as he spoke that he was nervous.

You rolled over and cupped his face, searching his eyes with nothing but adoration. “Promise me then. Promise me, I’ll be the only one. Promise me, I’ll be your only one.”

“Te lo prometto. I promise you. You have my word, amata.”

“If you get sick this is on you. It’s so not my fault,” you jested as you poked his chest.

His eyes lit up. “Will you take care of me if I do?”

You swept his bangs away from his eyes. “Certo, amore.” His eyes scanned your face like he was trying to remember every single detail of it. “Okay, then I have no regrets about doing this and accept the consequences,” you added as you grabbed his face and kissed him. He deepened the kiss, turning and pulling you on top of him. You couldn’t help but giggle. This was it. You both were in it for the long haul. There was no going back now.

You pursed your lips and rolled them together as you tore yourself away from the now painful memory. You couldn’t help but wonder, if that was the long haul then how’d you end up here so soon?

“I do… but forgive me, what does that have to do with anything?”

He was focused on his hands in front of him as he anxiously tapped his fingers together. “Could you ever look at me again the way you did that night? Could you ever love me again?”

“Do you know how many nights I spent wondering where that Terzo had gone?” you snapped as you countered his amative question with one of your own that had been frozen in ice.

“I have always been here, tesoro,” he mumbled, avoiding your eyes again.

“Do you remember what you said to me that night? What you promised me? How you were all mine? Only mine?”

“Sì, ricordo (I remember)…” he muttered. The quietness of the room made your ears ring. With so many conflicting emotions running through your veins, the strongest made your blood begin to simmer.

“Then why? Why wasn’t I ever enough for you?” The questions flew out of your mouth before you could even debate betraying your strictly-business-like demeanor. Your voice tinged with desperation, devastation, and nostalgic longing. You wanted to hate Terzo. You wanted to. Most of the time now you did, but here he was in front of you. You sacrificed so much for him, for your relationship, you set all politics aside. Right now, you merely wanted answers to the thoughts that had kept you lying awake countless nights.

His breath got caught in his throat. It was as if he physically reacted to your words piercing through his heart. He stared at you, mouth slightly hung open in shock at both your question and the revelation of the consequence of his actions that it brought. Suddenly, he was on his feet, gliding over to you. Your chair had been far enough away from the desk that he was able to kneel in front of you. He placed his gloved hands on your knees.

Your jaw clenched. You saw right through what he was trying to do. Act as if it was the first time you confronted him. The first time you caught him.

The memory flooded your senses making you relive the moment when you returned to your apartment and sat at the table, waiting for the door to open. You didn’t even bother to turn on a light. Copia had walked you back after he literally ran into you as you tried to flee from one of your worst nightmares. It had taken you an hour or so to even begin to calm down. The clock neared eleven and he still wasn’t home.

He expected to find you already asleep, but he saw you waiting for him, still dressed, makeup ruined. The rage and hurt that radiated off you hit him like a brick wall as soon as he walked in and turned on the light. “Amore, what are you–”

“How was your day?” you asked plainly, staring at your hands folded in front of you.

“Lots of meetings,” he let out a tired sigh.

“Your last one ran really late. Is everything okay?”

He froze for a split second as he started to take off his gloves. He cleared his throat. “Yes, you know, just lots of red tape to sort through while the Ghost tour is being planned.” His voice became just unsteady enough to let you know he feared this was becoming an interrogation.

You nodded. “Hm, I thought that meeting was scheduled for next week.” For the first time since he returned, you looked over at him. You shrugged nonchalantly, turning away from him to look at your hands again.

“I-it got moved up suddenly. Mi dispiace, I thought someone had told you…” he muttered, making his way to the bedroom.

“Ah, yes, I’m sure Sister Thérèse just got tied up with someone… I mean something else. I haven’t seen much of her lately, or at all really, though I’m sure you have.” You turned to see him come to a complete standstill the moment your tone darkened. Slowly, he turned to you. He opened his mouth to stutter out something, but your voice was sharp as a sword. “Don’t.”

“I can explain–”

“Oh, I’m sure you can. There just has to be a reasonable explanation as to why you were balls deep inside her in a random office. And I’m sure there’s another for why the door was left ajar. Usually I would have just kept walking, but there was this very distinctive, very familiar voice. ‘È tutto. Ragazza bene. Sì, sei la mia ragazza preferita. È tutto (That’s it. Good girl. Yes, you’re my favorite girl. That’s it),’” you did your best mocking-impression of him you could muster. “I thought ‘Hmm, I’ve heard that somewhere before. There’s no way it could be..’ Well, sure enough, peaking through that crack in the door, there you were! And now… here we are.” You were so beyond furious that you appeared calm.

He stood there, still frozen, locked in place. You could see the fear in his eyes. If it weren’t the papal paints on his face you could have seen his color fade. When he finally was able to speak, his voice wavered, sounding close to a whimper. “Are… are you going to leave me?”

Your fists clenched and you let out a huff of air. “I’ve thought about it, but given the nature of everything, I just can’t up and leave you.” A silence hung in the air. “How the fuck did it get to this point?” Your voice cracked as you repressed the tears that started to rise to the surface.

He jolted forward, rushing to you, kneeling in front of you, taking your hands in his. “Please, please, amore. I’d– I’ll do anything for you. Amata mia. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Mi dispiace. Mi dispiace.” Sobs rippled through him as he cried at your feet. All you wanted to do was pull him up by his hair and slap him so hard across the face, it would have woken the whole floor up, then scream at him to stop crying. You knew you couldn’t do that. That wasn’t you. So you sat there, silent and stoic, your whole body tense.

After he calmed himself down slightly, his watery eyes gazed up to your towering form. “You promised me,” you breathed through your teeth out of fear that any extra movement would cause you to break down just as he had. You refused to give him the satisfaction.

“I know. I know I did. I… I ruined everything.”

“Why, Terzo? Why did you do it?”

“I… Non lo so.” His lips barely moved as he breathed out words you didn’t care to hear.

You slammed your fist on the table, abruptly pushing yourself out of your chair, needing to get away from his touch. “When are you gonna fucking let me in, Terzo? Huh? This whole ‘us’ thing really won’t work if you don’t ever tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“I-I-I don’t know! She was just there! And– and I knew how wrong it was. I know… but I couldn’t stop. I… I was bored and–”

“You… you were… You– You were bored,” you scoffed. “So I bore you enough to go fuck a wanna be Prime Mover whore?”

His head dropped in his hands. He moved them up through his hair which he gripped so tightly his knuckles turned white and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant,” he groaned.

“Ooh, do enlighten me then!”

“I can’t tell you why I did it, because I don’t know. Veramente (Truly), I don’t know. It’s just– Everything was going so well. Perfect almost. You were taking everything being thrown at you in stride. Your ideas for Ghost, the way you keep me on track, the way you… You were just you. Always there. Always by my side.”

“So you just had to go and fuck it up.”

His shoulders slumped, his jaw clenched. “I don’t deserve you, tesoro. I never did…”

There it was. There was the answer to the multi-million dollar question. You felt your heart shatter as he sat there in his hurt. You scurried over to him, dropping to your knees, holding his face between your hands. With a shake, you forced his dichromatic eyes to find yours. “But you do, Terzo. You do. Satan, I give you everything I have, every day, to show you that.” He turned his head away from you. Your words only made him feel like you were proving his point. “Look at me,” you commanded with another shake. “Before I came here, I didn’t have anything or anyone. I had nothing. When I found you… when you took an interest in me, the kind of person who never had the guts to stand out or be noticed, who didn’t even think they were special enough to catch anyone’s attention, never mind yours… It’s because of you I can even see myself in a different light. Don’t you think someone capable of that deserves someone just as special?”

The kindest words that were ever said to him, the most genuine words, always came from you. He loved you more than anything he could possibly imagine. He knew lately he’d done a piss poor job of proving that to you. He could see the cuts he was inflicting on you. He hated himself for it. He needed you by his side for so many reasons. He needed you to keep him in line. If you ever stopped… If he ever let himself completely lose control… If you ever left him… He couldn’t even imagine the monster he would become.

You didn’t know the depths of the internal battle he was waging on himself, you saw enough of it on his face to know his struggle was heart-wrenching. You loved him. Yes, he royally fucked up, but you still loved him. “We can work through this,” you whispered, moving yourself to intercept his blank stare.

“Will you ever trust me again?”

You winced at the memory. Everytime he came close to regaining your trust, he would do something to break it. Over and over again.

“It was never you who wasn’t good enough, amata mia. You know that,” he purred as his satin covered hands slid up your thighs, taking your dress with them slowly. He paused as his fingers brushed your garter. He toyed with the Grucifix that dangled from it. That he had given you. He smiled affectionately at it, before his devil may care smirk returned. You wearing that wasn’t an insult to him. It was a sign of subconscious devotion.

This was the real Terzo. You chastised yourself for falling for it, yet again. Always a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a lesson you just couldn’t seem to learn. “I am the one who was never worthy of you.” His eyes were locked onto your core. He then stood up, parting your legs by wedging himself between them. As he did so, he dragged his dual-toned irises up your body until they locked with yours. His pupils fully blown out, his breathing became heavier. His lust could only be described as animalistic.

Your words formed a lump in your throat, unable to escape.

He towered over you. His hands grazed along the sides of your entire body. He ripped off your wimple. Your face scrunched at his roughness. One hand, then, settled around your neck, squeezing it, as he put his mouth by your ear. “There is so much for you to learn. So much I have to teach you, demonino mio.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, roaring thunderously in your ears. You felt your blood go from a simmer to boiling. “I’m not your little demon,” you growled as you spat in his face. The hand on your throat swiftly moved to your chin, his grip painful enough to fear it might bruise. He forced you to look at him, to look at his knowing smirk. He knew something you were clueless about.

“Mmm, C’è la mia ragazza (there’s my girl),” he cooed. He kept your face locked in place as he licked your spit off his face, making you watch. Your eyes burned with a ferocity you’ve never felt before. “Satanas, I’ve missed you,” he sighed.

He breathed out a laugh as he unexpectedly dropped to his knees again. Your dress had already moved up so much, nothing was hidden. He pushed your legs open wider as he dove between them, running his nose along your core, inhaling deeply.

“Terzo, stop,” you demanded, trying to squirm your way out of his hold.

“You know you don’t want me to.” He moved up slightly, so his throat was flush against you. When he spoke, it sent undeniably pleasurable shockwaves through you.

“No. Fucking stop! No!” You tried to leap up and push him away from you, but he was stronger and faster. Easily he took your arms and pinned you to the chair, of which you were barely sitting on the edge of in your struggle.

His eyes darkened, his head swayed back and forth as he tutted at you. “Sei stata una ragazza molto cattiva (you have been a very bad girl).” Your arms would surely bruise as he put even more of his weight onto them, further constricting his vice grip he had on you. Relentlessly you still tried to wriggle your way out of his grasp.

Stop fighting, my child… A calming, almost sultry voice, yet somehow also one of safety, rang through your mind.

Terzo pushed his face into the crook of your neck, biting down where it met your shoulder. You cried out as you continued your attempts to writhe away from the monster in front of you. He licked the mark and dragged his tongue all the way up your neck, sucking on the sensitive spot behind your ear. The line between pain and pleasure was beginning to blur. “If you keep trying to fight me, la mia stellina oscura (my little dark star), or you so much as breathe one word of this to a certain Caridnale, he will find himself back in Italia for a very, very long time…” Your body ceased movement. His stronghold on you loosened as he descended once again. “Ora, dimmi, amore, that you don’t want this (Now, tell me, love).”

Give into temptation, my child. The voice rang out again, echoing throughout your mind like a spell to sedate your frayed nerves. You hadn’t the faintest idea why, but this time, you trusted the ethereal voice. You stopped fighting.

Terzo returned to his spot between your legs, humming appreciatively. “Oh, guarda. I can see how much you already want this. Sporco bugiardo (You dirty liar),” he taunted as he ran his finger along the wet patch that had started to pool in your underwear, your body betraying you. While his thumb ran circles around your clit, your breath hitched involuntarily. Your eyes shut, your head turning away in shame. You couldn’t bear to actually watch this.

He teased you, dragging his finger up and down your lace-covered slit, before covering you with the palm of his hand. Now he moved his whole hand in slow, circular motion. He was satisfied when your wetness had completely soaked through your underwear. Next thing you knew, he tore them off you, tossing them over his shoulder onto the desk behind him.

His arm wrapped around your thigh, securing it in place. You couldn’t help but let out a gasp as you felt his tongue circle your clit. His brows furrowed and he let out a sharp huff when he noticed you weren’t watching him work. With his free hand, he grabbed your chin brutishly again, forcing you to keep your eyes on him. You hated the force he was using. You hated seeing the insatiable hunger in his lustful eyes. You hated him. But that all paled in comparison to how much you hated the part of your desire that got caught in the wildfire of your rage.

Once he felt you understood his wordless message, he let go of your chin. Stubborn as ever, and with admirable restraint, you refused to let out the mewls and moans that perilously needed to, biting your cheek until a metallic taste tickled your tongue. The little control you had snapped like an old rubber band when he inserted the first finger inside you. Your hips bucked, craving more friction. The smoothness of his satin glove drove you as mad as it had countless times before. Your breaths became shallow and rapid as he pushed another finger inside you. Pawing at your sweet spot he knew as well as the back of his own hand, you now writhed from the remorseful pleasure. You didn’t even have time to register the smirk he made just before he snuck in a third finger.

“Satanas!” you tried to hiss, but it dissolved on your tongue into a moan. Your eyes slammed shut as your head fell back. Then all movement stopped. You dragged your head up to resume the eye contact he demanded. He stayed frozen, the only movement he made was the one eyebrow he raised, his look expectant of you. You scowled, but in a moment of forgotten animosity, you reached to brush away the hair that had sloppily fallen in his face. “P-please, don’t stop. Please. I need–” that was enough for him to resume with furious intensity.

You found purchase by running your hand through his hair, gripping it so tightly your knuckles went white. As you pushed his head into you, needing even more friction, more pressure, you could feel his fleeting smile before he resumed concentration. “Fuck! T-terz-zo, fuck!” you mewled, the pressure unbearable. You were about to unravel in his hands. “I’m go–” you started to say, but the words died in your mouth just as quickly as he stopped.

He leered over you. He pulled you up by your wrist and grabbed you by your waist. He held you there for a moment, your body flush against his. “You are mine,” he commanded, his voice gravelly. Suddenly he turned you around, pushing you down, bending you over his desk. Your arms caught you as you fell forward. You could hear him undoing his pants and then felt his hand wipe some of your slick off to rub on his dick. A faint, breathy moan escaped his lips as he lined himself up with you. “You will always– be– mine,” he growled as he thrusted into you, punctuating each word with another hard thrust. You cried out in delirious pleasure that overrode the pain of him emphatically bottoming out inside you each time. “È tutto. Ragazza bene. Sì, sei la mia ragazza preferita. È tutto,” he moaned in your ear, repeating what you had overheard him say the first time you found him with another in this very same position.

You reached for the edge of the desk to try and brace yourself, but he pushed his fingers into your mouth, hooking into your cheek. You could taste yourself on his soaked gloves. His pace faltered just slightly as he reached for your wrist and pulled you against him. You moaned around his hand, eyes rolling back, at the slight change in position.

Tears leaked from your eyes due to the overstimulation. You were so close, so, so close. You could feel your pending orgasm building, about ready to explode like a dying star. It had never been like this with him before. Not with Terzo, not with anyone.

Sure, you liked it rough from time to time, but this… this was awakening something else inside you. And it was solely from the sex, it was everything surmounting together: the infidelity, the degradation both public and private, the manipulation… It felt like a caged animal, a beast, which deep down you knew had always lurked inside you just waiting to be set free, waiting for the right time to emerge from your darkest shadows. There was still guilt bubbling up inside you that longed for this to be over, but… you couldn’t deny it, and you would never admit it. This excited you; it terrified you.

His gruff whisper pulled you back to reality, “Voglio che tu venga per me, amore mio… il mio unico vero amore. Vieni. (I want you to come for me, my love… my only true love. Come.)”

You felt yourself erupt, crying out with the force of a hundred hell hounds as your walls pulsated around him, as the most sinful pleasure rippled through your entire body. He kept going with his relentless, starved pace. Only when he spilled himself inside you, did he let up and remove his hand from your mouth. Your cheek, sore, as you tried to adjust your jaw back to normal, tonguing where you still felt the impressions of his fingers.

You stayed there, bent over, laying on the desk. Your bones felt as if they had been liquified. He hummed behind you, pleased with his work. Using the back of his hands, he brushed them up the inside of your legs before wiping both hands along your cunt, gathering whatever excess of fluids his gloves would lap up in one swipe. He removed his gloves, tossing them on the desk beside you. You could hear the soft splat sound they made when they landed near your discarded underwear. His bare hand slapped your ass and you jumped as the sting radiated through you.

Tucking his dick back in his pants and buttoning them up, you could feel him looming over you. You only dragged yourself up to stand when his statue-like presence caused your skin to crawl. Your eyes turned to slits as you turned to face him.

Hooking his finger under your chin, his thumb cleaned up the corners of your mouth. His other hand wiped away the tears that stained your flushed cheeks. “I think your incident at mass can be overlooked now, sì?” he snickered.

The attrition from what had just transpired came crashing down on you like a tsunami causing ripple effects of shame and guilt to wash over you. Suddenly, your breathing became heavy. There was a fire inside your chest that blazed hot enough to burn this entire Abbey to the ground in minutes.

Through temptation has your wrath been spurred. For your sacrifice… you will be… rewarded, that mysterious voice whispered to you again as your body started to shake from the electricity of your fury.

“Ask me again how I could ever love you,” you snarled as you stood up to adjust your dress in a feeble attempt to cover yourself.

“Oh, dolcezza,” his honeyed croon made you want to grab him by the hair and smash his face into the desk behind you. You never knew where these violent thoughts came from, so out of pocket for you. It was gasoline being added to the flames of your wrath. Your hand twitched, almost as if you were about to do it… You were pulled out of your thoughts by his sickly sweet voice. “You have no idea of the power that you possess.” He gently caressed your face, his eyes searching you as if he could see the power he spoke of, as if he was trying to find it. When his knowing smirk shrouded his face again, you had had enough of his bullshit.

You forcefully slapped his hand away from you. You could hear the sting, “Rot in hell, figlio di puttana,” you sneered as you turned to make your exit.

“Only if you’re beside me, amata mia,” he chuckled, rubbing his hand where you hit him, getting too much enjoyment and satisfaction from your reaction. You accepted that you had no idea who the man standing in front of you was or if you ever did and that thought alone only infuriated you even more. He shut up completely when you turned around and glared at him. He could see darkness starting to cloud your eyes. He shook it off, opening his mouth when you only had one more step before you were out of this office. “Oh, amore,” he started, his tone went from casual to sinister, causing you to freeze where you stood. “I mean it, you know, you utter a single syllable of this to Copia, and he’s gone. Sei mio (you are mine).”

Your boiling blood instantly turned to ice. You turned around painstakingly slow. Your rigid body and movements were enough to send shivers down Terzo’s spine. You couldn’t feel it. You had no idea it was happening. The fury of hell shone through your eyes as Terzo watched them fill with black smoke until your eyes turned to dark voids before him. “And I’ll make you wish that I never was.”

You watched as Terzo went slack jawed and his eyes turned into saucers from shock. The anger you felt, the wrath coursed through you like an electric current, was the only thing you cared about. Although you did revel in the fact that he looked terrified enough to cry, you were too wrapped up in your emotions to care.

“I-is that a th-threat, amore?” he stuttered, failing to keep his composure.

“It’s a fucking promise,” you growled, your voice dropping several octaves, sounding borderline inhuman. Terzo stumbled backwards, his hands reaching out behind him to clutch his desk. All you could see was red.

You almost ripped the door off its hinges as you stormed out, leaving it open. You were barely aware of where you were storming off to or that there were two Ghouls making their way towards Terzo’s office. In the haze of your rage, you almost missed how they stopped in their tracks and kneeled the second they saw you. When “Your Eminence,” sounded in your mind from two different and distinct voices as you were a few paces in front of them, your gait slowed. Still bending at the knee, they nodded to you as you passed by. Looking down at them, your brow furrowed for a moment, never having seen this kind of behavior from any Ghoul before. You returned their gesture with a curt, singular nod. They got up to resume going to wherever they were headed and you continued on your war path. Behind you, still watching from his office doorway at the end of the hall, Terzo’s jaw was just about on the floor. He scrambled to get to his phone.

Two Sisters of Sin saw you barreling towards them. Quickly, they moved to the side, but when they saw you up close, they both let out a gasp. You shot them a look only causing them to cower. Once you passed them, they ran down the hall as if they were running for their lives. Your brow furrowed again. “What the fuck…?” you muttered to yourself.

You didn’t have time for this. Terzo said you couldn’t tell Copia about what happened. He never said anything about Sister Imperator. When you reached her office you didn’t even bother to knock, scaring the daylights of her from the sudden burst of noise and movements. Then the color drained from her at the sight of you.

This time, you slammed the door behind you. Sister Imperator backed herself up until she hit the wall. You stood in there for a moment, your breaths coming out in short huffs, almost like pants. Your eyes looked crazed as you widened them. It was like two black holes were staring at Sister Imperator, threatening to destroy anything that got in their way. Chills ran up and down her spine. “Sister, y-your ey– uh…” she sputtered, her breathing becoming shallow. She tried to ignore the tightening feeling in her chest. She swallowed, even though her throat had gone dry. “Sister, w-what happened?”

You charged forward, slamming your hands on her desk, rattling everything on it. She winced and brought her hands up to her chest, clutching her Grucifix rosary beads that hung around her neck. A malevolent sneer etched onto your face. “Terzo happened,” you growled, although this time, it actually sounded like your own voice.

You pushed off her desk and began pacing, slowly, deliberating, as if you were trying to both calm down and calculate something. When you gathered your thoughts and paused, turning to directly face the panicked clergy member, your words sounded nothing less than a warning.

“Imperator, I don’t know what game you and Copia and Lucifer knows who else are playing with Terzo… and I don’t exactly know my role in it,” you clenched your jaw, speaking through your teeth, “since no one cares to divulge that information.” You took a deep breath and regained composure as you feigned innocence. “I only care about how it ends. Do you know how it will end, Sister?” Her mouth hung agape. Any sound that tried to escape was nowhere to be found. She could only shake her head in response. You leaned forward onto the desk again, you slowly pulled your chin in, but you kept your gaze locked on hers, your eyes now almost looking up at her. A smile wider than a cheshire cat’s grew on your face. If Sister Imperator didn’t believe in evil, she certainly did now. “It’s going to end with his head on my altar.”

taglist: @da-rulah @fishwithtitz @ivycasket @water-ghoulette (drop a comment if you'd like to be added!)

part iii | part v

#you're losing me #the band ghost #the band ghost fanfiction #cardinal copia #cardinal copia x reader #cardinal copia x female reader #terzo #papa emeritus iii #terzo angst #terzo x reader #terzo x female reader #papa emeritus iii x reader #papa emeritus iii x female reader #terzo smut #Spotify

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the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us · 2 years ago

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My boyfriend is so funny he says he's not a killer and then rambles on how serial killers avoid describing their murders in a ploy to avoid describing how HE murdered someone 🥰😍

richard saying he’s not a particularly bad person after being an accomplice in bunny’s death and quoting a serial killer who said he’s a good person

#richard papen #rem does stuff and panics #he's so real

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ournachojesus · 10 months ago

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Death Loop Au, (Forth part, I don’t recap so it might be confusing if you haven’t read some of the past stuff.)

Warning : Talking about murder, torture, abuse, and a lot of disturbing content.

Loops 5-10

How long can they live for? If one of them was seriously injured in a way that damaged their mental facilities would a reset happen? Was there any signs or indications that the loops are limited? If not, how do they end the loops?

That’s what they dedicate those loops to. Mostly experimenting to see the basic rules of this unknown time relapse. Already knowing shigami have no memories or information on the subject they just start seeing how far they can go in the loops. As I said in past post, they never make it past the day Light originally dies. Mostly cause of Ryku but it’s not always him doing it (I’ll explain this more in loops 11-20). The hostile nature of their relationship goes from boiling down to simmering. Having to work together now in keeping everyone unaware of the strange test. Like Light concussing L into a coma, which does end up resetting them after a week. The mark rule is found out fast. No info on the loops is found.

Loops 11-20

Light will always die by the pen of a shigami. They can never get either Rem or Ryku to say what his predetermined life span was in the first place. Super tight lipped. Most commonly is Ryku or Rem that kill light at the marked date. If Light somehow convince Ryku not to do it then Rem does. If not Rem another god of death not roaming the mortal world. Of course Light can and has died via other ways, due to L setting it up. Both do question why. Often talking to eachother late into the night about how the gods of death relate to this loop. While none can remember nor know details of why, the marked date always have Light die by death note of a shigami is important. Lots of questions on why L is involved in the loop too since he died so much sooner than Light. They aren’t the only ones that have died by death notes or shigami so while it probably plays a role they can never get much information since all the people with information on the death note have nothing new they can provide. This is when the hostility starts to boil up,

Loops 21-50

Grand slam, on sight fist fights. Think of planning someone’s assassination, they do stuff like that. Some stuff boarding on torture as they near 50. Actually, scratch that, it is torture nearing 50. L removes Light’s fingers while he’s conscious, Light rips L’s tongue out, they don’t go past removing hands and feet. It used to be quick deaths but they just start slowly going nuts (they end up noticing only after they both go too far later on). Neither plead for the pain to stop, the desperate calls and screams are mostly about wishing for the loops to end. Mentally they start disconnecting when in pain, they’re minds letting rational thought override pain no matter what. It happening so often messes up their brains panic response.

Other half is them mind gaming each other, like chess. In this game they slowly start hurting those around them. Less caring as they view them as NPCs. No torture, letting these people get kidnapped, hurt, etc. Human rights? More like only them rights. Even then, they just start breaking every right. Misa starts to become a victim at this time.

Misa!!

I didn’t mention this from loops 1-20 but Misa can pretty quickly catch on to something being up. Light nor L notice this until after loop 20 because Light straight up avoids Misa like the plague along with talk L into helping him make sure Misa wasn’t involved during the first 20 loops. This deal breaks down which is why she starts popping up again. Since they are now experiencing her figuring it out when no one else ever does and her constant want to help them even though it’s super repetitive, they feel a little relief at first since she is willing to understand them but since this is a time when they are literally no longer acting or able to function normally unless it’s to act, things get bloody. It’s this anger that she always figures out the struggle they are in but is just another repeating pattern like everyone else. A code, NPC, a predetermined outcome, etc. So, when it comes to their chess game she is often the piece put in the worst situations. Sending her into a shady club full of horrible guys with a wire on to “collect information” sometimes they send someone in to help her but it just ends up with Misa going ‘missing’ on those days (she gets her organs stolen for black market), having her be arrested as Kira, having her become a Kira propagandist with her art. Depends, but they are just absolutely abusing and monstrous. To everyone.

L has a lot more power due to recourse and while Light is petty, he doesn’t kill L to make him play at the same level. He could but he knows it never work. L is less attached over all, less expressive with loss of appetite. Often not responding with much fire when Light explodes. Light is a ticking time bomb that can only explode around L, he loses drive to keep up relationships but never acts outwardly disturbing. Both just seem depressed to an outside observer, if they have their guards down. Both are so use to acting now that no one knows what’s actually going on beneath the surface.

NPC effect - Both have been looping for so long that they stop seeing other people as important or real due to none of them changing their behavior or develop unless L or Light change something (these loops can span up to when Light is 23, they loop back to when he’s 18).

Mark - From now on that’s what I’ll be referring to as the day Light dies in the og and as the max end point for loops.

The incidents - og post has some info about it but I’ll be make a post solely on this later.

When writing about this AU I never really thought if this relationship was romantic or platonic. Wasn’t really the focus since the relationship development they have is that of deep codependency and desperation. It can be twisted into either if that was something you wanted (this would change some of their actions).

What you need to know is that they grow into each other like compacted roots. I’ll give a full timeline of just what’s going on in the relationship itself once I have the loops and progression of events down. My thoughts on their og relationship? Even if they care and find the other as an equal that makes life exciting, they are both purely selfish beings. Everyone is selfish but their brand of it is beyond that of a normal person. They wish to be above all others, to have their egos satisfied. Not without challenge of course, that’s why they like one another. The challenge is what makes it interesting and all the more rewarding. During the loop AU their relationship grows to be more than just the challenge. In an unfortunate way they experience deep and meaningful connection with another person for the first time in the most brutal way. Unending repetition and trauma and disconnection from everyone else to a much more extreme extent. Connection to someone but with the want to make them happy because it makes you happy, it’s the first time they feel this. It’s really messed up since they end up believing that the only way they could ever love someone is by literally accumulating trauma. That they were born so broken that the only way they could love like normal people was by being ground into fine dust (these kind of thoughts aren’t ones they’d have in the beginning at all, only after they get so tired they can’t maintain their feelings of superiority that they start spiraling. Both in different ways due to differences but in the same vein of them both thinking they are monsters of sorts that needed to be beaten to become human).

#death loop au #l lawliet #light yagami #time loop au #death note

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overthemoons7 · 4 months ago

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welcome to my blog!

i’m rems!

fandoms: my tops are marauders, arcane, doctor who hunger games, and tlou. my more loose fandoms are x-men, star wars, and marvel

i’m a full time psychology student at the moment so if i’m not around i’m stuck doing my university work! but when i am here feel free to say hi!! <3 below you’ll find my current WIPs but i’ve always got other fic ideas so more will come when one finishes!

here are my main tags!!

#rems rambles! -> writing/fic things

#rems yap time! -> general stuff/asks

#rems psychie -> complaining about my degree

MY WORKS

information about updates are in each of the fics!

I hate you, I want you

“My name is Harry."

Harry's eyes peer into Regulus and it feels like the kid is staring into his soul. If he's correct and this kid does live here, this is a terrible idea. He is not good with kids. "You're meant to say your name now." He says as he bounces between his feet. Even this kid is calling him out on it.

"Right, I'm Regulus."

"You look like Uncle Paddy."

What the fuck is a paddy? It kind of sounds like that nickname Sirius sometimes had written around Sirius' room. Then it clicked; the kid does mean Sirius' nickname, Padfoot. The stupid nickname he and his band of marauders, as they called themselves, came up with. So that means this kid must belong to one of them. Clearly, it is not Sirius. Remus is definitely gay so that's a no. And this kid looks nothing like Peter. That only leaves…

Oh fuck his life. This is James Potter's kid. The hair, the grin, the massive amounts of unused energy radiating off him. Fuck, he needs to get out of here.

or a modern jegulus au where Sirius sets them up but complications come in the way and the two of them have to navigate it all… including Lily and James’ son Harry. includes other main ships and background ships! (WIP: 6/?)

Carved into her soul

All the suitors that have been forced Lily's way have never felt right to her so she rejects them all. Her parents rapidly grew tired of her not marrying after a few seasons of being out in society so they arranged a marriage for her, forcing her hand. Panic ensues as this is the opposite of what she wants. She doesn't know what to do or how to react when her childhood best friend suddenly is avoiding her and barely saying anything to her after the news broke out.. Will Lily be able to find happiness in the end and figure out her complex feelings about everything?

or a not-so-slow slow burn between childhood best friends lilylene that is set in the Victorian age but heavily inspired by the Regency era. with sprinkled-in fun tropes like the one-bed trope!!! (WIP: 7/9)

#rems rambles!#rems yap time!#rems psychie #pinned intro #introduction #introductory post #fic: i hate you i want you #fic: carved into her soul #marauders fandom

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the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us · 2 years ago

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The main thing tying both The Picture of Dorian Gray and If We Were Villains to The Secret History is never listening to guys named Richard and Henry

#the second main thing is homosexuality #the third main thing is something something corruption of the soul something something letting art destroy you #rem does stuff and panics #the secret history #if we were villains #the picture of dorian gray #richard papen #henry winter

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theladybarnes · 3 years ago

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NO STRINGS ON ME - CH.2: WIND IT UP

“To the front, to the side, to the back, but don't let him ride Keep going girl, it's your night. Don't let him steal your light I know he thinks you're fine and stuff, But does he know how to wind you up?”

▸ summary: kisses, confessions, and murderous robots? just a regular work week ▸ characters: bucky barnes, steve rogers, & the avengers ▸ word count: 9,275 (FORGIVE ME) ▸ warnings: canon violence, semi violence, semi smut (MINORS DNI), drinking, & angst~ ▸ series masterlist

The moment the door knob turned right was when chaos ensued.

Two HYDRA agents pushed their way inside the office, instantly bum-rushing you and Bucky apart from each other. One of the more burly of the two, decided to go for Bucky first. Attempting to take down the soldier. Unfortunately for him, the first thing he was met with was a metal hand wrapped around his throat.

The other, having gawked enough at Bucky’s immediate take down, deemed you the better target as he reached to the side of his hip for his holster. Not giving him the chance to even get the flap open, you lift your leg up, stomping hard on the front of his hand. The move caused a weight to go against his hip. It’s when he stumbled forward for balance that you balled up your first, throwing the punch forward against the side of his head.

Meanwhile, Bucky’s tight grip has caused the agent to pass out in his hand. Allowing the man to discard his unconscious body across the room like a rag doll. The man collided into the nearby desk. The man that’s fallen before you attempted to call out for help, sounding more slurred than anything. Sounds of his partners down the hall causes you to panic for a moment, letting the man get a swing at your gut before Bucky rushes over to give him a final knockout hit.

“Focus.” He urged, moving his hand behind your back to lead you out the room. Wordlessly, you follow him back out to the main office. It would seem now that some staff had finally come into the workplace, having stopped the last pair of agents that had been following you. Arguing with the elderly staff were a man and a woman, dressed in all black. Waving their hands around and insisting in thick accents that they be allowed past the front desk.

“SOLDAT!” one yelled, pointing at Bucky beside you. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone to most likely alert more agents that there was a new target to go after. Quickly, you reach over to a nearby plant and grab it by the vase, throwing it over at the man’s head before he can speak into the cell.

While he’s distracted by the attack, Bucky jumps over the barrier and onto the same man, knocking the both of them onto the floor. The office staff started to scream now, obviously not prepared for this kind of situation. One begins to yell in Polish, probably asking what the hell you were all doing, while the other is frozen in place. Frightened by the sight. You want to try and get them out of the way before either of them gets hurt, but any attempt is stalled the moment the other female agent takes cover behind the stoic lady. Using the poor older woman as a shield from you.

“Let her go.” You ordered, moving now towards the agent. She barks something at you in Russian as she grips tighter against the woman. Causing the poor lady to let out a pained cry. Your eyes scanned around the room for any weapon you could throw and possibly distract again. Next time you did a simple recon with Sam, you’d have to consider bringing in a gun next time.

Thankfully, Bucky is able to cause a loud enough distraction that the woman loses focus for one second. Giving you the opportunity to do a sneak attack at her side. Kicking at her side causes her to drop the grip on the staff member, letting you pull her back and throw yourself onto the agent instead.

The two of you struggle against each other, having similar strength. Backing away, you ball up both your firsts, jumping side to side a bit before you punch at her. Trying to remember the similar technique that you’ve seen Steve do in the tower’s gym. When that didn’t stop her, you grabbed the back of her neck, pushing her face to collide with the top of your knee. She succumbs to the hit, only groaning lightly as you drop her body.

Bucky is scrambling up from the ground now, trying his best to translate to the staff members. “Skontaktuj się z policją! (Contact the police!)” He yelled. The one that had been yelling before answers back to him, grabbing onto one of the phones. Reaching for your hand, Bucky pushes through the front door of the building, nearly colliding with passing park goers on the way out. Not leaving any chance for any lingering HYDRA agents to catch the two of you.

The further away from the building you go, the more you notice you’re getting farther from the checkpoint you needed to meet Sam by. You don’t really have it in you to stop Bucky, noticing just how panicked he was when he’d check back to see if you're okay. Even then, the hold he had on you proved that until he deemed it safe, you didn’t have a choice at stopping him.

It wasn’t till you were back into the city streets that he slowed down, stopping only when he felt that you were both far enough. “Didn’t see the other two following you.” He panted, scanning his eyes around the area. You nod your head, letting go of his hand now to wipe off some of the sweat that had come on your face.

At your glance around, you noticed that while you were far from the spot you needed to be, you were a lot closer to the hotel you were both staying at. “It’s alright. We got out of there pretty fast.” You said finally, looking back to Bucky. He pulled the cap off his head, using his fingers to card through his hair. While you were sure he wasn’t as tired as you were, you knew his anxiety must have been through the roof after the encounter.

Grabbing at his forearm gently, you pulled him with you towards an alleyway, allowing for better privacy and a chance to not have to look over your shoulders for a moment. Like the last time you saw him, his eyes were wild, making the blues look more silver. “Are you okay?” His brows furrowed at your question, not knowing how to even respond to you. Shaking his head he leaned against the wall of the building, needing a moment to himself.

While Bucky took a moment, you glanced down at your phone, wincing at the amount of messages that were still coming in. Ignoring them for a moment, you used the scanner JARVIS activated on the phone to check for any other dangers that could be around you. After a minute, three green dots popped up on screen, appearing at different places around the block. From the records you and Sam had kept track of, they were a couple of CIA agents that were still in the area. Which normally you’d be fine with, if you didn’t have Bucky there with you. “I hate to say this but we’re gonna have to hide again.” You said coming back to his side.

His blue eyes snapped open, looking over you to see what was coming in. Handing him your phone, you tap on the screen again to show the signal locations. “They’re approaching us right now, probably doing another surveillance check.” For the first time, Bucky seemed unsure what to do. While the two of you weren’t exactly out in the streets where it’d be more noticeable, it’s not like they wouldn’t look down an alleyway either. Unless there was some reason they’d look away…

Bucky is too busy trying to think of possibly going up the side of the building at this point when you push him up against the wall. “I know you don’t trust me yet-“

“I trust you.” That was definitely not the answer you’d expected, but you weren’t going to say you didn’t like the confirmation of having his trust.

“Wrap your arms around my waist.” Instantly, he complied to your demands, wrapping both arms around you. For someone who was so muscular, he was surprisingly gentle with the way he held you, possibly not wanting to hurt you in any way. Adjusting the brim of his hat to shadow over his face better, you press your body lightly against his. “I’m sorry if this is uncomfortable.” you whispered. One final glance to your phone showed the agents getting closer now.

Not wanting to lose any courage you have left, you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing his face down towards yours. A shuddering breath from his lips fans across your face before you gently press your lips against his.

You make sure to cover both your faces with your arms, focusing on hearing out for anyone approaching or anyone seeing the two of you. Most importantly, you were definitely not focusing on the fact that you were practically kissing your boyfriend’s best friend right now. The very best friend whom you were supposed to be bringing in instead of hiding.

Bucky, for being completely surprised by this, was still somewhat a gentleman. Keeping his hands moving on your upper back, and barely pressing his lips back. If anyone were to look closer, they’d see the two of you looking pretty uncomfortable. After an awkward minute, the sounds of footsteps retreating by you caused the two of you to press harder against each other. Keeping the facade for a minute more before you eventually pulled back.

Licking over your lips as you avoided Bucky’s gaze, you looked down at your phone again. Watching the green dots finally leave the area. Giving Bucky a chance to make an exit. “You can let go of me now.” you stuttered shyly, feeling like you’ve been held by him too long.

He gives your back a friendly pat before letting go, allowing you to step back. There’s an awkwardness between the two of you. Especially when you notice the pink spread over Bucky’s cheeks. Feeling guilty for putting that pressure on him, you give him a tight lipped smile. “I’m so sorry, Bucky.”

“For what? Hiding me?” He had to clear his throat, coming off a bit shy as he stepped a little closer to you again. “You don’t have to be sorry for that..”

“No, not that.” Shaking your head, you pointed between the two of you. “I meant I’m sorry that we had to kiss.” Confusion flickered over his face. It almost seemed he wasn’t sure why the act had bothered you so much. “C’mon, don’t tell me that’s how you wanted your first kiss since the war to have gone.”

The pink on his cheeks turned a little darker. Complimenting his skin almost. “It’s..fine. I mean, we did what we had to do.”

“I know, but it’s still wrong. You shouldn’t have had to kiss me. Plus, it wasn’t even by your choice.” You’re feeling guiltier now, reminding yourself that not only will something like this hurt Steve, but you hurt Bucky. Turning away from him you’re about to step away, feeling a weight on your shoulders from all this. “I should just leave you alone, I’m really sorr-“

Grabbing your arm, he gently turned you over to face him again. “I didn’t hate it.” Again his breath fanned over your face again and for some reason it has your heart accelerating. It didn’t help that the hand that held onto you began to rub at your arms now, warming you up from the cold air. “If you want,” he whispered, using the tip of his finger to angle your face upwards. “We can change that first kiss.”

He leaned in, going at almost a glacial pace towards you. Giving you the chance to back out of it. You don’t.

Instead, your eyes slipped close, feeling the gentle press of Bucky’s lips against yours. The taste of his lips comes through this time and you’re almost dizzy from the way it feels on you. Bucky seems to feel the same as he hummed contently against you, letting his body almost press against yours. The moment being so polar opposite to how you two had kissed moments ago. This time, it’s without fear. Almost as if, Bucky wants to pour himself into you. When you feel his gloved hands creep up the back of your neck, you welcome the touch, melting a bit into the way his fingers tangle into your hair.

Somewhere along the way your arms moved to wrap around his neck again, deepening the kiss further. It’s all so electrifying. Like energy is being poured back into you. The only other time you’ve felt this way was with Steve-

Oh no.

Bucky pulled away from you slowly. Knowing you two were in need of air.. “Now that is my first kiss since the war.” An almost shy kind of smile tugged at his lips. One that tugged at something in your chest. He seemed almost as dazed as you were moments before, barely noticing the mental breakdown you were having internally.

You’re a cheater.

But you didn’t expect him to kiss you.

But you also didn’t pull back.

You shouldn’t have kissed him back.

YOU CHEATED ON STEVE ROGERS!

..why did you like it so much?..

The gentle touch of a finger grazing your cheek pulled your attention back on the man before you. Worried blue eyes watched as you focused on his face again. His brows knit together, wondering just where your mind had gone to at the last minute. Thinking the worst, his lips formed a tight line. “Did you not like-“

“I have a boyfriend!” You blurted. Some would say it sounded like shouting. “It’s Steve. I’m dating..Steve.”

His eyes widened, dropping hold of you as if you burned his skin. Trying to clear the air should be a lot simpler, but from the way Bucky’s backed up, it’s almost as if you’ve hurt him.

“You’re Steve’s girl..”

“I’m his girlfriend,” you frowned, not liking that wording at all. “But yes, I’m with him and what happened just now is-“

The palm of his hand in the air ceased your talking. Saving you from possibly another melt down. “What happened right now, was you helping a friend, by giving him a meaningless, but friendly, first kiss since World War Two.” The look on his face is serious despite the warmth that lingered in his eyes.

A part of you is yelling on the inside about how nothing about that kiss felt friendly. It actually was bringing a whole other emotion out of you. Something you haven’t really felt at all before. “Stop over thinking it.” He added after noticing you didn’t respond yet.

It didn’t feel right to label the two of you friends, not because you didn’t want to be his friend. But because it kind of felt like something more. But if you set even a toe down that mindset, you know things would only turn ugly. Causing you nothing but drama and possibly grief.

“We’re friends?” You say after a minute. Needing a confirmation on the matter.. The response amused him enough to earn you a chuckle. Something that you didn’t think could sound as lovely as it did. “Yeah,” he smiled. “Let’s just not make that a habit in our friendship.”

The buzzing on your phone was thankfully what you two needed to move on. Again, your screen filled up with calls and texts from practically everyone on the team. Making you suddenly thankful that members like Thor did not have a phone, and Clint and Bruce did not have your current number. “They’re all gonna kill me.” You muttered, hitting the ‘CALL’ sign over Sam’s name. It only took one ring for Sam to pick up.

“You Starks got some NERVE.”

“Sam, please.”

“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? Do you know how pissed off Steve and Tony are?”

“Sam..”

“Tony had been threatening to call the ISA if we didn’t hear back from you soon. Natasha is about to leave the mission to come get you!”

You hold the phone away from your ear, figuring to let Sam get his frustrations out before you attempt to speak again. Bucky, stands beside you, still with that amused look on his face as he watches as you try to calm your friend down.

“Sam, I’m about two blocks away from the hotel okay? You can yell at me then. I don’t want to risk getting caught again by HYDRA goons. So I’ll see you then, okay?”

“If you don’t meet me there in five minutes. I’m sending red wing to come personally escort you.” The idea of his little robot floating over the city just to come get you made you cringe internally. Not only would that be bad for your ego, but you couldn’t risk your new friend to be seen.

“Okay, boss. I’m coming right now.”

“You better!”

Despite him hanging up on you, both of you know the moment you get to the hotel he’d check over you like an angry mother whose child had been out too long. Sam in many ways was a man that was suave, hard working, and really fun. But he had a knack for acting like a parent sometimes. Reminding you of a certain someone else back home.

“I’m guessing this is where we part ways.” Bucky decided, fixing up his coat and hat. For some reason, it felt like you had spent the day almost with him. Even if it was only just for an hour or two. “I should gather everything I need before dark. It’ll be the best time for me to make a move.” He noted, pointing to the afternoon sky.

“So even with our new found friendship, I still can’t convince you to join me?”

He looked down at the ground now, not meeting your gaze as he gave you his excuse. “Sorry, I still have a lot I need to work on before I can take you up on that offer.”

Unsurprisingly, his answer greatly disappointed you. Not because he was rejecting help from you again. But because you knew that despite the way he was with you today, the way he handled himself, the way he talked to you, and even helped you; Bucky still needed work. The kind that deep down you knew wouldn’t be solved on his own. It’s only when he decides to let people in that you knew things would be better. For now, you’d have to accept that this was just the way things were.

But only for now.

Watching as he turned to leave, you couldn’t help but pull at his arm to face you again. Not quite ready to say goodbye, but not knowing how to. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” The amusement returned on his face. Leaving you wondering just what went on his mind as he reached to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear.

“You’ll find me, you always seem to.”

There was no annoyance in that statement. A happy acceptance would describe it better. The thought causes you to smile up at him. Nodding, you release him from your grip and give him a small sad wave. “Until then?”

“Pe curând, iubi.” He said, giving you another genuine smile. It nearly made you forget that you had no idea what he’s just told you.

“Wait, what does that mean?” You laughed, unsure of what language he just spoke in. With the knowledge that he had, it could be any at this point.

Instead of giving you a clear answer, he backed away, looking at you for a moment more before he blended into the people of the streets. It’s only after you’re heading back towards the hotel that you allow yourself to smile. Hopeful for the next time you’d see your friend again.

ONE LONG FLIGHT HOME LATER

“I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t call Sam for back up.”

“I don’t understand how you can ignore fifteen missed calls from me! JARVIS is programmed to patch me through regardless if the call is accepted or not!”

“Sir, Miss Stark has disabled that program since her return from Washington.”

“You little shit. You think you’re so clever.”

“Tony, language please.”

“Really? Again with that?!”

“Scout, are you even paying attention?”

You hadn’t even been on the ground for five seconds before the team all leaped at you. Not even the God of Thunder himself could take you out of Natasha’s grip as she, Tony, and Steve led you away to interrogate with what. Sam lingered back for a moment, not wanting to hear you get chewed out by his friends. He already gave you a ‘stern’ talking to when you had returned to the hotel. All five minutes of him having you promise not to do that again before he took you out for an early dinner. The deal was sealed happily when you offered to take on the bill.

Now here you were, back in the safe tower in New York, fighting off the sleep that had come from the flight as three people surrounded you. Well, more like two since Natasha had decided to sit across from you. Offering you a cup of coffee as the two men began to bicker.

“How was visiting the motherland?” You asked softly, smirking over at the redhead. The question caught her off guard, making her chuckle softly.

“It was brief. Plus, I have absolutely no real memories there.”

“Not to mention you went with some of the worst people to go on a trip with.”

Natasha hummed in agreement. “True, but since Wilson took my usual partner, I had no choice but to stick with these guys.”

“And Clint’s okay?”

“He’ll be up and bothering us in no time.”

She’s tiptoeing around what she really wants to ask you. Despite being the calmest of the three, you know she’s the most curious. Which could be dangerous considering how much of a human lie detector Natasha was. Especially when you had to consider the secret of hiding your newest friend.

“There’s no reason for her to be going off like that! Why did the birdbrain let her go off alone?”

“Sam trusts her. It’s not like he’s able to look at her and tell her no anyway.”

They both continued on talking about you as if you weren’t in the room. Making the scowl on your face grow even harder. Natasha seemed just as displeased, knowing how much this bothered you.

After the return from DC, Tony really wanted to work hard on your relationship. Hating the way things had ended from your last fight. But even after making up and promising to work on improving things, Tony couldn’t help but fall back on his over protectiveness. Unfortunately, your boyfriend seemed to catch a bit of that as well.

“I’ll have you both know, I’m still here. Listening to all the bullshit you have to say.” Tony feigned a gasp, pointing over at you.

“Is she allowed to say that?”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked over towards you. “Sorry,” he said, noticing just how mad you were right now. His hands reached out to rub at your shoulders, trying to soothe you. “I didn’t mean to do that again.”

“Yeah, sorry Sprout. I just..you understand why we’re like this right?”

“Because you two don’t seem to remember my age and the fact that I’ve said more than once I can be on my own?”

Both looked down, possibly ashamed from the realization. Removing his hands off of you, you scoot out from the chair and take a step towards the door. “I’ve had a really long flight. I think any questions you have can be read on Sam’s report. He does, after all, work for the avengers.”

The three seemed a little displeased with that reminder. “I was just trying to look for a friend, came across a couple of bad guys, and called it a day.” Shrugging your shoulders, you exited the room and strolled out the hall. Ignoring the sound of your name being called out.

It’s only when you made it towards the main floor’s elevators that a pair of strong arms wrapped around you. “Little Lady!” Boomed your captor’s voice. After he realized you couldn’t turn to face him, he set you down. His blonde hair and grown out more, making him look more out of earth than ever.

“You’re gonna kill someone with arms like that.” You giggled, moving to hug Thor now that you could face him. It had been too long since you’ve seen him last, only hearing about an incident in London and a brief interaction on Earth.

“I simply cannot help myself. It feels as if eons have passed since I’ve last seen you.”

“Well more like two years but I can’t say I don’t feel the same sentiments.” You smiled, leaning back to smile up at him. “How are things for you? I heard you were successful in retrieving Loki’s Sceptre again. I assume you’ll take it home and keep it out of his hands?”

Thor’s face fell, nodding his head slowly. “Well, that will be an easy task for me. He’s passed since then..” Instantly you reached out to hug him again. It was to your understanding that despite the events that happened in New York and even the fight between them, there was still a strong love there. Something that could only be described as love within siblings.

“I’m so sorry, Thor. I know how much you cared for him..”

“Thank you dear friend. You’re truly one who understands what this could feel like.”

He releases you again, giving you a small smile. “He’s with Mother now. Hopefully they can be at rest in Valhalla until I see them again.” Cupping at his cheek, you nod your head and lean in to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. “But hopefully not too soon. Stark has promised that if I stay until Saturday that I’ll be able to enjoy the festivities from our recent adventure.”

“He’s always looking for an excuse to throw a party.” You shrugged. “That at least gives us two more days to spend some time together.” Thor glanced behind you, looking briefly before he smirked down at you.

“I wouldn’t be so sure I’ll have all your attention.” You follow where his gaze is to find Steve standing behind you too. Offering a meek smile for the interruption. Without saying anything else, Thor patted the top of your head lightly as he left the two of you alone.

Still annoyed with the third degree he gave you before, you turned back to face the elevator. Pressing the button a couple of times to avoid the conversation. Steve did not seem to mind, moving to snake his arms around your waist. Keeping your arms crossed, you ignored the way his breath fanned over your neck as he rested his chin on top of your shoulder.

The scent of his cologne lingered in the air and you tried not to inhale as much of it as you could. “I’m sorry.” He sighed, sounding more vulnerable than he did back in the office. His hands rubbed gently at your sides, causing you to relax your back against his chest. “I don’t want you to be upset anymore..”

“I know you don’t..but you have to trust in me, Steve.”

“I do! I just..” he pushed his face into the crook of your neck, placing gentle chaste kisses. “I just can’t lose you. After last year, seeing how long it took for you to heal. I don’t want to see you like that again.”

Pulling out of his grasp, you faced him now. Putting his face in your hands. “Steve Rogers, I’m not going anywhere. Do you not see how fine I am now?” He didn't reply, instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips against yours. Making your heart flutter as you pressed yourself against him.

Behind you the elevator dings open. Giving Steve the chance to back the both of you into the small space. The moment your back hits against the wall, you let out a gasp, causing your lips to part slightly. He takes that as an invite to slip his tongue between your lips. Earning a moan from deep within your throat.

He’s needy for you, moving his hands to caress your body. This was so bold of him, making the kiss all the more intense as he grazed his tongue against yours. The sound of the doors closing makes you pull back, resting your forehead against his. “Is this your way of making it up to me?”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

Smiling, he pecked at your lips, giving JARVIS the command to the floor with your shared room. “Let me change that to a yes.” Tilting your head to the side, you smirk up at Steve.

“And just how are you going to do that?”

The elevator stopped again, having reached your private floor. Taking a step out, he extends his hand out to you.

“Let me show you.”

Steve ended up showing you all that he needed to and more between then and the day of the party. The two of you had clearly missed each other to the point where you were practically finding excuses to be alone on your floor. Like just an hour ago, Steve had rushed in, not even letting you properly change from the outfit you wore while showing Thor around the city. He shed off any material on your skin before he captured your lips. Swallowing up any protest you might have, which you didn’t.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to wind up back in bed, where you were now. Clothes scattered across the room, hot bodies pressed against each other as you fell back into the routine you two had grown accustomed to since returning from Washington.

The slide back into your body is what earned him the moan he’s been wanting to hear from you all day. With his forehead pressed against yours as he was able to watch as the pleasure formed on your face causing a deep groan to bubble up from his throat. The sound itself turned you on even more.

With every roll of his hips, the tip of his cock pressed deeper within you, making your back arch as he reached just the right spot. He moved his hand down between you two, using the pad of his thumb to rub against your bundle of nerves, setting your body into even more fire with every circle.

“God, Steve.” You panted, almost feeling the tip of the edge your body was fighting for. A breathy laugh spread over your flushed skin. It wasn’t barely months of this kind of intimacy and Steve managed to know just the right rhythm to use against you. “I’m so close.”

“Me too,” his face pulled away from yours, leaning back as he continued to buck up relentlessly. “You feel amazing, sweetheart.” His hand had moved up to cup at your breast now, rubbing a little at the tip of your hardened nipple before he inched forward to capture it between his lips. Your eyes couldn’t help but roll to the back of your head. And just when you thought you couldn’t feel anymore, he decided to take a small bite.

“You’re killing me.” You laughed, moving your hands to run through his messy hair. The usual coiffed blonde hair was splayed out in various directions due to the amount of tugging you had done during the past hour. It made him look even more sexy. His lips pulled away to smile at you, pleased to see you so unraveled.

“Sorry sweetheart, can’t help it. I love making you feel this good.”

The word he threw out so casually almost pulled you away from the moment. You had felt so strongly towards Steve. It made you afraid, especially since it would mean taking the next step in your relationship. But if last year taught you anything, it was that Steve wasn’t the one to jump into admitting feelings first. In fact, it wasn’t till you had kissed him that he was willing to admit feelings.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you pulled his body even more against you. The pressure of your heels into the back of his behind helped him inch in even more, making his moan echo in the room. “God, I’m almost there, honey.” He whined. Moving in to press a kiss against his lips, you reached up to cup the side of his cheek, making him look at you.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?” He replied, pecking at you softly.

“I love you.”

You weren’t expecting much back from him. Maybe a smile, a kiss, or even just the same sentiments. Instead, what you got was something a lot worse. As if you had poured ice water over his body, he pulled away. Thrusts turning sloppy, slowing down until he was still. The two of you stared at each other, panting as you tried to come to terms with what you just confessed to him.

Feeling like you were under the spotlight, you shakily reached out to place a hand against his pec. Wondering if he was just nervous again like the last time you did a bold move such as that. “Are you okay? Did I-“ Without letting you reply, he swiftly moved in to press a kiss against you. Only, the fire that you had just been feeling seemed to dwindle down, making you pull away quickly.

The disappointment grew more evident the longer he stared at you. His mouth flopped open and close as he tried to say something back to you. But after a whole minute of silence, you took the charge to pull away from him. Feeling like maybe the moment had been ruined. Disconnecting your body from his completely, you wrapped the blanket around your form.

“Scout. I-..I’m so-“

“It’s okay!” You blurted, feeling more embarrassed at the idea of him apologizing for not saying it back. “Um, I’m just gonna..shower.” You nodded. Getting up from the bed, you’re about to reach for the bathroom door when you felt his hand wrap around your arm. Turning you to face him again. “Please.” He pleaded desperate to probably not end the moment like this.

Shaking your head, you hold back the stinging pressure of tears that want to come out to smile at him. Hoping to come off stronger than you feel right now. “Please let me just get ready..I’ll meet you at the party..” After seeing how small you turned to him, Steve had no other choice but to nod his head and let you go. Letting you quickly run to the bathroom and turn on the hot water. Hopefully washing away the regret you suddenly felt.

“He said nothing!?”

You gaped at your friend, reaching out to slap the side of her arm as she gasped at your retelling of your failed confession. Natasha frowned at you, rubbing at her now red skin as she leaned in closer. “Forgive me. He has you, in bed, writhing in pleasure, confessing your heart out, and said NOTHING?” She hissed, looking at you shocked.

Nodding your head, you down the rest of the martini she had made for you before setting it down on the bar countertop. The two of you decided it would be best to go up together after your ‘911’ text to her. Steve had been kind of enough to leave your room to get dressed in and go up to his old room on another floor.

“I’m gonna kill him.” She states simply, pushing a curl away from her face. While you admired the fact that your friend had been so keen to seek out and destroy your boyfriend, a part of you felt partially guilty. “Nat, you can’t say that. I mean..I kind of sprung it on him in the heat of a moment. I probably just shocked him..”

“I get that he could be shocked by it, but to say nothing at all? That’s so like Steve.” She grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. Leaning over, you tapped lightly at the tip of her nose. “We both know he’s not the best with his words when it comes to women. Look at what it took for him to tell me he liked me last year.”

“You said he claimed to be tired of acting like you weren’t the most important person in his life.”

“He did.”

“So why wouldn’t he say he loves you? I mean look at you, you’re amazing.”

Smiling, you playfully nudge her shoulder with yours. “Nat, you’re my best friend. You’re supposed to say things like that.”

The girl’s green eyes focused on you. Staring as she possibly tried to think about what she can say to pull you out of the sour mood you were in. With a shake to her head she sighed. “Believe me when I say that’s not why I’m saying it.”

You glanced in time to find Steve entering the party with Sam in tow. The two of you briefly made eye contact. The blonde gave a weak wave as he tried not to stand there awkwardly. Not ready to face him yet, you turned around giving him your back. “I think I’m gonna go find Tony and bother him, I need a distraction before I talk to him.” Natasha hummed in reply as you turned to walk in the direction of your brother. Just barely escaping Steve as he made his way over to your friend.

“Wow, I’m surprised you and Rogers came detached from each other. You two were pretty uhh together recently.” Tony winced, foolishly grossing himself out in an attempt to tease you. It isn’t till he noticed how sullen you became at the reminder that he poked your cheek.

“You okay, Sprout?” He asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched over you.

“I’m okay, just kind of lost in my head I guess.”

He didn’t say anything, raising a brow at you before he looked over at Steve. You wanted to tell him what happened earlier, get insight from a guy about the whole ordeal. But the more you thought about it, the more you wanted to avoid giving the two tension again.

It isn’t till Tony poked at your cheek again that you smiled over at him. “Sorry. Why don’t you tell me about the mission? I haven’t had the chance to ask yet. Bruce told me you were the lucky one who found the Sceptre.”

“I did find it. Along with all the other crap that HYDRA has been storing up.” He shivered for a moment at the reminder. “We ran into this enhanced Hansel and Gretel duo that nearly messed everything up.”

“Really? What do you mean by enhanced?”

“Well if you were officially on the team you’d know. But since you’re cute and I like you, I’ll tell you anyway.” He smirked, grabbing another champagne flute from a passing waiter. “Their names are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. The dude is super fast while the girl seemed to have some sort of magic like power..made me see something I think.”

“What did she make you see?”

Tony frowned, twirling his cup before he chuckled a bit. Not in an amused way but sort of like he was tired of the thought. “Just something I’m hoping to change soon, kid.”

A couple of the veterans that Tony invited walked over, greeting the two of you happily. It’s still new to you to be introduced so warmly as Tony’s sister. For the past couple of years, you’ve forced yourself into the back of the limelight that being seen nowadays has you almost flustered.

“By God, you two look a lot like your folks.” One gentleman said. He had shades over his eyes but adorned a kind smile. The man beside him nodded his head before he pointed over at you.

“I say, she looks a lot like Howard. We used to know Old Stark!”

“Oh really?” You chuckled awkwardly, “Well, thanks I always thought Tony looked more like him.” Your brother gives a small shrug, smiling at the interaction that’s currently making you sweat.

“You’re blind! She clearly resembles a youthful Maria.” The first man interjects. He waves you close, leaning in towards you. “Your Mother had the kindest smile. I can see it on you now.”

Before you can speak his friend is quick to interrupt. “I’ve got better eyesight than you! She looks like Howard.”

“No, Maria!”

“HOWARD.”

Not wanting to cause a riff in the two friends, you quickly smile at the both of them. “I actually look like I’m gonna need another drink. So if you kind gentlemen can excuse me, I’ll be seeing you around.”

The sound of Tony’s laughter could be heard as you walked away. Knowing full well that the interaction humored him immensely. At least one of you would be cheering up.

Just as you were about to get your friend to make you a drink, you watch her from afar as she interacts with Bruce. The flirtatious smirk on her face causes you to back up, not ruining the moment she has with the guy she likes.

“Well it isn't my little trouble maker.” The familiar sound of your friend causes you to jump in place.

“Sam don’t do that!” You pouted, turning to face the devilish man himself. He was dressed in a lovely casual dark corduroy jacket along with his signature hint of red tonight, looking sharp as always for the event. Instead of apologizing, he pulled you in for a tight hug.

“I hope you’re ready for a break. I’m all missioned out for the time being.” He chuckled, letting you go to adjust your dress that he scrunched up in the hug.

“Yeah, I figure I could use some time away from you.”

“I’d say that hurts but we both know you’re going to miss the hell out of me.”

Sam had to head back home to Louisiana for the week, needing to help out some things with his sister before he would be able to do any sort of work in the search. Considering what you knew about Bucky, you figured there wasn’t a need to rush him anyway.

“You won’t hear that from me.” He scoffed at your reply shaking his head before he nodded over to where Steve was. The blonde was lingering over to watching his two team members interact. Sort of like how you were before.

“Wanna tell me why he’s acting like a hurt puppy dog about you?”

“No…what did he say?”

“Just that he’s hoping he didn’t mess things up entirely.” The look on Sam’s face was one you were becoming all too familiar with. The one he’d give whenever he thought you needed to talk something out. In this case, talk things out with Steve.

“He didn’t..it’s just..complicated.”

“It’s not like you can't uncomplicate it. What better place to do that than at a party.” The face melted back into his signature grin as he gently ushered you towards the blonde. You were tempted to fight back and run off until you caught a little bit of the two men’s conversation.

“Look, as maybe the world’s leading authority on waiting too long, don’t. You both deserve a win.”

Steve’s words replayed in your mind. Who’s to say that you two don’t deserve the same thing. It’s not like your feelings would change whether Steve said them back or not. You still felt them. He was a man who was bad at timing.

Maybe you were becoming the same?

“Steve?” You called out, watching as he stepped forward. He turned at the sound of your voice, looking at you worriedly. Walking up to him, you hold out your hand. “I don’t want us to be…like this.”

His hand reached up to brush his knuckles at your cheek. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I just..I want to say it..” Reaching up, you push your fingers against his lips to prevent him from saying any more. Standing up on your toes, you slant your lips against his, pouring a bit of your emotions into it before you pulled away to speak again.

“I didn’t exactly say it just to hear it back..I said it because I felt it.”

He looked conflicted, like he wasn’t sure how to convey what he felt about it all. And you didn’t want to pressure him even more than you already have by saying it first. So, you took the lead again, helping you two move on from it. “I don’t mind waiting till you’re ready to say it back. I just want us to be okay until then.”

Seeming content with that solution, he leaned down this time to give you a kiss of his own. Though it wasn’t the answer that either of you were both looking for, a weight did leave your chest as you both joined into the festivities. This time together.

“Whatever, man! It’s a trick!”

It was hours later, after the majority of the guests had left, including Sam who you were bittersweet to say goodbye to that the rest of you found yourselves huddled together in the main seating area. Drinks were being passed around as the group continued to unwind from their recent work. Enjoying the night with revels (as Thor kept putting it as).

Now it would seem that the next topic up for debate was whether or not Thor’s hammer really would be only lifted by those who were considered worthy. Making all the men in the room naturally puff up and take turns to see what would happen.

You were of course curious as to who could actually do it in the room. Naturally, you looked over towards the two girls you’d admired. Maria, who had such natural leadership skills and grace, and Natasha. A woman who had come from such hardship but still managed to turn her life around to do work for the greater good. Surely, they’d be candidates that you think could do it.

Unfortunately, you were so distracted with your listings that you had forgotten to watch most of the attempts. Steve shyly returned to being beside you as he shrugged his shoulders. “Guess I’m not worthy.” He chuckled. Thor, who was laughing a bit too much at it, nodded at you next for your turn.

Feeling shy about it, you shake your head at your friend. “I don’t think I’ll be able to even lift the handle.” You joked. Thor gave another laugh at that before seemingly thinking it over. “You could always rule as Queen instead. Don’t have to lift Mjölner to know-OH come on Captain, you know this is all in jest!”

You couldn’t help but burst out at the sight of Steve’s slightly red cheeks as he listened in on the joke. His hand found it’s way around your waist as he forced out a chuckle. “Very funny, Thor.” He mumbled as you and the God burst into another small laugh.

Everyone seemed to be in a great mood, making the end of the night turn more smoothly than you could imagine.

“All deference to the Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, but it’s rigged.”

Clint chimed in with Tony, patting his shoulder. “You bet your ass.”

Maria points over at Clint, shocked feigning shock at the sudden speech. “Steve, he said a bad language word.”

“Did you tell everyone about that?”

Sitting up you glanced curiously at your boyfriend. “Just what is that about? It’s like the second time someone is tattling to you about someone saying a curse word?” The blonde shook his head at you, suddenly looking tired. “You really don’t wanna know.”

“The handle’s imprinted, right? Like a security code. Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints is, I think, the literal translation.” Tony asked Thor, ignoring the man beside you. Sooner or later you’d have to hear about this.

Thor begins to get up from his seat. Obviously to show off what only he can do. “Yes. It’s a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one.” He reached down for the handle, lifting it up effortlessly. “You’re all not worthy.”

You almost want to throw your shoe at him, but a part of you is slightly amused by all this. Mostly because the magic behind it was seriously amazing. But, the rest of the group seemed to be more annoyed by the comment, groaning in response.

A ringing sound suddenly pierced within the room.

“..Worthy..”

The mechanical steps of a broken iron legion suit was the first thing that pulled everyone’s attention from the ringing. All eyes watched as it entered the main floor, staggering as it approached the group.

“No. How could you be worthy?”

Your hand instinctively reached over for Steve’s lacing it together as you felt a sudden chill overcome your body. Something about this was off. Making the previous warm environment turn cold.

“You’re all killers.”

Steve lets go to stand up before you, covering you as he stared at the machine. “Stark.”

“Jarvis.”

You glanced down at your phone to notice the usual connection to the home was cut off. The screen displaying a lost connection. Something was definitely wrong.

“I’m sorry, I was asleep..or I was a dream.”

Tony like you, kept glancing at his phone. “Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit.” The machine keeps moving, talking to the rest of you like it wasn’t out of the ordinary. You type into the server you’re usually rooted to, trying to find a way to activate another suit in case this boogey one decides to do something. But you’re quickly kicked off the system. “What the hell?” You whispered.

“There was this terrible noise. And I was tangled in..in..strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy.”

You stand up now, still behind Steve but ready to make a move if needed. Who was this other guy? Why the hell is this suit so..alive? Steve seemed to become more intense before you. “You killed someone?” He asked, the captain voice already seeping out.

“Wouldn’t have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we’re faced with ugly choices.”

“Who sent you?” Thor asked, not seeming to realize that this suit came from this home. A tape rewinding begins to play out before a recorded audio. The sound of Tony’s voice filling up the room.

“I see a suit of armor around the world.”

Shit.

“Tony, what the hell is this?” You whispered, taking a step towards him. If he’s targeting Tony in any kind of way, you need him by your side. But your step is stopped by Steve gripping your arm, not wanting you to make a sudden movement.

Bruce seemed to burst into a realization. “Ultron.”

“In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I’m ready.”

The group suddenly becomes more intense as everyone subtly gets into a defensive position. Secretly grabbing any sort of weapon they have on them or just moving into a fighting stance. Maria in front of you reached inside her purse to pull out a small handgun. Making you mad that even though you were in your home and at a party, you didn’t think to plan that far ahead.

“I’m on mission.”

“What mission?” Natasha asked softly.

“Peace in our time.” As if on cue, two other iron legion suits burst through the walls. Flying out to attack the group. Before one of the bots can reach over towards you and Steve, the blonde is quick to kick up the table, using it as a shield. Unfortunately the suit bursts forwards through it, sending the two of you flying back.

Around you are the sounds of glass and furniture being broken. The group tries its best to fight against the sudden attack as they scramble to get some cover from the shots. Steve grunted as he turned over towards you. “You okay?” He asked quickly, grabbing at your arms gently. You ignored the pain in your leg to hold onto him, letting him pull you up with him.

“We need cover.”

“No, you need to get cover. I got this.” Not giving you a chance to help him fight, he jumped onto the back of one of the suits, causing the both of them to fly against a wall.

Making a move, you’re making your way over towards someone you know would need back up, Helen Cho. The poor woman was most likely worried that her night off had turned so sour suddenly. Finding her hiding behind a piano, you called out to her. “Are you okay, Doctor?”

She nods her head quickly, staying crouched. Going over towards one of the upturned tables, you kick at the base of the table leg and break off the hardwood, using the object now as a bat for whatever came close to you two.

One of the suits came to attack you first, grabbing quickly to your swing before it used its repulsor to shoot at you. Luckily, you were quick to jump to the side, but not without part of the shot grazing at the side of your leg. The other leg you land on slices into glass on the floor, causing the dark red liquid to pool underneath you a bit.

But you don’t give up, not when you notice one of the bots slowly hovering towards the doctor. “Shit,” you hissed, gripping at the cut on your leg. You’re about to get up to try and climb over the half bodied thing when Steve jumps in to grab at it. “Thor!” He yelled, tossing the object towards the God. With one hit of the hammer it breaks apart.

Steve is handed his shield giving him the chance to take out the last suit before the room turns quiet again. Not even the tired breathes of anyone in the room could be heard as you all waited for what could happen next.

“That was dramatic..I’m sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn’t think it through.” You’re not sure who Ultron is talking to, whether it be Tony or all the Avengers. What you did know, is that this doesn’t feel like the end of the battle just yet.

Helen is quick to your side, already helping you up so you don’t lean on your injured leg. The two of you slowly approach the center, standing behind Steve just in case.

“You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change. How is humanity saved if it’s not allowed to evolve?” The robot walked over to one of the defeated suits, picking it up by the head. “With these? These puppets? There’s only one path to peace.” It squished the head in its hand before looking over at the group again.

“The Avengers’ extinction.” He answered simply.

Having heard enough, Thor quickly swings his hammer over, breaking Ultron apart like the other suits. The last thing you all hear is the chilling singing of Ultron’s voice as the suit finally powered down. “I had strings, but now I’m free…”

I’ve got no strings on me.

A/N: if you’ve read all this just know im super grateful and love you for taking the time to do so. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as i did. who do you guys want scout to be with? do you notice a subtle third entry into her love life?

TAGGED REQUESTS: @justanothermagicalsara

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findingjoynweirdstuff · 4 years ago

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Dream SMP Recap (March 17/2021) - Ranboo’s Story

Everyone is building on the Dream SMP today. Phil works on his projects in the Arctic, Foolish continues construction on the massive mansion, Niki works on her underground city.

Ranboo takes some time to do something else: tell his entire story as it stands so far, in preparation for what’s to come.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Hbomb94

Foolish

Tubbo

Philza

Ranboo

Hannah

Niki

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- Ponk meets Niki at the Community House. She notices his red eyes.

- Niki leads Ponk to her haven city for a tour. Ponk thinks it’s a pyramid scheme. Maybe a cult.

- Ponk asks if there’s a jail in this city.What happens if someone does something bad? Niki explains that they just get thrown out. She’s friends with some powerful people.

Ponk: “Look. With friends come conflict, Niki. Just remember that. Wilbur was Tommy’s friend, look what happened! ...So I’d be careful who you trust. But I may be coming back here soon, maybe to join you.”

- Ponk says his goodbyes and leaves the city. Definitely a cult.

- Tubbo visits Michael and decides to plan out what rooms he wants for the mansion. He speaks with Foolish to discuss the layout.

- Tubbo and Foolish work on the mansion

- Hbomb logs in and chats with Niki as she works on the underground city.

- Phil works on the Syndicate room.

- Ranboo shows Phil the infested stone he collected

- Quackity whispers to Phil “Look Gorgious” and leaves

- Phil keeps working. Foolish calls him over to Snowchester.

- Foolish tells Phil the mansion is for Michael and Phil points out Michael is tiny.

- Foolish shows him the list of requests

- Phil gives Foolish “fool’s gold” (honey)

- Phil visits Foolish and puts on his canonical glasses (shaders)

- They go back to the Prime Path and put on creeper heads to become Sam.

- They briefly visit L’manhole and Phil tells Foolish he used to live there.

- They go scouting around Eret’s castle and then head back to the Arctic.

- Before Foolish can come into Phil and Techno’s territory, Phil asks Foolish how he feels about government. Foolish says he’s neither pro nor anti. He’s never been a part of a government, since all that ended before he joined the server.

- Foolish does his shift dance. Phil throws him some real gold.

- Foolish leaves and Phil continues working

- Phil does acid (shaders) in L’manburg

- He explores the bottom of the crater. Phil feels no regret about what happened.

People can’t be replaced, but things can. As someone who’s been around for a long time, who’s seen people pass over hundreds of years, people are so much more important than possessions as a result of that.

- He’s lived for so long he’s forgotten for how long, but at least hundreds of years.

- Phil’s known Techno since Techno was young.

- Foolish returns to the mansion. He speaks with Tubbo about the layout again.

- Foolish commits arson on James

- Niki accidentally dug into the Kinoko Kingdom library while working on her city. It will either be the spark of a beautiful friendship, or a war.

- Her Syndicate name is Nemesis

- After more work in the Nether, Phil goes to Niki’s underground city for a visit.

- Niki gives him a tour, and Phil drops off the quartz

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Ranboo’s Lore Recap: The Story So Far

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Ranboo logs in at Spawn. He went outside, punched some trees, got killed by Dream a couple times (non-canonically), got a tour from Niki.

The next day, he got a tour from the President of L’manburg, who asked if he was going to run for President. Ranboo decided to live in L’manburg. He shaped Ranboo’s beliefs at the beginning, that L’manburg was good. They went to the Nether and found Michael, and put him in a boat.

Then, they were approached by Tommy, who told them about his plan: to grief George’s house. As they walked over, Niki and Puffy (on their date) were there. Ranboo and Tommy asked for Niki’s armor and went over to George’s house to do it. They ran off after burning it down by accident.

Niki and Puffy knew it was them and asked, but Ranboo realized…he didn’t remember.

Dream started building a wall around L’manburg, and they didn’t know why. He showed them George’s house. It got blamed on Tommy.

During the trial, Tommy stood up for Ranboo and so Ranboo didn’t take the blame, as he had bad memory.

They decided to meet with Dream and created the Meeting Hall, and for the meeting, Ranboo became the minutes man of L’manburg.

There was a pig guy watching them during the meeting.

The meeting didn’t go well; Tommy used Spirit as leverage to get Dream to take down the walls, but then Dream stopped and told them he didn’t care about Spirit, only the discs.

There was another meeting set up. Ranboo realized writing stuff down to remember it was a good idea, so he created the first “Do Not Read” book.

He watched from the ground as the cabinet met with Dream on the wall. Ranboo saw Tommy being taken away for some reason — he’d been exiled. Ranboo felt guilty.

Back in L’manburg, things were going great! Ranboo had a house now, pets…but the guilt remained. Ranboo visited Tommy in exile a couple times, and things seemed off, so Ranboo wrote letters to him to try and help.

One day, while writing in his book, starting an ice cream shop with Fundy…he was approached by this fellow named Quackity. Quackity told him about this wanted pig guy, Technoblade, the reason everything was gone — Techno was a traitor, and Quackity had plans to get Techno and bring him to justice.

The first Butcher Army meeting was held. Ranboo was a bit confused, but decided to help, because betraying someone’s pretty bad. So they all went off to fight Technoblade. Quackity got a horse named Carl, and Techno surrendered, and though Ranboo thought there’d be a fair trial, there was just an execution. Techno miraculously survived, ran off, and Quackity was killed.

While this was happening, Phil — who had saved him from lava one time when he was trapped — was apparently helping Techno, the traitor. So L’manburg put him on house arrest, and he wasn’t happy about that. Ghostbur called Ranboo an “Aaron Burr” and went with Ranboo on a trip to then snow…to Techno’s place.

Ranboo still had Techno’s armor, Techno tried to kill him, then Ranboo gave all his armor back. Someone else was there was well — Tommy.

Ranboo wrote all of this down in his Memory Book and returned to L’manburg, told them that he had no idea where Techno or Tommy were…at which point Ranboo realized…he’d just betrayed the entire Butcher Army.

The next few days, Ranboo kept seeing Techno and Tommy around with a lot of dogs. He continued to write things down, being kind of on both sides. Ranboo decided he couldn’t choose and instead would help everyone.

Things were going fine. L’manburg was planning a Festival to kill Dream, as Dream would finally respect the laws of L’manburg and attend with no armor. Ranboo made a trident game.

At some point, Ranboo created a fake memory book that got burnt by Skeppy around Christmas during Skeppy’s sister’s visit.

Before the Festival, Ranboo realized he’d lost his Memory Book. He found it in a chest…but that wasn’t where he’d put it. How did it get there?

Ranboo created a panic room out of obsidian, a place to reckon with his morals, a place to think. The water created white noise that helped him think. It was there that he decided to stop choosing sides, and start choosing people.

The day of the Festival, Ranboo secretly met with Techno and Tommy in Purpled’s Skull Base. Dream arrived and started building the wall again.

Dream led them all over to the Community House, and they all saw that it was completely destroyed. It was apparently Techno and Tommy, who shortly arrived. Tommy and Tubbo fought, Dream asked for Techno’s help to blow up L’manburg the next day. Then, Dream told them that Ranboo was a traitor. He gave Tubbo a little book — the first Memory Book.

Ranboo thought he had the Memory Book on him. How could it have been switched? He opened up the one he had, but…all that was left was a smile. And that smile symbolized his betrayal. This was the second Memory Book, the replacement.

At the announcement of Doomsday, everyone somewhat banded together. Ranboo gave a speech, that if they kept trying to save L’manburg, it would just keep causing problems. People were looking at Ranboo, the eye contact made him aggravated, he lashed out at his friends.

He went back to the Panic Room, started talking to himself, thinking about what he would do. Would he help or not? It was at that point that he began to hear something — something that was Ranboo…a voice. A voice that sounded like Dream. It told Ranboo the last thing he wanted to hear: that by trying to help everyone, he’d betrayed everyone. Ranboo didn’t believe him, thought he’d only given the armor to Techno. The voice left, and Ranboo decided the best thing he could do was help. Help the people who helped him: L’manburg.

He was still missing something: the first Memory Book.

It was time for Doomsday. The dogs, the Withers, the explosions all started, and L’manburg went. The people who’d been for L’manburg suddenly switched. But out of all of this, Ranboo heard something. He heard Techno ask, “What’s this ‘Do Not Read’ book?”

Ranboo ran to Techno, who gave it to him and told him to run. Techno showed him mercy.

Ranboo talked with Fundy after, he’d hurt Fundy. Ranboo talked with Quackity, who seemed to forgive him, because he’d read Ranboo’s Memory Book. He’d been the one to have the book, and he read it.

Ranboo visited the Panic Room, not knowing what to do…

Someone came and asked if he was okay: Phil. Phil offered him a home with himself and Techno, and they got along.

He thought he was safe, and everything was good, and that’s when he heard a disc: Mellohi, from someplace very far away. It was from the Panic Room, so he went back. He took out the disc, and an old friend came back: the voice. This time, the Dream voice told him that he was more of a traitor than he thought. It told him that he’d been helping Dream this entire time, he just didn’t remember. It told him he blew up the Community House. But the voice wasn’t Dream, Ranboo figured it was just a voice trying to fill the gaps between his memories. It told Ranboo to mine a block, behind which were two pieces of TNT.

Ranboo kept chilling with Techno and Phil, build himself a place to live. It was at this time that Tommy and Tubbo were planning on trying to get their discs back.

For a while, Ranboo lived in solitude. For the first time in a while, he was happy. He decided he was done living in fear of the Dream voice, and went to confront it, to tell it that there’s no way he helped Dream. The Dream voice told him he had one of the discs. Ranboo thought there was no way, so he went back to his house and searched, and dug up a chest with the Cat disc inside.

Ranboo realized that something was going on. He realized he’d been sleepwalking, of sorts.

Something happened: Tommy and Tubbo were going to fight Dream. Everyone thought they were probably going to die, and…what happened after that?

Dream was put in prison, Ranboo started to be able to pick up blocks, and Ranboo decided to call this state: Enderwalking.

Everything seemed fine, besides the giant Egg. The prison was open for visitation, and Ranboo had a good idea: what if he visited Dream? Everything went normally, except Dream told him exactly what he didn’t want to hear: that apparently, he and Dream had been talking in his Enderwalk, and Ranboo was one of Dream’s best friends. Dream handed Ranboo his own Memory Book. The entire chest was full of Memory Books. The prison started to crumble, Dream disappeared and then…Ranboo guessed the entire visit had just been the Dream voice but…worse. He decided to keep his head down for the time.

Ranboo needed to visit the prison again, but for real this time, to actually get closure. He went up to Sam, made his way to the lobby, and told Sam it was his first time visiting — which he thought it was. Sam thought he was joking around. Sam told him that he’d visited before…the Enderwalk. Sam showed Ranboo the books, and they were written in Enderman.

Sam told Ranboo he had a book on him — Ranboo now had a third Memory Book, but there was nothing in the books about any visit.

There must have been a fourth book.

Ranboo, to this day, still does not know where that fourth book is. This fourth book…it wasn’t a Memory Book. It was a book of the Enderwalk.

So for the time being, Ranboo tried to work against the Enderwalk, but nothing worked. So…he was just kind of living. His beacon disappeared, his tools kept getting to low durability randomly. He didn’t know why. He just decided to stop getting involved in things and just keep living.

Ranboo visited Snowchester, he did cool things with Techno, he was happy.

Then, he got married for tax reasons and decided to build a hotel to rival Tommy’s with Tubbo.

Then, one day, after saving Michael, after everything, they received news: Tommy had died. And Sam had just let it happen.

Another day, in his house, Ranboo decided he should just relax. He saw Niki outside and wondered what she was doing there. Techno offered him a place in an anarchist organization called the Syndicate. Ranboo decided to join, he told them that Tommy died.

Then Tommy was alive. Somehow he was alive.

Ranboo was brought to a room with two shrines and a hallway with a place for everyone's treasured items. He started to remember, started to hear things. Dream had a revive book. Tommy and Tubbo didn't die because everyone went there and saved them, but Ranboo didn't remember this.

Ranboo realized that Dream had to be stopped before he brought back the villains, and...then he'll finally be happy. He has Michael to protect now.

He was hanging around with Tubbo when they were approached by Tommy, who had the same idea. Ranboo agreed. They began to build a watchtower, Ranboo spoke with Ghostbur, who didn't seem like he wanted to go.

And now? Ranboo is trying to figure out a way to kill Dream. But there's also a larger issue to figure out.

He figures that Dream gave him a set of instructions while he visited the prison in the Enderwalk, and Ranboo needs to find a way to stop the Enderwalk.

It hasn't happened in a while, right? Maybe he already has.

So now, Ranboo is figuring out the Enderwalk and protecting Michael at all costs, even if he might have to lose a little bit of life…

And that is the story so far.

[This story was told as c!Ranboo — not really, but if Ranboo could collect his entire story and tell it. So some things have been left out.

For example, Sapnap giving Ranboo the message…]

---

Upcoming events remain the same.

#dream smp #dream smp recaps #long posts

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realcube · 4 years ago

Text

waking up next to the haikyuu!! boys hcs 💤

pairings: kageyama x reader, akaashi x reader, suna x reader

requested; thank you to @kageyamas-whore for the idea!

tw// mentions of violence

Tobio Kageyama

tobio kageyama; others may know him as the king of the court

but you know him as the king of the thigh pillow-

well, it’s not always the thigh but it is by far his favourite

but he’s open-minded; he has used your chest, your stomach, your shoulder, your shin, your hip-- basically any and every body part that you’d allow him to touch

like seriously, he’d rather use any part of your body as a pillow instead of his actual pillow because - in his own words - “you’re comfy.”

so in a way, you don’t wake up next to him but rather under him

sometimes when he sleeps over at your house, you deadass just wake up and forget about him for a moment bc he’s not laying beside you

then, after stretching you’ll try hop out of your bed to go to the bathroom and momentarily panic when you feel tingly pressure on your leg

bc your immediate thought is ‘spider!’ as if a massive fkn spider had just crawled into your room somehow and was just vibin’ on your leg

but you let out an audible sigh of relief when you realised that it is just kageyama’s thick skull

.......

--ok, i’m just gonna say it..the mf drools

SORRY OMG HE JUST RUBS ME AS THAT KINDA GUY AND I THINK IT’S CANON TOO LOOK!

yeah so ofc if he is drooling all over your thigh - clothed or not - you’re gonna instinctively want to get him off

but he looks so peaceful when he is sleeping and you don’t want to ruin that by making him move 🥺

but then again, maybe he should’ve taken that into consideration before he fell asleep on you! (ノ｀Д)ノ

you were conflicted - to say the least

so you decided to just to use your phone as you waited for him to wake up and then when he was awake, you’d reprimand him

but your plan went to shit once he eventually woke up with his dopey, half-asleep yet kinda hot expression and his adorable bed-head

not to mention his hoarse, croaky voice ◉_◉ “morning, (y/n).”

curse him for being so naturally charming in the morning 눈_눈

so what was supposed to be ‘kageyama, can you stop drooling on me in your sleep?’ turned into a ‘good morning, baby.’

needless to say, waking up with kageyama in the morning is far from romantic or intimate

but it was definitely cute- he’s precious tbh

Keiji Akaashi

you rarely wake up before him

mans up at 6AM and sits in bed, reading a book or scrolling through Pinterest as he waits for you to wake up

when you awake, the first thing he does is place a kiss on your forehead - religiously

you’ll be all groggy and disoriented; really feeling that morning crust

and he’ll just be like “good morning, love.” 😇 with his morning glow bc he’s already showered

it’s unfair tbh, especially if you’re not a morning person

bc akaashi is just sitting there, book in hand, lookin like whole-ass deity as light seeps into the room passed the blinks and highlights all his prominent features

and you’ve literally just woken up, hissing lowly as the stray light burned your retinas

sometimes akaashi looks so scrumptious in the morning, you think that you’ve ascended to the afterlife and met a holy-being at the gates of heaven

actually, that was a lie

but akaashi genuinely looks so angelic, you can’t help but joke about it, “god, is that you?”

akaashi rolled his eyes, playfully pinching your cheek, “maybe.” he snickered, sitting his book aside before pulling you up by under your arms to wrap you in a warm, morning hug, “you’re so cute, (y/n).” he’d whisper into your hair.

“stop flirting with me, god.”

Rintarō Suna

sleeping is suna’s second favourite sport

and he’s great at it too; he’s like the ushijima of sleeping y’know?

it’s simply what he was built to do

hence, you always end up waking up before him

also, off topic for a second, but if you do uncommon stuff in your sleep like kicking, talking etc, suna is the perfect guy for you bc your sleeping antics literally do not effect/bother him at all

you could be using him as a punching bag at 4AM but if he is in REM sleep, he would just continue resting tbh

anyway, whenever you wake up and he’s still asleep, you must give him a lil’ kiss on the back of the hand

his sleeping form is not much of a sight, though

it’s really neutral; not very flattering but not unflattering either- y’know

he’s not like drooling, snoring, making weird faces or anything; he looks fine! contrary to popular belief, it’s nothing to gawk at tbh, it’s just like -_- zzz

when he eventually wakes up, he loves it when you’re the first thing he sees

like if you’re sitting next to him on the bed, just texting and he wakes up, he’ll just silently stare at you

and when you realise he’s finally awake, you’ll have to haul him out of bed,

“suna,” you whined, tugging at his leg as he clung desperately to the headboard, “it’s 3PM! please get up, i’m so fuckin’ bored on my own!”

“i’m still tiredddd.” suna groaned, aware that it was probably just morning fatigue or his desire to just laze around with you, but he found it funny to tease you.

also, the fact that you were holding his ankle, gave him the opportunity to kick you (potentially) in the face and the amount of self-control it took him to not

you aggressively shook his leg, “get up right now or i’m going to make you watch all the Sharknado movies with me!” you yelled, conscious of the fact suna was doing this just to annoy you but you still needed to get him out of bed one way or another.

“you’re resorting to torture now? wow.” he muttered, releasing his grip on the headboard and allowing you to drag him off the bed

however, that was more of a one time thing bc usually you just let him hibernate through the whole day or he gets up on his own accord

if you ever manage to sleep-in passed him- he’ll wake you up immediately, under the impression that you’re dead

“(y/n), are you okay? you’re not dead, are you?”

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the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us · 4 years ago

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Imagine Writing

Being a writer is writing 3,000 words at 4 in the morning and then not touching your work for a month

#rem does stuff and panics #imagine writing #haha im so very funny #because like #imagine dragons #and sometimes i imagine writing the rest of something i havent finished yet and then i laugh at the poor naive dreams i have #i'll leave now

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the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us · 2 years ago

Text

Broke: Steve is always interrupting/lingering in Jancy scenes because he wants Nancy back

Woke: Steve held hands with Jonathan Byers. He is a homosexual. He is in love with Jonathan Byers. "Me you Robin and Jonathan, the love of my life, should get dinner sometime".

#rem does stuff and panics #stranger things #steve harrington #jonathan byers #stonathan #not an exact quote

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kareofbears · 4 years ago

Text

margin of error

Sophia knows a lot, but that does not mean she understands much of anything at all.

Or, Sophia struggles to grasp why Akira and Ryuji don't follow her predictive algorithm.

read on ao3 or below the cut :)

Sophia knows a lot.

She can tell you almost anything in the known world in an instant. Calculate the radius of the sun. Who won Best Picture three years ago. The outfit to wear when you need to 'dress to impress.' Just yesterday, she was able to find them a bath, a takoyaki restaurant, and an overnight camping site within 0.3 milliseconds. That’s not very many seconds.

Sophia knows a lot, but that does not mean she understands much of anything at all.

She’s quiet while she’s propped on the phone stand, watching the rest of them lounge in the RV. There’s a shape to the interior that wasn’t there before—where it had been pristine when they had first gotten it, now it’s littered with crumbs and instant-food packaging despite Makoto’s half-hearted attempts at scolding them for it. Empty surfaces are filled with knick-knacks, stuffies and a plastic ramen bowl rattling gently along with the RV.

There’s a rare lull amongst them, a moment of quiet. Most of them were napping away the road, gently snoring and bodies jostling whenever a pothole hits, oblivious to the scenery that passes by. Only the soft tunes of pop music from the front and the hum of the engine broke the quiet.

Other than Makoto, there were only two people awake: Akira, scribbling in his journal, and Ryuji, watching him do it. They sat across from each other in the booth, with Ryuji’s chin propped against his hand.

Probability and pinpoint accuracy is what she excels at, and being able to apply them to her friends excites her. Not to mention, she hasn’t been wrong yet.

Idly, she runs the numbers—according to the data she’s collected from spending time with them, the silence will be broken by Ryuji within approximately two minutes. Pulling up a time from within Akira’s phone, she waits eagerly.

A minute passes, and then another. And another. Akira is still scribbling in his neat penmanship and Ryuji is still watching him doing it, unspeaking.

Frowning, she double-checks her calculations. No errors that she can see. It seems that he simply does not want to speak. This is surprising, and very unlike him. He is not usually this quiet. In the Metaverse, he is by far the loudest of them; calling on his Persona’s name can often leave her own ears ringing.

The real world does not stray from that data. His voice is clear in crowded areas, helpful in guiding their big group throughout bustling cities. He is often shushed by the girls when they are trying to sleep at night—Futaba even goes as far as to kick the ceiling from her bunk bed.

The data is strong and sure. There should not be a reason that she should be wrong in this assumption unless there’s a confounding variable that she had missed.

Akira looks up and catches his eye. “Am I boring you?” he asks quietly.

Ryuji shakes his head, grinning. “Couldn’t be happier,” he whispers back.

Sophia’s about to ask when Makoto cuts her off.

“Wake up everyone. We’re here.”

—

“Okay,” Akira calls. His voice isn’t raised, despite the crowded street of downtown Sendai, but they all straighten up. “We’re probably not going to spend too much time here, especially once we take over the Jail. Grab what you need now—snacks for the trip. Shopping. Souvenirs. Frozen pineapple. Any questions?” Yusuke raises his hand. “Yes, I’ll pay for you.” The hand falls back down, relieved.

“Cool. How about we meet back here…” he squints at the large clock hanging on the wall, hand blocking out the blaring sun. “In an hour?”

A chorus of agreements rolls through them as they rush out, excited to explore a new city. “Good speech,” Sophia pipes up from his hand. “Do you do them often?”

“I try not to,” he yawns. His thick black hair is even more unruly than usual, glasses barely hiding the light blue that’s beginning to form underneath his eyes. “Most of the time, they can handle themselves fine. All they need is a schedule and some rules to work with.”

When she doesn’t answer, Akira brings his phone up. “What? Did I say something?”

“It’s because she’s worried about you, you moron,” a disgruntled voice says.

Akira’s gaze flickers towards it. “You’re still here?”

“Of course I am,” Ryuji says. “You really think I’d leave without saying goodbye? Glad I didn’t either, cause you look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“Still pretty, though. No worries about that part.” He shoves his hand deep in his pocket, stray yen clinking against each other as he rummages. After a moment, he throws something at Akira. “Catch.”

He plucks it out from the air with ease. “Car keys?” he asks, surprised.

“Grabbed them from Makoto before she ran off for stationery shopping.” Ryuji reaches forward, gently turning Akira’s head this way and that, frowning. “I told you to quit staying up so late. You’re exhausted.”

“I am not.”

“He is,” Sophia refutes. “Last night, he had approximately four hours of sleep, with only four minutes of that being REM sleep.”

“I told you. She’s even bringing up computer stuff now.”

“I think you are thinking about RAM, Ryuji.”

“Whatever,” he shakes his head. “Look, just head to the RV, get some shut-eye. You can finally sleep in a proper bed that isn’t an overheating tent with three sweaty dudes and a cat. Oh, and trade phones with me.”

He hands it over without hesitation, sliding Ryuji’s phone into his own pocket. “Why?”

“You have the grocery list in here, yeah? Not to mention, I don’t want Sophia getting bored while you nap it up.” He looks down at her. “Hi, by the way.”

“Hi!”

Akira still doesn’t seem convinced. “But I promised Yusuke—”

“Who’s with Ann now, shopping like they’d die if they didn’t get the perfect skirt to fit her next shoot,” he says, uncompromising. “Chill. It’s fine. We’ll survive an hour without Joker keeping an eye on us.”

They stare each other down for a long moment with Sophia watching. She does not need to run the numbers on this one; Akira will not allow himself to go back to the RV.

To her surprise, he relents. “Twenty minutes.”

Ryuji scoffs. “We’ll see about that. You suck at waking up.”

“Shut up.” And then, quieter, “Thank you.”

“You know I got your back.”

He yawns once more, slowly walking back to their car. “Sophia, please make sure that when he gets the Pocky to get the strawberry one. Futaba won’t eat anything else. And also that Haru wanted doilies to make the place look nicer. White, if you can find them.”

“Roger that,” she replies, distracted. How is she wrong again? This is troubling.

“My hoodie’s in my bag if you get cold!” Ryuji calls out. Akira throws him a thumbs up without looking back. “Jeez, that guy. He’s gonna run himself to the ground before he’s thirty, I swear. Like some geezer with a bad back but with really good hairline or something.”

An old man with a thick head of hair shoots him a glare as he passes by them. Ryuji laughs, high-pitched. “Yikes, that was awkward. Let’s get out of here, we need to hit up the grocery store before they run out of carrots.”

Sophia doesn’t answer, too deep in her thoughts and running endless calculations.

—

It’s impossible for her to get a headache, but her code is trying its best to give her one.

Two mistakes now. That isn’t allowed to happen. She’s lucky that they were both relatively small errors, but it can easily become a bigger problem. What can she do?

Luckily, that had a very simple answer.

“Ryuji?”

“Hmm?” He peels his eyes away from scrutinizing the oranges in his hands, the wires from his earphones swaying when he does. After one too many strange looks when he talks to nothing, it was just better to act like he was on a phone call. “Yeah?”

“I have a question.”

“What am I, a teacher?” he snorts. “If you got a question, go ahead. Friends can do that.”

That’s right. They’re friends, and friends have trust in one another. Sophia jotted that down as lesson number forty-eight, thirteen days ago.

“Okay,” she says. Questions float around her, and she picks the one that’s giving her the most stress. “If I was not as useful as you think I am, would we still remain friends?”

The orange tumbles out of his grip, and he rushes to catch it before it hits the ground. “Wha—!” he stutters out. “Duh! Obviously! What the—where the hell did that come from? Did we do something to think that we’d just ditch you like that?” he lifts the phone so that she was eye-level with him. “Be honest,” he says seriously, quickly. “Did I say something to hurt your feelings? I do that sometimes, and I’m working on it, and I know that’s no excuse—”

“You did not say anything to hurt my feelings,” she says before he spirals even further. “In fact, I do not have feelings for you to hurt.”

Relief blooms on his expression, and he sags his body against the fruit display. “Okay, good. Good. Thought I was gonna get a heart attack. I’d be pissed at myself if I did, and I just know Akira would give me so much shit.” He sighs, ridding himself of panic before giving him her full attention. “So what’s up?

“Sir…” an employee shuffles towards them, hands shaking knees knocking against each other. He is afraid, she notes, but of what? “I’m sorry, but it’s against store policy to lean on the product. Please try to understand.”

“Oh, shoot!” Ryuji exclaims, straightening up. “Sorry, man. I didn’t even realize. I think I squished an orange, but I’ll buy it so your boss doesn’t give you hell for that one.”

The employee blinks. “You would?” he says, shocked. “That would be great, actually. Thank you so much!”

“Don’t sweat it,” he waves it off. Tugging the shopping cart, he places Sophia where they’d normally put babies. “Hope he doesn’t get in trouble. I feel kinda bad.”

She thinks for a moment. “Ryuji, why was that man afraid?”

Swiftly, red rushes to his cheeks. “That obvious? Aw, man.”

“I don’t know if it was obvious, but all the signs were there,” she says, watching as he ducks his head, embarrassed. “What is happening? I do not understand.”

“It’s just—” his eyes shift sideways, meeting the eye of a young girl. Immediately, she directs her gaze downwards. “I look really scary to people.”

“You do?” It isn’t in her program to doubt, but she is rather skeptical. During the entire trip, he has been nothing but kind to her. Yes, there are times when he has arguments with others in the group, but more often than not it’s him that’s being teased rather than the other way around. “Why? You aren’t even that tall.”

“Ouch?”

“I’m just saying that you are not scary to me, so I don’t really understand why other people would be.”

He sighs, picking up a box of miso unseeingly. “It’s a combination of a lot of things. My hair’s bleached, and people usually see that as like, punk or whatever. My posture sucks and my voice is loud.” Shrugging, he throws it in the cart. “It doesn’t really bug me though. At least that means strangers usually don’t bother the group, cause they think I’ll kick their ass.”

“And would you?” Sophia crosses off miso. Only bandages are left on the list, but the cart is filled with snacks, sodas, and a small cactus. “‘Kick their ass?’”

“No way. If I did, my mom would kick my ass, and I can’t pull that shit twice in a lifetime.” Pushing the cart, they slowly meander through the aisles, occasionally looking at what’s on sale. Ryuji tosses in rainbow marshmallows, and after a moment, reluctantly puts it back.

“But you know,” he says eventually. “If someone was bothering the group, it’s not as if I’d just let it happen.”

She considers his answer. “You are tough,” she concludes. “But not scary.”

“Uh, yes,” he says, unsure. And then, with more conviction, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Got it. ‘Ryuji is tough, but other people are terrified of him.’ I will make a note of that.” He looks like he wants to say something, but she keeps going. “Synonyms for ‘tough’: robust, stalwart, and strong. Would you say that’s accurate?”

He laughs, disbelieving. “No idea what the first two meant, but the third one isn’t right.”

“Why not? You can fight Shadows. Your muscle ratio is high. One time, when Futaba couldn’t unscrew her water bottle, you did it with no problem.”

“Because, Sophia,” Ryuji picks up gummy worms, and turns to her with pleading eyes. When she shakes her head, he puts it back on the shelf with a grimace. “Strength isn’t always about muscles and who can kill what. It’s more than that.”

It seems as though he doesn’t want to speak about this anymore, but the topic is too interesting to stop here. “Explain, please.”

“It’s...it’s like mental strength,” he says begrudgingly. “Like if someone failed an exam they studied real hard for, mental strength would help them get through a tough situation like that. Like Akira.”

“Akira has high mental strength?”

“Oh, the highest out of all of us without a doubt. The world could explode and he’d be all—” Ryuji lowers his voice by an octave. “‘Here’s what we can do,’ and then fix it somehow. That’s just the kind of guy he is. All plans and no fear.”

All plans and no fear is a good way of describing Joker. “And you aren’t like that?”

“No way. Have you ever seen me have a plan in my life? I’m more of an ‘act before I can talk myself out of it’ person. Usually works out fine in the end. Besides, he does it enough for the both of us.” His eyes light up. “Do you think if I get the panda bandages, it would work better in the Metaverse? Cause of the brain stuff?”

“I think so, as long as it makes people think it works better.”

“Great.” Ryuji tosses it in with the rest. “And I think we got everything! Let’s head out. If we’re lucky, we can grab some ice cream before we meet up with the rest of them.”

“Good job! But you may want to consider removing the orange soda. Makoto is already unhappy with how much junk food you are always eating.”

“Fine. I’m keeping the cactus though.”

It was only when they’re all sleeping back in the RV when she realizes that she never got to ask him her actual question. Actually, she ended up with even more questions than when she began.

Maybe she’ll have better luck asking Akira instead.

—

They, or rather Akira, have their knees buried in a patch of grass in the middle of Sapporo with a small pile of four-leaf clovers by his ankles when she decides it would be appropriate to ask him.

“Akira, can I ask—” she pauses, and tries again. “I have a question.”

His face is so close to the ground that even the dirt would realize that his glasses don’t have prescription, and people are shooting him worried looks that he completely ignores. “Shoot.”

“Actually, I have many questions, and I’m hoping you’ll answer all of them as honestly as you can in order to have the most accurate data possible.”

“Research?”

More often than not, Akira has been giving her information about the world that she does not have access to. Slang terms that Futaba yells out in frustration, Ann’s tendency to jump from one topic to the next with little regard to who she’s talking to. It’s all confusing to Sophia, so she makes sure to memorize all of these instances and bring it to him for clarification.

“Sort of,” she says. “Some of my predictions have been off lately, and I am trying to figure out why.”

“Sure. Oh, another one.” Gently, he plucks it from the soil and gently places it with the others. “For Haru. Apparently, she’s really struggling with economics, so hopefully this helps her out next semester.”

“How many more?”

“Four,” he replies. “Yusuke, Sojiro, Akane, and Ryuji.”

She frowns. “Ryuji already has one.”

“He’s going to need more than one.” Akira turns to her, distressed. “Entrance exams are coming up.”

“Oh.”

“Yup,” he turns back to his task. “Anyway, you had a question?”

“Right,” she says, clearing her throat: a sign of taking a more serious tone. “Why are you scared of Ryuji?”

Akira freezes. Sophia waits patiently. But after a moment, then two, then five, there is still no reaction from him. And then slowly, he faces her with a blank expression.

She has not known Kurusu Akira for very long—only a few weeks in fact. But in that time, she feels that she has come to learn a lot about him. For instance, he does not like pears. He also finds grocery shopping relaxing, and he would die for his friends. Another thing she has learned from him is that he is very quiet; even in the Metaverse, amidst the explosions and gunshots, he does not yell. It is not as if he has nothing to say, but rather he would rather express himself through gestures and the odd comment here and there. He is much happier to let the people around him carry the conversation for him.

Shock racks through her as he bursts out laughing. His shoulders move up and down as laughs pour out of him uncontrollably. “What—?” he tries, pushing his glasses atop his head. It’s almost hidden amongst his thick, black locks. “Did you seriously ask if I was afraid of Ryuji? Sakamoto Ryuji? Blond guy, helps out in the Metaverse? My best friend?”

“Um.” This was not what she was expecting, despite having no expectations to begin with. “Yes.”

He sighs, content. “I really have to thank you, Sophia.” Akira brings his glasses back to his nose, the corners of his mouth quirked up. “That was really good. Haven’t laughed that hard since Yusuke thought Italy was near Mexico.”

She tilts her head sideways. “I was not joking.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He sits up, crossing his legs over each other, giving her his full attention. “Tell me why you thought I was scared of him.” Even as he’s sobered up, he can’t quite finish the sentence without smiling.

“My predictions have been off lately,” she says, a wrinkle between her brows. “This is normal—predictions by their nature cannot always be right. However, I’ve noticed that they’re incorrect more often lately. I ran the data, and these errors are related to two things:” Sophia brings her hand to the screen so that he can see properly. “You and him, as a unit. Individually, there doesn’t seem to be any errors. It is specifically when you are being measured together that creates mistakes. My prognosis on everyone else in the group creates more stable and accurate results.”

Sophia twists her hair in her hands. “The only reason it would be wrong is because of a confounding variable. Maybe there’s something between the two of you that others do not have. So I thought that answer—”

“Was fear,” he finishes. There’s an odd tone in his voice that she doesn’t comprehend. His gray eyes, sharp but never unkind. “I see where you’re coming from. But, and I can swear on this fact—it isn’t fear. I am not, nor will I ever be, afraid of him.”

She deflates. Wrong again. “And he’s not afraid of you?” she asks, out of desperation than anything.

Akira thinks for a moment. “Do you remember when I was cooking, and Ryuji went in to smell the broth, and knocked the whole thing over and onto my suitcase?” She nods. She had taken many pictures of that moment. “He felt really guilty, but he wasn’t scared of my reaction. He was more scared that he had ruined my stuff. You know what I mean?”

“I think I do.”

He bops the top of his phone a few times, an odd resemblance of patting her head. “Cool.”

Sophia stares at the road past their garden of clovers. Cars speed forward, too quick for her to focus on what the driver looks like. It’s hot today, but she doesn’t feel it. She runs her data one more time. “Akira, do you love Ryuji?”

His hands do not pause. “I love all my friends,” he answers simply.

—

At the end of the day, it does not matter if her attempts at predicting the future are fruitless. If she is in fact humanity’s companion, her code makes sure of one thing above all else: to help humanity with any of their endeavors.

That’s a tall order, especially when there are 7,874,965,825 humans within that humanity at this moment. Sophia is only one being, and realism is etched into her. To make things simple, she gave herself a domain of discourse. A sample size. Narrowing what she can do, and who she can help. The entirety of humanity then, at least in Sophia’s mind, falls under the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Sapporo is freezing. Frosty. Crisp. Chilly.

“Fucking cold!” Ryuji shivers, jogging around them in an effort to get warm. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.”

“Even with the space heaters on, it seems that the winter isn’t interested in going anywhere,” Makoto says. She’s standing uncomfortably close to Ann, trying to leech off of her inherent heat. Actually, she wasn’t the only one—Haru is also inching her way to her. “It should probably get better once we start moving. Good thing we won’t be here long.”

Yusuke nods, unperturbed. “Yes, this should be a quick run. We’re just here to collect a desire gone astray, yes?” It seems that the ice does little to bother him. “Oracle, can you find its location?” No response. “Oracle?”

He glances to the ground, sighing when he finds her on the ground, eyes closed and breathing deeply. “Wake up,” he says, nudging her with his boot. When she doesn’t move, Yusuke throws an exasperated look at Akira.

Reluctantly, he nods. “Yeah, yeah, I got her,” he says, summoning Queen Mab. Instantly, the temperature seems to rise, just a little bit. Scooping her up, Akira shakes her roughly like a particularly malicious sack of flour. “Wake up, your space heater’s here.”

“This may be a quick run,” Haru says. “But it doesn’t mean we should take this any less seriously. Someone’s desire got lost on its way back, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, that sounds—Mona, get off my leg—about right.” Ann squints her eyes along the horizon. “It’s far, right? If we start moving now, we can probably work off the frost on our skin.”

“Yeah, it’s about…” Futaba yawns as Akira sets her on her feet. “Twenty-minute walk? Ten-minute run, but unless you want me slipping and turning the ice red, we’re gonna want to slow down.”

Akira touches his mask. “Agi.” A wave of heat rushes over them, and she sighs, grateful for the respite. “Hopefully that helped a little. But it won’t last long, and we shouldn’t waste energy warming up. Quick recap—someone lost their desire, we’re here to make sure it gets back. Our top priority is getting that desire back as quick as possible. Questions?”

Sophia raises her hand.

“Yup?”

“Did you say top priority?”

“Yes, I did say top priority.”

“Understood!” she chirps, making a note in her head. It was hard to concentrate when she felt like her insides were freezing up.

Another hand shoots up.

“Noir?”

“I don’t have a question. I just think you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Thank you, Noir. Always a pleasure.” He looks around, nodding. “Alright. If that’s it, then let’s do this thing.”

They all move ahead, wary of their footing. Sophia frowns as she scuttles forward, scared of being left behind. There is no room for error here. If she feels that she is not useful in the real world, then she can at least utilize her talents here. And the first step to doing that is to make sure she is doing two things:

1) Not slow

2) Won’t trip

After a while, she looks up and feels her eyes bulge. How did they get so far already? Sophia can hardly see them anymore, especially with the slight fog that’s beginning to emerge. She has to get there faster.

Failed step number one already. For once, she’s glad she wasn’t hardcoded with emotions, or else humiliation would be overwhelming. Quickening her pace, she’s determined to do this correctly. One foot, then the next. One foot, then the next. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left—

She slips.

With a gasp, she moves to twist her body so that it wasn’t her head that would take the impact, and closes her eyes shut.

Just before she slams into the ice, arms grab her torso, swinging her forward. “Whoa there, shorty!”

Ryuji uses the momentum to swing her onto his back, and she latches around her neck, bewildered. “You okay? Almost got knocked out before any Shadow got to us.”

“Yes,” she replies, breathless. “Thank you for saving me. That would have been bad.”

“No prob!” he marches onward as if he wasn’t carrying an entire human being on his back while treading through sleet.

“...You can settle me down if you’d like.”

“I would not like.” He grins, boots finding matte ice with ease. “I kinda love carrying you like this. Not like I can do this in the real world, can I? ‘Sides, Futaba would chew my head off if I tried it with her.”

“Have you?”

“Maybe.”

She laughs as they finally reconvene with the rest of them. When Akira turns to them, his expression softens with relief. “All good?”

“All good,” Ryuji says. “Nothing Sophie and I can’t handle.” He raises his fist at her, and she bumps it enthusiastically. Lesson twenty-three: never refuse a fist-bump. It’s one of her favorites.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop!” Futaba calls out from beside Ann, arms were linked as if they were strolling through a park, and not a Shadow-infested land. “I said stop!”

“We heard you the first time!” Morgana yowls. “Are we here?”

“We’re close. Kinda weird though.” She smacks the side of her goggles a few times impatiently. “Nothing’s showing up.”

“Lucky!” Ann whoops. “Let’s get this over with and get some gelato!”

Rounding the corner of an empty street, Yusuke points forward to a glowing heart, beating in time to its pulsing light. “That’s it, I take it?”

“I can get it.” Sophia pats Ryuji’s shoulder, and he lets her down. “That way, we can finish this as soon as possible.”

She runs forward, eager.

“Wait—!” Futaba cries out from behind her. “We’re getting ambushed!”

As she says it, footsteps surround them, the clanging of weapons and the grunts of Shadows appearing out of nowhere. She starts to run faster, terrified of slipping but pushes on anyway. She can do this.

“Shit,” Akira hisses. “Sophie, come back here!”

Sophia ignores him, the Desire almost in her reach when she feels it. A cold breeze, impossibly colder than the temperature before, almost seems to pierce through her skin. She did not need to turn around to know what it was—every cell in her body is screaming it for her.

A curse. A strong one that would have no problem wiping her out like fly on the RV’s windshield wiper.

Would she at least be able to save the Desire? Even if she ceases to exist? Would it be worth it then? It should be, since this is what she was made for.

Something solid shoves her from behind, and she gives out a yell before hitting the ground, hard.

“What…?” she mutters, disoriented. Somehow, she isn’t dead, or even near death. Shaking her head, she grasps for the Desire in front of her before turning around.

Instantly, her heart stops. The Desire in her hand continues to pulse steadily as she stares down at Ryuji, collapsed on the ground.

“Skull?” she whispers. Leaning down, she can still hear his breathing, though it’s faint. Her hand reaches out, before she remembers. Top priority. The Desire needs to get to Joker first.

The ground begins to rumble, and Sophia looks up in time to see an arch of glowing white explode. Every Shadow is eviscerated, their ashes scattering violently at the aftershock of wind that follows from the impact. Concrete cracks, snow blows away. Without a doubt, it’s an attack from a Persona user, but she has no idea who it came from.

As the dust settles, stray bits of ice falling from the sky like hail, Akira shoots out from the fog. He’s moving faster than she’s ever seen him, and there’s a desperation to his movements that throws her off-guard. Maybe he didn’t see yet? Sophia steps forward.

“Joker!” she calls out when he gets closer, thrusting her hand forward. “I got the Desire!”

He rushes past her without a blink.

Akira skids to his knees. “Ryuji!” When there’s no answer, he pulls Ryuji to his knees, resting his head on his lap. Akira presses his fingers against the pulse on his neck, concentrating intensely. Then he grits his teeth. “I can work with this.”

More footsteps. Familiar ones. “Dammit, Joker!” Morgana says. “You can’t just throw around attacks like that, especially with such weak enemies. You know how draining that spell is.”

He ignores him. Akira removes Ryuji’s mask with great care, setting it aside, before touching his own. “Aid me, Sarasvati.”

“Joker?” she tries.

A floating woman donned in green with a delicate instrument in her long fingertips appeared from the fibers of his mask, her expression kind and tender.

“Joker.”

Healing power flows through his hands, so potent that it glows green. Sweat pours from his brow, and his wrist begins to tremble with effort.

“Joker!”

“What, Sophie?” he rounds on her, gray eyes intense.

“I got the Desire!” she announces triumphantly.

A beat passes. And then another. It was as if there was never even a deafening battle not one minute prior.

When Akira finally speaks, his voice is low. “Panther, take Sophie away please.”

Her breathing stops. She could not inhale the air even if it was demanded of her. Akira turns back to Ryuji, but Sophia’s eyes stuck to him—like she was hypnotized, cemented to the back of his head, unable to look away. Every inch of her body is numb, but none of it has anything to do with the cold.

Ann gently takes her hand, hot as iron against hers, and takes the Desire in the other. “Come on, Soph. Let’s go for a walk, huh?”

She lets herself be led away, blank and unseeing, a part of her staying wishing to stay behind to...what? She didn’t know. There’s so much she doesn’t know.

They keep walking, rounding street corners, quietly passing underneath frozen lamp posts. Sophia wasn’t sure where they were going, but she didn’t bother to ask. Eventually, they duck underneath a railing, Ann covering her head to make sure she doesn’t accidentally bang her skull against the metal. When they straight up, she blinks.

“A heater?”

“Yeah,” Ann sighs, flopping down on a toppled column as if it were a sofa. “I figured if we were going to talk, you might as well stop shivering during that time.” At her words, Sophia realizes how hard she was shaking. Ann pats the spot beside her. “Sit. Nothing a little girl talk can’t fix.” She does.

At her silence, Ann hums. “Cold, isn’t it? You guys haven’t stopped complaining since we got here. I’m super lucky that Carmen’s here to help me. Warms me up even better than this heater, if you can imagine that. Completely different from the real world, where we feel like we’re going to burst into flames any second.” She yawns. “But god, there’s no one in all of Japan that can run his mouth about the weather like Ryuji.” Sophia clenches her fist, but she keeps going, speaking almost wistfully. “I mean, he’s just so loud, you know? Like, how many times have we driven by cows on this trip, and he’d literally wake us all up just to show us? Not to mention, he eats up all the food and snores like crazy. God, one time I invited everyone over at my place, and he just slept in my bed when he got tired! Who does that?”

Ann sighs. “But man, I’ve never met someone more devoted to his friends than him. Sometimes, he’d even give ‘Kira a run for his money, the way he’d just drop everything and run to where trouble is. Day or night, that idiot would show up on your doorstep the minute you shoot him a text, wearing the most ridiculous pajamas you’ve ever seen,” she scoffs. “He started the Thieves with Akira, you know? All gung ho about justice and stuff, you should’ve seen it. And he had the spine to back it up, too.” She smiles, just a little. “Don’t tell him, but I think he’s really, really cool.”

A drop of water hits Sophia’s wrist. And another. And another, until her vision blurs and her chest is heaving. “I just—” she sobs without restraint. “I was just trying to help. I just want to be useful and do what I was made to do, and Akira said from before that this—this was the top priority, and I even made sure, so I asked, but when I finally got the Desire and I was so sure that I’d finally done something right...” the image of Akira’s cold gaze makes her flinch, hard. “He’s just so mad at me, Ann. And Ryuji—” she chokes on his name like a curse, her tongue tumbling over it as if it were getting caught in a lie. “He protected me from before, but he said he was tough, so I thought it was okay since the Desire was the top priority but he got hurt because of me.”

“I don’t even know what I’m feeling, or why I’m crying, or why you’re being so nice to me even though I know I did something bad! I just—” Sophia buries her face in her hands, muffling her scream. “I just don’t understand anything!”

Warm hands rub her back. “I know,” Ann says quietly. “You’re trying your best. We all get that, and we all think you’re doing an A-plus job.” She pauses. “Sophia, Ryuji didn’t take the hit for you because he was thinking about the Desire. He did it because he didn’t want to see you hurt.”

That makes Sophia peek up. “But that was the top priority, wasn’t it?”

“Uh-huh, but that wasn’t his heart’s top priority.” Ann pokes her temple. “That whole logic and calculation thing you have going on is good and stuff, but the thing about the human heart is that you can’t always choose why you do things, or how you react in certain situations. I bet you anything that he totally forgot that we were even looking for this thing when he pushed you,” she waves the beating heart in her hand, still glowing. “And that’s also why Akira got a little mad at you from before.”

She deflates. “He hates me,” she mumbles, feeling her insides churn uncomfortably.

“That boy doesn’t have the time in his schedule to hate anyone,” Ann reassures her. “He’s just...really, really terrified.”

“But why?” Sophia’s starting to despise that word. “He already knew that he was okay. Why would he still be worried?”

Ann looks up, thinking. “You really love and care about Ryuji, right?”

Love was still a foreign concept to her, but for once the answer came forth with ease. “Yes.”

“Take that feeling, that dense, little ball of love and adoration in your tiny body, and multiply that by about eighteen million. That’s probably about the range of what Akira feels about him.”

She quickly runs the numbers. “Whoa.”

“Yeah. Kinda scary, huh?”

It is scary. With numbers this high, she can only begin to imagine what it felt like for Akira to think that he might be seriously hurt, or even worse, dead. All because of Sophia.

“Hey now, I know that look!” Ann flicks her forehead. “I don’t want you to get all mopey about this. You said it yourself—he’s a tough guy. The toughest there is, but don’t tell him that. It’ll go straight to his empty head.”

She stands with exuberance, stretching. “Alright, I think we’re about done here. How we feeling? You ready to go back?”

No. Her heart speeds up at the thought of going back, her shoulders tensing in on itself, but somehow it would be worse to stay here. “I’m ready.”

“That’s what we like to hear!” Ann cheers. “No chickening out now, okay? You can do this.”

“I can do this.” Sophia repeats, and then, louder: “I can do this!

“Yay! And Sophie?” she looks up in time to see Ann giving her a warm look. “Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean we love you any less. You are allowed to be confused and make mistakes. Do you understand that?”

Sophia smiles wide. “I understand.”

—

They were a block away from the rest of the group when Akira emerged from the fog. With his black attire and dark hair, he could have looked like a picturesque horror movie figure, but somehow his expression ruined that facade the moment she saw it.

“I’m going on ahead,” Ann says when Sophia stops in front of him. “Someone has to make sure Futaba doesn’t sleep on us again.”

“Thanks,” he answers. Then, to Sophia, “Hi.”

“Hi, Joker.” She’s been practicing her speech the entire way back, her points all lined up in her mind, all leading up to the big apology. “I—”

“Pause,” he cuts in, and she shrinks. Is he still mad? She can’t read his expression. He kneels in front of her, squinting, and it suddenly shifts to horror. “Did...did you cry? Did I make you cry?”

“No,” she says quickly, but he doesn’t believe her for even a minute. “Yes. Sorry.”

“Oh god, no, please don’t apologize. Shit,” he rubs the back of his neck, sighing. It’s guilt, she realizes with a shock. “I’m such an asshole. I can’t believe I let myself lash out like that. A thousand apologies won’t even be enough. I was scared out of my mind, but that doesn’t mean I can just treat you like that. I even sent you away, like you’re some sort of kid,” he winces. “I’m really sorry. Can you forgive me?”

She stares at him. “I was supposed to say that stuff.”

He looks taken aback by her words. “No? How could you have known that we would have been ambushed? Ugh, I’m so dumb. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.” Akira sends her a pointed look. “Though, you really shouldn’t split off from the group next time. Top priority means important, but above all else is your safety. Put that in your code.”

“I will,” she promises.

“Good. And the second priority is—” he reaches forward and engulfs her in a tight hug. “Is that you won’t ever, ever think that I’d hate you.”

She frowns. “How did you know?”

“A hunch.” Beat. “Also, Ann gave me a look.” He pulls back. “Are we still friends?”

Relief washes into her, crashing like a wave. “Of course,” she says, before hesitating. “Is…?”

“Yeah, he is.” Akira rolls his eyes, but there is no hiding the grin that takes over him. “A little too good, actually. He hasn’t stopped running around since I poured some energy back into him. I kind of think I overdid it, actually. Oh, and he’s excited to see you again.”

“He is?” she asks, hopeful.

“Absolutely. Asked about you the minute he came to.” Akira gets to his feet. “Shall we say hi?”

“Please.”

As they walk back, an epiphany takes over her. “Oh!” she exclaims, making Akira jump. “I get it now.”

“What’s up?”

“You love Ryuji.”

“That’s right,” he raises a brow.

She shakes her head. “You love Ryuji,” she insists. Even accounting for a margin of error, there’s simply no mistaking her results.

Akira stares at her for a long moment, before huffing out a laugh.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he says softly.

The moment Ryuji sees her, she sprints, throwing caution to the wind as she leaps into his arms. He catches her without hesitation. “Glad to see you’re safe, shorty.”

Sophia knows a lot of things, but there’s also a lot she doesn’t understand. But that’s fine. She’ll get there, and her friends will be waiting for her when she does.

#p5 #fic tag #margin of error #mine #ryuji sakamoto #sophia #no p5s spoilers sans the locations #kiss ryuji day #just a quick thing yeah sure 7k is quick #my moon and stars #the leader and his right hand man #big shoutout to pear for holding my hand while i had a breakdown in life and decided to write this #akira kurusu

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