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intothegenshinworld · 3 months

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Fate’s Destiny ~ Chapter 9 || Gnoses

You somehow, not being able to explain it, had fallen into the Genshin world you know oh-so-well. You were no new player and had explored most of the nooks and crannies of the world. When you first had woken up in Windrise you wondered; it might be a dream, after all, you were behind your screen usually, and now- here? It made no sense, and the world was keen on keeping it that way.

Warnings: Spoilers for main story.

Word count: 6.4k+

Summary chapter 9: we continue where we left off; you with the gnosis in the inn and Kaeya bursting through the door. Why is here here in Liyue? And more importantly; will he be able to aid you with your deteriorating memories?

Auteurs note: The beginning of the year was a bit hectic. Expect sporadic updates!

Thanks to: all the people who showed love on the last chapter <3

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Kaeya stands in the doorframe. He is out of breath. You watch his chest rise and fall rapidly, and his expression is twisted into distress, a strange thing for a supposedly joyful reunion.

“Kaeya?” You watch a drop of water fall from his navy blue hair onto the wooden floor below. “I don’t understand… What are you doing here?”

As you gaze at him, his expression softens. His gritted teeth relax, making his mouth fall open, and his eyes soften as he stops furrowing his brows. He radiates stress, yet you can still sense his usual warm and inviting aura.

A grunt escapes his lips and you watch him struggle to get any words from his mind out of his mouth.

Worry now flashes across your face as you turn your head to look over at Lumine. “Did something happen?”

Aside from Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain from Mondstadt being in Liyue , she too seemed distressed when she first opened the door. Her golden eyes make contact with yours before they move over to the side. She stares at something slightly to the left of you. When you follow her gaze, your eyes meet the gnosis standing solitary on the table.

Without any thought, you’re reaching your hand forward to the potent object, securing it in your seemingly powerless hold before returning her gaze.

The gnosis hums a low tune throughout your body. "Are we in danger?"

Lumine quickly shakes her head. “No, no. We’re fine.” With the flick of her wrist she turns the handle of her sword, dissipating it into elemental particles that shimmer in the air before disappearing. She continues, “Nothing happened.”

“But Kaeya?" With confusion, you gesture your free hand to him. The whole ordeal seemed too strange for her answer to be ‘nothing’.

“He…” Lumine trails off as she looks up at the Cavalry Captain.

He still hasn’t said anything at all. Not a ‘hi!’, not a ‘how have you been? Last time I saw you we were about to get into a fight on Dragonspine.’; nothing. And when you start to think about it, you’re unsure whether you prefer the silence over the inevitable explaining you’ll have to do.

“He had a long journey,” Lumine says as she gives him a pat on the back. “I think he needs a shower and some dry clothes before he’ll be able to explain everything.”

“Right.”

You look over at him. If only you could tell him he’s awaiting a much worse explanation from your side than he'll ever be able to present himself. Nonetheless, a smile finds its way onto your face as you watch your familiar companion move through the room.

Kaeya was able to salvage his spare clothes from his drenched backpack—which probably has seen better days. You admit he does appear to be in a better state once out of the shower. You had only traveled long distances once with Lumine, and his journey from Mondstadt city to Liyue harbour was much longer than the one you made. Perhaps he’d been overwhelmed instead of distressed.

As you observe him, he notices your fixated gaze on him and he sends you a toothy smile, one which you return with joy. “You look better.”

“You too.” He replies.

You're unsure of the meaning behind his words. When you try to think about it, your mind blanks. Had you really looked worse in Mondstadt? All you can remember is the cold welcome you had gotten, so perhaps he meant you looked more relaxed?

For a while, you can’t quite grasp your head around the situation, and you’re not sure why. If anything, with your dull eyes and your skin seeming to fade into transparency, you should look worse.

Your eyes follow Lumine as she walks across the room. Once she reaches your side, she takes a seat on the couch next to you. On her other side, Paimon stops flying and plops down with a soft thud. The pixie had been quiet when the three first came back, but she’s returned to filling the air with her usual chatter again.

A high-pitched voice interjects the silence.‘’Paimon knows everyone is relaxing, but Paimon is still confused. We know that Kaeya was in Liyue as a diplomat to check up on local business, but that doesn’t make sense. Why would the Acting Grand Master send Kaeya after Rex Lapis returned?”

Kaeya crosses his legs and sends her a teasing smile. “What can I say? Word about the geo Archon’s death spreads faster than his revival.’’ He twirls his hand into the air, “When I was on the road, rumors had already begun to circulate. With new information but no visual confirmation of it, I wouldn’t have been able to return to Jean, would I?’’

“Paimon knew that!” She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

You catch a fleeting moment of eye contact between Kaeya and Lumine. With the latter next to you and the former on the loveseat across, it’s inevitable, yet you refrain from pointing it out.

An unsettling feeling arises in your chest.

You feel left out.

After a moment longer, you clear your throat. “So nothing happened after we got separated on Dragonspine?”

Kaeya’s eyes move from your figure over to your Lumine once more. Despite being happy to see him again, neither of you had a chance to say goodbye when you suddenly ended up in Liyue. And now he’s here, sharing hesitant glances with your travel companions while everyone refrains from giving you the full story of what had happened in your absence.

“To be honest, you certainly gave Albedo and me a scare when you disappeared. Admittedly, it took a while to convince Eula to calm down, but once Albedo’s doppelganger left, we all dropped our weapons to figure out what had happened.“ Kaeya sighs and shakes his head. “Not that it made much sense after. But… I was able to feel your aura. Though I wasn’t able to pin down where you went, I knew you were alive. And for the first few days, that was enough.“

“Wait, a doppelganger ?“

“Yeah,“ Kaeya tries to smile confidently but he ends up cringing instead, “We let Albedo handle that one on his own.“

“So the Acting Grand Master is not mad for you hiding me?”

Kaeya locks eyes with you, his gaze strong and unwavering. He sends a warm smile your way. Despite the tension from before, you feel your heart skip a beat. “I am thankful, but please don’t worry about me, dearest Creator.”

You feel the weight of the gnosis in your pocket. It suddenly feels like a heavy burden. For a moment, you felt yourself again, but with the way Kaeya said it, you have to believe his words; you are the Creator.

“Woah. Paimon suddenly feels very grateful that Paimon didn’t give you an ugly nickname.“ You watch Paimon shiver as she imagines it. “Though we’ve already met a god, the Creator of everything seems much more powerful.”

A laugh escapes your lips, breaking the short silence. “What nickname would you have given me?“

“Well…“ Paimon buckles under the pressure of your curious gaze. For a moment, she intensely thinks about it, only to shake her hands defensively in front of her figure right after. “Paimon obviously can’t say it!“

Lumine taps Paimon’s shoulder, throwing her off balance. “And this is why you shouldn’t give every single person you meet an ugly nickname.“

“Paimon can’t help it!“

The warm sound of infectious laughter reverberates through the room. Kaeya holds a hand to his stomach, the eye without the patch closed. As he struggles to compose himself, his victorious smile radiates, casting a warm glow across the room. “Seems you've found your place here quite seamlessly.”

Paimon huffs, arms crossed. “We tried to tell you.” Her expression sours, “But Paimon thinks Lumine would’ve been worried as well if she had many bad dreams like you did.”

Your eyebrow raises before they settle into a frown. “Bad dreams?” You turn your head to Kaeya who looks guilty. “You’ve been unwell?”

“Don’t worry.” Lumine cuts in and a sigh of relief echoes through the room. “A lot has happened these past few weeks but I promise you that Paimon and I will keep you safe. Simply focus on getting your memories back. Afterward, all should be better for everyone.”

Lumine speaks rationally but her promise doesn’t sit well with you. Ultimately, try as you might, there was no counterargument against her. Even as the Creator, with your remaining memories slipping through your fingers, there was nothing you could do.

Seeing the outlander's determined gaze, you find yourself unable to mirror the same resolve. As thoughts circulate, you start to feel pressure build up in your mind, trying desperately to cling to the last memories of your identity.

“I must say, I’ve been quite curious.” Kaeya saves you from your thoughts as he speaks out to you. “You seem to have a more exciting story to tell compared to mine. Meeting the geo Archon and simultaneously reviving him after he fakes his death just because he wants to be with you? Now that’s a headline.”

“It’s less exciting than it seems. It might be a long and boring conversation.”

Kaeya crosses his arms and makes himself comfortable in the lovechair. “We’ve got all the time in the world, my dearest Creator.”

After Kaeya prompted you to talk about your adventures, you rambled for nearly two hours. Not that he ever seemed to mind your neverending word vomit. Throughout your one-sided catching up, he kept an inviting smile on his face, only ever interrupting you to ask questions that got you talking for even longer.

Lucky for you, with the rain continuously pouring outside there wasn’t any rush for Kaeya to leave. For a moment you could let all your worries out. It was a nice change of pace from glaring at the gnosis and hoping it’d give you back your memories in due time.

You move in your seat. “Are you staying in Liyue for long?”

Kaeya inhales sharply. He lowers his head, causing the curtain of his bangs to cascade over his face. “While I’d love to be at your side for longer, my ride back to Mondstadt is leaving tomorrow and I still have business to take care of.”

A silent nod conveys your understanding. While you weren’t surprised at his answer, you had hoped he could aid you in your quest to recover your memories. His presence alone had been enough to make you feel at ease during these distressing times.

“Oh?” Kaeya smiles playfully. “You look at me as if this is goodbye.”

“It’s not?”

“I certainly hope not.” He fixes the strands of hair that hang in front of his covered eye. “Besides, it is fate that has led us together all this time. I have the feeling that I’ll see you again sooner or later.”

You smile to yourself. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

After giving you a firm nod, Kaeya stands up from the lovechair. He stretches both of his legs and then moves his head to face Lumine. You’re unable to capture their expressions from your position but you witness them nod once—seemingly in agreement, before returning their attention to you.

Kaeya speaks up first, letting out a laugh between words. “I better head out before my ride gets upset.”

The pixie hovers closer, “Paimon was wondering, who took you to Liyue? Paimon doubts anyone would willingly visit this chaos. It must be someone important, right?”

“Some people would argue his importance in this situation, but yes. You know him. A certain redhead we’re both familiar with had to check up on business after his connections got shut down. And I won’t say no to an opportunity where I can steal a few bottles of wine in the shipment he’s making.”

“Oh!” Paimon realizes something. “You mean Diluc? He is the only winemaker with red hair that we met in Mondstadt.”

“And basically the one to own the entire industry there,” Kaeya states playfully. He turns his head back to you.

A torrent of emotions engulfs you, a tumultuous mix of grief, joy, fear, resentment, bliss, and emptiness,—each of them hitting harder than the last.

It disappears as quick as lighting strikes, leaving you to doubt if these emotions were real or a figment of imagination.

Kaeya speaks again, pulling you back into the presence. “Good luck with everything. I know you’ll figure this out, whatever ‘it’ might be.” He then looks at Lumine, “I fear you’ll have to be better at protecting them than I have. Be safe, alright?”

The traveler meets his gaze, giving him a reassuring nod that acts as a silent promise.

Before closing the door, Kaeya sends each of you a wave. A bittersweet feeling swirls in your stomach as you bid him goodbye. “Safe travels, Kaeya.”

Paimon, too, waves at him as the door closes.

“Bye Kaeya!”

Lumine seems different ever since she returned with Kaeya. Something is off. She seems worried.

Paimon, on the other hand, seems more cheerful than before. She clings to your side whenever she’s allowed to and has spent the last hour discussing all the things you should do together after you regain your memories.

You don’t have the heart to tell her that you fear it might never happen at this point.

“So… What do you want to do next? Paimon saw how much Kaeya’s advice seemed to help you. Maybe you needed the short break from the gnosis.”

Right, Kaeya did give you advice on the matter.

You look down at the gnosis in your hand. Kaeya had never seen one before, which made sense, but it took you some effort to explain what it was without making things complicated. Such a small object holds such a great power. It’s ridiculous.

He turns his eyes from the gnosis back to you as he starts speaking. “Why don’t you ask Rex Lapis himself? After all, he is the best person to seek answers from. As much as I love Mondstadt, I fear our Archon is as free as its people, so I can’t advise you to come back with me on a journey to find the lost Barbatos.”

You remember how your mind spun at his words. For some reason, his advice seemed so familiar. Even now, you don’t doubt you had heard it before and had simply forgotten. With memories slipping in and out, it’s hard to make out what you did and didn’t already do.

Then, you recall Zhongli. Or, Rex Lapis as you should say. He gave you the gnosis, something you supposedly had given him in the past.

Was he right to put his faith in you?

“I think I’m afraid of disappointment. Zhongli—I mean Rex Lapis—he looked at me with so much confidence… as if I could save the world if I wanted to and yet I’m unable to remember anything about myself.” You look down at your hands. “I’m afraid his belief in me might be misplaced. What if I’m a fake after all?”

Kaeya was quick to respond. So quick, your doubts washed away with his words. “I assure you, you’re not.”

He had moved his hand on top of yours, the gnosis now engulfed by both your hands and one of his. If he felt the vibrations from it, he did a good job of hiding it. The suave smile he sends you floods your brain with shortlived memories, enough to last a lifetime of him by your side.

Then his hand squeezes, and he speaks again. “I might not worship the geo Archon, but I’m confident he’ll answer any questions you’ll have.”

The gnosis is currently on the table. The moment Kaeya left, you put it down and away from yourself. Its glow is dim once you’re out of reach and you no longer feel its energy pulse through your body. It’s a relief.

Maybe you should arrange a meeting between you and Zhongli. It’s not like you hadn’t thought of it before. But the question remains; how? You weren’t ready to expose yourself to the public as long as you didn't have answers, so how could you contact him discreetly?

Lumine finally decides to enter the conversation between you and Paimon by sitting down next to you. She seems hesitant, and it takes her a moment to voice her own opinions. ”If you’re not sure what to do next, we can always wait a few more days. There’s no need to rush this.”

You want to agree with her, you really do, but you know you’re running out of time.

You can feel it slipping away while a feeling of impending doom nestles in its place.

”I know I’d want to meet the geo Archon again. Last time I was overwhelmed and I had no idea how to even talk with him, but now I’m prepared. I’m sure I’ll be able to get answers this time.”

”Paimon is so excited!” She floats up before hovering down again. ”It seems like you finally know what to do to get your memories back.”

You let out a breath of air you had been holding on to. ”I don’t, but Rex Lapis will.”

”So you’re meeting him again?” Lumine asks.

You nod. ”I’m not sure how to get his attention though. Last time he made a big spectacle. I hope to avoid that this time to preserve the little privacy I have left.”

”Paimon is not sure who to ask either. But maybe Paimon and Lumine could ask the Qixing for you!”

You look at Lumine. She seems less keen on this plan and offers something else after a moment of thinking. ”We can go tomorrow morning together before crowds begin to form. This way you won’t be alone and you’ll immediately be able to meet Rex Lapis when we ask the Qixing for an audience.”

”Are you sure I won’t cause a commotion?”

”Paimon and I have been in the city lots of times these past days. Usually, crowds start to form at eight in the morning.” Lumine looks up at the clock in the room. She seems to calculate something in her mind. ”The Qixing most certainly wakes before the common citizens do. If we head out right before the sun starts to rise, we will be fine.”

You nod to yourself. It sounds like a good plan. With Lumine by your side, you will feel safe enough, and you’ll be wearing your trusty cloak, so you agree to her plan.

“It’s already so late. Paimon didn’t expect Kaeya to stay for as long as he did. Seems like he’s fond of chatting, as usual.” She states in a dramatic tone which makes you laugh.

“Maybe, but I enjoyed the reunion. I feel more certain about myself. I’m not sure why though.”

“You know,” Lumine hesitates, “You can talk to us as well if you need it.”

There’s an underlying disappointment in her words. You’re not sure if it’s directed to you or herself, but she makes a fair point. In these past few weeks, you haven’t made the best effort to properly ask her for help when you needed it, even when she had been ready to set aside her own mission to aid you. You hid your troubles away, which might’ve only made her more worried as a result.

You look at your hands. They feel distant from you and you can see the floor through your skin. Seems like that hasn’t changed.

Tomorrow you’ll properly thank her for all she’s done. Hopefully, when you meet Rex Lapis all the missing puzzle pieces will fall in place and you’ll be able to recognize yourself again.

A yawn echoes through the room. “Well. Paimon is heading off to sleep. After all that talking and running around, Paimon can barely stand. If you need Paimon, wait till morning!” She lazily rubs her eyes one last time and then flies off, assumingly to sleep.

“You should sleep too if you can.“ Lumine says. “Tomorrow is a big day if all goes well.“

A sigh escapes your lips. “I hope so.“

With a swift but calculated motion, you grab the gnosis from the table and stand up from the couch. Familiar energy pulses vibrate through your body, but instead of making you feel alert and awake, it soothes you and puts you in a relaxed state.

“Goodnight, y/n.“

You put your last remaining energy into a smile for Lumine. “Goodnight.“

You don’t quite remember waking up. Hell-, it’s still pitch dark when you stand outside of the main exit to the inn, ready to confront an Archon for answers. However, it would undoubtedly turn into another tea party if it were up to Zhongli.

The only comfort you get this morning comes from the energy flowing from the gnosis into your body. It hums and cradles the nerves inside your chest. Once again, you look back down for the so-manyth-time since stepping outside. And once more, the glow of the gnosis is concealed by your cloak.

You just need to keep it safe for a while longer. A low hum echoes through your mind in agreement, and you squeeze the gnosis just a tad tighter to your body.

A voice squeaks over your loud thoughts, “Paimon isn’t sure where we should look first. Maybe we could ask the people at the docks for some information? They always seem to know a lot.“

Lumine huffs out a sarcastic laugh. “Word travels faster to the Qixing than we’ll find it. All we have to do is walk around the harbor and wait.”

“Do you think it’d be that easy?” You reply.

“Yes. Even before, the Qixing is widely known to have eyes everywhere. And with the Creator walking around in their domain, it’s only natural for their gaze to be fixed upon us.”

As the three of you depart from the inn and further into the harbour you find yourself growing more anxious. There are only a few people visible on the streets. Most of these people are setting up shops or stalls to prepare for the crowds that’ll inevitably suffocate these streets within mere hours, but it’s not the people who make you nervous. It’s the festive decorations that have been put up.

More than once, you realized it had been a celebration for the Creator, so you can only hope no one will recognize you while your face is pasted on every corner of Liyue.

Paimon, who’s been floating next to you, turns her head to the side. “Paimon thinks you don’t have to worry. Remember the lady who was with Rex Lapis when he gave you the gnosis?”

You nod. If you hadn’t been as caught up in your world you probably would’ve spent more time observing her, but it was hard to forget a face like hers. She looked familiar.

“Well, she’s the Qixing’s Tianquan, Ningguang. From the Jade Chamber above, she is aware of every confidential meeting, every private conversation, and every new visitor to the city! A storyteller once told Paimon that she enchanted the Jade Chamber in a way that allows her to eavesdrop on everyone in the city's private conversations.”

Paimon visibly shudders after her own story. She wraps her arms around her body as she floats forward. “Though Paimon hopes that the last part is wrong. Anyways, she’ll surely find us like the traveller said.”

“Not to mention the geo Archon himself,” Lumine adds. “It’s only a matter of time. We just have to be confident it’s either one of them noticing us, and not the Fatui.”

As the three of you continue to walk through the harbor, you notice that Lumine never takes a shortcut and actively goes out of her way to remain in the public eye. A few people already recognized her and have waved in her direction, greeting the traveller and Paimon as they pass the stalls that seemingly appear out of nowhere.

While it makes you uncomfortable, you realize Lumine is doing all of this on purpose. She’s actively putting herself in the spotlight while making sure you remain in her shadows. All to get the attention of the people you’ve been trying to reach.

And while Lumine had mentioned the Fatui before, you had foolishly forgotten any enemies you could’ve made during your stay in Teyvat. After all, it wasn’t long ago that a whole nation had decided you were an imposter and tried to cause an uproar because of it.

Perhaps your comfort had been the exact reason why someone was able to grab hold of your arm and force your body into the dark ally.

You hear Paimon yell before you can, the sharp movement of a sideways pull makes you feel as if you’re being dashed forward and successfully takes the breath out of your lungs, making you unable to scream for help.

A hand gently but firmly replaces its hold on your forearm. It guides you to the side and you’re certain you’ll fall—until you don’t. For some reason, your attacker tries to steady you, making sure you don’t tumble forward or hurt yourself.

Your heart races against your ribcage and your breaths are shallow and fast. One moment you’re close to feeling safe in public and then you’re back into danger, or so you assume.

You blink a few times, slowly getting adjusted to the darkness.

“Xiao?”

Dark hair with teal undertones frames a pale face that homes a serious expression. Out of everyone, you hadn’t expected to see him today. While the situation he put you in was questionable, you trusted him.

His golden eyes move over your form until they hastily land on Lumine who now stands at the front of the entrance to the alley, her swords sheathed and appearing equally as confused and alarmed as you by the situation. She takes a step forward, hesitating to attack but determined enough to keep you safe if needed.

“You’re being followed.” Xiao’s warning is directed towards Lumine and his voice is a tone colder than it used to be in past conversations—there’s an unfamiliar sharp edge underneath his words. Xiao eyes something you can’t see.

You finally register his words.

“Wait what? Who? ”

“The Fatui.” Lumine spats the words out, catching on quicker than you do. Her voice is close to venom and she turns her body around to face the assumed stalker. Because of her reply, you’re certain she already knew the identity of the one following her.

You try to turn your head towards the scene but with the way Xiao holds you, it’s impossible to fully capture what’s going on—and more importantly—who the person might be. You rely on your hearing to fill in the blank spaces.

As you focus, you hear footsteps rapidly approaching. “Wait. Why would anyone,–” You struggle in Xiao’s protective hold, still trying to turn your head, and unlike what you’re willing to do, Xiao spends no time waiting to see who comes around the corner.

Your vision darkens. It’s pitch black for a moment, and then a sharp light blinds you. You instinctively grip Xiao's arm for support, and in return, he holds you closer to his body.

Teleporting three times ever since arriving in Teyvat, you’ve grown accustomed to the feeling. Still, it takes you a second before your surroundings stop spinning.

“Xiao, you need to go back.” With a sense of urgency and desperation you look around, noting both the absence of Lumine and Paimon through your spinning vision. Alarm seeps through your words, “You need to bring me back.”

The Yaksha gapes and then closes his mouth. He’s holding out his arms as if he’s waiting for you to fall forward, or to comfort you, you’re not certain. Either way, he’s not helping you in this situation—he is not helping Lumine or Paimon.

“Please, Xiao. If the Fatui were following us it’d be my fault.”

A mocking laugh echoes through the room. “I highly doubt that.” The feminine voice sneers and you feel the room grow colder. As the woman continues to talk, you hear her smile through her voice. She continues to mock you. “Why, our Creator? Because it was I who ordered them to stop chasing your little friends. On behalf of the Tsaritsa, of course.”

You turn away from Xiao and towards the platinum-blonde woman standing next to Zhongli. Behind her, you see two people in what you recognize as fatui clothing. You take a moment to look her up and down. Her stance radiates confidence to a degree where it borders arrogance instead of intimidation. Her blond hair falls over her right shoulder and a black mask covers the same half of her face. When your eyes move to inspect her clothing, you first notice the elegant dress that morphs from a white color to a mix of pale brown and greyish color. It hugs her figure and it stands in contrast with the crimson-red colors of her sleeves, and what you assume to be, the cape that hangs over her shoulders.

It is only after you’re done with looking her over that you realize the cloak had fallen from your head and thus had revealed your own face. Light grey eyes are busy inspecting you in the same way you inspected her, though she seems to be far quicker with making her judgment. In one quick swoop, she eyes your character before her eyes remain stuck on your torso.

“So that’s where the gnosis went.” The woman chuckles once more and you intuitively hold the small object closer to your figure, desperately trying to shield it away.

“Relax, Creator .” She calls out your title in a mocking way, “The Tsaritsa already called everyone back. I no longer have use for it.”

“Who are you?” You spat out in response to her sardonic jab.

Her face changes at your question, and her expression is unlike anything you’ve seen from her in the past minute. Your words had genuinely amused her.

“Never heard of the Fatui Harbingers before? I must admit, I’m a bit embarrassed.” Her confidence replaces any kindness or pity you might’ve seen in that short moment of genuinity, and you frown in response.

Xiao shifts behind you and it’s a hard reminder that you weren’t alone in the room. Your eyes glance over from the woman to Zhongli, who lightly tilts his head in response to your recognition.

“La Signora,“ He lifts a hand and gestures it towards the woman next to him. “Is the Eight of The Eleven Fatui Harbingers. They are acquainted with the Tsaritsa, or as you know her, the cryo Archon.“

Your mind gets stuck in a moment of stupid clarity.

Right. I am the Creator. I should know the Archons.

And despite your better judgment, you ask the Harbinger;

“The cryo Archon, no–, the Tsaritsa. Do you… does she know about my memories? Are you here to help?“

The eyes of La Signora widen and you realise you startled her with your question. Of all things, she had not expected this. That much was obvious to anyone in the room.

Like La Signora, the two Fatui guards behind her stiffen up. They share a glance of confusion as they remain on one knee behind the Harbinger.

“Your… memories?” The blonde woman in front of you squints her eyes. Her voice is uncertain and she seems to test the words in her mouth.

While her smile remains, you can sense the mask behind her faux confidence as she ponders over your question about your lost memories.

You’re glad to know neither Zhongli nor Xiao had mentioned your memory problems to her. At least they give you control over who to share it with and who not, though, that raises the question of why she was here originally.

You turn your head to Zhongli. You feel like a fish out of the water so you instinctively try to chase comfort in his presence. “We were searching for you. Well, technically we were searching for the Qixing to contact you– what I’m trying to say is .” You take an inhale so the following words don’t come out in the wrong way. “I wanted to talk to you about, well, everything.”

Zhongli nods urging you silently to continue without a care for the others in the room.

“I’ve been trying to get my memories from the gnosis but after spending literal days staring at it in frustration, I feel like it’s only getting worse.” I feel as if I’m losing my mind.

You clutch the gnosis a bit tighter in your hand. Soft vibrations echo through your body and it steadies you.

You speak with more confidence, “I want to know why I’m here. I want to know who I am.”

Zhongli takes a calculated breath, “I’d prefer it if we were to discuss this in a more private setting, your Grace. That is if you don’t mind.”

You shake your head. “Not at all. I probably shouldn’t’ve assumed the Harbingers or the Tsaritsa to know.”

With Zhongli’s request for privacy, you wonder if the woman had been better off not knowing about your situation. In the corner of your eyes, you can see thoughts race behind her cold eyes. Either way, word is bound to reach the Tsaritsa sooner or later. Your memories won’t become better without a solution, so you’re not bothered by this revelation. If anything, it might prompt the cryo Archon to answer your questions and recover your memory if possible.

“La Signora.” Zhongli addresses the woman with an intimidating undertone. She snaps out of her thoughts and her confidence returns in the blink of an eye.

She snaps her fingers and the two fatui members stand up straight behind her.

“It seems like our mission is finished here.” She doesn’t seem to address anyone in particular but the Fatui members respond with a simple, ‘Yes, lord Harbinger’.

“Creator–” She calls out your title with less mockery than before, “it was a pleasure to meet you.”

You mirror her words, realizing that it was the first time she had truthfully told you what had been on her mind. Whether for good or bad, she would not forget this interaction anytime soon.

And so, La Signora makes her exit. She doesn’t waste time with any more pleasantries and disappears almost as fast as you had appeared. When the doors close behind her, the tense atmosphere dissipates as well.

With the stressful situation out of the way, your mind instinctively moves to observe the unfamiliar room you had been teleported into.

Your gaze glides across the room. You are greeted by a warm and strangely familiar atmosphere. The room has the same style as the one in the inn, but it radiates more luxury and wealth, almost to an exaggerated point.

The deep orange hues from the lights above dominate the room, casting a soft golden glow on everything it touches and complimenting the golden lining in the wooden cabinets, desks, and chairs. Aside from the obvious golden details nearly everywhere in the room, the other furniture exudes an air of luxury and sophistication, not unexpected—considering Zhongli seems to be using it as his office right now.

Everything seems to be carefully placed with a purpose.

Wooden screens divide the room, hiding you from the maids and workers walking around and giving you some privacy with the Archon and yaksha. And as you move your head around further, your eyes fall onto the silk tapestries that are suspended from the ceiling. They depict important historical figures and events in Liyue. When you look closer, you see a figure that seems to represent you.

Zhongli walks up to you.

He smiles as he follows your line of sight. "I admit that Miss Ningguang has exquisite taste when it comes to decorating. The line between modern and antique furniture overlaps in a tasteful way, and yet nothing seems to be out of place."

"Wait, is that you, Xiao?" You point to a specific silk tapestry in the room.

Xiao follows your pointed finger. The picture depicts you and Xiao, along with four other people you fail to recognize. It takes him a second to reply, "Yes."

"Do you recall any of these moments?" Zhongli, who remains at your side, asks you with care.

“I recognize myself. It’s difficult not to. Aside from the clothes, it’s exactly how I appear right now. I also recognize you and Xiao, but the other people in the pictures aren’t familiar.”

Zhongli's expression remains neutral, as if he anticipated your answer. ''It's no surprise that you recognize yourself. Every single one of these tapestries depicts significant events throughout the history of Liyue, in which you played a major part.''

You hesitate, “In a way, they feel familiar, but I’m unable to remember what happened or who the other people are. All I know for certain is that these events happened, even if it’s merely a feeling.’’

“In that case, Would you like to sit down?” Zhongli places a hand on the small of your back. “If you have time I’ll be able to tell the stories behind each tapestry.”

You reply, “I would like to, but I can’t stay here. Not while I know that Lumine and Paimon are both looking for me. I hope nothing bad happened after I left.” You look at Xiao. “I am confused though.”

Xiao hesitantly speaks out, “Your Grace?”

You continue; “You said it was the Fatui who were following us? Does that mean that the woman— La Signora —was lying?”

Zhongli lets out a deep chuckle. “I apologize, your Grace. It appears the situation might’ve grown a bit confusing as a result of my actions.”

You look up at him, waiting for him to explain.

“In the past, I was approached by La Signora to make a deal with the Tsaritsa. My final contract. However given the unexpected change in our situation, the contract was deemed void. Upon further instructions from the Tsaritsa, La Signora was ordered to cease operation within Liyue and return to Snezhnaya with the other Harbinger who is also staying in Liyue.”

Zhongli glances over to Xiao as he speaks, “I assume it was the Eleventh who acted independently and continued to follow the traveller despite his new orders?”

The yaksha nods, confirming Zhongli’s words.

“But isn’t that a dangerous situation for Lumine and Paimon?” You ask.

“I assume by now that the Harbinger will have put all the given information together and realized why the mission was canceled and he was recalled. Confronting the traveller was the final push he needed to realize the truth.”

ㅤ

You lift an eyebrow, unsure why he held you in suspense. “The truth being…?”

ㅤ

“A bigger purpose, you, the Creator. ’’

If you liked this chapter and think I deserve a comment, please leave one behind! I appreciate it a lot and it'll make me more motivated to write in the future ♡

#sagau #sagau x reader #kaeya x reader #lumine x reader #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #sagau isekai #isegau #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #xiao #kaeya alberich #lumine #zhongli

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storiesforthemoonchild · 4 months

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Caught In The Bliss | Lucy Bronze x Reader

pt. III of the Lucy fic. a little angst... a little suggestive... a lot of fluff

hopefully the different moments and progression of their situation makes sense. I've enjoyed this whole Lucy fic... so I hope you do too :)

pt. I | pt. II

It has been eight months. Eight months since you told Lucy that the two of you shouldn’t get caught up in bliss, and then doing exactly that. Eight months of first times and stolen moments, vulnerability and comfort, and pure joy. You couldn’t remember the last time before Lucy where you felt so genuinely happy.

The first time you make an effort to give things a try is a month after you left her in a Tilburg hotel room. You were fighting hard to let whatever happened between you two stay in the past, but Lucy refused it. Flight information for a long weekend in Barcelona popping up randomly on your phone in the middle of the day. A text attached, ‘I’ve got a free weekend coming up. Make some time, I’ll see you then’.

A week later you were on a flight to Barcelona to spend five days with the defender. She greeted you at the airport like one of those videos of long-distance couples meeting after time apart. Arms around your waist, spinning you with a joyous smile on her face. “I knew you would come,” she tells you, planting a kiss on your flushed cheeks.

The whole trip felt like a fever dream. Frankly, it all scared the hell out of you. Lucy was so domestic in her actions around her apartment. She had made room for your things to go in drawers, even though you assured her it was fine to stay in your suitcase. She would wake up in the morning and pull you closer, asking for just five more minutes of cuddles. You’d cook breakfast together everyday, well you’d cook and she’d give you kisses while wrapping her arms around you at the stove. You’d send her off to training while you did some work from her apartment.

Then she lets it slip that you were meant to be her date to a teammates birthday dinner over the weekend. You spend way too much time thinking of what it means if you meet her friends. Did that mean she had told them about you? Were the two of you at that point, admittedly you had definitely talked endlessly about her to yours, but that was different right?

“Don’t be nervous,” Lucy squeezes at your hand.

“What if they don’t like that I can’t speak Spanish well?”

“I speak it well enough for both of us,” another squeeze.

“What if they don’t want some random lady at their party?”

“I want you here,” she assures you.

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Baby girl, look at me,” Lucy stops in her journey to the front door, turning you to face her. “You will be fine. They will like you and even if for some crazy reason they don’t it will still be okay. Do you know why?” You shake your head, “it will be okay because I like you and that won’t change.”

Lucy had a way of assuring you, that washed away all your anxiety. She was confident as she walked in the home, a chorus of Spanish greetings reaching your ears. People you had never met were pulling you into hugs and kissing at your cheeks. Lucy’s protective grip around your waist never leaves. She introduced you and with how things were going you half expected her to call you her girlfriend at that moment. You heave a sigh of relief when she sticks with just your name.

The dinner party was very low stress after the initial shock wore off. You spent most of your time under Lucy and sipping wine. The girls made you feel welcomed, Aitana was sweet and chatted your ear off, Mapi reminded you of Lucy with how she would joke around, but your favorite was Patri she had your stomach aching from laughter every time she spoke.

Then there was Alexia, she had a protective nature you liked. She gave Lucia, as she called her, a firm talk about making sure to treat you well. “Alexia is fit,” you tease on your way back to her home.

“Yeah maybe, but I’m still the fittest,” Lucy is sure of herself and you couldn’t deny it.

You leave Barcelona two days later and fall right back into your habit of trying to push her away. You don’t know why, but you are preparing for her to leave you. Trying to protect yourself from the inevitable only creates a frustrated Lucy. Two weeks is all it takes for her to have enough…

It was a normal phone call, you two ended nearly every day talking to each other. An off-handed comment you make causes Lucy to snap. “You will move on by then,” you try to play it off as a joke, but Lucy doesn’t laugh.

“Why do you say things like that?” She sounds genuinely curious when she asks.

You chuckle, “It’s fine Lucy, you can admit it.”“I am trying (y/n),” you can tell she’s tired by her voice.

“Why?”

“What kind of fucking question is that?” this was what you wanted. You could hear the anger in Lucy‘s voice. She was finally going to prove you right.

“I just don’t get it, I’m sure there are plenty of women in Barcelona who will fuck you Lucy. You don’t have to keep flying me out just to get laid.” As usual a poor argument on your end. There had been very little intimacy on your last trip, Lucy opting to fill your nights with conversation.

She huffs, composing herself before she speaks, “this is a joke right? You are having a laugh.”

“Not everything is a joke. Tell me why? Why do you care to try Lucy?” There’s silence on the other end.

“Jesus,” Lucy finally sighs, “she really did you in. She did such a number on you that you can’t even see when someone might actually care about you.”

It felt like a low blow for her to bring up your ex, she knew it still hurt. “Fuck you Lucy. Next time you want someone to fuck just call your little teammate and leave me alone.”

“Yeah, fuck me,” you hear her say right before you disconnect the call.

You feel nothing immediately after. However, a Lucy sized hole carves itself into your heart over the following days when you don’t hear from her. You know you miss her, but pride refused to let you text her first.

Two weeks. That’s how long she makes you wait before you finally hear from her. As usual flight information and a short message, ‘sorry I got upset. I want to talk it out in person. Please come baby girl’.

A shorter stay this time only for the weekend. You didn’t reply to her message, but you never doubted if you would be on that plane. Lucy was addictive. She could tell you to meet her halfway across the world and you would go.

She’s waiting for you at baggage claim again, she knew just like you did that you would be there. There’s no exciting reunion this time. She just grabs your bag and offers her hand silently.

The drive is tense and there’s no hand resting on your thigh like usual. Soft music floats through the car as she travels the Barcelona roads you are becoming familiar with.

“I’ve missed you,” she finally breaks the stalemate once you’ve reached the confines of her home. “I’m sorry for not reaching out. I just needed to think a minute.”

“Okay,” you whisper, afraid of what conclusion all her thinking brought her to.

“I’m trying because I care. I’m trying because I like you. Maybe it’s hard to believe, but that night we met is still my favorite memory of you. I saw you dancing with your friends and you looked so carefree. I was mesmerized by you. Every moment since then I’ve been hooked on you. What I said…about her doing a number on you was wrong. I just want you to see that I’m not looking to do that to you. I don’t fly you out here for a good lay and I don’t know what you meant about sleeping with my teammate, but I swear I’m not. There’s no one else I’m interested in sharing these moments with. I’m not looking to play around (y/n).”

You’re unsure if she even meant to say all that. She looks a bit shocked at herself. You on the other hand are barely keeping it together. You take a few tentative steps in her direction and she is quick to grab hold of you. Her strong arms wrapping around you as you let yourself break.

“I’m scared of how happy you make me. I’m scared you will leave,” you’re sobbing and if it was anyone else seeing you like this you’d feel ashamed at how weak you look, but it was Lucy. Lucy who only pulled you closer and leaned down to attempt to kiss away every tear as they fell. Lucy, who had been nothing but gentle with you from the moment she took you home.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby girl. Just please stop trying to push me away.”

That was probably the worst and best time during the past eight months. You learned a lot about yourself through being vulnerable with Lucy. She was patient with you as you worked to be able to trust her. She listened when you just wanted to vent and gave you space when everything became too much.

You were falling, and it took you three months to realize it. Every weekend trip, every dinner date, every phone call, every quickie in airport bathrooms, it was all perfect because it was with her. Your mind told you to run, but your heart craved more. You wanted the fairytale to last forever.

Five months in and Lucy was finally visiting you in Amsterdam this weekend. It was only for two days, but you planned to make the most of it. You were getting ready for dinner at your favorite place, followed by a night on the town. “What color ya wearing?” Lucy asks, walking into your room in just a sports bra and shorts.

It felt intentional, she knew exactly what she was doing as your eyes drank her in, “b-black,” you reply meekly. Lucy hums, turning to rummage through her luggage. That view does nothing to slow your filthy thoughts, “we don’t have to go,” you suggest.

“What?” Lucy laughs, looking over her shoulder and noticing your state.

You really didn’t want to explain, “we can stay in. We should stay in, order takeaway.”

She pouts, “but I wanna match outfits with you and hold hands as we walk through Amsterdam.” She’s teasing and you know it.

“That’s very cute, but you walk in here like that and now all I want to eat is you.” Lucy’s jaw drops, eyes darkening as she takes two calculated steps to get to you in a hurry, “but if dinner is what you want I’ll get ready.” You slide past her to your wardrobe.

Lucy molds her body against your back. You can feel every ripple, and you have to suppress a moan at the feeling, “that can be dessert.” She licks along the shell of your ear causing your knees to wobble, she was definitely better at the teasing game than you were.

Once you arrive you are a bit embarrassed by the fancy restaurant you chose, it felt very date-y. Well technically it was a date, but it felt like a place for couples and that’s not what you and Lucy are. You don’t actually have a single clue what you and Lucy are.

“This was a good choice, I like it here.” Lucy grabs at your hand across the table, your worries eased instantly.

“(y/n)!” You recognize the voice calling you, hand stiffening in Lucy’s. The panic sets in Lucy’s eyes immediately as she run’s a thumb across the back of your hand. “I thought that was you,” the girl says, reaching the table.

“Hi,” you reply politely, eyes flicking up to take in the sight of your ex who you hadn’t seen in what felt like a lifetime. She hadn’t changed. You used to melt under her intense gaze in the best way possible, but now all you feel is insecurity.

“Look at you. How have you been?” You straighten up at her words, removing your hand from Lucy’s grip. You begin to fuss over yourself, fixing out your hair and brushing down your already straightened top. A terrible habit you had fallen into while dating her.

“Good, yeah good,” you respond. You can’t look towards Lucy, you know she is judging you. You can feel the piercing gaze, burning into you.

A hand reaches for your shoulder, “you look good. Amazing actually, what are your plans later?” she squeezes and your whole body tenses.

You go to respond, but Lucy beats you to it, “I’m Lucy,” she nearly shouts.

“Okay?” your ex brushes off barely sparring her a glance before her eyes are boring back into you.

“We have plans and you are interrupting our dinner,” Lucy presses on.

Finally picking up on the situation, your ex looks back and forth between the two of you before laughing, “oh this is a date. Sorry to interrupt, just call me when you get done with…that yeah?”

You don’t know why, but you nod as she walks away. “Let’s go,” Lucy commands as the waiter returns with her card. She makes her way to your side of the table, gently pulling back your chair and wrapping your coat around you. If it wasn’t for nearly being able to see the steam coming from her ears you would think everything was fine.

She grips your hand, a calming thumb stroking along the back as you stand waiting for the valet to bring your car, “I’m sorry,” you tell her just as they pull up. Lucy furrows her brow, but doesn’t respond, opening the door and ushering you inside before hopping in the driver seat.

“Look at me,” your glossy eyes meet hers. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m just upset I couldn’t do more baby girl. I’m upset she ruined a great night, but not at you. Never at you. You are perfect.”

“The night isn’t ruined, we still have dessert right?”

Lucy smirks, dropping her hand to your thigh and gripping firmly. It stays there the whole drive, occasionally moving up to brush against your center.

The moment you enter your apartment Lucy has you pressed up against a wall, teeth nipping at your neck. “I didn’t like it.”

“What?” You question, attempting to stretch your neck to give her more access.

“The way she looked at you. I didn’t like the way she looked at what is mine,” Lucy is fevered in her movements, a moan falling from your mouth at her words. Lips moving to devour yours in a needy kiss. Hers, you love the way that sounds.

“Tell me again,” you pull away stroking gently at her cheek to calm her movements. “Tell me I’m yours.”

Lucy smiles, softening as she pecks your lips, “you are mine baby girl.”

There was a shift after the weekend she spent in Amsterdam. You didn’t wonder what you and Lucy were doing anymore, it was blatantly clear. There was no question about it, you were actively dating the Barcelona defender. While it was news to you, it seemed she had known that much longer.

From then on, every Monday morning like clock work there would be a flower delivery. A sweet note attached telling you to have a good week. Your days would be full of cute and flirty text. Every night ended with you curled up in one of her hoodies and a phone call that always kept you up too late.

You were done fighting it. This was so much better than anything you could have imagined. You were introduced to new sides of Lucy. The passionate side, the shy side, aggressive, motivated, focused, all these different parts of her that made her whole. Your favorite was jealous Lucy. The distance flared this side a bit more. You’d seen it before on her trip here but over the phone it was just adorable.

“Who else was there?” Lucy cuts your story off to ask her question.

“No one. Why?”

“So it was a date? She asked you on a date?” She presses on and you try to gauge if she’s serious.

“No,” you keep your answer short.

Lucy grumbles, “I don’t like it.”

“You don’t like what?”

“Her.”

You hold in your laugh. You were in the middle of telling Lucy how your new coworker asked you to lunch to get to know one another. “She didn’t do anything to you Luce.”

“She took you on a date. That’s my responsibility not hers,” her statement is firm and you melt.

“Babe,” well that was new. You try to control the panic after the term of endearment slips for the first time. “It wasn’t a date and if it was in her mind it was the world's most boring date.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. No dates unless they are with you,” you send her a wink through FaceTime. “Even if I have to go all the way to Barcelona to have it.”

Lucy watches you silently for a moment, “you can just move out here and I’ll take you out every night if you want,” she shrugs as if it’s a casual thing.

This was an ongoing conversation, she always brought it up. Never in a pressuring way, just an if you wanted to, you could kind of way. You’d thought about it. You’d thought a whole lot about it, but last time you stayed in a city for someone you were dating it didn’t turn out great. You weren’t eager to run off and do it again.

“I like when you called me that,” Lucy changes the topic seeing the wheels turning in your head.

Your cheeks blush knowing exactly what she meant, but you feign ignorance, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t baby girl. Just know I liked it a lot,” you nod grateful she’s letting you off the hook. A soft smile rests on both of your faces, just staring at one another for a while. As soon as the smirk begins to spread across her face you prepare for the cheeky comment, “tell me what you’re wearin.”

The drop in her voice makes you laugh, “you can’t ask that on facetime where you can quite literally see what I am wearing. I thought you were better at this.”

“I just wanted to hear you laugh,” she shrugs, leaning back on her bed and letting out a yawn.

“Get some sleep,” you whisper out.

“Not sleepy,” she mumbles. She never wanted to be the reason the call ended, always finding a reason to prolong it.

You chuckle, “yeah I know, but I am. I will text you in the morning, yeah?”

“Fine,” Lucy tries her best to sound mad. “Good night, beautiful.”

You smile so hard it hurts your cheeks, “good night babe.” Lucy flushes, the childlike smile taking over her face showing her pure joy at the term. She nods, refusing to hang up and waiting for you to do it.

There was nothing you could do, you had to accept the fact you were at Lucy’s mercy. After eight months your heart was hers to break and you couldn’t even begin to think what that actually meant.

You talked to Alexia via Instagram, you wanted to plan something for Lucy for a change. A surprise, but you needed help and she seemed like the most logical option. You hadn’t seen Lucy in person since she last came to see you. Three months felt like such a long time at this point.

Alexia picks you up from the airport, and you’re nervous. You didn’t necessarily know her that well, but you were happy she was willing to help. You get in her car and she drops a package in your lap, “a gift,” she says in her thick Spanish accent.

You pull back the paper wrapping and pull out the Barcelona jersey. BRONZE adorning the back makes you blush, “thank you.”

“I know you want Alexia on back, but Lucia will be mad,” she jokes and it does well to calm your nerves.

Barcelona played tonight and you hadn’t seen Lucy play since the night in Tilburg. Alexia drops you at her apartment and introduces you to her girlfriend. She lets you know she will take you to the game seeing how Alexia had to be there early.

The atmosphere of the Barcelona match was even more exciting than the first match you attended. As usual you watch only her from the moment she steps out the tunnel, definitely the fittest. Again it’s not until the teams line up and Alexia points in your general direction that Lucy notices you.

When your eyes lock with hers it feels like time stops. You can’t decipher what the look on Lucy’s face means, but you’re very sure what the racing of your heart means. You couldn’t say those three words, but you know they were true. It seems like Lucy finally snaps out of her trance and she sends you a wink.

Several times throughout the match you catch her gaze drifting your way. Every time she lifts her shirt to wipe sweat from her face she makes sure she’s turned your way. Your core clenching each time, but then you quickly feel jealousy rise at everyone else getting to see that as well. “Jesus,” you mumble frustrated at the arousal you feel.

The match couldn’t end quick enough for you. It feels like Lucy is taking her time going around and greeting fans just to torture you. It’s embarrassing how turned on you were at a football match. When you finally see her head back you are quick to text her, ‘hurry up please!’

Her response is cheeky of course, no words just two simple emojis, 😏💦. You're sure Alexia’s girlfriend thinks you're a psycho. Nearly bouncing in your seat on your way to meet up with Lucy at her apartment.

You see her car pull up and nearly sprint to it after saying your thanks. Lucy goes to get out, but you are quick to open the back door and throw your luggage in, “do NOT get out yet.”

“Hi baby girl. What a surprise,” Lucy’s cocky smirk resting on her face as you slide in.

“I didn’t like it,” you copy her words, pulling her into your lips by the strings of her hoodie. Your hand slides up the front resting against her abs that she flexes under your touch.

She tries to take control of the kiss, darting her tongue in your mouth only briefly before pulling away, “What didn’t you like, baby girl?”

“Keep your shirt down next time. There’s already enough videos of these out there,” you tell her running a hand down her stomach.

“Oh, have you been watching edits again?”

“Shut it, hi babe surprise,” you blush realizing you hadn’t even properly greeted her. You take a deep breath, calming yourself from the lust that took over you during the match.

“Hi beautiful. Feeling alright?” You nod accepting the kiss she puts on your forehead. “Come on, let's get inside.”

Lucy carries your bag as she guides you towards the apartment. Your nose is hit with the overwhelming scent of Lucy the moment the door opens and you realize how much you’ve missed it. You wish you could bottle it and take it back with you when you leave or better yet never have to leave. “How was the flight? Are you tired? Have you eaten? Sorry it’s messy.”

Lucy speaks rapidly until you walk into her arms, wrapping yours around her neck, “I’m fine, everything is perfect. I’m just happy to be here.”

“Sorry, it just doesn’t feel real that you’re here. I’ve missed you. I nearly ran off the pitch when Alexia pointed you out.”

“I thought we were long overdue for some date nights and cuddles. Did I ruin any plans you had by coming unexpectedly?” You place a kiss on her lips as her hands trail up your sides.

“You do know I would cancel every plan just to spend even an hour with you right?”

“You have to stop saying things like that…”

“But I mean it. I can’t explain to you how I felt when I looked up and saw you today,” she’s giving you that smile that caused all this. The one that made you absolute putty in her hands.

“Lucy…” it’s said like a warning. You can feel yourself close to slipping. A confession you were so sure of, but scared to admit.

“(Y/n),” she gives right back, pulling you closer. You fight it by taking a step out of her grip. Those eyes and that smile were too much for you. “It’s okay, you know.”

It feels like your heart stops. She knows, of course she knows. It was like she always knew what you were thinking before you even had time to process it. “I can’t do this.”

“No,” Lucy’s voice is firm. She makes her way back to you, a gentle touch placed on your waist. “We aren’t doing that anymore, remember? I won’t let you run away baby girl.”

“I’m scared,” you admit. This wasn’t how you planned this trip going, at least not right away. You weren’t supposed to get here and feel all these things. She wasn’t supposed to look at you like you were the most precious thing and smile at you like you were the only person capable of bringing her joy.

“It’s okay to be scared, but don’t shut me out. Let’s be scared together because you aren’t the only one,” that catches your attention. Your eyes searching hers for a clue to what she meant. “I’m happy you’re here. Let’s just enjoy it, yeah?”

“I missed you,” you finally relax back in her grip. Lucy could soothe even the wildest of storms within you with just a few words. Her presence and gentle whispers were able to hush every worry and any doubt. Her eyes are a reflection of tranquility.

“Should we go out for dinner?”

You shake your head, “no, let's stay in.” You didn’t want to share her with anyone. You selfishly wanted every single bit of her attention to be on you.

“That sounds amazing, baby girl. Why don’t you shower and get settled. I’ll start dinner.” You nod, turning to head towards the bedroom when she grabs your wrist again pulling you back. “Oh, did I mention how good you look with my name on your back?”

“You didn’t have to, I know.” You leave a kiss on her lips before making your way. It’s not until you reach the bedroom that you realize all the pieces of you scattered about her apartment. The hair products on the dresser exactly where you left them, the skincare essentials lined up next to hers, your hoodie across the bed that she clearly wore the night before. What used to be one drawer of your things that went back home with you had turned into you nearly having your own side of the dresser.

You head to the shower to stop the racing thoughts of when that even happened, only to be met with your shampoo resting on the ledge beside hers. You’re about to step in when Lucy enters, “Here baby, a new toothbrush I threw your old one out with mine. I wanted to wait til you got back to open yours. I made sure to get your favorite color this time too, crybaby,” she teases, giving a soft smack to your bum as she slides it in the holder.

You’re speechless. There was nothing you could say right now that wouldn’t be the cheesiest confession you ever made, so you settle for a smile. You were so fucked.

The shower fails at washing away your thoughts. You slip into the hoodie she laid out for you, it was your favorite one of hers. You had sent it back with her when she left Amsterdam because it no longer smelt like her. You take a deep inhale of the fabric as it wraps around you, glad to have it back.

You can smell dinner from the bedroom and head out, “Took you long enough. I was about to send in a search party.” Lucy is focused on her task of setting the table and adding the finishing touches to your meals. Having slipped into shorts and a shirt she clearly went through your bag to find, she looked perfect to you. Glasses perched on her nose and a low bun in her hair, you were sure she never looked this beautiful before.

“Lucy…” you whisper from just inside the doorway.

“Sit, it’s almost ready.”

“Lucy…” you say it a bit louder this time as your voice cracks.

Her eyes immediately focus on you when she hears it and she’s by your side a moment later, “baby girl what is wrong?’

“I am having big feelings right now babe,” you feel the first tear roll down your cheek and wipe at it aggressively. You couldn’t fight it anymore.

“Okay, what do you need from me?” Lucy is cautious, not wanting to make anything worse if space is what you wanted. She was the one who started the whole ‘big feelings’ thing when you were working through trusting her. It was stupid and felt like what you say to a toddler, but it was cute when she said it and allowed you space to be vulnerable.

“I love you,” you hate that your voice cracked when you said it. “I love you more than I thought humanly possible to love another person Lucy. I want you and I want life with you here. I have no clue what you do to me, but I never want it to end.”

Lucy blinks, pulling you close to study you before a smile breaks across her face, “say it again.”

“No,” you are suddenly very aware of the fact you just confessed your feelings and can’t stop the blush of embarrassment.

Lucy kisses at your cheeks, “please baby girl. Just one more time.”

“I. Love. You,” you peck her lips with each word before she holds you close to deepen it.

“I love you too,” Lucy shrugs like it’s the easiest thing in the world to admit. You shove her at the nonchalant attitude, “what? I’ve known I loved you for months now.”

You playfully shove her away from you again, “why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“You weren’t ready to hear that. I was okay keeping it to myself until you were on the same page as me. You’ve had me since the moment I laid eyes on you (y/n).”

You groan, “sorry I made you wait.”

Lucy shrugs again, the same one you found so charming on that first night, “I would’ve waited a lifetime for you baby girl.”

a/n: sorry if there was any mistakes... I feared if I read it one more time I'd end up hating it and starting over lol

#woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso x reader #lucy bronze x reader #lucy bronze imagine #lucy bronze

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perpetualcynicism · 9 months

Text

i’m daydreaming about being in a long-distance relationship with heizou… you either meet online when kazuha adds you two and some others to a group chat and, finding yourselves sharing interests and getting along well, progress from there, or you meet him when he’s on a trip to your country, and he has to return to inazuma afterwards.

it starts out relatively slow—it’s a bit difficult to gauge your chemistry when most of your interactions are over a screen—but kazuha, who travels fairly frequently to inazuma and knows the both of you well, encourages you subtly to talk more: he can tell you get along well and enjoy being in contact, and if either of you doubt the other for whatever reason, he can vouch for both your characters, so you don’t have to worry about the other actually being vastly different in person as opposed to how you present yourselves online. you get to know each other well as time progresses, and you can almost imagine you’re spending time directly with the other and not through a screen.

when you realise you’ve caught feelings for each other, the relationship involves a fair amount of texting, calling, video calling, sending pictures of things you think the other might like, posting each other parcels, asking about the other’s day; sort of like you’re trying to pretend there isn’t a huge sea in between you. however, you can’t deny that it feels a little empty sometimes, not being able to be there physically together.

at some point, you manage to book a trip to inazuma, and it’s safe to say you’re both ecstatic—he’s agreed to pick you up at the airport, too. after all, it is the first time you’ve met in years (potentially ever). each second of the flight drags on forever, but the anticipatory tingle in your nerves stays throughout the whole journey.

when you arrive at the airport and get through passport control, you text heizou to let you know you’ve arrived and where you are. his reply puzzles you: the first part is normal, and he says he’ll be there in five, but after a few minutes he adds, ‘drop your bags’. you frown down at your phone screen for a while, wondering why he sent that, and are too distracted by it to actually put your bags down before something—wait, no, someone—practically barrels into your chest and lifts you off your feet, spinning you around in the air with a bright laugh. you’re embarrassed to admit that you shriek at first and drop your carry-on bag (ah. so that’s why he warned you), before your shock also becomes laughter once you recognise this perpetrator.

heizou sets you down and pulls you into a tight embrace, squeezing you like his life depends on it. you return the hug, basking in his presence—a presence which, for once, isn’t words on a screen or face over a video call, but actually, properly there. it’s almost surreal, like you can’t quite believe you’re finally meeting after so long. you have to prod him and then yourself to make sure it’s real, to which he laughs.

he pulls back just enough to look you in the eye, cupping your face in his hands. you can see him struggling to keep his grin in check when he softly says, “hello.”

you breathe, “hi.”

you stare across at each other for a long, unbroken moment, completely stumped about what to say. you’ve shared countless video calls before, so you know what he looks like, but in person, he’s… stunning. even more stunning than before: something you thought impossible. he’s admiring you, too, by the looks of things: his eyes are scanning all over you, taking in every feature. his thumb runs over your skin, tracing the contours of your face. his eyes flick down to your lips.

before you know it, he’s kissing you— gently at first, and then deeper, more desperate, drinking in every moment of the first time he’s held you and craving your closeness. you sigh into it and return the kiss in full, before realising you’re still standing in the airport and attracting some strange looks from passersby—a mother has placed her hands over her children’s eyes—and reluctantly pull away.

“maybe we shouldn’t do this in the middle of an airport,” you say, slightly breathless. heizou lightly pinches your cheek, pouting.

“those people are just cowards,” he sniffs, squinting menacingly at the looks you’re getting. “but fine, fine.” his eyes light up with mischief, and he winks at you. “you gotta make it up to me later, though.”

you chuckle, flicking his forehead. the playful action comes naturally, effortlessly, like you were never apart at all.

“gladly.”

#genshin impact x reader #heizou #heizou x reader #shikanoin heizou x reader #i’m so normal about him

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beskarandblasters · 5 months

Text

Apotheosis Part Two: The Credence

Sith!Din Djarin x Rebel Spy!Reader

Apotheosis; the elevation of someone to divine status; deification.

Apotheosis Masterlist | Din Djarin Masterlist

Series summary: Din Djarin is a force-sensitive bounty hunter, working for the remnants of the Empire. He's on the hunt for you, an ex-rebel spy who has key information; the location where Luke Skywalker is building his Jedi training academy. But when you're captured, you're not going to give up the location easily. Din will have to utilize “alternative methods” to turn you over to the dark side.

Series warnings: reader is able-bodied, canon divergent, dark!Din, switches between Din and Reader’s point of view, eventual smut, Star Wars lore (not super heavy), manipulation/gaslighting

Summary: Din does what he can to try and gain your trust.

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: descriptions of an injury/hibernation sickness, eating/drinking, force-choking, manipulation, name reveal, use of Mando'a words (cin vhetin = blank slate), no use of y/n

Din

You’re out cold but Din’s not too worried. He’ll just use some bacta spray on your head. You’ll be going straight into carbonite anyway. As long as your memory is preserved, he doesn’t care. He throws you over his shoulder, your body slumping against him as he walks you back to the Crest.

Ahsoka evaded capture, making it back to her ship with Grogu before Din was even finished with you. This is still a win for him, though. He knows that you know where the Jedi Academy is, which will lead him to Luke and any other force-sensitive children he may have there already. Getting you to talk will be the hard part, harder than capturing you. That says a lot since you were able to shoot Din in the leg. You have a good arm on you Din noticed.

He can’t help but feel a twitch in his cock as his hand rests on your thigh while he carries you back to the ship. It doesn’t last long, though. He has a mission to worry about.

He heads inside the Crest, setting your unconscious body down on a crate, your back resting against the wall. He wastes no time spraying the bacta spray on the spot where you hit your head. He needs to do everything he can to protect your memory or else this whole journey was for nothing. Or else this was… a miss.

No, he never misses.

He wraps a bandage around your head and picks you up again, pressing you into the carbonite freezer. And now, you’re still, completely solidified. You look like you’re sleeping, a nice contrast to what people are normally doing when he’s shoving them in the carbonite freezer. Normally they’re screaming for help.

He sends a transmission to Moff Gideon regarding the outcome of his journey. He’s partially sorry Gideon will be disappointed that he wasn’t able to capture Ahsoka and the Grogu. He’ll just explain to Gideon that he can coax the information out of you, no matter how hard it is.

These are all things he can worry about later, though. For now, he takes off from Corvus and sets his course back to Gideon’s Star Destroyer.

Stormtroopers are hauling your frozen body off the Razor Crest. Din can’t even follow them. He’s been ordered to go straight to Gideon. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. He just has to tell Gideon it wasn’t a total loss. Once you wake up all Din has to do is extract the information from you somehow, whether you give it to him willingly or not.

He enters the cockpit of the Star Destroyer, waiting to be acknowledged by Gideon.

Gideon turns to face him, a disgruntled expression on his face, “Ahsoka Tano and the child got away.”

“I know, sir. But I have a plan.”

“And that is?”

“The spy has to know where the Jedi Academy is. We can just extract the information from her.”

“That won’t be an easy task.”

“I know.”

“Good! Then it’ll be your responsibility and yours alone.”

Din’s confidence doesn’t falter. He knows what he’s capable of. He can try a mind trick or two but if you’re strong-willed he’ll have to play the long game, gaining your trust and getting you to tell him willingly. It’s a challenge he’s ready to accept if and when the time comes.

“Understood,” Din says.

“Unfreeze her and begin your work. You’ll need all the time you can get.”

Din nods with the tip of his helmet and sets off back down the hallway towards the sounds of your screams and groans. You’re being unfrozen from the carbonite. He turns a corner into a small room where you’re damp, shivering, and lying down on a table. Two Stormtroopers grab your arms and hoist you upright. They enclose your wrists with a pair of handcuffs and you’re sitting there blinking rapidly.

“Your eyesight will return soon,” Din says.

“I know. I’m not stupid,” you spit out.

“Never said you were. I was just trying to reassure you.”

“Wow thanks,” you say sarcastically.

Din says nothing for a moment, letting you get acclimated to your surroundings and regain your senses.

After a beat, you ask, “Where’s Ahsoka? And the-”

“Escaped.”

You let out a sigh of relief. But before either of you can speak the troopers forcefully grab you off the table.

“Let’s go,” one of the Stormtroopers says in a gruff voice.

With each trooper holding you upright you’re led down the hallway and towards the cells. Din follows from behind, already crafting a plan in mind for how he’s going to gain your trust. If it were up to Gideon, he’d just torture the information out of you, just like he did to Din many cycles ago. But that’s not what Din wants to do, he’s better than that. He’d be better off putting on a facade and getting you to trust him. Aside from hunting, manipulation is another one of his fine-tuned skills.

He can and will do this, no matter what it takes.

You

You’re thrown into a cell, the hard metal floor making contact with your achy joints. You’re so cold, shivering with goosebumps riddled all over your skin and your clothes damp. The two troopers and the Mandalorian follow you into the cell, backing you into the corner. Handcuffed and kneeling on the floor, you shiver as the Mandalorian walks towards you. Your eyesight is starting to go back to normal but you almost wish it wasn’t yet. The stone-cold stare of his visor and imposing stance make you feel small like you want to just melt into the floor and disappear.

He cocks his helmet to the side and says, “Uncuff her.”

“What? But-” one of the officers starts, but the Mandalorian cuts him off.

“I said uncuff her.”

The one Stormtrooper sighs and grabs your arm, yanking you upright so he can unlock your cuffs. Once your wrists are free he shoves you back down on the floor. You scatter to sit on the floor, bringing your knees to your chest and looking up at the three men glaring down at you.

“Leave us.”

The two troopers glance at each other before leaving the cell. The door closes behind them once they leave. And once you’re completely alone, the Mandalorian crouches down in front of you.

“I can get you food,” he says softly.

You look away from him, focusing your eyes on anything else in this barren cell besides the Mandalorian’s visor.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing your chin and turning your face back towards him.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then, what do you want with me?”

“You have the information I want.”

“And that is?”

You already know what he’s looking for. He wants the location for Luke’s Jedi Academy. You should’ve seen this coming when you had to watch over Grogu.

“And what makes you think I’ll just give it to you?”

“I know you won’t. You won’t give it up easily, that is.”

“You’re wasting your time with me.”

“I’m not. I know I have to be patient with you.”

“Congratulations,” you say sarcastically.

He doesn’t react to your snarky comment, instead, he rises from the floor and walks over to the door. He pauses and turns back to look at you.

“I’ll be back with some food,” he says before opening the cell door and leaving.

You rest against the wall, letting tears roll down your cheeks. You close your eyes and wish it would all go away. And before you know it, you’re falling asleep on the cold metal floor.

You don’t know how long you were out. But you’re sore; sore from the fight against the Mandalorian when you were captured, sore from sleeping on the floor, sore from staying in a balled-up position for so long. And you’re still just as cold as before. You open your eyes and to your surprise, the Mandalorian is sitting crisscross in front of you, his visor fixed on you and a plate of food in his lap.

“You’re awake,” he says curtly.

“Yup,” you respond bitterly.

“Here,” he says, holding out the plate of food, “For you.”

He holds out the plate, filled with a few slices of bread and fruit you don’t recognize. You move to sit crisscross and take the plate in your hands reluctantly. He hands you a canteen of water that was sitting by his side.

“How do I know you haven’t poisoned this?” you ask, raising your eyebrow at him.

“What good would that do me?”

…He’s not wrong. Especially since the information you hold is so precious, so vital. Letting out a sigh, you resign to eating the food from the Mandalorian. You expect him to leave now but he doesn’t. He watches you intently as you eat, his gloved hands resting on his thighs and his cape fanned out behind him.

Just as you’re about to take a sip of water he moves his hands, bringing them to the edge of his helmet. You gasp at the movement of his helmet, slowly inching off his head, followed by a hiss of his modulator.

You look away, shielding your eyes with your hands. You know Mandalorians, more specifically Children of the Watch, are not supposed to remove their helmets. But… Why are you showing him this much respect? He captured you. He’s nothing but a monster.

He lets out a low chuckle and you slowly turn your head back to him, moving your hand away from your face.

He’s… handsome. And you hate yourself for even thinking that. He’s got brown curls, matted a little from his helmet. His facial hair, slightly patchy, is graying a little. He has a strong nose, too. But as your eyes scan his face, they stop on his eyes. His irises are brown but they also have that unmistakable Sith yellow ring in the middle. A shiver runs down your spine as his lips curve into a smirk.

“Why did you do that? Do you not follow your creed?”

“Mhm, I abandoned it a long time ago.”

“Then why do you still wear the armor?” you ask, setting the plate of food down on the floor and folding your arms.

“This armor is better than anything they could give me.”

You don’t know what to say so you change the subject.

“Like I said before, you’re wasting your time with me.”

“I disagree,” he says, still wearing the same smirk and cocking his head to the side, “You’re special. I think you could thrive here.”

“What makes you think I would ever join you?”

“Like I said before, I know I have to be patient with you.”

You say nothing and he takes the opportunity to continue.

“Your talents were being wasted with the rebels. I know who you are. I know what you’re capable of.”

“Speaking of the rebels, someone will be coming after me.”

“If you were so important to them then why were you left unguarded? Why was it so easy for me to capture you?”

You gulp. Maybe he does have a-

No, no no, don’t listen to him. As far as anyone is concerned, the Empire doesn’t exist anymore. To your old friends from the rebellion, there’s no need to protect you then. But someone will come looking for you. You know it.

The Mandalorian replaces the helmet on his head and gets up off the floor.

“Enjoy your food,” he says, back in his modulated tone before leaving. The cell door shuts behind him and you’re alone again.

You curl back into a ball and rest on the floor, facing the wall and wishing you were anywhere else but here.

Din

Din leaves your cell reminding himself he has to keep playing the long game. It’s tempting to lose his patience and revert to plain old torture but he keeps telling himself that he’s better than that. He tried pointing out how your old friends, your old community don’t care about you anymore. It’s harsh but he firmly believes it to be true. Someone who was so important to the Rebellion ought to be better protected. Why would they let you move to an abysmal town anyway? But that’s all beside the point.

The bottom line is, he needs to try another form of manipulation. He saw you were sort of surprised when he brought you food. Perhaps he needs to pamper you in other ways. He saw the way you were shivering back there… Maybe you need new clothes and a warm blanket.

He heads down to the laundry room on the ship, thinking he’ll just ask the Stormtrooper working there for a change of clothes for you.

“I need something,” Din says as he enters the room.

The Stormtrooper stops what he’s doing and looks at Din, waiting for instructions.

“I need… I need clothes for a woman.”

“A woman?”

“Yes.”

“This for that prisoner? What are you doing bringing her clothes?”

“What does it matter to you? I’m the one in charge of her.”

The Stormtrooper sighs and turns around to rifle through clothes in large bins. He sighs again before looking over at Din, “Yeah we’re not partially stocked up on women’s clothes. And she’s not getting an Imperial Officer uniform.”

“You don’t have anything from past prisoners?”

“Let me see what I can do…” the trooper says, moving to another bin in the corner of the room. He picks up a few pieces and tosses them over to Din.

“I’m not sure what will work but you can go through those.”

“I need a blanket, too.”

“Are you serious? She needs a blanket, too?? You know she’s just a prisoner, right?”

Maker, he’s annoying. And so nosey. Why does he care? Are the clothes and blanket coming out of his personal stash? Can he just take orders for one minute without complaining and-

The Stormtrooper is clutching his throat, letting out sputtering choking sounds. Din didn’t even realize he had begun force-choking him. Din’s gloved hand is outstretched hanging in the air, aimed at the trooper’s throat. He lets it go on a little longer, even after he realizes what he’s doing before dropping his hand and letting the trooper regain his breath again.

“Hand over the blanket,” Din says through gritted teeth.

The trooper scrambles to look for a blanket before handing it to Din. Din turns on his heel without looking back at him, only focused on you and not the fear he’s just instilled in this random Stormtrooper.

He heads back to your cell, opening the door, and finding you still sitting on the floor, the plate of food finished. You look up at him as he enters, raising an eyebrow at the ball of fabric he’s carrying. He tosses them on the floor beside you.

“For you,” he says.

You take the stuff in your hands and ask, “But… Why?”

“I wanted you to be comfortable. I wasn’t sure what would work so I grabbed a few things.”

“...Thanks.”

“Do you need more food,” Din asks, bending down to pick up the plate.

“No, I’m alright.”

“I’ll be back later to check on you.”

And with that, he leaves. He’ll stop by later to see if this part of his plan worked. You could be stubborn and refuse his offering. Or you could give in, especially after sleeping many hours on the cold floor in damp clothing.

Time will tell.

You

Reluctantly, you rummage through the selection of clothes the Mandalorian brought you. Why is he doing this? Is it just because he feels bad for you? Is he trying to turn you over?

Whatever the reason is… you can’t lie and say you haven’t missed dry clothes and a warm blanket. You settle on a pair of linen pants and a sweater that somehow fit you almost perfectly. Where did he get these? You doubt the Empire keeps a rotation of clothes on deck for their prisoners.

But then it dawns on you… They’re probably from past prisoners. And that makes you sick to your stomach.

Nevertheless, you peel off your damp clothes and slip into your new ones, lying down on the floor and covering yourself with the blanket. The Mandalorian was right, you’re much more comfortable now. For the time being, you rest. It’s not like you have much of a choice to do anything else anyway.

You slept for Maker knows how long. It feels like that’s all you’ll be doing. You wonder how much time has passed on Corvus; if anyone has noticed your absence. It’s not like your disappearance will be reported. It’s not like you had any sort of meaningful relationship with anyone in Calodan. You’re banking on someone from the rebellion to try and locate you. You haven’t heard from anyone from that chapter of your life for a long time.

But then you remember, Ahsoka said Leia mentioned you. Surely Ahsoka will tell Luke and Leia and they’ll send someone after you.

But… Wouldn’t they have found you by now? Maybe? It’s hard to tell. Your concept of time is completely shot.

The cell door opens and the Mandalorian is back again, this time with more food and water. He enters and sits down in front of you, the door closing behind him.

“You should eat,” he says softly.

You sit upright and take the plate from him, feeling a little awkward that he’s just sitting here watching you eat again.

“What are you doing here?” you ask.

“I just want to make sure you’re doing okay.”

“By keeping me in this metal box?”

“You’re right.”

You stop mid-bite. You’re… stunned. Maybe he’s realizing the error of his ways?

“You deserve to be more comfortable, cin vhetin,” he says. He used a Mando’a word, but it’s one you’ve never heard before.

“...Thanks?”

“Don’t you see how important you are?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know all about you, your past in the Rebellion, how vital you were… are. You have so much potential and it’s all being wasted for an organization that doesn’t care about you.”

You can’t deny that you’ve been having doubts about the Rebellion, about your former friends.

“What… What can you do for me?”

“So much. Whatever you want to learn.”

Stop it. You’re not going down that path.

“Can I tell you something?” he says, taking off his helmet and setting it beside him. You’re mesmerized by his eyes, the brown in them so comforting but the Sith yellow so… piercing.

“Sure…”

“I used to be part of something, too, the Mandalorian covert. It took me a long time to realize they didn’t care about me and didn’t have my best interest in mind. But here, with the Empire, I’m somebody.”

You can’t lie, you’ve felt that way before, even now you still kind of do. And he seems so sincere right now. His eyes scan your fast for any sign of trust from you, like he’s desperate to earn it.

“But… Are you just telling me all of this so I’ll tell you where the Jedi Academy is? Are you just going to toss me to the side once you’re done with me?”

“If all I cared about was the Jedi Academy, I would’ve found out by now and you’d already be dead. I’m not lying. You could do great things here.”

Maker, he’s convincing.

“Can I tell you something else? It’s something not a lot of people know.”

“Oh?”

“My name.”

Maybe he really is being sincere.

“Okay…”

“My name is Din Djarin.”

“Hello, Din,” you say sheepishly.

“I don’t trust many people with my name.”

“I understand,” you say softly.

“I’ll be right back,” he says suddenly, rising from the floor and putting on his helmet.

And now you’re alone again, missing the small amount of human interaction you just had.

Din

Din sets off down the hallway, back towards the cockpit and Moff Gideon. When he enters, no one acknowledges him. It isn’t until Din clears his throat that Gideon notices he’s there.

“What is it?” Moff Gideon asks.

“...I need sleeping quarters for the prisoner,” Din says, almost wincing with his words.

“Sleeping quarters? What for?” Gideon says, turning and looking at Din with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m… close to gaining her trust.”

“You’re certain?”

“I am.”

“Fine. I’ll have a trooper show you to her sleeping quarters after you retrieve the prisoner,” he says with a wave of his hand.

Din nods and sets off back down the hallway, a little bit of excitement brewing in his stomach. Maybe now you’ll finally trust him.

He arrives at your cell, opens the door, and steps inside.

“Cin vhetin, I have a surprise for you.”

You

“Oh?”

“Come with me,” he says, grabbing your hand and helping you off the floor.

There’s a trooper outside your cell. He sets off down the hallway and Din follows him, your hand still intertwined in his. You’re feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He said it was a surprise and you swear there was a hint of excitement in his voice. But… Can you trust him?

The trooper leads you to an elevator and you’re sweating nervously about what this “surprise” could possibly be. The elevator stops at a floor, doesn’t matter which one because you can’t possibly know where you are on this ship. He leads you down another hallway before stopping at a door.

“Here you are,” he says to Din before leaving the way you came.

“I arranged for you to have your own sleeping quarters,” Din says.

“Really?”

“I meant it when I said I wanted you to be comfortable,” he says, opening the door.

Inside is your own room, with a real bed. You can’t believe Din did this for you. You can only assume this is against protocol from Moff Gideon, moving a prisoner from a cell to their own sleeping quarters. Maybe he does care about you…

“I think this will be much better for you.”

“Wow… Thank you, Din.”

“Of course, cin vhetin. I’m going to let you sleep now.”

“Is it? I don’t know what time is it anymore.”

“It is,” he chuckles, “Sleep well.”

And he’s gone again before you can ask him what that word means.

You get settled in your bed and turn off the lights, getting ready for some real sleep for once. You’re comfortable for once, giddy even. Din might be a man of his word after all.

…Just as you feel yourself teetering on the brink of sleep, you feel a sinister presence looming over your bed.

Follow @beskarandblastersfics and turn on post notifications to be notified when I post a new fic!

Thank you to @pedgito for beta reading! ❤️‍🔥

Tagged who I tagged last time:

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#din djarin x reader #din djarin x female reader #din djarin #din djarin x you #din djarin x f!reader #sith!din djarin #sith!din djarin x reader #dark!din djarin #dark!din djarin x reader #apotheosis #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin fanfiction #starwarsficnetwork #pedrostories

116 notes · View notes

kaiso-woo · 5 months

Text

You Helping, or What?

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺

-> Masterlist

PART 8 of my ‘Stay Series’ - a long hypothesised journey of a relationship between Bang Chan and Reader.

WC: 5k | Synopsis: You've arrived in Korea! And you say some... stuff... that sets off a chain of events where Chris is a little wild. You’re kinda delulu too- for a bit.

Notes: SUGGESTIVE AF, Borderline Smut (Phone Call? Chris is being a tease??), Kisses- uh uhm yeah, Fluff, Second Person Narration, Skz Fluent in English, Swearing, Idol!Chan, CaféOwner!Reader, Fem!Reader, Pet Names (Jagiya, Jagi, Baby, Babe, Love... Da...ddy?? etc.)

Here for a reading marathon? Head right back to the start!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

Overall ‘Stay Series’ Synopsis: Bang Chan experiences the suic!des of Stays, so when you lot choose to die, he dies right along with you. Reader is the “antidote” to this condition - NO MENTION IN THIS FIC

PART 8

!!Casual reminder this is entirely fictitious - Chris/Christopher in my work does not represent the actual Bang Chan - this is purely my imagination and nothing more - this goes for all other SKZ-Members too!!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　

You take a steadying breath and snap a picture of your surroundings as you hop off the plane, hand grasped tightly on your bag strap. You’re finally about to start a new chapter of your life, right here in Korea, with Chris by your side. Swiftly, you move to the side so you’re out of everyone’s way and send the picture both to Chris (letting him know you’re here), and to Ashley (letting her know that you arrived safely).

Your younger friend was holding down the fort at the original Café Studio for a while, at least until you got the new one properly set up, then she’d follow you here. It was a decision she was adamant on. She didn’t want to be left behind, and you were quite relieved she was joining you in the long run. For now, Ashley would train up the new manager for that branch of the Café. This is insane.

As you’re standing there, shuffling on your feet and waiting for your luggage to roll around on the conveyor belt, a million thoughts rush through your mind. The stress of opening up a new Café is already beginning to get to you. There’s hundreds of things you need to do; go shopping for a whole new wardrobe (you had packed light), shop for furniture, hire employees, organise menus and ingredients and prices and marketing and-

“Your suitcase has just gone passed you for the second time,” someone mentions at your side. His voice jolts you out of your thoughts, and in a slightly flustered scramble, you chase after the offending possession and yank it off the belt. “Wait- how did you-” you turn back to the person, his dark eyes glinting in an amused fashion.

Despite this being the only part of his face you can see (everything is hidden behind a mask, cap and hood), you recognise him immediately.

“Christopher?!” you yell quietly, marching back over to him. You can tell he’s grinning through his mask, and you don’t think you’ve ever struggled more in your life than that moment. The urge to squeeze him tightly in a hug is so overwhelming, especially when he spreads his arms wide with a tilt of his head. You don’t though. Just stare at him in shock.

“What are you doing here?” you question, to which he rolls his eyes. In a swift movement, he takes the few steps forwards and pulls you into his arms, crushing your face into his chest and burying his own in your hair. “Hello to you too,” he grumbles playfully, and with a sigh you hug him tightly back, that familiar safety and adoration washing over you.

“I want my question answered still,” you demand. When you pull away, his hands slide down to rest comfortably on your waist and he pecks your forehead with his mask still on. “I’m picking you up obviously,” he responds with a raise of his eyebrows.

“But you shouldn’t be. You know that because you’re covered from head to toe so no one recognises you,” you reprimand, stepping away to grab the handle of your suitcase again. Chris naturally moves to take it off you, and with a little shake of your head, you let him, linking your hands together so he can lead the way.

“Yes well, this disguise does absolutely nothing if you’re not hiding away too,” Chris winks at you, and you grimace in realisation. “I’m not that famous, am I? Do I need to start disguising myself in public too?” “Oh haha, okay. Miss Girlfriend of Bahng Christopher Chahn, not that famous.”

You whine and pull your scarf up higher over your face, now self-conscious and paranoid about everyone around you. “Hey,” Chris nudges you, “Relax jagiya. The whole world knows we’re dating, what’s a little ‘Bang Chan picked his girlfriend up at the airport gonna do’?”

You smile nervously as you exit the airport, nodding to a few people who’s eyes noticeably widen at the sight of you. Shit okay. “Oh I don’t know Chris, maybe it’ll fuel the never ending hate train towards-” “Enough. Forget about the hate train. Nothing and no one is going to hurt you, I won’t let them.”

Chris steers you down into an underground car park, and after a slightly tense walk in silence, Chris fumbles for his keys and unlocks his car, its black colour reflecting the bright lights illuminating the area. He dashes around to open the door for you, shoving you gently out of the way when you go to do it yourself.

“My car, my rules,” he chides, swinging it open with a bow, “My princess doesn’t open doors for herself.” You pinch the bridge of your nose and tilt your head down, trying to hide your embarrassment. “What does that make you then?” You laugh, as you duck into the car, “My prince? My knight?”

“Your husband,” he smirks, startling you with a peck to your forehead with his mask briefly pulled down before he closes the door. He really should stop joking about that kind of thing. At this rate, you’re going to die of a heart attack before you make it back to your new house, let alone live long enough for him to be your husband. You patiently wait as he stows your luggage away in the boot, fiddling with the stereo to figure out how the bluetooth works.

As he starts the car and begins to reverse out, you yell in triumph when your phone connects and wasting no time, press shuffle on your Stray Kids playlist. Chris laughs at your antics, leaning forwards to check for cars before turning out of the carpark. “You don’t have to play our music, you know,” he smiles, glancing at you quietly vibing, before his eyes return to the road. “It’s good music, why wouldn’t I?” Is your reply, and Chris only sighs, “It is good music, Christopher, don’t you sigh like that.”

You shake your head when he doesn’t respond, just stares blankly at the road. With narrowed eyes, you try a new approach. “I’m so lucky.” Chris glances at you again, his eyebrows creasing momentarily in confusion. You shrug and turn to look at the road ahead, “I just so happen to have a handsome, adorable, sexy, cute, sweet, kind, generous, loyal producer for a boyfriend.”

“Okay hang on-” He interjects, but you don’t let him speak. “You know he also sings too? And raps? That is talent right there. Don’t even get me started on the fact that he can dance,” you fan yourself and wolf whistle, “He’s got moves, I’m telling you.” “Jagiya-”

“Ohhhh! I should tell you that he basically founded the group too! Logo, name, members and everything.” “Okay, but it took time and effort-” “His entire fandom joke about him being the Dad of Stray Kids, did you know that? He cares for his members so much. And they also call him ‘best leader’ all the time.”

“Hey- no they do not-“ “Best leader! Best leader! Best leader!” You continue to chant, eyes sparkling as he groans into the steering wheel, having stopped at some lights. “Jagiiiiiiiiiii, that’s enough…” “Best leader! Best leader! BEST LEADER!” “Stop. Stop- I’m not-” “Chris the light’s green. Best leader! Best leader!”

He looks like he’s contemplating his entire life for the rest of the drive, one hand on the steering wheel, head tilted to the side with that fed up expression of his. You still haven’t shut up and you refuse to do so until he agrees with you. Your incessant chanting doesn’t stop even as he opens the car door for you, his expression still resolute. He digs into his pockets and whisks out some keys, dangling them in front of your face tauntingly.

“I won’t give you the house keys until you shut up,” he negotiates, and your mantra turns into quiet whispers, your whole body jumping along to its rhythm. Chris sighs and shakes his head, shoving the keys back into his pocket.

Out of nowhere, he lunges forwards, wraps his arms securely around your midriff and hoists you over his shoulder, dragging you out himself. Staggering slightly, he kicks the door shut with his foot. “Hey put me down!” You laugh, kicking your feet wildly, but then remember you’re supposed to keep chanting, so resume. “Best leader!” “Shut up.” “Best leader!” “No more.” “Best leader!” “I am not.” “Best leader!” “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” “Best leader!” “You’re talking nonsense.” “Best leader!” “Enough.” “Best leader!”

Abruptly, Chris puts you down and pushes you up against the door to your new home. His arms swiftly cage around your head and he leans close, breathing heavily on your face. “Enough means enough,” he whispers threateningly, and your mouth zips shut, startled at the slight edge in his tone… and his close proximity. “Finally,” he whispers, exhaling in your silence and closing the small gap between your faces to press a relieved kiss to your lips.

When you try to shift your head away, disappointed that you still haven’t managed to get him to agree that he’s the best leader, he grabs your chin and pulls you right back in for more, not allowing you to say another word. Eventually, (when you tug at his shirt) he pulls away, eyes still glued to your lips. You take a second to collect yourself, eyes wide with disbelief, and an unfiltered thought escapes your mind, “Jesus I didn’t know you could be so dom.”

Chris splutters and his eyes lock with yours. Immediately, you can feel your face heat up, cowering under his gaze and the embarrassment of your thoughts.

“What do you mean you didn’t know? Have I not always been the dominant one in this relationship?” He laughs, and you sag back into the door, chuckling at yourself too. Again, unbidden, your thoughts escape you unfiltered. Maybe it’s the adrenalin of being in a new country, or being with Chris, or everything that’s just happened.

“So… da… ddy?” You mumble, and Chris tears himself away from you faster than you thought humanly possible.

You blink and he’s already back at his car, opening up the boot to haul your suitcase out, a panicked expression on his adorable face. You exhale in amusement and saunter over, your hands in your pockets. Once you peek your head around, you can properly see that Chris is now leaning forwards on the car with his hands, his eyes wide and blinking, ears burning red.

“So… best leader is… da… ddy?” You tease once more. Chris flinches, and as you go to taunt him again he rushes forwards, his palm closing over your mouth to shut you up. “Do not- do not say that again,” he growls, but his eyes are saucers.

“You said that you’re Stay’s daddy though-” you mumble, struggling to breathe through his hand. “That was- that was a joke-”

You yank your face away from his palm and fold your arms indignantly, “Sure it was. Sure it was.” "I was just- catering to what they-“ “Best leader or daddy?” You interrupt, grinning gleefully because you know you’ve backed him into a corner. “Oh come on.” “Best leader or daddy? And neither isn’t an option.”

Chris rubs his face with his hands, stressed, and your grin widens at the sight of his ears burning brighter than they ever have before. “Best- best leader,” he eventually mumbles, then turns away to roll your suitcase back up to the house.

—

And thus… begins your new life.

Little did you know that your teasing in that moment would lead to a torturous rest of the day.

—

Chris has to head back to JYP later in the evening. For now though, you’ve basically hired him to help you drag furniture around and decorate the place. It’s still relatively early in the morning, and you think that sooner or later, the both of you are going to need to lie down for a nap. You never asked him to pick you up at the airport, your landing was during the dark hours of the morning.

The original plan was to stay in a hotel and visit JYPE to retrieve your keys when the sun was actually up. Chris assured you that his time off was approved, and that he could manage on only a few hours sleep. Not that this pleased you much more. Apparently, Chris had been sneaking into your house long before you had even arrived here, lugging packages and boxes of furniture and basic requirements in without your knowledge. “The Kids’ helped too - don’t worry, they offered.”

Now, you were sitting on the floor, puzzling over an instruction manual and trying to find the corresponding pieces of the bed frame. As long as you had this set up for today, you’d be satisfied with yourself. Chris was busying himself with the dining table out by the kitchen. He had insisted on a larger one than the one you had before, so that the rest of Skz could visit too. You agreed because his point was valid, but also because it’d probably be nicer when Ashley finally comes to stay as well.

Eventually, you sigh and realise you might need some help. Who knew the pieces of a bed frame could be so bulky and hard to deal with? “Hey Chris?!” You yell, eyes roving the bits and pieces around you to find the right pile of screws. His response is muffled when he yells back, like he’s got something in his mouth. “Can I have a hand for like… maybe five minutes?”

Sure enough, when Chris appears in the doorway to your room, he’s got a screwdriver in his mouth. “You need a hand?” He repeats, pulling the screwdriver out from between his plump lips. “Yeah just c’mere a sec please? Help me connect this-” You pause when you feel his warm hand slip into yours, his fingers wiggling to comfortably rest between your own.

“Five minutes? I can do that. Make it ten,” he grins, swinging your hands childishly, “In fact, you can have my hand for as long as you like.” Blankly, you stare at your linked hands swinging between you, then slowly look back up at Chris, a sympathetic expression on your face, “You’re cute, but you know that’s not what I meant.” “Humour me,” he shrugs, shoving his screwdriver into one of his pockets for safekeeping, “What do we need to connect?”

What could have been a five minute task turns into a twenty minute one. Chris refuses to let go of your hand, tightening his grasp whenever you try to pull away. His clinginess makes your heart swell, but also teeter on the edge of frustration as you simultaneously laugh and struggle to connect the bed frame with him attached to your hip. You think, rather than him helping you, he’s just making it harder.

He tugs you around and directs your body parts as if he owns them, and although you comply after an amused laugh, you can’t help but wonder what on earth has gotten into him. “Chris baby, it’d just be easier if you let me go-” “Never letting you go.” “No- so that we can properly work together on this-“ “We can properly work together like this too-” “Chris-” “I don’t want to hear another word. Pass me that bracket?” You shake your head at him but pass it on regardless, and after some time, you successfully manage to put the bed frame together.

You laugh, you stumble over each other, yell in mock annoyance at each other, and even admire each other as the time ticks by. Not a word is said again about your linked hands, interwoven so tightly.

—

It’s been an hour or so since then, and now you’re returning, shaking your hands to dry them, from a bathroom break. You find Chris sitting on top of the finished bed, mattress, blankets and all. He’s typing something happily on your phone, his eyes crinkled in delight.

He’s typing… he’s typing something on your phone.

“Babe,” you ask, your hands on your hips. He doesn’t even look up. “Jagiya. Is that my phone?” “Yeah, what about it?” He haughtily responds, raising a delicate eyebrow, but still his eyes are glued to the screen.

“What’re you doing on my phone?” You question, walking over to him and staring down at your screen. He’s messaging someone, apparently conversing with a person who’s presently responding in kind. “It’s Jisung,” Chris elaborates, finally eyeing you pointedly to gauge your reaction. “What’d he say?” You quiz, plopping yourself down next to him and peering at the messages.

“Is Chan hyung getting on your nerves yet?” Chris snorts, scrolling up briefly so you can read the conversation. “Of course I am? She love’s it though?” You scoff, raising your eyebrows at his response.

(A/N: When dialogue is in script format, it’s meant to represent text messages)

Jisung: “Give her back her phone you possessive shit”

Chris (on your phone): “pre-debut han jisung makes his appearance”

Jisung: “pre-debut han jisung is here for a chat with your girlfriend, not you”

Chris (on your phone): “disrespectful child”

Jisung: “old man”

Chris (on your phone): “how original”

Jisung: “Minho wants to know if you guys have made the bed yet”

Chris: “Yeah, we have”

Jisung: “he made this face 😏” Jisung: “it was scary”

You laugh in amusement at their banter, deciding to ignore the last few comments, and hold your hand out for your phone. “Alright can I have my phone back please?” You ask, rolling your eyes when Chris pouts sadly at you. “Chris can I have-”

He does not give your phone back. Instead, he gently grabs your outstretched hand, brings it up to his lips and kisses your palm softly, staring at you through his eyelashes.

You swallow nervously as he kisses a soft trail from the centre of your palm right down to your fingertips, each press of his lips to your skin sending tingles through your body. Dimly, your mind recalls Jisung (Minho’s?) suggestive messages, and then you numbly realise that you’re both currently sitting on the bed in question.

It’s with a racing heart that you slide away and disappear into the lounge room, nonchalantly beelining towards a cardboard box full of decorations. You can put a few decorations up before lunch, maybe a few paintings and photo frames. Sounds good. Yep.

—

Deep breaths.

—

Chris had, naturally, followed you and helped unpack the decorations, organising them and trying to help you decide where to best hang them. Now it’s just a matter of actually putting them up. He’s twirling a hammer and staring at the packet of nails in your hands worriedly.

“And you’re absolutely sure you want to use nails? There are plenty of other ways we could do this that won’t put a hole in the wall,” he offers, picking up the nearest painting and propping it up on the wall. You hesitate, watching as he marks the position of the painting with a pencil.

Eventually, when he puts the painting back onto the ground and turns back to you, you respond. “Yeah just- pound the nail into the wall,” you shrug, and it’s not until you notice the shit-eating grin on his face, that you regret your words. “I’ll pound you into the wall.”

You groan and spin on your heel, throwing the packet of nails haphazardly onto the dining table and beginning the search for your phone. “We putting up these paintings?” He calls after you, that infuriating grin still planted firmly on his face. “I’m ordering lunch.”

Chris appears at your side and kisses your cheek, squeezing your shoulder affectionately, “You hungry? I’ll go out and get something. I know a place, but they don’t do phone orders.” “Are you sure? I could just get take out-” You frown, picking your phone up from the bed. “I’m sure. I’ll be back in jiffy.” (A/N: “jiffy” is simply Aussie slang for ‘in a very short time’.)

—

How’s this day going to end?

—

Chris barges back in after about half an hour, proudly holding up a bag of the food he was adamant in retrieving, “How’s the prettiest person in the world doing?”

You smile at his question, currently occupied with unpacking cutlery and other kitchen necessities. “I don’t know. How are you?” You throw back, languidly adding a fork to the cutlery drawer as he pauses in the doorframe. “Me? I’m- what?” He chokes, caught off guard, “I’m not the prettiest person-”

“How are you Christopher?” You press, taking the food out of his hands and smiling at the rosy tint on his cheeks. “I’m fine,” he mumbles, his voice cracking slightly.

You dish out the steaming food onto the recently unpacked plates, passing Chris his share before serving yourself. He sits down on one of the barstools and patiently waits for you to join him before he digs in. You sigh in content at the explosion of flavours in your mouth, and for once, neither of you speak during your meal.

It’s not until about halfway through of just basking in the warmth of each other’s company, munching happily with satisfaction, that Chris interrupts the cosy silence.

“I’m not the prettiest person in the world,” he frowns, swallowing a mouthful thickly. You sigh and turn to him, placing your fork onto your plate.

With your elbow propped up on the table, you rest your cheek in your palm and stare at the man next to you as he eats, a small frown evident in the crease between his eyebrows. Even in this state, unkempt due to the hours of physical labour, hair a disastrous mop of twisting curls, not a particle of makeup to hide him… he’s softly glowing. You can see his dark eyes swirling with a million thoughts, the pieces of his mind reflected in the glimmer of his pupils.

Your eyes trace the line of his prominent nose, the curve of his plush lips, the cut of his jaw flexing as he chews. Not the prettiest person in the world, huh?

Chris’ face morphs into his characteristic soft smile, the one that gives him the look of a child, adorable and in need of protecting. Slowly, he turns towards you, this smile :], only intensifying. “You’ve been staring at me for a while now,” he mumbles, and you can’t help but inhale sharply.

If only you could capture this image, this image of him, and permanently keep it somewhere. You can’t though. That’s not how this works, but it’s okay… because you’ll permanently keep it in your mind, your heart, turn it into a part of your soul.

“Are you… alive…?” He asks, waving a hesitant hand in front of your face. The corner of your lips quirk slightly, and before you turn back to your food you utter, “Sorry, I was busy admiring a work of art.”

Chris stares at you, his ears red, for a long while before he returns to his food. Who knows? Maybe he was trying to string his thoughts together. Maybe he was trying to figure out how to express his devotion, his love for you. Maybe he was admiring what he thinks is a work of art, more beautiful than any piece of music he could ever produce… and that… is saying something.

—

“Oh fuck me,” you whine, as you stoop to pick up the screw that you’ve dropped for the 4th time. Chris looks up from where he’s sitting, fiddling with his screwdriver, and in your peripheral vision you can see him smirk.

“That wasn’t an invitation,” you sigh, not even looking at him properly. Chris abandons his project and stalks over to you on all fours, oddly prowl like - steady and paced, taking his time. “I mean it,” you demand, “leave me alone.”

You’re looking down at the instructions between your splayed out legs, searching for the next step when Chris’ hand sneaks in between your arms and onto your chest.

“Chris-“ you begin to protest, but his mouth presses to yours swiftly, his tongue unfairly swiping. Assertively, he pushes you down to the floor, never breaking the kiss, and crawls on top of you. “Christopher-“ you try again, during a gasp for air.

“Yes…?” He chuckles, grabbing your head gently in his hands and caressing your cheeks with his thumbs. Just as you go to speak again, he kisses you softly, stopping you from jerking your head away with his fierce grip on your head.

The next maybe… 30 seconds are spent with you constantly trying to speak, and him shutting you up with kisses, each one more fierce than the last.

It’s only when your phone begins to ring beside you that he stops suffocating you, instead shifting his affection to your neck, his hands roving the shape of your body lovingly.

“Christopher Bahng,” you chide, trying to string two thoughts together. Everything feels hot; his hands even through the fabric of your clothes, his lips, his tongue.

You moan involuntarily as you reach for your phone, wondering how on earth he’d manage to find that particular sweet spot on your neck so effortlessly. He kisses it just that little bit harder, sucking at your skin slightly - trying to elicit that same response. You’re going to ruin him if you become anymore vocal.

“Chris- hang on- wait- I need to answer this call it’s Ashley- oh fuck you-” you whine, as his hands slip underneath your shirt in response, his careful ministrations white-hot on your skin.

You squirm underneath him, trying to escape as you answer, words tumbling out of your mouth in a panicked rush, “Hey Ashley- hey- hi, you okay? What’s up?”

“Oh I’m fine. I wanted to see how you were doing!” She chirps back, so bright and cheerful that you almost smile - you would have if a certain Bahng Christopher Chahn hadn’t decided to lift your shirt up, exposing your stomach, and drifted down to shower the skin with his affection.

You hiss instead and slide yourself away on the floor. He frowns at you and simply follows, this time holding onto your waist to keep you still. You try, in vain to hold a decent conversation with Ashley, hand covering your mouth to stifle your moans. Since you’re trying to converse however, you need to remove your hand to speak - and this means trouble when Chris decides to press a kiss teasingly close to the band of your shorts.

You’re breathing heavily now, and Ashley falls silent mid-sentence. “Chan is with you, isn’t he?” She asks, and you laugh almost deliriously. “Yes he is, and he’s being a downright pain in the ass.” In a last ditch attempt, you try to force yourself away, but he’s gripping you almost a little too tightly. “He’s always been the source of your distraction, hasn’t he?” Ashley giggles, and there’s an unmistakeable smirk in the tone of her voice.

Chris laughs at this, the first sound he’s made in a while, and you’re only a little startled to know that he’s been able to hear your conversation the entire time. You hadn’t realised your phone volume was that high. Chris crawls back up your body and speaks directly into the phone, “I’m the source of her pleasure actually.”

“Oh dear god. I had already I assumed I didn’t need you to spell it out for me,” she groans, her voice becoming distant on the phone as if she’s holding it away from her in disgust. “Hey- Ashley that is not what is happening- he’s just being an absolute prick-“ you fumble, emotions struggling to settle; embarrassment? Panic? Desire? Guilt? Shame? Lust? Love? What? Huh? Who?

“Are you sure about that? I’m gonna go anyways- leave you to it.” “Ashley-Louise don’t you go anywhere. I’m sitting on the fucking floor right now trying to put a chair together.” “She’s actually lying on the floor, but details don’t matter I guess.” “Christopher.” “And where are you Chris?” Ashley asks, almost mockingly. “On top of her,” he responds matter-of-factly, and you cry out in embarrassment.

“See I mean- I congratulate you on managing to pin her to the floor, but that’s not a very nice place for your first fuck is it?” Ashley jokes, and her words make you completely freeze. “You’re absolutely right, I’ll take her somewhere comfier,” Chris decides.

“Ashley I am so sorry about Chris, he’s just messing around as per usual- I am so sorry, I’ll make up for your lost innocence when you get here, I promise,” you ramble, emotions definitely deciding to settle on guilt and embarrassment. “I’m not that much younger than you, ya know. This is nothing.” Ashley’s last words bounce around in your skull after she ends the call.

And you’re left to stare in a wild craze at the man above you, eyes glimmering with a satisfied mirth, his mouth pulled into a smug smirk. “Back to it?” He whispers, and you glare at him. “No way,” you try for a snap, but your voice comes out slightly broken and quiet.

“You were most definitely enjoying that though,” he continues, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “I’m not- I’m not ready- for any of that,” you eventually manage, hiding your face in your hands, “I’m scared- I’m just scared-“

Chris rests his full body weight onto you, squishing the air out of your lungs, and snuggles into your neck. “That’s okay. It’s okay. It wasn’t an invitation - I know.” “Chris- I’m sorry- I just-“ “Don’t apologise… there is absolutely no need to apologise. I’m sorry.” “It’s not that I don’t want to-” “Stop trying to justify it, there is no need to.” “No but- I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want.” “I want you. As a person. That’s it.” “Yes but-” “I want your love.” “That’s what all of your antics today was about, wasn’t it?” You whisper, guilt consuming your heart. “I want you to feel safe. I want you to feel comfortable. And if you’re not-“ Chris hoists himself up to smile down at you, “Then I’m not either.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺

-> PART 9 -> Masterlist

A/N: I’m Minho right now: 😏

Feedback is always appreciated, negative and positive alike. I apologise for any editing errors, I’m forever learning.

Until next read! - Kaisowoo

#bang chan #stray kids #stray kids x reader #bang chan smut #bang chan fluff #bang chan x reader #skz #christopher chan bang #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fic #bang chan fic #bang chan fanfic

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bypandoramaxum · 1 year

Text

journey through the reefs [an atwow series] chp. 1

summary: after the sudden death of your parents, your life soon turned upside down as the RDA took drastic measures to advance their colonisation of Pandora, which led to you being used as their guinea pig in their sick games.

[next]

pairings: ao��nung [25] x fem!human!reader [20]

word count: 3.4k

warnings: depictions of death of parents, swearing, abduction, restraints, manipulation, coercion, human experimentation, surgery, reader wanting out and everyone else being a dick to her.

a/n: it’s been so long since I last wrote a fanfic, let alone a series. I’m feeling confident about this one, as the ideas keep flowing in my brain. hope you’ll enjoy this first chapter!~

»»————-　.　————-««

It was almost as if the universe itself was mourning with you, conveying the deep sorrow that had longed settled within your weary heart through heavy raindrops against the windowpanes as you watched the two cardboard caskets that laid both your parents were slowly being transferred into the crematoriums for a final send off.

This was not the goodbye you expected to bid to the two most prominent figures of your measly life. It was almost too sudden, too hasty, unbelievable really. Your tearful gaze numbingly watched as the doors of the crematoriums slammed shut, but still leaving an opening for you to witness the golden flames erupting around the caskets, which oddly helped in allowing you to process and acknowledge the gravity of the reality you were experiencing.

A vast array of emotions swarmed you intensely, trying to overtake each other, making your head spin in the process, not knowing which one to feel.

But one thing was for certain.

Loneliness.

Never again would you hear your mother knocking on your bedroom door before entering, telling you good morning in that gentle, soothing, hush voice of hers, paired with the soft strokes of her hand against the flow of your hair.

The sounds of sips coming from your father drinking his morning cup of tea would soon become a distant memory soon. His usual question of how you slept last night can only be heard within the confines of your recollection.

The day ended with you being escorted out of the crematorium by your parents’ scientist colleagues, who, for the record, did not seem too upset by the events that played out for the day. It almost seemed as if the whole funeral was just another tedious task that had to be carried out before they could move on to their next one at hand. Well, it wasn’t like that wasn’t obvious, considering they couldn’t even get proper coffins to lay your parents to rest, as if common decency was a thing of the past.

Truthfully, no one really held proper funerals anymore, not in this current millennium at least. With the Earth flooded with overpopulation, people are dying at a larger and faster rate. Something quick had to be done to make room for others more.

“Well, let’s get back to business, shall we? We’ve stalled long enough, thanks to the cry-baby over here.” a man huffed as he straightened his lab coat, ready to get back to work.

Dr. Kurtis Aragon. The man who had your parents serve as his apprentices, unfortunately. You had overheard countless stories of him from them, mostly of how he had no problem blatantly mistreating his staff into obeying his every order, no matter how detriment the consequences might be of said actions, as it was either his way or the highway.

His views of the surrounding world were black and white, leaving no room for doubt. He truly believed his words held gravity compared to the opinions of those around him, and he made sure people knew their places in the lab.

“Since your folks have proved themselves to be fairly incompetent in their roles, I have no choice but to have you continue their work for me.”

“After all, you are the offspring of two rather gifted individuals despite what happened. I’m sure you won’t disappoint me too quickly like they did.” he added.

You could feel your blood boiling, face flushing with anger. Begrudgingly, you held back and replied,

“Since when was it decided that I’ve signed up for any of this?”

“Since your parents signed a legal contract stating that if anything were to happen to them, guardianship of you shall be transferred over to me.” said Dr. Aragon as he pulled out an envelope from his lab coat, handing it to you.

You snatched it from him, tearing the envelope urgently and began reading through the contract. Fresh tears started brimming at your eyes as you read the terms and conditions of said contract. There was no way. Your parents wouldn’t have entrusted your well-being to this man, knowing how much misery he brought to them.

“This is all bullshit! There’s no way they agreed to this. You must’ve threatened them into signing it.” you yelled as the tears ran down your cheeks, balling up the contract before chucking it to the ground. “I don’t care what this contract says. I rather be dead than work for you or your sick cause.”

“Now, it’s not up to you, now is it, little girl? Doesn’t matter whether they agreed to it or not, what’s done is done. With their signature sealing the deal, I have the willpower to do what I wish with you. You possess great qualities and potential for the RDA’s future, and I plan on fully utilising it.” Dr. Aragon paid no heed to your outburst, lighting a cigarette as he spoke.

“Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way, little one. Boys, you know the drill.” Dr. Aragon mumbled before gesturing to his men.

“To hell with the RDA! You all are the reason why my folks are dead in the first place, and now you’re looking for your next guinea pig to continue the colonisation of that beautiful moon. Well, count me out! Screw you all.” you declared before storming off into the heavy rain, allowing it to wet the black dress you wore.

“Yes, sir.” they obeyed before marching to you, surrounding you.

“Move, assholes!” you yelled as you tried to push through them to no avail.

“Listen, you are coming with us whether you like it or not.” said one of the men cladded in military gear.

“I don’t have to do jack shit for anyone. You can’t make m-“ your rage was cut short when you felt volts of electricity surge through your being, making you fall to the ground before knocking you unconscious.

The men wasted no time in restraining you and throwing your drenched, sleeping body into the readied vehicle, waiting to bring you to God knows where. Dr. Aragon just stood there, watching the whole thing unfold with a smug smirk on his face, simultaneously taking puffs from his cigarette.

“Seems like she’s going to be a handful, huh?” one of the scientist next to him uttered.

“She’ll learn to comply soon enough. We just need to give her the right push, that’s all.” Dr. Aragon replied as he took one last puff of smoke before throwing the cigarette to the ground, stepping on it to put out the flames.

“I’ve got one good trick up my sleeve that’ll surely get her to obey.”

“And just what might that be?”

“We’ll have to get her to Pandora first. While she’s in cryo-sleep, we shall get everything ready to perform Operation: Lab Rat. Our next project will be targeting the reef clans.”

Dr. Aragon let out a wicked chuckle, almost as if understanding where this plan was going.

“I knew I could count on my best student.”

»»————-　.　————-««

Five years later…

Waking up had never felt so draining before. Sure, a little sleepy and drowsy, perhaps an urge to fall back asleep just to bask in a few more minutes of comfort, but this time, it came with a throbbing headache. You tried your best to fall back asleep, in hopes to be rid of it, but you found your attempts futile.

Looking around, blue light surrounded the little space you were in. Your body was strapped in by safety belts, and you could feel yourself floating slightly. It didn’t take long for the panic to start setting in, as your hands started wandering, looking for any possible escape from wherever you were in.

All of a sudden, you feel yourself being ejected from the claustrophobic confinement, white light shining directly onto you. As you looked around, you were met with a figure floating in front of you, cladded in medical wear.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” the man said, in an attempt to joke lightly.

“Where am I?” you asked hesitantly, fearing the possible answers.

“We’re on our way to Pandora. Almost there, in fact.” he replied, patting your shoulder comfortingly.

His words stunned you, eyes widened in true shock. You looked around you to see others being ejected from their sleep capsules, unbuckling themselves from the safety restraints, which prompted you to do the same.

If what that man said was true, then that could only mean…

No, there was no way. This had to be a nightmare. All you had to do was close your eyes again and fall back asleep. You would be right back in your childhood bedroom in no time.

“I need everyone’s attention! It has been 5 years, 7 months, and 13 days since departure. You will feel hungry and weak to the bones. Please rehydrate yourself immediately with the water bottles in your lockers.” one of the staff announced to the room.

The look of dread on your face was no secret at this point. You didn’t care to hide your worries and panic anymore as your frantic outburst alerted everyone in the shared space, startling many of them.

It took a group of five men holding you to get you under control. That didn’t stop you from voicing your thoughts out loud, making sure your problem was now everyone else’s as well.

“Let me go! Take me home! Get me out of here! I’ll send you all to hell myself if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.” you screamed at the top of your lungs, empty threats being thrown around, mostly directed to the men restraining you.

“Sedate her immediately!” Dr. Aragon called out to the men; frustration painted his expression. “Can’t have this little bitch causing a goddamn ruckus on my ship.”

“You! You’ll be first on my hit list, motherfucker! Be glad they’re holding me back, ‘cause once I get the chance, you’ll be begging me for mer-“

You felt something sharp pierce your arm, halting your verbal assault. You tried fighting against the drowsiness, but it soon overtook you easily as you succumbed to the effects of the sedation, putting you to sleep once more.

The men were then instructed to bring you to a holding cell while the scientists bunch had an impromptu meeting together, with Dr. Aragon fuming.

“What did I say about waking her up with the other crew members? Do you imbeciles just not listen to anything I say? Her antics could’ve costed us our only chance at getting the operation running smoothly.” Dr. Aragon lectured his team sternly, his being shaking from anger.

“We are terribly sorry, sir. It seems there was an error in communication with the medical team. We’ll ensure nothing of sort will occur again.” Thomas answered apologetically, gesturing to his fellow colleagues to do the same.

“I expect better from all of you, especially you, Thomas. You’ve been with me the longest so far and this is the work being presented to me?”

“It was never my intention to disappoint you at all, sir. All I want is to provide a better life for all of humanity and serve the RDA. Please, allow me to prove it to you, and I’ll be sure to give my very best to our current cause.”

The glare that Dr. Aragon was giving Thomas was deeply unsettling. It didn’t allow him to read through his boss’ emotions at all. He couldn’t predict what his answer could be towards his pathetic plea of proving himself worthy in the eyes of the RDA. Despite that, his eye contact never faltered, hoping his determination will overshadow his nervousness.

“Once we land, notify the sterile team to have a room prepared immediately. I don’t wish to delay Operation: Lab Rat any longer. The medical team better be ready to get their hands dirty.” Dr. Aragon broke the uncomfortable silence before leaving his team.

“Yes, sir!” everyone shouted in unison, scampering to get ready for landing.

»»————-　.　————-««

The shuttle soon landed on the far east of Pandora, nearby a fleet of ships that were waiting, ready to transport the newcomers to the outskirts of Pandoran reefs. Neighbouring the Metkayina and Ta’unui clans, but still hidden enough to not alarm any of the natives. Stealth was required to ensure the colonisation of the area ran smoothly.

Soldiers geared up marched into their respective troops, the sound of combat boots synchronising. Dr. Aragon and his team were escorted onto one of the ships, with the medical team behind them pushing your once again unconscious self, secured on a stretcher with an oxygen mask. Once everyone boarded, the ship set sail and the journey to the nearby RDA base began.

“Let’s not waste any more time than we already have! Medical and sterile, gear up and get to work!” Dr. Aragon instructed with a stern tone.

“Yes, sir!” his team responded as they directed your stretcher to one of the readied surgical rooms.

»»————-　.　————-««

Doctors and nurses were busy prepping your body for the experimental procedure, while at the same time sick with worry, but not for you, however. Knowing that any failure on this would end up with someone within the base being the next test subject. The unspoken dread seems to spread all across the room as it was dead silent other than the sound of surgical tools clanking against each other.

“Jesus, just thinking about what could happen if we fuck this up again makes me want to throw up.” one of the nurses whispered.

“Well, gee, you sure know how to set the mood, huh?” another nurse replied sarcastically.

“You’re really not worried one bit? We’ve been at this for God knows how many times, and there’s not been one success case in our books.”

“Of course, I’m worried, goddamnit! I’m just trying not to think about it at the moment. So do me a favour and shut your trap!”

“How about we stop all this bickering and focus on the task at hand? It’s best not to anger the big boss of the ship.” the head nurse, Tori, intervened before a bigger argument could set off.

A few minutes had passed before Dr. Aragon entered the room, cladded in a surgical suit. Everyone stood frozen in their spots, awaiting their next order to be given.

Dr. Aragon strode over to the surgical bed, giving the marking drawn onto your sternum and just below the diaphragm a quick study before picking up a scalpel that was laid on a tray.

“Your sacrifice shall not go unsung, kid.” he said before gesturing to his team to follow his lead.

»»————-　.　————-««

Twelve hours later…

Most of the staff collapsed onto the cold vinyl flooring of the room, some of them shedding tears after a long, torturous procedure on you. The ones left standing were finishing up the stitches from your successful surgery. In fact, you were their very first and only success case ever since the RDA deemed the avatar program too expensive to continue and started their lengthy and experimental respiratory enhancing surgery on countless unwilling participants, with the hope that these test subjects can breathe Pandoran air with no need for an oxygen mask. None of them ever saw the light of day again.

Except for you.

Little did you know that this was just the beginning of your brand new existence. Your current purpose was to serve and be loyal to the RDA, and that sooner or later, you would learn to obey and do as you were told.

»»————-　.　————-««

Two weeks later…

As your eyes struggled to open, you were forced to shut them again as a bright white shine blinded your vision for a moment. Once your eyes have adjusted to the light, you looked around your surroundings to find that you were in a well-conditioned room. The softness and comfort that you felt yourself lying on signalled to you were most likely in the hospital. Have you been rescued from the RDA? Were you back on Earth? Or was all of it just a bad dream and all of that never even happened?

You were about to relish in sweet relief, only for it to be cut short when you went to raise your arm to rub the sleep from your eyes, but it was stopped short by a handcuff that was linking your wrist to the metal bed frame. You looked over to your other arm to find that it was cuffed as well.

The violent clunking that you caused had alerted a group of nurses as they rushed into the room to calm you down.

“Now, dear, I know you must be confused and terrified, but you must calm down.” one of the nurses reassured.

“Where am I? Why am I here? What have you people done to me? ANSWER ME!” you cried out angrily, continuing your struggle.

“Call the doctor in! NOW!” the head nurse ordered.

The room stared in awe and shock as Dr. Aragon walked into the room. Next to him, stood an almost ten foot tall avatar wearing a green tank top and camo cargo pants. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the figure next to the doctor, the fear and anxiety evident in your eyes.

“So, this one here was a success, huh?” the avatar voiced out while staring down at you menacingly.

“She is the first one. But not to worry, as I do plan to continue producing more test subjects.” Dr. Aragon responded. “Sooner or later, humans shall be taking over this moon without needing the aid of these dumb masks.”

The avatar chuckled at that statement before striding over to you, kneeling down to speak to you directly.

“I’m Colonel Quaritch, commander of the first Recom Squad. Just thought you should know the face of the person you’ll be taking orders from.”

“And why would I be taking any orders from the likes of you?” you spat while grimacing at the colonel.

Quaritch lips pulled into a smirk, as if he was expecting this sort of response from you. He then gestured to the other humans in the room.

“Take a good look at every single one of them. All masked up.”

You looked around the room, scanning every human face in there. They were all, in fact, masked up. You however…

…could breathe with ease.

“H… How?” you stuttered.

“Let’s just say we gave your respiratory system a bit of an… upgrade, so to speak.” Quaritch replied nonchalantly. “Financing the avatar program is getting a little too hefty for our budget, so we needed a more affordable project to continue our operation.”

All of this was getting too much for you. The stress of everything that had happened finally took a toll on your poor soul. Tears started flowing down your rosy cheeks as you sobbed pathetically in front of your audience. Everything that has happened up to this point had sealed your fate forever.

You would never see Earth again.

You would never be able to sit at your parents’ graves for a chat.

Your education could never advance.

You would never experience another day of normalcy in your pitiful existence.

“Why are you doing this? Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Please, just let me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone about this. Let me go home, please.” you begged sorrowfully, any ounce of dignity thrown away at this point.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, sweetheart.” Quaritch responded, moving to sit at the foot of the bed.

“You’re the first one to ever survive this dangerous and risky procedure. Your value here is far too important for us to just let you go. With your help, you’ll be giving mankind another chance at a better life. Treat this as a fresh start for yourself.”

You knew there was no backing out from this situation in anyway, shape and form. Your only choices on the table were to either die, possibly painfully, or follow the lead of the RDA. You weren’t exactly thrilled to be alive at this point, but entertaining the idea of death so soon wasn’t something you were up for either.

But maybe you could get yourself out of this, the only thing you needed was patience and hope, and you prayed that you would be able to stay loyal to those traits.

You allowed yourself to relax back onto the bed before turning to face Quaritch, looking him dead in the eyes.

“So, where do I start, Colonel?”

»»————-　.　————-««

a/n: that’s the end of chapter one! let me know what you think and stick around for chapter two.

like and reblog if you enjoyed!~

#bypandoramaxum #avatar #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #avatar x reader #avatar x human reader #avatar x human!reader #human reader #na'vi x human #ao'nung #ao'nung avatar #ao'nung x reader #ao'nung x human!reader #miles quaritch #quaritch #avatar fanfic #avatar fanfiction

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sgiandubh · 7 months

Text

The stigma

I do not have time to elaborate, but I think all the people in this fandom should have a real look at this. Me included:

It is a thing of wonder to constantly stigmatize a whole group of people using this umbrella term: the loons.

The person who does this several times a day, in print, personally knew some of the people she is talking about in these terms: that is no state secret, she tells us herself. People who laughed with her, shared personal details with her, supported her when she was feeling down, encouraged her. People she probably also met IRL.

In a nutshell: former friends.

Anyone can fall out of a friendship. I will not discuss her reasons, because I am in nobody's head and it is none of my business to give lessons to anyone.

I can only talk about me. I lost some friends here and there. Sometimes because I moved to another country and the relationship diluted to oblivion. Sometimes over a silly miscommunication - great friendships are always lost for idiotic reasons, in my opinion. Sometimes because I grew up and out of a particular context and it happened organically. And sometimes yes, because I was betrayed and felt disappointed with the breech of trust.

When it happens, you have exactly two choices, after you move on: a) get bitter and nasty about it and spew your venom to whoever happens to pass by or b) understand people share your path for a reason and for that same reason they might stick around for a very long time or call it quits at the next relay.

If you go with point b, you'll remember all the good things and carry on with great memories and at peace.

There is a wonderful Zen story. You can find it here, but I will quote it for the people who use Google Translate (https://isha.sadhguru.org/global/en/wisdom/article/helping-lady-across-river-zen-story):

" One day while Zen monk Tanzan and a young monk were traveling, they came to a river with a strong current. As they were preparing to cross the river, they saw a young lady in distress also attempting to cross.

Tanzan offered, “Here, let me carry you across,” and placed her down gently on the other side.

The lady said, “Thank you very much. Goodbye.” The two continued on their journey for more than half a day.

Finally, the younger monk could not contain himself any longer, and blurted out, “I thought we monks were supposed to avoid women. Why did you just do that?"

“Oh, you mean the woman way back there? I put her down long ago. Are you still carrying her?”

So why are you still carrying your former friends on your back, woman? And why are you calling loons people you have no idea about and who did nothing to you, spare answering when provoked by you?

For the newbies? Oh, give me a break. This is ridiculous and I hope you know it. People will ultimately believe whatever they want, despite your best efforts. Luring them with pronunciamientos is not exactly the way to achieve success.

I also might have prompted you to take your pills. I am very sorry for that burst of anger. It is none of my business if you need to do that. But if you do, really do it. It is about self-care.

I am also done with you, too. Write whatever you want. Spit how far and wide you want. Send how many anons you want. Call me Puffy if it suits you until the end of time. I do not care anymore and I promise your Anons will all go straight to the bin. What you need is a secondary stage and it is not going to happen in here.

#fandom

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letters-from-dekarios · 14 days

Note

Dearest,

We have arrived safely in Athkatla after an arduous journey. After we reached Candlekeep, there was a terrible storm that delayed our departure by two days. You’ll be quite pleased to know that our Atticus is practicing his reading, just as you instructed him to do. He’s growing into quite the little scholar — just like his father.

Since our arrival yesterday afternoon, my father has been showing off Atticus to all of his colleagues. To think the stone-faced Meisarch of Athkatla could be so thrilled over our little one! He is spoiling Atticus so much that I fear will refuse to leave when it is time to return home to Waterdeep.

While I am pleased to see my father and break bread with my family, being apart from you pains me so. When I awoke alone this morning, I reached for you to find only your absence. This was quickly disrupted by little Atticus scampering into my chamber to jump on the bed.

It is strange to be home, I must admit. It felt as though I took a step back in time into a life that now feels foreign to me. How strange it is to remember the younger version of myself frolicking about at parties, getting drunk on Arabellan dry, and dancing provocatively. When we met at one such party, I never would have imagined the life we share now. What a life we have lived, my darling. Neither mindflayer tadpoles nor a Netherese orb could stand in the way of what was always meant to be.

I must conclude my message, for I am running out of ink. With the final dredges of the inkwell, know that I love you and miss you to the point of utter distraction. When my inkwell is replenished, I shall write you once more. Until then, I am counting the days until we can embrace one another… in ways more than one.

Most Faithfully,

Dulcinea Gohar Selemchant-Dekarios

[Scribbled below in a child’s messy handwriting, spelling errors included: Lov you dady! Aticus]

My sweet love,

I am glad you’ve arrived safely. Please send my sincerest apologies and my warmest regards to your family for not being able to go with you. My heart ached for you as I heard news of the storm, though it is now eased upon reading your correspondence.

It thrills me to know my little Atticus is continuing his studies! Please tell him I am incredibly proud of him, his progress, and his initiative. He has much to learn, but he is catching on quickly. He reminds me all too much of myself when I was his age- let’s just hope he doesn’t conjure his own Tressym in time.

On my behalf, let your father know if he intends to keep Atticus, he will have to fight my mother for him. After your return, she requests we visit her within time. I can only imagine the two of our parents fighting to spoil him more, it gives me a headache just thinking about it.

I share the feeling of loneliness with you. While the quiet of my study has given me much room to think, I can only think of you. It pains me to know how much longer we must be away from one another. I hope the time with your family is spent joyously, though, and you needn’t spend much time worrying about me.

I oftentimes think back to our meeting. Had you told me a few years prior I would have the grandest wife and a spitting image of myself as a family, I would have died. I’d denounce my Goddess a million times over if it meant I could live an infinite amount of lives with you. I would never even think to choose the possibility of power over you. For with you, my power is greater than it could ever be.

Despite our trials, I am almost inclined to thank the beings that put us through them, as they drew us together. Without them, I’m not sure where we would be- and I fear the man I would have become had you not placed me back on your guiding path. With you, I am whole again, and I fear no troubles that I may face as long as you are by my side.

I hope you restore your inkwell soon, my love. Too long without word from you and I may begin to worry. You know it’s never good when I start to get in my own head. I look forward to being with you again, my arms ache to hold you in them. To have you in my embrace is to feel the warmth of a summer sun’s heat. It is a cold winter in Waterdeep without you here, I long for your arrival to melt the snow your absence has brought.

Return home safe, and please tell Atticus how much I adore him and how proud I am of him. I feel he may surpass even me in his skills as he grows older. Faerún save us all.

she would find, upon her return home, that gale had pinned the letter on a bulletin board hanging above his desk in his study. it was in the center of all his other memorabilia, surrounded by other letters and documents from friends and family.

Yours always and forever,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

text reads: gale dekarios

#baldur's gate 3 #fanfiction #for you #for you page #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #bg3 gale #gale fanfic #answered asks #ask response #send asks #asks #letters #writing #gale #gale fluff #baldurs gate gale #baldurs gate 3

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justabigassnerd · 1 year

Text

Secrets Always Come Back to Haunt You

Pairings - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Word count - 3,341

Warnings - swearing, Jake's shitty parents, protective Jake, brief mention of deployment, mentions of death

Summary - something Jake had been hiding from since he was 18 finally caught up with him only this time he has a daughter to protect too

A/N - it's another installment of the 'Hangman junior' universe y'all! I had this idea flying around for a while now (bc we know I'm a whore for angst) so I had to write it for y'all. I also wrote this bc I love the idea of our beloved Hangman junior being just as protective of her dad as he is of her. Anyways I'll stop rambling now. As per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!

After a long deployment that half of Dagger Squad had been on, your dad included, the team decided to head to the beach to decompress and rehabilitate a couple of days after the mission. You had of course been invited along and you were excited to hang out with those of them who had been away. You, your dad, and Bradley had packed some things to take to the beach in your dad’s truck and made the journey to the beach, despite Bradley’s insistence that you take the Bronco instead.

When you reached the beach, you greeted those who had been on the deployment happily, accepting hugs from Payback, Fanboy, and Coyote as they greeted you too. Once you’ve had a chance to speak to them and see how they’re doing, Phoenix finds the football amongst the stuff you’d brought with you and suggests you play a round of dogfight football. You opted to sit out, knowing that this game was very much something that Dagger Squad owned and they got so into it that you were honestly shocked that no one got seriously injured playing it. You sat on your towel, sliding your sunglasses on and watching the game with a smile as the team slowly got more intense. You also read your book as you soaked in the sun that was shining over the beach.

“y/n! y/n, over here!” You look up to see Fanboy waving you over as you raised an eyebrow.

“What?” You call back, wondering what he was calling you for.

“Come here!” He yells, gesturing for you to come over and you sigh heavily, putting your bookmark in your book and placing it down on the towel before getting to your feet and heading over to the group. When you reach the group, Bob passes the ball to you with an expert toss and you glance between the group, confused.

“We know you’re not big on the whole idea of dogfight football but you’re not too old for a game of catch, are you?” Jake asks, an amused smile on his face as you roll your eyes. You move to stand in a position so you could toss the ball to Coyote, who then passed it to Fanboy, who passed it to Phoenix, who passed it to Jake. Just as Jake was getting ready to pass the ball to Bob, a shout rang out across the beach.

“Jacob Seresin!” Every member of Dagger Squad whipped their heads around in your dad’s direction and when you looked over you saw a look you’d never seen on your dad before. He was tense, like every muscle in his body had been tightened and his eyes grew cold and stern as he glared over in the direction of where the voice had come from.

“Dad what’s-” You start, crossing to your dad as he drops the ball on the ground.

“y/n, you stay right here. I’ve got this handled.” He says sternly, his eyes glimmering with his overwhelming urge to protect you from whoever had just made their presence known. You didn’t even get a chance to protest before he was crossing to Bradley, telling him to keep an eye on you before making his way over to the two people who were standing by the beach wall.

“Who are they?” You ask Bradley as he comes to stand by your side, watching his boyfriend talk to the mystery people.

“No idea, kid.” Bradley was trying to hide it, but he was worried about who these people were. He’d never seen Jake react in such a way to something and the fact he banned you from checking on him only made Bradley even more concerned about what was going on. Bradley turned around for a brief moment to ask if any of Dagger Squad knew what was going on, but he was met with shaking heads and shrugs and when he turned around again, he saw you storming across the beach to come to your dad’s aid.

“Oh shit. Jake is going to kill me.”

When you reach your dad, the two people opposite him are almost yelling at him, their voices are raised and neither party is backing down. When the lady notices you, her expression shifts and she’s smiling softly at you.

“Hey, sweetheart! You’ve come to say hi, have you?” She says enthusiastically, reaching out to grab you in a hug but Jake was quicker. He stuck a protective arm out in front of you and pushed you behind him.

“Jacob don’t be like that. Your mother only wants to say hi to our granddaughter.” The man scolds your dad, and his words make you realise who these people were. Jake had never gone into a lot of detail concerning his parents, all he ever told you was that they never got on and that he left the moment he got the chance.

“You lost the right to consider y/n your granddaughter when you kicked me out and said you wanted nothing to do with me or her.” Jake says lowly, gritting his teeth as he stares down the people who made his childhood awful. The same people he swore to never be like when he held you in his arms for the first time.

“And we regret saying that Jacob.” His mother says with not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. It sounded rehearsed like she’d practiced that line a hundred times before talking to Jake.

“Uh-huh, sure you do.” You scoff from behind your dad, ignoring the gasp let out by Jake’s parents.

“You’re going to let her speak to us in this way?” Jake’s father asks, glaring at you from where you were observing behind your dad.

“She’s just not buying what you’re selling. Besides, you never answered my question about how you found me in the first place. And while you’re at it you can explain why you came all the way here when the last time, we spoke you never wanted to see me again.” Jake says coolly, keeping his gaze trained on his parents as their eyes narrow at Jake allowing you to speak to them like that.

“Well if you really need to know. Our friend Sarah and her husband Jeff, remember them? Well, they happened to be in the area, and they mentioned that they saw you. It took them several minutes to recognise you, and when they said that they saw your daughter too. And we just wanted to come and see if we could convince you to come home.” Jake’s father says, making Jake scoff as everything clicks into place in his head.

“You don’t give a shit about us. You only want us to come back because of the ranch.” Jake concludes, folding his arms across his chest as he chuckles lowly to himself. He knew his parents too well to think they’d come out of the goodness of their hearts, not that he thought they had any goodness in their hearts. You, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow behind your dad’s back, confused about what the three were talking about.

“Jacob that’s no way to talk about the family business. This ranch has been in the Seresin family for generations you can’t just throw it away because you want to play soldier.” His father spits, his eyes narrowing as he glares at his son standing strongly in front of him.

“You are not dragging my daughter into this.” Jake says protectively, pushing you further behind him so his entire body was in between you and his parents.

“You don’t get a say in this do you?” Jake’s father sneers, getting the courage to take a step forward, making Jake push you back slightly while holding his position, refusing to move an inch.

“You think you can raise this girl and drag her into the Navy and take her away from her family?” Jake’s mother then comments, making you grit your teeth at the way they assume your father is raising you.

“My dad isn’t making me do anything. He’s raised me with nothing but love and support. I know that when I choose what I want to do in the future I will be supported one hundred percent of the way. You don’t get to talk to my dad like that just because you are sad excuses of human beings who think the most important thing is a fucking family business.” You say, moving out from behind your dad, bravely staring up at your supposed grandparents. They may be related to you by blood, but they were the furthest thing from family to you.

“You little brat. I should’ve expected nothing less from a child raised by you Jacob. You’re letting the Seresin family name down.” His mother now hisses, venom in her tone as she stepped closer, only stopping when Bradley smoothly stepped in between Jake and his mother. You looked at him, shocked. You hadn’t even noticed him come over.

“I think the two of you should leave.” Bradley says calmly, acting as a barrier between Jake’s parents and you and Jake.

“Who’s this? You’ve got yourself your own personal bodyguard Jacob? Rather pathetic if you ask me, why don’t you deal with this like a man?” Jake’s father taunts, attempting to sidestep Bradley but is quickly cut off by him once more.

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you. You see Jake has something you don’t right now. He’s got an entire team of his friends just over there waiting for the moment they can jump in. And trust me, they won’t go easy on you just because you’re old.” Bradley smirks, gesturing loosely over his shoulder and Jake’s parents follow his gesture to see the entirety of Dagger Squad watching the interaction from afar. Seeing the team made the two take a step away from Bradley as he cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

“Well, I think you should consider it Jacob. Think of your daughter. She needs a stable life, not one where her father is always halfway across the world with nothing to leave behind for her. Taking over the ranch would mean she’d have something to take over once she was old enough. Besides, surely the country air would do her some good?” Jake’s mother asks in a last-ditch effort to get Jake to take over the family business and you saw the way his mother’s words cut through him like a knife and that was your final straw.

“Hey lady, I don’t give a shit if you’re my dad’s birth giver. No one and I repeat no one talks to my dad like that. Just because my dad gets deployed it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about me. He always makes it home and makes sure I have a good, stable, and comfortable life. I doubt you’d even know what a life like that was because the way you treat my dad is foul and if this is the way you’ve been treating him since he was born? You should consider yourself lucky I was nowhere near existing. You talk a big game with this ranch, assuming my dad gives a crap when you literally kicked him out for having me. You wanted nothing to do with us until I was old enough to be considered to take over the ranch. You care so little about your family, and I can’t imagine what a lonely existence that is. We have our family, and they’re here. That group of aviators have been more of a family to us than you ever have. Now would you please fuck off and leave us alone. Oh, and I think you’ll find the coastal air is much better than people give it credit for.” You say, moving to stand alongside your dad, even moving closer to stand alongside Bradley so you could really get in their faces as you spoke. You were appalled at the way they were treating your family. Bradley carefully put an arm in front of you to stop you from getting any closer to prevent you from getting hurt. Jake came to stand on Bradley’s other side and all three of you were soon staring down the pair in front of you. Jake’s father opens and closes his mouth a few times, looking like a fish out of water while his mother looks flustered and angered at the response they received. When neither party moves to do anything you cock an eyebrow and glance between the two groups.

“Are we just going to have a staring contest or are you two going to finally leave us alone?” You ask as you cross your arms, a cocky smirk appearing on your face as Jake’s parent's mutter obscenities under their breath, getting ready to turn tail and retreat before Jake steps forward, mere inches separating him and his father.

“If you ever come near me or my daughter again, stitches won’t ever fix what I will do to you.” Jake spits, his eyes blazing with protectiveness and anger as he glares at the people who failed to raise him. With Jake’s final warning hanging in the air, the two finally retreat and the moment they get in a car and drive off, Jake moves away from you and Bradley and sits down on the beach wall as you and Bradley watch him worriedly.

“I’ll check on him. You can let the others know we’re all good.” You say to Bradley who nods slightly.

“Okay, I’ll come back over in a minute.” Bradley says with a small smile, patting your shoulder before he heads back over to Dagger Squad who were still watching from afar. As Bradley, makes his way back over to the team, you cross to your dad.

“Hey dad.” You say, a small smile on your face as you sit down on the wall beside him.

“I told you to stay with Bradley. Why didn’t you do that?” Jake says, looking over at you, trying to hide his annoyance that you didn’t listen to what he asked you to do.

“The way you reacted when you heard their voices scared me. I’ve never seen you look like that before. I wanted to help.” You say, noticing Jake drop his head slightly and look away from you.

“I didn’t want you or Bradley coming over because I didn’t want you seeing the kind of people my parents are. And I didn’t want them trying to drag you into the whole family business, it’s not worth it.” Your dad admits, a hint of shame rising in his tone as he speaks. Your face falls as you notice him rapidly blinking to rid himself of any tears.

“Dad, I don’t give a crap about who your parents are. They don’t define who you are. They are shit parents. But you’re not. You chose to love and care for me when you were on the brink of joining the Navy. You did everything you could to make sure I had a good life. Don’t let their words get to you. They’re sad old loners who know that they have no one to mourn them when they’re gone because we sure as shit won’t.” You say comfortingly, resting a hand on his shoulder and moving to sit closer to your dad as he offers you a slight smile.

“What have I been saying about language, huh?” He teases quietly before wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into a hug which you reciprocate instantly. Your dad wasn’t the best with his words, so he portrayed how he felt with his actions instead. The way he held you tightly as if you’d disappear if he loosened his grip and the feather-light kisses you felt him press against the top of your head told you everything you needed to know. He was beyond grateful for your words and hugging you and pressing repeated kisses to the top of your head was the best way he could express it.

“Everything okay over here?” You lift your head from where it was buried in your dad’s shoulder to smile over at Bradley who was approaching with a gentle smile as he sat down on Jake’s other side.

“We’re okay. I’m sorry you had to see that. I was thinking they’d never come here. Guess you can’t outrun secrets, they always come back to haunt you.” Jake mumbles, looking over at Bradley who reaches over and interlocks his hands with one of Jake's.

“Hey, I’m not dating you for your parents. I don’t give a shit about them. I do, however, care about you.” Bradley says softly, squeezing Jake’s hand as Jake slowly releases you from his grasp so he can turn to face Bradley and move closer to him.

“You’re not alone either. You’ve got us by your side.” Bradley assures, pressing a delicate kiss to the back of his hand as Jake rolls his eyes jokingly.

“You big softie.” He laughs lightly yet still smiling lovingly at Bradley as they untangled their hands.

“Yet you love me for it.” Bradley grins as Jake finds himself nodding.

“That I do, yes.” Jake says, agreeing as the two slowly move closer before connecting their lips in a precious kiss. Jake’s hand making its way up to play with the hair on the nape of Bradley’s neck while Bradley’s hands cupped Jake’s face, bringing him impossibly closer. When the two finally parted for air, you awkwardly cleared your throat.

“Dad, as much as I love that you love Bradley. Can we do less making out in front of your daughter and more having fun at the beach? I’ll even play a game of dogfight football as long as you all promise not to murder me.” You say, dodging Jake’s hand reaching out to mess with your hair and when the two share a look you recognise all too well you leap to your feet and run over to the rest of Dagger Squad.

“Fanboy, hide me!” You exclaim as you hide behind him, hearing the playful shouts of your dad and Bradley ringing out across the beach.

“y/n, I love you but no.” Fanboy says, sidestepping out of the way as Jake runs over, chucking you over his shoulder as both he and Bradley wade out into the sea. Jake then readjusts the way he’s holding you. He holds you bridal style in his arms and tells Bradley to hold your wrists while he holds your ankles. Sensing what they’re doing you begin to plead for them to not do it but they ignore you, swinging you lightly before tossing you into the waves. When you emerge, soaked through, the two men are bent double, laughing their asses off at you. You roll your eyes at the two men and then decide to jump on your dad’s back, hugging him tightly.

“Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?” You joke as you splash Bradley with your free hand.

“Language!” Both men laugh as you groan at their scolding. Dagger Squad, tired of watching from the sidelines all decide to join the three of you in the ocean and soon the whole team was swimming around, splashing each other and even tossing the football amongst each other as you share a grin with your dad.

Despite Jake not wanting you to get involved in the drama surrounding him and his parents, he couldn’t help but be incredibly proud of how you dealt with the situation. You stood up for both yourself and him and he found himself more and more grateful you were in his life by the second. He watched as you passed the ball to Payback while Phoenix splashed water at you to try and throw you off but your aim was perfect as usual.

“You good, Jake?” Bradley asks as he wades up to Jake, following his gaze to you as Jake nods with a smile.

“I am good, Bradley. I’m very good.”

taglist (comment or message to be added):

@zbeez-outlet @kaceywithak

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viridiave · 11 months

Text

a very long post about opinions on the OT2 character themes

> disclaimer: these are the ramblings of someone who has not formally studied music or music theory and is just going off of the vibes that they got from listening to the character themes over and over. so uh please take these opinions like the opinions that they were meant to be

> also MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD, PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

OCHETTE

Ochette, the Hunter

- I love this theme. The first time I heard the samples on the Octopath website I fell in love instantly and was convinced that Ochette was going to be my starter just because of how EPIC it sounded. When the full version came out, my feelings on it being epic did not change one bit because it captures the spirit of going on a grand mission SO WELL, and the theme itself feels like it represents Toto'haha as a whole more than just Ochette, reminding us every time of the gravity of their situation. Of course I have maybe too many problems with her actual story but damn if it doesn't do a great job at being cinematic. You can just tell the dev team had so much fun making scenes with the scale of the Legendary Beasts in mind

- also I'm not the only one who hears a slight choir in the background right.

In Pursuit of Legends

- easily one of the best pre-battle themes in the game - the high wind instruments just send chills down my spine no matter what situation Ochette is put in, and when we hear it for the last time in Ochette 3 - oh BOY does it feel incredible. Speaking of Ochette 3

The Journey for Legends Ends

- Out of all the Journey Ends remixes Ochette's version of it is undoubtedly one of my favorites - easily cracks the top 3. In my first run of OT2, I saved Ochette 3 for last, and having it be against the fight against the Darkling?? The high wind instrument sounded like WAILING and I can't get over how fitting that is given everything that the Darkling had gone through until this moment. The whole island is at stake but our attention is all on the Darkling's suffering and honestly? That whole sequence made me forget about the problems I had with Ochette's story and got me to cry a bit because holy shit

CASTTI

Castti, the Apothecary

- I don't have too many strong feelings about Castti's theme, but I dearly appreciate how subdued and somber it sounds. It fits Castti's journey of finding her memories so well and I just generally have no complaints.

- HER LEITMOTIF HOWEVER - the theme used in every flashback sequence incorporates it so well that I cry every goddamn time that it's used. THIS IS THE THEME THAT HER CHAPTER 3 ENDED WITH. IT'S SO SAD AND LOST THAT IT JUST AKSJAKS WHAT DID NISHIKI INJECT INTO THIS THEME???

In Pursuit of Memories

- I love For Succor from the first game. Easily one of the most cinematic-sounding pre-battle themes. In Pursuit of Memories takes everything that made For Succor amazing and TURNS IT UP TO 11 AND WOW THOSE TRUMPETS ARE SENDING CHILLS UP MY SPINE. Castti's leitmotif messes up my brain a lot it's great

The Journey for Memories Ends

- As much as I wanted Castti's rendition of this song to crack the top 3 my god the renditions that DID just made me feel way more BUT HECK IF THIS DIDN'T MAKE ME FEEL A LOT OF THINGS

- Having her theme be up against Trousseau feels incredibly triumphant. Like she's being backed up by Eir's Apothecaries as she fights like Jesus they went SO HARD

THRONE

Throne, the Thief

- I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this but. I especially don't have strong feelings about Throne's theme. I like it enough, I'm a sucker for strings and I think it suits her well, but I feel like it blends too much into the rest of the soundtrack. It could be the instrument choice, it could be the chords? I promise I like the strings. I also love how it played in her ending. I feel nothing but happiness for Throne when I see her endcard I love it so much

In Pursuit of Freedom

- To be completely honest I have to strain my ears to actually hear Throne's motif in the pre-battle theme but I don't have a lot to say about it - definitely blends in too much with the violins.

The Journey for Freedom Ends

- OKAY THE LOW ELECTRIC GUITAR RIFFS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE RENDITION? GOD-TIER - FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE AND THEY'RE REALLY GOOD BUILDUP

- As for the rest of it it's fine I guess? Like I like hearing it and battling with it but I think the first time around I was way too confused with the bombshells that Claude dropped on us for me to properly appreciate the music

OSVALD

Osvald, the Scholar

- At first I thought this was a pretty generic somber theme that REALLY loves its cellos, but in my second playthrough I grew to appreciate it a lot more. Without changing a single note, Osvald's theme goes from somber to triumphant over the course of his story and it's kind of insane to me?? Like it fits way too well with the bittersweet ending that he has but has so much room for hope and somehow his character theme captures that so well??? Gods bless you Osvald

In Pursuit of Revenge

- Gotta say - I don't have a lot of feelings on this either. Other than to say that it's badass and imposing as all hell

The Journey for Revenge Ends

- OKAY I HONESTLY DID NOT THINK THAT THIS THEME COULD EVER FIT A FUCKING. DRAGON BALL KAMEHAMEHADOUKEN DUEL BETWEEN HIM AND HARVEY BUT THE ELECTRIC GUITAR MELODY PROVED ME SO WRONG. THIS THEME GOT ME REALLY HYPED UP

- Honestly the fact that I was maybe rooting for Osvald too hard to just kick Harvey's ass because he hurt Elena probably helped BUT STILL AWESOME THEME

PARTITIO

Partitio, the Merchant

- God. The moment I heard the electric guitars I was already sold but then the SAX kicked in and it's like 'YO ALRIGHT WE'RE BALLING'

- this post really started out with me describing actual feelings. Don't worry we're still going to talk about feelings but I don't have much to say about Partitio's theme other than it's awesomea and that people should play it in bars

In Pursuit of Happiness

- man this game is really giving me a great appreciation of the power of electric guitars. I see the appeal now. I especially see it in Partitio's leitmotif cuz man it really makes me want to end poverty. Unfortunately I don't have Partitio's business acumen OR his exuberance so I like. The most I can actually do is look into charity and volunteer work but this theme reminds me that that's good effort too

The Journey for Happiness Ends

- Gotta say? I don't have a lot of strong feelings about this rendition. Like I love Partitio and his story's ending to BITS but I think the fact that we're fighting a whole-ass steam-powered war train had the more staying power for me in this fight. Not that his theme was bad by any means because MAN that electric guitar solo goes bonkers

AGNEA

Agnea, the Dancer

- HANDS-DOWN MY FAVORITE OF ALL THE 8PATH2 CHARACTER THEMES - IT JUST SOUNDS AMAZING NO MATTER WHAT CONTEXT YOU PUT IT IN. I also love that it just ends up existing in-universe as full on diagetic noise for Agnea's encore at the end of her story? HELL I ALREADY SAID I'M A SUCKER FOR STRINGS BUT AGNEA'S THEME JUST SOUNDS SO HOMEY AND WHIMSICAL AND IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME REALLY WANT TO DANCE. AND I SUCK AT DANCING!

- Gil's piano version also just flat-out brings me to tears. God bless you Agnea motif. Why is it so good at being emotional. The evolution of this song throughout Agnea's journey just hits me on so many levels. Music and dance as a form of human expression and communication is fully on display with Agnea's story and her theme reflects that perfectly

In Pursuit of Hope

- how do I gush over Agnea's leitmotif even more without just repeating myself. it's just so good. it's so hype even if the situations themselves are relatively low-stakes. like she's just having a really intense talk with the manager of the theater and the battle theme goes HARDER THAN IT SHOULD

Song of Hope

- HONESTLY WHAT CAN I EVEN SAY ABOUT SONG OF HOPE THAT HASN'T ALREADY BEEN SAID. SONG OF HOPE BEING THE FINAL FORM OF AGNEA'S THEME LIKE IT'S A SUPER SAIYAN HAVING THEIR POWER LEVELS GO OVER 9000. THE FACT THAT IN-UNIVERSE IT'S ACTUALLY HER SINGING IT. THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE SONG THAT BEATS DOLCINAEA LUCIEL. THE FACT THAT THEY'RE BOTH SINGING IT ACTUALLY IT'S SO GOOD

- man I wish sometimes that whenever Agnea uses her EX Song of Hope we got like. a little jingle of her theme and her singing the lyrics. I love Song of Hope so much it's my second-favorite Journey Ends theme. Yes I know it technically doesn't qualify but come onnnn

TEMENOS

Temenos, the Cleric

- okay now I'm REALLY going to get flack for this. I actually don't like Temenos's theme. There's specific reasons for this and most of them have to do with his story. It was already one of the character themes that I felt relatively neutral on when I first heard it, and my first impression was that 'mmmm okay. what's throne's theme sound like-'. The demo came out and gave us Chapter 1, and suddenly it makes sense why it sounds so funky - it represents his character from Chapter 1 so well! It tells us a lot about Temenos - that he's lackadaisical, full of doubt, and that there's more to him than meets the eye. It's true to his character as a detective who likes to mess with his assistant sometimes

- But then Stormhail happened, and it's like. The whimsical tones of his theme really didn't suit the tone of the rest of his story OR his character going forward. Crick's death has dramatically changed the feel of his story, and from that moment on it's pretty clear that Temenos is out for revenge more than he is out for truth - but his theme doesn't reflect that. In fact it feels like it's acting in defiance of the tone shift, feeling almost dismissive of the emotional plot points of his story. On a meta level I think it's interesting how it reflects Temenos's state of mind, sticking to his pursuit in order to avenge everybody he lost and keeping his emotions bottled up. Emotionally however it feels incredibly dissonant - especially when it plays over his endcard.

In Pursuit of Truth

- Honestly for how much flack I gave his character theme I have to give it to his leitmotif for being incorporated in incredibly interesting ways for his battle themes. I did NOT think that the Celestas?? Glockenspiels??? Whatever those brass instruments were - they were INTENSE

The Journey for Truth Ends

- Same words that I have for In Pursuit of Truth like oh my god I didn't think they could make his funky-sounding leitmotif sound so badass but they DID and it felt immensely satisfying to kick Kaldena's ass as the music played. Savor that satisfaction because my god the rest of his story arc does not have a lot of that

HIKARI

Hikari, the Warrior

- I'm partial to Eastern instruments and chord progression! Hikari's theme sounds incredibly regal and it tells us a lot about his character - he's noble, kind, and a great leader. It's a theme that's fit for a king and honestly what more can you ask for?

- also when the bridge plays with the peaceful tones of high wind instruments my heart is just. It is at ease. All is right in the world. tHEN IT'S BACK TO THE INTENSE PARTS WAHOO

In Pursuit of Kingship

- OKAY BEFORE THE GAME CAME OUT I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LISTENED TO THE LEAKED SOUNDTRACK OVER AND OVER BECAUSE OH MY GOD HIKARI'S LEITMOTIF GOES SO HARD - I literally SCREAMED when I first heard the leaked version and honestly through the choppy audio and the chunky part of the video - you all know the one - this theme was the one that convinced me that Octopath Traveler 2 was going to be something special. I screamed out loud to several people I knew that this? Seamless transition into Critical Clash II?? It sounded like Latin Honors.

The Journey for Kingship Ends

- So, picture me on my first run, intending to finish the second game this time in reverse OCTOPATH order, meaning I started with Hikari's final chapters. Sure I switched Temenos and Throne around for the order but that was fine, I'm in Ku, and we're about to finally kick Mugen's ass because I fucking hate Mugen. The chapter begins with Kazan literally summoning a sandstorm to open the gates of Ku. I am already so hyped. Then Clan Mei arrives. I am even more hyped. THEN WE FINALLY GET TO KICK RITSU'S ASS, AND HEY OCTOPATH 2, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS A BOSS RUSH??? I get to Mugen. I beat his first phase. I fight Hikari's intrusive thoughts and win. Mugen does some eldritch shit. AND THEN THIS FUCKING THEME KICKS IN AND I WAS JUST THROWN BACKWARDS INTO MY SEAT

- IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE BEST RENDITION OF THE JOURNEY ENDS REMIXES - THE MUSICAL PROGRESSION FROM THE FIGHT AGAINST RITSU, THEN A TASTE OF FOR THE DAWN WITH MUGEN'S FIRST PHASE, THEN CONQUERING THE SHADOW, AND THEN THIS - IT WAS SO GOOD?? AND IT SOUNDS SO TRIUMPHANT LIKE - HIKARI IS ON THE CUSP OF VICTORY AND PEACE IS AT HIS FINGERTIPS. KU WILL FINALLY SEE THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY. THAT IS WHAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE AND IT'S THE MOST AMAZING THING AND I LOVE IT

so yeah i'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on the character themes. feel free to disagree with my opinions! I welcome it!

#octopath #octopath traveler 2 #ot2 spoilers #octopath ochette #castti florenz #throne anguis #osvald v. vanstein #partitio yellowil #agnea bristarni #temenos mistral #hikari ku #this is a long boi #feel free to disagree with me in the comments #i welcome it all

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pixeldistractions · 13 days

Text

When Colette made it down to the kitchen, she was pleased to see homework books open and being worked on. One less thing to stress about. Dinner though. She called in an order for takeout. Colette didn’t cook. Actually, that was another thing Jordan left them to deal with on their own. As it turned out, he cooked more than she did. And even when he didn’t cook, he often brought leftovers home from the hotel kitchen or brought the boys in after school for dinner.

So much for that. But Colette wasn’t broke, and they would eat somehow.

“We can go on the train,” Milo suggested after she’d hung up the phone. “We can ride it by ourselves. You don’t even have to take us.”

“No,” Colette said. “You can’t, actually. Not until you’re ten. And I’m not sending you to live in a camper. But since you all love to go behind my back, why don’t you tell your dad to get a real place to live? He doesn’t even have electricity—did he tell you that? Could you live without all your video games for even a weekend? Just finish some of that homework. I do not want another email from your teacher. C’s are not acceptable. And I hate your hair like that, it’s too long.”

“God, Mom, chill,” Felix said. “Maybe if you weren’t so crazy all the time, Dad wouldn’t’ve left.”

She felt that one like a dagger in her gut.

Milo didn’t chime in, but he didn’t defend her honor, either.

Those boys would never know how close they’d come to seeing their beloved game console spiked through the center with the sharp heel of her pump, shattered into pieces, then scooped up in a dustpan and thrown into the bay.

But she didn’t do that, because she was a grown-up. She was the one who held everything together and cleaned up everyone else’s messes.

To hell with both of them. To hell with everything and everyone.

She closed her eyes, balled her fists so tight that her fingernails made crescent-shaped indents in her palms. “I’m having a bath,” she said. “That homework will be finished by the time I’m done or God help me, I will throw your games into fucking bay! And if you don’t think I can throw that far from here, I dare you to try me.”

There was tension in her shoulders that she needed someone to pound out. She could also use a good pounding, but she couldn’t begin to imagine how to make that happen now. Jordan had been good at giving both, once upon a time. Shame he had to fail her in absolutely every other possible way.

She had her yearly checkup that morning.

Your blood pressure is high. Are you getting any exercise? Eating fresh fruits and veggies? Making time for self-care?

Please. Her children’s father fucked off to the wilderness on a journey of enlightenment or some bullshit and excuse me, fucking self-care? Can you just get the exam over with and get me out of this paper gown?

Colette didn’t have any date to go on. She did match with a trauma surgeon on her dating app, and he did sound very successful. She had been hopeful that he could administer a good pounding, or at the very least, maybe he could help with her high blood pressure. But she didn’t have a babysitter for the boys, because their father was a flake.

The boys were asleep and their homework books were stacked by the time her bath was finished. She wasn’t going to check the homework. She knew there was no possible way Milo could complete his fifteen missing assignments in one night.

They had eaten the takeout she ordered, and she didn’t order anything for herself. She would eat rice crackers from a paper bowl.

Self-care? She cleaned a whole man out of her house, and maybe that was her self-care.

What few things he left here she threw in the trash—a toothbrush, a small pile of dirty work clothes, a pair of muddy boots. As it turned out, she never let him keep much here in the first place.

But the couch smelled like him, like orange soap and wood chips and campfire smoke. So she trashed that, too. And she bought another one. She spent a whole paycheck on it, and she framed the whole room around it. This wasn’t the kind of couch anyone would ever sleep on. The leather was cold and hard, the angles sharp, the color was an eye-searing fuchsia, and the design was exquisite. It was like a piece of art.

She bought a flamboyant vase for a very fake plant. She bought a thin bookcase for books she wouldn’t read. The room felt beautiful and hollow.

— from “boxes and squares #4.1: first fall apart” (4/5)

Next ->

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #sims story #colette #milo #felix

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heliads · 4 months

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And of course I am obliged to send in a Magnificent Seven request as your resident Magnificent Seven mutual! (Although if I wasn’t supposed to send in more than one I am sorry and you can feel free to get rid of whichever request you like least.)

Anyways, could I maybe ask for the Magnificent Seven as a group with a platonic female reader? They meet the teenage reader while on a mission where she offers to help them out with her sharpshooting skills, and after seeing how skilled she is an how she doesn’t really have anywhere to go they offer her a place with them. She has a good relationship with everyone and is either a daughter or younger sister figure to the rest of the Seven - or, rather, Eight with her on the team - but they all get the sense that there’s something she’s holding back. Finally, while gathering information for a mission, they notice her talking to another young woman and looking very flustered and manage to peace together what’s happening: the reader likes girls and was too scared to tell them for fear of getting kicked out of the group. So as a group, they all sit her down and talk to her and tell her that of course they accept her and would never leave her, and she admits they’re really the only family she’s ever had and it’s all really familial and sweet?

Again, thanks so much in advance if you do choose to write this, and I do hope you’re doing well!! <3

'eight of us' - the magnificent seven

masterlist

Sam Chisholm is starting to think that this whole journey may never end.

That’s not terrible, all things considered. A week or two ago, Sam was pretty certain that he would end up dead by daylight. Cowboys and outlaws, convicts and loners, don’t tend to stay alive long in these parts, and if they do manage to eke a living, it’ll be desperate and constantly challenged by nature and man alike. He’s alive. His traveling companions are alive. That should be all he needs to puff out his chest and say that he’s lived a good life.

Still, though. Questions plague him as they do any other man. Questions like if he should carry on in this fashion, for one thing, and with these people. He enjoys the other six men in what local legend has started to call the ‘Magnificent Seven,’ and although the title seems rather magnanimous for Sam’s taste, he can’t deny that it’s got a certain ring to it. Finding someone you truly trust to watch your back in a firefight is a rare thing. If Sam’s got it now, why should he give it up?

Maybe it’s the uncertainty of it all that really has Sam wondering where his life will lead him. When he was younger, the mystery of a life on the road called to him like an apple in the Garden of Eden. Sure, his childhood friends could find themselves something special by settling down with someone, or finding a stable job they knew would keep them fed, clothed, and out of trouble, but that had never attracted Sam like the allure of a bit of danger.

He’s got a job too, anyway. He’s a regular U.S. Marshal, against all odds. Not that Sam getting the job was any rare occurrence, just that he’s still got it. Sam is one of the rare men who seems to enjoy thrusting himself directly in the path of danger. The fact that he hasn’t ended up on the wrong side of a duel or bar brawl yet is a minor miracle.

If he were in the mood for some introspection, plain and simple, Sam would admit that he recently came pretty damn close to the end of the road for that front. In an effort to liberate the frontier town of Rose Creek from some mining tycoons, he had rallied up a group of fine men and women to fight greedy fools who’d become too attached to their own coin purses and not nearly fond enough of their own fellow man. The idea had been good. It had been done for the right reasons.

Still, as dawn came over the liberated town, Sam and the others nearly found themselves celebrating in a casket instead of an open bar. Sam can’t quite describe it, how the danger of it all still hangs over him like a foggy morning’s chill. He’s been in fights before, bad ones. He’s no stranger to the whistle of gunfire, the knowledge that he might not make it out alive. Still, there was never anything like this.

Maybe that’s why he hasn’t yet moved on to his typical life. He’ll still uphold the law, of course, you can take the man out of the office but you can’t take the office out of the man, but he can do it with several friends by his side. It’s a fine thing, not being alone. It tests your patience something terrible when you’ve got a chorus of snores going when you’re trying to catch forty winks, but it reminds you that you’re not alone in this great and glorious world of yours. It makes Sam think that he might have done something right beyond the requirements of duty. Sam found a family of sorts, and he’s got them no matter what.

No, he decides, he won’t leave. In fact, he might even test the boundaries of this band of brothers by adding another member. Sam has been the de facto leader of the bunch for a while now, perhaps because it sometimes feels like he’s the only one capable of making decisions with a clear head more than half the time, but the others respect his resolutions wholeheartedly whenever he goes to the trouble of pronouncing one.

So, when Sam announces late one night that he’d like to welcome a neighborhood stray into the group, no one objects. The decision has been a long time in the making, that much is clear. There’s been a girl hanging around their camp for a while now, a teenager out of school but not the least bit interested in a marriage proposal.

From what Sam has observed, and he’s had plenty of time to do so, Y/N L/N is far more interested in the careful care and usage of her gun than any boy her age. Not that he can blame her; the scrubby adolescents in this small town, just like in any other identical village before or after it on the long road to salvation or at least the eastern seaboard, are a riotous mess of bad decisions and cracking voices. Shotguns are far more fascinating creatures, and at least they aim true if given proper care and attention.

Y/N’s offered to join their group a few times by now, the offers ranging wildly in nuance and discretion. The first time, she was extraordinarily cagey with her words, mentioning only that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if, you know, she was to spend a little more time with the wayward men than normal. A few days later, she brought up how useful her sharpshooting abilities would be on the road. Yesterday, she tracked Sam down and informed him none too cautiously that, on account of her family being nowhere to keep her tied down, she would have nothing stopping her from joining their ranks.

Sam had laughed and told her that he’d think about it. True to his word, Sam has been pondering the matter for a while. Y/N’s a fine fellow. Her conversation is good and her manners better, even when she’s trying to push the matter of her acceptance into the band of travelers. She wasn’t exaggerating when talking to Sam earlier, either; Y/N’s skill with a gun is nothing short of spectacular. If Sam was looking for additional people to join their party, she’d be the first on his list. And, since there’s nothing stopping him from swelling the ranks, he decides that they’ll take her on. Easy as that.

He tells her the next morning, after the men have had time to sit and ponder the nature of their new visitor. They were all accepting of this new condition, of course, but Sam didn’t really think there would be any problems. Heaven knows Goodnight’s been hinting awful heavy that it wouldn’t be all that bad were they to take on another poor soul in their quest to liberate small towns from tyranny.

Y/N, too, is thrilled. She does her best to play it down, of course, not wanting to seem needlessly exuberant, but Sam can see it in her eyes that she’s pleased. It doesn’t take long for her to pack up her belongings and sell the rest, which concerns him a little. In the end, any observation of her affairs makes him all the happier that they’ve taken her on.

And so the Magnificent Seven– no, make it eight now– leaves town once again, setting their sights for the long and restless road. Y/N’s got a horse of her own, and although it may be no champion thoroughbred, it’s got good legs and can keep up with the rest without getting tired, which is never something to scoff at. For the first few days or so, Y/N is overly careful to be polite and avoid offending anyone by accident, but then the shyness wears off and it’s like she’s been one of them all this time.

A few months in, Sam can hardly remember a time when Y/N wasn’t there. She’s laughing the hardest at Faraday’s jokes around the campfire, she’s an ace shot when they need firearm support, she’s just as much one of them as Sam himself.

Only–

Only, there’s something she still isn’t telling them. Sam can’t put a name on it for certain, but he’s devoted an awful lot of time to watching people for secrets, and he’s pretty sure she’s got one that she isn’t all that inclined to tell him. All of the signs are there: shifting eyes, odd silence on certain topics, quick changes of conversation when one of them starts asking her questions she doesn’t want to answer. Normally, Sam wouldn’t begrudge anyone for their silence, they’ve all got things they’d rather not speak on, but Y/N has never been anything but open. This sort of wariness from her is unusual, and it makes Sam wonder just what sort of secret she’s so intent on keeping.

He carefully brings it up to Goodnight in private, just to ask the other man’s thoughts, but the former soldier agrees with him, says he’s noticed it on his own, too. Goodnight is sure the secret is harmless, but Sam has seen many a harmless secret turn into something quite harmful indeed under the blunt force of pressure and fear.

It’s not like he doesn’t trust Y/N. He does. She’s more than proven herself capable of watching his back in a fight. She’s one of the more honest people he’s ever met, but the weight of this secret has clearly been gnawing at her for a while, and sometimes that kind of force can wear a person thin before they least expect it.

He should ask her what it is. He should wait until she brings it up first. Sam’s mind is torn between methods of how to go about finding out this secret, but then when he’s least expecting it, the answer arrives to him in the form of a visit to a new town.

The party has been there for an hour or two before Sam finally gets what he’s been wanting: some answers. They’ve split up a little to canvas the streets and get information. Supposedly, a band of thieves has been terrorizing this town, but since they wear masks, no one knows their true identities. Sam has just finished thanking an elderly gentleman for telling him all he knows about the attackers when he turns to see Y/N talking to a young woman about her age.

Well, talking is really an overstatement. The young lady is talking, to be sure. Y/N seems hardly able to get a sentence out. Her face looks hot and she’s stammering, more flustered than Sam has ever seen her. Funnily enough, it reminds Sam of a few boys from his hometown when they were talking to the girls they liked–

Oh.

And then it hits him. That’s the secret, then. Y/N manages to wrap up the conversation and starts walking back down the street, but she’s not gone far before she runs into Sam. They don’t even have to say anything for Y/N’s face to fall. Her eyes go wide with fright. When you’ve been holding a secret within yourself for so long, when you’ve been so terrified of discovery, you know when somebody’s found you out because you’ve imagined that very scenario happening hundreds of times before. Sam knows, and Y/N knows too.

He gestures for her to walk with him, and Y/N does, her footsteps uneven and unsteady. “Y/N,” Sam says pleasantly, “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

“I think you already know,” she whispers. “It’s not– if you want me to leave the group, I would understand.”

This shocks Sam more than the revelation. “Why on earth would I do that? You’re a proud member of our little circle, Miss L/N, I’m not inclined to get rid of you unless you wish to be rid of us.”

Y/N casts him a quick, disbelieving glance. “Are you sure? I mean, now that you know that I– that I like girls.”

Sam chuckles. “So do many of the rest of us, and that hasn’t seemed to discourage anyone.”

A slow, careful smile blossoms on Y/N’s face. “You’re sure?”

“Very,” Sam answers her. “If you’d like to tell the others, I’m sure they’d have the same reaction as me. We’re a company, Y/N. We stick together.”

“That we do,” Y/N murmurs.

The rest of the group is waiting up ahead of them, ready to review the information they’ve learned. Sam meets Goodnight’s eyes and nods once, signaling that he’s found out what’s been keeping their youngest member so occupied. Y/N nods too. She’s got something to say, but for once, she isn’t afraid.

requested by @faerieroyal, i hope you enjoy!

magnificent seven tag list: message me to be added!

all tags list: @wordsarelife

#magnificent seven #magnificent seven imagines #magnificent seven x reader #magnificent seven oneshot #magnificent seven fanfic #the magnificent seven #the magnificent seven imagines #the magnificent seven x reader #the magnificent seven oneshot #the magnificent seven fanfic #sam chisholm #sam chisholm oneshot #sam chisholm fanfic

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attackfish · 5 months

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can I have more avatar ursa au?

Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

1. There wasn't a day that went by that Ursa didn't miss her children, that she didn't long to have them with her, that she didn't feel their absense, and Ozai's control over them like a knife blow. So why is it so hard to have them with her? If she thought the time on the water, as she sailed back to the North Pole, would be a time of healing and reconnecting, both her children soon disabuse her of this notion. At first it's just Azula, full of fury and fear, and full of accusations that her mother stole her away from the only parent who really loved her (and doesn't that make Ursa, who loves her daughter so much, want to scream) and in doing so, stole the throne away from her. But now it's Zuko too, pushing and pushing, and pushing, like he's trying to get her to snap.

2. Of course that's exactly what Zuko is doing, and if Ursa had any space to breathe and think, she would figure it out pretry quick. He's spent so long dancing to his father's tune, trying sho hard to be his father's perfect son, so that he doesn't disappoint him, like he always, always does, that all he can think to do is try to push his mother until ahe pushes back, just so she will punish him, and he will get it out of the way and know what the worst is. and the more he pushes and she doesn't punish, the more anxious he gets, until he's wound so tight the thinks he will be the one to snap.

3. And this is how they sail into the harbor at the North Pole, Ursa and her children, and all of the anger, fear, and resentment traveling with them. Kanna, Kya, and Kya's children aren't waiting for them. How could they? They had no way of knowing when she would be back. But a messanger sends for them as soon as Ursa steps off the boat, each of her children's hands clasped in her own. Zuko spends the entire journey to the palace and the suite of guest rooms Ursa has called her own (and Kya's, and Kanna's, and Sokka and Katara's) practically babbling with nerves. Is she really the Avatar? Has she really been learning to waterbend? But Father will want her dead, he will have her killed, he will want to know why Zuko didn't try to kill her, he will... But Azula is silent the whole way. She doesn't even snap back at ther brother or tell him to shut up. And Ursa knows her daughter well enough to know that's not good, to know she's planning something.

4. But none of them ever get to know what Azula is planning, because when Kya sees Ursa, she runs up to her, throws her arms around her, and kisses her, with joy, relief, and love. And Azula explodes. How dare they? They are disgusting, unnatural, this is because her mother is the Avatar and a demon in human form, and this is why she could never love their father, and he was right all along, she is sick, and evil, and... And this is how Kya, and Kanna, and Sokka and Katara all meet Ursa's children.

5. And Ursa needs to tell her it's not true, and she doesn't get to speak to people that way, And somehow she needs to make her understand that no, the reason she couldn't ever love Ozai was because he was the one who was evil. It was because of the way he treated her, right from the start, and worse, the way he treated Zuko and Azula. And she knows, she has to believe, that someday Ozai's words will dry up, that Azula will run out of them and have to start using her own. But right now, she is so, so tired.

#avatar the last airbender #atla ursa #azula #zuko #atla kya #posts i created #do you want to ask a question it doesn't have to be a question #five headcanons #zuko is a dweeby little turtleduck #azula needs her own warning #(not) the last waterbender at the south pole #sokka the meat and sarchasm guy #katara is the answer

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quietwings-fics · 6 months

Text

took a little journey to the unknown

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: N/A Fandom: Supernatural Ship: Genfic (Amara & Lucifer) Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Young Lucifer (Supernatural), Aunt Amara (Supernatural), Family Bonding, Curiosity Wordcount: 2073 Summary:

Lucifer finds Amara fascinating. Even if Michael and God say he should stay away, he can't help dogging her heels, eager to learn more.

Michael gave Lucifer very clear instructions. “Don’t leave your nest,” and, “I’ll only be gone for a little while, so wait for me,” and, “Why don’t you take a nap, Lucifer?” Lucifer had listened and nodded and then, peered over the edge of the nest he and Michael shared to watch his brother go. He waited until Michael was out of sight before tumbling his way free. He spread his wings, which still felt too big for the rest of him — especially compared to Michael, who had told Lucifer how he had been created fully-formed where Lucifer was meant to grow. Lucifer still didn’t understand why their Father made him this way, and Michael, in turn, didn’t understand why Lucifer felt the need to ask so many questions.

He couldn’t help himself. Michael got more frustrated by Lucifer’s questions than God did and rarely had the answers he wanted, but whenever he did ask their Dad, He’d talk on and on and on until Lucifer was squirming and needed to stretch his wings before he went crazy. That was usually the point at which Dad would sigh, pass Lucifer over to Michael, and tell Michael to answer the questions that endlessly flowed out of Lucifer, starting the whole process over again.

At a certain point, Lucifer had decided it would be better for him to go looking for answers on his own. He was big enough. Michael had taught him to fly through clumsy and sometimes harrowing lessons, ones that had Lucifer losing his way in clouds of space dust and often getting carried back to their nest by his older brother when he got too tired.

He would be back before Michael even noticed he was gone. He flapped his wings, lifting himself into the air with none of the grace his brother had left with but stubbornly persisting anyway.

There were so many things to see out there. The universe around them was always in flux. Lucifer thought the only constants might be him, Michael, God, and Her.

Technically, Lucifer wasn’t supposed to talk to Her.

If their Father really wanted him to stop, than He would have done it already. Therefore, He obviously didn’t care whether Lucifer spent time with Her. Maybe He even wanted him to. That made sense to Lucifer. Michael loved him, and Dad loved him, so how could She not?

Lucifer glided, wobbly, focusing all of his effort on keep himself from turning too far one way or the other. There were sometimes waves of energy that he could ride to ease the strain of flying. His favorite were the solar flares of newborn suns, so hot that they made his feathers tingle and reminded him of Michael, sending him off with a burst so powerful it nearly always knocked him off-course but was worth it every time. There were others, even more powerful, reaching from far corners of the universe to carry him further than any other.

Lucifer couldn’t feel Her presence, exactly. She was more like an absence, the opposite of what he was, what God was. He slowed to feel the edges of that void, skimming his wingtip where She had walked through and done Her work. A shiver ran up his wing, and he tilted dangerously, falling right into the void where She had been devouring creation. It didn’t hurt, but it froze him to his core, making it harder for him to fly and escape. He beat his wings faster, but his long flight to locate Her had already tired him out.

Panicking, he cried out, “Michael!” Louder a second time, “Michael!!”

He felt the palm of a hand cup his struggling form the same way he might capture a meteor in his own. He collapsed into it, exhausted, and he was carried out of the coldest part of the Darkness. The hand cradling him was still cold, but not as overwhelming and it wouldn't let him fall.

“So it was you making all that noise,” he heard, and he straightened up to face Her. He scooted around in Her palm until he was comfortable, his wings folded against his back. She lifted a finger and poked the spot between his wings, making him squawk in surprise. “My brother’s new creation.”

“Lucifer,” he told Her. He liked his name. He wanted Her to use it, the way Michael did, or Dad, when he wasn’t calling Lucifer and Michael ‘son’ interchangeably. She tilted Her head as She carried him further away from the roiling Darkness.

“Lucifer,” She relented. “Where’s the other one? The bigger one who’s always watching you.” She poked at his wing again. It was a little too rough, and Lucifer winced, pulling away from Her. Her second touch was more gentle, and pleasant shivers rolled down his wing as She pet it.

“Michael’s busy,” Lucifer said. “God gave him some very important work to do.” He stretched his wing out a little for Her to touch even more. It felt very nice. Different than Michael or Dad. They were warm, just like Lucifer, but She was new! And Lucifer loved experiencing new things.

“Like what?” This was another part he liked about Her. Very rarely was Lucifer the one who got to answer questions. He frowned as he failed to come up with a good one.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “They’ll let me help when I’m bigger.” He purred softly as She ran a finger or two over one wing and then the other.

“You’re already half the size of your brother,” She said. Lucifer puffed up proudly, his wings fluttering.

“I am?”

“You used to be so small, I was afraid I might crush you by accident. And my brother would never have let that go,” She rolled Her eyes at that last part. Lucifer laughed.

“What are you doing?” he asked when he’d calmed down. Amara tapped his head gently, and he still swayed in her palm from the strength of it. He shook his head to clear away any dizziness.

“Making room,” She answered. “Cleaning up my brother’s toys.” Lucifer nodded.

“Michael makes me clean up my own messes,” he told her, and she hummed to let him know She was listening. Lucifer could feel the vibration in his grace. “But then,” he continued, like it was a secret, “he always cleans up when I’m done anyway.”

“If you’re anything like my brother, you don’t do a very good job of it on your own,” She said. Lucifer huffed. A soft touch on his wings soothed him again. She gazed down at him for a moment, and Her expression melted into one of affection. “You do take after him. Such a bright little angel.”

“You think so?” Lucifer head swam at even the thought. Maybe that was why his Father had made him so small, why he needed to grow. He wanted Lucifer to be like Him.

Something twinged in Lucifer’s grace. Why not Michael, too? Lucifer didn’t want to become something that Michael wasn't.

“You should fly home, little light,” She told him. “I have more work to do, and-“

“I want to see!” he interrupted, nearly tripping over his words in his haste. She paused.

“I’m not God, Lucifer,” She said, and Her indulgence of his curiosity thinned to a stern warning. “The things I do are anathema to you.” She placed one finger below his chin, fixing his eyes to Hers. “I am Hunger and Destruction and Darkness. You were not made for these things.” Lucifer swallowed. It was hard to look at Her, the same way it was to look at God. Tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to hold Her gaze.

“I want to see,” he insisted. “It’s important. I want to know.” Curiosity bubbled inside him. He had always arrived to find her in the aftermath of her work, and that left him unsatisfied.

Besides, if he understood Her, then maybe She would let him help Her. Wouldn’t God be impressed by his initiative then? Michael would be so surprised that he could handle this, and he’d tell their Father to let Lucifer help with their work right away, too. He could be everyone’s favorite forever.

“Alright,” She said, “but be still and quiet. I need to focus.” Lucifer spread his wings. He flew himself up to Her shoulder to perch where their lines of sight would be the same. He held on tight. She gestured across an expanse that Lucifer hadn’t visited in a long time, and that God hadn’t mentioned in even longer. Lucifer and Michael usually only played where His work was long finished, so that they wouldn’t get in the way. Lucifer huddled down against Her shoulder as it began to get cold again. He shook, but the Darkness didn’t scare him as much when he knew She was in control of it. With wide eyes, he watched Her unmake planets and snuff out stars. He felt familiar waves of power washing over him. He folded his wings up tightly so that he wouldn’t be caught. That was where the rest of the waves he had been gliding on came from. He’d flown on the last gasps of dying stars, and he hadn’t even known it.

Lucifer was not sure if he could call what She did beautiful, not in the way he found creation beautiful. There was something about it that kept him enthralled, though. The Darkness devoured everything in its path, leaving only emptiness behind where Lucifer knew eventually God would come and make more things, and then, when He was done, the Darkness would come again. Over and over, always.

Lucifer peeked over at Her face. She wore the same delight his Father did when He was working. Lucifer felt himself smile to match it, barely restraining his wings from spreading with joy before another wave of energy threatened to bowl him over.

“Are you still there?” She asked. Lucifer wavered in place but held on.

“Yes.”

“What do you think?” Lucifer looked out at the void beyond them, once full of odds and ends. He stared very hard into it.

“Do you do this with everything Dad makes?” Lucifer asked. She nodded. “Are you going to do it to me one day?”

“Yes,” She said, not hesitating for even a moment. Lucifer pulled his wings in tightly.

“Would you be sad?” She lifted Her hand and extended a finger again, letting Lucifer decide to reach his wing up to let Her stroke it.

“Yes.” Lucifer leaned over into Her, his wing still stretched out for Her to pet. “You wouldn’t be gone. You would be with me.” He nuzzled up against Her cheek. “And eventually, you would become something new.”

“What was I before this, then?” She laughed.

“I don’t know what my brother made you out of. That’s his job, not mine.” Lucifer shut his eyes and imagined being a planet, or a black hole, or a star. Stars didn’t have older brothers, he decided, so he was happier being an angel.

His eyes snapped open. Michael.

“I have to go! Michael’s going to notice I’m missing!” He really wanted to stay until She was done, but if he did, Michael was going to watch him so closely that he wouldn’t be able to get away again. He sighed. One day, he’d convince Michael to come with him.

“Wait,” She said. She plucked Lucifer from Her shoulder into her palm again. He balanced himself, wings spread. “Wait… and now, fly!” Lucifer swooped out of Her palm, beating his wings once, twice, before he felt the reason She’d made him pause: a huge wave of energy rolling away from the Darkness. Lucifer whooped as it carried him away, easing the ache of exertion as he relaxed into its flow. He looked back once to see that She was watching him leave, and he grinned.

By the time Michael got back to their nest, Lucifer was fast asleep and curled up under his tired wings. He only stirred enough to feel Michael lay down beside him and tug him in to cuddle.

Michael shivered. He ran his hands down Lucifer’s wings. Lucifer hadn’t even noticed he was still cold. He held his breath, but all Michael did was warm him back up, wrapping him in soft feathers and holding him close.

(Enjoyed it? Any interaction is welcomed. You can even support me on Ko-Fi <3)

#SPNArchangelWeek #fanfiction #general audiences #1001-5000 #genfic #amara & lucifer #amara spn #lucifer spn #michael spn #pre-canon #young!lucifer

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