#Bushi Fanfic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writersblockedx · 3 months

Note

Hi there!

I really love your fanfics!

I couldn’t use the link to submit a request so I’m sending it here !

What about a fanfic where Ried has a family but he’s kept it secret for so many years so they wouldn’t get hurt. He has a small daughter and a young son. One day at the office, he gets pictures of someone taking pictures of them with a threat so he has to come clean to the team and bring his family to the office to keep them safe and they are all shocked

Please no pressure for this fic! Love your work!!!

Securing Secrets / S.R.

Pairing - Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader Summary - Spencer has always attempted to keep his family safe. So much so, they had become a secret. But when their lives are threatened, he has no choice but to come clean and ask for the help of his team. Warnings - Stalking, mentions of violence and death Words - 3.8K

A/n - I hope this is okay for you - I wrote a little more than I intended to but I still hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

It was no wonder why Spencer had kept his family to himself. When he had faced killers like Cat Adams and Tobias Hankle, he knew what humans were capable of - if he dared to even compare them to anything humane. So, he made the decision when he met Y/n to forever keep her a secret from his work. And when they started growing a little family with two children, he kept them a secret too.

Sometimes it killed him inside. As much as he loved his team, risking the lives of his family just wasn't enough for him. He had lost his first love, had his mother held captive, he wasn't about to risk his family too. He had learnt from his past - at least he thought he had done.

"Morgan, hey, no, you can't-" Y/n called towards their seven year old daughter whose sticky fingers had grasped a hold of a copy of fifty shades of grade. When she thought taking the kids on a day trip out to the book store would be easy, she hadn't imagined her seven year old reading smut. "You can't read that." She scolded before placing the book back on its shelf.

The bushy-haired girl gazed up at her mother, "Why not?" She huffed.

Her arm wrapped around Jay, their more reserved, four (and a half) year old. "Because it's an adult book. When you're old enough, you can read it."

"I am old enough, Daddy said I've got an advanced reading age!" Of course, she did - she was the daughter of the guy who could read 20,000 words a minute. Not to mention, she was going through the 'I'm old enough to do what I want' phase.

"Ask me again when you're 18, how about that?" She suggested before the child wrapped at her torso and stared up at her.

"Will Dada be home?" He asked.

Jay always liked coming home from their day trips to find Spencer already there, his head deep in another book or a case file. But days like that were rare - as much as both the parents hated such. "Erm-" Before she could give her son an answer, her phone started to ring. "That should be him." She gave the boy a smile before pulling out her mobile and seeing Spencer's contact staring back at her.

The man, from the moment they made it official, had always made sure to call her at the end of his working day. Whether he was in a hotel somewhere in the country, on the jet or if he was simply in his car, travelling home. "Hey, Spence, you should hear what Morgan wants to read-"

She could barely finish her breath, "Where are you?" He asked, his tone ever so stern that it was already making her nervous.

"The bookstore down town." She answered, already glancing around like she suddenly felt as if she was being watched. "Why?"

The girl could hear his uneven breaths on the other side of the phone, "I- Shit-" That's when Y/n knew something was wrong - her husband never swore...ever. "Can you come to the office? With the kids, we need you here."

"The office? Spencer, what are you talking about? I thought they didn't know."

"Yeah, well something's changed." Her heart started beating so fast that she wondered if Jay would be able to feel it. "Please, I need to know you're all safe."

She nodded and gazed over at her two children whom were waiting to hear about what Daddy had told her. "We'll be right over," She assured.

"And Y/n," He spoke, "In your car, in the glove compartment, there's a pistol, please, take it." What the hell had happened? Spencer could barely use a gun himself, never mind her. "I put it in there just in case and, just keep it on you until you get here."

"Okay, yeah." She didn't like the idea but, if someone was threatening them, if someone was putting her and her children at risk, she would do whatever was needed.

"I'll see you soon." Spencer huffed, "I love you."

"I love you too."

And with that, she ended the call. Only a single exhale dared to leave her lips before she stood. "Is Dada home?" Jay nagged.

She scooped the boy up into her arms, "No, but we're gonna visit him at work, okay?" Jay didn't seem happy about the idea but she'd rather the boy be safe than happy. "Come on," With her free hand, she grasped Morgan's finger tips tightly. "We need to go."

She rushed her and the kids into her parked car outside, making sure to look over her shoulder. Once she was seated in the driver's seat with the engine running, her gaze glanced to the glove compartment. Y/n needed to. Her hand leaned over, pushing it open and finding the gun stuffed behind a thick car manual. She grasped it for a moment before placing it on the passangers seat for easy access.

From there, she didn't take her foot off the gas. She was usually an ulta-safe driver. But, tonight, everything was different.

When they arrived to the BAU, Y/n pressed the button for the sixth floor and waited for the doors to glide open. With two children at either side of her, she wandered into the office. Her eyes instantly searched for Spencer. Instead, a blonde, colourful girl came running over to them. Well, walking as fast as she could in her thick heels. Garcia, Y/n assumed.

"Oh, you must be the lovely Mrs Reid," She sighed in relief when she came face to face with Y/n.

She glanced her up and down; there was no way this was JJ or Emily. "Penelope, right?"

The girl almost seemed surprised, "You- you know me?"

Y/n's face softened ever so slightly, "Of course."

"Y/n!" Her head turned from Garcia to see Spencer jogging over to her. Once he was close enough, he instantly engulfed the girl into a tight hug. "You okay?" He asked before pulling away and hugging his two children.

She nodded, "Yeah, we're okay, don't worry." When Spencer stood from hugging his kids, he gazed back over at his wife. She had grasped her hand from the back hem of her jeans, pulling out the pistol he had made sure she take. "Here, I've no idea what I'm doing with it anyway." Spencer took the weapon from her before her expression turned stern, "Now, what the hell is going on?"

Spencer's eyes instantly glanced down at their children; they didn't need to hear this. "Morgan, Jay," He spoke ever so softly to them as he leaned down, "Why don't you go with Garcia, she'll show you all her funky toys?" He glanced back at Penelope who was gleaming with a smile as she offer a hand for each child.

"Oh, yeah! I've got unicorns, fairies, fluffy pens, everything." She gleamed, trying to hide her fear for the true reason Spencer's family had been bought into the BAU. Once the kids took the woman's hand she gave one last look at the couple, "Let me know if you need anything."

The boy nodded before Garcia began leading the children towards her cave, "Someone- someone found you." He started to explain as he interlocked his hand with her, guiding the two over towards the conference room where the rest of the team were waiting. "I don't know how and I don't know who but- but around 30 minutes ago I had email to my work address. There's photos, almost a months worth."

Her brows narrowed at him, "Of what?"

"Of you."

Oh god. Despite all the effort the two had put in to keep their family personal, someone had still connected her and the kids to Spencer. And for whatever reason, they had become a target.

Spencer opened the door to the conference room, where the team were waiting. Most of them sat at the round table where they had several files and papers scattered in front of them. But at the entrance of Reid and his secret wife, they each turned. She offered them a weak smile before the man, whom she assumed was Hotch, spoke up, "Sadly we don't have much time for small talk, but we all want to help." He stood over towards Y/n and offered her his hand, "Aaron Hotchner."

She shook his hand, "Hotch, I should have known." And then she glanced around the table at the rest of the agents. Without hesitation, she named them all, "JJ, Emily, Rossi and Morgan." She smiled at each of them. "Spencer talks about you all a lot."

The boy next to her grinned every so slightly. "I wish we could have met differently." Morgan offered as he stood up, "Take a seat, we'll run you through what we know."

Y/n followed Spencer as the two sat at the round table and the tv screen in front of them started filling with papazzi-style photographs of the woman. Her grocery shopping, her at a bar with some friends, and even one from this morning: hand in hand with Jay as she led the two children into the bookstore they adored.

"You said this has been going on for a month?" How could that have been the case and she had no idea?

Hotch nodded, "We believe so yes."

"Who would want to do this?" She questioned; she wasn't exactly an interesting person. She had a normal life - as the pictures had proven.

Spencer took her hand, "We erm, we're not sure yet. We have one theory."

The tv screen clicked onto another slide. A woman's face filled the screen. A woman whom Y/n had heard far too much about: Cat Adams. "We know Adams has an obsession with Reid, and well, we know she likes to target his personal life," JJ informed as Y/n recalled the days in which Diana had been held captive. "If she somehow found out about you, it would have set her off."

"But she's in prison." Y/n pointed out.

Emily shrugged, "She was in prison when she found Reid's mother. She's- She's a master manipulator and ever since Reid first encountered her, he was the first man to challenge her." All of which Y/n already knew.

"If you really think it's her then-" Her eyes gazed over at Spencer, filled with worry, "You're going to have to talk to her aren't you?" It wasn't a question; she knew it.

Spencer sucked in a breath before he dared to nod.

It didn't take them long. Before Y/n realised it, she was watching out the window of the conference room as two prison guards held Cat by either one of her arms. She was smiling- no, she was smirking. She knew exactly what she was doing. Her eyes gazed around the office until she was forced into an interrogation room.

All they needed to know was who her contact was. Once they had a name, they could find them and put whoever that was in prison too.

Y/n stood next to Spencer as they stared at the woman through the double-sided mirror. "If she's done all this to get to you, why are we letting her talk to you?" The girl questioned.

"She always slips up in front of Reid." Emily answered - despite how much they all hated the idea.

Rossi was the first to pose another opinion, "What if we give her something she isn't expecting?" He suggested, "What if we don't give her Reid?" Surely, if the team sent in someone Cat Adams didn't expect, then maybe she would slip up just as easily - if not more so.

The older man shared a glance with Emily. A glance of which allowed them to silently suggest something; the two had an idea that wasn't yet shared with the rest of the group. It wasn't until Emily's eyes landed on Y/n that they started to understand what the two were thinking, "What if- What if we sent Y/n in?"

The girl scoffed; that must have been a joke. "You're kidding, right?" She laughed. "I mean, I'm not- I'm an agent. I'm a normal person. I can't talk to a criminal!"

"That's exactly what we need," Spencer spoke aloud without even realising, "She's expecting me, she's expecting FBI, send in someone different and it might just make her slip." Spencer turned to face Y/n, one hand gently cupping her cheek as he spoke, "Especially if we send in the very girl she's jealous of."

Y/n's head shook; she couldn't. She was with Spencer, but she wasn't a part of his world, "I can't."

"You can," His voice soothed, "You can do anything."

"We'll be right here," Emily assured.

Y/n glanced back at the window, at the criminal who had targetted her. If this was their best shot, then she might have to take it. Her family was at risk for goodness sake. Once they figured out who her partner on the otherside, all this would be over. The girl sighed, "Fine," She finally agreed. "But if anything happens, if she does anything, please-"

Spencer was already nodding, "We'll get you out of there, don't worry." He promised.

His hands fell from her skin before she glanced between the other two agents, "How do I do this then?" She asked.

"Go in there, vague questions, act better than she is, because you are," Emily mentored, "We need to figure out how she's orchestrated this."

With those instructions, the girl nodded and Rossi handed her the file. The one of which was filled with the stalker photos of herself and the kids, "See what happens if you show her these too, it might tell us a lot." He explained.

And with that, with that grace of a nod, a peck to Spencer's lips, the girl headed into the interrogation room.

Cat Adams was nonchalant. She had learnt a lot. She had learnt the best way to not let BAU agents know what she was thinking. But sending Y/n in certainly hadn't been what she expected.

The girl swallowed as she took the seat across from Cat with a very weak smile. She gazed up at the woman who had suddenly grown a sickly smile which made Y/n become nervous. She wanted to leave already, "Hi," Cat shrugged her shoulders and gazed softly at Y/n.

But the other girl was staring back with narrowed eyes, "Do you know who I am?" She questioned.

Cat leaned back and shrugged, letting out nothing but a hum. So Y/n leaned forward and placed one of the photos in front of the girl. It was just of her - no Jay or Morgan present. Just her, exiting her car as she headed to the store, "So you don't recognise this?".

She barely glanced at it, "Should I?"

"You know Doctor Reid though, don't you?"

Instantly, her demeanour shifted. But she desperately tried to hide it, "Bumped into him...sure." She shrugged it off.

Y/n thought for a moment before raising her left hand, wiggling her ring finger to show off her wedding ring to the girl, "Yeah well, I know him quite well." She said, watching as Cat's smile completely dissipated, "And he, well, he sort of mentioned you. I mean I sort of remember your name...remind me again? Carol? Cath-?"

"Cat." She cut in.

The girl faked a shock of realisation; this was exactly what Emily had asked: make herself look better than Cat. "And you don't know me?" She glanced back to her wedding ring, "Wife." She spoke.

The girl huffed and smiled to herself like something was funny, "Yeah, good luck with that."

Y/n glared back at her, tilting her head. The words from Emily echoed through her mind. "And what do you mean by that?"

Cat doesn't want to answer that. More specifically, she doesn't want to answer Y/n. "He- he's complicated, I'm sure you're aware right? Girlfriend died, no dad around, mum got kidnapped, and well, god knows everything that's happened to his team." She almost finds it funny.

Y/n leaned her elbows against the metal table, "And you were the very person who took his mother. I know you, Cat. I know all you want is to win against my husband but tough luck, it's not going to happen." The girl tried to keep up her straight face but when facing Cat Adams, it seemed to be proving difficult.

She shrugged, "Maybe not before, but now I have you." Her eyes narrowed and suddenly Y/n grew nervous; she was behind this. All of it. "And of course, you two little munchkins." Her shoulders squeezed and she smiled sickly.

"So you do know them."

"I know everything."

A shiver flew down her spine. She was behind all of this. And Y/n couldn't help but ask: "And what do you want?" Y/n had some idea. This had nothing to do with her or the kids; it was all about getting back at Spencer.

She giggled, "Well there would be no fun in telling you, would there?"

"You can't do this myself yourself," Y/n stated. Once they had the name of whoever it was on the outside, they could get over this: they could move on.

The girl on the other side of the metal table simply shrugged, "Who says I am?" And like that, it was confirmed. Not only the fact that she was behind this, but that she had partner and the outsider. And that was all they needed - for now, anyway.

With narrowed eyes, Y/n glared at the girl and started to stand from the chair. She didn't need anything else. She took a breath before turning her back, "You might want to look over your shoulder." Cat taunted.

Something of which, the girl had ignored as she continued out of the interrogation room. An exhale fell from her lips as she found herself back in the company of people she trusted. Of people she knew...with Spencer.

His hand instantly reached at her waist, pulling her close. The feeling of her skin at his releasing a relief she couldn't stop. He was safe. He was loving. He was her husband, "Are you okay?" He questioned before anyone else had the chance to speak.

The girl nodded but gave no words. What was she meant to say after a face to face with Cat Adams? "She's definitely behind this," Emily confirmed.

"She's working with someone too," Y/n added as she eased into the familiar feeling of Spencer.

"So now we know that," Y/n started as she gazed between the three agents, "What do we do now?"

"Now," Answered Rossi, "We get Garcia."

And so the group of them wandered over from the interrogation room and headed to what they called Garcia's 'cave'. And safe tp say was. No windows, just a lot of screens and several different sparkly things. Plush teddies, framed stock photos of puppies and a slingy which Jay was playing with.

"Hi," Y/n gleamed as she greeted her kids once more, "You two been good for Garcia?"

The woman stood from her chair, "They're angels," She smiled.

"We need your help now," Spencer said as they quickly entered back into the situation at hand. They didn't have time for small talk.

"Of course, anything."

And so she sat back at her chair as Spencer came to her side, beginning to list the profile they had started, "Look for names that pop up in the guest book of the hotel Montana, it's the building next to our house." Spencer informed and Garcia became manically typing. "They'll have been a guest for at least a month, cross check that with anyone from Cat's old life, work, college, high school, anything-"

"Nothing."

"What if- I mean surely whoever this person is would be using an alias," Y/n suggested.

A theory of which Spencer agreed with, "Bring up a photo of the guests who have stayed for a month."

Garcia followed: there were three. As they scrolled through high school pictures and then college- "There!"

A photo matched. A woman, same age as Cat, sickly sweet smile, fire red hair and geeky glasses. And then the name: Amy Duke. They had a name. They had everything Garcia could find. "That's got to be her," Emily confirmed.

"Garcia, send us everything." And like that, everything was go-go-go.

Y/n barely had a chance to speak before her hand was reaching out to stop Spencer from running off, "Hey," She called.

His hands cupped at her cheeks, "It'll be alright, I promise." He gave a smile which could ease her nervous a million times over. "Go home, I'll be there soon."

And like that, he was gone.

Y/n said her goodbyes to Garcia before taking her kids hand in hand and heading for the exit. She tried to not think about what Spencer was doing, about the woman he was facing. It was all too overwhelming. Instead, she focused on feeding her kids and getting them dressed for bed. It was horrible when they asked about where Daddy was - if he was coming home. All she could tell them was that it was going to be fine...even if she wasn't so sure of such herself.

She perched at the end of Morgan's bed, her door open, giving the woman a view of a sleeping Jay in the room across the hall. She didn't dare to leave her children when there was danger still looming over them. The girl watched as her daughter's chest rose and fell with her breaths. And after what felt like hours, the front door rustled open.

Y/n became alert, she flew up to her feet and wandered carefully out of Morgan's room. She lingered at the top of the stairs; what if it wasn't her husband? "Spence?" She called, worrisome.

He was already rushing up the stairs at the sound of her voice, "Hey, it's me don't worry." He met her at the top of the landing, engulfing his body around her. "It's over, I swear, she's been arrested, Cat is back in prison." Relief flooded her. "It's all over."

Her head gazed up at him, a slight grin brushing over her lips, "What a way to meet your second family, hey?" She giggled. And while the day had been horrid, there was some good out of it - she wasn't a secret anymore.

1K notes · View notes

anifever · 4 months

Text

Ponyboy Curtis Blurbs ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Ponyboy Curtis x Reader (fem kinda implied)

୨୧ : Blurbs/hc’s about Ponyboy and being in a relationship with him

A/N : Idek what this is and it’s short but I love him. Also the first ‘fanfic’ I’ve ever posted so bare with me…

˖⁺‧₊˚ 💌 ˚₊‧⁺˖

୨ He ABSOLUTELY writes you love letters/poetry and slips in in your locker

୨ Was probably too embarrassed the first few times & just kept them to himself, but you found them one day and brought it up to him and he’s done it ever since

୨ Laying together on his and Soda’s bed, your head in his lap while he reads to you

୨ Cuddling and one of the boys barging in (he proceeds to get DOGGED ON by the guys and Darry makes you leave the door cracked)

୨ Johnny was the first to find out about his feelings for you. He ended up telling Soda, but then it got out to the entire gang

୨ He was teased about it constantly- mainly by Steve, Two, and Dallas

୨ Study dates 🤭🤭

୨ Old couples always gushing about ‘young love’ when you’re out in public together

୨ Him constantly insisting on walking you home and to/from anywhere in general

୨ It’s kinda canon he gets flustered easily so him getting sososo embarrassed whenever you compliment or kiss him/simply be affectionate

୨ Him using your initial as a variable for math classes ?)28/82&2&:&

୨ Very expected, but always watching the sunset together

୨ Tries so hard to be tuff in front of the gang but he always melts when it comes to you

୨ Keeping a heart locket with a pic of you and him in it

୨ In turn, he has a pic of you in his wallet

୨ Always going to the drive-in together then debriefing the movies after

୨ Going to a school dance together and him being all bushy and nervous- the guys obviously teasing you again but also being sweet

୨ ^^^ Darry yapping about “no funny business”

୨ Cheering him on from the sidelines during track meets

୨ Comforting him after he has an argument with Darry

୨ Along with that, he probably smarts off to Darry when your name is brought up. If Darry says you’re a ‘distraction,’ Pony will be having none of that

୨ Getting caught under a mistletoe during Christmas at the Curtis house and him malfunctioning + getting teased by the boys (ONCE AGAIN)

୨ Hanging out with him and Johnny and kissing him on the cheek before getting up to use the bathroom or something, and him giving Johnny a lil’ sly smirk with bright red cheeks once you walk away

୨ Constantly trying to get him to quit smoking; it’s hard but he’s at least down from 2 packs a day because of you

୨ Fussing whenever he comes back from a rumble, but never hesitating to help fix him up even if he might grumble about ‘being fine’

୨ Passing notes to each other during classes

୨ Two-Bit yelling stupid shit like “use protection” when you go ANYWHERE by yourselves, even if you’ll just be gone a split second

୨ Speaking of going places yourselves, Darry’s extremely hesitant/strict about it for multiple reasons

୨ Probably has ‘the talk’ with you guys and you’re both extremely uncomfortable- sitting there like 🧍🧍‍♀️

୨ Him giving you book recommendations, vice versa

୨ He’s the type of person to prefer holding pinkies- at least in public or until you guys are around Soc’s and he gets protective

୨ If this is all during the events of The Outsiders- you going to the church with Dallas and telling him & Johnny off for being idiots but also being extremely worried

୨ Making him keep his hair un-greased more often so you can play with it

୨ Overall, sososo much teasing from the rest of the guys LMAO

#the outsiders #the outsiders x reader #the outsiders x you #ponyboy curtis #ponyboy #ponyboy michael curtis #ponyboy x reader #ponyboy curtis x reader #ponyboy curtis x you #80s #ponyboy imagine #ponyboy oneshot #the outsiders fanfiction #the outsiders imagine #ponyboy blurb #ponyboy headcanons

304 notes · View notes

bogcreacher · 3 months

Text

okay clangen fanfic time let’s go babey home run babey lets go!!!!

Chapter 1 - The Messengers

It was night over the valley.

The remnants of daylight pooled around the horizon, where the trees of Dappleclan cut into the thick, blue sky. The low clouds of greenleaf were long gone, leaving the stars stark and glittering.

Moorheart had almost finished the evening patrol. He’d sent the others home early when they’d complained of sore paws.

It wasn’t their fault. There weren’t enough warriors to go around nowadays.

He shook out his fur, taking extra care as he picked through the thistle-ridden paths of his clan’s territory. The trees hung low, drumming peacefully as he scraped under their lowest branches. He counted his steps as he went.

In leaf-fall the undergrowth was always so alive. Somewhere far beyond his sight he could hear the hum of busy insects and the babble of the distant stream - and beyond that, small creatures, feeding and nesting and chattering. He pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, ignoring the growl of his stomach.

It was the type of night that felt electric, sending his fur bristling and his whiskers to points. Part of him liked having it all to himself.

He took a left turn at the next marker, leaping up the body of a larch and letting the ground drop farther and farther below him. It was the type of night for climbing.

He used to linger in trees as an apprentice, to the point that his mother would joke about her son ‘with his head in the clouds’.

“You’re more squirrel than cat - bushy-tailed, and fascinated by heights.”

Something about it grounded him. The higher he climbed, the more the noise and the pain and the fear softened, as if muffled by the clouds or the slow, dark crush of nightfall. It was a kind of peacefulness only he seemed to understand.

Not that anyone else tried to understand. Not that anyone else got it.

It was clearer up here, where the breeze bit his ears to numbness and the earth trembled beneath him. Where the sky was so dark and so large he could look up and feel himself fall.

His fur prickled.

A storm’s brewing.

He was shaken from his musings when he heard movement below, of something picking its way through the undergrowth.

Dropping to a lower branch he stooped to take a look. A small ways off bushes rustled, parting to reveal a lithe shadow.

A rabbit?

Moorheart lowered his head as it crept closer.

No. Larger.

His ears twitched.

Cats.

He couldn’t recognise them from afar. And he didn’t like how they came from downwind.

The camp wasn’t far, though to flee he’d have to reach ground, and he doubted he could drop quietly enough to avoid alerting his new companions.

He could call for help, but how long would it take for his clanmates to arrive? Certainly long enough for an assailant to scale his larch and sink their teeth into him.

Moorheart tugged his nervous claws from the bark beneath him.

Focus. This is hardly an invasion.

The cats were closer now, and Moorheart could see the way they moved, ears pricked and tails swaying. They walked with sure-footed grace, lightly dodging the brambles and boughs of his clan’s territory- Rainclan, he thought to himself, frowning.

They were alert, they were cautious, but they weren’t stealthy.

Moorheart raised his head.

“Who's there?”

“Moorheart? Is that you?” a familiar voice called.

“Milkfur? What is this?”

“We have a message for Volestar.”

“This couldn’t wait until morning?”

“Where’s your patrol?” she called.

He paused. Milkfur’s ear twitched. He couldn’t read her face from this distance.

“No patrol,” he said. “It’s just me out here.”

“Come down.”

Moorheart did, leaping deftly from bough to bough and only half-stumbling on his landing. Closer now, he saw the faces that made up this delegation: Milkfur, a golden molly with long whiskers and a round face; Crowpelt, a plump young tom with glossy fur; and Brightleg, a cat with cold, grey eyes that made him feel like leafbare was settling on his shoulders.

Moorheart wasn’t sure why a message would require three seasoned envoys; he felt somewhat like a pinned bird when they settled around him.

“Out with it, then,” he said, tail flicking. “What’s so important that it couldn’t wait ‘til dawn?”

Milkfur exchanged a look with Crowpelt.

“We found a body by the Thunderpath,” she said, quietly. “We… we think it's Rotstar.”

Somewhere far away, a bird whooped.

“What?”

“We think,” Milkfur repeated. “It’s difficult to tell. We thought we ought to get someone from Dappleclan out to check, just in case.”

“Maybe Volestar?” Crowpelt chimed. “Or Batpounce?”

"Yeah." Moorheart didn't know why, but suddenly his feet felt very heavy. "I’ll... I’ll fetch them.”

“Not tonight,” Brightleg said. “In the morning.”

“Right.” Moorheart met his gaze and shivered. In daylight.

“We just thought we should warn you, in case an apprentice stumbled upon it or- or something,” Milkfur said, as if sensing the chill in the air.

“Thank you.” Moorheart dipped his head. “Really.”

“I…” the golden molly shuffled where she sat, eyes fixed on the ground. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Moorheart’s ear flicked.

“Thank you,” he said, terser. “I’ll send Volestar to the border tomorrow, at Sunhigh.”

Milkfur nodded; out of agreement or courtesy, he couldn’t tell. Then all three cats were gone in the shrubbery, light and quick as they arrived.

Moorheart watched them go, then took an angry tongue over his fur.

Far be it for a dead cat to get under my skin. I must be mad.

He turned, pushing thoughts of his former leader and her rotten ways from his mind. He would check the markers along the edges of the grove, wander up the hill to inspect the abandoned setts, then amble back to camp and curl into his warm nest, safe and sound.

This will all blow over soon.

Somewhere far away, thunder growled.

#clangen #writing #real talk I haven’t written anything in years and I’m a bit sofucking scared of posting this #but nothing ventured nothing gained etc etc #this needs a name

66 notes · View notes

mynamesaplant · 5 months

Text

Morning Light at the End of the Line

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

Summary: Elesa is woken up way too early for an excursion into the train yard, but Emmet and Ingo drag her along anyway. Their adventure leads to a revelation for the twins.

I want to say thank you to @critterbitter for all their amazing takes on SUBMAS (you keep doing you, champ) and to @ingo-ingoing-ingone for beta reading my work (thanks for all the encouragement, Blue). You're both amazing and I cannot thank you enough.

Slight disclaimer: I have a character using neopronouns, my first one ever, and while I'm familiar with them, I've never used them in a fanfic before. If I used them incorrectly, let me know in the reblogs or comments.

Don't like to read on Tumblr? Read it here on AO3!

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

The day that Emmet and Ingo learned that Elesa had never been to the railyard, they were almost insulted. Frankly, this knowledge was unacceptable to the twins. Between their uncle and all the adults working in the yard, everyone had begged them to remain on the platform to spot trains. However, they were at the yard almost daily, a small notebook shared between them that cataloged every train they had seen down to the make, model, and specs of the trains they would watch with dreamy-eyed wonder.

Although neither twin would be willing to admit it aloud, they had their favorites. Ingo was a lover of the classics; he found all the moving mechanisms and billowing white smoke from steam engines to be the pinnacle of train design. Heisler locomotives were his personal favorite – they just had so much more personality in his humble opinion, their movement so musical between the clanging bell and the tack-tack-tack of the wheels and coupling rods, and the iconic star on the nose. Although they appeared much more infrequently than Emmet’s personal favorite, the Gensis models, Ingo never failed to emit a longing sigh when those steam locomotives sat in the yard. So close, and yet so far.

The Gensis locomotives were designed with passengers in mind, smooth and aerodynamic to get the occupants to their destinations with ease and comfort (well, more aerodynamic than earlier styles of locomotives, but not nearly as efficient as the bullet trains of Kanto and Johto). Their sleek metallic shells accented with different colors were frequently dotting the yard as they arrived from all over Unova for repair. Emmet thought it was a slick-looking engine and, although he respected his brother’s (wrong) opinions, nothing could hold a candle to the power and beauty of the Genesis models.

Elesa was completely oblivious to the wonderful world of trains and that was a fact that had to be rectified quickly. That was why they had her up so early, dragging a bleary-eyed Elesa by the wrists through the sleepy streets of a pre-dawn Anville Town. They were going to introduce her to their second love: trains.

“How are you even awaaaaaake?”

Elesa whined, Blitzle nudging his shoulder into her hip to keep her balance while the trio walked to parts unknown. This must have been what a zombie felt like; all of Elesa’s post-apocalypse books always described them as driven around by forces beyond anyone’s reckoning. That was essentially the twins to her. Her question was directed to Ingo, who looked about as bright-eyed and bushy tailed as an Emolga.

Ingo was not a morning person in any sense of the word. The whole region could be in mortal peril and Ingo could (and would) sleep right through it if it was early enough. There were only two things that could get him out of bed this early: Pokémon and trains.

“Who’s to say that I even went to bed?”

“Yep yep. Can confirm. He did not go to sleep.”

There was a fine line between early-early morning and late-late night; it was almost indistinguishable, but very important. Ingo knew he was going to feel awful that evening and would still end up staying awake until three or four in the morning because he was like a Noctowl and he just couldn’t help himself. He knew it drove Drayden a little crazy; that and his newly developing caffeine habits that his uncle had to curb by changing all the coffee in the house to decaf, so Ingo didn’t find himself cripplingly addicted to coffee at the tender age of eleven.

“Where are we going?”

Elesa failed to suppress a yawn, dragging one eye open to get a sense of direction only to find it too dark to really make such a determination.

“Our destination is a secret. You even saved us the trouble of blindfolding you to ensure confidentiality.”

Their friend’s groan was drawn out and miserable, but she allowed them to tow her to the train yard with the full confidence that they would not allow anything to happen to her. Elesa couldn’t find herself in safer hands.

Once the threshold between town and yard had been crossed, two things happened: first, was the heat radiating off the trains like they were so many massive Fire-types, and the second, was the immediate uptick in volume that seemed to hit the trio like a wall of bricks. Perhaps because they lived in Anville Town, they had grown accustomed to the ambient noise, that it only stood out to them once they got within distance.

People and Pokémon bustled to and fro, the screech of steel as the trains began to move along the maze of tracks, conductors yelling confirmations to one another, shrill whistles and booming horns that signaled that the day was starting.

One engineer and conductor duo instantly spotted them, and the conductor was quick to bustle over and try to shoo them away. The engineer was soon to join him.

“Boys, please, I’m begging you to go to the concourse and watch the trains from there.”

“Salutations Mr. Rinehart,” Ingo chirped, no malicious or devious intent in his tone. “Unfortunately, we must decline your request. We shall exhibit the utmost caution while traversing the yard if that is your concern.”

Mr. Rhinehart, a tall, lanky man in his mid-forties, looked visibly pained as he attempted to impede their progress. He, like all the other rail yard workers, really liked Emmet and Ingo. Their enthusiasm for trains was so refreshing after a long day. Mr. Rhinehart and his husband, his engineer who was grinning at the two boys with an amused glitter in his eyes, could personally attest to that, because they had been on the receiving end of the twins fanatical cheering and adoration after a long day on the job. It was truly a wonderful experience to be so admired by young people.

“Micha,” his spouse hissed to him, Mr. Rhinehart having to crane his neck to look down at the love of his life, and immediately regretted his choice because his husband was looking up at him with those gorgeous Lillipup eyes that he could never deny. “Let them explore. They’re good kids, they’re going to be careful – right?”

The emphatic nods did not soothe Mr. Rhinehart.

“Mr. Emerson is right! Yup! I am Emmet, we promise to be verrrry careful.”

Micha Rhinehart wanted to believe them, but he could also imagine Drayden Gray’s meaty arms placing him in a triangle chokehold if a single thing happened to his nephews and he found out that he had allowed them to wander the yard unattended. Not that Eli would allow that to happen to him, but he couldn’t banish the image from his eyes.

Eli gestured for his husband to turn and lean down so he could whisper in his ear,

“They’re old enough. I trust them to be careful. You trust me, right?”

“But Drayden-”

“Drayden doesn’t put enough faith in them.” Micha’s spouse scoffs, rolling his eyes with exacerbation. “Remember when Dakota started taking the trains to Castelia for school? Remember how worried we were for them in that big city? We had to trust them, and they came out a more independent person for it.” The harsher tone softened at the mention of their child.

“Dakota is significantly older than them.”

Micha folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his dark eyes down at Eli. That earned a contemplative scratch of the purple-hued scruff that shaded Eli’s broad cheeks, he glanced over his shoulder at the trio.

“I have a compromise.” Eli did not even confer with his husband before turning on his heel. “You’ve all met our Dakota, right?” This earned more nods. “Dakota has class today, so they’ll be here soon to catch the train to Castelia. I’m going to ask them if they’ll escort you around the more er… Child-unfriendly part of the yard. By that time, it’ll be light out, so me and Mr. Rhinehart are going to trust you to move around the yard.”

The sparkle in the two boys’ eyes was so endearing, the girl tried to look just as enthusiastic, but Eli could tell she was tired. Micha was quick to interject his own two cents before the kids retreated.

“I want you all to promise that you’ll stick close together, and that you’ll be respectful of all the rail workers and that you’ll stay out of their way as they work.”

Emmet and Ingo looked horrified at the mere suggestion that they interrupt the important work going on in the yard. They looked at each other, then to Elesa (who just offered a yawn and a promise to Mr. Rhinehart), before returning their gray eyes to the conductor and engineer.

“We would not dream of it, Mr. Rhinehart. We promise to be on our very best behavior!”

“Yup! Verrrrrry best behavior!”

His twin reiterated with the bobbling nod that looked more like those novelty big-headed figurines you would get from the sports arenas in Nimbasa. Micha had to stifle a little laugh at the sight.

“Good.” He seemed satisfied with their responses. “Now, please, for the love of Kyurem, please go up to the concourse and wait there.”

The two boys offered a salute, something that felt very reminiscent of both their training in Gear Station, and they were about to drag their friend off, before Mr. Emerson called them back. The engineer not so surreptitiously stuffed a few crumpled dollars into their hands. He told them to get some breakfast before sending them off and smiling as they scampered away.

“You’re such a softie.”

Micha said behind him, shaking his head at Eli as he turned around to offer his husband a sheepish smile.

“I can be. Would you be a dear and call our offspring to tell them to get here a little earlier?”

“Oh no,” Micha said, reflexively averting his gaze from Eli before he got the Lillipup look full on, “This was your idea. You can call Dakota.”

“So cruel to me.”

The engineer whined but accepted his fate with a reedy cackle.

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

Dakota was half asleep taking the call from their dad, but they said they would be there early to take the kids around the yard. They tried not to grumble about it; Emmet and Ingo had been rather helpful to them recently when Dakota had caught quite the unruly Purrloin that had been following after them in Castelia The Pokémon kept singling them out to steal their possessions and Dakota had become fed up with it. Although they were not so adept with Pokémon, the twins had been invaluable resources to them as they trained Lin.

Why Lin?

Emmet had referred to the Purrloin as a “little delinquent” under his breath when she had pilfered a not so insignificant number of shiny coins from his bag that constituted the last of his allowance. The utterance had made Dakota snort with laughter, draped over the counter, and wheezing out an apology for the small menace they called their very own Pokémon.

The kids were in the concourse waiting for Dakota at a table in front of a 24-hour café that was mandatory for a place like this, if not for the occasional passengers, then for all the yard workers. Coffee was a ubiquitous need here in the yard, but Dakota could not say the same for eleven-year-old Ingo who was nursing a pale cup of joe that smelled more of hazelnut than coffee beans. Their poor friend Elesa looked just as tired as Dakota felt, a half-eaten bagel with lox and a small cup of green tea in front of her as she slowly tipped toward the table. Emmet was sneering at her sandwich across the table, probably because of the raw fish Dakota figured, and munched on his own torn-to-shreds bagel, dipping and swirling the chunk in a small container of butter before popping it into his mouth.

“Ah! Salutations, Dakota!”

Ingo leapt from his seat upon spotting them, lurching toward Dakota to interrogate them about their Pokémon, their schooling, their train commute, their job at the Poké Mart, and about the routes Dakota intended to take them on for their adventure through the yard. They tried to round out their shoulders as they were currently residing closer to Dakota’s ears than their natural resting position and they took a deep, clarifying breath. They had to remember that Ingo was just an excited child and not a judgy extended-family member.

Dakota offered him a smile, hands tucked into the pockets of their jacket while chatting. Lin was good, but still stealing – although that was in her nature. School was fine, CCA (Castelia College of the Arts) was a cramped campus, but the programs were amazing. The commute was okay, Dakota was always a little stressed about missing the connection in Gear Station running from the Brown to Pink line. The idea of crossing a desert to make it on time to pottery class if they missed their train did not sound too appealing to them. Work was the same. The route was already preplanned for them; their dads had given them a strict map and Dakota did not plan on deviating from the path.

They decided that it was worth waking up so early when they saw the twins’ eyes brimming with fascination and wonder. They were mere inches from the engines, studying every contour and detail with such intensity that Dakota had to gently pull them away and lead them to the turntable where a worker that they knew was waiting.

Parker and zer agile partner, Mienshao, were in the operating booth, pulling levers to usher each engine into the roundhouse after a long day of operation, just like a Wooloo herder. A pink-streaked engine was idling as the table was occupied by a similar engine that was streaked red. Dakota’s arm extended and the kids obediently stopped, waiting patiently alongside their tour guide so they could speak to Parker. Ze had definitely taken notice of the little group, peering at them curiously, zer Mienshao copying his trainer.

With the red line train slotted into its usual spot, Dakota watched zem pick up a radio, zer eyes flitting to the engine to let the engineer that ze needed a moment. A moment later, Parker was strolling out with Mienshao by zer side and zer hands tucked into the pockets of zer overalls.

“Dakota! Don’t usually see you out and about this early. Looking for your folks?” Whatever interest that Parker had for the gaggle of children in their wake, ze waited until Dakota explained rather than diving into an interrogation. Scratching the patchy facial hair that adorned zer face, ze listened to first Dakota’s then the kids’ stories. “Cool. We love trains, too… Say, we have to put a few more trains into the house, wanna watch from the booth with us?”

The eyes of the two boys, Emmet and Ingo as ze had come to find out, somehow grew larger and neither seemed able to verbalize, just offering emphatic nods that made Parker chuckle.

“Thanks, Parker.”

Dakota said in an undertone, offering a half-smile to zem as Emmet and Ingo bolted inside, mentally photographing every centimeter of the booth as if they were going to be tested on it later. Parker winked in reply, offering zer own smile as ze ushered the gaggle of young people inside. The two boys watched over the console, shifting their eyes between Parker and the smudgy outline of the engineer in the cab.

They seemed to know every call that Parker made over their radio and each motion performed by the engineer. Elesa seemed more interested in Parker’s eccentric jewelry and hair beads; she complimented zem quietly when the engine started rolling into the house. With a flick of zer head just to show off the colorful beads, Parker thanked Elesa, flashing her a warm smile before turning zer attention to Emmet and Ingo, who stood by anxiously, near bursting with questions.

Parker had only ever heard about the twins through the grapevine; ze found the brothers enthusiastic and answered all their questions with the kind of patience developed over the lifetime of someone who had dealt with many children who were chock full of questions. They reminded zem of zer kids, all six of whom were displayed in a photo worn by sun and dust that was taped to the bottom corner of the glass windowpane along with pictures of all the other operator’s families.

Ingo’s second question was actually about the row of photos, Parker swiveling in zer chair to point at each of zer kids in turn.

“Tasha, Stavon, Dominique – we call her NeNe for short – Dion, Jalin, and Kamer – Oh, wait, Kiara. We’re still getting used to Kiara’s name change.”

“Oh! She settled on ‘Kiara’, then. I knew she was trying out a bunch of different ones.”

Dakota slid their phone from their pocket, tapping on the contacts as Parker confirmed that indeed Kiara seemed quite happy with her name. They changed the contact and sent their friend a few Drifloon and streamer emojis in celebration. She must have made her decision last night, after agonizing about it for three weeks.

“We don’t think it was an easy decision, she wanted it to be right for her.” Parker replied sagely. Ze knew from experience that being certain was important for someone as they wrestled with identity. “Would you guys be okay with us taking a picture? We don’t get many visitors, especially none as enthusiastic as you two, and we want to commemorate it.”

“Oh, yes! It would be quite the honor!”

Ingo beamed, his hands flapping in front of him in his excitement just before he felt Emmet tap his shoulder. His twin was nervously tugging on his pant leg and fiddling with the hinge on Tynamo’s ball – Dakota had asked them to stow their Pokémon away in the busy yard, which all three kids complied with. Ingo leaned close to Emmet, his voice soft and restraining the hope of the request that he was too nervous to ask Parker himself.

“Um, Parker,” ze had asked the kids to forgo any particular title and to just call zem ‘Parker’. “May we… May Emmet-” Ingo felt an elbow connect with his ribs and he shot a disapproving look to his twin, who looked at him pointedly. He could tell Ingo wanted to sit up there too, but he also knew his brother didn’t want to press his luck by asking if they both could. “Ahem – may we sit in your chair?”

For Parker’s part, ze arose from the operator’s chair and crouched down before them, zer expression gentle as ze looked first to Ingo and then more directly at Emmet. Ze did not take offense when neither made direct eye contact, they reminded Parker of zer NeNe, and ze knew to take it slowly and carefully with them.

“You may, but may we hear it from both of you? We know it can be hard to talk to new people, but we promise to patient, so there’s no need to be nervous, okay?”

Emmet shifted on his feet, toeing the stained laminate they stood on, and plucking his pant leg uneasily. He offered Parker a stiff nod. Swallowing hard and raising his eyes to a point just over zer head, the commitment of actually locking gaze was a little too overwhelming to consider at the moment.

“Ca-Can we…” He trailed off before taking a deep breath and saying far too fast, “Canwesitupthere?” Another breath. “Can we sit?”

He indicated where with a jerk of his head and he breathed a sigh of relief when Parker nodded. The boys clambered up onto the chair, their eyes reflecting all the glowing lights on the panel before them. Emmet’s fingers delicately caressed a worn handle of a switch, exhibiting excessive care to make sure the machine remained undamaged by his novice hands. Beside him, Ingo looked just as reverent, tracing the bumps and ridges that were each flashing diode like it was intricate braille that only he could understand by mere touch.

“Thank you,” Emmet murmured, the burn of tears stinging his eyes as all his emotions began to consume him.

He was so happy, but so overwhelmed. He swiped at his eyes with his sleeve, sniffling to prevent the trickle of snot from getting on the panel.

Dakota was glad they snapped a picture of the duo at the panel before Emmet started crying.

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

When Emmet had calmed down, his brother taking him to the side and murmuring in his ear with Emmet taking in gasping breaths, Parker offered them the opportunity to board a train that would be heading out within the hour.

“Finn should be starting her checklist, but we’re sure she wouldn’t mind showing you the inside.”

“F-Finn?” Dakota squeaked, their calm and collected demeanor vaporizing at the mention of the name, but only Elesa seemed to notice. “I, uh, didn’t realize that she was promoted.”

Parker nodded, shooting a squirming Dakota a knowing smile.

“Ms. O’Finnegan got promoted a few weeks ago.”

“That’s… C-Cool!”

Dakota, unable to take Parker’s look, quickly ushered the three kids out and towards the parked trains in the house. Finn was not hard to find, her shock of curly, red hair stood out in the dingy interior of the roundhouse, and she had a smile as bright as the sun that was directed at a flustered Dakota.

“Kota!” She bound toward them and scooped them up into a tight Bewear hug, this earned a squeak from them. “It’s been an age!”

“I-I’ve been busy with school.”

The kids temporarily forgotten about, Dakota tried to avoid her eyes, a mossy, amused hazel color that Dakota frequently found themself sketching in the margins of notebooks. Finn’s expressions were just so big and exaggerated that she made the perfect subject to use as reference – or at least, Dakota tried to tell themself that.

With a brief catch-up out of the way, Dakota introduced Emmet, Ingo, and Elesa to Finn, who beamed at them and was quick to assist them into the cab of the train. She asked them not to touch anything as she was still going over her checklist. If Emmet and Ingo were excited before, they looked moments away from exploding as they watched Finn’s every move with laser focus. Their intensity was almost visible in the very air around them – that’s how focused they were.

“This is spectacular,” Ingo was forcing his voice to be lower in the small interior of the cab. Although the dashboard wasn’t nearly as complex as that of a steam engine, Ingo had to admire the sleek, minimalist look of the glossy screens and polished buttons. Ms. O’Finnegan took very good care of her cab. “Elesa, observe!”

Although she tried to do as Ingo asked, she found she just couldn’t keep up with the in-depth explanation that he launched into. She registered the words ‘throttle’ and ‘brakes,’ but admittedly not much else.

Emmet nodding along and extending his hands in a fashion that reminded Elesa of those infomercials that she saw on the nights she found she couldn’t sleep. The ones where the jewelry always looked so sparkly and the women had even, unremarkable voices.

“What’s your route?”

Elesa asked, mildly impressed with the engine, but not nearly much as her friends.

“I’m taking her out toward Driftveil. Nice and easy for a newbie like me.”

Finn self-consciously scratched the back of her head and sheepishly laughed, sparing the young girl from the two boys who were looking at her dashboard bug-eyed. Dakota watched on with a fond smile, tucking a lock of their purple hair behind their ear while the engineer patiently listened to the lecture on her own equipment.

“She’s pretty.”

Elesa said, almost completely unprompted. Dakota’s face flushed a deep red and quickly turned away, but they couldn’t help but agree with her. They’ve had a crush on Finn for ages, and they were pretty sure the feelings were mutual, but they were too nervous to ask outright.

“Mmm,” was Dakota’s noncommittal hum as they felt a buzzing in their pocket.

Shit. Was it already that time?

“Well, this has been fun, but I’ve got a train to catch. Let’s go everyone. Say goodbye to Finn.”

“Thank you very much for letting us into the cab. This experience has been a dream of ours. Not only that, but it’s been a rather enlightening one!”

“Yep! Thank you verrrrrry much!”

“My pleasure. Oh, uh, Kota?

Dakota was already on the ground and helping Elesa down, trying not to look at their phone for the time.

“Yeah? Ow!”

For their part, they were too distracted to notice what Elesa clearly had – hence the sharp elbow to the side. Finn looked quite nervous as she stammered out her request. Lunch in Striaton. Clove’s restaurant and gym was delicious, or so she had heard, and she wanted Dakota to go with her to see if the rumors were true.

How could they say no?

They were glad they didn’t because Dakota wouldn’t have wanted to miss that expression for anything. The wrinkle of her freckle spattered nose, the glitter in her eyes like a brilliant diamond on a bed of moss, the small curve that shaped her lips in a clear indication of equal parts happiness and relief…

“I’ll see you on Saturday!”

Although they heard Elesa snickering, Emmet and Ingo were completely oblivious to their older companion’s stupefied expression, tottering back in the direction of the station with the three kids in tow. They appreciated Dakota’s patience and time this morning, they would not forget it when Lin was attempting to claw their eyes out when her trainer asked for help bathing her from whatever eventual trouble she would find herself in.

Last time she ended up in the roaming cart of the Casteliacone vendor, who was not too happy with the Purrloin trying to make off with his coin purse. The dried ice cream had ended up drying in clumps on her fur and Dakota had already been scored with their fair share of claw marks.

On the platform, they offered a wave before ducking into the train, the conductors on either end swiftly performed their final safety check before disappearing into the interior. The doors closed with a hiss, a bell rang out sharply, and the serpentine train jerked forward on its journey to the south.

Emmet and Ingo waved as it disappeared into the distance, both grinning in their own respective ways just as Elesa released a loud yawn that she had been attempting to hold back all morning. She loved to hang out with the twins, they were the only people in the whole region who seemed to understand her, but they woke her up at six in the morning. They woke her up even earlier than she had to be up for school. Her full intention was to shut her blinds, clamber back into bed, and sleep until noon since there was no school today.

“I’m headed home, guys.”

Although disappointed, Emmet and Ingo seemed to understand, and even offered to escort her home, but Elesa declined. She loved her friends dearly, but she didn’t think she could absorb any more train facts. They went their separate ways, Emmet and Ingo absolutely unable to contain the excitement of being in different parts of the yard.

The twins had taken many train rides to and from Opelucid, but they had only ever been in the cab when the engine was silent and cold; to feel the rumble – no, the purr – of the engine was a dream come true. Watching the diesel come to life system by system, with the panel lighting up like a Christmas tree to indicate everything was ready and safe for travel… There was nothing like it.

“The turntable-”

“Yes, a little old-fashioned, as is the house, but I find that charming.”

“Yep! Charming!” Emmet said, smiling so much that his cheeks began to hurt while his hands flapped. “Ms. O’Finnegan’s cab was great. Verrrrry clean and well-maintained.”

“I would expect nothing less from an employee of UTrak.”

The standards for the major rail company in Unova were high, but that was because they wanted to offer top-notch services to their customers.

That was their dream – well, it was one of their dreams. Emmet and Ingo wanted to work as engineers with UTrak, but they also wanted to battle professionally. The professions didn’t exactly mesh, which the twins spent hours agonizing over whenever someone asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up.

The question usually ended up being so distressing because they were so torn that Emmet and Ingo became teary eyed with a frustration that they did not know how to verbalize, or at least how to verbalize it without adults minimizing their feelings.

Elesa understood. She had grandiose ideas for the future just like them, but Elesa still ended up being defensive about her hopes and dreams because adults didn’t seem to think they were practical.

It was then those questions arose that they fell back on to a familiar career that they had loved as long as they loved Pokémon battling. They would work for UTrak one day. That was a promise they made to themselves after mother asked them and, once they told her of their ambitions, she laughed. She was quick to stifle it and gently, or as gently as Kaita could manage, told them that she didn’t think her sons were cut out for it.

Well, Drayden had taken personal offense to this statement. Whether it was testament to his faith in his nephews’ abilities as Gray’s or because took it as slight from his sister and he wanted to prove her wrong, Emmet and Ingo were allowed to watch and read all sorts of supplemental information on Pokémon and battling.

It was thanks to Drayden and his pushing that they had their Pokémon so early. Sure, Emmet and Ingo really did want partners, but there were usually restrictions on that sort of thing. Drayden filled out all the necessary paperwork to permit early partners. Drayden always told them that if they put 100% of themselves into anything, he knew they could accomplish anything – just like him.

No matter how outlandish their ambitions – their uncle supported them.

“Ingo?”

“Yes, Emmet?”

“I am Emmet. I think to reach our dual goals, we must rethink our path.”

“You think?” Ingo asked with a tilt of his head, his frown deepening in thought. His brother nodded. Both knew Emmet was not suggesting abandonment of their goals, only a restructuring of how to reach them more efficiently. “I concur. I think its time we invest into research of the requirements to become engineers.”

“More school.”

Emmet said with a groan. Neither were particularly good in the classroom. They liked to learn, but both twins had a tendency to procrastinate on tasks that did not strike them as particularly interesting.

“Yes,” Ingo agreed. “However, I think we will find that schooling more enjoyable than what we are learning at the current moment.”

The older twin couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in disdain, just at the thought of the teacher who got frustrated with him for using words that were “too advanced” for his age bracket. The other students were snickering when Ingo sank lower in his seat. Meanwhile, Emmet was called out for not being particularly vocal, while also told he was being too blunt when he expressed his opinions. He still flinched when someone brought up the art class incident where he made a girl, one of the popular ones, cry by telling her painting was “ugly” and that he preferred Elesa’s.

He didn’t just say that as her friend either, it was genuinely better, and he felt like he needed to point that out to everyone.

In higher education, they wouldn’t have to worry about all these issues. They could focus on their studies and excel because they weren’t being forced to do subjects that bored them to tears. They wouldn’t have to worry about upsetting anyone.

“Verrrrry enjoyable.”

Emmet agreed.

“Next time we encounter Dakota, we should ask them about their college.”

“Yep! Good idea!”

With that, Emmet and Ingo released Tynamo and Litwick respectively, Emmet lightly scratching the spot between the Electric type’s eyes and Ingo stooping down to scoop up the Fire type.

Took you long enough to take me back out.

Litwick harrumphed, suppressing a wiggle of delight she felt deep in her wax when Ingo drew her closer and gingerly modeled the wax out of her eye.

“Apologies, Litwick. Emmet and I were discussing the future.”

Sounds boring. What are we doing today?

She interrupted before he could get into the rhythm of conversation.

“Training.”

Emmet said, his focus was on the wriggling Pokémon butting into his hands, but his mind was elsewhere. In a future that had yet to be but seemed incredibly bright.

53 notes · View notes

strayflowersstarsandlove · 23 days

Text

𝑻𝒐 𝑫𝒊𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓 - hyunjin x reader x felix au fanfic

CHAPTER 2

3 - It's not living if it's not with you

Your thumb skims a cross his smooth cheek, barely brushing the faded mole underneath his eye. Everything and nothing at all swirling in circles in your head as you absentmindedly touch his face, not a distinct, single thought behind your eyes, the look in them distant, vague.

Hyunjin sits patiently and stares at you, he lets you run your fingers over his bushy eyebrows and the plump outline of his lips, sighs ever so softly when the tip of your nail edges down his throat and loops around his thin silver necklace. He knows you love touching him like this, absentmindedly, aimlessly, a mute request for comfort, for something familiar and reassuring to feel beneath your pads so you can escape your head and ground yourself.

"What did you do today?", he asks after a little while, nudging the side of your knee with his own, you shrug, little to no recollection of the day's events for there are none. All of your days kind of blur into one, it's been like this for a while now. The same routine repeats itself over and over again in a in infinite, grey loop.

It's like Hyunjin died and all the colors in the spectrum of the rainbow died with him, skies turning slate gray, water turning to mud, trees shedding their green leaves no matter the season as if all life and color had been drained out all at once.

"Went to work. Got home. Showered. Ordered pizza. Doomscrolled. Went to bed", you list out your activities for the day, for any other day you weren't ending having sex with Felix.

Hyunjin plops his hands down in his lap with a smack, growing frustrated with your flat monotone and the way you seem completely unphased. "So you just waited out another day, no-wasted another day, just so you could go to bed and conjure me up like this? Aren't you tired, y/n? Aren't you tired of reliving groundhog day every single day?".

Shoulders coming down in a slump, you tut. You are tired. Energy depleted. Even if you have realistically been doing nothing at all. For the past 2 years it seems. Funny how living in a bubble of nothingness can feel so exhausting all the same." Yeah.. I am, I guess. But it's alright. Don't really want to pick a fight right now", you reply non commitedly, dropping your stare to the illusion of the white ground beneath your feet.

Hyunjin growls, a guttural sound rolling in his throat as he stands up and flails his arms out theatrically, "I WANT you to pick a fight with me! Fuck, if it means I'll get a reaction that's more than a shrug then fucking fight me! Cuss me out, I don't care! your life is fucking boring and you're just letting it be, what the hell happened to you? You are the shell of who you used to be! And the worst thing about it is that you seem completely fine with it. Deaf, empty. Flat. You're letting your life pass you by and you don't give a damn".

The white emptiness all around you echoes with the thunder in his voice. You've never seen Hyunjin this upset before, it startles you, the intensity in his gaze strinkingly disproportionate to the usual gentleness in his orbs. "What the fuck are you on about now? You died, Hyun. You fucking died. And yeah, you're right. I don't give a damn anymore, I haven't been for the past two years because what's the fucking point?", you snap, a surge of visceral annoyance bubbling up within you.

"The point is exactly that! Only one of us is dead but you're the one acting like you're not living", he shouts.

Nausea rises up to your throat, your stomach heaving. You stare at Hyunjin balling up his hands into fists, the fiery passion burning behind his eyes so strong he almost looks intimidating, "you are throwing your life away, y/n. I can't fucking stand it, I can't. It's like watching a flower wilting and wilting in a draught and not being able to give it a single drop of water, it's infuriating".

-"I lost everything, I don't have a family anymore, don't have a home anymore, I don't have you or any of our friends, I don't have a fucking heartbeat anymore and I can't watch a sunset and I can't sketch your face and I can't pet my dog, I can't do fucking anything but wait for you up here, watch you ghost your way through your days, watch you as you fuck my friend here and there and then curl yourself up in a ball in bed until you dream me up again in this weird fucking limbo and I can't, I fucking can't".

Angry, yet silent tears are rolling down Hyunjin's cheeks, he swats them away and nervously rake through his hair. You blink at him, wishing you could let your own tears flow, but none come out. None ever will. You had used them all up on the day you found out he had died.

Never in your whole life up until that point you had cried so much, so copiously, your eyes were so swollen and stingy and red you had to visit the ER and get some eye drops and absolute rest in your pitch black room, curtains drawn, blocking out the sun that never properly shone on you from that day on. Your body had not been able to produce any more tears from that day on, both physically and mentally, you had shut down completely. There was no prickling, no pressure urging behind your eyelids, no emotional turmoil big enough to trigger any voluntary or involuntary instinct to cry.

"I am not living, Hyunjin. I am merely surviving, I'm only just investing enough energy so I can get myself through another day. I'm sorry you cannot live vicariously through me cause my existence turned a little too dull for you", you confess plainly, as if you had not just admitted to the most miserable truth residing in your heart.

You only cared about being awake enough to reach the end of the day, just so you could see him again, hear his voice, touch his face, feel some semblance of belonging, pretending your relationship never had to be cut off so abruptly, the love of your life plucked away from the world so carelessly, like a flower ripped from the grass it was flourishing in.

You and him were in no way perfect, neither was your relationship. Loving him was red, and purple and blue. Fiery, intense, but delicate and sweet. You fought, not a lot but you fought. And some of the fights were turbulent, they lead them to you refusing to speak to each other for a few days at a time, the vicious silent treatment generating all the more incomprehension in turn, which usually then lead to more arguing but to some very intense make up sex too.

And deep talks. Endless deep talks. All of your inner colors and shades, all the good the bad and the ugly coming out in hushed tones underneath the moonlight, steaming cups of tea burning the reddened skin on the palm of your hands. McDonald's runs at three in the morning. I love yous shouted out of anger and frustration, giggles, his way of peeling apart your layers, making you feel seen with every turn of a leaf.

Hyunjin chokes, a sob like pained whine in his throat, he cups your cheeks, squeezing a little too tight, but you don't protest. He shuts his eyes and keeps them close for a sec, he kisses your lips, his mouth lingering on yours as he dares not raise his voice above a whisper, his breath coming out short: "I love you, fuck I love you, y/n. I don't want you to live so I can live through you, I don't want you to die for me, every single day, either, like you've been doing so far", "do you want me to live for you?".

The question tumbles out of your mouth like it's second nature, like saying please and thank you and hello. If you could bury a body for him, slice off your arm and feed to him, if it meant bringing him back to the real world, you could live for him too. If he just asked.

"I want you to live. For yourself. For love, for happiness. I want you to live because the world has not ended just because my life did...", he trails off, soft whispers hitting your skin as his lips trace your cupid bow, "I need you to live, y/n. And I need you to start living again soon, I need you to live again and laugh again and love again, I need you... I need you to feel alive because I need to die. I really, really need to die".

A wall of bricks crumbles down on your head, splitting in chunks upon impact. Or at least that's what it feels like. You look at him incredulously, any primitive form of words dying in your throat as you stare at him.

He sighs, heavily, like it's hurting him to do so: "I don't know how any of this works. No clue. But I know I'm not meant to stay here, in this limbo of sorts. Not for this long. These past two years might have felt like a blink to you, but to me the dragged out infinitely. I am losing my... human-ness, if that's a thing. I can't feel you anymore, not as much as I used to when we first started meeting up here". Hyunjin brushes away the hair on the crown of your head, nimble long finger through your strands, eyes squinting as he makes a pained face.

"My lips don't feel the same, they cannot perceive how soft your skin is, my hearing is getting weaker, my eyes don't work as well as they used to before. My limbs... The feel so heavy, y/n. I drag my entire body weight on these legs, and it's so hard. I am becoming numb, and weak. I am slowly disappearing, my love. And I don't know why or how, but if I don't pass over properly, if I don't get to finally rest, I never will."-

-"My soul will pulverize along with this body. I need to leave, to reach my final stage, whatever that may be. I might just forever rest or reincarnate, anything. I'm not meant to stay here forever. I have to leave. But I can't do that, I can't leave you until I know you're okay. My life will have been worthless if I don't get to see you appropriating you life again, do you understand? I will have lived and died for nothing, if you don't move on".

Oxygen stuck in your airways, you gasp, the torpidity in your body and your mind slithering away like suds in the drizzle of water, panic seizing your senses, "you're leaving?", you murmur, and he grimaces, nodding slowly, "I don't think I have more than a year left. It's hard to explain, to give it a time line, a deadline too... It's like a silent ticking time bomb within me, and it's eating me from the inside, making my form feel less and less... Human. I know it's going to go off sometime soon, I can hold it back only for so long", he tries to explain, elaborating his thoughts with so much strain in his voice he sounds like he's scraping the base of his heart to claw at some courage.

Trying to desperately make sense feels like a regurgitation of what it first felt like to see him appear in this weird space I your head, a space between dream and reality, sleep and wakefulness. It felt odd, insane, unexplicable at first.

But then it turned into comfort, into the safest place you knew, the one you had been running to every night. But now it's just dread. Hopelessness. The line between staying sane and becoming actually ill in the head blurring all at once as you find yourself grappling with reality. Your safe space turning into a castle of glass that could break at any moment in time.

Fear swallows you up. Your heart failing to beat properly as the faintest falter in the rhythm sends daggers piercing through your chest. Hyunjin cannot leave this place too. "How-how long have you known?", "I've always known".

An eerie quietness sinks in the atmosphere. Your heart plummeting in your chest, tumbling down your stomach with a thud. The blank stare in his eyes when you had confessed you were sleeping with Felix,the surrender in his voice when he had tried to calm down the rage that erupted from you then, when it felt like he had so passively accepted he wasn't going to be able to hold you back from diving head first into the worst of coping mechanisms, the alcohol first, the meaningless sex next.

"Is this - is this... Is this why you fucking SHRUGGED when I told you I had accidently drowned my liver in alcohol and ended up in bed with Felix? Had you already given up on me then? On us? You already knew didn't you?", you chide incongruently calmly, teeth gritting, hurt and anger at being left in the darkness blindsiding you once again.

"You were clearly in so much pain, y/n. You were mourning, I don't get to judge how people mourn, how they cope with pain, much less you. What was I supposed to do? Yell at you? Scream my head off accusing you of not caring about me or not loving me enough in death as much as you did in life? How could have that ever helped the situation? You were going to do something drastic if I had let you know at the time, and trust me, TRUST ME it hurt. It ripped my heart to shreds, it burned my entire soul to know you were fucking my best friend".-

-"But I was dead then and I am dead now. I cannot do shit about it. I cannot stop you from doing anything. I was just hoping it was going to be temporary! that-that... that you were going to eventually stop. Or fall for him. And be happy without me. But none of that happened and now I'm disappearing and I don't know what to do anymore".

The metallic taste of blood pooling in your mouth floods your taste buds as you bite down hard on the inside of your lips, rubbing them together int a thin line, Hyunjin breathes raggedly, he puts his face in his hands, crying into the sleeves of his shirt, "I just want you to be happy y/n, selfishly, I need you to be happy, cause my heart is fucking heavy for you and I cannot take it through with me. I need you to let me go, even if it means I had to spend two years letting you go first, even if it means I have to push you away right now, I need you to let me go".

Chapter 4

30 notes · View notes

takingchences · 2 months

Text

𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐭. 𝟏𝟓

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem!oc

Warnings: mature language, angst

LOTS of angst this chapter. Touya Todoroki is mentioned in this chapter, and for the sake of this fanfic, he will be aged down to 3-4 years older than Shoto and Sana. Enjoy!

series masterlist + my masterlist

The second round of battles were even more intense than the first. Bakugou was pitted against Kirishima, who'd won an arm wrestling match against his Class B doppelgänger in a tiebreaker. Sana herself would be engaging in a battle against Ole Greased Lightnin' himself.

And to top it off, the big rivalry of the day would come to a head in the last match of the round: Midoriya vs. Todoroki.

Why do you keep getting in my way, Izuku Midoriya? Her jewel-like burned holes in the back of Midoriya's bushy head. She hissed out a breath in irritation. Mina nudged her to get her attention.

"So... who is it?" She giggled.

"What are we talking about?"

"You can drop the act." The pinkette leaned in close with a devious smirk. "Denki already spilled the beans. So," she poked her arm with a perfectly manicured nail. "Who's the lucky guy?" Jirou, who was sitting with Momo in the row in front of them, subtly pointed her earjack in their direction.

"Right," she nodded slowly with a deep sigh. "That." Sana glanced down at the arena, where two of their friends were stretching. She turned away just as the ash blonde raised his head. "I don't think it's going to work out."

"What?" Mina gasped, a distressed expression on her face. "No! Why?"

Jirou dropped her act, now fully turned in her seat to join the conversation.

Sana bit her lip. It's not that she didn't trust the two girls, but her feelings for Bakugou were complicated, especially on days like today where his abrasive personality successfully pushed her away. She didn't think Bakugou would appreciate her airing their problems in front of the entire class. This chaotic, beautiful bond they share was theirs alone. She cherishes their relationship; this unspoken, undefined thing. Whatever it is that they have is delicate, and Sana didn't want to be the one to break it.

But the way he'd ripped his hand out of her's still stung. Just moments before, he'd been laughing and joking with her... only to shut her out afterwards. It was always one step forward, two steps back with him. Sometimes, it felt like she was the only trying to work at their relationship.

The same could be said for her friendship with Shoto. While she was actively trying to mend the rift, the dual-haired boy was blatantly ignoring her efforts, instead choosing to distance himself further.

Sana shrugged helplessly. "Because it feels like it will only end with my heart broken." She replied quietly.

She didn't just mean Bakugou, but Shoto as well.

Mina opened her mouth to add to their conversation, but was cut off by Midnight telling the competitors to begin their fight. Sana was grateful for the Pro's interference. The solar girl needed to focus on her upcoming match, and thinking about Bakugou would only serve as a distraction.

Explosions and smoke filled the air. Down below, a battle of stamina was taking place, and by the looks of it, the hotheaded blonde was winning. "Bakugou seems... different, doesn't he?" Sero commented aloud from a few seats down.

Tsuyu touched her chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, he did seem pretty calm after fighting Ochaco."

Sana scoffed under her breath, sliding further down in her seat. The constant back and forth of does he or does he not, and the push and pull of her heartstrings was getting to be too much. It feels like the only one playing games, Katsuki, is you.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Sana didn't think anyone was surprised by Bakugou's victory. Nothing against Kirishima, of course, but the ash blonde's tenacity and relentless attacks from the very beginning painted a pretty clear picture of who the winner would be. The redhead's quirk didn't make him invincible, and Bakugou had used that to his advantage.

Sana noticed Iida stand and leave the seating area. He was probably getting warmed up since their match was coming up.

The two boys joined them a few minutes later, Bakugou silently stewing in anger despite being the first to earn a spot in the semi-finals. Eijiro's smile was bittersweet. He was happy for his friend, but upset that his own time in the Sports Festival had come to an end.

Sana gave him a few head pats once he sat down, making him grin.

Tokoyami and a vine-haired girl were up next. His technique was similar to the one he'd used in the first round against Momo. While that match lasted roughly thirty seconds, this match was more prolonged. The girl's quirk, like Dark Shadow, was perfectly suited for long range combat. As soon as she wrapped vines around the large shadowy creature, he would slip back into Tokoyami's body, only to reappear moments later. Eventually, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were able to overpower the girl and win the match.

Sana left her classmates with a chorus of good luck's following her out. A few had even expressed concern about her choosing not to warm up beforehand. Her laughing in response only served to increase their worry.

Sana made her way down to the entrance, spotting her opponent across the way. She saluted him with two fingers and a wink. The bespectacled boy bowed his head in acknowledgment.

Mrs. Midnight announced who was next, waving for them to step out into the arena. Present Mic gave his own comedic commentary while his partner, Mr. Aizawa, watched them apathetically.

Midnight snapped her whip. "Begin!"

The blue-haired boy dashed forward, trying to catch her off guard. Sana had overheard Midoriya rattling on about a new power move he'd shown off during the calvary battle. Some kind of turbo boost that made the speedster even faster, but, according to those who'd witnessed it, the impressive move had serious drawbacks.

Sana wasn't sure how often he was able to use it, or for how long, or if he would even chance using it so soon after the second event, but she didn't plan on giving him the opportunity.

Her logic was simple, really.

"Catch me if you can," she smirked before disappearing into thin air. Iida couldn't beat her if he couldn't see her.

Present Mic, as well as the rest of those watching (on campus and at home) were stunned by the display of power. "HUUUUUUH?" The voice hero shrieked. "ERASER, WHAT'S THIS?"

Mr. Aizawa sighed into the microphone. "Sakano's quirk allows her to take in and manipulate light. By bending the light around her, Sakano can make herself appear invisible."

"SO COOL!"

Iida also looked quite stunned, skidding to a halt a few feet away from where she'd vanished.

Like most of their class, the boy had assumed the strawberry blonde would use her quirk to enhance her speed... which is exactly why she chose not to. It would be a complete waste of time and energy. She could easily outrun the boy using her quirk. She'd proven that their first day of class during Aizawa's apprehension test. No, this was a chance to conserve power while also showcasing her range of abilities to the world.

The class president was already at a disadvantage coming in, knowing what she could do... except no one knew what all Sana was capable of.

Not even her.

"Don't you remember what Sensei said at the USJ?" Sana's voice floated through the air. Iida spun around to try and determine her location, but it was useless. Her voice seemed to come from every direction. Warm fingers curled into the fabric of his uniform jacket, yanking him backwards forcefully. Surprised by the sudden, aggressive assault, Iida lost balance, only aiding his opponent in hurling him across the boundary line. "No good hero is a one trick pony."

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Sana returned to her seat with a bounce in her step. Her friends congratulated her for making it into the semi-finals along with Bakugou and Tokoyami. There was only one more match left. The moment they'd all been waiting for since the war declaration this morning.

Sana shifted in her seat, her long hair sticking to the damp skin of her neck, making her uncomfortable. She fanned her face with her left hand as Midoriya and Shoto stepped onto the field. Soon, she tried to appease the sweltering heat consuming her from the inside, demanding to be released. Not yet.

Shoto was the first to attack, sending a wave of ice towards the greenette, only to be pushed away by a powerful blast. The crowd went crazy once they realized what had happened; Midoriya had stopped the ice by breaking his finger.

Shoto didn't hesitate, attacking relentlessly over and over, only for Midoriya to thwart him once again. The greenette was only playing defense, which Sana found strange. Why wasn't he trying to counterattack? The boy was just standing there and mutilating himself. It didn't seem like a good strategy to follow. After all, he only had so many fingers to sacrifice.

Midoriya didn't seem to know or care about that, though. Instead of changing his course of action, the freckled boy continued to further damage his body by using his already broken fingers to protect himself against Shoto.

Sana threw her head back in exasperation. Idiot.

A particularly strong blow from Midoriya sent Todoroki flying back, the dual haired boy creating a blockade of ice to keep him from going out of bounds. Frost was blooming across the right side of his body, climbing rapidly. He wouldn't last much longer like this. Sana knew what was coming. Tremors would soon overtake his body, his muscles stiffening to conserve heat and impairing his movements.

Shoto was reaching his limit.

The two came to blows, the greenette landing a solid hit to his opponent's stomach while Shoto froze his arm in retaliation. All the while, the boys seemed to be having a heated discussion, but between the shattering of ice, gusts of wind, and chatter of the crowd, it was difficult to hear what they were saying.

"IT'S YOUR QUIRK!" Midoriya screamed at the red and white haired boy. "NOT HIS!"

For a moment, her world stopped spinning.

Eyes wide and unblinking, Sana leaned forward in her seat to catch the reaction of the youngest Todoroki, who appeared as stunned as she felt. What came next was an even bigger shock. She wasn't sure if he consciously activated his quirk or if the flood of emotions he was obviously experiencing triggered it... but Shoto's left side burst into flames.

Beautiful scarlett and gold embers streamed off his body and grew into a wildfire. She gasped, covering her mouth in awe as tears pricked her eyes. He... did it.

"SHOTO!" The flaming pile of garbage known as Endeavor shouted from the stands. "You finally accepted your purpose. Very good. This is the dawn of a new era for us." Sana glowered down at the despicable man. Even Present Mic seemed uncomfortable with the Pro's announcement, quickly drawing their attention back to the two teenagers. The battle ramped up now that Shoto was using his full power.

Midnight tried to intervene, voicing her concern, but it was too late. With a mighty explosion, the entire stadium was thrown into chaos. Thick steam blinded them as they tried to check on the two boys. After minutes of stumbling through the fog, Midnight announced that Todoroki would be the one moving on. The greenette's body was found embedded in the stone wall behind him. Med robots carted the unconscious boy away from public view, much to their classmates' concern.

Sana felt torn between wanting to curl into a ball and cry or scream at the top of her lungs until her vocal chords were raw. All this time, she'd been trying to show Shoto that he was his own person and not an extension of his father as the man would have him believe. But once again, Midoriya was somehow able to achieve the impossible.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

While the Sakano heir was having an emotional breakdown, a family reunion was happening in a hall on the other side of the stadium. Shoto ignored the approaching figure of his father.

"What's the matter?" The Pro crossed his arms smugly. "Not gonna tell me to get lost?" He looked down at his son's exposed body, half of his shirt burned away. "You need to learn to control your left side. It's dangerous to release so much energy like that." His smirk widened further. "But I'm glad you're finally seeing reason. Now that you've abandoned your childish rebellion, we can get back to what's important. After you graduate, you'll work by my side-"

"Out there," Shoto suddenly spoke, voice soft as a whisper. "For that one moment, I forgot all about you. Whether it's good or bad... whether it's the right thing to do, I don't know." He shouldered past the stunned man. "Maybe I don't need you."

The hero's clenched fists shook in anger.

"What he needs," Sana had snapped at him. "Is help... and we both know you're the last person he'd go to for that."

"That girl," he seethed, catching Shoto 's attention. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "She's ruined you. You wouldn't be acting this way if she hadn't planted her own rebellious thoughts in your head."

Shoto faced his father once again, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were so cold and empty that it made the Flame Hero pause. "That girl," the dual quirk user drew the words out slowly. "Was the only family I had left."

Endeavor took a step back in shock, his bright eyes blown wide. "Shoto-"

"You've taken everyone from me. My mother, my siblings," the teenager met his father's gaze head-on, further surprising the pro. "My friendship with Sana was the one thing in my life that was mine..."

There was a small hitch in Shoto's breath and a look of devastation in his eyes. "And you ruined that, too."

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Bakugou and Tokoyami were the first match up of the semi-finals. The announcement made Sana chuckle to herself, though she was far from amused.

She would be fighting Shoto. Again. In front of an audience. Again. Only this time, it would be broadcast on national television for everyone to see, including their fathers. If a bolt of lightning struck me down right now, the universe would be doing me a favor.

Her childhood rival sat stoic in the furthest row, a clear divide between himself and the rest of the class. Sana sighed, shaking her head and facing forward. He's really taking this no friends thing to another level.

The solar girl excused herself to head to the waiting room. She needed to prepare herself to face Shoto. Sana slumped down in the metal chair, burying her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook with the force of the sobs she so desperately fought to contain.

She was genuinely happy for Shoto. She wanted nothing more than to run to her old friend and smother him with hugs and kisses and praise for the giant step he'd just taken... but that wasn't her place anymore. She wasn't sure where her place in the world was if not by his side. She'd never had to think about it before.

Now it was all she could think about.

And losing that spot to someone they'd just met not too long ago hurt more than any pain she'd ever experienced. Was she as expendable as her mother? Was she forever to be belittled and used and discarded by those closest to her? There's only so much rejection a person can handle in a lifetime, and she had a terrible feeling that she was about to hit her max today. The fact that millions of people would bear witness to her humiliation gave her very little comfort.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

"They've given us impressive performances so far." Present Mic started the introductions as Midnight coaxed Sana and her opponent out from the shadows of the tunnel entrances. "And they're totally famous! YEAH! It's the battle of the elite: Shoto Todoroki vs. Sana Sakano."

The response from the crowd was deafening.

Sana wasn't sure if the moisture in her palms was from nerves or simply her quirk begging to come out. Both, probably. She was almost looking forward to Shoto's ice to help her cool off.

No, not Shoto.

The boy standing across from her was Todoroki. There was a difference between the two. Her Shoto was soft spoken, thoughtful, and thanks to his isolated upbringing, often clueless when it comes to things like social queues or pop culture references. Humor and sarcasm flew right over his head. It was one of her favorite things about him: his innocence. How he'd managed to hold onto it despite all of the trauma he and his family had endured, she'll never know. Todoroki was that scared, moody kid who used to glare at her from across the room as his father encouraged them to tear into each other.

But the heterochromatic boy currently staring through her was foreign. She didn't know this version of her best friend, not even when they were children and refused to get along. Back then, he'd just been angry, but this went beyond anger. This was hatred, loathing, despair. Things she never would've used to describe Sho. Her Sho.

"Are you ready to talk?" Sana activated her quirk as soon as the match began, her entire body beginning to glow.

"I have nothing to say to you." Shoto stomped on the ground, sending a mountain of ice in her direction that she bypassed easily. It was a familiar dance that they could perform with their eyes blindfolded, in the dark, after being spun in circles a dozen or so times. They knew each other too well. It was a double-edged sword, a blessing as well as a curse.

"Really?" She scoffed, arching a brow. "Because it sure feels like you're bottling up a lot of shit right now. So spit it out." She threw her arms out to her side in annoyance. "You can't ignore me forever, Sho. I'm not going anywhere."

The boy's gaze was as hard as stone, void of any emotion. "You made sure of that, didn't you?"

"The hell are you talking about?"

"You gave me hope. You made me think things could be different." A chill filled the air as a turbulent wind of snow flurries spun around him. "You made me believe that you cared." Turquoise and gray eyes burned into her like hellfire and frostbite, stealing the breath from her lungs. "You lied."

"Will you stop talking in riddles and just tell me what I did to make you hate me?!"

A blizzard tore through the battle arena, eclipsing the two teens. The onlookers gasped and cried out in shock as fierce winds tugged at their hair and clothing. The best friends-turned-rivals were obscured from view, the only thing visible was Sana's glowing silhouette moving swiftly within the white and gray haze.

"I t-thought after fighting Deku, Todoroki would ease up a bit." Uraraka hugged herself, her breath visible as she shivered. "But he seems even more fired up than before!"

"Kero," Tsu croaked sleepily.

"Yo, Bakubro. I dunno why," Kirishima scratched his chin. "But this matchup feels kinda personal, don't ya think?"

Bakugou scowled down at the stage with his arms crossed, his jaw set in stone. He knew exactly how personal this fight was. He'd overheard Todoroki reveal his family's dark origins to Deku in the corrider during break and had almost retreated back to the student section when he heard Sana's name.

"Since the dawn of quirks, many families have relied on quirk marriages to grow and harness their power. Look at Sakano: her family's legacy is built on a glowing baby. How else could they have stayed in power for centuries if not through selective breeding? How could she hold a fraction of the power she does if her ancestors hadn't practically monopolized light and heat-based quirks?"

It suddenly occurred to Bakugou that this was probably the most emotion he'd heard the dual-haired boy express in the months they'd known each other. Anger and annoyance were easy to recognize, but there was something else buried underneath as he spoke of the class beauty. It made the ash blonde's chest tighten.

"My mother's family was well-known for their strong ice quirks, which is why my father seeked her out. It's his wish to build a legacy of his own and cement the Todoroki name in history."

This is fuckin' boring, Bakugou kicked off the wall he was leaning on to leave. "She didn't know it at the time, but Sana was engaged to my brother when we were kids."

The ash blonde froze midstep.

"Our parents arranged the whole thing. But..." For the first time since he'd begun telling Midoriya—and unknowingly, Bakugou—his life story, the dual-haired teen seemed reluctant to continue. The youngest Todoroki cleared his throat uncomfortably. "... something happened when we were younger and the engagement was called off. My father only told me all of this because he wants me to marry Sana in my brother's place."

Midoriya gasped, and Bakugou nearly did as well. He inhaled sharply, his vermilion eyes blown wide as his fists clenched at his sides.

"Her father refused the offer at first... but I have reason to believe he's reconsidering."

Bakugou forced himself to walk away, unable to stomach another word without rounding the corner and demanding the peppermint bastard tell him everything he knows. Was Sana in on this? Did she even know? Why her? He wanted to ask. Why did it have to be her?

The sucker punched feeling he'd become oh so familiar with since enrolling in U.A was back. The pressure temporarily vanished when Sana joined him in the stands, flashing him that cheeky grin with those jewel-like eyes that, even when she was laughing and goofing off with the rest of the Derp Squad, always seemed to hold a touch of sadness. Bakugou felt like he was finally beginning to understand the enigma that is Sana Sakano, just as she'd been trying to figure him out since that first day of class.

He'd always felt that the strawberry blonde was putting on an act, pretending to be someone she wasn't for others' sake. He'd even called her out on it during their heated argument outside her house just days before. But slowly, he was starting to see glimpses of her, the real her, behind the facade. But he couldn't help but feel as though he was only just now seeing the truth hidden behind layers of charming smiles and smartass comments because the half-and-half told him exactly where to look.

"You don't know her like I do."

The pain in his chest flared, the fear of being second to anyone causing him to lash out at the solar girl. I know, dammit. Bakugou dragged a calloused hand down his face in frustration as she turned her back on him, then kicking the seat in front of him with his boot.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

She was in the eye of the storm. Sana was sure the only reason she could see her own hands in front of her face was because they were glowing faintly. She knew that Shoto would be able to spot her easier this way, but she also knew the second she deactivated her quirk, she'd be a goner. Her body would quickly succumb to the freezing temperatures around her and Shoto would be named the victor.

"I know you're using his quirk," his voice called out to her in disgust. He'd felt the heat coming off of her from across the arena. Only one person was capable of producing fire that intense. Flames straight from Hell itself, wielded by a devil in disguise.

"I needed to get your attention somehow." Sana called into the dense fog surrounding them. Everything was white and hazy and cold, though she hardly noticed the chill in her current state. Enji's fire flowed like lava through her veins. "This seemed the most effective way."

He chuckled dryly. "You're shameless."

"...what?"

The air in front of her stirred and shifted, a sign that her opponent was close. "Taking bribes from my father? Asking him for favors?" The dual-haired boy's voice grew in volume and intensity with every word. "You sold yourself to him, Sakano."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sana frowned.

"How are you here at U.A? We were both there when my father said the only way you'd be recommended to this school was if you agreed to marry me after graduation."

"And I said no-"

"-yet here you are!" He shouted. "Recommended to the top hero school in Japan. So, who was it then? What Pro would vouch for you... the daughter of the man that has done nothing but curse their profession since he gained office? Who else would've recommended you but my old man?"

Sana thought back to that white envelope she'd received in the mail months ago containing the date and time of her entrance exam. The solar girl was completely blindsided by her status as a recommendation student. The letter included a note from Principal Nezu stating that the pro had asked to remain anonymous.

"I don't know!"

"Liar." His voice was getting closer, she noted. Right now, Shoto has the advantage, but Sana isn't going to go down without a fight. "You said things would be different this time around, that we'd have a choice. You promised we wouldn't become our parents. You swore to honor Touya."

Sana whirled around, coming nose to nose with her former friend.

There was a surprising fury in his eyes that she hadn't seen in years. Never with Shoto, no, but a beautiful, snow-haired boy with eyes that rivaled the sky. Touya was a name she longed to forget... only because the memories it brought to mind were too painful to put into words.

"What do you think Touya would say if he could see you now? Scheming with my old man?" It sounded as though the words had been ripped from his body involuntarily. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breaths coming out in pants. "I didn't have a chance to know him like you, but I think he would be ashamed of what you've become."

Shoto knew every weakness she'd ever had—had helped her discover most of them—but he'd never hit so below the belt. Over the years, they'd both demonstrated that their weaknesses extended beyond physical blows. Verbal and emotional attacks worked just as well, and clearly neither of them were above using such underhanded tactics. But this-

Sana stumbled back, as if the accusation was a physical blow. She would've preferred that to hearing those words. "Wha-? No!" She gasped, her eyes burning with tears. "I would never-"

"Don't you ever get tired of lying to everyone all of the time?"

"Can he fucking see you? See past the bullshit act you put on?" Before this year, Sana's answer would've been a resounding yes... but everything was different now.

He can't see me, she realized. Not anymore. All he sees now is that man. She steeled her shoulder and flexed her hands, mentally armoring herself, but it was too late. Shoto had taken her shattered heart—the same one he'd helped mend all those years—and stabbed her with the shard she'd given him to protect. He'd used her love against her and twisted it.

The battle wasn't over, but she'd already lost.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #bnha bakugou #bnha fluff #bnha angst #bakusquad #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo mha #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #mina ashido #kirishima eijirou #bnha shoto todoroki #shoto todoroki

31 notes · View notes

fictionalhoedown · 27 days

Text

Stanford Pines x Self-Insert

Summary ;; Ford Pines discovers a strange glowing red flower, obviously he brings it back to the shack to bring it underground and study it. But Stanley has other plans, seeing it as a business opportunity, but of course he messes it up

~~~~ (I'm sorry I forgot to use they/them pronouns so this is a Stan x female self insert)~~~~

EdIt;: Im rly sorry if its bad, its been a long while since I wrote fanfic but I love this man to death I need this ;( y'all would tell me if this is shit or not right? pls hlp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stanley's POV

Ford comes barreling in with something glowing red in his hands "the hell is that?" his brother didn't reply, instead he neatly stacked his books and gently places on the diner table a black pot with a large glowing flower.

Similar to a Lily, three long tubes with large pollen balls on each end gently emited small visible spores. I get irritated that he's ignoring me, again, and turn the tv off to lessen the noise "hey dick face!".

He looks at me with the highest form of disrespect, "Can you please tell me what the hell that thing is doing in my living room?" Ford huffed and straightened his glasses.

"techniqly this is my house Stanley. secondly! I don't know! I found it today. But I do know that I need to drive to my lab and retrieve some nessecary equipment items that I think would be beneficial of concealing this thing until I can learn more~"

The nerdy Pine brother looked 'too' excited about this research, "riiiiight, because playing with a flower is scientific?" my brother groans again "god why are you so childish! Just let me be happy about this discovery" I held my hands up in defense.

As he packed somethings up, he takes a step and looks at me very seriously, "listen Stan, I'm gonna be gone a while. Please, do not sell the damn flower in your freak shop. And more importantly. Do. Not. Touch. It."

I look back at the flower, everything about it calling to me to not sell it but cause general mischief for my brother and his nerdy hobbies. "yeah yeah, I promise! Jeez, you really think so low of your own blood?" he rolls his eyes and exits the living room with a sarcastic "yes.".

_______________

Self-Insert's POV

My cold wet hair dripped down my hot skin, I wrapped the towel around my chest, securing it well, then clipping the bottom, for no unnecessary 'drafts' of wind.

I combed my hair back out of my face and misted some perfume on before leaving the bathroom with the intention of going to my room and getting dressed. Until, !CRASH!

Rushing down the stairs with zero regards for slipping on my ass, I make it to the bottom to find Stanley Pines, my dear close friend, face covered in what looked like red spray paint and a broken flower pot with soil on the ground.

"Stan! What the- " I run to his side, holding his face with my hands to inspect the damage. I sprint to the kitchen and get some wet paper towels, trying to gently remove the mystery color from his face.

"Yeah yeah I know, Ford told me not to touch it already. But I didn't techniqly!" As I am dabbing his nose with the wet towel I give him a 'bruh' look. He protests "I'm serious! That damn flower basically farted this stuff in my face!" I laugh at his explanation.

As I finish cleaning the last of the flower spores from his eyes and nose, I notice an unfamiliar heat radiating from him like he was a mobile fireplace. Looking at his face, I see without the spores he is very flushed and red faces, a gentle sweat beginning at his bushy silver brows.

I put my lips to his forehead to feel his temperture, only to be met with an iron skillet burning my face, "Ow! Good Lord, how are you still alive! Your burning like grits with no butter!" I push the hair from his dripping face, to better see, he seems shy and sheepish? Stanley Pines? Shy?

Stanley's POV

I can't handle it, god this was such a mistake, I should have listened to Ford! Her glowing skin was the only thing I could pay attention to, as she spoke it was like how adults speak in cartoons.

When she was cleaning my eyes with the paper towel, I felt her breath, it sent chills through my whole body, like I was a teenager again! Her neck looked so... exposed... My body was turning up the heat like it was thanksgiving day.

I unconsciously trailed my eyes downward, (Self-Insert) continued her health assessment check with me, all my senses got more and more sensative. The TV volume was on low but it sounded like it was wracking inside my skull.

The living room light looked so bright and yellow for my eyes, I thought they were gonna dry away to dust. (Self-Insert)'s smell, fueling me into my lungs and straight to my member, so sweet, like honey and vanilla.

Her touch, as she nervously holds onto my arm for foundation, I can't think about anything else but the electrical storm going on with her beautiful body being pressed up against my old ass having a stroke on the floor in my fucking boxers. Real charming Stanley.

I unknowingly found myself gripping her wrist to bring her closer, hooking my arm around her waist and cupping each hip perversely. "T-Toots-... I can't... think... I don't think I... can even breath right now... but-" looking up deep into her eyes, the tent on me rises high to the sky.

Self-Insert's POV

The elder man aggressively shoved me, falling to my back but not hitting my head, thanks to his hand engulfing the back of my skull. Stanley's arms were firmly planted next to my head, his girtle not present but his very, very large lower half pushing past my legs, nothing but the thin blue and white striped cloth gently laying against my womanhood like a dog sitting on top of the bun.

"I can't explain how much I want- no..." Stanley falls forward, dipping his head to my throat like he's gonna rip it all out, "Need you~" I watch carefully, scared but, weirdly excited? His giant hands engulfing my wrists, the heart violently beating against his palm, "Stan." I say, to try and get his attention.

Suddenly rocking his hips to an imaginary song, he shifted his hands from my wrists to my biceps, pushing his weight on me as both our pre-cum juices covered and soaked his boxers. I couldn't run, the man was 5x larger than me, and I mean, It's not like it doesn't feel good~

Stanley grunted exhastedly, looking like a horny boy humping his pillow. The stubble on his face scratched all over me as he open mouth licked me like a loli-pop and drunkenly sucked hickies from my throat to my collarbones, he kept saying stuff like "I swear. you taste so good.", "I wish I could eat you like cake~", "say my name again, and I think I'll bust".

Gently removing himself from licking my neck, Stan suddenly rips my towel open, my no longer steaming body, hitting the freezing cold ac air of the mystery shack. Not saying a word, a small dripple of saliva dripping from his lip as sweat poured from his face.

His calloused fingers found their way to my chest with no hesitation, picking each bud with his pointer and thumb and rolling them around, my breath hitched as he pulled and let them fall back watching the buds grow stuffer and pinker "pretty, pink, buds" he murmurs.

While he gawked and played with my titties, I open my legs a bit more, adding to the closeness, his shaft firmly pressed to my soaking entrance. Reaching for the elastic of his boxers, I stick my thumbs in, circling around his waist and intending to push them down, feeling his swelled tip bed for attention.

!!EHEM!!-

Stanley's POV

(Self-Insert) sat in my lap as we watched my favorite romantic drama movie, my brother sat at the table next to us, toying with his glowing flower, that surprisingly lived.

Ford gagged once more, like he did for the 100th time, "I fucking hate you Stanley.".

I groan and drop my arm from the air dramatically, "Jesus fucking Christ Ford I already said I was in the wrong and I was sorry. How was I supposed to know it was gonna spit some sexy love juice in my face!" (Self-Insert) chuckled nervously as her face turned beat read again.

"Lets all of us just forget it okay. Please? Ugh~"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I"M SO SORRY THAT WAS BAD- It was rushed and I'm finishing this at one thirty In the morning- AND I ALSO WORK- the lengths I go for horniness...

pls like...

#stanley pines #stan x reader #stanley pines x reader #gravity falls #ford pines

21 notes · View notes

not-youranswer · 2 months

Text

Hi guys! I started to write my first fanfic because I need to get this idea out of my head. 🫠 It's basically going to be about Andrew and Neil meeting on their mid-twenties, Andrew is still with Kevin and they've gone pro. Neil is working as a tailor/shopkeep in high end tailor shop. It's about the intimacy of taking the measurements from an interesting guy and the fleeting touches and the yearning. (I hope)

I'm going to post the first part under the cut and I would love if someone could give me some feedback! 😩🙏🙏

The smallest bell above the old oak door tinged, as Kevin ushered Andrew inside the mysterious tailor shop.

"My my Day, getting chivalrous in your old age?" Andrew asked, with what could be called a sneer as he took in the shop.

It was dark in tones, but not devoid of light. Old and slightly worn wooden structures held few sample suits, with more arrays of fabric samples that Andrew thought was possible. Kevin huffed behind him as Andrew reached out for a few samples. The fabric was silky smooth, feeling more like liquid than what-could-be-garment.

"Don't patronize me." Kevin said behind him, crossing his arms. "We both know you never would've come here if it wasn't for me practically dragging you in here. And this event is /important/. All the biggest sponsors are in attendance and we both know that you /need/ new ones. And you need the perfect suit to go with it to give the proper impression."

Andrew tried to tune out Kevin's much heard speech about this god-forsaken sponsorship event, being weirdly thankful after he heard some scuffling up ahead.

Small, well compared to Kevin at least, old and wily man appeared from behind a curtained wall where Andrew could only assume the fitting rooms were. His grey eyes were sharp and calculating under his dark and bushy eyebrows, and it made Andrews skin crawl. His hair was thick and coarse next to his ears but thinning and greying near the top. His age made him hunched over a bit, but he still held himself proudly and clearly with hidden strength.

Andrew decided not trust this man and pushed his hands in his pockets while Kevin stepped forward, his almost-best paparazzi smile on his face.

'"Aah young mister Day!" the older man greeted him with a well-oiled smile, perfected for customer service and warmly shook Kevin's hand with both of his.

"Hello again mister Krawiec. I'm glad you could make time for us." Kevin smiled back with a small nod, until his eyes darted towards the back. "Is uh.. /he/ here?" He asked bashfully with a small nod towards the back.

The older man's eyes glinted after the question as he took a glance of Andrew.

"Yes yes, young master Nathaniel is indeed present. You wished for him if I'm not mistaken." He said with a sly smile.

Andrew wasn't sure what he thought about this whole.. young master-business the old man had going on, but he didn't let it show. He had perfected his press-facade of calm indifference after multiple notes from his coaches and one Kevin Day. He shifted his weight, uncomfortable with Krawiec's gaze.

"Yes, my friend Andrew here is not that.. accustomed to being taken care of by talented tailors and I know your skills here are beyond measure." Kevin smiled at the man who finally left Andrew alone while he nodded at Kevin.

"I shall fetch the young master to you." The old man nodded and turned on his heels.

Kevin turned to grin at Andrew who just raised one unimpressed eyebrow.

" 'Young master'? Now who does that remind me of ... Oh yeah!" Andrew glared "The slimy bottom feeder that is Rik-"

"It's not like that!" Kevin hissed, eyes darting after the older man.

"This is an old business, run by his family and they just have a certain way that things are done..!"

Andrew scoffed and opened his mouth for a witty retort of some sort, but was cut off by a clear and pleasant voice.

"I am most apologetic for making you misters wait. There was a-" The curtain parted and a head of auburn hair came through, followed by a tan young man with a slim build and neat, grey suit.

Andrew quickly scanned the new addition to the room, taking note of his scarred hands and face, missing a breath when noticing his piercing blue eyes that glinted dangerously within his calm facade. The arrivals full lips stretched into a mischievous grin after his eyes glided from Andrew to Kevin.

"You should've called me that you needed something from us! I wouldn't have bothered with all of this!" The arrival laughed and immediately slackened his tie while walking towards Kevin and giving him a tight squeeze of a hug.

Kevin returned to the hug with a small laugh.

"Someone needs to keep you in your toes or you're slacking" he grinned to the auburn haired man, whose eyes had zoned back on Andrew.

"I think I've had enough toeing around for one lifetime." He quipped and scanned Andrew shamelessly from head to toe, making the blond flush a bit, but he still answered the stare steadily.

"Who did you bring Kev?"

"Oh sorry!" Kevin floundered and gestured to Andrew.

"Andrew, this is Neil. Neil, this is Andrew, who is in /dire/ need of a suit."

It was curious to Andrew that this Neil-person didn't try to offer his hand, or even took a step forward, but simply nodded in acknowledgement while smiling slightly.

#andreil #aftg fanfic #andrew minyard #neil josten #kevin day #aftg au #andreil fic #my fic #uhmm #please someone say give me feedback because i think its okay but????#[EDIT: THIS IS VERY MUCH WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!]

20 notes · View notes

liminalpebble · 9 months

Text

🎄🕯An Unhinged Yuletide Gathering🕯🎄

My darlings! 💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️

It's time for a festive unhinged gathering! Arrive in your loveliest ball gowns and with your thottiest thots and feel free to share away! The more, the merrier! I'm thrilled to have every single one of you here. This time, I invite you all to a lavish Scandinavian manor house.

We can watch the snow and the northern lights from the lovely art nouveau observatory of the highest tower. Throughout the evening, the roaring hearths, lush decorations, and golden glow of luxurious interiors will keep us very content. There will be decedant warm beverages aplenty, a scrumptious dinner, and spread after spread of desserts.

The company is, of course, also a mouthwatering collection of our exquisite fictional men.

Jonathan Pine is in a brand new and very smart three piece suit, welcoming you with an incandescent smile as he guides you in. He smells deliciously of expensive cologne and the single festive red rose pinned to his lapel. Before he takes his leave, he holds your hand in both of his and makes some very intense eye contact, saying, "and Miss, if there's anything at all I can do for you, please don't hesitate to find me."

You barely catch your breath as you move further past polished oak doors into the large glimmering ballroom where Loki is lounging on a velvet couch, some elaborate mixed drink balanced in his lovely ivory hand. He charms us all with tale after tale as our cheeks get warm and we take turns feeding him teasing little bites of cake.

Thomas Sharpe stands brooding in his finest tuxedo, desperately waiting for his chance at a waltz with you as you look so lovely this evening.

Eddie...delicous, sweet, snarky Eddie Munson snuck in with the caterers. His big chocolate button eyes scan the crowd of lovely ladies, and he gives a big dimpled grin. With no regard at all for the job he signed up for, he shrugs off the uniform top, smooths out the Iron Maiden shirt beneath it, and swaggers over.

"Welllllll, hello lovely ladies!", he declares as he plops on the couch next to Loki, even daring to cross his legs over the god's lap and steal a sip of his drink. Loki stares at this bushy-haired miscreant with a leathal glare that cracks delightfully into a big euphoric grin. One trickster obviously appreciates the charisma of another.

Adam keeps to himself, playing the most beautiful piece of music on an antique lute. He feels a rare flicker of joy as he anticipates candlelit ghost stories on Christmas night (a sweet revival of a Victorian tradition). The faintest twitch of a smile moves his lips as he thinks of all this...delcious...company he'll have the pleasure of experiencing it with.

Hux sits alone, reading in a quiet parlor. The general's lovely hands stroke his beloved ginger cat, Millicent, as he plays out chess games within his powerful mind. His lovely green eyes flick towards you as he hears your footsteps, and he smiles wickedly. You're the only distraction he allows here, afterall...and what an enjoyable one you are.

Thank you for joining the party, my loves. Who else do you see? What does the evening have in store for us? Have you brought something interesting? Oh, do tell. *wink*

Welcome and happy holidays! 💃 🎄

Peb 💜

@acidcasualties @lokischambermaid @lokisgoodgirl @mischief2sarawr @holdmytesseract @infinitystoner @smolvenger @tripleyeeet @take-everything-you-can @leelei1980 @unlucky-number-13 @unfocused81 @sweetsigyn @veemoon @loz-3 @little-wormwood @littlespaceyelf @glitchquake @viv-annelore @peachyjinx @peaches1958 @gigglingtiggerv2 @marcotheflychair @mochie85 @muddyorbs @sailorholly @holymultiplefandomsbatman @thedistractedagglomeration @hellfirenacht @thenerdyoldersister @alexakeyloveloki @lemongingerart @eddiethehunted @fanfic-collection @girl-next-door-writes @fictive-sl0th @mischiefmaker615 @icytrickster17 @ladyofthestayingpower @goblingirlsarah @chokeanddagger @loopsisloops @slutty-thevampireslayer @coldnique @eddies-house @fairyysoup @jennyggggrrr @holdmytesseract @eleniblue @elegantkoalapaper

#peb's unhinged gathering #holiday edition #lovely mutuals #lovely fanfic friends #sas #eddie munson #adam olla #general hux #loki of asgard #loki fanfic #let's play

119 notes · View notes

yourreality-mp3 · 6 months

Text

Obviously, Yuri is a very shy person and Natsuki is a very outspoken person and they have clashing views or at least...they used to.

Their views used to clash and they'd get into very messy fights, one evening, after club, even nearly escalating to physical with Yuri getting so uncharacteristically upset that she bashed her fists down on a desk and shockingly, startled Natsuki into complete silence.

"Story Telling." - A Natsuri (Natsuki x Yuri) fanfic by yourreality-mp3

Part 1- "Conflict."

(Before the masterlist comes out, to read more; go to my blog and press on the tag "story telling" it will lead you to every part)

Both girls froze immediately until Natsuki gradually broke down crying and yelled for Yuri to leave her alone. Scared but not wanting to escalate things any further, Yuri did as she was asked and walked around the second floor of the school for about 10 minutes, overthinking and afraid that she had caused some terrible downfall to the club and that she hurt Natsuki.

Calming from her panicked state, she slowly opened the club room door and seen Natsuki hunched over with the quiet sound of her sobbing resounding in the room. "Natsuki?" Yuri slowly stepped toward her and got on her knees, "Is it okay if I-" Yuri began to ask, hands stopping just before reaching Natsuki's shoulders, Natsuki reluctantly nods and so, Yuri places her hands on the crumpled up Natsuki's shoulders. Natsuki's balled fists of anger and sadness uncurled as she moved herself to sit up on her knees.

"I'm fine." Natsuki spoke shakily, cold tears being wiped by Yuri's long fingers. "I'm sor-" Yuri went to apologize but Natsuki just shook her head slowly. "It's okay. It's my fault anyway." Natsuki's body shuffles and she rests her hands on her face, "I was stupid to have broken down in the first place." Her voice seemed to be getting more clear.

"You also don't need to help me, I don't need anyone's help." Natsuki slowly rose up and walked toward a window, wiping her cheek stained with tears and taking a breath, Yuri slowly followed. "You know," Yuri rubs her arm, "It's okay to want help." Yuri walks toward her slowly, Natsuki seems to ponder.

"I don't..." Natsuki's eyes water and she grips the window cill. "Fine!" She shouts, trying to avoid the tears that are already falling, "Fine." She repeats, somberly. Yuri makes her way to Natsuki's side and they stare out the window at the golden setting sun. "It's getting late." Yuri comments, Natsuki nods.

"I don't really want to talk about it just yet." Natsuki rubs her arm, feeling the several bandaids underneath her uniform, at one point feeling at a bruise and wincing. "That's okay." Yuri says, "It's hard to want to talk about something that hurts you, especially if you've never said anything about it before." Neither of the girls look at each other but Natsuki reluctantly hits her pinky against Yuris' and they interlock.

Before the doors to the school locked, the two girls exited with their pinkies interlocked. "I don't really want to head home too quickly." Natsuki mentioned after a long bout of silence. "Let's take the scenic route then." Yuri began to walk Natsuki through the bushy path that led to a park filled with beautiful large trees and a garden filled with flowers. It was beautiful at this time in the evening and it was a place that Yuri would visit frequently and it always managed to calm her nerves.

Yuri brought Natsuki to a bench and they both sat, "Did you bring a book you haven't read yet?" Yuri asked, fishing around her bag for the 4th installment in a book series she was passionate about. "Nah, I've read practically my whole collection." Natsuki puts her bag on her lap and opens it, "That's what makes me a pro manga connoisseur!" She giggles triumphantly and Yuri smiles gently at the sight of her acting like her usual self and even blushes a bit at Natsuki's use of a word she'd clearly learnt from Yuri.

"But reading the same stuff is kinda bumming me out." Natsuki adds, Yuri thinks for a moment before remembering how Sayori left all her notes in the first volume of the book series Yuri was about to read the 4th volume for and digs in her bag, "I know it's probably very boring to you but I have the first book of my series if you want to read that." Yuri fishes it out and rests it on her lap.

Natsuki looks down at the dusty old novel filled with coloured sticky notes and cringes at it, knowing it'll be too much for her to really want to grasp but then she thought of something. "If I read that, you have to read the first edition of my favourite manga." Natsuki, in turn, fishes around in her own bag and pulls out the first manga in a set; the cover has cute girls in cute outfits, all of it is amazingly eye catching and pastel and it's a little bit intimidating to Yuri at first glance but they both take each other's books.

"Crap!" Natsuki's phone rings and she quickly pulls it from her pocket, breaking Yuri's sudden immersion in the manga and snapping her attention to the other girl. Natsuki walks away, talking into the phone for a minute and then coming back, "I have to head home now." Yuri nods and they both silently put each other's books into their respective bags to continue reading them at home. They each have their bags swung over a shoulder and their pinkies interlocked again as they walk.

About 20 minutes later, they've made it just a block away from Natsuki's place and suddenly, Natsuki wraps her arms around Yuri, "Y-you really should ask before doing touching someone without permission!" Yuri yelps out, but slowly puts her arms around Natsuki and that moment of shock fades. "Thanks." Natsuki mumbles, "Of course." Yuri replies, still timid and just as fast as Natsuki's warm arms were around Yuri, they were gone, leaving Yuri a little dazed as she watched the other girl walk down the sidewalk.

"I'll kill you if a single page gets bent!" Natsuki yells, making Yuri blink and then she realizes Natsuki's manga was still in her bag and reaches out her arm to give it back but then, she stops herself and walks home...

Could this be the start of a budding friendship? Or maybe even, a budding romance?! Find out more next time when the chapters release!

33 notes · View notes

gentil-minou · 28 days

Text

Gentians on Doorways

Written for the @mdzsrbb and inspired by the beautiful artwork made by @wrecklwj !

“How were you and my mother…acquainted?” “Acquaintances? She was my best friend!" ~ After a decade of living abroad, Lan Zhan returns to China to sort through his mother's affairs after her death. There, he meets Wei Ying, his mother’s friend who she'd commissioned to illustrate a book of nursery rhymes. But Lan Zhan is out of his depth in a land that was once his home. After all, there's no step-by-step guide for when your mother dies.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Wakes & Funerals, Falling In Love, parental loss, Expat Lan Zhan, Artist Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, writing a funeral scene and trying to not make it accidentally horny aka the wangxian curse, just lots of feelings about moving away from your parents, and the fickleness of memories

Lan Zhan & Madam Lan + Wangxian | Complete | 33.7K | Rated T

Preview under the cut

The hallway seems to stretch into infinity, each click of the head teacher’s heels echoing through the vastness of space. A preposterous exaggeration, given that the feet that tread these walls belong primarily to small humans with smaller legs, and such a length would be impractical.

To Lan Zhan, in this moment, it’s the longest hallway in the world.

The head teacher gestures for him to follow her around the corner, as if Lan Zhan was like her young disciples and prone to getting lost in a singular hallway with no intersections. She’s younger than Lan Zhan had expected for a head teacher of an elementary school. She can’t be more than a few years older than him.

"Her classroom is just this way, south facing,” Haung-laoshi rambles, sending him another overly kind, pitying glance. “She loved that room. Lots of natural sunlight."

Lan Zhan nods absently, more out of politeness than true agreement. The light streaming in from the windows that line this hallway grates on his jetlagged state. His head is absent of most thoughts, only the inane recognition that south-facing windows must have meant her classroom would be sweltering and excruciating during a heatwave. Even now, the sun beats down on Lan Zhan, stifling in the late afternoon.

The windows face an inner courtyard. Distantly, Lan Zhan can hear the children laughing and playing, but much of it is drowned out by clicking heels on tiled floor.

He turns his head away from the glaring sun to the interior wall displaying a gallery of crudely drawn blocks and splotches of paint arranged unintelligibly on colored paper. A tiny placard next to each denotes the name of a kindergartener and the vision. Family pets, the playground, a favorite toy, a doting sibling.

A mother, her stick figure arms just out of reach of her stick figure child.

Hastily, Lan Zhan turns back to the endless hallway, where a wooden door seems to grow smaller and smaller as the walls expand outward impossibly so, like the distance is growing wider, not smaller, and clicking heels and laughing children run circles in his pounding head. Everything, from the rhythmic thumping of Lan Zhan’s shoes against tiled floors to the distant ringing in his ears, from the chipped paint along the baseboards to the glaring sunlight arcing overhead, pounds against Lan Zhan’s head like a stampede of charging elephants.

He should be running. Running and running, far and away before the stampede barrels over him leaving his body cracked and bruised in its wake. He shouldn’t be here. He should be anywhere but here.

Then, abruptly, the clicking of the heels ceases when Huang-laoshi stops in front of that wooden door, now a normal size and directly in front of Lan Zhan. A tiny frosted glass window rests above the doorknob in a vertical pane, with leftover pieces of tape missing the accoutrements they once secured. A row of neatly painted purple flowers blooms through the wood on the bottom of the door, caught in motion as they dance in an unseen wind.

There is no wind to suggest this. He knows simply by looking at the brushstrokes, familiar swirls like the ones that once adorned the wooden doors of his childhood home. He can see it clearly in his mind’s eye, each stroke of a well-worn paintbrush and the subtle sighs of contentment when the artist in question lifted her brush and beamed back at him with pride.

“What do you think, ZhanZhan?”

This far away, the children’s roughhousing fades into the din leaving behind empty space.

Somehow, silence is worse.

“You must be so shocked. It was all so sudden…” Huang-laoshi remarks kindly as she retrieves a crumpled tissue from her pocket and dabs at the corners of her eyes. “I know I already said this, but I am so sorry for your loss.” She lifts a hand as if to pat his shoulder, but Lan Zhan takes a measured step to the side and her hand falls to rest by her side.

Outside, sunshine cascades through flowering trees and leaves speckled shadows dancing in the grass. A breeze slips in through the windows and winds through strands of Lan Zhan’s hair. The subtle scents of a summer on the rise, lying in wait for season’s change.

The breeze does little to soothe his heated skin. “Thank you,” Lan Zhan says politely with little inflection.

Huang-laoshi pauses, waiting for Lan Zhan to continue. But Lan Zhan has little more to say.

Ever since he’d arrived here, everyone seems to think Lan Zhan has something more to say.

What is there to say about his mother dying?