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honeybadgerwritings · 2 years

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Let Me Teach You

Pairing: Peter Ballard x Fem!Reader

Requested: 001 (henry creel) 34, 35, in comfort, and 37 in smut I feel like those sentences could make a really hot hurt and comfort smut 🥵 pretty please with extra cherries and sprinkles on top 🥺

Prompts: “Shh, just look at me baby.”

“I know, baby, I know. I’m right here, just breathe.”

“Let me teach you.”

Warnings: Smut, Overstimulation, hint of Voyeurism, first time,

Summary: Super long PWP with you and Peter 😘

A/N: I usually refer to 001 as Peter instead of Henry, so that’s what I’ll be doing in this fic. Hope that’s okay! It’s mentioned in this fic that reader is an adult. I’m writing this with the mindset that she’s around 20/21. Thank you for reading! Also not proof read!

18+ Content So Minors DNI

~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes you think back to the lack of freedom and education that you were given in Hawkins Lab and it makes you shudder. It really was a nightmare. You were never allowed to shower alone, you couldn’t make any noise once you’d entered your room, you couldn’t go anywhere without the orderlies watching your every move, and nobody ever taught you anything that didn’t have to do with your powers. They would only throw you in the rainbow room filled with a bunch of different puzzles and children’s books for three hours a day, thinking that was all you ever needed.

And for a while it was. For the first many years of your life you were entertained by these things as most children were. But the older you became, the more tiresome you grew of them. You wanted to learn something else. Something more. Something new.

That’s why you befriended Peter so quickly. Being a fully grown adult and knowing nothing more than the words you’ve read in children’s books was frustrating to you, and he could see that. He would always enjoy teaching you new things, new words, and new experiences if it meant he got to see your face light up each time. It was easy to feel lonely at the lab, which is why you two found solace in each other.

After a few months, your friendship began to grow into more, and while you didn’t understand the concept of a “boyfriend” or a “relationship,” Peter was more than happy to enlighten you. But this time instead of explaining, he showed you. Sneaking into your room after lights out to talk for hours, spending more time with you than anyone else in the rainbow room, quick kisses and lingering touches when no one was paying attention. It was something new, and it made you happy.

You shake your head at the memory, eyes focusing back in on the 002 tattoo that you had on your arm. You realized that you had gotten lost in thought thinking about the lab. The two of you had escaped six months ago after you had been caught together and they tried to separate you.

After that, Peter had told you everything about his past and his powers and you were stunned to say the least, but you didn’t love him any less.

And now? The two of you were hiding out in a cabin somewhere in Maine. Peter had found a full time job working at the bakery across town, and you found a part time one at the library just down the road. You loved it. You loved being able to spend your entire day reading books and learning new things. It helped that your schedules were pretty similar.

On the days that the two of you both worked you could take the bus together, but after work you would have to walk home. You got done with work an hour after Peter did, so while he got to take the bus back home, it would unfortunately stop running before you were clocked out. You didn’t mind though, the walk was peaceful. At least, when it wasn’t winter.

Right now though you were at the front door, where your hand had been sitting on the knob for the last 5 minutes, right where your eye caught the tattoo. You sighed, shaking your head again before pushing the door open. You had expected to see Peter in the kitchen cooking dinner like he usually was when you arrived home, but he wasn’t there. Infact, he was nowhere in sight.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you heard noises coming from down the hall towards your bedroom. As you got closer you could tell that the noises were coming from Peter, he was calling out your name and he sounded in pain. You immediately worried that they had found you. The lab. And now they were in there hurting Peter. You began to panic at the thought of him laying there helplessly calling out to you. You quickly and quietly made your way to the door, pushing it open just a crack to see inside.

Peter was lying on the bed, panting and moaning. You frowned in confusion, only able to see him from the waist up. You peeked your head in just a little bit more, and you had to hold in a gasp at what you saw.

Peter had his hand wrapped around his length, and he was stroking it. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed as he moaned your name over and over. Sweat was dripping down his temples as he moaned again,

“Fuck Y/N, you make me feel so good baby.”

You bit your lip as you realized, he was making himself feel good while thinking of you. A weird sensation formed in your lower stomach as you slowly backed away from the door, making your way back down the hallway. You opened the front door quietly, making sure he wouldn’t hear, before shutting it behind you and sitting down on the porch bench. You wanted to give him privacy, you didn’t want to let him know that you had seen him.

But you couldn’t help the blush that rose to your cheeks when you thought about what you had seen.

The way your name left his lips sounded almost angelic as he desperately bucked his hips up into his hand. The memory alone was enough to make you drool, and you rubbed your thighs together to try to ease the tension in between your legs. You had read about this somewhere, in one of the library books. It was a random one that you had picked off the shelf that seemed to be popular with some of the older moms in town. There were a lot of surprising scenes written in that book, including one that was very similar to what you had just witnessed Peter doing.

Your thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the front door swung open and Peter stepped out, looking around at first with a slightly worried look in his eyes before they eventually settled on you.

“There you are, I was starting to get worried.”

Your eyes scanned over his body, the one that had just been completely naked just moments ago, and you started to imagine that it had been you stroking him, making him feel good.

A hand waved in front of your face as you were dragged back to reality.

“Sweetheart? Are you with me?” He asked, worried. You gulped and nodded in response, standing up abruptly and stumbling. He put his arms on your shoulders to steady you, and all of a sudden you were imagining them elsewhere. You imagined him squeezing your breasts as his lips made their way down the side of your neck, desperate moans leaving your lips as you clung to him.

You snapped out of it to find him staring at you.

“I-I’m sorry... what did you say?” You stutter. He raised an eyebrow at you before pressing his hand to your forehead, checking your temperature. “I asked if you’re feeling alright...cause it sure doesn’t seem like it.” He flips his hand over, gently dragging the back of it down to rest on your reddened cheek. “I don’t think you have a temperature, but your face is still very warm.” His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he tries to determine what’s the matter with you.

“I’m okay really, I’m just...tired. From walking...you know?”

He nods slowly not really seeming convinced, but you don’t give him enough time to question you as you quickly pushed past him, rushing inside and leaving him out on the porch. He stands out there for a moment, pondering, before eventually shrugging and stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

~~~~

It’s been a couple of hours since your interaction with Peter on the porch, and you haven’t been able to make eye contact with him since. You had spent most of your time in the bedroom continuing to daydream and fantasize about Peter while trying to keep the feeling in your lower stomach at bay.

Now you were sitting at the dinner table with him, attempting to enjoy the nice dinner that he had made for the both of you. But it was hard to even think about food let alone eat it when he was just sitting so close to you. A lot closer than he normally did.

“Is something wrong with the food baby?” You heard him ask. You shake your head, taking a bite to prove your answer. You continue to eat in silence for a few more moments which is not normal for the two of you, and you both know it.

“Y/N.” You hum in response, not looking up at him. “Y/N.” He repeats, placing his hand on your shoulder, squeezing lightly. You tense up at that, your thighs pressing together once again. “Y-yes Peter?” you stutter out.

You can feel his eyes studying your form for a few moments. “I find it strange that you haven’t so much as looked at me since you got home.” He speaks lowly, hand tugging your plate of food away. You gulp nervously, and think that maybe you could ignore him for a minute longer, but he slides his fingers beneath your chin, pressing upwards until you look at him. You watch as his eyes scan over your features like he’s searching for something, speaking just moments later, “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you hm?”

Shaking your head, you try to look down but his fingers are ever present and you crack under his gaze, "I just- god, Peter, I’m so embarrassed-” his brows started furrowing, so you find yourself rushing the rest, "-and I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything but when I came home I saw what you were doing in the bedroom and now it feels like somethings wrong with me because I think I enjoyed watching you and- and I don’t know why I feel like this but I can’t get it to go away I’m just- I’m sorry I-” you rambled, breath picking up slightly and tears coming to your eyes in embarrassment as you tried to explain yourself.

Peter lowers his way out of his chair, crouching down in front of you to hold your face in his hands. “No...no no no sweetheart don’t cry please. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” You look at him with big doe eyes, sniffling.

“It’s not?”

He shakes his head, a pitiful smile gracing his face, “Not at all. It’s actually kind of...adorable.” He tucks a hair behind your ear, his touch causing you to shudder. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Peter and a lustful glint forms in his eyes. He trails his hand from your ear down the side of your neck, to your arm, before eventually placing it on your thigh, squeezing it lightly. Heat rises to your cheeks as you squirm beneath his touch, thighs rubbing together. He watches your reactions closely, a smirk forming on his lip as he watches you bite yours.

“P-Peter...” You stutter out, your breath hitching in your throat.

“I can help you sweetheart... I can help you feel better.” His eyes never leave yours as his thumb makes his way towards your inner thigh, gently stroking, “Is that what you want?”

You nod slowly, “I-It is but... I don’t know how to-”

“Let me teach you.” He cuts you off, his other hand stroking your cheek, “Let me teach you something new hm? I know you like it when I teach you things.”

A quiet, desperate whimper leaves your lips at his words and your legs begin to tremble underneath his touch. You take a deep breathe before answering with a nod,

“Yes please.”

Peter smiles, standing up and offering his hand to you. You instantly take it, following him to the bedroom. He closes the door behind the two of you and spins around to find you standing in the middle of the room, eyes to the floor and twiddling your thumbs nervously. Peter chuckles at the sight of you, and you look up at him innocently.

“Why don’t you lie back on the bed for me sweetheart?” Peter asks sweetly. You nod, doing as he says. Once you’re situated he climbs on top of you, his lips immediately findings yours. This you were used to. You could spend all day kissing Peter with your hands tangled in his hair and you’d have absolutely no complaints. But then he started moving out of comfortable territory. His lips made their way from yours, down your jawline and eventually to your neck, where he began to gently suck and nibble at your skin.

You were tense at first, unsure of what to do, where to put your hands, how you should react. You were so...nervous. Peter glanced up at you, taking this in. He gently grabbed your wrists, maneuvering them so they were wrapped around him and resting on his back. His head dipped down against your cheek, placing a chaste kiss there before murmuring, “Don’t think so much, just let your body take control.”

His lips find their way to your neck once again, and you began to relax, tilting your head back to give him more access. Your hands roamed his back as breathless pants and whines left your lips while he marked you. You could tell that he relished in the pretty little noises that you were making, as gentle moans made their way from his mouth to the flushed skin of your neck. It wasn’t long before red and purple hickeys decorated your skin and Peter pulled back, admiring his work.

“What a pretty sight you are.”

You blushed heavily once again at his words before you pulled him back down to you, your lips meeting his once again. His hands began to roam your body, making their way from your face, down your chest, eventually resting on your hips.

“Is it okay if I start to remove your clothes darling?” He asks you gently. You bite your lip nervously, unsure if you were ready for that. “I don’t want to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with.” He adds, giving you a reassuring smile as he places a comforting kiss to your temple. You ponder for another moment before a burst of courage surges through you and you nod.

He tuts his tongue in response, reaching up to stroke your cheek. “How about we use our words hm?” He states, a stern tone added to his voice. You take a breath before responding with a very meek, “Yes Peter.”

He smiles, satisfied, before leaning in to kiss you again, murmuring a small “Good girl” against your lips. He slowly guided the hem of your shirt up and over your head, leaving you in your jeans and your t-shirt bra. His mouth practically watered at the sight of your breasts.

You whimper pathetically in response to his gaze, and he gently reaches around you to unclasp the hooks of your bra, pulling it from your body. He stares down at your breasts in awe, reaching up to fondle them in his hands as you bite back a moan.

“God you’re so fucking perfect.” He murmurs, leaning down and taking your right nipple into his mouth, gently sucking as his tongue circles around it. He looks up at you while he fondles your other breast, watching you fall apart underneath him. You were writhing, your hands running through his hair as content little hums left your lips. He switches positions, giving your other breast some attention before he starts to make his way further down, from the valley between your breasts and down your stomach, eventually reaching the hem of your pants.

He delicately unbuttons them and wraps his fingers around the hem. He pauses for a moment to look up at you with smirk before he drags them down your thighs, taking your panties with them. A gasp of surprise leaves your lips, realizing you’re now completely bare in front of Peter. His eyes somehow manage to grow even more lustful as he stares at your drooling cunt.

“Is this all for me?” He asks leaning forward, his breath hot against your core as he swipes a finger up your slit. Your hips buck up and a strangled moan escapes your throat when he does so. “You poor thing, you’ve been this worked up for hours haven’t you?” His thumb gently circles your clit and you can only mewl in response, hips bucking again.

“I’m gonna make it all better baby. I’m gonna make you feel so good.”

That’s the last thing he says to you before he licks a long strip from your weeping hole all the way up to your clit, beginning to suckle on the sensitive little nub. You gasp sharply, thighs attempting to close around his head but pushes them back apart, holding them still.

You desperately try to cling onto something, anything; eventually settling for Peters hair. You tug on it, holding on for dear life as he eats you out. His bright blue eyes watch your reactions intently from between your legs as you completely fall apart. He’s locked onto the way that your eyes roll back into your head, moaning and panting his name repeatedly from those cute lips.

He begins to prod one finger at your hole, gently circling the tip around your soaked entrance. Your eyes widen in realization and you tense up immediately. Peter pauses, pulling his finger away slightly, gauging your reaction.

“I’m just going to stretch you out a bit okay sweetheart? Want to get you nice and warmed up to take my cock.” You blush at the way he worded it, and nod nervously. He slowly pressed his finger against your hole once again, “It’s going to be uncomfortable at first but I promise I’ll be gentle okay?” You nod once again and his eyebrows furrow, his grip on your one thigh tightening. “Words baby. Use your words.”

“Y-Yes Peter.”

He wastes no time before slowly pressing his finger inside of your tight hole. You squirm in discomfort at first while he pulls his finger out, only to slowly thrust back in.

“God you’re so fucking tight Y/N...you have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

You bite your lip to prevent the whine attempting to leave them. You feel him dip his head down once more as he begins to suck and swirl his tongue around your clit again, distracting you from the discomfort. After a few more moments of thrusting you began to enjoy the feeling of being stretched out around his finger. “M-more please Peter...I want more.” You beg, almost pathetically.

“Such a polite little thing you are. Of course my love, you’re taking me so well already.” He prods another finger at your hole, sliding it in very easily as he goes back to attacking your clit with his mouth. This time the stretch burns, but in a good way, and your hips buck up to meet his hand once again. You begin to feel an intense sensation building in your lower stomach as your moans start to grow louder and louder.

“O-oh god Peter, it feels so good I-I...”

He hums in response against your clit as he thrusts a third finger inside of you. Your hands grip his hair harshly, sweat drips down your face, and your muscles begin to tighten as the pressure in your core builds to a climax. The hand that had been holding your thighs apart slid up to your lower stomach and pressed down lightly.

And just like that you were too far gone.

Choked out moans and pants leave your pretty little lips as you come hard around his fingers, your drooling cunt pulsing around them.

“Shh, shh," he hushes you. “There you go baby, all over my fingers. Such a messy little thing you are...” He continues finger fucking you through your orgasm, his thumb circling your clit. Eventually though it’s too much, you’re too sensitive.

You squirm away from him, whining, and he shushes you as he gently removes his fingers from your poor sensitive little cunt. “Alright baby, alright. It’s okay.” He says to you, before licking your cum off of his fingers, relishing in the taste of you. He slowly climbs back up your body, hovering over the top of you as he slams his lips against yours. You begin to undo the buttons of his shirt, and you can feel how hard he is through his pants as he grinds down against your leg, causing you to gasp. He smirks down at you, gauging your reaction.

“You see what you do to me baby? You feel how fucking hard you make me?” You nod innocently, the thought of him being inside of you almost making you drool. He sits up, straddling you as he removes his shirt and begins to undo his buckle, before sliding his pants and then his boxers down his legs, until he too is completely naked.

You stare in awe as his cock bobs out of his boxers. It was throbbing red and the tip was glistening with precum, he was a decent size and it was so....so thick. You knew that the stretch would most certainly burn more that it did with his fingers. This time as you were staring at it, you actually began to drool and he chuckles at you. You watch him lean over to the bedside table, pulling out a little square packet, tearing it open and rolling the rubber content from inside over his cock. You didn’t know what it was, you didn’t care. You would ask about it later because the only thing you cared about right now was him.

He slowly crawls back on top of you, resting his forehead against yours. He makes sure you’re still fully into this by asking you, “Are you sure you want this sweetheart?” You nod eagerly, pulling him into a kiss as you feel him lining up his cock with your already ruined cunt.

He pulls his lips from yours and gauges your reactions as he slowly begins to push his cock inside of you, your walls attempting to adjust to him. You hiss in pain, tears pricking your eyes as you grip Peter tightly, nails digging into his back.

“P-Peter i-it hurts...”

He moans at how tight you are around him, but is more focused on your comfort than his own pleasure. “I know, baby, I know. I’m right here, just breathe.”

He pushes his cock the rest of the way inside of you, just barely bottoming out as his balls rest against your ass cheeks. You groan and whimper in pain as you try to adjust to his size. Your cunt flutters and pulses around him, still sensitive and he groans. “God sweetheart, you’re so fucking tight around me. Taking me so well. You tell me when you want me to move okay baby?”

You gasp out in pain as he shifts just slightly inside of you and you nod, “Y-yes Peter.”

He leans down, pressing his lips to yours in an attempt to distract you from the pain. His lips feel soft and warm against yours, and they taste like the vanilla chapstick that he loves so much. His hands reach up to cup your face lovingly as you make out, and you smile into the kiss.

After a few more moments of kissing, you nod your head to him, signaling for him to start moving. And he does, very slowly. It definitely still hurts, enough to make the tears that were pricking at your eyes fall down your cheeks. A small pained cry leaves your lips as he thrusts again and again.

“Shh, just look at me baby,” He whispers, continuing to stroke your cheek, “You’re doing so good for me, taking me so fucking well. I don’t know what I did to deserve you but your perfect, you’re so fucking perfect. It’s like you were made for me. I love you so fucking much.” He rambles, pecking your face in between every sentence until you begin to giggle.

“I love you too Peter- ah!”

You were cut off by a moan as he thrusted deep inside of you once again, the pain beginning to dissipate, slowly being replaced with pleasure. A smirk forms on his face as he thrusts into the exact same spot, causing you to mewl in response.

“There we go darling....feels nice doesn’t it?” He asks you, “I’ve been waiting for so long to fuck you like this and ruin your pretty little cunt. I’d touch myself every day when I got home just imagining I was fucking you.”

Your eyes roll back again at his words and you moan, “O-oh god Peter...I feel so full.” He grunts into your ear as he reaches down, toying with your clit again, using his thumb to circle it as his thrusts begin to pick up the pace. Your hips desperately buck up to meet his and you can feel the pressure beginning to build again.

“God you’re so fucking tight baby, I’m so close, so fucking close.” He pants, leaning his forehead against yours. He starts rubbing your clit even faster and his thrusts start to become more sloppy. Your pussy starts to pulse around him again as you grow closer and closer to the edge.

“Peter I’m gonna- oh fuck I-”

“Cum for me baby, just relax and let go for me. Let yourself feel good.”

And you do. With one final thrust of his hips inside you your vision goes white and you’re taken over by pure bliss. Your head falls back and your back arches as you cum hard all over your boyfriends cock. Peter thrusts two to three more times before he releases as well, panting and moaning as his cock twitches inside of your poor abused little pussy.

He wishes he could fill you up with his cum and watch it leak out of you while your cunt is still sensitive and pulsing, but he knows you’re not ready for that yet. Instead he slowly pulls out of you, taking off the condom and throwing it in the trash. His eyes drift over your form proudly as you lay there exhausted and out of breath.

He leans down to admire the aftermath of your cunt, and moans as he watches it continue to twitch and pulse around nothing as your hole leaks onto the bedsheets. He smirks and decides to do something a little bit evil, and cleans you up with his tongue. He’s quick to hold your legs down as he licks all of your juices up. You immediately cry out, feeling extremely sensitive and try to buck your hips away from him, to no avail.

His tongue finds its way inside your hole, fucking in and out of you just as his cock was only two minutes prior. The feeling is so intense for you and you try to shove him off with your powers, but to no avail. He was already stronger than you, and you were just a weak little thing right now. He senses your attempt however, and looks up at you pouting.

“I was just trying to clean you up darling, but it seems I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson.” He smirks at you, before pinning your hands to the mattress with a flick of his head. He re-pins your thighs down with his hands and continues his attack on your poor little hole with his tongue, occasionally circling it around your sensitive and tortured clit just to make you squirm and whine.

“P-please Peter it’s so sensitive I-I....”

“Shhhh, just one more for me baby. You can do that can’t you? You can be a good girl and give me one more.” You nod, as best as you can, wanting to please Peter as he fucks you with his tongue. Your orgasm builds a lot quicker this time and he knows it.

Peter closes his eyes as he continues to eat you out, focusing all of his energy into your poor little pussy, wanting you to cum as hard as you possible could. Your eyes widened as the pleasure grew immensely and your legs began to tremble. By this point you were yelling Peter’s name in utter ecstasy, as he forced another orgasm out of you. The feeling was so intense that you cried your way through the orgasm, your whole body trembling.

You fade in and out of consciousness for a few minutes, your body trying to play catch up with everything that had just happened. When you finally came to, the sheets had been changed, you were completely dressed in your pajamas and your hair was wet. You felt... clean.

How long were you out for?

Peter steps into the room a moment later, a towel wrapped around his waist. He hadn’t noticed you had awoken when he dropped the towel, pulling on a clean pair of boxers before crawling into bed with you. Just as he does, you roll over to face him. He looks at you in total surprise.

“I thought you had fallen asleep for the night.”

“Yeah well I thought I’d fallen asleep for 2 minutes.” He chuckles at that, pulling you into his chest. “No baby, you’ve been out for the last hour. I cleaned you up and everything...guess I really did a number on you hm?” He looks down at you, stroking your cheek as it turned a bright pink.

You’re silent for a few seconds before you look up at him. “Peter?” You ask, and he responds with a hum of adoration. “Thank you,” you whisper, tracing imaginary shapes onto the bare skin of his chest, “For everything. I love you.”

He smiles at that, pulling you in to kiss your forehead, “You know I’d do anything for you sweet girl, I love you too.”

#fiction #henry creel #imagines #peter ballard #stranger things #001 stranger things #writers #smut #my prompts #dialogue prompts #requested #peter ballard x reader #peter ballard smut

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blade-that-was-broken · 2 months

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For This You Were Born AU Notes

Just a couple of notes for my au following For This You Were Born au. Feel free to ask any questions.

It took JD years to fully recover from the injuries he sustained during the escape. He's got a large scar under his glove on his hand from the blade and mild hand tremors. He has burns scattered everywhere, mostly his arms and back. There is also a large scar that runs along his face and over the corner of his mouth. It was a miracle it didn't affect his eyesight.

Branch learned very quickly he could get what he wanted from people with a really cute expression. He used this a lot to help get people to agree with JD, although JD didn't always know he was doing it.

Branch is generally a very quick learner but also quickly realized JD does not like accepting help so he tries to do things in smaller ways, sneakily.

JD's hair is sensitive due to the sure and so he does not use it as often as normal trolls would. He keeps his hair shorter than most trolls ever would for easy care and maintenance.

During their research and planning to leave the city, they do discover the existence of other troll tribes and know they will have to journey through a few of them.

Branch struggles with not calling JD dad. He's the only family he's known since he was very young, and he has been raising him practically as such. He does have a subconscious fear it is dangerous (see Chp. 3) but this is deep down and he doesn't really consciously realize it is a fear. The conscious part of him is scared on how JD will react. He has slipped up before and convinces himself JD didn't hear or didn't catch it (he did, he just didn't care)

JD has it stuck in the back of his mind, a partial mindset from the time where he had accepted his doomed fate, that he is not going to survive to see his brothers again.

Some people do know JD killed a Bergen but no one would turn him in, especially considering what the Bergen was planning. JD doesn't like to talk about it, mostly because he blames himself for Marsha dying.

Some people think JD is a cripple or a bounty hunter.

Branch doesn't know about the secret spikes in JD's glove or the glitter bombs he has learned to make. JD isn't an explosive expert by any means but he knows more than most.

JD was frighteningly protective of Branch when he was a baby. He has cooled down a bit but he's still fairly protective. He also doesn't talk much as he used to. Part of it might have to do with the scar that goes over his mouth. He is also more prone to jumping into violence.

Branch is a bottomless pit of learning and JD struggled to get him materials to consume, as he tried to make things age appropriate. He never entirely let this go but he became more lenient on what he let Branch consume knowledge wise.

Branch is a bit of a perfectionist and wants to know as much as he possibly can about a task or a subject before finalizing it. JD taught him to always keep improving and this has manifested into some perfectionism.

Branch made his own goggles after years of borrowing his brother's for projects and eye protection. Well, he mostly made adjustments. JD got them for him.

Branch is scared of the dark and his goggles have little lights on them.

#for this you were born au #john dory #branch #trolls

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paracosmic-murdock · 10 months

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Tell me what are my words worth ; Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Chapter 6: "Embrasse-le et épouse-la"

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: While the other ladies have grown with the mindset of marrying and having children, you, as the daughter of a man who wanted a son, grew up being both. You learnt how to embroider, play the pianoforte, fence and manage the estate. However, there were some things that not even the Duke of Burgundy could do, so after he passed and you thought there was nothing left for you, you decided to move to London for a while and go to the Royal Academy of Art.

Nothing was going to keep you from what you wanted, and you would do whatever it takes: you would lie to everyone, you would live to death, you would pretend to be a man. You had a plan and it would be a piece of cake for you. But again, when has something that she wants and should not do easy for a woman? Especially when a man like Benedict Bridgerton gets in the way in more ways than one.

Warnings/tags: idiots in love, eventual smut, love triangles (but not really), lgbtq+ themes, bisexual benedict bridgerton, feminist themes, historical inaccuracy (for the sake of the plot), inspired by mulan (1998), song: the lakes (taylor swift), other tags to be added

Chapter summary: You received the first letter addressed to you from France since you left, showing what a necessity your return was; and the night at Lawrence House, just like mostly every other you should not be at, lead to another incident. Once again, one starred by Antoine and Benedict.

Word count: 2.1K

❁ Series masterlist

❁ mila's paracosm (main masterlist)

Dearest Lady Y/N,

Here in Burgundy we all hope and pray you are perfectly fine.

Your escape has been a scandal known from Corsica to Brittany, and it has awakened many more rumors than one can believe. The most resounding states that you ran away with a lover, and even His Majesty the King came to the Palace to question everything.

There are many novelties, and I am afraid that your presence is required to solve them.

Firstly, the renovation of the Palace of Versailles is finally finished, and it is important that you go and make sure everything is in order and the way you want it. It will be available for you to stay by next Thursday.

Secondly, along with the latest shipment of jewelry, your Grandfather and Cousin David unexpectedly arrived earlier today. They are considering seeing you in London, but I insisted on waiting for your reply to this letter to know if you would return to meet them or receive them there. From what I have heard, they are here to take you to the Americas with them, for it seems like they are interested in the diamond business and want you to invest. Just as your Grandfather was approaching Claude, I notified him of your father's wishes to keep you in charge of the businesses and the estate until your heir takes his rightful place and he is more than pleased with the idea. He suggested David to take the spot of the Duke as it is needed so that way you can perform ducal duties without anyone's opinion interfering, understanding that there is no one who can fit the job better than you.

Thirdly, Claude consulted me with the idea of increasing the taxes. I told him we must have everything in order first, as I am sure you do not agree with his reasoning. While I am well aware that you do not wish for him to have access to the profits of the businesses, he is realizing that it does not make much sense for you to spend so much solely covering it by the scarce money received from the people. For that, he believes you are in great debt and that there is no other choice but to do so. It is best if you resolve this matter by yourself here in Burgundy.

I simply suggest, Lady Y/N, that you return to France before it is known in England that you escaped from your home. Or even worse, before your motives get exposed.

Best wishes,

Cartier

Dear Seigneur Cartier,

I am pleased to have received your letter and grateful to you for keeping me informed.

I understand the scandal my departure must have caused in France, and I assure you that once I return, I will make sure everything gets sorted out.

After speaking to the Carringtons, they would be honored to receive my Grandfather and David, but I would rather they wait for me to get back to Burgundy. Tell them I would adore to join them in America, though I will need someone to supervise Cousin Claude on his every movement in the house after I was absent for so long.

Do not let him increase the taxes, tell him it is best to wait for the end of the year. I will have gotten married by then and he is not going to be in our home any longer after that. If I am not successful in finding a husband here in London, I believe there are enough nations in Europe and a hundred times as many gentlemen left for me to meet and, therefore, find the one to marry.

If we must keep him occupied, put him in charge of selling l'Hôtel de Bourgogne for as much as he can get from it. The money will go to the investment in the diamond mines, though he mustn't know that.

Unless there is any novelty, I will be back in France in three weeks at most. I hope to meet you and my grandfather at the Palace of Versailles for my arrival.

Before saying goodbye, I wanted to ask you to please send to London a few bottles of our finest wine.

Looking forward to your answer,

Lady Y/N of Burgundy.

[Translated from French]

"Alright, I sent the letter." you told Antoinette.

"When will we finally be back in France?" she asked anxiously.

You clicked your tongue, walking before her on your way to the carriage. "In two weeks, after the Featherington Ball."

"Do we really have to wait until then?"

"Yes," you answered. "The Carrington Ball is tomorrow, in four days we are leaving for Aubrey Hall and five days after that is the Featherington Ball. It's not too much time."

"Will you return, my Lady?"

"I don't think I will."

She nodded. "To Lawrence House?"

"Yes."

You soon arrived at Grant's home, being received with your friends' cheers and their joy to see you attend another gathering after many refusals.

"Does your sister like jewelry? We will send her a gift for letting you come," Santiago said. "I am not joking, Antoine, we are all thankful."

You laughed. "I know you cannot live without me, but you mustn't give my sister any emeralds to show that."

"Ha! My mother just received some jewelry from France, I am certain there must be something worthy of your sister." Mr. Turner commented. You were almost sure it was jewelry from your family's mines, but did not say a word.

"I can guarantee you all that she has enough jewelry to give a very thoughtful present to every woman in England," you added, knowing it was a thing a brother would say about his sister. "Save them for the ladies you are courting."

Cortez stood up. "How much for the most expensive one? My dearest Lady Y/N of Burgundy will adore it."

"Are you courting her?" Lord Connor questioned, and he nodded. "Nice! How is it going with her? I have heard she is a rare jewel!"

"Unlike any other lady I have seen," Santiago said. "In a sense that she wasn't trying to impress me, but did it still. I will marry her, gentlemen, I bet my soul on it!"

"Women like confident men, keep it up with the good work!" you yelled, taking the glass of brandy Lawrence offered you. "There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance you must be careful not to cross. Women like her would throw you away like a used napkin if you do."

"If it isn't our expert in women speaking!"

"I am quite the expert," you replied. "But I have my very own lady waiting for me in France. You all wouldn't stand a chance against me if I didn't."

"You just crossed the line." Lawrence noted.

"Not in front of a lady, I did not."

They laughed, and you all kept drinking and talking. Some friends joined later, including Benedict.

You did not interact much with him, and there were nothing but sneaky glances and spaces between you.

But you were drunk and hopelessly in love with him, regardless of how little you knew each other. Still, you were conscious enough to leave the room before he considered approaching you.

What you did not count on, was that he would follow you to Grant's studio a while after you had left the room everyone was in.

When Benedict entered the studio, he saw you: only a few candles and the moonlight helped you see around, your hair was tied up in a bun, the sleeves of the linen shirt were rolled up to your elbows, the burgundy waistcoat that reminded you of home gave color to the setting in all hues around amber. The painting developing on the canvas in front of you resembled the landscape of the outsides of the villa. The moon seemed to be the theme of the piece, and your focus that ignored his presence only made Benedict smile.

"There is something valuable in the simplest landscapes one can paint," you mentioned as soon as you noticed his reflection on the window. "I have painted ancient ruins… Roman and Greek, the Pyramids in Egypt, the coldest night sky seen from the great dunes of the Sahara desert, flawless Northern Lights from Norway, the most ravishing lakes worthy of dead poets when the sun rises in the North of the Americas, the mountains and forests found in the mystical South; as many portraits as the cities I've been to, every sort of complex technique you could think of. Still, there is something magical about the colors of the heavens when the sun sets in the vineyards, the view of it from the Château du Clos de Vougeot is priceless… Paintings from dusk until dawn of the gardens of the Palace of the Dukes. It is the sense of familiarity of it all, I assume."

"I would not know until I paint anything outside of England."

You smiled, looking around the room as you spotted dozens of portraits of people. "No offense to our fellow artists at all, but I find it delightful to portrait the beauty of nature rather than the wrinkles in those empty faces. Unless, of course, there is someone you love being the subject of one's art."

"Well, not everyone has had the fortune of traveling the world, Antoine."

"But everyone can appreciate those twilight moments outside their homes, can they not?"

Benedict nodded with a smile. "Touché."

"Take a look at the moon," you invited him, and he approached you right away. "The greatest wonders in the world are right here in plain sight, and some are blind to them, even with seeing eyes."

"Where are your paintings?"

"Some at the Palace of the Dukes," you answered. "Others in Versailles, some others were sold."

"I wish I could see them someday."

"Whenever you're in France make sure to address a letter to my sister. She organized an exhibition with our art."

"She is not like the regulars, is she?" Benedict laughed. "I assume no one says no to her."

You smiled. "A mind like hers knows no limits and her spirit cannot be stopped. Whoever says no to her will regret it, I'm sure."

"Is she that dreadful?" Benedict joked.

"Not at all," You chuckled. "She loves like no other."

"I spent only a couple afternoons with her, and I could tell how enchanting she is."

Blood rushed into your cheeks at his words, so your attention returned to the painting. "Any man that marries her will be the most fortunate one."

Benedict could have said that despite what happened between him and Antoine, yours was always the face he saw when he closed his eyes. It was your face instead of the women's he went to bed with often: no matter that they shared your skin tone, the particular length of your hair or the skilled hands yours have proved to be through your melodies. It was your voice calling out his name and your touch burning him alive rather than theirs. Instead, he said that: "A woman whose company is as delightful as hers is, is worthy of keeping."

"I'm sure."

Then there was silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The slowly building tension was easy to outlive unless one of you decided to act upon it, and you knew that would not happen.

You do not often admit when you are not right in something. Right now, you couldn't even hide how wrong you were because when you least expected it, Benedict was so close to you.

This time you looked at each other in the eyes for a while, and this time it was you who kissed him. And Benedict didn't pull away, he wouldn't even if his life depended on it.

Neither of you opened your eyes when the kiss ended, neither of you said a word.

"I- I think I… I think I love her."

Your heart fluttered at his confession, and while his kisses belonged to another, his affections were yours. "That is fantastic."

Benedict chuckled and kissed you again. "I do not know what to do."

"You love her? Utterly and truthfully, you do?" you questioned him.

"I've just met her twice."

You bit your lip. "So have we."

"Yes, so have we."

"Benedict, you and I, we are men, we cannot do this."

He kissed you again. "I know."

You must return to France with at least a serious suitor, engaged if you could.

You couldn't risk that the incident with your cousin happens again, and if you had to return betrothed, it was best if the man you were to marry was Benedict. Whatever that was happening between you and him and Antoine- you… You did not know what it was, you could not make sense of any of it, but you could not return to France by yourself.

Whatever it takes.

"Marry her, then."

#benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton

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redpandaramblings · 2 years

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Conseggquences Part 2 (Kinktober Day 31)

Dragon Bakugou x Reader

CW: Smut, Not SFW, Egg Laying, Adult Situations, Mild Hypnosis/Mind Control, Dub Con due to altered mental state.

Greetings on this very, very, very late kinktober post. It was supposed to be done first in October, then for Easter, but well, now here it is. Some have asked for it, and I hope you enjoy!

It’s been a learning experience, you thought moodily as you rubbed your swollen belly. You’d been trapped in the dragon, Bakugou’s lair for a month now. It’s not like you could leave anyways. Even without how the amulet had altered your body, there was no way you could escape with the heavy clutch of eggs currently residing in your womb. You had wondered if removing the amulet would reverse its effects on you, but you didn’t dare find out until these eggs were out of you. You tried not to think about that too hard. Partly because you didn’t want to guess the number or size of the eggs that resided within you, and partly because you didn’t want the amulet to react.

It had taken a week after your capture for you to begin to figure out the pattern. Every time you felt extreme negative emotions, the amulet warmed, and your thoughts became calm and fuzzy. Unnerved about your new tail and wings? Warmth from the amulet that seemed to invade your brain. Your thoughts had gone from frustration to calm. Being a dragon was natural. It was easy to control your tail and wings. They were a part of you after all, and it felt so good.

Yeah, it had taken longer than you’d like to admit to figure out that the amulet could affect your mindset as well as your body, though unlike the physical changes, the fuzzy feeling of the forced mental calm didn’t last long, thankfully. So it was just a matter of staying relatively relaxed and trying to figure out what to do about your situation.

Honestly, things weren’t that bad. Yes, you had been changed into a dragon. Yes, you apparently were going to be mother to some hatchlings. And yes, for now you were still trapped in this cavern. But you were surrounded by more comforts and opulence than you had ever dreamed of before. Your nest was lined with finer fabrics than you’d find in palaces. You had been concerned that Bakugou would expect you to eat raw rabbits whole, but had been pleasantly surprised when he had served you delicate, deliciously cooked meals. You had asked him where he had gotten it, and he had beamed with pride before sweeping you into his arms and carrying you to the kitchen to show off one of his favorite parts of his hoard. He had put you down in a comfortable chair while he walked around the room, pulling out small containers of exotic spices and explaining which were his favorite. That was another thing you were coming to terms with. This dragon, this Bakugou was… not entirely what you expected. He could change his size at will, but often remained smaller and with more human features. You asked him why and he had answered “Because my mate prefers it.” He had a foul temper. When he was in a mood he would snarl and huff, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Yet, he never took his temper out on you. At most he would snap at you a little that he wasn’t in the mood for your questions. He would huff his way out of the cavern, navigating the maze of passages you hadn’t had the chance to explore yet. But when he would return hours later, he would come and curl himself around you, murmuring an apology. He was arrogant and boastful, but generous. Proud, but clingy. He seemed to always want to touch you. Not just for pleasure, but you would pull you into his lap and simply hold you, eyes closed and his nose in your hair. He seemed… Very lonely. You really didn’t know how to feel about him.

Well, you thought as you watched him approach you with a tray of food to nibble on, you supposed you had some time to figure that out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke from your slumber to discomfort. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it until a second contraction rippled through you. Oh.

“Oh fuck.”

You hadn’t thought you had spoken that last bit aloud until you felt stirring behind you. “Treasure?” Bakugou’s sleep rough voice asked, as he tried to wrap an arm around you. You hissed a breath, batting him away. He sat up more with a grumble, ready to scold you until he got a good look at you. His eyes darted from your pained face, to your awkward position, to your belly and back again. His eyes widened. “Oh.” He whispered, sitting up to rest on his heels. You whimpered at him. “I’m not ready for this.”

“I don’t think the eggs care, Precious.” He murmured as he brushed a stay hair from your face. “It will be alright. I’m right here. Let me and the amulet help.”

You hardly hesitated before nodding.

Bakugou helped you sit while he rearranged the cushions and blankets of the nest. “They’ll get ruined.” You protest weakly.

“They’re just things.” He replied curtly. “They can be replaced. My mate’s comfort is more important.” Your heart fluttered, but the next wave of pain didn’t give you time to dwell on it. Soon, Bakugou was easing you back onto the pillows. You only half paid attention to him gently encouraging to get in whatever position felt right. You started to disrobe and he quickly helped you until you were bare. The contractions were coming faster, but with them was also coming the warm fuzzy brained feeling of the amulet working to calm you. For once you welcomed the feeling. The pain became a background noise to the rest of the sensations you were experiencing. Yes, your thoughts whispered to you. This was good. You finally got to lay the clutch you and your mate had been waiting for. You made a noise that was more moan than groan as another contraction pulsed through you. Bakugou smirked, rubbing your leg in a soothing manner.

“There, Treasure. That’s my good girl. Don’t fight it.”

You nodded, slightly dazed. You absolutely weren’t going to fight this. You weren’t scared anymore. And the pain, while still there, was being overshadowed by how good and right this felt. You keened and held your arms out for your mate. He chuckled softly before leaning down to kiss you. The kiss started heated, a desperate meeting of tongues, teeth bumping until you found a rhythm. Slowly Bakugou gentled the kiss, moving slower, and more tenderly. He eased and nipped at your lip before pulling away. You tried to chase his lips, but he put a hand on your shoulder.

“Let me check how you’re doing, Precious. I need to take care of you.”

You whined, too gone for words, but nodded. He ran a hand down you, tweaking a nipple and causing your whole body to jerk. His hands continued down, down, until he reached your most sensitive area. He stroked the area around your clit and you gasped, hips shuddering. It had never felt so intense. So intense it burned. So good, but also much too much. You wanted to lean into it and hump his hand like a shameless whore, but you wanted to pull away for his touch that was too intense and too much. It was so hot and and tense and painful and so fucking amazing. His large, firm hand on your hip stilled your movements. You stared at him with wide eyes and begged.

“Please! Please, I need…” “Shhhh. It’s okay. I’ll take care of you.”

He looked at you as he carefully brushed his fingers over your sex.

“You’ll be ready soon, Treasure. And then our eggs will be here, isn’t that wonderful?”

You nodded, panting. It was wonderful. Your fuzzy mind couldn’t think of anything more wonderful at the moment. He smiled down at you and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before turning back to the task at hand.

His fingers stroked your puffy lips, each touch almost burning with intensity. “Gonna make this good for you, Precious,” he murmured as he ran a single finger over your clit. You gasped, jolting. He stroked again with a smirk as you whimpered. “Have a few more minutes, so let’s get you nice and relaxed.” You moaned as he got to work, gently rubbing your opening while tweaking your nipples. It was too much and not enough. All you could do was moan and croon at your mate, such a good mate, taking such good care of you. Your mind felt warm and fuzzy and you were happy to give into the feelings and emotions. You raised your hips to rub more firmly against Bakugou’s hand, and he let you, increasing his own pace and pressure until you were shaking and panting. He kept his pace steady. Your hand shot out to grab his free hand, and he intertwined your fingers. “That’s it, Precious. Let go.” And so you did, with a gasp and a shudder. Bakugou’s touch stayed steady through your orgasm, his fingers not leaving you until you collapsed back into the nest, panting. He brushed his mouth to yours before he pulled back and maneuvered you into spreading your legs.

He touched gently and you sucked in a breath with a hiss. The pain was more intense now, mixing with the pleasurable feelings equally. Bakugou kissed your knee. “It’s time for our eggs. You need to start pushing, Treasure. You can do it.”

You weren’t half as confident as he seemed to be, but the tightening of your abdomen rather clearly indicated that you weren’t going to get much choice in the matter. You groaned as you felt the eggs shift inside you. It was so strange, but at the same time felt right. Your belly squeezed, and as it did you pushed. You gasped and moaned, half in pain, half in pleasure. You had never been stretched like this before, and you had only just begun. Your hands gripped the blankets underneath you, as you pushed again with a whine. The fuzziness in your brain helped cut the pain, but it did nothing to ease the pure intensity. Your nerves were singing. All it would take is just one touch…

And Bakugou was more than happy to provide that touch. He thumbed over your clit and you saw stars. You screamed as you came, the tightening of your muscles pushing the egg down further. There was no relief, the curve of the egg nudging against your g spot. You moaned as you tried to gather more energy to push again. Your mate wasn’t helping matters, as his hands roamed your body. The touch was meant to comfort, and it did, but it was also arousing you more by the second. You squirmed, not sure if you wanted to lean into the sensation or pull away. You couldn’t focus enough to make up your mind as you were once again consumed with the need to push. And so push again you did, the egg sliding further down.

“I can see it, Treasure. Just a few more pushes and it will be out. You’re doing so well for me. Such a good mate.” Bakugou crooned, stroking over your opening where the egg was just starting to peek out. You whined, blood rushing to your cheeks as you nodded weakly. Your breath was coming in ragged gasps as you tried to collect yourself for the last few pushes. Your next push rang another orgasm out of you as the largest part of the egg slid past your g spot. Your opening was stretched tighter than it ever had been. Bakugou crooned encouragement. And then with one more push, there it was. In a daze you marveled at the egg your mate cradled in his hands. Orange and gold, larger than you had anticipated. Bakugou gently tucked it into the other side of the nest.

“You did so well, Precious. Look at what you made.”

“What we made.” You murmured back. You were rewarded by seeing a flush creep up your mate’s neck until his ears were bright red. He nodded, keeping his eyes on the egg a few minutes more before turning back towards you. “We’re not done yet, Treasure. Need to get the rest of that clutch out of you.”

You groaned, staring down at your still large belly, feeling as eggs continued to shift inside you, making their way down. It was going to be a long night. But as you gazed at your mate, you didn’t think it was just the amulet that was making you feel like everything would be alright.

The second egg came quicker than the first, and the third quicker than the second. You were grateful, because even though the last few were easier, you still were exhausted and covered with sweat by the end. Though some of that might have also been the orgasms that had continuously been rung from your overstimulated body. The warm fuzzy feeling of the amulet was starting to fade, and you were rapidly becoming aware of just how tired and sore you were. You turned your head to watch as Bakugou gathered and tended to the eggs. There were five total, all similar, with just enough variation in color to tell them apart. He had moved them to a new area, building up a nest with sand. You could tell he was telling you why, but you were too tired to pay attention to the words he was saying. Instead you let the drone of his low voice lull you to sleep.

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

The following days had been… strange. Or maybe strange in how they weren’t strange. Bakugou had cared for you and the eggs while you healed, which had only taken a few days. He spent much more time in his full dragon form, curled protectively around you and the nest of eggs. He hardly let you get up, so you spent a lot of time talking. He explained what he knew about what the eggs needed. The warmth of a dragon’s body, the occasional flames of the fire, gentle turning, and so much more. You asked how he knew so much, and he told you about how things used to be. How the area used to be home to a large flight of dragons that had protected the land and its inhabitants. He talked about his mother, who was larger and fiercer than himself, his father who was calmer but could grumble like the thunder in the sky when he chose. He told stories about the trouble he and his friends used to get into, and how the older dragons used to chew them out. For the most part, you simply listened, but eventually one question had to be asked.

“Then… What happened?” You asked quietly. “Why were you here alone?”

Bakugou was silent for a time. Just when you thought he wasn’t going to answer, he spoke again.

“There were some dragons who were… destructive. We didn’t take the treat seriously until it was too late. The humans had been turned against dragonkind. Though they were smaller, they were clever. They came after us with weapons and magic in great force. They weren’t interested in anything we tried to tell them. For a while we tried to hold our ground, to keep our land. It didn’t work. I was injured badly in the fights and fled into the caverns to recover. By the time I was healed, everyone was gone. Humans, dragons, everyone. Nothing left but scorched earth. I chose to wait here, to see if anyone would return, but no one ever has. Now, there’s only me.”

Your heart ached for him and the weary loneliness in his voice. You curled up against him and for the first time while clear headed, pressed a few soft kisses to the parts of him you could reach. He gave a surprised huff before nuzzling you with his large head. The two of you were quiet the rest of the evening, just taking comfort in each other’s presence.

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

You had a problem.

You had found the way out.

You hadn’t even been looking for it. Not really. You had been walking the caverns while Bakugou had slept, curled around your eggs. There wasn’t much else to do. You had read his small collection of books, and you knew better than to set foot in his kitchen without him. So, you had crept out to explore a bit. You had wandered aimlessly, mentally keeping track of your turns. A smell you couldn’t quite place had wafted through the air, and you had followed the scent, not really thinking. You weren’t expecting to round a corner and suddenly be greeted with sunshine, rustling grass, tall trees, and delicate wildflowers.

You were out. For the first time in months, you were out. A laugh escaped you before you clamped a hand over your mouth to prevent making more noise. You were out! And the dragon who had kept you here was still slumbering, unaware that you were out. You looked around wildly. The area wasn’t anything you had seen before. But that didn’t matter much. If you could just figure out what direction was what, you could… You could…

Your thoughts stalled and you reached up to fiddle with the comfortable weight of the amulet around your neck. For the first time, you reached up and slipped the leather strap over your head. It dangled from your fingers heavily. You wanted to be absolutely certain that your next few thoughts were your own.

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

Bakugou awoke slowly, with a small inkling that something wasn’t right. He blinked slowly, looking around before he began stretching. He didn’t want to injure his mate or their eggs, after all. His mate was not in their nest, which wasn’t unusual. He nosed the eggs, rumbling out a low pleased sound. His eggs. If his friends could only see him now…

He blew out a low stream of fire, making sure each egg was nice and toasty warm before he stretched and shifted into his smaller and more human form. He glanced around the cavern, frowning when he could not immediately spot his mate. He had grown used to finding her reading. He made a mental note to see if he could sneak into the city and procure more books for her. His mate deserved spoiling after all. And right now, he was going to spoil her with some food. If he could figure out where she had gotten to, that is.

Bakugou poked his head into the kitchen, nothing. He checked the bathing chambers, without success. His brow furrowed as he went and poked around the silks and furs or the hoard, checking to see if she had curled up somewhere. “Treasure?” he called quietly at first. He raised his volume as his search continued to be fruitless, his panic rising. “Y/N? ANSWER ME!” He was met only with his own echo.

Surely she couldn’t have… Not after all this time. He thought they were… He thought…

With a roar, he surged out of the cavern, growing as he raced forward. He guts twisted as his thoughts swirled. Not again. He couldn’t be alone again. Please, he… Bakugou violently shoved those thoughts down, trying his best to only focus on his rage. He was going to find her. He was going to drag her back and chain her to the fucking wall if he had to. She is HIS and she would damn well learn that!

Bakugou burst out into the sunlight, growling as he took ragged breaths. He needed to catch her scent, to find the little fool before some humans did. He swung his enormous head from side to side and suddenly stilled.

There you were. You were sprawled out, asleep on a rock. You were laying on your stomach, your wings stretched out, soaking up the sun. The amulet lay on the rock beside you. Bakugou cautiously moved closer.

The tremors of the ground caused you to stir, and you fluttered your wings before you stretched, sitting up with a yawn. You blinked up at the massive dragon towering over you and smiled softly.

“Hello, Love. I’m sorry I worried you, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

You reached out your arms to him, making grabbing motions. Bakugou didn’t hesitate a second before shrinking and changing just enough so that he could swing you into his arms, holding you tightly enough that it was just on the edge of being painful. You hugged him in return, nuzzling his neck and pressing kisses there. The two of you would need to have a long conversation later, curled against each other. But for now, it was time for your mate to take you home.

#katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x you #katsuki x you #dragon bakugou #reader insert #not sfw #bakugou katsuki #reader is female #female reader #egg preg #egg laying #dragon reader

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harveyguilleniconodelamoda · 1 month

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Costume Spotlight: Andy Leonard from Cursed Friends

I am so excited about this one! I've been researching it since I started this blog, thinking it would be a relatively fun-and-easy post to make. Hoo boy, was that incorrect! Though the outfit looks deceptively simple, and the process of researching was certainly fun, it has some specific details that it took me forever to confirm from the few photos and production stills I had access to.

That being said, I did find the final piece just yesterday! I was so over the moon, I may have spiked my phone like a football in my excitement. So strap in as I break down and over-analyze ever piece of this outfit from a Comedy Central made-for-TV horror movie (and if you haven't seen it, warning: there will be some mild spoilers for Andy's arc).

The Outfit

The outfit Andy wears for the majority of the film is a oversized, millennial pink sweatshirt with a ribbed collar and sleeve cuffs over a pair of fitted black bike shorts. It's simple and comfy--which makes sense, because he first wears it while at his job as a personal trainer to one of his influencer clients. It's similar in style to this sweatshirt from Gymshark, but it's also the kind of thing you could find almost anywhere activewear is sold (style-wise; the color is not so easy to find, which is wild for reasons I'll get into in a moment). Key notable features are the thickness of that ribbed crewneck collar and sleeve cuffs, and the slight blouson shape of the sleeves themselves, a bit puffier than your average sweatshirt.

But it's the color that I find most interesting. Millennial pink--which is any of several shades of warm-to-neutral pale pink that were ubiquitous in fashion and design trends throughout the 2010s--is a color rife with sociopolitical implications. Which sounds like an insane thing to say, but hear me out.

When everyone in my generation was trying our hardest to navigate capitalism in our own ironic, detached, thoughtful ways (for the purpose of changing the system from the inside, of course!), millennial pink became the color emblematic of that mindset. It was softer, less threatening than the more saturated hot pink that ruled throughout the early 2000s. It was also, at least initially, a symbol of my generation's attempts to push back against the harsh expectations of society and "the real world."

See, for our entire childhood and adolescence, millennials heard our elders smugly declare that we'd see how right they were about everything once we encountered the real world. And then we did...and said "yeah, no, this sucks, I don't accept this!" And boy, they hated that. But I digress.

The color is also sometimes called tumblr pink, and what was tumblr in the mid-2010s if not a digitally-created "softer world" where "everything is gay and nothing hurts"...a world where aesthetics, earnestness, and attempts at social consciousness were married in a way that wasn't seen anywhere else within the social media landscape? Tumblr was where you came to be among like-minded people who may not agree with you on exactly how the world needed to be different and better, but at least agreed that it absolutely did need to be different and better. And the soft warmth of millennial pink was like carrying a bit of that into the real world, at least until corporations grabbed hold of it.

For your enjoyment: some of the most millennial selfies I've ever seen (affectionate, relatable) from Harvey's Instagram.

Millennial pink and its sisters--rose gold, rose quartz, dusty rose, and the like--formed the color pallet of my 20s. They were in everything, from home design to album art to magazines to technology. Girlbosses became the mainstream portrait of popular feminism, with millennial pink as their shade. Sparkling rosé became the official drink of the girlbosses and wine moms alike. It was in everything from fashion to makeup to hair to phones--the rose gold iPhone and hair trends come to mind--and could not be escaped. I did in fact dye my hair Millennial pink at one point (or try to--it came out more of an electric peach, unfortunately).

A moment of silence for my roots. Also sorry rose gold iPhone, you will never be the raspberry pink Motorola Razr.

These soft pinks were linked to coolness, chicness, realness, and even wellness--specifically the wellness rebranding of diet culture in the mid-2010s. "Clean girl" cosmetics companies like Glossier adopted the color as part of their branding. Pantone named it one of the colors of the year, and their VP explicitly linked it to "the rosy glow that comes along with good health." (Source)

It has also been described as a warmer, more "gender-neutral" shade that spoke to the more fluid and egalitarian approach Millennials have to gender roles and relationships (at least when compared to our parents and grandparents). Famous and famously desirable (at least at the time) men--such as Harry Styles and Drake--adopted it for their album covers. It was also ubiquitous in men's spring and summer fashions, with pink button-ups and shorts being all the rage. Given the warmth of the shade, it was almost like a greatly-desaturated Nantucket red, which fit it neatly into the overall preppy fashion repertoire. (Source)

The Guardian described this color as representing "a kind of ironic prettiness, or post-prettiness. It’s a way to be pretty while retaining your intellectual detachment. It’s a wish that prettiness could [be] de-problematised." (Source)

All of this to say, millennial pink is inextricable from the fashion of the 2010s, the ramped-up consumerism permeating society and culture at the time, and from Millennials' early 20s and the progression from optimism to exploitation to burnout and cynicism we all experienced to some degree. For Andy, who embodies the anxieties that created for our generation, it's both perfect and ironic that he's covered in this shade, given how hard he's trying to pretend he's not a Millennial for the majority of the film.

The Accessories

Andy's two accessories were the real reason this post took so long. They're so distinctive, which made settling for close enough impossible for my weird little brain. And yet by their very nature as accessories, they're small on the screen and hard to get great images of! But at last I managed it, and can confirm that Andy's bag is the Chanel 20A “Rainbow” Reissue wallet on chain in metallic goatskin.

The bag has a really interesting history as a variation on the Chanel 2.55, which was first released in 1955 and popularized the shoulder strap bag for women. It was considered revolutionary in part because it allowed women to keep their hands free while carrying it. The design was re-released in 2005 as the Chanel 2.55 Reissue, and has remained a popular Chanel mainstay since. (Source)

Bragmybag describes this style as an "addiction" and touts its popularity among the fashionistas of Instagram.

This particular color is from the Chanel Pre-Fall Metiers d’Art 2020 collection, and is considered a highly sought-after collector's item among Chanel enthusiasts. It originally retailed for $2,900, but is now priced at over $4,000 pre-owned on sites such as ThredUp, eBay, or Depop. It's a classic bag style in a quirky and gorgeous limited edition color. It reminds me of the foil wrappers on chocolate eggs at Easter, or the opal hair trend of 2017-2018. A bag like this definitely plays into the girlboss/influencer vibe. To the fad-beholden type of person Andy is trying to appeal to, it would project an air of effortless coolness and means, someone who is both up on the latest trends and able to drop several thousand dollars on a wallet.

After the Chanel bag, the platform sneakers were even harder to find. Their shape is so distinctive, but every search for "platform sneakers" came up short the first few times. Then I tried an image search on a zoomed-in, blurry version of the photo above, and that led me to Buffalo. Buffalo's platform boots and sneakers definitely approached the vibe of Andy's shoes, but weren't quite there.

Then, in the similar image search under a picture of the Buffalo Aspha NC Mid platform sneaker, I saw a photo that looked remarkably similar to the shoe Andy is wearing, including the plastic snap buckles...and I clicked...

And there they were:

The Demonia Slacker-50 platform sneakers in white holographic patent and baby pink multi glitter.

These shoes...listen. I love fashion, but I'm not a big shoe person. I live most of my life going back and forth between the same two pairs of Tevas. That being said, there is not a single era of my life so far in which I wouldn't have been dying to wear these.

The combination of the millennial shade of pink but with the early 2000s "new millennium" iridescence and multi-colored glitter, the totally 90s lace-up hi-top closure and side snap buckles, the platforms? It's like every era of my childhood, teen years, and young adulthood were somehow distilled into a single shoe design. Xenon Girl of the 21st Century would wear these shoes. Lizzie McGuire would get into some hilarious mishap trying to walk in them. Pepper Ann would have a whole storyline about coveting these shoes and trying to make enough money to buy them. I'm eyeing my bank account as we speak and trying to convince myself I don't need these shoes just to cosplay Andy (but also I do need these shoes, like, spiritually).

Demonia, is an alternative fashion and footwear brand based in Southern California and founded in 1999. Their footwear is sold at Dolls Kill and other popular alternative fashion retailers, but they also sell direct from their own website, DemoniaCult.com. They're not quite a nostalgia brand, but they're definitely nostalgic and a brand your average small-town, fashion-minded emo/goth kid in the early 2000s would have lusted after fruitlessly when it came time for back-to-school shoe shopping (not that I speak from experience or anything).

The Makeup

Though obviously actors are always wearing makeup on screen, it's often meant to be understated enough on men to pass as "no makeup they're just that pretty." But this is a role where we're really meant to notice the makeup.

The heavily filled in brows, the black eyeliner tight-lined all the way around the eye, matte foundation, black mascara on the top and bottom lashes...the wash of brown shadow above the crease, heavy-handed bronze contour, and pink lip. It all calls back to makeup trends that would have been popular at earlier points in Andy's life--the brows, matte base, and contour in particular screamed 2016 to me--the kind of thing you might keep wearing even though it's no longer on trend because it feels good and you think it makes your features pop (and to be fair, they do pop!). Ironically, this choice of makeup also makes Andy, who is chronically attempting to fit in with and pass as Gen Z, look his age more than Harvey ever does.

Andy's Characterization

Andy, like the other characters, really struggles with holding onto the past. For him specifically, however, there's a dimension of being terrified of aging out of his dreams and becoming irrelevant. He wants to be an influencer, he wants to be the person other people take their cues from, he wants to be seen and adored by millions...and that's a possibility he feels slipping away as he hears more and more from people like Candace Nicaragua about how his generation is no longer cool.

Every aspect of Andy's outfit seems meant to underscore the ways in which he lives in the past, whether it's the farther-off past of his childhood when he was still truly close with his besties, or the somewhat more recent past of his 20s, when he was part of the age group that sets trends and that consumerist culture seems to cater to.

In a way, he embodies the exact type of anxieties we're seeing every day from Millennials on Tiktok and other social media. We're not aging gracefully, y'all, at least not in an emotional sense! Where the intergenerational discourse between older generations and Millennials focused far more on our differences in approach to work and the economy, the discourse between Millennials and Gen Z seems fixated on who's cooler, who's more relevant, whose trends or music reign supreme. It seems entirely frivolous, but it hides a deep fear of being pushed aside and forgotten that has followed us since the 2008 housing crash made all our parents' "you can be anything" and "go to college and you'll have a good, comfortable life" talk into lies.

And while the movie definitely plays into that intergenerational conflict, it focuses more on the friends' inability to be honest with themselves and each other about the way they, their lives, and their friendships have evolved since they were kids. So it's great that Andy's big climactic character moment comes when he realizes that it's just silly for him to be seeking approval from these younger people who aren't actually any cooler than him, don't have anything more figured out, and most importantly, don't really know him. What use is coolness and youth when you pit it against friendship and authenticity?

When Andy embraces his age and boldly states that he will never apologize for his friends and that he likes what he likes regardless of how "cheugy" it is? I felt that, okay? Being unmoved by the negative opinions of others is a battle I've fought my entire life, and seeing Andy figure it out was cathartic, no matter how seemingly silly the context.

Affordable Options

You can get black bike shorts almost anywhere that sells activewear. These stretch cotton bike shorts from Jessica London are extremely comfy and come in sizes 12 to 38/40. They're originally $29.99, currently on sale for $17! REI also has a variety of similar styles in a wide range of prices and sizes, for both men and women.

The sweatshirt is a bit more challenging to find, but Jessica London has a few options, all under $55, in sizes up to 5X (women's US size 38/40):

Boxy Fleece Sweatshirt in Misty Rose

Hooded Sweatshirt Tunic in Dusty Pink

Sweatshirt Tunic with Shirttail Hem in Pretty Lilac - I have this one, and it's very comfy and looks much more screen accurate on my plus sized body than it does on the model in the product photos.

The closest to screen accurate I've found is actually from Amazon, though I'm trying to stay away from recommending Amazon products as much as possible on this blog. This option is only available up to size XXL, but it's made to be oversized and according to the listed measurements, an XL would fit me loosely (for reference, my bust measurement is 55 inches).

Uniqlo also has a pink crewneck sweatshirt that's a viable option, available up to size XXL.

The platform sneakers actually qualify for my "under $100" affordability threshold, retailing at $95.99 from Demonia. But if you want some slightly cheaper options with a similar vibe, here are a few I've found:

BCBGeneration Riso Platform Sneaker - $69.30 from Nordstrom (currently on sale)

Coconuts by Matisse Nelson Platform Sneaker - $85 from Nordstrom

Converse Women's Chuck Taylor All Star Hi Lift Platform Sneaker in pink - $74.99 from Famous Footwear

Guess Women's Miram Platform Lace-Up Court Sneaker in pink metallic - $41.40 from Macy's (currently on sale)

The bag is the hardest part to find an affordable dupe for. I've searched and searched, and there's just very little out there that feels close enough to screen accurate that's also under $100. Your best bet is to find a bag with a similar vibe and add a chain to it if you want to cosplay Andy. Some great options:

Quilted Clutch Handbag from BagsBySimplyShere on Etsy - $35

Rainbow Metallic Quilted Clutch-style Purse from WildwoodTreasureCo on Etsy - $40

For me, because I'm extra, I've actually decided to make my own from the ground up. If it goes well, I'll post some photos here!

#cursed friends #andy leonard #character costumes #chanel #demonia #demoniacult #millennial pink #fashion #plus size fashion #platform sneakers #harvey guillén

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gay-dorito-dust · 2 years

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I have a request, adhd! male! reader, with eddie munson. Anyways so my love language is physical touch and quality time, and i was wondering if you could make something with Eddie being really busy with D&D and other stuff and reader being really upset internally because hes not getting his downtime with Eddie that calms his nerves, in weeks and finally breaks down while Eddie is gone and and Eddie comes home to find him and its fluffy and angsty and stuff.

Where were you when I needed you most?

Dnd was a fun little game to pass the time and allow oneself to amerce in the escapism it offered, taking them away from a suppressive society construct. Dnd is Eddie’s escapism but the sad fact is that Eddie is your escapism from reality and it’s bullshit; so it was quite difficult to engaged in your usual downtime together when he was out the door, rushing out some incoherent word babble about having a Hellfire club meeting to attend. You knew that recently DnD has been preoccupying his mind for the good half of a week from his passionate tangents on the progress of his clubs misadventures, how the story was progressing nicely and even gave you sneak previews into what he was planning on implementing next.

You loved seeing his eyes gleam and the vivid detail he would get into when describing how the session went, even adding in voices for a more immersive experience. However DnD has been slowly depriving you of your time with Eddie because once upon a time you and Eddie use to do everything together shortly after you started dating; you went to Lovers Lake for make out dates, held movie nights -mostly horror- in his mobile home so that when a scary part occurred you could cling on to a smirking Eddie who had it planned all along because he loved feeling you close. You would attempt to cook together only for it to end in a massive food fight and a scolding from uncle Wayne before cleaning it up as punishment, though was it really considered punishment if it meant spending more time with your boyfriend? You didn’t think so. Yet lately it seemed as though to Eddie it did.

He started calling off dates or unintentionally standing you up, stopped movie nights halfway because one of his club members needed help, stopping all forms of downtime together in favour of the stupid game. He never let you hug yourself into his side anymore, nor let you run your fingers through his hair in the mornings and he didn’t let you hold his hands to run your fingers across his veins either because he was gone before you could put the action in motion. It hurt so deeply because your love for him was genuine and so real that when it seemed that Eddie favoured DnD over your downtime to cut it off completely hurt you more then you possibly could’ve imagine.

Nowadays you just seemed invisible to him, given how easily he was to walk past you without your routinely good morning kiss, nor how you would find yourself waking alone in bed only to find out through uncle Wayne that Eddie had left moments prior. Wayne could tell his nephew’s recent actions had left a sour taste in your mouth and he could only feel sympathy; after all it wasn’t exactly a good sign of your significant other was prioritising other things over your relationship. Though it’s not like he could do anything about it as this was a discussion you and Eddie should be having; all he could do was hopefully push you into confronting Eddie in hopes that some communication would help you and your relationship from future disputes.

This however, in retrospect, didn’t happen they way Wayne would’ve wanted. Instead the long awaited confrontation only happened when one night after a satisfying and long DnD session, Eddie came home in hopes of telling you all about what went down, what he had planned next and how he wasn’t going to go easy on the Hellfire club like last time when the younger members were obviously not in the best mindsets. Yet that hopefulness died the moment he overhead the sound of sniffling coming from behind the closed door leading into his room. Uncle Wayne was out for the night so the only other occupant beside him and Eddie himself was you; Stricken with worry and anger towards whatever could’ve possible brought you to this state Eddie opened the door to heartbreaking realisation.

There upon his bed you sat, tucked beneath an old blanket of his that you must’ve dug through his mess of a room to acquire as tears steamed down your face. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Eddie softly called as he rushed to your side to hold you in his arms when you looked up at him teary eyed as a broken sob escaped your lips. “Where were you when I needed you most?” Eddie was stunned in disbelief, just about ready to defend himself when the events over the past few days came back to haunt him. He had been neglecting you; how the fuck did he not see that his neglect was causing you harm, that he was the thing you were heartbrokenly crying over. Eddie swore that he’d never bring you to tears yet here he did just that and for that he was extremely ashamed of himself. He was just so passionate about the upcoming campaign he was slowly and surly building towards that in the process he had traded off the devil something so valuable, so priceless to Eddie that to ever get it back was a reach within of itself.

“I’m so sorry handsome, I- I got caught up and I didn’t see how that was affecting you and I-I should’ve seen the signs. Fuck I’m such a shitty boyfriend! I promised never to bring you to tears but just my luck that I bring the man I love to tears over DnD of all things.” Eddie replied in anger, though it was more so to himself then at you. He looked at you with soft brown eyes and a wavering smile. “I’m sure as hell not getting the ‘best boyfriend’ award anytime soon huh? Hell I not even a runner up.” You didn’t say anything and instead let Eddie speak for the time being about realising his wrongdoings and vowing to do better in the future. “That is if you still want me by the end of this.” Eddie finished, voice a little unsure as he looked down at his hands with a clenched jaw.

“Eddie I love you to smithereens, I’ll always want to be with you but please,” you grabbed his hands and brought them to your waist as you flung yourself into his chest, resting your head against the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, “please just don’t go forgetting me next time. I could barely handle it.” You pleased, gripping his jacket as tightly as you possibly could in fear that he would slip away from your grasp like sand if you were to ease your hold for even a millisecond. Eddie responded by tightening his grip on your body and he laid himself flat on his back against the old mattress, sighing, not quite content with how the conversation went, considering how he wanted you to at least give him shit for his actions; but with the state you were in it was obvious to him that you were too drained emotionally to even put up a fight. “I promise sweetheart,” he whispers against your head, pressing a kiss there as he watched your eyes flutter shut, “I promise to never hurt you again, I promise to always take tender care of your heart and smother you in affection until you grow sick of me because I could never get sick of you.”

#eddie munson x male reader #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you

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xjulixred45x · 2 months

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Hello, how are you? Could I request Blue Exorcist Lucifer x human female with angelic powers, enemies to lovers? Please and thank you!

OMG YES! thanks for the Request ❤️

Lucifer x Human! Reader with Angélic powers

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings: enemies to Lovers dynamic,hints of illiness(from Lucifer), slight Manipulation?(Its fucking Lucifer, what do You expect?)Illuminati's,

SPOILERS!!!

OK! for some context:

reader's family is VERY old in the Vatican hierarchy, almost as old as MyodHa itself.

They are recognized for having abilities similar to Biblical angels, they could exorcise powerful demons on their own, etc.

However, this came with rigorous (and sometimes inhumane) training since the youngest members of the clan (last name) were children.

That's where it comes from (reader).

The (last name) family is going through a moment of crisis, they no longer have as many resources or exorcists as before, so they focused all the attention they could on (reader) so that she would be outstanding.

causing several traumas in the process due to not having had a very stable childhood or family...

but generating one of the most powerful exorcists today.

To be honest, I think (reader) would only accept the faith of the exorcist job because she literally has no other alternative. What else is she supposed to do with her life if they didn't teach her anything else? Kind of mindset.

On the other hand, Lucifer probably knew about her beforehand (before the reader knew about him), either because of Shima's espionage or because of the possible encounters that (the reader) has had with his agents.

and you could tell he's intrigued.

I have seen people from the (last name) family work before, but definitely (reader) was quite remarkable and above all it was obvious that she was quite...dissatisfied.

It was a good opportunity to have a powerful ally.

Although it definitely wasn't easy.

Let's say that (reader) meets him in a similar way to Yukio, in the rescue of Izumo.

After taking down one of Gedoin's largest test subjects, (reader) is left quite tired.

She is ready to go after the others when Lucifer appears.

Like Yukio, he gets scared and tries to use one of his family's techniques, but Lucifer doesn't allow it.

She has so much potential, so much power, and she lets those of the True Cross control her? For a worthless cause?

Lucifer knows what he is doing, he attacks (reader's) biggest doubts. Even if she escapes, those questions end up resonating too much with (reader).

Is it really worth it? Being the war dog of people like Mephisto who isn't even trustworthy? Is it worth pleasing the people of the Vatican when they haven't made any real changes? Is it worth so much suffering and entertainment if this is what do you earn?

(reader) is trying SO hard not to give in to those kinds of ideas, both because the exorcist job is the only thing she has and because she really doesn't know what to do now.

You could say that it is something gradual, that little by little (reader) loses conviction in the True Cross and begins to replant things.

She applies a "Geto move", basically.

She is increasingly distant from her classmates, who, since they do not understand her, distance her even further and do not know what to do with her.

(reader) continues to perform well in her missions, but she looks more and more lost.

in turn, Shima monitors her to report the "progress in her recruitment" to Lucifer.

although to be honest, every time (the reader) sees Shima she tells him to go to hell, and thanks to her angelic abilities, she can tell when he's around, so she leaves him without much material to work with.

It honestly frustrates Lucifer a little, but he can't force (reader) to join the Illuminati if he REALLY wants a reliable ally. no matter how much his stubbornness bothers you.

(if she has a new encounter with Lucifer, same story, (reader) rejects the proposal but becomes more and more petulant, with more doubts).

Funny thought I had while doing this, this dynamic reminded me of when Kylo Ren tells Rey that "she needs a teacher" and she epically leaves him in Seen. This is Lucifer's dynamic with (reader) during this stage 🤣

I don't think it's until (SPOILERS) Yukio joins the Illuminati that (reader) already has a mental breakdown and questions everything (plus if she and Yukio were close, either because they had training together or because of circumstances Similar).

and obviously Lucifer knows about this and takes full advantage.

Let's say he intercepts her just when she wants time alone, she doesn't want to be with anyone, she doesn't want to deal with anyone, especially not him right now, but then she realizes...

Does she really have someone?

The true cross was her entire life, her family only trained her for that and they don't see beyond that...

Lucifer, on the other hand, sees her in a light of fascination.

He sees (reader's) value both as an asset and in her intentions, and he doesn't want her to continue wasting them on a cause that isn't worth it.

(closes scene with epic handshake xd).

If we look at the current dynamics, even if they are partners (and later lovers) there is still some friction. especially on the part of ( reader) who wants to take Lucifer out of his mind from time to time.

(reader) quickly becomes an active member of the Illuminati's as soon as she has the opportunity, whether doing missions, helping with investigations, giving information she has about the academy, etc.

and Lucifer respects that.

Little by little a relationship of mutual respect is forming, something like that.

(reader) can see through several of Lucifer's tricks, but at the same time she surprises herself at how genuine he becomes from time to time with his plan.

(reader) wants to learn more from Lucifer and Lucifer wants to learn more from (reader), so from there they begin to open up even a little more in, for example, the skills section.

If you've seen my Angel!reader work, you'll know that Lucifer has some particular interest in (reader's) seemingly divine abilities.

Now that he has the opportunity, he wants to know everything he can about these abilities, how they affect demons, how he uses them, etc.

but at least he is fair and answers the questions that the reader herself has, even if he doesn't have an answer as such, he tries to give her a satisfactory one.

If we look at the relationship fully, at first glance it can be seen more as a mutually beneficial alliance.

(reader) becomes Lucifer's main spokesperson and in a way his confidant, with whom he plans the next movements of the Illuminati, and above all with whom he does not have (so much) problem being affected by his illness.

They allow themselves to be more open and affectionate when they are alone (or well, reader, Lucifer usually refers to her as his "partner" or by some nickname that shows CLEAR favoritism).

They support each other in the work environment, as I already said, (reader) is Lucifer's eyes and ears where he cannot be and does not let him remain unaware.

(reader) is like that "little bird" that gives you away to your mother in a certain way (Lucifer xd). Extra puntls if that's one of your nicknames for (female reader).

Even if (reader) has much more developed powers than most of the Illuminati, Lucifer is not willing to take any risks, it is practically standard protocol that if things get ugly they have to secure the "commander's second in command" regardless how many losses that generates.

Lucifer can replace them and get more, but he can't get another (reader).

At the same time, he worries a lot about (the reader's) health and that angelic powers may have repercussions on his fragile human body, so check-ups are a mandatory NECESSITY for Lucifer's peace of mind, whether after a mission or simply if (reader) is acting strange.

Don't get me wrong, he knows (reader) can kick most exorcists' asses, but he won't let any harm come in the first place. Better safe than sorry.

(although the fact that he lets you go on missions is a great advance compared to other readers who he doesn't even let out of the Illuminati/dominus base☠️)

He would DEFINITELY rather die than let those of the true cross (especially Mephisto) get their hands on (reader), he knows what would happen if that happened, so we give him the pass to be paranoid, just this once.

I think that in general it is easier for him to see this type of (reader) as an EQUAL, not only because of the fascination that he generated, but also because he knew how to EARN his respect (apart from the fact that he expects everyone in the organization to treat reader as such, any lack of respect can be a direct pass to the testing room).

Apart from the fact that it doesn't just let her focus on work, it (forces) her to have a hobby or participate in some "stimulating activity" so that (the reader) can regulate her stress levels.

Something that remains in almost all readers, Lucifer likes to listen to (the reader) read, it can be anything, but in general listening to her helps him distract himself from the pain, and that is a GREAT relief (for everyone).

In general, there are its turbulent moments, but Lucifer would rather be consumed by his illness than let (the reader) suffer in any way.

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

Thanks for the Request ❤️

#headcanons #fem reader #ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #blue exorsict #ao no exorcist x reader #blue exorcist x reader #blue exorcist lucifer x reader #blue exorcist lucifer #ao no exorcist lucifer

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ameliawarnerr · 11 months

Text

Criminal Haven

Read chapter 1 here

Chapter 2: Emotions? How About No

—The Leader—

Darkness' revelation brings fresh questions to the table. Some of which I could answer right now but I rather not think of them yet and draw conclusions– not without discussing them with Jake.

I glance at him, searching in his face if he's thinking the same. The expression he gives me as he looks down at me tells me that we are indeed thinking the same thing.

“Who is he?” Hannah breaks the silence, her tone has become that of a tired worker. She longer hides her wince as new information keeps surfacing. For her, it might be exhausting. For Jake and I, it is everything. The scheming, the truth and the lies, the masks and the uncoverings– we can never alter our minds out of this catacomb of games.

“He contributed to finding you.” He explains, vaguely. But I think he has not read much of my and darkness' messages. I think he realises that too as he sighs. He pulls someone's emptied chair– Richy’s, I think and places it facing both my and Kai’s chairs.

I add, “He was the most cooperative person, believe me.” I turn to Hannah. “If I were you, I’d thank him.” I curl my lips into a natural smile.

She stares at me, blankly, standing in the middle of the room. She looks as if she doesn't understand what I am implying. She's suffering from unimaginable things, I understand that. I feel that better than anyone else. Considering her condition, I won't ask much of her in whatever escape plan we might come up with. But that doesn't mean she’ll be excused from endeavouring as little as saying a thank you.

‘Say it.’ I mouth to her. My natural smile turned into a threatening one, unintentionally, but I can't deny that it has worked every time.

Her eyes dart to Jake who cannot see my face. I don't know if he encouraged her to do it or not but she whispers, “Thank you.” to the walls as I keep my glare pinned on her.

Go easy on her, I remind myself, mostly because Jake would prefer the same thing. I turn almost too quickly realising how much Jake is interfering in my smallest decisions.

Kai acknowledges her gratitude as he nods to the floor.

I make a mental note: he can be helpful but he's awkward accepting compliments or gratitude. That concludes why it was necessary for me to compliment me and for the same matter, Hannah to thank him. He already believes it my fault that he's here. I'm not afraid to accept that he is. But if he blames the part he played in Hannah's search, he might as well believe that he did it well.

Jake is looking at me strangely. I ignore directly looking at him exactly like I ignored Richy’s defeated figure dropped into a corner, his legs pulled to his chest and his head on his knees.

This isn't like solving a mystery through texting. This is real life and I cannot be vulnerable to one person while being persuasive to someone else on the different chat window.

I have to mention the mindset where my mind weighs more than my heart. That is the only way to get things done. We can be vulnerable when we are safe.

I inhale a deep breath, hardening my posture. “If we really want to get the hell out of here,” I speak loudly, ensuring my voice reaches Richy in the corner. I continue, “We’d need to stick together. Doesn't matter if you hate each other. Suck it up and bear it.”

I’m on my feet when I take a turn towards the door. Richy’s head turned in my direction. I realise, it's not only him. Everyone's looking at me.

“I don't really expect anything from you. Don't want to help? Don't. Just don't get in my way.” I announce, loud and clear. Though expecting the opposite of what words suggest. “Questions?”

Dead silence.

“Need a ten to think?” I provoke.

Kai is the first (and probably the only one who would) raise a question. He begins by quoting me, “Don't want to help? Don't.” I remain composed as he continues, “More like don't want to follow? Then, don't. But you know, whoever leads the way out of here, others will follow him or her.” I break into a smile, realising what he's bringing to others' attention. “You're just initiating to make sure that we follow you.”

I stride towards him as I quote him, “Initiating.” I stop by the chair I was sitting on and place my head on it. “That’s right. I am initiating. And if anyone else had the balls to do the same, they would have. But no one did. I guess that justifies why you should follow me.”

“Well, you couldn't have initiated it if he didn't uncuff you.” He gestures to Jake who is about to interfere. But that looks weak on my part. I appreciate it but I don't need it.

“That's a petty argument.” I cut in before Jake could. I shake my head at Jake as I pace towards Kai.

“Reasonable enough.” He refutes.

Stopping behind his chair, I break off a shim from the chair and use it to unlock his handcuffs. I intentionally pulled the shim from the part of the chair which was reachable in handcuffs.

Jake is by my side in a matter of seconds, probably because he doesn't trust Kai yet. But I do, to a certain extent which tells me he would not physically hurt me. He's just pissed.

“Now,” I talk loudly again. “Anyone up for breaking down that door?” I point at it with one finger.

—The Hacker—

From the moment she called reading Dan and Jessica's conversation illegally an exciting event, I knew she was trouble. And she only keeps proving it again and again. Sometimes, I admire it. Sometimes, it throws me to the edge.

Like right now. I understand what she was aiming for. There's no way out if we operate like five individuals without a common link who we all trust at some level. But she didn't hesitate once before uncuffing this guy none of us knows enough to trust.

Hannah, MC and I stand back as Richy and Pierce hammer their shoulders against the door. They continue thrice without pause but the door doesn't budge. They take a moment.

Kai glances back at me. “Why isn't he helping us again?”

This is why I prefer to work alone (and of course, this preference doesn't apply to MC). I don't like being questioned. “Is the door broad enough for the three of us?” I reason, very calmly.

They continue at it, knowing they are the two least trusted people in our group and raising nonsensical questions wouldn't change that. After six minutes, the door broke.

Neither of the guys step outside. Instead, they step aside, catching their breaths and stealing glances outside the door. MC is the first one to shift to the door. I grab her hand at the threshold. She glances at me as I step outside the door before her. “After me,” I tell her. She complies.

I glance in both directions. The corridor stretches so long in both directions– it seems endless. They are almost identical except there seems to be a little light coming from the right. Little by little, everyone's out in the corridor.

“Which way is it? We should go to the right. There's light coming from there so it isn't a dead end.” Hannah comments, her voice growing anxious.

“Should we break into two groups or something?” Kai suggests as no one addresses Hannah’s opinion because she's making a rookie mistake– being hasty and going with the obvious choice.

I think of Kai’s suggestion but I can't come up with a possible reasonable arrangement of two groups without separating me and MC.

“No.” I answer.

“So we choose one? On what basis?”

“We’ll come up with the basis if you stop asking questions.”

He glares at me, pissed. Then, he glances at MC and looks away. Everytime I say something to him, he looks at her as if reconsidering arguing with me for her sake. My eyes fly to her as well, wondering if she noticed it. But she's distracted and hasn't said anything after stepping out of the door.

She's shifted towards the left corridor. While everyone looks around, she looks down at the floor. I walk to her, she crouches down and picks something up. I bend to see a note in her hand at the same time she springs up. Her head collides with my chin.

She looks up, annoyed as I hide my smile. “What are you, glancing down at me? My guardian angel?” She takes a tiny step back.

“I’d prefer being called a partner.” I retort. “Although, I do feel bad for your guardian angel.”

She shoves a hand at my chest, walking past me but stops. I follow her gaze– everyone looks at us questionably, clearly not having as much fun as us. She clears her throat, the first time getting awkward.

“What does the note say?” Kai asks.

“What does the note say,” she echoes mockingly or …playfully?

I peer at the note as she read, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/ And sorry I could not travel both.”

“Robert Frost.” I say, immediately.

She nods a couple times. “The road not taken.”

“What’s that?” Hannah asks. I remember our conversations via emails and literature wasn't one of the topics ever. Come to think of it, we had nothing in common.

“A poem.” MC and I say I'm unison.

Kai jumps in. “Didn’t he take the less travelled path?”

Both of us nod. Richy adds something for the first time. “Well, how did he decide which one was the least travelled?” He looks at no one in particular.

“The less travelled one was more grassy.” MC answers.

“So in our case, the less travelled one would be the left one, right? Because it's dark and could be a dead end or something.” Kai remarks.

“So can be the right one.” Hannah weighs in.

“At least it has the probability of having a window.”

I contemplate the poem, analysing from word to word. I remember each word clearly. “No,” I cut in. “We are taking the words at face value. The message of the poem wasn't to travel a less taken route. It was to make a decision carefully.”

MC looks at me, creasing her brows. “Then, we are at square one again.”

“No, we are not. Half of us thought about taking the less travelled path which means that is exactly what he wanted us to think.” I point out.

“Which means,” MC points at the way from where a tiny ray of light penetrates. “That's where we need to go.”

“Exactly.”

We start following the light. I can sense the others are not entirely sure of this but they will begin trusting us as we’ll give them hope by getting nearer to the way out.

A small smile emerges on MC's lips as we walk behind others. “You a literature guy?” She gives me a side look.

“You have no idea.” I tell her and then, I add, “We need to talk.”

She nods. “We do.” She whispers. “The only way that a lunatic could know about Kai is by having access to my messages. You had access to my messages. You're a hacker.” I smile, knowing we were thinking the same thing again.

“We are up against a hacker.”

“One who's pissed off. Can you think of anyone?”

I inhale. “I could think of a thousand. I've screwed many guys in the same field as me but none was as strong as to have all of us here.”

She considers it silently.

“We have another thing to discuss.”

She thinks for a moment as she arrives at no answer, she looks at me, “What thing?”

“Unlocking his handcuffs when you know a hundred ways it could turn out as a bad idea.” I don't beat around the bush.

“I needed to show him that I trust him to have him do the same. And I don't like being looked down upon.”

“I know you won't stop doing risky things just because I tell you not to. And I won't tell you that. Just promise to give me a heads up before you do something like that again. Deal?” I say, softly.

“Deal. But you have to promise not to talk me out of my stunts.”

“Deal.”

She offers her fist and I bump mine against it lightly.

______________________________________

*Not edited*

______________________________________

I wanna thank @lyon-amore and @itsnotzka for helping me figure Darkness' character. The reason this chapter took me as long as it did is because i was having trouble with Darkness' character because I forgot most of him.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

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tiktokitssinoclock · 2 years

Note

Hi! I love your headcanons of valorant guys and their favourite positions in bed and I was wondering if you could do one with phoenix, brimstone, breach and omen. It's okay if you don't feel like doing it, have a great day!🌹

You know it! Two of your requested agents were nearly complete in my drafts, so I'm gonna put the finishing touches on them and then this will be up! Brimstone might be just a taaaaad bit challenging for me because I personally see him as a father figure but rest assured soldier, mama didn't raise a quitter. He and Breach are on the way. ┏(‘▀w▀’)ノ♬♪

Their Favorite Positions - The Valorant Guys (p.II)

NSFW // Minors and ageless blogs, DNI // You will be blocked

Phoenix (On the Desk)

I've always pictured Phoenix to be like a giving, soft dom

Sometimes after a long training session, all he wants to do is watch your eyes roll back as he works his magic over and over again

Other times, he wants to waste as little time as possible in getting your clothes off and having you for himself

Regardless of what kind of mood he's in, nine times out of ten, he's going to pick you up and plop you right on the edge of his desk

It's the perfect spot for him to drop to his knees and ease your legs apart, relishing in your sighs as he nips and kisses up your inner thighs

He loves the feeling of your legs squeezing around his head, his hands hooked beneath them to keep you from squirming away as he works slow figure eights over your deliciously sensitive bud

He's also just as fond as kissing you slowly and deeply, trapping your soft moans as his fingers work swiftly inside you

On the days when he finds himself wanting to further participate, he's slowly rocking against you with his mouth against your neck and his arms wrapped around you like you're going to disappear

When he's not marking you with another hickey, he's speaking to you lowly and softly about how good you feel or overall just checking in to see how much you're enjoying yourself

Like the answer isn't already painstakingly obvious

He goes nice and slow, but isn't necessarily doing so with the intent of teasing or edging you

He just enjoys taking his time and savoring these intimate moments

Omen (Mating Press)

Being the type of person that prefers to keep quietly to himself and often withdraws from others, it's easy to understand where some might assume Omen is rather plain in his romantic endeavours

In reality, however, he's the exact opposite

Omen may not like the traditionally kinky stuff, so things like bondage and wax-play are entirely out of his realm

Instead, being intimate with his partner brings out something almost animalistic in him, making the mating press his favorite position

There's something about caging you beneath him with his entire body, becoming an all-encompassing force you couldn't ignore even if you tried, that drives him wild

With your legs folded up to your chest, he finds that the areas where your knees bend and your calves begin make perfect hand holds for him to pin you down even further when he's drilling into you

And speaking of the pace he maintains...

Holy maker

From the moment he begins until he can feel himself on the brink of climax, he's jackhammering into you as quick as possible; the slap of skin-on-skin and your increasingly wanton moans drown out any other noise in the room

When he's close to climax? He presses his full weight against you, burying his cock as far as it will go inside you until he's throbbing in completion

He's never admitted to having a breeding kink, but the way he growls when he watches his spend drip out of you says otherwise

Cypher (69)

Cypher is firm in the mindset that penetrative sex isn't the only way to successfully romance his partner, so much so that his go-to position doesn't involve his dick anywhere near your lower half

Rather its the exact opposite

You two will often be arranged side by side on the bed, his fingernails digging into your ass as his tongue slows so a drawn-out moan can escape his lips

Your mouth will work up and down on his cock, the heat of your tongue and the slight drag of your teeth making his thighs clench

It's a constant back and forth between you two, one trying to please the other in earnest while also fighting the urge to stop and vocalise just how good it all feels

Cypher has become a bit of an expert at doing both, however, knowing the exact moments to mutter encouragement that would make a whore blush before closing his lips back around you with enough suction to make your breathing stutter

The feeling your stomach and legs trembling is its own kind of praise, only encouraging him move quicker

He is sloppy with it too, almost as if to pride himself on how wet he can make you

The sounds of his tongue entering in and out are slick, his lips making wet pops every time he shifts their position or brings them together when he speaks

Your arousal gets everywhere- his chin, his cheeks, his upper lip- and he wears it like a badge of honor

He’ll often come with a strangled yell, your fingers pumping his shaft as you finish him off

For those with an oral fixation, he’ll let you nurse on his softening member even if he’s jackknifing from the overstimulation until you’re coming on his tongue or around his fingers

#valorant imagines #valorant phoenix #phoenix x reader #valorant omen #omen x reader #valorant cypher #cypher x reader

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audriel · 15 days

Text

let's start thinkin' bout it

chapter 2: lingering wounds

Some wounds need to bleed before they can heal. Otherwise, they linger.

Qiao Yifan finds himself standing in front of the door to the room of Wang Jiexi–his current captain, he reminds himself again. While he has learned to be thick-skinned, Qiao Yifan is still an honest person and acting doesn’t come to him naturally. He cannot pretend to be someone he’s not. His current, older self is so much different than his younger self. His younger self might be a transparent Tiny Herb reserve player, but as his team captain, Wang Jiexi still has enough measure of his character and strength.

Fang Rui has asked him if it was difficult to recall the memories, the feelings might be easier to recover in order to help him to be in the proper mindset of 18-year-old Qiao Yifan. He knew his hesitation showed, so he quickly assured Fang Rui he could do it. His senior didn’t buy it and suggested a script instead, but again, Qiao Yifan was no actor, he was sure he would come off wooden and forced, which would not help his case.

Qiao Yifan doesn’t like to linger on the past. The main reason is that it's unproductive. The other reason is… his memories in Tiny Herb weren’t pleasant. He never admitted it to anyone, not even himself.

Qiao Yifan doesn’t remember his parents. The only memories he has of them is the vague impression of gentle hands and warm smiles, and their disappearing backs. All he has of them is the picture of the three of them, his mother’s handkerchief and his father’s watch. His grandfather took him in alongside his other cousins and distant relatives who had parents that were busy or neglectful. His grandfather loved children, and he had a lot of love to share. However, having so many children with such backgrounds to take care of didn’t make things easy.

His grandfather was no longer young, and he was not a particularly wealthy man. He tried his best, though. They had a roof over their heads, and they never went to bed hungry. They also went to school. Qiao Yifan knew how fortunate he was. So he always tried his best to lessen his grandfather’s burden, trying to help in whatever way he could, however small it might be. He never missed a day of school. He got good grades. He helped with the chores. He never asked for more money. He never started an argument. It did get him into trouble at times, but his grandfather always noticed and acknowledged his efforts. His best memories were spending time with just the two of them, even doing something as mundane as doing groceries shopping and gardening.

However, eventually age caught up with him, and Qiao Yifan lost his last connection to his parents, the only relative that truly cared for him. His eldest cousins stepped up, but with little to no support from other adults in the family, it was too much for them, not when they were barely able to take care of themselves. It caused a lot of tension in the house, and Qiao Yifan often ended up staying out late to escape the stifling atmosphere. It was how he ended up discovering Glory, and finding out that professional gamer was a real job.

It wasn’t difficult to get his cousin to sign him up for the training camp. Young Qiao Yifan did his research. Tiny Herb was a championship team, so their training camp was the best in Beijing. The students were guaranteed food and shelter. He also had enough savings to cover the registration fee and any expenses he would have. For them, it was one less mouth to feed. With almost all his personal belongings packed in the sole luggage he has, he entered Tiny Herb training camp.

He couldn’t remember what his original class was because when he mentioned his short time playing Glory, the training camp instructor seemed rather keen to see what class suited him best. Being rather a naive and obedient child and having no particular attachment to his account and class, he did as he was told and gave different classes a try. He was sure other students didn’t receive the same treatment. Many of them brought and used their own accounts in the training camp.

Now when he looked back, they all shared the same classes with the active members of Tiny Herb team, and none of the team members were in need of a successor. Until Gao Yingjie showed his potential as a Witch, they were looking for malleable talent, which Qiao Yifan was.

For the first time, Qiao Yifan found that he was good at something. He also made a friend in Gao Yingjie. In less than a year, he was promoted to the team. He remembered how he felt back then. When he wore the Tiny Herb uniform and received his account and member card, everything felt surreal. The future, for once, looked bright. He shut down his cautious and pessimistic side, and allowed himself to hope .

Only to have it squashed not long after.

Qiao Yifan found himself struggling from the first day. He actually had a brief hesitation when he was assigned the Assassin account. From the different classes he tried, it was among the few that felt awkward in his hands. But he thought his captain and instructor knew better, and thought it would get better with training.

It did not.

From the top of the class in the training camp, Qiao Yifan became the worst performer in the team, whether it was in individual or team practice. In the first evaluations, Captain Wang Jiexi still gave him his personal attention. However, the longer he went on without clear progress, Vice Captain Deng Fusheng took over guiding him. It didn’t help that he had Gao Yingjie who joined the team at the same time. While they had similar personalities, their abilities were vastly different. He ended up always falling short. He was further cast in the shadows against the light of his best friend. Before long he became the transparent Qiao Yifan.

Qiao Yifan recalled the many nights spent training and reviewing videos from his own practice and Assassin players’ matches, only to have nothing to show in the team’s practice in the day. Only Gao Yingjie was willing to be his partner during free individual practice.

Qiao Yifan is and has never been a dreamer. Life made him cautious and pragmatic. He didn’t expect to be a famous pro player or the main roster of a championship team. However, he did expect himself to be part of a team, to contribute as a team member… to matter .

He didn’t pose enough of a challenge to become a training partner. He wasn't good enough to be played in a match. He gave no value to the team.

Those days before he met Ye Xiu had been the darkest time of Qiao Yifan’s life. He kept questioning his own worth. Whatever confidence he had built before joining the team seemed to vanish without a trace. He could even barely remember his grandfather’s warm touch and encouraging words. He had no one to turn to. He was close to no one else in the family, and no one else besides Gao Yingjie in the team. He felt incredibly lonely. He wasn’t even sure why he kept going, when he didn’t know his place in the team, or whether there was a place for him in the first place.

Qiao Yifan doesn’t realize as the recollections are coming back, his body is slowly hunching over as if there are invisible weights. However, he is cognizant enough to know he’s treading on dangerous waters. Before the memories can sweep him away, he forces himself to knock on the door.

“Come in.” The response comes not a second later.

“Excuse me.” Qiao Yifan enters the room cautiously. His eyes are everywhere but on the Tiny Herb captain, standing close to the door.

Wang Jiexi frowns at Qiao Yifan’s behavior. He doesn’t regard himself as an intimidating person, but the way Qiao Yifan is unable to look at him and to come closer makes him question himself. He remembers Qiao Yifan being a shy and reserved child, but he doesn’t completely avoid eye-contact and interacting with people. He is better than Gao Yingjie in that respect. He actually looks more comfortable than his successor on the stage despite the obvious apprehension and discomfort. He didn’t act this way around Fang Rui, either.

His choice in using Ghostblade and challenging Fang Rui was certainly surprising, but what was more surprising was how well he used it, better than he is as an Assassin and against the master of playing dirty, nonetheless.

Wang Jiexi cannot remember Qiao Yifan showing any preference or inclination towards a certain class or player. He does notice his lack of presence which made him think that he was suitable to be an Assassin. It doesn’t occur to him that Qiao Yifan might be more suitable for other classes, which explains his lackluster performance in the team. As a captain he tries his best to know everything about his team members, but when it comes to Qiao Yifan, he encounters too much of a blank space, which doesn’t sit right for him.

“Come and sit down.” Wang Jiexi gestures towards the closest seat to the door. Being seated should make the conversation easier. Qiao Yifan hesitates for a bit before doing as he was told to.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Wang Jiexi reaches towards the fridge.

“Oh no. I couldn’t possibly- Captain, no need to bother.” Qiao Yifan quickly refuses. Wang Jiexi takes out two cans of soda and juice each and brings it to the table between them. From his experience with Gao Yingjie, refusal does not necessarily mean actual refusal.

“Just in case you’re thirsty, you may help yourself.”

“Ah yes. Thank you Captain.” Qiao Yifan nods, but makes no further move, if anything his hands are tightly clenched on his lap.

“I’m not aware you can play Ghostblade.” Wang Jiexi decides to cut to the chase before the silence can stretch for too long.

“I… only started playing casually in-game.” Qiao Yifan answers cautiously.

“How long ago?” Wang Jiexi caught on to the choice of words.

“Um, a month ago?” Qiao Yifan answers hesitantly.

If Wang Jiexi is a lesser man, his shock will be obvious. Qiao Yifan’s Ghostblade is already at professional player level. Unless they are Tiny Herb team members and those who closely follow the team and remember their roster, no one will think that Qiao Yifan is the owner of the Assassin account, Dusty Miller. They might even think that he’s the one behind the Ghostblade account, Rangoon Creeper. He also looks much more at ease and comfortable with a Ghostblade than an Assassin. While he’s thinking about all of this, he takes note of the time Qiao Yifan picked the new class.

“Is it Ye Qiu?” Qiao Yifan makes a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, confirming his guess. His mind also picks up how oddly easy it is to read the expression of the rookie who managed to hold his own against the master of playing dirty.

“Your Phantom Demon is good.” Wang Jiexi is telling the truth.

There might be some mistakes here and there, but Qiao Yifan managed to show the qualities that made an excellent Phantom Demon: ability to grasp the overall situation, to make quick decisions in unexpected situations, and to utilize wretchedness to create opportunities. By choosing Fang Rui as his opponent in Rookie Challenge, Qiao Yifan was able to showcase his abilities. Phantom Demon’s greatest value is in the team, but what he has shown in the 1v1 match is already promising, so promising that Li Xuan himself contacted him to ask about Qiao Yifan. The acknowledgment from the number one Phantom Demon speaks for itself. Wang Jiexi will be a fool if he doesn’t retain the talent for his own team.

“Unfortunately, players and characters cannot be changed after the season started. For now, you will take turns with Zhou Yebai in using Rangoon Creeper during practice.”

“...I don’t understand?” Qiao Yifan asks in confusion.

“Phantom Demon is not suited for 1v1s, but you did very well for your first time against a professional player. Zhou Yebai couldn’t do as well. His Phantom Demon was only played in team competitions. However, this will change if you are able to coordinate with the team well.”

Wang Jiexi expects any reaction from Qiao Yifan, but he doesn't expect how Qiao Yifan’s head and shoulders only seem to droop lower with every word he says.

“Captain, you couldn’t possibly mean that I’ll be taking Senior Zhou’s place.”

“Tiny Herb doesn’t need two Phantom Demons.” Wang Jiexi is merely stating a fact.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Jiexi cannot understand why Qiao Yifan reacts this way. He has expected for the kid to be excited at the prospect, at the possibility of finally being on stage, to play an official match like any other pro players.

“...I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Qiao Yifan speaks quietly.

“Why is that?” Wang Jiexi frowns. Rarely he’s so perplexed, most often it is the other way around.

“Phantom Demons are most valuable in a team, when they cooperate with their teammates. But…” Slowly, hesitantly he raises his head to look at Wang Jiexi.

“For Tiny Herb, am I their teammate?” Am I considered one of your own? is the unspoken question.

Wang Jiexi is rendered speechless. He knew that Qiao Yifan is having a hard time meshing with the team. Considering his lacking performance, it is natural for the others to have difficulty to count on him during team competition or consider him as a challenge in individual practices. His personality doesn’t help, either. To say that it's reached to the point that they don’t regard him as a teammate…

“That doesn’t matter. They will acknowledge you when they see your abilities.”

“Do you really believe that Captain?” Qiao Yifan asks calmly, almost placidly, which actually manages to make Wang Jiexi reassess the situation.

Wang Jiexi is used to making snap judgments. He is able to take in a lot of information at once, make a quick and accurate assessment and to come to the best decision for the team on and off the stage. He is also decisive when he makes up his mind and regardless of the difficulties, he has the ability to follow through. It is how he gained the title of Magician. It is how he led Tiny Herb to win two championships.

It’s not to say that he’s always right. He recalls his incorrect first impression of Fang Shiqian. He committed many mistakes in his early captaincy. However, he had his seniors, particularly his former vice captain and God of Healing, to guide and challenge him. As he gained more experience, his judgment grew more reliable. His current and former teammates, and even himself, rarely questions his decisions. Furthermore, with the retirement of Fang Shiqian and other seniors, Wang Jiexi is left as the oldest and most experienced member of the team. He is also the captain and ace player of Tiny Herb, the championship team. His attention is constantly needed not only for team-related matters, but also club-related matters. This season is particularly tough and demanding with so many changes to the team and expectations from the club and for the club from fans and sponsors.

Then, there’s Gao Yingjie.

Gao Yingjie is unlike anyone he knows, definitely not like himself. Yet, he is the most promising successor to Vaccaria. He is certain he cannot treat him like any ordinary member of the team, so he dedicates the most attention he can give between his duty and responsibility to Gao Yingjie. He doesn’t think it through how it appears to the team.

As a consequence, he… has left Qiao Yifan to fend for himself on his own, and by extension, he failed to foster cooperation and comradeship in the team. He has wanted to encourage competition within the team so they would keep striving to be the best and to aim for the championship, but not to the point that they will only see each other no more than competitors, that they will see their team members, their comrades’ progress and ability, but only see a threat to themselves and their place in the team. Instead of an opportunity for growth and betterment of the team.

This… is not what Tiny Herb is supposed to be. This is not what the Tiny Herb Captain Lin Jie has entrusted to him.

“Captain… I don’t think I’m suitable for Tiny Herb.” Such a sad, helpless expression doesn’t belong to such a young face. “And I don’t think Tiny Herb is suitable for me, either.”

This thought has actually crossed his mind, but to hear them spoken out loud, by the very person himself only makes it worse, especially when it is no fault of his own. Wang Jiexi can tell that Qiao Yifan is nervous, if not the slightest bit afraid, but he speaks out anyway. The boy is much braver than he can give him credit for. And right now, ironically, he’s embodied Tiny Herb more than anyone else.

Wang Jiexi closes his eyes and sighs in regret.

“Then… What do you want to do?” Qiao Yifan blinks in surprise, not expecting Wang Jiexi to concede so easily.

“I… just want to keep practicing my Ghostblade if it’s possible, and find a team who’s willing to take me in.”

“Team Void is interested in you. Li Xuan has contacted me.”

“Senior Li has?” Qiao Yifan’s surprise is genuine. He does not expect such a response from Wang Jiexi. He and Fang Rui have come up with various scenarios, but they all share similarities in that there is some resistance from Wang Jiexi. Qiao Yifan doesn’t look a gift horse in the mouth if Wang Jiexi is willing to accommodate him even though he’s made it clear that he won’t be staying in Tiny Herb.

“I can give you his contact number. However, if you’d like to keep your options open, the club can contact other clubs on your behalf and see whether they’re interested in Phantom Demon. Maybe… Wind Howl?”

Qiao Yifan jolts up in response, completely taken aback. Wang Jiexi truly lives up to his name as the Magician, Qiao Yifan cannot really follow his train of thought. He has never worked with the number one Witch since he retired before Qiao Yifan joined the Chinese Glory team, and back then Li Xuan was still the most capable Phantom Demon to keep up with him.

“It seems you’re quite a fan of Fang Rui.” Wang Jiexi cannot help but notice the most honest reaction from Qiao Yifan throughout their conversation.

“Ah.” Qiao Yifan finds himself blushing. He’s never good at concealing his admiration for his seniors. Wang Jiexi finds himself smiling at how much Qiao Yifan acts like his age at the mention of his idol. His smile turns sad when he realizes he only discovers this now.

“There’s still five months left in your contract with Tiny Herb. During individual practice you may use your own Ghostblade account.” Wang Jiexi raises an eyebrow at that. Qiao Yifan ducks his head bashfully. He doesn’t comment on that and merely continues on.

“However, for team practice, you will alternate between Zhou Yebai in using Rangoon Creeper, whether in individual sparring or team competition. Forcing you to continue using an Assassin is not beneficial for yourself and the team. However, we only have one Phantom Demon account, I hope you understand.”

Tiny Herb’s young Qiao Yifan might not fully understand, but Happy’s Captain Qiao Yifan can understand Captain Wang Jiexi’s decision.

It is a pragmatic approach, but also a kind gesture.

Professional gaming is no different than any other jobs. Just because they are playing games, it doesn’t mean they don’t have professional ethics. Qiao Yifan signed a contract when he was promoted to the team. With his lackluster performance, it can be said that he’s not upholding his part of the deal. He is the one at fault. There’s no reason for the club to accommodate him. They have all the rights to force him to keep practicing as an Assassin, or to change his class and use Rangoon Creeper during his term of contract.

However, Wang Jiexi chooses not to. He respects Qiao Yifan’s decision to change class and not to stay in Tiny Herb. However, he still expects Qiao Yifan to give value to the team as Ghostblade even only in practice sessions, whether as a sparring partner or as team support. It’s also likely that he’s to use Rangoon Creeper as an incentive for the team, particularly Zhou Yebai, to learn and grow.

That’s good enough for Qiao Yifan.

While his sharp, analytical mind goes through all this, Qiao Yifan retains his shy, meek self who is alarmed at the unexpected gesture from Tiny Herb’s God.

“Ah ah. How can I?” Qiao Yifan flails around in embarrassment. “I know I haven’t been performing well, Captain. This is already too much. I’m really grateful. I do not wish to impose further.”

Somehow Wang Jiexi looks sad at his words.

“We’ll discuss more in detail when we’re back in Tiny Herb. I’ve kept you up too long. It’s already late, Yingjie must be worried.” Wang Jiexi stands up, making Qiao Yifan unconsciously follow suit. Only then he realizes how late it has been.

“Thank you, Captain, for your time.” Qiao Yifan bows slightly as Wang Jiexi shows him to the door. He is about to open the door when Wang Jiexi speaks up.

“Qiao Yifan, I’m sorry. I’ve failed you as your captain.”

Wang Jiexi has failed this boy in many ways. He has failed to see his true potential, assigning him a class that didn’t suit him. He hasn’t bothered to look further, to understand why he wasn’t performing well. He has failed to pay attention to the substitutes other than Gao Yingjie.

The boy’s clear eyes round up in surprise, completely speechless. He certainly doesn’t know what to say to his captain’s words. Honestly, if Captain Lin Jie said the same thing, he wouldn’t know what to say either, so Wang Jiexi isn’t surprised that Qiao Yifan excuses himself in a small voice and hurriedly opens the door and leaves.

Wang Jiexi is left staring at the closed door.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yifan stands dazedly in front of the door. He takes a step, another step, and another, but doesn’t know where he’s going.

He just needs to go somewhere, anywhere but here.

His breathing is short and quick, as if he’s been running. But he isn’t running.

He’s just in the hotel that he’s staying with his team. Tiny Herb, not Happy. Not his team, not his Happy.

Wang Jiexi, Tiny Herb’s captain. Not his captain.

Wang Jiexi, who has just apologized to him.

God Wang, who has just acknowledged his failure to Qiao Yifan.

Qiao Yifan doesn’t know what to think. He doesn’t know what to feel. He-

“Yifan?” He turns sharply towards the voice, his eyes wide and wild. Fang Rui looks at him concernedly.

“...Brother Rui?” Qiao Yifan’s voice is dry and hoarse. He doesn’t understand, he hasn’t even spoken that much. Fang Rui approaches him carefully, he telegraphs his movement so he can see what he is about to do. Qiao Yifan only stares blankly as his senior holds his wrist gently, guiding him to the emergency exit. He blinks, adjusting to the contrasting silence and dim lighting. He still doesn’t remove his gaze from Fang Rui’s hand on his wrist.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Fang Rui’s voice is quiet. This time he takes both of Qiao Yifan’s hands on his own, the warm touch grounding him.

“...It went well. Captain… Wang Jiexi, allows me to keep practicing Ghostblade, and not to renew my contract with Tiny Herb.”

“That sounds great.” Fang Rui’s voice is a gentle, calming timbre. Qiao Yifan watches dazedly, humming absently in response as the older man rubs comforting circles on his smaller hands.

“Is that all?”

“He…” Qiao Yifan falters. “He apologized.” Fang Rui doesn’t stop his movement even though he’s obviously surprised. Qiao Yifan is infinitely grateful.

“He said he was sorry that he had failed me.” It only hits him then and there the weight of the words as he repeats Wang Jiexi’s words.

“...Did you accept his apology?”

Qiao Yifan’s instinctive reaction is to say there’s nothing to apologize in the first place, there’s no need for apologies, but those words die the moment Qiao Yifan’s eyes meet Fang Rui’s.

This is the person who has seen him at his worst, when he was starting out as Happy’s commander and later, captain, seeing him struggling and failing. This is his senior who has defended and stood by him when Happy performed badly, when the press and the public dragged his name through the mud. This is his brother who has listened to his worries and insecurities throughout the years, who has understood him best.

“I-I don’t want to.” The first tears fall. “Does that make me a bad person?”

Fang Rui pulls the younger man–no, the boy–into his arms.

“Not at all. Not at all.”

“I just- I don’t ask for much. I know I’m not as good as Gao Yingjie. I’m not a Witch. I don’t mind being just an ordinary team member. I just want to know what I did wrong, what I should do to be better. I just- I just want to be good enough to help, to stand beside everyone.”

The words that he keeps buried finally spill out. The hurt and loneliness that he has carried for all those months in Tiny Herb.

“I don’t understand. Why now? Why not before? What’s so different? What makes me deserve an apology? Why my other self didn’t receive one? Why? Why? ”

Fang Rui can only hold Qiao Yifan close as he lets out heart wrenching sobs, burying his face against his neck, his hands gripping the back of his shirt tightly.

This is an old wound that never quite healed.

Fang Rui is really, really glad that he stays nearby in the case of the worst scenario. He never doubts Qiao Yifan’s strength, but he also knows that the strongest people are most often people who have experienced many lows and yet managed to pick themselves up over and over again. It doesn’t mean they don’t have moments of weakness. It doesn’t mean they are completely unaffected, untouched by all the hardships. It doesn’t mean they don’t bear any scars.

He has noticed that Qiao Yifan rarely mentioned his time in Tiny Herb, and when he did it was rarely of his own initiative. He only spoke at length of Gao Yingjie, but precious little of others. There was nothing personal when he described the other team members, not even Wang Jiexi. He was not the only one. Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng certainly noticed. Other Happy team members picked up on it, Bao Rongxing was no exception.

Qiao Yifan was only 17, and he had lost his last and closest relative. He was looking for somewhere to belong, which Tiny Herb and Wang Jiexi were ill-equipped to provide. They might be a team, but they were also a workplace. Tiny Herb did nothing wrong, they did what was best, and Qiao Yifan, young as he was, realized it. He understood, to an extent, but it didn’t make it easier to accept. It felt like a personal rejection, that he was not enough, that he was unworthy.

Fang Rui understands, because he has been there. He was even younger than Qiao Yifan when Blue Rain didn’t promote him to the team. He managed to take the news calmly and even discuss his options with the manager and Yu Wenzhou. But behind closed doors, there was hurt and disappointment, there was even envy and jealousy. Everyone said that Blue Rain is the most inclusive team in the Alliance, why was I the exception? Why couldn’t you accept me?

It might be easier if he was lacking in skills and ability, but he wasn’t. His only flaw was his personal style was too distinctive, too dirty, too unsuitable for the team. When one’s personal style was so closely linked with their personality, how couldn’t he take it as a rejection to himself?

Fortunately, Wind Howl and Lin Jingyan quickly proved him wrong, reminding that he was wanted and needed. His compromise was not as much as compromise but an expression of gratitude for allowing him to be himself, a returning of favor for taking a chance on him, for believing in him. It didn’t matter that he changed classes from Qi Master to Brawler to Thief, changed roles from potential successor to partner. What mattered most was that he was allowed to stand on the stage and fight for the ultimate glory.

However, Qiao Yifan was not as fortunate. He was left questioning himself and his worth on his own for a long time until Ye Xiu appeared. He cannot imagine what the younger man went through. But he imagines it must be worse than his time in Wind Howl during Tang Hao’s captaincy. He was older then, and he was not completely alone. It didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt or tired.

Fang Rui still bears the scars. Some scars still hurt, some others barely register. Time heals all wounds, that is true. However, all wounds need to be allowed to heal before they can turn into scars. These wounds should be acknowledged first, to let them bleed.

Fang Rui sincerely hopes that with this, his little brother can finally start to heal.

Qiao Yifan doesn’t know how long he has been crying. All he knows is that his eyes and his throat hurt, that his nose is stuffed, and… he has been hugging Fang Rui.

At the horrified realization, Qiao Yifan hastily pulls back in embarrassment, nearly hitting Fang Rui’s chin. His face turns red when he sees the huge wet and soggy patch on his senior’s shirt and jacket. Before he can start apologizing, a playful flick on his forehead stops him in his tracks.

“Ah ah ah. If it’s an apology I don’t want to hear it.” Fang Rui then proceeds to take off his shirt and zips up his jacket instead. “Since it’s already wet, why don’t you use it as well to clean up your face? Don’t worry, it’s fresh out of the luggage and it doesn’t smell. I didn’t even sweat.”

Qiao Yifan blinks dumbly, before dissolving into laughter. He just can’t help it. He can imagine Chen Guo scolding him for being insensitive. It has happened before. Fang Rui isn’t being insensitive, he’s actually being considerate, treating his breakdown as if it was something normal, nothing to be embarrassed about. The older man also knows that he’s not willing to go outside with obvious signs of crying. Ergo, the most practical solution is sacrificing his shirt, which is already going to the laundry anyway. Pragmatic Qiao Yifan takes it, and without further hesitation uses it to clean his face from tears and snot.

“Feeling better?” After a while, Fang Rui breaks the silence.

“...Actually, yes.” Qiao Yifan admits, looking down at his hands. It feels like a huge weight off his shoulders. He doesn’t realize he has been carrying this for a long time.

“You know you’re allowed to feel hurt and angry, right?” It is an echo of a past conversation. He didn’t fully understand what Fang Rui meant back then. He had even been confused because he never saw Fang Rui truly lose his temper. He has always been quick to bounce back. He was the mood maker of the team. But he knows better now.

“...Even though it has been a long time ago?”

“Even then. Everything has its own time.” Warm, gentle hand is a comforting weight on his head.

“I suppose… I’m a bit angry at Captain Wang, and at Tiny Herb.”

Fang Rui’s thoughts are written all over his face. No shit. Qiao Yifan purses his lips to hold back his giggles.

“I know I was performing badly, but I deserve better than being left to flounder alone. I was just a rookie… I was just a kid.” Qiao Yifan’s voice was quiet in the beginning, but slowly it got stronger and firmer at the end. The calm, determined expression is actually a familiar one to all Happy team members, this is the expression of their captain when he staunchly defends the team.

Fang Rui smiles. It’s about time for Qiao Yifan to learn to stand up for himself.

“Good.” His little captain looks so confused at that, Fang Rui chuckles. One step at a time, he reminds himself. This is not a lesson that should be rushed. He didn’t even realize there was still something he could teach this amazing young man.

“Let’s go back to your room, shall we? Yingjie must be worried sick, looking at the buzzing of your phone.”

Only then Qiao Yifan notices the buzzing coming from his phone. He pulls it out to find out that Gao Yingjie has been sending him messages. He resorts to calling him since it’s close to curfew. Qiao Yifan coughs and clears his throat before picking up the call.

“Yingjie? I’m fine. I’m just about to go back to the room. I’ll be right there soon.”

Qiao Yifan puts back his phone in his pocket. He reluctantly returns the folded shirt to Fang Rui.

“See you tomorrow.” Fang Rui reminds him. Whether they remain in the past, or return to the present, they will see each other again tomorrow. The thought brings a smile on Qiao Yifan’s face.

Qiao Yifan hesitates before he opens the door. Fang Rui tilts his head in confusion, before somebody barrels into him, giving him a brief hug before disappearing into the hallways. Fang Rui chuckles in amusement, inwardly relieved that Qiao Yifan recovers quickly.

It may not be a bad thing for them to return to the past, it seems.

***

Qiao Yifan finds himself unable to sleep despite the late hours and the darkness of the room. After his breakdown he actually expected to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He turns around in his bed, his gaze falling on the sleeping form of Gao Yingjie.

When he returned to the room last night, it was obvious that his best friend had waited for him, most likely keeping himself up in a state of anxiety. However, he only took one look at him and told him to go to sleep, swallowing all the questions he wanted to ask.

He is undeniably glad for the reprieve. He doesn’t know yet what to say to his friend. It doesn’t help that his conversation with Wang Jiexi left him feeling raw and vulnerable. He is not ready yet for another difficult conversation, and he doesn’t want to keep his friend's hopes up. This Gao Yingjie is still hopeful for the chance for them to fight side by side. He might see his performance in the Rookie Challenge and the captain looking for him as a good sign. They will eventually have their chance, but not in Tiny Herb.

It was only for World Invitationals, and only for three times, which might be nothing in comparison to the times they faced off against each other as opponents. And in those times, Tiny Herb most often loses against Happy.

Gao Yingjie is definitely a genius, he is worthy of inheriting the god-level account Vaccaria. In his hands, Vaccaria remains the undisputed number one Witch in Glory.

…But he’s no Wang Jiexi.

It was not immediately evident after Wang Jiexi retired, since Gao Yingjie had Xu Bin as his vice captain, alongside Yuan Baiqing and Liu Xiaobie, who have only become more reliable with age and experience. It was not exactly a problem of skill and ability. It was just that Wang Jiexi’s influence was too strong, too deeply ingrained in Tiny Herb, which would take more than to stop seeing him as a crutch to remove.

Qiao Yifan is not privy to the details, but he strongly suspects that Tiny Herb suffers similar problems with Excellent Era. The title of two time championship team that was led by the Magician, God Wang Jiexi has become a double-edged sword.

Thinking of the worn and aged Captain Gao Yingjie in the future, his heart hurts.

This is not something a rookie and a former transparent team member can tackle. It is pure arrogance to think that he can even make a significant change in the remaining time he has.

“I haven’t talked with Yingjie.” Qiao Yifan ends up texting Fang Rui, not expecting a response. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’ll come to you.” A chat bubble surprisingly pops up. “You’re best friends, aren’t you?”

Qiao Yifan smiles ruefully at the reminder.

“You might not need to worry about that if we return to our time after we went to sleep.”

Qiao Yifan blinks. The possibility that they might return to their timeline slips his mind even though he has been the one who brought it up.

“Is that why you’re still awake?” Qiao Yifan asks.

“I am leaving a note for my past self so he’s not too confused.”

“And playing Glory.”

“Of course.” A snort escapes Qiao Yifan at the matter-of-fact response. Fang Rui does have the All-Star Competitions to prepare for.

“I am telling him that a rookie challenged me. His name is Qiao Yifan from Tiny Herb. He is such a shy and quiet kid, but he is a Ghostblade, and he can play dirty. He’s only played for a month. His future is bright.”

Qiao Yifan feels his face heat up. Seriously, he cannot recall blushing as much before. It may be the effect of his younger body that he is so easily flustered.

But thinking of young Qiao Yifan reading this message when he wakes up in the morning, from another pro player that was not Ye Xiu… he must be very happy. His eyes soften at the thought, but he also thinks how much it meant for Qiao Yifan of that time.

“We’re changing the future, aren’t we?” In just one day, there are pretty significant changes to their past selves and teams. They did agree to stick as much as possible to their past in the case they did return to their present. Lin Jingyan will leave Wind Howl. Qiao Yifan won’t have his contract with Tiny Herb renewed. Those two main events are unlikely to change. It can be said the changes are merely changes in attitude and behavior, but they are also the kind of change that is most difficult to predict.

“Thinking of the butterfly effect?” Fang Rui asks, easily catching on to his train of thought.

“Yes.” Qiao Yifan responds somberly. There’s no immediate response from Fang Rui.

“Ultimately all I can think of is that our opponents are going to be different. That’s it. You’re the master tactician, you might already have several scenarios in mind.”

Fang Rui is right. Qiao Yifan has run through multiple scenarios and discarded many others in his mind. However, the most extreme scenarios are when ultimately people are in different places, either weakening or strengthening certain teams in particular or the Alliance in general, which will completely change the past as they know it.

“I did.”

“You’re not worried?” Fang Rui’s question makes him stop and stare. The people they care about, and they are considering changing the past for, are the people that also happen to be their future opponents, and it’s not limited to Lin Jingyan and Gao Yingjie. They have grown to care for many others in their path of glory.

They all strive for the championship, for the ultimate glory. But the journey matters as much, so do the people, the companions they made along the journey. Their companions are not only their teammates.

Glory is never meant to be played alone.

Even so, Happy still is and will always be the most important, more than anyone or anything else. So why isn’t he worried that might make things more difficult for his beloved team?

“I believe in Happy.”

Qiao Yifan’s fingers move before his mind catches up. There’s no single doubt or hesitation, so long Happy exists, so long they’re together, they can deal with whatever comes their way.

“I believe in Happy, too.” Fang Rui’s agreement comes only a second later.

In the face of irrevocably changed future, in the possibility any wrong step will have enormous consequences, it's easy to buckle under the weight.

However, some things will never change, will never falter.

It is their belief in themselves, and their belief in Happy.

Thank you for reading until the end! This chapter sure takes a surprising somber turn when I wrote it, but I decided to keep going anyway. Let me know what you think! I also shared my headcanons and character/team analysis on my tumblr (see the tag bts: let's start thinkin 'bout it). Otherwise, the note will be incredibly long (yes, i'm self-aware enough, thank you) XDD

#fanfiction #fanfic #quan zhi gao shou #the king's avatar #qzgs #tka #fang rui #qiao yifan #ao3 #let's start thinkin' bout it

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