#and he knows what he did was beyond terrible to the point hes planning on leaving forever again

[mx-paint]

.

[cordeliawhohung]

Dinner and Dessert

my entry for @glitterypirateduck 's soap it up challenge! i wrote this with mafia!soap in mind, but there's nothing au specific used in this short one shot, so it can be read with mw2 Johnny in mind as well!

soap x fem!nurse!reader | slight mentions of minor injuries, reader is a little grumpy, lots of banter, kissing, and suggestive content.

prompts used: was this your plan the entire time? | who did this to you? | you're so hot when you're mad

all you wanted to do was relax after a long shift in the ER, but when you get to your boyfriends apartment, you learn you have yet another boo boo to take care of.

By the time you arrived at Johnny’s apartment, your brain was so fried you attempted to use your badge to unlock the door rather than the spare key he had given you back when you first started seeing each other. Really, it was his fault you had made such a stupid mistake. Had he not been so adamant about you coming straight over to his apartment for a surprise you could have showered and changed after your long shift. A small rest would have done you some good after everything, and probably would have cleared your head, too. Instead, you were in the same scrubs you had worn for the last twelve hours, and your feet were so numb they made you grumpy beyond belief. 

With a heavy sigh, you reached into your bag and yanked out your key ring before hunting down the one for Johnny’s apartment where you fumbled it into the lock. Though you were already tired from your long day, a new wave of exhaustion hit you the moment you stepped into the apartment. In the area Johnny had designated as the living room of his studio apartment, he had several snacks, drinks, and a stack of pirated movie CD’s laid out on the coffee table in what you assumed was his idea of a date night. 

However, it wasn’t the snacks that concerned you, but more of the busted eyebrow and swollen lip that plagued his face. His eyes lit up as bright as ever when he smiled at you, though it was terribly lopsided, and he gestured two bloodied hands at the stash of food he had piled up for the two of you that night. 

“Was this your plan the entire time?” you sighed as you dropped your bag next to the door. “Lure me here with the promise of food just so I could take care of you?” 

Johnny grinned as you began to march across the apartment, and not even the bruise blooming on his cheek could diminish just how brightly it shined. “For the record, I invited you over before all of,” he paused to gesture to his face, “this happened.” 

“Likely story,” you muttered. 

Once you were close enough to him, you rested your hand against Johnny’s chest before you gave him a firm push backwards. The man toppled onto the couch with a grunt and slight wince, proving to you his wounds ran deeper than they appeared. Still, Johnny looked up at you with bright eyes as a smirk settled on his busted lip while you settled yourself on his lap. 

“I thought we were going to save this part until after the movie,” he teased while his hands pawed at your hips. 

“Shut up,” you grumbled half seriously. 

Once more he winced as you grabbed his jaw and tilted his head at different angles to get a better view of the damage done. There was no visible damage to his lip, yet the swelling was still considerable so you hypothesized he had bit into the inside of his cheek at some point during the fight. Likely as a reaction to getting punched. The bruise on his cheek was faint yet still growing, and the skin by his eyebrow had been torn. Dark scabs closed up the wound, and it didn’t look deep or long enough to need any sort of bandage, yet it would more than likely scar. 

“Who did this to you?” you asked while your hand still tilted his head side to side. “Actually, nevermind. I don’t think I want to know what trouble you and Riley get into when I’m not around.” 

Eventually you relinquished your grip on his jaw with a huff. Between taking care of patients all day in the ER and then coming home to your boyfriend a bruised mess, you were exhausted. But you had to admit, the way those blue eyes of his stared at you adoringly was almost enough to wash away the grime and fatigue that plagued you. 

“What, not gonna kiss it better?” Johnny prompted. His hands still rested heavy and firm on your hips, and you relished the way his skin felt against yours as his thumbs slipped underneath your shirt to rub against your waist. 

“You’re such a baby,” you huffed. 

Johnny put his pearly whites on display once more with a large grin. “You’re so hot when you’re mad.” 

“I’m not mad,” you scoffed. 

“Then kiss me.” 

The truth was, no matter how long of a day it was or how grumpy you pretended to be, you could never truly get mad at Johnny. Even if he was the world’s biggest idiot sometimes. He was too pure, too kind, and looked at you like any loyal dog would. So you melted into his touch as you leaned into him, lips pressed softly against his while you took care to avoid the swelling of his wound. It wasn’t long before he deepened the kiss with a grunt, likely in pain from putting too much pressure on the wound in his mouth, and you pulled away before he could hurt himself further. 

“Better?” you asked. 

“Much,” he confirmed. That’s when his hands began to wander. Scraped knuckles brushed against the fabric of your scrubs as his fingers dipped underneath the waistband of your pants with a slight tug. He didn’t go far, but his intent was obvious. “What about you? Any aches or pains I can kiss away?” 

For the first time that night he pulled a chuckle out of you. The deep tone of his voice was soft and ignited something burning in your stomach that sent embers curling up your spine. You tilted your head to the side as if you thought heavily about his proposition, but really your answer fought to escape your throat. 

“Dinner first,” you finally concluded, “and then you can have dessert.” 

Satisfied with your response, Johnny slipped his fingers out of your waistband where they slapped against your skin with a quick snap. Hands still firmly on your hips, he leaned forward and gave you a quick kiss where you could feel his grin mold against your skin. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

[evilminji]

Can You "Accidental Baby Acquisition" Yourself?

Like? Say you have a You... who is NOT You, obviously, but A You in the Multiversal sense... and their childhood suuuuuucked. Just? Truely awful for reasons beyond their control.

Such as the veil NOT being so easily peirced in their reality and humanity a bit more... Reactive(tm) to ectoplasm, due to the lower concentration of it in the Everything of their Universe. Which makes their parents research? Unattainable. Dangerous.

Ultimately fatal to their elder sister.

And then later, them.

Not that they were even the loving if wildly eccentric parents most of the other You's KNOW and have. Due to that very say research and their long-term exposure to their own samples. The Reactivity.

"Pit Rage" as some circles call it.

They weren't themselves. Stopped BEING themselves long before their children ever came into the picture. If they could think clearly, they would BEG for someone to save their children. From them. From their house of horrors. From what they've become.

And well? You exsist outside of Time. In the Zone. Maybe you have a wide and crazy adventure with this grizzled, worn, badass of a You. Figure he's pretty cool. Ask if he needs anything. And he laughs this broken glass in your chest sort of sound and says:

"Not unless you could give me a real childhood."

Like? Dude. Buddy. My buddy dude. Gonna have to explain that one. You can't just drop that and walk away. We Crazy Action Bros Adventure(tm) bonded. You can tell me. And reluctantly... he kinda does.

And... Look. You exsist outside of TIME. Your mentor IS Time. You can TOTALLY do that.

This.

But like? You realize... there wouldn't be TWO of you... right? If you take mini-Bamf out of the timestream at point A... you, big guy, stop existing at every instance of point B and onwards.

Yeah. Yeah, he gets that. Fully consents. His life was full of bad decisions and dramatic bullshit. He wants a real childhood. His sister back. Wants them BOTH out of that house and somewhere safe. If he could do it himself, he would. Call it his fucked up way of healing. Finally facing his trauma. It's haunted him long enough.

.....well then. Now You've got a baby and a fussy toddler. They have superpowers because of course they do. That house was OSHAs waking nightmares and deepest fever dreams. Jazzypants is hungy. And baby You did a stinky.

This is Fine(tm).

You're a King! You can TOTALLY handle this! Teeeeeemporarily. Since it's not like they can stay HERE. The Zone is literally uninhabitable long term for the living. So time to fire up the ol Brain Meats. Gremlin Ideas formulating. Loading... Loading... Loooooooading. Got it!

You kidnapped them.

Brilliant! FRIGHTY! Where's the Trenchcoat Booze Slu-...SLUHeuth. Sleuth! Totally what I was planning to say, Starshines! Don't curse. Cursing Bad~☆

The Detective Of Loose Morales in The Trenchcoat, who's Soul I Own, Frighty! Where's he at?? *Distant muffled answer* Close enough! Time to give him a heart attack! And throw a fight! Can you toss me a nightmare medallion? I need to instill mortal terror! Thaaaanks, Frighty! Also can you change diapers? *affirmative noises* Ancients, you're the best.

Smash cut to John Constantine. Busting up some cult, as you do. When? Oh fuck. The leaders heading for the store room! Not today, fucker! They fight. They struggle. It's Manly and Gritty and dramatic! When?

A terrible CRASH. Some artifact must have activated. What... have you DONE? *dramatic musical sting* swirling green and DEATH radiates out from a pin prick of nothing. A black hole in reverse. The cold oblivion of space, given bones to claw its way free. Eyes that sear in colors too technicolor and hypersaturated to be mortal. Green. Green! GREEN.

Ice and stars and death and a terrible, unspeakable Crown.

Two... two little sprogs. Tiny bits of nothing in a monsters hand. KIDS, wrapped up in something they never should of even had to nightmare about. John's eyes catch on red, red hair. A tiny little headband with butterflies on it. Pressed so close to dark locks, as she wraps herself around her little bits of a sibling.

The other ones dressed up in stars.

Someone SOLD their fuckin KIDS. Or this damned this STOLE them. It doesn't matter. Not now, not to John. Because this bastard isn't keeping them. He slides like breathing into the waves of luck and chance, odds and fate. Is on his feet and drawing attention. Whatever it takes, he's leaving here with those kids.

He laughs and it's not a kind one.

"Oi! A word if you will?"

@hypewinter @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe @ailithnight

[barrenclan]

sorry if this is spoilers bc we might learn more later. I'm super confused with Rainhaze's thought process. When he was saying its pointless. like. I get not wanting to go back bc he killed his mom. but what did that have to do with Asphodelpaw? Couldnt he just walk away? Did he see her and decide he wanted to be part of Defiance? And this was the tipping point to prove it? I'm super confused. Was it because if she left she'd tell someone? I assume we'll get a better explanation later?

Absolutely! I've actually been waiting for a chance to really dig into this. Like Rainhaze himself, his issue is written with a lot of confusion and uncertainty, and it's not very straight-forwardly, so I understand why his motivations are easy to miss. So here it is!

Firstly; Rainhaze as he existed in BarrenClan and Rainhaze as he is now are two very, very different beasts. Obviously he's still the same person, but he's gone through a mountain of trauma, violence, and was forced to confront the fact that if pressed, he would kill a family member - even his own mother. Sure, in the moment he was threatened into doing it, but it opens the possibility that he'd even do that. Maybe he would've done anything to protect his family then, but it's been a long time.

Then, over many months, he's subjected to propaganda, murder, and terrible treatment. His mental state from where he was when he killed Dustfeather is massively changed. He's depressed, listless, and much more willing to kill. Not only that, but Defiance propaganda has worked on him.

(Issue 24)

With so much constant killing in his life, and being constantly vulnerable, he begins to see death as a good thing. Something that ends suffering, something that doesn't really matter in the end.

(Issue 28)

So now we're at Issue 31. Rainhaze is in a "doldrum", like Ranger says (a period of inactivity or lethargy). He's so torn between his new life and new beliefs, and his old regrets and old connections to BarrenClan, that he's basically attempting to end his own life through inactivity. Ranger doesn't want this. Here's his plan:

Ranger knows that BarrenClan lives opposite the forest, across the prairie. He specifically orders Rainhaze to "kill something", planting that idea in his mind. He's hoping that Rainhaze will find one of his Clan members, and make the decision to kill one of them. This would push Rainhaze over into whatever full breakdown Ranger wants, and solidify his ties to Defiance. And that is what happens. So why did Rainhaze make that decision?

We already have the basis of an incredibly traumatized Rainhaze. He views himself as he is now, and who he used to be, as different people. And he belives that's completely beyond redemption.

Yes, all those months ago he promised he was suffering in Defiance for his family and Clan, but it's really hard to hold onto those noble morals when you're being put through hell every day. Rainhaze hasn't even seen his family in months. They don't seem real to him anymore.

Then he is finally confronted by Asphodelpaw, the symbol of everything he's put himself through torture to protect, and all he wants to do is go back to Defiance. And here we go, getting to these lines;

Rainhaze is a coward.

He's separated from Deepdark and Ranger, by at least several days. He could absolutely come home with Asphodelpaw and warn all of BarrenClan - they could evacuate in time, be far away by the time Defiance arrives on their territory. But then he'd have to face his family, face his sister whose mother he violently murdered. Have to stand there and have them look at him and know him and see the scars on his body.

When he says, "this is vile, pointless, irredeemable, monstrous", he understands that killing Asphodelpaw is a disgustingly cruel action. He knows that. He understands that he's choosing Defiance over her, and over them. But that's the choice he feels he needs to make to protect himself. He's not thinking about his family any more.

So he does something so completely vicious and irredeemable that he is forced to choose Defiance. Because there's no way that any BarrenClan cat would forgive him for this. There's no way he would forgive himself for this.

And thus, Rainhaze figures himself out, and burns every other bridge entirely. He makes his choice.

[rabbit-or-rib]

Can I be silly and goofy and do volley ball player reader again for Toby pookie :3333

-🐟

fishy u can always hit me w them volleyball reqs dont u even fret (also i put nsfw hcs in there for u :3)

[ NSFW ] 🪓 Toby Rogers x volleyball player! reader sfw + nsfw headcanons

SFW:

CUUUTTTIIIIEEEE

he tries so hard to be supportive i promise but oh my god he does not know anything about sports

boy was homeschooled for a LONGGG time and sports weren't really that much of an option given how most of the other kids treated him, and he just never learned how like. most sports work

BUT HE IS WILLING TO LEARN FOR YOU

thinks ur lil outfit is so cute tbh he can't get over u when ur ready to go

he tries to go to all the practices and games he can- he knows how much those things matter and he wants you to know he cares

he'll try and take note of all the things you were doing well (probably listening to your coach trying to figure out what the name of whatever you did is) and point them out to you

he's such a sweetheart about every part of it

he really does try to deal with the other people that are at games/practices, but you might notice he's standing off to the side if it's more of an iffy day for him

hes adorbs and loves u to the moon and back

NSFW:

hekshejehehHEJEHEHEHEHE

HES GOT SUCHHHHH A STARING PROBLEMMMMM

he's so embarrassed about it but he literally cannot help staring at how your legs look and the curve of your ass when you bend down or how your back flexes when you jump up to hit the ball or or or or

he absolutely tries to fuck you in more positions where he can feel your legs wrap around him and pull him in- he's such a sucker for how strong you are

YOUR SHORTS ARE GONNA TAKE HIM OUTTT that flimsy fabric that's BARELY covering you ???? and he's supposed to be normal about it ????? you're joking. there's been more than one occasion where he couldn't help himself and you two might have been a little late that day

some of these being late events happen even when he really tries not to- but when you're telling him about your plans for later while you're getting ready and see him staring your figure down, arms crossed over his chest and almost panting breaths, it's a lil hard to let it slide

if he left any hickeys, fingerprint bruises, any kind of marking from the last time you two were alone that was visible with your uniform and you don't try to hide it, there's gonna be double that as soon as y'all get home

most days he can't get over the fact that you're his, when you show him off he gets beyond flustered but he can't stop the mix of a fluttering but primal feeling he gets having you all marked up

sweet sweet boy is down so terribly for you

[skiddlecat]

you know what? fuck it. the dynamic between taco and microphone is really interesting and dumbing it down to "evil terrible abuser and poor innocent victim" flattens both of their characters simultaneously.

they both hurt Each Other in ways that can't be undone!!! mic did her fair share of Fucking It Up Big Time as well and i think the way their fallout went down is the best example of times mic could have been better. and before anyone says it NO i'm NOT saying she didn't have a right to back out when she did but what i AM saying is that i think the way she handled cutting taco off showcases one of her biggest character flaws EXCELLENTLY:

when she's hurt by someone, she will hurt them back twice as hard. cheesy makes an insensitive joke? she calls him a monster. taco relapses in her bad habits? she weaponizes her past friendship with pickle. i'm pretty confident in saying both of these responses are Pretty Damn Disproportionate. and i think that's really interesting!!! we should talk more about this!!!!!!!!!

taco did a lot of bad things in their friendship and should absolutely be held accountable for it, but i also think simply calling her a heartless abuser is horribly undermining her character. like, imagine with me, if you will:

(post-writing note. HOLY SHIT this was way longer than i thought it'd be. putting the rest of this post under the cut because the previous paragraphs are pretty much all my thoughts but i kind of go into a full taco character analysis below. if you want to see that then keep reading i suppose LMAOOO)

you once accidentally formed a friendship with someone based off of a lie. you exposed the lie, sabotaged that relationship, and cut him off. that was the last conversation you had. a good while later you realize that, oh no, you actually DID care about this person, and you miss him! but he's GONE and it's YOUR FAULT!!! so you write. you write, you write, you write, hoping to get a response, but you never do.

and then. and then you find someone else. someone who's loud, chaotic, cast out. she reminds you a little too much of the lie you built for yourself. and so, you help her. for your own selfish reasons, sure, but you attempt to reign her in. she doesn't trust you at first, you don't trust her either, and you are... less than kind to her. it's not pretty, but at this point it doesn't really matter to you, because right now she's just a means to an end. she doesn't mean anything to you.

but slowly, over time, things start changing. she starts seeing past the brick walls you built around yourself. starts trying to break them down, little by little. you avoid, you resist, you do everything you can to prevent her from getting through, because vulnerability is frankly disgusting, and you don't want to talk about your problems anyway! but, this doesn't last. you actually apologize to her, for being so closed off, because you should be doing better, and she seems to appreciate it.

someone brings up that old friend to her. you get MAD. it's like rubbing salt in the wound, reminding you of every reason you're not happy, every reason you've been scared of getting too close. he suggests that you will leave her the same way you left him.

and. surprisingly. your ally does not side with him. she tells him you're changing. you're changing. she looks at you and all of your disgusting flaws, and she sees someone not beyond redemption. and you think that maybe. maybe you can trust her. maybe you CAN let your walls down. maybe you won't screw it up this time. and, and...

one mistake.

a pretty big one, granted, but a mistake nonetheless. you relapse into some bad habits, because the situation you entered was not the one you planned for. and she's mad. so mad, in fact, that she takes your old friendship, something she knows is a touchy subject, that hurts every time it's brought up, and she weaponizes it. she looks at you as if you mean nothing to her, and then she leaves. she leaves before you even have a chance to respond.

one. mistake.

one mistake is all it took for her to grow sick of you, for her to agree with all of the terrible things people say about you. and what hurts the most is that you TRUSTED her. you thought you could be open with her, you thought she was DIFFERENT. but no, she's not different. she's just like everyone else. and maybe, if the one person who believed you could be better gives up on you... maybe they're all right about you.

the walls are back up. they're thicker, stronger, and as far as you're concerned... it will take FAR more convincing to let anyone get through ever again.

...and then mepad comes along and says he doesn't even believe you're a bad person in the FIRST place, which is. astounding and very hard to believe but he's seeing you at your absolute worst being needlessly cruel to everyone and is STILL saying this with complete confidence so, fuck, kind of hard to keep THAT up for very long. then ii16 happens and you know the drill SHE'S DOING BAD.

hoo boy this went on for a lot longer than it was supposed to. anyway all this to say i think we should talk more about how they both hurt each other rather than push the narrative that one of them was "the abuser" and the other was "the victim" because frankly that's not even how it works in real life. thank you for coming to my ted talk i've been sitting on this for weeks afraid that i'd be told to kill myself over anons 👍

[a-aexotic]

AAAA I LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES !! could u write either peeta or finnick during catching fire they are going oht of their way to protect you and make sure your okay (if peeta that katniss isn’t there u take her place for the story)

happy new year 😚😚

—cw: unedited, established relationships in both, general thg stuff, mentions of SA & prostitution, death

—a/n: HEY SO ik you requested a fic but i thought i could both (finnick & peeta) in headcanons!!!!!! I HOPE THATS OKAY PLS LMK 😭 also this was sooo much longer than excepted i got carried away with finnick’s! HAPPY NEW YWAR TOO!

FINNICK O’DAIR

we obviously know that finnick would go above and beyond to protect the people he loves and cares about

but there’s only a few people he cares about—you, annie & mags

you were three years younger than him, winning the hunger games at just 14 years old (like him) and you had come from district 4

you had volunteered for your younger sister in the games, like katniss would for prim later

people in the capitol found you just as, if not more, charming than finnick because of what you did for your sweet baby sister

they ate the whole thing up, crying at the beautiful gesture because they knew a little girl like you couldn’t win

but you did! it took everything in you, everything you stood for, and your morals to win

and it broke you as it did with any of the other victors

you thought it would have been all over after that but of course not

because you were so loved at the capitol, snow decided to make some profit out of it

he decided to sell your body in exchange for your family’s safety

and that is how you met finnick and became friends

he was 17 when he met you and he took you under his wing, protecting you from everything and everyone

but he knew he could only protect you from so much

when he had turned 18 he knew he had to leave you to do all those terrible things alone but he had to

you guys bonded over similar traumas and soon, you fell in love

when the quarter quell had been announced, you knew it wasn’t fair

and no matter what, you were going to volunteer for annie or mags because you knew neither could make it

annie was too fragile mentally and mags was too old, you were the only who was still strong physically and somewhat mentally

and finnick knew that was exactly what you were planning on doing but he knew he couldn’t stop you

at this point in time, finnick wasn’t wary of the rebellion so he thought he was going to have to choose between himself and y/n; and for him, it wasn’t much of a choice

he swore he would protect you, and when the time came he would kill himself so you could make it home

now you were thinking the opposite; you would pull exactly what katniss and peeta did, and if that didn’t work they might as well just die like romeo and juliet and that would cause an uproar at the capitol

when annie had been picked, you were the first to raise your hand, grabbing mags’ arm stop her

there were tears in both their eyes, looking at you with admiration, terror and slight relief

you had hugged them both tightly, knowing it was possibly the last time you’d feel their embraces

you looked over at finnick, tears brimming both of your eyes and you walked over at each other and brought your hands together, raising them up in union

when you had made it to the capitol, plutarch and haymitch had told you the plan and you immediately accepted, relief seen in both your expressions

when entering the training room, you wanted to work on your skills because you were a bit rusty, leaving all the violence back at the arena

you knew that this hunger games wasn’t gonna be like your last, it much more difficult like plutarch said

katniss always admired you, doing what you had done for your sister

she had related to you ever since she had came back from her hunger games; you were her idol

but after meeting finnick she realized that it may have been a ploy to win over some sponsors

after talking to haymitch, he told her the truth; that she was simply being shallow because you were the kindest person he had ever met

so when you were working on your bow skills, katniss had walked in

she realized you were struggling and decided to help you

you didn’t exchange much words but katniss realized what haymitch had said was true

and she had picked you for one of her allies

when the quarter quell had begun, you quickly sprinted to find finnick and when you did, you found him with katniss, then peeta

you were a pretty strong person, just as strong as finnick but he still had the urge to protect you

from the moment he laid eyes on you, he wanted to take you out of harms way and he didn’t know why until one day you had mentioned it; you had reminded him of himself when he was younger

before you, he had never felt real comfort after the hunger games because of your similarities and bonds that wouldn’t ever break

so even though you were very capable, he still protected you and made sure you were okay at all times

you and katniss bonded as well and him and peeta did

towards the end of the games, you had injured your lower leg very badly and you couldn’t walk

he couldn’t leave you because he knew that it was almost over

you had begged him to just leave, that you were just deadweight and neither him or katniss would budge

so he carried you on his back, right until the end of the games

also gale dies instead 🙄

PEETA MELLARK

basically you were katniss up until catching fire

you guys started dating after the hunger games, bonding over what had happened

when the quarter quell was announced you were heartbroken

you blamed yourself and only yourself because of it

you knew this time, you and peeta couldn’t get out of this one so easily

and you decided that peeta deserved to live and if it came to it, you would die for him

but peeta was thinking the exact same thing

you had a family to live for, you had friends to live for, you had a life to live for

and what did peeta have? nothing but you

he was prepared to take his own life for your own, in a heartbeat

now with katniss, peeta was definitely not as protective because she was more independent

but with you, he was way more protective

of course you were still a baddie like katniss but peeta felt more of a protective nature over you

he hated seeing you hurt whether it was physical or mental

peeta thought of ways to possibly stop the quarter quell, so he pulled the pregnancy stunt on caesar’s show

he couldn’t imagine his life without you, his life wouldn’t be his without you

that didn’t work as we know

in the quarter quell, he refused to leave your side

he also preferred to be in front of you even after you tried to argue that you would be better up front

when you guys slept, he would always lay his head on top of your so he could feel if you got up

he would be ready to kill anyone and everyone for you, in any moment

he hated the idea that the one of you had to die and he tried. it to think about it

the whole time during the games he just thought about ways to get you guys both out but he realized he couldn’t

when you ended up shooting the force field with your arrow and the whole thing went down, he was there

and he was saved with you because mocking jay peeta was scary & he didn’t deserve it 😭

[softtdaisy]

DESCRIPTION I Charles doesn't ask for much, just for one last night with you before you leave him for good

PAIRING I Charles Leclerc × fem!reader

WORDS COUNT I 1,5k

A/N I Guess who's back with a sad story 👀 I feel so good to write again, I'm proud of this one and the way I wrote their night together so I hope you will love it too 🤍

“I’m going to say yes.”

Charles had some kind of habit for his Sunday after-race moments.

If he wins, he knows he won’t have much time for himself. He’ll rush to his hotel room after the celebration and get ready for the party. There is always one. 

If he doesn’t, he usually takes the time to decide if he wants to celebrate the race or not. Usually, he still goes. Either he still had a good race and went to cheer for that or he had a terrible one and wants to forget it. But he doesn’t rush. Most of the time, he waits a few hours before going.

It was quite reassuring for him to have these habits after having crazy and unpredictable weekends. Even if it was just silly things, like the type of shirts he wears for his sunday night.

So when he saw you in front of his hotel room, he knew his little habits were dead for this sunday.

He had seen you since you broke up. More time than he should have, to be honest.

The official excuse was that not only you were Carlos’ best friend but you were working on his social media, so of course you were around the paddock most of the time.

The non-official one was that you couldn’t resist falling back into each other's arms anytime you were in the same room.

It wasn’t a difficult break up. You were just not looking for the same thing at the same time. Charles wanted to settle down. You didn’t.

So even if you weren’t a couple, you still took advantage of the obvious attraction between you.

Again, there was something reassuring for Charles in not having to know someone new. He knew your body by heart. The way you open your mouth when he starts kissing your neck, exactly where he had to kiss you to make you moan, the spots of your beauty marks, every single curve of your body… Yes, Charles knew everything about you to the point he could make love to you with his eyes closed.

He pretended it was easier for him.

The truth was he was still deeply in love with you.

And maybe. Just maybe. Deep down, Charles hoped it would be an open door for you to reconcile one day.

Apparently you had other plans.

“You’re leaving?” he asked. He knew he sounded like a child to which you would announce moving out. He hated that. But that was exactly how he felt too.

Charles knew that you weren’t happy with your life right now. As much you loved Carlos, as much as you enjoyed watching the races and being able to travel with the guys, there was something off. It wasn’t your world. Carlos offered you this place because you didn’t have anything and didn’t want you to stay alone in your homeplace. And you would never turn your nose up at what he did.

But you didn’t want your life to be like that forever.

A fashion brand had seen your work through influencers that came to the race. And like a pure romcom magic, you got a job offer. Everyone encouraged you to say yes. Charles being beyond the first person to tell you you should accept it. Because he couldn’t let you let your dream go. 

He ignored until today that it would mean watching you leave.

“This was my last weekend.” 

If you were happy about finally finding your dream job, you were heartbroken.

You loved being around.

You loved seeing your best friend every weekend.

You loved Charles. Still.

“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. And it wouldn’t have been right to do it in front of everyone so…” You looked down, feeling shy suddenly in front of the man that had seen you in every single way. You felt vulnerable. Naked. But you would rather feel like that than feeling remorseful for not seeing him one last time.

Charles didn’t answer you immediately. At least, not verbally. He walked to you and took your face between his hands, letting both his thumb brush your chin like he loved to. It was something he never stopped doing, even after your break up.

It was something intimate for him. Almost like he had his world in his hands and felt like he could control everything.

“I’m happy for you.” he whispered, putting his forehead against yours.

From outside, he might sound fake. Because you could hear the sadness in his voice. You could see the sadness in his eyes. You could feel his shaky hands against your cheeks.

But Charles had a pure heart. And never the sadness of watching you leave would take over the happiness of seeing you achieve your dreams.

You stayed like that for a good minute, with your eyes closed. Just the two of you, together, in the silence of the hotel hall. It was calm before the storm. Before everyone arrives here. Before the party. Before the craziness of your new life starts. Holding this moment and wishing it could last longer.

“I just have one request.” 

You opened your eyes to look at Charles again. You noticed the little frown between his eyes, making you think he had been thinking about what he was going to say. You didn’t need any words and simply gave him a look that invited him to talk. For a second you thought he would drop the idea. 

You couldn’t count the amount of time you thought Charles was going to say something about your relationship but no words actually left his mouth. His fear of losing you was so strong. But then again, he was losing you tonight. So maybe there were no boundaries anymore. 

“If this is our last night together… remind me how it feels to be loved by you.”

“Charles…” You were speechless. How could you say no to this? How could you even say anything to this? Of course you wanted that too. Before you could say one more word, Charles put the slightles and purest kiss on your lips. 

“I’m not sure I will ever be able to love someone the way I love you.”

You tried to ignore the pain in your heart when you noticed he was still talking about love in the present. Not in the past.

But what a terrible liar you would be if you didn’t admit you still feel the same.

So you wrapped your hands around his neck, accepting his request. Accepting to fall in his arms one more time.

One last time.

With one hand in your back, holding you tight, Charles opened the door to his room with his free hand. He couldn’t leave your lips, he couldn't ever get enough. It was like an addictive thing. Knowing he won’t ever taste it after tonight, Charles needed to take as much as he could to remember it.

You didn’t need any words to know what the other wanted. You let Charles guide you to his bed, with his free hand now curled in your hair in a way that made you moan against his lips. You could feel him grown against your legs. You were both craving for more.

So you let Charles take off your top, with his lips discovering one last time every single centimeter of your skin. Your neck, your collarbone, the space between your breast. Every kiss was like a blessing, an invisible tattoo you will keep forever. And when he fell down on his knees to pursue his quest, you knew you were going to lose it.

Your hands got lost on his hair when his lips decided to go lower on your body. You couldn’t think about anything that Charles.

Charles and his kisses.

Charles and his secret power to make you lose your head.

Charles and the infinite love that you will always have for him.

And when you finally fell down on his bed, with his body on top of yours, it was like the best beautiful finale of your favorite ballet. Everything was coordinated. Charles knew your body by heart and knew exactly what to do to make you feel good.

No, not just good. Amazingly good.

Every move was just perfect. At some point, you even took his chains in your mouth to bring him closer to you. Having no idea that you, looking at him directly in the eyes while beating his own necklaces was making lost everything that was on his mind. He wanted to picture this moment forever. To look at it once you’ll be gone and he’ll be himself. Because Charles knew that he could never find anyone like you.

“What about your party?” you finally asked him with a broken voice after moaning too much and too loud for too long. You had your face on his chest and your fingers tracing every line of it. He wasn’t the only one trying to memorize every little piece of you.

“I don’t care. You’re all that matters tonight.” He replied, kissing your hair.

And you stayed in silence like this for a while. Just enjoying the caress you were giving each other, the soft smiles you could feel and see per moment and just the pure happiness of being with the only person you would ever truly love in your life.

Maybe you were just too perfect for each other that the world got jealous of your love and couldn’t handle it.

[un-bearablysweet]

Ben 10 Omniverse isn't a terrible show, but it often misses its mark for the sake of comedy. And it's not even good comedy either; it's the same old "Lol. Ben's so lazy, ignorant, and irresponsible. It's a wonder how he keeps the Omnitrix at all! LMFAO" And it's like, okay, we get it. Everyone thinks Ben is a moron, but if Ben's a moron, what does that make the people who lose to him? 🤨

One of the times Omniverse misses the mark on what could have been a legendary episode akin to Adventures Time's "The Hall of Egress." It is the episode Universe v. Tennyson.

The episode about Ben going to trial for recreating the universe. Besides seeing Alien X fight, the episode doesn't make any sense. And I entirely blame writers. They did not think of the logistics of how a trial of this sort of magnitude would actually go. I wouldn't be surprised if the trial was just an excuse to see the celestialsapiens in action.

They wanted a reason to explain the different art styles and all the retcons. Which in itself is stupid. As the audience, we know why specific changes are made. They didn't need to hand-feed us retconning; it always happens.

But more to the point, the entire trial is a sham. And it pissed me off to no end!

1. Ben was never subpoenaed. Alien or not, you can't part the sky like the Red Sea and drag someone to court. You have to set an official date and time for trial, allow the defense to acquire a lawyer, and build their defense. This is basic shit, and if your excuse is that it's just a kids cartoon, that doesn't excuse bad writing.

I just can't stand when people brush over essential details.

2. Only in certain circumstances can you forcefully take a person to court. And that is if the suspected criminal is considered a danger to the public or a flight risk. And even then, it's an immediate arrest before going to court for a hearing. Ambush arrests are considered a last resort; considering Ben's positions as a plumber and wielder of the Omnitrix, Ben has little to no criminal record.

3. Due process, refering back to my earlier point, the celestial sapiens would have needed to give notice of charges, and Ben would need to be heard in front of an impartial tribunal. The entire universe is not an impartial jury. There's a reason any Rando can't walk into a courtroom and decide whether a person is guilty. What if several people aren't even aware of the trial? That could skewer the vote in favor of the Plaintiff (Celestialsapiens)

If the writers on Omniverse weren't so focused on having a hate boner for the main character, this could have been a great episode. And it is a hate boner because why else would they pick Mr. Baumann as the first witness. This dude had beef with Ben since early childhood before having the Omnitrix. His opinion is beyond biased.

Also, Rook took the first chance to air his petty grievances with Ben in front of the entire universe in a court of law, and that is beyond shitty. Ben being "ignorant of many things" isn't a proven fact; it's a personal opinion. Also, being ignorant is a crime?

And had Ben been sentenced to death or died in the trial by combat, what was the plan afterward? Rook carries Ben's body to his mother and says,

"Sorry, Ms. Tennyson, your minor child didn't have the mental knowledge and fortitude of a 50-year-old veteran; his death was totally justified. "

If Ben is ignorant of many things, it is because he is young and has only just started exploring the universe. Many toddlers should be behind bars if simply being uninformed is a crime. It's like the show constantly forgets that Ben is still young but insists on punishing him for it.

The court case is to decide whether Ben recreated the universe; his lack of knowledge and irresponsibility are not up for debate. Besides, Rook has only known Ben for a few months; I doubt that makes him a sound judge of character.

I wish they had brought different people to the witness stand. They could have made excellent callbacks by bringing characters like

Tetrax- He is literally the guardian of Omnitrix and decided that even at age 10, the Omnitrix was safe in Ben's hands. Also, the fact that Ben restores the planet Petropia can be used to defend Ben's recreation of the universe. 

Reinrassig III- I'm sure the word of Highbreed Supreme would hold more weight in court than Mr. Bauman. A small store owner on a tiny planet in the far corner of the galaxy. 

Queen Cicely of the Lewodan( ep. Con of Rath) - The mother of the Tiffin, you know, the baby Ben jumped down a man's throat to save. Ben broke the law by doing that but still prevented a massive war. 

Magister Hulka- (ep. Basic Training) Hulka is a well-decorated Plumber and was Ben's academy instructor. Ben passed with flying colors despite disobeying orders, saving Hulka's life. He even gave Ben his medal for creativity and effective tactics. His word holds more weight than Rook Blonko's, a literally rookie in the plumber association.

Azmuth- do I even need to say anything?

Maxx and Xylene are more than familiar with the Omnitrix and Ben himself. 

Paradox is literally the number one expert on the subject.

Could you imagine the cross-examination with these characters? 

And even without proper character witnesses, Ben could argue that what is illegal is not always morally right.

What is the actual crime, the crime of caring too much? And if his crime is recreating the universe without prior permission. The celestialspaiens were a hidden society; how would he have gotten permission?  

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If Ben was the only living thing left after the universe was destroyed, did he really break the law since no one was there to uphold it?

Especially since he created the universe up until the very moment it was destroyed, so no time would have passed at all.  

Ben's other option was leaving that universe for dead, and pulling a Rick and Morty, but he didn't do that cause he's not a sociopath. 

The only angle that makes sense for this trial to happen is if it wasn't to prosecute Ben, but to send a message. The message that Celestialsapiens are not to be trifled with and that any attempts will be met with extreme prejudice and even death by combat.

The Celestialsapiens have recreated the universe multiple times, with even more drastic changes than just a smoothie flavor. I mean, Grandpa Max can't even open his eyes, and Azmuth's voice has changed several times. They literally point that out in the episode, and yet this is the first time a trial has ever been broadcasted to the universe.

In fact, this is the first time any other aliens have seen a celestialsapien save for Alien X. And even he was deemed a myth. So why now? Why the grand fan fair? Why broadcast the trial at all? They never notified the universe before.

 It's because the celestial aliens were afraid for the first time since their conception. Their entire beings were briefly erased from existence and recreated, and they did not like it! Do you honestly believe that they changed anything about themselves after recreating the universe multiple times? Of course not!  

But Ben doing that sent the species into a mental spiral of worry and anguish with the fear of not being completely yourself. The same curse they've placed upon the universe prior without any hint of guilt.

The trial was about establishing dominance to keep Ben from recreating the universe regardless of his reasoning. But also to prevent other aliens from attempting the same thing. That's why the trial was broadcasted through the galaxy. This was just a bunch of dick-swinging, so the celestialsapiens don't have to face any sort of actual accountability. 

[jun-of-love]

kiss cam - lee seokmin

summary: an extra ticket. a pathetic stranger. a kiss cam. what could possibly go wrong?

tw: none

words: 1.7k

genre: fluff

pairing: yn × dokyeom

a/n: dk is the cutest most precious talented man ever- i was overwhelmed with his sunshine and spontaneously came up with this. hope you like it :)

It’s been a month or so.

A month since you saw your ex, who was once the light of your life, soundly sleeping in some other girl’s arms, butt naked at that. You grimace as the scene plays out in your head again, making you feel the same way it did the first time it happened. You had immediately cut off all contact from him to the point that you had moved to a new place, just so that he didn’t have any access to you. You wanted to see him grovel and beg for your forgiveness, or at least take excruciating revenge for wasting two years of your life, but you let it all go for your own peace and self-respect. All of these drastic measures, yet your stupid heart mourned the absence of the heartless man.

You looked the tickets on your table. You had gone through hoops to get a hold of them, the key to the best seats possible for the finals of the Ice Hockey tournament. While you personally had no interest in the game, your ex was super into the niche sport- the tickets were supposed to be his early birthday gift. You shook your head, trying to get out of the sobby mood. So what if he wasn’t here? You went above and beyond for these tickets, and you will have the best possible experience of the game anyone can have!

Easier said than done, you thought, as your loneliness pinched more with every couple or big group of friends passed by you. They didn’t have the best seats like you did, but they were surely going to have the best time with their friends and partners. You were seriously contemplating giving away the tickets and going home when you heard exasperated yelling by the ticket verification stand. It seemed like a man was throwing a tantrum, and the authorities were close to calling the security on him. The man turned away angrily, sniffling and wiping his tears.

You carefully approached the man, partly because you intrigued by his condition, and partly because he was hot. Everyone knows that stranger danger reduces by 30 percent if the stranger is hot. 50 percent if he is smoking hot.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

The man looked at you. Even with his tearful eyes and runny nose, he had a certain charm about him. The kind that made you want to hug him till he felt okay. Pathetic charm, if you will.

“I got scammed. The agent I bought the tickets from sold me fake tickets and I’m obviously not able to reach him now-” He put his head in his hands. “I really wanted to watch this game, it’s the last game my favorite player is going to play before he retires.”

You take a look at his jersey. He supported the same team you were planning to root for- mainly due to the reason because that is the one that played opposite to your ex’s favorite team. You eyed the two tickets in your purse, feeling a flutter in your stomach- you might not have all that a terrible time today.

“You want to accompany me? I have an extra ticket.” You asked him, already knowing his answer.

“Are you joking right now? Are you another scammer? Please, I don’t have any money left, please don’t play with my feelings.” He seems so innocent; you resist the urge to pull his cheeks.

“I don’t know, do scammers give away tickets for free?” You say cockily, clearly enjoying this too much.

“For free?!?!?!!?” His eyes almost fell out of their sockets. “Why would you do that!?”

“Because I bought these tickets to watch the game with my boyfriend, but he decided to cheat on me and now he’s my ex and I’m at this game alone with an extra ticket in my hand.” You offer him the ticket, “do you mind being my date for tonight?”

“Date?” He asks, his eyes round and expressions eerily similar to a cute puppy.

“You know what I mean!” You cleared your throat. “Anyway, yes or no?”

“YES!”

The entire time you took to reach your seats, your date did not stop talking for even a minute. By now, you knew that he came from a family of four, his best friends were called Jeonghan and Mingyu, none of them had any interest in this sport which is why he was alone. He was not shy around people (evidently so) and his favourite colour was green. It did not get boring though, for some reason. It just made you want to know more about him.

Once you were settled in your seats, you decide to disturb your date from his awe of the view, “You never told me your name.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m Seokmin. You can also call me Dokyeom.” Seokmin flashes a smile that could soothe a crying baby.

“Why would I call you Dokyeom if your name is Seokmin?”

“It’s actually because my mom and my dad had differ-”

“Never mind, hello, my name is y/n.” You put your hand forward. “Nice to meet you.”

Seokmin smiles again, shaking your hand. You didn’t know the standard time duration of a handshake, but you were sure yours was taking a bit too long. You shyly remove your hand from his, and ask the most embarrassing question of the night, ”So before the game starts, can you tell me a little about the team we’re supporting right now? I know nothing.” You bite your lip, hoping he wouldn’t take offence at the statement.

Seokmin laughs a little, “I will try to let you know as much as possible, but feel free to ask questions even during the game if you want. I like to share my interests, you know.” And off he went, about the players and their positions, and who played the best and who was the weakest and his favorite player who was retiring- and you had to fight yourself to pay attention because all your damn mind could think of at the moment was how kissable his lips are and how endearing he looked with all his excitement. A month without any action and you were already losing your marbles. You nod along with him until the horn goes off signaling the beginning of the match. Seokmin jumps up at the sight of the players and cheers for them, leaving you to wonder how a person can store so much excitement in them.

Gradually, you started getting into it. The complicated sport seemed so easy now, almost too easy. You knew which players were reliable, and you found one or two that you would root for. Everyone around you felt like your childhood friends, cheering for your favourite team. You look at Seokmin, who shook your arm every time something exciting happened in the game, its been an hour since you both had been acquainted, and his wide smile had not budged even for a second. You feel warmth in your heart as you realize, you were having so much fun.

For the first time in thirty days, you were not moping around or crying, but actually smiling, ear to ear at that. Enthusiasm had to be contagious, because if not, why were you yelling at the top of your voice, clapping till your arms hurt and high fiving everyone around you? Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was his beautiful smile, you felt a special fondness towards Seokmin, the kind that made you blush every time he grabbed your hand.

It was the intermission, and both of you were relatively relaxed since your team had been doing pretty well. You were explaining your exact job description to him, since he seemed so curious about everything in your life. Almost like it was his life’s mission to write a biography on you by the end of those three hours. You just noticed how he still hadn’t let go of your hand, when you were interrupted by loud audience cheers; it was the crowd’s favorite pastime: the Kiss Cam.

Personally, you loved things like these. You loved how couples were caught off-guard with their faces on the screen, and then continued to have their own little moment. Embarrassingly enough, you had pictured yourself getting proposed (by your snake of an ex) on one of such instances, where the kiss cam would focus on you both and then he would pull out a ring and-

A particularly loud cheer from people around you woke you up from your thoughts. A part of your imagination had come to life- you were indeed on the kiss cam screen. With Seokmin at that. You both meet eyes and you feel awkwardness seizing every nerve of yours. While he is busy calming down the crowd with hands, making the ‘X’ gesture and shaking his head politely, you wonder if this was an opportunity to do what you had been wishing to do all this time. As the crowds’ cheers of “Kiss him! Kiss him!” get louder (have people always been so nosy?), you grab him by his shoulder, whispering in his ear, “Can I kiss you?”

He smiles softly, putting his warm hand on your neck, “I was hoping you’d ask.”

He closes the gap between you two by putting his lips on yours, pulling you in by the back of the neck. You could hear the crowd react, but you didn’t care- your senses were overloaded by his expensive perfume and how good his lips felt on yours. You deepened the kiss, your hands around his neck, playing with his hair. He puts an arm around your waist, pulling you closer than possible. His body feels hot and perfect to yours it feels to good to be true. That is until a middle-aged woman coughed loudly behind you, forcing both of you to pull away.

People were now minding their own business, looking put off even, by the overboard of affection portrayed by you. These were the same people that put you in that spot in the first place, you scoffed at the thought. You turned to Seokmin, who was already looking at you with the most doe-eyed gaze possible. You giggle, “What is it? What do you want to say?”

“Would you go out on a date with me? Like officially?” He bites his lips, as if he doesn’t know the obvious answer.

“Sure,” you smile cockily, “but you’re paying.”

“I’ll pay for every date ever if it means I get to kiss you again.”

[tulipe-rose]

Skk shenanigans part three, could be taken as a fic prompt (I spiraled and now it's very long):

15!Skk get their wisdom tooth removed.

Yeah.

Chūya's fine with it, not excited, but mostly concerned that he hasn't grown much at all yet he's supposed to be 'wise' now. Dazai on the other hand...

Boy is terrified (he won't show it, Chūya's the only one that figured it out, and is worried annoyed) for some reason that is beyond Chūya's comprehension. The appointment got delayed twice, because Dazai attempted to drown himself the first time, and overdosed enough to pass out the second time. It won't kill him, but it would be enough to put him out of it for at least a few days, which brings Chūya to believe that this isn't one of his jokes, despite Dazai acting like his usual silly little self whenever he wakes up. Mori, and Chūya decide to put the appointment on hold for awhile.

What's wrong with the dentist?? Did that specific dentist do something?? Chūya is at a loss, but tries offering to go to another one just to check, but Dazai straight up refuses; he keeps rolling all over the place back and forth like some sort of rolling pin. Chūya tries suggesting that he goes alone without Dazai so Mori just lays off about it, but Mori says it won't be necessary; Dazai will come around eventually, but Chūya isn't seeing it.

Chūya finally caves since it seems like the only way, and gives Dazai an offer.

Chūya will help Dazai break into that one specifically annoying gang owned company, and pulling a very 'tiny' prank on them (aka messing with it's system files, and turning all of their confidential info into cat videos), after refusing multiple times before (he wanted to do it but wouldn't out of sheer spite. He was angry, and would've done it eventually, didn't plan for it to be too soon). Dazai has been dying to do this since their members were treading dangerously close to Mafia territory, to the point where Mori didn't mind Dazai's 'little' plan. They were being threats, and while the most rational thing would be to strike them down altogether, they were still needed, so messing with them from the inside would be a sufficient warning. (Man idk I've never written Mori)

Dazai begrudgingly agrees, but only for the prank, definitely not because Chūya was acting all nice, and worried that it was getting to hard for Dazai's brain to handle. He wanted normal Chūya, so he needed to get this over with, despite the terrible consequences of going.

They're at the underground clinic with Mori, they go in quickly before Dazai could change his mind. Until...

"Mr. Dazai is going to need braces, both his top, and bottom premolars are crooked..."

Mori massages his temple with a knowing, sad, smile, Chūya's jaw went slack, turning to see a Dazai who's practically melting into his seat.

"...and there's a cavity in there, it's good that you came before it could start growing further."

Dazai's eyes are devoid of emotion at this point. They wrestle him into the chair so he doesn't run away, he isn't resisting, but he's as stiff as a brick. He finally loosens up after being put under the anesthesia. Chūya tried to not feel bad about forcing this on Dazai, it was for his own good for God's sake, he wasn't in the wrong, and he'd rather not spend the next few weeks listening to sad whines of him complaining about the pain.

Dazai finishes up a decent while later, and it's finally Chūya's turn. Dazai doesn't look too happy, and is super sluggish.

Right. He's still under the anesthesia's effects.

Chūya goes in for his turn, and the doctor makes quick work of it. Mori's least favorite part of this whole thing has come, and the two drugged boys are united once Chūya is done. Chūya is unfiltered, and therefore bursts out laughing when he sees Dazai's braces. Dazai starts whining, and hitting Chūya, berating his height, and yelling at him for being a bad dog. Chūya doesn't even hear any of it, and starts floating as he laughs, they both walk out between wheezes and irritated retorts, and Mori just leaves them, he'll deal with the damage later.

They go running after a kitty that Dazai spots, and basically doing dumb shit they wouldn't do consciously until they find themselves near an amusement park. They spend the next forty-five minutes being madmen; Chūya is using gravity to ride the rollercoaster like a skateboard, making it go full speed, while Dazai went to the petting zoo side of the park, acquiring a little kitty on the way, and set free all of the animals. He eventually joins Chūya on the rollercoaster, and they both ride without the seatbelts because the employees are too scared to correct them. They both nearly die on there, Chūya accidentally makes the gravity decrease, so the cart nearly flies before Dazai flies out, and Chūya slows down when he doesn't see a mop of brown hair naxt to him. Dazai crash lands into a convenienly placed bushy tree, Chūya tries to fish him out while mid air, and they both plummet into the bushes underneath. They spend the rest of the time on the carousel before passing out on a unicorn. Mori sends Hirotsu to get them, and this isn't the worst he's seen of them, considering the fact that 'DOUBLE BLUC WAS HERE' was written in huge, absolutely horrendous handwriting, and wrong spelling with messy pink paint from the kids' zone on the ferris wheel (it was seconds away from being pulled off it's hinges. These two used it as a spinning wheel of sorts too, there were incomprehensible characters scattered on different carriages. (They're Ability users so their genes are a little different, therefore Chūya, and Dazai are practically drunk. Shhh it makes sense.)

Bonus: They do infiltrate the company, and they compromise that half could be cat videos, while the other half are dog videos.

[eris-snow]

8. 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭

Tags:bakugou x fem!reader, juxtaposition, detective bakugou, hacker bakugou, fluff in the midst of angst

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. One must grasp it before the tunnel caves in.

January 6 20XX

You have to give Katsuki credit, because the dude was dedicated. Not only that, but he could do things that you found difficult with ease. Such as, well, talking to someone.

"Aizawa-sensei says that the foolscap was outdated from 10 years ago. Apparently, it was the same ones he used when he was in U.A. It spanned a good ten years, so at the very least, they haven't walked off the fuckin' earth and died yet." The ash blond announces, flopping on the ground next to you. It was the first day officially back from winter break, but Katsuki was as unfazed as ever.

Back when people were still being potty-trained, Katsuki was practising hours a day on the piano in between kindergarten and card trading with the guys. That's what made him the best, and half of you was glad to see that part of him was still the same.

Focus, you tell yourself. Now isn't the time to get distracted!

"They could be anywhere in the country. With my luck, anywhere in the world." You counter. "Or maybe the one with my condition has poofed out of existence—"

"Stop it with that," Katsuki knocks his knuckles against your forehead, making you reel back at the contact. "People stop writing for all sorts of reasons. They could have cracked the code, or had a fallout, who knows? Shut up and be optimistic. I can't afford you spiralling."

You make a face at him. "You've changed."

"I'd be an asshole if I didn't." He replies, not missing a beat.

You're still an asshole, you want to point out, but you hold your tongue. He's trying to help you, after all.

"Any idea of what course they were in?" You ask instead. "It'd be easier if it was a hero, high profile is good."

"There's a phone number on the paper—"

"That has been changed and is unavailable." You finish. "It's a dead end."

Katsuki huffs, folding his arms. "It's a lead."

You snort loudly, holding back your laughter. "You've changed a lot—"

"And you're an idiot." He refutes. "You can track a phone even after its number is changed. I can get a hold of the IMEI number—"

"What are the chances of someone keeping a phone for over a decade?" You scoff.

"What other chances do we have of finding these pieces of shit?" Katsuki counters.

Biting the inside of your cheek harshly, you sigh. He has a point.

—

February 20XX

The plan, unfortunately, did not work. Either someone had used the phone beyond repair, or it had already been destroyed.

Brilliant.

Katsuki lets out a growl of frustration. It took him a month to find out how to track this guy. A month. And yet you were no closer to finding these grown-ass men.

It was around that time that you started to bring newspapers of that time to the hall, scourging for any clues relating to that incident.

"If only we just knew what course this guy was in..." You mutter, consuming yourself with the papers.

Katsuki stands by the curtains with an unamused expression, hands full of yearbooks as he watches your eyes scan the papers with an immense amount of focus. He's come to know you for months at this point, and has started taking note of little things about you because the more he looks at you, the more he finds.

Like how you bite your lip whenever you're nervous, bite the inside of your cheek when you're irritated and tuck your hair behind your shoulder when you lie.

Like how terrible your piano playing is but you still continue, like how even though what you've been through is more mentally taxing than anything on the battlefield, you still—

It takes Katsuki a second that he's been staring at you for way longer than normal before he unceremoniously drops all the yearbooks on the ground with a loud thud.

You jump like a startled cat, glaring daggers at him as you scramble to get your newspapers away from him. "What the fuck, Bakugou."

His mouth coils into a pleased smirk. "Jokes on you, I'm going deaf. What was that?"

You groan, and it makes Katsuki's confidence ignite. There we go. This version of you, he can handle.

"What's the yearbooks for?" You ask instead, nearing the dusty stacks of bounded paper before flipping through them.

"I managed to round up the yearbooks from the people who still used this piece of foolscap when they were in school." Bakugou plops down on the ground with you. "It's just ten years. If we can go through every class and see if anyone has photo fucked with—"

"Photo fuck?"

"Has the same photo issues as you."

You raise an eyebrow. "Not one of your best works, Nickname Wonder."

"Whatever. Find someone with consistent photo issues throughout their time in U.A and we might be able to narrow it down."

"..."

"..."

"Seriously, photo fuck—"

"Shut it."

—

"Hey man, where are you going?" Eijiro bounds up to him like he'd shitted rainbows, and as much as he appreciates the ball of sunshine cramped into every cell in his friend, he did not want to deal with him now.

Still, he replied. "Training."

"Sick! I was just thinking of—"

"Not today." Katsuki picks up his duffle, checking the clock. "Meeting the nerd at Ground Beta. All Might wants to try something. Gotta run—"

"You've been real busy lately." Eijiro cuts off, blocking his path. "Look, me and the squad don't want to push, but...don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Katsuki almost snorts. Yeah right. Overworking himself was Izuku's job, not his. A tight schedule didn't mean a messy schedule. He'd planned enough time for sleep, eating, internship, training and hunting down people who may or may not exist.

He was being productive, not stressed.

" 'm not overworking myself," Katsuki mutters, sidestepping his red-haired friend as he walks out of the common rooms.

"Well, I'm here if you wanna talk things out!" Eijiro calls.

Katsuki gives a grunt as a response as he pushes the door open.

It's not like Eijiro would remember anyway.

—

The list of possible victims is done by the end of the week, and Katsuki takes the liberty to go for a slow walk around the school to hunt down his teachers and interrogate them. He'd like to say that he's made a good amount of progress, but Katsuki doesn't lie.

The entire procedure is pretty much a coin flip. He can confidently eliminate one or two, but can't ever be sure for the remaining. Were they just forgotten with time? Did they drop out? What if they went undercover?

A handful were even in the General Course, and getting in touch with those alumni was even more difficult.

"Look," Aizawa stares at him tiredly. He looks like he's on his 5th cup of coffee and that his eyebags can carry weights of lead. "I see you from Monday to Friday non-stop. I wish to be alone on a Saturday morning so I can mark your papers and get them back to you on Monday next week. So for God's sake, get out of my face."

"I'm trying to save someone." Katsuki prevents the door from closing with his foot, staring up at his teacher with raised eyebrows. "And from what I heard, heroes don't get breaks. Let me in, Sensei."

Aizawa squints at Katsuki. He may have lost his leg, and pretty much his quirk, but Katsuki's still sure that Aizawa kicks ass. All Aizawa had to do was say the word, and he'd get booted out.

Wouldn't be the first time.

Even so, his teacher lets him into his lair of unwashed coffee cups and Post-it notes wonderland. Katsuki doesn't bat an eye.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Aizawa shrugs, crossing names off.

"Nothing? Cause this guy was in your class." Katsuki yanks out a yearbook and slams it on the table, flipping to the bookmarked page.

On it, is a class photo of 17-year-old Aizawa surrounded by his classmates all those years ago.

"It's been a decade and a war," His teacher snaps. "Give me a break."

As his teacher's eyes survey the picture of his youth, Aizawa's finger hovers over one person's face.

"Oh, I remember him."

Katsuki's breath catches.

Aizawa-sensei trails his finger down to the names, circling the name of the face he'd pointed out that was streaked with blotchy ink.

Imasu Saito.

"He was one of the top students in our year, until his third year. Kept disappearing after class and even ditched. Dropped out right before graduation."

A thin thread circles the name, bright red just like his eyes.

This isn't just a throw-away line.

This was a lead.

"Tell me about him."

Surprised by the sudden interest, Aizawa continues. "I don't know. Last I checked, he was still living with his parents. Could be anywhere by now."

Heat burned in his throat. This could mean something. "Kenji Tanaka," Katsuki urges, iterating the name carefully "Did Saito...know Tanaka?"

Aizawa gives him an unamused expression. "Flattered to think you expect me to remember my classmates' names. And to answer your question, I wasn't even aware that there was a Kenji in my class. Now looking back, I doubt I ever interacted with him at all."

Katsuki groans, slamming his head on the table and sending paper scattering everywhere.

"Fuck humanity. This is what I get when I try to be a little fuckin' nice."

Well, a lead's a lead. Best to take advantage of it, no matter how small.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, slides a hand to the mini-fridge and cracks a can of Red Bull.

He offers it to the blond wordlessly.

Katsuki swipes it from Aizawa's hand.

Best fuckin' teacher ever.

—

Katsuki shares his findings with you when he plops down in the hall later that evening, and you take turns to share yours.

"There's this guy that made headlines for one news issue." You show him the newspaper, and on it, he reads it out loud.

"20-Year-Old Claims The Existence Of The Non-Existent: The Hottest Flat Earther Theory."

Katsuki almost crumples the sandy paper in his hands. His mouth feels just as dry.

"Bullseye."

"Despite the catchy opening, it didn't do well. The news didn't stick, and there are no follow-ups in the issues before or after it." You push the paper down, causing Katsuki to look into your eyes. "This guy was—"

"Imasu Saito." Katsuki finishes, watching you nod in agreement. "A name. We have a name."

Katsuki looks at the decomposing tabloid, seeing gold. "Alright, spit it out. How did you even manage to find this? There were so many companies and articles—this isn't even from a big-name company. This could have taken years to uncover."

You wriggle your fingers together, shrugging. "Let's just say being invisible has its perks. And the internet. No one bats an eye towards me when I went through their archive."

"Their?"

"It's a long story."

Shrugging it off, Katsuki refocuses on their task. They have bigger fish to fry.

"We need an address." You tell him. "Do you have an address?"

Snorting, Katsuki gives you his most 'are you crazy' look. "Who do you think I am? God?"

"No, you're Katsuki Bakugou," Your eyes sear with confidence. Katsuki's felt that look somewhere. The pure, raw, doubtless look of trust behind those eyes.

He's definitely seen it somewhere before.

"You've risen from death and beat someone twice as powerful as you. You've bounced back from setback after setback. You're the winner of the Sports Festival and the top in Battle Simulation, and you've hacked into systems with firewalls so strong people on the other side of the screen think you have a Tech Quirk. You can find one measly address."

Well, when you put it like that, what is Katsuki supposed to say? Deny?

Puffing up his chest, he levels your gaze.

He can do this.

He can do this, and he will.

—

A week to the end of February, there's a text from Bakugou captioned "Look, at what I've got, you little shit."

On it, is an address of a residential apartment.

—

25 February 20XX

Katsuki could only get a permit to leave school on Friday, so it's the tail end of February when you leave school. It was only at this moment, did you allow excitement to swell in your chest. You're making progress. Much more progress than you had in years.

It was enough for you to start believing that there was hope for you after all.

And Katsuki was helping you.

Plugging the address in the GPS leads you both to your destination 30 minutes of U.A., and as you stand in front of a door with a fist raised, you glance at Katsuki.

He gives you a subtle nod.

Closing your eyes, you knock.

Please let him be home, please let him be home, please—

The door creaks open, and the door chain clinks as a lean man with lengthy limps peeks out. His eyes are cobalt blue, and when he looks at Katsuki, he squints.

"What do you want, kid?"

Wordlessly, Katsuki points to you, as if it explained everything.

All the trouble it took to find this stupid goon's house, led to one too-tall man that looked like he had survived a trainwreck.

Sunken eyes hollow, eyebags prominent, and body far too thin.

The man's orbs widen as he blinks rapidly, only just noticing your presence, even though you're standing right in front of him.

"Are you Isamu Saito?" Your voice is small, as if any louder would cause the floor to fall out from beneath you. "If so, I'd like to talk to you about this."

Rifling through your bag, you pull out the decade-year-old foolscap encapsulated in a file.

He just stands there, blinking, unflinching, mouth falling agape.

The door slams in your face.

At first you think that he wasn't who you'd assumed he was and that you had somehow gotten the wrong house.

But before the panic can sink in completely, you hear the door chain jingle as the door opens wide. The man's gaze of you is pitying, and he speaks directly to you for the first time.

"I'm Isamu Saito. Please, come inside."

.

.

.

8 Months, 2 Weeks, And 2 Days Until Time Of Death.

[personwhowrites]

Hi! I wanna say I really love your work and it look cool and wicked.

Can you do TF141 + König x reader

Where they meet the new recruit who is totally a badass. (Like Alice from Resident Evil) and the gangs are inspired seeing her in action taking down the enemy. Take all the time you need, no need to rush.

I hope this what you had in mind! I am so sorry for not writing on Tuesday, I been working on this for a while now! Thank you for your patience and request! -E <3

Wc: 2k+

Tw: Knife, hand to hand combat, mentions of blood, dead body, Slightly guilt?, some fluff<not really>, mentions of bombs, slightly panic attack? Jumping out of stuff, terrible writing.

Beyond the mission

You entered the briefing room as Laswell called out, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They all fell silent as Laswell introduced you to them.

"This is X," Laswell says, pointing to you and offering you a seat next to her. "X is a highly trustworthy person, and I've been waiting for all of you to meet them. X, this is task force 141, and König. You'll be joining them for a mission."

You give them a nod and take the seat next to Laswell. You wait for her to continue with the plan, your eyes wandering over to König. His height surprises you, along with the strange mask covering his face. He is not the only one in the group wearing a mask; another member has a skull mask on. It seems like you stared at the man with the skull mask for a bit too long, as your gaze meets his. He crosses his arms and leans back, continuing to hold your gaze. Eventually, you break eye contact as Laswell hands you a file.

"Information about the case and your role in it," Laswell says, looking at you. "X, I know you prefer working alone, but for this mission, you'll need to work with a team."

"Laswell, you know I don't do well with this 'team' stuff," you say, annoyed as you begin to look through the file. "Especially if the mission involves infiltrating the enemy's base."

"That's why you'll learn under my command," someone speaks up, causing you to quickly look up. "I'm Price, your captain."

"I know who you all are, I read your information on my way to the base," you respond quickly and look to Laswell. "Kate, I can't do this with so many people."

“I can’t pull you out of this one X.” Laswell says shaking her head. “Your skills are needed heavily on this mission.”

You sigh and set the file down, already feeling annoyed by the mission and hoping it would end soon. Working with a team was the last thing you ever wanted in life. You only care about your own safety, while it is your job to keep people safe, not everyone is expected to do that 24/7.

"You said you already knew who we are," Price says, breaking your train of thoughts. "How did you get our information?"

"With good skills in pickpocketing and hacking, you can do anything," you say, crossing your arms in front of your chest. "Let's just get this done, so we don't have to worry about this problem getting worse."

"Speaking like a true team member," Laswell says, patting your back. "I'll leave you all to discuss the matter. Price, let me know when you're all set to leave."

"Will do," Price responds, watching Laswell leave the room. "Now, everyone, we are going to ignore everything that's in this file."

"What?" König says, surprised. "Sir, we can't clearly-"

"Now you're speaking my language!" You smile and close the file. "I might have misjudged you, Captain."

“Gaz watch the door and Soap close the blinds to this room.” Price orders making slightly smile more, seeing actual order was nice. “Now, X right?”

“That’s correct.” You reply looking at him. “I’m guessing you want my idea in how we can sneak in?”

“A woman that can read my mind.” Price chuckles for a moment and then stops. His face becoming serious. “Well?”

"The layout features two entrances, two floors are show..but seems that their could be potentially a hidden third floor located underground..” You pause for a moment and then sigh. “Which may contain sensitive information and be highly secure."

"We can sweep each floor, starting by first floor, we can then move to the second floor and possibly have two people search for the entrence to the third floor." Price says in an ordering tone."We have six people on the team, we can split into three groups of two people each."

"I can go alone," you say, causing Price to shake his head. "I think it's best if two people go by themselves, it'll be more efficient and we can split up and keep watch for the other group."

"Agreed," a deep and husky British voice says, sending shivers down your spine. "It would be beneficial for us, captain."

"Fine," Price says, causing you to relax. "X and Ghost will go alone. Now, let's get our gear and be ready to leave in ten minutes."

Everyone nods to Price and exits the briefing room. The teams were already assigned. Gaz is with Price, Soap is with König and you and Ghost are alone. It seems straightforward, even for Laswell who isn't privy to the full plan.

—

As you enter the base, you aim your gun around, following behind Ghost. Everything seems normal until someone takes notice of your group's presence. You quickly pull out your knife and throw it past Price and König, then run up to the enemy and pin them against the wall. You take the knife out their arm and cut their throat, causing blood to spill on your hands. König quickly shoots someone nearby and the others begin firing at the enemies. The first floor is filled with the sounds of bullets hitting the floor and the smell of blood. It's a chaotic and bloody entrance for sure.

"Bloody hell," Price exclaimed, "All of you, be alert. We are not splitting up under any circumstances." Price quickly reloaded their gun, the sound of the chamber clicking into place filling the room. You couldn't help but sigh at the seriousness of the situation, knowing that things were about to get dangerous. "Alright, everyone, get ready," Price continued, "We are heading to the second floor. Keep your eyes and ears open, and stay alert." Price's voice was firm and commanding, leaving no room for argument.

As you heard Price's command, you decided to act on your own, ignoring the order to stick together, and rushed upstairs, eager to take on the enemy. However, as soon as you reached the second floor, you were met with a hail of bullets, forcing you to quickly dodge and weave your way through the barrage of gunfire.

You managed to find temporary refuge behind a door, but you soon realize that you weren't alone. An enemy was approaching, armed with a genie knife, ready to attack you.

"We don't have to do this," you said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Please, I don't want to hurt you." You said as you closed the door behind you, in an attempt to keep the enemy away, and also to give you some time to think.

The enemy, however, didn't seem to hear your words and kept advancing, the genie knife in hand, ready to strike. You quickly back away, trying to put some distance between you and the enemy, but you soon found yourself backed against the door with nowhere else to go.

As the enemy swung the knife at you, you realized that there was no reasoning with them. They didn't care about themselves or the consequences of their actions. They were focused solely on their mission and taking you out. In that moment you understood that you have to defend yourself, you have to protect your life. You need to take action, be ready to defend yourself with whatever means necessary. You prepared yourself mentally and physically, as you have to be ready for the next move that the enemy will make.

The enemy quickly overpowered you, pinning you against the wall, the knife now inches away from your face. But you were not going to give up that easily, you quickly used your combat training and press your knee on the enemy's crouch. Applying unwelcoming pressure, causing them to back off and drop the knife away from them.

You took this opportunity to tackle them, and grabbing the knife in the process. You were now in control of the situation and the weapon. However, in the midst of the struggle, you were unaware of the door being opened by one of your teammates, soap. They were witnessing the situation and was ready to intervene if needed.

With the enemy subdued, you raise the knife up and stab their chest multiple times, letting some blood splash on your face. As you did this, you could feel the adrenaline pumping through your body, a mix of fear, anger, and satisfaction. You felt victorious, but also a sense of guilt and remorse.

"What the fuck.." soap exclaimed, looking at you with shock and horror in their eyes.

They were taken aback by the scene before them, the enemy lying on the ground, covered in blood and the knife still in your hand.

You, on the other hand, seemed to be emotionless, your expression was blank, and your eyes were empty. You were still in shock from what had just happened, processing the events and the emotions that came with it. You get up, trying to shake off the feeling of the weight of what you had just done.

"Jesus," soap murmured, as they take in the sight.

They were at a loss for words, not sure what to say or how to react. They knew that the situation was intense and that you had to defend yourself, but still, the sight was unsettling.

Price enters the room and sees the gruesome sight, the enemy lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood and the knife still in your hand. They immediately understood what had happened, and how intense the situation was.

As you back away from the body, Price could see the weight of what had just happened in your eyes, the shock and the guilt.Price didn't say anything, just nod to acknowledge what had happened. They knew that their team had taken out the rest of the enemies on the second floor, and now it was a matter of securing the area and making sure that there were no other threats.

You move past them, looking around, taking in the destruction and the aftermath of the fight. The sight of all the bodies, the smell of gunpowder, and the sound of silence filled the room.

"Cleared the first floor," Ghost said behind you, speaking to Price. "We found the room with the information. Gaz downloaded everything we needed."

You heard the words but your mind was still processing the recent event, trying to make sense of what just happened. Ghost's words brought you back to the present, reminding you of the objective and mission. You took a deep breath, try to shake off the recent event, and focus on the task at hand.

"Good," Price says, still looking at you. "Who placed the bombs?"

"I did, captain," König says, looking over at the dead body, taking responsibility for his actions. "Our helicopter is awaiting us, captain."

"Let's go," Gaz calls out from the stairs, "We don't have much time till they set off, captain. I have a feeling some of the enemies got away."

Price nods, understanding the urgency of the situation. They quickly give orders to the team to leave the building, and to move quickly to the helicopter, that was awaiting for them.

—

The helicopter ride was silent, as you all sat there with your own thoughts, processing the events that just transpired. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the weight of what just happened hanging heavily in the air. You stared at your hands, replaying the events in your head, feeling a mix of emotions.

But after a moment, you finally snapped out of the sorrow, and the weight of the recent events began to lift. You couldn't help but smile a bit, feeling relieved that it was over. Price noticed your change in expression and cleared their throat, grabbing your attention.

"Where did you learn to do such a brutal thing?" Price says, his tone demanding and making you feel anger fuming inside of you. "Answer me, X."

You met his gaze, your own expression now hardening as you got ready to reply.

"When you work alone, you learn stuff." You say softly looking at him.

Price was taken aback by your reply, he probably wasn't expecting that answer. He probably thought that you have some sort of training or special forces background. But the reality is that your training is the result of the situations you have been in, the fight for survival and the need to protect yourself.

"Stop the helicopter," you said, your voice firm and commanding, indicating that you wanted to get off the helicopter.

"We are in the middle of nowhere, X." Gaz calls out from the passenger seat, "There's no base or towns near here!"

"This is my stop!" you said, getting up from your seat. König quickly puts his arm out, stopping you. "I know this area like the back of my hand,"

"You aren't leaving," Ghost says, making you stop and look at him. "No one is, until we get to the base."

You could see the determination in Ghost's eyes, he was in command mode now, but you were not going to let anyone stop you. You pushed König's arm out of the way and grab your gear, quickly moving to the door of the helicopter. You opened the door, and without hesitation, you jump out as Price yelled your code name. König gets up from his seat, hitting his head on the ceiling, startled by your sudden move.

Soap immediately rushes to the open door, only to see a parachute blocking the sight of you. They knew then that you had planned this and you were determined to leave. They knew that this was not something that they could stop you from doing.

As you drift away from the helicopter, you could see your team looking at you in shock and confusion, but you didn't care, you knew that you had to do this. You had to be alone, to process the recent events and to think about your next move.

You were aware that your actions might have consequences, but you felt that it was necessary. You pull the cord and your parachute opened, allowing you to drift safely to the ground. As you landed, you felt a sense of freedom wash over you, knowing that you were finally alone, and that you could finally think and process everything that had just happened.

"She has a parachute!" Soap yelled, trying to calm down the men, who were startled and confused by your sudden move. "Captain?"

Price sits back and shakes his head, "Leave her, I know Laswell will have her around," he says with a sigh. "That woman is crazy."

It is clear that your actions caught them by surprise and they may not agree with your decision but they knew that they had to respect it. They knew that you have your own way of handling things, and they had to trust that you knew what you were doing.

They also knew that you have a reputation of being a skilled and capable operative, who have gone on solo missions before, you have the knowledge and the experience to handle yourself.

As you watch the helicopter vanish from your sight, a sense of relief washed over you. You were finally alone, and you could finally take a moment to process everything that had just happened. You felt the weight of the recent events lift, and you couldn't help but smile.

You take a deep breath, feeling the fresh air fill your lungs and the warmth of the sun on your skin. You lay down on the grass, enjoying the moment of peace, and taking in the beauty of your surroundings. The sounds of nature, the rustling of the leaves, and the chirping of the birds all helped to calm your mind and ease your soul.

You knew that you still have a lot to think about, a lot of decisions to make, and a lot of things to process. But for now, you were content to enjoy the moment, and to take a break from the chaos and violence of the mission. You close your eyes, letting yourself relax and drift away in the peacefulness.

—

Months passed, and no one had heard from you. Laswell never informed the team what happened to you, if you had ever reported back to her or if you had gone on another mission. The team couldn't help but wonder about your whereabouts and what had become of you. They couldn't help but think about the way you had defeated an enemy, with no hesitation, no pity in your eyes, just emptiness, and a clear mode of self-preservation.

They thought about the times Soap would mention your code name, and how you always seemed to be one step ahead of the enemy. They couldn't help but admire your skills and your determination.

Until one day, out of the blue, you showed up in the briefing room, with Laswell awaiting the team.

Price was pleased to see you, relieved that you were okay and that nothing had happened to you. He was curious to know where you have been and what had happened during your time away, but he also knew that it was not the right time to ask.

Soap, on the other hand, was head over heels to see you, he couldn't help but smile when you entered the room, he had missed your presence and your skills. He couldn't stop himself from trying to imitate the move you did on the enemy, many times, yet he could never land it right.

"The Cartel has attacked again, this time getting the British involved," Laswell says, handing everyone a file. "We need to take out the leader, and put an end to this once and for all. X, you will lead this mission, and work with the team to take out the leader and dismantle the cartel. Then, you will return back to the base, where we will debrief and plan the next move."

"Is X joining our team?" Gaz says, raising an eyebrow as he notices the uniform, "I don't have anything against it if she is."

"Please, call me Y/n." You say getting up from your seat. "Excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

"Y/n, sit your ass back down," Price orders you firmly. "You will listen to your captain, and you will follow orders. We are a team, and we need to work together to succeed."

A small smile spread across your lips as you took in the new team you found yourself in. You were excited to explore the new world of teamwork, and see what kind of adventures awaited you. You look at the men in front of you, all of them delighted and happy to accept you into the team. You knew that it would take time for everyone to adjust, but who knows what kind of adventures could await you now?

[quibbler-quirks]

Perfect Imperfections - Ominis x fem!Reader

Summary: Ominis asks MC to the Yule Ball. Or at least that was his plan.

Word count: 1.5k

Tags/warnings: she/her pronouns, a little bit of angst, assumed Triwizard Champion MC

A/N: Thank you for all of the love for my first post! I am truly not a writer, but Ominis has been bringing me lots of comfort. Just a little scenario I thought of~ I hope you enjoy!

-------

It was a terrible misunderstanding really.

Upon the end of her fifth year, MC had thought she had seen all the wizarding world had to offer. Magical prowess beyond her wildest dreams, a goblet of flames spitting out perfectly unburnt paper, and friends that seemed to transcend consequence. That is why strolling into the Transfiguration Courtyard as silent snowflakes fell from the sky, she could not understand why the pale hands of a certain Ominis Gaunt were in the hands of a particularly bubbly Anne Sallow.

It was not as if Ominis and MC were officially courting, but MC had thought after what had happened in their fifth year, they truly had a chance to become friends in their sixth and seemingly more in their seventh.

In her unoccupied hand, Anne held a beautiful bouquet of white roses and snowdrops, sprinkled with opulent green ferns and frosted holly berries. The perfect bouquet to ask someone to the Yule Ball with and with sudden clarity, it all made sense. Ominis had invited Anne to the Ball and not herself. Of course, nothing could triumph a childhood love, especially not after going through extreme measures to find a cure for Anne. MC knew Ominis had cared deeply for Anne throughout their search, but she felt embarrassed by her own ignorance realizing his care was out of love for the Sallow twin. 

With the sight of the bouquet blurring, MC continued hastily through the courtyard into the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower, hoping no one could see the tears that welled in her eyes.

-------

“Bombarda!” a barrel explodes into splinters.

“Confringo!” a suit of armour topples to the ground.

How could she have been so blind? So selfish? While her feelings for the Gaunt boy had blossomed, it did not mean his feelings had done the same. Frustrated between being happy for her friends and heartbroken, MC lashed out spell after spell, aiming at particularly nowhere. The Undercroft was alight with flashes of colours as if someone had set off fireworks. She should be happy for them. Both were such kind souls and had helped each other through thick and thin, but thoughts of how well they matched did not comfort her. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about.

Continuing to bellow out spells, MC did not notice Sebastian had been watching her for some time, unsure of how to stop her. 

Suddenly, the gates of the Undercroft were once again creaking open, but MC’s shouts deafened her senses.

“MC?” called out Ominis.

“She’s been at it for centuries,” Sebastian remarks. “I can’t seem to get her to calm down.”

“What did you do?”

“Why do you always assume it was me?”

“Because it is always you, Sebastian,” Ominis grunts, “if it was not you, then what happened?”

“That… is a fair point,” Sebastian admits in defeat. “I’m not sure, I just know she has been like this since I got here. Practicing for the next challenge maybe? You can give it a go, but I’m going to find somewhere else to read. Good luck.”

The room felt a lot emptier since Ominis had last been there. Hearing Sebastian’s footsteps fade up the stairs, Ominis could also hear just how sharply the spells echoed off of the Undercroft’s stone walls. As if none of the crates and barrels he knew to be placed there existed at all. 

“I’m sorry love,” he whispers, directing his wand to the voice of MC. “Arresto momentum.”

Time suddenly stops for MC and her mouth fails to produce another coherent word.

“Reparo!”

The shattered state of the Undercroft begins to repair itself as Ominis carefully strolls over to MC, bringing down her arms and tucking her body into his chest. He could feel her wet tears seep through his wool jumper. Just how much had she been crying?

“What did you do?” the voice of Anne Sallow shrieks.

“Again, why does everyone always assume it was me!” Sebastian retaliates as the twins reappear at the base of the Undercroft.

Slightly embarrassed his childhood friends might have seen him holding their mutual friend quite intimately, Ominis jumps away, a blush rising to his ears. 

Seeing the tears falling down her best friend’s face, Anne rushes over to MC, bouquet forgotten on the floor, ready to embrace her. “What did my oaf of a brother do this time?”

Suddenly processing the other people present in the Undercroft, MC wipes her tears and tries to compose herself. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you come in! Don’t worry, Sebastian didn’t do anything… this time… that I know of...”

“Hey-” Sebastian starts.

“Never mind him then. My brother said you were crying as he was coming out of the Undercroft. Is everything okay, MC?”

“Yes, no worries! I’m sorry for worrying you! I was just, erm, worried about the upcoming challenge? Lots to practice I’m afraid”

“That’s bullocks,” Sebastian scoffs, “the Second Task isn’t for another two months! You’ll be fine.”

“Well, something must be on your mind,” Anne says, voice laced with concern.

“Maybe it’s just the Triwizard Tournament in general! There’s so much going on! Seriously, Anne, I’m fitter than a Fwooper! I just came from Professor Weasley’s office and I suppose the pressure really got to me,” MC forces a smile, eyes dropping to the fallen bouquet that lay near Ominis’ feet. “Besides, we have the holidays and the Ball to look forward to! We still have to go shopping for your dress, Anne! Even if our dear friend can’t see how stunning you will look, I think it will still be nice to dress up,” she continues to ramble on, gaze unmoving from the bouquet.

Slowly putting together the puzzle pieces, Anne gasps and steps back from MC in shock. Looking at the fallen bouquet, the Gaunt boy’s red ears, then her friend’s tear-stained face, she realizes MC must have seen her and Ominis in the courtyard on her way to the Undercroft. It really was a terrible misunderstanding.

“You, Gaunt, have some fixing to do,” pointing at the poor boy despite his lack of sight. She huffs over, picking up and shoving the bouquet into his arms.

“What did I do?” he pleads, genuinely concerned.

“Yeah! Why do you always assume it’s us?” Sebastian cries out again.

“Boys…” Anne mutters, dragging her brother back up the stairs past the gate. “I think you have something important to address.”

And with a final grit of her teeth, the Sallow twins disappear back into the tower, leaving a baffled MC and an even more confused Ominis.

Feeling the leaves of the once pristine bouquet tickle his chin, Ominis searches his mind for any reason Anne would ruin the surprise he had prepared.

“That really is a lovely bouquet. Anne is very lucky,” MC breaks the silence.

Oh… Oh! Cursing under his breath, Ominis finally understands what Anne had meant. Oh, this was not going according to plan at all.

Eyes opened wide and stammering over his words, Ominis speaks, “No! No, you are mistaken! These aren’t for Anne! Why would I give such a thing to Anne? A bouquet? That’s ridiculous. Not that bouquets are ridiculous or that I wouldn’t give anything to Anne..” Taking a deep breath, he finishes, “This was meant for you.”

Slightly shocked, MC starts, “But I saw you and Anne in the courtyard and I thought–”

“These were meant for you! I mean, these are for you, love.”

“I don’t think I’m quite following.”

Ominis approaches her carefully, reaching out for her hands and gently placing the bouquet in them. “I am asking you if I could have the honour of accompanying you to the Yule Ball.”

MC’s jaw drops in shock. Too stunned to say anything.

“That is if you are not already going with someone. I know it is rather late of me to ask, but I had this whole thing planned where I was going to–”

Then suddenly his words are cut off by the feeling of lips pressed against his. It is short and it is sweet. It is clumsy but evidently full of love. Everything a first kiss could ever be.

Breaking the contact, MC steps back, clutching the bouquet in her arms. “Wow, what a mess and a fool I am… I didn’t think you were going to ask. I would love that very much, Ominis.”

Smiling and reaching out to place his hands on top of MC’s, Ominis chuckles, “What a mess indeed. I apologize for all of the trouble I have caused. Anne actually was the one helping me pick out the flowers for you. I wanted them to be even a fraction as beautiful as you are, little dove.”

“They are perfect.”

“Not as perfect as you.”

-------

Bonus:

“OH! I UNDERSTAND NOW!” Sebastian shouts. “That sly dog! Took him long enough.”

“Boys…” Anne grumbles again, but holds back a smile as she watches Ominis and MC hand in hand walking across the courtyard where just moments before everything went astray.

[yuseirra]

ONK theories: how the ryosuke incident played out & the character's motives/about how the manga will go

ONK SPOILERS CH 155 and beyond:

To get straight to the point, I've correctly guessed all the key elements of the latest chapters of this manga. I'm quite confident in my abilities, so keep making posts about onk... I should stop.. I'm nervous talking about work that's still in progress but well!!! When will I be able to do this again!!

Although I'm usually terrible at solving mysteries and just watch while going "Oh~ Oh~," this manga is more about emotional analysis than deduction, so I've been able to guess a lot of the major points correctly.

Here's what I've guessed right:

Aqua has romantic feelings for Kana.

Ai liked Kamiki quite a lot and was considering him in her future plans.

Kamiki wanted to take responsibility for the children, but Ai hid and disappeared to protect him and avoid burdening him.

This process likely occurred unilaterally without Kamiki knowing about Ai's feelings and circumstances.

I got all of this right. There are some minor differences in the details. Ai didn't just like him quite a lot, she loved him deeply and informed him about the pregnancy (though she said it would be difficult to keep the baby), and they broke up after that.

Having guessed these things consecutively, I have a good sense of what these characters' personalities are like and what actions they'll take, so I'm motivated and have been continuously writing about it. I'm quite confident in this area.

Previously, I wrote a post about something odd during the dome performance celebration incident, but I didn't consider Nino at that time. Even then, I felt that Kamiki didn't seem like the culprit.

Please read that post first, as I plan to continue writing from there. I'll put the rest in the read more for viewers who scroll past!:

In that post, I focused on three possible scenarios.

It’s true that Kamiki leaked the address to Ryosuke. That isn’t a lie, and that character probably believes he is responsible for Ai’s death because of it. So, with that as the baseline, I came up with three possibilities:

If Kamiki and Ryosuke weren’t acquaintances from the start

If they were acquaintances and went to the hospital for Ai’s delivery with a common purpose

If they each had different purposes but met near the hospital on Ai’s delivery day and became acquaintances then.

Except for the first case, the assumption was that the "middle school boy" near the hospital on Ai’s delivery day was Kamiki. However, with Nino entering the picture, I started to think it might have been Nino who was near the hospital.

Therefore, I think it’s most likely that Kamiki is case 1.

There are reasons why it isn't case 2, which you can see if you read the post. Even if it were case 3, I concluded that Kamiki likely had no intention to harm Ai.

So, why do I think it’s most likely that Ryosuke and Kamiki weren’t acquaintances?

If Ryosuke, Nino, and Kamiki are connected in some way,

the one most likely to be acquainted with Ryosuke is Nino.

Ryosuke is a big fan of B-Komachi and Ai and even personally handed over stardust sand at a handshake event. If Ai remembered him as a fan, he must have been either extremely enthusiastic in his activities or conspicuous in some other way. Given Nino’s interest in and jealousy of Ai, it’s highly likely she took notice of Ryosuke.

If Nino found out that Ai planned to have babies, she might see it as an obstacle to Ai’s career as the perfect idol. So, she could have coaxed Ryosuke by revealing this information and formed some kind of collaboration.

From my perspective, Kamiki doesn't seem like the type to have any aversion to the idea of having children with Ai. Even if he thought Ai left him because she got pregnant, she told him she wouldn’t keep the babies before leaving. So, if he later found out that Ai did have the babies, his reaction would likely be one of confusion or curiosity rather than dislike. Something like 'Why did she have them when she said she wouldn’t?' And then, I think his reaction would go beyond surprise to possibly even happiness.

The character’s attitude towards the main characters, the twins, is pretty tender. Even if you assume "Mephisto" is his song, he calls out to the children telling them to come after him. He shows no signs that he intends to harm them. It just makes sense to me that he does care for Ai and his twins. They're his kids too. I keep talking about this, but Kamiki's said he was glad Aqua got to meet and talk with him in 153 and it makes sense given this character’s past personality that he has a father's heart. What he says seems genuine.

Nino is different. Nino cares about Ai, but I don’t think she has positive feelings about Ai’s babies. The whole group went on hiatus because of those babies (which made Nino realize the group revolves around Ai). Ai not only focuses on being an idol but now has something else to focus on because of them. To me, it seems Nino not only hates Ai but also desperately wants to preserve Ai as an idol. She doesn’t want that image to be tarnished at all. If there’s something that threatens it, she might want to remove it. The issue is how extreme she would get. If Nino knew about Gorou’s death, she would realize that someone died because of her actions, which could lead to her breaking down. That could have caused her to act out even more. Nino’s mental state, based on the few panels we’ve seen, seems really unstable and destructive.. the way Ryosuke's been.

When Kamiki and Ai were dating, he didn’t show any signs of being obsessed with Ai’s idol work, like saying, “Wow, you shine so brightly, I want to preserve that image.” At least, based on the movie arc, he seemed to have had a normal relationship with her, aside from his terrible life circumstances. I'm thinking he changed to his current ominous self after Ai’s death. Up until just before they broke up, he seemed fine. There wasn’t a big difference from when he was younger.

The "IDOL" song was a spoiler. It had the stance of, “Our invincible idol Ai, I’ll protect you no matter what. I can’t forgive you for being less than perfect, and I can’t forgive myself either for being this way.” That perspective came from a fellow member. That’s why Nino, who is obsessed with Ai’s "perfection" and would be hostile or at least unkind towards the hidden "children," fits this profile.

For these reasons, I think it was Nino who was at the hospital and collaborated with Ryosuke.

Did she really intend to go as far to harm Ai’s children in a physical sense? That, I don’t know yet...

And then the first attempt failed; Gorou died.

Ai returned to her activities, hiding the existence of the children and doing well. Perhaps, that led Nino to think, "Is this enough...?" and kept low for for 4 years. She had her own career going too and if Ai was performing beautifully, there wasn't a need to take more action.

But then Ai tried to show the babies to her boyfriend... If things had gone well and Ai and Kamiki had become close and interacted well with the children, Ai might have even tried to reveal everything... Maybe Nino wanted to prevent that from happening.

Looking at chapter 132, which shows a glimpse of Nino's insanity, it seems (surprisingly) that Nino didn't want Ai to die either. Ai was very significant to Nino, right? She hated her, was jealous, and wanted her gone, but didn't actually wish for her to die. If someone like that disappeared, it would feel more than liberating; it would feel empty. Nino doesn't seem all that sane. For this character, Ai became an obsession at one point, and losing Ai meant losing her "idol". Kamiki, on the other hand, while he also idolized Ai to some extent, speaks as if he understands that Ai was just an ordinary person. To him, Ai was the love of his life and partner. He liked her differently, not just as an idol to be worshiped.

Nino probably coerced and used Ryosuke again, giving him a knife to scare Ai, which led to her death, resulting in Nino's "regret." Maybe she even arranged for Ryosuke and Kamiki to meet? That bouquet of flowers...; I mean, could it be that Kamiki really asked to deliver flowers to celebrate the dome performance? If Ryosuke was introduced to him as Ai's fan by a B-Komachi member, Kamiki could've just lent the flowers to him to pass it on his stead. Isn't that possible? Am I thinking too optimistically? But it's not because I like Kamiki's character that I interpret it this way; (if he's the one who killed Ai, I'm ready to grab him by the collar and spank him anytime) it's just that his personality shown around that time doesn't fit with him intending to "scare" Ai. He's too mild..;

I can't quite guess how Kamiki and Nino, or Ryosuke and Kamiki, met.

I think it's more likely that Ryosuke and Kamiki met shortly after Ai’s phone call. Honestly, I can’t really picture Kamiki and Ryosuke being long-time acquaintances. What would they do together? Is there anything that would keep them in contact? Meeting his girlfriend’s hardcore fan—what’s the point? It would make sense if Kamiki had the intention to harm Ai, but I believe Kamiki when he says he didn’t actually think Ai would be killed. This seems true to me. I don’t think he could have imagined that the person who killed Gorou wouldn’t kill Ai. Up until that point, Kamiki was probably still relatively gentle. He hadn’t darkened yet.

We need to look at Kamiki’s personality. Even when someone like Airi, who exploited him, died, he was mentally distressed. The timing is a bit tangled... thinking about it, did that happen after the main characters were born? I think this guy was simply... entranced by Ai? As Aqua says in the very beginning (chapter 2), he’s like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to stop himself even as his wings burn and he falls. He seems to genuinely like Ai a lot. He probably blames himself for her death and can’t stop. Omg I just noticed, Aqua’s line is strikingly similar to what's described in "Fatal"...

Kamiki and Nino seem to cooperate, I think their common goal is related to Ai.

After meeting with Ruby, Nino says that no one can surpass Ai, not even her daughter, and she wouldn’t accept it.

In contrast, Kamiki was actually happy when Ruby showed the potential to surpass Ai. He was disappointed when he thought she just wanted to resemble Ai.

From this, it seems they both do want to find someone who can surpass Ai.

Nino can’t accept such a person, but does Kamiki feel the same way? If so, his reaction to Ruby should have been different. I think their intermediate goals are the same, but they might want different outcomes.

I suspect that Kamiki is searching for someone who can replace Ai to offer as a tribute to a "god." Thinking that he simply can't accept someone surpassing Ai and kills them seems too simplistic given the songs. The songs clearly express the desire to find a way to fill the "Lack of AI" (absence of Ai). The songs really seem to reflect Kamiki’s feelings. He is looking for a way to revive Ai or at least meet her again, and there is likely a character in the story who can make that possible. In a world where gods can reincarnate souls, there would be someone with the persuasive power to claim they have such abilities, whether it be real or just a mere taunt.

Ruby is the one who showed that potential, but considering that Kamiki just passed by Ruby in chapter 155, it doesn't seem like he would harm her. I closely examined chapters 153-155, and no matter what, he doesn’t seem like a crazy person who would harm his own daughter for the sake of his wife/girlfriend. If Ai hadn’t died, he would really have been the kind of person who could have raised the children with her as she envisioned. After Ai's death, he strayed off and is now firmly on the wrong path. That’s probably why Ai asked the main characters to help him, she knows what kind of person he originally is.

Continuing on, "stars" are likely the "gods" of this universe. The black star is a "god who loves absurdity and irrationality" and probably possesses great power but demands a high price in return. It seems that Kamiki is influenced by that.

In the anime, Akane's star eye color is different. That might be because it's an imitation. The humans truly inhabited by gods are different. Ruby, Aqua, Kamiki, and Ai are likely to have something inhabiting them.

The white star and the black star may each correspond to the "god who loves humans" and the "god who loves absurdity and irrationality" mentioned in chapter 144. The line "キラキラお星様宿したあなたのeyes(Your eyes with glittering stars in them)" in Fatal’s lyric could imply that Ai may also be a person inhabited by a star=god. Pay attention to the word "宿した" in the lyrics. The original Japanese lyrics can be translated like this: "your eyes that the sparking star that dwells within"

宿した< I looked it up, and it can be translated as "bears" or "conceives" "dwells".. it seems like a "star" was blessing Ai, it lived in her as she was alive (the fact that there's a "god that loves humans" oddly works with how Ai's whole life was about loving, too..)

Coming to think of it, didn't this manga start with a disclaimer that "this story is fiction"?

Then, is this manga in fact a stage meant for the gods?

Wow, and I JUST noticed as I went back and checked, the first scene of chapter 1 has the exact same quotes compared to what Kamiki says in chapter 153.

Fiction being "Fabricated, exaggerated, and everything inconvenient being completely concealed".

But Aqua rebuts him saying what he's made isn't one:

With the basis being Ai's love was genuine and therefore "true".

I have a feeling that the conclusion of this manga might be something similar.

It might be that everyone is like pawns in the game of gods, but the sincerity within them is all genuine.

The development is somewhat ambiguous... but this manga is definitely well-structured. There are certainly a lot of hints, and I see that things mentioned in the very beginning are being brought up again in the latest chapters? Still. So, looking at the bigger picture, maybe we don’t have to worry too much.

There's no new chapter this week... I backed up some drawings on Pixiv without knowing about the break. If I had known, I would have drawn a bit more before uploading... ;v;) well, it'll have to do!

Maybe now is the time to really sit back and watch patiently.

If things go the way I think they will, I can draw a lot more stuff, so I wonder how it will turn out...

The songs are definitely spoilers, for one thing.

They’re definitely related to the development of the story. It feels like they’re spoon-feeding us, but I'm not sure what exactly they’re spoon-feeding us. The creators seem to have a lot in mind.

[darknight3904]

Like We Used To

Masterlist / Main Masterlist

This marks the beginning of Part Two of This Love. 

Warnings: Slight references to male masturbation and dirty dreams. Nothing wild.

Asgard 2013

   "Are you sure you want this?" 

   "Hush, Fandral, she can make her own decisions." 

   "Yeah,  I can make my own decisions, and I  have decided to change it to blue." 

   "HA! You're such an idiot!" Volstagg cheered, slamming his final card to the table which erupted into loud groans 

Astri and her friends had been playing a Midgardian game Thor had brought back from New York, it was called Uno and Astri was inherently terrible at it.

   "He can not keep winning like this," Hogun said tossing his hand into the middle of the table. 

   "He has to be cheating," Sif whispered  

   "We could always rig the cards against him," Fandral suggested 

   "But then, is it a fair victory when one of us wins?" Astri asked 

   "It is if he hasn't been winning fairly this whole time." Sif pointed out

   "Pass the cards out, I plan to win again." Volstagg declared

   "Cheater," Fandral whispered as he dealt the cards again.

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Loki didn't realize how mind-numbing his time in the dungeons would end up being. The first few weeks had been a blur, Frigga had sent furniture and books to him and he spent time rearranging and figuring out the best angle for his bed. Now, he was out of furniture to rearrange and the endless books were becoming boring. He had begun to stew over his loss on Midgard but felt his mind slipping away from his humiliation. As he lay there, he realized he missed the feel of the sun on his face and the way the wind would slightly blow through his chambers when he left the balcony doors open. Loki missed horseback riding through the dense forests of Asgard and the way the stars looked down at him at night when he couldn't sleep. Most of all though, he missed Astri and everything that came with her. He missed the way her laughter would carry through the castle when he made a bad joke. He could imagine the way her long hair would shine whenever the sun streamed into the huge library windows. Loki swore he could smell the soft scent of Astri's fruit-smelling perfume as he lay in his cell.

He couldn't believe she hadn't visited him yet. At first, he had presumed Odin had banned visitors but after asking Frigga who said Astri was free to visit him as much as she wished, he was saddened by her absence. Every day when his meals arrived he swore he heard the soft clicking of her shoes, instead he was met with the same guard over and over again. Loki tried to imagine what she could possibly be doing without him. They had spent nearly every waking moment together as they grew up. Was she with Thor or Sif? Was she rotting away in the library, learning a million different spells? Or perhaps she was with the Aesir fellow she had met in the damn markets? Loki had felt jealousy swirl in his stomach at the idea of the last one. Aesir wasn't necessarily terrible but he just seemed so droll. The way he just mindlessly complimented Astri whenever he saw her, it was like he was grovelling for her when they barely even knew each other. Loki doubted he even remembered what Astri wore each time they saw each other. Did Aesir know Astri's favorite foods and that she hated red flowers? Clearly not since he brought her bunches of them all the time and brought almond cakes when Atri clearly liked lemon better.

By the time his supper had arrived, he had decided that Aesir was possibly the most boring Asgardian who ever lived. Beyond his flat personality, he has terrible style. Loki had peered into Astri's mind the other night and found the most recent memories of Aesir. He had been dressed in the worst possible outfit. The way the silver in his armor contrasted against his skin made him look rather yellow. He felt Astri's embarrassment as they had strolled through the gardens when multiple handmaids had passed and giggled at Aesir.

   "What's on your mind?" A soft voice asked

Loki swore he had never sat up quicker than in this moment.

   "What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost." Astri asked, "Is there something on my face?"

   "I didn't think you'd ever visit," Loki admitted crossing the cell to where the golden barrier separated them

   "I wasn't planning on visiting today. I was going to make you sweat it out for a few more weeks but Volstagg was driving me insane and I needed a break." She explained

   "What did he do that's annoying you so much?" Loki asked

   "He keeps beating me at this Midgardian game Thor showed all of us." Astri sighed

Loki felt his mouth twitch slightly into a smile. Even though he wanted to be mad at her for not seeing him sooner, he was, as usual, finding it to be impossible to be angry with her.

   "I also brought this..." Astri said pushing a tray of food through a designated spot in the barrier.

   "Aren't you hungry?" Loki asked

   "No, Thor and I have been eating our suppers together for the past year and I swear spending time around him has fattened me up. It's like his huge stomach is affecting me too." Astri admitted

   "I think you look great." Loki complimented, he felt jealousy roar in his chest at the idea of Astri sitting across from Thor in her chambers, laughing at jokes and eating her favorite cakes.

   "Aesir said that a few days ago. I'm sure you already knew that though. You know you're not entirely undetected going through my mind like that at night. You show up in my dreams and that's how I know you're searching my memories, seeing what I've been doing with my days." Astri said

   "Anyone has a right to know what their best friend is up to. And how else would I know when I thought you had resolved to never see me again." Loki countered, surprised that she was able to sense him.

   "Oh please, you never thought that. You knew I'd show eventually." Astri knowingly said

Damn, she knew him well.

   "Has it occurred to you that maybe I missed you?" Loki asked honestly

   "It's crossed my mind. Although I'd like to think that you don't since then I'd feel guilty about not spending my every moment with you." Astri said

   "Like we used to?" He asked

   "Like we used to." Astri parroted with a soft smile that made Loki's heart beat just a little quicker.

Silence fell as he stared at the girl across from him. While she claimed to be fattening up with his "brother", he swore she had lost weight. Perhaps it was the lighting or maybe her dress was ill-fitting? No. Astri was definitely smaller than usual, her arms were normally more defined with muscle than they were now, exposed by a soft yellow gown she wore.

   "You're staring again," Astri said

   "I haven't seen you since the cage on Midgard." He reminded "Forgive me if I'm trying to commit your face to memory. I don't know when you'll visit again."

   "Maybe I will, maybe I won't," Astri said wistfully

She seemed sadder. As if someone had snuffed out her firey spirit Loki had come to love over the years.

   "Would you be able to come tomorrow?" He asked

   "What's in it for me?" She coyly asked

   "I'll read to you for as long as you'd like." Loki promised.

   "You're just tired of being bored in there," Astri said

   "Oh, quite the opposite I'm having a wonderful time here." Loki lied

   "You're not the only one going through their best friend's minds when they sleep" Astri smirked

When in the Nine Realms had she been doing that? Loki felt his smile falter as Astri laughed

   "By the way, beyond your obvious boredom, your dreams of me undressing and then bathing are quite erotic. I feel bad for your hand, and the other prisoners." Astri laughed

That explains the dream he'd been having for the past week.

   "You should not be going through my mind like that." He scolded, feeling his face redden

   "Oh, and that gives you permission to go through mine?" She questioned

   "What you saw is personal." He hissed, embarrassed at her knowledge of him

   "Whatever you say, Loki." She laughed

God he missed that sound, it warmed the air around him and sent a smile to his face.

   "I'll see you tomorrow. I hope whatever book you have is worth my time." Astri said standing

   "You're leaving already?" Loki asked following her as she walked.

    "It's getting late, I had a long day of losing to Volstagg. Plus I'm sure you need some alone time with your dreams of me." She teased

Loki felt his face go red, he was so embarrassed he bet even his ears were red.

   "What a nice color on you, Loki!" Astri complimented before walking away

Loki sighed and watched Astri walk off, she was going to kill him one day. The funny thing was he'd be perfectly fine with it, dying for her no matter how ridiculous the reason.

Astri had barely closed the door to her chambers before Thor had her jumping out of her skin.

   "How is he?" Thor asked

   "Don't scare me like that ever again."  Astri glared looking at Thor who was reclined on her bed

   "Why? It's so fun." Thor smiled

    "He's fine. He's bored and just as Loki as he has ever been." Astri said

Thor nodded as Astri walked to her vanity and began removing her jewelry and pulling pins from her hair.

   "Aesir came calling when you were with Loki." He said

   "Really? What did he want? I just saw him two days ago." She said

   "Well, he left these." Thor gestured to a large red vase of flowers "I put them in water, no need to thank me."

Astri rolled her eyes, she definitely wasn't going to thank him.

   "He say anything to go along with them?" She asked

   "Well, he said his mother was going to make the almond cakes you liked last time and he said he wanted to take a horse ride through the forest in a few days time." Thor said

   "How nice, I'll have to tell him I accept," Astri said picking her brush up

   "Don't you hate red flowers, and you don't even like almond cakes, everyone knows you prefer lemon." Thor pointed out

   "Maybe I've changed," Astri said

She looked at Thor through the mirror who gave her a 'Are you serious?' stare.

   "Okay, you got me, maybe I didn't tell him those things." She groaned

   "They seem like important things," Thor said

   "Pfft.... no." Astri laughed nervously, when did Thor become so observant?

   Silence fell over the pair as Astri brushed through her hair and every few seconds glanced at Thor who seemed to be admiring her patterned bedspread.

   "Did Loki ask about me?" Thor asked

Astri thought about lying to him to make him feel better. But what good were feelings if they came from lies that would just hurt later down the road?

   "He didn't. Our conversation was rather trivial today." Astri admitted

   "Ah. Okay." Thor said

   "I'm going back tomorrow night. Maybe he'll ask about you. If he does I'll tell him all good things." She said truthfully

   "You better." Thor smiled

   "I should really get ready to sleep so if you could you know...leave," Astri said, a bit rudely

   "I came to you to talk about something more important than Loki and Aesir," Thor said ignoring her request.

   "And that is?" Astri asked turning to him

   "My father has said that I am too taken with Jane. He's pointed out that I'm better served with what is in front me me here." Thor started

   "He better not be suggesting we court," Astri interjected, worriedly

Thor's silence was her answer.

   "We are not getting married. I would rather die." Astri groaned

   "That was rather rude." Thor pointed out "You don't have to worry I'm not telling you this because I want to court you. I'm telling you because I don't think he's right, I want to be with Jane but I also want to do my duty to Asgard."

   "You know you're not king yet," Astri said, relieved that Thor wasn't interested in her.

   "What does that have to do with Jane?" He asked

   "It means that you should go out and live. Who cares what Odin thinks is best?" Astri smiled

   "It's irresponsible." Thor pointed out

   "When has Thor Odinson ever cared about responsibility?" Astri laughed

   "Well there was that time I brought my brother back because he tried to take over Midgard." Thor pointed out

Okay he had her there.

   "I am sure whatever is meant to happen will happen. If you end up with Jane, great! If not...well we aren't getting married but there's lots of other eligible maidens!" Astri said

   "I suppose you are right..." Thor said

   "I'm always right." She smiled "Now, get off my bed and leave so I can sleep, Volstaggs victories and Loki's silver tongue have worn me out."

Thor's eyebrow raised at the last statement from Astri.

"Astri! You don't want to court me yet you sneak around with my brother while he is locked away under the castle?! I ought to tell the whole kingdom!" He gasped, feigning a scandalized face.

   "I didn't mean it like that, you idiot! I meant his wordy conversation is exhausting! Just go to your own room!" She blushed trying to pull him out of the bed.

Thor laughed and continued to laugh at her reddened face as Astri shoved him out the door and proceeded to slam it in his face. The Odinson brothers were surely going to drive Astri insane one of these days and hopefully, it wouldn't be for another thousand years.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie has changed my entire life. Suzanne Collins cooked again.

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