#and there is a 99.9% chance I’m walking out of there with a sword

[southislandwren]

Ah fuck i am romanticizing the shit out of a sword. I think I’m gonna ration my money for my next 4 paychecks so I can afford a sword and my tattoo (both in august lol) because not getting a sword at this point will be devastating. And yes I did just remember I’m getting a tattoo in august. Hell yeah

Oh edited to add since my birthday is in august maybe I can be like no gifts just money for sword. Because I’m a special little baby I still get gifts from my immediate family but this year? All sword. Let’s get this fucking bread (a sword)

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS CHAOS LINEAGE Animate Tokuten Drama CD “Diabolik ★ Negligent Lifestyle ~ The Eldest Son’s Depression ~”

Original title:「ディアヴォリック★自堕落生活～長男の憂鬱～」

Source: Diabolik Lovers Chaos lineage Animate Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke, Takahiro Sakurai & Tomoaki Maeno

Translator’s note: ‘The eldest son’s depression’ is a very accurate way to describe this CD because it’s basically half an hour of Ruki suffering which leads to his eventual mental breakdown, haha. If there’s anything I learnt from tokuten CDs over the course of the past two years, it’s that if you’re a ‘serious’ person by nature - for example Reiji and Ruki - then there’s a 99.9% chance that you’ll get the short end of the stick. :p These boys suffer so much because the other boys are just pulling random shit.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Ruki: ( My coffee break after finishing all daily tasks around the house. While enjoying the deep fragrance of the coffee beans, I browse through one of the philosophy books I have been reading these past couple of days. To me, it is moments like these which spark the most joy. Today in particular, my younger brothers left early in the morning, so it is nice and quiet in the house. While feeling just a tinge of loneliness, I decided to enjoy this rare moment of free time to the fullest. )

*Cling*

Ruki: …Haah. 

*Cling*

*Flip*

*Caw caw caw*

Ruki: …Hm? There seems to be a lot of commotion going on outside? Somehow I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s hope I’m simply imagining it. 

Ruki gets up from his seat and heads outside. 

*Clunk* 

*Creaaaak*

*Thud*

Ruki: …Hm? What is that large shadow?

He approaches.

Shuu: Zzー … Nn…

Ruki: Shuu…!? Is he asleep…? I can imagine they would try to use this guy as a decoy, giving Reiji and the others a chance to ambush our manor…However, I do not sense any other presence. I suppose I will simply have to confirm directly.

Ruki draws his weapon and carefully approaches. 

Ruki: If you have come to kill me, then let us battle it out fair and square, Shuu!

Shuu: Nn…Hm? …Nnh…Zzー...

Ruki: If you continue to sleep, I will end your life! 

Ruki threatens with his sword. 

*Woosh*

Shuu: Zzー... Zzー...

Ruki: Could it be…Is he really just sleeping? …Hm. In that case, I suppose killing him would be a rash move on my part. After all, I could think of a million things I would like to ask him. About Reiji’s tactics, as well as what his other siblings have planned. I suppose I have no other choice. I’ll carry him to the living room for now. 

*TIMESKIP*

*Ding・dong・ding・dong*

Shuu wakes up.

Shuu: Nn…Nnh…Pwaaah…Huh? Where am I…? ーー Hm? Why am I tied up?

Ruki: This is my manor. I tied a rope around you so you would not be able to cause any harm. …Shuu, there is something I would like to ask you. Why were you sleeping by our doorstep? Did Reiji send you here? 

Shuu: I got sleepy while out on a walk, that’s all. What are you going on about?

Ruki: Hah! This smells like something Reiji set up. I suppose you won’t spill the beans so easily, huh? However, we have all the time. You shall tell me everything you know.

Shuu: I don’t know anything at all. Could you please listen to me? 

Ruki: I don’t believe you. From Reiji’s plans to what we can expect from your other brothers…The information you have will surely prove to be useful to us in our future fights.

Shuu: Gotcha. I mean, I’m not gonna run away so do as you please, I guess? For now…Pwaah…I can’t be bothered telling you all of that, so I’m gonna go for a nap instead. 

Ruki: Do you…realize that this is enemy territory? 

Shuu: I’m aware. So what? You’re the only one here right now, aren’t you? So I have nothing to worry about. I can make quick work of just one person. 

Ruki: …!? Excuse me!? Are you trying to insult me!? 

Ruki gets up from his seat.

*Ding・dong*

Shuu: …Someone’s at the door. Shouldn’t you go let them in? 

Ruki: Unfortunately for you, we are not expecting any visitors. It could all be part of Reiji’s plan in an attempt to rescue you now that you have been imprisoned. 

Shuu: You think so…? I can’t imagine that guy would try to save me. 

*Ding・dong・ Ding・dong・ Ding・dong*

Ruki: …!? 

Shuu: You’re not gonna answer the door? It’s pretty clear by your expression that you’re dying to know who’s ringing the bell. 

Ruki: Tsk…You better not try to remove the rope while I’m gone. You do realize what will happen to you the second you try to escape, correct? 

Shuu: Pwaah…God, do you ever shut up? Didn’t I tell you earlier that I have no intentions to run? Zzー... Zzー...

*Ding・dong・ Ding・dong・ Ding・dong*

Ruki: Haah…The one time I get a free day…

Ruki heads towards the entrance hall to open the door.

Ruki: Who is it?

Kino: Hey there, Ruki! Geez, a little late, huh? I thought nobody was home for a second because it took forever for you to answer the door!

Ruki: …!? Kino…! …Tsk! So it was all part of Reiji’s plan after all!

Ruki attacks but Kino manages to dodge just in time.

*Rustle*

*Thud* 

Kino: Woah there! …God! That was close! What are you doing all of a sudden!? 

Ruki: You are here to save Shuu on behalf of Reiji, are you not!? Just so you know, I will not give up the prisoner that easily. 

Kino: Eh? What are you going on about? …So Shuu’s over at your place as well right now?

Ruki: Huh? So you don’t know anything…?

Kino: What am I supposed to know? I’m just here to pick up something I forgot at your place. Let’s just say I accidentally left my smartphone behind when infiltrating the building yesterday. 

Ruki: Wha…!? Infiltrate!? 

Kino: Oh well, who cares about the small details? Anyway, I’m letting myself in, okay? 

Kino walks inside.

Ruki: …!? Wait!

Kino: I’ll leave as soon as I get what I came for, so relax. Let’s see…Where’s my phone…? 

He starts walking around. 

Kino: Hmー The bathroom? This is not the place I’m looking for. 

*Thud*

Kino: Um…Not here either. 

*Thud*

Kino: Hmー Here, maybe? 

*Thud*

Kino: Wrong again!? Hmm~ I guess this absolute mess of a room must belong to Ayato? Which means…

*Thud*

Kino: Haha~! I guess this would be Shin’s room? Heeh…Shin’s more of a cleanfreak than I expected. 

Ruki: Oi! Don’t go around looking inside our private rooms without permission! Do you have a death wish!? 

Kino: I mean, you’ve got a target on my back either way, don’t you? In which case I don’t see why I would need to be extra careful about everything I do. 

Kino continues looking around. 

Kino: …There we go, finally found it. So here’s the living room. With a house as big as this one, it’s so easy to get lost, don’t you think? 

Ruki: ーー Oi! That’s where he…!

They both enter the living room.

*Creaak*

Kino: Let’s seeー My smartphone…My smartphone…Wait, huh? Shuu! You’ve actually been taken captive!

Shuu: …Hm? Perfect timing. Could you undo this rope?

Kino: I mean, sure. But you better thank me later, okay? 

Kino removes the rope.

Kino: There we go!

Ruki: Kuh…Stop that at once!

Shuu: Oh please, just pipe down already, will you?

Ruki: It being two against one puts me at a disadvantage, but I suppose I have no other choice. I shall take both of you at once!

Ruki draws his weapon again. 

Kino: Haah!? I didn’t come here to fight today, you know…I told you that I only came to get my smartphone, right?

*Rustle rustle*

Kino: …Got it! Anyway, I’m kinda tired so I’ll head home now. 

Shuu: Me too. The noise here is driving me crazy. 

They head towards the door. 

Ruki: Wait. I will not let you leave. Either you fight me and die, or you will become prisoners to lure out Reiji…Now choose your fate.

Kino: Haah…!? (mumbles) Hey, what are we gonna do now, Shuu? You’re the older brother of us two, so do something about it!

Shuu: Don’t ask me.

Ruki: I hate to break it to you, but coming up with a plan won’t get you anywhere. 

Kino: We’re not! …I’m really not in the mood to fight right now, you see? Reiji nagged me about my bedhead first thing in the morning today, I’m honestly exhausted. 

Shuu: I’d rather not bother with something as troublesome as fighting either. 

Ruki: In that case, you’ll behave and become my prisoners? No complaints there? 

Shuu: Sure? But don’t tie me up again, okay?

Kino: Hmー I can live with that. We’ll let ourselves be captured, but at least give us that freedom, okay?

Ruki: I suppose I have no other choice but to agree with your wishes in that regard. 

Kino: Okay, that’s settled! Well then…

Kino plops down on the couch.

*Rustle*

Kino: I’ll be over here playing on my phone. 

*Beep beep*

Shuu: I suppose I’ll go for another nap…

Shuu lies down.

*Rustle rustle*

Ruki: I shall get back to reading theー …Wait, hold up! You agreed to becoming prisoners earlier, remember!? So what’s with that leisurely attitude!? 

Shuu: Zzー... Zzー...

Ruki: Ahem! You agreed to becoming my prisoners earlier, did you not? 

Kino: Hmー Did we? I don’t remember. Anyway, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now, so can we talk later? 

Shuu: Zzー... Zzー...

Ruki: Haah…Hah!

*Rustle*

Kino: Uwah…!? 

Shuu: …!? 

Ruki: Rule number two of this household! All members should participate in household chores such as cleaning and cooking whenever possible! When in Rome, do as the Romans do! Now that you have officially become my prisoners, you two will also have to follow the rules of this family! Well then, we will be starting with the laundry!

Kino: Haah…!? What are you saying?

Shuu: Haah…Too much trouble. Why would I ever…?

*Rustle*

Kino: …Hey! That hurts! Don’t tug me…!

Ruki: There are only so many hours of sunshine per day. We have no time to waste on idle chit-chat.

Kino: Haah!? You’re seriously a pain in the ass! (mumbles) …Oi, Shuu! Why did we agree to this!? Now we’re in deep shit!

Shuu: Don’t ask me. It’s not my fault. I didn’t think this would happen. 

*TIMESKIP*

Kino: Um…Now I just have to put some laundry detergent in here…There. 

Ruki: Wrong! Everyone knows that you first have to measure out the amount with the bottle’s cap before putting it in! Don’t be so wasteful!

Kino: How am I supposed to know that!? I’ve always left all of the household chores up to Reiji after all. If all you can do is complain, why not do it yourself!? 

Ruki: Then what’s the point in keeping you as my prisoners? Furthermore, everything you need to know about the laundry detergent is written down in the house rulebook which I handed you earlier. I told you to properly read through it, did I not? 

ーー Shuu, please read to him the part on the laundry detergent found on page 12.

Shuu: Haah…Why me? 

*Flip flip*

Shuu: ‘Rule 8.2: When using laundry detergent, one must use the bottle cap to measure the right amount at all times. One may not go over this set amount by even 0.1 milliliter.’ 

Ruki: Yes, exactly! Have you ever heard of the saying: ‘many a little makes a mickle?’ Our family is always very mindful about saving money, that is exactly whyーー

Kino: Aaah…I’ve had enough! I can’t keep up with this. I’m passing! Shuu can do this one. 

Shuu: Once again, why are these tasks being pushed onto me? Weren’t you the one who said we would help out? I won’t do them.

Kino: Eeh~? But I personally believe that only idiots work themselves. Besides, I like making other people do the dirty work for me, so do it!

Shuu: Nope. I don’t want to bother with labor either. 

Ruki: Heh. That truly sounds like something a bunch of NEETs would say. You losers. 

Shuu: I mean, if that means I can have an easy life, sure. …Anyway, I’m sure you could have figured that making us do household chores wouldn’t end well? 

Ruki: A lot of my younger brothers aren’t natural-born housekeepers either, yet we have continued to help each other where we can. As captives, you should at least put in a minimum amount of effort! 

Shuu: I don’t think that way. Besides, I don’t like getting scolded. Hence, I’m stepping down. You can do the rest. 

Kino: I’m throwing in the towel as well. I thought it’d be a fine way to kill some time, but I’m already tired of it.

The two of them walk away.

Ruki: …Wait! I shall not let you get away!

Shuu: We get that we’re supposed to be imprisoned. So we’re simply returning to the living room, that’s all. 

Kino: Exactly! Rest assured! …We don’t know the secrets to our Family, but I guess I wouldn’t mind informing you about Reiji’s weaknesses later on. 

Ruki: Reiji’s weak points, you say…!? 

Kino: Yup! You’re curious about those, aren’t you? That being said, we’re leaving the rest up to you. Good luck!

They leave the laundry room.

Ruki: Che…This is exactly why lazy people grind my gears! I wasted precious time on them for nothing. Damnit!

*TIMESKIP*

Kino is playing one of his games again.

Kino: Hmー I guess there’s no way to connect to the wi-fi here. 

*Ding・dong ・ding・dong*

Kino: Oh? Is it already this late? Hey, Shuu…Do you think Ruki is still doing the laundry? 

He gets no response. 

Kino: Hey…! Shuu! Shuu…!!

*Rustle rustle*

Shuu: Ugh…Shut up…What do you want? 

Kino: Once again, I asked when Ruki will come back. 

Shuu: How am I supposed to know? If you’re that curious, why not go take a look yourself? 

Kino: No way! Then he’ll force me to work again, won’t he? ーー Actually, pwaah…I’m bored. Play with me. 

Shuu: I refuse. I don’t see why I would need to entertain you. 

Kino: You’re really not the most sociable guy around, huh? 

Kino gets up from the couch. 

Kino: Oh well, whatever. Is there anything around which I can play with…? 

*Thud* 

Kino: …Oh! Could this be Ruki’s favorite book? 

*Flip flip*

Kino: Uwah…! It’s all words and no pictures, how boring. I guess he became such a hardhead from reading this stuff all the time? 

Ruki enters the room. 

Ruki: My bad for being a ‘hard-headed Vampire’. 

Kino: Oh geez, I was just joking…~ …Anyway, you took forever. When will dinner be served? 

Ruki: Hah? 

Kino: Like I said, I want to know when we’ll get some food. Don’t tell me you guys are so poor, you can’t even afford daily meals? 

Ruki: Of course not. …However, those who do not work, do not get to eat. There is no food for you two. 

Shuu: Hmm~? You’re just as stingy as one would expect. 

Ruki: …! S-Stingy? …Damnit…Fine. In that case, I’ll heat up some of the leftover soup we had for dinner last night. That’ll do, right? 

Shuu: A rare steak. 

Ruki: Steak…!? 

Shuu: Grade A5 wagyu beef. I won’t eat anything else. 

Ruki: Do not be ridiculous! Beef!? And a top quality cut on top of that!? Do you truly believe that you are worthy of such a dish!? 

Shuu: Yeah? 

Kino: Ahaha! Shuu, you say the funniest things at times. 

Ruki: Che…I cannot believe you would go as far as to demand such food after refusing to work. I understand why Reiji calls you a ‘good-for-nothing’ now. 

Kino: Hey, Ruki. I’d like a steak too. …Oh, also guava juice made from 100% real fruit, please~ …Ah! Don’t mix it with other ingredients like bananas, okay? Alsoーー 

Ruki: Hah! Ridiculous. I fail to see why I should listen to any of your selfish demands. 

Kino: Oh~? I thought you wanted to know Reiji’s weakness? 

Ruki: …! …Ugh…Che…Kuh! I’m making an exception just this once, okay? Furthermore, do not try anything funny. Do you understand? 

Kino: Yeah, yeah, all clear. Well then, Ruki, off you go~! 

*TIMESKIP*

*Thud*

Ruki: Haah…It took me quite some time to find a guava. …I suppose it is about time I rearrange our food storage. 

*Rustle* 

Ruki: I suppose the steak I took out of the freezer earlier should have thawed by now. I better hurry back and prepare it for them. Haah…How did this happen? They have been less useful to me as prisoners than I anticipated. I need to hurry up and find out about Reiji’s weakness…then kill them, I suppose? 

*BOOM*

Ruki: …!? What was that sound just now!? I believe it came from the first floor but…Could it be…!? 

Ruki rushes to the first floor.

*THUD*

Ruki: Ugh…! Oi, you two! What are you doing!? 

Shuu: Can’t you tell? 

Kino: We found the steak, so we figured we’d get to cooking. Ahー About the explosion from earlier…Well…Yeah…You know, we went around pressing some random buttons and then something went boom?

Ruki: Explosion!? 

Kino: So yeah…There might be this slight ー No, relatively big hole in the wall now. 

Shuu: Just so you know, this isn’t our fault. You shouldn’t have taken forever to gather all the ingredients. 

Ruki: …

Kino: Ah, Shuu! The meat! It’ll overcook! 

Shuu: Hm? Ah…You’re right.

Shuu takes the meat off the fire. 

Ruki: You have to be kidding me…This crosses the line…I’ve had enough! You blow a hole in my kitchen wall and go around acting like you’re king of the world! Also what’s with the AC running on full power!? …Huh? It’s set to 18 degrees…!? The AC should be on 28 grades at all times! 

Ruki adjusts the AC.

Kino: Ah! What are you doing!? 

Ruki: Furthermore, don’t use the teppanyaki plate here! It’ll cause a power outage!

*Rustle* 

Shuu: …!? Oi…! Don’t touch my meat!

Ruki: Che…! Move! You’re in my way!

Shuu: And you are in mine. If you turn off the power right now, it’ll ruin the meat.

Kino: Haah…I’ve worked up a sweat from you yelling at us. Better turn on the AC and the fan. 

Kino starts messing with the AC again. 

Ruki: …!? Did I not tell you to wait! Don’t just do as you please…!

*BZZZT BZZZT*

Ruki: …!? 

*CRASH*

*BOOM*

Ruki: …M-My…My manor…What did I do…to deserve this…? 

Shuu: Aah. It really improved the ventilation of this place. 

Kino: Ah…B-But…It’s not my fault, okay? 

*Rustle* 

Shuu: Guess we should head home now.

Kino: Y-Yeah! Good idea! I’m kind of sick of being a prisoner.

*Rustle*

Kino: …Uwah!?

Ruki: Where…do you think you’re going…? 

Kino: W-What do you mean? Home? 

Ruki: And who gave you permission to do so? Not only are you my prisoners…There is something you have to take responsibility for, no? 

Kino: Eh? Did I do something bad? 

Shuu: You’re the one who made us do the things we did, remember? In other words, we’re not to blame. 

Ruki: …! …However…All of this happened because you two came here, did it not? Don’t get ahead of yourself because I’ve gone easy on you so far! Hah!

*Rustle*

Kino: Wah!

*Rustle rustle*

Ruki: You can start by fixing all damage dealt to the living room and kitchen. And once you’re done with that, you will clean the bathtub and the toilet as well as clean the windows! 

Kino: One second! You can’t expect a homebody such as myself to do physical labor like that! Have you lost your mind!? 

Shuu: Cut it out…I’m not doing any of that. …Ah, right. You want to know Reiji’s weak spot, don’t you? I’ll tell you that right now soーー 

Ruki: You can tell me in full detail after you’ve repaired my manor. As long as you stay here, my word is law. Haah…Come on…Let’s go…Ugh…

Shuu: Haah…This sucks…I guess there’s really no place like home, huh? 

Kino: Noo~! I don’t want to work…~~! Let me go! Oh come on! Ah, god…! I hate you Rukiiiiiiーー!!

ーー THE END ーー

[the-foxes-fangs]

I Wish I Was the Moon: Epilogue Pt. 2

Read the main fic and interludes at a03 

Tagging the lovely @otomediary, @you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age, @louveau, and @wingedtreecookiesludge 

                                       ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The ride to Echigo had been pleasant, she was in buoyant spirits despite the muddy road and chilly mornings of the early spring, but he felt the anxiety in her back and shoulders as they gained on Kasugayama. 

“Cold feet so soon, little mouse?” He asked teasingly, holding her close with one arm wrapped around her waist and the reins loose in his free hand. 

“About you? Not one bit. About Kenshin? Well...” She answered, trailing off apprehensively. “The last time I saw him he did put his sword to my throat. I’m not completely sure he’s the best choice for a potential father-in-law. Ieyasu might have been a better option, after all.” 

The sky was a mass of pewter clouds that rolled on into a bank of mist, obscuring the mountains and the horizon and threatened to soak them, but all he could feel was the warmth of her against him and some stray strands of her hair tickling his face when he kissed the top of her head. 

“Let’s not be hasty my dear, could you really look Ieyasu in the eye at our wedding banquet and call him ‘father’? I think he would expire right then and there of the indignity,” He said with a low laugh that she answered with one of her own. 

“Good point, there’s no way I could do that with a straight face.” She said and laughed again. “Still, Kenshin is unpredictable. I’d rather our wedding not become a war zone if we can avoid it.” 

He urged the horse onward as the crested the last hill between them and the castle town, and a misty rain began to fall. 

“He’s got a code of honor as rigid as his sword, whatever else you might find to say about him.” Mitsuhide answered lightly. 

“Oho--” she said with a derisive snort “So that’s the game. Don’t get overconfident though, Sasuke tells me that Shingen is pretty slick, and Kenshin kept up with him all those years.” 

“Ah but Shingen is a tiger! What dragon ever noticed a fox running circles around his feet?” He asked, pulling her coat tighter around her against the wet chill. 

“I defer to your judgement on this one, with reservations.” She said, and blew out a soft sigh. 

They made it to the castle as the rain began to beat down in earnest, tearing the new leaves off of the trees and plastering his hair to his forehead. He slid out of the saddle and caught her, blowing on her frigid fingers to warm them as the guard opened the gates for them. He ignored their prying eyes and held her tightly, kissing her deeply enough to make her breath hitch, though not nearly enough to satisfy either of them. 

Kenshin was standing under the eaves looking like an ice sculpture as usual, with a disapproving Sasuke by his side.

Yoshimoto stood gracefully in a doorway and looked them over with elegant amusement on his delicate face.  

“Welcome. It’s a shame that you arrive accompanied by a snake.” Kenshin said coldly, but reached out to take her hands so gently it looked as if he expected her to shatter. 

“Well, it is a breath of fresh air to see you.” Sasuke said happily, with what passed for a smile as he greeted her. 

“We come as a set, I’m afraid.” She said and offered him a gracious bow. 

"Why, that’s no way to talk about your soon to be son-in-law.” Mitsuhide interjected airily, with a jaunty bow that earned him a scowl and snort in reply.

 “You just don’t know when to quit, do you? It’s like the man said-- you’d face god and walk backward into hell.” Sasuke muttered by way of greeting, shaking his head. 

“You do have such a quaint way with a turn of phrase, squirrel.” Mitsuhide replied with a wink. 

“I was making fun of you.” Sasuke answered and gestured at her, laughing demurely behind her sleeve. 

“Enough pointless chatter.” Kenshin cut in, gesturing for them to follow as he turned toward the shadowy interior of the castle. They filed inside, Kenshin at the lead, and in spite of confidence, he stayed close to her side. 

“The lady is looking a bit like a little drowned mouse, and I’d like to get dried off myself before we begin the formalities, if you don’t mind showing us to our quarters.” Mitsuhide said as they paused at the door to the audience hall. 

“Someone ought to have beaten a polite tongue into your head long ago, Akechi, and when the lady is my daughter, I just might.” Kenshin snarled at him, ice in his face and tone. 

“A term of endearment, I assure you.” Mitsuhide answered, palms up placatingly. 

“Show her to her room.” Kenshin said to Sasuke, and then turned to look him up and down with withering contempt. “You’ll be in the house with the other single men.” He said with a flash in his sharp eyes that brooked no argument. 

“Very well, my lord.” Mitsuhide said, hiding his rising irritation despite having been prepared for exactly this sort of treatment. 

“Wait, I--” she began to object, only to catch his eye and the faint shake of his head, “uh, I wanted to thank you for your generous hospitality and kindness.” 

She bowed again and gave him a questioning glance before she turned to follow Sasuke around a corner. 

“What an absolutely lovely woman.” Yoshimoto said with a gentle wave of his fan as he watched them leave.

“Isn’t she just? A woman you’d do anything for.” Mitsuhide replied with acid in his voice. 

“Is that right? But you were always capable of stooping to any low, so that’s a bit of an insult to the lady, don’t you think?” Yoshimoto said smoothly, fanning himself gracefully. 

A retainer who had been summoned to show him to the barracks stood watching the scene with wide eyes. 

Kenshin looked between them and curled his lip. “Settle it with your blades or shut up. You both bore me, all talk and no blood.” 

“Well I’d hate to be boring, heaven knows.” Mitsuhide answered him, and bowed crisply. “If you’ll excuse me, my lords.” 

He nodded at the retainer and followed him down the hall. 

                                               ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“So you’re absolutely sure it’s too late for me to dissuade you from marrying Mitsuhide?” Sasuke asked, handing her a cup of tea. 

The room that had been prepared for her was almost stifling in its opulent beauty, books and scrolls, paintings, flowers, even an elaborately made sewing kit and bolts of conspicuously bright fabrics of the sort a young unmarried woman would wear, giving the impression of an overcrowded birdcage. 

It was warm but not warm enough to chase away the chill of his absence, of the warmth of his lips on hers that she longed for to drive her fears away, his low teasing laugh that made it all seem like it wasn’t worth worrying over in the first place. 

“Sasuke, you cannot be seriously asking that after you helped engineer such a beautiful reunion and proposal.” She answered, and sipped her tea, her hair wrapped in a warm towel.

“Against my will! Let the record stand that it was 99.9% against my will!” He answered, adjusting his glasses primly. 

“It’s that last fraction that counts.” She answered and patted his hand soothingly. “I see you haven’t lost your taste for outdated memes.” She added with a snicker. 

“Absurd situations call for absurd references.” He replied, but there was brotherly warmth in his eyes. “You do look as happy as I’ve ever seen you. I don’t know how you live with him, but you look well.” 

“I could say the same for you and Kenshin. Is he still threatening to kill you three times a day?” 

“It was actually up to six for awhile, but we’ve settled at an average of two, so I think he’s forgiving me.” 

“I’ve got to admit, I was surprised that you suggested this to Mitsuhide. It’s not like they particularly like each other.”  She said, nibbling on one of the beautiful sweets that had been prepared for her. 

Sasuke’s eyes flashed behind his glasses, and he crossed his arms firmly. “I absolutely could not allow him to torture Ieyasu. Kenshin is the only one who stands any chance of keeping that man in line, the way I see it. And they both love you, so there’s some common ground.” 

She nearly spat her tea, sputtering and coughing until tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m sorry did you--” she coughed hard, “did you just say Kenshin loves me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have been more exact in my phrasing--” Sasuke said, slapping her back as she finished coughing, “he’s not in love with you, but you impressed him as much as I’ve ever seen anyone impress him that day, and I think it’s fair to say he loves you in his own specifically Kenshin way.” 

“Thanks, Sasuke, psych 101 just bubbled up from the depths of my mostly drunken freshmen memories and took me on quite the ride there for a minute.” She said, waving him back to his seat across from her as she composed herself. 

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to cause you to revisit your brief but passionate affair with Tequila in such an unfortunate way.” He replied, deadpan. 

“I forgive you, just let Mitsuhide be the one who surprises me, if possible. So you think this will all go off without a hitch?” 

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and swept the hair out of his face. “I thought a hitch, as in getting hitched was the whole point.” 

“That was an appalling pun. Wretched. Unforgivable.” She said and they both broke out into peals of laughter. 

“Speaking seriously, I think that as long as Mitsuhide can avoid antagonizing Kenshin, everything will be fine.” 

“Oh, is that all? Well when you put it that way.” She shot back with a shake of her head. “Please be a pal and tell Mitsuhide where to find me, he gets an itchy trigger finger when he sleeps alone.” 

“Now that’s a euphemism.” Sasuke said with his voice caught between admiration and horror. 

“Oh, good lord, Sasuke, that’s not what I meant! Seriously, though, I’m sneaking out to see him if he doesn’t get here first.” She said, drumming her fingers on the table nervously. 

“As much as I’d like to be of assistance, I have to, with the greatest affection, ask you not to be as much of a reckless idiot as usual.” Sasuke shot back, and held up his finger. “No sneaking out. No creeping through the halls, and don’t even think about trying to get through the ceilings, I see what you’re looking at.” 

“But--” she began, only to be stopped by a vigorous shake of his head.

“I mean it. Nothing that would alert the guards. As of now, you’re officially visiting the family, and unlike a trip to stay with cool uncle Nobunaga, someone will be disinherited of his head if you don’t exercise the utmost discretion. Mitsuhide knows it, that’s why he didn’t argue.”

“Oh, fine.” She replied moodily. “I feel like I’m shut up in a dungeon. A very nice dungeon.” 

“Please don’t give Kenshin any ideas, he’s got his own very weird ways of showing his affection.” Sasuke said with a pained look. “Just try to enjoy the party tonight, and see if you can get the two of them talking... I don’t know, tactics or weapons or something.” 

“I’m no diplomat, but I’ll do my best.” She answered with a sigh. 

[lazy-cat-corner]

Repost: Prompt- Lyrics to Seven Wonders

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Loki X Valkyrie

Words: 2800k

Summary:Post Endgame but an Infinity War AU where Loki survives. It’s been two years since Valkyrie was home and she thinks she’s about ready to pack her bags to Norway and then an unexpected visitor comes to New York. This fic is a prompt that follows the lyrics to Fleetwood Mac’s “Seven Wonders”.

Notes: I am so sorry if you’re seeing me repost this but I’m 99.9% sure tumblr filtered the post out because of a link I embedded (screams). I’m so mad about that. Anyway, here’s a repost of it. (If you’ve already read this don’t feel obligated to like/reblog) I’m just posting this so it appears in searches because like whats the point if no one can see it, right? (takes calming breaths) 

You can listen to Fleetwood Mac’s version of Seven Wonders but I was listening to Alice Kristiansen’s version on YT. I highly recommend listening to more of her songs. Not only does she look like Natalie Portman’s doppelganger, but she has the voice and talent of an angel! Enjoy!

So it’s hard to find someone with that kind of intensity.

You touch my hand I play it cool and you reached out your hand to me.

But if our paths never cross, well you know I’m sorry but~ Fleetwood Mac

It felt long ago since Brun’s last seen him, yet the second the two make eye contact, it feels like they could pick up where they’ve left off. If only they could get past the awkward introductions.

 She’s only just arrived back in New York after months of tireless work with SHIELD chasing down a mad god in Brazil and before all of that there was busy work with Tony in headquarters. She arrived the other night already set on staying for only a couple weeks to pack her things and return to her home in Norway.

 She grabs a handful of clothes and stuffs it in a cardboard box.  

 “If you’re leaving, then you have to go to the anniversary party I’m throwing!”

 Tony leans against the door frame of Brun’s room.

 Brun has a shirt in her hands and knits her eyebrows in thought. She’s pretty sure he married Pepper in the fall.  

 “Who’s anniversary?”

 “Ours! Well, everyone’s, really. It’s been nearly five years since,” Tony waves his hands in the air. Still too shaken to directly mention the day they somehow got lucky and undid everything Thanos destroyed.

 “I’m not really up for a party,” Brun sighs.

 “Is that even possible for you to say those words?”  

 “I’m just really ready to go home, Stark.  I haven’t been up for partying for some time, you know that.”

 “Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugs. “But this one is important. I’ve been working on it for months. Everyone will be there!”

 “Everyone?” Brun raises her eyebrows in disbelief.

“Well, Thor can’t make it.” Tony answers her silent question

 A feeling of disappointment courses through Brun. She shrugs and continues packing.

 No matter, they will be reunited soon.

 “I’m going to take that silence as a yes. Yes Tony, I can’t wait to go to your super fun party!” He says as he walks out of her room making an awful impression of herself.

 She forgot how striking Loki’s eyes are until now. The small reflective lights from the disco ball Tony hung up in the venue dances in the blue of his eyes. His gaze shifts back to Pepper Potts clutching a glass of champagne and enthusiastically telling him about her newest project with Tony. Loki places a gentle hand over her shoulder and politely says something to her Brun can’t make out. Pepper’s face shifts from excitement to confusion until she turns her head and follows Loki’s line of sight. Her face softens and gives Brun a smile before she quietly makes her way deeper in the crowd of guests.  

 Loki’s steps are slow and cautious. Almost like he’s afraid if he moves too quickly it would startle her and she’d run away. Like how she did before.

 They stand in silence for a moment and exchange a polite smile.

 She knows someone has to speak first before it gets too awkward and it’s probably already gotten awkward at this point-

 “Hi.” She blurts.

 “Your hair,” Loki points. “Did something different with it?”

 Brun’s hand touches her hair she put up in braids and smirks remembering Thor saying those words to her sometime ago.

Must run in the family.  

 “Brazil was really humid,” she says without thinking, “Had to keep it out of the way and I guess I’m not ready to part with it.”

 “It looks, nice.”

 “Thanks,” she mutters.

 She should say something, anything to hide that her head is running at a rapid pace. Is it too late for her to say sorry? Should she even address what’s probably obvious to the both of them or pretend like nothing happened?

 “It’s good to see you,” Loki says each word carefully.

 “Yeah,” Brun fidgets with her dress, “you too.”

 The noise in the room grows quiet as Pepper approaches the stage up front and asks for everyone’s attention.

 Brun leans over to Loki and quietly continues.

 “It’s been nearly…” Brun purses her lips counting back the months since he left.

 “Two years,” Loki finishes.

 “Right,” she turns up to Loki and notices his attention to Pepper’s speech. “You’ve been, busy, i see?”

 She mentally scolds herself. Brun’s slayed gods with her Dragonfang sword and yet here she is choosing to cower and see how long they can go without talking about the last night she saw him.

 Loki turns to her and gives a warm smile. He leans in closer and answers.  

 “Thor thought it would be best I serve as a sort-of Ambassador to Asgard. Go around and speak publicly, maybe get more countries on our side. He’s out of his mind, but I admit everyone’s been more tolerant of me since I began the campaign.”

 Brun tries to find the right words to say. Her train of thought is derailed when the rest of the party guests catch her attention.  

 A round of applause erupts and Pepper speaks louder into the microphone.  

 “Again, thank you all for coming. This is an important day for all of us. With that said, let’s begin with the awards!”

 Pepper holds a plaque up in the air and explains the significance of it. She finishes by motioning to the pair standing off to the side.

 “Unfortunately, Thor couldn’t be here to accept the award. So their ambassador, his brother, Loki Odinson, will be accepting on his behalf.”

 “They never said anything about awards.” Brun defends.

 “Of course they didn’t,” Loki grits his teeth. “Excuse me for a moment,” He hands Brun his drink and approaches the stage to give an improvised acceptance speech his palace tutors probably had him perfect for centuries. It’s the type of speech that could win him a position of power if he didn’t already have bad blood with New York.

 She expected the atmosphere of the party to be more hostile towards Loki. Even if he contributed to Thanos’s defeat, it’s not something he brags about when he’s on TV. Brun has to give it to Asgard, they have a good PR team if they could get him back in Midgard’s good graces.  

 “See, I told you everyone would be here!” Tony’s voice catches her attention. He’s clutching two glasses of bourbon and hands her one.

 “You invited him, too?” She takes a sip out of her glass and closes her eyes in bliss. Tony seems to be the only one on Earth who understands her taste.

 “At first, and he said no.”

 “Which is why I know he would have no interest in something like this. Not without some sort of persuasion.”

 “I might have mentioned you were going to be here,” Tony takes a casual sip of his glass.

 “Why?”

 “Thought you could use a familiar face. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you haven’t been yourself lately and when you let it slip you hoped Thor would show up-

 “I never said that,” Brun interrupts.

 “It was implied,” he defends, “Anyway, you seemed bummed when I said he said no so I picked up the phone and let Point Break know you were going to the party before you returned. I didn’t think he would have the time and you were supposed to be meeting him tomorrow, anyway. And then Loki called me back…”    

 The party gives another round of applause with a few whistles in the background.

 Tony keeps his focus ahead on the pair on stage when he adds, “He seemed pretty enthusiastic, when he asked me about you.”

 Brun feels her cheeks heat up. On instinct, she cools herself down with another drink from her glass.

 Pepper pulls Loki in for a brief hug and shakes his hand one last time before he steps down the stairs. Brun watches as he gives a few people in passing a friendly wave on his way back and laughs to herself. He would probably never admit how natural he is with people.

 When he’s out of sight from everyone else, Loki lets the plaque fade into one of his pocket dimensions. Brun holds out his glass and he thanks her before taking a long sip.

 “What did you get yourself?” Loki motions to her glass in her hand.

 “Tony-” Brun motions next to her and notices he slipped away at some point. “Was here,” she shrugs. “Didn’t get a chance to ask what he got me. Something expensive, probably.” She takes another drink.  

 The awards end and Pepper claps her hands motioning to the dance floor on the other side of the ballroom. The music begins and pulls everybody to the other side.

 “Bar’s open,” Loki motions to empty stools. “Care for another drink?”

 “You already know my answer,” Brun laughs.

 They sit together in silence and watch the rest of the party dance along. By her second glass, Brun’s finding it difficult to sit still and stay quiet. She needs to do something, or say something. She’s scared she might say something wrong or make things worse somehow. Without warning, she stands up to leave. Loki reaches out and holds her wrist.

 Loki’s eyes turn to glass and his lips tighten.

 “Brunnhilde, I’m s-

 “Don’t apologize.” Brun cuts him off. “Don’t-don’t pretend like any of it was your fault. Let’s just…”

 Loki lifts his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish.

 Brun motions to the party. “Start over? Or something,” she sets herself back on the stool.  

 “Is that really what you want?”

 Brun considers her words for a moment.

 “I don’t know what I want,” she confesses.  

 A familiar song plays that catches Brun’s attention. A memory flashes in her head the last time they heard this song. They both had too much to drink at the pub and found themselves dancing in front of a jukebox. It wasn’t anything unusual for something like that to happen to them. They often found themselves tangled in each others arms after a good drink. Eventually, they found themselves doing it without any alcohol needed.  

 Loki catches Brun swaying to the song and leans in.

 “Dance with me?”

 Brun blinks and is about to ask him why when he takes her hand and holds still for a moment. There’s a look in his eyes waiting for Brun to recoil and praying she doesn’t. Brun curls her fingers and lets him pulls her further in.

 Loki winds his arm around Brun’s back and she instinctively melts into his embrace. This feels different from how they used to dance.

 Before, they would be constantly moving. Always reaching for something more. In hopes they could find something that’s enough or could soothe them for the time being. Now, they’re swaying so slow, they’re practically standing still. It lulls Brun into a state of tranquility and her thoughts are finally slowing down to a pace she can keep up with.  

 She’s not sure if she heard Loki humming along to the song, but the vibrations on his chest pull her closer to his embrace.  

 Brun looks up and studies Loki’s content expression. A calmness overtaking her as she realizes the truth.

 She remembers why she ran off the first time. It feels stupid now, but at the time it terrified her.

 Brun’s never met someone with that kind of intensity.

 She left thinking she wasn’t ready for a relationship so serious and after some time alone she learned that she’s right. These two years apart taught her so much more about what she wants and it’s unlikely she could ever give Loki that life he wants with her. But maybe she could give him something different?

 When the song finishes they step away from the dance floor, grab some drinks at the bar and find an empty table to sit at.

 Finally feeling comfortable and confident enough, Loki leans forward and asks her about her work in Brazil. Brun starts to explain the whole situation and stops mid-story.

 For some reason, the music is growing louder. And the two look over to spot a guest at the DJ table shouting in the microphone.

 Brun leans into Loki’s ear and attempts to sound casual, “Who let him on stage?”

 The pair shift uncomfortably in their seats. The beat of the song pounding into their chests and sending an unsettling feeling up their spines. It takes them back to five years ago. That time when everyone believed they lost their hearing. When all they could see was darkness.

 Brun’s finding it difficult to peer over to Loki. Partly because her vision is becoming narrow and another part of her feels like it would be rude to see him in such a vulnerable state. She looks down at her glass and is surprised to find it empty. How long have they been still?

 Eventually, Pepper approaches the DJ’s table and lowers the speakers, reminding everyone about safety codes.

 After a few deep breaths, Loki finally speaks up.  

 “If you’d prefer, we can finish catching up at my hotel. Stark gifted me with this nice bottle of wine I think you would appreciate.”

 “What makes you think that?”  

 “Because Stark said you’d appreciate it.” He answers bluntly.

 Brun barks out a shaky laugh.She catches Tony sitting at a table on the other side of the room while he smugly raises a glass her way. She throws a brief glare before she turns back. Was he watching them this whole time?  

 “It better be good if he said I’d like it.” Brun grits her teeth.

 Loki stands up and sets his half-finished glass down.

 “Let’s go.” Loki reaches his hand out.

 “Now?” Brun looks at the guests enjoying a song that must be popular because everyone knows the steps to it.

 “If you want,” he offers.

 Brun considers for a moment and wonders what else she could possibly be waiting to happen here. Brun takes his hand and they step out the front doors. The cool air brushes Brun’s cheeks and her eardrums are pulsing as soon as she steps out of the noise.  

 She’s not sure where they’re going and she wonders if Loki’s just going to teleport them to his hotel.

 “I hope you don’t mind,” he leads them down the subway stairs. “I’ve been using my seidr all day and I could use a break. Besides, I thought we could enjoy the ride.”

 They get passes at the machine and pass through the gates. Like it was on cue, a train comes their way and stops.

 They find an empty cart in the subway and sit in the back.

 Brun looks out the window and watches the bricks shift into houses as the train makes its way above ground. Loki unconsciously squeezes her hand and it catches her attention at their hands intertwined and resting on his lap. She didn’t notice until just now. Loki hasn’t stopped holding her hand.

 He holds her hand until they reach the end of the line.

 Brun settles herself on a chair in the hotel room as Loki uncorks the bottle of wine. A berry scent wafting in the air as it pops open and Brun licks her lips. Unsurprisingly, Tony once again knew what her taste buds wanted. Loki pours her a glass and they exchange what they’ve been up to the past two years. As soon as they began, it felt like opening up floodgates. They talk, and laugh and smile without a single beat of silence.

 By the time they finished the bottle of wine, they moved their conversation to the bed. It didn’t matter who started kissing, only that it didn’t end.

 She slowly starts peeling her dress off and pulling Loki deeper into their kiss. Her heart stutters when she feels the familiar contours of his chest and his mouth hitting all those places that drove her wild. Brun tilts her head back and lets him set her down on the mattress. Her hands running into his soft hair and the need to pull him closer grew stronger and more desperate.  

 It didn’t feel awkward like Brun thought it would. It felt natural, like picking up a book where it was last marked. She expected to feel regret afterwards, but all she can feel is bliss.

 Loki presses his forehead against hers and tries to control his breathing when they kiss one last time. Brun tastes a small trace of salt left on his lips when she opens her mouth and deepens the kiss.

 They have little need to speak, but they both struggle to find the right words. Loki opens his mouth and she interrupts.

 “We don’t have to talk about it. Maybe later.”  

 There’s a look of relief in Loki’s eyes when he gives a curt nod and turns off the lights. Loki pulls the comforter over and while it feels too hot for a blanket right now, her limbs are too relaxed for her to protest.

 Brun moves closer in Loki’s embrace and runs small patterns on his bare chest. His even breathing pulling her into a peaceful sleep.

 They will talk, eventually. Pretend like they need to figure out what it meant that they fucked, but they both know better. It’s impossible to keep away and Brun’s not sure if that’s a bad thing. Could they have a content future together?

 Brun closes her eyes and imagines what it would be like.

  It might work out someday, Brun thinks to herself.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Richonne in Retrospect

#4: The Stares (3x09)

Can we talk about how Michonne makes Rick entranced like no other real quick? 😋 Like after watching 3x09 I had to call this post “The Stares” cuz the stares between Rick and Michonne are the main event in this episode. 

It’s crazy too cuz even tho, by this point, they had only known each other for like a day or two they had already intensely stared at each other about twenty times lol. And throughout this particular episode those stares are at an all-time high. 

So we have this moment when Merle has an eventful reunion with his old group. Something about this scene is hilarious to me in a way that I don’t think it’s intended to be. I don’t know why but it just feels a little goofy with all of them chaotically yelling and aiming things at each other. But there is some Richonne in this scene, so I’ll take it. 😂👌🏽

The fact that in all this chaos of course Rick’s focus is almost solely on Michonne, it’s very telling. Also I’m like bruh that’s two times now that you’ve pulled a gun on your wife, calm down lol.

But as I’ve noted, Michonne’s presence alone can make this man all the way shook so he had this whole extra reaction and he literally can’t stop staring at her. 

And when he does briefly look away, Michonne takes another stab at trying to stab Merle and Rick’s quite demanding when he tells her he told her to drop the sword and then asks if she knows Andrea. 

But then, remembering that this is a queen that you don’t just demand and command, he changes his approach and instead softly asks if she knows Andrea.

And then we get the longest stare ever between them. Like no blinking either lol. 

Watching Homeboy seer into her soul, I was like...

Cuz she really put him in a trance, y’all. And like I get that this information Merle’s giving about her is news to Rick but there is no reason for these intense drawn out stares other than the fact that these two are so inherently drawn to each other. Like the pull they have over each other goes deep, as these stares suggest.

Merle starts talking again and Rick is still just glaring at her. And it really emphasizes how Rick has never known how to be casual about Michonne, everything is passionate when it has to do with her, even if right now it’s a sort of frustrated kind of passionate. 

Also, this is how you know Michonne is a fearless woman, cuz every time Rick does these long intense stare downs, Homegirl does not back down or look away. 👏🏽

She makes it clear that she’s his equal and she can handle an intimidating look from Rick to the Grimes. They’re definitely cut from the same cloth.👌🏽

And peep Rick moving closer so that she has to put her attention back on him again lol. I’m telling you Michonne brings out the extra in this man.

Also Merle tried it when he calls Michonne a Nubian queen. 🙄 Like no. Just no. And then Rick seems quite fascinated as Merle explains how Michonne used to keep walkers chained up. Like Homeboy is very interested in getting some details on Michonne and he sort of looks at Michonne again like “Who is this captivating mystery woman?” 😋 

And Michonne again just looks straight at him, like “Yeah I did that. So what?” Ain’t no shame in her game, y’all. 👸🏾

It’s also interesting how much they seem to be communicating without words cuz we’ll see them continue to be able to communicate just through a look a lot as their relationship progresses. 

(Side note: Now, y’all, Merle ended up being a very fascinating character and he was played excellently by Michael Rooker but when Merle has the audacity to say that it’s kind of ironic for Michonne to have walkers in chains I want you to know these hands of mine were rated M for Merle cuz he needed a warning pop or two for that.)

But anywho, this scene is so interesting because of how much Michonne has 99.9% of Rick’s attention. He stays facing her, stays staring at her, even with Merle rambling. Like Merle starts trying to taunt Rick directly and Rick turns and says shut up and then turns right back to Michonne. #Mesmerized

I just realized something too. In “Clear” (which I can’t wait to talk about lol) Rick says part of why he brought Michonne along is because he didn’t want to leave her around Merle. Knowing he felt this need to protect her from Merle, I feel like we’re also seeing that in this scene here. Cuz he stays standing in between them and facing her and you can tell he’d be ready to mollywhop Merle if he tried anything. Whether it’s subconscious or conscious, I’m here for him protecting her in this scene. 👏🏽

And Rick does in fact knock Merle out for talking too much and I’m like...

So then the next significant scene is when we have this moment where Rick talks with Glenn and Maggie and Daryl about what to do with “The Last Samurai”. 

It’s so interesting to see them all huddled up and Michonne on the outskirts cuz pretty soon she’s about to be a key part of their group. Like in the future, she won’t just be in the huddles, she’ll be co-leading in the huddles.

And when Daryl asks if they’re really going to choose her over Merle, Rick tells them Michonne’s not coming back with them.

Sure, Rick. And then thankfully Maggie is a real one and brings up how Michonne’s not in a state to be on her own. And it’s funny tho cuz if Maggie thought Michonne’s not in a state after that Woodbury fight then she should see the other one-eyed guy lol. 

And then Glenn is also a real one when he brings up how Michonne is the whole reason they even got rescued. Speak on it, Glenn.

And then Rick is all the way in his feelings when he says “And then she ditched us”. Like Homeboy is taking the fact that she left them real personal lol. 

But like she came back to them after her fight with the Governor and she didn’t have to come back so it’s just funny to see how much her temporarily leaving bothered Rick, despite her returning. But I think he’s upset cuz magnets are supposed to stick together, y’all.

Maggie offers to at least let Hershel stitch her up and Rick says “She’s too unpredictable.” Again, that’s that subconscious speaking cuz I know at this time he’s probably really confused about why he’s so drawn to this woman he just met, which makes her even more of an unpredictable mystery to him. 

So Daryl decides to go with Merle, Rick clearly isn’t happy and that projects on to his conversation with Michonne as they load up the car. He firmly tells Michonne, “We patch you up and then you are gone.”

First of all; 

Second of all; Even here where he’s trying to say he wants her out he still mentions but hey we’ll patch you up first. There’s still this element of taking care of her. If she was really an enemy or if he really wanted her gone then why bother? #magnetssticktogether 😋

It’s so clear he doesn’t mean this especially due to the fact that he never really enforces it again. Homeboy was just in his feelings and in fact I bet you if Michonne did prepare to leave after she got patched up, RIck would have been like “Oh hey I meant to say we patch you up, we wait for the wound to heal, we give it some time after that and then you’re gone.😂

The way Michonne sort of nods and reacts like “Fine, I won’t fight you on this if you want me gone” makes me sad because again nowhere is truly home for her yet. She thinks she’s going to be on her own again and while to his face she looks strong and like she doesn’t care too much, you know she does. Like she nods when he tells her this but when she walks away the loneliness and sadness she feels is evident. 😔

Also when she walks away Rick looks back at her like he was low key really hoping she would argue with him to stay, since he knows good and well he doesn’t really want her gone. 

I agree with what a lot of people have mentioned before about how it seems like Rick’s sometimes-forceful response to Michonne has to do with his own guilt about feeling some type of way about a woman so shortly after the death of his wife. 

Like, while I’m not saying he knows he has feelings for Michonne yet, I think he is somewhat aware that he’s very drawn to her and intrigued by her in a different way than just any other person and I think, being the traditional guy he is, it’s kind of shaking him up a bit so he feels like he has to overcompensate by trying (emphasis on trying) to be cold to her. 

But this stern act is not an act he can keep up for long cuz when you’re meant to be, you’re meant to be. 😊

And then their last moment in this episode is when Michonne is asleep in the prison and now it’s Rick’s turn to just stand and stare at her while Hershel tends to her, cuz Carl did the exact same thing when Michonne first arrived in the prison. Like father, like son. 😂

The way he’s staring again, it’s like he can’t help but be intrigued. 

Also Homeboy looks like he’s seriously going through it right now lol. Like this is the look of a man who has a lot on his plate and desperately needs someone to love and understand him. And little does he know he’s staring at the woman who will do just that.

However, for now he’s sticking with this whole “she’s outta here” front when he asks Hershel how long before she can travel. I’m like “Rick, bruh, it’s okay. You like her. Stop trying so hard to fight it.”

And honestly, probably part of why he asked when she can travel isn’t so much to see how soon she can go but rather how long she can stay. 💯

And then interestingly, we have this scene where Rick meets these newcomers, Tyrese and Sasha. And he doesn’t want to let them stay. He says they’ve been through this before with the prisoners but uh...what about the girl who’s sleeping in a cell rn and who you stare down constantly? He could have easily had this same defensive approach with Michonne when she arrived but he didn’t. And he won’t, cuz he “can’t let her leave”. 😊

Hershel tells Rick he has to start giving people a chance. (Particularly his future wife 😋) And then Rick sees Lori and I feel like it could be a way to make a connection or parallel to the new woman, Michonne, that he needs to give a chance to and let in. 

And thankfully he most definitely will let her in...eventually. They don’t call it a slow burn for nothing lol. 

But what I love about this point in Rick and Michonne’s relationship is that it’s such a testament to how far they’ve come. Like as the seasons progressed they never did stop staring at each other, but the stares became filled with more and more love. 👌🏽

[royalprinceroman]

Royal Duties

A/N: So its fair to say that if @availe draws a comic, there’s a 99.9% chance I’m gonna probably write a full drabble about it. Okay? Okay. Let’s do this. Prompt (Based on the prompt by @somany-fandoms-solittle-time): Roman comes out of his room after a day of adventuring and brainstorming ideas to find Logan, Patton, and Virgil… drunk out of their minds. Roman’s room based off of a fic by @ssides Warnings: Alcohol/Alcohol mention

Word Count: 1,615

Pairings: None

Tag List: @paperheartsbooks 

(Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!)

– Roman enjoyed his good idea days. Normally his room was boring and drab, but when his thoughts began to form into full on plots for future videos or whathaveyou, his room turned into an landscape of adventure and wonder. Time passed differently or at least it felt like it did. Journeying through caverns and forests crawling with creatures determined to stop him from discovering new ideas… minutes turned into hours with little effort.

His ideas were manifested in rabbits, small animals who were hard to pick out in the dreary landscape. Catching them was only half the battle however. The creatures who got in his way were pitch black and terrifying - a personification of self doubt. As scary as they were, it only took one slice of his sword to expel them. Roman tended to get a bit dangerous when figuring them. Sometimes he’d see how many he could get into one area and fight all at once. At the end of this specific day however, he had managed to catch two rabbits and those particular ideas were fantastic. Definitely something to pass onto Thomas later. His room returned to its original state; and Roman took a deep breath, the tension in his body relaxing. Even though he hadn’t been in any real danger, the toll of fighting straight for hours still wore his body down tremendously. He glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall noticing it was nearly 9pm. “Goodness…” Roman mumbled aloud. “That late already? I hope Patton won’t be upset with me if I missed dinner.” The prince put away his sword and decided to go visit his fellow traits in the common area.

[Several Hours Earlier] Rainy days were not fun. Even for an introvert like Virgil, there were times where just sitting around was stupid boring. The dark trait checked his Tumblr for the 27th time in the past 27 minutes with nothing new to show. He looked around the room to see Patton sitting on the couch flipping through what looked like a scrapbook and Logan was sitting at a desk in the corner, tapping away on a laptop. The room was eerily silent except for that.

“…I’m bored.” Virgil stated aloud, breaking the silence. “Oh? What do you wanna do, kiddo?” Patton asked looking up at him. He closed the book in his lap and sat it on the couch.

Virgil sighed. “I don’t know but if I don’t do something… my thoughts could give me something to do.”

Patton rubbed his neck with his right hand. “I can understand that…. I’ve been trying to distract myself all day.” His eyes looked down towards the floor. “You have got to be joking!” Logan abruptly shouted, pushing himself away from the computer desk and standing all in one motion. This caused both Virgil and Patton to jump and look at Logan. “This is absolutely ridiculous…” he mumbled. The logical trait began to pace back and forth behind his chair. “What’s going on with you?” Virgil asked, crossing his arms. Logan mimicked Virgil’s pose. “It’s… a bit difficult to explain.” He tapped his head with his left pointer finger. “Let me just say what I have been working on since very early this morning has all been made pointless.” Logan scoffed under his breath; Virgil was nearly certain he had heard an obscenity pass through his lips but Virgil let it go. “…now I don’t even want to look at it. I shouldn’t let bother my thinking, but…” Virgil looked from the frustrated Logan to the melancholy Patton and then over at the kitchen. “Patton, I know what I wanna do.” Virgil said as a grin spread across his face. Patton raised his eyebrows as Virgil walked over to the kitchen. Logan, desperate to get his mind off of his failed work, followed the purple clad man. Virgil dug into the pantry cabinet, pulling out all kinds of random food, trying to get to the back. He wasn’t even looking at what he was touching. Logan realized exactly what Virgil was going for. “Virgil…” Logan’s tone of voice became like that parent who caught you red handed. “Oh come on you can’t say a good buzz wouldn’t feel great, Logan.” Virgil insisted, pulling out a rather large jar of a cinnamon alcoholic beverage. He shook the bottle gently and smirked. Logan sighed and Virgil nudged him. “Come onnnnnnn~ it’s time we live a little.” Virgil pushed past Logan and back into the living room. Logan dropped his shoulders, giving in. He reached into a different cabinet taking 3 shot glasses out and followed his too excited fellow trait. “Ooh….” Patton said interested as Virgil showed him the bottle. “It’s been awhile since we had any of that.” Patton looked closer at the bottle after Virgil sat it down on the coffee table. He didn’t touch it however. “…so do we just straight drink it?” “Definitely not.” Logan said quickly, sitting down the shot glasses with a few clinks. “This isn’t a mixed drink; it’s just pure whiskey. You have to take "shots” of it.“ He pulled his computer chair over towards the table and took a seat. Virgil sat down on the couch next to Patton, grabbing the bottle. He filled each shot glass with expert precision. "Alright… let’s make it interesting.” Logan raised an eyebrow as he reached for his glass. Patton grabbed his glass, smelling the contents and nearly being overwhelmed. “… let’s do a drinking game. For every shot you take you gotta say screw you to something that’s made you mad in the past. Sound fair?” Virgil explained. Logan and Patton exchanged glances before agreeing to the game. The three traits shared multiple frustrations and disappointments, all taking shots as they did so. The bottle of the cinnamon whiskey slowly drained down as the time past.

Roman appeared outside of his room and was welcomed by silence. “That’s…odd.” Normally when he returned to the common area he was greeted with atmospheric noises of Disney movies or even just light conversation but this time… nothing. He quickened his pace towards the main living area trying to keep his thoughts from going towards the negative. As he arrived at the doorway, his leg was suddenly grabbed which nearly made him scream. “Romannnnn~” The prince looked down to see Patton hugging his left leg tightly. His face was flushed. “I…. love youuuuuu….” Patton slurred, not opening his eyes. “Wait, what is going on?” Roman asked, confused. Before he could consider anything else, he looked up to see Virgil standing in the middle of the room with his arms at his side. Roman saw tears drying on his face. “Virgil…?” The dark trait instantly turned his head towards Roman, causing Roman to jump at how he reacted. They met eyes and Virgil dashed over to Roman. The prince tried to move but Patton’s grip on his leg had him locked in place. Virgil wrapped his arms around Roman, hugging him. Roman couldn’t help the heat that rose to his face. He balanced himself by putting his left hand on Patton’s head. “I don’t hate you or something. I’m so sorry for everything, don’t be mad.” Virgil rambled, his voice nearly just as slurred as Patton’s. “Please, I’m gonna try and become a better person. Princey, you are good, okay? okay???? okay????” He kept repeating okay under his breath, sobbing into Roman’s right shoulder. Roman tried to calm his racing heart. What the heckity heck was going on? “Yes…Virgil… I know… it’s fi-” as he was trying to console Virgil, movement in the kitchen caught his eye. “LOGAN! GET OFF THE CABINET!” He shouted in disbelief. Logan was standing on the countertop, and it looked like he was organizing the dishes in the cabinet…by color? His face was flushed red, matching Virgil and Patton. “‘Kayyyyyy~ Here goesssss….” Logan laughed his response not paying attention to his footing and sure enough, down he went to the kitchen floor with a slam. Roman winced but he heard Logan laughing so he knew the logical trait was fine.

“Ughhh….” Patton moaned, pulling off his cardigan. “Patton?” Roman asked. He looked down to see Patton covering his mouth. “I… feel sick.” Patton whined. Roman also felt sick but for a very different reason. He managed to get Patton to the bathroom before any mess could happen. He put Patton’s cardigan back around his shoulders. Patton was in and out of consciousness, holding onto Roman’s left arm and Virgil imitated Patton but on Roman’s other side. Logan had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor but Roman has managed to slightly wake him and get him onto the living room floor. He curled his arms into his chest murmuring to himself as Roman wrapped some bandages around his head covering a cut on his forehead from the fall. The prince laid Logan’s glasses next to him for when he woke. The prince collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, putting his hands into his lap. Virgil cuddled him on his right and Patton leaned against him on his left. Roman looked up eyeing the empty whiskey bottle on the coffee table. “Well… I guess that explains it…” Roman sighed. “…and now I’m even more exhausted than I was before….” As he looked at the three sleeping boys, he couldn’t help but crack a small smile. He closed his eyes leaning against the couch, letting his body relax. Virgil and Patton adjusted themselves to cuddle him and Logan even rolled closer. He drifted off to sleep with only one thought on his mind: they may have been idiots…but they were his idiots.

[gaiatheorist]

“I’m fine.”

Girl on the Net, I adore her work, it’s usually the erotica that gives me the “Oh, Gods, we are the SAME person!” shivers, but her serious ones often resonate, too. Slouching about the house at 3am, after putting myself to bed straight after dinner, I read this one. 

https://www.girlonthenet.com/2019/07/22/woman-says-im-fine/

HELL, yes. GOTN covers most of my thoughts, I just have the additional angle of disabilities and long-term health conditions to confuse the issue as well. (GOTN also has long-term health conditions.)

There’s the tired old joke, that when a woman says she’s fine, what she’s actually doing is setting up some sort of Indiana Jones booby-trapped quest, and I’m half-smiling at the subtle intonation some people use on ‘fine’. (Cliche, but ‘married men’ know the one I mean.

I say I’m fine, or OK, when I’m not. I do it a lot, for a lot of the reasons GOTN lists. There are some people I don’t want to worry, with how not-fine I am, when my son comes downstairs, the first thing he’ll do is ask me if I’m alright. It’s painfully obvious that I’m not, but I’ll say I am, it’s more a routine than an intentionally rhetorical question. I’m not alright, I’ve had one medication change this month, and I’m about to start the next phase. “It will likely be worse for a while, before you feel any improvement.” is what the Neurologist said. What he wrote was “Fortnightly increases of 10mg, until dosage of 70mg, or side-effects become intolerable.” It’s going to be a ‘fun’ 14 weeks, or however-long it takes to reach ‘intolerable.’ (I’m already intolerable.) Sometimes, I do tell him I’m not-alright, more often than not, I show him. “Bastard OUCH!” when I have a pain-spike, or a nauseating wave of vertigo, and the old/new indicator that I’m not-alright, of buggering off to bed, because I just can’t process being around him. 

The ex, and the ex-father-in-law auto-pilot ask if I’m OK when they pick up, or drop off the boy. Neither of them actually want an answer, it doesn’t matter whether I say ‘Yes.’, or ‘No.’, they both proceed-to-next-statement, about some distant relative being in hospital, or holiday plans, or something else that’s of no relevance. They’re an inconvenience, as is the fact that the boy is NEVER ready when they arrive, leading to even more infinite-minutes of awkwardness. The ex is a little more attuned, he’s mostly-stopped picking the boy up, and, when he drops him off, he always has something he needs to rush back to, so he’s not here for long. 

The British brush-off is part of it, too. “Mustn’t grumble!” (Except in the case of pensioners on public transport, they DO grumble.) I’m smirking again, I have an appointment with my GP this morning, and there’ll be a lot of entirely pointless “Are you well?” mouth-flapping in the waiting-room. “Yes, Agnes, I’m tip-top, I’m only sitting in the doctors waiting-room on the off-chance that someone’s unsupervised toddler might wipe their nose on my knee. You?” I did once have a conversation in there that probably shocked the eavesdropping pensioners, the mother of one of the boy’s old school-friends was sitting next to me, and the “What are you here for?” was brutal. I’ve had a brain haemorrhage, and she’d had a heart attack. We’re in our 40s. 

For the most part, “I’m fine.” is a shut-down, for a multitude of reasons. There are very few people who genuinely want a response, and fewer still who need the honest answer. The superficial brush-off is a big part of it, we’re conditioned to respond “Fine, you?” when someone asks how we are. (Cut to Monty Python, “It’s a mere flesh wound!”) 90% of people asking if you’re OK don’t want an answer, and some of the remainder just want you to ask if they’re OK, so they can bore your ears off with how they’re not, or how they’ve never felt better since the new goat-juice-yoga-knitting regime. 

‘Fixers’, I can’t deal with them. I’m not special, or unique, but I do have a complex range of overlapping medical conditions, I don’t CARE what your Uncle Albert managed to do after his stroke, with the power of positive thinking. I’m incredibly reductive when it comes to my own health, I was raised on “It’s not broken if you can bend it!” and “Have you had a poo?” I’d go even more insane than I already am if I stopped and worried about every new niggle or ache. I attempt to rationalise and explain the fact that I’m constantly a bit ‘off.’ I have bits of metal sitting in my brain, which was quite badly crushed four years ago. I’ve had a succession of life-changing events in the last decade. DWP have me over a barrel. It’s a lot to process, so, yes, “I’m fine.” is easier than attempting to explain why I’m not. (There appear to be two stock responses to admitting I’m not-OK, “Oh GOD! I don’t know how you cope!”, and “Wow, you were really lucky!”) 

I’m emotionally avoidant, I don’t engage with most-people, and then, when I do, I have a tendency to worry that I’m worrying them, which leads to my shutting down, or pushing away protective mechanisms. (Which are further complicated by the medication, and my erratic sleep-pattern, the next phase of medication does cause drowsiness, so I might be able to use it to chemically adjust my day/night?) 

I’m being 99.9% open and honest with the psychologist, there’s only one fragment of my life I won’t discuss with him. I can admit to him that I’m not-fine, that’s the point of him. Similarly with the ‘Well-being Coach’ from Social Prescribing, she’s not being invasive or dismissive when she checks my pain-levels, if I over-reach, I’ll end up hurting myself. My GP is adorable, so I will let him know that I’ve been a bit off recently.

For the most part, “I’m fine.” is enough for most people. It’s a constant judgement-call as to who needs any more than that. I minimise engagement with other people, to avoid awkwardness, I’ve never been very people-y, and the sensory overload is difficult to mask, ‘normal’ environments are exhausting. I’m ‘supposed to’ get out more, engage more, because of the fabled ‘epidemic of loneliness’, but on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I don’t feel the need for the ‘sense of belonging’ section. After the brain haemorrhage, a lot of people threw out the phrase “We thought we were going to lose you.”, and there was an almighty row with the ex at one point. “You can’t ‘lose’’ me, I don’t belong to you, I’m a person, not a suitcase.” 

Onwards. I need to work through these interventions and medications, in the hope of finding some sort of balance. Meanwhile, there’s been a cock-up with my OU registration, my utilities tariff needs sorting, and I’m walking on eggshells around my son. I’m overwhelmed, on essential functions only, with the sword of Damocles of DWP hanging over me, proving to Universal Credit that I’m ‘preparing for work in the future’, and knowing that PIP will probably decline renewal of my disability benefit. Why would they decline it? Obviously, because I keep telling people I’m fine.