#and well he killed him for wanting to see his family again+plagiarized his work+caused him to be almost completely forgotten

[caruliaa]

i do not think i fully considered just how gruesome of a death being crushed by a giant bell is in the almost two years i was obsessed with a movie where that happens to the antagonist at ages 13-14 and the month and a week were i have been obsessed with a movie where that happens to the protagonist at age 18 until just now

[starglow-xx]

retrouvaille

nakajima atsushi x f!reader

fandom: bungou stray dogs

content: hurt comfort, fluff

warning! : mentions of abuse

type of work: one-shot

synopsis: he left the orphanage, and that meant he had to leave you too; fortunately, this time, it seems like the universe was on your side

a/n: this is kinda self indulgent bc ive been feeling kinda down lately...?? and this has been sitting in my drafts for a while now and i havent posted in a while so killing three birds w/ one stone ig

the word retrouvaille is a french noun...

The moment you stepped foot into the armed detective agency, heterochromia eyes met your (e/c) ones.

You notice several agents talking and walking over to assist you, but you drown them out only having focus on the gray haired male ten feet away from you.

Said male takes a small step forward with uncertainty and disbelief laced in his voice.

“(y-y/n)...?” 

At the sound of your name, your eyes immediately begin to water and with pure relief in your voice, you softly sob his name; the name of the boy who comforted you when you were both still in that wretched place.

“Atsushi...”

With all hesitation gone, Atsushi runs over to you shoving through his surprised and confused coworkers and wraps his arms tightly around you.

The force of the hug causes the both of you to stumble and harshly crash to the ground beneath you.

But the two of you didn’t care.

In his arms was a person Atsushi thought he’d never be able to see again.

In his arms was the same girl who snuck him food from the kitchens, the girl who stole medical supplies from the infirmary to treat his wounds, to take care of him when he was sick, and the girl who received punishment after punishment for insisting on staying with him inside his damn cell.

You gave him happiness in place where he should’ve never been able to receive it.

As if he ever felt like he deserved it in the first place.

You’re too good for him, but yet you still chose him.

You, his sweet and kind, his so very kind, and so very beautiful girlfriend, chose him, the cursed, good for nothing orphan.

The orphanage staff treated you considerably better before the two of you were acquainted, so Atsushi knew he was the problem. That he was the reason why tears would fall onto your beautiful face, why bruises and scars would litter your arms and legs, and why the staff would call you awful, degrading nicknames about you and or your virtue.

He had always thought that he wasn’t good for you, that he didn’t deserve you, that you could do better, but you stayed by his side regardless of his fears and insecurities, and provided him the strength and comfort he had always been deprived of.

And to his very surprise, he found that you found your own strength and comfort in him.

So he knew that you must of cried for weeks after he was kicked out, that you must’ve been devastated to wake up one morning only to learn that he was gone without a trace.

There wasn’t a single day that he never thought of you.

Atsushi wanted to go back for you, he really did; he wanted to storm into the orphanage with members of the armed detective agency, his new family, right at his tail before eventually reuniting with you.

But he didn’t do that.

Ultimately, he chose to leave you out of the mess that came with his job knowing that you would be eventually targeted and used against him if anyone found out about what he had with you.

So he kept quiet.

No mafioso, government agent, foreign organization, nor agency member had a clue about your connection with him, much less your existence.

He told himself that when things have calmed down by a considerable amount, he would go back and get you, with or without the agency backing him up.

Unfortunately, he knew that time of peace was far from the present.

But to see you, in your beautiful glory, standing at the threshold of the agency? 

His original plan to keep you away from Yokohoma flew out the damn window. 

At the sight of you, his heart did backflips and his legs almost gave out. 

Ignoring the jelly feeling in his legs and the loud pounding of his heart, he raced around the desks and his coworkers—nearly fully crashing into Dazai in the process—to once more engulf you into his arms.

As for you?

When you saw him, you felt like you were going to pass out.

Your legs grew weak, your entire body was shaking, and tears started to fall down your face.

He was here.

He was safe and he was alive.

You mourned his abrupt disappearance from the orphanage and spent most of your time worrying about his well being.

The staff thought you were pathetic, that you sulked and cried over someone who they thought should disappear off the face of the earth.

They could insult and beat you all you want, but you drew the line when it came to Atsushi.

Finally having enough of everything, you planned your escape.

You were patient; you never jumped the gun nor gave anything away. You planned everything to the very last, minute detail, and after a few more months of abuse and waiting, you put your plan into action and left in the dead of night.

Thankfully, a kind old couple took you after you had collapsed in the streets. You worked job after job after job to return everything they had spent on your behalf even after they had told you not to worry about it.

And after another few weeks, you finally caught wind of your lost boyfriend tracking him down to Yokohoma through an old newspaper article.

Knowing your boyfriend, and yourself, you knew that tears would easily escape both of your eyes due to the long duration of your separation, but you weren’t expecting to find yourself crashing onto the floors of the armed detective agency curtesy of Atsushi. 

But, you wouldn’t have it any other way because in your arms was the boy who gave you comfort during the most darkest days in the orphanage, the boy who laid you in his lap or on his stomach stroking your hair so you would fall asleep, and the boy who often threw himself in front of you so you would remain unharmed.

You choked on your sobs as you tightened your own hold on him and they gradually grew louder as you buried your face into the shoulder of his white button up.

Through his own choked sobs and teary eyes, Atsushi gently maneuvered the two of you so that you would be lying on his stomach—a familiar position the two of you would lay in back in the orphanage.

He gently stroked his fingers through your hair and softly rubbed your back as he whispered the familiar sweet nothings into your ears.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re okay...”

“I’m here, just let it all out..”

Overwhelmed with your emotions, his sweet words only started to make you cry more.

You’ve missed him so much.

Your tears easily soaked his both his shirt and his neck, and you tried to speak only for you to choke up. Atsushi simply just started to shush you—as you would to a baby—and placed a kiss to your forehead as he continued to comfortingly stroke your hair and rub your back.

With the both of you off into your own little world, a world consisting only of the two of you, reactions and looks from the Armed Detective Agency went unnoticed.

It didn’t take long for them to realize the kind of relationship you and Atsushi had.

But what surprised them was Atsushi’s behavior.

The young adult they knew tended to be unsure of everything, including himself, and stammered whenever he was nervous.

But the young adult currently in front of them had this new aura of maturity; he didn’t hesitate to touch you or to comfort you, and for the first time they’ve seen in a while, he was sure of himself; he wasn’t nervous at all.

With the amount of comfortability Atsushi had around you, and the tender, loving care he showered you in, it was clear that you certainly were someone special to their tiger.

Your sobs slowly turned to small hiccups, and Atsushi’s face turned to one of pure tranquility and content, having his lover back in his arms.

Although having calmed down, what Atsushi said to you next made you want to start bawling all over again.

“I’m sorry I left you, and I promise I didn’t forget about you,” he whispered softly, “I thought of you every day. I still do. The thought of being able to see you again is what kept me going.”

You buried yourself further into his shoulder as you gripped his white button up in your hands.

“And thanks to the armed detective agency, I’m stronger now. I won’t let anybody hurt you, not anymore. That, I promise you.”

Actually taking a look up from you, Atsushi ended up locking eyes with Dazai, who had a gentle look on his face.

His senior only closed his eyes, tilted his head down softly, and lightly chuckled before opening his brown eyes once more, giving Atsushi a look of approval.

The gray haired teen’s eyes widened slightly as he looked around the room only to be met with similar looks of approval and gentleness from his seniors and coworkers.

He felt his eyes tear up again, but instead let out a relieved sigh as he tightened his hold on you slightly.

“Hey Atsushi...” you softly murmured.

Equally as soft, he answered, “Yes (y/n)?”

“...I love you...”

Your lover smiled before placing another kiss onto your forehead.

“I love you too (y/n)”

At last, the girl he loved was back in his arms, and the boy you loved was back within your reach.

And neither of you were ever going to let each other go again.

and it means, the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation, a rediscovery

as always, reblogs and shares are appreciated! i hope you all stay safe! and just in case nobody told you they loved you today, i love you! you are enough! <3

writing belongs to me! please do not plagiarize! the reblog button is there for a reason

[still-a-morosexual-help]

OBEY ME! LESSON 56 DETAILED SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION/THEORIES

*I wrote this days after the lesson was first posted and never bothered to go back and edit it so meaning there will be me theorizing about the next lesson as well

*I write a small para for each chapter and I write it immediately after finishing that chapter so there’ll be theorizing about the next chapter too

*I swear more than usual here

*Some of the dialogue is heavily plagiarized and a few is lifted directly from the story, the game is to figure which is which.

*Summaries and Discussions/theories for all the other lessons can be found on this blog under #obey me spoilers or #my theories or #my headcanons

This has one locked lesson cause of course it does

Belphie’s upset that their names got called on the loudspeaker as if they were the lost children and not Diavolo. MC says the others won’t let them ever live this down if they found out and Belphie says he’ll be teased for centuries. Belphie tells a story about how he once got lost in the Celestial Realm and spent hours in a tree crying, MC asks why he was on a tree, and he says cause he thought he’s be able to see the direction of the celestial palace from there. It had eventually been Raphael who found him and he ended up taking a liking to the tree so he would climb it and nap up there whenever he wanted to avoid work. MC asks whether he like Raphael. Belphie says he never thought about it either way but that Raphael always looked like he had it rough (course he did – he had to try to get Belphie and his brothers under control cause Lucifer was much more lenient those days. I’ve mentioned this before but I’m certain that Lucifer blames his leniency as what got Lilith killed and that’s why he’s unreasonably strict with the brothers now) MC asks what Raphael was like – he says he worked hard for little reward and his job was looking after Michael’s needs no matter how unreasonable (and they really are the Lucifer and Diavolo of the Celestial Realm aren’t they!?). He was meticulous and methodical and he always had a sullen, irritated look making him always seem like he was in a bad mood. And his evil eye looked so evil you could almost mistake him for a demon. Belphie says he hasn’t seen him in a ling time and wonders how he’s doing. Belphie says all this with a smile on his face and this is the first time we’ve heard someone talk about Raphael in a positive light and this supports my theory that Belphie sees the Celestial Realm in a more positive light than the others probably do (which is why he irrationally directed all his anger at the humans). I’m also 10% certain the person Simeon was meeting with was Raphael not Michael cause I don’t think we’ve heard Belphie mention Michael once so it makes sense that they would have him recognise the angel he would later talk about. They get to the desk and Belphie goes to give their names but MC cuts in with ‘snoozy’ before he can say his. The employee comments on the name and Belphie blushes and says it’s embarrassing and asks MC to stop laughing about it. The employee gives them the note which happens to be a ransom note. Lol this guy is fucked.

Belphie complains about Barbatos failing to teach Diavolo not to walk off with strangers (in my very first theory/headcanon posts I compared Barbatos and Diavolo’s relationship to the one between Alfred and Bruce Wayne and I completely stand by that. I think Barbatos is significantly older than Diavolo the same way Lucifer’s significantly older than his brothers and similar to Lucifer and his brothers I think Barbatos had a hand in raising Diavolo. Given that we now know that Barbatos might have powers that rivalled the demon king it’s possible that he may be as old as him, or just slightly younger, than him as well. Tldr; Barbatos gives off heavy Alfred Pennyworth vibes). Belphie doesn’t want to deal with this and MC says they can’t just ignore it (also they will be murdered twice over if they do) and Belphie says he knew they’d say that and agrees to humour this stupid fucking human. He says he doesn’t wanna get tortured by Lucifer and Barbatos but the idea of going and rescuing Diavolo like one of his good little pawns makes him sick too. They head to the circus tent and are greeted by a happy and beaming Diavolo sitting on a chair with a man holding a gun to his head and demanding money (what a fucking amateur ass kidnapper at least give ‘em time to go and get the money! What you think people just walk around with wads of cash in their pockets!?) Belphie ignores him and scolds Diavolo for just waiting around for them to come get him and for leaving them in the first place. The man panics and tells them to stop moving closer unless they want him to shoot Diavolo. Diavolo also ignores the man , apologising and saying with a bright smile after the ride he was feeling sick and this man stopped and checked he was alright. Diavolo calls the man considerate cause he promised to help diavolo find the two of them and look! He kept his promise! Bsdjfjibvdmck this poor fucking kidnapper… Belphie groans and asks Diavolo if he even realises what’s going on rn and says even after being from a royal family he can’t be this sheltered and oblivious. The man’s just getting more stressed at how no one here seems to care about him as he keeps screaming about being serious and blowing Diavolo’s head off his shoulders (This poor guy – even MC who’s lived the most normal life from the three of them has faced more threatening life or death situations to give a shit). Belphie just tells the man to shut up with the most bored expression on his face. He then transforms into his demon form resulting in the man screaming his head off. Belphie just tells the man he talks too much, casually asking if he should make it so that no one has to ever listen to the man run his mouth again. The man stutters, calls Belphie a monster and tells him to stay back and panicking points his gun at Belphie. MC either using their very on magic creates a wind (called ‘wind of protection’) strong enough that it stops the bullet when he shoots or a raging fire (called ‘fire of judgment’) that takes over the bottom of the screen that’s powerful enough that it actually melts the bullet mid-flight and then rushes to the man making him scream and making the whole screen flash red (I had a moment of ‘HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT DID MC JUST BURN A MAN ALIVE!? DID ALL THIS LEAD UP TO MC COMMITING MURDER!? WHY AM I LOWKEY EXCITED!?’) but no the guy’s still alive, I think the fire just made him move back from all of them. (but can we talk about how powerful MC’s own magic is and how it seems to be at its most powerful when they’re protecting the people they love? (like when they unconsciously counteracted all the curses in the reaper’s cave that should have killed the brothers, or when they saw Satan use a healing spell once and were later able to effectively use it on Mammon later despite the fact that the were having trouble picking up the spells Satan was actually trying to teach them). The man screams asking what the two of them are (ajfkjfcijzh didn’t Solomon say just last lesson that they were supposed to keep this all secret!!!!???) Belphie says bullets can’t actually harm him but he still smiles and thanks them. Diavolo seemingly in shock says that the man fired his gun at Belphie and that he was trying to hurt Belphie (despite the fact that Diavolo knows a gun wouldn’t hurt Belphie it’s the fact that the man didn’t know that and had the intention to hurt Belphie that sticks with him and I think that means a lot), A pale purple aura starts swirling around him and he instantly transforms into his demon form, looking furious and screaming “HOW DARE YOU…!” The man screams.

The man drops his gun and runs away. Diavolo says, serious for once, that they can’t let him run away and that he’ll contact Barbatos to get the royal army and – (bro you’re gonna start a war bro chill), Belphie says he can’t bring the army here he might accidently bring about the destruction of the humans (funny how a couple yrs ago Belphie would have been all for this plan) and Diavolo looks sad saying he can’t just let this go. MC and Belphie both get Diavolo to try and calm down, with Belphie telling Diavolo he wasn’t hurt and transforming back to his human form, before saying that Diavolo didn’t need to transform as well & that if Lucifer and Barbatos find out Belphie’ll get in trouble. Diavolo transforms back and says the man tried to harm a dear friend and he couldn’t help but get angry. Belphie blushes and can’t come up with words. MC teases Belphie asking if he’s blushing and he denies it while still blushing. Diavolo also notes that he’s flushed and is worried that it’s a sign that he’s been hurt somehow. Still blushing Belphie says he’s not hurt and to stop worrying about him and that they should leave. Diavolo says since they’re here at the circus tent they should watch the circus perform since Belphie likes human world circuses.  Belphie’s surprised and asks Diavolo how he knows that, Diavolo says Lucifer told him a long time ago, Belphie asks why and Diavolo says when they’re alone Lucifer talks a lot about his brothers, specially Belphie (Lucifer also has random pictures of his brothers that he takes without them knowing as they go about their daily life… This man is such a proud dad. He pulls out his wallet and a whole roll of pictures unfold all the way to the floor and across the room and he’ll tell the story behind each picture to anyone who listens.) He’s also told Diavolo about Belphie’s favourite tree in the Celestial Realm and the story of how he found that tree. Back then Lucifer always thought whenever Belphie wasn’t with his siblings he’d be up in the tree napping or down in the human world watching the circus and that’d made diavolo determined to see the circus too. Diavolo then asks if they can see the circus together. Belphie’s still shocked but then he blushes again and agrees. Inside Belphie and Diavolo are both clinging to MC as they cheer, scream and argue about the safety of the trapeze artist. MC can ask Diavolo if he wants them to cover his eyes cause he’s scared for her safety despite Belphie telling him there’s a net, ask Belphie if he wants to hold their hand cause he’s just as nervous or excited or comment to no one how they’ve got a demon attached to both their arms.

It’s night out and as a reward for coming to get Diavolo Belphie was allowed to pick all the rides they went on, Diavolo looks like he’s gone through hell, stuttering and asking if that was all. Diavolo asks how MC’s doing they say they threw up in a bin and are feeling better now (or they can say they had fun) Diavolo says he threw up in so many bins he lost count. He asks if they should head home and Belphie says there’s one last thing he wants to ride, Diavolo starts stuttering again. Belphie says it’s the ferris wheel, Diavolo’s shocked and asks if it’s cause Belphie remembered him saying he wanted to ride it, Belphie tries to deny it but Diavolo doesn’t buy it – instead he smiles brightly and gushes about how nice and sweet Belphie is which makes Belphie blush and demand him to stop. Diavolo marvels at the lights from up in the ferris wheel and how they look like stars, Belphie says he’s getting too excited. Diavolo ignores this and points out his hotel and the brothers’ manor. Belphie says he sounds like a child and Diavolo laughs and says that Lucifer says the same. Diavolo, while still smiling, says that in a way he is a child, a child who spends his time alone and never gets to do anything interesting (and holy shit that’s sad – he really did grow up alone in that huge castle…) Belphie doesn’t know what to say to this and Diavolo asks what’s wrong. Belphie says he’s surprised cause he never knew Diavolo saw himself that way. Diavolo laughs and says he never expected Belphie to treat him with kindness and Belphie asks what kind of heartless monster did Diavolo imagine him as (look despite all the shit I give Belphie I do really love him but also I mean…. He does kinda make it known how much he dislikes diavolo…) Diavolo laughs it off, he says today he learnt things about Belphie that even Lucifer hadn’t told him and that there’s probably a lot about Diavolo that Belphie doesn’t know about either. Diavolo says he knows they’ve had there differences, specially cause Diavolo had his position to consider and that he had been very strict with Belphie in the past and that he still doesn’t consider that a mistake (YES!! FINALLY!!) and that despite all that they were still able to get along well today, he thanks MC for their help in bringing them to this point. They say they didn’t even do anything special, Belphie says that he agrees with Diavolo and that they did help. Diavolo says he wants to talk more with Belphie and if Belphie agrees nothing would make him happier. Belphie’s silent for a bit before he slowly agrees. Diavolo thanks him and says there’s one more place he wants to drop by.

They end up at the brothers’ place. Asmo welcomes them back, Diavolo says “I’m home!...just kidding pardon the intrusion” AND you just KNOW this man wishes he wasn’t kidding and that he could really live with all of them. Asmo asks how his day went & Diavolo says he had fun. When beel asks Belphie says he’s really tired. Asmo invites Diavolo to stay for dinner, saying Lucifer & Barbatos are cooking. Diavolo says he’ll go and help them but Belphie makes him sit down and tells him to relax after the day they had. Diavolo beams and thanks Belphie for worrying about him and Belphie blushes and tries to deny it, saying that since him & MC aren’t helping if Diavolo goes to help it’ll just make them look bad. Diavolo says he actually wants to help and that the other two can wait here (hey Lucifer and Barbatos are Diavolo’s closest friends right? And you tend to tell your closest friends everything that happens… MC & Belphie are so fucked). (this next interaction has such strong sibling vibes? Like I’m telling you I’ve had this exact same conversation before) Levi & Mammon seem to find the whole interaction between the two of them interesting and make noises about it, when Belphie asks them what, Levi says it’s nothing and Mammon asks how it went. Belphie says they went to a park and now they’re back. Satan says the others meant how it went with Diavolo. Belphie says like he said before there was nothing to it. Asmo says the interaction between the two of them says different and Satan agrees. Beel congratulates him and Belphie blushes and says he has no idea what they’re talking about. Mammon then asks MC if there were any problems, if they wondered off and got lost. MC either denies it so harshly it’s immediately unbelievable or says no…not really. Levi asks what ‘not really’ means. Belphie asks Mammon why he asked that and if he remembered the time he got lost in a park. Beel also then remembers that. Mammon says he’s not the one that got lost and that it was the twins. The three of them then argue about who really got lost. Asmo tells them to each say their side of the story. Mammon had been playing darts when the twins disappeared and he’d ended up searching all over for them and he’s been really freaked out. The twins say they went to buy soft serve and when they came back Mammon wasn’t there and they ended up going around finding him. MC, Satan and Asmo says it sounds like all 3 of them fucked up. Diavolo then calls them for dinner. (This whole arcs gives me ‘taking your new partner’s kid who hates you on a day out so that you can bond’ vibes with MC there solely to act as the buffer)

During dinner they talk about their day at the park, apparently they rode the freefall of death thrice in a row and Belphie happily tells Diavolo that next time they go they should ride it again. Diavolo very obviously reluctantly agrees to, which Mammon points out. Diavolo said he did enjoy it but next time he wants a break between riding it over and over again. Belphie says it wouldn’t be a marathon if they took breaks. Diavolo says next time they should all go together and maybe even try out a different theme park. Levi suggests a space themed park with another insane ride that tries to kill you, Mammon reads the description of the ride and immediately nopes out. Satan teases Mammon for being scared which he protests to, Beel asks for a place with good food, Levi says he was waiting for Beel to say that and Diavolo happily laughs and after being alone for so long a lively dinner like this full of people he cares about who care about him in turn was probably something he always wanted. After dinner in the warmly lit music room Barbatos brings Lucifer coffee, Diavolo and Satan are playing chess, Levi is rambling to Asmo about the game he and Diavolo were playing and Asmo happily tells him he has no idea what he’s talking about, and Belphie asks to talk with MC. He tells them despite how much he initially complained he had fun and he thanks them, they say they’re happy things turned out well. He says he never thought he would end up feeling like this. Lucifer then calls the both of them to him. He says they did well today and seeing the relaxed way Diavolo’s getting along with the others like there’s no tension between them is a relief. He thanks them. Belphie smiles as he says that Diavolo looks like he’s having fun with the others. “By the way…” Lucifer says with a smile ‘Diavolo told me about what happened today you little fucks’ (told you he’d snitch to Lucifer) Belphie’s shocked and speechless. A purple aura starts rising off Lucifer as he smiles sweetly at them, “Perhaps you’d like to explain to me exactly what happened?” “DD! …Why’d you have to tell him!?” screams Belphie before he accepts his fate and the screen goes black.

MC leaves the house to walk Diavolo and Barbatos to the street to drop them off, for which Diavolo apologises for troubling them. Barbatos says he could have ordered a car to come right up to the door of the house (Barbatos pls read the room!) and Diavolo says he doesn’t mind catching a taxi from the street. Barbatos is silent and contemplative for a moment before he says he forgot to tell Lucifer something and heads back inside (he read the room!). When they get to the street Diavolo worries cause Belphie had seemed really pissed when they left, he says when Belphie told him to keep it a secret he’d genuinely thought Belphie meant the picture they took together. He assumes Belphie told him not to tell about the ransom right after he told him not to tell about the picture but Diavolo had been so thrilled by the picture he hadn’t processed most of what Belphie said. He worries he messed up all the progress he made during the day. MC says though Belphie’s mad now he’ll get over it in time. He’s still worried that next time Belphie won’t be as willing to talk to him like he did today (he was still calling him DD though even when he was pissed so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I hope they keep up the nickname Lucifer will hate it and that at least should be incentive for Belphie to keep using it). Diavolo says he had a lot of fun today and that he’ll never forget it. He goes on to say that growing up he lived a very sheltered life and that he’s never felt more free than he did today, though the ride was too much for him. He says even thinking about it makes his hands shake and he shows them to MC. MC can either take his hands or do nothing. If they take his hand he blushes and says it’s strange but that made him calm down. He says he wants to spend more time together and asks if they can go for a walk. MC agrees and he’s delighted by it. He says he’ll message Barbatos to let him know but that it’ll probably not be necessary since Barbatos went back to give them space anyway (You know Lucifer saw Barbatos come back alone, figured out what is happening and is now pacing a hole through the floor

They go to a park with a lake from where they can even see a ferris wheel in the distance. Diavolo asks if they think it’s the ferris wheel they rode today or a different one. He then laughs and says the human world’s really beautiful from the trees in daylight to the buildings at night. He asks if he can hold their hand and they can do that or put their arm through his. If they hold hands he says they almost look like a couple. If they do the second one he’s shocked but smiles and says they saw through him and realised what he actually wanted to do even though he wasn’t smooth enough to ask. He says his mother dies during childbirth and his father was always very strict with him, and he doesn’t know if that’s cause he was training him to be the next demon king or because he resented Diavolo’s birth for taking away the love of his life (I also HC Diavolo looking a lot like his mom. ALSO this confirms what I said earlier in one of the other lesson summaries about demons being born through biological reproduction like humans and unlike angels). He says growing up he never got a chance to talk to anyone outside the castle until he met Barbatos who told him stories of the outside world that fascinated him (this really does give the vibe that Diavolo was a child while Barbatos was an adult at the time). He liked Barbatos so much he begged him to stay with him. Barbatos had kept saying no but Diavolo had refused to give up. He’d thrown a tantrum then and said he’d refuse to be the next demon king unless Barbatos stayed with him and Barbatos had given in. Then he gets sad saying that what Belphie said today hit him, and how he always used his royal status to get others to do what he wanted. He asks if it’s possible that he’s forcing Barbatos to stay against his will. (and I get that what diavolo did was shitty but the fear he must have had for the rest of the day since Belphie said that cause he thought Barbatos will leave too and he’ll once again be truly alone in that castle is heartbreaking). MC who spent the last two lessons with Barbatos more or less talking about Diavolo (or Solomon) reassures Diavolo that Barbatos is staying cause he wants to. Diavolo’s happy for a bit before he becomes sad and doubtful again. He then says MC reminds him of Lucifer cause Lucifer is also constantly saying similar things to him (AND THE IMPLICATIONS!!? FIRST IT WAS THE OTHERS COMPARING LUCIFER’S FONDNESS FOR MC TO HIS FONDNESS TO DIAVOLO AND NOW IT’S THIS!!? Can I just say again: remember how the twins wanted to share MC if they ever got together with one of them? I think Lucifer x MC and Diavolo x MC make a lot more sense if it’s all three of them together. And in any case where MC doesn’t choose one of them, they get together like the LIs in The Arcana do). He asks if it’s possible that Lucifer and MC flatter him too much. He then says it can’t be fun listening to his childhood stories but that he wanted them to know about him and that he wants to know more about them too. He asks what kinda food they like. The options are sweet, spicy and sour. He likes sweet too. He asks if they like animals. Options are they love them, don’t or it depends on the animal. Look after all the time in the devildom, after two paws events, after bathing Cerberus and after the brothers all having their own vastly different animal representatives MC can’t not love all animals. Diavolo says imagining them playing with different animals is really sweet. He says he’s known them for quite some time now but there’s still so much he doesn’t know. He blushes and asks if they can do things like this more often, where they just spend time together. He then confesses and asks how they feel about him. If they say sorry he smiles and asks them not to apologize, saying that he didn’t say it to make them feel bad but that he understands. He asks if they’re in love with one of the brothers an they can say yes, no or stay silent. He smiles sadly and says he guessed. He says that even though they don’t have feelings for him it doesn’t change the fact that he still loves them. He says he still wants to get to know them more and asks if they can still meet up. He thanks them for being a part of his life. (While I still don’t think the side characters liking MC makes much sense and I still much prefer them as very close friends I like how all their confessions are very one and done. The brothers romantic plotlines with MC are still going on and there’s never a “I love you, do you love me? No? okay I still love you but I’ll back away too” moment. MC never gets the chance to reject them. But with the side characters MC rejects them, they understand that MC loves someone else, they accept the rejection really well and they go back to being friends and I really like that. It feels like it probably won’t be explored again after you reject them.)

[tanzaniiite]

Prompt #25 with iwai please ;; btw your writing is very tasty !! Keep up the good work & stay safe !!

WORTH IT • IWAIZUMI H.

prompt: “apparently everyone has a bet going on that we get together”

requests: OPEN

warnings: none!

word count: 1.5k

i’m so sorry this took as long as it did! with everything going on in the world my motivation has plummeted but i hope you enjoy! thank you for the request!

"Ugh can you two stop flirting and just get together already"

You rolled your eyes at Matsukawa's comment as you helped put the volleyballs away. "Aw, I'm sorry is it bothering you that my love life is more interesting than yours?" You retort, smirking a bit. Mattsun just gaps at you, "Rude" He replies narrowing his eyes. You giggle as you hear Oikawa cackling on the other side of the gym. Iwaizumi comes to you and puts the last volleyball in the bin, "He's just laughing because it's not him that's getting made fun of for once" He whispers, which causes you to laugh some more.

Iwaizumi looks at you a small smile gracing his features, "Someone's giggly today" He mentions, poking your side. You smack his hand away, "It's sleep deprivation and don't do that" You explain. Hajime smirks, "That's right, you're ticklish. You do that little snort thing too" He mocks, fake snorting which makes you blush slightly. "Oh shut up! Are you ready to go? I got homework to do" You say, grabbing your bag.

"Actually I'm gonna stay, practice a bit more with Shittykawa" He states, pointing at Oikawa fussing with Mattsun and Makki. "Booo, you suck" You tease, shaking your head disapprovingly. "You swallow" Iwaizumi countered not missing a beat. You groan and punch his shoulder, "You're gross" You remarked, scrunching your nose in disgust, causing Iwaizumi to laugh loudly.

Oikawa walks up to you two, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "Ugh, what're you up to dumbass?" Hajime asked, already fed up with Tooru from earlier today. Oikawa gasped, "I'm not up to anything Iwa-chan! I'm hurt that you think so low of me" He declared, feigning hurt or maybe he actually was hurt. Who knows? Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, "Spare me the dramatics. What do you want?" He inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So direct" You commented while texting your mother on your whereabouts. "I know right? Anyways, I can't do extra practice today, my sister called and needs me to watch Takeru. Sorry" Oikawa said. "That's fine, we'll practice another time" Hajime nodded. Once Oikawa was out of earshot, you turned to Iwaizumi, "Does this mean you can walk me home now?" You asked, already putting on your jacket.

Iwaizumi chuckled, "And why would I do that? Your house is in the opposite direction of mine". You pout a bit, "Uh because you always walk me home, asshat" You retort, crossing your arms. Hajime ruffles your hair, "I'm just teasing, relax. Toss a few sets for me then I'll take you home" He requests, getting a volleyball from the bin. You shake your head, "Hell no, your definition of a 'few sets' means we'll be here all goddamn night" You claim, turning to leave. He grabs your backpack and pulls you back, "I'm serious, just a few". You narrow your eyes at him before groaning, "Ugh fine! But only a few, I already told my mom I'm on my way home" You say, shrugging off your bag and jacket.

"My mom is going to kill me"

Iwaizumi laughed, "I'm sorry," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. You glare at him, "No you're not" You reply, furrowing your eyebrows. "You're right, I'm not. But hey at least your sets are getting better, you're welcome" He laughed. You just rolled your eyes and continued walking. The rest of the walk to your house was in comfortable silence. You turned to look at the brunette next to you. Damn, he was gorgeous. You could confidently say that you have a massive crush on Hajime. But it wasn't always that way. When you two first met, you couldn't stand each other, you thought he was rude and standoffish while he thought you were a major bitch. You couldn't help but smile thinking about how much your relationship has grown. It was your classic 'enemies to lovers' trope, except that you guys weren't lovers. Best friends? Sure. Lovers? Definitely not.

Although the average person looking in on your relationship with Iwaizumi would say differently. You two flirted constantly as if there was some sort of competition on who could rile up the other more. And it didn't help that you and him were practically attached at the hip. Hajime walked you to class, walked you home, helped you study, hell, he's even met your family. The two of you were practically dating by default! You want to ask Iwaizumi out but you're scared of rejection, obviously. You didn't want to fuck up the good thing you two had going now. You didn't want to make a move unless you were absolutely sure he felt the same. And unfortunately, Hajime didn't wear his heart on his sleeve, the only way you would know his feelings is if he told you.

"Damn Y/n, do I have dirt on my face or something?"

You snapped out of your thoughts and looked at Iwaizumi who was staring at you, mild concern written on his face. You just shook your head and focused your attention on the pavement in front of you, "W-What? No, you're fine" You replied, embarrassed. Hajime just blinked before nudging you slightly, "You good?" He inquired. You nodded and offered him a small smile, "Yeah I'm good". The silence that was once comfortable was now awkward. Iwaizumi wasn't stupid, he knew something was on your mind but what? He wasn't sure. The last thing he ever wanted, was for things to be uncomfortable with you. The relationship you two had was strange enough but he loved it. He even felt selfish for wanting more, thinking this is as good as it's going to get with you. The brunette racked his brain trying to think of something that would break the suffocating silence. Suddenly he remembered something he overheard the team talking about a few practices ago. "Hey, so... apparently everyone has a bet going on that we'll get together. What'd you think of that?" He asked, also looking ahead of him.

You turned to look at him again. Was this his attempt of finally asking you out? Or were you reading into it too much? "Oh yeah? Well, what's the bet exactly?" You inquired, genuinely curious. Iwaizumi glanced at you, "So it's between Mattsun, Makki, and Oikawa. The disaster duo bet that we'll get together by the end of the year. Because we're too oblivious to realize our feelings for one another. And the dumbass believes that we'll get together by the end of this month because it's Oikawa. The wager was that if Shittykawa wins, the duo has to serve him for a month. And if the duo wins, Oikawa has to ask out one of his psycho fangirls" Hajime explained. Wow, those were some pretty high stakes. You smirked a bit, "Is it bad that I want Oikawa to lose?" You asked, laughing slightly.

"Yeah, I kind of want him to lose too" Iwaizumi laughed, "But the only downside to that is that I'll have to wait until after this month to ask you out," He said. You looked at him with wide eyes. Ask you out? He was planning on doing that? Since when? "A-Ask me out?" You repeated, your voice wavering a bit. "Yeah, I was gonna do it this weekend but I really wanna see Oikawa suffer with one of his fangirls" Hajime sighed, shaking his head. You quickly step in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and looking at him with a serious expression. "Are you serious? This isn't a joke, right? I'll literally hate you if you're joking" You claimed. Taken aback by your sudden movements Iwaizumi stared at you blankly before answering, "Y-Yeah I'm serious. I, um, I really like you". You felt like throwing up but not in a bad way. Your heart felt like it wanted to beat right out of your chest. Is this what it was like to have a heart attack?

"If you really like me, then ask me out now"

Hajime's face suddenly became red, so much so that he looked like a strawberry. "H-Huh? What about the bet-" He started. "Forget the bet! I like you too stupid, I've liked you for longer than I'd like to admit. So please, ask me out" You pleaded, looking at him with those beautiful eyes of yours. Iwaizumi swallowed thickly, "Okay then, this is really happening. Y/n, want to go out with me this weekend?" He asked, shyly looking to side trying to avoid eye contact. You smiled so wide, one would think your face was about to tear in two. "Of course I'll go out with you" You answered, finally letting go of his shoulders and embracing him tightly. Iwaizumi smiled and returned the embrace while burying his face in your hair. "I've waited for this moment for so long" You confessed, your voice muffled. Hajime chuckled, "Well, I hope it was worth the wait," He said. You pulled away, holding Iwaizumi's face in your hands before kissing him deeply. When you two separated, you giggled at his dazed expression.

"It was definitely worth the wait"

tanzaniiite © 2020 — all rights reserved. do not repost, modify, or copy. do not plagiarize. thank you.

[shooting-starry]

Trust me. Love me. Shoot me.

Atsumu Miya x female reader

Summary: Atsumu finds himself with a young woman who is more that what she seems.

A/n: Well the creativity god have given me ideas and a literal change in perspectives. Please be nice, I take constructive criticism well no i dont. Also, please dont plagiarize or repost!

Warning: mention of dead bodies, blood, selling bodies, fire, burning bodies, gasoline and alcohol, arson, implied violence, Atsumu is now a princess, unedited. As always Also kinda dark so if you dont want to read that please skadaddle

Masterlist

Previous//Next

Well, that was unexpected. Y/n really did not expect an ambush on their safe house. The bodies where bloodied on the ground. Faces contorted in anguish and pain surrounded her. Kuroo and Kenma were calling some people from the Nekoma family to help clean up. Bokuto was moving the bodies, while Akaashi was directing him where to place each. There could have been up to 40 bodies on the ground, coving the ground in crimson blood. The once elegant sitting room had now been destroyed. The tall glass windows were now shattered. The breathtaking fire place was now noting put a pile of rocks. And worst of all, the comfy sectional was now ripped and torn in far too many places. Well looks like this place was going to have to burn.

Since revealing her true job. Miya-san hadn’t spoken a word. His eyes were perpetually following her. L/n would catch his lingering eyes on her as she talked to Kenma, or helped Bokuto lift a body. Was it really that surprising? The five worked the silence, moving bodies, and taking inventory of the weapons. Her tomahawk, Akaashi and Kenma’s knives, Kuroo’s taser and Bokuto’s frying pan (Y/n wasn’t sure where he got it, or why he had it) were lying in a pile, long forgotten. Words were exchange her and there in effort to make the body clean-up easier. The bodies were lying in a straight row, Akaashi had already gone to grab bed sheets to cover the bodies. Flys were moving into the room, flying about and landing on the dead and living bodies in the room. Their constant buzz became a rhythmic tempo as each person worked.

Soon after the bodies were covered, the door opened and entered 2 new people. Their heights difference and silhouettes were dead give aways. The shorter one, Yaku, who reminded Y/n of a chihuahua, paced towards Kuroo, while the taller one, Lev, who’s monster exterior did not reflect on his string-bean personality, gravitated towards  Kenma. Bokuto and Akaashi were discussing something. Y/n was never too sure what Bokuto was ever thinking. He was as special type of special (Not hating on him though, he has always been an amazing person. Everyone should take time everyday to appreciate him). Atsumu, who seemed to be in less shock was starting to walk around the room, taking inventory on the two new people and and lines of corpses on the ground.

Yaku and Lev were asking a plethora of questions, ranging from “How’s your mom?” To “Should we sell the bodies?”. Anyone who was clueless about the situation would probably call the police. Nonetheless, Yaku removed the bodies to his van to take to Yaku-land (Yaku never tells people where he actually takes things like bodied or drugs, so instead, he calls it “Yaku-land”). Lev on the other hand, he was bullying the injured Atsumu, poking him, taking his crutches, calling him “cripple”. All to which Atsumu didn’t seem to take to heavily.

Once the bodies, leaving six behind, where taken and Yaku and Lev had left, it was time for the plan to start. First step was to pour anything flammable everywhere. Gasoline and alcohol were poured everywhere leaving the foul stench to wander through the air. The left over bodied were then heavily drizzled in gasoline. They need to burn the most.

Next in the very complex plan (thank you Akaashi), New clothes. Akaashi and Kenma grabbed some new clothes for the group to wear, sweater shirts and pants for Kenma, Atsumu and Bokuto, a baby blue sweater vest and slacks for Akaashi, and a simple two piece suit for Kuroo, and a pair of cropped mom jeans and a sweater for Y/n. As they were leaving the house, careful  not to touch the liquids which coated everything, the six grabbed some essential, food, water, and car keys, and lit the house on fire with a simple match.

The fire roared as the house fell. The walls were burning as the fire grew. The flames were visible through the windows and the dense smoke drifted into the sky. Everyone ran away from the flames as the devoured the house. No one stopped, worried that someone would see them as they ran away from the crime scene. The exhilarating rush of adrenaline and the taste of arson was pushing everyone to run faster and faster. Atsumu, who was being carried by Bokuto like he was a princess, even seemed to enjoy the high of arson.

When they reached the car, a honda odyssey (which are great get away cars if you are trying to go unnoticed), Bokuto tried to place the princess down, he fought back. Kicking and thrashing in Bokuto’s arms, Akaashi and Kuroo tried to hold him down with on avail, and Kenma was calming playing animal crossing. Y/n tried to get him to calm down, but the large man child, kept wiggling and squirming. When he finally gave up, the look of defeat covered him face, then a look of sorrow and regret, then pure anger.

“Miya, you need to stay with us.” Said Y/n, pleading for him to stay. Y/n knew that if he left, he would get attacked again and then he wold die. And that would not be beneficial to anyone.

“Y/n, A can’t stay! Yer house was destroyed cause of me! Did ya know that! If A wasn’t there ya would have been fine! Beside, how do A know ya aren’t gonna kill me? Huh? Ya could just be using me to uh” he stuttered as he thought of a sound reason, “uh sell me? Or trade me? Or even force me to work! That would be horrible! Ma hands aren’t made for work, ya know! A thought you were a doctor Ms ‘freelance assassin’”. Y/n looked at him like a crazy person. Did he really think that she would do that? And after all the hospitality which she offered? Rude. Y/n wanted to prove him wrong. She wasn’t that type of person. The other boys, who were still holding him down all stared at her, waiting for her decision.

“Atsumu,  I realize how you feel”, y/n begins, trying her best to sound confident, “But right now if you want to live, you need to come with us. We are going to the Nekoma/Fukoridani base. We won’t hurt you, but please, I really need you to trust me”.

Taglist: Request to be added :)

@kayleighbeccaa @jojowantstocry

[aries-writingblog]

Atlas (2)

Summary: After years of being imprisoned on the Raft, Tony negotiates freedom for his sister Tessa. When she’s free- so is her past, and it will never stop hunting her.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC(Stark)

Chapter Word count: 2299

Warnings: PTSD (subtle ish), trauma, torture (in later parts), suicidal behaviors and thoughts, mentions of death, character death, injury, violence, angst, and a lil bit of fluff in there

Disclaimer: Atlas is my own, original work with characters belonging to Marvel (except Tessa and Dr. Clifton). Plagiarism is not cool kids.

A/N: this is my first work I'm posting to this platform and I’m really excited and nervous about it. Hope you enjoy- constructive criticism is always helpful as well!!

“i’ve about had it with two starks around this place.” bucky grumbled, pushing the bar another rep. sam scoffed, and leaned on the bar as bucky huffed, trying to push it up.

“you’re just upset cause she’s a pretty girl that doesn’t want to talk to you and doesn’t care what you think.” he rebuffed, pressing down more. steve sighed from across the room, seeing the tension building between the two.

“that is not what i think at all-“ he pushed sam up and hooked the weight bar, sitting up on the bench. “i’m glad she’s making herself comfortable- she was locked up for six years, that’s wonderful but there’s something about her... i feel like she’s hiding things. big things.”

for the past week, tessa had been mostly hiding away on her floor. the few times she did come down she didn’t speak much. she did, however, leave socks on the common room floor, seemingly at night when no one was there. she also left dishes at the counter, also at night. bucky only knew for certain it was her because on the nights he couldn’t fall asleep, he would see her, slipping back into the stairwell as he approached the common floor. and every time she looked at him, she would scowl and sneer at him. granted, he had killed her parents and of course he felt bad about it, the guilt keeping him awake, but he didn’t even know if she knew it was him. she had been away for years with no contact.

the only person she seemed to be normal around was tony. she would go to the mechanics lab some days and help around there. the only other person she spoke to every day was sam and he had to rub it in everyone’s faces. anytime he got the chance.

“she’s still leveling out, buck. give her a chance.” steve called out, using his t shirt tail to wipe at his forehead.

“do we even know why she was locked up? sam said she served in the army- what did she do to be in the raft?” bucky countered. sam sighed and put his hands to his hips.

“i don’t even know. i never met her officially, our teams worked closely once- on the same mission but we never spoke. i saw her maybe twice that whole time- leading her group on the ground while we worked from the air. she was an amazing leader- her men trusted her with their lives. but... she’s nothing like i saw years ago. not even the same person.” sam shook his head. “but that could’ve been anything- war changes people. there’s no telling what she’s seen. what she’s done. tony won’t explain?”

“oh, sure- he’s my best friend and he’ll answer any question about his family i have.” bucky snarked, rolling his eyes.

“no, i’ve asked why she won’t join us at dinner or when we’re all around.” steve interrupted. “never answers it, goes around it.”

“she’s hiding something.” bucky insisted. “i don’t trust people like that. they mean one thing- trouble.”

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

pain. searing, white hot pain ran through her veins. bursting vessels and capillaries. a high pitched whine drawled on through the haze of pain. she wasn’t going to make it through this- she couldn’t take it anymore. the heat was too strong. too intense.

tessa jolted awake, panting heavily. there was an intense heat surrounding her. she cursed loudly as she leapt from her bed, the sheets on fire. for the third time this week.

“Friday!” her voice was croaky and rough. “extinguish the sheets! and turn off those damn alarms!”

“yes, miss tessa.” the AI complied immediately, performing her intended actions. tessa ran a hand over her eyes, rubbing them harshly. tessa quickly moved across the room and snatched a hoodie from the desk chair. yanking it on, she left the room, slamming the door behind her. she had to get her control back. calm. collected. control. And that started when she could get the smell of smoke out of her nose.

Wandering, she made her way to the kitchen, stumbling into the room. She took a deep breath and opened the fridge. She had skipped dinner again. The whole team ate together and she didn’t want to chance it. She didn’t want them in her business. She didn’t want them in her head- she was well aware of the witch. And she certainly didn’t want a flare up at dinner. How embarrassing would it be if she killed one of her ‘new teammates’ while shoving rice and turkey in her face?

So she ate at midnight when there was no one around. Except sometimes when Barnes came a little too close to finding her. Then she would abandon everything just to sprint to her room. She was aware of his transgressions- Tony thought it wise to tell her when she wouldn’t rage on the tower. He told her when she was being transported, obviously a great idea. But, Tessa had accepted the news graciously. Being upset, of course, but also understanding. She knew it wasn’t his fault- he’d been forced. She was well acquainted with accidents...

Tessa sat at the counter, at two AM, eating leftover, cold Chinese food because it was safe. It was control. Stability. She scrolled through her phone, stared at the wall. The usual. Until she heard steps coming down the hallway. She was quick to get up, abandoning her things. But, she’d underestimated how far the steps were. She turned to walk out and collided with a broad chest.

Looking up, she saw Barnes, leering down at her. His blue eyes ice cold. She backed away, looking down and scowling. Angry at herself for letting him touch her. She could have hurt him. She should’ve been more aware.

Bucky noticed how stiff and quiet she was, as well as the scowl on her lips. He also took notice of her dark under eyes, the frizzy nest that was her hair and the slight smell of smoke and fire that lingered on her skin. At first, he felt slightly concerned. He recognized the signs of insomnia and sleeplessness. But then, it was taken over by an irritated, angry shadow.

“What the hell is your problem?” He demanded, using his body to block the only exit from the kitchen. He saw the shift in her face as she clenched her jaw.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered, moving to try and step around him. He blocked her again. She scowled deeper. “Look, I’m sorry alright- didn’t see you coming.”

“Not about that-“ Bucky sighed, running a hand down his face. “Why do you run out of here so fast when I’m coming in? And the fucking socks on the floor in the living room- pick the fuckers up, it isn’t that hard!”

Tessa flinched and her eyes shot up to meet his. She didn’t realize he saw her leaving every time. Bucky noticed the flinch and softened his gaze. He took a deep breath before trying again.

“Sorry- I guess I could’ve said that a little kinder.” He explained. “Every time I come into a room you leave. I just... I thought it was something against me.” Tessa furrowed her brows, quickly taming the anxiety boiling in her stomach.

“No- no it’s not because of you- it’s more of for you... it’s hard to explain.” She stumbled over words before shaking her head. “Just... I’m sorry.”

She slipped around his side and forced herself through the opening. When her skin grazed his, he felt the heat rolling off her in waves. She was too warm. Suspiciously, he took note of the Chinese boxes on the counter and decided there was something suspicious about her. He wanted information, he didn’t like how secretive everything was around her. Bucky Barnes was determined to find the bottom of this whole thing.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tony knew a storm was brewing when the door to his mechanics shop was slammed. Tessa whirled around the corner, eyes on fire and veins glowing in anger. She slammed her hands onto the metal table, a sizzling noise instantly coming from the surface.

“You didn’t tell any of them?” She demanded, loud and disbelieving. Tony pursed his lips before turning to face her. He didn’t even have to respond verbally for her to know the answer. She scoffed loudly and threw her hands up. In the place where they used to lay were two scorched hand prints identical to her flesh hands. “I can’t believe this Tony- none of them know what they’re getting into bed with you’ve set them all up for a wicked end!”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting any of them to get into bed with you, however...” Tony’s voice trailed off when Tessa’s scalding glare fixated on him again. “Okay, okay. So none of them are aware of your talents“ Tessa scoffed. “It wasn’t my news to tell.”

“It’s not that- it’s... I thought- it’s stupid.” She muttered, beginning to cool off, feeling the room temperature lowering. Tony gave her a look, telling her to spill her guts. And she did. “I thought that’s what all the stares were for... they always stare at me when I come around. I thought it’s because they knew...”

Tony looked at his sister, at the dejected, defeated look she wore. He knew it would be hard for her to adjust. But he didn’t know that she would shut herself off completely. He sighed before responding.

“That’s because all you do is stay locked in your tower, Rapunzel.” He jabbed, tossing his tools to the table and leaning on it. “Give them a chance. Be around a little more and maybe they won’t stare. Come down tonight and eat dinner with the group. I’ll be there the entire time, it’ll be good. We’re eating pizza.”

Sure enough, when seven thirty rolled around, Tessa found herself wandering downstairs to the common area. The whole team was lounging around, passing a box of pizza around the circle they were all sat in. She hesitantly exposed herself from the dark doorway. Steve took notice of her first, putting his plate down and standing up.

“Tessa, hey. Why don’t you come sit down and eat with us?” He gestured to his seat. Tessa shook her head slightly, seeing as he was seated right between Bucky and Natasha. She couldn’t risk that close contact.

“I’ll sit here, thank you.” She sat on a separate armchair, one that would keep any accidental flames near her own body. Contained. Controlled.

“Well, I’m glad you’ve joined us.” He responded, sitting back down. She squirmed slightly, feeling Wanda’s lingering gaze, as well as Sam’s. Sam, however took it a step further.

“So what have you been up to since the army days, Atlas?” He asked, with the purest of intentions. Tessa’s face fell flat as she cast a devilish gaze to him.

“Prison.” She responded. The conversation halted to an abrupt stop. Tessa knew she’d made a mistake- she hadn’t meant to. It was supposed to come out lighter than it had but it seemed she didn’t have that much light in her to portray. She looked down to her lap, clasping her hands tightly.

“Well, none of us know much about you- except Tony and he won’t breathe a word.” Natasha explained. She gave Tessa a warm smile. “Tell us about yourself.”

“Nothing to tell, really.” She muttered. Then she bit her tongue and glanced up to the faces around her. You’ll never get anywhere if you never try. You have to give them something to work with here, Tess. “I served in the army, the 95th, for three tours. Overseas when I was fresh out of high school. Two nine month tours and one twelve month. After that I was... I was chosen for a project by the US government.”

“What kind of project?” Steve asked, trying not to be too pressing as it seemed she had enough trouble trying to steel her nerve to talk to them. Tessa responded well to the prompt, picking up the conversation and handling it delicately.

“It was called Project Fire Maelstrom. It was run by Dr. J.R. Clifton. His original intent was super soldier serum but something went wrong and he created me instead.” Tessa explained carefully, choosing words precisely.

“Created you?” Vision asked. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. What was created?”

Tessa brushed a hand over her neck before extending her palm. Then, she snatched it back and leapt from her seat. She quickly backed away, into an open area. She took a deep breath and focused before extending her palm again. She bit the inside of her cheek and - there it was. Fire bloomed over her palm, dancing It’s way out to her fingertips. There was a quiet awe in the room and she quickly extinguished it, feeling the embarrassment creep up her neck.

“The serum was off- Dr. Clifton created something different. A new type of soldier.” She explained, taking her seat again, carefully keeping a watch on her focus. It was rare but flare ups have happened after using her powers.

“So what landed you in the Raft?” Wanda asked cautiously. Tessa turned her face to look at the witch, a curious gaze met her eyes. “You were a soldier- how did you end up in prison?”

Tessa swallowed harshly. Bucky watched as she seemed to space out, but only for a moment, before she snapped back to attention. But he had caught it- that dead eye, thousand yard stare. He’d perfected it over the years. So why was it mirrored on her face now? Tessa gave a small, half hearted smile to Wanda as she picked at her pizza, disinterested in eating it. When she did answer, it was quiet and apologetic.

“That’s a story for another day...”

[itwoodbeprefect]

(different anon, but!) now i’m curious - how would you do an actual crossover between sga and h50?

gosh, crossovers are honestly very far out of my wheelhouse (in that i don't read them and i don't write them because i'm sure they can be very good!! but it's just always felt vaguely awkward to me), but i can definitely throw some thoughts at the wall!

okay, so, i assume that if we're talking crossovers that means we want the characters to meet while keeping both canon universes intact, which is fine, because there's not really anything in either of them that would contradict the other. a very easy out would be to put the stargate program on steve's resume as one of those very top secret missions that he drops into conversations just to watch danny be annoyed when the only answer to all of his questions is "classified". another take could be to - and it keeps coming back to this, for some reason - steal some plot beats from vegas, as in, a live wraith has somehow found its way to earth and has gone undetected, but the detectives on the case, which would now be steve and danny, can feel that something is up. those two starting points could also both work, of course: steve has that background (but has been out of the stargate program since he came to hawaii and probably doesn't know what a wraith is), so he can see there's something off about these bodies they keep finding with causes of death that fascinate and puzzle max and really frustrate danny, and he makes a call to sam, who alerts the right people, which is how eventually some experts get called in, which obviously need to come from atlantis, so that's john and rodney and definitely carson (there's dead bodies to be examined!) and maybe teyla and ronon too, because you need a tracker if you want to find that wraith.

or, alternately, and actually way more interesting on second thought: jeannie still drops out of the scientific community because she gets pregnant, but then she realizes that even though caleb is an incredibly sweet vegetarian english major and will definitely be involved in the raising of their child, she can't marry him because she's a lesbian. so. what i'm saying is. jeannie mckay/mary mcgarret, recently invented rarepair. jeannie marries mary instead, and when jeannie gets kidnapped obviously rodney, john and ronon still show up (plagiarizing miller's crossing this time - see! there's episodes of sga other than vegas!), BUT mary has already made a call to her big brother, like help, my wife is missing, and of course steve and danny have also sprung into action, and inevitably the two investigations end up running into each other. steve's like "we know about atlantis" (either because again, steve was part of the stargate program, or because jeannie told mary, like she did with caleb in canon, and now that jeannie is missing mary shared what she knew with steve and danny) and john's like "... what's an atlantis?" at the same time that rodney blurts "how?" because his SISTER is MISSING and he has no time to pretend he cares about secrecy when that's obviously a moot point anyway. at some point rodney is like, this is my SISTER we're talking about!, trying to make the point that he has more of a personal stake than anyone else, and steve's like, she's a sister to me too!, and they probably have a talk about growing up with bad parents (rodney feels a little better about his once he hears about steve's my-mom-pretended-to-be-dead-so-she-could-raise-my-arch-nemesis-who-then-killed-my-father issues) and about how that can lead to accidentally becoming estranged from your little sister, and about how to fix that. this leaves john and danny in each other’s unlikely company, so danny’s like, “... how’s living in another galaxy?” and john’s like “pretty cool. we have flying ships” and danny’s like “PLEASE don’t tell steve about those. he WILL crash them” and john’s like “noted. hey, i heard you guys have kids?” so danny gets out his phone to show him pictures of grace and charlie and doesn’t correct him on the part where he seems to think they’re steve’s kids too, because why bother. they of course save jeannie and bring her back home safe to mary and madison (and caleb). once everyone heads back home there’s probably a thing where john and rodney talk while on the deadalus and realize that if it can work between steve and danny, then why not between them, and meanwhile on some plane somewhere steve and danny are having the exact same conversation in reverse (because none of them were actually dating yet, but they both thought the others were). this works out well for everyone involved until jeannie and mary’s big tenth wedding anniversary party, at which the truth somehow comes out, but then all of the guys realize that in the grand story of their lives, with all of the strange things that have happened to them all, this really isn’t even that weird. (it is that weird to jeannie and mary, though. it’s the ONLY story they tell ANY of their friends for an entire year. madison grows up and writes a semi-autobiographical book about her family and the strange case of how her uncles ended up together and it’s a new york times bestseller but also gets called “sweet, but a little implausible”.)

[bobdylanrevisited]

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Released: 13 January 1974

Rating: 10/10

Cards on the table, this is my favourite folk album of all time. ‘The King of Folk’, ‘The Spokesperson of his Generation’, ‘The Protest Singer’. These are all labels Bob hates, however this album confirms that he is all these things and much more. Whilst there a few love songs thrown in, this album is defined by it’s more radical tracks, as Dylan takes society to task. 

1) The Times They Are A-Changin’ - This is another song that is as true today as it was in ‘64. The themes of youthful anger, and much needed change, pour out of this album and can still be applied to the issues we march for today. Like ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, this will go down in history as a cultural turning point in both popular and protest music. Bob has continued to perform this live over the last 57 years, which shows just how timeless the lyrics are, and you should check out the melancholic, ballad version he played for President Obama at the White House in 2010. 

2) Ballad Of Hollis Brown: A devastatingly sad song, which tells the story of a farmer, who is forced to kill his starving family. As well as civil rights, another theme of this album is the treatment of working class families, left behind by the government. It’s a grim but important tale, and the snarled singing really helps the message hit home. 

3) With God On Our Side - This is a satirically political ballad, based on the notion that ‘god’ was behind all victories for America, regardless of if the opposing sides also believed in him. Dylan sings of those who won’t forgive the Germans, and being told to hate the Russians, and takes the persona of a naive patriot who puts faith ahead of reason and free thought. This must have been somewhat shocking in the early 1960s, in a deeply religious country like America, and is even more shocking that just 15 years later, Dylan would be putting out albums as a born-again Christian. 

 4) One Too Many Mornings - An unbelievably understated, romantic ballad, about regret, potentially aimed at Suze again, a theme carried over from ‘Freewheelin’. However, this is also one of Dylan’s most reworked songs, and each time it sounds like a completely new song by a completely different artist. The electrifying 1966 version, the country version with Johnny Cash or at the Isle of Wight festival in 1969, the Rolling Thunder version from 1975/6. Whilst Bob is a chameleon, shapeshifting across different genres, this song is so perfect that it remains a classic, no matter how much he changes the sound. 

5) North Country Blues - Another song about the failings of the American Dream, and the disregard of the working class. This time the story is told by a young woman in a failing mining town (possibly Dylan’s home town of Duluth/Hibbing, Minnesota), where the oil companies have moved overseas to save costs. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful song, and is a scathing attack on capitalism and the consequences of big corporations chasing a few extra dollars, that again wouldn’t feel out of place if it was released today.

6) Only A Pawn In Their Game - Bob played this song all around the country at protests and civil rights rallies, culminating with him performing it at The March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. It tells the tale of Medgar Evers, a black rights activist in Mississippi, who was murdered by a white man. Yet it also talks of how the poor white man is also a victim, and is spurred on by elites who want to keep the rich whites in power and are threatened by the Civil Rights Movement. It’s a radical song, and is a brilliant dissection of both race and class relations in America. It’s a very sad state of affairs that, like much of his work from this period, the song is still as relevant now as it was back then. 

7) Boots Of Spanish Leather - Almost identical to ‘Girl From The North Country’ in tune and theme, this is yet another bittersweet song for Suze, after her time in Italy and Bob travelling to see her, yet she’d already returned to America. What sets it apart are the beautiful lyrics that are both achingly sad, yet full of warmth. In other words, I love it. 

8) When The Ship Comes In - Hell hath no fury like a Dylan scorned. Following him almost being denied a room at a hotel due to his scruffy appearance, his touring companion Joan Baez had to vouch for him. Once he was finally in his room, he composed this shanty that sounds almost too cheerful, until you realise the lyrics are full of wishes that his enemies be taken by the sea and drowned. It’s a brilliant song, the reels you in with the happy music, and knocks you off your feet with its enraged fantasies. 

9) The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll - It pains me that Hattie Carroll’s name could easily be replaced with Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and far too many countless others. Whilst some say that certain elements of the story are exaggerated, this is possibly Dylan’s most powerful song. The depressingly familiar theme of murder, civil rights, injustice, and wealth have never hit harder. Particularly in modern times, the line ‘the ladder of law has no top and no bottom’ is all the more relevant, as is the story of a white man barely getting a slap on the wrist for murdering a black woman. It’s a perfect song, almost prophetic, and is still ideal for causes like Black Lives Matter, just as it was for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

10) Restless Farewell - On any other album, this song would be a highlight. It’s only due to the other tracks being so brilliant, that this almost feels like a let down. However, upon closer listening, this is an incredibly angry song masquerading as a ballad, that lashes out at rumours of Dylan’s plagiarism, upbringing, and blossoming career. It’s almost the first of many beautifully constructed ‘fuck you’ songs to his detractors, something that Bob would become all too familiar with over the next few years.

Verdict: Perfection. In my mind, no folk album will ever come close to living up to this. Even the outtakes from these recording sessions are better than most people’s careers, particularly the perfection that is ‘Percy’s Song’. If his career ended here, he would still be remembered as history’s best songwriter, but Bob was only getting started. Whilst the Newport Folk Festival was crowning him as their new king and the political voice of the counter culture, Bob was getting ready to go through his first metamorphosis and follow his own path, no matter who he pissed off in the process. 

[auroraawrites]

careful (harry potter x pregnant!reader)

gif not mine! all credit goes to owner.

requested by anon: I know you probably have a lot of requests on your plate so take your time but could I see an overprotective harry during s/o’s pregnancy and him freaking out over every thing and it’s all soft and fluff

warnings: none just fluff

author’s note: had a bit of writers block for this one but i think it turned out okay. hope you guys enjoy!

(everything on my blog is my own writing. please do not plagiarize my work nor repost it anywhere else without my permission. all rights reserved)

---

“careful, y/n!” a voice shouted across the orchard and you tried to suppress the small sigh of agitation that was threatening to escape your lips at its sound. 

shaking your head, you turned to meet your husband’s worried features with your own reassuring smile, “harry, i’m fine! honestly, just wanted to pick off an apple by myself,” you said, gesturing up at the low hanging fruit above your head. 

four months ago, you had surprised harry with the announcement that you were pregnant. he had been ecstatic of course, wrapping you up in a hug and kissing your growing belly gently. almost, too gently perhaps. because since that fateful day, harry potter became the most worried for your safety as you’d ever seen him. he was constantly at your side, fussing over your comfort, pushing large bowls of food into your arms saying that you needed to eat more to support the newest member of your family growing in you. at first it had been nice, all the attention welcome as he showered you with protective gestures. but it soon became too much when harry refused to let you shop at the supermarket by yourself. you knew he meant well but it was becoming a bit irritating, not being able to have a moment's peace for yourself. 

for instance, here you stood now, having finally convinced harry that going to a neighbouring apple orchard wouldn’t cause you bodily harm. hermione and ron had joined the pair and you had just managed to slip away with your bushy haired friend, when harry had come bounding up to you, possibly frightened that you might overstretch yourself by reaching for the red fruit that hung a few feet above you. 

“let me get that for you,” he said, reaching up and plucking off the fruit before handing it to you.

“harry james potter! i am perfectly capable of picking fruit by myself thank you very much!” you shouted crossly, ignoring the outstretched apple and walking swiftly back to where hermione and ron now stood, staring at the pair of you. 

hermione shot you a sympathetic smile, her hand clutching the hand of her own toddler. she offered you an arm and led you away from the bewildered looking harry with a small sigh. 

you watched rose waddling ahead, the anger simmering beneath your skin. “it’s like i can’t do anything by myself anymore! does he not remember me fighting fighting death eaters by his side all those years ago?”

hermione lay a comforting hand across your shoulders, “that’s just how they are. ron wouldn’t let me walk to the bathroom by myself when i was pregnant with rose. you just have to sit him down and explain it to him. boys are a little behind, you know,” she advised knowingly and you couldn’t help the bark of laughter at her last words. 

calming slightly, you returned to where ron and harry stood, somewhat grudgingly stepping to harry’s side. his arms went around your shoulders immediately and you couldn’t stay angry long as you lay your head against his shoulders. 

---

later that afternoon, you bid your best friends goodbye and turned to face the empty gravel road that led back home. harry was the first to break the silence, “i’m sorry. i just worry about you. i never got to know my mum and dad and i don’t want our james to ever go through what i did.” 

sighing, you turned to face your weary eyed husband, a small smile forming upon your lips, “nothing’s going to happen to me or james, i promise. you just have to loosen up a little or i might just kill you in you sleep, potter,” you joked, stroking his cheek now. 

you were just about to lean up to press a kiss on to his lips when a sudden flutter in your stomach caused you to let out a tiny gasp of surprise. hands flying to your stomach, you turned to face the worried harry and met his features with an shocked laugh, “harry! it’s james! he-he just kicked!” 

happy tears blurred your vision as harry let out a whooping laugh and pressed a hand against your belly. your stomach fluttered again with what felt like butterflies as james’ movements echoed through your belly. 

as the sky grew dark, the two of you walked back to your home slowly, occasionally stopping to grab harry’s hand and press it against your belly, awed laughter following behind you in the warm, summer night air. 

[onthepageoftears]

Kill Your Darlings Ch. 12 (Jaskier x Assassin!Reader) || Witcher

A/N: This week felt way longer of a wait than the last, but it also took me longer to write this chapter for some reason. This is another shorter/filler/fluffy chapter (I know, I know) but next chapter picks up again, trust me! And as always I hope you are all doing well! 💞

Your comments and feedback are always encouraged and mean a lot to me!

Summary: One reunion leads to another goodbye.

Warnings: bittersweet goodbye, mentions of kidnapping, alcohol consumption, drunk jaskier and reader

Words: 2,121

Please Don’t Plagiarize My Work!

Morning came relatively quickly despite the fact that you didn’t sleep a wink. It pained you to nudge the girl in your lap asleep, even more-so when she woke up with fear in her eyes. The fear washed away as soon as she saw who she was with, but you couldn’t help the anger that filled your veins at just how much her initial reaction reminded you of yourself.

Before you knew it, the three of you had eaten the rabbits Geralt caught the night before (with most of them going towards Lilla — though none of your admitted it, you pretended you weren’t all that hungry just so she would get her fair share), and soon you were headed back to the small cabin to reunite the daughter and father. Ever since that night, Lilla had been glued to your side instead of Jaskier’s — he only made three jabs about it on the way back, all of them only making you smirk in response.

When you made it to the edge of the woods, and as soon as you saw the cabin in view, Lilla bolted towards the home with her arms outstretched towards Toby.

“Daddy!”

Toby looked up from the porch, and though you couldn’t quite see his face from where you were, you could tell he was crying.

“There’s nothing quite like a family reunion,” Jaskier said beside you, turning to you with a smile. The smile wasn’t exactly happy; there was a sadness in his eyes just as your own. Neither of you said it, but you both knew you would miss the little girl when you left.

As for Geralt, you couldn’t tell. He definitely wasn’t ecstatic, but he wasn’t sobbing either. He had already begun walking over to the two, not bothered by the fact that he might be intruding on a precious moment. Either way, you and Jaskier followed in suit.

“I can’t thank you enough. Really, I can’t.” Toby clutched Lilla to his side, not bothering to wipe his tears. “Where did you find her?”

You faltered. Explaining that his daughter was stuck in a locked cage with a bunch of bandits wasn’t exactly easy. But Lilla didn’t seem to mind.

“There were bad men, daddy. They locked me away.”

Toby’s fear filled eyes turned back to yours, asking for more explanation. This time, Geralt took over.

“Bandits. We don’t know why they had her, but from the looks of it, they didn’t hurt her.”

You bit your tongue. At least not physically.

Toby nodded and patted down his daughter’s hair. “Thank the gods you got there in time.”

You looked back to the woods and tapped the knife hidden on your wrist. If you had left any later, or not gone to this small village with Jaskier and Geralt, this little girl may not be alive. You never believed in fate, but something inside you was saying that this wasn’t chance.

You blinked away the thought when Toby grabbed your hand, placing a coin pouch in your palm.

“Here. It’s the least I could do.”

You frowned at the pouch in your hand. It was light, hardly enough to feed the two people in front of you for a couple of days, much less a week. Despite the lack of coin in the pouch, it began to weigh your hand down, so much so that you pushed your hand back out towards him. “We don’t need it.” You were surprised to not hear so much of a groan from the bard or witcher beside you.

Toby frowned, his eyes still glazed over from the tears that fell. “What do you mean?”

“We found coin at the camp she was being held. Enough to hold us over.” You shifted under his gaze; he wasn’t convinced. Stretching your hand further towards him, you lifted your eyebrows and nodded, “Really. It’s fine.”

Toby looked to Jaskier and Geralt, both who just nodded back. He took the pouch delicately with a nod. “Thank you. I don’t know if I can say it enough.”

You watched as Toby placed a kiss atop Lilla’s head, crushing her into another hug. You felt a tap on your arm; Jaskier tilted his head to where Geralt had already begun walking away, his eyes squinting at you in question.

He turned back to the small family, “We’ll leave you to it, then.” Jaskier nodded at you and began walking forward as well, following after the witcher. You took a couple steps forward, but something kept you from continuing on. You turned back around, eyes falling on the little girl once more.

“If it’s alright,” you heard yourself saying, causing Toby and Lilla to look up at you. You cleared your throat and walked back over to them, ignoring the quickened pace of your heartbeat. “If it’s alright, I’d like to give Lilla something.”

“You’ve already given us so much—“

“Please.”

Toby relented, watching as kneeled down and you reached into the side of your boot, pulling out the small knife you kept in there.

You trailed a finger along its handle. “Despite what happened to you, I doubt you’ll stop venturing out on your adventures.” You sighed, moving your eyes back to Toby. He nodded, a silent approval of what you were going to do.

You held out the knife and flipped it so the handle was toward Lilla, “The least you could do, for yourself and your father, is have something to protect yourself.” Lilla eagerly reached forward, but you pulled your hand back. “Only use it if you have to.”

Lilla gave a single nod, “I will.”

You looked into the little girl’s eyes like you were looking into your own. She was strong, brave — a fighter. She needed someone to speak to her like this, especially at her age. Like Rauf did for you. She didn’t have to be helpless, but she could also keep some of her innocence, as long as the world would allow. As long as her father was there to teach her, to guide her — because not everyone gets that chance.

You held out the knife towards her again, this time letting her take it delicately in her own hands. As she inspected it the same way you did, you spoke.

“Do something for me, Lilla.” She flicked her gaze back to you and nodded, curiosity filling her features. You sighed, swallowing down the lump in your throat, “Don’t ever forget how much your mother and father loved you.”

And then she hugged you.

—

“It has been a long time since I’ve seen a village tavern this lively.” Jaskier shrugged his shoulders as he brought the tankard to his lips. “Outside of the city, of course.”

The three of you made it back to the tavern soon after Lilla and her father’s reunion, but decided to spend the day inside the small, small room you had occupied yourselves in. The size and quality was more something you and the witcher were used to, though you had to admit the room was one of the worst you’d seen. Still, it did the job, allowing the three of you to rest after a long night’s work.

Restlessness found you once again, but mostly in Jaskier. He was practically jumping around the room once he heard the chaos that was in the rest of the tavern, and soon the three of you were claiming a table in the crowded room.

You shook your head at the bard, masking your smile with the mug in your hand. Maybe it was the successful reunion this morning, or maybe it was the atmosphere of the room, but you decided to let yourself relax for once — though never completely. You kept your eyes up, making sure no strange figures were lurking the crowded tavern. From what you saw, it was just the village folk stirring up a storm.

“I have a question for you.” You rolled your eyes at the bard, finding yourself wondering where Geralt went off to. Maybe he could have warned you of the advanced curiosity of a drunken Jaskier.

“No, I don’t have anymore coin. The rest of the drinks are on you.”

This time, he rolled his eyes, gesturing dramatically with his hands, “Oh, wonderful.” He settled down, smiling with a pointed finger in your direction. “But that wasn’t my question.” You raised your eyebrows despite the slight fear that churned in your stomach. Jaskier was like a flipped coin — his antics could go one way or the complete opposite.

His mischievous eyes softened before he spoke again. “Why did you not take the coin from Toby?”

There it was. You blinked quickly, the question taking you off guard. Of course, the bard didn’t even give you room to respond.

“I’ll tell you why I think you didn’t. I think you have a heart under that assassin exterior — excuse me, spy exterior.”

You pursed your lips, “Don’t we all?”

“Yes, of course.” Jaskier waved his hand with a frown. “Even Geralt has a heart, though he may not think so. But you.” The bard leaned forward, “You have a big, big, mushy heart. A soft soul.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, still letting yourself smile. Jaskier smiled as well, sitting back with his eyes on you, “Its a good thing. It’s a great thing.” His eyes sparkled as he looked your face over with a new light. You tried to ignore the heat rising to your skin, clearing your throat just as Geralt returned. Surprisingly, he seemed more relaxed as well. He wasn’t smiling, of course, but somehow, you could tell he wasn’t as uptight.

Still, the relaxation had to end at a point. You took another gulp of your drink, remembering the real reason why the three of you were together.

“We should head back to the city, first thing in the morning,” you said, trying to speak over the crowd around you.

Jaskier frowned, “What, so soon?”

You smirked at Jaskier’s distress, “It seemed that just a day ago you wanted nothing to do with this village.”

“That’s not true. It was at least three days ago.” He smiled brighter when he got a laugh out of you, leaning back to gesture to the space around him. He ignored the glares he got from people he accidentally hit as he did so. “It has grown on me, this dainty town. Hasn’t it grown on you, Geralt?”

“Hm.”

You laughed again, feeling the energy around you bubble up in your own skin. But despite the happiness you felt in this moment, there was still so much to do. So much to worry about.

You eventually let you smile fade, thinking about returning to the city. Never in your life would you have guessed that you might miss a small, smelly tavern like this — especially not with a bard and witcher as companions. The whole thing was a bit of a joke, but the reason you were put here didn’t have you laughing.

“It doesn’t matter.” You tapped the table, trying to control your nerves, “I still have to meet with Rauf and clear this whole thing up.”

Jaskier scrunched his nose with a frown, “Rauf?”

Your stomach dropped. Eyes widening with fear, you harshly bit down on your tongue. Had you said that out loud? Uttered his name without so much of a caution?

Your eyes widened even more as you stared silently at Julian. The chaos around you seemed to grow louder as his face barely showed any interest, except focusing on pouring himself another drink. Geralt was the same, only frowning at the crowd around you. The fear that coursed in your veins suddenly dissipated, instead turning into something…lighter.

You didn’t know if it was from the alcohol, but you couldn’t help the laugh that slipped from your lips. Jaskier looked up with something close to alarm.

“What’s so funny?”

As if something couldn’t make it worse. Your lips widened with a smile you rarely showed, giggles erupting from your mouth so much that you had to bring a hand to cover it.

Geralt silently slid your seventh cup of alcohol away from you.

“Never did I think a laugh from an assassin could be so heartwarming.” Jaskier raised his cup to you, downing the rest of the liquid with a smile. “Shall we dance, Y/N?”

You thought the last of your giggles had escaped you, but there you were laughing wholeheartedly again. You slammed a hand on the table and pointed at the bard. “Now, I am definitely not drunk enough for that.”

The bard shrugged, a cocky smile filling his features, “It was worth a try.”

———————————————————————————————————

Ahhhh this is a short chapter but y/n is finally feeling comfortable around geralt and jaskier so wooo!!! Next chapter is going to be exciting so get pumppeeddd

Let me know your thoughts!

[dragolianx]

How I’d rewrite Miraculous Ladybug a.k.a Miraculous Ladybug Final Mix

Before I start I just want to say, I actually loved this show. I always appreciate shows that establish their own universe separate from the big publishers. Ben 10, Generator Rex, Big Hero 6, hell My Life as a Teenage Robot does this well.

When I started Miraculous I had high hopes and season 1 definitely delivered. However, season 2 had some issues and season 3 only made it worse.

Say what you want about the show, but there was a noticeable shift in quality between season’s 1 and 2 and an even bigger drop in season 3.

I won’t touch season 1 since it did its job well. It established the world and explained some of the rules and lore about Kwami and Miraculous powers.

Now the end of season 1 gave us new antagonist in Lila. Her arrival shook up the established flow of the school. She was the new kid so she hooked everyone with stories of traveling around the world. However she had a habit of lying about herself to make herself seem interesting.

She lied about knowing ladybug and about being the latest in a family of superheroes.

Marinette knows that she’s lying because Lila claims to be Ladybug’s BFF, but she never met Lila before that day.

We then get the episode Volpina and so far this was the closest Ladybug came to surrendering. The only other akuma to get close to getting her earrings was Lady Wifi at this point. She knew how to manipulate people, even if she was sloppy with her lies at first.

When season 2 starts however she’s no where to  be seen until the season finale, Hero’s Day. This is where I’d make my first change.

Season 2

Make Lila stick around for season 2 instead of adding her back at the end of the season

Her absence is attributed to her “Traveling around the world” when she’d really just at home skipping school.

Her mom believes that the school is closed due to constant akuma attacks. The problem with this is that the school would most definitely have called her about her daughter’s absence. Or at the every least gave her a courtesy call about how the trip is going. It also make’s Lila’s mom seem incompetent because she doesn’t bother to go her kid’s school.

If there’s ever a parent teacher conference this lie would be easily dealt with.

Instead have the season 3 premiere episode “Chameleon” be the season 2 premiere. Instead of having the class change the seating order because she came back have her manipulate it so that she’s sitting next to Adrian and that Marinette is sent to the back.

Instead of Adrian telling Marinette to take the high road, have him warn her that without actual proof she’d just be isolated even more by the class. Adrian then promises to help Marinette whenever he can.

This worked in the episode because it showed just how persuasive she could be and how she could sway people she barely knows.

The episode would play out the same way, except at the end Bustier has Adrian stay where he is because she insists that he be a “good role model” and help Lila because of her “Disabilities”

In the end, the seating order is changed permanently and Marinette is moved to the back of the class. Lila begins to wedge herself between Marinette and the class.

Other big changes I’d make to season 2 would be moving Zombizou closer to the episode Despair Bear. At least make them be within an episode of each other. These will be the seeds for Chloe’s redemption, which can work in the show if Astruc would get his head out of his ass and learn how to write his damn characters.

Going off topic for a bit, but Kevin Levin from Ben 10 has tried to kill Ben for most of the original series run. After his mutation he tries to frame Ben for crimes and then off him when they were dragged into a gladiator match. He even teamed up with Vilgax to trap Ben in the Null Void and take the Omnitrix.

When Alien Force rolls around Kevin still tries to kill Ben, but when he meets a Majester Plumber and witnesses him die because of weapon deal gone bad, the same deal that Kevin set up, he realizes that he could be good and teams up with Ben and Gwen.

The same can be said for Chloe.

The most she’s done was prank Marinette, get Alya suspended, and plagiarize Marinette’s work.

As an antagonist she sucked. Hard.

Over the course of season 2 Chloe should steadily get better at not bossing people around and stop playing the “Mayor’s Daughter” card for her own selfish reasons.

At the same time, we should get small hints at Lila driving a wedge between Marinette and the class.

It could just be her mentioning how flaky Marinette can be because she’s never on time for events or just disappears sometimes.

It’d be hard for Marinette to counter this without revealing herself so the class begins to question her.

The season plays differently with Chloe mellowing out and Lila planting seeds of doubt.

Another thing worth mentioning is how Adrian/Chat Noir factors into the show.

In season 3 we see him miss his mom more, but it comes out of nowhere. We the audience know his mom is dead and assume he’s sad about it, but we don’t get actual scenes about this until Gorizilla and it’s not touched again until Felix.

In season 2 we should get more of how Adrian handles his isolation and how the loss of his mom affects him.

Have him lean on Marinette for support like how he asked her to lean on him for help with Lila.

Also have Chat Noir more involved with the whole temp hero thing and have Master Fu keep him in the loop.

Balance seems to be a central theme to the show, but Ladybug seems to be holding all the cards between the duo and Chat Noir is just in the background.

This makes him seem more like a sidekick instead of a partner since he’s almost never consulted when it comes to choosing heroes.

When Anansi happens have Adrian pick Nino to use the Turtle Miraculous and save Alya

The same can be said for how Chloe gets the Bee Miraculous in Style Queen.

He’s known her the longest and sees that she’s been making an honest effort to change, so as Chat Noir her gives her the Bee Miraculous.

This way Chloe gets to have her secret identity and prove herself to Ladybug and Chat Noir as a worthy hero.

Queen Wasp is removed from the series entirely

Maledictator happens because Audrey threatens to go back to New York and Chloe doesn’t know if she wants to go with her or not because she knows she wants a better relationship with her mom, but she’s also making progress at being a better person at school.

Lila sets off the celebration for Chloe leaving and that make Chloe want to leave because she thought she was getting better, but it seems as if her efforts weren’t good enough. Marinette doesn’t participate and defends Chloe since she hasn’t bothered Marinette or anyone else for the last few weeks and Lila takes this opportunity to make it seem like Marinette wants Chloe to stick around and bully the class.

Instead of defending herself Marinette chases after Chloe, and Adrian follows soon after once he hears the news.

The episode play nearly the same way until Chat Noir get whammied by Maledictator and becomes an actual cat.

Ladybug then gives Chloe the Bee Miraculous again and the episode plays out the same way until the end where Marinette offers to be Chloe’s friend and she accepts

Event play out the same leading up to heroes day and the season ends the same way. However, as a reward for their bravery in facing Hawkmoth and Mayura: Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee get to keep their Miraculous

Season 3

Since we moved Chameleon up a season and removed Queen Wasp, we’ll give those two episodes to season 3 as exposition episodes. One where Fu explains in detail to the current holders what happened to the order.

Have it be different from Feast sense the whole reason was Ludacris to begin with. Introduce the concept of an order dedicated to chaos that wants to use the Mirculous for various reasons.  The temple is attacked and Fu managed to get away with the main miracle box with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous in it.

We also get Fu choosing Ladybug to be the new guardian if something should happen to him with the other heroes agreeing that it should be her.

She begins her training after this episode

In another episode explain what happened to Adrian’s mom

We know that she has some sort of sickness keeping her in a coma and that only the Miraculous can fix it. We know because Adrian mentions how Natalie showed the same symptoms his mom did before she “died”

Have Gabriel remember what caused her to use the Peacock and how he found them to begin with. Have him study the grimoire to learn how to use Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous to save his wife.

Remove Animaestro since it adds nothing to the plot and was just an excuse for Astruc to shamelessly insert himself into his own show.

As a writer this is a major sin if done wrong. And while other cartoon creators have done this, the make their appearances cameos and don’t take up a majority of the episode complaining

The love Hexagon remains mostly the same, but Marinette doesn’t get super jealous of Kagami and ends becoming friends with her after getting to know her better. Meanwhile have Adrian subconsciously react to Luka’s presence around Marinette and have him question why when he thinks he’s dead set on loving Ladybug.

The episodes leading up to Ikari Gozen remain the same except Kagami doesn’t reveal her identity in the fight and Chat Noir gives her the Dragon Miraculous before she get captured by her mother.

Chat Blanc would be completely different. Instead of a what if episode, we have Chat Noir gets akumatized because it’s the anniversary of his mother’s death and he can’t hide how sad he is. Hawkmoth capitalizes on this and Chat Blanc is born. The other heroes show up to deal with the threat and the new reserves show up to help as well.

Chat Blanc almost sets off a world wide Cataclysm, but Viperion uses second chance to warn them. Have Monkey King disrupt Chat Blanc’s powers and then have Queen Wasp paralyze him so Ladybug can find the Akuma and cure it.

Felix plays differently as well. For starters have him not be related to Adrian and make him look different from him entirely. Felix and the other Quantic kids can be in a different class altogether. His introduction can play into the whole Lila situation as he and the other quantic kids don’t buy into her lies, but they can’t prove any of them are false.

For this to work even more, Lila’s lie of knowing Prince Ali doesn’t come up since she didn’t leave the school.

Now comes the big episode of the season, Ladybug.

This episode was good for so many reasons, but this time we’ll up the ante.

Lila still plants the necklace and test answers, but this time she goes further.

When they’re sent to the principal’s office she throws herself down the stairs can then claims that Marinette pushed her.

This time the evidence is damning and Lila’s mom is called. With the actual scrapes and bruises to help sell the story along with the test answers being put in Marinette’s bag and the Lila’s necklace in her locker Marinette is expelled and the same events as the episode take place, but this time Nino isn’t akumatized because it’s implied that he’s known Marinette for a long time so he should know she’d never get physical with someone or cheat (But she has taken the occasional cell phone)

Alya looks for clues to prove that Marinette is innocent and Nino joins along with Adrian.

The trail goes cold and then the episode pans out the same way. In the end Chloe makes a big scene about Marinette being expelled and find proof that she didn’t cheat on the test and didn’t steal the necklace, but can’t ultimately prove that Marinette didn’t push Lila. She then uses the “Mayor’s Daughter” card to get Marinette back in school, but the damage has been done. Most of the class believes Lila over Marinette and begin to isolate her. Although, Alya decides to finally do some fact checking on Lila after the string of incidents that morning and finds out that she’s been lying. She apologizes for how she’s been acting and nukes the ladyblog since she deems it “tainted” and commits to the school blog.

This shows a great deal of growth for Alya since he doesn’t feel the need to follow superheroes since she is one, and is willing to give up something for her friend’s sake.

After all of this happens Marinette is stripped of her class rep title and the Class nominates Lila.

Hearthunter and Miracle Queen don’t happen at all sense Chloe is fully redeemed at this point. Instead, Lila returns as Volpina to lure out Fu since Hawkmoth managed to figure out that he was in town after Hero’s Day.

Volpina creates an illusion to lure him out, but Fu realizes this and runs to find Marinette while in disguise. He gives her the Miracle Box and he loses his memories. Marinette stashes the box in her room before trying to get him somewhere safe, but when he gets to the train station he’s Akumatized by Hawkmoth and Ladybug and the other heroes must fight their mentor.

After the battle Marinette calls Marianne to take care of Fu and the two leave Paris while the other heroes watch the train depart with heavy hearts.

My biggest gripes with the show are how the character are never allowed to grow and how much the status quo remains mostly the same at the end of each episode.  

Almost none of what happens in a regular episode changes the flow of the story, and only the season premieres and finales seem to hold any weight. Not to mention Astruc’s obvious bias towards certain characters. He expects Marinette to be super mature, but she’s 14. He stated that he hates Chloe and Felix and goes out of his way to treat them like garbage.

In Felix’s debut episode he had him make an enemy with damn near the entire cast and even had Ladybug deck him.

Astruc for the most part doesn’t change anything and plays things too safe, unless it’s pointless fanservice that just serves to anger the fans even more.

I rewrote the last two season of Miraculous because for the most part, it’s become a sinking ship that could have easily been fixed.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Ribbon of Light - A RokuNami Drabble

@twilightpromises

Summary: One year in the month of April, Roxas tries to destroy a mountain that once caused Kairi and Sora and his family problems--and that Roxas worries might cause him and Naminé issues, if such a thing ever arrises again since they were born from them--and it takes Naminé to convince him to believe in the light in positive outcomes. Oneshot. Drabble. Fluff. Canon/AU. Somewhat crack-y.

Author’s Note: For the maypole prompt about RokuNami on Tumblr. Semi-AU, or perhaps a “future fic”, since I’m plagiarizing something from one of my old stories, that certainly hasn’t happened in KH.

Naminé’s PoV

Roxas was doing something... strange, in trying to destroy a mountain on Destiny Islands with poles for some reason (poles that had ribbons attached to them, no less)… and for the life of her, Naminé couldn’t explain why. "Roxas?" she asked the blond, as she came up behind her boyfriend and put a gentle hand on his shoulder—that thankfully seemed to halt his movements for a moment—"What are you doing?" And as soon as he seemed to notice her, Roxas turned around and looked at Naminé with a sheepish grin on his face. "...Would you believe I was trying to make the mountain look like a walrus just for fun?" the Keyblade wielder asked as he drummed his fingers on his leg.

And there was only one thing she could say to that, wasn’t there? And Naminé swiftly told him “no”, as she shook her head in the negative and laughed. “No. I can’t say I do, Roxas. So why-”

Then, as if he was gifting Naminé some great gift, he filled her in. Probably because he hated seeing her confused, because she’d been kept in the dark just for her enemies to harm her far too many times. "Okay, Okay, Okay, I'll tell you the truth," Roxas somewhat chortled himself, as he held his hands palms-forward. Naminé shifted her weight from one foot to the other—and even put her feet in the turf before her—as she waited for him to continue. "Do you remember how—when they were kids, apparently—Kairi fell off this cliff and Sora got hurt in saving her?"

Ahh. Naminé thought she understood where Roxas was coming from with this now, but she was still going to let him finish telling her the rest of the story. But if she had to prompt him first, she would. And she did."…And that somehow led to Sora's mom—and his sister—hating Kairi for a while... and trying to find a way to kill her later on? Go on."

"Well, I'm just thinking that if I destroy this mountain... there’s a chance that nothing like that will ever happen for Sora and Kairi again, and we also won’t get dragged into it.”

There was the answer Naminé had been expecting. And while it was definitely meaningful—like when Roxas had wanted to destroy Xemnas so he wouldn’t hurt his friends anymore—and even cute, for someone who was still pretty new to how the world worked, Naminé still couldn’t help feeling that Roxas’ logic was flawed and that she needed to inform him of that.

Above the couple, the sky went from being a deep blue to a rich pink—as if to say there really was no threat here, but Roxas was just being overbearing because he wanted to protect the ones he loved. And Naminé used this as inspiration, for when she held Roxas’ face in her hand and gently forced him to see her—reality and now. "Roxas, that happened years ago. And since then… Sora's family and Kairi have been perfect with each other, you know? And there’s really been no hint that that will change… So I think you should let this one go, silly.” And she kissed him on the cheek to try and distract Roxas from her doubting him, and was rewarded with a blush from him that she felt wonderful about.

"But-" he protested. But Naminé wasn't having it. There was a large part of her that wanted to ask him to leave the mountain alone, because the artist in her saw it as a lovely sight and wanted to draw it. But there was something much bigger at stake here, and so she told him. "We're at the end of April now, Roxas! And that means that April showers will soon bring May flowers. Maybe you should focus on that, the positivity... and realize nothing will ever threaten Sora and Kairi... or us again, if we believe in the light. And that's coming from timid old me." And she must have made the light bulb turn on in his head then, because Roxas' only answer to Naminé's words, was to wrap her up in the ribbons that had been on the poles—as if he meant to marry her, as didn’t lovers put ribbons over each other in many marriage ceremonies? At least over their wrists?—and to kiss her peacefully.

[soyouareandrewdobson]

A (wind)blast from the past...

So.. lets talk about Dobson and anime.

No, I am not meaning in the way that I am going to dissect his biased spiteful opinions on Japanese animation and comic culture on general (believe me, we are going to get there one day) but in regard of something that even got me by surprise when I learnt of it the day before.

You know Rumiko Takahashi? Mangaka of work such as Ranma ½, One-Pound Gospel, Mermaid Saga and most famously Inuyasha? Not only is this woman one of the most popular and richest mangaka on the planet with multiple awards under her belt (including the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême in 2019) but if you know anything about Dobson at all, you know that she is one of his idols. Meaning of course he plagiarized her wacky tone of humor, certain characters and overall style in his earlier works, primarily Formera and Alex ze Pirate.

Honestly, growing up with Ranma ½ myself (and being disappointed in the ending even today, though the ride was entertaining) I can confirm just how much he was “inspired” by her. Be it by the fact that Perry the Pirate acts like Happosai if he had the genes of Brian Blessed halfway split into him, that most of the wacky sledgehammer humor his characters can engage in is way too similar to what Akane Tendo would do, to Altea being everything Miroku from Inuyasha would be, if you removed his redeeming qualities.

  Well, here is the thing: Although Dobson likes her work, for reasons he never elaborated on, he can’t stand Inuyasha.

Which I assume is related to the manga being less ��wacky” than Takahashi’s previous work (though she did also write darker stories like Mermaid Saga before that) . I can’t however say so for certain. All I know is that the manga (in my opinion) ran for longer than was necessary and that Naraku got off easier in a way than he deserved, even if he was killed by the end of it all, which are like two major criticisms I can think of.

 That said, I would be lying if I said I did not adore Inuyasha back in the day and see why other people liked it too. It was one of the first manga I followed regularly and while I can look back at it and see all the cheese to it, I genuinely liked reading the adventure of Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango and Miroku, with Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Rin and Kouga as flavor adding side characters. I have fond memories of listening to “Change the World”, I still own the third movie on DVD cause I really like it and the anime and manga is always good for a read down memory lane. But I digress. This is not about me self indulging into my weaboo past, this is about Dobson potentially changing his opinion about Inuyasha soon.

Why? Because it gets the Korra/Boruto treatment now. In short, there is going to be a girl centered sequel.

To elaborate: Last month (May 2020) it was announced that Sunrise, the same studio that did the first Inuyasha anime adaptation, would release around autumn (though that is more or less an estimate) a new series by the title of “Hanyou no Yashahime”, which roughly translates into “Yashahime: Princess Half Demon”. And not just that, Rumiko Takahashi herself will work as character designer on it and anime scriptwriter Katsuyuki Sumisawa, who collaborated with Takahashi on the scripts of all Inuyasha movies and has credits on many other popular Shonen Anime of the 80s, 90s and 2000s, is in charge of scripts.

Here is a link describing a bit more about the show

And here is a description of the plot, courtecy of livechart The daughters of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha set out on a journey transcending time!

In Feudal Japan, Half-Demon twins Towa and Setsuna are separated from each other during a forest fire. While desperately searching for her younger sister, Towa wanders into a mysterious tunnel that sends her into present-day Japan, where she is found and raised by Kagome Higurashi’s brother, Sota, and his family.

Ten years later, the tunnel that connects the two eras has reopened, allowing Towa to be reunited with Setsuna, who is now a Demon Slayer working for Kohaku. But to Towa’s shock, Setsuna appears to have lost all memories of her older sister.

Joined by Moroha, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, the three young women travel between the two eras on an adventure to regain their missing past.

I am not gonna lie, I am baffled, excited and a bit concerned about this. Baffled because it has been over a decade since the manga ended and half a decade since the plot was also wrapped up in animated form. Add to that also the fact that this is the first time Takahashi actually does a sequel to one of her previous works and it is quite a surprise.

Then obviously, I am excited as someone who liked the original story and I kinda want to see where this is going, even if I was okay with the story ending in the first place. See, I am one of those people, I do not need endless continuations of some plots because I have nothing else going on in my life than one work of fiction I can never let go off and call others nazis if they do not agree with me mindlessly consuming it (*cough* Start Wars *cough*)

And Inuyasha is one of those things where I was overall still happy with the end. Ater all, Kagome and Inuyasha together, the villain defeated, Kohaku back to normal, Sango and Miroku busy being parents. YAY! So I do not need a sequel outright.

In addition, I am not necessarily a fan of the entire “sequel series about an offspring of character X” hook that Naruto for example went for with Boruto, because it feels like just doing the same shit over again with a new paint job instead of trying something slightly more original. That and quite often a sequel is only possible by the writer going for “happy end override” where the struggle our original heroes went for is essentially made pointless and their happy end taken away, so that a new conflict for the sequel can even happen. (again, Star Wars, or as one example in videogames that really stunk for me, Golden Sun for the DS).

Which are in the end the things I am actually worried about. That this sequel may turn the end of Inuyasha more tragic than it needed to be. But hey, we still have till autumn. So who knows, perhaps the show will be quite upbeat in its own way. Hopefully at least as “good” as the original. And if not, I can still perhaps enjoy it in a “so bad its good” way.

 But independent of how I may perceive it, I am curious if Dobson, that is, if he even hears of this thing existing, will be interested in it. may do so. After all, on one hand it would be a sequel to a work by his favorite mangaka, who he likes so much, he feels even guilty about inflating characters by her.

 On the other hand, he does not like Inuyasha for never really elaborated reasons.

Then again, this will be a sequel involving the offsprings of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. And knowing his boner for lesbians that went so far as to hint he looks regularly even on incestuous shipping art for the characters of Frozen…

 Who knows? Perhaps this will “cure him” of the notion that “homosexual shipping” in anime is creepy and he will join the group of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha shippers via offspring proxy (sarcasm).

After all, it is”less” creepy when they are cousins, aren’t they? And even if it is “incest” it would still be progressive because it would be two girls. And even if they are not going to kiss and cuddle like the precious tiny little lesbians Dobson likes to imagine a lot of women as, he can still ship them because there is nothing wrong about shipping, as long as he does it.

Can you tell that I am not a fan of his hypocrisy?

Look, in all honesty, I am curious what he would think of the show and how he would “perceive” it. Primarily because it may give additional insight in how far his hatred for anime as well as his lesbian obsession goes.

And on a geekier note to end on,, are Towa and Setsuna supposed to be Sesshoumaru’s daughters? Congratulations on getting busy, you old white haired pretty bo- Wait. They are half demons. Sesshoumaru mated with a human. But the only human he ever even showed a slight level of affection to was…

 Oh…. oh, no!

For the love of god, please let her have been aged up enough! I know she was already aged up in the last chapter of the manga, but considering he was like her father figure... well, that is if Rin is the mother, but... come on, who else?

[horseluvr00-ff]

A Place to Call Home | Chapter 37

Masterlist Here

Rating: T+

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Genre/Warnings: action/adventure/family | kidnapping, violence, strong language.

Story summary: It’s been a few months since the Battle of New York. Steve Rogers is acclimating to life when he crosses paths with teenager Katelyn Sanders, a SHIELD recruit and highly valued asset with a dark past. Follow Kate’s adventure from SHIELD asset to Avenger to wanted fugitive over the course of her youth and into adulthood with her Avenging family. Follows Infinity Saga and beyond.

Words: 6,434

Disclaimer: Majority of properties within this fanfic are owned by Marvel/Disney. My OC Katelyn Sanders, as well as a few other unaffiliated things within this fanfic are of my own creation.

Author Note: Relogs are welcome and appreciated :) Please no plagiarism or reposts on other platforms. Updates now occur every other Friday, however posts on Tumblr usually occur Saturdays.

Full story available on FFN and A03 here and here

Chapter 37 can be found here on FFN and here on AO3 in full.

Check out a portion of Chapter 37 below:

The elevator hum was the only sound Kate could focus on as it drew closer and closer to its set destination. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just starting to peek through the city skyline.

Today she was going to go to the New York SHIELD base to discuss how they would proceed with her training and potential to be an agent. Mulling over all of it, Kate knew she might have stepped into it all too quickly. It wasn't hard to see that Steve was hesitant about her expressed desire to work with SHIELD again. Especially after everything he'd done to put distance between her and SHIELD. She was grateful for it all, and in no way was trying to undermine his work. However, SHIELD was a part of her, whether she liked it or not. They knew more about her past and her family than she did, and she had a purpose with them. Even if she decided that one day, the path they had set her on was no longer for her, she'd still have something to fall back on. Where she was now had its limits and taking handouts was something she wasn't comfortable with.

The subtle ding of the elevator causes Kate's eyes to lift up before she makes her way onto the communal floor. It's quiet and the only sound is the thud of her standard SHIELD combat boots as she makes her way to the kitchen.

She wouldn't be running with Steve this morning. He'd mentioned the other day that since they were leaving pretty early, they'd hold off on a run.

Opening the fridge, Kate grabs the carton of orange juice before leaning around the door to grab a banana from the fruit bowl.

"Are you excited?"

A banana isn't exactly a go-to weapon, but Kate turns fast enough with the banana ready in-hand that one might assume she could do a thing or two with the soft fruit acting as a weapon.

Natasha is seated on the couch facing away from the kitchen, peaking over the back of the cushions with a soft, and perhaps amusing smile.

If this were a training exercise I'd currently be having my ass kicked.

Kate lowers the fruit awkwardly before closing the fridge door.

"I uh" She clears her throat, realizing that she hadn't yet spoken that day and her voice was still a bit gravelly. "Not sure that's the best word for it." She mumbles.

"S'okay to be nervous." Natasha responds, getting to her feet before making her way towards the kitchen island.

Kate meets her eyes momentarily as she pours a small glass of orange juice before placing the carton back into the fridge.

Natasha leans against the counter opposite her, forearms crossed over the surface as she leans forward.

"I admit I'd be surprised if you weren't," She chuckles. "This is a big decision to make."

No need to tell me, like a fifth of me is already regretting jumping the gun.

Kate gulps down most of the orange juice before turning her attention to the banana sitting on the counter adjacent to her.

"Didn't really have the luxury of nervousness," Kate responds with a small shrug, referring back to her past in general; whether that be with the warehouse or even with SHIELD. It just wasn't a job where fear belonged. Fear gets you killed, if not makes you think selfishly and in turn get more people killed.

"A healthy dose of fear is a good thing though," Natasha counters with a small smile. "Fearlessness can be a weakness in this line of work."

This line of work.

Kate nods quietly in understanding before proceeding to eat her banana. Natasha was talking almost like this was going to be her job. That idea seemed to foreign to Kate. Have a job? Get paid? Be… treated like a normal person? It was all very foreign.

"If you have any questions, I'll try to answer any that you might have."

The offer causes Kate to look up from the half-peeled fruit in her grasp and she meets the red head's eyes for a brief time before her gaze falls again.

Questions… Do I have questions? The elevator is returning; most likely Steve.

"Not sure what to ask," Kate finally shrugs gently before chuckling; although the chuckle was more so out of nervousness than anything. The unknown that was coming her way was antagonizing.

"Well if you think of anything, let me know." Natasha tilts her head lightly to the side and Kate nods in response.

The familiar ding of the elevator sounds and Kate looks over to see Steve exiting the lift. He turns with a small smile, walking pace portraying that of the leader-esque persona that he had.

"You ready?" He asks.

Kate quickly finishes up the banana with a nod and tosses the peel in the trash before going to follow Steve back into the elevator.

"Good luck," Natasha calls, turning to face them.

Kate gives her a small smile, and catches the nod from Steve out of the corner of her eye before the doors close again and the lift begins its descent to the garage.

It's very quiet on the ride down, almost as quiet as when she first came down alone, and Kate finds herself swinging her arms behind her back, lightly grasping her wrist. She rocks subtly on her heels before glancing towards Steve momentarily.

He acts in a similar manner and Kate hears his breathing subtly change, a clear indication that he was about to speak.

"So," Steve begins, hands gripping his belt. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Kate nods eagerly, perhaps too eagerly. She needed to make it clear to Steve that she was certain about this. She'd made the decision; she couldn't back out now.

Steve gives a small smile in response and a nod before turning his eyes forward.

"That's good," He responds. "Not nervous?"

Instead of lying again, Kate gives Steve a small shrug before clearing her throat.

"Not sure what to expect, so…" Kate trails off, a couple seconds too late realizing that may not be the best thing to say to Steve. Showing uncertainty with him always led to the same outcome: he'd try to fix the problem.

"I guess I'm with you on that." Steve sighs, much to Kate's surprise as she glances at him, brow knit. "Fury didn't give me much information either."

Doesn't that just fill me with comfort. Well… While I don't necessarily trust the Director fully, he's never given me a direct reason not to trust him.

"Kate, if they ask you to do anything today- or during any of the testing - that you aren't comfortable with, just tell me, okay?"

She can hear the subtle hints of anxiety in his voice and waits a moment before responding.

"Okay," She gives him another small nod, meeting his eyes briefly before turning towards the elevator doors as they open.

Heading out towards the black SUV they kept at the Tower, Kate gets into the passenger seat and Steve follows a few seconds later, getting into the driver's seat.

The rest of chapter 37 can be found here on FFN and here on AO3. Take a peak to keep reading!

Stay healthy, stay safe, sending lots of love. <3

Masterlist Here

[justauthoring]

Left All Alone (4/?)

Prompt: Could you please do a Justin Foley imagine where his sister got kicked out after he left so she’s been staying with Bryce because she doesn’t know about the tapes and he’s always been there for her and Justin and in the school fight scene, Bryce makes a comment about her which causes Justin to lose it? X

A/N: In the beginning: italics mean text messages.

bold means hannah’s tapes.

Please don’t plagiarize my work!

Word Count: 1,654

one - two - three - four

Y/N, it’s Justin.

When I tried to climb out of the hot-tub --

Please. Y/N.

You grabbed my arm --

Listen, I know you don’t want to talk to me. But this is important.

You traced your fingers down my bra strap --

I’m calling you.

And over my bra.

Answer it.

I've told you about two of the worst decisions I ever made, and the damage left behind... and the people who got hurt.

"Jessica...”

Watching your phone-screen light up, you simply stare down at it; shoulders down, lips left parted, eyes distant. The caller ID clearly reads Justin, but you make no move to answer.

You don’t want to answer.

He just let him do that to her...

But he didn’t want him to. 

Doesn’t matter.

“Jesus,” you mumble, a moment of silence as Justins is sent to voicemail. “I’m going crazy.” 

You thought listening to all the tapes, every single one, would lead you to some sort of conclusion. A route to the answers. But it only left you more confused, more baffled -- and if anything, left you more heartbroken. A part of you had always known, but those tapes just confirmed it; you were living with a rapist. A man who not only raped one girl, but two, and maybe, most likely, more. One of the girls killed herself --

“Oh God,” feeling your eyes water, you place a hand against your lips, trying to stifle the cry that threatens to break through. It was early, just a little bit before Bryce normally gets up for school. You’ve been up all night. Even after you’d finished listening to the tapes, you hadn’t been able to sleep. You just stared blankly up at your ceiling.

You were even waiting for Bryce to come bursting through your door. He must know, you’d think, he has to know. He knows I listened to the tapes. He’ll be mad; he’ll be more than mad, He’ll -- But he never did. And you were left to your own thoughts, to the truth; the truth you’d once been desperate to know and now, you wished you’d never learned. Being oblivious was both a cursing and a gift.

But I always knew. No. You just didn’t want to admit it.

Hell, he does it to you.

“But Justin...” You whisper the words, the image of Jessica popping into your mind. “I didn’t know about Justin.”

Your phone lights up again, it ringing softly against your night-table. You glance down at it, stare at it for a moment or two and then, without even truly thinking (your hand seems to just move on its own), you reach forward, answering the call and press it against your ear.

“Y/N--”

“I don’t want to talk to you.” They’re the first words that leave your lips. They almost do so without thought.

“Y/N, I... I know you don’t. But please, I need you to hear this.” Justin’s voice comes out rushed, as if he’s trying to push every word in before you hang up on him. He tries to explain himself, desperate for you to hear him out.

“You just left me here.”

“Y/N, I--” There’s a pause, neither of you says anything, then, “what?”

“Last night. With Clay, you just...” Another pause; the silence is deafening. Suddenly, your eyes are watering. You’re not sure why but they just are. “You just left. Again.”

You hear Justin inhale sharply, “I didn’t want to. But Bryce would never let you leave--”

“You had a gun.”

“I wasn’t about to shoot him.”

“Clay was.”

“This has nothing to do with Clay.”

“How can it not?” You scoff, wiping angrily at your tears -- even if Justin can’t see them, you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that still, even after everything, he still means the world to you. “He’s your new family after all.”

“What? Y/N, I... You’re my family, Clay is just... helping me out.”

You scoff, but don’t say anything.

“This isn’t why I called,” of course it isn’t, “Y/N, I need you to come to the trial meeting today.”

At that, you laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Bryce doesn’t let me go to the trials,” you say simply, lowering your voice just a tad bit -- Bryce should be awake now. “There’s no way i’d be able to. Plus, I already know everything.”

“You clearly don’t if you’re still living with Bryce.” You don’t say anything, Justin realizes his mistake instantly. “I mean, you--you haven’t heard the tapes.” 

“I have.”

“What?”

“I’ve heard the tapes.” You repeat, voice cold, calm; a lot more calm then you.

“Then you...”

“I know everything Justin.” Another minute of silence. “I have to go,” you scoff, “Bryce’ll be up soon--”

“Just, wait, Y/N. Please,” Justin rushes in, voice pitching with panic. “Please, come to the trial.”

“I already told you--”

“Ask Scott,” he suddenly interjects, causing your brows to furrow. “Scott Reed. He’s a... friend of Bryce’s, yeah?” You hum, “you know him?” You hum again. “Just ask him to drive you. He’ll understand. And before you argue, Bryce will already be there because it’s his trial, he won’t know until you’re actually there. And I won’t let anything happen to you.”

You said that once before. I don’t believe you.

You don’t say anything, and then a moment later, you hear Bryce’s footsteps.

“I have to go,” you whisper, ducking away from the door. 

“Wait! Just, please, try to come.”

Glancing back at the door, you pause. You did nothing. Nothing while he... But he’s my brother.

“Y/N.”

“I’ll try.”

With haste, you hang up your phone, practically throwing it onto the night table as you push yourself up to your feet, moving towards your closet. Just as you begin searching through your clothes (regrettably, courtesy of the Walker family), you hear your door open.

“You’re not dressed, yet?” You hear Bryce’s voice flood into the room. You traced your fingers down my bra strap and over my bra. “Normally you’re dressed before me.”

Stifling your fear, you swallow thickly; “can’t decide what to wear.”

“Well, you look good anything,” you can hear the lust in his voice. You shudder. “So I say, fuck it. Just grab whatever.” Leaning back, you gather whatever little nerve you have and face Bryce. He blinks at the sight of you. “You look like shit.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you mumble.

Bryce takes a step towards you, and it takes everything in you not to visibly react. You square your shoulders, clenching your jaw as subtly as you can, trying to avoid eye contact as Bryce reaches out for your cheek, cupping it. You almost flinch, but you stop yourself. 

Bryce is oblivious; “should’ve came to me.” A lecherous smirk curls onto his lips; “I would’ve helped you fall asleep.” Maybe not fall asleep, he wants to add, but other things, sure.

And, in that moment, it felt like...it felt like I was already dead.

I thought maybe I could forget about what had happened.

But thanks to you, Bryce, I'd finally lived up to my reputation, and I knew there was no way I could ever live that down.

“Yeah,” you whisper, voice shaky, “i’m sure you would’ve.”

-

Pulling at the sleeves of your shirt, you nervously make your way over to Scott whose stood at his locker directly adjacent to you.

Am I really going to do this?

The moment you’re close enough, you part your lips, moving to speak.

Defy Bryce like this?

“Hey, um, Scott?” 

You already have.

Turning at the sound of your voice, Scott blinks down at you. “Hey, Y/N.”

By listening to those tapes.

“Hey,” you whisper out again, smiling again. You can’t help the shake of your voice, paranoid that Bryce was right around the corner; watching you. “Sorry to bother, I just... I wanted to ask you something?”

It’s too late now.

You don’t notice, too absorbed in your own mind, but Scott’s eyes considerably soften at the sight of you. He doesn’t miss the slight tremour to your voice or the way you shift on your feet, glancing over your shoulder every few seconds. He only has one thought; Bryce.

“Of course,” Scott says with ease, making sure to sound as gentle as possible.

This was it. No backing out now. “I was, um, was wondering if maybe you could drive me down to court for the trial? I assume you’re going, since you’re, uh, a friend of Bryce’s. And I know i’m not supposed to go, o-or that Bryce doesn’t want me to, but I also know Justin’s testifying so--”

“I don’t mind at all,” Scott gently interjects, smiling down at you.

Your eyes instantly calm; “yeah?”

He nods. “And i’m not a friend of Bryce’s, not anymore at least.”

Your brows furrow; “no?”

He shakes his head.

“Oh,” you mumble, letting out a soft, somewhat forced laugh. “I wondered why Justin told me to talk to you...” The comment is meant more for yourself, but you don’t miss the way Scott’s brows furrow somewhat in confusion, obviously having heard it. You brush it off. “I guess it’s a good thing,” you swallow thickly, “Bryce’ll be really mad when he sees me there.”

The comment is meant as a poor attempt at a joke. Scott only frowns.

“He doesn’t want you going that badly, huh?”

Biting your lip, you shake your head up at Scott. And that says it all.

Scott, still frowning, takes a step forward, closing the distance between the two of you. Letting his hand fall on your arm, he squeezes it softly, pulling your gaze intently on his own. “When we get there, stick by me, okay?” He whispers, lowering his voice so no one else can hear you. “I won’t let him touch you.”

You may not know Scott well. Only a little and just by sometimes hanging by Bryce’s side, but, for some reason, you trust him. You can’t explain it, you just do. You know, deep in your heart, without a doubt, he means it.

And you need someone to trust.

-

Part 5?

Tag List: @kaelyn-lobrutto24 - @minigranger - @nickigv - @celyndavies - @supernaturalonice - @spideyxtay - @tilesandtokens - @i-cant-think-of-a-cool-user-name - @heimdoodle - @jxhn-mxrphy - @anephemeralwoe - @we-are-the-weasleys - @viinchester - @letsbloodmagic - @queen1054 - @thats50nicbrooo - @g-note-on-a-piano  Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

[thebiasrekkers]

Touch In The Dark — MYG

For the @btswriterscorner​ - Amor Fabula Launch Project in celebration of the month of Valentine’s Day!

Plot: Min Yoongi comes from the prestigious family of Blue Blood lineage. However, to appear philanthropic in the eyes of the public, they volunteered their son to marry someone from “humble” origins. Two years have passed since he’s been married to his poor, orphan wife. But for the first time in two years, he’s starting to take note of things about her that are causing shifts in his views of her, shaking his heart.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: dystopian!au/dystopian themes | angst | romance/fluff

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Female OC (Kiara Townsend)

Warnings: Strong language, mentions of suicide, extreme angst, interracial/intercultural relationship, arranged marriage

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 7,936

AN: I never thought I would write a story like this. I think this is the softest I’ve ever written for the boys. I know I only have one piece of lit for the fandom, but I have to say that this project caught me a little off guard. I never thought I would write Yoongi this soft, but it’s a very non-conventional soft. So I hope you all enjoy the world I was able to build from this, hug your loved ones a little close, and know that you are always loved. All reblogs, critiques/reviews, comments and affection are accepted! Happy reading!

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

  ~ k.t. ~

On the day she was told that she’d been chosen as the “Charity Selection” for The Lottery, Kiara tried to kill herself. 

The heavy knocks sounded like thunder inside her tiny, rundown studio apartment. She stared back at her reflection in the bathroom, a handful of sleeping pills clutched in her palm over the porcelain. She’d purchased a full bottle of the prescription strength medication off the black market. It took her months to save up enough money to buy them.

Attempted suicide was a serious offense, punishable by large fines and incarceration for three months, followed by six months of psychiatric evaluation. The global population was already off-kilter with how many people suffered losses from wars, hunger and poverty. Decreasing the numbers in any amount was detrimental to society’s ability to rebuild and stabilize its structure. 

The knocking continued incessantly. Kiara knew if she didn’t answer the door, they would just kick it in and find out what she was up to. Sighing, she put the pills back into the bottle and placed it in the medicine chest behind the smudged mirror.

Twelve paces. That’s how long it took for her to make it from the bathroom to the front door. The ratty sofa doubled as her bed and the thin, pale blue blanket could hardly be considered covers. While Kiara did not get sick often, she could not stay warm during the winter months. Central heating was a luxury she couldn’t afford and space heaters were few and far between. The yellowing paint peeled off the walls and the stainless steel door knobs, once shiny and new, were now dull and gray from years of neglect.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by a man in a three-piece suit and two armed soldiers. He was an official from The Lottery office and he handed her a letter. He congratulated her, telling her how fortunate she was to have been chosen for the “Charity” portion of the Lottery. He explained that everything she needed to know about her future husband was in the envelope and that she could read it on the flight to meet him.

She’d never flown in an airplane before.

Kiara didn’t own much. All of her furniture were either hand-me-downs or things she found on the side of the road. Her clothes, what few she had, could all be stuffed into a single duffel bag. Her friends doted on her, telling her how lucky she was to have been chosen. They all pooled together and bought her a pretty sundress to wear since it was approaching Summer. Kiara promised to contact them whenever she was fully settled.

On the flight over, Kiara took a good look over the files she’d received. 

Yoongi Min. 26. South Korean. Computer programmer. His home was Daegu and he still lived with his family, as per tradition in the country. He was fluent in English, which was a relief. He was definitely handsome - dark auburn hair, pierced ears, and umber eyes that almost appeared a little withdrawn. Or was it sadness?

Was he hurting on the inside too?

At her request, one of the flight attendants gave her a tablet for her to study. She didn’t want to embarrass herself on the first day of meeting him.

If the plane didn’t crash on the way. Kiara could only be so lucky. 

Yoongi wasn’t the one who picked her up from the airport. It was someone from the family’s household staff. He was a kind looking middle-aged man and he helped her load what few belongings she had into the trunk of her car. The drive from Incheon to Daegu was long. The driver, Mr. Song, told her she could take a nap if she liked. But there were so many questions she wanted to ask and she was grateful that he was also fluent in English.

There were things she discovered about Yoongi that she felt she could relate to. He was an avid reader and enjoyed music. He preferred his solitude and when he had the time to spare, he took pictures and tended the garden at his family’s home. There were servants to handle such things as yardwork, but Yoongi insisted on raising seedlings in a greenhouse.

After she arrived at his family’s home, she was welcomed by the rest of the staff. Yoongi, again, did not greet her. His parents did, however. They were not so fluent in English, but they were kind enough to allow one of the maidservants to translate what they were saying to Kiara. She both nodded and shook her head at the appropriate questions. Nothing they asked was outside of a “yes” or “no” response.

“Are you healthy?”

“Are your parents really dead?”

“Were you comfortable on the plane?”

“You’ve never flown on an airplane before, have you?”

And finally, the question that served as Divine Intervention.

“Are you tired?”

The questioning ended when she nodded. It wasn’t that Kiara wanted to avoid her future In-Laws. She really was tired. She refused to nap on the long drive from Incheon to Daegu and the jet lag was starting to rear its ugly head. She could hardly keep her eyes open. After she was escorted to one of the guest rooms, Kiara barely took note of her luggage on the floor at the foot of the bed. 

She fell asleep almost immediately.

When Kiara awoke the next day, she found a handwritten note sitting on the nightstand. Groggy and hungry, she did her best to read the note. Her eyes quickly focused when she realized it was from Yoongi.

Miss Townsend,

I’m glad to see you arrived safely. I know this is a bit of a transition for you, but everything will be fine. I will be out of town on business until the day after tomorrow. Please meet me at City Hall on Wednesday so we can finalize everything.

~ Min Yoongi

Unsure of why, Kiara felt her heart sink. The note seemed so impersonal; business-like. She knew what kind of world they lived in now, but did it really mean that a perpetual wall would exist between them? 

Crumpling the note in her hand, she was grateful to be alone. She didn’t think she’d be able to explain the tears if anyone saw her. Mostly because Kiara, herself, couldn’t understand why she was crying.

~ m.y. ~

The days always began the same.

Yoongi woke up, showered, went downstairs and had his cup of coffee. Two spoonfuls of sugar. No cream. He hated watching television because most channels either rattled on political propaganda or spoke about the “Runners” rebelling against society’s standards for the world. He preferred the soft sounds of jazz peeling from the radio speakers. Sometimes it was purely instrumental. Other times, someone was crooning a song about heartbreak. It was an idea that he didn’t quite understand, but the tones were pleasing to the ears.

He wasn’t a fan of it originally. Yoongi only listened to it because she had it playing while she hung laundry out on the line one warm summer day. “Killing Me Softly” droned from the speakers and he could recall the look on her face when he told her to turn it off immediately. Music containing lyrics had been banned as it was a way for artists to spread their messages of love, freedom, insurrection and justice. 

She didn’t argue with him, but her expression shifted significantly that day.

In their society, love was something that could not be felt because love equaled passion and passion led to impractical thought. Impractical thoughts led to irrational decisions being made. Wars, hatred, violence: they were all ingredients for disaster that nearly wiped out the population of the world.

But mankind couldn’t very well lead itself to extinction. Population growth was necessary, so long as it was monitored and controlled. Maintaining order was paramount in this new age. The Lottery Bill was established across the world - bridging the racial and cultural divide that continued to exist until the United Nations took matters into their own hands.

The class system was determined by lottery. Blue Bloods all the way to Laborers. Everyone had their place and would accept that place. No one would strive to reach above their station as that would disrupt order and breed chaos. To regulate the classes, lotteries were also pulled for marriage. Couples were chosen from like classes to maintain balance in the system. 

But because the world’s government was not cruel, there were families chosen to participate in philanthropic activities. Every year, a small percentage of Laborers were pooled to marry into Blue Blood lineage. It was a way to show the kindness the global governmental body possessed. Most in the Blue Blood class referred to it as “Forced Charity” but they couldn’t argue against the positive impact it had both across the media and in society as a whole.

Min Yoongi’s family was one of the families chosen to participate in the “Forced Charity”. As the only son, he was obligated to be the one to represent their family during The Lottery. 

He didn’t make a fuss. When Yoongi received his Summons in the mail, he went to his district’s City Hall and took the envelope from one of the clerks. He had one week to accept the terms presented in his drawing. Since he was willingly volunteering to marry someone outside of his station, he had one opportunity for a redrawing. But only one.

Yoongi opted out of it.

He was living with his parents still and politely asked that they give him privacy. For five days they tormented him about what his bride was like. It wasn’t out of childish rebellion that he hadn’t given them an answer. It was because he truly didn’t know.

On the sixth day, he finally opened the envelope. 

Inside contained the dossier of his future bride, as well as a single photograph. Everyone who was eligible for The Lottery was required to have their picture taken at their district’s City Hall, regardless of what part of the world they were from. If his bride-to-be had to travel miles to get to him, then that was what had to be done. There would be no objections from either side.

He had no expectations. There was no reason to disagree with the marriage. Yet a part of him hesitated when it was time to call The Lottery office to have them send for her. The same part that looked at her picture and couldn’t help wondering what she was thinking when she was staring back at the camera. Yoongi wondered if he had the same expression on his face when he’d taken his photo.

Kiara Townsend. 26. African-American, German and Scottish. She had no parents and she worked full-time in a textile factory in North America. Her parents were killed during a neighborhood raid of residents who were presumed to have been involved in an underground movement of sorts - advocating free love and speaking out against the societal norms currently in place for the world. 

In the photo, her skin was a golden caramel, hair thick with large curls, and she had prominent brows and a set of full lips. Her eyes, small and hazel in tone, were seemingly endless - like she could see into the very souls of anyone she laid her eyes upon. But there was an emptiness that lingered there in her photo. 

After accepting his lottery choice, she was notified and escorted to his home country of South Korea. In three days, they were married. As a wedding present, his parents bought them their own home - a large estate in the Daegu countryside where they would have privacy. She no longer had to work now that she was married to a Blue Blood. Yoongi worked from home as a computer programmer and only went into town once a month for board meetings.

For the first month, neither of them said a word to each other. It was an unspoken rule that they had their own separate spaces in their home. Yoongi rarely slept and when he did, he slept alone. His wife often slept on the couch and he never bothered her to sleep in her own bed. 

They were like strangers who happened to share the same address.

Four months went by. Yoongi grew more and more numb to his situation. The whole point of marrying someone was to increase the population. Young men and women were fully educated in the concept of sexual intercourse so that there would be no mistakes during the coupling process. No one was truly a virgin when they were age-appropriate for The Lottery. Sex was no longer an act of pleasure in the world. It was a business transaction.

They didn’t have sex. Neither even so much as touched the other.

Six months into their marriage, Yoongi heard Kiara speak for the first time. 

“Can we send the servants home? I want to make dinner tonight.”

The sound of her voice was so soft. He was entranced and nearly forgot to speak. When Yoongi finally found his voice, he replied - realizing that his own tones sounded a little strange to him.

“Alright.”

~ k.t. ~

She hadn’t meant to be silent. There were so many things she wanted to know about her husband. But the very air around him appeared frigid and Kiara knew she didn’t want to bother him. There was a part of her that could sense his loneliness, but she never wanted to push or prod where she wasn’t wanted. The interactions they had between each other were brief, if even at all. 

Kiara didn’t have to want for anything. But was this really a life that she could grow accustomed to? It felt like the more she wanted to grow closer with Yoongi, the further he seemed to appear.

Did he hate her? Or not care about her? When he fussed at her about playing the radio, she wondered if she was simply an eyesore to him.

Wasn’t it better to simply stay out of his way?

The months bled on and while they were finally sharing small bits of conversation here and there, Kiara could sense the gap between them slowly transforming into a chasm. There were times when she caught him looking at her when she was busying herself around the kitchen or even putting away clothes. She was so used to a hard, springy mattress from her pullout bed in her studio that Kiara found it easy to fall asleep on one of the many couches throughout the house.

Their house.

But was it really her house? Could she call it her home?

Eight months into their marriage, she woke up in a bed after having fallen asleep while reading on the sofa. The warm blankets and plush down startled Kiara, causing her to halfway scramble from the bed. The room was unfamiliar to her and she felt slightly trapped. Most people would be elated to wake up in a room with pristine, painted walls, an elegant vanity table, and clean blankets and pillows. It was warm and inviting, something that Kiara saw in the pages of magazines. She never dreamed she would be able to sleep in a room like this. It was part of the reason why she couldn’t bring herself to do it in the first place.

Who could have brought her there? One of the servants, maybe?

Sighing, she took a moment to study the room she was in - the room that was designated as “hers”. It was as unfamiliar to her as the day she first set foot in this country. While Kiara understood the language and continued to learn the customs and culture of South Korea, there was a part of her that still felt strangely out of place. It shouldn’t have been the case, not with The Lottery Bill having been in effect for several years now. 

Only when her raging heartbeat slowed down a measure, did she notice the small note resting on the nightstand. With slightly trembling fingers, Kiara picked up the note and read it.

Stop sleeping on the couch. There’s a perfectly good bed not being put to use. 

You don’t have to make yourself uncomfortable for no reason. 

Haven’t you suffered enough in your life?

~ Yoongi

A warm feeling slowly blanketed her entire body. Kiara pressed the note to her chest as she sat on the edge of the bed. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. Relief? Understanding? Perhaps. Maybe even a little hopeful.

There was the faint aroma of spices permeating into her room from the gap below the door. Setting the note down, Kiara left her room and made her way out into the hallway. The stairwell was just a few feet away, but she paused in front of Yoongi’s bedroom. Her eyes lingered a little further to the third door at the other end of the hallway - the master bedroom. It seemed that Yoongi opted to stay in a guest bedroom just like hers.

Was that out of concern for her? Did he not want to appear entitled? 

But that didn’t make any sense. He was a Blue Blood. His very lineage was entitlement, wasn’t it?

So then...why?

Her palm slid along the railing of the stairwell, her bare feet gliding over the perfectly polished wooden floor. She could hear a pot boiling as someone chopped methodically in the kitchen. When she reached the entrance, Kiara peeked her head around the corner. She felt like a small child stumbling across their parent in the middle of some adult task.

Yoongi was focused on chopping vegetables for a stew. The meat was already fully cooked in the broth and he appeared to be putting the final touches on what he was doing. Kiara gazed at his exposed forearms in awe - watching the muscles tensing as he worked. Her eye-line shifted, roving over the curve of his shoulders to the juncture of his slender neck. Sweat gathered around his temple and trailed down his jawline and with each movement, she saw his earrings twinking under the kitchen’s amber light fixture.

She couldn’t recall a time when she’d seen a man as beautiful as her husband. 

As if he’d sensed her presence, Yoongi craned his neck to look at her - his arms moving to slide the vegetables off the carving board and into the stew pot. He turned the burner down while setting the chopping board into the sink. Washing his hands, he then wiped them clean with a dish towel as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Did you sleep well?”

Kiara nodded. “I did, thank you.”

“Good.” 

There was a pregnant pause that seemed to stretch towards the edge of forever. Just as Kiara took a step forward, preparing to offer some kind of assistance, did Yoongi finally break the silence.

“I dismissed the servants,” he offered gently, his gaze meeting hers for what she felt like was the very first time since they were married, “it’s not like they really have much to do around here.”

Kiara didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent. Unconsciously, she began wringing her hands together. She very nearly averted her gaze until he spoke again.

“I’ll probably send them back to my parents’ home.” 

Again, her eyes locked with his. His expression stayed neutral and Kiara felt a lump forming in her throat. 

“Would it be okay if it was just the two of us?”

Her eyes widened slightly, unsure of what he was implying. But it was true that the servants didn’t have much to do in their home. Yoongi hardly made a mess and what mess he did make, he often cleaned up after himself. The same could be said of Kiara. If anything, the servants were often shuffling around and attempting to find something to do so they didn’t appear to have idle hands.

Surely they could take care of themselves, right?

Kiara didn’t know what expression to make, so she kept her face from shifting too much. Maybe it was out of need to keep herself just a little more guarded because of the lack of interaction for so long. She couldn’t be sure. But appearing too vulnerable, too open, could be just as much of a mistake as being too closed off.

Taking a breath, she nodded once more.

“If you’re alright with it, then I would like that, too.”

~ m.y. ~

He didn’t shower her with gifts because of an impulsive decision. 

He bought her things because he knew she chose to go without. 

Kiara came from a world that was vastly different than his own. Yoongi could hardly fathom the idea of not having enough clothes in his closet or enough food in his fridge. But she never complained about anything - whether he bought too much or not enough. She graciously accepted everything that was given. 

What was even more puzzling, however, was how a mild feeling of irritation blossomed when Kiara didn’t utilize the things he’d given her immediately. He knew she was grateful and she rarely made a fuss about anything. The one time he ever saw her upset in the entire year they’d been married was when he’d made the comment about the radio.

Hadn’t they reached a compromise?

Biting his lower lip, he found it difficult to focus on his computer work. Everything looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics, which was saying something considering that Yoongi lived, breathed, and dreamed about coding. He became a computer software programmer out of necessity for the ever-advancing world of technology they lived in. Modern society was growing more and more dependent on smart devices, which would have been a shame had he lived in a different world. 

People often missed the world around them when their eyes were glued to a screen.

The latch unhooked from the door, causing him to shift his gaze from the computer monitor. When it slowly opened, he saw Kiara quietly enter - arms cradling a small serving tray. Yoongi leaned back in his chair, threading his fingers through each other as she approached. She set a plate of toast, jam, and fruit on the desk - her motions smooth and practiced. She finally set the cup of steaming hot coffee beside the plate, as well as utensils wrapped in a cloth napkin. 

“You should take a break,” she said, the tray resting against her stomach, “you’ve been working non-stop for about four hours now.”

He set the computer to hibernation mode. “I didn’t realize I’d been here that long.”

“You can leave the tray outside when you’re finished.”

Yoongi watched her turn to leave, his body reacting before his mind could process what he was doing. Before he realized it, he was out of his chair and reaching out to grasp her shoulder - stopping Kiara from leaving him. He felt her muscles tensing and Yoongi pulled his hand back immediately. Slowly, she turned to face him again.

Her hazel eyes appeared to glow from the twilight rays peeling in through the windows of his office.

His heart crashed into his chest with heavy thuds. A lump slowly formed in his throat and he made a vain attempt to swallow oxygen through the closing airways. Yoongi knew he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what that something was. He opened his mouth to speak and, again, no words came out.

All he could do was push the bubble in his throat down into the knot twisting in his chest.

Sensing something was amiss, Kiara set the tray down on the desk. “Are you alright?” 

Yoongi remained silent, studying the crease on her brow as her curls bounced around cheeks and shoulders. She reached her hand up, pressing the flat of her palm on his forehead.

“You’re a little warm, but you don’t seem to have a fever.”

Every representation of logic was screaming at him to pull away - telling him to replace the wall that existed between them for the last year. She hadn’t moved her hand from his skin and Yoongi felt his vision swimming for half a second before refocusing back on her face.

How had he missed the beauty mark at the corner of her left eye?

Taking a step back, he watched her arm continue to hover in the air for a few seconds before settling back at her side. Yoongi saw something pass over her face, but it was so quick that he wasn’t sure he’d seen anything at all.

Kiara brushed some of her curls behind her ear. “I’ll head to the market and pick up a few things. Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them when I come back.”

Then she turned away from him to head out of his study, leaving him alone without so much as a second glance.

His chest hurt.

Flopping back into his chair, Yoongi carded his fingers through his hair in frustration - hands resting at the back of his neck as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“...I didn’t even thank her.”

~ k.t. ~

The months were getting colder. Kiara wasn’t a fan of the cold, but she loved seeing the snow in South Korea. Everything was covered in a soft blanket of white. It gave her an excuse to indulge in a savory meal, wrap up in a warm blanket, and read by the fireplace. Yoongi was in Seoul for a business meeting, leaving her alone to her own devices. This was the first winter that she would get to experience without the servants around, fussing over her in case she hadn’t acclimated to the weather.

She took a warm bath, drank from a large glass of wine, and enjoyed the book she’d discovered near the back of the library. Most of the books in Yoongi’s library were reference books and non-fiction. She’d combed through most of them. But nestled in the very back, tucked away in a hidden nook, was a small collection of fictional literature. There were more than a dozen; small in comparison to the rest of his library. But the discovery of it surprised her just the same. In the year she’d been married to Yoongi, he always seemed very “by the book” and she couldn’t forget the comment he made about the music she was listening to while hanging up laundry. Finding something of this caliber was like stumbling across buried treasure.

Kiara was currently flipping through the pages of Animal Farm by George Orwell. She chose it because next to 1984 , it had the most worn out spine. It meant that Yoongi read it the most in comparison to the others in his entire collection.

Upon completing the novel, she could see why.

Politics. Justice. Equality. Inequality. A corrupt system. Broken families. Broken societies. A dream that fizzled away to greed - a dream that would only remain a dream so long as dictators felt that “some were more equal than others”.

There was a small part of Kiara that almost seemed to understand Yoongi a little bit better. He was a thinker and also compassionate. He never asked her to do more than what she needed and he readily provided her with anything she would ever need. It was the sort of life that Kiara wasn’t used to for over twenty years of being part of the Labor Class.

Yet something was still missing…

The sudden slamming of the door startled Kiara, causing her to drop the book into the bathwater. She panicked, knocking over the wine glass as she flailed to pull the book out. The pages instantly soaked - some of them were already falling out from the binding. She released a sob while pulling the plug to drain the water, clambering haphazardly out of the tub. Her heel found the bath rug by the tub and she could only cling helplessly to the pages, gathering up what remained in the bathtub into her trembling hands.

There was a knock at the door and she whirled around to face it.

“Is everything alright in there?”

Yoongi was home early. Looking at the ruined book in her hands, Kiara’s heart sank. 

“I-I’m fine,” she said, leaning down to pick up the wine glass, “I’ll be out in just a moment.”

“Take your time.”

When she heard his footsteps fading away, Kiara sighed as she wrapped a towel around her body. She used a smaller one to clean up the mess on the floor - grabbing a small plastic bowl and filling it with water so she could wash what remained to let it drain out in the center of the bathroom. She let out another sigh, brushing her fingers through her wet curls. It was better to be honest and get it over with, wasn’t it?

Drying herself off, she slid into her pajamas, grabbed the ruined book, and made her way downstairs. Yoongi poured himself a drink in the kitchen, taking note of her presence with a simple nod. He held the glass up and out toward her.

“Drink?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I had some wine earlier.”

“Ah, I see,” he replied gently, replacing the cap on the whiskey bottle. 

There was a small measure of silence that stretched between them and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, her fingers digging into the wet pages of the book currently hidden behind her back.

“Uh, Yoongi?”

He hummed during mid-sip, swallowing and then setting the glass down. “Yes?”

Slowly, she pulled the book around from behind her and held it out to him from across the kitchen island. “I was reading and dropped one of your books in the bath.”

“It’s just a book,” Yoongi said with a shrug.

Kiara bit her lower lip, her hands shaking as she continued to hold the book out to him - waiting for him to take it from her. He looked like he was about to say something, but she noticed his eyes lingering over the cover. When his eyes scanned over it, they widened slightly and it took everything Kiara had not to wince. Her shoulders visibly tensed when he snatched the book from her hands.

Without another word, he left the kitchen. Kiara followed on instinct, her eyes widening when she saw him throwing the book into the open hearth. The flames seemed to fight against the wet pages, but it didn’t take long for the book to burn. 

“I’m sor--”

Yoongi was already moving, his body disappearing down the corridor. Her legs were rooted where she stood and Kiara wanted nothing more than to disappear between the cracks - to dip below the earth and vanish into the ether. She could hear his hurried steps and the breath left her lungs when she saw him carrying an armful of books.

Books from his hidden collection.

He moved faster than her brain could keep up and by the time she realized what was happening, he’d already thrown three more books into the fire.

“Yoongi, wait!” she cried, running toward him and pulling at his shirt sleeve, “Please wait! I said I was sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Yoongi said nothing. He simply continued to throw the books into the fire. When all of those were devoured by the flames in the fireplace, he turned to head back toward the library. Kiara ran at him, wrapping her arms around his waist to stop him. He took three more steps before stopping completely.

She openly sobbed into his back, soaking his shirt as her fingers dug into his stomach to keep him tethered there.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, clinging to him as if he was a life raft, “I’m sorry…”

She felt the flutter of his beating heart against her face, drumming along her cheeks. It almost seemed manic, but his shoulders finally relaxed as she heard him taking several long, deep breaths. The flames popped and crackled in the fireplace, having had its fill from Yoongi’s literature collection. She knew there were still a few more on the shelf in his hidden nook, but Kiara didn’t think she could handle him destroying the things he clearly seemed to care so much about.

“I haven’t read those books in years,” he murmured gently, “I should have gotten rid of them a long time ago.”

Her hands slid up his chest, curling so that her fingers could slip over the curve of his shoulders. Kiara took a breath, sighing through the scent of his cologne.

“But why?”

“Because they’re dangerous. They provoke dangerous thoughts.” He paused and she lifted her face in time to see his head turning slightly. “It’s why they’ve been banned.”

“They’re precious to you, aren’t they?”

“It’s not worth keeping them if they get you into trouble.”

Taking a step back, she blinked and he turned around to face her. 

“Me?”

Yoongi nodded. “You’re so curious. I should have known that you would stumble across them eventually. But it’s just like with the music. You have to be careful.”

Kiara wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she knew could tell that he wasn’t upset about her reading his books. He was upset that she had unknowingly placed herself into danger. He was concerned for her well being.

And that meant something to her. More than she would ever admit out loud.

Averting her gaze, she lowered her head slightly. “...I’m sorry.”

“And stop apologizing,” Yoongi said, an edge in his tone, “it frustrates me.”

She felt his hands around her shoulders, gripping them tightly. He looked like he was going to shake her, but thought better of it. Instead, he loosened his hold - letting his hands continue to rest on her shoulders. When she next looked up at him, his brows were furrowed and his pupils seemed to shake. She wasn’t sure what was still bothering him. Kiara wanted to know what she could do to make him feel less agitated.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, she lost all words of comfort as Yoongi leaned down toward her face. She was almost positive that her heart either skipped a beat or stopped altogether at that moment. Everything was so quiet. Kiara felt his breath dancing gently over her face as he pressed his cheek against hers, his lips brushing over her cheek. 

Kiara was afraid to breathe, believing that the moment she did, it would shatter whatever dream-like illusion she was currently experiencing. The second she heard her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, however, was when Yoongi pulled away. Blinking up at him rapidly, she was sure that her cheeks were inflamed and her hand absentmindedly went to touch her cheek as his hands slid away from her shoulders.

“...don’t stay up too late,” he said gently.

And then, just like a mirage, he quietly turned away and made his way toward the stairs. When she heard the door to his bedroom shut, she finally collapse to her knees. Kiara’s breathing came out in rushed waves and she buried her face in her hands, stifling a sob that nearly broke through the silence. She wasn’t sure if she should feel elated or devastated.

What was happening between them now?

~ m.y. ~

It had been three months since he burned his private book collection. The more innocent and bright-eyed side from his youth mourned the loss of the texts. He could always purchase them again if need be. He wasn’t exactly hurting for money. But it was the worn edges of the books, the notes he’d made in the margins, that he could never get back. 

Those would be lost forever. 

It’s probably for the best, he thought, sighing as he cradled his cup of coffee in his hands, the lessons have been learned .

He watched the sun setting slowly over the horizon from his back patio. He reflected back to Kiara’s face when he’d torched his books. She’d called them “precious” and she wasn’t exactly wrong. But she wasn’t completely right either.

There were more important things in life than the words on the pages of books. He wanted to be able to tell her that himself, but Yoongi found he couldn’t. He didn’t think the words he had swirling around his head would be enough to get his message across. 

Or maybe she already understood…

He turned to head back inside, closing the sliding glass door behind him. He peered around the main living area, absentmindedly wondering where his wife was. It was still early. Maybe she was still asleep.

As Yoongi moved toward the kitchen, the distinct sound of typing could be heard down the hallway. Blinking, he set his cup down and slowly trudged down the corridor leading to his office. He slowly turned the knob, opening the door to peek inside.

Kiara was rapidly typing at his desk, her eyes focused but clearly tired. Every few minutes, she would stop to roughly hit the tops of her shoulders, rolling her neck to loosen whatever knots were beginning to form there. His eyes wandered to the desk where there was a large stack of papers. Bundles were separated and stacked in varying directions so that there would be no confusion as to what stack belonged with which grouping. 

His printer whirred to life, shooting out page after page of whatever she’d just finished. When the next bundle was complete, Kiara pulled out a pencil and began to write on pages as she sifted through them.

She hadn’t noticed him yet.

“What are you doing?”

His voice clearly startled her, nearly causing her to drop the entire packet of paper she had in her hands. Yoongi closed the door behind him, approaching the desk and reaching out for the bundle of papers at the very top of the stack. Kiara made a noise of protest, but his eyes scanned the front curiously.

Then his curiosity gave way to surprise.

“This is…” he began, but realized he couldn’t finish as his eyes landed on the next bundle’s cover page.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Yoongi rapidly flipped through the pages of 1984 in his hands. It was written, word-for-word, from what he could remember of the book. The most shocking discovery, however, was seeing his own handwriting along the margins of the pages where he’d taken his own personal notes and written rhetorical questions to ask himself as he read. It was almost too much for him to take in.

Lowering the manuscript at his side, he looked up as Kiara stood from his chair. 

“I felt terrible about you destroying them,” she began, holding her hands up, “and don’t worry! I made sure that there aren’t any digital copies on your computer. Every time I finished one, I would print and delete it right away.”

He said nothing. He just continued to look at her; flabbergasted.

“You have photographic memory.” It was a statement of fact, not a question. 

Kiara nodded. 

“You even put all of my notes back.”

Again, she nodded.

His eyes wandered back to the large stack of papers. If it was separated by novels, then there were at least twenty books in the stack. Maybe more. And if she was taking the time to recreate his own scribbles, who knew how long this was actually going to take; how long she’d already been taking?

Is this what she’s been working on for the last month?

The ream of paper slipped from his hand and fluttered to the floor. Kiara gasped, rushing around the desk in a hurry to pick up the discarded pages. He stopped her before she could kneel to the floor, his hand grasping her upper arm to keep her standing. She looked at him with wide eyes and she tried to take a step away from him. But Yoongi held fast, refusing to let her move even an inch away from her. 

“...thank you,” he whispered softly. 

He felt what tension remained in Kiara start to ebb away.

And then she smiled. It was the first time he’d ever seen her smile and it hurt to even look at her. But Yoongi continued to stare at the curve of her lips and the way they turned upward. Her hazel eyes seemed to glitter against the twilight sky pouring in from his office window - the corners crinkling up just a little in response to the smile. He didn’t think it was possible, but Yoongi swore he could hear the sound of his heart breaking and reforming simultaneously. Suddenly, it was difficult for him to breathe, but he tried anyway. It felt like tiny needles were stabbing into the organ beating furiously against his chest, threatening to burst free and fall to the floor.

The logical side of his head, the one screaming at him to run out of the office and as far away from Kiara as humanly possible, was losing against the side that Yoongi didn’t even recognize. Like a time lapse, he watched their life together zip through his mind’s eye - a grainy film projection that continuously focused on every facet of Kiara that he could remember. Everything from big to small - a simple gesture and an even simpler question.

Nothing could compare to the sheer radiance that resulted in her smile.

In that moment, Yoongi knew that he wanted nothing more than to see her smile again. To see it past today and to watch her smile every single day after this one.

He would ask for forgiveness later. He wasn’t about to ask for permission. Not now.

Tugging his arm back, he pulled Kiara close to him. Her chest crashed into his, causing them both to stumble a single step forward and backward respectfully. Her smile disappeared, replaced with confusion. He watched her brows furrow and just as her mouth opened to speak, Yoongi leaned his face in - sealing his lips over hers in a rough kiss.

They both inhaled slowly and he could feel Kiara’s hands grasping at his shoulders. But she didn’t fight him. Instead, he could feel the heavy thud of her own heartbeat attempting to chase the cadence of his. Wrapping his free arm around her waist, he tried to pull her even closer. The smell of her shampoo, her subtle body spray, and how warm and smooth her skin was beneath his touch was almost too much. He feverishly kissed her, nipping and tugging at her full lips which would be swollen from his affection.

Darkness enveloped the sky, plunging them into darkness. The only light in the room came from the computer monitor, reflecting its light against the large bookshelf behind the desk. He pulled away from Kiara’s mouth, his eyes adjusting to the dark quickly as they both took the time to catch their breaths.

“Y-Yoongi,” she stammered, her body trembling slightly in his arms.

“I know what this is.” His voice was low, his breath dancing along her skin as he curled his fingers into the flare of her hip. “This is a problem.”

Even in the dark, he could see Kiara’s worried expression. She wasn’t a fool. She knew what this was just as well as he did. And just like him, she also knew how much of a problem this was.

But it was too late to turn back now.

“I didn’t want to fall in love. I didn’t.” Yoongi lifted one hand up to brush a few of her curls away from her face, resting his palm against her cheek so he could tilt her face further upward. “But then you smiled, and that was the end of everything for me.”

Even as he continued speaking, Yoongi could feel the panic creeping up his throat, threatening to choke the very life out of him. He’d heard of things like this happening in the past, years before he was born. When marriage was a choice made between two people who loved each other. It wasn’t something to be pulled from a Lottery. 

When loving someone was a gift, not a crime. 

A crime or not, Yoongi wanted to know. No. He had to know.

“Do you love me?”

And like he’d struck something buried deep at the core of her, Yoongi watched Kiara’s eyes fill with tears. They streamed down her face endlessly. For a brief second, he believed he’d hurt her feelings; that he’d done something irreparable. 

But then, just like before, Kiara smiled up at him. He felt her hand brushing over his face, her nails lightly scraping over his jawline and resting at the edge of his chin.

“I do,” she replied gently while nodding, “I love you, Min Yoongi.”

Unable to hold himself back, Yoongi kissed her again - their arms entangling themselves with one another. The need to continuously press and touch, to physically express everything they’d collected inside of themselves all this time, was overwhelming. But he couldn’t stop wanting her; wanting the woman he’d come to love little by little every single day and he hadn’t even realized it.

But they couldn’t stay like this forever.

They both pulled away to reclaim the air they’d stolen from one another, catching their breaths momentarily. He could feel Kiara’s ability to hold herself up beginning to wane. Slowly, he lowered them both to the floor - pulling her into his lap so he could cradle her against him. He took comfort in the feel of her arms around his neck, pulling him close so that he could rest his face against the juncture of her neck.

She smelled so good.

“We can’t stay here,” he finally said, his voice muffled in his own ears from the heavy thrumming of her heart, “they’ll find out eventually and we’ll both be thrown into prison.”

Her chest rose and fell as she sighed. “Where will we go?”

“Anywhere.”

“Anywhere?”

Yoongi smiled as he closed his eyes. “Anywhere but here.”

A moment of silence passed and he felt her sigh again, but her heart beat began to settle.

“Will anyone be able to help us?”

“I’m sure we aren’t the first ones to experience this.” Yoongi raised his head up so he could look at her. “And we won’t be the last.”

He watched her canting her head a little. “Is everything going to be alright?”

Yoongi gave a slight shrug, causing Kiara to giggle a little. “Even if it isn't, it doesn’t matter. I love you, Kiara.” Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against hers. “Stay with me. ...please.”

As they looked at each other, Yoongi couldn’t help but drink in everything about her. Kiara’s eyes fluttered before closing and he quickly closed what little distance existed between them. This kiss was less intense, soft and meaningful - pulling and tugging at a want that perpetually nagged at him from the shadows for so long. Kiara shed light on the dark crevice of his heart - a part of him that he’d believed was simply meant to be there and to feel nothing else. To want nothing else.

Yoongi wasn’t sure if he was lucky or not, but he knew that he was thankful. He’d been so hollow for so long, he’d forgotten what it was like to feel anything; to yearn for something so much that the desire itself could swallow a person whole. But it was a feeling that made him remember what being alive was supposed to entail; what it truly meant.

Love. 

Her love.

His love.

This love.

Their love.