Tumgik
#but he also is well aware that mr in charge of the land has and actively uses charm
wardingprotector · 1 year
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at valar's fundamental nature, his most deep rooted instinct is protect and help. stranger, friend, or otherwise. Often at the expense of his own well-being. he has only once used his own healing on himself in game and will usually brush off concerns on his own wellbeing to worry and concern himself with the other party members first. it's always been part of him, even before narius and the grinners.
afterwards, after meeting narius and going into where they were usually working, that need and instinct became ever greater. luckily, narius was able to pull him back. but in the time between narius' death and the events of his campaign, valar ran himself ragged often. because it was better than what he truly wanted, which was blind revenge.
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dasphinxone · 10 months
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Attuma has this kinda energy for Okoye and we love to see it. Especially Nakia 😂
For @pilesofpillows
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“Everyone is well aware of how my niece betrayed her country when she married you people.”
Okoye’s nostrils flared as she took a step forward to confront her uncle. Except she was swiftly stopped by Attuma whipping out his beefy arm in front her. Behind them, Nakia immediately took note of how he clenched his other fist at his side. She took a step backwards and slightly to the side. All the better to witness the coming spectacle unfolding in the marketplace.
Attuma’s Xhosa had significantly improved in the near year of his marriage. While heavily accented, it rang out extremely clear, his grammar flawless as he loudly declared, “Pardon me?”
Nakia also took in how he took a step forward towards the old man.
M’Kathu’s smile was as vicious as ever as he straightened his shoulders. “It appears you fish folks are deaf as well as blind to the sins of those you mate with.”
Nakia backed away well over a foot.
“How dare you!” Okoye hissed.
She instinctively reached for the obsidian blade she’d taken to carrying in her sheath since Attuma gifted it to her during her courtship. However, he quickly slid his hand to her waist, stopping her. Deliberately turning to face her, he cupped her cheek before gently touching his forehead to hers. Whatever he said in his language sent her relaxing before she tilted her chin upwards to press a quick kiss to the side of his rebreather. Withdrawing, Attuma then placed himself directly in front of her. Her shield to all the ills of the world.
“I recommend,” Attuma leaned down nearly nose to nose with M'Kathu, “That you move along before suffering the consequences of your reckless words.”
Clearly, M’Kathu failed at taking hints. All he did was let out a loud snort before chuckling, “Okoye clearly prefers laying down with sea dogs rather than Wakandans who remember their loyalty to their country."
Nakia’s brows raised, her eyes went wide as she stilled. By now, a small crowd gathered to see what was going on in the usually peaceful marketplace.
“I suggest you keep my wife’s name out of your mouth,” Attuma hissed.
“And what will you do about it, sea scum?”
Attuma bristled, fingers flexing as his voice rose. “Clearly, I am not the one lacking in hearing.”
“So you say-”
“For I very clearly relayed that you need to keep my wife’s name out of your FUCKING MOUTH.”
The crowd around them fell utterly silent. Not even the children made a sound, enraptured by the heretofore unseen wrath of their favorite shark man. Well, save one little girl of roughly five or so.
“Umama, what does Mr. Tuna mean by fuck-ing?“
“Umama, why is that wrinkled old man so mean?”
"Hush child!” M’Kathu glared at the girl with scorn. “You see here?” he waved around with his cane, “He’s corrupted our very own children!”
M’Kathu scowled at the girl, causing her to scurry and hide behind her mother’s legs. Attuma growled, “Leave the youngling out of this. Adissa has done nothing to you.”
“And here you are, Okoye,” M’Kathu spat in disgust, “Opening your legs for this murderous orca, begetting your half breed whelps unto this land? Pitiful-”
Nakia recalled how on that day, no one could explain how M’Kathu ended up nearly drowning in the river with a concussion that rendered him unconscious and in the hospital for damn near a fortnight. No one also seemed to assist him. Nor could anyone recall how he ended up in the river in the first place. After all, how could an old man fly backwards into it a dozen feet behind him? It wasn’t as though Attuma yanked him up by the throat and sent him hurtling through the air hard enough to break a few bones as he hit its surface. Not even the guards patrolling the marketplace recalled seeing anything as they finally pulled him out.  
Funny how no charges of assault or battery were ever pressed. After all, one needed witnesses for such. And not a single one could be found.
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sinisterexaggerator · 8 months
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I reewatched Hondo's Clone Wars episodes last night and was having thoughts as to the dynamic of Aurra Sing and Hondo's relationship.
He calls her a "dangerous woman," which offhand you think, yes, she very much is. She is a skilled bounty hunter that can hold her own. But, if we really sit there and analyze the conversation we can learn a lot about Mr. Ohnaka and Ms. Sing.
"Oh, my dear. You never were good at asking for permission to land."
Hondo is a man who has hundreds of subordinates beneath him. He is used to being in charge of himself, and of his own enterprise. This line right here tells you, though he is amicable enough, that most likely half of the reason they parted aways was because Aurra Sing very much had a mind of her own, one that behaved in such a way that it clashed with Hondo's expectations when it came to things like jobs or working together at the business level. It was something he could not tolerate most likely for personal reasons as well. He has a reputation to upkeep. Some of his men, from Hondo's very first appearance, already think he's a pushover or "can't do anything without them," and try to fuck up his plans for their own personal gain.
The aforementioned line was the nice way of saying "I did not invite you here. What do you want?" There is no doubt that this power imbalance translated to other areas of their lives, as we see from the very next line.
"I never ask for permission to do anything." Aurra proceeds to kiss Hondo on the mouth in front of little Boba Fett and all his men.
It makes me wonder if there has actually been times Hondo denied her landing and she paid him no mind, thus her calling on him when her company was unwanted and leading to further "issues" that complicated their partnership, both in or out of the bedroom.
Hondo is a busy man, he has many things going on at once, and is a captain of an infamous gang of pirates. Also, I imagine there are times he says fuck everything and needs a moment to himself as he's mostly surrounded by idiots or deviants who want to stab him in the back. If Hondo is not in the mood for a controlling, dominating presence like Aurra sing, for her to show up anyway against his wishes is probably maddening on some level. I see Hondo as getting frustrated easily with people who don't listen the first time, as we see when he interacts with his crew.
Continued "insubordination" would most likely slowly chip away at not only his patience, but his happiness. Hondo's happiness is important. When Hondo is not happy, nobody is happy. Nobody who is a member of his gang, at least.
In addition, he is also a "go with the flow" kind of guy and makes the best of an otherwise bad situation where possible. I am sure he wore his mask of "I am so happy to see you, my dear," on more than one occasion, when in reality he was screaming inside. But, with someone like Sing, or anyone else in a position of power, it is in his best interest to keep up friendly appearances or to at least be civil. Making unnecessary enemies only complicates things. The more people like you, the easier it is to navigate the galaxy.
"Yes, I remember," Hondo says as he wipes his mouth off, forcing a laugh.
One, this woman doesn't ask for consent. That kiss was not something Hondo desired or wanted, but was thrusted upon him and the most logical thing was to allow it to run its course. To push her off would have created unwanted hostility between them, mainly on Aurra's end, and I am sure Hondo is well aware of what can happen when Aurra gets pissed off.
Two, he felt the need to laugh to lessen the blow of the truth for her sake. His tone of voice said it all. Had he come back with something a bit ruder, a bit more "in your face," Aurra would have most likely raised her blaster or made some other kind of threat. She has a short temper and doesn't really like taking "no" for an answer, it seems. Something Hondo is well aware of.
Of course, we get the famous line, "not mine, I take it?"
Whatever happened, they've been fucking nasty. We can guess who wore the pants in this relationship. Especially once Hondo makes his next comment to Castas, the guy who "didn't sign up" for all of this and wants to get away from Aurra and her shenanigans ASAP. Of course, she is irritated by this and calls Castas things like "worthless."
I bet Aurra 100% has tried that shit on Ohnaka, if only when he called it quits. It's true that Hondo does not like to share, but I am sure he was a great host to the many people he invited into his lair, including Aurra Sing to the point of spoiling her. @allsystemsblue and I are both of the firm belief that Hondo would have gone out of his way to make her happy, but I see Aurra as being a person who is rarely satisfied.
To reiterate, it is not implausible that Aurra many times tried to or did degrade Hondo, and in a public setting. I see him as laughing it off in most cases, but that overall he may have been affected by it, if only because others saw him being put down and that he allowed it to happen. Had it been anyone else under his command, for instance, then he would most likely resort to punishment or death for said individual. Not only could Aurra possibly kill Hondo, he did not want to be on her bad side.
To remain cordial, he tolerated it until he could not anymore. Of course, in the bedroom, perhaps he enjoyed it, or is into degradation. And even though Hondo says "business is pleasure," I do not think he means that when it comes to shaming him in front of his horde. To disrespect a leader in front of his legions may cause them to question his authority and cause a mutiny in a worse case scenario. Which, ultimately, happens later on down the line after the Clone Wars when Hondo loses everything and is called "soft."
In the end, I see him as being so fed-up he was probably dismissive of her bullshit. Even if he loved her in some capacity, I am sure Hondo would not tolerate a one-sided relationship forever. He is all about profit, after all, in some way, shape, or form. Whether that be money, or gaining headway in a romantic or platonic relationship.
"You have bled me dry of all my fucks, my dear. I give dem no more. Now, out of my sight. Do not call me, as dey say, I will call you... Eh, maybe. Probably not, but. Et was fun while it lasted, no? No."
To Castas, Hondo says "Couldn't handle her, could you. Well, don't be ashamed. You are not the first man to bail out from under her command."
Whether speaking about himself or not, Aurra seems to think so as she says:
"He's speaking from experience."
Aurra does seem bitter when saying this line, though she is also capable of being civil when she wants to and needs something from someone else, in this case Hondo. Perhaps in this scene, enough time has passed to where she has moved on and can mostly forget about what transpired between them. Maybe she knows it was mostly her fault. Maybe that kiss was a way to say she missed him or simply to exert power over him once again, but Hondo is NOT buying it and it was definitely handled in such a way that it reminded him of all the reasons he got rid of her in the first place, thus him saying, "I remember."
Finally, we hear him say: "Ohohoh, you're a dangerous woman. Yes, very dangerous."
Again, while this seems obvious, I don't think he meant it in the way of "she can kill me," even though he knows she would be a formidable enemy, but in a way that means dangerous for him, as she is unpredictable. I am sure Hondo enjoys a little bit of spice in his life, literally and figuratively, but Aurra herself was even too much for him to handle, and that's because she was only in it for herself. There is no "I" in team. He has enough to worry about, as is.
Although, it is a dog eat dog galaxy out there, and I am sure he understands to some extent. Hondo has to watch his back on all fronts, after all. But, suppose he finds someone he wants to be intimate with, and for them to treat him as such would be a little disappointing to say the very least. Not worth his time or effort in the end. The payout would be zilch, and again, he's about profit.
In fact, by the middle of the episode he denies her this favor she wants. She asks if "he's in?" as far as the job of wanting to kill Mace Windu and get revenge for Boba. He refuses to get caught up in any of her insane stunts. Plo winds up showing up and ruining their plans, but even then Hondo wants the Jedi off his property as soon as possible and even rats her out, to a degree, saying he has "no idea what she has in store for you," but makes it clear he wants no part.
This is a man who is over it. Even if he might tell stories about her or speak of her fondly in the distance "future," I am sure he knows he made the right choice in cutting ties.
Now, knowing all this, it is interesting to think about what man could handle Aurra Sing? Or maybe not a man, but a woman? >D
Anyway, there are my two cents. Shoutout to Teeth for feeding my Hondo obsession, but I'm pretty sure we feed off each other, too. ;D
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if-you-fan-a-fire · 1 year
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"G-MEN KILL 2; FBI CHIEF HERE," Chicago Tribune. Decembeer 29, 1942. Page 1 & 6. --- GANGSTERS IN FLAT BUILDING ARE AMBUSHED --- Police Hear Touhy's Pals Slain. ---- (Pictures on page 6.) Two men, reported to be members of the "Terrible Touhy" gang that staged a daring escape Oct. 9 from the Stateville prison, were shot and killed late last night by federal bureau of investigation agents on the second floor landing of an apartment building at 1256 Leland avenue.
The slain men were reported reliably to have been St Clair McInerney, 31, safe blower and robber, and James O'Connor, 36, bandit. Both were serving life sentences.
Two other members of the gang were reported to have been captured.
Witnesses who viewed the bodies said that a high powered rifle lay across the chest of one of the slain men, which police said was an indication that they were aware of the identity of their ambushers.
Hoover Takes Charge. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, entered the Bankers building at 105 West Adams street at 1:15 this morning and proceeded immediately to the 21st floor where the FBI offices are located.
A reporter who recognized him asked, "You're Mr. Hoover, aren't you?" Hoover nodded his head, and the reporter continued, "Have you any comment to make on the shooting?"
The FBI chief replied that he would have no statements to make "before several hours."
The shooting occurred after federal agents sprung an elaborate trap. Ambushes had been set inside and outside the building. FBI automobiles, their motors kept running, were parked in strategic locations on the street and in adjacent alleys, and armed agents commanded all en- trances and lower floor windows. The agents also took over several apartments in the building, including apartment 31 on the third floor, which was occupied by the gangsters, and apartment 21 on the second floor commanding the stairway.
Let Four Men Enter Ambush. It was shortly before midnight when four men, attired in workmen's garb, entered the building. They were known to the waiting federal agents to be the men they wanted and were permitted to enter the building unmolested.
Once inside, two of the men apparently became alarmed and fled toward the rear, while the others mounted the steps, to be met at the landing with a blast of machine gun and shotgun fire. Both, police said, were killed instantly.
Police, who later were barred from the premises, were admitted shortly after the shooting and viewed the dead men. Lt. Robert Welling of the Town Hall station said that neither was Roger Touhy, leader of the seven gangsters who fled prison, or Basil [The Owl] Banghart, his chief lieutenant.
Identify O'Connor as Tenant. Mrs. Anthony Battaglia, manager of the apartment building, is reported to have identified photographs of O'Connor as the man who rented the apartment from her on Dec. 10 under the name of Peterson.
She and other occupants of the building also are reported to have identified pictures of Touhy and Banghart as frequent visitors to the "Peterson" apartment. Other members of the gang who fled Stateville prison are William Stewart, 43; Matthew Nelson, 40, and Edward Darlak, 31, all criminals under life sentences. All save McInerney and Darlak were members of the Terrible Touhys.
The Touhy gang was sentenced to life imprisonment, after a career of crime and terrorism that has few parallels in Chicago, upon conviction of the kidnaping of John [Jake the Barber] Factor.
Watched Place for Weeks. The federal agents were reported to have laid their trap with extreme care. They were said to have known of the presence of the suspects for several weeks, but reportedly refrained from staging a raid in the hope that the entire gang could be seized.
The elaborateness with which they prepared their ambush recalled the thoroness of the planning which led to the death from FBI bullets of John Dillinger as he left the Biograph theater, 2433 Lincoln avenue, on July 23, 1934.
Since shortly after the alleged gangsters' occupancy of the apartment, federal agents, posing as workmen and professional men, had maintained constant tenancy in the building, first in one apartment then another, it was reported.
Their identification of the men was effected thru the simple expedient of entering the apartment when its occupants were gone and looking for fingerprints, it was said. These were said to have been found in abundance upon more than 50 half gallon beer bottles Police reasoned that the gangsters refrained from returning the bottles, as is usually done, for fear that their prints might fall into police hands.
Victims Carry Big Sums. Considerable sums of money were reported found on the bodies of the two slain men, it was reported $1,000 in the pockets of one, and $500 on the other. Mrs. Battaglia said that the man who was known as Peterson informed her that he wanted the apartment for himself and his wife. He paid his rent by the week, and on Christmas day, she said, he knocked at her door and handed her $10.
A 16 year old boy, David Black, who lives at 1260 Leland avenue, immediately adjacent to the Norwood apartment building in which the gangsters had their hide-out, was a witness to part of the affray.
Boy Sees Two Men Flee. He said his attention was attracted by gunfire, presumably from a ma- chine gun. Running to the window he saw the darkened cars parked along the street and in the alley, armed men standing in readiness. During the shooting, he said, he saw two men run north into the alley, then the G-men poured out of their cars with guns in their hands."
HISTORY OF TOUHY GANG Touhy, once the head of the murderous Terrible Touhy gang, andBasil (The Owl] Banghart, the gang's machine gunner, led the escape of five other desperadoes over the walls of Stateville prison last Oct. 9.
Prison officials found in an investigation later that the convicts had obtained four pistols while in the prison. They also procured ladders inside the walls, and when the stage was set began their carefully planned break,
With Touhy and Banghart were James O'Connor, an undersized bandit who had escaped twice before from the same prison; William Stewart, lanky Chicago bandit leader; his old time associate, Matthew Nelson; Edward Darlak, 31 years old, murderer of a Chicago policeman, and St. Clair McInerney, 31, a safeblower and bandit. The latter two, prison officials said, may have escaped in the confusion which followed the Touhy break, but are listed as missing with them.
The first move came when a garbage truck driven by Jack Cito, a convict, stopped at the prison's kitchens.
Touhy dashed out of the bakery in which he worked armed with a pair of scissors. He slashed at a guard, knocked him down, and drove off with the truck. He drove a mile and a half across the prison grounds to the mechanical shops and stores, picking up somewhere en route his other pals.
The truck, with Touhy at the wheel, backed down a ramp into a loading tunnel under the machine shops. Touhy and Banghart jumped out immeditely and beat William Dahler, foreman of the mechanical shop who was working a gang of convicts there preparing scrap metal for loading.
Slugged with Gun. They hit him with a gun and slashed a 2 inch gash in his scalp. Touhy left Dahler to the others of the gang and went feet first thru the service window into the mechanical stores room, confronting Samuel Johnson, the guard on duty there. He snipped telephone wires with his scissors and aided by Banghart, who came thru the gate door, armed, demanded ladders.
They loaded the ladders onto the truck. Lt. George Cotter arrived in the tunnel and was beaten and dumped on the truck. Touhy and Banghart took the white caps that, Johnson and Cotter wore to identify themselves as guards and drove the truck toward the northwest prison gate at tower No. 3.
There they opened fire on Herman Kross, the tower guard, wounding him. They set up their ladders, took Kross's keys to the outer tower stairway and calmly went down the outer tower stairway and to Kross's automobile, parked outside. They made their escape in the car, which was found abandoned near a filling station at St. Charles road and Villa avenue in Villa Park, DuPage county,at 10:45 p. m. the next night,
Kross, 51 year old resident of Lockport, and two other guards, Roy C. Everton, 51, of Plainfield, who was in tower No. 2, and Joseph L. Montonye, 31, of Lovington, who was in tower No. 4, were discharged as a result of the investigation which followed the escape. Kross was only slightly wounded by the desperadoes' bullets.
Manhunt Is Widespread. The hunt for Touhy and the desperate men he led blanketed the United States.
The FBI, circularizing their descriptions, described Touhy and Banghartas "two of the most desperate and dangerous criminals at large today." They were variously reported as having been seen in Chicago and suburbs for a week or more after the escape. Police in far distant places also were told that the convicts had been seen, but no one found an actual trace of them.
BLAME GUARD IN ESCAPE Two guards at Stateville prison yesterday testified that Herman Kross, suspended guard, could have frustrated the Oct. 9 escape of Roger Touhy, Basil Banghart and five other convicts had he used the guns or bombs with which he was equipped.
The two guards, Lt. George R. Cot-ter and Officer Samuel Hill, gavetheir testimony at a hearing before Robert L. Hunter, president of the Illinois civil service commission, in the Will county courthouse.
Kross testified that he had seen the garbage truck which the prisoners had commandeered coming across the prison yard, but had attached no significance to it. He did not realize that an attempted escape was in progress until the prisoners leaped from the truck, placed a ladder against the tower, and started shooting.
Asked why he did not return the fire, or toss a bomb, Kross said that he was sick from the effects of a bullet that had nicked him, and was too confused to act. Hunter said the civil service commission would review the testimony and decide whether Kross will be formally discharged. Kross is charged with failure to perform his duty.
"FBI Agents Slay Two In Raid on North Side Flat," Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1942. Page 6. ---- Clockwise from top left: Roger Touhy, leader of band of escaped convicts who were believed to be target of FBI raid on northside last night when two men were slain.
Basil (The Owl) Banghart, who fled prison with Touhy and five other men last fall.
St. Clair McInerney, who wa sbelieved to have been slain in the FBI raid last night. He escaped from prison with the Touhy gangsters.
James O'Connor (left), who was believed to have been one of the men slain, and Matthew Nelson. Both were members of the Touhy gang who participated in the prison break.
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catrose13 · 2 years
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Chapter 8 A Stranger in Paradise, this Chapters "Brought to You By" had so many good ones but I suppose if I had to pick just one it would be "They're Stupid Your Honor"
Yami giving getting lost in your thoughts new meaning
Oof pulling a push door
Tristan what are you teaching him!?
...Self-awareness about the weirdness of their hair
..."Making out with your lover"...Yami Téa's mentally referring to you guys as 2-in-1, I don't think she or Yugi minds
The past six months have been a trip for Yugi
...did Yugi have Depression? On top of all the bullying bullshit that was going on with him?
"Magical Hell Games" that is one name for them... possibly more accurate than Shadow Games
...Look at Yugi go! A Girlfriend and a Boyfriend all in one evening
"Girls. Boys. Bakura" A special gender just for them
Cards Against Humanity Duel Monsters
Fuck that Gym Teacher too
Having a conversation only to look out the window and realise your Partners Mind and Soul are Immense and Unfathomable
"Ah in the Intimacy you Hear my Fearful heart" "Nah dude that's a helicopter"
Oh dear he's still tipsy...
"Water does not crumple" Good to know
Well I'm glad one of them is confident...even if it is "unwarranted"
He's enjoying the freefalling... I don't think he's going to enjoy the landing part though
Well you jinxed yourself there Seto
"Little Calico man"....
...Seto are you beginning to have... stirrings?
Seto how many dog jokes are you going to make about Joey?
Honestly I'm unsure why they're surprised he has a tracker on his brother, all things considered it seems rather tame to me
Lol Seto's not the only brother to consider it either
...Seto is discovering undiscovered depths in both himself and Yugi
Téa's ready to beat his ass
Mai taking charge. She is the only Competant Adult around
Aww Seto's rediscovering his conscience
Bakura's inner DM taking notes from Seto's murder house
Ah Yugi uses Logic. It's Super Effective
The Thief!! "Sanguine Robed" Sanguine is a word for red!
Also he talks in Ren Faire!!!!
The Thief is Bound by Divine Providence to the House of Blackwood...Does he know the Rabbit?
"Devilry! Alchemy! Bullshit!" Brilliant
He's very Proud of himself isn't he?
...Is he negotiating with a Goddess? Negotiating and not getting Smote. Well done Thief King
"The Great Beast"
Op well at least this Spirit likes Bakura?
And knows things about Bakura's family
The Three Conspiracy Theorists are back...attempting to identify Ammit's species. Good luck boys
...Mokuba is too small to kick Pegasus' butt so he's going to have to satisfy himself with his shins
All that effort Seto put in to not swearing around him had now been proven useless
..."Mr Zbones" with a silent Z....Shadi...
The Iron Giant...I cried watching that movie, why would you remind me of it
...First the Foxes and now Ammit... I don't think there's going to be any marshmallows left on the island by the time they leave
...The Marshmallows count as sacrifices in her honour?
"A Very Strange River" that's one word for it
Aw Mokuba's making friends
And Shadi's learning that Pegasus is possibly not who he's looking for, or rather he is but Shadi thought he was looking for someone else
Mokuba is aware of how dumb people can be
The first time ever Shadi's phone has received a phone call
Aw Brotherly Reunion...via phone
Welp Seto need new pants
Bandit Keith impresses Yugi with his Sly and Sneaky Skills
Keith has very good instincts...If only the other people on the island shared even a hint of them
Seto is unaware that Yugi can and will removed Pegasus' soul from his body
Shadi demonstrating Dad Instincts
The Divorce
Mokuba sneaking more S'mores
...Oxford again...hmmm
Grandpa that is certainly a Subject Line
Thoth....New God just dropped
"The fun version of Obsession" hmm I think most people would call that a crush Seto
Joey is ...summarising? Goodness
Again Grandpa why are you adding crimes? Is it to annoy the people who actually did those crimes? To cover for them? For the lolz? WHY?!
...Chupacabra again
I'm glad he's aware that he deserved to be chased with a knife after that pun
I love that he has time to slip in how awesome and sexy he finds Mai's skill with first aid
"Téa's scary good at Duel monsters if you ever want to lose again"
"Bestie Committed A Clown Murder" I don't know why but I feel like that would be a hilarious therapy session
My question exactly Seto
Well he's displaying self preservation instincts for possibly the first time in this entire fic
Aw Mai protecting Baby Seto's innocence
Seto and Bakura are bonding...nice?
...Definitely a good thing they weren't friend before
Téa's goal is to Fist Fight a Ghost?
"YUGI IT'S TIME TO DUEL" No Seto it's time to sleep
Well done on making things accessible Seto!
Bakura... blood is important yes but not typically one of the things you list when someone is talking about good stuff that's red
...This scene caused me to make my first meme :
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He unintentionally dyed his hair green. Poor boy
Yugi you really don't have grounds to call anyone's life weird
Aww Rex and Weevils 'Honeymoon'
"She's cute"... I'm sure many other people have thought that of Marik only to later regret it. Deeply.
"Funerary Potatoes"
Rex trying to remember which of the Ishtar's in adopted
Aww they're so loyal
So jealous... I wanna boop the snoot
Venomous animals are Marik's inspiration in life
Weevils so touched
Rex on the other hand is practical
Well Odions at least honest with himself
Poor Marik thinks his brothers still a virgin. Odion busy congratulating himself on his poker face
Seto trying so hard to deny his crush
Seto also trying to deny Yami's arrival?
"I wanna put you in my Virtual Reality Simulator" ...That's one way to proposition someone I guess, if you're a complete dork
"Two Yugi's per Yugi" I think that's about the same as Téa's 2-in-1 comment/thoughts
...Another god? Maybe Ammit? Or is it in fact a Chupacabra?
...Bakura are you Shakespeareanly flirting?
...The Thief flirts back...this could throw off my polycule ponderings
Shadi....The Thief just told Bakura to run from you
Did Shadi have something to do with the Parasite being in the Ring?
Well these two have almost instantly fallen into some sort of rapport
Bakura Ancient Egyptian Hellraiser... hmm I wonder who that could have been?
Lol The Thief's historical stories
Oh no, the Thief's been being digested since possibly before the Blackwoods got cursed by the Skull Bunny, he doesn't know!!
Well at least Bakura can somewhat catch him up, at least on what he knows
Albion! The one who Fucked Up!
OHHHH He's the Retrieval Specialist Anubis was talking about
Aw Romantic Chapter Art
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sugar-petals · 3 years
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sub!Yuzu | nsfw alphabet
🌹 NOTE ⇢ content for our fave figure skater, the legend himself. mr. yuzuru hanyu is 1000% dom candy and i’m here to honor it at length ⛸
— WORDS. 5k
tags + warnings. dom/sub dynamics, femdom!reader, role reversal hc, smut, kinks, cum play, spanking, sex toys, very freaky yuzu, kitten play, mdlb, crying kink, food play, prostate orgasms, bondage, some deeper stuff & angsty bits, asthma mention, aftercare
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  A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
Once the cat ears come off, who is Yuzuru Hanyu not to remain in character for a while. For the shits and giggles, and because it’s cozy. Once a catboy, always a catboy, it’s the law of the land. Curling up, kneading at you for the head pats and massages, you know the programme. 
Also: Yuzu is famously soft-spoken and always finds the right thing to say. So, stimulating conversation for the cooldown. This is literally so nice. He’s unafraid to reflect everything in detail, say what he preferred, what you could change up together, what he wants to try next. The afterglow is not just physical, as in you give him something to drink, it’s 70% verbal which is very important to him as a consistent habit.
Of course, not to forget: Always gotta have a Winnie Pooh plushie ready. He embraces it readily and, as we know him, does some roleplay right then and there. Yuzu, professional cutiepie he is, is the kinda sub who treats all plush and pillow stuff as alive and breathing. You as his domme are in on the play and also treat his things as holy as they are to him. That Yuzu lets you into that world is the biggest compliment you can possibly get. 
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
We all know Yuzu’s godly ass and thighs. Or the staggering waist and beautiful black hair that makes him a total bombshell in his classic comb-back styles. His face is soft and expressive and so damn unique, his legs muscular and long, his back and tummy chiseled, the list goes on and on. Jesus, he has so many great features. All body parts a masterpiece. That are all capable of god-tier contortionism on top of that, gotta mention it in passing. Just so you know if you haven’t seen him bend his every limb into directions you wouldn’t believe are humanly possible. 
Interestingly though. If he chooses, Yuzu picks his feet: They are his most important instrument and weak spot. His ankles are where the magic happens. So, you taking care of them a little would mean the world to him, imagine a candle light massage. Not to worry, no-gross-alert. Yuzu has perfect and cute feet. That’s gonna be a Victorian moment, oh my god I saw his ankles. For his partner, short and simple: He likes a shoulder to lean on. He loves being touchy in general, all body parts are amazing to him. Being in a profession that’s all about the physics, Yuzuru knows about the wonders of the body.
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
Certified king of cumsluts, doesn’t even hesitate. The more, the merrier. If he’s not covered in sticky stuff, Yuzu would be underchallenged. It’s less about the taste, texture or any degradation, for him it’s the playing around with his tongue. Somebody wants his mouth preoccupied. Give the cat his milk. Feed him his own cum mixed with yours. He’s gonna lap at it and swallow.
Since Yuzu’s dream is a mommy domme baking him something, he just loves the smell of dough and hazelnuts and cinnamon and everything — you know what’s coming: Imagine the food play. Nuts indeed. Anything that even remotely looks like a creampie is something he wants to get his lips on. And Yuzu is not the type to be a foodie at all, let that sink in. Sexual-looking food is just too big a temptation, though. And you spoiling him that way... oh my. Surefire way to end up in bed right after. 
D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
Has a butt plug collection. Once almost went on the ice with one in. The more you know. Also— this guy is the kinda type fantasizing to get absolutely railed on a bed of plushies. He has troubles suggesting it to you because he doesn’t want them to get actually dirty. But the idea gets the two of you kind of horny. Sometimes, a thought is better as a fantasy than actually executing it. You can use it for riling up’s sake, whispering it to him during dirty talk. How you’ll bounce on him and ruin him and milk him while he’s splayed out so innocently on your bed. I smell corruption kink. 
Another secret Yuzu keeps is just how much he changed his mind about wanting his partner to control everything in bed. He grew up with a pre-defined ideal type of a cute, nice skater girl who’d let the reins very loosely around him, who he can speak Japanese to because he had problems with English, who is small and someone he will protect. It wasn’t something based on experience and trying things out: It was simply expected of him. People wanted the domineering Yuzuru on ice to be that way in private, and make use of his power, be a man, savior, boss. 
The reality being: He never felt truly as tough on the ice, nor was he gender-conforming in person. In fact, that is what he became famous for, and it reassured Yuzuru very often how people would accept and actually celebrate this side of him. Which is so refreshing, and a sight to see. The side that was dorky, clingy, childish, gorgeous, and cute has always been there, but now he embraces it more as his comfort place. He has to know what he’s doing in his skating programme and show competitive spirit to achieve his dreams, but that’s where it stops.
His former ideals are something people wanted to hear, it was an adaptation of the environment rather than thinking it through on his own. So, years later — oh boy have things changed. Yuzuru no longer defines his ideal type that way, saying whoever he likes is someone he’d be with. What was a fantasy template and filter is now gone and adapted to his newfound, own preferences. Yuzu is comfortably open-minded rather than being a copy to mainstream. He found fun in speaking English, opened up to the world at large, had more girls around him who he could befriend, grew more confident in his stature, and is well aware — turns out he’s the cute one. Who needs to be taken under a wing. He likes strong-minded girls and says if he had a wife, she’d dominate him. Yuzuru secretly wants her to be in charge entirely, she owns his body and soul. Not in daily life where things are just normal and everyone goes about their business. Sexually, where he surrenders instead, and is taken care of.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
The tale of an introvert. What he knows — he hides it well. Has eyefucked a whole lot of people and is the type to lust like mad from a far distance, and nobody will ever know. Crushes harder than peppercorns in a mill. If he loves someone, it lingers in his mind every split second of the day, may god have mercy on him. And if you know him: Yuzu aims too high to keep it light and easy and clumsy. He hates being an amateur, he’s terrified of starting out something. He dreads not knowing what to do, how exactly to behave, talk, touch, breathe, respond, negotiate, prepare. That’s a hundred percent like hell to him.
Ironically, he has a natural feeling for it and he’s literally amazing in bed, has a sense for social interaction is all the way cute with something valuable to say. But what he believes is something way different. Yuzuru is a diehard, nervous perfectionist. He can only think of it as a rated performance since his mind usually has to work that way to skate well. His esteem is on a knife edge depending on how well he thinks he does. So, the inevitable: He will shy away from sex altogether. He draws immense skating passion from staying celibate, in fact it’s his success secret, but it still eats him up from the inside and makes him frustrated beyond measure. Not even for the pleasure, since he’s so ambitious that’s almost forgotten about, but for being told he did well. 
That’s how much he believes sex is a drill and capability test. And it’s sad that he thinks it’s like his skating career, racking up points for the impossible things judges want and being in a deadlock when it comes to showing his artistic side. He feels thrown into cold water if he doesn’t know everything beforehand. If he ever works up the courage, which probably won’t happen, he will pay an expert to learn from rather than let something all over the place happen with a random person or even someone he might like. 
Yes, you heard that right. He’d rather see a sex worker than ‘mess up’ his first time according to his sky-high standards. So, Yuzu’s experience remains limited since he’s so 100% do or die, and so anxious, and so torn about social interaction, he doesn’t get how his peers can be playboys and get married and flirt with someone they like and all that. He sort of has an easier time with guys, but girls... he can’t approach. To top it off, he also feels like he’d burden his first time one somebody or embarrasses himself, so he will reject and avoid suitors. Those are usually not the people he crushes so hard on to begin with. It’s bound to be one-sided and he knows, so he will abstain and focus on career and use the cheers of his fans as a substitute.
Truth is, he feels helpless and distant from sex sometimes, especially with his practice-heavy lifestyle and hyper-smart mind, Yuzuru has an intelligence that exceeds what most people can grasp. He’s alone on the ice and Brian as a coach is often the only reference person who truly gets him, and leads him well without being controlling. But that’s professional life. Sexually, Yuzuru is metaphorically: coachless. He surely observed it well when Javier (the #1 ladies man, his opposite) was still active and a social butterfly helping him fit in, but Yuzu would always be worried about his extreme fame and spotless image when introduced to someone fangirling over him. He’d rather prefer someone who comes across as a mentor and solid, loyal-to-death person to look up to. So he would do anything to have someone benevolent like that. Most girls would expect him to be the sex god and expert, but he knows that’s only half of the story and based on his characters on the ice. Yuzu crafts these to counterbalance how he really is — withdrawn and indirect. 
Yuzu is extremely calculating and selective, he scans suitors well, protects his reputation, and is mortified of failure. So, he’d rather learn it by the book and from someone he’s not emotionally attached to. In a one-night stand that might also be the case, but he doesn’t know what to expect, and he’s absolutely terrified of sudden sexual vulnerability. He himself often says he values his own struggle between feeling so weak and being strong again 
Besides: He’d have problems squeezing hookups into his schedule and lifestyle, he’d have to cut down on things and create a double life. Plus, Yuzu is famously inept with social interaction up close, he flees the noise and unpredictability. So, it’s better to have a long-term partner. If he doesn’t know something yet, he has it down in one day like the single axel. Definitely counts on his partner teaching him.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
We know Yuzu’s signature move is the lean-back Ina Bauer. So, whatever position allows for an arch is the real deal (cough, taking the strap — oh my god his ass is made for it). But anyway, he can pull off anything with that stellar flexibility and core strength. 
If I think about it. Yuzu might like sitting on your lap very much. I know it’s not a sex position, I mean it can be once his inner lapdancer awakens or you use a strap-on, I rather mean... just for some sweet moments and making out. But yeah: Fathom Yuzu gyrating on your like that. Not in an outright lascivious manner or Chippendales style. The Hanyu way, with embellishments and all the grace. This is gonna be a huge turn-on and perfect foreplay position.  
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
Not much to elaborate here: Yep, Yuzu is true goofball indeed. Really flustered and clumsy when eye-to-eye in missionary, and yet: He’s ultra serious towards the end, there’s gonna be an aggressive staredown before cumming. The feeling gets pretty intense, his duality between silly and ‘yeah, give it to me’ is no joke.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
Would probably die from inflammation if he shaved clean under those tight suits and did all these chafe-heavy skating routines. Doesn’t have a lot of body hair to begin with, but for pits and pubes, it’s alive, wild, and decently long. Out of all people, Yuzu cares particularly about aesthetics, but in this case pragmatism will prevail. He doesn’t care too much about it either as long as it doesn’t get in the way of something. Having sex with Yuzu tends to be well um well all about a hundred types of friction so any stubble would be a bad idea.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
You haven’t seen a guy in love like that. It’s a figure skater thing for sure. Since he works to portray these sentiments on the ice daily, hardly anybody can play up feelings so delicately and palpably like Yuzuru. Emotion is what his entire career is built on. He knows how to express himself directly, appropriately, intimately. Couldn’t be any more romantic. Yuzu can’t go without it. 
Very passionate, ‘for your eyes only’ kind of atmosphere. Yes, he shows off on the ice, it’s his job (although of course, that word doesn’t really sum up what skating means to him). But private Yuzu is someone you can claim as yours. He will make it clear, he wants to belong to you, he’s yours, dedicated, devotion is the entire point. Less with a slant of what some subs like, very hands-on ownership of a mistress. It’s more emotional. He’s really attached and all smitten. Your private little haven is everything to him. 
Talking about little: Yuzu can be quite a pillow prince sometimes. At least when the initiative doesn’t go back and forth as it frequently does, you often alternate with suggestions and ways of tweaking an ongoing play session. You blindfold him or tie his wrists, He might be standard tired from practice or just fascinated to watch you work your magic on him. 
He also likes music to set the tone for intimacy, who’s surprised. Prepare: Yuzu likes dramatic classical music all the way. He’s probably one of the few people who can make it more than ‘classy’ and definitely more than cringe. He selects pieces very well. This is gonna be a practice template to cum together when the music reaches its peak. Makes the whole thing full of adrenaline.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
Lots of fun to him. Would beat it 24/7 if the ice wasn’t calling him. Drowns himself in lube. This guy’s me-time is so rated R, Cardi B would be inspired to remix WAP to wet ass penis as an anthem just for him. A dry dick is a ruined day for Yuzuru, as is a session without teasing his prostate in whatever way he currently fancies. Once he tried it, he never went back. The intensity knocking him out is something that Yuzu thinks about all the time. Strokes like a pro, does all these little moans, can do it forever, loves the feeling, chases the high. Adrenaline junkie on the ice? No different with his hand around his cock. 
Will masturbate everywhere in the house and has to really get his head in the game to make sure he won’t ruin any carpets. So, he always has at least two towels with him. In the kitchen, in front of the TV, in the shower, the bed. Watches his fair share of eclectic porn, he gets really desperate. Especially before you started dating, Yuzu would shut himself in until the lotion ran out. Can jack off to something romantic (he starts crying) or something extreme (he loves shocking himself and ). 
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
Very curious about sadomasochism. Googles a lot of things that make him hard during the day. Often jawdropped by his research, but once he tries things out with you, nothing can really shock him anymore. Absolutely wants to be collared, it’s his biggest fantasy. Another little secret he has, Yuzu is decked out in skating gloves, right. He wishes he could feel you wearing them, or he keeps them on for sex himself, the lacey transparent ones. Looks especially pretty when his wrists are tied so, major photograpy material. Oh yes, Yuzu likes the camera, he can work it. The guy is photogenic in any position and can strike any angle you want. Your phone background is a new Yuzu snapshot every week already, imagine your gallery, 5800 kinky pictures.  
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
I’m gonna say it. The frozen lake out of town, late at night, condoms and lube with you. A quickie that will leave your genitals frozen. Yuzu might get stuck inside you because it’s -15 Celsius. Call that fantasy on ice. Jokes aside: Come on, Yuzu is the biggest ever hermit homebody. The couch will have a bunch of indents after your week-long fucking sessions after he comes home training. Also, at his desk while he does work for university. You ride him, Yuzu studies. Double the ambition. His dick is completely sore. The lake out of town thing might go down, but without sex. Just skating together under the stars, Yuzu doing amazing spins and spirals around you, very very romantic.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
Yuzu is a crazed Sagittarius. Have you seen these men? They just want it all. Must be the influence of Jupiter. Zeus was definitely vibing that way. And yes, Yuzu has borderline unhealthy gold medal thinking in bed. He wants to be not just good but damn good with pleasing you. If you don’t have a good time and head home without an orgasm, he’ll consider himself a failure. Yuzu won’t cut himself any slack there. You’d have a hard time changing his ways into something more chill and moderate. Instead, you will see the benefits of rolling with it once you see how improvement fuels him and does make sex really mindblowing.
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
Couldn’t do things like slapping you, spanking. Yuzu makes for a terrible daddy dom, it’d not suit him.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
Cum-dripping oral mess, Yuzu is the brave kind. Totally into it, and can’t resist a good blowjob. Will act different afterwards, there’s a lot of erotic tension. “This evening again?” is what those eyes are saying.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
Outstanding kinesthetic intelligence. Every inch of his body follows his intent, and yours if you have him take on certain ways of kneeling. Yuzu can do it all, whatever you want. Tantalizing, moderato, overwhelmingly fast. He can take it, he can portray it. And knows the value of a pause like a true connoisseur. Not just when he wants to prevent cumming early, also just because the moment is right. That’s why cockwarming is a staple, as well as you having him wait patiently for kisses. To top it off: If you give him a blowjob, building up the tension by doing nothing is damn effective. The ruined orgasms you’re gonna give him... delicious.
Everything’s gonna have nice transitions as well, no awkward climbing and rolling and tangling limbs. If he gets something from another room that you need, no slouching. The university course as good as the extracurricular activities. Being inconsistent with any subsidiary details? Not in the Hanyu household, he’s keeping it classy. Yuzu feels like if he makes the bridges to new positions even remotely messy, the feeling is killed and it’s as if he’d break character mid-skate. Although he’ll have to practice and refine and test a lot of things because he’s not super experienced and adapting to your own movements is an individualized thing to do, he’s a masterclass of quality, period.
Even when things get fast and heated, nothing feels off. Having that kind of body smartness also means: Yuzu learns by touch, whatever you do. He knows by the way you pull his hair what comes next. How much saliva drips off your tongue when you suck at his neck, he knows how hard you’ll to ravage him in five minutes. This guy observes things you aren’t even conscious of because his physical understanding is just so fine-tuned.
The sense of rhythm, and every skating programme of him will showcase that, unbeatable. Unless his mood is really impacted by something severe, your guy feels it in every bone. He’s an artist, after all, he listens to music all the time. Dissecting rhythms to turn them into movement is what his line of work is all about. The pace will always fit the mood. Everything is precise, but never crude. Instead, the way he moves is dictated by an inherent flow. With little accents that match right with any thrust, like putting his hands on your sides when you’re on top of him.
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
Hit it Shakira: Whenever, wherever! He seemingly carries an entire condom factory with him. Or, to be more exact: At least three of them.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
This one’s a complicated case. Yuzu being reckless on the ice may or may not mirror in your private life. He might need some downtime, so bring out the soft domme stuff. No trial and error stuff, just going through a routine of things you love the most. On the other hand, he always gives it all. This guy’s endurance at your hands is amazing. Advanced kinds of BDSM he will not feel deterred from at all. Rough toys, anal hooks, sounding, whips, why not is Yuzu’s motto. But then again. He has such a confusing mix of innocence and feeling like he’s completely hardcore. You might end up experimenting a lot, but also not daring the leap sometimes because the mood is different. And then rather go for softer hours, where Yuzu will be all shy shy and more bursting with excitement than ever. A good, interesting mix is what I’m saying.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
Yuzuru, once he gets a bit of practice to gauge the situation... Viagra on two legs, absolute unexpected powerhouse. You might end up pondering to work out a little and go for a run because this guy is in a consistently outstanding shape to say the least. Olympic athletes are literally hard to fuck with. And since Yuzu is starfishing sometimes (which is very adorable), or he’s in bondage for some time, that presents a further problem: For a second round, he’s full of energy, while you already spent energy. So, you alternate with who’s active, and the other leans back entirely. He has to remind himself since his body is programmed for it: This is no contest — the point is feeling good.
You might ride him reverse cowgirl all the way while you watch TV, and after the overstimulation fades he will eat you out ad nauseam, full course slobbering, sweeping the whole menu. That way, it’s less about keeping up with him, which would be hard for most people not doing sports at his galactic level. He understands, Yuzu knows he’s not normal in that regard, you don’t have to worry. Some exercise still doesn’t hurt, just to further increase the quality of sex anyway.
Then again: Why go jogging and do some laps wasting valuable together time when Yuzu’s lap is the best workout? And running doesn’t guarantee your stamina in bed is perfect even if it does help. You rather wanna manage how to draw out the arousal. It’s a self-control thing, with the goal of having you match up in every aspect as good as you can. In which case, you can count on him to pull it off: Have you seen Yuzu doing jumps side by side with a bunch of female skaters? Copy paste. This guy knows how to synchronize with the ladies.
Something that has to be mentioned beside that, though. Yuzu has asthma since 2 years old, and it’s often a mind thing to him still these days. He doesn’t let it stop him from sleeping with you because as always, he’s not letting anything get in his way. He has learned to live and thrive with it. But you both have to mind the possibility of an attack, he prevents it with inhalers, and the mood plays a crucial role. Yuzu being comfortable and confident is so important to his breathing, and keeping a good rhythm rather than being chaotic in bed. So, you will plan most of your sexual activities rather than improvising. 
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
Would stuff an entire sex shop into his every available orifice. Yuzu is a toy freak, he wants to try everything. Motto: a new one every day. Well, almost. But he can afford it. Buys stuff he uses solely on himself, things you use on him, things he uses solo and you use on him, and as the cherry on top, every possible high end vibrator on the market for you. Any size, too. This bitch will browse through the latest innovations, prepare to get off. He’s obsessed with seeing you use it on yourself. Yuzu owns a separate phone just for videos of you buzzing your clit, and him fingering you for minutes and minutes. 
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
Extremely so. Loves to be a total brat only to get put into his place. He does it so you’ll pull the chin grab on him. He likes getting choked out as a punishment as well. Yuzu also tends to be very around the corner if you will when it comes to soft subbing, he lays over expecting cuddles but doesn’t say so. Buds his head against your chest, nuzzles, and so on. Lighter forms of teasing come to him very easily. Loves to prompt. Roughhousing, banter, favorite thing.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
Moderately loud because his voice is very very light, but unsurprisingly — he’s just beautiful. What a nice tone. Gorgeous whimpering sounds. And when you go hard on him, voice cracks! And really heavy breathing. What’s gonna be the most striking though is his expressiveness. We know it from the ice and interviews, and he can really amp it up even further. No need for screaming, that face will speak the volumes.
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
You’ll be blessed with him if you have a huge crying kink. Yuzu definitely opens the waterworks every other week in bed. Happy tears, horny tears, relief tears, aftercare tears, orgasm tears, masochist tears, romantic tears, subspace tears, he has it all. He also begs for the type of pain that makes it stream down his face for minutes. He’s touchy-feely all the way and feels like he can really connect with you that way.
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
His ass twitching is kind of a spectacle, but I don’t have to tell you, do I. Yuzu has muscles for the gods in there. So voluptuous, you can’t call it any other way. Big booty boyfriend, Jesus you can show him off, he loves it. Around the house, he will flaunt them big ole athlete buns in particular, acting like it’s unintended. Um, Yuzu, those are joggings. Smack it, he is sure to moan. 
And may I respectfully mention as well — this guy has some major big ass balls figuratively and literally. How else would someone be motivated to jump a triple axel like it’s nothing. Not kidding, they’re big and round and ugh. His love for tight pants doesn’t help. He knows what your eyes like and dresses just to flex the goods. Screams for more spanking and pinching if you ask me. Yuzu is definitely serving it. Well-endowed, you lucky girl.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
Mega horny, ready when you are. On a scale from zero to hundred? Breaching into the 90 percent right there. Yuzu’s hormones are literally insane. On paper he’s 26, but his dick wants the 18th birthday party. Jesus is he gonna be clingy when he’s in the mood. All wrapped around you in a backhug in the kitchen or when you iron a costume of his, and that’s sexy of him. He’s not gonna hide what’s filling out those sweatpants. He’ll desperately grind up against you like it’s Christmas.
Paired with his puppy eyes and little “Do you have some time... I’ll iron this tomorrow” — instant pounce. He’s admittedly a bit hard to keep up with sometimes, though. The reason: With that level of exercise, he has major pent-up energy. That machine is definitely running. Heavy sports changes your hormones, nervous system, and especially blood flow. Now take that to the scale of his performances and regimens? That equals a firework of horny. No wonder he masturbates all the time.
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
Takes some time. He cools down, sweats it out, chugs water. However, don’t underestimate how tired Yuzu can already be. His daily routines and competitions have a toll on him. Ironically, he’s not a deep sleeper, however. Yuzu might toss and turn and have sudden energy bursts, or ideas, or gets hungry. So, he needs his plushies, he needs a weighted blanket, warm pajamas, a hot cup of his favorite warm drink, a light snack, and you by his side. Spooning him excessively and sometimes even humming to him. Yuzu looks like a certified angel on his pillow, his well-deserved rest from everything is so important, too.
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NOTE - hope i could indulge you, thank you for reading!
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gunterfan1992 · 3 years
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Episode Review: ‘Together Again’ (Distant Lands, Ep. 3)
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Airdate: May 20, 2021
Story by: Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang, Hanna K. Nyström, Christina Catucci, Jesse Moynihan, Adam Muto
Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Iggy Craig, Maya Petersen, Serena Wu
Directed by: Miki Brewster (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)
Across Adventure Time’s ten season run, the show explored a bevy of “mature” themes and story ideas—topics, like love, sexuality, depression, and grieving. The show also touched upon death, but the emphasis was usually placed on the emotional toll of a loved one dying, not really what happens when you die. We knew there were Dead Worlds and Death. We knew that there was reincarnation. But how does it all fit together? What does it mean? How does it work?
With “Together Again,” we finally have many of the answers.
This special opens with a marvelous fake-out episode simply called “Finn & Jake,” that sees the two steal a magical cartoon of 50-flavor ice cream before rescuing Turtle Princess and LSP from the clutches of the villainous Ice King. This is all deliberately anachronistic and over the top. Ice King is back to his season one ways, Finn has both arms, and he is still wielding his golden sword that he lost in season two’s “The Real You.” There’s lolrandom dialogue and silly monsters; it’s like a parody of seasons 1-2. But then, this adventure starts to get all wonky, and in time Finn realizes that he is in a some sort of trance or illusion: one that ends with Jake being buried in the ground. Suddenly, Finn awakens from his reverie. He’s an old man. And he’s dead. We’re then presented with a new title card that lets us know the episode is actually called “Finn & Jake Are Dead.”
Holy Glob! They actually went there.
Turns out Jake died years before Finn, so naturally Finn is super excited to see his best bud. But something’s wrong—he cannot find Jake!! They planned to spend eternity together. But all that Finn can find is his very own psychopomp, Mr. Fox (voiced by Tom Herpich, whose purposefully stilted line readings are the epitome of delightful). Finn rightfully assumes that Jake is in a different Dead World, and so, being the ball of spunk and energy that he is, he demands to meet with Death, only to discover that there’s a New Death in town (voiced by Chris Fleming). The episode eventually explains that New Death was the son of Death and Life, and after New Death killed his father, he became the sovereign of the afterlife. New Death hates his job and decides to just blow up all the Dead Worlds so he doesn’t have to deal with it all. (I won’t get too much into the details here, because there would be a lot of story to parse out.)
Finn soon learns that Jake has reached nirvana in the 50th Dead World, where there is nothing but peace and serenity. Finn nevertheless tracks down Jake, pulls him from paradise, but in doing so, accidentally lets New Death in, who promptly obliterates Elysium, sending all the enlightened souls—including those from different levels of the afterlife—to the 1st Dead World. This gronks up the afterlife, temporarily halting the reincarnation process.
Well, Finn and Jake are rightfully ticked, and so they haunt the material plane looking for Princess Bubblegum. She’s not home (more on that later), but Peppermint Butler is! After Ghost Finn and Ghost Jake explain the situation, Peppermint Butler tells them what to do: They need to find Life and explain the situation. The duo manage just that, and Life is rightfully angry that her kid has stopped the transmigration of souls. After Life gives Finn a McGuffin sword that can hurt Death, Finn and Jake return to his abode. A brawl ensues wherein we learn that New Death has been possessed… by none other than that spirit of the Lich.
That’s right, it’s the Lich! He’s back, and boy is he evil.
The Lich explains that by possessing Death, he can destroy the afterlife, thereby destroying a key aspect of reality. Naturally, Finn and Jake are not cool with this, and they engage in combat. After Mr. Fox grabs the McGuffin sword and uses it to annihilate the Lich and New Death, he is proclaimed the New New Death and sets everything right. Finn is slated to be reincarnated, and Jake is slated to return to the 50th Dead World where he and Finn will one day be reunited. As Finn is pulled into the wheel of souls, Jake suddenly decides to go back with Finn, too, “Just for fun.” The episode ends with a card letting us know that the episode is neither called “Finn & Jake” nor “Finn & Jake Are Dead.” Instead, it is “Finn and Jake Are Together Again.”
As they say, “And there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”
If you were to tell me several years ago that the last episode to star Finn and Jake would revolve around them dying, I think I would’ve been upset. Not simply sad, but rather frustrated because “they all died” can feel like a cheap ending. But with “Together Again,” it all works. And a large reason that it works is because the show goes all in with their ideas. Finn and Jake don’t magically leap back into their old life (no, no, they very much do bite the dust). Instead, the special emphasizes the cyclical nature of life through the transmigration of souls. The episode ends with a beautiful scene of Finn and Jake, bound together as soul-brothers, being reborn into a new, mysterious (possibly Ooo 1000+?) world. It’s both aesthetically and emotionally pleasing; it doesn’t feel off the way over finales might. This is right. This is the way life works. “Round and round as nature goes,” and all that jazz.
I loved the series explanation of how death works. It seems that souls land in a specific Dead World, where they ‘marinate’ for a bit, presumably being rewarded or punished based on their life in our meat reality. After a time, they are then reborn. This process repeats, with each soul reaching higher and higher levels of enlightenment until they hit nirvana, which is the 50th Dead World. So in a sense, Adventure Time has a roughly Buddhist cosmology with a dash of Greco-Roman mythos thrown in for flavor. (As to what happens after a soul stays in the 50th Dead World for a long period is anyone’s guess, but I’d speculate that when all the souls in the multiverse have been purified and land in the 50th Dead World, they will all collapse into one another and form one perfect Monad. Perhaps this is the sphere of perfection that the beings who merged into Matthew thought they were connecting to? Who knows! It’s anyone’s guess!) I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see who Death, Prismo, Life, etc.’s boss was, but perhaps that’s a mystery better left up to the imagination!
One minor thing that I loved about this special was the number of characters who made cameos as well as all the callbacks that were made to previous episodes. Regarding the former: Finn and Jake’s canine family show up (including the oft-forgotten Jermaine!), as do Tree Trunks and her myriad husbands. Tiffany plays a major role in all these shenanigans as a “death cop” of all things. There is a delightful rogues gallery stuck in the 1st Dead World (including, among others, Maja, Sharon from “The Gut Grinder,” and Wyatt). In the 50th we find Ghost Princess and Clarence happily at peace next to Booshy, the weird spirit mentioned in the Pen Ward classic “High Strangeness.” As far as callbacks go, perhaps my favorite is the clap (from “James Baxter the Horse”) that Jake taught to Finn in case they ever do get separated in the afterlife. And of course, there are myriad references made to “Death in Bloom,” the episode that planted the seed for what this would grow into.
Going into the special suspecting that it would involve Death, I was curious how they were going to handle Miguel Ferrer’s character. (In case a reader is not aware, Ferrer played Death in episodes like “Death in Bloom” and “Betty,” but he sadly passed away a few years ago). The producers’ choice to feature him in a non-speaking cameo—despite playing a relatively significant role in the story—was wise; I’m not sure if I can articulate the exact reasons, but something about his role felt appropriate and not gross, as some post-mortem memorials can be. Speaking of which, the wonderful, lovely Polly Lou Livingston was featured for the last time in this episode as Tree Trunks, happily in heaven with her literal harem of husbands. It was funny, it really was, and I’m sure that Polly Lou would’ve gotten a kick out of seeing it on screen. (Also, this is a pro-Tree Trunks safe space. Any Tree Trunks haters will be chucked into the 1st Dead World with Wyatt.)
The biggest mystery in this whole thing, for me at least, is the question of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Several years ago, I wrote an essay about what could’ve happened to them in the Ooo 1000+ universe. I speculated that they peaced out and left Ooo behind. In this special, neither Bubblegum nor Marceline are to be found in the Candy Kingdom—Peppermint Butler seems to be the one in charge, given that he is now wearing Bubblegum’s crown. Likewise, the duo aren’t anywhere in the Dead Worlds either. Maybe the two of them skipped town and got a duplex in the Nightosphere? Who knows… I just want my favorite gals to be OK!
All things considered, “Together Again” was a marvel: An episode that managed to feel like a series finale even more than “Come Along with Me” already did without taking away from the series itself. An episode that managed to make the idea of dying funny. An episode that brought back the Lich in a way that wasn’t forced. An episode that made Mr. Fox the New New Death. An episode that gave us a beautiful ending to Finn and Jake’s story… as well as the beautiful beginning to a new one. I said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it again here: “Together Again” was the end of a sentence in a book with infinite pages. Truly, the fun will never end.
Mushroom War evidence: Everything takes place in the Dead Worlds, so not really. Perhaps a more eagle-eyed viewer can inform us...
Final Grade: That’s right, I’m gonna do it...
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Post-script, I actually messaged Jesse Moynihan to ask about his writing credit. He told me that it was for an unused story idea that he had developed. I’m not certain, but I’ll bet it was a part of the cancelled TV movie they were trying to make during season 5, since that would’ve seen Finn and Orgalorg journey to the various Dead Worlds.
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Just Some Guy
AYO im back with day 3! i got nothing else to say :)
Maribat Masterlist   AO3   @maribat-bdbwm
Day 1 2
Word count: 1.5k words
Summary: 
Marinette went to school hoping for a normal day.
Instead, she meets her father for the second time. Or perhaps, for the first time.
BD!Bruce Wayne Day 3- Identities
without further ado:
Marinette woke up in the morning with a bad feeling. Nothing was really wrong. She woke up before her alarm and she hadn’t tripped getting out of bed. She finished her homework the night before and hadn’t gotten into any fights all week. And yet, a weight sat in her stomach.
Her mother once said— when she was maybe three years old and landed on her feet when she fell out of a tree she wasn’t supposed to have been climbing— that as she grew up her affinity for the miraculous magic would cause these unfamiliar ‘sensations’ throughout her life. It was more precise than intuition but not nearly as sophisticated as precognition. Her teachers had said she was blessed by the ancestors as most guardians develop this skill only after years of training, not as a young toddler like herself. She knew to trust this feeling. Usually, she knew that this feeling meant something was going to hurt her; except, since living in Paris for a year, this feeling tended to mean that something was going to embarrass her at worst or mildly inconvenience her at best. She hoped it was the latter.
Nothing happened during her normal routine of getting ready and her papa had even made an extra nice breakfast for the family. The weather was perfect and everything seemed to be going right. So why did she have this feeling?
The walk to school was equally mundane and Marinette started to feel jittery. She hadn’t tripped on her way so that wasn’t what was going to go wrong either. Her class was a quiet sea of private conversations. Chloé wasn’t even doing anything beyond tapping on her phone. Though, she wasn’t usually as enthusiastic as she was now. Was that what was going to go wrong?
“Marinette!” her teacher had called. Madame Bustier was an eccentric woman, Marinette had learned. She was only their teacher for a few months but she was someone Marinette grew fond of rather quickly. “I’m glad you’re here early, can you do me a small favor?”
“Of course, Madame.” This was nothing out of place either, the feeling still weighed on her.
“I left some copies of some handouts in the staff room upstairs. Do you think you could fetch them for me?” Standing behind her desk, her posture straight and smile so bright, Marinette found no reason to say no. She agreed without hesitation.
The journey to and from the staff room was, again, uneventful and Marinette was just hoping that whatever Bad Thing that was supposed to happen to her would just occur. The fretting alone is enough to send her to an early grave. Checking on the time back in the class, it was only 8:20. She had the entire day left. Great.
The hours ticked by and it was then the lunch hour. Marinette’s nerves had calmed down in the meantime and she was fidgety for a different reason. Today was Friday and that meant her papa was in charge of her training. The thought alone was enough to lift her spirits. She couldn’t wait to see what he had in store today.
If only she could actually make it back to the bakery. Before anyone could actually leave the class, Chloé commanded the attention of everyone, including Madame Bustier, because she had a ‘special announcement.’
The bad feeling had immediately returned and Marinette felt a chill. This was it. This was what her senses had been preparing her for all day. She looked at Chloé and the curl of her lips, pale lip gloss shining as bright as ever, made a pit open in Marinette’s stomach. She had her undivided attention, hanging off of whatever words she was about to say next.
“A very important guest is in Paris and daddy has agreed that we all get to meet him. Bruce Wayne is coming here today! He’s staying at our hotel—of course— and he agreed to come to the school after lunch to speak to us about business and other boring stuff. All because of me. No need to thank me.” her little speech was decorated with self-congratulatory hair flips and pats on her own shoulder. None of it mattered to Marinette, however. Her brain was too busy rebooting. All her trepidation and egg-shell walking… for this? For this person? He was clearly important if not for Chloé saying as such then for the background chatter of her classmates but it all meant nothing to Marinette. Because…
Because…
Who the heck was Bruce Wayne?
Why would some old businessman want to speak to a bunch of twelve year olds? Well, he was staying at the mayor’s hotel, he probably didn’t have much of a say in the matter. Whatever the mayor’s precious daughter wants she gets. Too bad this man got dragged along for the whole ordeal. But that doesn’t explain why this was what set off her nerves. What could possibly happen in meeting this guy? Marinette could only wait until after the lunch hour to figure out.
Her excitement for her papa’s training was overshadowed by her dread. She could barely focus, distracted by her own hyper-aware senses. The trek back to school was slow, Marinette tried to prolong the inevitable for as long as possible, but she was facing her classroom door too quickly for her tastes. The chatter of her classmates beyond the door, Madame Bustier trying to control the noise, and a deep chuckle that cut through the cacophony, did nothing but make Marinette wish to be able to turn back and run home.
Could she call in sick?
Run away only to return on Monday?
No, a voice rang, her father’s voice, in her head. The only way out is through. Those were his words and Marinette wasn’t going to chicken out on meeting some stranger just because her gut feeling was warning her about something. Whatever it was, she’ll face head-on. She’s the daughter of freaking Batman after all.
She took a deep breath, mind made up, and opened the door with more bravado than she actually had.
Too bad she overestimated how much force she actually needed and accidentally slammed the door open. What was once a rowdy classroom was now a silent audience, peering as Marinette made a rather grand entrance. The tall figure standing next to Madame Bustier had the most unnerving gaze. She was transfixed. Mesmerized. She stared at the visitor, tall and broad, with swept back hair and a pair of baby blue eyes. She knew that face. She knew those eyes!
There were only two times she saw eyes that blue; in her own reflection and in the face of her father. Who was Batman. But… also this Bruce Wayne guy? What?
That’s not right. She would have known if her father was in the city and she most definitely would have known if her father was some guy named Bruce Wayne. Right?
At least her bad feeling was gone.
But why was he here? And why was he still staring at her?
“Going to become part of the decoration, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloé’s snark cut into the silence and called her attention away from her maskless father. That was when she noticed that she was still standing in the doorway. With everyone still staring at her.
She scurried to the back of the classroom to her seat in record speed, not meeting anyone’s eye, ignoring any snickering directed at her.
“Well, class now that everyone is here,” Marinette cheeks felt warm at her teacher’s comment, “Allow me to introduce you all to Mr. Bruce Wayne, owner and CEO of Wayne Enterprises.”
Oh, her father was someone rich then.
“Thank you, Madame. I will admit I was surprised that the mayor personally asked me to be here on such short notice but,” that was her father’s voice but it was the gruff tones she had heard when they met. This was airy, and approachable. “But seeing all of you here today, definitely made it worth it.”
It was so weird.
Marinette didn’t pay attention to anything he said during his visit, and after he left, with an indecipherable, lingering look in her direction, she felt like she could breathe again for the first time in forever. Watching the stone cold Batman prance around, engaging with children, was bizarre. She felt like she was watching another person, and she almost thought he was but she knew that face. She’s seen it before, the night they first met, and those eyes, so much like her own, so she knows that this man is her father. No matter how… cheery he acted. But it was over and Marinette’s day could finally go back to normal.
Putting the whole ordeal behind her, her anxieties quelled and the bad feeling having passed, Marinette was left with one question however.
If Batman is Bruce Wayne, then who the heck are his children?  
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Wilbur and Tommy come up with the idea for an election
Tommy: “Uh, these massive towers have just sprung up that Eret built as like -- to look over us, just to remind us how much he sucks.”
Wilbur: “Yeah, Eret, I’m not sure about Eret, man, he -- well I mean, I am sure about him. I hate him.”
Tommy: “Yeah, no I -- um, there’s this new massive floating...it’s the King’s -- the King’s Court -- that Tubbo made. Tubbo’s developed this new alter ego called ‘Big Law,’ and whenever he eats McDonald’s cookies he turns into him, and he goes ‘EHHHHHHH BIG LAW, BIG LAW, I’M A LAWYER I’M A LAWYER’ and it’s really -- and then he’s also developed his newest character, which I’m yet to meet, called ‘Big Crime.’ I’ve heard terrible, terrible things about Big Crime.”
Wilbur: “Big Crime? I like Big Crime.”
Tommy: “No, I think Big Crime’s done some fuckin’ horrible stuff. So yeah, that’s the new King’s Court where Big Law’s establishment -- uh, the path’s been low -- uh, here’s the thing. L’manburg...and one of the problems is just over there, actually, there was a -- I’m not sure if you were aware about what happened, the words of last night. Uh, there’s been some proper tyranny going on, my friend. Look at me in the eyes when I’m talking to you -- There’s been some proper tyranny.”
[Wilbur pushes Tommy off the wall]
Wilbur: “Don’t tell me what to do, alright? You’re getting out of your comfort zone. Who’s the President? Tommy, who’s the President?”
Tommy: “How dare you, how dare you, you must respect manners, Wilbur! There are manners! There is a common etiquette that everyone must follow, my friend!”
Wilbur: “Tommy, who’s the President?”
Tommy: “...You’re the President.”
Wilbur: “Good lad, now come back.”
Tommy: “I -- you’re gonna have to drop down a ladder, I’m not sure how we’re gonna --”
Wilbur: “Walk ‘round, walk ‘round, Mr. Vice President.”
Tommy: “I might sprint, I’m not really feeling like walking today, you’ve really alerted my senses. No, actually, that’s good, that’s good, we can go this way. So anyway, it’s been -- there was a...”
---
[They walk down the Prime Path]
---
Tommy: “Uh, so this -- Karl’s house sprung up here -- Tubbo’s also turned into a real estate agent, um...Tubbo is really letting himself shine at the minute, he’s--”
Wilbur: “He’s following us, you know.”
Tommy: “That’s probably Big Crime. So, you see that massive, just -- ruins in the sky, Wilbur? That’s the work of -- so there was a flourishing tower there and Big Crime struck it with his mighty --”
[Tommy points out the ruins of Ponk’s Lemon Tree]
Wilbur: “Oh! He’s an estate agent and also a property destroyer!”
Tommy: “And also a lawyer. He’s -- it’s a real juxtaposition.”
Wilbur: “An arsonist, lawyer, and then criminal?”
Tommy: “It’s called character development, my friend.”
Tommy: “Uh, this is Big Q’s mansion, he’s not built anything...and Jack Manifold was building Tesco and just stopped, now it’s just a looming shadow on uh...this is Walmart that Purpled built. And it’s just an empty hallway. It’s really--”
Wilbur: “Waste of space. This is just why L’manburg’s the best place to be on the server.”
Tommy: “‘Cause there’s so little space, so much discomfort.”
[They look at Walmart]
Tommy: “Oh yeah, Tubbo also did this thing where he just started calling everything a ‘flavor.’ He’s really having a -- it’s a real weird time in his life.”
---
[They notice Tubbo watching them again and start running]
---
Tommy: “Uh, and also, I have some actually, unfortunate news for you, pal. I want you to sit down when I tell this to you. Take a seat on this path, please. Now I’m not sure if you were -- there was a civil war, Wilbur.”
Wilbur: “I -- I heard. I heard of the civil war. Between Fundy and Tubbo.”
Tommy: “Yeah, your son and -- and one of Big Crime-Law-Tubbo--”
Wilbur: “And our secretary of state!”
Tommy: “Yeah, had a huge quarrel, and I actually -- you’ll be happy to know I defused it, because I’m--”
Wilbur: “--Thank you. Good.”
Tommy: “You’re welcome!”
Wilbur: “Yeah...”
Wilbur: “I’ve got a question for you, before we continue...why has Walmart got chimneys?”
---
[Wilbur and Tommy stand in the Vape Tower and look out across the land]
---
Wilbur: “Tommy, we need power.”
Tommy: “Yeah?”
Wilbur: “I’ve tried -- I spoke to Fundy and Tubbo yesterday, I told them how I didn’t like the civil war they were having, you know the fights that were going on.”
Tommy: “Yeah, that huge war in our name, yeah.”
Wilbur: “I told them I wasn’t happy with it, I told them to stop. Do you remember when you started getting angry at Dream, and I tried to control you, and you ignored me? ...Yeah. See, this is the thing. Tommy, I...I led the revolution, right, but the issue is, is that I sort of became the de facto President, but no one listens to me. No one cares about mine -- or your -- power. No one cares! To us, we may be in anarchy, you know?”
Tommy: “Well yeah, ‘cause when I said, ‘Wil, who’s President,’ and you went ‘Me. It’s not a democracy,’ and then we all agreed with you, ‘cause you can always say things that are smart.”
Wilbur: “Look, I can always push things off as an autocracy, I can always start, just, making myself the dictator of L’manburg, but I don’t want to!”
Tommy: “You know what you are? You’re like a soup, Wilbur. Like a physical soup. Like a walking, talking soup, you know? You got the accent, the posh accent, you’re always acting smart and everyone...you’re just like a personification -- a metaphor, if you will...”
Wilbur: “S -- coming from the Schlatt stan.”
Tommy: “How dare you! I am no Schlatt stan!”
---
[They bicker and then do their bit of going up and down the Vape Tower due to repeated miscommunication]
---
Wilbur: “We can either, Tommy, right -- we can either become a dictatorship, okay...we can just suddenly decide, ‘right, we’re in charge,’ and we just start -- we start asserting our dominance. Now the key thing to being a dictator, is we need to control the center of power...so we get an army going --”
Tommy: “What is the center of power? Is it like some cube, or like an orb?”
Wilbur: “The army! The army! The banks, you know? We take control of those, and then people will do exactly as we say, right? That’s the dictatorship route, right. The other route is the democracy route. Now, this route’s gonna be slightly harder, but I have a plan. So I was thinking...what better way of making people believe that you’re in charge than by having them vote for you, right?”
Tommy: “Tricking them. Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Wilbur: “So how about this, Tommy. We hold an election, we don’t tell anyone else that we’re holding an election, and then we shut the ballot when it’s only me as President and you as Vice President running. So when the vote comes, they have to vote for us!”
Wilbur: “What we do, Tommy, is we get our names on the ballot and then we shut the ballot and don’t let anyone else run.”
Tommy: “Let’s do it! It’s genius! It’s democracy with no democracy!”
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cloud9in · 3 years
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You’re the only one who’s writing poppy x mc fics sooo, i have a request “ bea is a bad girl (like in a gang) in high school and also went jail couple of times for getting in trouble in high school senior year poppy was new transfer student and after 2 months bea join back school and met poppy bea and they just click yk like a connection slowly they started dating and in school everyone was shocked to see bea in a relationship ( bad girl and new girl) poppy is always worried about bea and few days before graduation bea got hurt really bad and poppy gives bea 2 options that she has to choose between her or her this (gang).. bea didn’t say anything to her so poppy left, after 2/3 years they met in college bea was a different person but so does poppy they become enemies (no one knows why they hate each other) one day they were arguing and poppy shout at her and says why you're back and bea put her hand on her cheek and smile and say i am here to win you back because i love you 😬
Promises (Poppy x MC)
Part 1/?
Can i just say I'm absolutely invested in this plot? You've got me hooked on my own story, as hectic as my life is, this is enjoyable to write. I hope you like it as well @iamsimpforpoppy
Word count: 1.8k (i got carried away)
“You know what to do Jackson, same old shit.”
“Yeah but it feels like a movie every damn time”, Bea responds confidently as she unbuckles her seatbelt. She sports a black mask with a yellow bandana, a vivacious color worn by only the Southside Spades, a notorious street gang who were known for robbery, and occasional blood.
Bea found herself wrapped up in the world of gangs when she turned sixteen. But before that the brunette would assist in transporting goods, also known as hardcore drugs. There was plenty enough to go around so Bea could indulge in any she wanted. Drugs didn’t give her the high she craved though, instead it was the thrilling game of cat and mouse with the cops.
Every now and then she’d get thrown in the slammer overnight. But this particular evening earns her one year in the NY State Penitentiary. See, the cops never gathered significant evidence to build a case against her, even though she was well aware of Detective Steinhelm who had some sick obsession with her. Following her everywhere, until Bea confronted her directly after noticing the same black sedan parked a street down from her house.
But she played the game right, and nothing ever led back to her. Until now.
“Where’s the money Bradley? I feel like I’ve been kissing your ass all week, the boss needs it now.”
A skinny blonde boy who looks like he had better days grunts in annoyance, “You’ll get your money...I’m just a little short right now.”
“Time’s up Ken doll, you know Carter will have your head for this.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have to know. Maybe this can be between us…”, Bradley strides carefully towards the blonde, a disturbing grin on his face which screams junkie. “Back the hell up now.”
Bea pulled her knife out with ease and pointed it towards him. She didn’t plan on actually using it. Murder was way out her budget for a simple money pickup but she knew that it would scare the boy easily. Except he kicked the blade out of her hold which prompted it to screech across the concrete before coming to a stop. Before Bea could think her fists reacted as she intercepted a punch that aimed straight for her jaw. She twists Bradley’s arm and he falls on his knees in pain. With his back to her, she kicks him down until he’s flat on his stomach.
“What is it exactly that you plan on doing now Bradley?” The blonde boy struggles under Bea’s foot but manages to reach around and slash at her ankle with a surprise shiv. Bea yelps in pain before kicking his head, rendering him unconscious.
“Stupid idiot. Had to make this harder than it should’ve been.”
Bea eventually finds the stash of money hidden under his mattress, an amateur hiding place at best. She congratulated herself for another job accomplished (kinda) and headed home. What the seventeen year old didn’t expect was the repulsive sound of a siren filling her ears as she stepped out onto her driveway. Her blood rushed to her head when she spotted Detective Steinhelm among the police officers surrounding her and retorts, “oh come on. I thought I told them about you harassing me. What do you want? Back here to strip search me again?”
The older woman only watches the blonde in eerie silence before smiling and gesturing to a police officer. “Beatriz Jackson you have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law-”
“What the actual fuck!” Bea yanks her arms out of the officers reach which initiates a struggle for dominance. This was nothing new to her, but it still felt sickening. Like she was some pet.
“You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire.” Detective Steinhelm finishes speaking and approaches the still scuffling blonde, “if you keep resisting I will tase you myself.”
Bea bites back the urge to headbutt the old hag right in her stupid face but she didn’t need any extra charges, for whatever the hell it was she was being charged for.
“Tell me why the fuck I am being arrested and I’ll calm down.”
That’s when Bea notices a familiar (bruised up) face from earlier. His smirk was enough to eat at her skin and she felt burning hot rage.
“Your blood was found at the scene of Mr. Denbroughs assault. You are being arrested in the case of second degree assault with intent to hurt someone with a deadly weapon.”
***
Bea only got one year in prison due to her kickass lawyer Ina Kingsley who played the minor card at every opportunity given. She also pointed out the fact that the knife wasn’t bloodstained, and Bradley never had any stab wounds so there is no proof the weapon was ever used against him. And it technically wasn’t. Good thing she didn’t bring a gun instead.
She did miss her 18th birthday though. And a few months of her senior year. But that’s what summer classes were for right?
All eyes were on the blonde when she returned, and whispers spread throughout the school about a certain new girl. Bea paid no mind to the fingers that pointed in her direction but the newcomer did manage to catch her attention, and pretty quick at that.
“Hey Jackson, how was solitary confinement?”
“I heard they make you use the bathroom right through the tiny food slot.”
Bea rolls her eyes and pelts a piece of not-so-fresh bread right at Ford’s head. The other people at the table join in on the laughter and Bea shakes her head and smiles, “it was Juvie you dumbass, and they made us sit in a circle together every Thursday like we were in an AA meeting.
“That’s jail for babies, goldilocks here wouldn’t last a minute in a real prison”, Carter joins them at the table with a cocky smirk, yet his eyes soften when landing on Bea. She shares a similar look with him knowing they’ll have a real conversation later. Because they definitely didn’t get to have that when Bea was getting dragged away to the police station in cuffs, and every event after that.
“It’s our girl’s first day out, we have to celebrate. And it’s not like she’s on probation...right Bea?”
“I do have a curfew, and I’m on juvenile probation so…when we partying?” The crew laughs as Bea shrugs. Her mother will deal with it. Zoey scoots in next to the blonde and wraps her arm around her shoulder in a side hug. “So glad to have you back Bea, and we are not risking you breaking parole so let’s just go to a sport’s bar tonight.”
Bea nods her head in agreement as the first warning bell goes off and everyone starts to clean up. Zoey taps on her arm and points towards one of the farther tables where a lone figure sits, wiping her hands with a napkin. All Bea saw were blonde tresses until she turned and they made brief eye contact.
“She’s the new girl, Poppy Min Sinclair. Rumor is she’s got a rich white daddy. You should totally invite her to the party.”
“And why would I do that?”
Zoey squints her eyes and leans in closer, her hands under chin in thought, “she seems like the broody type, you two would click.” She laughs at Bea’s comical expression but the blonde can’t bother to look in her direction, she’s way too wrapped up in what little the stranger a few tables away had to offer. She would sit on that thought, Bea was not one to shy away from anything.
***
The two became friends quicker than anyone could think.
One day after school, Poppy’s car wouldn’t start. It just didn’t comply. You would think she’d be poised and call her mechanic to come fix it, but instead the blonde slumped against the driver’s side window and let out a visibly frustrated, high-pitched yelp. Bea watched her pace around the car and even...kick?...the front bumper with her heels in efforts to wake it up.
“You know I may be wrong but I think that only makes it worse..” She approaches the helpless blonde with a small grin. Poppy’s persistence amazed her though, she’s never seen anyone determined to beat a car up. An expensive one at that.
“I hope you have some idea how to fix it, unless you’re here to waste my time and ask me on a date.”
Woah.
Okay that definitely threw Bea on a whim. She lets out a sharp laugh and bites her lips in amusement. She strolls towards the front of her car, holding Poppy’s gaze the whole way. She liked that the blonde didn’t avert her eyes. “And if I did? We couldn’t take your car of course, it’s obviously impaired.”
Poppy smiles and turns to look at Bea properly. She checks out every inch of her with no visible shame. An assessment so to say, and she likes what she sees.
“It’s your lucky day Poppy, I happen to know a thing or three about cars, and I desperately want to get this thing working so we can go on that date.” She winks playfully but god does she mean it. Bea silently prayed that the blonde wouldn’t take it the wrong way, but she knew she won when Poppy didn't protest, instead getting comfortable under some shade and holding her hand out, “the stage is all yours Jackson.”
***
“So what you’re trying to tell me is that I can’t jump over this obvious not-so-protected fence?”
“Judging by the sign right next to it that says...oh wow who would’ve thought, “DO NOT ENTER”, I don’t think so”, Poppy deadpans. It didn’t phase Bea of course because she was already halfway up the fence when the blonde turned away from the sign. The girl had a point to prove, maybe not a valid one, but still a point.
Poppy pinches her eyebrows in exasperation before looking back up to a nonchalant Bea swinging her legs from the top of the fence. She winks down at the blonde, “join me?”
Poppy didn’t expect to be climbing fences with a charismatic girl who had the same color hair as her when she moved schools, but she found herself embracing every moment of it. Although the trip up there was a struggle and some.
“I swear to god there’s a wire in my ass.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“And we’re both going to end up in the hospital. Get. me. Down.”
Bea tries to hold in her laughter the whole way down but lets it loose when she sees Poppy still up there, partly hovering in the air. “Pops...I’ll catch you, don't worry. Climb down slowly.” She doesn’t. But Bea had her feet planted and ready because any moment with the sassy blonde was unpredictable.  And she loved it. Especially because she had Poppy engulfed in her arms and they were so close their noses touched.
Bea promised herself she’d kiss the girl next time.
***
“You’re...in a gang?”
Bea felt a clasp of cold air enter her lungs as she stared ahead. It wasn’t like she could hide it from Poppy. She has a reputation, and word has gotten around about the two getting close. This was just like that one time at the end of sophomore year where Bea met Kelly Hall, a beautiful girl with golden rimmed glasses. Unfortunately she only could imagine what could’ve been after whispers ended up right on the doorstep of Kelly’s parents, and she suddenly changed her number, and switched out of every class she had with Bea.
The blonde didn’t want to entertain the thought of Poppy doing the same, but this was a lifestyle she chose.
“I mean...how?”
Bea sighs and turns to look at her, “I fell into the wrong crowd. Or maybe it’s the right one because I never found a true home until I met them. They’re family, I wouldn’t expect you to get it though and I understand if you want to distance-”
“I of all people know what it’s like to not fit in Jackson. You’ve found people who make you feel safe. Maybe I don’t agree with the troubles that come with being in a gang but I don’t know the whole story.”
“Do you want to?”
Poppy wraps her arms around Bea’s and lays her head on her shoulder, “I want to know that you won’t get yourself hurt but I know that’s nearly impossible.”
Bea exhales slowly, not knowing what to say. She knew that this would upset Poppy but her acceptance meant more. She didn’t know what this would mean for the two of them, if there was a “them”, but she felt more encouraged to share more of her other life with the blonde.
“Just promise me one thing Jackson.”
“Yeah?”
Poppy’s voice comes out softer than expected, and Bea ingests every emotion that comes with it, “Promise me you won’t ever put yourself in a position where you have to choose between me or the gang.”
Bea finds her hand in the space where their thighs touched and latches onto it like a lifebuoy,
“I promise.”
***
“I just remembered something Poppy.”
“What, that you have half a brain cell? I thought that was established Jackson.”
Bea launches a pillow that (purposely) misses Poppy’s head by an inch. If she actually hit her and frizzed up her locks then she’d never hear, or see..or walk again.
“I’m being serious. I just remembered this too, we never went on that car date we talked about.”
Poppy squints her eyes in confusion, but was fully aware of what Bea was referring to. “You mean the first time we met?”
The blonde smiles to herself as she replayed that day in her head over and over again. She couldn’t decide if Bea’s openly flirty behavior is what drew her in or if it was her ability to fix any of her possessions with ease. And for free.
Bea pulls Poppy up by her hands until her back is against the lockers. Another perfect opportunity for the blonde to make do of that promise she made to herself, but something told her to wait just a bit longer. “So what do you say? Poppy Min Sinclair, will you go on a date with me?”
Poppy rolls her eyes playfully, pulling Bea in closer by the collar of her letterman, “now who’s being dramatic?”
“I didn’t hear a no”
“I think you know what the answer is.”
That night Zoey helped Bea prep for her first date with the girl that she could say she was almost in love with. The taller girl brushed some dust off of Bea’s jacket and planted her hands on her shoulders, “remember Jackson, give her the ride of her life. And I mean that in every way possible.”
Thanks Zoe.
Bea watched Poppy drive up in front of her house and something inside her mind couldn’t deny the pang her heart let out when she saw Poppy smile the way she did.
Bea took control of the driving and told Poppy to recline her seat and enjoy the ride, with her seatbelt on of course. Safe sacrifices. They cruised through an empty highway blasting Poppy’s spotify playlist named “Rich Bitch Songs” because that was their ideal perfect date. It’s amazing that the two could even come to an agreement, but here we are.
She watched the beautiful blonde sing her lungs out and couldn’t help but mirror her joy, taking her hands off the steering wheel. The pump of adrenaline prompts a new excitement in the air and Poppy wraps Bea into a secure hug, her hair flying wildly with the wind. Bea slows the car down but the rapid beating of her heart made it seem they were going 100 miles per second.
“I feel so alive Jackson.”
Bea stared at the girl in the passenger seat with a look that could only be described as love.
“You make me feel alive.”
Poppy kept talking and Bea found a way to focus on both the road and the blonde next to her. Because when you truly enjoy something, you’ll find a way to keep experiencing it. And Bea enjoyed hearing Poppy’s voice, she loved everything about her.
“I feel like kissing you.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“...Nothing. I should’ve done this a long time ago.”
They kiss when Bea pulls over.  A hot feeling consumes them like fire when their tongues collide and Bea plants her hands around Poppy’s hips, pushing her back into her seat until she’s on top. The windows easily start to fog up in reaction to the heat, and not once did they take their hands off each other.
Promise 1/2 kept
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End Note: This chapter was to build their relationship, more angst incoming. BIG THANKS to @somewillwin for letting me use Jackson <3333
Taglist: @samanthadalton @somewillwin @clowneryme @baexpoppy @poppysmc @doey-eyes8 @veenast @straightlikewetspaghetti @phoennixxsblog @a-ghost-girl
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thefanfictionartist · 3 years
Text
Stress Relief
Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou X Y/N
Summary: After a messy break up with another blonde peer, Y/N is left with pent up frustration, making it difficult to focus on third year exams. While studying with the Bakusquad, she notices a similar frustration in Bakugou. How are they going to relieve that stress?
Word Count: 3.8k
Rated M for Mature; intended for 18+ audiences.
A/N: Those of you with Wattpad may have seen this story from my one-shot book already.
Part Two
  ~          ~           ~            ~             ~               
 "Boys are dumb."
    That was the first conclusion you had come up with while sitting with your best friend, Mina Ashido, at lunch. As you slump over in your seat and place your head in your heads, she wraps her arms around you in consolation.
    "Well.. I can't exactly argue with you on that one." The pink-skinned girl manages a small glance to a few of the class 1-A boys.
    One of which had managed to short circuit himself while charging five phones at once, the others nearly collapsing with their laughter at their friend. Mina manages a sigh before casting her gaze back onto you.
    "Look, you know that he's just trying to get under your skin." She states before pulling away to take a sip of her soda.
    You know exactly who she's talking about because she knows exactly why you're upset.
    It was all because of a stupid dreamy blond in class 1-B. Neito Monoma. As of the current moment, you can't remember what you ever really saw in him. Why would anyone date such an egotistical ass? Risking it all, you take a chance with looking towards his usual seat in the cafeteria to find him looking right at you. And you know what he does when he sees you?
    He winks.
    Like you didn't catch him a few weeks ago with Yaoyorozu.
    Huffing in slight embarrassment, you turn back to your own table, swearing to yourself that you won't ever look his way again. "Nei-" No. He doesn't deserve for his first name to be used by you anymore. "Mr. Copycat can go fuck himself. I don't fucking care."
    You scowl, taking an aggressive bite of soba.
    "Besides, the final exams are coming up. I don't have the energy to even think about him."  You recollect, reverting to thinking about the study session the Bakusquad planned for this weekend. Mina gives you a blinding smile and a thumbs up.
    "There's the spirit, Y/N!" Her enthusiasm is hard not to mirror as lunch goes on and it ends with soba noodles nearly spurting from your nose because you were laughing so hard.
                                                         - - - - - 
    Classes had just ended for the week and you're pretty sure that you have lost knowledge rather than attaining more. Thank god for this study session or you would be failing your third year at UA.
    You rub your head, feeling a headache coming on as you try to recite important hero laws you've been taught earlier in the year. Feet dragging you into the dorms, you plop onto the couch of the common room without thinking about it. "Always be aware of your surroundings.. Do anything in your power to keep civilians safe.. Keep track of villains and whether or not you know their quirks.." Starting to mumble situational rules, you miss the extra presence in the room.
    "Oh, hey Y/N!"
    Kirishima's voice snaps you from your mantra, your head whipping around to look at him. "What's up, Kiri?"
    "We're all meeting up in Bakugou's room to start cramming. Kaminari wanted to start a little earlier than planned and I thought you might want to join." Sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, he gives you a friendly sharp-toothed smile, which manages to raise your spirits a bit.
    Nodding, you are already out of your seat. "Yeah, I'll be there I just have to grab my notes from my dorm first."
    Memorizing these things would be much easier with other people helping you remember. It always was. But somehow, you still felt distracted from your studies. You knew exactly why but also refused to dwell on the subject any longer. It wasn't worth your time.
Just as promised, you showed up at Bakugou's door a few minutes later with your 'cram-sesh' bag.
It was really just a bag filled with all of your notes, bunches of blank index cards, and an incessant amount of snacks. Because chewing can help you study better? You are pretty sure you heard that somewhere.
Opening the door, you find Kaminari and Sero looking at Bakugou with the most dumbfounded expressions you've ever seen.
"Oi! It's not that fucking hard-" Said Pomeranian was already fuming at the pair. "Just divide 78 from x and do it to the other side! It's literally the easiest question in the study guide!"
A small chuckle causes the edges of your lips to curl up in amusement with Bakugou's fit of anger as you sit down beside Mina and Kirishima, ready to fill out flash cards like your life depended on it.
For the next few hours you had tuned the yelling out so you could focus on what concepts you were sure you didn't get. Working with Kirishima and Mina was a breeze, although you felt bad sticking Bakugou with two boys who seem to have negative brain cells around one another. Managing a glance to the trio proves that it's the worst thing for Bakugou, the one of the three that not only looks like he might explode from anger, but could possibly explode. Averting your eyes to the clock, you almost gasp at the time.
No wonder you were feeling drowsy.
It was almost one in the morning. "Hey, hedgehog!" You call to Bakugou after a hefty yawn. "You got any of those energy drinks left?" The plan was to stay up all night tonight for a cramming session, although another glance to the two you were studying with proves that only one person was left. Unsure of when Kirishima left you shrug off the thought. He must need his manly sleep or whatever he calls it.
Wordlessly, Bakugou leans back to open a mini fridge behind him and grab an energy drink to toss to you.
He appears to be long done with the two boys sat beside him like lost puppies. Or at least his patience with them is completely shredded. Not to mention they didn't look like they could handle understanding any more information. "Kaminari, Sero, why don't you guys head to bed for a few hours?"
"Brain need sleep." Kaminari mutters, getting up and walking out the door without blinking. Sero follows him in a similar state, but still manages to say goodnight to the remaining three in the room.
You can hear Bakugou sigh in relief from the other side of the room as you look to Mina, fully intent on continuing with the flash cards you were quizzing each other with. Although, you find her with her hand covering her mouth as she yawns. "I'm gonna catch a few z's I think. But I'll be back around 8 in the morning." Granting her a smile, you nod, letting her head off to bed, although you were disappointed since you felt like you were making progress.
"Yeah, I'll be here, studying. Goodnight, Mina." Bakugou merely grunts in acknowledgment as Mina leaves you two alone in the room.
This definitely wasn't the first time you had been in Bakugou's room alone while studying. But it was the first time that you noted Bakugou was so.. tense. "Were the boys really that bad?" One of your eyebrows quirks in curiosity to his enhanced sense of irritation. A quick flash of red tells you that Bakugou is glaring daggers at you from your simple question.
"Tch. They're always bad." You note the roll of his eyes before the crimson hues land on whatever study guide he has in front of him.
Scooting your work so that the papers are sprawled closer to your study buddy, you lean against his bed, still laser focused on how frustrated he seemed. "And? You're normally more patient with them.. It takes at least two hours before your screaming, typically."
"Whatever."
    You click your tongue, deciding to leave the topic for the moment. "Can you quiz me on these really quick? I think I have them down by now." The stack of index cards you had filled out with Mina ends up on top of the paper that Bakugou is focused on.
    The blond makes a small noise of irritation and for a moment, you swear he's about to blow up on you.
    Instead, he neatly collects the index cards and sets them to the side of his own paper. "Yeah, I need a break first. Dunce face is exhausting."
    You nod, cracking open the energy drink you were given not to long ago while Bakugou does the same. Sighing contently, you can already feel the 300 mg of caffeine beginning it's work. "Want any snacks?" Looking to Bakugou, you point at your bag as you refer to snacks, knowing that he'd probably steal all of your Takis.
    It doesn't take long for him to find the sacred bag of spicy chips that he craved. "Thanks." He utters, settling down as he has himself a little midnight snack break.
    Both of you sit in silence for a minute and surprisingly, you aren't the one to break that bubble.
    Bakugou glances to you confusedly, something weighing on his mind. "What's the deal with you and that copycat bastard lately? I thought you two couldn't breathe without sucking faces every hour." He smirks, containing a chuckle. Really, he was relieved he didn't have to witness it for the past few weeks. The scene could make anyone uncomfortable.
    Your face flushes red in frustration at the mention of He-Who-You-Swore-Not-To-Name.  Not able to bring yourself to look at Bakugou, you fiddle with a stray pencil on the floor.
    "We broke up."
    Keeping your tone curt, you make it clear that this is not a subject you'd like to discuss. In fact, it was the one thing that actually messed with you at this point. You hated that He-Who-You-Swore-Not-To-Name had this kind of hold on you. A hold that distracted you and made you question whether or not you should go back to him.
    "He cheated on me." You decide to give further explanation to a speechless Bakugou, pretending to write notes on a mostly blank paper.
    "Shit- I-" He stumbles over his words, smirk falling.
    Offering a small smile, you finally look back at him. "It's fine... I only miss him for the stress relief anyways." Adding a small remark seems to put Bakugou back into his normal, non-sympathetic state.
    "Huh?"
    "He's a shitty boyfriend, but a good fuck." You put it into terms Bakugou would be more likely to understand. "Now will you stop eating the damn chips and quiz me on the rest of the flash cards."
    "Tch." A dusting of pink momentarily appears on Bakugou's cheeks, but he seems to ignore it as he picks up the index cards again. "Describe the Crime Control Theory."
"Pfft. That's easy." The remark leaves your lips before you really reach into the depths of your mind for the answer. "It's.." Oh no. Didn't you just go over that with Mina. "It's.." Trying to actually think about it makes you realize that your mind has been bombarded with the crummy memory of He-Who-You-Swore-Not-To-Name, so, you huff and bullshit your way through the answer.
"It's obviously the theory that.. theoretically.. describes how to control crime?"
A scowl from Bakugou tells you that you most definitely have the answer wrong. "Are you really that much of a dumbass?" He says it so patronizingly that you're almost personally offended.
"Hey! It's not like that. I've just had a rough few weeks, alright? Give me a break." You pout. "Maybe if I help you study something I'll pick up something? What are you working on?" Reaching towards the blonde male, you grab the paper he seemed to be writing on previously, much to his own shame.
"What the fuck is this?" You don't mean to sound rude when you ask the question you're just shocked.
Instead of finding a paper with neat answers to question and nice notes in the margins, you discover that whatever work was on the paper has been completely covered with angry scribbles. Looking at Bakugou, you can tell that even he's disappointed in himself. His head hangs low and he can't seem to bring himself to look you in the eyes. "I don't fucking know! I was fine with geometry a week ago and.." He lets out an exasperated noise, hitting the back of his head on his bed.
"Somethings wrong with me. All I can think about it that shitty written final test and how I can't fail it. I need to be a hero but that means I need to graduate."
All that you find yourself responding with is a resounding laugh, so powerful that you're clutching your stomach.
"Oh my- Bakugou, do you hear yourself right now?"
Boom Boom Boy sends a piercing glare to you. "Shut up! Just forget I said anything, idiot!"
"That not what I-" You take a deep breath to stop most of your laughing. "I meant it's ridiculous for you of all people to be worried about these finals. You've literally been studying for this shit since you were a first year."
Bakugou's expression softens with your words.
"I can't help it. I just-" His hands comb through his spiky blond locks for a moment before grabbing and pulling large sections of his hair. "Gah! What is this?!"
"It's called stress, Bakubro." You finalize the statement with a soft punch to his shoulder. "Welcome to the world of normal emotion."
"I don't want it!" Bakugou abruptly puts his hands on the ground, looking overall agitated, like a child who doesn't want to go down for naps.
"There are ways to make yourself less stressed you know? In fact there's one word I can fit stress relief into: Fun." Both of your hands open dramatically in front of you as you say fun, hoping to get Bakugou in a better mood. He is your tutor after all and if he's too stressed to help, you're screwed.
    "Tch. Fun is something for kids, dumbass." He responds nonchalantly, rolling his eyes irritably as though you should've known that as fact.
    You smirk, stifling a chuckle behind your hand as you retort, "So you're saying that only kids have sex?" A small giggle echoes momentarily through the room from you as you appreciate Bakugou's dumbfounded expression.
    "You think I should have sex to relieve stress?"
    "Well... yeah? It's always worked for me and I'm pretty sure most people would agree with me." There's a long moment of uncomfortable silence that you sit in with Bakugou as he mills over what you've just said.
    "..." The blond hedgehog furrows his eyebrows as he thinks, finally gazing in your direction. "And who do you suggest I have sex with? It's not like I have time for a relationship when I'm gonna be the number one hero." This question throws you for a loop. And you consider the options that he has mentally before realizing there's a perfect option that you hadn't considered yet.
    "Why not just get a friend with benefits? That way it's just sex when you need it without the additive of romance."
    "You're still not answering the 'who the fuck would agree to that shit'?!"
    "Me." You deadpan.
    The explosive boy sitting next to you fumbles for his next wording in a stupefied manner. "S-S-Ser-iously?"
    Shrugging, you nod, locking onto his eyes with your own. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be serious? It's not like I want a relationship now anyways after that dumbass Copycat. Plus it's not just you that's stressed out over shit, you know?"
   Seemingly considering the option, Bakugou looks to his lap, biting his lip in deep thought.
    "Fine." He looks to you annoyedly, even though his body was certainly excited by the idea. "But first we probably need some shitty ground rules or something."
    "Agreed."
    "Don't tell anyone about what we do or I'll blow your ass up." Irate at the thought of Raccoon Eyes finding out about this and telling everyone, Bakugou subconsciously leans towards you. Not that you noticed.
    "Wasn't planning on it."
    "Any special rules you got?" A smirk plays at the corners of Bakugou's lips as he leans towards you.
    With Bakugou this close, you can feel your heart begin to beat a little faster with excitement. "Um-" In a couple spare second of clarity, you manage to choke out, "I might be on birth control but I still want you to use a condom."
    "Done."
    He responds coolly, leaning ever so much closer to you and letting his lips brush over yours before he shifts to whisper in your ear. "If we do this, I want the ability to fuck you whenever and wherever I like."
    Your breath hitches and you boldly decide to wrap your arms around Bakugou's neck as your eyes meet his crimson hues. "Just stay within reason.. and don't fall in love with me." You add another rule with a sultry tone.
    "You better not fall in love with me, dumbass." Bakugou hisses before connecting his lips with yours in a heated fervor. His hands attach to each side of your face, giving him most control over the kiss. You moan softly against him in response to his aggressiveness, your body already tingling.
    Up until this moment, you hadn't realized how much your body was craving to be this close with someone. It was enough to make you almost painfully aroused within the minute.
    Bakugou pushes you so that you're comfortably laying on the carpeted floor of his dorm room, with him directly between your legs. Your hands pull at his shirt, desperate to get it off right now. He catches on to the message quickly and pulls off his shirt in record time, still letting out a low growl of discontent when he had to pull away from the kiss. His lips meet back with yours, this time noting just how plush your lips feel against his.
    Scratching lightly over Bakugou's chest seems to rile him up some because within seconds, he's already rutting himself against your clothed core, the bulge in his joggers becoming very apparent.
     Gasping softly at the friction, you comb your fingers through his hair, pulling at a few tufts while Bakugou takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. You can feel the slippery muscle glide sensually above yours, completely dominating your mouth before you even have the chance to defend. Wrapping your legs around Bakugou's hips, you grind against him. He groans and you decide to tangle your tongue with his in the hopes of winning the small battle.
    But before you can win, he pulls back, his pupils blown by so much lust that you can barely see the scarlet iris surrounding them. "Clothes off, now.." The husky tone of his voice sends waves of arousal straight to your core and you fumble to stand up while he digs through his draw for a condom.
    In record time, you've completely stripped yourself of clothing and laid on Bakugou's bed, which was exceedingly more comfortable that the floor. You feel yourself ache for some kind of pleasure and unabashedly open your legs to display your dripping core to Bakugou. "Bakugou.. please fuck me." You whine lewdly, being mindful of the fact that the blond has neighbors.
    He had expected for you to want more preparation but with the way you were strewn out on his bed, so deliciously begging for his cock... How could he deny your request?
    In an instant, his remaining clothes are discarded and the condom is rolled safely on his erection. In the next moment he's on top of you, lining himself up with your hole.
    Despite how much he wanted to shove himself inside of you immediately, he still took a moment to look into your eyes and ask, "Are you sure about this, (Y/N)?"
    "Yes!"
    You respond enthusiastically. "Please! I need your-" You are promptly interrupted by Bakugou thrusting into you unforgivingly, making you gasp with a loud moan. "Fuck!" Having him fully sheathed inside of you was unlike anything you've felt before. It was so pleasurable that you truly couldn't think of anything else.
    "Shit-" Bakugou balances himself above you by placing his hand just above your shoulders. He takes a moment to let you adjust to his size. Although, it's hard to control himself with how tight and warm you feel. He grimaces, hands crackling slightly with his quirk as he tries to slowly pull himself out of you and thrust back in.
    The next thrust pinpoints your g-spot, making you moan loudly beneath Bakugou. He smirks down to you, knowing exactly where he hit and intending to hit it again. Your hand grab at his back, stabilizing yourself as he drives himself against your g-spot again and again, finding a starting rhythm and gradually getting faster with his thrusts.
    Each rut from Bakugou tears an angelic moan from your throat. And even though he loves the sound, he ends up covering your mouth and leaning towards your ear while he picks up the pace. "Be quiet, dumbass." He reprimands. "You're gonna wake everyone up if you keep crying like that." His eyes look to yours from a moment and you nod to confirm that you heard him, your moans muffled by his hand.
    Soon Bakugou's hand is replaced with his lips as he kisses you roughly, his calloused hand tracing gently down your sides while he drills into you.
    Each of your moans vibrates against his lips, although you try to conceal most of them, in fear of someone catching you. You can feel Bakugou's hips stutter slightly against you and he moves his fingers down to your clit, rubbing circles while he thrusts even harder. You whimper pathetically at the sensation, your walls clamping down on Bakugou's cock as you reach your climax with him soon chasing after his own.
    He pants heavily, groaning as his hips still against you. Releasing into the condom, he rolls to the side to discard of the trash, tossing your clothes to you. He wiped himself off with a tissue and begins to dress himself before looking back to you with a smirk.
    "I think this 'Friends who have fun' thing is really gonna work, (Y/N). I feel better already."
    You smile, throwing on your shirt and underwear while still on the bed. "I told you sex was fun.." Hopping off the bed, you wobble ever-so-slightly before slipping back into your shorts. You nudge Bakugou playfully before settling on the ground. "Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"
    Your eyes scour the ground for the index cards that you had been quizzing with previously.
    "Actually..." Bakugou begins speaking, making you look up to him. "We still have a few hours before the idiots come back." He gestures to the clock before looking at you mischievously. "And I think I should relieve a little more tension before dealing with them."
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iatethepomegranate · 3 years
Text
A fic in which Caleb buys a house in Rexxentrum with Beau and Yasha, becomes a professor, and learns how to be a person.
Chapter Summary: The sands of time stop for no one, and the Nein eventually go back to their separate lives. Caleb grapples with the responsibilities of his new position, invents the support group, and Astrid gives him some rather unsettling news.
Notes: Caleb and Essek's scene together is a little spicy, but not explicit. Chapter title is from In the Embers by Sleeping At Last.
*** Chapter 5: Like fireworks we pull apart the dark
Caleb was smiling when he got back home. Veth aimed her crossbow at him.
“Quick! Tell me something only Caleb would say!”
Caleb sighed and held up his hands in surrender; he should have expected this. “You almost inscribed a rune upside-down today. I lent you my spellbook.”
“I don’t know, man,” said Beauregard, lounging across Yasha on the couch and completely fucking with them. “An imposter could’ve interrogated Caleb and forced him to recount his day. Caleb is pretty squishy.” Caleb almost reminded her he had been taught to withstand torture, which he’d first told explictly her while compiling his testimony for Trent’s trial, but he didn’t want to ruin her fun.
“Oh, that’s very smart,” Yasha said.
“Thanks, babe.”
“Say something else,” Veth demanded. “Something not from today. How did we meet?”
“In prison. You stole a bottle of cherry wine. I had Frumpkin retrieve a piece of wire so you could pick the lock and then I set the jail on fire and screamed for help. The guards ran away and we walked out. We have been best friends ever since. You were also a goblin at the time.”
“But wouldn’t an imposter have asked about Caleb’s known associates?” Fjord supplied.
“Fjord, I can and will burn your hair off. And, unlike Aeor, it will not grow back overnight.”
“Ha!” Veth put her crossbow away. “Welcome back. Sit down. Cad’s making tea again.” She dragged him over to the blanket nest that no one had bothered to put away, and shoved him in it.
Essek poked his head out of the kitchen. “How was your meeting?”
Caleb didn’t want to get into it. “I took the job.”
“Woo!” Jester yelled from the kitchen. She poked her head out, just next to Essek. “Did Astrid like the cookies?”
“Ja. She says thank you.” Caleb felt fine, except from the fact he was fucking exhausted. He tipped his head back, landing on Beau’s shin, and closed his eyes. “Uh, Beauregard? She says to look into Headmaster Zivan Margolin, who is also the Archmage of Conscription. He’s a link to Trent. A weak one. Apparently he has been running his mouth about how he saw my potential from the beginning. Ludinus is uncomfortable with the implication and may throw him to the wolves to save his own neck.”
“I’ll pass it onto Yudala tomorrow. Take a nap while we wait for dinner.”
“The head of your school is also in charge of conscription?” said Fjord. “Wait. You’ve said this before.”
“A long time ago, ja.”
“Look, I’m only a few months old,” said Kingsley, who had been sprawled behind the couch the whole time, apparently. “And even I know that’s kinda fucked up.”
“No shit.” Caleb was half-sleep already, eyes closed. A small body curled up against him. Veth.
“Caleb, that’s really awful,” said Jester. “I’m so sorry.”
“Jester, I appreciate that, and I love you very much, but I am exhausted and cannot talk about this anymore.”
Caduceus saved him by bringing a tea tray into the room. “Let’s all unwind for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Caleb drank half his tea and fell asleep on Beauregard, who had to kick him awake for dinner. Well had to was a strong way to put it. Regardless, he shoved some food in his face and then went to bed with Essek.
****
Astrid sent him tidbits of information as more details of his professorship were finalised. He would assist Professor Weber with the beginner and intermediate Transmutation classes. He would also assist Professor Winterheart with the beginner Evocation class, due to his experience. He would also be on call to assist with other classes as necessary.
What really shook Caleb, however, were Bettina’s plans for Advanced Transmutation. She told him herself over coffee in the ex-smut shop.
“Astrid has assured me of your capabilities,” she said, stirring sugar into her mug. “And she’s of the mind that the Advanced students may need your guidance the most. You may end up with a few former Volstrucker students, if we can get them back in class.”
“That is a big if.”
“Ja. Would you talk to Astrid about it? I don’t want to overstep.”
“It has been on my mind. I will talk to her.” If Caleb hadn’t been dead on his feet last time they had spoken, he probably would have brought it up. It would take time to track all of them down, and Caleb had not been in the right headspace to handle that kind of work previously. But things were more stable now, even if he cried at the drop of a hat these days.
“Danke. Now, Advanced Transmutation. The advanced students start on the third week of term, so you will have had some time to find your feet. I want you to take the lead with them.”
“Bitte?” Caleb wasn’t sure he understood what she was telling him.
“I want you to teach the advanced students,” Bettina clarified. “I will be on hand if you need, but I think you can handle it once you have a few classes under your belt.”
“Bettina, I have no experience.” Caleb was about three wrong words from hyperventilating. This was ridiculous. And irresponsible.
“I know that’s not true, Mr Widogast. Sorry, Professor Widogast.” The slip was deliberate. Bettina used his first name most of the time. She was making a point of his new title. “Astrid has spoken to your expositor friend, who said you have been teaching magic to one of your friends for over a year, and that you helped her run a summer camp for adventurers in Nicodranas. Expositor Lionett also insists you are very good with children.”
“My friend’s young son, specifically. He is not a difficult child.” Well, Luc was a handful for his parents, but Caleb didn’t have to worry about controlling him like they did. “And… advanced students are teenagers, not toddlers.”
“I understand this is a lot to ask,” Bettina said evenly. “I am asking because some of these children have been through a lot. My inaction, whatever the truth of it, will not instill confidence. You put Trent in prison. You were an adventurer. You can relate to them. Not only can you be a safe person for them, but you are interesting. Teenagers respond best to people who are genuine, and genuinely interesting. Even the children who have not been pulled into Trent’s web have just been through a war. Some of them may have lost family.”
“Bettina, I appreciate you are trying to explain your reasons, but it is not helping.”
“I will be there in class for as long as you need my help,” Bettina promised. “I will only leave when you are ready. I promise. You can ask for help at any time. I will help you with your lesson plans and give you all the advice I can. You will be fine. I would not suggest this if I thought you couldn’t handle it.”
****
Caleb went back home after his meeting with Bettina. He was still worried, but he was having a decent day overall, so it wasn’t overwhelming him at the moment. He stepped inside Beau and Yasha’s side of the house, the scent of freshly baked bread filling his nostrils. It was almost lunchtime.
Most of the Nein had gone home by now, except Essek and Caduceus. They were in the kitchen with Yasha, inspecting a fresh loaf of bread on the counter. The top of it was sprinkled with rolled oats.
“I think it worked,” Caduceus said. “Ah, Caleb. Rye bread? Does it look right to you?”
It smelled like the Vollkornbrot Caleb remembered from his childhood. “Ja. This looks close to what my mother used to make.”
Yasha and Caduceus high-fived over Essek’s head. Essek’s nose wrinkled a little bit in a moment of endearing, petty irritation. Yasha cut the bread into slices and constructed a sandwich to take to Beau, who was at the Archive. She buttered a slice and shoved it into her mouth before she rushed out the door.
Caleb sat with Essek and Caduceus. The latter finished serving up the bread with a generous spread of butter.
“Did you start this last night?” Caleb asked. It was chewy as intended and tasted like home, maybe a tiny bit saltier, but that was fine.
“Yeah,” replied Caduceus. “You were pretty out of it. We looped Essek in once you were out of the house this morning. This one seems doable for Yasha to make without us. You might have to help her.”
“I can do that.” He used to help his mother with the bread whenever he was home. The memories were not too painful today, just an ache.
“How was your meeting?” Essek asked. He had been hesitant to leave Rexxentrum until Caleb was a bit more settled, but the hourglass was almost drained of sand.
“Good, I think.” Caleb chewed, mulling the whole thing over. “Professor Weber is giving me her advanced transmutation students.”
“You look worried,” said Caduceus.
“I am. It’s a lot of responsibility. She thinks the older students need me the most. As a safe person. I was their age when I… when everything went to shit. She thinks we may have a few survivors of the program in the class, and other students will have lost family in the war.”
Essek’s shoulders slumped. He ate quietly.
“And the Professor doesn't think she can be that person?”
“She insists she didn’t know what Trent was doing, but she expects the survivors will only see the face of someone who didn’t help them.”
“That is very self-aware of her. Do you feel that way?”
“No. But I’m not seventeen years old.”
“True. Well, I think you have the tools to help the kids, if you feel up to it.”
“I… maybe. Bettina said she’ll help me in class until I don’t need her anymore.”
Caduceus nodded slowly, with a smile. “You’ll be great.”
****
Essek and Caduceus had dinner at the house, and intended to spend a few more hours there before teleporting to the Blooming Grove, where Essek would trance before heading off in the morning, only short of one big spell instead of two. Caleb almost wanted to ask him to burn a second spell to trance here instead, but he knew Essek found the Grove calming. And one of the few places he didn’t have to worry about the Dynasty or the Empire. Caleb wouldn’t take that from him.
But they had a bit of time, which Caleb and Essek spent in their room together. Caleb let a few of his dancing lights float around the space, so he could see Essek for the last time in who knew how long.
“You were better today,” Essek said softly, slowly unbuttoning Caleb’s shirt.
Caleb watched him concentrate on the buttons, memorising his tiny frown that also graced his face when focusing on intricate spellwork. “Being here is getting easier. Thank you for the bread.”
Essek chuckled softly. “I did very little.” He pushed Caleb’s shirt off his shoulders. “But I’m glad it made you happy.”
“The best bread is the kind made by someone I love.” He shivered a little in the cold. Essek pressed his lips to Caleb’s shoulder, remaining there as the seconds ticked away. Caleb got to work on Essek’s shirt, finding the strings on the back through sheer muscle memory. He picked the bow apart and slowly unravelled the lacing. He pulled Essek’s shirt over his head and kissed his collarbone.
They had a few more hours. Caleb intended to treasure every second Essek could give him.
Essek pulled Caleb’s ponytail free and ran his fingers through the braids he had made that morning until they twisted apart. He cradled Caleb’s head as they kissed. Vulnerability between them had been hard won, and now it was as easy as breathing. Easier, sometimes.
They separated, and Essek slowly dragged his thumb across Caleb’s lower lip. “I will message you every day I can.”
“You better. Or I will hunt you down.”
Essek smirked, and it did things to Caleb. “And if I misbehave? Will you give me detention, Professor?”
“Essek, I love you, but never say that again.” Caleb shut him up with another kiss. “I do not want one of my last memories of you to be… that.”
“Not so adventurous after all,” Essek teased.
“We are not bringing our professions into the bedroom. That will not go well for either of us.”
“Hmm.” Essek’s eyes were distant for a moment. “You are… not wrong. Whenever I hear the word Shadowhand, I think of my mother.”
“Could be worse,” Caleb said dryly.
Essek wrinkled his nose. “Yes. Well. That has killed the mood.”
“I can fix that. May I?”
Essek sat back on his hands, raising an eyebrow. “Do your worst.”
“Challenge accepted,” Caleb murmured. He shoved Essek onto his back, straddling his hips. Essek was a lot smaller than Caleb, though the force of his personality and his floating cantrip had once hidden that reality. Now, however… Caleb could keep Essek in place with his weight alone. And Essek liked it when he used that objective fact to their benefit.
Essek’s lips parted, and it took him ten seconds of shallow breaths to find his voice. “Challenge completed,” he said breathlessly.
“It’s one of my many skills, Liebchen.” Caleb knew his voice became extra husky when aroused, and he knew how much it broke Essek’s brain.
Essek opened his mouth again, but nothing came out except a soft, breathy laugh. He reached up and pulled Caleb’s hair until Caleb leaned down and kissed him hard. The throaty mmph noise from Essek was satisfying as fuck. It was very easy to get Essek aroused at the right moment. The harder part was finding that moment. He was sensitive to Caleb’s emotions, and it was hard for him to get in the mood if he had even the slightest inkling Caleb was not having a good day. For now, at least, it meant what sex they did have only happened under the best circumstances. It was a far cry from the last relationship Caleb had been in, where most of the sex had been after a bad day, all three of them on the brink of falling apart.
Caleb pulled back a little bit to lightly brush his fingernails across the sensitive skin of Essek’s lower abdomen, just above his remaining clothing. Essek’s breath hitched.
“Caleb. Please.” Essek was flushing red beneath the purple of his skin, turning it a lovely plum tone. Caleb kissed his stomach, and slowly undressed him like a long-anticipated present he was afraid to break. Essek squirmed beneath him, no matter how hard he tried to hold still to make the job easier.
“What do you want, Kätzchen?” Caleb said quietly, stroking the inside of Essek’s bare thigh. Caleb never used terms of endearment like this in casual conversation. He liked to save it for special moments, specifically because he knew it broke Essek’s brain very badly to be called things like kitten or sweetheart in Caleb’s own tongue.
Essek let out a shaky breath; his violet-blue eyes were half-lidded and he was out of his fucking mind. “I want… anything. Everything. You. I can’t think.”
“I know,” Caleb said, sliding off the bed, just out of Essek’s reach. “I like it that way.” He slowly unfastened his pants, watching Essek twitch in a half-aborted attempt to move closer to him. “Stay right there.” He let them drop, kicked them aside, finished undressing. He lingered out of reach until Essek bit his lip, gazing up at him with a silent plea. Only then did Caleb climb back onto the bed, settling between Essek’s shaking legs. “Let me take care of you, ja?”
Caleb caught Essek’s lips in a messy, breathless kiss as their bodies fit together at long last.
Later, they lay together under the covers. Caleb had extinguished his lights. Essek could see him perfectly well. Caleb had almost left the lights on so he could drink in Essek’s features for a little while longer, but he was sluggish and borderline mindless from his most recent orgasm. He would rather spend what little concentration he had on running his fingers across Essek’s features so he had a few more memories to keep him warm until they could meet again.
“I will stay until you fall asleep,” Essek said softly. “Then, I will message you tomorrow after I leave the Grove.”
Caleb hummed quietly, not trusting his voice beyond that. This goodbye was hard every time.
“I’m proud of you, Caleb.” Essek kissed him, and then pressed their foreheads together. “You will be an incredible teacher. You already are.” Caleb swallowed against a lump in his throat. He was not going to cry. He was not going to make this harder for Essek than it needed to be.
Somehow, he managed to find his voice. “I finally had a good example.”
Essek chuckled softly. “That may be the one thing in my life I did right.”
“It’s an important thing you did right, but not the only one.” Caleb found his hand, twining their fingers together. His grip would slacken in sleep, letting Essek extract himself without too much difficulty.
“I try to remember that. Thank you. Get some sleep.”
Caleb didn’t want to close his eyes, knowing Essek wouldn’t be there in the morning. But Essek had to leave sometime, and he was giving Caleb every moment he could spare. So Caleb closed his eyes and relaxed into the pillow.
“I love you, Essek.”
“I love you, Caleb.”
Sometimes they didn’t need to say it. It was always true, whether or not they put it into words. Tonight, however, they both felt just a little more fragile, a little more vulnerable, and the words helped.
And then Caleb slept. The last thing he remembered was Essek’s fingers dancing sweetly in his hair.
****
Waking alone, Caleb tried not to be too dour in the morning, but given Yasha kept trying to find things around the house to keep him busy, he was clearly not doing a good job. He had to meet with Astrid (and probably Wulf) later in the day to discuss work some more, and he needed to bring up the Volstrucker survivors. Maybe Astrid had already been working on contacting them, but it wasn’t clear. It needed to be.
For now, however, he let Yasha drag him out to the garden. He liked having his hands in the soil, coaxing life out of the earth. After dealing so much death in this world, it was nice to put life back into it. He knew Yasha felt the same. It also let him reminisce about some of his less painful memories of home. Planting green beans with his mother.
It was also a little easier to bask in the afterglow of last night out here in the sun.
“Did you have a good time last night?” Yasha asked. Caleb was glad Beauregard was already at work. She wouldn’t tease him, but he knew she would have to restrain herself.
“Ja,” Caleb said quietly.
“He’s soft with you. It’s lovely.” She watched him, and she saw a little too well. “You miss him.”
“A lot, ja.”
“You’re good for each other,” she said. “I’m glad you have him, even if it’s not all the time.”
Caleb knew his smile was incredibly sad, but it was a smile nonetheless. “Me too.”
Essek’s Sending reached him in that moment. “Hello, love. I have arrived at my destination in one piece. A little further away than intended, but unharmed. How’s your morning?” A slight pause. “I love you.” Ah, he’d realised he had three words left.
Full of warmth from the sun and Essek’s word economy, Caleb responded, “Hallo, Essek. Glad you are safe. I am gardening with Yasha.” She waved. “She says hi. We had leftover bread for breakfast. Talk soon. Love you, too.”
“That’s very sweet, Caleb.”
He chuckled, and it sounded a little more fragile than he would’ve liked. “Careful. I will start crying again.”
“Hey, that’s okay. I’ve been crying a lot, too. I think it’s a good thing.”
Maybe. Caleb found it too unsettling to have that view on it. He stood up from the ground, knees damp with morning dew, and dusted the grass off his trousers. Establishing a garden here, and actually putting his own hands in the dirt this time, felt permanent. Unless something went very wrong, they were going to be here for a long time.
Yasha hadn’t had a stable home for years, either. And she also had awful violence and loss baked into her past, and terrifying blank patches in her memory. It was easy to spend quiet time with her, because they understood each other in a way the others sometimes couldn’t.
They enjoyed a quiet cup of tea on the steps linking the back door to the garden. Yasha was partway through repairing the fence back here, and she insisted on working with it alone; magic would end the project too quickly.
The sun reflected in her whitening hair, glowing like the radiance inside her. She deserved all the gentle mornings; she wore them well. Yasha gazed out at the barest beginnings of their garden, and she smiled.
“This suits you,” Caleb said.
“I’m getting used to it,” she replied softly. “After so long, I get to just be a…” She caught herself. “Well. I’m not a wife.”
“For now.”
She chuckled. “For now. It’s nice here. I get to bake bread, and grow a little garden, and welcome the people I love when they come home. And I get to love whoever I want. That’s all I ever wanted.”
“You deserve it. You deserve peace.”
Yasha smiled into her teacup. “Beau tells me that every day. I think I’m starting to believe it. What about you?”
A short question, with a complicated answer. “Sometimes. I do not know if I will ever feel like I deserve this without reservation. It is getting easier. Having a mission helps, I think.”
“We can do this,” Yasha told him. She said it quietly, but with every ounce of determination she had. Yasha had a lot. Caleb was struck by her soft strength, as he often was. Letting oneself be gentle after years of violence and pain was one of the hardest things to do. Caleb knew that all too well.
Caleb held out his fist, and she bumped it. “Ja, we got this.”
And he actually believed it. If only a little bit.
****
Caleb had an easier time walking into Soltryce Academy this time. Starting from a far more energised and calm place than last time carried him through the memories. Entering Astrid’s office was still a little painful, but he was strong enough to handle it.
Astrid and Wulf were seated in armchairs in front of the fireplace, reading. There was a pile on the table between them, and evident gaps on the bookshelves. They had rarely gotten to read books from Trent’s personal collection. The silent fuck you was vindicating, even vicariously.
“The old man had some interesting material,” Astrid said in Zemnian, skipping over the pleasantries. They didn’t need them at this point. She messaged him frequently enough that it felt like they were simply picking up a briefly dropped conversation. They usually spoke Zemnian when they did not have non-speakers to contend with, and Wulf followed suit. They would occasionally borrow a word or phrase from Common if the sentiment worked better.
Wulf snorted. “Pretty dry reading. You’ll like it, Bren.”
Caleb shrugged. “Once a nerd, always a nerd.”
Wulf set the book on the table, stretching; his shirt rode up a little bit and Caleb kept his eyes on his face with a great deal of effort. “If you want more colourful reading, the smut shop you were asking about is on the north side of the market.”
“Kingsley asked me.”
“Uh-huh,” Wulf said flatly.
“Listen, you cannot flirt with all my friends and then take that tone with me.”
“Just did.”
Caleb resisted the somewhat mild urge to scream. Wulf and Astrid were both very good at putting him off-balance, in very different ways. “Whatever makes you happy, Wulf. Astrid, can we talk about Advanced Transmutation? I am going to explode if I don’t talk about this in the next ten seconds.”
Astrid had been watching his exchange with a cocked eyebrow, but she smoothed out her expression and gestured towards a third armchair, closer to the fire.
He sat down, holding one hand out towards the warmth. “Astrid, I say this with all the respect in the world: what the fuck?”
“The advanced classes are in a delicate situation,” Astrid replied. “Professor Weber and I want as many of the Volstrucker program survivors back in school as possible. You are a better person to work with them than Bettina, and with any students who lost loved ones in the war. She told you her reasons, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“Aside from my lack of qualifications and the fact I never technically graduated from the Academy?”
“Bren, your practical experience outweighs all of that. Bettina will help you with the rest.”
“Astrid suggested you take the advanced students,” Wulf said casually, leafing through another tome as if he wasn’t throwing a bomb into the conversation.
Caleb felt an ache in his gut, and he had to close his eyes and compose himself. “Astrid. Why?”
“The Academy is about to throw those children into the world,” she replied quietly. “Whatever lessons you wish to impart, you have to impart them now. Not only that, but Bettina is not well-suited to teach survivors of the Volstrucker program. She has spent her entire life in the Academy. They will not take her seriously. Some may resent her for not doing something about the abuse happening right under her nose. She told you that.”
“How many survivors do you expect we will have?” asked Caleb.
“I am still trying to track them down,” Astrid replied, with an edge of frustration.
“I was meaning to talk to you about the Volstrucker.” Caleb had been racking his brain whenever he had the time and energy. There was no formal infrastructure to support the survivors of the program. If Caleb hadn’t met Veth, and then later the Nein, things could have gone very badly for him in so many different ways.
“Talk,” Astrid said.
“These people need help,” he said. “Unless we get that mental health support I asked for, we are effectively on our own. Even if the Assembly throws us crumbs, nobody can understand what it was like except others like us. We need to talk to each other. Regularly, if possible.”
Wulf’s eyes stopped scanning the page. “Do you really think Volstrucker will want to talk to each other about this shit?”
“Who else is there?” Caleb said plainly. “They--we deserve the chance to support each other. Regular meetings, if we can. A support group, I suppose. Low pressure. Just a group of people who understand each other going through yet another upheaval in a life filled with them.”
Astrid watched him closely, eyes narrowed in thought. “Interesting. I think I understand where this idea came from.”
“We got each other through a lot back in the day,” said Caleb. “But we weren’t equipped for it. There was no blueprint for what we were to each other, but we did our best. Until it wasn’t enough. And later, I had the Nein. I would not be here without them. I owe them everything. Not everyone has people like that.”
“I’ll find us a place and let you know,” Astrid said.
“Thank you.” Caleb had expected he would be a little emotional about it, so at least he was prepared to ward off tears. “Thank you so much.”
Astrid averted her eyes, gazing into the fire. “As for your job, most of the children in the program have been located. Some of their parents have pulled them out of school. I am… trying to talk them out of that. The last thing we need are traumatised, half-trained adolescents running around unchecked.”
Caleb was hung up on her wording. Most of the children had been found. “There are some unaccounted for?”
“Two. Felix and Nicolaus. They’re both seventeen.” Astrid didn’t need to point out why their age was a problem.
There was no time to panic; Caleb needed details. “What do we know about them?”
“I worked with them a little,” Astrid replied. “They are close, not unlike the three of us at their age. If we find one, we may find the other. They are from Blumenthal. The Crownsguard are keeping an eye out, but I do not trust them to handle this with the care this situation requires.”
“Specialisations?”
“Both Evocation.”
Caleb didn’t need to say aloud how bad this could be. Two missing Evocation wizards, on the edge of graduating the Volstrucker program, who had possibly had their memories modified and orders distributed. It had been a few months since Trent would have last had contact with them. The worst could already have happened. Then again, Caleb had been in Blumenthal not that long ago to visit his parents, and he hadn’t heard anything that would have given him pause.
“I was in Blumenthal a few weeks ago,” Caleb said. “If they followed through on an order, it was likely after that. I’d… like to think I would have noticed otherwise. Most people seem to agree that I am rather intelligent.” The dry humour probably wasn’t appropriate in this moment, but he needed to keep himself calm and sarcasm usually worked a treat. “In more recent times, I would assume word would have gotten back to you. Maybe we are not too late.”
“Optimism is a new look for you, Bren,” said Wulf.
Caleb would never call himself an optimist, but he could see why Wulf was uncomfortable, even if he hid it behind one part sarcasm and one part a veiled flirt. “Wulf, I have seen a lot of things in this past year alone that have… changed me. There was a time, not too long ago, when I did not expect to survive the week. And… look at us now. We are sitting here in Astrid’s office, reading Trent’s old books because he is stuck in a dark hole and cannot do anything to us. I spent the morning gardening with Yasha. My friends bought me a quilt because it reminded me of my mother. Things are better for me than they have been in a very long time. So, I am trying new things, like having hope sometimes.”
“Point taken,” Wulf murmured, averting his eyes. Tense. Uncomfortable.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything about the boys,” Astrid said. “Whatever happens… I think you should be there.
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mldrgrl · 3 years
Text
Broken Things 2/24
by: mldrgrl Rating: varies by chapter, rated R overall See Chapter 1 for summary and notes
Mulder blinks in surprise at the widow’s sudden dismissal.  He’s overwhelmingly concerned for the welfare of this woman he’s just met and he has no idea what to do about it, but he does know he can’t just leave her here.  
Moments ago he was looking around this house, thinking that it might just crumble around them where they stood.  The place looks to be already abandoned, far worse than when Old Man Goodwin was living here, and he wasn’t much of a housekeeper.  There are no furnishings.  No dishware or pots and pans that he can see.  No lamps.  Not a knick knack or vase of flowers.  She has nothing.  Less than nothing, really, and he finds that to be unbearable.
The only thing Mulder knows about the widow, Katherine, is that she’s well-spoken and has been educated.  Somewhere along the way there has to have been a fall from grace.  Life has handed her a raw deal, that much he can gather, but there’s a spark of determination in her to keep her head above it all.  She’s utterly captivated him and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let anything happen to her.
A wild idea pops into his head and he’s never been one to pass on a whim, wild or not.  His gut tells him what he’s thinking might be crazy, but he’s followed his gut on crazier notions before and he’s learned to trust his instincts.
“Marry me,” he says.
“I’m...sorry?” Katherine asks.  Her right eyebrow lifts into a perfectly peaked arch and he’s never found anything so endearing in his life.
“Hear me out before you object.”
“I’m listening.”
“Do you have a copy of the lease your husband signed?”
“I do.”
“May I see it?”
She hesitates for a moment, but then turns and moves to the back of the room.  She reaches under the bedstead and returns with a tattered bible which she thumbs through and takes out a folded scrap of paper.  He takes it from her, unfolds it, and then reads it.
“This is good,” he says.  “Exactly as I’d hoped.  Your husband signed a five-year lease with an option to purchase at the end of the term.  Do you know if he has a will?”
“None I’m aware of.”
“And there are no children?”
Her lips part on a breath and then she closes them again and swallows before answering.  “I am unable to have children.”
“I see.”  He folds the lease agreement back along the original creases and hands it back to her.  She slips it into the pages of the bible again.  “Well, in the absence of any will, you would be the sole beneficiary.  If we were to marry, I would assume your assets as well as your debts.  I can pay what’s owed and if Mr. Skinner will allow it, make good on the option early.  And you do know that it would also mean that what I own becomes yours as well.”
“I am quite certain you could own this land without marrying me.”
“That’s true I probably could.  But, then where would that leave you?”
“I haven’t quite solved that particular problem yet, but you certainly don’t need to concern yourself with it.”
“Oh, but I do.  Now that I know you, I can’t leave you here.  You’ll be removed from the property soon enough and with no people to come for you or to return to...well, I couldn’t stand by and see that happen.  My conscience would not allow it.”
“I could find work.”
“Out here?  The only spot in town that would hire you is a house of ill-repute.  Unless you plan to walk to Fort Worth, and even then there aren’t a lot of...look, I bet you know how to mend things?  Cook some?  Clean?”
“Of course.”
“I would offer you a job in that respect, but towns are small and people talk.  If I take you on as a single woman to a ranch with six men about, people may think something improper was going on and that would affect business.”
“I’m not your responsibility, Mr. Mulder.”
“All my friends just call me Mulder.  You might not be my responsibility, but I happen to like you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re smart and you’re kind and I enjoy speaking with you.  And I know you don’t deserve to be put out on the street with nowhere to go and no people to turn to.”
She looks down and away from him and he moves his hand out to lift her chin, but thinks better of it and doesn’t touch her.  He knows horses a lot better than he knows people, and hardly knows a thing about women, but she reminds him of a spooked colt and he doesn’t want to overwhelm her and cause her to retreat.  Horses will hurt themselves out of fear, and she just might do the same.
“Think of it as a business arrangement,” he says.  “You will be in charge of the household duties, and if you ever decide you’d like to leave, I will be sure you’ll go with the value of this land in your pocket.”
“Cooking, cleaning, mending,” she mumbles.  “What else might you be expecting?”
“I’m not looking for sport, if that’s what you’re thinking.  I told you, there’s a house in town and If it was sport I was after, there are certainly far cheaper alternatives.  Excuse me for being blunt.”
“No, I appreciate your honesty.”
“You can trust me.”
“I’d like to believe that.”  With her head still lowered, she reaches up and brushes the side of her hand across her eye.  “What if one day you find a woman you actually wish to marry?  Start a family.  What would happen then?”
“You don’t have to worry about that.  I have a singular focus and nothing else matters to me.  But, if you should wish to marry, one day-”
“I won’t,” she says quickly, and firmly, shaking her head down at the floor.  “I do not wish to marry again.  I mean...aside from what you’re proposing.”
“Is that a yes?”
“You would really do all of this for a bit of land?”
“It’s good land.”  He pauses and twists his lips for a moment or two.  “But, as I’ve told you, it’s not just for the land.”
She finally glances up at him, but then quickly looks away again.
“Do you believe in fate?” he asks.
“I believe God has a plan for everyone.”  Her brows furrow.  “But, fate?  Logically, I would have to say no.”
“One of my horses threw a shoe today.  I wasn’t supposed to go into town this morning, and yet I did.  If Faithful Jenny hadn’t thrown that shoe, I wouldn’t have been in town and I wouldn’t have found out about your husband.  If I hadn’t found out about your husband, I wouldn’t have ridden out here.  If I wouldn’t have ridden out here, I wouldn’t have met you.”
“But, if you weren’t away on business, you could have had this land six months ago, as you said.”
“Exactly my point.  If I had purchased this plot six months ago, you never would’ve shown up here.  I think this is meant to be.  I think this is fate.”  
“I don’t know about that, but...may I have a day to think this over?”
“Of course you may.  And please, let me take you away from here.  There are coyotes and bears that are apt to prowl around at night and this door doesn’t look very stable.  Not to mention the drifters that pass through and the Indians that roam about, though they won’t usually do you any harm unless provoked.  Still, I’d feel better if you’d come with me now.”
“Wouldn’t that look improper?” she asks, and her brow quirks again, only this time it feels a little more playful.  
“Yes, Ma’am, it would, if I were to bring you home.  I was planning on setting you up in town.”
“Surely not to the house of ill-repute?”
He smiles, glad that she’s in good enough humor to engage in a bit of banter.  “John Byers and his wife Susannah operate the mercantile in town.  They also have extra room since their boy, Franklin, has gone off to school.  When I tell you that Susannah would be delighted for a lady friend, it might be an understatement.”
“If I leave with you, what if Mr. Skinner shows up?”
“I’ll handle Skinner.”
Leaving with this stranger will not be the most rash thing she’s ever done, but it will be high on the list amongst the impetuous things she has done in her life.  There’s something about him though that calms her insecurities and makes her feel like she can trust him.  Besides, there really doesn’t seem to be any other option except to sit and wait to be evicted.
“Bring with you whatever you might need for a short time,” he tells her.  “We can come back with a cart for anything else.”
But, there is nothing to come back for once she packs her nightgown, her bible, a tin cup, a broken hair comb, and a deerskin blanket into a burlap sack she’s been toting for the last few years.  He looks at the sack and then at her and around the small sod house as if he’s waiting for more possessions to magically present themselves.
“This is everything I have,” she tells him.  
“Alright then.”  He nods and puts his hat back on.
His horse is very fine looking.  Yellow, with a white mane.  It whinnies when it sees him and he scratches it under the chin and rubs its nose.  For a moment, it almost looks as though they’re holding a private conversation, with the horse nodding and whinnying and Mulder whispering softly to it.  The horse scrapes a front hoof into the dirt and Mulder pats it gently on the shoulder.
“This is Blondie,” he says, smiling as he turns to her.  “I was letting her know to be on her best behavior while you’re on her back.  Do you ride?”
“I’ve ridden some when I was younger.  I can walk, though.”
“We have to cross a creek up a bit and you’ll be safer and drier up here.  Don’t worry, she’s nice and gentle.  I’ll lead her.  All you have to worry about is sitting straight and not falling off.”
“And getting up.”  She eyes the stirrups on the saddle and estimates they’re at least as high as her shoulders.
Mulder chuckles and takes the sack from her.  She notes the consideration he takes in placing it down on a patch of grass a few feet away and doesn’t drop it in the dirt.  He comes back very close to the horse’s side and lunges forward a bit and slaps his knee.
“Go on and grab the saddle horn with your left hand and step on up with your left foot.  You may have to lift your skirts a bit to throw your leg on over.”
It takes her three starts to gain the momentum to hoist herself up.  She does what he tells her to though and gathers her skirts up.  She knows she should be embarrassed by the holes in her shoes and that she has no stockings, but she lost the ability to care about such things a long time ago.
“Well done,” he says, and then passes the sack up to her.  “I’m going to adjust these stirrups to fit and we’ll be on our way.”
He works the buckles and straps swiftly and expertly and apologizes for touching her ankle when her foot momentarily gets in the way.  After he’s done, he brings the reins down over the horse’s head and turns it away from the house.  Katherine realizes, once they’re some ways away, that she never even had the thought of turning back for a last look.
He tells her about the potential he sees in the land as they walk.  He tells her about the corral he’d like to put up and how he would like to expand his business of training horses.
“You’re not from here,” she says at one point when he’s lost in his rambling.
“No, I grew up back east.  Massachusetts.”
“How did you come to be so interested in horses?”
“Hand down that sack and hold on tight here, we’ll be crossing the creek and the horse could slip.”
She gives him her burlap bag and holds firm to the horn of the saddle.  He throws the sack over one shoulder and guides the horse towards a small embankment and then tests the footing before they cross.  She’s barely jostled by it.  He stomps his boots once they’re back on dry land and hands the sack back up to her.
“That’s my girl,” he says, patting the horse lightly on the neck.  The horse snorts and its ears twitch.  “That creek was the dividing line of our properties.”
“Perhaps not for long.”
“Hopefully.”
The faint aroma of fire is in the air and she can see a thin curl of grey smoke in the distance.  She sees Mr. Mulder breathe deep and then smile broadly.
“Looks like Melvin has noon dinner on the stove,” he says.  “We’ll eat before we head into town.”
She doesn’t tell him, but she hasn’t eaten for almost three days.  The pump behind the house gave plenty of water, but their food stock was depleted even before her late husband left last Saturday.  She was able to boil some dandelions for a couple of days, but quickly ran out of matchsticks.  Her stomach clenches and her mouth waters at the thought of food.
“So, you want to know how I came by the horse business,” he says.
“Mmhm,” she murmurs.
“When I was five years of age, there was a cholera outbreak in Boston.  My parents, in their wisdom, felt that the city was unsafe for their children and they sent us away to live with my father’s dowager aunt at her country estate.”
“Was that difficult?  Being away from your parents?”
“Not at all, actually.  Auntie was a great lover of the outdoors and of children.  She cared for my sister and I like we were her own, spoiled us as though we were as well.  She gave me a little pony with a little cart for my birthday and that’s where it started, I suppose.”
“What happened when you went back to Boston?”
“Ah, well.  I didn’t.”
“You didn’t?”
“The cholera took my mother.  My father was not as equipped to care for children as Auntie was.  He allowed my aunt to adopt us and then he eventually remarried and I have a younger stepbrother named Jeffrey who I don’t know much about except that he’s probably of the age to start college soon enough.”
“And what about your sister?”
“Her name was Samantha.”
“Was?  Oh.  I’m sorry to have-”
“You do not have to apologize.”  He stops the horse and looks up at her.  “It was a long time ago.  She was eight when she passed on.  Smallpox.  She loved horses even more than I do.  Blondie was actually her horse.  Of course, she was a bitty little filly at the time, but Sam made me promise to take care of her, and I have.  She’s been with me nigh on thirteen years now.”
Katherine doesn’t know what to say to this.  The small smile Mulder gives her after he stroke’s the horse’s cheek is a sad one.  It’s a painful reminder of the grief she also carries that she’s never spoken so freely about.  She’s never spoken about it at all, in fact, and she can’t ever see a time when she will be able to.
The rest of the journey to the ranch is in silence.
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shesawriter39049 · 3 years
Text
|UNWRAP ME|M|
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CHEEKY SNEAK PEEK #2
Pairing : Jimin X Reader (Ft a lil Tae)
“There’s a bow on my panties because my ass is a present!”
About- Honestly, you were just trying to prep gift bags for your company’s holiday party! But Jimins stressed, and needs a little brain reset sooo….I guess we’re prepping gift bags later!
Or- The company has quite a few deadlines to hit before you guys close for the holiday! Jimin’s in charge of talent and everybody’s fucking up…but in your line of work it’s a domino affect! So if his crew falls behind ultimately everybody’s behind! Hints Jimin’s stress and frustration....
WC: Sneak peek (1k)
WARNINGS: (FULL THING): Teasing, light edging, dirty talk, top/bottom OC, top/power bottom Jimin, hand restraints, unprotected sex, over stimulation, fingering (F receiving), biting/marking kink, VERY light degration kink (he playfully calls her a “little bitch/slut” once) light come play, light spanking
FINAL NOTE: This is a stand alone smut drabble within my OT7 poly universe called “7 DEEP”. Short AU SUMMARY: Your husband Namjoon and yourself run a successful Adult Film Entertainment Company called “Onyx” with your 5 best friends from college who you also happen to be in an open relationship with! P.S. If you’re new here Kookie joins the party a little later….
*Pierced Jimin/Red haired “Dope” Era Jimin meets 2020 Jimin!?
*Also it should go without being said but Jimin, IS Westernized, he’s from LA in this ffs!
*I’m a perfectionist and re-worked the entire smut scene which is why the post is late, I felt bad and decided to drop this cheeky little sneak peek!
______________________________________________________
“You can do this shit in your sleep, this was just a curveball you weren’t expecting so it knocked you off your square a little. There’s nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t make you any less capable of doing your job!” The words hushed off your lips as you started to leave little butterfly kisses up the side of his neck. Lacing your lips and teeth around the lobe just enough to tease. A sharp breath catches in his chest, as he reclines his neck to give you more room to work while his palm flexed against your ass. Welcoming the much needed distraction “We got this, you just need to step back, breathe...regroup and refocus.”
You watch his mouth open in protest and now it’s your turn to shut him up “So, we’re down two models shit sucks, but dwelling on it won’t suddenly make their test results change! So now what’s our next move? Business strategy 101 baby let’s go!“ There’s a blatant challenge within your delivery!
“But I -“
“Jimin. Park!” The grip you hold on the hair at the nape of his neck tightens until you hear him hiss! Eyes fighting to stay open, mouth parting reflectivity. ”Breath, regroup...and refocus...”
He sighs around a moan, and if you didn’t know any better you’d think he’s annoyed. Realizing it’s a lost cause because he knows damn well this isn’t a game he can win. “Yes, ma’am” There’s a whole lotta crass  laced within that but you’ll take it I guess!
“Thank you!” Responding with the same bitchy little attitude you received! It is the time of year for giving after all! Batting your lashes up in his direction, far too innocent for your attitude! Pressing a couple quick but firm kiss to those pouty lips of his!
“Right, well, in the office, we get various incentives as motivation right? Whether that be gift cards, free dinners, bonuses..” Jimin murmurs right into your mouth, though the topic seems casual his voice is lower, taunting and huskier than usual. “So what’s mine tonight Mrs. Kim Hmm? Breath fanning against your lips, almost able to taste the remnants of liquor and cinnamon on your tongue. “What do I get as an incentive to regroup and refocus?”
Ohhh so now he’s the one challenging you...and your always down to play ....
Reaching over to take a languid sip of your cocktail, finger's trickling down his thighs as you appraise him from over the brim of your glass.
“Well Mr. Park, I'm sure you're very much aware just by looking around the room that one of my main love languages is gifts! Whether that be giving or receiving…..’ Voice dropping down to a purr, and there’s a little smirk playing on your lips that’s speaking volumes, as you shift off his lap....standing between his thighs, placing your drink aside.
“Not to mention it is that time of year after all is it not?” Slowly, tugging the shirt over your head, spine sitting in an exaggerated arch as you do so! Showcasing a matching red bra that’s completely mesh! The faint shadows from your nipples poking through the fabric and Jimin’s breath hitches within his throat! “Time for giving, putting others first, being selfless...the full nine…”
“Yeah” He’s winded already....Tongue darting out to wet his lips, though his throats suddenly what’s feeling painfully dry!
Delicately roaming your hands up your frame. Starting at your waist, slowly venturing up to caress the swell of your breast, dipping over your shoulders. Trickling up the side of your neck, and ending with your fingers tangled within your hair.
“Fucking hell….baby…” He whispers low and thick, almost as if he really wasn’t speaking for you to hear, as if he was just simply enamored!
You hum approvingly, lips curling into a smirk, teasingly trickling your hands down your sides before turning around whipping your hair over your shoulder in the process, swaying towards the obnoxious 10ft tall Christmas tree placed right in front of your wall of windows and Jimin’s mouth runs dry!
“I don’t know if you’ve even noticed all the presents Santa's already left for us this year….I guess we must’ve been exceptionally nice or something!”Pointing to the various wrapped boxes cascaded along the ground and your delivery is far too innocent for the pure chaos your erupting within this room right now!
Jimin’s gaze instantly darkens and it’s straight primal, he wants to unravel you in every sense of the word! Shamelessly he allows himself continue drinking you in from head to toe and god fucking dammit Y/n! Your ass literally looks like it belongs under the tree, the way the lace and ruffles frame the swell of your cheeks, the cute little rhinestone sitting between the exaggerated bow resting right in the center! Let's also not forget the main selling factor again...there crochless..which also means assless.. So in conclusion there's all of like 3 tiny pieces of fabric covering or I guess I should say not covering your ass and It’s just….
Inhaling sharply, biting down on the swell of his lip, soothing a palm up his length which is already straight throbbing beneath his fingers! Idly stroking himself in an attempt to relieve a little tension, which is duly noted because you're already over here doing the most!
Not missing the way you wiggle your ass a little whilst while apparently finding the need to adjust a couple of ornaments. Because of course, that was necessary... “Did your parents ever let you open a gift of two early Jimin?” Peering over your shoulder in feigned curiosity, brow titled in his direction.
“No, which fuckin sucked because I’m really impatient” Jimin already sounds breathless and throaty with pure need, you keep fucking around and he’s going to tackle your ass.
Literally.
A low hum flutters through your chest as you gracefully slide to the floor, right next to said obnoxious tree. Landing on your knees, feet tucked beneath your ass which again looks like a whole ass present at the moment.
Bow and all you're literally sitting right where you belong!
“Come here…” Head lolling to the side, signaling him closer with the flick of a finger “Since you had such a shitty day I’ll let you pick one gift to open early, if I were you’d I’d pick that pick box to the left...I think that’s from yoon.”
Patience is a virtue...one that Jimin does not have.....
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tsarisfanfiction · 3 years
Text
Long Way From Home: Chapter 14
Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Friendship Characters: Scott, Tracy Family
Forgot to post this last night, whoops, but in my defence I am absolutely drowning under uni work at the moment, so I’m quite surprised I even had the energy to proof read and post tonight...
<<<Chapter 13
The table was already piled high with steaming food when they entered the room, but Scott’s attention was more taken by the man sat at the head. Not-Dad caught his eye and gestured to the seat at his right.  Scott hadn’t planned to sit near the man if he could help it, but it appeared the patriarch had other ideas.
Swallowing down his reluctance, he crossed the floor, greeting Mrs Tracy, who was attempting to set the table even as Tin-Tin tried to persuade her gently to take her own seat, and took the offered chair.
Steely grey eyes swept up and down his outfit, and Not-Dad’s mouth settled into a thin line, but much to Scott’s relief he didn’t comment.  Not directly, at least.
“I see you had a successful trip,” he said.  Scott shrugged.
“Fashion here’s different,” he said, glancing over as the rest of the family took their seats, Other-Virgil slipping in before Other-Kyrano finished bringing the food over to the table.  “As you’ve no doubt noticed.”
“That I have,” Not-Dad agreed.  “At least no-one outside of this organisation will be seeing you, so now you have your own clothes I suppose you can dress as you wish.”  He still sounded somewhat dubious about it, but Scott would take what he could get.
“Those were my thoughts, too, Father,” Other-Scott joined in, from where he was sat a little way down the table between Other-Virgil and Mrs Tracy. “He might as well be comfortable while he’s here.”
“Indeed,” Not-Dad said.  “I have informed some trusted friends of your predicament in the hopes of increasing our chances of getting you home, and locating anyone else who may have come through. I am sure their names will be familiar to you; as I recall, you mentioned a ‘Lady P’ earlier?”
Had he?  Scott didn’t remember everything that he’d said to the man, but that seemed likely enough. He nodded.
“I assume that refers to our London agent, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward,” Not-Dad continued.  “She has been made aware and intends to visit in the near future.”
Scott felt a flash of frustration that things were being organised over his head – or behind his back, maybe – but buried it deep with the reminder that here, he wasn’t Commander.  He wasn’t anything, except someone in need of rescuing, and this man next to him was the man in charge of the organisation trying to get him home.
“Yeah, we have a Lady Penelope,” he confirmed.  “And Parker?”
“A fine butler,” Not-Dad agreed.
Scott nodded awkwardly, a little unsure at the way Not-Dad’s first description for him was ‘butler’.  It wasn’t inaccurate, but to him, Parker was so much more than just Lady Penelope’s butler, and he wasn’t sure if that was a relationship that had carried over.
Lady Penelope and Parker had been invaluable after the Zero-X, after all.
Scott cut that train of thought off out of habit before it could spiral too far.  The last thing he needed to do was start crying about Dad while sat next to his doppelgänger in another universe.
He was saved from any further awkward conversation by Other-Kyrano announcing that the dinner was ready and inviting them to help themselves.
“Thank you, Kyrano,” Not-Dad said, before picking up a platter of carved meat and offering it to Scott.  For his part, Scott was looking at the large, homemade spread and trying not to drool at the prospect of edible food.
“Thanks,” he said, helping himself to a few slices.  That appeared to be the cue for everyone else to tuck in, and Scott found himself part of a full dining table for the first time in a long time.  Other-John was absent, of course, no doubt squirrelled away on Thunderbird Five eating rehydrated food, and it was obvious that this Tracy family, too, had lost their mom, but with the Kyranos and even Other-Brains apparently resurfacing when he hadn’t been looking, not to mention Not-Dad, it felt like the sort of meal Scott hadn’t been able to have in eight years, and had thought he’d never have again.
He took a large bite of the food to stop his rising emotions overflowing. Other-Alan, sitting opposite him, shot him an unimpressed look but thankfully seemed too busy listening to Tin-Tin next to him to comment.
“Magnificent as always, Kyrano,” Not-Dad announced after a few moments, which seemed to be the cue for the rest of the family to interject with their own praise.  Scott was more than happy to join in, which got several pairs of eyes on him, seeming like they were gauging how genuine he was.  Only Tin-Tin had a knowing, and slightly sad, smile on her face.
“Say,” Other-Alan cut in, “how does this compare to what you normally eat? Our Kyrano’s the better cook, isn’t he?”
It was a loaded question, and Scott narrowed his eyes at him.
“Alan, that’s enough of that,” Not-Dad said.  “There’s to be no comparison of which universe is ‘better’, you hear me?”
“Yes, Father,” Other-Alan frowned.  “But I can’t be the only one that wants to know what he really thinks of the food.”
“Alan!” Other-Scott added in, but Scott shrugged.
“It’s the best homemade meal I’ve had in years,” he said honestly, nodding at Other-Kyrano, who seemed flustered at the praise.  “None of us can cook half as well back home.”
“Not even your Kyrano?” Other-Alan pressed, despite the sharp snap of his name from Not-Dad.
“Alan,” Tin-Tin interjected gently, putting a hand on his arm.  He ignored her, too, and light blue eyes pinned Scott where he sat.
Scott took another mouthful of the mouth-wateringly good food and swallowed it before answering.
“Kyrano hasn’t lived with us for years,” he said simply.  “It’s just the four of us – five when John’s down – with Grandma, Brains and Kayo – she’s our Tin-Tin – on the island.”
There was silence, and he took the chance to help himself to more of the food on the central platters.  It really was good, and if he was eating, he could at least pretend he wasn’t the focus of several varyingly sympathetic looks.
“Where did he go, if you don’t mind my asking, sir?”  It was Other-Kyrano who asked, and Scott tried not to react to being called sir.
He shrugged again.  “None of us know,” he admitted between mouthfuls.  “He retired and vanished.  Kayo tries to get in contact with him every now and then, but as far as I know she’s never been successful.”
Scott could feel the elephant in the room, the question on all their tongues even though none of them – not even the otherwise abrasive Other-Alan – wanted to be the one to say it.  He sighed and speared a section of meat with his fork, knowing that the question wouldn’t go away until he addressed it.
“Yes,” he said, “it was just after we lost Dad.”  He shoved the fork into his mouth and chewed aggressively on the meat, staring down at his plate rather than facing anyone at the table. A hand landed on his right shoulder, presumably belonging to Other-Gordon, who was sat immediately next to him, but no-one said anything in response.
After a moment, Not-Dad cleared his throat.  “Brains, how are you doing with the research?” he asked.
“O-oh!”  The scientist jumped, clearly not expecting to be addressed, and Scott sent him a mental apology for being the reason he was suddenly the centre of attention even though he was impatient for updates on that front, too.  “I, uh, have gathered a-all the data I, uh, can detect from, uh, Thunderbird One’s hangar w-where Scott, uh, appeared,” Other-Brains said, putting his cutlery down as he spoke.  “There appears to be a-an, uh, anomaly of some sort in the, uh, atmospheric r-readings but I, uh, haven’t b-been able to, uh, isolate the c-cause yet.”
“But wouldn’t the cause be the collision that brought him through?” Other-Virgil asked.
“T-that would be the, uh, logical assumption,” Other-Brains agreed, “but, I’d, uh, like some m-more data before I, uh, conclude that for, uh, certain.”
Scott was caught with a mouth full of vegetables when bespectacled eyes found him from the other end of the table, where Other-Brains was sitting between Tin-Tin and Other-Kyrano.  “I, uh, would like to run some, uh, samples from you to, uh, isolate the a-anomaly from your, uh, home u-universe,” the scientist continued.
Scott swallowed the food.  “Whatever you need,” he agreed eagerly.  Maybe a little desperately.  “Just say when you want them.”
“I’ll, uh, let you know,” Other-Brains promised.  It wasn’t ideally the answer Scott was looking for – a definitive time would have been nice – but it was something and he nodded in acknowledgement.
That seemed to be the cue for the hubbub of conversation to start up again. Scott stayed out of it, content to eat and listen, and at the head of the table, Not-Dad seemed likewise content to listen to what his sons were saying as they started talking about what seemed to be normal, everyday things.  Scott had the context for none of it and was unsurprisingly completely at a loss as to what any of them were talking about.
Tin-Tin and Mrs Tracy seemed to be holding a conversation about fashion and something that sounded like Pennylon, which Scott assumed was a brand or something, while the brothers engaged in some apparently long-standing banter, although he definitely heard billiards and bet in the hubbub.
Nothing was said about International Rescue, and Scott wondered if that was because he was there, even though he’d sat in on one of their debriefs, or if this family also had a ban on talking business over meals.  It was probably the latter.
“Gordon,” Not-Dad said suddenly, cutting into the conversation.  “What’s this about a bet I hear?”
The son in question grinned, and further down the table, Other-Scott rolled his eyes.
“It’s not a real one, Father,” Other-Gordon said.  “But with Scott here wanting clothes that our Scott wouldn’t normally buy, we had to come up with a reason for his sudden change in taste.”
“So he claimed I bet he couldn’t beat the whole family at billiards,” Other-Scott added.  “A bet that I apparently lost, with those clothes as my forfeit.”
Not-Dad chuckled, startling Scott, who hadn’t heard anything except stern patriarch from the man since he’d first met him.  Suddenly he seemed a lot more like Dad, and a lump formed in his throat.  Scott hurried to put another mouthful of food in his mouth to have a reason for his need to swallow.
“He did, did he?” the older man said.  “How many times have you played him so far today?”
“I stopped counting after twelve,” Other-Scott said.
“I see,” Not-Dad mused.  “And how many times has he won?”  Even Scott could tell he knew what the answer was going to be before it was uttered, but Other-Scott said it anyway.
“Not even once.”
“Maybe we should play chess after dinner instead,” Other-Gordon suggested. His brother laughed.
“But chess wasn’t the bet, was it, Gordon?”
“I think you’ve made your point,” the ginger sulked.
“I’m glad you think so,” Other-Scott said sunnily.  “Maybe that’ll teach you to make outlandish claims.”
“I didn’t see you making any suggestions to the contrary,” Other-Gordon pointed out.  Sat between them, Other-Virgil’s head was swivelling like an umpire at a tennis match. Conversation across the rest of the table had died down, leaving the two of them the only ones talking.
Two brothers sniping at each other was familiar, and Scott buried himself in the delicious food to try and distract himself from the fact that at home, it would be his brothers sniping at each other, and he might even be involved himself.
No-one seemed to notice his retreat from the conversation, or at least had the manners not to comment on it if they did, and he kept quiet for the rest of the main course.
Dessert passed in much the same manner, with Grandma presenting a gigantic chocolate gateau piled high with fresh strawberries and cream.  The entire table fell upon it with gusto, Scott very much included.  The ones he picked up from Paris, while the best of professional baking, just weren’t the same as homemade.
“So,” Not-Dad said, once the plates were all licked clean and Other-Kyrano and Mrs Tracy were bustling around in the kitchen, having cleared the crockery.  Tin-Tin had also got up to help them, but none of the others had moved, so Scott took the cue to stay where he was.  “What do you boys have planned for the evening?”
“I’ll be continuing with drawing Scott’s brothers,” Other-Virgil said.
“Drawing his brothers?” Not-Dad asked, and he nodded.
“They don’t look identical to us,” Other-Gordon chipped in, “so Virgil’s working with Scott to get portraits together for our reference.”
“I see,” Not-Dad said, and Scott found himself being regarded by the man again. “I’d like to see those once they’re completed.”
“Yes, Father,” Other-Virgil agreed.
“He won’t let any of us see them yet,” Other-Gordon complained.
“I told you,” the artist said, yet again.  “Once they’re coloured, and not one moment before.”
A steaming cup of coffee appeared in front of Scott, and he glanced up to see Tin-Tin smiling at him.  Not wanting to interrupt the conversation now going on between Not-Dad and his sons about the portraits Other-Virgil was working on, he nodded at her in thanks.
Similar cups were finding their way in front of everyone at the table, and Scott assumed a post-meal coffee was part of the routine here.  Once everyone was served, Tin-Tin, Other-Kyrano and Mrs Tracy returned to the table with their own drinks and a platter of home-baked cookies.
Tasting the coffee, Scott was pleased to discover Tin-Tin had clearly remembered how he liked it from earlier.  The proffered cookies were just as delicious as the cake had been, and by the time they’d finished drinking and eating, Scott was feeling pleasantly full.
He was going to have to make sure he went for his morning run, especially if this was always how they ate here.
“Are you ready to carry on with the portraits?” Other-Virgil asked him after all the cups on the table had been drained dry and the hubbub of conversation had faded away, and he made his way to his feet.
“Sure,” he answered.  “Lead the way.”
Other-Virgil’s room was full of frosted glass panels, or so it seemed as Scott followed him inside.  Books, on what appeared to be a variety of subjects from art techniques and historic artists to music to what Scott assumed were engineering manuals, lined alcoves in the wall opposite the bed.  They were familiar in topic, if not in the particular titles, to the sorts of things he was used to finding in his Virgil’s room.
“Why don’t you pull up a chair?” Other-Virgil invited, nodding at a wooden chair sitting innocuously in the corner as he perched himself on his bed. The sketchbook from earlier had had the respective pages neatly torn out, and Scott caught a glimpse of John’s sketch taped to a large board.  Various colouring pencils surrounded the artist where he sat, and Scott obediently retrieved the chair in question to put it down next to the bed so he could see what Other-Virgil was doing.
“What do you want to start with?” he asked, looking at the greyscale picture of his brother and trying to imagine it coloured in.  As John was the last brother he’d seen – albeit holographically – before ending up in the wrong universe, it was almost painfully easy to bring him to mind.
“Well, we might as well start with the skin,” Other-Virgil said.  “Darker or paler than you?”
That was a good reference point to start with, Scott figured.  “Paler,” he replied.  “Quite a bit paler.  He’s ginger and lives in space most of the time, so he doesn’t get much sun.”
Other-Virgil hummed thoughtfully, fingers dancing over a selection of pencils but not actually selecting one to start.  “Do you remember our John well enough to know which one’s darker or paler?” he asked.
“I can’t say I was paying much attention to that,” Scott admitted, wracking his brain to remember how pale Other-John had been.  “Mine’s maybe a little paler?”
Other-Virgil nodded and finally selected a pencil.  “Say,” he began as he started lightly colouring.  “When you say he’s in space most of the time – don’t you fellas have a rotation for Thunderbird Five?”
“A rotation?”  Scott tried to imagine telling John he had to share his ‘bird with someone else on a regular basis – someone who wasn’t EOS – and failed miserably.  John would probably lock down Thunderbird Five and refuse entry to anyone if Scott so much as breathed a notion about sharing space monitor duty regularly.  “No, John’s up there most of the year.  He’s happiest there, so it works out.”
“But aren’t there health detriments to staying in space for so long?” Other-Virgil asked, and Scott winced.
“A few,” he admitted, “but we’ve done what we can with our technology to minimise them, and it’s not unusual for John to come down for a few days if we’re quiet.  We can route the calls straight to Tracy Island if necessary, although the signal isn’t as good and we’re more liable to miss things.”  He frowned thoughtfully.  “You guys have a rotation?”
Other-Virgil nodded as he set down the pencil he was using and selected another one.  Scott peered at the canvas; John’s sketch did look remarkably pale, but the pencil Other-Virgil had selected seemed slightly darker so maybe he planned to layer it up. “John and Alan switch every month, or near enough,” he explained.  Scott recalled Other-Alan’s surprising agreement to Other-John’s declaration that he wanted telemetry – it made a lot more sense now.  “But John tends to do slightly longer spells than Alan, and very rarely Scott takes a turn if one of them can’t.”
Scott couldn’t imagine sitting up in Thunderbird Five for an entire month, on space monitor duty.  He’d done short spells of a couple of days, and that was more than enough for him.
“How does this look so far?” Other-Virgil asked after a few more moments, putting his pencil down and turning the board until Scott could look at it properly.  “Too pale?”
Scott peered at it again, but without the vibrant hair or piercing eyes, judging the skin colour was a lot harder than he’d expected it to be.
“Maybe a little?” he offered, a bit uncertainly.
“How about we move on to his hair for now?” Other-Virgil suggested.  “You say he’s ginger?”
Scott nodded.  “Very striking,” he confirmed.  “Brighter than your Gordon’s.”
Other-Virgil selected a pencil and made some firm strokes across the curl above John’s forehead.  “Like this?”
“Something like that, yeah,” Scott confirmed, watching the almost orange pencil continue to follow the sweep of John’s hair.  Other-Virgil nodded in acknowledgement, and settled in to keep colouring the hair.  He didn’t seem to have any difficulty with the colour; Scott didn’t have to make any corrections, only a couple of confirmations when asked, during the entire process.
Then it was time for his eyes, and this particular little brother of his had never had the easiest eyes to describe, not helped by the fact that Scott saw them through a blue-tinted hologram far more frequently than he actually saw them in person.
“Blue turquoise or green turquoise?” Other-Virgil asked after his initial attempt, and Scott hesitated.  They always looked almost blue in the hologram, but then the hologram itself was blue, so…
“Green?” he hedged.  “Maybe?”
Other-Virgil seemed slightly amused at his inability to remember the exact colour, if the uptick to his lips was any indication, but dutifully selected a few pencils in the blue-green area, as best Scott could tell, and started adding in flecks to the irises.
Seeing his brother come to life from the paper as Other-Virgil added more and more detail with the pencils brought that lump back in his throat, which Scott swallowed around in the hopes of pushing it down before Other-Virgil looked up and noticed.
No such luck, apparently, as brown eyes glanced up at him and gained a sympathetically concerned look.
“Are you okay?” Other-Virgil asked, setting the pencil and board down and twisting to look at him properly.
“I’m fine,” Scott insisted, but he could tell Other-Virgil wasn’t convinced in the slightest.
“You know,” he said gently, “we don’t have to do this all now.”
It was very reminiscent of Other-Gordon’s attitude during their shopping trip, and Scott slouched back on the chair.
“You need to know who you’re looking out for,” he pointed out.  “We’ve already established I can’t describe them well enough, so this is the only way we’ve got.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Other-Virgil allowed, “but that doesn’t mean you have to push yourself so hard.”
“They’re my brothers,” Scott snapped back, harsher than he intended. “If they’re somehow here-”
“I understand,” Other-Virgil interjected.  Startled at the interruption, Scott’s mouth clicked shut. “Gordon’s right; you’re just like our Scott, and we know how overprotective over us he gets.”  A hand landed on his shoulder, and those deep brown eyes searched his.  For what, Scott wasn’t sure.  “If your brothers are somehow here, we will find them.  John’s already listening out, and I’m sure your brothers are smart enough to get themselves somewhere where they can be easily found by the right people.  What we’re doing will help, I agree, but if they’re here, it’s not what will find them.”
Scott grit his jaw.
“I have to do something,” he said.  A measure of desperation bled through into his voice.
“Look after yourself,” Other-Virgil told him, not unkindly. “That’s what your brothers will want.” Scott looked up at him, startled, and Other-Virgil held his gaze steadily.  “I’m sure that, if you’re like Scott, I must be like your brother, too,” he continued.  “Look after yourself.  Let us help you.”
His hair was different, but his eyes were just the same.
Other-Gordon had said the same thing.  Scott wondered if he was in for a similar speech from all of them at one point or another.
“I have to do this,” he said, leaning forwards and gesturing at the still-uncoloured sketches of his three youngest brothers.  “I have to.”
Other-Virgil surveyed him for a moment, but must have seen something in his face, because he nodded and pulled his hand back.
“I understand,” he said.  “So, would you say we’re done with your John?”  He picked up the coloured picture and showed it to Scott.
It was definitely John.  The sketch had caught his likeness perfectly, but with the addition of the colours, it was really him.
“Yeah,” he said, around that lump that seemed determined to appear in his throat at any reminder of his brothers.  “That’s him.”
Other-Virgil took a moment to look at the finished drawing, and Scott wondered what he was thinking.  Whatever thoughts were running through his head, though, he didn’t say them and after a moment set the image aside.  It was Virgil’s sketch that he prepped next.
It had to be weird, Scott thought as they started the same process again, for the brown-haired man to know he was colouring in a version of himself from another universe – that hopefully, if Scott really was the only one to have fallen through, he would never meet.  Still, Other-Virgil seemed well enough up to the challenge, even if he raised an eyebrow upon Scott’s confirmation that yes, Virgil’s hair was black and not just a very dark brown.
The eyes, at least, were slightly easier.  Unlike with Other-John and John, where the former he’d only seen through various sized screens and hadn’t been able to get any real gauge on the exact shade of his eyes, Other-Virgil – as well as Other-Gordon and Other-Alan – had the exact same eyes as Scott’s own brothers.
Other-Virgil, entirely understandably in Scott’s opinion, spent several minutes studying the finished drawing once Scott proclaimed it accurate, but just as with John’s portrait, kept his opinions to himself.
It was dark outside Other-Virgil’s bedroom window by the time all of the sketches were coloured.  Instinctively, Scott looked at his wrist for the time, only to be stymied by the analogue dial he’d yet to get anyone to explain to him.
“It’s getting late,” Other-Virgil commented, seemingly only just noticing how dark it was even though he’d turned the lights on about halfway through colouring Alan’s.  “Should we show the fellas now or in the morning?”
“Might as well do it now, if they’re still up,” Scott shrugged.  “What is the time, anyway?”
“Aren’t you wearing Scott’s watch?” Other-Virgil asked, and Scott sighed.
“Yeah, but I can’t read it,” he admitted.  “We haven’t used this system in half a century back home.”
“Do you want me to talk you through it now?” Other-Virgil offered, setting the drawings aside and leaning forwards.  “It shouldn’t be too complicated for you, I shouldn’t think.”
Scott glanced down at the dial, taunting him with numbers and spokes he couldn’t quite decipher.  “That would help,” he admitted, extending his wrist.  “So, what am I looking at here?”
Other-Virgil shuffled closer and caught his forearm to steady it.  “Well, each point on the edge of the face are the hours, with twelve at the top, followed by one on the immediate right,” he said, pointing at the points in question.  Scott nodded.  “The shorter hand is the hour hand, and it points at the hour.  If it’s pointing between numbers, like it is right now” – it was between the nine and the ten markers – “the hour is the one it’s passed. That makes it nine, here.”  Scott nodded again.
“The other hands,” he started, assuming all of the long thin spokes coming from the centre had the same term.  “Minutes and seconds?”
“That’s correct,” Other-Virgil confirmed.  “The wider, slower, hand is the minutes.  Each hour point is five minutes apart for the minute hand, starting from the top of the dial.”
Scott did a quick count.  The minute hand was lurking down by the seven hour point, so that meant, “it’s nine thirty-five?”
“That’s right,” Other-Virgil told him.  “But we normally say twenty-five to ten.  Once it’s past the half hour, we say ‘to’ the hour, rather than ‘past’ the hour.”
That was unnecessarily complicated, in Scott’s opinion.  “I’ll try to remember that,” he said out loud, watching the third, slender, hand move around.  That was presumably the second hand.  “Seconds are counted the same way as minutes?”
“They are, yes,” he was told, Other-Virgil looking quite pleased.  “I didn’t think you’d have any trouble with it. Say, what do you fellas use?”  He let go of Scott’s wrist.
“Numbers,” Scott shrugged, letting his hand fall back into his lap. “Computers update the time every second or minute, depending on the clock, so we just have to read out the numbers.”
“Computers do that?” Other-Virgil asked.  Scott found himself surprisingly relieved that the other man seemed to at least know what a computer was.  “That sounds very complicated for something as simple as keeping time.”
Scott shrugged.  “It’s simple enough for us to use,” he said.
“Well, I suppose it’s what you’re used to,” Other-Virgil commented.  “The other fellas should still be up, so we can show them the portraits of your brothers now.”  Scott watched him gather up the four drawings and made his own way to his feet, putting the chair back in the corner where it had been earlier.
Chapter 15>>>
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southeastasianists · 4 years
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To the casual observer, it is just a photo of a man holding up a smiley face - an image used hundreds of millions of times a day in messages across the world to say "happy".
But this smiley face on a Singaporean street is different. This smiley face has landed the man holding it in court, potentially costing him thousands of dollars in fines.
And despite the risks, this smiley face has also inspired a wave of smiley faces in support.
So what exactly about this particular smiley face has upset authorities in one of the world's wealthiest and most advanced nations?
Why is this smiley face offensive?
Well, it has less to do with the smiley face, and more to do with the man holding it.
Jolovan Wham is a civil rights activist who has made a name for himself in recent years drawing attention to the issue of freedom of speech - or rather, as he would argue, the lack of it - in Singapore.
The photo was the latest in a long line of incidents involving Mr Wham which have upset the government.
Last year, it was for inviting the prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong to join in a conference via Skype.
On another occasion, he held a candlelit vigil for a Malaysian man executed for drug trafficking, while a silent protest on a train also placed him in the authorities' sights.
To an outsider, aware of the protests convulsing the streets of Thailand and Hong Kong, it all seems rather tame.
But Singapore has exceedingly strict rules on public assembly and imposes tight restrictions on freedom of speech and the media.
It requires a police permit for any assembly in a public place linked to a cause or in demonstration of a view. The government defends its public assembly laws as necessary to maintain order and safety.
But Mr Wham rarely gets a permit. As a result, he was already in trouble for the Skype session, the vigil and the train protest when he took the photo in March.
So, why post a photo which would get him in more trouble?
For a start, Mr Wham argues it was not a protest. In court on Monday, he pleaded not-guilty to illegal public assembly.
He was, he says, just showing support for two young climate activists who had been summoned by police for questioning.
One had carried a placard saying "SG (Singapore) is better than oil" in the same spot Mr Wham's photo was taken in. The other - an 18-year-old school student - had posted photos of herself holding signs urging climate action outside the office of US oil giant ExxonMobil.
Their actions were similar to those of Greta Thunberg, the climate activist who has been praised around the world for her quiet, determined stand against climate change.
Both ended up being questioned by police and having their phones seized - a reaction Mr Wham denounced as a violation of Singapore's commitment to free speech.
But his photo, he says, is not a protest.
Officials have taken a different view.
"The Speakers' Corner is the proper avenue for Singaporeans to express their views on issues that concern them, and to allow Singaporeans to conduct assemblies without the need for a permit, subject to certain conditions being met," police said in a statement about Mr Wham's charges.
If found guilty, he could be fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,700; £2,800). He has also been charged in relation to another alleged protest in 2018.
The Speakers' Corner - established in 2000 and loosely modelled on the one in London's Hyde Park - is currently closed under Covid-19 restrictions as part of Singapore's tight and largely successful measures to control the pandemic.
Has Jolovan Wham done anything else?
Yes: in fact, he has already served two brief sentences this year.
The first one-week stint in March came when he chose jail instead of paying a fine after he was convicted of "scandalising the judiciary" on social media. Mr Wham had shared a post on Facebook comparing the judiciary in Malaysia to Singapore.
A few months later he spent another 10 days in jail after he was convicted of violating the Public Order Act with the Joshua Wong conference.
It was, he says, worth it.
"Singapore is not this open and international and cosmopolitan city that it likes to present itself as," he told the BBC. "It's only modern in terms of its appearance, but highly intolerant when it comes to people just expressing themselves."
And despite the highly-controlled island state being largely successful in stamping out public dissent, two years ago Singaporean artist Seelan Palay spent a fortnight in jail after a performance he staged was deemed a one-man protest that violated the Public Order Act.
He had walked solo to Singapore's parliament, holding a mirror, to commemorate the detention of the country's once longest-held political prisoner.
What's more, others have started to show Mr Wham their support. He has had 200 people send him smiley faces.
Some have even been brave enough to post their own smiley face selfies, using the hashtag #smileinsolidarity.
Fearing the law, some have shared images without revealing their identity. Others have written directly to Mr Wham. "I've received many messages of support," he says. "But people are afraid of expressing themselves. They write to me privately."
There have been detractors too, he adds, but the activist thinks "it isn't true that Singaporeans are happy with the status quo".
"There are people who are dissatisfied with these laws."
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the case against Mr Wham was an "absurd prosecution".
"Singapore's government should grow up and recognise it needs to have a national conversation about what its people want in the 21st Century, and that requires respecting people's civil and political rights," he said.
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