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like I feel like Sugar's "did you know I recently had a brother die, too?" does say a lot about how stuck in his own head Carmy can get but at the same time i don't think he's completely oblivious. the thing i keep coming back to is that he's actually very emotionally intelligent/intuitive, like he can read a room and empathize with people and on some level understand what they might be feeling, it's just that when it comes to trying to talk about it he completely stalls out. which is actually a major thing that's showcased in episode 5, is that he's really good at picking up on and kind of working with/bouncing off other people bc he is kinda intuitive like that!! it's just the communication aspect of it all that he sucks at. so you end up with stuff like the opening scene with Syd, just this kind of unspoken communication and half-finished sentences (bc I think she kind of has a similar intuition, just that her thing is that she can't NOT discuss stuff, which can be both good and bad as, ya know, anything can, but that's a different post), and you end up with that interaction he has with Tina about his mom and the smacksmacksmack of the spoon against his palm bc he can't figure out how to say what that conversation makes him feel, or you end up with him knowing that Sugar is gonna be upset and trying to mitigate that (to cut back on stress for himself but also maybe for her, too; like, to spare them both the argument), and you end up with the conversation he has in the alley with Marcus. like, yeah Carmy may be absolute crap at talking about feelings (even the scene with Marcus steers mostly away from emotions talk; except for the one line about making all his anxiety go away, it's all very grounded in actions and happenings) but he's not stupid. he's actually REALLY good at reading people, he's just crap at communicating. (but the thing is, he TRIES. he's Aware that he sucks at this and he is TRYING for his own sake and for the sake of everyone around him. and that's like... half the point, isn't it? choosing to get better [at things, or just in the way of healing]?)
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glowstick-cafe · 3 years ago
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A Dance with Death|| Technoblade x Grim Reaper!reader
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Requested: Yes(My friend insisted that I write this, I'm only doing this because it sounded like a great senario.)
Pronouns: They/them but for the sake of the scene reader wears a dress because I like being dramatic.
Summary: A Grim Reaper finds themselves falling for the very thing that could cost them their life.
Cw: Gore mention?
Trope: Strangers to lovers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Tundra was usually very quiet when Phil was here, now that he's gone it just feels lonely being there, all that was left was an uncomfortable silence of him not talk and the loud voices in his head constantly overlapping on whether to trust Phil or to go rescue him from the butcher army, he was sure that they wouldn't hurt him since it would be dumb to hurt someone who was under house arrest.
Technoblade wouldn't have to worry anymore, the butcher army had located where he lived. Atfer a not so civil talk they took him from his home.
When the boat touched the docks he noticed a few new things about L'manburg from his last visit, not like he was keeping track anyway. Techno dragged his feet as the butcher army tuggedat his chains, telling him to walk faster. "Tech?" His name smoothly rolled off the tongue of the person that called out to him, his a small turn of his head he noticed that it was Phil that was calling out to him, the winged man held a worried expression on his face. "I'll be fine Phil, don't worry about me." Techno tried to reassure, he slipped a small part of his totem of undying in the gaze of the crow hybrid to make him feel better which succeeded.
Techno lazily rested his head against the cage Quackity had put him in, he wasn't paying attention to what they were saying, his main concern was the the anvil that was about to drop on his head. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the sound of potion bottle breaking and Tubbo's panicked voice telling for Quackity to pull the lever that was holding up the anvil. "Heh?! Wait hold o-" Techno's yells were cut short by the anvil colliding with his skull and shattering it, killing him.
That's when he met them
-
Techno spawned in a black void, he looks around confused until he a person wear a black cloak and was lazily twirling a scythe in their right hand, he was going to say something but the person had made eye contact with the totem resting in his hand and gave a confused expression. "You're not supposed to have that-" Before they could reach out to him the totem created golden splotches of light on his skin making him making him disappear back in reality where is corpse was suddenly being brought back to life.
Technoblade would have to keep that reaper in mind, but now he would have battle his way back home.
-
Being the Grim Reaper was no easy job, there was the run of the mill of having to explain to the person that they're dead, or it's hard to move them to the afterlife because they don't want to. But besides that is was lonely in that black void you called home, you were the bringer of death which meant that you woked for The Goddess of Death, Kristen. She was one of the nicer deity's but you didn't want to be one of the poor souls that faced her wrath, so you were especially screwed when a piglin hybrid with pink hair holding a totem disappeared before your eyes. "I'm so screwed." You mumbled to yourself in a dazed panic, you were contemplating going down to the mortal realm to bring him back, after weighing the pros and cons on your situation, your paranoia got the better of you and you sent yourself down to the mortal real.
Ironic how the Grim Reaper themself fears death.
-
You've stayed on the mortal realm for months, for a large piglin he was sure a hard person to find, and as much as you wanted to drag him by the ears and strand him in the void to mindlessly teeter into the state of life and death you were sure he would refuse to go anyway, which is why you intend lure him in with a convenient royal ball Eret was hosting.
It's been a while since you attended extravagant parties like these, they were fun and you got to flaunt your outfit, which brings you to now. You stood in the stairway to the ballroom where everyone were dancing or chatting amongst themselves, when your shoes touched the stairs all eyes were on you, there were rampant whispers of curiosity between everyone as you made your ways down the stairs. You wore a blood red dress that would even make a strawberry jealous, you walked with a smirk on your face as you made breif eye contact with Technoblade, who was sipping on what you would assumed was wine from a glass, and seemingly in the blink of an eye everyone's attention turned back to what they were doing.
Almost everyone, Techno's eyes didn't leave your frame, he didn't want it to. He recognized you from somewhere but he couldn't put his finger on it, before he could ponder in his mind any longer the sound of the music shifted, everyone began to dance with each other. Techno's crimson eyes drew itself back to you, your attention were fixed on the couples happily dancing with each other, with an unknown feeling bubbling in his chest he walked over to you to ask if you wanted to dance with him. "May I have the honor of asking you for a dance?" He said, your eyes looked dark and calculated, like if he kept looking long enough he might not like what he finds.
"Are you sure you aren't asking me out of pity?" You raised an eyebrow, you were mostly teasing him. "I assure you that I've never pitied someone, and I don't intend to start doing it with the most gorgeous one in the room." He shot back, a smirk graced his lips as he held your soft hands and guided you to the floor.
In that moment you didn't know what to feel, his ruby like eyes pierced yours as he held your hip and danced you around the ballroom, you found yourself losing the thought of your plan to get him to the afterlife, with every twirl, every moment he made a funny quip, you couldn't help but fall for his charm more and more. This man could ruin your life if you let him leave this room, and yet just having this moment with him would make it all worth while.
"Gods, I can't do this." You mumbled to yourself, Techno gave you a quizzical look, and seemingly out nowhere your red dress had melted into your black cloak you usually wore. Everyone in the room was staring at you, Techno's eyes widened as he now realized who you were, "You're....-" "The Grim Reaper, I know. I was going bring you to the afterlife with me after you used that totem which would've cost me my job, but you made it so hard to make me do that." You rambled, you didn't want to go, you were scared the Kristen was going to be there when you do but as you were caught up in you head Techno placed his lips on yours, the gesture surprised you but you returned the kiss anyways, the room felt as you your were the only two in it and that's how it should be. When you pulled your lips away from his you noticed that you were fading from the realm, your time was up and you had to go back, Techno's hands tightened around yours as you gave a content smile, all you could do was muster a curt "Thank you," till you actually disappeared and left the hybrid standing by himself.
Though you weren't there for a long time, you would've loved to experience that one more time.
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symphonicmetal101 · 4 years ago
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Reactions to MC Falling Asleep On/Next To Them
Ok, just for consistency, MC falls asleep on them during a meeting. MC switches spots every meeting to avoid fights.
Lucifer:
He was in the middle of speaking to Diavolo when he felt a weight on his shoulder
To his surprise, amusement, and horror, you had fallen asleep on him....in front of Diavolo (not that he let his emotions show)
However he was concerned that you had fainted, so he tried to wake you up, however Diavolo intervened, saying he had watched you nod off the whole time
He still wanted to wake you up because this was still a meeting that you were supposed to attend.
Diavolo tried to intervene again for your sake, and Lucifer was going to (reluctantly) listen.
However he shifted his arm enough to have you slump forward and nearly hit your head on the table
He managed to catch you in time, helping you into a position on the table that you would be comfortable, cleared his throat, and went on with the meeting.
Oh, but inside he felt a surge of pride that you had come to trust him enough to fall asleep with him near. Nobody could miss the smug smirk that played over his lips for the rest of the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, he stays behind with you. He gives you his coat as a blanket, and a small kiss to your forehead. He promised himself only five minutes more before waking you, but seeing your peaceful face changed his mind.
He scooped you up and took you home.
When you woke up, he denied anything having happened.
Until you confront him with photo evidence from Diavolo
Mammon:
He was only kind of paying attention to the meeting, he was mostly tapping around on his phone, sometimes showing you a picture of himself or something he hoped you would like
However when you slumped against him, he dropped his phone.
"Oi! Whaddya think you're- oh" (whisper-yell if ya know what I'm talking about?)
Once he realizes you're asleep, he blushes a little and moves some hair out of your face.
But he also realizes that now he can't move without waking you up.
But he also doesn't want to be in this damn boring meeting.
It's a calculated risk to try and get his phone back while keeping you asleep, but it's a risk he's willing to take..
....ok so it was a miscalculated risk
He got his phone, but was quick to react to the "thump" of your head hitting the table.
You were awake now, hand to your head, rubbing the sore spot.
You now had the attention of all the brothers.
Cue his brothers getting mad at hin :(
You try to tell them it's not that bad
(This part's a little ooc, sorry)
He grabs your hand and walks out of the meeting, ignoring Lucifer.
He blushes furiously as he pulls you in for a hug, an apology, and a quick peck to where you hit your head.
"Hey, I know I screwed up this time, but ya can't fall asleep on anyone else, got it? Just me. I won't let ya get hurt again."
You laugh it off lightly; you really weren't hurt, but it was endearing to see him so protective of you, him taking the situation a little more seriously than needed.
You hold him close and promise him you're ok, and that of course, you won't go passing out on anyone else.
Levi:
He was playing a game on his phone
You had been leaning over his shoulder every once in a while to check how he was doing
He didn't mind, and got a little blushy every time you got close to him
He thought that was all you were doing when he felt you against him, but you started to feel a little heavier, and you didn't pull away.
He turned to see if you were ok, only to see you were asleep.
His squirming made you fall onto his lap
Poor baby doesn't know what to do
He lost his game, but that doesn't matter now as he looks at you sleeping so peacefully.
His face is fully flushed, and he had a hand over his mouth to prevent any noises from escaping.
He looked over you to your other side, where Asmo was, mouthing the word "help"
Asmo just pouts and mouths back, "with what? You're so lucky!!! Look at them! They're soooo cute!!"
Realizing he didn't really have a way out of this, he tentatively pushed a bit of hair out of your face.
He was still very red for the rest of the meeting
At one point he shifted into his demon form to use his tail to keep you from falling off...he wasn't quite comfortable using his hands yet.
He didn't dare move even after the meeting was over, hissing at Mammon when he made too much noise and you started to stir.
Eventually you woke up in his room. Nobody quite knew how Levi had gotten you there, but if you told him you appreciated the rest, he'll be blushy for ya again.
Satan
He and Belphie were making faces at each other from across the table
Y'know just to spite Lucifer
And to see the look on your face everytime he turned to face you
But after a while Lucifer ignores them, so there was no point.
So his back was to you when he felt you leaning against him
He thought it was kind of weird, but couldn't look back at you. You also weren't responding to him
He shot Belphie a look of confusion, and a bit of concern, but it was Beel who saw it, as Belphie was passed out on the table
He simply pointed at Belphie, and then pointed at you.
Oh?
Oh
He desperately wanted to 1. See you sleeping, 2. Move into a more comfortable position, 3. Repostion you so you weren't at risk of falling, like you were now
He used his demon form to hold you up momentarily while he shifted in such a way to hold you properly
He stays in his demon form, his tail wrapped around your waist, your upper body now in his lap
Lucifer tries to convince him to wake you up
So out of spite, Satan falls asleep too, still holding onto you tightly
Asmo:
He's one of the few that actually tries to be engaged at meetings
But when the topic moves off of him, fashion, or MC, he gets bored quickly
He had one hand on yours, idly drawing shapes and designs with his finger while he read the latest fashion news on his D.D.D.
He found an outfit he thought you would love and was eager to share it with you but..
You had fallen asleep on the table, cheek squished up against the surface, gently holding his hand
He had to hold back a squeal of excitement as he opened up the camera on his phone and started taking copious amounts of pictures of your cute face
Once he had his fill, he realized thay your position would be terrible for your back...and neck...and face.
He feels kind of bad, but he's just looking out for you when he gently shakes you awake
You thank him, and refuse to let go of his hand as you wake up
This time the sqeaul of happiness is very audible as he pulls you into a hug and a couple dozen selfies
Beel:
Sweet babie boy is too hungry to pay proper attention in meetings, though he would if he could
So he doesn't notice when you've passed out next to him right away, especially because Belphie does it all the time
It isn't until its time to go that he realizes that you're asleep
At first, he was just going to get some snacks and wait until you woke up
But Asmo pointed out that you would get stiff in that position on the table
So as gently as possible, he moves you into a position he can pick you up in
Belphie gives him his pillow so that you'll be comfortable in his arms until they get home
He tucks you into bed in your room; he treats you like porcelain the whole time, worried that somehow he would hurt you
He leaves the room, but kinda hovers near your door to stop any of his brothers from disturbing you
Belphie
He mever pays attention in meetings, if he even bothers to show up
But today was his turn to sit next to you
Your company didn't stop him from falling asleep though
He woke up about half way through the meeting, but he didn't know why
At least until he tried to move, and felt something on top of him
He whispered to Beel, who lowered himself enough to see his brother's face
"Is this MC?" "Yeah?" "Ok."
He falls back asleep, although his face is slightly flushed as he buries it into his arms because you're just too cute!
Hours later he wakes up to Beel carrying him home on one arm, and you on the other. He tried to let you guys sleep, but he didn't want you guys to stay overnight at the school
By some miracle, you were still asleep, so Belphie happily took you into his arms this time before he passed out too.
Diavolo:
Diavolo made room for you to sit next to him at the head of the table
While the others didn't know, but you were holding his hand with both of yours, in your lap.
It felt very intimate for him, as the most he had done in years was shake hands or maybe give Lucifer a pat on the back
So he was a smiley babie the entire time, only partially listening to what Lucifer was saying to him
His partial attention went completely out the window when he felt your weight on his arm.
Lucifer looked mortified, however Diavolo had a rather surprised look
You...you fell asleep on him
You fell asleep on him!
He was very happy. It was a sign of trust, the trust you had in him and in everyone in the room. Not to mention, that was the closest anyone had been to him in a long time
Lucifer was going to apologize on your behalf, but Diavolo wouldn't have it
He gently shook you awake, taking in your dazed eyes.
He just woke you up to reposition you on his lap; it's far more comfortable than that chair anyways
He held you with one arm, dismissed the meeting, and relished (is that a bad choice of words for someone who hates pickles?) His time with you.
His other arm was busy dismissing Lucifer, and once they had left...
He took hundreds (literally) of photos of you in his lap, him poking your cheek, and some that no one else were to see, but he placed small kisses on your head.
Although he was upset to let you go, Barbatos and Lucifer encouraged forced him to take you home and let you sleep in your bed.
He personally carried you home, however if you grab his wrist before he goes and ask him to stay, he'll be powerless against you. Fuck off Luci, and screw royal duties
Barbatos:
He doesn't sit down at meetings, as he is he butler.
But you managed to sneak off under the guise of going to the bathroom, and found him in the kitchen
He was preparing refreshments for after the meeting when you came and hugged him from behind, burying your face in his back
He just chuckled at you, but continued to prep, using magic to pass him the things he needed so he wouldn't have to move
What caught him off guard was when he heard a small snore, and you starting to slip sideways on his back
....how did you fall asleep standing up? Humans are capable of that?
In any case, he turned around to support you so you wouldn't fall, left the refreshments and carried you to a small couch
He used a small energy spell to help you wake up, and left to finish the refreshments
A few minutes later, you found him again, and thanked him for letting you rest.
You got one of his rare smiles. He then reminded you that you had a meeting to return to
"That's still going?? I thought I was asleep for hours."
He shook his head and smiled fondly as you exaggerated a groan.
"I'll accompany you there. I have tea for My Lord and the guests."
Simeon:
He always pays attention, but when he gets bored, you and he play tic-tac-toe on a scrap of paper.
He was waiting for you to pass the paper back, but after some time had passed, he decided to turn and look at you
You were asleep on the table, and Luke was poking you, trying to get you to wake up.
He gently asked Luke to leave you alone. You were clearly worn out, and this was one of the few times the brothers weren't causing chaos.
He returned to listening to the meeting, absentmindedly stroking your hair and back while you rested
He helped Luke use his hat as your pillow, so your face wouldn't turn red or get hurt
When the meeting ended, he gently woke you up, and offered to walk you home, hoping the walk would help you re-energize a bit, as well as taking advantage of the rare quiet moments you two had.
You guys ended up walking for ages, so when you finally stopped in front of HOL, the guys were freaking out because you hadn't answered your phone.
You hid behind and pushed him through the brothers like a shield, and to your room, where you cuddled until Luke called Simeon because Solomon was trying to cook again.
Luke:
He's a child
He gets bored very easily
So you and he have little handshakes and other games to play discreetly during meetings
However, you had been caught by Lucifer, so you decided to stop for a bit.
Luke was caught off guard when you put your head down on the table
"...MC? Are you ok?"
You tell him you're fine, you just have a bit of a headache, so he resigns and let's you rest
But then he hears you snore
"MC?! You're going to get in trouble again!"
He tried poking at your cheek, small tugs to your hair, and continued to talk to you.
His desperation caught Simeon's attention
When he explains what's wrong, Simeon encourages him to let you sleep
But now he's bored again
So he starts moving your face for you, making you look angry, upset, happy, etc. Before anyone can catch him
Eventually he realizes that he's going to be stuck there for a while, and he's getting kind of tired too.
So he falls asleep next to you, holding your hand
That way he'll know when you wake up, and if he needs your help to get out of trouble, he can squeeze your hand.
By some miracle, (Called Simeon and Beel) you guys ended up in your respective beds.
Luke called you as soon as he woke up to check on you
Solomon:
Surprisingly, he is very attentive at meetings
Mostly because he wants to impress Lucifer and butter him up to make a pact with him
But that doesn't change the fact that when he notices you starting to fall asleep, he takes action
By taking action he makes your eye twitch with a quick spell
"What the fuck? Solomon, why?" "Because, if I have to be here, you have to be awake." "You couldn't have just cast an energy spell or something? Seriously?"
Yes, seriously.
He needs entertainment, and your silent frustration is hilarious for him to watch
Until the meeting is over and you tackle him, causing chaos to break loose.
I hope y'all liked that, Ik I have a huge WIP list and I don't even stick to it. Oh well. Thank you to @aceaine for helping me keep on track😁
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youreyeslookliketheocean · 3 years ago
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youreyeslookliketheocean’s DSMP Fic Recs!!
Figured it was about time for one of these... :)
Mostly SBI-centric because they’re my favorite dynamic. I’ll probably add to this list as time goes on, and I also want to go back through my ao3 history and find some lesser-known fics I really enjoyed to rec them all. But for now...
* oneshot  ** unfinished work
** the lights go out (my heart goes still) by curseworm
With his old home unwelcoming and his new one gone, Tommy is alone. After hours of staggering through the freezing snow, he finds a cabin.
Technoblade’s cabin.
He hides himself away in the deepest corner he can find, taking only what he needs to survive, wasting away in the cold and the dark. He’s petrified at the thought of being found out, terrified of what he thinks Techno would do to him.
When Techno finds his injured teenage brother huddled in a filthy little cave beneath his basement, the rage he feels is immeasurable. The voices demand blood, and blood he will give them. Dream won’t be getting away with this one.
(On the other side of the world, in a country that floats on a man-made lake, Philza gets himself in a bit of a pickle.) 
** The hearth down under by Crystalquill
A tiny change gives Tommy the courage to flee to the Nether instead of the cold tundra, finding an unlikely ally in the midst of a fiery hellscape.
But tiny changes can alter the course of history. The SMP will never be the same.
(Lots of cool Nether worldbuilding in this one!!)
to be a wanderer, wandering by hydrangeasheart
Tommy's feet drag in the snow.
It's so, so cold. He's so cold. His toes are freezing. His exposed shins feel like they’ve been cut open-- even the one that’s bandaged. His wings have gone numb, which is almost, almost good, because now he can’t feel the shifting, broken bones inside of the left one, just under feathers and muscle.
He doesn’t know why he’s still walking.
-
Or, Tommy leaves the exploded ruins of Logstedshire behind, and walks until he finds somewhere safe.
And things keep going from there.
(A canon-divergent AU, splitting off somewhere around when Tommy started hiding out below Techno's house.)
that’s, like, a hundred miles by No_one_you_know (and then “as long as i’m here”, and “he’s my brother, i just raise him”)
Dream would kill him. Dream was going to kill him- he was going to- no, he wouldn’t. Dream was his friend- friends don’t hit each other- Dream was supposed to take care of him- Dream /was/ taking care of him.
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. He couldn’t clear his thoughts as he stumbled to the family computer, pulling up a tab on google and frantically typing the name into the search bar.
The words Technoblade Watson stared back at him, the little black bar at the end of the letters blinking slowly, mocking him.
Why, of all people, did it have to be Technoblade?
in short: the one where dream sucks as a parental figure, tommy runs away, and visits his least favorite family member technoblade.
passerine by thcscus(blujamas)
Do I really need to put the summary here? Pretty much everyone knows this fic. Also, though, if you enjoy this one you should totally read thcscus’ connected fic, “shrike”!! It’s only at 2 chapters right now but it’s already really good and has this dark, foresty aesthetic I love...
not with a bang but with a whimper by dip_dyed_ghost
He knows Tubbo doesn’t care about him anymore. He knows that. He’s been shown that. But it doesn’t stop Tommy from caring about him. He brushes the pads of his fingers over the compass’s glass and wonders how he’s doing, if he’s tired of it all yet, if he needs help. He watches the way it points strongly in the direction over the ocean. He hopes he’s alright.
Even after everything, he hopes he’s alright.
During his exile, Tommy finds a drugged and hurt Tubbo on his doorstep. He can’t not help him.  
(This one has a neat take on potions, in my opinion. Also it’s only 4 chapters so it’s a quick read!)
take this compass, follow it home by lightning_anon
Tommy's a fuck up, he can't pay attention, and never sits still. He taps his hands, pushes people away, and has never had a best friend. He's a screwed up, forgotten kid lost in the foster system. He's also just been placed with a new family. Tommy knows how this goes, he never ends up staying long. After all, no one wants a fuck up like him.
Why would this house be any different?
Or: the obligatory sleepy bois foster fic, but with a focus on the neurodivergent kids that inevitably get lost in the system.
(Genuinely want to see more books like this in original fiction. It’s part of what inspired my newest og wip, “To Build a Home.” So sweet and I feel like I had my eyes opened to some neurodivergent tendencies I never knew existed. I read this in a day and can’t rec it enough.)
bloodlines by youreyeslookliketheocean
Tommy’s an orphan on the run from his previous guardian. Philza’s a king who prides himself on keeping his kingdom in an era of peace. Wilbur’s the crown prince, and Techno’s right beside him as his adopted brother. When Phil’s kingdom of Pogtopia is threatened by the bloodvines—a strange, brainwashing plant infecting many of the surrounding kingdoms—the four must work together to keep the kingdom, and their family, safe. --- A royal au sbi fic... + the bloodvines, for spice.
(Yes I’m self-promoting. But, in my defense, I’m very proud of it. If you checked it out it would mean the world to me :’))
Heat Waves by tbhyourelame
Dream has always held a gentle admiration for George, but when their nuanced friendship trickles into his sleeping mind, he awakens to a new world of conflicting emotions and longing. Lost in the midst of a heat wave, he continuously listens to a song that works itself in to the very core of his heartache. Floridian nights, unsent messages, spiraling infatuation, and terrible, terrible weather.
Another fic I think pretty much everyone knows about. Listen, listen... I was once an idiot who said “Oh no, I’ll never read Heat Waves. It’s irl, not characters, and it’s probably cringe”... No. I was so wrong. This fic is wonderfully written, with a pretty quick moving plot and great characterizations. You do need an ao3 account to access it, though. Just to let you know. (Also read “Helium”, unfinished and hasn’t updated in awhile, but it’s the continuation). 
Guitar Strings and Keyrings are What it Takes to Build a Home by Anonymous
Techno was adopted by Phil when he was 12 years old.
He'd been enjoying his morning before Phil came to him asking if he would mind them taking in another kid. Against his better judgement, Techno agrees and ends up with two new foster brothers who he was determined to not get attached to, no matter what.
Tommyinnit’s unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii
“I uh,” Tommy starts, not knowing how to break this to the hero lightly. He hates to be the bearer of bad news. “I think your powers are broken? It’s not a bad thing of course, but like, I swear you tried to mind control me and it like, totally failed. Which is fine, honestly, don’t feel insecure. Everyone’s power stop working sometimes… I think.”
Sheesh, this is very awkward. Why is no one else talking? Why is Philza looking at him like he grew three heads? Why is the Blade staring at him so intensely? Why is Willow still frozen?
“Did I, did I hit a nerve? Yikes,” Tommy hisses, “Well um,” He steps back, bracing his legs and bending his knees, “This was like super fun, but I’m - I’mma head out.”
or,
in which Tommy manages to annoy the hell out of Phil, Techno and Wilbur by being both impossible to catch and irritatingly endearing.
or or,
a crack fic where Tommy is a vigilante and Phil, Techno and Wilbur are the heroes hunting him down.
(Feel like I am obligated to say how incredibly funny this fic is. Seriously. I have a distinct memory of sitting on my neighborhood park’s swing, giggling hysterically, while reading this. Well...until the end... but we won’t get into that...)
** bones in the ocean by bunflower
“Your reputation precedes you, y’know.”
“Does it, now?” Philza watches him coyly from where he’s now leaning against the wall, arms folded around his chains and gaze half-lidded, his lips curled in an arrogant, cat-like smirk.
“The Angel of Death, the ferryman of the Styx, the terror of the western seas. One of the most feared captains ever to sail, and yet, I have to wonder… how did a man like you end up all on his own? We searched the area where you were found—not another soul in sight. So,” He fixes him with a long look, allowing the silence to hover like a dark cloud, the words rolling off of his tongue with all the venom and smugness he can muster, “—tell me, Philza. Where is your crew?”
OR: Technoblade is a naval captain, and Phil his unwilling prisoner. Somehow, they manage to come out of it as friends in the end.
(Is this fic considered popular like passerine/Heat Waves now? Cause I feel like it’s reputation precedes itself, at this point... Pirate au.)
****
Okay! That’s it for now. Like I said, though, I want to add to this over time and also dig back for some older things I’ve read. Also, if you have any recs feel free to send them in! I’m about to go back to school and therefore might not have time for reading fun stuff, but whenever I get the chance I’d love to check them out!!!
Happy Reading!!
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absolutepokemontrash · 3 years ago
Text
MC is Half Demon and Blah Blah Blah-
Time for the Group Retreat!
Part 1 Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Lessons 5-6 Lessons 10-12 Lessons 13-15 Part 3 Part 4
I’m quite hyped for this one, ladies, gents, and esteemed readers! For simplicity’s sake, since this is before M!MC and A!MC arrive, L!MC will go back to being referred to as just MC. Enjoy the Headcanons!
Since the previous Underground Tomb incident ended much less violently, Lucifer is now more worried than angry about MC’s rampant shennaniganery.
Like... his kid was poking holes in his totally foolproof “Your cow-uncle went to live on a farm in the human world” story. What if MC somehow got into the attic and got hurt?!
It didn’t help that they were still in this weird phase of their father/child relationship. On one hand, Lucifer obviously cares for his kid, and his kid likes him... but it’s also only been less than three months and we all know how emotionally constipated Lucifer is.
MC’s also getting REAL sus of all the secrets their dear old dad is keeping... doesn’t help that they STILL haven’t went up into the attic.
Anyhoo~ the announcement for the retreat was a barrel of laughs.
“I’m proposing, a group retreat!”
Everyone met Diavolo’s announcement with the exact same confused reaction. It’s like the entire assembly hall was doing the ‘Guy Blinking’ meme.
“A... group retreat?” Lucifer repeated slowly. “For what reason exactly, Lord Diavolo?”
The Crown Prince was giddy with excitement as he explained. “MC told me about their middle school overnight trip and it sounded like it would be quite fun!”
Simeon, Luke, MC, and Solomon were all seated next to each other in the ‘exchange student seats of less importance’. Luke leaned over and whispered a question to MC.
“Why are you so friendly with the crown prince?”
MC smirked and shrugged. “Lucifer had the Demon-Flu and couldn’t go meet with Lord Diavolo last week so I went for him. Lord Diavolo’s surprisingly bad at Connect Four but has really good luck in Snakes and Ladders.”
Luke’s jaw dropped in complete and utter shock and horror.
“We’re playing CandyLand and the Game of Life next time, want to come?” MC added.
“Play CandyLand... with him..?” Luke looked at Diavolo, who was still explaining his plan for the retreat, then looked back at MC. “I’ll only go to shield you from his corrupting influence.”
“Yeah... Corrupting...” MC had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Diavolo, who during MC’s visit lit up like a Christmas tree upon being called ‘Dia’ and believed that Mood Rings were the greatest human invention ever, being a corrupting influence.
“MC! Torture dungeon or no!?” MC was snapped out of their conversation by Mammon shouting at them from his seat.
“What?”
“Do ya think there’s a torture dungeon under the castle, or not?”
“I’m not sure,” MC turned to Diavolo. “Lord Diavolo, is there a torture dungeon under the Demon Lord’s Castle?”
There is in fact, no torture dungeon. Presumably...
Everyone packed up and headed out to the Demon Lord’s Castle!
The fabulous seven all broke several speed limits and traffic laws in order to be there early. Listen, they had to get there before Purgatory Hall, it was a matter of pride.
Besides, what’s the Royal guard going to do? Arrest six of the seven rulers of hell and a kid? Ha. No. Not when Diavolo controls their paychecks.
The rooming situation remained the same, Asmo, Simeon, and MC were roomed together, and MC got to watch Asmo get psychologically profiled by Simeon. It was truly a sight to behold.
MC was nice enough to assure Asmo that they really liked him and thought he was very sweet.
Asmo, not used to being complimented on his personality, almost started openly weeping.
So, the tour of the Demon Lord’s Castle began! Asmo got yelled at by his ex in the painting and the usual batch of idiots got sucked into the catacombs under the castle.
Lucifer wasn’t terribly sure how or if he should express his concern for MC being stuck in the labyrinth.
All these new fatherly feelings of worry are very very odd. He didn’t worry this much for Satan, mainly because Satan was usually the threat.
Even as a baby...
Lucifer found himself checking his DDD every few minutes to see if MC had texted or called from wherever the painting dragged them to, never mind that if they did text he’d hear the phone ding.
“Lucifer, don’t worry too much,” Diavolo patted Lucifer on the shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “Your brothers and MC will be perfectly fine! There’s nothing too dangerous in the catacombs that they wouldn’t be able to take care of.”
Resigning himself to the fact that MC was under the care of his last choices for babysitting, Lucifer put away his DDD. “I know they’ll be fine, but I’m not overly pleased with the situation.” He shot a glare at Helene in the portrait, who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
“Lucifer worrying about someone, I’m truly, genuinely shocked.” Hearing Satan’s attempt at goading him, Lucifer, flawless demon that he is, resisted the urge to throw his DDD at his brother.
“Quiet, Satan.”
————
“WHY THE FUCK IS A SNAKE DOWN HERE?!”
“ITS HENRY 1.0!”
“YEAH THAT REALLY CLEARS STUFF UP, LEVI!”
MC and Levi continued their screaming match as the group ran for dear life from a giant snake.
Yeah... nothing the brothers couldn’t handle... sure, Lord Diavolo...
They made it out of the scary catacombs... don’t worry.
Lucifer did that parent-thing where he cleaned the catacomb dust off MC’s face with a napkin.
Yay! Parenting!
Failed pillow fight attempt #1 happened that evening. Because Mammon was obsessed with being the fun-uncle and saw his brothers encroaching on his place as favourite uncle.
MC doesn’t know how to break it to him that he’ll probably always be the favourite uncle and he doesn’t have to be such a dumbass to keep his spot.
Scavenger hunt went on as canon dictates.
Asmo had his diva tantrum and stormed off, but MC also wanted to win so they didn’t go after him.
Clearly expecting someone to go beg him to come back, Asmo was very annoyed when no one went after him.
“Um, helloooo? Anyone going to comfort me~?”
“Nope.”
“Well I don’t want your comfort anyway, SOLOMON.”
It was very close, L!MC insisted their loss came from sabotage. No evidence was found but just LOOK at Satan’s face.
Time for the Formal Dance~
If you’re wondering why Luke didn’t say anything when MC was suddenly poofed into their demon form, you’re assuming that Mammon wasn’t in on the “let’s prank the chihuahua” plan.
“Mammon..? Is MC behind you?”
“Nope! Why?”
MC was able to get to the other side of the ballroom with Luke none the wiser! Hell yeah, nothing like screwing with your friend!
So it’s canon that Lucifer is like, a solid 20/10, therefore MC is ADORABLE. What I’m saying is, some of the younger demons asked them to dance.
Asmo was also being MC’s hype man, which was very nice of him. Mammon also tried to give advice on how to be cool and suave. Beel was there for moral support.
“Alright kiddo, you need to be aloof and mysterious! People love aloof and mysterious, that’s why I’m so popular.”
“Don’t listen to him, MC. He flew into a wall as a kid and it killed all his brain cells. Just be proper but not snooty, sweet but not saccharine, friendly but not annoying,”
“Ask them if they want to share some of the hors d’oeuvres.” 
“Okay, first, aloof and mysterious are the last words I would ever use to describe you, Mammon. Second, Asmo I have no clue what you’re asking me to do. Third... Beel that’s the best advice I’ve received in recent memory.”
None of that mattered anyway because MC got swarmed with dance offers.
“Well,” MC smirked and held out their hand at the demon that was bold enough to ask them to dance first. “I admire the confidence.”
The demon’s smile brightened, then dropped completely when their gaze drifted behind MC. “I uh... on second thought... I’m gonna...”
MC’s potential dance partners all quickly scattered to the snack table. The half demon growled and turned around to see their father acting like he didn’t just scare away MC’s groupies.
“Father! What was that for?!” MC huffed, Lucifer rolled his eyes and grabbed MC’s wrist and began to pull them away from the dance floor.
“You’re too young to dance.”
“That’s crazy! They looked like they were my age.” MC protested, their wings fluttering in annoyance.
“Even if they looked to be your age, MC, they’re hundreds of years older.” Lucifer said calmly.
“What about that equivalent age stuff you told me about? Like how Luke is hundreds of years old but by angel/human standards he’s technically younger than me?”
“That doesn’t matter right now.” Lucifer lightly pushed MC towards the hallway that led back to their room.
“But I want to dance with someone!” MC felt their wings involuntarily fluff up.
Lucifer turned and smiled at his dear little brat, crouching slightly to get to their level. “Not on my watch.”
MC’s face was literally this: >:0
Lucifer is out here being the dad in every comedy that involves someone bringing home their partner to meet their parents.
MC was banished to their room, they spent their time angrily reading the manga they had packed.
When Levi escaped the party slightly later MC grilled him for details of what went on after they left.
“Nothing too interesting... except... um...”
“Spit it out, Levi!”
“...lrddiavlondlucferdnced”
“I can’t understand you, stop mumbling.”
“Lord Diavolo and Lucifer danced together...”
“...”
“...”
“I MISSED THAT?!”
So yes, MC’s desire to get a picture of Lucifer sleeping stems from VENGEANCE!
How DARE their father send MC up to their room and make them miss their OTP dancing together!?
So they call up their troupe of idiots and get ready to go be menaces to society.
MC also invites along Asmo because he seemed like he could use the adventure.
And because MC couldn’t plan the prank without Asmo noticing so it was better to just implicate him as well...
“Grrr...”
MC brightened and clapped their hands. “I know that growl!”
“It’s not my stomach, I packed snacks.” MC couldn’t see this, considering the room was pitch black (it must’ve been some kind of magic because demons have excellent night vision), but Beel waved a bag of chips in the air and got to eating.
“No, I’m not talking about your stomach, Beel.” MC skipped towards the source of the growling despite Mammon and Levi’s pleas for them to stop.
Ah! There he was!
“Cerberus!” MC cooed, the three headed dog stopped growling and barked happily. “Whose a good boy? Is it you?”
Cerberus let lose a bark that would probably make anyone crap their pants, but MC giggled and kept petting him. “Yeah! You’re the good boy! You like cuddles! Yes you do! Yes you do!”
A flash of light from a camera caused MC to drop their baby talk voice and stare angrily in the direction where the light came from.
“Whoever took that picture better delete it or I’m going to feed you to the dog.”
Cerberus growled in agreement. What a good boy.
“Well, as nice as this is...” Asmo huffed. “We’ve clearly been duped because this is not Lucifer and Diavolo’s room.”
“Oh well!” MC chirped and continued to pet the three headed dog. “Look at the doggy!”
“MC, you’re crazy. Dontcha ever forget that.” Mammon whimpered as Cerberus growled at him.
So yeah, they couldn’t get out of the room, so they ended up opening up the other door and falling into the catacombs like a bunch of lemmings.
Asmo charmed Henry, and they got out of the labyrinth no problem.
Yay! No consequences! Oh no- hi Lucifer.
Lucifer gave them all the mother of all lectures. Satan showed up with the rest of the gang and brought popcorn.
Belphie wasn’t there, okay? Satan needed to be a little shit for him.
Ah yes, the pillow fight... Mammon’s crusade to be the best uncle culminated in a massive pillow fight that ended with MC, Lucifer, and Diavolo standing over everyone’s unconscious bodies.
So they uh... won the pillow fight.
MC couldn’t sleep. They legitimately couldn’t. As exhausting as the pillow fight victory had been, everyone was snoring, and MC was bleary eyed and awake at one in the morning.
They eventually sat up and looked around, Asmo was passed out in a very unflattering position, Solomon was chanting god knows what in his sleep, Levi was half hanging off Simeon’s bed, Simeon and Luke were sleeping like angels (hehehehe-), Beel was in the middle of eating his pillow in his sleep, Mammon appeared to be dreaming about winning the lottery, and Satan was... suspiciously absent.
He was there a minute ago... weird.
Deciding that this wasn’t worth it and they should just go sleep somewhere else, MC got out of bed and avoided stepping on anyone as they vacated the room.
The Demon Lord’s Castle at night could rival the House of Lamentation in terms of overall creepiness. MC had gotten used to the spirits and curses that littered their home, but they had only been to the Demon Lord’s Castle once before, so they were extra careful not to accidentally touch anything. Their stomach rumbled and they frowned.
Damn, they had the midnight munchies... they needed a snack.
MC made their way to the kitchen and on there way, noticed a peculiar room through a half open door. Taking a few steps back to peek into it, they noticed... doors. A lot of doors. And ivy covered steps. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to any of the placements, and the room was... weirdly chilly.
“You can come in if you’d like, MC.”
Barbatos’ voice nearly caused MC to hit a high note that they hadn’t been able to hit since their voice began to change. They straightened out their wrinkled pyjamas and stepped inside.
The butler himself was walking down one of the flights of stairs.
“Um...” Quickly remembering their manners, MC straightened their posture and cleared their throat. “Good evening Barbatos.”
Barbatos smiled and inclined his head in turn. “Good evening to you as well, MC.”
“How did you know it was me outside? You were up there a second ago.” MC asked.
“It’s a part of my powers. I can see possible futures, and I foresaw you passing by my room and getting curious.” Barbatos explained.
“Oh,” MC said, half nodding and continuing to look around. A the sound of a door closing out of MC’s vision made them squeak and look around for the source of the noise. “What was that?!”
“It’s nothing to be worried about.” Barbatos raised his hands in a placating gesture. “These doors in my room are gateways to different timelines and some are gateways into the past of this particular timeline. That was another version of me passing by.”
“Does this... happen often?” MC knitted their eyebrows.
Barbatos hesitated before answering. “Not really. It’s quite rare. Lord Diavolo has expressly forbidden me from using my full powers freely.”
“Ah... makes sense...”
“Now, I believe you came down for snacks?”
MC blinked in surprise. “How did you- oh... the time magic...”
“Yes, the time magic. Now, would you prefer yogurt and fruit, or apples and peanut butter?”
“Yogurt and fruit please!”
I’m sure MC’s knowledge of how Barbie’s room works will totally not come into play later. I’m sure.
Solomon and MC graced the brunch table with their cooking. I think you can guess how it would have turned out if Barbatos hadn’t intervened.
Rest In Peace to Beel’s tastebuds.
Anyway, the rest of the retreat was all fun and good.
MC may or may not have slipped up and called Diavolo ‘Dia’ in front of Lucifer. It would’ve sparked a lecture if Dia’s puppy-like excitement wasn’t so damn adorable.
Lucifer’s got a heart... somewhere... it’s probably all shrivelled up and tiny, but I’m sure it’s there.
Everyone went back home, brought closer together through... pillow fights and surviving Solomon’s cooking I guess..?
Anyway, MC got home, unpacked their stuff, watched Kakegurui with Levi and Mammon, let Asmo paint their nails, made and ate dinner with Beel, continued their piano lessons with Lucifer, and received a 100% fake smile from Satan.
It was a nice day with their new family, MC curled up in their bed and prepared to go to sleep.
“Help me!”
MC lurched upwards in their bed, whipping their head from side to side, trying to find the source of the voice. Their room was completely empty, the perks of being half demon extended to being able to see in the dark. No new smells either, they were alone in the room.
Auditory hallucinations were common before falling asleep after being sleep deprived, creepy, but not too unusual.
“MC!”
Okay- that one couldn’t be ignored. It was common knowledge that the House of Lamentation was definitely haunted in some capacity, but the ghosts never really bothered the demons living inside, MC was partly convinced that some of the ghosts didn’t even notice that the demons were there. So it couldn’t have been a ghost calling their name.
“MC! I need help!”
The voice reverberated through their head, like it was trying to hit every part of their skull to make sure it was at least felt if MC couldn’t hear it. MC massaged their scalp and got out of bed.
The House of Lamentation at night truly lived up to its haunted reputation. Cold, clammy, dark, even by demon standards. No spooky old house was going to scare MC though, they walked down the hall with their head held high.
They walked closer to walls and furniture, knowing that the floor was less likely to creak in those areas. How did they know that? Mammon had told them it worked like a charm. Well, it’d work better for him if he stopped tripping over the furniture and alerting Lucifer.
MC was much more nimble and careful, stepping slowly and lightly around the hallways until they reached the door to the attic. They reached out to clasp their hand around the doorknob, then froze. It smelled like…
Oh no.
MC leapt away from the door like it was rigged to explode if they touched it and practically dove for cover into an alcove. The all too-recent smell of Lucifer’s fancy cologne and the increasing sound of someone coming down the stairs made them clamp their hand over their mouth and crouch down.
What was their father doing up there?
He had said the attic was full of old junk and there was no reason to go up there, so why exactly did he-
The door slammed open and Lucifer stomped down the hallway back towards his room, MC presumed. They were about to let out a sigh of relief when the footsteps paused. MC felt their heart drop right into their gut when they heard the footsteps coming back in their direction.
What were they going to say to him when he found them? ‘Sorry! This isn’t where the bathrooms are!’ The last thing MC wanted was to add to their father’s ever growing list of stresses. MC was totally responsible and grown-up, their father didn’t need to worry.
MC clamped their eyes shut and tried to slow their heart rate. Demons were beings of darkness and shadow, they could blend in quite easily. They took a deep breath, cleared their head, and felt the shadows of the hallway shift and cover them like a blanket.
Lucifer’s footsteps stopped, MC heard a tired sigh, then the footsteps started up again, this time in the direction of his room.
They allowed themselves a sigh of relief before relieving themselves of their hiding space and opening the door leading to the attic staircase.
If the rest of the House of Lamentation was considered clammy, cold, and foreboding, the attic staircase was that multiplied by a factor of twelve. MC felt themselves shudder involuntarily when they stepped closer to the staircase. Every primal part of their brain was telling them to turn around and walk away, but one tiny part was holding them back. They placed their foot on the first step, waiting for any kind of resistance, nothing other than the feeling of passing through invisible cobwebs.
“MC?”
Upon hearing their name, MC craned their neck to try and get a look at what could be waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
“Are you coming, or not?”
The cascade of warning sirens that began to blare in MC’s head went ignored as they continued to scale the staircase.
When they reached the final step, they were met with a long hallway, with a single door on the right side of the wall.
“H-hello?” MC tried to instill some force into their voice, but it still ended up quavering a little.
“Down here.” Someone knocked on the wall next to the door, almost causing MC to jump.
Oh. Oh no. MC stood straight in front of the door, and when they saw who was looking back at them they nearly passed out.
“Belphegor..?”
Belphegor’s eyes flashed as he gave MC a once over. His eyes narrowed when his gaze snapped to MC’s. The analytical expression melted into a lazy grin.
“That’s me,” he said softly. “Nice to finally meet you, MC.”
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goggles-mcgee · 4 years ago
Text
Too Late: Gabriel Agreste (commission for miner249er)
Third chapter of @miner249er ‘s commission
Chapter Summary: Gabriel’s thoughts and time at the hospital
Previous Work
Last Chapter                       Next Chapter
The sterile smell of the air, the beeps of machines and muted conversations were Gabriel Agreste’s new normal and it absolutely killed him. Every move of his body was pain, even blinking seemed to bring him some amount of it, no matter how small. He could hear the TV in his hospital room, he cast it the briefest glance and grimaced when he saw it was the TVi News with Nadja Chamack. At first he paid it no mind but when he heard his name he became more alert. With his good arm he patted around for the remote until he finally felt it and quickly turned up the volume. There was no holding back his growl when he saw Alec Cataldi speaking about the “rumor” of him and Nathalie being Paris’s local villains. His hand twitched with the need to find his phone and call up his lawyers but even he knew how it would look.
Suing Alec Cataldi and TVi Studios off of a rumor? Yeah that would just make things worse. His lawyers had already done so much with making sure that that’s all that stuck was rumors. No one could prove him and Nathalie were Hawkmoth and Mayura but there were so many goddamn “coincidences” that made sure that the rumors would not go away anytime soon. They would haunt him for as long as he lived and that was his fault. He thought akumatizing Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the best thing he had accomplished. In some ways it was, because he just so happened to akumatize Ladybug. He thought he had everything in the bag. Victory had been so close, he could practically taste it on his tongue.
Then she strayed. At first he didn’t notice, it was like every other akuma, she wanted revenge. She said so. So, being a generous person, he allowed her to go after her craved revenge before he asked for the Ladybug and Cat Miraculi. Gabriel never imagined her revenge included him and Nathalie, he had never felt any resentment towards him when they first linked, but then it was like she could shut him out of her mind. Out of her thoughts. Some part of him knew it had to do with all his missing butterflies, but a bigger part was screaming about how close he was to getting what he wanted. They were well and truly blindsided. 
The Protector has come in so fast it was almost inhuman, which maybe he should have expected seeing as when he akumatized people he enhanced their abilities while also giving them some kind of power. None of his alarms went off. Nothing suggested danger. Even when Nathalie had gone to check the security cameras and check news coverage to track his akuma, she hadn’t noticed. He certainly couldn’t blame her for what transpired. No, that felt like the universe telling him it was done putting up with his bullshit. Nooroo had always told him that abusing the Miraculous the way he did would come back to him, distantly he would worry about what it meant, he hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was to be his masterpiece. He had always sensed her emotions, her anger, her sadness, they were always so strong and held so much potential. Yet, every time he had sent out an akuma for her, her emotions vanished so he would have to find a new target. It had been so infuriating each and every time, and then a miracle happened. Her emotions seemed to be too big to control this time, of course he knew it most likely had to do with Mlle Rossi since she was doing her damndest to convince him she was a negative influence on his son. Of course he pretended to believe every lie she spouted about the girl, there was no ounce of guilt, he just looked forward to the future akuma.
He regretted it. He regretted it so much. Gabriel frowned when he felt a tear fall, he hated feeling weak, always had. Thankfully no one was in the room to witness the rare moment of weakness. He had only cried in front of one person and that had been Emilie, but even she was guarded when she spoke to him now. Not that he didn’t understand her anger at him and Nathalie, but he wished she would forgive him and just be there for him. He needed his wife. Currently though, she was still mad and disappointed at him. He tried to explain that he did everything for her and their family so they could be happy again, but it had ultimately fallen short. 
She hadn’t wanted his “excuses,” and really he could understand, or try to. When she awoke it wasn’t to a welcoming she may have expected if she had ever expected one from the beginning, Emilie came back to police tape all over their house and reporters stalking the front for a story like vultures. They pounced and the rumors grew. His missing wife just so happened to stumble out of their house after he and Nathalie were rushed to the hospital. Of course Emilie heard the rumors, when she felt like talking to him she had come and demanded answers and really, there was no way he could lie to her and he hadn’t ever planned to. Gabriel had just never expected to have to tell his wife he had maybe terrorized Paris and fought against a child, maybe two, one of which was quite possibly their own child.
He thought she would leave him, it terrified him, haunted his every waking moment. That thought hurt worse than everything the Protector did to him in the name of justice. Gabriel didn’t want to think anymore so he decided to just tune into the news once more and hope they were past speaking about him. “We have a video of The Protector going into the Agreste Mansion and after a period of time, leaving. Now we don’t know what happened inside but hours later we had you and your team there at the mansion along with other news stations when M Agreste and his assistant Mlle Nathalie Sancoeur were brought out of the mansion on stretchers. Then not long after, in your words,’ a dazed Mme Agreste was spotted coming out of the house.’ That was after the police search!” 
Guess he hoped for too much. He groaned and looked away from the screen and resolved to just stare at his heart monitor. He blamed his private nurses for putting the TV on the news because he had no recollection of changing the channel to the news before he had been given his daily dose of morphine and had taken his small nap. Some small part of him told him they did it on purpose, that they knew what Nadja and Alec were going to be reporting on and put the show on purely to annoy and torture him. Even if his team of lawyers made sure no charges could stick to him or Nathalie, the stink of the allegations and rumors lingered. 
He could see it in the way other nurses would speed walk past his room. Could see it in the way his bodyguards would flinch when he would speak to them or ask them to do something when they weren’t guarding his door. It was behind the smiles his doctor would give him during his vitals checks. It was carried in the air of the whispers of those who passed and hoped he didn’t hear them speaking. Some didn’t care if he heard and would loudly speak of his villain side full of contempt and poorly held anger. He saw it in the way the hospital wing counselor, yes each wing had a counselor apparently, would leave a pamphlet about their group therapy. Not just any group therapy, akuma victims, whether it be turned into akumas or directly targeted by akumas, you were encouraged to join. Since he and Nathalie were “for some odd reason” targeted by the Protector even when they said it was a random attack not done by the akuma, they were heavily encouraged to join in. Even if it meant they had to be wheeled in on wheelchairs. 
Gabriel did not need that. He absolutely did not. There was no way he was going to sit in a room full of people he had akumatized and listen to how he ruined their lives. He had an imagination, he had a pretty good idea how royally he screwed up. Though he hadn’t known it at first, he hadn’t even thought of it when Nathalie and him were on their way to the hospital. Pain wasn’t on his mind, no, it was anger. He had been furious that his plan had backfired so spectacularly, and he immediately started planning on revenge. There was no realization, there was no sympathy, not until he heard the news. When the police had been investigating his house for any signs of the “intruder” Emilie had stumbled out from the “basement.” 
It was then and only then that Gabriel realized what he had done. Everything he had done, terrorizing-because really, that is what he did-Paris, made everyone live in a constant state of emotional staleness that was now exploding in uncontrolled fits of tears and yelling, and what for? Absolutely nothing. Emilie hadn’t needed him to go on some crazed vengeful mission like he had believed. There was no need for him to don the Butterfly Brooch and be the “madman” everyone knew as Hawkmoth. The name they still whispered about whether consciously or subconsciously when having a breakdown or feeling even the slightest bit upset. There was no need for him to involve Nathalie and make her wear the very same damaged Miraculous that he believed had taken his wife from him. Yet he did. His assistant, no, his dear friend was paying that price now because of him.
Nathalie. He hadn’t even seen her since their admittance into the hospital. Of course he asked how she was doing but doctors were vague and nurses were worse because they would change the subject or stay quiet and you knew. You knew the person you asked about wasn’t doing as well as you had hoped. Distantly he knew what he was doing to everyone in Paris, he somewhat acknowledged the damage he had done but nothing prepared him for the guilt that ate at him for what had happened to Nathalie. It would seem as though Emilie held some ill will towards him because of it as well. When she came and he asked how she was doing, his wife would only respond with, “How do you think Gabriel?” and nothing else. Gabriel desperately wanted to know but it was like everyone in the hospital made some odd pact to never inform him and it was driving him mad. He had just wanted his wife back. His old life back. 
Now he had a wife back who, while still staying with him was determined to show him how wrong he had been. Gabriel didn’t know what part of everything she was more mad at (maybe it was the emotionally distancing himself from their only child and leaving said child to fend for himself in a social world that he knew nothing about) but he would do anything to make her happy. Though she was not letting him in, she was there physically but she had closed herself off emotionally at the moment and really, could Gabriel blame her? No but that didn’t make the heartache hurt any less when she wouldn’t smile at him, when she would only come for an hour or two at most instead of the full visiting hours like she once did when he had been in a car crash when they first married. She had visited everyday and had snuck in his favorite snacks because she knew he hated the hospital food.
When she visited she brought him pastries from Tom & Sabine’s and every time it was like more salt added to his wounds. Like she was doing it on purpose to punish him in her own little ways. Emilie would still sit by his side and hold his hand, but her smile was fake, it was fake coming in and it was fake leaving, and the hand around his heart would grip harder the more he saw it. She would of course be visiting today and though Gabriel always loved to see her, he didn’t know if he could handle her emotionless smiles. Not when his pain was throbbing both physically and emotionally. Usually he could ignore the looks, the whispers, and just about everything else, but today he felt unnaturally raw. 
“Oh you’re awake. Good afternoon.” That was Emilie’s voice. 
Gabriel turned and saw her standing in the doorway. “Hello Love.” He winced at how hoarse his voice sounded.
Immediately Emilie went to his side table and poured him a cup of water which he gratefully took. “You always seem so surprised when I come. I come everyday Gabriel.”
“Well...It’s just you don’t seem like you want to be here is all. Not that I can blame you but…”
Quiet. He hated when she was quiet. Then she sighed. “It’s not that I don’t Gabriel. I’m just...I’m just so mad. I’m mad that you’re hurt, but I know it’s your fault that you’re hurt in the first place. I’m mad that it’s your fault! I’m mad that you left our son emotionally. I’m mad you got Nathalie involved! But I don’t want to be mad Gabriel. It feels bad to be mad right now because I know you’re in pain. But I also know you. And I know you’re not completely sorry about what you’ve done.”
“Emilie! I am sorry, I really am!” He cried.
“I need more convincing than you just saying it. I’ve been thinking about it and I want you to go to that akuma therapy they have here. Then...and only then do I think we can begin to heal.” She said with such finality that Gabriel had to swallow. It was absolutely the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew Emilie wouldn’t budge, all he could do was nod. 
“Thank you,” she murmured, “I know it won’t be easy, but I think this will be good for you, for us.” 
“You might be the only one who thinks so.”
“Adrien thinks so too.”
“You’ve spoken to him?” Gabriel asked, and maybe it was a bit desperate but his son hadn’t visited him once.
“Yes. He’s not ready to see you yet…” Emilie admitted as she looked down at her hands. “He barely started visiting Nathalie.”
He had visited Nathalie!? But not him. Not his father. No he couldn’t be mad at him, not after everything he put his son through, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt. That didn’t mean he wasn’t blinking back tears. His own son didn’t want to see him. God, what did that say about him? About everything? Nothing good if he put thought into it so he resolved to do the opposite and just avoid the thoughts until they took him by surprise. If he thought Emilie’s anger was bad, he could only imagine Adrien’s, he had never seen his son mad. He had never allowed him the pleasure of emotions before, and seeing how everyone’s little emotions resulted in meltdowns, he feared what his son’s repressed emotions would look like.
And really Adrien had a lot to be angry about. Number 1 being that he was Chat Noir, part of Paris’s dynamic superhero duo, and his father was Hawkmoth the villain he was fighting and had to stop. Yeah, there was much to be mad about. “How is he?” He settled on asking.
“I’m not going to lie to you Gabriel, he’s not okay. Our baby is hurting,” the because of you was implied but unsaid, “his friend is still missing, his friends are all having mental episodes over some Lila girl and everything that has gone down, and he is still having to deal with the fact that people talk. Plus I mean it’s not everyday you find out your dad is a supervillain, one you were supposedly fighting.” 
He couldn’t hold back the wince. “Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” 
“Honestly? I don’t know Honey,” even though his heart sang at the term of endearment it also broke a bit, “I want to say yes, but I just don’t know.” 
“We’ll just have to see I suppose. You should go check on Nathalie, Dear. I am feeling tired,” it was a lie, or was it? He was exhausted but whether that be because of his body being in pain or because his emotions were everywhere was anyone’s guess. “I’ll see you tomorrow though yes?”
“Yes. Yes of course. I’ll bring some Eiffel Apple Bon Bons, I know you probably haven’t had any in a while.” She still remembered his favorite candies.
“That would be lovely, thank you. I love you.” 
“I love you too Gabriel. We’ll...We’ll get through this.” Will we? He watched as she walked out and even after that just stared at the door. He was really going to go to that akuma therapy...for the first time in a long time, Gabriel was scared. Scared if everyone would whisper or would they make the animosity toward him known? But the thing he was the most terrified of? He was terrified of what he would hear there in the group therapy. He didn’t know if he would be strong enough to listen. 
The TV ripped him from his thoughts and he almost gave it thanks. “I don’t think I have to remind everyone just what Hawkmoth has done to this great city, to its people. From babies to the elderly, from the smallest of things to the most emotional moments of our lives, they have all been prey to him. One has to wonder if he had a heart at all. And if he did, I have to ask, was it worth it? Was it worth it Hawkmoth? This has been Alec Cataldi.”
“And Nadja Chamack.”
“And we are signing off, see you next time Paris.” The two hosts said in unison. 
Almost.
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thebadboyfanclub · 4 years ago
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I Got You (Napoleon x Reader)
This is the third time i’m trying to post this fucking thing, tumblr won’t let the posts I do from my laptop under search results but they will show posts I do from my phone. Anyways, enjoy!
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“This better be worth it Waverly”
“Ohhh (y/n) dear trust me it will. Let me introduce you to your new colleagues”
As she walked in the room with one big desk and a few chairs, three of them were occupied by two men and one woman, probably in her 20s. Her eyes however focused on one particular man.... The man that was one of the reasons you thrived in the illegal field.
“This is Miss Gaby Teller, the most important person in this case, next to her is mister Illya  Kuryakin, her supposed fiance and-”
“Napoleon Solo. The thief”
She bitterly interrupted Waverly, he was of course aware of (y/n)’s past with Napoleon, it was one of the reasons he requested her to join this case, keeping from her that piece of information of course. 
“(y/f/n), you’ve grown up”
“you got old”
“Right, now that everyone knows each other, (y/n) please take a seat and i’ll explain the plan”
As she took a seat from the other side of the table, directly in front of Napoleon, she tried to focus on Waverly and ignore Napoleons intense stare that almost drilled a hole on the side of her head.
“Ok, so since Illya is here to be the love interest for Gaby and Napoleon is here to just get some Italian legs in the air, what am I here for?”
“You dear (y/l/n), you will be portraying miss Brigitte Richard, an heir to the Richard well know Cigar, he is a close friend of mine and graciously agreed to take his daughters name”
“Won’t they know what his daughter looks like?”
“His daughter has been kept away from the public eye and she had transferred in Britain during high school, that’s also where she went to College and recently decided to stay there. I will give you a file of hers to study. Your goal is to get close to Victoria vinciguerra during the event, maybe even seem interested in mister Solo, of course for show, nothing more”
“Of course, everything is only just for show when it has to do with Napoleon”
-
(Y/n) was dressed in her best attire, her long red dress that hugged her waist so beautifully, of course some silver diamond earrings on her ears and her hair up in a perfect updo, her heels were comfortable at least, but if she had to run the dress would not hold for long until it gives a show to anyone around her, she prays that it didn’t have to happen, or she would be royally screwed,
“Miss Richard , your father was right you do have your mothers eyes”
What a fool, she thought, this is who she was hiding from? a woman that complimented her for the resemblance in her eyes.... she wasn’t even close to being related to this people. However, on the outside, she smiled brightly at the tall blonde lady
“Thank you so much, god rest her soul she at least she was generous enough to pass them down to me, my dads brown eyes are great but a tad bit boring don’t you think?”
The blonde gave a tight lip smile to her comment. Of course, if she knew that her real parent had never seen this type of luxury, the lady wouldn’t even spare a glance.
“I don’t believe we’ve met, Victoria Vinciguerra”
“Brigitte Richard, my father made sure to keep me away from all of... this, he wanted his kids to be humble”
“I’m really sorry for your brother”
“It’s alright, I miss him but... c’est la vie”
(Y/n) had almost swallowed the file Waverly had given her, she even looked into the cigar company, just in case anyone asked questions. As the two ladies kept talking, she started hearing commotion,she turned her head  towards the direction it was coming from and saw one familiar man falling to the ground.
“What is going on over there?”
“Excuse me dear”
Victoria started walking towards him and of course (y/n) followed. When they finally reached the crowd that was already forming a circle around him, there he was fanning himself the invitation dramatically, in true Napoleon fashion. (Y/n) kissed her teeth in annoyance, he was supposed to discreetly blend in, not cause a god damn ruckus the minute he walks in.
“Thank you, Thank you”
“I wonder what they do to people without invitations”
That is when she decided to take actions. She weaseled her way out of the crowd and kneeled in front of him to his level, offering her glass of champagne to him.
“Are you alright sir?”
“Yes, thank you very much Darling”
“I’m Victoria Vinciguerra, she is (y/f/n). I do believe an apology is in order. I’ll take it from here”
You helped him get up on his feet and took two steps to lean in and talked to her.
“of course miss Vinciguerra... next one is mine”
She giggled as she walked away in triumphant. To be frank the rest of your job was to keep an eye on these two, yet she could still say she completed the most important part.What she didn’t expect was the growing fire in the pit of her stomach that was directed to Victoria, looking at her talking to Napoleon so nonchalantly made her teeth hurt and her breasts ached with rage.
“It’s such a lovely day to be so pouty miss”
“Well sir... there is nothing really here for me to smile about”
“Not even me?”
“I think I am better off being the reason for someone to smile”
“Roberto  Russo, charmed”
“Brigitte Richard”
Roberto was a handsome man, tall, light brown hair, hazel eyes, sharp jawline, full lips and extremely well dressed, no doubt he knew his way around women and money. What a better distraction and cover up than him?
What (y/n) had not calculated was Napoleon picking up at her “strategic” flirt and filling like punching the hell out of this pretentious little Italian boy that grew up spending daddy’s money. He restrained himself from walking over to her and taking her hand, guiding her away from everyone, keeping her all to herself.
“I saw you were talking to my aunt”
“Oh you are related to Victoria?”
“Yes, my dad is her brother. I actually haven’t spoken to her today, come with me?”
“How could I ever refuse?”
As he offered his arm she smiled and linked hers with his, walking over with her head held high as they got close to Napoleon and Victoria
“My dearest Roberto, how are you?”
she kissed her nephew at both of his cheeks and yet no smile was shown. She really was cold, Roberto however smiled brightly, feeling excited to show his knew “catch” to his aunt.
“I’m doing well... who might he be?”
“Jack Devinsky, Nice to meet you”
Roberto looked at Napoleon up and down, almost well not almost... judging him harshly. Napoleons sure looked rich but there were levels to how rich you were, especially when men judged one another.
“Roberto Russo. Well... aunt Victoria may I occupy you for a minute”
“Of course, anything for my nephew”
“It will only take a minute dear”
“I am counting”
She replied at him, he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss as he stared directly in her eyes, winking at her as she left her with Napoleon. They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, they haven’t really spoken since the case started, (y/n) made sure to avoid him.
“You look stunning if that isn’t obvious”
“Thanks”
She said dryly. She barely even looked him in the eye, all she could see was that damn night, the night she lost everything, the night her heart shuttered, the night he showed her all the cruelty of the world he always talked about.
“You are mad at me”
“Do you blame me?”
“No, it still upsets me though”
“That sounds like a personal issue to me”
-
The event was a success. which meant (y/n) could finally relax and wear her pajamas, pour a drink for herself and lounge in the couch her room had. She still wore his necklace, the gold star necklace he had bought her way back when... she took the charm in her hands and felt the cold metal.
How much more could she take with him around? it took her so much time to heal and now here he was again, scratching the wounds she had closed up all by herself. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at her door. She got up to answer it and was met with the man of the hour.
“Napoleon”
“May I come in?”
She sighed before stepping aside to let him in. Even when all she wanted was to punch him in the face, her heart took over her and let him walk into her room and her life once again, even when she had swore to take revenge when she saw him again.
“What do you want?”
“To talk”
“About what?”
She was well aware she was snapping at him, could you blame her? He had swore to protect her, help her when she had nothing and no one, taught her everything and then one night she came home to find all his belongings missing... and that damn letter tore her apart, she didn’t sleep for days, she waited for him to return for months and yet he never did.
“(Y/n) I know-”
“YOU KNOW NOTHING
”her voice booming through the entire room, it was like a glass of emotions was overflowing, threating to spill and make a mess. He saw the pain in her face, her lower lips trembling, her hands forming fists... still what caught his eye was one thing, the necklace. She was wearing his necklace, after all these years she didn’t throw it away. He took a breath through his nose before continuing.
“(y/n) you have every right to be upset-”
“Damn right I do”
“Will you just listen?”
“listen to what Napoleon?! What?!What?!What?!”
Next thing that was heard was her glass smashing at the wall, Vodka dripping down and small pieces of glass going everywhere. Napoleon was shocked, he should have known this wouldn’t be easy, he had wanted to reach out to her over the years, he had even went through with finding her, yet every time he chickened out last minute and walked away from it. Now, here she was in pain, yelling and smashing things... she had become his enemy
“I’m sorry”
“You are sorry? Sorry? for what Napoleon? for leaving me? for doing it in such cruel way? for lying to me?”
“I never lied”
“You swore to me that you loved me, that you... cared”
There it was, tears. She couldn’t even control it, as her voice cracked and the waterfalls started, she didn’t also want to cover them, she wanted him to see what he had done... to hell with being the bigger person. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, make her feel loved but now all he could do was to try and reason with her.
“I had to leave”
“Why? What could possibly be the reason... money? paintings? women?”
“You know I would never cheat on you”
“Oh yeah, cause leaving our house in the middle of the night is so much better”
She tried wipe away her tears, silence falling between them once again. As a way to calm and hide her emotions, she kneeled and started picking up pieces of glass, her back turned to him. Napoleon went to her side and even when he wanted to pick her up and kiss her, he controlled his desire
“(Y/n) stop, you’ll cut yourself”
“I’m fine Napoleon”
“(Y/n) the maid can do it”
“I said I’m- FUCK”
a piece of sharp glass had cut her as she accidentally gripped it a bit too hard. Napoleon saw the blood and got up immediately to find some tissues, while (y/n) got on her feet and brought her hand close to her chest, closing it to a fist as a way to stop the pain. When Napoleon approached she turned her back once again
 “I said I’m fine”
“(Y/n) you are bleeding, let me care for you”
She had started crying again. As she turned around and opened her hand to him Napoleon gently placed the tissues on the wound, dabbing away the blood carefully.
“Why did you leave?”
“I thought I was protecting you, a way to keep you away from all of the things I was doing”
“Yet... here we are”
He looked up at her. Her lower lip was in between her teeth, tears freshly running down, her beautiful eyes were now red and puffy, her nose was running and he still found her heavenly.
“You kept the necklace”
“I tried throwing it away, or ponding it... I couldn’t find the courage... it’s too pretty”
“I tried coming back to you... multiple times”
“Why didn’t you do it?”
“I don’t know, I just didn’t”
She finally kept eye contact with him, getting lost once again in those ocean blue eyes, the eyes she looked at when they were laying naked on their bed, the eyes that looked at her when she woke up. With his one hand Napoleon slowly reached over and wiped a few tears with his thumb
“You are too pretty to cry over me”
“I missed you Napoleon”
She whispered looking down on the ground in embarrassment. She was everything he ever wanted, a woman that loved him and had his back and he tossed that all away, his intentions were pure yet the damage was gigantic. He hesitated for a minute, before taking her in his arms for a hug, her head nuzzling on his neck as she held on to him for the first time in what felt like centuries. Napoleon kissed her head, smelling her shampoo that was always the same, lavender.
“I missed you too munchkin”
She giggled at the nickname. Napoleon had met her when she was struggling to survive, she was this delicate little thing that looked everyone with kind eyes, yet once he got to know her he saw the passion, the fire, the potential she had to become something great, he didn’t want all that potential to go on illegal things that could possibly get her in jail or worse kill her. So from the beginning of the relationship he called her munchkin.
“Will we be alright?”
“I got you munchkin, I got you”
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callmearcturus · 4 years ago
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can we briefly talk about Daisy and Jon functioning as their own little Avatars Anonymous group back in S4 for a second?
now that the narrative is backing me up on “jfc Basira you fucked up this situation royally” I feel okay into diving into just how bad the situation in S4 was and how Daisy and Jon were the only lantern in the night against it.
Basira made a decision at the beginning of S4 to stop seeing the folks around her as people and to see them as tools. she decided “No one is allowed to have my trust, however, everyone needs to give me their trust bc I believe I’m the only person who can push back against our opponents.”
I’m not going to go into the sheer depth of how much that fucked up everything in S4, we’ve discussed that to death. But that’s the atmosphere that everyone lived in up until the end.
The problem is that, not to state the obvious, that’s Cop Rhetoric. And what was needed in S4 was support and rehabilitation.
(Oh god, Arc is talking about TMA and rehabilitation again, yeah yeah)
Daisy and Jon were in similar positions after her return. They were avatars. They had supernatural malicious desires overriding their humanity. They were under siege from the literal manifestation of depression and giving in to helplessness. Their “friends” were no longer there to be supportive, and many of them had (in Jon’s case) outright rejected him and essentially told him he should have stayed dead.
Basically: the only environment less conducive to Being Better would be the eventual Apocalypse.
This in of itself is a metaphor for, uh, reality. At least in America and I’m pretty sure a lot of the world, there is very little formal support for people who want to be better, to improve themselves in a meaningful way (as opposed to ways that overlap with the diet industry, THOSE are SUPER PREVALENT and well-funded of course!) and if you ever want to feel like dogshit, I rec looking into how many people we lose this way. How many people just need support coming out of a rehab clinic or out of prison, only to be fucking screwed at every corner, because our society is built on never helping people, ever. Your past mistakes snowball into an avalanche, and it’s not right.
So to me, I fixated heavily on Daisy and Jon’s relationship because they essentially became their own support group in this horrible environment. They were two people who understood each other’s struggle, and they helped each other with it.
To me, what’s so fucking sad I can barely stand it, is that the two of them... were it. They were the only ones. When Jon fucked up and hurt people bc (to be perfectly clear) his desire for human trauma that was instilled in him against his knowledge and will by Elias, Basira’s reaction was “okay if you do this again, we’ll just murder you.”
And I wanted to just scream because it’s so frustrating. [mulaney voice] of course that’s what you’d say, you stupid fuckign cop.
Anyway, to me, this all culminates at the end of the season with the hunters come to kill Jon, and in a moment of pure instinct, of pure panic, he doesn’t call Basira. He calls Daisy.
(And then Basira has the fucking gall to ask him why later. GEE BASIRA, I CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE.)
Anyway. My point is that rehabilitation is hard. It’s especially hard when the environment people live in is explicitly hostile to the idea of rehabilitation. And the tragedy of Daisy is that she fucking tried, and Jon was willing to be there with her and help her, but then Apocalypse fucked her out of her chance. And now she can’t make the decision to be better herself anymore, and that is a tragedy. But one based in reality.
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just-dreaming-marvel · 4 years ago
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Love Is Not Forced ~ 20
MASTERLIST
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< previous chapter
Word Count: 1,900ish
Summary: Y/N spends some time in a village in Brooklyn, reminding her of times long past.
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“She’s not coming, Bucky,” Steven fretted as he paced near the carriage. “I screwed up again. She wasn’t ready and I pushed her!” He ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t do anything right by her.”
“The Princess still has five minutes, punk,” Bucky responded, arms crossed as he watched his friend worry.
“Doesn’t matter. She won’t come. I screwed up, like I always do.”
“Have a little faith in her. Maybe she’s going to be late, just to keep you on your toes.”
“She already does that enough. But I definitely wouldn’t blame her for being late to prove some point.”
“I haven’t seen you this worried about trying to impress a girl since we were teenagers. It’s kind of entertaining to watch.”
“I’m so glad that my anxiety is for your entertainment.”
Bucky walked up to his friend, putting his hands on his shoulders to stop the King from pacing. “Stop worrying, Steve. Everything is going to be fine.”
“That’s what Nat said.”
“Well, I do learn from the best.” 
“Am I interrupting something here?” Y/N’s voice broke them out of their conversation.
“Princess,” Steven tried not to sound too relieved, but it didn’t really work, “you came.”
“Yes,” she replied, coming closer. “I thought about how my Father would disapprove of not meeting some of your people. I met many of the people of Asgard and Wakanda, it would be rude of me to not give your people the same consideration.”
“Still, I’m glad to see you.”
“Your Highness,” Bucky bowed.
“Captain,” Y/N greeted curtly. “Will you be joining us today?”
“If that is okay with you, Princess.”
“It’s fine by me, but it also is not up to me.”
“You do have a right to say no, Y/N,” the King said.
“Do I?” Y/N asked, curious, turning to look at the King. She raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Do I have the right to say no?”
“Well, I—“
“Cause if I did, in fact, have the right to say no, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t be here right now. I probably wouldn’t have let my Father take my brother or I in. And I definitely wouldn’t be parading around trying to impress men.”
“Your Highness, I didn’t mean—“
“You never mean to do anything, do you?” Y/N stared the King down for a few long seconds before continuing, “Now, are we going? Or am I going back to my room for the day?”
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Y/N and Steven didn’t speak the whole way to the village. Y/N kept her focus on everything passing outside of the window, while Steven tried to do the same. But kept stealing glances at the Princess. The village the two royals stopped to visit, reminded Y/N a lot of the village she lived in prior to becoming a Princess. Children laughed as the ran around, playing. Men were working together to plant crops and build houses. The women sat together as the sewed and talked, or they were gathering the crops with each other.
As the carriage pulled up, the people ran to greet it. Bucky and the other guards that joined them, one being Pietro, kept them back so that the King and Princess could exit the carriage. The King exited one side and hurried over to the other to help the Princess out. Y/N accepted his offered hand, not wanting the people to question her actions towards their King.
Steven kept a hold of her hand as he introduced her to the crowd. The children quickly ran up to the two royals, which caught Y/N by surprise. The King bent down to greet them. He smiled as he talked with the children and listened to them speak. Y/N’s focus was pulled from the seen by a tug on her dress. She looked down to see a little girl, she couldn’t be more than seven years old, looking up at her.
“Hello,” Y/N greeted, bending down to the little girl. “My name is Y/N. What’s your name?”
“Cassandra,” the girl answered nervously. “But everyone calls me Cassie.”
“Both are very pretty names.”
“Your Highness, I am so sorry,” a dark haired woman came running up. She pulled the child towards her by the shoulders. “I told her to stay by me and to not disturb you.”
“She’s completely fine.” Y/N stood up. “I was just telling Cassie, here, how pretty her names are. Are you her mother?”
“Yes, my name is Hope.”
“Hope,” the King greeted, coming over. “It’s so good to see you and Cassie.” Steven bent down to talk to the girl. “How’ve you been Cassie? Not causing too much trouble I hope.”
“No,” Cassie giggled. “No one could cause as much trouble as my father.”
“You got that right.” Steven ruffled her hair as he stood up. “Where is Scott, anyway?”
“He said he had to finish something before he could came greet you,” Hope responded.
“Why don’t we go get him then?” Steven looked down at Cassie. “I’ll race you.”
“Okay,” Cassie grinned, already sprinting off.
“Hey! That’s not far!” Steven laughed, running after her.
“It seems that you and your family know the King quite well,” Y/N stated as her and Hope followed the two runners.
“Yes,” Hope replied. “My husband, Scott, is a friend of His Majesty. He also sometimes works for him.”
“Sometimes?”
“Scott enjoys being home more than he enjoys living at the castle and seeing us once a week.”
“What does your husband do?”
“He helps create and build new weapons. And when Captain Barnes or Lord Wilson need sometime off, Scott fills in for him.”
“If your family is high up in the King’s court, why live in this little village?”
“It’s home. We use what we need and then we help the other members of the village.”
“That’s so… that’s so kind of you.”
It amazed Y/N at how kind and humble these people were. Yet it reminded her of how she grew up. Her whole village worked together to survive. They didn’t need anyone but each other.
“Scott,” the King said as he exited the house, arm around the smaller man, “this is Y/N Stark, the Princess of Alexandria.”
“Your Highness,” Scott bowed, giving her hand a kiss. “It’s so good to meet you.”
“Likewise. Your wife was just telling me what you do to help the village. That’s so very kind of you.”
“It’s nothing. We are a family here in Brooklyn. Helping each other is what we do.”
“And your daughter—“
“That little ball of energy cheated and got here before I did,” Steve grumbled, jokingly.
“Yes, she does keep us on our toes,” Scott laughed.
“I don’t know where she could have got that from,” Hope mumbled next to the Princess.
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Y/N spent the day getting to know the people of the village and watching Steven interact with all the people. She especially enjoyed watching Steven with the children. He seemed to be so interested in all the stories they told him and he was so willing to do what they asked him. It was heart-warming. She played with her necklace nervously as she watched one of the interactions. When Thor and Loki had taken her around Asgard, she had seen Thor interact with a few children but not Loki. Did he like children? Did he even ever what children? Or was King Steven just putting on a show to impress the Princess?
When it was time for the royals to head back to the castle, Y/N promised her new found friends that she would return. She let the King help her into the carriage and they both waved as they rode away. A look of longing and sadness overcame her, the further they got from the village. And the King noticed.
“What’s wrong, Y/N?” Steven worried. “Did you not enjoy the day?”
“I did…” she answered quietly. “It’s just… it reminded me of my life before. Before all of this.” She gestured around the carriage. “A simpler time. A time with—“
“With more freedom.”
“Yes… I am not saying that I am not grateful for the life that my Father has provided my brother and I. I just wish that sometimes things could be like that again.”
“If you wish to spend more time in the village while you’re here, you are welcome to.”
“Really?”
“You are welcome to do as you please, Princess. As I keep saying.”
“How am I suppose to split the rest of the week up between the beach and the village? It is rude to not spend time with the host.”
“How about you spend afternoons in the village, and evenings on the beach? With me?”
Y/N smiled at the King. “That could work. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Enough of that already, Y/N. If I can call you by your first name, then you can call me by mine.”
“I’ve heard your friends call you, Steve and Steven. Which do you prefer?”
“Which ever you wish.” 
The King looked at her with that look she had seen on the ship. It made her heart flutter and sink at the same time.
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Upon getting ready for bed, Wanda brought in a letter from Loki.
Y/N,
The longer than I am away from you, the more my heart aches. I don’t think that I can take the separation from you much longer. The preparations for your departure are nearly complete. I’m just waiting for you to tell me that you are ready. Please respond and let me know soon.
Forever Yours,
Loki
Y/N was torn. She wanted to run away with Loki as soon as possible. But she also wanted to stay in Brooklyn a little longer. To spend more time in the village and on the beach. She also wanted to say goodbye to her family. She couldn’t just disappear on them, it wasn’t right. So the Princess began writing a letter back to her love.
Loki,
I am sorry that I am causing you pain. Trust me, when I say that our separation has not been easy on me either. I miss you, every moment of every day. 
I am writing to apologize that I will have to push our plans back. I have chosen to stay in Brooklyn a little longer than originally planned. I went to this village today, and it reminded me so much of my life before I became a Princess. I cannot leave without spending more time there. Then there is also the beach. With the sand beneath my feet and the water covering them, I feel like I can finally breathe. It’s hard to explain if you have not experienced it. 
I also cannot leave without saying goodbye to my family. It would break them if I left without one last hug.
Again, I am sorry to do this to you. To us. But I cannot leave yet. Please understand that I am not doing this as a punishment. For it hurts me also to be kept apart from you. 
My Heart Is With You,
Y/N
next chapter >
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mochegato · 4 years ago
Text
Covert Marriage
Covert Dating     Covert Romance     Covert Wedding
Prompt sent in by @redscarlet95 - what happens when Marinette’s family and friends find out about the wedding?
“Okay… are you ready for this?” Before Jason could respond, Marinette continued her decent into rambling madness. “Am I ready for this?  Oh God, I’m not ready for this.  We are not ready for this.  This is going to be terrible.  They’re going to hate me and kick me out and I’ll be homeless.  Homeless, Jason, homeless!”  Jason gave her a bemused smile and grabbed her hand with his free hand, his other hand loosely gripping the rental car’s steering wheel.  She had been catastrophizing over telling her parents about their sudden elopement on and off for the last few weeks, ever since they got back to Gotham from their wedding.  
“Pixie, Love, Light of my Life, we have our own apartment and you’re already making it into a beautiful home. You won’t be homeless.  And they won’t hate you.  They love you.  They will still love you after this,” he assured her.  Marinette looked at him doubtfully, her mind still racing with all the terrible possibilities her anxiety had convinced her were inevitable.
He knew somewhere in her mind she knew he was right and he would be more concerned about the reveal of their marriage to her parents if she hadn’t reassured him on multiple occasions, after she had calmed down from her panic attack, that it would be fine, really.  Her parents were amazing and they might be surprised and maybe a bit disappointed, but they would still love her and they would welcome him with open arms… eventually. So, he let her panic run its course for the time being, with only minor interference to keep it from going too dark, and instead focused on the road ahead of them, occasionally squeezing her hand to offer silent support.
Marinette looked down at their hands with a small smile before her eyes widened in horror, “Oh my God, my ring!  They’re going to know as soon as they see the ring.  I should… we shouldn’t… You know what?  We should ease them into this instead.  We should… You should be my boyfriend first.  Yeah!  I should take off my ring so they… so it will all be okay.  They can meet you as my boyfriend first… or just a friend.  Maybe you can walk by and we can pretend we are meeting for the first time?  We can tell them about the marriage in a year or two… we’ll have to have a second ceremony, but that should be fine.  We just have to let your family know not to mention anything whenever they finally meet. We’ll have to sedate Dick, but that’s for the best for everyone really.  How long do you think we can keep him sedated before causing permanent damage?”
Jason laughed before giving her a gentle look, “Marinette, no.  As much as I love the idea of tranquing Dick, it will all be okay.  Please don’t take your ring off.  Your parents would be more upset if they found out you lied to them and especially if everyone but them knew,” he said calmly trying to reason with her.  “They love you.  They can handle this.  So can we. We will be fine, Pix.  And I will be there right next to you the whole time, yeah?”
“Yeah?” she gave him an uncertain look.
“Yeah,” he said running his finger along her cheek with his free hand.  “Come on, you’ve taken on a city full of zombies. You can handle this.”
She gave him a firm smile, “Right.  We can do this.  We’re a team. We can handle anything.  Okay, recon report: Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain.  Marital status, married… to each other.  Occupation, bakers who own their own business, a very popular boulangerie and patisserie in Paris.  One child, a daughter currently in this rental car with you, who got married to you without their knowledge.  Age, you don’t need to know.  
“Psych work up, Sabine has a glare that would put Batman to shame and although capable of messing you up, she won’t actually, physically hurt you.  She may make a vague threat on what she will do to you if you hurt me and she’ll make you feel like you disappointed her, which… which is worse honestly.  But, after everything she will give an amazing hug to make you feel better and offer you food and something to drink casually mentioning that you are part of the family after all.  
“Tom looks like he could crush you with one arm but is actually less threatening than Batcow.  He’ll follow Sabine’s judgement, but he is likely to scowl at you until he decides for himself.  He will continue to be suspicious of you even after my Maman welcomes you to the family. If you talk about how you just want to make sure I’m happy and feel loved, it will ease his suspicions.  If you add in that you really want to start a family with me someday but you want to make sure I’m in a place where I feel like I’m ready and you’re letting me take the lead on the decision, he will start calling you ‘son’.  After he accepts you into the family, he will cry.  Brace for it now.”
Jason took his eyes from the road to look at her quizzically before shaking his head with a chuckle.  “You’re not allowed to hang out with Tim anymore.”
Marinette rolled her eyes, “yeah, I’ll be sure to tell him that when we’re hanging out next week.  It might delay it by a whole hour… because he’ll be laughing so hard.”
Jason shook his head and looked at her in fake severity, “I’m serious.  It’s too dangerous to allow you two to hang out together.  Your combined forces could take over the world.”
She smiled back at him, preening at his faith in her abilities.  “Yeah, but a nice takeover, a benevolent tyranny, if you will.”  Jason barked out a laugh and grinned at her.
“I can see it now.  By royal proclamation, everyone must have a hamster, nobody is allowed to wear checks and stripes at the same time, peanut butter and jelly is strictly forbidden, and nobody wakes up before noon.”
She hummed in response, “Now that is a monarchy I can get behind.  But my plans for world domination are going to have to wait. We’re here,” she said pointing to the corner store just ahead of them.
Marinette used her key to open the exterior door and led Jason up the back stairs to her parent’s apartment.  
“Okay, how do I look?” she asked nervously, her anxiety ramped up again now that they were outside her parents’ door.
“Like you’re trying to make it hard for me to focus on anything other than getting you back to the hotel,” he answered with a sultry look.
“Good, it wasn’t too subtle,” she gave him a wicked look.  “Remember, you aren’t allowed to grab me while we’re in there.”
He growled at her and grabbed her tightly, “We’re not in there yet.”  He gave her a deep kiss, pulling her flush against him.
She pulled away breathlessly and nodded at him with a resolute look on her face, “Okay, let’s do this.”  She turned to knock on the door.
The door had barely opened before a huge man had reached out on the landing and grabbed Marinette in a bear hug.  The man was so large, Jason couldn’t even see Marinette anymore. “Sweetheart!  It is so great to see you.  Oh!  Who is this dear?”
“Papa, remember I said I was bringing someone for you to meet?  This is Jason.  Jason, these are my parents, Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng,” she said indicating her father who was still holding her close and her mother who Jason couldn’t see behind Tom.
“Welcome to our home, Jason,” Tom said with a wide, welcoming smile.
“You might need to move so they can get in dear,” Sabine commented with a kind smile.
“Of course, of course.  Sorry. Please come in,” he moved to the side and made a sweeping motion welcoming them into the apartment.”
“Thank you, sir.  It is very nice to meet both of you.  Marinette speaks of you often.” Jason shook Tom’s had with a big smile.  As he went to shake Sabine’s hand he noticed her flick her eyes up to his eyes from wherever she had been looking, a glare settling in her eyes.
“Yes, welcome, Jason.  Funny, Marinette hasn’t mentioned you at all.” She said coolly.
Jason chuckled awkwardly, “Huh… how about that… uh…” He floundered for what to say next, but Sabine’s glare never wavered.   Her eyes bore into him like they could see every secret he had, even the ones he tried to hide from himself.  Every self-doubt, every insecurity, every failing that haunted him was exposed.  Everything Marinette had been helping him to recover from was suddenly laid out for Sabine to examine and judge.  Jason stood paralyzed under her stare until Marinette grabbed him what seemed like hours later and pulled him away from her mother.  
“Come on, Jason.  I’m dying to show you the view from my balcony.  I’ve missed it so much since I’ve been away.  You don’t mind, right Maman?” Marinette was pulling him up a set of stairs before her mother could give her “Of course not dear,” response.
Jason didn’t even take in what her childhood bedroom looked like before whipping around as soon as the door closed, “Okay you were right.  Take off the ring, we’ll do it later.” He prompted her hurriedly motioning toward her hand.  
“Oh, it’s already too late.  She’s seen the ring.  We’re committed to it now,” Marinette said direly.
“What? Why would you wear the ring?” he asked exasperated.
She gave him a deadpan look, waiting for him to come to his own conclusion.  
“Why would you listen to me?  You know better.  And that glare!  I feel like I’ve never done anything right in my entire life.  How long was she glaring at me?”
“I think it was about 5 seconds before I could get to you,” she smiled sympathetically and cupped her hands around his face to stroke his cheeks.  “She does that.  It’ll be okay.  I mean, I’m not going to lie it’s going to be really terrible for a little bit but then it’ll be like Miraculous Ladybug sweeping all the pain away.  Also, it wasn’t my ring she saw.” She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.  “I love you, Jason Todd.  They will too.  They are scared for me right now because they don’t know you.  But when they get to know you, they are going to be your biggest supporters, a second, and actually functioning, family for you.”
He let out a stressed sigh and pressed his forehead to hers.  “I just don’t want to screw this up.  And your mom is intimidating as hell.”
“You can’t screw this up.  It isn’t possible.  And yes, I know.”  They heard Marinette’s mom calling to them that lunch was ready.  “Relax.  You’ve taken down crime lords, you can handle my parents.
“Something tells me I’m not allowed to just shoot them though.”  He muttered under his breath.  Marinette gave him an unamused look as she made her way toward the door.  “What?  I said ‘not allowed’.”
“Lunch smells amazing Maman and Papa.  I’ve missed your cooking so much!  I’m going to have to rub this in Adrien’s face tonight.  He says hi, by the way.  He was planning on stopping over tomorrow if that is okay.”
“That’s nice, dear.  He knows he’s always welcome.  All of your friends are,” she said pointedly, looking sharply over to Jason.
“Thank you so much for letting me tag along with Marinette.  I am really glad to finally meet you after everything I’ve heard about you from her.” Jason tried to lighten the heavy mood with pleasantries, but Marinette’s mom was not following the lighter tone.  She seemed to have perfected the art of a biting remark with a smile.  She would do wonderfully at one of their Galas.
“Of course, sweetie.  So, how did you two meet?”
“We meet at a coffee shop.  We started talking and… here we are,” he faltered.  They hadn’t actually discussed how they were going to tell her parents and he figured she would want to be the one to say it.
“Well, we are really glad to meet you.  You must be really important to Marinette if she brought you home.” Tom offered only scowling slightly.
“He is Papa.  He is really important to me,” she paused to take a deep breath and look to Jason who gave her an encouraging nod before reaching for her hand to entwine their fingers. “He is so important to me that we decided to get married a few weeks ago.  We’re married.  He’s my husband,” she said quietly holding up her left hand to show her ring.  
Tom sucked in a breath but Sabine’s eyes went steely.  “I see,” she said in a deceptively calm voice.
“Sweetheart, are you… are you sure that was the wisest decision?” Tom hedged tentatively.
“I am, Papa.  We know it was sudden and impulsive, but we know what we’re doing.  It might not look like it, but we do.  We love each other, but we know that isn’t enough,” she looked over to look into Jason’s loving eyes.  “We know we are going to have to work at it and we are ready to do that.”
Marinette’s father opened his mouth but before he could say anything Jason continued where Marinette left off, “We know it is going to be hard at times and we’re not fully prepared for whatever is coming, but we are ready to fight for it, together.  We want a future together.  We want a family together, at some point, when Marinette is ready, little kids with Marinette’s eyes and creativity and my hair and determination, or my eyes and her smile,” his eyes softened as he spoke about their future children. Marinette grinned at the future children he pictured.  They had never spoken about kids and it was warming her hear to hear his vision.  
“I know you’re worried about me and this was a huge surprise to spring on you out of nowhere and for that I am truly sorry, but… but you need to trust me that this is what is best for me.” Marinette added timidly.
Her parents looked at one another in silent conversation for a while before turning back to Marinette and Jason.  Sabine reached across the table for Marinette’s hand, “Okay dear.  If this makes you happy, then we are happy for you.”  She was smiling at the two of them but the smile was cautious, uncertain.
“Welcome to the family, son,” Marinette’s papa said standing with a strained smile to give Jason another bone crushing hug.  “We’re so glad to see our little girl happy again and if you were the one to do it, then we are beyond happy to have you in our lives.”
The lunch continued as Marinette’s parents asked questions about Jason and his history.  After lunch they kept talking about Gotham and Marinette’s career and Jason’s family. A few hours later, Marinette and Jason were finally able to take a few moments for themselves to recover from the stress of the earlier reveal.  They were enjoying the view from her balcony, Marinette was reveling in the feeling of Jason’s arms wrapped comfortingly around her and the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back as he breathed.  “I don’t think I’d mind just staying here like this for the rest of the night,” she said quietly as she melted into his embrace.
Jason leaned down to kiss her temple.  “It’s just your friends though, right?  That one should be easier, shouldn’t it?  Less stressful?  Then we can go back to the hotel and just lay down wrapped up in each other’s arms for a while.”
Marinette winced slightly, “God that sounds amazing.  Yeah, tonight should be less stressful but… you brought your Kevlar vest right?  You might need it, Kim is going to be there.”
Jason chuckled lightly, “Sounds like my kind of people.  I should fit right in.”
Marinette hummed at him “I think you…” before she could finish her sentence Sabine made her presence known.  “Marinette, sweetie, your father wanted you to pick what you wanted to take over to Luka’s house.”
“Okay, Maman.” She looked over to Jason with a raised brow asking him if he was okay or if he wanted her to get him out as Sabine made her way onto the balcony.  Jason smiled at her and nodded toward the door, reassuring her he would be fine.  His wife’s mother wanted to have a talk with him and she deserved to have her say.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, looking at Jason to reassure him that she wouldn’t be gone long and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Once she left, Jason looked to Sabine waiting for her to start the conversation.  When she continued to silently watch the sun makes its way toward setting Jason started getting uncomfortable.  Finally after a few minutes, Jason decided to break the awkward silence.  “You have a beautiful view, Mrs. Cheng.  A beautiful home as well.”
“Sabine, please.  You’re a part of our family now after all,” she said kindly but with an edge to her voice.
“Sabine, thank you.  And thank you for being so calm about this… about us.  Marinette has been panicking about telling you since we got married.  She is really terrified about disappointing you.  I know this must have been a shock and hard to accept for you.”
“It is.  You have to understand, it’s nothing personal, but she will always be our baby and we just want what’s best for her.  This is an unknown, you are an unknown so we aren’t sure how to react yet.”
“I do understand.  I don’t take it personally.  And I fully understand wanting to protect Marinette.  I’m not going to try to force you to like me. I’m just happy Marinette is happy and doesn’t feel like she disappointed you.”
Sabine watched him for a few moments.  “I can see the way you two look at each other and I can see how much you two love each other.  But I can see something else.”  He raised his brow at her.  “I can see the way you need each other.  I want to make sure you aren’t just using each other.”
Jason sucked in a breath and glanced away. That was not the observation he had been expecting.  He didn’t think either of them was that obvious about how they interacted.  He looked back to her, impressed with her insight. “You’re very observant.  We are using each other… but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  We both offer something the other needs.  But neither of us is willing to take more than the other can give,” he reassured her. “And we really do love each other. We want the other to be better, to be happy.  We rely on each other and we need each other but, isn’t that the way marriage is supposed to be?  I mean, I don’t have very many models of a good marriage… or any, honestly, but that’s the way Marinette describes it.  And that is what I want, a happy, healthy marriage.  But more than that, I want her to be happy.  I’m not going to do anything that will cause her more pain.”
Sabine’s eyes softened as she gazed at him.  “I think she was right… about marriage and about you,” she reached up to pat him on his cheek.  “I’m glad you found somebody who helps make you feel complete. I’m glad you both did.  Do you mind if I give you a hug?”
Jason shook his head, too dazed to use words. “Here, let me just…”  He knelt down so he was closer to her height, “There. That’s better.”
“Ah, I see it now.” She smiled as she hugged him with a gentle but firm hug, making him feel like he was welcome and accepted.
“What’s that?” he pulled back curiously.
“Why my daughter fell in love with you.  She always did appreciate a smartass.”  Jason barked out another laugh and hugged her again.
Marinette popped her head through the trapdoor. “Well that seemed to have gone well.”
“It did, sweetie.  Now, you guys better hurry or you’re going to be late for your party. But I want you guys here for brunch tomorrow with the wedding pictures.” Sabine said with a smile, leaving the two to prepare for their next confrontation.  “Oh, and dear?” she called back before disappearing through the trap door.
“Yes, Maman?”
“This family you guys want to start, I’m won’t be finding out about it after the child is born, right?” she asked with a calculating smile.
“No, Maman.”
“Jason?” she prompted him.
“No, Ma’am… uh, Sabine.”
“Good.  Just making sure dear.  Now, have fun tonight kids.” She said with saccharine sweetness.
<><><><><> 
The party seemed to already be in full swing as Jason and Marinette approached Luka’s new houseboat.  They could hear the music and laughter from a block away.  “Just a quiet, little, friendly get together, huh?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Yep. Just like your quiet, little, friendly family dinners.  It should be a familiar environment.  You okay with it?”
“No, I mean, no, it isn’t a problem.  I’m definitely not complaining.  I like this better.  More witnesses if someone does something.”
“That’s cute.  You think we don’t cover for each other,” she gave him a wicked smile, dragging her finger along his jaw before walking ahead of him, swinging her hips for him.
“Oh, you’re in for it,” he laughed, running up behind her, picking her up, and throwing her over his shoulder without slowing down.
“Hey,” she squawked at him, laughing uncontrollably.  “Let me down, you big goof.”
“Huh. Did you hear something?” he said confused spinning around and getting smacked by the bag of pastries she was carrying.  “I could have sworn I heard something.  Nope nothing there.”
“Jason!” Marinette called slapping his firm ass.
“Oh! There.  I heard it again,” he grinned suddenly switching the direction he was spinning getting smacked by the bag on the other side.
“You are such an asshole.  You’re going to ruin the pastries,” she laughed even harder.
“Ah, it must be my loving wife,” he said setting her down in front of him with a loving smile.  “I would recognize that description of me anywhere.”
She huffed in mock annoyance at him, “Why do I put up with you?”
“Hmmm,” he hummed moving his face closer to hers and letting his hands roam up and down her sides, pleased with the contented sighs she let out.  “My charm, my amazing personality, my devilishly good looks, I believe.  Plus, I’m the only one who could survive the coming onslaught that is your friends.”
She smiled comfortingly at him, “Don’t worry, my friends are going to love you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re going to threaten you, but after that, they’re going to love you.”
He rolled his eyes, “Why is it everyone you know is coming up and threatening me if I ever hurt you but everyone I know is… also coming up and threatening me if I ever hurt you?”
“Because they think I can’t defend myself,” she shrugged.
“Have you ever thought about telling them who you are?  So they know you can defend yourself?  I mean, not everyone but a few people you trust.”
“No, I don’t think it’s that.” She looked down to consider how to word her thoughts.  “It’s… it’s how we deal with things.  You lash out. I take it out on myself. Everything I do only affects myself. I withdraw from people and things, I lose my appetite, I get more tired, I lose my passion for things.  Those things don’t affect anyone else, at least not directly.  But you lash out.  You yell, you hit, you get drunk and say cruel things, you try to hurt them as much as you’re hurting.  It… the way we deal with things, makes me look weak and you look dangerous.”
He looked at her with sad eyes.  She was right and he felt comforted knowing she knew him so well, but it also upset him that she was right.  That is how he responds to negative things but he never wanted her to experience it firsthand.  “I don’t ever want to do that to you.  I won’t ever hurt you,” he promised sincerely.
“You will.  And I’ll hurt you.  We won’t mean to, but we will.  But we’re going to talk about it, right?  Instead of brooding or detaching?  We promised... and we’re fucking adults and that’s what adults do.” He chuckled but nodded, hugging her closely as if protecting her from their future fights. He pulled away just far enough to press his forehead to hers.  “I love you, wife.”
“I love you, husband,” she looked up at him adoringly, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck.
“WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST HEAR?” they heard screamed from behind Jason.
Marinette and Jason froze, “Shit,” Marinette whispered out, peeking around Jason to see Alix standing close enough to have heard at least the last part of their conversation.
“You got married?” she exclaimed only slightly less loud this time.  
“Uh, yeah.  This is Jason… my husband.” Marinette awkwardly indicated Jason.
“When did you get married?” Alix asked hugging Marinette and eyeing Jason suspiciously.
“A few weeks ago.”
“Does Alya know?”  Marinette’s pained expression was enough of an answer for Alix.  “Shit.  Well it was nice I got to see you again before your funeral.  Good luck.  Hand over the pastries.  I don’t want them destroyed in the mauling.  I get to be there when you tell her, right?”
“I’m telling her as soon as I get there,” Marinette nodded as she handed over the bag she was holding.
“Sweet.  I’m sticking by you.  This party is going to be more interesting than I thought it was going to be.  Does Sunshine know?”
“Yeah. He was there… Don’t tell Alya that part,” Marinette added quickly.
“Oh God no.  Two murders is enough for tonight.  Well, let’s get to it.  I’d like to dig into these pastries and get some drinking done tonight.”
“Thank you, Alix.  It’s good to see you.  What have you been up to?”  They chatted amicably as they walked toward the boat.  Marinette’s hand held tightly to Jason’s as she walked.  She looked over her shoulder, giving him a tight lipped smile, betraying her nerves.  A few friends called to her from the boat as she got close.  She waved and called back to them with a genuine smile.  As soon as she stepped foot on the deck there was a rush of people each trying to give her hugs and find out about her life in Gotham.
“Back off everyone.  She needs to breathe,” Alix yelled at the crowd, causing them to back up a bit.
“Thanks,” Marinette whispered to her, smiling consolingly at her friends.
“And she needs to make an announcement,” Alix decreed with an evil smile.
“Bitch!” Marinette hissed at her.
“You reap what you sow.  Shouldn’t have snuck off.” Alix smirked at her.
“I was supposed to tell Alya first,” she hissed through her teeth.
“Ohhh, yeah.  Good point. My bad.  Oh well, too late now,” Alix shrugged and stepped back so Marinette could take center stage.
Jason stepped up behind her and wrapped his hand around her waist to let her know he was there for her.  She took a deep breath and gave a fake smile to her friends.  “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Jason Todd… my husband.”
Everyone stared at them slack jawed for a few moments.  The boat was so quiet they could hear the water slapping against the bow.  Finally the quiet was broken by Adrien squeezing through and hugging Marinette and shaking Jason’s hand, “Good to see you guys!  How are your parents?  Jason, I’m so glad you made it.  Max over there was just saying Shakespeare was overrated.  We need your expertise, man.  Well, no what I actually need is someone who knows what the fuck their talking about to destroy him.”
Marinette smiled gratefully at Adrien who just winked in response.  “Go savage, man.  Let the heathen have it,” Adrien encouraged, slinging his arm over Jason’s shoulders and gesturing to a man in glasses in front of them.  Jason looked back to Marinette for confirmation.  She nodded to him with a wry smile and leaned over to Alya who had finally made her way over to Marinette, “Watch this.”  She grinned proudly as Jason proceeded to give a solid 5 minute literary critique of Shakespeare’s works, the prevalence of the themes he wrote about, and the effect he had not only on his time but on future writers.
“He’s passionate about Shakespeare.” Alya observed.
“Yeah. Our place is filled with classic literature.  You should see him talk about Jane Austin,” Marinette looked down to her hands for a moment before softly saying, “I’m sorry, Alya.  I wanted to tell you first, in person.  It was very sudden.”
Alya nodded.  “Does he make you happy?”
“Yes, very,” she nodded vigorously.  “He makes me feel… again.” She looked over at Alya uncertainly.
Alya nodded again and looked away as Jason returned with a grin.  “How did that feel?” Marinette asked with a knowing smile.
“That was awesome.  I never get to geek out like that.” He said hugging her.  “You must be Alya,” he held out his hand.  “Marinette talks about you constantly.  I feel like I know so much about you already.”
“So how did you meet?  When did you know you needed to get married?” Alya nodded her head in acknowledgement as Kagami joined them.
“We met when she kicked someone’s ass and I knew I needed to marry her when she handed Batman’s ass to him in a verbal smack down for the ages after he interrupted our date.” He grinned proudly down at Marinette.
“Marinette!” Kagami chastised her as Alya smacked her in the chest.
“It was the second time our date had been interrupted!  I was pissed.  And he tried to pull that glare on me like I did something wrong.”  Marinette defended herself.
“Ooh, that was a mistake.” Alya shook her head with a laugh.
“I know, right?”
“Marinette, can I speak with you a bit more privately?  I have some concerns I’d like to address with you.” Kagami spoke sharply looking only at Marinette.
Marinette looked between Jason and Alya and for the second time they had a silent conversation about if he was okay with being left alone.  He nodded to her and motioned for her to follow her friend.
As soon as they were out of earshot Alya started her shovel talk, staring directly in his eyes.  “You understand that you are an exceptionally lucky man and you will never meet anyone as amazing as her again, right?”
“I do.” He nodded sincerely.
“And if you ever hurt her, there will be no place to hide.”
“I understand.”
Alya nodded at him but her eyes didn’t soften.  “Okay.  My girl has been miserable for a really long time.  None of us know what caused it except Adrien, but we have our suspicions. She hasn’t allowed herself to feel anything, good or bad in years.  But she finally looks happy.  With you in her life, she finally seems back to her old self so…”
“So?”
Alya squinted at him and pursed her lips, “So, I will allow it.  I will allow you to stay married to her.  But if that changes, if she becomes suddenly unhappy, they will never find the body, understood?”
“Understood,” he nodded at her.  “And just so you know, I think there’s a line now.  I think you’re after Sabine, Adrien, and Fang, not to mention several members of my family.”
“Oh no, we work together.  I do the tool supplying, Kagami does the killing, Sabine does the cutting up, Adrien does the feeding, Fang does the eating, Kim does the alibiing, and Max does the cover up.  If your family wants to get involved, we can assign jobs.”
Jason looked at her curiously, “Should I be concerned that you seem to have thought this through?”
“Not if you treat her right.” Alya gave him a pointed look.
“Which one is Kagami?  I don’t think I’ve seen her yet.” He scanned the crowd.
“That’s her skill.  You won’t see her coming,” she sent him a devilish smile before pointing to a woman leaning against the balcony railing having a serious conversation with Marinette, “Kagami was the one that was over here earlier, the one that currently is interrogating Marinette.  You’re lucky I’m the one doing this and not her.  She still might actually, but she should know I’ve already done it.  I’m higher in the hierarchy.”
“There’s a hierarchy?” he looked at her with a raised brow.
“You think you’re the first one to get this talk?  We protect our friends and we all know who gets to give the talk to who’s significant other and who is second up in case that person is unavailable.  In most of these scenarios, Marinette is the one doing the digging.  We don’t usually have the option of Fang.  You didn’t wet your pants so you’re doing better than most of the significant others.”
“Thanks.  Have you ever had to enact it?”
“Not that anyone has been able to prove.” She shot him a finger gun and a wink.
“Hey, new guy!  You look like you’re in shape.  You’re getting in on this, come on.” A large man with frosted tips tugged him to one of the ship’s two masts.  Jason looked back at Alya who just gave him a thumbs up.  “It’s a race to the top.  Whoever sits on their mast first gets a prize.” The man announced excitedly.
“What’s the prize?”
“If you win, we let you stay married to my little sister.”
“I’m not your sister,” Marinette yelled from her spot at the railing.
“She says such hurtful things,” Kim mock whispered to Jason, his hand held sadly against his chest.  “If I win, you buy the alcohol at the next party.”  Jason nodded at him and looked over to Marinette with a wink.
“Winning this one for you, Pixie.” He gave her a dashing grin and a wink.
“Show ‘em what you got, Red.  Mulan that bitch.”  Marinette yelled back.
Marinette looked over as Adrien threw his arm around her shoulder, eyeing him suspiciously, “Hey, awfully convenient you guys were talking about Shakespeare when we got here.”
“Awfully wasn’t it.  Couldn’t get Max talking about anything else.” Adrien shrugged with a false nonchalance.
“Right, classic lit.  Max’s favorite subject,” she rolled her eyes.  “Thank you.”
He gave her a tight side hug.  “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Bug.”  He shifted his focus to the center of the boat as Jason and Kim’s race started. He soon doubled over laughing as Kim slipped and fell from about half way up the mast all the way back to the deck, landing on his ass with a thump, followed almost immediately by Jason losing his footing and smacking his face against the mast but managing to keep his lead.  “You married that.  That’s yours now.  You own that.”
“Yeah, but have you seen him without his shirt on?” he shook his head.  She looked back with adoring eyes and a wicked smile at her amazing husband, engaging in dumbass challenges with her friends, “Worth it.”
Covert Pregnancy
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c-c-cherry · 4 years ago
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Hmmmmm... JotaKak headcanons? If you want to, of course, just thought some p3 would be nice. It can be platonic or romantic, whichever you like best!
Yo! I’m such shit at writing shippy stuff so I went down the platonic bro route :)
You can tell I have insane brain rot right now because I went a bit too hard on all of these oops-
I’m so sorry about the last one its too cursed drghkjfhg
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Kakyoin is a very active sleeper.
-You can always catch him moving around, twitching, mumbling, etc…he’s a nightmare to share a bed with
-He can’t control it at all, so Jotaro would pay no mind to it when they had to share rooms and tried to ignore it—until it got progressively worse
-He started to notice when Kakyoin would get nightmares, he wouldn’t be able to wake up from them, he would just keep on thrashing around until someone would shake him awake (which he ends up doing more times that Kak would like to admit)
-He never talks about what they're about but judging on what he says in his sleep, Jotaro has a pretty good idea
-He absolutely cannot be touched when he’s finally awake, so stand hugs become a recurring thing :)
- It gets to a point where Star ends up sitting at the end of Kakyoin’s bed all night just watches him to make him feel safer
-Jotaro claims that he doesn’t have control over Star Platinum’s overprotective nature but that’s not entirely true
Since they’re the only two who speak fluent Japanese, they crack jokes with each other all the time and have little conversations with each other way more than they do with the others.
-Kakyoin spent a pretty long period of time studying English (having no friends will do shit to you,) but Jotaro isn’t as confident with his
-Kakyoin is the only one in the group who knows that Joot isn’t just soft spoken, but instead mega self-conscious about his English
-Does he make Kakyoin order food for him? Yes. Does he make him ask for directions? Yes. Does Kakyoin always tease him about it? Yes.
-Kakyoin makes Jotaro speak only in English an hour before they go to bed to help him learn and he feels so fucking stupid because his pronunciation is awful and he can barely say any shit without his face turning red but he does it anyway because he knows it'll help :)
Jotaro is not emotionless.
-I read in the back of my Stardust manga that Jotaro just bottles up his feelings for the sake of the importance of the mission to defeat DIO and I just- dfkjghsdahfd
-Although Kakyoin just cries freely whenever he feels like it, our boy Joot Doot has alternative outlets
-Shit like crying in the shower, while everyone’s asleep, or outside are stuff he’ll do but only if he’s positive that he’ll be alone
-After a particularly rough fight, they checked into their hotel rooms and while Kakyoin left to go get something to eat, Jotaro just collapses onto his bed and fuckin bawls
-Star is squeezing him so hard and he’s so out of it that he doesn’t even notice Kakyoin walk back into the room and jesus is our boy shocked
-Jotaro braces himself for a round of taunts but instead he just sits down next to him and asks him if he wants to talk about it :’)
-He doesn’t but its always good to have a bro to sit and cry with
After the Death 13 fight, Kakyoin refuses to sleep.
-Fairly enough, he’s worried that he might not wake up again
-He knows he should talk to someone about it, but if he brings up anything that happened in the desert that day, they‘ll just assume he’s lost his mind again
-So he refuses to sleep, instead
-Jotaro starts to notice things when Kakyoin starts looking rough—our boy had the eyebags, the exhausted expression, on-edge demeanor, the whole-ass package— but Kakyoin just dismisses it as nothing
-He decides to wait to go to sleep until Kakyoin closes his eyes first, and when he just doesn’t, he starts to get concerned
-Jotaro finally confronts him about it and Kakyoin gets ready to deny any of his questions, but something inside him snaps and he tells him everything and Jotaro believes him
-Death 13 was the only tarot card they hadn’t fought yet, so why would he lie about that?
-Although he offhandedly refuses to sleep, the next night Jotaro busts in with this giant mug of sleepy tea and makes him drink every last drop in front of him
-Jotaro thought that would convince him to finally close his eyes, but once he feels too tired to keep them open, he starts freaking the fuck out
-The night ends with Star Plat holding him until he’s able to get to sleep (because who wouldn’t feel safe in the warm arms of a purple punch ghost?) and Jotaro making sure that he stayed that way
-His insomnia never fully went away, but he’s got his best homie to help him out whenever sleep ails him :)
Jotaro is actually really insecure about his height.
-It was pretty typical to poke Joot about his height because, well, he’s a 17 year old that already reaches 6’5”
-It was also pretty typical for Joot to pull down his hat and say nothing because that’s how he reacts to everything
-It wasn’t until the two of them were chilling in their hotel rooms one night when Jotaro quietly popped the question: “Do you think I’m too tall?”
-Kak almost laughs at that but when he sees the concerned look on his face, he realizes, oh my god, he’s actually serious
-His mind immediately goes back to all the times that he’s seen Jotaro staring at himself in the mirror, preferring to sit in the back of the car and never walking side-by-side with any of them
-And he suddenly feels really, really bad
-Jotaro doesn’t talk about it much, but Kakyoin knows he feels the worst when Joseph talks about it even though he knows Joseph is probably just proud of the Joestar trait being passed on
-He stops making comments on his height and always makes sure that he’s not seen as some kind of “freak” for something as stupid as his height :)))
They tried to dye Jotaro’s hair once.
-YES this is total crack but here me out
-Kakyoin finds some cheap-ass hair dye in some store or market
-He busts in and before Jotaro can even speak, Kakyoin is already planning how he’s gonna do this
-Joot is completely opposed to the idea, but Kakyoin says he’ll tell Avdol and Polnareff that Jotaro ate the rest of their chocolate (which he did in fact do)
-They grab some bleach, lock their door, and get ready to screw themselves over
-The process goes a little something like this:
“Okay...the bleach is supposed to sting pretty badly...think you’ll be okay?”
“Just shut up and get it over with.”
*starts spreading bleach*
“ORAAAAA—”
-Turns out that despite punching the shit out of people being his job description, Jotaro has the most sensitive scalp on the planet
-Star Platinum is freaking out, grabbing his hair with one hand and trying to find shit to throw with the other, and Jotaro is sitting there with this blank, lifeless stare
“I’m guessing it hurts?”
“...”
“...”
“...yeah.”
-Is Jotaro starting to freak out a bit? Maybe. Do they stop now...?
-They don’t really have a choice because Star just demolished the hotel alarm clock
-They started right in the middle of his head, and when Jotaro looks in the mirror he sees this patch of blond right in the dead centre of his scalp and lets out this bewildered and devastating yelp
-Kakyoin get’s this awful feeling in his stomach they had just royally fucked up, and when it still stays there after they try to wash it out he knows they did an oopsie
-Joot is just standing there in shock and Star starts trying to rip out his own hair and Kakyoin is praying to god that they don’t wake up the others
-They end up just saying fuck it and putting in the dye anyway because he can’t just have a blond spot for the rest of the trip
-The stuff Kakyoin picked out was actually a shade of purple so dark that it almost looks black and it actually works out almost perfectly
-Most of it is covered up by his hat but there’s a little streak that pokes out into the open and it glows in the sun :)
-No one knows about this and no one even NOTICES until they get back from Egypt and Holly is like “YOU DYED YOUR HAIR?! IT LOOKS SO CUTE!” and at this point Jotaro has just completely stopped caring about it because it was weeks ago and gives them this deadass “yep” and walks out of the room
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hggggnnnnn here’s some feral head canons for y’all, I hope you're having a nice Wednesday! If you have any questions/requests/vibes, you know where to find me :)
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brbplayingdragonage · 3 years ago
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Dragon Age Scenarios
Scenario 2: Attack on Haven
Dorian x Stephan Trevelyan
“A celebration, in your honour no less, and yet you haven’t made an appearance.” Dorian smirked, watching as Stephan glanced up from his book. He was reading something by Brochet… ‘Across time’, to be more specific. Dorian had always thought it to be frightfully dull and lacking in any solid framework, but it was Alexius’ favourite. He tried not to think too much about it. Despite it all, he still cared for his ex-mentor, and it hurt to remember the man that he used to be. “You should be enjoying their praise! Getting drunk and sleeping with fans, that sort of thing.”
Stephan laughed. It was low and brief, but reassuring nonetheless (probably because he rarely laughed to begin with). He folded the corner of the page that he was reading and pushed the cover of the book closed, placing it beside him on the bench. “Seems more like your thing, Dorian. Why aren’t you there?”
“A scary Tevinter mage crashing the party? Perish the thought.”
“Oh, I see.” Stephan’s smile faded a little and Dorian tried not to look too disappointed by it’s loss. “Are they giving you grief?”
“You mean, apart from the usual curses to my homeland and spitting at my feet? No, not really. Quite hospitable, actually.”
Stephan sighed, expression shifting into something akin to a sad puppy. It looked strange on his overtly masculine features. “I’m sorry, I’ll speak to the other’s about it. Maybe they can do something.”
“Like what, pray tell? Execute anyone that looks at me funny? There’s no need to worry. It’s nothing I wouldn’t expect to get anywhere else.”
“But you came to help. They shouldn’t be treating you that way.”
“Well, they are in the midst of a war with yet another evil mage from Tevinter. The lines do get a little blurry when your country is known for it’s extravagant villains.”
“If we judged people by the worst their country had to offer, then we’d all be royally screwed.” Stephan replied. “I’ll talk to them anyway.”
Dorian didn’t quite know how to respond to this. He was always the first to admit that he enjoyed being the centre of attention…but only if that attention was focused on his superior fashion sense or his remarkable wit. Not on something like this, when it highlighted a potential weakness. Perhaps that was part of his father’s conditioning that remained with him even now; hide your struggles so that people can’t use them against you.
On the other hand, no one had ever cared enough to make such a grand effort on his behalf. Not even his own parents.
Still uncertain on how to react, Dorian simply decided to fall back on his old reliable; laugh and joke. “Well if you want to be my knight in shining armour, riding in on your stead to stop harassment and such, then I suppose I shouldn’t try to deter you.”
“I do already have the horse, after all.” Stephan quipped, and this made Dorian pause.
Was he flirting? Dorian flirted with everyone, so it wasn’t quite so noteworthy when he was doing it, but Stephan was always so serious. He even had that little line between his brows that screamed ‘this man frowns all the time and is generally no fun at all’. Whether he was just in a good mood today, or if he was really interested was something for later debate. For the moment, Dorian was fairly pleased to admire the hulking man and enjoy the rarity of his banter.
Well, he would have been anyway…if Corypheus didn’t crash the party.
Could you believe the luck? Dorian had finally found someone to flirt with and then, suddenly, Haven was crumbling around them. If there truly was a Maker, they had a very poor sense of humour.
“Stay here and help lead everyone into the chantry,” Stephan ordered, rising from his spot and grabbing his sword. His shield was already hugged tightly against his back, ready to be wielded at a moment’s notice.
Dorian scoffed. “What? And miss out on all the fun? Unlikely. There are plenty of chauffeurs already, I’m going with you.”
“Dorian-“
“No time for arguing. Let’s go.”
Stephan didn’t say a word about it after that. He simply shrugged, then headed towards the gates. There they saw an army passing through the mountains, heading towards them like a walking apocalypse.
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husbandograveyard · 4 years ago
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I'm so excited for this angst box opening!! I ended up looking through a bunch of angst prompts to find a good one! So may I request a scenario or HC of Thatch with “ is that true? am i bet? am i a fucking bet?” ? Like maybe it started off as a prank/bet and he caught feelings 😬 Thank you! Congratulations on 500 dear!!💕
This one is gonna be extra angsty, I hope you like a broken heart anon! 
Even if it was all true - Thatch x Reader 
2nd person, female reader.  Tw: angst, fake relationships, broken hearts, slight cursing 
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You smiled as a small plate with fresh fruit was put on your desk next to the stack of papers you were working on. You leaned up to see Thatch smiling and sending you a wink before leaning in to quickly capture your lips. 
“You’ve been working so hard, I thought I’d bring you a little something so you have energy to last until dinner”. “Thank you, don’t forget to take a break every once in a while as well.” “Don’t worry, I will. You still up for stargazing tonight?” “Of course, why do you think I am rushing to finish up this paperwork?” You chuckled as he kissed you one more time before leaving again, presumably to get to the kitchen to make sure dinner prep happened uneventfully. 
You picked up a piece of pineapple and popped it in your mouth, still smiling as you thought about how lucky you were. Being one of the few ladies on the Moby Dick, being hit on by some of the pirates wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. But Whitebeard didn’t allow his sons to be bothering you nor any of his daughters, so more than a flirt for laughs, a compliment and some whistles was not really something that happened. 
But then a couple of weeks ago, the commander of the third division had become a little more persistent in his flirting, bringing you snacks, complimenting you at least three times a day, finding moments where it was just the two of you to talk, to actually get to know you. It was nice, a little strange at first to have someone so high up in the chain of commands interested in you all of a sudden. But you welcomed it with open arms. It was nice to be wanted in a romantic way. 
And the flirting never ceased, so you gave in, flirting back, making it escalate in sudden touches, spontaneous hugs…. and then a couple of weeks ago you had kissed for the first time. It had been a magical moment. Now you were full-on properly dating, although not everyone on the ship had been made aware of that yet. Just so you could keep it lowkey, and to make sure that when the teasing began, you’d be so secure and so sure about your feelings that there was no amount of teasing that could make you doubt all that. 
It was nice, not your first relationship, but after a few weeks, you were slowly getting sure that this could actually be serious, not just a fling or something to just try. And the very thought got you excited. You weren’t looking for romance when you boarded a pirate ship, but you weren’t going to say no to it either. Having Thatch around and spending time with him made your free time even more enjoyable. 
You finished up your work for the day and made your way to the kitchen with the now empty plate, planning on spending a little time in the kitchen, watching Thatch cook was always a pleasure and a very casual way to spend some time together. You stopped when you heard your name in the hallway, two of the kitchen helpers were talking outside for their break and hadn’t really noticed your presence yet. You quickly darted into a nearby corridor, trying to overhear what they were saying about you. 
“He’s got his money, I don’t know why he’s keeping up, I feel a bit bad for y/n” “I told you it was a bad bet to start with. Playing with people’s feelings like that” 
Your breath hitched in your throat, what were they going on about? A bet? What bet? 
“That’s what you get for being drunk and stubborn” They both laughed, although it wasn’t a really joyous laugh. One of them imitated another one’s voice. “bet you 5000 Berri you cannot seduce y/n within a month” his voice got back to its usual tone. “I just hope he breaks it off soon and let’s y/n down gently, they have no idea…” 
You felt tears well up in your eyes, but even more than sadness, an overwhelming feeling of anger welled up in you. Thatch was faking it? For 5000 Berri? Was that what you and your emotions were worth? Your head was going into overdrive and your fight or flight instincts kicked in, deciding you could no longer take hearing any of the conversation and how much your crewmates seemed to be pitying you. Fight won and you stomped past them, effectively stopping their conversation, too fast for them to run into the kitchen and alert Thatch of the storm that was headed his way. 
By the time you opened the door and stood in front of Thatch, you were literally shaking with rage and all the other emotions overflowing, tears already streaming down your face as you tried your utmost best to collect your thoughts and get coherent sentences out. He was surprised by the door swinging open rather violently and was about to scold the person daring to interrupt dinner prep, when he noticed it was you, and was instantly taken aback by your dishevelled disappearance. The yelling didn’t help either. You threw the empty plate you had intended to return on a table, shattering it in the process It turned the heads of whoever wasn’t paying attention to the scene in the first place, the entire kitchen now watching the drama unfold. 
“All this,” you frantically gestured between the two of you, “all this… A bet?! A fucking bet?” you took a sharp inhale, the short break not enough for you to gather your thoughts. “I…” your voice cracked, but you kept yelling, voice now higher than how you started off, the volume decreasing as your vocal folds thickened with your sorrow. “I really loved you and you never… you never…” a few sobs escaped your throat, giving Thatch just enough time to understand what you must’ve heard. 
It was true, it had started off as a silly bet, made under the influence of a few too many drinks during a party. But the bet was just to get a kiss and then stop. He didn’t stop because… well, he didn’t want it to stop. He had taken an actual liking to you while trying to get closer, finding himself enjoying all time spent with you and thinking about you whenever you were not around. He hadn’t even cashed in the money from the stupid bet, hoping everyone would forget about it eventually, just like he had until you had pointed it out a few seconds ago. He was too dumbfounded to react immediately. 
He stepped forward, reaching out, wanting to comfort you, his heart hurting at the sight of you so angry, so broken. You were taking a few deep breaths, desperate to calm yourself down so you could end it with dignity or whatever there was left of your dignity anyway. “y/n, let me expla-” “NO! no…. no explaining”,  you slapped away his hand and took a step backwards, “there is nothing, nothing you can say at all that could make this okay” by the end of your sentence your voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper. “y/n...” “Fuck off. I hope you enjoy your 5000 berries” 
You turned around, past all the stunned kitchen workers, through the open door, and straight to your room, you weren’t going to dinner, not hungry anyway. 
It was silent in the kitchen for a couple of seconds before Thatch calmly gave some commands for them to keep working on, before going out on deck, a futile attempt to calm himself down. It was already dark out, the stars that you wanted to look at together this evening, shining bright, and yet seeming so dim. No matter what he’d say or do, he had royally screwed up. The stars would not be able to shine tonight. Even if it hurt his heart. Even if the love was there. Even if it was all true.
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theobsessor1 · 4 years ago
Text
A Royal Meeting
Summary: Deceit should know better, going through with another one of Remus’s ideas. He thought it would have been a one time deal, just something for them that night to experiment with his more reptilian side. But he’s starting to regret it with the growing nest of eggs, and horrible uncertainty of feelings swirling in his chest…he might be in some trouble here.
Pairings: Demus, Roceit
Warnings: fainting, self-deprecation (let me know if I need to tag anything
Word count: 2963
previous chapters ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4, ch.5 (read on ao3)
(wish to support me buy me a coffee :3)
Chapter 6 of “Say Something” series
It has been incredibly tense with the other sides...Even more so as of late with the whole wedding and call back debacle.
Everyone seems to have taken a hit with that one. Thomas had gone to a wedding he never wanted to go to in the first place instead of going to that great opportunity for something he enjoyed.
Not to mention the whole LilyPadton incident, poor Patton. He’s in good hands though, he’s sure the others can help him with his newfound animal oddities that are surely to come from the incident…
Even so, it all could have gone so much better, then he so stupidly revealed his name to them all and got attacked. It needed to be done. Needed their trust...but it still hurt.
It’s terrifying being vulnerable like that.
But that brings up the question...Why the hell was Remus dragging him towards his brother’s side of the imagination.
“Remus, not that I don’t love your spontaneous ideas, but could I please go back to not sulking with Emile and Remy?”
Remus huffs and holds tighter to Janus’s hand, making sure the slippery snake doesn’t slip from his grasp. “No, you can not.”
Janus sighs and nods, letting Remus continue to drag him away. It was hard to tell if Remus was upset with him. His usual tell being well hidden as the side stares straight ahead, uncharacteristically quiet.
That was his only hint that something was bothering Remus as the duke refused to speak to him, save for the time he really had to...Which really wasn’t much.
He stays silent as Remus drags him to the edge. Roman in clear view with his arms crossed and looking to the side all broodily. He doesn’t seem to be happy about this either.
Janus won’t admit to it but he’d tried to subtly hide behind Remus once they arrived at the border. Watching Roman unhappily look at them.
“Are you going to tell me why you’ve demanded to meet now? And why you brought him with you.” Roman glares at Janus before looking back at his brother. Remus huffs and drags the snake side out in front of him. “I’m not talking to either of you until you get your shit together. Go do your little secret walk around the castle or something, anything! Don’t want to see either of you until your friends again.”
“What? I- Remus please, I understand what you’re trying to do but this won’t help.” Janus runs a hand down his face with a sigh. “It’s very sweet of you to try this dear but...I don’t think this is the best idea.”
Roman nods wrinkling his nose at Janus “Yeah, Re, sorry to burst your bubble but this ain’t happening.” the princely side turns to leave but he doesn’t get far as his brother takes his wrist in a vice-like grip.
“NO, waLK AnD TaLK noW!” Remus growls glaring at his brother. “I don’t care about the petty things either of you did, but you are making up and being friends again.”
Roman flinches but holds his ground, glaring back at the duke. He eventually gives in once it's clear his brother is not going to back down anytime soon. With a sigh, he bows his head and looks away “Fine...I will try.”
Remus lets him go with a bounce and a smile back on his face that doesn’t quite meet the eyes. “Great! Have fun!” He gives the two a wave before bowing and sinking out leaving the two sides awkwardly standing there with each other.
The two avoid looking at one another as Janus steps over to Roman’s side of the imagination, the creative side stiffly turning to leave and head back to his kingdom.
The imagination is usually a very lively-looking place, even when on Remus’s side, but...today it seems far from it. The sky is overcast in dark dreary clouds, with the occasionally chilling breeze that makes the sudden low temperature almost worse. Everything appears almost washed of its color with this desolate frost over most things.
Rather unusual for it all to look so gloomy.
Janus can’t help sighing as he follows after the prince a few feet behind, pulling his capulet a little tighter around himself...this...is going to be a long day.
Out of everyone, he’s screwed up with Roman the most, something that’s very evident with how the prince has changed his attitude towards him. From warm confused delight to cold and with clear disdain. He’s sure Remus has only good intentions with this plan of forcing them to talk but...He’s not sure how well that’s going to work out in this situation.
Roman doesn’t seem keen on talking and well Janus isn’t sure the prince would take too kindly if he tried speaking to the side. So he just silently follows, hands folded nervously behind as they travel into Roman’s kingdom.
It is...Strange to see the royal side so quiet like this, his shoulders tense as he forces himself to keep his back straight and walk on. Exchanging a soft word or two with the few imagination’s citizens that are around as they pass, a...almost forced smile taking up his expression whenever he catches a glance from a citizen.
The citizens ignore Janus for the most part, sparing him a simple glance before continuing on.
He supposes they would reflect Roman’s feelings towards him since this is his part of the realm after all. Or maybe they too were uncomfortable with his scaled half, seeing him as some villain following their hero.
“...I don’t hate you, you know.”
Janus lifts a brow glancing up at Roman whom he inadvertently moved closer to as he stopped in his tracks...there’s no lie...or at least not a strong one. “I hope you know you can’t lie to me,” he warns, giving a flick of his tongue for emphasis.
Roman gives a frustrated sigh, a hand running through his usually perfectly kept hair...now that he’s actually looking, Janus can’t help noticing how the side's appearance is worn...like he’s been battered around too many times.
“I...I’m not lying, I...I really don’t hate you. Or at least don’t want to! I’m...I just...I…” the prince makes another frustrated sound.
Janus stays silent, allowing for Roman to gather his words and watch as the prince’s shoulders fall with a storm of emotions swirling in his green eyes.
Roman sighs again and waves for Janus to follow as he begins walking down the cobbled paths again. The two walking side by side in silence.
It’s eerie to see this side of the imagination almost barren. The closer they move to the center of the kingdom with its large fountain the fewer of the inhabitants they see...Janus takes note of it all ...the changes, all of it reflecting Roman's mood whether the side was doing it on purpose or subconsciously. It’s a helpful clue into how the side is feeling while he’s at a loss for words.
Janus watches Roman closely as they walk, and can tell he’s struggling with himself. Inturn he doesn’t want to stay out here, he can feel the cold slowly getting to him, his joints growing a little stiff. The thought of offering to pretend they had a conversation and the two of them just leaving is tempting but...they really do need to talk this out.
He will just have to stick it out and...offer his hand first...somehow.
“...Roman...you know our little...act we do for the cameras?”
Roman perks up hearing this and squints at Janus unsure “...Yeah? What about it?”
“Well...if...you...if you want we could...how you say...continue our act?” Janus tries for a nonchalant shrug and glances away to hide a shiver. “We are both men of theater are we not? And I do enjoy playing as a villain...of sorts. We don’t have to stop our show just because the script has been somewhat changed.”
Roman hums brows furrowing as they come to a stop in front of the marble fountain and he stares down at his reflection...Contemplating.
Janus tries to ignore how he stumbles, how things almost sway in his vision and clenches his teeth as he forces himself to stay upright. Roman surely wouldn’t let him freeze, and it’s only chilly. He can handle being out here.
He can’t leave, not yet, not when he’s this close.
“...If they...If the others are accepting you then you won’t be a villain anymore...there is no act to continue.” Roman states, finally looking to Janus.
Janus shakes his head “Roman...It’s...I may no longer be a villain off stage but I can still be onstage...an-an act for the cameras, for the videos but…” he tries to hide the shiver at the sudden breeze. “B-but we don’t have to be putting up that act while the cameras are off when we aren't filming. We can get along.” Surely it hadn’t been this cold earlier? He’s been out here too long.
Roman opens his mouth to respond, still seeming a bit confused if the furrow of his brow was anything to go by but…he pauses frowning almost worriedly at the snake side “Deceit are you alright? You’re shaki-Janus!!”
The snake side can’t respond when the ground is suddenly flying towards his face, his left side feeling almost heavy and useless.
Thankfully Roman managed to catch him right before he hits the stones.
Roman is immediately fretting over him, pulling the scales side close into his arms “Janus! What’s wrong?!”
Janus bites back an angry hiss shuddering and can’t stop from trying to curl up against Roman’s chest as the side holds him “I-it’s cold, I-I’m part snake, think you can f-figure it out.”
Roman’s eyes widen “Oh my-Why didn’t you say anything sooner!! You know I’m an idiot I-I wouldn’t realize-I- oh I’ll fix this. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” he waves a hand shifting Janus’s capulet into a furred cloak and makes sure the side is properly wrapped up before he stands with him in his arms.
Janus does hiss this time at the side's words and wriggles an arm out, lightly papping Roman’s cheek. “Bad.”
That’s the last thing he has the strength for before he’s losing consciousness as his body starts shutting down.
Roman makes a worried noise quickly sinking himself out to his bedroom and setting the snake side carefully on the bed, shifting the blankets to be thicker. Tucking the side in and watching his chest weakly rise and fall.
He bites at his lip and starts pacing at the foot of the bed, hoping that it’s enough to help the cold-blooded side.
Roughly half an hour goes by before Janus starts to stir, warm and curled up in blankets as he wakes, blinking away the heavy drowsiness from his eyes. He peeks out of the blankets to get his bearings and find where Roman’s gone too. Such an annoyance it is for him to drop into a small comma when he gets cold. Honestly.
It doesn’t take much looking to realize he’s in the prince’s room and the royal side very determined to create a rut in the floor with his pacing and yanking at his hair.
He sits up further furrowing his brows “...Roman?”
Roman doesn’t respond, continuing to pace and mumble under his breath. Janus is almost surprised Virgil hasn’t come yet to figure out where all that anxious energy is coming from.
Janus furrows his brows further and shakily climbs out from under the blankets, his legs like jelly as he carefully walks himself over to Roman, thankful for the fur cloak still around his shoulders. “Roman?”
Roman jumps with a startled shout and spinning around to look at Janus. He blushes a little and steps back, clearing his throat before he speaks. “A-ah...I didn’t realize you were awake…”
Janus hums “I could tell...are you alright?”
“A-am I-! I should be asking you that! You just collapsed!” Roman exclaims while quickly pushing Janus back over to the bed and trying to tuck him under the blankets. “You should be resting! I-you should have told me that it was too cold for you!”
Oh yes, let him tell the very side that was angry at him that he was cold. That would have gone wonderfully.
Janus huffs swatting away Roman’s hands, he doesn’t need all the fussing about! “I’m fine, I thought our conversation was more pertinent...And you were upset with me, I wouldn’t want to tell you of my discomforts.”
Roman shakes his head “No-no it wasn’t! You could have gotten hurt if I didn’t catch you or-or sick from being out there. I should have realized-I-I’m sorry!” he uses a hand to yank at his hair, a similar distressed sign that Remus tends to do “Just another stupid thing I’ve done! I should have know-” he cuts himself off when Janus paps his cheek softly
“Shoosh, none of that, this apologizing won’t get you anywhere, you didn’t know, I didn’t tell you, you didn’t notice, but you took care of me after. That’s what matters Roman.”
The princely side shakes his head moving away from Janus’s hand “It’s another mistake to add to the list of many I make, I can’t seem to do anything right as of late.-”
“Ro-”
“I’m serious! It’s just mistake after mistake with everything I do nowadays! I’m no good! I sent Thomas to a wedding none of us wanted to go to, I-I have insulted Logan to the point of him pushing away from us, made fun of you when you revealed your name, was a jerk to the other more times than I can count, tried to force my own dreams on Thomas just because I wanted him to live the great theatrical life of an actor! And now I haven’t even been able to provide him with one good idea! I just desperately tried to follow along with everyone else hoping it would be enough but it only led to hurting Thomas, I’ve just caused more problems than even my own brother!”
He pauses solemnly staring down to the ground “...Maybe you were right to compare us.”
Janus bites his lip looking over the defeated side’s face, “Roman...I-I should never have compared you. It was not fair to either of you even if you had tried attacking me while I was vulnerable. We were all hurting.” He scoots closer to Roman, very softly putting a hand under the sides chin to make the other look into his eyes “Everyone makes mistakes, trust me I’ve made my fair share long ago too...I-...You can’t blame all of this on yourself. You’re not the only one that should be held accountable for anything that’s happened.” He drops his hand to pull Roman close and rub circles into the prince’s back, the two clinging together in a form of a hug.
“Yes you’ve hurt Logan with your insults but you know that they hurt, so you know to stop. You tried pushing Thomas into a life he couldn’t have but you learned and have adapted. Smaller goals that are more attainable...You are learning just as he and the rest of us learn. You don’t have to be perfect, Roman...Being perfect is a fruitless goal…”
Janus feels Roman’s grip on him tighten and the first shudder runs through the princely side before he hears the small sob “It’s going to be ok, I’ve got you, hun.” He tightens his hold around the prince, rubbing circles once more into the sides back. “...I’ve got you.”
It takes some time to calm the creative side back down. Having to gently shoosh him every time he starts apologizing or mumbling some self-deprecating thoughts again. Slowly but surely easing the princely side until he runs out of tears as the two sit together in one another's arms.
Janus idly runs a hand through Roman’s hair, having been absentmindedly humming a tune he can’t recall where from.
“...Thank you.”
Janus pauses, looking down at Roman with a partially raised brow. “...What for?”
“...For this, I suppose.”
Janus hums, going back to running a hand through the sides hair “I would thank your brother, he’s the one that forced us to talk...are you feeling better?” He carefully pulls Roman closer, adjusting themselves so they could lay back against the way too many pillows in the bed and get Roman comfortably partly under the blankets with him.
Roman nods ducking his head to hide in Janus’s shoulder clearly drained from his good cry.
The two silently enjoy cuddling together, taking in each other’s warmth and comforting presence.
There is one thing they haven't addressed yet that should also be talked about.
“...You know...My flirting wasn’t all a lie.” Janus speaks up moments later, twirling a strand of Roman’s hair.
Roman looks up at him with a hum, eyes drooping just a tad, getting sleepy no doubt.
“I was yes being playful and trying to win you over to my decisions...but...I was also flirting to flirt.” wow...that really clears things up, doesn’t it.
Roman stares up at him with his sleepy eyes, quiet for far too long for Janus’s liking.
He opens his mouth to better explain only to make a startled hiss as the sides of his face are suddenly grabbed, soft lips pressing against his, tasting of vanilla and peaches.
He blinks as Roman’s face comes back into view as the prince pulls back, blushing and looking embarrassed.
Janus can’t help smile and dive back in for more.
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Taglist:
@max-the-quack @legendsgates @enby-phoenix @ab-artist @the-great-fennec-fox-of-whatever @bluerosesbleedred
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pawprintsmoon · 3 years ago
Text
Henry has no clue; The Aftermath
https://archiveofourown.org/works/31306808/chapters/77401784
Once Alex leans into the kiss, the prince is royally screwed. An immense energy encompasses them, and he loses his breath along with all his remaining sensibilities. He pulls Alex’s hair, eliciting the sweetest, smallest sound. If he doesn’t stop right now, he won’t be able to stop at all.
“Fuck,” Henry swears, pulling back. Apparently, he still has an ounce of sense after all, or at least an ounce of self-preservation. “I’m just, shit. I’m sorry.”
Snow crunches beneath his stumbling feet as he practically runs away from the freshly snogged boy. The boy who must be having a total identity crisis. Even drunk, he could taste Alex’s confused wanting and a yearning that might even match his own. Impossible. The type of impossible that makes you question your interpretation of reality.
The humid heat and festive noises of the Gala overwhelm him as he re-enters the White House. He is sweating under his wool coat and his collar is too tight around his throat. The champagne in his system is tilting the floor, and it’s too much. Where the fuck is Pez?
Eventually, he finds his best friend between June and Nora, all dancing scandalously close to each other. It’s a testament to Pez’s loyalty that as soon as he looks at Henry, he exits the dancefloor, bowing to the ladies.
“What did you do?” Pez asks, leaning close to talk over the music.
“The most foolish thing possible.” He grabs Pez’s arm. “We have to go.”
After a beat, Pez nods. “Okay, let’s go.”
They walk through the party together, Pez’s presence keeping him from unravelling completely. It’s unlikely that Henry is effectively hiding his emotions, what with the drinking and kissing and panicking. Hopefully everyone around them is too intoxicated to notice.
“So, are we just getting some air or are we calling it a night?” Pez asks as they meet their PPOs at the front door. “Should I call a car to take us to the hotel?”
“No.” He imagines Alex showing up at their hotel the next morning, hungover and demanding answers. “No, we’re going home.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.” Henry’s throat is dry and his eyes are unforgivably wet. “Please.”
Pez stares at him, presumably assessing the severity of the situation, before nodding again.
“Okay, I’ll call a car to take us to the airport,” Pez says, pulling out his phone. “And as soon as we board the plane you are telling me everything.”
Within ten minutes, Shaun arrives with their luggage, a shiny black car, and three burly PPOs. Within two hours they are flying over the Atlantic Ocean, Henry pacing up and down the aisle of their private jet while Pez sips champagne.
"What the hell, Hen?" Pez says at last. Henry had been monologuing his panic spirals since they’d boarded the plane and is finally taking a breath.
"It just kind of happened?" Henry replies. He had fucked up, real bad this time.
"Well, to be completely honest with you, that was too fucking awesome!".
"You mean I did the right thing?" Henry asks, disbelief coloring his face. He isn’t sure if he’s asking approval of his choice to kiss Alex or his choice to run away afterwards.
"I don't know, Hen,” Pez says in an apologetic tone. “All I know about Alexander Claremont-Diaz is that you’re obsessed with him. This was bound to happen eventually, right?"
Henry has no clue how to answer, so he sighs and starts his pacing again. He knows he isn't going to sleep tonight, maybe not ever if he has a say in it. Alex might murder him in his sleep, even if he is protected by PPOs all the bloody time. He makes a mental note to ask Shaan to keep an eye out for Alex and his transatlantic flights.
"So yeah that happened." Henry finishes telling last night's events to his therapist who sports an impassive expression.
"Henry, why are you so afraid of Alex's reaction? For all you know he might feel the same way," Shannon says. The sincerity and calm in her voice almost soothes his racing heart.
"Because I do know he feels the same way, but he wasn't ready to know that. His obliviousness was the only thing saving us from falling together; the only thing stopping me from losing control. But then I lost control anyways because he’s just so bloody dense! It’s torture. Hell, both Nora and June have caught on. He’s going to be the last person to figure out he is queer! And I don’t, well, I shouldn’t have pushed it. Rash and careless.” Henry is rambling, but isn’t that the point of therapy? “Sometimes I think I reread Jane Austin too much, because I can’t help pining. Fantasizing. I thought, sure, he’ll see our mutual attraction eventually, and I can wait, and generally, or I can resist making idiotic choices I like to think I’m patient, but-"
He stops speaking abruptly and looks away from her sharp gaze. Even after so many years of therapy, it's still hard for him to talk about his feelings.
"But what Henry?" Shannon gently prods him.
"But I was...I got jealous when I saw them kissing and I just couldn't wait any longer for him to be ready. I know it was not fair, but I’ve known for years now.” He sighs. “I was actually just waiting for Pez to have his fun so we could leave. But...but Alex- he came outside looking for me and he was infuriating and couldn’t take a hint. I just couldn't stop myself. God, I'm such an idiot."
"Henry, we have talked about this before. Not everything is your fault. You need to understand that.” She pauses as if to give him an opportunity to agree with her. When he doesn’t, she continues, “And you told me Alex kissed you back so how can you be sure that he doesn't know that he’s queer?"
"Because I know Alex. I’m his best friend, we’ve talked for hours on end and he’s an obliviously stupid prat and I'm in love with him!" Henry snaps, but Shannon already has an answer ready for that.
"Yes Henry, but it doesn't mean that it was a mistake. You may be in love, but that doesn’t mean you know everything about him and his relationship with his sexuality. You aren’t a mind reader. Maybe he’s just playing dumb, and it’s a farce just like yours. The difference is you appear heterosexual while he appears to be oblivious. You can't know for sure."
That gives Henry something to think about, and he goes quiet for several moments.
Could it be that Alex acting so oblivious was just for the public? But that couldn't be. He knows Alex, knows him, knows him. Not only from the months of constant texting and late-night phone calls but also from countless tabloids and magazines. It didn’t feel like Alex was hiding anything from him. But who knows? Maybe he did it so that he could be himself but still not be himself. Maybe, he could enjoy the queerness but pretend not to know in order to save his political career?
No, that is not the Alexander Gabriel Claremont Diaz, he has come to know. He would be out and proud if he knew. Henry suddenly registers the fact that he is overthinking again when Shannon calls his name.
"Yes, Shannon?" Henry asks politely. Apparently she’d been speaking, but he has no idea what she was saying.
“You can tell me what you’re thinking, you know. That’s literally my job.” She smiles wryly and he grants her a weak laugh. “I was just saying that you can’t possibly try to know what he’s thinking about the kiss, or where he is with his sexuality.”
“Exactly! That’s the other thing.” Henry shakes his head. “Maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time. I thought I knew what he wanted, and that I knew what I wanted, but now I don’t know anything. Maybe Alex is just a very flirty guy. Maybe it’s just an American thing. I haven’t been friends with an American before-”
“Henry”
“- and he was drunk and I kissed him and he probably thinks I took advantage. At the very least, I ran away like a scared twelve-year-old.”
“Let’s try to take a non-judgemental stance here,” suggests Shannon gently. “And for now, let’s just imagine a hypothetical. What if you were right all along, and he really does like you? That’s very much possible, so let’s explore what that would mean, yeah?
Henry shrugs noncommittally.
“You mentioned a couple of weeks ago that you think that if you two get too close you’ll be doomed,” she continues. “Do you still think that?”
“Well, yeah,” replies Henry, looking at his hands. “If he likes me -which I’m not sure he does anymore- then inevitably he’ll get sick of me. I like him so, so much, you know? He might be attracted to me, but he can’t possibly like me the way I like him. And even if by some horrible miracle he does like me back, then what? I’m a bloody prince and he’s an aspiring politician, and there’s no way it wouldn’t end in disaster. The whole world would be looking at us. I’m just… I’m…”
“You’re afraid of getting hurt.”
“I… I guess. Yeah. I feel like I’m about to fall off a cliff, holding onto the unstable rocks, and I have no idea where I’ll land.” Henry chuckled a little at his cliche metaphor. “He must think I’m a complete tosser.”
“Henry,” she gives him that Therapist Look. “You can’t read minds. Journal on that topic this week?”
Henry sighs and nods, letting that sink in. She has said it before, numerous times, and Henry never quite believes her.
They sit in silence before Shannon redirects the conversation.
"When are you meeting Alex again?"
That's an easy question, Henry has known the answer ever since he left D.C. He answers immediately, "Oh never."
"Henry," Shannon reprimands.
"No, you don't get it. I'm going to be murdered if I so much as go within 10 feet near Alex."
"No.” She’s holding back a laugh as she tries to look stern. “The answer is that you're going to the state dinner and you're going to talk to Alex like a mature adult and listen to what he says instead of guessing what he’s thinking. Meanwhile, I want you to think about what we discussed today and tell me next week what you might want to say to him."
"Hour's up then?" Henry asks, because he suddenly can't wait to get out of Shannon’s office. He needs time to think about everything. Or maybe he needs time to avoid thinking about anything.
"We have five more minutes, but if you don't have anything to add today, we can end early." Shannon smiles warmly at him and he knows that if he wishes to continue she wouldn’t mind, but right now he can't. Enough talking of emotions for one eternity, thank you.
So he leaves and as he hurries to the car he texts Shaan: SOS I need about a million boxes of Jaffa Cakes from the nearest corner shop.
Then, sliding into the back seat: Please.
The weeks pass by quickly with Henry trying his best to ignore Alex's texts and trying to convince everyone that he oughtn’t to go to the state dinner in D.C. No one listens to him, not Shannon or even Pez. Not even his own sister, rather Bea tries to make him see reason as to why he should go.
It's all 'you never know,’ 'just trust me, Hen' and other bits of vague encouragement. Predictably, Bea decides to drop Henry off at the airport herself so he can't escape at the last minute. When he accuses her of this, however, she’s all 'Can’t a girl escort her dear younger brother to the airport, or what?’
As they leave Kensington palace she explicitly instructs his PPOs that Henry should at all costs stay in America for the allotted time and should not be allowed back even a minute too soon. Shaan, for some reason, seems extremely happy to hear those instructions and can't stop smiling. Henry scowls at him whenever he sees him, thinking that he is Henry's personal equerry. It’s a lot.
"Do I really have to, Bea?" he asks her as they near the airport.
"Henry, you know this is important and by that, I do not mean the state dinner. That can go fuck itself for all I care, but you need to talk to Alex. Hiding from him like this is doing no one any good. Talk to him, see what he says and do not overthink this, Hen please." Bea squeezes his hand lightly as the car stops.
They walk silently side by side to the plane where Bea hugs him and sees him off.
As the plane starts to take off, the panic that had been sedated by her hug starts to grow again, fiercer than ever. Henry keeps repeating the same phrase throughout the flight.
Don't overthink this. It's going to be okay.
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thesvenqueen · 4 years ago
Text
Kristanna Week Day 4: GREEN
Harry Potter AU
Green with jealousy
Rating: K
Words: 1101
“What is the matter with you?”
Kristoff didn’t look at her, didn’t dare. He was still fuming, still not entirely sure what had come over him.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. 
It was Hans Westergaard, a stingy 6th year who’d asked Anna to the Yule Ball. Kristoff knew him, knew him quite well actually.
More so than Anna did apparently. All Anna knew was that he was the youngest in his family, and handsome, incredibly handsome if Kristoff remembered her words correctly.
He’d tried to hold his thoughts together, hold back from letting Anna know about the real Hans. The spoiled little brat who’d sneered and looked down on everyone he deemed ‘not as pure as he was’. Specifically Kristoff himself.
No, he wasn’t going to ruin Anna’s happiness. She had been thrilled, so excited at the aspect of being asked to the ball that he’d kept his mouth shut for her sake.
Just because he had treated Kristoff so poorly, didn’t mean he would do the same to Anna. The moment they’d walked in together, however, he knew he should have said something. 
It had been the way Hans had looked at her, raking Anna up and down like a piece of meat and Kristoff couldn’t stand it anymore. It was disgusting, and Kristoff had let him know it.
What he said exactly, well, he isn’t sure. But it had been enough to make Hans glare at him, and Anna to storm after him after he’d walked away before the git could say anything in return. 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said, the sound of her heels following behind him. 
“The hell you don’t!” She said, hurt in her voice and shit, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. Hadn’t meant for her to hear what he said, it had just slipped out. “Why would you say such a thing?”
They’re outside the Great Hall now, Anna’s voice now heard over the music and a few people outside turn to look at them. 
“I only said what was the truth.” Kristoff said, still not able to face her and heading to the stairs. “He’s using you.”
“What?!” Anna cried, her heels coming to a stop, and Kristoff stopped as well. “That’s what you think?”
Kristoff sighed and turned, looking to the very angry and hurt woman before him. “I don’t think, I know.”
“You know nothing.”
“I do know, actually. I heard him talking about it just the other day.” Well, that was only half true. Sven had overheard Hans talking to his buddies, joking about how easy Anna was, how it was going to be so easy to use her as he wanted to.
Kristoff had tried to dismiss it, tried to play it off as Sven only thinking he had heard it, not wanting to ruin Anna’s excitement.
Deep down though, Kristoff knew it to be true. 
Anna blinked at him, pulling back as though she’d been hit. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” Kristoff said, confused on why she of all people wouldn’t believe him. “He said that Anna, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Anna stared, tears beginning to form in her eyes, and she breathed a laugh, “You’re just jealous.” She sneered.
That through Kristoff back. 
He was not at all jealous. 
Absolutely not. 
“I’m not jealous.” Kristoff said, glaring at her now as he comes up to her, “I am being your friend Anna, I’m only trying to help you. He’s using you.”
She doesn’t move, Anna continuing to stare at him, hurt and anger in her eyes. He hates that he is the reason for it, but god's she could be so stubborn.
Like right now.
“Why didn’t you tell me before then?”
“Because you were so excited!” Kristoff says, pleading for her to understand, ignoring the now staring classmates standing nearby. “You were so damn happy Anna, I wasn’t going to ruin that for you.”
“But you did!” She says, her tears falling. “You did ruin it, you ruined everything!”
A silence falls between them, Anna gasping for breath as Kristoff stares at her dumbfounded. 
He realizes then how out of line he had been, how much he had just royally messed it up. 
Completely screwed everything up. 
He needs to apologize, now.
“Anna…” Kristoff murmurs, moving to comfort her but Anna retreats, looking down to her shoes as she tries to wipe her tears.
It’s like someone had punched him in the gut, hit him square in the chest as she steps away from him. So he waits, looking only at her as he stands patiently waiting for her to speak.
“You know the solution then?” She says, looking at him with a pained glare, “Pipe up the courage to ask me before somebody else does.”
With that, she whips around, walking back into the great hall and leaving Kristoff standing completely taken aback.
If only she’d known how hard he had tried to get the courage to ask her. How the moment the Yule Ball had been announced, he’d decided he would ask Anna.
How Sven had been so patient, such a good friend to help him work up the nerve. Every time he had nearly done it, he could never get the words out. It never felt right, nearly felt forced and it was killing him.
How he had known he was running out of time a week ago, knew he needed to ask her before someone else beat him to it. How Monday morning he had awoken and decided this was the day. He was going to ask her the moment he saw her that afternoon. 
How he had waited for her at their meeting spot near the lake, pacing back and forth as he worked up his nerve, preparing himself. 
How when she had nearly sprinted to him, telling him the news of how Hans had asked her to the ball, how wide she had smiled and sounded so incredibly excited, it had killed him inside.
She had no idea how devastated he was, how painful it was to hear her talk about sharing the evening with Hans. Listening to her go on for a week about her dress, what they may do after, how handsome Hans was. 
The only one who knew was Sven. Who he knew would berate the hell out of him for what he had just done.
Kristoff deserved it too, he knew he did.
As he stood on the stairs, reality of what he had just done sinking in, his stomach twisted into knots. Kristoff felt as though he would be sick.
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