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#doubling that with my brother too so that would be a decent money for then to live financially secure in their old age
ramayantika · 1 year
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Today my mother knocked on the door and asked how many questions I am able to attempt in neet and the range of marks I am able to score. She was trying her best, but I could see the desperation, the slight annoyance and that little fear of everything fucking up. She says that she will be there beside me if and whenever things go wrong and out of all the people in the world, only your parents will have your back. It's true, even I believe the same.
Sometimes I don't feel as if she is my mother. Sometimes she appears to me as a women who is still confused and figuring out how to handle me. She is sad whenever she has her angry outbursts on me. She will say sorry and then say I love you and I am always with you
But are we all really that selfless? Everyday when I look at her and my father, I remember my home expenses over coaching, house rent, clothing and our future education. Now every time whatever I do, it's all that in the back of my head.
My mother is excited to buy me new clothes for college, but here I am downplaying it all because I feel guilty for using their money. Is this how she feels when she has to ask dad for money? My parents will never complain if I spend money on myself unless until I go overboard, yet that guilt remains. My father knows that mummy too handles expenses well and tbh he was the one who paid for all her courses because he wanted to help and fulfill her wishes. Yet, she rarely buys sarees or rarely uses money to buy things that she really wants to have. She closes her eyes and smiles, saying, "aankh band karlo saans lo aur piche mud jao toh aur lagega nahi"
I got my new phone yesterday and so did my brother. All of it cost around 40. We would need laptops, stationary, clothing and as for me my skincare stuff and makeup for dance. This combined with college fees is going to cost a little much now.
I wonder if I choose bsc and go on to do phd and stuff will I still be looking around to see if I meet my mother's approval? She says live for your self we are anyway going to die in our old age. I understand that but I can't do that.
My father doesn't believe in my dancing. Sometimes even I don't too. Maybe one day they will be proud when I get my phd and set up my dance studio. I can't cut out much of the costs but until I get a good job I can definitely cut on my expenses so I can save of that money and give it back to my father. That won't be enough to buy a car by the next 5 years but maybe it would form a small piece of installment? Idk how all that works though. Hopefully if I also get a part time jobs as content writer maybe I can have some income too to send back home which my father won't appreciate but maybe mummy can buy some nice kurtis for herself and that way I can have money to spend on dance items too.
But if I get into iiser or niser I will get internships and some stipend too so that would bring some more money for me maybe?
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#344
“Get comfortable.  I just checked the weather; we are going to be here at least for tonight.  There is no way that a tow truck is going to make it to your car in time before the next storm hits.  No one is going to risk their own safety on these muddy roads so that you can get back to the city.  Really it was a stupid thing to do to go on a mountain drive right before a storm—on unfamiliar backwoods dirt roads to boot.  You are just lucky that I was coming back with my winter supplies when I saw you.  You are going to be here for the night, probably two or three….
“Even if I were to take you back into town, you still wouldn’t be able to get your car out in the same amount of time, and then I would be stuck in the city.  Naa.  This is the best.  Go ahead and get out of those wet clothes and throw them in the dryer behind you alongside my wet shirt and jacket.  You can leave your undies on if you want.
“Look, I grew up in a two-bedroom house with three brothers.  I spent 8 years in the Marine Corps.  I have seen hundreds if not thousands of naked men.  Nothing you have… or lack… will surprise me….
“…Jesus fuck!  I spoke too soon.  A hot pink thong?  Are you serious?  Even the fags I know wouldn’t wear something so pathetic.  Did you actually pay money for that?...  Your wife?  Figured.  I can’t fucking stand looking at them.  Take it off.  Now!
“I’ve seen naked men before.  If you weren’t here, I would be walking around this place and my property naked.  In fact, let me get out of these overalls right here.  I don’t wear stupid ass thongs like that.  I don’t wear underwear at all.  Two clips undone and… you get to see Tank here. 
“Now off with that stupid thong. 
“Look I’m 6 foot 7 inches and weigh three hundred fifty pounds.  I have over a foot on your height, and I am way more than double your weight.  You are no fucking match for me.  That’s it.  You look terrified.  Good….
“I don’t know what you were worried about.  You got a decent body.  Your dick is all shriveled up.  It can’t be from the cold outside or most likely from being terrified.
“Tank here never experiences shrinkage.  That’s because he’s fucking huge.  It may look normal size, but hanging here on a big guy like me, but trust me when he gets hard, angry hard, he can push over nine inches long and seven and a half around.  Wanna feel a real man’s cock?...  I know you do.  I can see you thinking….
“…No no no.  Get the fuck back here….  You ain’t going anywhere little man.  You are so easy to throw around or down to the floor in this case.  Pathetic.  All I have to do is shift my weight to my right foot on your chest and I will crush you like a bug.
“Let me fill you in on your situation.  You are 30 minutes from town in the middle of nowhere, there’s a cold storm coming in which might even bring us snow, and my nearest neighbor is Deputy Schmidt one mile away. 
“Look up at me!  If you run, you will get lost, you will freeze, and you will die.  And if you think of running to Schmidt, know this, he’s one mile away by way of an obscure snowmobile trail.  But don’t worry, he’ll be by in a few minutes.  When you went back to your car to get some things, I texted him that I have a night guest he might want to meet.  And if you think I’m intense, there’s nothing like a thirty-two-year veteran of the police force with anger issues and a dick to match….
“…No before you think I have reception, no I don’t.  I did near your car though.  Up here, there’s no reception, no internet, no telephone lines.  We are out in the middle of nowhere detached from humanity.  Just you, me,… and Tank here. 
“Good ol’ Tank.  He’s happy to see a helpless you on the floor looking up at him.  He’s really excited to see you.  Look at his pre-cum.  Tank likes to leak when he sees a new faggot.
“Aw shut the fuck up.  I don’t care that you have a wife or a girlfriend,… or even both…. 100% straight?  Hunh.  Really?  I think we both know that when you finally leave here, you won’t be able to say that.  Tank here is going to smash your cherry. 
“Don’t fucking move.  I want to see if the drop from Tank’s leak will land on your face…. Right on your upper lip!  Go ahead and lick it!...  I said ‘Lick it bitch.’  Fuck yeah!
“You ready to give Tank your pussy?  ‘Cause he’s ready to turn that puss into a cunt.  I’m going to lift my foot up.  Then I want you to stand up and take a moment to catch your breath.  Then I want to bend over this kitchen table and present your pussy for me.
“…Bend over.  Ahh, there it is, that moment you accept the inevitable and just give up….  Now pull apart those cheeks….  That’s one pretty pussy.  Too bad I have to ruin it.  Now beg me to fuck you.  I want to hear your depraved hunger for me to destroy your pussy.  Beg!
“You can do better than that.  If you convince me you want me to take your cherry with your pathetic begging, I’ll put some lube on my dick.  Otherwise Tank is going in dry.  Trust me, you don’t want Tank to rip up your dry pussy, and I don’t want your cherry blood all over my kitchen floor.  Now beg.
“…That’s better.  I don’t know if you ever stuck something up your cooch, but you want to push out as I go in.  Don’t worry.  I’m slathering Tank up with some Crisco.  Tank is ready to shoot and he ain’t even in yet.
“Keep pushing out.  Here comes Tank.  Scream mother fucker.  No one will hear you.  Oh man, does your cherry feel good strangling my cock.  Your second sphincter is massaging Tank’s tip in all the right ways.  It’s not going to take me long.
“Struggle all you want; you ain’t going anywhere.  Keep screaming.  You should find it more difficult with me laying on your back pounding your cunt’s insides.  It’s hard to get a breath in, hunh?  Hell, with my arm sliding under your neck, it’s easy to cut off your air by applying pressure to both sides with my bicep and forearm.  It’s going to get very difficult to breathe very fast. 
“You fight back on instinct, but you won’t win.  I can feel your struggle as your cunt tightens up and spasms uncontrollably.  That’s so fucking hot.  Tank is close.  Oh fuck.  Oh fuck I’m gonna cum.  I’m gonna fucking cum.  Fuck!  Fuck! Fuck!...  Jesus!
“No, I know you are struggling to breathe.  That’s what I want., what I still want.  I plan on going all night.  When you lose consciousness, then I will take Tank out of you.  Don’t worry.  My arm will replace it.  Fisting is a lot easier on an unconscious cunt than one that is fully aware.
“This is only the beginning.  Oh there you go.  Good night.  Sleep, not so tight.
“Fuck.  Where did that Crisco go?”
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waywardsalt · 1 year
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oh yeah i’ve got a bunch of loz aus that i haven’t really talked about. a few of them are listed and slightly explained in this poll and explanation reblog but i haven’t gone out of my way to actually list the aus i have and really explain them. so that’s what this post is for. here are some... decently simple explanations of my major aus and what they're generally about
i have two kinds of aus: original aus (loz aus that are set in their own kinds of worlds with their own stories and twists on character roles) and then crossover aus (we all know how this works i just mash loz and a thing i like together)
original aus: (many currently dont have actual titles, so the titles will often just be concept shorthand)
in the court of the crimson king/crimson king au: probably the most developed and closest to being written out. it's got one of the longer premises; set in a industrial-esque hyrule city, following linebeck as the main character, as the adoptive older brother of link and aryll, living with them and their grandmother as the only one able to reliably make money to pay for rent and food, leaving every other week to do jobs, but he moonlights as the 'demon of the gray moon', a masked persona he'd created as a child that had long since become a city-wide urban legend, anonymously taking unsavory jobs from whomever can contact him and offer pay, often working directly for bellum, a childhood friend, the one who enabled and trained him to become the demon, and one of five anonymous leaders of the city. linebeck effectively lives a double life, and tries to stay out of too much trouble to avoid drawing attention to himself or making his adoptive family worry, but he gets dragged into more and more danger as bellum becomes curious about the identities of the city's other leaders, and linebeck falls in love with a man named ganondorf, suspected to be one of those other city leaders. ive got a few posts related to it already: this one being another vague concept descriptor, this one being an actual scene i have written out.
'gimmick' au: i cannot explain the gimmick without spoiling the au. put simply, in this au, hyrule as a whole has been at war for ten years, every race and kingdom taking sides in a conflict that seems to be going nowhere. link joined the hylian army young, and has made his way up the ranks to become trusted by queen zelda herself, and things in the war take an interesting turn as he and zelda discover a new faction, unaligned with any particular kingdom and with unknown motives, and zelda decides to set out to the different parts of hyrule, link and a chosen group of trusted allies in tow, intending to try negotiation one more time before things take a turn for the worse.
sci-fi/space au: the fun one that probably would need to be done in a visual medium. it takes place in a solar system of a few planets, link growing up on the planet hyrule and occasionally traveling to the others as a knight specializing in investigating and taking down dangerous bounty hunters, working for zelda as a friend. he and zelda uncover a plot by the yiga clan to accumulate a number of highly dangerous research and weapons held by each species as they aim to resurrect a demon to wreck havoc on the solar system- the b plot being about the top bounty hunters in the solar system screwing around, eventually colliding with link and zelda's a plot as it begins to involve them.
murder mystery(?) au: one of the older ones, maybe one of the oldest that i still stick with. this might actually be one of the first ones i tried writing. the plot begins when zelda returns to hyrule city years after her father- the former mayor- was murdered, finding that he has been replaced by ganondorf and that while things seem fine enough on the surface, random and organized crime run the show, and she begins a private detective agency as 'sheik', a masked young man, and with the help of impa, and old friend and confidant, she moonlights as sheik and uses her daytime identity as zelda to help chip away at some of the city's biggest problems and finds herself drawn into a long string of murders that appear to be anything but random violence.
ruined hyrule 1: i have two au’s with the premise of hyrule being ruined. neither of them have more specific names yet. this one begins with the majority of greater hyrule's population having long since locked themselves in hyrule castle town in order to escape the increasingly dangerous wildlife. zelda, a young girl at the beginning, becomes curious about what lies beyond the city walls, and makes friends with many other children within this sheltered hyrule, and as they grow up together, aim to eventually venture out into the wilderness to see what may have caused the outside world to become so incredibly hostile.
ruined hyrule 2: the other ruined hyrule. set in a devastated hyrule, roughly ten years after the royal family was killed, link failing to save them or hyrule in the time since. he now resolves to set out and indiscriminately destroy every demon that plagues the ruined hyrule, meeting and bringing along various allies, each of which has been uniquely affected by and have different lived in this altered, dangerous shell of hyrule.
modern (school): i also have two modern aus. this one isn’t plot driven, just a concept i have, would work best as little vignettes or something. essentially just the idea of a group of loz characters hanging out together in a modern high school (or college?) setting.
modern: this is the one with an actual plot. follows the general idea of zelda characters living in a modern world only for the typical legends to begin resurfacing and heralding dark events. plot specifics are murky, but that's the general idea.
dark mage: this is the au that where the seas meet the sands takes place in. basically just ganondorf x linebeck shenanigans in this alternate hyrule while actual plot sneaks up on them. named 'dark mage' mostly because the initial idea behind this au was that linebeck would learn magic.
horror au: doesn't have the best name, and it's ended up just being a personal sandbox for me. constantly changing, with the cast and setting often altering if i find that something isn't working or sticking. it's an au i've considered (and even briefly tried) writing in the past, but it's still too fluid, and writing horror effectively is difficult. it's a fun au, though.
mecha au: spawned because i watched neon genesis evangelion. a lot of this au's basic concepts can be found here: x but the short version is that hyrule is being besiged by massive monsters, but each race has created their own mechs to combat them. link is just a farmer who happens to have a strange knack for being a mech user, so is brought in by zelda as a gamble to bolster their chances, and he is tasked with working with a new and less-than-trustworthy crew to help fight those monsters.
'amnesia link' au: an au that sprang up in about a day and hasn't gotten too far since. basic premise being that three years prior to the story, link and a group of allies has faced off against ganondorf and, despite their best efforts, lost, with link being presumed dead by their enemies. now, link has woken up from his coma, his memories gone and hyrule taken over, and, with guidance, must once again travel across hyrule, aiming to rediscover his allies and try to face ganondorf once more.
A quick list of crossovers: I won't explain these in length, since they can range from having their own plot to just being a fun mental concept. So, the things I have made crossover aus with are:
Warrior Cats
Batman
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Persona 5
Pokemon
(there are other, smaller ones, these are just the ones i consistently pay attention to)
So! These are the majority of my legend of zelda aus, some of which I may write, some of which just exist in my mind for fun, all of which I wouldn't mind talking more about if anyone is curious!
#i had to find an actual list i made to remember most of these tbh#salty talks#salty's loz aus#lmk if any of the colored text on here is hard to read i can change it#for some of the duplicate name aus the colors help me remember which is which but ill change it if it makes it hard to read#this took absolute ages to finish partially bc i dont have much physical evidence of these aus. they live in my mind and my mind only#my favorite little tidbit is that in the space au linebeck is a bounty hunter known for being a really skilled sniper#and i did not. in fact. be inspired by sniper tf2. this au predates my knowing about tf2. space au linebeck is inspired by fuckin#ttgl yoko littner and sao (gags) sinon. this will always be funny to me. space au linebeck is probably one of my favorite au linebecks#fun fact also. counting the crossover aus linebeck plays an antagonistic role at some point in 10 of these aus#also anyways worth reminding that a lot of this shit isnt actually very developed. the murder mystery au does not have a lot of actual plot#most of the developed plot stuff in these aus tends to be directly connected to linebecks role in the story bc a lot of these aus happen to#exist bc one day i was like hm what if linebeck was in (hyperspecific situation that led to the creation of one of these aus)#gimmick au is a really good example of how a linebeck in xyz situation thought can spawn a huge fucking story#but i cant get too specific abt that without spoiling the fucking gimmick and ive already said too much#'dark mage' au is also called that bc i think it was REALLY inspired by me thinking abt linebeck in the fe awakening male dark mage outfit#this has been sitting in my drafts for. so long. and then in two days i slammed all of those out and bam. here we are#the crossover aus list is also a list of 'media that also gave me brainworms and therefore got the honor of meshing with the Big Interest'#im not even a big time batman fan i just saw the 2022 movie and scrolled through an entire blog dedicated to harvey dent#i know so fucking much about harvey dent. why is dc so fucking bad about him#anyways welcome to the bottom of the tags. hope you enjoyed your stay. these r my weird loz aus#post-ph isnt here cuz i dont consider it an au. its something else between ‘au’ and ‘speculative canon’
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rove-bogge · 2 years
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Happy Birthday to the Ignihyde Gremlin!
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Happy Birthday Rove!
"Huh people actually have time to remember this year?"
Do you normally not get your birthday celebrated? 
"Not really…my family runs a tailors and Halloween is like the busiest time of year for orders especially after Reda has expanded the business…If I'm lucky the simp might make my favourite dinner but normally it's kinder overshadowed…"
How about this year? 
"Well my main want is to have a great halloween with the rest of Ignihyde I guess if we get that I'm happy….not that I am a sappy person uuurgghh..." 
Any birthday memories? 
"Ehhh its always been full of busy work making last minute adjustments or dealing with fussy karens….though one year we had this magician come in when i was still a little tot…apparently he needed some adjustments to his big show costume so I was helping with the hem and he asked me what day it was and when I told him it was my birthday he gave me my first set of dice and taught me some dice tricks he was a fun guy though I forgot to get his name and sadly never had time to check out his shows… shame but I still have those dice there my super super lucky ones!" Any plans for the future? “Not really…I have to go help out in the family store after all. Got to love being shut in the basement and forced to work my life away in boredom…” You're joking right? Well what would you like to do?” “Umm…well if I could pick…I like to be a bug tester both in spells and technology. People hire hackers and virus makers to see if they can break their security on their systems and test the weaknesses. It’s doing what I do best but legally. Then I could use the money to expand and improve my bug habitats and maybe even do breeding for endangered species to help them recover.”
Ok some favourite food? 
"Sour gummy worms totally are the best. It always makes people do a double take if they look more realistic too hahaha. I guess there's also the simps stew too that always hits right especially during the rainy season. I have a slow cooker in my room to make it every now and then. I sometimes will make a huge batch for the dorm when people need a bit of a pick me up!"
Least favourite food? 
"Urgh coffee it's so bitter….how can people drink it? I added like fifthteen sugars and milk and it still tasted nasty…I'll pass thanks there's other ways to get caffeine!"
Who would you bring to a deserted island? And the person can not be someone from your dorm! 
"You knew Ortho would have been the easiest pick…well I guess it's still not a hard question to answer. Kalen. With his unique magic I'm sure he will do all the heavy lifting while I sit back and wait for rescue..maybe even see what insects live on this island. And Kalen is at least tolerable to be stuck with and worse case there's plenty of muscle if food sources become short kek /jk!"
Who would you pick for a sibling-
"Orth-"
But it can't be someone from your own dorm!?!
" ….."
"……"
*turning bashful* 
"…..Lilia or Vil..."
And why??
"Well…Lilia seems to see my bugs as cute too and wouldn't it be funny to be taller than the older brother so there's that too and I could only imagine the cool prank team ups we could have!"
"As for Vil Jinx is always saying good things about Vil and it…sounds nice to have a sibling who would look out for you and care about your well being…Reda never really cared about looking out for me growing up…there was many times I needed him and he wasn't interested in being there….oi forget I said that!!"
Jeez alright…
A dorm other than Ignihyde? 
"Hmm can I pick Ramshackle? Hehe the ran down house is perfect for wild certain wild bugs I would love to have a even bigger room to house my collection in and it's quiet not filled with many people so peaceful…though…would the internet be decent…might need to speak to Idia about installing fibre optic if I was to move though I guess if Ramshakle doesn't count Diasomnia seems alright. It is not lively like the other dorms or stuffy so I could keep to myself easily there…and Ember is there too so we can play games in the evenings. I guess green is also more my colour then blue...." Ready for your gift of good fortune? "I wouldn't call it good fortune.....How about we just give it to the bugs....a little treat." Hold still! [Whoosh!]
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matandchitza · 1 year
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The Highway Family (2022) - A Flawed Attempt on Empathy and Awareness
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This review contains unmarked spoilers, proceed at your own risk. Though I wrote this as I love reviewing stuff despite not intending for it to be read, I still put on a spoiler warning in case people come across this anyway.
These are all my personal opinions, they’re not correct! They’re just my personal views, in case someone finds this for some reason haha.
I just finished watching a Korean movie titled “The Highway Family” directed by Lee Sang-mun, which was released in late 2022 according to Google and IMDB.
And it was unfortunately a bland ride someone who decently likes slow burns and social awareness dramas couldn’t enjoy, though I tried my best to.
The plot summary over at IMDB would say, and I cite, “When a middle-aged, grieving woman gives money to a family out of kindness, only to learn they are homeless and living at the highway rest area, a life-altering series of events unfolds.“
And that sounds like a great synopsis to a drama where a family turns over a new leaf and is given a second chance at a start after living through poverty throughout their entire lives by a that grieving woman (Young-su).
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be what this movie would turn out to be.
Plot write-up/summary:
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The movie has a good start, introducing the family and their silly antics, camping out in places they aren’t supposed to camp in and emphasizing the cute interactions between the parents and their children despite their current situation, and showing that perhaps not all children who grow up in poverty are the stereotypical unhappy and starving children.
It establishes them as humans, people who were just given the wrong end of the stick, if that metaphor is correct for situations like this.
After a short montage of the family traveling to a rest stop, the father, Ki-woo, asks a random couple for 20,000 won, stating that he doesn’t have enough gas money to refill his tank and additionally mentioning that he lost his wallet.
But he asks for their bank account so he can wire the money back, so he’s nice! Nah, just kidding, he never pays back any of the people he scammed.
When that doesn’t work, he brings out the kids, Eun-yi and Taek.
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The two kids showing up are usually enough to goat people into giving them his money, which they fortunately use to feed the kids some instant ramen. Which definitely can’t be good for them to be eating all the time, but what other choice do they have anyway?
Though I definitely would never condone scamming people out of 20,000 won (which is like $15 according to Google), they at least had a morally sound reason to do that, and he at least used the money to feed his wife and children.
They then get kicked out of the rest stop after lingering a bit too long and provoking an officer (not police) and snapping one of their tent’s poles in that altercation.
But before they leave, they scam a nice lady who offers an additional 50,000 won above the 20,000 they usually get from scamming, this lady is Young-su, who had seen Eun-yi trying to drink tap water earlier.
After that happens, Young-su leaves the rest stop, as she glances at her car’s dashboard to see how little gas she has left but still smiling regardless as she continues driving.
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They then move to another rest stop, despite Taek’s protest of being too tired to walk. He then throws a fit, where he runs off away from the family. Ji-sook sends Eun-yi to fetch her brother, where she surprisingly handles his tantrum well and gets him to calm down after he trips in the middle of running away by offering him candy she kept to herself.
This works well, as mentioned above, only for Taek to start chewing, have one of his baby tooth fall off right then, and start crying again. I guess this was comedic to people watching in theaters, but I think I was one of those who didn’t really care too much. (Sorry..)
Eun-yi doubles down and offers him more candy, calming him down completely. She then throws off his tooth into the nearby bushes and prays. (Is this a cultural thing in South Korea? Not sure, despite having watched K-Dramas for 3 years at this point)
The family then begins their trip to their next rest stop, walking through tunnels to get to their destination.
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I’m getting a bit lazy as I type, so here’s a TL;DR of what happened after they establish all the important characters:
They get to another rest stop, where Ki-woo scams an unsuspecting elderly couple out of the usual 20,000 won and thanks them as they drive off, with the mandatory “I’ll wire it back to your bank account” excuse;
Young-su coincidentally drives to the rest stop they’re in, spots Ki-woo scamming an unsuspecting elderly couple and puts on a disguise to watch the family;
Eun-yi and Taek starts playing a game of hide and seek, where Taek with his genius (what seems to be) six year old mind, decides to hide under a truck of all places, and nearly gets RUN OVER until Young-su swoops in to save them. To add: now that I think about it, this movie was ALWAYS one step away from turning into a horror or thriller movie;
Young-su drags the kids to the parents, berating them for their failure to watch the kids. Ki-woo at this point had completely forgotten who she was (or it was an act, couldn’t tell since the actor really looked dumbfounded lol). He starts to be passive-aggressive with her, where she just goes “Yeah, no. I’m calling the police.”;
Cue Young-su calling the police on them and them running off to a new rest stop, but not before Ji-sook falls down, giving Young-su a chance to catch up and probe her. This reveals that she’s pregnant with another child. She then runs off and consoles Ki-woo, who has a bit of a violent breakdown and threatening Young-su with death in the chaos;
They then catch the family, taking them to the nearby police station. Ki-woo is arrested and Young-su takes the family to live with them.
They live decent lives until Ki-woo breaks out from his cell, which coincidentally sparks a few unfortunate incidents to happen. Taek tears his ligament after being accidentally crushed by furniture that Young-su’s husband and their employee was transporting (he’s completely fine outside of that tear), despite being told not to get out of the car after he insists to come with them. Young-su and Ji-sook was already in the hospital for a medical checkup of Ji-sook’s baby. Young-su and her husband’s relationship sours further.
Cue Ki-woo meeting Eun-yi after escaping, telling her to pass a note to Ji-sook after admiring his daughter’s new ability to write and read (Eun-yi was completely illiterate up to this point);
Ji-sook then goes “Yeah, sorry, no. I’m not going back to that life, PLEASE leave.” when she meets him, sending him into another very bad violent breakdown after he leaves;
Ki-woo completely loses it. He first dine and dashes a poor ahjumma selling fried food and threatened her with a skewer, and then going through a grocery store and just ravaging it and eating whatever he comes across. When confronted by staff, he throws a watermelon and some other fruits and vegetables at them then runs off. He then... umm.. smears his face with what looks to be feces and picks up a flaming bucket;
He comes back to Young-su’s house as they are having BBQ together with Ji-sook, completely broken at this point and sets her furniture on fire in the struggle to restrain him, everyone survives but Ki-woo.
The movie ends with Eun-yi’s internal monologue to her father, stating that she’s happy now and is living well with Young-su. The movie then cuts to a shot of them after the incident, showing Young-soo and her husband embracing the two children, as they cry.
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The Review
Reading the plot summary I made above, I could say that the movie was very messy in terms of its plot points.
It goes from 0 to 100 quickly, and not in a good way. It tries to portray a neutral ground on poverty and to bring awareness of it, only to end up creating this weirdly tense experience even though the first half seems to hint at a emotional drama movie rather than a thriller movie.
I’m aware that the two genres (thriller and drama) can go hand-in-hand when pulled off well (Juvenile Justice), it’s just that from the promotional material for this movie just gives a different vibe than what I got watching the end product.
So I’ll rate this movie on 3 categories: cinematography, characterization and story.
Story
The plot was very messy to say the least, it just outright swapped genres from a drama to a f!cking thriller-tragedy after Ki-woo decided to go out like that in the end.
My expectations for the movie was a pure ‘0 to hero’ kind of drama. Where despite Ki-woo and his violent breakdowns, he eventually begins seeking help and eventually gets back on his feet with the support of the people around him.
I know that this type of plot is overdone, but in my opinion it would’ve been better with this approach alongside the scenes of Ki-woo struggling.
Another problem is how his violent breakdowns are never properly explained in the movie, and it becomes a bit problematic and it ends up clashing with other plot points if this aspect of him suddenly became a vital plot point while trying to present Ji-wook trying to get back on her feet without Ki-woo through proper means. They then could’ve shown Ji-wook getting proper mental health assistance and reuniting with kids after he gets better mentally, as this life has left some obvious scars on his psyche and he clearly needs it based on how he acts after the first half. If only they went with this route instead and didn’t go with the violent prison break plot point.
This could’ve been good, but ended up falling flat hard and failing to convey anything important socially regarding poverty and the people who struggle through it.
Final rating: 2/5, this was not a good social awareness drama nor a good thriller.
Cinematography
Okay, this movie has a few saving graces, and one of them is its cinematography. It has a few good shots that stand out, with some being wallpaper worthy:
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This movie seems to love playing with symmetrically balanced compositions and wide shots, which I dig!
The way the movie is graded in some scenes seem to remind me of older Korean films for some reason, though I can’t grasp exactly why.
Final rating: 4.5/5
Characterization
In my opinion, also quite weak. None of the characters stand out too much but Eun-yi, who’s overall mature, really knows how to read situations, and caring towards her troublemaking and selfish younger brother. What makes her particularly stand out is her calm and composed personality, and I personally feel like she was more fleshed out than the other characters.
Even Young-su, Ki-woo, and Ji-sook didn’t stand out this much in comparison to her, as their overall characterization was weak and they weren’t really fleshed out as the plot progressed.
Final rating: 2.5/5
Overall Rating: 3
Verdict: One size doesn’t fit all, some may enjoy this movie, but I clearly didn’t enjoy it too much. It could’ve been better with a bit of a more polished story. This movie attempted to bring empathy and awareness, only to sadly fail in doing so. With overall weak characters, there was no one I could really latch on to. The acting was good, but overall standard quality where it isn’t bad nor mediocre, but it wasn’t too great either. Granted, they were probably limited by the kinda weak script.
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laughing-with-god · 3 years
Text
The Unsaid Vow (Prologue)
Synopsis- You always knew when you weren't wanted. And the way things are going in your marriage with Jungkook, a divorce is looking more and more likely. While he's getting closer to a woman at work that you're certain he's having an affair with, you're planning your escape with your four-year-old son. However, five years of marriage did not expose you to a certain side of your husband. A side of Jungkook that only gets triggered when you try to leave and break apart your perfect 'family'.
Warnings- Yandere behavior, graphic language, violence/murder, women bashing on other women, heavily implied infidelity, bad parenting, absent father, broken family vibes, very slow buildup bc Jungkook doesn't really snap until you leave him so just give him a min lol, inexperienced author writing for a four-year-old (I never wrote for a kid before pls gimme a break), also I chose my future son's name for this fic but pls feel free to name him whatever you want :)
Slow burn Yandere Husband Jungkook
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Word Count; 5.4k
Unlike the vast majority of married couples, neither you nor Jungkook donned wedding rings.
Never in your five years of marriage did you regret this decision, given it was brought upon by you and your husband’s lack of funds for fancy wedding bands at the time of your rushed marriage.
Well, you were never annoyed....until tonight, that is.
The scene before you was exceptionally intimate, so much so that you felt the instinctual need to look away in respect of the two before you.
The woman was gorgeous, effortlessly attracting all the attention the small conference room had to offer. In addition to this natural charisma spurred on by her borderline enchanting looks, her short and skin-tight red dress showed off her pleasantly curvy body. Her long, silky, and jet-black hair was pulled back into an elegant ponytail that provided a simple background for her darling features. Utterly doll-like was her face; petite, creamy in complexion with bright doe eyes and berry-pink lips.
Such a beautiful woman was currently in the arms of an equally, if not more so, attractive man.
He was tall and slender, yet not at all lanky given his sturdy build that was a testament to his strict workout regime. His olive skin was complimented with occasional tattoos, a mix of faded and fresh ink that you knew like the back of your hand despite only the tats on his hand currently showing in his crisp Valentino suit. His mid-length inky black hair was down to frame his sharp face, and indeed it was a very handsome one consisting of full eyebrows, bow-like lips, a fleshy yet impish nose, and two large, yet seemingly bottomless, raven orbs.
This man had his arms encircling the middle of the mysterious woman, her expression lifting into a light-hearted giggle as she leaned forward to whisper something in his ear.
Whatever she said must’ve been amusing to the man, given his usual stoic facade briefly melted away as he allowed a small smile at her words, his pearly round teeth peeking out for a split-second appearance.
If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought that these two were lovers.
But there was only one problem with this scene.
That was your husband, Jungkook.
And that woman in his arms was not you.
As if sensing your distress and wanting to soothe your well-founded suspicion, Jungkook pulled away from the woman and ran his gaze across the room- only stopping when he spotted you. Your spouse then gestured at you, the girl following his line of sight and landing on you and your pitiful spot by the snack table. Her joyful expression briefly dropped for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it second, but she quickly plastered on another grin and nodded. The two then strode their way over to you, barely giving you enough time to steel your nerves and muster a polite purse of the lips.
Before you knew it, the woman was right in front of you with your partner at her side instead of yours. Much to your dismay, she was only more attractive up close, and you narrowly held back a grimace as she held out a hand in introduction. You took it and shook it lifelessly.
“Hello, you must be Mrs. Jeon. I’m Sana, Jungkook’s colleague.” Even her voice was pretty, musical and light to the ears.
“H-Hi, nice to meet you but please call me Y/n.” A brief and awkward pause as Sana briefly sized you up and down. “Um, Jungkook has never mentioned you….” you trailed off, side-eyeing your husband in hopes he would intervene and add context to this random goddess he’s thrust upon you.
Jungkook gracefully took his cue and explained, “Sana transferred from another branch out of the city and has only been with us for five months. I’m her case supervisor and have been taking care of her, showing her the ropes and whatnot.”
Sana didn’t even spare you a glance as she fondly looked up at your husband, coyly biting her lip and saying in a much softer tone that could've been just for his ears only, “And he’s been really good at taking care of me.”
You didn’t consider yourself a jealous stay-at-home wife who obsessed over the tiniest details between her husband and other women, but the double meaning behind her badly-whispered comment was enough to make you splutter in disbelief. However before you could even gather up the courage to ask just what the hell ‘taking care of me’ consisted of, two new faces waltzed up and joined the conversation.
“Are you all enjoying this fabulous Christmas party?” A tall, broad-shouldered but nice-looking man asked in a tone of familiar amicability.
You thankfully smiled up at him, having met him many times before.
His name was Jin, and he was the one who got Jungkook this job.
It occurred about five years ago when you first told Jungkook that you were pregnant. Being the romantic but overall good guy that Jungkook was, he insisted that you two get married so that your child could have parents who were at least husband and wife. In addition it would also lessen the judgment in your two families, which at the time was extremely appealing to you. You had agreed to marry on one condition: after running to the courthouse you two would need to move in together in a decent apartment with a room for the nursery. But getting an apartment would mean month-to-month rent, and Jungkook’s tattooing gigs weren’t stable enough to ensure that.
Jin was originally a friend of Jungkook’s older brother, but when he heard through the grapevine about the issue, he bought Jungkook a couple of suits and offered him a job at the corporation he worked at.
Now Jungkook made more than enough money to support your little family, and it was all because Jin took a chance on a college drop-out and his knocked-up girlfriend.
You opened your mouth to respond but were cut off by the unknown lady beside Jin.
“I’d say a little too much fun if anything. Sana and Jungkook, we get that you're the infamous office couple but maybe tone it down a bit, huh?” She joked while raising her brows at the close proximity between the two.
A long and tortuous silence swept the scene.
Jin glanced at you, pity swimming in his usually carefree eyes.
Not trusting your voice to say anything and desperately wanting to hide your face from the piercing eyes, you distracted yourself by taking calculated sips of watered-down eggnog.
“Daehyun...this is actually Y/n, Jungkook’s wife,” Jin told the lady in an uncomfortable voice.
You didn’t know what stung more, the fact that this stranger thought that there was more chemistry between Sana and your husband than with you, or that it was Jin who corrected this mistake and not Jungkook himself.
“O-Oh, well it’s nice to meet you.” Daehyun awkwardly said to you while avoiding direct eye contact.
You offered a tight smile, “Pleasure.”
Whatever gratitude you could’ve had for Daehyun’s clear embarrassment quickly vanished when the woman went on to continue, “I’m sorry. Jungkook never mentioned being married and he doesn’t wear a ring so I didn’t even know. I bet it must be interesting for his housewife to meet his office wife though, right?”
She laughed, not realizing that she only succeeded in putting a foot in her mouth right before stomping it all over your pesky little heart. The group didn’t seem to share your uneasiness, all three of them politely chuckling along to the lukewarm joke at your expense. Once again, you focused on your dwindling beverage to avoid the burden of speaking or even facing them directly, too scared that your miserable expression would be unanimously inspected.
“Well, we just came over to recruit you all for some karaoke!” Jin cheerfully announced, clearly trying to change the subject, “There’s a machine in the break-out room and it’s more fun to sing with a group.”
“More like you want an audience.” Jungkook wittingly teased, a handsome smirk on his face as Sana playfully scolded him with a push to the chest.
“I’ll take your jabs now Kookie because I know they stem from your insecurity that I can actually upstage you in the vocals department.” Jin rebutted in good nature, even letting your husband’s old nickname slip.
Daehyun and Sana both guffawed at this declaration, exaggerated disbelief present on their faces.
“Jungkook is the best singer in the office. He’ll upstage you without even trying.” Daehyun said in a tenor of utter confidence.
“Only one way to find out!” Jin brushed the comment off, pointing to the direction of the assumed breakout room, “Karaoke anyone?”
The so-called office wife nodded enthusiastically, taking your husband’s arm and looking up at him to plead, “Can we do a duet of that one song we like?”
Jungkook, for the first time in seemingly hours, shot you with a questioning gaze.
Be married to someone for a while and you’ll learn how to decipher what they’re trying to say with just mere looks. Your husband was wordlessly inquiring if you were going to join, if he should go along with the group or if you two should break away and do something else.
The ball was finally in your court.
Not wanting to be rude but needing to get away from these people before you lost your cool, you decided on a subtle excuse.
“I need a refill, but maybe we can meet you all later?” You said, shaking your empty paper cup as if to prove your case.
“Oh, well the drinks are right behind you.” Sana condescendingly pointed out, tightening her hold on your husband and began steering him towards the exit, “We’ll save a seat for you.”
Bewildered, you watched as Jungkook obediently followed her lead with the Daehyun girl trailing behind.
He didn’t even spare you a glance.
You wanted to be angry.
You wanted to storm up to your husband, yank him out of the clutches of his colleagues and practically drag him back home under the premise that he would never speak to Sana ever again.
But instead of a righteous rage fueled by the marital vows you two took, utter exhaustion bestowed upon you and prevented any instigation on your part.
Maybe earlier in your marriage you would’ve fought for his attention, but now you simply just wanted to go home and lick your wounds with the help of a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream while self-obsessing over Sana’s outrageous attractiveness. After all, who could blame any hot-blooded man for choosing that goddess over you? What could you possibly do but lean back and accept that she was the obvious choice?
Other than her being a knockout beauty while you were merely average on your best day, she had other qualities that made her a more appealing catch. She was most likely younger than you, obviously fit, more ambitious and professionally driven than you, and presumably has no kids.
Meanwhile, you were just an old stay-at-home mom who lived off of her husband’s paychecks while he fucked his coworkers behind her oblivious back.
Before you could draw more detailed comparisons between Sana and yourself, you felt a large hand place itself on the middle of your back, successfully guiding your attention to the only person who bothered staying by your side.
Jin smiled sadly at you, sympathy shadowing his expression as he gestured with his other hand to the empty cup still in your hold. “Let’s get you some more eggnog.”
You nodded wordlessly, still speechless from the interaction, and allowed the taller man to guide you towards the snack table. Jin then took your cup and refilled it himself, providing you the opportunity to pick at the catered food in some cheap attempt at stress eating. By the time Jin came back with a full cup, you were halfway done with a sugar cookie and eyeing the meatballs next.
“Here ya go,” Jin said as he handed over the drink to you. You took it and nodded in thanks but kept your eyes glued to the food, not wanting him to see just how defeated and tired your face probably was. But, Jin wasn’t going to let the whole thing go. “Y/n….I know what you saw and heard looks really bad but trust me….nothing is going on between Sana and Jungkook.”
You snorted. “It doesn’t just look bad, Jin. It was like they were practically rubbing it in my face. Him having an affair isn’t the problem, it’s the way they’re not even bothering to keep it down. The least they could do is be discreet.”
Jin’s jaw slightly dropped, “‘Him having an affair isn’t the problem’? Y/n, do you even hear yourself? Of course that would be a problem! Do you not care about your own marriage anymore?”
And there it was.
The big question.
Did you truly even care about this marriage?
Well, let’s look at the facts.
One: The disrespect of his alleged mistress was more offensive to you than the fact that she was a mistress.
Two: Jungkook dragging you along to this office Christmas party was the first time in over a year that he bothered to take you out.
Three: You two had humble beginnings and could barely afford food, much less wedding bands when you first got married, but now he was a very wealthy man and had no excuse for not buying you or himself a ring. Unless, of course, he enjoyed acting single around other women.
Four: And on top of all this, it had to be factored in how distant he has been with overwhelming work hours that prevented any alone time with your husband. Sex with Jungkook has been off the table for almost a year now.
But did any of this really bother you until tonight? The answer was a resounding no. You were willing to take all those burdens in stride but tonight it wasn’t just about the fact that you were the unwanted wife Jungkook got sacked with, it was the fact that you were humiliated and forced to face the type of girl Jungkook should’ve been married to all along. That was all you were truly upset about.
The conclusion that you indeed didn’t care about your marriage and haven’t in some time now hit you in a sudden wave, but in no way were you shocked.
Voice shaky and brittle, you allowed yourself to be vulnerable with Jin and say the one thing you always secretly thought but never dared utter out loud. “I-I guess I always expected it to end like this. When we were younger, he was always the popular one and all the girls wanted him. We were only dating for three months when I got pregnant, and if it weren’t for our son he probably would’ve dumped me eventually and left for another girl. But, he stuck around for his kid because he’s a good father. And I’ve been nothing but a burden to him for a while now.”
Tears began to blur your vision, forcing you to quickly duck down and quietly sip at your drink so as to not embarrass yourself even more.
You heard a shuffle and suddenly Jin was holding you, using both of his lengthy arms to cage you in and rest you against his broad chest. It had been a long time since a man had held you like that, and you practically went boneless at the contact. You closed your eyes and tried to will away the incoming tears, even going so far as to solely focus on the scent of Jin’s cologne as he soothingly said, “Y/n, listen closely to what I’m about to say. You and Hugo were never a burden to Jungkook, and you two never will be. Your marriage was sudden, but it doesn’t make it less valid than any other marriage out there. Jungkook has been with you for so long, he just doesn’t realize when other women are interested in him because he’s been off the market forever. But I promise you, if I knew for even a second that he cheated, I would tell you right away.”
You didn’t say anything.
Although Jin’s words were comforting, they weren’t necessarily true. A marriage that started from a healthy courtship and true love instead of inconvenient circumstances was of course more valid than yours. And even though you were sure of Jin’s honesty and loyalty to you, Jungkook could’ve easily kept his affair secret from Jin as well.
However, you didn’t wish to concern Jin anymore. You already put him through too much awkwardness tonight and didn’t want to keep him by your side as some sort of emotional sponsor any longer than you already have. Jin always loved parties and was the life of any one he was invited to, even if it was just a lame annual office gathering. You then felt guilty for putting Jin in a situation where he would even have to console you when he should be out enjoying karaoke with the rest of his coworkers.
You promptly pulled away from Jin and wiped at your face. He released you and also took a step back, carefully studying you for any signs of further turmoil. Once sure that your face was acceptably dry, you gazed back up at him and offered a thankful smile. “Thanks Jin, I’m sorry I just dumped all of that on you. I really have to use the ladies' room though, can you point me to it?”
“It’s right by the conference room,” Jin informed, pointing out the general direction for you. You nodded and took a few steps toward it before he grasped your wrist to stop you and ask, “Do you want me to wait for you?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll just find you and Jungkook when I’m out. Go and join the others for karaoke.”
Jin nodded but seemed unsure.
You didn’t look back to see if he actually went to follow the others, instead just advancing to the restrooms, secretly looking forward to some alone time even if it had to come from a public bathroom.
Once you entered the restroom you were relieved to find it completely empty, you weren’t sure if you could handle another run-in with Jungkook’s female colleagues. They all seemed to have a personal vendetta against you.
Instantly, you dashed to the mirror to inspect your makeup, assuming at least the mascara was ruined from your little cry. Thankfully, the damage was minimal and you were able to clean the smudges up with a damp napkin. You focused all your attention on the dreadfully small task, trying not to study your reflection too much given it would just conjure up more mental comparisons to all the other prettier women you encountered that night.
Yet the small task couldn’t last a lifetime, and you had to resort to looking at your phone in search of things to do. You weren’t emotionally ready to go out and search for your husband, so you wanted to prolong your time in the bathroom. Although it hasn’t been that long since you left the house, you decided to text the babysitter for any updates about your son.
To Emily: Hey, is everything okay with Hugo?
It only took about 40 seconds for the teenage neighbor girl to text back an answer, clearly on top of things and overly eager to provide any updates.
Emily: Yes! He ate his dinner, took his bath and we’re about to get ready for bed.
Your motherly instincts were satisfied with that response, but it didn’t do anything to subdue your desire to return back home. Your thumbs briefly hovered over the keypad, somewhat hesitant with the next text you were about to send.
To Emily: Great, thanks again for doing this. Listen, I think we might head back home sooner than we thought. Don’t worry tho, I’ll still give you the pay for the full four hours.
Before you could wait for a response from her, the sound of multiple incoming footsteps interrupted the steady silence in the restroom. Muffled female conversation could also be heard, the slight laughter and bickering amongst a group of women approaching the bathroom. Your fight or flight instinct was triggered, and to avoid any more awkward encounters you rushed to the nearest stall and shut the door- fully prepared to wait out the faceless group of female colleagues.
You heard the restroom door swish open before the women burst in, chatting and giggling with their heels clicking against the tile floor. One of the unknown females made way to the stall beside you, the others presumably hovering by the mirror if the sudden comments about their appearances were anything to go by. You quietly sighed and pulled out your phone again, ready to drown out their office politics talk.
Only for the conversation to somehow steer towards you.
“Did you see her?”
“Of course, I was very confused, to be honest.” One of them replied. “I mean….look at Jungkook and you just assume that whoever he’s with is drop-dead gorgeous, and she was just eh.”
“Yeah, she was pretty plain. What was her name again?”
“Y/n.” A third voice cut in, this one eerily familiar to you.
You glued a hand over your mouth to silence your gasp.
It was Sana.
“Did he ever mention her around you? You are the closest to him in the office Sana, and we didn’t even know he had a wife until tonight.”
“No, I didn’t know until tonight either.”
“What?! That’s insane. Literally all the time he spends with you: getting coffee, buying you lunch, driving you home after late nights, and he conveniently never mentions that he has a wife at home?”
“That’s suspicious. But I guess if I had a dog like that at home, I’d never mention her either.”
Cruel laughter from all of them.
The toilet from the stall next to you flushed, then opened as a new voice entered the discussion while she approached the sinks.
“It’s more than suspicious. He doesn’t even wear a wedding ring. And he’s so close to Sana but never mentioned that he’s married?” A pause as she washed her hands. “It’s obvious what he’s trying to do. Jungkook is trying to have an affair with Sana.”
Although this exchange was extremely hurtful to you, you felt somewhat relieved that you weren’t the only one to see what your husband was doing.
A pause hung in the air as none of the women spoke for a minute, they were willing to gossip but apparently outright declaring the obvious was a step too far for them.
Eventually, one of them chimed in with their own observation.
“Can you blame him? Sana you’re the most beautiful person in the office and you look so good next to him anyway. Much better than that cow Y/n.”
Another round of obnoxious laughter that broke your heart.
“C’mon guys. We gotta head back. Jungkook is gonna get anxious if Sana is away for too long.” Someone teased.
They all murmured in agreement, heading towards the exit as a group before one stopped them with a final question.
“Wait, Sana. If Jungkook does want to have an affair with you, what are you going to do?”
Although you couldn’t physically see Sana, you practically heard the smirk on her face as she said, “Who says we already aren’t having one?”
--
Needless to say, you ditched the Christmas party almost immediately after the bathroom incident.
You texted Jungkook a white lie about Emily struggling with Hugo, although a good father would’ve known something was up because your son had never given babysitters any trouble before. But luckily, your husband also wasn’t doing so hot in the dad department either.
You would’ve felt bad for not telling the truth if the truth wasn’t so fucking embarrassing.
“Hey, I’m gonna go home to cry like a little girl because I caught your coworkers talking shit about me. Oh, and also your little girlfriend accidentally let it slip that you’ve been fucking her this whole time. K talk to ya later!”
You grimaced at the thought of actually sending that text.
Sure it’s what that cheating bastard deserves, but you just weren’t emotionally ready for that fight yet. Especially after the night you endured, you needed some time to pick yourself up and figure out what to do next.
Divorce was the next logical step, but you were financially dependent on Jungkook. If you moved out and took Hugo with you, where would you two stay? How could you afford to be a single parent? And if Jungkook were to try to fight you for custody or the divorce in general, you would need a damn good lawyer. Unfortunately, lawyers weren’t cheap, especially one that stood a chance against Jungkook and all his wealth.
Your shoulders sagged with the imaginary weight of all these burdens.
When you entered the high-rise penthouse that you called home, you were surprised to see Emily anxiously pacing the foyer in waiting for your arrival.
“Hey, how was Hugo?” You greeted politely, already opening your clutch to pull out the agreed-upon salary.
“M-Mrs. Jeon, I swear I tried to have him in bed by eight like you said but he’s being stubborn and said he won’t go to sleep until you come back and read to him-” The teenager rushed out all at once, clearly nervous that you would scold her.
You held a hand out to stop her rambles, using your other hand to give her the money, and offered her what you hoped was a comforting smile, “It’s okay, Em. Thanks for doing this on such short notice. Why don’t you run home now and try to enjoy your Christmas Eve?”
Emily looked relieved that you weren’t mad, gratefully taking the cash before grabbing her jacket and shoes to make her exit. “Thanks so much for this Mrs. Jeon. Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas.” You farewelled while walking the young girl out, locking the door behind her.
You turned around and proceeded down a long hallway that led to the bedrooms, stopping at the door beside the master room which belonged to your four-year-old son. You opened it to peer inside, the familiar deep blue walls with painted-on sea creatures greeting you back, swiftly reminding you once more of Hugo’s obsession with the ocean.
Your son was bundled up in a twin bed so big that it practically drowned him, his small frame barely being recognizable in the large fish-printed duvet wrapped around his tiny frame, only his small and adorable face peeking out to stare right back at you.
Hugo was essentially a carbon copy of Jungkook. At first you were somewhat resentful about this, how was it possible that you carried a baby for nine months and he came out with absolutely none of your features? But after a while of watching Hugo grow up and come into his own slowly but surely, you were pacified by the conclusion that while he may look exactly like his father, his personality and heart took after you.
“Dumpling, why did Emily say you were giving her a hard time and wouldn’t go to bed?” You asked gently, sitting by his side and petting his black hair.
‘Dumpling’ was a nickname you chose for Hugo since you first found out you were pregnant with him. It stemmed from your sudden pregnancy craving to eat dumplings and nothing else, you once even going two straight weeks surviving off the food. There were many times where Jungkook had to bribe you into eating other things, playing on your guilt for not providing your baby all the nutrition he needed. But even now ‘Dumpling’ still stuck, if Hugo’s chubby cheeks were anything to go by.
“Mommy, I-I’m sorry but-” His big doe eyes looked up at you in teary guilt, “I really needed you here. It was a nece-necess-”
“Necessity, bub.” You finished for him, grinning at his attempt at a big word.
Part of you wanted to scold the boy for being difficult, but you didn’t have the heart to. Lately, Hugo has been more clingy to you than ever before. Yet it was practically impossible to punish him because Hugo has always been a good kid and you knew deep down that he didn’t act out unless there was something else going on. You suspected that it had something to do with the lack of his father’s presence that forced him to hold onto you like his life depended on it.
“Well try not to do it again, okay? Emily is a nice girl and she’s just following my orders when she tells you to go to bed.” You said, ducking down to peck the crown of his head and continue running your fingers through his hair.
Hugo nodded in understanding but ultimately stayed silent, basking in your cuddles.
All was silent for a passing moment, and while Hugo enjoyed his mother’s touch, your mind gradually returned to the turmoil that was your marriage.
A sudden epiphany struck you and bit your lip as you debated an idea.
Should you expose your son to your future plan?
The victim of any divorce has always been the children who were left behind. And the last thing you wanted to do was blindside Hugo. Perhaps you should play the hypothetical game just to see where your son’s head was at? It went without saying that Hugo was closer to you than Jungkook and you were more of a parent than your husband. But still, every kid deserved to have a say in their parents’ divorce.
“Bub, how would you feel if….it was just me and you?” You hesitantly inquired.
“What do you mean mommy?” Hugo titled his head in bewilderment and craned his neck to look back up at you.
“What if me and you went away to live together?” You clarified.
“Like a va-vayca-”
“Vacation? And no. But forever. Just me, you and no one else.” You whispered, as if Jungkook himself would storm in and catch you planning your escape with the toddler.
“Oh.” A pause as you could practically hear the mechanisms in his four-year-old brain trying to work out the logistics of what you just proposed. “Okay.”
The nonchalance in his youthful voice had you taken aback.
“It’s a really big decision, Hugo. You wouldn’t mind...not living with daddy anymore, right? You would hardly ever see him, dumpling.”
The boy shifted to lean more of his body against you, essentially resting against you with his head on your chest as he said, “But it’s like that already, mommy.”
Your heart broke.
You wrapped your arms around him and pulled him closer to you, feeling a maternal instinct to comfort and protect.
“Okay Dumpling. I need you to promise me not to tell daddy what we talked about.”
“”Kay.” Hugo yawned and closed his eyes, inhaling deep breaths of your scent and beginning the process of falling asleep. “When do we leave?”
“It’ll take some time, bub. You start school in a few months, so mommy will try to find a job while you’re there.” You told him, not bothering to try to explain the concept of a lawyer or apartment deposits on top of that. “But we can do this. It has to be a secret but you're my partner in crime.”
“Like spies?”
You chuckled, “Yeah, like spies. Promise to work with mommy in utter secrecy?”
You held up a pinky, one that Hugo grasped with his own.
“Promise.”
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Author’s Note:  So....A while ago before I took my long ass hiatus, I did a poll for which yandere story I should write next.  The Unsaid Vow won but that was around the same time that shit hit the fan in my life.  Recently was scrolling through my notes on my phone and found some of the plot points for this story and I needed a lil break from QQ.  Plus I know so many ppl were hyped for this concept so....Here ya go lol.  This is kinda short but it’s just a set up, Chapter one’s plot line will start a few months after this when Hugo will start kindergarten and Y/n will actually start looking in to jobs, lawyers and apartments.  Also I’m sorry but I’m really bad at writing for kids lol, and I absolutely refuse to write that gross ass baby talk so just pretend your son is a lil genius okay? Also srry Once but I needed really pretty girls to be villians in my story so yeah, Twice girls in here aren’t likable but aren’t reflective of how i actually feel about them lol.
Big thanks to @sushireads​ once again for creating the cover art for this fic.  They literally are becoming my go-to for fic art.
And my beta readers @bigbuffjoonie and @mustardpop​! They beta’d for QQ and I came to them really early about this fic.  They were with me since the beginning and have given me advice with creative choices to just simple grammar.  They easily could’ve leaked the first draft of this too but they didn’t and kept it secret for a while.  I was really insecure about getting out of my comfort zone with this plot but they really guided me.  
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princessozera · 2 years
Text
Sugar rush
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A/N: Lost the original request but it was for the brothers reacting to MC waking them up at like 2 am to make/eat sweets.
GN!MC (they/them, 2nd ppov)
Word count: 1.8k
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Lucifer
It's almost the witching hour when Lucifer places his pen down with a relieved sigh. Despite the extra work from the upcoming festival, he managed to finish earlier than normal, and he might actually get some decent sleep. He goes through his usual night routine and heads to bed, feeling the weariness leave his body as it relaxes into the mattress. He goes to turn the night stand lamp off when a weight behind him moved the mattress.
"Psssst. PSSSST. Hey Lucifer. Do you want some cookies?"
Lucifer rolls over to glare at you, side eyeing the covered dish in your hands. He's probably be more angry if he'd fallen asleep before you came in, so you've luckily escaped the worst of his punishments. Doesn't mean you're escaping his attitude though. "How did you get in, my door was locked."
"Tsk, so ungrateful. Here I am, going out of my way to make you cookies for a hard day's work and you're on this 'breaking and entering' business."
"MC-"
"Fine fine, I'll save them for breakfast, if Beel doesn't break into my room first."
Lucifer normally checks on his brothers in the middle of the night to make sure they haven't snuck out or raided the fridge, and now it seems you also need to be checked on. Lucifer will be too busy to join your baking most nights, but he does go out of his way to make time for it if he notices you've been down lately. He comes to appreciate these few hours with you, idle chatter but no real pressure to hold a conversation. You simply enjoy each others company as you work in tangent, passing ingredients and cleaning as you go. However, you two work a little too well together; you're so comfortable in this pattern of working together that if you're not careful you end up with enough cookies to feed the entire Devildom, AND Beel.
Mammon
"Ok, it's midnight, I've got half an hour to get to the casino before the real money starts moving-" Mammon mutters to himself as he slicks his hair back, double checking the silver watch on his wrist. Lucifer was out on business and he intended to make use of these next few nights. Mammon knows his brother well enough than to walk out of the front door- it was probably hexed- so he opens a side window to sneak out instead. Right as he sticks his head out, something slams against him and forces him back in. He's ready to curse Lucifer out under his breath, only to see you rubbing your head- having just failed at sneaking into his room.
"MC? What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to bake some cookies with me, but now maybe I need to go to a doctor, hell, why is your head so hard-"
"Cookies? It's midnight, you should be asleep."
"So should you." He sticks his tongue out at that, and considers your offer. It's about a 50/50 chance that he'll accept, sometimes he's just too pumped to go out for the night so he'll offer to bring you along instead of staying in. When you manage to convince him to stay in with you, he won't change out of his nice clothes, even if you're in PJs. Rolls up his sleeves and takes his rings off, he insists you make his favorite cookies every time- they just taste better when you make them together. Mammon is the type to throw a bit of flour or batter at you, tossing you a few chocolate chips or nuts here and there as you bake. You two joke easily and sometimes you get so wrapped up in your little bubble that you forget it's the middle of the night so Lucifer has to come down to yell at you two for making too much noise.
Every time Mammon will joke about starting a cookie business with you, one that could rival Madam Screams, and every time you have to remind him that he and Beel would eat most of the inventory. Mammon's ever the smooth talker so he'll help you bake, but he also tries to trick you into cleaning the dishes yourself. Nothing could beat fresh cookies with you at 2 am, even if he knew he'd feel the lack of sleep tomorrow morning. Mammon is one of the few brothers that might come to wake YOU up for a midnight baking session, especially once he realizes you've been inviting his other brothers to bake when he goes out.
Leviathan
Waking him up isn't the problem- it's pulling him away from the game/series of the night. He's always been strict with his gaming, and even the chance at getting some alone time with you doesn't completely waver his dedication. If he's in co-op, there is an almost zero percent chance he's coming with you. Otherwise, you're pretty successful at pulling him away after the next episode/ battle, assuming he doesn't convince YOU to stay.
Levi will often join you, but if he isn't making something specific he sets a timer. The second it dings he's picking up his snacks and going back to his marathon, but of course you're welcome to come chill in his room once you're done baking. If Levi wants to make something with you, his baking tends to be complicated and he's fickle over the designs- mostly replicating food from the last show he watch or in honor of his favorite videogame characters. His hands are steady as he pipes chocolate, never blinking as he keeps watch on the thermometer to avoid burning the caramel he's making, demanding absolute silence for 'fragile' desserts like macaroons and cheesecakes- all while you're here just trying to enjoy a simple batch of snickerdoodles.
Oh, and good luck with clean up because Levi dumps it all on you while he goes to hide his creations.
Satan
"psst pssssssst. Satan, are you asleep?"
Had it been anyone else in the three realms, you might have been obliterated on the spot. Satan's sleep schedule is a bit irregular- between his schoolwork, social calendar, and reading binges it's a little difficult to get sufficient rest, so he tries to make the most of the few hours he can before class. He's glaring at you from between his covers, his green eyes and the most horrendous cow lick the only things visible beneath the blanket.
"Yes."
"Then how'd you respond?"
"Whhhhaattt do you want MC?" His voice is whiny with sleep, so it was a little hard to tell that you were in danger, instead trying to tug the blankets off.
"Come on sour puss, let's make cookies."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Satan puts up a fight, and if you keep pushing he's just going to pin you under one arm and go back to sleep, and now you're trapped there for the night- at least you can cuddle him. Like Asmo, Satan isn't one to compromise his sleep unless he absolutely has to, so if you want to make cookies with him you need to catch him while he's reading late into the night, or coming back from an event.
When you can get him to bake with you, he always goes by the book until he memorizes the recipe. He'll want to make your favorite cookies, but if neither of you can decide on what to make, he'll ask to make cat biscuits to donate to the cat cafe tomorrow. Satan talks about his books, and asks about your schoolwork and other friends while you two bake, keeping a mellow atmosphere since it's late into the night. If the mood is just right, he'll hum a song under his breath as he roams the kitchen, taking a minute to inspect each spice and ingredient before throwing some in for the hell of it. Satan puts on a timer and will let you lean against him while you wait for the cookies to finish baking. He probably won't eat any if it's late, not wanting to brush his teeth again, but he'll make sure to save them for when he goes back to reading later on.
Asmodeus
When you wake him up that first night, Asmo was up in a second, and scared. You never really came into his room late at night unannounced, and when you did you just rolled into bed and fell asleep- so was something wrong? Were you hurt?
Once you reassure him you were okay, he finds your offer of cookies very cute. He'll join you once in a blue moon, but proper beauty sleep is one of the Asmo's essential necessities in life. He'll compromise with you if you want to make cookies a little earlier (when he would normally be at parties) and schedule it with him ahead of time so he can work it into his routine. It works best if you have a few set days in the month to night baking so he's always dressed up for you and might even have a few recipes he wants to try- most of them are cupcakes.
Beel
You think you're waking HIM up? That's cute. Beel was already on his way to the kitchen when you run into him, and he agrees to join your baking mission. He gives you first dibs on the fridge so he doesn't feel bad about eating the rest. Even then, you have to prepare separate batches of cookies because raw cookie dough is one of Beel's favorite desserts. He takes care of all the cleaning while you make sure the cookies don't burn, and prevent Beel from eating them straight out of the oven.
Belphegor
Since Belphegor spends most of the day asleep, it's not uncommon to find him awake for an hour or too at odd times of the night. He'll agree to be with you while you bake, but probably won't do any of the baking himself- instead sitting on the bar stool and enjoying your energy as you bring him up to speed on what you've done this week. He'll pick at the ingredients and take a bite here or there, even helping you mix the batter and dry the dishes, but if the talk lulls for too long, he risks falling asleep. While he normally wouldn't care, it's rare for him to get any alone time with you. As if on cue, Beel walks in for his midnight fridge raid and as you two start talking, Belphie dozes off. When the cookies are done and cooled a bit, you and Beel have a competition to see how many cookies you can stack on Belphegor without him waking up. It's always the full platter, and Beel eats most of them, but you've already squirreled a few away to give to Belphie later in the day. It's like clockwork every time, but familiarity was one of the best things about Belphegor.
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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years
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The Nie brothers time travel but something goes wrong and they end up in each other bodies. So now they have to defeat WRH, find a way to curb JGY worst tendencies, and hide (and undo) the switch before any cultivator decides they are possesed by evil spirits
“I can’t do this,” Nie Huaisang announced heavily. “I can’t. Nope. Cannot. No way.”
“You apparently found a way to time travel into the past,” his brother pointed out. He was taking this entire thing very calmly – or, rather, like he’d heard a really great joke. It wasn’t that Nie Huaisang had forgotten that his brother had a sense of humor hidden under the rage, especially in the earlier years before Jin Guangyao got at him, but he may have downplayed his memories of how annoying it was to be the target of it. “Your abilities are clearly well beyond what you’ve been leading me to believe.”
“I’m sneaky,” Nie Huaisang explained. “I can scheme and plot and play politics, sometimes, if I have to. But I cannot be a general!”
I cannot be you, he meant. He might currently be inhabiting his long-dead brother’s body – an unfortunate side effect of messing up the time travel array, he suspected, but then again experimental things were often imperfect – while his brother’s spirit had been cast out into his own former self, but he wasn’t his brother.
He could never be.
(But Nie Mingjue was alive, alive and well with bright eyes and that stupid smirk that didn’t fit right on Nie Huaisang’s smaller face except in the ways it sort of did, and that was all Nie Huaisang had ever wanted in his life, other than Jin Guangyao to pay in blood and shame for depriving him of it.)
“Why not?” his brother asked. He leaned back and stretched lazily. Nie Mingjue never did a lazy thing in his whole life, so it was deliberate. He was enjoying this. “We have a battle strategy, already decided; most of the rest of it is on-the-ground tactics, which can be done just as well from behind the lines as at the front of them. There’s a reason that no one ever settled on the best place for a war-leader to be – it comes down to temperament.”
Nie Huaisang threw his hands into the air. “I know that! I was sect leader for nearly two decades, da-ge; I assure you, I’ve heard all the sect’s philosophical musings by now. But I don’t have your temperament – there’s no way someone won’t figure out what’s happened, that we’ve switched, and that’ll be a disaster.”
“Two decades,” Nie Mingjue said thoughtfully, focusing on the entirely wrong part of the conversation.
“A decade and a half to avenge your untimely murder,” that got a flinch out of his brother and his focus back, just as Nie Huaisang had wanted, “and another five to find a way to come back and avert it entirely.”
Nie Huaisang had always been resourceful. Resourceful, and ruthless – sometimes to a degree that scared even him.
When he was younger, it was okay. After all, the only thing he used it for was sneaking treats and spoiling himself, and it didn’t really matter if he was ruthless about stuff like that. And then his brother died – was murdered – and suddenly he knew what it was like to be his brother: a young man suddenly shoved into the role of sect leader, and having to balance everything he now had to be against the overwhelming blistering hatred he bore for and the crippling weight of the vengeance he had sworn against a man who had taken away someone he loved forever for something as pointless and ephemeral as political advantage.
(He had to take a deep breath at the mere thought of it, the family rage spiking under his skin. It was a bit of a surprise, actually, to find that his brother didn’t have more of it - he’d always assumed that his rage was lesser, weaker, the way his golden core was, but no. It turned out their rage was just the same.)
“So what you’re saying,” his brother said, and he was smirking again, oh no, “is that you’re focused, efficient, and unyielding in pursuit of your goals, given the right motivation. That sounds like general material to me.”
“Not if the goal is to make sure no one knows what’s happened,” Nie Huaisang hissed. Had own face always looked so incredibly punchable? “Da-ge, it doesn’t matter what type of general I might be. What matters is that it’s not the same type of general you are – you’re always at the front line, leading the charge. I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can,” his brother said. “By the time you’re in the middle of a charge, you’re not really thinking tactics anymore. It’s all just fighting, and I know you know all the moves, no matter how much you bitch and moan about having to practice them.”
Nie Huaisang glared, crossing his arms over his chest – his brother’s arms, his brother’s chest, and this was still just too weird. He hadn’t even had time to properly weep and cry and hug his brother the way he’d expected to in the event the time travel array worked; they’d had to jump straight into explanations and strategizing because there was a pretty big battle happening in less than twenty-four hours and they needed to fix this first.
His brother rolled his eyes at him, and for the first time Nie Huaisang realized that his brother was going to have no problem at all pretending to be him – the acting problem here went only one way. “Just let Baxia handle the aggression part, okay? The rest is muscle memory, and I, at least, have done enough to build that in.”
“Letting the saber spirit in like that is dangerous, da-ge,” Nie Huaisang reminded him, eyes narrowed. His brother was also assuming that Baxia would agree to be wielded by anyone other than her beloved master, which was a stretch – she barely even agreed to be sharpened by someone else, resisting violently whenever someone tried. 
Jin Guangyao had died still bearing the scars from his attempt. 
“Well, apparently I get murdered before it becomes an issue, so why worry?” his brother cackled, and Nie Huaisang glared harder. It had no impact whatsoever: Nie Mingjue stood up and stretched again. “You know what, Huaisang, if you’re feeling the need to sit around and pity yourself, you’ve got at least a few incense sticks’ worth of time to do it in before actually doing something becomes necessary – I, on the other hand, am going to do something productive with my time.”
“Like what?”
His brother grinned at him with teeth. “Saber training. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Nie Huaisang picked up a teacup and hurtled it at his beloved big brother’s head. Naturally, Nie Mingjue dodged, effortlessly, and left laughing.
“At least pretend like you’re going to behave!” Nie Huaisang bellowed after him, but his brother just waved at him, and – ugh. This was vengeance for a lifetime of laziness, wasn’t it? Coming to bite him in the ass.
After a few minutes, Nie Huaisang picked up another teacup – they always had dozens of them in the Nie sect, cheaply made in bulk and specifically designed to shatter easily because of the family tendency to throw stuff around and not calm down until something was broken, and better a cheap teacup than an expensive door or table, better something designed not to hurt anyone who happened to get in the way or didn’t know how to duck faster enough – and threw it against the door again.
It shattered beautifully. NIe Huaisang had only rarely been able to get it to do that, and never so effortlessly – the advantage of his brother’s strength.
Strength, and height. Nie Huaisang was tall now.
Okay, self-pity could wait until later. Nie Huaisang was going to go patrol the camp for a little bit and enjoy looking down at all the people.
It was going to be great.
It was, too. Even talking with people wasn’t as difficult as he thought it was going to be. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised at that; he had been sect leader for years, so he was accustomed to answering questions and making on-the-fly rearrangements and responding to things with leading questions that made the other person come up with the solution on their own, not to mention saying encouraging things that made people feel better about things. 
He’d had to do a lot of that, being the Head-shaker, and even more afterwards, when he’d shed his disguise like a cicada shedding its skin.
It was easier now than it had ever been before, of course. The Nie sect was still strong, under his brother’s leadership; his disciples didn’t have that discouraged look lurking in the back of their eyes, the shame of being led by the disgraceful Head-shaker. It was easy to brighten someone’s day with a nod in their direction, disciples blooming like roses at the sight of their stern sect leader looking approving, and the questions he received were far more intellectually stimulating than the usual – less about making sure he knew what he was supposed to do and more actual puzzles, things that had really tripped people up.
Nie Huaisang tried at first to keep his answers short, tried to pretend to be more stoic and stand-offish the way the famous Chifeng-zun ought to be, except when he did everyone just smiled at him the way they always had when he’d been the Head-shaker – a little indulgent, a little pitying, a little “well he’s trying his best” – and after a while Nie Huaisang started remembering things he’d long ago forgotten.
Things like how his brother was actually kind of a mess sometimes, emotionally speaking – he was the sort of person who got weepy over dramatic literature – and how he’d never quite gotten the hang of people, how he valued his friends like gold and held grudges way too long and promoted people just because they seemed decent; how he sometimes spent his entire money pouch and more on buying Nie Huaisang stupid trinkets because it seemed to make him happy, even borrowing money from their escort, which would always be doubled over laughing at how their fearsome sect leader couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Like how Nie Huaisang’s sect was his family, aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, whether born in or adopted or just part of the sect. The good type of family – not always the closest, not always your friends, not always even people you really liked, but still all predisposed to take your side in a fight if it came down to it.
These were the people who supported him and stood behind him – even when he was the Head-shaker.
He’d almost forgotten.
And so, despite himself, Nie Huaisang softened a bit. He stopped trying to respond to everything with a grunt or a huff, started asking about people’s families, making suggestions, telling them they’d done a good job.
“Glad you’re out of your mood,” Nie Yongbiao, who’d been quietly trailing him, finally commented, and Nie Huaisang blinked owlishly at him. “What kicked it off this time? You usually only get that closed-mouth after having to host guests.”
And that was true, wasn’t it? It had been such a long time, and after so much trauma, that Nie Huaisang had forgotten how his brother used to shut down whenever there was a discussion conference or an important meeting – how it took him longer and longer to get better on the other side as the qi deviation drew nearer, his meridians filling with Jin Guangyao’s spiritual poison. By the end, he had barely ever been open and free, barely seemed to remember how to drop his guard and relax, to act like a regular person with a sense of humor again, be the person Nie Huaisang knew his brother to be. 
But that was then, and this was now - war had been good for Nie Mingjue, in a strange way. Here in the camps there was a lessened expectation of etiquette, a great appreciation of strength, and his brother was more free to be himself, straightforward and blunt as the off side of a saber.
(Nie Mingjue had tried so hard to be a good brother to Jin Guangyao, Nie Huaisang abruptly remembered, but he’d shut down after every visit, worse than ever before. His heart had known the truth, even if he had allowed himself to be convinced by Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang to keep giving Jin Guangyao second chance after second chance. He should never have listened to them.)
“Argument with Huaisang,” he said, a safe answer, and Nie Yongbiao nodded wisely.
“Can you say what it was about?” he asked, rather unexpectedly – Nie Yongbiao wasn’t exactly talkative, and no one ever pried about their family affairs. Catching Nie Huaisang’s surprised look, he shrugged. “He’s obviously very upset.”
“He is?”
“He’s at the training field,” Nie Yongbiao stressed, and Nie Huaisang had to choke down a hysterical laugh. Of course Nie Yongbiao would think that something must have gone horribly wrong to get “Nie Huaisang” to go willingly to train.
Nor was Nie Yongbiao the only one, for that matter: when Nie Huaisang arrived at the training field they’d set up in the middle of the camp, he saw an entire crowd of Nie sect disciples milling around at the edge of the field, bearing a suspicious resemblance to a flock of over-anxious quail.
He reached up to his face, pretending to want to pinch the bridge of his nose but actually to smother a smile, and luckily he had regained control of his features by the time he reached the edge of the small sea of disciples because they immediately all turned to him with relieved expressions, their cries of “Sect Leader! Sect Leader!” ringing in his ears like the coos of his pet birds.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, and immediately received the full story: Nie Huaisang had come to the field looking upset – one person insisted there had been tears in his eyes – and had set himself up against a practice dummy, and he hadn’t stopped whacking at it ever since.
Clearly, the world was ending.
“We had an argument earlier,” Nie Huaisang admitted, and managed, barely, not to laugh at how they all looked at him with disapproving eyes. “I’ll talk with him.”
Approving nods all around, although they didn’t disperse.
“Sect Leader,” one of the older generation said, very hesitantly. “If it’s about – the clan matter – if there’s anything we can do to help –”
Nie Huaisang shook his head, feeling touched. When it really had been him, his brother had kept the specifics of it secret – the tombs, the inevitability, the deterioration he was so avidly trying to put off – until it was too late, and he’d had to learn about it the hard way; it was nice, though, that they apparently all worried so much on his behalf about it.
“Thank you,” he said, and meant it. “But it’s a different issue.”
Namely, the issue was that the person doing the training wasn’t Nie Huaisang at all, he thought, but when the crowd finally started breaking apart, people going back to their assigned tasks, and he finally managed to make his way to where his brother was, he was surprised to see that his brother really did appear to be upset.
He wasn’t practicing any of his normal training routines, but rather wielding Aituan in the same way a novice woodcutter would wield an axe: repetitive strikes, made wildly and with too much strength, as if hitting the practice dummy was the only thing that could vent his feelings.
“Uh, ‘Huaisang’?” Nie Huaisang asked, worrying his lip as he came closer. “Are you –”
His brother dropped Aituan to the ground – which, hey! Watch it, that was his saber! – and turned, and Nie Huaisang had only a moment to see his glassy eyes before his brother threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight.
Nie Huaisang automatically responded, wrapping his arms back around and holding Nie Mingjue close – it was nice, he thought, to finally have the reach he’d always felt he should have, big and tall and enveloping in its warm the way his brother had been for him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice low enough not to carry. “Did something happen…?”
“No,” Nie Mingjue said, but his lips were pressed together to keep them from trembling. Nie Huaisang’s body had always been free with his emotions, much to his annoyance; he’d learned to cultivate it into a disguise, but he hadn’t really liked it. Tears had never been a relief for him the way they’d been for his brother. “No, it’s nothing.”
“It’s obviously not nothing,” Nie Huaisang said firmly, and carted him off back to his tent. Being as worried as he was, he did his best not to be too smug about finally being the one who was strong enough to pick his brother up, rather than the other way around – not that he needed to, what with his brother following docilely along with him – but there was, perhaps, a little bit of smugness. “Okay, we’re back, silencing talismans are back up because we apparently have the nosiest disciples. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing, really…”
“Da-ge.”
“I left you alone,” his brother blurted out, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “For twenty years. Whatever I did, however I got murdered – some moment of carelessness – it doesn’t matter. I failed you.”
Oh, no. No, no, no– 
“No,” he said out loud. “No, da-ge, you were tricked – it wasn’t – it wasn’t your fault.”
“I always said I would hold up the sky for you,” Nie Mingjue said bitterly. “And instead I left you with the same inheritance that I received. I never wanted that for you, Huaisang. Never.”
“Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang said helplessly. “Da-ge, you don’t understand. You were trying. You wanted – you were doing everything you could. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t fail me. I was the one who failed you. I’ve always failed you –”
“Never!”
“I’m lazy, I’m selfish, I’m good-for-nothing, a head-shaker –”
“So what?” his brother said, glaring up at him. His eyes were red, but with tears, not qi deviation. “Even if it’s true, which it isn’t, because no head-shaker could have avenged me, could have found a way to come back, could have become the Nie sect leader and kept it for two decades, even if it’s true – so what? As long as you’re safe, I don’t care. As long as you have a way to defend yourself, and you so obviously must have, then nothing else matters. Nothing has ever mattered but your happiness.”
“And yours,” Nie Huaisang shot back. “You have the right to a life too, da-ge! You – you should have had my support. You should have been able to share your burdens, I should have helped you instead of anchored you down –”
“Huaisang –”
Nie Huaisang pulled him in tight again. “It’ll be different, this time,” he promised, his voice rough. “I’m older than you ever go the chance to be, da-ge. This time, I can help you with the things you’re not good at – I can do the politics, the people. We can bear the weight of the sect together.”
He felt a whisper in the back of his mind that was strange and yet familiar, approving. Baxia, he realized. Baxia, approving of him; Baxia, who would let him wield her,   and he sensed her confidence that no one would get past her iron guard, together protecting his brother in both body and soul.
“All right,” his brother said. “Together. You and me – and the others.”
“Others?”
“After so many years, you must know who’s trustworthy,” Nie Mingjue pointed out. Already back to being practical, even if he was wiping his eyes. “If we tell those people, they can help us keep up the impression that I’m you and you’re me for as long as we need it.”
Nie Huaisang was nodding along, because that made sense, only then his brother said the last part and it was like a sunrise had opened up in his head, the way terrible and wonderful ideas always did.
“Da-ge,” he said, tasting the words in his mouth. “Da-ge, how do you like my body?”
His brother blinked up at him. “It’s fine, I guess? You’re actually in pretty decent shape, better than I thought, and your cultivation is – well, you could do a bit more with that, honestly, but it’s not uncomfortable or anything. Why?”
Nie Huaisang smiled. He’d always been remarkably resistant to their family’s cultivation curse, and not only, as he’d pretended to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji all those years ago, because he didn’t practice - it was his temper, or lack thereof, that softened the saber spirit’s effects on him. 
Even if his body’s cultivation increased, he was far enough behind the curve, with his mediocre talent, that it would take decades for him to reach the level that it would be dangerous to him, while his brother’s prodigious talent, coupled with his inheritance of the family temper, made him even more likely to succumb – it was that prediction which had worried him so much that he had sought out treatment even before it had become a serious problem, the same worries that had driven him into Jin Guangyao’s trap.
What do you think? he asked the brand-new whisper in his mind. Aituan would probably bitch and moan about having to actually do things, but he’d secretly enjoy getting a bit more evil-killing in; the question was Baxia. What would she think?
A purr of agreement.
“I was just thinking,” Nie Huaisang said. “Chronologically speaking, I’m older than you are. I ran the sect for years – it might be hard to let go of that habit. How about we just…stay as we are, for now?”
Nie Mingjue frowned. “Baxia –”
“I’ll use her in public, and Aituan in private,” Nie Huaisang interrupted. He’d known that would be his brother’s first concern. “And you’ll do the opposite. And when we’re settled enough, we’ll come up with some excuse to switch.”
His brother hesitated. “But…you don’t like doing things. Responsibility. That sort of thing.”
“I got over it,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “Trust me, I have a whole system – I’ll implement it once the Sunshot Campaign is done; you’ll be amazed at how much easier it makes things, and then all the things that are left over are the stuff I actually enjoy. And this way, you could…I…”
He swallowed, and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders. He didn’t want to manipulate his brother into something like this – he didn’t want to manipulate his brother at all. His brother deserved the truth and honesty he had always freely given the world, and so Nie Huaisang could only offer up the unvarnished truth.
“I want to do this for you, da-ge,” he said. “I want you to have the life you should have had. I want you to have hobbies again, to make friends, real friends that will put you first. I want you to have fun with them without thinking of how people might think about it…please, da-ge. I came back here to keep you alive, but I want more than that. I want to see you live.”
“Okay,” his brother said, and he was choking back tears again. “We’ll – we’ll discuss it later, but I’ll think about it. Okay.”
“Good,” Nie Huaisang said. “Now catch me up on the tactics we’re planning on using in tomorrow’s battle, and I’ll let you know everything I know about what happens in the future…oh, and one more thing.”
“Oh?”
Nie Huaisang’s hand dropped to the table, parallel to Baxia; he could hear her purr in his mind whistling like the rumble of thunder. He smiled.
“Can you tell me where Meng Yao is?”
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swan-of-sunrise · 3 years
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Specs and the Flyboy (Chapter Nineteen-Part Three)
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Summary: (Y/N), Jack and their friends finally face off against Leviathan and the Secret Empire.
Pairing: Jack Thompson X Reader
Word Count: 4.1k
Warnings/Disclaimers:  None
A/N: Ya girl wrote this while dealing with sleep deprivation, cramps and the after effects of the vaccine, so I hope it’s good ‘cause at this point I can’t even tell lol Thank you all so much for reading! I hope that you enjoy!
Chapter Nineteen (Part III) Leviathan’s Weapons Facility, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Previous Chapter)
While the two of them were ushered down the staircase that led into the crate-filled warehouse by Michael and Dottie, (Y/N)’s mind raced as she struggled to think of a way out of their current conundrum. I’ve been in plenty of tough scrapes before but even I’ll admit that this one’s the toughest one yet, she thought to herself, her eyes rapidly scanning the large room; there were large, frost-covered windows towards the ceiling, several boarded-up skylights and the two metal doors she spotted were both guarded by Leviathan soldiers. By the time they reached the base of the stairs, (Y/N) had counted a total of twenty armed enemy operatives – seventeen Leviathan guards, Attwell, Underwood and Michael Carter – and from the brief glimpse she’d gotten of their friends hidden behind a stack of crates, it looked as though both Pinkerton and Sawyer were badly injured and the others were trying to bandage their blood-soaked wounds. So, we’re out-gunned and out-numbered, she concluded with a sinking feeling as she bit her lip in worry.
“So, Chief Thompson did survive his daring escape!” Attwell grinned, walking out into the empty space amidst the crates and standing before the two of them. “Truth be told, I was hoping that we’d meet again; I detest leaving loose ends, and killing the SSR’s golden boy once and for all would’ve been a genuine pleasure.”
Beside (Y/N), Jack’s shoulders tensed but he tilted his head to the side in mock contemplation. “What, you couldn’t do it without your Leviathan goons backing you up? What a real tough guy.”
Attwell’s fist quickly connected with Jack’s stomach and when he doubled over in pain, the man struck him across the face and sent him sprawling to the ground. “Stop it!” (Y/N) started towards her partner but the sudden feeling of a pistol barrel against the back of her neck stopped her cold; tearing her eyes away from Jack, she met Attwell’s gaze and struggled to keep her voice steady as she spoke, “He’s not the one who’s screwing up your deal with Leviathan, I am.”
“Of course, of course, the infamous codebreaker.” Attwell stepped closer but she held her ground, raising her chin in defiance and refusing to look away despite how uncomfortable his stare made her feel. After a tension-filled moment, his face broke out into a stomach-churning smirk. “It’s a shame that such promising talent’s being squandered by the SSR, by those who dismiss and condescend you at every turn. I was very much like you before joining Hydra; I was overshadowed at Cambridge by my perfect older brother and his two brilliant flatmates; while William, Michael and Adam flourished in their respective fields of study, I floundered and was subsequently expelled but as luck would have it, I was approached by Hydra and offered a chance to unlock my true potential; and here I stand before you, Agent (Y/L/N), to offer you that very-same chance. With the new Leviathan, your immeasurable skills would not only be recognized but they’d also be celebrated. You and Michael could work side-by-side in our efforts to break through as the world’s leading superpower and once we achieve our goal of fully weaponizing Zodiac, Agent (Y/L/N), you’ll have everything you’ve ever truly desired.”
Out of the corner of her eye, (Y/N) noticed Jack’s hand resting on his waist and while Attwell talked, her partner’s index finger had tapped away. It only took her seconds to realize he was sending out a message in Morse Code on the walkie-talkie still clipped onto his belt and once she did, she knew exactly what she needed to do.
“You know, it’s a good thing you’re decent at codebreaking, Specs, ‘cause you’d make a pretty shit spy. You fidget too much.”
If Jack can think up an off-the-cuff plan to get us out of this mess then I can buy us all a little time by being a good spy, she thought with resolve just as Attwell finished up his speech. Taking a page out of her partner’s book, (Y/N) raised an incredulous brow at the man as the corner of her mouth curled into a humorless smile. “There was a time when I would’ve given just about anything for people to recognize me and my skills, to appreciate just how hard I’ve worked to get where I am today. But then I grew up and realized that the only person whose appreciation I needed was my own. Mr. Attwell, I don’t need to be celebrated or appreciated by anyone, but especially not by a pathetic imitation of the Red Skull.”
The man’s expression instantly grew cold at the comparison. “Then it would seem that you’re of no use to us.” His gaze shifted to look at whoever was holding her at gunpoint and he nodded. “Shoot her, Michael.”
“Stop!” All of them looked over just as Peggy jumped out from behind their makeshift barricade with her rifle pointed directly at Attwell. “I’ll give you the key.”
“Peggy, no!” The barrel of the pistol pressed harder into (Y/N)’s neck and she winced in pain. However, her horror was quickly replaced with dawning comprehension when Peggy flashed her a pointed look before briefly glancing in Jack’s direction. She knows about whatever Jack’s planning, she silently realized, playing along with her old friend’s ruse by rearranging her features into a look of righteous indignation.
Moving to stand beside Attwell, Dottie raised the hand that wasn’t holding her rifle and gave the younger woman a small wave. “Hiya, Peggy. You know, you really should’ve listened to me back in New York; I told you there were currencies in the world stronger than money. I practically spelled all of this out for you! But the great Peggy Carter couldn’t figure it all out on her own, so she needed the help of…” Dottie turned to (Y/N) with a frown. “What’re those revolting nicknames you call each-? Oh, never mind, I don’t want to know.” Turning back to Peggy, the spy shrugged. “Well, I suppose not everyone’s perfect, are they?”
“No, they’re certainly not.” Attwell agreed, gesturing with his head for Peggy to lower her weapon and holding out his hand once she’d set it on the ground. “No tricks, Agent Carter. The key, and you and your friends are free to go; it appears that at least one of them is in need of medical attention, so I’d be quick about it if I were you.” When Peggy’s eyes flicked over to where Michael was standing behind (Y/N), Attwell chuckled darkly and shook his head. “No, I don’t think dear old Michael’s going anywhere but by all means, Agent, go ahead and ask him if you don’t believe me.”
For the first time since they were ushered into the warehouse, Peggy looked directly at her older brother. Her hardened expression slipped and for the briefest of moments, (Y/N) recognized the vulnerable young woman she’d known all those years ago at Bletchley Park who mourned her beloved brother’s death. While her lower lip trembled, Peggy finally addressed Michael. “Not too long ago, I had a dream about you and you told me that you’d be right alongside me if you could. I didn’t believe it was possible, even when (Y/N) and Jack told me it was, but now we have a second chance at being a family again. Michael, you can finally come home.” She blinked away her tears and gave him the ghost of an encouraging smile. “Please, Michael, come home with me.”
(Y/N) could feel the pressure on her neck ease up but just as she was beginning to think that Peggy had succeeded in getting through to him, Michael coolly replied, “This is my family, Agent, the only family I have in this world.”
Peggy’s face crumpled as Attwell laughed in amusement. “I told you so! Now, the key for your friends.”
God, I hope that whatever Jack’s planning happens sooner rather than later, (Y/N) silently prayed, sucking in a breath while the younger woman approached Attwell. Once Peggy reached into her pocket and withdrew the familiar Arena Club pin, the man looked over at Dottie and gave her a nod; the spy slung the strap of her rifle over her shoulder and made her way over to one of the many wooden crates near them, kicking the lid off of it and lifting a small metal box out of the loose excelsior. The box looked innocent enough but as Dottie walked it over to Attwell, (Y/N)’s blood ran cold and she knew that the moment Peggy handed over that key, Leviathan would possess one of the world’s deadliest weapons and they’ll have lost.
“Get up, Chief Thompson,” Michael barked and while Jack got to his feet, (Y/N) was roughly pushed towards him. “And you, stand over there with him.”
(Y/N) did as he said, standing beside Jack and keeping her eyes on the scene unfolding before them as she murmured, “You okay?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Peachy-keen.” She watched Dottie hand the metal box over to Attwell, her anxiety steadily building within her while he examined the box’s intricate lock. “Are you going to fill me in on the plan or what?”
The corner of Jack’s mouth curled upwards and he quietly replied, “Patience is a virtue, Specs, just be ready for it.”
“Be ready for wha-?”
Just then as Peggy’s hand stretched out to give Attwell the Arena Club pin, the warehouse wall opposite them exploded. Rubble and splintered pieces of crates flew through the air but before (Y/N) could fully react, gunfire broke out all around them. Amidst the chaos, Jack latched onto (Y/N)’s hand and ran, yanking her behind the nearest tower of crates as bullets whizzed past their heads; both of them crouched on the ground and peeked around the wooden crates, and her eyes widened in amazement at what she saw. The explosion that had knocked down part of the warehouse wall hadn’t been an explosion at all but rather one of the Howlies’ trucks and as (Y/N) watched, Daniel and Henry used the truck’s doors as barriers while they exchanged fire with the Leviathan guards. Moments later, she spotted Peggy dart out from one of the aisles to join her boyfriend behind the open truck door.
“Wa-Hoo!”
Dugan’s deafening war cry from across the warehouse was punctuated by a fresh barrage of gunfire, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but revel at the familiarity of it all; her eyes were suddenly drawn to two men sprinting down the aisle towards her and Jack, and it took her a tense moment to recognize them through all the chaos.
“There you guys are!” Howard exclaimed before ducking down beside them, followed closely by an anxious-looking Edwin Jarvis. Reaching into the satchel that was slung over his shoulders, the inventor withdrew two handguns and offered the weapons to them. “You know, you two’ve got a real habit of gettin’ into trouble…”
Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Says the man who was mind-controlled into almost gassing all of New York last year.” Springing up, he fired off several shots before ducking back down. “How’re we looking, Jarvis?”
“Well, Chief Sousa’s dramatic entrance provided enough of a distraction for Mr. Fieldman to escort Mr. Pinkerton and Mr. Sawyer out the front; their wounds aren’t life-threatening, but Mr. Fieldman promised he’d help treat them once they reach the clearing.” The butler set another satchel on the ground in front of them. “And we’ve brought more guns and ammunition, as per your request.”
“You know, Thompson, you said in your message that you needed a big diversion, but that whole entrance was my idea; I actually took it from one of my studio’s newest scripts, where a gangster steals-”
“Of course, Mr. Stark, your genius knows no bounds.” Edwin hurriedly interrupted the inventor’s rambling, glancing over at (Y/N) with his brow furrowed in worry. “And have you broken Mr. Carter out of his brainwashing? Where is he?”
Looking around the edge of the crate, (Y/N)’s heart dropped when noticed that several important people were missing from the gunfight. “Where the hell did they go, Jack?”
Jack craned his neck to see what she was looking at and swore loudly. “Shit, I-wait, they’re on the stairs!” By the time (Y/N) spotted them, Attwell, Dottie and Michael had reached the top of the stairs and had disappeared around the corner. “Jarvis, stay here with Stark and cover us, then go help the others.” Edwin nodded and her partner turned towards her, his blue eyes scanning her face for any signs of trepidation as he asked, “Are you ready, Specs?”
“As I’ll ever be,” (Y/N) pulled an extra ammunition magazine out of the satchel and tucked it into her pocket before giving Jack a determined nod. “Let’s finish this once and for all, Flyboy.”
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Compared to the chaotic warehouse they’d come from, the rest of the facility was eerily silent and it wasn’t at-all difficult to follow the footsteps of the fleeing trio through the deserted hallways.
“You know that this is probably a trap, right?”
“Naturally.”
“Good. Just wanted to make sure that we’re both on the same page.”
Before (Y/N) could get another word in, a figure she soon recognized as Dottie dropped down from above them and began attacking; the spy kicked the guns out of their hands, ramming her knee into (Y/N)’s stomach and knocking the wind out of her before spinning and using her leg to slam Jack into the wall beside them. (Y/N) took advantage of Dottie’s momentary distraction and aimed a side-kick at her thigh, but the spy merely turned her sharp fall into a somersault; she stood and threw a punch that (Y/N) was quick to duck, and then she grabbed the spy’s extended arm with the intent of wrenching it behind her back. Dottie predicted the move, yanking her arm free only to wrap her hand around her throat and roughly shove her back against the wall.
The back of (Y/N)’s head erupted into a sharp pain while Dottie flashed her a condescending smile. “I already told you, you’re too easy! It’s almost pathetic to see you try so hard to be as good as Peggy.”
“Don’t need to be as good as Peggy,” (Y/N) choked out as the fingers around her throat tightened. “Just…just good enough to keep you distracted.”
Dottie frowned in confusion and that’s when Jack slammed the butt of his gun against the back of her head. The spy tumbled to the ground in an unconscious heap and (Y/N) doubled over, her hands firmly clutching her knees as she coughed and gasped for air. “(Y/N), you okay?” She nodded and allowed Jack to take hold of her shoulders, his soothing encouragements helping her finally regain her breath; once he was sure that she was fine, her partner handed over her dropped gun and rested his hand against the small of her back to urge her forward. “C’mon, let’s go…”
They left the motionless spy behind and continued down the hallway, turning the corner and finding themselves at the entrance of a dimly-lit boiler room. Beside (Y/N), Jack shuddered and she recalled the story he’d told her of the mission he and Peggy had conducted to investigate one of Leviathan’s training facilities; she nudged him with her elbow and gave him a brief smile, wishing that she could offer him more comfort but not wanting to distract them both from their mission. Jack nodded as if to say he was fine, but his shoulders remained tense while he silently gestured for her to go left into the room while he went right.
(Y/N) crept behind the various boilers and pipes, careful not to slip on the slick ground as she did. If I end up surviving all this, I think I’m going to sleep for a week straight, she thought to herself, her heart rate steadily increasing with each step she took. While she edged herself around another heavy piece of industrial furnacing, she found herself trying to think of how to break Michael out of his mind-control long enough to save him; Jack insisted that cognitive re-calibration was the only way but after being present for Peggy and Michael’s reunion, she wondered if reminding him of his past or even recent actions would also do the trick. But a sharp skid noise right behind her made her forget her train of thought and turn, dodging the knife just in time.
“You really should’ve taken my offer, Agent (Y/L/N),” Attwell spat out, slashing at her with the knife again and forcing her to stumble back into the center aisle of the boiler room; the blade sliced against her forearm and she stifled her cry of pain, dropping her gun and leaping out of the way as he aimed for her again. “Soon, you and your foolish friends will be dead and Leviathan will have more power than you could possibly imagine!”
“Don’t you ever get tired of hearing your own damn voice?” (Y/N) retorted, her hand shooting out and twisting the red-colored knob beside them; a pipe next to Attwell spewed out pressurized steam and he let out a shriek of pain as the steam enveloped the right side of his face. Not wanting to stick around, she turned and sprinted further into the vast room, a part of her hoping that she’d bought herself enough time to save Michael. Skidding around a corner, she was immediately met with the sight of Jack and Michael engaged in a vicious fight on the floor; her partner was trying to wrestle something out of the other man’s closed fist, but he was so preoccupied with his task that he didn’t see Michael’s other hand brush the handle of a nearby gun. (Y/N) kicked the gun away from him, pinning his shoulder to the ground with her knee and spoke the first thing that came to mind. “Visions, light, cheered, night, dream!”
As she finished reciting the five words he’d used to encode his final message to Peggy, something shifted in Michael’s dark eyes and his clenched fist relaxed, allowing Jack to snatch the Arena Club pin from him. Before any of them could say or do anything more, a fiery ache erupted along her shoulder blade and she cried out in pain as she pitched forward. “(Y/N)!” Jack looped his arms underneath hers and dragged her over to half-lean against a pipe; her vision was partially clouded by the pain, but she could still make out the bloody knife he’d just pulled out of her upper back and tossed onto the ground beside them. “No, no, don’t look at that, just keep your eyes on me!” He pressed his trembling hand tight against the wound and when she nearly whimpered, he held the side of her face with the other and frantically nodded, his blue eyes steadily filling with panic that he struggled to control. “I-I know it hurts, baby, but I have to keep pressure on it; it’s not very deep, but I can’t have you fainting right now so keep your eyes on me, c’mon-”
“How touching,” Both of them looked up to see Attwell and Michael standing before them, the former with a self-satisfied smirk on his half-seared face and the latter staring stonily down at them. “Let’s make a new deal, Chief Thompson: Give me the key, and I won’t let Agent (Y/L/N) slowly bleed out on the floor of this boiler room.”
“Bastard.” Jack spat back, but his hand left (Y/N)’s face long enough to retrieve the Arena Club pin from his pocket and throw it into Attwell’s waiting hand. “You better start lookin’ over your shoulder now, Attwell, ‘cause I won’t rest until I kill you myself.”
Attwell shrugged and ran his fingers over the pin, twisting it sharply to convert it into a key. “Such fiery attitude in the face of doom was precisely why I was looking forward to killing you. But then I realized, forcing a man like you to live with your mistakes is a far worse punishment than death; and to make this victory sweeter, I plan on unlocking Zodiac in front of you both, so you can see just how spectacularly you failed yourselves, your agency and your country.” He turned to Michael with his brow raised in expectation. “Are you ready to make history, old chap?”
Michael nodded. “Of course…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the metal box containing Zodiac; (Y/N) tried getting up, unwilling to sit back and let Leviathan win, but Jack’s strong arms held her in place against him. When she met his gaze, he gave her a barely-discernible head shake and with her jaw clenched tight, she watched Attwell push the key into the lock and turn it clockwise; the lid popped open and the man breathed a sigh of relief, reaching into the slightly-smoking box and holding an electric-blue colored vial with strange etchings carved into the glass.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? So much potential for war and destruction, and it fits within the palm of my hand.” Attwell looked up at Michael and continued, “My brother never appreciated such things, you know. He never truly appreciated you, either; once you were found out to be a deep-cover spy for the SOE, I saw an opportunity to mold you into the person you were always meant to be. Do you remember the first thing I told you after you came out of Hydra’s operating room?”
Michael’s hardened expression faltered, almost as if he was struggling to control his actions, and in an instant, he drew his gun and shot Attwell directly in the chest. There were tears in his eyes as he finally replied, “‘Michael, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’”
The box and the vial slipped out of the dying man’s hands and as he began to sway dangerously on his feet, (Y/N) lunged forward and caught both in her hands before they could hit the ground. While Attwell’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground in a heap, she and Jack hurriedly placed the deadly Zodiac back into the box and slammed the lid closed; she let out a shaky breath, unable to grasp everything that had just happened. Michael dropped to his knees, tossing his gun to the side and rubbing his head with one hand; still mindful of her now-oozing wound, Jack held her a little closer as they both warily watched the unsteady man turn away from Attwell’s body to look at them. “I-It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Agent (Y/L/N). I’m Michael Carter, SOE.”
A smile slowly stretched across (Y/N)’s face and a sense of relief was beginning to wash over her as a familiar voice called throughout the boiler room. “(Y/N)? Jack?”
“We’re back here, (Y/N) needs some medical attention but we’re okay!” Jack called back, meeting (Y/N)’s gaze and flashing her a lopsided grin. “You’re gonna be fine, Specs, you hear me?” With a relieved chuckle, Jack leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her sweat-covered brow before resting his cheek on the top of her head. “We’re all gonna be fine.”
“Hey!” The first person who rounded the corner was Daniel, whose gun was already at the ready when he pointed it at Michael. “Hey, get the hell away from them!”
Jack held out a placating hand to the chief. “Easy, Danny Boy, he’s good right now; he’s the one who killed Attwell.”
Lowering his gun, Daniel limped over to where they sat against the pipe and knelt down as best he could to examine her knife wound. “Looks like the knife missed everything important, thank goodness. What the hell happened down here?”
Jack detailed everything they’d dealt with after hurrying out of the warehouse as their friends joined them; Edwin began treating her various wounds with Henry’s assistance, Howard carefully stowed the box containing Zodiac and its key into a satchel and Dugan worked on locating a weak point in the wall to blow a quick exit for them. There was a flurry of voices and activity surrounding (Y/N), but all her attention was on Peggy and Michael; they were talking to each other in low tones, Michael looking heartbreakingly unsure and Peggy trying her hardest not to cry, until they both surged forward and hugged one another. For the second time that day, (Y/N) was reminded of Freddie but while she watched the Carter siblings finally reunite, she didn’t feel sadness or envy, but rather pride. She was proud of herself, for having helped stop Leviathan’s plans and for having made-do on her promise to reunite her oldest and dearest friend with her beloved brother. If anyone deserves a second chance at happiness it’s those two, she thought to herself, taking a deep breath and resting her head against Jack’s strong shoulder.
They did it.
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A/N: Only one more chapter left!! Like I said, idk how I feel about this chapter as a whole so I’m sorry if there’s mistakes/it’s bad, but next week’s is gonna be great! Thank you guys so much for reading! If you haven’t checked it out yet, I created a Spotify playlist for this series and it’s linked down below!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21pWY7OiMFj8LaYpxhtVtW
Chapter Twenty
“Specs and the Flyboy” Masterlist
Tagging: @nnon-it-up @fluffymadamina @remmyswritings @ourstarsailor @darkusangelus @josis-teacup @marvel-jackt-loki-buck @yeetyeetchickenmeat @sameoldbaby @theserenityspace @seeing-but-not-observing @supervoldejaygent​ @momc95​ @brooke0297​ @kinda-c0nfused​ @outoftheregular
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mariposa324 · 3 years
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So, I have been seeing some interest in these two lately and I thought it might be fun to share some of their story. (At least I’ll do my best... I’m no seasoned writer.)
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       First they’ve been with me quite a while! I have had these characters since 2012 and there have been many design and story changes as well as several self-indulgent au’s along the way. Mary’s name used to be “Myla” before the creation of the Crystal Project universe. So, if you see a similar character in my old posts tagged with that name, know they are actually the same person.
       Mary and Clyde were initially created to be this sheltered princess-esque character and the big, intimidating softie, (cliché, I know.) Clyde has not gone through much (if any) personality changes, but Mary on the other hand is quite different from her beta. She evolved from a shy naive princess type to an outgoing, boisterous activist. Mary still plays the part of the “good little princess” in her father’s presence, but sneaks out nearly every night leading a double life.
       Marilyn Sinclair (or Mary) is the mayor’s daughter in a large bustling city at the peak of an industrial revolution. She’s a human and the oldest of seven children. She has a younger brother and five half sisters from a different mother, same father. Her own mother mysteriously disappeared shortly after her brother was born. (dun dun dun plot stuff) Mary has lived her whole life in the upper district, where the wealthy members of the city reside. For reference, the upper district consists mostly of humans and elves. In her academy days she experienced an eye-opening moment about how the real world actually works and this plays a huge roll in crafting her overall personality of wanting to help others. It is shortly after this she starts sneaking out and stealing from her father to give to the less fortunate.
      She is passionate, driven, decisive, supportive, fun to be around and a little bit chaotic, but in the best way. She cares a great deal for people, and can't stand to see others wanting for basic things when her family has so much. She gets along well with her step mom and half siblings, and is close with her brother. He covers for her a lot when she sneaks out. Even though she’s an adult, her father attempts to control her life and make her decisions for her. He’s tried on many occasions to persuade her to marry into another wealthy family for political reasons but she always finds an out. It seems there’s a new suitor procured by her father each month or so, and yet another reason to be at the mansion as little as possible.
     Clyde is a blue collar worker on the tall side for even a giant. He currently resides in a small (for him, at least) apartment in the central district of the city. He’s initially from a small town (a lot like the player character/main character) and came to the city to carve out a life for himself and send money back home to his family. His mother was a free spirit who rarely stayed in one place for too long and died rather young. She had Clyde and his sister from two different fathers both of which they never got the chance to know. The two were raised by their adorable grandparents and despite the situation with their parents, had a decent childhood filled with warmth. Clyde’s sister, Klara, takes a lot after her mother with her free spirit, though unlike her mom she is devoted to her six year old daughter.
       Clyde currently works in construction, but someday hopes to be an architect rather than constantly building the designs of others. He often sketches buildings and scenery as well as his own designs and ideas in a little leather-bound book he keeps with him. He also sometimes presses flowers in it, to send in his letters to his niece.
       He is quiet at a glance, but lively around close friends. He’s charismatic enough, but his height would make him seem clumsier to humans/elves in spaces made more for humans/elves, and he’s hyper aware of this. He’s shy and reserved, but also trustworthy and fiercely loyal. He favors a small inner circle of friends and dislikes large groups and crowded areas. 
       The two met late one evening in the middle of Mary’s first rebellious theft attempt. Mary stole prime cuts of dried meat from her family’s private kitchen to give to hungry people in the lower district. She acted without any sort of fully formed plan and ended up collapsing under the weight of the food before making it halfway through the central district. Clyde found her exhausted, sitting in the middle of the street, out of breath. After a fruitless argument of “I can do it myself” and attempting to continue on her own, she conceded and accepted his help. After the night was over the two had gotten closer over seeing how much they really did help people. They became rather inseparable after that.
Some things to note: 
       There is a misconception the two are a couple when they are actually just close friends. Well, when you first meet them, at least. You, the player character, will have the option in game to romance either of them regardless of gender. If you don’t romance either of them, or unlock the specific memories that trigger the ending where Mary marries Olive, the two will end up together at the end of the story. I also admit, a lot of au’s and art I make of them outside of the game itself, tend to have romantic implications. But that’s just because I’m a sucker for cute romantic fluff. 🥰 
Well, I hope that sums them up a bit. Feel free to ask questions if you want to know more about these characters, other crystal project characters or just the game itself! Just know I cant give too much away about the plot of the game.
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lacrimosathedark · 4 years
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Hamilton Inaccuracies/Corrections (because why not?)
Okay so, I saw a post on reddit that was like, “what’s some inaccuracies in Hamilton off the top of your head?” and I got a whole bunch...and then I had to double check to make sure if I was right...and I’m pretty long-winded...and  now I have this 5,000ish word monstrosity. And apparently you can only post 1000 characters at a time on reddit. Laaaaame. So here’s some Hamilton facts I’ve gathered in my brain. Since it was kinda off the top of my head despite being so long, it’s kinda vague in some places, so if anyone wants to expand on anything (or correct me if I oopsed somewhere) please do! Though nicely please.
Also I am also awful at citing things, but I know I learned some of this from @john-laurens and @ciceroprofacto so thank you.
LET’S BEGIN!
Act 1
Rachel Faucette was not a prostitute, but she was a “whore” in the sense that she did what she fucking wanted with her body. During her first marriage she may or may not have been sleeping around, but she refused to stay with John Lavien, her husband, anymore. So he had her arrested. And he could do that. Because patriarchy and theocracy. And she was essentially put in solitary confinement. You can see why she tried to leave, right? She tried to get their marriage annulled or get a divorce. I forget what the issue was but she couldn’t and eventually she just moved to another island where she met James Hamilton.
The intro song makes it seem like Alexander was an only child. He actually had an older brother, James Jr., but he kinda fucked off after their mother died, working and taking care of himself. They also had an older half-brother Peter Lavien, but I don’t think they really knew him other than as the son of their mother’s abusive ex who took everything from them when she died. John Lavien was able to do that because when Rachel was with James Hamilton, she had not been able to get legally divorced from him so she wasn’t really married to James Hamilton, so James Jr. and Alexander were illegitimate ie bastards. He was an asshole. I don't think Peter had anything against the Hamiltons, but I think he grew up to be a Loyalist so. He actually made some trouble in South Carolina for Henry Laurens, John's dad! But I think I read somewhere he also left money for Alex and James Jr. In his will, which is sweet.
This is more visual since it’s not specified in the song, but in the show, Hamilton’s cousin mimes hanging himself. Peter Lytton’s cause of death if I recall was inconclusive, but he was in his bed and there was a lot of blood. So, yeah, he didn’t hang himself.
Alexander did not punch the bursar. However he did return to Princeton later during the war and blew a canon through the school and apparently decapitated a painting of King George lololol. He was under orders, but yknow. Probably felt pretty good after he was rejected for accelerated courses. He wasn’t the only bastard rejected, though! Ben Franklin’s bastard son was too. The guy in charge of admissions, Witherspoon, hated bastards as a concept and Princeton was a very religious school at the time I believe.
It may have been the plan by Aaron and Esther Burr for Aaron Jr to graduate Princeton, but like, he couldn’t really be sure of that? He was like 2 years old when they died, and his older sister Sally was 4 I believe, maybe 5.
Hercules Mulligan met Alex in 1772. His older brother Hugh knew Alex’s old employer in St. Croix and helped him get to mainland America. Alex and Hercules lived together for a long while, and Hercules is actually who got him interested in the revolution.
John Laurens was in England in 1776. He wouldn’t meet Hamilton and Lafayette until he accepted his post as Washington’s aide-de-camp upon his return in August of 1777.
Lafayette couldn’t have met Hamilton before August 1777 because that’s when he met Washington, and he was appointed as a volunteer to the Continental Army only a week prior, and before that he had been in France. But Lafayette later declared their relationship to be like that of brothers, Alexander his closest connection in the states besides Washington.
Lafayette admired and absolutely adored Laurens and they were besties, but neither of them knew Mulligan. They may have met in passing, or heard about him from Hamilton, but nothing more.
“Lafayette” was actually a nickname based on his title of “Marquis de la Fayette”. In his autobiography, he wrote: “It’s not my fault I was baptized like a Spaniard, with the name of every conceivable saint who might offer me more protection in battle.” I’m glad he thought it was funny at least. His name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette.
Hercules Mulligan is not known to fuck horses.
The Revolution had already sorta started. Actually, Hercules and Alexander had been part of local militias before 1776.
This is more of a miscommunication since the actors are close in age, though the lyrics try to get it across. There’s a reason Mulligan says he’s got the others “in loco parentis”. In 1776 Hamilton and Lafayette would have been 19, Laurens would have been 22, and Mulligan would have been 36.
I think we all know “Laurens, I like you a lot” does not cover the scope of their relationship but that’s rather self explanatory so unless someone asks I’ll leave it at that. And for other clarifications. But at the very least I’ll share this: Anyone who saw them knew they were like attached at the hip (without knowing how attached *winkwonk*) and you could almost always contact one through the other. Laurens was notoriously bad at answering letters, to Hamilton too (and Alex did bitch about it because he is insecure and needs love), but it became quickly known he got back to Hamilton fastest so people would be like “Tell Laurens I said hi!” or “Hey, I need to get these to Laurens, you send them to him.” Which is hilarious. I just imagine Alexander going, “Why me?”
While all of them are Revolutionaries, Laurens is the only one you could solidly call an abolitionist, and Mulligan’s even shaky on the manumission part. He was supposedly part of the Manumission Society Hamilton helped start, but Mulligan also personally owned slaves and was never known to have freed them (One helped him with spy shit. His name was Cato!). In fairness, Hamilton and Lafayette wholeheartedly agreed with Laurens, and Hamilton was the biggest supporter of his battalion plan, and both of them did try to continue working towards equality after the war, but it was never the top priority for either of them and their lives kinda went to hell, so it fell to the wayside. Lafayette actually did some nifty stuff worth looking at, and Hamilton might have tried to keep one of John Lauren’s freed men from Henry Laurens! But as slavery stuck around for a while, it clearly wasn’t anything significant.
Angelica would meet and befriend Thomas Jefferson in Europe, but she would never manage to convince him to put women in a sequel because he’s a huge misogynist and told her in multiple letters that politics isn’t for women and I think he deserves a shoe up his southern backside. Side note, it always bothered me that Lin played up the misogyny in the musical. I mean, yeah, all of them would be misogynists compared to us, but for their time, Hamilton wasn’t so bad. If there was anyone to play up misogyny with, it was Jefferson, because he would tell Angelica for years and years that politics could never make women happy, and that the women in France were foolish for trying etc.. Hamilton would actually discuss politics with Angelica frequently and openly. And there’s a proto-feminist in the cast that was never recognized—Aaron Burr! He respected Theodosia Sr. as an equal and she was his most valuable political ally, and he made sure Theodosia Jr. got the same education any boy of her time would have. He actually respected women to a decent degree. Not to say he wasn't as much of a ho as Hamilton cuz yeah that's accurate (but they were both disaster bisexuals more on Burr's sexuality later)
Farmer Refuted was an essay Hamilton wrote arguing against Samuel Seabury's posts. They weren't shouting in the public square(but Lin got the sass right. I love his face when Hamilton and Seabury are fighting over the podium). Seabury was also really really old, not young and cute like Thayne, hence the line about "mange". Blech.
General Montgomery didn’t take a bullet in the neck, it was a grapeshot from a canon in his head (and his thighs), but close enough I guess. Side note: Burr actually served a short interim on Washington’s staff, but only for like 10 days because they hated each other lolol.
Alexander didn’t bring Laurens, Mulligan, or Lafayette to Washington. Lafayette joined up with the Continental Army in 1777 and quickly convinced them he wasn’t like the other French nobles; he was a glory-seeking kid with a boner for America (for some reason???). Laurens was requested by Washington to join his military family and he arrived also in August 1777 just after Lafayette. Like previously stated, Mulligan was doing shit even before Hamilton did.
Alexander would not have been in charge of spy shit (though may have been somewhat involved). Washington had people like Mulligan for that, who actually saved Washington a few times. But also, the "King’s men who might let some things slide" was the tactic Mulligan used. He was actually very charming, and his wife was very high in British society and he was a skilled tailor, so they were thought of well among the redcoats, and he got a lot of information through chatting with his customers. He also could usually smooth-talk his way out of trouble. Actually, Mulligan blended in so well, when the war was over, people in the city wanted him out cuz they thought he was a Loyalist. So George fucking Washington paid him a visit and commissioned I think a coat from him, and that cleared that up. He got a LOT of business after that.
Alexander would not be Washington’s right hand man, or at least, not his only one if Lin was using that to mean aide-de-camp. In that case, Laurens would also be Washington’s right hand man, along with many men not named in the musical.
John Laurens may have been reliable with the ladies (comes with the territory of being hot, rich, and a perfect gentleman), but he most certainly didn’t want to be. His father noted, rather proudly at the time, that as a young teenager he expressed no interest in girls. John was also married by 1780, and at least Alexander knew. (he told John he'd found out in the well-known April 1779 letter. You know... “Cold in my professions...find me a wife...the length of my nose...” That one.) Because John apparently didn't tell people he was married. Laurens. Sweetheart. Get. Your. Shit. Together.
John also would not be at this ball. February 1779 to March 1780 he is fighting down south, and this ball was early 1780.
The tomcat thing may be half true. Martha Washington did supposedly name a cat Hamilton, but it was an affectionate thing. The slang tomcat meaning ho wasn’t a thing at that time, so it couldn’t be named to tease Alex for his promiscuity. I believe this was one of the many things John Adams made up to slander Hamilton.
Hamilton and Eliza had met before 1780. They had met once two years prior at a dinner her father had hosted. Also, Hamilton had been courting her friend Kitty Livingston, and his friend and fellow aide Tench Tilghman had been attempting to court Eliza, and they’d actually done at least one sort-of double date (which is adorable). So this shouldn’t have been the first time they’d seen each other. Could still be when they fell in love, though, since they started courting after this. Which is cute to think about.
Speaking of Tench and Eliza! I don't remember when this took place but Tilghman journaled it, he went out on something of a hike with a few ladies and they got to a cliff. Of course, he had to help the girls climb up. Except Eliza who started climbing by herself like a natural to the bewilderment and likely horror of the other ladies. Elizabeth Schuyler was a bamf okay?
Of course everyone knows by now, Angelica was married before Eliza. During the Winter’s Ball, she’d already eloped with Jack Carter aka John Barker Church and run away to Boston.
Their courtship was not that fast. Not like, weeks. More like months. Fun fact, Eliza is the only of the five (yes FIVE) Schuyler sisters who didn’t elope and actually got her parents permission! But here’s a heartbreaking fun fact: while Alex was courting Eliza, Laurens was taken prisoner and then on probation. He wasn’t allowed to leave the state of Pennsylvania. He was mentally in a very dark place. Alex kind of procrastinated telling Laurens about Eliza, didn’t say he was courting anyone until they were already engaged.
I can't leave this alone if I'm sad you have to be too. Alex was hella depressed during this time too. Of course he was a soldier so he couldn't see Eliza as much as he'd have liked. On top of that, he kept pushing for an exchange for John and kept getting rejected because they couldn't show preference for him. And then Laurens was sending him very few letters, of course, and the ones he did send were very depressed, even suicidal sounding. He had to work while dealing with that. He had to keep begging Eliza to write to him to be reassured that she still liked him.
No one could show up for Hamilton for the wedding. Some sources say fellow aide James McHenry showed up, but he’s the only one. Alexander even invited his deadbeat dad, offered to pay all his travel expenses and everything, guess how that turned out. So Eliza’s side of the hall was packed and his was empty. God, can you imagine how sad that is?
Another heartbreaking fun fact! John Laurens was out of probation and could have made it to the wedding, was invited (Hamilton, I kid you not, jokingly invited him to a threesome with his new wife in a letter: “I wish you were at liberty to transgress the bounds of Pensylvania. I would invite you after the fall to Albany to be witness to the final consummation.” (emphasis is original to Hamilton. As is the misspelling of Pennsylvania. Yes, seriously.)) and John did not go. Instead he went back to work trying to talk his way out of getting sent as an envoy to France and suggesting Alexander to take his place. You know. His boyfriend who just got married. Sure, he was right that Hamilton was better equipped for the job, but yknow. Another fun fact, one of the guys who voted for John to be the one to go to France was John’s ex-boyfriend Francis Kinloch. Who was a turncoat, and had been a royalist when he and Laurens split. How’s that for some twisty bullshit.
Sorry, this one isn’t about the musical, it’s a tangent, I just got excited about that quote. Both that style of innuendo and the misspelling of Pennsylvania are consistent in Hamilton’s writing. Listening to john-lauren’s podcast about the April 1779 letter can really help you understand how Hammy uses innuendo but also I just love listening to it it’s insightful and hilarious and I love John Laurens but y u do this and my heart hurts for Hamilton but he is also a ho but aNYWAY. As for Pensylvania...well, he kinda made that mistake on an important document. ...It’s The Constitution. He misspelled Pennsylvania on The Constitution. No big deal. Not like something that could haunt his legacy forever. Oh my god I’m so sorry.
Philip Schuyler did have sons. Five in fact. Two of them died pretty young though I think, considering there are three kids in a row named John Bradstreet Schuyler. The other two were named Philip Jeremiah and Rensselaer.
Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan were all married before Hamilton. Hercules Mulligan married Elizabeth Sanders in 1773. Lafayette married his beloved Adrienne in 1774. John Laurens was regretfully obliged to marry Martha Manning in 1776.
Sigh. Again with the misogyny. Anyway, I wanted to comment on the marriage as a loss of freedom. From what I can tell, Elizabeth helped Hercules with his spy work at home. John was literally fighting a war across the ocean from his wife, and probably having an illegal affair with Alexander (though to be fair to him, he was kind of running away from Martha because he didn't marry her for love, gosh, there are no winners here). Lafayette absolutely adored his wife but still was also fighting a war an ocean away, and had multiple affairs, at least one with his wife’s blessing. So yeah, losing your freedom with marriage? Bullshit.
Despite where it is in the musical and Eliza singing the beginning, Stay Alive is roughly about Valley Forge, which would be December of 1777 through June of 78. So before the ball and wedding. (Fun fact! A lot of people theorize Valley Forge as when Hamilton and Laurens’ relationship may have escalated into romantic and/or sexual territory. They may have had more privacy, as small temporary buildings were being made to better withstand the cold, and Hamilton was sick a lot during that time and did need tending a lot. West Indian boi did not like Northern winter.) But yeah, Congress being stupid and the army resorting to eating their horses sometimes and not being able to buy food and equipment? All true. It was a real bad winter.
Mulligan wouldn’t have to go back to New York, he never would have left. He remained there as a tailor and a spy throughout the war. He wouldn’t have been traveling with Washington.
Hamilton and Laurens didn't write essays so much as start working out John's battalion plan and writing letters trying to push for it.
This duel happened in 1778, so like. This timeline is so fucky.
Stay Alive makes it seem like Hamilton was the one who wanted to duel Lee, but it was 100% Laurens from the start. The off-Broadway version demonstrates it a bit better. Hamilton was Lauren's second to save his ass. Hamilton had a rough relationship with Washington, but Laurens admired him greatly and would have willingly defended his commander’s honor. John was a Good Boy who always bowed his head to his asshole father, even at first for his battalion plan, but John wouldn’t let even his father talk shit about Washington. Fun fact about this duel, Alex and John were late to the duel because they “got lost in the woods”. Oooookay. Suuuuuuure. And Baron von Steuben was straight. (Fact: Steuben was very gay and pretty much pushed out of Europe for it. And he actually also had challenged Lee! They talked things out before this.)
Aaron Burr was not Charles Lee’s second. His second was a Major Evan Edwards. Lin wanted a parallel with the final duel. To be fair, that was a really cool way to do it and I like it better that way.
Alexander Hamilton could NOT agree that duels are dumb and immature. He was in 10 duel challenges as a participant in his lifetime, 9 of which he was the challenger. One time he challenged two people at once. One time he challenged an entire politcal party apparently. No, I am not kidding. He had a bad day. And I think you know the one time he wasn’t the challenger.
Lee did not yield on the first shot, nor was Laurens satisfied. Lee was pretty much like, “It’s just a flesh wound!” and wanted to go another round and Laurens agreed, but Hamilton and Edwards managed to talk them down. Yes he was shot in the side. But that wasn’t all because Laurens absolutely roasted Lee at his court martial. 
Lee: Were you ever in an action before?
Laurens: I have been in several actions; I did not call that an action, as there was no action previous to the retreat. 
I love this man. So much. The sass of this man.
We don’t know if Washington was angry about the duel with Lee. We do know that Laurens, and probably Hamilton, had Christmas dinner with him two days later. When Hamilton left, it was because Washington had snapped over a misunderstanding (caused by Lafayette actually, and he really tried to make it better because Lafayette is a sweetheart), and then continued to deny Hamilton the command he requested, and he resigned. It was entirely unrelated to the duel and Laurens. However, the daddy issues are real.
I don’t know if Lafayette went to France for more funds and came back with more guns, but Laurens certainly did! Ben Franklin told him to chill, but he actually got super impatient and ended up supposedly disrespecting and maybe kinda threatening the court, demanding what he needed, and walking out. They were were kind of shocked and impressed into giving more than had been requested. Any existing deities bless John Laurens. I love him.
Lafayette actually nominated his own aide to lead the charge and Hamilton appealed for himself and Washington finally gave in to Hamilton.
Laurens was not in South Carolina. When he finally got back from France, he was sent to Yorktown. He actually was commanding the group Alexander led. (Power couple lol) He also helped with negotiations after the battle. Also, supposedly making the British play ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ on their way out was Laurens’ idea because boy is made of sass and spite.
Henry Laurens would not have sent a letter to Hamilton about John’s death. Even if he would have, he couldn’t. At that time, he’d been locked up in the Tower of London as a prisoner. We have no idea when or how Alexander found out, or who might have told him. We know he wrote to Nathanael Greene on October 25 and Lafayette on November 3 (literally 2 months after Laurens' death), and the mentions of Laurens were very short. It’s thought that he really couldn’t talk about Laurens. People have compared it to the stories of how Benjamin Tallmadge apparently couldn’t hear Nathan Hale’s name without crying.
After Yorktown Alexander resigned and John went down south to flush British troops out of the southern states. His group was ambushed at Combahee River and he decided to charge instead of wait for backup and he died. Many people think it was a combination of his usual recklessness, suicidality, and glory-seeking mixed with a desperation with the war coming to an end. It was such a small skirmish. He deserved better. He left his daughter, Frances, whom he had never met, orphaned, as her mother had died months earlier from sickness. She was adopted by John’s oldest younger sister, also coincidentally Martha Laurens (though married was Martha Laurens Ramsay).
The Levi Weeks case was years later than that, in 1800, though it was alongside Burr. Hamilton actually lost his first trial as a defense lawyer and was not with Burr.
The whole conversation where Hamilton proposes Burr help him write the Federalist Papers is fake. Lin made that up entirely.
John Church’s wealth kinda...varies. He was a gambler. At first, he was actually in quite a bit of debt. He did make it big eventually and he and Angelica moved to Europe. He really didn’t seem to be a lot of fun to most people, but Angelica eloped with him. She chose him against her father’s wishes. I don’t get why Lin kept writing lines saying she didn’t love him, at least at first. He also does this in the cut song Congratulations where she says “I languished in a loveless marriage” bish you eloped wat She also lived as a socialite and was adored by anyone who met her apparently, so like???? da fuq Lin. Didja really do Laurens dirty for these lies or at the very least uncertanties? Could you not prop up that romance without making her say she hates her husband?
Act 2
More of a personality miscommunication. Irl Thomas Jefferson was shy, quiet, and hypersensitive, nothing like how Daveed plays him. If you knew a guy like the real Jefferson in real life you might be endeared to him out of pity or because he seems sweet, but in the short time of a musical that would immediately be read as cold and unlikable. So the best way to portray “this guy is a likable asshole” is to make him loud and made of sass which is what Daveed does magnificently. So, not at all accurate to real Jefferson, but gets the concept of him across.
Thomas was not off getting high with the French. Probably. He was making negotiations for the Revolution. And abusing Sally Hemings (his, at the time, 14 year old slave, who was also his sister-in-law, and 30 years his junior, and was brought along to entertain his daughter). And actually probably chatting up with Angelica!
By the time Philip was 9, he had two sisters, Angelica (7) and his foster/adopted sister Frances Antill (6), but he also had two brothers already, Alexander Jr. (5) and James Alexander (3), with maybe another one on the way since William Stephen would be born next year.
The whole comma thing is backwards. It was Angelica who made the initial mistake. Hamilton pointedly and flirtatiously teased her about it before closing it with “Adieu ma chere, soeur” French for “Goodbye my dear, sister”. So it’s more playful and less lovey dovey in context, so the tone is all wrong. It’s not romantic, it’s teasing and snarky.
Say No To This feels like it’s over quick. The affair lasted a year, not just the summer Eliza was away.
Clermont Street wasn’t renamed until many years later.
I don’t know that Alex has always considered Burr a friend. Irl they weren’t as close, and Hamilton was keenly aware of how slimy Burr could be.
Lafayette was NOT fine. He was imprisoned a lot during the French Revolution, the poor man, and many members of his wife’s family were killed. HOWEVER! Hamilton was not just sitting by. Angelica and her husband did make an attempt to rescue Lafayette, and the Hamiltons fostered Lafayette’s son Georges Washington Lafayette (yes that was his actual name). So Hamilton also did not forget Lafayette.
Not all his defendants got acquitted, obviously. Stop being cocky, Ham.
People comment on how Jefferson whines about Hamilton’s fashion sense while literally dressed in violet velvet. The original plan was to have him in browns, but Daveed is just such a friggin star that they just had to give him something brighter and decided to go with a Prince-inspired look. Originally the browns were going to be representative of his supposed representation of farmers. Though note here: Jefferson’s agricultural representation is much the same as modern Republicans’ rural representation. More for show.
Actually, let's get political for a sec. I've done some research in my hyperfixation and in searches for Hamilton shiz I've ended up stumbling into far-right nonsense and I know how to recognize the degrees of nonsense from years of actually paying attention to it now because this is what I do apparently. Which is weird, right? Lin kinda portrays him like a lefty. Well, here's the thing. Any proud historically educated Republican will tell you that their roots are in the Federalist Party. Which is technically true. What they will neglect to mention is the flip between parties that happened when the Republicans decided to use southerners racism to their advantage in elections. Being subtly racist can get the racists and the non-racists on your side! Yeah, it's gross. Federalists are more like Democrats. The corporatists. They clearly care more about companies and Wall Street, but they put actual action into social progress on rare occasion. Democratic-Republicans are like Republicans, conservatives who don't want social change and rail against it and pretend they aren't for corporate interests while being just as bad as the other guys. But Republicans have a tendency to rewrite history to paint themselves as the good guys, or reclaim things that aren't theirs as their own. Just look at the Civil War! Or...literally just...America I guess. Yikes. But yeah, here's your warning. Don't just go looking at and trusting things labelled Federalist. It likely won't be friendly.
John Adams didn’t fire Hamilton, Hamilton left. Eventually. And this is not the only time this kind of verbal confrontation happens, and not the one that destroys the Federalist Party. That actually happens after the Reynolds Pamphlet. But John Adams hates Alexander Hamilton with the burning passion of a thousand suns and really kinda earns this.
I’m not sure if he specifically called Alex a Creole bastard but I wouldn’t be surprised, there were other similar racist and bastard-related insults. You know the tomcat thing mentioned above. He started the rumor of the affair with Angelica. He accused him of being a rake (male version of whore at the time). He also may have behind closed doors accused him of being a sodomite. His (probably gay) son Charles helped with that one, bringing back rumors from a dinner he had with Hamilton (who he was working for) and John Church because Church joked about Alex being fond of a guy. Adams probably thought working for Hamilton was what made his son gay and alcoholic (Charles was an alcoholic and may have died in part because of that; Hamilton was not an alcoholic, but he supposedly could not hold his drink. He was smol).
Jefferson, Madison, and Burr didn’t accuse Hamilton of speculation. It was James Monroe, Abraham Venable, and Frederick Muhlenberg. Lin wanted to keep consistent representation of the Democratic-Republican party. But anyway, the whole thing went to hell because Monroe sent the letters to Jefferson (or I’ve also heard Monroe gave them to Madison who sent them to Jefferson) who, the spiteful gangly fucker, started spreading rumors because fuck Hamilton, amirite? Hamilton challenged Monroe to a duel over that. And who stopped this duel? Aaron Burr. He gets to be the good guy now and then.
It wasn’t just total strangers that got Alex off the island. He was sponsored by his cousin Ann Lytton and his teacher Reverend Hugh Knox. Also, he was kind of expected to get an education and come back and help out the island...guess what he never did. Oops.
This one I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure. I think Eliza was upstate with her family when the Reynolds Pamphlet was released, away from Alex. I also know she had recently given birth to their son, William Stephen. A lot of people think Alexander had been keeping that in mind. Eliza had had a miscarriage once before, when she was under a lot of stress and alone and with the kids and he had to be away (Whiskey Rebellion), so some people think he made sure she was surrounded by her family and waited until the child was born to drop this on her, and gave her distance from him if she needed it. At least he knew he fucked up, and he really did love her.
Those weren’t Alexander’s guns. They belonged to John Church.
It was quite some time between Philip’s challenge and the actual duel.
Another age miscommunication; Eacker was 27ish and Philip was 19 when the duel happened. There was a whole 8 years between them! 
Eacker didn’t shoot early. Actually, both of them stood staring at each other for a really long time doing nothing. But Philip went to make a move and Eacker shot him.
Alex and Eliza had made up from the Reynolds Pamphlet bullshit before Philip died. When he passed, Eliza was already pregnant with the son they would also name Philip in honor of his older brother.
Hamilton wasn’t really the deciding factor in the election of 1800. But he did say that about Burr and it did help swing the vote somewhat. But also, this was before Philip died. Philip died in 1801.
If a vote is that close, you can’t win in a landslide??? That’s not how words work???? Mister Miranda????? You are a writer??????? Sir???????
Burr actually held a term as Jefferson’s Vice President.
The Burr vs Hamilton Duel was in 1804 and was actually about another election and other things Hamilton was saying about him. Burr was running to be governor of New York and lost but heard about Alexander telling people the things he listed Alexander saying in Your Obedient Servant.
Thayne should not have played Alexander’s doctor. Sydney should have played Alexander’s doctor. Do you know why? Philip and Alexander had the same doctor when they died. Alexander took that doctor with him to the duel. His name was David Hosack.
While there’s evidence to suggest Burr experienced immediate regret (he stepped forward as if wanting to see if Hamilton was okay and supposedly asked after him and wished him well before Alexander passed) in the years that followed, until he was on his death bed, he expressed nothing but neutrality or even pride for having shot Hamilton. The ‘the world was wide enough’ comment could plausibly be entirely made up, and even if it were true, it was supposedly said toward the end of Burr’s life. Burr's life was quite a ride after Alex. He tried to make like his own empire out of Texas, and then of course was tried for treason, but he got out of that, but then everyone hated him for that ON TOP OF already hating him for killing Hamilton, so he had some crazy journey around Europe for a while. He kept a journal, writing entries like letters to Theo. The most notable things I think he writes he'd "been amused for an hour with a very handsome young Dane. Don't smile. It is a male!" which implies maybe Theodosia knew her dad was bi and was at least amused by it? And he spent a while living with Jeremy Bentham, who is generally accepted to have been gay (if you want more Burr gayness look into Jonathan Bellamy and Robert Troup. Troup knew Hamilton too!). Unrelated to his sexuality but I find it important, Burr spent, in modern cash, $40 on a coconut, in his own words, "like an ass." He returned to America eventually. I dont remember if it was before or after his foreign adventures, but his beloved grandson (also named Aaron Burr) died, and then not long after, Theodosia was lost at sea on her way to visit her dad. No one knows what happened to her. It's so sad. Anyway he married a wealthy widow named Eliza, spent all her money on charity, and died the day their divorce was finalized. And Eliza Jumel's divorce lawyer was Alexander Hamilton Jr..
Poor Eliza couldn’t go through all of her husband’s papers. Her son, John Church Hamilton, finished the work for her when she no longer could and put together the biography that inspired Chernow’s that inspired Lin’s musical. (He named a son Alexander and a daughter Elizabeth. He even named one of his sons Laurens! Aw.) And we have come full circle.
The End :33
There’s probably more but that’s what I’ve got. Thanks for reading!
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abbynx · 3 years
Text
Man's greatest treasure
(Monoma Neito X Reader)
You find it particularly difficult when it comes to clashing amongst the most the rich and important who has colourful arrays of expensively glimmering rocks sewn in their clothes while you wore second hand clothing you've inherited from your older relatives. You find it additionally difficult you were practically the most underdressed person, ironically the most eye-catching one in the banquet. It seems like being the favoured darling among the crowd in this party sounds ethereal... If they weren't looking down at you on their noses with their brows raised, probably questioning how a simpleton such as you be in an extravagant banquet hosted by the wealthiest and privileged family in Japan.
Silently heaving a sigh, your gaze simply met with the floor. It was then you noticed the rich texture of the material of it. For all you know, the floor you're currently standing on is made with the most rarest stone known to mankind but at least it does not negatively interact with you. The nasty glares from rich strangers never seem to fade out even if you try to divert your attention into something else. Your ears can't help but to do its purpose, you've heard the things they've said about you.
How the hell did they even got here?
Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to invite them?
Did they...? Crashed the party?
Ugh, their attire is sooo last decade
Aren't they supposed to be... not invited?
Who invited this peasant here?
You have always dealt about comments about you. Whether it was because of your physical appearance, your personality, your status, your background, your ambitions and you have come into terms with it... You were born from a poverty-stricken family who raised a person who will give them financial support. You have always been the pawn, the answer to their financial needs. For the booze, the drugs, three meals a day, a decent living space... However, there would be times you would find yourself getting strangled with extremely irrational thoughts. You would let them fuel the way you doubt yourself to a certain extent you've contemplated about your own worth. A pawn to your parents, a doormat to privileged people, a plaything for fate to entertain themselves with... A worthless nobody who serves the role as the floor scrubbing servant who feeds on the leftover from the plates of the privileged.
The only reason you were because of an invitation from the celebrator himself. Neito Monoma wishes to celebrate his success of landing as the top ninth hero with you by throwing am insanely large gala.
His family was old money, filthy rich and will only get richer and richer as the decades pile on. Their family have always been composed of famous and successful people. His father owns a large company for jewellery mainly rings, his mother is a famous fashion designer, his eldest brother is the heir of the company and as well as a popular influencer, his sister is the famous actress with myriad of talents for both Broadway and media...
And how could you forget your darling Neito Monoma? The top ninth hero of Japan. Talented, skilled, cunning, intellectual, successful... Compared to a plain nobody such as you are. You often questioned your relevance and worth and he hates it.
It was no secret his family does not like you. They never bothered to conceal it even if Neito was around. You've met them before, it was the time your boyfriend introduced you to his family in a simple family dinner in the Monoma estate. You can still feel their gazes bearing scrutiny and obvious hatred. Neito was by your side all the time and you appreciate it... But there would be times where you're starting believe his parents that he deserves better.
You have encountered his sister awhile ago. She was divinely beautiful, a deity incarnated with a rotten core. With a face barren with any superficial cosmetics, it was then you realize that she is effortlessly beautiful as much as she is effortless at being ugly on the inside. The way she scrunched her face upon seeing you present in her brother's celebration... It was disgusting that you weren't able to stand your ground, but your in the depths of your despair, your inferiority got the best of you instead.
"Oh, I thought he would have already broke up with you-" she gazed at your from the tip of her nose. "-dear brother deserves the best and only the best. Not some peasant dressed in poorly sewn trash. Even the floor has more worth than you." She says, before walking off. It was awhile ago, just before the gala was crowded with too much people, and yet it still lingers in your mind.
The floor even has more worth than I have-
"Ah, you've made it!" You find yourself snapping out of your irrational thoughts induced trance when a certain pompous voice took your hands in his, pulling you closer until your head rests on his chest. You gradually pressed your head against his chest with a sigh, entwining your fingers with his soft and slender ones. His chest lightly shakes with a light-hearted chuckle, wrapping an arm over the small of your back while his free hand held your hands. "I apologize for my tardiness, I was simply greeting guests individually... So I decided to greet the best for last." He strokes your hand with his thumb, before pressing your wrist against his lips.
He usually enjoyed seeing you vulnerable when reacting to his shameless acts of public display of affection. The way you would timidly avert your gaze from his smug, but oddly affectionate ones, the heat emitting from your face and the smile you try to defy. But this time he saw a different type of vulnerability in your eyes... You were shaken, your usual vibrant eyes were dull and casted down, your head lowered, your shoulder sagged and back haunched. Monoma Neito immediately notices your unusual discomfort and pulls you out of the crowd to a more obscured area by the balcony.
He walks behind you, puts his hand atop your shoulders and rolls it back. He proceeds to walk in front of you, taking your chin with his pointer finger and thumb, before tilting it up to have your lovely eyes meet with his. His lips formed into a soft smirk before stealing a peck from you. He lingered a little longer, savouring the sweet spark between you and pulls away to stare into your eyes.
"Darling, chin up-" he puts his curled finger under your chin, tilting it up. "-your crown is falling."
"Oh shut it-!" At the most highest range of your voice, you shoved him by his chest and turned away from him to face the gardens below the balcony with a red face. A low chuckle erupted from the depths of his velvety vocals and takes this as an opportunity to wrap his arms around your waist and puts his chin atop your shoulder.
"Are you particularly uncomfortable with the crowd? If I've known it sooner I would have swept you off your feet and have you in my bedroom-" his finger began to wander by your shoulders, wandering by your collarbone and neck, before he found himself tracing your jawline and cheeks. He leans to your ear, his hot breathe fanning your skin as he acquired an enticing voice. "-we could've done so many things- OOF!"
You did not let him speak any further by giving him a good elbow by his stomach and pushing him away. Your cheeks burned hotter than the sun and the only thought you can pick at the back of your head was to jump off the balcony if he ever continued to fluster you like this. He doubles over in pain, clutching his stomach, but couldn't help but to laugh at your dirty assumptions.
"I was going to say reading books or watching a movie, but I see you have something else in mind," he laughs, wrapping his arms around your stiff figure. His laughs subsides with a sigh, before he puts his chin over your shoulder. "What's wrong, my love? You've been uncharacteristically silent the whole night."
You knew it wouldn't last long before he would address the elephant in the room. You were quite disappointed it took him a few minutes before he can see what's wrong. The moment he lead you out of the crowd, he knew something was wrong. You were becoming more easy to read the more he spent his time with you and you have no idea if it was a good thing or bad.
He sighs at your relentless desire to stay silence. You felt his lips on your cold neck, his cold hand grasping your hand and giving it a tight squeeze.
"Darling, please..." His voice was reduced into a more soothing tone. Genuinely concerned for your well being, taking you seriously... "Please tell me what to do to make you feel better..."
That damned voice he uses that instantly commands you to listen to him, to make yourself the best version of yourself just for him. Your chest started to well with pleasant feelings, knees started to feel weak, leading you to lean your body on his for support. He presses his body further, engulfing you with his comforting warmth. Neito gently strokes your arm in a manner to comfort you, just waiting for your answer.
"Is it my family again?" He asks, patiently waiting for your answer.
You sighed, turning around to face him. You leaned your head on his chest, grasping his hand in yours. "Promise me you won't confront them about it." You knew far too well he will find his ways to look for a loophole from your request, but at least you can hope he won't confront them because of you.
"... No promises." You rolled your eyes, lightly smacking him by the chest. He simply chuckles and caresses your cheek with a loving smile. "I'll try not to be too harsh."
You sighed, knowing full to well he might not abide with your conditions. "It's your sister..." You held the same hand he uses to caress your cheek, firmly pressing it. "She- she said that I'm worthless-"
"We both know it isn't true, my love," he smiles, kissing your knuckle and watches you squirm under his kiss. "You, my darling, are not worthless. You're priceless. Ignore my family, disregard their judgement. Their beliefs are all built in with vanity and you shan't let them affect you."
He deeply gazed upon your eyes, his grey orbs peering into your soul and piercing it with sincerity and reassurance. "No matter what they say, no matter what they do, you can't let them knock you off your humble pedestal. You can't let them dictate your worth. For you, my sweet sweet angel, are man's greatest treasure."
With tearful eyes, you embraced Neito, pressing your face against his chest. You denied yourself to sob, bursting into small whimpers as he strokes your back with his hand, swaying you from side to side to calm you down.
"It's alright my love, let it all out..." He comforts, kissing your cheek and letting you cry on his chest.
"I love you, Neito..." You wiped the stubborn tears away from your eyes, backing away from him.
He chuckles in amusement with sheer euphoria, he pulls you close. The distance between the two of you closed as both parties leaned forward to meet in a passionate kiss. He grasps your hand close to his chest, wherein his heart erratically pounds within him. After pulling away, he lingers for a second and leans his forehead against yours.
His lips touched yours as he breathlessly spoke, "I love you, too, my dearest Y/N. Remember you're worth more than you think."
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rinharu-purple · 3 years
Note
Emmm 👉👈 can i request Gavin's spring festival date analysis?! Ehem especially when Gavin said "I've waited a long time for today.." 💙
But Of course if you're not busy.. I'll wait patiently.. I just.. love read your analysis 💙 like i can feel your love and dedication for Gavin.. a lot of Gavin stan is very smart and loyal.. just like Gavin itself
Hello nonny and of course you can! Thank you for your lovely ask and reading my posts. It makes me really happy to hear this 💞 I can also double up what you've said, Our birdcop is smart and loyal and I really love being a part of Gavin-standom which includes so many talented writers, artists, analysts and it has @cheri-translates! There are so many great posts from various accounts and one can feel the love, passion and loyalty towards Gavin in all of them! 💫
An analysis on Spring Festival date is so overdue, so it is me who should apologize for not having written this before. I will more than gladly include your request scene, I hope you enjoy it ^_^
MC Testing Waters: Spring Festival Date
At the beginning of the game, MC is a young woman with lots of love in her heart, however without much experience in love. Fortunately this starts to change when she meets LIs as adults.
Spring Festival Date takes place after Firework Date and before the Romantic Date, although the timeline is quite messy, which I will come to by the end of this analysis.
If you look closely, you can see MC checking Gavin's romantic feelings towards her by using this "boyfriend game" and also uses the opportunity to get beyond his hardened exterior and touch his vulnerable side 💗
Spoilers start below this line
This date comes to, because MC lies to her aunt about having a boyfriend to avoid arranged blind dates and even promises to visit her on New Years with her boyfriend. Speculatively it seemed like a solid play, until...the time literally came.
Thinktanking about a way out of this with Kiki and Willow, they weight different options as to tell them she broke up with him, leave the city or call in sick but then the best wingman on earth Minor saves the way and suggests that she just takes a "fake boyfriend" with her, surely enough with Gavin in his mind.
MC goes through her contacts list to search for a suitable candidate, but her heart Whispers her the answer by skipping a beat as her fingertips scroll down to one name.
... Gavin
As such... MC has chosen her player for the game and Gavin's Heart Trial with MC's family commences...
---Press Start---
Creativity Test
Unluckily Gavin actually shows up for this highly important date late, with his phone off! From the storyline he arrives a couple of minutes late to MC’s aunt's place, thus starting the game one point behind. He was late because he was buying presents for the whole family! With the spot on gifts which are well received by the family because they're expensive, imported goods, limited products, cute and thoughtful he makes up for the lost points.
But it's just the first stage and he has 3 more stages to clear, the pressure is slowly rising.
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This gray suit has a lovely story behind it, which you can find by the end of the story.
Decision Test
Gavin has passed the creativity test with flying colors, but in the second stage more challenging questions are on the menu. The eldest aunt wants to know Gavin's age, occupation, salary(?!) and possessions(?!). The last two questions are fairly over the line and is a no-no in my country. Asking people about their financial status as well as bragging about it is perceived as rude and insolent, that's why the way Gavin answers these questions skillfully without bragging about his wealth adds just another brick on my Gavin-temple.
Age: 24
Occupation: Police Officer
Salary: Covers the bills
Possessions: A flat in the city and a motorcycle.
In my Prank date analysis, I've mentioned about Gavin's ability to deal with impertinence and also here, he stays friendly, but only answers the questions necessary to get through with the situation. MCs family is checking whether he's wealthy enough to take care of MC (which is sad that in the 21st century that in some countries women need to be financially secured by men). So Gavin just gives them just the right enough of information to pass the test and pass he does.
There is another aspect to his way of answering though. You see, Gavin is an unmaterialistic man. He doesn't care about money or any other meta. He doesn't touch upon the fact that he's coming from a wealthy family, or that he inherits his grandparents house or that he can afford designer dresses, overseas travels or gems without giving a second thought. That shows just how humble Gavin is and I love him for it. What defines him is not his wealth, nor does he allow anyone define him on his financial status. It's his character, the values he stand for, the vision he embodies, the way he treats MC.. Ehm.. And.. His champion body and drop dead gorgeous looks (comes as an extra;))
But the game is far from over, because the family council is now going to challenge him on...
Affinity Test
This is where things get rosy as the family would like to know how they've met and whether they've been together since high school.
Look, Gavin is actually not playing a game, but living the moment. He is well aware of the fact that once he and MC become an official pair, he will be standing on the same spot a year later. He is serious...
So when they ask about their affection, he gives them his genuine answer and confesses his crush on her during high school and says that they've been going out since fall. This dazzles MC, as if she hasn't been dazzled enough lol.
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The three glasses of drink he gulps surely has a role in this sincerity and taking three glasses of a drink as a punishment also becomes a tradition for MC and Gavin in the future.
And so, he proudly passes the Affinity Test with flying colors, effortlessly. Only one more stage and he's done it!
Execution Test
Every hero has his moment, when the fight takes a gloomier turn against his favor and the odds don't look good as before when he gets a strong blow, that is when the family hits him with the question "Don't you get alone well with your family?".
This is Gavin's weak spot, his cryptonite, his bleeding wound and MC's family just pressed on it. What makes this scene so heartbreaking is not just the topic itself and we know why it is a sensitive topic for Gavin but also that Gavin actually tries to signal them that this is not his favorite topic. He tells them he doesn't go home for holidays (friendly warning number 1), the aunties pushes by telling him to take some meal with him to which he replies "Thanks, but that's okay. I've been away for a long time" (friendly warning number 2) the family pushes further and as a one last resort he tells them that during college he rarely went there and spent holidays working afterwards (friendly warning number 3). Sadly the auntie than ignorantly ask whether his family doesn't worry about him and now because he's given three fair warning shots which, he downright gives them a brief and resolute answer:
- No.
That's usually the latest where people with common sense stop digging in further. Unfortunately then the auntie asks whether he doesn't get along well with his family to which Gavin no longer responds. This is the perfect way of dealing with such people and Gavin has a very intuitive talent for dealing different people from different mindsets. Give them three friendly and fair warnings, still pushing? Then give them a last chance by one final brief and to the point answer, they choose to ignore the signal? Stop interacting, you can only waste time beyond this point.
The only problem with this situation here, is that these people are not just somebody, Gavin wants to win these people over, so he cannot just ignore them. But also he cannot do it without a timeout, so he goes to grab some wine. (God it makes me so sorry everytime he has to face his family drama or is misjudged. I just wanna hug him bring him hot cocoa, give him a backrub and bring spicy food for him. Luckily he has MC ^_^)
But let's not talk only about about Gavin, because MC is struggling too. And we should recognize her stick up for him with the most cherishing words:
-Auntie, you got it wrong. He is a decent and pure man and has come to my aid many time and in quite dangerous circumstances.
When she comes back however cannot find Gavin, once she does, a heartwarming moment blooms between them.
This scene is very crucial in Gavin and MC's relationship because this is the first time MC sees Gavin tired and flustered. She feels sad for him but also happy for herself, for she feels as though she gets closer to him, thus seeing the real Gavin. By the way she show him her genuine care, Gavins heart melts and kisses the back of her hand as a gesture and so the first intimate moment involving them having a kiss ensues. Furthermore, they show each other their mutual care, which brings them one step closer and this gives Gavin the only courage he needs to tackle the situation.
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When our hero gets the courage and the stamina he need from his girl, nothing can stop him now. Having gatherer his strength, Gavin returns to the dinner table:
“I am so happy to be here with you all today. In fact, I haven't felt this atmosphere of family in a long time. I have a very strict father and a brother I seldom see...I don’t even know when I turned into such a loner. Eating alone, sleeping alone, doing everything alone...until I met her. It was a beautiful autumn day. The gingko leaves were floating in the wind. I was also going through a pretty dark time. But she saved me before I hit bottom...It’s she who told me I could live a stronger life. And it’s also she who told me I could live a more tender life. I never felt lonely before, until I met her. I started to get used to star-gazing with her, having dinner with her, spending the New Year’s with her. In the future, I'll give it my all to stay with her, to take good care of her and love her. I wanna make up many times over for all the times I wasn't there”
MC’s heart stopped, aunties eyes teary, the elder Aunt want his actions to back up these words and thus Gavin has a pass from MC's family. Now that he's won the game, it's time to collect his prize.
After they leave MC's aunt's house, our lovebirds walk together in the night full of fireworks and Gavin tells Mc that Minor has mentored him on being the perfect son-in-law, hence he was late. He also asks her what she would do if he didn't show up, to which she says that her intuition says that he won't fail her and he murmurs quietly:
- I've waited a long time for today.
Of course he doesn't repeats himself when MC asks him about what he just said. But that's what kept him going all night long.
He has waited for six whole years to meet her again, to stand by here, take good care of her and love her. Tonight, he could do them all by being her "boyfriend", giving his word to her family and having their blessings. He could see that she also cares a lot for him, worries about him and wants to be there for him. He landed his lips for the first time on her delicate skin and could give her warmth.
He could finally confess his feelings for her and say the genuine things he will only say to her.
So yes, he has waited for a long time for this moment to come and when it came, he made sure to grab it tightly.
----—----—---
Timeline issues:
- The order of the dates in the game doesn't always reflect the real course of events. The grey suit that Gavin wears is actually bought after Romantic Date, which takes place after this date.
-Even though MC plans this whole game to avert blind dates, but she still gets set up later on a blind date by another aunt lol.
Thank you once again for your patience nonny and I hope that the analysis proves to be worthy of your wait 💗
Masterlist
For MC's confession let me take you here
For Gavin and MCs relationship milestones here
For a fun trivia about this date you can click here
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tsukifanbase · 4 years
Text
Obey Me! Brothers Realize They Don’t Want M/C to Leave Devildom
Authors Note: aaaaaa not much to say here except.... enjoy!
Warnings: fluffffyyyy, lil bit angsty but like so is all of my writing hehe, nothin too bad
-----------------------------------------------
Lucifer:
- idk i feel like luci already kinda suspected he had fallen head over heels for you
- i alsoo feel like he probably tried to push you away after he noticed you had stolen his heart
- never fear though, dear (m/c)! because lucifer didn’t quite account for how difficult it would be distance himself, either because you kept popping up at just the right time or because he subconsciously missed you :)
- anywhosie roll the tape lol
- lucifer vaguely wondered where all the time had gone
- just a few moments before, he was grinding through a ton of paperwork for your return to the human realm, and it hit him like a ton of bricks
- you were leaving
- it stunned luci, sure, he had known you were leaving at some point, and he was literally signing papers confirming that very fact, but it hadn’t quite clicked for him yet
- for a moment, he felt no sadness about your leaving, only shock and confusion
- not about how fast the past year had moved, more so, luci found himself hating the thought of not having you by his side
- it stunned him, keep in mind, all this time luci thought he was keeping you at a distance, when in reality, maybe you were so easy to love that he hadn’t even noticed when he let you get closer
- lucifer snapped out of it, and glanced around his office, his eyes landing back on the paperwork that he had abandoned
- the date printed across the paper was the same one he had memorized so long ago, the day you were leaving
- luci pushed himself away from his desk, and practically ran walked quickly to your bedroom
- you didn’t notice when he walked into the room, you were distracted, staring at a framed photo of the brothers and you at some event you went to in the past
- you were smiling, and lucifer felt himself melt when he saw that
- and in that moment, it didn’t matter that luci used to see you as a distraction
- because he realized that he loved you
- and with that new knowledge, his next move came easily
- after all, lucifer would never allow someone he loved so dearly to ever slip through his fingers, ever again
- “lucifer?”, your voice broke his train of thought, he was smirking at you, you weren’t quite sure when he had begun observing you, it wasn’t that you really minded though
-”is something troubling you?”, although he had that flippin gorgeous smile spread across his lips, you always had a knack at knowing when something was wrong
- lucifer didn’t stop smirking, but he made his way over to you
- “may i?”, luci gestured for you to hand him the photo, which you did pretty much immediately 
- luci lifted the photo up closer so he could see you better, and then he chuckled as he handed the item back to you
- he pointed at mammon, “i seem to recall having to pour my drink on him that day”, lucifer chuckled to himself
- you looked surprised for a second, then squinted your eyes at mammon in the photo, his shirt was half drenched in an unknown, red liquid
- “i always wondered how he got soaked!”, luci smiled at you, then crossed his arms knowingly
- “do you want to know why?”, lucifer’s eyes remained glued on you, you were seemingly caught off guard, you then nodded
- “why?”, you asked, tilting your head slightly
- “he planned to ask you to dinner with him that evening”, luci seemed embarrassed for a moment, then his smirk returned 
- “so why did that warrant getting a drink poured on him?”, you questioned, and lucifer took him eyes off you for the first time since he had entered the room, he sighed, then brought his gaze back to yours
- “because i recognized how much i hated sharing someone that was mine”, he chuckled, a light pink spreading across his cheeks, “especially with mammon”
- now i wish i could say you looked shocked, you didn’t, you looked smug as hell lolol
- “i don’t want you to return to the human realm”, lucifer lightly picked up your hand that wasn’t holding the photograph, he figured he would be straightforward
- you grinned at him
- “then i guess i’m not going back to the human realm”
Mammon:
- okay okay so lets be real here we all flippin knew mammon had a crush on you
- that included mammon actually
- he didn’t suppress his feelings like luci, in fact mammon had always been pretty open about the fact that he liked you, a lot
- mammon also realized you were leaving soon
- and that put faze one of his plan into action
- his logic was pretty flawed on this one y’all, but mammon figured, you couldn’t leave if hypothetically your transfer papers weren’t signed, or you were late for school that day, orrrr... i think you can see where i’m going with this
- mammon was determined, he would not let you leave devildom that day
- and that brings us to you, an hour late for school already, because your alarm hadn’t gone off
- you pulled on your uniform, and double checked that all your bags were packed, before making a mad dash out of the house of lamenation 
- you checked your watch as you ran to the school, yes, you had definitely missed most of first period, but as long as you were in the school by the end of the day, you would be returning to the human realm without an issue
- or so you thought, turns out mammon had a million different things planned to keep you by his side indefinitely
- he had bribed your first period teacher to give you detention for being tardy, since he knew the teacher probably would have let you off the hook, seeing as it was your last day
- and yes, mammon spending his money on someone other than himself was usually unheard of, but who can say? desperate times call for desperate measures
- sometime before lunch hour, you wandered into the bathroom, making sure you looked decent, after all, you hadn’t really been able to check your appearance that morning
- in the mirror behind you, you saw three lower class demons wander into the restroom, giving you an evil smile that you just knew meant you would be late to your next period
- it was then that you realized something abnormal was clearly wrong
- the demons that had entered after you hadn’t said anything, nor made any more to hurt you, they simply stood by the door, knowing you weren’t going to take any chances with trying to get past
- they were keeping you in there, so what was their motivation?
- someone must’ve put them up to it 
- eventually you were able to leave, the demons seemingly lost interest, you sighed and made your way to detention- it took place during lunch hour
- you took your seat in detention, and after a bit, you heard your teacher, that was supposed to be monitoring you, leave the room
- the teacher didn’t return, and the bell for your next class rung 
- you walked over to the door, and attempted to open it
- the door was jammed
- because of course it was
- instead of yelling for help, you sighed and pulled out your phone
- you had a pretty good idea of who could’ve been behind all the bad things that had happened to you that day
- your phone barely rang once, before mammon picked up 
- “hey, (m/c), what’s up?”, you could almost feel the nervousness dripping off his voice
- “mammon, why am i locked in a classroom right now?”, you replied, and just as you could hear mammon’s nerves, he could nearly hear the absolutely terrifying, ‘im gonna kill you’, smile that you had on your face
- mammon chuckled nervously, “sorry (m/c)! it’s for your own good!”, then he hung up
- you scowled at your phone, then went to call levi to tell him to come let you out
- it was pretty clear that mammon didn’t expect to see you sitting in your last class of the day, one of the classes the two of you shared
- he walked in with a big, smug smile on his face, which very quickly turned to a look of surprise, then fear
- mammon nearly walked out of the classroom, luckily the teacher was there to drag him back in by his jacket
- he sat down next to you, and attempted to pretend like nothing was wrong
- “hiya (m/c)! how’s my favorite human’s day been?”, you stared at him blankly
- the teacher still hadn’t started the lecture yet, so it gave mammon time to finally admit and explain his master plan to you
- he was sheepishly glancing away from you by the time he was done whisper rambling, he mumbled out a quick and quiet, “’m sorry, okay?”
- the teacher finally started lecturing the class about devildom history of something, when you broke out into a fit of quiet laughter
- mammon completely disregarded the teacher, blushing furiously, he thought you were laughing at him
- “hey it’s not that funny”, he pouted a bit before you seized your laughter, and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself
- “you know you could’ve just asked right?”, you giggled a bit after you whispered that to him
- “huh?”, that caught mammon off guard
- “you could’ve just asked me to stay here with you”, pink dusted your cheeks, “i like you too mammon”
- you just killed him good job
Leviathan:
- ok ok ok levi is bb
- it took a little while for levi to actually trust you
- cos we all know that it takes a while for babe to warm up to people
- but hun when he finally does start wanting to be around you, you can bet that you’re his new bff
- it’s so cute like 
- by the end of your stay in the devildom, you’re hanging out with levi pretty much every day (i say pretty much bc he is an introvert, he likes his alone time, so while you spend most of your time together, expect that he’s gonna want to be by himself sometimes)
- anyways
- you two got to know each other really well through hanging out so much, and levi caught feelings really quickly
- you were the first real person to ever show interest in the things he liked, and the first person to really listen to him 
- you were kind to him, and also assured him that you enjoyed your time spend together, even when levi tried to insist you would never want to hang out with a yucky otaku
- so that brings us to the day you had to leave 
- you had spent the morning in levi’s room, and had noticed that he was being clingier than usual (although ‘clingier than usual’ for levi literally just means that he was sitting like an inch closer to you than usual lol)
- the two of you were just about to beat the final boss in your favorite video game
- you hadn’t really noticed how much levi was staring at you, after all, your focus was completely trained on something else
- but i assure you, levi found himself glancing at you every few seconds, almost like he was trying to make sure you were still there
- it flustered him, and levi found himself blushing at the thought, but he cared for you more then he ever could have imagined
- remember, levi hadn’t ever really had a true friend, other than henry, of course
- he had been lonely for so long, and now that he had someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life beside, who could blame him for not wanting to let you out of his sight?
- and while that could’ve been deemed as possessive, it seemed levi was just acting out of fear
- he was afraid, because he really didn’t want to see you go
- you dealt the final blow to the boss, causing the credits for the game to roll, and you let out a sigh of relief
- you turned to grin at levi, and give him a high five in celebration, you lowered your hand when you noticed that levi was already staring at you
- his expression not quite blank, levi looked sad 
- “levi?”, you tilted your head at him curiously, that seemed to snap him back to reality, and caused a deep red blush to settle on his face
- you smiled briefly before standing up to put the controller on a side table
- “is something wrong, levi?”, you turned back towards him to ask your question, “you’re not exactly as happy as i thought you would be after beating that boss”, you giggled to yourself when levi covered his blush with his hand, he was probably embarrassed that you had noticed 
- “no, nothing’s wrong”, you could barely hear him, he was mumbling 
- you went back over to where levi was sitting, kneeling so you were at his level 
- “you’re sure that nothing is wrong?”, you placed a hand on levi’s knee in a soothing manner, his blush deepened, any physical contact usually did that to him
- levi was covering his face with both his hands now, then he said something, his speech was muffled by his hands, you couldn’t make out what he said
- he huffed, then dropped his hands from his face to cross his arms across his chest
- “could you stay with me?”, levi whispered, “please?”, this time you heard him clearly, and you smiled in a way that made him go fuzzy
- you carefully raised one of your hands up to levi’s cheek, cupping his face, then you pressed a kiss to his other cheek
- “i thought you’d never ask”
Satan:
- okay so pretty much here’s the run down
- satan typically wasn’t one to share his reading time with anyone else
- while it was extremely easy to ignore outside distractions while he was concentrating on a book, satan still preferred to read in isolation
- something about the calming atmosphere, no other care in the world but his book, it was satan’s getaway from the hectic life he lived
- he never was willing to share that getaway until he found you reading in the library about a week into your stay in the devildom
- it was the first time that he wasn’t even remotely annoyed by another person’s presence during his reading session
- of course you weren’t silent, but he found himself comforted by your being there
- ever since that point, it was pretty common to find the two of you reading in the library together
- although satan found himself drawn to you even when neither of you were reading, sometimes he would find himself sitting on the edge of your bed, doing his schoolwork while you played a game on your d.d.d.
- if satan was being honest with himself, you were probably the first person he had never gotten angry with
- you never gave him any reason to get upset, and he adored that about you
- you were like a breath of fresh air
- that brings us to the evening before your departure
- you had slipped into satan’s room while he was sitting at his desk doing schoolwork, he noticed you entered, but it was so normal for the two of you to seek each other that he really didn’t feel the need to comment on it
- you settled yourself on his bed, and quickly lost yourself in your book, not noticing when satan would occasionally peer back at you over his shoulder
- it was probably about an hour after you had entered the room that satan finished up the paper he was writing
- he glanced over at the clock, internally sighing at how late it had gotten, then he turned in his chair to look over at you
- you had your head propped up on your hands, but your eyes were closed, and your breathing steady- you were asleep
- satan walked over to where you were lying on his bed, lightly taking your book from you and placing it on the bedside table, before he pulled the covers over you
- satan sat down on the bed beside you, carefully, so he wouldn’t wake you
- he smiled when you mumbled something in your sleep, and moved a strand of your hair from your face
- “i wish you wouldn’t leave me yet, my dear”, satan turned away from you to turn the lamp off, allowing the room to be engulfed in darkness
- “so who do i ask to rip up my transfer papers?”
Asmodeus:
- hmmm well we all know that asmo adored you in every way
- he finally had someone to go shopping with! someone who wouldn’t eat his things or steal everything once he paid
- the two of you were pretty much inseparable, it was cuttteee
- you were a regular on his social media, and all his fans loved you just as much as he did
- asmo insisted on helping you do your makeup and choose your outfit one day early in your stay, and from that day on, it was pretty normal for him to burst into your room each morning to help your fashion game 
- and pretty soon he was taking you to all his favorite shops and treating you to delightful food (he wanted to take pictures of it for his fans)
- the day you were supposed to leave the devildom, asmo woke you early, as if this were just any other day
- he decided to treat you to a special going away shopping trip, and said that anything you desired was as good as yours
- let’s get to the scene!
- asmo was holding up a shirt that was exactly your style, he had always been good at picking things you liked
- needless to say, you weren’t really focused on the shirt, and asmo would’ve been delighted to know that he was clouding your mind
- you didn’t want to leave the devildom, not only because you had come to see the brothers as family, but because you didn’t want to leave asmo
- all the time you had spent together had made you realize just how much you cared for him, and you were pretty much just waiting for asmo to ask you to stay
- “hmm? what’s this? my dear (m/c) you’re not getting distracted by my beauty, are you?”, he teased, glancing over the shirt before placing it back on the clothing rack. 
- pink spread across your cheeks, and you shook your head, before going to look through the accessories 
- you were close enough that you heard what he said next
- asmo let out a deep sigh, “i just can’t seem to focus today, knowing that i won’t be able to shop with my dear anymore”
- you turned to face him quickly, speaking before either of you really recognized what you said, “then why don’t i stay?”, you covered your mouth after those words slipped past your lips
- you looked up at asmo nervously, and found him staring back at you with utter awe, then it turned to joy
- asmo dropped whatever clothing he was holding and ran over to hug you, his grin brightening the room 
- “do you really mean it?”, asmo asked hopefully, to which you nodded, and he squeezed you into another hug, you sunk into his embrace 
- “i’m so glad”
Beelzebub:
- ok other than asmo, i think beel was probably the fastest to warm up to you 
- although that could’ve been because of your talent with cooking (honestly you could just be making box mac and cheese and beel would still love that you were cooking for him XD)
- it was probably a few days into your stay when beel was casually complaining about being hungry, he was usually ignored by his brothers when his stomach rumbled, so needless to say, he was a little bit surprised when you offered to make him something
- he nodded, followed you to the kitchen, and boom you got yourself a lovable, hungry boy as your new bff
- from then beel pretty much came to you ever time he was hungry between meals, because while he could make himself food, he enjoyed your company and honestly just liked it when you cooked for him
- that means we talkin about midnight snacks, brunch like every day, afternoon meal, you and beel were spending a lot of time together
- beel started coming to you not only because he was hungry, but because he wanted to see you
- you would tell him stories about the human world and about your life while you made cooked, and beel started to love the faraway look in your eye as you reminisced
- he found himself drawn to you, your familiarity, something about you felt like home, although he wouldn’t have put it that way
- beel only realized that he liked being around you, and when he found out you would be leaving him soon, he only seeking you out more
- you guys were sitting in the kitchen, it was early in the morning, before breakfast
- you were making pancakes, still rubbing the traces of sleep from your eyes
- little did you know, that was probably the first time ever that beel didn’t really feel like eating, and he zoned out staring at a pancake thinking about that very fact
- if he wasn’t hungry, then why did he ask you to cook for him? why did he seek you out, and wake up early to go ask you to do something that wasn’t necessary?
- “beel?”, you asked, noticing that the pancake you had set in front of him a few minutes prior was still untouched
- you walked over to where beel was sitting and placed a hand on his shoulder gently, he felt himself relax into your touch, “are you okay?”, you asked him quietly, you were just a tad bit concerned that he wasn’t eating, you had never seen a piece of food survive in front of him for more than three seconds before
- and just like that, beel spoke before he even truly realized what plaguing his mind himself
- “can you stay in the devildom?”
- you stared at him in brief surprise before your face broke into a smile
- “sure, if you eat the pancakes i made you”
Belphegor:
- ok ok ok ok so we all know that belphie had some trouble with humans when he first met you
- butttt as soon as you two became friends, he started noticing all the things he used to love about humans, all within you
- you found joy in little things, lived your life taking on every new challenge, one after the other gracefully
- you were empathetic, and it always stunned him, but you never got angry with belphie after he tricked you
- if anything, you treated belphie with more kindness than he deserved, because you recognized that he tricked you, and kinda sorta tried to kill you, because he was in pain
- because he needed to blame someone else for his sister’s demise, so it wouldn’t break him
- anyways, once belphie began trusting you, he wanted to be around you constantly which you were totally okay with haha
- you reminded him of someone who was dear to him once, and it made him want to stay by your side forever
- okkkk so needless to say, belphie was 1000% a bad influence on you haaa
- like he was clever enough to get away with things he shouldn’t have gotten away with
- for example, lazy boyo was lazy, so he would show up to class late pretty much every day
- however, unlike other students, belphie would just kinda appear in his seat at some point during the class
- it made the teacher question if they were going crazy or if belphie had just been there all along and they hadn’t noticed
- like the teacher would literally do a double take, like they’re scanning the room to ask someone a question and their eyes land on belphie, and they just go, ‘hang on’
- you rarely saw belphie doing his school work, yet he would always have perfect grades
- anyways back to the original point
- belphie had curious ways of getting what he wanted, and that was no different the day you were scheduled to leave 
- the two of you were sleeping, it was nearly noon, and you had been contemplating your escape from belphie’s arms for the past hour
- you had to be at RAD by the end of the school day, and at that rate, you would have missed the goodbye ceremony completely
- so it was either risk upsetting diavolo, prince of the devildom, or your sweet, sleepy boy
- you decided to take your chances with the one you knew better, and began the process of removing yourself from belphie’s grasp
- you took a deep breath of relief once you were out of bed
- it wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy cuddling with belphie, deep down you probably wished you could stay curled up with him forever, but you knew that you had to leave 
- you wandered into the bathroom connect to belphie’s room, and started brushing your teeth
- when you finished brushing, you turned back towards the bathroom door, where belphie was leaning, rubbing his eyes and yawning
- you froze, and then you gave belphie a guilty smile, “good morning, bel”
- belphie crossed his arms, “where do you think you’re going?”, he never liked being woken up early, it always put him in a bad mood
- you looked at belphie curiously for a second, had he forgotten you were leaving? now that you thought about it, he really hadn’t ever acknowledged that you would be returning home, not once had you ever talking about it
- “i-”, you started, unable to finish your train of thought, as bel interrupted you
- “you’re leaving?”, he asked, but instead of sounding angry like you expected, his tone with playful, and you finally noticed a folded slip of paper bel was holding between his fingers
- you tilted your head at him, “bel?”, he smirked at you and stepped closer, holding out the paper for you to take
- you took the paper from him carefully and unfolded it, scanning over the printed words
- it was a document, one regarding your residence in the devildom, and at the bottom of the paper, was lucifer’s signature
- “bel? what is this?”, you glanced up at him, he was staring at you in the most loving way you could imagine
- “the paperwork that means you can stay”, belphie said carefully, picking up your hand and playing with your fingers
- you stared at him in disbelief before pulling him into a hug, “thank you, bel”
599 notes · View notes
janiedean · 3 years
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if you ever wrote that rant about grrm making jon his chosen one deconstruction i'd be very happy to read it 👀
hello anon sorry for the lateness but here we go *deep breath*
sssooo, I had once ranted about it though not mentioning the thing I mentioned in those tags so lemme see if I can find the op and like... cp the main argument and amend it bc it was long, but okay so I found it, original anon asked me: why is Jon considered to be one of the most special characters grrm created? Why is he not the typical hero of fantasy books?, my original answer was here if anyone wants to go there but basically lemme just cp the first part making it shorter and then I'm adding:
first thing, the Typical Post-Tolkien Chosen One With A Shitty Life Before He Finds Out He Is Chosen™ character (I’m saying post-tolkien because every fantasy writer in existence who copies tolkien thinks that lotr went like that and instead it didn’t) usually goes through the following steps: his life sucks up until the beginning of the series, his family generally hates him/her or doesn’t appreciate them or abuses them or anyway doesn’t make their life easier and they’ve never known any different, but *something* never quite worked right and they always knew something was missing in their life, they just didn’t know why. suddenly someone who knows they were Chosen™ shows up and tells them that they’re actually Special because of this this and that and they have a quest to go on to save the world or something. our hero/heroine obviously is finally validated and while their quest is hard and full of hardships and maybe they lose a few friends along the way, finding out that they were Chosen gives their life meaning, they usually find love/friends/everything they didn’t have before until they fulfill the Prophecy™ and live more or less happily ever after, possibly after hooking up with the Person Of Their Dreams with whom they had UST up until the last twenty pages of the book. basically: being Chosen™ in regular fantasy novels is a good thing because suddenly you’re special and all the crap you suffered acquires a new meaning and in the end it made your life better.
jon snow is a complete overhaul of about everything in this sense because
instead of having a family who hates him he has a family who actually mostly loves him, and with ned it’s arguably so much that he risks royal treason by keeping him hidden from his *best friend* - sure, there’s cat and peripherally sansa, but his issues stem from the fact that he feels lesser because he’s a bastard (as far as he knows) and it’s a *class* issue, not a *my family hates me* issue not counting catelyn obv but that's what gives him freudian issues more on that in the emended part later
no one actually knows that he’s Chosen™ - like mel could get there and probably will and someone will put two and two together when his parentage comes out in the open, but he doesn’t have a gandalf or mentor who shows him The Way Towards His Quest
so instead of going from ‘my life sucks but I’m going on a quest which is gonna be a+’ he actively chooses to leave a fairly decent situation (a household he knows, siblings who love him - ned actually hoped he’d become robb’s counselor or right hand man or something from what we can gather) because he feels like he has to prove he’s better than his name and goes to the Crappiest Place In Westeros. like idk if people grasp it, but the wall is basically a prison and at the ripe age of fourteen he decides that it’s totally a good and honorable choice (his only choice actually) to go defend the realm in the freezing cold along with a bunch of criminals/derelicts/rejects of society
at which point he makes friends among said rejects and let’s remember that it’s the point where he actually has to do his first an only privilege when donal noye made him go like hey you were brought up with nobles these ppl are here because they stole bread, and that helps making him more into the person he is rn but like your tyopical fantasy hero who has had a shitty life doesn’t usually have to acknowledge that other people might have had it worse
then he goes on the Quest where he finds his first One True Love, and that’s where it turns even worse because usually the quest is where things start to go right for the Hero™, instead for jon they start to go wronger, because first he has to go undercover which pretty much tests most of his belief/code system, he falls in love with a girl he has to betray, half of his friends and his lord commander die along the way, while he’s off doing his thing winterfell gets taken/burned and robb dies when jon openly stated that he also was going to the wall to defend his family and keep them safe (yeaaah worked out real well), when he goes back to the wall he has to fight the people he lived with for months, the woman he loves dies in his arms and he can’t do anything about it and he’s aware it couldn’t have gone any other way, people put defending the wall on him and then put his loyalty in question, when stannis shows up with a legitimization (which is everything he ever wanted) he refuses because he doesn’t want to accidentally steal his siblings’s inheritance (which was what cat was so worried about hahaha) and actively chooses the crappy defending the realm life all over again. also in all this time his being Chosen™ hasn’t manifested or helped him in any way whatsoever - actually all his honor-moral code related baggage is what  moral dilemmas come from that. like, your usual chosen hero™ would always take the right decision and it all turns out good eventually, jon takes the morally right decision and it all turns SOUR eventually
at this point he finally gets elected LC, thanks to his friends also pitching in, which is about the one fantasy hero™ thing that’s happened for now. should be good, yes?
lol no, because he ends up with THAT hellish responsibility at sixteen, since he thinks that he has absolutely to be even better than that now and he has very specific notions about how you should lead and he knows he has to take unpopular decisions/decisions that he doesn’t necessarily like, he ends up either having to send his friends away forreal (sam) or detaching from them (pyp/grenn/the likes) and when as far as he knows he learns that his sister is married to ramsay he can’t do anything about it
never mind that it’s the same situation as when he had to pick the watch or robb in book one - he went there to defend his family and now being there actually prevents him from helping them in person. ops. meanwhile he’s trying to implement a new vision of things which is modern and smart and actually makes sense because why fighting the wildlings when you have ZOMBIES coming. your usual Chosen One™ would get people to approve just because he’s the Chosen One
instead jon gets stabbed to death - okay, that was also because he wanted to go get arya but it was the last straw, people were pissed over the wildlings plan first and foremost
so basically he’s gone through all the Chosen One™ steps but in reverse - he loses his family which did love him instead of finding another one that makes the first pale in comparison, he does find a new one who loves him but has to alienate most of its members for responsibility reasons as a consequence of what should have been the crowning achievement of his life choices (which eventually is NOT one), he falls in love and they don’t drag the UST forever but they never get a chance to be together without small print in between, he chooses the admittedly most masochistic life he could for his family as well and half of them die and he can’t do a thing for the other half, every other mentor-like figure he runs into after ned dies, instead of finding validation he ends up having to isolate himself and on top of everything HE STILL DOESN’T FUCKING KNOW HE’S THE CHOSEN ONE™
so instead of his life going better the more he learns stuff and matures as a person, he gets murdered. by the people he trusts and who were supposed to be his new family. haha?
never mind that when he finds out he’s the Chosen One™ it won’t bring him closure because all he ever wanted was being full stark like his father/siblings and then bam he’s going to find out his father’s actually targaryen and what does that even mean to him?
on top of that being AA will just be a pain because I don’t believe for a second he’s not going to get leftover ptsd and who the hell is gonna help him deal with it? or how is he ever getting over his *brothers* murdering him? and people are going to ask stuff of him all over again and he’s gonna have to go slay a mythical monster and if I know grrm it’s not gonna be fun, pretty or cathartic FOR HIM
on top of that, Chosen Hero™ fulfills the prophecy and gets a realm to rule and everyone lives happily ever after. money is that if jon does get that realm (and I think he is because he has the best claim if he's legitimate and most likely it'll turn out he was on the targ side but ROBB also legitimized him so he has double the legitimization), he’s going to hate every second of it and he’ll take it because a) duty, b) literally no one else is available, and like this guy didn’t want to rule a realm or be a king or anything he just wanted to be a stark, and instead he’s going to have to after all that shit thanks to Magical And Noble Heritage he hadn’t even known he had and probably didn’t even want up to that point because since when jon wanted to be a targ? yeah since never
obviously I hope he manages to be somewhat happy regardless because the alternative is too miserable, but basically being a Chosen Hero™ is what makes jon’s life worse rather than better and the fact that hew went through all the regular self-discovery journey for the fantasy hero list doesn’t mean he’s not flipping that over in his sl. the fact that he stayed a decent person more or less throughout it and that he hasn’t turned into a bitter asshole also doesn’t change the main point XD
tldr: jon snow is not a typical fantasy hero because he deconstructs that trope into tiny little bits same as robb deconstructed the arthurian flawless king hero trope
now ^^^^^ THAT was what I originally wrote for that meta but adding on to what I said in those tags
okay so... there is a certain tendency to also make the chosen one™ special in the sense that he's kind of goals - good looking, rich or set to inherit, gallant, takes the initiative, he's like.. social or anyway immediately makes friends etc and all that jazz which jon... doesn't really fit
like jon is an introvert who immediately makes friends just with outcasts and his siblings also bc he feels like one but he's hardly a social butterfly and charms everyone wherever he walks by
I mean ffs says all that the only person he charmed in that sense is stannis who is the literal only person in charge in the books who is more introvert than him and has worse communication issues and appreciates ppl going straight to the point
on top of that in the book he looks like ned.... and arya looks like ned and ned isn't described as being particularly handsome that was brandon so he's not even like... I mean kit h. is v. pretty and I think he was a good choice for the role and I'll die on the hill that he was born to play that character and he did it well but book!jon doesn't have that kinda pretty face so the concept that he's the HOT alternative to anyone to me is kind of iffy bc he's not
he's shit at social interactions and at PR which is why robb and him would have been a key winning ticket like he has a better idea of the larger picture but robb would have actually made sure ppl didn't turn against them bc he actually was good at that but like he doesn't go around rallying armies in his name does he
the one time he's been with a girl it was ygritte and like he courted her without realizing it and then she had to pursue him and he barely knew wtf to do on top of the fact that they slept with ghost in the middle of them like a sword which..... is.... I mean sleeping with the sword in the middle was a thing to make sure the maiden stayed a maiden and he's the one who is like i CAN'T HAVE SEX WITH HER EVEN IF I WANT TO BECAUSE I'M TECHNICALLY SPYING ON THEM like... he's not... gallant-knight coded
never mind that the moment they do the do she basically does everything until he decides to try the oral which I mean... isn't exactly alphadominatingmale out of jon which is not a given with the trope he's supposed to represent like he's not smooth he's not suave he's like WHAT THE FUCK when ygritte tells him he has a pretty face bc most likely no one else told him that and he like... doesn't pursue people like that in general which is also not exactly 100% what that trope usually goes for
we can add that he has a lot of passive-aggressive little shit sarcasm in him that they didn't let him go for in the show but like... usually chosen heroes™ don't think what he thinks about selyse in general
we can also add that he's not automatically above being better than his position like... he doesn't take winterfell bc ygritte is dead but he did think he'd have taken the deal sansa or not if stannis had said he could marry her and not val and if she wasn't dead, he basically went off the rails at the dude he was fighting with thinking about robb telling him that he couldn't be lord of wf because he was a bastard and he's absolutely not in the frame of mind of 'well I was born a bastard who cares it doesn't define me'
he's obsessed to the point of unhealthy with actually being defined by it which is why he was better off with the wildlings aka the only idiots in the realm who don't gaf about that
and that's like... I mean usually if chosen ones™ have parental issues it's like 'you were an orphan and raised by asses who weren't your parents but your parents loved you and you'll find out at some point and you'll be happier for it and make your own family', jon is like... he has the mommy freudian issues of the century bc of how cat treated him, on the other side he's obsessed with living up to ned's/his father's name and he hates that it makes him not-belonging or that he feels like he doesn't even if he does with his siblings, and at the same time when the truth about it comes out he's going to get the cold shower of the century bc like - he's spent all that time thinking BUT DID MY MOTHER WANT ME WHO WAS MY MOTHER and he's going to find out of who it was and how he was born and honestly considering that lyanna most likely did regret running with rhaegar the moment he finds that out and that she died birthing him how is he going to feel? - also he spends his life wanting to live up to his 'father's' name aka ned aka someone known to be honorable to a fault and then it turns out his bio father is... the dude who started that entire rebellion not doing a very honorable thing? - also if jon*erys is a thing idt that he'd take 'I fell in love with my aunt' so nonchalantly as he did in the show tldr: he's never gonna get over his parental issues in a short time and when that particular brick hits him in the face it won't be pretty
like the entire point of jon is that he goes through all the chosenone™ cursus honorum as we'd call it in high school when studying latin but each step that means smth good for the usual chosenone™ to him is something bad, being one is not going to make his life better and throughout the entire thing he does not fit that stereotype when it comes to look, personality, basic traits and familial history and like hell he's going to have the happy ending tied up with the bow - like I think he gets a bittersweet one and eventually goes off with the wildlings bc he belongs there after being jon snow first of his name (bc like hell he's not reclaiming his bastard background at the end of this entire mess I'm eating my hat if he doesn't) after splitting the seven realms and fixing things but that's hardly the neat happy ending the chosenone™ usually gets so that's my two cents
... christ this was long *raises hands*
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kayluh1915 · 3 years
Text
Ice Cream Cake
Pairing(s): Pedro Pascal/Female Reader
Words: 3,233
Warnings: None
Pedro (in collaboration with your mother) throws you a party for your birthday, but not for the reason you originally thought.
DISCLAIMER!
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So, the beautiful Maggie ( @221bshrlocked ) was talking here on Tumblr about an age gap between reader and Pedro and I am HERE👏🏻FOR👏🏻 IT👏🏻 so expect more of this because she's got me hooked. Blame her... when she gets back from her break! I originally planned for this to be FILTHY, but no matter how many times I tried to work it in, it just didn't fit. So, have some fluff instead! Maybe next time, you filthy whores.
This works as a stand-alone, but I do consider it to be in the same universe as Beautiful People. It isn't necessary in the slightest to read that before this, but it is available if you would like to give it a read.
As always, comments are welcomed and encouraged.
You can also follow me on Twitter if you'd like. My life is boring, but I try.
Enjoy!
Read on AO3
My Masterlist
It’s a warm summer evening. The frogs are croaking, the fireflies are starting to come out, and the crickets are singing as the sun began to dip over the horizon of the mountain. The perfect kind of evening for bonfires, camping, or even some late swimming. All great ways to spend a gorgeous evening. Far better than being pressed up against the glass of the local community center… in your opinion at least. However, for the sweaty fangirls, the chance of even getting a glimpse of your boyfriend was by far the better option.
“Such heathens.” Your mamaw said, rolling her eyes at the crowd outside. “They should show some dignity.”
“You were young too, Mom. Cut’em a break.” You Mom replied, carrying a plate of homemade peanut butter rolls.
“Well, I’d like to think I’d have more respect than to stare and lust over a local's boyfriend on her birthday, famous or not. He ain’t even here yet for cryin’ out loud!” You reached for one of the treats while your Mom was occupied, quickly stuffing it in your mouth. It was just as delicious as always.
“You should call for more security. If they’re like this when the man ain’t even here, I’d hate to see em’ when he does. Someone’s gonna get hurt.” Your Mom thought for a moment, looking back to the crowd outside that had somehow doubled in just that short amount of time alone.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll get on the phone and let the- Honey, don’t eat all of your aunt Judy’s PB rolls!” Your Mom scolded you once she noticed your stuffed cheeks.
“I dunno what you’re talking about.” You replied, mouth still full.
“It’s the bee’s birthday, Annie. Leave er’lone.”
“Then you can explain to the guests why there’s no rolls left.” The door suddenly opened, the overwhelming chatter from outside piercing the otherwise calm atmosphere of the community center and startling the three of you. You worried for a split second that maybe one of the fangirls had gone rouge and got past the guards or that one of the guests arrived way too early, but it was just your best friend, Emily… thank God.
“Damn, you’d think there was a celebrity nearby or something.” She joked, pointing her thumb back towards the door.
“There isn’t.” Emily’s smirk morphed into pure confusion.
“Whaddya mean? I thought he was supposed to be here around four?”
“Last second table read. Set him back a few hours.” She nodded in understanding, stealing one of the peanut butter rolls from the plate your mom was still carrying. She was about to protest but decided to take the damn treats into the ballroom so they would quit getting swiped in the first place. Even then she had your brother to worry about.
“Well, come on. We gotta go get you all dolled up for your man.” You looked towards the crowd, the mere idea of walking past all of those people green with envy making you nervous. Security guards or not.
“W-we can’t escape out of the back, can we?”
“Nope, they’re lined up back there too. I tired.” You threw your head back with a groan.
“Fuck.”
“There’s security out there, honey. They’ll protect you.” You mamaw said.
“Yeah, c’mon. You don’t wanna start your party in a ratty t-shirt and some jeans, do you?”
Honestly, you didn’t care.
When Pedro asked you what you wanted to do for your 25th birthday, you answered with the what you normally did. Stay home, do nothing, treat yourself to an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, and maybe have Emily come over.
“When’s the last time you’ve done something special for your birthday?” He’d asked.
‘It’s been years. I’m not the party type and I never have the money to do what I actually want. Even a DQ cake is a decent amount of cash for me.” He paused for a moment, obviously thinking.
“... What have you actually wanted to do?” You immediately knew what he was up to.
“Nope! Don’t even think about it! It’s way too much money. Seriously, a DQ cake at home with you is more than enough.” It wasn’t his idea of spoiling you on your birthday, but he agreed. If that’s really what you wanted, then he’d give it to you. Whether you knew it or not, he’d give you the world if he could.
When you and Pedro visited your mother one weekend, she had asked you the same question. Before you could get out the answer you had given Pedro, she'd already replied with her own.
“You know, you haven’t had a proper party in years. We should throw you one.” You tried again to intervene, but Pedro stepped in.
“I’ll help in any way I can. Mi Abeja deserves something special for her birthday.”
So much for your private DQ cake celebration.
You weren’t ungrateful or anything. In fact, you really didn’t mind it. A day of dancing and good food sounded great and you were thankful to have someone like Pedro that was able to give you that. However, seeing all these people stepping on each other just to get one glimpse of the man you love made you long for that DQ cake.
“Pedro’s tee and jeans are fine.” You answered, Emily clicking her tongue at you and grabbing ahold of your arm. She dragged you towards the door and waved to your Mamaw.
“Be back in about two hours.”
Thankfully, you made it to Emily’s car without a scratch, taking in a huge deep breath once you shut the passenger door.
You wanted to choke her.
____________________
Your hairstylist released the last lock of your hair from the curling wand with a whistle.
“Lookin’ good, cutie! Pedro’s gonna faint when he sees you.” She exclaimed, spinning you around so you could take a look at your freshly styled hair. You cupped the curls framing your face and shook it out a little. Not even you could deny how much you loved being dolled up even if it hadn’t been your idea.
“Thanks, Jo. I love it.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” You got up from the chair and walked over to your couch, picking up the gift box Pedro had given you last week. He’d told you to wear it to your party, but not to open it until then.
“Well, open it! Let’s see what he picked out for you.” Emily exclaimed, obviously more excited about it than you were. Even Jo was peeking over as she got her stuff together.
You pulled the ribbon until it fell slack, placing the box back down on your couch to take the lid off. After fishing through a sea of tissue paper, you finally saw it. A black knee-length dress decorated with beautiful roses and daisies and a pair of black heels that had their own blossom.
“Ooooo! How pretty!” Jo cooed, adorning the dress.
“Man, he has a good eye,” Emily added. “That’s beautiful.” You looked over at her with a crooked eyebrow.
“Did you think he couldn’t match colors or something?”
“No, I’m just saying that men usually suck at stuff like this, but he did great.”
After everything was done, you stepped in front of your full-body mirror to take a look at yourself. You hated to admit it, but you actually looked pretty good. Your hair was curled and framed your face nicely as the dress Pedro had got you hugged your body perfectly. You even liked the heels which was a shock. You hated heels, but he had managed to find a pair that weren’t that tall so your feet wouldn’t hurt. It was a very sweet gesture, but you'd still be taking them off before the night was over.
“Shit!” Emily cursed. “Yeah you’re beautiful bitch, we gotta go. You’re going to be late for your own party!” You got back in her car as fast as possible, the heels slowing you down slightly. Despite that, you managed to make it in time, the security guards redirecting you to the upstairs entrance.
“Pedro’s here and they’ve gone wild. You’ll have to go in where the guests come through. There's more of us up there.” Emily complained mildly about having to park farther than she’d like, but you weren’t really paying much attention to her. Since the guard had told you that your boyfriend was finally here, the only thing you could really focus on was getting to him.
You made your way down the stairs slowly but as fast as possible, trying to avoid using the handrails since the decorators had worked so hard on making them look nice. Suddenly, you heard the crowd gathered outside scream, distracting you from your slow descent. You’re glad they did because at the bottom of the staircase stood the man you couldn’t wait to get to, everything but him going out of focus.
He was wearing a maroon button-down tucked into a pair of black dress pants. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, exposing his toned forearms as the black tie sat crooked around his neck. His hair was also slicked back, a few curls defying the gel and coming down to rest on his forehead. His brown eyes were crinkled, his blinding smile causing butterflies to erupt in your stomach almost as much as the trimmed facial hair that framed his jawline.
You continued to make your way down, now using the previously avoided handrails so you could go faster. When you got to the last two steps, he held his hand out for you to take. You gladly did, his calloused hand so large and warm compared to yours. You giggled when the dork pressed a light kiss to your knuckle.
“Are you my Jack for the night?” You teased, earning a snorted laugh from him.
“Nah. Just always wanted to do that. Didn’t think I’d get my chance tonight.” He made sure you came down the last two steps safely, you immediately wrapping your arms around him as soon as your heels touched the tiled floor. You laid your head on his shoulder with a content sigh, Pedro returning the hug as soon as you initiated it, his strong arms holding you tight as he pressed tender kisses to your temple.
“Missed you...” You said quietly, loud enough only for him to hear.
He parted with you ever so slightly to kiss you properly, his lips melding with yours so perfectly that you never wanted to come up for air.
“Alright, alright, break it up you two!” Your dad said, the only thing that saved you from being lost in his lips for the rest of the evening. “C’mon, everyone’s been waitin’ to see ya.” You looked back up at Pedro, smiling wide as soon as you saw that he was staring.
“Stop it.” You laugh. He laughs too, pressing another kiss to the side of your forehead.
“I can’t help it. Mi Abeja looks so pretty tonight.” You reached up to his tie to fix it for him, your eyes focusing on the poorly tied knot that he’d obviously done himself.
“Save it. We have to go greet the family before they blow a gasket.” You said, patting his chest once his tie was finished. He stood next to you and put his hand on the small of your back, gesturing towards the ballroom with his free one.
“Lead the way, honey.”
____________________
The party was well underway by now, the bass of the music thumping hard in your chest as you ate your second piece of birthday cake. It was no DQ ice cream cake, but you couldn’t deny that your aunt Judy could bake.
After the cake was cut, the DJ started playing music, inviting everyone out to the dancefloor. Pedro asked if you wanted to go dance but you turned him down.
“Not yet. I’ll join you once I get my fix on cake.” He nodded, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he left to join your brother and a few of your cousins who were already “cutting the rug” you guessed.
You watched as Pedro loosened up, him and your brother dancing so rediculously that you couldn't help but laugh.
Whether Pedro wanted to believe it or not, he was quickly becoming a Hollywood golden boy. He more than deserved it, but the pressure of it all got to him sometimes and you were ecstatic to see him relaxed for a change.
He’d long discarded his tie, the hair gel barely holding back his curls that started to drape over his eyes that were crinkled up from smiling.
The song they were dancing to ended with one last thud from the bass, the DJ grabbing the mic as soon as it stopped.
“Alright folks, now we’re going to sllooww things down to allow the birthday girl to share a special dance with her love.” You looked up mid-bite of cake, not expecting to be singled out like that.
Pedro walked over to you, offering his hand as the slow song began to play. You quickly swallowed the bite of cake and wiped your mouth off with a napkin, placing your hand in his and allowing him to lead you to the dance floor.
He placed his large hands on your hips, pulling you close and laying his forehead atop of yours as your snaked your arms around his neck. You swayed with him for a bit, the flash of your mom’s camera vaguely registering in your mind, but you didn’t care. It all fades to nothing when you’re with him.
“You’re so beautiful.” He said, his mocha gaze full of adoration when he lifted his head away to look at you.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Even for an old man?” You snickered.
“So nice that any other old man could never compare.” He breathed a laugh through his nose, his crooked smile doing things to you.
You continued to sway to the song, Pedro spinning you around a few times before you settled back into your rhythm. You laid your head on his shoulder after a bit, allowing him to fully take the lead. One of his hands left your hip to come up and hold the back of your head as he pressed gentle pecks atop your head.
“I love you so much.” You smiled on his shoulder, one of your own hands tangling into his dark curls.
“I love you too.”
____________________
Later that night, you and Pedro laid quietly on your bed, his arms tightly wrapped around you as you watched TV together. It was super late and you both were exhausted, but neither of you wanted to sleep. You were quickly losing the battle, however. Your eyes starting to droop as Pedro played with your hair.
“Don’t tell me you’re tapping out already.” He teased, his voice pulling you from the edge.
“M’sorry. S’been a long day.” You felt his chest vibrate with a chuckle, his mustache tickling your cheek as he pressed a kiss to it.
“I had one more gift for you, but I guess it can wait until morning.” Despite how tired you were, you were curious as to what he could have up his sleeve and couldn't resist looking at him over your shoulder.
“What is it?” He laughed.
“Awake now, are we?” He teased, rising up from the sheets with you and getting up. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
It took him longer than you expected and he made quite a bit of noise, but it was well worth it.
He watched your eyes light up with happiness as soon as your gaze landed on the piece of DQ ice cream cake he was holding in his right hand, a single lit candle atop of it. He was also holding a blue gift box with a white bow, but you were more focused on the frozen treat at the moment.
“Aww, Pedro…” You cooed as he set the cake down in front of you with a kiss.
“Happy birthday, my sweet Abeja.” You blew the candle out and licked the ice cream off the bottom, setting it aside and digging into the slice. You groaned at the taste, the mattress shifting as Pedro sat back down next to you.
“Good?” You nodded.
“It’s DQ ice cream cake. How could it be bad?” He let you enjoy your treat, your attention suddenly shifting to the gift box he’d sat down. You pointed your fork at it.
“What’s that?” You asked with your mouthful. Pedro looked to the box and picked it up, gesturing for you to take it.
“Why don’t you open it and find out?” You gave him shifty eyes, setting your fork down to take the box out of his hands. You took the bow off and set it aside, lifting the lid off the box quickly. You froze when you saw what was inside.
Laying atop white tissue paper sat your passport and a Mickey Mouse ear hat. You slowly took the hat into your hands, only just now noticing the sticky note that was stuck on the other side. It read:
“To DisneyWorld we will go for your special day, to create memories that will forever stay.”
You didn’t even realize you were crying until Pedro reached up to wipe a tear off of your cheek.
“How… how did yo-”
“I asked your mom. She said that you’ve always wanted to spend your birthday at Disney but never had the money. I knew you wouldn’t go if I told you about it ahead of time, so your Mom and I worked together to throw you a party so you wouldn’t be suspicious.”
There was no way you could accept something this huge from him. It had to cost him a fortune… weeks of his schedule.
“What ab-”
“Shhh.” He shushed. “None of that. You deserve this, Abeja. You work so hard and barely get anything. Please, let me spoil you just this once.” You wanted to turn it down, the guilt of not helping him pay for it eating you up. Though you knew he was under contract with Disney in the first place and more than had enough money to pay for it, you still didn't want him to think that you were trying to mooch.
However, the look of pure nervousness and adoration on his face melted all of that guilt away.
You sat the hat down and reached for him, hugging him tightly as more tears fell down your cheeks.
“...Thank you.” Pedro let out a breath of air you didn’t know he was holding, his arms hugging you back tenfold.
“No amount of money is worth more than this. I promise you that, honey. You’re worth so much more.”
You ended up falling asleep wrapped in his embrace, the day finally catching up with you. Pedro gently laid down, making sure not to wake you as he situated you to lay atop his chest while he laid on his back. You stirred as he pulled the blanket over the both of you, but didn’t rouse any more after that.
He reached over and turned the TV off with the remote and switched off your lamp, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before drifting off right behind you.
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