bluevelvt · 1 year ago
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when people think anakin wouldnt have turned to the dark side if qui-gon trained him im just ?????
YOU THINK THAT WOULD HAVE STOPPED PALPATINE???
i mean qui-gon took anakin to be trained cause he thinks anakin is the chosen one or this is at least a major reason why and like??? PALPATINE WOULD HAVE JUST PIVOTED LIKE
"it's such a shame my boy that the council and even your master only see you as the chosen one and not your own person"
"i hope that they trust you as a jedi and not just part of a prophecy"
"i fear that qui gon only wants you as the chosen one and if you weren't, you would never have left tatooine"
LIKE PALPATINE WOULD HAVE DONE THAT! HE ENGINEERED A WHOLE WAR JUST TO TAKE POWER AND QUI-GON BECOMING ANAKIN'S MASTER WOULD HAVE DESTROYED PALPATINE'S PLANS???
idk just gets on my nerves and feels like a slight against obi-wan who yeah wasn't perfect and the circumstances for becoming anakin's master weren't ideal but i think he was a great master and this idea also makes palpatine seem far less manipulative, cunning, and evil
the man once said he would gladly make vader again given the chance, even knowing how it would eventually end, so he's not stopping just because anakin has a different master
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avelera · 1 year ago
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I saw a really cute post the other day imagining scenes where Ed protects Stede. It was sweet and funny and heartfelt and for some reason landed all wrong with me.
Then I figured out why: I don’t think Ed has ever protected Stede. It’s actually kind of a big plot point in the show. Even when he should have. But when Stede protects Ed is when Ed fell in love.
It’s a bit of a nuance and I’m too tired to quite remember all the ways I’m probably wrong but… Ed often rescues Stede. But he doesn’t protect him. He doesn’t prevent him or try to prevent him from doing things that would harm him.
I think that was another reason the post nagged at me. Because the funny examples were around Stede’s failures at piracy. But Ed, unlike everyone on the show, including the viewers!, doesn’t see Stede as a failure. It’s almost weird how much he doesn’t. It’s endearing too. It’s why the romance works.
Ed thinks Stede is unorthodox. New to the game. A bit rough around the edges. But all those skills come with time and practice. Ed is bored of skilled, practiced pirates. He wants flare. He wants daring. He wants a person who does it their own way. The rest will come. But you can’t teach creativity. Ed doesn’t give a shit about a perfectly skilled pirate, that’s boring as fuck. He wants to see a creative one.
To go back to protectiveness… Ed doesn’t protect Stede because he doesn’t see Stede as incompetent. He doesn’t prevent Stede from doing things before the fact. But sometimes after the fact like on the Spanish ship or against the English, he’ll come in after Stede fucked up and chooses to join him in facing the danger and consequences.
In comedy terms, Ed is very “yes, and…!” with Stede. Whereas protectiveness implies a certain amount of ending the bit before Ed can see the crazy places it’s going.
By contrast, Stede is protective of Ed and when he’s protective, Ed melts. Stede tries to prevent Ed from being hurt by the nobles and corrects his errors and very publicly destroys them on Ed’s behalf. Ed fell or fell harder in love right there. But Ed never tried to prevent Stede’s run in with the Spanish.
Ed’s a bit selfish, a bit blind to how to take care of others. Part of it’s the life he led. It’s part of why he’s so fascinated by Stede and his brand of piracy. He doesn’t want to stop the craziness before it begins. He really only steps in if death itself, something that might end Strede’s craziness, gets close but even then. He doesn’t protect Stede against Izzy. He lets those consequences play out. He can’t bear to look but he doesn’t stop it.
I think there’s more nuance and a lot of scenes I’m sure I’m forgetting where Ed is more protective but my overall sense is that this is actually an interesting nuance between them. Stede acted out of protectiveness when he left Ed on that beach. Ed didn’t go looking for Stede. He didn’t and doesn’t try to protect him. Unlike everyone else, Ed always assumes Stede’s choices are deliberate and competently made.
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flavors-of-love-vn · 3 days ago
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Hi, how long has it been!! 🕴✨️ I hope everything is okay!
Can I request a SFW Alphabet about our dear Arian? 👀
—✨️
Of course !! ♡
[Took some letters out, but answered most of them!!]
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A = Affection
Very affectionate!! He wants to be around you 24/7, making sure your okay and safe. He holds your hand, your arm, your waist, whatever makes you comfy! As I said before, he needs to touch you.
B = Best friend
He would be very protective, if you had any problem with it he'd try and play it off as just looking out for you! He genuinely cares, but his ways are a bit unorthodox. If you have a big friend group he'll watch from the sidelines. Watching their every move, yours too. ♡
C = Cuddles (pics)
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D = Domestic
I made him a househusband :3 for a reason He's great at cooking! But.. not so good at cleaning. Bro will drop so much stuff in the kitchen and not even notice LMAO he can learn guys!!
E = Ending
you're not leaving me.
F = Fiance(e)
Of course he wants go get married!! Arian loves the idea of you being his pretty/handsome/stunning little partner, with a ring symbolizing your with him FOREVER and ever ♡. Arian would wait until you guys have dated for 2 years or so before proposing.
G = Gentle
Very gentle !! With you of course ♡
H = Hugs
uuggHHHH HEAVENN HE HAS THE PERFECT HUGSSS i meannn.. ahem. He holds your close, his hands resting on your lower back as his head either rests above yours or in your collarbone.
I = I love you
He's said it many times before. You just haven't heard him.
J = Jealousy
OHHHH BOYYYY GOOD LUCK, he has a medium tolerance for co workers and their behavior, a high tolerance for his friends, and low for random people. (Who your around)
K = Kisses
Soft and sweet. He places both hands on your cheeks and squishes them, earning a laugh from him on how you look like a chipmunk. Then he caresses your face before kissing you. He pampered soft kisses all over you face when he missed you the most.
L = Little ones
He's okay around kids, he gives them sweets and then they go on their way.
M = Morning
Mornings with him are fast paced, if you slept in he makes you breakfast with a cute little note attached! His shift starts early so he has to as well.
N = Night
Nights with Arian are cozy, slow. He cuddles up with you like he hasn't touched you in years. Enjoying your embrace and presence is all on his mind.
O = Open
He reveals the things that he knows both of you have in common first, then the stuff he does on his own. Sometimes he slips up, but that's about it.
Q = Quizzes
He remembers a LOT about you, but it's very hard to keep track on what you've have and haven't told him. So sometimes he forgets stuff.
T = Try
Arian is A TRYHARD he wants to impress you with all sorts of stuff! Baking is what he's good at, so he'll do his best to make new flavor combos that go well together. If someone orders it and asks the name, Arian names it after you. ♡
U = Ugly
Extremely protective, (i keep wondering if i should keep his really short temper or not).
V = Vanity
He cares.. somewhat? He likes dying his hair as a pass time, and he likes the way he dresses. So about a medium?
W = Whole
(Would they feel incomplete without you) YES.
X = Xtra
His favorite genre atm is scene!!
Y = Yuck
Sharing, he would rather die than share you.
Z = Zzz
He takes naps regularly, and if he's sleeping by himself he sprawls out on the bed. ♡
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ninjashadowdragon · 4 months ago
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Vigilante mari question how does the rest of the class react to the Vigilante since you know thay have the most exposure to them with all of them getting akumatized
Thanks for the ask.
As hard as Marinette tries to be discreet the entire class has met her vigilante alter ego at some point. She's even had conversations with a couple of them and teamed up with them in situations where they were also trying to help in some way. Other times she's comforting them after they've been Akumatized. Each has their own experiences and opinions. They occasionally debate her motives.
Individual opinions under cut.
Adrien thinks she's awesome because he has also worked with her as Chat Noir, but he can't tell anyone about that since they'd ask for details about their interactions. He secretly likes that she's getting recognition and points out she's doing good by helping the heroes. He likes hearing other people's accounts because he thinks it may help him figure out her real identity.
Alya is usually too caught up in the superheroes to focus on the vigilante, but she also runs after Akuma battles and has probably seen more of the vigilante than anyone besides the heroes themselves. She's seen the vigilante's crazy plans and is always willing to go along with them because she has faith that it will work as always. She does side research into her identity when there isn't anything on the superheros or Hawkmoth to dig into.
Nino wonders if the vigilante is only helping to get famous and thinks she's insane for fighting supervillains without powers. Some of the stuff she does is cool though.
Chloé thinks she's a loser who's only going to get in the way of the real heroes despite having been saved by the vigilante directly multiple times.
Sabrina admires the person who assists the heroes without getting the same recognition despite it being really dangerous. She sees the fights and how the vigilante gets injured a lot. The vigilante doesn't have powers and isn't as amazing as the heroes, but she's still doing everything she can to save others, which in a way makes her even more impressive. She won't say anything positive about her out loud because Chloé doesn't like her. She starts to unconsciously see a resemblance between the heroes and the vigilante and her own dynamic with Chloé. The "better" person gets all the popularity and authority while the other works really hard and is never thanked or appreciated.
Max can't make sense of the unorthodox methods but also cannot deny that they work. The Akuma battles end way quicker when the vigilante's involved and there's usually less collateral damage even though the ladybug holder fixes it all anyway. However, he also thinks she may end up causing problems because she doesn't have powers of her own and therefore isn't on the same level as the heroes. He's trying to figure out her identity but doesn't have much success.
Kim hears about the vigilante's crazy stunts and wants to challenge him to a race or another athletic competition. Most people don't know the vigilante even exists and Marinette is always disguised so he doesn't know if said vigilante is a boy or girl. When he does find out she's a girl he doesn't really care and tries to challenge her anyways. He challenges Alix all the time and the vigilante is just another very skilled opponent that he wants to beat.
Alix recognizes her skills as an athlete but still thinks she's got to be insane and probably a masochist to go after supervillains. Does the vigilante save people? Yes, but it also looks painful. Since what the vigilante is doing doesn't affect Alix most of the time she doesn't really care one way or the other.
Rose admires her for saving people but doesn't like that she puts herself in danger and gets hurt all the time.
Juleka thinks she's cool for fighting supervillains even without powers and likes the mysterious aspects. Is the vigilante even human? Actually, are the superheroes humans? If they're all demons or aliens, that'd be really cool too.
Mylene is scared of the vigilante because she actually saw her fist fight a small army of mind controlled minions. She wonders if she's only trying to help in order to get close to the heroes and steal their miraculous either for herself or because she's secretly working for Hawkmoth.
Ivan is mostly worried for the vigilante's safety and thinks she's just going to get hurt.
Nathaniel wants to sketch her but can't find any pics. Because of this he knows she's not trying to get famous but also doesn't think she's actually a hero because she doesn't have a Miraculous.
Lila still pretends to be friends with the ladybug holder but is initially cautious in trying to lie about knowing the vigilante since she isn't famous and everyone else has mixed feelings. There are no benefits to faking a friendship with her and there's almost no information on the vigilante. Lila hadn't even known about her before joining the class so she only has the other students to go off of and can't formulate anything believable. When Lila does get enough information she sort of berates the vigilante for interfering with the heroes and praises her for helping them in such a way that everyone feels like she agrees with them. She finds out Adrien looks up to the vigilante and she immediately makes up a bunch of stuff that can't be verified but also can't be disproven either. She can't decide if she should be claiming friendship or pretending to be her. Lila goes nuts trying to track her down and find out identity. (Marinette knows she's a liar because Lila still steals the spell book, so she stays away from Lila as the vigilante to keep her from lying about her alter ego).
Marinette is always internally mortified when the vigilante comes up in discussion. She wants to discourage others from getting her so she berates herself to her friends for being reckless, but mentions that even superheros need support and usually ends up saying something motivating about friends supporting each other. She also says she's only seen glimpses of the vigilante and hasn't met her, while trying so hard to hide whatever injuries she has at the time so they don't make any connections or try to stop her from doing whatever it is that she keeps getting hurt from.
Luka wants to stay far away from the feral weirdo. Not only does she act insane and violent but her melody is really off. Sometimes it's almost like a crazy, spiraling, hyper jumble that doesn't quite go together unless you listen closely, other times it's loud, sharp, and kinda painful. Or there won't be a sound at all as if she's not there or everything is buried so deep it's unreachable, but somehow it's also deafening. And she just appears and disappears from nowhere or will be moving in complete silence and focus until she springs herself into action with a crash and a plan that changes the tune of everyone around her as whatever insanity she's come up with this time falls perfectly into place. He knows she's helping, but can't help being unnerved by her.
Kagami sees her as another warrior and respects her for helping, especially without powers, but also considers her a bit foolish.
Marc takes some inspiration from her for his writing but otherwise doesn't have much opinion on her actions. The vigilante does what she does and it's not their place to get involved.
M. Damocles sees her as a fellow non-powered hero despite not having much interaction with her. He attempts to do some of the same stuff she does but can't and almost gets himself hurt frequently.
Mme. Bustier uses the superheroes as an example to encourage her students to do good and help others but mentions the vigilante to point out that everyone can help out, not just those with superpowers. She tells them that getting involved with supervillains isn't safe but they can all do good in their own separate ways.
Mme. Mendeleiev isn't even sure the vigilante exists and wants her students to stop gossiping during class. She warns them not to copy her because supervillains are dangerous.
Zoé doesn't see her much if at all. Most of what she knows is second hand information. She does admire and support the vigilante for her bravery and for saving others.
They all eventually recognize that the vigilante is trying to help and accept her plans or team up with her from time to time. She helps save them a lot so they learn to trust her.
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blye-flower · 11 months ago
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Me again on the DNAngel au!
One! ...What exactly is a "Principality" ? Do the angels like, represent different principles? (And what were/are they if so?)
Two! So an Angel can fall, but regain their prior status, can demons do the same? Also, why wouldn't Leo "I'm nothing without them" sabotage himself to get kicked out too?
(Unless something else bad would happen instead..?)
And, does April tell anyone about Donnie, and so they ever get like... Found out? (I assume the relationship is frowned upon) (They are SUPER cute btw!!!)
Thanks so much for being open to questions!!!!
Hello again!! Good to see you lol
So, I'm not gonna get too much into the question regarding the principalities here only cause I'm gonna make a post explaining the hierarchy of angels (and maybe demons, tho theirs is slightly less put together because "chaos"), but I will say that they govern the principles of large groups! Their job is to make sure the morality of leaders in groups stay straight, and to report to heaven when/if it doesn't.
And yes! Demons can work to regain their angel status (that's what Raph is trying to do actually, but he's too good at being bad, so he's struggling qnsbsnd) As for Leo, of course, he could sabotage himself, however, while I consider Leo a clever character, his wants are so painfully written on his face that the heavens know becoming a demon would be a grace to him, not a punishment. While the hugher-up angels are very impersonal, they're not so impersonal that they can't figure out someone's desires. So, at best, they would demote him into a fallen angel, and unfortunately fallen angels can't stay in Hell long or else they'll begin to molt and their wings become useless. Besides, there are two pretty angels in heaven that Leo has the intentions of wooing, so he can't risk being wingless in Hell for the rest of his eternal life. And since his brothers hold nothing against him and they're all still able to see each other, an angel Leo remains.
And surprisingly yes. She tells Sunita and Leo finds out because of Donnie. Initially, Donnie pulls the old "I wanna follow after you because I want to become an angel again 🥺" ploy on her, and she's so excited that someone recognized her skills as a do-gooder that she can't help excitedly tell Sunita about it. She starts to get shy about it when Kendra kinda figures it out, and for a while, she treats Donnie like a dirty little secret (which is not easy to hide because her halo would literally form a heart whenever she's lost on cloud nine about Donnie).
Their relationship is frowned upon, yes, but not in the sense that she'll necessarily have to become a demon or a fallen angel, because demons are essentially just angels under new management in this AU. So in the end, it's a slightly less intense Romeo and Juliet situation.
But it does mess with April's already ruined reputation, but going along with her canon character arc, April kinda learns to accept the fact that she's a bit unorthodox, but there are people who are gonna love her regardless of it.
Once again, thank you for the questions!! The interest in this silly little au has me so motivated to make more of it ^^
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shychick-52 · 1 year ago
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For the shipping bingo hmm.... What's your take on fendra?
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Hoo-boy. Ok, I honestly don't like this ship, even though it's canon. Gandra spent FAR more screentime being an enemy (including her debut episode in s2 'The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee', in which she used Fenton- even going so far as to short out the Gizmoduck armor when he tried to stop Mega-Beaks, which left him entirely at Beaks' mercy, and Beaks easily could have seriously hurt him or worse if he chose to instead of kidnapping Huey and Webby instead... and Beaks even told Fenton "You are very dead!"). I don't think she did nearly enough to make up for (emotionally) hurting Fenton at the end of that episode, even tho she tried to defeat Beaks single-handedly, teamed up with Fenton to take him down, and left him with the correct equation to help him finish his project... which does give her some credit, but she still took off without a word of apology or explanation.
Then at the end of season 2, we find out she's part of F.O.W.L., then most of the rest of the time we see her in season 3 she's acting against the Ducks... then only three episodes away from the finale, we suddenly find out her and Fenton have actually been in a secret relationship all along, working on a secret project, and that she only joined up with F.O.W.L. and other bad guys out of desperation for funding for her science projects because she's always been judged and misunderstood for her 'unorthodox' types of experiments, leading her to become independent, proud, aloof, and only looking out for herself... until she met Fenton, who actually believed in her and believed the best in her (forgave her, understood her, gave her a chance, became the source of support and caring she never knew). That she had no loyalty to Bradford and F.O.W.L., and planned to quit as soon as she and Fenton finished their project, which she was using her funding and resources from F.O.W.L. to help build.
The big reveal about her backstory, true motivations for doing bad stuff, and relationship with Fenton just came out of NOWHERE, felt very rushed and poorly explained, and only left more questions. And their dynamic seems very one-sided; she's extremely critical and judgmental of him, quick to blame him for stuff (such as when Huey stumbled upon their secret project, and she automatically blamed Fenton), and he seems content to just listen to whatever she tells him with a very subservient, whipped "Yes, dear" type of attitude. Outside their passion for science, they don't seem compatible; she's very morally-grey, while he's a morally-upright person and seems to have a very black-and-white view of justice/right-and-wrong (despite being a total cinnamon roll who surely wants to give others the benefit of the doubt and help them, even to a fault).
I appreciate the show making her a strong, badass character, and a flawed one, and I LOVE that- but they developed her redemption so poorly, just like so much of season 3 felt rushed and crowded. It would have made much more sense to have her as this anon source of intel for the Ducks in their fight against FOWL, which later would be revealed to be Gandra. I truly want to like her a lot better, and I want to make it clear that I don't hate her, but I'm just not fond of her or the ship.
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poisonheart · 2 years ago
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Replying to @trashlie and @hotdamncomics for their reblogs on this post under a cut so I can spare my friends the walls of text of a comic they're not reading lol.
Trashlie, friend, reblogger of theories and fellow Thursday night feels partner absorbing all the details... you bring up such great points.
But on the other, Yui has spent Kousuke’s entire life gaslighting and manipulating him; it’s only natural that it would be difficult for him to reconcile these two versions of her, and sometimes he’s unable to in the end. 
Every time Yui makes a move she says she does it with either his or their family's best interest in mind. Over and over. Kousuke has seen himself benefit time and time again from her unorthodox methods. And we know that he's not against life being unfair in his favor.
He has never had reasons to doubt that was her only motive, but he isn't a child anymore. He has seen and experienced things she has done that are worse than merely giving him an unfair advantage.
I'm actually curious about how Kousuke would respond if he realized his mother is trying to ruin and remove Rand from the picture.
This is why I so desperately want Rand to connect to Kousuke that evening. Even if Kousuke doesn't immediately believe him and thinks any mushy words mean Rand is disappointed in him (as he thought earlier that night when Hansuke took the call sneakily) the seed will have been planted.
Kousuke might see that he is been a pawn in a power struggle he's never signed up for. He didn't want to reach the top to ruin his father, but to meet him. He didn't want to reach the top to be to busy to spend time with his father, but rather if his father's burden were less, then maybe they would have time to spend together.
Yui's played a game that can backfire on her.
Because if Kousuke doesn't end up resenting Rand for his neglect, for having another family, then she can actually lose her pawn to him.
Especially if Kousuke uncovers that his mother sabotaged whatever closeness they could have had.
I really need Rand to be able to reach to at least one of his sons before the time skip. Even if it's just to plant a seed.
If Yui wanted to ensure that Nol never stood a chance against Kousuke, then damaging not only the way others see him but also the way he sees himself was a sure fire way to do it, wasn’t it?
Indeed, psychological manipulation in the hands of professionals with the intent to harm instead of helping is very dangerous.
And it makes me think back on the formal.
We know that Yui could not have predicted Nol's involvement or how things played out with him entirely, but she took the chance when it presented itself.
She knows damn well that Nol doesn't like her touching him, so she crept up on him deliberately to cause the rest of the events to unfold. She's so threatened by his existence that she'd risk her precious heir in order to cause another situation—a very public one—for Nol being unstable and malicious toward Kousuke, the heir.
After all, her son could have sustained far more serious injuries, but she didn't care. Yui was willing to risk it if it meant ensuring Nol had another mark against him.
She could always blame any lingering health issues after that accident on Nol purposefully hurting Kousuke.
Of course, the one who got hurt was Shin Ae, which she could still use against him to at least trigger him to go back to whatever state kept him down and defeated before.
Either way, she took a huge risk, which means she is actually very concerned about Nol's existence.
He is the one who truly gets under her skin, as we've seen.
[That lip quiver at the Christmas party was so satisfying...]
/ / / / /
Okay, so hotdamncomics, yes! I remember you from the kdrama life. Glad to see you have similar taste in comics. You bring up interesting points! I think the formal arc really helped us see the personalities, as well as "core" values (at that time) of the major characters.
Kousuke who didn't help Shin-ae when he tripped her at the formal is his real self, someone concerned foremost by how people see and perceive him than someone else's comfort or safety. He's not a nice and proper gentleman at core. That's a mask, one he put on when he invited Shin-ae to dance to prove a point that he was a gentleman. Even here he's failed to act in her interest regardless if he was genuine. He took priority. Let me fix my previous blunder by offering that poor girl a dance and not so much about proving he wasn't embarrassed of her.
He knew someone like her wouldn't know how to dance but he put her on the spotlight because repairing his image was more important than proving he wasn't ashamed of her. He could have chosen to play the piano with her by his side. It would still draw attention, still show her he's not ashamed of admitting he knows her, but would have placed her comfort ahead of his image.
This is actually a fantastic observation and you proposed a great alternative to inviting her to dance that would have conveyed the sentiment that he knows her and doesn't mind being seen with her without further embarrassing her by offering to partake in an activity he should have assumed she wasn't accustomed or knew how to do.
But, we see this again when Shin Ae's falls. Yes, he is the one closest to grab her when she falls over the railing, but once they hit the pool, he's first concerned with getting himself out and then remembers she's fallen too which is entirely different from Nol's eventual choice.
Nol comes up to air with Shin Ae.
And after the Christmas party arc we were aware that he was dealing with suicidal thoughts in that moment—he wanted to remain there, essentially drown, but seeing her pushed him to go back to his hell.
He didn't deserve the "peace of death."
It's not that I think there is something wrong with people who will prioritize themselves, but it does serve as a contrast between just how different Nol and Kousuke operate.
There have been so many hints that prove Kousuke isn't in fact that kind gentleman—that is part of the persona, of the expectation of a well-rounded heir and the type of man his father would admire.
Kousuke often slips out of that mask, particularly when stressed, to show who he is. A man who says more than he should under the veil of honesty, often hurting or insulting those around him.
"I don't mean to offend," is always said by those who will offend.
Yujing's actions feel too personal and led by revenge to be something shallow. Someone important must have urged her to try for a story that can ruin her career if she doesn't execute it perfectly and with no room for a counter defamation lawsuit.
I think this is actually quite right. We don't know what kind of "terrible situation" Rand helped her out of—but he had a hand in getting her to where she is. Someone who has tasted defeat or loss is protective of security and more prone to self-preservation.
She does have a strong ethic and she mentions she wants to restore faith in journalism by exposing the truth no matter how ugly. It'll be interesting to see what prompted her to take this risk to bring a very powerful woman like Yui down. Perhaps Yujing isn't meant to hit the knock out, but weaken her enough where the others on the board (if we go back to the chess theory) can act.
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solanj · 3 years ago
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Gatewatch&Co playing DnD
Jace
Jace is the forever DM. His plotlines are extremely well thought-trough and his puzzles are exquisite. Prefers detective-style stories and is great at setting up the intrigue. Players never can guess too early. He knows ALL the rules. Is prepping meticulously. He is that type of GM that will hand out actual letters or trinkets to players, if they happen to find them. Every NPC, every plotline, every bit of PC's backstories are accounted for and weaved into the planned narrative. (Of course it all always end up completely derailed) Actively uses illusions for both descriptions and combat and everyone just LOVES that. Still insists on having actual minis, though. After some persuasion from the party agreed to use telepathy to tell players the "only your character knows that" info, which drove his intrigue even further.
Chandra
Chandra usually plays a hotheaded sorcerer. Gender and age may vary, but the sorcerer always falls for whomever Nissa is playing at the moment. Is the most enthusiastic of the group and the #1 reason Jace's thought-through plots get derailed. Because she always invents something crazy and drags the rest into it and even she never knows what her character is going to do until she opens her mouth to declare it. Due to it has the most dead characters among the party - Jace isn't a harsh GM, but he never fudges his rolls. Chandra doesn't sweat it, though, she just brings a new sorcerer next session. She generally ensures a goofy, light-hearted atmosphere and doesn't like it when stories go too dark or dramatic. Never waits for others to make a plan before heading into combat. Has the quickest combat turns.
Nissa
Nissa only agreed to play because Chandra was SO enthusiastic about it that Nissa just hadn't the heart to say "no". She ended up loving it. Doesn't speak much at the table (and her characters are always the quite ones), but has the most carefully crafted backstories. Only uses third-person style, but never speaks out of character during the play time. Actually knows the rules very well and never blunders, but also never engages in rules arguments when they happen. Once all the revelations from her backstory come through her character ends up being everyone's favourite, remembered for a long time.
Gideon
Gideon only plays because he thinks that a common bonding activity such as this is great for the Gatewatch's dynamics. Is usually the one to bring in snacks and to help Jace tidy everything up after the session. Plays martial tanky protective characters, usually goes with the options that PHB recommends. Likes to strategize in-game. Isn't good at roleplaying but is trying his best and everyone appreciates it. Was actually sad when Liliana left the party since her character made it easier for him to engage in conversations and decision-making due to her teasing and provocative nature. (No one knows if that was intentional on her part)
Teferi
Teferi prefers GM'ing but doesn't have the time to prep and run the whole campaign. So he usually runs rather short adventures. He leans towards more humorous style and is a great improviser. Likes to give his players maximum freedom and allows them to goof around all they want, but still manages to make the plot work. His NPCs are usually witty, he does different (and often exagerrated) voices for each of them and players tend to engage into social side of the game a lot because the dialogue scenes with him are just so enjoyable. Loves to mess with the players. Adds red herrings, makes NPS pretend to believe the player's bluff only to reveal the truth at the best possible moment later, hands out tricky magical items (most players learned to NEVER draw cards from unchecked decks, but there is always Chandra...). He is placing the most bizarre and memorable mimics and hilarious traps. But does all that in good faith and with good humor, to make the players thrilled but not annoyed. And it works!
Kaya
Kaya plays exclusively rogues and she probably tried every build possible. Is the min-maxer of the party. Is known for completely decimating the encounters that Jace planned to be extra challenging. Was often splitting the party at first, but agreed not to after some persuasion. Doesn't roleplay much, though she enjoys spectating others do it and never tries to force them to the next scene. LOVES Jace's puzzles and usually finds an unorthodox but interesting and convincing way to solve them. (That's probably why Jace can't really be annoyed with her despite her minmaxing) Has the best luck for crits in combat, but the worst for disabling traps.
Vraska
Vraska rather often misses the sessions due to guild and/or pirate business, but she tries her hardest to have free spots on her schedule during game nights. Is probably the most dedicated member of the group. Grows very attached to her characters and once the campaign ends she never returns to the same archetype, so that the impression wouldn't dilute. And because of it she doesn't have a "type", though her characters are always brave and have troubled pasts. Is the one to commission the paintings of her characters (and sometimes the rest of the party too). Is also quite the shipper (no matter if the character in question is her own, party member or NPC), but keeps it to herself, only sharing with Jace sometimes. She tells Jace everything about her character in the beginning so that he can play it when Vraska has to miss a session.
Ral
Ral played every class in the game that he could more or less convincingly make into a charming bastard. Is prone to hogging the spotlight, but does roleplay so well and is so charming that others let it slide. Often insists on using some homebrewed rules (which he keeps reinventing right during the conversation), giving Jace a headache. Jace gave in once, but during the next several sessions he made sure to stage the situations so that every possible side effect of said homebrew came to bite Ral in the ass (yes, it's where most of his prep time went). Now they usually settle on just some minor changes for Ral's character. Is #2 reason for derailing Jace's plotlines. Unlike Chandra he does this absolutely intentionally, and Jace knows it, but sees as a challenge. His character is the one, to whom all the "curiosity" magic items go. You have no idea what a dedicated Izzet mage can do with a simple unmoving rod. Jace actually throws extra stuff his way just to see what crazy application Ral will come up with.
Liliana
Liliana played a couple sessions once. She made a point of derailing the plotline in a discreet way while staying strictly in-character. Also she made Jace fluster whenever he had to play through a conversation with her via NPC. Decided that it was fun but ultimately not worth it in the long run. (To Jace's relief) Since she never actually plays Jace can discuss with her his plans and plots and sometimes he asks for her input on the villains. Sometimes he even invites Liliana to act out a villain in the dialogue-heavy session and she is VERY convincing. Her villains are always the ones players love to hate. From time to time she GMs oneshots and prefers intrigue- and drama-heavy stories, often horror, that may or may not be inspired by her long and varied life experiences. She isn't a stranger to fudging the rolls or overriding the rules if she feels that the situation calls for it. Is very good at reading the table and the undisputed master of putting her players in heart-wrenching situations faced with tough decisions. They usually love it, but Chandra refuses to play with her anymore because "don't we have enough of that shit IRL?!" She sometimes contemplates running a full WoD campaign, but always decides against it in the end.
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Feel free to add your ideas!
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calliecat93 · 3 years ago
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Okay, I know that the Spones content in Bread and Circuses has been talked about before, so I’m likely adding nothing new. But heck with it, I’m talking about it anyways cause it’s just too good not to!
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The episode has Spock and McCoy somewhat saltier towards each other than usual. From the second the episode resumes after the opening credits, they’re snarking at each other almost immediately. It goes on for so long that we have the guest character outright ask Kirk if they’re enemies, and even he isn’t for sure. It’s almost like one of the writers anticipated the fact that some would legit think that the two genuinely hated each other, and decided to ask the question. For the most part, their banter is mutual and they’re clearly trying to rouse a reaction from the other.Even when at gunpoint, McCoy just HAS to snap at Spock for “[being] so blasted honest?’. Spock’s raised brow to me almost came across like ‘really doctor? must you be like this now?”. It’s got some amusing stuff, like the banter in the beginning and McCoy of all being being the one to suggest illogic regarding sun worshipers has Spock giving some utterly hilarious facial expressions. But still, the banter goes enough that event he audience has to ask: are these two truly enemies.
The rest of their scenes answer the question.
During the gladiator fight, McCoy’s still so pissed off that even fighting to the death won’t stop him from yelling at Spock when he asks if he needs help. Stress and you know… trying not to die is a factor, but still. But since McCoy’s a doctor, not a warrior he’s about to be killed… until Spock takes out his own opponent and nerve punches McCoy’s before he can be harmed. Doing this breaks the rules and Kirk chooses to take what would be their death sentence upon himself. Spock acted on pure instinct in that instant. Or even more bluntly, it was an emotional response. He interfered because he didn’t want McCoy to die, and he was the only one in a positon to save him. He even seems pretty started that he did so. But because of i, now Kirk is going to die in their places and neither he nor McCoy can do anything about it. He outright pulls at the cell bars, according to McCoy, fifteen times. Logically it’s pretty clear that it’s not working.
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With this, McCoy’s now cooled down enough that he legitimately tries to thank Spock for saving him. It’s awkward, neither one are very good at having heart-to-hearts with each other. Spock pretty much acts like it’s the usual banter and kind of condescendingly before telling him to get to the point, which causes McCoy to just snap it out at him. Spock tries to go into the usual ‘I’m a logical Vulcan’ spiel, saying quote:
Spock: Oh, yes. You humans have that emotional need to express gratitude. You're welcome, I believe, is the correct response. However, Doctor, you must remember I am entirely motivated by logic. The loss of our ship's surgeon, whatever I think of his skill, would mean a reduction in the efficiency of the Enterprise and therefore-.
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Which is what finally gets McCoy pissed off enough to directly confront him about it. Why? Because he knows that Spock’s spitballing here. He’s trying to deny his emotional responses, despite having demonstrated it at least twice with McCoy right there for both of them. Saving McCoy despite knowing the consequences of doing so was an emotional response. Trying to escape the cell due to Jim’s life being in danger despite all efforts failing is an emotional response. He tries to say it’s just due to professionalism, but at this point there’s been enough episodes that the audience knows that that’s not true. McCoy absolutely knows it. He knows how Spock tends to keep his emotions suppressed and deny that he even has them, even though he very clearly does. It is a factor that has continuously frustrated McCoy. He’d never force Spock to be outwardly emotional, Plato’s Stepchildren made that VERY clear. But when it DOES happen and Spock tries to act otherwise? And after having dealt with this for nearly two years now? Yeah, McCoy decides that he’s had it as he grabs Spock, turns him around so that they’re making clear eye-contact, and makes his opinion VERY clear.
McCoy: Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living. Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your human half peek out. That's it, isn't it? Insecurity. Why, you wouldn't know what to do with a genuine, warm, decent feeling.
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Which… he’s not entirely wrong. Even during this, Spock turns away from him like he doesn’t want to talk about it. But McCoy’s right. Spock’s been at war with his Vulcan and human halves for his entire life. He chose to suppress the human half, and it peaking out does concern him. He isn’t able to settle two sides, hence why he’s always insistent about being a logical, unfeelign Vulcan. Now we all know that Vulcans DO feel things. Very strongly in fact, hence why they suppress it to begin with. But I do think it’s safe to say that Spock is afraid of expressing or even talking about his emotions. Whenever he does, he needs to get his grip back on the Vulcan side as quickly as possible. Even though he knows that McCoy knows otherwise. McCoy is pretty damn good at picking up on Spock’s emotional state and Spock knows it. And I think to at least an extent, he knows that McCoy’s correct. McCoy might be being too harsh admittedly, but the point is there. Spock is afraid of letting his human half slip out and the constant struggle of keeping it in check.
I think this is what makes their relationship so important. McCoy’s really the only person who can provoke Spock like this. Sure Kirk can normally reach out to Spock, but he’s not as likely to directly confront Spock and be blunt about it the same way that McCoy can. Spock’s also really the only person who’s ever been able to provoke McCoy and get him think past his own perspective the way that he does. It’s vitriolic in many ways. Like I said, it’s hard for them to really be civil with each other most of the time. Even here when McCoy did try to start off as civil when he tried thanking Spock, it ultimately devolved into another argument. Even McCoy expressed that he isn’t sure why it’s always like this when he says “ I know we've had our disagreements. Maybe they're jokes. I don't know.” But I do think that the episode demonstrates the answer to the queation of if they’re enemies. The short answer is no. The long answer is that they have a very complicated relationship that on a surface level, comes across as hatred. It gets to the point where even they aren’t fully sure. But the truth is they do care about each other greatly. They understand each other a great deal. They’re the only ones who can reach out to the other. The way that they show it is unorthodox sure, but it’s how it works for them.
And even when they are particularly heated, it always ends with them coming down from it and finding a point of unity. In this case, there is absolutely one thing that they can agree on.
Spock: Really, Doctor?
McCoy: I know. I'm worried about Jim, too.
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While their concern for Jim is true, I think McCoy brought used that more as a way to bring them both back down after the exchange. Jim and his well-being is very much the one thing that they can agree on. I serves as a calming down point for them n this particular instant. After this while they don’t have anymore direct interactions, they seem to be on good terms and even enter the Bridge together at the end. They still have their heated moments in later episodes such as The Paradise Syndrome and The Tholian Web. But I think that for those who really do think that Spock and McCoy hate each other, I’d say watch this episode again and give their interactios a closer look. Especially the prison scene. Because it shows that for all their banter, for all their differences, there is a strong connection that is very much uniquely them.
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shoichee · 4 years ago
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Rose-Tinted
Craving for angst with kise please!! Like both are afraid to act on their feelings which ends up hurting the both of them unconsciously. Idk, maybe kise is trying to “test” the girl, but went a bit too far i guess. Whatever floats your boat!! I just want angst but maybe hopefully still HEA in the end (or whichever your muse takes you) ;-; thank youu ❤️
Kise x Reader
Word Count: 6975
Note: oh my GOD, HELP THIS WAS 17 PAGES ON MY GOOGLE DOC I COULDNT STOP MYSELF………. angst, happy ending, fake dating!au, mean old kise ….. girl idk WHAT I WROTE I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT ????? reader POV first half and kise POV second half~
@knb-kreations
»»————— ☼ —————««
He holds you so gently, the touch so feather-light as he cradles your head and dips his own head in for a soft peck. The warmth of his lips makes you feel things you shouldn’t feel, things that you still chased for more in a never-ending cycle. You hold onto his hands thumbing your temples to try to anchor yourself further into the bliss, but it ends all too soon when he separates from you and gives you a radiant smile.
You were rudely pulled out of your rose-tinted trance when you heard gasps and chatter amongst the gawking students nearby, particularly Kise’s fans. He doesn’t pay any mind to their reactions and turns his friendly demeanor towards them.
“So you see everyone,” he cheerfully says. “I’m sorry I can’t accept any of your affections, as much as it flatters me so… after all, I have my dear (y/n)-cchi by my side!”
Groans and cries rung throughout the campus as most wail about missing out the opportunity to be Kise’s romantic partner, but before you can listen to their laments, Kise hurriedly tugs you away to the privacy of the back of a building nearby, away from prying eyes and ears. He drops your wrist just as fast and yawns with a stretch.
“What time should we meet up tomorrow?” he casually says, taking out his phone from his pocket.
“Huh?”
“Well, we can’t exactly sell our image of us being a couple unless we walk to and from school together consistently, right (y/n)?”
The rose-tinted lenses on your self-indulgent fantasy shatters to the ground instantly. You gulp, the swallowed spit hitting down to your stomach in heavy dread, where it was previously occupied by fluttering butterflies just moments prior.
This isn’t real.
“Ah… um,” you hesitated, thinking of a reasonable time, so you can wake up and get ready accordingly. “How about this time…”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” he replies, shutting off his phone before he walks a few steps away from you but then stopping. “Huh, uh… should I walk you home first? There might be some nosy people around, and we might as well get some practice in as an official couple.”
“W-Why don’t we start tomorrow morning instead?” you suggest. “A lot’s happened today, and well, I wanna have some time to myself.” Kise impassively stares at you for a couple of seconds before he forms a grin.
“Ah ha, well then, (y/n)-cchi,” he shouts jovially, making sure that his voice rang throughout the area for anyone nearby to hear. “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning, my love!”
“Y-Yeah…” you mumbled, your hand held up in a half-hearted wave. “See you…”
With that parting, you turned to the opposite direction to exit through the side gates to get to your home. Your mind scrambles to recall the impulsive decisions you decided to take on a whim today. The grip on your bag tightens as you finally realized what sort of situation you got yourself into.
You like Kise, plain and simple. You’ve always gazed longingly at him whenever his presence entered within your line of vision. You couldn’t even fault his fans for being so whipped for the basketball player in the first place, not when you felt like you were more enthralled by him than anyone else. So what does a love-stricken fool like you do when the source of attraction directly asks you to partake in a “relationship?” You immediately accept his conditional proposal on auto-pilot before he barely finishes his sentence.
It felt so wrong, yet so right. How can you hate this arrangement when you enjoyed that first kiss you shared with Kise earlier? But how can you love this arrangement when you knew Kise only kissed you to drive everyone off? You stopped on the sidewalk and heaved a huge exhale, and you continued to walk again, the action not even remotely able to clear your head. Your mind continues to swirl and race.
You agreed to this. He even laid out his intentions very clearly to you, and he was more than ready to leave you alone if you didn’t consent to this. But stupid, desperate you did. You were ashamed to feel even a shred of flattery when he told you that you were the only one he can ask to drive off his fans in this only effective method: a relationship.
“Why me?” you said, looking up at his casual posture. “Don’t you have someone you like to ask to be in a relationship? I’m sure they’d be more than happy to accept you…”
“Well,” he mumbled. “I don’t really have someone in mind… you’re kinda the only one who doesn’t drool over me whenever I’m near, and I just ought to ask for your help.”
“W-Well,” you slightly stammered. “I’m okay with helping you, right, so…”
“This isn’t something to accept so readily, you know,” he said, raising a brow. “I know this is super sudden, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to force an answer out of you right at this moment. Besides, I don’t think there’s any incentive for you to be in this either? It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
“N-No!” you interrupted, but you coughed to regain your composure. “I mean, I do have something in this… maybe if I got with you, people would stop trying to harass and tease me if I had someone like you by my side.” That was a half-truth, but you knew there was no way you could reveal your crush to him… not when he believed you were “different” from the others. But can anyone blame you for sticking up for Kise when someone was talking about him like a piece of meat rather than a normal person? “Besides, for you to get to this point, things must’ve gotten too chaotic to simply tell them to stop, right?”
“Huh… is that so,” he said, stretching his neck, but you didn’t know whether or not he intentionally ignored your last question. “Well, if you’re fine with this, I’m letting you know now that we’ll be doing actual couple stuff, like…” He pauses for a second to gauge your reaction. “Hugging, hand-holding… probably kissing too…”
“Y-Yeah,” you nodded. “That’s fine with me! And we’ll have a code word in case either of us overstep our boundaries in any way… maybe…”
“Unagi,” he said.
“Huh? Why?”
“Because they’re the bane of evil…”
“It’s just a dish, but…” you laughed, giddy at how he already showed a different side to you apart from his cool persona. “Alright, let’s go with that.”
How long were you able to keep this up? You pat yourself on the cheeks to dismiss the rest of your fantasies. If you keep this up, Kise will soon notice how you actually were head-over-heels for him all this time, and surely you’ll lose any future chance with him. Besides, maybe you can use this unique arrangement to learn about Kise and his hobbies other than basketball. Yes, you tell yourself, jogging the rest of the way home. It won’t be so bad, after all.
———
Starting today, you’ll be officially dating Kise.
That’s how it is on paper, anyways.
How are you supposed to act while dating the Kise Ryōta? Equally cool and flamboyant? Athletically capable? Would you weird out Kise if you were the one initiating physical affection?
“(y/n)!”
You flinch, not expecting anyone to call for you so early in the morning, and your walking route to school was never shared with another student as far as you were concerned. After all, your path was a little more obscured and unorthodox compared to the majority of students traversing the main neighborhood paths.
“Sorry… did I scare you?” You stop and turn to the source of the voice, only to be surprised when you see Kise himself. “Why do you look so surprised? Didn’t we agree on the time to meet up and walk to school together?”
“Oh… yeah…” In the midst of your thoughts, it seems that you forgot the arrangements you made with him yesterday evening. “My bad?”
“Oh, come on,” he gives a mock-hurt face with a hand to his chest. “Am I that forgettable, (y/n)?”
“N-No!” you immediately deny. You knew it was more like the other way around, the way constant thoughts of Kise preoccupy in your head too much. How can you ever forget him when he constantly runs through your mind everyday for so long? Kise merely gives a good-natured sigh before he changes the subject.
“Kidding,” he says, holding out a hand to you. “Seriously though, get your act together. We gotta start acting the part if we want this to work.” You stare at his hand, hesitating for a split moment before you put your own hand on top. His large hand easily encompasses yours, and the warmth makes you widen your eyes. It… felt nice.
You were so entranced by your linked hands that you failed to notice how Kise was staring at your face with a sharp glint in his eyes, but when you look up back to his face, he easily morphs his expression into his signature grin. He swings your hands around like an excited kid and turns to walk ahead to tug you along.
“Alrighty!~ Let’s hurry together before I get chewed out by Kasamatsu-senpai!”
“Kise, have you ever considered that it’s not really your tardiness that gets the captain mad but more so about the way you seem to irritate him with the way you skip around?”
“(y/n),” he says with a pout, “you know you’re not being convincing when you use my last name to address me as your boyfriend.”
“R-Right,” you stammer, still not used to the entire situation. “Ah… wait. Don’t you uh… call people who are close to you with -cchi?”
“Huh…” he mumbles, looking up at the cloudy sky before looking ahead of the path. “Not necessarily people who are close, just people who I really admire. I guess I addressed you like that yesterday without really thinking.”
“U-Uh, right… sorry.” He stops walking with your hand still in tow, and you almost bumped into his back at his sudden movement. He turns to you with a quite serious look.
“Do you want me to call you that?”
It was a normal question, but for some reason it felt like the next sentence coming from your mouth would make a huge impact on the way the two of you would interact in the future. From the way Kise looks at you with such a scrutinizing gaze, it feels like a trick question, and you’re not sure how to answer it. Your mouth goes dry when you try to reply.
“I… I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Kise’s eyes widen a fraction before he gives an unexpected chortle. “Pfft… how do you not know what you want to be addressed as?”
“Arrgh, oh shut it!” you frown, hitting his arm in a fluster before stalking off ahead. You remember that you were supposed to go to school together, and you begrudgingly stop and turn back to wait for him to catch up. “Ryōta, just call me whatever you want. You’re already calling me by my first name, so I doubt anyone would care if you added -cchi or not.” Still, your cheeks turn pink at the realization that Kise would be uttering your first name for the next couple… whenever this relationship will last.
“You… wait up!” Kise wheezes dramatically, despite the both of you knowing full well how easily he can catch up to your stride. “You really shouldn’t be treating your boyfriend like that! Especially on the first day!” Kise holds your hand again to lead you to the rest of the way to school.
All the while, you’ve been staring at his back, your heartstrings being tugged so mercilessly at the cacophony of emotions you were feeling the whole time. He felt so warm, so inviting, but the way he held your hands felt cold and transactional.
———
You’re not sure how to react whenever Kise introduced himself as your “boyfriend” to everyone or whenever nosy students inquired about your new “boyfriend.” All you could do was gulp and manage the most convincing act you could do within different contexts. Smile, laugh, get bashful, be modest in talking about how Kise managed to “like” you, pretend you know many embarrassing stories and sides to him that no one else did. Truthfully, you were just as in the dark as anybody else.
You think the only reason why everyone bought the couple-act was due to how enamored you were in talking about him. This was the only response you could be truthful about. At least you could use your huge crush to your advantage in portraying yourself as the “lovey-dovey” half of the couple. Yet it feels unbelievably wrong.
You knew you had to prepare yourself some preset answers for curious students, but you didn’t expect yourself to be participating in neverending “interviews” in these social settings. You thought this relationship would entail a closer access to Kise’s true self, but things suggest otherwise.
“Ryōta,” you say, peering up at his face as the both of you walk down the hallway to your designated spot for lunch together. Even as you two walk, he puts a reasonable distance between the two of you when there is no one in close proximity. Even when you two are together, he only grabs your hand when it’s socially convenient. Even when Kise approaches you to talk, you know it’s never anything beyond for the sake of acting. And you agreed to this entire thing.
“Hm?” He spares a glance to your figure before returning his gaze ahead.
“Uh, I brought extra food today,” you say, trying to use this situation to try to express your genuine feelings to him in small increments. “I brought an extra bento box too… in case, you don’t wanna actually share one…” He was about to reply before a pair of students turned around the corner to head towards your direction. Kise narrows his eyes at the unexpected turn of events, and immediately turns to you brightly.
“(y/n)! You really thought that I wouldn’t like the idea?” he pouts. “Of course I wanna share a bento with you! Silly…” He slightly bends to your level to place a chaste peck on your forehead.
“Ah…” you freeze at his soft touch, your legs stiff in place as you stop walking. Kise, in response, moves his lips to your ears, and you slightly shiver at the unexpected intimacy… it was the closest he’s gotten to you ever since that public stunt when he kissed you in front of everyone the other day.
“Hey, don’t just stand there… you can’t overreact like this over something couples do everyday.” You bit your lip in an attempt to stop your heart from sinking from disappointment, but in turning your face to him to spill an apology, your face ended up right in front of his. Your eyes widen but he only stares at you with such an intensity that makes you hold your breath in anticipation.
But he immediately draws away and stretches with a yawn. “Looks like those people left right after they thought they intruded on a private moment between us,” he says. “Sheesh, people really do the most to be so nosy nowadays.” You wonder how he can be so casual about this all. Perhaps it was a mistake to be here like this when you were so in love with him, overthinking every single thing he did.
Why didn’t he kiss you this time? Did he not find you the teensiest attractive enough to want to kiss you even without an audience nearby?
“Come on,” he mumbles, waving a hand through your face. “Quit making that face. I won’t be doing that to you without warning anytime soon. My bad, okay?” Kise sheepishly holds out a hand for a handshake to make peace, and you wordlessly take his hand. One day, you’ll stop being his special someone to savor his warmth…
No, you thought, you’re an idiot… he’s never considered you as someone special.
You debated in telling him that you were fine with him kissing you, but you hold your tongue, afraid that he’ll realize your true feelings about him. Besides, were you really okay with him kissing you when he didn’t reciprocate the same feelings?
“It… wasn’t like what you think,” you hesitate. “It just caught me off guard.”
“Well,” he laughs. “That’s a relief! By the way…” He stops to settle himself on the bench. “What’s exactly your lunch? Since you went through the effort to bring extras, I guess I’ll eat them.”
“I packed salmon from leftovers I had from home,” you reply, taking out your bento box and utensils. You decide to shake off your negative thoughts and shove them to the back of your mind. He makes a horrified face at the lunchbox. “Kise, what’s wrong?”
“Do you… happen to have anything else packed?”
“Rice?”
“Well,” he coughs. “I’m not a fan of dishes with boned fish.”
“Didn’t you say you hated unagi too?” Kise shyly averts his gaze before he reluctantly confirms it so. “They’re delicious though! Especially when they’re grilled!” At first, he refused to answer, but the more you tried to poke and prod (literally too, at his ribs), he finally gave in.
“Alright, alright! But I swear, you better not tell anyone!… I choked on a fish bone one time…”
“… And?”
“And yeah.”
“You choked on a bone once and you got scared out of eating fish—”
“Shhhh!” he hushes, emphasizing his hiss with a finger to his lips. At this very moment, you saw a glimpse into who Kise really is, and you can’t help but bust out a genuine, carefree laugh for the first time in front of him. In embarrassment, he bonks your head with his fist to get you to stop laughing, but it only makes you more conscious of how close he is to you.
But just as quickly and telepathically, Kise puts some distance between the two of you, sitting closer to the edge of the bench. He opts to hunch over casually and keenly watch you scarf down your meal in minutes without a care.
You wonder if you should feel guilty for enjoying this moment with Kise, even if he was only waiting with you out of obligation of being your “boyfriend,” but right now, you allowed yourself to indulge, letting your heart beat sporadically without guilt and fear for once. You continue to savor your lunch in silence, concentrating on munching around the fish bones, while Kise sat in contemplation all the while.
———
“You should come watch our practice game today, (y/n).”
“Eh?”
You tilt your head at him in confusion. It’s been two weeks since you started this arrangement with him, but nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking happened between the two of you, much to your despondency. But you knew, you shouldn’t be asking for too much when you already have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be close to him like this.
“There’s going to be a lot of people coming,” he explains. “Even if it’s just a practice game… it’d be weird if you weren’t there, because, you know, we’re dating.”
“I don’t mind going,” you reply. “It sounds fun.”
“You know, you’ve been agreeing to everything I’ve been suggesting the entire time,” he mumbles to himself, but he zips his mouth shut when he sees you instinctively moving closer to try to catch what he said. “Uh, in any case… just stop by the gym whenever you can.”
So here you are a few hours later, being the first person to settle yourself on top of the 2nd floor of the gym. You rest your arms on the railway, fascinated by the Kaijō basketball team and their skills. As they warm up on the courts, it’s the first time you see Kise truly at ease and happy with the people he cares about, and your heart pangs in jealousy seeing his genuine smile. You were pulled out of your thoughts when you realized the gym became completely crowded, the constant chattering announcing huge crowds along the entrance and the lucky watchers at the 2nd floor with you.
You didn’t mind the onlookers when all you were focused on was Kise throughout the entire game with a smitten look, and you weren’t surprised when his team easily won against the other local school.
“That’s Kise isn’t it?” You were about to turn to leave the higher floor to wait outside the gym when you heard his name. You stop to eavesdrop on the conversation next to you.
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing about him way too much. Something about him dating now?”
“He’s dating (l/n) right now, which is super weird because they never even talked… and all of the sudden, they’re dating? I didn’t think of him to be into short-term flings.”
“You think he’s using (l/n) in some way? What an asshole.”
“Yikes. You’re probably not even that far off the bulls-eye. He’s a really heartless guy, from what I’ve heard.”
“Hey,” you interrupt, scaring the two girls out of their wits before they turn to you. “I don’t think you should talk about Kise like that when all you know of him is through speculation.”
“Ugh, here we go again with his fans…” one of them groans, rolling her eyes. “Look, I get it, he’s good-looking and all, but I don’t understand how you can defend him to death when he doesn’t even spare a glance at you… ah… shit, you’re (l/n)?” A flash of hurt was visible on your face for a split second before you frowned. Their words unintentionally hit the nail in the coffin.
“Whether I’m (l/n) or not doesn’t really matter,” you say angrily. “Gossiping about anyone like that isn’t something you should make a habit out of.”
“Jeez, let’s just leave,” the other girl whispers, dragging the first girl along.
You simply stand there watching them leave, but you can’t shake off what they said. They were right… how could you be so whipped for him when you know he’ll never see you the same way?
“Oy!”
Kise’s voice brings you back to your consciousness as he waves at you from the court. “You’ve been standing there for a while! Hurry up, or I’ll leave you behind, (y/n)-cchi!”
“Coming!” You race from the 2nd floor to the ground level to catch up to him, your heart pounding all the while. Did he… did he just…?
You shake your head before you reunite with him to walk home together. Stop it… don’t overthink it.
———
Kise waits at his usual spot to wait for you before walking to school together. It’s been three weeks since he’s approached you to “date.” He’s grown quite comfortable with this arrangement, being close to you and backing off when it’s convenient. After all, if you somehow showed a gruesome true self of yours, he’d be able to separate himself from you with no consequences… even if his heart would cry out not to.
“Ryōta!” There you are, running down the path towards him so cheerfully. Could you really be an awful person when you have such a pure smile like that?
“Ah, (y/n)-cchi,” he says. “We should hurry if we wanna be inside campus. It’s a little chilly today, so being indoors sounds really nice right now.” He peers over to your face to see your nose slightly red from the cold, and he huffs out a chuckle, noting the warm puff of air escaping from his own lips.
“I guess it’s a little cold today,” you say, looking up at Kise with a slight childish wonder. “Hey, that’s a pretty cool cloud that you puffed out.”
“You have some clouds around you too.” He gently smiles, and he notes that your eyes widen at the sight of him. “Wha? Is my face that horrific, (y/n)-cchi?” You avert your gaze as your cheeks grow just as red as your nose.
“Nah… i-it’s nothing…ah—” He holds your cheeks to turn your face back to him, and he draws near with a serious gaze, bumping his forehead against yours.
“You’re actually really cold…”
“Uh, um… I don’t think I’m c-cold anymore—” you stammer, your eyes darting to look everywhere but his face, and Kise’s eyes only scrutinize your behavior further.
“Hm, if you say so…” he mumbles. Your eyes flutter close at the anticipation, and he feels the pull towards your lips, closing his own lids shut…
Wait, what was he thinking? He snaps his lids open and slightly draws himself away to look at you, still vulnerable with your closed eyes. It’s only when he drops his hands from your cheeks and turns to walk ahead when you flutter your eyes open again. Don’t let your feelings for (y/n) blind you into figuring out who they really are.
“Come on,” Kise calls out to you. “We should get going… we don’t wanna be late.” Besides, what if there’s a possibility that you don’t really like him at all?
“Y-Yeah…”
The rest of the walk was in silence, with Kise slightly ahead of you. Perhaps if he turned around at least once to check on you, he would’ve seen the consequences of his actions.
You were silently crying the entire walk.
———
Nothing seems to change much for the entire month. The way the two of you dance and sway around each other, while never being too close, never being too affectionate, never being completely honest. In this shared rose-tinted world, the frail glass that holds these moments together threatens to break with every fickle interaction. Every shared kiss constitutes another small crack to the rose-tinted crystal.
And both of you are content with just the way things are.
Or that’s what you both mutter to yourselves like a mantra.
“Ryōta!” you call out to him. “Did you wait long?”
“Not really,” he says. “I just barely got out too… the teacher was really lenient on dismissal today, actually.” His heart swells at the sight of you as usual, but just as quickly, he’s always managed to quash his emotions in check.
For the first time, you initiate physical touch with him without hesitation, linking your hands with his and snuggling up to him. He flinches, not fast enough to process the sudden warmth of your body, and he immediately separates himself from you. Do you actually like him after all?… No, something is up, right?
“Ryōta…?” You flinch just as severely from the sudden reaction, and he turns to avoid looking at your face, knowing that his resolve would crumble right in front of you. He’s a coward, and he fucking knows it.
“S-Sorry, (y/n)-cchi! I don’t know what came over me like that, but you know you don’t have to force yourself to do things like that, right? There’s no one here, so let’s just walk home together like we always do, yeah?”
He turns to already walk ahead, too afraid of hearing your response and hoping you would follow and catch up to him… like you always do.
You simply stood there for a few moments, anguish clear as the sky above you as you keep telling yourself to manage your own expectations. Still, your voice croaks out quietly to respond to him, even if you knew he wasn’t going to hear it.
“… But I wanted to do these things with you, Ryōta.”
———
It’s been several days since that incident.
It was very awkward for the most part, the walks to and from school silent and suffocating. He’s not quite sure how to go about it while trying not to sound disingenuous about it. Nonetheless, even through his quiet apology, your face still lights up, and he’s confused about why you would ever be so forgiving of him.
Although today, lines have been crossed and this shared secretive world between the two of you have completely shattered to the point of no return.
It was quite a blur, an instinct that Kise has developed over the course of this relationship. Every time a group of students drew near, he was always ready to tug you close for a kiss until they left and carry on with their day. Today was usually no exception.
Another group of students was hanging around the corner, presumably spying on you two, and Kise did what he’s always done, grabbing your hand and embracing you for a kiss. Your eyes were blown open in surprise, but when you saw Kise’s eyes elsewhere, something finally snapped inside.
You push him away at his chest.
“U-Unagi… unagi…” Your voice trembles, and you use your arms to cover up the fresh tears. The code word sounds unbelievably stupid out of context, but at this moment, the word alone stabs Kise in his chest. “I-I… just stop… please.” Kise stares dumbly at you, processing the fact that you just used the agreed safe word against him.
“… (y/n)-cchi?” Kise asks with a confused smile. “You’ve never objected to kissing before… I’ve even told you what we’ll be doing if you agreed to this…?”
“How…” you choke on tears. “H-How can you kiss me like that while your eyes are on someone else…?”
“I don’t understand—”
“A-Am I that atrocious to kiss unless you stare at something else or there’s some convenience?”
“I don’t get it, (y/n)-cchi,” he frowns. “Did you expect more out of this or am I missing something?”
“There was no reason to kiss me like that,” you softly wail. “Everyone already knows we’re a thing for… o-over a month now. There’s no reason to kiss me around people anymore when they won’t suspect us anyways…”
“So you don’t want me to kiss you anymore?” Kise’s heart sinks in thinking about where this is going.
“No!—you don’t… you don’t fucking get it! I don’t get it—! Why are we doing this anymore—I just, I see no reason to continue this anymore… you already shooed off your fans, right? Why haven’t you ended this?!”
“(y/n)-cchi—I…” He reaches out for you, but you immediately recoil.
“No—please… no more, I can’t do this anymore!” you sniffle. “I can’t fucking do this… I’m done, I’m tired—please… just look for another person to take my place… I… I’m done—I can’t pretend with you anymore when I always expect more out of it like a love-stricken fool!”
“I…”
“Look—see,” you choke. “I’m just like everyone else who’s in love with you, I’m no different than everyone else R-Ryōta… so that’s why, I-I… can’t do this anymore!”
Kise stands there, staring at you running away from him. It was like everything had gone silent, save for the sound of his blood pounding in his ears.
“You think he’s using (l/n) in some way? What an asshole.”
“Yikes. You’re probably not even that far off the bulls-eye. He’s a really heartless guy, from what I’ve heard.”
He hated rumors, he really did… but for the first time, he feels like he deserves every word thrown at him around the hallways and classrooms. His memory flits to the time when he felt warm from seeing you standing up for him, even if he wasn’t bothered by them before. Now, the warmth is replaced by agonizing regret and guilt wracking through his entire body. His hands feel cold with you gone from his side.
What has he done?
———
He’s grown quiet for the next week.
It’s been a week since you ran from him, and it’s been a week since he last talked to you.
Even his teammates were concerned about his reserved behavior, but just as always, he’s managed to shoot them a convincing smile. Kasamatsu was more persistent about this but eventually dropped it seeing Kise’s refusal to talk about it.
That day when you pushed him away, he couldn’t sleep, his thoughts keeping him awake the entire night. He resolved himself to talk to you the next day… but he changed his mind the last minute… and then he told himself he’d do it the next day… and then he changed his mind again.
He tells himself that it’s because you rightfully hate him, with the way you’d surround yourself with other crowds and groups to prevent him from walking up to you when you were alone. He tells himself that it’s because both you and him needed space to cool off and go back to the way you two were. He refuses to tell himself that it’s because he’s an honest-to-god coward.
He misses you. He misses you damn badly. Why the fuck did he go through such lengths instead of confessing to you straight up? He tells himself that he was being cautious. He tells himself that he doesn’t want his heart to be broken again. He refuses to conclude that it’s because he’s a fucking coward.
“I don’t know what’s been on your mind, idiot,” Kasamatsu says. “But you better solve this yourself quickly if you’re not opening up to me about this. We can’t have your performance quality be dropping even in practice. Hurry up and fix this shit with (l/n)-san already.”
“H-How’d you know?!” Kise raises his head from his desk in astonishment.
“Tch, idiot,” he glowers, chopping Kise’s head with a swift hand. “It’s too obvious from the way you’re moping around… from the way you two stuck together all this time, who wouldn’t notice something happened from the way you’re at your desk watching (l/n)-san like that?”
“O-Ow…” Kise grumbles rubbing his head. Ironically, his captain’s hit cleared up his doubts and he took a deep breath before exhaling. “Got it, senpai.”
“You better.” Kasamatsu goes back to talking to his classmates during break, and even despite not knowing the truth of the relationship, he manages to give solid advice as usual.
Tomorrow. He’ll find you tomorrow.
———
He doesn’t know where else to find you alone other than the place he’s always waited for you before you two used to walk to school together. So he stands there, almost an hour earlier in case you had the idea to walk to school extremely early to avoid him at all costs.
He was right.
Here you are, shuffling your feet as you trudged yourself along the path and looking down at your feet. You even manage to walk past by him without noticing his presence.
Even if you’ve grown to hate him, he’s willed himself to come completely clean about his feelings to you for once. But a part of him is thinking to change his mind again and just let you slip away from his fingers. It’d spare the both of you the inevitable, right?
“R-Ryōta…?”
He was pulled from his thoughts, startled to see you staring at him from a short distance away. Apparently you did notice him after all.
“… (y/n)-cchi…” He swallows his words, knowing full well that his stupid words might blow this up for him again, his words responsible for all the rumors at school, his words responsible for hurting you and will hurt you again.
He wordlessly walks up to you and holds your cheek, and waits. He waits for you to push him away again. He waits for you to say the code word to let him know that you don’t want him near you again. The thought of you running away from him nearly brings him to tears, but he gulps his emotions down and stares at you calmly, with only his upturned brows hinting to his inner turmoil.
“Ryō—”
He swiftly brings his head down and kisses you. In feeling the warmth for the first time in a while, he greedily drinks from your lips, holding your temples more firmly as he searches for more, more, more.
You push him away.
Kise immediately lets go and stares at you like a lost child, unable to mask the devastation from the implications of your actions. But you’re still gripping his uniform tightly, almost as if you didn’t want to let go.
“W-Why…?” you croak, biting your lips to stop any tears from breaking through. “There’s no reason to kiss me. Don’t you know that we’re done? There’s no one to watch us here, no reason for you to walk me to school anymore. You know that, Ryōta. After all, we haven’t talked since a week ago, and you have the audacity to come here and kiss me like everything is okay—”
“… I want to kiss you, because there’s no one around, because there’s no other reason for me to.”
“Why…?” your voice softens to a whisper. “Don’t you hate anyone who likes you in that way? I… I already told you that I see you in that light, like many of your fans do. Don’t you hate me? Don’t you hate me for using this arrangement to get closer to you? Don’t you hate me for expecting something real out of this?”
“I already had an inkling of suspicion that you liked me, (y/n)-cchi,” Kise turns away to look at the bright morning sky. “I just didn’t know if I was wrong or not.”
“Then… why did you ask me to do this whole thing with you…?”
“Because I’m a coward,” he says, looking back to you. You were stunned into silence. For the first time, he finally admits what’s been weighing on his mind for weeks out loud, and his eyes, while drenched in shame, were full of resoluteness. “I liked you, but I was too afraid for the day when you ended up being not like the person I ended up liking. I liked you, but I was afraid of a real relationship that would tie me down. I liked you, but I was afraid of making huge decisions that involved another person into my life. I didn’t want to end the fake relationship because I was too fucking selfish… if I ended it, I’d lose the only connection I had with you… I’m sorry.”
Both of you went silent, bathed in the light of the rising sun. Kise drops to a squat to hide his face from you, and you knew he was trying to stop himself from tearing up. He knows how uncool he looks, but he had no right to cry when you were the one who got hurt the most.
“Ryōta, did you really find it difficult to kiss me…? Just… be honest.”
“Yes,” he looks up from his squat to stare at you with an intense look, even despite his puffy eyes. “Everytime I kissed you, I found it hard to control myself. I thought, what if you were using me to somehow get a kiss from me? or what if I couldn’t stop myself from kissing you and I ended up taking things too far? Looking anywhere but you at least stopped me from getting too invested…”
By now, both of you had turned completely red at his honesty, but he still found you frankly stunning even with your red, puffy eyes. “Look, (y/n)-cchi, don’t you hate me? I used you. The rumors are right—I’m a complete asshole. Just… I won’t blame you if you walk away right now.”
“You do know that I used this opportunity to get closer to you, right?… I wasn’t a saint about this either, so… I’m sorry too.” Both of you go silent again, and you slowly drop yourself to his level in a squat of your own in front of him.
“… C-Can we… can we start over?” you whisper, your warm breath tickling his chilled nose.
“(y/n)-cchi, I don’t think I’m capable of continuing this arrangement…”
“No,” you huff, before you tentatively press a chaste kiss to his lips. “I mean… can we… start over, but this time, as a real couple? I… want this relationship to be substantial. I really do like you, Ryōta.” You murmur against his lips with your hands on top of your knees, waiting for him to rebuke you away with an easygoing comment or a plastered smile.
But he doesn’t do any of that.
“I… guess we can try that,” Kise mumbles, gaze averted as his cheeks flame brighter than his nose and ears.
“Can you kiss me again?” you ask, your voice cracking at the end out of fear he’d turn down your request. Kise flicks his gaze back to you to see you equally red with a hesitant expression.
“Could you… close your eyes?” he asks with a frown.
“H-Huh?”
“Y-You don’t need to see me looking like a mess, I don’t look charming right now.”
“I… guess…” After a few moments of hesitation, you flutter your eyes shut, waiting apprehensively for his lips to descend onto yours again. Kise holds your cheeks and takes the time to admire your features for the first time, and his smile grows wider with every passing second.
‘R-Ryōta…?” Afraid of the fact that he actually may not like kissing you after all, you worriedly open your eyes, only to be greeted by the most brilliant smile from Kise, his figure illuminated by the sunshine hitting the back of his head at the perfect angle.
“(y/n)-cchi,” he teases with a small pout. “Didn’t I tell you to close your eyes?”
Who needs a rose-tinted lens when the sight before you is already so radiant to behold?
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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years ago
Note
A prompt: Chief Cultivator Yao
Untamed
“I mean no offense, but that’s the stupidest suggestion I’ve ever heard,” Jin Guanshan said, only barely keeping his smile intact.
“He is aware that simply saying that he means no offense doesn’t make it any less offensive, right?” Wei Wuxian asked Jiang Cheng in a soft murmur, desperately happy in retrospect that he hadn’t decided to miss this meeting.
He didn’t attend most discussion conferences, even though he’d officially been recognized as a Sect Leader and therefore entitled to sit at the table – there wasn’t much point in arguing about cultivation territories and who did what when his ‘sect territory’ was limited to the Burial Mounds and his ‘sect’ consisted of himself and the only three Wens young enough to join a sect, one of which hadn’t yet passed his fourth birthday.
Still, he’d been a bit curious to know what was going to happen with the seemingly never-ending argument about who was going to be Chief Cultivator – whether Nie Mingjue would finally give in (unlikely, given the man’s personality) or if Jin Guangshan would find a way to get around him (possible).
He hadn’t expected Nie Mingjue to be the one to get around Jin Guangshan – especially not with such an…unorthodox proposal.
"You can't seriously be suggesting that we elect Sect Leader Yao to be Chief Cultivator!"
“I don’t see the problem,” Nie Mingjue said, heroically maintaining a straight face despite the slightest curve in his eyes that indicated a man who knew exactly what the problem with his suggestion was. “According to all the stories I’ve heard him tell, Sect Leader Yao has been at the forefront of every action in the past few years, large or small, no matter where or how implausibly quickly he must have traveled to get there.”
The unexpected man of the hour, Sect Leader Yao himself, was still gaping in shock at having been named, but at this he stirred a little, looking mildly panicked, and said, “Sect Leader Nie, I appreciate the compliment, but –”
“Nonsense! I would never stoop to baseless flattery –” That much was true, Wei Wuxian reflected, especially since exactly nothing that had come out of Nie Mingjue’s mouth really sounded all that much like a compliment if you listened closely. “– and though your sect is small, it can hardly be said that your voice is not heard during our discussions.”
“Constantly heard,” Jiang Cheng muttered under his breath.
“Come now, Sect Leader Nie,” Jin Guangshan said with a fake laugh. “The position of Chief Cultivator is a heavy one; if Sect Leader Yao is busy with his own affairs –”
“On the contrary,” Jiang Cheng blurted out, and suddenly everyone was turning to him; it was by now too late for him to reverse course, so he could only soldier on, saying, “It is well known that Sect Leader Yao is very generous with his time, isn’t it? I’ve never known him not to be happy to volunteer to involve himself with other people’s concerns.”
Wei Wuxian was not going to laugh. He was not.
“Uh, thank you, Sect Leader Jiang,” Sect Leader Yao said. He was now sweating. “While I appreciate –”
“Let us not forget Sect Leader Yao’s decisiveness,” Wei Wuxian interrupted, batting his eyelashes at the increasingly furious Jin Guangshan. “I find that no matter how little information there is available on a given issue, Sect Leader Yao is always ready at hand with an opinion.”
“Well said, Sect Leader Wei,” Nie Mingjue said before Sect Leader Yao can put in a word. “Yet equally important, he is not inflexible, which I admit I can sometimes be – I have never known Sect Leader Yao to remain fixed on a position if the wind appears to be blowing in another direction.”
“Sect Leaders, please,” Lan Xichen said, and he looked somewhere between trying to resist laughing (much like the rest of them were) and feeling genuinely apologetic for the situation Sect Leader Yao had found himself in. “Sect Leader Yao is a devoted member of our group, and he has always tried very hard, and regardless of the outcome of his efforts or lack thereof, he is still very good –”
Someone in the audience guffawed.
Lan Xichen appeared to belatedly realize that he’d given Sect Leader Yao a ‘good person’ card and flushed.
“Nevertheless,” Jin Guangshan said with gritted teeth, “it does seem somewhat inappropriate to burden the leader of such a small sect with such a high title -”
“Why?” Nie Mingjue said, and bared his teeth at Jin Guangshan in what could only barely be pretended to be a smile. “There are more of them together than there are of us. Are you suggesting that a small sect leader could never become Chief Cultivator?”
“No, no, of course not! It’s only that I wouldn’t want him to feel obligated to accept –”
“As we all know, Sect Leader Yao’s first thought is always the emotions of others,” Jiang Cheng said, apparently still bitter about the time Sect Leader Yao had told Jin Ling – still a toddler – to stop crying already. “But he is also very cautious to always be in the right on any issue that crosses his path –”
“Anything less would be beneath the level of dignity with which he always conducts himself,” Wei Wuxian interjected.
“…yes, that. In sum, surely he would not deny himself the honor we are all so eager to give him?”
“It is exactly as Sect Leader Jiang said,” Nie Mingjue said. “I think we’re all in agreement at what qualities Sect Leader Yao possesses that would make him the ideal Chief Cultivator –”
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but notice the lack of any adjective indicating whether those qualities were good or bad.
“– and so the matter would seem to be to be settled in perfect compromise. I propose a toast.”
“Seconded!” Wei Wuxian said immediately, lifting his cup.
“Hear hear,” Jiang Cheng said, somewhat unenthusiastically.
Lan Xichen simply held up his cup with a smile and no words, appearing to require all of his considerable willpower in not breaking up laughing – an battle that a number of small sect leaders were currently losing.
“What say you, Chief Cultivator?”
“Well,” Sect Leader Yao said, still looking dazed, “I suppose if everyone agrees…”
Jin Guangshan had a murderous expression on his face, but his face wasn’t quite thick enough to stand against the majority like this; he lifted his cup as well. “Best wishes,” he growled.
The discussion conferences broke for the night soon afterwards.
“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Jiang Cheng asked Wei Wuxian. “I didn’t actually mean to speaking in his favor, it’s only, you know…”
“You have trouble hearing outright lies be told,” Wei Wuxian said agreeably, nodding. “No, this is great; I can see exactly what Sect Leader Nie was thinking – our new ‘Chief Cultivator’ lacks the backbone to make and stick with any decision, which is the same as never making any decisions at all. The role will become purely ornamental.”
“Exactly,” Nie Mingjue said, his voice deep as he appeared behind the two of them, Nie Huaisang trailing behind. “I thank you both for your timely support.”
“Of course,” they both said, saluting; he saluted them back and departed, although Nie Huaisang remained behind with a smile when Wei Wuxian waved at him behind his brother’s back.
“Who thought of that scheme?” Wei Wuxian asked. “It was brilliant.”
“Oh, it was all da-ge’s idea; I had no idea what he was planning until he did it,” Nie Huaisang confessed gleefully. “Er-ge’s been playing music for him regularly to help improve his mood, which I think has been helping; I haven’t seen him make trouble like that in years.”
“It was a true work of art in mischief-making,” Wei Wuxian agreed. “I salute the masters.”
Nie Huaisang laughed and saluted back. “In a contest of making mischief, if you claim to be second, who would dare be first? No, no, my sect cannot bear to hold this honor; it must belong to you.”
“On the contrary, I insist –”
“If you two dare get started with your nonsense, I’m going to find a river and push you both in,” Jiang Cheng threatened. “Come help me with something important instead: figuring out how to convince our new ‘Chief Cultivator’ that he doesn’t need to give speeches at the start of every discussion conference the way Sect Leader Jin has been doing…”
“But Sect Leader Jiang!” Wei Wuxian protested earnestly, his eyes dancing in amusement. “If we don’t have those speeches, we might actually have to be awake at the start time…”
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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years ago
Text
Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 06 part two
(Masterpost)
Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!
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Bathing Boy Beauties
So, now we and Wei Wuxian get to see Lan Wangji with his shirt off. Eventually Lan Wangji will realize that his brother set this up, and will think of some way to get back at him, possibly by spending three years being stubborn in a cave or maybe by chopping an arm off of someone his brother cares about. 
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This is A+ Yibo fanservice but it's also a male-male version of a trope that's ubiquitous in c-drama, in which the male lead takes a bath and the female lead sees him. The purpose of the scene is almost always so a woman can look a man’s body over and decide, not to put too fine a point on it, whether she wants to fuck him. 
Examples:
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The Pillow Book - “Which part of Shen Ye is better than me?”
Women’s sexual agency is not often at the forefront in c-dramas, but the bathtub scenes are an acknowledgement of the female gaze, and of male objects of desire being subject to evaluation & approval.
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Tientsin Mystic is a show with a lot of muscley swimming in it, In case you’re looking for your next Netflix show. 
As a CGI artist I have to mention that water does not reflect or refract 100% of light. If you look at a naked dingle-having person in a bathtub full of clear water you will definitely be able to see their dingle. But C-drama water is magic and nothing is visible below the waterline, to the point that Bai Yu is modestly covering his thoracic surgery scar chest in Detective L while leaving his lower half uncovered.
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Note: that caption isn’t fake; she is really saying this on her way out the door, after having a long chat with him in the bathroom. You can find the whole series on YouTube.
Seen in this context, The Untamed’s two bathing scenes are saying quite a lot. Wei Wuxian, being a boy, doesn’t display any female-encoded shyness or modesty, but he and his sword pause for a moment of admiration.
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(more after the cut!)
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16 years later, Lan Wangji will sit quietly in this pool and let Wei Wuxian examine his wet body thoroughly from multiple angles, in a more prolonged invocation of this C-drama mating ritual.
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Carrying on - was Xiao Zhan supposed to kick his boot in the water like that? Because if not, he rolls with it like a champ.
Wei Wuxian starts trying to be direct with Lan Wangji, giving him the worst, most neg-filled compliment ever, bless his heart.  
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Then he says that there are benefits to being his friend, and starts taking off his clothes.
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Wei Wuxian here takes his first step into the bold new world of respecting Lan Wangji’s boundaries, asking Lan Wangji to stay and saying he will keep his clothes on. 
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Lan Wangji actually does stay, so he's apparently not too angry with Wei Wuxian about the drinking. Wei Wuxian invites him to visit Lotus Pier sometime (see my gifset here), but the promise of lotus pods doesn’t impress him. Then Wei Wuxian tries to tell him that the Yunmeng chicks really knock me out, they leave the rest behind. This also doesn’t impress him. 
You could read this macking-on-ladies talk as a sign that Wei Wuxian is oblivious to LWJ's feelings for him. But I read it as a bisexual boy being horny on main with a boy he likes, not  understanding yet that some boys don’t share all of his turn-ons.
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Lan Wangji is sort of mildly startled when Wei Wuxian disappears under the water. His eye makeup is good here, isn’t it?.
Ice Cave
They end up in an ice cave and both spend the rest of the episode showing how good they look with wet hair. 
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When the guqin starts attacking, Lan Wangji is only mildly perturbed about Wei Wuxian getting his shit rocked over and over.
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Eventually he sends Bichen to protect his very bedraggled date. Lan Wangji’s sword is faster than the speed of a very slow sound wave.
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Beauty's where you find it not just where you bump and grind it 
Gusuship Down
I feel like there are a couple of things in this show that are so problematic the fandom has silently agreed to never discuss them. Well, I’m here to talk about this one:
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There are rabbits in this ice cave and they are wearing headbands. HEADbands. On RABBits.  
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EXCELLENT FUCKING QUESTION, LAN WANGJI
*deep breath*
Are these rabbits lineal Lan descendants? Who makes the headbands? How do they stay on because “headband” here means “glowing cloud on forehead” without any actual band.  When rabbit babies are born, how do they stay safe while they’re waiting for someone to make them baby-sized headbands? Do these rabbits adhere to the other 3499 Lan Clan principles or just the headband one? Is any ol' rabbit allowed to touch a rabbit’s headband or is it limited to parents and significant others and is that even relevant when presumably these bunnies are all fucking each other like...bunnies?
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The characters are like “oh, the rabbits are wearing headbands; killer guqin problem solved.” And then they move right the fuck along with their lives and the rabbit headbands are never seen or discussed again and I just want a hit of whatever the author or creative team was smoking when they came up with this whole idea.
Headband Sharing
When Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji to hand over his headband, Lan Wangji understands his entire rabbit-based thought process without asking
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Gen-X Joke Alert
Wei Wuxian is awfully impressed by this sword-recall trick, considering that he did it himself when they went to the lake.
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I see you know your way around a sheath
Killer Guqin
When they approach the guqin I hope that the subtitles are mistranslated, because Wei Wuxian keeps promising not to touch it and then says he can't look at it without touching it. I'm not going to touch it, I just need to touch it. 
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Lan Wangji is going to teach Wei Wuxian some goddamn boundaries no matter how many times he has to make him fondle his sword.
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Nothing suggestive here
Lan Wangji sits down to play the guqin and immediately goes off into the ether where there are seagull noises and plenty of fans. This is either a state of pure bliss, or he just really likes seagulls.
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Did Lan Wangji just have a stealth orgasm?
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Speaking of getting off, get your ass off of my desk
The Yin Iron
Lan Wangji does some spirit whispering, and suddenly the cave starts yelling at them. A bunch of clans are chanting in unison about a plan, which is the cultivator version of a battle cry.
Lancestor Lan Yi shows up. She is elegant and has a combination of sweetness and gravity that is similar to Lan Xichen’s. And none of Lan Qiren’s douchiness.
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Search Party
Lan Qiren is worried and Lan Xichen is worried and they have sent people to look for the boys. It's really too bad nobody around here knows magic.
All these powerful cultivators search for missing people by running around outdoors yelling for them. 
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Yanli is excused from PE class because she’s not feeling well, so she sits on a rock in the woods instead of, you know, staying home in the first place. She gets bored sitting down and unwisely decides to walk two or three steps. Xuan Lu, seen here competing in a gymnastics event, gamely pretends she can’t climb a small rock. 
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Yanli falls into Jin Zixuan's arms and they gaze at each other for a long heterosexual moment. 
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No homosexual explanation possible
This means two things: 1. he isn't looking very hard for her brother if he's hanging out here catching wobbly girls 2. soulful longing looks from him ain't shit, because he's going to dump her in the next episode.
Lanny Granny
Lan Wangji intros himself to Lan Yi and does a full prostrate bow. Wei Wuxian does a standing bow since he's not a descendant, just a future in-law.
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No I mean come on, HEADBANDS
Lan Gran explains the entire history of the yin iron. It's bad, it's full of resentful energy, no-one should use it. She’s going to dump it on a couple of 16 year old boys, one of whom has a woody for using resentful energy, because it’s destiny and her battery is about to run out. 
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Props to the Prop Department; this thing does look pretty cool
Xue Chonghai was the most problematic cultivator back in the old days. He killed a lot of dudes and fed their resentment to...a turtle? To the disk? I don’t know; I literally am unable to pay attention when anyone is explaining the intricacies of the unobtanium Yin Iron. 
Anyway there’s a disk and it’s soaked up a lot of resentment.  
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Using it makes people evil. Well except..clearly this dude started off evil, yeah? If he was feeding people to his turtle.
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Side effects may include: being fucking crazy
Here Wei Wuxian brings out his "resentful energy is awesome" theory and has an experienced grown-up grand master tell him that she also thought this, and has spent 100 years locked in a cave with headband-wearing rabbits because she was super fucking wrong. Does this deter him? ...nope
Baoshan Sanren
Now she name checks Baoshan Sanren, and Wei Wuxian has a big reaction and Lan Wangji has a big noticing of Wei Wuxian’s reaction. He’s very attuned to Wei Wuxian’s emotional state, in the moments where WWX lets his actual feelings show through the sass and swagger.  
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Lan Gran talks about her search for the Yin iron, and Lan Wangji wisely says, if you can't neutralize it, why look for it? And she says, I was filled with hubris just like ya boi Wei Wuxian.  Lan Wangji points out the exact same shit he will later point out to Wei Wuxian.
So now we have a parallel in which Lan Yi is just like Wei Wuxian and Baoshan Sanren is just like Lan Wangji, yeah? Which is kind of sweet; it shows how these types are drawn together and how your clan doesn't determine your personality. Also it shows how the Lan clan has room for an unorthodox clan leader. Also it shows how the Yin Iron causes some really bad breakups. 
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These boys are standing on snow barefoot which has got to take a pretty high cultivation level. Look how short Lan Wangji is without his stilettos, aww.
Flashback to Baoshan Sanren, just long enough to appreciate how beautiful she is.
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Did OP give up on recoloring that flashback-blue-hazed image and just start fucking around with random filters? Yes she did. 
We also get to see that Lan Yi and Lan Wangji have more common than just guqin, because they both like to solve problems by kicking them.  
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So after breaking up with her girlfriend, Lan Gran became invisible in this cave for 100 years while trying to contain the Yin iron and put headbands on rabbits. 
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Soundtrack: Vogue by Madonna Writing prompt: Watership Down rabbits meet Lan rabbits
Bonus extended bath clip:
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Bai Yu, Detective L
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cowboysimp · 4 years ago
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Hey first of all I hope you have a nice day ^^ And I wanted to know if I could do a request ? Maybe a headcanon for Hanzo, Genji, Sombra, Lucio and Jesse I hope it's not too much, with a reader who is in the middle of an exam period and who is very stressful, spends her days and nights to revise their lessons, I would like to know how they would react to seeing their s/o like that if it's possible please. Maybe S/o can be female or gender neural? I thank you in advance for taking my request 🤗
I’m so sorry this took so long to come out- especially since exams are over for most people! But I hope everyone did really good on them and aren’t to stressed out by the outcome.
Format: Headcanons
Word count: 5161
Warnings: uh Exams??? School maybe dunno.
Hanzo:
Hanzo is no stranger to intense amounts of stress, though he’d also never encourage his partner to just stop studying. Repetition and practice is very important after all.
So he’d sit down with you and help you study for your exams even going so far as to form a study program for you. He’d spend as much time as possible helping you feel ready.
Hanzo does still understand the value of breaks and proper rest. So every forty five minutes you’d both take a small fifteen minute break. The break would most likely be used to do something physical like stretching to help calm your mind. He’d also sprinkle in a little bit of meditation to help ease the anxiety.
Something he definitely does not approve of thought is you staying up late into the night to study. You need rest having spent most of the day studying and revising. So at eight pm every night he’d make sure all school related things were put away and not mentioned again.
Honestly I wouldn’ put it past him to also set a mandatory bed time. Ten pm all electronics are off and by eleven the two of you should be sound asleep. An important part in keeping a healthy schedule is getting sleep.
While this may seem not very romantic to others you’ve been with Hanzo long enough to know his overbearing concern and hours spent helping you are exactly how he shows his love. He isn't much of a romantic mainly because of his reserved nature and tendency for self doubt, but he’ll always try for you and that’s what matters.
Genji:
As for Genji, throw everything that Hanzo did into the trash. (kinda- the brothers actually have some similar tendencies)
Genji’s first step is to get you unstressed. The serious stuff can come later. He’ll force you out of the house for a few hours taking you on a small date. He would take you to some of his favorite places like arcades or cute cafes, anywhere really that he can think of that would help with the stress.
Then once you got back home he’d sit down with you and have at it, he’s spent the day destressing you and now he’s going to attempt to help you study while keeping the same low stress levels.
Studying with him would be fun.
Genji is quite creative and would try to find different interests and a bit unorthodox ways of helping you study.
He would explain to you that odd things have a tendency to stick out in people's brains so why not make this a weird and memorable study session.
While his education was quite formal he always had a hard time picking up on what was being taught until his teachers would give up on their usual methods and begin thinking outside of the box to help him learn.
So he’d apply those same methods each time you studied together.
Same with Hanzo he wouldn’t let you stay up into the early hours of the morning instead forcing you into bed with him once he saw you getting too tired or frustrated to continue.
Night Time cuddles and quizzing would become routine for exams week.
Sombra:
Oh boy-
Olivia has no idea how to help, sure she’d try really hard but she’s never had a day of proper education in her life. She doesn’t understand a single topic to the extent needed to help.
But there’s no way that would stop her. She’d sit at her computer helping you by finding the answers to your question. Basically she’d turn into an answer checking machine.
That is really the only practical way she can help.
She’d force you to take breaks and bring you unhealthy snacks while you studied, and when she got annoyed and bored of not having your attention would just come and bother you for a casual makeout session.
Her actual reliability with helping would come when she got frustrated with feeling useless. She’d hack into the school database and find the test questions.
When you tell her the test randomizes the questions so out of those hundreds you’d probably only need to know fifty or so, she cussed to whatever god existed.
She wouldn’t let that stop her though going into the school mainframe to make it so that when your test came up specific questions would be on it.
So now you’d only have to memorize the questions on the test.
Yes that might be cheating, and yes it is slightly immoral but in the end it would definitely pay off.
Lucio:
Honestly im so sorry I can't really think of much for him-
What i do know though is that he’d make you a few study playlists to boost productivity and stock you up on snacks.
He’d give you shoulder massages when you finished studying to keep your shoulders from cramping and would go out of his way to do things around the house that you normally do to make sure you can focus and not stress too much over trivial things.
(once again sorry I genuinely couldn't think of much more-)
McCree:
Now Jesse isn’t stupid by any means, but the boy dropped out of highschool and didn’t pay attention a day he was there.
He has no idea what to do to help. Honestly him trying to help is probably more distracting then anything.
If you asked him a question about pretty much any subject he’d do his best to answer though honestly probably getting it wrong and making you both more confused.
After this happened a few times he was struck by genius.
He’d settle at the table right in front of you holding his own little notebook and request that you teach him.
You were of course quite skeptical, until he explained that the easiest way to learn is by teaching others right?
He had no idea what he was talking about and frankly neither did you, but you were desperate at this point so you might as well.
Explaining things to him was like a giant review, it helped you revise things you kept on forgetting and even helped figure out the errors you had been making in your work.
By the end of the first session McCree had gone brain dead because “Why in god’s name does anyone need to know this-” and no he won't take it’s a requirement to graduate as a good answer.
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shinygoldstar · 3 years ago
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King Wes - part 2
AO3 / Part 1
.
High above the lower common levels of the Infinite Realms, an important meeting is being held that would determine the fate of the Realms.
A lone eyed ghost in navy blue robes with gold trims called for the meeting to begin, looking at their audience with an air of solemnity.
"Fellow councilmen, as we all know, we have tried to postpone the final selection for as long as we can in hopes of finding a more- ideal candidate for the position. We have delayed the selection for over a year however it can no longer be delayed. The delegates from the Realms have sharply emphasized on this point. Autumn equinox is our deadline for the coronation. We must finalize our selection for the next Ghost King. Who are our candidates?"
Another lone eyed ghost stood up, clad in pale lavender robes. They unfurled the roll of parchment in their hands.
"Head Director, the Research Department thank you immensely for the additional time you have provided to us and the invitation for us to join this meeting today. We have scoured the Realms for Pariah Dark’s history records and past governing laws. Of the individuals with connections to the throne, only five candidates are able to meet the minimum requirements to be accepted by the Realm’s Throne. Our candidates are as follow:
Vladimir Masters-Plasmius
Dan Phantom
Daniel Fenton-Phantom
Danielle Phantom
The ghost paused in brief hesitation then continued,
And Wesley Weston."
.
The lavender clad ghost continued, "Vladimir Masters-Plasmius is connected to the throne through the rite of conquest. However, his claim is second to that of Daniel Fenton-Phantom.
By our records, Daniel Fenton-Phantom had directly challenged Pariah Dark to a one-on-one duel. Dark had verbally agreed to the conditions implied. The battle had ended in favor of Daniel Fenton-Phantom.
Vladimir Masters-Plasmius brought in the Skeleton Key to lock Pariah Dark in the sarcophagus after the battle had already turned in favor of Daniel Fenton-Phantom. This places Daniel Fenton-Phantom as the closest candidate to the throne by rite of conquest.
Through Vladimir Masters-Plasmius and Daniel Fenton-Phantom's candidacy, Dan Phantom and Danielle Phantom are considered as viable candidates through inheritance. Dan Phantom qualifies as a viable candidate through inheritance from both former selves of Daniel Phantom and Vlad Plasmius. Danielle Phantom qualifies as a candidate through blood connection to Daniel Fenton-Phantom and by inheritance as Vladimir Masters-Plasmius' daughter by creation."
The Head Director interrupted, "Dan Phantom does not qualify for the well-being of the Infinite Realms. While he may qualify by inheritance rights, his past deeds done under his own name makes him a threat to the integrity of Infinite Realms. We will not consider him for candidacy.
Danielle Phantom is young. Her core is fragile. It would not do for her to be exposed so soon to the crown's power. We may keep her name for future selection.
For now, we will exclude these two from the current selection. Please continue." The Director prompted.
The Researcher nodded, "Of the remaining candidates, Vladimir Masters has the most stable core and the most experience both in battle and in politics. However, his past records are morally questionable. While Daniel Fenton-Phantom had not pressed charges for bloodline theft, Vladimir Masters-Plasmius' creation of Danielle Phantom and her siblings are still illegal by common ghost law and almost every realm's law.
With his skills and knowledge, Vladimir Masters-Plasmius can either be a great king or as terrible as our previous one.
Daniel Fenton-Phantom is young. At one and a half years as one of us, he has much to learn about our culture. Some of the recent scuffles on the edge of the wastelands were related to his antagonistic approach to the local residents. Last year's Winter Truce was a notable event where Daniel, out of ignorance started a series of events that resulted in both him and Ghostwriter violating the Truce. As his first Truce event, Daniel was allowed lenience while Ghostwriter was arrested for knowingly disrupting the Truce. Daniel Fenton-Phantom holds lots of potential however he is still young and impressionable.”, the Researcher concluded.
The Head Director steepled their hands, deep in thought, “Ancient Clockwork has been assigned to oversee Daniel Fenton-Phantom's growth and provide guidance when needed. However, with how impressionable he is, giving Daniel the power of the throne while he is not strong enough to handle the duties will lead to disaster. The Dan incident serves as a warning to keep Daniel on the right track. Given a few more years for Daniel to grow in the right direction and he may be our best king yet. In the meantime, we cannot be certain as to whether he will revert to Dan's timeline should anything happen to his family and friends. Only Ancient Clockwork knows what future lies in that direction.”
The Head Director mulled in silence for a minute then, “You said there were 5 candidates. Who is the last candidate?”
"Wesley Weston, Director."
"Wesley Weston? I have never heard of that name. Who are they?" the Head Director inquired.
“He is a human living in a human civilization known as Amity Park, sir.”
“Human? As in fully human?” Murmurs rose from other Observants in the room.
The Researcher tried not to shrink under the stares from everyone in the room, “Yes Master Director. Wesley Weston holds candidacy through his connection to Pariah Dark. As one of Dark's living descendants who has been touched by ectoplasm, Wesley Weston holds enough connection to the Infinite Realms to meet the throne's requirement.”
The Head Director nodded, “Very well, he shall be included in the candidates list.”
The Head Director turn to look at the rest of the observants in the meeting room. “The final candidates are as follow: Vlad Masters-Plasmius, Daniel Fenton-Phantom, and Wesley Weston. Shall we cast our votes now?", the Head Director addressed to the audience above the hushed fervent whisperings.
“-but he's a human!”
“-ignorant of our millennia worth of tradition-”
“-humans are too weak-”
The Head Director rapped the table for attention, “Order! Order! We discuss like civilized ghosts not mindless blobs.”
One Observant tried to object, “But sir- this is unorthodox! Weston Wesley is a human; he cannot be a candidate for the throne! Surely one of the other realm leaders can be a better leader than him! There must be someone- someone else with ties to the throne that can be a better candidate than Wesley Weston! The Ancients! They too must hold the right of candidacy from ending Dark’s Reign!”
The Head Director looked at the Observant, “The Ancients are the designated peacekeepers of the Realm. They do not involve themselves with direct ruling. At the end of Dark’s Reign, none of the Ancients have declared their challenge for the throne. So no, the Ancients do not hold right of candidacy. These are truly our only candidates, Observant Rey.”, the Head Director confirmed.
At Observant Rey’s sullen silence, the Head Director turned to address every Observant in the room, “The reason why Wesley Weston is a candidate… the throne’s full powers are still not fully known, not even to us. But what is certain is that the throne acknowledges Weston as possible heir, and that opens up to another way out of this impasse. We are desperately in need of a new ruler to restore the balance of the Infinite Realms both metaphorically and literally. The Infinite Realms is literally falling apart without a kingpin to hold the ever-shifting expanse together. We need a king.  
We are down to these three candidates. Plasmius who holds the most experience at ruling but with morally gray ambitions. Phantom who would make a great leader one day but currently lacking in experience and is still very impressionable. And Weston, a full human. The majority of the ghosts will not accept a full human as king, especially those that value strength and power. This is where we come in. Human ruler is unacceptable but consider this: ghosts regents taking care of duties in place of the human king. With regents knowledgeable in matters concerning Infinite Realms, with centuries of experience in diplomacy and ruling management. Yes, that’s us. By establishing Wesley Weston as king, we can rule in his stead as regents until his human lifespan expires. Which is why he is the best candidate.”
The Head Director smirked, “Any objections?”
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softly-savage-mint-yoongi · 3 years ago
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Heat Seekers II Genre: Dark Cyberpunk AU Pairing: Chanyeol x f.reader Words: 8k Fic Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. I’m serious people. If any of the chapter warnings are uncomfortable or triggering for you, please do not read this. Do so at your own discretion. Lots of angst and hurt, eventual smut. Chapter Warnings are below the cut. Author’s Note: There are some specific things in this fic that I’ve personally experienced, and some that I have not. Please understand my intention with this fic is a way of healing not just for myself but hopefully for others who unfortunately have experience with these types of situations. I did a lot of debating about whether or not I should even post this fic, and have spoken to a few individuals about it. Ultimately, with the intent of healing and moving past such trauma, it’s been decided OK to post. Please take my warnings seriously.
Chapter Warnings: panic, anxiety & triggers. Mentions of sex trafficking. Political injustice.
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You push your way through the heavy doors into Blue House, ticking your chin forward in greeting to the entertainers standing in the comforts of the lobby, familiar faces you once considered colleagues. The one you’re looking for is at the bar along the back wall, sleek black beneath your fingers, unable to help the way they fan and smooth across its surface as you address him. “Thanks for the tip,” you grin, pausing momentarily to chastise the man before you, “Can I have the info now? I know you were looking out for me by taking it to save, but don’t you think you should have a little more faith in me?” Chan, who is your sole confidant- grins right back. “We don’t believe in faith, remember?” he retorts, flourishing two fingers in front of him to awaken his Atlas, fuzzing to synthetic life between you. You laugh mirthlessly at his reminder because he is right. He flicks his fingers and turns his wrist in a smooth motion, then waits while you blink your own to life and accept the request for sync that takes up the main holo in front of you. He waits for you to collect the job from his inbox and read the description; watching you with a blank expression you don’t see. “In search of a female escort, early to mid-twenties for one night job. The escort must possess advanced skills with Atlas Tech, and hacking. Body measurements are required prior to the job. Deliver in-person to coordinates 94.0114” N 94.0412” E. Details to follow. Payment is dependent on job success. 1200c.” Admittedly, the job description is short but to the point. If anyone were desperate enough, which everyone is, anyone could have collected this job. Now you see why Chan called you for this. Even without the price tag, the requirements complement your skillset spot on. You notice the job expires in two days. Good thing you didn’t have any other plans tonight, you muse to yourself. “Thanks, Chan,” you say with a smile, disconnecting the sync between your Atlas drives. He gives you a warm, dimpled smile in return, “Don’t mention it, babygirl. Just don’t be a stranger, yeah? You know Blue House will always be here for you.” His affectionate pet name for you makes your stomach flutter, just the same as it always did, but you sigh and turn away with a nod, plugging coordinates into your H.I. Pulling up your GPS menu, your smart tech automatically asks you if you want to register the coordinates it recognizes from any recent files you opened. You tap the green ‘register’ button on your interface the moment you slide onto the smooth leather seat of your hyperbike. You pull the visor of your helmet down, giving your H.I a moment to complete the reaction and pop up in your helmet visor. When it does, you scan the map, telling your Atlas you wish to start your bike. The artificial chime of understanding is a comforting sound, as is the low humming purr of the engine starting within the metal between your knees. Intimate, like a heartbeat between a ribcage. The route isn’t terribly long, about thirty-six minutes through the city… if you go the speed limit. A ridiculous notion to still follow, if only out of principle for the older generations. Nobody uses the rule of it anymore, and most people who use the road these days consider it an insult to the growth of safe traveling anymore to have ‘limits’ on speed, and by extension, how well a vehicle moves. Why make such advancements if the restrictions placed on them refuse to evolve? You tick your head to the side with a slight scowl. The trip takes you two-tenths of a second longer than you initially gauged. To a tech hacker such as yourself, inaccuracy is a flaw you’re desperate to rid yourself of. It makes you green with envy of Artificial Intelligence. The coordinates take you to a jewelry store on the north side of the city, closer to the outskirts and the wilderness of the Old City beyond it. Despite the location, the street is lined with tons of high-end shops that glow in the night, open for business. Odd, considering the best shopping districts in the city are further toward the center, and none of them look as classy as this street. You enter the store, raising a brow at the large panel that reads ‘Cloak & Dagger’ in clean, bold lines in the window. A strange name for a jewelry boutique. It feels out of place for you to be here, but you march forward carefully regardless of the uncomfortable way the white polished floor shines back up into your eyes. “Hello?” you call, approaching the largest glass case- it appears to be the counter, with a small tablet resting on a stand in the center. A woman stands up from behind another case to your left, sliding the glass panel closed with her hand before she approaches you. “How can I help you?” Her accent is older, perhaps European, and she looks as if she could be in her sixties. Even at her apparent age, she is exemplary. Your eyes drift down to the items in the case, drawing out a hum because the contents of the case are not what you expected. Now the name makes perfect sense. The jewelry doesn’t just mean your typical rings and pendants. The case is full of self-defense jewelry. Defender rings, ring knives, and other small weapons that are worn. Without answering her, you round the case to the one she stood from, and notice an assortment of larger wearable weapons. From strings of magnetic senbon to actual daggers and piercing finger cuffs. “Find something you like?” she asks, trying to prompt you again. Part of you immediately dislikes the way she’s standing. She seems too proud of your reaction, and with her back straight and hands folded perfectly on top of the counter, she has an air of superiority. With narrowed eyes, you stand back to your full height, “I’m here about a job that’s due in two days.” Her face is unreadable, and she nods minutely, “Can you show me what you’re referring to, dear?” She makes a finger gun and points it directly toward you, tilting her fingers up with the motion of it going off. It sets your adrenaline running with panic until she smiles and her Atlas opens between you. Her motion for opening it is horrifying, and you’re bewildered as to how she came about making that her initiation sequence. You don’t want to close your eyes tightly for the full second it takes to open your own, but you hold you breath and do it anyway. She hums in approval and understanding when you twist your H.I toward her and show her the job posting on your personal assignment bulletin. “I see,” she says, letting her eyes rove you up and down. Nothing you’re not used to, having worked in a brothel for years. “Very well then.” She types something into her own H.I and motions for you to come back to the center of the shop floor. When you do, she presses a button on her interface that expands it around the room. Suddenly, you’re standing in the center of some program she’s running, and the security cameras in the shop come to life. A bright blue light beams from each, pointing at your feet as they scan up your form. Momentarily, you’re impressed with the way she’s made her tech work. Multiple programs running from the same cameras, she’s clever, and you like her a little more for it. Perhaps a bit unorthodox and fitting to her shop’s name, cloaked in mystery, but you’re interested in how she came to be in this moment. She stands in front of you, one hand on her hip while the other goes between touching her lips to touching her main holographic interface, or H.I for short. She’s mumbling to herself as she works, letting your now holographic form float into the space above you. Reaching out, she pulls you out of the center and away from your holoclone. “Fry, darling, give me measurements without her clothes, will you?” “Yes of course, dear,” a disembodied voice echos back. Albeit quite synthesized, it is distinctly male, with an American accent. “Pardon me for the intrusion, miss. Varian Fry, at your service.” the voice says to your holoclone. No clothing is actually removed from either you or your clone, but the AI brings up a separate holo screen for each piece of your clothing. It’s fascinating, to see how quickly he can tell everything about the items, from their thickness and fibers to how many millimeters they equate for in your initial measurements. “At your request, dear,” he says, and an upbeat chime rings on her main interface with your naked measurements. The woman looks at you over her reading glasses, smiling, “He’s impressive, isn’t he?” You realize she asked because you’re smiling at his handiwork. Simply, you nod at her. “Fry, take these into manufacturing. Rush order, number…” she trails off, pausing as she tilts her head at you, “seventy-two, please. In black and violet.” You have no idea what she means and part of you feels like this is some strange super-suit she’s making for you. “Right away, dear.” Fry says, and her H.I blinks into nonexistence. She sighs, glancing at you wistfully, “I think he’ll be most pleased.” You know you shouldn’t because it’s cliche and quite honestly, she shouldn’t tell you, but you ask anyway, “Who?” She laughs, “Your partner for the evening, of course. Don’t worry too much, he’s one of the good guys.” That’s all she tells you before she’s ushering you back toward the door. “Come by again tomorrow midday, it’ll be ready,” she assures you just as she lets the door shut between you. The encounter leaves you feeling a myriad of emotions, though most prominently was the anxiousness of such a mysterious job. You’ve only had a small share of jobs from outside sources, and none that appeared to have so much riding on them. Without anything else to do, you ride back toward Blue House, craving pizza. Smiling, you decide to stop for a quick payday and a free dinner at The Cave. It takes less time than usual to make your rounds of the arcade cabinets, easily earning enough credits to pay for a large pie to take back with you. Plain cheese, well done. Same as always. When you walk through the doors of the brothel with a smile and a pizza box, Chan knows, “Oh no, how many people’s day did you ruin?” “Just a few, I promise. I really just wanted the pizza.” you comment, admitting that a few extra coins in your pocket from beating out cheating gamers never hurt anyone. His eyes zero in on the box settled on your palm with a swallow, “Did you just bring that here to make my mouth water?” There’s a hopeful spark in his eyes, but you decide to enjoy the chance to tease anyway, “We both know this isn’t the kind of thing that makes your mouth water.” Your eyes float around the lobby with a grin. His smile slides off his face briefly, until you shake your head, “Come on. Got some time to spare?” Immediately, the guardian of Blue House morphs his stance- away from the imposing spread of his arms across the sleek counter to the boyish delight of the one person you’ve grown to trust in this world like a starry-eyed puppy. His childlike wonder brings a smile to your lips at the stark contrast of his nickname in the business, as the Wolf of Blue House. He doesn’t mind it, and most of his clientele pay top dollar to have the attention and affection of that persona. You know the way, and Chan follows you through the door on the right, ascending the stairs tucked narrowly between the lounges. The rose-colored light gives the cramped space an intimate feel, and part of you takes artificial comfort from this familiarity, and the memories of it you can feel permeate your consciousness. Of the way you grew up here, together with Chan. Of how thankful you are to him for teaching you and helping you survive. The embarrassment of teenage years made you closer, and you try not to smile, remembering once when you were drunk and nineteen, after your first official orgasm ever, at his hands, and the victory of such a thing made you so emotional you confessed that you loved him. Gently as ever, he brought you back down and reminded you that pleasure isn’t love. In the darkness of your personal room in this very building, your tears fell from the sudden fear of weightlessness that overtook you with such release, and he was there for every step of the way. Chan was there, keeping you grounded and guiding you on a path that would make you strong enough, smart enough, to stand on your own feet and never need anyone else. You could want to your heart’s content, but you would never need. That seems like a distant past, now. Somewhere after eating the whole pie with Chan on the rooftop, you fell asleep. You’re positive he carried you back down the stairs to his den and let you sleep in his bed. The only difference was your jacket had been removed, neatly folded over the open door of his armoire. You’ve woken up here before, sometimes alone, sometimes not when you needed to feel safe so you could sleep without screaming. Weeks or months between. Never more than 3 nights in a row. Today, only the familiar scent of Chan lingers in the room. When you rise, you notice he’s left you some of your old clothes, if you feel so inclined, and a fresh towel. The mirror of his bathroom has wispy remnants of condensation still, and the balmy humidity in the room feels relaxing. The warm water kickstarts your tired bones while you shower, giving you time to think against the white noise it provides. You wonder what time it is, but don’t bother with rushing the moment. As usual, you find Chan working in the office with his natural curls still damp atop his head. They’re unstyled, the dry strands a bit frizzy- mused from his fingers running through them no doubt. Even though you know he’s very busy, he looks comfortable. “I’m out.” you coo quietly from your position, leaning against the door frame with your jacket tucked over your folded arms. It’s a little awkward saying goodbye, knowing you’ll be back in a few weeks after you’ve rotated through your other caches. You can never stay in one place for too long. His head snaps up with the sound of your voice, and he gives you a dimpled grin, “Okay. Stay safe out there, babygirl.” It’s obvious your decision to even say goodbye makes him happy, although he has never judged you for disappearing without small talk. Neither of you owe each other anything. You remain as you both are, separately autonomous. The time you share together is a boon of respectful interest and allied friendship. It’s half past noon as you sling your backpack over your shoulder and head outside, inhaling a deep breath as your palm habitually runs across the leather seat of your bike. Mounting, you bring up the routes of your recent destinations and take in the swell of momentary bliss you get when the bike beneath you roars to life. The midday sun feels good, the heat of it through your clothes and on your hands warming you the moment you ride onto the city streets from the cool shade of the undercity. When you arrive at Cloak & Dagger, you’re whisked inside by the same older woman from yesterday, and she makes a lot of fuss over you. “We’ve got to get your nails and your hair done before you can wear that dress,” she’s muttering, pulling at your hair and your hands to see your fingernails. “Excuse me?” you ask. The job didn’t entail all of that fuss. Why is going to that extent necessary? She gives you a dazzling, perhaps a little overeager smile. “You’ve got to look the part, doll. You’re not bad,” she comments, standing back to assess you from head to toe with a twist to her lips, “but we’ve still got to even out your ends and do you up for the event.” You’re uncomfortable with this, but when she confirms it will cost you nothing, you remind yourself it’s all for the money. Plus, you haven’t had a haircut in a while. “Close the shop, dear, we’ve got important work to do!” she coos in excitement loudly to her AI. Fry’s voice answers her with amusement, “We never opened today, dear.” She laughs, “All’s well that ends well, then!” as she takes your hand and walks you back behind the counter and into a large space that appears to be a dressing room. Immediately, she guides you to a comfortable-looking chair stationed in front of an old-style makeup mirror and begins talking to her AI. “Mm, yes, I think this one will do.” she says as she flips through a couple of hairstyles from a menu you don’t recognize in her H.I. Two arms fold down from the center of the ceiling here, sleek and soundless as they move. Fry’s voice is directed at you, “This is happening to you, my dear. Which of these would you like? I can do either with the length your hair will be once I even it out.” A display appears on the mirror in front of you and four hairstyles are displayed. You’re still trying to wrap your head around this ordeal and all the fuss over you, but you blurt out “number two” anyway. “Excellent choice, my dear.” he says, gentlemanly as always in his American accent. The arms behind you start working immediately, folding out to comb your hair and part it, taking clips from a tray that’s been set up just behind the chair. It takes longer than you anticipated for the AI Varian Fry to cut your hair and style it into the selected choice, all while he comments how wonderful it looks on you. You’ve lost count of how many pins he’s put in by now. The quirky woman jabs often at you with small talk that you needn’t reply to, or she comments on the work Fry is doing while she tends to your nails. “I can do that, darling. No need to fret.” the AI says to her while she fusses over evening out your nails, but she waves him off. “No no, I want to. It makes me feel useful. We never get to have this kind of fun anymore.” Her words are cryptic and the way she says them tells you there’s a mountain of information behind the comment, but she says nothing else about it. Your nails aren’t something you get a choice with, as she layers gel onto them, building it up and evening the edges before she finishes. You watch, moving your fingers in all kinds of ways to get used to having longer nails, almond-shaped no less. Admittedly, you like the matte hue she chose as the color. Once she’s finished, she stands and walks to the left side of the room. There’s a long, rolling pole with clothes hangers adorning it, and a single garment is neatly folded in a black bag. She removes it and unzips it just as Varian Fry places the final bobby pin in your hair, covering your eyes with a metal visor briefly while hairspray plumes into a cloud over your head. “I can’t wait to see this on you,” the woman coos excitedly, “You might just be our best work yet.” When Varian finishes your hair, the arms spin your chair in the direction of the woman, and she’s holding up a black and violet dress, the heavy yet gentle shine of velvet catching light. Typically, you’re not the dress type, but again, money is money. At least it isn’t hideous, and the colors and style are gorgeous. There’s isn’t much you find that would annoy you with it, other than perhaps the inability to run if necessary. “We’ve only got your makeup left to do!” she chimes while she hangs the dress on a hook high off the floor, just beside the mirror. Another cart is wheeled over by one of Varian’s arms, full of high-end makeup brands you recognize from huge ads in the shopping districts of the city. She takes your hand with a laugh, “Up up up, come on now, let’s get you into this.” Ushering you into another room, you’re granted a moment of privacy to use the restroom and collect yourself before she’s knocking at the door and shamelessly stripping you of your outer clothes. Being naked in front of others stopped making you feel insecure a long time ago, and the benefit of it is the efficient speed of doing the task you needed to do instead of milling about in a flustered state of undress for longer than necessary. It doesn’t mean you enjoy being in the nude, but when duty calls you do what must be done. The older woman of Cloak & Dagger doesn’t seem to bat an eye either, assuming years of her dressing up others in her creations has kept the professional efficiency all the same. If she notices any of your battle scars, she doesn’t pause or comment on them. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you don’t recognize the woman staring back at you, except for her eyes and the color of her hair. The dress hugs your form like a thick and warm blanket, accentuating the lines of your body and appealing to the curve of your hips you hadn’t realized were so generous. You turn several directions, analyzing yourself. Perhaps it had been too long since you looked in the mirror at your body. You could appreciate the shape of your own ass, and the swell of your breasts, the gentle caress of line that was your own spine, clearly visible in the cutout back of this dress. Even the muscle of your own legs, visible from the mid-thigh down to the shiny black heels on your feet. For once, even with every sad story of the scars you know riddle your body, you couldn’t stop staring at yourself, liking the way you looked. Finished with fussing over yourself, the woman cracks a grin at you, cooing with excitement at the spectacle before her. “You look ravaging, darling.” She opens the door and takes your hand. Leading you back into the center of the prep room, she waits. Walking in heels is going to be the death of you- you’ve never worn any quite this high and pointy. In your mind, the only upside is the way you could stab someone with one if warranted. When Varian doesn’t respond and no movement is noticed from any of the things he can control, she asks, “Varian dear are you awake?” To which the hand-like ends of the limbs from the ceiling give her a single finger of silence, he whispers, “No, no please I need a moment to enjoy this absolute dream.” The woman barks a loud laugh, giggling to herself with pride. The joke does not go over your head, realizing with a smile that Varian was giving you a compliment. The entire ordeal has taken far longer than you think is appropriate, but if you try to think about your feelings, you can admit you enjoyed the pampering, and you feel good. You’ve never done anything like this, and there are small parts of you that had always wondered about why women fuss over their appearances so much. Now, you know. “The car has just arrived, dear.” Fry’s voice cuts in just as the woman finishes applying one more layer of lipstick to your face. She claps her hands together and smiles, “Right then! One last piece.” With a sway in her step, she leads you back out to the front of the shop and muses over the selection of handbags to her right briefly, deciding on a black leather clutch with a silver crossbody chain that she drapes over your body. You spy through the front window curiously, eyeing a man standing beside a car door wearing a black suit and tie with dark sunglasses. He’s not moving. “One more thing.” says the old woman, her finger raised in the air as she rounds the counter. She pulls a small 10mm pistol from somewhere below the register, checking it with a speed you find almost as alarming as the immediate panic that sets into your bones. You’re frozen as she checks the six spaces are all filled with bullets, snaps it shut and puts the safety lock on. Then, she’s standing in front of you, holding it out for you to take. Slowly, as if the gears of your body have been rusted still far too long, you shake your head. “What’s the matter dear, don’t know how to shoot? I don’t think you’ll need it, but just in case.” “No,” your voice quivers. She makes a sound of disbelief, misunderstanding you as she reaches for your bag, attempting to put the gun in it. “Get that thing away from me.” you command, wrenching the bag out of her fingers. She gives you a look, open-mouthed and taken aback a bit. When the pause between you grows too heavy, the man at the car breaks the silence by knocking on the door. The old woman blinks, “Oh, goodness okay okay, have it your way. Just be safe. I don’t want any idiots ruining this stunning creation.” she says to you with a wistful smile and a pat to your shoulder. Once she ushered you outside, you’re not sure why, but your head seemed to turn of its own volition, back to the front window of Cloak & Dagger, where you spied Varian’s metal arm whipping a handkerchief from an unknown place and offering it to his wife. The SUV in front of you is dark. Black paint, black trim and rims, and every window except the windshield looks deeply tinted. The man in front of you, painfully obvious with his secret and important aura, sticks out like a sore thumb. His only motion is opening the rear door for you. You’re desperate not to wobble or fall as you climb inside, already scowling at the heels on your feet. The inside of the SUV is more spacious than you gave credit for, with the seats rearranged in a way that opens the space like a lounge of sorts, complete with ice bucket and the glow of colored lights overhead. You perch yourself on the edge of an open section of the long seat across from the only other person in the back of the car, save for the sound of the man closing the door behind you and climbing into the driver’s seat of the SUV from the other side of a thick panel of black glass. The eyes of the person across from you are dancing along your skin, you can feel them, but it’s not in a way that raises the hair on the back of your neck. When you look ahead, you find a pair of dark eyes, crinkled at the outer corners and smiling at you, one hand extended in your direction. “Good evening, thank you for coming.” His voice is smooth. Neutral, with a hint of amusement. You say nothing, waiting for him to elaborate. He is handsome, you’ll admit, but in an almost too-pretty way. Hair swept up and to the side, in a full three piece suit that looked as if it cost an absurd amount of money to buy. His posture, with one knee over the other and his torso draped at an angle, with one arm over the back of the seat across from you. He raises his thick brows once when you say nothing, still analyzing him. “Right.” he chimes, placing the glass from his hand in the holder beside him. “I’m Suho, the one who posted the job.” he states matter of factually, in a calm and even tone. The first indicator that his request is legitimate, you think. His posture is too relaxed and he speaks too clearly to be afraid of being overheard by nothing more than an anxious or guilty conscience. He is not out to get you. “What is it exactly that you need my help with?” you ask, matching his tone. A small part of you relaxes into the seat at your back, adjusting to sit a little more comfortably. He smiles wistfully, “I’m glad you asked,” a pause, before he sits up and places his elbows on his knees, hands folded together in front of him so he can address you directly. “We’re headed to a Gala as we speak. The Medical Advancement Technologies Gala, to be precise. There’s a certain politician attending that must be dealt with, but there is information I need from him in order to deal with him appropriately.” Suho explains, skirting the details. Whether at your expense or not, it pisses you off. “You don’t need to sugarcoat it with me, just so you know. So what did he do and why do you care?” He blinks at you, then quickly collects himself with a smile, “Apologies.” There’s a brief moment where his brows knit together before he continues, “He is… someone who uses his political power to do unforgivable things. I care, because one of those things is sex trafficking.” You don’t flinch, you don’t move, you don’t blink. You want to ask why that’s what Suho cares about, but you remind yourself that’s not the most important line of questioning right now. It’s not about Suho, it’s about the politician. Nodding when you notice he’s waiting for your response, “How is it that you came to find out about it, and how do you know it is him? Does he use an alias?” Suho hums with agreement, “He does. I’ve been tracking his association with trafficking for months, and have done what I can to gather information, but it is that last missing piece he keeps locked up that I need help with.” He makes a distinct motion with his right hand, elegant and graceful, almost as if dancing, so subtle and strange you almost miss it. It takes you a moment to realize that was his initiation to awaken his own Atlas. He begins flicking his way through a series of locked programs and folders in his own archives. Bold of him to do so directly in front of you. He doesn’t know what you’re capable of, and although it isn’t easy to read some of his things both backwards and at a speed to see anything useful, it isn’t impossible to pick out the keywords ‘Olympus’ and ‘Tartarus’ from some of his files. “So you need someone to hack into his Atlas to retrieve the final key.” you assume of him, understanding now exactly why the job was so specific. The man in front of you motions for you to open your own, intending to share some files with you. Blinking it to life, you accept his immediate offer to link up after a brief moment of hesitation. You have plenty of safeguards on your own tech, and there should be virtually no way for anyone to hack and see anything of value since you are the sole creator and user of Ghost tech, but something else tells you this won’t be the last of Suho you’ll be seeing. Suho nods when you accept, “Yes. You’ll be with me all evening, and I’ll introduce you to him. I promise there will be no sexual favors or activities involved, whatsoever.” You tilt your head, puckering your lips for a moment. Your eyes trail him up and down through the glowing blue lines between you, gauging his reasoning for a woman rather than a man. “Why a woman then?” He blanches momentarily, before shrugging, “Just my personal preference I suppose.” He meets your stare but doesn’t express any other emotion, as far as you can tell. “Yet you wish for no acts of sexual service?” Suho nods, “That’s right. Just be my date. I won’t even kiss you.” Nothing here screams danger to you, no fight or flight instincts kick in, but you find yourself asking a question and playing a game regardless. A game your inner self loathes, and your survival self thrives on. The addiction of power that comes with winning in any form. You make a show of eyeing him from the dark hair atop his head, all the way down to the perfectly polished tips of his shoes. “That’s a pity.” Suho, who you barely know, blinks at you and surprise settles on his face, trying to hide the smile in the apples of his cheeks while he pretends to look out the window. You wait, openly watching him for any subtle signs of odd behavior. For any slip ups. This is where checkmate is called in the game. The part where your victory is certain but the game drags on. And yet, no such euphoric victory sweeps through your bloodstream. Instead, he murmur’s a simple phrase to flip the tables and lance you with the first striking blow of information. Information that is dangerous. “This is why it had to be you.” Quickly your dress seems to morph its shape into the most constricting piece of clothing you’ve ever worn. You can do nothing, sitting perfectly still. Suho takes a moment to realize your reaction was intense, a deep furrow in his brow when he understands. “You’ve got nothing to fear from me, though.” he attempts to pacify your anxiety, holding up his empty palms. “Explain. Now.” is all you can force from your throat. With a sadness to his expression, he tucks the corner of his mouth into his cheek and gives you a hard stare. Then, he sighs. He sags a little more along the bench seat across from you, letting his heavy head hang a little lower, shoulders a little looser. Relaxing his posture to appeal and seem less dangerous. “We need your help, Ms. Maneater.” he breathes at last, as if the face were plain as day. Your silence is heard everywhere like the command of a god in the small space of the SUV. “I’m one of the rare someone’s who gives more fucks to humanity than to money. I came from money, and lots of it. Until my humanity was handed over to a human trafficking trade by my own parent’s filthy hands.” For the first time in a full minute you take one small breath. Nothing in his posture or words or expression rings false. There is no tension in his throat, wrought tight with lies. “You could say I had my eyes opened. Today, I manage a team of others like me, with their own trauma and stories of how they’ve survived to rise from the ashes. Our scars are what keep us motivated to put bad people away in the deepest pits of hell forever.” He talks lowly now, just low enough to be more than a whisper. Your lips form a word, barely audible, “Tartarus.” This time, it is Suho’s turn to be taken aback with shock. “Where did you find that name?” His reaction gives you the strength to relax a fraction, fighting through the tension in your jaw to speak, “You’ve got nothing to fear from me.” He scoffs as you throw his own words back at him. “I just read it on your Atlas.” It takes him a moment to weigh your words, understanding how careful he should be. “I didn’t think that was possible, I moved through them so quickly.” You nod, folding your hands together, “Well, you did say it had to be me. I can only allude to that meaning of my technical abilities if you know my moniker.” His smile reappears, not too much, but just enough to curve his lips, “We need your help.” “How exactly am I supposed to trust you? You didn’t tell me how you knew it was me.” Suho pouts his lips, considering your question, “You’re not as stealthy as you think you are,” he begins. “Although we mostly went off of clues and a hunch, Mrs. Fry and her AI did their due diligence to confirm your identity through your Atlas.” You narrow your eyes at him, ready with a threat. “Varian is amazing, yes? There is so much he can do to go undetected if he only looks, but doesn’t touch.” Your rage is simmering, in part that you are impressed, “Why not have him do the hacking for you then?” Suho clicks his tongue, “AI are not allowed at the MAT Gala, and even if he were it would be incredibly suspicious to bring an AI for a companion to such an event.” “And you prefer women anyway.” you chide sarcastically. You sigh, “How did you know I would come?” At this question, he fixes you with a hard stare as if deciding what to say, “I didn’t, but I had hope that the price tag would catch the Wolf’s eye for you when I had Varian post it on the brothel’s board.” “Excuse me?” you growl, ready to whip off your heel and stab him if necessary. You push the shame down that you let your guard down with Chan. What if he is in danger because of you? Although no danger seems to come from Suho, it doesn’t mean there aren’t other targets on your back. You can only hope that Chan isn’t as stupid as you are. “Relax,” Suho says, “I’m not interested in that information, and I hope I’ve already established that I’m not in it for the money.” A tap on the black glass between you and the driver pulls Suho’s attention away briefly, “We’ve got about 20 minutes to talk about the job.” It takes you a moment to nod at him, “Fine. Tell me what I need to do.” He smiles at you, “Thank you.” It takes ten minutes for Suho to share the information he’s gathered with you so far, from pictures to audio recordings and statements of witnesses given to others and collateral information taken from various sources. All with the initials of CIG under something called ‘Project Zero’.
Suho gently tries to escape the horrific details that ‘Project Zero’ uses funds from taxpayers in order to feed, shelter and educate homeless persons and families in an effort to reduce the number to zero, and the fact that it more than likely means the funds are being used to eradicate or enslave them in the trafficking market.
In the last ten minutes, you think of how you’ll collect the piece of information Suho needs. An offshore account where his embezzled funds are kept and used, under the alias of one CIG. Suho shows you backdated statements of funds going to and coming from the account from another account, a tertiary, privately owned finance management company connected to ‘Project Zero’.
Suho has the login information for the accounts, and is certain the politician is the CEO of the finance company managing the whole thing. All you have to do is hack in and find the items necessary to link all three together.
The Gala is… impressive. Deciding to trust Suho for the evening, at least, you walk beside him, arm in arm down the velvety carpet rolled out between the street and the venue.
“How are you connected to all this?” you whisper to him as you pause, waiting your turn for the media and news outlets to take your photos. It makes you uncomfortable.
Suho hums beside you, smiling and patting your hand affectionately, “Do you know Guardian Hospitals?”
The name is not uncommon to anyone as a well-known chain of general hospitals across Korea and China.
He pulls you forward gently, walking to the center space between two glittering, fluorescent obelisks that frame the ‘MAT GALA’ backdrop for photos. Several cameras flash in succession, making you squint against the headache you receive by waving a hand and smiling, playing your part beside Suho.
“I own the Korean branch.” he says when you’ve passed the threshold into the venue, grinning from ear to ear at your expression.
You suppose that’s not too far-fetched an explanation. You know three things about Suho now, and although you don’t have time to consider the surely intricate way to link it, you idly wonder if his connection to the hospital chain is how he knew to find you. Once or twice you’ve had to go, for illness or injury and at Chan’s insistence.
He doesn’t freely give up any other personal details about himself or ask you any questions. Nor do you, and the fact that he is patient and doesn’t pry is something you accept with good grace.
There’s an excruciating amount of idle small talk fluttering around you and Suho where you’re seated. Other people of importance come to the assigned table and take their seats. Some leave and come back. The same conversation floats around the table over and over again, asking the same uncaring greeting questions.
Some, like yourself, are deep into their Atlas’s, reading articles or working to answer emails or draft important papers or speeches- even in the middle of an event like this, too preoccupied to leave their work alone.
You can’t say you blame them, considering you’re here doing the same thing, regardless of it being the sole purpose you’re wearing this ridiculous outfit in the middle of an uncomfortable situation.
Suho’s fingers gently caress the point of your elbow, subtle in the way he directs your shoulders to turn acutely to the right. His face leans close enough that only you will hear the words whispered at your ear, not that anyone else cares to listen.
“There, coming this way. Red suit.”
Only one person fits the description, and you reach for your drink on the table, taking a small sip as you watch to fit in with the movement of people around you. An older man, average build with a suit that looks just as expensive as the rest of the people here, a dark and bloody red.
You watch, leaning back slowly into Suho’s grasp as he slings one arm over the back of your chair and curls himself toward your shoulder to talk. A tactic you know to create a more intimate space and make watchful eyes turn away with discomfort.
Suho’s talking in your ear again as the man approaches. A slight moment of unexpected anxiety raises your heartbeat a fraction, wondering if you’ll have to speak to him. The tension dissipates as he stops at the table directly behind yours and pulls out a chair, talking immediately with someone he knows at the table. The breath you didn’t know you’d been holding escapes from your throat in a long, quiet exhale.
Suho notices your anxiousness, taking your hand and patting it gently as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to touch you with such care. Somehow, the action quells you nerves.
You’ve hacked people before, but never someone who looked as powerful or important, and never in the presence of the public eye.
Your counterpart leans closer to your ear again with a smile, “Relax,” he says. “Nobody is paying you any attention.”
His words aren’t enough to hold back the wildness in your expression, and he chuckles softly, “Not that you trust me very much, but I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. For once, you have someone literally looking out for you.”
This time, his assurance cuts deeper, but not in a painful way. There’s a sincerity in his tone you can’t dispel, and it helps ground you.
You blink, slow and purposefully, and the soft and familiar blue glow of your Atlas casts a wave of color on your skin that washes over you like a comforting touch. It steadies you to dive deep into your world.
Part of you is weary about Suho watching, afraid he may somehow know about your Ghost tech. You briefly consider this a test to see how true to its name your self-made program is, and the part of your conscience that wins is curious to see if you pass.
Refusing to let it weigh you down, you get to work.
________________________________________
Fourteen hours later, you’re sitting at a window seat table sipping strawberry milk and fidgeting with the in-ear piece you just finished outfitting with the latest hologlass tech.
The rays of sunlight warm your arm where its closest to the window, and the chattering of the bustling cafe helps fight your drowsiness. There isn’t a crowd here, and the noise is just the slow side of steady that its easy to pick up the conversation of anyone around.
So, you listen. To an older couple talking about the vacation they are on, although you’re not sure why anyone would vacation in this city. You listen to the table of young people in the corner booth talking about homework and research papers as they simultaneously watch a single tablet with a lecture playing at the head of the table.
You listen, when the middle aged man closest to your table laughs. “What a deplorable monster.”
The sentence piques your interest. Stealing a glance, you notice he’s commenting on the news.
News that shows a headline of ‘Breaking News’, and a video clip of a politician being walked down the wide and pristine granite steps of the city judicial building. He’s handcuffed, and there are tons of reporters and cameras in his face that the police are shoving out of their way as they descend.
Your blood runs cold the moment you realize it’s the politician from last night. You freeze, with a mouthful of strawberry milk you refuse to swallow, and wait for the rest of the information.
“Choi In Gyong will go on trial for the undeniable and anonymously leaked evidence of embezzling funds from Project Zero- a campaign he sired to help the homeless- and participating in the purchase, acquisition and selling of people in an American sex trafficking cartel.” explains the newscaster. Her expression of disgust is plain for all to see.
Her AI counterpart, wearing a suit and tie, gives further details, “Jumbotrons all over the city, as well as the police headquarters were somehow hacked, but only to blast the evidence of his connection to such atrocities. Details on who or how the information was obtained and who hacked into these secure networks are still unknown. Many have speculated it was the work of Maneater, but one detail snufs out that option.”
The woman anchor smiles, turning to her co-host, “Oh? And what’s that, Yeoguk?”
Anchor Yeoguk cocks his head to one side, a quirk all his own, “The only indicator from whom the evidence was sent was the letter ‘O’.”
You jump as your phone rings, facedown on the table beside your forgotten milk. When you turn it over, you recognize the first two digits of it as a payphone number.
“Hello?”
A hum from the other end of the line, followed by a familiar voice, “Have you seen the news recently?”
You’re still a little shocked, but snort at the obvious excitement in his tone nonetheless while you stand and make your way out of the cafe.
“I just happened to catch the headlines.”
“And have you checked into your collections yet?”
You smile, “Not yet. Why, is there 1200c sitting prettily in there for me?”
Suho laughs from the other end of the line, “Yes, and more if you’re willing.”
The meaning of his statement catches you off guard, “What are you getting at?”
He hums again, but this time there’s no excitable tone to his voice, “I’d like to make you an offer, Ms. Maneater.”
You pause, pulling your phone away from your ear briefly to look at it questioningly.
“Last night’s job was… a test of sorts. We’ve had our eye on you for some time and last night proved you are just what we needed.”
“Am I supposed to be offended or impressed?” you ask through clenched teeth. You feel uneasy about this, you’ve never worked directly with anyone before on your hacking, and certainly not with such high risk and reward.
Suho laughs again at your reply, “Consider this the official, cordial invite to join Olympus.”
You scoff, of course he would call it that. However, you can’t deny that it is worth considering. After getting past the shock of your work having such a huge, direct effect, you feel… content.
Content that what you did was important to a lot of people like you. Content to know that there is a little bit of hope out there. Content to know that Suho wasn’t all bark and that perhaps, you can learn to trust him and his crew.
“I’ll give you some time to consider. It’ll be in your inbox.” Suho says. “Thanks for everything.”
“Wait!” you try, hoping to get some more information, “What will be in my inbox? How did you get my number? Hello? Hello…?” To your frustration, the dial tone is the only response you receive.
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Strawberries & Cigarettes
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Warnings:  falling in love with a fictional character
Word count: 1524
Summary: In a twisted turn of events Draco is smitten by muggle reader. Based on the song Strawberries + Cigarettes by Troye Sivan. 
Remember when we first met, you said “light my cigarette”
Draco had opposed fervently to the idea but he was out number, three imbeciles to one sane man.  That is how he found himself in this dodgy alley in muggle world which he wished he could just vanish out of; just to be clear, he could. Draco just couldn’t bring himself to leave behind Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini unsupervised inside that muggle dance room, he could think of a few distasteful endings to that scenario.
“Hey,” a girl’s voice cut through the silent night air, “do you have a light?”
His face turned into his signature scowl, muggles. Such dependent creatures, couldn’t she see he was busy sulking? He didn’t turn in her direction in hopes she’d just wonder off into the night and leave him to his own thoughts.
“Helloooo! Earth to blondie. Can you light my cigarette?” she’d said with a playful chuckle as she grew closer. His head snapped, how dare she- but the anger at her insolence quickly melted at the sight in front of him. Her beautiful y/e/c eyes had struck his heart the minute they’d met his. She was a deadly combination in that black dress which hugged her body in all the right places, her y/h/c hair framing her angelic face as she flashed him a smile. He swallowed. He was reaching for his wand, the word ‘lumos’ on the tip of his tongue when the girl leaned forward, cigarette still in mouth looking up at him.
Muggle.
Right! He drew his hand away from his wand quickly as if he’d been burned and gave her an awkward smile, “I actually don’t have one.”
“That’s fine, it was just an excuse you know.” She said giving him a sly smile as she tucked the cigarette into the small pink purse that hung over her shoulder and looked back at him.
“Y/n.” she said reaching out a hand.
“Draco, Draco Malfoy.” He said straightening up and reaching to shake her small hand, a surely stupid looking grin finding its way onto his face.
“Oh, are we doing the James Bond type of introduction?” She said letting out a small laugh at her idea of a joke.
“Uh.” he didn’t get it.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never watched James Bond!?” an incredulous y/n stared at him.
“Not really, wha-“ he felt inadequate, he didn’t know anything about muggles, how would he ever keep this charade up.
“That’s a CRIME!” she shouted the last word, “I can help you there.” She said nodding to herself and giving him a crooked smile as she began the longest one-sided conversation in the history of speech.
Muggles, such fascinating creatures, he’d thought as they walked down the empty streets with her talking him through the storyline of each James Bond movie until the sky began to lighten.
But we couldn’t go very far cause you locked your keys in your car so you sat and stared at my lips and I could already feel your kiss
The hot summer sun was scorching and Draco decided muggle ice cream was their best invention to date. He watched as y/n licked her strawberry ice cream cone and smiled as a pink dot appeared on the tip of her nose deciding he’d let her keep it. He’d gotten the green mint scoop against y/n wishes and he liked it very much.
“You have got to be JOKING!” He heard her yell as she rummaged through her purse.
“What?” Draco asked as he took another spoonful of the minty goodness.
“I left the keys in the car.” She said finally returning to her ice cream cone after one single minute of searching.
“Are you sure you looked everywhere?” If he didn’t know any better he would’ve thought she’d done an undetectable extension charm on that bag of hers, always losing stuff in there as if there were no end in sight to it.
“Mhm.” Y/n said, taking another lick as she eyed their surroundings. “I’ll text my mum to bring me my other set of keys, lets go wait there.” She pointed to a big tree across the street.
Lucky for the both them there was in fact a park right across from where they stood that was willing to provide some relief from the unforgiving sun with its trees.
Draco was sat with his knees up to his chest, still savoring the last bit of his mint ice cream.
“Oh, but that you can find.” He said with a snicker as y/n pulled out a cigarette, a nasty vice that’d brought them together. “How does that even work?” he said scrunching his nose and eyeing her other hand still holding her cone.
She was laughing, “Hey, hey, you gotta take the good with the bad. Now hold this.” She said handing him the cone.
He sat down his own, now empty, ice cream cup and held onto the strawberry cone. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was still struggling to start a flame with her lighter so he gave the ice cream a quick lick, then another, it was quiet good. Tasted like authentic strawberries. He should’ve gotten the strawberry one.
“HEY!” y/n said laughing, “I TOLD YOU! Now you have to live with your decisions.” She said taking the cone back despite still working on lighting the cigarette.
“Fine.” He sat there, contemplating going back to the store for a different flavored cup when he inhaled a mouthful of smoke.
It sent him into a fit of coughing with y/n profusely apologizing.
In the end, his near death experience, got him to keep the strawberry cone.
They sat there until the sun felt bearable and then some more.
“So, when do you go back?” y/n asked, her cigarette long put out but its scent still lingering.
“Wha-Oh, yes. I should be going back by the end of the summer.” He hadn’t told her the full truth about being a wizard, but boarding school had been convincing enough.
“That’s,” she counted on her fingers, “four days from now.” She finished, her face falling.
“Yeah.” He said, leaning his head back into the trunk of the tree, for once, wishing he too were a mere muggle.
He felt her shift besides him and turned to her, their eyes met and he recognized the look. She kept glancing from his lips back to his eyes, a universal sign amongst wizards or muggles. He cupped her cheek with his hand, took one last look look into her y/e/c eyes, and dove in head first.
In years to come all he would remember from that afternoon would be the taste of strawberries and cigarettes.
And y/n, always y/n.
Remember when you taught me fate, you said it’d all be worth the wait
Alas, time was unforgiving, and tonight was their last night in muggle world. Zabini’s father, the most unorthodox one of all the pure blood families, who had allowed this escapade in the first place, wanted them back in the manor by tomorrow at noon.
Y/n had planned a night full of fun in honor of his parting.
Cars were very useful, he thought as he sat inside the car, music playing and ceiling open to the night sky.
She’d also had bought loads of muggle candy which was surprisingly better than what the Honeydukes Express had to offer on its best day.
Although key details of Draco’s life were glossed over he talked to her about everything.
There were a few moments were no words were spoken as their lips were much too preoccupied.
They however managed to talk about everything that mattered; their lives, their hopes, and their dreams until the sun defeated the moon, rising triumphantly once again.
The promise was exchanged in the brand new daylight to meet again next summer. 
You always leave me wanting more, I can’t shake my hunger for
It was their first morning back at Hogwarts, Draco couldn’t help but feel a little under the weather as he took a seat across from Crabbe and Goyle who were fighting over who got to grab the first toast. Why was he friends with them?
Draco let out a sigh as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice, recalling the events from the past two weeks. He missed y/n terribly, if he would make through this semester was still to be seen. He was contemplating escaping the manor during Christmas break when he felt something fall on his lap.
Crabbe and Goyle’s idiotic argument had concluded but not before they’d managed to spill everything on the table. His own pumpkin juice now dripping down the edge and onto his robe. Zabini was letting them have a piece of his mind as Draco mumbled, “You both couldn’t be more daft if you tried..” looking down to his lap. Crabbe and Goyle were now the last thing on his mind as he eyed the strawberry. He’d been so absentminded he hadn’t even noticed the bowl of strawberries that had been set in front of him. He picked it up off his lap and bit into it, memories flooding in all at once. He found himself smiling like an idiot the rest of the day, summer couldn’t come fast enough.
Strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you
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