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queen-ofsunflowers · 7 months

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Your OC ships with maybe Ryomina, Akikoto, and Ren ships with it

Aye, aye! Now... What they do for Valentine's Day, hmm...? 🤔

Ayame and Shiro:

It's not surprising to anyone that Ayame often has to work on Valentine's Day. As a nurse, it's not something that she can avoid. As a result, she would be tired at the end of her shift and not all for going out. It took Shiro a while to figure out what to do about this, but with a little help, he found the perfect solution.

Typically, with Japan's customs around Valentine's Day, it's the woman who would do something for the man, which would be returned on White Day a month later. Ayame and Shiro basically say 'screw that' due to Ayame's work schedule.

Ayame never has time to make anything by hand for Shiro, and the first time that she gave him the store-bought chocolate while they were dating, she was embarrassed and had to explain why. Shiro really doesn't care, though. He knows how hard she works. He's just happy to have her heart. They would sit down and enjoy it together underneath the stars in the park.

Ayame also brought up the topic of marriage one Valentine's Day. A month later on White Day, Shiro proposed to her.

As a married couple, they still keep up the tradition but with a difference. Ayame swings by the store for chocolate for Shiro. When she gets home, Shiro's already prepared a nice dinner for them both with the kids already asleep by then. They spend the romantic evening together and wouldn't have it any other way.

Yuriko and Daichi:

Yuriko's and Daichi's Valentine's Day celebrations were... not much of a celebration at first. Their marriage was initially an arranged one, and not one that either of them were too keen on taking part in. Daichi was also emotionally stunted, so there was that. Up until they were about fifteen/sixteen years old, their relationship was strained with Yuriko being the only one who was trying. I've talked about how Daichi started to open up to Yuriko before, so I won't go into that again but that was when their relationship started to become something genuine.

Two years later, Yuriko shoved a box of sloppily made chocolate into Daichi's arms before running off to help Ayame clean the kitchen before their parents found out about. The chocolate wasn't very good and burnt in some places, but Daichi still ate the entire thing. It was the first Valentine's gift he had ever gotten that meant anything to him.

After marrying, they both had their work and later Minato. Valentine's Day wasn't all sort of sweet dates for them. Daichi was never one for the overly romantic approach, and no matter what Shiro said, it was fine. Yuriko didn't mind. So long as she had him, she was content.

She still tries to make chocolate each year, though. Eventually she has Minato help her out in the kitchen. They've gotten better since that first batch, but no matter the taste, Daichi eats every last one.

Naoya and Tsubaki:

Oh boy, here we go. SO, Valentine's Day has always been a bit complicated for the two of them. The first one they spent together was more of a casual one, and the one after that was spent apart due to Naoya studying abroad at the time. He did call Tsubaki and spent a few hours having a date over the phone, but he had a feeling afterwards that she was acting strangely.

Probably because she was. Because she had found out that she was having Ren and had no idea what the hell to do. She couldn't hide it forever and was shortly kicked out of her parents' home following that Valentine's Day.

And every Valentine's since then, it has been... well, they've had their family since then. As much as Naoya works, he always does his best to make sure that he's there for Valentine's Day and White Day. He wants her to know that he really does love and care for her.

Tsubaki makes dinner for the both of them in place of store-bought chocolate. Mostly because a few of her students do give her some over the course of the school day, and a few of her co-workers do the same. It's all platonic mostly, but the pair of them dive into the boxes each year and eat them together when Naoya gets home. If he can't make it home, they usually call each other and spend time together that way.

Akihiko and Kotone (with a bonus Shinjiro):

Let me begin by saying that Akihiko is bad at this. Not to say that he doesn't try, he really does, but it seems like he constantly forgets that it's Valentine's Day. He's used to getting chocolate from random classmates but Kotone's in the only one that matters to him.

Yukari, Aigis and Fuuka had to help her make the first batch since Shinjiro was still in the hospital then. Akihiko almost caught them both and didn't realize what they were doing, despite the fact that all of them had chocolate smeared on their faces.

Things got only messier when Shinjiro properly enters the picture after a very long discussion a few months before. He's not too happy about Kotone trying to handle everything herself, but Akihiko reassures him that she knows what she's doing. Besides, they have a month to plan something else so he can do whatever he wants then.

Kotone almost always goes overboard with date planning and sweet making. She wants every detail to be perfect, including a nice day out for the both of them that include their favorite locales. It ends with a dinner that she makes and dessert that ends up more on her apron than anywhere else.

...like I said, the boys only hold back their comments about how overboard she goes each year. Mostly because they'll repay her attempts later that evening, as well as next month. Besides, they enjoy the happy look on her face at the end of the day. That makes it all worthwhile.

Ryoji and Minato:

Every year, they switch off who is responsible for Valentine's Day and who is responsible for White Day. That might be because their first was a bit of mess with both of them trying to do something sweet and it ended in disaster.

Their system works pretty well. Ryoji is more the romantic between the two of them, so he's more likely to go all out. Minato is more subtle in his approach to things. He's content with a simple night in and falling asleep watching movies on the sofa, but he's not going to say 'no' if his boyfriend wants to take him out somewhere.

Now, I do have quite a few ships when it comes to Ren, and it all depends on the AU that I'm working with, so I'll be bringing up which timeline these ships are taking place in.

Ren and Tenma (Literal Theatre Kid)

Their first Valentine's Day is spent right after Ren gets out of juvie. Like, the day after. Not to mention, Tenma had just finished running a show. Both were just exhausted and didn't want to do much. So they just spent the day relaxing in the attic and not doing much other than watching old films and recordings of plays that Ren had found.

This sort of becomes their tradition, especially since they like keeping their relationship on the downlow and out of public eye. It's a simple thing, but neither seems to mind as much as the others think that they do.

They also sit back and eat the chocolate Tenma's fans had sent him after it's been checked for anything illicit.

Ren and Akechi (Shujin Assassins)

So. There's a bit to say about this one because of the AU it takes place in, especially since Ren and Akechi meet earlier -- right about the time that the latter has just started working for Shido and becoming the 'Detective Prince'. It is actually on Valentine's Day that Ren learns of it, but not from Akechi. It's from his classmates. Nakamura especially, as she teases him a bit about it.

He spends the rest of the day trying to get answers, deflecting most attempts from some of the girls at giving him sweets. He's too wrapped up with his 'Prince Charming' as 3-E put it. They do eventually meet up later in the evening to talk, since they'll be separated come the next year with Ren starting high school in another city. They do promise to still talk with one another when they can, but their meet-ups are rare enough to the point that it's not until P5 that they meet up again.

And then the rest of P5 happens so... yeah. It's a bit easier to understand what Akechi went through when Ren was somewhat there for most of it in the background and underwent similar assassin-related trauma in the first place.

Needless to say that Akechi isn't one for Valentine's Day and is more than happy to treat it like a normal day. Ren is fine with that, but does find little ways to make the day special. Mostly by making food. Getting up earlier for a special breakfast, making sure that Goro actually eats lunch by bringing it by himself on his break, leaving early to make dinner for the both of them. Morgana is usually with Futaba on Valentine's Day, so it makes things a bit easier to just be the two of them.

After that, it's watching a mystery film or an action film. The former they try to figure it out themselves, and with the latter, they'll pick apart the inaccuracies from as many fight scenes as they can.

Ren and Sumire (Monsters and Magic)

Their first proper Valentine's Day is spent a year after the events of Royal, because they don't properly get together until Strikers. Because -- in Ren's own words -- Sumire had a lot on her plate at the moment and he didn't want to make it worse by confessing to her when the time came in her Confidant to do that. Especially if she didn't feel the same way. Which she did.

How they actually get together is for a later time, but their dancing around each other leads to Akechi banging his head against the wall at one point because of how much it drove him crazy.

Anyway, Sumire panics a bit as Valentine's grows closer and closer since she has no idea what to do. She wants to do something special, but it's hard when Ren's in Inaba and she's in Tokyo. So she ends up consulting Ann, Makoto, Futaba and Haru on what to do.

The next day after classes end, Sumire takes the chocolate box that she has in hand and boards a train to Inaba to surprise Ren. And it really did surprise him. He thought that they would just be having a phone date that night, but nope! He's met with Sumire shoving the box into his hands directly.

They end up walking around Inaba together, just talking and catching up until it's time for the last train to Tokyo.

Every year afterwards, even after Ren moves to Tokyo for college, the pair chooses a locale to visit outside of the city to spend the day together at. Sumire always still manages to surprise Ren somehow in different ways.

#i do have a few other ships if you want to ask about those #they're sprinkled about on this blog #queen answers #anonymous #ayame shiomi #shiro shiomi #yuriko arisato #daichi arisato #akikoto #akishinjikoto #ryomina #renten #akeshu #shusumi #tsubaki amamiya #tsunao

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givehimthemedicine · 2 years

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ace max mayfield

just a couple quick thoughts on Max being aspec and relationship stuff *unfurls a huge dusty scroll that rolls across the floor and down the stairs and out the door*

let's start with Ralph Macchio. taken at face value this exchange is the #1 proof I'd point to for both allo Max and aspec El. but let's say it's not face value, and that Max could be saying this because of internalized stuff, and that's how she thinks she should feel, and that this is what girls say at sleepovers.

but I think there are motives specifically involving El here too. if milkvan is outkissing lumax, and I'm certain they are by a lot, Max has known it all summer. but now El has come to her for sage relationship advice and she doesn't want to let on that she's actually less experienced in that department than her little protégé, so she's trying to sound like she's some kind of expert but without actually lying.

her delivery of the amazing kisser line looks like she's more interested in El's reaction than she is in actually thinking about kissing this boy (otherwise I'd expect her to keep staring at the picture).

btw you know that post about teenage girls strategically choosing a harmless boy to decide to be in love with? Ralph Macchio is 1000% harmless boy material.

I don't think there's any arguing that Max is aesthetically attracted to guys. you can definitely experience aesthetic attraction without realizing it isn't also more than that, and that would explain Max's behavior for me

it's funny that she's in a relationship for a year and yet we really only ever see her express physical interest in anyone from a distance (a safely unattainable celebrity and Steve 50 yards out in the dark).

actually I just realized I don't think Max or Lucas have ever complimented each others' looks in any way. ily lumax

anyway it's surprising to me that Max would ask about Mike's kissing skills given her relationship with him (if anything I'd hc El volunteering something and Max being like "ew TMI"). maybe she's not so much a fan of kissing, but figures it must be super enjoyable if El is doing it so often, right? so maybe El and Mike know something she and Lucas don't, and maybe she can find out while still sounding like she totally already knows?

methinks the lady doth hype kissing too much

wouldn't you think somebody written to be this pro-kissing would be the one who's constantly making out with her boyfriend?

milkvan ditches the party to go make out for the millionth time and Max defends it as romantic

Lucas makes fun of Mike for wanting to make out with El forever and Max tells him to stop

Ralph Macchio is probably an amazing kisser

is Mike a good kisser

no but the fact that she brought up kissing at all, when El did literally nothing but silently look at a picture of a boy

she might've let the topic go but she's still thinking about kissing when she opts to use spin the bottle as a means of random name selection when there are easier ways. El has no idea spin the bottle is a thing. that was Max's idea.

like, check that ralph moment again and tell me you'd guess the character who's only shyly kissed (1) time is the one on the left? Max is all bark and no bite, El is all bite and no bark.

have you ever kept bringing something up because that would make it true somehow?

this eyeroll at the couple making out in the hallway could be explained as any combination of Max being unhappily single, depressed, and judgy about PDA. where's "aw, it's romantic" now? did she get disillusioned by milkvan?

this is the only time we ever see Max react to the idea of kissing when she's alone with no one watching, in a way that's definitely not performative. if you ask me, this is how she really feels about it.

lumax's only kiss

Max kisses Lucas in a very "quick before I lose my nerve" way, and that can of course be explained as they're kids and first kisses can be nerve wracking.

but it's very easy for me to read this kiss as Max checking off a box, like she wanted to have kissed more than she actually wanted to kiss. or as the panic of oh boy this situation is a high kiss risk Ima take charge and get it overwith 1 song in so I can actually enjoy my evening.

after the kiss she looks relieved she's done it and hugs him, which is the part she really was looking forward to. I can debate the kiss but that hug is sincere affection (and a huge chunk of why I love lumax). a hug isn't really a social milestone or something anyone feels much pressure to do or brag about having done in the way that kissing is, she really just wanted to hug him, not out of attraction but because he's her first friend who's really cared about her in a while, maybe ever, and she feels safe with him. (and as a bonus the hug also closes the door to a second kiss)

as of the snow ball they're about on par with milkvan, but we don't see their physical attraction level up at all as they get older.

Max acts very 😒 about her relationship

I started writing a post about whether lumax was even supposed to be Max's first relationship because she acts so much more experienced. she displays the weary aloofness of a girl who's seen it all and is long over it. but she's 12? where are the butterflies? the only moment I can think of is that 1 second smile when she kisses Lucas. what she'd have you think is maturity and confidence I think is actually just her not giving a shit.

Drive Him Wild! 9 Ways To Sit That Scream "Cool Story, Bro"

she's not the slightest bit pleased that she's brand new in school and 2 boys immediately have crushes on her

she confidently says she thinks Lucas is making up all the upside down stuff to impress her or fool her for "experience points"

Steve's advice to Dustin doesn't work on her at all, which is hilarious because the advice is "treat girls like you don't care" and Max is the one who doesn't care for real

when Lucas is trying to ask her to dance, he's all fumbly and she's just like lmao let's go loser

compare the pre dance scenes, Lucas is rehearsing nervously in his mirror, Max is sulking while her mom tries to do her hair and rolls her eyes when she says it looks pretty. (and ok I'm getting into a tangent here but she wore pants <3 if her mom didn't intervene Max would've gone to that dance in the same thing she wore to school that day)

when El said Mike was her first boyfriend that would've been a perfect time for her to say if Lucas was also hers, but I really think Max preferred El not to realize that

throughout s3 while Max clearly has affection for Lucas she gives me the consistent impression that she's the one less invested in their romance. the closest she ever gets to flirty is sarcastically calling him smooth or don juan (actually has she ever said anything genuinely nice to him?). she dumps him at the drop of a hat to the point where he's paranoid about it. by dump #6 she doesn't even have to tell him so, he just correctly assumes.

I know a lot of that just chalks up to Max's personality and them still being kids, but you'd think a 12-13 year old girl might be a bit more twitterpated about her first boyfriend?

this relationship seems mostly like a comfortable friendship, especially for Max. in fact in s3, if you blink at the wrong few moments, you could almost miss that Lucas and Max are even a couple.

Max's "romantic experience" is secondhand from media

this doesn't exactly fall under orientation but it's worth mentioning how Max's perspectives on romance are informing her decisions.

Max has no positive examples of romantic relationships in her life. being a child of divorce, seeing her mom marry an abuser, and watching Billy grow up and start pursuing girls in what's probably been a gross way from the start, has not done anything to give Max a great impression about romance/sex/relationships, and she's had to look elsewhere for examples.

I imagine young Max spent a lot of time alone and, like El and her soap operas, gaining a lot of her ideas on relationships from media. and when you do that it's probably not all realistic, healthy or age-appropriate, only you don't always know that at the time.

Max seems very into magazines especially. to broaden El's horizons regarding boys and relationships, she supplies her with Tiger Beat, Bop and Super Teen, and sure that's just for fun, but it shows that a lot of what Max is taking in is sensationalized if not outright fantasy. probably the most realistic thing she reads is Skateboarder.

this whole family loves their periodicals

"oh but El already had those magazines before she was friends with Max! everybody read magazines in the 80s!"

nah. that's a TV Guide she's pretending to read. (and did Mike bring a Space Gamer magazine to El's house hoping to get El interested, or for himself to read there?)

anyway, notice how the parts of Max's advice that actually help El grow as a person are the parts that come from the heart (ha) and that's all the stuff about being independent. her relationship advice doesn't serve El super well (act like he doesn't exist! he'll come crawling back!! yeah, to Will lmao) because it's not from experience or real positive examples, it's just the regurgitated wisdom of shit-stirring teen gossip magazine advice columns.

Max thinks to lend El a Cosmo so she can learn about happy screams herself because that's probably how she learned. (I'm not putting any greater meaning in the way she's grossed out by that conversation in general considering they're talking about Billy and who wants to give their friend The Talk anyway)

I can only guess that not-so-healthy romantic relationships being glorified in media are how she can defend Mike and El ditching their friends all the time, even though she sure had a problem with similar behavior in season 2 when her new friends kept ditching her, but the difference is this is Romance and that makes the same shitty behavior okay, because romantic relationships are more important than anything else, right? (until she finds out El isn't actually having a good time, and maybe she's lowkey relieved to be able to drop that cognitive dissonance, and then suddenly there's more to life than stupid boys)

Max says "boyfriends lie all the time" like she's never been able to trust a word Lucas says. and yeah, in this episode he does back up Mike's lie, but he has not done that yet at the time when Max says this. as of this point, the only thing close to a lie I can think of him telling her is that out-of-order sign on the arcade machine (which he felt bad about). to me, in 1 and 2 he came off as the most honest one in the party. if he's become a huge liar since then, we didn't see it. I feel like Max might be regurgitating external stuff again that isn't really even about Lucas but just boys in general.

maybe the "emotion not logic" stuff is because it makes no sense to Lucas how Max goes straight to petty tactics and breakups whenever they have an issue. in his parents he has basically the show's only healthy marriage to look up to, and we even see him ask his dad's advice at one point, so when he and Max are having a problem he wants to talk and work through it. Max, having only broken relationships and fake bullshit to refer to, doesn't know how to deal with someone caring about her so seriously and she gets cagey and runs.

high school hits different

I know she's just deflecting but oh boy is that line easy to read in an ace way.

I also just noticed the banner behind Max's head that says "all the way in 86" when she says this, which is an interesting choice of wording and timing when it could just as easily have said "go tigers" if it wasn't supposed to evoke anything besides basketball. Max talked a good show for a middle schooler but now her peers are starting to get sexually active for real and she could be starting to feel social pressures (not from Lucas, but in general) and it's becoming rapidly more apparent that she's Different. OR it's just random set decoration!

anyway she still cares about Lucas and loves him at least as a friend, but still keeps him at a distance. of course depression has a lot to do with that, but it could be that she's afraid if she lets him too close even platonically that he'll get romantic ideas again.

which he does. as soon as she says she's glad he's there, he asks her on a date. going to the movies isn't explicitly romantic but, that's a date. she sure took it that way.

so why might an ace Max not only accept but draw adorable stick figures holding hands? maybe she's remembering times that were happy for other reasons and she's going all in because her current circumstances are pretty bleak and she welcomes something to cling to. I feel like it's a little bit of a pipe dream to her at the moment, like mikvan's snow ball and jopper's enzo invitations made on the cusp of probable death. she knows full well she might not be alive on friday. maybe she figures if she survives by some miracle she'll give the romance thing another whirl and that'll magically work too.

there's probably more but this post is getting too long. tl;dr max internalizes a lot of stuff and doesn't know she's a gray ace. the end

#max mayfield #this doesn't stop me from shipping lumax #and disclaimer yes none of this is uniquely ace behavior #that cosmo joke is really one of those lines that's purely for the audience because el would have had followup questions #I think max would like them all to think she had a boyfriend in california. you dont know him. george glass #did not know when I started this post that my receipts on ace max were CVS length #analysis #mine #long post #character analysis

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temporalbystander · 1 year

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Why do I do this to myself?

Sup everyone. Surprised to see me? Yeah I'm surprised to be posting. But as my head get slowly closer to exploding despite me doing everything that normally helps with my headaches? I thought I'd share a Miraculous hot take that I came up with a while ago but never actually shared. Warning. Spoilers and slight salt ahead.

Okay, so while I was trying to take a nap to hopefully rid myself of this headache, my mind went back over opinions I have come across on Tumblr and other sites as a sort of "yeah right, I'm not letting you sleep, have some month old anger instead". Specifically around Zoe Lee and how she's a Mary Sue.

Now. Three things piss me off about the term Mary Sue just on its own. Number one, it's more than likely being used incorrectly. Number two, it forever ruins a great sounding name (Mary Sue just sounds sweet to me and I would use for the kind neighbour next door if it wasn't for this) and three? Is used as an insult despite being EXACTLY WHAT SUPERMAN IS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL WITH A GODDAMN NUKE SO COME AT ME!

pants Sorry. That always gets to me. Anyway, the term as it's applied to Zoe? Falls firmly in the first scenario. See, people call her a Mary Sue when in reality what they mean is "bland nice girl" so kind of like Mylene until Horrificator or Rose until Princess Fragrance where we actually saw more of their personality. I'd go further into what I mean but that's not the point of this.

No, the point is all the people who say Zoe has no reason to exist and to them I say. "She's a fictional character her reason is because the writers say so." But... I also agree. This is where the salt comes in because, had Miraculous not been stubbornly controlled by a bullying manchild incapable of receiving criticism, who also hates a teenage girl he made up to an extent that it's disturbing? Zoe wouldn't exist.

Now people have said that she was just a replacement for Chloe. And again I agree but not for the reasons they believe. Zoe is what Chloe should have become had Mr "nobody appreciates me so I'll put myself in the show telling them why they are idiots" actually followed through on the redemption arc. Yes I'm insulting him more than I have ever even mentioned him before. Why? Because I recently saw his tweets where he said Chloe wasn't abused because she has a father throwing money at her despite her mother rejecting her existence. Fuck. Him. Not to mention the ones where he basically calls us idiots for thinking Chloe was getting redeemed in the first place.

Anyway I'm getting off topic. What do I mean when I say Zoe is basically a redeemed Chloe? Well our first introduction to her in Sole Crusher shows she's capable of being a copy of Chloe, something she does because she just wants to feel loved by her family. We know from the whole Queen wasp thing that Chloe doubts her mother's love for her (something that is never mentioned again despite Audrey's opinion on Chloe never really seeming to change. Unless you want to count keeping her like some kind of mini me which is... Arguably worse and reminds me of how Chloe treats Sabrina) and it was believed by the fandom that Chloe acted the way she did because she wanted her mother to love her and be proud of her. But nope. She's just irredeemably evil. Despite being a 15 year old girl who still cuddles her bear and sucks her thumb for comfort when she's upset. Totally evil.

Grr... next. Point. Before I devolve into pointing out all the times Thomas Asshole showed he knew jackshit about characterisation.

Anyway. After Zoe realises that she'll never get her family's love in a way she's satisfied with she turns to her newfound friends for comfort cutting all attempts to please her mother. Something we expected Chloe to do. Then comes Queen Banana. Not only is Zoe given the bee miraculous (which I don't understand why people were surprised at, who else was gonna get it? Aurora? Marinette doesn't go far to pick new members. And if you say, "well they could always just fuse" you clearly don't understand the benefit to having another person for the Akuma to focus on.) But the way she got Chloe to keep the charm showed that she's capable of manipulating people. A skill we all thought Chloe would put be able to put to better use should she be redeemed. See Matt's Honey and Vinegar comic for a brilliant example of this.

Then we get to the major point in my mind. Something everyone (may be an exaggeration) had pegged for Zoe since she was introduced and that most theorised for Chloe as a potential explanation for some of her actions. Having feelings for Marinette. Now when this was confirmed it wasn't a surprise to me. It was so far from a surprise I was actually slightly disgusted that they chose Zoe to be the blatant one and not confirm Rose and Juleka or even Marc and Nathaniel. You can say it's obvious from how Rose and Juleka interact but Alya and Marinette act the same at times and they haven't known each other nearly as long. Or as intimately since Juleka kept Rose's illness a secret for who knows how long and that tore her to pieces every time it happened. I'm a dude. I'm so conditioned to see Yuri in female friendships that I've reconditioned myself to go the opposite way and assume it's just me being perverted. Do I believe Juleka and Rose are a couple? Yes. Will I call it canon? Not until I see a kiss, because they've definitely already confessed by now if it's true. Do I care if the writers confirmed it? No. Because JK Rowling said Dumbledore was gay and Hermione could be black. Only one of those is possible given what she's written, the other is clearly just an attempt to please this new era obsessed with inclusion at the expense of preestablished facts.

Dammit I got off topic again. Anyway, Chloe has been in the same class as Marinette for the past four years, something I remember joking about a while back calling Chloe out for being a stalker. But with her dad being Mayor, her fully using that to get what she wants even in school, and her focus on making Marinette miserable to such an extent that it's almost like Mari is the only target Chloe actually cares about hurting? Well I've seen enough "bully because I like you", "lash out because I'm confused" and "overcompensate because it's not normal/ my parents would disown me if they knew" tropes to suspect that they're might be a deeper meaning to why she does it.

Or at least that's what I would think. You know. If she wasn't completely and utterly evil. Between all the play heroes, tickle fights with Sabrina until they fall asleep, and being the sole person to throw off an Akuma before it takes hold because of their firm belief they are a hero. I mean how can you not see how evil and irredeemable she is when she has all that on her resumè?

sighs To finish up I want to make one thing clear. I like Zoe. In better hands I'm sure I'd have loved her even more but, even if she's just the replacement we were given so we'd shut up about Chloe, the fact is she's a good friend to Marinette (her lack of presence and late introduction means she hasn't done anything to annoy me like the others have), her design is amazing (reminds me of Equestria Girls Sunset Shimmer actually) and is basically the only one Chloe can't touch. The potential she brings to fanworks is absolutely staggering but in the show as it is? She's another pillar of support for Marinette. With the crap that girls gone through? That's more than enough for me.

#mlb spoilers #miraculous ladybug #mun talks #zoe lee #I lied extreme salt #MLB writing salt

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husbandohunter · 4 years

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Moments of Despair #1 [Genshin Impact/Diluc x Reader]

Synopsis: “The man who was on fire and realized it too late.”

(A series of works where the boys deal with the passing of their beloved).

Albedo's despair

Warnings: angst, tragedy, major character death, graphic depictions of violence perhaps

(A/n): Had these ideas for a while after reading @/serensama To Mourn series of another fandom. So much sorrow and feeling I just was inspired to write 😫

_______________________________________________

The moment you fell lifeless in Diluc's arms, he wanted to disappear.

It was raining again, he had always despised the rain. How it trickles down the slope of your cheek, like tears falling from the heavens. The sight of it mixing with your blood creating a thin stream of red rivers flowing beside him. They patter down obnoxiously because time didn't care, the gods don't care, the world didn't care. You were just a small fragile person to their eyes but to him you were his light. A candle that used to shine in his dark world was now dissipitated by the waters of reality.

Many droplets have passed and he was still holding you. Diluc could do nothing but stare. He hadn't shed any tears nor could he make a coherent sound. Perhaps it was because his tears have long run out when his father was held in the very same way. Or it was because he was heartless. He's usually told for being cold and indifferent. But the pain clenching in his chest was proof that he still had one (proof that it was still beating), much to his dismay. It would be better if he didn't.

So why can't he just look away? Your wounds, your bruised features, everything now etched so deep into the back of his conciousness that is was starting to awaken his worst nightmares. They were the source of the bile growing in his stomach. The irony stench filling up his nostrils felt so sickening. He couldn't turn away. You're dead. You're dead. You're dead. As if reality had yet to register, or maybe he refused to accept it, Diluc helplessly gazed down your body with blank and empty eyes.

"Master Diluc..."

Jean's voice called out to him pitifully. He rises up with his back turned, ignoring the stares given to him, "Leave. The knights of favonius are not needed here."

"But she's a Mondstadt citizen," The anemo user retorts, slightly taken aback by his impassive reaction, "It's my responsibility to ensure this case doesn't go unnoticed."

Unnoticed. Diluc scoffs in his mind, what a tasteless joke.

"It seems you weren't listening," he announces as his head was turned ajar so they could see the deep hatred glowing red in his eyes, "Leave. Now."

Jean's lips trembled before barely being able to say, "Alright" and retreating her knights back to the city. Kaeya narrows his gaze at his bother, the sorrow was evident through his pupils. He steps forward until he was arms length away from his brother. Too little too late, another failure was added to the belt.

Kaeya was a man of many words but for once he was at loss of what to say. No underhanded suggestions, no ideas taunting him to spill his thoughts, he simply asks Diluc, "What are you planning to do now?"

Silence. Kaeya couldn't predict what sort of expression his brother was making as he looks at your corpse. It brought a heavy weight of unsettlement upon him and here he thought he had already grown used to his brother's quietness.

Slowly, he turns around while letting the water pour down his face. Kaeya tightens his jaw as Diluc drags his feet towards him, stopping when their shoulders were parallel, "It's none of your concern."

"You're just going to leave her here?"

There was a slight pause which was enough of an answer. The Cavalry Captain sighs when he watched him walk away, what was the point of asking when Kaeya knew Diluc so well? He glances at your form before swiftly shutting his eyes.

It was his concern.

-------

A week later, the staff of the Ragnvindr household could hardly recognize their Master's appearance. They knew not to bother him when he decides to lock himself in his chambers. Diluc drowns himself with work from hours to no end as he connects the findings of the person that took your life. As expected, it was one of his enemies- a fatui member. The question was, which one?

"Master Diluc, I beg of you, please take care of yourself," Elzer pleads.

The pyro user didn't bother to spare him a glance or look at the tray of food he carried.

Food...you always brought them whenever he had to work overtime.

"I do not remember specifiying anyone to be allowed in my office," he voices aloud, "If it's related to business affairs simply leave that with Adelinde and I'll take a look at it tomorrow."

"I understand. But you've been working all day and night yet refusing to take any breaks in between. At this rate, you'll harm your health."

The feather pen in his grip kept dragging it's course, "This is beyond the duties assigned to you Elzer."

"That's because it was a request sent by your father," he adds, knowing that stepping over his boundaries may cost him, "If Master Crepus was still here, I'm sure he would have said the same thing."

Taking a deep breath, Elzer lays out his last card, "And also your wife."

The pen slows into a halt.

No one had brought you up until now. Elzer anxiously watches his Master shifting in his seat, his red bangs covering half of his face but he could still see the frown pressing firmly on his lips. It wouldn't be a surprise if Diluc suddenly bursted at him for mentioning such a sensitive topic, all that matters was his master's well being and Elzer was willing to risk everything for it. But nothing. Diluc turns his attention ever so slightly at the tray he carried.

"Fine, but I'm not eating that."

"What? Wasn't this was her favourite-"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Elzer furrows his brows before sighing, "...No, Master Diluc."

He exits the room while carrying the fresh dish of Once Upon A Mondstadt that you loved so much. The door closes with a soft click and he was alone again.

People found it strange how Diluc seemed so vacant to your passing. He didn't even show up at your funeral. Instead, he continues his duties as a Mondstadt nobleman like usual while taking care of business matters associated with the winery. Except those who were close to him could see the difference in his actions. Apathy, he was so mechanical in every task he did. Like a marionette attatched on strings, a doll without a soul. After all, his soul died the moment when yours did too. What remains was a shadow of Diluc and a being existing solely for revenge and duty. He was nothing but a remnant.

Fatigue begins to wash over him and he fights to stay awake. Because once he gives in it will all be over. Once he closes his eyes, he would see your face with a multitude of images from the past. He would hear your voice calling out his name from a distant space as it echoes off the walls of his mind. He would fall into a dream where you were still with him and as always, waking up to see that it was never real.

I should have pushed you away.

Because what hurt Diluc the most wasn't that you were gone, rather, it was how you were still here.

Then you'd still be-

Something breaks and it turned out to be the pen he was holding so tightly. Only now Diluc realized how fast his heart was thrumming as beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead. Focus. Don't waste time. He won't grant himself the liberty of anything when your murderer was still on the run. Every wound they inflicted on you was going to be returned in tenfold. He'll make sure of it. That's why, he refuses to think about you at all. Diluc occupies his mind with other matters since at this point, work was the only efficient method of keeping his sanity in tact.

She needs you to focus.

The door opens and Kaeya enters the room while holding a document, "We found the guy."

His reaction was immediate, "Where?"

"Hm, now that we meet, it's actually quite debateable," The captain notes wryly, "When was the last time you've gotten proper rest?"

"I don't have time for this, either you tell me or I'll do it by force."

Kaeya couldn't help but sigh, "Apologies but you don't seem to be in any state for a fight. I'm sure you know how it would end up if you were to face your enemy right now."

"..."

"Diluc, this isn't healthy," Kaeya asserts, it's been a while since he sounded so sincere, "I'm not here to prevent you from doing what's necessary however, perhaps it would be better if I finished it in your stead."

"No," Diluc stubbornly answers, "Hand that over."

"...Heh, then there's really nothing I can do to stop you it seems," he whispers with a sad smile, "At the very least, be careful."

"I intend to," The pyro user snatches the paper parchment out of Kaeya's hands before opening the window, "Also, if Elzer returns, tell him there's a few errands I have to take care of."

The night was a full moon and the sky was empty, Diluc leaps off the edge and disappears into the darkness. There was no telling of what could happen next. Since you weren't here, it was up to Kaeya to watch over him.

-------

The claymore dropped to the ground with a clang as it soaks up the blood of the fatui he just killed.

Diluc was tired, so tired.

He slumps down against the wall from pure exhaustion, all that adrenaline and hatred went up in fumes, leaving behind whatever was left in his heart: nothing. Two hours, not even that far from Mondstadt, the fatui hid in an abandoned building as he cowarded for his life. When Diluc arrived, he never expected this monster to be so weak. This was the person who murdered you? A pathetic nobody that was simply following orders? This was the reason why he lost you forever?

In the end, the only one to blame was himself, for being weak and unable to protect you. He was supposed to be your hero ("Darknight hero," you'd always tease), the rock that shields you just as you had been the warmth he longed for many years, did he give you enough? Was this enough? He thought avenging your death would grant him a peace of mind and the justice you deserved but deep down, he knew it will never be enough when it comes to his love for you.

"Diluc."

He closes his eyes, he hears your voice. He was so tired, it wouldn't be a surprise if he started hallucinating.

"Diluc."

"I'm sorry..."

The man lets out a trembled breath as he apologized to the image of you in his mind. I'm sorry I failed you. They were repeated like a mantra in hopes to reach you somehow. Of course that was impossible, his feelings, his emotions, love and sorrow altogether will never reach you again. And your arms that once comforted him and brushed his hair with a soothing voice, saying everything will be okay, where are they now?

"Diluc."

"Stop," he didn't want to hear your voice.

"Diluc, I'm here."

"Stop..."

"Diluc..."

He jolts his eyes open and lets out a yell, what was he saying? He doesn't know. All he needed now was to drown out the fake voices mocking in his head. Diluc grabs the nearest object and shatters it against the floor, the dam was broken and it flooded uncontrollably, breaking everything in it's way. The abandoned house was filled with loud cries of a man sobbing with agony like a broken-hearted child. He crumbles to his knees and falls to his side, lifting his forearms while clutching his face.

And screamed.

Archons, what did he do to deserve this? Why do the people he cherish get taken away from him? Diluc never wanted to be the Darknight hero if it meant having his father perish in his arms. He didn't want the feeling of stabs against his chest with every breath he took. He didn't want to feel cold while knowing it was because you weren't here to hold him. He didn't want your voice, your pictures or your memory.

He wanted you.

"(Y/n)..." he chokes. Rolling to his back, Diluc moves his arms to cover his eyes, letting the tears run down to his ears, "(Y/n)..."

For who knows how long, he lays there in the abandoned building and mourns. Diluc doesn't have the strength to move from his position, he found himself staring mindlessly through the cracks of the roof when his voice had gone hoarse. The corners of his eyes still burned and his head was throbbing with so much pain. Maybe he should just stay here but the thought of being in the same room as your murderer was unfathomable.

Picking up his claymore once again, Diluc drags himself out of the door. Where would he go? It's not like he had a home to return to because home was when he was with you. A doll without a soul, the marionette moves as if the strings have commanded him to do so. Where ever it takes him, he didn't care. He just knew he had to go.

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randomshyperson · 3 years

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The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The Third Year

Series Masterlist || Read on AO3

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Chapter Words: 7.290K

Chapter Notes: Wanda x Reader friendship is here. And more about the world history. I’m pretty sure this is the last chapter where things are easy going. Just like Harry Potter, things start to get dark during four year. Good reading to everyone, i hope you like the story so far.

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia // @ichala

//-// x //-// //-// x //-//

Your list of materials is much longer in the third year.

Tony complains that you shouldn't have taken so many classes, but you are so curious to explore the areas of magic that you can't help it.

This time, Mantis meets you in the diagonal alley. You were hoping to spend some time with Gamora and Nebula as well, but once you get a glimpse of their father, you know that's not going to happen.

Thanos is a tall, muscular man, and has a permanent aggressive look on his face. He also kept his hands on the shoulders of his two daughters while they were waiting to be attended to at Flourish and Blotts. You also noticed that your friends were wearing very beautiful and remarkably expensive dark green capes, and just like their father's outfit, they had a bundle of a silver snake. That was the first time you understood what Slytherin pride meant.

"He's scary." Mantis commented softly beside you. You nodded in agreement. Groot, who was a little bigger since you saw him last year, jumped on your shoulder, sitting next to your ear. You smiled at the creature before looking forward again.

You and Mantis were standing at the entrance of store, and saw your friends through the window. You gave up the idea of complementing them when you saw their father.

"Let's restock the potions list first, Mantis." You tell her. "Then we'll buy our books."

You meet Tony again at the Leaky Cauldron after you finish. He hides something from you quickly, but you are distracted by an apple muffin flying towards you, and you don't ask.

Bucky was staying at the Leaky Cauldron because his house had a magical accident. His father said something about a persistent spell flood. Since the rest of Bucky's family were muggle, only he and his father were staying there, solving the problem while Bucky's sisters were at his aunt's house.

Since everyone needed to buy the materials for the new school year, Tony asked you to join his friends when you were done buying your stuff.

After lunch with everyone, Mantis said goodbye to you, and you returned Groot to her hands.

You led her to the exit of the bar, but as you walked back to the table, a conversation caught your attention.

"I'm telling you, they saw him in Sokovia." A bearded man whispered. He looked so nervous, you couldn't help but pay attention. The woman standing next to him, a cup of a strange liquor in her hands, rolled her eyes.

"That's miles away, Thomas." She said. "If Korvac gets anywhere near London, the ministry will send him back to Azkaban in two seconds."

"He's already escaped once, Sara." You rebut the man.

You frown at the conversation. Walking back, you have a thoughtful frown on your face, and Tony teases you.

You get distracted by Steve's jokes about the coming year, and forget all about it.

It's only after you've packed your bag, during dinner, that you remember.

"I heard something strange today." You say casually as Tony and your father dine beside you. "Some folks in the Leaky Cauldron were talking about someone escaping from Azkaban."

Your father chokes. Tony stares at you, and ducks his head when your father looks at him angrily. Howard gaze softens when he looks at you however.

"Honey, who told you that?"

You shrug.

"No one told me dad." You reply. "I ended up overhearing two strangers talking about it. I never knew about anyone escaping from Azkaban before, it seemed important."

Tony kicks you under the table, and you frown in confusion. Your father takes a deep breath.

"Honey, listen to me carefully, will you?" He begins, and you worry at his serious tone. "There are important things going on at Daddy's work. Things that could be dangerous." He says and you look at him in surprise. "You and your brother are too young to be getting into such matters, and I hope you will trust me to keep you both safe."

"Yes, dad." Tony assures, but you remain silent. A moment later, you add:

"Daddy, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No honey." He says taking back his fork.

"It's okay to tell me what's going on, I won't be scared. I can help..."

"Enough!" He exclaims angrily punching the table. You jump lightly in your chair, startled. Your father doesn't look at you. "I don't want you to hear anything about this anymore. You two are children, and it's dangerous. Have I made myself clear?"

You look at Tony, but he is glaring at the plate in front of you.

Swallowing the urge to cry, you get up, hurrying to run to your room.

Your father calls you several times, but you don't answer.

A few minutes after you are in your bed, he appears in your room. His posture is much gentler than before, and he kneels down beside your bed.

"Honey, hey." He calls to you. You keep your face in the pillow, and he sighs. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." He says, and with your silence, he continues. "Can you forgive me?"

It takes a few seconds, but you look at him, and nod. Howard smiles faintly.

"You and your brother are the most important things in my life." He says fondly. "And I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Dad, you can't control what is in the rest of the world."

Your father chuckles lightly.

"Yeah I know." He says. "Damn, I wanted you to stay a little girl forever, so you wouldn't be so smart."

You laugh, pushing his shoulder lightly.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" You ask and your father sighs, looking away.

"It's nothing that will affect you honey." He says. "It's just problems of the magical world. I don't want you meddling in something like that. Not at this age."

You sit down on the bed next, raising your pinky to your father.

"I swear I won't pry into such business if you promise to tell me if things get serious enough for me to know."

Her father laughs, raising his own pinky then.

"I promise, kiddo."

You both laugh as you take the oath, and your father hugs you next. When he lets go and stands up, you pull his hand away.

"Apologize to Tony, Daddy." You ask surprising him slightly. "He doesn't like it when you yell either."

Your father sighs, bending down to kiss your forehead. He asked you to go to sleep before he closed the door.

//-//

It is very cold when you arrive at Hogwarts.

But you don't care because all your friends link arms and walk together, making you laugh at the confused looks you get when the other students notice the small row.

Over dinner, your mood changes quickly however.

"I imagine it has come to the attention of many students here, especially the older ones, the recent untoward events in the magical world." Principal Harkness began during the announcement of the new school year. She had a serious and authoritative tone, and deep dark circles under her eyes. You have never seen her like this before. "But for those of you who are not aware, the dark wizard known as Korvac escaped from Azkaban a few months ago." The hall exploded into murmurs at the mention. You saw Professor Strange lock his jaw, probably disagreeing that such a topic should be broached with eleven-year-olds. "After much consideration, the Ministry of Magic thought it best to apply additional security to the castles."

"So, starting next week, we will have special guests at the Hogwarts castles; The ministry has determined that aurors and Azkaban guards will be guarding the outside of the grounds."

The crowd erupted in boos as soon as the words echoed in the hall. Your Hufflepuff colleagues remarked in horror that the dementors, the guards of Azkaban, were terrifying, and you sought your brother's gaze at the Slytherin table, but he was looking earnestly at the principal.

Agatha sighed impatiently, and the hall fell silent. She asked everyone to be careful with the guards in Azkaban, not to give them reason to fight back. And then she returned to the daily announcements as if nothing had happened.

You didn't eat very well after that.

History of Magic with Professor Okoye was one of the hardest classes in school.

You were hoping to get decent grades this year, but you were assigned to be with Peter as your pair, so you knew you would have to work for two, as your friend had no interest at all in that subject.

"Why don't you try to pay attention?" You asked slightly annoyed as you made your notes. Quill was drawing small dragons in his notebook.

"I want to be a famous Quidditch player, I don't need to know the history of the Goblin revolution for that."

You sighed, turning your attention back to the blackboard. Several minutes after class had begun, a Gryffindor student raised his hand.

"Professor Okoye, may I ask you a question?" it was Thor Odinson, and he seemed to have grown at least twenty inches over the summer. You noted that his hair was also longer when you looked back, wondering who was speaking.

"Of course, Odinson." The teacher said with a gentle smile. Thor cleared his throat as he lowered his hand, seeming to hesitate.

"Could you tell us about the Mephisto followers?"

The room fell absolutely silent at the mention of the name, and many students looked at Thor with wide eyes. The smile on Professor Okoye's face completely disappeared.

"Where did you hear that name, boy?" she asked sternly, Thor swallowed dryly.

"M-my father, ma'am." He replied. "I heard him send a bawler to the ministry quoting that name. When I asked, he told me to study the history of the wizarding world. I thought I would ask you because I couldn't find anything in the books."

The room looked at the teacher expectantly. Okoye sighed, seeming to decide whether to talk about it or not.

"Listen to me carefully please." She asked as she walked around the tables. "Some years ago long before any of you were born, there was a sorcerer who made all the wrong choices. He sought immeasurable power, and was never satisfied with his own abilities. And many other wizards believed that the quest for ultimate power was something worth dying for. When this wizard became a symbol of power and cruelty, he named himself Mephisto."

Her classmates exchanged startled looks, but the teacher continued to tell.

"The dark wizards and witches who supported this quest became known as the Followers of Mephisto, or Walkers of Death. The magical ministries around the world banded together to put an end to the group, and there was a great battle, where most of these wizards were imprisoned or killed in a duel."

"What happened to Mephisto?" Thor asks suddenly, interrupting the narration. The teacher hesitates, but then gives a reassuring smile.

"He's dead, of course." She assures.

"My mother says he was never found." Added another classmate, you think her name is Valkyrie, but you've never talked to her. Much buzz runs through the room at her utterance, and Professor Okoye twists her fingers nervously.

"When the Walkers of Death were eliminated, Mephisto lost his power." She tells seriously. "The last person who faced him is related to someone in this room actually."

Professor Okoye turns to you, and you want to sink into your chair, feeling your heart soar.

"Auror Howard Stark was the last sorcerer to fight Mephisto before his demise. Thirteen years ago." She says and you feel all the stares on you. "But that's enough from this matter for today, students. Mephisto's story is taboo in our witch community because of the thousands of lives that were lost during that period." She adds, "I hope you will be respectful about the memory of those victims, and not comment on such a thing, or mention the name of this despicable wizard again."

The teacher closes the subject after that, looking upset. You can't pay attention to the class again when she goes back to talking about the magical revolution.

//-//

"Did you knew about that?" You ask angrily when Tony looks unimpressed when you approach him in the third floor hallway, after searching all over the school for him.

He looks tired.

"Stop talking so loud, will you?" He asks looking around. "Of course I knew, I've been researching this story for months."

You frown in confusion, and Tony rolls his eyes leaning against the bookshelf next to him.

"I didn't tell you anything because you're only thirteen!" He adds nervously. "That's not children's business."

"It is my business if it involves our family!". You retort angrily. A group of students walk past you, looking at you curiously, but Tony just pretends to be admiring the trophies until they leave.

"Look, I don't really know what happened, but dad used to be an auror when mom was alive." He recounts. "And then he took on this powerful sorcerer, and mom died when you were born. He became an inventor, switched departments in the mystery, and nobody talks about this Mephisto guy nowadays."

"Do you know what this has to do with the wizard who escaped from Azkaban?" you ask with your arms crossed, Tony gives a chuckle.

"Isn't it obvious, sis?" he retorts wryly. "Korvac was Mephisto's greatest ally at that time. And he escaped from the most secure prison in the world. A lot of people think that means the walkers are getting back in business again."

"My god Tony, why didn't dad tell us any of this?" You ask worriedly and Tony laughs humorlessly, looking upset.

He straightens his posture and points to the glass on the trophy shelf that was propped up.

"And there's more." He says. "Take a look at that."

You turn your face to stare at the objects that were stored there. Most were trophies, but there were also pictures of the Quidditch teams from previous years. Tony is pointing to one of those.

"No way." You whispered as you see it. In the caption on the board, it read "Howard Stark and Erik Lehnsherr receiving awards for their honorable service to the school." It was your father and your teacher, probably in their senior year, and they seemed both content. The magical photograph showed them hugging each other by the shoulders, huge smiles on their faces, and two golden cups in their hands.

"Yes, little sister." Tony said also looking at the picture. "Dad and Magneto were friends in school days. I wonder what happened to Professor Lehnsherr to make him so bitter. He looks happy in that picture."

The sound of the bell announcing the next period makes you jump in fright, as you were completely distracted by the photograph in front of you.

"Let's talk about this later, Tony, I have charms now and..."

"No way, Y/N!" Tony interrupted frowning. "That's none of your business. Dad told me that you promised to stay out of it, and I agree with him. You're too young!"

"Oh and you think he'll like knowing you're investigating this whole story?" You retort and Tony sighs, looking away, "That's what I thought.

"I'm not going to get you mixed up in this story."

"Fine, I'll find out on my own, then."

"Y/n..."

"See you, Tony."

//-//

Having dementors in the castle is really scary.

It's been two weeks since classes started, and with the first Quidditch game of the year approaching, you're pretty anxious.

You didn't make much progress in your research during those days. None of the professors wanted to say anything about Mephisto's time, and you lost fifteen points when you tried to ask Professor Lehnsherr about his school days, for being a snoozer.

The only things you found out other than what Tony told you were what Gamora and Nebula shared with you. They mentioned that Thanos was particularly busy during the summer, and that they had never seen him go to the Ministry so often before.

You also started reading the Daily Prophet, and every day they would publish something about Korvac's escape, even if it was only to say that there was no news in the case.

When the day of the first match arrived, you ignored the strange feeling that settled on the edge of your stomach as if something bad was going to happen.

You are overjoyed when you are in the air, waiting for the match to start, and notice that all of Tony's friends, including yourself, have yellow flags in their hands to cheer you on.

Everything goes well until the end of the first half.

You noticed a bludger almost reaching your chaser team mate, Clint Barton and moved forward to defend him many meters above the stadium. Because it was raining, your visibility was very poor. You knocked the ball away, but lost sight of Clint, although you heard him shout a thank you. As you dived down again, lightning exploded beside you, and you jumped in fright, feeling your ear whistle as you became completely disoriented.

As you began to get used to your surroundings again, you felt your body become completely tense. The cloud in front of you was almost a face shape, it looked like someone with horns or maybe wearing a tiara. The image dissolved in the next second, and you felt a strange chill run through your body. Releasing the broom handle only to hug your arms, you looked down, the whole team many meters away.

When you tried to join them, something came in your way.

Dementors must have been the scariest thing you had ever seen in your life. And there was one of them right in front of you. You widened your eyes in shock, and the creature looked straight at you.

Losing your strength quickly, you felt yourself slipping off the broom. A feeling as if you had been wrapped in a very painful spell overtook your body as you fell.

//-//

You woke up in a jolt, and warm hands pushed you back into bed.

"Relax, kid." Your brother spoke with a smile. "I swear I'll actually forbid you to play at some point."

"What happened?" you asked confused. All of your friends and Tony's friends around your bed.

"You fell off the broom, damn it." He retorted and you rolled your eyes.

"Yeah but there was a dementor up there..."

"Yeah, everyone saw it." Tony interrupted looking annoyed. "Professor Harkness kicked everyone out of the stadium after Professor Strange conjured up the patronus."

"I have never seen Professor Strange so angry." Gamora remarked next.

"Oh, there's something else." Natasha warned moving around the crowd to stand beside you on the bed. "Your broom fell into the Whomping Willow, and well. It' s right here."

In Nat's arms were the remains of what had once been your Nimbus 2000. You sighed in displeasure, but at least you could ask Jarvis to buy you another one.

After you were released from the nurse's office, Principal Harkness was waiting for you in the hallway. She waved for all your other colleagues to go their ways, as she escorted you to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Tell me, dear, are you feeling all right?" She asked tenderly. You nodded in agreement as you walked.

When you reached an empty hallway, she stopped walking, and touched your shoulder so that you would do the same. She knelt at your height and looked deep into your eyes.

"Tell me what you saw up there."

" Professor, I don't remember..." You started to say, but then fell silent, immediately recalling what you saw as you gaze the purple glow in front of you. It was as if your thoughts came out of your lips before you even thought to say them. "I saw an image in the clouds, it was like a horned creature or someone wearing a crown. Then the dementor reached me and I felt an immediate chill and unhappiness. I had the feeling that I was wrapped in a sensation of pain as I fell down."

The professor seemed to absorb every one of your words. She smiled then, her eyes returning to their normal color quickly, making you believe you had imagined the whole thing.

"Thank you dear." She said. "Let's keep this between us, okay?"

When you two walked back, you didn't remember any conversation at all.

//-//

Your first trip to Hogsmeade is amazing.

You buy two bags full of candy at the Honeydukes, and then you and your friends go to the Three Broomsticks, to have some buttery beer.

Quill seems to have become friends with Pietro Maximoff during Quidditch practice, because as soon as they see each other, they greet with a hug.

You ignore the feeling of nervousness that settles on the pit of your stomach when your gaze meets Wanda's.

Your friends don't mind sharing a table with the Maximoff twins, and that's how you end up sitting a few feet from Wanda, Gamora's watchful eye on you trying to understand why you're so quiet and flushed.

"Everyone is so nervous about the dementors at the castle, that I think we should try to do something fun. Like throw a party." Quill suggested to the group. Mantis looked excited.

"I think we could do something before Christmas." Gamora suggested and the group agreed.

"Does anyone have any idea where we can have this party? Quill asked." Since we are from different houses, maybe the common rooms are not a good option. I heard that the Slytherin kids don't really like the Hufflepuffs.”

Quill's teasing makes Wanda roll her eyes, but the rest of the table giggles. You look away to your cup.

"We could use some empty room on the seventh floor." Pietro suggested, and Quill gave an excited exclamation.

"This is a great idea." He said. "If the older students are going to participate, we can get some prefect to cover for us."

Quil looks at you and Mantis has to poke your shoulder for you to notice and pay attention.

"Sorry, what is it?" You ask when you notice all the looks on you.

"Can't you convince Steve Rogers to join us? He's your brother's boyfriend."

You laugh, nodding in agreement

"Okay folks, I'll try to call them all."

On the way back to the castle, after you spent the afternoon talking about the most diverse random subjects and telling jokes, you leave your hands in your pocket, because it is very cold.

Quill and Pietro start playing tag, and Wanda walks alone. You hurry up to join her.

"Hey." You greet with a smile, Wanda also has her hands in her pockets.

"Hey". She responds kindly.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes?"

"Are you asking me?" You say back with humor and Wanda laughs, looking at the floor as she walks. "I… I thought it was cool this afternoon." You confess the next moment, feeling your face get hot. "With everyone together, I say. And you and your brother, it's ... you two are nice."

"Thank you, Stark." She replies with a smile. You move your fingers inside your pocket before you speak again.

"If we're going to be friends, you can use my first name". You say and Wanda looks at you, but you keep looking forward.

"Are you sure?" She asks after a moment. You frown without understanding. "Are you sure you want to be my friend?"

You look at Wanda in surprise. But then your expression softens.

"I thought we were going to be friends last year, but you looked angry every time you saw me."

Wanda laughed lightly, looking ahead.

"Yeah, I… I'm sorry about that." She says. "It wasn't something you did. It was just a few things I heard. And I ended up thinking that you were judging me like everyone else at that school." She tells you. "It would make sense since you saw me face the troll." Wanda whispered the last part. You bit your bottom lip before speaking again.

"You could have talked to me, you know?" You say. "I kept thinking that I had done something wrong."

Wanda said nothing, and you sighed, running your hands through your hair.

"We can forget about it and be friends now, what do you think?" You then suggested a smile on your face.

Wanda looked at you, and her green eyes cause something in your stomach to sink.

"I would like that."

"Cool." You comment breathlessly.

//-//

Being friends with Wanda is so natural that it almost surprises you.

Now whenever you sit down at the Slytherin table, there are two new members in your group of friends.

Eventually you discover that it was Quidditch that build Quill and Pietro friendship, as they stopped fighting because they were spending a lot of time training together.

At the Slytherin table, you know that Pietro and Quill receive angry looks because they are from Gryffindor, but no one has the courage to say anything to you, perhaps it is the deadly stare that Wanda gives anyone who dares to look foully at her brother.

You also succeed in inviting Steve and Tony, in addition to your brother's other friends, to the party before Christmas. Steve says that you all can use the old Astronomy room on seventh-on Saturday, and that the curfew would be at ten o'clock. The news of the party ends up spreading quickly around the school, but your friends don't seem to mind that it stopped being something small just between you guys.

When the day finally comes, you wear a comfortable jeans and sweatshirt set, realizing that it is a choice of clothes much more similar to Muggle-borns than pureblood but no one seems to care.

"Hey, you took so long" remarked Gamora as soon as you went up to the seventh floor and met her at the door of the room. "Come on, everyone is already in there"

As you took some of the non-alcoholic fruit drink that Mantis helped Quill make, you looked around the room. You waved sheepishly when your eyes met Wanda's, who was coming in. She looks very beautiful in her wine red sweater, and she smiled at you, and you didn't understand why you felt your stomach flip.

Soon everyone were all together, talking animatedly on various subjects. When Quill and Pietro started doing a dance competition, you laughed so hard that your belly was aching when they were done.

//-//

You have your first Divination class that week.

Professor Heimdall was already waiting for the students while he was sitting on a kind of ivory throne in the corner of the room, which smelled of incense that made your head spin slightly. It really was a remarkably mystical and mysterious environment, even for a magic school. The illumination was limited due to long white curtains on the walls, and there were many candles scattered around the room. Mantis whispered that this kind of thing was done to increase concentration when working with this kind of magic.

"Welcome to our first meeting on Divination, students, the most complex and unstable of magical arts." began the professor as soon as everyone was seated at the tables spread around the tower. "I must warn you that if you seek answers to your most personal questions here, you will most likely not find them. There is no stability in this subject."

Some students commented softly among themselves, but no one seemed willing to contradict the professor, his yellow eyes roaming over everyone in the room.

"Let's begin today's class with an introduction to the basics of study in divination." He warns, and with a flick of his wand, the cupboards at the back of the room open, and from there several sets of cups fly out to all the tables. Then the professor touches his wand to the teapot on the table, and it multiplies into four pairs, flying around to serve everyone.

When everyone has their cups full, Professor Heimdall goes to the small blackboard, and begins to explain how divination works. You hurry to start writing it down.

Many minutes later, when you have finished your tea, Mantis pokes your shoulder.

"Let me look at yours and you do mine?" she asks and you nod, handing her your cup. You clear your throat, looking intently at the dregs of tea in Mantis' cup.

"I don't see anything." You grumble, trying to concentrate. The powder doesn't seem to form anything.

"Remember to check the symbols in your books." Warned Professor Heimdall aloud the next moment. You took a deep breath, running your fingers across the paper as you tried to identify the images.

"Mantis, let's switch, I don't think I'm getting anything..." You start to say softly looking at your book, when you glance at your friend however, you frown in confusion. She has her gaze glazed on your cup, one hand covering her mouth, "Mantis, what happened?"

She gasps softly, and you straighten your position as you notice a thick tear running down her cheek, feeling your heart soar with worry.

"I'm... I'm so sorry." She sighs breathlessly, dropping her cup on the table. The noise attracts everyone's attention, but Mantis is getting up the next moment, and running out of the room. You stand up, but Professor Heimdall puts his hand on your shoulder.

"Don't worry, miss Stark." He says. "It's common for those more sensitive to divination to have that kind of reaction in their first contact with the spirit world." He explains with a tender look. You don't understand why, but his voice calms you. "Go back to your activity, I will talk to your friend."

He waves to the rest of the room next, and then leaves. You sit back down, exchanging worried glances with Gamora and Nebula who are at the table in front of you.

Your first action is to look at the cup that Mantis has thrown on the table, but the impact has broken it at the bottom, and the liquid has run down the cloth. You sigh in dissatisfaction, using your wand to clean up the mess.

When class is over, Gamora and Nebula quickly join you.

"Any idea what that was about?" Gamora asks as you walk together through the castle.

"No, she just got a glazed look in her eyes, and then she ran off." You count. "I'll try to ask her in potions class."

"Maybe she saw some evil omen." Nebula comments, and Gamora elbows her in the stomach. "Ouch."

You frown worriedly.

"Does that mean something bad is going to happen to me?"

Gamora denies with her head, forcing a smile as if trying to reassure you.

"Bad omens can be many things, even something silly, like losing a sock in your room." She says and you leave your hands in your pockets, not feeling reassured by this information.

"Yeah, but Mantis wouldn't cry over a sock." You retort and Nebula nods in agreement, but Gamora has a serious expression.

"I'd rather think it's nothing bad." She says. "Professor Heimdall said it's normal for sensitive students to have that reaction, isn't it?" She adds and you shrug. "Maybe she's just been watching you lose a game or something, but she was so overwhelmed with having seen something, that she got emotional."

"I hope you're right." You grumble as you reach the stairs. You sigh. "See you at lunch, girls. Have a good History of Magic class."

Gamora and Nebula wave goodbye and head in the opposite direction from you after they watch the staircase move.

You hurry to avoid being late for potions.

//-//

Mantis doesn't come to the dungeon either. You poke Quill in the back as he sits down in front of you, and ask if he's seen her anywhere, but he shrugs, worried that you don't know either. You just sigh, telling him what happened in class.

"I'm glad I didn't take that subject." He says as he hears the story. "I've heard that some people learn to see the day that the other person is going to die. That's scary."

You laugh incredulously.

"That sounds like a lie."

Quil shrugs his shoulders. "That's what I heard."

You wish you could talk more, however Professor Erik entered the room the next moment, and everyone fell silent. You tried to forget about the divination class by concentrating on making your poison antidote correctly next.

//-//

You only found Mantis at lunchtime.

Or rather, she found you.

You had just come out of charm class, and she was waiting for you outside. You looked at her with surprise and concern, but she just smiled, looking much more relaxed than earlier.

"I'm sorry I disappeared." She says. "Professor Heimdall thought it best that I get some rest, and then he taught me some things about aural sensitivity."

"I don't know what that means." You comment making her smile.

"It doesn't matter." She says. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier."

You shake your head.

"Mantis, come on, no need to stress about it." You retort. "I was worried about you, and I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

Mantis smiles, looking forward. You bite the inside of your cheek, finding her strangely calm and distant.

"Do you remember what you saw in my cup?" You ask hesitantly, and a small glint passes through Mantis' eyes, but then she smiles quietly, denying it.

"It was no great thing, I believe." She says. "Professor Heimdall has assured me that it must have been just a bad memory, and that there is nothing to worry about."

You frown, but something in Mantis' expression tells you that she just won't talk about it anymore. Not wanting to make your friend uncomfortable, you don't press the issue again.

//-//

It's Christmas again, and you don't go home.

This year Hogwarts is much emptier than it usually is, and you know that it's because of the dementors.

The vast majority of the families, even those who usually leave their children at Hogwarts, have asked the students to return home. Your father briefly mentioned in his last letter how there were many requests for shift changes during the holiday period.

Tony also stayed in the castle, you knew he was planning to enter the forbidden section of the library, and he had told you to mind your own business when you asked if you could help.

Surprisingly, Gamora and Nebula returned home. It was very unusual because Thanos didn't like parties, but they promised to write to you. Mantis always returned home, so you just handed over your present before hugging her goodbye. Quill and the Maximoffs stayed with you.

"You know you're losing right?" you remarked with amusement as you were spending time with your friends in the Gryffindor communal room, a wizard chessboard in front of you. Quill let out an annoyed groan.

"That game is harder than it looks." He grumbled looking at the pieces. " Knight move to E3 please."

The piece moved, cursing softly that Quill was making a stupid move, and you laughed.

"Can't you see her bisbe right there you idiot? "Squinted the black item, and Quill sighed in irritation.

"You want to play by yourself, do you?" He retorted, and Pietro and Wanda who were watching you two, giggled.

"Are you talking to the game, Quill?" Pietro teased as if the boy in front of him was crazy.

After you beat Peter, it was your turn to face Pietro. He was a much better player, but he still made a lot of thoughtless moves.

Someone walked past the door, and you heard noises of footsteps, and then there was a girl joining you all.

"Hey, Monica!" Pietro greeted the girl cheerfully as soon as he saw her. The girl smiled at him. "Guys, this is Monica Rambeau, she is..."

"Professor Rambeau's daughter." Quill completes as if it is obvious. And you and Wanda smile at the girl. "Everybody knows Monica, man."

"What are you guys doing?" The girl asks curiously.

"Playing chess."

"Losing at chess, you mean right?" you tease with a smile. Pietro and Quill laugh in agreement, Wanda is distracted by the book in her hands.

"Do you want to hang out with us?" Pietro asks.

"Actually, I'm going to go outside." Monica says excitedly. "I just went in to get a coat. Darcy and I are going to make a snowman. Why don't you guys join us?"

You exchange glances with your friends. They all seem to think the same thing. And that's how you end up in the outside yards, in a snowball war.

" Back off, Pietro, I'm on your team!" You yell at the older Maximoff who has just hit you with an icy snowball to the chest. Pietro laughs.

"In war it's every man for himself!" He shouts running toward you. You laugh as you run away from him, preparing to hit Quill who is in the opposite direction.

"Hey, get down!" You heard someone shout and you turned around, obeying the order as soon as you noticed Darcy's raised arm toward you. She threw a snowball at someone behind you, and you laughed when Pietro let out an exclamation. Running toward the girl, you thanked her with a wave of your hand before running back.

After hitting Monica and Quill twice, you ran out of Pietro's reach when he appeared at your side, laughing. Stumbling, you ended up miscalculating your speed, and knocked Wanda down next.

"That's a foul." Joked Pietro as he watched you two fall, laughing along with both of you. Before he could throw a snowball at you, Quill was back and he ran. You helped Wanda up as you apologized for knocking her down.

"One point each." She says holding the snowball at chest height. You smile, and wait for her to throw the snow at you. She laughs when she has done so gently, pushing the ball against your shoulder, the icy liquid running down your blouse making you shiver slightly.

You pick up a snowball from the ground next, but when you look at Wanda, her face flushed with cold, and emerald eyes sparkling with amusement, you don't have the heart, and just smile wryly, making her look at you curiously.

"What is it?" she asks confused by the way you are just looking, making no mention of throwing the snow at her.

But the moment was broken next, when you all heard an animalistic noise nearby, and turned your heads with curiosity.

A few meters away was the guardian of the lands, Drax, leading a line of winged horses through the snow. You and your friends let out a chorus of excitement.

"Wow, look at the size of those horses." Pietro commented looking in the same direction.

"They're not horses, people!" Monica exclaimed excitedly. "They're unicorns! Mom said we were going to study them next class don't you remember?"

Only when Monica said this did you squeeze your eyes shut to get a better look, and you could see the white horns in the distance. Drax waved at you from a distance when he noticed that you all were looking. He led the horses to the area where the class on Magical Creatures was usually held, and you saw that Professor Rambeau was waiting for him.

After that, it seemed to get colder. And you all decided to go inside and have some hot chocolate, as you took your friends into the kitchens. The elves were happy to serve you sweet breads and cakes, even outside of dinner time.

//-//

On Christmas morning, all of your friends, including Tony and Natasha who was Tony's only friend to stay at Hogwarts, gathered at the same table in the main hall for the gift exchange.

"Stop fussing, boy, you'll mess up the presents!" You heard Darcy complain to Quill. She and Monica were also with you because Pietro invited them. Neither of you guys minded, because they were very nice.

"I'm just trying to get a peek." Retorted Peter raising the gift package in the air out of Darcy's reach.

"It's not your gift, so you can't look!"

You laughed at the interaction, finishing opening the package in front of you. Natasha had given you a new collection of wand care products and you loved it.

"You do need to take better care of your wand indeed." Teased Tony when he saw the gift. You laughed while waving a middle finger at him, and stood up to hug Nat in appreciation.

Most of the gifts were clothes, and candy. You bought a collection of exploding snap cards for Quill, and he was very pleased, already throwing the cards on the table to play with everyone. Pietro and Monica eventually agreed to participate, while Darcy watched them.

"That's mine right there." You said shyly to Wanda as she picked up one of the packages from the stack. "I hope you like it."

Wanda bit her lower lip in anticipation as she opened the package. And when the red scarf became visible, she fell silent, and it was your turn to be nervous.

"I know you're from Slytherin and all, but I've noticed that you really like red." You hasten to justify. "And then I saw this scarf in Hogsmeade and I remembered that day after charms class that you forgot your scarf and Pietro lent you his and so I thought it would be a good idea and..."

"I loved it." She interrupts looking at you. Her cheeks redden and a tender smile on her lips. You relax with relief immediately.

"Oh, right." You say. "Good, then."

You think you've been looking into Wanda's eyes too long, because your face is starting to heat up. But Peter gives a celebratory shout for getting the card move right, and you and Wanda look away quickly. She puts on her scarf next, and you look down at your lap to hide the silly smile that insists on escaping your lips.

//-//

When classes at Hogwarts return, the Dementors leave.

Apparently there was a big commotion in the Ministry of Magic. You hear many students commenting on this during the class break. And then there is a story in the Daily Prophet saying that Korvac was killed in combat with aurors in London, but there are also many people saying that this is a lie, and that he has run away again and the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to assume to the public.

Anyway, Headmistress Harkness removes the dementors from the castle and the atmosphere in the school improves considerably.

Nebula has a large purple mark on her left eye when she returns. Gamora tells everyone that she fell off her broomstick. You choke when she tells only you that it was Thanos who did this after he caught her snooping in his office.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" She asks tearfully and you nod frantically, hugging her to calm her down. "I've never seen our father like that."

"It's okay now, Gamora." You say tightening in your embrace. "I will help you."

When you write to your father, asking what to do in a situation where the dangers are indoors, he says that Stark Mansion is big enough to accommodate your friends.

When you come home for the vacations after doing very well on your final exams, Gamora and Nebula are with you.

#wanda maximoff #wanda x reader #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wandavision #wandaxreader #wandamaximoffxreader #wanda maximoff imagines #wanda imagines #elizabeth olsen x reader #harry potter au #wanda x yn #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x yn #The Scarlet Witch Prophecy

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apixrl · 3 years

Text

DRIVER'S LICENSE.

katsuki bakugou x fem! reader

WARNING(S): angst. cheating. swearing because it's bakugou.

word count: 4.5k

song: drivers license // olivia rodrigo (i wonder why...)

note(s): so i captioned this *at the time of writing* 'hello and welcome to i've had the worst two weeks ever so i wrote a katsuki oneshot to cope' and it's probably one of my most personal pieces of writing tbh

"-come Tuesday and we'll potentially see an end to this heavy downpour of rain. Temperatures will be on the rise to around-"

The talk on the radio cut short at the jab of your finger, heaving a great sigh which faded into the muffled pitter-patter of rain from outside. The streets had been showered with heavy downpours for the last week or so, no sign of sun or a still and restful day. Notwithstanding the miserable outdoors, the windscreen wipers on your car never ceased in their duty to grant you a clear view of the road ahead. And whilst you were grateful for their devotion, it didn't feel clear in the slightest. In fact, the road had never felt so blurry.

Shivering against the cold night chill and tucking your knees cosily to your chest, you eyed the raindrops on the windows. They raced against one another before they dripped down to your car's body, their glossy presence obvious thanks to the many hues of street lamps that surrounded them. You could have watched them for hours, being honest. Something about the droplets of water battling it out quite enticing. Anything to take you away from the cruel reality you were living in.

Your heart ached and yearned. But to no avail, the one you ached and yearned for didn't love you back.

Not anymore, at least.

Just the mere thought provoked a pulsating pang to resonate throughout your entire body. A pang filled with grief and sadness. Anger and hurt. You missed his sun-kissed face on the sunny mornings. You missed his eyes and how they gazed at you from across the room. You missed the smiles and laughter he would only show for you and you alone. The sense of glee and euphoria that came with that honour. Yet all of it was gone and there was no way you could get it back.

The memories of what had been triggered more waterworks. Hot, salty tears dug at the corners of your eyes and trickled down your face. Your motionless car concealed your cries and sobs. Every thrash against the wheel as you questioned to nobody in particular what went wrong and why. How you didn't see the signs sooner. What you could have done better. When he stopped loving you. If he ever planned to stop loving you. Whether it would have hurt more if you found out sooner.

All these questions with nothing to answer them.

Katsuki Bakugou had always fascinated you. From the very moment you met. You accompanied your friend on a double date, and he was the guy who she matched for you. Whilst he originally acted as though a blind date was the last place he wanted to be, underneath the aggression you could tell there was something much more genuine and true.

And your assumptions were correct. Truth be told, Katsuki Bakugou was one of the most genuine and truest people you had met (at the time). Once it was just the two of you, he allowed his true colours to unveil. Through the smallest of kind gestures that still haunted your mind to this day. Then upon confrontation, as you bid each other goodbye at your back door, his denial resulted in a flirtatious contest which then proceeded to an intimate night that changed your life forever. From there your mind was set.

He was the one.

Emphasis on was.

So blinded with a fairy tale love you grew so accustomed to, you never saw it coming. Never in your two-year relationship - that had so much strength and commitment built on top of it, never did you think that Katsuki Bakugou would throw it all out of the window like it was nothing. Disregard your loyalty and adoration for a drunken one night stand that slowly became an occasional hookup. Which soon became a mandatory pastime once a fortnight. Then twice. Maybe more than that. You wouldn't put it past him with what you knew now.

He kept it from you for nearly six months. Six months. The only reason you discovered his lies and deception was because you were let off early one night from work. You worked a night shift, see. Your last job had fallen to shambles, and it was temporary whilst you searched for a new one. And whilst that did take a toll on your relationship with Katsuki Bakugou, mostly finding time for intimacy since his working hours were during the day, none of that gave him any right to go and do what he did.

That wasn't one of the only reasons, you knew that for sure. There were other motives for his lack of loyalty. But you were never told. After you froze at the sight of another woman under his hold and stormed straight back to your car to flee. After he chased you down the flights of stairs in nothing but baggy pants into the streets of a twilight Musutafu. After you screamed into the darkness and belted your fists against his chest. Fists that were driven with rage and hurt and every emotion that burned like the hottest of fires and froze like the coldest of ice. He never even told you. He never made an effort to address it. Nor had he attempted to call or even try to visit your Mom's house - where you stayed as you searched for a permanent place to live. Just because you retreated for your car and cried that it was over, he never tried. But that didn't mean you weren't allowed an explanation. An apology. Something to give you a form of closure and a reason to move on. But you never did.

That wasn't even what hurt the most, either.

As silly as it was, the thing that hurt you the most was the very car you sat in.

EIGHT MONTHS AGO . . .

The red glow of traffic lights hit Katsuki's vermilion irises as he stared dead ahead at the long line of vehicles, the ash-blond heaving a sigh into the air. His finger tapped impatiently against the steering wheel he gripped with one hand, the spare rested casually against your upper thigh affectionately.

"I can't believe we have to sit through this torture just to go to some damn party," Katsuki grumbled, taking a glance over at you. His brows furrowed when he met you peacefully slouched down, nose dug into your phone as you presumably played some sort of game to pass the time. Like you had no care in the world for your predicament.

"It's your best friend's birthday, love," You mused back, Katsuki surprised you even listened based on your focused expression directed towards your phone. "It's not like we can just miss it,"

"Yeah, but we could have missed all this pain by taking the train instead of driving across town during rush hour,"

"Trains are icky, the seats would have ruined your suit and my dress," You pointed out, looking at the blond over your screen, sending him a sweet smile. He cocked a brow, a smirk creeping its way onto his lips as a scoff of a laugh broke out between them.

"Right, and laying down like a sloth is gonna help keep your dress uncreased?" He returned, amused at your realisation. At his comment, you sat up faintly and pouted your lip.

"Driving means more time to play Gravity Pops, and so does traffic,"

"Seriously? That's the game you're playing? You're such a dumbass,"

"Yes! I'm in the top 11% globally! I need to get to number one!" Was your protest, your arms flailing ahead of you briefly for dramatic emphasis. Katsuki clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, though the small smile plastered over his lips betrayed his initial reaction. Unable to deny your determination, he spoke with confidence and almost a sense of pride.

"Number one, hm? Clearly rubbing off on you aren't I?"

"In a way, yes,"

"That's my girl," Katsuki remarked, earning a giggle from you that was uplifting to hear. It was there your attention went back to your phone, but Katsuki wasn't done. "So, speaking of cars, Y/N," Hearing his chosen tone - which sounded suggestive, you eyed him closely. Hesitant to reply as you had a sense of what he planned to say.

"...Yes?"

"Have you thought any more about getting your driver's license yet?"

Called it.

"...No,"

"What?" Katsuki began, tilting his head. He was surprised that he felt surprised. You had said those words in regards to this topic countless times. Still, he persisted. "Is that a no meaning you haven't or no meaning that you don't want to?"

"Both?" You half-guessed, sheepishly grinning at the look you were sent. "Look, cars scare me okay? And so do roads. And people. My nerves wouldn't be able to handle it! I can barely communicate with people face to face, so me being on the road is a recipe for disaster!"

"I know but -," Katsuki exhaled sharply, understanding your reasoning. You had voiced these concerns when confiding to Katsuki about your fears of the road. Something built and corrupted from social media as well as phobias and fears in general, it was a battle you had yet to overcome. You wanted to drive but was terrified of messing up or causing chaos on the road. Potentially inflicting harm to someone and yourself. You still weren't sure what triggered it all, but over the years it had manifested into something quite irrational, to say the least. Katsuki had been supportive of it and whilst he truly would love to always act as your personal taxi - you couldn't hide from it forever. It wasn't his job to keep you in your comfort zone. That, and he couldn't always be there for you that way. What if he was miles away and you had somewhere urgent to go like the hospital? "It's not as scary as you think. I know it's hard to believe that but seriously. The freedom you get from driving is amazing,"

"I'll think about it a little longer, okay?" You said with hesitancy, looking at Katsuki for a sign of confirmation. He nodded in defeat, knowing you probably needed more time and felt put on the spot. So he averted his eyes back to the road to check if the traffic had moved at all. It had not.

"Okay," Katsuki said. "But I can't be your taxi service forever,"

"But I like you being my taxi service," You jokingly said, a little sadness in your tone. "Your road rage is funny and I like watching you get out of the car and walk to my door after pulling up in my driveway,"

"What do you mean?" Katsuki asked, catching the twitch of a smile on your face upon saying those words. It struck his interest in what you could mean.

"You know, like when you say you're coming to pick me up?" You explained. "You pull up at my driveway and I don't know... simple things like that just remind me of how much I love you. It's dumb really, but it's important to me,"

"Really?" Katsuki questioned in disbelief. How something so small and meaningless could mean so much was puzzling. He couldn't understand why it was so special to you. But that didn't invalidate it in any shape or form. So he pushed that aside, replacing his wonder with gratitude. He returned to your bashful and flustered features, feeling a smile grow on his face.

"Yeah," You said, shrugging to downplay your words. "I love you. Stuff like that means a lot to me,"

"I love you too, even though you're a dumbass," Katsuki said, humbled by what you had said. The two of you shared a gentle exchange, your hand grabbing hold of Katsuki's as you gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back, and silence ensued. Had he realised such a thing sooner, then Katsuki would have pulled up in your driveway much more than he had been doing. But at that a thought struck his mind, victoriously smirking as he had an idea on how to potentially sway your worries. Or begin swaying it. Something was better than nothing, after all. "But what if I wanted you to pull up in my driveway one day?" His words caused you to look over at him in curiosity, hearing the seriousness in the question. It caught you off guard momentarily, having to contemplate as you gradually concluded that he had a point.

"Well one day, maybe I will," You vaguely replied and sat up a little bit. The hand holding yours pulled back and lifted to land on your shoulder, gripping reassuringly tight.

"I hope you do, I'd like to get in on this driveway action," He joked and smirked, faith riddled in his expression. You giggled ever so slightly, tempted to lean forward and peck Katsuki on the lips in thanks, but never a thing was to happen as the alerting red light from outside switched to warm amber.

"Ah!" Katsuki yelled in triumph, his attention leaving you swiftly as he got back into the driver's seat. Giving you no opportunity to respond to him and overall ruining the moment. "Took fucking long enough!"

The light turned green, and he set the car in motion, leaving you with your thoughts and the words he had uttered that day as the traffic stood still.

All your efforts, all your time devoted to getting over your fear of driving and the road as a whole... all of it was pointless. You did it for him. You promised him you would overcome your fears and better yourself. He built that motivation up brick by brick until you could grab hold and seize control. He wasted all that time to get you to reach such a stepping stone only to abandon it once it was through.

Just so you could pull up in his driveway, just like he requested. And what did you get in return when you finally did? A stab in the back and the loss of your other half.

You wiped your eyes via the sleeve of your hoodie, dampening the cuffs. Sniffling and exhaling a shaky breath, your gaze landed on nothing in particular. Yet somewhere within your clouded mind, you found interest. As that was where your gaze remained for a certain amount of time. You weren't sure how long exactly. It could have felt like an hour and only been five minutes. Or it could have felt like five minutes and was actually an entire hour. Either way, the clock ticked on and didn't wait for you to stop.

It was a good thing you had pushed your fears down and rose above them. It just pained you that you didn't even do it for yourself. Without Katsuki Bakugou, you never had any intentions of doing so. As a matter of fact, you had set out to take the train or bus for the rest of your life. Hell, you were going to use a bike and scooter if you got desperate. Had he even acknowledged how much work you put in just to get where you were? Was all that effort part of the reason why he decided to cheat? There was absolutely no telling. Absolutely no telling at all.

You wondered what he was doing now. Was he laid in bed resting peacefully? Out with his friends for a boy's night only? Maybe cooking his favourite curry? Possibly on a late-night jog despite the harsh weather? It never stopped him other times.

Did he ever think about you? Regret what he did and the actions he took? Had he ever considered apologising? Would he ever apologise? What if he was celebrating the fact you were no longer in his life? Had there ever been any love there for you in the start? Did he ever actually want you to get your driver's license because he believed in you? Or was it so he could get rid of you with much more ease? Make his departure less severe and less selfish? A way to justify his choices because it's not like you were hopelessly left to suffer everyday life now that you had a means of transport. Was he really that cruel?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sharp jingle of your phone, the device lighting up as it sat in the passenger seat to your left. It took two or three rings for you to glance over at it, E/C eyes sore and drained from crying out. You squinted them to read the caller, seeing the name 'Work' fade in and out on the brightly lit screen. For a second or two you argued back and forth on whether to even bother picking up. Something about reaching across for your phone requiring a magnitude of energy you no longer possessed. Having spent it all on your cries of agony and the deprivation of your old life as a whole.

However, you had ignored your work in the last couple of weeks too many times now. So many times that pulling the same stunt again would probably risk you losing your job. It's not like your work was interested in why you felt such overwhelming pain... all they cared about was you turning up to do what you were hired to.

So using a forceful hand, you leaned over to pick it up. You fumbled to grip your phone and accepted the call with a dainty tap of your thumb. Then you blinked away your tears and subtly sniffed, pressing your phone to your ear to address the caller.

"Hello?" You practically croaked, quick to clear your throat and push any signs of upset down. It was presumably dry from how much you'd cried in the last two hours.

"L/N! Hey! Glad you finally picked up!" Unlike the droll and unvarying tones of your boss, the person on the other end was much more lively and greeting. So much so you could only assume it was none other than your work colleague, Etsuko. Probably the only person you genuinely liked where you worked, and the only person who made the time pass by faster. "I was worried you were gonna leave me on answer phone again,"

"Hm, what? Oh right. Yeah. Sorry about that. Haven't been feeling too great," You lied, even though it wasn't a complete fib. You hadn't been feeling great at all. You had never felt so rock bottom. It all just originated from your mind over anything else. But when did work care about that?

"Sounds like it, I hope you've been okay!" Still cheery as ever, Etsuko followed up with a laugh to fill the silence you created by not saying anything. "Is everything well? It's nothing serious, is it?"

"No. It's not. Just some dumb cold I caught," You excused. "I'm better now, though," Slouching down in your seat, you decided to ask the question that had been roaming your mind the last minute or so. "So why are you calling?"

"Oh, right!" Etsuko said. "Mr Kobashigawa was just wondering when you planned on coming back - for schedule reasons and to get people to fill in for your shifts,"

"I er...," Not entirely sure how to answer, you stuttered as your words cowered away in your attempt to speak. "I don't -,"

"It's okay, he doesn't need an answer yet," Etsuko reassured. "Maybe in the next day or two, though? He wasn't really specific, being honest,"

You sighed at the guilt brewing in your stomach. You weren't even sick for crying out loud! Why were you lying just so you could wallow in your own sadness?! Like that was going to change anything! Sitting around and crying wasn't going to give you what you wanted. You weren't getting him back. Katsuki Bakugou wasn't yours anymore. He made that clear by cheating. By making minimal effort to give you an explanation. By causing you so much pain with little care or concern. Why couldn't you get it through your thick skull that your feelings didn't matter anymore?! That they were being wasted on a lost cause. A lost relationship!

"Well I mean -," You started, running a hand through your hair as you tread carefully on your words. "I could come in tonight? Has Mr Kobashigawa got someone to fill for me yet?"

"Um... no? I don't think so?" Etsuko answered, uncertainty in her voice. "Let me go check. Be right back!" And with that, the line fell dead. The call didn't end, just Etsuko placing the phone down to get an answer for you. Leaving you all by your lonesome once more.

Reflecting, you could see the logic in your thoughts. The best course of action would be to hold your head up high and live life the way it was before. When you were happy. Just... excluding the factors that actually made you happy. Which was him. Wouldn't that be healthier than crying all the time?

Yes, it would. But was it what you wanted? Not really.

"L/N!" The voice in your ear startled you to the point you nearly dropped your phone, panicking through a gasp as you fiddled to grab hold of it again.

"Wa-! Careful you nearly scared me half to death!"

"Oops, sorry!" Etsuko giggled softy, sounding as perky as ever. "I'm just excited to tell you that nobody's filling in your shift! You can still come in for ten-thirty!"

"I-I can?" You asked. After an upbeat 'yeah!' filtered through your ears, you considered your options. Remaining in the serene, quiet confines of your car with only the downfall of rain to accompany you sounded like utter bliss, given how you felt. But you felt an internal kick up the backside which told you - no... demanded you to just get over this moping attitude of yours and look on the bright side. To get over the lack of closure and simply... move on.

Yeah... if he found out you were an utter train wreck thanks to the damage he inflicted; Katsuki Bakugou would probably revel in it. He had a history of gaining pleasure from other's misfortunes... or it was rumoured he did (during his younger years, anyway). You had never wanted to believe it but you couldn't find a reason to refute it anymore. After all you had been through, it seemed to fit his character and personality more than ever. So with that fact apparent, you held a firm forefront and searched for a determined tone, and made your answer to your friend.

"You betcha I'm coming in! I'll see you in half an hour!"

Too enthusiastic? Probably. Still, it was better than acting pessimistic and hopeless. No matter, however, because that was exactly the attitude Etsuko had been hoping for.

"Alrighty!" She exclaimed, smile audible in her voice from the other end. "I can't wait to get our dynamic duo going again! I've missed you!"

"Yeah, me too, 'Suko," You hummed in agreement.

"Great! Catch ya later my partner in crime,"

"Heh. You too, dumbass," You found a reason to smile from her childish behaviour, though your choice of wording seemed to hit a nerve. It did more than that, it practically reverted all that confidence and progress you had made in the last ten minutes of being on the phone. All from one innocent word that escaped your lips.

Dumbass.

That's what he used to call you.

The phone call had ended without you even noticing, your phone still pressed to your ear as a small buzz sounded into it. You stared dead ahead, flashes of all the times he had said that word to you running through your memory. It was his form of a pet name. Some might see it as a little degrading on the surface, but you never minded. Once you learned the deeper meaning of the name, it became something equivalent to the likes of 'Sunshine' or 'Angel'. If anything, you ended up preferring it to those sorts of nicknames. Hence why Katsuki Bakugou had called you it on so many occasions.

No. Stop it. You can't let something like that bother you. Not after the efforts you just went to. Stop. Shaking yourself out of it, you returned to reality and permitted your phone to drop onto your lap. Your hand once holding it gripped onto your steering wheel, the other following shortly behind to do the same.

"I love you too, even if you're a dumbass,"

That rung in your head one final time, tormenting and mocking your present. The things you'd be willing to do to hear him say that to you one last time...

"No," You firmly shook your head, banging it lightly against the headrest to return yourself to reality. An attempt to knock those words to the back of your mind where you could lock them in a securely tight safe for the rest of eternity. "Just... just don't think about it. Easy. Just focus on what you're doing now," You reached for your keys which sat in the ignition, taking hold and turning them ever so slightly. Your car stirred to life, engine rumbling and the dials lighting up in a form of warm greeting. "You're going to work. No more feeling sorry for yourself,"

No more feeling sorry for yourself.

Your eyes set themselves on the road ahead. The vacant, dark and solitary road that didn't wait for you to make your decision. Life moved on after all, so if you were going to do anything - it was to catch up and take the winning lead.

So despite your circumstances; your inner desires and wishes and begs for what you wanted back but to no avail would ever get, you pulled out of your parking space (which had long exceeded the time limit, thankfully nobody was around to see) that drowned in pitiful rains of the night, and began to make your way down the street. In search of a place better than the one you were trapped in.

An endless road that wasn't all that clear, you were going to tackle it. Not for anyone else, unlike the last time you met difficulty and hardships. No, no, no. This time it was for your sake. All the mental energy to recover and become a better version of yourself, in the endgame it was all for you. You could push past all the deceit and lies you had been told and you could push past your normality which was him. Katsuki Bakugou. The man that hurt you as nobody had ever done before. You could create new normality without him.

A thought of forever he created and destroyed, resorted to driving alone past his street, never to be thought of again.

#katsuki bakugō #katsuki bakugo x reader #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bakugou x reader #anime x reader #anime #x reader #angst #katsuki bakugou x female reader #katsuki bakugou x you #katsuki x y/n #katsuki bakugou

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borrowedtimeandspace · 2 years

Text

Promises, Promises

9. Hide

From this list of gt prompts.

AU: BAU (Kept)

NOTE: Hoo boy, this is probably the longest one for the month. Please be aware that this is set in a pet AU and involves a scenario that, while not in graphic detail, describes situations that are dehumanizing and might be triggering for those who are sensitive to topics of assault.

~~~~~~~

Stan struggled to unlock the door to his family's flat with one hand. It would be much easier for the ten-year-old to open using both hands, but one was currently occupied by an injured borrower.

No one else was home from school yet, so Stan hurried to his tiny bedroom. He closed the door and sat at his desk, letting his hand come to rest on the desk next to a pencil box the size of a couch to the young woman he held.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly as she scrambled out of his hand, finally free of his grasp.

"The hell do you think?!" she snapped. Her angry tone made Stan flinch back, but he knew she had every reason to be upset. After all, he'd found her being teased by a boy from Stan's year that was often cruel to him.

Teasing didn't feel like a strong enough word for what Stan had witnessed. He was reminded of that when the borrower turned from him, sat down hard, and rolled back her long skirt to assess the damage to the leg that refused to hold her weight. The middle of her shin was swollen, and the dark skin all around that area was mottled with deep, reddish bruises. Stan recognized the size, shape, and location as the spot where the other boy had pinched her leg, and his face felt hot at the memory.

He'd dangled her upside-down by that leg, and her skirt...

Stan hadn't fully understood the term 'seeing red' before today. Now he understood.

Getting angry about it all over again wouldn't do any good, so Stan took a deep breath to calm down and leaned in for a better look at her leg. "Is it bad?"

The woman gave Stan a sidelong glare. "What do you care?"

Stan blinked, once again shying back from her intense scrutiny. "I... well, I wanna help."

"Ha! Right, 'help'," the borrower gave a dry, derisive laugh. She shoved her skirt down over her legs and glanced around, gaze hovering on a jar in the back corner of Stan's desk. Holes were punched in the lid to allow its potential occupant to breathe. Stan's cheeks flushed again at the reminder, this time in embarrassment. He used to catch mice outside that he thought were hurt or lost, a habit his family had discouraged him from keeping years back. He never kept them for long, and his family were adamant that they didn't want mice running around the house. Hence the jar.

Obviously the borrower couldn't know that's what the jar was there for, and even Stan had to admit that what he'd done with her was, at the basic level, very similar.

Latching on to the evidence, the borrower rounded on Stan. "Real helpful, taking people from their homes and keeping them trapped in yours like some kind of rodent! Well, I'm not just gonna sit here and be a good little pet for you, boy!"

"It's not like that!" Stan insisted. The tiny woman jolted, staring warily up at Stan as he covered his mouth. He hadn't meant to be so loud, and now she was looking at him like he'd lash out at her.

"Sorry," he whispered, gathering his thoughts and taking more care with his tone the next time he spoke. "I didn't mean to take you away from home. Really. And I don't wanna keep you here, not forever. I just... He hurt you, bad, and I... I didn't know what to do."

Stan watched the tiniest changes in her expression as he spoke. The wide-eyed fear looked more and more surprised, and then confused with the deep furrowing of her brow. Then, when Stan finally trailed off, her chin lifted high.

"If you really want to help, then take me home."

A deep pang of guilt dug into Stan's gut as he hesitated to comply with her demand. It wasn't that he didn't want her to be able to go home, he knew he'd feel awful if he was stuck far from his family and everything that made him feel safe. It was just...

"Well...can you get home? With your leg like that, I mean?" He broached the topic as gently as he could, not meaning to be rude or make fun of her injury.

She bristled anyway, despite Stan's best efforts. "Of course I can!" she declared, shooting up from her seat. She managed to stay on her feet long enough to shout, "I don't need you taking care of me! Just because I'm smaller than you, doesn't make me hel-- Augh!!"

The second more weight shifted to her bad leg, the borrower crumpled in agony. In no time at all she meant from standing as proud and tall as she could manage, to falling back against the pencil case.

Stan was nearly in tears seeing her in so much pain. "Please, stop!" he cried, "You're gonna get hurt more!"

The borrower didn't have any more energy to argue. She clung to the edge of the pencil case with a miserable groan, her uninjured limbs curling in to her core.

"Please..." Stan scrubbed at his stinging eyes with the heel of his hand. "Can I please just...bring you bandages, or something?"

This time there was no retort, and barely any hesitation before the borrower nodded. Stan jumped up immediately to fetch first aid supplies.

Ten minutes later, Stan and the borrower managed to get her leg wrapped in gauze. She did the actual wrapping, and he cut the strips down for her. While she assessed her work, quietly relieved from some of the pain, she shot the hovering Stan a sharp look.

"This doesn't mean I agree to let you keep me."

"I don't wanna," Stan emphasized earnestly. "I just wanna help. If I take you back now when you can't walk so well, then he might find you and hurt you again! Or someone else might, and that's not fair."

She stared at Stan for a moment, then huffed a world-weary sigh. "If... If you swear to me that you'll take me home once I'm able..."

Stan's expression lit right up. "I promise!" He straightened his spine so she could clearly see him trace an X over his chest with a fingertip. "Cross my heart, hope to die."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, then gave another huff that Stan thought might be another scoff, but he wasn't sure.

He didn't have time to find out. The front door opened and shut in the distance and one of his big brothers called out something he couldn't understand from so far in the flat.

It was enough for the borrower to shoot to her feet again, panic unveiled completely for the first time since Stan met her. Eyes wide, breathing quickly, she mumbled, "Have to hide..." and tried to back away almost instinctively.

Thanks to her leg wrappings, she couldn't easily hurt herself more with this movement, but she did lose her balance due to the lack of mobility. Stan's hands shot out to catch her before he could think twice about it.

In that flash of a second, Stan had a lot to consider. What the borrower had said about people her size being kept as pets wasn't uncommon at all-- quite common, actually, if one had the money for it. He knew this since it wasn't exactly a big secret, but this was the first time he'd really had to think about. None of it was pleasant to think about. All he knew for sure was that the woman in his hands was free, and if it was in his power, he'd do his best to keep it that way.

That meant keeping her safe, and judging by her reaction to Stan's brother coming home, she wouldn't feel safe if they knew about her. Stan trusted his brothers with his life, but it wasn't up to him. It was up to her, and she wanted to hide.

Stan moved swiftly, careful to not jostle the borrower. He grabbed a fresh shirt from his dresser and came to crouch by his bedside bookcase. There was a random pile of books stacked in the bottom shelf with an empty space in the opposite corner. Stan shoved his shirt into the corner, layering it up to act as a cushion.

"Stan?" called his brother, close enough now to recognize as the oldest, Simon. "You home?"

"Changing!" Stan replied as he reached down to gently slide the borrower from his hand to the shirt. With his hands free, Stan straightened the pile of books and began to drag them to the corner to block her from sight in case any of his brothers decided to come in. He hesitated only to whisper an introduction that he realized belatedly he had yet to give.

"I'm Stan. Stan Baker. You're safe with me, I promise."

#TW: assault #TW: dehumanization #cw: assault #cw: dehumanization #pet AU #gtjuly #gtjuly2022 #BAU #young stan baker #Stan Baker #borrower OC #giant tiny #tiny #the borrowers

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lonely--seeker · 3 years

Text

Gave myself the task to rank the strawhats from my fav to the less favs, because honestly they're all faves.

Trying to put aside any thirst i have that is, I'll try to rank them in order of how much they make me feel. So watch out for the rant.

#1 Sanji

To nobody's surprise, we kin him ofc we do, I love him, i hate him, and i wouldn't have it any other way. It never fails to amaze me the fact that he is one of the strongest in the crew yet he knows what it feels like to be the weakest, and he is also one of the kindest people around at the same time he knows not everyone should be deserving of such kindness. Pretty much checks all my likes and single handed added a bunch of them!

#2 Luffy

Now he would be #1 if Sanji wasn't so emotionally rooted in me, I can't even start to explain Luffy is the best character to ever exist and i would die for him, he's both the kind of friend i wish I had and the one i wish I could be. Looking at him an make me feel better in a heartbeat.

#3 Brook.

I just can't… Not cry everytime I watch the scene in which he explains his past and just breaks… "I'm so glad to be alive!" It gives me goosebumps. it's a simple yet powerful sentence and i keep repeating it on my head "I'm so glad to be alive, I'm so glad to be alive…" That's right... In the end he ended up meeting the Strawhats, I- the fact he is very joyfull most of the time, and the little quirky things he does make me feel that's his way of coping and it breaks my heart further… Really this shouldn't be allowed, but i will root for this man to keep enjoying his life… although he's already dead!?

#4 Usopp

Oh boy, he is perhaps the second most human to me after Sanji. And he doesn't gets the recognition he deserves for being SO brave, i would like to have the balls to sail on a ship headed for a path full of danger that most probably would end in death and just for the sake of following your dream and having adventures? Having to bear the burden of feeling helpless because you're not strong enough? This bad boy can fit so much insecurities inside him. Anyways his growth hasn't been so flashy, but we love him exactly for the way he is and the long way he has come ^^ with my whole heart.

#5 Robin

Probably noticed my uhm… tendency for tragic pasts uh, but yeah the "I want to live" made me cry an amount i never thought i could, girl you deserve so much to be happy, you literally did nothing wrong and everyone who hurt you shall burn in hell forever. She would be higher considering it's a more brutal and lonely past, but honestly i like to think she got closure overall, i don't know… i still love her an insane amount.

# 6 Zoro

I LOVE Zoro, from his simplicity, to his bluntness to his oh so strong will of becoming stronger to his tiddies i wish I was more like him… not, not the tiddies part but working hard everyday for my dreams, i also love the gender equality that he has going on in his single braincell head, overall a character full of strong meaning but that easily stumbles on his way and that kinda bothers me… My feelings towards him are mostly bc he Is enjoyable, and feels like a friend that would never judge me so yeah, emotional support Marimo, come get yours.

#7 Franky

He gives me cool dad/Uncle vibes and i live for that, he is a dork, enjoyable and yeah quirky but he is such a nice guy sometimes! Like for real i live for the dad vibes this man gives, his history is really good too, the topic about weapons is very interesting but it also feels left behind and didn't struck me directly in a soft nerve like the others, i would love to see more of him!

#8 Chopper

Now I've been kind of being annoyed by chopper somehow lately, but his arc was also a big emotional wrecker to me, i cry everytime I CRY ALWAYS...i am crying…. So i give him that, i liked him way better pre timeskip, and i get he is the youngest but he could grow up a little bit.

#9 Nami

I would love to rank her higher but i just can't, actually i feel she should be lowest but… I really want to like her, i really would like her to be my favourite, really, but sometimes she just doesn't clicks with me even with how great she is, and much as chopper i think she's been kind of left out of growth? But not in a way she feels flat, she just feels left behind </3

#10 Jimbe

I like him, yes, but i still haven't found my exact feelings for him, i need to get to know him better maybe? He looks very nice and gentle, squishy…. Friend shaped… dad fish… Being honest his history didn't caught my attention, although the whole story of the Gyojin island is ;; simply amaizing ;; there's nothing that's specifically from him that i can pinpoint rn, I just really wanna see him around the Strawhats tho, watch him put up with his antics

#me blabbering #i could go into heavy detail abt most of them #and i feel like they deserve it #but i wont right now #one piece

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ambrosiaaddiction · 3 years

Text

Not Meant To Be

Word Count: 3,750

Summary: Anthony became the center of your attention, and it seemed as though his feelings were mutual for you. But in light of recent events, he’d only be able to comfort you in more ways than one. With the help of a loyal friend, you have no doubts that Simon will regret leaving you.

Pairing(s): Anthony Bridgerton x reader, Simon Basset x reader

Part 3/6

a/n: Sorry for the incredibly long wait! I knew that editing takes time, but I didn’t think that I would have writer’s block for, well, however long I’ve had it. So much has happened, and I lost motivation after motivation. Although, it’s not entirely fair for those of you who want to read Bridgerton fanfic. Without further delays, here’s part 3!!

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

One might think that when he stood outside my home with roses, Viscount Bridgerton had finally set himself on the route to having a family of his own. The Viscount was welcomed by Charles and invited inside, which caused Mama to almost fall over her feet. “Lord Bridgerton! Heavens! What a pleasant surprise this beautiful afternoon to see you!”

It took a lot of willpower not to roll my eyes at mama's change of mood from just minutes earlier. Lady Bridgerton wrote to me her apologies, that were not even pertinent at all, and mama blamed me of humiliating the Bridgertons yesterday. Papa didn't make his typical remarks, but I knew what he had been pondering regarding my misdeeds.

Other than that, Lord Bridgerton told them his hellos, and when he saw me in the family room, his smiling face grew greater. “Miss Denbow, good afternoon. As it always is, you never cease to look so exquisite.” If I wasn't mistaken, I assumed he was intending to flirt with me, and undoubtedly fooled mama with whatever act he was putting on.

“Lord Bridgerton, how kind of you to give my daughter compliments after seeing what she did yesterday at the picnic. In this town, you and your family are truly the most genuine.” Mama was eager to speak in my place, and when she tried to bring up the incident for the second or third time, I swallowed thickly.

Anthony’s mouth twitched at the corners, and he stepped over to me in order to gift his bouquet of roses. “Lady Denbow, I do not blame Miss Denbow for anything. She was suffering and knew no other way to communicate.” Before he slipped back, his fingers lightly stroked both of my hands, then he sat in an empty chair.

Cheeky bastard. He was making light of my missteps, which Mama considered especially inexcusable. And for his compassion, I could not have been more forever thankful. “Oh, Lord Bridgerton, thank you. To hear you say that alleviates my anxiety. And thank you for these roses.” I ran over the smooth petals with my thumb, then bent closer to take in the fragrance of them.

But once again, with more berating remarks on my ‘unladylike’ and ‘outrageous’ nature, Mama ruined the temporary pleasant environment. “I can't understand why, my lord, you want to court her. She may be my only child, but I'm sure she would be a far better choice for another lord of her equals.” My own mother had a toxic tongue which might ostracize her if she didn't take caution of others.

In order to defend against the offensive expressions she was thinking about me, as if I weren't really there, I opened my mouth, but Anthony decided to stand up from his seat and settled next to me. “I'm going to say this as politely as I can, Lady Denbow. What Miss Denbow did at the picnic was not wrong, and she's a wonderfully capable young lady. You are her mother, and I must admit that what you have said makes me very mortified.”

With discomposure, Mama's face grew red and, at last, she remained at a loss for words. “Lord Bridgerton, my apologies. Forgive your mama, y/n. My intention was not to negatively impact you such a way. I'm worried you can't even defend yourself.” Excuse after excuse were all I heard coming from her, but I needed to leave this conversation in the past.

“Mama, I'm forgiving you. But please don't think of me like that. When you do not see that I am well aware of what I'm doing and what I believe is important, I am in despair. I'm no longer a little girl.” Mama nodded, but in sensitivity, she refused to speak as she left Anthony and I in the room alone. "Well, either that may well have gotten out of hand, or the way I hoped it would.”

A chuckle escapes from the Viscount, and I recline against the back of the sofa with a tired sigh. I loved my mama and papa, but sometimes they treated me like I would never age from my childhood years. Despite having no brothers or sisters, I had friends who supported me and shared the same interests as I grew older.

Having Lord Bridgerton here was an enigma that I couldn’t fathom, but I appreciated how he stood up for me when mama complained without cease. Now that she was gone, I took the opportunity to ask him as to why he came to my home. “Anthony, can you tell me the reason for your visit? We both know that you don’t have intentions to court me contrary to what outsiders might believe.” I crossed my arms and waited for a reply, which was his hand resting on the top of my thigh. Perplexed, I looked over at him to see his eyes full of sympathy.

“Y/n, what Hastings said could have been less severe than they actually were, and Daphne chastised him for doing so.” Anthony began, his grip squeezing in reassurance, and he gently pulled it away once I’ve had enough time to comprehend what he told me. It warmed my heart to hear that Daphne was upset in my stead, although I’m sure anyone in their right mind would have done the same for me.

My thoughts wandered to how both the eldest child and the Duke of Hastings were famous rakes with great influence. One had brothers who would take his title and estate if he were to pass, whereas the other had no known relatives and only Lady Danbury to defend his name after his death. I found it funny that I’ve fallen in love with the latter, and he was treating me like I didn’t have a place in his place.

I must’ve been worrying Anthony with my lack of response because he waved a hand in front of my face to bring me back into reality. I shook my head of the unrelated topic and smiled sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry. I became lost before I realized that I’d drifted off.” “Oh, it’s quite alright. Trust me, I do the exact same thing when I’m alone.”

“I’ll be impartial with you, Anthony. I hadn’t given it consideration that your sister would do such a thing, and for me, no less. Perhaps I’ve had the wrong impression of her from the beginning. Everything is going terribly, and I haven’t been able to think properly.” I wore my heart on my sleeve for him to see, and I didn’t care about exposing my weaknesses to him. But Anthony seemed be torn between hugging me and giving a simple pat on my shoulder lest an unwanted third party were to walk in.

If anyone noticed the unusual display of affection, then news would spread that rather than waiting to fulfill the courtship rituals, I was advancing on a lord. He wouldn't be much of a gentleman, in Anthony's opinion, if he were to neglect a woman in distress. “When you weep, I don't like it. It so pains me when I'm labelled useless, but when you're laughing, you look the most spectacular, y/n. Simon's blind and ludicrous, but I know you really love him, don't you?”

“You're right, my lord. Again. I need to let go of my struggles and to live my life to its fullest. The Duke encouraged what I would like to go do, become, and pursue, but under false premises, he is intimately involved to your younger sister.” I forced my body to stand, and in confusion, but without doubt, Anthony quickly followed. In my own house, it felt too stifling, so I concluded that a stroll outside would hopefully help take my mind off what occupied it at the moment.

“Is there anything other than whining and moaning that I could do instead? Wait, Queen Charlotte is holding a ball for her nephew, is she not? I do believe his name is Prince Friedrich.” Anthony gave a short nod, and I could tell that he was already dreading a night of being surrounded by desperate mamas along with their unabashed daughters. Who would blame the Viscount for trying to discourage total strangers from making unwelcome advantages?

I was unexpectedly given the best idea by his affirmation, and I couldn't wait to put it into motion. I wanted to prove my worth to Simon, which would make Anthony and the Prince the ideal partners to irk him. “What say you to opening Simon's eyes in the notion that I attract His Highness tonight? I will have to be in the most magnificent ballgown, and I know that you can help me with this.”

“In the heat of the moment, it won't take a lot of effort to raise feelings of inadequacy in Hastings. He will be fixated on Daphne and attempting to keep conversations with literally everyone who comes across him, but I don't find it unlikely that he will be observing you with the Prince. I know I wouldn't have the means to take my eyes off you, my dear.” That was just what I expected to hear from him, and furthermore. I felt that I had done well enough to seek a Viscount who had awareness of everyone else around him.

Then that settled it. I was going to win the Prince's favor, and Simon would spectate from the sidelines with no likelihood of attempting to snatch me away. It felt invigorating even to think about how it would play out tonight, but it would be seamless with Anthony's help. “For your time and soothing words, I am beyond delighted, Anthony. Until the ball, there is more than enough time, so I want to use it to aim for perfection. Tonight, I hope to see you, my lord.”

“Miss Denbow, I am forever happy to console a lady when she is enduring pain. And indeed, tonight, to my great reluctance, you will see me. For now, I will leave you and I look forward to enjoying your progress.” Anthony bowed as he started to walk out of the family room, and with a curtsey and a goodbye, I accompanied him to our front door.

Since then, hours have passed, and I finally found a dress from Lady Delacroix that was incredible. She wasn't even from France, and her accent didn't fool me. Not important. My makeup was done by Marianne, my hair was styled by Lucinda, and mama lent me her diamond necklace to wear. It matched the diamond earrings I got from papa on my eighteenth birthday, and tonight, nothing could go wrong. I was positive of that.

The time had come, and I was one of the few to arrive at the castle fashionably late. The eyes of all were on me, making my chest swell with pride. I got a glimpse of Simon and Daphne who were standing by the refreshments, and they couldn't stop watching as I elegantly walked down the stairwell.

To my amusement, Prince Friedrich was the first one to approach me, and he held my hand and placed a feather-light kiss on the back of it. “Good evening, my lady. You are by far the most beautiful and hypnotizing center of attraction in this ballroom. May I inquire for your name?”

I concealed the lower half of my face with a fan and smiled with my eyes, captivated by his mannerisms. “I have the luxury of being graced by your presence, your highness. My name is y/n Denbow.” After I've presented myself, Prince Friedrich's face lit up, and he guided me off the the last two steps. “To my ears, your name is like music, and it's perfect for a maiden like you, Miss Denbow.”

His flattery would make any young lady practically beg the Prince for a dance at the ball. Well, if he could ever tear himself away from me, that was. “Thank you, Your Majesty. You make me feel like I've got my head in the clouds. If you keep complimenting her, you will certainly find yourself a maiden to court this evening.” From my comment, I swore he blushed a bright red.

“Ah, hello, Prince Friedrich! Miss Denbow! I see that you have made friends with each other. Y/n, I'm so happy you've arrived safe and sound back in London.” Lady Danbury tapped her cane on the ground twice to emphasize her excitement, and I couldn't have been more relieved to see a familiar face among those whose names I couldn't match.

“I have so much to tell you, Lady Danbury. But not here, especially when I came so late.” I apologized to the Prince and wrapped my arm around Lady Danbury as we walked into a more private area. She furrowed her eyebrows together, but she didn't inquire until we got to the place where we could be alone. “Well, speak to me, y/n. What are you so worried about? And why did you come by yourself?”

I bit my lower lip and exhaled deeply, which all the more displeased Lady Danbury. If I tried to explain my desperate condition to her, she was going to have countless questions, and I knew she would never let Simon live in the humiliation he brought upon himself. “I'm sure you've recently read Lady Whistledown's column, and my relationship with Simon, Lady Danbury, is complicated.”

“Unbeknownst to me, when I was in France, he and Miss Bridgerton declared their engagement. He did not give me a letter or even a note when I returned to London that he had gone ahead with a marriage proposal to a young woman he had never met before. I invited him and the Bridgertons to have a picnic just yesterday. I have never been able to remain quiet forever; you know this, Lady Danbury. He lashed out at me, claiming that if he had known that I would be so self-centered and petty, he would never have gotten to know me.”

She went on a tangent as I predicted about how she raised and trained "the shameless rake" to do better than what he did. During the length of her grievances, I remained silent, then patted her arm softly when she started to run out of words to illustrate the Duke. “Compared to his late father, he's not terrible, but he might just be so after he treated you, y/n, and I apologize on his behalf.”

In disagreement, I shook my head, not acknowledging her apologies because she had nothing to do with that. In the sense of flirting with Prince Friedrich, all I wanted from her was to be an addition to humiliate Simon. “If we succeed, then he'll see the good thing that he lost because he agreed to marry another needy girl.”

This caused Lady Danbury to chuckle at my remark, and I had an inkling that her mood improved just a little bit. “I’ll take part in your schemes, girl. Now, let us return to the ball before we’re asked of our whereabouts.” She winked playfully, then gently pushed me back the way we came from.

Men and women danced to their heart’s content, their veins pumping with champagne and even the possibility that they will be courting after tonight. I see Anthony and Simon quietly bickering where no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, but their secrets weren’t going to be hidden from me. “Lord Bridgerton, I thought you promised me a dance?”

I chimed into the midst of their argument, and Simon’s mouth hung open in shock. He quickly closed it, though, and I bowed to him as acknowledgment for his presence. Anthony gathered the remnants of his dignity before offering a hand for me to take. “My apologies, Miss Denbow. I promise you that never slipped my mind from the moment that I asked.”

After the brief yet nerve wracking encounter with the Duke of Hastings, I’m led to have a dance with the Viscount and my new partner of schemes. I felt everyone’s eyes glued to us, which makes me uncomfortable because of the unwanted attention, but it dissolves when Anthony nudges me to look up at him. That’s when I knew how much I admired the man, and perhaps, there wasn’t any obstacle that we wouldn’t be able to overcome.

I may have lost my first love to Daphne, but I also had the power to pull the necessary strings to get what I wanted. Anthony tightened his grip on my waist then closed the gap between us, and out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Simon glare at our swaying figures amongst the others. The spectacle made me laugh softly against the Viscount’s shoulder, and his chest rumbled with a quiet laugh of his own.

“I believe that taught him a harsh lesson, don’t you think, Miss Denbow?” Anthony whispered into my ear, and an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. After clearing my throat, I nodded in agreement. The man wasn’t exactly reputable in every way, but he damn well had my respect. “Yes, it most certainly did, Lord Bridgerton.” I replied, head tilted downwards to avoid eye contact with him.

Once our dance came to an end, I was approached by Prince Friedrich a second time this evening. Young and older women alike flocked around his highness, and I took a small step closer to Anthony in fear that I would be ridiculed by them. Wait, what am I thinking? I shouldn’t be afraid of the people that make their bosoms unnaturally larger than they actually are nor should I be backing away!

“Miss Denbow, may I have this next dance? It’d make me extremely delighted.” Prince Friedrich asked, unknowingly breaking the tension growing between myself and the disappointed women behind him. All I gave him was a smile along with an enthusiastic nod, and Anthony released his arms from around my waist. “I’d love to, your highness. And I could say the same about myself.”

The prince took my hand just when the next song began to play, and we danced as if we were one. If I were being completely honest, he needed a little more practice with his feet, but I was enjoying myself nonetheless. We shared a few words and I kept glancing over our shoulders to see if Simon was keeping an eye on us. In fact, he had been watching the entire time, and Anthony gave me a signal that our plan had succeeded.

I bowed deeply to the prince when our dance came to its regrettable end, and bid him farewell for the rest of the night. Simon appeared out of nowhere then pulled me to an empty area despite my cries of protest. “What do you think you’re doing?! Just because you’re jealous does not give you the right to drag me as you so please, Hastings!”

“Will you keep it down, Y/N?! We both know that I’m not the only jealous one here.” He huffs angrily, and for the first time in a long time, he’s rendered me utterly speechless. No, I won’t play by his rules. Not when there was so much more for me to accomplish. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m simply fulfilling my role as a maiden who hopes to have a courtship.”

Simon rolled his eyes in disbelief, turning away from me so that I’m only staring at his broad shoulders. I’m beginning to lose my calm composure, and the more I stay alone with him, the less I’ll want to leave. He can’t learn of the nights when I suffered alone in France, and he certainly couldn’t force me to risk my reputation for his sake.

“You’ve changed, Simon.” My voice broke at the end of my sentence, but I continued to speak. “I’m not doing anything for you, so don’t get your hopes up.” He scoffed, not convinced by my words, and turned back to face me. His arms find their way around my body like they used to in the past. The next thing I knew, we’re kissing passionately against the cold marble walls.

He had me mewling his name over and over again, begging for a release that was on his fingertips. Simon muffled my sighs of pleasure with his mouth, and we fixed the bridge that was crumbling between the two of us. When we were satisfied, he muttered apology after apology as he kissed my skin. But we both knew that we run away with the position that he was in.

“I’ll figure it out, so wait for me. Please, Y/N.” “Don’t make me promise you, Simon. I want you to prove to me that I’m the only woman you love.” I kissed his neck and cheek, my heartbeat slowing to its normal pace before I fixed my dress. We’ve both been gone for too long, and I didn’t doubt that I would be questioned of my whereabouts.

Simon understood the weight of my words as well as what we would both face when we left separately. He kissed me one last time, and made his return to the ballroom until I did the same. Thankfully, neither Anthony or Mama asked where I had been, and I could breathe easy again. But now I was even more conflicted than before. I made Simon jealous, which ignited sex and doubt that we would be together after all this time.

Although... if I were to adjust my original plans in order for us to have a wedding and deal with the consequences afterwards, then it shouldn’t be very difficult, would it? Well, we would just need to face the challenges when the time comes, and I was determined to have Simon all to myself again.

#bridgerton #bridgerton imagine #simon basset #reader x simon basset #anthony bridgerton

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