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#i’d be surprised if anyone came out of that without trust issues
fandomsnrambles · 4 months
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You know, i didnt really realise this until i was reading into it properly but
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It says that Garmadon took more risks after the Aspheera incident, not after the venom. Which implies the venom didn’t make him reckless and impulsive which i’d assumed at first tbh, ive seen a lot of posts say it too.
Which kinda implies the venom more likely affects emotions which are already there and probably amplifies them by corrupting said feelings?
I mean, it says here Garmadon became impulsive after the Aspheera incident, where the FSM started talking to them less out of paranoia and probably realising his kids weren’t mature enough to know about certain things.
What if the reason why is that the Aspheera incident and his father’s reaction caused resentment to build up in Garmadon? Then Garmadon started questioning his father and started seeing much less reason to obey his father as well so took risks and broke rules.
Then he got bitten by a snake whose venom caused him to become more impulsive and affected his thoughts and feelings? I say this because of the “It’s all Wu’s fault!” thing he said in the show. In other books, Garmadon goes on to blame himself not Wu, which really shows how he really feels and how he first blamed Wu due to the venom, not because of how he felt.
(Tbh i also feel if Wu was the one who got bit, Garmadon would blame himself the same way Wu did for centuries after. Like “I’m his big brother! Why didn’t I go? Why was I such a coward?”
On another note, sad Wu hours 😔, my boy had to grow up fast because of trauma. To be honest, it’s not uncommon for 7-year olds to test the limits of whats allowed and whats not. Breaking rules is normal kid behaviour to me, it’s just more extreme because Wu and Garmadon are the FSM’s kids (whose basically god in Ninjago.)
I imagine 7-year old Wu didn’t properly understand the consequence or the concept of going onto Serpentine land. Which isn’t illogical, he’s 7 years old. I imagine Garmadon was at least 10 (or maybe Wu was 10 and Garmadon was 13 idk) which means Garmadon being more responsible is more understandable, he knew more than Wu and understood more.
I also still find it so so sad how their roles flipped. Wu was always more curious and explorative which is why he went everywhere. I bet you he was the kid running and throwing himself in mud with his brother screaming at him not too lmao, or even the kid eating random plants as Garmadon tried to stop him. Wu’s curiosity and recklessness is still in him in adulthood, he’s very unhinged if you actually look deeper into him.
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fanficshiddles · 1 year
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Villain Or Victim, Chapter 5
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For the following few nights, Loki continued to take Echo out of her cell without anyone else knowing. Aside from Thor, who had given up on telling Loki how bad of an idea it was.
Usually, Loki took her up onto the roof, which seemed to be her favourite place. He did take her for a walk around the grounds too, which she seemed to enjoy.
But tonight, he had something different in mind. After taking her up onto the roof again for a little while, he suggested something else.
‘How would you like to use up some energy in the training field?’ Loki asked her while rubbing her arm. They were sitting close together on the rooftop and he had his arm around her.
‘Would that be ok?’ She asked quietly.
‘Of course. I know you will likely still feel trapped and cooped up. I thought perhaps doing some training of your skills will help, might help you sleep better too.’
Echo had been struggling to sleep well, and she had told Loki that yesterday. It probably was partly due to not doing much during the day, not getting the same exercise like she normally did.
‘That would be great… Thank you, Loki.’ She smiled at him.
Loki took her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze, he led her back down and outside to the field.
He watched from the side as she ran laps around the perimeter first, not quite at her full speed but still an impressive speed none the less. Then she impressed him with some fighting techniques on the robot trainers that Stark had invented. They kept popping up around her but she was able to take them all down with various kicks or punches. She was really agile and light on her feet, which Loki hadn’t noticed previously when they’d been originally fighting her.
He tapped his lip in deep thought while he continued watching her.
‘She has so much potential.’ He hummed quietly to himself.
-
The Avengers were all having their daily meeting to speak about Echo. They got updates from Loki about how she was doing with him, if she was opening up more and if she had told him anymore information that could be useful.
Bruce and Tony would update everyone about their progress in the lab. And there was some…
‘I think, if we can make a serum… a form of nerve block, so to speak, we can perhaps stop her outbursts. We now know the issue is coming from her occipital nerve, so we just need to come up with a solution that will last long enough to block it. Even if we need to administer it monthly, that would be better than nothing.’ Bruce said.
They had been able to work with Echo and she had been letting them run some tests. Including many brain scans to pinpoint where the issue was coming from. She had only been able to allow them to do said tests with Loki’s support though of course.
Though they did need to enrage her on purpose a few times, so they could see her brain in action, which had been relatively easy to do.
‘How long will it take to make this serum?’ Loki queried.
Bruce hummed for a moment in thought. ‘Not sure. It might take a few attempts, but I’d be hopeful within a few weeks we will have the right solution.’
‘I think we can probably do it in about ten days.’ Tony interjected.
‘That soon?’ Loki asked, keeping his tone casual though he was surprised to hear it could be so soon.
‘It shouldn’t be too difficult. We will need to take a few more samples from her, but it will be straight forward enough.’ Tony shrugged.
Loki nodded once. ‘Good.’
He then kept quiet for the rest of the duration of the meeting. He just listened to plans the team came up with, while also forming a plan of his own for Echo. Though he wasn’t going to have as much time now as he had originally thought he would.
Even though he had her trust, he still wasn’t entirely sure how far that trust would go yet.  
-
‘Are the team any closer to finding a solution for me?’ Echo asked Loki that night, he was in her cell spending some time with her. He had pulled her onto his lap to cuddle, knowing how much she liked that. Especially when he stroked her hair, it was so soothing for her.
‘Not yet, but they are working hard on it. Between missions they’re in the lab trying to find one.’
‘Do you think it will ever be possible for me to live a normal life? To not have to be caged up constantly?’ She asked.
Loki gently cupped her face and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. ‘You’re not a danger to me, so that’s a big start. It proves it can be done.’
‘I just… want to be normal. I hate being like this, getting angry at nothing.’ She said through gritted teeth, even just thinking and speaking about it made her get worked up.
‘Shh, darling. It’s ok, we will get you there.’ Loki soothed her and she instantly began to calm again. He kissed her forehead, making her heart flutter.
‘Have you been sleeping better now that you’ve been doing some training each night?’ He asked.
‘Yeah, I have. Thank you.’ Echo nodded. ‘Would the others be really angry if they found out? Even though I’ve not done anything wrong, and I’ve always been supervised by you?’
‘They probably would. It’s best we still keep it a secret.’ He winked at her. ‘How would you like to try something a bit different tomorrow night?’
‘What do you have in mind?’ Echo asked curiously.
‘How about going off site for a little bit? There’s a… special little mission I need to do. One that I could do with having your help on.’ Loki said.
‘What… what sort of mission?’ Echo raised an eyebrow.
‘I will fill you in more tomorrow on the way there, if you’re up for going?’
Echo pondered on it for a moment, then nodded. She trusted Loki, so why not? If she could be useful, then surely that was a good thing?
‘Excellent.’ Loki grinned widely and gently kissed her on the lips.
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anarcho-sexual · 1 year
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Alright this is a personal rant. I’ve decided to post it here and to post it at all because I don’t want to bother my few friends & I need these thoughts to exit my vessel & I don’t think paper or notes app will cut it this time. Please ignore if you wish. If you read, know that it’s got negative energy. It’s just for me but obviously the internet is public so idc if anyone ever says anything on this or not
I want to see a therapist who specializes in genderstuff but I’m not out to my parents (one I live with still cause I’m a loser). My mom would never have to know cause I’m an adult but I’m on my dad’s insurance & he graciously provides me with a roof & food for free. All he asks is I actively work on myself instead of giving up on my life & my mental health. It’s a fact that he would love & support & accept me as his daughter. But I’m just not confident my mom would. The concern about my mom is more regarding transitioning than seeing a therapist but it’s all the same game. She’s a conservative & mildly queerphobic. Idk if she would ever even use my real pronouns or name if I told her. I’m thinking about one day moving far enough away that my family can’t surprise visit me AND it’s so far it isn’t desirable to want to come see me that often. Then I’ll just put on a man costume when I do see them. Like Halloween. It feels like that’s what I have to do. I feel guilty about feeling like I can’t come out too. I feel like I can’t come out because I’m terrified. I have an anxiety disorder that my dad literally caused for me & trust issues directly related to him. He’s not a cunt anymore but our relationship was kinda ruined. Well I guess you can’t ruin it if it was never good huh? But like that’s it! I have crippling anxiety, trust issues, & the potential (not even a certainty!) that my mom may not accept me or respect me/my identity. I’ve already “lost” my mom to American Conservatism would it really devastate me if I had to go NC cause she didn’t accept or respect me? Nah I’d just be sad about it for awhile & every now & again. That’s all I have in the way of me being myself openly & getting the help I need. Ain’t no one gonna kick me out, disown me, hurt me in any way, nothing. I’m so incredibly fortunate to be a trans girl who doesn’t have to worry for a second about violence or even yelling if I came out. So fucking fortunate. But I still just can’t fucking do it. I don’t even want to! I just want the stuff I need :/ well actually I just want to be anti-alive but I can’t do that because I literally have to ensure that my siblings are raised properly because our mom has backwards conservative beliefs and I refuse to allow that misogynistic bullshit to be put onto my sister & their dad is just a damn POS. His behavior is very consistent with everything I’ve read about Narcissistic Personality Disorder, to give a hint.
Ultimately I know I don’t need therapy because there have been thousands of trans people who raw dogged that shit cause therapy didn’t exist yet. But it sure helps. Also I imagine I’d have a difficult time getting HRT without any history of therapy that’s focused on my gender identity issues. I’m so tired dawg. I’m just so tired.
If you read this, & have reached the end here, I thank you for giving my feelings your time. In return, I offer this egg 🥚
#me
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chronocidalrage · 2 years
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12/6/22 - 12/7/22
ATOM SHIT So I think I carry a lot of guilt, as if it’s my fault Atom is dead. There’s a line of codependents/love addicts stretching from Nana > Dad > Atom > Me. Dad started really depending on me to fill the void in middle school, but then in high school I tried to live and messed up the balance and he never recovered. Years later, I moved forward with Susie and Atom never recovered.
I know it’s not my fault that they couldn’t manage, but how do I live with being the inciting incident?
I also think I’m afraid that if I get my shit together I’ll feel like such a different person that I won’t feel connected to Atom anymore, and/or that I’ll end up more like Mom and Scott and I wanna stay closer to the side of the family that I lost.
PASSIVE Passive. I wait for permission to act. I put other people first because I don’t trust my decision making process, I’d rather follow someone else.
This is also why it’s hard for me to be self-motivated and learn without guidance (I learned how to draw by drawing alongside Atom and taking tips from him). I’m also passive because I’m waiting for someone else to co-sign my decisions. I’m always nervous that what I want is wrong somehow.
That’s why I love eating and watching movies. Because what I want to eat is up to me. It doesn’t matter if someone else doesn’t like it, they don’t have to eat it. Someone doesn’t like what I’m watching? They don’t have to watch it.
I also definitely am afraid to put myself first ever since Freshman year because there’s several examples of that going poorly. I remember now that I was in Bolton when Atom got hit by a car and didn’t find out until I got home. I also think I was in North Carolina when Atom and Kerry broke up and I came home to him being back at the house. Then I was with Cassie when he got arrested. Interesting.
SHIT Only Atom was allowed to see my weak side. I can’t show it to others so I’ve always been exhausted from hiding it around everyone but him. But this means I also associate Atom with my weak side.
My weak side misses Atom the most. Because Atom was his only friend. But my weak side also hates himself for being too weak to SAVE Atom.
Because we all have a Charlie Baileygates and a Hank Evans inside us. The secret to a good life is combining the two. I always try to be Hank and get scared if anyone sees Charlie.
I bet Atom is the only person who didn’t make me feel bad about any of my issues when I was little. So I saw him as the only person I could be weak around.
And Atom was upset he couldn’t be weak around me. But he couldn’t see I just wanted him to live. He was allowed to be weak or whatever he wanted to call it. I only needed him to be strong enough to survive. His belief that he was weak is what killed him, so I can’t let that same false belief kill me.
SIDE NOTE: I’m realizing now that I think everyone else treated Atom like he was weak. I was the only person who truly knew how strong he was. Maybe that was the problem. Everyone else saw him as a weak person who couldn’t possibly fight his way out of the hole he was in. I just wanted everyone else to wake up and see how strong he was and how he totally COULD do it if he wanted to. But instead, everyone else just reinforced his worse fear about himself: that he was weak.
It’s all about my pathetic side. I believe I have a pathetic side, or that my pathetic side is the real me. I didn’t want to date Sarah because she might see my pathetic side. It was only when she was gonna spend most of her time in another state that I felt safe dating her. I could more easily hide my pathetic side.
Then I went for girls who I believed were too naïve to see my pathetic side. Girls who would be blind to it. Abbie happened to my surprise. She was experienced and kinda shallow but seemed to love me which confused the shit out of me. I didn’t have strong feelings for her but I thought “somehow I’ve tricked her. I don’t know if I’ll ever trick someone this well again. Should I just settle for this?”
Then I hung out with Cassie and some friends that night and fell for her. My thinking was this: she could be a sexual/casually romantic friendship. Nothing super deep, but we had mutual friends and interests. She was a pretty girl who was not and idiot who was already in my circle. It was me thinking I could have what I had with Pearse or John maybe, but with a girl.
Then we ended up really liking each other and my pathetic side leaked out and she went back and forth between accepting it and rejecting it (from my perspective at least). Once I knew I’d been exposed I became convinced she’d find out just how much of a fraud I really was. So I sabotaged the whole thing from fear. Who knows if she really disliked that side of me. I may never know.
Then I focused on flirtationships because the girls could never get close enough to see me for real. When girls actually expressed interest in me I resisted because I refused to believe they could like the real me.
Then came Susie. Once again, she seemed like she would perfectly fit into my circles because she already was fitting into them. I thought I could have something fun and easy.
Then things got tough and real early on. But the thing I realized was this: she saw the worst parts of my pathetic side, the anger, the ugliness. And she not only stayed but she fought for me. That’s why I couldn’t turn away no matter how rough things got. She was the first person since Atom to seemingly accept my pathetic side. Fuck, that almost seemed like her favorite part in some ways. In fact, she didn’t even seem to think it was pathetic. I think Atom could tell I felt more accepted too and that’s why he supported things with Susie even during rough times.
But because I find it hard to believe that she could support that part of me I look for any proof that she doesn’t. When things briefly got difficult in 2018 I took it as a sign that I only FELT accepted by her, or that I lucked out due to her own personal struggles.
Now I never wanna push it. I don’t wanna rock the boat. I just wanna keep things even so she doesn’t change her mind. LOLOLOL.
I definitely believe there is a weak side in me that’s shameful and I don’t want anyone to see it. Only Atom was able to see it and not judge it, and he’s dead.
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vampiregirl1797 · 3 years
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Shifters & Revelations
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GIF not mine.
Dean Winchester x plus size Reader
Summary: When Sam and Dean come to St. Louis, the younger hunter can’t resist checking in on one of his old friends, and the elder Winchester can’t deny his instant attraction and interest.
Warnings: mentions of blood, torture, but mostly fluff. If I’ve forgotten anything, let me know.
Word count: 6,604
Click here for my Masterlist.
‘Are you gonna tell me where the hell we’re going?’ Dean asked, not for the first time.
Sam had insisted on coming to St Louis to help prove that his old friend hadn’t murdered his girlfriend, they’d just been to visit his sister, and now Sam was giving him another address of someone they had to drop in on before they met Becky to check out the crime scene. Dean didn’t mind trusting his brother, but it got to a point where he was tired of being left out of the loop. They were a team, after all.
‘I have another friend who I think can help us.’ Sam admitted, not meeting Dean’s eyes as his gaze moved from the road to his little brother and back again.
‘What are you keeping from me, Sammy?’ his voice bore the frustration that was starting to bubble over.
‘Dean, I promise I’ll tell you everything, but can you please just trust me a little longer?’ Sam wouldn’t said he was pleading, but he knew deep down that was exactly what he was doing; he wanted more time before he had to tell his big brother exactly how much y/n, the girl they were going to see, knew about their family.
Dean’s green eyes didn’t need more than a second to observe his little brothers barely contained desperation, and the guilt he was probably hoping Dean wouldn’t notice. But he did, he always did. With a sigh, he let it go, because while his brother was hiding something, he was still his brother, and he trusted him with his life.
They spent the rest of the drive in silence with Sam staring blankly out of the window, and Dean taking the necessary directions to reach the address of the apartment building he’d been given. It didn’t take long for them to get there, and by the time they did Dean noticed how his brother’s demeanour had completely changed. He’d gone from guilty and desperate to excited. The older hunter frowned in confusion, but before he could even open his mouth to question his little brother, he’d slammed the door to race to the buzzer by the door.
‘Sammy—‘ his brows lifted in surprise when his brother shushed him and proceeded to press the buzzer for apartment 4C three times consecutively, before stopping and doing it again twice.
Sam seemed to hold his breath in anticipation, before releasing it with a breathy laugh when the buzzer sounded to grant them entry into the building, without anyone even talking over the intercom. The younger hunter yanked open the door and raced for the stairs, not even bothering to try the elevator because he knew it would be broken. Dean trailed behind him at a much slower pace, wondering who the hell would inspire such a reaction from his little brother.
//
I couldn’t believe it, after almost six months Sam was here; at least she assumed because no one else would have buzzed in that sequence, only Sammy. It was a code they came up with, one I would use at his apartment and vice versa, to let one another know who was at the door. Both of them were prone to not wanting visitors on occasion, and in that need they found companionship. The code meant that each of them could know who was at the door, to know they could let one another in and they could be there for each other in their darkest moments. Sam was the only one I’d ever let see me in those darkest moments, and I knew it had been the same for him. Even his girlfriend, Jessica, was someone he didn’t want to be around when the depression encompassed him. She had been the first girlfriend he’d had who hadn’t had an issue with our close friendship, who had believed that we loved each other deeply and fiercely, but platonically.
I was snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of footsteps pounding in the hallway outside the apartment. With a grin bigger than I had smiled in a long time, I yanked the door open, only to nearly fall on my ass when the younger Winchester swooped me up in his arms and hugged me tightly to his body. My eyes fluttered shut as I hugged him back, my head resting on his chest. I’d missed Sam so much, and I’d especially missed his hugs. He was the first person in my life to notice how touch starved I was in freshman year, and he’d soon introduced casual touches, hugs and cuddles on movie nights into their friendship. He was the older brother I’d never had but always wanted, and to be surrounded by his warmth again after so long, I was powerless to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.
With my head underneath his chin, I didn’t see Sam having a similar reaction, but as they slid down his cheeks into my hair, I felt it and pulled back a little to look up to him, both of us sharing sheepish smiles full of affection.
‘I missed you, Winchester.’ I murmured, my voice breaking from the emotion clogged in my throat.
‘I know,’ he kissed my forehead and pulled my head back down to his chest, savouring the moment, the relief that his little sister was okay, ‘I know, I missed you too.’
Neither of us noticed when the elder hunter slipped into the room, the way his eyes took in our position, the tear stains on both of our cheeks, and how tightly we clung to one another.
Dean knew how much Sammy loved Jessica, but he couldn’t ignore the affection he saw in his brother for this girl in that moment. For a moment he wondered whether she could be another girl he’d been seeing at the same time as Jessica, but he shook that thought from his head immediately; he knew his brother. Four years apart wouldn’t change Sammy’s morals, his goodness, that quickly and that drastically. Whoever she was, whatever love he felt for her, it wasn’t romantic.
He gave them a few more moments before he started to feel like a creepy voyeur and cleared his throat. When that didn’t seem to register, he slammed the still open door and sheepishly smiled when the two jumped but didn’t move away from one another completely. He tucked his hands into his pockets and raised an eyebrow at his little brother, waiting for him to snap into action.
Sam did, after a moment, once the emotion that had been overwhelming him was no longer bubbling so close to the surface. Y/n and him pulled out of their embrace, but he wound an arm around her shoulders, knowing they both appreciated the contact. Sam hadn’t realised how much he relied on their casual affection until it was suddenly ripped away. He loved his brother, but he wasn’t the ‘touchy-feely’ type.
‘Sorry,’ he said, Dean didn’t miss the lack of sincerity in his voice and his curiosity blossomed even more, ‘this is y/n y/l/n. We went to college together, and we were even roommates for a couple of years before I moved in with… Jess.’
I lifted my hand to entwine my fingers with his hand that still rested over my shoulders. I squeezed comfortingly, winding an arm around his waist to hug him to my side for a moment, only releasing him when he gave me a grateful smile.
‘Y/n,’ Dean’s deep voice caused an unexpected shiver to move down my spine, ‘nice to meet you.’
He offered me a hand and I accepted it with my free one, returning the smile he offered and willing myself not to blush at being on the other end of those green eyes.
‘Nice to meet you.’ I released him and moved out from underneath Sammy’s hold to head to the kitchen to my left; it was open plan so I never left their view.
I opened the fridge and Sammy nodded in answer to my silent question when I glanced up, and he caught the water I threw without a word. I held another bottle up to Dean with a raised eyebrow and he nodded with a smile, his reflexes allowing him to catch it easily.
‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ I admitted, closing the fridge after grabbing my own beverage and leading the brothers to the living area just behind them. I settled onto the couch, Sam sitting beside me and lifting my legs onto his lap without a second thought.
‘Really?’ Dean sat in the armchair across from the two-seated couch, trying and failing to hide his surprise at how casual they were with one another. He’d never seen Sammy be so openly affectionate with… anyone.
‘Oh yeah,’ I grinned and Dean felt a pull in his chest at how effortlessly beautiful she was, ‘Sammy was always telling me stories about his protective older brother, it’s nice to put a face to the name. Well, a current face anyway.’ I continued at the older Winchester’s confusion, ‘he’s shown me pictures of when you were kids, but you look a little different.’
Dean blinked, shifting in his chair and looking over to his little brother, noting his averted gaze. He felt something stir uncomfortably inside of him that Sammy was worried he’d have an issue with this, and maybe he would if it were anyone else. But there was something different about her. He didn’t know what it was, and he wasn’t really eager to assess it too deeply because he’d only just met her, but whatever it was… he wasn’t worried about their closeness. In fact he wouldn’t be surprised if she knew everything.
‘Just how close are you two?’ he dared ask, sitting further back in his chair, his hands gripping the leather arms.
‘Close enough to know that things go bump in the night and you two are good at identifying them and killing them.’ I told him.
Dean’s chest warmed, knowing she had answered to save Sammy from having to; it meant more than he could say to know his little brother had someone who was just as protective of him as the older Winchester.
I didn’t miss the soft look that crossed Dean’s face, and felt my heckles lower on instinct, feeling a little embarrassed that I’d gotten so defensive when I knew how much Dean loved his bother. I offered the older hunter a small, sheepish smile when his gaze moved back in my direction after observing the way Sammy was guiltily staring at my legs that rested on his lap.
‘Sammy, it’s okay,’ Dean found the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could think about voicing them, the open warmth on y/n’s face having more of an impact than he would ever admit. Sammy’s eyes hesitantly moved to meet his, his worry fading at the sincerity on his brother’s face.
‘Really?’
‘Really,’ a small smile formed on his face, ‘you told her the family secret, I get it.’
Sam noted the wistful look on his face and had to ask, ‘you do? You told someone?’
Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair, ‘yeah, I did. Difference is she thought I was making it all up because I wanted to break up with her.’ His hazel eyes moved over to y/n, wondering what it could have felt like if Cassie had believed him, ‘I’m happy you have someone who believed you, someone outside of the family you can talk to about all this.’
I felt my heart squeezing for the elder Winchester and looked over to Sammy and his expression of shock to say, ‘if you don’t hug him, I will.’
My words had the desired impact and they all chuckled a little, Sammy sliding my legs off his lap to stand and meet his brother in a short but affectionate embrace.
Sam ignored y/n’s amused look, knowing she was thinking of how much she’d complain if he gave her a hug that short, but he knew his brother. A two second hug was as affectionate as he was comfortable with.
‘Anyway, not that I’m not happy to see you, Sammy, but what are you doing here?’ I asked, setting my half empty bottle of water on the coffee table in front of me.
‘It’s Zach,’ Sam sighed, his expression revealing his concern for our old friend, ‘have you heard?’
‘No, I haven’t spoken to him since we graduated.’ I admitted, ‘what happened?’
‘He’s been arrested for killing his girlfriend, but we think it’s something else.’ Sam reached for his laptop to load the footage Becky said she’d send over as soon as they left.
‘Zach?’ I snorted, ‘he couldn’t beat me in an arm wrestling match for God’s sake, and they think he’s capable of murder?’
‘Yeah,’ Sam sighed, turning the laptop so I could watch the footage, ‘this is him entering his apartment at ten after ten. Autopsy said she was killed at ten thirty, but Becky said he was with her until midnight. His fingerprints were all over the scene, and there was no sign of a struggle. They’re saying she let her attacker in.’
‘Okay,’ I stood from the sofa and headed over to the bookcase I had just behind it. I had to use the small ladder I kept beside it to reach the shelf that held the book I was looking for. I missed the older Winchester’s appreciative glance over my ass as I had my back to them both, but Sam didn’t and sent Dean a warning look that the elder brother brushed off with a cheeky smile.
I grabbed the old, leather bound book when I located it with a happy smile before climbing down and making my way back over, flipping through the pages and placing it on the coffee table for them both to see when I found the right passage.
‘I’m sure you both have more information on this, but it sounds like a shape-shifter to me.’ I crossed my legs and leaned back into the leather sofa, trying not to let my gaze linger too long on the older Winchester as he leaned over the table to read the passage.
‘Son of a bitch,’ Dean cursed, running a hand through his hair, ‘if it’s anything, it has to be this Sammy.’
‘I agree.’ Sam picked up the book when it was clear Dean was done to take another look over the lore’s and theories.
‘If it is, you should be careful it doesn’t turn into either of you.’ I said, biting my bottom lip as concern twisted in my gut, ‘some theories suggest that when it takes on your form, the longer it wears your skin, the more it learns about you, the more it becomes you.’
‘What so it could download all of our memories? Our thoughts?’ Dean asked, sounding freaked, and I didn’t blame him.
‘Yup. So if I were you I’d find a way to make sure you are yourselves if you get split up at any point.’ I tilted my head as I thought, and my eyes brightened with an idea, ‘it has to be something it wouldn’t think of taking from you.’
‘Like what?’ Sammy asked, noting how Dean’s gaze followed me as I darted towards my bedroom.
I wasn’t gone long, but I didn’t miss the way the brothers suddenly quietened when I returned. I brushed it off as I carried my things over to my seat, noting their confusion as they took in my sowing supplies and the galleons I’d collected.
‘Okay, this might be a dumb idea, but hear me out.’ I picked up one of the golden galleons I’d bought in, ‘I’m assuming when it takes over someone’s form, it steals their clothes too, to make the story more believable because if he’s planning to kill someone’s girlfriend, she’s gonna be suspicious if he’s wearing something she’s never seen before, right?’
Both Winchester’s nodded for me to continue, ‘so if you come up with a question, that seems casual enough to ask each other after you’ve been separated, that’s actually code for the other to show you a specific coin for example, you have a good way of knowing if you’re with your brother or someone pretending to be him.’
‘But if he does download our memories when he becomes us, he’ll know what coin to specifically show, though right?’ Dean asked.
‘Right, but what if I sow it somewhere he won’t think to take it from?’ I suggest, holding up a needle and thread, ‘then even if you do ask him and he realises what you’re after, and knows where it is, he won’t be able to give it to you because the real version of you will have it.’
‘That’s brilliant.’ Sam grinned, ‘where do you want to sow it?’
‘Well we don’t know what he’s going to take from you, so each of you will have three coins sown in to various parts of clothing, and if you can’t produce all three when asked, you’re probably a shape shifter.’ I explained, ‘thing is, you’ll have to wear exactly what you’re wearing now until the thing is caught.’
‘Fine with me.’ Dean shrugged, leaning back and crossing his ankles, ‘so where are we gonna put those things?’
‘It has to be items he wouldn’t think to take off us so… underwear, socks and t-shirts?’ Sam suggested, shoving my shoulder when my nose wrinkled at the thought of handling his underwear.
‘Fine, but go and get fresh ones and you can change into them all after.’ I said, smiling when Sam ruffled my hair before standing. He held a hand up and Dean tossed him the keys; he darted from the apartment afterward, the door closing softly behind him.
‘You two are close,’ Dean commented, and I busied myself with sorting my supplies in the hope that he wouldn’t notice the blush on my face as I realised we were alone together.
‘Yeah,’ I smiled, thinking of Sam, ‘he’s like the big brother I always wanted.’
‘You don’t have any siblings?’ He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees, giving me his full attention.
‘No, I do, I have a younger brother, but we don’t really get along.’ I shrugged, having accepted the reality of that years ago, ‘I love my family, but most of the time I don’t like them.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because they’re not very nice people, it took a while for me to realise I had a toxic relationship with my father, and when I tried to talk about it with my mom and brother they made me feel like I was being over-dramatic,’ I admitted, picking at my fingernails, ‘when I left for college and got out of there… it was like a weight had been lifted. I felt free, like I could finally be myself without walking on eggshells and being worried I was going to set off my dad’s temper, or that I was going to be on the receiving end of snide comments about my weight or eating habits that inevitably made me feel shit about myself.’
I took a breath and sat on the floor, crossing my legs underneath the coffee table as I threaded the cotton through the needle in preparation, ‘I met Sam my first week at college, and we had an instant platonic connection. I hadn’t realised what I’d been missing out on for so long, I’ve never had someone who loves me, who looks out for me, and just cares about me the way Sam does. He knows me better than any of my blood relatives ever have.’
Dean cleared his throat in an attempt to hide the emotions that had overcome him as he’d listened. He’d felt his protective instincts flare up unexpectedly, and found himself understanding his little brother’s fondness for the girl, ‘I’m glad you have someone to show you what it’s like to be loved unconditionally.’
I looked up, my heart skipping a beat at the intense look in his eyes, ‘me too,’ I bit my lip, wondering if I should say what I wanted to, even though it might be overstepping but I couldn’t help it, ‘Sam loves you like that too, you know.’
Dean blinked, and my heart clenched painfully at the glimmer of disbelief in his eyes before he hid it.
‘He does. He used to talk about you everyday, how you basically raised him so your dad could hunt the supernatural. He hated that his argument with your father made him feel like he was cut off from you too.’ I glanced towards the door, worried Sam would hear me revealing this to his brother, ‘he wrote you letters, everyday. It was his way of telling you everything he found himself wanting to call you to talk about.’
I stood up, but I don’t think the elder Winchester noticed, he hadn’t moved a muscle in the time it took for me to go to my room and back again. I walked over to him, holding out the small wooden box Sam had trusted me with before he left with his brother. He hadn’t wanted to take them with him, probably because he didn’t want to explain what they were or why he had written them. But Sammy knew me better than I knew myself, and I knew him the same way; he would want Dean to have these, after all, that’s why he had written them. There were four years worth of letters in the box, the last one having been written the day before Dean had unexpectedly shown up for his brothers help.
‘Here, I think it’s time you had these.’ I held the box out to him, willing my eyes not to fill with tears as I noticed the sheen in his green eyes.
He swallowed and took the box from me with a shaky hand that we both pretended not to notice. I heard footsteps in the hall, and apparently he did too, because while I settled back on the sofa, Dean carefully slid the wooden box underneath the chair he was sitting on.
‘Here, I bought up your duffel because I didn’t know what you’d prefer to wear, and because I didn’t really want to shift through your underwear…’ he threw the duffel onto Dean’s lap, but when his eyes looked me over his words trailed off, ‘what’s going on?’
‘Nothing,’ I smiled, standing and fighting the urge to wring my hands together; it was a guilty habit he would pick up on immediately, ‘I was just telling Dean about my family.’
Sam’s brown eyes softened in understanding, throwing his own duffel onto the sofa and kissing my forehead, ‘you okay?’
‘Yeah, I’m good,’ I let him see the sincerity on my face, ‘something about you Winchester’s, you’re just too easy to open up to.’
Sam and Dean chuckled; I felt myself smile in response while Sam answered his phone as it rang in his pocket.
I took the clothes Dean handed me with a smile, ignoring the way my heart picked up when his warm hand touched mine during the transfer. I got to work; starting with the grey t-shirt he’d given me and creating a little pocket with the extra fabric I had. It didn’t need to look perfect, and it certainly wouldn’t because I was an amateur sower at the best of times. But as long as each item had a small pocket sown on the inside to hold a galleon coin, it wouldn’t matter.
‘We need to meet Becky at the crime scene,’ Sam shot me an apologetic look.
‘It’s fine, Sammy, I’m a big girl I can handle being ditched for a crime scene.’ I teased, laughing when he rolled his eyes.
‘Do we need to both go?’ Dean asked, standing and shrugging on the jacket I hadn’t realised he’d taken off.
‘What if there’s a trail?’ Sam said.
‘Well, you don’t want to be following any trails until I’ve finished this, in case you get split up.’ I reminded them, concentrating on my task to avoid stabbing myself with the needle I was holding.
‘That’s true,’ Sam sighed, ‘it couldn’t hurt to look around, right? But you’re right I don’t think we both need to go.’
‘You haven’t seen y/n in a long time, if you wanna stay I can meet up with the sister,’ Dean offered, ignoring his own desire to stay with the captivating girl; he’d never felt this way about a woman before, at least not so quickly, it was freaking him out a little. It usually took him a long time to become comfortable around a woman, to open up, to be vulnerable around them… but not even an hour around y/n had him feeling completely at ease, like she’d been in his life forever.
‘No, I should go. Becky knows me, she trusts me, and you didn’t make the best impression earlier.’ Sam reminded him, shaking his head when Dean rolled his eyes.
I snorted, ‘let me guess, she only had eyes for you, Sammy?’
Dean noted the unimpressed look he sent in y/n’s direction and found himself asking, ‘how did you know?’
‘She’s always had a thing for Sam, even when he was with Jessica,’ I felt my lips curling in disgust, ‘it always creeped me out, and she knew it too, which is why she doesn’t like me.’
‘Y/n…’ Sam tried to argue, but he couldn’t, because deep down he knew she was right.
‘Don’t y/n me, Sammy, she’s not a nice person and you know it. Jess didn’t like her because of how handsy she was with you in front of her, and you know she made you uncomfortable in college. You only tolerated her for Zach.’ I arched a brow at him, daring him to tell me I was wrong, when he sighed in defeat I went on, ‘if you’d just let me give her a piece of my mind…’
‘It would have upset Zach and made everything uncomfortable.’ Sam argued.
‘Oh, but she’s allowed to make you uncomfortable? That’s bullshit, Sammy. If it had been Zach making me uncomfortable the way she did with you, what would you have done?’ I challenged.
‘He never would—‘
‘Yes, but that’s not the point, Sammy.’ I gave him a sharp look and he sighed again, running a hand through his hair in defeat.
‘Fine, I would have killed him,’ he said, completely serious, ‘you know I would have.’
‘Exactly.’ I moved onto Deans sock’s, creating a pocket to sow into the left one, ‘she shouldn’t be getting away with making you feel uncomfortable because you think everyone will think you’re being dramatic if you say something.’
‘I’m going Sammy, you stay here.’ Dean’s rough voice broke into the conversation, his tone and expression of anger leaving no room for argument.
‘Dean, it’s fine, I can handle Becky.’ Sam argued, his hackles flaring.
‘Sammy,’ I interjected before Dean could respond, ‘we all know you can handle her, but just because you can, it doesn’t mean you have to.’
‘Exactly,’ Dean noted the way Sam calmed as he processed my words, ‘you’re my little brother, Sammy. I’m not going to send you to someone that makes you uncomfortable.’
‘Fine. I won’t go alone. Let’s go together.’ Sam proposed, clapping his brother’s shoulder before looking over to me, ‘we’ll be back soon.’
‘Okay, but so help me, if you follow a trail and get split up before I finish this, I’ll cover all of your clothes with itching powder,’ I warned with a smirk, chuckling when both brothers simultaneously flinched at the threat.
//
‘You know, Sammy is going to be worried about you,’ it was Dean’s voice, but it wasn’t Dean speaking, ‘Dean too. You made quite the impression on him already, you know. He likes how close you are with his little brother, and he’d never admit it, but he’s actually a little jealous. Poor bastard is stupidly touch-starved but he’d never admit it,’ the shape shifter smirked, crouching in front of me and twirling one of my meat knives in between his fingers, ‘nah, he’s far too proud for that.’
I had no idea if that was true, but made a silent promise to myself to give Dean—the real Dean—a hug the next time I saw him.
‘Is there a point to your rambling?’ I injected as much boredom into my voice as I could muster, and it must have been believable because his eyes flashed in anger.
‘Hmm, you have quite the tongue on you,’ he tutted, standing to his full height and backhanding me across the face.
I clenched my jaw to hold in any sound I may have expressed at the pain that echoed across the side of my face.
‘That wasn’t very nice,’ I scolded, narrowing my eyes when he pressed the knife he held to my shoulder, just above my collarbone.
‘You see, I think we’ll have some time. The boys more than likely think I wanted to go after Becky, and you know, before I got this body I probably would have.’ He smirked, pressing the knife into my flesh and frowning slightly when I didn’t give him a reaction, ‘but you see, as soon as I saw you in Dean’s memories, as soon as I felt his curiosity, his attraction towards you, I knew it had to be you.’
The knife moved deeper, inch-by-inch, until it was protruding through my back, the hilt pressed firmly against my skin at the front. I couldn’t hold back a scream when he twisted it forty-five degrees, a sickening grin forming on his face as he pulled a reaction out of me.
‘There it is,’ he chuckled, ‘see, the stubborn ones break eventually.’
I felt him start to twist the knife again and braced myself, biting my bottom lip so hard I tasted blood, but before he could do anything else, my front door was kicked open, the wood banging against the brick wall and granting Sam and Dean entry. The shape shifter released the knife still inside of me, and I felt myself sag with relief, my head falling forward as I tried to breathe through the dizziness that suddenly overcame me. I knew they were righting the monster, but I couldn’t muster the energy to lift my head, and all I could hear was my own blood rushing in my ears.
When two large hands landed on my thighs, I saw them before I felt them, but as my brain processed what was happening it was like my senses returned in one swoop. I felt the warmth of his hands while someone else cut away the ropes holding me to the chair. I flinched when the knife was accidentally jolted and managed to muster the energy to lift my head to see it was Dean kneeling in front of me, his green eyes dark with concern.
‘Dean.’ I murmured, my hands falling on his shoulders for balance; I felt like I was falling forward.
‘It’s me, y/n.’ he assured me, his hands going to my waist to steady me as I fell into his lap.
‘Is Sammy okay? Are you okay?’ I had to ask, I had to know.
‘We’re both fine, y/n.’ Sammy’s voice assured me, but I couldn’t muster the strength to turn to locate him.
‘Good.’ My forehead fell to Dean’s shoulder, and I could hear them both yelling my name as my vision turned black around the edges. I wanted to answer them, Sammy especially sounded panicked, but I couldn’t. I was tired, and the darkness was welcoming; I let it take me.
//
When I woke up I hurt. I hurt a lot and I hurt everywhere.
‘What the f—‘ I tried to sit up but found myself being guided back down with a gentle hand to my shoulder.
I followed it to find Dean sat to my right, trying and succeeding to settle me down, and when I looked to my left, Sammy was sleeping in the chair next to my bed. Dean went to remove his hand when it looked like I wasn’t in danger of trying to leave anymore, but I caught it and held it in between both of mine, relieved when he accepted my touch.
‘How long was I out?’ I noted that the room was dark, and there was no light shining through the blinds on the opposite wall.
‘About twenty four hours.’ Dean murmured, his voice deep and gravelly as if he hadn’t long been asleep himself, ‘Sammy and I were real worried about you. You lost a lot of blood.’
‘Tell me the shape shifter is dead,’ I said, my hands tightening around his.
‘He’s gone. You’re safe,’ he assured me, offering me a comforting smile but I could see the guilt in his eyes, as hard as he was trying to hide it.
‘You know the only thing to blame for me being here is that monster, right?’ I asked him, continuing with a stern tone when his eyes fell from mine, ‘I don’t blame either of you for not seeing into the future and knowing that it was going to come for me. It could have just as easily killed me if you guys had never come to town, and now it won’t get to kill anyone else.’
He was silent for a long moment before he murmured, ‘why did you let him in?’
I blinked, confused and surprised at the question, ‘if you’re trying to imply it’s also a little my fault for letting in who I thought was my best friends attractive older brother, then fine, I’ll shoulder some of the blame.’
‘What? No, I’m not blaming you, y/n, not at all—‘ he cut himself off, his eyes lighting with delight as he studied my face, a small smile turning up his lips when he saw only sincerity, ‘attractive, huh?’
I shook my head, a breathy laugh falling from my lips, ‘yes, and you know it Winchester, so enough with the smug attitude.’
‘Smug? I’m not smug,’ he smirked.
‘Yeah, tell your face,’ I raised my brow, ‘but you don’t have to worry, I’m sure I’m not your usual type, we can skip the awkward rejection speech.’ My voice was teasing, but my words were heavy with truth; it was a speech I was used to. Men like Dean Winchester, beautiful, protective, loyal, smart, funny, and kind didn’t go for overweight, ugly and disgusting, and unfortunately that’s exactly what I was.
‘Woah, woah.’ Dean frowned, moving his hands out from underneath mine to cover them instead, ‘you’re exactly my type, sweetheart. Usually when I look at women, my mind only has one thing on the brain: sex.’ He bought a hand up to the side of my face to turn my head to meet his gaze, ‘but you railroaded me from the start. Before you even looked at me, I knew I would like you, just from how much you meant to Sammy. You love him, and you’re as protective of him as I am, and that’s saying a lot.’ He sighed, running a hand through his hair, ‘look, I’m not good with feelings, but all I know was the moment you looked at me, I felt seen, and that scared the hell out of me, I won’t lie to you, but that didn’t outweigh how curious I was to get to know you. It didn’t stop my eyes from following your every movement, from noticing how effortlessly beautiful you were. When I see how you have been with Sammy, the touches, how comfortable you both are, I want that with you, but I want more.’
‘Really?’ I managed to speak around the ball of emotion in my throat, and when he reached up to wipe away the few tears that had spilled over, I couldn’t help but lean into his touch.
‘Really,’ he smiled, but it dimmed in the next moment, his hand falling from my face, ‘but I’m sure after everything that’s happened since you met me, you want to get as far away as possible, and I understand that.’
He tried to pull his hand from mine but I held on, giving him a glare when his green eyes met mine, full of surprise and confusion, ‘listen, Dean Winchester, when I said I didn’t blame the either of you for this, I meant it, so you better start believing me or I’m gonna be pissed, do you understand me? This isn’t a weight I’m going to let you add to the load I already know you’re carrying, so knock it off with the self blame, okay? It’s not warranted and it’s ridiculous.’
‘O-okay?’ he stuttered out, it sounded like more of a question, but I decided to let it slide.
‘As for wanting to get as far away from you as possible, well that’s just idiotic. I’m not saying we go and get married tomorrow, but I think, if you’re really up for it…’ I continued when he gave me an exasperated look, ‘then I’d like to see where this goes. We’ve known each other for less than two days, but I don’t know, something about you feels like home. And I’d be stupid to walk away from that just because a shape shifter almost killed me.’
His expression was cautiously optimistic, ‘are you sure? Because Sammy and I have to travel a lot, doing what we do, there’s going to be a lot of phone calls.’
‘Says who?’ I gave him a mischievous smile, ‘I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip around the US, I know a lot about this stuff already so I could help with research, and I hate it here anyway, I was thinking of moving so this would be perfect.’ My gaze moved over to the younger Winchester, ‘besides, I’ve also missed my best friend.’
‘Are you sure?’ Dean’s eyes flickered over my expression, searching for a hint of uncertainty and when he found none he smiled, big, bright and pulse rising.
‘If Sammy hadn’t been worried about your reaction to me knowing everything, I would have been with you at the beginning.’ I told him, shuffling over so he could sit beside me on the bed. When he was settled I rested my head on his shoulder, my hand still entwined with his.
‘I don’t think he’ll be happy with you coming now.’ Dean admitted, carefully winding his arm around my shoulders so I could settle more fully into his side, ‘what we do… it’s dangerous.’
‘I know that.’ I assured him, ‘but I’m a grown woman capable of making my own decisions. I want to do this, and as for Sam, he might be a little pissy, but he’ll get over it.’
‘Yeah I’ll let you deal with him.’ Dean said, smiling when I shot him an amused look.
‘I’ll tell him in the morning.’ I sighed snuggling closer to Dean and resting my head over his chest. I could hear his heart racing and smiled because mine was doing the exact same thing, ‘for now, let’s sleep.’
Dean took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart as he murmured, ‘yeah. Let’s sleep. Goodnight sweetheart.’
‘Night Dean.’
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jasontoddiefor · 3 years
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A gift for @thenegoteator :D
It took a Temple to raise a child, and Mace Windu was very much aware of this. However, it did not explain what Ahsoka Tano was doing at his door in the middle of the night. Ahsoka had deep bags under her eyes, which wasn’t too much of a surprise considering the current living arrangements of her lineage. While little Luke and Leia were relatively well-behaved newborns, they were still only a few weeks old. If their human caretakers didn’t wake up at every single little whimper, then the togruta with the superior hearing certainly would.
“Do you want to come inside?” Mace asked, not letting his confusion show. He was used to people coming to his door at the oddest hours.
“If—if I can?” Ahsoka replied as if only now becoming aware of her actions. In this, she reminded Mace of her Grandmaster and the many nights Mace had found Obi-Wan coming to his doorstep during the first months of Anakin’s stay at the Temple.
“My door is always open, Padawan,” Mace said – and watched her wince.
Ah.
So there was the problem.
“Caleb is currently sleeping in my bed as Depa is away,” Mace explained. “So please keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake him unnecessarily.”
The boy had already had a hellish enough month behind him, he needed all the rest he could get. Even though the war was officially over, enough planets refused to surrender, drawing out the battles until they had nothing but children left to sacrifice. It weighed on Mace’s shoulders, making him wonder whether he wasn’t too old to carry such burdens still.
Ahsoka nodded and followed Mace inside. He couldn’t recall whether Ahsoka had been in his room before, but from the way she eagerly looked around his quarters, taking in the sight of old instruments, books, and holos, he guessed she hadn’t. Well, at one point in their life, every Jedi had set a foot inside Mace’s quarters, so this was bound to happen sooner or later.
“Do you want a cup of tea?”
Ahsoka tore herself away from the sight and looked at him with surprise. “I—yes? That would be nice.”
“Then I will make a cup. Do you have any preferences? I believe I even have Obi-Wan’s favorite blend here.”
Mace had no idea whether he had bought it or if Obi-Wan had just left it here from himself when he came over. Knowing the other man, it was likely that the latter was the case. For a man claiming to be so very polite, Obi-Wan could be a right brat.
Mace’s kitchen was small, with only a few cabinets and one shelf, two cooking tiles, and an oven. He wasn’t much of a cook himself and preferred to eat in the cafeteria with everyone, frequently taste-tasting what the Initiates had prepared. He selected two uneven cups Depa had made for him when she’d been young from the shelf. Why she had decided to pick up pottery of all hobbies was beside him, but he supposed that she found the motion soothing. Devan did enjoy parkouring through the lower levels and Echuu was quite content playing the guitar to calm himself.
Perhaps Mace should focus less on why all three of his Padawans had decided they wouldn’t follow him into theatre so they could continue to make fun of him. Setting the water to boil, Mace searched through his cabinets until he found Obi-Wan’s favorite blend. The fruity tea was far from the blend he preferred, but Mace prided himself on being a good host. While he waited for the tea to finish steeping, Mace enjoyed the quiet of the night. For all that there were few sounds as dear to him as that of people walking, or in the case of some younglings and few selected Knights, running, down their large hallways, Mace could appreciate the quiet when the world came to rest.
With two finished cups in hand, he returned to the living room, where he found Ahsoka curled up on the sofa, no longer studying his quarters for any hidden secrets.
“Thank you,” she said when she accepted the cup from him. She held it in her hands as if to warm them, letting the steam hit her face. She breathed in once, twice, finding her rhythm again. Mace waited until she’d calmed enough to speak up.
“What brings you to my door, Padawan Tano?”
Ahsoka flinched and appeared to make herself even smaller as if attempting to vanish. When it became apparent that it didn’t work, that silence hadn’t been what she had sought him out for, she let out a sigh. “You keep calling that.”
“Calling you what?” Mace asked, his brow raised, playing oblivious.
“… Padawan.”
“Are you not? I was under the impression that you had returned to the Temple.”
“I did, but I still left,” Ahsoka replied. “I left and I was convinced that I had to leave and that it was good that I did. I still think I had to leave the Temple behind.”
“Then why are you torn?”
Ahsoka’s hold on her cup tightened and so, perhaps in wise anticipation, she set it on the table and buried her hands in her robes instead, hiding their twitching from view. Mace could trace all her mannerisms to her teachers and couldn’t imagine what it must be like to purposefully rip all those pieces from yourself when they had become so ingrained in your very being. Even Dooku, who’d fallen so far from their beliefs, had been unable to fully rid himself of Yoda’s lessons. Maybe it was for the best. Hope had become a scarce commodity during the war, yet Mace considered the possibility that in a decade, they wouldn’t be imprisoning a Sith anymore.
“But am I still a Padawan? A member of this Order?” Ahsoka asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she shook like the leaves on the trees in the courtyard.
“Has your Master told you anything different?”
Ahsoka paused. “…. No.”
Seeing that realization was settling within her, Mace nodded. “Then you should not doubt him. You are a Jedi, Ahsoka Tano, and you will remain one as long as you live by our tenets.”
That teased a startled laugh from her. “Compassion for all except people who cheat at push-n-pull?”
As if transported back ten years, hearing Anakin say the same, Mace snorted. “The similarities between you and your Master astonish me every time. Yes, Padawan Tano, compassion for all.”
This seemed to calm the youth as she reached for her cup again and emptied it slowly. “It’s good.”
Mace smiled into his own cup. “I’d be insulted if it wasn’t. Obi-Wan forced me to memorize all the steps for making it.”
The then young Knight had been frazzled, and Mace honestly couldn’t tell what it had been about and had forced Mace to learn how to make this tea until he’d more or less collapsed on Mace’s sofa, completely knocked out until morning when Anakin had picked him up.
“He does do that,” Ahsoka agreed. “I think this is the only thing anyone can make reliably now.”
“Sleep-deprived much?” Mace inquired.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Like you wouldn’t believe. I love Luke and Leia dearly, but they are demanding and need a lot of attention.”
That was honestly kinder than Mace would have described newborns at her age.
“There is a reason why we usually don’t have children this young in the Temple,” Mace said. “They are very handful. Do you get enlisted to help very often?”
Ahsoka shook her head. “No, Obi-Wan, Skyguy, and Padmé got it covered, and I’m mostly just helping out somewhere else.”
She trailed off a little. This, perhaps, was another issue, but one that could be equally easily dealt with.
“Thank you then for going where you are needed,” Mace told her.
Ahsoka blinked. “Huh?”
“You will grow into a specific role someday, Ahsoka, and that needs time. Do not feel as if you need to earn back your place in the Temple. You don’t need to earn yourself a home you have always had. For now, trust me when I say that everyone you’ve helped is glad that you were there. It is an admirable quality to have a sense of where you are needed. Do not see it as being the odd one out.”
This was the hardest lesson to teach and learn, the fact that there was a path out there for you, but that it took time to see where it would lead. Too many of their Padawans now felt utterly lost without the structure the war had provided them with.
“Oh. I guess if you say so.”
“Yes, I do say so,” Mace agreed. Then, eyeing Ahsoka’s empty cup, he added on, “do you want another?”
“No.” Ahsoka yawned. “I think I might best head back.”
“You can also sleep here if you want, and don’t mind Caleb hogging the blanket. I won’t go to bed tonight anyway.”
Ahsoka squinted at him as if attempting to discern whether he was lying. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Really—”
“Ahsoka, go to bed.”
Clearly feeling better already, she saluted and, after Mace showed her his bedroom, made herself comfortable in it. She took off her shoes and tossed her robe over a chair before climbing into the bed. Ahsoka had barely laid down when Caleb already turned around to curl around her, clinging like a little monkey. After a moment’s apprehension, she relaxed and was fast asleep. Stealing one last glance at the two Padawan, Mace returned to his living room, looking through the incoming reports.
Hectic as the aftermath of the war was, as much effort as caring for their children was, Mace wouldn’t trade it for a single thing in the world.
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edenmemes · 3 years
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resident evil village starters
❝ oh, keep growing! one day your head might actually fit your ego. ❞   ❝ running will get you nowhere. ❞     ❝ you don’t have to trust my words, but do you have any better options? ❞   ❝ you shouldn’t be out here. it’s not safe. ❞   ❝ i know you don’t like to talk about it, but can we really just forget everything and pretend it didn’t happen? ❞   ❝ well, what do you think? it’s hopeless, right? ❞ ❝ i wish it could stay like this forever. ❞   ❝ oh, such a disappointment. i thought we could join forces.  ❞ ❝ i don’t have time for this bullshit. out of my way. ❞   ❝ i don’t give a damn about your personal issues. ❞   ❝ it’s a pleasure to see you safe. ❞   ❝ just give up. flesh and blood will never win against me. ❞ ❝ quit acting so full of yourself. ❞ ❝ the clock is ticking. playtime’s over! ❞ ❝ ohhh, don’t give up! ❞ ❝ you think you can take me on? ❞ ❝ you should have never refused me.  ❞ ❝ these are the fruits of my power.  ❞ ❝ leave it alone. you are out of your depth. ❞   ❝ i’ve learned all i can from you. your worth as a lab rat has run out. ❞   ❝ no, no, this can’t be the end for me! ❞   ❝ i can’t escape from here... i can’t do anything! ❞ ❝ what are you talking about? you think this is a game? ❞   ❝ don’t get cocky. i’d kill you if you weren’t the trouble. ❞   ❝ hey, do you know anything about what’s going on around here? ❞   ❝ i’m not used to relying on other people. ❞   ❝ you’re the real deal. well done.  ❞ ❝ i gotta...keep going. ❞   ❝ i think it’s time you left things in my hands. ❞   ❝ my power is leaving me! ❞   ❝ do me a favor... try to stay under the radar. ❞ ❝ you don’t get it. you don’t stand a chance by yourself. ❞ ❝ alright, alright. i guess i owe you an explanation. ❞ ❝ you must be pretty tough, huh? ❞   ❝ all your power’s done is drive you nuts. ❞   ❝ i gotta say, i’m surprised you made it this far. it’d be a shame if something happened to you now. ❞   ❝ so you finally came to see me! everyone falls for me in time. ❞   ❝ it’s all i can spare. take it, take it! ❞   ❝ you’ve got fight, i’ll give you that. ❞   ❝ i didn’t want to keep it from you. i didn’t want to lose you again. ❞   ❝ i’d kill you if you weren’t worth the trouble. ❞   ❝ is there something you’re not telling me? come on, talk to me. ❞   ❝ you can hear it, can’t you? someone’s waiting for you. ❞   ❝ oh, careful what you wish for. ❞   ❝ i don’t want to die. oh, it hurts so much. ❞   ❝ don’t look at me that way. ❞   ❝ i told you to sit down. ❞   ❝ you’re the reason ___ doesn’t love me. ❞   ❝ hey, kiss me? ❞   ❝ if it’s for you, i would do anything. ❞   ❝ come on, it’s not that much further! ❞   ❝ you’re the only one to see me in this form. ❞   ❝ ugh, my temper got away from me. ❞   ❝ play with me some more. ❞   ❝ trying to get on my good side? ❞   ❝ i don’t know if it’s the scent of the flowers, but i feel light headed. ❞   ❝ in all my years, i’ve never been this overjoyed. ❞   ❝ look forward to what i have in store for you. ❞   ❝ mmm, that smells good. what’s that? ❞   ❝ you really should have taken my deal. ❞ ❝ truth hurts, don’t it?  ❞ ❝ i’ve waited so long. but dreams really can come true. ❞   ❝ you coward! come out and face me. ❞   ❝ quit hiding, asshole. i’m not letting you get out of this.  ❞ ❝ i won’t let you have it. even if you beg. ❞   ❝ this is my territory, and i won’t let you leave. ❞   ❝ damn, i’m so cold. my legs won’t work. ❞   ❝ local wine, too. but if you’re going to keep sulking all evening, maybe you shouldn’t have any. ❞ ❝ it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. ❞   ❝ you’re the last asshole in my way, aren’t you? ❞   ❝ well, at least we’re together. ❞   ❝ hey, now. think positively, all right? we talked about this. ❞   ❝ come now, don’t be shy. show me your terror. ❞   ❝ i would’ve sliced you to ribbons if they hadn’t stopped me. ❞   ❝ it’s only a riddle if you don’t know the answer. ❞   ❝ shouldn’t we face what happened there so we can live our lives without it hanging over our heads? ❞   ❝ rest while you can, because i will hunt you, and i will break you. ❞   ❝ this village is full of monsters. we can’t fight them! there’s too many. ❞   ❝ a dead body? wait...there’s more... ❞   ❝ you’re a lot like your father, you know. ❞   ❝ it barely flinched when i shot it. i feel like it’s toying with me. ❞   ❝ it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. ❞   ❝ listen. you’re being played.  ❞ ❝ too bad you’ll pay for it...with your life. ❞   ❝ please won’t you stay with me? forever? ❞   ❝ you are lucky to die before your child. ❞   ❝ quiet now, child! adults are talking. ❞   ❝ there’s nothing wrong with my memory. you’re just being paranoid. ❞   ❝ this is...this is just too much. ❞   ❝ awww, you’re blushing. ❞   ❝ how can a man be ‘almost’ dead? that’s a question for the wise. ❞   ❝ what kind of sick medieval shit is this? ❞   ❝ i’ve spent a lifetime creating this moment...and you try to take it away from me? ❞   ❝ i’m sick of fighting you! ❞   ❝ why didn’t you fucking tell me right away? ❞ ❝ shut your damn hole and don’t be a sore loser! ❞   ❝ but i’m not paranoid, i’m just cautious. ❞   ❝ don’t get close to me when i’m cooking, babe. ❞   ❝ anyone who is anyone has heard of the likes of you. ❞   ❝ i haven’t cut open a man in a while. ❞   ❝ we moved here so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any of that, remember? ❞   ❝ why? why would you do this? ❞   ❝ i knew you would want to be involved. and this job is hard enough without civilians getting in the way. ❞ ❝ oh? you have something to say? ❞   ❝ tell me what’s out there! ❞   ❝ you’re still alive...? impressive. ❞   ❝ hey, are you listening? hey! ❞   ❝ exactly how much do you plan on annoying me? ❞   ❝ oh, no. they’re coming! ❞   ❝ do you have a gun? please tell me you have a gun. ❞   ❝ it’s not---nevermind. i’m sorry. ❞   ❝ drunk or not, you are welcome---and safe---in here. ❞   ❝ you know how to push my buttons. ❞   ❝ hey, don’t i get a say in this? ❞   ❝ you wouldn’t know proper manners if it slapped you in the face. ❞   ❝ i won’t forgive you, you bastard! ❞   ❝ why...why do you treat me the same as them? am i not your favourite? am i not special? ❞   ❝ at night, i hear wailing, as if ghosts roam the halls. ❞   ❝ quit your whining; we’re almost there! ❞   ❝ i’m afraid you can’t return to your old world any longer. ❞   ❝ how dare you bare your teeth at me. ❞   ❝ you couldn’t save them. they were already gone. ❞   ❝ in life and death, we give glory. ❞   ❝ can you even understand that humiliation?  ❞ ❝ even i can get angry. ❞   ❝ what the hell is that thing? ❞ ❝ we will meet again soon. ❞ ❝ let’s just say parts of the human imagination are better left alone. ❞ ❝ some treasures still lurk in this village. ❞ ❝ my decision is final. there will be no argument. ❞   ❝ everyone leaves me. even you. ❞   ❝ there is no safe! every sorry bastard out there has been ripped in half! ❞   ❝ come inside. the others are waiting. ❞   ❝ come with me. there’s something i have to tell you. ❞   ❝ what the hell is wrong with this place? ❞   ❝ the strong will destroy the weak. that’s the way of the world. ❞   ❝ no, we’re getting out of here --- together. ❞   ❝ but what i saw was...frightful. ❞ ❝ i suppose it’s what they call ‘the beauty of the grotesque’. ❞   ❝ you taught me so much and for that i will be forever in your debt. ❞   ❝ it is my curiosity that ties me to this place. ❞   ❝ please let me know if you’d like to strengthen your weapons. ❞ ❝ you’ll pay if i find out this is a lie. ❞ ❝ speaking of foolish questions, who --- what are you? ❞   ❝ if i don’t kill them then my life will never be my own. ❞   ❝ you are abominable. your deceit knows no bound. ❞   ❝ quit holding out, and get to the damn point! ❞ ❝ you’re the one who’s cursed. ❞ ❝ i hope you will be able to achieve your goal someday, too. ❞   ❝ that is why i had to leave you. i will regret never telling you goodbye. ❞   ❝ if i had but a little more time, i know i might be able to turn the tides of this battle. ❞   ❝ i can hear it shuffling about outside. ❞   ❝ and now you even try to steal my property? how dare you? ❞   ❝ ugh, just another simple little manthing. ❞   ❝ oh, good. i was just thinking of ways to pass the time. ❞ ❝ nowhere to go but up. ❞   ❝ where are you? show yourself! ❞ ❝ not without me, it’s too dangerous. ❞ ❝ shit, that was close. ❞   ❝ i heard explosions. what happened? ❞ ❝ you’ve dirtied my dress! ❞   ❝ you’re my daughter...now act like it! ❞   ❝ i don’t think we will make it through winter at this rate. ❞   ❝ the wounds are severe. i won’t last much longer. ❞   ❝ will you please stop talking in riddles? ❞   ❝ goddamn. it really is you. ❞ ❝ you sure of this? your body is, well, falling apart. ❞       ❝ how long have i been out? ❞   ❝ keep your distance. do not move until i give the order. ❞   ❝ i’ve got a tough guy here, i need some back-up! ❞   ❝ if my mom saw this shit, she’d think she’d died and gone to hell. ❞   ❝ shut your fucking hole! ...sorry about that. ❞   ❝ who are you? who sent you? ❞   ❝ please, be well. ❞   ❝ there’s more than we thought. watch out. ❞ ❝ to hunger...is to be alive. ❞   ❝ goddammit! why is everyone dying on me? ❞   ❝ hey! hey. don’t talk like that. ❞   ❝ my word, you truly are as strong as they say! ❞   ❝ don’t you love me? ❞   ❝ oh, you didn’t think i’d let you get away, did you? ❞   ❝ taken alive? dead? which would you prefer? ❞  
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rendevousz · 4 years
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little hacker
avengers x fem!teen!reader
characters: brief clint barton, tony stark, steve rogers, natasha romanoff, peter parker
summary: you hacked into tony's systems and he, along with the team, track you down.
warnings: mentions of death and a car crash, hacking written by someone who has no idea how it works
word count: 3241
note: hi um this is my first oneshot on tumblr i hope you like it!!
you were 14 when you first met the avengers. your family had gotten into a tragic car accident and you were the only one who made it out alive, leaving you in excessive guilt and burden; guilt because you were the only one granted a second chance at life and burden because you had to live your life, barely scraping by as you were dropped the responsibility of taking care of your sick grandmother.
at 11, where all that the kids your age had to worry about was whether their pocket money was enough to get themselves an after-school snack, you worried whether or not the money left to your name was enough to survive.
at 11, where girls worried about their changing bodies and asked their mothers about it, you had to figure it all out yourself and with the help of your trusty laptop, the only gadget you had, one that your dad had gifted to you after you had gotten 100s for all your tests at age 8. he thought you were his little prodigy and figured a laptop would treat you well. you took care of it well because while you didn't want to spend the last of your money left, —that was specifically set aside for your grandmother's hospital bills— you wanted to hold on to the laptop for as long as you could, as a reminder of your loving father, as well as the memories the item held, after you've watched movies with pretty much all of your passed family members on that laptop at different points in your life. that was why whenever the thing lagged due to how much you've been using it, you almost always figure out how to fix it until it was good as new.
at 12, while your classmates had their parents to protect them when they were out at night, you feared for your life whenever you were out past dark. which led you to learning self defence from youtube videos. you learned them pretty quickly and with your sharp-wittedness, you no longer feared to be out at night. you even had the honours of trying out your skills when some men thought they could get you just because you were smaller than them.
at 12, where kids your age were having fun, enjoying their childhood, you had no choice but to be mature and think for the good of yourself and your sick grandmother. you were forced to grow up and you were probably more mature and intelligent than the rest of your classmates combined.
and at 13, you realised that money wasn't going to grow on trees and the money you were left with wasn't going to last forever. it had to last until you were old enough to work. but with your grandmother's condition getting worse and worse, you were forced to drop out of school. you were upset because you loved it. you loved knowledge. but family came first and the only thing that your knowledge increased on was on computers.
which led to you being able to hack into tony stark's bank account at only 14. you had no other choice than to steal money and who better to steal it from than a guy whose pocket change could probably last you another five years or so? you knew who tony stark was, the whole world knows who he is. and you thought that maybe he would be too preoccupied with his alter ego saving the whole world, along with his group of earth's mightiest heroes that he wouldn't notice the tiny bit of money you'd stolen from him.
of course the billionaire had been alerted immediately by his AI when you'd accessed into his systems. "security breach?" he exclaimed, immediately dropping the tool he was tinkering his suit with in his lab.
he spent about 3 minutes, that was how long you took touring around in his systems, observing what you did in it. he watched as you did nothing about the highly confidential information he had and instead, stole....5 grand from his bank account? that was barely a scratch to his account. what was going on?
he had requested FRIDAY to track down the hacker, mainly because he was perplexed that someone had hacked into his well protected system just to steal a tiny bit of money but it seems that even FRIDAY couldn't track down where it came from.
he told the team and it was then that everyone worried how dangerous the hacker could possibly be.
"who steals just 5 grand after hacking into a billionaire's bank account?" clint frowned after tony had explained the whole situation. "i mean, if i managed to hack into your systems, i'd do way more than just steal a couple bucks."
"exactly. and who knows? they might just be waiting for the right moment to install dangerous malware into the system and until we find the culprit, they're roaming somewhere out there with all our confidential information right at the tip of their fingers. if they decide to use it against us..." tony trailed off, for once having a worried expression on his otherwise nonchalant face. he's never been this clueless about what to do with any sort of technical issues concerning the avengers or himself.
you on the other hand, after getting complacent that you weren't caught, kept doing so for the next couple months or so. you had no ill intentions, just trying to scrape by. the whole situation puzzled tony. he didn't care how much you've taken from him in total now, you were right; it was merely pocket change to him. but you were still considered a threat since you had free access to his systems and he didn't even know who you were or where you were.
that was until you made a tiny mistake, one that if tony wasn't spending every waking moment trying to track you down he wouldn't have noticed. and though it was a small mistake, it certainly was going to change how things ran from then on.
that afternoon, after having just gotten back from visiting your grandmother at the hospital, you were planning to get more money from the billionaire's bank account at the comfort of your own home. god, hospital bills were expensive. once you had had a little snack, you settled down on the couch and opened your laptop. but being the quick-witted person you were, before the screen in front of you lit up, you saw movement from behind you.
your heart raced. you could handle fighting people but those usually happened in alleys at nighttime. this was in your home, your safe place. you made sure to lock the doors and there weren't fire escapes outside your windows so how did the intruder get in?
you could tell they were trying to be inconspicuous to get to you and so you let them. you let the person think that they were going to get you without a fight but when they were right behind you, you swiftly turned your body around and jumped over the couch. the masked intruder let out a surprised yelp and the two of you fought for a bit. before you knew it, you had them pinned under you in just ten seconds.
"wha– how– what?" it sounded like a boy. you looked down at him and noticed his red and blue spandex suit. you frowned. wasn't this the friendly neighbourhood spiderman guy or something? why was a superhero breaking into your home?
he was coughing from your knee pressing down onto his chest and you lifted it slightly, enough for him to breathe but not enough to escape. he seemed grateful though because he muttered a seemingly embarrassed 'thanks'.
"get off the kid or i'll blast you off of him myself."
you look up and saw the iron man repulsor aimed right at you, and obviously iron man himself was standing right there in the middle of your small apartment. behind him stood a redhead, who you knew as the black widow, aiming a pistol at you, and a man with a shield, captain america. the spiderboy must've come in through the window and unlocked the door for them.
when you made eye contact with steve, he frowned in confusion. you looked way too young to be the culprit they had expected. he muttered a quiet 'wait, what?' before tony stark revealed himself, his iron man faceplate opening.
"um...kid? where are your parents? or guardian? we need to see them because there's been some highly illegal activity coming from this address." the man in the suit spoke. you stayed still, knee still pressing against the boy under you, frowning at the adults in the room. they noticed your apprehensiveness and slowly lowered their weapons. "we're not here to hurt you, you can release the boy now," steve told you gently.
you usually weren't one to trust easily but since these people were known superheroes, you reluctantly stood up, still anxious of the possibilities of what they could do to you. the spiderboy got up too and dusted his back, before going to stand next to steve. you were confused as to why these heroes were breaking in your home until you remembered what you had been up to for the past weeks. how could you forget when that was the only reason you were still surviving?
your eyes widened with fear when they met tony's soft ones. he looked at you with such care and worry that you were reminded of your late dad. the man in front of you wasn't the arrogant man you've watched on youtube. you felt bad for stealing from him now. you used to think that he deserved it, despite how little you took compared to how much he had. the man knelt down before you so he didn't appear so big in front of you, seeing your frightened expression. little did he know you were frightened for a totally different reason.
"anyone else living here, kid? because i tracked down this address and someone has been stealing money from me. i might need to have a little talk with them." he explained, looking around the house. you fiddled with the hem of your shirt nervously, scared of what would come once you came clean about your actions. you were scared you were going to be taken in for juvenile crime but you were also scared of the consequences of lying straight to their faces. so you took a deep breath before deciding to just tell the truth.
"t–that would be me, sir." you admitted in a small voice, avoiding eye contact with the billionaire you had been stealing from. a few shocked looks from the team and an incredulous 'what?' from tony had you biting the inside of your cheeks in fear.
"i'm truly sorry about that, sir. i..." you trailed off, debating whether or not to justify your actions because you thought that he might not even want to listen to it. "i had to pay off my grandmother's hospital bills because she is very sick. my family died a few years ago in a car crash and i was the only one who made it. i was left some money to my name but having to survive on that along with paying off nana's bills, it was bound to run out. i...i thought that since you were a billionaire, stealing a few thousands wouldn't matter to you...i'm so sorry, sir. i– i'll start working to pay you back.." you stuttered out, holding your hands together so it would minimise the shaking.
tony's mouth opened and closed, like fish out of water, not knowing what to say to you. he stood up and you were on the verge of breaking down right then and there, feeling as small as you did before he knelt before you. "p–please don't report me, sir. i– i don't know what would happen to my nana if you do.. i swear to you that i didn't mess with your other files. i only accessed the system for your bank account and that was it. i have no ill intentions, please don't report me.." you were now the one kneeling down in front of him, begging.
the team were flabbergasted at the scene unfolding before them and tony was quick to get you off your knees, which scared you even more because the death grip of his metal hands on your forearms had your mind running wild at the millions of possibilities of what he would do to you. was he going to kill you and leave you somewhere that people were never going to find your body? or was he going to dispose of you and use his power to remove you permanently from the system so no one came looking for you? he had the power to ruin your life and you feared that.
snapping you out of your mental breakdown, he spoke softly. "hey, it's okay." and that was when you realised the 'death grip' he had on your forearms had only been your paranoia getting the best of you. he was barely even touching you. your teary eyes looked up at his soft, brown ones in fear.
then he smiled at you.
"it's okay. i understand the reason why you did what you did. you're a good kid, your nana is so lucky to have you. what's your name?" he knelt down before you once again, knowing that him standing tall in his iron man suit terrified you. "y/n." you responded timidly.
"how old are you, y/n?" this time, it was steve who asked. you had forgotten that there were other people in the room, too consumed by your fear for your life a few moments ago. "i'm fourteen, mr america, sir." you whispered out, the sight of captain america in person intimidating you until you saw a kind smile on his face.
"you're pretty young to be doing what you've been doing, y/n. are you aware that you're the first person to be able to hack into my heavily protected, supposedly impenetrable network? many have tried to do so and failed, and they were really smart people too. have you been doing this for a while?" tony asked.
"um...my father gifted me this laptop when i was 8 because i did exceptionally well in school. he believed i was a child prodigy and let me have a laptop since he knew my studies wouldn't be affected by the distraction of entertainment. i used to only hack into games to cheat my way up the ranks but only recently i tried something else since i had nothing better to do and i've been out of school for a while now. i knew you were a billionaire so i tried just for the heck of it and surprised myself when i got in on the first try. and then i saw your bank account details and i really needed money so i stole some... again, i'm so sorry about that." you apologised, looking down at your feet.
he couldn't believe it. you were just messing around and you managed to get into his system? you, a mere fourteen year old who was out of school, managed to single handedly do what geniuses around the world had failed to do?
he was initially just going to have a talk with the hacker, and in case they were dangerous and had backup, he brought his own. but bringing steve, natasha and peter proved to be unnecessary when the culprit turned out to be you.
"where did you learn those moves?" natasha stepped closer towards you. you looked up at the redhead, noticing the glare she had on you when she aimed her pistols at you was replaced with curiosity.
you fiddled with the hem of your shirt even more, embarrassed to tell her that you learned to fight from a couple of youtube videos when she had gotten years of actual training. you were pathetic compared to her. "i, um, i learned them from some youtube videos."
her eyebrows raised in surprise at the revelation. you hadn't gotten professional training yet you moved like you had. peter had superhuman strength, agility and endurance yet you took him down in under ten seconds. sure it may have been a disadvantage to peter because he was caught off guard but he should've been able to take you down still.
now was tony going to let the chance of a lifetime slip by? no, of course he was immediately thinking of recruiting you. your dad had been right about you being a prodigy. you adapted to new skills quickly and you were perfect for recruitment.
"hey kid, wanna be an avenger?"
your eyes widened and your jaw dropped in shock. steve immediately turned to him, an incredulous look on his face as he glared dangerously at the billionaire. "stark, you wanna think about this for a minute?"
"thank about what, cap? you saw what she did to the spiderling. and she successfully hacked into my system on her first try and we took weeks to trace her. romanoff back me up here," he saw how impressed natasha was by you and he knew the redhead wasn't going to disagree. "stark's right, steve. she's only fourteen and she's capable of so much already. we need someone like her."
"exactly! she's only fourteen! this life is dangerous for her!" steve argued. peter then tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "hey, mr rogers, i'm a sixteen-year-old avenger and she took me down easily. not gonna lie, it hurt my pride, also my back when you flipped me over your shoulder," he turned to you but you didn't say anything because you couldn't see his facial expression. "but i think she's going to be okay, sir."
steve sighed before turning to you, the defeated expression on his face softening when you looked up at him with your doe eyes and a small smile. you didn't answer to tony just yet since it seemed that steve had a say in it as well but you were dying to say yes. not only were you not going to be reported for your crimes but to be recruited by iron man himself to be an avenger? who could say no to that? not you, at least, since you had nothing better to do with your life at the moment.
"well, what do you say, kid?"
your smile grew and you nodded happily. the team couldn't help but crack a smile at how happy you looked for the first time since they've encountered you.
"well, you should go pack your important stuff so we can go back to the tower. you're going to be moving in if you're an official member of the avengers." tony told you and you nodded, walking towards your room to start packing while the team sat on the couch to wait for you.
"wait, what's going to happen to my nana?" you turned back towards them, worry etched onto you face. "don't worry about it, kid. you can give me the details later and i'll settle it. she'll be in good hands." he assured. "okay." you mumbled in response.
you were actually going to be an avenger. "awesome.." you grinned to yourself as you packed.
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emilysshortstories · 3 years
Text
Paul Lahote Part 2
Don’t really know what to call this, but thanks for all the love on the last part. I’m gonna try and post weekly but I work a lot so no promises.
Warnings: Angst, lots of it. cussing, hints towards abuse.
After a few weeks went by things seemed to work themselves out between Jacob and Bella. I would drive out to Emily’s about once a week, Paul conveniently never being there. Which I was actually kinda glad about, although I felt eager to be around him, Jared told me about his anger issues so I think it’s better for me to steer clear of him until this eagerness goes away. Anger issues scare me. 
Jared and I have gotten close through these visits, always laughing at each other's sarcastic jokes and ending the night with an episode of New Girl. That was usually the time when everyone else bailed but I didn’t care, it gave Jared and I some hilarious inside jokes. No matter how close we got, our feelings for each other never grew past platonic, though I would rarely catch Sam giving Jared a look. It was never all knowing “when are you going to ask her out?” look, more of a “back off” look. But that could just be me reading into it too much, there is nothing. I am thinking too much. I’m just happy I finally made a friend of my own. 
One day when I arrived at Emily’s for dinner, there was a new face in the crowd. “Y/N! You’re here!” said Emily as I walked in. “Hey! This is for you. It’s a cake for later” I said, handing her the grocery bag in my hands. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that. This is Seth, Harry’s son.” Emily pointed to the unfamiliar face. “Hi, I’m Y/N, Charlie Swan’s niece.” I introduced myself, but Seth just kind of stared at me, never saying a word. Jared’s laughing was what broke the silence. “What are you laughing at dick nose?” I asked, hoping not to embarrass Seth. “Nothing, just your ability to woo people” 
“Very funny, I don’t woo anyone, you’re imagining things. How Emily puts up with you is beyond me.”
“IT’S NOT WITHOUT GREAT DIFFICULTY” Emily yelled from the kitchen before walking towards us. “Paul isn’t going to show up again?” she added.
“Nope” Embry said “ Too stubborn for his own good, the dumbass”
“Hey, if he doesn’t want to meet me that’s fine. It’s none of my business.” I say, hoping to ease Emily’s thoughts, seeming it always bothers her when he doesn’t show up. 
We all seemed to move past it and dinner was great, as usual. “Hey, instead of New Girl do you want to take a walk? I’ll show you the hiking trails around here.” Jared asked me.
“Sounds great” I said with a smile.
“Can I join you guys?” Seth asks like a small child which made me have to suppress a giggle. Poor boy had been staring at me all night like a lost puppy, he was cute no doubt, but being 5 years younger than me was a deal breaker. 
“No, Jared has something important to explain to her. Remember?” Sam said like he was Seth’s father. He seemed to always be incharge of everything around these guys so that didn’t surprise me. I definitely wouldn’t call them a cult, but club would be a better term, seeming as a hierarchy was apparent. 
“Seth likes you” Jared said as soon as we walked out of the house. “Wow! Way to out your friend there! Remind me to never trust you with a secret. Plus you don’t know that for certain, he just met me.” I said and Jared laughed, but didn’t say anything back. No until we were pretty deep into the woods did I ask “So what is this thing Sam said you needed to show me?” 
“Well I wanted to try and explain it to you but I have a feeling you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Your sarcasm levels are like no other to be fair, so show me.”
“Ok” he said and stopped walking. “Just brace yourself and try not to panic. I promise I won’t hurt you ok?”
“Ok” I say, trying to do what he said.
I watched. Watched him take off his shoes. Watched him back up a few feet. Watched him start to shake. Just like Paul did that day Bella slapped him. Then I watched him turn into a wolf. I was stuck. Didn’t say or do anything. I couldn’t. Just continued to watch as this wolf trotted back into the woods. My brain was blank. No thoughts, words or actions came to mind. Everyone knows the fight or flight trauma responses, but not a lot of people talk about the third: freeze. 
Jared came back, this time a human. “You okay?”. I took a deep breath and said “I’m in need of explanation please” I remembered that he wasn’t going to hurt me. 
He explained the histories, Vampires, and why he spends most of his time with the “pack”. I listened, tried to take it all in and process the copious amounts of new information, but apparently I was too quiet for Jared. “Please say something” 
“I’m alright, surprised to say the least and will need some time to process everything. But I’m not mad I promise. Thank you for telling me everything.”
“Well, that actually is not all. We just figured it would be best to wait until you’re ok with this first.” 
“There is more? Please just tell me the rest, trust me, I process better with all the information.”
“Okay, well. We can hear each other's thoughts, we are 108 degrees, and we can imprint.”
“That’s why you never wear shirts… What’s imprinting?” 
“The best way I can describe it is soulmates. When we make eye contact with them, our whole world becomes this person and we will be and do anything for them. When we are apart it’s hell, getting rejected by an imprint can really fuck you up. Make you sick. No one has ever died from being seperated from an imprint but you might as well be.”
“That sounds intense. What does that have to do with me?” 
“Paul imprinted on you. And it scared him. Still does scare him because love was never something that he wanted. That’s why he won’t see you, he isn’t mad at you. He’s in love with you and his stubbornness is eating him alive. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to listen to his obsessive thoughts all the time.” 
“Hold on. Paul is my soulmate but he doesn't want me?”
“No, he wants you. He needs you, but he’s scared. We thought if we told you, you could convince-”
“You want me to try and convince my soulmate that he should be with me?... Fuck that. You dump all this crap on me and then tell me my own fucking soulmate doesn’t want me?!”
As if on cue, Paul came out of the woods “What did you do to her Jared? You hurt her?!”
“How do you know I’m in pain?”
“We feel our imprints' pain too” Jared added. 
“Oh! Perfect! So you can feel what you are doing to me asshole!” I couldn’t help but yell at Paul, I was overwhelmed to say the least. I’d never been so angry in my whole life. 
“What?”
“Jared didn’t hurt me, You did! What? You thought that I would be all sweet and understanding?! Awe my own fucking soulmate doesn’t want me-”
“No it’s no like that-”
“What is it? Am I not as pretty as you thought I would be? Well I can guarantee that you were not what I had in mind either you prick! In fact you are the last person I ever wanted. Oh great! Another egotistical asshole with anger issues to make me feel like shit all the time! Let me just take off my shoes so you can sweep me off my feet properly! I’m happy you got some practice keeping your distance from me. Now keep doing it! And don’t you dare think, even for a second, that you have any sort of claim over me. I’m out of here!”
Frustrated tears flowed down my face like a waterfall while my heart felt like it had died in my stomach and air was coming into my lungs but not my head. 
“Please don’t go. I had no idea you would feel this way. I can’t be separated from you anymore, I’ll go insane-”
“GOOD! Now fuck off!” I got into my car and slammed my door before Paul ran up to me window “Ok ok you can leave, just please let me drive you home. You shouldn’t be driving like this, and it’s dark. I promise I won’t say a word. Let Jared drive you! Anything.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” My own stubbornness got the best of me and I drove away. Only this time I was dumb enough to look in the mirror to see Paul sobbing.
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Baki boy’s handling a S/O who randomly flinches at being unexpectedly touched due to their past
Hi guys! I haven’t written in a while and I haven’t gotten any requests, so I thought I’d write about something that I struggle with and that other people might as well! So, Trigger Warning is in effect for down below, if you think it might bother you, feel free to keep scrolling and I’ll see you around for the next one, have a great day <3 
TW: Prior abusive relationships, dementia, anxiety, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and family issues 
Baki Hanma: 
The first time Baki notices it, the two of them are at school and he snuck up behind them to surprise them as they didn’t have classes together until after lunch, his hands resting on their hips and the moment he did this, they about jumped out of their skin.
 He instinctively believes that something is wrong, and despite his brain telling him to bring it up in conversation, he didn’t want to possibly upset them. Simply rationalizing it as he snuck up on them, of course they’d be spooked. Anyone would be... right? 
Wrong. This behavior continued at the most random of times; they’d be having a good time and then he’d move his arm too fast, the next moment they were flinching away from him with a frightened expression that they were consciously trying to control. 
This was no longer something that Baki could ignore, and chose to approach the conversation as gently and casually as he could to not upset them too much, but it seemed by the tears welling in their eyes that this was a sensitive topic.
They explain about their relationship with their parents, how when they were living with them, they were physically abusive when it came to getting their way or discipline. Anything could be used as an excuse to hit them, not taking out the trash on time? Slap. Not doing the dishes and laundry before their parents got home? Smack. Seemed to be having an attitude when answering a question? Slap. Anything ranging to them ‘breathing with attitude’. So, when they were old enough and had enough money, they moved out and cut off contact.
Upon hearing this, Baki could hardly think straight, and it took everything in him to keep himself from finding them himself to give them a piece of what they put his beloved through, but he couldn’t do that. 
He knew that the place he was most needed was right there, so he’d wrap his arms around their shakily breaking frame and hold them close to his chest, one hand rubbing their back while the other smoothed back their hair, gentle kisses peppering their forehead as he rocked the two of them. 
He would never allow anything to harm them again, and if he ever got the chance to meet their parents... it’s game on. “I know it’s something that you can’t help, but try to remember as best you can that I’d die before I laid a hand on you in anger or allowed anyone else to ever again.”
Jack Hanma: 
This man is nowhere near as patient as his brother, so the first moment he notices something is off with his partner and quick, unexpected movements, he confronts them and he wants his answers then, not the second time he asks, something he makes very clear. Jack doesn’t like repeating himself or vague answers.
However, what he wasn’t expecting was for them to tell him to mind his own business and stalk away as if he had done something wrong. This doesn’t sit well with the blonde giant, they’re normally very open and honest about nearly anything and everything with him, so this personality flip only deepened his concern. 
Letting the pot simmer for a few hours while he worked to collect his thoughts on the matter, he would later find them in their shared room, an apologetic look etched into his expression which was a rarity held only for the likes of his S/O. 
“I’m sorry... can you please just tell me what it is that’s upsetting you already?” He would murmur from the door, waiting like a puppy to be called over to the bed and as soon as he is, he clears the room in two strides, taking a seat beside them and wrapping his protective arms around them.
Jack doesn’t have much tact when it comes to this, but his heart is in the right place and his S/O can see that he means well, so despite his blunt approach, so the moment his arms wrapped around them, they relent and finally open up to him about their past relationships with their older siblings and how they would frequently be used as the punching bag, figuratively and literally. 
Just as his anger was beginning to boil over, and he was ready to sit them down with a movie while he went out to have a ‘conversation’ with them all, they hit him with something that he hadn’t been expecting, 
“You know, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have wanted to start training, and then maybe I wouldn’t have met you. So, I guess I owe them a thank you for giving me you.” They spoke with such sincerity, how could he argue back at that? Their hands gently cupping his cheeks as they smiled slightly at him, hoping to get one back.
It was with that, he felt every ounce of anger leave his body and all he could feel was love for the person he was holding. They had a point, there was no guarantee that they would have met outside of their shared love for the gym, so maybe he did have them to thank. Not out loud of course, because fuck them, all he cared about was what was in his arms.
Katsumi Orochi: 
Katsumi would be one of the first to notice something was wrong with his S/O, he had known them for a bit of time before deciding to ask them to be his, so he had time to observe the way they interacted with others and the little tics that they had. 
The first time he had seen it happen as when someone in his class had walked up beside them without their noticing and then spoke, earning them a clock to the face and a thousand apologies after that. Of course, he like Baki, would try to rationalize it as them being spooked until the issue persisted into their relationship, and they were doing it with him.
The first time it happened in private, he would catch their fist as it swung in his direction and pulled them close, speaking in as soft and soothing voice as he could while addressing the issue at hand. “I don’t want to upset you, in fact that’s my last wish, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
No longer able to run from it, they finally broke down and the two curled up in their shared bed while they went over their past relationship and how they were frequently met with physical violence at any time, ranging from a slap across the face, to a punch, to things further that they weren’t comfortable telling him. 
This was what he wanted, he wanted them to tell him what was wrong, why they acted the way they did, so why was he so upset over knowing the truth? Seeing the tears welling in his S/O’s eyes and trickling down their rosy cheeks told him the reason; who could hurt someone so kind and gentle? It infuriated him, but he couldn’t show it, he needed to be strong for the person he loved when they needed him the most.
Wrapping his muscular arms around their frame, he pulled them closer to him and rested his chin on top of their head, eyes focused on the wall ahead of them as he listened to their breathing, reminding himself that they were safe with him, and there wasn’t a chance in hell of them ever harming them again; if they tried, that’s free anger management. 
When the two of them laid down that night, he made them a promise that he would never let anything happen to them again, and that he would help them get their sense of safety back, that they wouldn’t have to react in such a defensive and reactionary way when the people around them would never hurt them. They didn’t understand fully just how seriously he would take that promise. 
From that day forward, he would frequently remind them that they were safe, they would train harder and longer so they would feel as though they could handle themselves in any situation, and anytime they would start to feel anxious or out of control, he would hold them in his arms and remind them of the promise he made, and that he would never leave them alone to deal with this. 
Kaioh Retsu: 
This man would be the best out of all of them when it comes to noticing and reaction, not gonna lie. He didn’t need to see them flinch away from people, he could see the way that they would scan the room before making any movements, how they would take note of everyone else in the room with them and where they were, the consistently worried and alert look in their eye. It had him coming to conclusions of his own, and he was afraid that they would be right. 
Would approach the topic after a night at home, the two in the shower and them flinching at his touch once he finally joined them in the water. He would bring it up gently, his arms wrapping around their body so that they would feel safe with him, pressing his toned form against theirs in an attempt to show that they are one. 
“I love you, and I can feel when you’re upset by something, so please, trust me enough to confide in me. I simply wish to help you.” He would plead with them, his dark eyes showing nothing but sincerity and honesty to where his S/O can’t deny him. 
Retsu would let them stray from the topic a few times before finally pressing the topic a bit more firmly, showing that he would not be relenting on this and that it would save them both some time if they just went ahead and told him what he wanted to know. 
Gently stroking their cheek with the back of his fingers, his other hand still placed on their lower back and holding them still as he listened to their words, processing how they had been bullied when they were younger and dealt with physical attacks at school that no one did anything about, so they had to always be on guard and be able to run at a seconds notice, hence the flinching away at unexpected touching.
It made sense to him, it did, but what he couldn’t grasp just yet was why they hadn’t chosen to defend themselves, until they explained it was nearly everyone, so one against a huge group when they were just a child wouldn’t have ended well and he had to admit they were right. 
Makes it his mission to make them feel as safe as possible, keeping them away from any type of danger or stressful situation where people would be moving at fast paces so not to trigger their fight or flight reaction and cause them anxiety. Retsu is very mindful of his S/O and makes sure that they’re comfortable wherever they go, and asks if there’s anything they need from him. 
Also goes the route of teaching them self defense if they don’t already know any, and if they do, simply helps them sharpen them and shows them new techniques that might be more effective to use, but never once does he make them feel like they aren’t strong enough. He wants to build their confidence, and he knows the right way to go about it. 
Kaoru Hanayama:
Kaoru’s S/O is incredibly private about their past, not wanting to let the poor guy in on anything about their prior experiences and why they act the way that they do or why they flinch away from people at the most random times. It’s frustrating to say the least, and whenever it happens, they give him a look that simply says ‘don’t say anything if you don’t want an argument.’
However, Hanayama isn’t the type to shy away from confrontation, and if he feels it’s something that’s detrimental to his S/O, you’d best believe he’s going to bring it up when he feels the time is right and won’t let up on it until he gets a satisfactory answer. Standing in front of the door and blocking it with his large frame to make his point clear as he stares them down with his shadowy hues. 
“I’m not doing this to upset you or trap you here, I’m doing this so you’ll finally tell me what goes on in your head and how I can fix it. If you really want to leave I’ll let you go but just... please. Let me try and do something to help for once instead of shutting me out.” This is not the type of man to beg for anything, he’s head of the Hanayama gang after all, but when it came to the person he loved, he’s willing to do anything, even look like a lovesick fool.
Somehow, that finally got through to them, and they’d sit down on the nearest piece of furniture, be it a couch or bed, and begin to explain slowly, as if they would run out of air every few sentences, about their relationship with their abusive, alcoholic mother, and how she would ‘discipline’ her children in the cruelest ways possible, how it could be at the drop of a hat, over the most obscure and miniscule things, anything that she felt like. 
Being the eldest child, his S/O was forced to endure the brunt of it to keep their siblings safe, things only ever happening to their siblings when they weren’t around, and how they aren’t understood by them now because of how they were raised effected them differently due to this dynamic. 
His mind goes blank for a moment as rage seeps in and takes over, causing his large frame to tense from his position in front of the door; the only thought he had was on repeat: Kill that bitch. Kill that bitch. Kill that bitch. He had the men to do it, he had the strength to do it himself, he had the police under his thumb, he could really get away with this. 
All of these thoughts flooded his mind and clouded his vision until he felt warm hands on his scarred face, earning his attention immediately as his vision cleared and all that he could see was the loving eyes of his S/O as they stood in front of him, a worried expression adorning their face. “Promise me that you won’t do anything to her, she isn’t worth your time or mine. What is, is going forward and leaving the past behind, okay?”
Fuck, they had him there. He was the one who wanted to help them after all, how could he do that by sinking down and doing exactly what was done to them to her? As much as he wanted to tell them that they were wrong, that they would feel better with her off this earth, he couldn’t. Instead, he wrapped his large arms around them and engulfed them into his frame, whispering quietly into their ear as he held them close, “I’ll never let anything hurt you again. Ever. I promise you.”
Kiyosumi Katou: 
This man understands being twitchy, not liking being touched too much unless initiated and would respect that the moment he noticed that was the way that they were, and would have no complaints. 
Until they started acting that way around him in private. They should know that he would never lay a hand on them, and gets slightly insulted that they didn’t register that. 
That is, until they explain that it’s something that they’ve always struggled with due to their high levels of anxiety and that they’d spent years living in an unpredictable environment where they didn’t know if someone was going to start throwing punches or not, unable to defend themselves or fight back.
This took a moment to sink in for Katou, not sure how to react or if they were telling him the truth but then he remembers that they’ve never lied to him in the past and this was something incredibly serious, so why would they do that, right? (Tell me you have trust issues without telling me you have trust issues)
However, the moment that it did fully get through that thick skull of his, he is engulfing his S/O in tight hugs and not saying a word, allowing his actions to speak louder than his words for once in his life, knowing that nothing he could say in that moment would make the pain that they’d gone through go away, and it was insulting to try.
Holding them for the remainder of the night, he wouldn’t want them out of his sight for longer than a few moments to go to the bathroom or get food while they sat on the couch and watched whatever it was that they wanted, because they trusted him enough to be vulnerable and express a part of themselves that they didn’t trust many with, so anything they wanted right now, they were going to get.
From that day forward would take it upon himself to ask how his S/O was doing during the day, if he could do anything to help them feel less anxious or stressed whenever he could tell that they were having a bad day. Most would assume that because of his cunning and brutal nature that Katou wouldn’t be very smart, and IQ wise they’d probably be right, however, when it comes to emotional intelligence, he’s pretty spot on.
Keeps his S/O close wherever they go, his arm is permanently wrapped around their shoulder while they walk down the side walk or standing in line, his expression that of ‘I wil break your neck if you come near them with any bad intentions and I’m not afraid of jail.’
Hector Doyle:
Doyle isn’t one to show much emotion, on his expression or in his words, but he is incredibly observant, and takes in far more information than the average person would in a simple situation, so the moment he saw his S/O flinch their shoulder away from a friend appearing suddenly beside them, he took note of it and began to analyze. 
Had that friend done something to upset them in the past that made them uncomfortable? Had they smelled bad and his S/O didn’t want to be rude by telling them? Several different things went through his mind based on that small interaction, and by the next time it happened with a different person, that it wasn’t anything to do with anyone else, it was you.
Now, the question is, what was causing his S/O to act the way that they had been? Obviously it was something that had been doing for a reason, and it seemed to stem from people either touching them or showing up without their knowledge, or swift movements by those around them. Could they have dealt with prior abuse? The mere thought made Doyle’s blood boil, but he didn’t want to jump to any conclusions without solid evidence or confirmation from them.
He’d bring up the topic while they’re laying in bed late at night one of the rare one’s he’s in heading to sleep the same time as them, given he’s a night owl and prefers the silence of night time and how few people were out, but he’s willing to sacrifice one night to get the answers that have been nagging at the back of his mind to get confirmation for.
“You seem to freak out at the smallest things, like someone moving their hand too fast near you, or touching you when you didn’t see it coming, even when it’s a friend or myself, what’s the deal?” Boy, he could not word that much worse if he had tried, and the reaction he got to such a topic being brought up in that way was to be expected; hostility.
“So, you’ve been sitting here observing me like I’m a lab rat in some experiment?” “What’s wrong with that?” A lot of things, and they made sure he knew it before deciding to give him the answers he’d been wanting to know so badly. It took them a while to find the right words, starting and stopping themselves several times but Doyle sat in silence, watching quietly as he waited patiently for them. He wouldn’t rush them, he’d already been an asshole with his approach.
After a long while of silence on both ends, they explained to him about how their grandmother had dementia while they were growing up and how she lived with them since her parents didn’t want to send her to a home, and while she was mentally deteriorating, she would get violent and throw things or blows, hitting his S/O several times in the head or body when they weren’t paying attention or fast enough, and so it’s become a reflexive habit. 
It wasn’t as bad as he had thought, but still, the mental scars it seemed to take on his S/O were just as bad as real ones in his opinion, so he would start to make it a habit of keeping an eye on their surroundings and stopping anyone from startling his S/O before they had a chance, doing little things like moving slower or announcing his presence; would 100% deny it if his S/O brought it up. He might be a jerk who loves a good fight, but not with his S/O.
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floralseokjin · 4 years
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⤑ made-up love song ix.
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Your first encounter with Kim Seokjin doesn’t go so well, nor your second, or your third… and maybe that’s because it shouldn’t work on paper. You’re an elementary school teacher, never left the country despite hitting the third decade of your life not so long ago, and you’re unable to remember the last time you dated. He’s the dad of one of your students, nearly a decade older than you and divorced. Oh yes, and just another minor detail – he’s a multimillionaire. 
Your lives are lightyears apart, yet somehow, your paths having now crossed, things just seem to fall into place…
pairing; kim seokjin x reader   au/genre/warnings; strangers to lovers, romance, single dad! seokjin, ceo! seokjin, elementary school teacher! oc, age gap (oc is 30, seokjin is 37), seokjin is a dilf, angst, soojung and oc’s mother being the best, minor food mention (not feeling hungry when stressed), hope, the tiniest bit of fluff, a cliffhanger of sorts!  words; 6,161 
Read Seokjin’s chapter ix here
↪︎ chapter index
chapters; i • ii • iii  • iv • v • vi • vii • viii • ix • x • epilogue (+ drabbles)
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Soojung found you curled up on the sofa a few hours later when she came home from work. You’d tried watching television, hoping the distraction would be successful but your mind just wouldn’t switch off, replaying the day’s earlier events. You didn’t want to think just yet but that’s all your mind could do. Going around and around in circles. Hearing Soojung’s keys in the door you felt a wave of nausea knowing you’d have to talk about it. Not that you didn’t want to confide in your best friend, it was just explaining everything meant that it was all real… 
She stuck her head around the door, sounding momentarily confused. “What are you doing back already? I wasn’t expecting you until la– Y/N?” She caught the look on your face immediately and just like she knew something was up. She rushed over. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
Instantly you felt your face crumble, tears blurring your vision. “It’s stupid really,” you insisted, wiping your eyes as she came to join you, a protective arm wrapping around your shoulders. The small action at least made you feel a little better. “I don’t understand why I’m crying.” You hadn’t felt the need to cry until now. Maybe it was because you could always be vulnerable with your best friend. You didn’t need to be strong. She’d seen you at your worst. 
“Did…Did you guys argue?” She sounded unsure, confused as to what could be the issue. 
You sniffed, composing yourself. “No. Not really,” you let out a groan, “oh, god, Soo. It was awful. Seokjin’s ex-wife turned up…” 
You spent the next fifteen minutes telling her what happened, although a lot of it was a blur of raised voices and insults. One thing you knew for certain though, was that you’d never felt so awkward in your entire life. You’d watched your boyfriend arguing with his ex-wife feeling so incredibly out of the loop it was embarrassing. 
You’d never demanded to know every single detail about his marriage – you hadn’t even wanted to know. It wasn’t your business after all, nor did you want Seokjin to relive things he didn’t want to, or dwell on the past. You understood that more than anyone, what with your relationship with Donghae, but he’d openly revealed a lot to you. He’d confided in you, shared some hurtful details of his divorce and in turn you had entrusted him with your own past, your own bad memories… 
There had been many surprises this afternoon, but one certain revelation kept replaying in your head. It was all you could think about. To learn he’d left out something as major as getting cheated on… Having to find out like that… You were still reeling from the bombshell. Why hadn’t he told you? You’d both been through the same thing… Didn’t he trust you enough? You didn’t understand and you couldn’t stop yourself from feeling hurt. 
“You don’t think he’s still in love with her, do you?” Soojung asked hesitantly. 
“No,” you shook your head. Regardless of the mess that were your thoughts right now, you didn’t think that at all. Yes, it was easy to let your doubts take over in the first few moments you’d set eyes on Nana, she was beautiful, although you hadn’t expected anything less, but you knew not to feel paranoid when it came to that. Regardless of today’s shock, you didn’t doubt Seokjin’s feelings for you, and you knew very well he no longer loved his ex-wife. 
“I think he’s just very bitter about everything,” you continued. “Mostly about how infrequently she sees Arin.” 
“Do you think it’s a problem?” 
Shrugging slightly, you didn’t really know what to say. “She’s been seeing her quite often lately. There was last weekend, but it shouldn’t have been that much of an issue.” Seokjin hadn’t been angry over that, or at least he hadn’t let on he was… Maybe he had and had just hid it well. With that thought, you remembered something. “It was just her face… while Seokjin was saying all those things to her. She looked so upset… I’ve never seen him like that.” 
It had been jarring seeing him so angry. He was usually soft-spoken and well-mannered. Even when he was irritated he stayed silent. You understood that he was only human, everyone had emotions, and his had bubbled over today, but it was still surprising. You hadn’t been expecting to be in the middle of a shouting match between him and his ex-wife. 
“But you knew they didn’t get on?” Soojung gently prodded, rubbing your upper back. 
“Yeah.” You swallowed. “Just seeing it in person… I can’t believe he didn’t tell her about us.” 
Your mind was all over the place, unable to concentrate on one issue for long enough. You really had been living in your own little world this entire time. So incredibly happy and blissfully content. It had been so easy to forget that Nana existed when it came to your relationship with Seokjin. To you, she was just Arin’s mom, who she spoke about sometimes, but not very often, in your presence. It was easy to put her to the back of your mind, it was easy not to think of her at all. Why would you? You didn’t even know what she looked like until today. All the photos you’d seen of a younger Seokjin, of Arin as a baby, had never once included her. You knew who she was, knew her name, but that was all. 
So you’d just assumed she knew about you too. You’d assumed Seokjin had told her without needing any confirmation. You’d assumed she’d known that you would be looking after Arin last weekend. You’d assumed she was perfectly fine with it. In reality she had no clue you existed. You were almost certain Seokjin hadn’t done it maliciously, he wasn’t that type of man, but seeing him today, how casually he had brushed off her concerns… As much as it had hurt to be thought of as a stranger, you understood why that was the case. Seokjin hadn’t. As stubborn as always, he refused to see where he had done wrong. 
“That is a bit odd,” Soojung agreed. “And even though she was a bitch to you, I guess I’d be pissed too if I found out the way she had.” 
You snorted softly. Soojung had been ready to fight when she’d first heard the things Nana had said to you, but she knew you were fine, you could handle yourself. “Ugh, it’s all such a mess,” you groaned. “I would’ve never looked after Arin last weekend if I’d known Nana had no clue.” You should have made sure. Why hadn’t you?
“I guess Seokjin had his reasons,” Soo reasoned. “Maybe he knew how his ex would react.” 
“Maybe,” you agreed before sighing. “I don’t know. There’s things he never told me either.” Maybe you were finding out that Seokjin was a very secretive person, who knew… “She cheated on him, Soo.” You were back there again. Soojung hummed in understanding. “Is it silly of me to be upset?” 
“No, it’s valid.” 
“I told him about Donghae,” you whispered. “I really opened up to him and he was so sweet and understanding. Why didn’t he tell me he’d been through the same thing?” No matter how many times you went through it in your head you couldn’t think of an answer. It didn’t make sense. Especially because he’d opened up to you so easily in regard to everything else. What made this so different?
“Maybe he just didn’t want to make it about him,” Soojung offered. 
“I don’t know… Maybe.” You groaned, thinking you were being selfish. He probably had a good reason when he didn’t tell you. There were more pressing issues right now anyway… You knew that, and immediately your head begin to spin again. 
“The whole stepmom thing,” you muttered, “it’s left me a little frazzled.” 
Soojung kept up with your disorderly thoughts expertly. “In what way?” 
You gave a little shrug, voice barely there because you didn’t want to admit it out loud. “It made me question things…”
“I thought you liked where things were heading?” Your best friend couldn’t hide the shock from her voice. 
“I do,” you replied, “or at least, I did.” Where were things actually heading? You didn’t know anymore. “I just wasn’t really thinking.”
“Of what it all meant?” 
You nodded slowly. “I lost myself for a while.” 
In a way, you had been in your own little bubble for these past few months – you, Seokjin and Arin. You’d had the most amazing summer, falling harder and harder for Seokjin and in the process Arin had captured your whole heart. She was such a sweet little girl, humorous and thoughtful, Seokjin and Nana had brought her up well. Your time together had been incomparable, your happiness unmatched, but in the process you’d ignored a few things. 
“So what are you saying?” Soojung asked gently. 
Your throat felt dry. “I’m afraid it’s all moving too fast.” 
It was a lot to take in. You had been together barely four months but here you were thinking about the word stepmom. How scary the word sounded, how scary it felt…
“You want to slow it down?”
“It’s probably too late for that,” you chuckled quietly. You felt your heart squeeze. “Soojung, I think I’m in love with him.” 
It felt almost relieving to confess such a thing, despite your heavy heart over today. Your feelings had been harder and harder to ignore these past couple of weeks, but you’d tried your best, not wanting to rush anything. Right now you were confused and hurt, but one thing was blatantly clear. You loved him. 
“It’s scary,” you whispered, feeling Soo rub your back again, listening silently. “Falling so fast.” Especially after everything you’d been through with Donghae. You were scared. Despite opening up your heart to Seokjin easily, this was different. Things seemed so complicated now, when not six hours ago they had been nothing more than simple. 
“Today was a massive reality check,” you scoffed. “I’ve been spending these past few months playing house with Seokjin and Arin, it was bound to catch up with us sometime.” 
“You liked it though,” your best friend encouraged, voice gentle. “I’ve never seen you so happy… Not since… Well, not even then.” 
“Everything just felt so… perfect,” you agreed. Everything had slotted into place easily. “And natural, and just, nice.” For lack of a better word. Your brain was pulp. 
“Arin obviously felt comfortable enough to call you her stepmom in front of her own mom?” You didn’t even notice Soojung’s change of direction. 
“I don’t know, I think she was just confused. You know what kids are like together. She heard her friend talking about it and they probably got excited.”
“Would you like to be her stepmom?”
You paused then, realising what had just happened. She knew you well, knew what was bothering you, conflicting your mind. You gave her a small smile. “She’s a sweet child, but it’s not that simple right now. It’s not only my decision either.” 
Truthfully you hadn’t thought about it before today, but now it was one of the things at the forefront of your mind. If everything worked out okay then you and Seokjin would only grow more serious. From strength to strength and what did that mean? However, now you knew that Nana wasn’t exactly your biggest fan… You felt fresh frustration, deflated yet again. Today had gone terrible. 
“You’re right,” Soojung agreed, “but it’s something you need to be comfortable with too.” 
That was true. These were things you needed to talk about with Seokjin. Then again, maybe you should’ve talked about them before. You had no clue how he felt regarding the topic, well… not explicitly anyway. 
“Seokjin comparing the both of us made me feel horrendous.” You found yourself admitting. “I’m not trying to be Arin’s mother. I wasn’t even trying to be her stepmother. Not yet. I haven’t thought about it until now. I just… I loved being a part of her life in my own little way.” 
You never wanted to replace Nana. You hated thinking like this, but what if Seokjin had been looking for that the whole time? A new mother for his daughter… You were almost positive that wasn’t the case, but you were so drained right now, your mind was all over the place. You kept replaying in your head what he had shouted at Nana over and over again. 
“He can’t expect you to take on that role, not when she already has a mother,” Soojung said carefully. “But you can be there for Arin in other ways – in similar ways. You’ve been teaching and caring for kids for years, so I hope you’re not undermining your capabilities.” 
You smiled then, grateful, leaning on her shoulder. “Thank you.” You definitely weren’t doing that but being a teacher and a mother were two totally different things. Especially when it wasn’t your biological child. 
“Ugh, I’m just exhausted,” you groaned, laying back against the sofa and shutting your eyes. “My head’s a mess.” You didn’t want to talk about it any longer, switching off sounded really good right now and Soojung understood that perfectly. 
She tapped your arm. “I’m going to cancel my plans with Tae.” You opened your eyes, mouth open ready to fight. “He’ll be fine.” She insisted. “Me and you are gonna get takeout and ice cream and just stop thinking. We’re going to pull the One Tree Hill boxset out and pretend we’re still in high school.” 
You weren’t going to lie, that did sound like fun. It was also foolproof. You’d been doing it since you were seventeen, when Soojung had got dumped for the first time. “Great idea.” 
She leaned in for a hug. “You told him you need space to think, so that’s what you’re going to do. But not tonight. No rush.” 
As she pulled back you took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “I love you.” 
“And I love you,” she grinned. “Now, let me grab my phone.”  
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You woke up early the next morning, like really early, 5am, which wasn’t ideal seeing as you’d struggled to get to sleep the night before. Your mind and heart felt heavy, but you forced yourself to get up and shower because there was no point trying to fall back to sleep for an hour. You had school, and that meant you had to try your best to look presentable for the kids – and happy. A bunch of 6-7 year olds were scarily talented at reading an adult’s mood you’d come to find out. 
You didn’t eat much of your breakfast, which wasn’t a surprise because when you were stressed or sad you never felt practically hungry anyway, and left for work long before Soojung even had a chance to wake up, thinking your classroom so early in the morning might give you some sense of clarity. Either that or stop the buzzing of your thoughts that couldn’t seem to keep away. The change of scenery would hopefully do you some good.   
You were at your desk trying to organise your planner for the week ahead, 7:04am, when your cell phone began buzzing. You looked across at the device, face up a few inches away from you and felt your stomach squeeze. Filling the screen was a picture of Seokjin and you at an amusement park he’d dragged you to over the summer, like the big kid he was at heart. Seeing his smiley face made your heart hurt. You thought about leaving it ring, you could pretend you were busy and let him leave a message, but no matter how much you wanted to do it, you couldn’t. 
The phone felt heavy in your hand as you picked up. Your voice didn’t sound like yours. “Hello.” 
“Y/N,” he breathed, sounding somewhat relieved. You had taken a while to make your decision. “Are you free to talk?”
He sounded tired and unlike his usual self, and a part of you wanted to rush over and talk to him in person, to check in on him and see how he was doing, because as much as yesterday hadn’t been nice for you, it hadn’t been too great for him either… However, you knew that was a bad idea, you’d said you had needed time. A few hours wasn’t that. 
“Um, yeah,” you replied, opening your mouth again to remind him about what you’d said yesterday, but already he was rushing forward, eager to say his piece. 
“I’m sorry I didn’t call last night, I guess… I guess I needed time too.” He sounded hesitant, and you didn’t have the heart to tell him you had never been expected (nor wanting) a phone call. “Do you want to meet up for lunch?”
Your voice was gentle. “I don’t think that’s a good idea today.” Maybe he’d misunderstood you, you needed longer, besides, things weren’t going to get sorted out in under an hour during your lunch break from work. It wasn’t as simple as that – you wished it was. 
There was a pause his side, then – “Are you sure you’re not mad at me?”
“Seokjin, I’m not mad,” you sighed softly. “I’m just…” What were you? Frustrated more than anything. It was hard to explain. In a way you felt sorry for him, but you also felt sorry for Nana. “I have a lot of questions that I don’t think I’m ready to ask just yet.” 
His voice was careful as he asked you, “When do you think you will be ready?”
“I don’t know,” you told him truthfully. “I need time to think and it’s pretty hard when I have work all week.” Neglecting your job was foolish – impossible to think of, actually. 
“I understand.” Of course he did. He was nothing but understanding when it came to you and your relationship together. That’s the Seokjin you knew and adored… the one you loved… 
“Is Arin okay?” You found yourself asking. You knew you should probably say your goodbyes, but you’d woken up feeling terribly guilty that you’d just upped and left her like that yesterday. “I’m sorry I ran off without saying goodbye to her.” 
“She’s doing okay, I tried telling…” He trailed off suddenly, and you guessed he thought he was overstepping the mark. The mark you’d put in place. “She asked where you went, I said something came up.” 
“Oh.” You’d thought about popping your head around the door and saying goodbye yesterday but just couldn’t do it. You hated to think she’d thought you had left her too. “I really am sorry about that.”  
“Y/N, it’s fine. Please never be sorry,” he murmured softly. 
You smiled sadly at his sentiment. “Are you okay?” You shouldn’t really ask, not when you needed to hang up and take that space you both needed, but you couldn’t help yourself. It felt wrong not to check in. 
“Could be better,” he chuckled slightly. You appreciated his honesty. “You?” 
“The same.” There was no point pretending. “I think some space will do us good. Let’s just think about everything and then we can talk.” 
“Okay,” he agreed simply. There wasn’t much else he could say. If he disagreed in any way you knew he would never tell you. He wanted to respect your wishes. 
“I’ll call you towards the end of the week?” You could get through the work week, have some time to yourself in the evenings and then meet up on Saturday. 
“Yeah, that sounds good. I agree.” Yet, he sounded a little dejected. 
“Okay.” You had to leave it at that. “I gotta go,” you told him, even though you were in no rush to leave for work, already in your classroom. 
“Of course, bye, Y/N.” You heard some background noise and then a familiar voice in the background – Misook. As it was for you, life went on. Arin had to get ready for school, he had to get ready for work… You couldn’t both wallow in self-pity all day. “Take care,” he told you. It sounded awkward, as if he didn’t know what to say. 
“Bye, Seokjin.” You felt just the same. Even right at the beginning your phone conversations had never been this wooden. 
You hung up first, and then there was silence, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall opposite. You watched the red second hand move, feeling as if it was mocking you.
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The week was slow. It was an average one, but it dragged by. On Monday you had to sit through the usual chitchat inside the teacher’s lounge during lunch, catching up on everyone’s weekends. When Eunbi asked how yours had gone you’d breezed past it, expertly changing the subject to her weekend visiting Jungkook’s parents. Other than that, there was really no need for Seokjin to come up in conversation, which you were thankful for. You spent the rest of the week busy with the children, staying behind a lot later than usual just because it was easier inside your classroom. 
At home you found yourself missing Seokjin like crazy. Ever since your first date you’d been in regular contact throughout the week, and then when things had gotten serious, you’d spoken to him every day – even if it was just on the phone in the evenings once school started back. For all contact to be gone was strange. You hated it, felt as if a part of you was missing. But you knew it needed to be done. As the days went (dragged) by you no longer felt overwhelmed by Sunday’s events. The shock had worn off and you had time to dissect it all, whether it be over dinner on your own when Soo was working late, or when you were in bed for the night, waiting to drop off. The more you broke it down the easier it was to place things in different categories. All the things that had shocked you, the things that had hurt you, and then finally, the things that had made you feel guilty. 
On Thursday night you promised your mom you’d have dinner with her. Jonathon was abroad visiting his children and she hadn’t been able to get time off work to join him. She was bored at home all alone, so you really couldn’t say no despite a part of you wanting to. Before you arrived you’d made the decision not to tell her about your…what could you call it? It was hardly an argument with Seokjin. A disagreement..? Whatever it was, you didn’t want to worry her. After all this time she was over the moon you’d finally met someone you really cared about and you knew it was stupid, but you didn’t want to make her worry.  
However, that all went out the window as soon as she opened the door to you. She was your mom for crying out loud, who could you confide in if it wasn’t her? She listened to you attentively. All your thoughts, all your worries – even if the potatoes were at risk of cremating, and it felt good to have your mother by your side. 
“Seokjin is a lovely man, anyone can see that, but he’s allowed his flaws. He’s only human,” she reasoned, your conversation coming back to the way he’d acted around Nana. You knew your mother was right, and you were in no way judging him for it, but it had been very jarring seeing him change so suddenly. “Obviously he and his ex-wife bring out the worst in each other. Sounds to me as if they’re so used to hurting one another it’s become the norm.” 
You nodded in silent agreement, thinking back to them hurling abuse at one another as if it was the most natural thing. In a way it had turned into a competition. Who could hurt one other the most. In the end, Seokjin had dealt the final blow. You. You could still see the hurt on Nana’s face now, even though it was days ago. It made your chest heavy all over again. You told your mom just as much. 
“There’s no need to feel so guilty, love,” she told you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “None of this is your fault. Seokjin, whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, used you as a way to hurt Nana, and you need to tell him that you’re not okay with that.” 
That was the part that had hurt the most now that you’d had enough time to think. Above all else, not telling Nana about you, the catalyst that led to his divorce, it was being used as some kind of weapon that stuck out. You had never wanted that. You had never asked for it. 
“You are his girlfriend first and foremost.” Your mom continued. “Yes, you care for Arin but these things need to be spoken about first. You have never wanted to be, nor felt like you were the child’s mother. You know your boundaries and so should he.” 
She was correct. You’d been so hesitant not to overstep the mark these past few months. You’d even been in two minds whether or not to offer to babysit Arin that weekend. You’d thought Seokjin understood that, your cautiousness when it came to the role you played in her life. After all, your relationship was still new, and Nana was very much a part of Arin’s life. However he had disregarded that all to throw a few cheap shots. 
Your conversation shifted to Arin then. It was easy to sympathise with her, after all you’d been in her shoes once. Parents who seemed to fight more than they did talk. It had gotten better for you though, their relationship turning amiable once the divorce had settled. For Arin, it seemed to be only getting worse. You wished you could talk some sense into Seokjin. He might’ve thought that Arin was okay with her parents barely having any contact but you knew that wasn’t the case. It had been very telling to hear that Arin never brought Seokjin up in conversation with her own mother. That’s why it had taken Nana so long to find out about you. Deep down that little girl knew that her mom didn’t want to hear her dad’s name, and that was heart breaking. 
Somewhere along the way, your mom asked you what you thought about Arin calling you her stepmother. Despite it being done innocently, the weight of the word meant so much more to the adults in the situation and you agreed. It had been strange to hear, and not just because it had come from Nana’s mouth. You were serious about Seokjin and could see a future with him, and that meant being in Arin’s life permanently. That word wasn’t so farfetched and you’d had plenty of time to think about it this week. What it meant for you, Arin, and of course Nana. 
“How did you feel when dad first met Dahae?” You asked your mom. These things had never really come up in conversation before, which was surprising, but right now you needed any advice and insight you could get. Your mom had been in Nana’s shoes once after all. All those years ago. 
“I was…happy for him,” she replied hesitantly. “It took time. It’s a confusing thing. I no longer loved your father but it felt strange to see him with someone else. Of course, everyone is different. Not one relationship is the same,” she added. 
You nodded in understanding. Your father had met Dahae, his wife, when you were twelve. You had grown up with her and it didn’t feel odd to think of her as a second mom. You still called her by her name but when in conversation with others you often referred to her as your stepmom. Always had, for as long as you could remember. Maybe it was after the wedding, but you couldn’t be too sure. Definitely before she gave birth to your siblings though. 
It was different with Jonathon. He’d always been “your mother’s husband” and not because you didn’t care for him or think he was a lovely man. He was, and you liked him very much, it was just… You were an adult when you met him, twenty to be exact, living across the country for college. The bond wasn’t quite there like it was with Dahae, but your mom understood that – so did Jonathon. But it made you pause and think. You’d never asked your mom how she felt hearing you call Dahae your stepmother. It had never crossed your mind until now. 
“I didn’t like the idea at first, I have to admit, but who would?” She confessed. “It’s hard not to feel hurt or threatened, a whole load of different emotions,” she gave a small shrug, “but meeting Dahae, and seeing how kind a woman she was, and how much you meant to her made me see things differently.” 
You smiled, silently hoping that one Nana would think and feel the same way when it came to you. You could only cross your fingers and try your best in the meantime. 
Your mom nudged you, a playful lilt to her voice. “I think you’re very lucky to have two wonderful women in your life that love you and want the best for you – and yes, that’s a brag on my part.” 
You laughed with her, but your worries were getting the best of you again, turning you sombre. “What if Nana never accepts me though?” 
“I think you should only think about that if it happens,” she replied. “There’s no point expecting the worst right now.” 
You still didn’t feel very hopeful though, it was probably written all over your face. Sweeping some hair out of your eyes, your mother’s voice was soft. “Love, she had no idea you existed, I think her anger was warranted.” A pause, tone changing. “Although, not at you. I’m not very happy about that.” 
You chuckled at that. “It’s fine. You know I can look after myself.” You were feisty when you wanted to be, or scrappy as Seokjin had so comically put it once. 
Wrapping an arm around you once more, she squeezed you gently. “Talk to him.” She urged. “You miss him. This time apart is getting pointless, you already know how you feel.” 
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You did. Your feelings were as strong as ever. 
You had been itching to pick up the phone last night and just call him already, but you’d said Saturday. You only had one day left at work, you could hold out until then. It would be better that way, you didn’t want to interrupt a potentially busy day. Friday’s were often crazy for him, you didn’t want to be a distraction. 
However, come morning break you bumped into Hoseok coming out of your classroom, eager to rush to your car and grab the apple that must have rolled out of your bag and onto the seat. (Hopefully – if it was on the floor it was going in the trash ASAP). 
“Hi, Y/N. How are you today?” He politely asked. 
“Fine, thank you.” Talking with Hoseok always came easily, regardless of his position as the principal. “Glad it’s the weekend tomorrow. How about you?” 
“My thoughts exactly,” he laughed, before adding, “Although, I hear Arin’s started hers early.” 
“Oh?” You were immediately lost. Had you missed something? You hadn’t seen Arin at school all week, which wasn’t strange. Your paths rarely crossed these days unless you were on yard duty, and if you were being honest, you were glad it hadn’t been this week. She must have had an inkling something was wrong right now, she hadn’t seen you at all since Sunday, so you were relieved to know you didn’t have to answer any awkward questions. It was selfish, you knew that, but you couldn’t help it. 
Hoseok looked confused by your reaction, but carried on regardless, shaking it off. “Seokjin called up yesterday, said she’d be visiting her mom earlier this weekend if it was possible. I figured maybe you and he had plans for tonight.” 
You froze, forcing yourself to reply because your boss was waiting for one. “Oh, no.” You swallowed, coming up blank. “No plans.” 
If Hoseok noticed your woodenness he didn’t let on. “One day couldn’t possibly hurt her education, right? But don’t tell the board I said that,” he added with a laugh. 
You made yourself join in, although your mind was racing. “Secret’s safe with me.” 
He smiled at you, giving you a nod. “Enjoy your weekend, alright? See you Monday.” 
Thank God he had somewhere to be. You nodded back, watching him already begin to walk away. “And you, Hoseok.” 
You proceeded to sit in your car for twenty minutes, half eaten apple already turning brown as you racked your brain. It wasn’t Nana’s weekend to have Arin. Was something wrong? You were probably being silly, conjuring up the worst case scenarios for no reason. If something had happened, Seokjin would have contacted you. He knew he could always count on you, but… You had told him you needed space and he’d agreed. He was a man of his word, so if something had happened, what if he thought he couldn’t call you?
You pulled your phone out of your bag at the thought, clicking on his contact but stopped yourself when you saw the time. You had just under five minutes to be back at class… I’m being irrational, you told yourself. If something was wrong he would have informed Hoseok, and the principal sounded absolutely fine. You were worrying for no reason. If something had happened, something bad, he wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to you. You knew that, and so did he. Only a few more hours and you’d get to talk to him. Most of those involved sleep. You could wait until tomorrow morning. You could. 
.
.
You couldn’t. 
It was half 9 and you were home alone. It was Soojung and Taehyung’s date night and she was spending the night at his place, so all you had for company were your own thoughts – and RJ, the alpaca plush Seokjin had won for all those months previous. You couldn’t possibly wait until tomorrow, your mom was right, what was the point in waiting when you knew how you felt. You wanted to see Seokjin, to talk to him and feel him. You missed him like crazy. 
Turning the television down low you grabbed for your phone which had slipped in between the sofa cushions. This time you didn’t hesitate, no work commitments calling your name, and dialled Seokjin’s number straight away. He picked up after only two rings. 
 “Y/N,” he breathed, sounding more than surprised. 
“Hey, you,” you smiled into the receiver. It felt good to hear his voice again. 
“I wasn’t expecting you to call tonight.” 
“Sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” 
“Of course not. Well,” he paused to laugh, “I was just about to head to bed.” 
He sounded a lot like his usual self tonight, it eased your mind. You laughed along softly, a confession slipping past your lips. “I was going to wait until tomorrow but Soojung is with Taehyung tonight and being alone means I can’t stop thinking about you.” 
You heard a sigh of relief his end. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all week.” The longing in his voice didn’t go unnoticed. “Are you ready to talk? I’m willing to answer any questions you have.” 
“I’m ready,” you nodded. “Should I come over? I don’t want to do this over the phone.” 
“I can come to you?” He suggested instead. “Arin’s with Nana until Sunday.” 
“Oh.” You thought to ask him how come, but stopped yourself, you could get to that in person. He didn’t sound upset, which you took as a good sign. “Okay. Now?” 
“It’s not too late?” He checked. 
“No, it’s fine.” You were eager, shaking you head as you replied, and you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. “I really want to see you.” 
You could hear his smile too. “I’ll be there soon, okay? Really soon.” You heard his footsteps along the floor, the sound of a drawer opening as if he was finding something to wear. 
“Don’t speed,” you added, as a joke more than anything. 
“Of course I won’t,” he laughed. “I’m going to hang up now but I won’t be long.” 
“Okay, see you soon, Seokjin.” It was silly, but you didn’t want the phone call to end even though in under half an hour he’d be here. 
But you could be patient. 
You could. 
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Written 2020 - 2021. Please refrain from posting my work elsewhere. No translations allowed. © floralseokjin 2021
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ruby-whistler · 3 years
Text
the difference between static and dynamic characters on the dream smp
Hi, hello, it's Ruby, back with another PSA because this fandom (specifically the people on Twitter) keeps getting worse.
/dsmp /rp
Recently, people started claiming c!Techno was boring because he never had any character development.
Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but if you in any capacity decide to study the ins and outs of creative writing, you'd learn that characters don't need to have character development to be compelling, loved by the audience, and have a complex personality.
This is what is called a static character. Not to be confused with flat characters. What's the difference?
Most articles seem to agree on this;
"Static characters should not be confused or mixed up with flat, one-dimensional characters. Though neither changes as the story progresses, if a character remains unchanged, it does not mean that he is one-dimensional like a flat character. A static character can be perfectly interesting, like Sherlock Holmes, who is completely ingenious, eccentric, and sometimes jerky. He never changes, but the audience still loves him. Thus, a static character could be the protagonist too, and a flat character, on the other hand, only plays a side role in the story." - ( link to definition )
Static characters are ones that don't experience any personal growth during the span of the story. They're often used in writing, because they're realistic and can be interesting if well-written. This article provides examples such as the aforementioned Sherlock Holmes, Captain America from The Avengers, and TommyInnit from the Drea- [gunshots]
But in all seriousness, c!Tommy is very easily a static character; a lot of the criticism of his character is about the fact that he doesn't change. He does gain experience and new relationships, he does suffer and becomes more and more traumatized, he does make choices out of impulse or emotion, but none of that is character development - he never overcomes his character flaws, including selfishness, stubbornness, and a lack of compassion or empathy for others. And I do not blame him for it as a person, and I do not consider him a badly-written character, even if he's a little frustrating to watch sometimes.
c!Tommy has two main reasons why he remains a static character.
a) he doesn't live in a constructive environment
It is normal for boys Tommy's age to be low on empathy. It's completely normal for them to be chaotic, immature pricks, because that is part of their growth. All of this would be just fine if c!Tommy was growing up in a highschool; however, he in actuality grew up on a land ruled by politics, wars and conflict.
I do not like using the age excuse, because I do not believe it makes his bad choices any more justified, but it's easy to realize why him being in such a position could stunt his personal growth.
At that age, you need guidance, whether it be from teachers, parents, or whatever other figures you're able to find around you. Usually, it is not difficult to find good people to look up to in today's world, but for c!Tommy, that isn't true.
In the pre-L'Manberg, post-Tommy era, there was moderate peace. Yes, there were conflicts, but none of them were damaging in the long term for anyone involved, and they were chaotic scuffles more than fights of ideals.
Once c!Wilbur came along, c!Tommy latched onto him. We all know how that went.
None of the adults Tommy had looked up to were in any capacity helpful to him growing or becoming a better person. He helped lead a revolution to help Wilbur gain power, he was lead to help Wilbur lead and unfair election, and witnessed the breakdown of the man he trusted shortly after. He was subjected to emotional manipulation by Dream, and then came to the wrong person for help. None of these things are reasons for positive change.
b) it's his major character flaw
Even in the few chances he had at genuine change, at forgiveness, at letting go, all provided by the environment or people around him, he didn't take them. Tommy doesn't like change, he fights it, and that is why he always loses. He doesn't want to change for the better, and he despises himself when he changes for the worse.
He looks for peace in a lack of activity, growth, or development. He searches for happiness in not letting go of the past, but hanging onto it for dear life, terrified that the people around him might change because he doesn't want to. And that is why, as long as he keeps this mindset, he'll never find it.
While other characters, such as Tubbo, Dream, Wilbur or Quackity seek to change the world around them, for the better or the worse, to rewind or to progress, and are willing to change themselves accordingly, Tommy does the opposite, because his biggest fear is people drifting apart and leaving him behind.
Let's get back to the point, then; what makes Technoblade a static character, and a good one at that?
His motivation is simple; he is a lawful character who sticks to his morals through thick and thin, follows a strict inner code, and is loyal to people above all.
On top of that, he is given no reason to change his morals.
No one's arguments against c!Techno have ever made much sense, let's be honest, and ever since he'd entered the server, Techno's been proven right over and over and over again.
He saw Wilbur face the consequences of having power over other people and then losing it, seeing the influence of corruption on the man he worked with. He was forced by the government to kill another person, to kill an ally, to kill an innocent. He was betrayed and used by the Pogtopian revolution, which knowingly kept things from Techno and fought to seize power, rather than destroy it. He was unfairly executed without a trial by corrupt politicians just absolutely demolishing the Geneva convention, holy crap people call Techno a war criminal, just in that one stream New L'Manberg commited so many war crimes-
Point stands that people say one thing and then do the other. Talk of freedom and then force people to do things (and no, forcing people not to force other people to do things doesn't count nor does it make Techno a hypocrite, get a better argument). Techno was never manipulated or swayed to someone's side against his ideals because he's not a man of words; he believes in what he sees, not what people tell him, especially since he's been repeatedly lied to.
That is the first thing a good static character needs; a strong motivation. Through everything that's happened, I'd say without a doubt that Technoblade has the strongest motivation out of everyone, which is to emancipate people from the tyranny of their rulers - not just sing about it and then establish a dictatorship - but to in fact do it, no matter the cost.
He's a very Paragon-type character, which is a common type of static; his moral code is too strong to allow emotional change.
Another thing a static character needs is personality. And Techno - if you watch his streams, not just others' perspectives - has a lot of that. From his bond with Phil and Ranboo to fondness of animals to sense of humour, the character is entertaining to watch and follow. You know what to expect of him, you know he won't betray, and that despite the flaws he has he will not let personal issues hold him back. He wins because he trains, and he puts hours into pulling crazy stunts, and he's persistent - it's satisfying for the people watching his perspective to see his efforts pay off.
His interactions with others are characterized by an attempt at kindness, no matter how many times he might fail at separating his personal life from the ideals he's pursuing.
And that is compelling! To draw parallels to Tommy again, the kid has so much personality that other characters could borrow from him and he'd still be fun to watch!
Neither Tommy nor Techno are flat characters, and I think that is the mistake a lot of people make when misinterpreting both the characters; Tommy and Techno are amazing examples of great static characters in fiction, and I'd like to applaud cc!Tommy and cc!Techno for being brilliant writers.
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arcadejohn127-9 · 4 years
Note
:O your requests are open! :D i really like your writing, and I'd like to request the brothers(+undateables if your okay with that) with an MC who really hates apples, and the brothers handed them an apple and they threw it at the brother purely on instinct? I have a weird hatred for apples, and I git handed an apple and yeeted it at the person, completely on reflex/instinc, I felt pretty bad but they were laughing, so something like that? Though if you don't want to do it, then that's totally okay! Don't overwork yourself :) stay safe, have a nice day!
I----
Interesting! This is definitely comedic and something I can do! I'm so happy you enjoy my writing! Stay safe yourself and have a nice day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You were focusing on your phone; scrolling through devilgram as you lazily lounged on your sofa but you saw apples pop up on your feed. A new Apple based recipe coming up on some of the feed blogs you've followed.
You weren't really sure how to bring up your DISDAIN for apples. Your absolute HATRED for them. Was it the texture? The taste? Who knows- you didn't! You just couldn't stand them.
You knew it was silly so you never brought it up. The poison apples in the Devildom only made your hate even more prominent.
You were so caught up on your thoughts so you didn't expect someone to give you one, telling you to eat. Out of pure instinct you just chucked it to the closest person in the room.
Lucifer:
Didn't expect you to throw it at him
Hit him right in the shoulder
He saw you lounging on the sofa and noticed you haven't ate yet
He stared at his shoulder, wincing as he rubbed it
You let out a scared apology
Dreading his reaction but he caught you off guard
He bursted out laughing, his brow raised as he just stared at you chuckling
"Was you really that startled? I didn't think an apple would scare you that much."
"i- I guess so...is your shoulder okay?"
He nodded, the pain already subsiding
"I'll be sure to keep your Apple instincts in mind next time."
Mammon:
He screamed in fright
Screamed more when it hit him right in the nose
You immediately shot up and rushed over to his side
"Mammon-! I'm so sorry-"
He immediately started bursting into laughter, stopping to sneeze but it never happened
You couldn't help but giggle at his struggles between uncontrollable laughter and stopping as if he was about to sneeze
"You HAD to aim for the nose! You damn rascal!"
He tried to smack you but got caught off guard feeling his sneeze actually arrive
"I'm sorry! But why are you sneezing?!"
"I sneeze when i hurt my nose."
You laughed even harder as he sniffled
"WHAT??!!"
"Did you seriously feel that threatened by a little apple ya had to throw it me?!"
"........yes."
This became an inside joke for you two quickly after
You smacked his nose and watched him struggle to sneeze and he'd give you apples to throw at people
Levithan:
It hit him right in the dickins
How it got that low was a shock to both of you
You tried not to laugh as he clutched his crotch, whimpering and slowly sinking the floor
"Levi, I'm so sorry, hopefully it didn't absolutely destory it."
You both just stared at each other before the both of you bursted out laughing
"I'm never doing that again- you could of shot it off with that throw!"
He winced, adjusting to sitting up as the pain subsided
"Are you okay though? It looked like it hurt."
"I'm fine, are you going to do that if I give you more fruit? I don't blame for not liking it."
"no, just apples - promise."
"you're a weird human but could we test how your throw again some time? I might need your help."
Satan:
It hit him in the side of the face
You felt your heart drop straight to the floor
It wasn't too long ago Satan was chewing out levi
Internally this was Satan:
"you ******* I will ************ rip your **** right out of your ******* spine and pull it through your nose ***** ***** ******************************************************* that hurt!"
Meanwhile the outside of him was just rubbing his cheek/ear
You screamed out an apology, fearing this was your last day
But he just chuckled, waving his hand
"it was an accident, let it be a reminder I don't surprise you like that."
You still frowned
"I'm still really sorry....does it hurt alot? I can get you some ice-"
"No need, it'll be fine, no more apples for you though."
"I have no issue with that, I hate apples."
You both laughed, but you stared at him, completely serious
"I'm not kidding, I literally despise them and will keep throwing them out of instinct."
It felt good to finally let that out
But Satan just bursted out laughing
A high pitched wheeze leaving him
Asmodeus:
Just caught it in time except in his scramble to catch it he got scared by your sudden throw
He football kicked the apple by accident and it went flying through the window
"Let's not tell anyone, I'd rather not have Lucifer on me for breaking something."
"my lips are sealed - trust me."
He wiped his hands, pouting
"I try to give you something nice and you just throw it at me! What's that all about?!"
You cringed, guilty about your reaction
But you couldn't help it!
It was something you couldn't control!
"Sorry, I just do that...with apples."
He let out a sudden snort/scoff
Raising his brow at you
"I'm never giving you one again but~ if I were to get you to throw them at people, you wouldn't mind, would you?"
You shook your head, laughing at his eagerness to cause issues
He couldn't help but laugh himself
"I'll do it if you give me something in return, okay?"
He happily agreed, nodding and throwing his arms around you
Though the moment ended when you both heard Lucifer outside
He found the Apple.....oh no
Beezlebub:
Man built like a brick wall
He couldn't catch it and it hit him right in the chest
The apple got DENTED
You couldn't even think about apologizing as you couldn't stop your fit of laughter
The dented apple just rolled to your feet
"you didn't want an apple?"
You shook your head furiously
"no- sorry, did that hurt? It dented-"
"I didn't feel a thing, do you want a different snack?"
You nodded
He soon came back with food for himself and another healthy snack, offering you a sip of his smoothie
He sat with you, eating his food pile
"I hate apples....it's best no one gives me one."
"You had an impressive throw, I think you'd well in the R.A.D athlete team."
"wait- really?! Thank you!"
He agreed, humming as he ate
It was safe to say he got you an apple to show your throwing skills without thinking about your throw
It got you a good score and even got praised for your instinct
Belphegor:
The apple bonked him in the head
His forhead getting suddenly attacked
You rushed to his side, moving his fringe
"are you okay?! It's not bruising is it?! I'm so sorry!"
But he just started laughing
"I didn't expect that! You gonna do that everytime Someone surprises you?"
"no just apples - stop laughing! It isn't - It's not funny-!"
But you started to laugh too
"I'm not hurt, don't worry."
He huffed as he moved his fringe back over his eye again
You really weren't sure why he insisted on his emo hairstyle but it was best not to question it
"Shame you aren't, I could of kissed it better."
Without missing a single beat
He suddenly clutched his head, howling in agony
"THE PAIN!!! ah!!! The pain-! You must kiss it better or else I will die."
You rolled your eyes
Moving his fringe once again and gave his forhead a quick kiss
He suddenly hugged you but it wasn't long before he fell asleep
You landed on the floor
Letting out a pained 'oof' as you tried to shove him off you
But he refused to budge
Muttering a sleepy 'revenge'
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Note
Hi again! Honestly, I kind of love your meta about the Cullens with and without Edward as a framing device. They're so delightfully fucked up. What do you think the Cullens like about each other? Like, do Jasper and Rosalie ever just share a commiserating glance when Edward is getting particularly judge-y? Does Carlisle ever tell Rose how proud he is that her self-control is That Good? Do Emmett and Esme hang out, does she appreciate how light-hearted he is? Like - other than their "mates" do you think the Cullens are super close? What do you think it would take to get them there/what's the ideal "family" dynamic?
Thank you, and for reference, Edward's thoughts on the family.
All the Cullens about all the other Cullens? Well, this will certainly be a large post. I guess we'll tackle this one at a time and then get into what an ideal "family" dynamic even is (especially for vampires).
Let's buckle in friends.
Alice
By far, Alice is closest to Edward.
When she first sees him, she runs to him and embraces him as a brother. Throughout the series, Alice and Edward are the ones that share a close bond with each other, rely upon one another, and hold each other in the highest esteem.
Much of this comes from their respective gifts.
Per their gifts, they unwillingly invade the privacy of everyone close in their lives. More, it's something that forces them to see the world differently beyond even Jasper (who is also gifted). They have a strong sense of kinship with one another.
Bella is important to Alice not only because Alice sees her as a friend but because she is the one who will make Edward happiest. And that means quite a bit to Alice.
Otherwise, Alice isn't that close to any of the others.
Bella comes in slot number two in Alice's esteem and that's very telling, because Alice treats Bella like her life-sized Barbie doll and makes it clear on a number of occasions that she's more than willing to risk Bella's life for the sake of Edward's happiness without a hint of remorse.
Then there's the rest of them.
People, to Alice, are a bit like pawns in a chess game. Part of this is because of her gift, she sees so many futures that it's very easy for her to dehumanize those around her. The people she's closest to aren't people, but a collection of possible choices, and Alice helps guide those choices to the ones she finds preferable.
And preferable, here, is preferable to Alice. Oh, it might work out for everyone else, and Alice will tell you she looks out for the future of everyone over all, but ultimately because everyone else is just a collection of choices it's what happens to Alice that matters.
Alice is with Jasper because a vision told her to be, nothing more, nothing less. Every interaction they have just emphasizes that they are nothing together, not even a real emotional bond.
The others don't even seem to share a connection with Alice at all. She's in their lives, is this perky kind of fun girl, but that's it. They barely know her as she seems to barely know them.
Alice is with the Cullens not for the Cullens themselves but because visions have guided her to be there as the best future for her. Oh, she treats them like family, but I imagine she'd be the same with anyone else had visions dictated a different path.
As for why the Cullens, they're large and very talented, and Carlisle is one of the few vampires in such a large coven who would not use Alice's gift as a means of war or expansion. It's really the safest place for Alice to be, and why she'll likely do everything in her power to keep the coven together.
Carlisle
Despite Edward's, Edwardness, Carlisle is incredibly fond of Edward and does see him as something of a son. He's also very devoted to his marriage to Esme, despite its unseen flaws. And he seems to be very close with Rosalie, easily seeing her as a daughter and acting much like a paternal figure to her throughout the series.
He doesn't seem as close with Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. This is in part because Emmett doesn't really reach out to him the way the others do, Jasper keeps very much to himself, and Alice is Alice.
However, he's very fond of the Cullens as a whole and looks on each of them highly, even if they don't really deserve it all the time. He would be devestated were the coven to fall apart.
Emmett
Emmett's closest is with Rosalie, for obvious reasons, but even they have a pretty dysfunctional relationship. What Emmett appreciates most about Rosalie is her beauty, when it comes to her personality, he openly admits he's not the largest fan (but what are you going to do, it's the wife, amirite?)
Otherwise, he's a very amiable guy and gets along well enough with everyone, but doesn't seem particularly close to any of them. He wrestles with Jasper and seems to engage in the most 'fun' activities with him, but Jasper is a very haunted soul with a difficult past that Emmett doesn't touch with a ten foot pole.
Emmett tries to bond with Edward, but they just don't understand one another. Especially as Edward seems to go increasingly mad when he decides he's in love with Bella Swan, Emmett doesn't know what to do with that one at all.
Emmett never embraces the whole Esme and Carlisle as his parents thing, and to him it's likely a hilarious joke, but otherwise he doesn't bond with either of them too much.
So, when you get down to it, it's pretty much just Rose.
Esme
Esme adores the family, and by the family I mean Edward. Edward is far and away Esme's favorite child, really the only Cullen I'd say Esme considers her child, and she makes no pretense otherwise and openly says as much.
That said, if you asked her, it would be about the family unit as a whole. And she would be devastated if the Cullens fell apart on her, though not as much if one of the fringe members left vs. Edward leaving.
Otherwise, there's Carlisle, who she adores as her husband. Though they, too, have significant issues. Specifically, neither of them truly knows who it is they married and one day they will find that out. Personally, I think Carlisle ranks far less in Esme's priorities than Edward, in part because he doesn't need her quite so badly, and also because in a way he just is Husband to her and little else.
I think she has very little connection with Jasper and Alice specifically, as they came in so late and in a way are so self contained. Emmett I think amuses her, but he's not really a "child" per se. Rosalie's closest, but as Rosalie doesn't need her as a mother I think that puts a wedge between them.
I also think that Rosalie and Esme wouldn't really understand each other. Despite having lived through similar experiences as humans, they are very different women from one another. I just don't see the bond there.
Jasper
Jasper seems to be the eternal outsider in the family. Edward despises him, but more, I think he doesn't quite know where to fit in with these people. He came from such a different from world than each of them and lived a very different life.
We see him wrestling with Emmett, so there's a bond of friendship there, but I never saw it as a particularly deep one. They'll wrestle, play games, but they never have the hard and difficult conversations in life.
He and Alice have their relationship, but there doesn't seem to be anything really holding them together. The conversations they need to have don't happen, and Alice manipulates his life like a piece on a chessboard, and he consents because he has no trust left in himself at all.
We see Jasper despair to Carlisle in Breaking Dawn that Bella, a newborn, has better control than him but this seems to be an extreme moment for him. It doesn't seem like he and Carlisle are talking often even if, perhaps, they should if only to gain more perspective from one another.
Jasper didn't come to the coven for Alice, nor is that solely the reason he stays, but he very much is an outsider and the one who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of them.
Rosalie
Rosalie is very invested in the family itself. She loves these people, even the ones that aren't so hot on her.
Yes, she wishes she and Alice had an actual relationship, and is pissed off when Alice blows her off for Edward's human girlfriend of all things. Yes, she wishes that she and Edward could get along, but she sees him as the brother you sometimes have a rocky relationship with.
Point being, to her, they are very much a family and she strives to keep them together.
As for who she's actually close to, I'd say it's Emmett and Carlisle. Her relationship with Edward is tense at best and antagonistic at worst. She and Alice have virtually know relationship at all, Jasper keeps to himself, and we don't see her really connecting with Esme.
On the other hand, in terms of her education (pursuing all she can and especially getting her medical degree), her strict adherence to the diet, she seems to emulate Carlisle in all that she does. He's very much a father figure to her and someone she wishes to be like.
So, I do think Carlisle tells Rosalie he's proud of her and she beams up at him. That one I do very much see happening.
Emmett is her rock, the man who keeps her steady and pulled her out of misery, who loves her near unconditionally. For the wrong reasons, perhaps, but time will tell if that relationship works out for them.
Summing it Up
The Cullens are actually fairly disjointed. They may look like a single cohesive unit, and they are in a sense, but if you look closer they divide down into cliques and subgroups quite easily. Not one of them is equally close to all other Cullens, and most of them are strangers to at least one of them.
This perhaps isn't surprising, given I think the coven is ultimately doomed, but it lays the foundations as for why it's doomed. Edward tells us this himself, what holds them together (vs. other smaller covens) is the diet. Edward, of course, didn't mean it like this, but to me that spells a very tenuous bond. One that, with not much of a catalyst, will break.
And I don't think they're going to get to the point where they reach that family ideal.
First, they'd have to truly understand each other, and understanding Edward would break the coven. So that's not going good places.
More though, they're such different people who ultimately do not share common ideals. They don't want the same things in life and certainly not for the same reasons, and because of that they're not going to be incredibly close to every other person in the coven. And that's fine, they don't have to be.
To be honest, I'm not sure the family dynamic is something they should strive for. They already, mostly, care about one another deeply and do live together. Why should they emulate human families?
The place where it falls apart on them is that half of them don't know who the other is, they all think they have different values than they actually do, and Edward is Edward.
And there's no getting around Edward being Edward.
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cinnamonest · 4 years
Text
Yandere Kaeya Alberich
Words: 3,162
Tws: General yandere content, Kaeya being a dick
Summary: You’ve been trying to avoid the Favonius captain. He’s convinced you’re unsafe without him. If you don’t believe that, he’ll prove it to you.
"Traveler."
Your muscles tensed. The hairs on your skin raised up. How?
You turned your head towards the voice, a strained smile across your face. "Captain Kaeya!" You pushed with all your effort to make your voice sound pleasantly surprised, excited, sing-songy in the way anyone who knew you would expect upon being greeted with a familiar face. "What are you doing so far out?" You said it so very playfully, casually, as if it was a casual conversation maker and not a genuine question that burned in your mind.
What the hell was he doing so far out of his jurisdiction? What need does he have to be out all the way in Liyue?
Why did he have to show up when you specifically went out of your way to avoid him?
"Oh, I was looking for you. Asked around. Heard you were hanging around the area," He said, pulling out a chair and sitting in front of you, effectively cornering you in your little spot in the corner of the small tavern. He smiled, folding his hands together and resting his chin on them. "I just sent a couple knights out to look for you."
He made no effort to even try to hide it. He was completely shameless. That explained the Favonius knight that had appeared in the tavern earlier - you'd felt uneasy as you saw the man gaze around, halting when he made eye contact with you, before abruptly stepping out as quickly as he'd come in. You should have trusted your gut and left as soon as you could - but here you were.
When you'd first met Kaeya, you'd admired the young captain. He was brave, skilled, charming, and undeniably a very attractive man. His charisma made him a well-respected, well-liked person throughout Mondstadt, even if his reputation did include an arrogance that was just as well-known as his skill.
That was the issue - you'd noticed that trait, that one characteristic about the man that made you uneasy, that upset you so greatly that you had resolved to avoid him entirely. Well, three traits.
One, he was obsessive, clingy, attached to a degree far too unnatural for someone who had known you for such a short time.
Two, Kaeya was a little overly touchy. It was just on the border of your discomfort, too noticeable for you to feel okay with it, but too mild to feel justified in confronting him about it. Everywhere you went with him, you could always feel his hands somewhere on your person.
And three, Kaeya was perhaps the most condescending, self-righteous person you'd ever met. He was always, always right. You never knew what you were talking about. He always knew better. He was always smarter, you were always dumber. Or so he seemed to believe. You'd grown to be increasingly irked, insulted whenever he would treat you like some naive idiot, reminding you how you, some foreigner, had no grasp on reality in this world. Really, you were hopeless, you really should let him stay by your side, help your poor naive little self navigate the world, since you were so incapable on your own.
"Oh," you finally responded, snapping out of your thoughts, smile straining, trying to come up with some response to the utterly creepy truth he'd been so shameless to reveal. "Yeah, I came out here for a few days. Really, uh, pretty area."
"Mm. That it is. This place attracts a good deal of tourists," he tilted his head. "The route here is... Particularly dangerous, though. You didn't travel here all by yourself, did you?" His eye contact was unwavering, and you found yourself breaking away, opting to gaze downward. "Or were you... Accompanied?"
"Ah, I came here by myself," you answered. "I didn't encounter any dangers... Outside a few hilichurls."
"Hilichurls are responsible for quite a few deaths in the area. You shouldn't underestimate them," he remarked. "Really, that's an unwise decision, coming here alone... You really should have sought some protection."
"Oh, I'm pretty good with a sword. I can take care of myself."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Is that so?" His voice was amused. Condescending. As if you were a child, some little kid insisting on your competence. "I'm sure you'd fare well, if you found yourself surrounded by them. Or worse," his voice darkened, "some... Other forces. Plenty of bandits and other criminals walk the roads in the Mondstat region."
Isn't it your and your knights' job to deal with that?
"O-oh, I see. Well, it's a good thing I didn't run across any of those..."
"Yes, it is." The blunt statement left you feeling your stomach churn with awkward silence that followed. The undertone - the clear hint of frustration - of his voice made you shiver. "They could easily catch you off guard..."
You'd left Mondstadt almost solely to get away from him for a few days. You needed some respite. The irritation in you boiled over ever so slightly. "It's ok, I'm pretty sharp. I'm always on guard."
Since meeting him, Kaeya had been attached to you virtually every waking moment of the day - no, he insisted on being near when you slept, too. On the very day of your arrival, he'd insisted you sleep in the knight headquarters, despite how many times you repeated that an inn was perfectly suitable. It was safer, he claimed. Safest in the little spare room just down the hall from his own, where he could come check on you before you settled down for the night. The first time, you'd been startled, flushing as he stood in your door frame, thinking that the moment he realized you were barely clothed in your sleeping gown, he'd surely get flustered and leave, but he didn't, opting to talk to you for several minutes before turning away. That experience had been... uncomfortable.
He'd been everywhere you were, both inside of Mondstadt and, albeit a bit less, in the wilderness. You weren't even sure how he kept appearing exactly wherever you were - you'd be minding your own business, and a knight of Favonius would appear in your line of sight - soon after, Kaeya would always appear. No matter what time of day, no matter how far out you were, no matter what you wore or who you were with. Even if you had other people in a party with you, he insisted on showing up, as he claimed, for your safety. Sure, you had other companions that could try to guard you, but really, were they any valid comparison for a swordsman of his caliber?
You didn't need them, he could easily be more than enough, surpass any other companions you could take with you.
"Excuse me miss," a waitress approached. Oh no. "Did you and your friend need anything else?"
You knew what was coming, but he moved to speak before you could, snapping his head towards the woman. "No. Could you kindly leave us alone?"
The poor girl's eyes widened. "O-of course. My apologies." She quickly scurried off.
You'd never seen him be anything short of rude, even downright nasty, towards anyone that entered his presence. Somehow, you felt that he likely wasn't like that when it was just him - he was too clearly well-liked to be so rude all the time.
"Anyhow," he turned back to you, "I came here primarily to fetch you... Extremely important matters happening back in Mondstadt. That bard is looking for you. Something about Stormterror?"
Oh. That changed things.
"Something's wrong with him?"
"Mhm. Apparently so, but I don't have any details. Your assistance is needed immediately, apparently. Come," he smiled again, rising and extending his hand, "I'll take you back."
It shouldn't bother you - you should be grateful. You should simply sigh, and acknowledge that even if he was clingy, even if he was unnecessarily protective, there was nothing wrong here, there was nothing about the situation that should give you the feeling that it did.
It was a weight in your stomach, a twisting in your gut. Something instinctive, something in your deepest, most primal senses, was set off, a chill seeping through your blood. An innate sense in your very core that directed your actions, told you to get away.
But your trained sense of social decency rejected such an idea. He was being gracious, kind, helpful, and although he might put you at unease sometimes, Kaeya was known for being an upstanding person. And besides, logically, someone who seemed to like you so much wouldn't do anything to harm you.
You realized that you had frozen in place, briefly lost in your thoughts. He cocked his head. "Something the matter...?"
"N-no! No, I'm fine, I'm coming," you stood hurriedly, pushing the chair back as you did. "Thank you, Captain Kaeya."
He hummed in approval. "Of course. What kind of knight would I be, letting a defenseless girl wander back alone?" He paused. "I'll always protect you, so long as you actually bother to tell me when you plan to disappear." Despite his smile, there was an obvious hint of passive aggressive irritation in his voice, and you tried not to cringe in discomfort.
"Oh, aha, I'll be sure to let you know next time."
"I'd appreciate that."
You wondered how you'd apologize next time when you conveniently forgot your promise.
As you exited the little tavern, dropping mora on the bar for the owner, you felt a firm hand on the small of your back, pushing you through the doorframe. The touch made you shiver, and it lingered, like a brand against your skin.
The walk back was lively, you weren't bored with Kaeya to talk to. Even if his conversation was primarily bragging about this or that, telling you all the oh-so-wonderful feats he'd accomplished in his time, it was better than silence, you supposed. You were back to Mondstadt fairly quickly - no hilichurl encounters, although you did briefly run across a few slimes that he insisted on taking down by himself.
"Hey, are you feeling alright?" He stopped in the middle of whatever he had been going on about - honestly, you weren't paying that great of attention. 
"What? I-I'm fine," you responded, eyes wide.
"Really?" he looked at you with something like concern in his uncovered eye, brows furrowing with worry. "You look... a little sick." Suddenly, he pushed the back of his hand against your forehead. "You feel hot, too."
Well, now you did feel warm, his touch leaving a searing feeling on your skin. "A-are you sure? I don't think I'm..."
"No, you're definitely coming down with something." He glanced over in the opposite direction, where the city walls were not too far off. "You probably haven't even realized it yet. I could carry you the rest of the way, if you'd like."
"O-oh, ah, no, that's fine! I can walk... just... fine..." You found yourself trailing off, embarrassment making your face burn. 
"Well, why don't we stop by the Knights' Headquarters before we go to meet that... Venti, was it? We have a nurse there that could see to you."
"I..." you paused. Once again, that dreadful, sickly feeling rose in your stomach. Something telling you that something was wrong.
And again, you pushed it back. "Ok, sure."
He hummed in acknowledgement, swiftly moving towards the gates. "Let's hurry, then. Let me know if you change your mind and want me to carry you." He added a slight smirk to his last sentence. You weren't sure if you found it endearing or irritating.
Once you got back, as expected, Kaeya began directing you to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. And you followed him, all the way in, all the way down the stairs, all the way into the hall -- wait.
You figured perhaps he was absent-mindedly headed that way out of force of habit. "Uh... Kaeya, are you sure we're going the right way? This is..."
The same little tucked-away hallway that your rooms were in. In fact, you were literally coming up on your room.
He stopped, turning his head your way with a soft smile. "No worries. You're really starting to look like the blood is draining from your face... I just figured I can bring the nurse down here." He paused next to your room, then took a step back, motioning his head, as if to tell you to go in. "Just sit down, I'll find her and bring her this way."
The churning was stronger than before. Every hair on your body stood up. Every instinct you had told you something was not right.
Nonetheless, yet again, you didn't listen.
Your feet clicked on the stone floor as you walked through the door. It all occurred so quickly, your mind spun. It felt like a punch to the gut, the air knocked out of you, the impact pain pulsing as your back was slammed into the wall. Strong hands kept a bruising grip on your shoulders. The room spun around you, head dizzy and struggling to process. What snapped you into awareness was a cold, sharp chill pressed right up against your neck, and a firm knee pressed between your legs.
He had you pinned to the wall, sword hovering ever so slightly above the skin on top of your veins. You gasped for air from the impact. "K-Kaeya!" You managed to choke out. You couldn't form anything beyond that. Panic was surging through your body, mind overwhelmed as survival instinct tried and failed to find a quick way to get away.
"What's that?" He pressed his face forward, almost nuzzling it into your neck. You could feel him smirking against your skin. "I believe I remember you saying something about how you couldn't be caught off guard...?" 
You were vaguely aware that you would normally be angry - furious - over whatever was happening here, but primal fear still controlled your brain at the moment, unable to feel anything but panic. You trembled.
"This is what I meant when I said you should be more careful," he muttered. "You think you're so capable and strong, but look at how easily I could trap you... I could kill you, right now, so easily."
Your body shook fiercely. You felt tears begin to gather around your eyes. "I-I just... Trust... You..." Your voice was weak, frail, trembling harder than your body. "You're, you're my, m-my friend..."
"Mm, plenty of people will come along pretending to be your friend, (y/n). You're very, very lucky that I actually do have your best interest in mind." Finally, he lowered the sword from your throat. You released a breath you hadn't realized you were holding in, and you felt your knees give way, stumbling forward, quite literally falling into his arms. He dropped the sword in order to catch you, and it clattered to the ground.
Your shaking hands grasped his arms, fingers digging firmly into his skin, desperate for some sturdy stillness to cling to. There was a moment of silence.
"You see, (y/n)? Think about all the people that wouldn't just be proving a point like I am... All the people that might want to really hurt you... Do awful things to you... Aren't you grateful I'm not like that?" His voice was deeper than its usual tone, and you felt his chest vibrate as he spoke from where your head was pressed against him. It was low yet soft, almost a growl, yet almost a whisper.
You were breathing rapidly, forehead pressed against his chest. You didn't respond.
"I said, aren't you grateful that I don't want to hurt you?"
"Y-yes," you found your voice. You didn't know what else to say.
"And you understand now... You need me. You need me there to protect you from bad people. You're so easy to trick and overpower... So naive... Imagine what could happen if you get into this situation again, but for real... And I'm not there?" He reached one hand up, stroking the back of your head. "Surely, you understand that now, don't you?"
You nodded.
"That's good. I hope you remember that, next time you try to run off." He tsk-ed, tilting his head to rest his chin on top of your head, grip on your shoulder increasing, almost crushing. "Honestly, you should really just be guarded full time. I could probably arrange that."
As you began to calm down, the reality of the situation began to dawn on you. Anger rose in place of the fear. He had the audacity to do something like this, and blame you for trusting him? You wanted to speak up, say something, but that same primal instinct told you it was a bad idea.
This time, you listened. 
He gently shifted, setting you down on the bed. "Now, you really do look sick, truly. Tell you what, I'll just go see that bard in your stead, tell him you couldn't make it. We'll have to just figure something out. I'll tell the nurse to come down here."
"Wh-what?" You started to stand on your shaking legs. "No, I-"
"You really can't be going out," he grabbed your shoulders and firmly pushed you back. "Really. You'll just get worse. Better to recover faster, than prolong your illness, no?"
"I don't feel si-"
"You are sick." Once again, his smile was betrayed by the irritation in his voice. "Don't tell me you don't know about the Mondstadt influenza? No wonder. You're foreign, so you're probably highly susceptible to illnesses you've never encountered."
You'd been given a rundown of local illnesses by Lisa, actually, but didn't recall such a thing. "I've... Never heard -"
"You won't feel symptoms for several days after first showing signs. You're very lucky I'm used to seeing it." He pulled out a watch, eyebrows rising. "Oh, look at that. It's already time to meet the bard. I'll be back in a little bit."
"Wait-" 
"It'll only be a few minutes. I'll be back soon."
"Captain Ka-"
"Get some rest now."
The door shut firmly. You heard his heavy footsteps quickly sprint down the hall.
A nurse never came. Ten minutes passed, half an hour. You thought about trying to go find her yourself. Maybe he was actually being honest. Maybe you were sick. You almost wanted him to be right. You would prefer being sick to the idea that he might be lying to you.
You preferred worrying about being sick to worrying about the implications and meanings of the situation if he was lying to you.
You finally stood, resolving to go find a knight yourself, ask for directions to the nurse. Something. Anything to get your mind away from this, distract yourself from your brain's racing to process what had happened just before.
The metal lock rattled against the wood as you tried and failed, with increasing desperation, increasing heartbeat, increasing rapid breaths, to open the door.
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Titans Tower Confrontation Breakdown
There have been a ton of fics about the confrontation between Jason Todd and Tim Drake in Titans Tower in Teen Titans #29. While I have read and enjoyed a number of these fics none of them are really accurate at all to what actually happens in that issue so I thought I’d break it down and give some commentary. It’s a bit long so I’ll continue under the cut.
tldr; It’s more or less a normal comic book fight. Jason monologues, but fails to get under Tim’s skin. They fight, Jason wins, but Tim comes out of the fight mentally unshaken and only mildly hurt.
So first Jason electrocutes Beast Boy and Cyborg and gives Raven a dose of sleeping gas to keep them from interfering. Then he reveals himself to Tim. In his initial reveal he’s dressed in the normal Red Hood get up but within a few panels he’s revealed that it’s a tear away costume (wtf?) and he’s wearing an adult sized Robin costume underneath (kinda cringe bro...) Jason and Tim exchange a bit of dialogue that can be more or less summarized as; Tim: Red Hood you’re cleaning up Gotham the easy way (killing), Jason: You’d know all about easy rich boy. What do you have as Robin that I didn’t?
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So the initial exchange tells us a few things. Tim is aware of Red Hood and considering he isn’t surprised by Jason’s Robin outfit he also knew about Red Hood’s identity. Additionally Tim doesn’t act troubled by the idea of fighting his predecessor. I’ll probably make a whole other post about it, but suffice to say that the Jason Todd smear campaign by DC (Jason was a bad Robin, he died due to his own faults etc etc) was in full swing by the time Tim was introduced. It is a complete fabrication by the fandom that Tim admired Jason as Robin. In his introduction in a Lonely Place of Dying Tim frequently blames Jason for his death and claims that he’ll be better (RIP to Jason Todd but I’m different). Lastly this exchange tells us Jason’s goal; he wants to see who’s better.
So next they start fighting. Jason basically lectures Tim on his own backstory during the first exchange; You were worried about Batman spiraling so you followed him around for a few weeks and found out who he was. So putting aside the fact that there’s no fucking way for Jason to know this information (there’s no way to detective out something that doesn’t leave evidence and it’s not like anyone who was there would have told him) Jason’s point is there’s no way Tim is good enough to follow Batman around without Batman noticing. Leading to this:
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And bam! The first clean hit of the fight is actually landed by Tim!
Jason isn’t swayed. He maintains that Tim only found Batman because Batman let him find him. Then he asks Tim if Bruce told him the same things that he told Jason:
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So from this we can ascertain two things. First that Jason blames Bruce for Tim becoming Robin, not Tim. Second that Jason believes the trust/partnership between Robin and Batman is a farce. Lastly we see Jason steal Tim’s staff which leads directly to the next panel.
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The comic cuts away to a separate location right after this. When we return to Tim and Jason’s fight the next panel shows Tim being thrown through a door by Jason looking a bit the worse for wear. It’s impossible to know how many times Jason actually hit Tim in the in between. Tim gets up and keeps fighting in his typical acrobatic fashion right after so all his limbs are in working order and his balance is more or less fine so we can assume not that many, ≥1 but not more than three or maybe four times.
Next Jason has a quick digression to complain about not getting a memorial statue in Titans Tower, which is honestly a fair point since he was a Titan and possibly(? I think?) the first one who ever died. He also busts up Donna Troy’s statue which is a bit of a dick move, but since she’s also back from the dead not as bad as it could be.
They get back on track with this exchange:
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So pretty obviously Jason has no interest in being Robin again (despite the fact that he came here in a Robin costume, Jason's motivations and characterization are a Whole Mess here) But anyway Tim replies:
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So first of all it’s pretty rich for Tim to complain about living under the shadow of a dead boy when his entire origin story was one long argument by him so that he would get to do that. Also Tim’s tone when talking about Bruce blaming himself, we again encounter that tone of blaming Jason for his own death. Tim could be implying that it’s all Jokers fault, but it doesn’t read that way. And lastly we once again see this wasn’t a one sided fight. Tim doesn’t exactly give as good as he gets since he does lose the fight in the end, by it’s by no means a beat down.
The fight concludes with a two page spread where Jason dominates the fight:
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But more importantly the dialogue. Jason (rightfully) calls the idea of having a teenage crime fighter a mistake. No one was surprised by his death, his failure, (once again this comic is riding the ‘it’s Jason’s fault he died’ train) because of how irresponsible having a teenager fight crime is, the death is more or less inevitable. Also the final exchange seems to get back to Tim Drake’s ‘RIP to Jason but I’m different’ roots Jason basically says “I’m better than you and I died and you still think you can survive this (being Robin)?” and Tim says “yes” Cue Jason ripping the R off his suit and knocking him the fuck out.
Last few things, Jason leaves a message in red with a hand print on the wall that says “Jason Todd was here” It kind of seems like it’s supposed to be blood but the most Tim bled was a bloody nose? So idk maybe he got a blood bag from the infirmary or brought red paint with him? As for the extent of Tim’s injuries, he’s up and fighting again before the issue is over and in his next appearance something like a week later in comic time he looks totally untouched. So basically he’s not anymore injured from this fight than he would be from your average villain of the week fight.
Conclusions: Jason was acting pretty weird (wearing the Robin suit, leaving the message at the end), but he wasn’t in a rage/out of his mind. He fights Tim, lectures him, knocks him out, and leaves, he doesn’t fly off the handle or torture Tim. Also the point of the confrontation wasn’t to punish Tim or to get Robin back. It was a test, or possibly a warning. Obviously Jason is not acting rationally but the general tone of the conversation seems to be warnings. About Bruce and how replaceable Tim is to him, and about how dangerous  being Robin is, with a side of I’m better than you. On Tim’s side of things he wasn’t that injured from the fight and he wasn’t shaken by it. Jason didn’t succeed in getting into Tim’s head, none of the ‘warnings’ landed, and Tim didn’t give a shit that Jason didn’t like him or that Jason was fighting him.
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