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aussiepineapple1st · 1 year

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Never Fly Near Giant Mold Monsters

This story is set in Resident Evil 8 Village. An AU of Chris calling on Leon's help with the Megamycete.

Ship: Chreon Words: 2,938 Contains: blood, death, angst, slight fluff.

Chris had been sitting in a tent his team set up in the forest, holding his phone in both hands. He was contemplating on calling Leon, they hadn't spoken in two weeks and the first thing he was going to ask was for help. Chris knew he would be here as soon as he could, but this was big. He had Ethan somewhere in Heisenberg's domain, his men keeping track of his whereabouts while they all worked behind the scenes to try and find Miranda. She had kept slipping out of his sight for 3 years now, but now that she had basically told them where she was, it was just a matter of searching every inch until they find her.

Chris hadn't slept in what felt like weeks, feeling like he had let the Winters family down after trying to keep them safe. Damn it! Why did everything he do blow up in his face lately? Rose had been taken, Mia was missing, and Ethan was being beaten to a bloody pulp by every creature in this god forsaken village.

He looks down to his phone one more time, he can't do this alone, he needed help, and who else than Leon? Pressing the call button on Leon's name he places the phone up to his right ear, praying to whatever had been keeping him and Leon alive for all these years, that he wasn't on another vacation he would be pulling him from. "Chris? It's been a while." Leon answered almost soon after the call had come through. "Leon." Chris seemed to pause, long enough for Leon to pick up on something. "Chris? What's wrong? Has something happened?" There was concern in the slightly younger man's voice over the phone after hearing the long silence. "Well. Yes and no? You know the Mold I found a few years ago in Louisiana?" "Yeah? Don't tell me you found more of it?"

"I have, and this seems to be the rout cause of it. I ran into a few problems with the Winters family, again. Mia had been replaced by a woman by the name of Mother Miranda." Chris explained the whole situation to Leon. Everything from him shooting her in the safe house, to Rose being kidnapped and now Ethan gone rogue in the village. "You didn't think to tell me any of this? How long have you been after Miranda?" Leon asks, annoyance in his voice. "3 years..." Chris said squinting as he waits for the earful from the other side of the line. "3... 3 YEARS?!" There was the sound of shuffling from Leons end of the line and Chris could only imagine he had been sitting down, now standing on his feet, probably pacing. "Right.. Where are you? I'll grab a small team and come to you."

"Romania, I'll send you my coordinates now." Chris says pulling the phone from his ear and sending through his exact location. Putting his phone back up to his ear, Chris waits for confirmation.

"Got it. I'll be there as soon as possible, I'm currently in Germany. Just took care of some BOWs." Leon explains almost about to hang up.

"And Leon?" Chris said quickly sensing he was about to end the conversation.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, I really need your help." He said smiling softly.

"Don't mention it, I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay safe." Leon then hung up so he could make his way to Chris as fast as possible. Cursing under his breath as he gets to calling the few people left from his current mission.

"Love you too." Chris said to the phone with a sigh.

-----*Several Hours Later*-----

Chris was staring at the Village from the top of a hill his unit had set up camp on. Arms crossed over his chest sighing heavily, his breath visible in the freezing air. Pulling out a cigarette, Chris lights it, sucking on the butt he felt a slight amount of tension leaving his shoulders. A glint on his left hand catching his eye as he looks to the golden wedding band on his ring finger, giving it a small twist on his finger his ears perk up. That was the sound of a chopper, Leon was here. Taking one more suck of the cigarette he drops it on the snow covered ground and stomps it out. Looking out over the towards the mountains behind the castle, a black helicopter had appeared. Flying over the center of the village, Chris could feel his tense shoulders relaxing.

"That your backup, Alpha?" Speaks a male's voice fully kitted out, ready for whatever would be coming, they had already lost two people in their group by being here, he didn't want to be next. Chris only gives a nod as something below the helicopter caught his eye, reaching for the sniper rifle the man beside him was holding, he looks through the scope. His eyes widen as he saw a large arm of the mold bursting up from the ground. Chris reaches for his phone, handing the rifle back to his man as he calls Leon.

"I'm just over the village, can't you wait for me to land?" Leon quips, a smile on his face.

"Ascend! NOW!"

"What?" Leon didn't have time to think before the black mold had wiped the entire tail of the Helicopter away from the body. "Shit!" Was all Chris heard before the call was hung up. Chris watched in horror as the helicopter started to spin out of control, he notes which direction it was heading and runs as fast as he could calling anyone who gets to the car to come with him. Two of the men in his group were ready and hopped in the vehicle, Chris took off in the direction the helicopter had just crash landed. Driving over small trees and leaping off a few small cliffs they made their way to a small clearing, Leon had managed to direct the vehicle there. Better to be in an opening rather than in a bunch of trees. Chris puts the vehicle in park and runs out of the car towards the wrecked helicopter. A body was on the ground, but it wasn't Leon. Directing one of the two men to check on him, Chris saw Leon's figure lying on the ground of the passenger section of the vehicle. Fire engulfing the entrance as on of the others had been impaled by metal, already a charcoaled corpse.

Chris rips off his large black coat and runs over to the wreckage, leaping through the fire and landing next to Leon's body. He picks him up gently in his arms standing to his feet. Hopping slightly on his heals as he exhales, psyching himself up to run back through the flames. There was a hissing sound coming from the back of the helicopter giving him the signal that there was a tank about to explode. He leaps through the fire just as the explosion pushes him further through the air, wrapping an arm around Leon's torso, a hand cradling his head into Chris' chest as he hits the ground. Rolling in the snow Chris grunts as he was laying on Leon's limp body, he looks back at the helicopter. Moving to his knees Chris hooks his hands under Leon's arms, dragging him back away from the helicopter. Just in case it decided to blow up again. "Leon!" He calls trying to wake the unconscious male in his arms. Gently resting him down in the snow Chris kneels on Leon's right side. A gloved hand resting on Leon's chest as he lay in the snow. Nose and mouth bleeding, a large gash on his left shoulder and another unknown injury causing his navy blue, button up to be soaked in blood on the right side of his lower abdomen.

Chris looks over his husband's body, laying there in front of him in the snow. "Leon! Damn it! Don't do this to me!" He said cupping Leon's face in his gloved hands. One of his other men that had joined him here, walks over holding out Chris' black coat he had ripped off his body before leaping into the flames. Taking the coat with a look of thank you to his man, Chris placed it under Leon's head. He then pulls up Leon's shirt, revealing a large, bleeding gash to his lower abdomen. "First aid kit, STAT!" He looked up to the man still standing beside Leon. Nodding the man runs to the car grabbing a second kit and hurries back to Chris. Kneeling down the man pulls out some supplies. Chris had done a quick examination of the wound while waiting, concluding it wasn't deep enough to have done any serious damage. Maybe the muscle was broken through, but not any deeper.

Chris immediately grabs the alcohol wipes and cleans away as much blood as he could, doing a quick swab inside the wound. He then begins to sew up the wound, once finished he sits Leon up with the help of the other man and wraps a bandage around his lower abdomen as well as his shoulder. Chris had done the same treatment there. Relaxing slightly, Chris looks over to the second man of his group, who was walking over to the three of them. "He's gone, sir." He addresses. Kneeling down beside his teammate. "Damn it!" Chris punches the ground, his head hanging low. Looking to Leon still unconscious in the snow he couldn't help but feel tears threatening to leave his eyes. He had put them all at risk, he shouldn't have called.

"Sir... Alpha." One of the men called trying to get Chris' attention. He then lifts his head to look up at Men. "We should get him back to camp."

"Right." Chris replied. Taking the coat from under Leon's head, he placed it over his body and scoops him up in his arms once again. Walking to the large vehicle he had driven here in a hurry, Chris slides into the back, Leon's head on his lap as the other two sit in the front. "We'll get him to camp and he'll be fine." The man sitting in the driver's seat assured his boss as he started to drive back.

Once at camp he climbs out, pulling Leon into his arms once again, walking him into the medical tent where two of his team lay under white sheets. He averts his gaze and places Leon down on one of the cots, pulling up a stool beside him. The medic of the group takes a look at Chris' handy work, giving a nod and fixes Leon up a little more while checking on his vitals. She places a hand on Chris' shoulder to comfort him. "You did good, Alpha. Quick thinking on your part, the wound on his stomach hasn't done too much damage. He'll live." She assured, placing an oxygen mask over Leon's nose and mouth to help combat the smoke in his lungs. I'll come back and check on him in a moment. I'll give you two some time alone. And Alpha? Don't beat yourself up. You didn't know this would happen." She said patting Chris' back before she leaves. Chris was now in there alone with Leon, he reaches up to take his hand but stops when he sees the blood soaked into his gloves. Ripping them off he throws them to the ground and wipes his hands on his pants, trying to remove any blood that had soaked through.

Now taking Leon's hand from under his coat still on his husband's body, Chris held it tight, his thumb caressing the back of Leon's left hand. Running his fingers over the bloodied wedding band on Leon's finger, he couldn't help but break down. Tears streaming down his cheeks as he brought his head down to Leon's hand, holding the back of it to his own forehead as he cried silently.

-----*20 Minutes Later*-----

Chris had profusely apologised to Leon as he cried, but after a while he had gathered himself and made is way out of the medical tent. Calling his team together around the map. They had started to make a plan as he couldn't just sit around, there was Mold bursting out of the ground everywhere in the village, they needed to make a move. His team gets a visual on as much of the Mold as they could from their vantage point and makes a note of it on the map. "Alpha." Called a female voice, she had Chris turning his head as soon as he heard her speak. "Someone would like to see you." She smiled.

Her smile caused a sharp pain in Chris' gut, pure relief knowing Leon was alright and now awake. Rushing past her and to the Medical tent, Chris bursts through the material doors, immediately looking in the direction of Leon's cot he had placed him on. Bright blue eyes were staring at him when he had entered, the oxygen mask off his face and now replaced with a tube, tucked behind his ears to keep it in place under her nose. Chris jogs over to Leon and falls to his knees, placing his hands on either side of his face, kissing him. A long, wet kiss as Chris had already started crying once seeing his husband looking back at him. "I thought I lost you." Chris sobbed as he pulls away from the kiss and wraps his arms around Leon.

Leon only had the strength to gently pat a hand on Chris' back. "Okay..." He says weakly. Chris could hear how little strength his husband had and pulls back to give him some space, his normally hardened look that his squad knew, was now full of worry. He knew just because Leon was awake, doesn't mean he couldn't pass away at any moment due to any underlining injury, infection or still even blood loss. Leon looked around seeing the other cots empty, looking up to Chris. "My men? Did they make it?" Leon asked, having a feeling he already knew the answer. Chris just looks down and shakes his head. "Damn it!" Leon replied, resting his right hand over his eyes. Chris could tell he was trying to be strong but his bottom lip was quivering. "I shouldn't have called. I'm so, so sorry." Chris said tightening his grip on Leon's left hand. "I've caused so much pain, my squad, the Winters, you... I don't know why I'm still doing this." A gentle hand was placed on Chris' arm, causing his head to lift and look to Leon who was giving him a frown. "Don't say that, we have both lost so many men in our time. But you still keep fighting. If it weren't for you, all of this would still be getting worse. And in our line of work that just means more of a clean up." Chris could only scoff a small laugh at the thought of more of this Mold. He had found where it originated from, and from what he had experienced with this stuff, if you take out the source, the rest will crumble.

"Fine... You're right. It's just so much." Chris said, his shoulders lowering as if the weight of everything had become too heavy. Leon reaches up to place his right hand on Chris' cheek.

"I know. But we have to keep going. For the sake of this planet and the living things on it."

"Okay, now you're showing just how much blood you've lost." Chris teased, taking the hand on his cheek and pulling it to his lips, pressing a kiss on Leon's knuckles.

"You should probably get going.. It sounds like a lot is happening out there." Leon stated, not wanting to ruin the moment. But there was a job to be done.

Chris nods. "Yeah.. I'll be back soon. You get some rest and I'll see you when this is all over." He says moving to his feet, but leaning over Leon to press one more kiss to his lips before standing up. Leon held onto his husband's hand for as long as possible before he was out of reach. Leon's hand reaching out to Chris as he walks out of the tent.

"You come back to me Redfield, you hear?!" Leon called out hoping Chris would have heard him.

-----*2 hours Later*-----

Chris runs back to the chopper his squad had waiting for him, baby in his arms as he hands Rose to her mother.

"Where is Ethan?"

"Take us up we have to get out of here, NOW!" Chris says walking passed three bodies under white cloths. The Chopper takes to the skies and hurries out of the village as Chris stares at the three bodies. He feels his heart clench and felt a stabbing in his gut. There was the explosion knowing Ethan was now gone.

"Chris? What was that? Where is my husband?!"

"He's gone!" Chris says slamming his fist on the wall. He then walks over to the body placed on the seats and pulls back the cloth, revealing the pale, peace face of his husband. Falling to his knees Chris stares as Leon's face, reaching down to pull his left hand free from the cloth and holds his hand.

Mia saw the wedding rings on both their hands and placed a hand to her mouth, He was feeling the exact same loss she was right at this very moment. Standing up she walks over to place a hand on Chris' shoulder. "I tried..." Chris sobbed. "I tried to save everyone."

Tag List🏷️: @phoenix666stuff @c1a1r3r3df1e1d

#angst #blood #chreon #chris redfield #death #descriptive death #ethan winters #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #leon x chris #mia winters #re8 #resident evil #resident evil 8 #resident evil village #rose winters

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coramatus · 2 years

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Under the City Streets (part 9)

And now for something completely different: hard lessons in perspectives. A drabble.

What happened to the usual mains Emmet and Volo? Read part 8.

The Hunter has long lost track of how much time their quest has taken so far. Granted, their sense of time was never the best to begin with. Considering what their normal abode was like, a million years and a second may as well have been the same thing as far as they were concerned. Gaining any frame of reference outside of that seemed unfathomable. What did they care about the passage of time for anyone beside themself?

So shortsighted…

Somewhere in the City, the Hunter silently broods in one of its saloons. They would nurse the stiff drink before them if fiddling with fingers came naturally to them. But it did not. Instead, they sit with an unnatural stillness that sends others scuttling away from their little corner of unusually dark shadows, their face hidden under a deep hood. The only thing that moves is their red eyes, masked under pointed, dark lenses, constantly scanning their surroundings, constantly thinking.

Perhaps it's an instinct of their current form. They never really grasped just what nervous creatures humans fundamentally were. To always be on alert, to always be thinking ahead, to always move, move, move.

No wonder they invented alcohol.

In their proper shape, the Hunter would not be able to process the stuff at all on account not having a real metabolism or even digestive system to begin with. But now that both had been foisted upon them, the choice of humans to deliberately cloud their own minds to ease the harsh edges of reality suddenly made a lot more sense.

Perhaps they were wiser than the Hunter had given them credit for.

…or maybe consuming alcohol only made them more prone to pontification.

Not that it’s doing any good right now. Not when their fleshy brain matter keeps coming back to the latest development in their situation.

Their eyes narrow.

They nearly had it.

The closest they had ever been to conquering the Beast, their Ultimate Adversary. Just one final well-placed strike would have ended this nightmare once and for all.

But it just had to pull a fast one on them.

Right as they were about to land the finishing blow, the shadowy monstrosity reared up and shrieked a chilling cry that echoed through the forest. Before they could comprehend what it had done, the blunt end of an axe came flying out to strike the Hunter in the back of the head and send them stumbling away. That moment of distraction was enough for the Beast to quickly snatch up the heavy tool and slither away with a great rustling of dry leaves.

Though stunned, the Hunter still managed to trace the weapon’s trajectory back to a raggedy, male human who watched them warily. The human’s dour face sparked vague familiarity.

Before they could recall who he was, the Beast’s dark, undulating form swept up from behind the man, as if it were trying to shield itself behind such a comically small figure in comparison. It deposited the axe at the man’s feet, lowering its massive head to growl into his ear,

“Woodsman, I trust you can deal with this.”

The Woodsman stiffened, turning to glare at the Beast over his shoulder as he hissed, “What?? I am not—!”

“You would be lost without me!” The Beast snapped harshly at him, its glowing spotlight eyes pinning him in place, “Who else can guide you in fulfilling your duties? You know no one would dare lift a finger to help you.”

A flurry of emotions played over the man’s face at the Beast’s words, but the Hunter sensed that he mainly seemed to just be at a loss. They watched as the Woodsman’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he picked up the axe.

“…fine,” he replied sullenly.

“Good man,” the Beast said with an audible smirk, before diving down under the leaf litter and burrowing its way to freedom.

Seeing their quarry escaping, the Hunter scrambled back to their feet to give chase. Only to be immediately blocked by the Woodsman standing directly in their path. He regarded the Hunter with an uncertain frown, his axe raised in a defensive stance. Though he looked ready to fight, there wasn’t much conviction in his eyes.

The Hunter did not have time for this.

They moved to sidestep the Woodsman, but found their path once again blocked by the ragged man. They tried the Woodsman’s other side and got the exact same result. Growing increasingly annoyed, they moved to shove the obstacle aside when the Woodsman’s axe came swinging perilously close to their face, bringing them to a jarring halt.

“Stay behind the yellow line!” the man snapped.

On any other day, the Hunter would probably have been amused by the man’s sheer pluck. But today was not that day. Instead, the Hunter growled menacingly as they took several measured steps forwards, their bulky figure casting an imposing shadow as they loomed over the Woodsman.

“Get out. Of the way,” they gritted out.

The Woodsman stubbornly shook his head.

Lowering their sunglasses, the Hunter’s eerie red eyes glared down at him, “Not your battle. Move!”

But the much smaller human refused to be cowed. Instead, he grimly tightened his grip on his weapon, glaring back in defiance,

“I refuse.”

This was getting ridiculous.

“You are lost!” the Hunter snarled, their hands balled into fists, their words coming so fast their clumsy tongue could barely keep up, “You have. No place here! The way out. Is before you! Take it! Leave!”

For a split second, the Woodsman hesitated, uncertainty clear on his face, as if he was considering the possibility of just walking away. But it was quickly covered back up by the same stone-faced stoicism that blocked the Hunter’s path.

“It doesn’t matter if there is. I have a duty,” the tattered man told them, regret and determination warring in his eyes.

“A duty?” the Hunter scoffed incredulously. What was he talking about??

“To my family!” the Woodsman shot back with sudden vehemence, a spark of anger clear in his eyes. Raising both arms, he aimed the axe to point forward at the Hunter, his other arm extended to the side and pointing down. “And if you cannot understand that then I suggest you depart this station immediately.”

For a second, the Hunter considered simply launching a rope dart to smash through the Woodsman’s axe and barrel past him. But it was much too risky a maneuver.

The consequences were dire if rules were not obeyed.

Their only option was clear.

The Hunter retreated.

Before they disappeared into the shadows, they turned to face the Woodsman one last time. Their red eyes locked onto the man’s tired gray gaze as they darkly informed him:

“You are. Making. A mistake.”

They don’t wait for the Woodsman’s response. They simply swept away into the forest, their form blending into the shadows as the distant sound of the Beast’s smug chuckling followed them out.

It was only afterwards that the Hunter suddenly remembered who exactly the Woodsman was.

That particular human had always been something of an enigma. He was one of the first living things to be pulled in through their many experimental distortions. A man unwittingly dragged through space and time and dumped into the land of Hisui. They only were only aware of this fact because of the way their former accomplice furiously ranted about him. He had practically hounded the poor stranger for information. But the trip through the rift made the man forget everything beside his own name. To his accomplice’s seething disappointment, this faulty memory made the displaced human utterly useless.

But this Woodsman business had to be a much more recent event. Although with the Unknown’s variable passage of time, years could have passed for the Woodsman while only a day could have gone by for the Hunter or vice versa. In any case, it still presented a disturbing turn for the Hunter.

They frankly had no idea the Beast was even capable of manipulating another into its schemes. But it was already shameless in exploiting it to its own benefit. It too knew the rules, so it went and found itself the perfect meat shield. With the Woodsman between them, the Hunter was effectively stymied from taking out the Beast head-on. If the Hunter was ever to complete their quest, it meant that they had to get rid of the Woodsman. But direct confrontation was certain to only end in bloodshed and the voiding of their quest. They would have to find some other way to safely remove him from the equation.

But how?

The Hunter eyes their drink in idle thought.

What if they tricked the Woodsman into getting shitfaced drunk? It would certainly get him safely out of the way. And it would make for an entertaining sight while it lasted.

The idea makes the Hunter huff out a barely audible laugh at the absurdity.

No, that would obviously never work. The Woodsman is vigilant and cautious to a fault. And of course, he already sees the Hunter as a threat.

As they silently puzzle over the issue of the Woodsman, so deep are they in thought that they fail to realize they have caught the attention of another.

“Why, as I live and breathe! Uncle!”

The Hunter jerks sharply as a white flowing form plops down in the seat across from the Hunter. For a long painful moment, they stare blankly at the newcomer before they finally realize who they are dealing with. Bearing the guise of a dark-skinned, masculine human, the twin locks of flowing moon-white hair and a feathery, belted white dress gives him away.

“Nephew?” the Hunter’s underused voice rasps, surprised to even be recognized in their current form.

“Good to see you’re still skulking about. I was wondering if I’d get to see you here,” their nephew says airily.

(Technically, the term ‘nephew’ was a bit of a stretch. But it worked well enough amongst their kind. Similarly, ‘uncle’ was about as close as one could get to the truth considering the murky relations between Legends.)

However, the Hunter can’t help but find themself puzzled at their relative’s presence. With their usual stumbling words, they ask, “You are. Awake? Again?”

“I have been for a while now. There was some nonsense about a world domination plot that forcibly dragged myself and my sister out of our slumber,” their nephew grumbles with a roll of his eyes. Twirling a lock of white hair, he regards his uncle with a raised brow, “Funny, I believe it wasn’t long after you allegedly pulled some funny business on the mortal plane too.”

The Hunter blinks before shaking their head, uncertain as to what their nephew means.

“Hmm, perhaps you will explain yourself eventually,” their nephew concedes with a graceful shrug.

Much like the Hunter’s true home, this plane is nebulous even at the best of times. As a crossroads in reality, linear time and space become much looser in its grasp. Past, present, and future often meet in strange ways and the general etiquette among their kind is to simply gloss over any foreknowledge they might have. Likewise, it is better to simply ignore any whispers of said foreknowledge lest reality unravel itself. Yet again.

So instead, the Hunter asks, “Where is. Your sister?”

At this, the Hunter’s nephew sighs, not quite able to keep the concern out of his voice even as he gestures dismissively, “I’m afraid sister dearest is indisposed at the moment. She’s beside herself with worry. One of her Favored has gone missing. Vanished into the ether!” His flame blue eyes spark with menace as he leans in closer, “I’ve heard rumor of a Unovan’s scent floating about this place. If this is indeed who I am looking for, then I intend to bring him home for her.”

The Hunter takes a sip of their drink, eyeing their relative curiously, “You two. Getting along.”

He crosses his arms with an indignant huff, “I’ll have you know I’m not doing this exclusively for her sake. One of my Favored sorely misses this human as well,” their nephew corrects them, eyes blazing as they lean in close with a hiss, “Our Favored ones are not to be separated.”

The Hunter does not understand why that last detail matters. Instead, they rasp,

“Describe. This Favored. Been here. A long time. Might have seen them.”

Their nephew nods and easily obliges, “He’s quite distinct: a gray-haired male with silly sideburns shaped like knives, dresses mainly in black, and wears a hat bearing an insignia like this.” He raises a hand and draws in the air a fiery blue circle inset with white flames of a smaller circle overlapping an almost hourglass shape.

At the sight of the blue-and-white roundel, the Hunter’s eyes widen as they realize they know exactly who their nephew is referring to.

“…Ah,” they manage to intone.

The burning symbol blinks out of existence as narrowed blue eyes turn sharply to the Hunter, their nephew catching the scent of something in their reaction.

“What does that mean?” he demands.

The Hunter sighs and takes in a mouthful of burning drink. Might as well brace themself for a righteous verbal thrashing. There was no point in lying about this.

“Am afraid. This is. My fault,” they drag out of themself.

Their nephew glares coldly at them,

“Is it now.”

“Yes,” the Hunter rasps flatly, looking away in faint shame. “Would return him. But. Parent has left me… diminished.”

“Tch, serves you right, Uncle,” their nephew sneers. His chair scrapes back loudly as he rises to his feet in a great ruffle of feathers. With a flick of his hair, he snaps, “Just tell me where the human is and I’ll drag him back to Unova myself.”

But the Hunter holds up a hand and shakes their head.

“He will not leave. Without a fight. I tried,” they inform their nephew.

Blue eyes turn sharply to them, searing into them with barely restrained fury.

“Is that your doing as well?” their nephew spits accusingly.

The Hunter shakes their head with a quiet sigh, unable to keep out a tinge of frustration, “No. Beast has him. Cannot pry its grip.”

“You mean that foul shadow?” their nephew growls, glaring in the direction of the Unknown’s vast forests. He raises his lip in disgust, revealing a gleaming, white fang, “I can smell its lies even from here. It sickens me.”

A thoughtful look then crosses their nephew’s face as he leans against the table to point out, “You know, I could just take out the Beast for you. It’d save everyone some trouble—”

“NO!” the Hunter shouts in panic, their fist pounding the wooden table’s surface hard enough to crack one of its legs and launch their glass into air, which their shocked nephew catches before it can break.

The entire saloon comes to a dead stop as everyone turns to stare at them.

The Hunter has the courtesy to mutter a quick embarrassed apology, their dark face looking a bit redder than before. They toss out a few crumpled bills to hopefully cover the cost of repairs.

Satisfied that no more outbursts are forthcoming, the rest of the saloon turns back to their business of ignoring everything else.

Still a bit stunned, their nephew sits back down, considers the amber liquid within their glass, and downs the rest of it. As he savors the burn, he sighs with a small puff of fire.

“Not bad,” he comments. Staring dead into the Hunter’s eyes, he huffs, “Consider that your apology. I was only offering to help.”

The Hunter shakes their head and insists to him, “No. This is. My task. Have to do it. Myself.”

“If you insist,” their nephew grouses, crossing his feathery arms. “Then if the Beast is reserved for you only, how am I to deal with Ingo?”

The Hunter blinks in confusion at the name, “Who is. Ingo?”

“The human I’m looking for,” their nephew says simply, “Ingo Stoker. That’s his name.”

That was news to the Hunter, “Only know him as. The Woodsman.”

“Weird, but whatever,” their nephew says dismissively as a new thought occurs to them. “Perhaps I could just speak to him. I imagine he would listen to me at least. I am the paragon of Truth, surely he will recognize that,” he suggested, his dress fluffing slightly with pride.

Again the Hunter shakes their head, “He is. Blinded by responsibility. Misguided loyalty.” They pause in thought before adding, “Also maybe amnesia.”

Their nephew rolls their eyes. “Tch, my sister’s Favor of him is making more sense by the sec— what do you mean amnesia??” he sputters.

“Apparently. Does not remember much. Before being dropped here,” they shrug.

Their nephew pinches the bridge of his nose in mounting aggravation, “It’s just one thing after another with this guy…” Collecting himself, he squares his shoulders to ask, “Can he be swayed by any other means? Surely there is something that can convince him to abandon this fool’s errand.”

The two descend into a thoughtful silence as they rack their brains over their understanding of the human psyche. What typically motivates humans? Money? Power? Love? Grief? Rare Pokémon?

What is at the core of the Woodsman’s actions?

Then the man’s defiant shout of ‘To my family!’ rings clear as day in the Hunter’s mind.

The idea forms instantly.

“Perhaps. We can help. Each other,” the Hunter rasps as they lean forwards.

Something must show on their face, for their nephew leans in with keen interest.

“I’m listening,” he says slowly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“You said. Your Favored. Was searching too?” the Hunter asked.

“Aye,” their nephew replies, raising a pale brow, “He wants his twin back. I can understand that feeling…”

The Hunter thinks carefully.

“Send your Favored here,” they say point blank.

They’re not sure how their nephew will take to the idea, risking a human he was deeply invested in by sending them to a place as unpredictable and dangerous as this. But this might be their best shot at safely removing the Woodsman from the Beast’s grasp.

Their nephew tilts their head skeptically, but he catches onto their thoughts quickly, “You believe he can convince his brother to leave?”

“Best option,” the Hunter says. “The Woodsman. May leave on his own. But it is. A big maybe. He needs. A push. A catalyst.”

For a long moment, their nephew silently considers their uncle’s proposal. They can see the gears turning in his head as he calculates the feasibility of such a plan.

“That… might be worth a try. I’ll see what I can do…” their nephew finally answers slowly. He taps his chin as he walks away, deep in thought as he faintly mutters, “I believe I have a few favors I can call in…”

As their nephew exits the saloon, the Hunter looks down at their empty glass. For a second, they consider ordering another to make up for their nephew’s pilfering. Instead, they push the glass aside as they rise to their feet.

If this is going to work, they need a clear head. There will be many moving parts to consider: people and Pokémon that need to be nudged into place, scenarios that have to be accounted for, and choices to be predicted.

While the Hunter prefers brute forcing solutions to their problems, it clearly has not been working here. No matter how adept or strong they become in this form, the Beast will always pull some new trick on them.

Perhaps it was time to take a page out of its book and get clever…

Part 10

#pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon black and white #pokemon black 2 and white 2 #under the city streets au #giratina #reshiram #submas #subway boss ingo #warden ingo #woodsman ingo #subway boss emmet #coramatus’s writing #tw: alcohol

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inkribbon796 · 1 year

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Egotober 2023 Day 1: I Just Want to Help

Summary: Silver wouldn’t go as far to say that he has a “biggest fan” just that he has someone who sees him as a “biggest inspiration”. Which normally wouldn’t be a problem, however Silver is a superhero with two dangerous supervillain enemies who run a massive criminal organization.

Prompt: Cape

A/N: Been a while, dealing with some serious writer’s block brain rot. Hoped to return early but didn’t happen. So I’m dropping off some Egotober stuff and hopefully some other stuff but I make no promises. This Egotober I’m going with an additional theme that was highlighted in: Six Ate Seven. So for some people it’s been a while but this works in that former reality. Where Patton is still a Lost One and deals with those characters. This is in the timeframe where they’re all still kids (teenagers to be exact). So you might see teen Ethan running around too.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Over the city streets of Egoton, Silver was keeping a watch on the town.

While he was conducting a sky patrol he heard someone calling out to him on the top of a fire escape.

“Hey, Silver!”

Silver looked over and saw the rather common sight of what looked like a kid wearing a mask. They were maybe a teenager in bright blues, a sweater and a pair of jeans, and a black domino mask that looked like it’d been brought at Spirit Halloween. A bright blue cape on and a shock of dyed blue hair.

A kid looking like a superhero was common. He and the rest of the Coalition saw it all the time. What was uncommon was one standing on top of the fire escape.

“H-Hello?” Silver said, coming to a stop to float mid air.

“I’m here to help,” he had a huge smile on his face as he half jumped up on the top of the rail and balanced on it.

“I don’t think the Coalition can legally add minors,” Silver tried to say. He didn’t wanna just crush this kid’s dreams right out the gate. Maybe in ten years they could set something up, but not now.

“No, I can fight bad guys, I can do this,” he said with a huge smile.

Silver floated over closer.

“Come on, kid,” Silver said. “This stuff is really dangerous. You can’t just be running around in a domino mask and a sweater. Wilford shots people on a whim. Dark flays people apart with his shadow aura.”

“And I have powers,” the young man said. “I can do this and I’ll do it with or without you.”

“You’re like what? Ten?” Silver asked.

“I am fourteen,” the young man boasted. “I’m a man.”

“Oh yeah, fourteen, that’s so much better,” Silver said. “You know what I was doing when I was fourteen? Playing video games and being too chickenshit to talk to girls. That’s what I was doing.”

“Yeah, because you were wasting your powers, I have them and I’m going to use them,” Ethan said.

And then he ran off and Silver’s heart was beating a little too fast. This kid was going to be the death of him. Either this kid was going to kill himself, or Mark was going to do it for him.

Silver tried to catch up with him but the kid had disappeared. Which was probably the most terrifying thing. He had to get this kid home safe and he couldn’t find him.

Silver hit his communicator. “SAM, we got a teenager running around trying to fight villains.”

“Seems like a you problem, Silver,” an automated voice said.

“No, no it’s us problem, you ass. He can turn invisible.” Silver began flying around.

Silver wished this had happened last week when Marvin had been in town. They had absolutely no one in the Egoton branch who could follow aura trails. Maybe he could get Marvin over stateside for a while, or they could find someone who could see aura trails. He’d take anything at this point.

While he was flying around, starting with the fire escape and radiating out from there. He called his entire team out to track down one fourteen-year-old kid.

“APB, we have a fourteen-year-old punk running around and trying to be a superhero. I need help finding him before Wilford kills him. He turns invisible.”

“I hear you,” Wade said, he sounded like he was in the middle of a crowd or his mic was broken again. “Why are you chasing a child?”

“In-vis-ible, invisible, dipshit,” Silver said. “Is there some toy or tool that the Septics left last week that we can use?”

“I think I have something,” Bob said. “Marvin was testing some weird shit out when he and Average were in town.”

Silver began a mad chase through the city, which unfortunately eventually led him to the Warehouses. The superhero hoped desperately that the kid wouldn’t be here. He could be in and out and that he’d just gone home.

Silver tried being stealthy, and for a second he caught sight of the teenager he’d been chasing. And Silver’s heart sank as he started following him.

In front of one of the warehouses in the cluster was Wilford.

Silver’s literal worst case scenario.

There was someone, maybe a teenager, with him in a tweed suit. With a matching dark green hat on his head. They seemed to be talking about something, Wilford talking with his hands rather animatedly.

Then Wilford’s eyes were tracking something and Silver’s heart managed to beat even faster.

“Oh, ho,” Wilford smiled as he reached out and grabbed something. “What have we here?”

A few things happened at once. One was the teenage hero turned visible again as he fought for air against the grip on his throat. Silver flew closer, trying to get to them before Wilford shot the teenager. And then there was the far more worrying thing to happen: Dark showed up.

The kid in tweed was pulled through a portal, worrying Silver, and Dark emerged in their place. Oozing purple, blue, and a little bit of red aura, dripping off of him like toxic waste.

His eyes met Silver’s mask and he looked braced to attack.

Then his eyes tracked over to the kid. “Wilford, what are you doing?”

“Little tyke has a neat party trick, I only plucked him out of thin air,” Wilford smiled.

“Hmm, release him,” Dark said and to Silver’s amazement the madman did so.

“No fun, Darky,” Wilford frowned.

The teenager began backpedaling towards Silver, who was all too happy to push him behind him but kept a hold of his arm.

“Who’s your friend, Shepherd?” Dark’s head tilted.

“Not my friend, I’ll be escorting him back home,” Silver said.

Dark’s eyes moved between Silver and the teen behind him. His head tilted and he looked a little smug. “Is that yours, Silver?”

“No, I’d have to have been ten, if he was mine,” Silver said.

“Interesting, I would have thought you were older, but now that I think about it, you do sound twenty-four,” Dark smiled at him.

“Nope,” Silver tried to sound casual. “Not that young, I’ll take him, and we’ll be out. Forget you saw either of us. Just go back to doing illegal shit.”

“Oh, we will,” Dark smiled at him. “Now run off. And take your little child with you.”

Silver did just that, dragging the young man along but keeping an eye on Dark and Wilford.

Bob and Wade were waiting for them in costume.

“Gatling, Drowned,” Silver greeted stiffly and lifted the young man’s arm up.

Within seconds a bubble enclosed around the young man.

“Hey!” He shouted.

Bob was looking at the teenager beating his fists against the bubble.

“So this is your little Syndrome, huh?” Bob said.

“If this kid turns into a supervillain, I think you deserve it,” Wade smiled at him.

“I’m going to be a superhero and you can’t stop me,” Ethan said. “I don’t need you three to do it.”

“I don’t know, Silv, I like this kid’s moxie,” Wade said. “Maybe we can keep him around.”

The young man smiled at Wade.

“Absolutely not,” Mark said, flying up with a careful but firm grip.

He signaled and Bob made a handle grow out of the top of the bubble. Silver grabbed it and began flying off. “C’mon, before Dark follows us back to the kid’s place.”

“Not a kid!” The young man shouted.

“You’re four-fucking-teen,” Silver shouted. Which reminded Silver. Dark had seemed to know that. But . . . That sounded off.

How did Dark know what a fourteen-year-old even looked like? As opposed to a thirteen-year-old or a ten-year-old. Dark hated kids, always looked at them with some kind of disgust.

It took some time to get both the kid’s name and his address from him. Mostly under threat of demasking and scanning his face and start calling up different schools to figure out who he was.

They arrived in front of a house in some suburban neighborhood. Not the biggest house, but no one could compete with Dark’s Hilltop Manor.

Silver knocked on the door as he popped the bubble barrier and grabbed Ethan Nestor by the arm.

“I just want to help,” Ethan glared at him. Still in his mask and costume.

“We can talk when you’re eighteen,” Silver said. “This isn’t a game. Just because I can get thrown against the wall and keep on ticking doesn’t mean everyone should be doing it.

Ethan was about to respond when the door opened and a worried looking woman opened the door.

“There you are,” she said.

Silver held up Ethan’s arm. “Ma’am, I believe this is yours.”

Ethan pulled his arm away. “I’m not going to stop.”

“You should,” Silver said. “If this was anything else I’d say follow your dreams, but Wilford is a madman and a murderer, and so is Dark.”

Ethan took off his mask and stormed inside.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Just try and talk some sense into him,” Silver said. “Have a good night, ma’am.”

She said goodbye and the door was closed and Silver flew off, going back to scanning the city and hoping he wouldn’t run into Ethan again.

He was wrong of course. He’d see Ethan several times over the next couple of weeks, and then more often over the next couple of years.

In the Manor, however, Dark was chewing Wilford out.

“What was that?” Dark held Wilford against the wall, his arm barred across his chest.

Wilford smiled at him.

“No,” Dark cut him off. “You had Illinois with you, within sight of the heroes.”

“It wasn’t that bad, Darky,” Wilford said.

“Only because I was watching,” Dark said.

“At best, I’m one of your enforcers,” Illinois said.

“Don’t, or I’ll just let Arthur and Kay be enforcers and you can stay behind.” Dark gave him a look and turned back to Wilford.

“J.J is the single biggest threat the heroes have against us, and I need that time traveling bastard to stay in England dealing with Anti and not in our city.”

“Jay is fun, Darkling, come on,” Wilford smiled.

“No, and that’s final, if I see J.J in town anytime soon, you will regret it,” Dark said.

Then he let Wilford go and steered Illinois back to the living room where the rest of the Lost Ones were playing games.

Both Ethan and Illinois returned safely home.

#Egotober 2023 #Masks and Maladies #Superhero AU #silver shepherd #ethan nestor #Darkiplier #wilford warfstache

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karmasabitchsworld · 2 years

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Harry Potter: The Inclusive Version

With the recent news that JK Rowling is taking things a step further and using new funds from our nostalgia trip to fund Anti-Trans bills, I decided to say a giant fuck you to that and reclaim my childhood as my own. I have started writing out a new version of the Harry Potter Universe in more Modern day times and things we all wanted but JK Rowling deprived us of. This AU, New Age Harry Potter universe is for all writers, artists, and cosplayers to use who still want to be apart of the Harry Potter world we all love but feel they can't support JK Rowling's version anymore.

I give you all a new version to support and put your love into while still holding onto the nostalgia you feel for the Wizarding World. I give you Harry Potter: The Inclusive Version.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The School - Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry is still a castle but has fewer death traps and tricky things that cause you to miss class (Like phantom steps or doorways that lead to walls cause who thought that was a good idea?). For those that still like to get up to mischief, don’t worry there are still plenty of secret corridors behind well-hidden buttons or levers or things that require a particular rhyme to open. The tunnels behind them lead all over, from different areas of the school to the Forbidden Forest, all the way to Hogsmeade. There are even rumors of one that disappears and reappears at the same time a specific room does.

The Teachers - They are many lovely teachers at Hogwarts though the Dark Arts teacher changed for a few years the one that stuck around was well-loved by all the students.

Core Classes

Astronomy - Professor Aurora Sinistra

Charms - Professor Filius Flitwick

Defense Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.) - Quinirus Quirrel (First year only), Gilderoy Lockhart (Second year only), Remus Lupin (Third year-Present)

Herbology - Professor Pomona Sprout

History of Magic -Professor Cuthbert Binns

Potions - Professor Severus Snape

Transfiguration - Professor Minerva McGonagall

Electives

Arithmancy - Professor Septima Vector

Care of Magical Creatures - Professor Rubeus Hagrid

Divination - Professor Sybill Trelawney

Muggle Studies - Professor Charity Burbage

Study of Ancient Runes - Professor Bathsheda Babbling

Advanced Arithmancy Studies - Professor Septima Vector

Alchemy - Professor Carina Birch (I had to make one up because there isn’t one on the wiki)

Extra-Curricular Subjects

Ancient Studies - Professor Delta Grace (Another made up one)

Apparition - Professor Wilkie Twycross

Art - Professor Crow Sterling (Made up)

Flying - Professor Rolanda Hooch

Ghoul Studies - Professor Cedar Hinde (Made up)

Magical Theory - Professor Eleazar Fig

Muggle Art - Professor Charity Burbage

Muggle Music -Professor Charity Burbage

Music - Professor Basil Yetis (Made up)

Xylomancy - Professor Sybill Trelawney

How Different Holidays Work - There are a vast array of magical students attending Hogwarts and not all of them share the same religions or subsequent holiday traditions due to that fact, but the Hogwarts staff are very accepting and accommodating of all the students they care for and have ways of making sure they get to spend the holidays with their families accordingly.

3 days before Hanukkah in the given year any students who practice Judaism and wish to spend Hanukkah with their families will be given a sign-up sheet with the option to sign up to stay at school or leave their names off the list and be planned to be on the train ride to Platform 9 ¾ to meet their families. They will spend their 8 days with their families and then have two more nights to say goodbyes and goof off before getting on the train back to Hogwarts.

As for those who celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the staff keeps track of when those holidays are coming and during Eid al-Fitr, they make sure the house elves who work the kitchens are aware of whose fasting so food isn’t sent their way and when it comes times for salat, there is an emptied out hall they keep just for Muslim students to pray in when they want or need to. 3 days before Eid al-Adha, teachers offer another signup sheet to either stay at school or students who wish to visit their families to celebrate with them and be with them during that time will be free to take the train back to Platform 9 ¾ to be with their families for a week. After the week ends, they will return back to school and continue their classes.

For those who celebrate Christmas, a signup sheet is passed around on December 21st to see who wants to stay at school, and those who do not sign up get to return home to their families for the holiday and spend Christmas Eve and Day through to New Years with their families and then the day after New Years return to Hogwarts to continue classes.

For those that celebrate Kwanzaa, another signup sheet goes around just after the Christmas kids have left on December 23rd, and those who decided to get to return home to spend Kwanzaa with their families before returning to school on January 3rd just after the Christmas kids get back as well to resume classes.

Magic Traditions - The Goblet of Fire was a tradition for a long time but luckily that stayed banned because it’s deadly and who would pin a bunch of school children in a fucking death match? But Quidditch is much less deadly, though still dangerous it’s still a beloved sport of the Wizarding World. Another beloved tradition that’s still around is the Sorting Ceremony but the school’s much less divided nowadays. The teachers have long since realized that if siblings who only know each other get put in different houses it may cause a very bad rift between them, especially for ones who are younger siblings. So they allow people to mingle between tables and as long as you have permission from a member belonging to the house, you’re allowed to be in another house's common room. They are however magical precautions against people giving away separate house passwords to each other or for anyone who doesn’t have a house's permission to sneak into another house's common room. Professor Flitwick is quite good with charms y’know?

The Potter Prophecy - Lily and James Potter died at the hands of Lord Voldemort and Lily dying to protect her child gave him the protection that lasted his whole life. But as for being left on the Dursley’s doorstep by a morally-grey man who wanted to raise that child for slaughter? Uh-uh, no, not in my good magical household. You see in this life there were better resources and better options. In other words, the person who caught up to Sirius Black wasn’t a goddamned moron and checked his wand to see what spell was cast last and saw that he in fact did not just blow up a man. On top of that Professor Albus Dumbledore decided to have a heart and tell them that Sirius Black wasn’t the Potters' secret keeper and that it was in fact, Pettigrew. Long story short, Sirius Black never went to Azkaban and since he was Harry’s Godfather he had first dibs on adopting Harry. So instead of being raised in the abusive Dursley house, Harry was raised by his two gay Uncles, Sirius and Remus, and grew up feeling loved and knowing who and what he was. Of course, the kid wasn’t raised to have an ego or be anything but polite yet sarcastic, much like Remus, but he knew from a certain age why people always stared at him and were always giddy to meet him.

New Age Wands - Wands aren’t what they used to be either. Ollivander was the first wandmaker to start pioneering a new way of making wands more concealable to muggles when people started finding ways to charm technology into working around and with magic. You see a guy pulling out a long spindly stick as a reflex when he gets angry kinda makes people start to question things a little when he acts like it’s a weapon of mass destruction and his cousin acts like that stick is a knife pointed at his throat. So mixing wands into things like umbrellas, and selfie sticks, heck they even sell wands that flip out like a switchblade or collapse into a handle like pens. Of course, finding the right type of wand is done the old-fashioned way of which wand chooses you, so you find the right wand in the normal form but if you want it to be concealable Ollivander has no problem making it that way for a little extra charge.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

So there you have it. The first post to the new Harry Potter. I'll finish up the Character stuff I have and post it later. Also, I deeply apologize if any of the stuff about other holidays is off, particularly the Muslim holidays. I don't know about other holiday traditions beside Hanukkah really and as much as I tried to do the best research I could into the topics of the other holidays to get the information right there wasn't a lot of good info about how Eid is celebrated. Feel free to correct me and I will make changes to it. I appreciate any feedback.

#harry potter #reclaimingmychildhood #harrypotterau #inclusive #modern au

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seabreeze2022 · 1 year

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2023 Bahama Cruise, Part 17. April 8. Wemyss, Long Island. (Sharie and James Knowles).

This was our night out on the island. A famous restaurant on the beach is Chez Pierre. A one man Chef restaurant from Montreal. He is notorious for being upset, if you don’t have a reservation and drop in. Even worse is being late for your reservation. It turns out this Island Soup Nazi (Seinfeld episode) has a great reason. He can only cook so fast and staggers the customers out. Nancy called and took the earliest time slot available. We have been anchored in a beautiful sandy beach cove, just in front of a round yellow house for two days. Nancy paddle boarded around the first day. Then we both got in the dinghy and went around the entire shore line, passing the yellow round house multiple times.

We were trying to get to an old plantation which we could see the only remaining chimney above the tree line. We stopped to asked directions from a guy working in front of his house. Turns out he moved here from Ramrod key in the florida Keys. We were unable to get to the ruins, but enjoyed walking the beach.

We pulled anchor and motored around to Millers Bay, just south of us. Anchoring in the bay directly in front of the French restaurant. We got dressed up and dinghied in to the shore in plenty of time for our reservation. Don’t want to be kicked out, for being late.

We were 20 minutes early and only the Chef and the beach dog were there. Chef was mad for us being early. Actually it is all an act. He was wearing a classic white T shirt and shorts, very island casual. He explained the rules. We were to mix our own drinks behind the bar, (see photo above). Beers were in a refrigerator around the corner. Which is what I homed in on. Keep track of our drinks. “Mind your P’s and Q’s” was a saying in the day. Meaning know how many pints and quarts you drank at the tavern, so you pay for the proper amount.

The next shift of customers came in. Two older couples, Nancy got to talking to them and the conversations continued off and on. Turns out we had been anchored directly off of their round yellow house for two days. They said, nobody ever anchors there! We received an invite to come visit.

We were able to finish our dinner and dinghy back to the boat prior to sunset. Which is why I wanted the early reservation. The sun set as we motored around Whale Head point back to our previous anchorage.

This is Sharie and James Knowles, who invited us into their house and shared many a story with us. They returned back twenty years ago, to the island of his ancestors. The Knowles here owned 2,000 acres. First living in a tent high in the middle of the island. Tried raising sheep. Actually flew 3 sheep in on Bahamas Air to improve the blood line.

Above they are holding a large wooden pestal. The large tree trunk mortar was out side under a tree. These were used by his relatives only decades ago. She was grinning ear to ear, when she casually handed the pestal to me. As soon as I hefted it up, I knew what it was made of. Lignum Vitae! It must have weighed twenty pounds. So you can see why it sinks in water.

Their passion is traipsing around the island at old plantations and caves looking for artifacts. They have an extensive collection of old bottles and Lucayan artifacts.

Sharie showed us her collection of whale ambergris. She researched ambergris and became a middle man buying and selling ambergris for fun from the locals. One of her many stories was flying to meet a buyer from France in Nassau. They went to the hotel room where a large piece was examined and bought. It earned the local islander $10,000 US. She just got involved out of curiosity. Treating the locals fairly. The islanders dog is the one who actually found it. Kind of like a truffle dog.

They told us of finding Right Whale skeletons. They have two whale vertebrae over their doors. She told the story of being in a bar when two Bahamians came in talking about the whale skeleton they found. She offered the use of her vehicle to transport the bones for the guy. She showed us a photo of bones stacked in her car floor to ceiling, with the pelvis strapped to the roof. The man sold the bones from in front of his house, eventually earning enough money to buy a car.

Walking through their house was like being in a Museum of Natural History. Above is the skull of a flamingo they found, plus whale baleen to the left.

There was an old cotton mill on their property, which is gone now. They took us on a tour where there is a Lucayan midden. We are sworn to secrecy on the exact location. It has been researched by the University of Florida. The photo on the right, is inside their garage. They lived in the garage for two years while they built the round house. Reminds me of my folks who lived in one small room, cooking over a camp stove while they built their first house in the Keys. I love the wood mallet on the wall which was used to beat sponges during the curing process.

Sharie also did her research on Conch pearls and became a middle man selling those. Locals would bring her conch pearls and she would pull out a light and jewelers loupe. After examining and rating it, she would pay them a descent price saying they could get more in Nassau. Most took the quick cash and headed to the bar. She mostly did it for fun and good story or two.

The tamarinds at their house are huge. All sorts of things in their yard that they found beach combing. Above are the old metal bouys for nets. Inside the house, were the more rare glass bouys. The photo on the left, is another grey racer snake we saw during the tour. That brings to a half dozen snakes we have seen in the few hours we have spent on shore. Sharie stopped the ATV when she saw a Mangrove Cuckoo in the bush. On a sadder note. They also found parts of the flotsam while beach combing. From the ship El Faro, lost during Cat 4 Hurricane Joaquin Oct. 1, 2015. Thirty three people lost their lives when the ship went down in 15,000 ft. just east of Long Island. Their house had 17 inch of water in the ground level garage from the hurricane.

What a great couple and a fantastic day spent with them.

S/V Sea Breeze, Wemyss bay, Long Island, Bahamas

#Seabreeze2023 #seabreeze2022 #exuma

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indiatodubai · 2 years

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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Among all the famous attractions in Dubai, be prepared to be amazed as you enter the most magnificent theme park, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. It is an ultimate theme park located on Yas Island that holds the record for the largest space outline structure ever assembled. The theme park stands in its glory of brilliance in technology and architecture, appealing to people of all age groups.

So, if you are planning to explore Dubai, get your Dubai visa online as simple and fast as this thrilling Ferrari world to enjoy.

Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi: overview

Ferrari World provides incredible entertainment for car and racing thriller fans from all over the world. The Middle East’s Leading Tourist Attraction is dedicated solely to Formula 1 racing, offering an exceptional experience of speed, red, and glossy Ferrari.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is one of the biggest amusement parks in the world. Acknowledged as the pride of Abu Dhabi, it is a popular getaway and an exciting place to explore and learn about Ferrari. It gives you complete liberty to bring your entire family and enjoy the exhilarating speed. The park has everything to keep you in jam, as the attractions are designed in such a way that they surge your entire craze for the beauty of Ferrari. You will be spellbound by the live performances and shows featured by the Ferrari authorities.

Throughout the year! Yes, that’s 365 days of the year, Ferrari World hosts different shows and performances featuring gravity-defying stunts, acrobats, optical illusions, and much more. That's not all: the food outlets will astound you with their delectable offerings, filling your hungry tummies.

Best time to visit Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi

While the weather is not a concern when visiting Ferrari World, as it is a complete indoor theme park, if you are visiting the park during one of its seasonal events, it is recommended to plan your itinerary accordingly. Because it is one of the most popular tourist attractions, it is likely to be crowded, so go during the week to avoid long lines.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Attractions

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Rides

Formula Rossa

Speed lovers here’s your ride! Formula Rossa can scare you to death with its extreme heights and spinning swirls.

Scuderia Challenge

Want to experience realistic digital driving around an F1 car? Nothing is more realistic than Scuderia Challenge. Race against your friends or try beating your own lap times; this ride will give it all.

Karting Academy

Karting Academy is where your racing fantasies get real, but it is a limited-time attraction, so make sure to get there in time. You will get the wholesome opportunity of driving around a 290-meter track at the incredible Yas Marina Circuit in an electric-powered go-kart.

Flying Aces

Modelled after the legendary aviator, Count Francesco Baracca, feel the adrenaline pumping as you experience the world's fastest and highest rollercoaster under the same roof.

Fiorano GT Challenge

Challenge your friends on the parallel tracks modelled after the real GT race course. Experience the stomach-churning turns and swirls and the heat of a fun competition.

Entertainment

Speed of Magic

Enjoy the unrealistic adventure with Nello, a Ferrari driver in a 4D marvel, making you experience every change in The Speed of Magic.

Fast Lane

An interactive game show to test your excellence in Ferrari

Made in Maranello

A must-visit attraction offering an in-depth tour of a Ferrari factory

Viaggio in Italia

Another exceptional stimulation to experience the motherland of Ferrari, Italy

The other attractions include Tyre Twist, Motor Midway Games, Galleria Ferrari, Benno’s Great Race, Khalil’s Wash Car, Junior Training Camp, and Turbo Track.

The Amusement Park also has a Ferrari Store and a past and present shop offering great pieces to take away.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi timings

Sunday - Wednesday, 11:00am - 8:00pm

Thursday- Saturday, 11:00am - 0:00pm

Whether you are a speed lover to a keen explorer, Ferrari world has something for everyone.

#ferrari world abu dhabi #ferrari world #ferrari world dubai #dubai tourist visa #ferrari world rides #Ferrari World Abu Dhabi attractions

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ranty-ramblestein · 2 years

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(captions~) - After finishing Nemona’s storyline I headed on over to Area Zero a- HOLY SHIT! Is that a flying shark!?

- Only being able to walk again was super annoying and I couldn’t send anyone out with R either :( Before going to the first station, however, I went back to saving up money for Veracidad, heh.

- Once I only had 660k of shoes left in Levincia’s Veracidad I decided the money grind was getting boring and went back down to Area Zero and start unlocking those Research stations! Well, after Skye got another Look for Area Zero! I decided to go all in with a lovely green again~ The Autumn Uniform is my favorite, so I wanted to end with it~

- I got side-tracked a LOT in Area Zero, augh... Item on a rock, my nemesis!

pic 1: Feb 6th: Ooo, pretty ribbon~ pic 2: I liked this shot, heh. pic 3: Guys, you really needed to use the sharper texture for the glove in this shot... But they don't even have the not-blurry team star art in front of their gates. pic 4: Is it the LANDshark Pokemon, or the SKYshark Pokemon!? (This guy landed so fast that I had to grab a screenshot from a video.) pic 5: More Student IDs revealed! I'd add 'for hacking', but I think Penny has that covered. pic 6: Really? Given how far down they have to go, I imagine cabs nearby rock paper scissor, where the loser has to go. pic 7: feb 12th: New look dropped! Went with my favorite of the uniforms and Veracidad's straw hat to keep the bright light down there out of my eyes pic 8: Brown mascara for camo feels. Also I realized just last year that my favorite color is a deep forest green, hence hair color choice. pic 9: I couldn't move the camera in the Titan double battles, so I was glad to see Nemona's animations in this double battle~ (I didn't get to do anything, tho...) pic 10: Feb 16th: Penny is me, frfr

#pokemon #Pokemon Scarlet&Violet #screenshot

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dritatt · 2 years

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Watch mail call full episodes

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#Watch mail call full episodes series#

Investigate crimes in Europe alongside the FBI Fly Team from the new series FBI: International or join the manhunt for criminals with the Fugitive Task Force from FBI: Most Wanted. These first-class agents tenaciously investigate cases of tremendous magnitude, including terrorism, organized crime and counterintelligence.ĭiscover the other teams of The FBIs. Newest to the team – and the FBI – is smart and outspoken Special Agent Tiffany Wallace, who spent six years with the NYPD and is now partner to Special Agent Stuart Scola, an Ivy League educated Wall Streeter-turned-FBI agent. The team also includes Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the nerve center of the office whose ability to easily relate to and engage with both superiors and subordinates makes him a master motivator. Overseeing them is Special Agent in Charge, Isobel Castille, who operates under intense pressure and has undeniable command authority. Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom ‘OA’ Zidan, a West Point graduate via Bushwick who spent two years undercover for the DEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI. Two English girls, having spent their young days in acquiring knowledge.

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Born into a multigenerational law enforcement family, Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. Watch full episodes of your favorite PBS shows, explore music and the arts, find in-depth news analysis, and more. This elite unit brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep New York and the country safe. Track Mail Call new episodes, see when is the next episode air date, series schedule, trailer, countdown, calendar and more. Other services do offer Call of the Night as well, but the episodes aren't updated regularly, so you won't be able to watch the latest ones in every region of the world.From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf and the team behind the “Law & Order” brand, FBI is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Only, Anthony Santini can't seem to get the mob thing right. HIDIVE is the only streaming service that allows you to watch Call of the Night on a regular basis. When Toni discovers several of his men have been scammed by a Russian mail-order bride who's escaped back to Russia, he decides to send his troublesome nephew, Anthony Santini to bring back the girl and the money. Where can I find a copy of Call of the Night Episode 9? The girls accept Yamori, who promises that he will fall in love with Nazuna no matter how long he takes. Yamori continues to fight off the vampires, finally yelling that Nazuna will conquer him, just as she arrives. Seri Kiky, the blonde vampire, tells Nazuna to refrain from flirting with him, but she insists that she wants to, and she does, enticing her to do so. However, he rejects everyone's advances for Nazuna. Included: the history of the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter a reunion of former Vietnam War POWs. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Lee Ermey visits the National Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The one he chooses will make him fall in love and convert him. Episodes of the old-time radio AFRS musical variety program Mail Call. Nico Hirata, Midori Kohakobe, Hatsuka Suzushiro, and Kabura Honda appear at the top of a building, where three other vampires are. After she tells him that she is bored with her current life, Yamori attempts to comfort her by hugs him, promising him to take all of his blood. Yamori is approached by a skinny blonde woman who flirts with her and teases her. We are therefore going to give you a recap of Episode 8 in order to prepare you for what may come next: Call of the Night Episode 9 preview and spoilersĪt this moment, nothing about the call of the night episode 9's plot is known. The previous episode aired on August 26, 2022.Ĭall of the Night Episode 9's official release date is shown below, indicating when the episode will be released, depending on where you live in the world. The episode's title is not known at the time of writing this article. The release date and time for Call of the Night Episode 9 are set.įrom what we know at this moment, Episode 9 of Call of the Night will be released on September 2, 2022. On Fuji TV's noitaminA programming block, we'll tell you all you need to know about the upcoming Episode 9 of Call of the Night, which will be released on September 2, 2022. Yofukashi no Uta, also known as Call of the Night, has been serialized in Shgakukan's Shnen Sunday magazine since August 28, 2019.

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saintobio · 3 years

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sincerely not. (8)

↳ gojou satoru/reader

with an arranged marriage set in place, the sacred bond is doomed with a wife who wants to make the relationship work and a husband who’s ready to ruin it all. unbeknown to him, a tragic fate already lies within the pages of his romance book.

genre. heavy angst, unrequited love, arranged marriage, modern au, 18+

tags/warnings. profanity, adultery, neglect, mentions of phobias, mentions of pregnancy, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, explicit smut, some heartaches

notes. 12.8k words. please proceed with proper caution! thanks so much bby risa for beta-ing @rinstars bae you’re my savior &&& @kazbrkker my love, ur reactions in the rough draft were fun to read tysm hhhh anyways enjoy everyone !! :D

series masterlist -> episode nine

Flying to French Polynesia was a disaster.

You knew it even before you actually arrived at Bora Bora while flying through Gojou’s private jet and spending the worst twelve hours of your life imprisoned in an aircraft 35,000 feet from the ground. It wasn’t the jet lag nor the turbulence that made you wish that you didn’t go, it was the two specific passengers inside the plane that caused your silence for the last seven hours since you left Tokyo.

Sera was clearly not informed of your participation in their special getaway because her wide, gaping eyes stared at you questioningly as soon as she saw you coming out of the McLaren before climbing up the jet. In spite of her initial reaction, she was fast to veil her displeasure by sending you a welcoming smile. A smile that feigned innocence lasting for five seconds before she walked past you along the aisle, hand in hand with the husband that placed his wife in the same enclosed space as his mistress.

Satoru had noticed the shift in your emotions for the past week where he wouldn’t stop checking if you were alright and if something was plaguing your mind. He came home from work earlier than he usually did to make sure that you had dinner together, but most of those nights had passed in silence with neither of you having the backbone to address the elephant in the room. No, there was no elephant to blame for your marital quagmire. Just a broken wife trying to study the behavioral patterns of her husband for being affectionate and loving once, then detached and distracted the next. You could not tell him that you had seen him tracking Sera’s cycle on his phone, but you doubted that he would care enough that it shattered your heart to pieces thinking about how actively intimate they have been behind your back. It was already unbearable to see her intimate photos on his phone, but to also see how your husband was constantly monitoring her ovulation was just the absolute zenith of your agony.

Gojou had no idea how much he would completely annihilate your heart and soul if he truly ended up getting his mistress pregnant. Whether that was his intention or not, you could no longer find an excuse to stay with him if it happened.

Why has your marriage turned into shambles in less than a year? What did you do to deserve this mess of a relationship when you have always been genuine from the very beginning?

Despite life’s vicissitudes, you chose to see color in your achromatic world. It was your only way of keeping your positivity because you would rather be a sunshine than a storm. Satoru would have it coming one day, but today just wasn’t it.

You were becoming blasé to his brazen display of infidelity to the point that you were simply letting him do what he wanted without so much of a complaint. It wasn’t a free pass to step on your dignity, rather, a reason to pile up all the dirt that you have received like how a lawyer would gather evidence prior to actioning a case. You weren’t a lawyer for sure, but you could use the same tactic before reacting unreasonably. You had to hold onto your last string of pride in order not to become more pathetic than you already appeared to be.

It was better to pretend that everything was fine instead of showing your weakness in front of him. It was better to avoid his line of sight, choosing to join his best friends in playing a game of cards than be the third wheel in an unlawful relationship that made you the villain.

There was unease in Ieiri’s eyes as she laid down her card, pressing her boysenberry lips together when she glanced at the couple from the farther side of the plane. You couldn’t make out what she was seeing because you were facing her in a seating arrangement that had your back turned against your husband. Getou, who was sitting next to you, could sense the tension when he peeked at what was behind for a split second.

Why, you could ask yourself, did you even come? The question should be: why not? Even if he didn’t admit it, Satoru clearly wanted to make use of you by asking you to join the trip so that no one would suspect him of his true nature as an adulterous 25 year-old man. In return, you wanted to make use of this trip as an ultimatum for your consistency as the perpetually sympathetic wife. This trip would be the deciding factor for you to open your eyes to the downfall of your marriage.

You had become a time bomb—ready to detonate everything else around you with one wrong move.

You didn’t really believe your husband’s words when he said that he wanted to enjoy Bora Bora with you because only a person with thick skin could try to cajole his wife to his advantage. None of this trip was planned for you, but for Sera. Even if he said otherwise.

“Man, I don’t feel too good about this trip,” said Suguru, arranging the deck of cards to play another round of poker with Shoko. You tried to focus on drawing the details of the dress that you were designing until he spoke again. “Feel like something bad’s gonna happen.”

A pensive sigh then escaped your lips as you momentarily looked at the window to see the fuliginous skies. If Getou could sense an omen of things to come, you tried to lift up the mood by offering a smile. “You guys say this is a yearly trip?” you began, putting down your iPad and pen. “How did it all start?”

Ieiri took the chance to answer. “Like maybe four years ago? It’s pretty funny ‘cause it was a last minute thing. We were at a cafe and Gojou was joking about flying to Bora Bora right after he saw the advertisement on a pamphlet,” she reminisced the memory with glee in her eyes, “then Suguru dared him to take us there, and that motherfucker really did! We didn’t even get to pack anything—he made us ride the PJ on the same day with nothing but our passports.”

“I remember that day. He’s a bit of a show off, isn’t he?” Getou grinned at you and Ieiri.

You tell me. It seemed that Satoru could always make things happen if he wanted to. “The first time sounds really fun and spontaneous,” you claimed, drinking from the glass of wine on your table. “Satoru spoils the people that he loves.”

With that being said, he loved his best friends as much as he loved Sera. They were the only ones he would willingly spend a fortune to just to guarantee their happiness. Unfortunately, the man didn’t include you in his personal guest list of the people that he genuinely loved. Regardless of the fact that you were his wife, you were already aware that he would never willingly spend time with you. Iceland was out of the question because that whole honeymoon trip was simply obligatory for him.

“Aww. Well, I know he’ll spoil you.” Shoko's statement was laced with an iota of pity. “Satoru’s just… if you give him some time.”

You had given enough, but there was a limit to everything. You could offer your whole universe and there still wouldn’t be a remedy to your failed marriage. How pathetic. For a moment, your eyes dropped down to the gold band around your finger and remembered that Satoru strangely wore his ring when you left the penthouse. What act was he trying to pull this time?

And within the next twenty minutes that passed, you happened to have seen your husband when you went out of the lavatory for a quick bathroom break. He was in a detached recliner seat, draped in a blanket with his arms tightly wrapped around Sera as they slept soundly through the flight. The sight brought a lingering sting to your heart and made you stagnant for a moment as you walked slowly past the aisle. You tried to ignore the gnawing ache that burned your chest until Satoru opened his eyes to see you the first thing.

“Y/N.” His call forced you to halt from your footsteps. Sera shifted from his embrace, eyes still shut as she snuggled on the crook of his neck. Satoru had a minute of panic that bathed in his eyes when he realized that your name unknowingly flew out of his mouth and now he was pretending that he actually forgot what he called you for. “Where are you sitting?”

You kept a stolid mien for your own sake. “With your friends.” Because my own husband chose to neglect his wife for his mistress.

Why did it even matter to him? Did he want you to sit with him and Sera so you could watch how caring and affectionate he was to her? Did he want you to juxtapose yourself from previously being on the receiving end of his skinship and now on the far side of it?

Before you knew it, your feet already carried you away while his eyes followed your trail as you continued walking, making a desperate attempt to avoid him by going back to where Shoko and Suguru were. The two friends had visible empathy on their faces when they looked at you knowing that you saw your husband and his mistress entangled on each other.

But for your sanity, you didn’t succumb to your weak feelings. “I’m back,” you put on your mask of cheerfulness.

Ieiri moved from her seat to give you space and it was too obvious not to notice how she was admiring your ability to remain strong in a situation where you should be broken. “Y/N, can I see your new designs? Mai would have geeked over them.”

“I was actually designing a new one for her and Maki,” you shared, grabbing your iPad and browsing through your collection. “I’m planning to have the dresses made when we get back to Japan then I’ll ask Toji to give it—” Shoot.

The last thing you should have done was to mention the man.

“Toji? As in Toji Zen’in?” Getou’s narrow eyes became surprisingly round. “You’re close with him?”

You let out an awkward laugh. “Kinda, but not really. He knows Gen pretty well, though.”

Suguru smirked in good humor. “Damn. Satoru’s not gonna be happy.”

Ieiri countered the guy’s words by voicing her own thoughts. “He’s literally playing house with Sera. Who cares if he isn’t happy?” You were surprised when she suddenly pulled both of your hands on top of the table and squeezed it in comfort. “Tell me honestly, how do you feel about this whole cheating thing?”

You held your breath. It was hard for you to open up because your marriage was a private affair, something that you wished for no one else to pry into. If only Shoko’s eyes weren’t filled with genuine concern, you wouldn’t have given her an honest answer. “I’m not happy with it,” you stated the obvious, following the slow rise and fall of your chest. “I’m just letting this happen because I have hopes that it’ll end someday.”

Getou looked down as if he was burdened with shame. “He really doesn’t deserve you, huh…”

“Y/N.” Ieiri leaned closer to gaze straight into your orbs. “End their affair after this trip. Don’t let it drag for too long. Satoru’s my friend, but I can’t stand what he’s doing. You should claim your right as his wife and fight for him.”

You opened your mouth to say something because you highly appreciated her encouragement for you to uphold your position as the lawful wife, but then no words have left your lips after you remembered why everything ended up this way in the first place.

Because of this arranged marriage, Satoru had to marry another woman instead of the one that he loved. He wasn’t willing to let her go nor was she ready to free him from her grasp. This was all your fault, he said. Pay the repercussions, he said. You’re already blessed with everything you can ask for, she said.

What else was left for your self-worth?

With it being your first time in Bora Bora, it was expected for you to be in complete awe when you arrived at the destination. You couldn’t express much of your appreciation towards the beautiful islets due to the situation relating to your husband and his mistress, but your eyes still wandered around the place to admire God’s craft in creating such a paradise on Earth. Being here alone was already a testament to how many gorgeous places were yet to be explored.

“Wow,” you gasped with great admiration, turning your head from left to right as you took slow strides on the elevated walkway. For what Bora Bora was renowned for, there were bungalows perched over the crystal waters on stilts—a peaceful haven with floating thatched-roof villas above the clear sea in varying hues of blue, perfect for couples in a romantic honeymoon to enjoy their first stages of marriage.

The warm breeze and the smell of fresh ocean greeted your nose, tempting you to jump on the waters to bask under the sun. But then you remembered who you were with on this trip after getting momentarily lost and distracted from the luxurious oasis through the summer heat. As you turned around, you saw Gojou intertwining his hand with Sera’s as she smiled at him while gushing about how much she missed the place. You could see how his eyes coruscated with love at the sight of her radiant face as though she was the only one who could make him as happy as he was now.

Satoru’s affections were only evanescent when it came to you. Sera was and would always be the recipient of his permanent love.

You had to force yourself to look away knowing that it would only add more wounds to your heart—grateful that Shoko looped her arm around yours with Suguru standing on your other side. “You guys,” you swallowed your weakness back in by plastering a smile, “this island is stunning.”

“Right?” Ieiri adjusted her sun hat and nudged you on the rib. “Should we go scuba diving?”

“Jet skiing is better.” You weren’t expecting Satoru to chime in as he and Sera stopped in front of you like a newlywed couple who couldn’t get enough of each other. And while he was holding another woman’s hand, his vivid cerulean eyes lingered on you as he spoke again. “Ever tried it before?”

You didn’t answer him. You refused to. Instead, you looked at Suguru and pointed towards the parasail from a distance. “Look, it’s what you and Shoko were talking about on the plane.”

The tension was real when you ignored your husband, but Ieiri and Getou saved the awkward air by entertaining you, although you certainly didn’t miss the glances that they traded with the white-haired man. It was Satoru’s best man who put a friendly arm around your shoulder and continued the walk with you. “You should try parasailing with us,” Getou encouraged, orbs hidden from the crescents of his eyes.

You would love to join them, but the thought of ending up submerged underwater in the vastness of the ocean was too terrifying. “I don’t think I can—”

“Mr. and Mrs. Gojou? Welcome to the InterContinental.”

Instinctively, you turned around to face the owner of the voice only to see the man—who looked like the owner of the luxury hotel—was talking to Satoru and Sera as the apparent married couple. You tried to suppress the bitter scoff that almost passed through your lips because it surely sent tiny pricks to your chest to see Sera being mistaken as the wife.

However, instead of correcting the man, Sera got the confidence to tighten her hold on your husband’s arm so she could lean her head against him. “It’s nice to be back.”

“Well, I’d congratulate Mr. Gojou for marrying such a gorgeous wife,” the man complimented her, which earned you glances from Satoru, Suguru, and Shoko. All except for Sera who beamed from the flattering remarks that should have been for you. “We’ve prepared the largest villa and the rooms are all ready as well. Please enjoy your stay. If you need anything, our staff will be more than happy to help.”

This was a painful slap to your face and you didn’t want to stay another second enduring it all. You haven’t even spent an hour in Bora Bora and you were already emotionally battered from everything that you’ve had to stomach thus far. You could only imagine how bad things would be for the next two days and this might end up leaving a huge scar on you, even worse than the Iceland trip which was the pinnacle of Satoru’s journey to putting you in your place.

You were already storming out before any of them made a move because you wanted nothing else but to lock yourself in a room and stay away from Gojou for the rest of the trip. You ignored Ieiri’s calls when you rushed inside the villa, claiming one of the four bedrooms and placing your duffel on the bed before you sat on the edge of it with a frustrated sigh. It was truly insulting to see your own husband not denying when another woman was mistaken as his wife, but what did you expect, really? He dreamed of having Sera as his wife for God knows how long. You already fooled yourself that one morning thinking that your recent lovemaking was a sign of progress to your relationship, that his drunken admissions and childhood reminiscences were improving your marriage—you hated that you fell for it when here he was now allowing Sera to take your spot as his wife.

There was no need to sugarcoat this. You were simply a placeholder for his true love.

You get it. This trip was all about her and you were just expected to be in the background all throughout. In that case, why did Satoru follow you inside your room? Why did he leave his stuff in your bed, crouching down to look at your face with worry-filled eyes?

Did he want to share a room with you because it was an obligation? Well, no one was watching for him to still keep up with his stupid act.

“You know I had no choice,” he tried to explain, placing his hands atop yours, “She was looking forward to the trip and I couldn’t tell her that it’s not right for her to come anymore.”

You gulped and pushed his hand away without sparing him a glance. “Why are you explaining things to me? Didn’t you wanna spend time with her, anyway?”

His bullshit was tiring. You knew for a fact that he could care less if Sera came because he would rather spend his sweet time with her, always have and always would. Unlike your honeymoon in Iceland where he was lackadaisical for ninety percent of the trip, he was actually more enthusiastic about this one because his romantic adventures were always better with Sera. He didn’t need to say it for you to put the puzzle pieces together.

Satoru fixed his composure, sliding his dark sunglasses out of his face as he tried to appear impassive. “Because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” he asserted, arms caged on either side of your thighs, “and you’ve been so cold to me for the past week for no reason. What’s your problem?”

The audacity of this man. He would tell you not to get the wrong idea for ‘unintentionally inviting his mistress’ but would also shamelessly parade her around while treating her like a queen.

With this in mind, you erupted into a soft but spiteful laugh. “Does that even matter? You can do what you want. I’ll stay out of your way since I know my boundaries. I’m just here to save your image.”

“Y/N—”

Remembering the words he said during your time in Iceland, you returned it back. “Let me rest.” You pushed his arm away, climbing into your bed and turning your back on him. “I need some sleep.”

You already had your eyes closed when you heard his exasperated huff and you were left with a hollow heart when he slammed the door shut as if it was heavily frustrating for him that you were becoming detached and defiant. Satoru seemed to have always hated it when you rejected his presence because he had grown accustomed to you being his patient wife who showered him with affection despite his bare minimum treatment. The sweet and caring wife that would wake up at six-thirty in the morning every day just to prepare his breakfast and business attire. The wife that would leave post-it notes on the fridge with the words: Eat some fruit, drink water, and start your day with a smile :)

Yes. You wouldn’t deny how stupid you were for trying to make your marriage work. Because every time you believed that you had already built a strong wall against Satoru, he would always find a way to destroy it. And you would always find a way to let him in, forgiving him for his never-ending games.

You knew that you would always be standing by his side when he needed you, but since he didn’t seem to require much of your presence with Sera around, you might as well learn to distance yourself for now.

By ‘distancing yourself’, you meant sleeping for the next four hours to recover from your lassitude. You figured that it was better to shut yourself out instead of summoning your masochistic side when the pain was so deadly you might as well be buried six feet under. No one bothered you during your slumber because the villa was silent when you woke up again. The room needed more lighting as the sun was finally closing down by the time you opened your eyes. It was eventide, you realized.

When you regained the strength and motivation to get up from bed, you could tell that Ieiri and Getou might have toured around with Sera and Gojou while you were fast asleep in your room. They had fun on their own while you chose to be alone and only now did you have the chance to take a leisurely meander through the extensive walkway that connected all the overwater bungalows which were what Bora Bora was famous for.

The cool wind rippled the surface of the sea, creating waves and soothing sounds that enabled your mind to relax as you found your spot on one corner, overlooking the horizon of twilight skies in blue and gold where the clouds began to glow with colors at nautical dusk. You marveled at the spectacular mixture of colors as the wind that blew your hair back, listening to the soft sound of the crashing waves that made a painting come to life.

You had to appreciate Earth’s beauty and how grateful you were to be in a privileged position that gave you the chance to see such astounding views that you wouldn’t see on a typical day.

Perhaps, in an alternate universe, your husband had his arms wrapped around your waist as you two watched the sunset on this romantic hour. Maybe you were happy in that universe, having your spouse whisperering I love you’s in your ear, telling you that you were the only woman in his eyes and that he was happy to have married you.

“It must be tough chasing after a man who doesn’t love you.”

The serenity that you’ve found from the susurration of the sea was cut short as you turned around to see the Camilla of your Charles. Eyes as brown as the color of her hair, lips limned with a mulberry tint like the color that stained your husband’s neck. The upward tug of her lips was her attempt to show the lack of malice in her words.

“I can’t believe you’re torturing yourself for coming with us. But honestly, I respect and admire your resilience,” she added, clutching the diamond pendant on her necklace as she stood next to you. “I can understand you have all the time in the world to try and chase after his love since you have nothing going on for you. You’re not busy like the rest of us. All you do is sit at home like a princess and wait for him while he’s in his office spending most of his day with me.”

You wondered how Sera could look so sincere and innocent while throwing knives for sentences in between. It was plain obvious that she was still absurdly angry at you for sleeping with Satoru after she came to the penthouse that morning and your recent appearance in the office seemed to have fueled more of her vexation. But because you weren’t ill-bred, you didn’t lunge on her and ripped her throat out for saying all those mean things. Your best choice was to retaliate with your own words.

“Not as tough as constantly hiding your relationship because you don’t wanna be labeled as the mistress when that’s really what you are,” you told her, and there was shock that lingered in her eyes until you continued with a smile. “In everyone’s eyes, no one cares about who’s the first love. People care about who’s the one that they married.”

Sera’s smile was nonetheless to veil her growing ire. “Don’t get carried away. Your marriage is loveless. I don’t want you to keep hurting yourself when you know he feels miserable with you.”

When Ieiri told you to end their affair and stake your claim as the rightful wife, you already imagined that a confrontation with Sera could finally do the job. You thought that you could stand on your ground and hold your chin up high because that was how it was supposed to be, and yet with her simple utterance of the fact that Gojou was miserable with you, you lost all of your will to fight for him.

You couldn’t fight for someone who never wanted to be with you in the first place.

“I really like you as a person, Y/N.” She released a sigh, averting her eyes to gaze at the sun disappearing below the horizon. “You’re kind and soft-spoken. It’s your status and selfishness that I don’t like.”

With a still breath, you spoke through gritted teeth. “Selfish?” A humorless laugh followed. It was unbelievable how you were seen as ‘selfish’ when you’ve been willingly allowing her to sneak around with your husband after she literally begged for it.

“You get everything you want ‘cause you’ve been spoiled that way,” she pointed out. “Meanwhile, I have to work hard to get to where I am. I have to endure rude bosses, render overtime even on holidays, and strictly calculate my savings and budget for my family. You don’t understand how hard life is for people like us. Satoru is the only blessing I’ve received in life, so I’ll never let him go.”

You didn’t know what to say in this situation because you couldn’t exactly comment about her hardships in life. Even if you tried to defend yourself and tell her that problems in life came in different forms, you knew that she would still make it all about her. Everything was about her struggles and hardships, never about your agony and suffering.

However, the conversation did lead you to trespass a topic that had been bugging you to no end. “You say you’ll never let him go. Does that mean you’re still waiting around for him even when he’s married?” you questioned in utter disbelief. “You don’t care if you end up pregnant someday when he’s legally bound to his wife?”

Instead of answering you directly, she countered you with a question. “Are you scared that I’d get pregnant before you do?”

Your heart raced. Anger? Hurt? You couldn’t tell which one weighed more. So the two of them aren’t really doing it safe, you assumed in your head, taking a deep breath before you could explode.

A pitiful look appeared on her small, delicate face. “Just know that if I end up having his kid…” she paused before she shifted on her feet to take her leave, “…I’d end up having him, too.”

Gojou knew he could be insensitive sometimes—or most times—but he was being true when he said that he wasn’t intentionally doing it. He was all over Sera since the trip began because that was how things were before you came to the picture. Him, Sera, and his friends on a getaway. He held her hand, kissed her, and spent time with her because they were boyfriend and girlfriend before he ever married you.

With all the aforementioned, it was quite odd that he was feeling incredibly guilty for simply doing what he usually did. It wasn’t like you even screamed at his face calling him a cheater for having Sera around. You were pretty lenient about them so he couldn’t understand why he was the one who was bothered by your lack of resistance to his actions. Satoru despised how you would ignore him because he was getting more and more confused by how he felt.

To boost his stupidity even more, he never should have allowed Sera to join in the first place. This trip should have been just you, him, and his best friends. If he was going to spend time with Sera, then he could have just taken her without dragging you along to avoid all the tension that was surrounding you now. Maybe Satoru could have had more guts to explain that to Sera even if she wouldn’t be too happy to hear it.

“Fuck this,” he muttered, loosening the knot on his robe as he walked outside to find some peace of mind on the villa’s elevated pool area.

Suguru joined him as the man sat on one of the sun loungers with a cigarette between his lips. “You two-timing fucker,” he bluntly quipped, seemingly finding humor in Satoru’s dilemma. “How does it feel to have your wife and mistress in the same house?”

Gojou looked up at the blanket of stars. “Sera’s not a mistress,” he corrected, then added, “and Y/N isn’t even saying anything.”

There was a knowing glint in Getou’s eyes. “Just because she isn’t saying anything doesn’t mean it’s all okay to her.”

“Man. What do you want me to do?” He wasn’t exactly snapping. It just frustrated him how he didn’t know how to handle the situation without hurting the other. “I do wanna spend more time with my wife, but Sera expects me to be with her 24/7 because this is our only chance to freely be together.”

Suguru tossed the cigarette to the wooden floor and killed the ember by stomping his foot on it. “Listen to yourself,” he commanded. “Now Sera’s becoming an obligation for you and Y/N isn’t. You can’t have both. This situation isn’t livable.”

Did Gojou really sound that way? He couldn’t even clear out his statement because he got distracted when he saw you heading towards your room with a heavy frown on your face, determined to lock yourself again until Shoko blocked your way.

“Y/N, don’t tell me you’re gonna stay in bed again?” Ieiri’s voice was loud enough for the two gentlemen to hear. “Let’s chill outside for a while!”

Satoru could hear how his best friend snorted under his breath when he saw the look on Gojou’s face and just how tempted he was at trying to talk to his wife. Confusion clouded his head as he completely froze when Ieiri dragged you to the pool area and urged you to take your place near your husband.

“We went kayaking while you were sleeping. You should have been with us,” said Ieiri, now lighting her own cigarette as you stood at a reasonable distance from Gojou. He pulled you close by wrapping an arm around your waist, but you were fast to stop his wrist before you moved to sit next to Suguru instead.

What the hell?

And throughout your subtle disregard for Satoru, Getou was only finding the situation even more humorous. “You have to join us tomorrow, Y/N,” the best friend insisted. “Can’t miss out on all the fun activities.”

“I prefer sightseeing, really,” you admitted, then revealing why you couldn’t exactly join. “I have Thalassophobia.”

Shoko seemed intrigued. “Wait, like fear of water?”

“You’re not afraid of water. You swim at our pool back home.” Satoru walked towards the mini bar to grab a bottle of Macallan, pouring himself a glass before leaning against the rattan table.

You dismissed their assumptions, although you were gearing towards speaking to Getou and Ieiri more than your husband. “No, it’s fear of what lurks beneath its surface. It’s the deep bodies of water that scares me the most, like… if my feet can’t touch the ground, I’d tremble. I have wild imaginations on what creatures could be under me.”

Ieiri tilted her head in curiosity. “That’s so interesting. I didn’t know people have that kind of phobia.”

“Nah, I think it’s common,” Suguru asserted while leaning on the cushion behind him. “There are so many types of phobias that we don’t even know of. Someone could even invent Gojouphobia one day.”

The man of honorable mention simply shook his head. “Very funny.” Although he must admit, it was the first time he had seen you chuckling in a while and it brought some ease to his heart to see you smiling again.

For the whole conversation, Satoru just couldn’t seem to keep his eyes away from you. His blue orbs were glued on your face, watching the way you pressed your lips together or the way your eyelids fluttered with every blink. At one point, he had to clear his throat just to distract himself, “You weren’t that scared when you took a swim in the blue lagoon.”

Even if he was trying to converse with you, you were still adamant on not meeting his gaze. “Don’t you fucking bring up Iceland.”

It seemed that mentioning Iceland was a trigger for you and Satoru didn’t realize how upsetting the whole trip must have been that you were avoiding any reminiscence about your honeymoon. Had he been too mean to you back then? The marriage was fresh and Gojou was full of bitterness at the time—he must not have realized how harsh he had treated you.

Because of the uncomfortable silence, Shoko took the chance to change the topic. “I swear to God, I almost lost my diamond earring when Suguru pushed me to the ocean—”

“Alright, Kim K. There’s people that are dying,” Getou mocked, only to receive a ball of tissue thrown to his face.

“Shut up!”

“Make me.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

Gojou sniggered at the two. “I think he is.”

And in the middle of their banter, Satoru had almost forgotten about Sera until she came out of the room in a similar robe like what he was wearing, joining the rest of you at the poolside on this starry evening. “Hey, guys.”

You didn’t even acknowledge her with a fake smile the way Shoko and Suguru did.

“Hey, Sera.” Ieiri shifted into an awkward stance and Gojou could read through her body language that Sera made her uncomfortable. “Where’ve you been?”

“Just took a quick shower.” Sera didn’t hesitate in keeping Satoru enveloped within her arms, clinging onto his torso as if to claim him in front of everyone. There was no ounce of shame when she tiptoed to peck his lips and leaned her head against his toned chest. She did it before, she did it many times prior to this trip, but why did Gojou feel strangely hurt when he saw how you sunk back to your seat and looked away? “Satoru promised we’ll spend the night at the jacuzzi.”

You let out a humorless laugh, gazing at the floor. “That’s really romantic.”

The sarcasm that laced your voice made Satoru hold his breath. What was he supposed to say?

“It really is,” cooed Sera, snuggling closer to feel his warmth. Utter silence dominated amongst the soft sound of the splashing waves. The luminescent moon stared at all five of you with great interest because there was nothing more interesting than to see a dramatic scene unfolding between the husband, the wife, and the mistress. Since when did Gojou’s life turn into a movie?

“I’m exhausted, I’ll call it a night,” you announced, taking the initiative to get up and leave. Not once did you try to meet Satoru’s gaze. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Your exit gained Suguru and Shoko’s “me too” and “me three” as they also made a haste move to leave the couple alone. It was only 9PM and Gojou was sure as hell that none of his two best friends would have decided to go to bed this early if it wasn’t for the guilt that would eat them if they stayed.

Confrontations were not in your repertoire, but Satoru believed that it would have been better to receive your brutal words than to see you completely avoiding his existence like he was as invisible as air.

“Hey.” The knit on Sera’s brows recollected Satoru back to his reality—with her. She would never allow him to think of anyone else but her this time. “The night is ours.”

He didn’t want to break his promise and he tried his utmost best to give one hundred percent of his focus to the woman that he loved, especially now that he had the chance to be all alone with her. This was what he wanted and he had to remind himself of that. While he should’ve uninvited Sera, this was still the perfect chance to spend a romantic getaway with her at one of the most beautiful islands in the world. If the opportunity was there presenting itself, who was he to completely disregard it?

He wanted Sera, not you. He wanted all of her, not even a little bit of you. Satoru needed to wake up and refrain from allowing his mind to fly to the wife that he supposedly hated.

He should be having fun since it was relaxing to sit in a hot jacuzzi surrounded by vanilla-scented candles and rose petals. It was the perfect honeymoon for newlyweds, something that he could have done with you in Iceland instead of the bullshit he pulled back there that permanently left a scar on you.

Sighing, he leaned against the tub and waited for Sera to come back just as he received a notification from his phone. Without a second to spare, he grabbed the gadget that was placed at the edge of the tub and checked what the alert was about.

Day of Ovulation - High Chance of Pregnancy Today

But you just had yours a week ago, right? Gojou was well aware of your cycle because he would often check your phone to look at it. He didn’t even remember installing the app on his phone, so he had no single idea why it was even in there. Did he perhaps do it while he was drunk?

Somehow, his question was answered when he clicked on the notification and saw the label “Sera’s Cycle” written on top. The wideness of his eyes was solely because of his realization that this damn app might have been one of the reasons why you had veen cold to him.

“Sorry it took me so long.” Sera cut him out of his trance when she returned, quickly apologizing for her momentary absence. “I was trying to look for a nice swimsuit but couldn’t pick one.”

Satoru chose not to beat around the bush when he faced her. “Did you put your period tracker on my phone?”

By watching her emotions intently, he was able to see the look of panic that bathed her eyes before she gathered an honest response. “Yeah, since you’ve been acting all weird about the condom thing last time so I put it on there,” she explained, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. “Why? Did she see and complain about it?”

Fuck. Gojou needed to calm himself down because his head was boiling just like the foam that bubbled in the jetted-tub. “No, she didn’t say anything but she’s mad at me about it.”

“So, what?” Sera’s irritation grew while she undid the knot on her robe, revealing her stark naked body in front of him without any scintilla of shyness in her bones. Oh. Satoru breathed deeply and eyed every curve that was of ample proportions. “Why does it matter so much to you if she’s mad?”

She was already climbing in the tub, crawling forward to straddle the man’s lap who now had his large hands on her buttocks. He tried to look at her eyes instead of her busty chest. “I just don’t like how she’s giving me the cold shoulder. What if… our fathers’ notice?”

Bullshit. Sera rolled her eyes because she could see the pretentious lies hidden in his words. “Remember what you said to me back in your car?” The woman pressed her bare chest against his toned ones, feathering kisses along his jaw until her breath fanned his thin but plump lips as they brushed. “You said she doesn’t have you.”

“Mhm.” Gojou kneaded her bum.

“So stick by it,” now those words held more persuasion as her chocolate orbs pierced through his diamond blues. “It’s not like you’re gonna stay with her after you get what you need.” Right. You were merely a tool for his ascendancy in the company. Sera was the one who put him back on the right track. “And isn’t it weird enough that you’ve been trying so hard but still couldn’t get her pregnant? Maybe she’s… you know.”

Satoru pulled away to read her expression. “She’s what?” His wife couldn’t be infertile. No. Maybe he wasn’t really just doing it right? Maybe you just need to do it more intimately?

His other woman leaned back and moved her hair to the side in a manner that seduced him of his deepest desires. The palms that gripped her ass were now tracing her curves, reaching to cup her breasts so he could massage the rounded mass. He attached his mouth on the right side of her neck as she arched her back and released her dulcet moans.

“M-Maybe she’s n-not meant to have your baby,” she rasped, grabbing a fistful of white hair. “It’s been a while since we did this, Satoru.”

He hummed, closing his eyes and moving his mouth to kiss her shoulder blades. Despite Sera’s overflowing sultriness, Gojou’s carnal desires were no longer meeting her own. His ardor was no longer at the same level as hers. The emotional connection was no longer present and this was something that he had been afraid of for the longest time.

Afraid that when he started doing it with someone he married, he would lose the same passion for Sera.

If he was true to himself, she could not satiate his needs the same way you would. Sex was different, regardless of the labels, when it was with someone he shared vows with. With you, he could be intimate without worrying about the consequences of pregnancy because you were meant to have his child either way. With Sera, he had to hold back and use contraceptives because it would be a huge scandal if he knocked her up.

He didn’t realize that he stopped Sera’s hand from touching his clothed cock underwater, pulling her wrist before he made a move to get out of the jetted-tub. “Sera, I’m too exhausted,” he made an excuse, “let’s just go to bed.”

Satoru could imagine smoke coming out of her nose with how frustrated she was. “Just tell me. Am I not pretty enough for you?”

Grabbing her robe and stepping out of the tub, she sheathed herself with the cloth and let her glossy eyes afflict him with his guilt. After all, he could go weak on his knees for her.

“No, of course you are. I just don’t wanna do half-assed things with you.” Gojou was fast to deny. “Sera, you’re the prettiest woman in my eyes.”

Her face was rigid and her eyes were lachrymose. “Then say it to her.”

Huh? He brushed a hand on her arm. “Sera—”

“Say it straight to her face how I’m the prettiest in your eyes and that you’ll only ever love me,” she spat, stomping away after adding, “If you don’t do it, you might as well forget about me.”

Gojou hated being given ultimatums because it was putting him on the spot to make decisions without much thought. Sera was well aware of how much he disliked being demanded to do things out of his will, but like the asshole he was, he couldn’t lose her. That was what his mind was telling him.

He was plagued with these deep thoughts even as he joined Sera later that night when they slept in the same bed. This morning, he took his stuff to your bedroom because it became an instinct for him to stay in the same room as you. However, it was Sera who pulled him away telling him how ridiculous he was for even thinking that he should bother staying with you when no one was watching.

The problem was, Satoru couldn’t sleep. At all.

Sera’s warm body held him in a tight embrace as she peacefully submitted to her slumber, but Gojou couldn’t get even a wink of sleep because he knew that he would end up waking up in the middle of the night with how bad his nightmares were getting. This has happened more than once where he couldn’t get himself to reach the stages of REM when he slept next to Sera or anyone else for that matter. Heck, a paradoxical sleep was even more far-fetched when he was alone.

Because of his reasons, he quietly got out of bed at 3AM, tucking Sera under the duvet before he left the room only to transfer to the one on the opposite side.

To you, where he twisted the doorknob as quietly as he could and saw you sleeping in a cute fetal position, allowing him to smoothly slip into bed and wrap his arms around you. You were not awake to feel his warmth, but he was certainly feeling the level of comfort that he needed to finally doze off knowing that you were at arms length away lest he needed your presence to soothe him from his unpleasant dreams.

Getou would have snorted at his face for the ‘two-timing fucker’ that he was, but Gojou couldn’t care less. He didn’t understand what it was like to be caught in such a position.

When you woke up to see Satoru sleeping next to you, you felt disgusted.

Only because you knew what he had done in the other room with his mistress. You knew that they were doing it without any regard for the wife that he met at the altar with vows that he couldn’t fulfill. Why exactly was he even bothering to sleep in the same bed with you? For show? For whatever act he was putting on? You were tired of it.

So instead of waking him up with small kisses on his cheek, you simply rushed out of bed and spent the next thirty-minutes eating breakfast with Suguru and Shoko. Just after exchanging a few conversations about the plans that they had for the day, they then prepared while you ended up having a relaxing time for yourself, basking under the sun as you lay down on one of the sun loungers by the pool in your beige bikini. The view offered a gorgeous landscape of the clear turquoise seas and you knew that you just had to snap a quick photo to post on Instagram.

The picture included half of your glistening body in a sun-lounger overlooking the waters of Bora Bora with the caption: “pov: you’re in a tropical paradise 🏖”. The post quickly garnered likes and comments, especially one from Gen telling you to have a good time and that she was so jealous.

Have a good time? You wished. None of these people lurking in your Instagram knew that you weren’t actually having a great time. Worst of all, they weren’t aware that this trip included your husband's mistress.

On the other hand, you were surprised to see Toji’s comment that it had you chuckling out loud. It was no more than a playful message with an airplane emoji that wrote, ‘✈️ off to paradise’. You didn’t even know that he was following your account until now so you had to click the follow button real quick while stalking his Instagram. There wasn’t anything much to see except some pictures of him and his son traveling around the world. It was clear how much time he had placed to bond with Megumi despite his demanding life as a CEO, making it one of the things that you admire about him—his dedication as a businessman and as a single father.

Your day was going good, but it just had to be ruined when Gojou appeared on your side, taking a seat on the sun lounger adjacent to yours as he grabbed the bottle of sunscreen on your thigh. In an instant, you placed your phone down and looked at him. “Why are you here?”

“Why not?” His response was laced with insouciance. Your husband rubbed the lotion on his arms, protecting himself from the damage that the sun could leave on his fair skin.

“You should be with Sera,” you replied before removing your sunglasses, getting up to leave until he towered over you. At once, the man was unbuttoning his top and holding your wrist simultaneously. “What are you doing?”

A sigh left his lips. “Swimming with you,” he said, then tossing his shirt onto the seat. “Come on. You said you’re scared of the ocean so I’ll swim with you.”

“Satoru, you don’t一”

There was not even a chance for you to resist because the man already carried you in his arms as you flailed when he walked towards the edge of the platform, climbing down the stairs and submerging both of you under the cool waters of the Bora Bora seas. The anxiety that coursed through your entire body made you wrap your legs around his waist because you couldn’t think of anything else but to try and get yourself to the surface.

“Hey, hey. Relax,” he reassured, caging you around his arm and allowing you to put your arms around his neck. “The water’s clear. No sharks here.”

The water was deeper than you could reach for sure, but since your husband was six foot tall, he was able to walk around. “B-Bring me back to the villa.”

Your muffled pleas were ignored when he swam further into the ocean, now floating from beneath his feet all while pressing his lips into your ear. “Give me a kiss and I will.”

You couldn’t deny that the request gave you a rush of dopamine, forcing your stomach to do somersaults because when Satoru was being sweet and affectionate, it was normally easy for you to give in. However, you have already learned not to let him intoxicate you with meaningless affection.

“No,” you rejected his offer, glaring at his ocean eyes that were of the same hue as the skies and seas alike.

There was a haze of frustration in his eyes before he did it upon himself to lean in and encase your lips around his, moving to lock them in a soft but passionate kiss. The movements of his mouth were in harmony to yours despite your initial refusal to let him plant even the quickest peck. Truth was, his kisses lessened your anxiety because it distracted you from your fear towards the deep bodies of water.

The feeling of his tongue rolling against yours, swirling around just as you breathed through each other’s mouth could have been enough to suffice the week's worth of resentment that you had towards him.

In the end, Gojou knew how to soften your heart.

“Still don’t wanna kiss me now?” He pulled away with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, but that cocky visage was immediately replaced by his troubled expression. “We need to talk.”

About what? You clung onto his shoulders and wrapped your legs tighter around him. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

He was your personal buoy in the vastness of the ocean and he knew that the dependency that you had for him now would soon reflect your relationship beyond the high seas. Satoru only wanted you to realize that you needed him just as much as he needed you. “My phone, I know you saw some things in there,” he opened up, treading water to stay afloat. “It’s not what you think. Sera and I haven’t done it since一”

“Stop,” you interrupted before he could finish his sentence. There was pain in your voice, pain that you concealed with ersatz indifference. “I don’t wanna hear what you two are doing. You’re disgusting.”

He was insane for thinking that it was okay for him to talk about his sex life with his mistress. Sometimes you wondered if Satoru’s obliviousness when it came to hurting your feelings was actually intentional. He hated you after all. That, or he was plain stupid.

“I’m just saying,” he defended, pressing his lips on your shoulder. “If that’s what upsets you, then…”

“...Then maybe don’t give me mixed signals?” you said, chest vibrating against his. “Maybe don’t confuse me with your affection because we both know you’re just acting? Didn’t you say that I would never be her? That it’s not cheating when I never had your heart in the first place?”

Your husband was at a loss of words. And you? You moved out of his grip regardless of the fear that consumed you when you rapidly swam your way to the ladder, climbing back into the villa and wrapping yourself with a towel to leave the man who incessantly called for your name.

“Y/N!”

You came across Sera about halfway into the bungalow, but ignored her presence by heading straight to Getou and Ieiri. The two had no idea about the cold exchange that you’ve just had with your husband一all they knew was that you were joining them for their itinerary of having lunch at Bloody Mary’s and going on a jet ski adventure throughout the afternoon.

“You ready?” Suguru asked when he saw you scrambling to put on a sundress on top of your bikini.

“Yeah,” you answered, glancing at Sera and Gojou who just reunited when he attempted to chase after you. He didn’t need to, not when his mistress was there to entertain him now. “Can it just be three of us?”

Your question must have sounded spiteful and Shoko clearly didn’t approve of how you were letting your husband have some private time with his lover, but based on your countenance, she supported your decision. “Sure, Y/N.” Ieiri turned to Gojou and Sera with a smile. “We’ll leave you guys for a while.”

Satoru couldn’t even enjoy this trip because all he did was to overthink about the shit that he was unknowingly doing to hurt you. It was too much for a person to absorb, but he tried to lay down the issues in his head so he could figure it all out. For starters, you were opening up about your displease towards his actions more and more these days as if you were on the brink of falling apart. In contrast to that was Gojou feeling less and less angry with you for the things that he normally would find irritating. He used to antagonize you for being clingy, now he couldn’t last a day without any form of interaction with you. He used to forget everything around him when there was Sera, but now his eyes were constantly searching for you.

He thought that all the sharp words that he once sputtered towards you were left forgotten at the back of your mind, which was why he was in complete discombobulation when you were reciting every single hurtful word that he ever said to you. How did you even remember his words back in Iceland? It seemed as if everything, since the very beginning of your marriage, had remarkably etched into your soul and inflicted you with great sorrow.

For hours, he couldn’t do anything but to check his phone to get his mind out of his ennui and Sera was growing deeply annoyed that he wasn’t very keen of doing their supposed snorkeling activity because he refused to leave the villa.

It was funny how he should be thankful that you had given him some time alone with Sera, but here he was displeased about it. What was going through his head? He needed some clarity.

When the sun was at least two hours shy from setting, Gojou headed to your room to find his charger as he scrolled through his phone. The first thing he did was to check the recent photos he had taken, sliding his thumb down to review all the other images that he was keeping in his album and realized that one particular photo was absent.

His bum fell at the edge of the mattress as he frantically searched all the other photo albums to find the only photo he had of you.

Sera’s appearance by the door could not even distract him from removing the crease between his eyebrows. “Satoru, are we not gonna—”

“Did you delete her photo?” he snapped, looking up to see her wide confused eyes. “First you installed that period tracker, now you deleted her photo.”

She was livid. His accusatory eyes brought a surge of ill feelings when she stepped in and denied his claims. “Why the hell would I delete her stupid photo?”

He huffed, feeling a fit of pique but choosing to let it go. “Forget it,” throwing his phone on the mattress, he collapsed against the cushion and stared at the ceiling. “What do you wanna do today?”

Wasn’t it too late to ask?

Somehow, while he was busy gazing up at the nipa palm leaves that decorated the roof of your bedroom, he heard a clutter of things falling onto the floor and he realized that it was your makeup bag that Sera had accidentally bumped into.

“What’s that?” he asked, propping himself with his elbows as she crouched down, blinking twice in the same second before erupting into a scoff.

“You say you had a hard time making a baby?” She stood straight with a mirthless smile, showing a blister of birth control pills in her hand that made Satoru sit up in confusion. “She’s taking pills.”

He snatched the blister pack that he almost crushed in his shaking hand as he clenched his jaws at the newfound information. There was nothing else to feel but fire. Fire of the worst kind, fire that would soon erupt into unforgiving flames that would burn you without an ounce of mercy.

“She really just wanted to ruin us, Satoru.”

You didn’t think that this day could be any better since it started awfully when your husband almost ruined it this morning. Fortunately, his two best friends were your saving grace that allowed you to enjoy the rest of the day even without his presence. You went on a decadent lunch at Bloody Mary’s, had a fun jet ski ride behind Ieiri, and also spent the afternoon heat sunbathing at the beach. The image did not leave your mind—the waves crashing onto the shore, snaking rivulets of water onto the pristine white sand, sun-bleached crystals burning the feet, the resplendent stretch of palm trees that gave the beach a tropical landscape.

Life was too beautiful to waste on a man who didn’t love you.

In the words of Ieiri, ‘either win him or lose him’. You were at a point where you could choose the latter because your kindness was nearing its limit. If he was choosing his mistress over you, notwithstanding the prior relations that they’ve had before your marriage, then it was futile to patiently wait for the day that they would end their affair.

Because God knows Satoru would never let her go.

At least you were opening your eyes to the truth. At least you were seeing some light to the darkness that enshrouded you. Taking a stroll on the walkway, it was cathartic to finally be alone in this late afternoon as you left Ieiri and Getou who both went scuba diving. You were fine walking alone by yourself, simply appreciating all of Bora Bora before you leave for Japan tomorrow.

In the middle of your peaceful walk, however, the six foot tall man with the mess of ivory hair and vivid cerulean eyes came stomping down your path with a scowl on his pretty face. He was shooting daggers with the way he glared at you and you could strangely sense an impending doom when he stopped in his tracks—no trace of benevolence in his stance.

You tried to hide the confusion that befuddled your already mish-mash of a brain. “Satoru—”

“You’re so fucking desperate, are you?” His voice was rough and hostile, glaring at you as if he wanted to destroy you then and there. Before you could ask what he meant, he showed your birth control pills that he had already crumpled in his hand, rendering you speechless and static from where you stood. No, this can’t be… “What, you’re still gonna deny it?”

Guilt and tremor swallowed you. “I-I just couldn’t tell you at the right time.”

He was laughing, and it was a feral laugh that scared you even more. Minus the hands that were shaking in vexation, he was clearly seething inside. “You’re so fucking pathetic,” he spat out words laced with venom, “Did you plan to keep fooling me just so I’d have sex with you, huh? ‘Cause no one else would do it with you so you have to ruin me and Sera? You’re just so delusional, are you?”

Your hand almost flew to his face before you even realized what you did. The amalgam of pain, anger, and resentment was now being released from your bottle of emotions as you burst out crying. “H-How dare you! How fucking dare you say that to me!” You punched his chest with your fist as tears kept flooding your eyes, cascading down to your cheeks like waterfall. You could barely breathe from the tightness in your chest, you could barely see from the tears that blurred your vision. “Y-You don’t know what I have to endure just by staying with an asshole like you!”

“You deserve it,” he gritted, holding your wrist as you tried another failed attempt to swing your trembling fist on his chest. It was painful. Everything was painful. You knew he never regarded you as a real wife, but to tell you that you deserved every bit of agony was beyond heartless. Merciless. But even in your sobbing state, he didn’t hold back, “Why’d you hide that you don’t want a baby, then? You’re so scared that I’d stop fucking you?”

Unbelievable. Truly, painfully unbelievable. “You decided upon yourself that you wanted a baby without asking me!” Yelling at his face allowed you to release more tears. The searing ache that burned your skin was fatal to your heart, because at this point, your chest pains were only getting worse. “You want—you want a baby because it was your promise when you were six? Are you insane? You made vows with me on our wedding day and you already broke them! What m-makes you think I’d hold onto your meaningless childhood promises?”

While his nose flared with deep-seated rage, his eyes were now mirroring the pain in yours. You knew not to believe that he was hurt because Satoru Gojou was no more than a spineless soul. “Don’t say that I—”

“No, you don’t get to talk!” You pushed him despite the heavy flow of tears that gushed out of your eyes. Your chest heaved from the lack of oxygen as you weeped, but none of it stopped you from reaching your breaking point. Your husband could see it. He could see that you were about to explode in the most gut-wrenching sight possible. “Y-You… I hate you! You never t-try to see what it’s like for m-me! It’s always about you and Sera, always a-about your happiness and hers… What about me? When do I ever get to free myself from this pain? I’m so tired of having to keep it together for the sake of this marriage! Did you really wanna s-subject my child into the same pain that you were putting me through?” You took a momentary pause so you could allow yourself to breathe, flooded by the overwhelming amount of tears that you were releasing. “I don’t want my kid to grow up with a father that doesn’t value his own marriage! You’re so fucking selfish, you know? You’re so… It’s the first time I ever decided for myself, to not carry your child because I know that I won’t be able to stomach seeing my own flesh and blood growing up in the same household as you did!”

The minute of hesitation that went through Gojou’s mind was his slightest form of sympathy. He might have realized how you’ve been feeling all this time now that you were willingly spitting out words into his face, but for the most part, he didn’t say anything to defend himself. He only grabbed your arm, confusion contorting on his face because he wasn’t sure whether he should keep up with his anger or he should feel bad for hurting you.

Knowing Satoru, he would end up choosing the former. “I never wanted this marriage.”

“And nor did I!” Perhaps you have gone unhinged, but you were emitting tearful laughs while you sobbed. “You said I ruined it for you,” you began, “Don’t you think you ruined it for me, too? Don’t you think I wanted a happy marriage with a husband that loves me, cares for me, and treats me with respect? You disrespected me, took all of my firsts, and made fun of me! You made me feel like a mistress in my own home! I wanted a marriage that would make me happy!”

“Then why did you marry me in the first place!” he growled, loud and vehement. “It’s your fault for thinking that this goddamn marriage could ever work because it never will!”

You knew those facts. You knew that the marriage was never bound to work when his eyes were already all set on someone else. When his decision was already made up before you came into the picture. But what you didn’t and could never agree on was how he was putting the blame solely on your shoulders. “Stop making it seem like I placed you at gunpoint to marry me, Satoru!” you pushed him off and got out of his strong hold. “It’s a good thing that I’m not in love with you. It’s easier for me to leave because I don’t love you enough to stay! Maybe this is why your mom left you, and you know what? I’m glad that she did—”

“What did you say?” Gojou, disquieted by his rage, took a step closer with his clenched jaws and balled fists.

You didn’t mean that. You didn’t mean those stupid words that came out of your mouth because you saw the shock and outrage that flashed before your husband’s widened eyes. The way he held his breath was a sign of how his blood blazed with fire at your decision to bring up his mother because of all the things that you could spitefully say, hurting him with his past was the last thing you wanted.

“S-Satoru, I’m sorry—” Your eyes grew horrified, utterly stunned by the words that you said. You tried to reach for his arm but he was fast to swat it away, “I-I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.”

The next thing he did was what wrecked you the most because the man had no ounce of sympathy when he slid off his wedding ring and hurled it into the ocean.

“Satoru—!”

You couldn’t believe that he did that, but more importantly, you couldn’t accept how easy it was for him to throw your whole marriage away because you were never once accepted in his heart. In his life. In his soul.

“You wanna leave, then fucking leave. I don’t give a fuck anymore.” It was the last thing that your husband could say before he left you sobbing on your knees with a sore heart and tightened chest. You had to endure watching his figure fading slowly into view as you weeped and struggled to breathe, wanting to stop the pain that only heightened now that you were alone.

Alone was all you would ever be.

But seeing the ring on your finger, remembering how much you valued your marriage all while knowing that it didn’t mean anything much to your spouse, you didn’t think twice about jumping into the shallow waters of the sea. Your whole body quivered with the intensity of your fear, but you continued swimming to the same direction of where he threw the ring because, for your sanity, you had to find it.

You had to do everything to search for it—even if your eyes could barely discern the view underwater, even if the squeezing pain in your heart left you no room to breathe—you were determined to look for his wedding ring in exchange for the torment that destroyed your soul.

Unfortunately, you weren’t as physically capable as the emotional martyr that you believed you were. Because in the midst of swimming deeply into the sea, you were losing air to breathe and you were going farther from the light above the surface. The water blocked out any other noise from up above and you were a minute close to fainting until your body was pulled back with desperate force.

No, it wasn’t your husband. It was Getou who dragged your body out of the water and carried you back into the surface while you gasped and cried your heart out. Ieiri was right there to embrace you in her arms as you buried your face into her chest, bawling and clutching your chest with your inability to breathe. “Th-The ring. P-Please,” your muffled sobs couldn’t be stopped, “It h-hurts.”

“Shh. It’s okay,” Ieiri’s voice broke for you, especially when your hand violently trembled because not even them could save you from the agony that drowned you inside. “Getou’s gonna find it, I promise.”

You couldn’t see the look on their faces because your eyes were falling heavily, but you could feel Suguru’s large hand soothing your back to ease your cries. “Y/N, I’ll search for it. It’s okay.”

I wanna die. You lost the will to carry on because you were at the apex of your pain—the summit of your agony that you could no longer proceed with life knowing that it was never bound to be better. I should just die.

Ironically, it was the last bit of memory that you could remember before the darkness temporarily shut you out from the universe’s never-ending cruelty.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

To say that he was frustrated was an understatement.

The level of anger that entered his entire body after he heard your hurtful words surpassed the twenty-five years worth of rancor that he had for his father.

Gojou wanted to hurt you, ruin you, do everything he can to spite you.

Who the fuck were you to say that he deserved to be abandoned by his mother?

It was his ill-feelings that led him back to Sera’s room, pushing her against the wall, and slamming his lips against hers for a harsh kiss. There was no passion, only roughness in his actions. Sera mistook his rage for eagerness because she allowed him to pull her hair and deepen the kiss, shoving his tongue inside her mouth that there was not enough breathing space for them both.

And at some point, he had her completely stripped off in bed. He had her in a position where her ass was up high and her face was down low. He wasn’t thinking right when he rammed his unprotected cock inside of her cunt, fucking her raw and earning her loudest mewls to cry out from his hard thrusts.

He held her hips close to his crotch as he jostled her body from the back, penetrating her core with low grunts leaving his lips while he spent the next few minutes remembering how you mentioned that you didn’t love him enough to stay and how you didn’t want him to be the father of your child.

Good for you, he laughed in his head because he was pissed. He was too clouded by wrath that he was treating Sera like a whore, rutting his hardened cock into her with forceful movements that made her knees shake.

“S-Satoru—!” Her whimpers were sensual albeit the lack of intimacy on his part. “J-Just like that!”

Fuck. Fuck, he wanted to break you. He thought of all the possible things he could do just to make you regret what you said. And if it was to have sex with Sera without any caution for a possible baby that could grow in her womb after this, he would do it.

Or at least, he was only consumed by spite when he did do it. He already released thick ropes of cum when he woke up to his senses and realized what he had done, immediately pulling himself out of Sera’s cunt to ejaculate the rest of his seed out of her.

What the hell was he thinking?!

Underneath him was a smiling and panting Sera who wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to kiss his lips softly. “I love you.”

He wasn’t in the right mind to respond, and it was a terrible time for Getou to slam his fist on the door, demanding his best friend to get out.

“Get the fuck outta there, Satoru!”

Sera was dumbfounded at the scene, especially when her boyfriend was scrambling to put his pants on before he rushed out of the room.

Suguru’s eyes were filled with disgust when Gojou walked out, only to be grabbed by his shirt as his best friend violently shook the tiniest trace of guilt that was left inside of him.

“How can you behave this way in front of your wife?!” Getou yelling at his face wasn’t new, what was new was the reason why he was screaming at him. “I only tolerated you because you asked for my help, not because I support all the shit that you’re doing! I didn’t wanna meddle into your business ‘cause it’s not my marriage, but I can’t stand this anymore.”

Satoru raked his fingers through his white hair in frustration. “I’m in a tough spot!”

Getou was certainly not buying his excuses anymore. “You’re becoming like the person you hate the most,” he claimed, and Gojou was shaking his head in absolute denial. “Just leave her if you can’t love her. She deserves better.”

His wife. What did Satoru just do to his wife back there?

“Wh-Where’s she—where’s Y/N?” He was becoming frantic as he remembered how much you cried after he left. Only now did his conscience tug at him regretfully.

“She passed out from crying.” Suguru let out a sigh of exasperation. “Ieiri doesn’t want you anywhere near Y/N.”

“But—”

“Don’t push it,” his best friend couldn’t even look him in the eye. “You already lost her.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

#gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru x you #gojou satoru angst #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru angst #gojo x reader #gojo x you #gojo angst #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk angst #tw.cheating

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1863-project · 2 years

Text

I Watched The Steam Locomotive Episode of Digimon

I’m going to preface this by admitting that normally I don’t watch or play Digimon, and I just went in for the sake of seeing this one episode because, like Kichii, I was The Train Kid when I was younger and I get where he’s coming from. I went into this watching it from the perspective of someone who loves trains and especially loves steam locomotives, and from viewing it from that lens and not just a Digimon lens, it hits in a different way for me.

This episode comes from Digimon Xros Wars, a series that ran in 2011-2012 or so, and can be watched on Crunchyroll. In it, the main character finds out his classmate Kichii Funabashi is somehow traveling all over the world at night, and he’s getting very sleep deprived as a result. Kichii loves trains, and he offers to take the main character along on a trip to prove the photos are real. The protagonist agrees and meets him on what appears to be the roof of the school, where he’s picked up by Kichii, who shows up in the cab of a flying 2-8-4 Berkshire named Locomon (a Digimon, of course).

Kichii relates the story of how he and Locomon met, and in the flashback he manages to be one of the best depictions of being the Train Kid that I’ve ever seen:

He literally moves his arms as if they’re the drive rods of a steam locomotive. Honestly, he’s a mood.

But what really sold me was that Kichii clearly understands steam locomotives.

Kichii gets it - trains are a form of accessible travel and should be for everyone, not kept to oneself. He also understands that operating a steam locomotive isn’t ownership - it’s partnership.

I have driven a steam locomotive, Strasburg #90. I’d admired her for most of my life, and 30 years after I first saw her I got to step inside the cab and take my place at the throttle. I’ve driven many different vehicles before in my life, but never a steam locomotive, and it felt different from anything I’d ever operated before. I was attached to my first car, which I had for over a decade, to the point that I gave it a name, but I couldn’t feel a soul emanating from that car. When I climbed into 90′s cab, there was an internal sense of warmth I can’t quite describe. Sure, the firebox was giving off heat, but this came from within.

When I was a little kid, I rode horses for a couple of years (before realizing I was more of an Iron Horse Girl than a regular Horse Girl). Sitting down in the cab and getting settled in, I felt more like I did when I rode horses than I ever did driving a car. This machine felt almost alive, and she had a soul, and she was going to lend me her power for the next 30 minutes. I wasn’t in control, we were a team, and we had to work together. I opened the throttle and we took off, and I felt like I was supposed to be there. It was her job to keep me safe in the cab, and my job to keep her safe on the rails by making sure we were at the right speed and didn’t have anyone crossing the tracks in front of us. I helped her use her voice by blowing the whistle before crossings and when we were about to move forward or in reverse. By the end, I felt so comfortable in the cab that I didn’t want to leave, and I felt like if I needed to I could have kept going forever. For 30 minutes, my soul was entwined with 90′s soul, and we were a team.

When Kichii has to rescue Locomon at the climax of his episode, he invokes that same feeling. Locomon is a 2-8-4 Berkshire - locomotives that weren’t as fast as, say, Atlantics, Pacifics, or Hudsons, but were immensely strong and well-suited for freight work. Lima Locomotive Works made likely the most famous Berkshires, both Pere Marquette 1225 (the Polar Express locomotive) and the Nickel Plate Road Berkshires, a representative of which, 765, runs excursions to this day. NKP 765 maxes out at around 80 miles per hour - not slow by any means, but not as fast as some steam locomotives (Mallard, a Pacific, holds the official record at 126 mph) and certainly not as fast as modern high-speed rail in Japan. Locomon dreams of going faster, and this is exploited by an antagonist group for a time until Kichii manages to bring Locomon to his senses - by reminding him that they’re a team.

Kichii demonstrates he both understands Berkshires - known for their strength, not their speed - and steam locomotive operation in general. These machines feel like they have souls, and engineers speak of them as if they’re alive, with their own quirks - much like horses, or any other animal humans have partnered with to get things done. Kichii, in his little conductor uniform, single-handedly snaps Locomon out of it and brings him back to his senses by reminding him that they have a bond. Locomon runs on the smiles of his passengers, and he ultimately realizes making them happy and enjoying his friendship with Kichii is the most important thing. The protagonist and his partner Digimon are able to help rescue Locomon, the antagonists are beaten off for the time being, and Kichii and Locomon are officially reunited as a team.

At the end of the episode, the two of them are seen operating together, with Kichii offering the traditional Japanese railway employee salute to the protagonist as they pass by:

Whoever wrote this episode clearly also must love trains, because they nailed the way it feels to work with steam locomotives specifically so accurately through Kichii’s dialogue. It reminded me of my experience with 90, and how for that brief half hour we were a team, working together to do things neither of us could do alone. Steam locomotives are one of the closest things we’ve come to creating something truly alive - they have to be fed and given water, and they can “breathe.” We have to work with them, not against them. Kichii and Locomon are an excellent representation of how that actually feels to do, and it hit me squarely in the heart.

#Digimon #Kichii Funabashi #Locomon #I like trains

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megumitski · 3 years

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hi hi this is just something to track all the hq fics i’ve read recently! this really seemed like a lot when i was putting this together but most of them are less than 15k. this has a LOT of kagehina, plus some kuroken, bokuaka, iwaoi, tsukiyama, and a few other random pairings. favorites are marked with a ✨!

KAGEHINA

✨ his weight in marigolds - karasuno013 (11k)

Tobio imagined that the petals were soft, orange, perpetually messy locks of hair, and his fist clenched around the bud involuntarily.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Please Kiss Him Instead! - Bird_Of_Dreams (6k)

Recently, Kageyama has been receiving what appears to be countless confession letters. The Karasuno volleyball team reacts appropriately with surprise, jealousy, and bemusement (depending on who you ask). But no one is more surprised than Hinata, who is confused and more than a little hurt that Kageyama never told him about them. But is that the real reason behind his conflicted feelings?

As It Should Be - gghostnebula (7k)

Based on a request I saw on Tumblr that someone send fanfics where "Hinata is bullied without the team knowing and then they find out." I like the idea of everyone (including Tsukishima) enraged and vengeful. So I. Did that. I'm so sorry. I'm also really really sorry that the 'ungrateful second-years' aren't really in this because I wanted them to be but I couldn't find a good place for them, since this focuses so much on just Kageyama and Hinata.

Five Plus One - Xachyn (1k)

Five times other people thought they were dating and one time Kageyama wondered if they were.

The Crown and The Crow - Yuu_chi (9k)

Somewhere out there is your forever one wearing your Mark on their skin; it's just a matter of finding them.

✨ In Transit - Mysecretfanmoments (5k)

Hinata finds that he likes standing close to Kageyama on buses and trains. It doesn't mean anything--probably. Maybe.

four times hinata and kageyama almost kiss (and one time they do) - spaceburgers (2k)

When it happens, it’s not romantic. Things between them have never been romantic, after all. They’re too stupid for that.

spoiled - buu (2k)

It's the Kageyama that gently takes Hinata's hand when they're walking together, or rests his head on the top of Hinata's when they're watching TV, or pulls Hinata into his lap when he complains about being cold. Hinata struggles at first, confused and thinking Kageyama's making fun of him or something, but he slowly starts to realize that, beyond all belief, Kageyama is the Doting type.

Thaw - peppermint_wind (40k)

Kageyama Tobio just wants to get through the day. He hates winter, he hates most people, and he really hates getting up for an 8:00AM class. That's when Hinata Shouyou, bright and obnoxious, literally comes running into his life at full-throttle and changes everything Kageyama thought he knew.

Basically, the College AU where Hinata and Kageyama meet by Hinata literally knocking into him and spilling hot coffee all down Kageyama's clothes.

touch - buu (3k)

Hinata doesn't notice it at first, really. It's small things, natural things, like when they sit together at lunch and Hinata ends up hooking his ankle over Kageyama's and he doesn't move away; in fact, he seems to not notice it, and go on eating his lunch like nothing's different.

✨ Routine - someonestolemyshoes (29k)

Kageyama Tobio has a routine. Up, shower, dress, breakfast, classes, practice, work, dinner, laptop, show time. Hinata is a well-known cam boy, and Kageyama is his biggest fan.

✨ Acceptable Risk - Mysecretfanmoments (46k)

Tobio braced himself and stood, gathering Hinata’s warm body close. Hinata’s weight settled against him, strengthening the impression he always had at these times: that he was collecting a part of himself, severed by some weird circumstance. In these moments he couldn’t help feeling that Hinata belonged to him, and as long as he didn’t talk about the impression out loud it harmed no one. As it was Hinata mumbled a little, curling into him the way he’d anticipated.

(Kageyama and Hinata navigate living together at university while not dating. It's hard—the not-dating part, that is.)

hot - buu (6k)

Hinata should not be this hot. Kageyama shouldn't find his short stature attractive, shouldn't have problems with his eyes lingering a little too long on Hinata's smaller frame, the way his shirts hang just a little too big on him sometimes.

Oh God - orphan_account (6k)

No, class distinction had never held much meaning for Kageyama. Until the day he met Hinata. One-shot Omegaverse! AU. Smut is heavily present within this story. Mostly PWP, but there's plot, if you squint.

operation: find out if hinata has a hot bod - day (2k)

Kiyoko compliments Hinata's body. It turns into a chaotic mess where the team (aka Tanaka and Nishinoya) tries everything in their power to get a glimpse of Hinata shirtless.

Hinata is oblivious and Kageyama is stressed out.

well, maybe i’m a crook - aruariandance (7k)

The thing is-- Hinata is in love with Kageyama and everyone knows it, including Kageyama.

5 times Kageyama purred + 1 time he didn’t - orphan_account (3k)

No one at Karasuno had ever heard Kageyama purr, but that was normal. He wasn't exactly the most expressive on the team, and no one really minded.

Hurt - someonestolemyshoes (27k)

It’s alarming, Kageyama thinks, how quickly things can go downhill.

One minute Hinata is fine, at the top of his game, spiking left and right and everywhere in between and the next he is crumpled in a limp, lifeless heap on the gym floor and the resounding crack of his head hitting the wood is still echoing in Kageyama’s ears.

knock knock - writedeku (6k)

“I don’t need telepathy to win,” is the first thing he says; nearly shouts it, to be precise. “We can play it without me being linked.”

One by one, the teambonding practises stop as they all turn to Kageyama to gape. Play volleyball without telepathy? It’s not that it’s not possible, but that would put them at such a major disadvantage it’d be like having a team full of one-sided Kageyamas.

the hedgehog’s dilemma - drunkonwritting (17k)

So when he comes to Karasuno, Tobio expects more of the same. He won't make the same mistakes again, but he doubts anyone on the team will like him—Tobio's grown used to his solitary existence, to the point where he can't imagine what it's like to have people around all the time, people who actually want to spend time with him outside of school or practice. He's resigned himself to being alone, because no one in his life has ever decided they want to get to know him or spend time with him or even like him as more than a casual acquaintance. Tobio's tried time and time again to change that and failed over and over—he doubts it's going to change anytime soon.

But when he sees that orange-haired shrimp staring at him from the gym doors, eyes wide and betrayed, he feels a vague sense of premonition.

Don’t Make Me Walk When I Want to Fly - MissKiraBlue (24k)

"I don't want to leave without an apology"

After Hinata rushed from their fight he ended up in a car accident.

But when he wakes up he's not dead and he's not in a hospital either.

Hinata has to live the same day – the day when he and Kageyama fought – over and over again until he finds a solution where he could get out of the time loop.

he may suck at beer pong but he slam dunked my heart - Authoress (9k)

After a while, Kageyama kind of just...forgets how angry the floral snapback makes him. It becomes a companion, almost. It's seen him through many a late library study session, through feeding planaria and wrestling bean beetles into petri dishes. He feels something close to affection for the ever-present hat.

Oh no, Kageyama thinks. I'm attracted to a douchebag.

(The AU where struggling college student Kageyama meets and very unfortunately falls in love with his frat boy lab partner, Hinata.)

room to grow - Mysecretfanmoments (6k)

Third year Kageyama is considerate, careful, doesn't grab Hinata's hair. Hinata's still trying to figure out how he feels about it.

Dare - majesticartax (10k)

“W-wait! Kageyama! What—hold on!” Hinata cries, kicking his legs, flipping around in his setter's strong arms and struggling uselessly, scrambling.

“Can’t we talk about this!?”

Wish You Would - longleggedgit (7k)

The title of this document was just jealouskageyama.docx so that pretty much tells you what to expect.

"If you don't want me to go out with him," Hinata says, lifting his eyes to meet Kageyama's, "then give me a reason not to."

Right Here All The Time - longleggedgit (5k)

"You were flirting," Kageyama says, sounding bewildered, almost accusatory. His chest is heaving under Hinata's hands.

Hinata laughs. "Yeah, and it worked."

Immolate - Marks (2k)

Kageyama balls his hands into fists at his sides and grits his teeth as want builds up in his stomach and sets up camp. It's not the first time he's felt like this around Hinata, but it's the worst every time and he wishes he could just will it away.

come on closer - skeletalparade (6k)

Kageyama shifted uncomfortably on the bench, fingernails scraping against the plastic of his water bottle. He was trying so hard not to stare at Hinata, but it was difficult. Hinata was a good vice captain, but he was ruining Kageyama’s life.

2-Player Mode - medea_azyungele (5k)

Are you ugly or something?" Hinata asks, with his usual lack of tact.

"Oi, dumbass! I'll let you know that-" but he couldn't finish because Hinata interrupts him: "Let's turn on the webcams!"

Suddenly, a square icon pops up in a corner of his monitor.

Oh no he's hot.

I like the way your clothes smell - Mysecretfanmoments (75k)

Power outages, ghost stories, and the presence of a certain orange-haired boy lead to bad decision-making on Tobio's part. He'd planned to keep his crush a secret; the universe has other plans.

a first time for everything - Mysecretfanmoments (4k)

He rolls away from Shouyou, his breathing just a little fast. His body has been weird today, more like when they first started dating. It happens sometimes—mostly when they’ve been on the court together, or they haven’t had time alone—but it feels just a bit different than usual.

((Kageyama bottoms for the first time. established relationship, iltwycs-verse but can stand alone.))

✨ Color Theory - kageyamz (41k)

That’s right, he thinks I’m straight. Kageyama sighed in relief at the answer then tensed up, the gears turning in his brain. Wait, I am straight, right? Kageyama wants a simple time at university, but life has other plans for him.

cheater, cheater (pumpkin eater) - teddy_or_something (7k)

Closets hold many things, one of which being skeletons. In Hinata's case, there was a person where there should've been a vibrator, and that was definitely enough to wilt his erection.

Song fic to Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off by P!ATD.

✨ change in pressure - viscreal (37k)

Kageyama couldn’t for the life of him guess what he’d been doing to get so goddamn beat up, but it was there, and the guy wasn’t even taking care of any of it. The pain was making it hard to concentrate during class, making it hard to think at all, and that plus the boy’s overenthusiastic emotions were putting Kageyama in a particularly sour mood, so he really couldn’t be blamed when he snapped something sarcastic at the teacher and got detention in response.

alternatively titled: in which kageyama, an empath whos still just as socially inept as ever, ends up having a gay crisis because hinata cant stop getting hurt.

seventy-thirty - viscreal (4k)

Hinata was the first one to bring it up.

KUROKEN

reddit boyfriends - NeverNothing (4k)

Lev goes on reddit to talk about his senpais and accidentally goes viral. Yaku helps.

✨ you’re the break lines failing (as my car swerves off the freeway) - ghostpot (15k)

Kenma thinks that Kuroo looks ugly with his head bent against the arm of the couch like that. Then Kenma thinks that he wants to marry him, and is promptly thrown into the 5 stages of grief.

✨ the galaxy is endless (i thought we were, too) - cosmogony (31k)

Kuroken AU where the last words your soulmate will say to you appear on your skin when you turn 16, and how Kenma and Kuroo learn what this means over the course of their lives

✨ Best Friends - Mysecretfanmoments (6k)

Every evening they walk home together, Kuro smelling of salt and suntan lotion, Kenma’s hands sore from scooping ice cream all day, and it feels nice. Peaceful.

He’s glad Kuro came, after all.

((During the two weeks he spends manning his uncle's ice cream booth on the coast, Kenma decides that maybe he likes his best friend back, after all))

BOKUAKA

tea-stained polaroids - dalyeau (6k)

“I'm gonna date that,” Bokuto declares solemnly, and Kuroo throws a plastic spoon at his head.

cookies and cream - norio (6k)

Some people might tell Akaashi that he couldn't bake his worries away.

But some people haven't dated Bokuto Koutarou.

Komorebi - OwlBeDamned (8k)

When his thirteenth birthday comes, Akaashi should be elated.

Instead, he is worried.

"WWOOOAH, YOU HAVE GOT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING I HAVE EVER SEEN - NO, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING THE WORLD HAS EVER BEEN BLESSED WITH...CAN I TOUCH YOU?!"

✨ Upstairs - yoogiboobi (16k)

For about a second, a heartbeat, he's met with a pair of dark, piercing eyes, with what is probably eyeliner, looking back at him. It really is just a split second before his hand knocks down three cereal boxes that hit him square in the head, effectively making him break eye contact and drop his groceries to the floor.

In which some of the first things Bokuto learns about his upstairs neighbour are the colour of his eyes and the sound of his moans.

steam - orphan_account (8k)

bokuto: why is he so hot bokuto: why am i so gay kuroo: LMAO you mean your vice captain right bokuto: yeah

kuroo: i got this bro bokuto: what bokuto: wtf does that mean

Bokuto started to panic.

heavy heart, a love apart - drifloon (7k)

(802): Our sex has gotten so much better since we broke up.

IWAOI

✨ It’s Tradition - MelissaWritesStuff (4k)

Every year, without fail, on Oikawa's birthday, Oikawa has somehow gotten a kiss out of Iwaizumi.

lips like sugar - ohhotlamb (8k)

Hajime is offered to learn the art of kissing from a true professional, one Oikawa Tooru. It's not as bad as he thought it would be.

darlin’, your head’s not right - aruariandance (14k)

'“Our wedding,” Oikawa says by way of explanation, tapping his finger against his magazine more emphatically. “What colors should we use? Color scheme is important, apparently.”

Iwaizumi feels his lifespan shortening.

or,

Oikawa teases Iwaizumi about a childhood promise he made to marry him when they were older, except suddenly it's not really a joke at all.

✨ Bet On It - originalblue (13k)

Hajime knows exactly how shitty Oikawa's personality is, and has no scruples whatsover about betting Oikawa six thousand yen that he can't be nice for an entire week.

Something Borrowed - rageprufrock (16k)

In which Oikawa and Iwaizumi have always been a foregone conclusion to everyone else, but a massive, unanswered question to one another.

The PDA jar - orphan_account (10k)

“What is that thing for?”

“I’m glad you asked, captain. This… is the Public Display of Affection jar. Or PDA jar for short.”

“Now whenever you do something that may hurt our children’s innocence, you’ll have to put money in the jar as a punishment."

✨ stumble into the sun - sunsmasher (4k)

“So,” Hajime says, as he peels off his uniform shirt, letting it fall on top of his gym bag. “Have you guys ever heard of like, someone being turned on by people saying nice things to them?”

Matsukawa slams his locker shut. “Oh my god,” he says.

by chance - crossbelladonna (62k)

When Iwaizumi Hajime meets Oikawa Tooru, suddenly everything bursts into color. The only problem is that for the other, it doesnt seem to happen the same way.

the world is black and white until you meet your soulmate au

TSUKKIYAMA

by any other name - parenthetic (5k)

A Concise Guide to Dealing with People Asking if your Best Friend and/or Crush is Single:

Panic Lie Run

Do you see what I see? - honeydragon (1k)

Three times Tsukishima wonders what colour Yamaguchi's eyes are, and the one time he finds out.

The Great Yamaguchi-Tsukishima Split (Capitalization Necessary) - WyYeuw (2k)

"But no, the current situation isn’t normal. This situation requires the full attention of the team. No, what’s really concerning this time around, is that Yamaguchi is the one ignoring Tsukishima.” Yamaguchi confesses. Tsukishima fucks up—like, really fucks up. The volleyball club notices and loses a week’s worth of practice.

Baby, this is how it all goes down - psych0tastic (7k)

In the midst of revising for a class test over at Yamaguchi’s place one night, Tsukki suddenly spoke up and said, “I'd like to bottom the next time we have sex."

OTHER

Rewards Program - surveycorpsjean (8k) - bokuroaka

Akaashi enjoys his normal life, as a normal grocery checker, at a normal grocery store.

Of course, it all goes up in flames when two hot as hell college kids dump their items on the conveyor belt.

Donuts. Glue. Donut holes.

And that's only the beginning.

Edelweiss - ostentatiouslyrealistic (6k) - semi/tendou

Hanahaki Disease (n.) An illness bred from unrequited love, where the victim suffers from coughing up flower petals.

Sympathy From a Lost Boy - meraki_drabbles (11k) - ushiten

The figure was hollow-cheeked and gauntly, with prominent eyelids bulging out under thin raised eyebrows, casting a shadow over irises that Wakatoshi couldn't decide the colour of, but rather processed them as a strange mix of crimson and ruby and scarlet dripped against a mahogany canvas.

"Sorry, am I intruding?

#hq fic rec #fic rec #haikyuu!!#haikyuu fic rec #bokuaka #kagehina #kuroken #iwaoi #tsukiyama

436 notes · View notes

tobesolonely · 4 years

Text

it’s not christmas ‘til you come home

a/n: hello!! please enjoy this piece from my dad!harry universe! (u dont have to read any of them for it to make sense, but it would be cool if u did! loosely based on it’s not christmas ‘til you come home by norah jones <3 hope you enjoy! thank u to @harryysstyless for beta reading for me!! happy holidays everyone :)

warnings: SMUT, a bit of angst <3 word count: ~5.1k

my ko-fi! thank you :)

December 23rd, 2:00 PM

For as long as you and Harry have been in a relationship, you’ve never not spent a Christmas together.

Before expanding your family, you and he used to hop from party to party every Christmas Eve. Both of you would be absolutely trashed by the time Harry’s driver would drop you off at his house in the early hours of the morning. You’d sleep in until approximately noon, willing your hangovers to go away before finally making it down the stairs and into the kitchen to prepare two steaming cups of coffee. The two of you would then make your way into the living room and exchange gifts (where Harry always went way over the budget you’d set).

Once you had your first child, Allison, your yearly tradition of party hopping and getting so drunk you could hardly put one foot in front of the other was no more. Instead, you and Harry opted for calm nights in, watching Christmas movies and drinking hot cocoa until she eventually grew tired and got carried up to bed. You would wait an hour or so before springing into action, playing Santa and setting out all of the gifts she asked for and then some. Harry never forgot to take a big bite out of the cookie and carrot left out for Santa and his reindeer.

This tradition stayed the same once your second baby, Oliver, was born. Even though he was too young to know what was going on, Harry was still excited to spoil him rotten this year as it was his first Christmas. However, given the current state of the world, you were afraid Harry would not be here for the first time ever.

“Mumma, when’s daddy coming home?” your six-year-old, Ally, asked for what had to be the seventh time that afternoon. “I made him a drawing for his gift ‘nd I can’t wait for him to see it!”

“Let me see what you drew for Daddy, love bug,” you say cheerily, purposefully glossing over her question. Ally proudly holds her drawing up next to her face. She looks up at you with wide eyes, awaiting a compliment from you.

“That’s gorgeous, bug! Daddy’s gonna love it,” you inform her. “Maybe you can stick a lil’ bow on it and set it under the tree for him, hmm?”

“Good idea, Mumma!” Ally runs to the box where you kept all the supplies for gift wrapping, digging around for a pink bow to stick on the corner of her drawing.

While she’s preoccupied with finding the perfect bow to place on her drawing for Harry, you take a quick glance at your phone. He still hadn’t gotten back to you since last night’s quick conversation when he very briefly mentioned he didn’t know if he’d be able to make it home.

He was filming in Los Angeles. You shared your uncertainties about him going before he departed but in the end, this was an opportunity you didn’t want him to miss out on. You read the Los Angeles Times free articles on your phone daily, keeping track of the state of the pandemic in Southern California. You knew it was much worse there than it was at home in London. You feared what you were afraid of was sadly bound to happen— Harry may get stuck in LA.

You didn’t want to say anything to your curious daughter because communication with him had been so sparse. You didn’t know anything for certain yet. But what were you supposed to think? You knew flying nationally wasn’t a good idea at the moment, never mind internationally.

“Hey bug, d’ya think you can watch your brother for a moment? Mumma’s gotta go make a phone call.”

You hear your daughter let out a slightly irritated sigh. “I suppose I can, Mumma.” Ally responds with a voice laced with exasperation. You chuckle slightly under your breath at your overly dramatic (much like her dad) six-year-old and head into the kitchen, quickly dialing your husband’s familiar number.

“Hello?”

You let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Harry’s low, hoarse voice.

“Hi, honey. Just checkin’ in to see how things are going…” you hear shuffling on his end. “It’s December 23rd, you know.”

“I know, love.”

“Did I wake you?”

“Six in tha’ mornin’ here.”

“I’m sorry, H. S’just Allison keeps on askin’ when you’ll be home and ‘m just so worried you won’t make it home on time and you’ll miss Oliver’s first Christmas—“

“Darling,” Harry interrupts your anxiety-fueled ramble. “‘M gonna make it home. Have I ever not been there when I said I would?”

“No,” you say quietly. “I’m just worried, Harry. I hear traveling is going to get very strict because they’re trying to prevent people from going anywhere for Christmas…”

“Fine, then I’ll get my own plane with jus’ me and a pilot. Wear a mask the entire time and whatnot. Yanno I can make that happen if it’s necessary, pet.”

Harry’s calm demeanor about the whole situation brings you a bit of peace. Perhaps you were catastrophizing something that wasn’t as big of a deal as you thought it was a mere two minutes ago. If he wasn’t worried about not making it home, you didn’t see any reason to stress about it— not for one second longer.

“Okay then,” you reply, still a bit wary of his travel plans. “What shall I tell your daughter? She’s drivin’ me up the walls asking where you are every twenty minutes.”

Your husband lets out a breathy laugh, causing you to giggle along with him. “Tell her not to eat up all the Christmas cookies before I get a taste of one.”

December 24th, 8:45 AM

Part of you was hoping you’d wake up on Christmas Eve and Harry would be tucked into bed next to you, plump lips parted, the sound of his snores the only noise in the room. However, you were a rational woman, if nothing else. You knew he wouldn’t be by your side when you woke up.

You make your way down the hall and peek inside your son’s room. He was fast asleep, plump thumb in his mouth. You smile at your sleeping baby and gently close the door behind you, deciding to let him sleep in a bit longer before waking him up to feed him.

Next, you walk to your daughter's room, gently pushing open the door in case she was still sleeping. Instead, you find her sat at her desk, deeply focused on what appeared to be another drawing.

“Good morning, lovebug,” you greet your daughter in a sing-songy voice. “You’re up early. What are you working on?”

“Makin’ a letter for Santa,” she replies, not bothering to look up from what she was doing.

“A letter for Santa?” You start racking your brain for anything you and Harry could’ve possibly forgotten to get for Ally, but you finished your Christmas shopping for your children way back in November.

“Yes,” she answers matter-of-factly. “‘M askin’ him to make sure my Daddy is home by tonight so we can eat cookies together and watch Toy Story, Mumma.”

“I’m sure Santa will make that happen for you,” you reassure her. “You’ve been a very good girl this year, been so helpful with Olly and doin’ so well in school. The least Santa can do is get you whatever you want.” You see her smile as she digs around in her crayon box.

“Can we wait ‘til Daddy gets home to make Santa’s cookies, Mumma?”

“Sure we can, bug,” Ally claps her hands together excitedly, bouncing around in her tiny chair. “Gonna go make some pancakes, does that sound yummy?”

“Can we have chocolate chip pancakes please?”

“Are you askin’ me that because your dad isn’t here to throw a fit about it?” You give her a knowing smile, causing her to giggle.

“Maaaaybe…” Your daughter turns to face you, swinging her legs back and forth.

“If I make your chocolate chip pancakes, you can’t tell your dad. Deal?” You hold up your pinky. Ally gets up and runs to you and you bend down slightly so she can link her finger with yours.

“I pinky promise, Mumma!”

“Our little secret, yeah?” she nods. “Keep an ear out for your brother for me, bug. I’ll be downstairs.”

December 24th, 3:00 PM

“Love? ‘M afraid I got some bad news...”

As soon as Harry’s voice comes through on the other line, you can tell whatever news he’s about to share with you won’t be what you’re wanting to hear.

“What is it?”

It’s silent for what feels like entirely too long. You get up from your position on the couch next to Ally, telling her you’ll be right back. After breakfast, she convinced you to watch Toy Story with her, which quickly turned into a whole Disney movie marathon.

“Not so sure I’ll be able to make it home.”

You’re not sure if it’s his calm tone that bothers you, the fact that you didn’t want him to go to Los Angeles in the first place, or simply the fact that you and your children missed him terribly and haven’t seen him in nearly a month–– but your mood changes from relaxed to undeniably outraged in three seconds flat.

“You’re kidding.” Your tone is sharp, venomous. Harry once again takes a moment before responding, knowing that the current tone of your voice means he’d best proceed with caution.

“‘M not, love. I woke up early and everything to try and get this sorted out, it’s 7 AM so I was gonna try and catch an early flight––”

“I told you I didn’t want you going to LA,” you cut him off, voice rising slightly. “You knew how bad the pandemic was getting there. I told you this would happen.”

“What do you suppose I do then, Y/N?” His tone is becoming equally as sharp. “Y’want me to tell ‘em, “Sorry, I don’t give a fuck about the travel restrictions. My wife wants me home so let's make it happen!” ‘S that what you want me to do?”

“Don’t be a smartass, Harry,” you spit. “I’ll give the phone to your daughter and you can tell her you won’t be home in time for Christmas, then.”

“Y/N…” his tone is calm again. Fearful. “Don’t make me do that.”

“She woke up early to write a letter to Santa to tell him she wants you home by tonight, Harry,” your tone softens as well. “Even Olly has been asking for you. Swear his new favorite word is ‘dada’.” He laughs at this as do you, and the shared tension that was present just minutes ago dissipates.

“Just… lemme try a few more things before I tell her, yeah?”

“Harry, it’s already three here,” you gently remind him. “Even if you do make it home today, she’ll be asleep by the time you’re home. I think you just need to tell her.”

Your husband sighs, knowing you were undeniably correct. “Alright. Give Allison the phone, please.”

December 24th, 8 PM

“Almost time for you to head to bed soon, yeah Allybug?” Your daughter lets out a loud sigh in response, not shifting her gaze from the television to you. Ever since Harry told her he wouldn’t be home in time to eat cookies with her, she’s hardly said a word. She’s never experienced a Christmas Eve without her father so understandably, she was missing him tonight.

You shift Olly, who was falling asleep nursing on your lap, into a different position so you could face your daughter directly. From your new position, you can see just how tired she looks.

“‘M not sleepy, Mumma. Gonna stay up and wait for Daddy,” she informs you of her new plans. “When Daddy is home that’s when it’s time for bed.”

“Ally, remember what Daddy told you on the phone earlier? Santa won’t come unless you go to sleep.”

“I don’t wanna sleep,” she’s quickly starting to grow upset. “Not until Daddy tucks me in!”

You purse your lips, not wanting to argue with your headstrong daughter when your son was so close to drifting off into his nightly milk coma. Turning your attention back to the movie that was quietly playing on the television, you decide to drop it for now and try again later.

December 24th, 9:05 PM

Not more than an hour later, Olly is upstairs in his crib fast asleep whilst Ally is still laying on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, fighting sleep. She was determined to stay up until her father walked through the front door, and you knew getting her to agree to go to bed was going to be a battle and a half.

“You’re not ready to go to bed yet, Ally?” Her eyes fly open once she hears you addressing her.

“Not yet, Mumma. ‘M not sleepy yet.” Her words are a little slurred due to the exhausted state she was in. You hum in response.

“Could’ve sworn your eyes just shut for a minute there,” you pause for a second to see if she’ll look your way. “Must’ve just been my old lady eyes playin’ tricks on me, y’think?”

“I wasn’t sleeping!” She immediately defends herself, frown lines indenting her forehead. “Can we drink more hot chocolate?”

You knew if you wanted your daughter to fall asleep within the hour, another sugar rush wasn’t the best idea. You instead offer her a hot cup of sleepytime tea and she excitedly agrees once you tell her it’s her father’s favorite type of tea to drink at bedtime. You place her down on the kitchen counter while you fill the kettle and wait for it to whistle.

“What are you looking forward to the most from Santa, bug?”

Her eyes light up at your question. “Well, I really want a new bike! ‘Member Mumma? How I asked him for a pink bike? And I also want a cool swing set! Since we haven’t been able to go to the park in so long,” her smile falters and she looks down at her dangling feet. “I want Daddy to come home the mostest, though.”

Your heart feels like it’s going to break in two upon hearing your daughter admit that Harry being home would be the greatest gift of all. “So do I, lovebug. He’ll be here in the mornin’ to watch you and your brother open all the gifts Santa got you though, don’t you worry.”

For everyone’s sake, you hoped that was true.

December 24th, 11:50 PM

Sleep wasn’t coming easy.

You finally got your daughter to bed at around ten o’clock and waited thirty minutes before laying out your children’s gifts. It took much longer than it usually did considering you had to do it all on your own. Harry was usually the one to quickly assemble the larger toys while you laid everything out around the living room.

Despite it taking longer than desired, you were proud that you got it all done without waking your children up. Consequently, that meant you were now left all alone with your thoughts considering you had no more tasks to occupy yourself with.

You kept contemplating calling Harry, but you weren’t sure if he was busy on set or not. Surely he was immersing himself in work to distract himself from the fact he would not be spending Christmas with his family.

Deciding you may need a cup of the sleepytime tea you offered Allison earlier, you quietly get out of bed and open your door, sock-clad feet padding softly against the wooden floors. It’s unnervingly silent in your home–– the tea kettle coming to a boil being the only source of noise. You keep unlocking and re-locking your phone, finally deciding to call your husband to see how he’s spending his day. It goes to automatic voicemail.

You assume the reason for this must be that he’s busy filming on set and set your phone down with a sigh, standing on your tiptoes to retrieve a mug from the cabinet. You mutter a slew of curse words under your breath intended for Harry who always puts the mugs up far too high even though you tell him not to.

Right as you begin pouring the now boiling water into your teacup, the faint jingling of your front door causes you to startle so badly that you nearly drop the kettle on the ground. You try to think back to everything Harry ever told you to do in the event of an intruder but your mind goes blank from fright. Deciding to use the scalding water as your weapon, you slowly creep towards the door, your only plan being to fling the water on whoever it was as soon as they got the door open. As soon as you hear the lock click, you flick the lid open that covers the spout and draw your arm back.

“Shit––”

“Harry?”

Your husband jumps slightly, his eyes blinking rapidly in an effort to adjust to the dark living room. You reach beside him and quickly turn on the light, shakily letting out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. He looks exhausted, his hair is an absolute mess, and his eyes are red from sleep deprivation–– but he’s home. You set the tea kettle down on the coffee table and fling yourself into his arms, breathing in the scent of the man you haven’t seen in a month. He drops his bags at his feet so he can properly embrace you, pulling you into him.

“Merry Christmas, darling,” he presses a kiss to the top of your head and stays like that for a moment saying nothing, just breathing you in. “Missed ya so fuckin’ much.

“How? I thought…” you trail off. “You said that they said…”

Harry laughs quietly. “Remember what I told ya? I said to ‘em, ‘Don’t give a fuck about your travel restrictions! M’wife wants me home.’” You laugh at him, knowing he was far too kind to talk to anyone that way.

“Yeah, okay,” you reply sarcastically. You pull him in for another hug, placing wet kisses along his jawline. “I’m so happy you’re home. The kids are gonna be over the moon, especially Allison.” Harry hums, surveying the room.

“Looks like you did a good job in here, Mrs. Claus. See ya even assembled some toys all by yourself,” he quirks an eyebrow. “Were you jus’ pretendin’ not to know how to do it all these years so I’d be stuck with all the hard labor?”

“Maybe.”

He pulls you back into him, tickling your sides. “My sneaky girl,” he bends down so his lips are level with your neck and sucks gently, causing you to let out a quiet moan. You see his eyes land on the tea kettle that was sitting forgotten on the coffee table. “Making a cuppa? Can I have one? ‘M freezin’.”

“I can think of something else we can do to get you warmed up,” you reach for his hands, interlocking his fingers with yours. “If you know what I’m gettin’ at.”

“Hmm…” Harry releases one of his hands from your grip and taps at his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “Not too sure I can say I know what you’re sayin’. Maybe you should just tell me?”

You frown. “You’re really gonna make me say it, huh?”

“Y’know I’d give you the entire world if you asked me for it. All you gotta do is tell me what you want from me and it’s yours–– ‘m sure you’ve known that since the first day we met, though.” Harry takes a step back, crossing his arms across his chest. Even in his thick winter coat, you can see the way his biceps flex, and it makes you even more feral for him.

“Fine,” you say quietly, feeling yourself start to grow shy under his intense gaze. “I’m kinda... in the mood.” You say it so softly that it would most likely be inaudible to Harry if he wasn’t standing mere inches away from you. Harry throws his head back in laughter and you quickly shush him, not wanting any of your children to wake up.

“In the mood? C’mon, pet,” he uncrosses his arms and reaches for one of your hands. “Tha’s not tellin’ me what you want from me. Tell me exactly what you want, lovie.”

“You know what I want, H,” you tell him with a hint of annoyance in your voice. “It’s been a month. Yanno I want you to fuck me, why are you makin’ me say it?”

Harry gives you a shit-eating grin. “You jus’ said it. I didn’t make you say anything.”

You roll your eyes at his immaturity, already in the process of lifting your nightshirt (one of his old t-shirts that’s become just a little too tight on him) over your head. “Are we gonna get to it or not? Because if not, I’ll just go back to makin’ myself some tea and call it a night––”

Harry takes half a step towards you and reaches up to cup your face, colliding his lips with yours. His lips are a little chapped and taste of his favorite rose lip balm. You feel your body relaxing into the kiss, knees going weak as he walks you back onto the couch.

“You’ve been eatin’ up all the sugar cookies, haven’t you? Can taste it on ya. Thought those were for Santa,” he’s pulled away from you to examine your face. “A bit naughty of you, wouldn’t ya say?”

“Please stop referring to yourself as Santa when we’re about to have sex, Harry.”

“You’re not bein’ very kind to the person that’s about to go down on you, are you?” He sucks harshly on the valley between your breasts, wanting to be sure a deep-colored bruise will appear on your skin later. “That’s okay. It is Christmas, after all. ‘M in a giving mood.”

“Stop talking and get to it then.”

Harry slides off the couch and onto his knees in between your legs, gently kissing your thighs. “Cute pair of undies–– s’like you knew I was comin’ home tonight.” Before you can respond Harry’s fingers are tugging at the waistband of your underwear, eager to get them off of you. He presses light kisses to your core, mumbling about how much he missed the smell of you and how sweet you tasted.

One hand is resting across your stomach while the other one is in between your folds, spreading you open. You try squeezing your thighs around his head, overwhelmed by the feeling of your husband’s lips around your clit after being away from him for so long, but he removes his hand from your stomach and pushes your thighs back apart.

“Feels so good,” you’re breathless, tangling your fingers in Harry’s hair as his hollowed cheeks begin to suck more roughly on your clit. “Missed you so much. Missed this–– us.”

Harry pauses momentarily to look up at you. “I know, angel. God, do I know.” He attaches his lips back on you, swirling his tongue around your clit as you choke back your moans. The hand that is holding you open moves down to toy at your slit as he wordlessly checks to see if you’re okay with his fingers being in you.

“Please,” you say softly, encouraging his next move. He spits on his index and pointer finger before slowly sliding both of them in you, immediately curling them up. “Oh, Harry. Fuckin’ love when you do tha’...”

“Know you do,” His response is curt, simple. He’s focused on the task at hand–– getting you off. He uses the hand that’s lying across your stomach to rub tight circles on your clit, sensing you’re nearing your orgasm from the way you’re starting to clench around him. “Such a good girl fo’ me, darlin’. Gonna make a mess on my fingers in a second, aren’t you?”

You nod as you try to control your breathing and the loudness of your moans. The last thing you wanted was for your daughter to come down to inspect the source of the noise. “Fuck, Harry.”

“Come on, darlin’,” he gently pinches your clit, causing your body to jolt at the sensation. “Gimme a good one. A lil’ welcome back gift for me, hmm?”

Your hips are bucking up to the rhythm of his fingers slipping in and out of you as your orgasm quickly approaches. “Har, I’m close…” it comes out sounding more like a warning than a statement. He moves the two fingers he has inside of you in a back and forth motion, coaxing your first orgasm out of you.

“Tha’s my girl,” he whispers, not stopping his movements even as your back arches as your first orgasm rolls over you like a giant wave. “Givin’ me a good one jus’ like I knew you would. Jus’ like you always do. M’ sweet girl.” As you’re starting to still, Harry pulls his fingers out of you and holds them up to your mouth, instructing you to suck them clean.

You prop yourself up on your elbows so you can properly lean in to steal a kiss from him and notice a rather sizable tent has formed in his pants. Harry gives you a sheepish grin as he palms himself, hissing from the feel of his palm against his cock.

“Want me to do somethin’ about that?” You scoot over on the couch and pat the spot next to you, signaling for your husband to sit beside you. He lifts himself from his seated position, stretching his legs out a bit before plopping down beside you.

“Are you offerin’ me a blowie?”

“I mean, yeah?”

“Can we skip that an’ you can jus’ ride me instead? Think I’d quite like that.”

“Oh you would, would ya?”

Harry nods and unzips his pants, taking himself out. He licks his hand and gives himself a few pumps. “Still on birth control, I’m assuming?”

You roll your eyes as you move to straddle him. “Only been gone for a month, Harry. Of course ‘m still on it, you goof.”

“Can never be too careful. I don’t think now’s a good time for another lil’ one, do you? Think we should at least celebrate Oliver’s first birthday before we try for another one.” His hands are on his hips as he lines you up over his cock, helping you slowly sink down. You missed the burn of him which was even more intense than it usually was considering it’s been a while since he’s taken you.

“I think you’re right,” you reply. You rest your head on his shoulder while you adjust to the size of him, needing to take a moment to yourself before attempting to move. After a short adjustment period you begin rolling your hips, grinding against him in a way that was also bringing pleasure to your clit, still swollen and sensitive from your last orgasm.

Harry’s eyes are fixated on the way your breasts bounce in front of him, the way your stomach slightly jiggles each time you crash back down onto him. His lips are caught in between his teeth; you’re hoping he doesn’t break any skin so you don’t have to hear him whine about how badly the bruise hurts him later.

“Ridin’ me like your life depends on it,” Harry mutters. “Fuckin’ love takin’ you like this, angel. So fuckin’ deep.”

You simply hum in agreement, brain far too foggy to form a coherent sentence. Harry notices your movements starting to become smaller, lazier, so he puts his hands on your hips and decides to take over. He’s thrusting up into you like you’ll up and run away from him if he doesn’t give it his all. He cups your face with one hand and gently guides you towards him, pressing open-mouthed kisses against your lips.

“Fuck, H,” your eyes are squeezed shut and your wrap your arms around his neck, feeling your second orgasm quickly approaching. “Rub my clit please, almost there.”

Harry’s fingers immediately come down to rub at your slick nub, not faltering his relentless pace in the slightest. “Clench around me again, lovie,” his voice is higher than usual, whiny, and you know your husband is just as close as you are. “Love when you do tha’, jus’ need you to do it one more time.”

You do as he wishes once more, knowing once he cums you’ll be directly behind him. Harry lets out a string of expletives as he releases inside of you, pulling you tightly against his chest as he rides out his orgasm. You continue riding him, not slowly down as you chase your own release next.

“Harry,” you’re in a trance-like state, chanting his name over and over as you bring yourself over the edge. “Harry, fuck!”

“That’s my good girl,” he says quietly, rubbing your back as you rest your head on his shoulder while you catch your breath. You feel him beginning to soften inside of you so you lift yourself off and lay back on the couch, legs still shaking. It’s quiet for a couple of minutes as the two of you reveal in the afterglow of your orgasms, Harry gently running his fingers along your leg.

“Round two in the shower?”

December 25th, 6:42 AM

“Mumma! Santa came and he left lots of toys–– Daddy?”

Harry lets out a dramatic “oof!” as Ally jumps onto him, pulling the covers back. Her eyes are wide and she giggles are Harry pulls her into one of his infamous bear hugs, placing kisses all over his face.

“Mornin’, love bug! What’re you doin’ up so early?”

“It’s Christmas, Daddy! Santa came!” she sits back on her feet, a confused look on her face. “Did Santa bring you on his sleigh last night after me ‘n Olly went to bed?”

“Y’know what? He told me to keep it a secret, but he did,” Allison gasps in response to his news as she processes it, placing a little hand over her mouth. Harry sits up and gets out of bed, scooping her up in the process. “How ‘bout we go make Mum a cuppa before we see what Santa got for you and Olly? Tha’ sound good? Let’s let them sleep for a while longer, hmm?”

As you hear them exit the room you take a second to reflect on how lucky you are to spend another Christmas with you beautiful family before drifting back off into a deep, albeit short, sleep.

#harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #its not christmas til you come home #thanks for reading!

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helliontherapscallion · 4 years

Text

Privileges (Adrenaline Junkie Part 11)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

Spotify Playlist (collaborative)

Warnings: slight description of death/injury/illness, small description of homelessness, slight panic attack

Word count: 2,845

You and Arthur sat at the top of the cliff for a while sitting in silence. Glancing at the sun’s position, you guessed that it’s been a couple of hours. You continued to wait patiently for him to gather his courage that you knew he had. He looked conflicted.

The wild herds of livestock grazed peacefully below you, filling the silence with various moos and oinks. Various flowers colorfully dotted the green grass with multiple shades of vibrant blues, yellows, whites, and reds. The few clouds that littered the baby blue sky rolled endlessly above you, giving you a sense of peace and entertainment when you tried to make out mobs from the abstract shapes. The breeze lightly blew against your skin making you shiver every now and then from the feeling of it working its way through your feathers and hair. It was a perfect day for flying.

While you were waiting, you took out the snacks and water and handed them to Arthur. He originally didn’t want them, but you insisted he at least drink something today. He needed hydration if he was going to sit under the hot sun for hours. Every time he would take a deep breath (which was often), you would perk up and look at him ready to fully divert your attention towards him, only to look elsewhere when he would sigh. You were starting to lose your patience, but you knew you had to hold out for Arthur. That poor kid looks like he’s been through a lot in such a short amount of time.

You mindlessly munched on a granola bar. The chocolate and grain danced on your tastebuds in perfect harmony like an old married couple gleefully waltzing at their grandchild's wedding. Washing down the taste with water, you feel the cool liquid slither it’s way down your throat, relieving parts with it’s refreshing properties. You let your mind wander to your brothers.

Technoblade, ever the individualistic, nonconforming anarchist, lived a couple of hours outside the outskirts of the Dream SMP lands. You visited his house once and it was nice, but you really didn’t like the cold. Your metal prosthetic froze to your amputated wing and it took several painful hours of waiting by the fireplace for it to unstick to your feathers. Techno appeared indifferent of the situation, but you knew he cared deep down. He always was a softie for his family members.

Wilbur was in his element in L’manberg. Leadership came naturally for him, and you were immensely grateful for that. Without him, L’manberg would’ve gone down in history with dishonor. L’manberg was thriving under his just rule. Infrastructure was slowly starting to spread throughout the entirety of the small nation, making it easier to travel. You always flew everywhere, much to the disapproval of Wilbur (“(y/n), can’t you just use the roads I just built?”), so the infrastructure never really affected your daily life. You appreciated that he was working so hard to build his symphony up from measure one to the end. He was truly the heart and soul of his great nation.

Tommy was… well for lack of a better description, Tommy. You were incredibly proud of him, giving up his prized music discs was a gigantic sacrifice for him. It really showed how much he grew up from being the toddler you met a little over a decade ago. Your little brother wreaked havoc in L’manberg, but a good kind of havoc. Tommy and his partner in crime Tubbo were the ones that eased tension during the War. Even after the War, they always actively searched for adventure. They made people smile as they would run past, they knew they were in for a show later on in the day. Tommy and Tubbo gave the nation life outside of its physical growth, they were the morale of the nation.

You supposed that you were somewhat important to L’manberg, but not as important as your brothers. Sure, they used your inventions to help fight Dream and his goons, but they would’ve been able to do that without your creations. Though, it was satisfying to see the looks on their faces when the L’manbergians whipped out the portable TNT launchers and automatic crossbows to absolutely decimate them. You didn’t really supply L’manberg with physical or morale growth, you were just… there. In your cramped workshop. Tinkering endlessly with inventions that you hoped would make people’s lives easier.

“(Y/n), I’m ready.”

You jumped a little, turning to him and giving him what you hoped was an encouraging smile. He took a deep breath, looking anywhere but at you.

“It started when I was seven. Mama and Papa were sick. We didn’t have enough money to pay for a doctor, so me and my brother Hugh were trying our best to take care of them. We weren’t good enough though, they died after a couple weeks.

“People came to take us away from Mama and Papa, but Hugh told me to run away as far as I could. He told me that he’d be right behind me. So, we ran to the woods. He said that he knew a few people that lived there that’d be able to help. We lived with them for three years, they were nice people.

“One day, they needed supplies so me and Hugh went to go find a cave. The cave we found was really pretty, it had tons of redstone and iron. We went deeper and deeper til we found a huger cave. It had tons of feathers there and some red brown stuff on the walls.” You felt a shiver run down your spine as you realized that those were probably yours. You wondered if they were still down there.

His voice started to get strained and wobbly. “A-and we saw it. Hugh told me to hide and not make any noise so I did and… and it killed him.”

Tears steadily dribbled down Arthur’s freckled cheeks as his lip wobbled and his nose turned as red as his hair. He was starting to hyperventilate. You reached over and pulled Arthur into a tight winged hug. You gently rubbed his back and whispered reassurances into his ear.

“It’s alright Arthur, please breathe with me. In,” you took a deep breath, “and out.” You let out the breath. Even though his breath was steady a few minutes later, you still kept him in a tight hug. It absolutely devastated you that he went through so much in his short life. He started sobbing again.

“(Y/n), it took his soul! Hugh’s still down there with it!” He blubbered out.Your hand froze on his shoulder.

What. It can’t take souls, could it? That’s not possible, right? …Right? You were going to have to ask Philza about it, but Arthur is your first and only priority right now. His loud sobs were slightly muffled by your shoulder as you felt your shirt get slightly wet with his tears. You did your best to comfort him, but you weren’t used to comforting a child that just lost his only family.

“I’ll never let that happen to you again. I promise.”

You sat with Arthur protectively wrapped in your arms until you saw that the sun was going to set in the next few minutes. Not good, not good at all. You looked down at Arthur, his eyes were closed in a deep sleep, taking deep shuddering breaths in and out. Good, you needed to get him out of there and you didn’t want to traumatize him anymore than he already is by showing him how mobs react when you’re near them.

You hastily packed up your stuff before taking off as quickly as you could without waking the sleeping boy. You flew as fast as you could through the air, keeping a tight grip on Arthur as you cut through the darkening sky. You could see zombies, skeletons, spiders, and the occasional enderman below you. Luckily, they didn’t notice you as you flew overhead.

Just as the lit up house entered your line of sight, you felt something whiz past you accompanied by a strong gust of wind. Looking down, you realized that it was a skeleton. It shooting an arrow garnered the attention of the surrounding mobs as they turned their heads to look directly at you. Shit.

You pushed yourself to fly faster and twisted your body so that if an arrow were to land, it would hit you and not Arthur. You felt the air around you shift as a myriad of arrows were shot at you. Dodging the best you could, you glanced down at Arthur. Still asleep. Good, he didn’t need to see this.

Getting closer to the house, you lowered yourself to the ground fully and pushed your feet against the grass, running for dear life as you heard a fwoosh of air right next to your ear. FInally, you reached the doorknob and swung the door open. Flinging yourself and Arthur inside, you slammed the door behind you, hearing the banging of arrows hitting the wood.

You leaned against the door panting and closed your eyes, clutching Arthur closer to you in relief. You opened your eyes and peered down at his face. Still asleep? How much of a deep sleeper was this kid? Maybe he was just extremely emotionally tired from earlier. That’s probably how he impossibly slept through all that.

You pushed yourself off the door and headed up to Wilbur’s, well Arthur’s room so you could put him to bed. You peeled the covers back and placed him gently on the mattress. You covered his body with the heavy comforter and tucked him in. His face visibly relaxed and a slight smile quirked onto his lips. You took a deep breath and stood there watching him. That was certainly a close one. Way too close for your tastes. You almost got him killed because you lost track of time.

You swept the bangs out of his eyes and left the room, gently closing the door behind you. You tiredly drug yourself down the stairs to the kitchen so you could at least grab a small snack before passing out in the comfort of your bed. Today was just not your day. At least you’d get a decent night’s sleep tonight.

Walking into the kitchen, you saw Philza sitting at the table looking at you with… was that relief or anger? Or a mix? He stood up and quickly walked over to you. You tensed up, fully expecting to get yelled at, only to feel him hug you. You melted into his touch and felt small tears prick at the corner of your eyes. You really needed a hug after today.

“Don’t ever do that again. I don’t care that you’re an adult, do you know how worried I was? I thought you and Arthur got hurt. He’s just a child and you’re on your last life (y/n). You need to be more careful.”

You didn’t say anything. You just buried your face into his shoulder and let out a silent sob. “I was so scared Arthur was gonna get hurt, I didn’t know what to do.”

The emotion you were holding in all day from sleep deprivation and lack of nutrients completely spilled out. You felt pathetic, crying in your dad’s arms like you were a kid again. He rubbed soothing circles on your back and led you to the couch where you both sat in each other’s arms. Once you calmed down, you pulled away and wiped at your eyes, facing away from him so he didn’t see your weakness.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t sleep at all last night and everything just… came out.”

“Hey,” he chided gently, making you look at him, “don’t apologize for feeling emotions. You were bottling it all up weren’t you?”

You nodded shamefully. “...And what did I tell you and your brothers about holding it in?”

“Not to do it.” Your croaky voice cracked out.

He smiled at you. “That’s my kid. Did you talk to Arthur?”

“Yeah. He’s actually alone, Dad. He doesn’t have anyone out there for him. And he… he said that they saw my feathers and blood down there on the walls and floor. Saw his brother get killed right in front of him… mentioned something about The Warden stealing his brother’s soul? It can’t do that right?”

You were met with silence. “...Right? Dad, you’re scaring me.”

“Yes, The Warden takes the souls of it’s dead. It’s how they live so long, they trap the souls in their chests and feast on the lifespans in rations until the soul is completely integrated into it’s very being.”

So that’s what the screaming white wisps that haunted your nightmares were. They were the souls of the dead. They were screaming in agony when The Warden killed you, so you thought they still held onto their humanity. You remembered hearing thousands of screams echoing off from the stony walls of the dark cave. Shuttering, you remembered how some of the souls stared at you in desperation and despair.

“...So the souls are trapped with it forever?”

He nodded, not looking at you. The Warden killed you in your first life, why were you still… still you? It doesn’t make sense.

You swallowed thickly. “Then why didn’t it take mine?”

“I don’t know hun, I wish I could tell you why. I thought you died for good before you respawned. I thought it took your soul.” His voice cracked slightly at the end.

You pulled him into a hug. “It didn’t and I’m still here. That’s the important part, Dad. I’m still here.”

Continuing to give him comfort, you trailed off as you remembered your first death. What could’ve prevented it from taking your soul like the rest? You blanched thinking about what it would’ve been like to be stuck with The Warden indefinitely. Trapped and suffering until it was fully integrated into it’s monstrous body for the rest of eternity. It sounded like hell on Earth. Before today, you thought death was the absolute worst outcome, but you were mistaken. You were given the mercy, no the privilege, of death that day.

Was it because of the stone platform you landed on? That must’ve been it, there’s no other way you could’ve respawned if you landed anywhere else; the stone platform was the only space you could’ve landed that was far enough above the ground to bleed out. You remembered how your shattered ribs would grind together as you endlessly sobbed and the hot blood dripping off from your forehead and wing warming up your rapidly cooling form. Dying like that was a privilege compared to what the lost souls of the miners endured. You didn’t know how long they’ve been in there, but you still would rather die like that a thousand times over than have to be trapped inside that thing for all of eternity.

Your thought process was interrupted as Philza pulled away and wiped the tears from his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was slightly blotchy, it’s been a while since you’ve seen him like that. He’s always been strong for you and your brothers.

“...Why don’t we grab some dinner before we go to bed, I assume you didn’t eat…?”

His sheepish look gave you all the answers you needed. “There’s some leftover mushroom soup we could eat.”

You stood up and gave him a bright smile. “Let’s dig in then, I’m starving!”

He laughed as you pulled him off the couch and into the kitchen. “Did you eat anything after breakfast?”

You paused slightly then continued to pour the soup into two bowls. “...That’s not important.”

He pursed his lips. “(Y/n).”

“I had like a quarter of a granola bar if that counts.”

“(Y/n) you went through the day with only half your breakfast and a few cups of coffee in your system?”

“I know, I know, not healthy. But that still doesn’t take away from the fact that you didn’t eat dinner either.” You slid the bowl over to him across the table.

His eyes narrowed in thought before he sighed in defeat. “Touché.”

You snorted and started to eat your soup. You hummed as the earthy flavor shimmied around in your mouth comforting you after today’s events. You automatically felt better after eating. You always found comfort in food. Before you knew it, both you and Philza were done with your dinners and were leaning back in your chairs. You felt your eyes start to droop against your will.

“Why don’t you go to bed and I can clean up. You look like you’re gonna pass out.” He snickered. You hummed in agreement, too tired to argue and murmured out a quiet “thanks. G’night, love ya.” You drug your feet up the stairs and plop down on your bed, passing out instantly as soon as your head hit the pillow.

Taglist (comment if you want to be added):

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#sbi x reader #sleepy bois x reader #sleepy bois inc x reader #philza x reader #technoblade x reader #wilbur soot x reader #tommyinnit x reader #sibling reader #platonic #mcyt #mcyt x reader #dream smp #dream smp au #dream smp x reader #gender neutral reader #tw: illness #tw: death #tw: injury #tw: panic attack

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