#link has over and over again been betrayed by other people and his own expectations of what the world should be

[feymarche]

HEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHHEGFHEHHE

[turquoisemagpie]

Heya! I really adore your Post Modern Olympus AU despite not being too familiar with Greek mythology, but the little character sheets you're making for each of the gods are simply brilliant and I find them to be so very charming and incredibly well thought through! Your gorgeous artworks are definitely leaving me intrigued! Which makes me wonder, if you have ever thought about it, what would your version of Prometheus be like in your AU? Would he be relevant at all? Or would nothing really change about his original self? ☺️

Thanks so much! I honestly didn't expect to dive into reinterpreting the Greco-Roman Pantheon as much as I have, but it has been fun. The way I have it laid out for what's next, it's Persephone, Hades, Leto, Hestia and 'conclude' the roster with Zeus and Poseidon, but knowing there are a few favourites outside the main 12 Olympians (Hecate) and I am technically including the Underworld gods in the roster, I could do one or two exceptions (not all of them obviously - even Hesiod's Theogony names only 50 of the thousands of nymphs in greek mythos).

Off the top of my head (by which I mean after reading a few academic texts over the last few months), Prometheus to me would be more of an anthropomorphic aspect of larger nature, since most Titans were born from larger concepts before getting godly specific (e.g Gaia (Earth) > Cronus (Time, Agriculture, Generations) > Zeus (Thunder & Lightning, Law & Order, Family & Hospitality). There's also the definition of Titan as 'earth born' which references to chthonic ("beneath the earth"). Since Prometheus is most famous for his creation of humanity out of clay, and giving man fire for which he is punished by being tied to a mountain and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day, I imagine him to be a huge homunculus humanoid made of out a red clay cliffside. Maybe he made humanity out of his own flesh, hence why he is fond of them, clay is also easily mouldable - he can remould his liver back in place and heal, and since clay is hardened in fire the symbolism of his setting his fate solid by betraying the gods and giving this gift away that he knows he'll be punished for is very good. Also maybe his form is formed into a coastal cliffside, where more-so seabirds as well as eagles peck at his body and maybe even nest in there; there are also links to Prometheus and the Babylonian ocean/water god Enki - he created humans out of clay and cared deeply for them too. But then again, it's just how I see it and it's subject to change the more I research. Prometheus may be made, maybe he won't - I'm happy to see other people have their interpretations. :)

[quillsareswords]

Hiya! I absolutely adore anyone who loves Damian as much as I, and I know that it said that you aren’t accepting requests rn, but I wanted your thoughts on Damian catching his crush reading FF of Robin x reader! How do you think he’d react?

Red-Handed

DAMIAN WAYNE X TITAN!READER

A/N: yeah I did say requests are closed. yeah I wrote this anyway. I hate it here

WARNINGS: language, mild embarassment, slightly suggestive?

MASTER LIST in BIO

It's pure panic the moment his deceptively skinny fingers come into view.

It's not unusual for him to pluck your phone or a book out of your hands to see what you're doing. Less so for you to do the same. You're nosy people, and it's a weird display of trust. I trust you with my things, with this device that could reveal all my secrets; I trust you not to pry.

You should've known better. You should have expected him to get curious when you were tucked into a corner, squinted down at your phone screen when you could have been swapping incredulous and judgmental glances with him as you listened to Beast Boy and Cyborg's argument over– what was it? Proper burrito filling?

You'd been a little too wrapped up in a story a close friend had sent you. Honestly, you should have known better than to open anything they sent you while you were in public. You should have shut the entire damn device off when you spied an Archive of Our Own link. You should have chucked it out the window when you read the attached message, for you, my horny little Gothamite.

Unfortunately, you're an idiot. Worse, you're a curious idiot. So you opened it.

What you found on the other end of that link was an uncomfortably well written, three-chapter fan fiction about Gotham's one and only (this year) Robin. And goddamn it all to hell, it's really well written.

It absolutely does not help that you've been dating this person for three months, or that you'd been crushing hard for the most of the friendship that came before. Or that this author has written his character just on the right side of accurate.

You'd never thought anyone would write fan fiction about him. It makes sense, in retrospect—it makes complete sense. Friends who don't know all your secrets (and some who sit in this very room) have spent hours giggling around a phone or laptop with hundreds of romantic works about a plethora of other heros (or themselves).

Maybe it was different because you know Robin so personally. Maybe you just liked to think he was yours and only yours.

(He still is. Realistically, you know you've got nothing to worry about. He'd commit a handful of felonies before he betrayed your trust. But hey, monkey brain and all. Plus, he told you once that it's kind of hot when you get– what'd he call it? Territorial.)

There's a scream lodged in your throat as he tries to pull it from your hand. You cinch a death grip on the poor thing, its screen squeaking out a warning that's lost on you. You stare at him wide-eyed with a nervous half-smile that he clocks a mile away. This is the exact same expression that cracked across your face when he caught you raiding his stash of sweets last year.

It only stokes the flames of his curiosity higher.

"If you love me, you'll let go and never speak of this again," you whsiper.

There's a agonizingly long moment where his face barely changes, except for his jaw ticking as he contemplates. You try to click the power button, to darken the screen or something, but his palm is covering it.

"Don't take this the wrong way," he starts slowly, and you feel your whole body tense, "I do love you, very much, but at this exact moment, my curiosity is outweighing it." He jerks the device out of your grip with a twist that cancels out your grip.

Your expression shudders into a cocktail of discomfort and panic. You scramble forward, reaching for it, but he anticipates it and keeps it well out of reach. You hiss profanities, mindful of the ompany you're in who will also definitely come investigating.

The saying curiosity killed the cat is about to get a whole new meaning, and you're about to catch a charge for first-degree murder. Maybe more than one.

He bats you away with one hand, avoiding any decent hits with strategic side-stepping that only works you in a circle. You give up when he scrolls. You deflate the brighter his eyes shine.

You're never going to hear the end of this.

You're gonna have to leave him at the alter when he brings this up in your vows. You'll rise from the grave to beat the shit out of him when he mentions it at your funeral.

He turns to face you slowly. The only way you can describe his expression is cruelly delighted.

You, on the other hand, appear utterly defeated. Pouting. Perhaps verging on manslaughter. "I deserve a trial before you sentence me to public embarrassment."

He cocks an eyebrow. Like the dick he is. "Do you really?"

"My friend sent it to me–"

"You're on chapter two–"

"Well I had to avoid suspicion–"

"You could have lied–"

"It's really well written, okay? Like—you read it! Tell me that isn't good writing!"

He looks back at your phone passively. "I will give you that; I've read published books of worse quality." He scrolls again and his eyebrows raise. He pulls it closer, as if he needs to be sure he's reading it correctly. Or he feels he should hide it. "How much of this have you already read?"

"I got the part where you get to the rooftop– Why does that matter? What happens next?" You shuffle over quickly, leaning into his space to see for yourself.

It's possibly the most graphic make-out scene to ever grace your general vicinity. Your grandmother would be gawking. You could get arrested for playing this out in public. He keeps. Scrolling. It's like a car crash with copious sexual tension. You can't look away.

The two of you stand there for several minutes too long, huddled together in front of your phone, slowly scrolling down through the last paragraphs of the chapter.

At the bottom of the screen, you catch the words bedroom door, and, knowing he reads faster than you, promptly snatch it from his grasp. "Well that was great, let's forget it ever happened." You click back to your homepage (without closing the tab, of course) and shove the phone into your pocket.

When you look at him again, bravely, prepared for the next few weeks of relentless, albeit good-natured, teasing, you find his stupid smug little smile.

He crosses his arms. He cocks his head. Still wearing that smug expression that drives you up walls for a lot of different reasons. Yet, no ribbing remarks.

Until:

"You know, if you wanted a little more excitement in this relationship, you need only ask." He steps closer, uncrossing his arms to slide his hands into his pockets. And like the suave motherfucker he's come to be for you, he leans a little closer. "After all, why bother with fiction when you have the real thing at your fingertips?"

[hbyrde36]

Chapter 11!

Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

ao3 link

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

It didn’t take long after Eddie’s big announcement for the sharks to start circling. A few days after the press conference, Steve found himself in a pre-dawn meeting with two members of the most prolific vampire hate group in the country, Humans Against Vampires. The early hour of the appointment was by Steve's own choice. The logic being that he could take the meeting after he finished his actual job for the evening, raising zombies, and then be free to go home and get eight hours or so of uninterrupted sleep. He had also, maybe, wanted to make it as inconvenient and unpleasant as possible for the client in question.

The woman, Connie Frazier, was familiar to Steve. He’d seen her before at protests, and even once down at the precinct when he was consulting with Hopper on a case. She was notorious for going too far and getting herself arrested. She looked like someone's mother, innocent and unassuming until she opened her mouth to spew hatred.

“I was surprised to find your name in my books, Ms. Frazier, I thought you hated us zombie raisers almost as much as the vampires. At least, that’s what you told me the last time we saw each other. I believe you called me a… Satan loving devil worshiper.” Steve snorted a laugh as he thought about how ironic that line had been, considering he’d been wearing the same silver cross around his neck then that was peeking out from the gap in his button-down shirt now.

“We’re here to enlist your help, Mr. Harrington.” The man interjected quickly, not giving his female companion the chance to rise to Steve’s bait. He appeared to be a bit older than Frazier, his entire head of hair already gone completely gray. He had a kind face and eyes that betrayed a hint of intelligence, which was refreshing.

“And you are?” Steve asked. The man’s name hadn’t been included with the notes left behind by their night secretary. 

“Sam Owens.” He answered, leaning forward to offer his hand. 

Steve was caught off guard by the polite gesture, but luckily muscle memory kicked in and he took the man's hand, shaking it over the desk. He hadn’t known what to expect from this meeting, but he certainly hadn’t anticipated civility. 

Frazier sat quiet in her seat, ringing her hands and picking at her fingernails. It was distracting.

“What’s got her so nervous?” Steve asked Owens, well aware that he was coming off like an asshole by directing the question at her male counterpart. He just really didn’t like the woman.

She huffed at the offense. “If you must know, Harrington, I don't like this. I’m not used to asking for help from people like you.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. Honestly it was tame for her, he’d expected worse. 

Owens jumped in again, trying to steer the conversation even as his partner put her foot in her mouth.  “We’re in the process of starting up a new group, an offshoot of HAV that we’re calling Humans First. Both groups share a common goal, to rid the world of the vampire threat, but whereas the original organization’s goal is to make vampirism illegal again, our members are willing to use a slightly more…direct approach.”

“What does that mean, more direct?” Steve asked.

“You know what we mean.” Frazier said with a sneer. “You just don’t want to help us.”

“Help you do what?” Steve wasn’t dumb, he had some idea of what they were getting at, but if they wanted to have this conversation, he wasn’t going to let them dance around it, they would have to spell it out.  

She sighed, as if it was all too obvious for words. “Our organization has been at this for two years, since the moment the vote swung in the wrong direction, we have tried it all. We have protested in front of the courthouses, we have tried to discredit vampires in the media, and written countless letters to our senators. None of it is working. We are no closer now than we were the day those monsters became legal citizens. Humans first is a group of like minded individuals who are tired of waiting for the system to correct its mistake. We want to destroy them all.”

Steve blinked at her. “You want to murder all of the vampires in the United States?”

She smiled maniacally. “Yes.”

“You are a vampire hunter and executioner, do you really believe it’s murder?” Owens asked. 

He didn’t sound crazed like his associate, just genuinely curious. Still, Steve clenched his jaw, wishing he’d refused this meeting. He’d only agreed to it to keep the peace with his father. He knew that not long ago the answer to the man’s question would have been an easy no, it wasn’t murder. They were the monsters, how could it be a crime to protect the public from them? 

Now though, he wasn’t so sure. Dustin had proved to him that some vampires could be good, and Eddie, well, his feelings there were too complicated to be helpful. 

Steve settled on replying with, “That’s what the law says.” It was a cop out, a politician's answer, but it was safer than simply saying, I don’t know. It was also true. No matter what his personal feelings were, Steve had always followed the law, until Billy at least, though a case could be made for self defense on that one. Besides, he didn’t owe these two a window into his personal crisis of conscience.

“Forget the law.” Frazier retorted. “It’s clear that the government no longer cares about its human citizens. At this very moment they are trying to push through legislation that will give those killers the right to vote! Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Kinda of.” Steve answered with a half-shrug “But, as citizens they should have the right to vote about things that affect them, just like we do.” 

Frazier scoffed and Owens gave her a sharp look. He was definitely the more reasonable of the two, or at least the more socially adept.

“Look, we’re not asking you to get your hands dirty.” Owens began. “We just want to know where the master of the city spends his daylight hours. No one has to know where the information came from.”

Steve's heart started to race, but he attempted to hide his sudden tension with a smirk. “Right. So your big ‘kill all vampires’ plan is going to kick off here? From our little city? Why not start with the leader of New York, or L.A.?”

Owens tilted his head in recognition of the fair question. “By choosing to come forward, Eddie is poised to become the most famous vampire in the country. He may not lead the largest city, but killing him will send the biggest message.”

It was exactly what Steve had been afraid of. Why had Eddie put himself in the spotlight like this? He had to have known it would attract bad attention along with the good.

“Okay, I'll grant you that, but what makes you think I have the information you’re after?” Steve asked.

Frazier scoffed. “Don’t play games, we know you are acquainted with him.”

Steve fought not to react. The only people who knew about his tie to Eddie were Robin, and the vampires themselves. Potentially the wererats too, but none of them would have talked to these people voluntarily.

“I don’t know where you got that intel from, but it’s wrong. I’m sorry, unless you have a zombie you’d like me to raise, I can’t help you.” He said, as calmly and evenly as he could manage.

“Can’t or won’t?” Frazier challenged.

“Honestly? Both.” Steve replied. “I mean, what is the plan here guys? Say you do find out the resting place, do you think you can just walk right in there and stab him through the heart?”

“Yes.” She answered quickly, and with conviction.

Steve shook his head. The idea was ridiculous on some level, unless they had some well trained people on their side, humans didn't stand a chance. Still, he felt a sense of dread at the idea of anyone going after Eddie like that.

Owens narrowed his eyes, studying Steve thoughtfully. “You don’t think we can do it. Is that the problem?” 

“I know you can’t. He’d kill you before you got anywhere near him.”

“Don’t lie and act like you are trying to protect us, Harrington. It’s that blood sucker you’re protecting, isn’t it?!” Frazier raged.

“Connie!” Owens said her name like an order and it instantly silenced her. He turned to Steve with an apologetic smile as he rose from his chair, the woman quickly following suit. “We appreciate your input, and the fact that you took this meeting, but I can see we’re not going to get anywhere today. I wonder though, if we came up with a better plan, would you be willing to see us again?”

Steve shrugged. “Sure.”

He didn’t really want to see them again, truth be told, but he knew he would catch shit from Bert if it got back to him that he refused. It could be worth it to keep an eye on them anyway, so he’d know what they were up to if they ever decided to move forward with their plan.

Steve raced home. The sun was minutes away from breaking over the horizon and all he wanted was to get inside before the first rays of dawn could make their appearance. He had just pulled into the driveway, hand on his keys, ready to shut off the ignition, when his cell phone rang with a familiar tone.

He let out a deep sigh. Oh well, the break had been nice while it lasted. He let the call connect to the car.

“Mornin’ Hop.”

“Hey, kid. Sorry If I woke you.”

“You didn’t. I just got home from work.”

“Shit. I'm even sorrier then. We’ve got a body here that I need you to come take a look at.” 

Steve glanced at the clock. It was after 6AM and he was exhausted, but as long as the crime scene wasn’t too far away, he could probably go check it out and still manage at least 5 hours of sleep before he had to be back at work, give or take. 

Normally Steve would ask questions, try to get some details or context for whatever he was about to get himself into, but he was just too tired. “Text me the address, I'll be there as soon as I can.”

It took 40 minutes to reach the quiet suburban neighborhood that rested on the outskirts of the city. Even without GPS it would have been easy to find the address he was looking for. The street was crawling with police, an ambulance, and a lot of gawkers. 

The body was laid out face up in the front yard of a nice upper-middle-class house. The victim was male, somewhere in his late 30’s or early 40’s. Everything about him was average, from his build, to his medium brown hair, and his nondescript collared shirt and khaki pants. The only thing that did stand out was the multiple vampire bites he was sporting on different parts of his body. 

It was clear that the man been dumped there after the attack. The scene was far too clean. The body had been almost completely drained and yet there was no blood in the grass around or below him. No vampire was that neat of an eater.

“Tell me again, Steve, why won’t this guy come back as a vampire?” Hopper asked.

“As far as we know, it takes three bites from the same vampire over a short period of time, say a week, with the final bite ending in death to make the transition. I’m seeing at least three different sizes of bites here, Hop, and it looks to me like they are all brand new. None of them show signs of healing.”

“What do you make of it then?” 

“I think it was a group of them. At least three different vampires feeding off the same victim at the same time.”

“Is that common?”

“No, actually. It’s extremely unusual. Vampires tend to be solitary hunters. I can only think of a few reasons for it. Either someone was training a newbie vamp and things got out of hand, although that would mean only one or two different bites, or there's a master and his flock who’s gone off the rails. It just feels too…neat and controlled, there has to be someone in charge here.”

“Master? like the Master of the City, master?”

“Not necessarily. Being a master vampire just means they’ve reached a certain higher level of power beyond the norm. The Master of the City is a title given to the leader of a city, usually the most powerful vamp in a metropolitan area.”

“Right, sorry. I’m sure you’ve explained it to me before, I just hate this shit.”

Steve nodded. He didn’t mind teaching the older man the ropes. Hopper had been a cop for much longer than Steve had been a vampire hunter, but the older man was completely new to the supernatural world. There was definitely a learning curve. 

Steve found himself thinking back on his meeting earlier. This was just the sort of fodder the hate groups needed to further their cause. So much about this crime scene didn’t make sense. Whoever had killed this man had made the choice to leave him out on display to be found. It was as if the killer, or killers wanted the police to know they were out there. But why? 

“What is it, kid?”

Steve worried at his bottom lip. “The only master level vamps I’m aware of that are supposed to be in town right now are that cult leader Jason Carver, and Eddie.”

“Do you like either of them for this?”

As much as he’d love to see that prick Jason get taken forcibly down from his pedestal, he was fairly certain the guy wasn’t going around killing innocents for fun, and no matter what he thought of Eddie, the guy was smarter than this. Even if he or one of his people had killed a human, they would have hidden the body, not left it out to be found this way. It was bad for business.

“Honestly? No. But, as the two most powerful vamps in the city, they should know if there's another master wandering around. They’d be able to sense the other’s power. It could be worth a shot to ask them about it. If they don’t know anything, then, in a few nights I can raise our victim here as a zombie and see what he remembers about his attackers.”

“You can do that, even with a vampire victim?”

“In this case I can. If the guy was going to transition and rise as a vampire, then it wouldn’t work. The body would already be spoken for, in a sense, but with the way this went down, there's no chance of that happening.”

“Alright.” Hopper nodded. “I’ll see about visiting Carver tonight for a little interview.”

“I can handle talking to Eddie, er, the Master of the City, for you. If you want.” Steve stuttered. 

“You know you’re not actually a cop, right?”

Steve grit his teeth. He didn’t even know why he had offered. He was meant to be staying away from the vampire, not volunteering to interview him about a fucking murder! But he couldn’t take the offer back now. If there was some new dangerous vampire in town he needed to know about it ASAP, for…Dustin’s sake. 

“No, but seeing as he’s not really a suspect and more of a contact. I didn’t think it would be an issue.”

Hopper raised an eyebrow. He looked suspicious, skeptical at best. 

“He’ll talk to me, Hop,” Steve assured him, “and he might share things with me that he wouldn’t in front of the police.”

Steve was 99% sure he was right about that. Things hadn’t ended well between him and Eddie, that much was true, but the vampire wasn’t the one who had cut off contact, Steve was. Right up till the end Eddie had tried to keep things open ended. You know where to find me if you change your mind, he had said. So yeah, Steve thought there was a good chance that Eddie would see him, he’d just have to make sure the vampire knew it was for strictly professional reasons.

“Why’s that?” Hopper asked.

The question snapped Steve back out of his thoughts abruptly. Hopper was staring at him, and Steve knew it wasn’t the first time he’d asked the question. 

He felt his cheeks start to warm as he cleared his throat. “We have mutual acquaintances.”

“Hmpf” Hopper grumbled. “Fine, I'll let you take a crack at him on your own, but you call me if you run into any trouble.”

Steve felt like he should have crossed his fingers behind his back when he responded, “Of course,” because he absolutely would not be doing that. 

Steve made the call to his office as he drove home, dreading the conversation he was about to have with his father, but wanting to get it over with. With any luck, Bert Harrington wouldn’t be in, and he’d be able to leave a message about needing the night off with the daytime secretary, Gary.

He picked up on the second ring, and he must have checked the caller ID before answering because he greeted Steve by name. 

“Good Morning, Stevie! Shouldn’t you be asleep at this hour?”

Steve cringed at the nickname. Gary had been harboring a crush on him for years. Normally he ignored it. He wasn’t trying to be mean or anything, he just wasn’t interested, and he’d never been good at letting people down. This morning however, maybe he could use the guy’s infatuation to his advantage. 

“I know.” Steve giggled, and far from flirty, it sounded deranged. Had he completely lost his touch? “I’m heading home for bed as we speak, I promise, but listen, something’s come up and I'm not going to be able to make it in tonight.”

“Oooh”” Gary cooed. “Please tell me it’s at least for fun, like a date or something... Are you seeing anyone right now?”

“Oh, it’s not, um, no, actually I'm not.” Steve wanted to slam his forehead into the steering wheel. He was so bad at this.

“Interesting, because I was thinking, we’ve never hung out outside of work, maybe we could grab a drink sometime?” Gary asked.

He could hear the lascivious smile in the other man’s voice, and it sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine.

Abort! Abort! 

“Yea, y’know I don’t really drink, so, about me needing the night off, could you help with that?”

“I wish I could Steve, but you know your dad gave us all strict orders that he wants to personally handle any future call-outs from you.” Gary’s tone had gone a little cold, and Steve couldn’t blame him after that horribly botched performance.

Steve cleared his throat nervously. “Right. Well, thanks anyway I guess. Is he in?”

“Unfortunately. Hold please.”

That went well.

He cringed as the office’s on hold music blared through his car speakers. A horrible instrumental version of careless whisper attacked him from all sides. The car swerved as he lunged forward to turn the volume down to a more tolerable level. It was good timing too as his father’s voice came barking out of the stereo few short seconds later.

“Steven, what is this nonsense I hear about you needing the night off? You have clients to see this afternoon and four appointments at the cemetery! ”

“I know, Dad, but I'm just getting home from a crime scene. I haven't even been to bed yet. I...”

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so.” Bert interrupted. “I can get someone to cover your afternoon meetings with new clients, that’s always easy enough. Then you only have to show up graveside. You’ll have plenty of time to sleep.”

Steve was taken aback, it wasn’t like his dad to be reasonable, but sadly getting a decent amount of sleep wasn’t his only problem. “I appreciate that, but I have to conduct an interview tonight for the investigation.”

“We talked about this. You have to stop letting all this other nonsense take you away from your real job! It’s almost Halloween, you know this is our busy season.”

“I’m so sorry that a man’s death has inconvenienced you. I'll ask the murderer to pick a better time of the year next time! You do remember, Dad, that it was originally your idea to loan me out to the police, right?”

“I thought it would be good publicity, and it has been! It makes people think better of what we do here when they read about one of us helping out the community.”

Steve didn’t like the way he said, we and us. There was no we. His dad was a glorified business manager with no magic to speak of. He’d never missed an hour of sleep in his life and certainly never got his hands dirty.

His dad continued. “I’m not sure it’s worth it anymore if it’s going to take up so much of your time. We’re busy enough anyway, it’s not as if we need the publicity anymore. I want you to tell Hopper you’re done consulting for him.”

Steve wasn’t having that, he’d quit first. “No. I’m not going to do that, someone was murdered and they need my help to solve it.”

After a long pause, Bert let out a barely restrained shout. “God damnit, Steven. Fine. Will you at least stop after this case is solved?”

He shook his head, though his dad couldn’t see. “I can’t. It’s too important. I can save lives by helping the police.” 

“You're not leaving me much choice. I'm going to have to hire someone to pick up the slack if this is going to keep happening. It might cut into your pay.”

Steve seethed but said nothing. It was fine. He’d have to talk to Hop about the consulting, see if he could start getting paid for the privilege of looking at dead bodies. 

“Do what you have to.” He said, hanging up before his dad could reply. The phone rang again immediately but he ignored it. He was done with Bert Harrington’s bullshit for the day. 

Before getting into bed, Steve had shot off a quick text to Dustin about needing to see Eddie that night. When he woke, the sun was still low in the sky, so he knew he had a bit of time before he could expect a response from the kid. 

He took his time, showering and getting ready as he waited for the sun to go down, and tried not to think about the fact that he was going to see Eddie, face to face, for the first time in months. 

As hard as he’d tried not to, Steve had thought a lot about the vampire during their time apart. There were many nights that he’d dreamt of dark hair and deep brown eyes, only to wake up with wet cheeks and an ache in his chest, because in those first few moments of wakefulness he could admit to himself that he was sad that it hadn’t been him, that they were just the regular dreams of a person whose heart pined for another. 

Because Eddie, for all that Steve had railed about the vampire forcing himself on him, had taken Steve at his word. He’d asked Eddie to stay away, and Eddie had done it. 

It was for the best, Steve would remind himself, once he was more lucid and had come to his senses. Who was to say that his feelings weren’t just a product of the bond between them anyway? It was all fake, it was just the magic. It had to be. It couldn’t be true. 

His phone pinged, and of course, it was Dustin. The message said to meet Eddie at the Corroded Coffin. There was a show going on that night, but someone would be at the door to meet Steve and escort him to their VIP box, and no, it wouldn’t be Dustin.

Great.

Chapter 12

[calkestis]

I FINISHED THE GAME OMG 😭 DID YOU SHARE ANY OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT?? (ive been avoiding spoilers so if you have pls link) but if not, please share! i wanna scream with someone

i did not share my thoughts because i needed time to process everything lmao but now that you asked, consider this the thoughts sharing post (below the cut, cause it turned into an essay ofc 💀)

i won't be talking about performance issues because i didn't run into many of those (game crashed just once in over 75 hours of play and i've only had some small issues with the fps) - for me it was amazing and i enjoyed every moment of it!!

it didn't leave the mark that jfo left on me, but i think that's because jfo totally took me by surprise, i never thought i'll end up loving that game as much as i do. i love having so much to explore in survivor and so many customisation options as well as many saber stances (i love them all, it's so hard to settle for just 2, but right now the blaster is my new best friend - also because it has some of the most badass finishers)

narratively, i think what carries the game is the characters and how well most of them are written. it's amazing to see the mark that all the loss and nonstop fight has left on cal and the thin line he's walking between the light and the dark - but like i said before, it makes total sense for him to tap into the darkside without being overwhelmed by it or totally falling. and it's great to see that by reflecting on the villains; unlike dagan, cal's main goal is not driven by ego, it's driven by his selfless need of protecting others, and unlike bode, cal is not trying to gatekeep his loved ones, he understands that sometimes people need to walk their own paths even if it means that they'll be in danger at times.

and speaking of villains, i adored rayvis, it was my favourite boss fight and also my favourite villain. i just have a thing for characters that put loyalty and honour above all else and it was so easy to understand and relate to his desire for freedom; the way he asks cal to free him after all this time, even if it meant dying (and the parallel with the ninth sister, which was also a very bittersweet moment, but set up the tone of the game very well).

the entire part that starts with bode's betrayal and all the way to cal finding cere's body put me through a roller coaster of emotions; i was expecting bode to betray them after the conversation he had with cal the night prior (kudos to noshir dalal for showing so much emotion), but my jaw was on the floor when he revealed himself as a former jedi. then the awe of seeing cere fight, the absolute terror of the fight against vader and the way i felt like someone pulled my heart out of my chest when cal was hugging cere one last time. it was some top tier storytelling not just for a video game, but for any media.

the only thing that didn't totally work for me was cal and merrin's relationship. i never actually shipped them (even if i understand why people do) and imo the romance was pretty cliche, even if i understand why they went that way narratively, what they wanted to show regarding the characters. i would've loved to see more of how the closeness between them develops, the dinamic of a friendship maybe or even a more implied kind of relationship, the kind that we saw with jyn and cassian in rogue one. i feel like the way the did it takes away from merrin's character and kinda turns her into a plot device for cal's character. it didn't bother me much, i would've just preferred they went a different way

anyways i'm playing the main story again right now so there might be more thoughts coming ajksdabh

but feel free to come to my ask so we can scream together

[icharchivist]

It just kinda hit me but, can’t we say that the Spring Troupe, thematically wise, can be defined by the instances of betrayal?

Like it can perhaps be a bit of a reach for a few of them but i feel like there’s a possible reading there, especially in the sense of how it stunned their ability to trust and open up with others and that it’s especially on this level that opening up to their troupe is changing them around.

We have the obvious ones in the characters of Itaru, Citron and Chikage especially but i’m extending it to everyone.

Sakuya’s situation can be read as being constantly betrayed by relatives. Sakuya spent his childhood setting up some expectations for how the family dynamic should go, always pushing back limits (”if i do the chores and don’t make a noise and don’t bother anyone maybe i’ll be loved”), and in that sense, his relatives had constantly been betraying those expectations and constantly instead pushed him further away. It might sound like a reach but i think it’s a possible reading for the general vibe. Sakuya’s yearning for a family and general fear of being replaced steam directly from this attitude from his family.

Masumi meanwhile had two experience of feeling betrayed by his father. One that he mentions, over how his father was basically the reason Masumi didn’t feel like he could open up to people, as he would sue anyone who would even accidentally hurt Masumi, which worked to isolate him. The second time is when he basically tries to take him away from Mankai at all cost and does similar threats. Masumi’s whole attachment issues, difficulties to open up, the way he keeps his distances with everyone and only really change his perception AFTER the company basically challenged his father, supports this reading as well. It sets up Masumi’s difficulties within his troupes as steaming directly from this specific experience with his father, and i’ll even say that his attachment to Izumi also steams from it. 

Tsuzuru can be in general one of those i’d consider a possible reach, but also would assume would work with his general thematic. Mizuno’s parents forcing the two apart seemingly overnight, basically not even leaving them an opportunity to talk about it so much so that Mizuno carried the guilt of feeling like he had betrayed Tsuzuru for it and that Tsuzuru might hate him, would align itself to this possible reading. I’ll include also, though it’s a vague memory so i might be wrong, the fact i think Tsuzuru has a bit of resentment for his travelling older brother for basically having left all his responsibilities on Tsuzuru’s shoulders, constantly forcing Tsuzuru in situations where he had to chose between his own dreams and being the responsible older brother of the house.  Tsuzuru’s issues in general steam from his responsibilities as an older brother and this loss he keeps trying to fix in his mind, and the fact there are some people that can be held responsible for it befalling him can make a case for it being a sort of betraying. Though, this is probably a reach.

In the sense it’s also ironical i would say the younger ones are the ones where it all feel like a possible reach, while the adults have a much more clear and textual approach to it. In a sense it can also be a way to showcase the difficulty of accepting this type of situation when you’re younger, the barging side of it all.

once again, covering my tracks here, i can understand it being a reach up until that point now when talking about the adults, which to me, have a clear storyline linked specifically to thematic of betrayal.

Itaru was betrayed by Tonooka, he textually refers to it as a betrayal and is the most upfront about saying he could never trust again after what happened, and that meeting the Spring Troupe is what tested this trust again. He, textually, voices this thematic when he mentions that maybe now he can trust again in the first Spring chapter, or in the Alex in Wonderland chap where he specifically tries to open up about it in the sense of showing off this trust, before we finally learn about the whole deal i mean. And if we want to keep it in the family as all the others have those feelings of betrayal possibly rooted in family situations, the whole fact his sister pushed on him to be some princely prince to hide his true self possibly can also feel as such, especially since it ended up being the groundwork to the Tonooka situation, but on this it becomes a reach while Tonooka is basically Right Here for this specific point.

Citron meanwhile is constantly aware that two of his brothers, and all the people supporting them, are always plotting to betray him. It’s something he has to thread around at ALL TIME, it’s always at the back of his mind. As such he tends to keep an open eye to his surrounding and being hyperaware, which also means he tends to catch everyone’s troubles more easily. Citron never really let his guard down and doesn’t share anything about his past until he’s forced to because of how this situation damaged his ability to trust, not especially out of thinking everyone is a possible enemy, but out of being aware that anyone in the known would be in danger for just this fact. In a sense, it’s like the knife of betrayal is always hanging behind his back and he’s always aware of it in some shape or form.

Chikage meanwhile has this thematic pushed to the extreme because of his role in the story, as an antagonist and with the way his more extremely “violent” background pushes the level of betrayals to another extreme. He felt betrayed by Hisoka, had to have a whole arc before realizing he was being misled, and then turned his perception of it around by feeling like he was the one who has done the betraying. (”the one who was betrayed by his brother was you by my own hand” thing). And with this perception shifting, all of Mankai becme, to Chikage’s eyes, also victims to his betrayal (compared to how he could have only seen them as tools, a mean for an end before this perception shift). And on top of that, while he is bargaining with this whole situation in Mankai, he still knows someone betrayed them in the organization, he’s still constantly aware that his greatest loss comes from betrayal, Hisoka was just not the one who comited it, but someone betrayed them and it’s still something Chikage has to cope with, in a more direct way since the threat is still hanging and is an actual, physical danger to everyone he loves.

In a sense, Chikage extends the thematic further in a way that, if we accept this as a thematic of Spring, adds another layer to their dynamic. In the same way that, say, Guy entering the Winter Troupe ends up being, in a way, a test to see how each of Winter members have managed to work through their specific trauma (ex: Homare’s broken cyborg plotline, Hisoka’s amnesia, and how all of it relates to Guy), the fact Chikage is set to betray them, and still feels like he betrayed them, tests the whole of Spring with the way to test out the way they learned to trust again and managed to look past the betrayals they’ve been through and have had to work on.

Like i’m still a bit hesitant about really putting it as a possible thematic because of how up-to-interpretation/reaching the situations are for the teens, but as it is i would say it would actually make a lot of sense narrativewise to read it as such.

And perhaps even so since their general thematic is one of family. If we stop at just, they’re from broken family and are yearning for a full one, it’s true, but i feel it can feel a little incomplete. Adding the betrayal aspect brings the aspect of how nurture, which is usually more associated to family, is the best way to take care of a healing wound such as this one.  Because there’s an aspect of family being an unconditional love (at least for family you make yourself), founded on unconditional trust. The fact all of them have trust issues in some shape or form therefore make their yearning for family, for the unconditional version of it, to be a way to further mend their broken hearts.

But reading in the specific betrayal aspect can not only in general point out the origin of the hurt, but explain also how heavily Chikage’s storyline is a way to test the rest of Spring (and Chikage himself), by being the most extreme version of betrayal and how hard it is to gain trust back after such a betrayal, both from Chikage’s storyline exploring both sides of a betrayal situation, and on how Spring has to work through it using what they had learnt.

And there are others characters in the franchise that can be associated to betrayal plotlines in general (i think Omi and Hisoka for instance falls under this theme as well), but even in the vaguest reach possible i feel like Spring has it being a more solid possibility in general.

Anyway, just kinda musing about it all but i think it’s an interesting angle to explore.

[bn-brightflower]

Land of the Beautiful Dead

By: R. Lee Smith

My Rating: 5/5

Spiciness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Kindle: Yes

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Paperback: Yes

Amazon Link

Trigger Warnings: Gore, Torture (of adults and children), Vomit, Sexual Coercion, Intimate/Domestic Violence, Suicide/Attempted Suicide, Self-Mutilation, Other Woman, Cannibalism (of the zombie variety)

Who I'd Recommend it For: Fans of dark romance - it is dark, very, very dark, just sitting on the edge of pitch black. Fans of a true anti-hero and morally grey characters, where everyone both is and is not the villain. If you need a soft romance and characters that lean toward comforting one another, this is NOT the book for you. Neither of the lead characters are stunningly attractive; the male lead is grotesque, actually, with exposed bone and tendon, and the female lead is never described as anything more than plain. The book has spice - not a ton of it - but the spice is, at times, very uncomfortable. If you want sexy sexy smut, this is definitely NOT the book for you. Fans of a HEA that is hard to earn but well worth it.

Summary: In a Post-Apocalyptic world, Lan has come to the land of the beautiful dead for one reason and one reason alone; to ask Lord Azrael, God of Death, to end the eaters, the horrific things that rise up and attack the living when people die. She expects to have a martyrs death, but Azrael offers her a deal; he will not end the eaters, but he will allow her to continue to ask in exchange for warming his bed.

That's it, and I genuinely didn't expect it to be the best book I've read in several years, but it absolutely was.

-- SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT --

I genuinely cannot stop thinking about this book, and it's given me the book hangover from Hell because I know I will never find something quite like it again.

Azrael is a stunningly compelling character, an immortal being that's been chased, attacked and betrayed by humans since the beginning of time. He doesn't seem to know what exactly he is (my best guess would be he's Azrael, I know I'm a genius), but he knows that he's not human and he doesn't fit in among them no matter how hard he tries to co-exist peacefully. He was born into violence and the violence follows him. He is hard and even downright cruel, but he's also incredibly lonely and has been chasing a way to ease that loneliness for eons. While everything and everyone around him will die and leave him, he raises the dead to be his companions. The problem is that the dead he's raised have been with purpose; he is Lord over them and they are all, to some extent, an extension of himself.

Azrael is aware that he's fearsome, and also grotesque, and so he makes deals with those few living people that do come to him to beg for relief from the eaters he's risen as protection for himself and from a world ravaged by the atomic bomb that humans dropped on him; converse with him, tolerate his bed, and he will provide them with everything they could possibly want or need.

All of this goes about as well as it could be expected to, until Lan comes along. Lan, who already believed she was on a suicide mission and is undetered by threats of death. Lan who is unafraid to treat him like any other man. Lan, who slaps him, and also kisses him of her own volition.

Lan is a compelling character in her own right. She isn't there to do harm, she's only there to beg him not to do harm to the living. Even through his cruelty, she finds compassion for him.

Azrael and Lan are not particularly nice to each other all the time and I see a lot of complaints about that, but the truth is it just works for them and anything else would have almost been insulting. Lan berates and insults, Azrael threatens with no follow through. If they were perfect for each other in the way typical romance novels work, they simply wouldn't be perfect for each other. Azrael is desperate for someone that doesn't worship him but comes to love him despite who and what he is. He finds that in Lan.

The entire book is written through Lan's perspective. Beyond the "romance" of it, there are many thoughtful things to think about through it. Questions like what makes a villain, or what makes something alive. Is it a heartbeat, will, thoughts, a soul? Are the dead any less than the living just because their heart isn't beating anymore? Is it villainous to protect oneself through violent means when the alternative is accepting violent treatment instead?

Imo, there are truly no villains in this story. Everyone is a bit villain, everyone is a bit victim, and that's the beauty of humanity.

There is a happy ending, but it's a very nontraditional happy ending. Which I think fits it perfectly. I could talk about this book literally all day, so I'm going to stop but I'll leave it with a quote.

[beloveddawn-blog]

New Friends

Zelda’s head snapped around as she heard the telltale hum of the teleportation pad lighting up. “Ooh, that’ll be Mipha! I hope she has some more information on Astor for us!”

Link nodded, moving to stand next to her. He was vibrating slightly, but that wasn’t unusual. Mipha was his very best friend, and he was always delighted to see her.

“Wonderful!” Crowed Sidon, coming up to flank her on the other side. Impa stepped close, but didn’t try to push past the two males waiting with bated breath for one of their Very Important Persons to arrive.

The swirling blue lights took form. The small, slender one in front was expected, and easily identified by her trident. The hulking form, almost three times her height, behind her though…

“What.” Impa stated, “Is that.” It should have been a question, but there was no inflection in her tone. No one answered, all too busy staring at the form of their mortal enemy, standing quietly behind Mipha and delicately holding the shoulder of her Champion’s sash a bit like a leash. The question was, who was leading who?

Mipha was the one to break it, when the silence became even heavier. “Uh, well, this is Ganon. I’m sure you all recognize him. Astor was down by Fort Hateno, as we guessed. He summoned his shades and summoned Harbringer Ganon and in the end, when I thought it was over, the shards of his evil summoned Calamity Ganon. We fought, and I was triumphant, and I guess I… Impressed him? He repented and has been following me around docilely ever since.”

The quiet fell again, but this time it was Link to shatter the moment. He took a couple of steps forward, bringing him even with Mipha. He stared up at Ganon, who stooped down to stare back. Link tilted his head in Mipha’s direction, Ganon answered with a shrug, and then Link broke into a smile and gestured Ganon forward, turning as he did to return to the campfire himself. Ganon glanced towards Mipha, obviously confused, but she shooed him after like a parent urging on a shy toddler. With similar hesitance, he obeyed.

“My dear sister, you never fail to amaze me,” Sidon whooped, swooping in to catch Mipha in a hug. “I am so pleased you have returned safely. I shall go help your guest settle in, but please do join us for food and fellowship as and when you may, as we are all very interested in hearing your tales of adventure.” With that he released his sister, letting her drop slightly to the ground, before hurrying over to join the other two at the campfire, just in time to receive his own bowl of Link’s signature carrot soup. Ganon obviously couldn’t handle regular cutlery, but Link had handed off the whole cookpot along with the ladle, and was patiently showing Ganon how to use them.

Zelda blinked at them, utterly baffled.

*

King Rhoam had been hearing some unsettling rumours. Rumours that their Great Enemy was now in their own camp. Rumours that he had been welcomed like a friend. Rumours that would sound totally preposterous… If not for his knowledge that his daughter had a kind and forgiving heart, and that she believed the best in everyone. Rumours that would sound like a lie, if he hadn’t shared bread himself with Master Kogha of the Yiga Clan just the previous morning, before he left on his own mission.

Still. Master Kogha was one thing. For all he was a sneaky, weasley excuse for a Hylian, Hylian he was. He had been bought, as people are, and betrayed, as people are, and had sought vengeance for his own, as people do. All of his motivations and actions were the same as the members of the court, though on a larger scale. It was one thing to take in a reformed person, who was still not entirely trustworthy but they knew hated Astor, and hated him personally, more than he ever did them, but another entirely to offer comradeship to a complete monster…

He blinked as he rounded the corner. It was what he had been told, but also so much worse. Ganon was sitting at the campfire with a group of their leaders. A group that included even his daughter, who had the sense to look slightly uneasy. She was off to the side, sitting at a folding table often used to plan strategy. Impa was placed directly between her and Ganon, her hand resting on her sword hilt. Urbosa and Daruk flanked Zelda, obviously there for her safety. It was a familiar sight, except for the lack of one particular body…

Who was sitting cross-legged on the ground in casual clothes, holding some cards. His sword was still slung across his back and his shield was in easy reach, but he was clearly not on guard in the slightest. Across from the young knight was the unmistakable form of their ancient enemy, dark magic swirling around him… And Mipha, perched on his knee and obviously helping him hold his cards. Rounding out their set was Terrako, his cards as usual face down before him while he played from memory, and Riju, leaning casually back against Patricia (who kept casually stretching sideways towards Link, arguably looking to be pet but in reality totally trying to check out his hand). Sidon scuttled around, enthusiastically fetching snacks and refilling drinks. Teba was nearby, carefully checking the fletching on his arrows.

It was that that truly brought the King up short. Teba was obviously missing his own young son desperately, and Riju had lost her only parent less than a year before. The bond they shared was strong, and true, and beautiful. It was not about replacement, but rather about respect and commiseration and help. Teba was fiercely protective of the young lady, often preventing her from taking on missions or going on side quests without adequate backup, and yet here he was, casually letting her play cards with the physical manifestation of hatred and malice!

Mipha was softly coaxing Ganon into something while the others waited. After a short moment of struggle, a heavy, echoing, hollow voice hissed out, “Fiiiiiiiishhhhh.” Link’s face scrunched up in annoyance, and he shot a glare at the little automaton sitting next to him. Terrako bristled with indignation, letting out a disbelieving whistle. Riju laughed.

“If you don’t want him to suspect you of hoarding fives, try not cheating,” she advised. “Ganon has given us no reason to suspect him, plus he’s got Mipha helping him and she is beyond reproach. I’m with Link. I think you lied about the fives.”

Terrako squeaked sadly, turning to Zelda for affirmation. She smiled at her small friend consolingly. “I am afraid I cannot help you here. I trust you with my life, my people, and my friends, but not when it comes to cards. You have a reputation for a reason.”

King Rhoam made his way over to Teba, who glanced up and gave him a nod in greeting. “What has happened?” He asked, going straight for the heart.

“Mipha went hunting Astor and came back with Ganon, who is apparently on our side now.”

“And… you are okay with this? He is sitting by Riju.”

“Link is the definition of ‘hit first, ask questions later’, and I trust him completely. He’s a reckless halfwit like most adolescents across any species, but his instincts are spot on and his dedication is unparalleled. If he’s not hitting things, then there is nothing to hit.” Teba went back to his arrows, and King Rhoam turned to Link.

For all he was a quiet and awkward young man, he knew how to read a situation. He knew the question being asked in the King’s posture, and he knew he would answer, crowd or not. “As Teba trusts me,” He began, giving a deep nod to his friend, “I trust Mipha. She would never bring him back if there was even the slightest chance he would turn on us.”

It was hard to tell, what with her natural red colouring, but he would swear Mipha blushed at that.

“He is still the physical manifestation of hatred.” King Rhoam insisted, not willing to let it go yet.

But Link wasn’t prepared to let it go either. As shy as he could be, he would always step up in defence of Mipha. Physically for all his friends, but for Mipha even verbally. “And she’s Mipha. Everyone likes Mipha! Revali likes Mipha!”

“Hey!” That sharp interjection brought all eyes up to where Revali, who Rhoam hadn’t noticed before, was sitting on the top of the tallest tent pole with his bow out. He was obviously even less trusting of Ganon than Impa was, and it soothed the King to see it.

Link rolled his eyes expressively. Everyone was aware of how badly their first meeting had gone, and how their working relationship was tense at best and mostly held together by their mutual admiration of both Zelda and Mipha. Teba helped, but nothing was likely to ever fix it.

“So what you’re saying,” Urbosa broke in, a faint smile playing about her lips, “Is that it’s easier to make friends with your reincarnated life-long enemy than it is to make friends with Revali?”

Link looked at her, looked up to where Revali was sitting, out of reach and glaring suspiciously, and then looked over to where Ganon’s forehead scrunched up as Mipha patiently explained again how to win the game, and nodded decisively.

“Yes.”

“Hey!”

[guaxinimraccoon]

jesus christ why-

oh mY DEAR GOD-

FIRST OF ALL I'm SO sorry for taking so damn long to answer those, I've been really really busy and I'm very sorry, I'm doing my best to answer everybody ; o ;

BUT FINALLY let's talk about our big last Euphoria reveal (about four months ago but ok-), where I showed you guys that Alex is Brad's father and Elisa is Toby's mom.

"BUT GUAX WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??? HOW?? WHEN??? WHERE??"

SHUSH , CALM YOUR TITS DOWN and let me explain:

Ok, so I'll be putting some links here and there because yes, Alex and Elisa's story is very, VERY connected to Brad and Toby's. 

And get ready for a veeeeeeeeeeeeery long post. You were warned.

As you all already know, Alex and Elisa had a troublesome meeting, but eventually got closer to each other, they fell in love yadda yadda yadda BUT their will to get closer to each other, in other words, their relationship brought HUGE consequences.

Yes, they did manage to build a healthy relationship, they were happy, they were fine.

But they were also adults, adults that wanted something serious and concrete, they couldn't spend the rest of their lives as forbbiden lovers.

So Elisa did something literally illegal. She did a potion that was forbidden by the Colony authorities - a shrunken potion - to get closer to Alex.

Those potions were never developed, they're rustic and really antique, so they could do more harm than good or not work at all.

But Alex didn't care, he took the risk and drank the potion to get closer to his girl, the woman that was the love of his life.

The effect of the potion is temporary, so Alex would drink them from time to time whenever he had the opportunity to visit the Colony, spend some time with Elisa and, of course, be a part of her life.

He wasn't just trying to "be like her", he was also trying to be a part of her home. He made friends with her friends, he met her family, he met new imps, new fairies, all of it under his "imp disguise". He even fought for the Colony at it's war times (that is lasting till the current story time). He EVEN presented himself with a more “impish name” - Turk - to make sure people wouldn’t suspect anything.

Of course, people eventually started to ask why didn’t he live in the Colony with Elisa, why did he only showed up from time to time. Alex and Elisa lied, obviously, they told everyone that Alex belonged to a secluded imp tribe that lived walking around the forest as nomads, which made sense since those types of imp communities do exist.

ANYWAY THE POINT IS Alex grew affectioned of those people and with their lifestyle. He started to feel like he was one of them. 

And, of course, he was now closer than he ever was to Elisa.

Since they were different species, they never worried about having kids. I’ve never said this before but Alex is a doctor, he knows about this stuff, so he always made sure to reassure Elisa that "they were their own condon" and, as sad as it may sound, they couldn't have kids.

... Or so Alex thought.

You know how tigers and lions can have offspring together? Yeah, it's the same thing.

It's very hard to happen, but they spent YEARS together if you know what I mean so yeah

That's how Alex and Elisa gave birth to their first child: Tobias, the only one of a specie that is a mix between human and imp.

His parents were really worried at first, afterall, they new NOTHING about Toby's condition. They didn't know if he was going to grow as large as a human or if he'd assume imp proportions forever. After some research with his son's blood, Alex found out that Toby was indeed half human and half imp, but he was predominantly physically an imp. That means his biological features are, mostly, imp like: he'd hardly grow as large as a human through his life's course and could live as a normal imp in the Colony. The fact that he showed talent for magic (once he was old enough to do so) and was able to do it just like any other imp in the Colony also made things easier.

Elisa and Alex chose to raise Toby in the Colony, they believed it’d be healthier and safer for him (especially after some events that I’ll be talking about in other posts), although it hurt Alex to pretend that he was an imp to his son and that he couldn’t see him everyday. 

Even if they couldn’t see each other everyday, Alex and Toby were very close. Toby loved his daddy very much and was very attached to him.

After five years after Toby was born, Elisa got pregnant again and gave birth to their second child: Bernardo (that’d eventually be nicknamed as “Brad”), one of the two only beings of the specie Alex and Elisa accidently created together.

For preucation, Alex took a bit of Brad’s blood and made some research, just like he did to Toby.

And what he found out wasn’t exactly... relieving.

Brad, just like Toby, was half human and half imp, but he had expressed mostly human features in his physical body. He was as small as a baby imp now, but it was a matter of time until he started to grow very VERY large.

Unlike Toby, Brad couldn’t live as an imp in the Colony and things got very complicated for them.

Alex wanted to leave. He told Elisa the Colony’s community would NEVER accept their youngest, they would never accept Alex and probably wouldn’t accept Toby either. They had to leave that place before they couldn’t hide the truth anymore, even if it cost revealing Toby, a five year old child, that most of his life was a lie.

But Elisa was hesitant. She didn’t want to leave her home, her parents, her friends. She knew Alex was right, they couldn’t stand that play for too long, but how to leave everything she had built behind? How to leave everything she knew as home behind? It wasn’t that easy.

Until something very bad happened.

Remember I said Alex made a few friends in the Colony? So, one of them was Stefan, a experienced fairy soldier that had known Elisa for as long as she was alive. He was pretty much her best friend (even if he was old enough to be her father) and now he was also great friends with Alex.

Stefan is important here. He has a very tragic backstory involving humans. He lost pretty much everything to them: his whole family and his wings, something that meant more than just flying to him.

So, as expected, he hates humans and truly believes that they are nothing more than monsters that try to manipulate you and to get advantage from imp’s and fairy’s magic. 

After some years, he started to get very suspicious over Alex. Some things weren’t making any sense anymore and that “nomad imp community” was starting to sound way more like an excuse than the actual truth. He simply didn’t understand what was stopping him to live with Elisa and his sons for once.

So he did some investigation. One day, he followed Alex (that he knew as Turk) out of the Colony, in one of the days he had only come to visit his family. Alex had said earlier that he had to “go back to his own society”. Yeah, right. Stefan was hiding the whole time and followed Alex till a good distane from the Colony’s limits. 

And he didn’t get exaclty happy to see his best friend growing impossibly huge out of nowhere.

Stefan now knew the truth: Alex was pretending to be an imp using shrinking potions. He didn’t belong to any nomad imp group, he was a human that lived in his own house and was coming to the Colony to play family with them.

Of course, he didn’t only felt betrayed, but pissed as fuck. Stefan didn’t waste any time: as soon as Alex came back to the Colony he confronted him. Alex tried to explain himself, but they only argued and ended up having a pretty bad fight.

In anger, Stefan didn’t want to hear no more explanations, so he told some of the Colony’s high authorities about Alex’s lies and that they had to do something about it. 

The Colony’s Council decided to call Elisa and solve things between imps and fairies only. But they showed her no mercy.

They basically gave her two options: or she’d prove her loyalty to the Colony and would kill her husband and her human son, or the Colony would sentence all of them to death penalty, including Toby and Brad, children that they claimed should have never been born. 

Elisa was in shatters. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t kill the man she loved and her baby child, she just couldn’t. She was about to accept the second option, rathering die with her family than killing them, but Stefan decided to help her out.

He wasn’t expecting the Council to be so cruel and he started to regret his decisions the moment he saw how Elisa was worried about her family and how much she loved them, even if they were human. He hated Alex and Brad, but seeing Elisa in excruciating pain over them was impossible for him, so he made up a plan with her to save everybody.

It cost Elisa to trust Stefan, he had told their secrets to the worst people possible, but she had no option aside from accepting his help and following his plan.

The plan was simple: Elisa would tell the Council she’d kill Alex and Brad and would tell Alex that she had changed her mind and that they should leave the Colony as soon as possible now that Stefan knew the truth.

Alex believed her and, after Stefan’s confirmation, so the Council did. The next step was to take Alex and Brad to the Colony’s limits, pretending they were about to leave. 

Then it happened.

Elisa made, with Stefan’s help, a huge barrier on the Colony’s frontier that didn’t allowed humans to cross it. It was basically a security method that they never thought it’d be necessary.

But now it was and it wasn’t meant to protect the ones inside the Colony...

Of course, Alex didn’t understand SHIT.

He spent MONTHS returning to the Colony in his shrinking form, trying to find a way to cross the barrier and to get Toby back. 

Or to talk to Elisa.

Or to understand.

Or anything.

He just wanted his family.

Eventually, his potions ended and he was left to raise Brad on his own and to never see his wife and oldest son again.

Since then, he hates Elisa. Or at least thinks he does. He’s just deeply mad at her, he doesn’t understand why she left them. 

He did everything for her. Denyed his own race, submitted himself to the dangerous effects of a extremely nocive potion which he faces the consequences till this day, did his fucking best to be the best father and husband his family could have-

All this love, all this effort, all this sweat and blood

Wasted.

It took years for him to fully recover. Aside from the health problems the abusive use of the shrinking potions brought, he also became alcohoolic. Because he wasn’t mentally estable enough, neither to take care of himself and of his very very small son, he went to live in his parents house. His family knew about Elisa and the children they had together, his folks actually liked her a lot so it saddened them as well that she simply abandoned Alex and Brad and that they would never see Toby again.

His family didn’t had to worry about Brad’s very little size for too long though, before he was one year old he had already reached his human size.

Anyway, Alex’s family gave him a huge help until he was healthy enough to take care of Brad, the only one left from the family he built.

Back to Elisa, she didn’t told Alex her plan because she KNEW he wouldn’t want to do it. She simply knew Alex would be too stubborn. He’d have wanted to try to escape or to face the Council. Both alternatives would get them all killed.

Toby didn’t understand why his mother did what she did. He was forced to go back home with her, screaming the whole time, saying that they left his father and brother behind while Elisa was crying endelessly.

Stefan came to them eventually and calmed Toby down. His heart broke when he saw Elisa. She was... not okay.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to assist her. He immediatly went to a representent of the Council and took them to Elisa and to the Colony’s frontier to prove that she had done it and did even more than she was suppose to. Of course, not without consequences to her sanity, she had just killed her husband and baby, of course she was in pain.

Nevertheless, the Council confirmed Elisa had done her part and left to leave her alone with the child they let live.

After that, Toby spent weeks returning to that spot of the frontier to look for his dad and brother. No sucess.

As time went by, he eventually forgot about Brad, he was very young when they tore apart and Elisa and Stefan never talked about him nor Alex. All he can remember is that there was a baby in the middle of that mess, but he can’t relate to it.

He kept the memories of his father though, who was closer to him, and till this day he believes he’s alive somewhere and that he can be found. But he has no idea he’s a human and has no idea of his own true nature.

Elisa and Alex miss their respective sons deeply and think about them everyday. They also miss each other very much and the first months after the incident were terribly agonizing for the both of them.

They kept going for the child that had remained for the both of them and raised them apart from each other. Alex never told Brad what happened and so Elisa did to Toby. Like that, none of the brothers knew about the existence of each other.

Until the day Toby was sent, coincidentally, to his “little” brother’s house

And none of them has no idea of this fucking long backstory I just spent four months writing :)

enjoy

[redphlox]

Dabi's fear of feelings and connections

Dabi is a walking contradiction; he says he doesn't care about anyone, but his flames, which are linked to his emotions, demonstrate otherwise when Twice is killed. Dabi brushes off the news that Natsuo could have died because of him but still refers to him affectionately as Natsu-kun. Touya went around calling Endeavor out for neglecting his children but still trained to regain his approval and attention anyway. He lashed out at baby Shouto, admitted Shouto had done nothing wrong, and then attacked him again years later. He cries blood while thinking about his family but doesn't go home to them or change his actions which hurt them even more. Dabi wants to destroy hero society for a better future but it's obvious he doesn't plan to live long enough to see that future.

The gaps between his actions and his words are a result of dissociation and repression. It's not that Dabi is emotionless. Actually, he feels too much and he's afraid of his feelings because they've done nothing but hurt him emotionally and physically. He literally almost burned to death the one time he had a burst of emotion on Sekoto Peak and in order to prevent a repeat of that, he operates under the flawed notion that safety lies in repressing his feelings and pushing people away. He lies to himself and others and therefore cannot reconcile with his true self and can’t trust others.

In this meta I'll discuss how Dabi deals with his unprocessed feelings of betrayal and neglect by denying himself connections with both his inner wounded child and those around him. I'll also address a few misconceptions surrounding Dabi because dismantling them is key to understanding him. Contrary to popular belief, he does not want to kill his father, he never wanted to be a hero for his own sake, and he doesn't hate Shouto or his family. At its core, Touya's hurt stems from discovering that his relationship with his father wasn't based on unconditional love. This realization destroyed his sense of self so much it caused him to start fearing his own feelings and being close to others because of the link between his emotions and his self-destructive quirk.

To understand Dabi we have to understand Touya. In 291 we see through Endeavor's flashback that Touya was eager to train under him and carry his legacy. It's implied by the fact they’re working on ultimate moves that not only is Touya a willing, eager participant but that the two have been training together for quite some time. In 301 we learn that after Touya's quirk started hurting him Endeavor not only abandoned the training regime but also abandoned Touya both emotionally and physically. Instead of using the time he spent training Touya to help Touya find a new hobby or purpose in life, or just hanging out with his kid, Endeavor chooses to remove himself from Touya’s life. When Touya confronts him about the change of routine, Endeavor is seen putting on his jacket and leaving the home, his body turned away from his son.

Maybe Endeavor had errands to run, but my point is that he was in Touya’s life one minute and then gone the next. Touya says so himself: why did Endeavor change his mind all of a sudden? The abrupt change in attitude was jarring for a 4-5 year old to handle. To Touya, training = love, so he felt compelled to keep training and demonstrate his worthiness despite the fact that his quirk was hurting him. To Touya, the pain was worth it if it meant hanging out with his dad again.

But why? Well, Touya was Endeavor's #1 fan, genuinely so. His admiration and fondness for his father was genuine, and he didn't question the triumphant look on Endeavor's face when Touya said he wanted to learn the ultimate move. Before his quirk started burning him, Touya had no idea he was born for his father's ulterior motives. He had no reason to question his father's attention. Touya lived under the impression his bond with his dad was genuine and special, and he probably felt lucky that his father was willing to share something so important to him (heroism). Even after the training stops and Endeavor stops paying attention to Touya, Touya still wears his merch and vies for his attention. Most kids see their parents as larger than life and Touya was no exception. Keigo Takami admired Endeavor the hero, and Touya Todoroki admired his father who just so happened to be the hero Endeavor. Since being a hero was such a big deal for Endeavor, it was a big deal for Touya.

But that's where Touya's story becomes tragic. His father is a flawed, flawed man with many insecurities and fallacies that he pushes onto his family. I’ll get to those in a moment, but as intelligent and observant Touya is to catch on that Endeavor never set out to marry to become a father, he is too young to separate himself from his father’s expectations. Touya realizes he was born for a purpose and Touya will be damned if he doesn't fulfill that purpose even if he knows it's wrong. His father's ‘love’ meant that much to him. For Touya, it's not about becoming a hero for the glory. It was about his relationship with his father because, as I mentioned earlier, Touya was his #1 fan in the sense that he loved Enji just for being his dad. There were no conditions tied to that. “You are my dad, and I love you.”

But that wasn’t a sentiment that Touya felt in return, and that hurt Touya. He internalized he wasn't good enough, that something about him was inherently wrong. But more than that, his world came tumbling down - he felt betrayed and lied to: his father didn't love him like Touya needed him to, and this truth destroyed him. Their relationship was a lie, a farce, and it hurt so much Touya became obsessed with not hurting anymore because he couldn’t get away from it.

Touya’s motivation to become a hero didn't rise from being inspired by All Might like Shouto. Touya’s thought process wasn’t "I want to be a hero to help others or be like All Might" like Deku. No, Touya only wanted to be a hero because he wanted his father to be proud of him for surpassing All Might. Notice that Touya's obsession with beating All Might slowly diminishes from “I can surpass All Might” to “I can surpass All Might like Shouto, too” to just “look at me, Endeavor.” It was never about being a hero per say, but about his relationship with his father. Touya realized that Endeavor isn't his father first, but a hero, and he understands that he has to be a hero too to fit into his father's world. Even upon realizing that his father was using him, Touya still wanted to be part of his life, still wanted that bond. Touya, in his desperation to be loved and accepted again, could look past his father's selfishness as long as he regained that approval. Touya could pretend the relationship was real as long as he stopped feeling so unlovable.

This is unhealthy thinking, of course. Even if Touya somehow managed to regain Endeavor's approval, the relationship would still be one-sided and dissatisfying because he wouldn't be able to ignore the truth. But, this is how he rationalized his insistence to keep training in his 4-5 year old mind and this line of thought stuck with him as he grew up just as those feelings of inadequacy never left him.

This is precisely why Natsuo's drowsy "can't you go talk to our sister?" hurt so much. Touya was already emotionally fragile, and hearing that felt like being rejected all over again when it was actually Natsuo just trying to sleep. Touya was hypersensitive to any words or actions that could be interpreted as dismissive. His trauma wouldn't listen to logic that Natsuo was 8 and too young to understand, that he was tired - no, Touya's brain said, you're being rejected again! This is also why he also stormed away crying from Fuyumi after she expressed her concern for him.

In Touya’s mind, why couldn't anyone just agree with him that he was good enough? He heard "your dad's right and you're not good enough so why try" not "I care about you, your father is wrong, and I don't want you to keep getting hurt" whenever Rei tried to get him to stop training because that's the message he got from his father, too. Nevermind that it infuriated Touya that his mother could stand there and preach to him when, from his perspective, she couldn’t take her own advice. All Endeavor ever did was teach him to turn up the heat, so why should it matter that doing just so hurts him? Touya didn't understand NOT training his quirk because he had been taught that raising his firepower was ideal in all situations. Those two statements didn't make sense to a 4-5 year old, a 13 year old, and it still doesn’t make sense as a 24 year old.

To take Endeavor's lack of self awareness a step further, because it's important to understand Endeavor to fully understand Dabi, Endeavor has yet to realize his own inherent worth. He doesn't have to prove anything to his family, especially his kids. They love him unconditionally, without special reason aside from the fact that he's theirs and he's himself. However, Endeavor is so obsessed with proving himself that he doesn't realize he never had to, and he projects this onto his children. They must prove themselves by winning the genetic lottery, by being useful to his plans, by surpassing All Might.

The irony that to be a great father he doesn't have to be a hero at all is ugly because Endeavor has no identity outside of being a hero. Endeavor has said before he wants to be a good hero and father to make Shouto proud, but he fails to realize he already had this in Touya all those years ago and it still left him unsatisfied. The issue isn’t his role as a hero, it’s his inner self. In 301 Endeavor literally reaches out to Touya to talk him out of training and hurting himself, and Touya allows his father to touch his shoulders because he wants a bond with his father - any bond. Shouto, on the other hand, wouldn't allow Endeavor to touch him in 167 and slaps his hand away because he doesn’t want Endeavor’s approval. Endeavor doesn't realize Natsuo carries deep abandonment and neglect issues because he wanted to be accepted by his father too (light novel #5) but was ignored. Endeavor doesn't realize he was always good enough by default and that by projecting onto his kids and trying to be the top hero he’s doing the opposite of what he wants. He just keeps pushing away his family.

It’s important to point out Endeavor’s illogical thinking because Touya learned some of these same ideas. Touya repeatedly tries to prove himself without realizing that he was always good enough by default. The problem wasn’t his quirk or his body, but his father’s flawed thinking and self-worth issues. Now as an adult, Dabi is selfish because he's Endeavor's son and emobidies his most negative characteristics. Dabi thinks of his flames as Endeavor's, and he thinks of himself as an extension of Endeavor because that's how Endeavor set him up for life. Touya has no identity to fall back on after his father casts him aside. He was supposed to be Endeavor 2.0, but now that title is Shouto’s. Dabi doesn’t hate Shouto as a person, but he has tricked himself into believing Shouto is their father’s puppet. Shouto is a doll being used by their father with no self agency, and Dabi is going to break all of Endeavor’s toys. It’s nothing personal against Shouto, it’s just Shouto’s bad luck that he happens to be Endeavor’s masterpiece. This is why Dabi doesn’t hurt Shouto when they first meet at the training camp, and why Dabi stops attacking Shouto after Endeavor passes out - it’s not about Shouto. It’s about Endeavor, and breaking Endeavor. Touya is still there trying to be part of his father’s world, only this time not as a hero but as a villain who will end his own suffering. He doesn't want Endeavor to die, he just wants him to suffer, to ruin his dreams. Dabi thinks of it as justice.

But because Touya is still there, there is still that goodness in him, too. His connection to Fuyumi and Natsuo is still there, repressed and compartmentalized. It’s why he calls them affectionately as Fuyumi-chan and Natsu-kun. Touya’s pain is so great he has decided he’d rather end it than to carry on and look elsewhere. He's stuck, rightfully so. He recognizes his mother is a flawed person and ultimately doesn’t blame her for being a victim - she could have done more for her son, but he still sees her and his other siblings, even Shouto, as people who fell victim to Endeavor’s abuse who don't challenge their situation. Dabi sees himself as someone who does stand up to the abuse but doesn’t realize he still wants his father’s attention. He's always wanted it. That's why he went around at 13 condemning his father's treatment of his children but still trained to prove himself. This is part of the reason he became a villain.

Not to mention that Dabi literally can't cry. He has no way to release those emotions, so instead of trying to let them out, he pushes them down. But that doesn't work and is detrimental in the long run. In 290-294 we saw Dabi's flames burn so hot during his confrontation with Endeavor and revealing himself as Touya that his burns have spread. Dabi is afraid of his feelings because of their connection to his flames, but he also uses his feelings to his advantage. He wants to go out in an inferno along with Shouto just to hurt Endeavor and put an end to his own suffering and Endeavor's career. This is why Dabi doesn't bother calming himself down or denying that he never forgot how he was treated when he lived at home. Dabi became emotional in that battlefield, smiling maniacally instead of crying because he physically can't cry. In his mind, if his feelings are going to destroy him, he might as well use them to prove a point. After all, he has experience being used. It's why he was born.

I'm not saying any of these actions or thoughts are healthy or correct or condoned, by the way. Trauma responses don't make logical sense and usually aren't healthy. Knowing how the mind responds to trauma, it's understandable that Touya still wanted his father's attention even if it was abusive. In fact, this is how children often respond to abuse. Their caretaker/parent is all they know and they cling to these figures. Often times when authorities try to remove a child from their abusive parents, the child doesn't want to go because this parent is all they know and they do feel like they love their parent/caretaker. I’m not saying the authorities got involved in this case, because obviously they didn’t, but this same mentality of abused children can be applied to Touya. Touya, in his four year old mind, probably convinced himself that if he was good enough everything would go back to how it used to be.

So, to sum up Dabi’s character, of course he doesn't make any sense. He’s still that hurt 4-5 year old who is trying to protect himself from ever getting hurt like that again while still wanting his father’s validation. Of course he doesn’t want to get close to anyone, not even the League. He doesn't want to be vulnerable or let people in or form connections because the last time that happened he was let down, forsaken, and it hurt so much it literally made him lose control of his quirk to the point he almost died. When Twice is killed, Dabi consoles himself by saying he didn't care anyway, all to prevent another emotional fire. Dabi is a master of compartmentalizing and boxing away his feelings - this is probably why, 310 chapters into BNHA, we have yet to have a few chapters in his POV or his backstory. He's disconnected from himself. He knows his plot to get justice will hurt his siblings and mother and to live with himself and move forward he represses those feelings.

Because of his father not showing up on Sekoto peak, Dabi has to live with physical disabilities due to his scars and memories of burning alive. He doesn't want to go through that again so he lies to himself that he doesn't care about anyone or anything. He denies that he's still in pain while simultaneously seeking validation of his pain. He acts like he doesn't care about his family but still calls them affectionate names. He acts like he hates Endeavor and calls him by his name but still wants his attention. He decided long ago that he would die destroying Endeavor's career because that was the thing Endeavor cares about most of all in this life. It's a "you hurt me so I'll hurt you" mentality. He has tricked himself into thinking this is justice, failing to realize this won't make him feel better if he doesn't die by his own hand along the way.

Dabi is full of resentment and spite, both of which take root from feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and the loss of a purpose and the realization that he wasn't born to be loved for who he was but as a tool for his father. The first betrayal he suffered was in the form of realizing his father didn't love him genuinely, and this was identity-breaking for him. He never recovered from it. The second betrayal, the reinforcer, was his father not showing up to Sekoto Peak. Since then, Dabi is reliving his trauma over and over again the more he uses his quirk and the more he faces Endeavor. To be saved, Dabi needs to accept that he is loved unconditionally and needs to be validated that he was right to feel thrown aside and used.

[mickey-henry]

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝

pairing: bucky barnes (bookstore au) x reader

summary: eager to escape the heat, you find yourself in the presence of a mesmerizing bookstore and an irresistibly beautiful man.

word count: 2.3K

author’s note: hello! welcome to my third fic😊 I’m eager to share this with you all! I now have a taglist (the link is also in my bio) if you’re interested🥰 thank you to @certainaesthetic​ for helping me workshop this idea, @fuckandfluff​ for the grammar help, and @midnightf​ for hyping me up as I wrote it! likes, reblogs, messages, replies, and comments are cherished! the header images are from pinterest and the divider is from here. I hope you like it! 💖

You’re desperate to escape the smoldering heat. It’s too hot to rest in the car; it’s been baking all day beneath the sweltering summer sun, parked just outside your place of work. If you attempt to sit in it now, you’d only be greeted with a wave of torrid air, stung with the touch of your seatbelt, and burnt from the searing leather of your steering wheel.

You’re off from work earlier than usual—the blinding sun is usually long beneath the horizon before you head home for the day. The pathetically small sun visor does nothing to shade your eyes from the blazing sunlight. Rather than driving half-blind, you decide to wait out the setting sun.

As you ponder how to spend the rest of your afternoon, you realize that now is an opportune time to visit the new bookstore, The Book Haven, that opened last month. After changing out of your uniform and throwing your work stuff in the trunk, you walk across the plaza to the shop entrance.

The bookstore greets you with the chime of a bell and a rush of cool air as you step in, a blissful contrast to the scorching outdoors. The welcoming scent of coffee grounds and the tangy aroma of old books accompany the refreshing breeze. You take a deep breath, appreciating the convivial atmosphere. The bookstore is a sublime sight; words almost can’t describe its charm.

Shelves like skyscrapers—stuffed to the brim with books, magazines, and comics—graze the ceiling. An intimate reading nook lies next to the door; an inviting window seat dwells beside a floor-to-ceiling window. Clear mosaic window clings cover the glass, casting beautiful rainbows throughout the store. Stringed vintage light bulbs illuminate the shelves; candle-lit sconces adorn the top corners of each one. Oriental rugs lay between the shelves, covering a dark mocha floor. Tucked in the back of the store is a small coffee cranny, hidden at first glance. Frank Sinatra’s charming, rich vocals travel through the air, tickling your ears. The owner clearly put the utmost time, energy, and love into the creation of their shop. It is unequivocally perfect and already one of your favorite places.

You wander to the classics section, enthralled by the exquisite covers. Sensing someone nearby, your eyes glance at movement caught in the corner of your eye. Your stomach somersaults at the stunning stranger. The instant you lay your eyes on him, you forget to breathe for a moment—your breath engulfs your throat. You’re astounded by the Adonis of a man before you.

Bristles of scruff grace his defined jawline—his low man-bun neatly styles his dark chestnut hair. A grey short-sleeve button-up shirt hugs his toned arms; a white tank top clings to his lean, fit frame; cuffed slim-fit khaki pants, help up by a bronze braided belt, embrace his thick thighs; and weathered, chunky brown leather shoes don his feet.

Through the rose-colored glasses that surround your heart, your soul imagines a life with a perfect stranger. The hopeless romantic in you can’t help but steal glances, hoping to catch a better glimpse of him. The moment he turns to walk away, your heart sinks to your stomach. You hope this isn’t the last time you see this gorgeous man.

A few minutes later, you’re mulling over a collectible edition of The Catcher in the Rye, attempting to justify purchasing yet another copy of your favorite book. A melodic voice interrupts your pondering. “That’s a pretty edition of The Catcher in the Rye you’ve got there.”

You turn towards the charming voice. Lo-and-behold, it’s the love of your life: the handsome stranger you’ve mentally lived a lifetime with. His beauty is even more profound up close: now you can see that his eyes are a lovely shade of blue. His eyes, haunted by a subtle sadness, draw you in, unlike anything you’ve experienced before. You find yourself entranced in his sea-blue current; you could easily drown in his gaze. You attempt to hide your awestruck expression and converse with him like a normal human being. “I agree! I already own a copy though, do I really need a new one?”

“I think we both know the answer is always yes,” he assures.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me. I'll get it! Thank you for justifying my unnecessary purchase.”

Your words hang in the air, everything going quiet as you wait for the ravishing stranger to introduce himself. The two of you stare in silence at each other, the tension thickening as the seconds pass by. After a few moments, his face flashes in realization—you were waiting for his name.

“I’m Bucky,” he offers with an enchanting smile, extending his hand out to you. You share your name as the two of you shake hands. Your eyes stare down his veiny arm to his ring-studded fingers grasped around yours. You allow yourself to imagine for a few moments how amazing those fingers would feel tracing your arms, tangling your hair, and teasing your inner thigh. Your lustful reverie comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of the book nestled inside the crook of his elbow: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the bane of your existence. You scoff with furrowed brows; of course, Mr. Handsome Stranger would be interested in the one book you despise.

“Got something to say there, sweetheart?” he questions with an amused grin.

“Out of all the classic novels in this entire store, that’s the one you chose? The Metamorphosis?”

“What’s wrong with this one?” he jives.

You pause for a second, debating whether it’s worth it to argue with a stranger. The pondering lasts only a few seconds; the exhaustion from your day disintegrates your filter. Besides, you loathe The Metamorphosis.

“What isn’t wrong with it? The dude wakes up thinking he’s an insect? The reader has to sit there throughout the entire book, wondering whether he’s a man or a bug? What the actual fuck? I didn’t appreciate the existential crisis that book gave me at fifteen; if I can help someone else avoid the suffering caused by that monstrosity, I'm going to do my part,” you huff, unamused by the joy Bucky seems to gain from your zealous analysis.

“Wow, what a passionate review! Perez Hilton would be envious of your slander. Okay then, what classic would you recommend instead?”

You cross your arms, expecting him to challenge your response. “The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.”

“That’s a play,” he counters.

“It’s published as a book; it counts! It’s witty, playful, and has a happy ending, which is the most important point of all. It also doesn’t make you want to pull a Fahrenheit 451 and burn every copy in existence,” you attest.

He steps closer to you, tucking loose strands of his hair behind his ear. “Life doesn’t always have a happy ending, sweetheart.”

Great, there he goes again with that freaking pet name; it’s going to be the death of you. He knows your name, you just gave it to him, yet here he is, infuriatingly insisting on calling you sweetheart instead. Stupid pretty boy with his ocean blue eyes and amorous smile.

“That’s exactly the point,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “So, why would I want to read something that doesn’t end well? If I’m going to escape this reality for a while, it better be for a happier one.”

“And if it's not?”

“Then I’ll throw the book across the room and make up my own happy ending!”

“Ooh, aggressive,” he tuts. “The owner of this place might not be too happy with you if you’re throwing books all over the place; it’ll scare away the customers.”

“Then it’s a good thing the owner isn’t here,” you interject confidently, knowing full well you have no idea who the owner is.

“Well, that just isn’t true, sweetheart. You’re looking right at him.”

He’s lying—he has to be. Why would a dreamboat like Bucky own a bookstore?

You scoff, “you’re not the owner of this place.”

“I’m not? What makes you say that?” he banters.

“People like you don’t own bookstores!” you exclaim.

“People like me?” he goads, cocking his head to the side. The action erupts butterflies in your stomach.

“Attractive people!” you groan.

“So you think I’m attractive?” he plays, stepping to close the gap between you.

“Psh, no, you wish,” you muster. The heat spreading across your cheeks betrays your bluff.

There are mere inches between the both of you now; you hope he can’t hear your racing heartbeat. You watch his eyes go down from yours to your mouth and back up again. He eyes you with a smirk, his teeth playfully tugging his bottom lip. It takes everything in your power not to give in to his spell.

“I’ve known you for what, five minutes? I don’t go around kissing strangers, Bucky,” you falter, taking a step back from his closeness.

“Then let’s not be strangers, sweetheart. Grab a coffee with me; I know a nice place, not far from here,” he flirts, gesturing to the counter at the back of the store.

“Let me learn more about what goes on in that pretty little head of yours,” he purrs, his breath tickling your cheek.

“Okay, fine. I’ll have a coffee with you,” you surrender.

A bright, honeyed smile dons his face.  

“It better be good, though. Not the stale crap you usually get in the middle of the afternoon.”

“I’d only give you the best, sweetheart,” he winks, extending his right hand. You take it; he gives you a soft squeeze before weaving you through the towering shelves.

Your discussion continues with another passionate book review as he prepares your drink. He’s a sucker for gritty dystopian novels while you gravitate towards sappy romances. He shares his passion for painting as he guides you to the reading nook. The artwork hung on the edges of the bookcases is crafted by him—a detail you hadn’t noticed at first glance. His stunning work features both landscapes and people. He loves to sit in a picturesque landscape and paint for endless hours. Occasionally, he takes his old polaroid as he explores the town, snapping moments between strangers, translating their intimacy to canvas when he gets home.

He gestures for you to take a seat in the reading nook before handing you our steaming cup of joe. You sit with your legs crossed, your hands hugging the mug in your lap. Bucky sits with his leg draped over the side of the bench, his left foot pressing into his right thigh. The conversation shifts topics; the two of you divulge your desires and unfulfilled ambitions. You aren’t sure if it’s the look in his eyes, the sweet cup of joe in your palms, or the aroma of coffee surrounding you, but in his presence, your senses feel wide awake.

Before you know it, the mesmeric moon replaces the sizzling sun, melting away the blistering heat, and the steaming cup of coffee in your hands has long chilled. Bucky’s employee interrupts the blissful rendezvous, informing him that all the closing duties are complete, and he’s headed home for the night.

You stare at your watch in shock—it's five past nine. Where did the time go? You apologize profusely to the poor kid who had to close up alone; he assures you it’s no problem.

A melancholic pit in your stomach forms as you turn back to Bucky. He’s nestled himself into your soul; you don’t want to say farewell to him so soon. He has a sad glint in his eyes; you hope it’s because he’s also dreading the end of this perfect night.

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asks timidly, his earlier suave demeanor gone from his voice. He stands up in front of you, offering his arm to escort you.

“I’d love that,” you reply with a shy grin, grabbing his arm and hugging it tightly.

In the blink of an eye, you’re in front of your car. You let go of his arm and lean against the trunk. You stare into his eyes, hoping that he can see without the use of words how much you don’t want this moment to end. There’s a few moments of painful silence before Bucky clears his throat.

“So, now that we’re not total strangers, how about that kiss?” he flirts with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” you reply with a bashful smile.

He slowly reaches his hand towards your cheek, softly stroking it with his thumb. He presses his forehead against yours. “Are you sure you want to do this? ‘Cause if we do, you might not be able to get rid of me, sweetheart.”

“Yes I do, Bucky,” you giggle.

He grins as he gently presses his pillowy pink lips on yours. The kiss steals all the air from your lungs—his touch sends tingles throughout your body, electrifying your veins. You’re breathless when your lips finally part.

“Let me get your number before I let you go,” Bucky insists. You nod and hand him your phone, unable to form a coherent thought.  The ghost of his lips and fingers trace your figure. You’re barely acquainted with his tender touch, yet you feel naked without it, yearning to once again be within his grasp.

You exchange phones—adding your number and name with a sparkling heart emoji and swiftly passing his phone back before you can change your mind. Bucky snaps a quick selfie for his contact, smirking for the camera. You grin when you see he also put emojis by his name: a beetle and a kissy-face.

He pecks your cheek before opening the car door for you. “Hope to see you around, lovebug.” The new pet name burns your cheeks and erupts butterflies in your stomach.

He doesn’t leave the parking lot until your car disappears completely from his view.

You drive home with thoughts of Bucky swirling in your mind. You send a silent thanks to the universe for bringing this beautiful man into your life. His voice, touch, and smile echo in your thoughts for the remainder of the evening—his presence paving its way through your dreams. You’re falling hard and fast; you only hope he’ll be there to catch you.

tagging a few mutuals who expressed interest in this story🥰please fill out the taglist form if you’d like to be tagged in the next story! 💖

@ritesofreverie @midnightf @certainaesthetic

[ynscrazylife]

Hey !! i love ur writing style <3 i wanted to ask you if you could write a loki x reader where the reader and loki have been best friends for a long time now and after he faked his death in tdw he knocks on their door and the reader and loki have an argument and then they kiss?? maybe like the scene in crimson peak “you lied to me” “i did” “you told me you loved me” “i do” smth similar? :)

The Greatest Deception | loki angst fluff fic

Summary: After Loki reveals himself to be alive, Y/N has some choice words to say. Loki has a question.

Authors Note: Thanks for requesting! Also, I want to say that I fully support and acknowledge that Loki is genderfluid. Seeing as this fic was requested with Loki having he/him pronouns, I will use those pronouns. (Also, I didn’t know which pronouns you wanted me to write since you mentioned they for the reader but typically I use she/her, so lemme know if you want that edited)

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

MCU Masterlist #1 | MCU Masterlist #2 |  Main Masterlist 

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

header c @/someiconsx

“Lady Y/N?”

The voice was muffled through the door and the one in question rolled from her side and onto her stomach as she laid in her bed. A low groan emitted from the creature whose limbs were tangled in the blanket and sheets.

. . .

“Lady Y/N?”

A short knock-knock accompanied the repeating words, and Y/N had a feeling of that the lovely woman who she’d love to talk to at any other time wouldn’t stop until she replied.

She pulled herself into a sitting position, smoothed over her unruly hair, and finally pulled the covers up so her pajamas wouldn’t be seen and called out, “Come in!”

The woman opened the door and sent her a sheepish smile. “The All-Father has requested your present, ma’am,” she informed her.

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Do you know the reason as to why?” She quizzed.

The woman spared a quick, darting glance at Y/N’s window. “Well, the All-Father has requested all of the palace’s royals and higher-ups to gather in the courtyard. He is gathering local citizens for a, ah, play, and more would like, in this words, his ‘most esteemed confidants to enjoy,’,” she answered, subtly bouncing her weight from one foot to the other.

Y/N thought for a moment. This was the first time she was hearing that the King was holding a play — not to mention, the fact that the last play (if you could even call it that, because by Heimdall’s recounting it was horrific) was held before any of the children of Odin were born.

Just thinking about that caused a twinge to hit her stomach and for it to twist up. Loki. Odin’s youngest child and the one that had most recently left her, as he sacrificed herself to save his vaillant brother, Prince Thor. It had been weeks, maybe even a month, since Y/N had heard the news and had been resorted to a lonely, saddened version of herself. Loki was her best friend, the person she trusted more than anything and—no, no, who was she kidding? He’s more than that, and he deserves to be remembered as more than that by her.

He’s also the one that she loves, and has loved for at least the past year when she realized it.

Nonetheless, she had taken many steps to get through the grief of Loki’s dead — as had his father — and she wasn’t going to let all her hard work crumble down on one, singular thought.

“Very well, then. Please inform the All-Father that I will be there shortly, thank you,” she said.

The woman nodded and bowed her head before exiting.

Once the door had been fully shut and she could hear footsteps no more, Y/N crossed over to her window and drew back the curtains, not having missed the look at said window.

The sunlight poured into her room but the stage was indeed sent. Rows of fine chairs sat with rows of fine people in them. In front, Odin stood with a red curtain drawn closed behind him. His arms were gesturing wildly and he had a big grin on his face as he gave his speech.

Despite the curiosity that itched into Y/N’s face, she pushed it aside. She had never seen the King conduct himself in such ways, but alas, everyone grieved differently. So, she closed the curtains and got dressed for the day ahead.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

The moment Y/N stepped outside, she could’ve sworn that there was already long beads of sweat trailing down her skin. She let out a huff but journeyed on towards the courtyard, as this formal royal wear was necessary and she had no intention of pissing off Sir Snotty-Dickhead — as she called him (he had some fancy and long name she couldn’t remember, in her defense) — who was Odin’s right hand man.

By the time she got there, Odin was still rambling on with his speech, but his sudden notice of Y/N saved the guests from boredom.

“Aha, the guest of honor! Lady Y/N, herself,” Odin announced, bringing his hands together in a clap and gesturing for her to come toward him.

She betrayed herself and her cheeks involuntarily reddened as all eyes laid on her. She approached Odin and curtsied out of respect, but her mind was full of wonderings of why she, of all, would be singled out.

“I’m sure you all know who Lady Y/N is, yes?” He began, briefly pausing before continuing. “If you sadly do not, let me tell you. Lady Y/N had been a friend of the royal family, specifically my child, Loki’s—” the name caused her to suck in a sharp breath, “—and she was granted the title of Lady to uphold the image of the palace and to complete very important Asgardian duties.”

Once he stopped talking and the crowd clapped politely, Y/N took the opportunity she was presented before it’s door could close and quickly went and sat in her seat, the only seat not occupied yet, in the front row.

Odin then began speaking against whilst he walked to the side, “Speaking of my dear child Loki, this play that has been put together is one designed to honor him and his heroic sacrifice. Without further ado . . . ” He let his words trail off, and the red curtain pulled open.

Y/N’s face contorted into surprise at the words, not expecting this to take place. Again, she reminded herself, everyone grieved differently, so she decided to give it a chance. However, as the play went on, she was quick to realize that honoring Loki wasn’t the intention here. The horrid acting could be excused but Odin himself allowing this mockery of how Loki died? Of how he sacrificed himself? Well, with every second that passed, her face heated more and more — and not due to the sweat — and she grit her teeth, just barely refraining from yelling.

The worst part for her came though when the actor who played Loki did a dramatic reenactment of his sacrificed and the actor who played Thor did the worst fake crying ever. Y/N turned to the others, expecting them to be just as enraged as she was, but was floored to find that no—they were laughing. And not just that, but Odin was having himself a chuckle as well!

Her fingers tightly gripped the edges of her chair and she forced herself to look straight ahead, just about able to hold in her tears until the play was over and the actors bowed.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

Afterwards, while everyone was standing and giving Odin rounds and rounds of praises, Y/N stayed rooted in her seat. She couldn’t just let this go by as if it were nothing, but she was struggling to compose herself to confront him.

After a couple minutes of going back-and-forth, she decided, screw composure. She didn’t have to be composed. She was allowed to be angry.

So, she stood up and marched straight for him.

“All-Father,” Y/N said through grit teeth, forcing herself to curtesy, “I request your company in private, if I may.”

It took Odin a moment to tear himself away from accepting his latest comment, but the way he quickly glanced over at Y/N, she knew that he had not noticed — or perhaps he did not care — the state she was in.

“My apologies, Lady Y/N, but should I depart now, I fear I shall upset my comrades!” Odin said, ending his comment in a boastful joy, which resulted in laughter and cheers.

He didn’t wait for her response before engaging in another conversation, and Y/N’s lips remained tightly shut until she decided to just go forth and let her stuffed-up emotions out.

“Fine. I will say it in front of everyone, then!” She said, firmly and loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. “That was a pathetic excuse to remember Loki . . . It was an insult! You mocked him, your own child! How could you even— I . . . I just don’t understand . . . He sacrificed himself for your son and for Asgard and this is how you repay him? God. I expected much, much more from you for him because I . . . Let’s just say that we both love Loki, in our own ways, and I-I . . . I am very disappointed.”

Wanting to flee from the tears that were now streaming down her face and from the silence that was pounding, she turned around and she walked away, the realization that she had just confessed her love in front of everyone hitting her.

“Lady Y/N!”

Odin’s words stopped her in her tracks, but she did not turn around. Just stood. Waited.

“He told Thor, before he passed, that he, uh . . . He loved you, too.”

Y/N stared straight ahead, her hand jutting out to grab the pillar next to her to steady herself.

Loki loved her?

She didn’t stop the tears from coming this time. She let them, and the sobs, overwhelm her.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

“Lady Y/N?”

The voice and the knock were much more stiff than they were this morning.

“Come in.”

Her response was devoid of emotion, much more curt than it was this morning.

The same woman turned the door’s knob and opened it, sending Y/N, who was curled up on her bed, head nestled into her knees, a wary look. “The All-Father has requested your presence at his quarters,” she said.

Y/N let out a small huff, in no mood to talk to the King after what had happened. She forced her head up and gazed boredom at the woman. “Is it an emergency?” She deadpanned.

The woman looked around the room and by her lack of response, Y/N knew that either she didn’t know or didn’t want to say.

She sighed. “I will be there shortly,” she said.

The woman nodded and wordlessly left.

After she did, Y/N stood up and went in front of her mirror, taking in her appearance. Her once brushed hair was now frizzy and in knots and her eyes were puffy and red. Angrily, she practically tore the hairbrush through her hair and dabbed at her eyes with makeup until the red could be seen no more. She had no intention of letting him see her this way.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

Screw formalities, Y/N thought, as she walked straight into Odin’s quarters which composed of a small living room, a bedroom down the hall, an office, and a bathroom. She didn’t bother to curtsy or announce her presence.

When he finally and gradually turned around from whatever he was doing, a slight look of shock crossed his features, before he replaced it with a warm smile. “Y/N!” He said, but quickly corrected himself, “Lady Y/N.”

Y/N frowned and crossed her arms. “I hope that you have called me here to apologize,” she said, an icy edge to her voice.

Odin nonetheless looked at her kindly. “In a way, yes,” he vaguely said, before a magical transformation underwent before her.

His wrinkles disappeared, his beard disappeared, his grey hair turned jet black, and his clothes transformed into his usual wear.

No longer was the All-Father standing in front of her, but her best friend. The one she loved.

Taken by utter shock, Y/N instinctively stumbled back, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening. “What the hell is this?” She gasped out, not wanting to believe it at first. It was a cruel trick — it must be! There was no way.

“It’s me,” the mischievous deity said, a rare softness to his voice and in his eyes. He took a step forward, but then stopped himself. “I never died, I only impersonated my father.”

Y/N stared at him, angry tears coming to her eyes once more. “How?” She forced out, thinking that maybe she was dreaming. “Why?”

Loki looked around, slightly dumbfounded, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to question him. “I wanted the throne,” he answered, as if it were obvious and a perfectly acceptable reason.

Y/N stared at him as if he had grown two heads. To her, he might as well have.

“Oh, really? So you take over your father, trick everyone - me, your brother - into believing that you’re dead, you banish Sif . . . All because you wanted the goddamn throne?” She cried.

The cluelessness left his eyes and replaced itself with guilt, regret pooling inside him. He looked down, shoulders falling with a sigh.

“I’ve felt guilty tricking you ever since it had all went down. I wanted to tell you but, honestly, a part of me didn’t think you’d be that upset over my death. But you were really, so upset and I . . . I was lost. I didn’t know what to do. All I wanted to do was hug you and tell you that it was fine, that I was here, but I thought I’d screw up your emotions and hurt you even more,” he admitted.

Y/N just looked at him, her frown growing deeper. “That’s an awful excuse,” she hissed out, words laced with venom.

Loki immediately snapped his head up to look at her and his gaze held desperateness. “It’s not an excuse,” he said quickly. “It shouldn’t be. I’m . . . I’m so sorry. The last thing I ever wanted to was to trick you, and . . . I did. But today was the final straw. I couldn’t continue like that.”

Y/N took a step forward, having an inner battle in herself on whether or not to forgive him. “You lied to me,” she reiterated bluntly.

Loki nodded guiltily. “I did,” he agreed in a small voice.

She took a pause, taking in a deep breath. “You told me you loved me,” she added.

There was a brief moment of silence before Loki said, in the same small way but a little more firm now, “I do.”

Y/N kept walking, not even fully sure or convinced of what she was doing, but knowing that she needed to do it, until she was standing just inches away from him. They looked at each other for a couple moments, neither saying anything, until Y/N wrapped her arms around Loki. He returned the embrace.

“Never do that to me again!” She yelled through the tears that were now coming. God, was she tired of crying. Especially today.

Loki hugged her tighter, his own tears falling. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and repeated that over, and over, and over again. “I’m an idiot.”

Y/N leaned back and cupped his face with her hands. The love she had for him overwhelmed her pain, and more than anything she needed him now. Besides, she could see his guilt. She could see the truth shining in his eyes. He wouldn’t do anything like this again, because he loved her. And she loved him.

“At least you’re self-aware,” she whispered through a sniff, taking a page out of his book with her joking remark. Before he could quip back (and she was sure he’d have an excellent one), she leaned forward and captured his lips in his a kiss. Loki smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms around her waist.

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[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hi yes im still alive

DON’T MIND ME, I’M JUST--

HAVING A MOMENT TO PROCESS ALL THE LORE AND STORY CHAPTER 6 JUST DROPPED ON US, I CAN BARELY WRITE

AHHHHHHH, I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS 😭 kjdbbaufbiafafvoaybo LEMME PUT ON MY THINKING CAP AND THROW SOME STUFF OUT ASDYUBUASDLI;AGVUOQIB;VI You’ll understand why I used Leona’s face here even though it’s Idia and Ortho’s chapter after you read my thoughts--

***Chapter 6 (and other main story) spoilers below the cut!***

Okay, just to keep it simple, I’ll try to keep things in chronological order!

First is a bullet point list of my thoughts on chapter 6 so far, then all my questions and theories (mostly a biggish theory on Ace) are at the end of the post.

Expectation: Idia cowering in his room, Vil and Rook busting down his door using Epel as a battering ram, dead Ortho theory confirmed

Reality: SWAT TEAM RAID ON NRC, DORM LEADERS (sans Kalim) AND JAMIL GET KIDNAPPED

Admittedly, I’m disappointed to see that the injury Grim inflicted to MC was basically just a cat scratch and nothing more. I thought it would be a lot more impactful if MC had to deal with juggling the realization that Grim has betrayed their friendship and trust while also on the verge of death (or at least while being severely injured)... And given how MC reacted to the attack at the end of chapter 5, I would think whatever struck them was much more substantial than just a cat scratch. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say either the script got scrubbed by Disney, or the intent was that MC was still woozy from VDC / OB Vil, MC felt so betrayed that it shook them emotionally, or that MC was just that weak by default that they can’t defend themselves against cat claws.

Hey, Ramshackle’s finally getting renovated! Proceeds to immediately get destroyed again--

I feel like????????? They tried to retroactively explain why Neige won to try and mitigate the uproar over how VDC ended. There’s some dialogue between the VDC group about how they didn’t perform at their peak because of having just walked out of dealing with OB Vil, and how Neige’s fans were going to vote for him anyway because they resonated with his background. Honestly, I think they should have moved on from that sore spot instead of bringing it up again, even if how chapter 5 ended didn’t personally bother me.

BOOM, HERE COME THE TWST TERMINATORS--

NOT GONNA LIE, THOSE STYX GUYS LOOK HOT SO COOL

AAAAAAND IT’S KIDNAPPING MONTAGE TIME, KIDS

JOABSFHUPAUABDBADB CALM DOWN, RIDDLE??????? YOU’RE GOING TO COMMIT ARSON IN BROAD DAYLIGHT--

Okay, I know this chapter’s focused on Ignihyde and Grim, but the standout part to me (so far) has been the scene where Leona’s being kidnapped. Historically, Leona has not been a character that I like (excluding that one time I had to pretend to like him for a game). I feel like he’s one massive missed opportunity (he didn’t show up much in chapter 2, he’s pretty similar backstory-wise to his Disney counterpart compared to the other Dorm Leaders, he didn’t seem to learn anything or become a better person even a LITTLE after chapter 2, etc.). I’m not a fan of his lazy and arrogant attitude either (even if it is justified by his backstory). But here? THIS IS THE LEONA I ACTUALLY LIKE AND WANT TO SEE MORE OF. 

LIKE????? I CAN’T DESCRIBE TO YOU HOW MUCH I LIKE THIS SCENE???? Yeah, we have Leona fighting STYX at first, but as soon as he realizes who they are, he wises up and surrenders because he knows better than to resist arrest. AND NOT ONLY THAT, but he uses King’s Roar in a smart way--to turn the falling greenhouse glass panes into sand so they don’t hurt anyone nearby (namely him and Ruggie).

And after he turns himself in????? LEONA TELLS RUGGIE TO TAKE CARE OF SAVANACLAW FOR HIM!!! THIS is what a real leader would do. He looks after himself and his people, but he knows when to surrender, AND he leaves his “kingdom” (the dorm) in good hands while he’s away. THIS is the Leona I want to see.

AJBDUASHPFBUABFIABIYFBIPFAAFIAF I ALSO REALLY LIKE HIS SASS WHEN HE JUST THROWS HIS HANDS UP AND ASDBIASBIABAIODDAYOFAIPPADAIDB SAYS “I’ll go with you, but be careful while escorting me, okay? Despite my looks, I'm a precious prince. I’ll get sick/dizzy if you drive recklessly.” SARCASTIC SASSY SMARTASS??????? IF YOU HAD MORE LINES LIKE THIS, I’D LIKE YOU MORE

I love how Azul’s still talking about capitalism/how he can profit from Idia (apparently the Shrouds are like the TWST equivalent of Google??????) as he’s being escorted away by the agents?????? IF I WERE HIM, I’D BE PISSED OFF THAT THEY INTERRUPTED MY BOARD GAME????? At least let the man finish first--

Damn, everyone’s being tasered???????? And apparently all the STYX agents are equipped with anti-magic plates? I guess Bind the Heart can just eat shit then--

Lilia’s ringtone is cute, period.

CROWLEY CALLED STYX TO CAPTURE GRIM???? GRIM IS OFFICIALLY A SCP THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTAINED????

WAIT WHAT CROWLEY’S BEING KIDNAPPED TOO??????? Oh well, the school is probably safer in Trein’s hands anyway--

askhlbfbilhidbabbidasb RIDDLE WAKES UP POST KIDNAPPING AND HE’S USING LEONA AS A LAP PILLOW?????!

How does it feel to be held in a room against your will, Jamil? Yeah, don’t like a taste of your own medicine, do you?

OH HI IDIA, NICE YZMA MAD SCIENTIST GETUP YOU GOT THERE

Wait, what????? THAT’S IT?????? SERIOUSLY???????

MAN.

I have so many questions??????? Specifically about STYX and what they do, and how the Shrouds are tied into all of it.

So they say STYX is a specialized unit called in to quell serious Overblot cases. And if Crowley called them to deal with Grim... well, bad times ahead for Grim. STYX has also been studying Overblot for a long time, which is why (I think?) they captured Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, and Vil. 

There’s been some allusions made between Grim and Stitch in a lot of fan art and fan theories I’ve seen, since their struggles have some parallels: that being them struggling to decide if they are “good” or “bad”. I don’t know if this was intentional on the part of the TWST writing team, but regardless, it’s a really good concept that plays into the themes of TWST itself. There’s no good, there’s no evil, no black and white--most of the characters we see may be BASED on villains, but that doesn’t MAKE them villains. They are good, and bad, in their own ways--and now Grim is dealing with that crisis as he fights to keep his sanity and avoid completely succumbing to Overblot.

Though Idia seems to be involved with STYX’s research, it doesn’t sound like he personally gave the order to retrieve those test subjects (or at the very least, he’s not happy about roughing up the test subjects), it sounds like the orders came from other people in the organization. His parents, perhaps?

They mention briefly that Idia’s parents are asking him to “come home”, so it must be for something urgent. Are they worried about his safety? But Idia’s lines at the end of chapter 5 lead me to think he is estranged from his family, since he straight up rejected a job offer linked to them (Olympus Corp is owned by the Jupiter family, and the Shrouds are a branch family of Jupier), and says something like “I’m not welcome anywhere”. Has Idia done something to disgrace him from the rest of the family? Or is it more of a self imposed/self inflicted statement, given that he always says he’s “cursed” and acts like he’s guilty of something that deserves scorn?

Why is Idia participating in STYX research, even if it means experimenting on his fellow students (and fellow board game enthusiast Azul)? People are speculating that he wants to use blots to fully revive Ortho (if dead Ortho theory is true), or that Idia actually has heroic intentions (he wants to know more about blots to prevent OBing from happening?), but at this point??? Literally anything could happen?!

In future parts, I’m guessing Pomefiore, MC, and Adeuce will team up to break Jamil and the Dorm Leaders (except Malleus, Malleus got left out again www) out? And HOPEFULLY we get to see Rook’s Unique Magic or at least more screen time, since I feel like he got so little in chapter 5... Another thing I’d like to see is Ace and/or Epel getting their Unique Magic, or at least starting to develop it. It’s really mostly Ace I want more details for.

A theory I’ve been holding onto for a long time is that Deuce getting his UM will spur Ace on to become jealous (since he has always seen Deuce as an idiot/”lesser” than him), and that will cause a rift in the friendship, or for Ace to throw himself into a dangerous situation to prove himself (he has done it before with Riddle)... and has his ass rescued again. This would make Ace even angrier, since he feels like everyone is treating him like a little kid or rubbing it in that he isn’t “as good” as they are. I don’t know where it would go from there (I’m sure TWST would get creative), but ultimately it would culminate in Ace making amends with everyone and rushing in to save them from either Grim or Idia OB.

I don’t think Ace would discover his UM in a similar manner as Deuce (Deuce had to embrace his own stubbornness and straightforwardness, but as the term “Unique” Magic implies, the way a magic develops and manifests is “unique” to the user). While Deuce has to learn to accept his own way of thinking, I believe Ace is already sure of his own way of thinking and has totally accepted it. I think what Ace has to deal with instead is coming to terms with his fickleness. We’ve seen him time and time again treating his loved ones kind of callously, from constantly bullying MC, Grim, and Deuce to ghosting his own girlfriend and flaking on people when they are counting on him to do a task.

The issue with Ace isn’t that he isn’t aware, it’s that he is aware and he seems to think this behavior is totally okay. He demonstrates little to no remorse in what he does and says, and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequences either (how many times does he get punished by Riddle, yet he keeps doing the same dumb things over and over?). Ace appears to operate under the mindset of always being in the right, or (if he’s in the wrong), he won’t really acknowledge it, or he will wave it off as “no big deal”--and I think that’s his greatest weakness.

In the scenario I described earlier, I mentioned that Ace’s jealousy will cause a wedge between him and his friends, and I think this will play into him realizing the error of his ways. When he has finally driven away all of the people that supported him, what will he have left? Nothing. Then maybe Ace suddenly finds himself relating to Idia, or to Grim, who have Overblotted and are in a similar emotional state as he is. Confused and lonely... and that energizes him to pitch in again, even if all he has is wind magic up his sleeve. Everyone could be shocked that Ace has returned, and in that moment, he could finally realize his true potential and unlock his Unique Magic!

(Maybe that’s too specific, but that’s a scenario that I’ve had playing in my head for a long time!)

... Buuuuut given that Ace has gotten little to no spotlight so far in chapter 6, I’m not sure if they’ll lean into him developing his UM yet (unless they pull a chapter 5 and really start addressing Ace in the latter half of the chapter like they did with Deuce). Seeing as chapter 6 is dealing with a lot of heavy topics (death, Grim lore, Overblot lore), I’m thinking maybe the TWST team will push off Ace’s UM development to chapter 7???? The only way I can see it happening in chapter 6 is if the chapter is SUPER long, or if the writing is REALLY good or really bad. 

Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!! I’m so excited for the rest of chapter 6... I hope that we don’t have to wait too long for it!

[donutloverxo]

Some help

Note - this is a sequel to first night but can be read as a stand alone as well. Sorry for the months of delay. These maybe my words but my dear friend lizzygal(on ao3) helped me a lot! Couldn't have done it without her.

Beautiful dividers by @firefly-graphics.

Summary - Steve recruits his brothers help in knocking you up.

Warnings - 18+ only please, dub con, so much smut, soft dark!Steve and Bucky, Bucky is Steve's half brother, mentions of period sex, mfm threesome, some analplay, breeding kink, homophobia/sexism (cause it's medieval times).

Pairing - King!Steve x reader, Steve x reader x Bucky, Bucky x reader.

Word count - 5.8k

Masterlist is linked in the bio!

“Steven,” you hummed next to his ear, his name smoothly rolling off your tongue. He never gave you the permission to call him that but you were his wife and soon-to-be queen, who would dare stop you?

He quirked a brow, looking up from the book he was reading to you, his blonde hair shining so brightly in the sunlight, the blue in his eyes even more prominent. “What do you want, my love?” he asked. Touching your lower lip with his thumb, pulling it down a bit just for his own amusement.

He had suggested a picnic with you to be more romantic. As you had demanded for him to be. It was his own fault, as much as he loved taking you apart and putting you back together every single night that wouldn’t be enough for a women. His late mother had taught better.

Never hit a woman. Always protect her and provide for her. Never force yourself on your wife.

He knew better than to even look at a woman the wrong way. He was well aware of his fathers philandering ways, how he had more than a few bastards, and the bruises his mother worked so hard to covered up.

Even though his half-brother Bucky was a product of an affair, his mother took him in and treated him as her own. Bucky had saved his life more times than he could count.

Looking at your pretty face now, he knew he could never do anything to hurt you. He loved you far too much, even though he had yet to tell you that. He knew for sure that anyone who dared hurt you would die a gruesome death by his hands.

“Would you like to play a game? I’m bored of reading.” you whined, pouting your bottom lip as his thumb stroked your chin.

You had been married to the king for over two months now and things couldn’t be better. You were sure he’d be cruel towards you, what with the way he treated you on your wedding night. But... apparently that was just a part of coupling. He only ever acted like that in bed.

He refused to let you have your own room. A king and queen sharing chambers was unheard of. At first, you weren’t sure what to make of it. He had given you the excuse of wanting a son as soon as possible and that there was no way he could keep his hands off of you.

“Sure,” he closed the book keeping it aside, “What would you like to play?”

“Well, I used to play tag with my sisters. So... um... I run and you chase after me, if you’re able to catch me then I run after you,” your eyes lit up. You hadn’t had a moment to breath or have childish fun in weeks with your wifely duties, which we’re too fun to be called ‘duties', and your duties as the future queen.

He shook his head, caressing your face “Can you run? You’re so clumsy, princess, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” he teased. He had tried to teach you how to ride a horse but you seemed to have no sense of balance.

You puffed your cheeks, “I won’t.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” he laughed “What do I get if I catch you?”

“What would you like?” you blinked.

He hummed in thought, he could ask you what he really wanted. But it’d scare off a good girl like you. He’d have to train you and discipline you some more. You were still shy and inexperienced. It’d take time and he was more than willing to wait.

“I want a lot of things... but right now I’ll settle for a kiss,” he smiled.

“Just a kiss,” you giggled “deal,” you shook his hand on it before getting up and fixing your skirts.

“I’ll give some time to get far enough. It’s no fun if I catch you in a moment and win,” he smirked.

“We’ll see,” you hollered over your shoulder, already on your feet, running as fast as you could.

You ran for the woods near the palace, towards the small waterfall you loved so much.

Laughing in mirth, with the soft summer breeze in your face, you couldn’t bring yourself to care about mudding your skirts. You craned your neck to see if he was following you, sticking your tongue out to him, “You’ll never catch me.”

He frowned at that. He was running at a much slower pace, just to let you have your fun but he wasn’t about to let you get away with being so cheeky. It would set a bad precedent. Increasing his pace, he circled a hand around your waist, sweeping you off your feet and in the air, “What was that, princess?” he whispered huskily in your ear.

“Oh,” you shivered, squirming in his hold “It’s not fair! You’re a warrior, of course you’d be more athletic than me.”

“Now, don’t be a sore loser,” He pressed his lips to your cheek. “You’re only as good as your word,” he said putting you back down on your feet as you turned around to face him.

“Fine,” you grumbled, standing up on your toes and puckering your lips to kiss him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, stopping you.

“Kissing you?” you frowned.

“You promised a kiss. But we didn’t decide on where it would be.”

“Where do you want it?” you tilted your head, frowning in confusion.

He took a hold of your wrist, bringing your hand down to his crotch to make you feel his arousal. His chasing after you as if you’re his prey, had done something to him.

You gasped, “No! My king, not here.” you shook your head. You had only pleasured him with your mouth a few times, it was hard work but worth it to see make him feel good and seemed to work you up for some reason as well.

“You’re denying your king?” you shook your head again, “Get on with it before someone comes and sees us. It would be a scandal,” he rushed you, working on freeing his erection.

“I - ” you gulped. You had no other choice.

“Your grace!” you both whipped your head as you heard someone calling. “Your grace,” Peter came running through the bushes.

“What’s wrong?” Steve fixed his pants before walking towards the boy.

“We’ve just received word. The enemy has seized the fort in queens.” he heaved “and - and they’re terrorizing the villages. They killed the Lord and his family.”

Steve processed the new information. This was bad. As good as he was at fighting a war he’d never want to willingly do it. Not unless it was a last resort. It caused too much death and misery.

He had married you just to avoid one with your kingdom, hoping to make a firm, or a good enough, alliance instead. It was a blessing in disguise really.

“Alright. Get the troops ready. We’ll leave at first light. And send for Lord Barnes,” he instructed.

“My king,” he heard your trembling voice looking behind to see you so scared, hugging yourself to make yourself small, “Are you leaving as well?” you wanted to know.

“You know I have to, petal,” he replied pulling you flush against his chest. He nuzzled his nose in your hair “You have to take care of the kingdom while I’m gone.”

“But I don’t know anything.” you sniffled.

“You’re much stronger than you think,” he swayed you both to calm you, “ and on’t you worry. I’m leaving Bucky behind. He’ll guide you.”

“No,” you pulled away to look at his face “you said that he’s your sergeant. Don’t you need him?”

“I need the kingdom to be safe, too. Sweetheart, I know what I’m doing.” He said kissing your knuckles.

You twisted and turned in your bed. Missing the warmth your husband provided you with. But he had been gone for over a month. You had to post pone your coronation and your visit to your parents.

You drowned yourself in the courts activities everyday, hoping to keep your mind off of things. If anything happened to your husband, you couldn’t bear it.

You were surrounded by people everyday, who seemed kind but you had never felt so lonely. They were only kind to you because they were scared of you. They didn’t really know you.

And you didn’t know anyone there, except for James. While you had developed a friendship with him he was often busy with his duties.

You gave up on sleep. Putting a robe on to cover yourself, you made your way to James' chambers with your guards following you.

With the king being gone and you visiting his brother in the middle of the night - you knew it wouldn’t look good. You couldn’t think about that right now. You needed to speak to James. To confess your anxieties, to have him reassure you.

You didn’t bother to knock, you nudged the door open. You blinked, rubbing your eyes just to make sure you weren’t seeing things. A woman was straddling his waist, bouncing up and down on his cock, you didn’t even know women could be on top, another was... sitting... on his face? Why would she do that? Wouldn’t that suffocate him?

When she threw her head back, moaning wantonly, you understood. Your cheeks heated up as you realised what he was doing. Just like Steven uses his tongue and mouth on you...

“Oh heavens!” the one on his face gasped as the other one stopped her moments, looking at you as her jaw dropped.

“What?” James grumbled.

“It’s the queen,” she winced as they both got off of him, collecting their clothes “I’m sorry, your grace - we’re sorry,” she gave you an apologetic look. Scurrying their way out as James quickly put on his breeches.

“Your grace,” he greeted you. “What brings you here?” he grunted, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Who were they?” you asked. You had no idea how or why you felt so betrayed. James was his own person, he was known to be a ladies man, you should’ve expected this.

“They were whores, your grace.” His lips twitched as he suppressed a smirk at the incredulous look on your face. Steve had told him about your naiveté, how it was so adorable and how it strangely turned him on. He seemed to love having you as his wife, that was for sure.

“You’re doing this, while your brother is off fighting a war?” you scoffed.

“It was just a way to clear my mind, princess,” he retorted. “How can I help you?”

“I - ” you couldn’t even think of anything, what would you say? Why were you here anyway. “I miss, Steven,” you said, your bottom lip trembling as tears welled up in your eyes.

“Oh,” he smiled.

You truly were adorable. And while he was happy that his brother had someone who loved him so deeply, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealously. Steve had someone like you. Who loved him for who he was. Who was missing him and waiting for him to come home.

“Steve is very capable. He can take care of himself. Don’t you worry, he’ll be back before you know it,” he promised.

“We haven’t heard from him in days. What if, god forbid, something terrible had happened,” you choked on a sob, hugging yourself you thought of how miserable your life would be without him.

Not just because you’d have to take on an entire kingdom but also because you didn’t know what you would do with yourself without him. If you’d never see his face again... you couldn’t think of anything worse.

“Hey, now,” he was about to reason with you, but you wrapped your hands around his waist, burying your face in his damp chest. “He’ll be back. Have some faith,” he said.

Steve had never been good at sharing. Even as a kid he’d often be vaguely jealous. Since he was much smaller and sicklier than Bucky back then.

Bucky had to be on the receiving end of his simmering rage when he had danced with you at a soiree. It was supposed to be just an innocent dance, but you looked so beautiful, he couldn’t help himself as he flirted and joked and made you laugh.

Only to have Steve kick his ass in sparing the very next day. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. It was as if with every punch and kick he spoke 'don't touch my things.'

Who could he blame him? If he had a wife such as yourself he’d never want to share either.

If Steve were to see this, you hugging him while he was half naked and unchaperoned in his chambers in the middle of the night...

“I should go,” you murmured, looking up at him, his dark hair, much longer than your husbands, sticking to his handsome face.

“We can talk tomorrow. And don’t you worry your pretty little head,” he cupped your delicate face, swiping a thumb across your cheek, “Steve will be back.”

You nodded, walking towards the door, hoping to catch some sleep before you have to wake up for court, but then stopped abruptly.

Looking at him over your shoulder, you shouldn’t... you’re a lady, you’re the queen! You should know better but you had always been a curious girl.

“Can three people... make love at the same time? Is that possible?” your hands clutching your nightgown as if your life depended on it.

He gave you a hearty laugh, running his hand through his hair, “Not just three, many people can make love together. The most I’ve seen is... six.”

You turned to face him, “Six?!” you gasped. “Do men like doing that? Would that mean... would the king want something like this as well?”

“Yes, many men do... if you know how to treat a woman right then she would too. But you don’t have to worry about Steve. He’s never been THAT perverted.”

You hummed, and here you were thinking your husband was the most perverted man alive. “Can... two women make love together?” you had always wanted to know.

“Yes, they can. Two men can as well,” he answered.

“How would that work?” you frowned and then realised how it would, “But sodomy’s a sin!”

“Then I guess I’m going to hell,” he smirked.

“Have you been with a man?”

“Yes, I have. Do you hate me now?” he pouted.

“No,” you shook your head, “I could never hate you. I’ve always felt that was ridiculous. There is no reason for it to be unethical... right?”

“That’s right,” he nodded.

“I won’t tell anyone though. I wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you.”

“That’s kind of you, princess.”

You faked a wide smile, nodding here and there to make it look like you were listening. You had started a book club with the ladies of the court, just to get your mind off of Steven, who had now been gone for over two months.

He had stopped writing to you, only sending messages to the James and the kings guard now. He had finally defeated the enemy and was on his way home. You couldn’t think of anything else.

“Your grace,” you jerked when you heard your handmaiden whisper in your ear.

Looking over your shoulder, “What is it?”

“His majesty is here,” she grinned, visibly happy for you.

“What?” you got up, “Where is he?”

“He’s in his chambers. We tried to stop him, so he could get a proper welcome but he was much too eager to see you,” she giggled.

“Ladies,” you turned to them, trying to curb your giddiness and act as elegant as you could, “You’ll have to excuse me. Please do continue without me.”

Steve groaned as he felt his muscles loosen up in the warm water, looking around his chambers for you.

“Where is the queen?” he asked his footman. He had sent for you over an hour ago and his patience was running thin.

“I’ll look into it right away - ”

“My king?” he heard your sweet voice calling for him, “He’s not here...” the partition to the bathtub probably restricting your view of him.

He chuckled at how disappointed you were, “I’m right here, petal,” he called, getting up from the bath as his footman helped him into a robe.

His heart swelled upon finally seeing your pretty face, letting out a shaky exhale, he took you in as the servants excused themselves. He pulled you into his chest, enveloping you in a warm hug. “How’s my queen doing?”

“Lonely without you,” you mumbled, propping your chin on his bare chest so you could look up at him, “You... shaved...” you touched his smooth jaw.

He looked much younger and different without his thick masculine beard. Not as rugged as he used to, just as handsome but in a boyish way.

“Yes, I did,” he kissed your palm, “Do you like it?” he asked as you nodded. He had only done it for you. He hadn’t been able to take proper care of it when he was away and he wanted to look presentable for you. “I’m sorry you were lonely, my love. I was too, more than you could ever imagine. All I thought about was you.”

“Do you promise to never leave me for so long again?”

“I’ll never leave you. I don’t think my poor heart could bear it. You’ve turned me soft.”

“I won’t have you make fun of me!” you half-heartedly pushed at his chest.

He held onto your wrists, for someone so small and dainty you sure could do a lot of damage with your punches, “I swear I’m not making fun of you, I love you,” he confessed.

You laid your head on his beating heart so he wouldn’t see you all flustered, “Well, I love you too,” you grumbled.

You noticed the gash on his neck, “You’re hurt!” you gasped, “We should call the doctor...”

“I’ve had much worse, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” he smiled at you biting your lip in worry, always so adorable, pulling it away with his thumb, he bent to nip at it. “I missed the way you taste, I’ve been thinking about it for so long, it’s the only thing that got me through.”

You hummed, your face heating up as he pressed his arousal into your stomach, his hands holding onto the curve of your hips. “My king...” you shivered.

“We can talk later, right now I have to have you, I know you missed me too...” he whispered against your ear.

You felt a shudder creep up your spine as his hot breath fanned against the shell of your ear, “Maybe later, if you let me tend to you first.”

“You want to take care of me?” he beamed at you as you nodded. “Very well. But only for a few moments after that I won’t hear any more excuses and put that mouth to good use,” he said, pressing his lips to yours one more time.

There wasn’t much you knew about treating wounds, you were only doing so for your own peace of mind anyway so you simply cleaned the few scratches and gashes he had, kissing them like your mother did to your wounds when you were little, remembering how that always made you feel better.

“They’re the best kind of medicine,” he said about your kisses, “I have a cut here,” he said pointing at his lip, wanting some more of them.

“Don’t tease me!” you huffed.

You felt his muscles go stiff as you kissed him between his shoulders, now that you didn’t have to look at his face it’d be much easier for you to talk, “I heard the ladies at the court talking, they were saying if I can’t get pregnant in three months it means I never will.”

The thought of being barren and a disappointment to him terrified you to no end.

He shook his head, “You need to stop listening to gossip - ”

“But,” you interrupted him and pouted your bottom lip quivering as you recalled their harsh words when they thought you weren’t listening, “They also said that if I can’t get pregnant you’ll get a second wife,” to which he laughs, “don’t laugh at me, you always make fun of me,” you puff your cheeks.

“I’m not cleaning you up anymore,” throwing the rag on the ground, “or letting you make love to me.”

He growled at that, turning around and pinning you to the bedding, “You don’t get to decide that, love, or tell me no, when will you understand?” he scoffed as if he was scolding a child, sneaking a hand up your skirts and inside your breeches. His fingers toying with your wet lips.

“Now that I’m back we’re going to try to make a prince every night. Before you know it you’ll be swell with my child, I won’t stop then though,” he smirked, “I’ll have you whenever I want,” it’ll only be better when your body would be fuller and curvier with his heir.

“I’m never taking another wife, ever,” he said, pulling his hard cock out of his robe, pushing it into you slowly, your walls gripping him tighter than he remembered, better than his hand could ever be, “This is the best cunt I’ve ever had. There’s no way I could ever have another,” he tried to fight off his climax so he could make you come at least once before filling you up as you squirmed and whimpered under him, “... you’ve ruined me.”

This was strange. It was almost time for bed and Steve wasn’t back. Usually he’d back much sooner, so he could perform his husbandly duties. Even though you had been trying, so hard, for over a month you had gotten your menses just a few days ago.

You were so disappointed, you didn’t have the heart to tell him, but you had to when he tried to coax you in bed. Sobbing in his arms as he calmed you, “We’ll try again, we have all the time in the world,” he had said and you couldn’t believe how kind he was. Until he had his way with you anyway, even while you were bleeding.

“As if a little bit of blood if going to bother me.” While there was you purpose for it, you knew you couldn’t make a baby while on your monthly you now also knew that you could do it with your husband solely for pleasure.

“When will the king be back?” you asked your maid as she worked on helping you get ready for bed.

“I saw him on in the gardens with Lord Barnes,” she answered, helping you into your nightgown, “Shall I send him a message?”

“No, that’s alright.”

You dismissed her, sitting on the edge of your bed you worked on a scarf you had been stitching for your mother while waiting for the king. You planned on giving it to her when she would visit you for your coronation. She would be expecting some good news as well and you hoped to have that for her as well.

You perked up when you hear the doors to your chambers creak open loudly, putting away your work for now you made sure to look into the mirror one last time to look presentable.

“How was your day, petal?” he hugged you from behind, burying his nose in the crook of your neck, “You smell so good,” he hummed.

“Steven,” you giggled. “Thank you, I had a very long day with the preparations for the ball and the court.”

“Hope you’re not too tired,” his voice salacious and hoarse with desire as he cupped your breast through the thin material.

“No,” you shook your head, “Not at all. I mean... not too much,” you added so you wouldn’t seem too eager, “do you want to...”

“There’s someone joining us tonight.”

“What do you mean?” you turned to look up at him, his blue eyes, usually as blue as the sky on a summer afternoon, much darker now.

“You told me how much Bucky helped you and how much you loved him, right?”

You nodded, you hadn’t really used the word love, you were quite fond of him but didn’t know yet if you loved him.

“Hey, there, princess,” you yelped when you heard James' voice before seeing standing at the door.

“I told you to wait,” Steve gritted.

“You were taking too long,” he took a few long, lazy strides as you scrambled to put a robe on. “You wanted to know how three people can make love at once - now you can find out for yourself,” he said to you.

Your chest heaved as you swallowed a lump of air, “Steven, what? What’s going on?”

Steve cupped your cheeks in his palms, pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead, “My mother told me to, made me swear on her deathbed, to take care of Bucky, to look out for him and I haven’t been doing that. I’ve been selfish with you...”

“You’re always selfish with the things you like,” Bucky chided.

“But I’m working on that. I have to get better at sharing, if I have a woman as good as you, I am obligated to share.” He tried to explain as Bucky pulled you away from him, your back pressed to his front, “Bucky,” he scolded, “wait a minute, will you?”

“I’ve waiting long enough,” he licked a stripe up your neck, leaving goose bumps on the wet skin, “You’re right she does smell good.”

“I don’t understand... is this a test?”

“No, petal. Bucky’s going to help us conceive. After you give me my son you can give us both daughters. As beautiful as you. I’ve always wanted a girl,” he smiled.

“What if people find out,” you tried to swat Bucky’s hands away but he pinned them both on your back, undressing you and taking off your robe, followed by your gown.

“They won’t. Even if they do, who’s going to stop us?”

“But.... but... doesn’t James want a wife and kids of his own?”

“He has sworn his life to protect the crown. He can’t marry or have kids.”

“Do you want me to go away, princess?” he asked you, ripping your gown away as it pooled at your feet, leaving you naked in front of both of them, “Do you want me to marry another woman?”

“No...” you shook your head.

And because he had grown tired of your questions Steve kissed you, if only to shut you up. He pulled away as James threw you over his shoulder, carrying you to the bed and thrown you on the bed.

He pushed your knees apart, settling between them he traced your inner thighs.

You tried to push him away, to close your legs. The idea of being with James was tempting... but you had sworn yourself to Steven. This wasn’t supposed to be right. This is not how it’s supposed to happen... you can only be with your husband. But it was also your duty to obey him... and he wanted this to happen.

“Steve, a little help here,” Bucky groaned and looked to Steve.

He simply shook his head, climbing on the bed, he pinned your hands above your head, “I told you she was feisty. That’s alright, though. I like it when she struggles and pretends that she doesn’t enjoy it when I fuck her so hard and deep,” he looked down at you as you pleaded him with your eyes, “Till you can barely think or walk straight. She likes it, but she’d never admit it.”

You whimpered, fresh tears streaming down your face as your husband spoke such vulgar things about you...

“Oh!” you squealed, feeling James' finger prodding at your entrance before sinking into you.

“Gotta get you ready for my brother,” he cooed, soothing a hand down your hair, “Shh... it’s okay, just take it like a good girl. Don’t you want to be good for us? To please your king and give us princes and princesses?” he asked as he kept his fingers driving in and out of your heat at a leisurely pace, “Well?” he prodded further.

“Love,” you look up at Steve when you heard his gritty voice, “Bucky asked you a question. Maybe I didn’t make it clear enough but from now on you have to listen to both of us. Do whatever we tell you. We know what’s best for you.”

You nodded, your eyes misty as you felt your abdominal muscles clench, “Yes, yes I do want to have your babies,” you whimpered as James latched onto a hardened bud on your breast, you held onto Steve’s hands as the coil in your gut snapped.

“Fuck,” Bucky breathed out, looking at your fucked out pussy, glistening with want, “I’m going to fuck you, just for a bit, get you stretched out and warmed up for your husband,” he declared, his cock achingly hard at just the idea of it as he rid himself of his clothes.

“Steve told me all about how you have some magical pussy, he’s addicted to it,” he lined himself up to your entrance, looking up at his brother for just a moment before looking back to your face, “now I get to find out for myself,” he moaned as he pushed his length inside you.

“Isn’t she something?” Steve said, licking away your salty tears and letting go of your wrists since you were done being a brat, “You always look so pretty when you cry,” he praised as you whined, he held your jaw and made you look down, two sexes meeting, Bucky’s cock fucking in and out of you, “Whose cock do you like better, sweetheart?” he asked you.

You shook your head, refusing to answer, closing your eyes you let yourself get lost in the feeling of James, he was stretching you out so painfully and deliciously, your mind cloudy and unable to think or even form a coherent sentence. You felt the familiar coil forming in your belly but then James abruptly.

“Damn,” he heaved, slipping his cock out of you, “I almost came.”

“What?” you blinked as Steve switched places with James, spreading yours juices around your drenched lips, heat radiating between your legs.

“You’re all warmed up nice now, petal,” he pulled his hand away, taking his cock out of his pants, “I want you on all fours,” he instructed, flipping you over.

You barely had enough strength to stay up but James helped you by pulling at your shoulders, his hard cock bumping against your nose as you winced.

“Arch you back nicely now, I want to see your ass,” he pushed at your lower back till your ass was perched up to him, smearing his pre ejaculate against you, he sank into your heat. Moving his hips brutally against you, since you were already prepared for him.

“Will you suck me off, princess?” Bucky asked but didn’t wait for your answer as he pushed his erection past your lips, shuddering as you licked the underside of his cock, “Steve taught you well,” he breathed out. Holding onto your head, driving his cock in it, you couldn’t take all of him, but you didn’t have to, this was more than enough.

Steve had loved you since the moment he met you. He didn’t know if he could call the impure thoughts he had about you love but it was the closet thing he could think of. He wouldn’t even let another man touch you, let alone use you or fuck you like only he is allowed to.

But this was different. This was Bucky. His brother and soulmate. They were basically the same person, they could share you. He loved the idea of starting a family with you both.

He flipped you so you were on your back, he kissed you, “I’m going to fill you up, sweetheart, why don’t you come with me? Can you do that for your king?” he snaked a hand between your bodies, rolling your bundle of nerves between his fingers as Bucky whispered sweet nothings to you, telling you the names he had picked out for your kids, as you clenched around him, gushing all over him.

He released inside you, coating your walls with his seed. He pulled away to look down at you, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath but he stayed inside you, to make sure his seed stays in your womb.

He smiled as you weakly wrapped you hand around Bucky’s cock, stroking him till he released all over you, white spend painting you pretty skin, all over your breasts and your stomach.

He finally pulled his soft cock out of you, laying beside you as Bucky pulled you on to if him.

“Give me a minute to get hard again,” he ran a hand through sticky hair.

“Take all the time you need,” Bucky smiled, nibbling your ear, playing with the mess between your legs, you tried to squirm but he kept a firm hold on you as he played with your sensitive pussy.

“Didn’t you hear? He’s going to fuck you again, we have to keep you ready, princess,” smearing some of the juices around the tight ring of your second hole as you gasped. “Maybe you’ll be able to take both of us at the same time someday, hm?”

“That’s... possible?” you asked as he pushed a finger in, it was strange and uncomfortable, yet you wanted more of it.

“Of course, you can. With proper training,” he kissed your temple as Steve climbed back on top of you both.

Nudging at your swollen cunt, you winced in pain, “Is it too much, petal? Do you want me to stop?” he wanted to know. He’d love to fill you up some more, but not at the expense of your discomfort. He had scared you enough already.

“No,” you held onto his shoulders, “I want it, please,” looking at him with shining eyes. He could never say no to you. Just as you to him.

“Whatever you say, love,” he smiled, licking your lips till you grant him access to your mouth, he prodded at you tongue.

He was slow and steady, mindful of the bruises on your body and your overworked cunt. He was close as Bucky pushed two fingers inside you and around his cock, stretching you out even more.

He was about to reprimand him, to tell him to be more patient with his delicate innocent wife, but you screamed out in beautiful agony, exploding around his cock and begging for more. From Bucky or from him, he wasn’t sure.

“Maybe we’ll get our son tonight itself.”

Tags will be in the reblog! Click the link in the bio to be added to the taglist.

I really hoped y'all liked it🤭🤭 idk how the first part has so many notes but I love this trope so much! Like some king Steve corrupting a good sweet girl ugh🥺🥺

Comments and reblogs are really appreciated.

Please note that my work is not to be reposted or published anywhere other than my Tumblr or AO3 account without my permission. Reblogs are most welcome though!

[doctorstethoscope]

The Whole Time || A. Hotchner x Fem!Reader

It’s @ssahotchswife ‘s soft hotch saturday again bitches. u know the drill. 

Summary: Aaron decides to make some happier memories in New York

Contains: fluff, alcohol consumption, law-breaking but not the kind anyone cares about, canon-typical descriptions of kidnapping, author taking creative liberties with the geography of New York City

word count: 1.7k

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding when you watch the child you’d saved from an attempted kidnapping rush into his mother’s waiting arms. The most recent case had brought the team to New York City, for a kidnapping that was ultimately linked to a trafficking ring. You’d recovered a dozen kids of all ages, but Charlotte, the child you’d been called on the case for originally, was finally with her parents again, and you could rest, and rest easy, knowing that you’d saved them.

Spencer and JJ were already taking apart the team’s whiteboard in the conference room. Aaron was off making a call, and you spotted Derek and Emily fussing with the coffee pot in the NYPD’s break room. You started clearing off the table, preparing for your swift exit, and hopefully a night at home with Aaron and Jack. 

“Jet leaves tomorrow at 8AM.” Aaron announces when he enters the conference room. 

“We’re not leaving this afternoon?” JJ asked. 

“We had to shut the airports down to stop the unsubs. LaGuardia is a mess trying to get all of today’s rescheduled flights out, and it seemed better to give you all a day in the city than to sit on the tarmac for eight hours. But if you want me to call them back--” 

“Ah, ah, I think what JJ meant to say is first round on her tonight.” Morgan corrected and the team let out a laugh.

“Well, I for one, am overdue for some self care in the form of a little blue box.” Emily said, already pulling up walking directions to Tiffany’s. 

“Oh, can we go to Saks, too!” JJ asked, peering over Emily’s shoulder. 

You crossed the room to slide beside Aaron. The team knew that you were together, but for professionalism’s sake, you tried to make sure any local teams you worked with couldn’t tell, which meant you had to be very careful about your PDA.

“So… a day in New York, huh?” You looked up at him, and he smiled at you. 

“I think I’m just gonna take some time and work on my report so it’s done when we get in tomorrow. You should go shopping with the girls.” He tells you, and you squint up at him.

“You okay?” You asked. 

“Yeah,” he assures you with a little nod and a quirk of his brow that doesn’t leave you feeling very assured at all. 

“I know New York isn’t your favorite place. You don’t have a lot of happy memories here,” you understated. 

“Well, today’s not all that bad.” He winks at you. “Go shop. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you used the money your parents sent you for your birthday on Jack.” He narrows his eyes at you. 

“It’s all the same money once it gets into the account, babe. I don’t feel deprived of anything. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you went way overboard with my presents this year.” You remind him with a smirk. 

“No such thing,” he said, taking a risk and pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head. The case was done now, anyways. “Have fun with the girls. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back. You’d better have more bags than you can carry.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” You rolled your eyes at him playfully as he gave you a gentle shove towards JJ and Emily. You took a couple steps over to where they were planning the rest of their afternoon. “Mind if I crash?” You asked. 

“We were planning on stealing you away from Hotch regardless of whether or not you asked, so this seems easier,” Emily tells you and you laugh. 

“I need coffee before we do anything. Real, not-police-station coffee.” JJ moans out, and you drag her out the door in the direction of the nearest Starbucks.

You’re headed back to the hotel after some shopping when Emily mentions a detour through Central Park. The air is warm, and contrary to Aaron’s orders, your bags aren’t all that heavy, so you’re happy to oblige her. You’re distracted, following JJ’s lead as you breathe in the smell of the flowers and appreciate the life of the city, the simplicity of all these people who have no clue about the international kidnapping scheme you and your team had taken down not even four hours ago. Emily and JJ come to a stop and you look between them. They gesture to a tree not far off from your path. Aaron’s underneath it, a blanket beneath him and a picnic basket on the ground beside him. He stands up and makes his way towards you.

“Did you two know about this?’ You ask, looking back and forth between Emily and JJ, betrayed but not at all angry. 

“He texted us and asked if we could covertly get you here, but other than that we knew nothing.” JJ assured you. You’re about to pressure Emily for more answers, but Aaron makes his way to you. 

“Hi angel,” He tells you, leaning in to kiss your cheek. 

“Hi.” You smile at him. “When did you have time to do all of this? You said you were working on your report.” 

He shrugged. “I lied. If you want to yell at me, I’ll allow it, but let’s not make Emily and JJ watch.” He teases.

You’d forgotten that they were even there. They both gave you hugs goodbye before taking off, and Aaron took your hand in his to lead you back to the blanket he’d set up on a slight hill, overlooking a bit of the park. 

“I figured it was time to make some happy memories in the city.” He tells you, beckoning you to sit. You do, scooting your way next to him so that your thighs were touching. He leans forward for the basket and procures a chilled bottle of white wine and a small package of red solo cups. 

“Aaron Hotchner, are you drinking in public?” You asked incredulously. 

“I figure the NYPD’ll give us a pass, just this once.” He says, uncorking the bottle and pouring modest glasses into two cups for you both.

You raised your glass to his. “To happier memories.” 

He connected his cup to your own but leaned in to kiss you before you could take a sip. “I love you,” he reminds you between kisses, and you smile. To anyone else in the park, especially from a distance, you two must have looked like crazy twenty-somethings freshly in love. Sometimes you felt like that, too. 

He pulls away from you, after a moment. “I love you.” You say, taking your free hand and wrapping it around Aaron’s arm, pulling him in and resting your head on his shoulder. 

He places a hand on your thigh and turns his head to leave a kiss on top of yours. “We don’t do this enough.” 

“No amount of time with you could ever be enough,” you concur. “But we get out as often as we can. We’re busy, Aaron, and we have a son.” 

His heart warmed when you referred to Jack as your own-- it wasn’t the first time you’d done it, not by a long shot, and he’d known even before you started calling him yours that you’d risk life and limb for him. So why hadn’t he asked you yet? Why hadn’t he pulled the ring out of his sock drawer and made it official?

“A son who I see you’ve spoiled, when I specifically told you to go shopping for yourself.” He teased you, changing the subject in his own brain and gesturing to the FAO Schwarz bag in your collection. 

“It’s just a couple comic books, Aaron. It’s reading material, it hardly counts as a gift.” You defended, knowing there was no need.

“Sure,” He chuckles at you, concealing his grin with a sip of wine. 

He pulls a small plate of cut fruit out of the basket, and you talk and eat and giggle and settle in to each other to watch the sunset. He’s leaning back against the tree, his legs spread so you can lean against his chest and sit between them, his arms wrapped around you from behind. The setting sun has allowed a slight chill to settle into the air, but the weight of his body wrapped around yours keeps you warm. 

“Aaron?” You ask, not daring to tear your eyes away from the cascading pinks and purples of the sky in front of you. 

“Hm?” He asks. 

“Do you think you’d want more?” You ask, internally cringing at your own vulnerability, hoping you hadn’t ruined an otherwise perfect evening.

“More wine?” He asked, unwrapping a hand from you to look for his cup. 

You let out a nervous little laugh. “No, hon. I, uh. I meant more kids. Sorry, didn’t mean to spring that on you, it was just on my mind. You don’t have to answer.” 

“Only if they’re yours,” he replies, and you’re confused. 

“Huh?” You ask. 

“I only want more kids if they’re yours.” He reiterates, craning to look at you a little. “Isn’t it obvious?” He asked. 

“Well, you know, it doesn’t hurt to hear, regardless.” You responded, a little breathless. You turned to face him. 

“Silly girl,” He smiled at you. “I only want you. I want you and our future together, and our babies, if we are to have any, and I want to keep making you smile for the rest of my life. And if I have that, I’ll be happy.” He states simply, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, as if he’d known it all along. He suspects that deep down, he has. 

“Sounds like a pretty good life you’ve dreamed up for yourself, there.” You smile at him, just happy to be included. 

“Yeah, I think so.” He agrees, giving you a squeeze. 

“You know, you’re gonna have to marry me before I let you knock me up,” you inform him with a laugh. 

“Working on it,” He tells you, and you roll your eyes. 

“Sure you are,” you counter, and he kisses your temple. 

“It’s coming when you least expect it. Like an action movie. You’d better watch out.” He whispers against you, and you laugh, the sound vibrating through your chest and warming him from the inside out. 

“You’re missing the sunset, silly boy.” You reminded him. 

He’d been looking at you the whole time, anyways. 

[vickyvicarious]

I def agree that Eliot likely ghosted Moreau rather than confronting him or anything, and iirc the implication is that Moreau never sent anyone after him to try and get him back - which in some ways could be worse, leaving Eliot glancing over his shoulder, wondering. and also expressing an awful certainty that Eliot won’t give away his secrets, won’t turn on him, is still *his* in some way that Eliot hates

Eliot successfully leaving is such an interesting detail, because based on their reunion scene I really do get the sense they really never were in any sort of contact since then, hostile or otherwise. In Eliot's POV, ghosting him like that speaks so clearly to fear of what would happen if he ever tried to outright deny/refuse Moreau. But when you look at it from the other side...

Well, I think it's multi-faceted on Moreau's part:

He's not burning bridges. Much like Eliot running off and never mentioning Damien to anyone.* That means Eliot didn't directly link himself with Moreau, sure, but also he never turned against him. Never told his secrets to anyone else or sought out revenge. By not hunting Eliot down, Moreau was making the choice to leave the door open for Eliot to willingly come back some day.

Moreau would know Eliot's skill best at the time. Pretty quickly after Eliot didn't show up, he could probably realize it was an intentional slipping of the leash. And he knew if he sent people after Eliot, especially right away, that a good number of them would die. It would cost a fair amount of money and men to take Eliot down, and given that he ran he probably would not react kindly to goons trying to bring him back by force. But going in person for some emotional manipulation wasn't a good first option either given how dangerous Eliot is; if Moreau misjudged the situation he'd be putting himself in potential danger. Eliot leaving seems to have been a surprise, so Moreau would be recalibrating how much influence he still has over Eliot... Better to let him leave, and if he wants to send hitmen after him later they will have a better chance of being effective when they aren't expected anymore.

Repercussions would be expected. And just like you say, by not actually sending anyone after Eliot, Moreau can play on his fear to punish him via unfulfilled paranoia. He doesn't have to do anything at all, but Eliot is still going to be a nervous wreck.

A lesser mindfuck: does he not care enough to chase me down? Maybe I never mattered to him at all. Not the way he mattered to me. These thoughts wouldn't be the most prominent but they would certainly occur from time to time, diminishing Eliot's importance in his own mind. Especially when they also come with no, he's letting me go precisely because he cares about me. Equally terrifying in a different way, even guilt-inducing though Eliot knows leaving is the morally right choice. But even if he's a bad person, Damien hasn't been bad to Eliot...

And another emotional power play, as you called out. Similar to the first thing on this list (and the 4th) but subtly distinct: Moreau still owns Eliot's silence. By not going after him when Eliot left him in the lurch, he's being gracious. By acting completely unconcerned about Eliot spilling any of his secrets, Moreau is being trusting. He just keeps acting like he has control over the situation (and thus, Eliot) by not showing that it bothers him at all, and Eliot's fear of Moreau is great enough to reinforce that bluff of power. Moreau's inaction demonstrates a kind of complete confidence that is terrifying to be on the other side of. Eliot is still controlled by it years later - too afraid to mention him at all. What this means is that if they ever encounter one another again, Moreau has to let Eliot make the first move. By acting like he wants Eliot back, he'd be admitting to losing him in the first place. This way, it's like he just allowed him a long vacation before welcoming him back home - a complete mindfuck.

*(This also has some really interesting implications for Eliot's position when he worked with Moreau. It seems there was no effort to put him in the spotlight or to emphasize his skills to other people, given that they don't already associate him with Moreau as the guy's "top enforcer" or whatever. (Unless you interpret this line as having an implicit "...even when they asked," but honestly it feels more to me like Eliot is saying he never broached the subject. Like he kept a secret others didn't even know to ask about.) This is further evidence for Moreau deliberately keeping Eliot and his skills all to himself, maybe a hidden ace kind of situation. Certainly implies a dynamic that is focused fairly strongly on only the two of them; one which increases his own influence over Eliot while limiting other meaningful connections.)

.

It all boils down to: Moreau knows he has lost Eliot in the short term. But he has always used Eliot best by invisible/unspoken threats, by acting out care and kindness and even love. Carrot and threat of stick: making Eliot want to obey and fear disobedience all the more for any punishment being unspecified. Reacting harshly would betray all that, in which case he would probably lose Eliot forever (whether to death or simply no longer manipulable). By letting Eliot go, he doesn't have him working for him either... but he also guarantees Eliot will avoid working against him, so it's no loss so much as a lack of gain. Instead of making an attempt that might fail, holding back provides him the illusion of omnipotence and generosity in one. And while it might not be likely, Eliot could still come back someday. And if that ever happened, Moreau's influence over him might even be stronger than before, since he's been both the benevolent god and the bogeyman in the shadows of Eliot's mind all this time.

And honestly? If not for the Leverage crew, this might have worked. Maybe Damien could eventually make the first move, or 'coincidence' could throw them together again, or maybe he'd just keep waiting for Eliot to get desperate enough to approach him first (the option he would obviously prefer). But whether or not he ever hired Eliot again, there is zero chance Eliot would have ever gone against him if not for Leverage.