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wheresmymilliondollarman · 1 year

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please do a part to the Grayson Hawthorn head canons maybe where he meets eve and that whole mess.

the moment i knew

grayson hawthorne x fem! reader

you're confident in your relationship with grayson hawthorne. that is until a girl who look exactly like emily laughlin shows up at the mansion.

(part of these hcs )

a/n: im SO glad someone requested this bc i had ideas while writing the hcs for this scenario. get ready for some drama and grayson being dumb💯 also finally happy to be back to posting!! been hectic but now i have free time <3 ty to everyone for being so understanding ur all amazing. listened to my sad playlist for the fighting part LOL also i wanted to make this fic format but i was already way too deep into the bullets to fix it.

word count: 7.2k (wayyy longer than intended)

warnings: angst (i love and hate it), swearing, eve, fighting, death threats, final gambit spoilers but also plot changes

dating grayson hawthorne was truly the most beautiful feeling. you would even consider it better than finding out you were going to inherit billions. that's not true, but dating grayson is a close second still.

he was a fantastic boyfriend who cared so deeply for you, and you greatly got along with his family.

the two of you had occasional fights, but it was never anything that lasted more than an hour of being mad at each other. plus, he always caved in first whether you were right or wrong.

life was truly straight out of a movie for you. you were going to be a billionaire, run a foundation, and have a boyfriend. freshman year you would never be able to believe it, especially the boyfriend part.

it was almost too perfect. you should've expected an event to come crashing down at some point. because, after all, this still was the hawthorne family you're dealing with.

the road to disaster was initiated the moment grayson hawthorne left the house. he'd gotten into the ivy league of his choice, harvard and you were more than thrilled for him. but you were unsure of where it put the two of you at. he would be leaving the mansion, while you were forced to stay.

your's and avery's contract had yet to end, you still had a few month to bypass - so you couldn't leave the residence for more than 3 consecutive days.

grayson assured you the long distance thing would work, and he'd visit you as often as possible, then when you passed the year mark, you'd be able to visit and stay with him for long periods.

the plan he formated has eased your worries about your relationship. however, a small, but growing wall had formed between you, and you feared him leaving would lengthen it. you'd begun to notice a distant feeling from grayson at times, it was as if he was still concealing a part of himself. it was a build-up of all the unresolved emotional stresses he's faces - mainly from the death of both emily and tobias.

there were moments when you had attempted to get him to open up - but he either never got the hint or desperately wanted to remain ignorant. you'd decided to leave it as is, and perhaps that was your first error.

before leaving the family had put together a party as a 'farewell' gift. since the night began, you sensed the distant feeling had returned and grayson wasn't entirely there.

when a young girl had fallen into the pool, and grayson was quick to save her, jumping right into the pool in his suit and tie. you were quick to approach them with towels; even after the girl was returned to her family, grayson stayed still with a distant look in his eyes. you called his name and shook him a few times before he finally snapped back. but before you could question anything, he sought off into the house - leaving you on your own.

you gave him time alone since that was what he obviously wished for. you were relieved to see avery return with grayson, so relieved that you were insensible to the tension between the two.

thought things weren't resolved when grayson left, you were still hopeful for the both of you.

it started off great; frequent texts, late-night calls, occasional visits, and even gifts delivered to you. you felt silly for not having faith in the long-distance thing.

but your doubts returned when those daily calls turned into weekly texts and updates and those every other weekend visits shifted to seeing each other once a month.

grayson's excuse had been he was adjusting and had a hard time getting a grip on balancing everything in his life. had it been anyone else, you'd believed it better, but because it was grayson hawthorne, who you knew could effortlessly take on any task - you were growing suspicious. but you had yet to have a serious with grayson about it.

your silence broke the moment avery sat you down and revealed what had gone down in the wine cellar with grayson the night of his party.

she started with her concern for grayson, then ventured onto what happened after grayson ran off. avery had been in the wine cellar getting a bottle at jameson's request when grayson stumbled in. she immediately noticed he was in distress, and it wasn't long before he started breaking down. avery did her best to help, but he just insisted she leave, then went on a tangent about seeing hallucinations of emily and all the stress caused by being a hawthorne. avery's first thought was to get you, but he begged her not to tell him, which is why she was silent until that moment.

you were too occupied on the information regarding your boyfriend to even get a little mad that avery withheld the information. you had an inkling grayson wasn't well, you hadn't known it had gotten as bad as it did, and it was probably much worse by now.

you made an urgent call to grayson the as soon as you got to your room, and it took a couple tries to get him to answer. he answered a bit agitated, but you didn't care and started hounding him for an explanation on everything avery had told you.

at first, grayson was taken aback by both the interrogation and avery betraying him, then he finally confirmed that avery's words were true.

your heart grew heavy, and he confirmed everything. it was silent on the line for a second before you spoke up again. the first thing you asked was 'why?' why didn't he tell you about his trouble, especially the fact he was having nightmares and hallucinations about emily, his ex- girlfriend. and why, why had he confided in someone else instead of his own girlfriend.

you weren't jealous of avery nor did you fret over something happening between grayson and avery, but it hurt like hell to know she was the first he opened up to, whether it was intentional or not.

grayson repeated apologies over the phone, but by then, you were over it and wished him goodnight before hanging up. and once the line went dead, you curled up in bed and cried til you were tired enough to pass out.

grayson called multiple times the following day, and you declined them all. when calls were a bust, he turned to a flux of texts hourly, all consisting of the same mantra of sorry's and 'call me back'. you still didn't budge. you continued that behavior for a week or so, still upset at him.

however, you couldn't help but feel bad - the last thing you wanted to do was add stress to this place. nonetheless, your emotions were also valid; no one likes their boyfriend keeping things from them, telling said secrets to another woman he used to live with at that.

what you didn't expect on your monday morning was grayson to show up behind your bedroom door when you opened it. knowing he came all that way just because you were ignoring him made your heart flutter, however, you kept you solid composure.

grayson begged you to hear him out, so you hesitantly let him into your room and sat on the bed, waiting for him to say something. then grayson gave permission, he spilled his guts.

he revealed to you all of the difficulties he was going through, and you listened with an open heart. by the end of it he was crying, and you didn't hesitate to comfort him in his arms, a gesture he gladly accepted.

when it was safe for you to speak, you told him he didn't have to face all of it alone, there were many people in his life who cared for him.

"hawthorne or not, i'm your girlfriend. you are free to run to me when things get hard. then we can take it on together, okay?"

"you still want to be with me even after i've cried on your shoulder like this."

"the crying actually makes me like you more." you joke, and he gives a small smile at that.

you felt everything had gotten better after that. you'd manage to knock down another wall grayson had built, and now the two of you were closer than ever. avery's birthday was soon, so any two weeks after that, you'd be able to see grayson much more.

you were going to surprise your boyfriend by telling him you'd been looking at apartments in cambridge and landed on the perfect apartment for yourself. so, as soon as the year was up, you were moving there. yes, it was a huge step for someone you hadn't even been dating for over a year, but there was no place you'd rather be than by grayson's side.

avery's birthday had been, as jameson described, an "introvert's ball." and to be frank, you'd prefer it that way. after the way the last big party ended u, you were happy to have it just be immediate close friends and family.

everyone had a great time, grayson had made time to attend, and the both of you danced almost all night long. by the end, you're feet were blistered and bruised, but courteously swept you off your feet and carried you in his arms and into his bedroom. you were out like a light, but not before hearing grayson say 'love you' when he thought you were sound asleep. you went to bed with a smile etched on your lips.

you would've never left his bed had you known what was in store for you both the next day.

you'd just eaten breakfast with avery when you had both been informed by oren of a visitor name eve. avery looked anxious about it, and you didn't wait for her permission to follow her to the gates.

from the distance, you'd assumed it was rebecca, but as you approached, you realized that wasn't her. the girl in front of you was an exact copy of emily laughlin, more than her own twin.

"what the hell."

you were stunned to see a version of emily in person, and not just from photos you'd seen. avery was shocked, but it wasn't because of her appearance, more so due to her appearance at the manor. you were highly confused and began to think you were still sleeping.

avery had no choice but to confide in you everything that had gone on with toby and grayson's father, and how eve was toby's daughter. it was all much for your morning brain. but you processed enough to know the hawthornes, mainly grayson, seeing eve was the last thing needed. a part of you wanted to halt the meeting for selfish purposes. but the issue with eve being at hawthorne mansion meant a bigger issue; toby was taken.

oren, you, avery, and eve were discussing how to proceed, but there was little time to discuss the matter because the first person to come outside was grayson. the last person you'd wanted to come out of the mansion.

"emily?"

he was, understandably, pale as a ghost. it wasn't every day you saw a replica of your ex-girlfriend. you ran up to him with no plan of action. what could you possibly say? 'oh, this isn't emily this is eve, who just happens to look exactly like emily. and she's toby's daughter. oh, and by the way, your father is actually dead.'

grayson walked closer to eve, the resemblance becoming clear as day. looked to you to verify if what he was seeing was real or another figment of your imagination. you could only nod in response.

grayson didn't look away from eve, even when you tried to pull him back into the house. eve was annoyed by his trance and demanded to be taken inside for a shower after all she's had to deal with for the day.

so it was decided that everyone would gather in avery's room while eve used her bathroom. jameson had already been in avery's room when you four entered. he obviously noticed eve but made no comment until she was into the shower. since eve locked herself in the bathroom, grayson's eyes didn't move from the door. you couldn't lie and say it didn't create a sour feeling inside of you.

you knew it was horrible to make your boyfriend's trauma about you, but you couldnt help it. you were worried eve having the same face as emily was going to bring back unwarranted feelings. you bit back your envy, seeing that jameson was unaffected by eve's face, in contrast to grayson who stared longingly.

"tell me everything, heiress one and two."

avery briefly went over eve's appearance and toby's disappearance. she believes toby being taken has to do with a disk he gave her, one eve didn't know about. she ended it with an open discussion on ideas on how to get toby back.

jameson was the first to recognize how little you all knew about eve, and if you could truly trust her. you were glad someone had similar thoughts and you wouldn't be the first to voice them.

"we have to help her."

you turned to grayson at his words, your lips turned slightly down. jameson and avery also looked at the brother weirdly. was he seriously defending eve because she was an emily dupe?

"gray, we don't know her."

"it doesn't mean we should leave her to her own devices."

eve stepped out of the bathroom with clothes provided by avery,and grayson now had a look in his eye you coulden't identify. you had just about enough and lamely excused yourself to your room.

a part of you stupidly hoped your boyfriend would follow, but he never did.

as you busied yourself in your room reading books of fantasy lands to forget your own reality, avery knocked at your door. you hollered at her to enter, and she did. you continued reading, waiting for her to speak first.

"what do you think of a few welcome festivities?"

you raised a brow, "what did you have in mind?"

"how does chutes and ladders sound?"

chutes and ladder did not sound very fun, and frankly you'd never heard of it until that moment, but avery needed everyone in the game to get eve on board. you were even less enthused finding out grayson had been where eve was.

'you trust your boyfriend. you trust your boyfriend. you trust your boyfriend.' you repeated over and over. maybe you would believe it at some point.

as everyone gathered in the study and took a seat, you took your usual place next to grayson. you clenched your fists in your lap as you witnessed eve do the same.

as xander droned on about the rules of the game, you subtly side-eyed the pair beside you. your attention shifts back to the game when xander instructs the first person to go is the person with the best-kept secret. so that meant each of you had to confess something.

grayson took the liberty of starting off, not before sparring a guilty glance at you, "a girl tried to kiss me at harvard."

your head snapped, "what?"

"seriously, it was nothing."

"i can't believe you wouldn't tell me, i thought we agreed no secrets!"

"i didn't think it matter, it obviously pushed the girl away."

"it was enough of a deal for you to choose it as your secret."

you got up from your seat and opted to sit between avery and maxine. grayson grabbed your arm in an attempt to stop you, but you shook him off and took your new seat. grayson attempted to throw apologies, but you disregarded them.

to lighten the mood, maxine continued revealing she had a tattoo and xander continued telling the room he found his birth father; most of you gasped and asked for more, but xander kept his mouth shut. avery went next, heartfelt, saying she felt tobias made a mistake choosing her. you couldn't deny you didn't feel the same at times.

then eyes shifted onto you, awaiting your confession. you had a plethora to give, but you settled for one that matched the vulnerability of avery's.

"not to speak ill of the dead, but sometimes i think tobias hawthorne is a coward for leaving a game in his will instead of an explanation."

the room was silenced by your voice. you and avery each gave a look toward one another in understanding. you couldn't bare to turn your head in grayson's direction for his reaction. plus, you were still upset at him.

eve took the moment to finish the circle of secrets with her own. she disclosed her relationship with her family and their resentment toward her. you didn't fully trust eve, but you sympathized with her story. part of that sympathy was broken off as you saw grayson lean closer to her without a second thought. you started to think you would explode if the game didn't start any sooner.

as you wished, the game commenced - no surprise to you when eve was decided to go first. then the rest of you followed, and the race began.

you truly had no intention of trying that hard for a game, but it seems your inner competitiveness took the lead when you noticed eve ahead and grayson trailing right behind her.

maybe your anger and irritation spurred you on, but in everyone's, including yourself, surprise - you were right on eve's tail climbing up the ladder behind her.

your next move was a dirty one, maybe even callous, but in all honesty, you hadn't meant to do it. you think.

trying to grab onto the next rung as fast as possible, you managed to also grab the heel of eve's foot - causing her to misstep, lose her balance, and hang off the ladder by an arm and a foot. you utilized the time eve had to stabilize herself to then slide past her. you shot her a sorry look on the way up, and opened the hatch to the rooftop, declaring you the winner.

eve was right behind, grayson and jamseon after, and avery after two minutes. eve shot you a glare but didn't say a word about the incident. grayson was making his way in your direction, but you steered the other way to where jameson and avery stood.

jameson chuckled, "i didn't know you had it in you to play dirty."

"it was an accident, she tripped!" you defended.

jameson gave you a knowing look, but raised his hands in surrender and walked away to where xander and maxine were on the verge of entering. (they got sidetracked by a pillow fight)

you told avery you were off to shower and change; you hadn;t realized how sweaty you got until that moment. she nodded and you made your way to the hatch, but before you went down, she grabbed your arm.

"between you and me, was it an actual accident?"

"it was... if you count grabbing her foot and dragging her down as an accident."

avery shakes her head, "can't say i wouldn't have done the same given the opportunity."

walking down the hall, you heard your name being called. on instinct, you turned; grayson was behind you. you figured avoiding him wouldn't work forever.

"can we talk?" he asks, interwining his hand into yours.

you open your mouth the respond, but he cuts you off - "actually, you don't get a choice. i'm going to talk, and you're going to listen."

his tone left no room for argument, so you conceded. grayson went on to apologize for the 'almost-kiss' incident and for the lack of telling you.

"forgive me, angel. it was idiotic of me to assume it wasn't a important matter to communicate to you. you are the only girl i'll ever want to kiss."

you were a sucker for sincere apologies, and his piercing eyes made for a compelling argument. you sighed, "okay, i'll forgive you. but next time a girl tries to kiss you and you don't tell me, i'm kicking your ass, then hers."

grayson smiles and leans in for a kiss, which you accept. as his lips ignite with yours, you can't help but think of how much of a hypocrite you're being by not telling him your emotions regarding eve. 'it wasn't the right time,' you told yourself. it was only her first day, you were jumping to conclusions too soon. everything would work out.

the morning made for a rude awakening; threatening note sent to the gates hadn't been on your to-do list. avery shook you so hard you jumped out of bed, thinking it was an earthquake and smacked grayson's face in your alarm. (he wasn't pleased at that)

the threat contained a photo of toby, and a crypt message you all decoded. everyone started to think of suspects for the culprit behind the kidnapping. number one being skye hawthorne.

however, the investigation proved to be fruitless because she didn't have toby, and the other suspects led to a dead end. the threats hadn't stopped either.

you found yourself sleeping in grayson's more frequently. grayson didn't feel comfortable leaving you in your room, but you also knew it was because he secretly loved cuddling you at night. he held off going back to harvard, claiming he couldn't leave while there was danger lurking. it made you feel safe, but you also wondered if eve had anything to do with it. part of you didn't want an answer to that.

on this night, the two of you were in the pool past midnight. now that you learned to swim, grayson wouldn't stop challenging you to races. you knew what the outcome would be, but you accepted everytime, telling him you'd beat him eventually. (doubt, but it was nice to dream). for every win, you'd award him a kiss per his demand.

on his fifth victory, you leaned in to kiss him, only to ambush him with water to the face. grayson pretended to be annoyed and claimed revenge. you quickly swam away, but it didn't take long for him to catch up to you. he hands attacked your sides, and you were tortured by the ticklish sensation. you begged for him to stop, but he refused and wanted an apology.

you were stubborn, but finally threw in the towel, and accepted defeat. even after he stopped, grayson kept you in his arms as you calmed down from your fits of laughter. for a moment, it was just the both of you gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. at the same time, you titled you heads and reduced the gap between your lips.

before your mouths made contact, the lights, alerting the presence of another, shone. you both quickly turned toward the direction of the light, and grayson made a swift move to push you behind him. you were half expecting it to be another hawthorne brother, or worst-case scenario - the kidnapper.

but instead, there stood eve. she wore a silk lilac nightgown with a small slit that stopped midthigh. you immediately recognized it as your own by the small tear on the strap. 'when did she get this from my room?' had she stolen it or did grayson give it to her? both answers made your blood boil.

grayson relaxed as he recognized her, but you stayed tense. eve apologized for the intrusion, she was walking around the grounds and hadn't realized there were others awake. despite hating the interruption, you assured her it was alright, and she should be careful roaming around at night.

you thought that was that, and she'd just wander off, but it wasn't.

"do you mind if i swim, too?"

"well we-"

"not at all."

you turned your head to your boyfriend and gave him a questioning look, but he ignored it. his attention was now on eve. you had no choice, but to go along with it.

eve was quick to remove her your nightgown and reveal a one-piece swimsuit under. you were a bit confused, didn't she say she was just roaming the grounds, why did she already have a bathing suit on? but you stayed silent.

she jumped from the edge of the pool and landed a few feet away from where you and grayson. for a moment she struggling to reach the top, likely from not expecting how deep the pool actually was. grayson, ever the hero, swam to her aid, grabbing her hand to reel her back to the surface.

at this point, you couldn't even blame eve for these little accidents. you were getting upset at how grayson never failed to aid her when she was in need.

eve laughed, and thanked him for the gesture. then they started conversing about a topic you didn't care to pay attention to. had you just become a third wheel? 'no, no. he's just being friendly. gray will come back to you any second, then you'll both return to his room.'

except that didn't happen. eve asked grayson to race her, and he gladly accepted. even teased her about how badly she'd lose. not once did he turn back your way. no, but as eve swam to the edge, she gave you glance, obviously noticing how you awkwardly floated in your spot waiting for grayson. but she didn't speak a word, and continued to race in preparation for the friendly competition.

you had more than enough at that point. you swam to the pool's railing and pulled yourself out. you stomped out the swimming area, not even bothering to get a towel, and walked back into the mansion. you'd apologize to the cleaners for the wet mess later.

you were more heartbroken than angry. which was worse in your book. you'd been trying not to act like a jealous girlfriend who couldn't trust her boyfriend, and you took grayson's trauma with the emily situation into account, so you made excuses for all of grayson's actions toward eve. but sometimes, you shouldn't deny what's right in front of you.

now, you were cold and wet. you just wanted to go to bed. taking on threatening notes seemed so much easier now.

with all your deep thinking, you missed the sound of running feet from behind you. when a hand grabbed your wrist so suddenly, you were startled, and on instinct - you hand went flying at whoever stood behind you.

seeing now that it was grayson, you gave a small apology, seeing him clutch his face in pain. but you weren't that sorry at all. you probably would've done the same thing if you knew it was him.

grayson collected himself like nothing, "why did you leave?" he gently asks, wrapping a towel, you just noticed he brought, around your form.

you feign innocence, "oh, you actually noticed i was gone? 'figured you'd be too busy racing your new best friend."

"what are you acting like this?"

"i'm tired. tired of standing by as you treat eve like she's a damsel in distress. eve's no better; she clearly knows the effect she has on you."

"you're misinterpreting the situation. eve is one of us, we have to protect her."

"i'm sorry, did we forget you launched a full federal investigation on avery and i as soon as we got here? even after the will reading, i don't remember getting this warm welcome from you."

grayson lips form a straight line, frustrated, "that was different. eve has no one else-"

"she's not emily, grayson."

"trust me, i know that."

"i dont think you do! you see her as your second chance. news flash grayson, she isn't, emily is dead!" you venomously spit out. you hadn't intended for the harsh words to come out, but you wanted to hurt him as much as he was hurting you at the moment.

grayson's fists clench at his sides, he eyes brim with rage toward you, "jealously isn't a good look on you, y/n." the blow cut deeper than you had wished.

"neither is ignorance." you bite back.

you angrily turn your back and storm off in the direction of your room. luckily, it was only less than twenty feet away. you hoped grayson got the hint to not follow.

"we owe her our loyalty, y/n." grayson calls out one last time in a calm voice - different from the aggravated one from a second prior.

you enter your room and turn to him, deciding your final words before closing your door, "your loyalty was to me first."

part of you expected an apology the following day, but it never came. you were unsure where the two of you stood, and you weren't going to waltz up to grayson door to ask.

you confided your feelings in avery and libby, both defended your stance. avery was also wary about eve, and libby just loved any chance to bash a hawthorne.

you were sure the whole house was aware of the argument, likely the laughlins and thea calligaris as well. news travels easily around here. you didn't even want the know eve's point of view on the whole thing.

you steered clear of grayson, and busied yourself with toby's kidnapping along with everyone else. (which honestly should've been the most important matter.) you ensured avery everything was fine because you felt selfish making it about you when toby was in serious danger.

even without being in the same room with grayson, the tension was painfully evident. you could always sense when his gaze was on you, and it took everything to not return it. when you both were in the same room, you made sure to stay on opposite ends. everyone else had trouble deciding on how to handle the situation, but there were no direct comments, at least not that you heard.

there were nights when you wished grayson would show up at your door and just apologize. you wanted a reenactment of those cheesy romance movies where the guys begs the girl for forgiveness, and then they kiss and makeup. truthfully, you would've taken him back in a heartbeat. but this wasn't a movie, and he never showed up at your door.

you wondered if he even felt half of the heart ache you were going through. by the way eve was still hanging around him, even after the argument, you were starting to doubt it.

the more the investigation ensured, the more you and avery grew suspicious of eve. though whenever you thought you had a smidge of proof, it never followed through. it only succeeded in making you look like the villainous ex girlfriend and eve the innocent protagonist.

you and grayson were in a forced proximity when you had to investigate the wine cellar, along with avery and jameson. it was an awkward situation for all four of you, especially pertaining to the event with avery and grayson. but nonetheless, it proved to be useful because the final clue was hidden in the crystals of the chandelier. 'DON'T TRUST ANYONE'

you shouldn't had been so surprised that it was another vague message.

after critical thinking, you and avery came to the same conclusion - eve. the game started with her, she had to be the one tobias was warning about.

however, jameson and grayson weren't convinced by the conviction. both inferring that it would've stated 'her' instead of 'anyone'. but you persisted, avery backing you up.

jameson sighed, "i think recent events are affecting your judgment, y/n." you were taken aback by the claim, especially it coming from jameson. hadn't he been suspicious of her as well?

"i'm not acting out of jealousy. the old man knew of her, even made a plan in the event she arrived to the mansion, yet failed to mention her to anyone. why is that?"

"y/n." grayson spoke to you for the first time in awhile, "this isn't like you to act so rash. if you gave evie a chance-"

"evie? what, you guys have fucking pet names for each other now? don't you see how she's played you since the beginning!"

"y/n, you're not thinking straight."

you shake your head, "no, i don't think it's ever been clearer than right now. so, i'm going to give you one last chance grayson. to, for once, take my side over eve's. because if you don't, you're going to lose me."

there was silence, a hairpin being dropped could be heard. grayson put his head down and said nothing. and yet, it told you everything. you laughed at yourself for expecting a different outcome.

you scoffed with a humorless grin, turned around and walked away. you heard avery call out for you, but you ignored it. you didn't want to see the pity she'd have in her eyes after that embarrassing debacle.

you made it all the way to your room before crying into your pillow. you finally got the answer of whether or not it was over. the pain of the night at the pool seemed like an easy feat to face compared to your anguish now.

when you calmed down a few hours later, you looked out the window and saw the pool. a flashback of pain seared in you at first, but then you noticed something peculiar you failed to notice before. there was a part of the tiles that weren't aligned with the rest. you likely would miss it if you were close to it, but from far away it was noticeable.

something inside you told you to investigate. maybe it was the need for a distraction, but you followed your gut, not even stopping to change attire.

once getting to the pool, you jump straight in to create enough force to reach the bottom of the pool more efficiently. there, you observed the tile for a second before attempting to move it. nothing happened, and you readied yourself to get a breath of air -but suddenly, a key popped out from a compartment under the tile. you got it and returned to the surface.

without the chlorine in your eyes, you were able to immediately know where to put the key to use; the chapel tobias built for nan hawthorne. you rushed there, not caring for how soggy your hair and clothes were.

luckily, nan wasn't anywhere in sight. you rushed to the statue in the center of the room and eyed it for a moment before finding the intended target, the statue's mouth. you fit the key inside and wiggled it around before hearing that 'click' to let you know it was unlocked. a second later, a small plate popped out and with it it contained a usb. you'd never been prouder of yourself for figuring out one of tobias's stupid puzzles without avery's help.

you pulled out your phone and pressed on avery's contact, and started ringing her. she picked up in an instant, "hello?"

"avery! you won't believe it i-"

your sentence was rudely cut off due to your phone being shot of your hand. by a bullet.

you gasped and snapped your head to the entrance of the chapel. you saw the gun at once and its owner; eve.

"sorry, i think you're going to need a new phone," she says innocently.

you let out a cheerless laugh, "i knew it, you psycho bitch!" obviously not the best choice of words to say to the person pointing a gun at you, but god, did it feel good to be right about eve.

eve rolled her eyes, "i suppose you did, but it wasn't like anyone believed you. i'll admit you and avery almost, just almost, got me. but eventually, i was able to fool her too. now give me the usb and i won't shoot you." she got you there.

you gripped the usb tightly in your palm, "why do you want it?"

"i'm getting what's owed to me, what was taken from my family by that stupid old man. god, was it easy to infiltrate the hawthornes. especially grayson." you flinched at the mention of his name and eve took note of it.

she laughs, "right, he's your boyfriend- i mean ex-boyfriend, oops." there's no sincerity in that apology. "you know, when i heard you two were dating i was prepared to work twice as hard to get his attention.. but it was proven unnecessary because as soon as i stepped on hawthorne mansion - i had him." ouch.

"enough chatting, now walk over here slowly and hand me the drive." eve commanded, emphasizing the gun in her hands.

where was your bodyguard when you needed him?

you followed her commands, and took slow steps to her. she took on hand off the trigger to open her palm toward you. you made a motion to place the usb in her hand, but then quickly charged at the gun.

you both struggled back and forth, moving the gun. suddenly, the weapon flew out of both of your grasps and landed in front of the angel statue.

with the usb situated in your pocket, you ran to retrieve it, but eve was quick and tackled you from behind, causing you both to land on the ground. you were both rolling up and down the aisle, trying to get the upper hand. eve roughly situated herself ontop of your waist, immobilizing you. then her hands slithered to your neck and squeezed hard.

it was getting harder to breathe, but you were a fighter. your armed flayed at her, grabbing whatever was closest. as a last resort, you clawed at her face.

"bitch." you mutter as your nails scratch across her face.

it worked, eve howled in pain and retracted her hands from your neck. you briskly shoved her off your body. having little energy from the lack of oxygen, you still take your chance and crawl toward the gun. but eve had recovered, and dragged you back by your heel. 'talk about karma' you thought.

you're crazily moving your feet to shrug eve's hands off as you continue to painfully crawl. but suddenly the gun is lifted off the ground, both you and eve look up to see grayson now clutching the gun. you're both relieved and worried.

you stand up on your feet, eve does the same. grayson waves the gun toward both of you and both hold your hands in front of your forms.

"gray, thank god you're here. i came here looking for a clue, and found a usb, but then y/n showed up.. s-she took the usb from me then pulled out a gun and tried to kill me." her voice was no longer diabolical, now it was full of vulnerability and fear.

"grayson, she's lying, she almost killed me!"

"y/n's been working with vincent blake, she plans on giving that usb to him."

"oh, you little liar!"

"look at what she did to my face!" eve points at the bloody scratch on her face, starting from her left eyebrow and ending at her lip.

grayson eyes went back and forth in observing both you and eve. the gun was pointed in the middle, still deciding its target.

his eyes landed on yours, as does the gun. "y/n. give me the usb." your stomach drops.

"grayson." you plead.

"y/n. now." he held his hand out. you knew that tone. it meant 'no room for argument'.

if he didn't believe in you even now, then you had no choice. you took steps toward him.

"careful, gray, pretended to give the usb to me and then attacked me." eve warned. you shot her a nasty glare.

grayson doesn't say anything and waits for your move. you drop the usb in his hand.

"thank you." you say nothing.

grayson turns his head to eve, "i've always known who to believe." eve smiles at that, "i just had to stall long enough for john to show up."

in an instant, eve is brought down to the floor. oren is behind her, holding her arms behind her back long enough to put handcuffs on her wrist.

you let out a large breath you didn't know you were holding. grayson believed you in the moment that mattered most.

grayson tosses the gun to the ground and engulfs you in a hug. you accept it, and grip onto him like your life depends on it. his hold triggers your emotions, and tears spring out from your eyes. you can't help it when you start crying into his shoulder. he soothes you, cradling his hand on the back of your head.

"im sorry." grayson muttered into your hair. "you were right. i can't let emily rule my life any longer."

"you're an idiot." you say in the midst of tears.

"i am." he agrees

"and i'm still super mad at you."

"i know."

"you're going to have to work really hard to earn my forgiveness, like beg on your knees and hold a boombox outside of my window type stuff." you croak.

"i will, baby." grayson smiles.

for now, you were happy to feel safe and protected in his arms.

bonus:

"is this really necessary?"

"very," avery confirms, "you broke boyfriend code, now your penance must be fulfilled."

"you guys only made up those codes a day ago," grayson counters.

it was true, after the whole eve fiasco grayson was willing to do whatever to earn your forgiveness. you were ready to forgive him, but you also wanted to give him a hard time. it might've been a little evil of you, but you thought it was well deserved. after a girl talk with avery and libby, you came up with a new set of rules you liked to refer to as 'boyfriend code.' inspired by the code the brother share.

"exactly why we ought to use you as an example for future culprits," xander justifies waving a hand in grayson's direction.

grayson groans, looking up at the ceiling, "i love my girlfriend. i'm doing this for my girlfriend." he murmurs to himself.

"that's the spirit" nash cuts in, he lifts his drink up.

avery looks around, "where is y/n, anyway?" she asks.

"here!" you announce, walking out from behind the stage, "i was just preparing the song." you take a seat next to jameson and grin mischievously at grayson, "you'll love it."

graysons eyes narrow, "i have a feeling i won't."

just then, the beginning of a song plays out from the speakers.

grayson eyes widen, and he looks at you, "no."

your smile widens, "oh, yes."

"c'mon gray, we're all waiting." jameson hollers from his seat.

everyone starts egging grayson on, cheering for him to commence.

he takes a deep breath, "guess i have no choice."

as grayson starts to sing the lyrics of "shake it off" by taylor swift, jameson leans over to you.

"gotta say, this is a brilliant punishment for him."

you nod in agreement, "and it'll be even better after when i reveal, i have ten other taylor swift songs for him to perform." specially, 'ME!' was next.

"yikes. remind me to never break boyfriend code."

#grayson hawthorne #grayson hawthorne x reader #grayson hawthorne x female reader #grayson hawthorne fic #avery grambs #the inheritance games #the final gambit #jameson hawthorne #x female reader #x y/n #x reader #reader insert #reader imagine

661 notes · View notes

lunarmoves · 11 months

Text

spooks, screams, and robots, oh my!

pairing: DCA sun/moon/eclipse x reader

mentions: haunted house shenanigans, gender neutral reader (no pronouns used!), spooks n scares, tomfoolery and the like, relationship up to interpretation, eclipse is based off of ruin dlc, fluffy goodness, not beta'd lol, sfw, post fire at the plex

a/n: happy (late) halloween @n30nixx!! i'm so sorry this is kinda late LOL. i uh, started writing it and then it kind of got away from me so it ended up way longer than intended sfddfks. it might be a bit rushed at the end bc i wanted to get it out gahh. hope u enjoy & sorry for the wait!!

word count: 6k

ao3 link

You were laying in bed, idly scrolling through your phone in a sleep-induced haze, when you were startled up by a loud, ebullient voice.

“Friend!” Sun practically shouted as he burst through your door—a typical occurrence for him, yet it made you flinch all the same. You blinked widely at him as he bounded up to the side of your bed and waved something in the air with one of his hands. The bells tied to his wrist jingled with the motion. “Look what we found!”

The thing in question was promptly dropped on top of your head, and you made a small, confused noise as you picked it off to squint at it. It was a flyer, you noted, your eyes sweeping quickly over the bold, orange words stark underneath a dilapidated cartoon house of eerie green and fiery purple.

“Oh!” You perked up as Sun eagerly swayed by your bedside, waiting for your response. “The haunted house is happening again?” Sure enough, the flyer was for the annual haunted house that opened in your city every October. Well, almost every. It had been closed the last few years due to a lack of funding. You hadn’t gone since you were a teenager, if you were remembering correctly.

“Sure is!” Sun replied with a grin. He clasped his hands together and leaned down closer to you, blank white eyes locked onto your own. “We should go!”

You hummed and flicked your gaze to the bottom of the flyer, where the address and time for the haunted house were both displayed. It wasn’t too far from your apartment—walking distance, for certain. “Alright. Could be fun!”

Sun practically leapt for joy, his rays spinning delightfully around his face plate. “Wonderful!!” And without any time for you to even protest, he picked you up from under the arms to disentangle you from your bed. You made a surprised noise, blankets slipping from your body in a silken waterfall, then stared at him when he eventually set you back down on the floor. The flyer had been crushed in your grip with the unexpected motion. Sun patted your rumpled figure on the shoulders with both of his hands as you blinked at him. “Let’s go!!”

“Wait, you mean now?!” you asked in bewilderment. You hadn’t planned on leaving your bedroom tonight, much less your apartment building.

“Of course!! You’re not doing anything now, are you?” Sun asked, tilting his head to the side. “In fact— we don’t think you’ve been outside at all today! Fresh air will do you some good, Friend!!”

Trust Sun to always make sure you were taking care of yourself properly. You sighed, already knowing you would be fighting a losing battle if you dared to protest. He was right, you didn’t have anything major to do for the rest of the evening. And besides—you glanced at the time on your phone, which was still clenched in your hand even after Sun had picked you up—it was still pretty early. If Sun was so eager to go to the haunted house tonight, then who were you to deny him?

“Okay, fine, we can go now,” you acquiesced. You rolled your eyes lightheartedly when he cheered. “Where did you even find the flyer, anyways?”

“It was taped to a lamppost when we went for a walk!” Sun told you, his hands fidgeting together slightly. You raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn’t like you forbade them from going outside or anything. In fact, you encouraged it! But well, with robots still being acclimated into society, you just worried about them being alone outside for too long. Seemed like they’d been fine, though. No big deal.

Still, you had to ask. “How was it? Good walk? No mean pedestrians?”

Sun nodded, giving you a bright grin. “No issues! Didn’t get too many stares once we pulled up our hood!” He pinched at the large, burgundy hoodie he had on, accompanied by long, dark sweats. You were lucky he just barely managed to fit into the largest size you could find online, though the clothes were still a bit baggy for his tall, lithe figure. Still, they were better than nothing.

You bobbed your head at his words. “Good, good. Well”—you tossed the crumpled flyer and your phone onto your bed as you prepared to grab some clean clothes that weren’t your pajamas—“let me just get freshened up real quick and we can head ou—"

“Wait!” Sun nearly yelled out before you could finish speaking. You paused, mouth still open, and gave him an inquisitive look. He took it as a sign to continue. “We need costumes!”

“Costumes?” you echoed. “That’s not really necessary for a haunted house, you know.”

Sun flapped a hand at you in dismissal. “Come on, Friend! Where’s your Halloween spirit?”

It wasn’t quite Halloween yet, but he got you there, you supposed. “I wouldn’t even know what to be,” you said with a sigh. It was a bit too late to throw something together. You hadn’t really planned on doing anything for the holiday, after all. Maybe you should’ve accounted for your robotic guest—the ex-Daycare Attendant was bound to be inclined to celebrate.

Sun’s grin curled up until he was looking at you in a way that made you feel suspicious. “Not to worry! We came prepared!”

You squinted at him as he bounded over to your closet and opened it to pick out a box that’d been meticulously hidden away from your view. What the— How had you not noticed it before?? Color you utterly befuddled. As you wondered how Sun was able to hide the box from you within your own home, he re-approached you and deposited it on the floor in front of you with a flourish of his hands. “Tada! Our costumes!!”

You stared down at the box. “Where did you get this?”

“Don’t worry about it!” he said cheerfully and bent down to start to crack it open at the top.

You gave him a suspicious look. “Did you use my credit card again?”

“Oh look! It’s your costume!” Sun rapidly spoke over you as he grabbed something from within the box—that crinkled with the sound of thin plastic—and thrusted it towards you. A small pfft left your lips at his words (really, you should’ve been used to his spending habits by now), and you took the items from him so you could see what he’d bought for you. A beat of silence passed.

“Is this a fucking Shrek costume?” you wheezed out as you waved around the clear, plastic wrapping containing a green headband with ogre ears attached to it, a brown vest, and a long, tan-colored shirt.

Sun grinned mischievously at you. “Yep!” You burst out into raucous laughter, loud enough to fill the room with your amusement.

“Unbelievable!” You giggled and wiped a tear from your eye. You’d watched the movie with him not too long ago. Maybe it had given him inspiration. “And who are you gonna be?”

“Well!” Sun started as he rummaged around in the box. “I’d wanted us to be Fiona, but Moon was against the idea, so we had to pick different things that’d be easier for us to switch to. So”—he pulled out a black hat with a feather attached to it and put it on his head—“I will be Puss in Boots!”

You cracked up again. The hat couldn’t even properly sit on top of his head without him needing to adjust his sun rays. “Amazing!”

Sun beamed down at you, hands on his hips as he struck a pose. “Why, thank you! Moon’s gonna be Big Bad Wolf and Eclipse is gonna be Donkey! Don’t look too deeply into it!”

This was fucking hilarious. “We’ve got our own little squad going on,” you said with a snicker as you started opening the wrapping containing your costume. You could already picture how dumb you were going to look wearing it. You loved it.

“That we do!” Sun replied happily. He bent down to swiftly pick back up the box and started to walk towards your bedroom door. His head did a 180 so he could look at you in the process, white eyes upturned in delight. “Get dressed and meet us by the door! There are spooks to be had!”

You gave him a silly smile and a little salute. “You got it, Boss!”

You scratched idly at the back of your ear, where the headband you were wearing dug slightly into your skin as you wandered down the street with Sun by your side. By now the sky was turning into a soft gradient of navy blue and burnt mandarin, the small twinkle of stars starting to poke out just above your head. It was light enough with all the active lampposts that Sun was still able to walk with you, though you were certain this would change the later it got.

It didn’t take too long to walk over to the haunted house. On the way, you and Sun were able to look at all the Halloween decorations that lined the houses you passed by. There were quite a few with creepy skeletons lining the yards or thin spiderwebs snaking across gates and shrubbery. You took a few pictures of some of the more impressive ones, Sun striking a little pose in them for fun.

There weren’t too many people walking about, but the closer you got to the haunted house location, the busier the streets became. Music played somewhere in the distance, low-pitched and eerie. The bumble of conversation got louder as people roamed about with friends or on their own. Some people were also dressed in costume, you noticed in relief. It made you feel better about wearing your own.

Sun was practically vibrating right out of his metallic body as you both approached the haunted house. It was tucked in a street that had been repurposed to look like a desolate town. The stores were boarded up and the road was packed with food stalls. There was even a little stage that had some guy in a Ghostface costume standing on top of it, calling out to people randomly to try to scare them.

There was a line outside the building itself that you had to join to purchase tickets, so you stood there patiently with Sun as his head swiveled around and around to take everything in.

“This is amazing!” he exclaimed as he watched a group of rambunctious teenagers walk by dressed up as some characters from a T.V. show. His rays spun about his head—well, as much as they could with his hat on—before he looked back down at you. “Very spirited! We never saw anything like this before!”

You grinned up at him. “Oh yeah, people like their horror and dressing up, what can I say.”

Sun’s smile widened, then his head cocked slightly to the side as he paused for a short moment. His gaze turned to look somewhere behind you.

“Moon says he likes that person’s costume,” he said as he pointed at something. You glanced over your shoulder to see someone wearing a rather impressive killer clown costume—with fake blood and a polka-dotted suit and everything. “He says it reminds him of you.”

You barked out a surprised laugh. Of course Moon would take any opportunity to poke fun at you—even when he wasn’t in control. “Says the literal jester!”

Sun made a show out of looking around, his optics squinted with his hand placed horizontally over them like he was staring out into the distance. “Jester? Where?! I only see Puss in Boots here!” He gestured down to his body with both of his hands. He wasn’t wearing the black cape that came with the costume so that it would be easier for Moon and Eclipse when they switched over, but he did have a belt strapped around his waist along with a pair of tall boots that went up to his knees. He’d tucked his sweatpants into them. He’d drawn on some cat whiskers on his face plate as well, and it looked a bit silly, but you were pretty sure he was aware. You shook your head in good nature at his antics.

The two of you passed the time on line pointing out people’s costumes or enjoying the little shows being done on the stage. Sun seemed to adore watching all the little kids run about, and you watched as his gaze followed them around with an almost longing look to it. A few were wearing Glamrock masks atop their heads. Even fewer seemed to notice Sun, but they did wave to him—an action that made his entire body light up as he waved back with his whole arm. You patted him on the back, but didn’t dare bring it up. He still got a bit sad whenever you did, part of him still attached to that little daycare he’d spent so long in.

“Hey man! Nice costume!” someone hollered out at one point somewhere off to your side, and you turned to see them watching Sun as they walked by with a group of people. “Super wicked!”

“Coolest one I’ve seen all night!” another person shouted from the group with a thumbs up.

You raised an eyebrow at their words, but Sun didn’t seem to mind—or notice, for that matter. “Thank you, Friends!!” he eagerly shouted back as he waved his arm about. He grinned and watched as they disappeared around a corner, still stealing looks at him all the while.

“I think they thought you were the costume,” you eventually said amusedly. Sun glanced at you as you continued. “I would hardly call a Puss in Boots costume ‘wicked’.”

Sun made an offended gasp and crossed his arms. “I worked hard on this costume, you know! I think I look rather cool and fetching, don’t you think?” He struck a pose, black boots clicking together as he pretended to gesture out a sword from the belt tied around his waist.

You snorted. “You’re right, you’re right. You do look cool.” Sun made a pleased sound in response.

It didn’t take much longer until you were finally at the front of the line. After purchasing two tickets, the lady behind the little counter gave you two green paper wristbands. You thanked her as you took them and she pointed you towards another line to enter the haunted house itself. That one wasn’t as long as the ticket line, thankfully. You gestured to Sun to follow you as you made your way over to join it. The area over here was not as well lit as the one by the tickets, since it was away from any lampposts. That, paired with the darkened night sky, caused the sound of clicks and whirrs of shifting machinery to follow you until you were positioned at the end of the line.

“Another line to wait in,” you sighed as you peeled a bit of paper off one of the wristbands to expose its sticky end. “They seem busy tonight.”

“I’m sure they’ll get busier the closer it gets to Halloween!” Eclipse remarked as he looked towards the entrance of the haunted house. His height allowed him to peer over basically everyone’s heads. He got a few double takes for it, but you think most people thought he was wearing platforms or something for a costume, for they didn’t say anything. Hey, you’d take it over getting stopped on the street so they could ask how tall he was or where his model came from. It’d happened too many times for you to count.

You hummed. “Yeah. Hold out your wrist for me, please.” Eclipse looked down at you and stuck out one of his arms. You slid his hoodie sleeve up and wrapped the green band around his thin wrist as tightly as you could, just below his ribbon. You could feel his gaze lingering on your fingers as you tucked the end of the band in as much as you could and finished with a little pat to his hand. “There you go!”

“Thank you, my dear!” He beamed as he slid his sleeve back down. You nodded and looked down so you could start to unpeel the other wristband, but before you could, it was being gently plucked from your grip. “Allow me! Wrist, please!”

You rolled your eyes halfheartedly, but complied, sticking your arm out so Eclipse could bend down and gently fasten the band to it. Large yet dexterous fingers fit it snugly around your wrist, tucking the end in neatly, and finishing with a flourish. “There you go!”

“Thanks, bud,” you told him as you stuck your hands into your pockets along with the two pieces of paper from the wristbands. You’ll throw them out later. Eclipse’s smile stretched wider as his rays did a little spin. You took the time to observe his change in costume. Not much was different from Sun’s—he was still wearing the same hoodie and sweats, plus he couldn’t quite swap out the boots—but he did replace the hat with a headband of donkey ears. The belt around his waist also gained a little donkey tail. It was cute.

You took some time just observing the haunted house itself from the outside as you both waited for your turns. It was very big, for one thing, being a few stories high and wide like a department store. The upper floors had the windows boarded up, so you doubted you would have to climb up stairs or anything. The entire building was painted black with eerie green and purple lighting from little strobes positioned on the outside walls. Smoke drifted into the air from a machine sticking out one of the windows on the second floor. Very spooky.

The closer you got to the front of the line, the more you were able to hear screams and shouts from inside the haunted house. There was the occasional bang! followed by a shriek. You were excited, don’t get you wrong. But well… you were starting to feel just a bit apprehensive.

Eclipse seemed to have noticed. “Feeling nervous?” he asked as he glanced down at you. He swayed animatedly side to side as he waited, hands tucked into the conjoined pocket in front of his hoodie.

You waved a hand. “Who, me? Nah, no way, nope. Nothing to be scared of!” And there really wasn’t, you told yourself. There were just people dressed up in costumes in there. Nothing too scary. Not like there were actual ghosts or zombies or anything.

He chuckled at your words, and you knew he could see right through you. “You can hold onto our arm if you want. We’ll protect you!”

Your expression softened. “Aw, thank you. But I’m not sure if Moon has the same sentiment.” You were pretty much guaranteed to be subjected to Moon for the duration of the haunted house if the darkness past its entryway was any indication. And well… it was Moon you were talking about here.

“You can tell him to back off, you know!” Eclipse said amusedly. The line shuffled forward another few inches. “He will!”

You snorted. “Doubt it.” Eclipse only shrugged in response.

Finally, finally, you reached the front of the line. There was a woman in skeleton makeup sitting in a chair by the entrance who wrote a little ‘x’ on each of your wristbands with a marker. Then she listed off a bunch of rules for you both to follow. No running, no touching the actors (though they could lightly touch you, something you were a bit wary of), keep following the path, don’t look the demon in its eyes or it will kill you… You blinked at that last one, but before you could question it, a bang! came from within the house that made you jump slightly. The woman didn’t even react, just reached over and knocked a metal ring against the outside wall of the building before she gestured you both in.

“Have fun!” she called out in a raspy voice. “And remember: He’s always watching!”

Who? “Oh boy,” you whispered to yourself as Eclipse ushered you forward with a large hand against the middle of your back. You were pretty sure she only said that to make you feel uneasy, but shit, you didn’t expect it to work. You wrapped a hand around Eclipse’s elbow of the arm still tucked into his pocket and he escorted you as though you were both attending a ball and not a horror attraction. Your grip tightened as you stepped into the building and continued down a small path before reaching a door.

There was a person with a rucksack over their head that bled from two black eyes standing right in front of it. They didn’t say anything, just opened the door and gestured at you and Eclipse to go forth with a clawed hand. It was completely dark beyond it. You swallowed heavily. The apprehension by now had devolved completely into a wriggling mass of nerves. You were going to die in there.

“Lovely costume!” Eclipse said cheerfully to the person as he tugged you forward. He had to duck his head so he wouldn’t hit his head on the top of the door frame. You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word, only watched the masked person as they stared at you until you were past the door. Then they slammed it shut, making you jump as you suddenly found yourself in complete, utter darkness.

“Oooh, I don’t like this,” you whispered lowly as your eyes widened as much as they could. You couldn’t see a thing. It would have been quiet too if not for the quiet clicking and shifting of metal at your side. You glanced up when a red light settled softly along the top of your arms and shoulders.

Moon grinned sharply down at you, hellacious eyes aglow in delight. “Scared?” he rasped with a snicker, one of his hands trailing his claws unsettling down the side of your face.

You pushed his hand away and flicked your gaze up to the top of his head. “I was,” you retorted hotly, “until I saw those goofy ass ears you’re wearing.” You pointed up at the fluffy wolf ears attached to the top of his nightcap. You guessed he didn’t want to part with it for his costume. It made him look funny, especially when you squinted at his backside to see a matching fluffy tail attached to the belt around his waist.

Moon growled and made a motion as though to bite you, but you yelped and ducked out of the way. “Bad Moon! No biting!” He snickered at you as you wagged a finger at him. You huffed and turned to look down the dark hall. “Come on, we need to get moving. Don’t wanna hold up the line.”

You were lucky Moon’s optics were bright enough to light the way a bit. You slowly made your way down the hall, glancing occasionally over your shoulder to make sure Moon was following. He was, but he was definitely trying to creep you out if the way he was watching you with those pinprick white pupils were any indication. You stuck your tongue out at him.

The nerves were starting to make an appearance again. Where your eyes failed, your ears picked up the slack, straining for any sound. In the distance, you could hear the pitter-pattering of footsteps. You slowly turned around a corner, and nearly jumped out of your skin when a woman appeared out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the hall. There was a light over her head that cast ominous shadows upon her figure. She had on a torn and ragged wedding dress, gashes littering her skin and leaking ruby blood.

She didn’t say anything, just watched you with eyes that had smudged mascara around them. Okay then. You shuffled forward, planning on squeezing yourself around her, when you noticed her gaze had switched from you to something behind you—Moon, most likely. You looked behind you and nearly bit your tongue when you saw Moon had taken to crawling along the walls to avoid the light. Like some kind of hybrid Big Bad Wolf demon.

“Moon!” you whisper-shouted at him as he chuckled and made his way past the woman along the leftmost wall. “That’s not— Don’t do that!” You turned to look back at the woman, who stared at Moon blankly for a few moments more, then moved to continue to watch you. Without a single sound. You swallowed thickly. Just a person, just an actor. “Sorry, my friend’s um— a little quirky. I’m just gonna”—you shuffled yourself along the wall to slip by her—“just gonna… go—”

You couldn’t even finish your sentence before she let out a high-pitched shriek. You yelped and scrambled away, just barely managing to stop yourself from sprinting as you rounded a corner and nearly ran right into Moon again.

He giggled at you and held you by the shoulders to steady you. “Scaredy-cat.”

“Shut up, man,” you huffed as you shoved your hands in your pockets and continued to follow the path through the house. You didn’t see any more people dressed up, thankfully, though you were heavily eyeing the darkest corners for anyone hiding in them. “I’m pretty sure you surprised her more than anything.” He only giggled again and trailed after you.

You eventually emerged into a dimly lit room that was decorated like a child’s bedroom. The wallpaper was peeling and dirty, decorated in what looked like had been little ducks and bunnies. There were decapitated dolls scattered about. Clicking and whirring followed you as you stepped uneasily towards the door at the other end of the room. Eclipse tutted as he looked around.

“What a mess!” he exclaimed as he came up behind you. “This isn’t very safe for a child!”

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t a normal child,” you said flatly as you pointedly looked at the bloody hand prints lining the wall near a small bed. There was a mound of dirty blankets on top of it. As you got closer to the exit of the room, the mound wiggled and out popped a little girl’s head. You jerked back in surprise.

“You’re here! You’re here!!” The little girl smiled as she looked directly at you with these bloody, black eyes. A strange tar-like substance leaked from them. You made a face and stepped back, running into Eclipse right behind you. “Won’t you play with me? Pretty please?”

Before you could say anything, Eclipse stepped around you with a flourish. “Little girl of course we will! What do you want to do? Color? Hide and seek?” You gave him a look and opened your mouth to say something, but he pressed on. “Where are you parents? And oh! Your eyes! L-Let's get you to a f-first aid station, hm?”

“Eclipse, dude…” You reached out to grab his arm. The little girl’s gaze flicked to you for a moment—you wondered if her actress was confused—before she just settled on smiling wider. Wide enough to split her cheeks and cause ruby blood to run towards her jawline.

“Perfect!” She grinned and started to rise from the bed. Up and up and up, until she could contort thin, spindly limbs in grotesque, unnatural ways. “We’re gonna be best friends forever!” You yelped as she started to laugh and lunged towards you. Your hand clamped down on Eclipse’s arm as you tugged the two of you out the exit, the girl’s high-pitched laughter following you into the stifled darkness of the haunted house.

You took a short moment to catch your breath as Eclipse clicked and shifted away. “Guys, we’re in a haunted house, remember?” You wiped your hands on your shirt and fixed the headband you still had on so that it wasn't askew. You were starting to feel a little sweaty. Didn’t help that your heart kept running a mile a minute. This had to count as some kind of exercise, right?

Moon grumbled, red eyes partly lidded as he slouched forward. “We know,” he rasped. “Programming.”

You sighed and took his hand so you could give it a little squeeze. It never quite got easier. “I know. Come on.”

The two of you continued to follow the winding and twisting halls, barely illuminated by the lights of Moon’s optics. The pitter-pattering of steps seemed to follow you around, but no matter how much you squinted and looked around, you could never quite figure out where they were coming from. Or who. Moon didn’t let go of your hand, and you weren’t quite sure if that was a good thing or not, for you could hear him occasionally snickering from behind you.

As you made your way down a particularly long hall, you felt Moon tap you on the shoulder.

You shifted your head towards him, but kept your focus before you to avoid running into anything or anyone. “Yeah?” When he didn’t say anything, you raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. Red light caressed your face as though from a warm hand. “You need something?”

He stifled a snicker. “Need what?” he asked, head rotating to the right slightly. You blinked at him, then shook your head.

“Never mind,” you huffed. You figured he was trying to mess with you and turned your gaze back to the front. There was an opening up ahead, nestled between two dark corners. Were you almost at the end? You hoped so.

Moon tapped you again, this time on the side of your arm. You looked over at him again, annoyance starting to crease your eyebrows. “Yes, Moon?”

He only grinned at you this time, cheshire-esque and oozing mischief. “Not me,” he said amusedly. “Look.” He pointed to your opposite side.

You squinted at him, then reluctantly turned your head to look at your other side. Immediately, something jumped out at you, all sharp teeth and bloodied claws. You didn’t even get a good look at it before you were stumbling back and screaming, your hands coming up to protect your face. You fell right into Moon, who snickered something as he caught you with one arm and held you close to his body.

“Oh my god!!” you shouted, fingers trembling as your heart pounded away in your chest. Echoing in your ears. Moon chuckled and guided you down the hall, away from the actor. “Scared the shit out of me, why didn’t you warn me?!”

“Funny,” was all Moon said. You glared up at him, but he wasn’t looking at you. His face plate had turned a complete 180 so he could stare at the person who’d jumpscared you. A glance over your shoulder showed that they were still standing where you’d left them, slowly inching backwards to disappear into the shadows. Moon turned his sharp grin back down to you, his eyes squinted up in delight, though when he spoke, it was in a gentle voice. “We got you.”

You exhaled slowly. “That was real cheap,” you grumbled instead, hands fastening in an iron grip around Moon’s arms as he shuffled you towards the opening at the end of the hall. You took in a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm yourself down, peeved at yourself for falling for something so dumb. As you passed through the opening, someone in a mask reached out of one of the dark corners to attempt to scare you, but upon seeing Moon’s red-tinted glare and wide, threatening smile, they backed away. You didn’t even notice.

The two of you emerged into a large room flooded with blue light that made Moon click and shift into Eclipse once more. You squinted around at the long dining tables interspersed throughout the room and laden with plates of rotted food. There were fancy candelabras decorating their surfaces. The walls were lined in cobwebs and paintings of shadow-like figures. Smoke permeated the air, and trailed around a large, hulking figure standing with its back towards you at one of the tables. You gulped and darted your eyes to the exit at the far end of the room—aglow with light from outside. It was so close.

The figure grunted and growled, then turned around abruptly to face you and Eclipse. It was holding a large, bloodied axe and was dressed in what looked like dry, human-esque skin. You felt the color drain from your face.

“Little piggies!” The figure grinned with decayed teeth and took a large step towards you. “Just in time for the feast! Come here!” He darted towards you, moving surprisingly fast for his huge form.

“We’ll pass, thanks!” you yelped as you ducked out of the way of his lumbering form. An actor! Just an actor, just an actor!! You started to run for the exit, weaving your way through the dining tables.

“Friend! No running!” Eclipse called out worriedly as he skipped after you. The large figure roared after you both, and you could feel the heavy steps it took as it gave chase. You were so done with this.

“Fuck that! I’m outta here!” you yelled back, then flinched when something lunged at you from above. You ducked and glanced up just in time to see a massive spider retreat back up to the foggy ceiling. How did they have the budget for that?? You didn’t even bother to linger—you just kept your head low as you ran straight for the exit, avoiding a few more spiders that lunged at you from the ceiling and ignoring Eclipse’s calls.

At last, at long last, you made it out of the haunted house and into the brightly lit space past its doors. You huffed as you braced yourself against your knees outside, willing your breathing to ease into something more normal and your heart to stop feeling as though it was going to take off into outer space.

There were a few people lingering around outside, laughing and talking as they told each other of their experiences in the haunted house. You grumbled and straightened up just as Sun came skipping towards you, hat back on his head and his grin as amused as ever.

“That was fun!” he chimed as he came to a stop next to you, hands on his hips as he looked around. You had both emerged at the back entrance of the building instead of the front this time, though instead of food stalls and stages, there were places to take pictures or pose with some of the haunted house actors still dressed in costume.

“For you maybe,” you said dryly as you adjusted the ogre ears headband once more. A small breeze drifted by that made you shiver slightly and look up at the dark sky. “Or Moon, I guess. Sorry you didn’t quite have any time out while we were in there.”

Sun waved a hand. “That’s okay, Friend! It was fun watching, in any case!”

“Fun watching me freak out, I bet,” you scoffed in a lighthearted manner. Now that you were outside, you were feeling much better. You likely wouldn’t be doing that again for a while, though you had to admit it was fun, in its own way.

Sun chuckled. “While it was very amusing watching you get scared, I will say I would much rather prefer you have a heart rate below 130 bpm!”

You let out a pfft at his words. “Thanks I guess? It wasn’t too bad, though.” You waved off his worries like they were nothing. It was fine! You were fine.

Sun cocked his head at you, then grinned suddenly in response and leaned down closer to you to hover right above your head. His smile sharpened.

“Well, how about a round two, then?”

#dcah2023 #dca x reader #daycare attendant x reader #fnaf sun x reader #sun x reader #fnaf sun x y/n #fnaf moon x reader #fnaf moon x y/n #moon x reader #sun x y/n #sundrop x reader #sundrop x y/n #dca x y/n #fnaf dca x reader #eclipse x reader #eclipse x y/n #fnaf eclipse x reader #fnaf eclipse x y/n #shay scribbles daydreams

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an-au-blog · 11 months

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Omg i have an idea - Sanji prince set to marry the princess of Wano arc but she is in love with her bodygaurd Zoro. This makes sanji jealous of him and he in his free time does everything in his power to piss off zoro but zoro starts liking it. In reality he had never had hots for the princess, but the day he saw Sanji and his fighting skills, zoro was inexplicably drawn to him. So they start sparring together and arguing but they find it comforting in a way.

Will u elaborate this au ?? I would love to see you enhance it

Yesyesyesyes! I saw that (I just hate replying from my main and as far as ik I can't respond from a secondary)

This reminds me of a royal au art post that I see or come back to every so often like "I should probably write a royal au"

(anyways here i go... this turned out longer than intended lol:)

At first, Sanji would be so happy and anxious about meeting the princess. He's never seen her, it was an arranged marriage, but he heard that she is the most beautiful and elegant woman. So it was a huge shock when he arrived and all she would do was try to tend to her bodyguard or try chatting him up. Emphasis on the "try". The most he replied with was a huff or a grunt. Most of the time he acted like she wasn't even there. Even when she did talk to Sanji, the conversation somehow always circled back to her body guard.

It was all "Zoro this," and "Zoro that," and admittedly, Sanji could hesitantly agree that if what she was talking about him was true, he was a man of pride and honor. It still pissed him off.

Sanji was a bit disappointed on many levels. He wanted a nice date with his future wife. What was he thinking? The mossheaded brute? She could do so much better than that swordsman. What does he have that Sanji doesn't??? Not to mention that the guard was staring daggers into him the whole day.

At the end of their "date", the swordsman insisted on sending him off to where he'd be staying. He even offered to give him a tour of the city.

Sanji responded with a "I'd love to get a tour from miss Hiyori, but I don't want anything from you, mosshead."

They end up going anyway because the very next day...

Zoro to Hiyori: I should take him into town for a tour.

Hiyori: Yes that's a great idea! I could come too,

Zoro: No

Sanji: Yes

Zoro sweating: it uh... it won't be safe.

Through out the whole walk Sanji would keep saying things like "oh, how I wish my FUTURE WIFE could be with us now," and "do you think my FIANCE would like this if I bought here one?" to make sure Zoro knew that Sanji was the one who would marry her.

Zoro seemed irritated at first but it slowly started seeming more like sadness than anger. At one point Zoro turns and interrupts him, telling him that they're lost. Turns out not only were they lost, Zoro didn't know where they were going for a while now.

An insult turns into a snarky remark in return, which turns into a kick, turns into a fight. After they were all worn out from the fight, Sanji begrudgingly realized that he enjoyed sparing a bit too much. It was the most fun he had since he arrived. He would never admit it though.

Once they found their way back Sanji decides that he would try and be as close to his fiance as possible. If he flirted with her enough, the Marimo would get the hint.

On one hand it worked. Zoro seemed to get really angry whenever he flirted with her. Which usually ended with them sparring. Zoro would say some questionable things during their fights... so Sanji responded. It escalated to the most fucked up and homoerotic shit, to the point where people got used to leaving the room to give them privacy.

As the wedding approached, Sanji started seeing less and less of Zoro. When he asked Hiyori about it she always gave an answer that sounded extremely fake.

It didn't bother Sanji... until it did. He stormed every room until he found the mosshead meditating under a tree. Sanji didn't know what he was going to do, but it would definitely going to include a confrontation.

Sanji: Are you avoiding me shitty swordsman?

Zoro, not even opening his eyes: ...

Sanji: At first I thought you had left or that you were avoiding both me and Hiyori, but then I find out you were with her daily.

Zoro still not answering pissed Sanji off and was his sign to continue talking.

Sanji: I can't believe you'd try to seduce MY future wife behind my back like that! For all that talk about honor, you sure are dishonest!

Zoro finally snapping: I avoid you because I know she'll marry you, I'm doing this for her sake. I don't want to ruin her wedding.

Sanji: Oh, right you're stealing her from me for her sake.

Zoro: I'm avoiding you because if I see you I can't guarantee I can hold myself back from ending the engagement and running off with you.

Sanji, absolutely baffled with this answer. That was so much new information, he didn't know what to ask first. After a minute of gaping like a fish, Sanji started talking on auto pilot. An apparently "autopilot" was "bitchy": What makes you think I'd want that?

And when he thought Zoro would spit something back, Zoro looked up at him with the saddest most heartbroken look in his eyes: I don't.

It sounded more like an apology than an answer.

Sanji felt like his world shattered.

The swordsman stood up and paused for a bit. As if he was ready to do something that he would regret but stopped himself. Sanji would have done anything to know what he was going to do or say. But alas, felt frozen.

Zoro: It's okay, I told Hiyori I'm leaving after the wedding. I won't be bothering you and your wife anymore.

Walking away, Zoro couldn't help but think how much he wanted to rush back and give him a kiss farewell. One filled with all the passion, frustration and despair he'd be harboring until now.

#zosan #one piece zosan #zoro x sanji #sanji x zoro #zosan au #op #i bet you though this would be a happy haha story huh >:]#answers

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tezzbot · 6 months

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Okay.. so... fairly long post under the cut with the sort of background to my Sonic Underground AU!! If anyone's interested fjdgv I have thought about it a Lot lol

So basically, The background is that Eggman has definitely been up to shit since before Sonic was born lol and one of his sort of things when he I guess started out in villainy ? was he started trying to claim land and take over so that he could build his cities and theme parks and factories and what have you and rule over everything. So, after claiming some untouched land he started attacking “Mobian'' settlements, (not sure whether to stick with Mobian or what but the word gets my point across so I’m using it now sfgdh) and I guess started working his way up until he found Christmas Island, which is the small Kingdom Aleena ruled over at the time. This caused the Kingdom to fight back and started a war with Robotnik. However. Obviously the warzone was no place to be raising the Very recently born heirs to the throne (the three who would grow up to be Sonia Sonic and Manic, they might’ve had different names back then lol) and so Aleena with a Very heavy heart sent the three Far away, they had them sent to a dinky little orphanage in a fairly distant zone, intending to pick them back up when the war was over.

Unfortunately, Very early on in the triplet’s stay at the orphanage, when they were still practically babies, an unfortunate cot placement led to Manic being kidnapped sometime in the dead of night (don’t ask why they did it I just think it’s funny love and light). He was taken to a nearby city, and somehow managed to endear himself to Ferral, the leader of one of the larger sort of crime rings active there. This is where he learned to get by and live and thrive, little crime family they love each other and rag on each other so much smile smile smile.

Sonic stayed in the orphanage a lot longer than Manic, but doesn’t really remember his time there all that much. As soon as Sonic figured out how to, he ran. Ran as fast and as far as he was able. Ran until he had no idea how to get back. But he'd not a guilt on his conscience. He was free, for the first time felt truly free. He learned how to survive on his own and met a little two tailed fox cub and his life played out pretty much exactly the same as it does in the main line continuity :)

Sonia is the only one of the three who has any memory of staying in the orphanage and was the only one to leave there by regular means dgfhfg. At about five years old, she was one of a few girls from across the continent to be chosen to attend and live at an all girls school where they would grow into proper ladies™, being taught etiquette and manners and so on. She managed a fairly cushy lifestyle here but was never truly happy there. She obviously has her besties like Mindy, but it always felt far too restrictive and (figuratively) cold. So while she does do well there, she is slightly prone to getting in trouble and feels kind of belittled and invisible among her peers at times

So in the triplet’s maybe 3rd year? The war on Christmas Island ended and the Mobians were unfortunately forced to go into hiding. Aleena made it out and went into her own hiding in the form of laying low in a residential area in a nearby city, and attempted to blend in there for a few years before making the trip to finally reunite with her children. Unfortunately by the time she gets there, all three are gone :( Even though the orphanage may know where Sonia is, she feels as though she has failed all three as their mother and wouldn't be able to face any of them (despite the fact they're like. 6 year olds lol), and so retreats back to her city home.

Until, over a decade later, Aleena sees the world renowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog that she hears so much about, (maybe he’s just saved that part of the city from a badnik attack or something like that) and there is just… something about him that is so uncannily like her Bernie… His heroism and humility right down to his mannerisms, the being blue also adds to the effect. And… Aleena is not one to get her hopes up, but the chance of this being one of her missing children after all these years…

Then I’m thinking maybe, she is wearing the equivalent of the three medallions and, maybe as she gets closer to Sonic one of them has some sort of magical reaction ? or something I’m not actually sure. But something DOES confirm to Aleena that This is one of her kids oh my god!! And he’s just like his (other) mother… Aleena gets overwhelmed and ends up not talking to him. Sonic maybe notices someone in a long flowy jacket running away from the crowd, but gets distracted by the many other thankful citizens around him to really take note of it lol

This is when Aleena writes her letter to Sonic. She looks him up, tries very hard to find out where he lives. Ultimately coming up with nothing she’s like IS MY BOY HOMELESS?? But then what comes up eventually is a plethora of small garages and laboratories under the name Dr. Miles Prower and is like Oh! An apprentice maybe :) lol and so she rolls the dice and chooses one of those locations at random and hopes her message gets to him soon.

This is just the leadup to what would be the "main plot" of the AU and I do have more for it!! So if this like. Text based way of explaining my ideas is alright I can share more from the google doc if ppl are interested!! And maybe I'll doodle some stuff for it here n there who know (seems likely tho lol)

#sth #sonic underground au #sonic underground

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uhbasicallyjustmilex · 3 months

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEjwwo9S1g

So I know everyone knows this interview off by heart and it’s been spoken about A MILLION TIMES but I would just love love to hear you ramble about from 10:20 onwards bc omg it’s just so sweet and your thoughts on things are always perfection :’) like Miles seems like he’s keeping an eye on Alex for the whole interview and playing off his humour but the fond/amused/exasperated ‘please do’ that he says when Alex goes ‘just to add to that’, and how he sort of glances at Martin in an ‘ah where is this going’ sort of way is just gorgeous xD and the way he squeezes his eyes shut, just waiting to feed off whatever Alex says but wondering what on earth is about to come out of his mouth is just so tender and pure 😭😂 like miles you sweetheart xD

omg i will take ANY opportunity to ramble about this absolute gem of an interview (and about them generally, as we know lol)

anyway yeah, this whole interview truly is peak milex derangement - and this little section in particular??? ughhh it just feels like such an intimate insight into their humour and the way they mess around together. like you can tell they're a bit bored with the interview, and it makes me wonder if this is what they get like when they're bored and restless on bus journeys, waiting for soundcheck etc - if they descend into the same affectionate, humorous madness that no one else quite knows how to deal with. it feels like such a window into their everyday lives and way of interacting, and ugh i just love it, how easy it is to imagine them talking in silly voices and being totally wrapped up in each other in all these other scenarios 🥺

one of absolute my favourite things about this clip is how you can just tell how UTTERLY in tune they are with each other - even when they're not really that engaged with the situation they're in. the way they know each other's subtlest inflections of expression and twist of phrase without even thinking about it. it's all so totally instinctive, and i actually think their interchanges like these, when we get a glimpse into their unique alex-and-miles humour, are at least as intimate as a lot of their more *ahem* explicitly intimate moments onstage. because they just show the way they completely and utterly get each other, how they've built up this whole way of interacting that's just them. miles and alex and no one else.

and you're totally right, you can FEEL the fond exasperation radiating from miles, and also like - idk, just this quiet delight he's clearly taking in alex's presence? it's something you see with both of them a LOT, this sense that they just love being around each other and (even in situations like this where they’re not really into what’s happening around them) there’s nowhere else they really want to be. idk how to explain it, it just feels like there’s just this underlying sense of completion and contentedness when they’re with each other - probably because they’re able to truly be their whole selves when they’re together 🥺

UGHHHHH they make me so emotional 😩

also all the suggestiveness of the “little finger” bits and the way you can SEE miles trying not to get the giggles??? absolute gold 😭

oh dear, i fear this has been ended up being a much longer ramble than i intended, i hope at least some of it made sense 😅 thank you so much for your lovely words and for giving me the opportunity to flail about our two favourite smitten idiots, i love asks like these 🥰🥰

PS i’m so sorry it took me so ridiculously long to answer this - i actually thought i’d posted it weeks ago, but just came across it when i was sorting through my drafts this afternoon 🤦🏻‍♀️

#asks #milex #tlsp #lulu posts

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bambishifts · 1 month

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i posted a rant about looking for movement and i want to talk about movement more so.

when people say you often don’t see movement, but that it’s happening, it is true. and i will give my own experience.

this goes for anything… sp, money, job etc.

you affirm… „they are in love with me” „they reach out to me” „i have my dream job & million dollars”.

but then… you look for movement which brings on thinking like this:

where is it? i did everything right? i must’ve done something wrong! why is my sp not here yet? why didn’t they reach out to me? why didn’t my job hire me and why am i still poor???

this is contradictory, that is how you get hot&cold movement. by wavering.

the thing is those thoughts will most likely occur especially if you are new to loass, but what you do is stop yourself and flip it.

affirm from the end goal, like you got your manifestation, like you did before you wavered.

but this got off topic — back to movement.

i was manifesting an sp last year, i basically affirmed, i listened to subs, i did mediations for sps and so on and forth, i was constantly looking in the 3d, for movement and wavering, i basically got fed up and texted him, we did text one time that day, but that was it.

later on i learned he had a gf and that was a switch for me, it just seemed morally wrong to manifest a guy with a gf at the time, mind you i was 1-2 month into loa.

so i stopped, i dropped the topic completely and he did come into my mind every now and then i just pushed it all away and i had to focus on school, so i did that.

then, less than a month after i texted him, he texted me. he no longer had a girlfriend at that moment.

the situation gets complicated later on as i tended and still tend to waver at times and i changed my mind a lot about this guy, but that had nothing to do with loa not working (quite the opposite i wavered in 4d and it showed up in the 3d lol).

so all that time, in between after i texted him and the day he texted me, i had no idea there was anything going on, that he broke up with his gf or that he intended to text me. movement is always there if you manifest properly.

#bambi loass #bambi loass rant #bambi loass success story #loass #law of assumption #loassumption #loass blog #loassblog #loass post #loa #loablr #loa tumblr #loa blog

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neonfretra · 5 months

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how i write alt text/image descriptions

these are written descriptions of media attached to posts, for those who may be unable to view them (primarily screen reader users, but this is also helpful for when images arent loading, explaining what is happening in an image, and so on), while fairly dauntin startin out its honestly a fairly simple process! :)

alt text can be added by clicking the meatball menu on attached medias (3 horizontally oriented dots, lower right corner of media in post editor), typically these would be a brief summary of the most important aspects of an image. alt text is embedded in the image.

image descriptions (sometimes shortened to id) are written in plain text like a caption. these may be longer/more detailed than alt text. typically, these are formatted with brackets to indicate when descriptions begin and end (i personally preface with "[Image description:" and close with "End description.]")

typically i focus on these 4 elements:

media type photograph, tweet, art, scoreboard, news headline, etc important for me as someone who posts photos alongside art to specify this difference because i dont want to be responsible for implying my drawings are reality LOL other details about the type of media are helpful if relevant, like quality (poorly drawn, run through with jpg artifacting) or stylization (realistic, monochromatic, minimalist, significant color choices)

text a piece of advice i saw was that you wanna just transcribe all text in an image, this works for stuff like tweets and dialogue but this is a sports oriented blog, sometimes you will come up on text that is just completely incomprehensible to transcribe. a game clock, any score readings? i approach it like reading it out loud and instead structuring the information in sentences (the score is this, in favor of this team. probably the one that isnt the sharks LMAO)

subject usually this means naming players and sharing relevant information about them (are they on opposing teams, is the position they play significant)

action the whats goin on? again, as a sports oriented blog, this tends to look like a brief play by play. goalie makes this save, player dodges around another player. these guys are kissing nasty again. this can also include emotion and tone. this person is angry, this action is particularly noteworthy, this situation is funny.

its kinda like takin notes, i only focus on the important stuff! you dont really gotta the avatar of a user, what ad is on the boards, what color is the background for every single image.

when writing your alt text/image, it helps to keep in mind that these are intended to be read out loud. use punctuation, avoid excessive emojis. if something in the original text does something that affects readability, it helps to just type it in plain text and note what stylization is missing.

because its meant to read out loud, you also gotta order your stuff in what makes the most sense. group things in chronological order, what order the viewers supposed to be seein things in. i tend to write things in order of media -> subject -> action -> text myself!

and when in doubt just copy someone else LMAO of course theres always someone smarter than you out there, check out what other peoplere sayin on how to do it if this isnt doin it for you

happy description writing! :) its okay if you are unable to write your own descriptions for any reason, i for one skip some posts just because theyre wayy too much to write out HAHAHAHA

accessibility is a group effort and were all here to help each other out <3

#neon etcetra

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titekuboisgross · 6 months

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My theory on why IR didn’t happen…

I used to be an active IchiRuki fan. I no longer am. I did have a dream about tumblr the other day tho and when I was on here that’s 90% of what I posted about. After the manga ended I ended up deleting my account. I was not only done with Bleach but anime in general. I have not watched or read Bleach since it ended. Which is nearly a decade. So my arguments won’t be as solid as they used to be when I could literally recite that series like a souther Baptist preacher can recite the Bible lol. But while I’m here (as I just made a temporary account to look at things for nostalgia’s sake) I have decided I want to post my ultimate theory as why IchiRuki didn’t happen.

So, first and foremost I want to mention I am not liberal, why do I mention my politics? Because I am about to say some things that I’m sure I’ll get attacked for by people claiming I’m just a crazy liberal. But I am actually a moderate that leans conservative, a rare thing for tumblr I know. I don’t make accusations of sexism lightly. I don’t just willy nilly call people sexist because I don’t like them. But I do think some people are sexist. Sexism is real and it’s a prevalent problem in Japan. And I think Kubo may be a misogynist.

And before you start rage typing at your keyboards please hear me out. This isn’t my theory, it’s actually my brothers who is even more on the conservative spectrum than I am. He REALLY doesn’t make claims like this lightly, but I really think he’s onto something. He said basically he believes if Kubo is telling the truth that he never intended on IchiRuki and always planned Ichihime that it’s likely because he’s sexist. Rukia is Ichigos equal, she’s smart, strong, and she stands up to Ichigo and tells him off when he needs to be told off. Orihime is I’m sorry Orihime fans, but she’s dumb, ditsy, airheaded, and most importantly submissive.

In Japan traditionally submissive women were looked upon as ideal. Obviously I know that things have changed with modern times and it’s gotten a lot better. But echos of Japans former sexist past still is present within their modern society. As are echos of our former sexist past. As a student of anthropology I can tell you women are just f**ked in most societies. While the “tiger mom” stereotype is very real do not let that fool you. The ideal TRADITIONAL wife in Japan is still very much one who is submissive to her husband. This is why Rukia could never be Ichigos lover. She was not submissive enough.

Anyway, this is my brothers theory and I think he may be onto something. I used to think, we ALL used to think Kubo was foreshadowing IchiRuki, but maybe he wasn’t? Maybe he really is just that much of a talentless hack. I mean was any of Bleach even any good besides the first two arcs? After the Soul Society arc that entire franchise became a shitshow. And IchiRuki wasn’t the only thing he foreshadowed that never amounted to anything. See this is what I mean where my arguments won’t be as strong because I haven’t read the series in years, but I know y’all know what I mean. There’s a tone of shit in Bleach that he introduced that never got brought up again. So much lore that was never developed and in the rare cases when it was it never made any sense. So maybe he is just talentless.

I used to think he intentionally gave Bleach a shit ending because he was fired. If you remember Naruto ended a year prior and Shonen Jump used the popular Naruto pairings kids to make a sequel series to milk the franchise. I always wondered if Kubo knew no one gave a shit about IchiHime and that it would be impossible to make a sequel with IchiHime kids. So he sacrificed his series so his enemies couldn’t prosper off it. That’s what I used to think he did. But I’ve since changed my mind. I was giving that man FAR too much credit. I don’t think he’s that clever to think to do that. I think he’s kinda stupid tbh. Sorry but I do. Anyway. This is all I’m posting. I again just made this account because I wanted to say hi to an old mutual I was shocked to see was still around. You can reply but I’m not gonna debate y’all like I used to. I’m over that shit now. My opinion stands and you can’t change it. Like it or hate it it’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it. If you’ve gotten this far and read all my post I hope you have a lovely day!

Edit: I forgot to add that before you say “well Kubo can’t be sexist because he creates strong female characters” THINK AGAIN! I love Quintin Tarantino but the man has said very misogynistic things in the past including that he thought a minor girl could consent. And he literally created the most badass female characters of all time. Some of my favorite female characters. Beatrix Kiddo and O-Ren-Ishi. Yes men who create strong female characters can be sexist. Never underestimate a man’s ability to demean a woman smfh

Anyway I am serious this is just a throwaway account I made so this is my only post so it’s also my goodbye post so,

#ichiruki

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heybaetae · 9 months

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gifmaker / cc wrapped 2023!

thanks for tagging me my angel @jkvjimin 💜

i tried really hard not to choose all comp sets, but those take the most effort and therefore are what i'm prouder of than a standard set, but regardless...

here are my top 10 fave creations of the year:

bts chapter 1 insta feed // this was an insanely taxing project and is probably the most work i've ever put into anything, but i was really inspired to do it. it took about a week (one day for each panel) and was repetitive, i literally threw out my back by day 3 from sitting working on it that my body was in SO MUCH PAIN, but i wanted to get everything right and make it make sense which is why i wrote up a detail post breaking it down and explaining every decision that went into this. i still intend to make this a series and do one dedicated to their japanese discography (i actually started on one before i published this but didn't like the concept) and for their solo work, but it doesn't feel like the right time yet as things continue to release. but i look forward to it!

cheesy bts valentine cards // this was purposely corny, but the response was unbelievable! i had fun working on it and was so happy it made people laugh and smile. the tags were a joy to read on this post and it's my fourth most popular gifset ever. thank you!

bts guide to troubled birds // yet another corny idea, but i get a kick out of making silly comps and was inspired to make this. i started with jimin's as an experiment because his poem was the easiest to choose and built the rest of it from there, carefully deciding which poem to apply to each member and recreating them from scratch. i love celebrating their chaos in fun ways, so this was nice!

jungkook's sensitive tear ducts // sometimes i get really random comp ideas and spontaneously start making something with no plan. this was one of those times and it is now my third most popular gifset since making this blog in 2020 lol. ofc i'd never gif him upset about anything serious, so i only chose moments that didn't feel inappropriate to include to keep this set lighthearted and humorous.

long live bts (10th anniversary set) // i always knew i wanted to make something with the lyrics of that song because every word of it reminds me of their story. the 10th anniversary was perfect since it literally says "it was the end of a decade". i wanted the set to just be really simple so i went with a more desaturated look and focused more on choosing a scene from each year that fit the lyric per that gif.

love me again mv // this was my first time bothering to gif a music video in 4k. i usually avoid it bc it slows my computer down and takes a lot longer (i also have to reconvert the youtube download to a different file type to get it to play in my kmplayer, it's a whole process) but i waited a few days after it came out because i originially didn't think i could color it when it premiered so i just didn't gif it. but i gave it a try anyway when i didn't feel so pressured and i really like how crisp they came out.

jungkook's bday set // i didn't have a plan for this when i started, but i searched a lot for inspo and finally found something i felt like i could make something with so i came up with this very barbie-esque rendition for jungkook that i'm still very fond of. i purposely didn't write happy birthday on it anywhere so it could be shared year-round. it's probably my fave set i made all year and everyone seemed to like it too!

jimin's bday set // this was originally just going to include songs from FACE, but i decided it didn't celebrate jimin's work as a whole if i didn't include all his solo songs/endeavors so it turned into a big monster. i like how it came out though!

standing next to you mv // this year i was introduced to HD master files, so instead of rushing to download a new mv from youtube and giffing it fast, i'd wait for a higher quality rip from apple music to show up online. the difference is quite astounding. i made gifs with master files for all three of jk's music videos this year (seven, 3D), but i like how this one turned out the best.

vmin comp // just felt like giffing my two favorite people before they left and needed to channel my sad emotions into something before seeing them seperate for so long. i included moments i've giffed before and ones i've never had the chance to gif. i could have made this post so much longer but forced myself to stop lol. i like the pink and blue colors in it a lot <3 i miss them so much

thank for all your support on my work this year! i have lots of (old) new stuff in my drafts to share in the new year so please keep your love coming x

i'm going to tag @userjiminie @userjungkook97 @btsiu and @cordiallyfuturedwight to do this if they'd like to!

#tag game #cc tag game

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fyreflys · 4 months

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Friends I need to get back into writing Everlark so that I finally work on Swan Upon Leda. I want to write Everlark but I need some simple warm ups before I throw myself back into finishing this massive fic (working on it is kind of intimidating atm- it’s my largest fic by word count & hits). <3

So please, please send me writing prompts. Preferably something simple that could be under 3k words (keep in mind I write like a wild person, 3k is incredibly short for me LOL my stuff always ends up way longer than I intend it to). It could be angst, fluff, pre or post mockingjay, whatever- just preferably not smut. :)

#HELP ME #I need writing prompts #the hunger games #everlark #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #writing warm up #swan upon leda

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unknownpisces002 · 2 years

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Bleed me dry, Make me blue ( Part 2.)

" There was a woman, born from a lotus. Her heart was golden, deep as the ocean. And then this one man, he came and broke it. Until it was open, just like a lotus. Oh yes, there were explosions. She found her focus, the beast awoken."

Shuri Udaku x Reader.

Summary

A weeks time has passed, since you met with the Princess. And had been told of your new upcoming task from K'uk'ulkan. Which consisted of you convincing Shuri into joining him, so that the Talokanil's and Wakandan's? Could go to war together with the surface world.

But of course? Things take a turn. And as you lurk underneath the Wakandan waters, alongside Namora, Attuma, K'uk'ulkan, and other soldiers who are prepared to fight? You can't help but feel a bit frantic and guilty? For being present in a place where you hadn't been formally invited to.

And as the soldiers emerge from the waters and begin to attack? You occupy yourself by doing what you were sent here to do. Despite the fact that you were against it? You allowed your feet to lead you into the direction of the palace. Where eventually? You're captured after being spotted by a Dora Milaje soldier, who was guarding the entrance way.

Which causes you to be imprisoned in a cell, that honestly? You saw coming sooner or later. Being that K'uk'ulkan, had mentioned that this would probably happen to you. After he had disposed of the Queen, along with Riri the scientist. And as you sat feeling cold and a bit anxious about what would come next? Nothing could've prepared you more, once you were met with the presence of Shuri.

Who like K'uk'ulkan said? Wasn't all too elated or pleased? To witness you and your now blue-ish appearance? Being present inside of her home.

Word count:12.1K

Themes: friends, to lovers, to enemies, and then lovers again, angst, lots of tension, lots of fluff, reader is Talokanil but we can pretend that she's black ( when her skin isn't blue ofc) because i wasn't 100% sure if they had any black Talokanil people during the movie? shuri is bad at feelings, and has a hard time controlling her emotions because of it, shuri misses her mom a lot too, reader is also slightly bad with feelings, due to her history of being rejected and pushed away by namora & other Talokanil people her age, forbidden romance, eventual sexual content later in the series, okoye is a supportive queen and we stan her, reader is also very sensitive and easily triggered, but with time and the proper care and loving? she will get much better, slight mention and attempt of S/A, lots of tears, lots and lots of tension, flirting, and lastly lots of arguing, but in the end? things will lighten up.

Tag list: @inmyheadimobsessed @vixentheplanet @shurismainbxtch @pinkwright @ziayamikaelson @shuriszn @vampzxi @shurisvibranium @shurisconcubine @ririsbeloved @cyberdior @importantsongcloud @abenomeiiii @noidontthinkyougetit2 @saintwrld @nooshytushie @thewifeoflevi @shuriislut and as always? if anyone would like to be added to the tag list? just comment down below and i'll be more than happy to add you ❤️

Divider by: @firefly-graphics

Author's Note

hi you guy's!! 🥹 i know i've been saying tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow? and i never posted anything? but typing this out? took me way longer than i intended it to. and also with how good that all of you said part 1 was? i had to buckle down and really think hard on how i wanted part 2 to be, and originally? i had 8.7k words typed out, but last night i added onto what i had, and now there's 12.1k words.

so it's a very long chapter, and i really, really hope you all like it and that it's up to par lol. there's also a lot of ups and downs in this part of the series as well. so please buckle up and be prepared. because our sweet, emotional, and love deprived reader? is gonna go through a turmoil of emotions, right along with shuri.

and as i mentioned in the beginning of part one? all the inspiration i've been getting for this story? comes from one of my favorite artist, who's music is so angelic, and feels like a spiritual cleanse whenever you get to hear her voice. & this specific song in general? really just tied everything together.

but i think i've done enough rambling 😭 so let me just get on with finishing up the last of what i have to say.

before we jump into the story? lastly i'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who gave me feedback on part 1. 🥹❤️

and who left me kind words, and have all in all? just been super, super supportive. and welcoming to me, being that i'm still a newbie here, and i'm learning how to work the app and do things and make cool edits, like most of the readers i follow and love up here? have. but as we all continue to grow together and embark on this journey with shuri and the reader?

i hope it brings all of us closer and that possibly in the future? if i find inspiration to write another story, once this one is complete? that i'll hopefully get blessed with the chance to see each and every one of you there as well, whenever that day comes forth. 🥹

but now with further ado? let's get onto the story!

The fight against the Wakandan's was unplanned, unfair, and unforeseen. As the people here knew nothing about the battle coming, that was currently occurring outside. While you tried your hardest to ignore the screams, erupting from the mouths of children, their mother's, along with their father's. As you crept stealthily, up the walls on the side of the palace.

Feeling a bit anxious, seeing as you were so high up from off the ground? And far away from water. Which caused you to begin overthinking and lose focus of your task. As you imagined yourself falling against the ground, and dying from not having any oxygen. If your mask that was settled over your face? Was to break. Once you had hit the concrete, that from where you were standing currently?

Looked as if it were nothing but a small line, as the people who lived in the capital? Ran against it. With their arms outstretched, down below.

But despite your current anxiety? You continued on with climbing.

Letting out a deep breath, that you weren't aware you were holding onto. At the feel of your feet, being returned to the ground. Once you had made it to the top of the building successfully, without being spotted. By any of the soldiers, who were seen running in the opposite direction during the moment.

Before suddenly? Their focused had shifted. And they stopped in their tracks, due to the hypnotizing sound emitting from the mouths of the sirens. Who swam below in the water from which you had just came? And called out to them. Raising their voices in higher octaves, that soon? Had caused all ten of the soldiers who were just seen running towards some kind of high tech jet? To halt in their footsteps.

And go walking slowly towards the edge of the building, before they jumped off of the ledge. Plummeting down fairly quickly, until their bodies had made contact with the surface of the water, and they sunk down underneath. Disappearing into the depths of what lurked down below. Which made your breathing begin to grow unsteady, as you now came to the clear realization. That instead of Namor simply just disposing of the Queen, along with Riri the scientists?

That he was going to dispose of many other innocent people, as well as children.

As he made his way up to the palace, flying in the air–with the small wings that were attached against the sides of his ankles. Where he'd been stopped a few times on his way up, by other Dora Milaje soldiers. Who flew in jets, shooting at him the best they could–trying to strike him.

But unfortunately for them? Namor was far too agile to be struck down. Regardless of how many bullets had came flying out of the missiles, that were underneath the bottom of their jets? It was impossible for them to catch him.

And from where you were standing right now? You had a clear view of the Queen. Who stood watching everything that was happening on the ground unfold. With Riri standing not too far behind her.

As the two of them both held looks of shock, and if you weren't mistaken? A bit of fear.

When Namor had made his way near the window, where the two of them had stood behind. And the spear that he held in his right hand? Came crashing down against the surface of it. Which you were assuming that he had intentions of it breaking through successfully? But to no avail? The glass had never shattered.

And with that? Namor flew away. Shocking you and a few other Talokan soldiers, at the fact that it seemed he had given up? And that he was retreating? Which was nothing at all like him. Because in all your years of living and being under his supervision? Namor had never retreated from anything, or anyone before. Nor did he ever lie, whenever he said that he'd handle a situation.

So seeing him fly away, and dive back into the water? Had left you feeling confused on what to do next. As you stood facing towards the edge of the building, where you'd been from the very moment. That the Dora Milaje soldiers who walked towards it, due to being under the hypnosis from the sirens? Had jumped off.

Plummeting right into their death.

" Lahla isikhali sakho!" A deep voice shouted from behind you, shifting your focus away from Namor. Who had recently just re-submerged from out of the water, throwing a handful of bombs at the window. That the Queen, as well as Riri had stood behind. Before it shattered after a few seconds, and a shit load of water went rushing directly inside.

Translation: Drop your weapon.

Knocking the both of their bodies completely out of view, from being seen anymore. As you felt your wrist begin to get grabbed on from behind you, fairly rough. Just as the spear you once held? Was sent clattering against the ground. When you were yanked backwards and spun around, so you'd be facing away from the edge–in the way that you had been before being put into cuffs.

That had felt a bit tight, and as if they were starting to constrict your blood flow? But despite your attempt to ask the guard who was leading you, to loosen them up? You were already being shoved into the entrance of the palace, as she eyed you closely. Keeping her spear pointed at the middle part of your back.

As the two of you began walking down a set of stairs, which eventually led you into what looked like a cave, that was similar to the one back in Talokan. Except that the one here? Didn't have as many lights, in the way that the one back home did.

" Sit." Getting nudged in your back once more with the guards spear, you followed her orders and did as told. Feeling a sigh of relief escape from your lips, after she removed the tight cuffs from being against your wrist. Which had allowed your circulation to return back to normal, as you sat with your hands inside your lap.

Beginning to slowly start to observe the cell in which you were in now. With your head turning towards the right, as you squinted your eyes just a bit. Trying to make out what the writing that was engraved into the walls had read. Seeing that now, as your vision had focused fully and adjusted to the darkness?

That there was writing written all around you, in some sort of foreign language. Which after a while? You assumed was most likely Wakandan. Once it began glowing a light shade of blue, like the bracelet that Shuri had worn back in Talokan? Had done.

" Excuse me?" You spoke aloud, returning your gaze back to the guard. Who stood with her shoulders upright, while eyeing you closely with a stern expression present. " Is there any chance, that I could speak with the Prince–"

Mid way through speaking, you were cut off by another deep, yet somewhat light voice. As another Dora Milaje soldier approached the guard who was watching you. With a face full of terror, along with having tear stained cheeks. As she took a quick glance at you, while you sat criss crossed against the floor.

Before she shifted her focus back towards the other soldier.

Muttering out a few words that you weren't really able to make out. Being that she was currently speaking in Wakandan. Which made it hard for you to try and decipher what you assumed, that she might've been saying? But when the guard who had cuffed you, dropped her spear. And a choked out sob had escaped from the back part of her throat?

You knew right away, that they were discussing the Queen. And the explosion that had just occurred? From Namor. And him throwing the bombs he threw at the window. That had caused loads of water to break through it, and go flowing inside of the room that Riri, and the Queen had been inside of.

" Ukumkanikazi ufile." The guard who approached the cell, mumbled incoherently. Placing her hand against the other woman's shoulder, as a way to comfort her, and get her cries to come to a stop.

Translation: The Queen is dead.

" Ukumkanikazi ufile, yaye inkokeli yayo yiyo ebangele ukumbulala!" Her finger came pointing over in your direction, as you furrowed your brows out of confusion.

" I'm sorry?" You spoke lowly, but loud enough for the two of them to hear you.

Translation: The Queen is dead, and her leader is the one responsible for killing her.

" Sorry!?" The guard who'd brung you down to the cell, let out a bitter chuckle. Snapping her head around quickly, as she began to glare at you. With both her hands holding onto the bars of the cell, so tightly? That the veins in her knuckles were beginning to protrude.

" Our Queen? Is dead!" She shouted at you so loudly, that the sound of her voice continued to echo throughout the hallway. After she had closed her mouth, and faced away from you.

As you sat feeling all of the guilt, that had been building throughout your body during the last seven days? Come bubbling up to the surface. Just as you let out a sob yourself, and placed your hands over your mouth, to cover it afterwards. So that another one wouldn't be able to escape from out of it.

While you sat beginning to cry, with a quivering bottom lip. Trying your hardest to come to terms with what you were being told. " S-she's what?" You questioned her, once more. Barely speaking above a whisper, with your eyes widening in shock. After she'd repeated herself, a third time.

" Our Queen, is dead." She muttered lowly, after rising back up from off the ground. Holding onto her spear tightly, inside the palm of her left hand. " She's dead."

" And your leader, with the wings upon his feet? Is the person who's responsible for killing her!"

If you had known that your presence would cause so much confusion? Then you would have tried to reason with Namor, and beg him to allow you to remain in Tolakan.

Where you'd probably be roaming around somewhere right now? While trying hardly not to make anymore mistakes. Or like any other day? You'd be following Namora around, as if you were her shadow? Along with studying everything she did, or said? So you could be as gifted and treasured as she was.

Had you remained there? Instead of coming up to the surface.

And following orders from a leader, who could honestly care less if you had felt pity for the people around you or not? Nor did he care if you cried, or pleaded with him to spare the lives of Riri and the Queen. So that they could live their lives freely and happily? Instead of being nothing but a distinct memory.

That in one point of time? Used to be a walking, living, talking, breathing soul. Who had hopes and dreams, of being whatever it was that they wanted to be in life. So as you sat feeling guilty, as if you were the one who'd killed the Queen, instead of Namor? You prayed up above to the God's.

Asking them to rid you of the ongoing pain, in which you currently felt. As well as also asking, if they could allow you to be gifted. And more like Namora, like Namor had asked you to be. Because being unable to do anything correctly? Was beginning to grow a bit tiring.

And you felt as if sooner or later? That you'd be pushed to the breaking point, that you had promised yourself, as well as the God's? That you wouldn't get to.

" Y/N?" The sound of Riri's voice, had knocked you from out of your thoughts. As you found yourself rising up to your feet fairly quick, with glossy eyes, and hands that wouldn't quit shaking. Seeing that the smaller girl, was alive. And not dead, as you presumed that she'd be? After Namor, had went through all of this trouble, just to get rid of her?

Due to her building a machine, that in her mind? Was just a simple school project, for her Metallurgy class. " R-riri?" You reached your hands out of the cell, cupping both her cheeks as soon as she was close enough for you to do so. Which had taken her by surprise, and caused her eyes to widen.

But after a while? Her facial expression returned back to normal. Making you feel so much more at ease, when she held onto your hands. And smiled warmly at you, before in an instant? The expression had shifted. And nothing else but sadness, was evident inside of her dark brown, slightly slanted shaped eyes.

" T-the Queen, is umm.." She trailed off, after releasing your hands. " The Queen is dead."

" And N-namo–"

" And the fish man killed her!" A large man who stood behind her, cut her sentence short. Making his presence be known, as he stepped forward. Emerging from out of the darkness of the hall, with the same expression present on his features. That both the guards who stood outside your cell earlier? Had present on theirs.

" And I believe that, you!?" He pointed his finger in your direction. " I believe that you might've had something to do with it!"

" Me!?" You jerked your head back, at his ridiculously stupid statement. Feeling offended and if you were being honest? Quite a bit hurt. That he would think that someone like you, who was almost as tiny as Riri, and clearly incapable of completing a task? Could've done something of the sort.

" Yes, I believe you helped him." He carried on with talking, and stating his preposterous beliefs. " Because if you didn't have anything to do with it? Then enlighten me on why you are here?" His brows raised, as he awaited your response.

" Surely, it can't be because you had good intentions? Because you and your kind? Have made it completely clear? That we are not equals. Despite the fact that we each own vibranium? Which, way before we ever knew of sea people ever existing? We were certain, that we were the only ones who owned it."

" So please?" His eyes bored directly into your black ones. " Tell us why you're really here."

" And what is that you want, with the Princess?"

" To see her." You spit out quickly, feeling your heart rate begin to accelerate, at the mention of Shuri. " I'd like to see her. And speak with her alone, please."

" What for?" Riri questioned, mirroring the man's current expression. " And why now? After her mother was just murdered, right in front of her."

" What?" You felt a lump start to form inside of your throat, as you stood trying to even out your breathing. Along with your wobbling knees, that felt as if they were on the verge of giving out on you. " H-he wouldn't." You laughed bitterly, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

" Namor, would never do that."

" Oh yeah? And why wouldn't he, Y/N!?" Riri shouting at you unexpectedly? Had caught you completely off guard. Seeing the way that she did it a second time, when you had ignored her previous question, and just stood completely still.

Allowing the tears you fought to keep back? To fall freely. As the breaking point that you tried so hardly to run away from? Had finally caught up to you. And slithered around your neck as if it were a snake? As it blocked off your ability to speak, like you so desperately wanted to.

So that you could try to prove your innocence, and voice your reasoning for saying what you said about Namor. But all the attempts you made to speak? Had failed. And nothing except soft cries escaping from out of your mouth? Could be heard, by the two individuals who stood before you.

Looking as if they were unfazed, and more angry than they had been prior. Which in all honesty? You expected. Being that their Queen had just been murdered, and taken away from them. While Riri on the other hand? Had almost been drowned to death, as you were now able to make out the wet clothes she wore, that were almost dry? Being stuck against her small frame.

" It seems to me? That you don't have an answer for me, Y/N." Riri continued speaking, ignoring your sobs as if they were inaudible to her. " And I see now?" Stepping back from the cell, near the area where the tall man who'd been talking previously, stood? Riri let out a bitter chuckle, shaking her head side to side.

With both her hands balled into fist. " I see now, that you and I? Could never be friends, in the way that I expected us to be."

" And also?" Pausing in her footsteps as she walked away, Riri took a final glance at you. Allowing you to be met with with the sight of her crying, which had shocked you completely.

Being that you'd never taken her for the type of person, who'd allow herself to be vulnerable around others. " Shuri, really believed that you were different."

" And she was so excited, after you left from introducing yourself to the two us. Back when we were in Talokan, last week? Because she figured that she had made a friend. And you know with her being a Princess and all? She doesn't really get to have a lot of those. Other than her being kind of close with some of the soldiers here? She has, no one."

" I-i am different!" You interjected, shouting just a bit. " Nah." Riri chuckled once more, waving her finger around in the air. " You aren't different at all, Y/N."

" And you wanna know why that is?" She raised her eyebrow questioningly, while you stood frowning at her angrily, with ragged breathing, and bloodshot eyes. " ..Why?.." You found yourself asking, despite the fact you told yourself you wouldn't.

" Because you're just like everyone else, who uses innocent people. And makes them believe that the intentions you have are good, when really?" Her head tilted slightly towards the side.

" Really? You're just as fucked up as Namor. And to top that off? You're exactly like him too."

" I am nothing like, Namor!" Raising your voice so loudly, that your throat began to hurt directly after doing it? You banged your fist against the walls. Not caring about how the stinging sensation that began lingering had felt? Once the barrier of your skin had broken.

And your knuckles had started to bleed. " I'm nothing like him!" You protested once more, attesting your innocence. " Oh? But you are." The man who stood beside Riri, spoke aloud.

" And the Princess, will not be speaking with you, or seeing you. For she is planning, so she can prepare to bury her Mother. Who your leader, who is the fish man? Killed."

" So, please? Do enjoy your stay here–in this..dark and cold cell." He trailed off, pointing his finger over at the small circular shaped window. That was high above the small cot, located over in the left side of the room.

" And if you find yourself growing weary, and in need of entertainment? Then look out into that window over there? And imagine yourself being free. Like you could have been now? Had you not assisted your fish man leader? With murdering our Queen!"

After the heated discussion you had with Riri, and the tall man, who for some odd reason? Made sounds as if he were a dog, after every sentence he finished? You were left alone again. With a mindful of thoughts, as well as having a heart that felt heavy. When you imagined how Shuri might've been feeling right now? While also wondering what she might've been doing at the moment?

As you sat picking with the mask that was over your mouth. Feeling conflicted, and of course? Tremendously guilty. Knowing that Riri, the man who'd been present with her, and possibly Shuri? Were all convinced that you had assisted Namor, with his plans of killing the Queen.

Which had hurt you, and made you start to question if those assumptions might've been true? Due to your tendency of being blamed for so many mistakes in your life, by Namora, and other Talokanil people. Who spoke down on your capability, of ever being great so much? That at a time like this? Your intrusive thoughts were beginning to get the upper hand.

As you found yourself ripping off the headgear you wore, and launching it at the bars of the cell. Which made a loud banging sound, begin bouncing off the walls of the room. Following muffled sobs and loud sniffles, along with the sound of you beginning to choke on air.

When you removed the mask that was once over your face? And allowed it to drop on the ground. As you kicked it away from being near you, after removing it successfully. Before your body had fell backwards against the cool, cement floor. And your light blue skin? Had began darkening instantly. Upon you not having on your mask, or being close by water, like you'd normally be?

When you'd remove it to give your face a break? Back when you were home, in Talokan.

So as you laid with your hands against your throat, with wide eyes, and a rapidly beating heart? You prayed to the God's, for what felt like the millionth time. As you asked them to guide you peacefully to your ancestors, who had perished away–far before you were born.

But unfortunately for you? The moment of death you'd been awaiting? Had never came.

And before you knew it? Your shoulders were being lifted, as the feel of soft, warm hands? Had begun shaking your body lightly, while the voice of whoever the hands belonged to? Murmured lots of incoherent words, that you couldn't really make out. Once your mask had been placed back over your face, and your eyes shot open on instinct.

When you were finally able to breathe regularly again. " Breathe." The sound of Shuri's voice had made you pause your movements, and shoot your eyes up in her direction. When her hands had remained on your face, and she didn't move them away–like you expected she'd do?

After everything that had recently occurred, today.

" S-shuri?" You whispered quietly, staring at her as if she were a ghost. Because your mind wouldn't allow you to believe, that she was standing here in front of you right now. And let alone? Touching you.

When the tall man from earlier, had made it one hundred percent clear? That she wouldn't be speaking with you, or seeing you. Due to her being busy, with planning for her Mother's funeral.

" You tried killing yourself? Why?" Her brows raised in confusion.

" I-i don't know what you're talking about." You stammered over your words, playing dumb. Scooting yourself farther away from her, once she rose to her feet. And had begun pacing around your body. While watching you intently, as if she were trying to read you? As she did so.

" You are lying." She responded after a while. " In the same way that you had done? When we were in Talokan."

" Lying?" You repeated her, with a voice full of confusion. " I've lied to you about nothing before, Shuri."

" Oh, ingelosi? But you have." Stopping in her tracks after she was behind you, Shuri motioned for you to stand. Which caused you to scramble up to your feet with quickness, and approach her slowly. As you found yourself growing eager, for some unknown reason? To be close to her.

Translation: Angel.

" Y-yes, Shuri?" Staring up at her tall frame, you then placed your hands behind your back nervously. As her eyes began to linger from your face, down to the gills. That were located against the area underneath your shoulders, near the center of your chest.

" Why have you come here?" Her voice had dropped. " And what is it that you want?" Moving once more, after standing completely still? Shuri began to approach you, which made your stomach go into knots, out of being afraid.

As you inched backwards, the more she stepped forward coming towards you. Until eventually? You'd been cornered, in between the area where the cot-like bed, and window were located. Feeling your body slightly flinch, just as you squeezed your eyes shut tightly. When Shuri's fist, had came crashing down against the wall behind you.

That wasn't so far away from where your head had been. Which made you begin questioning yourself, instantly. As you wondered had she wanted to hit you instead? And not the wall, that began glowing in the same way, it had done earlier? Due to her touch.

" Ndiphendule!" The sound of Shuri's voice cracking, after she hollered at you? Left you feeling a bit unsteady, along with being emotional. When the urge to cry, had suddenly come over you, again. For what felt like the hundredth time today.

Translation: Answer me.

At the sight of tears, that had begun rushing down the sides of Shuri's sepia, reddish-brown skin, nonstop.

" I wanted to see yo–"

" Bullshit!" Shuri punched her fist against the wall, a second time. Making you move away from being so close to where she was. Or at least? You tried to. But the feel of her hands holding you in place, and restraining you from going anywhere?

Had shaken you to the core, due to the unexpected contact.

" It's the truth, Shuri." You tried getting her to believe you, as you reached out your hands. To try and wipe her face free of the tears, that had continued to spew down her slightly puffed out cheeks.

" I wanted to see you." You said again, speaking way softer this time. As Shuri stood saying nothing, with her eyes being locked onto the floor. " And I'm sorry about your Moth–"

" Sorry?" Her eyes were back on you now, allowing you to see that her face was completely frowned up. " Y-yes." You nodded hesitantly, once she let go of the previous grip she had on you.

And she took a step back, running her hands throughout her short curled hair. Just as a loud laugh had escaped her lips, following a choked out sob. That honestly? Made you want to begin crying yourself. At the sight of her being so upset, and in rage. In a way? That you would have never expected her to be in, if it were still last week?

When the two of you were just meeting for the first time. And she was surprisingly happy and quite friendly? For someone who'd been brought to a completely different world, from the one that she was used to.

" My Mother is dead, Y/N." Shuri spoke slowly, after her breathing had returned to normal.

" She is, dead! And Namor, Is the one who's responsible? For taking her away from me!"

" So, please? Please keep your pity and half apologies? To yourself." She pushed her finger into the center of your chest, causing you to stumble backwards a bit, from how hardly she had done it. " S-shur–"

" No!" Her hand raised up, cutting your sentence short. As you struggled to blink back your tears, and keep your feelings at bay. So that you wouldn't get offended by how mean she was currently being. But in a way? You felt that you deserved this.

Because had you tried being useful for once in your life? And you stood your ground? Instead of being afraid, to call others out on their wrongdoings? Then maybe Shuri's Mother would be alive right now. And she'd be happy, rather than being in distraught, as well as angry?

As she stood before you, with her finger remaining against your chest. Looking as if she was disgusted with your presence, in the same way that Namora would look? Whenever the realization of you being her sister? Had settled inside of her brain.

" ..Please.." Feeling your bottom lip begin to quiver, you tucked it behind your teeth with quickness. " Please don't be angry with me, Shuri." You pleaded with her.

" In puksi'ik'al ma' ma' táan manejar tu." You reached for her hands, leaning your head towards the side, so she'd be able to see you. Being that she was avoiding your gaze, as well as your touch. Once she snatched her hands from out of your grasp, and her head shook side to side reluctantly.

Translation: My heart won't be able to handle it.

" I have nothing for you." Her statement had made your shoulders slump down in defeat. And caused you to draw out a deep sigh, when the tears you were trying to keep away? Had begun to fall. When Shuri turned around, putting her back towards you. And she began walking back near the entrance of the cell.

" Nothing!" She added onto her previous statement, raising her voice.

" So, please? Save your tears and lies? For someone who'll believe them."

" Because I have nothing for you! Or nothing to say or give to you? Of that matter." She made herself completely clear, as she talked with a voice, that was laced with anger.

" And I've had enough of you staring at me! With that look inside of your eyes." Pausing from opening up the cell, Shuri glanced over her shoulder at you. With furrowed up eyebrows, and lips that were twisted upwards, showcasing her evident distaste. From whatever look in your eyes? That she was referring to.

" What look?" You questioned, blinking your eyes once, and then twice.

" That look." She pointed at you, as she swallowed hardly. Looking as if she were trying to contain herself, from losing the last bit of self control she had. " ..S-stop looking at me.."

" I have to look at you? In order to talk to you, Shur–"

" STOP!" Being yelled at by Shuri, for what felt like the thousandth time? Made you break. And caused you to begin boiling over with your own anger, as you found yourself shouting back at her, way louder than she had done to you.

Which had taken her by surprise, and made her breathing still for a few moments? At the sight of you being so enraged. And yet? So beautiful, at the same time. But of course? She'd never admit to that. Because the ongoing feelings she'd felt right about now? Had confused her.

And made her feel as if she were a traitor? For finding a person who's ruler, was responsible for her Mother's death? Intriguing. And worst of all? Attractive.

" Are you finished?" Shuri broke the awkward silence that had settled over the two of you, once your shouting had come to a cease. "Because if you are? Then listen to me closely."

" Because I've never been a woman? Who liked repeating herself."

" You don't say?" You responded sarcastically, after sitting down against the edge of the cot, with your arms folded tightly over your chest. "Stop it." She warned you, but you continued on with your sarcastic remarks anyway, not caring about if they had bothered her or not.

Seeing as she didn't care, that her yelling she had done earlier? Had hurt you. When she did it continuously, without having any ounce of remorse.

" I take it that, blue must not be one of your favorite colors either, Princess?"

" Or is it just me, that you hate so much? Since you didn't shout at Namor, today? In the way that you've been shouting at m–"

" Y/N, I'm warning yo–" Shuri tried to speak, but you continued to speak over her.

" Maybe I should've just did what I was told? And used my siren abilities to manipulate you? Like Namor, told me to do. And maybe if I had done that? Then you probably would have been a bit more nicer towards me? Instead of being angry. Which just to clarify? You should consider other people's feelings? Before blaming them for thing's th–"

Due to you being so caught up in your rant? You hadn't noticed that Shuri had started to approach you. And as you were mid way through finishing up? You had been pinned down to the cot below you. As the front of your top, had been grabbed up and twisted.

When Shuri's tall frame had begun towering over you. And nothing except disbelief, anger, and if you weren't mistaken? Hurt, were evident inside of her dark brown eyes.

" N-namor sent you here, to try and manipulate me?" The grip Shuri had on your top tightened. When it took you a while to respond back to her. Due to you currently being occupied with staring at her face, that was only just a few centimeters away from where your's was.

Which allowed you to make out how sharp her jawline actually was? And how when she was angry, like she was currently? And she clenched her teeth together tightly? That it popped out even more. Making you part your lips, to speak, before you stopped yourself.

Once the realization of the position the two of you were in? Came crashing into your mind. Causing you to push yourself into Shuri's hands, involuntarily. And grab hold of both her wrist, as you rubbed your thumbs in small circles, caressing the surface of her skin there.

Feeling your body begin to heat up shortly after, and a small smile start to tug at the corners of your lips. When the sound of Shuri inhaling and exhaling deeply, upon having you touch her? Had filled your ears.

" I would never manipulate you, Shuri." You answered her, continuing to rub your thumbs across her wrist. " I-i don't care what Namor say's, or what he'll do to me? If he ever happens to find out either."

" But I-i'd never put you through th–"

" ..Stop.." Speaking barely above a whisper, Shuri pulled her arms away from you gently, after releasing the hold she had on your top. " You should go." Her next words made you widen your eyes in confusion, as you rose your body up from it's previous position.

And opened up your mouth to object, until she stopped you. " Mamela kum, Y/N."

Translation: Listen to me.

" My Mother is dead, Y/N."

" First it was my Father, when I was younger. And then? It was T'Challa. And when T'Challa first died? I thought that I lost everything. Because you see, T'Challa? Saw me for who I was. And he accepted me for what I truly loved, without ever judging me. Or forcing me into a life that I didn't really want or care for. But now? I've lost my Mother."

Shuri let out a dry laugh, using the back part of her hand to wipe away her tears.

" And I've been forced to be in charge of a nation? That I'm not even sure I can lead. Because who would take orders from the Princess, who's always been far more interested with being inside of her lab and building things? Rather than following the orders my Mother would give to me? So I could be prepared for this day, once it came..."

" ..A-and she died, and left me in charge to take her place."

The sight of Shuri pulling at her hair, as she sobbed uncontrollably? Made the guilt you'd felt earlier, when you first emerged from out of the Wakandan waters, alongside Namor and the other Talokanil soldiers? Return with quickness.

As you sat trying to think of something to say, that would make Shuri feel better, and put a stop to her constant crying. But what do you say to a person, who's lost everything and everyone that they once loved? And how do you get their pain to diminish, so that they could be happy again?

Instead of feeling a surge of different emotions? All at once.

" I should've tried harder to stop him.." You mumbled incoherently, pulling your knees into your chest. " R-riri was right."

" All of this? Is my faul–"

" No." The sound of Shuri's laughter, had caused you to pause in the middle of speaking. As you sat with a puzzled expression present, while wondering what she found so funny about what you had recently said.

" You don't get to feel bad, or expect to receive pity from me? When everything that has happened? Is just as much as your fault? As it is Namor's."

" Y-you take that back." Standing to your feet with quickness, you stomped towards Shuri angrily. With clenched fist, glossy eyes, and a face, that wouldn't mask away how hurt her statement had made you? Even if you were to try your hardest not to react.

And pretend that it didn't bother you, when in reality? The brutal honesty of it all? Had tore what little bit of hope you had, of the two of you overcoming this obstacle that Namor placed in between you? Right into shreds.

" T-take it back, Shuri!" By now the two of you were standing chest to chest, while breathing rather heavily, as you held eye contact with one another. " ..No.." Shuri whispered lowly, catching you completely off guard, when she pressed her forehead against yours.

And brung her hands to the sides of your face, beginning to cradle it. Which made you hold your breath, and begin leaning into her touch hesitantly. With your eyes closed, as your heart rate slowly began returning to normal. Due to the feel of Shuri's cool fingertips, wiping away the tears that continued to spew down your now puffed out cheeks.

And cause your eyes as well as your face, to now be puffy. And slightly sensitive to touch, as you found yourself jerking back your head. With clenched teeth, and furrowed up eyebrows. At the feel of Shuri adding pressure, when the pad of her thumb went brushing underneath your left eye.

" Ma jach ts'u'uyaj tin yéetel, Ya'ab frágil, ts'o'ok a wojel?" Holding onto Shuri's wrist, after returning your head to it's previous position? You then averted your focus back towards her, feeling a small, hearty like laugh fly out of your mouth. At the sight of her looking genuinely confused. And as if she were trying hardly to decipher, what you recently just finished saying.

Translation. Don't be so rough with me, I'm fragile you know?

While she tapped the beads to the bracelet, that was wrapped securely around her left wrist. Causing a light blue light to appear, like it had done when the two of you were in Talokan. Just as a robotic like voice began speaking from it. Which made you widen your eyes in curiosity, and mostly amusement? Seeing that Shuri was currently having an entire conversation, with her bracelet.

And the male voice, that was programmed inside of it.

" Griot?"

" Yes, Princess?" The robotic voice responded to Shuri's voice. Making you twist your lips sideways, and begin fondling with one of the curls that had fallen from out of your bun. As you began thinking to yourself, about how weirdly this interaction that you were witnessing? Had looked.

" Please translate everything Y/N, just said to me ." Holding the bracelet near the front part of her mouth, Shuri's face had contorted into a look of concentration. As she placed the beads near the opening of her ear, trying hardly to understand what the male voice had responded back to her.

Which caused you to laugh once more, while also considering repeating what you'd just said. As a way to help her relax, and get the sharpness of her jaw she'd get whenever she was upset or frustrated? To go away, and return to it's normal state.

" How about you just ask me what I said, yourself? Instead of asking your bracelet?" You broke your current silence, picking with your hands out of being nervous, once Shuri's eyes had shifted back towards you.

" How will I know that you aren't lying, and just making something up to manipulate me?" She questioned suspiciously, giving you her undivided attention. Regardless of the fact she stated that she didn't trust you enough, to where she'd think you'd be honest with her.

" I've never lied to you before, Shuri." You rolled your eyes hardly, folding your arms across your chest. " So I'd appreciate it? If you'd quit assuming that I have."

" And I'd also never lie about something I've said? When using my native tongue either." You added onto your previous statement, fighting hardly not to showcase any of the ongoing frustrations you felt.

But it seemed that no matter how hard you tried, to act unaffected by the things that Shuri would say or do? That you'd fail. And become vulnerable to the point, that you allowed her to realize your new found weakness?

Which was her.

And you didn't know why or how it was her? Nor did you understand why the God's would allow your heart to grow fond of someone, who lived in a completely different world than the one you were used to. Instead of letting you grow close to someone, who was from Talokan. And not an enemy of Namor, which now that you were thinking about him?

You could only imagine how infuriated he'd be with you? Along with Namora, and Attuma? If they were to find out about these new feelings? As well as the infatuation that you were starting to grow and feel, towards Princess Shuri.

" I'm waiting." The sound of Shuri's voice had snapped you back into reality. As you stood before her, feeling yourself begin to grow slightly flustered. With the way her eyes were boring into your dark black ones, with a look you couldn't really explain or understand.

" D-don't be so rough with me, I'm fragile you know? Is what I had said to you." You muttered out lowly, catching yourself stumbling over your words. When Shuri's lips began to curve into what looked like a smirk? Before she smiled widely at you.

Allowing you to be blessed with the sight, of her pearly white teeth. And how breathtaking she looked while engaging in the action. " You are...." Shuri paused, trailing over her words as she approached you for what felt like the billionth time.

With eyes that were full of something you couldn't interpret. And a mouth that was parted open slightly, allowing her breath to make contact with the right side of your face. As she closed the space that was in between the two of you previously? And her warm, soft hands came in contact with the bottom of your chin.

Before she lifted it gently, causing your head to be tilted backwards. As your hands squeezed at the sides of your thighs, for support. And mostly out of being nervous? Meanwhile your breathing had begun to grow out of control. Along with your ability to keep whatever sound that had just escaped your lips? From repeating itself.

When Shuri's face had inched lower, and lower, until finally? Both your foreheads were pressed firmly up against one another's. As she continued eyeing your face, like you were a piece of art. That was very rare, and unable to be seen or touched by her again, had she let you go? And walked away? Like her conscious was screaming at her to do so.

But of course? She ignored it.

And she continued on with her intensifying gaze, that left you feeling so small and exposed. With how she raked her eyes over every inch of your face, to the point that you shut your eyes with quickness. And dropped your head from it's tilted position, when another high pitched noise had left from out your parted lips.

At the feel of Shuri's thumb, brushing against the gills that were on the left side of your chest. Which if you were being honest? Had left you wondering when she had the time to move her hands, from their last position? To touch them.

But you didn't dare complain, as you basked in the new feelings you were being introduced to. While you hoped and prayed up above to the God's, and asked if they'd allow you to be at ease for once in your life? Instead of feeling so clammed up. And as if you weren't meant to be present on earth? With how often others had made you feel as if you were nothing but a failure.

Who'd never be as great and honored, as your dear loving big sister. Who had the world as well as the people of Talokan? In the palm of her hand. Seeing how badly everyone there had admired her, or wished to be as close to Namor as she was?

Which you honest to God? found very stupid, as well as foolish at times. When you saw the lengths that people would go, just to be blessed with Namora or Namor's presence. When you on the other hand? Got to be in their presence for free.

And as exciting as your fellow Talokanil colleagues, believed that meeting the King and his second in command would be? You were quick to burst their bubble of excitement. While informing them that it wasn't all that great? To be in the eyes of royalty all the time. As well as being criticized and critiqued on everything you said or did.

Which of course? Led you to be less liked by the individuals you had spoken to.

Along with you being called a numerous amount of names, that honestly hurt you down to the core. At the mention of you being labeled as an unsupportive sister? As well as you also getting accused of being immensely jealous, of Namora? And her position she held, as Namor's second in command.

But at a time like this? All of the bad thoughts you'd usually feel, when thinking about your sister or Namor? Were nonexistent. As Shuri had somehow, shifted your focus completely. And caused you to feel as if you were floating, and one of the prettiest beings on earth. With how mesmerized she looked? While observing your face. And it's new found blush, that had begun appearing onto the area against your cheeks.

" ..I am?.." You asked quietly, urging her to finish her sentence.

" Beautiful." She admitted without holding back. " Bast..Y/N? You truly are, breathtaking."

The pure honesty of Shuri's words? Had left you a smiling, giggling mess. As you covered your face with your hands, and proceeded to place some distance in between the two of you. Only to be stopped, once more of course? As Shuri tugged your hand, causing you to spin back around and be facing her.

While also being met with the fact, that her previous expression she'd recently had? Was now gone. And nothing but the blank, neutral like look she had earlier, after crying? Had made it's way back against her face. As you stood feeling confused, on what to say or do next?

" S-shuri?" Your voice trembled shakily, once your eyes had caught the sight of another Dora Milaje soldier, who stood outside of the cell. With a greenish, almost brown looking type of shirt? That had a hood attached, in which she wore over her head. As she stood with her eyes boring into yours, before the sound of her knuckles making contact with the cell bars?

Had filled both you and Shuri's ears. " Wenza ntoni ngaphakathi esiseleni nebanjwa?" The sound of her voice, had caused Shuri's body to stiffen up instantly, and make her release the current hold she had on your hands, soon after.

Translation: What are you doing inside the cell with the prisoner?

" O-okoye?" Shuri stuttered out nervously, inching towards the opening of the cell near the other woman. " Ndicela ungandiphoxi." Clasping her hands together, and glancing back at you briefly after making her second statement? Shuri turned her focus back towards the woman, who you learned was named Okoye.

Translation: Please do not embarrass me.

" And why shouldn't I?" The older woman questioned, as you stood in your previous position. Trying hardly to act as if you weren't listening in on their conversation? Despite the fact that you couldn't understand anything that either one of them were saying anyway.

" Five minutes." Shuri pleaded with her. " Five minutes, and I swear to you that when I'm finished? I'll go and talk with the elders, about what's next for Wakanda."

" Hmm." Okoye hummed, shifting her focus back to you. Which made you wave at her shyly and mumble a quiet ' hello'. Before a rush of embarrassment hit you like a freight truck, when she frowned at you? And continued speaking in Wakandan to Shuri.

Well, it was worth a shot. You thought to yourself.

" Kwaye yintoni ebaluleke kakhulu ngale ntombazana yentlanzi? Ngaba ukhe wacela eminye imizuzu emihlanu ukuba ube wedwa naye?" Okoye bombarded Shuri with more questions, as she folded her arms, and began pacing around in front of the cell doors.

Translation: And what is it that's so special about this fish girl? That has you requesting for five more minutes to be alone with her?

" I-i don't know." Shuri answered her, sounding as if she were on the verge of growing upset again. " But I'll figure it out? If you allow me to have five more minutes with her."

Aha! So they are talking about me! A burst of excitement filled your body, when Okoye glanced back over at you, and stared a bit longer than she had done previously. Before she nodded her head at Shuri, and disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, after she left from being in the doorway part of the cell.

" She seems nice." You spoke aloud, as a way to make conversation. Once Shuri had returned back to where she'd been standing earlier, before Okoye had let her intimidating presence be known.

" Don't be fooled? By Okoye's very rare act of gratitude." Shuri chuckled lightly, as she intertwined your hand, with her tattooed one.

" I'm guessing she must hate me, if you're telling me that?" You asked hesitantly, feeling your bottom lip poke out, as you began to pout playfully–as if you were so hurt by that statement? When Shuri's head had nodded, directly after you'd ask the question.

And she let out another laugh, that was way more lengthy and infectious. As you found yourself laughing right along with her, and smiling so hardly? That your jaws had begun growing a bit sore.

" So.." You trailed off, once your laughter had come to a stop. " Why did you ask Okoye for five more minutes alone, so you could talk with me?"

" I've never liked people, who eavesdropped." Shuri's head shook side to side, upon knowing that you had in fact? Been listening in on her and Okoye's conversation. Instead of focusing on other things, like she assumed you would? But then again, there weren't that many interesting things for you to look at inside of the cell.

So the portion of her, that felt annoyed that you'd been eavesdropping? Had let go of the matter quite faster than she'd normally do. Which had shocked her, but nonetheless? Didn't really surprise her as much, being that it was you? Who'd done it.

The fish girl, who's presence and smile? Left her feeling as if she were so perfect, and incapable of having any kind of flaws. With the way you'd look at her, with eyes full of admiration, obeisance, fondness, and if she wasn't mistaken? Pure want.

And that there? Had frightened Shuri, and caused her mind go into a frenzy. Whenever you'd push her to continue having a conversation with you? Or when you'd force the two of you to hold one another's hands, while calling her by her name in such a way, that had never really affected her? Until you'd begun doing it.

Which honestly? Had terrified Shuri, way more than she'd been prior. Knowing that she had only been blessed with the sight of you, and your presence? Only twice now. And during those two encounters? Including right now, since the two of you had only spoken for such a short period of time, during last week. Before her and Riri had been rescued by Nakia?

Caused Shuri to begin feeling things, as well as imagine things? That she knew deep down wasn't appropriate, or normal for her. Being that before you? Shuri had never had any issues with containing herself or shielding away her feelings. Due to the fact, that she'd never been liked, or looked at romantically? In the way that you'd look at her.

Like you were doing currently, with your eyebrows slightly raised. And twisted lips, that were beginning to turn upwards, to match the rest of your confused facial expression. Which made Shuri sigh lowly, as she continued eyeing you intently. All while staring hungrily at your lips, which she was honestly thankful to Bast? That you hadn't noticed.

Because had you realized where she was looking? She felt that she'd probably end up dying from embarrassment, and be sent to the ancestral plane. Where she'd be reunited with her entire family, who she had missed dearly.

" Shuri?" You continued frowning, with your finger tapping against the taller girl's shoulder lightly. " Shuri, are you alrig–"

" You need to leave." She muttered lowly, speaking so quietly that it was almost impossible for you to hear her. " L-leave?" You repeated what she said, feeling your heart begin to sink automatically, once she nodded her head and said yes.

" B-but I thought tha–I thought we wer–" You struggled to form words, as you stepped away from Shuri with glossy eyes. That were close to spilling over, and cause you begin crying again. With the longer you stared up at her.

And awaited for her to give you some sort of explanation, as to why she was asking you to leave. When just moments before right now? The two of you were laughing, and holding onto one another's hands, in a way that you believed deep down in your gut? Had meant so much more, than what Shuri was currently trying to make it out to be.

As she began speaking again, with both her hands clasped together fairly tight.

" .. You can't stay here, Y/N. A-and as much as I would like for you to? You have to go, ingelosi."

Translation: Angel.

" W-why?" Pushing Shuri's hands away from being near you? You felt the warm feel of tears come trickling down the sides of your face. When you blinked your eyes once–following a second time shortly after. Which made the look of despair, that was on Shuri's face? Deepen instantly.

Upon having you shove her away, as if she were nothing and unimportant to you? When the two of you knew, that whatever it was beginning to blossom in between the two of you? Was far from just simply being platonic.

" Y/N–"

" Why!?" You shouted loudly, unexpectedly. Feeling a wave of regret start to rush over you, almost instantly. Seeing how hurt Shuri had looked, once you had shoved her away a second time? And caused her body to stumble backwards, before it collided against the bars of the cell, so hardly?

That a painful yelp had escaped from out of her mouth, shortly after it happened.

" S-shuri, I'm–" A panic state began to rush over you, as you tried stopping the taller woman from exiting out of the cell. But despite your current efforts? She had left you standing alone.

As she kept her back facing towards you, with her head hanging low. To the point that you were able to make out her tears, that had begun dropping against the concrete floor of the hall, and leave a water droplet appearance present.

" ..You are a distraction.." Shuri broke her silence after being quiet for a while. As she spoke with a voice that was full of nothing, except anger and possibly? Hurt.

" And I have no room for distractions, with the duties that I'm responsible for taking care of now. So you must to leave here, and you are to never come bac–"

" Shur–"

" Do not speak over me or interrupt me? When I am in the middle of talking." Shuri warned, lowering her tone way lower than it had been previously. Which caused a tremor of fear to shoot throughout your body, at how easily it was for her demeanor to simply just falter into something else.

" In two hours from now? Okoye's going to come and release you. And once you are free and you return back to Talokan successfully, and Namor questions you about if you used your siren abilities to manipulate me or not? You're going to tell him you have. And that in two day's time? He's expected to meet me out at sea, so that we can talk and discuss my rules."

Nodding your head, you decided to keep quiet. And allow Shuri to finish speaking, so that you wouldn't fuck up and say the wrong? Or cause her to grow more angry, than she already was currently. As she stood outside the cell doors, looking honest to God? Quite beautiful and alluring.

As you found yourself slowly growing captivated, with the way she talked about her plans of destroying Namor, along with everyone who was affiliated with him. Which also meant, that she'd make a mess of you as well? But for some odd and unexpected reason? You couldn't help but wonder what she'd do to you, and how she'd do it? Once that day had came forth.

" I-i'm fragile." You pointed your finger at the gills on your chest. " And innocent."

" B-but if you'd allow me to? Then I could learn how to be less of a distrac–"

" I have nothing for you!" Shuri mocked her words from earlier, banging her fist against the bars of the cell. "Nothing!" She shouted once more, with nothing but rage being evident inside of her dark brown eyes.

" S-so quit trying to confuse me, and make me have these unwanted feelings? As well as these t-thoughts? Because I have nothing to give you! And there's nothing for you here in Wakanda, other than the damages that Namor, and the people of your kind? Have left for us to repair!"

" M-my kind?" You choked on a sob, as Shuri's words, along with the tall man who'd been present with Riri earlier? Had begun repeating inside of your head, nonstop.

" Your kind." Shuri repeated bluntly, without caring to wonder how her stating what she'd said? Would cause you to feel. As you cried uncontrollably, hugging yourself with your arms tightly, as a way to comfort yourself. So that hopefully? Your ongoing sobs would come to a stop.

But how could you pretend to be okay, and ignore your body's need to release it's stress? When the person who'd just called you beautiful and breathtaking, not too long ago? Was the one who was responsible for causing your lungs, to feel as if they'd been punctured.

And left with a hole on the side of them, that made breathing right now? Feel a bit hard for you. As all of the events, and harsh words that had been said to you throughout today? Came piling on top of you, and filling up your mind instantly.

Making the sound of your sobs, grow much louder. As the breaking point you swore you'd already reached earlier, after the dispute you had with Riri? Had returned. And came tearing down every ounce of happiness you thought you felt? Like ocean waves crashing against the shore of the beach.

Breaking you down into pieces, as you sunk to your knees and continued sobbing loudly. Without caring about how Shuri had watched you, with an unreadable expression present across her face, as you did so.

Because this here? Was it.

This? Was your true and final breaking point.

And after everything you had hoped and prayed to the God's up above for, recently? You'd failed and been ignored nevertheless.

Like you always did.

And as Shuri parted open her lips, to speak her final words to you? That would eventually cause the hurt in which you felt, to increase? You nodded your head anyways, after she finished speaking, with your backside now facing towards her.

So that she'd be blocked away from the sight of seeing you be so vulnerable, and upset as you currently were.

" Okoye, will come to release you? In two hours time.."

"...A-and once you are gone? Don't forget that you aren't to come back here.."

" Because there's noth–"

" There's nothing for me here. I heard you loud and clear the first time, Princess." You responded dryly, using the ends of your top? To dry off your now wet face.

" Now are we done here?" Your sudden change of mood, had caused Shuri to grow a bit conflicted, as well as angry. Seeing that you were pushing her away, in the same exact way that she'd done unto you? Due to her incapability of accepting the new found feelings, in which you had caused to ignite like a fire–deep inside the pit of her stomach.

That regardless of her attempts to put them out? They would only grow larger. And cause the want she felt towards you? To continue pulling at the back part of her throat, each time you took her breath away–like you were currently doing now? As you stared at her with nothing except anger present inside your eyes.

Now that all of the hurt you'd felt moments before? Had diminished away completely.

" Do you wish to be finished, isithandwa sam esitsha?" Shuri's hands gripped the bars of the cell, as she awaited your answer. " Speak english." You felt your face ball up, in irritation.

" It isn't fair for you to speak in Wakandan around me? When you don't have any plans to translate your sentences? So that I can fully understand you."

Translation: My newfound lover.

" Do you wish to be finished, isithandwa sam esitsha?" Shuri repeated herself slowly, ignoring your request for her to finish the ending of her sentence, in english. Which did nothing except make the anger you felt? Expand and begin to reignite.

Until suddenly? You found yourself thinking long and hard, about what it was that Shuri might've been asking of you. And as you stood silently, pacing around in a circle. For what felt like forever? You eventually mustered up the courage, to respond to the Princess's question.

" I-i don't understand what you're saying, Shuri." You ran your hands down your face, sighing hardly in frustration.

" And I'm growing a bit tired, of your constant outbursts and mood swings."

" Because their confusing..and I-i don't want to be left feeling confused. And as if I have to walk on eggshells? Whenever I'm around you. Or if I'm feeling overly happy, from something you did? L-like I had been earlier? Before you mentioned that me and my kind? Had left lots of damages, for you and the other Wakandan's to repa–"

" Shuri?" The sound of Okoye's voice, had caused your sentence to be cut short. As you felt your shoulders drop down in defeat, once Shuri had stood upright. And proceeded to follow the older woman, down the dark narrow hallway.

Which made you let out another deep sigh, and begin walking back towards the small cot. As your mind began wandering off, back to the conversation that you and Shuri were having. Before Okoye had come, and interrupted it. Causing you to be left clueless, and stuck trying to figure out what it was that Shuri had said to you, while speaking in Wakandan.

But luckily for you? The God's had casted their light down upon you. As you snapped your head around, facing it towards the entrance of the cell. Seeing that the Princess herself was standing there, in all her glory. While motioning you to come forward, as she held onto an identical version of the beads that were on her wrist? Inside the palm of her left hand.

" Come." She whispered quietly, meeting you halfway where you stood. Before she grabbed onto your wrist gently, and slipped the bracelet around it afterwards. Causing it to tighten on it's own around you, but not too tight to the point where it had caused discomfort.

" Isn't this yours?" You asked softly, with your eyes currently fixated, on the way the bracelet had glowed. A pretty light blue, almost teal-ish looking color. Like the one against Shuri's wrist would do? Whenever she touched it.

" I don't have a lot of time, so we need to keep this conversation brief." Shuri continued whispering, with her head glancing back behind her, every once and a while as she did so.

" Tomorrow? I will send you a signal. And once you receive it? I want you to return back here, at the exact time that I give to you."

" C-come back?" You found yourself frowning in confusion. " Why should I come back here? After you've made it very clear, that there is nothing in Wakanda for me? And that you have nothing to give or say to me, for that matter as well?"

" Mamela kum, Y/N." Shuri raised her hands, placing them atop your shoulders hesitantly.

Translation: Listen to me.

" Just list–"

"..What about me being a distraction, Shuri?" You interrupted her sentence, beginning to go on another rant. About how unfair it was for her to ask you to return back here, when just earlier? She had made it chrystal clear, that she wanted you to leave? And to never come back.

" If I'm as much as a distraction as you say I am? Then why ask me to come back? While giving me these?" You held up your wrist that had the bracelet on it.

" When you know that if I'm caught wearing this by, Namor? Or even worse, Namora? T-that I'll..that they'll.." Swallowing hardly, you averted your gaze up at Shuri. Feeling your heart rate begin to accelerate, when her hands had came in contact with the surface of your skin again.

" I can not make you return here? If you wish to stay away." The feel of Shuri's breath, lingering against the tip of your earlobe. Caused your mouth to part open slightly, as goosebumps began making their way across the sides of your arms.

" But if you are open to it?" Shuri's hands trailed down your arms slowly. " And if you can find it in your heart, to trust me?" She intertwined both your hands together, rubbing her thumb across the top of your knuckles.

" Then when tomorrow comes? I'll be expecting your arrival.."

" ..At the appointed time, that I have set in mind? To send you the signal. That will alert you to come up to the surface. Because there's so much I'd like to show you, and learn more about you, ingelosi.."

Translation: Angel.

" T-there's nothing for you to get to know about me? That's worth wanting to know." You stammered over your words, growing a bit self conscious. With being trapped under the intensifying gaze, of Shuri's compelling stare.

" A-and how will I know, that this isn't just some kind of sick trick? For you to dispose of me? In the way that you wish to dispose of Namor?" You asked frantically, searching Shuri's eyes for some kind of answer.

As she stood silently, continuing to rub the pad of her thumb across the top of your knuckles. With a tiny smirk being curved near the corner of her lips. " ..I don't know.." She answered you, after what felt like forever.

" But perhaps? This is a trick? And maybe I do want to dispose of you? In the same exact way that I wish to dispose of Namor."

" Or maybe?" Shuri raised her eyebrows, shifting her focus from your face, down to the center of your chest. "..Maybe being in your presence? Has left me feeling enticed.."

" ..And wondering what it is, that's so special about you? That causes me to think about the things I do? Whenever you are near me.."

Hovering her fingers over the top of your chest, where your gills were? Shuri then inched her hand lower, letting out a light chuckle, following a quiet–satisfied hum. At the sight of you closing your eyes, and pushing yourself more into her embrace. Once her fingertips had made contact, with the surface of your gills.

" You think that I'm special?" Your eyes shot open instantly, upon hearing that specific phrase leave Shuri's lips. "Oh, umthandi?" Another sultry like chuckle had escaped from out Shuri's mouth.

Translation: Lover.

Before she removed her hands away from you, and began walking near the entrance of the cell doors. " ..I think about many things, during my free time? And whenever I'm busy with building new technology projects."

" And as much as I'd love to inform you, about all of those specific things?" Her head whipped back around to face you, as you were met with the sight of her smiling again. And so hardly in a way? That it showed off the dimple, that was located on the far right side of her face.

" There's a meeting that I'm required to attend in a moment, with the Elders. But perhaps tomorrow, if you decide to take me up on my offer? And you listen out for my signal?"

" Then you'll tell me all about it?" You questioned, with eyes full of curiosity and wonder.

Which made Shuri nod her head, and deepen her smile. As she stepped outside of the cell, before closing it. While placing her hands around the bars, with a slightly tight grip.

" Ndingakuxelela nantoni na intliziyo yakho enqwenela ukuyazi." She said sweetly, proceeding to speak in Wakandan. Regardless of the fact, that she knew you couldn't understand her.

Translation: I'd tell you anything your heart desires to know.

" Shuri." You folded your arms, pouting playfully. When the sound of her laughter had filled your ears. " Yes." She answered, after her laughter had come to a stop.

" Yes, I'll tell you of all the things that I think about? If you are present here tomorrow."

" And please do not forget to inform, Namor? Of the things I mentioned to you earlier, ingelosi."

Translation: Angel.

" I won't." You shook your head side to side. " A-and will Okoye, still be coming to release me later on?"

Nodding upon hearing your question? Shuri had parted open her lips to speak, until the sound of her name being called, by an unfamiliar voice? Caused her to pause. And begin stepping away from your cell with quickness.

" I have to go." She whispered, rushing back near the cell bars. " But once you return back home to Talokan, successfully? Press the bead that's located in the middle of the bracelet."

" And I will be alerted from up here? That you have made it hom–"

" SHURI!?" Another deep, and unfamiliar voice? Had shouted out Shuri's name, from the ending of the hallway. Which made you shift your focus towards the side, as you caught a glimpse of what looked like the light from a torch? Begin to light up the dark hall.

And allow you to make out more of the foreign writing, that was very similar to the writing written across the walls, inside of your cell. " You should go." You told Shuri, flashing her a warm smile. When the light from the torch, that lit up the hall? Grew closer.

" And perhaps, if I make it out of my talk? With Namor and Namora alive? After returning back to Talokan, whenever Okoye comes to release me? T-then maybe?" You picked with your mask nervously, struggling to maintain eye contact with Shuri.

" Maybe I'll be able to sneak up to the surface? So that the two of us can see one another? Once tomorrow comes."

" Okay." Another smile made it's way onto Shuri's face, as her eyes lit up with excitement. Upon hearing you say that you'd see her tomorrow. "And you promise you'll show?" She questioned, pausing in her footsteps. When she proceeded to begin walking back down the hall.

" I promise." You stared into her eyes, as a way to show her you were being honest.

" I promise, I'll show up Shuri."

" And I promise that I'll leave Talokan, as soon as possible. So that I can make it here on time? Directly after I receive your signal."

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