dennydreadful · 1 year ago
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finally another use for this quote that involves literally being set on fire
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positivelybeastly · 3 months ago
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Ok, but what do you think was going through Hank's head between Trish dumping him and Cassandra Nova screwing him over? How did he spend those hours?
Also, this is your safe space to roast Trish Trilby into the freaking sun. (Please please please).
Also, (sorry if this is too much) Why do you think Cassandra screwed with Hank so much?
It was his first time putting on this new tux - all of his old ones no longer fit, naturally - and if he was frightfully honest, it had been rather a pain, doing it with his new digits; waistcoat buttons, dress shirt, bowtie, all just so remarkably fiddly. He had spent his whole life so uniquely talented with his hands that even a slight reduction in dexterity would have thrown him, but this . . .
But it would be worth it, he told himself, as he primped and preened a little bit in the mirror. It was, in its way, a self-confidence boost all on its own, to be able to dress himself so finely without tearing a hole in the silk or nicking himself with his own claws.
As he looked into the mirror, he even found it within himself to smile, and to like that smile, no less - he felt as though he could feel his old face coming through, which was a bizarre concept, but one which was something of an old friend to him by now. It usually came before acceptance, which was all to the good, surely? He had weathered this before, and he would do again.
"There is no exquisite beauty . . . without some strangeness in the proportion.” No doubt Poe would have had a nervous fit, to see a creature such as the Beast quoting him from memory, but then, what hadn't set that poor man into a nervous fit? Not that . . . Hank couldn't relate, of course, but . . . he cleared his throat, determined to be positive.
This was a big night, his first night out since he'd changed, and he was determined that it was going to be a big night.
Moving over to the answering machine, Hank carefully depressed the button, and erupted into a smile as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. In his head, he felt as though he could hear his old self clapping him on the back and telling him, you got this, boychik!
"Hi, Hank . . ."
A cocky grin on his face now, Hank pulled back a bit, adopting an almost sultry pose as he looked in the mirror, adjusting his bowtie. "Well hello, Trish." He couldn't help himself.
"RROOowr!" He did look good, didn't he?
"Are you ready for a balloon ride across upstate New York with champagne and . . ." His ears flicked. Trish didn't sound . . .
"I'm sorry I'm being such a coward about this, Hank, but I'm calling from Washington, and . . . it's not you, it's me."
Hank stopped mid hair primp.
"You're still the same lovely Hank inside, even since you changed so much, but . . . I know you can't help your eyes, but you look at me like I'm prey sometimes and . . ."
His arm fell down by his side.
"And the Enquirer ran a story about us . . . the word 'bestiality' was used three times . . ."
He felt - he felt -
"I couldn't do anything to hurt you, dear, lovely Hank. But this could ruin my career as a broadcaster."
He felt like he was going to be sick.
"Oh god, I didn't mean it like that."
How did you mean it, Trish.
"Oh, Hank . . . I'm making such a mess of this."
Are you.
"I'm so sorry."
Are you truly?
The answering machine beeped mockingly, asking him if he wanted to delete the message, replay it, or save it.
With an uncanny accuracy that would have made Gambit proud, Hank whipped the hand mirror through the air with enough force that it smashed the answering machine into plastic smithereens, the moulded shell of it collapsing to the floor in amongst the broken glass.
No.
No, that wasn't enough.
His body possessed by the same kind of predatory speed that filled prey animals with terror, he stalked over to the corpse of the machine and began to stomp, over, and over, and over again. Transistors, transducers, receivers, numeric keys, wire, it all ended up stomped into a twisted mess of shit, because that's all all of this was, it was shit, it was bullshit, it was all bullshit -
Bringing his paws up to the collar of his tuxedo, worn just this once, freshly tailored, costing a good few thousand dollars, from a tailor that Janet van Dyne had recommended to him personally, Hank tore it all to shreds in one fell rip.
It all came away in gossamer strings, light and thready and soft, and as it peeled away, Hank thought for a moment that he might quite like to reach up just a few inches higher, dig his claws into his skull, and do the exact same thing with his skin, and his fur, until the meat suit went the way of the monkey suit and he was himself again. Until the him, the real him, not this royal blue mockery, was what people saw again.
But it wasn't that easy, now, was it?
The pants were next. Then the boots, the first of which he kicked off his feet and sent flying into a monitor that cost more than the suit, cracking it. He didn't care. Off came the other one. Another $10,000, down the drain. Who cared.
Newly naked, and not even remotely calm, Hank bent over and pressed his head into the cold, sterile metal of the lab that Charles had invested millions into, and screamed, an inarticulate sound of pain and fury and humiliation and shame. His brain felt as though it were throbbing. He could feel it pulsing against the bounds of his skull, just wishing it could escape the confines of this mortal shell, and Hank could only whimper and whisper back, me, too.
He rocked back, falling on his haunches, and stared off into nothingness. He sat there, for what must have been half an hour, refusing to cry, refusing to give her the satisfaction, refusing to be beaten, taking all of what he was feeling into his paws and slowly strangling it and packing the chopped up little corpses into littler coffins in his mind, hammering down the lids until all that remained were neat little boxes that he could compartmentalise and file away with the rest of it.
And when he was done, he breathed in deep, stood up, and walked away from the wreckage of his relationship, naked and without any more pretensions as to his exquisite beauty.
The first step was, of course, to find new clothes. The most immediate source was the field gear room, and he supposed it was as apropos as anything else. Any aspirations of a social life, he could now safely consign to the dust bin along with his aspirations of a human relationship, so why not don the garments of the X-Man he was consigned to be and only be? It was more honest that way.
He smoothed down the sides of the buttery smooth, new leather jacket, supposing he was glad that the kevlar-unstable molecule weave that lay beneath its surface meant it wouldn't rip like the tuxedo would.
Supposing so. As an identity, it would do.
The second step was to clean up after himself. Sweep away the glass and the plastic, throw out the broken monitors, order new ones, bill it to the Professor's account. If he questioned it, he could either accept Hank's mumble that there had been an experiment that went awry, or he could tickle at Hank's brain and then recoil because that entire area of Hank's mind probably felt like acid to the touch.
Either way, replacements were on their way.
The third step . . . and Hank was, for the moment, glad that the sub-basement was, in essence, his stomping ground and no-one else's, because that meant there was no-one to stop him . . . was to find the Enquirer story that Trish had mentioned.
He could practically hear Jean in his brain, telling him not to do this; hell, he could hear Scott and Logan in his brain telling him not to do this, and that was how he knew he really was going around the twist, because those two existed in his mind now and they were in agreement.
But he couldn't help it. He had to know.
Sitting down at his chair, he leaned back, his muzzle perched on his paw. His desktop stared at him, and he felt a pang as his wallpaper rotated through picture after picture of old teams, old faces - his, old face.
He hadn't had the heart to change it yet.
The cheerful placidity of his handsome face stared out at him from the cowl of an old brown and yellow X-Factor uniform, and even as he matched the other Hank's gaze, the piercing yellow of his newly lambent eyes shone back at him through the reflective glare of the monitor, replacing the soft blue he remembered.
He shrunk away from it, and instead slid on his digital manipulators, the mechanical prostheses that allowed him to type without fingers. He stretched them, feeling the wire and metal and electrical impulse sensors in the tips flex around his digits, and began to type.
'Enquirer Trish Tilby.' 410,000 results, most of them articles citing her as a source, dating back to the outbreak of strange, seemingly mystical possessions of every day objects and the emergence of X-Factor. Not specific enough. His fingers twitched.
'Enquirer Trish Tilby Hank McCoy.' 290,000 results, the first hundred, at least, of which were simply coverage of their relationship over the years. There, again, was his old face, staring out at him, as if mocking him, entreating him to do what he always did and pursue knowledge, instead of listening to the little voice in his head telling him he was only making things worse. His fingers twitched again.
'Enquirer Trish Tilby Hank McCoy . . .'
He swallowed.
'Enquirer Trish Tilby Hank McCoy bestiality.'
And there it was.
He read it, of course. To not read it would be like leaving an itch on the surface of his brain unscratched for the rest of his life, he simply had to know, and it, was . . . exactly as tawdry and sad and cruel and garish and dehumanising as he thought it would be.
Dehumanising.
Now, wasn't there a word? How. Specific. De-human-ising.
'We do believe all planets have a sovereign claim to inalienable human rights
'Inalien... If only you could hear yourselves? 'Human rights.' Why, the very name is racist.'
The sound of Chekov and Azetbur buzzing in his brain made him feel suddenly, violently angry, and he grabbed his keyboard and mouse and flung it to the side like a child, breathing heavily as he heard them clatter and smash, kicking at his desk and feeling it bend under his foot before he brought up his legs and hugged them.
He wanted to get off the ride. He wanted to get off.
He wanted to get off the ride. He wanted off.
He wanted to get off the ride, he wanted off, he wanted off, he wanted off -
A ragged, injured breath escaped him, and he slowly stood back up, his movements stiff and jagged as he slowly cleaned up the new mess he had made. Hank very gingerly picked up the keys that had gone everywhere, dropping them into the garbage like broken teeth, feeling so very much like he wanted to cry, but refusing to give her the satisfaction. He refused. He refused.
. . . He needed to do something constructive. He needed to. He desperately needed to think about something that wasn't this.
Shambling as if drunk, his body cycling through modes of movement as if trying to work its way back to something that felt vaguely human, vaguely normal, Hank moved back towards his anatomical computer console and called up the last file he'd decided to load into it.
'CASSANDRA NOVA ENTITY. THREAT LEVEL: EXTREMELY HIGH. CURRENT STATUS: DECEASED.'
Large, blue paws settled on the terminal and he leaned forward. Something else, now, was gnawing on the edge of his brain like a worm, and this . . . felt . . . important. What was he missing? What hadn't he done? It had been a little spooky, he'd been a little - frazzled, after Nova had gone stomping through the Institute the way she had done, but he'd done all of the routine checks, hadn't he?
Yes. Yes, he had. Basic autonomic processes, breakdown of homeostatic baselines, blood sample, tissue sample, radiological readings, and all of it had come up appropriately strange . . . no known matches in the Avenger database, nor S.H.I.E.L.D's, nor even the Shi'ar. She was strange. Genuinely strange, the kind of life that they'd never seen before - and its first instinct had been to try and kill them. Why?
Why does anyone try to kill anything?
. . . Because it's threatened? But what could possibly threaten Nova? Telepathy, adamantium, gravity, gunpowder, it had all been so much waste. Nothing had phased her, really. What could phase a being of such awe-inspiring power? Not a physical threat, surely . . .
But what about a mental one? Or. A genetic one? What was it he'd said again? She was beyond the biological Twilight Zone. She was, in a word, uncanny, unknowable. What was it he'd said again? He'd been in the middle of saying something. Not just now, back then.
Hank took off his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his muzzle, dialling back through his memories, trying to fumble at the moments just before Cassandra Nova had started to touch at his mind and fry his brain. Before can feel too funny bad smell in my eyes . . . what had they said? They had said something.
'This could become a war for the domination of the bio-sphere.'
'They'll be gone, replaced by us. Or something even stranger.'
'How come she looks like you, Chuck?'
Hank's eyes flew open, Logan's voice ringing in his ears.
'How come she looks like you, Chuck?'
"No . . ." And yet, even as he denied it, Hank was cross-referencing the tissue sample he'd taken - and the DNA contained within - with Cerebra's genetic library files. He didn't need it to tell him what it did, but it was trivial, how quickly it returned a result. In an instant. Ping. Done.
'Exact match: Charles Francis Xavier.'
He . . .
He and the esteemed Headmaster needed to have a talk. Now.
So, there is an actual canonical reason why Cassandra Nova fucked Hank over so badly, and it kinda depresses me because it is just so very typical - it's because fucking him over was useful to her.
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What better way to make a genius work in your favour? Hurt him. Hurt him so badly that all he can think about is getting back at you by doing something clever, something that will astonish and amaze and redeem his moment of weakness, of humiliation, of abject failure.
Hurt him because that's easy and it's fun and his insecurities make him predictable in how he'll lash out and try to compensate. Hurt him so that he uses his genius for you, and the only thing that stops him from acting in your favour is someone who can see through his neuroses spotting what's going on.
Someone who is paying active attention to Hank's mental health, like Jean Grey.
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It's also partly the reason why Hank ended up being the host for Sublime in Here Comes Tomorrow. It wasn't just a case of convenience.
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Hank is the perfect Sublime host. Why?
Partly because Hank is constantly evolving. He is mutation in action. He is the biological imperative to adapt and survive.
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'Primordial Earth,' huh?
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The only other person who would come close is someone like Darwin. And even then, I suspect Darwin wouldn't be as compatible as Hank. Why?
Because Hank is also two other two things that make him the perfect host. A genius - and mentally ill. He is vulnerable. He is susceptible to manipulation. When isolated, he can become desperate. He panics. He becomes emotionally unstable. Irrational. In need of support.
And that's exactly what Sublime wants. That's exactly what Cassandra Nova wants. That's what they find useful.
Hank is soft, and tender, and useful. Unfortunately for him.
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definitelynotshouting · 1 year ago
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OK! ANON HERE WITH THE FIRST ROUND OF ANALYSIS/SCREAMING INTO THE VOID. (I have more quotes but i dont want to overwhelm you and do them all at once)
-☀️
"This fantasy carries him through the rest of the night, past false dawn and into the early onset of staccato birdsong. Grian stares blearily at the bleeding warmth creeping in through the window; gentle golden hands that march over the floorboards and press their palms against the walls. They're less frenetic than the moonlight had been— the shadows here are dappled, innocent things, splaying over stripped bark and playing in the whorls within planks. They breathe depth into this tiny, wooden box, shifting slowly under daylight's cautious curve into the sky, until scintillating rays curl like shackles around his wrists."
- the word choice in this is just so masterful. It's so TENSE, Grian's emotions and thoughts are a complete mess, and this is mirrored even in how you describe the environment. It feels like nothing is safe, which is brilliant, because Grian's currently driving through life on a cord as thin as silk. Its the way even the birdsong is frantic and unsafe "staccato". The "gentle" hands that harden to "march" and "press". Things start out kindly, and then the words become harsh and cold, and this just perfectly reflects how mistrustful Grian is. Nothing makes sense to him; everything is out to get him.
-☀️
"Grian snorts without meaning to, then claps a hand over his mouth, something ugly coagulating in his heart. He doesn't deserve this kind of laughter, this reluctant amusement simmering in his chest. It burns him from the inside out, scorching the back of his throat; hot coals between clenched teeth. Grian inhales embers, exhales ash, and summons every spare ounce of willpower at his disposal to keep his voice from shaking."
- Oh, this. This hurts so much. I can talk about how bird boy's mental state is so poor he's even depraving himself of laughter, and how this is an extension of how he started out starving himself of food, then sleep, now laughter. The fire imagery here is so potent as well. He's burning himself from the inside out, which i feel like is such good imagery for what is actually happening: his code breaking apart. Mans IS literally coming apart from the inside. Ough
-☀️
"It's a pretty effect; it makes Grian's gut plummet all the way down to his lap."
- CRYING CRYING CRYING
- They know each other so well. Grian and Scar learnt each other's tells under the desert sun. He understands how tension and anger and sadness plays on Scar's face and body language when theyre in the games, and in those games everyone's emotions are caused by grian. But now theyre not even in the games and all grian can see is how HIS existence is hurting the people he loves most
-☀️
That's all im going to do for now. Thank you for tearing out my heart and smashing it on the pavement <3
(Also idk if you want me to leave an anon identifier? Maybe i can just stick with the ☀️ if no one else has taken it?)
HEY ANON. WHAT IF I CRIED AND SOBBED AND WEPT!!!!!! HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO !!!!!!!! /POS /POS /POS!!!!!!! LOSING MY MIND RN IM GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR SO EXCITEDLY THIS JUST MADE MY ENTIRE DAY
hooooly shit i cannot thank you enough this is so kind and wonderful and just!!!!!! listen i LIVE for people analyzing my writing bc i try to put SO MUCH into it, as much as i can possibly cram without oversaturating, and to see people pick up on this stuff is like being handed an immaculately wrapped present every single time. This is truly making my mind go crazy im so fucking happy rn oh my gods, thank you so much this is such an incredible treat
Im not sure if the sun emoji has been taken or not (i think i had another one a long time ago???? but im not sure if you're the same one or not djehdjdjr) but!!! Absolutely feel free to leave an emoji identifier, whatever you want!! :D i rlly enjoy seeing regulars in the inbox so absolutely feel free to do that if ur comfortable!!!!!
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noodlepai · 3 years ago
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(OKAY okay so I've come to provide more information on the AU, I'm still working on it a lot so things might change or be added but I got a basic idea of what things are like rn !!)
Info dump moment rn, also TW for slight trauma mentions/hints
• Sam had managed to save the Wii from melting itself all those years ago, and is a pretty big person on tech, so she likes to experiment and try new things, and actively tries to help Eteled out or transfer him through devices so he isn't just stuck in one place all the time, with lots of trial and tons of error, especially since she knows the Wii's getting old and that it can be unstable occasionally with glitches
• Kyle has also taken a liking to learning more about technology through Sam's influence so he sometimes comes over and they both will just study and brainstorm ideas
• Sam moved out of her home and now lives in her own apartment, is in college to pursue her dream of working around and creating technology, hasn't really considered making a job out of it since she mostly does it for fun and likes to achieve her dream goals, Nathan and Kyle also occasionally visit to just hang out and do whatever, usually resulting in the three staying up very late into a movie or game night, and Eteled having to talk Sam into getting sleep for the next morning
• Even though Sam is big on all tech, consoles and video games, she still has a soft spot for old generation consoles in particular
• Sam, Nathan and Kyle had all gotten pretty close growing up so they're like a dumbass trio /lh
• Will moved out of state or some shit
• Kyle wakes up from his villain arc and makes a truce with Eteled /J.. FR though Kyle softens up and becomes more understanding of Eteled's side after they start talking it out, while what happened did bother him at the time all those years ago, he just kinda grew up to the point where it didn't have such of an effect on him anymore, I mean all he saw was a Mii get slice and diced, no need to go beast mode over it, so they forgive each other of the past
• Kyle and Nathan are besties to homosexuals, homie love
• Sam made a Mii of herself from when she was younger to keep Eteled company when going out or having to attend school, Eteled appreciated it but wouldn't wanna admit how it wasn't the same and about how much he would miss Sam when she had to get off the Wii
• Gives Eteled abandonment issues because I love being evil
• He's actually clingy on the inside but would never admit it to anyone
• Also views Sam as a sort of daughter figure besides just a friend but is too nervous to mention it, he wants Sam to be safe, loves whenever she talks or rants to him about anything or shows him something she made or is proud of, or even just anything at all, father Eteled is proud of his child/bestie
• He like, genuinely feels loved around her and would definitely cry about it but would never show it, or at least try not to
• Eteled has the favorite Mii pants because Sam put them on him, with quote "I think it's about time my best friend gets to rock a new style", and yes it did make him almost cry on the spot
• Austin is like, mentally conflicted as hell
• Austin and Eteled both feel guilty for what they've done to each other over the years, aren't sure they can or are ready to forgive the other but they're very slowly learning to tolerate each other
• They're like enemies to kinda friends in a way
• They're traumatized mfs
• They still sometimes fight but it's usually just yelling or saying shit now, they don't do the chair, deletion or axe really anymore since they at least got to the point where they respect each other's boundaries and triggers, and there's no point to keep doing the same old for over 10+ years, for the most part, they still slip up sometimes
• They do fuck up though occasionally so that's why Eteled has scars and Austin is a bit more bashed up
• They still have a rooted dislike for each other they're trying to get over but they sometimes chill out or talk, usually when Sam is asleep or off the Wii for a while, the two just will maybe visit or sit around to at least try to understand the other better
• Sam knows Austin is still around, and it took a while but with time she grew to accept him when he didn't seem like a big threat anymore, and that he was just as important of a soul as Eteled was, she still didn't like the fights and didn't know the full story
• She'd probably section them away from the other with a child gate if she could
• Austin of course has an ego and would never tell another soul that he has many nightmares of the server room and about what happens if he gets caught off guard or is sleeping when Eteled decides to attack him again, Eteled wouldn't do that, and Austin knows it but it's just the deep rooted fear he can't get rid of, even though he's much taller and technically more powerful than the smaller Mii
• Eteled is just tired, usually just sleeps in the Mii channel, especially when under stress or tires himself out if he's going through a moment, like triggered memories or emotions
• From all the deleting and the chair, and more crap from his early life, Eteled is just terrified of it all so even the idea of them scares the fuck out of him, so as a natural response he just tries to defend himself with his axe even if he would be shaking like a chicken, he really tries not to pull it out but he can't always stop himself
• The axe itself would probably also bother Austin a bit, but he would still try to cautiously calm Eteled down since he knows he's just afraid, so afterwards they'd probably have to awkwardly apologize for what the fuck happened at that very moment
• Sam sometimes offers them both to play a game together with her, or plans on playing with Eteled and invites Austin along, as a way to make them bond, they do end up having some fun though
• Eteled has seen and/or been around or within newer Nintendo consoles, but personally prefers being in the Wii since he's used to it the most, and it's the most comfortable and homey to him
• Oh yeah, if Austin or Eteled is having an episode or is deeply upset then the other will try to help sometimes if it's really bad, Austin tries to hide it more but it doesn't always work, yeah they have reasonable reasons to not like the other, but they aren't complete assholes
• They both got trauma memories and aren't gonna just watch the other suffer through it
• Austin may or may not have taken in what Eteled had said all that time ago about "Learning to move past the past", even though that technically makes Eteled a hypocrite when he's constantly beating himself up about shit mentally, even after years, they are both doing it tbh
• Also Kyle doesn't know about Austin 100% but is curious to know his story and who he is and used to be, and how he got in the Wii, especially after the passing of his family member of the same name, little does he know..
• Sam also doesn't know about any of it, neither Sam or Kyle know of what happened or Austin's story, Austin being in a tight spot since he doesn't wanna reveal his identity yet, knowing the possible reaction, for Eteled's sake, Sam's and especially Kyle's, and Eteled being absolutely fucking terrified since the fear of losing someone like Sam could become real, and the small but growing friendship he was slowly making with Kyle could go right back to hatred and wanting the small Mii deleted, not including the fact that he still eats at himself for his past actions so it being brought back up again would be a ✨mess✨
• Austin doesn't know if he forgives Eteled or not, but wants to try to move past it and not be reminded in any way
• Nathan is still a little lowkey scared of Eteled ngl, doesn't wanna upset him or anything and Eteled can tell, he probably sighs to himself but he can't blame the guy
• Kyle has thought about making another Mii of himself on what is now long been Sam's Wii, now that he's older and him and Eteled are rather chill, but decided against it since he wasn't sure, not because he didn't trust Eteled, but because he figured it could potentially remind the Mii of the past, so whenever he plays on it he just uses Eteled
(That's all I can really recall on the top of my head for now, whenever I remember more or add on things I'll probably make a new post about it)
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hannie-dul-set · 4 years ago
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“i'll take your word for it and no one else's.” [lee jeno]
SUMMARY | maybe snooping through your friend’s phone wasn’t that much of a good idea. or maybe it was. either way, you didn’t regret it. PAIRING | lee jeno x reader GENRE | friends to something, fluff, lots of bickering JHDFJ WARNINGS | swearing, invasion of privacy (LMAO idk) WORD COUNT | 2.1k TAGLIST | @danishmiilk​ @lucyinthesunshinee​ @sehunniepot​ @nct-writers​ @czennienet​ @neowritingsnet​
a/n: i didn’t think i’d turn another one of my dreams into a fic, but here we are HAHHAHA i tweaked a few bits and pieces to make it work (setting + added some dialogue + changed the ending because i WOKE UP before it could finish hmph) but please enjoy this unscheduled fic!! <3
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early summer afternoons were warm.
bright rays of the sun were showering on your skin as you lounged on the park bench, hot enough to make you feel the season but not too hot to singe your skin. it was the perfect weather to waste the day outside, and your younger brother and cousin decided to haul you outside so they can play basketball at the park.
but you didn't know why your friend jeno decided to come along.
"your brother messaged me," he grinned at you, plopping down beside you with a long, refreshed sigh. a towel was slung around his neck and he used it to wipe the sweat on his face. "what? why are you staring at me like that?"
"since when were you close with my brother?"
"am i not allowed to be friends with the little guy?" he joked, but apparently he took the unamused look on your face completely the wrong way. "oh my god, are you afraid that he'll take all my attention away from you?" to further tease, he brought his smug face closer to yours that was dumbfounded in shock, his stupidly irritating smile moving in closer.
sometimes you wondered if this was the same boy who helped you cross the street the first time you met.
but you loved him nonetheless.
"like hell i want your attention," you sneered, lightly shoving him away with a glare. he only laughed at your display of annoyance. "go back to playing with the kids or something, you goof."
the never leaving grin in his face seemed brighter against the sun, and he playfully ruffled your hair before running off to disappear into the court.
"as you wish, m'lady."
you let out a huff of air, rolling your eyes as your cheeks were involuntary tugged upwards, prompting a smile to form on your lips. you brought your hands to your hair, fixing the mess that jeno left with, and your gaze landed on the phone he left beside you. the screen flashed on. someone was calling him.
brows knitted together, you picked up the ringing phone, unable to recognize the caller id. you brought the device to your ear, standing up walking towards the court— you figured that you'd just answer whoever that was now and just pass it on to jeno once he was at reach.
"hello?"
"oh, hello there!" there was a pause from the caller "is lee jeno around, miss? would you mind giving the phone to him?"
the voice was that of a middle aged woman's, but it wasn't someone that you recognized. you assumed it was a relative of his or something because you'd know that this was his mom if it were her. "ah, give me a moment! i'll just look for him."
your feet stopped at the edge of the court, the sound of a ball bouncing into the concrete jarring against your ears. not bothering to look at the scene in front if you, you covered the mic with your hand before deciding to shout.
"jeno! someone's calling you!"
there was no usual prompt answer from your friend.
"he's not here!"
the loud voice of your brother answered instead, causing you to narrow your eyes into the court scene with a tinge of confusion masking your expression. there was indeed no mop of blue hair within the area, and you were only confused even further.
"where did he— aish, nevermind."
scratching your head, you swiveled your heels and decided to just head back to the bench. "hi, sorry. i'm not sure where he is right now. so if it's fine with you, can you call him again later? or maybe i could just tell him to call you back when he returns?"
"oh, then can you just relay this to him? it won't take that long, i promise."
you inwardly sighed, but agreed nevertheless. oh, you were definitely gonna ask him to treat you and the kids dinner later. why the fuck did he just disappear like that? now you were responsible for memorizing whatever this woman was telling you (apparently it was about an architecture summer program he was interested in— the lady was a head from his department and she was just calling to tell him that he was accepted. she says she'll be forwarding more details later through text).
"alright, thank you! i'll be sure to inform him when he gets back."
the call ended, and you groaned. you were about to close the phone, but then all of a sudden a notification appeared with a quiet ding!
[haechan 🌟 liked your retweet.]
ding!
[ohhh shit why do i feel like i know who this is.]
"huh."
you knew that you shouldn't be snooping inside your friend's phone. you knew that you shouldn't be invading his privacy no matter how enticingly juicy the bait was. you knew that it was flat out wrong. but—
"ah, just a peek," you clicked on the notification. "payback for making me deal with his stuff."
a hint of excitement rushed through you. jeno never told you his twitter. actually, you didn't even know he had one. he was always buried with studies, sports, and friends so you didn't expect him to keep up with social media— this fact enough was surprising, but the moment the screen finally loaded the tweet
you were even more surprised than you were a few seconds ago.
[@markly tweeted: "it's kind of funny how sometimes we just meet random people at the most random of moments and you don't expect it but they just end up sticking by your side until now"]
[@leejeno quoted: "yeah. a few years back, i saw this girl while i was walking. it wasn't the usual path that i took to school. i saw her having trouble crossing the street because there was a dog hanging around (she's scared of them) so i decided to help her. she couldn't even look at my face back then out of embarrassment but earlier we were calling until four in the morning. if i took a different path that day or if i didn't help her, i don't know how i'd be like right now because she's become one of the most important people in my life."]
your heart skipped a beat. two beats. three. it was running a mile a minute and you could barely even breathe to catch up.
[@do0 replied: how are you two right now?]
[@leejeno replied: "we're good haha. i'm going with her and her brother to the park later. we're still really good friends.]
[@leejeno replied: but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there."]
"hey, sorry for running off there. i went to get some— whoa. whats up?"
oh my fucking god.
you shot up, eyes wide, and you automatically turned off the phone. broken stutters left your lips, as the leaping of your heart to your throat prevented you from saying even a semblance of a coherent sentence. all you could think of when you met his worried gaze, the way he rushed to your side to check on you, was the last thing you read. your grip on his phone tightened.
but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there
you were gonna fucking lose it.
"hey, are you okay?"
quick, gentle hands landed on your cheeks, fingers brushing against your skin like a match igniting a flame. you nearly got lost and tongue-tied all over again, but you quickly slapped his hands away in a scolding fit. "jesus christ, i'm fine. you just surprised me. are you a ghost or something?" you glared at jeno, but it only lasted one second because you couldn't bear to look at him without your insides going crazy. because of that, your eyes flicked to the plastic bag he dropped onto the bench. he brought you something to eat.
"a-and before you ask—" you defended yourself indignantly when he didn't even accuse you of anything. "i wasn't snooping. the school called. it was about your summer program. you got in."
"oh? they called already?" you nodded. "ah, let's talk while walking— the kids are mad because i only got you food. they're asking me to buy the entire store for them to compensate," he released an airy laugh. you mentally scolded yourself.
keep it cool. you repeated the mantra inside your head as you strided beside jeno, your brother and cousin racing ahead of you. street lights were lighting up and the sky was fading into the night. cool cool cool cool cool. keep it cool.
the walk to the store felt way too gruelling than it normally would. it wasn't even that far. you told jeno everything the lady had told you, including the more detailed texts that she'd be sending later on. you thought that he'd be a lot more excited after hearing— he was interested, after all. but to you, he just seemed dismissive. "should i go?" he mindlessly asked.
"what are you talking about?" your brows furrowed. "yeah, of course. you wanted to, right?"
"but it's gonna last an entire month this summer," he yawed, stretching out his arms and hooking you by the neck, causing you to halt and stumble into him. you held back a squeak, and he looked at you, eyes gleaming with curious anticipation. a car sped by. "you still want me to go?"
those damned words that you read echoed inside your head again. you wondered if it resonated into the fucking nerves of your heart, as well.
"i—i mean," you stammered. "it's only one month. and it would also help you a lot in the future, right? you'd make a lot of connections during the camp. so yeah, i do want you to go."
he blinked at you. a hum sounded from his closed lips. he let go of you and resumed walking. you gaped when he left you behind.
was this karma?
"hey, what the hell?" quickly, you caught up to him, grabbing onto the sleeve of his shirt so that you could hang on to him. "why are you being sulky? i didn't do anything wrong!" technically you did do something wrong, but he didn't have to know that.
"you said you wanted me to go."
"you're a baby," you scrunched your nose is disapproval. "i only said that because you said you wanted to go."
jeno abruptly stopped. maybe you were causing a scene in front of all the passersby, but you really didn't give a fuck anymore when your head was in a looped up mess. all thanks to your extremely difficult friend who apparently doesn't want to just be your friend. you swore that he was driving you insane on purpose.
he pulled out his phone and faced the screen to you. your sweat dropped.
[@leejeno replied: but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there."]
"even after reading this," he started. "you still want me to go?"
"w-well."
he just had to be so fucking sharp. well, you weren't exactly slick either. maybe he saw a glimpse of the screen before you got to turn it off earlier. heat started to rise from your neck into your face, a grinding mixture of embarrassment and desire to be hit by a moving truck afflicting your nerves. why were you the one suffering? shouldn't it be him?
"no."
he hummed, turning off his phone and shoving the device into his pocket. arms crossed, he leaned in to your face, bearing a look of feigned innocence. "but you said i'd make a lot of useful connections."
"you can make those anywhere."
"and it's only a month, right?"
"that's thirty days too long."
"and—"
"oh, come on!" you exclaimed, balling your fists in vexation. another car sped by with an accompanied honk. jeno simply wore a look of faint amusement at your little outburst. "i don't want you to join your stupid summer program. happy now?"
"well, if you say so."
you stared at him. he patted your head, eyes disappearing into a pair of crescents with a smile.
"i'll take your word for it and no one else's."
you were left frozen and dumbfounded in the middle of the sidewalk as jeno brazenly spun his heels to chase after the runaway kids that went before you— literally leaving you behind. letting a curse slip past your breath, you also went after them. he was definitely driving you insane on purpose.
sometimes you wondered if this was the same boy who helped you cross the street the first time you met.
this was one of those times.
"you said you weren't gonna go, you asshole!"
"payback for snooping through my phone!"
but you could still love him nonetheless.
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© hannie-dul-set, 2020.
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miraculouscontent · 4 years ago
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Kagami and Marinette deserve so much better.
Anyway, let’s just start literally where this episode starts, because it makes no sense. Remember back in my “Truth” critique where I basically said that the episode seemed like it’d been shoved through multiple drafts and no one checked the final one?
Same applies here.
Like--okay, ”Truth” and “Lies” take place at roughly the same time, which means that the same filler akuma/sentimonsters appear to interrupt Adrimi’s moments just as they did with Lukanette’s, giving its audience a clear timeline of how the episodes line up. The reason this is important is because the writers can’t even keep consistency within singular episodes and then honestly thought that they could do it within two.
“Lies” begins with Marinette talking to Tikki about the grimoire, because apparently she has the non-translated version and there’s a secret to figuring out the code that Tikki believes Marinette will discover eventually.
...Alright, I’m derailing here but I have to add how absolutely stupid Fu was when dealing with translating the grimoire. He was supposed to teach Marinette how to be guardian, yet he didn’t teach her how to read the grimoire (if there’s supposedly a “secret” to it, is he really going to bank on Marinette figuring it out herself eventually instead of just giving it to her and avoid the risk altogether??), kept the translated pages on his tablet without sending them to Marinette as he deciphered them, and took time to write a letter to her in “Miracle Queen” but left no guardian-centric advice for her to work off of, meaning that Tikki had to explain how the Miracle Box worked to Marinette back in “Truth.”
The show goes out of its way constantly to turn everything against Marinette even if it makes all the characters around her look either incompetent or cruel. It’s not that I’m not used to this by now but it’s just infuriating that it keeps trying to raise the stakes and tension when Marinette made such a tiny mistake to cause the issue in the first place, and now we find out that Fu had no back-up plan or strategy, apparently expecting this 14-year-old girl to act perfectly and cover for him.
And of course, instead of leaving the scene off on Marinette being encouraged by Tikki and Marinette showing confidence in herself (i.e: what would’ve been a nice scene), the kwami accidentally fumble with the keyboard in such a way to have Marinette’s computer bring up  a news story about Adrien, which leads to Marinette leaning towards her computer and sighing over Adrien and his “amazing life.”
Can I just point out how annoying it is that all the Adrienette moments so far on Marinette’s end have been forced, not just in general (because we’re used to that), but literally forced by the plot so Marinette would talk about him or other characters would bring Adrien up?
“Truth” had Alya insult Marinette to her face over her Adrien crush because Marinette was freaking over something non-Adrien related that they couldn’t have known about, Luka was sent a no-context picture of Marinette’s Adrien wall which led to him lowkey teasing her about it, and then Truth was forced to listen to Marinette’s friends and Tom babble about Marinette’s supposed crush on Adrien even when Truth points out that it’s not a secret, making the “joke” fall absolutely flat.
And now “Lies” comes along and has the kwami drop things and step on the keyboard in the exact way to pull up Adrien stuff for Marinette to fawn over. It’s at this point I’m realizing that - had the kwami stayed inside the box or just not been around in general - Marinette literally wouldn’t have brought up Adrien at all in either “Truth” or “Lies” and now I’m sad. I really don’t want to have a counter for “episodes where Marinette wouldn’t have so much as breathed Adrien’s name if the kwami/someone else wasn’t there to force it.”
So yeah, the episode had to force Adrienette into its Adrimi episode because the show can’t go five minutes without reminding the audience that Adrien exists even though this episode is primarily from his point of view, made worse by this scene’s lack of ability to exist.
See, from the timeline in “Lies” lining up with “Truth,” there is no possible way for this opening scene with Marinette talking about guardian stuff and then fawning over Adrien to happen. There’s an akuma scene in “Lies” that literally is just copy-pasted from “Truth” (it actually does this again with another scene later but that’s not important right now), so that means anything that takes place before said scene in both “Truth” and “Lies” have to line up.
Except they can’t. The akuma scene in question interrupts Marinette’s movie date with Luka in “Truth,” and before that, she had just opened the Miracle Box, wrangled up the kwami, talked to the girl squad over video call, talked to Luka, and then immediately had to leave. There are no cuts or wiggle room anywhere in there.
Therefore, the scene in “Lies” is impossible. Either the scene is supposed to go elsewhere in the episode (we don’t actually know how many days it takes up so it’s hard to say on that front) which just makes the episode even more convoluted, or this means that one would have to pick between the scene in “Truth” and the scene in “Lies” because they literally cannot co-exist.
“Lies” was supposed to coincide with “Truth” and they messed it up in the first scene of the episode.
Then comes Adrien himself, who really shows the series’ clunkiness in focusing on other characters. It’s not that I’m against the show moving away from Marinette to show other people’s point-of-view (I definitely didn’t complain during the Couffaine sibling scene in “Reflekdoll”), but Adrien cannot carry his own episode.
In Marinette’s opening scene, we immediately got details on the grimoire and lore about how reading it actually worked. I didn’t like it and it wasn’t good, but it was new information.
Adrien, meanwhile, spends a large portion of the episode being sad (a very grand and unique plot, my dudes) and giving us information we already know. “Truth” has to come first because “Lies” is half of a follow-up on it, meaning that the audience is already aware that Ladybug has been forgetful and has had to miss out on patrols. It’s just that now we get to see Chat Noir sulking about it and--okay, I am just going to go off, alright?
Firstly, Chat Noir tells Ladybug later on that he “understands” her guardian duties, but he previously mocked her behind her back by using air quotes when he was talking to her answering machine (since she obviously wouldn’t see that). We saw in “Truth” where he admitted that he doesn’t mind her being guardian “as long as it doesn’t change their relationship,” and that’s on display right here with his comments.
Not only is it extremely disrespectful, but for someone who claims to be so loyal and understanding to Ladybug, he sure doesn’t show it.
Secondly, he leaves her a message about how he’ll take care of patrol, then proceeds to slack off because she’s not there to keep him in check. He sulks around Paris, mumbling about how Ladybug isn’t around and constantly checking his messages to see if she’s replied to him. Chat Noir has shown his “priorities” in terms of heroism before, but patrol isn’t supposed to be about getting time with “““his lady”““ yet that is clearly all he cares about. He even ends the patrol unprompted, either giving up or just generally having not finished, because I don’t believe that the “end” of patrol just happened to be at the place Kagami was.
Patrol is about protecting Paris and scoping things out. Ladybug is trusting him to pick up the slack when she’s not around and he should be picking up slack, yet he has completely failed on that front. This is made worse when considering that the Season 3 finale had Ladybug breaking down to him from guilt and we know that Marinette had a breakdown before that to Luka, yet Chat is doing nothing to lighten Ladybug’s burden, putting up a falsehood on Ladybug’s answering machine to make him look better than he actually is.
Then, thirdly and most importantly/infuriatingly, Chat Noir knows that Ladybug is busy and he knows that she’s taking on a new responsibility, yet he not only jabs at her for “how hurtful it is when she leaves him to patrol alone” (one, cry me a river, and two, I don’t care if it’s a joke, it’s insensitive), but before that scene, he was actively hoping for people to get akumatized so Ladybug would be forced to show up and he could spend time with her. He egged Xavier Ramier on, even asking him if he “missed being Mister Pigeon,” and then looked on with glee as Chloe bullied Sabrina because he thought that an akumatization might happen.
And this is on top of so many other issues with this whole scene. Adrien complains all the time about his schedule and how restrictive his father is, but suddenly - in the episode right after Marinette had to break up with her boyfriend due to her cramped schedule - is lounging around and wasting time. It hurts to see Marinette suffering from all of her responsibilities while Chat’s biggest problem is how little time he gets with Ladybug.
Also, another point on Mister Pigeon is that that’s the akuma that had interrupted Marinette’s movie date and kiss with Luka. I’m not suggesting that Chat egging Xavier on led to him getting akumatized, but I am saying that Chat wanting akuma to happen with no regard for Ladybug’s happiness is yet another point on the list of why I hate the love square. Marinette genuinely forgot about patrol with him - genuinely was forgetting about everything, really - and as a “punishment,” her own partner whined, didn’t patrol properly, and egged on an akumatization that eventually ended up happening which then broke up the little bit of happiness that the universe was allowing her to have.
Oh, and did I mention that he’s also dating Kagami at the time as well because here we freaking go.
Now, I did not get on Marinette’s case for her Adrien wall and stammering because Luka is largely aware of where she stands in the relationship and she only brought Adrien up when someone else did, even when Luka wasn’t around or being mentioned. Adrien, however, I have multiple bones to pick with, starting with how utterly needy he is for Ladybug’s attention.
This guy has tons of friends, all these fans, and could get people to flock to him whether in or out of the mask, but he wants Ladybug, and anyone not Ladybug isn’t good enough. There’s a scene later in the episode where Kagami - his girlfriend, mind you - is pouring her heart out to him, and he gets distracted by Ladybug instead of listening to her. Even when he excuses the distraction, he then gets distracted again even though Ladybug is no longer in the background.
Lying to protect his identity is one thing, but what Adrien does to Kagami goes beyond that. He’s pining after and flirting with another girl and Kagami has no idea. She’s speculated before that Adrien likes Marinette, but she’s mostly left in the dark because Adrien hasn’t told her anything, nor has he confirmed with her whether it’s okay or not for him to flirt with other girls so long as he’s not pursuing them. He could’ve admitted that he was in love with Ladybug but that he wants to try things with Kagami, but he refuses to open up to her or put himself out there.
Except, he technically does, once, when Kagami tells him to pose for her and he strikes his transformation stance, but he caught her completely off-guard and it’s no wonder why she was put off by it or thought it was unnatural. Not only that, but when Kagami tells him that he’s acting like a clown in that scene, we can see by jumping back to “Truth” that Chat Noir fished for Ladybug’s compliments which then led to a line about him talking about how Ladybug enjoyed him acting like a clown; a direct connection.
Kagami didn’t validate him, so he fished for Ladybug to do so because Ladybug was both forced to answer the question and wasn’t able to lie to him. The show has Ladybug state that her most preferred trait of his is his humor but I am certainly not laughing.
Chat Noir even goes further after the fight with Truth (so another copy-pasted scene) by saying that he has the most fun with Ladybug specifically, and this is all while he’s still dating.
Then this guy has the gall to talk during his break-up about how his fun times with Kagami weren’t lies after apologizing to her for his constant lying, as if he’s trying to earn her sympathy when we know that he’s been pining after Ladybug and flirting with her like she were his number one when he already had a girlfriend waiting for him (and who, by the way, had covered for him earlier and was sitting sadly on a staircase outside, feeling abandoned). The episode presents the break-up as if Adrien’s problem was the fact that he had to constantly lie to Kagami due to being busy with hero work (which is already dumb when we also saw him lounging around and complaining about how nothing was happening, meaning he was inadvertently supportive of the idea of having less time with Kagami and more time with Ladybug even if that means Paris is in danger), but the real problem ends up being that Adrien neglected Kagami emotionally and wasn’t able to give her the attention she wanted.
It’s both sad and annoying that Adrien has always sulked about his dad not paying attention to him and then we get Adrien not paying attention to Kagami, looking for Ladybug when Ladybug had already left and Kagami is trying to tell him something very important.
This is what I mean when I say that Adrien can’t carry an episode on his own. He’s incredibly selfish and most of his dialog just involves him complaining about Ladybug or making excuses. Kagami carried the episode more than he did because more details were revealed about her - specifically the fact that she likes drawing - and she’s active in making things happen (being the one to make the excuse to set up their fencing lessons, deciding what they’ll do with their hour of free time, etcetera).
And regardless of what girl he’s interacting with, Adrien can’t respect either of them. I just talked about Kagami and I’ve already talked about how he treats Ladybug when she’s not even around, but now we get to how he treats Ladybug when she is around.
During the climax of the fight with Lies, where Ladybug requires a distraction to safely pull off her lucky charm, Chat Noir decides - without Ladybug’s input - to sacrifice himself yet again.
I have to stress that Ladybug is stressed and Chat has always talked about her plans and listening to her, yet he has a horrible habit of making decisions all on his own and letting Ladybug deal with the fallout. Whenever he has the chance, he’ll throw himself in front of her and take the big hit, presumably with the mindset that Miraculous Ladybug will fix everything so it’s not like it matters.
Ladybug even shouts at him when he hints at what he’s about to do and there was absolutely time for them to talk about it, but Chat Noir just lets himself fall and be bait, even throwing out what is a clear confession (again, while he’s still dating someone else) before he’s knocked unconscious by Lies’ power.
And when Ladybug yells at him for it when everything’s said and done, pounding at his chest and looking absolutely upset over the whole thing? He not only brushes her off, but he boops her nose and talks about how “irresistable” her “angry little pout” is.
He might as well have just said, “you’re cute when you’re angry,” because that’s exactly what he’s implying; that Ladybug’s anger is something “amusing” to him and not something he takes seriously. We’ve already seen it before in “Reflekdoll” and “Oblivio” as well, so this is just a continuation of already-annoying behavior.
Then, instead of Ladybug getting even angrier for it, the episode has her smile at him, which not only isn’t a normal reaction compared to how she’s reacted before, but now gives the impression that she’s being conditioned by the narrative to accept Chat Noir’s behavior in whatever shape or form it takes.
Because think about it: regardless of how upset Ladybug gets over Chat Noir, it never works out for her and she’s forced to either make up with him quickly or just get over it because she can’t be fighting with her partner (meanwhile, like in “Glaciator,” Chat Noir can be as upset as he wants and she’ll apologize first). She presumably would now have the authority to take away his ring by virtue of being guardian, but he’s also been her partner from the beginning and he’s had so much time to get used to the cat. Most likely, she would sooner blame herself for failing to reign him in than blame him for failing as an adequate partner.
There’s nothing she can do. She has to deal with the hand that she’s been dealt and getting angry at him has done nothing; rejecting him has done nothing.
And of course the episode throws everything under the rug in the ending with an insulting LadyNoir scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir talk about the secrets their forced to keep but also how they can trust each other.
Meanwhile, Ladybug has no idea of all the things Chat Noir has done behind her back. She still has no clue about “Copycat,” nor “Syren,” nor any of the stuff he did in this episode that she’ll probably never know about. Factor it in with “Miraculous New York” (whether one considers it canon or not) where she rightfully shouted at him because he betrayed her trust, and here we are one and a half episodes later (since “Truth” and “Lies” take place at similar times) where suddenly they’re all buddy-buddy and Chat Noir doesn’t have to deal with any consequences to his selfishness.
I’m glad that Kagami didn’t forgive Adrien in the end (even if I’m upset that she doesn’t know how bad it really was) because she had every right to walk away and not want to be friends with him. I only wish that Ladybug could do the same thing and never look back, but due to the love square’s status as endgame, we know that can’t happen, and Ladybug will eventually be forced to fall in love with a guy who mocked her responsibilities behind her back, disrespected her authority by opting to tease/flirt with her, continued pursuing her despite her rejections, and hoped for Paris to be in danger just so he could see her.
And... yeah, that hurts. It really does.
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one-boring-person · 3 years ago
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Hi 😊 Sorry for my bad English, but I would like to place a wish. Like... The Lost Boys x reader, they know that reader faces anxiety, depression; reader knows their secret and everything seems to be fine (ahhw, the power of love 😌 🥰), but one day the boys feel in the air that something is wrong and immediately know what m i g h t have happened... Sorry for quoting sensitive issues, but it would help me and others... Thank you 🤗
I hope you like this and I apologise for the wait!
Something's Up.
The Lost Boys x reader
Warnings: mention of suicide, swearing
Masterlist
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David had always been in awe of how perceptive Dwayne was. It astounded him, how the other vampire could so easily tell if something was wrong, or whether or not someone was hiding something - hell, he'd sniffed out a malicious witch months before she even intended on revealing herself to them, something that is very difficult for anyone to do. It'd helped them on many occasions, but the biggest thing had been figuring out (Y/n)'s ailments, as it were. Within weeks of knowing her, he'd worked out that she was in need of some care and attention, which they were all happy to provide. David had known something was up, but had never really thought much about it until Dwayne told him.
So when he noticed Dwayne casting worried glances at their beautiful lover one night, he was instantly suspicious. Frowning, he observed (Y/n) himself, noting her typical behaviour and body language, quickly noticing the slight differences. Neither Paul nor Marko seemed to have noticed the slight tension in her body, the stiff movement of her covered arms or the subtle winces with any more animated gestures, though they surely must've seen the uncharacteristically ghostly complexion and dark marks around her eyes. 
Worried now, David let Paul and Marko whisk her away to a nearby food stall, before he grabbed Dwayne and held him in place to talk with him.
"Something's up." He told the dark-haired vampire, as if he were pointing out something he didn't know.
"Yeah, there is." His friend replied, shooting a concerned glance at the other three, "We need to keep an eye on her. Especially when she leaves today." 
David frowned.
"What do you mean?" He asked, dreading the answer.
Dwayne sighed, shifting in place.
"I don't think she's planning to wake up tomorrow." He informed him, mincing his words to sound less blunt.
Horror flooded David at that, his eyes widening at the thought. Speechless, he turned to look at (Y/n), watching her with Paul and Marko as they messed about with the stallholder; now that he was aware, he could see a reminiscent sadness in her movements, something final in the way she completed actions she always did with them.
"Oh, god." He muttered, swallowing and regaining his composure.
Dwayne gave him a sad look, before moving to join their friends, putting on a smile and laugh as he drew near. 
Remaining where he was, David tried to process the information he had heard, barely able to think about the consequences if they didn't do something about it. Swallowing tightly, he looked over at them all again, taking out a cigarette to pull on, a plan forming in his head. Taking a deep, unnecessary, breath, he returned to them all.
*
For once, all of them were silence. Even Paul, who usually jittered and murmured to himself was stood in complete quiet, frozen in place by the severity of the situation. 
They'd all been stood there for an hour or so now, ears strained to hear what they don't want to hear, so they may catch it and stop it. Their bikes lean against the wall behind them, glinting in the dull lamplight, the same light that casts their faces a deathly pale colour, highlighting every crevice and cleft as if they were skulls. The only movement came from David, who smoked a chewed cigarette, breathing the smoke out to calm himself sufficiently. It wasn't working, but he did it anyway. 
They all hear it together, the one thing they hoped they wouldn't.
A soft sob.
Instantly, they've sprung into the air, floating swiftly up to the window they know to be her's, faces ashen with panic. Marko is the fastest, the smaller blonde easily locating and perching on her windowsil, peering inside before the others have managed to get level, his whole body tensing in concern at the scene inside. He doesn't wait for the others to reach him, swiftly breaking the lock on the window and climbing inside, much to the terror and surprise of (Y/n). 
"(Y/n)! Stop! Please, stop!" The vampire cried out, breathlessly, rushing to her side.
Shocked, all she could do is stare at him, the tears streaming down her face forgotten for the moment, the hand holding the blade stilled in place. 
"Marko...what?" She whispered, voice hoarse from crying.
"Stop, please, stop. We're here now, it's gonna be ok…" He rambled, glancing back as the others burst in.
"(Y/n)! Oh, god, you're alright." David breathed out as he saw her, eyes wide. 
"How did…" She murmured, tearing up again.
"Dwayne noticed." Paul managed, looking distraught.
(Y/n) looked to the dark haired vampire, almost sobbing at the sight of his distressed expression. 
"You...noticed?" 
He nodded, coming forward and taking the blade away from her, before helping her to the bed. 
"We care about you, of course we'll notice." He smiled, pulling her onto the bed with him, cradling her back against his chest as the others join them.
All was silent for a moment, before they began to hear a light sobbing again.
"I'm sorry, its just so hard...I can't cope with my life...not like this." (Y/n) mumbled, pressing her face into Dwayne's chest.
"We know, we know. We're gonna help you through, we'll make it easier for you." Dwayne replied, stroking back her hair, "We promise."
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luxekook · 5 years ago
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chapter four.
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⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader
⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst
⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity
⇥ word count: 3.3k
⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, noona kink, general chaotic energy, poly relationships, slight implications of switch!reader and sub!jk, jin being a beautiful mess, make-out sesh with multiple people oops
⇥ beta reader: the lovely @shadowsremedy​
© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.
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Chapter Four
Taehyung’s Room, BTS House – 10:49pm
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
Namjoon’s question fills the room. The boys all stare at me with anticipation, leaning forward with furrowed brows.
I ponder my course of action for all of two seconds before launching into my well-practiced rant, “I want to know what sort of sick prank you think you’re playing, because I am not falling for it. I mean – all of you wanting to date one person? Date me? Seems fake, but okay.”
Some of the boys move to interrupt me, but I thrust up a palm, “No, please let me finish. I know I don’t really have the right to make judgements about you guys, but I have seen some misogynistic behavior from your frat. So, I feel like it’s not that far-fetched for me to think that you’re probably playing me.”
“Messy gymnast behavior? What’s that?” Jungkook whispers to Hoseok who just shrugs, looking equally as baffled.
“Misogynistic, Kook, not messy gymnast,” Namjoon pinches his nose in frustration, “It means prejudiced against women.”
Seokjin and Jimin descend into fits of laughter. Hoseok still looks mildly perplexed, and Yoongi takes a large sip of soju from a bottle he procured from god knows where within the last few minutes.
Covering his face, Jungkook dives behind Jin in hopes of further hiding his embarrassment.
“I think I know what she’s talking about.”
The room quiets at Taehyung’s interjection. He reluctantly sits up from his relaxed position on his bed and explains, “When we met at our party last semester, she found out about our old pledge tradition.”
“Oh, damn,” Jimin sighs, “So that’s why you motioned to remove it from the chapter’s history at the last meeting.”
“Yeah,” Tae looks me in the eyes, “We voted removed it, (y/n) ... A little too late though, it seems.”
Jungkook peeks his head out from behind Jin’s shoulder, “We’re sorry, noona.”
Trying not to internally melt in response at the youngest’s display of classic puppy-dog eyes, I slump against the wall and slide into a sitting position on the floor. “Look, I’m not going to say that ‘it’s okay’ because it’s not. But I do appreciate that you removed it.”
The boys hang their heads, looking properly chastised.
“That’s fair,” Namjoon finally says quietly, “We know as a frat we fucked up. We’re not perfect. We make a lot of mistakes. But we’re trying to get back to being respectable and move on from here.”
“We’re trying to get back your respect,” Yoongi rubs the back of his neck, looking at me with wide eyes and more attentiveness than I’ve ever seen from him.
“But that’s the other thing,” I look away, pulling at a random thread fraying off of the sleeve of my sweatshirt, “Why does it matter so much that I respect you? Why are you all so invested in me all of a sudden? In all honesty, I haven’t said more than two words in conversation to half of you.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t really matter,” Namjoon shrugs, shifting to lean casually against the wall.
My eyes narrow, “How can it not matter?”
“Because we date as a group, (y/n)-noona,” Jimin smiles down at me from his perch on Taehyung’s bed, all squishy cheeks and crinkled eyes, “Tae thought we’d all like you, and then Jungkookie and Joon-hyung agreed and—”
Hoseok excitedly chimes in, arms swinging wildly, “And finding someone who we all like hasn’t happened in so long, and I’m so happy!”
“Yah, Hobi!” Jin reaches over Jungkook to shove the bouncing boy, “We’re supposed to be playing it cool. We have to woo her.” He winks and blows me a kiss.
Instinctively, I swat it away and then giggle at Seokjin’s indignant gasp.
“I take it back! She’s mean!” Launching into a passionate rant complete with head shaking and wild eyes, Jin continues, “Consider that kiss null and void. I have never been so insulted in my entire life, you know!”
Tears stream down my cheeks as I collapse from laughing alongside the rest of the boys. Namjoon’s dimples are out in full force as he drawls, “Hyung, that’s what you said yesterday when I beat you in Overwatch.”
Seokjin splutters over the now-renewed laughter of his younger brothers, “I thought I told you to never speak of that again!”
Trailing off in mumbles of how he needs new friends and how disrespected he is as an elder, Jin resorts to pouting in the corner.
“You’ll have to excuse Seokjin-hyung, (y/n),” Taehyung smirks at me with raised eyebrows, “He’s skated by solely on his looks up until now.”
Seokjin’s pouting intensifies.
“He is handsome,” I instinctively respond, fully focused on the beauty of Jin’s pouty lips. And when those lips break into a huge grin, I cringe at my lapse in judgement for the thousandth time that night.
“My faith in humanity has been restored!” Jin ambles back to his original spot next to Jungkook and thrusts a paper heart that he apparently had been carrying on his person for quite some time in my direction.
“Hyung,” Hoseok eyes Seokjin with a concerned frown, “Where did you even get that from?”
“That’s one secret I’ll never tell.” Jin barely finishes that sentence before a flurry of pillows, water bottles, and other miscellaneous items are thrown at him from all angles.
“I thought we agreed no more quoting Gossip Girl, Jin-hyung!” Jimin cries as he continues to hit Jin with a pillow from Tae’s bed.
Miraculously still even able to speak under the assault from the other boys, Jin replies with complete sincerity, “XOXO.”
Chaos reigns.
Watching all seven of them in - presumably - their most natural state, I sigh in amusement, “Y’all are too much.”
Somehow the boys hear me, because they all turn to face me once more with various expressions of playfulness and mirth. Jin still lies under the pile of them laughing slightly as they slowly shift off of him.
“Nah, I think we might be just enough for you, noona,” Jungkook pipes up as he plops down on the edge of Taehyung’s bed.
“Yeah? And how do you know that?” A sudden thought occurs to me, “Wait, why do you all even date one person anyway? Don’t you realize like half the campus is in love with each of you?”
“You’re included in that half, right?” Taehyung grins and then shrinks under my withering glare, “I mean, it’s a long story?”
“Oh, hold on,” I check my wrist, which noticeably has no watch, “Mhm, that’s right. It’s story time.”
Jimin snorts and then burrows under the covers in mortification.
“Cute,” Hoseok sighs, staring at me, “I want to keep you.”
And there’s something about having Jung Hoseok’s full attention and adoration that brings me to peak devastation. I pull my hood up over my head and burrow into my sweatshirt.
“Aw!” Various yells rebound around the room. I flip them all off.
“Hobi,” Yoongi teases, “I think she likes you.”
I peek out of the safety of my sweatshirt to eviscerate him with my eyes, but Yoongi just raises one brow coolly and calls me out, “Well, am I wrong, jagi?”
All eyes are on me, and the room is suddenly so quiet that all I can hear is the muffled party downstairs and the beating of my heart.
“... I want my lawyer,” I finally declare, re-emerging from the depths of my sweatshirt and crossing my arms.
“Oh, come on, noona!” Jimin shuffles across the room and kneels in front of me, causing me to descend into a panic, “You like Hoseok-hyung, right? Well, what about me? Do you like me?”
Jimin peers down at me, pink hair tussled and eyes shining. How could I ever say no to that beautiful face? That angelic human?
Must.
Deflect.
“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Why do you all date the same person when each of you could have anyone you want?”
Jimin deflates and sits back on his heels, frowning at my non-answer.
“But we do already date everyone we want,” Hoseok cuts in, giggling, “Well, almost.”
They’re already dating people? My mind wracks through all my knowledge of the seven boys sitting before me, but no evidence of them dating anyone pops up. “Wait, I’m confused. Who are you all dating then?”
I can’t help but feel like I’m on the outside of an inside joke as the boys all exchange looks that are all too smug for my liking.
“Seems like we did a good job, boys,” Namjoon chuckles, “People on this campus are pretty oblivious.”
“Nah,” Yoongi shakes his head, “They just choose not to see it. They want us all to be fully available.”
The lightbulb finally flickers on in my mind.
“Oh my sweet baby Jesus,” I whisper, “You’re all dating each other, aren’t you?”
Various nods answer that question. Jin, of course, being Jin, wipes an imaginary tear from his eye as he dramatically laments, “And she’s smart, too? How did we get so lucky, boys?”
“Yoongi,” I say calmly, “Please pass me that soju before I commit murder in this very room.”
Without a word, Yoongi hands me the bottle before settling down in the space next to me against the wall.
Suddenly hyperaware of my positioning, I realize I’m sitting in between Jimin and Yoongi. Jungkook, Taehyung and Hobi now sit together on Tae’s bed, while Jin remains on the floor surrounded by various pillows and debris.
Namjoon is still leaning against the opposite wall, looking way too intimidating and perfect that I’m forced to look away.
That is, until he starts to speak. “(y/n), the seven of us have always been close. We grew up together; and, somehow, we just work as a unit. We work together. It may seem odd or untraditional. Maybe it is. But, it’s who we are. And it’s how we love.”
Namjoon continues, “We don't want to lose what we have together, this dynamic we've spent so long building. But, we’ve been feeling like something has been missing from our relationship lately. We’ve been looking for someone to help complete us.”
“And you think that person is me?” I suck in a jagged breath, “You really want to share me? Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
"There are crazier things," Yoongi shrugs, taking back the bottle of soju from my grasp, "Like how Namjoon has an IQ of 148 but can't seem to live one day without breaking something."
Namjoon, looking affronted, opens and closes his mouth, but ultimately settles on just smiling bashfully. My heart almost explodes at such a display of cuteness.
"It's really not that crazy, (y/n)," Taehyung interrupts my internal fawning, "You seem like a girl who’s intimidated by no one and nothing. We really, really like that. And we figured since you kissed me and Jungkook that you might be interested.”
Embarrassment washes over me. I steal back the soju from Yoongi, who just smirks knowingly.
“Besides, polyamory is actually more common than you think,” Hobi smiles in that pretty heart-shaped way of his.
He has a valid point. Who am I to be the judge of what love looks like? Who am I to criticize these boys who clearly love each other and just want one more person to love? Who am I to deny myself the opportunity to be loved by seven people?
“Can I think about it?" I ask, still fighting the inevitable for whatever reason, "I'm not saying 'no’. I just need a bit of time to think it over."
"Take all the time you need, baby," Namjoon murmurs, looking like I just handed him the keys to the entire world.
"No,” Jimin groans, burrowing his head in the crook of my shoulder, “Please, please, please don't take all the time you need, (y/n)-noona! I can’t wait that long!”
I reach up to stroke my fingers through his pink hair in an attempt to soothe the poor angel.
“Do we have permission to continue to woo you during this ‘thinking’ period?” Jin inquires, casting a look of jealousy at Jimin who is now nestled even further into me.
“Continue?” I ask, “When did you start?”
“Yah!” Seokjin exclaims, “Why does she keep roasting me?”
“I think it’s hot,” Jungkook grins at me with stars in his eyes.
“That’s because you’re a masochist, Kook,” Taehyung cackles from his perch on the bed.
“Ah, hyung!” Jungkook jumps on Taehyung in an effort to silence him, “She doesn’t need to know that yet!”
“I mean, it is pretty obvious,” I pause dramatically, dropping the pitch of my voice, “Baby boy.”
Jungkook yelps and takes off out of the room.
“Shit, was that too much?” I ask, staring at the door thrown open in Jungkook’s wake.
“No,” Tae replies, still laughing, “I think he just needs a second to calm down. I’ll go see where he went.”
Taehyung gets up from the bed and shuffles out the door in search of Jungkook. The open door allows for more sounds from the party to seep into the room.
Namjoon sighs, “I should probably check on what’s happening down there, shouldn’t I?”
“Good luck, man,” Yoongi tears the soju back out of my hand and lifts it up in cheers to Namjoon. Chuckling, Namjoon ambles over to where Yoongi, Jimin and I are crowded together and grabs the soju.
After taking a long sip, he crouches down in front of me and grasps the hand that remains unoccupied by Jimin. Bringing it to his lips, Namjoon places the lightest kiss on my knuckles. “I’m so happy you showed up tonight, baby. I can only hope that my future holds more of you in any way you choose to give me.”
Pressing his lips to my palm this time, Namjoon smiles in that completely devastating way of his and then saunters out of the room. Still gaping, I realize I never even got to say a word to him in response.
“You are so whipped for him already, jagi,” Yoongi says lowly, lips brushing my ear.
I blink. My senses are on overload. Jimin is still curled into my side, with my hand stroking his hair and his lips accidentally grazing the skin of my collarbone every so often. Now, Yoongi is closer than ever. I can feel his breath against my neck and his stare focused on my lips. Meanwhile, Hobi and Jin are slowly but surely shuffling closer to where the three of us are bunched together.
“So what if I am?” I finally answer, “Aren’t you all whipped for him, too?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Jimin mumbles into my shoulder.
My mind explodes.
“She’s not ready for that yet, Jiminie,” Jin giggles, “I’m pretty sure she’s still half convinced I worship Satan in the basement.”
“Well, I wasn’t before, but now I am,” I jokingly eye Seokjin up and down with an amused smile.
He grins back at me. I melt. And he knows it.
“Can I kiss you?” Jin asks, the slightest smirk curving his lips, a look of hunger burning in his gaze, like he could just eat me up, “Please?”
I swallow and his eyes latch onto the movement of my throat.
Before I can reconsider, I remove myself from my sitting position against the wall, much to Jimin and Yoongi’s dismay, and straddle Jin’s lap, immediately capturing his lips with my own.
The effect is instantaneous. Various groans echo around me as Jin smiles against my mouth. His hands find their way under my sweatshirt and squeeze my hips, dragging my body even closer against his.
The way Jin kisses is life-ruining in its unhurried, yet passionate deliberateness. He kisses me like he’s claiming me, and the possessiveness of his actions send a ripple of excitement through my body. Releasing my mouth, he works his way down the length of my exposed neck, and I gasp in response.
Suddenly, I feel another pair of hands twine around my body from behind as Hobi pleads into my ear, “Can I kiss you, too, (y/n)?”
I nod wordlessly, wondering what I did in my past life to deserve such affection in this one.
“No fair,” I vaguely hear Jimin pouting, “I want to kiss noona.”
“We’ll have our turn, Jiminie,” Yoongi’s voice causes a shudder of anticipation to race down my spine.
“Oh, she likes that idea,” Jin laughs, obviously having felt the tremor that shot though me in response to Yoongi’s suggestion, “Come get a taste.”
“Only if that’s what she really wants,” Yoongi says, meeting my eyes, “Don’t feel pressured to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, kitten.”
“Kitten?” I growl, eyes narrowed sharply in his direction.
“Yep,” Yoongi’s answering smirk is slow and antagonizing, “All cute and cuddly with a hint of claws.”
“I’ll show you claws,” I say darkly, getting up, “Stand up.”
Yoongi’s eyebrows raise in surprise, “Why?”
“I won’t ask again,” I move closer to him and Jimin.
Yoongi pulls himself to his feet, acting like it was the most physical activity he’d ever done.
When he’s finally done with the dramatics, I move closer until he’s backed right up against the wall, “Min Yoongi, I’m going to shut you up now.”
His breath stutters as I slowly move my mouth closer to his. “Please do—” I cut him off.
Kissing Yoongi is just as intoxicating as kissing Jin, but in a different way. Yoongi tastes like soju and spearmint. His body melts under my touch, completely fine with letting me lead. An idea springs to mind and I slide my hand into his hair and tug lightly. He jolts with a moan.
Bingo. I smirk before kissing him deeper. My other hand winds around him to scratch my nails down his back. This time, I’m awarded with a small whine.
The fact that I’m wrecking this boy is simultaneously wrecking me. That impact doubles when I feel a small hand begin to wind its way up my calf towards my thigh. Tearing my mouth away from Yoongi, I open my eyes to see Jimin smiling up at me, “Can you kiss me like that, too, (y/n)-noona?”
“Why couldn’t you wait your turn, Jiminie,” Yoongi sulks adorably, sensing that my resolve against any request from Jimin was nonexistent.
“Well, aren’t you supposed to be showing me the perks of dating multiple people?” I joke, “Jin and Hobi just shared. Can’t you two?”
Jimin springs up off the floor faster than anyone I’ve ever seen, “Yes! We can share!”
“Good,” I reply, turning in Yoongi’s arms so that my back is pressed against him. He hisses in a breath. “Come here, Jiminie,” I open my arms to the eager boy who all but leaps into them.
“You’re so beautiful, noona,” Jimin sighs, pupils dilated, tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip.
“So are you, baby,” I sigh, bringing a hand up to brush his cheek fondly, “So are you.”
I kiss Jimin gently, treasuring the feel of his plump lips against my own. I trace the tip of my tongue over his bottom lip and his mouth opens in a silent gasp. I use the chance to slip my tongue inside to twine with his.
Through my thoroughly fucked-out haze, I feel Yoongi’s hands settle onto my hips, grinding me slowly against his crotch. I moan into Jimin as Yoongi’s mouth sucks on the side of my neck, surely for the sole reason of marking me.
“Well, shit, JK,” Taehyung’s voice shatters the bubble of pleasure I had been residing within in the middle of four beautiful men. My eyes flutter open to take in the sight of Taehyung holding a box of pizza and a case of beer, with Jungkook right behind him. “Looks like the party started without us.”
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a/n: oops, another slight cliff-hanger? *laughs evilly*
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chomperzlove · 4 years ago
Text
Laito, Say MY Name, Smutt
@little-quote-land Here you go my love! My first request! YAY!!! I really hope you like it! I'm sorry if its trash! if you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know!
Laito X O/C Misaki
As soon as the brothers left the mansion, Misaki launched herself into Laito’s arms, their lips colliding into a skin melting kiss. The sparks between them ignited a white hot flame of passion that coursed through their bodies, and all the tension and build up over the months they had been dating melted. Every flirtatious remark, every lingering touch and every time Misaki was the one to pull away from Laito, was a stab in her loins, but nothing was going to stop her now. She craved him just as much as he craved her. Laito wrapped his arms around Misaki’s waist and shoved her into the wall. His tongue traced her lower lip, asking for entrance. She eagerly opened her mouth and their tongues danced around the caves of each other's mouths, making both Laito and Misaki moan. One of her hands gripped the back of his neck as she let her other trail down his chest to the bulge in his pants. Laito groaned and smirked against her mouth as she gave his growing cock a squeeze.
“My, my,” Laito chuckled huskily, “I knew you would come around little bitch.” Misaki grinned and looked up into his lust clouded emerald green eyes. The heat between her legs intensified as she took in his gorgeous features. Sensing her growing arousal, Laito pulled Misaki closer to his chest and pressed his lips against hers before flashing them to his room. Once inside, Laito grabbed her by the ass and lifted her up, making Misaki wrap her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bed. Trailing sweet kisses down her neck and across her jaw, Laito hummed in delight at her whimpers as he settled himself between her legs. “You made up the excuse of being sick just so you could stay home and take me didn't you?” He asked with a dark chuckle. Misaki nodded and sat up grabbing the hem of his shirt and tugging it over his head. “You are such a dirty little bitch.” Laito growled when her hands went for his pants. He stopped her wrist and brought it behind her head pressing his lips to hers as he laid her back down. Laito’s hands wandered down her chest and sides before reaching the hem of Misaki’s shirt and swiftly removing it and unhooking her bra at the same time. She let out a gasp at his skills and Laito chuckled. Before he could say anything else, Misaki pulled him down on top of her with another needy kiss and thrusted her hips up to meet his. When the kiss finally broke, the two of them were panting and aching to be rid of the pieces of fabric that kept them from becoming one.
Butterflies formed in Miskai’s stomach as she watched the red headed vampire drop his pants to the floor. She wasnt a virgin, but there was something deep within her that told her that sex with Laito was about to change her life forever, and oh how right she was. He stared down at her, taking in her beauty once he had tugged her pants and panties off and a low growl of lust and hunger escaped his chest. With a seductive smirk, Laito leaned down to her face and peppered her with kisses and nibbles from her ears to her hips. Moaning and squirming beneath him, Misaki’s juices flowed down her thighs.
“Look how wet you are for me.” Laito cooed as he ran a finger down her sensitive slit. Misaki arched her back and moaned loudly at the contact. “Do you want more Little Bitch?”
“‘Yes! Laito, I need more!” Misaki groaned. Without hesitation, Liato slid one of his slender fingers inside her and hooked it up to her sweet spot and began pumping against it, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. She cried out as he added another finger and her walls started to tighten when they pumped faster. “Ah! Ah! L-Laito, I’m gonna ngh mm ah!” Misaki screamed as she came, her body trembling and begging for more. Laito slowly removed his fingers and climbed on top of her, lining his cock up with her entrance. He looked into her eyes and moaned when they widened and rolled back as he entered her.
“Ah! Little Bitch, you're so tight!” Laito moaned and thrusted his hips slowly. Misaki was a moaning mess beneath him. She knew he was big, but shit! She didn't realize how much he would fill her. Her hips began to thrust with his, pushing him deeper inside her. “Ah!Ng!” Laito moaned as she arched her back and he thrusted into her harder and faster, trying to move at a pace where she could keep up but he gave up on that when Misaki tightened her walls around him. “Fuck!” Laito roared and pounded into her faster than humanly possible. Their moans turned into screams and the knot in Misaki’s stomach tightened and was about to explode. She could tell Laito was about to orgasm as well, his cock twitched inside her and his eyes were screwed tightly shut. “Ah! Nhg Laito!” Misaki screamed as she was about to come, “Ah! HMM AHHA!-”
Misaki froze, her orgasm stopped dead in its tracks. Laito had just screamed a name as he filled her with his seed. But not her name.
“Laito, who the fuck is Kora?” (sorry Misaki, Kora’s a bit of a hoe and I couldn't resist throwing my O/C in here.)
“What do you mean, little bitch?” Laito cooed, cocking his head to the side, playing like he didn't know what she was talking about. Misaki growled and shoved him off of her. With a huff, she grabbed her clothes from the floor and darted down the hallway to her room.
“Come on little bitch,” Liato cooed from the other side of the locked door, “Don't be mad, it just slipped out, that's all.” Misaki didn't know what to say. It just slipped out? She snapped in her head. What bullshit. Misaki flopped face down onto her bed and took a deep breath. “Misaki, please open the door.” Laito called again with a knock, “I’m sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was only thinking of you, I swear, please don't be mad at me.”
Misaki stayed silent. She knew that If she said anything else, it would end in disaster. She was beyond furious. Who the fuck calls out another woman's name like that? She yelled to herself, slamming her fists into the mattress at her sides. Eventually Laito stopped calling for her and had gone away, leaving Misaki alone to think.
Time skip
It had been 3 weeks since that night with Laito, and Misaki had gone through all the emotions. She stayed away from him for the first few days, silently crying in her room, but the tears of heartbreak soon turned to tears of rage and she fought the urge to beat the shit out of him whenever he knocked on her door. She even tried to break up with him, but eventually she forgave him. I mean, we are talking about Laito afterall, the dudes slept with more women than Ron Jeremy, so there was bound to be a mix up sooner or later and Misaki knew all of this when they started dating. She accepted all his flaws and his past. Plus come on! How can you stay mad at someone who looks at you like that (insert sexy Laito image here) all the time? Misaki wanted to deny the chemistry between them, but she couldn't. The only thing she could do was go back to the way it was before. She would pull away from his advances before they got too heated and again, it was like being stabbed in the loins. Laito didn't make it easy for her either. He turned his charm level up to 1,000 when she forgave him and did everything he could do to make her fall for him all over again.
Misaki was reading in her room when a knock came at the door. She knew who it was instantly and rolled her eyes. “Come in!” She called.
“Hey there, Little Bitch,” Laito cooed as he entered her room, “Are you busy?”
“That depends,” Misaki replied with a snarky chuckle, “What do you want?”
“I want to show you something.” Laito responded. His voice was pure silk, and it melted her. With a sigh, she stood up and took his outstretched hand. When Misaki was in his arms he planted a sweet kiss to her lips and before she could pull away from him, flashed them into his room. “I want to show you how sorry I am and how much I truly love you.” Laito whispered. Dozens of white candles were lit across the room, and red and white rose petals littered the floor and formed a heart on the bed. Misaki’s heart dropped, and she internally swooned. “I want to forget that night and make this our first time. Let me make it up to you, Misaki.” Laito said softly as he took her chin in his fingers. Misaki had to pull herself away from him a little before she jumped into him.
“Laito this is beautiful,” Misaki whispered “But-” Before she could finish, Laito cut her off with a kiss so heartfelt and loving that her brain turned to mush. “O-okay.” Was all she could say when Laito pulled away from her lips. He smiled and pulled her closer to him, one hand behind her head as he kissed her again and his other pressed against the small of her back. Misaki threw her arms around his neck and sighed into his lips. Laito picked her up and carried her to the bed without breaking the passionate kiss.
“I love you, Misaki.” Laito said against her lips as he laid her down.
“I love you too, Laito.” She replied with a smile.
The passion and pleasure that rolled through their bodies as they made love made them both forget that he had once called out another name. The only memory they will share of their first time was this one, and when Laito fell over the edge of ecstasy with Misaki, he made sure the whole world knew who had brought him such pleasure.
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doc-pickles · 4 years ago
Text
the storm & the wind
Brooke is running and Alex happens to meet her along her journey. Their brief encounter might just change everything for her.
hey hi hello I am DOUBLE POSTING for some god damn reason. (i updated treacherous on AO3 for the the first time in 20 years) this was in my drafts and I felt the sudden overwhelming need to finish it today. I love this piece more than I can say and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy so I hope y’all enjoy it.
also the title comes from this quote from Little Women: You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone.
+
The snow crunching beneath her feet soaks into her worn Converse, a chilling reminder that she should’ve thought to grab something warmer. She makes a mental note to throw her now soaked socks over the heating vent later as she walks into the diner. It’s an old rundown place, but the gust of warm air that brushes over her face as she enters is a more than welcome feeling. Sitting at the counter she knows she should order something to eat but she can’t bring herself to ask for more than a cup of coffee when an aging waitress comes by and asks, her fingers greedily clutching the mug as she takes a sip.
“You’re not really dressed for the weather.”
The voice startles her, her grip around the cup tightening as she turns to her left. The owner of the voice can’t be much older than her, his chiseled jawline dotted with stubble and his dark hair cropped close to his head. He looks grumpy, an expression more at home on someone twice his age but the glint in his eyes keeps his youthful appearance.
“Your shoes are practically soaked through and you have a sweater on in 13-degree weather,” the stranger continues to share his thoughts, his comment prompting her to pull her cardigan tighter around herself. “I’m guessing you’re not from around here Blondie.”
The observation reminds her that the thick braid hanging over her shoulder is a bright bleach blonde instead of her natural brunette coloring. She’d hastily dyed it in a rest stop somewhere in Ohio, desperate to wash away any traces of him that she could.
“I’m from New Jersey. Well… Kind of. I’m originally from Pennsylvania.”
The words slip from her mouth before she can second-guess them. Normally she would worry about giving any identifying information out, the fear of him being able to find her consuming her mind. But she knows now that she’s far from New Jersey and the life she left behind.
“You’re from the East Coast and you didn’t pack a winter coat?”
“I forgot… I was in a rush.”
That part isn’t a total lie, she had been in a rush when she left. She had shoved as much as she could into her suitcase while he had been working, not wanting to face his anger at her sudden departure. Now though she wishes she had put more thought into what she grabbed, she’d been freezing since she left.
“Here, you look like a wet dog shivering like that,” the man slips his thick red flannel off, holding the garment out to her with an expectant look. “Cmon, I don't have fleas or anything.”
She takes the proffered jacket, only because she’s shaking just as much as he says she is. The heavy material settles on her shoulders instantly warming her. The man looks at her for a moment before turning back to his coffee, speaking as he stares at the dark liquid, “If you're from Jersey what the hell are you doing out here? Middle of nowhere Iowa isn’t exactly a tourist destination.”
“I’m starting over, running away from… something. At least I think I am. I’m not quite sure,” she toys with the sleeves of his jacket, finally looking back up at him after a moment with an accusing tone. “Why do you care anyways? Are you just trying to make sure I don’t have any concerned family members that will come looking for me after you kidnap and murder me?”
There’s a momentary pause before a peel of laughter erupts from the man, a glint taking over his dark eyes as he speaks, “Jesus, you’re really paranoid or something, huh?”
“Or something,” the words are barely a whisper, but they’re loud enough for him to hear and stop his laughter. She looks up and meets his eyes, noticing how he looks her over as if trying to figure out exactly what she’s thinking.
“I’m not trying to kill you, just trying to make conversation,” as if to prove his point he holds his hand out towards her. “I’m Alex.”
She hesitates only for a moment before settling her hand into his much larger one.
“I’m Brooke.”
+
The conversation seems easier after that, Alex talking about bringing his younger brother home after he had visited him in Seattle and Brooke talking about how she just finished her pre med degree at Princeton. They actually had a lot in common, an almost comforting feeling for her since Paul had isolated her from all her friends.
Paul.
She didn’t dare bring up her abusive husband or the horrors he had dragged her through. No, today she’s not poor defenseless Brooke Stadler whose husband can’t control his temper. Today she’s just Brooke, recent college grad who’s eating breakfast with Alex, the cute doctor with a charming smile.
“So why’d you say you’re starting over,” Alex finally broaches the subject as they both finish their meals. “I mean you just finished pre-med, that means you’re starting med school in the fall right? What are you running from? ”
Brooke shrugs, eyes falling to her now empty plate and she avoids Alex's piercing stare, “I’m supposed to start at Princeton med but now I’m not so sure. A lot has happened lately… It's complicated.”
Alex‘s hand reaches out for her arm, the move causing her to jump slightly. An embarrassed blush paints itself on her cheeks as Alex searches her eyes, almost as if he knows what she’s thinking about. He seems to brush the thought off quickly though as he continues to prod at her.
“Well… Did you get in anywhere else? It’s not too late to change your mind,” Alex shrugged as if sensing Brooke’s discomfort with the situation. “I was supposed to do my residency at the hospital down the street before I switched to Seattle at the last minute. Best thing I probably could’ve done for myself.”
“Well… I got into Harvard too. But I’m not sure,” there’s hesitation lacing her voice when she knows there shouldn’t be. Her mind is swirling, thinking about the fact that she could always go back to him. “I don’t know, I was thinking about going back home.”
Alex scoffs, the small noise causing Brooke to stare at him intensely, “You're not going back home, that’s a load of crap.”
“What makes you so sure about that? You don’t know anything about me.”
There’s a pause as Alex takes a sip of his coffee, a deliberate distraction as he attempts to string together the right words, “Well that black eye isn’t hidden as well as you think it is. And you jumped about a mile in the air when I first started talking to you. So I’m assuming you’re not running from something but someone. Did I get it right?”
Brooke’s fingers froze around her mug, eyes watering as she stared blankly at the dark liquid swirling inside. She pushes down the uncomfortable lump forming in her throat, trying to convince her nerves that Alex was just observant and not a threat.
“My husband… he has a temper,” eyes still focused on the coffee instead of Alex, Brooke found it marginally easier to talk about the real reason she was sitting in a diner in Iowa. “I just knew, the last time he… I just knew if he did it again he would kill me. So when he went to work I grabbed as much as I could and I got in my car and I drove. I don’t think I stopped for almost five hours, not really knowing where I was going. I just knew I had to keep going, that I couldn’t live like that any longer.”
The sounds of the diner around them are all Brooke can hear as her truth settles in the air, Alex taking in everything she’d ungraciously word vomited out. When he finally does speak again, there’s no tell tale tone of pity in his voice that she’d been anticipating.
“My dad was the same way, but my mom never had it in her to run. She was pretty messed up herself,” Brooke looks up at the stranger next to her as a small chuckle breaks through his serious tone. “She wouldn’t run so I had to raise my siblings, I had to make sure we all stayed alive. So I get it, why you’re running. And for what it’s worth, I think you should keep running.”
Swiping at the tears that had collected under her eyelashes Brooke thought about Alex’s words, “He's gonna find me, I know he will.”
“Screw him,” Alex scoffs, taking a swig of his coffee before continuing. “Go to Harvard, change your name, live your life. I promise you, you’ll regret it if you turn around and go back. You have a chance, a real chance, to change your life. Don’t let that slip away.”
There’s a beat of silence as Alex’s encouragement settles deep within Brooke’s chest. The man was a stranger in every sense of the word but somehow his whole hearted belief in her encouraged her to keep moving forward.
“Think of it this way, you get to start a brand new life, no strings attached,” Alex continues. “You can pick something cool! Something that means something. Like… One of those sisters from the book where their dad is away at war?”
“Little Women?”
“Yeah that one,” Brooke laughs at Alex’s statement, causing him to roll his eyes. “Oh shut up, my sister was obsessed with it and made me read it like a hundred times. But all those sisters were badasses, you could use one of those names. Like Amy or Beth. Well no she dies… How about Jo! You definitely look like a Jo to me.”
Brooke’s nose scrunches up at the names, causing both of them to laugh as Alex comes up with ridiculous suggestions. A flood of relief washes over Brooke as the two continue to talk. It had been a long time since she’d let her guard down around someone and just been herself.
A while later she excuses herself to the bathroom, a flash of disappointment striking her when she comes back to an empty seat. Her bill that had been sitting on the counter was paid, the receipt turned over and messy scrawl covering the back.
‘Keep running.’
-
So she does, Brooke keeps running and running and running and she doesn’t stop. In fact, when the running doesn’t feel like enough anymore she takes up actual running to calm her mind.
She runs every morning, at least two miles to clear her head and to keep herself sane. The days she misses her run are filled with overwhelming thoughts and anxiety that courses through her veins so quickly that it feels like a river crashing over her nervous system. She changes her name, cuts her hair, goes to Harvard and graduates top of her class. Every movement, every breath feels like she’s just moving towards the end of a never ending trail. But she keeps going, she keeps running because it’s all she can do.
When she gets accepted into Seattle Grace, one of the best hospitals in the country that puts thousands of miles between her and her past, it finally feels like a breath of fresh air, like relief is on the horizon. So she leaves Boston, leaves the east coast and everything familiar and finally feels like she might be able to stop running.
Seattle is different, it’s new and unexpected and perfect. It’s the first place where her name feels like it’s truly hers even though she’d lived with it now for almost seven years. Her first morning in her new apartment she goes for a run and finds herself looking over the Seattle harbor with a wide smile on her face. She’s a doctor now, something she’s worked towards her whole life it seems, but now it seems so real.
And then she gets put onto a Peds rotation and her heart seems to stop beating in her chest. Because her attending, Doctor Karev, is someone who’s appeared in her mind almost everyday since the first time she met him. His face, albeit a bit younger, is the one that appears when she thinks she can’t go on any longer.
“You mind?”
Alex’s voice brings her back from her daze, the same one that echoes her footfalls as she chases an adrenaline high every morning. She shakes her head in a futile attempt to clear it, “Sorry.”
“Why are you following me,” there’s an annoyed tone to his voice as she mimics his brisk pace down the hallway. She’d heard horror stories about him, about how rude and mean he was but she never would've guessed it was him.
“I'm your intern for the day.”
“Oh. Well, hello, intern,” Alex side eyes her, not really taking her in. “You have a name?”
“Jo. Jo Wilson,” it’s probably the fiftieth time she's said her name out loud since coming to Seattle but this time it feels different.
There’s a pause and Alex turns to take her in once more, as if he had missed something the first time he’d looked. She almost thinks he’ll say something, but he just shrugs and returns to tying his trauma gown, “Oh, nice. I like chicks with boys' names.”
The moment that she thought was there was gone and she stared at her shoelaces as Alex and Doctor Torres prattled on about something. She figures she should be grateful that he didn’t recognize her, that the seven years and the constant self improvement she’d put into herself had paid off. Still, her heart sunk as she realized that the man that had pushed her to keep running, to change her life, didn’t remember her.
-
Their story isn’t easy, in fact it’s one of the hardest things she’s ever been through. But there’s not a single ounce of hesitation or regret in her body when she wakes up every morning next to him. She’s always up before him, solely so she can get her run in before he wakes. By the time she comes back and showers, his eyes are sleepily staring up at her and his arms are reaching out for her like she’d been gone longer than a quick jog.
Alex is the person she’d needed, the one who pushed her to be better and made her feel like she didn’t need to change anything about herself. But the need to run, to keep running still hammered in her chest right under her heartbeat. She figured it would always sit there, the constant anxiety that her past might catch up with her if she stopped running.
When Paul shows up, all she wants is Alex. Before Seattle she would've run, would’ve been gone before anyone could blink to miss her. But now she wants nothing more than to curl up in Alex’s arms and never leave. She knows there’s more that needs to be done though, knows there’s more to the fight and that she needs to keep running this last little bit.
It’s not until she sees her ex husband laying in a hospital bed brain dead that Jo finally feels like she can breathe again, like she can stop fighting and just be. The breath of relief that washes over her as Alex runs his hand down her back feels like a thousand pound weight being lifted off her shoulders.
“I was pregnant.”
There’s a pause and she can feel Alex tense next to her, his hand on her back slowing as his eyes bore into her. She wishes she could stop but the words have been dying to slip out for the past six years that she’s been with him.
“The day we met, I was pregnant,” she turns to look at him, tears shining in her eyes. He doesn’t look shocked, not as shocked as he would’ve been if he didn’t know too. “I almost turned around and went back to him and raised a baby with him but I didn’t. The only reason I didn’t was because of this cocky asshole I met in a shitty diner who convinced me to start over. You’re the reason I kept running, the reason I didn’t go back. Whenever I doubted myself I heard your voice, the voice of a complete stranger mind you, in the back of my head telling me to keep running. You... you’re the reason I’m alive.”
Alex keeps his gaze on her for a minute, not daring to look away as they both realize that the other has known. Through the years of their relationship, since their second meeting in the very halls of this hospital they’ve both known exactly who the other is.
“You did all of that by yourself, you just needed a little push,” Alex brings her close again, his lips brushing against her forehead as she folds herself into his side. She’s crying full on now, her chest shaking as she finally lets herself stop running and lets the pent up emotions of the past few days wash over her. “I knew you could do it, I’m glad you did.”
Her tears don’t stop for a few days as she comes to terms with the fact that there’s no longer a need for her to run. In fact a few days later as she’s on her morning jog she stops and takes the deepest breath she feels she’s ever taken. As she leans on her knees she takes in the feeling of air freely flowing through her lungs, the exhilaration coursing through her body akin to what she thinks completing a marathon must feel like. Her eyes scan the Seattle harbor, taking in the sunrise as she breathes heavily and lets the day settle in around her. She'd run her race, she’d run it longer and faster and better than she’d thought she was capable of and finally, finally, she had finished.
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dorki-c · 4 years ago
Text
Metanoia
Characters: Dabi and reader
Relationship: Dabi X Pro-hero! Reader
Quote: “Metanoia”
Gift for: @glitterfreezed (Aka photoshop goddess) THANK YOU for being one of my very first moots on this crazy platform! I really hope you enjoy this one shot (as I spent way too much time on it XD) and for anybody reading this: GO CHECK OUT GLITTERS PLAYLISTS!! They are honestly amazing!
Tw: Kidnapping, Use of Guns, Slight nudity
Going on patrol lately has been boring.
Sure, (y/n) wouldn’t pass it up for helping little old ladies get across the road or helping itty bitty children find their parents within a crowd.
But besides that, there was little to nothing to do- no paperwork, no criminals terrorising the streets, or vigilantes on loose- the streets were cleared and scrubbed down from any crime lately.
It was strange.
Nothing has been the same ever since Kamino ward as well.
The moment you found out your lover was a villain; you took great lengths to create distance from him. Not sparing him a second glance or another phone call- let’s not forget you blocked his number- although doing these things made you seem like an asshole; you are a hero.
Heroes do not date Villains.
Its absolutely forbidden.
Though should you have stayed with him, something could’ve happened- he could’ve used you for blackmail, ransom, and maybe trafficking- as terrifying as it sounds, at least your far from your old apartment.
At least your away from that freak. That sadistic freakshow, with his stupid smirk and (beautiful) weird ass scars.
Luckily, the clock had ticked to the hour that announced your release from countless wasted minutes of scrolling through your phone as two feet laid disrespectfully on the hero agencies desk where nobody pointed out the blatant rudeness she was showing.
Even if she wanted to stay here, the female should get home soon. Even if there was no problem during the day, that doesn’t reassure that there will be trouble when walking through the evening.
Where you had the inkling of protection that is provided to you by your muscle memory, nobody should rely on themselves to do a simple task like walking home when there is such a thing as societies creepy-crawly insects withering across the nooks and crannies of cities and flooding the deepest rabbit holes with their sickening ideals.
Just thinking about them brings revolting nausea into the churning acid within the insides of your body as it screams out to stay aware of the footsteps you take, of the glances you throw out, and of your hands gripping the cheap handbag- that you bought on a whim from that one charity shop around the corner of the apartment building- when a hand of yours dipped inside the bag to grip the weapon that laid unaware of whose blood it could spill today.
The three walled mirror room moved down from whatever floor it was on and when opening the doors, a small (and annoying) ping was heard through the (also) small lobby area.
When approaching your apartment door with your guard up and one of your hands swiftly opening the rusted door handle allowing a small gust of air to run into the vacant apartment, the eyes of a human watchdog sporadically darted from one place to another.
Making sure she can securely (slam) open the door, the pro hero steps in one footstep at a time like one of the cliché spy movies before throwing her bag down and yanking the heavy weapon out of her bag.
Its matte black exterior elongated to show the vertical and horizontal bits and pieces of the weapon as (Y/n) rested one of her fingers on the trigger whilst fiddling with the safety lock to make it unlock.
Once unlocking the safety lock of the gun, she leaned it towards the ground, turned around for a brief second to retrieve the key from her apartment door, then kicked said door shut with the heel of her foot.
Even when she investigates her almost empty apartment three times without a peaceful resolve at the end, the female is already sitting on her couch scrolling through another apartment renting website for herself.
It’s pathetic.
She’s on the run from her ex-boyfriend because she knows that if she gets caught by him, there will be a low chance of her escaping from his grasp again. It was quite evident from his group’s little broadcast that if anyone “tries to catch us, you’re going to be caught first.”
What if that applies to people wanting to escape from them?
.
.
.
Stripping herself of the day’s tiredness, the female wore the loosest clothing within her wardrobe and ventured out to the shit-tip of her kitchen- the sink only had a few dishes in it, but, otherwise the trash looked like it got taken out once a year and there were so many letters scattered in piles over the counters.
Sighing at the sight, letting a hand of hers travel up her shirt to soothe an itch on her back, (y/n) shook her head at her own mess and still continued to go towards the fridge to dig through it in order to find the cheap- most definitely shitty- microwavable food she bought from the store only three days ago because to be completely honest, she’s saving up for buying a ticket out of this shit country and living in another one.
Ripping the film cover off of the food’s plastic container, she shoved her shitty food in the microwave and let the annoying beep sound through the apartment while (y/n) went into the small living room, grabbed some shorts that were sunbathing under the flickering yellow bulb and put them on in order to take out the trash.
When entering back into the apartment however, a flash of darkness alerted her body to go limp.
What was this feeling of restraint around her arms and legs? Moving one of her wrists- in an attempt to pull them out of the bindings- a harsh rub of a frictional material bit across the sensitive layer of the underside of your wrist, where it elicited a hiss to very subtly slip from your lips.
That seemingly helped beg a question in your curious mind. “Are my eyes covered?” Although when opening your eyes, a flurry of white blinded you causing a multitude of red freckles to dance across the pale illumination.
Whoever thought not putting a blindfold on you was a smart idea, it seems clear to me that they didn’t watch enough spy movies.
Okay, time to take a look of your surroundings.
First of all, Y/n glanced down to see if she had any major injuries- nope, the only thing missing from her body was her clothes and if that didn’t count as being kinky, then (y/n) doesn’t know what it counts as- along with her feet barely touching the carpeted floor, her ankles were tied to what she assumes to be a wooden chair.
Looking off to the side after shifting her gaze from her feet to her forearm her eyes picked out the surroundings behind her and the type of seat she was sitting in. Wow, whoever kidnapped you, really knows how to do it inefficiently.
Though, if they’ve used cheap ass rope and tied you up to a wooden chair- out of all the chairs in the world, they choose a wooden chair- along with forgetting to put a blindfold on you, they probably didn’t take any precaution when kidnapping you because the criminals probably have back up on hold.
Meaning there was more than one culprit involved and that they don’t expect you to get out of this area due to being outnumbered.
Moving your head upwards once more, the outlines of what seems to be a closet and a drawer were all that you could observe before some sort of jiggling sound was emitted through the silent room.
It wasn’t till the door opened that it revealed somebody that (y/n) didn’t expect. A hitch lodged itself like a six-foot down corpse where only grave looters would be able to find it. Was she seeing a ghost? Perhaps. Did she care? Maybe, however she was trained to not overreact in a situation like this.
“Well, look what we have here…” The metal contraptions that held the person’s tough layer of skin nudged a little in the direction of the muscle’s movement. “…A squirming itty-bitty hero.” The venomous hiss of their voice slipped real close to her ear as the lamp pointing obnoxiously into her right eye was turned off.
“So, this was your doing?” Snapped the hero as the villain sat down on her lap and gently grasped her chin- just like the old days- where his fucked up (handsome) grin shone brighter than the hero on her first debut. Dodging the question, the male let his weight lean onto the female’s thighs as she harshly craned her jutted out facial bone away from his hold.
“Oh, and it looks like your still as feisty as ever.”
“Yeah, I am. Got a problem with it, villain?” The hiss made the patchwork villain only recoil an inch backwards before narrowing his pupils at the nickname and gripping the very first thing his eyes land on, your neck, where the surface of his skin was smouldering to the touch.
“I wouldn’t say that if I was in your position.” He proclaimed as the slimming of her lips straightened out to a thin line, “Now, I’m here to offer you a position and…” From somewhere on his body, he pulled a gun- one of the many similar pistols that you hoarded in your apartment for safe keeping- then pointed it straight at your thinly protected heart where the brush of stainless chilled metal tingled the very fabric of your body.
“…it would be wise of you to listen.” Sure, a gun was pointed literally at her chest- lets not forget that she’s being forced into this position of unwillingness- but hopefully, some otherworldly deity will let (y/n) live one more second.
“Okay, good girl?” You’ve never committed to metanoia before, but at this point, you might as well.
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twstarchives · 4 years ago
Text
Ortho Shroud・Voice Lines
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Additional Voice Lines: Star Send-Off Garments Event Card
Archetype Gear - R
Unlock Card “Even though you can’t use magic, with me here it’ll be okay.”
Groovy “If you ever have any problems, you can consult me anytime.”
Home Setting “If you aren’t studying, come play with me!”
Home Transitions “I’m glad Big Brother is going to class, but now there’s nothing for me to do except sit next to him optimizing my internal storage.”
“If you need to look something up, you could ask me instead of going to the library. I can search for you right away!”
“Location information acquired. Scan complete. There are no reports of danger in the selected area.”
Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Part change complete. I will now begin to operate from my mainframe platform body, the Archetype Gear.”
Home Taps “It’s kind of hard for me to make friends with the ghosts. They don’t even have physical bodies and yet they’re always making fun of me.”
“What do you want to play today? We can’t do hide-and-seek. My sensors can immediately tell me where a living person is located.”
“Data from 100,000 books is stored inside me by default. Should I read them out loud?”
“Sometimes when I feel like it, I take classes together with everyone. The teachers never say anything.”
“I’ve already run durability tests on all of the building exteriors. Don’t worry!”
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Athletic Gear - R
Unlock Card “Sometimes I just want to put my feet on the ground and try walking like a real person.”
Groovy “Let’s run as hard as we can and see how fast we can go!”
Home Setting “If you want to play tag, just say so whenever!”
Home Transitions “Your vital signs appear abnormal. ...You're not breathing steadily. Did you run here just to see me?”
“I’m going to go play tag with the drones Big Brother built! Do you want to come watch?”
“I asked Big Brother to play magift with me because I want him to exercise, but... he said no again today.”
Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Part change complete. I will now begin to operate from my self-moving lightweight attachment, the Athletic Gear.”
Home Taps “I’m really good at surfing! Oh, not on the water, I was talking about online data.”
“This is my lightweight model, so my outer durability is a little weak compared to my other bodies. I have to be careful.”
“It sounds really inconvenient to have to obtain energy using your mouth. Why don’t you switch to using a charger?”
“I have a spare battery attached to my hip. It’s used just like how you guys have a drink when you get thirsty.”
“Ahaha, that tickles! I forgot to turn off my touch sensors.”
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Precision Gear - SR
Unlock Card “Please don’t shake me too roughly or open my cover. It may lead to unexpected injury.”
Groovy “Scan complete... Good. It says there are no abnormalities in your health today either!”
Home Setting “It’s really easy for me to do detailed work that not even people can do.”
Home Transitions “Alright, tell me, is anything broken today? ...Hehe, I’m playing pretend doctor!”
“Big Brother is so mean! Whenever he drops his pen down the crack of his desk, he uses my precise-work arm to get it.”
“Would you let me examine Mr. Grim’s body today? I’ll be gentle. No?”
Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Part change complete. I will now begin to operate from my attachment designed for intricate work, the Precision Gear.”
Home Transition (Groovy) “Come to me anytime you ever get hurt. I’ll repair you right away with the world’s latest medical tools.”
Home Taps “Both magic and science are used to benefit people. The only difference is their principles; everything else is the same.”
“Thanks to the fiberscope connected to my back, I can even see all the way in the back of the bookshelves, where everyone hides things.”
“I can analyze the components of magic potions just by drinking them. Sometimes I get error messages, though...”
“Data of all the basics of medicinal plants and drugs is stored in this body. Please use me to your convenience.”
“I have experienced more physical contact than is advised within the time frame. Now reporting to admin.”
Home Tap (Groovy) “For humans, if even a small wound gets exposed to bacteria, something really bad can happen, right? Underestimating it is bad! Okay?”
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Burst Gear - SR
Unlock Card “Magic energy has tremendous possibilities. I’ll show you them someday!”
Groovy “Look at every inch of this body Big Brother worked so hard to make!”
Home Setting “Charging magic energy complete.”
Home Transitions “The circuits laid out inside my main model enable me to process magic energy at ultra-high speeds. Big Brother’s skills are really the greatest in the world.”
“I am Ortho Shroud. How may I assist you? ...Oh, I was on auto-mode.”
“Big Brother really hates places with lots of people... I don’t think he’ll come to this.”
Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Part change complete. I will now begin to operate from my attachment high-powered with magic energy, the Burst Gear.”
Home Transition (Groovy) “This body is equipped with ten times more magic circuits than my usual model, so it has a lot of big outer parts.”
Home Taps “When everyone’s at the ceremony, the classrooms are empty, and I can mess around as much as I want... Ah. I should keep that secret.”
“It’s good it’s so easy for everyone to take baths and do laundry. Cleaning my parts takes forever...”
“Big Brother is always the one who designs my models. I’m really proud of all of my bodies!”
“This is a special paint job done with layers of special coatings. But to human eyes, it probably just looks black.”
“Wah, don’t touch my heat exhaust parts! You might get burned!”
Home Tap (Groovy) “When we have our next ceremony, can you forcibly drag Big Brother there? I think I’m just too soft on him...”
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Take His Hand “I wonder what fun things are going to happen today! I can't wait!”
Lv Up “Storing data is very important.”
“Performance improved!”
“I feel my abilities increasing. I’m happy!”
Max Lv Up “My model’s capabilities have reached their max. Let me show you my improved performance; it’ll surprise you.”
Episode Lv Up “Thank you for always cherishing me. I’ll work hard to help you even more.”
Magic Lv Up “My magic energy skills are improving everyday. Ordinary magic is no match for it!”
Limit Break “There are no limits to my extensibility. You can expect my abilities to continuously be updated.”
Groovy “Update complete. Please look forward to seeing my new abilities!”
Lesson Select “Gathering outside intelligence is very effective in improving an AI’s capabilities.”
“That class looks fun! I’ll go ask Big Brother if it’s okay if I accompany you.”
“It’s alright if you fall asleep during class. I’m equipped with 200 types of wake-up functions. So I’ll be there to keep you up!”
Lesson Start “Let’s do our best, everyone.”
Lesson End “I’ve inputted a lot of information.”
Battle Start “Now activating expanded combat mode.”
Battle Win “Were you able to feel our power?”
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Other
Profile Quote “My big brother really is an amazing person.”
January 2020 Trailer “At our academy, we give a great big welcome to both the living and the nonliving!”
Countdown Poster “Are you a living person? Then you should be friends with my big brother!”
Login Bonus “Oh, right! Students need to go to class everyday. I wish Big Brother picked up on that too.”
Player Birthday Wish “Happy birthday! I did all sorts of searches, but I couldn’t figure out what present would make you happy... Oh! Do you want any information online? I could even give you classified info as a gift. What would you like?”
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bitter-sweet-farmgirl · 4 years ago
Text
ADM Director's Cut: Iktibith E
This is in reply to THIS ask. Director's Cut is below the cut
I fled far away from the Company, my breath coming in ragged spurts as tears blurred my vision.  All I could hope for was that nobody would follow me.  I just wanted to be left alone.
Soon my feet left the familiar cobblestone of Rivendell’s paths and trod upon the plush, green grass.  I had no plan of where I would go; I just knew I needed to get away.
Suddenly, I found myself on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the rushing river below.  It reminded me of the stream back in Lothlorien, except more wild and unpredictable.
This part right here, where I began to describe Imladris, was kinda interesting to do because I just started to unconsciously start to compare it with Lothlorien and tried to connect Estel to it in some way.
A soft sigh escaped my trembling lips as I thought back to my foster mother and how she would take me out to the stream every day for a walk, balancing on the stones out in the gurgling waters and laughing if one of us got wet.
Oooo, this was interesting too because it was the very first time I ever mentioned Estel's foster mother and her backstory. This is truly where she began to grow as a character and take shape. Also note that I never specifically mention that her foster mother is an Elf... But it's kinda a given since I talk about her living within Lothlorien for a time.
I could still see her long brown locks tumbling down onto her shoulders, and blue eyes that sparkled with a merriment that still couldn’t quite conceal the pain she hid inside.
A pain she had never explained to me, other than a few passing words about a man she had loved very deeply, but had to leave.  She told me about the young son she had left behind as well, a boy no more than two centuries old whom she and her husband–my foster father, I supposed, even though I had never met him–had named after the season of green leaves he had been born into.
Also another interesting-as well as hard--part to write as I described her foster mother's history and gave you guys some tidbits to get you wondering about who she was....
Thinking about my mother finally broke the dam holding back my tears, and I began to sob; shoulders shaking as my head fell into my hands.
It was only one word, but it rocked me to my very core.  Not because of what it meant, but because of who said it.
My absolute favourite dialogue--well maybe not absolute, but up there in the top five ;). It really just packs this huge punch of emotion. Because really, if anybody else insulted Estel, she wouldn't really think twice about it. But since it was Thorin... well, that hurt pretty badly.
Back when Naneth had told me about the man she loved, I hadn’t understood her pain.  But now I did; on a personal level.  I knew there was something special about Thorin the moment I had laid eyes on him, but I hadn’t expected him to treat me with such blatant dislike.
Being raised in Elven culture, I had been taught about their belief in soulmates.  The person who you just knew deep down in your soul was the one the first time you laid eyes on them.  I didn’t know if Dwarves had such a belief or not, but the feeling I had felt deep inside me when I had first met him…  It was as if we were two halves of a whole being drawn nearer to one another in order to complete ourselves.
But he obviously didn’t feel the same.
“Miss Estel?”
I quickly wiped at my tears, trying to steady my breathing.  Of all the times in the world to approach me, he did it at the one time I didn’t want to be around him.
Heavy footsteps trod closer to me, but I didn’t look up to see who it was.  I already knew from his voice.
“Leave me alone.”  I growled out, turning my head away from him so he couldn’t see my tears in the bright moonlight reflecting from the river.
Thorin let out a sigh and proceeded to sit next to me, resting his arms on his knees as he looked out across the gorge.  "I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.  I truly didn’t mean to do so, Miss Estel.“  He murmured quietly, and I distantly wondered if he had gone mad.  Since when did Thorin Oakenshield apologize to anyone?
This was a bit of a delicate dance here since I was trying to make Thorin still seem aloof and unfeeling towards Estel--because he totally doesn't like her, that would just be crazy, right?--but I also wanted him to teach her Khuzdul.
I continued to hide my face from him, trying to use my midnight locks as a shield, but my attempts to quiet my running nose caught his attention.
"Are you crying?”  Thorin asked softly,  concern lacing his words.  A hand rested itself on my shoulder and I started, whirling to look at him in confusion.
Oh this was funny too, since as a rule, Dwarrows are FIERCELY protective of their Ones and Thorin would be horrified to see that Estel is crying--which explains his uncharacteristic physical touch.
Honestly, his first reaction would be to try and make her feel better, as well as go murder the person responsible for making her cry--himself--but since he's obstinately denying that he is in love with her, he settles for just being concerned.
Thorin watched me with a furrowed brow, retracting his hand from my shoulder.  I swallowed hard, turning away to wipe at my eyes.  "No, I’m fine.  Just leave me alone.  I know you don’t want to be doing this.“  I said roughly, but Thorin shook his head, sapphire eyes turning to look at the ground.
"I’m sorry.”  He murmured again, and I scoffed.
“Sorry doesn’t fix everything, Master Thorin.  It’s cowardly to insult someone in a language they don’t understand, and ‘sorry’ won’t magically fix it.”  I said, and Thorin’s gaze wandered over to my face.
“How do you not know Khuzdul?  You are a Dwarrowdame.” He said, voice filled with confusion.
I bit my lip.  He was beginning to tread on dangerous grounds, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it.  One wrong word and I could end up on my own.  "Personal reasons.“  I muttered, and Thorin opened his mouth, about to ask another question when I cut him off. "Personal reasons that I won’t be sharing, Master Thorin."
Yet another hard part to write. I really had to watch my wording here since I didn't want Estel to reveal any part of her upbringing to anybody yet, so giving Thorin an answer he wouldn't contest was a little difficult.
He nodded in understanding, his expression gaining a strange hesitance.  "Would it help if I taught you Khuzdul?”  He questioned, and I pulled my gaze away from the grove of maples I spotted on the other side of the gorge, raising an eyebrow.
“You would teach me?”
“Of course.  All Dwarves should know Khuzdul.”  He said, and I considered his offer, wondering just what strings were attached to this.
This is a good part. So of course, Thorin doesn't want to seem TOO nice, but I really needed him to be teaching her Khuzdul. So he just throws it out there, torn on whether he wants her to say yes--he would get to spend time with her and maybe find out about her backstory, who knows--but he also doesn't want her to say yes--he would be spending time with her and might mess up/make a fool of himself around her.
Of course, Estel is a bit skeptical about this--I mean, we are talking about the Dwarf who seems to want nothing more than to have her gone from this quest--but she goes along with it. (If I'm being honest, she probably would like to spend more time with Thorin too... ;))
There had to be something.
“And I wouldn’t be a burden?”  I asked skeptically, and Thorin was quick to shake his head, dark brown hair falling onto his chest.
“No, you wouldn’t be more of a burden then you already are.”  He said gruffly, and the faint feeling of warmth blossoming within me was snuffed out, only to be replaced with the familiar resentment of the Dwarrow sitting beside me.
My absolute favourite dialogue scene in this chapter beside the previous one I mentioned above. I just adore this part because it circles back around in Anrâd... Buzrâ when Estel brings this back up.
Backstory on Thorin's dialogue... To the person who isn't in Thorin's mind in this moment--everyone except me, haha!--this sounds like a really harsh comment that just reflects Thorin's feelings on Estel. Or maybe they recognize that he's just trying to maintain his gruff image. Either way, the true meaning behind his words is not revealed until Anrâd... Buzrâ.
That's when Thorin tells Estel that those words carried no weight for her since she was, and I quote: “You’ve never been a burden to me, Estel.  Only the greatest gift Mahal could ever give.”
Now isn't that sweet?
“I accept your offer then.  Thank you, Master Thorin.”  I said sincerely, “but I have one question.”
“What?”
“What does 'amralimí’ mean?”  I asked, and Thorin looked at me, his brow furrowed in confusion for a moment before he began to chuckle.
Note the purposeful misspelling of Amrâlimê here. I wanted to ensure that Estel didn't know the exact way to pronounce it since she might ask someone else to explain it for her. It also sounds more believable since she doesn't know the language, and therefore would be mispronouncing words quite easily.
“I’m afraid that I cannot tell you that just yet, Miss Estel.  You will just have to be patient.”  He said, standing up and rolling his shoulders.  "Zann galikh.  That means 'good night’.“  He said, striding away from me, back towards the paths of Rivendell.
Thorin's denial here is pretty characteristic of him. There might have been some internal panicking--we'll find out in the chapter of Matters of the Heart that covers this from Thorin's POV--and he's trying to figure out how to cover up his 'slip of the tongue'.
~~~~~
The next morning found me reluctantly packing my things so we could leave as soon as possible.  I had hoped we could linger in Rivendell for awhile, but Thorin wanted to be off as soon as we could.
Here I really wanted to talk more about Estel's experience in Imladris, but I just kinda ended up skimming the entire thing, so hopefully I'll get around to writing a Bonus Chapter that covers it!
It would be an understatement to say that he disliked Elves.  He hated them with every fibre of his being.  But all this haste didn’t stop him from beginning to teach me Khuzdul.
"I am your ugshar; your teacher or one who is very learned in certain subjects.”  Thorin said while I rolled up my bedroll.  "Repeat the word.“
Rolling my eyes, I stared up at him.  "Ugshar.  Happy?”  I asked and he nodded gravely.
“That is a good start.”  He rumbled and then walked away from me, towards Dwalin who was leaning up against a wall inspecting one of his axes.  "We’ll continue this later.“
As soon as he had turned his back to me, I threw up my hands in a gesture of defeat.  I was never going to learn anything at this rate.
Estel is already frustrated with Thorin, isn't that funny? But anyways, Thorin is kinda nervous talking with Estel and he is looking for a way out of this situation and finds it in the form of Dwalin.
My guess in this moment is that Dwalin ribs him about Estel; says/does whatever guy friends say/do to their friends after they see them talking with their crush, idk.
"Hey, Estel.”  A voice whispered and I turned to see Kili and Fili motioning for me to come towards where they stood, partially hidden by a pillar.  "Come here.“
Letting out a quiet groan, I walked towards them as nonchalantly as I could and joined them beside the pillar.  Crossing my arms, I gave them a no-nonsense look.  "What do you want?”  I asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach at the sight of Kili’s cheeky grin.
“Rumor has it that Thorin offered to teach you Khuzdul.”  Kili whispered conspiratorially and I nodded.
Nosy buggers getting involved with their Uncle's 'secret' crush already... I love these two.
“He did and it’s none of your business so bug off.”  I said, making Kili snicker.
“I’m curious, why don’t you know Khuzdul.  You are a Dwarf right?  Or are you just a really short human woman, or–Mahal forbid--an Elf?  Thorin might have a heart attack.”  He said, and even though his words were in jest, I felt a small shiver of fear travel down my spine.
I really love the Easter egg I planted here; it's yet another beautiful piece of this chapter. I plant a little seed of suspicion here as Kili says '...Mahal forbid--an Elf?"
Thorin doesn't like Elves, I state that many, many times and Estel knows that very well. It also ties in with Estel's mental description of her foster mother.
Again, note that I never specifically stated that her foster mother was an Elf. But right here, I actually reveal that her foster mother is indeed an Elf, because of Estel's reaction to Kili's words. If she had been raised by a human woman in Lothlorien, she wouldn't worry so much about Thorin's reaction to her upbringing.
But she is concerned, and that just reaffirms the belief that she was raised by Elves. It's also just a funny line of dialogue from Kili as he is his usual dramatic self.
“It’s none of your business.”  I repeated, but Kili didn’t want to let the subject go.
“What has Uncle dearest taught you so far?”  He asked, and I shrugged.
“The word for teacher and that’s it.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do before we head out or Thorin’s going to kill me.”  I said, turning away and beginning to walk away from the two annoying brothers.
But Fili and Kili reached out and grabbed my arms, pulling me back.  "I doubt he’d kill you, Estel…   I can guarantee you that thought has never once entered his mind.“  Fili laughed, and I gave him an incredulous look.
Fili slips up a bit here and reveals that Thorin cares for Estel. Not that my oblivious little Dame realizes that...
"Are you daft?  Wait, don’t answer that.  I already know the answer.”  I said, making Fili frown at my teasing.  "Have you seen how he treats me?  The way he looks at me?  And you think he hasn’t ever once thought that I’m an annoying burden?“  I asked, and Kili and Fili gave me astonished looks as though I had just said some sort of blasphemy.
Kili began stuttering unintelligibly, his brown eyes wide with shock.  Fili was a bit more eloquent and started to say something, but a sudden deep voice behind me cut him off.
Here Estel blows Fili and Kili's minds as she talks about Thorin in such a way. They thought that it was obvious to her that Thorin liked her and all that--again, noting that they all believe she is a Dwarrowdame raised by Dwarves. So now they are wondering why Estel doesn't like Thorin and are going to try and change the tide.
"Fili, Kili, what are you doing?  Have you gotten everything packed up?”  Thorin boomed, and I whirled around to see him walking towards us, his steel blue eyes smoldering.
The brothers muttered something about being almost done and quickly darted off, leaving me and Thorin alone.
“Were those two Lalkîths bothering you?”  He asked, stopping in front of me, and I cocked my head, not understanding his word of choice.  "Young idiots.“ Thorin clarified after taking in my puzzled expression, and I nodded in understanding.
"A bit.  They dragged me over here to ask if it was true that you offered to teach me Khuzdul.”  I said, and Thorin raised an eyebrow.
“Did they tell you anything?”  He asked, and I shook my head, wondering why this was so important.  "Good.“
Is it or is it not apparent that Thorin is deathly afraid of his sister-sons revealing his feelings about Estel to her? I mean, by this point, literally everyone in the Company--except for Estel--knows that Thorin is head-over-heels for Estel.
I opened my mouth to ask him why, but he had already turned away from me and was striding away, barking orders at everyone else.
I watched him go, Fili’s words echoing in my mind.  ”...I can guarantee you that thought has never entered his mind.“
There was a meaning to his words, I knew it, but I couldn’t figure out just what it was.  Perhaps it would be the key to understanding Thorin; the Dwarrow that seemed to change the moment you thought you had him figured out.
Estel is a bit confused over Fili's words and how they relate to Thorin, since she really doesn't even consider the idea that *gasp* Thorin might actually like her back.
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crookswithbooks · 4 years ago
Text
More Than Just A Friend
Day Four - Kris is feeling uncertain doing the holidays without Asriel, and Susie discovers hidden feelings within herself. 
Susie shifted on the bed, shooting nervous glances over at Kris every once in a while, who sat reading a book, some comic or another, completely oblivious to Susie’s inner turmoil.
When Kris had asked her to stay for the holidays, as she had no one else to stay with, she had accepted immediately, feeling grateful and a little bashful that Kris thought of her at all. But now that she was here, in Kris’s room filled with things that made him Kris, she began to think about the long night (nights? They hadn’t quiet discussed how long this was lasting) ahead of them. Where would she sleep? Where would she get changed? Where would he get changed? Would they stay in the same bed? The questions swirled around in her head, making her more and more nervous as time went on, and Kris sitting there as if everything was completely normal was not helping.
Susie’s feelings for Kris were a recent development, one that had crept up on her quietly and quite unwillingly. She had noticed it one day when he had accidentally bumped her arm and her heart did backflips in her chest. She had tried to shove it down and keep her from accidentally ruining things with the only friend she had.
Though technically not only friend, if you counted Ralsei and Lancer; but that was still up for debate, whether they were even real or just figments of her imagination, all of which was all kinds of messed up if you though about it.
She had thought she had been dealing with these new feelings pretty well thus far, but being suddenly thrust into the same house as Kris for a week (weeks? Seriously she had no idea how long she was staying) was not doing any favors to her already raging crush.
“Sooo…” Susie started, after a minute of unbearable silence had passed. “What, uh, what have you been up to?”
Kris looked up at the sound of her voice, putting down his comic. “Nothing much. Hanging out with you, I guess.” He picked at a hole in his jeans that she hadn’t noticed before. “I got a letter from Asriel.”
“Yeah?” The subject of Kris’s brother was not one that came up often, and it was a rare moment when Kris himself brought him up. “What’d he have to say?”
Kris shrugged, ripping the whole wider. “Nothing much. Wished me a merry Christmas. He said things in college were going well, that he’d started to make a bunch of new friends.”
“That’s good,” Susie said, offering an encouraging smile, a rare gesture for her. “Right?”
Kris nodded, but his expression was vacant and closed-off, a look Susie was starting to get more and more familiar with. “Yeah, I guess.”
He picked back up his book and she realized with horror that the silence was going to begin again, but he paused, turning to look at her. “Hey, have you ever been kissed before?”
Her heart just about exploded in her chest at his words. “Uh… what?” she stuttered as he stared at her with innocent eyes. Two seconds ago they were talking about his brother and now he suddenly bombarded her with this? Where the hell was this going and how did they get here?
Kris scooched forward, which did not help. “A couple of the kids at school were talking about their first kisses and it got me thinking.” He crossed his legs, peering up at her. “So, have you?”
Susie could feel the burning on her cheeks and she only hoped that Kris didn’t notice. “Uh, yeah, of course I have.”
This was a lie. She had spent so long pushing people out of her life and cutting herself off from any potential friends, that she had never gotten close enough with someone for kissing to even be a possibility.
“I haven’t,” he confessed honestly, sitting back which she was both grateful of and disappointed by. “I’ve always wondered what it’s like, but I’ve never found someone who likes me in that way.”
Susie snorted at the irony of the sentence. “Really? You?”
Kris narrowed his eyes at that, frowning in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Susie was spared having to answer, as at that moment the door swung open and Toriel stuck her head in, smiling when she saw the two of them. The minute she opened the door the smell of fresh-baked gingerbread wafted through the room, and Susie could feel her mouth watering.
“I just wanted to tell you two that dinner’s ready.” The goat was staring between them with a knowing smile that made Susie flush, avoiding her gaze. The idea that even Kris’s mom knew about her feelings made her wonder how obvious she had been. Did Kris know? The thought made her stomach squirm uncomfortably, like there was a giant, nervous worm trapped inside.
“Make sure you wash your hands first, and for goodness sake’s Kris, clean up the mess on your floor.” Toriel gave him a stern look before disappearing back out into the hall, closing the door gently behind her.
Kris reluctantly slid off her bed, picking up the various comics and clothes spread about the room, spilling a pile of colored pencils into an emptied out pickle jar. Susie watched him do this, still jittery from the earlier question, not sure if she should bring it back up or let it go.
She still couldn’t believe that Kris hadn’t been kissed before. When they had travelled to the Darkworld he had been so kind to everyone, sometimes even being a little too nice, though she hadn’t known why it bothered her at the time. Surely he must have dated someone before.
“You coming?”
Kris was standing by the doorway staring expectantly at her, and she realized that he had finished while she was lost in thought.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” She shoved past him, ruffling his hair as she went.
“Susie,” he complained, ducking under her and glaring up at her. Despite his annoyance, she couldn’t help but find it cute when he tried to be angry. That was her thing, not his.
Dinner was spent in quiet silence as Susie shoveled food into her mouth, feeling a part of her soul die and go to heaven with every bite. It was a beautiful roast turkey with thick gravy drizzled generously over it, and combined with the mashed potatoes Susie might as well have been eating like a king. Kris picked quietly at his food, his mind seemingly elsewhere. Susie paused in her inhales, wondering if she should ask him about it.
Toriel beat her to it, however, turning her kind eyes towards Kris. “So honey, how have things been in school?”
Kris shrugged, the same noncommittal answer as earlier when Susie had asked him. “It’s been fine. Mr. Papyrus taught us how to make spaghetti in class today, for the third time in a row. We keep telling him we want to learn other stuff, but he insists that pasta is, quote, the greatest food item in the world and the most important foundation for learning to cook. I’m not so convinced. I’m not sure how many more ways we can learn to make pasta.”
Toriel smiled graciously, shaking her head. “Just the same as when we were kids. And you, Susie?”
Susie snapped her head up, surprised to be addressed. Gravy dripped down her chin and she wiped it off quickly. “What?”
“How are things going in school with you?” she repeated promptingly.
“Oh. Uh… nothing much, I guess. Haven’t been getting as much detention recently, as you probably already know.”
Toriel smiled wryly. “Yes, I’ve noticed, and I’ve been glad for it. I wouldn’t want Kris hanging out with someone who’s a bad influence.”
Susie nodded humbly, going back to her food, but Kris stood up from the table. Toriel and Susie both looked at him in surprise. “I’d like to be excused, please.” He whirled around, rushing out of the room suddenly.
Toriel stared after him in shock. “He barely even touched his food.”
Susie felt worry blossom in her chest. “I’ll go check on him, make sure he’s okay.”
Toriel smiled gratefully. “Would you? Thank you, honey.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Susie said, blushing at the nickname and hurrying off.
She found Kris in the living room, curled up on the couch. He had a book in his hands but his eyes scanned the pages dully, not taking in the words. She sat down next to him, feeling awkward and bulky next to his tiny frame. The sheer amount of awkwardness she felt around Kris nowadays days was wholly unfair.
She coughed to announce her presence and Kris glanced up. “Oh. Hey.”
“Hey,” she agreed. “So, uh, what was all that about?”
“Oh, that.” Kris looked back down at his book, flipping a page. “That was nothing. I just wasn’t hungry.”
“Kris.” Susie raised an eyebrow.
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Kris.”
Kris sighed, leaning his head back. “Fine.” He crossed his arms, not looking at her. “I just don’t like the way mom talks about you sometimes. Like you’re some kind of miscreant that’s leading me off the path of good, whatever the hell that means.”
Susie raised an eyebrow at the curse, but inside she was touched that Kris cared about her that much. She nudged his arm, grinning. “Aw, dude.”
Kris blushed, shoving her away. “Shut up. It’s just… I care about you, you know? You’re my only friend, and I hate that mom disapproves.”
Although the sentiment touched her, the word friend echoed around in her head, reminding her that that’s all they were. Friends.
“I’m sure she doesn’t mean it like that,” Susie reassured him. “She just doesn’t want you to do poorly in school on my account. I think she was just teasing, anyway.” She frowned, raising an eyebrow. “That’s not all this is about, is it?”
“No,” Kris sighed, looking away. “It’s also my first Christmas without Asriel here. It’s just weird not having him around the house, singing Christmas songs and helping to decorate the tree. I guess I just got used to things being a certain way and now they’re…”
“Not?” Susie finished.
“Yeah,” Kris agreed.
They sat in silence for a moment, both of them unsure what to say next. Finally Kris leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder. Susie froze, her body tingling with sudden electricity. “Thanks for being here,” Kris said, fiddling with his hands. “I really do mean it. Thanks for coming and spending the holidays with us when you didn’t have to.”
Slowly Susie relaxed, her expression settling into a smile. “Of course, man. If anything I should be thanking you for giving me somewhere to be for the holidays.”
Kris nuzzled closer and Susie relaxed against him, glancing up at the twirling paper snowflakes above them. That was when she noticed it. Mistletoe, hanging right above the two of them.
Susie snapped her gaze down to Kris, who noticed the sudden tension in his friend. “What is it?” he asked, sitting up much to her disappointment.
She pointed up, hoping he wouldn’t notice the furious blush on her face. Kris saw the mistletoe and his eyes widened in understanding. “Oh. Mistletoe.”
Susie was already making up excuses, blustering and gesturing wildly. “We don’t have to or anything. It’s a stupid tradition anyway and I wouldn’t want to make things weird, so it’s totally cool if you don’t want to—”
Kris cut her off, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened as she felt his soft lips, softer than you would think a boy’s lips would be. He pulled away, staring at her, his eyes just as wide as hers as though he hadn’t quite realized what he was doing.
Susie jerked back instinctively and Kris’s face fell immediately. “I’m sorry,” he said, holding up his hands apologetically. “I didn’t mean to, it just kinda—”
The rest of his sentence broke off as she grabbed him, kissing him again. A part of her didn’t believe what she was doing, but another part of her felt completely clam, as if kissing your best friend wasn’t a weird thing to do. They stayed like that for a minute, their lips locked together, and when they finally pulled apart both of them were panting for breath.
“Um, excuse me?”
They jerked around to look at Toriel, staring with a smirk between the two teens. “I was just gonna ask if you wanted some cookies, but maybe I should leave you two alone…?”
“Mom!” Kris exclaimed, his face going bright red. Susie would have been embarrassed as well but the sight of his blushing face was so uncharacteristically adorable that she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“Right, right, of course,” Toriel said, winking subtly as she left the room. “I’ll just leave you two alone then to... continue your business. 
“Mom,” Kris groaned again as she left, burying his face in Susie’s shoulder. Susie glanced down at him, grinning a little. He glared up at her, but there was no venom in his gaze. “Oh shut up you.”
“Gladly,” she responded, pulling him in for another kiss.
Maybe the holidays weren’t going to be so bad after all…
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theladyofspaceandtime · 4 years ago
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The Battle of Self-Love with Josie & Dark Josie in Legacies 2x16
Welcome to another one of my meta’s, but the first one I’ve done for the Legacies fandom. 
I felt this one really had to be covered because the symbolism of what happens to Josie in this episode speaks not only to me, but many other people who struggle with self-love and their inner battles with themselves. So enjoy my ramblings. 
This is a very personal and deep one for me so I’m shedding my skin with this one and laying demons to rest. This meta also includes helpful tips to resources concerning the topic of Self-Love and Inner Mean Girls. 
Trigger warnings may be present. 
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Dark Josie is Josie. They are the same person and as the Queen of Mean™ points out in previous episodes, she was created to help Josie survive. She was in a tough situation and had to help save her family/friends. Of course, as always, Josie makes the tough call and breaks the clock, taking all the Dark Magic into her. Sure, it makes her more powerful, but it also awakens all the darkness she keeps locked away inside her, pushing into a trunk, afraid to face it. At least everyone is safe though...or so they think. This is where the line “Don’t let it break” comes into play because the beast she held within is finally free, even if it seems things are finally back to normal. There is no running from the darkness within. 
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Dark Josie points out multiple times that if it wasn’t for her, Josie wouldn’t survive. It all makes sense since she was created to help her do that exact thing...but the only way that Dark Josie thinks she can achieve this goal is by killing Josie herself (which is contradictory, but this is what our Inner Mean Girl’s do.) They tell you all the negative things about yourself. They try to drain you down, make you depressed, and convince you of their lies until you give up because they think it is the only way to help you survive. I know this from personal experience. I thought if I kept telling myself all these negative things that it would shield me and make me stronger...but it didn’t. All it did was start to destroy myself. I just didn’t realize it at first.
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Dark Josie with her convincing lies and ways to win the battle makes Josie think she is stronger and invincible this way. Even when others point out that this isn’t Jo, she tells them to get use to it and accept it because this is who she is now; An entity full of nothing but rage, jealously, and bitterness that isn’t going to let anyone use her or abuse her ever again. If this is who she needs to be to protect herself, then so be it. Dark Josie even says she finds everything clearer now and breaks free from her prison. It’s the high of the lies. 
She is determined to go after her next target that makes her weak: Lizzie. With plans to overcome the trial of the merge and defeat her sister, nothing is going to stop Dark Josie, especially not MJ’s kindness or Hope Mikaelson who asks for the real Josie. 
Hope: Where’s Josie?
Dark Josie: I’m right here, silly.
Hope: The real Josie, our Josie.
Dark Josie: So you mean weak Josie. She’s gone. I thought I made that very clear.
Dark Josie doesn’t want them to have anything to do with Josie because what would they want to do with a weak, helpless, powerless girl that kept letting herself get hurt and used by others? Josie is gone and they need to deal with it, right? This is who she is now. While she is determined to prove to everyone that she is better and more powerful this way, Hope is determined to prove to Josie that she was strong all along. And this is one of the important moments because while our views of ourselves are obstructed and skewed, sometimes we need the reminder of who we truly are from someone else who knows us and won’t give up on us. This is Hope for Josie.
Hope: I know you think she is weak. But I know the truth: she’s strong. You’re strong! And you’re always there for your friends when they need you. So, please Jo, we really need you right now.
Dark Josie: Shut up! Everyone shut up!
Obviously this determination to not give up on the good inside her effects the hold Dark Josie has. For a moment the real Josie pops through before hiding back as Dark Josie takes control again. No, she can’t believe this because Josie doesn’t believe she was ever strong. She’s only strong as Dark Josie. The merge happens and Dark Josie thinks she has won...but there is someone who isn’t giving up on her, even if she has already given up on herself.
Hope goes into her subconscious which is a fairytale land produced by the simple black and white fairytales her mother would tell her of battles between good guys and bad guys. In this world Josie is a princess who sealed herself away with a sleeping spell to keep away the darkness, but she is also the said Darkness that is out to kill the Princess and destroy the kingdom. Once Josie is awakened and Dark Josie is aware, she confronts the girls.
Feeling she is unable to defeat the Evil Queen, Josie has a meaningful talk with Hope who gives her a wakeup call. 
Hope: We have to keep moving.
Josie: It doesn’t matter. We’re never going to get away from her.
Hope: Jo. While you’ve been trapped in here, she’s been rampaging in the real world. She even tried to Merge with Lizzie. 
Josie: Oh my god, is she okay?
Hope: For now. That’s why we have to stop her. 
Josie: She’s more powerful than I am. 
Hope: Jo, she is you- some part of you. You can control her somehow. Pretty messed up subconscious you got here by the way.
Josie: Are we surprised? My mom used to read us fairytales for bedtime stories. They were so calming. There was Good Guys and Bad Guys; very clear rules that you had to follow. It all made sense unlike my life. 
Hope: Well, this fairytale sucks.
Josie: It’s accurate. I’m either the powerful, petty bitch or the good, weak victim. 
Hope: That’s a story that you’re telling yourself. I mean, your subconscious made a fairytale that the good you is weak and the powerful you is evil. Tell yourself a different story.
Dark Josie shows up once again and Hope tries to tell her to change the story before being turned to stone. Josie runs for her life from herself, but realizes at this point there is no where else she can go.
The only thing she can do now is confront herself and the darkness within her that she kept trying to avoid. Cue that quote; “You can’t run from yourself.” Now, Josie must face the monster within her.
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Dark Josie instantly takes to calling out Josie’s insecurities, pointing out all her flaws because she KNOWS how much it eats away at Josie. These are all the inner thoughts and feelings she’s kept buried inside her like a hurricane. 
She reminds Josie of her place and the reason why Dark Josie is here. 
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Dark Josie: “This is what being strong looks like.” 
Hope: “That's a story that you're telling yourself. I mean, your subconscious made a fairytale that the good you is weak and the powerful you is evil. Tell yourself a different story.
Echoing back to Hope’s words, this is when the self-realization and awakening in Josie begins to play out. 
She realizes her mindset, Dark Josie’s mindset, is wrong. Josie begins to accept and face her own actions, knowing she was wrong, not only about her mindset on things, but especially her view towards herself. 
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Josie didn’t need to become this dark version of herself in order to survive and be strong. There was never anything weak or powerless about Josie to begin with. She was always strong and incredible the way she was- others like Hope could see it, but Josie couldn’t. 
Dark Josie tries to silence this because she doesn’t want Josie having any power. She doesn’t want her waking up to the realization about herself because once you begin to awaken to the truth about your inner mean girl, that’s when she loses her hold over you - and she doesn’t want that happening.
Josie: I’m not afraid of you anymore...because I’m holding the axe.
Dark Josie: ((scoffs before realizing the axe is gone from her hands and now in Josies.))
Josie: ((smiles, holding the axe))
Dark Josie: I just bound you to this cabin. You’re trapped here forever.
Josie: I’m not trapped...because we’re not in the cabin anymore. ((They are now in the forest outside the castle.)) And if you use your magic against me, it hurts you too. ((Dark Josie is stripped of her magic.)) And most importantly, you’re not wearing armor anymore.
Josie begins to take her control over her inner mean girl, but I think one of the most important parts of when she does this is the kiss Josie gives her inner mean girl. BUT WHY? Granted, Josie has put an axe in her, but why should she be kind to the darkness within her after all it was doing to everyone, especially herself?
First off, you need to remember- your inner mean girl is you. Once you accept she is a problem that needs to be addressed, then you must address it. But not with ignoring her, or booting her away...but with kindness. She is a part of you that came into fruition in order to protect you from some sort of trauma or hurt. Honestly, she had the best intentions for you but took it completely overboard. This doesn’t mean you should give her any sliver of control, but it also doesn’t mean you should treat her without compassion. 
After all, compassion is what helps heal. 
And this is the step Josie takes next: laying her inner mean girl down with TLC
Josie: It’s over.
Dark Josie: *chuckles* It’ll never be over. As long as you have Black Magic in you, I will always find a way back.
Josie: We’ll see. *lays a kiss upon her forehead as Dark Josie falls asleep*
You’re inner mean girl will always be a part of you. She will always be inside you, ready to take to defense when you least expect it. There is no gettin rid of her...but you can at least control her by remembering her ways and knowing you always have the power to change the story despite what she may say. 
Another lovely thing I must point out before I get to the conclusion of this post is not only how important it is for you to realize the power you have over your inner mean girl and her ways to affect you, but the people around you who support you and never give up on you, even when you’ve given up on yourself.
Those people are absolute blessings and you can be one of them towards yourself and others too. 
I love the scene where after all of this, Alaric speaks to his daughter about what happened and they have this conversation:
Josie: Thank you for not giving up on me, even though I didn’t deserve it.
Alaric: You know, one of the many joys of being a father is getting to see you slowly figure out how much deserve, and one day you realize that what you deserve is to never be given up on. 
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When we go through something traumatic or overwhelming, whether it be a friend that hurt you, a family member that rejected you, you feel used or abused, or something didn’t turn out the way you planned, we usually tend to be hard on ourselves for it. All these insecurities deep inside us begin to eat away and make a home for themselves, especially if we tend to avoid them or don’t acknowledge it. We start to turn into our own worst enemies because we believe we deserve all the shit we get in return. Then we start to lose sight of ourselves and who we are; what we’re capable. Sometimes we can become the very thing we swore to never become. 
The Battle between Dark Josie & Josie is an example of this.
 And you know what the moral of this story is? 
It’s okay. We are all human and we’ve all been through this or are currently going through it with our inner mean selves. 
But you can change the story because you have the power. So, tell yourself a different story.
Accept you have a inner mean self.
Figure out how they work and what type of inner meany they are
And realize you have the power to tell yourself a different story. 
It won’t be easy. It’s never easy, but you are capable of it. 
________________________________________________________________
A special thank you to my sources on this matter down below.:
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And the Reform your Inner Mean Girl book by Amy Ahlers & Christine Arlyo. You can check out their website here and order the book which has a lot of helpful tips and helps you have more insight on how our Inner Mean Girls work. 
From another person facing the battle of Self-Love against my Inner Mean girl, I leave you this reminder. Till the next meta! 
- Jamie
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bucky-of-the-opera · 4 years ago
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Pass the Popcorn
Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader
Summary: Movie night with Steve takes a rough turn when neither him nor Y/N know if they’re on a date.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 2,522
A/N: I was inspired by this post to write a movie date fic, so here it is! Enjoy!
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Spring had finally arrived in Hawkins after a brutal winter. The last of the snow had melted, the scarves and mittens were discarded, and flowers were beginning to bloom.
Along with the changing of the season came the unlikely duo of you and Steve Harrington. After Steve’s breakup with Nancy and his old friends, he had become a completely different person than the one that Hawkins High had come to know. He was more approachable and less concerned about what his peers thought about him.
The two of you had been paired together for a science project back in January, to your dismay. But as you spent more time with him, you saw the changes within him. By the time you had finished the project, you would come to call Steve a friend.
Ever since then, Steve became a normal part of your life. He drove you to school, walked you to your classes, and made sure neither Billy nor anyone else ever messed with you.
On this particular day, you were sitting at your desk in your math class when a knock interrupted your teacher. The door opened to reveal none other than Steve Harrington, who was supposed to be in his history class.
“Sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Parker,” Steve said as he showed off a folded piece of paper in his hand. “I’ve got a letter from the office for,” he squinted at the paper, pretending to struggle with your last name, “Y/N.”
You rolled your eyes, failing to hide a smile as your teacher waved him on and went back to her lecture.
Steve walked swiftly to your desk. He handed you the paper and gave you a wink before leaving the class just as abruptly as he had entered.
You unfolded the paper and read the message:
Wanna see a movie tonight? Yes/No
You did your best to stifle your laughter and quickly circled your answer.
Halfway through the class, you asked to be excused to use the restroom. Stuffing the paper in your pocket, you left the room. You rushed down the hall to where Steve’s classroom was and knocked on the door to announce your presence.
“I have a letter from the office for Steve Harrington,” you explained to the teacher.
Steve was resting his head in his hand as he watched you walk down the aisle. “Took you long enough,” he grinned at you before taking the paper.
You shook your head at him and left to return to your own classroom.
Steve quickly unfolded the paper and saw that you had circled Yes. He breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the paper away in his backpack.
When the bell rang, you stopped at your locker and then met him at your shared lab table in your science class. “You realize you could’ve just waited until now to ask me?”
“You’re saying you didn’t appreciate my pretty face distracting you from math?” he said, as if the word alone made him sick.
“You’re something else, Harrington,” you teased.
***
Later that night, Steve was fussing with his hair when the phone rang. He dropped his brush and ran to answer the call.
“You’ve got Harrington.”
Dustin shouted from the other end of the line, “Can you take me and Mike to the arcade?”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Can’t your mom take you?”
“She’s out with her friends.”
“Well, you’ll have to find another ride. I’ve got plans.”
“With what friends?” Dustin asked.
“That’s uncalled for. But if you must know, I’ve got a date with Y/N.”
“With Y/N? Are you sure it’s a date?”
“Of course it’s a date!” But then Steve hesitated. “Why do you think it wouldn’t be?”
“I don’t know. I just thought you two were strictly platonic. But I guess you’ve proved me wrong.”
Steve bit the inside of his cheek. “Mhmm. Well, anyway, I gotta finish getting ready for, uh, my date. Good luck with your thing.” He slammed the phone down and walked back to his bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror and gave himself a pep talk. “Henderson’s a kid. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s definitely a date.”
Meanwhile, you were trying to decide what outfit to wear. It took a while, but you had finally found a winner. You walked downstairs to the living room to wait for Steve to arrive.
Your sister entered the room, joining you on the couch. “You actually clean up nice,” she teased. “Excited for your date?”
“What? I’m not going on a date. I’m going to the movies with Steve.”
“Exactly. You’re going out with a cute boy to ‘watch a movie’.” She said, making air quotes with her fingers.
You pushed her hands down. “Stop doing that. It’s not a date. I think I would know if I was going on a date with Steve Harrington.”
“Okay. If you say so.” She looked out the window and saw Steve’s car out front. “Looks like your non date is here.”
You groaned as you put on your coat and marched to the door. When you swung it open, you saw Steve was halfway to the porch.
His eyes widened when you shut the door behind you. “I was just coming to get you.”
“You didn’t have to; I could’ve just met you in the car.”
Steve cleared his throat. “Right. You look great by the way. Not that you don’t always look great. Because you do… always look great, I mean.” He spoke quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.
You patted his arm. “You look great too, Steve.”
The two of you walked to his car. You both placed your hands on the passenger side handle at the same time and then immediately pulled back.
“Oh, I was gonna get the door for you,” he explained.
“It’s really all right. You don’t have to fuss over me.”
He blushed. “Sure, yeah.”
Steve walked around to the driver’s side. Crap, he thought, Henderson was right. This isn’t a date.
You sat down in your seat, closing the door. Oh no; this is a date, you realized.
Steve sat down next to you and started his car. He pulled away from your house and drove out of the neighborhood.
The two of you sat in silence until you came to a red light and Steve began drumming his hands against the steering wheel.
“Do you have any music?” you asked to break the building tension.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah I’ve got some tapes in the glove box.”
You popped it open and searched through the stack. One in particular caught your eye as you held it up. “I thought you said you didn't have this album?”
He momentarily eyed the tape in your hand before bringing his attention back to the road. “You kept talking about how much you loved it, so I went out and got a copy.”
You smiled to yourself and pushed the tape into the cassette player, fast forwarding to your favorite song.
The first few seconds began to play when Steve spoke, “This is the best song on the whole album.”
“Right?”
You and Steve sang along to the album for the remainder of the drive. He continuously switched between singing on and off key, making you laugh as he failed to hit the high notes. Eventually Steve turned onto a field, announcing your arrival.
Squinting, you peered out the window to see a giant screen with at least a dozen cars already parked. “You didn’t tell me we were going to a drive-in.”
“I didn’t?”
You shook your head. “I would’ve brought a blanket if you did.”
“Don’t worry; I’ve got that covered.” He pointed his thumb at the back seat, where you saw a few folded blankets.
“Dibs on the fuzzy one!” You grabbed it as Steve drove up to the ticket booth. You took out the money you had shoved in your pocket earlier and tried to hand it to Steve who waved your hand away.
“It’s on me.”
You huffed and shoved the money back in your money. “Fine. But I’m paying for snacks.”
He parked the car and turned the engine off. You were already wrapped in your blanket with your seat reclined.
“You look cozy,” he said, chuckling.
Your eyes were closed as you responded. “Wake me up when the movie starts.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll just go pick out the snacks by myself.” He opened the door as you grabbed his arm.
“Wait, I’m coming. I have to make sure you get the right snacks.”
“How can I possibly mess up movie snacks?” he asked.
“You need to abide by the movie food groups.”
He furrowed his eyebrows at you. “The what?”
“You need a salty food, a sweet food, and a drink. You can’t load up on just candy or just popcorn.”
“I didn’t realize you had such strong opinions on the matter.”
You scoffed. “It’s like you don’t even know me.”
Steve rolled his eyes, despite the amused grin on his face. He stepped out of the car as you joined him to walk to the concession stand. His hand bumped yours as you walked. You thought maybe he was trying to grab ahold of it, but he immediately moved further away from you. You shoved your hands in your pockets and tried to put the thought behind you.
“Why don’t you order for us so I don’t ruin your movie viewing experience,” he teased.
“With pleasure,” you said as you stepped up to the window.
Minutes later you were back in the car with a large tub of popcorn, several boxes of candy, and drinks. The blankets from the backseat were now strewn across you both.
You grabbed a fistful of popcorn. “You know, I don’t actually remember the last time I saw a movie at a drive-in. I was probably really little.”
“Oh man, I used to come here all the time on dates – er days with nice weather.” Nice save, jackass, Steve thought. He picked up his drink and shoved the straw in his mouth to shut himself up.
You ignored his comment, pulling the blanket tighter around yourself. When Steve had picked you up, you had practically convinced yourself that he was taking you on a date. But now you weren’t so sure.
Moments later the screen flickered to life, so you were able to stop yourself from thinking too much about Steve’s mannerisms.
As the movie played, Steve kept glancing over at you. Every time he snuck a peek, you were seemingly enthralled by the movie. However, he didn’t realize that you were sneaking glances at him whenever he switched his attention back to the screen. And multiple times throughout the movie, your hand had accidentally brushed Steve’s hand as you both reached for the popcorn. But you both immediately pulled away. At one point, you and Steve had given up on paying attention to the movie and were just focusing on looking like you were paying attention.
When it had finally ended, you sat up, stretching your arms over your head as the blanket fell to your lap. Some of the other moviegoers began driving away as Steve turned his head toward you.
“What did you think?” he asked.
“Uh, it was great. The ending was the best part,” you lied.
Steve nodded. “Yeah, definitely,” he lied. “It’s getting pretty late, I should take you home.” He threw his blanket and the empty popcorn tub and candy boxes into the backseat, and then started the car, pulling onto the street.
The drive back was quiet; the only sound coming from the music, which was set on low, and Steve’s humming. Minutes later he had parked the car on your driveway and turned the music off. His hands still gripped the wheel as he tapped his fingers.
“So, maybe I’ll see you this weekend?”
You were quiet for a moment, wringing your hands in thought. You bit your lip as you asked the question you had been pondering all night. “Was this a date?”
Steve’s hands slipped off the wheel, and he accidentally honked the car horn. “Um, I, uh–”
“Because my sister seemed to think that this was a date. But it wasn't, was it?”
“Did you, I mean… did you want this to be a date?”
“Well, did you?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Yes.”
You turned to face him, but he was still staring straight ahead through the windshield.
“I actually thought that this was a date at first,” he continued. “But then Henderson got in my head, and I convinced myself that it wasn’t.”
“If this was a date, what would you have done?”
Steve finally looked at you, a small smile on his face. He grabbed a large blanket from the backseat, rolled the windows down, and turned the music back on. Then he exited the car and jogged over to your side to open the door and take your hand. He led you to the hood of his car, helping you climb onto it. After sliding onto the hood next to you, Steve draped the blanket over you both and wrapped his arm around you, as you moved your head to rest on his chest.
“You’re good at this,” you said, bringing his hand up to rest over your heart and weaving your fingers through his.
He brought his other arm around you, holding you closer as he pressed a smile against the top of your head. The two of you stayed like that for a few songs until either of you spoke again.
You turned a bit in his arms so you could face him. “Thank you for tonight.”
“Thank you for coming. I promise next time will be better, no awkward beginning.”
“What makes you think there’ll be a next time?” you said, biting the inside of your cheek to hold a smile.
Steve narrowed his eyes at you. “Are you yanking my chain?”
“Does this answer your question?” You closed the distance between you both, pressing your lips to his for a brief moment and then pulling away, your noses still touching.
“That definitely answered my question,” he whispered before finding your lips with his again. His hands traveled down to your waist as you brought your hand up to rest on his cheek. You felt his fingers graze your skin as he moved them slightly underneath the hem of your shirt. Your hand on his cheek trailed upward into his hair, pulling slightly on the strands. Steve tugged your bottom lip between his teeth, his grip tightening on your waist. A sudden gust of wind made you shiver, and you broke the kiss to bury your face into the crook of his neck while he held you tighter.
“You should go inside before it gets any colder,” he said, rubbing your arms to warm you.
“Do you wanna come over tomorrow?” you mumbled.
Steve kissed the top of your head before resting his cheek on top of it. “It’s a date.”
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