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lemontreefantasy · 2 years

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Sails and Anchors - Part 3

Sails and Anchors - Part 3

genre: smut, angst

warnings: some filthy and degrading scenes, possessive! hongjoong, gunshots

wc: 2.6k

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this is a continuation of Part 2 - Batten Down the Hatches

Part 3 - A Broken Reconciliation

You sat silently in your study looking at hongjoong, your mind blank as to how you should respond to him. But then you remember. You remember the emotional rollercoaster he put you on. Every day you would wake up and look around to see if he would appear out of the crowd of people, look to see if you would see that black, wide-brim hat or that cheeky smile. But after months of waiting, you never saw it. You were like a child on their birthday, except your present never came. You waited and waited and he never showed. You felt empty. You felt angry. Angry because you were so naïve to believe in a man for that long. Angry because you accepted that kind of treatment when there were men like Seonghwa and San who were ready to sweep you off your feet and escape with you at a moment’s notice, yet you still longed for hongjoong to return in some romantic manner.

“Do you know what I went through these past few months?” you stood up and looked down at him.

He said nothing while tilting his head up, holding your gaze.

“You know that I waited for you, right? All these months I waited to see when you return… if you would even return. One month, two, four, six months went by. How long was I supposed to wait? I would sit right here in this very room and sob, hoping that one day you would come back and hold me in your arms.”

“I’m so sorry darling“ he walks up to you, cupping your face in his hands.

“Don’t. You’re not sorry. Did you really expect my eyes to not wander?” you say ripping yourself from his grasp, “It seems like everyone in this town makes me a priority besides you. And yes, I have made a few friends. Maybe I’ve even fucked them because you weren’t here to give me what I want. Those ‘friends’ that showed me what real commitment to a partner is like, all of the things that I was missing out on.”

Hongjoong’s blood started boiling at the thought of someone else having their way with you. Everything you said after that went in one ear and out the other. His thoughts were flooded by what could have possibly taken place while he was gone, who touched you, who kissed you. To him, you were his private property. If anyone hurt you, he would slit their throat in the middle of the night no questions asked. And now that he learned of others impeding on his prized possession, it did not sit well with him.

He gripped your waist, shoving you into the wooden desk behind you, “Who. Tell me who. Who is it,” he demanded. You see him reach for something out of his waistband and suddenly feel a cold metal press against the bottom of your chin.

“Tell me darling.”

“It’s none of your fucking business now,” you grumble even though you know you’re on thin ice with him.

“I bet it was fucking twinkle toes was it. I saw the way held on to you. Like a needy dog. Or was it Mr Prince Charming?” he says twisting the barrel into your flesh “Was it him darling?” He chuckles and his expression changes and you’re oddly uncomfortable with his tone. “Tell me, was he the one? You know that son of a bitch used to work for me, right?”

What?

“W-Work for you?” you managed to stammer out.

“Yes, my love. He was actually… an old friend of mine… a good friend,” he says as his grip on your throat slackens.

“What h-happened between the both of you?” you ask carefully as to not upset him further.

“He was too ambitious. I kicked him off the ship. Now tell me, was it him? Was he the one that touched you while I was gone?” To be honest, you were hesitant to answer. The last thing you wanted was to compromise his safety.

“I won’t hurt him, I promise. I’ll just resist the urge to stab him in the chest if I ever see him again.”

You slowly nodded and hongjoong chuckled. Walking to the other side of the room he mumbled to himself, “I should’ve killed that fucker when I had the chance.”

“At least he was man enough to not disappear on me during the night.”

Hongjoong froze. He couldn’t believe the words that just left your lips. He felt his temple twitch and the devil’s rage seemed to fly to his head. There was no other way to put it. He was mad. He slowly turned towards you and looked you dead in the eyes.

“What did you just say to me?” he asked, eyes squinting at the mere sentence while he walked towards you.

“You heard what I said. Don’t act like all that sea water makes you deaf,” you retorted. You knew it was a dangerous game you started but you loved seeing him riled up like this. This newfound feeling of rage fueled by jealousy seemed to excite you.

Hongjoong was never excessively rough with you, not until now. He grabbed you by the fabric of your dress and shoved you against the said table once more.

“Did you forget about what also happened that night? Or do I need to show you again?” he says, ripping your dress at the seams, leaving your bare body exposed to the night’s cold.

He held you by your waist and turned you around, bending you over the table. You hear the faint noise of his belt buckle being undone as he yanks you by your hair to whisper to you,

“I guess I have to remind you of what you were craving for so long.”

And with that, you feel his hardened member grazing against your folds until you feel a hand shift to your panties, sliding them to the side. Your back arches at the sensation as you desperately try to cling to the old wooden desk. With one hand gripping your hair and the other on your back, hongjoong creates a rhythm in which he drives his shaft into you. You can’t help but cry out as you feel him against your clit, walls clenching around him.

“That’s right. Let him hear how good I can fuck you,” hongjoong whispers as he continues his ministrations. The room is filled with your moans and cries and the sound of skin slapping. Hongjoong grabbed you by your hair and you catch a glimpse of your reflection in a large glass artifact at the corner of the room. The view alone could make you cream yourself, seeing him behind you with messy hair, chest heaving.

Your knees begin to give way and your breath becomes unsteady as you feel your release approaching. You can’t gather your senses to say anything but hongjoong can feel you tighten around him as he quickens his pace. Seeing you like this, bent over just for him turned on a primal instinct that he unleashed on you as he continues his pace.

“I’ll fucking fill you up darling. Go back to him with your cunt full of my seed I dare you,” he growled.

As much as you hated how he reminded you of seonghwa, you loved that he made you feel like such a slut. He knew exactly what to do to hit that sweet spot of yours and he made sure to attack with relentless force. This is what you wanted. This is what you needed for so long. Hongjoong manhandling you was the leash that he had you on. The yoke that he knew he could control. After emptying himself inside you he spun you around, leaned over your body and grabbed your throat as he sucked on your bottom lip.

He heists you up onto the desk and pushes you down to lie flat on your back. Lowering himself, he gently sucks on your clit while sneaking a finger into you. Your moans were like music to his ears. It was exactly what he needed to egg him on. You missed feeling his tongue against you while his hands pushed your legs apart. You tangle your fingers in his hair and he can tell you’re close from the way your breathing changes.

He sits up and slowly eases himself into you once more until he finds his rhythm again and quickens his pace. He holds on to your legs as leverage to pound himself deeper into you. The oh so familiar sound of skin slapping and breathy moans fill the air and you find hongjoong spreading you wide open. He spilled his seed in you with no regret and left you spread on the desk, pulling his pants up, buckling his belt. He turned away from you and you lay there feeling his release leaking down your legs. You felt used but hated the fact that you liked it because this was the most attention you had gotten from him in a very long time.

You sat up and looked at him. You couldn’t quite tell what the expression on his face meant but it almost looked as if he was ashamed of what he had just done. He paced around the study rubbing his forehead, pushing his hair out of his face.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“I- I don’t know. I’m sorry… I should go.”

And with that, he disappeared again. You weren’t surprised you had to admit that you felt disappointed, alone and the sadness you once felt months ago began to fester in your heart once more.

A few days had passed and even though your love life was in a bit of a pickle, you still had a business to run. The week was neither slow nor busy and nothing too peculiar happened, which was a relief on your end. That was until a fairly matured woman came into the pub looking for you. Her appearance was striking and you could tell that she wasn’t from town. She wore a polka-dotted black and white dress that flowed to her knees. She wore black heels and has a small parasol along with a small black purse. Her hair was short but done up in fancy waves and you noticed her sharp facial features.

“My dear, is there any way I can speak to you in private?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but, do I know you?” you replied.

“Apologies,” she whispers, “I was a friend of your father’s. Please, I must speak to you away from prying ears.”

Her statement takes you aback. You weren’t about to just take a random woman that you just met up into your private study but if it’s true that she knew your father you couldn’t deny her request. You lead her upstairs and offer her some tea but she politely declines.

What she explains to you absolutely baffles your mind. You sit there listening to the words that come out of her wrinkled mouth and you have so many questions yet so many answers revealed. Your mind buzzes and the information suddenly becomes too much for you to handle. Your father, who’s death seems to haunt you ever so often, has once again resurfaced in your life even though he is longer alive. This time, in the form of a secret trust fund with millions of dollars. His private fortune dedicated to you after he had

passed which this woman, Mrs. Farley, had been managing on his behalf. She was given instructions by your father to give you access to the money after he had passed and after the legal paperwork was completed, it was now time for you to access your inheritance. This would now make you one of the youngest, richest women in the city.

“You were very special to him. He’s never told you about this?” she asks.

“No… he’s never mentioned anything of this nature to me.” you retort.

“Well, I understand this might come as a pleasant surprise to you. Don’t let it confuse you too much. If you have any questions, you can always contact me,” she says, handing you her card with her name and address.

And so, upon signing a few documents, you were officially a millionaire.

At the end of the week, you were in your study making a plan of what you should probably do with some of the money. Renovations to the bar, importing different alcohols, purchasing a house so you don’t have to be cramped in your small room upstairs the business… That was when you heard a knock on the door, your barmaid claiming the captain had asked for you.

You came downstairs and took him aside to a table, pouring him a drink. You both spoke in a low tone to not inform others of your inherent relations.

“I really want to apologize for leaving you that night. I came to explain the truth and my temper took hold of me. Please… tell me you’re not with him. I can’t bear to see you with anyone else.”

If you weren’t in the proximity of others, he would have held your hand in his.

“I don’t care if its twinkle toes, just not him,” he says.

“You’re bold to come in my establishment to tell me who I should and shouldn’t drop my knickers for, you know that?” you spat.

A long pause followed as he lets out an exhausted exhale and looks to the floor after gripping his drink and taking a swig.

“I love you. I will always love you… and only you. I don’t care what you think of me. I’m your dog. I’d do anything you tell me to. You know that,” he says in a calm voice, never breaking eye contact with you.

“I love you as well, captain. But you hurt my heart too much. I can’t keep up with you. Every time i give my heart to you, I always end up having to piece myself back together afterwards. It’s exhausting. Love is not supposed to be exhausting.”

“Please, stay away from him. For my sake. Seonghwa is not the man he portrays himself to be. I’ve worked with him before; I know what he is like. Don’t fall for his charm.”

Just then, there was a loud BANG of the pub doors being pushed open, with no other than seonghwa and his soldiers barging through the bar.

“Over there!” one of his men shout. Guns now cocked towards the table at which you and hongjoong sat.

In a fury, hongjoong draws his gun and fires a shot, causing a distraction so that everyone dives to the floor. In a split second, you look up only to realize that, like the wind, he was gone again… right out of the second pair of pub doors.

Seonghwa rushes towards you, “darling, are you alright?” he asks, holding you in his arms. You look up at him, eyes wide from shock. “Do you know that man?” he’s wanted for the stunt that was pulled at the ball the other day.”

You don’t know whether or not you should tell seonghwa the truth. Your mind went blank at that very moment the gunshots fired. If you tell seonghwa, they might have you killed for conspiring with a man like hongjoong. Hell, hongjoong might even slaughter you first if your shared little dirty secret got out. But what if seonghwa finds out and accuses you of being a filthy liar the entire time you’ve known him? You didn’t want to betray either man so you had to play your cards well. Not for your sake, but for the sake of your business and your reputation.

to be continued...

#hongjoong smut #seonghwa smut #ateez x reader #hongjoong x reader #hongjoong angst #ateez angst #sailsandanchors #captain hongjoong #pirate hongjoong

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glambots · 3 years

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been thinking about this request for a few days so here we go! for freddy, monty, sun, and moon (separate of course) with a romantic partner who works at the plex who just suddenly stops showing up (could be for something temporary like getting sick/injured or something more permanent like getting fired, your call)

Combined because these two prompts are similar enough that I can write for both in one post! :)

🎩Glamrock-Freddy + "Missing Half:" 🎩

⭐The first day or so, he's worried, but not too bothered by it. Maybe you got sick! You were always working so hard, and he tried to remind you to take breaks now and then, but it would be inevitable. Especially with everything going around nowadays.

⭐But as the time passes, his anxiety grows. Eventually, he starts asking around. If it turned out to be something that would keep you temporarily out of commission, he'd be relieved it was nothing more serious, but still incredibly worried. The day you return, you're going to have a very anxious Freddy glued to your side for the bulk of your shift. He missed you, Superstar.

⭐If it turned out you were fired, he'd be devastated. Surely, there must be some sort of mistake! Whatever you did, he knows it couldn't have been bad enough to warrant a firing, and he'll personally vouch for you to get a second-chance. He practically begs for it.

🐊Montgomery Gator + "Missing Half:"🐊

⭐The first couple of days are nothing, maybe you just got sick or something. But the week stretches on and he starts to get a little more than just "antsy." Where the hell are ya? And the lack of answers send his aggression levels spiraling. He starts to snap, emotionally and physically. It gets so bad that even the kids start avoiding him, which just makes things even worse...for everyone involved.

⭐He can handle it if you're just going to be "out of commission" for a bit. (Though he does wish that someone had, uh, TOLD HIM BEFORE HAND. Might have saved everyone some grief! Y'know!!) He's still real moody till the day you come back, but less "trigger-happy." Er, thrash-happy...? And though he's a little grumbly, even with you, it'll wear off soon enough. He's just...glad you're back. He missed you. A lot.

⭐But if he finds out you got fired? HOO. Welcome to Hell! He trashes everything in sight. His room, the halls, everything he can get his claws on. He might even attack someone, he goes into such a blind fucking rage. Eventually he has to be forcibly shut-down and placed in containment until they can figure out what to do. But after seeing the aftermath...maybe it'd just be easier to give you your job back.

☀️Sunnydrop + "Missing Half:"☀️

⭐He's worried from Day One. You almost never miss a shift! He spends the whole day bouncing on his heels, glancing at the door like he expects you to enter the room at any moment. But as the days pass, his anxiety slowly starts to get the best of him.

⭐Every time he sees a member of staff pass by the Daycare, he's waving them down, practically on his knees begging for some sort of update on where you are. If he finds out that it's a temporary thing, the relief is nearly enough to knock him off his feet. The second you walk in the door, he tackles you, sweeping you up and spinning you around and around as he babbles on and on about how much he missed you, and how scared he was--you worried him almost half-to-death, silly...!!!

⭐If he finds out it's something more "permanent" (i.e.: a firing), he throws a straight-up tantrum. No! No, no, no! You can't be gone! They can't just get rid of you like that! You were the best partner he ever had! He can't work without you! He's pleading his case to anyone who will listen, and he won't stop until you're either back, or he's threatened with a trip to Parts-and-Service for a little "re-conditioning."

🌙Moondrop + "Missing Half:"🌙

⭐Of course he notices your absence. The lack of your presence is...wrong, in a way. Feels wrong. Feels like a void, makes him anxious. He spends his entire patrols going from corner-to-corner of the 'Plex, looking for any spot you could be "hiding." Where are you? Naughty thing, he's growing tired of this game.

⭐As the days go by, and you still refuse to turn up, people can feel the tension in the air growing. The security guards are scared just to leave their offices while Moon is out. That tension is only broken once someone finally gives him a heads-up about your situation. So, you'll be back? You're not gone? Good. Good. He can wait. He can be patient. And the moment you're back, he's not letting you leave his side for quite a while. You have a lot to make up to him, silly thing.

⭐But if he got wind that you were fired? Hoo, boy! It's gonna be hell for everyone working there. Moon gets much more aggressive, not just with the security guards, but with the higher-ups, too. He's not afraid to show everyone just what a bad decision they made. It's similar to Sun's situation: either they bring you back, or he ends up with a very "special" trip to Parts-and-Service.

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dourpeep · 3 years

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The men of Genshin as romance types:

This just kind popped up in my head after thinking about Xiao's characterization! I might add to this in the future, but for now it's just a small list of headcanons + a short blurb :>

Contains: Lots of fluff, lightly suggestive

Features: Albedo, Venti, Kaeya, Xiao, Zhongli, Childe, and Diluc

Note: you can be soft and still top btw, this is only for how they'd be romantically

Sweet:

Albedo

Albedo is also shown canonically to do little gestures like give people the sketch he did of them to see them smile, this man might seem kinda standoffish at first, but he's not cold

From his voicelines and story, we also know that Albedo is the type of person to think pretty deeply about everything around him

His brain goes 100 miles an hour with all the possibilities and scenarios he can think of

So with his s/o, the best thing that could happen is that he'll take the time to really slow down and unwind

Being a busy, busy man in pursuit of knowledge beyond anyone's comprehension, Albedo rarely gets time off (his sketches are considered research, in a way, no?)

So once he's finally at home, there will be lots of little shows of affection

Passing behind you, perhaps a light touch on your back or shoulder to let you know he's there

On a particularly rough day, he'll sit facing you with his forehead resting on your chest and just--take your hands and put them in his hair

Not really the type to pamper, but there's no doubt of his love

Probably the type of guy to like sitting close in silence

Maybe on the nights you cook, he'll come and wrap his arms around your waist, head leaning on your shoulder as he watches you work

Quietly, you lay on the couch tangled up in his arms, the soft sound of breathing and the light warmth you feel lulling you to sleep. It seems that, even though Albedo is left half asleep from a long day of research, he still continues to trace mindless little patterns on the back of your hand with his thumb. You shift, and he hums, pulling you closer.

Venti

The man’s been through so much, honestly

He's lost his closest friend, helped a rebellion usurp a tyrant, been through a war that lasted centuries, watched as another friend he'd known since birth fall to corruption (but ultimately was saved)

Point being, he's tired and just wants to have his fun

True to his nature, he likes to tease and poke at his s/o, but nothing that can't be undone (after all, a prank isn't funny if it's permanent)

Hand holding, is a must! Venti is a very affectionate person who isn't afraid to express his feelings when it comes to his s/o

Lots of smooches too! (Please smooch him back)

Speaking of hands and smooches, he's the type to bring your hand to his lips and give each your fingertips a little kiss. They've done so much for you and allow him the joy of holding them, so it's the least he can do!

His type of love is free and sweeter than the scent of cecelias, soft as the wind that kisses your skin

Really, he wants to be able to treasure you as much as he can in the time you have together

Today was a picnic date kind of day. A basket filled with fresh, ripe sunsettias and a few dishes you both worked together to make (mostly you, after what happened with Venti's apple cake) sat on top of a sturdy blanket laid on the grass. Head laid in your lap, the wandering bard strummed idly on his lyre, adding a lovely backdrop to an already perfect day.

Romantic:

Kaeya

Of course, the suave Captain doesn't stop with honeyed words

Mysterious as he is, he takes what he does in stride

If he could spend all his life entwined with you, he'd die a happy man

Kaeya is the type of partner to romance with candlelight and nighttime strolls on the beach

A little cheesy, yes, but all the more to sweep you off your feet

Flirty, he likes to take his time with his love and while he similarly treasures his s/o, it's in the way the fairytales are written

Perhaps a little cliche at times

Nevertheless, he's the type of partner to sweep you into a dance despite there being no music and dip you low (whether you both lose balance and fall is up to gravity)

He'll show his affection physically, whether through a quick kiss when you stop by the Favonious Knight's HQ, or pulling you close when you walk through a crowd on a market day

Teasing is also a big thing, if he can make you blush, his mission is accomplished

In privacy, expect his treatment to be the same--it wouldn't do any good if he leaves his dear s/o confused about how he feels

Once again, you take his hand and he sweeps you into a lively waltz, sweeping across the living room floor. Not once do his eyes leave yours. All he ever needs is the feel of you close and the rush of his heart in his chest that bubbles into something fonder when your laugh reaches his ears.

Xiao

Not the best with words, Xiao shows his love through his actions

Little gifts, helping now and then with commissions and clearing the road, he'll do it all with no expectation of thanks (should you thank him, he'll be extremely grateful for the recognition but also perhaps unsure how to react)

He doesn't tend towards physically showing affection to his s/o, so when he does, expect them to show his utter devotion

Often, Xiao questions what it is that he did to deserve such a love, but as soon as you appear in his view, it no longer matters because as long as you believe him to be worthy, why wouldn't he be?

His love is based deeply in trust. The heart is a fragile thing and to someone who's suffered so much in his lifetime, he guards it fiercely to protect himself

When he finally does allow himself the comfort of a relationship, he'll soak it up entirely

Nights spent stargazing on the top of Wangshu Inn, pinkies intertwined, or bodies held together tightly with the sweet exchange of breath

Every touch that he offers is gentle, reverent, and serves to remind him that what he's experiencing is real

He tried, really, for the thing on the plate to turn out the way that you usually make it. It's a far cry from what he remembers, but you set it down and bring your hands to his face. The sight of your beaming smile warms him deeply and he pulls you in close for a kiss.

Zhongli

Be still, my beating heart-

Just as he's full of information from the flowers of Liyue to the deepest cracks in the soil, he loves fully and unapologetically

He's lived through many eras and seen so much that it's hard to not want to express how he feels as he feels it

Deeply appreciative of whatever his s/o does and does for him

He indulges in every word, touch, feeling, and look- He's not a greedy man, but when it comes to love? There's a deep desire to feel it all

There are many ways that Zhongli expresses that love, a few being through your daily strolls through Liyue Harbor and the daily and nightly rituals the two of you have settled down into

His favorite is probably the mornings

There's something about waking up wrapped up in your lover's arms, head resting on their chest as the sun's warm beams shine through the windows that's utterly satisfying

Zhongli indulges in these little moments, favoring them over all else

Once in a while, he'll take you back to where your first date was to reminisce, perhaps even (jokingly) mention little embarrassing things either of you did

Zhongli watches as you sip at your drink and admires the way the sun compliments your eyes. You're preoccupied by the falling leaves, it seems, mentioning how they're just as brilliant gold as his. Though the feeling he feels is far from the excitement of butterflies, it has settled into a comforting sort of warmth that hopes you feel as well.

Passionate:

Childe

This man's love is wild like his personality

Loud, fun, and never quite predictable, he loves like a whirlwind and with an enthusiasm to match no other

Lots of teasing going on here, to make you blush or to mess with you, you'll never know

But it's his unapologetic fire that drew you to him to begin with

When he's not occupied with work, he'll drag you to go sight seeing

Every experience is a new experience, no matter if it's something that seems so everyday or not

His affection is in the form of tightly held hands (he doesn't want to lose you with how quickly he weaves through the crowd), well-placed winks, and kisses to steal your breath away

He also loves in a way that's fiercely protective. His job is a dangerous one and, with the way he's open with your relationship, his affection serves to protect you

But don't forget that despite his passion, he's a man who deeply treasures those close to him and, as his s/o, you'll be showered with only the best he can give you

It was only a quick break in your day, he'd assured, but it quickly became another round of seeing Liyue through his eyes. In the span of only an hour, you've already spotted an untouched patch of glaze lilies, sampled rich Li-style cuisine and fresh Yue-style cuisine, helped a young girl fetch her kite from atop a tree, and now are working your way (or rather, Childe is working your way for you) to a little area behind the busy streets to show you a pack of dogs he'd befriended. Fondly, you smile and watch as he beckons them out of hiding.

Diluc

Diluc lives for the way that his s/o brings the best out of him and, in return, he does the same back

He exudes the air of a gentleman with the way he shows his affection, but, whether intentionally or not, in an utterly enticing way

Being busy during the day with running the tavern and the winery as well as at night as the Darknight Hero (he insists you stop calling him that as well, but you don't miss the light flush of pride each time), the time he dedicates to you is left in the early morning long before you leave for the day and the evening as he settles just before he sets off

During morning time, he's often fond of running his hands over you, feeling each dip and curve, memorizing the way your hair falls and the way your lips curve when you smile

It's a quiet sort of passion

His love is expressed in the fond murmurs against your shoulder and head, sharing those moments of deep intimacy both physical and not

In the evenings, you both settle in front of the fireplace, sharing a drink or two

There's sometimes a certain look in his eye that sets your heart aflame in the dimly lit room, and sometimes he sets off a little later that night in lieu of a few more stolen moments with you

Diluc slides into your shared bed in the early hours of the morning, a bit later than usual. The shift stirs you just enough to wake up to two arms pulling you to his chest and a deep breath with his nose buried in your hair. He's no doubt exhausted. Eyes bleary, you turn until you're facing him and loosely wrap an arm around his waist. In the moments you're still half-awake, you hear a low murmur of 'love you' and you smile against his skin.

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shifuaang · 4 years

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Aang and Katara’s Romantic Bond

Lately I’ve been really thinking about how good Katara and Aang are for each other in so many ways, one of them being that they are both natural romantics.

So of course I had to write about it.

Katara and Aang are enamored with the idea of falling in love and having children during The Fortune Teller. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that they’re fourteen and twelve respectively and have a very innocent and earnest view of love at this point, but romanticism still seems to be an intrinsic part of their personalities. We certainly don’t see the majority of the other characters around their age exhibit such traits.

Toph doesn’t care about courtship and is mostly dismissive of typical romantic expression. Zuko tries once to gift Mai a seashell and fails miserably, not only because she’s disinterested in what he’s offering, but because the seashell is a meaningless gift that he only gives her because he thinks ‘girls like stuff like this’. Ty Lee likes the attention that flirting gets her but doesn’t seem partial to a serious relationship. Azula wouldn’t know romance if it struck her like a bolt of lightening.

Sokka is the only other character besides Aang and Katara who seems to have some predisposition to romance (giving Yue a fish carving and taking her for a ride on Appa, setting up candles in his tent for Suki and making her a sand sculpture), but even he is cynical at times about love and destiny where Aang and Katara are not.

Sokka: I can't believe all these saps! Someone really needs to scream some sense into them. Aang: They seem happy, Sokka.

Katara appreciates compliments and romantic gestures, perhaps more than any other character on the show. We mainly see her blush when she is praised for her abilities and sometimes her appearance. Jet is the first real example we get of her developing a crush, and he wins her affections by, quite literally, sweeping her off of her feet and complimenting her bending.

Jet: By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today. Katara: Well, he's great. He's the Avatar. [Blushes.] I could use some more training.

Though their romance is obviously very short-lived, it’s a small but significant insight into Katara as a character and what she desires in a relationship. It’s also interesting that she doesn’t give up on love or become jaded because of her horrible experience with Jet, as only a few episodes later we see her enthusiastically asking Aunt Wu for details about her future husband.

Aang is a natural romantic, consistently dishes out sincere compliments to everyone he admires, and is no stranger to grand, loving gestures. Acting on Sokka’s advice about staying aloof in order to attract his crush lasts all of five seconds before Aang is already plotting to climb to the top of a volcano to pick Katara a panda lily.

Sokka: Flowers are fine once you're married, but at this early stage, it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness. Aang: But my heart is telling me to get this flower, and Aunt Wu said if I trusted in my heart, I will be with the one I love.

He makes a necklace for Katara from scratch after she loses her mother’s, tells her she looks beautiful, invites her to dance, and throws all of his support behind her when she masquerades as the Painted Lady.

And she loves all of these things. It’s so apparent that Katara feels adored and cherished whenever Aang does or says anything that could possibly be perceived as romantic.

They both value love above any other virtue, whether that love be platonic, familial, or romantic. I cannot stress how important it is for partners to be on the same footing when it comes to these sorts of expectations. As cited earlier, some people (like Mai) are just not into the idea of expressing love in traditionally romantic ways, while some people (like Katara) absolutely revel in the notion.

I can’t help but think about how happy Aang and Katara will make each other in the future as a couple when they are already performing these loving gestures without even being in a romantic relationship. ❤️

#kataang #pro kataang #aang defense squad #otp: penguin sledding #katara x aang #atla #atla meta #katara #aang #I just love my babies

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kotosnoozy · 3 years

Text

「fourteen」 chapter 1

"Yuri did confess to me about one crush. First one he ever had, I’d wager, from how nervous he seemed. I had expected it to be Lady Estellise here,” Hanks says, the corners of his eyes crinkling mischievously as she flusters, “but the one detail he did give me certainly ruled that out quick.” “O-oh?” Estelle stammers. “Mmm, well. Apparently whoever they are, they’re significantly older than him. About 14 years, I think he said.”

On the nature of Yuri's first crush.

He hadn’t thought much of it at first.

Hanks’s fond babbling about Yuri over their extremely well-earned dinner is incredibly revealing about the usually cool-headed leader of their motley crew. The old man proves himself a riveting story-teller, keeping their entire party entertained for hours on end despite the incredibly long and taxing 48 sleepless hours they’ve had.

(‘Though there was almost a permanent sleep in there for some of us,’ Raven finds himself thinking morbidly, before digging his bitten-down nails as deep into his ankles as he can to distract himself)

It feels like the only time any of them stop smiling and laughing is to take another mouthful from their bowls of curry, piled high from the seemingly endless and eternal pots of the stuff in the knight’s mess hall (or in Rita’s case, to test out another formula against the system Alexei’s locked the princess into - luckless so far, but she’s yet to lose determination).

Hanks has provided all sorts of anecdotes: the adventures of a baby Yuri who had just learned to walk, quicker to his feet than Flynn but still only babbling in response to the younger’s full fledged scolding - their dynamic had formed incredibly early on, it seemed; fond recollections of helping him to learn to bind properly, their first real bonding experience that had endeared them to each other as adoptive-grandfather-and-grandson; prideful recounts of Yuri’s development from childhood cynophobia into a renowned dog-lover, of all the other little things Yuri had been scared of as a child and grown out of in time (and those he hadn’t - Raven makes a few mental notes for later reference); all the fights Yuri and Flynn had gotten into over the years, and the brief interlude where they had dated in their teens (‘If anything,’ he laughs, ‘the bickering became even more frequent at that point - thank heavens they didn’t last!’); and of course, everyone’s old favourite - that one time 2 years ago when he’d thrown Adecor into the river on tax day.

Raven’s heard that one on a number of occasions from all four of the people who’d been present when it occurred - it somehow never gets any less funny.

While most of Brave Vesperia and it's honorary members are thrilled to learn more about their favourite rebel, Yuri himself is less than happy about Hanks laying out his life story for everyone to see. It's plain on his face - the grimace of a man who appreciates how much his parents love him but would really prefer they didn't tell his date about the time he streaked naked through the town and peed in a fountain at 5 years old. His embarrassment is palpable, a pink glow to his ears that slowly spreads to his cheeks the longer and more intimate Hanks’ stories become.

It’s as he brings up Yuri’s childhood dream of joining the knights so he could sweep a princess off her feet, pointedly winking in Estelle’s direction, that their so-called fearless leader bolts to his feet. He spins on his heel, making a beeline to the other side of the room, and plonks himself violently between a bewildered Adecor and Boccos, immediately thrown from their confusion into annoyance as Yuri’s food slops all over both of them.

His previous dining companions merely snicker in his wake, Hanks chuckling fondly.

“He’s always been so easily riled, that boy. If this is how flustered he gets over just you lot hearing all this then I can’t even imagine how he’ll be when he finally shacks up with someone.’

“Wait, but didn’t you say he dated Flynn when they were younger?” Karol asks, head cocking to one side.

“Well between you, me and our gatepost friends here,” the old man says, leaning in - they all follow suit, as Hanks’ eyes pointedly glance over to Flynn, “I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings if he hasn’t realised, but I always got the impression that Yuri was far less invested in their relationship than Flynn. It was Flynn who asked him out, after all.”

“My, that does surprise me. Yuri’s always seemed like he’d be the more proactive of the two when it comes to romance.” Judy muses.

Hanks raises his eyebrows, thin lips twisting into an uneasy frown.

“Wait a minute,” Rita says, leaning even further forward. “You’re not saying Yuri never had feelings for him are you?”

He winces, gaze averting. Raven feels his eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

“They’ve always loved each other, of course. But the tone of that love seems to differ between them. Their relationship was what happened when they tried to figure that out, it seems, but ultimately…”

“They just weren’t compatible as partners of that type?”

“Right.” he nods to Estelle. “In all honesty, Yuri might give off the air of someone with considerable relationship experience, but it’s Flynn who attracts more attention. And seems more interested in others in turn.”

Raven finds his gaze wandering between the two in question - Flynn has managed to find himself eating amidst a small crowd, knights and lower quarter folks alike, all of them doting on him and telling him stories, and him listening attentively to each of them in turn. Yuri, meanwhile is… wrestling with all three of the ex-Schwann Brigade’s most prominent knights simultaneously. Astounding.

“Yeah that tracks.” he finds himself murmuring, nails scratching through the chest hair that rises above the collar of his shirt. Even if Flynn wasn’t the most eager to please others between the two, the young man radiates a natural charm that draws others to him like a moth to a flame - it’s hard to forget how he was upstaged the time he took him drinking in Dahngrest. Yuri, meanwhile, has a proclivity for trouble and a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth with his wit. While endearing, he can’t imagine it’s the most efficient for pursuing new connections - even if he’s managed to attract all of the motley crew Raven’s currently sat with.

“So Flynn’s a secret ladies’ man and Yuri, despite all the pomp and swagger, has absolutely no game?” Rita snickers, casting a wry look across the room at Yuri that he’s too distracted to notice.

“Well I don’t know about that. Flynn’s a man’s man if nothing else, never shown interest in women to my knowledge. But… I don’t think Yuri’s ever actually been interested in dating , full stop.”

“No way, really?!” Karol barks. The exclamation draws the attention of the groups sat closest to them, even Flynn, momentarily, before they go busily back to their meals. Flynn’s expression as he looks at them is pondering, almost puppy-like, and Karol’s panic is practically visible as they watch him seemingly wrestle with whether to come over and see what the fuss is about. Then the woman at his side taps a hand to his elbow gently, and his manners win out - she successfully steals his attention back around, all of his interest in their discussion completely forgotten.

“Well. It certainly seems that way anyway. I remember him asking me, back when they dated, how he would know if his feelings for someone were romantic. He didn’t seem to understand my answer very well."

“That’s unexpected. I suppose my advances have all been vain!” Patty whines. Raven finds himself snickering - whether Patty’s affections are genuine or not is one mystery he's yet to solve, but her playing it up is never any less entertaining or fun to tease.

“Though now that I think about it… he did confess to me about one crush. First one he ever had, I’d wager, from how nervous he seemed.”

Patty surges forward onto her hands and knees, scrambling to get in Hanks’ face. Surprisingly, he’s not that caught off guard - perhaps used to it from Yuri’s exuberance as a child, or that other kid from the lower quarter who’s off chasing Repede on the far side of the room.

“I need all the details, matey! Don’t spare a single one!”

Hanks chuckles.

“I’m very sorry young lady, but he didn’t tell me all that much! I had expected it to be Lady Estellise here,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling mischievously as she flusters, “but the one detail he did give me certainly ruled that out quick.”

“O-oh?” Estelle stammers.

“Mmm, well. Apparently whoever they are, they’re significantly older than him. About 14 years, I think he said.”

“My my! That’s quite the considerable age gap.” Judy coos, tone teasing in spite of Yuri’s absence. She turns over to look at him, sitting atop a pile of knights and triumphantly tucking into a second of four bowls (spoils of war, Raven would wager) - they all do, in fact.

“Kid’s got taste at least. Nothin’ quite like the mature allure of an older lady~'' Raven sing-songs, half-joking. Rita jabs him in the side harshly.

“Shut up old man-- you said you thought it was Estelle he had a crush on right? So are you saying this is recent? ”

It’s like a switch flips in all of their heads simultaneously. Faces filled with shock whip to look at Hanks, who sits sheepishly clutching his bowl.

“Whoops. Might’ve let a little too much information slip on that one. I was probably meant to keep that detail private…”

“Oh my go--”

Rita slaps a hand over Karol’s mouth before his shriek draws too many eyes over. They all meet each other's' gaze one by one - Yuri's crushing on someone for the first time ever at this exact moment - before turning to look back at Yuri again. He’s mid-mouthful, spoon clutched in his hand like a shovel and sauce dripping down his chin, as he turns to survey his surroundings and catches their eyes.

“What?” he chokes out around his mouthful, just audible over the bustle of the rest of the room. He must see the sheer shock on their faces, as concern starts to cross his face and his gaze wanders to Hanks. “Wait, what did you tell them, old man?”

Hanks chooses that exact moment to get up, incredibly swiftly for a man his age.

“Well, thank you all for keeping me company, kids, but I must be off to… check on other people in… other parts of the castle. Right. Goodbye.”

The speed at which he heads for the door is quite remarkable - Yuri barely manages to scramble off his knight-pile-cum-throne before he’s gone from sight, and presumably halfway down the corridor before Yuri makes it out of the room after him.

It’s a shock, that much is certain. Raven hadn’t thought Yuri would be interested in older women - or people he supposes, he’s never really shown any inclination to anyone before in a romantic sense, so certainly not any specific gender. He’d never much struck him as the type.

But then he hadn’t struck him as the type to be interested in any type of relationship until this curveball of a conversation had come along. So hey, why not. If Yuri was into older people, he certainly wasn’t intending to torment him about it. Other than maybe one opportunely timed quip.

Honestly, he really hadn’t thought much about it at first.

But then the kids throw their own curveball.

“I can’t believe Yuri likes someone so much older than him!! Like, I guess I get the appeal of someone a little older than you for like… security or something, I dunno. But man, 14 years!!” Karol exclaims, as quietly as he can for his excitement. “I wonder if we know who it is.”

Rita barks a laugh, catching a distracted Patty off-guard. She begins anew whatever calculations she’d been making on her fingers as Rita shrugs exaggeratedly.

“I bet it’s some big-boobed motherly-figure in the lower quarter or something.”

“Well if all he wanted was big boobs and a nurturing personality then I’ve been here this whole time, all he had to do was ask!” Judith sighs, sly smirk giving away her lack of sincerity.

“Hey,” Patty pipes up suddenly, drawing their attention. “Isn’t Raven about 14 years older than Yuri?”

He feels the cogs in his brain whirr to a stop.

Suddenly, he is thinking very much about it.

“Oh yeah!” he hears Karol chirp. No doubt he checks the calculations on his own fingers, but Raven doesn’t register it if so, hard as he’s trying just to think at all. “Haha, that’s a weird coincidence!”

Estelle giggles.

“Imagine if it was Raven he had a thing for!”

He feels their eyes on him instantly, but it takes a moment for his brain to catch up. His own eyes must be wide as saucers, as they look at him, the mirth starting to fall from Estelle’s expression - he forces a ridiculous grin to his face.

“Haha, yeah imagine that! Someone like Yuri fallin’ for a washed up old fart like me!” he cackles, voice strained even to his own ears. “That’d be ridiculous!!”

The kids buy it though, Karol laughing along before pulling the others back into their debate about exactly who the mystery object of Yuri’s affections could be. It’s Estelle whose gaze lingers on him, just a moment or two longer, as the facade starts to crack, but she must see it - the silent plea in his eyes - as she turns back to the others not a moment later.

If anyone notices that Raven is mentally tapped out until they all go their separate ways for the night, then they’re at least polite enough not to mention it.

⇷-------------

Raven is a strange one.

This is Yuri’s third time meeting the man (or fourth, if the time Rita threatened to set him alight in Capua Torim counts as an actual encounter) and in all honesty, it’s hard to get a read on him past him being very obviously shady.

He seems as though he might be someone of consequence, if the quality of information he so casually throws like bones to random guards is actually as quality as he would have them believe. Either way he’s certainly silver-tongued, plying the others in Yuri’s makeshift travelling party into submission fairly easily despite their initial apprehension about him. Karol and Estelle are charmed by him, by his goofy antics if not the lolloping drawl of his accent, though they make no effort to hide the fact that they find him fishy. While Rita is far less taken, she seems to be placated by him taking her punishments, both fire and fists, like a champ.

The charm isn’t exactly visible to the naked eye though. He skulks at the back of the group, heavy footed and posture slouched. His clothes all seem far too big for him, obscuring the shape of his body in a way Yuri supposes is meant to make him seem unassuming, and he’s already displayed a number of habits that he knows would make any upper quarter noble’s toes curl - picking at his ears and the skin around his nails, before chewing at the nails themselves.

He has to admit though, he’s quite handsome in the face beneath the mess of dusty brown hair. Not in the same way as Flynn, with his big blue eyes and tousled blonde hair, the very picture of a storybook knight. His crooked nose, chapped lips, stubbly chin and hollow cheeks certainly make for a more unconventional type of attractive, but they all come together to create a certain appeal. The brightness of his eyes certainly helps too.

Also the combat prowess. Fighting ability is always an attractive quality in Yuri’s opinion, but especially in a travelling companion.

For a self-professed old man, Raven’s far more nimble than Yuri had expected. Sure, he’d made quite the getaway back in Capua Nor after he’d sold them out, but he’d assumed that’d been a one-off desperate sprint, not the norm. Apparently he was wrong, based on the nimble footwork he employs to dart out of the way of a particularly feisty howler. It doesn’t escape his notice how Karol nearly falls flat on his ass when Raven rushes past him and twists himself at an insane angle to fire an arrow across the way, skewering a beetle between its mandibles before it can take a bite out of Estelle.

“Woah, Raven!! Yuri, you’ve got some serious competition for your acrobatics now!!”

The bark of laughter leaves his throat unwittingly.

“I didn’t realise there even was a competition!”

He sees Rita roll her eyes as she releases a torrent of water behind her, clearly disbelieving him and with good reason; he’s never been one to back down from a potential competition. He breaks away from the corner of the forest floor he’s been holding down, using the momentum to propel himself up and over Raven, carrying it into his sword as he flips to crash it down into the skull of another monster. Raven whistles appreciatively as it disappears into dust.

“Not bad, young ‘un!”

He throws a smirk over his shoulder, ego swelling at the genuine awe on Raven’s face.

“How’s about it, old man? First to twenty?”

The awe transforms into a grimace in an instant.

“Ahhh, I dunno about that. Ol’ Raven’s never really been one for competitions, let alone effort. ”

He scoffs.

“Oh, come on. We’ve got no choice but to fight to get deeper into the forest anyway, right? So why not make a game of it? Not like it’ll actually be any more effort than you were already putting in.”

Raven purses his lips, seemingly unconvinced. His eyes narrow slightly as he stares off, deep in thought, the blue-green seemingly increasing in intensity. For all he’s been putting on the act of a court jester, Yuri is certain in that moment that there’s a deep intelligence to the older man; something unspoken, a wisdom beyond his years.

(Not that he knows how old Raven is but. Well, he gets the feeling that while he’s certainly older than he and his travelling companions, he’s not actually pushing middle-aged yet like he makes out)

Fwip!

He comes back to himself to see Raven’s face closer than before, upside down, chin in line with his collarbone. His bow arm (and subsequently the bow itself) is extended past his shoulder, the other loose by his head having just fired. Behind him there’s a thunk. A screech. A pop. And then silence.

“Looks like that’s one ta me~” Raven coos, eyes hooded as he smirks. He rolls his back, lithe and catlike, to stand himself back upright, stretching his arms out until his shoulders crack. For all his complaining about aches and pains so far (extremely numerous for the time they’ve been travelling with him, maybe an hour at most), he certainly doesn’t move as though he has any joint issues.

Despite his shock, he finds himself laughing.

If he’s honest with himself, he’s just as charmed by Raven as the kids are. He’s never made a connection quite like this one; with someone who can go toe to toe with his dry wit, and make it out the other side without being angry with him. Rita had been the closest (since Niren at least, but Yuri prefers to avoid thinking about the only father he ever knew if he can). But while Rita’s great with a back and forth, she’s easily riled, easily flustered. It only takes one slightly wrong jab and she gets stroppy, or else loses all interest in the situation.

Raven, for all his strangeness, has so far matched Yuri every step of the way. They’ve fallen so easily into a steady banter, something of their own personal comedy routine for just the two of them, some form of it present even from their first encounter way back in that jail cell. To have someone who can appreciate his snark, and give it back just as good while they both know it’s all in good fun? He’d never realised just how much he’d appreciate a relationship like that.

So yeah, Raven’s a little suspicious. But as far as Yuri’s concerned, he’s willing to offer him the benefit of the doubt for the strange comfort he gets from their repartee, just so long as he doesn’t do anything too crazy.

He slaps Raven on the shoulder, moving past him to continue deeper into the oversized brush.

“You got me, old man. But don’t you worry, you won’t be holding that lead for long.”

Raven merely cackles in response, wordlessly filing in behind him.

-------------⇸

There’s only one real constant within their travelling party, and that’s that the sleeping arrangements are ever-changing.

It takes a little while for him to notice, though in his defence the first week or so he’s with them is certainly not a typical week. In the more recent days, they’d gotten lucky with inns having enough beds for all of them, but the first few nights had been entirely sleepless in the hustle and bustle of, y’know, stopping a war, taking down the Blood Alliance and colliding with an actual genuine-article ghost ship.

(He’s still not sure what that was all about if he’s being entirely honest, but he’s old and ““wise”” enough by now that he knows there are some things in this world that you simply shouldn’t question)

So it’s Nordopolica where he finds himself bedding down with his new companions for the first time. The constant hustle and bustle of Palestralle’s workers and the fresh colosseum season unfortunately means there isn’t much free in terms of rooms. On the plus side, the three double beds they’re provided are plenty enough space for them all to be able to sleep comfortably; Fomalhaut’s rooms are quite spacious, nothing at all like the army barracks of his youth (though he supposes that should be expected from a city that considers itself something of an entertainment hub).

Raven takes his time ambling in behind everyone else, absently watching how effortlessly Repede transfers his pipe from one side of his toothy maw to the other. Rushing would be pointless, in his opinion, because he can already envision how everyone will double-up. Rita is sure to claim a spot beside the princess, for whose sake she could not be more clearly continuing to travel for despite her protests, and Judy won’t want to get lumped with a snotty (though admittedly quite sweet) brat or some dirty old man she hardly knows - he’s gonna get stuck with the kid, and the two of them can have a very one-sided competition over whose shitty little brain can give them the most nightmares in one night, and Raven will be perfectly content with that, thank you very much.

(It’ll be him who wins that one - hormone-induced nightmares are nothing compared to the horrors your brain can produce when you have blood and a war on your hands)

And then Karol throws him for a loop by tossing his bag semi-gently to the floor before diving into bed after Rita , of all people.

She hardly even makes a fuss. There’s a yelp - what sounds like it could be the start of the protest Raven would expect from such a combination - before she settles almost immediately.

“Just make sure you don’t kick me awake again, got it?” she barks pointedly at him, before rolling to face away from him and promptly cocooning herself in the blanket. He laughs at her, kicking off his shoes and fluffing up his pillow, seemingly content.

Wide-eyed, Raven turns to the girls - surely he can’t be the only one caught off-guard by this, it seems unthinkable for Rita not to put up a fight to sharing with Karol , and there’s an exclamation of surprise right on the tip of his tongue - only to find them claiming the second bed for themselves, Judy helping Estelle to unfasten the complicated buckles of her dress. He bites his words back, head whipping away; much as the image of a pervert works as a brilliant cover to convince the kids of his idiocy, peeping on the possible-crown princess as she gets changed is certainly not a thing he’s ever aspired to.

And so he comes face to face with the final bed. His bed he supposes, strange as it may still be to him. Yuri’s already making himself comfy on the left side, shirt and jacket thrown over the bottom edge of the bed frame. He stretches his arms up and over his head, muscles rippling as he yawns. He catches Raven’s eye as they fall back down, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes.

“Looks like it’s you and me, old man.” he says, patting the sheets next to him with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

He can feel his own lips quirk to mirror Yuri’s, even as he fights to push down the instinctive panic.

“And here I was hopin’ ta share with my darlin’ Judy!” he whines playfully, flopping down beside him face first in a show of dramatism.

“Sorry, Raven. I just couldn’t miss the chance to cuddle up with Estelle!” comes her voice, sing-songy, from the bed she’s claimed. He can see, as he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees to get better situated, that she’s doing exactly that. She’s practically spooning the princess, face buried in short pink locks, and Estelle herself looks the very picture of a tomato (not that he wouldn’t himself with Judith’s considerable… assets pressed against him).

“Well so long as yer not a cuddler yerself, Mr Lowell.” he jokes, rearranging himself onto his back before pulling the duvet up to his chin. For all that they’re in less than ideal circumstances with sharing beds, he’s glad to see Palestralle don’t skimp on the furnishings for their inns - the linen is incredibly soft, smooth against the pads of his fingers, and it’s a smart fabric choice for an inn in so changeable a climate.

Yuri huffs a laugh.

“I think I can hold myself back this once, just for you.” he says, tone laden with sarcasm. He watches Raven with keen eyes as he lounges on his side, head resting in his hand. Raven wonders how he can sleep like that - how his arm doesn’t cramp in the night, doesn’t wake him up in a fit of panic when he can’t move it, breathing shallow until the blood flow returns. He forgets, sometimes, that not everyone enters a blind panic over the little things.

“Why, I'm honoured! Yer benevolence knows no bounds!" he coos back, nose scrunching in amusement. Yuri smiles as he reaches back and pats Repede where he stands by the bed - a silent request to turn off the overhead light. The pooch complies, trotting off with a clack of his pipe between his teeth - Raven’s constantly caught off guard by the dog’s intelligence, the number of strange things Yuri’s managed to teach him (or perhaps that the dog has taught himself? He’s still not fully certain how much of a hand in training him that the young man’s had), and this is certainly another for the list.

“Damn right it doesn’t. Better make sure you show me the respect I deserve.” he says. He meets his eyes again as the blastia clicks off, dousing them in darkness. They crinkle with mirth, the abyss within softening even more as Karol giggles at their antics on the other side of the room.

They find themselves in a staring contest, of sorts. Or maybe closer to a game of chicken? He’s sure Yuri sees it that way at least, if his unblinking gaze is anything to go by. For him on the other hand it’s… something else. What exactly he can’t say. He’s just... transfixed .

Because Yuri’s plenty handsome on his own - perhaps even beautiful, if that’s more your thing. Raven’s already seen him turn a great many heads in the short time they’ve been together, including both the illustrious head of Fortune’s Market and the great forgotten war hero himself. Maybe he’d even let himself cast an admiring glance his way, if he hadn’t picked specifically womaniser for Raven’s bullshit cover-up trait.

But when the sea-breeze blows gently, kicking up the curtains, and the moonlight shines into the room, it catches him just so. The glow is ethereal, transformative, and it brings out the hidden flecks of golden brown in the depths of Yuri’s eyes, spins the silk of his dark hair almost chestnut. And just for a moment, he can trick himself into believing she’s here, the Canary herself, laid opposite him with a fond teasing smile, and oh god the hole where his heart used to be aches to reach out and touch her--

But for all her perfections, Casey’s eyes had never glowed quite like that had they? Never stared directly into his soul, made him almost want to bury into her arms and let her shoulder his every burden for him. Her kindness had inspired, but never been so bottomless that he wanted to abuse it, had never come off her in waves to the point it was visible in every little line of her face despite any grandstanding. Never so gentle to the broken that he could almost convince himself that he doesn’t need to run, that if he’s seen he’ll be accepted wholly, flaws and sins and all.

Not like Yuri. Not at all like Yuri.

The curtain drops, or else the clouds must roll in overhead. Either way, the moonlight vanishes, and with it goes the last vestiges of the illusion.

“Aye-aye, sir.” he all but murmurs, his voice tighter than just moments ago. He hopes, as Yuri’s face twists in concern, that his own face doesn’t give away the turmoil of his heart.

“You alright, old man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Hah, maybe I have!” he laughs, but it sounds notably hollow even to him. Still, he doesn’t break eye-contact as Yuri seems to peer directly into him, seemingly scanning his every thought and feeling, hope and dream.

The last thing he sees as he slips into sleep is the gentle embrace of the abyss. While his dreams are plagued by nightmares, a broken body bleeding out in the sand, he finds it’s the best night’s sleep he’s had in years.

-------------⇸

The town is silent, other than the gentle rustle of the sea breeze through the trees and the crunch of the dirt path beneath his feet.

They’ve been here all day, but Yuri’s not sure he’s used to how incredibly peaceful Yormgen is yet. He’s not sure he ever will be, either. He’s used to the bustle of the city, the shouting of vendors and newsies in Zaphias’s main market as carts laden with goods and people roll by. It feels like there’s always a dog barking, a clock chiming, a baby crying in the city, and the background noise helps him to switch his brain off in a way that the country never can.

Halure had been quiet to him - the calm atmosphere of the day, the slowness of shop transactions and conversation, had already been a lot, but for there to be a perfect stillness as night fell rather than an increase in bustle as drinkers started to take to the town had been the real whiplash. Despite a relatively large population, the town didn’t have a single dedicated bar to its name, and it’d thrown Yuri for far more of a loop than he’d ever expected.

Yormgen is even stranger. There must be all of fourteen people in this entire town, he thinks, and every single one of them vanished into their houses the moment the sun started to set. The only conversation he's heard that he hasn’t been directly involved in since Duke showed up and smashed their apatheia (he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t still annoyed about that) is that of his own travelling companions bickering over what to make for dinner with their limited ingredients as he stepped away to find their mysterious disappearing old man.

Raven took the loss of the crystal hard. Or at least, Yuri thinks he did. He certainly vanished quickly when they decided to wait around while Rita took some time to investigate. He’d been right next to him one second and then gone the next, before they’d had a chance to agree to meet back up for dinner at sundown. With no one having seen him all day since to let him know, it’d fallen on his shoulders to hunt him down and drag him back. Raven might’ve been plenty energetic on their first trip through the desert, but they all know better than to let him make the return journey on an empty stomach. The man eats like a bird at the best of times - he really can’t afford to be doing that now.

He’d grumbled and whined about it being him who had to go find him, but in all honesty he’s kind of pleased. He’s found himself surprisingly worried about the old man - this is the first time since they’ve started officially travelling together that he’s pulled a disappearing act. Normally it’s hard to get him to shut up for more than 20 minutes at a time, so the better part of a day without seeing or hearing from him at all is completely unheard of. If his silence doesn’t mean he’s curled up and died somewhere, then Yuri knows that he’s the only one of their party who stands any chance of fetching him with both of them left unscathed.

He’s explored the residential side of the town (if it can truly be called that) extensively already throughout the day. Not that it was hard to do - other than the homes of locals that are a bit further out, the town proper is essentially three big buildings and a deck. He’d quickly concluded that there were very few places to hide a man with a proclivity for such a bright shade of purple amongst the muted timber and the gentle green of the grass. The only conclusion he can come to is that Raven must’ve headed to the other side of town, to the sea of flowers that makes his sinuses itch just looking in their direction.

For all he knows they’ll give him a headache, the flowers are incredibly pretty. It had been the bushes of pink and blue trumpets that had caught his attention in the midday, as Estelle had run over to them in delight and plucked a few. She’d fashioned a few little fascinators, of sorts (a skill she’d learned in the finishing school she had no doubt been forced to attend as the potential future Empress), and spent the better part of an hour lacing them into everyone’s hair. If he looks back over his shoulder, he knows he’ll see Judith wearing the pink blossoms - rhododendron, Estelle had called them - with pride, while Karol nervously fidgets with his own, worried they’ll fall out, ruining the princess’s hard work.

Now, however, in the amber light of the sunset, it’s the flower tunnel that draws his eye. Not that he hadn’t noticed it before - it’s impossible to miss, vibrant as it is. But he’s never been the biggest fan of yellow, always a little bright for his tastes. The way the light bounces off the thousands of little flowers is certainly eye-catching though, setting them in such a way that their radiance is somehow easier on the eye. They’re impossible to look away from as he draws closer, some emotion he’s unused to, couldn’t possibly name, stirring in his chest. The chains dance gently in the breeze, bouncing against each other like a bead curtain, and something about it makes him nostalgic for the familiarity of the Lower Quarter.

Then he spots him, further in, beneath the boughs. His hand rests comfortably on the handle of the knife he keeps at his waist, the other left to the mercy of the breeze as he stares up amidst the blossoms. They bathe him in their glow, mingling with the dying rays of the sun, casting him almost golden . He’s mesmerised by the sight himself, it seems, completely off-guard for the first time in the couple of months Yuri’s known him - for all he plays the fool, Yuri would be an even bigger one not to realise how keenly Raven follows the every movement of all those around him.

But right now, he seems… defenceless. Open. Fragile. Unaware that a world aside from him and the sea of flowers even exists. He could do whatever he wanted to Raven in this moment, he thinks, and he just knows the man would be equally surprised by anything. Something about that knowledge, this vision makes his chest feel light, almost airy.

The image sears itself into his mind, unbidden, and he knows instantly. No matter how hard he tries he’ll never erase it.

“Laburnum.”

He startles as Raven speaks. Perhaps he hadn’t been as unaware as he’d thought.

“Huh?” he grunts dumbly.

“These flowers. They call ‘em Laburnum. Or golden rain in some parts.” he says, flicking his eyes (almost the vibrant green of dense aer with the glow) over to acknowledge Yuri. He goes quickly back to gazing upwards, almost reverent. “Pretty apt.”

Yuri finds himself eyeing the flowers again as he moves closer. They’re strangely shaped, the blooms, unlike any he’s seen before. The petals curl back and in on themselves, clustered closely together in a way that hides the little shock of red in their centres. Stranger still are the buds, gently curved in a way that reminds him of the plantains he’d seen in Dahngrest’s market.

From the right angle, they could almost look like birds in flight, or indeed a sudden burst of rainfall.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Raven’s lips quirk into a smile. His eyebrows set into something pensive, wistful even.

“They’re pretty rare these days. Didn’t think I’d ever get to see a single tree with my own eyes, never mind a whole grove…”

The melancholy that’s settled over him like a veil is impossible to ignore, his voice distant as though transported to another time. There’s a pressure at the base of Yuri’s throat as he watches him, finds himself wanting to do… something. He’s not sure what. Just anything to pull him from his reverie. But of course, in the end all he really knows is sarcasm.

“Wouldn’t have taken you as the type to know about flowers.”

It seems to work somewhat. Though perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised - he and Raven have always been strangely in sync.

“Wouldn’t be much good with the ladies if I didn’t know about little things like flowers, now would I?” he says, finally turning to face Yuri more fully. His eyes soften with mischief, and yet still seem tight with… well if Yuri had to put a name to it, he’d wager it was grief .

A half-joke then; his flower knowledge almost certainly learned on behalf of one lady, though he’d wager not women generally at all. After all, for all he seemed to enjoy playing the womaniser, his actions often seemed chosen to purposefully push them away if anything.

Yuri rolls his eyes in faux-annoyance. Raven smiles. It gets closer to meeting his eyes than he expected it to.

“I can’t imagine just throwing their names around is especially impressive. Seems more like the absolute bare minimum.” he says, hand coming to rest on a cocked hip. Raven’s smile widens, coaxed out of his shell somewhat by the familiar teasing routine.

“Ah, but whoever said I only knew their names?”

His eyebrows raise instinctively. To know flowers’ names is one thing, but any other details aren’t usually common knowledge; their language, how to arrange them, the best methodology for their care all usually things known solely by the upper echelons of society, or else those with enough money in their back pockets to take a chance on starting a related career.

“Don’t tell me…” he trails off, fixing Raven with a sceptical look. The old man’s face splits into a wide grin, hand coming up to flash a peace sign. Dork, his thinks impulsively as he huffs a laugh, surprised at the fond tone the word takes in his mind. Then quick as the cheer arrives it drops again, leaving the previous melancholic half-smile splayed across Raven’s face.

“These wouldn’t be much good in a bouquet though, pretty as they are. If bein’ deadly poisonous wasn’t enough, they’re usually used as a symbol of the forsaken. ” he muses, the last word spat like something dirty from his mouth.

“Who the hell would look at these and decide that? ” Yuri barks out. His expression must look as bewildered as he feels - Raven laughs at him, gentle but genuine.

“Yeah, it seems like a lot, right?” he says. His gaze drifts away from Yuri’s, losing focus and staring past him, through his shoulder. “She always liked them though, in spite of that.”

“...She?” he asks, carefully. He doesn’t want to sound eager, too nosey. Doesn’t want to push when the old man is this fragile. But he can’t help his curiosity - this is the first he’s mentioned of his past, the first clue to piecing together the admittedly fascinating mystery that is Raven. The man himself seems to realise it too, that with just one sentence he’s revealed a huge part of himself he hasn’t previously. Graciously, he doesn’t scramble to hide it away as Yuri might’ve expected.

“Ah. Old friend.” he says softly, as though divulging a secret. “She’s… gone now. But she was always a big fan of flowers. These weren’t her favourite but. She liked ‘em plenty.”

It slips out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

“Not like you to spill your past out in the open like this, old man.”

It takes all of his mental strength not to kick himself as Raven’s expression shutters, the nostalgia, longing , vanishing from his face in favour of something more carefully guarded. His eyes though, expressive as they are, can’t hide the pain.

“Ah. I suppose they got me feelin’ a little nostalgic. Forgive me.”

The silence stretches out between them for miles and miles as he watches Raven, Raven in turn watching the dancing laburnum above his head. His eyes flicker from bloom to bloom, as though cataloguing each one carefully, trying to commit their shape, their profile to memory. Yuri finds his eyes drawn to his lips as they purse, a gentle pout taut in a manner that gives away the nervous chewing of the inside of his mouth. His thick eyelashes fan over his cheekbones as he blinks, and Yuri hates the silence of the country, because it’s weird sappy shit like this that the bustle of the city helps him to avoid thinking about.

Raven’s a lot like these flowers , is the thought that springs to his mind, unprompted. And it’s ridiculous really. Completely nonsensical. The kind of thing Karol might come out with on a night where he’s overtired, that they’d all tease him for mercilessly until they pass out. But there’s nothing to distract him from it - he’s surrounded by the evidence, and the more he tries to ignore it the more sense it seems to make to him. The two parts of his brain war with each other, unrelenting, and he can feel the push and pull starting to show on his face.

Then a single blossom falls from the canopy above. It lands perfectly atop Raven’s bangs, perched there like a peepit in a tree, and he can’t fight the analogy anymore - Raven certainly looks forsaken, in that instant, the pain swimming in his eyes. And yet usually so bright and cheery, like the flower’s vibrant colouring, almost desperate for attention as he jokes around-- and then pushing people away, like a poison, when they try to get close. An exterior crafted to make you underestimate him, and yet a hidden strength, swift and deadly on the battlefield. A sunny disposition that washes over you like a summer rain, calming and refreshing.

He’s not sure anymore if the golden glow bouncing off Raven’s skin is from the flowers, or just simply the man himself.

A light breeze jostles the flower, and it slips from his hair. The strange shape hooks itself onto the crook of his nose and it wedges firmly, even as the wind picks up, cascading more petals down onto them both. Raven either ignores it, or doesn’t notice, his eyes falling closed as he lets nature wash over him.

He steps closer carefully, unthinkingly. He feels as a moth to a flame, though why he couldn’t say. He’s unfamiliar with the stirring in his chest that rises at the sight, doesn’t understand his compulsion to reach out, to touch Raven. To check he’s still solid and there, that he hasn’t been blown away on the currents of the wind like his namesake.

His hand reaches out, plucking the flower from Raven’s face gently. The old man startles instantly, eyes snapping open and meeting Yuri’s as he flicks the blossom to the floor. Raven’s eyes scan over him, looking for answers that he’s not sure he’ll find. Yuri certainly wouldn’t be able to explain if he were to ask. He simply looks between the sunken blue-green, carefully smoothing more fallen petals from Raven’s shoulders.

“For what it’s worth,” he says, voice practically a whisper beneath the howling of the breeze, far gentler than he’d expected it to be, “I think I understand why your friend liked them.”

Raven’s eyebrow cocks, ever so slightly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he answers, lips quirking into a small smile, something genuine and raw and delicate that he doesn’t recall gracing his face before. “They’ve got a certain charm, I suppose.”

Raven’s breath hitches - he doesn’t hear it, only sees the narrowing of his nostrils, the bobbing of his Adam's apple. His eyes are so round, as the melancholy starts to subside slowly, leaving something inquisitive in his wake. It’s an expression he’s sure he’s seen on Repede before when he was younger, still training, still struggling with learning to sit on command, and it feels strange to compare Raven to a puppy, but it certainly isn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to him in the last 24 hours.

It feels like hours before Raven breaks his eyes away, anything raw and gentle immediately traded for bluster and jokes as he ducks his head.

“What’re you doin’ hangin’ out with me amidst the flowers anyway?” he asks, voice a little hoarse as his teasing lilt starts to creep back to him. “The others will start to talk if we keep havin’ these secret rendezvous, young man! How scandalous!”

He slaps his hand to his chest, feinting horror at their make-believe tryst. Yuri snorts, socking him lightly in the arm. Ridiculous as his jokes are, he can’t help but be pleased to see him return to some semblance of normalcy.

“I came to get you for dinner, dumbass. After that, you can feel free to go on ahead to Nordopolica.” he says, turning back around to lead the way to the others with a nod of his head.

Raven snickers at his own antics, hurrying to follow after him as he pulls a hurt expression.

“What, you wanna get rid of me so soon?”

“Wrong.” he snorts, head turned pointedly away in an effort to ignore his self-deprecating jokes. “I just wouldn't want you to miss the new moon and your chance to deliver the letter all on our account.”

The beat of silence that follows is just a touch too long for their usual banter. He turns back to Raven, worried momentarily that he’s run off again and he’ll be on a wild goose chase for the rest of the night, only to find him following attentively behind him. He’s looking at Yuri, expression… totally indecipherable to him for once, actually. It’s a rare occasion for him to have no idea what the old man is thinking.

“What?” he asks, eyebrow quirking. Raven simply smiles, wide and catlike.

“Oh, nothin’ important~” he sing-songs, taking over the lead in the moment Yuri pauses. “Honestly, I could do fine without your concern.”

Yuri scowls.

“Wrong again.” he says, moving to keep pace, their back-and-forth continuing until they arrive back at the inn, and the campfire their party has set up.

(He never does figure out what Raven’s expression had meant on that day, but when he finds the small laburnum branch tangled in his hair alongside the rhododendron the next morning, he quietly stows it away in the bottom of Karol’s bag, heart fluttering strangely in his chest)

-------------⇸

The speed at which Mantaic’s locals manage to throw the party together is honestly quite astounding.

The stalls of the inn concourse have cleared their tables of their wares, already starting to accumulate piles of local cuisine - barely an hour since the news of the Flynn Brigade’s arrival started to spread throughout the town, whispers abandoned in favour of joyous cries despite the extreme early hour, and already there’s a feast to rival one for a noble. People of all ages are wide awake and gleeful, even very young children who don’t fully understand what’s happening squealing with joy at seeing their parents’ and older siblings’ excitement.

The princess tries to help where she can (as always) - shakily carrying huge steaming pots to their directed positions, assisting in dragging tables out of homes to line the streets. Were Flynn not so busy tying up loose ends with the stragglers of the Cumore Brigade, Judith’s sure he’d be dancing around her like a mother hen. Instead, Karol and Rita have become his stand-ins, getting roped into helping themselves albeit minus Estelle’s unshakeable enthusiasm.

She’s glad everything turned out okay in the end. It had been with great unease that they’d all drifted off to sleep the night before, distressed at their powerlessness, their lack of time. Battling with the princess’s impulsivity had been hard, especially in the presence of her big round eyes and quivering lips, but a necessary evil. There really wasn’t anything they could’ve done. Judith remains firm in her belief - it would be impossible to rehabilitate a man like Cumore in jail. Even with the combined influence of Flynn and Estelle, the strength of their idealism and naïveté, a man as corrupt as he would never conform to concepts like morals and ethics. He would only change in death.

The man’s fall from grace, while certainly better than allowing him to run amok, does little to satisfy her in all honesty. The townspeople, however, just seem glad to be free of his clutches, regardless of the flaws in the Empire’s justice system. She can’t blame them really - she’s sure she’d feel the same in their shoes, the ever-lingering threat of death by dehydration or being eaten alive finally lifted from their shoulders.

She’s glad for the lifting of the tense air that had settled over their travelling party the night before. That there’s a smile on Estelle’s face again is good too. For the sake of the guild, nothing more , she scolds herself mentally, quashing the leap in her chest as the baby blues smile in her direction.

She finds herself counted as one of the old souls on this occasion; the small group who are extremely pleased for the turn of events and the freedom of the people, but are either too tired or consider themselves too uninvested to actually lend a hand. Raven is a regular to this group, fucked as his sleeping pattern is, and it doesn't surprise her as much as she thought it would that Patty too sits among them.

Yuri sitting back, however, is new.

Something is off with him. Something has been off with him since… well, certainly since their discovery of Cumore's little scheme. He’s never been the most talkative of their group, a man of relatively few words until it comes to snide jibes and teasing, or else rallying speeches to raise morale or call outs for something he perceives to be an injustice.

(She’d say he was self-righteous - but then, by that same line of thinking, isn’t she also?)

His usual quietude has never felt like this though - dense and oppressive like thunderclouds, holding a tension that, if referred to, threatens to strike like lightning, harsh and quick and painful. It’s possible he’d just slept badly, but she doubts it. She and Yuri are painfully alike at the best of times and in this, it seems, they continue to be.

Yes, for Yuri, the biggest champion of justice among them, to still be so tense, so incredibly on edge… It’s extremely telling.

The only one who seems to have noticed Yuri’s torment other than her (and his faithful pooch) is, of course, Raven. It’s no surprise - he’s always kept a close eye on Yuri, in the time she’s known them. She’d heard tell that the Don had taken an interest in Yuri when he’d met him, in a way usually foreign to him in regards to newcomers. Normally it would be years - years of hard work, of craft and contributions in the name of the guilds, for the man to so much as glance in your direction, let alone learn your name (understandably so for so busy and powerful a man). Yet Yuri had waltzed in and garnered his full attention in the space of a few hours, at best.

That Raven has clearly been instructed to stake him out, in addition to his apatheia hunt, feels natural. Less so is a good chunk of what he actually seems to be observing about Yuri - she’s sure the Don would much rather see a report on his fighting capabilities, his disposition, the flexibility of his morality in a pinch, than whatever he’s gleaning by staring at his back when he takes his shirt off, or watching the flow of his hair in the desert breeze.

(That is, however, a report she would quite like to read, if for nothing more than watching the burn of Raven’s ears at the request)

This morning, however, the eye he keeps on him is careful. Though the ever-present catlike smirk that plays over his lips remains, there’s something considering to his gaze - a scheme in the works but not those of his usual calibre. Nothing designed to rile Rita, fluster Estelle or make the kids laugh (though she’s sure if he can tie his usual goals into whatever he’s concocting then he certainly won’t shy away at the chance).

If she had to guess at his intentions, she’d have thought--

The blaring of a horn throws her suddenly from her train of thought - the celebrations are brought instantly into full swing by a makeshift band of passing guildsmen throwing their own contributions into the mix. Judith doesn’t consider herself a big listener of music, in all honesty, but she’d be hard pressed not to recognise the juxtaposed staccatos and legatos characteristic of Dahngrestian swing - while lesser known within Empire towns like this one, the style is famous the world over.

She hasn’t had many opportunities to join in with the festivities the guilds are known for throwing, where dancers step and twirl faster than the barkeeps can pour drinks (and really, isn’t that an impressive thought, considering the drinking culture in Dahngrest?) She’s bore witness to their local dancing customs only once or twice, and never within the heart of the city itself, and she knows with certainty that while her footwork on the battlefield might be immaculate, she has two left feet for dancing - would certainly never dare to attempt swing. She has great sympathy for the townsfolk who, while enraptured by the melody, feet tapping along jovially, seem as though they don’t know quite what to do with it.

Altosk’s second, on the other hand, is ecstatic. He barks a delighted laugh that startles Patty, almost jostling her from the table she’s perched upon, and finally momentarily draws Yuri from his reverie. She watches, amused, as he throws Yuri’s grumpy, inquisitive look a wink before springing to his feet.

“Hey, kid!” he calls, flagging Karol down as he heads to the middle of the concourse. Their illustrious guild master looks up from the mabo curry bun he’s attempting to swallow whole, wide-eyed. Raven grins, crooked and gummy in a way she’s come to associate with his mischief.

“Why don’t we show these lovely folks how it’s done, as thanks for their hospitality?”

Karol is practically vibrating at the concept. In a flash he’s pulling off his gloves and whipping his bag over his head, dumping the pile in Rita’s lap (eliciting, of course, an incredibly over the top yelp of annoyance). He scarfs down the remnants of the bun as he hops over the table he’s sat at, scampering over to Raven in a manner that does nothing to hide his enthusiasm.

“You better not stand all over my feet, Raven!” he calls as he draws closer, face pulling into a pout that doesn’t quite ring true. The noise Raven makes in response is rather like that of a strangled cat.

“The nerve o’ kids these days!” he bemoans, pinching his sinuses with a shake of his head. “I’ll have you know yours truly is the pride of Altosk! Ya won’t find a better dancer in all o’ Dahngrest, not even the Don himself!”

“Uhu, suuuure. ” Karol drawls, disbelieving, as he comes to a stop by his side.

It’s as he does that Raven ducks his head close to the boy, hand a shield to cover whatever he says. His words are inaudible, but if Karol’s terrible attempts at hiding his furtive glances in Yuri’s direction are anything to go by, Judith would have to guess it’s something about whatever Raven’s scheming for Brave Vesperia’s second.

The band seems to catch wind of their plans, slowing the jaunty tune down to allow the two to begin. Karol dusts his hands off on his trousers bashfully, ridding himself of any remnants of curry, before taking Raven’s hand in his. Their movements start off slow and creeping, almost unnatural to watch, but it quickly becomes apparent to her that they’re motions meant to teach rather than for actual dancing - an enunciated display of footwork for the surrounding beginners as they take their time to get a feel for each other as dance partners.

And then, Raven taking Karol’s waist, they begin in earnest. Movements still slow, but now fluid as water, they begin to turn around one another in the style she vaguely recognises, and while she knows nothing about dancing, it’s clear that they’re extremely good. They match each other's timing perfectly, not a step out of place, and she could believe they were gliding if not for the dust their footsteps kick up.

Karol is good, of course, especially for a kid of his age (she wonders idly if he might’ve had a brief foray in a dancing guild, prior to joining the Hunting Blades), but Raven is really something else. She’s never seen a man able to move his hips in such a way, sashaying in a way that’s frankly a little hypnotising - if she thought he were truly interested in her, then this’d definitely be enough to make her begin to consider his earlier flirtations more seriously. It’s frankly criminal, she thinks, that his trousers and jacket do so much to obscure his ass.

As they become more comfortable, they begin to ramp it up a little - they take it in turns to twirl one another, alternating between wide sweeping arcs, Raven displaying his extreme flexibility to twist beneath Karol’s arm, to fast tight twirls that almost remind her of Rita’s casting motions. For these, Karol spins so quickly she’s surprised he doesn’t completely lose balance and land face first in the dirt. Instead he simply laughs jovially, really getting into the spirit of it and losing himself to the music. Raven’s responding smile is fond, like a father watching their kid, and she could almost believe they’ve both forgotten about their ulterior motives, if not for how Raven keeps glancing in their direction every other time he’s facing their way.

It’s as Estelle drags Rita out to join them, accompanied by a group of the locals, that Judy feels something ugly snare her heart and promptly takes the opportunity to cast a considering glance instead to Patty and Yuri. The smaller is bouncing where she sits, gleefully watching the dancers - she seems antsy to join in, if only she could find a spare partner who wouldn’t accidentally crush her.

Yuri surprises her - while he might not be completely out of his funk, he’s watching more attentively than she previously expected. She gazes at him curiously for a while as he leans his head on his hand, watching the Dahngrestian pair’s increasing frenzy. Karol’s giggles are near constant, and Raven’s been infected by his happiness, laughing obnoxiously himself. The creases of Yuri’s eyes tighten, even as the rest of his face fails to emote, as his eyes seem to lock on Raven’s face and stay there. She smiles.

“Ahem.” she coughs, sharp and decidedly fake. Yuri and Patty both are startled away from the party, turning to her. She raises her eyebrows pointedly at the former, coy smirk rising to her lips. His eyes widen in response, as Patty turns confusedly to look at him, before he flusters, turning away from the party entirely. She laughs.

It’s at that moment that Karol comes spinning towards them, hand freed from Raven’s grasp at last. His smile is blinding, and he’s struggling to catch his breath, but he still seems to be full of energy as Raven follows behind him.

“Patty, you probably know a bit of swing, right?” he asks her, real question thinly veiled by his proffered hand.

She’s a clever lass, though. “Hah! Of course I do, matey!” she declares, grabbing it firmly and pulling him back out into the street.

Raven watches them go fondly, before turning to her. With a flourish, he bows to her, graceful as a knight but with none of the prim and proper charm.

“Judy, my darlin’, could I convince ya to honour ol’ Raven with a dance?”

His eyes never leave hers as he asks, gaze sharp and lacking all pretense of genuine flirting.

Ah, so that’s his game is it?

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly!” she declares exaggeratedly, hand to her chest. “Not when Yuri so clearly wants to instead!”

The effect is instant. She barely has time to note the twitch of Yuri’s ears at the sound of his name before his head whips around to look at them.

“Hu- what?”

Raven springs back upright, throwing his hand up to clutch at his own chest.

“Yuri, darlin’, if you wanted to dance with me then all you had to do was say so! No need to make Judy do all yer dirty work for ya!”

He closes the gap between them in a matter of steps, as Yuri’s face grows more panicked by the second.

“Wh-- no, what?! Judy, no, I can’t dance , JU--!!”

She smiles as Raven takes him by the hand and tugs him away. Yuri’s expression reminds her of a bunwigle, caught unaware in the middle of the night, backed into a corner with no escape. It’s incredibly endearing, and certainly a nice change from the faux-apathy he’s been stewing in.

As they move away she watches as Raven’s expression transforms from mischievous to something more careful, considerate. He doesn’t guide Yuri to the middle of the crowd as she’d expected, where their friends spin with reckless abandon, but instead to a quieter area of the dancing space. Yuri seems just as confused as she feels, more than likely expecting Raven to have humiliated him with his lack of skill. They’re far enough away that whatever the older man says to reassure him is lost to her, but he smiles and takes Yuri’s hands gently.

Her heart swells at the careful way Raven teaches him, easily pulls him out of his darker thoughts and concentrates his mind on something else. Yuri doesn’t strike her as the sort to let himself be taken care of, but she doubts he even realises that’s what’s happening - probably sees it instead as some sort of challenge. It’s nice. She might not have known him long, but she feels close to him in a way she hasn’t felt with another person for… a good ten years, she’d wager. She’d forgotten what it felt like, to see good things happen to someone you care about.

He trips over Raven’s feet often, but Raven doesn’t let him get self-conscious about it - instead exaggeratedly pretending to trip himself in a way that allows Yuri to chip in and tease him. When there’s one failed attempt too many and Yuri attempts to break away, he simply pulls him back in, closer, and looks him in the eyes.

(She feels a little bad for still watching, personal and intimate as the moment is becoming, but it’s hard to find anything else interesting at this point)

“What is it I always say when I’m fightin’, Yuri?” she can just about hear the old man say over the wail of the trombone.

Yuri’s tone is monotonous, even as his face starts to rise into an affectionate smirk.

“‘Ooo, eee, ow, my back hurts?’” he says, quirked eyebrow a dead giveaway for his bullying. He receives a light slap to his arm for his trouble that leaves him laughing openly in a way she… hasn’t actually seen from him in the time she’s known him.

Huh.

“That it’s just like dancin’, ya dolt!” he says. He laces their fingers carefully before starting to move once more through the basic steps. “You’ll see what I mean before long.”

After a few more failed attempts, Yuri finally starts to figure it out. He still steps on Raven’s toes more often than not, but it’s to be expected for a newbie in the face of a dance as rapid as swing - she’s quite impressed at how fast he’s picked it up in all honesty. He’s already doing a damned sight better than Rita, whose motions are still awkward and stiff as she’s twirled by Estelle (though she looks to be having the time of her life, in spite of it).

They look very sweet together, in all honesty. It’s the most she’s seen either of them relax in front of other people - Yuri’s snark is quickly abandoned as he starts to really get into the swing of it, and most of Raven’s jokes and teasing go along with it. They’re just a couple of normal guys in their own little world, dancing together beneath the rising sun, looking genuinely happy for once. Watching them laughing together, she finds her own spirits raised too, even as she continues to sit to one side like a wallflower.

And she’s glad she did. If she hadn’t, she’d have missed out on this potentially one-time-only sight of Yuri’s carefree smile. Would’ve never seen the sudden change in Yuri’s demeanor as he looks up at Raven mid-spin, eyes widening, before his expression becomes suddenly raw.

He’s not watching his feet at all any more - he’s just going with the flow, and reading Raven’s movements and they’re incredibly in sync to say Yuri has all of 10 minutes of experience. It’s strange to think it, but he seems to be having fun , doing something other than fighting, even despite his mess ups. Yuri’s uncharacteristically crooked smile, as his eyes never leave Raven’s, is blindingly beautiful, and piques her curiosity.

Before today, when she’d seen the admiring glances the Raven had sent his way, she’d have thought he was barking up the completely wrong tree. Now though (although she doubts Yuri’s realised the way he’s starting to look at the old man) she’s really not so sure.

Then the moment is gone.

Behind her, she hears him. Flynn, barking orders to his brigade, accompanied by the protests of the now-bound followers of Cumore. And in that exact instant, Yuri stops stock-still. Raven goes crashing into him, frantically apologising and trying to check he’s okay, but it’s as though he isn’t there. Yuri just stares past her to Flynn, eyes wide and unseeing but… terrified , if she had to take a guess.

She can hear Raven call to him as he slips his hands free from his grip, and he looks up glancingly. He mutters something, what she can only imagine is some excuse, or a few words of apology, before he’s stalking off towards the inn and shutting the door behind him briskly.

Raven, standing alone and off to one side, looks very small in that instant. Like he doesn’t know quite where he went wrong, what he could’ve possibly done differently.

Perhaps, just this once, she can take pity on him. After all, if there’s anyone who can fix her left feet…

Standing and smoothing down her skirts, she heads over to him, taking his hand, and he startles. His big blue eyes look up at her, puppy-like, and it’s like Estelle the night before all over again. She sighs, already regretting her question before she asks.

“Is the offer still open?”

He smiles. Solemn. But it’s a start.

me, age 12: haha yeah raven blatantly has a thing for yuri and i love them together, but i guess there isn't much to imply yuri likes him back huh me, age 24, seeing the 'Happy Birthday' skit for the first time and learning the Very Specific Age Gap between Yuri and his first ever crush: a

ftr no one in the vesperia party is cishet no i will not take questions

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hotscrubsmoved · 2 years

Note

What is your ideal romantic partner like?

uhhh, understandin' and kind, for starters. someone who knows who they are and isn't afraid to be it, while also not bein' afraid of ... stickin' up for what they believe in and know to be right. i know it sounds awful silly, but for me, personally, a strong moral compass is probably one of the most important bits. just, by the nature of ... some of the finer details of my family life and all.

but they're also handsome and charmin', and probably know real well how to sweep me right off my feet without even havin' to try. i guess if you're lookin' for a real good example? you could probably just look right at @cowboyshiitake and you'd have a pretty good idea ... for all of it, really.

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excitedlysuffering · 4 years

Note

OMGOMGOMG possibly Kakashi head-cannon collection? He is the love of my life (lmao don’t tell my bf that)

Your secrets safe with me he’s my love too😂

Kakashi Headcanons Collection

What He Looks For In A S/O~

• A reader, they don’t have to read Icha Icha (bonus points if you did) but someone who appreciates a good book

• Someone laid back and not very high maintenance

• I see him wanting a shinobi S/O cause he needs them to be to take care of themselves or he’ll worry too much

• he’ll worry anyways

• Someone who understands his pain and won’t shy away from him when he’s going through a rough patch

• Someone who is good with words, like say something sweet and he’s metlinggg

• A person with considerate personality traits

• He would like an S/O who’s willing to try new things and adventures

• Someone who would take things slowly

• Someone who could honestly make him laugh

• He’s DadKashi he’s going to want someone good with kids

• To be frank, he would probably want a relatively stable S/O so that in his mind there’s no chance of them ending up like his father

• He wants companionship so someone who’s not distant and who wouldn’t mind him being around all the time

• I really can’t see him with a tsundere S/O, he needs to see that his partner loves him as much as he loves them

Relationship With Kashi Stuff~

• Please do domestic stuff (Sending him off to work with a kiss, a note in his lunchbox, kissing him when he gets home) he will be near tears every time

• TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK™ (whether it’s kicking butt, making dinner, or teaching (raising) Team 7)

• You probably won’t notice moving in with each other until you look up like ‘holy crap I haven’t been to my apartment in like 2 weeks?’

• Read with him or read to him, and you will have his HEART

• He’s not clingy per se, but he loves to be in your presence whenever he can

• Will take you out on dates once a week EVERY WEEK (Sorry Tsunade-sama, I have a date then, but I’ll leave right after?)

• Dating Kakashi means you’re now honorary rivals with Gai (who knows Kashi better, who can make him laugh most etc.)

• Pick up line wars 24/7, the loser has to do the other’s chores Kakashi wins

• Okay, but Kakashi never had a childhood, so make a list of everything he never got to do and you slowly complete them together

• He’s such a sweetheart like, surprise, he’s so sensitive

• Get’s so flustered seeing you in his clothes, he temporarily shuts down

• He’s given up trying to take back his mask whenever you’re wearing it

• Okay, we all know this silver-haired hottie is suave, but he is SMOOTH, he will 100% find ways to have you blush whenever possible, he is the CEO of leaving you hot and bothered

• Made you your own area in the Hokage office as a hint that he needed your company

• Has never forgotten an important date (he uses his Sharingan on the calendar)

• He’s fought demons and other crazy villains, but will still be terrified of you on your period (he’s brave tho he’ll just bring a lot of peace offerings)

• He heard you refer to him as DadKashi in front of Team 7 and/or your friends and just about loses his mind

• When you first see his face without his mask you’re probably pissed cuz WHY would he hide that beauty from the world?! it’s for the greater good hun

How To Lose/Annoy Him~

• Being insensitive/ignorant about things like loss or mental illness

• Constantly distracting him from his duties or hobbies

• Being rude or uncompassionate

• Being willing to abandon people or being self-centered you SCUM

• He always makes time for you, so he’d be a bit bothered if they didn’t put forth any effort to spend time with him

• Little pranks are harmless, but things that make him scared for your wellbeing or stealing his mask are big fat NO

• Being reckless just because, being a shinobi is already dangerous with would you play with death like that??

• Being lazy, Kakashi at his core is really something of a go-go-go person, he doesn’t want to just do anything all the time

Soft Kakashi Things~

• Kakashi is such a softie omg

• He likes to fall asleep last just so he can tell you how much he loves you and you saved him while you’re asleep

• If you’re having a bad day, he’ll drop everything (if possible) to hold you and be there for you in every way you need

• Definitely has Sai draw a small pic of you so he can carry it around and/or put in the Hokage office

• Mission dates are a thing like imagine flirting with Kakashi while destroying your opponents (so romantic)

• He’s big on practical gifts. If he notices you’re running low on shuriken? Expect a box of them from him

• He’ll read a particular *wild* Icha Icha quote to you just to make you flustered (bonus points for him if you’re in public)

• His students question you all the time like how did you end up with their lonely, pervy sensei?

• Will sweep you off your feet for no reason other than he likes to hold you and carry you

Random Kashi Facts~

• Kakashi’s love language is words of affirmation like he craves hearing that you love him and the like

• He hums and sings around the house or whenever he’s bored or preoccupied

• After having eating fish out of necessity day after day he prefers not eating it if possible

• He will often fall asleep a good while after he actually lays down because he enjoys debriefing himself of everything that happened during the day

• Actually sleeps really deep when he’s next to you, otherwise, the smallest sound can wake him up

• He likes to put notes or letters from you in his Icha Icha books so he can read them whenever and no one will peak cuz ew, Icha Icha

• In all honesty, Gai is a common factor in why he’s so late everywhere, but it’s mostly him walking around and taking in the sights like a nostalgic old man

• In the episode where Sakura and Naruto transformed into kids and called Kashi and old man, giving him an identity crisis is actually common. His hair color and the fact that you can’t see his face make some kids think he’s old

• Sometimes when he can’t sleep he’ll find a random tree and fall asleep in it (he’s a strange one)

• He lost his newest Icha Icha book when he was Hokage and very nearly (thanks to Shikamaru) called a citywide search party

Little Things~

Favorite:

• Place to kiss- Your temple, it feels really intimate to him and he’s so tall it’s an easy place for him

• Way to hug- Kakashi loves those giant bear hugs where he just envelopes you like you’re basically one with him now

•’Thing to do with you- He really loves reading with you, whether it’s the same book, or you’re just both sitting next to each other reading

• Type of date- Although your most common date is a mission date (lol), his favorite is being able to take you to a nice restaurant and then on a walk around the city

This or That:

• He’s a winter person actually, he loves being cuddled up with you and blankets, and the abundance of hot drinks

• He’s a morning person because he’s been waking up early since he was a child, and doesn’t really know how to enjoy sleeping anymore (but if that wasn’t the case he’d be a night owl)

• Loves both cooking for you and being cooked for he puts Bobby Flay to shame honestly

• He spends all his time reading obviously and if his S/O is a writer or he’ll be soooo excited and will read everything they put out

Conflict Happenings~

• He knows disagreements are a normal part of relationships (in moderation of course) so if there was a real problem, he wouldn’t shy away from it

• He won’t raise his voice or take a tone with you, he doesn’t feel the need to, but he will definitely get his point across

• To his fault, he might throw in a slight or cutting remark here and there but he will regret it the second your expression changes

• He’s a real go with the flow kind of guy so if he realizes that something is his fault, he will correct it ASAP

• If he notices you’re getting really worked up, he’ll just hug you until you calm down and can speak coherently but at that point it’s like ‘what was I mad about??’

• If his S/O is headstrong it’ll probably bring that side out in him, even if temporarily

• If it’s a minor disagreement he’ll probably say something funny to diffuse the situation

• He would rather die than argue in public, to him it’s a private thing and he hates causing a scene

Modern Kashi~

• I can see him as more of a club/extracurricular activities leader than a teacher

• He’s really close to those kids in his group and probably sheds a few proud DadKashi tears at their graduation

• That one fine teacher that all the students are thirsting over

• If not a teacher he’d probably be an elite CIA agent or a higher ranking FBI officer

• He has so many dogs like he sees a stray and how could he possibly give them up??

• He’d probably walk around Playboy Magazines just cause he can

• At one point he dyed his hair black cause he thought it’d look more ‘normal’ but he HATED it

• He likes plants but he’s so bad at taking care of them?? He can remember all of his dogs’ names and their food preferences but can’t remember to water a plant

• His house is so clean he’s been doing all his household chores since he was a child

• He definitely met Gai in elementary school and they never parted, even going on to become college roommates never again

• Gai probably barges in Kakashi’s classroom so often he’s most likely considered the co-leader/teacher

• Kakashi has definitely gotten drunk on school nights before but he’s such an in-control drunk no one ever noticed

• Kakashi was my first Naruto love and my first husband. BACK OFF

Masterlist

#naruto scenarios #naruto shippuden #kakashi x reader #hatake kakashi #reader insert #Dadkashi #headcanon #hes so perfect

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merakiui · 4 years

Note

You got any yandere hcs of the boys before we start. Im an yandere obsessed anon who lives and brreaths reading this shit and I wanna know how fucked we can get

(Here you go, wonderful anon! I’ll post yandere hcs for the other teams soon. I’d also like to post yandere fics for these boys, but I’m not sure if anyone’s interested. >-< I’ve got two sitting in my drafts, though!)

Yandere Morning and Day Teams

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 TW: (yandere) unhealthy/obsessive behaviors, mentions of kidnapping/captivity, gas-lighting, starvation, abuse

Morning Team (Mane)

🧩 Ghilley 🧩

Ghilley is definitely a stalker. He’ll be in your shadow whether you like it or not. Nothing escapes his watchful gaze, so it’s important that your enemies choose their words around you.

He’s already skilled at sneaking around, so he’ll use that to his advantage. Popping in to give you a spook, showing up when you’re out with someone else, and even when you think you’re alone.

He’ll follow you if he thinks you’re going to get yourself into trouble again. His poor manager just has a habit of attracting bad people. Just let Ghilley handle all those vengeful spirits. You won’t have to lift a finger!

If anyone gives you problems, tell Ghilley and that issue will be solved in no time. And if you get curious and ask him what happened, he’ll just shrug the question off in a playful manner.

His behavior is unpredictable, so you never know what he does in his spare time. Truthfully, Ghilley’s either watching you or he’s playing a few tricks on those who bothered you. They’ll remember not to mess with you if they’re given a permanent fright.

You won’t notice what’s going on until everyone starts to keep their distance. Friends will make up excuses so they won’t have to hang out with you, and those who might’ve had some romantic interest in you have cut communication altogether.

When you’re feeling down, Ghilley will swoop in to cheer you up. You start to normalize your relationship with him because it’s all you currently know. No one else is willing to talk to you, so you can only rely on him.

Ghilley knows it must hurt to be alone, but it’s the only way he can have you to himself. So he’s willing to bury his pain if it means he’ll get to console you.

He wouldn’t hurt you, but he might remind you every now and then that he’s the only one who hasn’t abandoned you yet.

Yet. A word that’s become part of his daily vocabulary. A word that reminds you of the fact that he could leave you one day.

☀️ Ell ☀️

He shouldn’t feel these emotions to begin with. It’s almost...dirty, in a way. Almost like he’s sinning.

He’s not doing anything bad, though. Loving you was what got him kicked out of Heaven in the first place, but that’s not entirely evil in itself. At first, he assumed Cupid’s Arrow was the one to blame for these lovey-dovey feelings, but it’s not Cupid’s job to foster obsession among former angels.

He doesn’t recognize how suffocating his presence truly is. You’d probably have to tell him to back off before he stops sticking by your side, and even if you did something like that it’d make Ell incredibly sad. Without realizing it, he’ll start to guilt-trip you.

“I’m sorry, Manager! You just looked like you could use some company. I... I can leave you alone if that’s what you want. You might think I’m annoying and—achoo!”

Nowadays, he’s been sneezing a lot, but the idea that his love for you is what’s causing all of this never crosses his mind. He just can’t wrap his head around that. Why would love, a pure, wonderful feeling, make him sneeze?

Under that smile of his are a dozen worries. He’s afraid he’ll chase you away or that you’ll stop liking him. Ell would feel crushed if that ever happened, so all of his energy goes into appeasing you.

He’ll show up unannounced at your office with your favorite snacks, follow you around the campus, and talk to you about literally anything. He could ramble about the grass if it means you’ll spare him your time.

Ell doesn’t really know the meaning of jealousy or hatred. Having been an angel once, he’s not used to negativity. He doesn’t necessarily feel extreme envy, nor does he hate any of the Reapers, but he does sulk about it.

It’s hard to say when he got obsessed. Perhaps it was when you first met and you mistook him for your own guardian angel. Despite the fact that he’s not an angel anymore, Ell likes the sound of that.

It’s a guardian angel’s job to care for and protect humans, so surely you won’t mind if he stays glued to you like a fungus. After all, it’s harmless, happy Ell! You’ve got nothing to worry about!

🐴 Jamie 🐴

Jamie is so strong it’s scary. Good luck trying to beat him in a fight if you ever attempt an escape.

He seems so innocent and kind on the outside, always willing to lend a hand when you’re struggling with Non-Non. If he’s being honest, he likes doing chores with you. It almost feels like the both of you are working on a farm together in the desolate outdoors. Just you, him, sprawling farmland, and no civilization in sight. How cute is that?

No one suspects he's obsessed until they look beyond that soft appearance of his. His gaze will linger to the point where it’s creepy, and he’ll smile while he watches you work.

He’ll get better at technology and city life so he’ll have something else to chat about whenever it’s just you and him.

If he finds out that you’re interested in something, he’ll try his best to learn more about it. Oh, you mentioned a new movie that’s been released in the human world? Maybe he’ll have to see it for himself. Did you want to try a new pastry from your favorite bakery? Jamie will buy it for you, so you should go with him!

He’s reliable, kind, and helpful—surely you’ll fall for those qualities. If not, he’ll find another way. After all, there’s a saying that goes ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ and it’s not like he’ll give up anytime soon.

Jamie likes to imagine a comfortable life with you on the farm. Both of you will tend to the land and the animals, you’ll always have fresh crops, and you'll be together forever. It’s an ideal fantasy, but if you’re not willing he might just have to lock you up in the stables.

Jamie doesn’t fret over potential rivals. If he was able to silence the thugs in his neighborhood, a few pesky humans are nothing.

He’ll get flustered when you say anything nice to him. It really warms his heart to be at the receiving end of your caring words.

And it’s even better when you're accepting his suffocating love. You’ll find that the bed is much softer than the stable. Just don’t push him too far. Sometimes he doesn’t realize his own strength, and your bones can only take so much pressure.

💋 Licht 💋

Licht didn’t think he’d find his soulmate so soon! Whether you click or not, Licht certainly feels a special connection. He’s going to flirt with you no matter what.

It’s up to you whether you respond to his playful advances, but if you decide to humor him be prepared to have this man all over you. If you’re returning his playful gestures and remarks, it must mean something!

Licht lives for storybook romance. There’s something so lovely about sweeping his true love off of their feet, so he’d like to woo you in traditional ways. He’ll gift you your favorite candies, give you a bouquet of flowers, and buy you cute trinkets that remind him of you.

He takes note of what you wear and whether or not you put on a perfume/cologne on certain days. He’ll memorize your fashion style and then try to match it with his own. Licht’s happy whenever the two of you conveniently match outfits. It’s almost like you’re a couple.

He’ll probably spray his own cologne on your clothes if he ever gets a hold of them. You’ll wonder where this new scent came from, and Licht will be over the moon if you decide to leave it as it is.

Licht will invite you on dates under the guise that the two of you are just hanging out as friends. Lo and behold, his real motive is to act like your boyfriend. If you aren’t careful, he might just go around telling strangers that you’re his partner.

He’s always touching you in some way. Sometimes it’s an arm around your waist or his hands are on your shoulders. To some, it’s just his affectionate personality, but to you it’s completely suffocating.

Whenever he holds your hand, it almost feels like he’s daring you to try. Like he wants you to run off and get a taste of the scary world so that he can come in to save you like a true prince.

He hopes that enough flirting will have you confessing. All of these romantic gestures have got to count for something!

Despite this, Licht wants to believe you love him as much as he loves you. Tricking himself is easy, but convincing you is going to be a challenge.

Day Team (Die)

🎹 Theo 🎹

Theo’s harbored some dark thoughts ever since he witnessed you and Nine in the storage room, happily playing the piano like a pair of friends. Like a pair of lovers.

Theo can’t stand it when the others are around you, especially if they have ill-intent. Whenever he takes care of bullies or vengeful spirits, he’s got this dead look on his face. It’s devoid of any feeling, and his eyes are filled with silent anger. It’s a stare that does more than curse; it could probably kill.

He’s rather clingy, always insisting that he accompany you to and from your destinations. If you decline, he’ll just smile and act polite. But if he finds out that you decided to go with someone else...

Theo wants to be the only one in your life. Everyone else is just a worthless germ that needs to be scrubbed away. If they linger around you for too long, he worries you’ll become infected.

He doesn’t want to hurt you, but sometimes you need to learn a lesson. If you’re so picky about eating the food he so graciously went out and purchased, then maybe you don’t deserve to eat at all. Not until you warm up to his cooking, that is.

He’s willing to do anything for you in order to appear perfect. If you were to tell him to shoulder your workload, he’d do it without a single complaint. If you wanted him to watch paint dry, he’d do it with his head full of you.

All he ever thinks about is you. Sure, his mind flits from June to new recipes to the piano every now and then, but it always seems to settle on you in the end.

What did you eat for breakfast? Did you get enough sleep? Would you like something to drink? Where are you going with Youssef? Why is Nine getting close to you? Why aren’t you looking at him?

Theo will know everything about you in time. Whether you like it or not, he’s going to unearth every detail he can. Even mundane habits you don’t pay attention to. Before you know what’s happening, Theo’s got your schedule memorized thoroughly.

He holds no remorse for those who get in his way. As sweet and disarming as he may seem to those around him, Theo’s wicked behind closed doors. That spell book of his has no business gathering all this dust.

🌹 Louis 🌹

Everyone assumes Louis has no interest in anyone other than himself, so it’s a surprise when he starts to give you more attention than normal.

His compliments start getting personal and they still don’t make sense. Just the other day, you were trudging through the hall, dead-tired, when Louis passed you. He stopped, smiled, and said, “Thy radiance outshines the brightest of stars!”

He’s always energetic like that, so it’s not like his behavior is particularly strange. But he spends more time flattering you than himself. His main priority isn’t his beautiful face anymore.

You deserve the world. Why hasn’t anyone given it to you yet? Fear not because Louis is determined to give you everything you could ever want. He’s a prince, after all, so it’s only fair that you sit upon the throne with him.

There’s no room for anyone else in this relationship. It’s just you and him. If you were to leave him, his heart would shatter! Sadness has never been a good fit on Louis, and you know how much he cares for his appearance. So you’ll do him a favor and stay so he won’t wilt like a rose, right?

It’s almost like he lives off of you. You’re his sunlight, water, and fresh air. Any less of your attention and he’s sighing dramatically. Won’t you be a dear and cheer him up? After all, it’s not every day you see Louis so upset.

He doesn’t want you to hate him. If you do, Louis will just ignore your hurtful feelings. He’s got more than enough love to go around. Surely that’ll convince you that he means no harm.

You’ll be treated like royalty, and everyone else is a mere peasant. Sure, Louis can say that he treasures everyone, but some people just aren’t worth his time.

Naturally, a prince deserves the finest, and he won’t settle for anyone who isn’t you.

So don’t fret! Those chains are only temporary, and once you show him some hospitality he’s willing to ease up on his restrictions. Although his sense of freedom is rather cracked.

♞ Ethan ♞

Ethan is a tough case. He hardly shows his emotions, so it’s difficult to determine how he’s feeling. He’ll never show any hostility towards you, though. It’s nothing but warmth and kindness.

When it comes to the others, he’ll give them the cold shoulder and a few cruel remarks. His patience tends to wear thin when he sees people bothering you.

Ethan’s like a hawk. He’ll keep an eye on you to make sure you’re staying out of trouble and he’ll swoop in as soon as something unsavory happens.

He’ll treat you like a glass figurine that’s always on the verge of breaking. At some point, he becomes your unofficial knight in a way. He’s willing to defend you by all means necessary, so everyone else should back off if they know what’s best for them.

At first, he scorned these feeble emotions for getting in the way of his stony resolve, but now he’s come to accept them.

It’s impossible to deter him from his motives. Once he’s got his mind set, he won’t change it. After all, everything he does is completely intentional.

He’ll just stare at you while you struggle in those bindings. If you were smart, you’d just accept your fate and act docile, but Ethan’s not a fool. He’ll keep you bound for as long as it takes.

You can try to reason with him, but nothing ever works. No matter how sweet the deal may seem, he never agrees to any of it.

Ethan will take care of you while you’re adjusting to a permanent life with him. You won’t go a day without a bath, healthy meals, or a lack of sleep. If Ethan says you’ll bathe, you’ll bathe. If he says you’ll eat, you’ll eat. His word are practically law.

Despite his harsh rules, he’s not that hard on you. He’d never lay a hand upon you, nor will you find yourself at the end of his sharpened sword. As long as you fall into a pleasant routine with little complaint, he’ll be happy.

💥 June 💥

June doesn’t realize his feelings for you are unhealthy. He just thinks they’re a natural part of life! Everyone falls in love at some point, right? So you can’t blame him when he’s doing everything he can to spend more time with you.

Your paperwork will never get done because June wants you to watch him while he trains. He’ll even show you his workout routine, hoping you’ll agree to train with him one day.

He’s one of the Reapers who doesn’t get jealous much. Unless someone’s really trying to get him to snap—which doesn’t happen often. But in the event that he does feel envious, he’ll frown a bit, his voice won’t be at its usual loudness, and he’ll sulk.

Immediately perks up the moment you give him any attention. He practically lives off of your reactions and has no problem announcing that to everyone.

June will remain loyal to you no matter what! Nothing can separate the two of you, and he’s convinced himself that you feel exactly the same. If you’re always smiling, it must mean that you accept his feelings! So then why have you started acting awkward when he continues to ramble passionately about how much he admires your strength and persistence?

Try to leave him and he’ll be so heartbroken. June won’t know how to react! Why would you want to leave? He’s never done anything that would warrant this kind of behavior. Maybe he just needs to give you more affection.

Bright and early, he’s knocking on your dorm with a huge grin. “Manager, the sun hasn’t risen yet, but that doesn’t mean we should wait for it! Let’s train hard today! Haha!”

June loves protecting you. Whenever he saves you from danger, he feels like a hero in those action movies he loves so much. Anyone would love to get saved by someone who’d die for them! This sort of loyalty will have you falling for him in no time.

And if it doesn’t, he can just create a few perilous scenarios. What you don’t know can’t kill you, right?

You’re his soulmate, so there’s no way he’d give you up in his afterlife.

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cwnyanyu · 3 years

Text

holding out for a hero

waltzing in the ballroom with @cwnchul

daphne loved when the kingdom held such events. the thought of waltzing with a partner made her heart flutter. it was the perfect love story! she would look into their eyes, her hand wrapped in their’s as she twirled her way around the ballroom, and that’s when she would know they’re the one. although, it was a shame that this event was specifically meant for all attendees to wear a mask. if there was a chance she would fall in love tonight, the princess would do anything to know who they were. maybe, since the event wasn’t strict on keeping identities a secret, she could just whisper her name into their ear, so they could find her later on . . . NO!

no one could know it was daphne. not even someone she fell in love with at first sight! anyone who had been around the kingdom of spades knew how hated her father was, and consequently how much of the kingdom wasn’t very fond of her either. and if they weren’t aware, well, all it took was a listening ear to hear about the rumors of how unlucky the princess was. then what? by then they definitely wouldn’t want to be around her. who knew if her bad luck rubbed off on others? it was time for daphne to face the music; no one would love her if they knew who she really was. so, until she was certain they wouldn’t run away, the princess had to keep her identity a secret.

now the real issue was finding herself someone's eyes to melt into, and it was hard when everyone’s face wasn’t recognizable. how could daphne tell familiar faces apart from complete strangers? furthermore, how was she going to tell whether or not they were her type? the night was full of surprises, and to her dismay, they were not the good kind. she only had two options: stand alone or hope her mystery partner was as dreamy as they were behind the mask.

her eyes scanned the room for a potential star to her romantic fantasy, and that’s when she spotted a slim figure standing along the walls of the ballroom. whether or not they wanted to be left alone didn’t matter because the princess already made the decision to steal their heart. yes, daphne was going to march over there and demand they spent some time with her! they’d see how lovable she really was and fall in love immediately!

her strides were filled with such confidence! it was as if she was ready to claim her own fate. the princess was tired of being a damsel in distress; she was ready to grab her prince charming by the hand and say, “hey! sweep me off my feet!” daphne’s heels stopped in front of the tall, mysterious figure as she gazed into his eyes. oh, wow. well, she thought she was ready to write her own story, yet it seemed as though the mystery man’s intoxicating gaze got the best of her.

“hello, i- well, would you possibly . . .” she was practically choking on her words as her mind got lost in his eyes, “i’m . . . uh . . .” snap out of it! hold yourself together, chen yanyu! the princess shook her head before politely greeting the man with a curtsy. “my deepest apologies. may i have this dance?”

#cwnchul #dont look at the length i got too into it #she's fr going crazy over here #i cant believe i used daphne instead of yanyu too it feels a lil weird ngl but yk

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moons-and-stars-and-shit · 3 years

Note

congrats on 300 !!

im a pisces sun and moon and a sagittarius rising <3

also i shipp myself with oikawa

𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕦𝕡 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕆𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕨𝕒

𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑠 🪐

The Moon (Emotion) rules Cancer, and Jupiter (Philosophy) and Neptune (Illusion and Dreams) rules Pisces.

When the Moon and Neptune come together, a beautiful spiritual connection is made.

Both of these celestial bodies vibrate with warm, feminine energy. Together, they create an idealistic, almost divine relationship, one that puts much significance on dreams and illusions. Jupiter also rules Pisces.

This Planet of Good Fortune adds a masculine energy to this planetary combination, representing philosophy, expansion and excesses. ’

The nature of this combination offers a utopian relationship

It is drenched in emotional intrigue and is a true celestial bond. Emotion, depth, warmth, expansion — it all sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it.

Though they both ask a lot of their love relationships, Cancer must be careful not to cramp the floating Fish, as Pisces will suffocate under too many demands.

𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 🔥💧🍃🌬

Cancer and Pisces are both Water Signs.

Since Water is a tangible, physical entity, Cancer and Pisces are generally very compatible.

Pisces are in this world to create human connections, and when they come together with Cancerian intuition and nurturing, there is no stronger bond.

So that this union does not wash out in a stream of romantic idealism, Cancer’s stable view of life holds them afloat.

And it’s not a case of Cancer putting up with a dreamy Pisces mate: Cancer really understands emotional ambiguity and can help Pisces stabilize their ephemeral nature.

Though Cancer could grow weary of their Pisces mate’s faraway nature, and though Pisces could be bothered by Cancer’s self-centeredness, it’s easy for this pair to find a compromise.

𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 🤞

It is a good thing that Cancer is usually not aggressive or pushy, or they could easily get dishonesty from Pisces as a response to their tendency to create intimacy and a happy home at any cost.

Pisces don’t really understand marriage except as a part of a fairytale ending or because of all that lace, and Cancer will usually want a wedding as a crowning of a loving relationship.

This could be recognized as pressure to some point and this could lead to Pisces partner getting scared.

When Pisces get scared, they somehow fail to tell the truth even on silly things in their life, because they feel the need to distance themselves from any pressure they might feel.

It is a good thing that Cancer understands this and easily separates lies from intimacy.

Whatever the situation, they will both probably be patient enough to have just enough trust in one another for their relationship to work out.

𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 🤝

As changeable as Pisces are, they always have something to talk about.

This can be inspiring or irritating to Cancer who would maybe rather deal with “real information”.

Usually they communicate just fine, but there are situations in which they could float away on an idea made out of words.

Cancer is looking for someone with clarity on the use and the practicality of everything they mention.

Pisces is everything but focused on practicality in most everyday situations.

If Pisces partner learns to be more silent, relying on their feelings, and starts fighting for what they wish for, they could sweep their Cancer off their feet.

Unfortunately, their entire relationship will not last very long if only words are spoken but deeds don’t follow.

Cancer’s opposing sign is after all – Capricorn, and they need a partner able to constructively use things, situations and emotions.

𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 😠😔😊

Cancer can understand the sensitive nature of their Pisces partner better than anyone else.

Everything that seems easygoing and positive might have a hidden negative note in the Pisces world, and Cancer feels rather than listens, which makes them a perfect companion for someone like Pisces.

When they sense this deep understanding, Pisces partner will return the favor by absolute tenderness and finally open up to their Cancer partner.

When they find this shared point of intimacy where true emotions are shared, this will affect all other segments of their relationship and be a fuel for it to have a fairytale ending.

𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠 🤲

This is where the difference in their character really comes to focus.

As much as they will both value being loved and cared for, Cancer will value a stable emotional situation and a cozy home to come to, while Pisces will probably value any chance for an emotional rollercoaster more.

It is often said that Pisces idealize partners and different things in life, but in fact they get depressed when there is no magic and perfect beauty surrounding them.

If their day to day life with a Cancer partner becomes anything similar to a boring routine, they will find a way to run off, find a lover or create any sort of truly exciting circumstances.

𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑠 💪

When they meet and start their relationship, they will probably have a lot of things to do together.

A relationship with a Pisces partner is always exciting and inspirational, and Cancer will give it strength, stability and roots.

At the beginning, this may seem like a great arrangement, but in time, Pisces might want too much activity for what Cancer partner really needs.

This wouldn’t be much of a problem if they would say this to their partner without fear of any one of them getting hurt.

If they start bending the truth, Cancer will feel their trust beginning to fade and this could begin a series on problems between them, that could have been easily avoided.

𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 💕

As two Water signs, Cancer and Pisces connect through emotions, usually as soon as they lay eyes on each other.

This is one of the typical combinations of zodiac signs for love at first sight.

Their main challenge is hidden in the changeable nature of the sign of Pisces, not because it is there, but because they might fear to show it.

Their biggest problem lies in the fact that they give priority to different types of love in their life.

If passion and sensual, sexual love isn’t there, Pisces will rarely be satisfied with the love they get from their family, and Cancer would find a life without a family nest very depressing.

A fine balance needs to be made between excitement and stability, and they could be one of the most wonderful couples of the zodiac – Cancer inspired and Pisces with a feel of home.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu fandom #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu matchups #Oikawa #oikawa Tooru

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indestinatus · 4 years

Text

Despite All Odds

TIVATOBER 2020 // DAY 20

↳ prompt: Apple-Picking - rated M (1,596 words)

summary: Ziva plans a date on an apple tree orchard, and an important conversation ensues.

A/N: for @sweetsouldhavernas, who guessed the plot of this fic days before it was even published haha <3

read it on AO3 🍎

Aiming for that one apple hanging a just bit too high on the tree, Ziva stretched herself as best as she could but still wasn’t able to reach it. The basket around her elbow was already halfway full, but the harvest season had been great - she could’ve easily filled two of them if she wanted.

A light breeze fanned her hair. From that level of the ladder, she could see the many symmetrical rows of apple trees stretching over the farm hills until they disappeared into a valley below. The sky was cloudy, but that was expected. It was the middle of October, the fall season having reached its peak.

It was her favorite season. It calmed her. She liked to drink tea on the windy afternoons and drape the cushions with blankets, ones that would warm her whenever she chose to read. There was something incredibly soothing in watching the leaves changing colors and knowing that time didn’t hold still. That she could also change with it if she wanted to.

It had been her idea to come. She thought it would be nice to do something outside for a change. Even if it was cozy to stay inside next to a fireplace, in her eyes, nothing would compare to feel the wind in her face, the smell of nature surrounding her.

Ziva looked down to find Tony watching her, his fingers laced behind his head from where he was laying down under one of the trees.

“You know this is a date, right?”

He opened a lazy smile. “Yeah.”

“So you’re just going to lay down there and watch?”

Tony looked around him, taking in the picnic cloth placed under the tree shade, the bottle of red wine they were sharing without any glasses (he’d forgotten them inside the dishwasher), and the already empty picnic basket; shrugging with his hands still laced behind his head.

“Sounds good to me,” he motioned with a chin to where she stood on the ladder, his eyes still lazily watching her.

“Wow,” said Ziva, rolling her eyes.

“What?” Tony protested, bending forward to sit down. “What do you want me to do?” he complained, but there was a smile in his voice. “It’s a picnic. We even brought that fancy basket I thought wasn't a real thing until now.” He motioned to the picnic basket, lifting his brow.

“And I’m eating healthy, see?” Tony raised a hand to pluck one of the apples off the tree and took a bite of it. “Progress,” he added with his mouth full. “You should be pleased.”

“Fine,” Ziva shook her head, giving up and turning to face the tree again. “I’ll do the apple-picking. Just… Let me know if you spot anything good so I can grab them.”

One moment she was appreciating the view of the orchard down below, and a moment later, Ziva felt the air being sucked out of her lungs, an arm grabbing her middle to pull her down to the ground.

“Tony!” Ziva screeched, trying to find her balance as she felt both her feet leave the ladder.

The apples tumbled down to scatter across the ground, making her once almost full basket now feel near empty. Tony held her from behind, his body directly under where she was laying down under another tree’s foliage.

“Sorry,” he hastily kissed her hair, tightening his grip. “Thought you’d asked to grab what I thought was good.”

Wondering if she would ever get tired of his flirting, Ziva chuckled, relaxing in Tony’s arms. A grin stretched across her face when he started planting kisses everywhere, from her hair to her face, his legs tangling with hers.

Ziva turned her head to face him, finding his lips in no time. The kiss was soft and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. First, only their lips were pressed together, then Tony’s tongue brushed against her mouth in silent invitation and she opened it, meeting him halfway.

Her hands found his short hair and tugged it softly, receiving a praising groan from him immediately. In a matter of seconds, Tony untangled their legs only for Ziva to straddle him, raising them to a sitting position.

He beckoned her closer, his tongue exploring her lazily. Ziva could still taste the red wine they had shared directly from the bottle, the cool sensation of his mouth turning the kiss addictive.

Tony groaned again when she bucked her hips closer, the sound coming from the back of his throat. Ziva just really couldn’t help it, not with his hands tugging her hair at the back of her neck, and really not when he was clearly enjoying it - his jeans feeling tighter underneath her.

He let out a protesting whimper when she broke the kiss, cupping his cheeks.

Ziva found his eyes heavy, a look of affection mixed with clear lust.

She studied the way his freckles were fading, now with the summer long gone. His arms still hugged her tight, pulling her as close as possible until there wasn’t any space between them. Ziva briefly kissed him one more time and felt his lips linger before she drew back again.

“Did you always think it would have come to this?” she asked, raising a hand to run through his hair.

Tony watched her closely, a slight frown appearing. “What do you mean?”

“Us,” Ziva replied, catching the sparkle in his eyes once he understood. “This… What we have. Was it something expected?”

“Hmm,” Tony narrowed her eyes slightly before replying, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, you couldn’t stop flirting with me, so…” He opened a slow grin. “What can a guy do?”

Ziva rolled her eyes, deciding not to comment on the matter. Both of them knew he flirted way more, especially lately. She mentally noted to reflect upon it later.

“You?” Tony asked, his gaze suddenly curious.

Ziva chose her words carefully. “I never…” she breathed, meeting his eyes again, “I never saw it coming.”

Tony’s brow shot up. “Really?”

Ziva nodded after a moment. “Really.”

“Someone as predictable as me?”

“You surprise me more than you think.”

A flicker of amazement passed his eyes, and Ziva offered him a small smile.

Smiling as well, Tony fixed his gaze on her mouth for a moment before he raised his thumb to brush at her cheekbone.

“It was inevitable,” he said quietly, and Ziva wondered if he’d meant more to himself than to her.

“Nothing is inevitable.”

“I know, I mean… Not about being attracted to each other, but…” Tony sighed, trying to find the right words. “It always felt like… Like it was something already bound to happen. It felt too natural. The way we talked, the jokes we made… God, even the stuff I didn’t say,” he chuckled. “It’s like you knew me more than I did.”

Ziva smiled. “Written in the stars?”

He snorted, shaking his head, “Don’t make me puke now. That one apple really was the one healthy thing I’ve had all week.”

“Good heavens.”

“You should really start cooking something else other than Italian food.”

“I am using your roots to try to sweep you off your feet.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes sparkled, the arms around her middle pulling her closer.

“Consider me swept,” he said. “My cholesterol thank you.”

Ziva chuckled and Tony’s eyes followed hers, affection so clear in his gaze it made her chest tighten.

He raised a hand to brush a strand of hair off her face. The air turned intense again, but a different kind. They looked at each other as if they both knew that what they felt was real, and rare and true. It was the certainty that they were partners, and right for each other. It was difficult to find, that type of understanding.

“I am madly in love with you,” said Tony, as if it was already a known fact. “Since the beginning. Despite all odds, I always knew.”

“You make it sound so…”

“Romantic?”

“I was going to say Victorian.”

He chuckled, shaking his head before his smart eyes met hers again.

“I was trying to sweep you off your feet,” he smiled. “I love you. God, Ziva, you changed my life.”

Ziva was amazed that he still managed to make her heart flutter, even after all those years together. She had never felt something like it, the love she felt for this man, and for once it wasn’t suffocating. It felt right, and even if she didn’t see it coming, now she couldn’t imagine it happening any other way.

“I think…” She ran her hand through his short hair again, “I love you, too.”

Tony huffed, his eyes sparkling, “You think?”

Ziva pursed her lips. “I am not sure… If all the dates with you are like this, I may have to step up my game.” She gave him a smile, one that wrinkled the corner of her eyes.

“You are the game, Zi.”

“And you, Anthony DiNozzo,” she bopped a finger to his nose, “Are the best plot twist a girl could have.”

His lips tugged upwards. “Movie reference?”

“Calm, now. I am not that desperate.”

Tony huffed as if he knew the truth and his lips met hers again.

Then he kissed her. Softly, lazily, taking his time. Ziva let him pull her down on top of him, their legs tangling together again.

Under that apple tree orchard, Ziva had never felt more at peace. Despite all odds, she knew.

He was right, after all.

Somehow, this, them… what they had—everything had been inevitable.

#ncis #tiva #tiva fanfiction #tivatober2020 #once upon a halloween #my fics #s/o to 'state of grace' by taylor swift #<333

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liberolove · 4 years

Text

Our Great Perhaps

Pairing: Nishinoya x reader

Summary: You two have been dating for about 3 years. You met him in your first semester of college, and you two have been pretty strong. Now, however, taking into account each of your career paths has brought up issues. Maybe, it wasn’t meant to be.

Genre: crack, angst, college au (first part)

Warnings: cussing

Part One || Part Two: here

Nishinoya Yuu was an inimitable beast and glorious lover. He was the most passionate, romantic, and charismatic partner. You had never met someone like him before, so when he waltzed gracefully into your life, you were in awe.

There was no way that a man like this could ever exist. You had dreamt of your stereotypical prince charming and knight in shining armor entering your life and sweeping you off of your feet. However, you had no idea your fairy tale dream could ever become a reality. And so soon.

The moment you two crossed paths, it felt as though worlds had collided. The stars had aligned and your prayers had been answered. Finally. This was the beginning of your happily ever after.

From the exact second you laid your eyes upon his beautifully toned physique, you knew that there was something special about him. Perhaps, this was the way love at first sight feels like?

When he walked into the lecture hall, everyone else faded from view, leaving only you and him. You just remember his smile, and those brightly lit eyes, looking throughout the hall for a place to sit. He seemed a little lost, but eventually he found somewhere to settle.

You were shocked to find him moving towards you, in the back of the wide room. You were sitting alone in that row of seats, hoping that no one would sit next to you, yet he saw you. He saw that you didn’t actually want to be alone. You were wanting- yearning for someone. Anyone. Anyone to come and sit next to you.

He heard your silent begging, and complied. Once he was close enough, he grinned his award winning teeth and introduced himself.

“Nishinoya Yuu. But you can call me either Noya or Yuu. What’s your name, gorgeous?”

Those words will forever be seared into the back of your mind. They are the first words your guardian angel ever spoke to you.

Since then, you two never let go of each other. No matter where you were, everyone knew that Noya was close by. Despite having different majors, you two did your best to take the same general education classes.

But once your studies started leading you to your core major classes, you two had to part ways in terms of school. This didn’t come between you and Noya much, due to the fact that you two had been living together since your three month anniversary. It felt so right at the time, so why not?

Despite the differences in coursework, you knew that you could always come to him in your cozy apartment.

What was starting to drive a wedge between the two of you was the fact that Noya had begun to delve in deeper into his extracurriculars.

You were psyched to hear about his growing opportunities within his field of study: kinesiology. He dreamt of becoming a personal trainer and a coach for high school students. He had a big heart and wished to give back to his community.

The only problem was that he was focusing all his attention to the intramural volleyball team, the kinesiology club, and his current position at a local high school.

At first it was manageable, but as the semester progressed, he was constantly busy, leaving you stranded at home.

After spending almost three years joined at the hip practically, this change felt so wrong and absurd. You hadn’t felt this lonely in so long.

Usually, Noya was so caring and attentive to your mental state, but now, with everything going on, he couldn’t spare the time to listen to you.

You were so afraid of him forgetting you. Noya was constantly running here and there like a whirlwind, causing him to skip out on your weekend dates. He had so much work to do, and couldn’t afford to get behind on his studies.

As the number of postponed dates grew, you decided it was time to talk. The anxiety of not knowing how he would respond starting to take over your thoughts. You had no idea how to bring it up nor how to convey your emotions to him.

~~~~~

The day you finally decided to spill your feelings, he was running late. You had set up dinner about half an hour ago, yet he still wasn’t home.

You were considering just heading off to bed, since it was getting really late. That’s when the door opened.

“Hey, sweetie, I’m so sorry! The boys wanted to go out to eat after practice, so we got- oh.. Oh fuck, y/n. I’m so sorry! I should’ve texted you that we went out.. I’m so sorry.. I’ll eat it tomorrow for breakfast. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, Yuu. I’m sorry, too, for not letting you know.”

There was a lull in the conversation, and you felt the knot in the back of your throat grow. You tried to get it out, but your own words were choking you. Your eyes started to well up with tears. Nishinoya was putting away dinner when he heard your stifled sobs, and immediately turned towards you and held you close to his chest.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Please tell me. Is it because I didn’t tell you earlier about going out to eat? I’m so sorry.”

“n-noo.. It’s n-not.. that.” you managed to say.

“Then, what is it? You can tell me. You know that, right? You can tell me anything.”

Those words. They dug deep into your heart. You knew he would hear you out, but the fear of the unknown kept ringing in your ears.

“I.. I c-.. I just can’t!” you yelped and buried your face in his chest.

“I can’t do this anymore..”

He understood immediately. Without saying a word, he held you tightly and placed one hand over your head, trying to soothe you.

He did his best to comfort you, but he realized that this might be one of the last times he would ever hold you.

“I’m so sorry, y/n. I really am. I wish I could fix this.”

Between sniffles, you replied, “We can’t fix it.. Things are different now..”

“I know, but there’s.. there has to be something.. anything.. Anything we can do. We can fix it.. I know we can.”

“I don’t know..”

His eyes started to water, as well. He pulled away from the hug and lifted your chin up so he could see you. Noya stared at you through the veil of tears in his eyes. He did his best to take you in, trying to memorize all of your facial features.

“I’m sorry I failed you..” he whispered quietly.

“You didn’t.. It’s neither of our faults.. It just wasn’t meant to be..” As you said these words, you felt the sting of what they meant. It hurt to say it out loud, but it also helped provide some closure.

You two had grown apart and there was nothing you could do. You had given him 3 years of your life. They were the happiest years of your life, and you would never regret them, despite how much pain you were currently feeling.

“I love you, y/n. I always have, and always will. No matter what..”

“I love you, Yuu. So much. Thank you for everything..”

~~~~~~~

To say that the breakup was devastatingly difficult would be an understatement.

Noya had an especially hard time trying to adjust to the change. He would still come home smiling and leaning in for kisses, but stop abruptly, remembering that you two weren’t together anymore. It hurt him to not be able to feel your touch on his skin, or vice versa.

At first you agreed to be roommates, so that you could adjust gradually, but it made the pain so much worse. Seeing him everyday hurt so much. There was a pain in your chest every time you looked at him, because you knew he wasn’t yours anymore.

Eventually, you two talked about it, and decided that one of you had to move out. Noya basically decided himself that he would be the one to leave.

You were grateful for his gesture. You tried to help him pack, but unfortunately, every one of his belongings was shrouded in the memories of your past. You had to apologize and leave him be.

Once the apartment was empty, the ache worsened. It was actually happening. This was real. You two were over.

That first month, you cried yourself to sleep every night. You were thankful that the one constant thing in your life, school, was still the same. So, you focused on your studies, making sure that your grades didn’t suffer the same way you were suffering.

Your friends learned to not talk about him, anymore. He would always be a part of you, but he was in the past, now. It took you about a whole year to feel better.

You graduated from university, and you were on your way towards your dream career.

~~~~~~~

7 years later

~~~~~~~

For your job, you had moved away to Tokyo. From there, you really blossomed. A change of scenery was exactly what you needed. You were currently working as a social worker, and you were loving it. Helping people and supporting them was your calling, truly.

Everything was going great, and you soon got even more good news. Your agency was about to open a new branch in Miyagi. Your boss picked you specifically to handle the logistics, since you were familiar with the area.

You were so excited to go back home and reconnect with friends and family.

You packed your bags, ready for the next chapter of your life. Your family was ecstatic that you came back, with so much success behind you.

When you settled into your new house, your friends planned a surprise housewarming party. Everyone was so supportive and happy that you were back, with the job of your dreams.

Eventually, they started asking you if there was anyone special in your life. You shook your head.

The entire time you were in Tokyo, you were too engrossed in your work to focus on dating. You didn’t have time to get to know someone who would eventually leave. Besides, you knew that Tokyo wouldn’t be for you, forever, so when you heard about a new branch opening, you jumped on the opportunity.

Truthfully, you missed your life back home. You had grown used to the rural quiet of Miyagi. The city was fun, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t home.

Since you told your friends there wasn’t anyone special, they started to drown you in guys’ phone numbers, trying to set you up with everyone they knew.

You laughed it off and tried your best to get away, but your efforts were futile.

They were dead set on finding someone for you, which was kind of dumb, seeing as there were hundreds of dating apps now.

You reluctantly took all the phone numbers they gave you, with no intention of actually calling any of them.

After the party, you were able to relax and have some time to yourself. You forgot how tiring parties were for you. It was exhausting answering so many questions about where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to. Still, it was comforting to see that so many people were still in your hometown.

The next day you walked around town, remembering all the shops and houses from your childhood. Almost nothing had changed.

You decided to walk into your favorite little café from back in the day. It looked just as you remembered it, with the only change being the menu. They served way more drinks than before.

You ordered a small iced coffee and sat down in a corner, with a book in your lap.

Today, you decided to read some poems. You put your earphones in and the world around you dissipated.

You were too enraptured in your own little world to notice, but a man in a white t-shirt and black shorts walked into the café.

He ordered an iced coffee, as well, and looked around for a comfortable spot to sit. That’s when he spotted you. Could his eyes be deceiving him? It couldn’t be. Last he’d heard, you had moved away to the big city.

Intrigued, he sat down 2 tables away from you, so as to not disturb you, in case you weren’t the person he thought you were.

You sat there for about an hour before looking up from your book. “That was enough reading for now,” you thought. You got up without paying attention to your surroundings and walked out of the café.

When you got up, he was able to catch a glimpse of your face. It was you. He sat there stunned in silence. Before he knew it, you were gone.

He ran out of the shop, in a frenzy, looking for you. He saw you still making your way down the street, so he ran behind you, trying to catch up.

“Y/N!!”

Your earphones were still in, with your music blasting. You knew it was bad for your ears, but you couldn’t help it. You loved being lost in the sound.

“Y/n?! Fuck my life. Earphones.”

He finally caught up to you and put his hand on your shoulder. “Y/n!!”

You jumped, startled by the touch, and started fumbling backwards, about to fall. He reached out for your hand, and caught you just in time.

You breathed a sigh of relief, and took out your earphones. “Don’t fucking scare me like that, fuck.” You looked up at the figure looming over you, and you stopped breathing. It was him. God, it had been so long.

“Nishinoya..”

“Y/n!! Glad to see you’re still the same, with music blasting in your ears.” He chuckled to himself.

“Hi. Wow. Hey.. Hi..”

“Yeah, hey. Been a while, huh? How you been? I didn’t know you were back visiting.”

“I actually moved back.”

“Wow! That’s awesome! Have you met up with everyone yet?”

“Yeah, I have. Wow.. It’s really you. I thought you would’ve moved away, too.”

“I did, but I came back, too. I just couldn’t stay away, y’know?”

“Same.”

“Sooo.. wanna go out for some ramen later or something? To catch up?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

~~~~~~~

Noya picked you up from your place in his car at around 8 pm. Your heart was racing, the way it used to when you were still dating.

You got in and asked, “Where’re we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

You whined but settled down quickly.

Once you arrived you yelped, “Oh man! I love this place! I can’t believe you remembered..”

“Of course, I did. How could I forget?”

After all these years, he still remembered your favorite ramen place. You wondered what else he remembered..

You two spent the next two hours catching up and laughing like old friends. You told him all about your life in Tokyo, and he told you about his journeys abroad. Noya had gone to Brazil, the US, Korea, and most of Europe. He loved traveling but always made his way back home. Now, he was teaching and coaching at the same university you two graduated from. He was living his dream.

His phone rang. “Hey, sorry about that, I need to answer this,” he apologized.

“Hey, what’s going on? ... Oh, I’m just out having dinner with a friend, catching up. ... I’ll come over in a little... Okay, bye... See ya soon.”

He hung up. “Hey, I have to go now. My girlfriend’s been sick and she wants me to stop by before bed.”

You did your best to hide the disappointment and jealousy in your face. Of course, he has a girlfriend. It’s not like he waited for you this whole time. You were glad he was able to move on, but it still hurt a little. You put on your best fake smile and said, “Yeah, no worries! We can keep chatting another time.”

“Let’s get going then.”

“Alright, thanks again for the food.”

“Yeah, no problem. Anything for you!”

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imagine-jjba · 5 years

Note

what would joseph do on valentines day?

valentine’s day with joseph!

thank you for sending me this ask! i hope you enjoy this little thing, just for you! have a happy valentine’s day! also, just pretend that i knew what i was doing.

“Valentine’s day, huh,” a deep, but childish voice came from your side. Turning your head to the right, you saw him leaning on the railing. You were feeling a bit reminiscent today, reminders of your previous dates on this special day. The dates with the ones that you thought were “the one”. Those weren’t the best. Something always went wrong.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. So, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be going out to ask someone?” you asked, glancing up into his eyes. Behind that childish and confident exterior, you could see past them. A hint of nervousness clouded over with hope and excitement. The eyes were the windows to the soul. It was an interesting phrase, but with the young Joestar, you swore he wore his soul on his heart.

“That’s— that’s what I was going to do! I mean, uh... Look, I’m not like Caesar who can just sweep you off your feet, some shit like that. He’s too cocky for his own good, though. Anyway, I’m getting side tracked. Do you... wanna go on a date?” he said, face flushing a soft red. It took a moment to register to yourself, what exactly he was mentioning. But when it came to you, you felt your face grow hot with blush, unsure of what exactly this emotion was. It certainly felt like excitement, but you didn’t want to give it a name. Joseph’s face jumped between emotions, wonder and hope, mainly. Then, he whipped his face around to turn to the other side. “I mean— uh, I don’t have anything else to do. A-and you don’t look busy either...? So, I was just wondering if you’d wanna hang out, or something. You don’t—“

“Yes. Y-yeah, we can... yeah,” you said, murmuring the last part to yourself. You did want to spend time with him, as irritating as he could get. He was fun and someone you deeply respected, even if you didn’t want to admit it sometimes. You smiled to yourself while staring out into the snow. Even if the day was sunny, the snow on the ground didn’t seem to melt.

“Really? Nice! Let’s go... when do you want to go?” he asked, looking down at you. You did have a significant height difference, but that never stopped you from anything. Noticing the small smile that formed on his face made you smile fondly as well. It was a nice thing to see, especially in the tense situation everyone was in. The rings in Joseph’s body must have been stressful, especially in a situation like this. Maybe taking a day off from training and spending time with him would have gotten his mind off of the predicament.

“Oh, we can head out now, if you’d like,” you said. Before you could really gather your things together, the brunette had already grabbed your hand, tugging out of the building. You laughed as he proudly marched out of the building, yelling out to everyone that you two were going to be busy. Lisa Lisa gave him a stern look, but let him leave the building anyway. She must have figured that he needed a break. Plus, she must have wanted some time away from the rambunctious man. You wished her a happy Valentine’s day on your way out with a bright smile and the wave of your hand.

Once out and about, you looked around the town. Everything was brightly colored, so many tanned and cleaned buildings, along with colorful decorations set up just for the special occasion. It seemed romantic, but you two were really just out today for the fun of it. None of it had to be romantic, really, but it would be nice. You found people on the sides laughing and holding hands with each other, which seemed similar to what you were doing.

There weren’t many things to do, but you both told jokes to each other, as well as stories. It made you happy, and hopefully Joseph felt the same. Once you traveled around the town, you pointed out in the distance. There was some sort of valentine’s day festival going on, from what you could see. People wearing showy shades of pinks and reds, dancing all over the streets to music that bands played. It seemed fun, so you pulled the taller man towards the crowd to watch.

However, he seemed to have different plans. When the two of you got there, he started dragging you into the middle of the street to dance. You had no idea how to dance, though, so you gave him a nervous glance. You were a bit afraid he would laugh at your poor attempt. “Wait, JoJo. I don’t even know how to dance.”

“You haven’t danced before? It’s easy, just let your body move to the music!” he yelled over the music and the laughter. Was there a way to dance? A proper way? Or would you just have to follow with his lead? Well, he was already dragging your body closer to his, pressing you to him as he danced together. It wasn’t like any formal dance you thought it would have been. Really, he was moving his body in ways you’ve never really seen. You thought dancing was supposed to be formal, no? Well, you figured that you should follow his lead and move your body as well.

As the two of you danced and hopped around together, it made you laugh, feeling your body slowly grow loose as you danced. Joseph encouraged you, pulling you and spinning you around, laughing as you did. This prompted more people around you to join in as well, dancing as you moved along the street. There wasn’t much you could focus on, the adrenaline flowing through you. However, you did pay attention to your partner’s movements. As much as you could, you kept yourself close to him.

After a few more minutes of your dance, you ended it by pulling yourselves close together. Then, he pulled you out of the stampede of people that were soon to come, pulling you to the sidelines. Panting, you laughed some more. It was funny, really. You had no idea you could have so much fun, especially in a large setting like this. Though, it seemed as though Joseph brought that side out of you.

“So, how’d you like that?” he said, a bubbling grin forming on his face. You gave him a thumbs-up, the only real answer you could come up with. You couldn’t describe the feeling in words, but if you had to, you’d most likely describe the feeling as “alive”. It felt like a small spark from within you formed, and now you were lighting on fire. “Good! Glad I finally got you to stop being so serious all the time.”

“Hey, I’m not that serious,” you bickered back, but snickered all the same. Now that you had caught your breath, you tried to think of something nearby. Maybe there was something to eat? Hopefully, that would have been a good option. Looking around, you only saw the crowd passing through you. So, you looked up at the taller man. He could probably see through the crowd, so you could use him to look around. “Is there anywhere to eat? We should probably grab something to eat.”

This was his chance to scan above the crowd and try to see the signs hanging from signs. So far, he couldn’t see much besides places from people lived. However, he did see a small Italian restaurant. So, he grabbed your hand and interlocked your fingers together. You blushed, but could also see the other blushing as well. Smiling, you went on your way to the restuant. Once at the front door, you pulled it open, smelling the scent of freshly cooked pasta sauce. It smelt savory and rich, making your mouth water slightly.

You noticed that there were a bunch of tables that were already taken. Well, there were a couple of tables that weren’t taken, so you could at least sit down and eat there. The waitress came to seat you at the table and hand you the menus. When you received the menus, you started to look through all of the things that they had. There were some good meals on there, hand-written down on a large sheet of laminated paper. It was nice, really. You decided on a normal pasta, while Joseph decided to order the squid-ink variety.

While waiting for your food, you talked amongst each other, talking about whatever came to mind. Most of what Joseph said was mainly jokes and chaotic sayings. Finally, as the food came, you both started to eat. You occasionally heard Joseph make some comments about people around him. Though, even if you didn’t mind, you hoped that people wouldn’t get mad about him. The food was absolutely delicious, which had you eating all of your meal. Joseph had finishee up before you, so you two just started to leave, thanking the waiters and waitresses before you left.

“Hey, JoJo. I’m glad that I met you,” you said with a soft smile playing on your lips. It was the truth, however. You couldn’t imagine your life without the friends that you had made. They stuck by your side until the end, all the way up until this point. You were so grateful to him.

“Yeah, same here. I feel like I would’ve been dead without you, ya know? Like, the Pillar Men would’ve got me already,” he said, laughing slightly. Although, you could tell that he was nervous about the upcoming battle that was about to come.

“Hey,” you said, grabbing onto his hand. You could see his face grow red with blush once more as you gripped onto it. You believed in him, that he would save the world from the threat of themselves. He gripped back onto your hand, smiling softly as you two walked back to the base.

“Yeah, I know.”

#i hope that you liked this!#i WAS going to do just headcanons but then i decided #yeah time for writing #jjba #jojos #jojo #jjba x reader #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo kimyou na bouken #x reader #joseph joestar x reader #valentines day #answered

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cupcakemolotov · 5 years

Text

A Broken Shield

Posted for Day One: Mythological Creatures of Klaroline AU Week. Not particularly mythological in this one, but did a bit of a role swap with Klaus as a witch and Caroline as a werewolf. Very AU, and not sticking to any TVD Canon. A tiny smidge of angst, but not romantically.

The bar was filled with smoke, the low voice of a witch touched with magic singing to the crowd. Not a siren, Caroline decided as she threaded through the swaying bodies, but perhaps a few drops of fae blood. Her voice was sweet if not strong, and her face was engagingly human. It was a song that invited you to stay, to drink, and probably why she had this gig. Once upon a time Caroline would have had a quiet word or five with the owner, given them a nice little fine. Mood magic was illegal when mixed with alcohol unless expressly agreed to and she hadn’t seen any of those warnings.

But she wasn’t a cop anymore. She had no authority and, Caroline supposed, no real inclination to involve herself in this small racquet. She’d only ducked into the bar to make use of its backdoor into an alley. It was a familiar shortcut, and her feet had followed the path without much thought.

Evening was starting to fall over the city, the softly falling snow pretty. She knew somewhere in the city a body was cooling and a detective was cursing the snowfall, the way it would ruin the lingering scents. A werewolf nose might be inadmissible in court, but no one was quite willing to dismiss what it could find, either. That forty-eight hours ago she’d been both detective and wolf had been an assist.

Now, she’d been striped of her badge and her wolf was angry. Pausing to let her eyes scan the room, she tiredly rolled her neck. She’d left the quiet seclusion of her apartment in hopes that a long walk would smooth the jagged edges of being so unceremoniously thrown out of what she’d considered her pack. The way her partner had watched her with a set expression.

Matt hadn’t been surprised.

That had hurt the most. An unexpected betrayal from the one place she’d stopped looking for it inside a department that had slowly turned from home to a false sanctuary over the last decade. Police Chief Mason Lockwood was thinning the ranks, cutting his losses and she’d ended up on the chopping block.

She’d known it was coming as soon as she’d seen the faces around her when she’d walked in, had braced her wolf with a stubborn will when she’d wanted to use teeth. Better to go now, when she still had her dignity and her pride than to let a man who would never be her alpha try to wear her down.

It would be hard to find short term work in the city. No private agency would be willing to take her so soon, and even her nearly impeachable record wouldn’t mean much in a place where human and supernatural no longer blended quite so seamlessly. Something dangerous was brewing in the streets, but those were worries for another day. Tonight, she needed to burn off enough aggigitation that she could sleep.

Ignoring the little tug of suggestion to continue to linger, her wolf brushed the magic easily aside, Caroline stepped back into the softly falling snow. Shutting the door quietly, she turned let the fresh air clear her nose. The snow was sharp, and underneath it were the lingering hints of those who’d walked the alley before her. The wind shifted, and her hair slid across her face just as another, more familiar scent caught her attention.

Stiffening, she bit down on a growl of frustration as the witch she had been hoping to avoid until she got her emotions under control turned and walked down the narrow alley. He paused for a moment, clearly not expecting to find someone already in the alley, before his mouth curled into a familiar, pleased smile.

With tumbled curls and entirely unfair lips, Klaus Mikaelson skittered along the edge of being almost too pretty. He played his natural charisma very well, oozing charm and enough heat to make the even the most devout of grandmother’s take notice. Caroline wasn’t devout and over the years she’d had cause to be thankful that he didn’t have the same sense of smell that she did.

“Detective,” he murmured. She had been braced for the familiar greeting, but flinched anyway. His smile flattened, gaze turning diamond hard. “So it’s not just a rumor.”

Caroline shoved her fingers into her jacket pockets to hide the way her nails curled into her palms. Forcing herself to ignore the flutter of happiness that coursed through her at his obvious temper on her behalf, she sidestepped his words. “Mikaelson. What are you doing here?”

His gaze narrowed at her deflect, and Klaus moved closer, until the familiar bite of his cologne and his intriguing personal scent overpowered everything else. “I own this bar.”

She blinked and looked over her shoulder at the dipilated sign, the scarred wood and slightly outdated exterior. It didn’t surprise her that he owned more real estate than the Department knew about, she just hadn’t expected this location to be one of them. Brow arching, she turned back to him, voice dry. “Did you know you’re employing someone with siren blood to sing without proper warnings?”

“Am I?” He shrugged. “Resumes are so hard to trust these days.”

Half-tempted to smile at his blasé tone, she shook her head and made to move further down the alley. Klaus shifted, blocking her path with his body. “Let me buy you a drink.”

Caroline blinked and then frowned. “I’m not in the mood to be interrogated.”

Her firing was still to new, too bloody of a cut for her to be willing to discuss it. That Klaus even knew about it confirmed her long held belief that he had eyes and ears inside the Department. It wasn’t much of a surprise, she’d spent years trying to get a mole inside his organization. It did suck that he’d been better at it than her.

“Just a conversation, Caroline,” he coaxed. “We are something like friends, are we not?”

Her lips pursed as she considered his words. The thing between her and Klaus was complicated. He was pushy at his best, murderous at his worst. But much to her chagrin, her wolf had liked him from the start. Klaus, with his charm and his playfulness that acted as such a thin veneer for the violence that lived beneath his skin. It had taken the cop much longer to be so accepting, so willing to acknowledge the attraction he’d had never once tried to ignore.

Today, heart sick and bruised, she wasn’t sure spending time with him was such a good idea. But then again, Klaus had never betrayed her and she’d given him ample opportunity for it. Maybe some company, familiar as he was, would ease her wolf enough she could sleep.

“One drink,” she agreed finally. Shoving her hair back, she glanced at the bar and shook her head. “Something quieter than here, please.”

His lips curved, dimple a shadowed tease. “I know a place.”

“When I said quieter, I didn’t necessarily mean empty.” Caroline’s words echoed around the room, and Klaus chuckled as he walked around the bar. His boots were surprisingly soft on the wood, and she absently wondered if he’d spelled them.

Witches.

Giving herself a moment, she admired the feel of the newly renovated bar. If she remembered correctly, the location had been run by a witch twenty years ago and the premise had been badly damaged by a gang fight, and it had shut down shortly after. It had sat empty and rotting for a long time.

She glanced back to find him watching her, his eyes shadowed in the low light. He seemed content to watch her, but she hadn’t been looking for echoes of her own heartbeat, and this place was an old memory. “Do you own this one too?”

Klaus’ laughter was soft. “Not exactly.”

Caroline wondered what that meant. Shaking her head, she let her gaze sweep over the changes. “The update is lovely.”

His gaze sparked with curiosity. “Did you know it before?”

Unwinding her scarf, she finally walked towards him. “I used to live in the area.”

His brows arched high and he tipped his head towards a stool. “I didn’t know that.”

She gave him credit for only allowing a hint of disgruntlement to leak into his voice. Klaus had never taken kindly to her secrets. “Should you have?”

The look he gave her was flat and she laughed. Even if she hadn’t been the cop who butted heads against him and his people the most frequently, she thought that he might have still dug through her life with a fine tooth comb. She didn’t know what it would mean now that they were no longer technically on opposite sides.

“It was a few years before I decided to be a cop again, and long before I’d have been on your radar.” Caroline murmured, answering his unvoiced question as she finished shedding her outer layer.

Klaus considered her words with a little frown, but his face quickly smoothed over. “Perhaps.”

Rolling her eyes, Caroline pointed at the wall lined with bottles. “I was promised a drink.”

He glanced at the collection of booze. “Gin, if I remember correctly?”

She snorted. “Tonight is definitely a tequila night.”

His brow arched but he obligingly hunted for a shot glass, movements sure and easy. Caroline wondered how much time he’d spent behind a bar. Picturing him with rolled back sleeves, the hint of the tattoos that were only partly visible when he bared his forearms, left her feeling a little flushed.

Pre-cop Caroline would have flirted hard.

She’d have to decide what post-cop Caroline wanted.

“Lime?” His voice cut smoothly through her thoughts, and she shook her head.

“Not tonight.” Caroline braced her arm on the bar, studied him as he moved. “When did you work behind a bar?”

His lips curled as he poured her a shot and then set the bottle next to her. “Here and there, as needed. It’s a bit of a rare occurrence now.”

Klaus didn’t give her a chance to respond, lifting his own bottle of choice, some fancy bourbon, and saluting. Tipping her head, Caroline downed her shot, and she let the burn of it ease the knot in her chest. It didn’t touch the grief, but the tight muscles in her neck eased a hair. Maybe she’d consider getting drunk after all.

When she was alone again.

“I am sorry, Caroline,” Klaus said once she’d poured herself another drink, his voice low. She looked up to find him watching her, mouth set in a hard line. “The city will miss you as a detective.”

There was a wealth of meaning under his words. She and Klaus had worked against each more often than their goals had aligned, but he’d never let her chosen profession get in the way of what he claimed he wanted. He’d always done his best to push past the shield she wore, figuratively and literally, to find the woman, the wolf, behind the badge. But in his pursuit, he’d never ignored what she was trying to accomplish or how good she was at her job. It’d been the reason she’d never been able to fully shake him. He’d been as frustrated as he’d been fascinated by the cop.

But she didn’t feel up to picking through those layers. Not tonight. “Thank you,” she said simply.

Klaus’ head tipped and his gaze moved along her face. “I am somewhat disappointed that Donovan has chosen to abandon you so fully.”

Caroline’s fingers curled a little tighter around her glass, and she frowned at him. “You’re fishing.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what happened in the precinct, sweetheart. It’s all over your face. For all that you’ve chosen to disavow the packs in the city, you’ve always been a creature that seeks bonds.” Klaus took another pull on the bourbon. “Lockwood is a fool.”

Caroline set her teeth, because she agreed. “Putting a wolf in charge of other wolves is never a good idea.”

Not without a clear cut dominance already in place. Human laws required that they avoid inconvenient things like dominance fights, and she hadn’t been the only wolf to disappear from the force. Mason was strong. But he wasn’t quite strong enough to leash the city. Caroline wasn’t sure he understood that. Her ex-captain was a political beast, and his vision was short sighted.

Her wolf hated him.

Klaus licked along his lower lip, eyes probing. “Rumor has it Lockwood considers himself the Alpha, that he is trying to organize the packs.”

Caroline reached for the tequila. Her hand didn’t shake, but the hot spike of her wolf burned through her in a visceral rejection of such a move. When she glanced back up, Klaus was watching her with eyes gone calculating.

“Mason Lockwood is no one’s alpha. He isn’t strong enough.” Her words were curt.

The curve of his smile was dangerous. “Not for you.”

She shook her head. “He shouldn’t be strong enough for anyone.”

“Why?”

Scowling, Caroline took the shot. “Didn’t I say I didn’t want an interrogation?”

He made a low noise of derision. “This is hardly an interrogation, love. Merely… a conversation. I’d say one between friends, but we’ve never quite managed that, have we?”

“That’s because you’re a delinquent.”

His laugh was loud in the empty bar, the faint creases near his eyes doing unnecessary things to her chest. Dimples flashing, he shrugged. “Be as that may, that is hardly a current impediment.”

“You want to be friends?” The disbelief in her voice wasn’t faked. Caroline wasn’t sure either of them would easily be friends. The casual intimacy of it, the level of trust required for such a thing, it would always try to bleed into more. It was why she’d never let herself interact with him as anything but the cop.

His eyes brightened with the familiar witch fire, irises turning incandescent for a dozen heartbeats. “No.”

They stared at each other, the unspoken heat burning between them. Her wolf wouldn’t let her back down and Klaus had never given her an inch when he could take ground instead. Gaze narrowing, she let a hint of her wolf bleed into the open, the strict restraints of the cop gone. “Why bring me here?”

Something hot moved behind his eyes, a bright flash of the temper he hid behind the thin veneer of charm. “Your pain isn’t for public consumption, Caroline. It’s a private matter, with teeth. I don’t plan to share it.”

Her breath caught in her throat at the rage beneath his words. Her wolf liked that he understood. “I’m not yours to protect.”

He set his bottle down and pressed against the bar. “Not yet.”

Caroline’s gaze narrowed. “Arrogant.”

His dimples creased his cheeks and he shrugged. “Perhaps. But not entirely unfounded. We’ve known each other for ten years now, give or take. And neither my more… suspect activities not your previous profession has managed to cool the draw between us.”

Klaus was right and it was infuriating. There was something about him that tempted her, no matter what she told herself. Letting her wolf out to play, to challenge him, might have been a mistake. But it was no easy thing, to cage what lived beneath her skin. “I’m not even sure I’ll stay in the city.”

It was as close as she’d ever come to lying to him, and the angle of his jaw turned to stone. They stared at each other, tension a near violent thing between them, and she watched, fascinated, as he visibly unlocked his shoulders.

“Where would you go?”

Bemused at his iron restraint, Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He gave a short nod, the muscles in his jaw jumping. “Why leave at all?”

“If I stay, I become a direct challenge to Mason’s authority. He’s been systematically edging out any wolf strong enough to challenge him. And now, with a police force at his beck and call?” She shook her head slowly even as her wolf stretched its claws beneath her skin.

“If your concern is his influence in the city, that’s easily handled.” A curl of his lip, gaze intent on his face. “You could work for me.”

Caroline snorted, derision clear on her face. “You can’t be serious.”

Both of his brows arched, Klaus seemingly unbothered by her disbelief. “Why not?”

There were dozens of reasons. Working for Klaus would be a risk in more than one area, and she wasn’t sure if it was smart. “You cannot possibly want the extra scrutiny such a move would bring to your... business. Mason already hates you, helping me would not improve things.”

Klaus’ magic sparked across his eyes in tiny, golden starbursts. “Lockwood is going to have enough trouble now that it is clear he’s using the humans to build himself a tiny fiefdom. Picking a fight with me will not be in his best interest, but I do so hope he tries it.”

He meant it.

Staring at him, all Caroline could find was that dangerous calculation that had always fascinated as it had repelled. Fascinated, because Klaus had always been far more comfortable with the monster he’d become than she’d ever dared. Repelled, because the cop, her mother’s legacy, had always demanded she cage those instincts.

Agreeing to his offer would be dangerous.

“Klaus…”

“Caroline.”

The drawl of her name was a challenge. Setting her jaw, she pushed loose tendrils of her hair away from her face. “I’m not saying yes, but what on earth can you possibly expect I’d do?”

Opening his arms, Klaus smiled. “Work here.”

She blinked at him. “You want me to wait tables?”

“I want you to run the place. It needs a manager.”

He really couldn’t be serious. “I thought you didn’t own this bar?”

“A mere technicality.”

Exasperated, Caroline looked at the ceiling for patience. “I’m a cop. That skill set doesn’t exactly translate to managing a business. Much less a bar.”

“Nonsense,” Klaus dismissed. “You’re more than capable of anything you set your mind to, love. Running a bar is hardly the challenge of hunting a killer, true. But perhaps you owe it to yourself to give yourself a breather before you go headlong into your next adventure.”

He meant it. The tense set of his jaw, the way his full lips pressed briefly together. It was mostly impossible to hide a lie from her wolf, and she was cop trained. More importantly, she knew Klaus.

He’d give her this. A reprieve. A moment to find her feet. And maybe he’d even let her walk away. This terrible, fascinating man who held his people and his territory in an iron fist.

For the first time, Caroline wanted to kiss him. To taste that unflinching belief in her on his tongue, to see if he felt as good as he looked. Flexing her fingers against the wood, she forced herself to ignore the burn of want in her veins and think.

She’d loved this city. Caroline had lived as a lone wolf for too many years, watching her human mother age. She’d become a sheriff for her mom, had become a detective because it’d been familiar when she’d needed it. After her mother’s death, she’d walked away from her roots, her life and drifted for a decade. New York City had given her purpose. Klaus was part of that. But now she was cut loose from those ties, all her old human expectations, she knew her wolf would not so easily be pushed aside a third time.

Caroline had no desire to surrender another inch to Mason. Not of her life. Not of her city. And her wolf wanted Klaus. It always had and maybe she owed it to herself to discover why.

Something inside her chest settled, and she huffed to herself as she realized she’d needed this. To know that she wasn’t on her own again and beneath her rage and grief, she could see the start of a plan.

“Are you sure?” Caroline said slowly, glancing at Klaus from beneath her lashes. “I’m pushy. I’m likely to take over everything and claim it as mine, and don’t even get me started on the mess behind you.”

His slow curling smile was satisfied and devious in all the best ways, but he obligingly glanced over his shoulder. “Mess?”

She sighed heavily. “I thought you said you worked in a bar? Who organized the liquor, Klaus, and why did they think this was a good idea?”

A low sound of amusement. “I’m sure you’ll set it to rights.” Caroline rolled her eyes, but her grumpy response was cut off as he braced a hand on the counter between them and leaned forward. His eyes were witch-blue, sparks of gold glittering along his iris. “As for the rest, claim what you will, love. Claim everything, if you like. But don't be surprised if it claims you back.”

Her lips caught his before she’d thought the motion through. His unspoken warning that walking away would be no easy thing mingled with the promise his eyes made every time his gaze caught hers. The taste of his magic on his lips, the low rumble of surprise and want as his hands reached for her, was heady. Pulling away before he could tangle his fingers in her hair, she leaned back just enough that he’d have to follow her over the bar counter to kiss her again.

“Caroline.”

The edge in his voice, the glint behind his eyes left her lips inexplicably curling. Swiping her scarf from the counter, she didn’t bother hiding her amusement.

“Klaus.”

He didn’t chase her, though the slow drag of his tongue across his lips told her he was considering it. Gaze finally narrowing in a clear warning, he tipped his head to the side. “Is that a yes?”

Dragging her teeth along her lower lip just to watch his eyes chase the motion, she shrugged. “It’s a ‘have your people send me their best offer’ and I’ll think about it.”

His dimples teased his cheeks with a smile that was all danger. “I like a challenge, love. Are you sure you want to throw down this particular gauntlet?”

Buttoning her jacket, she shrugged. “I’ll guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

Spinning on her heel, Caroline didn’t let herself turn back, even when his laughter followed her into the snow. Smiling widening, she turned her face up into the falling snow. For the first time since she’d left her precinct without her badge, she could breathe properly.

She should probably avoid letting Klaus know that any time soon.

#kcauweek2019 #my fic #klaroline #klaroline fanfic #klaroline drabble

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