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infinitum-imaginaerum · 4 years

Text

Umbra | Lucas [VI]

Bodyguard!AU | Mini-series Words | 5,676 Warnings | Language, violence, mentions of death, illegality, alcohol, mature themes

V | VI | VII

The stoic look on Yukhei’s face had the boy’s blood running cold. He gripped the other male’s hand like a vice, as if it was the highest offense to even touch him. There was barely a quirk of his brow, but it was noticed by the bunch who were now silent—it was clear Yukhei wasn’t messing around, and even continued to verbally assure them as much.

“I am contracted to kill you or any of your friends if any of you put her in danger in any way. I am instructed to stop any unwanted behaviors, words, approaches, or similar actions. If you want to go ahead and try me, I will make a scene in front of all of these people. That document, and my signature on it, discriminates not,” Yukhei growled, finally letting go of the boy’s hand he was crushing in his own.

The male stumbled back, clear of the words and their warnings, especially as the group eyed each other. Seojun had a quirk in his own brow, weighting the odds of chancing Yukhei in this very moment. If you weren’t around, would anything they do at this point stop him? Surely he was entitled to self-defense, but at what risk? Either way, he sneered, and gathered the group to turn them away and go back to the party, even if that meant avoiding Yukhei and mingling with other eligible bachelors. He continued on his round, looking busy, looking like he was watching you from afar, wherever you were supposed to be—meanwhile, his mind was occupied with your actual location and when he could return to it. He liked it much better when he actually had an eye on you instead of playing this fake little game to keep the guests guessing. He came across your mother, chatting freely with her for a moment, and let her introduce him to a few other guests that she was particularly close with and while he humored your mother, it was nothing short of a beeline from the patio to the door of the game room. His polished dress shoes clicked against the marble of the foyer and, with a sweep, looked around before placing a patterned knock against the door and tried the handle.

It was still locked, the way it should have been, but it took a delayed moment before you finally made your way to the door. You were instructed to unlock it and step back so that if anyone happened to be passing, they wouldn’t actually see you. So you stood behind the door as it cracked open, the familiar dark coattail accompanied by a styled head of honey highlighted hair on a lithe body entered the room with somewhat urgency, quickly shutting and locking the door behind him.

You could feel the frustration rush in with him, but wouldn’t dare ask—it wasn’t in his nature to tell you, just to deal with it without complaint. But when he stood there for a lingering moment, barely the light of the television illuminating the room and casting shadows across his back while he placed a hand on his hip and the other high against the door to collect himself, that reservation started to dwindle.

“Lucas?” you asked quietly.

“Duchess?” he asked in return, his voice even toned with no hint on frustration within it.

“Did something happen?” you inquired, standing at the same distance to watch him carefully. There was no question he would never lash out at you, so that wasn’t the cause for your distance, he just was the type who needed a bit of breathing room.

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” he reminded you and finally turned to face you with a half-forced smile, “You don’t need to worry so much about me.”

You shot down your own reply before you could get it out of your throat, knowing it was a bad idea. He turned fully, fixing his coat for a moment before reaching out for your hand to let you place it daintily within his and he ushered you back over to the couch where he could tell you had been residing rather comfortably, the throw blanket a crumpled mess in the corner of the couch. He planned to become engrossed in whatever show you happened to have on, unbuttoning his coat to take a seat next to you as you wrestled a bit with the blanket to get cozy under it again.

Although he lost his physical consciousness to the show as planned, he couldn’t help but let his mind race. Those dudes were good for nothing, that much was clear—but it really had him second guessing the placement of his feelings. It wasn’t proper, there was no doubt about that, and he tried to excuse his territorial attitude on the fact that you shouldn’t be thought of that way by anyone, but maybe it really was deeper than that. At some point he came back to life just enough to realize that the arm he had draped over the backrest of the couch had fallen onto your shoulder and you were far closer to him than you were when you started out. He had you tugged up next to him, under his protective arm, and your head laid comfortably against his shoulder.

He was hard pressed to move you—no one would be coming in or out except him—but he shifted on the couch anyway, straightening out his slouched back and, in effect, stirred you to the realization that perhaps you were too close. You moved over to the corner of the couch to lean your back into it, and he remained where he was, crossing an ankle over his knee and now able to extend his arm again across the back of the couch and the two of you quickly became reabsorbed into the show you had on.

You were on the verge of falling asleep, your eyes closed in the darkness of the room only illuminated by the television, where there was another specific knock on the door—signaling Yukhei’s next round. You barely stirred at the sound, and he was reaching over to stroke against your knee under the blanket, settling you the best he could.

“I’ll be back,” he reminded you again, and rose from the couch to button his coat in the slivered vision of your eyes as he watched you nod sleepily. He slithered out the door, hardly checking the foyer as he pulled the locked door closed behind him before meeting a familiar voice.

“On break, Yukhei?”

He turned to glance over his shoulder to see Kim Sanghyuk standing there with curious eyes.

“I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” he responded icily, double checking the handle before turning to stand tall in front of the door.

“You’re awfully protective of that door,” he mentioned, pushing a little further, and a little further, and a little further…

“Move along,” Yukhei replied quickly, trying to keep the interaction short. He knew you were still probably somewhat conscious, and being right in front of the door allowed ample volume for you to hear—something he was really trying to avoid.

“You first…” Sanghyuk smiled and gestured for Yukhei to go towards the patio first.

He eyed Sanghyuk; there was no other guard around which was curious for the knock on the door, and he knew he hadn’t taken too long to respond. There was a chance that the guard gave the signal and then immediately resumed duties, but that had to have meant that Sanghyuk wasn’t looming coincidentally.

“Move along, or I’ll move you along,” Yukhei finally replied threateningly.

“Oh?”

“I don’t think that’s an avenue you want to travel down, my friend,” Yukhei replied, slowly digging his hand across his body under his coat, and a distinct click of a holster strap sounded before the polished handle of a black Glock emerged from the lapel of his coat. Sanghyuk seemed to want to play games, even though he knew the risks. Yukhei seemed to take his job more seriously than the other, more seasoned Umbra that had been around, so maybe he was calling his bluff.

Sanghyuk chuckled a bit, watching Yukhei put on a bold face, unsure if he really had the guts to do what was running through his mind or not.

“In the foyer?” Sanghyuk questioned.

“I don’t care if there’s spectators, Sanghyuk,” Yukhei responded, annoyed, with a roll of his eyes, “I don’t care who, when, or why. I don’t know what kind of spineless guards you had the pleasure of dealing with before I arrived here, but rest assured things have changed.” He flicked his head to signal the older male to continue on his way away from the door of which he had no business concerning himself with. He knew what was behind that door: you. And Yukhei knew that.

The older sneered, the smirk having effectively been whipped from his face—no bluff. He gave Yukhei a look as he passed, attempting to glare him down, but it rolled off Yukhei like a rain-proof fly, especially as he followed Sanghyuk out, after re-holstering his weapon, through the kitchen sliding door to the patio where he looked around for only a moment before locking eyes with your mother who quickly excused herself from her little circle.

“There was no call,” she said, trying to keep her voice down, which only shook Yukhei a little bit.

“Sanghyuk knows,” he replied simply, scanning the patio for a moment. “I’ll not answer that door or any door without verbal affirmation until we get it sorted out. He’s been looming around where he doesn’t belong. He drew me out of the entertainment room; he knows she’s in there. I used the necessary force,” he told her, alluding to the talk that was about to circle about him drawing a weapon on a guest. He wanted her to know before she had to hear it from someone else.

“There’s no reprimand for that, Yukhei. It’s in your contract,” she reminded him, but it didn’t settle him any.

“I just wanted you to hear it directly from me,” he replied. “Let the others know about the verbal affirmation. I’ll not answer the door for a knock anymore.”

She nodded, understanding the situation and turned him back into the house. He glided through the house back to the entertainment room where he gave the knock first, “It’s Yukhei,” he said.

“You’re not supposed to announce yourself,” you called back, surprised to hear his smooth voice from the other side of the door accompanying the knock. You pushed yourself up off the couch, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and meandered to the door to flick the lock on it. If you thought he entered urgently last time, it was even more urgent now. He shut the door firmly and locked it behind him before brushing past you to turn a lamp on.

“Listen to me very carefully,” he said, and he could almost feel the worry weave through your body as he took your hands to sit you on the couch. “The knock is obsolete; it’s not safe anymore. You do not answer the door for anyone who does not announce themselves. Everyone you should be answering the door for, you know their voice.”

“What is this about?” you asked, looking between his eyes. His hands were warm, a little rough as they cupped yours.

“Sanghyuk knows the knock, and with him looming around in places he shouldn’t be… he’s up to no good, and it’s my absolute duty to protect you. I request you answer the door for me and your mother and that’s it,” he explained. The furrow in your brow was unsettling his stomach. He wasn’t sure how much danger you’d been in the past aside from last night, but he wasn’t going to chance it.

“Lucas…” you trailed off.

“I’m serious,” he replied, “this is your safety at risk; and for all the silly games I might play with you, this isn’t one. He drew me out of this room, and if I hadn’t noticed him then… who knows. Who knows what would have happened. I know you think you know his intentions, but I don’t. And to be honest, even if his intentions are good and he does want to court you…I just don’t think I can stomach that.”

You clutched your necklace, the letters scripting your brother’s name into one of the rings felt like it was burning your fingers as you looked through Yukhei, heavily considering his words. He let you ponder for a few moments, but it wasn’t settling the feeling in his stomach, a feeling he could tell was brewing in yours. His fingers softly cupped under your chin, to bring your gaze back to him in a manner a little livelier.

“I will protect you,” he reassured.

“I know you will,” you replied, swallowing hard. In your heart of hearts, you knew he would. Even if that meant following his advice, even if that means listening to every paranoid thought he had about a person. You were so unsettled about the whole thing, about the reality of the situation, about Sanghyuk, you couldn’t help the way you shifted on the couch unable to find a comfortable position as your gaze feathered off to some obscure corner of the room again.

Wordlessly, he shifted on the couch and hulled you up against him. Hesitantly, you laid your head against his shoulder and listened to the television as what had become a droning background noise, your mind far too occupied with other thoughts to be concerned with what was actually going on there. Yukhei’s large hand stroked down your arm as soothingly as he could muster, his entire attention on you, trying to read anything there was to read, but quickly realizing that you were becoming an even more solidified brick wall. So, instead of concerning himself with the idea of missing something if he wasn’t paying close enough attention, he knew you would tell him if there was something to say. He laid his cheek softly against the top of your head and attempted to direct his attention to whatever you had on and hoped that the evening passed without incident.

You and Yukhei spent most of the subsequent days attending every Umbra meeting to get the situation figured out. Few noticed the way you sat in the room a little more closed off than normal, a little more stoic and doing a little more listening. Your father, naturally, eyed you distrustfully across every meeting—Sanghyuk was the leading suitor so for that plan to suddenly fall apart was suspicious to him. Naturally, he threw Yukhei in that lot with you, knowing he was probably the one who planted the seed in the first place, despite the fact that talk amongst the guests had corroborated the story about Yukhei brandishing his weapon in the presence of a guest, so would he really go that far to make up a lie?

At this point in the meeting, it wasn’t about you and Yukhei and who you would and would not answer the door for—that was covered pretty quickly and remained only him and your mother; but you were curious about the remainder of the conversation, how the rest of the Umbra would communicate, even if it was none of your business. And the absolute fact that it was none of your business and yet you stayed made your father even more suspicious. He had reminded you a handful of times across the past week that attending further meetings was unnecessary, and found it interesting that you were finally concerning yourself with the things that were going on in that house. Perhaps it was because all of your guards in the past hardly said a few words to you, hardly took their job seriously and would never have followed through with their contract if it really meant putting their life down for yours; a big reason why they were no longer your guards.

But at the same time, your mother noted something in you that caught you by surprise. You were, once again, less comfortable. You found yourself falling back into the routine of making sure you were done up, that your make-up and hair were proper, that your attire represented your fake status. You didn’t address anyone so casually anymore, for the most part. It was business as usual, which caused things to be a little different at the next gala.

“Yukhei doesn’t leave my side,” you propositioned as you brushed your hair at your vanity, listening to the demands of your father about the events lined up for that evening.

“He’s always within distance—”

“Doesn’t leave my side,” you reiterated, a little more commandingly as you slammed your brush down on your vanity and turned to face him. “And if it makes me seem vulnerable, then so what. I will not be lost to your wishes the way my brother was, let me make that painfully clear. Yukhei does not leave my side.”

Meanwhile, Yukhei was standing attentively in the corner of your room as he waited for the conversation to reach a compromise. Your father scowled over at him, still fully believing he was behind the whole misunderstanding about Sanghyuk being present for the code.

“He didn’t put me up to this, don’t even look at him,” you barked, “If you wish for me to continue to play your little games, then let me make it clear that my decisions and my requests are my own, and as you well know, there are two ways it can go.”

“Just get ready,” he sneered, and pulled the door closed behind himself with force. You plucked your brush back up from the vanity and continued with your hair, slowly and steadily, feeling the strands between your fingers while Yukhei stood quietly where he remained. He, too, wasn’t sure what to make of you. You had changed so much, regressed so much progress that you two had made with each other. It was almost as if you didn’t trust him to his face, but he was the only one you trusted to everyone else.

“I don’t mean to dismiss you, but will you wait in the foyer while I change?” you requested, gently setting your brush back down as you looked over at him. He had a stoic look on his face, arms respectfully behind his back as he looked attentive. He bowed his head slightly and, without a word, exited your room to close the door quietly behind him. You sighed, looking at the array of palettes in front of you, while you gripped your hands into fists so tightly it turned your knuckles white. A flash of a scenario crossed your eyes, depicting you toppling the vanity in a fit of rage before you took another deep breath and stood from the cushioned bench to open your wardrobe and pick out a gold skirted dress with a black crewneck long-sleeve top. The skirt itself looked like paisley imprinted gold leaf, metallic in nature that shimmered in even the dimmest of lights. Deep in the wardrobe on the top shelf housed a box which contained a boutonniere in the form of a black flower with gold accents and the next move you planned with it was gutsy, to say the least.

The knock on the door did little to disturb you as you shut the wardrobe and answered your door after your mother had announced herself. You opened it to watch her take your appearance in with a satisfied smile. You turned back to grab a pair of pumps to slide on after taking a seat on the vanity stool.

“I know this isn’t your idea of a good time, but will you please try to put on a smile?”

“The sooner we get this over with, the better for another week,” you replied, fastening the straps of your shoes before leading your mother out of the room. You entered the marble hallway, listening to her close the door behind her, and took a preparing breath with the trinket in your hands. Yukhei stood tall at the base of the stairs as he always did, hands casually in his pockets as he looked around with a face about as uninterested as you were. The smooth railing flittered under your hand as you made your way down the steps to put yourself right in front of him before fastening the boutonniere against the lapel of his pressed jacket. It was all so fast, he hardly noticed you in front of him before you were pressing the pin through the cloth and only a moment longer before you were smoothing his jacket back out.

It reminded you of the first gala, not but a few weeks ago. So much had already happened between then and now. The gala, the first presumed attempt on your house since he had come in, the full extent of your attitude towards your father; so many things between the two of you that you would never speak of again. You marveled at the boutonniere, but not without a scoff; the gala was already going outside, and it was like you to be fashionably late. He took your chin softly, turning your face back up to his to melt in the amber pools of his warm gaze despite the stoicism on his face. It took your breath away for the moment.

“You look gorgeous, as always,” he muttered to you, low enough to miss the prying ears of your mother still at the top of the stairs.

“And you, dapper and sharp,” you replied, relishing the feel of the pad of his thumb and index finger against your chin which turned your face up.

He turned, offering his arm to you, that you daintily wrapped your hand around and tugged up the front of your dress to not trip over it as you made your way out onto the patio. As with tradition, many suitors approached you to greet and spread DNA across the back of your hand one after another, but you noticed they dismissed themselves far more quickly in the presence of Yukhei who was adamantly standing his ground next to you, as you requested.

Yukhei next to you drowned your safety concerns, but he didn’t drown your anxiety. Every tray that walked by with a small drink, you took one from and it never took you long to finish. It made dealing with the suitors, with the families, with the daughters a lot easier; it made holding on to Yukhei a little more convenient the further away from reality you were getting. Which turned out to be advantageous for you once you finally came across Sanghyuk and friends who would undoubtedly be looking for you. But before you’d find him, you would entertain many conversations putting on your best fake smile, with your best fake laugh, and your best fake interest in whatever it was they had to offer. The act had become second nature, but Yukhei could feel the truth in the way you clutched at the inside of his elbow from time to time as if to ask him to rescue you from the conversation by coming up with a distraction. You were only able to escape prying eyes for a few moments before running across a familiar group.

“Ahh, the princess herself, with dog in tow,” one of them chirped, but you gave him an unamused look.

“He will happily eat your entrails for breakfast,” you replied with a shrewd smile, and you spoke with confidence, but the shaky grip on the inside of Yukhei’s elbow said otherwise.

“That’s awfully unbecoming of you,” Sanghyuk commented.

“These parties are awfully unbecoming of me, Sanghyuk,” you answered, waving a server over with a platter of shots and offered a round to the boys so you all could have a drink together, “being paraded around like a piece of property to be traded and owned by another,” you added, lifting your small glass before throwing it back, letting that toxic golden liquid slip down your throat as a chaser to the last.

“When will you silly boys learn that I’m not even here for anyone’s benefit,” you laughed under your breath, but the sharp push of Yukhei’s fingers into your far hip reminded you that while that might have been true, you still had a charade to play for the time being. You smiled up at him, but he knew it wasn’t happy, it was merely thanking him for saving you from a later lecture and you had hoped that nobody in your immediate presence aside from him had heard what you just said.

You entertained Sanghyuk and friends for only a little bit longer, getting in slim conversation before Yukhei found a new target to drag you towards. He could tell the air was thick and awkward, that things probably weren’t great considering the hot issue between Yukhei and Sanghyuk and he, quite frankly, didn’t want to bare it any longer than you, and so tugged you away and into the crowd of people who continued to beg for your attention.

For once, in as long as you could remember, a gala passed without incident. However, much like the first, you were ending the night far too tipsy to be respectable and if you hadn’t Yukhei to keep your balance on, you wouldn’t have made it far on your own two feet. At some point, you had finessed the straps loose and gathered them in your hands after making your rounds to say goodnight. The majority of it was a blur, and you probably couldn’t count on two hands just how many shots you’d put back, and part of you was surprised that Yukhei had nothing to say about it—albeit, it wasn’t really his place.

He still helped you through the glass door just the same, finessed your shoes from your hand just the same, and led you up to your room just the same. This time, Yukhei had turned both floor lamps on so that he could see with the door closed; there was a good chance that someone would be coming by and the last time in the dark was a little difficult, but convenient considering the circumstances. You were seated in the reading chair across from the foot of your bed, pondering the night’s events to the best of your ability.

“I drank too much,” you said, realizing the consequences of your actions.

“You hate it out there,” he replied, trying to pin your feelings which drove you to this point.

“I hate it out there!” you exclaimed, nodding with his assessment. “I used to always get chastised for drinking too much, but you… you just take care of me, you just know that this is a situation I have to cope with, not a situation I choose…” you trailed off before pushing yourself to your feet.

This time, he was ready, and easily and smoothly caught your elbows as you slumped against him. You grabbed onto his lapel, using it to hold yourself up to the best of your ability as your face sunk into the crook of his neck.

“Why me, why this life? I would kill to be a normal girl who grew up in some suburban neighborhood and went to public school and had friends and could go to the mall and just live,” you whined, soothed by the gentle swaying that the was providing.

“I can’t say, duchess,” he replied, empathizing with your pain. “Just know that whatever way you have to deal with this, I’m here for you.”

Your face rose from the crook of his neck, truly touched by his words, perhaps the most compassionate words that had ever been spoken to you within your existence. You looked up at him, the liquor-goggles seemed delayed for a moment as you looked into his eyes and you could tell, somewhere in there, he did hurt for you. But just as soon as they had disappeared, they came back, and his blurry face caused you to closer your eyes. Somewhere in your blurry recollection you could feel his wide palm against the small of your back probably a tad low to be considered acceptable. But to be completely fair, the way one of your hands gripped his lapel just under the boutonniere and the other clutched at the back of his neck probably wasn’t acceptable either—in fact, the more time went on, you were sure that your relationship with him was becoming more and more unacceptable for its preferred professionalism.

“I don’t want to be in this stupid dress anymore,” you uttered, your eyes finally fluttering open only to find the crease of the wall and ceiling above Yukhei’s head. You turned to your dresser to pull out some pajamas, only to feel his warm embrace around your waist—you were wobbling uncontrollably—and his other hand to reach past you to pick something out. It wasn’t his first rodeo at this point and he figured it wouldn’t be his last. You didn’t need an unzip, but he held you steady as you face away from him to step out of your dress which he bundled into his arm. For a fleeting moment, the way the warmth of your dress brushed against the skin of his cheek made his eyes roll, drenched in your familiar scent that filled his lungs to the brim before he was dropping your dress before catching you stumble; firm, wide hands took both of your hips to keep you standing upright.

“Lucas,” you whined, fingers furling in the comforter of your bed as you stood on wobbly legs. It took a moment before his hands would release you to gather your dress from the floor and put it over the chair—you would know better what to do with it tomorrow. Before he was able to turn around, you surprised him by tumbling into his back and throwing your arms around his middle.

“You should have gotten into bed,” he murmured, helping your arms dodge the holster of his weapon underneath his suitcoat, but was less wary of the way your hands traveled over his front aside from that.

“I don’t want to get into bed,” you replied while one of your hands found the opening of his jacket to slide under it.

“What do you want?” he asked through somewhat gritted teeth. Here he was again, in a situation torn by decision which should have been so obvious; to put you in bed and retire for the night, but the way your hands moved about him, the way you pressed against his back, the way you teased him with that voice and the way he thought you would forget was clouding that better judgement the way it had time and time again.

Your chuckle hit his ear like a chill, bringing goosebumps to the surface of his skin. Part of him was glad you didn’t answer, because he knew you had an answer queued in your throat that would make him blush. His hand covered yours, totally eclipsing it against his body before curling around it to pull it away so that he could turn to look at you with a quirk of his brow.

He had that typical stern look on his face, the one that said he wasn’t playing games with you, no matter how many games you were trying to play with him. But that never stopped you from trying to play, especially not in this mindset. You stood just inches away from him, so it was second thought to bring your hands up to sloppily undo the buttons of his coat, and he surprisingly let you with a curious gaze. What is it you were trying to accomplish? What type of reaction where you hoping for? That little voice in the back of his mind, that little devil on his shoulder pleaded for him to let you continue, just to see.

So you continued, looking up at his less than amused face while showing no intention to stop you. Your hands pushed across the expanse of his pressed white shirt, up to his shoulders to push his jacket off and it slouched into the chair atop your dress.

“Play a game with me,” you said, your wobbly gaze falling down his face and chin to his tie and trailed that down to your hands pushed against his abdomen as you leaned against him. “It’s called the nervous game.”

He knew the premise. He was supposed to let you touch him while asking if he was nervous until he said yes. It felt like a whirlwind with you. It wasn’t as if you weren’t in his very bed a few weeks ago, with his legs entwined with yours and his warm chest under your touch as you looked into his amber eyes, admitting to him the butterflies in your stomach. It wasn’t as if the idea of the two of you had never been brought up in one way or another. But somehow, since you’d become more closed off again since the meetings, it all felt like square one again. Not to mention you both knew that this would be frowned upon. Your mother even said, your father had a certain idea about the way he wanted things to go, and surely Yukhei knew he wasn’t part of the plan.

All of this in the back of his mind barely gave him enough consciousness to feel your hands against his black leather belt and, from the depths of his throat, he managed, “I’m nervous,” and quickly gathered your hands with a deep inhale, unbothered by your bubbly giggle as you tugged against his grasp, a tad off balance.

#lucas scenarios #yukhei scenarios #nct scenarios #lucas angst #yukhei angst #nct angst #lucas au #lucas fluff #yukhei fluff #nct fluff #lucas imagines #nct imagines #lucas fic #nct fic #lucas series #yukhei series #series: umbra

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lemonietrinket · 4 years

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I’ll Admit ||| Wonpil x Reader

Summary: "I’ll admit, I didn’t think I would ever do all of this under a bed with a cold pretzel, and yet here we are.” Genre: Fluff, humour? Warning(s): 1x Hell (mild cursing), otherwise none Word Count: 4856 Theme Song: Mixtape #1 - Stray Kids; Best Part - Day6; Stay - Ateez AN: a pushed request from @idontknowapil I have no have no short-fic ideas lately ok. I’m here to fill the apparent void of day6 stuffs :((

~~~

To be absolutely honest with yourself, you were beginning to wonder if you’d offended some ancient deity, whose only remaining power was to cause minor inconveniences for a target chosen upon whim, and that you were said victim.

Because, truth be told, what had you done to deserve being thrown onto the sofa like a sack of potatoes?

You hadn’t intended to get in their way—you weren’t even aware they were chasing each other round the tiny halls of the flat, and you hadn’t the slightest clue as to why either.

You’d been helping Sungjin cook dinner in the cramped kitchen, effortlessly working around one another in peace as you jammed to the music over the speaker you’d set up. Neither of you said much, opening your mouths to merely sing the lyrics together, or ask for the flavouring to be passed from the first kitchen counter to its only companion.

Listening to the man sing in his gritty and soulful voice never failed to settle you into tranquil, even if the words he was singing weren’t exactly what most would define as deep and meaningful.

“I see that I’m icy~”

You choked back a laugh. You would never have noted him as the type to bop to Itzy—and neither did he, usually—but every now and again he seemed to like a rousing pop song, and since it was only you there he didn’t mind letting down his reserved guard and sing along. It didn’t stop the contrast between his vocals and the tone of the song from being stark, though, and there was something amusing about hearing a mighty voice that was designed for heart-aching alternative songs chant sunnily to a summer pop hit. Still, it allowed you to join in without feeling so out of league like you would have naturally done.

The heavy thunk however shook the entire block no doubt, and it also stopped your little concert in the kitchen abruptly short. The two of you flicked your heads to where it had somewhat resonated from: the living room.

“What the hell...?” you murmured, your knife frozen against the chopping board.

“Those damn kids,” Sungjin tutted, quickly going back to his work at the pan, “if I get another complaint from that poor elderly lady from downstairs again I swear I’ll...”

You were going to join him in cooking again as you had done before, when a high-toned shriek emanated from the furthest hall. At the sound of it, the leader hissed grumpily into the steam of the half-prepared meal, but you couldn’t help but let your thoughts wander.

There was no plausible owner of the cry other than Wonpil, and that made you worry. You couldn’t help it. The others may not play often, but when they did it sometimes was a little rough—and this didn’t count the occasionally relentless teasing that Jae and Younghyun could indulge in on a surprisingly regular basis. And Wonpil, bless his heart, was just as regularly the target. He was just so sweet and kind and gentle, and when he wasn’t, he was surprisingly, underhandedly sassy. These were the reasons why you’d fallen worryingly swiftly for the man and his cute habits and neediness, and it was also the reason why he was chosen as the one who got teased; his reactions were normally pretty funny.

But it also had to be said that though Wonpil could handle himself better than many would expect, there were a couple of scenarios where he couldn’t, perhaps. And going by the sudden flurry of footsteps that charged into someone’s bedroom and forced Sungjin to lean against the counter and pull the wide-eyed expression he always made whenever he was considering whipping someone into shape, you deduced this may have been one of those circumstances.

And so, you finished chopping the mushroom before you, dished it out onto the plate for the main chef to use, before throwing, “I’m just going to check everyone’s ok,” over your shoulder and heading out into the hallway.

Peering both ways you couldn’t see a single culprit or victim, which was unnerving to say the least.

Heading towards where the original thud had originated from, you barely got to the other side of the living room when there was a flash of white and suddenly you were scooped into the air with a yelp.

A victorious laugh that was clearly Younghyun’s tapered off within seconds as you were immediately put back on your feet. “Oh, Y/N, I’m so sorry I thought you were—”

“What the hell are you doing?” you exclaimed, still in shock from your sudden, albeit temporary, flight.

The handsome smile before you became even more sheepish. “Nothing bad I promise! Have you—”

“Nothing bad?!” you echoed incredulously. “You’ve been lumping around causing an absolute ruckus! If you’ve caused any offence to the other residents up or downstairs I swear I will—”

“—seen Wonpil?”

The sound of his name sucked any threats of spite out of you. He was the reason why you’d risked life and limb by exiting the kitchen. “N-no, but why do you want him?”

Younghyun chuckled at your defensive scowl. “He stole my pretzel and I want it back.”

“I can’t believe you guys—over a pretzel?” You rolled your eyes. “Even if I had seen him I wouldn’t hand over any information, and you know that.”

The man looked mildly panicked as you began to head back towards the kitchen. “Wait, Y/N! It’s a cinnamon pretzel! You know they’re like, really damn good...!”

You stopped in mere steps as a plan gradually began to spin in your head. You span on your heel, sending Younghyun a sweet smile. “A cinnamon pretzel you say?”

He nodded earnestly as you slowly drew to the archway where he stood, coming to lean against the arm of the sofa nearest it. “Interesting...”

“Will you help us find him? I’ll let you have a quarter of it!” Younghyun pleaded, pulling the best puppy eyes he could.

“A whole quarter? Wow I am lucky.”

You had to bite back another laugh as you watched him panic again.

“Because I’ve already made an offer to Dowoon and Jae to help me catch him, ok?” he explained poutily.

You pretended to think for a bit, though your mind was already made up. It was time to put your plan into action. “Fine.”

Relief washed over him as he flashed you that charming grin that made everyone’s hearts flutter. Well, perhaps everyone except you as you’d swiftly rationalsied. Your butterflies only seemed to make an appearance whenever he was around, and as if to make up for their rather useful vacancy in normal situations, they made a habit of appearing at all times when you were with him—which wasn’t as lucky, but what were you to do? Ask him out? Don’t be daft.

“Ok, good, that’s great!” Younghun sighed, jumping straight in with an outline of his oddly detailed plan on how to smoke out Wonpil from his hiding spot and reclaim his pretzel in an elaborate trap. You weren’t listening, though, and it was rather fortunate really that he didn’t get to continue for long enough to ask you questions that you then wouldn’t be able to answer.

He was interrupted halfway through explaining he was going to head towards Wonpil and Sungjin’s room by another thunder of footsteps wracking through the apartment. A shape that you would soon identify as Jae barrelled right through, in and out of the living room like a lightning bolt, calling, “I see him!”

And unfortunately for you, the image of a sweet, pristine cinnamon pretzel had overcome his senses, and since Younghyun was in the way, he took the fastest option of bumping him out of the way. But this created a domino effect, as in an effort to recapture his balance, the younger had stumbled forward and sent you over the arm, onto the plush cushions with a startled cry.

As you lay squashed on your shoulder and your elbow slotted between the leather you couldn’t help but think about your predicament, yet also your future rewards.

The plan you had concocted was of the same level as a secret agent’s master plan, you were sure, and you couldn’t help a devilish smirk rise to your lips as you thought it over.

It involved stealth, deceit, smarts, and a good dose of luck.

A double-cross. The ultimate spy-movie-move. And you were going to pull it off to-the-T.

Truth was, if you found Wonpil and hid with him, you were guaranteed to get half a pretzel. Maybe even more, since the man who had stolen your heart so cleanly without even realising most likely, was kind like that.

Ignoring the ebbs and flows of your heart that dictated that you would always take his side over the others’ any day anyway, it made much more sense to bluff.

Not only this, you also had a great advantage over Jae and Younghyun, and that was you knew Wonpil very well. Yes, they’d known him for longer, but you knew him on a deeper level, from all the time you’d spent with him late in the evening and in cafes in the morning and everywhere you went with him. Because you listened to what he had to say, because you cared with your whole heart. And so it meant that this time round you were going to beat them, and win that pretzel too.

And so, you pushed yourself up—with frankly a ridiculous amount of energy required, because the sofa seemed very keen to grip your hand and pin you down—and slipped in the direction the two had come from, into your room.

As your eyes settled on your bed, there was no chance of you wiping the pride off your face.

Though Wonpil was softer than the others, that didn’t mean he didn’t still have a few tricks up his sleeve; after all, he wasn’t as ditzy as everyone always figured he was.

Your room was in fact the safest option—it was your private space, so the others rarely came in, thus they didn’t know it well at all. The wouldn’t know where to begin. Add this to their discomfort to even being in your room without your permission, let alone scouring their eyes in every nook and cranny, that had origins in your rare but mighty wrath, it all amounted to the best choice.

On top of this, Wonpil actually did know it well. He was the only one that frequented your room, because the two of you were so close. And though you weren’t as close as you wished to be, he always came to you in the evenings, wrapping up in your blankets at your side and sprawling over your lap, your shoulders, your stomach.

This in itself made you repeatedly rethink your wishes to finally work up the courage and ask—as what if it ruined everything? And you didn’t like to think down those lines for long, as it made your stomach churn enough emotionally to make you feel physically nauseous.

But this was why he had an advantage by hiding in your room (as well as why you’d held your tongue for months on end).

Banking on the fact that you two had a lot in common too, you could certainly have a good guess at where he was, since you knew where you would choose to go.

Lifting the covers that hung like curtains from the edge of your bed to the floor, you found everything in order—the drawer you kept under there still in its place. A good sign.

You made your way round to the other side of your bed.

The drawer did not fill the expanse of it, after all, and left quite a lot of space under there. And since the frame was reasonably high off the ground, this would be the prime spot to hide if you needed to.

Crouching down, you glanced up to the door left ajar as to not arouse suspicion but also maintain some privacy if your deductions were correct. No one there, and no sound of anyone approaching. Success.

“Wonpil,” you whispered to the carpet, fingers fiddling with the embroidered lace upon the cover, “it’s Y/N. I’m coming under, yeah?”

A series of shuffles was heard while the tiniest ‘hi’ graced your ears. You slipped under the bed on your stomach, hurriedly repositioning the covers to hide your position once again.

Your arm ended up nudging into something soft that then emitted a small hum as a greeting of sorts. “Oh, Pillie, I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” he responded meekly, shifting his weight to further accommodate for you, “you’re not searching with them are you?”

You shook your head, coming to settle resting on your elbows. “Nope. I told Hyun that I was though.”

“Y/N L/N, world’s best double agent,” he giggled, and you couldn’t help but smile at him merely being happy.

You couldn’t see much under the bed since a lot of the light was blocked by the drawer and overhanging bedsheets, but you could just make out the lines of his face and the corners of his beautiful smile. His dark eyes also caught the slivered beams of light that crept beneath the furthest end of the bed, appearing like distant constellations in them. He was a masterpiece, never appreciated fully as he deserved—but for those that did, they would find all his quirks as food for the soul, and as such he rendered you feeling at true peace in his company. You longed to speak out again.

You were brought out of your thoughts by the one who had caught your heart so accidentally holding a soft pretzel towards you. “Do you want it?”

You prayed he hadn’t seen your stare in the dim light. “Hm? Oh, I’ll have any part you don’t want, it’s ok.”

“Well...” he offered the packet to you more insistently by brushing your arm with the back of his hand, until you accepted it. He then rolled over onto his side, settling into the carpet. “I don’t want it, so you can have it.”

You analysed the knot of the pretzel, before frowning at him suspiciously. “You haven’t eaten any of it...? You didn’t drop it on the floor did you?”

“No!” he cried in a whisper that verged on just-a-bit-too-loud. Much as you feared, footsteps came at a slower pace down from the living room, sending the two of you into a bout of silence, hoping that they wouldn’t turn into your bedroom.

To your luck, they continued on into the studio.

You exhaled in relief as you continued with your interrogation over the lukewarm, but still very delicious cinnamon pretzel. “But, Pillie, my Wonpil loves pretzels, especially cinnamon ones! My Wonpil dared to throw a pillow at Sungjin over a cinnamon pretzel! And yet here he supposedly is, handing one over completely untouched? I say, sir, you have been outwitted—now tell me, who are you and where is the real Wonpil?”

Your tone had been humorous, perhaps overly so. You couldn’t help it though; the rush of calling him yours, even with it being uninterpretable to mean in that manner, sent electricity through to your heart and left it thumping against your ribcage.

Wonpil meanwhile only laughed under his breath softly, his brilliant smile tapering off into a gentler, sleepier one. “I am the real Wonpil, I promise! I just want you to have it.”

“Why?” The word came out of you too fast and before you could even attempt to stop it. You cursed your neediness in your head, shying your head away as you leaned into the scent of cinnamon as a feeble attempt of a cover.

He shrugged, though it was awkward to see at his angle. “Because you really like them and I’d rather you have it over Jae or Younghyun.”

You snorted. “What did they do this time?”

“They hid my phone!” he whined, a pout clearly on his face in the dark even if you couldn’t see it clearly, “I looked all over the place desperately for like, ten minutes, and then they laughed at me when they gave it back!”

“That’s so mean,” you agreed, “do you want e to kick their asses?”

He laughed sweetly, rolling closer. “Nah, I got the pretzel. That’ll teach them not to mess with Kim Wonpil!”

“The Almighty and All-Seeing,” you finished with a grin, taking a bite into the dough at last. Even though it was a bit cool, it still tasted phenomenal, and you hummed out of reflex and in satisfaction.

“Is it good?” Wonpil chirped, shuffling even closer. He was still merged with the shadows, but you could feel his warmth by your arm. He couldn’t stay away for long, after all.

You nodded assertively, torn between chewing quickly so you could reply and taking it slow to savour the taste. Considering the size of how much was left, you opted for the former and eventually asked, “Where did you get this from?”

“I don’t know actually. I just saw it in Younghyunnie’s bag and took it.”

You couldn’t stifle the chuckle at the image of the man’s devious behaviour, and ended up choking.

“Are you ok?” Wonpil’s voice was concerned, his hand already on your arm, gently rubbing and squeezing the skin there as he waited for you to gather your breath together.

As soon as you erupted into giggles that you attempted to smother as much as you could, he sighed.

“I’m sorry, I just imagined you in full, stereotypical robber costume with the mask and everything, running away with a pretzel and, I don’t know, it just...?”

Wonpil seemed to not really be listening—not an entirely uncommon occurrence—and instead took the opportunity to wrap his arms around your free one and lean his head against your side. “I’m so glad you’re ok!” he whispered.

Hearing a clang from the studio nearby you tensed up, but after a few more seconds of hearing nothing, you allowed yourself to pay full attention to Wonpil again.

“Of course I’m ok,” you said, “why wouldn’t I be?”

“I was worried you were going to die on me, and that just wouldn’t be ideal.” Hearing you scoff a laugh at his terminology, he avidly continued, “Look, we’d have to write on your obituary that you died from choking on a cinnamon pretzel, and then you’d become a cautionary tale for kids, and that’s just not a fate anyone deserves!” It was then as if his mouth continued without him really being aware of it.

“And if you died, Y/N, then what am I supposed to do? I would be so alone, I don’t think I would—”

These moments happened to everyone, it was fair to say, though his reaction to his own words as he cut himself short was an enigma to say the least. It was as if he’d said to much of something he’d promised he would never say.

And then he was quiet. In fact he was dead silent. Not a Wonpil-thing to do to say the least.

It was good timing however. There was a creak, as another person entered the room. You hadn’t heard the footfalls, so you weren’t able to work out who it was, until he spoke.

“Y/N?” Sungjin called.

You didn’t respond. This wasn’t exactly good news.

The chances were the leader would try and catch one of the others and ask them of your whereabouts, if he was searching for specifically you of his own accord. Or worse, he had joined the search—unlikely, but a possibility nevertheless.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, the door creaked once more and you were able to release the air you’d been subconsciously holding.

Glancing down, you realised you’d better get on with your pretzel. You spoke to clear the silence and anxious energy emanating from the man who was clinging to you.

“I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you either, Pillie.” Deciding to take smaller bites but often, you began to eat and savour the taste of the stolen delicacy as best you could, while finishing what Wonpil had insinuated in his accidental words. “I don’t think I would cope at all with you gone, too.”

“Really?”

You imagined his bright eyes wide and gleaming at you in surprise, as you wouldn’t be able to see even if you looked back. “Yeah, my life would be so empty, I think,” you bit down the nerves that began to rise as you spoke, “like a huge part of me and my life would be missing, and I never want that to happen.”

“Do you really mean that?” Wonpil’s voice was so small you could barely hear it, “You... want me here with you... forever?”

You froze on the spot.

Was this the time?

Evidently, yes.

You let the the pretzel fall to the floor, shifting yourself so you were on your back and able to hold Wonpil’s cheeks delicately in your hands above you, as you had longed to do for months. “Yes. Without a single doubt, Pillie. I’ve liked you for so long I haven’t been able to say it, but now I’ve... finally kicked myself up the ass and said it,” you chuckled to yourself, watching his glorious smile rise in the dark, “so, Pillie, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

He nodded desperately, coming to rest his forehead against yours.

And it was as if your heart had burst in two out of sheer joy. You could have very much burst into tears right there and then, but Wonpil was not finished.

“Kiss me?” he requested, in a voice so delicate and sweet that it instantly mended your broken resolve.

You closed the distance carefully, not wanting to mess up and make a fool of yourself, even though the circumstances really did prompt it. Fortune was on your side though, as your lips found his without an issue.

Threading your hands through his hair, you revelled in the tenderness of his kiss. It felt so right as your heart throbbed, his chest lowering onto yours as he sank into your touch. It was so chaste and impossibly sweet, and yet it carried the weight of the world within it—you hadn’t been the only one waiting.

As much as you longed to remain there, your beating hearts dictated that you needed to take in air.

He moved away first, his breath tickling your skin as he giggled. “You taste like cinnamon.”

“And now so do you!” You ran your thumb across his temple, unable to contain your smile.

Overcome with shyness, Wonpil bit his lip as he ducked his head into your neck, mumbling phrases of disbelief into your shirt.

Stroking the soft tress of his hair you attempted to ease him into more calm. “I’ll admit,” you began, “I didn’t think I would ever do all of this under a bed with a cold pretzel, and yet here we are.”

“How did you picture it?” he enquired, voice still muffled by your neck.

“I don’t actually know...” you answered, pausing to consider what you had originally intended, if anything at all. “Maybe after the cinema? That’s the classic way, right? Wait, no... Probably one time when you come to hang out with me like you always do?”

He lifted himself up, cocking his head to one side. “Why then?”

It was your turn to get a little bashful, “Because you’d be right there in my arms, and it would be much easier than under a bed hiding from the others...”

“Well,” Wonpil reasoned, his voice nothing but a whisper, “I’m here in your arms now...”

You sighed, “I know, it took me long enough right?”

“I could have done something about it too,” he pouted, “so don’t worry about it... and instead, maybe do it again?”

There was no way you could have stifled the chuckle that bubbled from your chest, but it tapered off when your new partner leant in to kiss you again.

Nonetheless, luck is a finite resource, and so it had to run out at some point—and for you, it was at an admittedly unfortunate moment, as it was right there and then.

Light was released from its coil outside as the bedsheets were drawn back and a face appeared in its wake.

“Boom! Found y—Y/N?!” Jae’s voice was way too loud in comparison to the peace, and then it was absolutely ecstatic, “Y/N?! Are you making out with our keyboardist?!”

You were stunned by his sudden appearance as you hadn’t heard a single bit of noise to offer the idea that anyone was nearby. Then again, you were enraptured with the beautiful man before you—there was little chance of you noticing the low creak of a door.

As you floundered however, Wonpil handled the situation instead, unusually disgruntled.

“I asked her to, Jae,” he countered, sending him his best mean look which only really involved a nose scrunch, “now go away and let her continue.”

“Oop—” The eldest disappeared from sight, and darkness returned.

“Now, where were we?” Wonpil hummed, but you were reluctant.

Your inhibitions turned out to be well-calculated too, as you heard Jae, not three seconds later, yell, “Brian! Y/N and Wonpil are making out under the bed, come see!”

You rolled your eyes. “We’d better get out of here.” Confronted with Wonpil’s pout however and your grumpy tone melted. “It’s ok, we’ll continue later, I promise! Just, I have to go kick Jae’s ass real quick too, you know?”

You felt his weight shift from you as he admitted defeat. “Ok, but get him good, baby.”

You choked on air at the sudden pet-name. So many things sounded like pure perfection coming from his lips. Even so, it seemed the term ‘baby’ in reference to you did not share the same effect.

“Eh?”

“What?” he said, confused by your outburst.

“I think you need to find another pet-name for me,” you explained as you crawled out from beneath the bed.

“What’s wrong with baby?”

Once you were out, you extended your hand for him. Handing you the pretzel which you then discarded on your bed, he began to shimmy himself out until he could accept your offer, while you searched for a reason other than ‘slightly cringey’. “I mean... I can’t be baby, because you are baby.”

As he got to his feet, he dusted the both of you off shyly. “Am I?”

“Hell yeah you are, baby,” you finished, making your point with added flair as you raised his chin to face you.

His eyes went wide at the touch. “Y-yeah, you’re right.”

“Oh, ew.”

Your eyes rose to the voice to find Jae still standing there, though this time with Younghyun in the doorway who suddenly looked panicked. “Don’t look at me, I’m fully supportive of young love.”

Your gaze focused on Jae, then, who was smiling brightly, though it was turning more and more worried by the second. “Thank you for reminding me about the other problem at hand,” you chirped, “You get a ten second head-start, Jae, as I’m feeling kind today.”

“It’s because of all that love in your system,” he retorted with a cackle, though he didn’t then waste much time in making a mad dash for the door, shunting Younghyun out of the way once more.

“Kick his ass, sugarplum!” Wonpil encouraged by your side, and you just about hid your wince. Younghyun merely ducked his head out of the doorway to snicker.

“Yeah, maybe not that one either, baby,” you suggested, resting your palms on his shoulders and pressing a kiss quickly to his cheek. “But I’ll make it count, don’t worry.”

He sent you that glimmering smile, this time in the light where you could see, and you stood transfixed for well over the designated head-start.

“Come on, go!” Wonpil ushered, thriving on the drama. “Avenge me!”

And with his blessing you grabbed your pillow and tore off out of the door.

To see you so smitten was endearing, Younghyun thought. He’d been wondering how long it would take you to finally ask, and was starting to worry a bit. Clearly he shouldn’t have lost faith in you quite that easily.

He managed to avoid getting trampled by you too as you ran out of you room, leaving Wonpil to take in everything that had happened. He’d expected him to gush about it, or have a fit of giggles, but the man just sat on your bed and sighed, looking at a pretzel happily—

Wait, that was his pretzel—

“Hey, that’s—!”

“I know,” Wonpil interjected, scooping it up and offering it to him, “you want it?”

Younghyun eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you and where is Wonpil?”

The younger tutted, rolling his eyes. “I am Wonpil, and I don’t want it, so you can have it.”

Younghyun, after a few moments, stepped forward to claim his prize. Until he had an epiphany.

“Wait, it’s been on the floor, hasn’t it.”

~~~

AN: I feel like I’m gonna hate this tomorrow but oh well. here it is!

and it wasn’t supposed to be this long but oops

(also itzy’s music and lyrics are also obviously not mine—I’m not taking any chances though so, I repeat: I have no ownership of the song, lyrics, etc they all belong to JYPE ok)

Masterlist

#wonpil #day6 wonpil #wonpil x reader #wonpil fluff #wonpil x reader fluff #wonpil oneshot #wonpil drabble #wonpil imagine #day6 fluff #day6 x reader #day6 imagine #day6 oneshot #day6 drabble #day6 x reader fluff

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heartwoodventures · 4 years

Text

Father and Son

Papachimo Bobochimo steps into the hall, but the air around him seems different. Gone is his usual arrogant confidence. He pushes his glasses up by the bridge, and turns to greet the company. “Greetings, everyone. I trust the last….hunt went smoothly?”

"Not as smoothly as we might have liked. It turns out the beast was a man, who transformed each night into a corrupted monster that devoured corpses. It was... grisly,” Rolanda Deschain says as she shakes her head slowly. ”We were hardly able to injure him, but we were able to use the sedative to temporarily subdue him. He is currently held captive downstairs."

"Show me to him. I can't in good conscience let him be,” Papachimo directs.

Ifoux, the ‘crystal man,’ is laid out on a stretcher, deep asleep. Papachimo approaches him cautiously, gently takes Ifoux’s hand in his own, and watches the sleeping elezen with a razor sharp focus.

“We must take this man back to our labs. Only there, can he receive proper treatment. What did you say his name was?” Papachimo demands.

"The man's name is Ifoux. While he was himself he seemed like quite a kind man. Please make sure he is treated well,” Rolanda cooly responds.

Haila glances quickly at the slumbering man before interrupting even if just a little. "I don't know the details of his condition too well yet. But will your resources be enough to treat this person?"

“As the creator of the crystal beasts, I am best equipped to reverse the condition,” Papachimo declares. Rolanda sighs, the lalafell’s demanding demeanor putting her on edge.

"Papachimo...I'm sure that you've noticed that many of our companions are not here to receive you. If I'm honest, it's because many of them didn't want you to leave here today alive. I convinced them that it was best to let you live, but they refused to meet you face to face. Frankly, I am inclined to let them do what they will with you," Rolanda half threatens, her body shifting forward with thinly veiled annoyance.

Papachimo doesn’t bat a lash. “Hmph. I did notice the room looked emptier compared to last time. A shame they could not keep their reservations in check and be professional about this,” he retorts.

"Yes, this whole affair reeks of professionalism. I am disgusted at how detached you have become. I hope your son will still recognize you when you get him back,” Rolanda fires back.

Papachimo Bobochimo points his nose up at the comment, but maintains a steady, cold glare. “...Regardless, I would offer one last job for the company. I am to meet the Amal’jaa today, and would be pleased if Heartwood could escort, and guard me during the encounter. The company is martially skilled...despite an overall lack of wit.”

"I can't guarantee anything, naturally. But I think it is best that you take your...test subject...with you and leave," Rolanda answers, annoyance growing with every passing second.

Wyda had been following along with the conversation silently so far. While she agreed with Rol’s sentiment, to let him meet with the Amal’jaa alone would be condemning the man and his son to death. “Rol, let’s go along. One last bitter pill to swallow, and then we’ll be done with it.”

Rolanda relents, and nods at the Sea Wolf. "It has been a confusing time for me lately...I'll be happy when this is all behind us. If you want to go, I'll help."

“Then we are to meet at the fringes of Zahar'ak at sundown. In exchange for potent crystals and the crystal beast recipe, the Amal’jaa will return my son to me. As discussed last time, instead of providing the real recipe, I will hand over a fake.” Papachimo shoots a glance at his assistant, who rolls out two thick scrolls on the table. “This one is the fake, if anyone wants to review it beforehand. And this one is the real deal.”

Rolanda Deschain looks to Haila. "You know what you're doing, maybe you could take a look and see if it looks like a realistic fake?"

Haila Wetyios nods, coming close to look down at the scrolls. The range of her expressions went from amused, to confusion, to surprise. "Both can be taken as the real, but the basic ingredients and processing of the real one-" she said, tapping her finger on a few of the lines. "Clearly will do a number on you. The fake, will do something alright, but not enough to create a crystal beast."

Rolanda Deschain nods. "Sounds good enough to me. Are we ready to head there straight away, or is the meeting later on this evening?"

"We meet at sundown. That gives us a few bells to travel to the meeting grounds," Papachimo answers, his eyes growing dark. "I have a feeling that the Amal'jaa have something up their sleeve."

As the sun glimmers at the edge of sand and sky, the whole landscape is bathed in an orange glow. A large Amal’jaa donning a bone headdress watches the sun sink slowly beneath the horizon. His snarl grows as the sun lowers, and he turns as the party approaches. He raises a clawed hand, and Papachimo similarly raises his own, motioning for everyone to stop.

“Javekk Gah. I see you are looking as soft bellied as ever,” Papachimo spits out with a scowl

“Let’s not make this any longer than it needs to be,” the Amal’jaa spits back. “Keep your mangy dogs back. We will exchange where all may watch, but none can interfere.”

Papachimo nods at the party, and steps out onto the open sands with the bags in tow. Javekk does the same, his own lackeys kept a good distance back. A blonde lalafell youth trails behind in the Amal’jaa shadow. Papachimo hands off the bags, and Javekk does the same with his prisoner.

“Chachachimo, it’s me! Your father. Let’s leave this behind and go home,” Papachimo urges his son the moment he gets close. The boy looks up, eyes clouded and confused. Papachimo repeats himself over and over, but to no avail. His son’s confusion only grows, and finally, he mutters something that sets his father on edge.

“Javekk...don’t tell me the boy is...tempered?” Papachimo stammers. The Amal’jaa priest sighs, but a devilish grin remains in place.

“Papachimo, your son is as dumb as a doorknob. Couldn’t even keep his mouth shut for ten blazing seconds...but yes. There’s no problem with this, is there? A deal’s a deal, and we fulfilled our end of it,” Javekk jeers, as his tail whips back and forth in delight.

Rolanda Deschain tenses, her hand slowly moving towards her bow. "This is horse****!" she mutters, so only her companions can hear. "Haila, you got my back if I start this?"

"Absolutely,” Haila whispers back without thinking twice.

Papachimo looks back at the party, a raging fire burning behind his eyes. “Whoever brings me the head of Javekk gets double - no, triple - pay!”

"Damn it old man, did no one ever teach you about the element of surprise?" Rolanda unsheaths her bow and nocks an arrow quickly, pulling back the string with Javekk's forehead in her sights.

Wyda rolls her eyes and dashes into the clearing, fists raised. “Damned lalafell...don’t get the wrong idea about this. I fight for what’s right, not because you’re paying me!”

Haila quickly draws her gun, ready for blood. As Papachimo turns, Javekk lets loose a fireball at the lalafell, which hits him squarely in the back. With a yelp, Papachimo hits the sand and flails about.

"Well shite," Haila mumbles under her breath as she reaches for a switch on her gun, quickly firing several spread beams meant to slow any advances made at them before being able to reach Papachimo.

Papachimo lets out a long groan, his backside thoroughly roasted. The left lens of his spectacles is shattered, and his once immaculately styled haircut is now tousled like a birds nest. He sees a fight raging on above him, and flumps back in the sand. May as well play dead for the time being.

The Amal’jaa lancers and gladiators rush out onto the sands, but are barraged by a flurry of beams. They’re knocked back by the impact, and one lands face first into the ground. Backed by Haila’s surpressing fire, Wyda continues to charge in, making a beeline at Javekk. But her steps are impeded by the sand, and her strikes come out clumsy.

In the commotion, Rolanda lets loose her arrow. It flies straight and true - sinking directly into Javekk’s shoulder. He hisses in pain and grabs the shaft of the arrow. With a single breath, he rips it out, blood gushing from the now open wound. “These dogs still have a bit of bite in them, do they? Brothers and sisters of Ifrit, let us show them the true might of the eternal flame!”

The Amal’jaa lackeys push forward with a rallying cry, with some making a mad dash to the backline. Javekk raises his staff and lobs a series of fireballs at Haila and Rolanda, but the two manage to dodge the majority of the spell.

Haila doesn't waste any time to launch a counter attack as she aims directly at Javekk, hoping to disarm him as soon as possible. Her shot hits Javekk in his arm, and he crumples to the ground, sand billowing in clouds around him. Something flies away from him, and lands on the ground with a thump…. It’s his arm, still clutching the staff. Javekk howls in agony and immediately turns tail. “Blast! My kin, destroy this filth. I must retreat!”

"We can't let that son of an Amal'Jerk get away!" Rolanda looses an arrow at the retreating, one-armed Javekk. The arrow hits Javekk below the knee, and he turns to give the Au ra a nasty glare as he collapses onto the ground - still breathing, but otherwise incapacitated.

Distracted by the spray of blood and sand, Wyda can’t quite land a solid punch on her target. “Curses...I hate sand. It’s coarse, and rough, and gets everywhere,” Wyda murmurs. At the worst possible moment, Wyda feels the still recovering wound on her gut give way to fresh jolts of pain. She keels over from the sting, and leaves herself open to the Amal’jaa lancer’s attack. Steel rips through armor, and blood sprays out from the gash. With a gasp, she steps back, one hand clutched at her stomach, the other raised in a defensive position.

Rolanda notices and nocks another arrow. Aiming carefully, she unleashes a shot that lands directly between the eyes of the enemy. For a moment, the lancer shivers and brings a hand up, as if unable to believe what had just occurred. Then he falls back, dead as a doorknob. "Two scum down, one to go," Rolanda breathes out.

The last foe, a tempered gladiator, closes in on Haila. Much to the gladiator's dismay, she isn’t caught off guard a single time. The woman neatly dodges blow after blow, and then aims a clean punch to the gut to stagger and gain the upper hand. For a split second, she thinks of simply aiming for the head and ending it right there, but a small part of her hesitated, as if realizing how cold blooded she would become if she allowed herself to let go. Grunting, she instead opted to kick the gladiator away. The tempered gladiator, a hyur man, lands on the ground with a huff. Dizzy, exhausted, and injured, he stares up at Haila in disbelief, before sprinting for dear life.

Rolanda readies another arrow, but seeing the Amal'jaa flee, decides there has been enough bloodshed today. "Let's make sure everyone knows whose body parts are whose, and clean up this mess."

The battle was over. Haila visibly relaxes a little, but doesn’t put her gun away for the moment. Instead she walks over to where Papachimo is playing dead, briefly assessing the charring on his back before speaking. "I trust you have no business left with Javekk?" she said to him, knowing that the man was still conscious.

Papachimo cracks open an eye at Haila, then stands up suddenly. He looks around and lets out a breath of relief. “Javekk, that son of a...let me give that oversized lizard a piece of my mind.”

"Papachimo, you seem... surprisingly unhurt," Rolanda dryly notes. "Couldn't lend a hand a bit sooner, could you?"

“I am a man of words, not swords. And I’ll have you know my back is quite roasted, thank you! Now, where is Javekk…” Papachimo walks over to the Amal’jaa and looks down at him, a smug expression on the lalafell’s face. He hacks up a wad of saliva and spits on Javekk’s face. “Tell your god Ifrit to never mess with us Ul’dah folk again. Oh, though I suppose you won’t be able to tell him anything, not while you’re bleeding all over the sands.”

The lalafell cruelly kicks the downed Amal’jaa in the ribs...and a low, rolling laugh bubbles up from the Amal’jaa, eventually erupting into explosive cackles that shake his entire body. Papachimo jumps back. “W-what’s so funny? Explain yourself, lizard. I command you!”

“The last laugh...is mine and mine alone,” Javekk manages between breaths. He extends a claw directly at Papachimo’s son, and then goes limp. The beastman was no more.

Wyda gave a hesitant look at Rol and Haila. She had heard that a swift death was the kindest, and only, option for the tempered. But it felt wrong to simply execute Papachimo’s son.

"Well, Papachimo, you got your son back. I hope it was worth it," Rolanda stated.

Papachimo looks to the ground, the mood suddenly somber now that the Amal’jaa were well and truly dealt with. “So many, I’ve lost to primals. To Bahamut, and now to Ifrit.” He glances over at his son, who simply stood there out of earshot.

“Please, I bid you keep one last secret for me. Ul’dah would execute him on the spot if they learned he was tempered. Even if there’s no way to get to him…” Papachimo stares at his son with a tenderness not yet witnessed from the man prior. “I must try.”

"Far be it from me to tell another man what to do with his kin. I hope you're able to find some happiness in all of this," Rolanda says with a shrug.

Wyda opens her mouth for a second, then closes it. As much as she disliked Papachimo, the situation was sad. Hopeless, yet hopeful. She winces as blood trickles down from the open gash on her abdomen. “Papachimo, I...wish you luck. May Llymlaen’s wind be at your sail,” Wyda manages.

Haila lowers her weapon, approaching the lalafell until she is right before him. "You lost today, but you're not done." she says, quickly glancing at his son before looking back at him. "We all have a job to do, yourself included." she pauses once more, as if reluctant to be kinder to the lalafell. "Find a way to turn him back, you've a longer road than just treating the ones you've also corrupted."

Papachimo simply gazes into the burning sun, his golden eyes glistening with tears that betray his otherwise orderly composure. “...That will be all.” he finally says, and steps forward to grab his son’s hand. Together, the two lalafell walk away and began their long journey together.

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #balmung rp #ffxiv crystal rp #Crystal Beasts #Heartwood plots #Aiswyda Nuthalwyn #Rolanda Deschain #Haila Wetyios

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vamprnce · 5 years

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Gatboss week day 5: Alternate Universe

If Boss and Johnny met each other in highschool way before the Third Street Saints even happened. Two aggressive kids clash when they're sent to detention, friendship ensues?

ao3 | Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3

(I'm skipping day 4 for now bc I'm still thinking what to write also I fell down a rabbit hole with this concept and couldn't get out,,,,)

"Just sit down and shut up." An angry teacher yelled as he escorted an equally angry young teen by the arm into the classroom.

Huffing, the teen aggressively pulled his arm out of the teacher's grasp, stomping towards one of the empty seats in front of the class and carelessly fell into it. Throwing a small tantrum he pushed his bookbag off the desk, folding his arms on top of the surface and laying his head in them.

He got in another fight -- again -- and got thrown in detention, something that just flared up his aggression even more. All he wanted to do is go to the arcade after school liked he planned, but no, some dickhead kids had to start shit with him again, they fully knowing he'll won't back down to them. So, he was here instead, sitting in an almost empty classroom, pissed off as ever.

There was in fact another kid in the classroom, a male teen who looked a bit older than he was, well he assumed, maybe they were the same age who knew? He sat a few rows away where he was sitting, he was sitting there way before he stormed in the room. He side glanced over at him, the older teen had his hands behind his head and legs crossed, looking like he was right at home instead of a classroom. Maybe he's been thrown in here a lot more frequently, Chris knows he has but he hasn't seen him in here before, actually he doesn't recognize this guy at all. Besides being older, he had black hair but an ugly blonde dyed tips, glasses and a purple t-shirt. Just studying him he couldn't match his face from anywhere, not even his name.

The boy in question felt his gaze upon him and looked over where the pissed and curly haired boy sat, who just previously got here. Their eyes met briefly before Chris whipped his head away from him, making the boy arch his brows in confusion. He didn't dwell on it. Shit, he only had at least half an hour left here and he'll be out to cause more trouble, it's just detention after all. He just sat there doing fuck nothing, bored out of his mind, he'd rather break something, steal something, punch someone.

His gaze glanced back on the previously pissed kid, who he saw now him pulling out a notebook and some pens and scribbled something. This dude wasn't actually doing homework is he? He laughed as he watched him, though the curly head kid was way to focus and fastly moving his hand on his notebook. He stopped paying attention to what he was writing and noticed he didn't recognize this kid. Like ever. Did he ever go to this school before? He wasn't in his class the last time he checked. It was a complete mystery that really strucked him. He wasn't the one to make friends in detention, but he was pulled to ask who he was at least.

"Yo, shrimpy." Johnny called out loudly, making Chris jump slightly and stop what he was writing, looking over at him. "Huh?" Is all he replied, looking at him with confusion on his face. "Whatcha writin' over there?" He said, pointing a finger at the paper with some scribbles. Chris' eyes widen and shoulders tensed, he bite his bottom lip and look at all his drawings, trying to cover them up with his hand. "It's not none of your damn business." He says sharply, giving him the cold shoulder in response. He already had enough of people for today, all he wanted was some peace and quiet for thirty minutes.

Johnny's eyebrows raised, the cockiness on this little shit. He got up from his seat and walked over in front of the quiet teen, he went back doing what he was previously doing and completely ignoring him. He wondered how this wimpy but smartass kid even got into detention in the first place. What did he do, steal someone's eraser and make them cry like a baby? Johnny made his way to the front of his desk, looming over him and watching him draw. That's what he's up to, he thought.

Getting up closer to him Johnny studied him much better, a resting bitch face was plastered on him, he saw some dried blood that wasn't perfectly cleaned off under his nose, also some detectable bruises on his face. He had bruised knuckles, too, on his right hand and had a purple cast on his left arm. Looking at it better he saw it was littered with drawings and signature's. This punk knew how to fight and he had friends, more and more he looked at him he was surprised.

Chris slowly noticed him standing there and he felt uncomfortable with him so close. He naturally put up his defenses, he didn't know what his exact intentions were. He mostly likely wanted to mess with him, which is natural since everyone pick fights with him every chance they got. He didn't understand why though, I guess he was quiet, reserved, closed off from most people and pretty damn weird apparently. It was easy to bully him they thought, he's quiet so he must be weak. Funny thing is they never expect him to actually fight back, it always without fail surprises everyone. Today though he was tired and mentally exhausted from fighting, the always need to feel like he has to defend himself all the time, it's exhausting.

His eyes were filled with agitation when looking up at the other older teen, he just wanted to be left alone and wasn't it the mood for chatting. "Whatcha's name, smartass?" Johnny asked, looking down on him meet his eyes. "Eat a dick." Chris clearly showed he wasn't in the mood, it made Johnny smirk wide though. This fucking kid. "Don't have to be so hostile, I'm just askin' a question s'all!" Johnny put his hands up, trying to be friendly towards him. If it was anyone else he'd probably punched them in the mouth for saying that, but for some reason he didn't feel angry or threatened by him. It was weird and unusual, he didn't like it.

"I don't care for your questions, so why don't you take yourself and your frosted tips else where." He snapped, his discomfort rised high and his guard was up. Johnny had to laugh at that one, though he wasn't laughing at him, he was laughing at the insult. "Damn, ain't you a fiesty one? No wonder why your in detention." Johnny snarked back. "Oh, and I'm guessing you're such a saint. That's why your in here, too, right?" The sarcasm was thick. Johnny kept smirking, though his niceness quickly started going away now feeling irritated by the smartass. "Alright then, tell me why you're in here then, princess." Johnny said, temper rising. "God, so annoying. You talk too much." Chris huffed, he was beyond annoyed by him now.

The effortlessness of dismissing Johnny just drove him up the wall, he was five seconds away of dragging him by the hoodie he was wearing and wailing on him in the hallway, gladly earning him more detention.

"Why are you in detention?" The teen asked, his mood weirdly changed.

Johnny looked at him in disbelief, he threw insults and bitched at him, now he's asking him questions? "I killed a bunch of people." He bit back at him, sitting backwards in one of the empty chairs he ended up dragging to his previous spot. "Man, I don't think they should've left you unsupervised then." God, he didn't know if he liked this kid or if he wanted to punch him. Chris flipped to a new sheet of paper and started aimlessly doodling, Johnny peered at it, he wasn't a master at the arts but his scribbles were something, that something that resembled a lot like graffiti art he see's in the Row. Maybe this fucker did some of those. Chris glanced up quickly seeing Johnny watching him work and he quietly sighed through his nose, he was such a pest and he wouldn't leave.

"I'm... Christian by the way." He said, nervousness in his voice, it seemed like he still didn't trust him but Johnny didn't blame him. They only met for fifteen minutes, it's not like they're best friends or something. Finally getting his name he seemed somewhat satisfied, on his weird voyage to seek answers from this weird kid. "I'm Johnny." He said plainly, might as well offer his name too since the other teen gingerly did so unprompted. Chris smiled though. "So, you in my class or somethin'? Because I'm pretty sure I've never seen you once in my life around school." Johnny asked.

"I don't think so."

He thought hard while answering, it was weird, they've never cross paths before today. Yeah, Chris might be a ghost to some but he remembers people and their faces, Johnny's isn't familiar though. "What class are you in?" Chris asked, finally tearing his focus away from his notebook for once. "Mrs. Jefferson, you?" Johnny said. "Mr. Monroe."

Johnny knew that class, it was a junior year. Damn, he wasn't that young as he thought. He looked liked a jr high schooler and sounded like he didn't hit puberty yet, with this new information he was way older then he let on. Who the hell is this guy? He gets stranger and stranger. "So, Chris, whatcha in here for? Don't tell me it was some sissy bullshit." Johnny said, putting emphasis on the use of his name and going back to his original question. "Only if you tell me why you're in here after." He still had some coldness to him, still guarded. "Fine, deal." Johnny sighed, shaking his good hand on it.

Chris started explaining that minutes before being sent here, some group of boys were hanging outside in the hallway. Walking past them to leave school, it was the end of the day, the dumbasses just had to start calling him names and throwing insults. He wasn't going to entertain them and fight back like they wanted, but things escalated quickly that he indeed had to. Next thing he knew he was on top of the loud aggressor, holding him down by the throat and bashing him in the face, the other boys cheered as they watched the brawl happen before them. Once he starts fighting all the rage comes out and he can't be stopped. "--Then one of the teachers came down the hallway and saw me on top of the fucker, pulled me off of him and sends me to detention, like I actually did anything wrong." Chris explained the whole situation to Johnny, not letting go of his anger and rolling his eyes.

His eyes were wide and he was hanging on every word of the younger teens story, this pipsqueak can fight holy shit. He was starting to like this kid better, even if he is annoying. "Holy shit." Is all he says, his face beamed like how a kid looks like on Christmas morning. Chris just smirks awkwardly at his compliment, well he thinks it's one. "I didn't think you could fight with a cast let alone broken arm, proved me wrong." Johnny said "Hey, how did you get that anyways." He pointed at the purple cast. Chris looked down on it then back to Johnny, "Oh, I fell." Is all he says with the most casualty in his voice, like he was saying the most obvious answer. Johnny stared at him, waiting if he was going to elaborate anytime soon.

"Well?" Johnny asked, annoyed.

He actually laughed at him. "I didn't get this in a fight, if you thought that. Yeah, no, I was riding my bike and I crashed really bad, hence the cast." He gestured to it.

"Oh." Johnny nodded, a bit disappointed really.

He wanted to hear another cool story from him. "You wanna sign it?" Chris asked, his voice was so quiet for a second. It was so weird that this kid can be so silent and awkward but then actually bitch and be annoying towards him at the same time, he acted like a different person. "Yeah, why not." Johnny said, grabbing a pen and scribbling his name on the cast, there wasn't as much names on here. "Purple, nice color." He compliments as he finished writing. The kids face lit up as he looked at the newly decorated cast. Maybe this guy didn't have so much friends as he thought before, he didn't see why, the kid was pretty cool. A bit weird and awkward here and there, but who isn't really?

"You live around here or somethin'?" Johnny asked, "Like, you a Stilwater native?"

"Oh, yeah, I live in the Mission Beach district in Saint--" Chris was explaining until Johnny cut in and finished what he was saying. "Saints Row?!" He said surprised, a bit too loudly. "C'mon man, you can't tell me you live in the Row and go to the same school as me then we never bump into each other ever!" His voice was so loud that it made Chris flinch for a second, though he did smile excitedly. "I can't believe this." Chris shook his head in disbelief, smiling. "I'm usually by that creepy church, at the arcade or basketball court if that helps." Chris said. "Yeah, it does, I'll try looking for you next time." Johnny said, smirking.

The thirty minutes of detention were over as the school bell rang. Chris grabbed his bag putting everything away and started leaving the class, Johnny walking behind him. He didn't notice actually how tall Johnny was since they were sitting, comparing quickly he was at least four inches taller. They walked through the empty hallway together, Chris was silent, as usual. Until he spoke up, like he remembered something.

"Hey, you never told me why you were in detention, you promised after!"

"I told you, I killed a bunch of people. Why would I lie about that?" Johnny had a shit eating grin.

"Fuck off, Jonathan." Chris said, shoving Johnny.

"Screw you, Christian." Johnny said, shoving back.

"I'm going to the arcade. You can come if you want, I don't care." He said coldly, putting his hood up over his head and hands in his pockets.

Johnny's grin grew as they exited the building. Chris was walking off down the stairs outside before him. Even though the younger boy was acting coldly towards him, his fondness for him grew.

There was something special about him, something he hasn't seen in a person before.

#saints row #bossgat #gatboss week 2019 #johnny gat #christian alvarez #otp: disaster bisexuals #fic #mine #this is one of my top fave fics #i love baby chris and johnny dhdnfn

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afterpinkdiamond · 6 years

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The Answer S2E22

It's time for the origin story of the sweet little lesbians that make up the square mom!

Fun fact: Ruby and Sapphire stones are the same chemical composition. Red Sapphires are literally just Rubies. I think this highlights an interesting point about classism on Homeworld, but also helps explain why Ruby and Sapphire are so compatible and stable as a fusion. More on that later, Now for The Answer.

The beginning shot shows Steven asleep in the barn, overshadowed by a mysterious being. Garnet wakes him up to wish him a Happy Birthday just as the clock strikes midnight. I love how this shot builds suspense only to payout with Garnet being an adorable mother figure and waking Steven up in the middle of the night just to tell him a story. Steven gets really excited when she reveals that she’s going to tell him about how Ruby and Sapphire met, since he had already discovered that Garnet is a fusion during the events of “Jailbreak”. She sets the time as 5,750 years ago. (Which puts the wedding during “Reunited” approximately 8 months after Steven’s Birthday. That’s a lot of havoc in less of the year, as Steven has literally convertedPeridotbubbledtheClusterstoppedMalachiteattemptedtorehabilitateLapislostJasperlearnedoftheexistenceoftheDiamondsfacedtheRubysquadgotsenthurtlingthroughspacewithamurderousRubydiscoveredtheshatteringofPinkDiamondlosthisdadtotheHumanZoosavedGregfrombeingfuckedbyeverysingleZumannarrowlyescapedBlueandYellowdealtwithAmethyst’sinsecurityissuesgayadventureswithPearlandMysteryWomanfoundBismuthinLionthreeexistentialcrisisesabouthisdestinyasthesonofRoseQuartzthediamondshatterersolvedalongstandingfeudbetweenGregandPearldreamwalkedwithLar’sbodyinhabitedKiki’snightmaresconfrontedRose’sroomaboutherdecisiontohavehimhadawholerivalrywithKevinasStevonnieincludingdragracingsavedmostofhishumanfriendsfrombeingkidnappedbyAquamarieandTopazfacedtrialasRoseQuartzonhomeworldescapedthediamondsandfoundtheOffColorswatchedLarsdieandresurrectedhimfoughtwithConnieoverhisdecisiontosurrendortohomeworlddefeatedandwatchJaspergetcorruptedattemptedtouncorruptNephritediscoveredSmokyQuartzfusiondgotStevonniestrandedonthejunglemoondroveLapisawayfromearthconfrontedPearlaboutshatteringPinkDiamonddiscoveredhismomWASPinkDiamondhelpedconvincebothRubyandSapphiretostayGarnetunbubbledandreconciledwithBismuthandplannedawholewedding and that’s just what I remember offhand) Garnet describes how Blue Diamond’s court was investigating the Rebel force that disrupted the building of the Earth colony. Sapphire, an elite gem, was called to make a prediction about the Rebellion and she told Blue the rebels would be captured that very day in the Cloud Arena.

We see a lot more characterization of both Ruby and Sapphire in their interactions in this scene. Ruby is shown to be the most levelheaded of those in her detail. She’s very cautious about Sapphire, apologizing profusely when she is pushed into her by mistake. Garnet says she was a common soldier, often sent in multiples to fuse into a larger ruby at the sight of danger. Yet she’s attentive to Sapphire, talking back when she probably shouldn’t. She definitely notices the blue gem. It’s subtle and implies what could have been said, but Ruby acts like she has a crush. It’s so cute. Sapphire, on the other hand, is a straight forward gem. She doesn’t ask for direction or permission. She knows what is supposed to happen. She remarks on the beauty of Earth without any agency on trying to see more of it. She accepts the idea of fate, that her life has one trajectory. Even the eventuality of being poofed by the Rebels doesn’t make her want to even tempt her idea of fate. She’s seen one path of submissive future her whole life and can’t even comprehend questioning it.

Then, Rose and Pearl attack the arena, calling themselves the Crystal Gems. Pearl is in blue shades but Rose... Rose is all in pink, even her skin appears pink. It’s been said that Blue utterly fails here by not recognizing Pink Diamond’s voice, yelled across a crowd shocked silent. Especially next to a Pearl very similar to the one made for Pink just a few thousand years before. But you know. Sometimes it be like that. Recognizing your own kid is hard. Pearl takes out two quartz guards immediately and Rose, without her sword (because preBismuth) takes on the three Rubies fused into one. With her bare hands. This Quartz is way OP. Pearl takes the stance to take down Sapphire when Ruby decides that she’s not okay with failure and tackles Sapphire out of the way. They accidentally fuse for the first time into Cotton Candy Garnet.

Garnet is clearly shocked at her own existence, Pearl and Rose are just as distracted as the rest of the court but only leave a second later, realizing their lucky break. Ruby and Sapphire unfuse, both dazed from the experience as Blue’s court closes in. Blue is furious with Ruby for her inaccurate prediction but Ruby jumps up to take the blame. She is blamed for fusing with Sapphire and Blue Diamond sentences her to be shattered. This reminds me of the scene from Holes where Sam gets arrested for kissing Kate Barlow and she tries to defend him by saying she kissed him back, only to be told that it wasn’t illegal for her to kiss him. It’s racist and classist as hell to blame the already oppressed for “crimes” that shouldn’t logically be illegal. Like fusion is a natural ability of gems but is reserved for utilitarian purposes only. The thought of a common soldier fusing with an elite court member, even on pure accident, shouldn’t really be that controversial. And, back to my fun fact, they’re practically the same stone just different colors! The difference between “elite” and “common” in this society is how rare of a color you display! The more you think about the reactions of Blue and her court to Garnet, the clearer it is how messed up Homeworld’s class system is and just as Ruby is about to become it’s next victim, Sapphire decides to throw away fate to rescue the gem that rescued her. She grabs Ruby and jumps off the edge of the cloud arena to float them down to the safety of Earth.

Once on Earth, Ruby panics and realizes that she’s duty bound to get Sapphire back to Blue’s court unharmed. All Sapphire can say in defense of her action is that they were going to break Ruby. Ruby protests that there are tons of Ruby and her being broken would not matter. But Sapphire couldn’t accept that at the moment. It’s like she barely understands her own motivations as she gets lost in the unpredictable nature of her impossible and uncertain future. She has to decide to go back to her position or stay on Earth to protect Ruby from getting shattered but she freezes up when confronted with possibilities. And this is when Ruby steps forward to help her again. This time she picks her up to carry her to a cave to get dry, breaking Sapphire out of being frozen on the spot. They get to the cave and Sapphire thanks Ruby, causing Ruby to get a bit heated and start a fire. Sapphire confesses that she’s never known that fusion makes you disappear, starting their conversation about Garnet. Ruby explains that same gem fusion doesn’t make you disappear, it just makes you more. The experience was new to her as well. Both shyly agree that it was a nice feeling. They later leave the cave and sing “Something New” as they explore Earth.

Ruby and Sapphire’s song plays out more like a conversation, where they discuss Garnet and their feelings and thoughts about cross gem fusion. As they explore the planet we see them enjoying the organic life and the beauty of nature on Earth. It’s not clearly specified how much time they spend wandering around but the change in scenery and weather suggest at least a few days if not weeks until they decide to fuse into Garnet again. I love that their fusion dance quickly becomes Ruby picking up Sapphire as they twirl. It shows how much they’ve come to understand and trust each other, that Sapphire is willing to be spun around that hard. Also Ruby’s pretty strong to be able to do that so effortlessly.

Garnet, newly reformed, stumbles her way around, trying to get used to the feeling of a new shaped form, three eyes, and future vision, and of course stumbles right into a rose bush. OK KO Crossover Nexus made it canon that Garnet’s visor is prescription as well as helps enhance her ability to process her future vision. I think anyone with three eyes would probably need glasses just to make sense of the world. Also, it’s cute how she adjusts her visor when checking possible futures. But for now, she is just stumbling around in a blurry half colonized Earth.

In the rose bush, Garnet is confronted by Pearl and Rose. Pearl recognizes her from the Cloud Arena and Rose admits she’s glad they found her. Garnet starts to process through a lot of emotions and thoughts, but the first thing she notices is that Rose and Pearl aren’t immediately disgusted by her existence as a cross-gem fusion. In “Now We’re Only Falling Apart” we hear Pearl’s side of this story and see that Rose and Pearl had recently had their own experience fusing into Rainbow Quartz for the first time. Without that knowledge though, it’s odd that Rose doesn’t deny feeling uncomfortable about Garnet.. she just emphasizes that what Garnet is feeling is much more important and interesting. The rest of the scene doesn’t portray her as uncomfortable or on edge, probably because she is still amazed that this kind of fusion can exist. Also, her recent experience with Rainbow Quartz and the Very Gay feelings that lead to that fusion, Rose probably is excited for Ruby and Sapphire that they decided to fuse again. Garnet starts to ask a lot of questions about why she exists but Rose stops her and tells her that she already is the answer. Some people have pointed to this moment and suggested that Rose accidentally influenced Garnet to never ask questions again using Diamond power. I don’t agree. I think Garnet still had a ton of questions and a ton of growing to do from being welcomed into the Crystal Gems up until the present day. She had to figure herself and Ruby and Sapphire’s relationship out. She had to name herself. She had to fight in a war. Through it all, she grew and decided to find the answers to her questions within herself, inspired by Rose’s assurance that she could. Maybe she made a vow to herself, but I don’t think she was coerced into never asking questions again.

Garnet’s story ends and Steven asks her what the “answer” was. She replies that it’s love and the the episode ends with the star iris blinking into little hearts.

I love Garnet’s first form because in a lot of ways she reminds me of Stevonnie, which probably contributes to why she so utterly supportive of Stevonnie. Garnet’s first form combines Ruby and Sapphire’s outfits in a haphazard way and even better, the colors of the outfits bleed into each other. Sapphire’s blue glove takes on the black of Ruby’s outfit and the cuff of Ruby’s sleeve is now blue. The fluffy multicolored afro and the trichromatic eyes serve to show the blending of the two gems into one being in a way that isn’t completely cohesive yet. On the topic of looking for clues about Pink Diamond, I think it’s interesting to note that just a few episodes ago Peridot was talking about Pearls being flaunted by the elites on Homeworld, and in this episode we get a shadowy figure of Blue Diamond with Blue Pearl at her side, and we see a very pink tinted Rose Quartz with her Renegade Pearl. Considering the first part of the story happens in the presence of Blue’s court, all elite blue gems, wouldn’t you expect more pearls? Yet the only two shown side by side with Pearls are Blue Diamond and Rose Quartz. It’s a small thing but it’s not like Blue got all suspicious hearing the voice of Pink Diamond coming from the rebel leader so it’s what we have to go on. This episode as a whole is a great bonding moment for Garnet and Steven and leads directly into the next episode, “Steven’s Birthday”

#su #steven universe #garnet #su the answer #ruby #sapphire #rupphire #blue diamond #pearls #rose quartz #su analysis #su rewatch #cartoon

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crossroadsimagine · 5 years

Note

Hi my sister said you'd do a best friend match for me and we worked on it together! So here it is! Girl or boy is fine either way and from My Hero Academia! My personality is noisy and always happy and kind and a wee bit crazy sometimes and can get very sad easily. I cry when I get mad. Likes are: exploring the outside and coming inside when it's hot. I like exercising. And I like lizards and fish and small animals. I dont like spiders, spider webs, cockroaches, and jump scares. (1/?)

☰ Best friends with Eijiro Kirishima

Kirishima is very friendly and tries to getalong with everyone and make friends with everyone, which means he’s kind andfriendly to you from the first time the two of you meet, It’s most likely that thetwo of you will become good friends through a hobby and similar interests wherethe friendship will only grow stronger with time.

He’ll come to treat you almosthow he would if he had a sister which makes him quite protective over you,though he is protective over all of his friends he won’t let anything happen toyou while he’s around. Whether it’s physical or emotional from bullying orteasing he’s quick to defend you, even a little too quick at times but he canhave a bit of a short temper if he hears anyone criticizing you or talking badabout you.

He’ll also step in to defend you whether you are around and someoneis teasing you right to your face or if he hears someone making fun of youbehind your back. Being protective over you is just in his nature too it’s notbecause he thinks you are weak or need protecting, it’s more that he feels likehe has to do something or say something because he’ll get mad the second ithappens.

But if you stand up and defend yourself, he’ll let you take the leadand just have your back for whatever you want to say or do. But if you’re notso good at standing up for yourself he’s quick to do it for you, especially if youseem upset and you do have a tendency to cry when you get mad. Kirishima willnot like seeing you cry for any reason and can make him angry at whoever madeyou mad, no matter who it is, whether it’s a friend, stranger or family member.

He is also comforting and understanding so if you do get mad and need to ventabout what happened, or why you had a bad day, or even if something’s justbothering you he’ll listen and he can be a good listener to you, he’s alsorather sympathetic and his mood can change based on yours, like if you are mad hecan get mad because you are, or if you are happy he can become happy becauseyou are and can feed off your emotions.

Which you do generally have a noisy andalways happy attitude which often matches his own because he is very positive,upbeat and nearly always optimistic no matter the situation and can just aboutalways find the fun in every situation.

You are also very kind yet a tiny bitcrazy on occasion, and he will like how kind you can be and even likes yourcrazy side because he can have his wild moments. On the down side you can getvery sad pretty easily which can catch him off guard at times especially if youcan get sad out of nowhere, because he won’t know immediately what to do tohelp you.

But since he is comforting and a good listener he’ll just flat outask you if there’s anything he can do for you or what he can do to cheer youup, and even if you say no he won’t take that for an answer and will come upwith something to take your mind off things, suggesting a video game, a movie,going for ice cream or even just going for a walk.

The two of you do have similarinterests and hobbies, because you both enjoy the outdoors, exercising, videogames and being with friends, and even the things you like that he may not havean interest in before he can take an interest in because as your friend he’llwant to be able to talk with you about the things you like.

He will like videogames and playing games with you though he does tend to enjoy action orfighting games the most he’ll play just about any kind of game at least once,though like you he won’t like jump scares especially in video games.

He is veryoutgoing and will like trying newthings, new foods, drinks so trying new restaurants or going to festivals orfairs will be a lot of fun for him, not only because there’s a lot of actionand games but he will like trying new foods and won’t mind sharing foods withyou at all, especially different snack foods or appetizers, he’ll want you totry stuff because he’ll want to hear your thoughts.

He will be very supportiveand encouraging of your dream or any dreams you have throughout life, same withsmall goals you want to achieve like if you want to learn something new like aninstrument, language or how to make something. He’s even up for learning thingswith you even if he may not be very good at it, he will try, especially if ithelps to encourage you to try your best or keep going.

Because he genuinelywants to see you do well and succeed and achieve everything you put your mindto, no matter how big or small your dreams and goals are.

He compliments andpraises you pretty often any time you impress him with something, whether it’sbecause you know the answer to something or show how intelligent you can be indifferent situations, but also he’ll be impressed any time he sees how good youare at something like drawing well, putting a puzzle together quickly or comingup with a great idea or solution when there is a problem as well as when you givehim good and helpful advice.

Kirishima will also enjoy being outside whether it’sjust going for walks or hikes, or more extensive stuff like camping or fishing,he can be rather easily entertained doing simple things like watching theclouds, playing in the rain, watching the stars for shooting stars.

He willalways be himself when he’s around you which he is easy going and positivethough he can have his insecure moments and doubts about himself or his dreamsbut quick to bounce back with some encouragement.

He is very kind and caringtowards you and will stick by your side and stay best friends with you throughout the years who will always have your back, any time you need a friend he’sthere for you without question and always up for the next adventure orchallenge.

☰ Headcanons between you two

■Enjoys the outdoors and he is very adventurous though he can be a bit clumsy attimes, but he’s not afraid to get dirty, so playing outside, in creeks, thewoods, playing in mud or catching bugs or animals he’s rather fearless and upfor just about anything. He’s also not afraid of spiders or bugs you don’t likeand will get rid of them for you.

■Always encouraging of your dreams and goals whether big or small, or short termor long-term goals, he is even willing to help you the best he can withanything. Even if there’s nothing he can do to actually help you he is veryencouraging because he believes in you and cheers you on to accomplish whateveryou put your mind to.

■Can have a pretty competitive side but just for fun and will never take it tooseriously, but likes making light competition out of things like exercising orplaying video games. He can be very confident in himself but at the same timehe is very humble and if you beat him, he’ll admit defeat and even praise youfor being so good at a game or such.

■Likes exercising just like you though he may take it more seriously than youbecause he really wants to be tough and strong which can make him go a bit overboard at times but won’t push you to. But he will be happy any time you want toexercise or even go for a walk or jog because he will like the company andsomeone to talk to while exercising.

■Defensive when someone upsets you or makes you mad, especially if he sees youcrying. He’ll have your back and stand up for you no matter the circumstancesor who he has to stand up to. He won’t let anyone hurt you mentally,emotionally or physically, you or any of his friends for that matter, no matterif he gets hurt or what the consequences could be.

■Doesn’t get mad very easily and keeps a very optimistic and positive attitude,which means he is not one to argue with you about anything even if you get mad orfeeling grumpy and snap at him, he can show an understanding side, wanting toknow what happened or why you’re angry.

☰ Other Close Friends

◑ Tsuyu Asui is supportive, friendly andcaring but she can be a bit more reserved and has a harder to expressingherself or how she feels, which can also make it harder for her to stand up topeople. That doesn’t mean she won’t have your back when push comes to shove butshe can struggle with it a bit, because she can be afraid of confronting othersand it can make her very nervous or even cry depending on the situation.

Butshe will always intervene if someone is criticizing you or teasing you, becauseshe won’t let anyone give you a hard time. She is very supportive andcomforting if you are having a bad day and will do everything, she can to cheeryou up and make your day better, even if she may panic a little not knowingexactly what to say or do right away.

She absolutely loves being outdoorsespecially doing anything that involves water, so she will really enjoy goingto the beach, water parks or even just playing outside in a pond or creek. She doestend to prefer more relaxed and laid-back activities and isn’t very competitiveat all unless you try to spur on some friendly competition, just hanging out atyour house or hers she’s very happy with and will like playing games orwatching videos such as the try not to laugh videos.

She won’t like scarythings especially scary movies or games and like you she won’t like jumpscares, she highly prefers happy fantasy or adventure type games or shows. Shetries her best to be positive and optimistic but can have her doubts and lowself esteem at times, but always tries to do better and she is a very loyal friendwho will stick by you through all ups and downs.

◑ Mina Ashido is enthusiastic, positive andreally encourages you with everything you do, she is very outgoing and adventurousand likes trying new things. Trying new foods, restaurants, playing new boardgames or video games, she easily shares interests with you and can surprise youwith things she knows you like or are a hobby of yours.

Such as coming overwith a new video game or a new puzzle or even new art supplies she wants to tryout with you or thinks you’ll like. She does have a protective side and willjump in to protect or defend you from criticism or bullying, even though she canseem very brave when standing up to people she can be very nervous about doingit. And while she can have an easier time standing up for you or any of her friends,she can have a harder time standing up for herself and defending herself fromcriticism.

Even if she does get sad or upset, she tends to bounce back quicklyand will be back to her happy bubbly self in no time, especially if you canhelp cheer her up and make her laugh. She can have a habit of surprising or spoilingyou with stuff because she is very giving and caring, meaning if she goessomewhere without you, she’s likely to bring you back a present, anything froma stuffed animal, t-shirt, key-chain, hair ornament, bracelet, necklace orcandy.

She is also very thoughtful when it comes to holidays and especiallyyour birthday and will make a big ordeal over your birthday every year, if shemakes snacks, desserts or cookies or things like that she’ll always save somefor you, even making special ones for you. She will like spending time with youand just hanging out at each other’s houses and going on trips with you like tothe beach or to an amusement park, but she can genuinely be happy and enthusiasticwith nearly anything the two of you do.

#My Hero Academia #Boku no hero academia #MHA #BNHA #Match up #Kirishima #Eijiro Kirishima #Mina Ashido #Tsuyu Asui #Match ups #MHA Match up #headcanons

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spring-emerald · 6 years

Text

oh, shoot

For KuroDai Weekend Day 1: Celebrity AU / Hanahaki AU

“Kuroo,” Yaku puts his hands on Kuroo’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes with seriousness. “Your photographer for today is a well-known photographer, alright? We’re lucky to work with him. You are lucky to work with him. It’s an honor, a chance of a lifetime. So please, I beg of you, don’t mess this up,” he articulates carefully, punctuating his words with a dig of his fingers on Kuroo’s shoulders.

“Yaku,” Kuroo also puts his hands on Yaku’s shoulder, a little heavily, enough to make anyone else wince but not him, apparently. “You gotta chill, alright? I promise, I won’t.” He grins and pats Yaku’s shoulders, but it doesn’t ease the frown on his manager’s face. Really, he deserves more faith than this.

Modeling is something that Kuroo didn’t see himself doing as a full-time job. He didn’t believe himself to be that kind of handsome after all. (His grandmother thinks otherwise, but that’s his grandmother, so it doesn’t really count.) But he finds himself in the industry after dipping in it for a desperate part-time during a rough time in college. And while it’s not as glamorous and glitzy as one perceives it to be, he found himself liking it enough to accept more jobs and change the course of his future by signing up with an agency.

Two years into the industry and he’s worked with a lot of different beautiful people and a lot of different photographers. But it’s his first time to work with someone that has what could be considered a celebrity status in the modeling and fashion circuit.

He’s done his research about Sawamura Daichi, as per Yaku’s instruction. He’s glad he followed it because he learned that Sawamura is the same age as Kuroo, younger than him by a month even, and entered around the same time he did. He’s got a Cinderella-eque early life story, about how he supported himself and his family through doing side-jobs and assistants during college, started his own studio from basically nothing with the help of trusted friends and underclassmen, until he’s reached the place where he is right now. He’s far more accomplished than his contemporaries, especially in terms of portfolio.

(It’s also been said that he’s Oikawa Tooru and Sugawara Koushi’s-two of the top and most-sought actors in the business today-named him as their favorite photographer. That’s from a celebrity tabloid but he thinks it’s worth its dime.)

The point is, that’s how good he’s touted to be.

And really, Yaku was right when he said it’s an honor to work with him. Not just with him, but working in this campaign as a whole. Out of the many, more beautiful models from their agency, like the Haiba siblings, he was the one handpicked by Nekomata-san to be included in the anniversary line of one of the famous clothing brands in the country, and it will be advertised in electronic billboards and fashion magazines. It’s a miracle to be handed such a project like this and Kuroo would be a fool to mess this up.

So yeah. He promises to be in his best behavior and he will not mess this up.

-----

Kuroo is messing this up.

He’s half-naked, only clad in high quality jeans, hair pushed back and tamed and he’s sweating. The studio is cold enough and he’d been in front of the bright lights numerous times already, but none of those had affected him for him to sweat like buckets like this. He knows he’s not looking very attractive right now and far-fetched from the model he claims to professionally be.

In his defense, none of those photo shoots had Sawamura Daichi as the photographer.

God, he’d seen what he looks like when he was researching about him and he had believed the articles when they said that he’s plain but kind looking. Because he is. Kind looking, that is, a strange softness to his define jaws. And god, he’s plain, alright.

Plainly gorgeous.

Downright stunning with a great one dimpled smile and a firm handshake. It doesn’t help that he’s down to earth and friendly to the staff.

Basically, Kuroo’s a goner.

He is not shallow to fall just for looks especially when his work allows him to be surrounded by a lot of good-looking people, where beautiful is a word that can generally describe them all and not be wrong. Gorgeous is the one word he reserves for really special individuals that it would be an insult to call them just beautiful.

But by gods if he doesn’t have a problem describing Sawamura like that.

Kuroo can only dazedly follow the instructions, lost in the play of Sawamura’s arm muscles every time it involuntarily flexes when he poises to shoot. Kind of jealous of the camera strap that get to rest on his well-defined chest under the tight Henley that he forgets to project the feeling that the shoot is asking for, which definitely isn’t the dumb smitten model look.

Did Kuroo mention he’s messing this up? No? Well, he’s messing this up. Big time.

Yaku’s going to chew his head off after this and Kuroo will actually let him, just so he doesn’t have to live with the embarrassment.

Sawamura’s looking down on the screen of his camera, a small frown on his face. Kuroo knows it for the look of dissatisfaction. Goodness, of all times to flop his shoot, it has to be this one. Sawamura looks at up him, head tilted a little to the side. He drops his camera down gently and walks toward Kuroo.

Kuroo glances at Yaku, sees how he’s biting down on his thumbnail and swallows the nervous lump that grew in his throat.

“Kuroo-san,” Kuroo straightens his shoulders at being addressed. Thank god he’s taller than Sawamura and he’s the one slightly looking down on him. His pride won’t be able to take the hit if it had been the other way instead. “This isn’t how your hair is usually styled, is it?”

Kuroo blinks, hand coming up to touch his styled hair. “Uhm, yeah. It isn’t.” The unexpected question unbalanced him enough to answer truthfully.

Sawamura nods and hums thoughtfully. “What do you say about changing it back to your more, natural style?”

“What?”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with it, pushed back. And you really look good and register on the camera fine,” Sawamura quickly explains, and if Kuroo isn’t nervous and confused, he would’ve found the gesticulating adorable. “But… there’s something missing?”

Kuroo shakes his head then. “No, I mean, you’re the boss right now, so whatever you say goes, but I just feel like I have to be completely honest you know? My hair, well, naturally, it’s,” Kuroo pauses, looking for a word that won’t completely embarrass him and settles with “…untamable.” He looks at Sawamura pointedly, conveying that he would probably look and do worse if he changes back to his hairstyle.

Sawamura gives him a small smile and Kuroo remembers why he’s doing so badly in the first place. “It can’t be that bad,” he assures.

Kuroo doesn’t have the heart to say that oh yeah, it can. It is. His friends tease him Rooster Head for a good reason. He can’t say that his performance and bad frames have nothing to do with his hair, but just with him being useless in the face of someone handsome. Kuroo’s not that above blaming Sawamura.

“Anything you want,” Kuroo says instead. He meant it casually and professionally, really, but given that his mind is in the gutter at the moment, he thinks it comes out way more than he intended.

Sawamura looks taken aback by the words and coughs lightly, clearing his throat. “Uhhh, yeah.” He gestures to the direction of the hairstylists awkwardly, stepping back and away from Kuroo.

Kuroo purses his lips and nods stiffly then leaves before he can say or do something even more stupid.

When he comes back, hair styled in its usual get up, only a little tamer, Sawamura studies him, nods with approval and asks him if he’s ready to do some test shots. Sawamura points and clicks, letting Kuroo pose as he please and looks at the few frames he’d taken, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Hmm, it’s better,” he says smiling, catching Kuroo off-guard yet again. He doesn’t think he can take the fact that Sawamura had just basically complimented him, saying he looks better with his natural style on. Or maybe, he’s reading too much into this and the guy is just being kind, so stop thinking so hard Tetsurou and just do your job.

And do his job he did. He followed Sawamura’s direction and obeyed every instruction, listened well to suggestions and was glad that he can freely suggest some of his own and met with approval, growing more confident and relaxed as the shoot progress. It helps that Sawamura talks to him like a friend, casual and light, unlike some photographers who’re extremely stiff and all business. It’s a great bonus whenever he smiles, something that Kuroo had grown accustomed to, thank god.

He’s putting on the last pair of jeans he’s had to model for the shoot-a tight, skinny one-when Yaku approaches him and gives him a pat on the shoulder.

“You’re doing great, Kuroo,” he starts, but the pause offsets the word. Kuroo waits for him to drop the ‘but’. “But maybe you can try to be a little, you know, playful? Flirtier?”

Kuroo scoffs at Yaku, looking at him funny as he zips the jeans up. “Flirtier?”

“Yeah! You’re good with that, right? I mean, it’s really nice to see you this serious, but also a bit disconcerting? Especially since you actually look like you. Let your personality shine through. I think that’s what Sawamura likes to happen too.” Yaku shrugs.

Kuroo snorts. “Alright, one, despite my appearance, I’m not flirty. And I’m pretty sure that’s not what Sawamura likes to happen.” He’s just really generous with his compliments, like a good professional should be. There’s no way Kuroo is going to read more into that. Anyway, “two, this hair is actually charming and not the disaster you all think it is. And three, you can just say that you like me for me, Yaku-paisen.” He grins, which earns him an eye roll and a hard slap on the arm.

“Whatever. Forget it. You’re insufferable.” Kuroo’s laugh follows after him.

Kuroo returns to the set, a small smile still on his face because of his conversation with Yaku and he startles when the lights go off along with a sound of the shutter. He looks up and finds the camera trained on him.

Sawamura lowers it, looking guilty at getting caught. “Sorry. It’s just…your smile was nice and I just,” Sawamura shakes his head. “Never mind, sorry. Anyway, uh, are you ready?” He rubs the back of his head self-consciously and tries to give Kuroo a confident smile.

Kuroo thinks that if he steps closer, he’ll see the blush on Sawamura’s cheeks.

Adorable. He wants to see Sawamura make that face again. He remembers Yaku’s words and a smirk blooms on his face.

“I’m always ready for you, Sawamura,” he says with a wink, ignoring the inner Kuroo cringing at him at the line he used.

Sawamura stills, eyes wide because Kuroo isn’t even being subtle, then clears his throat and shakes his head again, harder this time. “…Right. Okay.”

Kuroo counts it as a win since he got flustered again. Yaku doesn’t think so.

“Kuroo!” Yaku seethes, eyes bulging out and looking between him and Sawamura, expression alternating between scandalized and apologetic. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“What? You said to be flirty.”

“Yeah! But I meant the camera, not the photographer!”

“But-” Oh. Oh. Damn… that’s not what Yaku meant earlier. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. “Sawamura, I am-”

His apology gets interrupted when Sawamura snorts softly, covering his big smile and flushed face with his hand. He’s unable to hold it, and to Kuroo’s utter mortification, he laughs. A full bellied, mirthful, music to Kuroo’s ears actually if it isn’t done in his expense. The make-up artists and hairstylists join in and wow, can some of the light stands just fall on him now, or maybe all of them, he’s not picky.

“Oh, god,” Sawamura breathes, chuckling still. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He waves a dismissing hand, while the other wipes a tear on his eyes.

“It’s alright, really. It’s fine. You’re good. I mean,” his smile turns into a bashful one. “I don’t mind.” He glances up at Kuroo shyly. “But,” he continues. “Maybe we can…talk… after the shoot?”

Kuroo blinks and snaps out of his daze of asking how this guy could be real, and seeing Sawamura’s hopeful face boosts his confidence and eagerness to finish the shoot. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

----------

A few months later, Kuroo sees his photo displayed in one of the electronic billboards. People stop and stare, some girls even squeal, not noticing the real thing is just among them.

“You really look good in that,” Daichi says, stepping up beside him, looking at the big screen with a small smile.

Kuroo hooks an arm around his shoulders. “Nah, my photographer’s just the best.”

#haikyuu!!#kurodai #kurodaiweekend #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #hq fanfic

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fallen029 · 7 years

Text

Clandestine

They were hardly dating.

Which was the point, of course. For it to seem that way. They weren't, like, hiding anything (considering who she was, it would kinda be impossible; she'd even gossip on herself at times). Rather, they just didn't...act like a couple. At all.

Laxus was always rather reserved. Even in his younger days. Not with his opinions, of course, if they were disparaging towards others, but his true emotions and feelings were typically guarded and buried deep within himself.

Then there was Mirajane who, of course, was the polar opposite. Externally, at least. The truth was, rather, that she shared the shallow tidbits of her deeply personal problems, easily putting up a facade of complete sincerity. And her relationship with Laxus was not shallow.

But...they had to seem that way. Because relationships complicate things. Especially deep, significant ones. Not just around the guildhall (though it would there as well) either. Whenever Fairy Tail was in trouble, they both were frequently involved in the melees and the last thing they ever needed was more people tacked onto the list of ones that could be used against them. Laxus had his Thunder Legion and Mirajane had her siblings; but secretly, honestly, they were both on each others list.

No one would ever know though. Even their guild friends, at best, knew them as occasional dates. Sometimes Laxus would offer to take her to see a band play at some bar or Mirajane would beg him to go to see a play with him. All played out in front of the others, of course, with Mirajane blabbing about anything and everything they didn't see.

Weeks, if not over a month, could pass between the next one. And sometimes even then they had to cancel. Mira had work or something came up for Laxus and it was practically platonic, other than the few times (that the others knew of) they went home together. Which Mirajane would immediately go on and on about the next day to any of the women that would listen and Laxus would just mostly grunt if anyone brought it up in his presence.

To most everyone, they were nothing more than friends with very limited benefits.

Behind closed doors, however, it was something much greater.

That was part of the fun, probably, in the beginning, for Mirajane. The sneaking around. Laxus truly didn't care much for it, but she seemed to get a thrill out of meeting in other towns and at hotels and, oh, did the demon just love it when he'd be in the hall and she was ignoring him and there were just these occasional...knowing glances between them.

Mmmm. Yes, that was definitely one of the best parts.

As time went on, of course, this got rather stale and boring, but was made up for in other ways. Laxus thoroughly enjoyed the few times Mira would take a few days off from work and meet up with him in some far off location just so they could spend a weekend completely unencumbered. They'd have nice dinners every night and he'd buy her things, all sorts of things (as considering she was on vacation, she could tell the others when she got back that she bought it for herself), from jewelry to new clothes. For him, that was one of the great things; watching her wear something he bought for her. Even if no one else knew, he did. And that was all that mattered.

Mira, rather, learned to find comfort in the attachment they grew for one another. As months turned into a year and a year rolled into two, Laxus was more or less completely enamored with her. Even if they couldn't be together often, when she did wind up at his apartment or in some hotel, he loved to just sit and talk with her. About everything.

And not just the way that Mirajane talked to everyone. It wasn't...gossip or who would look so cute together or anything even close. Laxus was the only person who honestly talked to her. About real things. Like what was going on in the world, just in general. They could have a conversation on the Kingdom or even just one on the horrible slave trade in Bosco.

Not a single other person took Mirajane's opinions seriously. And definitely not a guy that she was sleeping with. Which, of course, was partially by design. She was the one that, following Lisanna's presumed death, shut herself off and then dumbed herself down. It was what she wanted. And still, in many ways, did.

It just made what she and Laxus had so much better. The way they could sit around his apartment with beers and just chat. No snide remarks about her intelligence or her ditzy tendencies.

He took her seriously. He took their relationship (as hidden and not well-known it was) very seriously. There was nothing he seemed to enjoy more those days than when they met up somewhere and he was just able to toss an arm around her shoulders or press a kiss to her head.

"I love you," was started sometime around the year and a half mark.

By Laxus first, naturally, as Mira would never be foolish enough to ever let something like that slip out before a man. Especially one that only existed when they were alone.

It happened for the first time, once, when she was leaving his place. They'd gone out on a date that night, an actual one (though they just had a nice dinner in), and she'd told Lisanna she'd be home before midnight (she and Elf were leaving the next day on a job and wanted her help figuring out a map or something; she couldn't recall what). Laxus didn't want her to go though because he'd been out on jobs quite frequently, but she only wiggled her way out of his grasp and blew him a kiss as she went to slip back into her dress.

"Screw Lisanna. Stay with me."

"Awe."

"If you leave," he grumbled about then, "I have to make breakfast for myself in the morning."

"Less awe." He got a wink from over her shoulder, just as she was leaving the bedroom. "Bye, Laxus. I-"

"I don't even get a kiss goodbye? What kinda racket is this then, Mira? That you get to come in here, eat my fancy food-"

"The fancy food that you had me make?"

"-roll around in my fresh sheets-"

"The sheets that are only fresh because I cleaned them?"

"-and let you have your way with me-"

"I'll give you that one."

"All so that you could just leave? Without so much as a kiss goodbye?"

And then she turned, because he was being such a baby about it, and came to do just that. Only when she leaned over, Laxus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her right back down into the bed, laughing as she fought him over this as he only rolled, moving to pin her down once more.

"Laxus-"

"Mmmm. Stay with me."

"Why are you being like this?"

Because he'd missed her. A lot. More than usual. It hadn't been an easy job. He'd already told her all about it, but left out that the big fight he'd described to her was a lot less one-sided than he made out and he thought, at one point, that he might actually die out there.

And it got him to thinking. A lot. About things. Mostly things that didn't involve her that one or two that did and well, he just didn't see why Lisanna was so much more important than him.

Err, well, he did, in some ways, but given that the situation wasn't dire, but rather just Mira choosing between the two in very useless ways, he didn't understand why she'd pick her sister to spend the next few hours with.

But she was insistent, even as she giggled and halfheartedly attempted to fight him off. Eventually, with his head buried in her neck, he mumbled something against it.

"You can go." But he didn't let her up. "If you wanna."

"I do."

"Fine." And, finally, with a groan he fell off to the side, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. "You can go."

"I wasn't asking permission, you know."

"I know."

Pushing up, Mirajane stared down at him for a moment before saying, "You could come home with me. You-"

"That would look… If you left here and I followed you, it would just seem… So no. I can't."

"Mmmm." He got a kiss to the cheek. "It's for the best anyways. Lisanna and Elf are going on a super long job without, well, me, so we'll probably spend the rest of the morning planning-"

"It's not even one in the morning yet. How much planning could this possibly be going into this?"

"They're leaving rather early too."

"Still. I almost feel like you just wanna ditch me. Not to mention, shouldn't they sleep before their job? Or-"

"Who does that?"

"Normal people, Mira."

"No, you stay up the entire night with jitters."

He blinked. Then he glanced at her. "You still get...jitters?"

"Mmmhmm."

"One of the most powerful mages in Magnolia-"

"Well, that's a bit presumptuous."

"-still gets jitters."

"About many things."

"You're so silly." And he reached out to gently pat her cheek. "Man, I love you."

It kinda just slipped out of there somehow. In his defense, however, she was grinning at him and he was still feeling all good just from being home (and being with her) and they'd drank a bit, over dinner and...and...and…

"Oh, Lax." That one got him a kiss to the lips. Then, "I love you too."

But he was all rigid then, equal parts shocked as he was fearful of just what that little slip up meant, and Mirajane was able to get out of there without a problem. Laxus, however, felt like he had a pretty big one.

He was...in love.

Shudder.

Mirajane was very patient with him about it. Even when he avoided her after that, for a few weeks, on the pretense of training. And when they were together again, she made no mention of it at all. Just gave him his chance to, after a month or so, loosen his tongue enough for it to slip out again. That time got a giggle and kiss to, as well as a mummer of the words back.

It took a bit, but slowly, that worked into their regular routine. He had no problem with it, nuzzling his face down into her neck and whispering those three words there. Or when she was leaving him for the night, to head back home (or in the afternoon, to head into work; whatever), saying it out loud, though just between the two of them, as they kissed goodbye.

Honestly, that wasn't even the biggest step for them. That, rather, came around the two year mark when Laxus took her to meet his mother.

"I never knew that she was buried so far away from Magnolia," Mirajane whispered to Laxus as they stood over her grave one day in the fall. She was bent over, resting a bouquet of white lilies atop the headstone after glancing over it. "Dragon."

"Mmmm. She was from this town, so we buried her back here when she passed." He only stood above her, watching as the woman gently stroked the engraved dove in the corner of the grave. "You're the only person I've ever taken here."

Getting to her feet once more, Mirajane glanced back at him before smiling, softly. "It's calming, huh? That's the way I felt about Lisanna. When I would go and see her grave back when we… It just brought such a sense of relief."

Laxus glanced down at the stove himself then. "I don't come here very often. I used to. When I was a kid. And would come home from a job. These days though…I'm so busy-"

"I could come." And that time when Mirajane leaned down, it was to pull a weed that was growing close to the gravestone. "And look after it for you."

"Look after it?" He frowned. "What could you possibly look after?"

"I dunno. I think your mother at least deserves some nice flowers every week. If I could...go back to my village and visit my mother...I would. And bring her flowers. And just talk to her. My father too."

With a blink and then a rub to the back of his neck, the man only said, "I mean...I don't think it would make a difference. I've never done this. Bring her flowers." He nodded at the ones she'd laid over the grave. "I'm not really… I mean, she's not here. Err, well, her bones are, but-"

"I think she's here." Mira smiled then, down at the grave. "I think she's with you always, but I think she's definitely here, right now." But, with a slight shrug, she said, "If it makes you uncomfortable, Lax, then never mind. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do. This graveyard is so beautiful too. Well, for a cemetery, at least."

More blinking. Then, dropping his arms, Laxus glanced up at the sky. It was a rather clear day and, for a moment, he watched a single cloud drift. Finally, girinning, just a bit, he said, "I don't think I was ever too good a son."

"W-What?"

"I was pretty selfish."

"Weren't you, like, eight when she died?"

Laxus nodded. "Selfish."

"Normal."

"Normally selfish."

"Lax-"

"I'm still selfish." He kicked at the ground. "I used to come here, when I was young, like I told you, but not to see my mother. Not to talk to her or anything. Just...just to make sure."

Mira swallowed. "Make sure of what?"

"That she was still dead."

"Dragon-"

"I never did any of that. What you just said." He glanced at the woman. "Brought her flowers. Talked to her. Ever. Didn't think about it. What she might want. Because, you know, she's dead."

"Yeah, she is. But-"

"Then I hear you over here, talking about how you would love to have what I have, to have the chance to be this close to your mother and father-"

"Laxus, I wasn't saying that as a slight to you. I-"

"-and it just makes me realize what I took for granted." He looked at Mirajane full on then. "And… If you wanna come here sometimes, demon, to do that… I would love that." Then he let out a slight breath. "I bet my mother would too."

Mirajane took it very seriously. She couldn't get away every week (it would be too suspicious), but no more than a week and a half would go by before fresh flowers were placed on the grave of the late Mrs. Dreyar.

Not soon after that, Laxus proposed to her the idea of her being the current.

"W-What? You're drunk."

"No." Well… "Okay, so yeah, I am, but I'm serious."

Mirajane, at that moment, was seated on his kitchen counter where she had been waiting to be stripped and fucked, but for some reason, the man felt the need to go all romantic on her.

Heh.

Laxus, who was standing in front of her, had his head buried where it always was. In the crook of her neck. He felt safest there.

"We can't get married." Mirajane frowned. "We're not even truly dating."

"We are too."

"Not...publicly. Seriously."

"Hmmm." Laxus lifted his head. His hands, with had been running up her thighs to, what Mira had hoped, tug down her panties, came up suddenly and, with a sigh, she moved to interlace her fingers with his. "Then let's get married and just not say anything."

"What good would that do?"

But drunk Laxus was far less likely to answer questions and much more likely to just blabber on all he wanted.

"And we could buy a house and live there together on, like, the outside of town," he slurred right along excitedly. "And we can have a yard and a place for your stupid stray dog and a garden and I'll have a pool too-"

"How much do you think the two of us would have saved away for a house?"

"Oh! And we can finally have a kid." And then Laxus was shaking his hands free of hers before moving to cup her cheeks in his palms. Mira leaned into this with a giggle as he said, "So, huh? What do you want?"

"Lax-"

"You have to make a choice."

"I really don't think I do."

In Laxus intoxicated view, she really did. "What's the fun in it if you don't?"

"I never really thought of you as the type to feel that way," was all she said as he stroked her cheek gently. "Like, at all. In the past two years, I don't think that has ever come up between us."

Which was odd. Mirajane, with nearly every other boyfriend she'd had, was already planning the names of their children by the fifth date.

With Laxus, however, everything was always on such an edge. They were hidden. And, yes, deep down, committed, but also not openly exclusive.

Or...maybe...somewhere deep down, Mirajane didn't feel the need to rush things with Laxus. To project onto him what their lives would be. Because she was having such a great time with what they are and confident that, while it might not end in bliss, whatever did become of hem would be for the best.

And she'd have had a great time the entire time.

Mira wasn't sure what that meant, if it meant anything, but it sure sounded promising.

"Really?" Laxus dropped her face then, though it was just to reach over on the counter next to her and pick up a beer. "You sure?"

"Very."

"Hmmm." He took a chug of his beer before saying, "Figured we would have. Sounds like something you'd be into."

"Are you?"

"Am I wha'?" Finished with that bottle, he went to toss it in the trash before retrieving two out of the icebox. Then he popped both caps before handing one to Mirajane who was realizing that all that alcohol, apparently, had taken Laxus out of the mood (though at least she'd found out before they got too far).

"Into...you know, thinking about having kids. And being married."

"I kinda just proposed to you, I thought."

"You thought wrong."

Heh.

"You sure? Because-"

"If that was your idea of a proposal, getting drunk and just saying it, with no thought behind it or even a ring-"

"Fine. I didn't propose. Whatever." Another chug. Then, "Since you'd apparently say no anyways-"

"I would not."

"Sure seems like it."

"Then you're not very good at reasoning."

"Well, I am drunk."

"Mmmm."

And they just stood there then, in his kitchen, both taking sips at their beers, but not really knowing where to go next. Laxus had kinda put it all out there (albeit quite foolishly) and Mira just wasn't helping. At all.

Until, you know, she was.

"I would say yes," she told him then as, slowly, she jumped down off the counter. Laxus just stared.

"Oh yeah?"

"Of course." Setting her drink down on the counter behind her, the woman said, "But it wouldn't do any good, Lax. For us to get married. We're still not… Nothing's changed, at the hall. It would still just complicate things and it's been better, really, just the way we have it now and I...I want a real wedding. I always have. So-"

"You deserve," he told her with a sigh, "a real wedding."

"I do wish though that we could," she offered with a slight smile. "I just..."

"Would it mean something to you?" he asked then after another sip of his drink. "If we did? Get married? Something more than a big ceremony and everyone knowing about it and fawning over you? Would it mean more that we were together, forever, than it would-"

"Of course," Mirajane said with a frown. "Us being...married would mean so much more than just-"

"Then why does a big affair matter?"

"It doesn't."

"Then-"

"But I want it." She sounded rather final on that. "I always have. I want a beautiful gown and my sister and brother and all our friends there and I want a huge cake and"

"Then what, Mira? Huh? Either...either we just tell everyone about how serious we are or-"

"That's sorta out of the question now, don't you think?" She cocked her head at him. "All these years, it'd seem fake now."

"I don't care. You think I care what people think? That's not why I ever hid this, you know." He was feeling indignant then. "It was so that the waters didn't get muddied. And that no one in the hall tried to break us up. Or accidentally did. Or made a whole ordeal about it. Not because I cared though, what they thought. I love you."

"I know." She gave him a soft smile then. "I love you too."

Laxus let out a short breath then, almost a huff, before nodding. Tossing back the rest of his beer, he went to toss it and, instead of getting another, just went to lift Mirajane up by the waist.

"D-Dragon-"

"C'mon." He carried her off, over his shoulder. "I'm done talking about this."

"Then what do you want to do? Dragon?"

"Mmmm." Carting her off to his bedroom, he dropped her gently on the bed when he got to it. "To be close to you. As close as you'll let me."

"You're in luck."

"Hmmm?"

When he fell into the bed with her, she wrapped her arms right around him. "Because that's right where I want you too."

Things stayed settled for a bit. Laxus actually took a lot of jobs. Frequently. And Mira worked, like usual. It was actually another month before she was able to get off around the same time as him and take a vacation.

"You sure do get off enough now," Lisanna grumbled when she found out that she was going to have to cover her sister's shifts. "Sis."

"I like traveling," was her only response. "A lot."

"Are you actually going somewhere nice this time?" Kinana asked as she helped them clean up the bar that night. "Instead of just to the beach?"

"The beach is nice," was her only correction to which Lisanna rolled her eyes.

"I think," her younger sister accused, "that you're not really going out to see these mysterious guys you're always talking about."

"Oh, yeah?"

Nodding, Lisanna said, "I bet there's no guys at all! It wouldn't be that big of a deal if it was. You have to be doing something else. Something...darker."

"Ooh."

"Oh, I know." Kinana giggled. "I bet your a smuggler, Mirajane. Of drugs or...something. Something devious. Is that it?"

"Maybe," was all she sang as Lisanna continued to give her the stink eye and Kinana giggled.

Kinana was right though. At least about something. Namely, she didn't take advantage of her surroundings at all. Rather, she and Laxus spent that weekend holed up in some hotel, only leaving for food and, even then, just when they were half starved.

Their last night before he left back to take a job and she went back home to work some more, Laxus was very interested in going to the market, to pick up some more cigars, he claimed, and Mirajane wanted to search for a gift for Elfman's upcoming birthday.

It was while they were walking around, hand in hand, and Laxus was grumbling about 'his cigar guy' not being around that day and he knew he should have gone earlier (although he'd rather enjoyed his earlier activity of getting as tangled up in the demon as was humanly, or subhumanly, possible), while Mirajane held off on what she wanted to tell him which was, basically, to just get over it; the cigars that guy sold couldn't be that great.

But they were. And, honestly, she'd probably make a note of it and come back to buy him some while he was away.

"I think," she told Laxus as he took to muttering under his breath rather than out loud, "that I'll buy Elf a chain for his birthday."

"Think Ever has you beat on that one."

"No, dragon," she giggled, tugging on his hand to make him walk faster and stop sulking. "I mean a nice chain necklace. Or, oh! A ring!"

"A ring?"

"Or earrings!"

"Does your brother even have his ears-"

"Or maybe I just want to go look at jewelry."

He had to give a slight grin at that, shaking his head as he glanced down at his girlfriend. "Or maybe just that."

Which is what it started as. Laxus was more than ready to buy Mira whatever bracelet or necklace she wanted. Even told her as much. Then he walked around the tiny jewelry shop for a bit himself and looked at some stuff.

And...neither was for sure how it happened, but somehow they both wound up at the front counter with the clerk, overlooking the engagement rings and it just sorta...happened. Somewhere along the line, Mirajane had given up on her big proposal surprise and Laxus had long resounded to the fact that he was just going to be with Mirajane forever, one way or another.

It just felt...right.

"Think you can convince Lisanna to cover for you?" Laxus mumbled to her much later that night after they went out and had a very nice dinner where they got very drunk and stumbled over one another to get back to the hotel, celebrating their engagement the entire way. "Get her on the lacrima and tell her you need a few more days?"

"Maybe," Mira yawned as she rested against his side. "But your job-"

"Can wait. I'm celebrating."

Heck yeah they were.

And, that morning, Laxus was ready for them to celebrate a whole new thing.

"W-What? Laxus-"

"Yes. Please. Today." He proposed that idea after their shower as she was toweling off and he was mostly watching her towel off. "Marry me today, Mirajane. You brought that nice dress with you."

"For when we went out to eat. I don't-"

"And I have a decent shirt."

"You have that stupid purple button up shirt you've had since you were-"

"And some dark jeans."

"You can't-"

"And I have a lot of love for you."

That got him a look, but he only gave her a grin cheesy enough to match his statement.

"One day," he added as Mira only stared, as if in contemplation, "whenever you want to tell the others about...us, then we can go back and have a real wedding. The whole shebang."

"Shebang? I really hope that's not what it sounds-"

"But for now," he said as he finally got tired of dripping everywhere and went to grab a towel of his own. "Let's just, you know, do it. Get married. I want it, you want it-"

"Why are you so serious about this?" Mira turned to slip something on. "Laxus? I mean, are you that into getting married?"

"To you? Yes. Definitely."

"Lax-"

"Then what's the plan, Mirajane? Huh? When are you going to be ready? To tell the others about?"

"Oh, now it's all on me?" That got him a heavy glare that time. "Last time I checked, you-"

"I didn't want people to know, Mira. No. I just went through that. But I'm confident in use now. In what we are. And that it wouldn't matter if some asshole trying to destroy Fairy Tail knew about us or not; I'd be saving your lfie above everyone else's anyways."

"L-Laxus, you can't-"

"But I am." And his eyes were heavy as well. "No one buys that family lines end at the door bull, Mira. You think Gramps wouldn't have given up everything if he knew he could fix Ivan through doing it?"

"You don't have to talk about-"

"And you think the damn Salamander wouldn't save your sister and his cat over anyone else? Either them or Lucy? Huh? And Elfman would kill us all before he let something happen to you or Lisanna. The Thunder Legion's more loyal to me. Macao would save his boy, Wendy would save her cat-"

"Stop it. You-"

"No." Huffing, just a bit, he said, "I love you. More than I love anything else. And you can't tell me that you don't care more for your siblings that you do the others. It just the same. For me, anyways. Is it not for you?"

"W-Well-"

"Look, I get it, alright? You're scared or something and-"

"No, Laxus, you don't get it.. You can't. Because you're talking out of both sides of your mouth."

"Uh, yeah, Mira, I think that's how talking works."

"It's an expression, dragon."

He blinked. Then he went over to where he'd left his pile of clothes. "Oh. Didn't know that one. Huh."

With an eye roll, Mirajane explained. "It means that you're arguing both sides of something. And you are. You're saying that you want to get married and hide it, but you're also telling me all about how we should just tell everyone about us. Which is it?"

"Both. I don't care." He even shrugged. "I want you, Mirajane, to be my wife. If it has to be a secret, fine. If it doesn't, even better. Both sides of my mouth are heading to the same end goal; to be married to you. And yeah, okay, so maybe I'm not thinking it through and am, like, romanticizing things-"

"Depending on the definition of that word, sure, you probably are."

"-but this is just something that I see us as heading to. And I really, honestly thought you did too. That it was what you wanted."

"But I do, Lax. I just don't know if-"

"Hey." And even though he'd only pulled on some jeans, he went over to press a kiss to her head. Walking out of the bathroom then, he said, "It's alright. Seriously, it's not that big of a deal. I get to be with you; that's all I care about. Let's just put this behind us, huh? Now get dressed; we're going out for breakfast. You wanna show off that nice ring while you can, huh?"

Definitely. And she did too, staring fondly down at the diamond many times as they walked around the town, not doing much shopping (he had just dropped some serious jewels on her, after all), but mostly just soaking up all the time they had left to be around one another.

And, when that got boring, Laxus skulked off to the hotel room, taking a less enthused Mirajane along, claiming he needed a nap.

"How old are you again?"

"Ha." Laxus wasn't sure if that was an old joke or if she was calling him immature. "But I need one. So-"

"I guess you did stay up awfully late last night," she remarked with some eye batting because, well.

"Awfully," was his reply, "isn't a word I would use, but sure."

He fell asleep almost as soon as they were in the bed. Laxus always seemed just as comfortable in random hotels as he was at home. Given the few stretches of times that he was in Magnolia, staying in his apartment, it was kind of self-explanatory.

Mira, however, took some time to drift on. Plus, she was still more than a bit keyed up about the whole proposal thing.

And thoughts of what was going to happen next…

"Hey, Lax? Laxus? Are you awake?"

No. Still, he grunted just a bit.

"Oh." Shifting closer to him, Mira laid on her side as she stared down once more at her brand new ring. "I just kinda wanted to talk. Is that okay?"

When didn't she? But, once more, he only gave out a slight grunt.

"I just don't want you to think that I'm not as in love with you as you are with me. Because I am. Believe me. I love you so much. You're, honestly, the only person that I'd ever take this step with. I mean, I've considered it before, like, a lot, but not seriously. Just childishly. But with you...since you brought it up before… It's stuck with me. And that means something. Right? That I've been more serious about it with you than I have been with anyone else? Literally ever?"

Grunt.

"And I can see us, you know, in the future. Being happy. And with...with a family. And we can have that, can't we? A family? Together?"

Grunt.

"But it's just… I've been thinking since...since this morning about us, you know, just doing it. And just telling everyone. And just getting it over with. About what would change if we did and… Honestly, Lax, I'm afraid that it's less that we feel like we can't tell the others for all those reasons you said earlier, but that we've become so comfortable in not telling them. And hiding things. And life just being about the two of us, together, without having to factor in the others. I think that it's scary, you know, knowing that we're going to have to factor them in now, that our relationship's about to take a big step. Not just in marriage, but in being outed. My siblings will be involved and your friends and…"

That time he didn't grunt. Instead, still lying there on his back, he slowly opened both his eyes before breathing out softly, "Mirajane-"

"I'm not trying to, like, discredit what we have," she said quickly, shifting closer to him still. "I'm trying to tell you that I think… We should just do it. Go for it."

"Heh? What-"

"I want to get married. Like...right now, I think."

"Mira, you're-"

"Not thinking? Coming from the man that's asked me on two separate, point blank, to just run off, get married, and live some sort of secret double life?"

"Not double life. Just half lives at separate times."

"Laxus-"

"I could have jobs and you could work and then, when I come back into town, it would be to some far out house that you would come to too where we have, like, a nanny or something raising our children."

"That sounds very much like a double life. And unfair to our kids."

"Meh."

"And how would I ever hide that I was pregnant?"

"Mmmm...baggy clothes."

"Lax-"

"I'm joking." Turning his head to the side to stare at her, he said, "I'm more on the wagon to just tell everyone, honestly. Aren't you?"

"Eventually," she sighed softly before leaning forwards to press a kiss to his lips gently. "But right now...I think I can handle not having my big wedding."

That startled him, just a bit. "You mean, like, right now? Right, right now?"

Nodding, Mira said, "Can we? Right now?"

"Well, yeah, but if you want, we can just go home, tell the others, and then have a grand ceremony. Make a whole event of it, yeah? Like you want? I mean, I'm not made of money, but-"

"And that's the thing that's been bothering me too." Mira glanced down at her nice, shiny ring before back at him. "I have all these fantasies about what my wedding will be like, I always have, but… When I think about you, I never think about those sorts of things."

"You're taking out of both sides of your nose here, demon."

"It was mouth, dragon, but you're not understanding. I'm saying that yes, I want to marry you, but no, I don't see us in some fancy church with a frilly clothing-"

"Uh, for the record, I was never wearing anything frilly to begin with, so-"

Giving him a look, Mira took a moment before saying, finally, "I just see you and me, when I picture us getting married. No one else. No games. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's what I honestly want."

"But if you've always dreamed of having a big wedding," he argued with a slight frown, "then I'm not going to let you just throw that away. I-"

"I can plan Elf's wedding. Or Lisanna's. Or anyone else's that I feel like." Smiling enough for the both of them, she said, "I don't want ours to be marred with drama or expenses or us fighting or anything silly like that. I've been with you for so long and now I really want to be with you. Don't punk out on me now, Dreyar."

He blinked. Then he smiled a bit as well. "Definitely not planning on it, babe."

But when he moved to roll onto his back once more, Mirajane took to tugging at his arm.

"Wha-"

"Come on. Get up! If we hurry, we might make it to the courthouse before-"

"Can't we tomorrow?" As in love with Mirajane he was, he honestly was still tired. And if he was going to be going back out on a job when their little vacation was over, then he would need all the sleep he could get. "Or-"

"Com on. Get dressed again. We have to hurry."

"How do you even get married?" he grumbled. "Do I need a passport?"

"Why would you need-"

"I don't have my passport if that's what I need."

"We're literally not leaving Fiore, at all, so-"

"Well, they better not ask me for my passport."

"Would you shut up about your stupid-"

"I'm just saying, if they do at, like, the very end of things and then we don't get married and I just sat through all of that, I'm going to be pissed. Might strike down the whole building."

"I said no drama, dragon. I know you can't help it-"

"I don't bring drama, woman. I bring pain."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Well, whatever you bring, do it quickly. I want to get there-"

"I know, I know. Before the courthouse closes." Stumbling out of bed, he said, "Maybe I can look into getting a new passport while I'm there. Mine's been missing since-"

"Laxus, be serious!"

When pestering her was oh so fun? Not a chance.

Needless to say, Laxus and Mirajane were both all jitters the whole time. It was all worth it, however, when it was all said and done, leaving Laxus the very proud owner of his very own wife.

Mira didn't think that joke was very funny though and, after the demonic glare he got, he decided never to make it again.

"It's that easy to get married?" he asked at one point. "Damn. I'm shocked I never screwed up when I was drunk and did it then. I mean, if you don't even need a passport-"

"Don't make me strangle you on our wedding day."

Eyes glinting, he only grinned as he said, "Wouldn't think of it."

It had to end eventually though. And, three days passed when it was meant to, Laxus spent a lazy morning in the hotel bed, begging Mirajane to just stay with him, while she only prodded him to get up and get going; he had a job.

Still, he walked her to the train station, where she'd be departing (he hated trains and would be walking to his destination), and they had to kiss goodbye. Around Mirajane's neck then was a chain, just long enough that it plunged beneath the low cut of her dress, hiding a set of rings from it. Laxus, however, wore his new wedding ring with no fear, considering he wouldn't be going back home, and it felt cool against her flesh when he stroked her cheek.

"I'll see you when I get home," was all he whispered against her forehead. "Alright?"

Nodding with a giggle, she added, "And then we can figure out how to tell everyone?"

"Break the news, you mean, to those douches that I scored the hottest woman in the guild and they might as well go ahead and kill themselves?"

That didn't get a nod. Just a stare. Then a sigh.

'You're bad," she finally told him with a shake of her head and a kiss to the cheek. "But I have to go. And so do you."

Letting his hands fall, Laxus finally just gave her one last grin. "Love you."

Mira grinned once more. "I love you too."

When she returned home it was to nonstop questions from Lisanna and Lucy about what sort of mysterious getaway she'd gone off on that time. Kinana, ever loyal to her own ideals, only suggested once more that she was some sort of drug smuggler.

"Blink twice if you are," the other barmaid quipped.

Mirajane just played up her ditzy angle to the fullest degree, not out right denying anything they said, but certainly not agreeing to it, her rings dangling, the entire time, just out of their sight.

That was all good and well for, oh, three days. In those three days, nothing truly interesting happened in Lisanna nor Lucy's lives (this hinged, mainly, on the fact Natsu was off on solo jobs (plus Happy) in an attempt to impress for S-Class), leaving them with nothing to talk about, really, other than Mirajane's imagined perfect man.

"I bet," Lucy teased one day as she and Lisanna sat up at the bar, bothering Mirajane. She wasn't busy, what with it being S-Class time, and was mostly wiping down the bar and the bottles on display behind it, "That he's not a mage. Is that it? That he's not a mage so that's why you're embarrassed?"

"Or no!" Lisanna couldn't let herself be outdone. "I beet he's, like, super ugly. Huh, Mirajane? And you don't want us to know that you're with this hideous guy? Way to be shallow, sis."

"Still think it's drugs," Kinana called as she passed by while she was sweeping up.

Mira, for her part, just sighed a bit. "You guys are really uneventful these days. Why does it have to be either of those? Why can't I have just wanted to get away? On my own? And spent some time thinking and contemplating life?"

Lisanna leaned forwards, elbows resting on the bar top. "Because you're you."

"I have deep, honest contemplations about deep contemplative things," Mira argued with a bit of a grin. "There's tons of things that I contemplate about. Contemplation. Mmmm."

"Name one."

"Huh?"

"One of your deep contemplations," Lisanna insisted. "Name one."

"Mmmm… Nope. Private."

"Oh, whatever."

"What if we're looking at this all wrong?" Lucy suggested then. "I mean, we're trying to figure out why Mira wouldn't want us to know about this mystery guy. But what if it's the opposite? What if he doesn't want anyone to know about Mirajane?"

"You're with a man that won't even let you tell others that the two of you are together?" Lisanna tsked. "Way to have low self-esteem, sis."

"He isn't married, is he?" Lucy seemed most interested in that. "Come on, tell us; we won't tell anyone. Promise. Is he? Do we know him?" Then she gasped. "Or worse; do we know her?"

"You two are too much," was all Mira said, shaking her head. "You know that?"

"We try," Lisanna agreed as Lucy only giggled.

They didn't let up after that, of course. Rather, now that they had a knew favorite theory, they hammered that one home, asking Mirajane if the man had a family and if he told her that he was going to leave his wife and, the most important question, was he loaded and could he possibly think about sliding some their way, you know, so they'd keep their mouths shut?

Kinana, who heard the end of that, frowned. "Hush money? Then you are dealing drugs, Mirajane?'

And it wasn't so much that they were annoying her. Not at all. They were actually giving her something to do as with the hall so empty. At the same time, however, the more they spoke on it, as they had in days past, the more Mirajane kinda sorta just wanted to tell on herself.

It wasn't as if Lisanna hadn't pestered her sister before about her frequent clandestine trips. She had. Frequently. But it used to be fun, keeping the secret. And when that faded, it turned more into Mirajane wanted to keep Laxus all to herself and their relationship safe from the hands of anyone that might use it to either their own advantage or just muck it up on accident.

Knowing then though that she was going to be telling them about it, all of them, eventually, made it more of a gossip think than a guardian of her own secret thing. She knew something that they didn't know and inevitably would, so how could she possibly mange to keep it quite?

Honestly, what was Laxus expecting?

It was when Lisanna and Lucy started contemplating if not only was Mira seeing a married man, but also smuggling drugs for him (though Kinana was the one to suggest that as, once more, she passed by), that Mirajane, finished with tidying up, dropped her rag onto the bar before speaking.

"Do you honestly want to know what I was doing?" she asked, trying hard to keep the excitement and nerves out of her voice as she spoke. Lisanna and Lucy, who were enjoying delving into their never ending and equally as idiotic ideas of what Mirajane could be doing, only shrugged a bit.

What could it hurt?

When they nodded, Mirajane took a breath, thought, and then said, "I got married."

Her sister frowned. "How? I mean, if he's already married-"

"Lisanna-"

"Funny, Mira." Lucy gave her a grin. "You got married. Sure."

"I did. To..."

"To?" her sister prompted.

"To...Laxus."

At first, it was just a giggle. Then full on laughter.

"It's not funny. I-"

"Laxus?" Lucy got out around her giggles. "Laxus Dreyar?"

"Well, it's not a popular name, so-"

"Okay, sis, you got us," Lisanna giggled. "We were being mean and now you've gotten us back."

"It's not a joke," Mira kept insisting. "I got married this weekend to Laxus Dreyar. Honestly! We-"

"What? Did you just get drunk or something and run into one another?" It was suddenly becoming a lot less funny to Lisanna as, reading the expression on her sister's face, she didn't appear to be lying. "Mira?"

"No." Then, standing up straighter, Mira said with a straight face, "We've been dating for years."

"Yeah, I know. You guys, like, go out sometimes," Lisanna continued as Lucy was starting to get concerned as well. "But to get married-"

"We've been much more serious than that," Mirajane told her. "We-"

"You're not..." Lucy blushed then, not having any fun at all then as she looked off. "Uh, Mira-"

"What?"

"To get married so suddenly… You're not...You and Laxus aren't...Did you-"

"Are you pregnant?" Kinana was the one, it seemed, that was able to just come out and say it. Cocking her head to the side, she seemed to study Mirajane, as if checking for the signs. "Is that it?"

"W-What?" Mira stifled then. "Of course not. I-"

"That's literally the only explanation for why you'd marry a guy that you hardly ever even go out with," Lisanna carped and Lucy nodded. "Literally."

"Not literally." Then Mira frowned. "And I just told you, we were seeing a lot more of one another than-"

"I still don't believe you." Lisanna even crossed her arms. "At all. This is-"

"Here." Mirajane reached then for the chain dangling around her neck before showing off the rings. "Look. We got engaged and then a few days later I got this wedding band-"

"Oh my God." Lisanna snatched at the chain, jerking her sister forwards as she did so. "You are serious. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I just did."

Putting her hands up to her mouth, Lucy bounced, just a bit. "You really are married?"

"Yes! I keep telling you guys that-"

"And you're not all knocked up?" Lisanna let go of the rings then to stare at her sister, gaze harsh. "Mira?"

"No." Making a face, she said, "I'm not…knocked up. Honest. Laxus and I have been talking about this for a long time-"

"How could you do this?" More than anything, Lisanna was a bit hurt. "I mean, you've been seeing him seriously for how long and haven't told me? And then not onlyl do you get engaged to him, but you also marry him? This is, like, a major violation of trust, Mira. If I pulled some crap like this-"

"It just happened, okay? We were out and he'd been wanting it-"

"I'm calling your bluff," Lucy said then. "I mean, Laxus wanted to get married?"

Mira shook her head. "He's a lot different with me than he is with anyone else. He- Oh, Kinana."

That time, Mira's shock came from the fact that the other woman had jumped to hug her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Unlike the other two, the hangups on why Mira might have gotten married so suddenly didn't matter; she was just happy for her because Mirajane was happy.

"This is so great!" the purple haired woman exclaimed. "That you and Laxus both found one another."

"Well, it wasn't hard," Lisanna remarked, still a bit put out. "They have known one another since-"

"Don't be sour just because I did it without you knowing." Mira, after hugging Kinana, looked at her sister once more. "You guys are the first people I told, you know. That has to mean something."

Lucy forced a grin, but kept up by saying, "This is still a tad unbelievable. Although...you and Laxus both do some impulsive things-"

"I'm not impulsive." Then Mira paused. "Or, well, maybe."

"Once you get married on a whim, you more or less lose the maybe," Lucy reaffirmed to which Mira only giggled.

"I guess so."

Lisanna wasn't biting just yet and, crossing her arms over her chest, said, "I won't believe it until I see Laxus and he says that it's true."

"Here you are, Mirajane. That set of new glasses you ordered."

And they were joined then by Erza, who came over carrying a box of some sort, which set down on the bar top before nodding at Mirajane.

"Oh, thanks, Master." Mirajane moved to take the box then as Erza, even a year out, still had trouble adjusting to that monicker. Especially coming from Mirajane. "I really needed-"

"Did you know about Laxus and Mirajane?" Lisanna was the type to cut right to the chase. The swordswoman glanced at her before shrugging.

"What about them?"

"Noth-" Mira tried, but her sister wouldn't let her.

"That the two of them got married," Lisanna specified. "Did you-"

"W-What?' Erza blushed even more deeply then. Glancing at Mira, she just as quickly looked off. "Why would I know anything about that. And Mirajane, please tell me that you...that you have not-"

"Well, Laxus and I both talked it over-"

"You're not pregnant are you?"

That made Mira glare at her though she only went on, carrying that box of glasses off to the storage room. "Why is everyone asking that? Honestly."

Mira didn't realize at the time (though being the queen of gossip, she definitely should have), that being pregnant wasn't even the worst rumor that would sprout it's head. By the time she left the hall that night, she'd had more than one person come up to the bar and ask if Laxus really was paying her to be his wife as well as if it was true that she was a drug smuggler and had married Laxus after a drug deal gone bad and, to keep him from murdering her, she had to surrender her life to him (although Mira more or less knew how had no doubt started that one and figured she'd either praise Kinana for an imagination that rivaled her own or put her on toilet scrubbing duty for the rest of the week).

On the way home, she thought it was all funny.

Lisanna? Not so much.

"I don't understand why you're being like this."

"You don't understand, even a little bit, why I might be upset that you were hiding something this huge from me? That you and Laxus were…. That you got married with out even consulting me? You don't get why I might be put out by that?"

Groaning as they walked into the house, Mira said, "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Uh, try everything. From the beginning."

Which was a very easy thing to do then, as Mirajane, coming off the high of that magical trip with the man, just wanted to gust out all of her love of him to, hopefully, an interested ear.

And Lisanna was very interested.

Elfman was out that night, off on a solo job, prepping for S-Class as well, leaving the two sisters alone. They only went to Mirajane's bedroom where they both fell into the bed and the elder delved into her relationship while the younger listened intently, much how they had spent many late nights in the past, as Mira went over different boyfriends and dates while Lisanna absorbed her sister's tales, as the only ones she had anywhere close in her life involved awkwardly attempting to flirt with Natsu while he just as awkwardly ignored it.

Mira had so many different stories and tales to regal Lisanna with about Laxus and how they fell in love and how they decided to hide it, but they just couldn't anymore. She embellished, at some points, and left out the others where they'd fought and that once where they serious considered completely breaking things off. After all, she was attempting to convince Lisanna of how great they were together.

"We're just...meant to be. And I've never felt that way before. About a man. I've forced it or dreamed of it or hoped for it, but when I'm with Laxus, I just feel it. There's nothing else to it."

Lisanna wasn't sold yet, but Mira wasn't expecting her to be. She was, however, a tad more understanding and, when they called it a night, she agreed that, maybe, Laxus was the perfect match for her sister.

Mr. Right, however, was not very happy with his blushing bride when he arrived back home a few days later.

"Why," he grumbled as he showed up on her doorstep early one morning, "do I have the stupid Thunder Legion bothering me on the lacrima while I'm out on a job, worried about whether or not I'm married to you? And also possibly smuggling drugs, which, babe, I love you, you're my demon, but I can't do hard time. And especially not when I can make you just as rich by taking S-Class jobs."

Mira, how had been getting ready for work, only blinked out at him. "Um...which do I answer first? Because, honestly, I don't think I'd be a good smuggler either, so-"

"Mirajane-"

"I just wanted to tell my sister," she argued as she took a step back to let him in. "And Lucy. And Kinana. And then Erza found out, but-"

"Demon-"

"We were gonna tell people anyways, weren't we?"

Laxus let out a breath then, glanced around before slowly moved to take a step into the house. "Yeah, Mira, we were."

"You bombard me with too many secrets and I have to blow up eventually."

"Mmmm." He only reached out, cupping her face in his hands like he always enjoyed doing, before saying, "So everyone knows?"

Nodding, Mira said, "Everyone knows."

Another deep breath before, slowly, he moved to kiss her head. Against it, he whispered, "Good. Then you can come home with me now. Right?"

Oh, she'd more than enough time to figure all of that out. Nodding at him, she said, "Or maybe you could move in with-"

"I ain't livin' with Elfman."

And that was that.

Laxus went back to resting his lips against Mirajane's forehead and she was contemplating how to break it to Elfman, who was still out and had no idea that she was married, that not only was she moving out, but also that she was moving in with Laxus.

Depending on how she played up Laxus' friendship with Evergreen, it might actually go well.

Maybe…

"So not only do you think that you can just marry my sister without asking, but now you think you can fraternize in front of me too? Unbelievable."

And Lisanna was up. Great.

Laxus and Mirajane separated at the sound of her coming into the living room, her sister staring in shock at her, given that Lisanna, when she didn't have work, could very easily sleep till noon.

But she did have work. She had to work on Laxus. Or at least figure him and his intentions out.

Because no one messed with her and Elf's older sister. And if her brother wasn't around to (attempt) to beat out of Laxus just what he was doing, running away with their big sister, then Lisanna would just have to step up to the plate.

"Fraternize?" Laxus held Mirajane to him as she turned to face her sister. Resting his head atop the woman's, he only stared at Lisanna. "What is she to you? A prisoner?"

Lisanna leveled her gaze right back. "Maybe."

"Hmmm." Slowly, he let go of Mirajane before walking over to Lisanna. Swallowing, the youngest Strauss only stared up at him. With an unusual grin, Laxus raised a hand to her and...patted her on the head.

"You know, kid," he began as he left his hand atop her head, "this is new for me too. This whole...dealing with you thing. And probably your brother too. Then I gotta adjust to being a husband too? That's too much. So whatever it is you want to do to me, get it over with today, yeah? I don't want to fight with you, Lisanna. I love your sister. A lot. And I get that you Strausses are close. And you can still have Mirajane Strauss. But Mirajane Dreyar's mine. Yeah?"

Still, Lisanna only stared. "That doesn't even make sense."

"After you see Mirajane Dreyar, kid," he said with one last pat to her head. "You'll be beggin' to ditch Strauss too, yeah? And don't worry; I'll let you be my little sister instead of Elfman. If you beg."

And Lisanna shoved his hand off that time, but Laxus only laughed as Mirajane gave him a look. Before she had a chance to explain to him that bullying of her brother would never be allowed, he was rushing back over to her to wrap an arm around her once more.

"C'mon." He nuzzled his head against hers. "I wanna spend some time with my wife. I just got home and all. Isn't that how this is going to work?"

"I have work, dragon." Then Mirajane glanced at her sister. "Unless-"

"No." And Lisanna whined that. "This isn't fair. I was gonna go hang out with-"

"Just for the morning shift? Please?" Mira gave her the best sad look she could muster. "For the newly weds?"

"If this is how it's always going to be-"

"It ain't." And Laxus gave Lisanna this...look. Mirajane couldn't quite explain it, but whatever it was it made Lisanna look to the ground. "Mira'll be in at two sharp."

Lisanna only kicked at the ground. Then, "Yeah, whatever."

"And maybe," Laxus offered as he started to lead a shocked Mirajane out the door, "we can go out to lunch or something after, huh? And get this all settled?"

But he was tugging Mirajane out the door before he heard Lisanna's answer. It was just as well, as she wasn't too ready to give him one just yet.

"What was that?" Mira complained as she elbowed Laxus in the ribs. He only tightened his arm around her though.

"What?"

"You know what. You bossing around Lisanna."

"I didn't boss her around. I just told her what was going to happen. I'm a natural born leader, you know."

"Uh-huh."

"Besides." He gave a half shrug. "Me and Lisanna...we're cool. She's just all pissy about...whatever stupid Strauss sibling shit is going on. And from what I can tell, only children make the best in-laws."

"What would give you that idea?"

"Because we wanna be left the eff alone, so we'll leave them the eff alone. Win-win."

"Oh, dragon."

He was solemn then as he softly said, "I like your sister, Mira. So don't worry about it, huh? You got more important things."

"Such as?"

She got a kiss to the head. Then, "We got a marital bed to break in."

"You're so nasty!"

But she was giggling and he was grinning, just a bit, and it was done. The big thing that had been looming overhead. All of it.

Well, most of it. Laxus still had to contend with one Elfman Strauss (and one Evergreen who would no doubt be secretly seething that Laxus had locked down a Strauss before her) as well as the guild (thoguh, considering he didn't acknowledge most of them in any way on a daily basis, that was nothing).

And then, finally, he had to deal with the consequences of his actions.

Namely, being married to Mirajane Strauss.

Nee, Mirajane Dreyar.

Mmmm.

Oh, and then there was Makarov who was none too pleased to know that not only had Laxus, as he put it, 'tarnished Mirajane', but also...kinda...done exactly what the man had always dreamed of.

Heh.

But it was worth it. All of it. Just for those moments when Laxus could walk around Magnolia with his demon and not have to worry about it in the slightest.

So maybe they hadn't been dating. And Mira wasn't knocked up (yet, anyhow). And they definitely weren't smuggling drugs.

But...they were married. And, for the most part, Laxus had to say pretty happily.

What more could he ask for than that?

#Miraxus #Mirajane #Mira #Mirajane Strauss #Mira Strauss #Laxus #Laxus Dreyar #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction

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olgajann · 6 years

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2019 NFL Draft: 50 Players You Should Know

NEPD Staff Contributor: Jeff Fidler

The 2018 draft is over & I'm in full 2019-mode right about now. I made a list of 50 players that I've been watching over the past year or two. Some just recently. This isn't a top 50 list, I don't have them ranked in order of where I think they are, in terms of “who's the best”. The season will will play itself out soon enough & that will make things a lot clearer. This is just to get familiar w/ who's, who. Get some nuggets of info & stay updated as to who might be on the Patriots radar next year.

1) Zach Allen DE/BC – Allen, a local product from CT, is a big, thick defensive end that lined up at multiple techniques for B.C. last year. He's a legit 6'5/280 w/ long arms & at times really knows how to use them. He'll stab/punch, bull rush & spin off opponents en route to attacking the QB. At times does a good job of keeping his outside shoulder clean in the pas & run game to make plays. Doesn't get fooled by rpo's, runs etc. Doesn't panic & has a readiness about him playing ball carriers behind the line. Allen is the type of player that fits what we like from a size, length standpoint & his overall game seems to fit as well.

2) Nathan Stanley QB/Iowa – I'm have a feeling Stanley's name will mentioned more & more as we get closer to the college football season starting. Stanley has very good mechanics, he looks like a classic pocket passer. His arm is also legit. Not a Russell or Allen cannon but he has strength to hit 60 yards easy & at times has shown sweet deep placement & accuracy. He's taken snaps & made plays from under center, on the run & in S/G. Looks very comfortable on the move & in play action. At times Stanley goes through his reads but you want to see more of that & an overall better pocket awareness this fall. There's a lot to get excited about over this player. 6'5/215 first year starter w/ a 26/6 TD-INT ratio.

Here he is here w/ NFL player Sam Hubbard wrapped around his legs. Stays calm, goes through reads & delivers a dart.

Impressive play by @HawkeyeFootball quarterback Nathan Stanley keeping his eyes downfield without panic and firing his back hip through. pic.twitter.com/cuPMZCfIm8

- Quarterback World (@WorldOfTheQB) November 6, 2017

Nathan Stanley of @HawkeyeFootball is going to be a QB to watch…. Big, fluid, can spin it. pic.twitter.com/ixB7C2p4ti

- Quarterback World (@WorldOfTheQB) October 30, 2017

3) Devin White LB/LSU – White is a throwback linebacker that has sideline to sideline speed. 6'1/240 but moves like he's 10lbs lighter. Looks like a bullet when blitzing up through the A/B gaps. Can drop back & clog up the swallow zone w/ his big body. White hits everything w/ bad intentions. The former standout running back is a force in the middle & someone teams will covet come draft time as he's a beast athletically as well.

4) Devin Bush LB/Michigan – While White is a throwback type, Bush is a chess piece made & molded to be moved around. Different players but both versatile players. Bush is a + chase/pursuit player in the backfield & does a good job navigating through the muck to find his target. He'll also sniff out screens & passing plays developing in the flat. Bush lit up the stat sheet last year as a young player (90 TKL, 10 TFL, 5.5 SKS, 1 INT) & has to do it again but he already looks like a future pro.

5) Christian Wilkins DL/Clemson – Wilkins surprised some by coming back this year, 2019 is absolutely loaded along the defensive line. That said Wilkins is a versatile big boy who plays inside/outside & moves like someone who weighs 30 lbs lighter. Wilkins is very agile & nimble for a 310+ guy. Able to get skinny to flash through gaps or muscle through defenders. Wilkins has strong hands & shows + instincts on the field. He can play in a 34/43 & looks built for a multiple team up front.

6) Dexter Lawrence DT/Clemson – Going right back to Clemson & looking at another standout interior defender. Lawrence is a freaky mini-mountain in the middle that is going to be a nightmare for G's & C's for years to come. Some have Wilkins & Lawrence as a lottery picks, which they very well could be. I just think their value is in the mid 1st & on. And with the depth of the class anything is possible. Lawrence moves like a 300lb pounder & is scheme proof. He's plug & play day1.

Dexter Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/V4mJVIXqrg

- Seldom Used Reserve (@seldomusedrsrv) April 26, 2018

7) Daniel Jones QB/Duke – The North Carolina native is a team captain & former 2016 team MVP. Prototype size, tough player that has experience running rpo. Jones has great mechanics from his base to his upper half. Everything always looks the same. His set-up, everything starts with his foot-firing feet that are always moving & putting him in the best spot possible. Good arm that can adjust heat on throws, has enough zip on his passes but could get stronger. At times his head moved just like a clock. I definitely want to see more of that, hopefully leading to a more consistent showing, he's been up & down for stretches so far in his career. Still there are plenty of tools to work with & his overall game has improved each year from a leadership aspect.

8) Julian Love CB/Notre Dame – Love is a thickly built corner who looks like dependable open field tackler & someone who competes for everything. He displayed + route recognition in several games, on several plays I watched. He also looks comfortable in press, zone & off man & also played CB/S in high school.

9) Taylor Rapp – Rapp is an instinctual Safety with very good short area quickness & doesn't shy away from coming out in run support to make a play. Very efficient in doing so as well. He's very smooth, seemingly always round the ball or where the action is. Right now he reminds me a little bit of Harrison Smith from the Vikings.

10) Easton Stick – Stick took over for Wentz & lead the Bison to a title last year. Stick has been up & down & streaky at times but shows + accuracy & placement at times. He also can push the ball down the field like Wentz at times as well. Again its about consistency w/ Stick. At times he's very much in command of his offense though. Looks the part there.

11) Greg Little OT/Ole Miss –Depending on the year he has Little could be the 1st OT tackle in a strong class. He has very good lateral movement & has the toughness & nasty you want protecting your QB. Little has the size, athleticism & skill to be a long time successful NFL player.

12) Nate Herbig G/Stanford – At 6'4+/340 Herbig is a throwback guard that mauls people down & ruins their day when asked to pull across the line. At times reminds you of Will Hernandez who was a top 40 pick this year.

13) Tyrone Wheatley Jr TE/Michigan – Wheatley jr's father Tyrone Sr played several years in the NFL & the bloodlines have evindently been passed on. Wheatley is a versatile TE that plays inline & is a smooth moving big target across the middle or down the seem. Wheatley Jr shows the ability to stalk block & will straight out muscle some opponents.

14) Chauncey Gardner Johnson S/Florida – Gardner-Johnson is a former CB & plays the ball like one. He has very good speed & has natural ball skills. Knows what to do when he gets his paws on the ball. Gardner-Johnson will also deliver big, legal hits if the opportunity presents itself. Florida has been pumping the DB's out

15) Lukas Denis S/Boston College – The local product might be somewhat of unknown right now on the national scene but Denis has top 20 pick written all over him. He just has natural instincts in terms of reading the QB's eyes & comes up big when he's near the ball. If you're trying Denis 20+ yards downfield you better have some arm talent & more importantly “eye” talent. You're doomed if you stare down a wr. A QB must be able to hold defenders w/ their eyes. Denis also moves like a CB down near the goal line in close quarters. Very calm, heady player that will be playing on Sundays very soon.

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16) Ahmmon Richards WR/Miami – Richards is a good route runner w/ + quicks to work inside on slants & has shown the ability to track the ball along the sidelines as you can see below. Richards isn't the biggest wr but doesn't lack toughness for someone that's less than 195lbs.

AHMMON. RICHARDS.

IS.

EXPLOSIVE.

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muzaffar1969 · 7 years

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The elite appear to have a great deal in store for President Trump’s first four years... quite a few tricks up their sleeves, if you will. As SHTFplan.com's Mac Slavo notes, the wars are already being manifested; but the larger elements of financial upheaval may take years to play out, even if there are a number of chaotic events, a bit of panic, and more of the great squeeze that is sucking the vitality of the country dry. Depending upon how things play out, people could end up better or than four years ago, or much, much worse. Theoretically, no one knows for sure which way that will go, but it appears that the global agenda is stilling rolling slowly forward, inch by inch, and about to take a big bit out of Syria, North Korea and beyond. Get ready for some big potential downturns.

The Real Dangers Behind The Syrian Crisis Are Economic

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.com,

Back in 2010/2011 when I was still writing under the pen-name Giordano Bruno, I warned extensively about the dangers of any destabilization in the nation of Syria, long before the real troubles began. In an article titled Migration Of The Black Swans, I pointed out that due to Syria’s unique set of alliances and economic relationships the country was a “keystone” for disruption in the Middle East and that a “revolution” (or civil war) was imminent. Syria, I warned, represented the first domino in a chain of dominoes that could lead to widespread regional warfare and draw in major powers like the U.S. and Russia.

That said, my position has always been that the next “world war” would not be a nuclear war, but primarily an economic war. Meaning, I believed and still believe it is far more useful for establishment elites to use the East as a foil to bring down certain parts of the West with economic weapons, such as the dumping of the U.S. dollar. The chaos this would cause in global markets and the panic that would ensue among the general public would provide perfect cover for the introduction of what the globalists call the “great financial reset.” The term “reset” is essentially code for the total centralization of all fiscal and monetary management of the world’s economies under one institution, most likely the IMF. This would culminate in the destruction of the dollar’s world reserve status, its replacement being the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights basket currency system.

Eventually, the SDR basket system would act as a stepping stone towards a single global currency system, and its final form and function would probably be entirely digital. This would give the globalists TOTAL push-button control over even the smallest aspects of normal trade. The amount of power they would gain from a single centralized digital currency system would be endless.

Syria in itself is just one layer upon many in the process of deliberate global instability, but it seems to be vitally important to the elites given that they continually make new attempts to draw the American public into support for so called “regime change.”

Mainstream media publications like The New York Times overtly press the narrative that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has a long history of war crimes including the use of chemical weapons against civilians. Yet, neither The New York Times nor anyone in government has produced a single piece of compelling concrete evidence that Assad is guilty of such acts, including the latest chemical attack which the Trump administration as used as a rational for cruise missile strikes against Syrian military targets and rhetoric calling for the ousting of Assad.

Not that I necessarily have much faith in the Assad regime, but we saw this same exact model used under the Obama administration in 2013: A chemical attack against civilians which the White House then immediately, without evidence, uses to implicate Assad and call for regime change. This tactic to seduce the American public into war fever failed, even with many acting serving military, and Obama backed away (in part) from a full blown invasion of Syria. Now, it would appear that the establishment hopes they’ll get a better response using the same con-game under Trump.

There are far more advantages in the Trump scenario, however.

It has been my longstanding belief since the middle of last year that Trump would undoubtedly be president of the U.S., because the international banking cabal needs a scapegoat for the ongoing economic crisis they have been engineering for many years. The Syrian strategy is a win/win for the elites under Trump because, with Trump, there is no need for moderation. If they can influence him to rampage without concern for the repercussions in the region, then their scapegoat implicates all conservatives in general with little effort on their part.

George Soros‘ prediction that Trump “will fail” because he is “unpredictable and unprepared” and that he will “end up bad for the markets” will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I warned the liberty movement over and over again after Trump’s cabinet selection that he was surrounding himself with establishment ghouls that would either run the White House in spite of him, or, that he was gladly cooperating with them. His recent high tension rhetoric against the Syrian government and against North Korea only seems to confirm my suspicions.

So, where is this all headed? Nowhere good…

First, consider the fact that every time it appears that the Syrian government seems to be making headway in destroying ISIS, there is suddenly another chemical attack which places Assad under suspicion. Anyone who read my article ISIS Is Being Aimed At The West By Globalists — Here’s What We Can Do About It, published in 2015, has seen the extensive evidence I outlined which shows U.S. government complicity and even direct aid in the creation of ISIS. I compared the rise of ISIS to Operation Gladio, a massive false flag project undertaken by U.S. and European governments in Europe from the 1950s to the 1990s.

ISIS is useful as a perpetual boogeyman, and sadly, the Muslim religion has one foot stuck in the dark ages and will remain fertile ground for generating extremist groups for decades to come. The elites have every intention of protecting certain factions of ISIS in Syria, which means that ISIS will continue to spread from the area into the EU and the U.S. and terrorist attacks will continue to multiply.

Second, we have learned that the Trump administration is perfectly willing to fast-track certain longstanding establishment projects that involve kinetic action (i.e. destruction and death). If they were happy to move so quickly to strike Syria without supplying any evidence to support the measure, then it should come as no surprise if they are willing to strike North Korea, a country with ACTUAL means to threaten American targets or our interests in the Pacific. A precedent is being set today for an ongoing program of fast moving preemptive strikes. I believe this will go even beyond Barack Obama’s notorious penchant for trigger pulling to destabilize regions.

Third, I think many people also forget that Syria continues to maintain a mutual defense pact with Iran. Why does this matter? Syria is NOT Libya; Assad is not going to go down like Gaddafi at the hands of insurgent groups like ISIS. Regime change in Syria is going to require numerous U.S. boots on the ground. This, in turn, will invite hundreds of thousands from the Iranian Guard to intercede. If you study military preparedness around the world you know that a country like Iran or North Korea will offer far greater resistance than what we saw in Afghanistan or Iraq.

While they are still very poor nations militarily (in terms of defense spending), they are still relatively well-trained, and the technology gap is less expansive. Many American men will die in such a fight. If ground invasion becomes an option in Syria, expect Iran to be next, and expect the option of a new “draft” to return to the U.S. Also keep in mind that Americans will never accept military conscription today unless we suffer a massive attack on U.S. soil, or on U.S. forces abroad. So, expect some shock and awe to occur in short order...

Fourth, there is, of course, the ongoing question as to when U.S. and Russian forces will “stumble” over each other and someone on either side gets killed? The majority of analysts in the liberty movement expect that this is inevitable. I suppose I agree, but I do not believe the elites have been entrenching billions of dollars in control grid technology in every major city in the world just to vaporize them in a chain of mushroom clouds (this control grid includes Russian cities — just look up Putin’s Yaroslavl laws, which might make the NSA envious).

It seems to me that the natural progression of these tensions will end in economic retaliation from the East against the West, not nuclear retaliation. The thing is, this is actually the worst case scenario.

With nuclear conflagration comes immediate loss of full spectrum awareness for the elites. They lose their surveillance grid, they lose the means to maintain a healthy standing military, they lose the means to dictate the narrative because the mainstream media will not be functioning at that point, etc. During an economic crisis, they can shift wealth easily to safe havens, they can weaken certain militaries while strengthening others. They retain their control grid apparatus and use it effectively against the citizenry as long as there is not substantial civilian resistance, and the list goes on.

With nuclear war there would be total chaos. With economic crisis there is controlled chaos. The establishment prefers the latter option.

Eastern nations and their allies still hold considerable U.S. Treasury bonds in their coffers, and they still use the dollar for the most part as the world reserve currency (though they have been preparing the ground for a dollar dump since at least 2008). On top of this, many of these nations also have the option of dumping the dollar as the petro-currency and crushing our monopoly on how oil is traded globally. If any of these measures are taken by countries like Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. economic structure will lose the last pillar holding it above water. We will effectively move into third-world status in the course of a few years.

These are not hypothetical dangers, these are very real dangers which have already been mentioned publicly by Eastern interests in their own media. They are also dangers which SERVE the globalist agenda in the long run. As I have noted time and time again in the past with ample evidence, Eastern governments including Russia and China openly and avidly support the International Monetary Fund and continue to call for the IMF to take over global management of all monetary policy to form a single world currency system. They may be “anti-U.S." in rhetoric, but they are NOT anti-globalist.

Syria remains a highly useful catalyst for the globalists to achieve the crisis they need to push their great reset forward. Being that they have tried to thrust Americans into that quagmire so many times over the past few years, I think it is safe to say they plan to use Syria as trigger point whether we cooperate or not.

April 13, 2017 at 09:21AM http://ift.tt/2oZG8SL from Tyler Durden http://ift.tt/2oZG8SL

#Business

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