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gyjo-enthusiast · 1 year ago

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special case. ch.3

retired!nanami x younger!sorcerer!reader

summary: during field training, each student is assigned one semi-grade 1 or higher ranked sorcerer. after the last student is left without a mentor, her professor pairs her up with his old, retired grumpy friend.

reader is in their 20s (attending college), afab!reader, fem pronouns

tags: fluff, eventual smut, colleagues with benefits (is that a thing?), age gap (reader in early 20s, nanami in mid 30s), virgin reader

previous chapter: special case. ch.2 | next chapter: special case. ch.4

jujutsu kaisen masterlist | masterlist

chapter summary: after taking up the offer to spend a whole week at your mentor's place, you pack your things and talk through dinner together.

proofread: yes

word count: 2883 (9m)

song rec:

"are you sure it's not going to bother you?" you look at your shoes, sheating both weapons. after nanami's proposal to spend a week at his place, you tensed up, naturally.

"goodness gracious," his hand flew up to his temples, indicating irritation, "i gave you the option, of course it's not going to be a problem." turning his back to you, the blonde started walking away.

"of course if you do not want to, you don't have to," he said, mindful of how this could seem to others. "but i doubt that your classmates are all going back to dorms every single day."

"you think so?" you pondered for a while, coming to a conclusion of staying with your mentor. "okay, but i'll still have to get some spare clothes."

"go ahead and get them. i will text you my address, if anything happens, just let me know," you exchanged numbers before parting ways.

a few minutes later, your phone dinged with a notification of nanami's text consisting of his address and a question: "do you have any allergies? i'm going to make dinner." your face was redder than the sweetest strawberry reading that. wanting to keep cool, you texted back a simple "no allergies, but i don't like raw tomatoes. thank you so much:)"

thankfully you were left on read, you don't think you'd be able to handle a friendly conversation with your mentor. your very handsome mentor at that. your very handsome mentor who was preparing dinner for you two.

you couldn't hide the little smile that took shape on your lips, speeding up slightly. you wanted to be done with those obnoxious stairs to school and unwind after a long day.

as if nanami knew exactly what was going on, almost nobody was staying at the school dorms. quickly, you shuffled your feet towards the second to last door on the floor, unlocking and shutting the piece of old wood behind you.

you picked up your favourite backpack and started filling it up with clothes. checking the things off of your mental checklist: pjs, underwear, comfy clothes, spare uniform, your favourite plushie and more boring stuff like toothpaste and toothbrush.

you were practically sprinting out of your room, when your phone dinged again. this time, it was a notification from your class group chat. as if it was a sign from god himself, you realised you need your charger. you silently thanked yuuji for sending so many unnecessary selfies and finally closed the door. locking it twice, you briskly left the vicinity of your school and tried to find nanami's address on a map.

before you knew it, you descended the school stairs and went into the town without ever finding where his house is located, so you decided to focus on your surroundings for a bit to find out where you even are.

"to my left is a.." looking left, you saw an old bus station, which you tried to locate on the map. "a bus station.."

where the hell is it?!

"okay to my right is a theater, that should be easier to find," you hopelessly scrolled on your phone to find out where you are and where nanami's house is. "it should be easier to find, right?" you started to panic when you couldn't find anything around you on the map.

you were as lost as on your first day in tokyo, maybe even more. you knew you should text your mentor to let him know, but how could you? this is more embarrassing than not being able to exorcise a low-level grade curse.

realising that this is pointless, you gave in and started to look for nanami's number in your contacts.

but of course, as if he was telepathic, he called you before you could even dial his number.

"y/n? are you okay?" he said overly harsh, as if he was afraid something might have happened.

you sighed and eventually answered, "yes, sir. i'm.. i'm lost." you expected a scolding but it never came.

"lost? as in you already got your things but can't find the address? or you never went back to dorms?" nanami softened his tone, relieved that it's nothing serious.

"i can't find the address. i'm sorry," you apologised, guilty for being so troublesome.

"it's okay, just describe where you are, yeah?" he sounded entirely different now, like a concerned friend more than a mentor.

"um, well i can see an old bus station, it looks like it's not being used anymore, there's not a name of the station anywhere. there's also a theater on the opposite side," you paused for a second before finishing your thought, "it's like a crossroad if that makes sense? also i can't see anybody."

"y/n," nanami called out to you flatly, "don't go anywhere, alright?" you heard shuffling on the other side of the phone. "i think i know where you are so just wait there."

"can you not just tell me in which direction to go, sir?" you asked timidly, not wanting to be a burden.

"it's okay, the streets there are complicated to navigate through so this is easier. i'll be there in a minute." and with that, he ended the call and you were left in the empty streets, waiting.

a few minutes went by and you saw the first person to pass through here. as he made his way towards you and you could see him more clearly, you knew that without mistake, it was nanami.

you didn't know whether to be relieved or even more stressed, because he had to come for you like for a kindergartener. you slowly approached him and sheepishly smiled.

"i'm sorry sir, i'm still not used to tokyo," you excused yourself, as if it was good enough to make him come all the way here.

"don't worry about it, for now, let's go eat dinner. i'll tell you about this place later," he put a hand on your shoulder, reassuring you that it was not a big deal.

as you made your way through the streets, you suddenly understood nanami about the complicated layout of the town. if he was to just navigate you, it would do more harm than good.

it was really just a few minutes until you were at nanami's place. he unlocked the door to his apartment and led you to his bedroom.

"since i don't have a spare room, you can sleep here if you don't mind," he gestured towards his king-sized bed. your worried gaze fell upon him as he explained, "i will sleep on the couch, don't worry."

"no, i can't do that," you instantly protested, not wanting to compromise his comfort. "i'll sleep on the couch and you can sleep in your bed," you beamed at him, leaving for the living room.

"it's okay y/n, there's plenty of room on the couch for me to sleep on, if that's what you're worried about," he ignored your statement and stood infront of you. "i've fallen asleep there many times."

"but this is just rude of me, first i can't find your address and then i take your bed?" you sadden a bit, backing away from nanami.

"don't forget that i was the one who suggested this," he crosses his arms and looks down at your small form. "sleeping on the couch is my responsibility as well. at least for this week."

he was taking this very seriously, you wanted to argue once more. you looked up at him, ready to take the couch for yourself, but you stopped yourself. it's not as if his stern gaze alone put you in your place. no, he looked completely different when he wasn't working.

hair slightly falling into his face, forearms exposed (courtesy of his rolled up sleeves), the first two buttons of his shirt undone and glasses discarded. his eyes watched you as you observed him, waiting to see if you'll still protest or not.

after a while, you surrenderred and went to his bedroom. "whatever, but don't complain if your back hurts tomorrow. don't forget that i wanted you on the bed!"

"what?" nanami looks at you, confused.

"w-what?" you repeat after him, confused as well. with a sigh, he softly closes your door and leans against the wall.

"change into something more comfortable and come eat. i hope you're not going to run around in your uniform all day," the blonde then walks away to give you some sort of privacy.

you have to admit, you weren't the best with wording, at least he understood that. you hope. it's amazing how he can brush past that situation and go eat. at the same table with you nonetheless.

you were blushing like crazy just remembering the situation, but what makes matters worse was your choice of clothing. it was particularly hot during this time, so you decided to pack just some shorts that were laying around and a shirt that may be too small for you. that shirt was practically a crop-top now.

looking at your new outfit, you seriously thought that maybe being in your school uniform was better after all. you tried to shove all the inappropriate thoughts away as you awkwardly waddled towards the dining area, careful not to show any more skin than necessary.

nanami was still turned towards the counter, and you hoped he could stay like that while you ate and also went back to his bedroom.

"have you ever been to korea? or had korean food?" he suddenly asked, making you jump in your seat.

"no.." you simply answered before elaborating, "but i'd like to try it one day, why?"

"then i'm sorry you have to try it with me first. i made bibimbap for dinner," he explains, head half-tilted towards your direction. "it's not as authentic, but i like it," turning to you, he brings out a bunch of small bowls with vegetables, mushrooms and some sort of sauce, "and it doesn't contain any tomatoes."

"no it's okay! i'm sorry to be of any trouble regarding food," you apologise, smiling as he remembers you don't like tomatoes. "you didn't have to make something so big though."

"don't worry, if you weren't here, i would simply eat the rest tomorrow," he plainly stated, bringing two more huge bowls filled with food.

"wow, it smells great," you noted quietly.

"thank you," he smiled softly, explaining the dish, "it's basically a rice bowl with vegetables and meat on top. i didn't want to bother with the eggs so there aren't any, but usually you do them sunny side up. in the small bowls you serve kimchi and gochujang sauce, as well as more vegetables."

"that's amazing, it looks easy to make as well," you look at all the food on the table, "except cutting the vegetables." you laugh quietly, still mesmerised.

"it looks easy, but you have to manage a few things at once. i can give you the recipe if you want to try it out sometime," nanami suggests, making your eyes light up.

"really? i'd like that very much!" you smile at him, a gesture which he returns.

"of course. now let's eat before the rice gets cold," the man in front of you picks up his chopsticks and you mirror his action.

you both eat in silence, enjoying the foreign dish, before a thought pops into your mind. it's that crossroad, where there wasn't a soul to be seen. it seemed like nanami knew about it and you couldn't help but be curious about it.

swallowing your bite, you anxiously asked, "sir?" getting his attention, you continued. "can you tell me about the place where i got lost?"

nanami thickly swallowed before answering. "it's an abandoned part of town, mainly because people who go there disappear and don't come back," he raised an eyebrow at you, "i think you can imagine why that is."

"cursed spirits?" you meekly ask.

"an unseen amount, yes. the jujutsu sorcerers can't regulate them properly. it seems to be a huge area that attracts them," he explains, looking irritated.

"that's horrible, even more so that they can't find out why it's happening," you ponder about it for a while, but let it go eventually. still, it's going to be stuck in your head.

finishing your food, you stood up to help with the dishes before you were stopped.

"it's alright, y/n. i'll do the dishes, you should rest," nanami sounds out from behind you, collecting the small bowls.

"you should be the one resting, sir. i should do it, you're the one who made such an amazing meal after all," you try to protest again, however this time, nanami just doesn't have the strenght to put up with it.

"then you wash them and i will dry them and put them away, is that fine?" he sighed.

"okay then, but only because i don't know where to put them once i'm done!"

as you start to wash the dirty dishes, nanami stands right beside you. that's when it dawns upon you that you still only have your short tee and shorts on. embarrassed, you fixate your eyes onto the sink and try to forget about your poor choice of clothing.

your mentor of course noticed your outfit but tried to be professional about it. whenever you would finish up washing a dish and hand it over, nanami's fingers would brush over yours in the slightest. it was driving you crazy and you soon started to shiver, even though your hands were under the warm water and your ears were red hot.

"y/n?" the aforementioned man spoke up to you, "are you cold?"

oh, this was a nightmare. "no i'm okay!" you straightened up, trying to keep as still as possible but your body was not taking orders from you anymore.

"you're shivering, is the water cold?" he looked over to you as you nervously smiled. "why are you wearing shorts if you're cold? and such a short shirt," it felt almost as if he was scolding you.

"it's okay, sir, i'm not cold, it's just a shirt that was lying around, i was packing up so quickly i didn't realise," you tried to laugh it off but before you opened your eyes, the man disappeared. shortly after he came back with one of his own shirts and set it down on the other side of the counter.

"it's okay, you can have this one for the time being," he patted your back, took a small bowl and started drying it. not wanting this to be more embarrassing than it already was, you let out a small "thank you" before finishing up the dishes.

heading towards the bathroom to shower and change the godforsaken shirt, he called for you one more time.

"do you want to watch the tv before you go to sleep? i don't have one in my bedroom."

"if you wouldn't mind, then yes," you quickly showered and went back to the living room.

"just put on anything you'd like, i'm going to take a shower," you heard nanami's voice from around the corner before hearing the door close.

"thank you, sir!" you shouted back at him and went to find the remote, stealing nanami's blanket before he comes back.

turning on the tv and finding netflix, you had no idea what to watch. you felt like nothing was interesting and whatever was, you already saw six times. seeing a new crime tv show, you put it on only to be fast asleep after half an episode.

nanami took his time, letting you watch whatever you were watching, but before long he couldn't endure the scorching heat of the shower and came out. finally changing into his casual clothes, he heard gunshots and arguments on the tv. sighing, he made his way to the living room, only to find you sleeping on the couch, remote still in hand.

he pinched the bridge of his nose, not believing the situation. nevertheless, he slowly approached the couch and tried waking you up. to no avail.

"y/n, hey wake up," he shook with you slightly, whispering so you wouldn't be in too much of a shock once you wake up. "y/n!" he whisper-shouted at you a few times, which was obviously also not doing anything.

"i can't believe this kid," he whispered to himself, wrapping you in his blanket more. he then picked you up bridal style and slowly made his way to his bedroom, trying not to stumble.

finally setting you down on his bed, he was prepared to take the other blanket from the bed and leave, when a small hand tugged at his sleeve.

"y/n?" he whispered, not sure whether you were awake by now or not.

when you didn't respond, he decided you were sleeping, so he should go too. that's when your hand tugged at his sleeve again, and he noticed small tears rolling down your cheeks.

his heart skipped a beat at that, but he decided that this wasn't right, and ultimately swiped your tears with his thumb and left. without a blanket at that.

he couldn't believe you slept through all of that. maybe a new student was just what he needed in life.

got a bit of a writer's block but we're so back. i think i might just rewatch jjk for this man(❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)

#nanami x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #x reader #kento nanami #jjk nanami #nanami kento #Spotify

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shewasverynice · 8 months ago

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Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen

⚠️ SPOILER HEAVY ⚠️

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Full tags/warnings on Chapter links post

Major Characters: Original Character, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, Yaga Masamichi, Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, Tsukumo Yuki, Choso

‎‧₊˚✧ Chapter 11 ✧˚₊‧

"Happy Halloween!!" Sarah and Suguru shouted, slamming Satoru's dorm room open on a crisp and beautiful Halloween morning.

"S'not evenmm--" he mumbled, barely opening one eye to look at the clock, "Sun's'not evn up yet..."

"That's 'cos we got stuff to do!" Sarah said, appearing right in his face and making him jump back, "C'mon sleepyhead! We gotta get ready!"

He yawned, slamming his face back into his pillow and stretching his legs out. He flexed his toes, the whole bed shaking as he let out that very necessary groan we all have to do when you get a really good stretch going.

"Are we going somewhere or something?" He mumbled, sitting up and letting his head rest on the headboard.

"We're gonna go find Himuro Manor!" Sarah reminded him, "It doesn't have an exact location so we'll have to just look around."

"Oh, right," he sighed, rubbing his eyes with his finger tips, "The Fatal Frame house... So it was real?"

"It's already become real through a curse," Suguru said with a shrug, "I'm sure we can find it if we follow the legends about it."

"And if we don't, then we'll just spend the whole day and night in the woods having so much fun," Satoru said sarcastically, reaching into his drawer for a clean shirt.

Sarah automatically faced away as he started to change, sitting on the end of the bed, "But if we actually find it, we can play like ghost hunters!"

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Satoru said with a roll of his eyes, "It's not ghosts. Just curses."

"Pfff," Sarah rolled her eyes with just as much sass, "Curses and ghosts are the same thing."

"Curses can kill you, a ghost isn't real and so it can't," he said with a sneer, "Two different things."

"Okay well let's just pretend they're ghosts then," Sarah huffed, "Be cool, Glacier Freeze."

Suguru stepped in between before they started to really get worked up. He grabbed both of them by the collars of their shirts and pulled them along with a shake of his head. "Too early for sass," he said, "Let's go. We have a drive ahead."

The day before they'd already prepped everything they might need for a long adventure in the woods. Everything vital like snacks and soda and a couple flashlights, all the important stuff of course. Convincing a manager in training to drive them there was the most difficult part, really. They had to offer to cover for him on three nights coming up, around Christmas time of course, but the price was easily worth it.

"What's so special about this place anyway?" Satoru asked with a heavy sigh, buckling into his seat a half hour later, "I barely remember that game. The second one was way better, yeah?"

"It was," Sarah agreed, "But this one was set in just the mansion so it was probably easier for the collective consciousness to make."

"Well maybe nostalgia for the second one will manifest a real village someday," Suguru said with a shrug, "We are lucky we could make this happen at all. Normally they don't let the first years do investigations."

"What did you tell Yaga?" Shoko asked, "How did you convince him?"

"I just asked," Suguru said with a shrug, but a certain twinkle in his eye told Shoko it was better not to ask right then. She raised her brows and simply continued with, "So are we just playing around or are we actually going to exorcise it?"

"Fun first, kill it after," Satoru said, adjusting his shirt while he slouched down, "We can play around in the spooky house for a bit and then take out the curse when we're done."

"Does this count as my first mission?!" Sarah said excitedly and Satoru patted her head. She swatted at his hand and he grinned at her.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my cute little underclassman safe," he teased then smirked as she slapped at the infinity between them when he kept her flying fists away.

"When we find a ghost imma make it haunt you!" She huffed, and he cackled as he leaned back in his seat.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

The old manor loomed before them, nearly swallowed by the encroaching woods. Its darkened wood, once richly brown and varnished, had faded to a splotchy gray-black under years of relentless weather. In some places, ivy and twisting vines crawled up its walls, disappearing into crevices and windows like nature’s attempt to reclaim it entirely. Trees grew so close to the structure that their branches scratched against the eaves with the barest breeze, their roots winding thickly around the foundation like the gnarled fingers of some ancient guardian.

The air around them felt strangely thick, muted as if wrapped in a damp, musty blanket. The forest at night was utterly still, almost unnaturally so. Not a single cricket chirped; not a single leaf rustled. It was as though every living creature, from the tiniest bug to the tallest tree, held its breath, wary of breaking the heavy silence that blanketed the woods. Even the wind dared not disturb the silence, making the night feel like a quiet void around the old manor.

As Shoko, Suguru, Satoru, and Sarah approached the crooked steps leading to the main entrance, the floorboards creaked ominously beneath their feet. Each step groaned in protest, some splintered and fraying at the edges, threatening to snap under their weight. The smell of rot and damp wood mixed with the faint, lingering scent of old incense, as if the place still clung to memories of its past.

When they finally reached the heavy front door, Satoru pushed it open with a slight shove. It dragged against the floor with a low, tortured groan. As they stepped inside, a sudden chill cut through the air. It was colder than it had any right to be, a biting sort of cold that sank right to the bones and carried with it the unmistakable, thick scent of dust and decay. Everything felt heavy, untouched for decades, as if a single breath might disturb the dust hanging in the air.

"So uh..." Shoko whispered, reaching for her flashlight in her bag, "What was the haunting caused by in that game?"

"Oh, well they used to do a strangling ritual here," Sarah explained, walking up to look at a wall scroll that nature was melting slowly, "It was to keep the darkness trapped in this big spooky well."

"The malic I think it was called," Suguru added, then sighed, "And all of the ghosts had died to the curse, didn't they?"

"Not a curse!" Sarah said, pointing at him, "Ghosts! It was ghosts that got them and made more ghosts!"

"Right," Satoru grunted as he squatted down to pull more flashlights out of his bag, "So let's play along, right? We can play like the game and take a bunch of weird photos!"

"Did you bring a camera?" Sarah asked.

"Phone?" Satoru said sheepishly.

"That's not the same," Sarah sighed, "It was specifically the Camera Obscura that could catch the ghosts." Then she suddenly froze, gripping Suguru's sleeve, "Oh! We could just try to find it right?! Maybe it's just in here!"

"It's not gonna be exactly like the game," Satoru scoffed, "You shouldn't get your hopes up."

"Watch this though..." She said, walking down the hallway. She called back, "If I'm right then... The camera should be..."

She screamed as the shadowy figure of a man passed in front of her. She would have fallen back on her ass if Suguru and Satoru hadn't rushed up behind her, ready to fight.

"What?!" Satoru looked left and right down the corridor, "What was it?!"

"It was a ghost!" She stammered, "One of the people killed by the darkness!"

"Oh my god," Satoru groaned, "No it wasn't, shut up."

"It was!!" She insisted, staggering to her feet, "I swear it was!"

"So where's the camera then?" Shoko asked, looking down the hall.

Sarah pushed a broken screen aside and practically threw herself back pointing at the camera on the ground. Satoru and Suguru both narrowed their eyes, rushing over to squat down and look at it. "There's no way..." Suguru muttered, reaching out to take it. Satoru stopped him, then grinned.

"Nah, wait, let's play along," Satoru said, looking over his shoulder to Sarah, "Right?!"

"Yes!" Sarah scrambled over, picking up the camera, "Absolutely yes! Let's go! Right now!"

"Do you two remember the story?" Suguru asked, "I don't know if I do after so long."

"I... Don't." Satoru admitted, watching Sarah fiddle with the camera, "I think the character was a girl who lost her brother, right? He was researching the haunting here or something?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded when she looked up from the camera, "And then he got killed by the ghost in the fireplace room and his sister came to check on him."

"So let me just make sure I heard that right," Shoko sighed, "We need to take pictures of the ghosts to exorcise them? Is that how this game works?"

"Yeah! The camera steals their souls and stuff and--"

"Okay," Shoko cut her off, "Alright, fine. Let's just go get this over with."

"Oh?" Satoru grinned, leaning with his arm on Shoko's shoulder, "You scared?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, but I don't really think this is the best place for Sarah and I. These ghosts are dangerous--"

"Curses," Satoru corrected her and she huffed before he continued, "And you have Suguru and I here! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Of course," Suguru agreed, "Nothing will happen to either of you."

"But what if we get separated?" Shoko asked, "That kind of thing always happens in these kinds of games."

"Pfft," Satoru waved his hand dismissively, "Don't be ridiculous. How could we get separated? It's just one building, we can't get lost in such a small place."

The manor had a way of pulling them apart, as if its very walls shifted to separate the four friends. Shoko and Sarah ended up on the far side of the house, where they stumbled into a dilapidated kitchen. A low, flickering light barely illuminated the room through grimy windows, casting shadows that seemed to twist and move on their own. The air was thick with the sour smell of mildew and something metallic—rust, perhaps, or the faint stain of old blood long dried. Every surface was coated with a thin layer of dust, untouched but for the occasional smear where something unseen had disturbed it.

Shoko moved carefully, eyes narrowing as she scanned the dark corners. "We should have brought something sharp," she muttered, annoyance crossing her face as she dug through drawers filled with cracked wooden spoons and broken bits of porcelain. A glint of metal caught her eye, and she pulled out a tarnished butcher knife, testing its weight in her hand. "Better than nothing, I guess."

Sarah kept her distance, glancing around nervously. “Anything about this place actually seem like it belongs in a kitchen?” she asked, eyeing the blackened stove and mold-ridden walls.

Shoko shrugged, her attention still on the drawers. "It’s probably been cursed for so long, it doesn’t know what it is anymore."

Meanwhile, Suguru wandered down a series of narrow, winding corridors, the wood creaking beneath his every step. Here, the walls seemed to close in tighter, bending and warping in places, as if they were alive and breathing around him. A faint, translucent figure flitted past, its face half-formed, looking as though it might disappear entirely if Suguru blinked too hard.

He chuckled softly to himself. "So, are you all separate spirits, or is this one big curse controlling everything?" he wondered aloud, as if expecting the house to answer. It was hard to tell in such a place, where curses lingered in every shadow, in every draft of cold air that seemed to sweep through the hall with a sigh. He felt a pull toward each apparition he passed, his curiosity ignited as he tried to sense if they were fragments of one larger entity or isolated curses.

Above them all, Satoru found himself standing alone in the cramped, cobweb-strewn attic. He'd somehow managed to hold onto the Camera Obscura. Now, if he could only figure out how to get the damn film in they could actually play the game

"Stupid thing," he muttered under his breath, squinting at the camera and attempting to load the film. His fingers fumbled with the film reel, the stubborn old device refusing to cooperate. He sighed, pressing harder than necessary, frustration building.

Behind him, a faint, icy whisper filled the air, the sound of creaking footsteps creeping closer. The temperature plummeted, and a ghastly, translucent figure loomed behind him, stretching a pale hand forward.

Without even glancing up, Satoru lifted one hand, releasing a sharp pulse of cursed energy that hit the ghost with a force that disintegrated it instantly. He went right back to struggling with the film, muttering, "Stupid old thing. Why is it always the oldest shit?"

Shoko and Sarah moved cautiously down the wooden hall, which felt endless, lined with crumbling walls blackened by age and water damage. Most of the paper screens had melted away, leaving jagged edges flapping in the occasional gust of cold air that seeped through cracks. It was as though the entire manor had been left to rot, assaulted by wind and rain until only the skeleton of its former grandeur remained. The air was thick and damp, and the boards creaked beneath their steps, echoing like whispers in the emptiness around them.

Sarah glanced at the ruined screens and recognized bits and pieces of the layout, but the decay made the space seem foreign and wrong. The house she remembered had not felt so terrifying on the TV and the real life version wasn't as easy to navigate as she hoped. They peeked into each room, nudging open the doors that could still slide, finding each space abandoned and stripped bare, only scraps of paper and tatami mats clinging to the floors.

Then, in a dark, shadowed corner of one room, something caught their eye—a small roll of film, resting atop a low table covered in a thick layer of dust. They both reached for it, excited by the unexpected find.

But before their hands could touch the film, a soft hissing rose from the floorboards. The shadows twisted and coalesced, rising up in a mass that took shape—a ghost with shriveled, hollow eyes and an agonized expression, its mouth frozen in a perpetual choke. It crawled upward, its skeletal hands stretching toward them, a hoarse wheeze escaping its lips as if it had been denied breath for centuries.

Shoko and Sarah screamed, stumbling back. Their voices carried through the empty halls, echoing in the dark spaces of the manor.

In an instant, both Satoru and Suguru heard them from their separate locations. Suguru took off at a sprint, his footsteps pounding through the halls, dodging splintered beams and ducking under fallen rafters. But Satoru opted for the most direct route. He blasted through the floorboards, one level down, then another, smashing his way through rotting wood and debris until he crashed into the room, scattering dust and splinters everywhere.

He raised his hand, a glint of cursed energy forming, ready to obliterate the spirit—but before he could release it, Sarah snatched the Camera Obscura from his grip. Her hands shook, but she moved quick, finally managing to load the film with one swift click.

She raised the camera, aimed it at the ghost, and pressed the shutter.

The camera’s flash went off, the room illuminated in a harsh burst of light. The ghost let out a bone-chilling shriek as it reared back, its form wavering and dissolving, until finally it disintegrated into nothing. The room returned to silence, the faint odor of charred wood and decay lingering in the air.

Satoru stared at the empty space where the ghost had been, wide-eyed, then glanced down at the Camera Obscura in Sarah's hands. Shoko, equally stunned, glanced between Sarah and the camera.

"Did that… actually work?" Shoko breathed, disbelief etched on her face.

Satoru blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "Guess we have a new ghostbuster on the team," he teased, nudging Sarah with his elbow.

Sarah, catching her breath, managed a shaky grin. "I knew it. We got this in the bag now!"

Suguru arrived just moments after the spirit vanished, skidding to a halt and glancing around the dust-laden room. Before he could ask, Sarah spun toward him, beaming as she held up the camera. "Geto! It worked!" she announced, almost bouncing on her heels.

Suguru chuckled, patting her head gently as she grinned up at him. "Nice job. That's really exciting," he said, warmth in his eyes.

Sarah and Shoko, energized by their victory, wandered over to the table littered with dusty rolls of film, muttering to each other excitedly as they examined their findings. Suguru took a moment to lean closer to Satoru, his brow furrowed with curiosity. “So,” he started, keeping his voice low, “any thoughts on what we’re actually dealing with here?”

Satoru gave a casual shrug, crossing his arms as he looked around the dark, decaying room. “From what I can see, it’s one curse," he said thoughtfully, "not multiple spirits or entities. But here’s what’s weird.” He leaned closer to Suguru, eyes glinting with intrigue. "When Sarah took that picture, it felt like the cursed energy didn’t just disappear—it dissolved. Like, I don’t know… cotton candy in water.”

Suguru smirked at the comparison, unable to suppress a chuckle. "Cotton candy, huh?”

“Hey, just telling it how I see it,” Satoru grinned. “But yeah, if that’s how it’s reacting to the camera, it should work to exorcise the curse completely. It’s like the energy is unraveling at the core. But,” he added, his tone a bit more serious, “if they actually end up in trouble, we’ll need to step in fast. The curse won't go down without a fight.”

Suguru nodded, the lightness in his gaze hardening with resolve. “Agreed. Let’s keep an eye on them, then—”

He cut off, turning back to where the girls had been standing, only to find empty space. He blinked, exasperated but amused. “Well, damn.”

Satoru snorted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Typical.”

Shoko realized they’d somehow ended up alone again, standing in what used to be a bedroom but now looked more like a crumbling nightmare. Shadows crept along the walls, and what remained of the tatami flooring creaked beneath their weight. Shoko let out a quiet sigh, muttering under her breath as she pulled out her knife, infusing it with cursed energy. The blade took on a faint glow, casting ghostly light in the dark room. She glanced at Sarah, who clutched the camera tightly, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Keep that camera ready, okay?" Shoko said, nudging her with a reassuring smile.

“Got it!” Sarah said, trying to sound steady, though Shoko could see her knuckles whitening around the camera. They made their way into the hall, stepping carefully around cracked wood and holes in the floor. Every so often, a faint figure would flicker into view—a blurry, shadowed ghost moving towards them. Each time, Sarah snapped a picture, and the figures dissipated with a faint wail, leaving only a heavy chill in the air. None of the ghosts seemed particularly aggressive, but Sarah’s excitement was palpable.

“So…where are we going, exactly?” Shoko asked, keeping her voice low.

“Well,” Sarah said, her eyes gleaming, “in the game, the first boss was this editor—used to work for some kind of paranormal magazine or something. His ghost haunts this house because he died from the curse.”

Shoko raised an eyebrow. “And how are we supposed to find him?”

“Uh, clues,” Sarah said, her voice trailing off as she scratched the back of her head. “You know…find the clues and follow them…”

“Right,” Shoko drawled, smirking, “You remember where they are?”

Sarah’s sheepish laugh was all the answer she needed.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion, Suguru and Satoru moved through the dark halls with little care. Shadows slipped around them, but they barely gave them a glance, dismissing each cursed spirit with a flick of their cursed energy. If anything, they looked bored, like they were on a leisurely stroll rather than inside a haunted house.

Suguru suddenly narrowed his eyes as he was mulling over the recent events. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Satoru. "If... The Camera Obscura is just part of the curse then how is it actually able to exorcise the curses?" He asked.

Satoru, who was a few steps ahead scoping out a ruined dining room, turned to him. He looked ready to answer before his brows furrowed and he said, "Y'know I hadn't thought of that. If anything the curses should just be recycling in on themselves."

"You mentioned before that she had a strange second energy, right?" Suguru asked, crossing his arms and putting one hand to his chin.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded, pushing at a broken screen with the toe of his shoes, "Think maybe that's what it is?"

"Well," Suguru tapped his chin, "It's definitely a possibility. Especially with what Yaga told us."

"Oh yeah, what did he say anyway?" Satoru asked, shoving the rest of the door aside.

"He said he'd allow her to go only if we could ensure her safety, which naturally we can, and we have her exorcise at least one curse," he explained, "I wonder if he wanted to see if her power works differently than ours?"

"Well, clearly it does," Satoru said, "Since it still can exorcise a curse using its own cursed energy. Maybe her stuff just blends in?"

"Oh, that could be," Suguru said, blasting a ghost apart as it tried to leap at him from inside the room.

"If I were to call it anything, I'd say it's like the opposite of cursed energy," Satoru explained, "Like... Divine energy, I guess? Hard to say since I've never seen anything like that."

"Divine energy would probably fit the bill," Suguru agreed, "Since it can resurrect and repels cursed energy but also draw curses in."

"It's weird though, right?" Satoru asked, crossing his arms, "Why haven't we seen it before? Never, even going to other countries have I seen it before. What's different about her?"

Suguru smiled, "Well, I suppose it's something to do with her bloodline. We could research it?"

"I tried," Satoru sighed, "The oldies blocked me from every angle. I guess I could call in the family to do it, but I don't really want them to know I know about her."

"It might be necessary, unfortunately," Suguru said, "Because it's not likely they'll let us find out more than we've already figured out. Yaga has already put himself at risk by telling us anything at all."

"Well, he'll be fine," Satoru shrugged, "We just won't let them threaten him. The geezers can't stop us." He smiled, then added, "Alright, I'll hit up gramps when we get this done. Let's see what he'll spill."

The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly as Sarah and Shoko bolted down it, their breathing ragged as they jumped over splintered wood and ducked under fallen beams. Dust and rot filled the air, thickening with each frantic step as the heavy footsteps of the ghost followed close behind. It was the spirit of a young woman, her modern clothes a stark contrast to the decrepit mansion. Her skin was marred with rope burns, deep and bruised, and her pale face contorted in anger. She was faster than any of the ghosts they’d seen before, and her hands reached out, long fingers curling as if to snatch them.

“Can’t… you just… stab it?” Sarah gasped, struggling with the camera’s film as she stumbled alongside Shoko.

“Not this one!” Shoko replied, not slowing her pace. “It’s too strong—just get the film in!”

Sarah fumbled with the camera, trying to load the film, her hands trembling as she struggled to fit it into the slot. “Come on, come on!” she muttered, wincing as the camera’s metal edge bit into her finger. She stifled a curse as blood welled up and dripped onto the film. Her frustration turned to determination, and with a final push, she finally slid the film into place.

“Got it!” she exclaimed, whipping around, but in her haste, she stumbled back into Shoko, who grabbed her shoulders, steadying them both as the spirit bore down on them.

Sarah lifted the camera, hands shaking, and with a hard click, the flash erupted into a golden blaze. The light filled the hallway, illuminating the ghost's face in an almost surreal glow. For a split second, her eyes softened, the fury and anguish replaced by a fleeting calm. In that one instant, her expression looked almost… at peace. The image was brief, a single heartbeat, before she vanished in a swirl of light and cold air.

Shoko stared, her eyes wide, breathing heavily as the afterimage lingered in her vision. “Did… did you see that?” she whispered, stunned.

Sarah nodded, her grip tightening on the camera as she tried to catch her breath. “Yeah… she looked almost…” She trailed off, too rattled to find the words.

Far across the mansion, both Suguru and Satoru felt the powerful shift in cursed energy—a flicker of something heavy, then lighter, as if the curse had dispersed. Without a word, they exchanged a look of understanding and immediately set off, weaving through halls and stairways as they made their way toward the girls.

Satoru moved quickly, his grin vanishing as he sped up, cutting through obstacles with swift blasts of cursed energy, his eyes sharper than usual. Suguru, meanwhile, kept his cursed spirits at the ready, his footsteps quiet but purposeful as he wound through the mansion.

When they finally found the girls again, Shoko and Sarah were still sitting on the ground catching their breath. Satoru sauntered over, leaning on the wall looking smug.

"So, how's the photo taking going?" He asked.

"Cut the crap," Shoko huffed, "You felt that right? That bright light? Was that her?" She pointed at Sarah who blinked and looked between the two of them.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded, "That's what I was talking about."

"It's so... Soft," Shoko said, looking at Sarah and tilting her head, "The curse seemed happy before it was erased."

Now that was new. Satoru furrowed his brow. "Happy? Like when you unravel a curse rather than exorcise it?"

Shoko nodded, "Yeah, exactly. It was super weird!"

"Huh?" Sarah stood up, "That's not how it's supposed to go?"

"No," Satoru said, "Is that the first time you've seen a curse exorcised?"

Sarah looked down at the floor, considering how to answer that. Satoru waited, but after a moment he saw that panic creep into her expression. She did see it happen before, she must have. She only got confused about her past when something was being covered up.

"Here," Satoru shook her shoulder, getting her mind back on him, "Let me show you how it's done."

She blinked away her confusion and smiled at him. "Oh yeah? Is this a special lesson from my senpai or are you just showing off?" She teased.

He pulled down his sunglasses and winked at her with a winning smile, "Can't it be both, baby?"

She playfully shoved him, then held out the camera, "You can sense them with this too if you need to."

"Pff," he took off his sunglasses completely and hung them off his shirt collar, "Nah, I've got special eyes remember?"

With his Six Eyes focused, Satoru quickly zeroed in on the manor’s curse—a dense, pulsing core of malevolent energy buried in the heart of the decayed building. His eyes narrowed as he mapped out the twisted network of cursed energy, sensing the curse’s hold on the whole structure, like roots tangling and suffocating an old tree.

Without a second thought, he appeared beside Shoko and Sarah, scooping them up under his arms with a cheerful, “Upsy daisy!” Sarah let out a startled yelp as he held her with one arm, Shoko on the other, their feet barely grazing the floor before he launched out of the mansion, skimming over the broken floorboards and leaping through the gaping front doorway in a flash.

“Suguru! Brace yourself!” he shouted as he touched down just outside. Without waiting, he raised his hand, two fingers pointed toward the manor as his cursed energy coiled and began to surge. Blue sparks crackled as an orb of condensed power formed near his fingertips, the energy practically singing with intensity. The air around them grew thick, buzzing with raw power.

Sarah’s eyes went wide as she glanced at the glowing blue orb only inches from her face. “Satoru, that’s a little close, don’t you think?” she stammered, feeling the pulse of cursed energy against her skin.

He glanced down at her, smirking. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

And with that, he released the orb. It shot forward in a blinding beam, tearing straight into the heart of the manor. The explosion was immediate, a deep, resonating blast that expanded outward with enough force to shatter the ancient wooden beams and send splinters into the air. Dust and debris erupted as the manor collapsed inward, swallowed by the swirling cursed energy that Satoru had unleashed.

A moment later, Suguru emerged from the debris, coughing as he climbed out from beneath a fallen beam, his expression caught somewhere between irritation and exasperation. “You could’ve given me a little more warning, you know!" He shouted.

“I did warn you,” Satoru shot back, crossing his arms with a look of mock innocence, “You just weren’t fast enough to get out.”

Suguru narrowed his eyes, stepping closer. “Fast enough? You gave me half a second!" He growled.

Their voices rose as they squabbled, Satoru’s tone lighthearted, while Suguru’s was more genuinely annoyed. But neither Shoko nor Sarah paid them much attention, both staring at the remains of the manor. The wooden beams and cursed energy dissolved together, releasing a cloudy, black mist into the air. The curse’s grip on the house dissipated like smoke in the wind, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake.

As the mist faded, Shoko let out a quiet sigh, and Sarah grinned, still clutching the Camera Obscura as it slowly disintegrated in her hands. “Well,” she said, glancing over at Shoko, “that’s one way to exorcise a curse.”

Shoko chuckled, patting Sarah on the shoulder. “I’d say we’re done here.”

In the background, Satoru and Suguru were still bickering, their voices carrying across the clearing as the last traces of cursed energy faded, leaving nothing but a memory of the old, haunted manor.

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#fanfiction #writing #a03 fanfic #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #geto suguru #shoko ieiri #fix it fic #reincarnation fic

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gendervapor14 · 2 years ago

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~ how to make a fanfiction masterlist on tumblr ~

a detailed guide for folks new to tumblr, or those who just want to use tumblr to link and organize their fanfiction :D

disclaimer: i did this on a PC, and tumblr likes to update and change the layout of everything, so some locations may be different for you. feel free to reply or DM with any questions and i will try my best to help you out!

first thing's first! locating your account. this will make it easier to find your posts. when you first log onto tumblr, there is a list of items to the left. find the one that says "account".

locate your blog. you may have to scroll a little to find it. once you see it, click on it!

that should open up your posts and reblogs. it's okay if this section is empty! mine displays my intro post, but don't worry, i'll show ya how to make one of those. for now, go ahead and click on the "create" button at the bottom left. (alternatively, there's a bar at the top center you could use. click on "text" if you prefer this option)

go ahead and select text post!

here you will be greeted to a blank text post. there's a space for a title and text. if you don't want a big title, you can just backspace and it'll default to regular text. feel free to experiment a little here. the colorful icons to the right allow you to insert photos, gifs, links, and more. if you type something and highlight the text, you'll find even more options!

enter whatever you'd like to greet people with if they visit your blog. some sort of introduction. i threw out some random basics here. you certainly don't have to format it like this! get crazy, insert some photos and use colored text if you like. at the bottom of your post, you'll see a section for tags. i recommend using tags relevant to whatever content you'll be posting, so others can find your blog easier. if you're on ao3 or another fanfic platform, i'll show you how to link that to your intro post! for now, just type something like "link to my fanfiction" or "link to my ao3", or whatever tickles your fancy.

then, highlight whatever part of the line you want to serve as your hyperlink. in this case, in the "link to my fanfiction" line, i highlighted "fanfiction". a small menu should automatically pop up above that. the second to last option looks like a chain link. that will allow you to insert a link on whatever you've highlighted. click on it.

an "http://" option will display. paste your desired link in the display bubble! for instance, i pasted the link to my ao3 dashboard.

next part is posting! don't worry, your intro post isn't done, i know. in order to move on, we need to make some more posts to link, so for now, we're just going to post this "incomplete" intro. you can always go back and edit posts, so it's no worry! the post button is at the bottom right.

in order to ensure the post stays at the top of your profile, you need to pin it. (i used a random post in my example because my intro is already pinned, but the mechanics are the same.) in the top right of your intro post, there will be three little meatball dots. click on those.

that'll open up a dropdown. click on "pin". then your intro will always remain at the top of your profile, even as you keep posting/reblogging.

next part is making the actual masterlist! create a new post (button on the bottom left --> text post) and fill it out however you wish! i listed some different things you can include to describe your stories, but i've seen people organize these by characters instead, or themes, or fandoms. basically, you're creating something that will link from your intro to this post. so write up whatever you want someone to be brought to after clicking the hypothetical "my fanfiction masterlist" link in your intro post. if that's just at temporary list of characters without any stories linked to them yet, that works! you can link stories to the masterlist later.

once you posted the masterlist (it's okay if it's incomplete), click on the meatballs for the masterlist post. (again, i'm using a random post here, disregard that)

click on the "copy link" option to obtain the link to that post.

then, find your intro post and click on the meatballs for that!

this time, you're going to click on "edit".

somewhere on your intro post, write up some text that will serve as the source for your fanfiction masterlist post. for this, i used "link to my fanfiction masterlist". then, i highlighted "fanfiction masterlist" to open the additional options menu, and clicked on the chain link to paste the link to my new fanfiction masterlist post! this process of copying links and implementing them into other posts is the foundation of making a masterlist. from here, you can make as many subcategories as you please and link them back to your main masterlist, which is linked to your intro. (or you can just make a few giant masterlists like i do XD)

BONUS LESSON: another fun part of tumblr is the tags! you can invent your own! if you're a writer, you can make your own writing tag. i use "genwrites" because it hasn't been used by anyone else, so anyone who clicks on that tag will only see posts of my writing. you can link tags to your intro post as well! i'll show you how.

creating a tag is as easy as slapping it on a post, even if tumblr doesn't seem to recognize it. that's a good sign. once you've posted something with the tag, it exists on the website. when you click on the tag, it should open up a page like this. it's alright if your tag page is mostly empty, it'll fill up as you create posts with your unique tag! from here, you're going to copy the URL of the entire page.

then, the same way you inserted your fanfiction website and your masterlist, you can link the URL of your tag page to your introduction post! linking things to posts on tumblr helps keep everything connected. you can link individual fanfics from their source site to titles on tumblr, link specific reference posts and analyses, and so much more!

this was a rather lengthy post, so it's totally understandable if you get confused or lost along the way. feel free to reach out and i'll try to help out however i can! i'm no master - i learned all this stuff by trial and error. takes some patience , but i hope this guide is at least a little helpful! ♥ happy writing and creating folks ♥

#tumblr guide #fanfiction #writers on tumblr #new to tumblr

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rosewoodconch · 10 months ago

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RWCH Readathon 2024: Day 2

Undercover Princess - Chapter 3

We made it to rosewood!!!!! The whole atmosphere of this chapter is so well construed; from the relief that yes! she made it! to the most overwhelming dread and anxiety of shes here, now what.

But straight into introductions: Ellie!

Lottie seeing Ellie across the carpark will never not be iconic.

"She felt a sudden instinctive need to get a closer look at the girl" to quote @scrumptiousdirt "its the lesbianism, Lottie"

but to be fair to Lottie. my gf cosplayed as Ellie yesterday and i almost died so Lottie i see you girl.

ANYWAY

Binah! and Rosewood Hall

Binah my beloved. i love how even in her introduction, as shes carrying all these books her entire character is to expect the unexpected. Shes stronger than she looks, and she seems to already always be one step ahead.

The audiobook of Connie voicing Binah for "Greetings" haunts my dreams. its the most uncanny bit of the audiobook and even though i'm reading the paper back right now it echoes in my mind...

The way Binah shes a lost newbie and immediately starts info dumping... i think i was Binah at uni.

The founders of each house looming above her is something i can picture so clearly, and every time I wish I could draw so i could draw Lotties reaction to them each year. Them looming and scary in her first year, compared to in book four when she comes back and is more confident, to the epilogue of the series where she truly belongs there.

I really enjoy that Lottie uses the parts of her mantra separately as well as together. the little 'Be Brave' just to deep breathe and steel her nerves is something I think everyone can relate to.

Lottie's imposter syndrome setting in already is a huge part of her character. She never really feels like she belongs there, until she has her role as portman, and she becomes more confident and more herself, even though she's pretending to be anything but. Thats why when Ellie leaves, she needs to rebuild herself again.

The business card never fails to make me laugh and now I want to design cards for all of them

I love that here again we see the supposed 'hidden magic' and I love that the roses and flowers seem to be magic, like in the myth of Inessa's gold in MAradova, and how royal blood, and those who rightfully belong somewhere will have an impact not just on the people or building, but actually are connected to the nature. Prof devine brings this up later in book 4 or 5 I think too!

And here begins my hatred of the miscommunication trope. Stupid. hate hate hate it. like yes it turns out okay eventually but ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Now... Anastacia Alcroft Le Blanc. and also the tompkins are there i guess

Anis introduction is everything

i can see the slo mo hair flip and zoom in on her designer tags and iced coffee now

i think if i was 14 and ani complimented my outfit i'd pass out so lottie is 10000x stronger than me i could never

'She's very entertaining' - i love binah. I want to know so much more about their friendship and how on earth their circles combined.

Okay. Summary. I want to give lottie a hug, I'll never forgive Connie for country vs county. I was so in love with ani when i was 14 and i read this oh my god.

but also. It really genuinely portrays that imposter syndrome feeling of 'I don't belong here' and the idea that under no circumstance can you disappoint the school or people that accepted you. I went to one of the best universities in the country, and I felt that feeling every single day in class and walking around town.

Any one who relates to that and is reading this. That feeling may not ever really go away, but it gets easier to fight it and find your feet. You do belong. I promise.

#rwch #connie glynn #the rosewood chronicles #rosewood chronicles #rwchreadathon2024 #rwch readathon 2024 #undercover princess #lottie pumpkin #rosewood #Binah fae #anastacia alcroft #anastacia alcroft leblanc #lola tompkins #micky tompkins

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astral-athame · 2 years ago

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Hello! My name is Sapph! Welcome to my RP blog!

This blog is for an indie, witch, OC of mine: Cassia Keller. I'm currently making a more well put together bio page for her (including different verses), but in the mean time, this is where you'll find all the information you need <3

(Last Update: 6/14/2025)

Here are a few things to know (Feel free to read just the bolded stuff if you’re in a hurry, the unbolded just elaborates):

Mun is 25+ and will only rp with those who are 18+! If you aren’t 18+ please don’t interact. I’m just not comfortable with it.

I don’t write much smut, so I apologize if things head that way and I end up dropping the thread without warning (I don’t usually drop threads intentionally, it’s probably just stuck in my drafts until I’m in the headspace to write it, but that day might never come, so I apologize).

I have a separate side blog for more intense nsfw content! I might reblog some smutty over there, though in general I prefer to write it on discord. It's not a smut shaming thing and I'll never judge anyone for writing it on their main blog! I just don't feel confident in my smut writing abilities so I like to keep it a bit separate sometimes.

I’m super slow with replies most of the time. Totally feel free to give me a nudge if it’s been a while since I’ve replied. I lose track of stuff so easily and then feel like I’m not allowed to reply to it when I remember it because it’s been a while.

I’m technically semi-selective, but mostly not selective at all. Aside from the rule of only writing with muns who are 18+, I’m actually not particularly selective.

I’ll ship just about anything with just about anyone, but I still reserve the right to not ship with a character, especially on first interaction.

Cassia is bisexual, so I'll ship her with any gender <3

REBLOG KARMA: I try to be respectful and reblog things from the source or from a meme blog or whatever because I understand why people don’t want to be feel like they’re being used as a meme source. If I ever reblog something from you that isn’t a reply, I’m sorry. I try not to let it happen, but sometimes it does.

That said: REBLOG WHATEVER YOU WANT FROM ME. Seriously, it doesn’t bother me at all. You don’t even have to send me a meme to reblog it. Just... go ahead. Reblog it. It’s totally fine by me <3 (Though I would definitely prefer if you sent me a meme when you reblog.)

OOC conversation can be really hard for me. I try and usually I’m fine when it comes to plotting, but I drop the ball a lot or come off as cold a lot because I just don’t have the energy to talk ooc a lot of the time. Please don’t take it personally, it’s just that my social battery is usually at 40% or less in general oTL

If we’re shipping something together and you’ve decided you don’t ship it anymore / don’t want to write it anymore- please just tell me. It'll make life a lot easier on both of us <3

Putting this blog on a semi-permanent hiatus while I decide if I want to archive it or keep trying over here. <3

I may add more rules at a later point, but I think these are the most important ones <3

Handy Dandy Navigation Links!

The Icon PSD I Use (PSD by asa-resource!) The Divider I Use (Divider by Saradika!) Ask Memes Replies (every single thing I reply to should be tagged with this!) "About" (random headcanons and things that apply to Cass) "Visage" (pics of Cass's FC- Fiona Palomo) "Aesthetic" (all the pretty things~) "Thoughts" (similar to about, but more directly from Cass's head) "Desires" (just stuff Cass wants- mostly relationship things) "Alt FC" (Cass's original fc) "Wardrobe" (things Cass would wear / probably does wear) "Music" (songs Cass would listen to ) "Skills" (stuff Cass is good at- mostly music and baking things)

OTHER AVAILABLE VERSES (underlined ones link to a verse page, others don't yet have a verse page for them but they're available anyway!): High School English Teacher (the only change to her main verse is that the band doesn't make it big and she ends up using her college degree to teach High School English) High Fantasy / DND / Arthurian Legends Star Wars (Honestly, I'll write her in almost any era. Just ask!) Star Trek (I'm only really familiar with TNG and DS9 so far but plan on watching the others eventually!) The Hunger Games (This is the kind of verse that's super dependent on time period / your muse, canon or oc. Totally up for discussion!) Vampire AU (possible Interview With The Vampire Verse. NOT Twilight. Basically this is just to write Cass as a vampire. Everything else is up in the air xD) Umbrella Academy Marvel / DC (honestly, these verses will basically just be her main verse. I'll only switch things up as needed because I think her main verse fits them well enough already!) I'm also open to coming up with other AUs to fit whatever you're up to writing or if we just want to move our muses around to different universes xD

Other Blogs! Rogue Phantom Overdose: this blog houses two bands (there may be a third one added later)- Phantom Overdose (Cass's band) and Black Rapture (an all female metal / rock band with ties to Cass's band). This blog also serves as kind of a multimuse for not only characters that are in Cass's universe but also a handful of canon characters (including Hunger Games muses, Star Wars muses, and The Covenant muses) Multimuse (main)Multimuse (secondary) (the two multimuses are basically abandoned now as I don't have time or muse for them anymore)

#ooc.#rules

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daesungindistress · 2 years ago

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GDYBDAE!!!

#3/4 brings us so close to completing the set #top where are you what are you up to 🥺#bigbang #daesung #gdragon #taeyang #youngbae #gd #gdybdae #this pic was taken at a celebratory dinner for gd's recent kwondo black/white shoe collab with nike #so I'll go ahead and tag it for easier finding later...#kwondo #nike #peaceminusone #peace sign

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tasteleeknow · 2 years ago

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hihi jade !! i’m fairly new to tumblr and wanted to ask what’s the best way to reblog a post? i want you and my other favourite writers to get the attention + support you deserve but i’m still quite not sure on how it works ><

hihi !! that's really nice to of you make the effort to understand ! i'll put a little tutorial under the cut for you and anyone else that would like to learn. this is one of the best ways you can support writers on tumblr and i really encourage readers to stop and read this !

main or side? if you have no problem reblogging fics onto your main blog you can skip this section! this is just for people who don't feel comfortable putting fic on their blog for whatever reason.

tumblr has a thing called sideblogs where you can make secondary blogs on the same account. no one else looking at that blog will know it's attached to your main unless you tell someone. it's a great option for people who want a blog only for fic they read. the downsides is that you can only reply to posts from your main and send asks off anon from your main. but it's a great option for reblogging fic.

on mobile: just go to your blog then press your name and then 'create a new blog'

on web: click the profile icon then 'new'

how to reblog this part is easy! the best way to help writers is to reblog any fic you read and enjoyed. leaving a little comment in the tags is a lovely bonus and i'll show you how to do that soon. first i'll show you how to reblog really quickly with no comments. it's as easy at liking!

on mobile: at the bottom of a post, HOLD the reblog button. the icons of all your blogs will appear. DRAG then RELEASE over the blog you want to reblog the post to. your main or any sideblog you've made. that's it!

on web: hold the e key on your keyboard and icons from your blogs will pop up. then hover over the icon you want to reblog to and click. same deal as mobile. will reblog to the blog you clicked, quick and easy.

adding feedback/tags this is the bonus step that will make any writer's day. i read every single comment people leave in the tags of their reblogs! here's how you can add comments to your reblogs!

bonus: using tags is also how you can organise your blog. if you add tags like 'minho' or 'favourite' and then search them on your blog later, you can find your favourite fics. much easier to organise than likes.

on mobile: press the reblog button instead of holding it.

where it says '+ add tags to help people find your post', click and add any and all thoughts about the fic you just read. it can be a little keysmash or it can be an essay. adore anything you feel like offering. type a sentence or word then hit return on your phone keyboard then type the next word or sentence. and so on and so on. (this is also where you can put your organisational tags). then when you're done press reblog.

on web. click the reblog button. you'll get a popup like this. type your tags. all your thoughts. then any tags to help you find the post later. hit reblog!

bonus: if you really do want to write an ESSAY (always welcome). this is where you can put your thoughts into the caption instead of tags. where i've written 'long comments/essays here' on mobile screenshot and where it says 'go ahead, put anything' on web.

when should you reblog? whenever you finish a fic that you enjoyed! tumblr works by sharing posts with others through reblogging. when you follow people any posts they reblog will show on your dashboard. it's great for organically sharing content without algorithms like other sites use. fanfiction is all about fandom and community. writers write. and readers share and comment on the writing they enjoy. healthy ecosystem!

what are likes for then? exactly what it says on the tin. hey, i liked this! a lot of people use them as bookmarks. i can only see this being a good use of it if you also reblog fics once you've read them. i can only imagine how many liked posts some people have. they must have to scroll for ages to find anything. i use it just as a like button. literally, i liked this! or to just show support for my mutuals personal posts. if i find a fic i want to read later, i'll use it for that sometimes too.

what if i'm shy? firstly, tumblr is entirely anonymous. i don't know who you are and all i'm doing is reading whichever tags you've decided to add to my work. no one you know can judge you for the fic you read if you make a blog just for fic. and i'm certainly not judging you. i have anxiety myself, i understand the struggle. exposure therapy! just give it a go, see how you feel. i really feel you if you just make the effort to start doing it, you'll realise it really is okay! writers on here adore feedback and they'll appreciate you a lot for being a reader that reblogs and comments. reblogging with no comment to start off might help you ease into it.

writing takes a lot of time and effort. the only thing i've ever seen asked in return from the people that write is for you to let them know what you thought of it in the tags of a reblog! it's a very minor action compared to the time and effort it took to write the fic as well as the time and effort it took you to read it!

anyway, appreciate anyone who made the effort to read this and understand. readers who reblog and comment are the reason anyone is still on this site writing! ♡

ps. if you use desktop you can add the extension 'xkit rewritten' to chrome or firebox and use the feature quick reblog which makes tagging and reblogging even easier. the quick reblog feature looks like this. xkit rewritten is also how i make tag bundles that i can add to posts with one click instead of typing 20 tags out everytime i post a fic.

#kpop smut #stray kids smut #kpop imagines #skz smut #lee know smut #bang chan smut #stray kids imagine #stray kids imagines #kpop scenarios #stray kids scenarios #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #skz imagines #stray kids fanfic #skz scenarios #x reader #answered #how to reblog

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thera-daydreams · 4 years ago

Text

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

#trese #trese 2021 #trese netflix #maliksi #maliksi x reader #tikbalang #trese fic #x reader #trese x reader #thera.writes

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differentkettleoffishalltogether · 5 years ago

Text

I’m On Fire [Chapter 2]

With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

Chapter Summary: Y/N and Spencer start to put a plan together.

A/N: I’ve got a head cold at the mo’ but I had to get a covid test just in case so I’m not allowed leave my room till I get the results! So enjoy a bonus chapter while I wallow on my own for like 36 hours :( On a positive note, thank you guys all so much for the response to chapter 1 I really didn’t see that coming! I’ve tagged everyone who asked, let me know if you wanna be added

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: Cursing, some NSFW language/themes

Word Count: 6.1k

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Series Masterlist

Masterlist

"Are you coming up or what?"

The question was still ringing in my ears. It caught me completely off guard. 'Up' as in up to Spencer's apartment? Where he lived? I knew he lived somewhere in theory, just like I knew deep down that he wasn't made in a test tube.

Without noticing I've undone my seatbelt and I'm hopping out of the car, following him around to the front door. I guess I am coming up.

Spencer's apartment is more cosy than I thought it was going to be. It's warm and lived in. It's not big, but I think that might be what makes it homely. Something about the way he behaves had me thinking it would be fully decked out in stainless steel or glass or something. But it wasn't pristine, it was messy.

There were books bursting from the shelves that lined the walls of the apartment, along with books laid open over nearly every surface in the place, it looked like he was in the middle of reading all of them, and honestly, I didn't doubt it. Maybe I'd misjudged him. He even had some photos of what looked like his family, and maybe friends, even some of the BAU, lining his walls or propped up on his mantle. He had little trinkets and souvenirs on his shelves too, evidence that he'd been around the country for reasons other than a case. I would never admit it to him but there was a real charm to the place.

Once we got inside he took off his bag and suit jacket, tossing them on the desk just inside of the door. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, and he seemed to pick up on my awkward energy.

"You can make yourself at home" he said, his confident streak remaining. I had no idea what to do with that. What would even make me comfortable in Spencer Reid's apartment? I took a seat on his sofa and just sat with my hands resting in my lap. Really not even sure where I should look without feeling like I was invading his privacy. Even though I wanted to. I think it was morbid curiosity, looking for clues on who this man might actually be outside of the BAU. What I really wanted to do was stand up and walk around, soaking in every bit if this place as if it would help me decipher our messy relationship.

He returned to the living room a few moments later, two mismatched mugs in his hands. He places one in front of me on the coffee table. I pick it up and take a sip. It's lemon and ginger, how did he know what kind of tea I liked? I held the mug in my hands inhaling the steam in an effort to relax. When I look up he's watching me, arms folded across his chest.

"So, how does this thing work. What's the game plan?" I honestly have no real idea. This evening really got away from me, I was still expecting to snap out of it and wake up in my bed at any moment.

"Well I can't say I've ever been in a Sandra Bullock movie before either so this is uncharted territory for me too" I say with a chuckle, trying to ease the tension. Even a little. I can see him crack a small smile but hides it almost instantly, his face hardening again.

"My sister, Margot, she's getting married in like 4 months." I can feel myself tense and I shake out my shoulders, I have to remind myself that he's agreed to this already, "Fuck it, I'm just going to be honest with you. My Mom's mostly freaked out that I'm too attached to this job and that I'll just never find someone again." I shouldn't have said again, fuck. I hope he didn't pick up on that. Who am I kidding. "Even though, I'm not sure I care if I do or don't?" he doesn't say anything, like he's waiting for me to continue. I know I've shared a little too much already but I keep going.

"Margot's 2 years younger than me, I introduced her to her fiancé Philip, we met in college, he's a sweetheart. But since they've gotten engaged Mom's gotten exponentially weirder. I think she's convinced I'm fully going to die alone, as if that would be the worst thing that could ever happen? Anyway, she's been trying to auction me off to all these guys, using this wedding as an excuse. I'm not sure how much of that phone call you actually heard earlier but Mom was trying to sell me on this guy, David, and I just… snapped." I look up at Spencer and he unfolds his arms, leaning in ever so slightly coaxing the story out of me.

"David, he uh, he worked for my father for a while back in high school, filing documents and stuff, busy work mostly. He used to make out with me when he was at our house after school, but then he'd ignore me in the halls the next morning. I know it's because I was a pariah back then or something but I didn't want to think about it today and I just got worked up. I shouldn't have let on that you were my date, I was just going to ask if I could bring Garcia or something, and I'm sorry." I cover my face in my hands, "I'm insane, you can back out if you want to."

I can hear him move from his spot on the opposite side of the sofa, he takes my wrists and gently pulls my hands from my face. He looks into my eyes, "I'm in this now Y/N, what do you need me to do?" he asks, and there's a genuine earnest in his voice that I think I've only ever heard a handful of times. And it's never been directed at me.

"Okay, well we've got a few months before you ha–, wait, fuck!" I throw my head back, there's already a complication, "shit" I curse under my breath. His eyebrows knit together, sitting upright.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I forgot about my Mom's 50th, it's next month. They've got this whole huge party planned back home in upstate New York. I've gotta go and they'll probably want to meet you, or they're gonna have a load of questions for me at least. I can try and get you out of it I'm sure"

He gets that cocky look again, he shakes his head "I don't know, I've always liked a bit of competition" he reclines back into his corner of the sofa, taking a satisfied sip from his own mug before speaking again. "You know, if I've got to learn enough to pass as your boyfriend in a month, surely that means you've got to learn enough to pass as my girlfriend within the month, no?"

Oh god. What have I done, why didn't I think this far ahead. "I mean, yeah I guess you're right." I had to remember he was doing me a favor. I had to get over myself. "Okay, if you're sure you're up for that?" I ask, and he nods, and I think he looks excited, or maybe he just finds the whole situation funny.

"If anyone's up for the competition it's you" he says, and I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a dig but I nod in agreement.

He takes another sip of his tea, collected and relaxed. I can't help but notice how at ease he is when he's in his own surroundings. I'm so used to seeing him sitting at a desk surrounded by paperwork, or combing through file after file in the make-shift office in a small-town police station, usually flustered or anxious, or antagonizing me whenever he wasn’t. This was a different Spencer. Completely in control, at ease.

"Alright, shall we get started then, we can't really afford to waste any time can we?" he was actually sort of right, so I nodded. It was only now occurring to me that I'd have to share parts of my personal life with him if I wanted this plan to work. We already knew the basics about each other, I'd read his file when I started at the BAU, I'd read everyones. And I feel like it was safe to presume he'd done the same.

His eyes bore directly into mine as he leaned forward, I think he was enjoying how uncomfortable I must've looked.

"How about I ask you some rapid-fire questions and you have to answer 'em?" he asks, and it's as good of a plan as any, and I can't think of any other suggestions, so I nod.

"Okay, shoot." I say, unsure and nervous, so I brace myself. I'm just grateful that he's making my life easier rather than harder for what feels like the first time since I met him.

I really should've known better.

He leans in, "So Y/N, first question, when did you lose your virginity?"

I almost choke on the mouthful of tea I just took, that can't be what he just asked, and he looks like he's savoring my shocked expression.

"I uh, I don't think you need to know that?" is all I can get out.

"Really? You think that's something your boyfriend wouldn't know about you?" he's right, but I didn't want to admit it outright.

"I feel like I sort of already hinted. It was that same guy David, I was 18, he was 19. We had sex on the couch while my parents went out one evening. I kept my bra on the whole time, he came, I didn't. It was all very standard stuff." I wasn't sure what compelled me to add that last part. I think I was giving in to the open honestly thing. "So what about you Doc?" I challenged.

He didn't seem embarrassed, or even shy. "I must've bloomed little later than you" he admits with a soft chuckle, "Vivian Stewart, I was 21, she was too. It was the last semester of my last PhD and I figured I must be missing out on something. And I sure was" he smirks to himself. "I came, she did too, 3 times. I did a lot of research ahead of time" he mirrored my story and I rolled my eyes. It was hard not to feel a little impressed but I tried with everything I had to stifle it so he couldn't tell. I wish it didn't make me feel something but it did. I gulp down the mouthful of tea that's been sitting in my throat.

I have to shake myself back to reality. I can't give him the satisfaction of throwing me. "My turn." I command, "When was your last relationship Dr. Reid?" I ask, "I mean like, serious one, not like hook-up" I clarify before he can ask. He thinks on it for a moment.

"I'm not sure what you classify as fully serious, but I guess it was this girl, Rebecca, we dated for a while when I first joined the BAU but it didn't work out. What about you?" he flips it back.

"So that was what, like 6-ish years ago?" I ask, he just nods.

"Mine was like 3 years ago now I think. I met this guy Nathan on my first week of college, we dated for like 4 years. He moved here for me when I got accepted by the BAU." I had to stop myself from delving into the detail. It was a long time ago now but it still hurt. "Long story short, the hours were demanding and they got in the way more than I would've liked. We ended up splitting a couple months after I got the job." I tried to play it off like it wasn't one of the more devastating things to happen in my life. But something told me he’d registered that, so he didn't push.

His energy picks up and he looks at me with a grin, but there's something a little sinister behind it. "I've got a more fun question for you." he leans in closer to me, "Y/N, when was the last time you got laid?" I just looked at him in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I can go first if you really need me to?" his voice didn't waver,

"Fuck you Reid, I know when it was!" I snapped back at him. I did have to think back a little farther than I'd like to pull up the memory.

"Met this guy in a bar when I was out with Pen one night, we went back to his place and hooked up." I say as deadpan as I can make it.

"Well that's not very exciting is it?" he jokes, "Did you at least cum that time?" I know he's just trying to rile me up, but I answer anyway.

"As a matter of fact I did" I earn back a little of my confidence.

"I'm so happy for you, but you did manage to avoid my initial question" fuck "when was this exciting night of yours Y/N?" he probes, like I really, really wished he wouldn't. I could lie, but I'm sure he'd be able to tell. I cringe before I can say it.

"About 8 months ago" I mutter, just low enough for him to hear.

"Sorry, did you just say 8 months ago?" He nearly shouts in disbelief, he seems to find it funny.

"Hey fuck you Spencer!" I go on the defensive, "When was the last time you even got laid?"

"Like two and half weeks ago" he says, confident, and still laughing, "Wait wait, when was the last time you got yourself off? I know you're not waiting 8 months!" he giggles and I think I could kill him. I know I kept giving him outs but was it too late for me to just get up and leave?

"I'm not doing this with you if you're just gonna make fun of me Reid, I get enough of that at work" I get out, my voice is serious but I'm trying to hide how awkward all of this is making me feel, and I don't know that I'm doing a very good job.

I can tell that's gotten to him, he relaxes and eases up on the giggling. "Look okay wait Y/N. I'll stop, I'm not actually trying to make fun of you. I was being serious, I think stuff like this is important if we're gonna have to be comfortable around each other enough to seem like a real couple. Plus, it'll just help break the ice?" he shrugs. "But you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I soften, because I agree, even thought I hate that he's right. "Fine" I collect my thoughts, "2 nights ago I'm pretty sure." I regret it almost instantly, but breaking the ice is supposed to feel awkward.

"Same here actually," he chuckles, "what'd you do?" I'm so startled by the question I almost forget how to answer.

"I, uh, my, my vibrator? I just felt like uh, I watched some..." I still can't force out a whole sentence. It's not like I was always awkward about sex or anything, I could talk to Garcia, or honestly probably any of the other team members about it. But with Spencer it didn't feel as comfortable. He still sat calmly, smiling just a little.

"Same here, 2 nights back, but with my hands I guess. I wonder if we were doing it at the same time?" he mutters the last part gently and my head goes a bit fuzzy. My eyes drift away from his face and settle on his hands, the mug he's holding looks so tiny with his fingers wrapped around it, I wondered how they'd look wrapped around my-

"Okay I think that's enough for one night, don't you think?" I jump up off the sofa and turn, mostly so that he doesn't catch the blush thats creeping from my neck up to my cheeks. And because I don't know what I'll say, or regret saying, if this conversations continues on its current trajectory.

"Sure," he says, standing up next to me, and I want to move further away instantly, "you're probably right, and it's getting a little late now anyway" he glances at his watch. Ushering me back towards his front door and opening it up. Before I can walk out he lightly touches my shoulder to turn me back to face him, and I wonder if he can feel the heat radiating from every part of me.

"So are you free next Friday after work?" he asks, and I'm so flustered I almost forget why, I just nod. "Perfect, how about we come here again and we can dive into preparing? You could also make a start on getting these onto a hard drive?" he gestures to the antique looking hardbacks adorning the shelves.

'Sounds great!" I perk up, feigning enthusiasm, "See you then!"

"Well, see you Monday morning actually Y/N" he smirks as I walk out the door. Fuck, he was right.

I really hadn't thought this through.

——

The weekend was a bit of a blur. I decided to try and put some useful information into a document for Spencer. It felt strange to try and condense my life into as few pages as possible. I knew Reid had an eidetic memory, and nothing would necessarily overwhelm him. But I also knew that he was someone that the team relied on to fill in a lot of the gaps in the rest of the our knowledge. So I felt bad about dumping a load of information on him, especially considering it was a favor he was doing for me.

I'd complied the majority of my life into a 15 page document and printed it out. Hopefully that would address most of what my family could guerrilla attack him with. There was also something unsettling about the imbalance. I was going to give him so many of the intricate details of my life in a little file, whereas all I really knew about Spencer was what I'd taken it upon myself to learn about him throughout the past few years.

I'd read all of his work while I was in college, given how he was the gold standard of getting into the BAU at a young age, I wanted to know who this guy was. I think I'd pictured something different. And I couldn't deny there was something enticing about finally getting to know him after all of these years of working together. Maybe this could actually be fun, or interesting at least.

----

I arrived early on Monday morning. I thought I was first into the office as usual but Garcia was sitting in my desk chair waiting for me. The second she saw me walk in she tensed, she must've known we were the only people in this early.

"What happened! You've been avoiding me all weekend?" she asked, and she was right. I'd drafted enough texts to her, trying to explain what the plan was, mostly without wanting to admit that she was right. Maybe I was stubborn.

"Alright okay, I drove Reid home." I admitted, dropping my bag by my desk. She rolls her eyes at me, dramatic as always.

"Well I knew that already Y/N damn! What happened next?"

"Fine, we went into his apartment and talked for a while. Trying to sort out the details, get a handle on things I guess?" I said, unsure of how much I should actually give away about our conversation.

"What things!?" She shouts, standing up from my desk,

"I don't know Pen, like logistics and stuff, I still haven't decided how I feel about that little stunt you pulled on Friday night!" I let my frustration get the better of me, and maybe that's why I haven't talked to her. It could also be because I know she's able to read me like a book and I'm not even sure how I feel about this whole situation.

"I call bullshit." She counters, "I know you were relived as hell when I sorted that whole thing out. You would've had anxiety tummy all weekend if I hadn't called Spencer!" I just go silent, she was right. I'd gotten so caught up in the whole, 'how to have a fake boyfriend' that I'd almost forgotten about how stressed I was about Spencer hearing my call in the first place.

"Okay, shit" I sigh. "Maybe you were right Pen. We're actually meeting up again this Friday after work to make a plan for the next while, so I guess that's progress?" I shrug, trying to play it off like this whole situation doesn't make my stomach flip.

"Ohhhhh! So like a date?" She probes, her enthusiasm rising drastically.

"Oh my God Pen no! Like an appointment at best" I diffuse the situation

"Ugh that's no fun" she says, not even trying to disguise her disappointment.

As if on cue Dr. Reid walks through the double doors into the bullpen. Both Garcia and I wave, overall awkwardly, but making an attempt pretend like things were completely normal and like nothing had changed since the last time we were all in the office together.

Penelope heads to her office as the bullpen starts to fill up quickly. Less than an hour later though Garcia's back at my desk and there's a new case that needs the teams attention in Boston. I follow her into the conference room and wait for the rest of the team to join. Spencer follows a moment later with 2 cups of coffee in his hands. I can see my mug in his hand and my automatic response is that he's messing with me. But he places my mug in front of me in the circular table before taking the seat next to me, listening to Garcia's briefing. I don't know if he's ever sat next to me in this conference room, at least not by choice.

I barely had any time to finish my coffee before I have to say goodbye to Garcia and hop on the jet to Boston.

----

The case was grueling. More so than usual. It was wrapped up late on Thursday night and the team decided to fly back home first thing on Friday morning. I was exhausted. Even if there was enough time to get sleep each night it wasn't like I got any. Whenever a case got on top of me like this it made it hard to rest, or get it off my mind at all until it was wrapped up. So even though it was over, that didn't mean I wasn't exhausted.

Hotch gave the team the rest of the day off, given that we have until submit our paperwork by Monday. I wasn't sure if Spencer's invitation from the following week still stood. I didn't want to ask, partly because I was so tired, but also because I was scared. I wasn't about to show up at his house in an effort to have a heart to heart, or hand him a condensed version of my life story on a manilla envelope if he was as drained as I was.

Standing by my desk I packed up everything I'd need to get my paperwork done over the weekend, I was just about finished when Spencer snuck up behind me, perching himself on the edge of my desk. "So, you almost ready to go?" he asks, like it's the most obvious question in the world. I couldn't really hide my surprise.

"Oh yeah. That's fine, I mean, if you're still cool with that?" I ask, and I hate how flustered I sound, like he makes me nervous.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He chuckles, standing up straight.

"Cool, gimme a sec and I'll be good to go."

I pack up the rest of my stuff quickly and we make our way out. There's something that feels a little eerie about the two of us being in an elevator together alone again. It was a different kind of awkward to how it felt a week before hand. It almost felt like a kind of tension rather than a hatred or a rivalry. Either way we rode down in silence.

Once we got to the basement Spencer walks out of the elevator and walks straight to my car without having to ask. I unlock it and he hops into the passenger seat. Like this is a natural interaction. Something we do all the time. And I don't hate it as much as I thought I would.

"So," he says, buckling up his seat belt and breaking the silence, "do you know how to get to my place from here or do you need directions again?"

"Well I've got to turn on the engine first" I tease, hoping he picks up on the reference to our last car ride, he chuckles like he does.

"Are you hungry?" he asks

"Starving."

The delivery guy get's to Spencer's apartment at almost the same time we do.

---

Once the food's been demolished the two of us finally sit on his sofa, the same sides as the week before. "So, shall we get back into this?" He asks, sitting forward slightly to pull a notebook out of his satchel on the floor. It's small and lavender, and it's got a pen clipped into the spine. He cracks it open and flips to a specific page.

"Sorry, what's that?" I ask, pointing to the book, he looks confused,

"They're my notes?" he says, like it should be obvious

"Your notes?" I ask,

"My notes on you." he smirks, again like I'm silly for even asking.

He had notes on me? He had a whole notebook on me? What was even in that thing?

"You've got notes on me?" I ask, my hands reaching out to grab it, but he retreats faster than I can catch him. "What have you got in there that's so serious?"

"Nothing." and his tone's a bit too stern and I don't really want to push it when he's being so uncharacteristically nice to me.

"I've actually got this ready for you" I pull the file out of my own bag and toss it to him. "I'm not sure exactly what you need to know but that should be the majority of it at least."

He opens it up and glances over the the pages. It takes him all of 2 minutes to get through the whole thing. It feels unsettling that he's taking in a boiled down version of my life while I'm just sitting on the opposite side of the sofa. Trying to avoid the attention I pipe up.

"Um, hey, maybe it would be a good time for you to show me where to make a start digitizing your books over here?" I stand up and make my way to the shelf. He jumps up off the sofa and walks toward me, visibly excited.

"That's actually a great idea, I thought that the theses from my degrees could be a good place to start, since I'm pretty sure they're not backed up anywhere." he guides me to a section of the book case by the window. There's a series of leather bound hardbacks, the same gold font embossed on the spines. I recognize all of them, pulling out the first one.

"This is my favorite" I say without thinking about it and he does a double take, clearly thrown.

"You've, uh, you read my work?" he asks, completely puzzled. I'm sort of proud that I've managed to make him this awkward, and I nod.

"Mmhm, back before I joined the BAU actually. Before I really knew you" I regret saying the last part, it comes out a little meaner than I really wanted it to so I back track. "Spencer, I read all of your work while I was in college, you were like the gold standard. I don't think I slept more than 2 hours a night throughout my PHD because I was just trying to get as much done as you." and his face softens at the admission. But it takes him a moment before he responds. Leaving the two of us in silence a little too long.

"I had no idea" is all he says.

"I think this one was best" I say propping up the one in my hand, "you get a bit cockier as you move on” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "but I'll start with all of these I guess" I grab the matching books and stack them in my arms. Walking over to his desk and setting up. Glancing at the clock it was only 7pm so I decided to just make a start.

Spencer didn't contest. Letting me just get settled at his desk, I pull out my laptop and begin work on transcribing the first volume. After a few minutes he silently places a cup of tea down beside me and goes to sit on the sofa. The time rolls in quickly after that, each time I look up at Spencer he's carefully combing through the file I'd given him. Re-reading it and making little markings in his lavender notebook. I'm not really sure what I put in there that was worth making a note on but clearly he was reading between the lines on some things. That little notebook was like a profile of me.

When he seemed like he'd finished writing he pulls out his phone, scrolling through it aimlessly like I'd never seen him do before. It made him look so normal. His eyebrows knit together as he's looking at something on his screen and he stands up. Making his way over to me at the desk and shows me what he was looking at.

"Who's this?" he asks, "This guy you're with?"

I recognize the photo instantly. It's from a few years earlier, Nathan and I on the beach, my head resting on his chest. He'd taken it while we were on vacation celebrating our anniversary. That was about a month before I got into the BAU, I had no idea that was going to be our last anniversary. I gulp down the emotions that it stirs. I'm mostly over the whole thing by now, but looking at old photos like that, photos of happier times, it can still sting.

"That's uh, the boyfriend I was telling you about last week. Nathan, we broke up not long after I joined the BAU?" he nods, but he's smart, and I kind of figure he already knew that.

"Ah alright" he takes out the hardback and jots another note down. Maybe he's trying to get a read on me.

"What are you doing?" I gesture to the phone,

"It's research, do you not think that if you and I were really dating that stalking your social media profiles would be on my agenda?" he's smug, and he's right. But I guess I just didn't expect it from him.

"Well that's not really fair now is it? I can't reciprocate, you've got no social media presence whatsoever!" he finds that funny, letting out a deep chuckle and tucking his phone away in his back pocket.

"Maybe so, but that imbalance is hardly my fault. Besides, you've read all my dissertations apparently..."

"Bastard" I joke, slamming my laptop shut and throwing a pen from his desk at him so that it lightly bounces off the top of his head.

"Hey, there's no need for violence Y/N!" he rubs the spot beneath his curls, "Maybe it's time you took a break actually?" he says, sitting himself back down on the sofa.

I was reluctant to admit it but he was right. My eyes were starting to go a little fuzzy after looking at the screen for so long. I stand up and stretch my arms out above my head, feeling my spine stretch out after sitting for so long, letting out a low groan. Spencer waves me over to the sofa and I join him.

"How about we go back to basics?" Spencer asks with a small grin, and I can't help but let out a long sigh.

"I thought I was taking a break, no more questions" he just laughs at me,

"Relax, you're not that interesting, it's just a simple question." he states, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to find it funny or offensive

"Ugh, fine, shoot"

"Well, actually it's two questions" he corrects, "what's your favorite movie, and what's your favorite snack?"

I'm confused mostly by the fact that it actually is a simple question, I was expecting something a lot more contentious, but also because he looks eager to know the answer.

"I'm not really sure what my favorite movie is to be honest, one of them is Night of the Living Dead?"

He nods to himself, and jots it down in the notebook again, "Alright, I can make that work" he stands up off the sofa before turning back to me, "and snack?"

"Peanut butter cups I guess?" I respond and he grins ear to ear, which is a completely new sight, and I like it way more than I thought I would.

"Perfect, gimme 2 minutes!" he leaves the living room and wanders towards the kitchen.

Spencer returns a few minutes later with a DVD, a packet of peanut butter cups , and a thick knitted blanket gathered in his arms. He drapes the blanket over me and gently places the peanut butter cups on top of it before popping the DVD into the player and sitting down beside me. I'm not really sure how to process any of the situation. Am I about to watch a movie on Spencer Reid's sofa? Sitting next to Spencer Reid?

"I... I, uh, thought you were just asking for your notes?" I ask, pointing at the notebook resting in his lap. He picks it up and throws it onto the coffee table.

"Sometimes I find experience is the best teacher, don't you?" he asks before pressing play, “And besides, it should keep you quiet for a whole 96 minutes” of course.

I can only nod in agreement, I'm not really sure what I'll say if I try to speak. I get myself cosy under the warm blanket and we watch the movie in near silence.

Once the credits roll Spencer finally speaks up, "I actually went to see a screening of this last month downtown, there was this little old horror movie fest-" I cut him off without really realizing, I'm just strangely excited that we've genuinely got something in common.

"Holy shit, I was there!" I say, more enthusiastic than the situation calls for.

He laughs at my excitement, "Well, I guess we have more overlap than I thought, that should probably help with the whole charade." he stretches his arms up over his head and let's out a small, gentle yawn. I'd been enjoying myself more than I thought I would, or would ever tell Spencer, that I'd almost forgotten that we'd both been on a case for almost every waking moment of the past week. I really should feel a lot more drained than I do.

I was just after midnight when I suggested that I head back home. I offered to take some of the books home to work on throughout the weekend but Spencer insisted that I just work on them whenever I came over again. I sort of felt like I should thank him for the evening when I was on my way out the door, or give him a quick hug, no that felt wrong. In the end all I could really muster was a lousy, "goodnight" and a meek wave on my way out the door before I drove home. And couldn't get to sleep.

— —

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theoriginalladya · 3 years ago

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Meteor, black hole, and galaxy for Aubrey please!

from this list

Thank you! These are fabulous questions!

Tagging @mtreebeardiles for meteor for Aubrey (who I assume you were asking about - I'll address John A. for you on your post).

Tagging @laelior who asked for galaxy for Aubrey.

Meteor - Does your Shepard have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

So, because Aubrey is the clone Shepard, because his entire existance is due to Cerberus interference and a petri dish, his entire life has been nothing but stress after stress after stress. I honestly don't understand the technicalities of the medical/scientific stuff involved in creating a clone - let alone one who is ready to go in such a short amount of time as Bioware set up. To make it easier for me, I'm basing quite a lot of my understanding off how Grunt was created and educated in his tank. Neural impants are another thing I don't have anything more than a cursory understanding of, so same thing. (fair assumption or not, that's what I'm going with because I understand Grunt's situation just a teensy bit more than I do the human clone thing)

Suffice to say, Aubrey ends up with a few mannerisms and habits, good or bad, that are unique to him, but I'm only going to give you one of them here because I'm still working on figuring out what they all are.

The major one develops specifically because of Brooks, but isn't limited to situations just with her.

When Aubrey 'wakes up' (for lack of a better term), he is overwhelmed, to put it mildly. Without Shepard's experiences or background when he wakes up, he has no coping mechanisms in place to help deal with it all. On top of that, he has Brooks manipulating him for her goals/desires from the get go. He goes along with it at first for no other reason than it seems the easiest way to buy himself time to figure out what the hell is going on.

That said, it doesn't take long to realize what she wants of him isn't something he is willing to give - but he cannot find a way out of it; not yet, anyway. So, when things get too hard, too harsh, when Brooks is on his very last nerve (it doesn't occur to him to try to deal with her himself, and even if it did, she has too many security measures in place), he takes to tapping out different rhythms with his fingers. Depending on what kind of situation it is, you may get a rhythm from a specific song whose mood fits that situation, or (unknowingly) morse code for SOS.

You'll see later in his stories that Brooks isn't the only one who triggers this kind of response; it usually is an indication that Aubrey has reached his limit and if pushed beyond it, well... I'll just point out he is a biotic with very limited training.

Black hole - What is your Shepard’s greatest fear?

Hmmm... very good question. Considering the way in which the Clone comes about, I'd imagine Aubrey has quite a few of them from the moment he wakes up. That said, jumping ahead a few years (and since the stories will be about him) and based what I know about him right now, I'm going to say his greatest fear is that he will forever be mistaken for John A. and will never be allowed to move beyond that.

Galaxy - Under what circumstances do they find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

The way Brooks trained him, Aubrey sees his sole purpose as to kill Shepard and replace him by any means necessary.

Problem is, no one ever asked what he wanted. Had he been able to break free of her and the 'mission', Aubrey would have run - to where, he had no idea, just away - but her control over him was tight. Even after the mission fiasco, even after eventually finding out that Brooks died on that ship, he still expects her around almost every corner, just waiting to pull him back under her control. She, he'd kill in a heartbeat; no thought, no regret.

Shepard, too, would be an easy kill, at least once he finds out more about John A. himself. It's difficult for Aubrey to put into words why, but he knows enough about the man, has to deal with enough of it when he's mistaken for him, that he is aware he deserves it - and that has nothing to do with the fact that if John A. was still alive, it would end up with one of them dead anyway.

Beyond that, circumstances vary. He develops a healthy sense of self-preservation - despite the confusion he goes through at first - and will defend himself. And, while he isn't outwardly the "I must defend the defenseless", he does develop a sense of that as time goes on. (not going to give specifics as it has to do with his story) By that point, he is cabable of differentiating between acceptable and unacceptable without the chaos that is the beginning of his life influencing his decisions. (if that makes any sense whatsoever! lol)

#dandenbo #ladya's OCs #Aubrey #Shepard Ask Meme #Mass Effect #thanks so much for asking!!!!

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damienthepious · 3 years ago

Text

chewsday. KNIGHT RILLA. someday soon i'll skip ahead and there Will Be Lizard.

let the roots absorb the pain (chapter 2)

[ch 1] [ao3] [ch 3] [???]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Rilla, Sir Damien

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Injury Recovery, (referenced. will likely come up more in later chapters), difficulty accepting help, (a reoccuring theme with this rilla i’m finding. alas.), Self-Worth Issues, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, (written for LKT but the lizard doesn’t feature so! not going in the ACTUAL tag)

Fic Summary: Sir Rilla the Relentless slowly, slowly heals. In more ways than one.

Fic Notes: ahhhh man i’m nervous about this one. also reminder that the idea of Knight!Rilla and Herbalist!Damien invaded my brain courtesy of the designs by @thetrainfromnowhere !!! This fic is basically a follow-up to the first one in the series, but that one stood alone fairly well so i didn’t want to make THAT a chaptered thing. This one, however, will takes some… time, to work through. Title from the song Trust, by Lucy Dacus. Love That Album…..

Chapter Summary: Okay. So. That didn't exactly go well.

Chapter Notes: Picking up pretty much exactly where the last chapter left off. Red alert i really love Sir Rilla so much.

Rilla stops, beneath the bells. She just- her legs go stiff, and she clutches with a grimace at her back, and then she shakes her head hard and lifts her hands to press against her face.

Deep breaths, kiddo, she thinks vaguely. Slow now.

Okay. So. That didn't exactly go well.

And she still doesn't have any way to feel like less of a dick about Damien treating her.

She hadn't even meant to say- any of that, really. She scrubs a hand down her face, sighing. She had meant to make the whole thing completely logical, completely convincing. Her medical expenses are on the dime of the crown, anyway! Damien gives her a number, she sends the bill to the Queen via the quartermaster, Damien gets to fund a few meals and medicines and improvements to his little cottage, and he doesn't need to feel like he's taking something from Rilla in the exchange, even. It's a good idea and Rilla went and-

Fucked it up by basically screaming in Damien's face about how miserable she is to be around. Because the only thing, the only thing in her life that Rilla has a handle on-

Is the slaying.

(Her parents were healers.)

(Rilla earns her way quite differently.)

And. Annoyingly. The pain in her back that spiked when she hauled herself up from Damien's table hasn't exactly calmed down on her rushed little walk back this way. She's fairly certain she can feel the distinct sensation of her bandages dampening with blood. Making this endeavor even more counterproductive than it would have been just on the basis of the screaming match. Or- that isn't even the right term, because Damien never raised his voice back at her. Of course.

Smug little holier-than-thou-

She grits her teeth. Because. She doesn't even really think that, either. It'd be easier if she did.

Rilla sighs, shifts carefully so as not to tug her bandages too much, and puts the bells at her back, aiming herself back towards the barracks.

She manages to redress the wound easily enough, despite the awkward spot. She steals a little mirror from another knight while he's out, angling it carefully on her cot so she can get better eyes on her own back. She truly does not have time for an infection on top of the original recovery, so she works as carefully as she can stand. She dips her fingers into the jar of ointment the herbalist insisted she take when she left the first time, and she smooths it across the wound, biting back a wince at the gentle sting before she pulls out some fresh bandages.

A tiny voice in the back of her head mutters that it would've been easier if she just let the actual doctor do all this. She's not a doctor. She chose pretty goddamn specifically not to be, actually, so maybe she should stick to her core fucking competency and leave the healing to the healers-

Rilla tells the voice to fuck off.

Two days later she finds herself on the path to the cottage again. Pulling the wound open means that she's gone through the rest of Damien's ointment faster than he probably intended, and she used up the last of it this morning. And she-

No.

Stupid. This is stupid, she already made an ass of herself, she doesn't need to go crawling back to-

She turns around before she even sees the bells, this time.

The Citadel doctors offer a different sort of cream. It stings worse, stinks worse, sticks to Rilla's fingers and she needs to apply it constantly.

Absolon makes the stupidest, most satisfying aughughh noise when he sticks his hand into his rucksack and finds his travel kit absolutely covered in some mysterious nasty pale goo that won't wash off. It's probably the highlight of Rilla's week, even if she can't openly laugh about it.

Doesn't actually do anything to help treat her back, though.

Rilla doesn't make it to Damien's front door, when she finally caves again, but only because when she steps out of the jungle, the herbalist is already out in his garden.

On the ground. Cross-legged, with his eyes closed.

Rilla watches him warily for a moment or two, scanning her eyes across the rest of the grove compulsively to check for other threats. There aren't any, of course. Unless the songbirds flitting around Damien's feeders are somehow malicious.

She shifts her feet, a little unnerved by how still he looks, there, and then she steps a little closer, making sure her boots scuff loudly enough that she won't surprise him.

"What are you.... doing. Sitting there."

Damien doesn't open his eyes, though the corner of his mouth tugs into a vague smile and he tilts his head just slightly towards her. He hums, softly, for a long moment, and then he breathes, "Meditating." He inhales gradually, then exhales through his mouth, and then he continues. "If your business is not... urgent, please allow me another few minutes. You may go inside, if you like. I'll join you soon."

Something about his tone makes Rilla think that he doesn't actually know that it's her, visiting. He sounds sorta like he's talking to her from three rooms away, while halfway asleep to boot. He could pass for a statue, if not for the slow rhythm of his breathing. She watches him for another moment or two, vaguely glad to have the chance to look him over without him watching her in return, and then she shrugs for no one and turns for the cottage.

She doesn't go in, nevermind his permission. It'd just be too weird, really. She sits on the steps, instead, wincing as she settles, and then she waits.

His garden really does attract a lot of birds, she muses, watching some gold-winged thing warble-argue with a larger darkly iridescent bird on the edge of a birdbath. There's a bunch of butterflies, too. Dragonflies from off the river. Fat, fuzzy bees. Rilla really didn't notice just how much life flutters around Damien's cottage on her first couple visits.

Which. Well. She fainted on the first go-round, and she was pretty goddamn single-minded the second time, both coming and going. It isn't like she really looked.

The bells from the Gate of Tranquility mark the hour, a distant dreamy chime that Rilla can only barely hear above the river, but it must be the signal Damien was waiting for, because only a moment after the ringing fades off, he exhales more deeply, his shoulders sinking, and then he rolls his head in a circle and stretches his arms above his head. He rolls to his feet then, weirdly elegant, and when he turns towards the cottage-

He blinks, and stills.

Rilla's lip turns up, a wry sort of smile she can't really help. She was right, then, that he didn't realize it was her, specifically. She leans back against the steps with deliberate laziness, raising a hand halfway to give the herbalist something like a wave.

He approaches slowly, his face fixed in a baffled-bemused sort of smile, almost shy, and he slows when he gets close to the step instead of trying to move around her, so she doesn't bother to force herself to stand just yet.

"Herbalist," she says mildly, squinting up at him against the midday sun.

"Sir Rilla," he greets, sounding oddly breathless. "I... you came back. I didn't think you would."

... Oh.

Uh oh.

"No-" he shakes his head quickly at whatever look managed to slip onto Rilla's face, one hand fluttering out as if he might touch her arm before he jerks it back, lacing his fingers together behind his back instead. "I did not mean to imply that you are in any way unwelcome. I only- I thought you might be too... unhappy with me, perhaps, for another visit."

Rilla forces a calmer breath than she wants to take, and then she tries a smirk. "Kinda figured you'd be the one asking me to fuck off for being an asshole, actually. I need more of that stuff in the jar you gave me that first visit," she continues before he can respond, and he blinks rapidly as he visibly tries to process her words. "If you don't mind. And I really would like if you'd let me pay for the cost of the materials, at least."

He pulls on his lower lip with his teeth for a moment, then his expression twitches towards hopeful. "I have more made up, let me just-"

He slips past her up the steps, making a tutting noise and gesturing for her to stay put when she shifts as if to stand, and Rilla forces herself still despite her instincts as the doctor darts inside. It's only a few moments before he returns, half-hopping down the stairs around her and pressing another jar of the ointment into her hands.

She bounces the weight of the glass from palm to palm for a beat, then nods and tucks it into the satchel at her side. "Thanks," she tries with a nod, and Damien smiles a little less uncertainly.

"Thank you for- coming back," he says, very quietly, and she looks away.

"I didn't want this mess to get infected," she shrugs. "Don't wanna waste any more time than I need to."

Damien's expression- stiffens, weirdly, and he looks down and away.

"R-right. Of course."

Rilla pauses. She doesn't know... what the hell she said wrong, just now.

"... Damien?"

He smiles, but it looks strangely pained. "I apologize, Sir Rilla. I'm not going to- to continue to try to convince you to spend time with me when you so clearly don't want to, that would be- that would be abominable of me, Sir Rilla. I apologize if that is how my previous interactions may have come across, and I-"

"Whoa, what? Wait a- what?"

Damien winces, pressing his mouth tightly closed. Rilla scans back through the conversation in her head, thinks don't wanna waste any more time, thinks about this little cottage sitting on its own in the jungle, thinks about Damien's uncertainty about his own current appellation, thinks about the dozens of birdhouses and birdfeeders and the warm lilting song around him in the garden as he meditates-

He's... he's all alone, out here.

(He thinks that she doesn't want to spend time with him, specifically.)

"Do you want-" she pauses, grits her teeth, and tries a second time. "Do you. Do you want to go inside. And have some tea." Another pause. "With me."

Damien startles, like the first time she ever saw him, eyes wide and cheeks darkening.

And then he smiles, blooming like his garden, and Rilla presses her lips together to resist the urge to follow suit.

#elle's fanfic #second citadel #amaryllis of exile #sir damien #(SORTA...)#knight swap au #relentless #let the roots absorb the pain #oh look! absolon is here for a line!

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