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#(and it's particularly insulting that the run has him struggling to keep up with BLACK MASK
laufire · 3 months
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reading lobdell's writing is really confirming that I would take a thousand runs where jason is portrayed as the amoral incarnation of the devil even from age 12 over a single one where he's robbed of his intelligence and hypercompetence. any fucking day.
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canvas-madness-txc · 26 days
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Thoughts on Oliver Twist
The fact that Charles Dickens starts off his book basically like: "Our story starts off in a town but not one that exists in real life, but I am also not making one up" is somehow both brilliant and kinda annoying at the same time
Oliver's good spirit that had plenty of room to grow because of the fact the establishment refused to feed the orphans. That is depressing.
Mr. Bumble is efficient with his naming process. He has all the remaining letters and all the way through again once he gets to Z
Oliver makes me want to cry when he cries, he's just a little kid
The fact that they just took people away from their families instead of encouraging them to support their family is insane
Mr. Gamfield has "the slight imputation of having brushed three or four boys to death already"... thank goodness they didn't send Oliver with him
I did tell my friends that the "please sir, I want some more" came from this
I get that they're orphans, so they are outcasts but are threatening death over food necessary???
Everyone is so mean to Oliver for no reason :(
There is something particularly gross and horrifying when the undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry proposes to make Oliver a "mute" (someone who goes to funerals and cries) specifically for other children's funerals.
Dickens calling himself Oliver's biographer and using the first person as if he's actually telling the story to us is always something that makes me happy in his books. I like it when he speaks personally of his characters like he knows them
"He'll murder me!" You insulted his dead mother. Can't blame Oliver on this one
He's not a murderer. He shook Noah a few times, but he's still alive and well, just sobbing with a black eye. It would definitely hurt, but he'll live
The fact that they blame Oliver's actions on meat and being overfed is so weird 😐. Oliver deserved to run away
Dick is so sweet despite being prepared to die from sickness
"The blessing was from a young childs lips, but it was the first that Oliver had ever heard invoked upon his head; and through the struggles and sufferings, and troubles and changes, of his after life, he never once forgot it" my heart
Fagin, Bates, and Dodger kinda treat Oliver better even when the pickpocket things throw it off. They probably should've warned him before he was caught as a "thief" or, not betrayed him
At least Fagin is upset over it, even when it backfires in Mr.Sike's face. They do bother planning to look for him by asking Nancy to. It's kinda selfish that they do it so he won't tell, but they are worried for their own survival as well
Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin seems to be the only people who care for Oliver genuinely 100% of the time
Fagin is called "The Jew" more often than he is his actual name
Nancy talking about how she thieves for them for 12 years :(
Oliver keeps getting betrayed and left behind. He got shot, and they just left him!! Fortunately, someone always cones to find him, whether or not it's with good intentions kinda reignites the problems
Mr. Bumble gets married and is completely degraded by his wife's sharp wit in only 8 weeks.
Rose is an angel, no questions asked
SIKES JUST KILLED NANCY NOOOO
NOOO DICK DIED TOO 😭
Fagin is also dead for his compliance in the murder
Sikes dies in the most catastrophic way possible, fitting.
At least everyone else got the fates they deserved, good and bad :)
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dalgursbate · 3 months
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make a mess, lioness (2/?)
Summary:
It's much easier to get the upper hand in a negotiation when you're the one on top. Or, Tav reads Raphael's diaries.
WC: 6,689 Pairing: Raphael/Tav, Tav/Haarlep, Haarlep/Raphael Rating: E
part 1
Raphael is going to kill Haarlep.
It will be a shame, he thinks, to lose such a wonderful pet, but he simply cannot allow this…this indignity to persist.
He is currently gritting his teeth as he works in his office at Sharess’ Caress, trying to iron out the details of a deal with an up-and-coming bard who has ambitions of taking the Upper City by storm with an (admittedly rather inspired) lyrical epic. It’s a particularly enticing case, because Raphael has every confidence the bard is talented enough to achieve his ambitions on his own. Not that that would ever stop Raphael from claiming his due, of course.
It would be a much easier task if his mouth wasn’t currently filled with the flavor of what must be Tav, sultry and decadent, coating his tongue until it’s the only thing he is able to think about. Infuriatingly, he cannot be entirely certain, as the little harlot has yet to return to his bedroom for a repeat performance—regrettably, it is not a taste he has gotten to experience firsthand.
No, it seems she would rather torture him by wasting her valuable time fucking Haarlep nigh-daily instead of oh, you know, saving the world, perhaps?
What makes it all the more insulting is that if she were to use her own form when she did it, he wouldn’t even know it was happening. He wouldn’t be able to feel it. Which means that the detestable tramp has been using Raphael’s body to pleasure herself simply to spite him.
And in the week since she has acquired this ill-intentioned habit, not once has the evil little minx even touched his cock. Not since Haarlep first acquired her form, at least.
But oh, what a blissful interlude that had been, the feel of her bent almost in half as Haarlep drilled into her ruthlessly, the sensation of sliding further into her than he even thought possible. The muscles of her calves flexing under his hands as Haarlep pushed Tav’s legs past her shoulders. It was an encounter he had been eager to repeat, but Tav had not deigned to even allow him it through Haarlep, let alone to experience it firsthand. And he was far, far too proud to use her form so immediately after their lovely little tryst.
He had already lost enough face with her for one lifetime, thank you very much.
Instead, all he gets are phantom sensations that suggest her presence; her clever tongue probing into his mouth, her lips biting and sucking along the line of his neck, her tight, wet heat squeezing around his fingers as he struggles to even keep his grasp on his pen.
And, of course, the rich and decadent taste of her flooding his mouth and driving him into a frenzy with desire.
Suddenly, there are invisible nails scraping against his scalp and he is treated to the borrowed feeling of running out of air as she apparently smothers Haarlep’s face, and Raphael’s pen snaps in half.
“My liege, you know you could rescind her invitation to your House,” Korilla says cautiously from across the room. She is looking at him with something approaching concern or, Gods forbid, pity. “It would be child’s play to Banish her.”
He’s going to have to kill her too.
“Thank you, Korilla; your unsolicited counsel has been duly noted,” Raphael says tersely. By Asmodeus’ horns, he can feel Tav grinding against his mouth, writhing sinuously and taking her pleasure by force. It makes him so hard he briefly fears he may black out. “Why don’t you go recruit some more potential debtors?”
Korilla looks unimpressed, and Raphael notes her insubordination to be punished at a later date. “Of course, my liege.” She vanishes in a swirl of sparks and sulfur.
Raphael drops his head to his desk and groans, fingers itching to touch himself but his ego begging him not to.
He’s going to kill Haarlep.
It is an hour later and somehow, Tav’s assault on his sanity has yet to cease. Raphael has tried and tried to focus on work, but the unrelenting ache of his neglected cock is maddening. He doesn’t even understand how she can’t be satisfied yet, or how Haarlep’s tongue hasn’t gotten tired, though he supposes the ‘incubus’ bit might answer the latter question. It does not resolve the former, however, because by this point Raphael can feel the way she jerks away occasionally, presumably overstimulated from having orgasm after orgasm (how awful that must be for her, Raphael’s bitter mind grouses).
There is no other explanation. She must be doing it to ridicule him, and if he weren’t already certain that Tav is the source of this torment, he is now.
The thought makes him furious, makes him want to snap her little tease neck and then revivify her so he can show her just how well her devious plan is working. Gods, what he wouldn’t give to fuck her again, and here she is dangling it in front of his face, literally , for no other apparent purpose than to screw with him.
The worst part is — no, scratch that, there are so many worst parts that he cannot even name them all. Of course, that he has no bloody idea why she is doing this is certainly vexing. The ghostly stickiness that he can feel but cannot wipe from his face is driving him insane as well. And then there is the fact that he is starting to worry his cock will rot off and die if he doesn’t either cum or end this torture soon.
He gave her the damn Hammer, so why is she still so hells-bent on making him suffer? He wonders if maybe she wants something else from his archive, but surely she must know that he would happily provide her an easier, more mutually beneficial means of acquiring it. Even if the humiliating truth of that makes him want to catapult himself into the deepest chasm in Nessus.
For an agonizing moment, he considers whether perhaps she simply likes enjoying Haarlep’s company and isn’t thinking of Raphael at all. It brings an unbecoming scowl to his face, and he discards the thought on principle. Surely it can’t be that. After all, if that were what she wanted then he doesn’t see why she wouldn’t use her own form and achieve that end en soixant-neuf , as it were. It would enhance the pleasure of the experience exponentially, after all (and if he spends longer than is strictly necessary picturing it, well, thankfully he is within the privacy of his own mind).
Maybe, he thinks, she just gets off on chaos and cruelty, and Raphael is a convenient vehicle. A shameful frisson of heat alights in his abdomen at the thought of it. Wouldn’t it be just so perfectly pathetic for him to have found himself fixated on a mortal with the morals of a demon, of all things.
But that doesn’t feel right either; she is the soon-to-be Hero of Baldur’s Gate, after all. Cruelty is not normally in her nature.
No, she wants something from Raphael specifically. He’s sure of it. Something unrelated to his collection or what he can do for her as the heir to an archdevil, he thinks.
A tiny flicker of hope dances in his chest. Raphael doubts that she gets off on sheer cruelty, but perhaps…perhaps she gets off on the idea of driving him mad with lust. Perhaps his little mouse wants to taunt the cat that chases her.
Somehow, his cock throbs even harder at the thought of it. Well, if that’s the case, then Raphael has an idea or two about how to get back at her and satisfy his lust in one fell swoop.
He will make that harlot regret the day she thought she could win in a battle of seduction against a devil.
For now, though, he will be taking his work in Cania until such time as Tav sees fit to relinquish custody of his mouth.
When Raphael returns to the House of Hope, Korilla tries to approach him, but he brushes her off. 
Nothing is going to distract him from his mission. And that mission takes him directly to his boudoir, to have a conversation with a certain incubus.
Haarlep is sprawled out on the bed in Raphael’s masculine form, looking for all the world like the cat that got the cream.
“Ah, Master, so good to see that you’re home,” he purrs, running his fingers up his thigh seductively. “You just missed our guest.”
“Good,” Raphael says, stalking toward Haarlep while undoing the buttons on his doublet, stifling his simmering anger toward the incubus. He sheds his human skin and feels his wings unfurl, allowing himself a moment to stretch them after so long spent hidden away. “Take the little slut’s form. Now.”
Haarlep laughs delightedly, but does as he’s told, and in a snap the body lying on the bed resembles Tav down to the last inch. Hells, she looks good in Haarlep’s underwear. Raphael almost regrets that he’ll need to take it off of her. A shiver runs through him as he hears Haarlep’s voice change into a familiar feminine purr, “My, my, Master, did your little birdie get you all worked up? Poor thing, you must need your release so very badly.” 
Raphael chuckles darkly and removes his trousers and smallclothes in one fell swoop. The frigid chill of Cania had soothed some of the urgency of his desire, but he still aches with the need to cum. His cock stands proud and red in his cambion form, flushed darker than normal from hours spent being denied. Raphael runs one hand up the length of himself, fingers brushing over its devilish ridges, and watches Haarlep’s pretty eyes flutter with desire for a moment. 
“My dear, darling Haarlep,” he drawls sarcastically, “this won’t be about my pleasure. Clearly the little mouse has quite the appetite. It would be unbecoming of me as a host not to make sure she is well-fed.” He snaps his fingers and an innocuous-seeming circle of steel appears in between his fingers. Haarlep’s eyes light up with interest.
“Oh, Master, you do like her, don’t you?”
“Shut up,” Raphael snarls, his genteel affectation gone, and he affixes the ring around the thick base of his cock. If this is to work as Raphael intends, the last thing he can do is spend himself in Tav’s perfect little pussy too quickly. “And get naked. On your back, now.”
A shiver runs through Haarlep, a glorious sight to behold with her inhabiting Tav’s form, but Raphael is surprised to find himself a little disgusted at the fact that it isn’t actually Tav lying there naked. He shakes himself out of it, though; it needs to be Haarlep in order for him to get his revenge properly.
Raphael approaches the incubus on the bed, and spreads her thighs wide, drinking in the sight of Tav’s exposed body in a way he didn’t get the chance to during their all-too-brief encounter. 
“I imagine, back wherever she is, she’s probably still pretty sensitive,” Raphael murmurs, feeling his lids get a bit heavy as he looks at her.
“I’d imagine so, Master.”
Good, Raphael’s plan depends on that.
“The gentlemanly thing to do would be to warm her up first, then,” he says, and he ducks down to start biting and kissing her thighs, inching close to the core of her but retreating before he gets too close. Haarlep sighs and spreads her legs wider, already squirming excitedly at the contact.
“Ooh, Master, I don’t think you’ve ever done this for me before,” she says, and moans when Raphael hooks his hands under her thighs and grabs firm hold of her, the tips of his fingers just barely brushing the swell of her ass. He pulls her closer into him. “Are you sure you know how to do it?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” Raphael asks roughly, and bites especially hard on the soft, dark skin of Haarlep’s inner thigh; Haarlep squeals with rapturous glee in response. “And of course I haven’t done this to you, you witless little fool. I don’t like you.” 
“But you do like her?” Haarlep asks with obvious triumph, clearly over the moon at Raphael’s implicit admission. Raphael ignores her, and drags his tongue up her smooth flesh until he reaches her cunt, and he licks a long, broad stripe up the center of her.
“For the love of all that is unholy, shut up, Haarlep.” Raphael says, and refocuses on the task at hand instead of his irritating pet incubus. She tastes even better in person, the flavor of her sinfully indulgent and almost sweet. He tries to remember what made the phantom of her body twitch and buck against him, tries to mimic the motions he felt his own tongue making in Haarlep’s mouth.
For all he snapped at Haarlep, it is somewhat unfamiliar for him to be doing this at all, prone as he is to merely taking what he wants from the incubus. He must not be doing too bad a job at it, though, because she actually does shut up for once, exchanging words for strangled cries and shameless, wanton moaning. Raphael notes triumphantly that he can feel her growing wetter as he eats her out. Her hands bury in his hair and he hopes Tav feels it, hopes it tickles her fingers the way hers had tickled his. Haarlep’s hips begin to arc off the bed to seek greater contact with his mouth, her eyes fluttering closed and her face twisted up as she chases the ecstasy of her orgasm.
He doesn’t let her have it, pulling away as soon as Haarlep’s cries crescendo into high-pitched, desperate whines. She pants for a bit as she comes down, very clearly cross at having been denied her climax. Raphael smiles cruelly at her, for that. Serves her bloody right.
“I thought you wanted to satisfy her, Master,” Haarlep pouts, voice still a little breathless. Raphael shifts so that he is kneeling on the bed in front of her.
“Wouldn’t want her to fill up on the amuse-bouche , now, would we?” He chuckles once more, and begins to drag the broad head of his cock through the wetness that has gathered between her thighs. It takes all of his restraint not to just pound into her, to chase the release he has been denied all day. But at this point, he is after a much more delicious climax than merely spending his load: he wants to torture the sorceress brat.
He pushes Haarlep’s legs forward until her feet are behind her head, in much the way he imagines Haarlep did when she acquired Tav’s form, and pushes only the tip of himself inside her.
As the incubus feels Raphael begin to stretch her out the barest amount, she throws her head back and keens, fingers scrambling to find purchase in his shoulders as she tries to wiggle her way further down his cock. Gods, if this is how Tav’s body responds to just the slightest bit of stimulation, then he has his work cut out for him. He hopes she can feel even half of the pleasure and desperation evident on Haarlep’s face.
Raphael pulls out, and begins stroking the head of himself along her cunt again, spreading the slickness at her opening up to coat her clit and rubbing his cock against it until Haarlep is almost screaming, Tav’s voice in her lungs growing hoarse and raspy in a way that shoots little sparks of electricity down his spine.
He pushes back inside her, thrusting so very slowly into the heat of her until he is seated fully against her hips. Raphael has to bite back his own moan, the sensation just as perfect as he’d hoped it would be. Better, even. A part of him curses his own stupid pride for not allowing himself to indulge in this sooner. As Haarlep's mouth drops opens in an aborted scream, Raphael is grateful for the ring limiting the bloodflow to his pulsing, throbbing cock. He doubts he would last long without it. 
In some ways, though, being teased all day has given him the advantage in denying himself his own orgasm, and he is more than happy to weaponize that against that contemptible hero now.
Raphael begins to fuck Haarlep at a pace that is punishingly slow, relishing the sounds she makes and filing them in his memory for later even though he knows she isn’t really his little mouse.
“Please, please, please,” Haarlep begs. “Please, Master, I need to cum.”
He laughs at her, and her misery is almost as satisfying as the feel of her, especially after Haarlep's blatant betrayal of him.
“Sorry, darling, but we’ve only just begun.”
Raphael has no idea how long he has been letting the slow drag of his cock fuck Haarlep open when Tav finally storms in. 
And Gods, he knows they’re identical, but there is something so much more appealing about the way Tav’s chest heaves, her breathing ragged and irregular. There is color visible, high and splotchy, on her cheeks despite the deep tones of her skin. He notices an abnormality in her stance, her feet just slightly too far apart from one another to look natural. Raphael realizes that her body is subconsciously making room for the ghost of him, and he can feel his cock twitch with a longing to bury itself in her and never, ever leave. He shoves the feeling down to level her with a wicked grin.
“Why, I don’t believe I was expecting you, my dear.” Raphael is inordinately proud of how even his voice sounds. He’d been practicing the delivery in his head.
Tav doesn’t play along. “Make it stop, please,” and a thrill lights up his entire body as he realizes that she is already begging. “It’s too much, Raphael, I–I can’t–” her voice breaks, and her eyes are shiny with unshed tears from the overstimulation. She looks so small in this moment, so…pathetic. Raphael swallows, hard, filled with a sudden, simple desire to hold her even as his cock grows impossibly harder.
He pulls out of Haarlep, who whines at the loss of sensation, but Raphael ignores her entirely. He watches as Tav shudders and squeezes her thighs together, as though trying to catch something between them. Raphael breathes out harshly through his nose as he grits his teeth against the desire to run to her.
Instead, he stalks slowly over to her, shoulders back and head held high despite his nakedness (despite their previous encounter). He comes to face her, and carefully uses the pad of one clawed thumb to brush away a tear.
“Tell me what you want, sweetling,” Raphael murmurs, surprised at the softness in his own voice. All the better to lure her in with, he supposes.
“Just–Gods, Raphael, just fuck me, please ,” Tav nearly shouts, before burying her head in her hands in frustration. “I need it,” she adds in a whisper.
“Mmm, and what will you give me in return?”
“Fuck, Raphael, anything, Gods,” she looks up at him again, eyes wild. “Is that what you want me to say? I’ll give you the fucking Crown.”
He wants to celebrate, wants to gloat and taunt and pour himself a glass of wine at his unequivocal victory. Wants to cherish the way her voice shakes so violently with yearning. Wants to make her promise to give him even more, make her swear to stay here with him until the end of her days. 
But Raphael cannot make his traitorous voice say the words.
Instead, he hears himself saying, as though from another room, “You don’t have to give me anything. Just lie back on the bed.” And Hells, since when has he ever sounded so repugnantly tender? He turns to Haarlep. “You can go take care of yourself elsewhere. Do not use either of our forms.”
Haarlep disappears in a puff of glittering smoke without a word.
By the time Raphael turns back to the bed, his Tav is already naked and spread out atop it. His knees weaken in the most humiliating way at the sight of it, at the fact that it is really her. That she is really so very desperate for him that she would offer him the world if he asked for it.
Raphael wants to change his mind, to tell her he needs the Crown after all. Or, maybe, he wants to want to change his mind. But he simply cannot bring himself to ask that of her when she looks so very weak. The repulsive desire to make her feel better is too all-consuming.
Damn her, and damn everything she makes him feel.
Later, he will destroy her for this.
For now, it is simply too imperative that he ravish her.
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rocorambles · 4 years
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Murder of Crows
Pairing: Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, Yachi x Reader aka a Karasuno first-year gangbang (Takes place when they’re all third years.)
Genre/Warnings: Yandere, Toxic Relationships, Rape/Non-con, Degradation 
Summary: You should have trusted your gut when you first felt the wandering eyes and lingering stares, but now it’s too late and you’ll learn first hand what it feels like to be utterly defeated by a murder of crows.
Requested by Anon
You’re not quite sure how exactly you’ve found yourself here in a gym full of sweaty athletes, hauling a basket of ice cold water bottles to the sidelines with your best friend, Yachi, but here you are. With a loud thud, both of you drop the heavy container down and grab the pile of towels just in time for the boys who are quickly approaching you, splattering droplets of sweat everywhere and you crinkle your nose and playfully pretend to gag as they draw near. Tsukishima rolls his eyes at your antics, but he nods his head in thanks as he grabs a clean towel from you. You patiently wait as some other team members relieve you of the pile of fabric in your hands before Yachi and you sit on the bench as Yamaguchi and Coach Ukai order the team to gather around as they discuss practice drills. 
You smile fondly at the way Yamaguchi confidently holds himself as he stands next to Coach Ukai with shoulders squared and a serious, but kind face directed at the rest of the team. To think that the shy Yamaguchi you had met when Yachi had first started helping out the team during your first year would grow to be the respectable captain that he is now. But he’s not the only one who’s gone through drastic changes and you look over the rest of the third-years intently listening to him. Hell, you even turn to briefly look at Yachi and yourself. When you had become friends with Yachi at the beginning of high school you barely knew what volleyball was, let alone thought of managing the team and yet here you both are as third-years, decked out in the black Karasuno warm-up track suit.
Yachi was your first and best friend by far of the group, but you can’t deny that over the last two years you’ve also gotten closer to the rest of the boys in the same year as you. Well, you suppose they technically aren’t boys anymore. A faint smile plays on your lips as you reminisce on all the memories you’ve shared together between study sessions that somehow became just tutoring sessions as you all tried to force information into Hinata and Kageyama’s heads and exhausted nights where all of you slumped in front of Coach Ukai’s store eating meat buns and chatting away until he kicked all of you out and made you go home. But that smile turns downwards when you think about some of the more recent and less positive changes in your friends.
You can’t quite put your finger on it. You know the six of you are exceptionally close, almost weirdly close, but you had just chalked it up to the fact that you all see each other for hours every day between classes, volleyball, and after school and weekend study sessions and hangouts. Yet that doesn’t stop the slight unease from growing inside of you as you observe the increasingly strange behaviors your friends exhibit and it’s only become more...physical...now that you’re all in your third year and officially all adults. 
You had visibly winced when Yachi had first introduced you to Hinata and the orange haired ball of energy had decided to scream a greeting at you, but you couldn’t keep the wide grin from spreading across your face as you got swept up in his enthusiasm. Every moment with him felt like riding an exhilarating roller coaster and maybe that’s why you barely noticed how strange it was that he came knocking on your door almost every single day asking you to come hang out or jog with him, how strange it was that he texted you as soon as you got up, blowing up your phone all day until you went to sleep. You were so caught up in the wild ride that Hinata Shouyou was that you never had the chance to get off and think about how you had even gotten on this ride in the first place and when was the last time you had been able to take a break from it. You were still flipping upside down in loops as you entered your third year and the ride just became more intense as he began wrapping his wiry arms around you at practice, nonchalantly talking to the rest of the team with your body firmly pulled against him and his chin resting on your shoulder. You had shooed him off of you the first few times, but he had turned his huge puppy eyes on you and no one else on the team seemed to care, so you just went along with it. 
Kageyama took a little more time to warm up to you, but you didn’t take it personally knowing how reserved he was. However, over time and after a particularly long study session you had personally sat with him through, he had left a carton of his favorite milk on your desk and you had beamed at the innocent object. He started hovering around you more after that. The two of you never really spoke much, but you enjoyed the peaceful and comfortable quiet that surrounded both of you and yet, despite his silence, you noticed that he spoke loudly through his actions. You were beyond shocked the first time you had sat down to lunch with him, ready to dig into your food, when he had frowned at your bento, taken it from you, and removed some of your rice while adding more meat and vegetables without saying a single word to you. Mouth still open in disbelief, you had pierced him with a questioning look only to receive a muttered reply about making sure you were eating a balanced diet. Your heart had fluttered at the endearing reasoning, but it had become a bit strange later on when he would hand feed you, practically shoving a stalk of broccoli or a piece of chicken in your mouth even at times that you said you were too full to eat anymore. But that just meant Kageyama cared for you, right? You know the boy’s terrible when it comes to social interactions, so you shrug it off.
Yamaguchi has arguably gone through the most dramatic personality change since you had first met him and you’re so proud of the confident leader he’s become. But even in your second year with him, you had sworn that sometimes there was a hint of something...darker, hungry...something lurking underneath his shy facade that made you shiver in fear. But every time you tried to take a closer look it disappeared only to be replaced with a soft gaze. And now that he’s fully grown into himself, he’s become more physical with everyone, casually slinging his arms around everyone’s shoulders and backs in a comforting, friendly manner as he rallies up team morale. But you can almost swear that when he slings an arm around you in thanks or in greeting, his arm gets progressively lower to the point that you almost recoil from him when you feel his hand brush against the hem of your skirt. But he’s always quick to move away from you and you wonder if all of it is just your imagination or an accident on his part. 
You're briefly distracted from your thoughts as loud shouting fills the gym and your eyes are drawn to Tsukishima’s figure as it leaps through the air and blocks a spiked ball. Honestly, you’re surprised you’re even friends with him, let alone close friends. He had been nice enough to not insult you like he did with the rest of the boys, but on the other hand, he rarely spoke even a word to you or acknowledged your presence. But as you hung out with the group more, you noticed the tall shadow that seemed to always walk beside you between classes, to the cafeteria, and back home. And he’d only grown bolder in your last year, wrapping a large hand around your wrist and forcefully dragging you with him when the both of you were running late for volleyball practice. You were so caught up in keeping up with his long strides and complaining loudly about his tight grip on you that you didn’t notice the terrifying glares he shot at any male who even looked at you as the two of you walked through the school halls.  
And finally, Yachi, your sweet and adorable best friend. The two of you had hit it off right away as soon as you met each other and it was like you were connected at the hip ever since. You can’t even keep track of the amount of sleepovers, weekend trips, day trips, girl talks, and everything else you’ve done together. But you had found it a little weird when she had slept over for the first time after both of you had officially turned eighteen and insisted on sleeping in the same futon as you. Assuming she was just feeling a bit lonely and nostalgic, you let her slip under the covers with you and drifted off to sleep, unaware of the hand wandering across your resting figure. After that night, she kept on finding her way into your futon and it soon just became the norm for the both of you and you grew accustomed to falling asleep with her body heat next to yours, your dreams suddenly full of feather light touches. 
Yes, they’ve all definitely changed since you first met them all, but they’re still your closest friends despite all their new quirks, and perhaps it’s just the natural transition of entering adulthood that’s affected them. People change. You aren’t kids anymore. Of course they’d be different now. But that conviction struggles to stick in your mind when you’re stuck in the gym alone with all of them after practice every day. Yamaguchi’s always quick to dismiss the first and second years the minute practice is done and he politely assures the coaches that you all would be fine cleaning up the equipment and locking the gym up as he bids them good night. It becomes normal for the six of you to take down the nets and round up all the volleyballs and yet your hackles rise as you swear you can feel multiple pairs of eyes intensely staring at you as you bend over to pick up stray balls. You swear you feel a hand drag and linger across your ass as someone helps you lower the net. You swear it almost feels like they want to devour you as they linger a moment too long in the doorway of the equipment room, not immediately letting you pass when you try to exit. But you have no proof and the moments happen so fast that you wonder if you’re just becoming more paranoid for no reason. 
You really should have trusted your gut. 
There’s an excited buzz in the air as the team hops off of the bus and intermingles with the Tokyo teams. It’s the first training camp of the year and everyone’s busy catching up with old friends and meeting new people. You struggle to lift a bag of equipment and almost drop it when a hand reaches out and catches it before it hits the ground. Stunned by the surprising interaction, you quickly whip around and smile when you see Inuoka beaming down at you. The two of you hug and he walks with you to the dorm rooms, helping you carry everything as both of you catch up, unaware of the many pairs of eyes darkly staring at your backs.
Karasuno has always been close to Nekoma and that hasn’t changed over the years, so when the teams aren’t practicing, you happily joke around with the Nekoma third-years, laughing at Lev’s stupid shenanigans and conversing with Inuoka and Shibayama. A part of you feels guilty for not spending more time with your own team, but it’s so rare that you get an ample amount of time with your Nekoma friends and you brush the feeling off. Surely your friends would understand. But the narrowed eyes, clenched fists, and tight jaws across the room are hardly understanding as they lock in on the sight of Lev excitedly grabbing your hands as he asks you something, the sight of Inuoka resting his hand on your shoulder as he talks, the sight of Shibayama’s eyes lingering a bit too long on your face when he thinks you aren’t looking.
The week flies by and all too soon it’s the last night of camp and you horse around with the Nekoma boys, loudly shouting and fooling around well past curfew. But you know the coaches are turning a blind eye to any mischief tonight, letting you all do as you want as a thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Inuoka and Shibayama are cheering you on as you have Lev in a headlock, but all of a sudden your phone vibrates and you reluctantly release the lanky giant before opening up the unread text.
From Yachi: Come hang out with the rest of the third-years and me! It’s probably going to be our last training camp all together so we want to make some new memories together. 
Guilt gnaws at your heart when you read her message and you immediately rise and say goodbye to the rowdy boys before rushing off to your own team. The Karasuno third-year boys had managed to secure their own dorm room and you excitedly open the door only to yelp as a hand grabs you by the collar of your shirt and you vaguely register the sound of the door slamming shut as you’re shoved to the ground and adjusted until you’re on all fours. You try to shove off the hands that are tearing off your clothes, but tired of your flailing, Tsukishima wraps a hand around your throat and squeezes and squeezes until you stop you’re struggling, choosing instead to wheeze and claw at the arm restricting your air flow and only when you’re completely naked with Kageyama pressed tightly behind you, holding your waist in a bruising grip, does he let go.
You gasp for breath as you stare up at the blonde with teary eyes. “Why are you guys doing this?” You pray that it’s all a terrible joke, just a prank gone out of hand, but you flinch as Tsukishima sneers down at you. 
“What? Upset that we aren’t your Nekoma boyfriends instead? Tell me, if we hadn’t asked you to come here, would you be letting them fuck you all night long? Of course you would, you fucking slut. You have four cocks and a pussy literally just waiting for you to say the word and they’d be all yours, but no, you just had to go off and be a little whore, letting those fucking cats put their paws all over you instead. We don’t share. You’re ours, do you understand?” 
Tsukishima smirks at the fear in your eyes. “Well, even if you your stupid little bimbo brain can’t understand that now, it’ll be engrained in your mind and body after we’re all through with you tonight. Open your mouth.” You try to twist your face away as he lowers his pants, letting his cock spring out and hit your face, but his hand threateningly hovers over your throat once more and you obediently take him into your mouth. He’s so long and you begin to gag with only half of him inside of you. With an irritated sigh, he painfully grabs you by the roots of your hair and forcefully shoves the rest of his length down your throat and you try to scream around the object stretching your jaw, but you’re muffled as he starts pistoning his hips in and out of your wet cavern and tears stream down your face as your throat burns from the abuse. You’re so distracted by the struggle of trying to breathe that you don’t even notice the movement behind you until you feel something hard nudging past your entrance and shame washes over you at Kageyama’s words. 
“She’s already so wet.” You clench your eyes shut as Tsukishima laughs and only ruts into your mouth faster. “God, you’re pretending to cry and hate it, but you love this, don’t you? You love being fucked from both ends. You’re such a fucking cock slut.” He emphasizes each word with a harsh thrust and your eyes roll back as his tip hits the back of your throat at the same time that Kageyama bottoms out into you. You’re so full and you swear your jaw might unhinge itself from trying to accommodate Tsukishima’s cock and yet you can’t help the way your hips start rocking back to meet Kageyama’s thrusts as he takes his time sliding in and out of you at a languid pace, relishing the feeling of your tight walls clenching and sliding across every inch of his shaft. 
You shake your head as much as you can with Tsukishima’s fingers still tightly interwoven in your locks, trying to deny the degrading accusations Tsukishima relentlessly spits at you, but you can’t help the moan that escapes you as Tsukishima curses and pulls out, hurriedly giving himself a few more strokes before painting your face with thick white streaks. Your cunt unconsciously clenches from the humiliation of being so lewdly marked and Kageyama hisses before increasing his pace and you collapse to your elbows as Kageyama desperately chases his end while Tsukishima crouches in front of you, reaching around to play with your clit. And despite the horribleness of the entire situation, you can’t help but fall apart and your quivering walls are all it takes for Kageyama to release deep inside of you.
Kageyama has enough foresight to at least gently lower you down to the floor after he pulls out of you and you lay there on the hard surface, wishing it would just swallow you whole and take you anywhere from here. But of course that doesn’t happen and you weakly sob when you hear Yamaguchi’s soft, but commanding voice ordering you to kneel in front of him. You raise yourself up on shaky arms and move to stand up, but Tsukishima’s hand keeps you down. “Crawl like the bitch that you are.” You tremble from emotional and physical exhaustion as you make your way towards the captain, placing one hand and foot in front of the other, and you cringe at the feeling of Kageyama’s cum beginning to trickle down your inner thigh, but soon enough you’re in between his thighs as he sits on a chair above you. 
His cock is already out and even though he’s not as big as Tsukishima, your mouth still goes dry at the thought of trying to take him in your still aching mouth. You begin to lick him, taking in just his tip and swirling your tongue around him before delicately licking down his entire length, anything to buy you some time before you need to use your mouth again, but you push off of him with a scream, your hands tightly clutching his thighs as Hinata slides underneath your spread legs and licks a long stripe across your pussy. Yamaguchi is patient with you, enjoying the way drool begins to leak out the sides of your mouth as you moan from Hinata’s enthusiastic licks, but his cock twitches at a high pitched whine that exits your throat and he places a hand on your head and firmly pushes you back down to his leaking cock. 
You’re sloppy, unable to fully control your mouth as you moan and drool while Hinata’s tongue pushes inside of you, tasting every inch of you. But the sight of you slobbering all over his cock and the debauched mess of it all only makes it feel better for Yamaguchi and he can’t help the way his hips buck up into you when he finally finishes and he hungrily drinks in the sight of your throat swallowing every drop of him. Your thighs begin to clench and your body is taut as you can feel another climax quickly approaching and when Yamaguchi casually twists and pulls your nipples with his fingers, your back sharply arches as you open your mouth in a silent scream. You stay in that shape for a few seconds until the pleasure begins to ebb away and you try to move away, but Hinata���s arms wrap around you, holding you in place, and you wail as he earnestly continues lapping and sucking at every inch of your drenched pussy that he can reach. Your upper body collapses into Yamaguchi’s lap as he tenderly strokes your hair and it feels like ages before Hinata finally reliquinches his grip on you and moves out from under you. 
You shakily whimper as Yamaguchi soothingly whispers into your ear about what a good slut you are, how beautiful you look when you’re falling apart because of them, but you have no energy to push yourself away from him and you lay there, with your face in between his thighs and your arms splayed over his legs. You can feel your eyelids fluttering shut and just when you think you’ll at least be able to escape into the shelter of your own unconsciousness, strong hands pull you off of Yamaguchi and lay you flat on your back. It’s not comfortable, but you’re at least glad to finally relieve your knees which you’re sure will be black and blue tomorrow. But any small consolation you felt instantly dissipates when you see Hinata hovering over you and you don’t even have a second to understand what’s happening before he shoves his entire length into you in one swift motion. 
After being stretched out by Kageyama and thoroughly lubricated with the sticky mix of your own juices and the setter’s cum, Hinata easily slides in and there’s no pain as he fills you, but this new position means there’s nowhere for you to hide your face from the predatory eyes staring down at you and the humiliation is so much worse as you’re fully aware of Hinata intently staring at your slutty fucked out expression as he continuously rams in and out of you. Your eyes are so far back in your head that it’s hard to clearly see and maybe that’s why you don’t notice the growing shadow covering your face until it’s too late and your nose and mouth are covered by a musky warm scent. Sex. It smells like sex. You rapidly blink the pleasure from your eyes as you try to focus your vision, but you wish you hadn’t when the image of Yachi’s small breasts bouncing above you as she rides your face sears itself into your brain. You try to close your mouth as tightly as you can, refusing to service the woman above you, but it’s so hard to breathe with her pussy covering the bottom half of your face and accidental moans are forced from you as Hinata continues railing into you, which only cause Yachi to grind and moan more as the vibrations from your mouth stimulate her slick heat. 
Later you’ll try and convince yourself that it was just survival instinct, just you trying to do what you needed to do to breathe, to have everything be over and that you aren’t eagerly drinking Yachi’s essence that never seems to stop flowing on your face as your lips and tongue explore every inch of her more intimately than you’d ever dreamed of doing. You’ll deny you felt any pleasure despite the wanton moans you can’t stop releasing and the powerful orgasm that wracks through your body as Hinata’s cum mixes with the mess between your legs and as Yachi’s hips stutter as she smears her release all over your face. But for now you lay there, in a pool of your own liquids and the fluids of the five people towering over your limp and used body, drowning in the dangerously intoxicating pleasure they’ve submerged you in. 
A tiny screeching voice inside of your head tells you to get up, get away and despite the dazed state you’re in, your hands attempt to push you up and it feels like you’re stuck in molasses as you excruciatingly slowly push yourself up into a sitting position and it takes everything left inside of you to feebly move your legs as you attempt to rise. But just when you almost have your feet underneath you, something is pressed against your chest and you’re pushed back down and you whimper at the heavy embarrassing weight of the foot squarely planted in the middle of your chest, stepping on you, keeping you down. Tsukishima’s never looked taller as he leers down at you.
“That’s cute. Did you really think we’d let you just get up and walk away from us? We’re nowhere near done with you. We’re not stopping until we literally fuck you to sleep and make sure that your body is so worn out that we know you’ll be safe and sound in your own futon tonight and not sneaking off to whore yourself out to anyone else.” 
And if you’ve learned anything from managing this team, it’s that they’re relentless in the pursuit of their goals and for the first time since you’ve managed them, you feel a pang of pity for the teams they’ve crushed and destroyed, wondering if this is how all their opponents feel as the five of them pounce on you with the intent of thoroughly dominating and conquering you.   
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liquid-luck-00 · 3 years
Text
My Life is One Complication After Another 3
Cursing Ahead 🤬
Ao3 *** First *** Previous *** Next
~~~~~~~~~~
Ever since Mari's classmates stopped talking with her, they also stopped asking her for favors. Along with a blocked and rotating schedule for patrols meant that she actually had a sleep schedule. Sure she didn't get nearly enough but that was what coffee is for.
That was how she found herself down in the bakery with her papa. Roy had called her and the four of them talked and it was comfortable. Mari was the one who opened and was watching the front. She was still talking with Roy, but now it was on a headset, as he was out patrolling In Starling City.
"So as I was saying before we were oh so rudely interrupted." came Roy's voice in her ear. "So Ice cream and movies?"
A soft laughter escaped her and a smile on her lips.
"Sounds gre..." the bell at the door chimed. "Hey guys come in," she greeted the Waynes.
"Let me guess the bats?" Roy supplied as Dick bounced towards the counter.
"Good morning Marinette!" Dick practically sang loud enough for even Roy to hear.
"God how the hell is he so chipper so early." she heard Roy grumble.
"God damn morning people," she grumbled. That elicited laughter from both Roy and Jason.
"Amen to that!" Tim seconded in a monotone lifting a coffee cup. "Maman I'm going to take the Waynes up." she called poking her head into the kitchen. Her Maman nodded so she picked up her phone and walked towards them.
"I'll Let you go," Roy was about to hang up.
"Wait how about we give the Bats a heart attack." she smirked changing to the ancient language of miracles.
"I like the way you think, I'll catch you later." he responded in the same tongue.
"See ya then." she smiled, switching back the language. Ending the call and removing the ear piece. “Are you guys coming or do I have to drag you guys?" she turned back already at the door. Granted most of them showed confused faces and side eyes, but she smiled. They followed her without saying a word.
Once they were in the apartment she excused herself to change into more appropriate gear. She activated Kaalki’s miraculous, who then silently portaled out.
That being said she changed into a pair of black skinny cargo pants with red combat boots. A black long sleeve shirt under a cropped red sleeveless hoodie. Her hair was half down with red and pink streaks and a mini white gold backpack with three patches in the same white gold finished her outfit. She grabbed four parcels and went down.
"So we can either do the boring ground tour or," she held up the bundles. "we can turn up the speed."
"I like the way you think Pixie Pop." Jason stood and she handed him his.
"Roy sent me you guy's sizes, so I altered and customized a few things." she smiled. "bathroom is over there and the guest room is next to it." Dick looked torn between excited and horrified when handed his stack.
Tim seemed awake, but she knew better, "go change and I'll have a fresh pot of coffee ready." He nodded robotically as he got up.
She set the last bunch next to Damian, who was looking like an angry kitten. She sat down next to him and leaned in.
"What are you.." he started but Mari whispered in his ear.
"The jacket has a hidden sling for a katana, which will be practically invisible when on." His eyes widened slightly and there was a bit of slack in his jaw now. Before turning into an amused smirk. "Use my room up the stairs and through the hatch." she finished as he headed up the stairs.
"I'm impressed he let you close without struggling," Bruce broke his silence, as she finished prepping the coffee maker.
"Well he would have if," she began as Damian practically crashed down the stairs and all but tackled Bruce before rushing out the door. The closest she had ever seen her baby brother smile, which effectively made her smile.
"Holy crap! What are you?!" Dick made himself known.
"More importantly what the fuck did you do with Demon spawn!" Jason shouted from next to Tim, who was being propped up by both Jason and Dick.
"Tt. I am right here Todd." The scowl reappearing on his features. "It is adequate Dupain-Cheng."
"I'll take it as a compliment on one condition."
"And that is?" he rose a brow.
"You call me Marinette not Dupain-Cheng. I'm your sister aren't I?"
He seemed to war with himself for a moment before stating. "That is acceptable, Marinette."
At this point all the bats in the room were playing a game of ping-pong between Marinette and Damian. They were trying to figure out what magic spell Marinette must have used, when in reality she just seemed to fall into Damian’s good graces automatically. OK so maybe Marinette being the holder of the ladybug miraculous as well as being the great guardian of the order has that affect on most people, a sense of respect and trust that seems to permeate her aura.
She was handing Tim a huge mug as the front door swung open to reveal her Maman.
"Hello Bruce," Sabine greeted.
"It is good to see you Sabine," was his response.
“Maman," Mari pulled her mother's attention from her biological father. "These are Bruce's boys and my brothers. Tim, Jason, Dick, and Damian." she motioned to each one respectively.
"It's nice to meet all of you." Sabine smiled, "why don't all of you get something from the bakery before you go."
After finishing their small breakfast in the park Mari pulled out a map and a marker.
"So what do you guys want to see?" They listed off places that she marked down. She added a few to the list to fill it out, marked the route and took a picture and sent it to Roy. "Okay so this will work." she glanced at her phone. A quick look on social media showed no one has found Andre yet. She pulled out a case of comms and added, "Also keep your eyes out for Andre."
"Who is that?" Dick asked taking the earpiece.
"Andre's Ice cream cart, the best ice cream in Paris." Marinette answered.
"Then why must we look for him?" Damian added.
"Well he changes locations daily and turns it into a game of tag of sorts."
"Alright, lead the way Pixie." with a smirk she dashed off her brothers close on her heels.
Yes this is the best way to get to see the city, but this was also a test to see how the bats did without their toys.
Getting to Notre Dame was uneventful. Dick kept up a steady conversation with her, just a step behind with Damian, Jason brought up the rear but would constantly toss in quips and questions. Damian and Tim were mostly quiet, unless they were trying to get one of their brothers to stop a particularly embarrassing story.
Getting to the Louve was even more entertaining. Now that Dick had a feel for the Parisian roofs he would do flips and vaults to make her laugh. In the Louve is another story.
They had accidentally ran into some of her classmates, quite literally. She and her brothers were taking goofy 'walk like an Egyptian' group photos on the second floor of the Egyptian exhibit, the mini Ladybug camera was reattaching to her phone charm when Tim began asking her questions about it.
"Well my best friend loves anime, and we kinda sorta binged the entire Dragon Ball series and when we saw the ladybug camera. He said it would be impossible to create and maintain the quality of the image. So I kinda sorta made it out of spite." she mumbled the end.
"Hell if you weren't my sister I would beg Bruce to adopt you," Tim stated. "Do you have the files I would love to look through them. Maybe send them to Babs or Cy!"
"Sure I think I have it on a flash drive." That was when a tall body, walking backwards slammed into her, pushing her into Jason. "oof."
"You okay." Dick was in full mama hen mode fretting over her.
"I wasn't watching where I was going." the figure spoke as he turned around. "I'm sor." the words died on his tongue, Kim.
Max, Alix, Nino, Alya, and oh kwami no Lila, who were now all snickering.
"I'm fine Dick," she smiled to reassure him. However her classmates were shocked.
Lila of course was the one who broke the silence, by beginning to cry. "I'm so sorry about her. I know she hates me but to be so rude to a complete stranger!" her sobs breaking the sentence while her lackeys went to console her, glaring daggers at Marinette.
"Seriously girl," Alya began to scold her. "Your little out burst not only made Lila cry. Your insulting someone who is just trying to be nice."
She and her brothers were now standing awkwardly being scolded by a teenager. After three minutes of trying to figure out what they were being scolded for and why the guys hadn't apparently left.
"What the fuck did she do that your yelling at her for?" Jason finally broke Alya's rant. Now it was the five Parisians and the Italian to stand there confused.
"She called him a dick," Alya sighed exasperated.
"Yes." Dick answered confusing them further.
"Dick."Tim now called.
"What?!"
"Dick!!" Damian, Marinette, Tim, and Jason all called, and immediately began laughing.
"What? Oh, oh," a sheepish smile now on his face. “Names Richard but I go by Dick,” he explained to those who weren’t laughing, smiling at them.
"Tt. this is why I call you Grayson." Damian rolled his eyes. "Besides this one still has not apologized." he jabbed a finger to Kim.
"It's not worth it Damian,” Marinette shook her head. "We should head back to the bakery anyways. Maman has probably finished scolding Bruce." she smirked.
"Damn I wish I was a fly on the wall for that conversation" Jason lamented.
"Well..." she held up the ladybug charm and flipped it over showing an empty space.
"Two!" Tim shouted.
"Anyone who beats me back gets a copy," she smiled.
"Your on." Jason nodded as he vaulted over the safety wall from the second floor. Damian and Dick sprinted in opposite directions.
"Sorry Mars your gonna loose." Tim shouted as the last to leave.
"We'll see," she shot back. "Bye," She turned to her classmates as she grabbed the railing above and flipped up and over to the third floor, running to one of the secret zip lines the miraculous team set up.
"What the fuck" was faintly heard behind her, all but Lila and Max shouted by the sounds of it, as she jumped from the window.
She made up quite a bit of distance and seemed to be on Damian's heel. She had passed Tim and Dick was a few steps behind. Jason was just out of arm reach. So with a burst of speed both she and Damian were shoulder to shoulder with Jason.
The three of them simultaneously practically crashed into the side door of the bakery.
"I won."
"In your dreams Todd."
"I beat both you and Pixie"
"Check your eyes, or do you need the camera installed in your helmet." Jason's gaze hardened at Damian's words.
"How about we call it a three way tie and you both get a copy." Mari interrupted. "We should head up." Laughing Marinette opened the door and went up.
Lunch was rambunctious, but she was coming to expect that with her brothers.
“Too bad we couldn’t find that ice cream guy Mari,” Tim spoke up once everyone had finished eating.
“Oh let’s see if anyone has posted where he’s at today!” She went to check her phone but a message ended up distracting her.
Andres in your favorite spot I’ll meet you there at 7 your time.
"Cool he’ s in my favorite spot in all of Paris which just happens to be the last spot on our list today," she announced, sending off a text, setting her phone down, screen up.
Can't wait Katniss
"Why don’t you all go and Mari can get to know Bruce," Sabine offered.
OK granted it’s a good idea, maybe I should get to know my biological father but am I ready to? Do I want to? Am I yes, yes I want to get to know my biological father, yes I want my family to grow, my brothers are such protective goofballs and I love them already.
"Sounds good," she smiled.
That was when her phone lit up from a message. She went to pick it up, but she was to slow.
Jason was the one who snacked her phone. "Message from Katniss says see ya then Peeta. So who's Katniss Pixie."
"Well..." she started but she began to blush furiously.
"That would be her boyfriend," her Maman decided to add before heading back down to the bakery with Papa.
Dick pounced asking a million and one questions, Bruce physically froze but she could tell his mind was racing because that look was much the same as hers. Jason was pensive, while Tim and Damian just seemed bored or tired.
So that was how she found herself talking about Roy, blushing furiously. While simultaneously avoiding his name and details that would tip any of them off. After about a half hour of her answering questions did Dick start telling her about his fiancée. How they were planning on setting a date for the wedding.
After that the next few hows was spent sharing stories and tidbits of themselves.
However, thanks to Dick a design was swimming in her mind. so she did the only logical thing and ran up to her room. Grabbed three drives, her tablet and pen and ran back down. She tossed the red drive to Tim, and Jason and Damian each a black drive. Plopped down and began stretching out an Italian suit with a nock lapel. A rough coloration of a midnight blue offset by a sapphire. Accents of golden thread, emerald buttons and an Osiria rose in the lapel. She signed the design 'Mira Luck' and handed Dick the tablet.
"So I couldn't help myself," she begun to fidget. "But in my defense you told a designer about a wedding and my brain wouldn't stop screaming at me until this was on something. So what do you think? I know its rough but."
"Holy Shit your Mira Luck as in M, Jagged Stones personal designer. You are M as in the designer for the Lucky Spot!!" Tim screamed lunging to take the tablet from Dick.
"That's me," a blindingly bright smile lit up her features.
"So what do you think?" she asked again.
"It's amazing we were actually hoping to talk to you about Kori’s dress." Dick smiled. "I could call her it's not too late there."
"Perhaps it would be best to discuss it in person when Marinette next goes, that way she can get to know Gotham." Bruce interjected.
"That actually might be sooner than you think," she responded.
"I was actually accepted to be an exchange student for the next semester at Gotham Academy."
"Wait you’re willing we going to Gotham to study! You ’re going to Gotham willingly. Bruce I think your daughter might be a little crazy." Jason surprisingly brought up.
"I might be but but it’s no crazier than Paris and it’s a Akumas. Besides I would love to design your fiancée’s dress and we should head over to Andre’s ice cream before the sunsets that way we can watch the lighting of the Eiffel tower." She got up and called out. "Hey Jason mind passing me my backpack."
"Yeah sure," he went around he couch to grab it and toss it to her but before he did he finally seemed to notice the patches. "Wait are these The Outlaws."
"Yeah Red Hood, Arsenal, Star Fire, and Bizarro." she was smiling.
"Why choose The Outlaws?" Tim brought up.
"Honestly it was because Roy mentioned something about Arsenal and Red Hood and I ended up liking of the logos, so I made them into the backpack," she shrugged. "Besides unless you’re looking at it close enough you can’t tell which is always fun to see if people pay attention to it, let’s go."
At that the six of them walked out of the apartment, away from the bakery towards the Palais de Chaillot.
"So what's so special about Andre's Ice cream?" B asked.
"Personally I think he is a meta. But what he does is he can either see your true reflection or that of the person best suited to you."
"So he sees souls?" Tim added.
"Not quite, more like he sees the main qualities of you or your go." she tapped her chin.
"But he is meta,” Tim tried to figure.
"That's the only explanation I can come up with but I have no idea." Marinette shrugged.
"So how does he do it." Tim was now fully invested in this.
"Well you either ask for love or self and he usually does three to four ice cream flavors and gives a short reason."
They were now at the top of the stairs at the Palais de Chaillot looking out at the Eiffel Tower. They stood there as the last of the light faded from the sky. The city was dark for a moment as the Eiffel Tower lit up and slowly the lamps lit up.
"So that's why this is your favorite spot Minnie." A voice behind her chuckled. She turned around and nearly tackled him.
"Hey speedy." she pecked his cheek.
Not a second later did Jason scream, "Roy!"
"Ready for that movie?” Roy asked her an arm around her shoulders.
"Of course," she smiled. "See you guys around."
"What the fuck are you doing in Paris Roy!?" Jason screamed.
"Um... Date night," he answered. The Waynes were now practically surrounding the couple.
"What?" Apparently it was Dick's turn to yell.
"Seriously. I thought you said the bats and birds were detectives." she spoke just loud enough for them to hear. "It's kinda hard to believe with the big bat having a heart attack over there." Sure enough Bruce was seriously hyperventilating.
"Oh mind giving this to LB?" He handed her a small nondescript red box.
"Sure," Marinette took the box, "Au Revoir."
From there they left and oh kwamii did she wish she could replay that again, oh wait I can.
Next
~~~~~~~~~~
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iconic-ponytail · 3 years
Text
there's always money in the banana stand
riverdale promptathon week 3: yellow + business
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Even as the sun sets, even as the breeze blows, the hell furnace of July in Riverdale burns on. It’s triply as sweltering inside the tiny booth running three freezers, offloading heat to sustain the frozen merchandise inside. “How can it be so hot in there when we are supposed to be selling frozen bananas?” JB complains, at least twice a week.
She’s twelve. Complaint is her new first language. She complains about being left in Riverdale while Gladys went back to Toledo. She complains about living in a trailer park that usually does not have warm water. She complains about their father being imprisoned for covering up a gruesome murder. But most of all, she complains about working in the banana stand.
Child labor laws aside, Jughead can’t blame her for that one. He hates the damn banana stand, but it’s their best shot.
Gladys’ monthly check covers rent and utilities for the trailer. Everything else is on him, now. The idiot eighteen year old who decided to petition the court to be his sister’s legal guardian. Well, and his idiot mom who signed off on it. So he needs money, and the Jones family has never been particularly flush with cash, just trampled over by FP’s failed “business opportunities.”
Enter: the banana stand.
It’s not the fastest revenue stream, Jughead finds. But it’s got potential.
Initially, Dilton doesn’t let him sell during the Twilight Drive-In’s concession stand hours. Before or after the movie, sure, but no overlap. “I’m not worried about competition, Jones. It’s just too humiliating for me to watch you sweat through that horrible yellow polo you call ‘branding.’”
But when customers asked him more than twice a night when the banana stand would be open, Dilton caved.
It’s not like being open during the screening hours is a whole lot more preferable. He only just transferred from Southside to Riverdale High last spring; now he’s the rising senior who hands out phallic symbols from inside a giant phallic symbol. Not exactly a boon to his popularity.
Still, recently the money is enough to pay the internet bill and keep JB fed for dinner when she can’t go to the summer breakfast and lunch program at the local park district. It’s still not enough for him to eat particularly well, and the smell of hot dogs and slurp of his classmates’ slushies makes the heat feel like a minor inconvenience.
He eyes the tip jar, willing himself to wait on rampaging the concession stand until the beginning of the film roar dies down. It’s a double feature tonight, which means maybe he can score enough cash to cover those damn college application fees his counselor will start hounding him about week one of school.
Then he sees her—Betty Cooper. She’s laughing, watching Archie Andrews try to catch popcorn in his mouth, tossed by his paramour, Veronica Lodge. She pauses to sip from her slushie straw, her lips—which he’s watched argue against homophobic and racist comments in their advanced lit class, or pressed to the cheek of her other best friend, Kevin Keller. Which he’s imagined, doing slightly less savory things, though the mere thought of said imagining has his heart pounding wildly.
(Jughead’s been eating way too many fucking bananas. Someone needs to check his potassium levels.)
His absolutely pathetic gaze, once available three times a day in their shared classes where Jughead has still not managed to exert any confidence whatsoever regarding speech, eye contact, or general acknowledgement of Betty Cooper’s existence other than whatever drooling may or may not be happening, all of which he finds he has no control over… is all interrupted by the absolute polar opposite of Betty Cooper. Hiram Lodge zooms up to the banana stand on his segway, angling to a stop just before taking out the stand’s foundation.
“Still getting a hang of that, Mayor Lodge?”
Hiram grimaces. “Just checking that you’ve renewed your business permit, Jones.”
They do this once a week. It’s still the same permit.
“You know,” Hiram starts as Jughead rustles for the paperwork to make him go the fuck away, “I could find you an arrangement with a better banana supplier. For a discount. If you’re interested.”
Jughead rolls his eyes. “I’m not interested in your GMO, black market bananas, Hiram.”
Hiram gives him a pointed look. Jughead rolls his eyes even harder. “Mayor Lodge.” He proffers the papers, Hiram waves them away. “I’ll take one chocolate peanut butter dip. With peanuts.”
Jughead kisses his teeth. “That will be $3.50.”
Hiram’s whole face goes serpentine. “Not between business partners, Jones. Put it on my tab.”
Jughead grits his teeth, handing the finished banana so aggressively he hopes that the chocolate splatters and stains Hiram’s $500 tie. It is only slightly worth it to watch Hiram struggle with navigating the segway one-handed, frozen banana in the other.
He muffles a chuckle before realizing he’s used the dead end of the chopped peanut topping, and exits the stand to update the order board hanging on the outside. It’s mostly an excuse to feel a ten degree drop in temperature, a sweet relief he might be able to extend by grabbing a hot dog before the intermission rush.
He’s crossing off peanuts from the topping list and spinning around when he hears a shriek and a sudden, cold slosh across his chest. The yellow polo drips with artificial blue slushie, but Jughead swallows his fucking hell when he sees that the shriek, gaping stare of horror, and stumble in question all belong to his very own blonde kryptonite.
“Oh my god. Oh my GOD, jesus, shit, I’m so sorry!”
Jughead is frozen while Betty grabs about half his napkin dispenser and starts pawing at his shirt in a vain attempt to right the giant sticky blue mess all over his chest.
Finally, Jughead swallows the golf ball in his throat and chokes out. “Honestly, it’s fine. That stand is a sauna. I needed that.”
Betty stops, both her blotting and her stream of apologizing (which includes a fair bit of cursing, and he is a little revolted with himself by how much this turns him on).
“It’s going to get very sticky, soon. Maybe I should buy a bottle of cold water?”
Jughead can’t help himself. “Oh, impromptu yellow t-shirt contest?”
Betty grins.
I did that.
“Do you have any employees who could bring you another shirt?”
Jughead shakes his head. “Just my sister. She’s playing video games at home. There’s no earthly way she’ll bring me a spare.”
Betty cocks her head. “I had a feeling you were more than the silent back row kind of guy.”
The fact that Betty Cooper has, at any point, considered what kind of guy he is triggers full-on nervous blathering. “I’m usually very tired at school. I have this little sister—but I’m kind of um, her guardian. So I’m doing this stupid banana stand thing because it’s like one of the three assets to our entire family name I guess? Anyway, it’s hard to engage with Haggly’s basic discussion questions at eight in the morning when you spent the whole night dreaming about wholesale banana margins.”
He’s essentially vomiting words, but Betty is still smiling.
“Anyway, I should crawl back into my fruit-shaped purgatory and let you go back to your friends.”
She’s biting her lip, hedging. “Honestly, they’re probably using the alone time to make out in the car, and I’d rather let them get all their sexual tension out so that I don’t have to feel it radiating off of them for the whole second half of the double feature.”
Jughead laughs and tamps down the impulse to offer her a frozen banana, because he cannot possibly say something like that without making it sound sexual.
“What are frozen banana profit margins like, anyway?” Betty asks, either genuinely interested or legitimately flirting with him. Jughead finds both potentials baffling.
Jughead hesitates, then ducks inside the stand, pulling out his spiral bound notebook. “I’m still kind of figuring it out. All my records are in here.”
Betty sidles up to the stand, taking up the whole window. They’re both leaning over the scribbled line items on college ruled paper; he can smell her shampoo. She takes the notebook, scanning thoroughly.
“Do you have a pencil?”
He hands her one and observes her going to work, writing out some algebraic formula and calculating quickly in her head. There is a calculator within his reach, but he thinks handing it to her might come off as an insult. (Jughead wouldn’t know; he assumes Betty is in an advanced math class. Jughead is not.)
After a few minutes of watching her devoted focus, thinking about her hands touching his pencil, thinking about her hands wrapped around his hand, or his—
“I don’t know how to tell this to you, Jug.”
The shortening of his name stops his heart for a jolt, and his response is embarrassingly delayed. “What is it?”
Betty winces but smiles through it, a combination she’s surely learned to use when delivering bad news. It’s well earned, it really does soften the blow.
“There’s no money in the banana stand. At least, not with these margins.”
Jughead finds himself less than devastated by this news, mostly because it makes a hell of a lot of sense. The messenger doesn’t hurt, either.
“But,” she interrupts. “I don’t know if you’ve nailed down your course load for senior year. But I’m taking AP Econ? This could be, um, a good project. Like, if you want to take the class. Or even if you don’t. Not that you’re like a project or… whatever. I’m just saying we could figure it out. Make lemonade out of… bananas.”
Betty Cooper is extremely cute when she stammers.
Jughead doesn’t know what to do, so he gives her an easy out. “I can’t like, hire you, if that wasn’t obvious by the whole… deficit spending or whatever the whole negative circled number at the bottom of the page really means.”
She flushes. “No, that would be highway robbery. I just thought there might be an… opportunity. For um, us. I mean, for you and I. I mean—” she clears her throat, as if it’s closing up. “An academic opportunity. Or, in your case, professional. Well, a betterment of your livelihood. Okay, um, shit, just… I should go!”
She turns away, her face the deepest scarlet he’s ever seen.
“Betty, wait.”
She pivots back, eyes down at the ground.
“How about I buy you a new slushie and you come back into the booth. Tell me everything I’m doing wrong for the rest of the night.”
Betty looks up, biting the corner of her smile. “Sounds like a deal.”
They shake on it.
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planetsano · 4 years
Text
push and pull.
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prompt: bakugou has been neglecting the reader because of work. she can't handle that because all she wants is love and attention.
warning(s): ceo!au, major sugar daddy vibes, aged up, hurt/comfort, f!reader, softie baku at the end.
pairing(s): bakugou katsuki x reader
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You definitely felt like a spoiled brat. Walking around the Gucci store with a pout displayed on your glossed lips and nose held high like nothing in the vicinity was even close to being decent enough for you. Heels clicking lightly against the marbled flooring as you wandered around. This was such a drag. Your manicured finger lazily traced a handbag on a display table, it was probably worth someone's salary but you weren't interested. Your eyes were locked on the handsome blonde man pacing back and forth outside the big glass windows of the store. He was angrily speaking into the phone stopping ever so often to insult whoever was on the receiving end.
That— that stupid jerk is Bakugou Katsuki, your boyfriend, and he pinky promised to spend the day with you uninterrupted. Meaning no work calls, no emails, no boring paperwork— just you and him spending time together. He even promised to buy you that new handbag and the matching shoes you’ve been absolutely dying for but here you were in your current situation.
Recently, Bakugou has been incredibly busy with work but you couldn't exactly blame him. He was the CEO of a very successful multi-billion dollar company. But these  past few weeks felt like you could never catch him not answering a business call or typing some boring email. Attempting to get one kiss from him always led you to be met with a dismissive wave of the hand as he answered the call. You knew it wasn't wise to bother him any further because he did have a temper. You’ve seen countless people on the receiving end of his rage and you didn't want to be met with it. Though it was sexy at times, you never liked upsetting him so you just left him alone. Always feeling deflated and discouraged as you opened up a tub of your favorite ice cream. Stress eating. This happened on multiple instances over the course of nearly a month. Quite frankly, you felt unwanted and it was driving you mad.
Walking around this store, there were so many beautiful and luxurious things, but your heart wasn't in it. Shopping wasn't much fun without his hand in yours giving you his opinions about how a dress or shoes would look on you, helping you zip up your dresses and sneaking naughty makeout sessions in the dressing room. Don't worry, you knew you looked pathetic. All pouty and woe as me. My rich boyfriend isn't giving me attention, life is so tough… you could laugh at yourself right now.
You missed him a lot but you were understanding… as understanding as you could be. You wondered if it was selfish to feel this nasty feeling pooling in your chest and stomach. Was it selfish to feel.. neglected? Was it selfish to want to have him all to yourself for just a day?
Was he.. losing interest in you? Was there someone else? Surely work couldn't take up that much of his time.. Did you upset him recently and didn't realize? Feelings of anxiety and nausea started to bubble up within you.. You didn't feel well at all and started to get sick to your stomach the more you got caught up in your thoughts. You wanted to leave. Now.
You hastily exited the store to find Bakugou. It looked like he was just about to come back in to find you, but you stopped him in his tracks. Almost immediately he noticed how drained you looked. Like there was something bothering you. He thought maybe some had said something rude to you but before he could react you spoke.
“Baby, can we go home? I don't feel good..” You looked up at him with a frown, your dainty hand resting on his chest.
The car ride back was quiet. Bakugou noticed your sudden change in demeanor causing him to take more than a couple glances at you in the passenger seat. Usually you'd be so bright and talkative, ushering him to sing along to whatever shitty song you had playing but you were radio silent. Maybe you actually didn't feel good? He would make ure to have his assistant buy you some medicine.
Men are so clueless..
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“You ready?”
Your eyes averted their attention from your reflection to the handsome blonde casually adjusting his cufflinks behind you. He looked absolutely stunning standing there in an all black suit accompanied with a red tie. It not only complimented his eyes beautifully, but it matched your sparkly red gown as well. It almost pissed you off how he could be doing the bare minimum and still manage to look that good. But now wasn't the time to oogle. You came up with the conclusion that if he wanted to neglect you then you’d give him a dose of his own medicine. You ignored his presence and picked up your favorite highlighter and a brush, dusting your collarbones lightly to make them pop.
Bakugou walked a few steps closer and you continued to focus on your reflection in the mirror. He leaned over to plant a single kiss on the end of your shoulder, then made a trail of light and soft kisses along your shoulder blade, to the base of your neck and finally to that sensitive part of skin just below your earlobe. It took everything in you, plus more not to give in to his affections, but you desperately wanted to melt under him. You were so incredibly touch starved, especially these days. You missed him, but at the same time you were so upset with him. You couldn't just give in the moment he realizes you exist again. Fuck him. You were supposed to be angry. Not needy.
“You look fuckin’ amazing..” His voice was deep as he whispered into your ear. You closed your eyes tightly and sighed deeply, quickly getting up from your vanity stool and brushed past him, not even looking in his direction. You didn't get far before Bakugou grabbed your wrist and pulled back towards him fully closing the gap between you two and secured an arm around your waist making sure you weren't going anywhere.
God, you could feel him staring a hole into your head as you looked off to the side avoiding eye contact at all costs. You just couldn't bring yourself to look him in the eyes. You’d break.
Bakugou grabbed your face with his free hand forcing you to look at him, temporarily squishing your cheeks and making your lips go into a kissable pout.  His harsh crimson gaze was locked onto your doe like eyes making you feel incredibly vulnerable and shy. You hated the power he had over you. Something as simple as eye contact making your ears and cheeks flare up in the color red. The thoughts and emotions from earlier coming back all at once threatening to make you sick all over again.
“What the fuck is your problem?” He asked bluntly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and irritation from your behavior. He could see something was bothering you and it was pissing him off that you weren't talking to him.
“Nothing.. I promise..” You replied. “I'm happy! See?” You forced a smile on your face as Bakugou watched your bottom lip quiver and eyes water as you tried to pathetically convince him you were fine all while looking like a kicked puppy.
“You’re a shit liar. You're about to fucking cry.” Bakugou’s hand shifted to cup the side of your face. You leaned into the warmth of his hand
“Tell me what's wrong.” His voice was still blunt and expression still stern. He never wants to see you like this. Sure, you got upset or even bratty from time to time but he's never seen you in this state and it worried the fuck out of him.
“I-I.. I just-!” You struggled to find proper words to convey how you felt. His thumb rubbed your cheek gently somewhat calming you down and keeping you from hyperventilating.
“Breathe.” His voice and expression softened upon seeing you teary and vulnerable.
“I just miss you!” You blurted out. Bakugou looked down at you with his brows furrowed in confusion.
“You're so busy with work you seem to forget I exist, I don't say anything because I-I’m proud of you and I want you to be successful! I understand you're very busy but.. but is it too much to ask for thirty minutes of your time? Katsuki, I miss spending time with you-” Bakugou watched you pour out all your emotions and thoughts like word vomit.
Guilt hit him all at once like a fucking train seeing you crying because of him. He was the reason you felt like this and he wanted to punch himself in the face for not noticing how unhappy you were sooner. He did admit that work seemed to be the only thing he’s been about lately. Neglecting his love life, his friends, his family, maybe even his own health. Even holding you this close made him realize that he hasn't been.. this close in proximity to you in a while. He fucked up.
“I-Is there someone else? Is that it? My hair.. I can change it if you'd like. Do you still love me? I-” That was the final straw for him. He cut you off with a swift kiss to the lips. It surprised you but you almost immediately moved your lips into sync with his. The kiss was sloppy and too many emotions fueled it, but the most prevalent one was want.
Bakugou’s heart ached hearing your words. Of course he still loved you. Everything about you was perfect in every way, there was no way on Earth he would lose you over some random extra that probably only wanted him for his money and last name. The fact that you were so.. willing to change for him to make him happy because you were so in love seemed so... wrong. He thought that if anything he should be the one trying to make you happy. He couldn't give a fuck whether your hair was long or short, curly or straight, he loved you regardless. Your appearance was never a factor in his feelings for you. Only a bonus.
He pulled away from your lips suddenly and looked at you. Your eyes were puffy, mascara was running and your lipstick was smeared but you still looked beautiful. It was a look he particularly liked but, it was not under these circumstances. You were usually on your knees.
“Don't say stupid things like that.” Bakugou started.
“..I'm so shit at relationships..” He struggled with his words and you could see it in his face. He wasn't ever one to express how he felt.
“‘m sorry for treating you like a fucking stranger.. you know I love you. No one else could even hold a fucking candle to you, that shouldn't even be a thought in this pretty fucking head of yours.” He sighed.
“I don't fucking care about how your hair looks.. I only care about you.” He finished.
Your crying stopped at some point when he was speaking and you were only met with soft hiccups. Bakugou wiped the final few tears from your cheeks and left a kiss on your forehead.
“Stop crying over me. I'm not worth it.” He whispered against your skin. For some reason his words shocked you. Not worth it? You thought was worth all your tears plus more, what was he on about? Did he really think he wasn't good enough for you?
“You don't say stupid things like that either. You're worth all the good things in the world.” You said softly. Bakugou’s heart fluttered at your words and he almost felt himself blush. There was a comfortable silence before you spoke up again.
“Oh no,” You looked at the time. “We're going to be late to the event and I look atrocious” You looked up at him with a pout.
“Fuck it. They'll be fine without us. Those bastards are annoying as hell anyway.. Let's get dinner, yeah? You can pick where we go.” Bakugou proposed and you smiled.
“Let's go.” You stood on your tippy toes and planted a kiss on his lips.
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a/n: I hope you guys enjoyed this! For only 2k+ words I feel like I took forever to write this. I just wanted it to be up to standard.. feedback would be amazing. Also, my requests are open! Thank you for 100 followers! ❤️
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inkweaver22-blr · 3 years
Text
So @ninja-knox-ur-sox-off is having a bit of an ordeal with a Tang-Snatching anon. So here's a crack chapter for Scattered Cicadas about it! Enjoy.
Read the full story starting here!
Scattered Cicadas - Bonus Chapter: The Tang Snatcher
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Tang struggled against the hold of his captor as he was carried across the rooftops. Getting kidnapped was never a fun occurrence, but this was a particularly grating experience as the grey demon spiriting him away refused to stop cackling.
Tang, who was tied up, gagged, and thrown over his kidnapper’s shoulders, could only hope the insane laughter would allow his family an easier time in tracking him down.
His captor suddenly jumped from the rooftops down into an alleyway, pausing his glee only for a moment as he opened a secret door in the back wall.
Tang was carried down a nondescript tunnel with torches lining the walls. It soon opened up into a large basement with a prison cell filled with about two dozen other men of various ages taking up the left half and what appeared to be a conspiracy theorists’ workspace on the right; complete with a cork board covered in photos and interconnected strings.
The laughing demon dumped Tang into the cell and made his way over to the desk, pulling out a red marker as he began to modify the board.
A few of the other captured men quickly made their way to the scholar and began freeing him from his bonds.
“So let me guess, your name is Tang?” The one pulling at the bindings on his feet seemed pretty calm for being imprisoned by a demon.
“Yes? How did you know that,” Tang asked once his gag had been removed.
“Oh give him a minute,” another man said as he helped Tang to his feet. “He’ll start gloating in just a second.”
“What?”
“At last!” The grey demon turned to face the group and Tang got his first good look at him.
He was almost completely featureless. Grey skin and clothes, no face, no horns or a tail or fur. The only thing that even slightly defined them was the pair of plain black sunglasses they wore.
“I, Hamburg! Have finally captured EVERY Tang in the city!”
Tang’s mouth hung open as he turned to the nearest person.
“Wait, are you all-?”
“Named Tang as well? Yup,” said the nonchalant Tang.
Oh this was going to get confusing.
“And now that I have them all,” the demon, Hamburg, continued, “I can figure out which of them is the reincarnation of the monk Tang Sanzang! I will devour them, steal their divinity, and become powerful enough to rule the world!” Hamburg let out another cackle which was impressive considering he had no mouth.
“What.” Tang just stared in bafflement.
“Yeah, that’s what we’ve been dealing with for a while now,” said a Tang with a lip piercing.
“But- But that doesn’t even make any sense!” Tang was used to over the top evil schemes but this?
This was plain insulting.
“Even if one of us was the reincarnation of Sanzang,” he absolutely was, but he wasn’t about to advertise that, “they’re basing that fact solely on our names. Which is absolutely idiotic! Reincarnations aren’t named after their past lives!
“Not to mention that his reincarnation wouldn’t be divine anymore, so what ‘power’ would he be getting?
“Sanzang wasn’t even that powerful to begin with! He was a monk! A pacifist! The only thing someone would gain from eating him was maybe immortality and even that is uncertain!
“And why go through the trouble of capturing all of us before beginning to test and see which of us might be the reincarnation? Now he just has a bunch of prisoners that he has to keep track of who, based on what I’ve seen so far, could undoubtedly outsmart him and escape!”
Tang whirled and glared at the now speechless demon.
“Did you do any research into this outside our names at all?!”
There was silence for a few moments before a Tang wearing a backwards baseball cap gave a low whistle.
“Damn. We’ve never been able to get him to shut up for this long.”
Before anything else could happen, there was an explosion from down the hall and soon MK, Mei, Pigsy, Sandy, and some kid Tang had never seen came running in.
“Give us our friend back!” MK charged at the demon, swinging his staff.
Tang ignored the extremely one-sided fight as he rushed up to the bars.
“How’d you guys find us?”
“I, uh, saw the grey dude take you into this alley earlier,” the new kid said. “When your friends here came by looking I led them down here. My name’s Knox by the way.”
Sandy casually ripped the door off the cell and began ushering the Tangs towards the exit. MK soon joined them after leaving Hamburg unconscious in the corner of the room.
“So what was that guy’s plan, anyway,” Mei asked as they headed up the tunnel.
Tang growled, catching them all off guard.
“It wasn’t a plan so much as a half-baked delusion of grandeur. I have never been so insulted as a scholar and researcher by the illogical ideas they were spewing.”
“Ooooookay,” Pigsy said. “Let’s get you back to the shop and you can have a bowl of noodles, on the house. That should cheer you up.”
“Thanks for the help,” MK waved to the kid who had led them to the alley as they headed down the street.
“No problem,” the kid, Knox he believed, waved back and disappeared into the crowd.
Tang’s mood lifted at the thought of free noodles. Hopefully he could forget all about this insane day with the help of his favorite dish.
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Pride and Prejudice 1940: "When Pretty Girls T-E-A-S-E-D Men Into Marriage"
Made during the Great Depression, this classic black and white film is loosely based on Austen's novel and is set in what is likely the 1830s rather than the Regency Era (late 18th century to early 19th century). It is an escapist piece which capitalizes on nostalgia for a simpler time by transporting its viewers to a chocolate-box vision of the past, while paying homage to Austen's social satire by delivering plenty of laughs along the way.
Overall Thoughts on the Film:
The first time I watched this movie, I was confused because the plot as well as the setting was revised significantly (the events after Darcy's first proposal are changed to hasten the happy ending; Darcy's letter and Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley are not included in this movie). This changing of plot points makes the 2005 movie a much more faithful adaptation in comparison with this version, in spite of the creative liberties both take with the novel.
Production Design:
The movie is a typical example of Golden Age Hollywood productions, with beautiful actresses and melodramatic flourishes added to increase the drama. Some of the lines are delivered very quickly, in keeping with the comedic style of the time.
The music: definitely not historically accurate. A lot of sentimental, "ye olde timey" string arrangements that emphasize emotions or fast-paced waltz music for balls/parties.
The 1830s costumes are beautiful; it seems as if no expense (or quantity of fabric) was spared in making them. The bonnets are way taller and have more decorations than typical 1830s bonnets. Some of the patterns/fabric choices are very 1930s, and the costumes are exaggerated in such as way as to make the wearers look like fancy turkeys.
Hair and Makeup: very 1930s, with finger/sausage curls, plucked eyebrows, lipstick/lip makeup, and long lashes.
The sets: the dollhouse-like interiors are lavishly gilded and made to look as opulent as possible. Outdoors scenes are lush, with lots of flowers and bushes; the garden in which the second proposal takes place is gorgeous. The set design transports the viewer into an idyllic vision of the bucolic English countryside.
The Lead Actors:
With the exception of Laurence Olivier, the majority of the actors are American, since this is a Hollywood production. Many of the characters in the film's imaginary vision of pastoral Britain speak American or make clumsy attempts to imitate British English.
Greer Garson: while she is definitely too old for the part, she perfectly conveys Elizabeth's intelligence, outspokenness, and sarcasm. Her facial expressions are killer as well; with the arch of an eyebrow along with a snarky side eye, she captivates us all. All in all, Garson effectively shows off Elizabeth's impertinence through her nonverbal acting (this reminds me strongly of Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth Bennet).
Laurence Olivier: he effectively conveys Darcy's pride while hinting at his deeper feelings beneath the surface (I can see why Colin Firth spoke so highly of Olivier's portrayal of Darcy). Most importantly, the film emphasizes Darcy's intelligence; he is certainly Elizabeth's intellectual equal. While this portrayal of Darcy is very accurate to the book, Darcy's pride does go away pretty quickly (he and Elizabeth form a tentative friendship early on) and his social awkwardness isn't immediately obvious thanks to his charm. Also the unflattering hairstyle with the greasy hair and painted on sideburns makes me sad.
Key Scenes:
Opening scene: The title card appeals directly to the audience's nostalgia for a sentimental, romanticized past: “It happened in OLD ENGLAND (this was actually capitalized), in the village of Meryton…” The Bennet women are at a fabric shop, where they gossip with aunt Phillips about the rich people moving into Netherfield Park.
The carriage race: this scene, which isn’t in the original novel, represents the rivalry between the Bennets and Lucases. The mothers both want their daughters to be the first to snag the rich bachelors.
The first ball: There is a historical anachronism as the music is a waltz by Strauss, who became popular in late 19th century, specifically the Gilded Age; far too early for the Regency Era or 1830s England. Other changes from the original novel include Elizabeth meeting Wickham before Darcy; other events from Aunt Phillips’ ball (which isn’t included in this movie) and Wickham and Darcy’s confrontation are included in this scene.
Elizabeth’s impression of Darcy at the ball: she puts on airs and mocks his casual dismissal of her as tolerable (definitely a parallel with the 1995 version, where Jennifer Ehle does the same, but privately with Jane).
Great comedic change: Darcy introduces himself to Elizabeth after calling her tolerable and asks if she will dance with him (this originally takes place at Mr. Lucas' ball). Right after rejecting Darcy, she instantly agrees to dance with Wickham; in a humorous moment, Darcy evacuates to a corner of the room to sulk while seeing Wickham dance with Elizabeth.
The “Accomplished woman” scene: the dialogue lifted directly from the book for the most part. Darcy, in a departure from his trademark seriousness, shows off his playful side when reacting to Caroline Bingley's "turn about the room." I particularly like this added repartee from Elizabeth Bennet to Darcy, which is clever but also foreshadows her prejudice: “If my departure is any punishment, you are quite right. My character reading is not too brilliant.”
Elizabeth can't stand Mr. Collins: After twirling about his monocle, he pronounces that: “It might interest you to know my taste was formed by lady Catherine de Bourgh.” The best part of this scene is when Elizabeth plucks a wrong note on her harp when Collins gets really annoying.
The Netherfield ball (which is now a garden party):
Elizabeth running away from Mr. Collins: She looks rather ridiculous, almost like an overdressed turkey, in a white dress with puffy sleeves as she runs away from an overeager Collins. Then she hides in the bushes while Darcy helps her to hide, telling Collins he doesn't know where she is. It's fun but most likely not something a proper lady and gentleman would do (two people of the opposite gender out alone, shock!).
The archery scene: Darcy attempts to teach Elizabeth how to shoot a bow and arrow, even though he doesn’t hit the bullseye. She goes on to impress him by perfectly hitting the bullseye every time; Darcy learns his lesson: "Next time I talk to a young lady about archery I won't be so patronizing." Caroline Bingley, very passive aggressive as usual, shows up for her archery lesson right after and it's absolutely perfect.
Mr. Collins attempts to introduce himself to Mr. Darcy: Laurence Olivier captures Darcy so perfectly in this scene (really set the precedent for Colin Firth). When Mr. Collins starts talking (inviting Elizabeth to dance with him) Darcy tries to keep himself well-composed but has a pained expression on his face as if he’s about to pass out. Olivier masters the way Darcy can look so miserable but also disgusted and proud at the same time.
Mr. Collin's proposal to Elizabeth: I like the added touch of Mrs. Bennet pulling Elizabeth back by her skirt when she tries to run out of the room. The dialogue is taken directly from the book, and the scene is made even funnier when Collins holds on to Elizabeth's hand desperately and doesn’t let her get away. My only quibble is that Elizabeth isn’t indignant enough when Mr. Collins doesn't take no for an answer.
Elizabeth and Darcy at Rosings: I like that Olivier subtly indicates that Darcy is clearly affected upon seeing Elizabeth at Rosing, hinting at deeper feelings beneath the surface. I also like how the scriptwriter emphasizes that Darcy indirectly praises Elizabeth and enjoys their conversations, while she remains convinced that he hates her. Sadly, the original dialogue of the piano scene is not included, which is unfortunate as it allows Darcy to reveal his introvert tendencies, calling into question Elizabeth's assertion that he is unpardonably proud.
First proposal: The famous opening lines are mutilated with awkward punctuation: “It’s no use. I’ve struggled in vain. I must tell you how much I admire and love you." While the rest of the dialogue matches up closely with what happens in Austen's novel, both of the actors aren’t emotional enough; instead Elizabeth cries very daintily, and Darcy remains serene, which conflicts with the book's description of both of them being very angry and defensive at each other.
THE SCRIPT:
The first half of the film up to Darcy's first proposal follows the events of the original book closely, though certain blocks of dialogue are moved elsewhere and other events such as Mrs. Phillips' party are skipped over. The most significant changes, besides updating the setting to the 1830s, are made to the second half of the book to squeeze the key events of the story into the movie before delivering the inevitable happy ending.
Brilliant Quotes:
Mr. Bennet's reaction to Mrs. Bennet's despair over the situation of their 5 unmarried daughters: “Perhaps we should have drowned some of them at birth.”
Darcy insists Elizabeth cannot tempt him: “Ugh. Provincial young lady with a lively wit. And there’s that mother of hers.”
Darcy is an arrogant snob: “I’m in no humor tonight to give consequence to the middle classes at play.” (Technically the Bennets are part of the gentry; they just are less wealthy than Darcy).
Elizabeth's reaction to Darcy pronouncing her to be tolerable at best: “What a charming man!”
Elizabeth rebuffs Darcy's offer to dance after overhearing his insult: “I am afraid that the honor of standing up with you is more than I can bear, Mr Darcy.”
Elizabeth favors Wickham after witnessing the bad blood between him and Darcy: “Without knowing anything about it I am on your side.”
Mrs. Bennet's comment after she sends Jane to Netherfield under stormy skies: “There isn’t anything like wet weather for engagements. Your dear father and I became engaged in a thunderstorm.”
Mr. Bennet's reaction to Jane's fever: “Jane must have all the credit for having caught the cold…we’re hoping Elizabeth will catch a cold and stay long enough to get engaged to Mr. Darcy. And if a good snowstorm could be arranged we’d send Kitty over!”
The sisters' description of Mr. Collins: “Oh heavens! what a pudding face.”
Caroline Bingley at the Netherfield garden party: “Entertaining the rustics is not as difficult as I feared. Any simple childish game seems to amuse them excessively.”
Darcy reassuring Elizabeth after helping her escape Mr. Collins: “If the dragon returns St. George will know how to deal with it.”
Darcy learns his lesson after Elizabeth beats him at archery: “The next time I talk to a young lady about archery I won’t be so patronizing.”
Elizabeth comments about a curtain: “Oh that’s pretty. It’s a pity you didn’t make it bigger. You could have put it around Mr. Collins when he becomes a bore.”
Elizabeth on Kitty and Lydia: “2 daughters out of 5, that represents 40% of the noise.”
Elizabeth sees Lady Catherine for the first time: “So that’s the great lady Catherine. Now I see where he learned his manners.”
Lady Catherine's attitude towards philanthropy: “You must learn to draw a firm line between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor.”
Darcy takes Elizabeth's advice: “I’ve thought a great deal about what you said at Netherfield, about laughing more...but it only makes me feel worse."
Elizabeth and Darcy have a conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam: “He likes the landscape well enough, but the natives, the natives, what boors, what savages … Isn’t that what you think, Mr. Darcy?” With a smile: “It evidently amuses you to think so, Miss Bennet."
CHANGES FROM THE BOOK:
The first half of the film up to Darcy's first proposal follow the events of the original book closely, though certain blocks of dialogue are moved elsewhere and other events such as Mrs. Phillips' party are skipped over. The most significant changes, besides updating the setting to the 1830s, are made to the second half of the book to squeeze the key events of the story into the movie before delivering the inevitable happy ending.
With the exception of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the portrayals of the characters are (generally) true to the book.
As I said earlier, the film neglects any sort of historical accuracy when setting the story in romanticized "Old England," where genteel people pass simple lives that revolve around dresses, tea parties, social gossip, and marriages. A lot of Austen adaptations present an idealized vision of Regency life, where people are dressed immaculately, flawlessly adhere to "chivalry," and find love in the ballroom. This contributes to the misconception that Austen's novels are shallow chick-lit books with flat characters who live for lavish parties and hot men, instead of stories of unique, complicated women who happen to be well-off but aspire towards love, respect, or independence instead of being content to make economically advantageous marriages. Austen's novels are character novels and she doesn't waste time writing about dresses or tea parties; balls, while exciting, are just another part of daily life for her characters rather than some Extremely Big Special Once In a Blue Moon Event.
Austen's multifaceted view on marriage turns into a game of matchmaking. She recognizes it as necessary for women to survive in the patriarchy, since they cannot provide for themselves unless they marry well, but at the same time, presents marriage as a means for freedom if it is a loving partnership between two people that respect each other. In contrast, marriage is a game of manipulating the partners into wanting to marry (ex. Lady Catherine and Darcy's trickery). Also, it seems to be a given that Elizabeth will marry for love, unlike in the book where it is uncertain whether she will achieve this.
Kitty and Lydia's antics are viewed much more sympathetically as those of young people having fun; in the book, their behavior harms the family's social reputation, reducing the chances the Bennet daughters have of making good marriages.
Louisa Hurst, Georgiana Darcy, and Aunt and Uncle Gardiner are not in the movie.
Wickham is introduced much earlier than in the book; he is friends with Lydia from the very beginning. Interestingly, he doesn't begin to trash-talk Darcy until Bingley leaves; in the book he does so much earlier, before the Netherfield ball.
Darcy is more considerate towards Elizabeth at the Netherfield party (ex. rescuing her from Collins), until he overhears Mrs. Bennet scheming to get the daughters married. Elizabeth forms a tentative friendship with him until finding out that he separated Jane from Bingley.
Jane is more obviously heartbroken over Bingley's departure than in the book, where she keeps her pain to herself. In the movie, she runs away to cry, which is uncharacteristic of her.
Collins is a librarian instead of a clergyman. I dislike this change because some Austen scholars/fans think that Collins being a clergyman is a deliberate choice as part of Austen's social criticism. Collins is representative of how hypocritical the Church is, since he worships Lady Catherine's wealth instead of God, and preaches moral lessons instead of actually using religion to help people. My theory is that the change was made because of the Hays Code, which led to the censorship of movies for "unwholesome" or "indecent" things; the religious criticism could have been offensive.
Elizabeth reacts rather too kindly to Charlotte marrying Collins by showing concern for the loveless marriage. While she does worry about the lack of love in the marriage, initially she is extremely surprised, outright shocked, and confused.
The scene where Darcy tries and fails to talk to Elizabeth (the "charming house" scene in the 2005 movie) just before the proposal is removed.
Darcy's letter is skipped over and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice of Darcy very quickly, as shown when she tells Jane she regrets rejecting his proposal. This is contrary to the book, where overcoming her prejudice is an emotionally exhausting and slow process that continues all the way up until the second proposal.
The Pemberley visit is removed; instead, Elizabeth returns home to the news that Lydia has eloped. Visiting Pemberley is very important as part of Elizabeth's re-evaluation of Darcy's character and provides an opportunity for Darcy to show Elizabeth that he has changed for her. The visit is key in increasing Elizabeth's love for Darcy, and removing it means that the characters have less personal growth (also wouldn't it have been great for the audience to be treated to another gorgeous estate of "Old England?"). Instead, Darcy visits Longbourn on his own and offers his help in finding Lydia. When the news comes that Wickham accepts very little money in exchange for marrying Lydia, it isn't as shocking as it is in the book because Darcy had already expressed his intentions of helping Elizabeth earlier.
Here's the change that bugs me the most: Lady Catherine becomes good; though she is a busybody, her main priority is Darcy's happiness. Her confrontation of Elizabeth is a scheme hatched between her and Darcy as a test to be certain of Elizabeth's love. This does not make sense on so many levels: first, Darcy insists that "disguise of every sort is my abhorrence," so why would he resort to trickery, however well-intentioned, to find out if Elizabeth still loves him? Second, Lady Catherine is a social snob and objects to Elizabeth's low connections; also she has an arranged marriage planned for Darcy. Third, in the book, because Elizabeth likes Pemberley and gets along really well with his sister Georgiana, Darcy would have had some evidence that Elizabeth, in the very least, cared for him. And the added claim that Lady Catherine approves of Elizabeth because she likes rudeness and thinks Darcy needs a humorous wife irritates me further because the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy is revolutionary since it was made in defiance of societal rules!!! Why, why, why in the name of comedy did they have to do this?!
Darcy kisses Elizabeth (in a stagey and melodramatic way) after she accepts his second proposal. Seems a bit uncharacteristic of him.
All the sisters get married at the end. Happily ever after.
CONCLUSION
This movie certainly was not aiming for faithfulness to Austen's novel; it ignores her detailed portrait of Regency era society and its attitudes and focuses on the "light, bright, and sparkling" aspect of Pride and Prejudice that gives the story its timeless appeal.
All in all, this comedy of manners is definitely a classic thanks to the clever dialogue and jokes within the script, along with some great acting.
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@appleinducedsleep @dahlia-coccinea @princesssarisa @colonelfitzwilliams @austengivesmeserotonin
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serenawitchwriter · 3 years
Text
BNHA fusion (Bakusquad/Todoroki)
TodoBaku
i pity endeavor
somehow angrier than bakugou? like it’s less of a tsundere, shouty way and more of a punk rock 100% ready to throw down at the slightest provocation
has less tolerance for spice but will eat it anyway
spicy noodles
a lot blunter with his actual thoughts
so much fire, i’m imagining because of Baku's chemical secretion they could possibly make some kind of plasma, though i doubt that makes scientific sense.
also shoots steam out of one their hands
spiky red and white hair, not split down the middle but streaky. a bit like natsuo only more integrated
red eyes, no heterochromia, but keeps the scar
handsome, but constantly looks a bit constipated
really self-critical
incredibly good at mocking people. easily makes people cry with his insults because they’ll attack the thing about you that you don’t like
surprisingly unaggressive towards midoriya. like bakugou’s rivalry/aggression toward him is somehow dampened by todoroki’s love of mido
also tolerant of specifically mina, uraraka, and kirishima. everyone else push their buttons to the point of pissing them off.
i’d like to see them fight dabi because it feels like they’d have similar vibes, except todobaku is less theater kid.
would absolutely wear a leather jacket
despite their angry punk energy, they still pretty anal about self care and schedules. like they’re straight edge nerds about everything but fighting
KiriTodo
chaotic
like they aren’t a bad person but they are a dumbass and the shit that they get up to is spectacularly wild
completely red hair, silky texture. either slicks it back or spikes it into a mohawk. depends on the day
still scarred, red and blue eyes.
shark teeth but in a softer shaped face
usually shirtless, especially when it’s inappropriate
will eat literally anything
incredibly insecure but honest about it
clingy to his friends in an almost desperate way. like his friends will always be their for him but even then he’s struggling to feel secure about it
slow burn anger, but is the most terrifying person to see angry. you do not want to see him get genuinely pissed
an incredibly kind person
fantastic with animals
another elemental quirk user
i have the mental image of a rock golem running at the enemy while on fire and covered in ice. again, avoid pissing him off
pauses a lot while talking and uses a lot of filler words like ‘like, um, and uh”. almost like a valley girl
deceptively smart and emotionally mature. like they have their moments of being profound, of getting where others are coming from, of doing something totally genius
but is also a dumbass the vast majority of the time. like you’d be shocked at how stupid he can be
can’t fucking read
affectionate towards Bakugou and Midoriya. thinks they’re all best friends. isn’t entirely wrong. loves Mina as well
cuddly as hell, but is not comfortable to cuddle with. he’s too hard and he’s never the right temperature
TodoMina
chaotic part 2
a weird combo, probably not very stable
candy cane colored curls, with a pink transition color in their hair. still has horns.
it’s hard to tell that they’re scarred with pink skin. heterochromic eyes, one blue, the other yellow with black sclara
has a creepy laugh
fully into being an alien and is attempting to convince people it’s true, not in a joking way.
more plasma options in terms of quirks. i don’t know how freezing or heating acid effects it, but the effect can probably be used for something
will do basically anything they put their mind to, no matter how absurd. once they make a decision they’re going to do it hell or high water
shift back and forth between being incredibly hyper and on the ball, and being exhausted and antisocial. 
overly invested in gossip and discovering the truth. nosy as hell
impossible to predict
probably into yoga?
manic pixie dream girl? definitely quirky
has a mean sense of humor, and is sometimes just mean in general. generally has good intentions but won’t hesitate to cut people down when they feel they ‘deserve it’
candy addiction
TodaKami
very stable
very funny and chill
stoner vibes regardless of if they do drugs
zones out constantly
black lightning in the white half, red lightning in yellow half of hair. fine and silky as hell
green eyes, no scar. probably needs glasses but doesn’t have them yet
weather powers. can make storms, clouds, effect temperature. can be effected by their own weather and injures themselves often
but is an op fighter anyway
both a memer and conspiracy theorist but in an entertaining way. could have a buzzfeed unsolved style show if they find the right skeptic. i feel like iida would be a cute partner for that. obviously todokami is the unhinged one
will eat literal garbage. i could see them eating from a dumpster because the pizza looked okay
rude mouth, says what he’s thinking regardless of how hurtful it is. isn’t intentionally trying to be mean.
obsessed with dragons
constantly tired. they sleep and sleep but it is never enough
pretty cuddly and quiet when zoned out
a fantastic hugger
baby
Todosero
weird but in an inexplicably normal way
like they’re not getting bullied for it, they’re not subverting society or being overly chaotic. they’re just kinda... odd.
possibly a fae in disguise?
fixed looking smile
scarred. small black eyes. hair is split to be red and white. but the roots are black
obviously still has tape elbows. quirk is probably some kinda fire and ice whip. makes a lot of icicles as well. has many creative applications, especially because they’re both range attacks
executive dysfunction anyone?
loves manga, particularly weird artsy kind, or horror and mysteries
will chill in high places for hours. probably makes a full spiderweb or cocoon or hammock.
just likes getting away from people
wears Hawaiian shirts casually. on the tame side
loves the beach
loves noodles more than life itself. has a mission to try every type of noodle
probably gets stuck places and gets lost easily
makes people uncomfortable. kind of person who just stands silently and stares at you. will wait until you notice him to speak. so sometimes he’ll just be standing silently behind you for five minute and than you’ll finally turn around and have a heart attack,
will otherwise jut kinda stand at the periphery of groups and stare blankly. like that vine of the guy disassociating at a party
never quite jives with the conversations, timing always seems off. they’re just really awkward
pretty fun loving given the opportunity. hanging out with friends is their favorite activity
vibes fairly well with ojiro and hagakure
TodoJirou
cool
makes ice puns, which is lame but gay/lesbian solidarity part 2
white and purple hair in a bob. no scar. has the earphone jacks. purple and silver eyes. petite
deserves to wear sunglasses at all times. probably doesn’t but they deserve to
incredibly chill
actually pretty lazy given the opportunity
still plays the bass and is quite passionate about it
husky singing voice. it’s good but unique, most suited towards indie stuff, not belting Broadway.
plays with earjacks constantly
in love with momo
powers aren’t particularly enhanced by each other. have to get pretty creative to make it effective. don’t mind that much, they aren’t trying to be number one, they’re just herre to help
probably always in a leather jacket
generally pretty sweet, especially towards close friends. it’s a quiet kindness. more shown by putting extra food on your plate when you’re not eating enough, instead of demanding you eat more verbally
sardonic
stable
easily annoyed, especially by injustice. if something is unfair they’ll get mad
generally incredibly mellow, one of the less feral fusion overall
(masterlist)
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free-pancakes · 3 years
Text
Dreams and Nightmares
Summary: LeviHan Canon-Divergence fic
Hange barely survives the final fight against Eren, and is saved by inheriting the Beast Titan from Zeke Yeager in the end. However, the Scouts soon find that this would come with a heavy price--particularly at Levi's expense.
Chapter 7/? Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 1
crossposted to ao3 here: link
notes: sorry for the late update! i know it's a bit short, hope you all like it though!
CHAPTER 7
Zeke felt a horrible suffocating sensation as he sunk into the sand. Before he could pass out from the lack of oxygen, he fell through, feeling is body being expelled from the dense, black sand, and landed on grass below. He inhaled sharply, trying to catch his breath from near death, coughing and sputtering in between.
When he finally calmed down, he watched as the black sand beneath him change, slowly melting away, gradually transitioning into soft, green grass. He began to feel something ominous in the air, and he stared up to see a familiar scene except—
Zeke stared, dumbstruck as he saw a giant wolf titan standing in what looked like a vivid memory of his, titans falling from beside it as they stood outside Shiganshina. He watched as Levi spun in the air, slashing up the titan, only to cut at the nape and pull out... Hange?
Zeke watched Hange’s face, confused as she looked at Levi, standing in place of him in his own memories. He felt his heart drop as he watched her struggle, fear etched in her face as Levi didn’t recognize her, continuing to attack just as he did to Zeke all those years ago. The memory melted away, replaced again and again by all those fights he had against Levi, but Hange in his place.
He felt his heart wrench as he watched Hange suffer over and over again—but why should he care? He wasn’t completely sure of the nature of their relationship other than being comrades, really. He wondered why Hange appeared even more frightened than he ever was in those moments.
But, he could see and feel Hange’s pain, that was for sure.
As the memories replayed over and over, the more and more he felt bogged down by Hange’s nightmares, almost more than when he experienced it firsthand. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, her emotions and experience seemingly becoming one with his own.
Zeke fell to his knees, overwhelmed by Hange’s aching despair. But unfortunately, he was familiar with the feeling--which meant he couldn’t help but set aside whatever hate or grudge he had against Levi. To some extent, Hange has felt what he had gone through, and he had to help her out of it. And since they are currently deeply interconnected in paths, he had to help her or he’d find himself immersed in her pain as well.
He squinted through the sandstorm of replaying nightmares and finally set his eyes on Hange just before he sunk into the sand—she continued to lay still, black sand beginning to engulf her. He tried to reach her, but sand became heavier and denser with each step, wind picking up the sand making it very hard to see her. He tried calling out to her, telling her to focus on a happy memory, something to hold onto to calm the storm.
———- Levi woke up, lifting his head from the side of the bed as he blinked away the sleep from his eyes. He looked down at his hand, Hange’s hand still gripped in his. However, something was off. Her skin seemed oddly warm. Levi pulled his hand away fast—nope, she was burning up alright, almost as hot as pulling a shifter from its titan. He looked up to see a slightly pained expression on her face, sweat beading on her temple.
He dried the sweat from her brow and quickly grabbed a cold compress to put to her forehead, cooling her down. Her expression looked troubled, and it killed Levi to see it. Her apparent pain clawed deeply at his heart—the fact that he couldn’t enter paths with Hange destroyed him. He felt his own hands ball into fists, not sure what to do. It was one of the few times in his life he felt completely, utterly useless—but he trusted Hange.
He’d just have to keep faith and wait. Sitting in silence, he thought about what he could do for now, anything that might at least ease her body.
In that moment, he remembered the box he retrieved for her. He walked over to grab it, and brought it back to the bed.
“Not sure if you want me opening this, Hange…” he murmured, but something in his gut told him he should.
The lid creaked as he lifted it open, and he felt a rush of comfort and warmth enveloping him as he stared at the particular objects inside. He saw the contents when he dropped the box a week or so ago, but now he could really take a look at them closely.
She kept all of this?
Levi looked longingly at each object: An empty box of tea, a small yellow hair clip, a cream-colored shell, a framed picture of he and Hange, a little tube of wound ointment, and a baseball.
He pulled out the tea box, the scent of earl grey still lingering on it after all these years. He looked back down at Hange, who still seemed to be in distress.
“Hange, do you remember…” he said as he stared at the little blue box in his hands.
“…that this box held the first batch of tea you ever brewed for me?”
———-
Sand began to swirl in front of Zeke, and suddenly, all of it was gone.
“Hange?” He called. Though, she was nowhere in sight.
It was then that Zeke realized, he was no longer in the sand, no longer under the glistening, starry sky. He was sitting on hardwood floors, and… Hange and Levi were in front of him?
Zeke’s heart raced--he stood quickly to be ready to either fight or run, holding his pocket knife against his opposite palm. But he soon realized that neither of the two noticed him there at all. In addition, Levi and Hange looked much younger than he remembered.
“This must be one of Hange’s memories…” Zeke whispered to himself. He wondered why exactly the memory was about her and Levi. Was he really that important to her?
He watched the two interact, and from the looks of it, they didn’t seem close at all.
Hange pulled out a small, blue box labelled “Earl Grey”. She looked at Levi with genuine concern in her eyes, her gaze fixed on the dark circles around his eyes. He looked completely exhausted.
“Just relax, and let me brew some tea for you, Levi. You probably caught whatever virus is going on around the Scout barracks.”
Levi grit his teeth and frowned— “I can do it myself, Four-Eyes!” He yelled before falling into a nasty coughing fit.
“Hah, did you just give me a nickname, Levi? Does that mean we’re officially friends?!” Hange exclaimed, so excited she almost dropped the entire box of tea onto the floor.
Levi kept coughing, too weak to even hurl an insult back at her. So, Hange quickly left the room to make the tea. Levi sat, his gaze lingering at the closed door after her. He smiled ever so slightly, and seemed to finally listen to Hange’s advice, crawling into the bed to rest.
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unnameablethings · 4 years
Text
sunlight and allegiance
The bone-king, tall and shadowed, comes to the knight and asks, “Will you aid me?”
The answer is no, of course, will always be no, should always be no. Sunflor is the last shining bastion of what came before the god-king, and she will not bow her head. Her sun-king is dead, and the bone-king killed him, and only his seat on the throne and her oaths prevent her from taking his head off. She stands in the doorway of her quarters (inside the bone-king’s castle, inside the home that has been conquered,) and she knows that “no” is not an answer she can give, so instead she says nothing. Her face, however, betrays her. 
The bone-king winces, just the slightest twitch of his sharp-angled face. 
“Please. Lady Knight. They will listen to you, if they listen to none other, and I am so weary of bloodshed. Are you not weary?”
“There would be no bloodshed,” she says, very carefully, “If you had never come here.” 
The bone-king’s expression is… tired. Old, and drawn. She doesn’t know how old he is - he seems ageless, ancient and young all at once. “Of course there would be. Why else did you exist? A king doesn’t keep a land-blessed knight of sunlight and death unless he intends to use her for the slaughter. Are you telling me you had never killed before I came from the west?”
Sunflor says nothing, again, stubbornly silent. It’s not the same, she wants to say. That was keeping the peace, not war. I only slaughtered things like you. Threats. Monsters. Instead she drops her gaze to the floor, avoiding his old, dark eyes. 
“Need I make this an order?” the bone-king asks, very gently. Sunflor’s jaw clenches, works in a convulsive scowl. She is sworn to the throne, not the man who sits on it. It was meant to make her a peerless, unbiased warrior, but it feels, now, like a weakness. She wants to throttle him, wants to reach down his throat and tear out the way things used to be, as though he had swallowed it whole and unharmed. But she cannot disobey an order from her king, however little he has earned the title. 
“No. What do you need?”
“Thank you,” the bone-king says. He sounds relieved. She does not look at him, though the oath-bond pings with the righteous satisfaction of her fealty. It used to be one of her favorite feelings - it makes her sick, now. “Some parts of my land are still restless under my touch, and the kingdom loves you so much it burns. Come and help me coax it? Let us settle this gently, and with peace. I dislike the thought of having to stamp it down into fearful submission.”
“As you wish, my lord,” says Sunflor, because she is bound, and because she recognizes, through the haze of her rage and her grief, that it is better this way. Her king is dead, and a part of her is dead along with him, but no one else need die unnecessarily. 
He brings her first of all down into the labyrinths of the castle, where Sunflor would follow her sun-king when he did his rituals and his prayers. She knelt by his side, gave him her strength when he faltered, let him pull draughts of power from her like blood. She is almost nostalgic for the dizzy, giddy emptiness of being drained, of being filled instead with sunlight and the slow earth-love of a country. Not enough to want the bone-king to do it, though. She has no choice. 
The bone-king exhales, when they’re down in the wide, circular ritual-room, with the map of the kingdom stretched over the floor. There’s sunlight shining into the room from a window in the ceiling, though they’re dozens of feet below ground. The bone-king looks up at the sunlit window, inquisitive.
“A lovely working. Do you know the spell?” he murmurs, and stretches his fingers out to let the sun shine on them. Sunflor wishes for it to burn him, but it doesn’t. Just filters through his scarred fingers, making the webs between them glow faintly red, beams of light in the gaps. His flesh is slightly translucent, only the bones and the scars solid and pale.  
“It is a place of the sun,” Sunflor says, shortly, and kneels in the place where she always kneels, where generations before her have knelt. Had they ever knelt here and hated like she hates the bone-king? Stupid question. Of course they have. The kingdom is nothing if not ever besieged by conflict. They hardly go three or four generations without an upset - her own sun-king was only a second-generation dynastic king, and she knows the knight before the knight before her had ended up falling on her own blade, distraught by the loss of her queen. There is a strange comfort in the solidarity of a generational anguish.
Deep breaths. In. Out. The sunlight is warm, golden. The room is ritually hushed, and the scent of old blood and incense and dust fills her nose. It’s familiar, reassuring, down to the faint grooves in the stone from where thousands of years of knights before her have knelt in the same place. She has a duty to her country, not only to her king, and she will fulfill it until she can no longer. The kingdom cradles her in its stone, and she draws strength from it. 
The bone-king, watching, turns at last to stand over the map, closes his eyes, holding his hands out like he’s feeling along the top of a table. His hands are not callused in the way of one who wields a weapon, but blackened in forking patterns like lightning, from magic overuse. His fingertips are all scorched to a charcoal black. Those are recent - when she had battled the bone-king merely months ago, he had had much less prominent scarring. They are scars likely acquired in the battle against the sun-king, then. At least they managed to scar him.
“Here,” he murmurs, finally, hands poised above a part of the map like invisible strings tug his fingers down, and he crouches to touch a particular region on the map. He opens his eyes, and studies the landscape painted intricately beneath him. The knight watches him, looking from his face to the map and back. It does not surprise her that that particular demesne is giving him trouble - not when the forest loves its lady so much.
“What are your thoughts, lady knight?” the bone-king asks. 
“That is the demesne of Lady Lily-greenery,” the knight says. “Her sister, Violet, was slain at your hand.”
“I see.”
“She was one of the sorceresses in the king’s guard, and they were very close,” the knight says. “Not as close as some-” close as he and I- “but. Close.”
“I see,” the bone-king says again, quieter. “Well. There’s not much I can do about that, now. I’ll play bloodgold to the lady, if you think it will help?”
“She’ll consider it an insult. The gold you bought with her sister’s death? No.” 
“Mm. A wise consideration, Sunflor.”
“Do not use my name,” Sunflor snaps, and hears her voice break. “You haven’t earned it. Don’t you dare.”
There’s a long, fraught pause. “Apologies, Lady Knight,” the bone-king breathes, almost a whisper. It’s a concession she hadn’t expected from him, and she breathes in deep, breathes out the anger and sorrow. 
“If you want her to support you, then you need to show her respect, and show her forest respect,” she says, as though nothing particularly interesting had happened. “She lost a lot, in the war effort. A lot of her forest’s vitality was drained to shore up the borders and strengthen the soldiers.”
“I’ll send her some of that power back, then. Weakens the remaining military resources that are undoubtedly brewing dissent, and strengthens a possible ally. And helps me fix the absolute mess my predecessor has made of this beautiful thing,” the bone-king says, and runs a gentle hand along the map. 
“He didn’t,” Sunflor says, but it sounds like a lie to her own ears, a childish protest. It is not as though she hasn’t lain awake at night for years, hearing the kingdom in discomfort and weakness, knowing that it was stretched too far. She shifts in her kneeling, feeling herself sore to the bone though the kneeling hasn’t bothered her since she was knighted. “He did his best,” she amends.
“His best wasn’t very good,” the bone-king says, and looks steadily at her, eyes dark. His expression is opaque, unreadable. “He sought conquest and glory and didn’t have the means to manage it. I would never have bothered coming if he had not tried to conquer me in the first place, and I never would have succeeded against a kingdom as powerful as this if he had not already overextended it and strained its power and its patience.”
“The kingdom loves him,” Sunflor says. Her throat feels swollen and thick, and her hands fist in her lap. “It gave all it could for him because it loved him.”
“The kingdom loves you.” The bone-king’s stare is nameless, uncomfortably tender. “You gave all you could for him.”
“Not enough, clearly.”
“His weakness is not your fault.”
“His death is yours.”
The bone-king acknowledges this with a tilt of his head. “I am sorry.”
She laughs, ugly and shattered. It sounds wrong in the peaceful stillness of the ritual room, like a crow’s broken cackle. “Are you, my lord?” 
He stands from the map, shrugs off his cloak and holds his hand out over the ugly seething of the forest’s magic. The trees sprout up from the map, the flat surface rising to give way to infinitely small trees, a mass of greenery. The sunlight in the room goes strange, and she feels magic brewing, simultaneously familiar and repellant. It is the comforting kingdom-magic at the same time as it is the cold, dark grave-magic of an enemy she has been fighting for years, now, and it itches at her like a scabbing wound. 
It curls from the god-king’s fingertips, twining into the forest’s magic and settling in it. She feels it resist, struggle, but he does not fight back, even as it reaches for him in violence and fury. She watches his hands - he flinches, barely, when the magic sinks thorns into him, but he does not pull away. He merely offers the gift in open palms until the forest finally swallows it, and settles down. 
“My condolences for your loss,” he speaks, into the whispering of the forest. “And my utmost respect and honor for your sister’s battle prowess. She fought well. I regret her death. I hope this goes some small way towards amends.”
The forest takes the message, and subsides back into the map, smoothing out. A discordant note in the kingdom’s magic quiets, turns a little further toward the main body of it. 
“I regret that I caused you pain, lady knight,” the bone-king says, without looking at her. “I do not regret the sun-king’s death.” 
“What could I possibly matter to you?” 
“I underestimated the effect the kingdom’s power would have on me,” the bone-king says, instead of answering. 
Perhaps, however, it is an answer after all. 
The bone-king’s face is creased, sweat beading on his forehead. There are new pinpricks of red scars on his hands, and this is the point at which Sunflor would usually lend her power and her aid, let her king brace himself against her as the sturdy anchor-point of might and magic. She does not offer. The bone-king does not ask. 
“May I go?” Sunflor asks, at last.
“...You may. I will need you again, though.”
“I am aware.” 
Though her fealty-bond keens when she turns her back on the bone-king, alerting her he is in need of aid/strength/his knight, she does not listen. She climbs the stairs away from him, and does not look back. 
(I FORGOT I HAVE AN @ LIST... it’s from 2018 so it’s very probably outdated rip. sorry if you get mentioned when you did not want to be! @trishaloach @toastyglow @acefruitloop @skye07 @m1sosazai @yoyoendlessstring @blue-tomatoes @catsfeminismandatla @lady-redshield-writes @alhena09 @emanonnosrep, @je11yfish-queen @gingerly-writing @dramaticvoiceover @writingmyselfintoanearlygrave @authorisada @reciclingbin @lushprocrastinatrix @timeenoughforamasterpiece @tedrakitty @haphazardlyparked @kiwisoap @silver56 @pacifiedperoxide @kooncat @severe-fangirl-syndrome @startledserpent  @50-shaeds-of-fae @stritte @dorianelle @dhawandyke @churchyardgrim)
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scarletaire · 4 years
Text
homeland (Chapter 4)
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A/N: This is the chapter I’ve been most looking forward to and most nervous about to write! I’m excited to finally put it out into the world ❤️
Fandom: The Folk of the Air
Genre/s: Contains Fluff, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Slight Angst, Smut
Rating: E
Tags: Post-QON, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Protective!Cardan, Bewildered!Jude, Jude and Cardan discuss the Undersea, but they get a little Distracted
Description:
Cardan’s eyes flash open.
“Why?” he repeats, and Jude feels the power shift between them. “Don’t you remember, wife?” he croons. “It was the Undersea who stole you away from me.”
And Jude has only enough time to think, danger, before he lunges at her.
or:
Cardan and Jude work on removing their armor. Taking off this particularly stubborn piece happens in varying states of undress.
Links: Masterlist | AO3
Jude wakes alone to an empty room.
The first thing she notices is that she’s in the royal suite. Someone has laid her out on the giant silkspun bed and folded the covers gently over her. She’s been stripped of her clothes and returned to the nightgown that she slept in.
The second thing she notices – her head is killing her.
She struggles into a sitting position and immediately regrets it. There is a cold ache at the base of her skull, and it radiates up into her skull without mercy the more that she tries to move. She has to catch her forehead in her hand because it’s almost impossible to keep her head up. Her muscles feel sore, like she’s just finished a brutal sword match with five of Grima Mog at the same time.
Has she been poisoned?
Pressing the heels of her palms over her eyes, Jude tries to think through the fog of pain. She runs through the list of poisons that she once upon a time routinely fed herself in order to bargain immunity. She comes up worryingly short: it isn’t wraithberry, because the speed of her pulse when she presses her fingers to her wrist is normal, if a little slow from slumber. It isn’t blusher mushroom, either, because paralysis should have set in by now. And the fact that she woke up from sleep at all refutes the possibility of deathsweet.
Her body aches, her head is pounding, her blood is cold underneath her skin despite all of the blankets, and more than anything, she’s pissed.
It’s either someone failed spectacularly at poisoning her properly, or whatever it is, it’s something completely new.
And new means that she has no immediate plan for it. New means that she’s just as helpless as anyone else.
All she has consumed up to this point came from the food tray she ate from before she set out for Insear. That immediately rules it out because then that means that Cardan should also be –
Her thoughts screech to a halt.
Cardan.
She told Cardan about kissing Balekin in the Undersea.
And then she’d – blacked out.
Jude’s mind races to recall his reaction. Was he angry? Insulted? Disgusted? But just like with the poison she draws a blank. Her memory of that moment is too foggy to sift through, and she is left wondering if she’s made a mistake.
She needs to talk to Cardan. She needs to talk to him now.
That’s when Tatterfell comes bustling in.
She takes one look at Jude, her black eyes roving over her undressed form, and tuts. “You should be ready for the revel.”
Jude attempts to sit up a little straighter, but it only makes her grit her teeth when her head swims. “Where is the High King?”
“It appears he has stepped out.”
“Out?”
Tatterfell shakes her head. “He left in a hurry. The night’s revels are about to begin. Perhaps he went to check on preparations.”
“Of course. Preparations.”
If the imp is put off by Jude’s monotone responses, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she motions for her to take her place in front of the mirror. Jude makes her way over, but her body is sluggish and slow to respond. She clenches her fists and pushes herself out of bed, refusing to show any weakness in front of her old attendant.
“Anything will do for tonight,” Jude says, nodding at the closet. The last thing she cares about right now is what she’s going to wear. Her mind reels with all the things she needs to say to Cardan, with all the things that he could say to her. She’ll find him at the revel, and then they’ll… talk.
“No matter.” Tatterfell’s voice is inscrutable. “Your garments have already been provided for.”
With a flourish, she unfurls the dress that she is carrying over her arms. It’s styled after a peacock: plumed feathers of royal blue and vibrant turquoise make up the bodice, and a fall of shimmering, night sky fabric makes up the skirt.
Despite everything, Jude’s eyes go wide.
This time, there is no sleep-softened husband to help her into her clothes. No soft looks from beneath eyelashes. No lingering touches. Instead, Tatterfell unlaces the discernibly negligible back of the dress, and looks up at her impatiently.
When Jude steps into it, the soft tips of the feathers kiss her bare collarbones, and the iridescent skirt flows down close to her legs; it spreads out where it reaches the floor, the multi-colored hem fanning out to mimic the way a peacock spreads its plumage.
The effect is extraordinary. Elaborate. Extravagant.
It has Cardan written all over it.
“Troublesome affair, this Insear business,” Tatterfell remarks, pulling Jude’s hair up into a high ponytail. She’s extending the ends of it with lengths of gold-tipped feathers that spill like a peacock’s crest down her back.
Jude’s head is now twice as heavy, and her headache now twice as powerful.
It takes far more effort than it should to respond. “I expect that after tonight it won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Yes, I should very well hope so. For the king’s sake.”
The comment is odd, but Jude’s too weary to mull it over. The way the dress bares her shoulders and arms does nothing to ward off the chill on her skin. Tatterfell clucks at the gooseflesh as she begins the finishing touches of makeup and bodypaint.
“Woe the constitution of a mortal,” she mutters under her breath. It seems that the honor of attending to the High Queen of Elfhame is not enough to rid her of her conservations. “Just today your sister snapped at the servants and commanded that all meals be delivered to her rooms. Complaining of swollen feet and an aching back, of all things.”
“Yes,” Jude says, dryly, “I suspect that’s what being eight months pregnant will do to anyone.”
Tatterfell is unfazed. “She says to tell you she’s sorry to miss the revel. But she sends her well wishes to you and His Majesty.”
Looking in the mirror, Jude thinks of the way Taryn’s features have swelled and changed while carrying her child. It’s all entirely too easy to imagine the changes on herself, because they look so much alike. But as Tatterfell finishes dusting shimmering blue and turquoise powder over her eyelids and cheekbones, then her collarbones, and her wrists, the comparison ends abruptly.
The woman looking back at her in the mirror is unearthly – untouchable, in her own way. She does not look like a nauseous, fatigued human. She looks like the High Queen of Faerie, with her dress of majestic feathers and glittering stars.
The only thing missing is her king.
If he wanted me to wear something he picked out, she thinks to herself, settling her crown on top of her head, he should’ve helped put it on me himself.
Well. That means that she’ll just have to show him, and make him regret it.
_______________
The revel is in full swing when Jude arrives.
The crowd of Folk clap and bow and part to make a path for her, and she gets her full glimpse of Cardan’s Insear peace revel for the first time.
He’s outdone himself. The high ceilings of the ballroom are a mastery of golden lanterns and strings of deep blue roses. No branch goes unadorned, no vine left empty. The whole room is effused with soft, enchanting light, the revelers plied with glasses of bubbling, aquamarine liquor. Even the moss on the walls seem to glow with serene luminescence. This is no space for fighting or hostility. A peace revel, through and through.
And it’s with a jolt that Jude realizes that the room, the decor – the gold, the blue, the turquoise –
It matches her. It matches her dress.
Here, in this revel that Cardan has crafted, she completely and wholly belongs.
Something trips in her chest. It might be her heart.
Jude turns her head immediately toward the throne, where she knows he’ll be waiting. The gravity in the room shifts the moment Cardan comes into her field of vision, and she finds herself tilting in his direction without even thinking. It is disconcerting, how easily he pulls her toward him. She can’t tell if it’s because he wields the power of all of Elfhame or because she’s hopelessly in love with him.
Tonight he wears a cape of ebony feathers and silver chains; dressed head to toe in black, he is the stark midnight contrast to her. He looks every inch the king she made him. His smile holds more promise than a knife.
Jude straightens her back, ignoring the soreness in her limbs and the ache in her head. He wants her to come to him? Fine.
But he’s already getting up from the throne and walking away. The tips of his black curls disappear into the crowd while she stands there, frozen.
He walked away. He turned his back on her.
The fury is icy in her veins. The feeling is close to embarrassment if she were being truthful with herself, but in this moment, she can’t care enough to think about it. She stalks after him, as gracefully as she can amidst the crowd of revelers watching her every move, and she ends up following the tail of his feathered cape all the way up to the secret door behind the throne. Jude sweeps aside the curtain of evergreen and storms inside.
The room has been altered only slightly for the revel. There is the same couch pushed up against the far corner, but the ceiling has been painted over in golden constellations to match the glowing lanterns outside.
“Interesting choice for a meeting place.”
The voice comes from behind her, and Jude moves on instinct. The knife comes from the holster on her ankle, and it gleams silver under the ivy-filtered moonlight as she turns on her visitor, shoving him roughly against the mossy wall.
“I was wondering where you were keeping that,” Cardan says, idly.
“Cardan,” Jude hisses. “How did you sneak up on me?” She hadn’t heard him approach at all. Just how badly is the poison affecting her?
He raises an imperious eyebrow, looking far too comfortable for someone with a knife to his throat. “Must I remind you, I am every bit a part of the Court of Shadows as you are.”
She grits her teeth. “I was supposed to be following you.”
“Yes. And then I decided to follow you instead.” Now both of his eyebrows go up. “I didn’t foresee that you would pick here of all places, what with the revel and all, but I can’t say I’m not intrigued.”
“Stop deflecting.” Because that’s exactly what he’s doing, isn’t it? With his easy posture and the smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. She sees right through him, but not enough to understand why there’s a mask in the first place. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Something shutters in his expression, the edges of his amusement going the slightest bit duller. “No, Jude. You’re the only thing I can’t run away from.”
She presses him harder against the wall. She’s too tired for any of this. Her body aches. Her head hurts. She doesn’t have the energy or the patience left for another one of Cardan’s moods. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
But instead of answering, Cardan hooks his ankle behind hers and pulls her stance out from under her. Jude loses her balance, and he uses the momentum to swing her around and press her against the wall. She’s too dizzy to fight it, the sudden movement making her head swim.
Her knife falls to the ground, cushioned by the soft, grassy loam.
His smile has returned. But it’s the one he hides behind, the one that she thought she was seeing less and less of when it was just the two of them together. Something cold settles in her stomach the moment she sees it.
“Shall we play a little game, darling?” he croons into her ear.
“This is no time for games,” she snaps.
“Oh, I disagree. I think this is the perfect occasion.”
“Cardan.”
“Want to know what the game is?” His voice has gone deadly soft. “It’s called, ‘Show me how he touched you.’”
Jude goes very, very still.
He pulls back just enough so that he can gauge her expression. So that she can see the hard emotion in his eyes as he looks her over. She gets the uncomfortable feeling that it’s something she should recognize.
Her first thought is that he is being facetious. She searches his eyes for any trace of drink or drug. She finds none. This is no jest. He is being entirely, unlaughably serious.
And not for the first time when it comes to him, Jude finds that she is the tiniest bit afraid.
Cardan closes the scant distance between them again, bracing an arm against the wall by her head. He doesn’t trap her physically. No, it’s much worse. He traps her by the promise of his proximity, a promise that she could gorge herself on and never get her fill.
And that’s what she’s most afraid of, really. Not him. But what she’s willing to let him do to her, if only he would come closer.
“This is all I could think of,” he murmurs, “watching you during the revel. You can never make it easy for me, can you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It’s not a lie.
“No, I don’t suppose you would. You have a way of doing that to me. Making me suffer with nary a forethought.”
“Cardan –”
“Tell me.” His voice is so steady, so calm. Too calm. “Did he come close to you, like this?”
As he speaks, his other hand comes up to rest on the wall as well, so that he is holding himself above her, their bodies merely inches apart.
She doesn’t respond.
“It’s easy,” he says, gently. Almost kindly. Jude doesn’t believe it for a second. “I’ll make a guess, and you tell me if I’m right. Is this how my brother approached you?”
Whatever she thought would come out of her confessing the truth about Balekin, it definitely wasn’t this.
“Answer me, Jude. Play the game.”
A short breath escapes her. “No.”
“No?”
There’s a hidden question there, and Jude realizes her response must have sounded like a rejection. She could stop this game if she wanted to. He’d let her.
But now that it’s started, now that she has him right here, in front of her, she needs to see it through. He’s saying something with his eyes and the tense lines of his body that she should have been able to decipher by now, and she has never been able to deny him. Even now, when this whole thing feels like she’s being handed a winning card that she doesn’t know what to do with, she will take everything that she can get.
She raises her chin. “No, he didn’t approach me like that.”
A slight furrow in his eyebrows, almost imperceptible, there and then gone just as quickly – it’s the first real reaction she has procured since the revel began.
“I see,” is all he says.
His hands drift lower against the walls until they are level with her waist. He’s not touching her, but she can almost imagine the feeling of them settling on her hips. “Did he put his hands on you to pull you closer?”
Jude tries to keep her voice steady. It doesn’t work as well as she wants. “No.”
He pauses. It’s difficult to see his expression, because he’s leaning down to speak in her ear now and all she can see is the mess of his black curls. She wonders if he’s trying to tell if she’s lying.
“All right,” he says. “How about here?” One of his hands finally leaves the wall, rising until the backs of his fingers are a moth’s wing away from the swell of her cheek. “Did he touch you here?”
“No.”
His fingers drift lower, wandering down her jawline to the sensitive skin of her neck. He’s still not touching her. His thumb hovers at the pulse point fluttering under her skin.
“And what about here?”
Jude closes her eyes. “No.”
She can hear Cardan breathing, long inhales and deeper exhales. It’s gotten louder the longer this game went on. This game, Jude realizes, that he is trying very hard to hide behind. This game that is perhaps instead showing his hand. Little by little. She just wants him to look at her. She wants to see the emotion in his face, devoid of any artifice.
His hand poises over her collarbones, and she can almost feel the heat of his skin on hers, bared by the open collar of her dress. She wants to arch into him, close the distance that he won’t. The phantom of his touches is a physical thing she feels in the pit of her stomach.
She waits for the question. But this time it doesn’t come right away, as if he is afraid to even ask it, as if he doesn’t want to hear the answer. Jude has to wonder at his hesitation now. “Did he –”
Jude cuts him off, because there is something she realizes she should have made clear from the beginning. Something that she can’t believe she has waited this long to say. It seems they both have a long way to go until they are rid of the games they have grown so used to. Until then, she will meet him on this chosen battleground.
“No, Cardan.” She steels herself beneath him, and reaches up to take his hand, suspended in the air, in her own. He stills. Their hands drop, intertwined, between them. “The answer will always be no. He didn’t touch me. Not like that. Cardan, he could barely stand to kiss me.”
He says nothing, and Jude barrels on.
“He thought I was under a geas,” she explains. “No one knew that I was resistant, not him, not Orlagh. It was my choice to pretend. I had to, or they’d kill me. Towards the end, Balekin told me to kiss him the way I kiss you.” She’s never told anyone this before. “I think… I think he wanted to know something. Something about you.”
Abruptly, Cardan steps back.
Jude gets her first good look at him since the whole revel started. And she is stunned to the raw, blazing emotion written plainly in his face. His mask is gone now. Any hint of a carefully crafted smile has been replaced by the hard set of his mouth. Any fickle amusement in his eyes has been burned out by something more powerful. She watches, pinned to the wall, as a muscle ticks in his jaw.
Jude is struck by the ominous feeling that they’ve reached a point of no return.
Something like self-preservation kicks in, making her straighten her spine under the force of his emotion. “I don’t regret it. I did what I had to.”
It’s only a beat later that she understands, on some level of animal instinct – saying that has just made it worse.
Cardan snaps.
It happens so fast – and Jude is already so lightheaded – that she finds herself falling against the couch in the far corner within the dizzying blink of an eye. She hits the cushions, the high velvet back of the couch engulfing her.
Cardan looms over her, planting a knee into the cushions between her legs. “You say that like it’s supposed to make me feel better,” he snarls, and, oh, the way his voice shoots through her blood. His hands are clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white.
Jude fights against the protests of her aching body and struggles to sit up. “I don’t understand.” Cardan doesn’t let up, dropping to his hands and knees above her. She sinks back into the ridiculously padded armrest at her back, glaring. His mouth finds its place beside the shell of her ear.
“Jude. You know me better than that.” One hand curls against the back of her neck, and she jumps at the feel of his touch, searing hot against her clammy skin. He angles her head closer as he speaks. “I am neither good, nor gentle.” His voice lowers into something rough around the edges – Jude is surrounded, overwhelmed by the sudden nearness of him. “And I do not forgive.”
Cardan’s mouth descends upon hers.
It’s not the kiss that she’s been waiting for ever since they got interrupted in their bed. It’s not the kiss she would have received from the one who had dressed her so gently, so carefully after they woke.
No. This is something else entirely.
Cardan kisses her like he would kiss an enemy: hard, calculated, every move bearing specific intent. He is demanding something from her with the insistent press of his lips, and she can barely keep up.
Pinned as she is under the warm weight of his body, Jude can only kiss back in kind, the worthy opponent she has trained herself to be. When he presses her back against the cushions, she licks at the seam of his mouth. When he hooks one of her legs around his hips, she tangles her fingers into his hair, desperate with the urge to retaliate.
He groans into her mouth.
But as her mind begins that slow, familiar slide, Jude is struck by the feeling that this kiss is a battle she’s not going to win. Because she’s finally starting to understand a little of what he’s telling her.
It’s in the lingering pecks on the corner of her mouth in between searing kisses. It’s in the way he cradles her face even as he’s pulling her roughly closer. It’s in the way he’s holding on to her, hands fisted in the shimmering fabric of her skirts, even though she’s already wrapped tightly around him.
She thought, all this time, that he was angry with her. Furious. Outraged.
She’s not so sure anymore.
They break apart with the same abruptness with which they came together. She knows it now, this kiss has changed something, chipped away at the final vestiges of whatever mask he was hiding behind.
“Jude.” Her name is a barely veiled plea. “I need you to indulge me something.” That’s when she hears it, that first crack of something fragile breaking in his voice. She feels a tender thing, right there behind her ribcage, unfurl at the sound of it.
“Of course,” she says, immediately, without thinking. “Anything.”
A sigh leaves Cardan’s body. She could have sworn it looked like relief.
But then Jude is swearing for a different reason, because Cardan is now suddenly moving down her body. The breath gets caught in her throat.
“What are you doing?”
“Let me take it away,” he says, voice muffled by her collarbones. “Let me burn away the memory of him. Of the Undersea.”
It takes longer than it should for her mind, honeyed by his kisses, to catch up. She rears back a little, but he’s already leaving a trail of wet marks over the exposed tops of her breasts. “Cardan. The revel. We don’t have time for this.”
His head bows under some strong emotion. The feathers on her dress stand out stark against his dark head. “How dare they,” he whispers. “How dare they use you–” He sends a growl of frustration into the skin of her neck, resuming his path downwards with fevered determination. “I couldn’t do anything then.” He punctuates his sentence with a bruising kiss on the soft spot right underneath her ear, and she squirms. He’s touching all the places he’d asked her about during their game. “Let me do this now.” Another kiss, his lips leaving a wet mark above the crest of feathers between her breasts. She arches into him without forethought. “Indulge me this. I beg of you.”
And this is what gives Jude pause. Because Cardan never begs.
When he reaches down to hook her right leg over his shoulder – when he presses another hot, open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive, tender skin of her ankle –
Jude groans, throwing her head back. It’s an acquiescence and a surrender all at once.
Cardan makes quick work of the silk underwear beneath her dress. It’s gone before she can even protest, lost to the grassy carpet beneath them, and swiftly forgotten. Her husband begins a new path with his mouth, trailing lips and tongue now up the length of her leg. First past her ankle, then up to her bare calf, littering his way with featherlight kisses.
When he gets to her knee, Jude is a mess of anticipation and rumpled blue skirts beneath him. All aches and chills are forgotten. Eyes alight with dark mischief, he traces the tip of his tongue against the fold of her knee, with the barest hint of suggestion, taking his sweet time.
“Cardan,” she says through gritted teeth. “No more games. Just hurry up.”
She is rewarded when he abruptly turns his head and sucks a searing bruise into the inside of her thigh. She jolts, the heel of her foot digging into his shoulder, and he has the nerve to chuckle.
She stares at the swollen curve of his lips, the traces of peacock blue dust on his cheekbones, the way he’s kneeling before her now as if in reverence, and wonders if he was created for her own destruction.
It certainly feels that way when he finally lowers his mouth and seals his lips over her.
Jude falls back against the cushions with a soft moan, muffled against her palm.
Out of all the things they have done, it is somehow this that brings out some semblance of shyness in her. As if she can’t believe how much she enjoys it – but, of course she enjoys it, because Cardan’s mouth has never been anything but wicked, his fingers anything but clever. No, it’s that she can’t quite believe how much he enjoys doing it to her.
And damn him if he doesn’t get her every fucking time.
He presses his lips to the wetness at her entrance, and Jude swallows the next gasp that threatens to leave her lips.
“None of that.” She feels his breath, hot against her slick flesh, when he speaks. She almost whines at the interruption. “Let me hear you properly.”
“Cardan, the revel.” Her words are more breath than actual words. “They’ll hear.”
As if in response, Cardan licks. One long, luscious stroke up the length of her. Opening her up. Making her feel him, right where she wants him. When he reaches her clit, the tip of his tongue flicks over it, the pressure intense and then gone again just as fast. Her whole body jerks, as if the pleasure is a force like an electric shock up her spine.
“Let them hear.” A slow grin spreads his lips, shinier now than they were moments before. “Don’t you want them to?”
The thought that anyone can come in at any moment and see the Queen with her skirts pushed up to her hips, and the King kneeling before her with her legs thrown over his shoulders – well. It sounds like the exact kind of danger that Jude thrives on.
“I –” But she doesn’t get to finish her sentence. Cardan pounces on the hesitation in her voice and sucks her clit into his mouth. Jude’s spine leaves the cushions, her hands fisting in his hair for anything to hold on to. Another moan would have left her mouth as well, but she’s determined not to give him the satisfaction.
She’s not sure how long she will last.
“One last game,” he says, eyes burning. “I’ll touch you in all the places my brother didn’t –” His thumb continues his work while he speaks, rubbing slow, steady circles that are both too much and not enough “– and in return, you’ll let me know how good you feel. You’ll let everyone outside this room know if that’s what it takes.”
This, she learned early on, is something that Cardan has always known more about than her. And the more time that he has spent learning her body has only proven to her how little she stands a chance against him on this particular battlefield. It is one of the few things that she can never begrudge him for being better than her at.
Even now, when he’s wielding it against her, she can’t begrudge him a thing. How can she, when he returns his mouth to her clit and sweeps his tongue over her so perfectly – fast, even strokes across the entirety of it, exactly the way she likes it, as if he means to evaporate the ghost of Balekin’s kiss with every flick. How can she, when he swirls a fingertip at her entrance, nudging it inside just enough so that she can feel the barest of stretches, just enough so that her hips immediately roll trying to get more.
Time melts away after that. Jude’s head is thrown back against the couch, and stars fill her vision, the myriad of constellations painted on the ceiling blurring together into specks of glitter and gold, disjointed and effervescent like the pleasure coursing through her body.
She can barely remember the cold depths of the Undersea. There is only his touch, skin warmed against skin, and his mouth, his lips, his tongue, hotter than anything she’s ever felt before.
“You like this a little, don’t you? Knowing that the entire kingdom is out there waiting for us.” And as if on cue, the music swells as the revelers begin another dance, their cheers audible through the thin mossy walls of the room. “They’re right outside, Jude. Do you think they’ll hear it when you come?”
Her answer is a whimper. She passed the point of words a long many moments ago. The sounds are escaping her mouth with more abandon. He’s done his best to wear her down, and it’s working far too well.
She can feel something immense building tight in her belly. She’s a tiny bit afraid of what it took to get her here. She’s a tiny bit afraid of how little more she needs before it all comes crashing down.
“Do you want to know what I was thinking about when I saw you walk into the room tonight, wearing the dress I handpicked for you?” The sound she makes is less a query and more of a plea for him to continue, whether it’s speaking or ruining her with his mouth, she’s not entirely sure anymore. “I thought to myself that the Undersea will live in nothing but fear, for all the time that you draw breath. And then I thought about how their fear will never be good enough for you.”
He times the next swirl of his tongue – the hardest one thus far – with a perfectly placed flick of his finger, hooking behind her pubic bone and pressing up against that spot that makes her feel like bursting. And it’s over.
Jude comes with something that’s very nearly a scream, if only she weren’t digging her teeth into the back of her hand. Her toes curling. Her body writhing. It builds and it builds, like an earthquake ready to rend her world apart.
She returns to herself only to find that she’s thrown her arms up over her eyes: it’s blessedly dark and uncomplicated behind her eyelids. She finds that she’s a little embarrassed by how strongly he’s made her come. It’s slow work lowering her arms and peeling her eyes open, and when she finally sees him, she’s struck to the bone by the intensity of his gaze.
Even though she’s the one that’s just come all over his mouth and hands, he’s the one that looks like he’s received something he doesn’t deserve.
Cardan leans over her once more to smooth down the fall of her skirts, to fix the positioning of the feathers on her chest. Without thinking, her arms come up to wrap around his shoulders and to bring him closer but then – he’s pulling away.
“I knew the dress would suit you,” he says, eyes burning with something unsated, lips swollen and shining with the evidence of what he’s done to her. “You were never one to hide your true colors.”
And then he stands and walks away.
Again.
___________________
Chapter Visuals:
Moodboard.
Inspiration for Cardan.
(The artist is @nanfe on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram.)
Inspiration for Jude’s peacock dress.
(Context: I want to be Tessa Virtue when I grow up, but it’s unfortunately not going to work out because one, who am I kidding, and two, I pulled a muscle just watching this, so suffice to say an Olympic career is definitely not in the cards for me. Still, this video takes my breath away, and bonus, the song arguably fits Jude really well, too.)
 _______________
[End Notes]
I wrote this chapter intending it to mirror that scene in Chapter 15 of The Wicked King (you know which one I’m talking about). I also tried to play with the canon idea of Jude being an “unreliable” narrator when it comes to understanding Cardan. As with all things, she doesn't make it easy. 
Would love to know what you think! ❤️
P.S. Why, yes, that is a Dark Shadows (2012) reference.
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diaphragmjellyfish · 4 years
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Roast Me, Baby
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Not my gif
Note: This is my first fic ever, so any feedback would be appreciated! 
Warnings: anxiety, panic attack, insults, sweet Rafe
Summary: Reader is a pogue and she and Rafe make fun of each other constantly. Like witty banter and roasting, and they act like they hate each other. Keyword- act. One night, the reader has had a terrible day and is having major anxiety, when Rafe finds her and unknowingly makes it worse. She goes into full-blown panic and he gets all soft and sweet and fluffy. 
Life as a Pogue was anything you could ever want. It was a simple life, full of adventure and fun. And your personal favorite activity, pissing of Kooks. Specifically, Rafe Cameron. You guys had a strange relationship full of constant roasting and acting like you want to kill each other. But you’d be lying if you said you didn’t look forward to the witty banter. It was a good way to let off steam, and he seemed to be the only person you’d ever met that could keep up and not take anything personally. And you’d bet money he felt the same way about you. 
It was a sunny day, late afternoon just before the sun went down and you were sitting on the docks near the Boneyard looking out at the ocean. You’d always loved sailing, and wanted to travel the world by boat one day if you could ever afford it. Suddenly you were interrupted from your fantasy by your nemesis himself. 
“Damn, someone should really pick up the trash around here. Get back to the dumpster, Pogue.” He said, smirking at you. 
You just rolled your eyes and laughed to yourself as you continued looking out at the water. Verbal battles with Rafe were sometimes your favorite part of the day. You turned around and noticed that his goons, Topper and Kelc, were with him. 
“Ya know, I heard a statistic that the hair product from you three alone accounts for over 90% of plastic in the ocean,” you quipped back. 
“Don’t push me troll. I might have to teach you some respect one of these days,” he challenged. 
Topper and Kelc looked annoyed, though they were used to Rafe doing this. He always talked about you, how much you got on his nerves, how you were a dirty pogue with no manners or morals. They started to walk away, knowing he’d follow. When they were a few steps away, he looked at you smiling and said,”Until next time, y/l/n.” He winked, and ran to catch up to his Neanderthal friends. 
As much as Rafe Cameron was your mortal enemy in life, you had to admit that some things he did just made your heart flutter. If he didn’t stop winking at you, you might just walk into the ocean to avoid the embarrassment of catching feelings for him. 
Encounters like this happened often, and you were always ready for them. Except for today. You woke up with a tight chest and a pounding heart. So it was going to be an anxiety day. Okay. You had to push through it like always. But the day only got worse. Work was an absolute nightmare. You were a waitress at a restaurant on Figure 8- Kook central. Your boss yelled at you for being 5 minutes late and not having your hair up, someone let their toddler throw food all over the walls and you had to clean it, you didn’t get a lunch break because it was so busy, and to top it all off, some lady threw her drink at you because it didn’t taste like Diet. When your shift ended, all you wanted was to walk home, eat a barrel of chicken nuggets, and go to sleep. Only it was storming outside. 
Normally you’d be fine walking in the rain at night, bit with the already bad day you were having and your anxiety, your brain screamed at you to take cover and wait for the storm to end. There was a small pavilion by the golf course that would likely be empty, where you could freak out in peace. The walk there was horrible, cold, and wet, but you finally made it and plopped down on one of the tables and tried to do some breathing exercises to calm your pounding heart. It seemed to be getting worse, though. 
Rafe had left some golf clubs at the course when he was there earlier with Topper, and as he was running through the rain to the main building, he spotted you. It had been a couple of days since you guys had had a good bickering, and he needed to let off some steam. He approached, but didn’t notice your struggle to breathe. 
“What’s up troll? You’re looking particularly disgusting today. Tell me, what’s it like to have no future and to know that you’ll be slaving away for the rest of your life?” He knew it was harsh, harsher than usual, but he was pissed that Ward made him come back for those stupid golf clubs in the middle of a storm. He’d expected you to roll your eyes, clap back, or even give him a shove for that extra brutal dig, but he didn’t expect you to start choking on sobs. You grabbed at your neck, now sitting up, and tried your best to get air into your lungs, but it wasn’t working. His comment had sent you over the top, wondering if you really would be a slave to the rich and have soda sumped on you every day for the rest of your life. 
Rafe was shocked. He’d never seen you anything but smiling, even when he teased you mercilessly. 
“Woah, hey, are you ok y/n?” He asked.
You shook your head no and grabbed at your chest, looking at him with terrified eyes. You’d had bad anxiety before, but you’d never been unable to breathe like this, and it was scaring you. 
“Ok, ok, I got you,” he said calmly while he lowered your head between your knees. “Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth.” He rubbed your back comfortingly. He used to get panic attacks when his parents were going through divorce, so he knew what you were feeling, and that the best thing to do was distract you. He sat beside you and began to talk. 
“You know this one time, when I was like 12, my parents had just told me and Sarah that they were getting a divorce. She didn’t seem to care, but I was so upset, it was like my whole world came crashing down.” You were able to take shaky breaths at this point, and nodded along to the story. 
“And you know what I did? I had this whole plan to get them back together where I would get them both on our boat and push it off the dock, but I wouldn’t give them the key. And I wasn’t going to let them off until they made up.” Your breathing had slowed slightly and you gave a small laugh. This made Rafe smile, so he kept going. 
“My dad threatened to beat my ass unless I let them off, so I did and he beat me anyways. And that’s when the anger started.” You tensed, and reached out to grab his hand that wasn’t rubbing your back. 
“The next couple of years, I was so mad at everyone and everything all the time. And when Dad met Rose, I kind of spiraled. Started getting into drugs, stealing, bullying. But one day like a year ago Topper convinced me to go to this kegger at the Boneyard. I was by myself off to the side just drinking and being pissed, when this girl came up to me and said ‘why the long face? Daddy didn’t buy you the right color Corvette?’” 
You brought your head up from between your knees and smiled slightly, “I remember that.” 
Rafe moved so he was sitting with his arm around you, and your head on his shoulder. He continued, “Yeah. And I just thought like, who does this girl think she is? She can’t talk to me that way. So I clapped back, called you a troll and told you to go back to your bridge, and you just laughed. Threw your head back and laughed like you didn’t have a care in the world, like I’d just said the funniest joke and not completely insulted you.” His hand was rubbing up and down your arm now, and his other hand came up to caress your face, pushing your hair behind your ear. 
“And we went back and forth, roasting each other for hours. That was the best I’d felt in a long time. I was letting off steam, getting my anger out, and you gave it right back to me smiling the whole time. I’ve never met anyone who smiles as much as you.” He gave your shoulder a squeeze and you laughed. Your breathing was normal now, and you’d forgotten about the tightness in your chest. There was a pause, before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead. Your heart fluttered. 
You lifted your head up to look at him and said, “Thanks. I don’t know why I was freaking out like that, but I’m really glad I wasn’t alone.” 
“I get it. Here, the rain stopped. Let me drive you home.” He stood up and offered his hand for you to take. 
“Umm, I actually might walk.” Fresh air always helped when you felt anxious, and you thought if you got in a car with that circulating AC air, you might freak out again. 
“Then I’ll walk you home.” 
As you stood up to take his hand, Rafe noticed your shivering form. You were soaked from the rain, and wearing only a thin t-shirt and shorts. 
“Let me just grab something from my car real quick.” he said. You both walked through the parking lot towards his black SUV, the only car there, and he reached into the back seat and pulled out a hoodie, holding it out for you. “Here, put this on.” You didn’t object because, to be honest, you were so cold you couldn’t feel his skin. It hung down to your knees and swallowed you whole. Rafe just looked down at you with something like affection in his eyes and said “Adorable.” You blushed at the ground and started walking again. It wasn’t a super long walk, maybe half an hour, but it went by like 5 minutes. You talked, played eye-spy, and at one point he gave you a piggy back ride because you kept stumbling on a gravel road. 
You reached your house all too soon, and went to take off the hoodie and give it back when he stopped you, “Keep it. It looks better on you.” You blushed and stood on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek. 
It was his turn to blush as you said, “Thank you Rafe. For everything.” 
You caught him looking down at your lips, and he started to lean down. He made you feel so much better tonight, and you wanted to know what it’d be like to kiss him. So you closed your eyes, and your lips met in a sweet kiss, his hands on your waist and yours cupping his face. You separated after a few seconds and both started to laugh. He followed by saying, “Maybe after tonight you’ll let me take you out some time?” You nodded and smiled ear to ear, because even though you never imagined this happening, you were happy to be with Rafe.
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babybottlepop96 · 3 years
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Home Again Chapter 1
Jean x Marco
Summary: Jeana and Marco have been friends since the tender ages of 5 and 7. They grow together and fall in love.... then Jean disappears.
Warnings: This story will contains mentions of past rape and abuse. The violence parts will probably be descriptive, but the rape will not be. There will be eventual smut further along into the story. 
~20 Years Ago~
"Jean, honey, this is mommy's new boss, Mr. Bott. He is the man who is going to help us, so I need you to be on your best behavior, okay?" The small five year old with ash blonde hair, dark brown undercut and honey golden eyes nodded his head as he stared at the tall dark haired man with dark chocolate eyes.
"Nice to meet you Master Jean." The man smiled down at the boy with a warm smile. "This is my son, Marco, he just turned seven a few months ago. Heard you enjoy dinosaurs and superheroes?" Jean nodded as he stared at the boy just two years older than himself with wide eyes, mapping out all the freckles along his tanned skin, milk chocolate eyes staring back into his own with a smile that could make the grumpiest of men relax. "Marco has a boatload of dinosaur and superhero toys, Marco, why don't you show Jean your room?" Marco smiled, grabbing Jean's hand and dragging him up the giant spiral staircase to the second floor.
Once inside the room, Jean's jaw dropped, the size of Marco's bedroom was bigger than his whole house combined. The ceiling was high with detailed trim along the edges, painted in a dark brown and a pale maroon shade of red. The bed was bigger than what any seven year old should have, a giant flat screen tv was mounted onto the wall across from the bed and games, movies and toys filled the rest of the room. "Do you want to play a video game? I have Spyro the dragon, Crash Bandicoot, Mario Kart?" The freckles kid asked, naming off games while setting up one of the many gaming consoles he owned.
"I… ummm.." Jean stood there nervously, rocking on his feet while twiddling his tiny thumbs. "I've never played a video game before." He looked up to see Marco smiling at him.
"That's okay! I'll teach you! We can start with Mario Kart, it's a multiplayer game, so I'll be able to teach you!" He smiled proudly as if he just won first place at the spelling bee.
"Oh, okay! Thank you!" Jean grabbed the controller Marco handed out to him with shaky hands. The two sat down on the squishy blue and purple bean bag chairs and started a game, Marco showing him how to pick his character, how to move and control the kart and how to throw the special abilities gained when hitting the boxes with the question marks.
"So, Jean, what's your favorite color?"
"Purple." Jean spoke as he tried to concentrate on what he was doing on the screen, still having a bit of trouble with the turns.
"Cool! Mines red!" Marco spoke as he gestures to the room around them. 
"Favorite food?" Jean asked, stealing a glance at the older kid next to him, he couldn't help but smile, Marco's smile was infectious.
"Spaghetti! Well, all kinds of pasta! Penne, ravioli, ricotta-"
"I thought ricotta was a cheese?" Jean questioned, he wasn't actually sure himself, he just knew that cheese was a luxury in his home, never having enough money most of the time for really fancy things like cheeses.
"Oh, yeah! It is!" Marco giggled, "I just really like ricotta cheese." Jean giggled too, this kid was alright. "You're my new best friend, Jean."
~8 Years Later~
"Will you just shut up, Yeager?" A thirteen year old Jean Kirstein, as calmly as he could, spoke with his fist balled up at his sides as he walked out of the middle school building.
"Come on, Kirstein, didn't your poor piss excuse for a mother teach you it isn't nice to tell people to shut up?" Eren, the school bully, asshole and dick, in Jean's opinion, insulted. That's when Jean's resolve faded into nothing and landed a swift punch to the tanned, unblemished skin, a crunch was heard throughout the whole parking lot. Eren fell to the ground but quickly regained his strength and landed a kick to Jean's guy. The wind was knocked from Jean's lungs, but his anger was dominant. He lunged for the bastard who insulted his mother, the only parent he ever knew who worked her ass off to make sure he survived, to give the douche-nozzle a good pounding, but warm, strong arms held him back before hos fist could collide with it's intended target.
"Jean." A warm voice whispered in his ear, Marco. He relaxed in the freckles arms but he was still livid. "Let's go." Then, he was dragged off to the black Chevy Impala.
"Is that your boyfriend Horse Face? Man, I knew you were fruity but seriously? You could do better!" Jean almost got out Marco's grip, but the taller, older teen had his grip firm and all but threw the teen into the back seat.
"Jean-" 
"No, don't start Marco! He taunted me about how I have to live my life, insulted my mother, then insulted you! He deserved to get his lights punched out!" Jean yelled, unshed tears forming in the corners of his Carmel eyes, threatening to spill any second. Marco just simply drew the younger into his arms and the driver drove towards Bott Manor. "He… he doesn't have to be so mean! I never did anything to him!" 
When they finally pulled into the Manor, Marco led Jean to his room, the same room they first became friends in eight years ago. The stuffed animals and small toys are now replaced with books, CDs and even more games and movies. Marco sat them down on the bed and neither spoke for a few minutes. "He was right, ya know." Marco finally spoke and Jean looked at him like he had four heads. "You could do better than me, if we were together."
"Marco Bott, you stop right there! No one could ever replace you! You are literally the best person alive! If I had the balls to kiss you I would!" Jean and Marco's eyes widened and Jean turned into a blushing, flustered mess. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I.. I don't know why I said tha-", but Jean couldn't finish, Marco's lips pressed firmly against his in a gentle yet passionate kiss that spoke thousands of words and so many feelings. 
"I love you Jean." Marco whispered as they pulled apart, foreheads still touching as both tried to regain their breath and slow their hearts. Jean cupped Marco's face in his hands and kissed him again.
"I love you too, Marco."
~2 Years Later~
Jean Kirstein, fifteen year old freshman at Trost High, walked through the park on his way home after work. He hates his job, hates working behind the counter at the local Taco Bell, hates that Eren works there too in the kitchen as a prep cook, hates dealing with annoying ass customers with snarky attitudes complaining that their crunch wrap supreme doesn't have enough sour cream. Well sorry, Karen, I don't make the fucking food nor do I determine how much sour cream goes on it. Today was a particularly bad day, Eren called off claiming he was sick when Jean really knew he was out with his "boyfriend" leaving him to prepare food and take orders. Then someone took a dump on the men's bathroom floor, didn't even try to aim for the fucking toilet! Just took a shot right there in the middle of the goddamn floor which he had to clean up himself while his manager bitched about him not doing his job at the counter. All Jean wanted to do was go home, talk to his boyfriend for a little before he eventually went to bed and got up early the next day for school.
It was a simple request that he wished for while the clock ticked by slowly. Jean was so into his own head, he never heard the footsteps coming up behind him until it was too late. A wet cloth covered his nose and mouth, his eyes widened for a second before the world faded to black.
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"We have to find him!" Marco shouted at his father who was looking at him with a solemn expression. Marco paced back and forth in front of his father's desk, hands taking through his u kept hair. He has barely slept a wink since Jean vanished three days ago, his mind wondering about all the worst scenarios it could think of.
"We are trying, son, but we have no evidence of anything taking place. No struggle, no personal belongings, nothing to suggest anything has even happened."
"But Jean couldn't have just vanished into thin air! He wouldn't run away either! He loved his mom too much to just up and leave her and me…" Marco trailed off, thinking about his and Jean's time together over the last two years. Picnic and arcade dates, eating pizza and hot wings while they binge watched their favorite tv series at that moment, the soft and gentle kisses they shared between one another before they parted ways, always promising to text each other once they got home, letting the other one know they got there safe. That's the single most reason why Marco knew something was wrong. Neither of them forgot to send the 'im home safe and sound' text. Not once, in the ten years that they've known each other, did they miss sending that text. Even as children and Marco's father gave Mrs. Kirstein a cell phone as a gift to keep in contact, did they miss THAT text.
"Son, we are doing everything we can to find Jean. But we also need to think rationally, Jean might not ever be found." Marco froze at those words, Jean may be lost forever? He may never see those honey eyes, beautiful smile, perfect sketches and vibrant paintings painted by those slender pale hands and fingers? May never run his hands through those soft locks of ash and brown ever again? That's when Marco broke, he screamed and fell to the floor in a fetal position on the floor. His father looked at him with hurt in his own dark chocolate eyes, for him, his son and Jean's mother who was currently out looking for her only child as they speak. Don Bott rose from his leather chair and walked around the desk, kneeling in front of his son. He put his hand on his back and whispered a pained, "I'm sorry, Marco."
~10 Years Later (Present Day)~
Here he was, once again, at an underground auction. Mr. Bott hated these things, but he had no other choice, ever since Mrs. Kirstein passed away three years ago from a drunk driving accident, he hasn't been able to find someone who cleaned as well as she had. Every person he hired had an attitude or just didn't speak at all, always forgetting to dust the book shelves or take out the trash. So he relented and took up on Mr. Ackerman's suggestion to go to an auction. Getting there early to get a good seat, Mr. Bott, along with Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Braun and Mr. Hoover, the Dons of their respected parts of New York City, all sat down to converse while the auction for the…. Pleasure portion of the auction slowly came to a close. Mr. Bott cringed as the scum of New York bid money on these poor people just for the gratification of getting their dick in a hole.
"And now for our last and best prize of the night!" The auctioneer spoke as the Dons sighed in relief, none of them liked the idea of people being sold for pleasure as they themselves, tried for years to get it under control but never succeeding. "This one has been in the business for ten years, used and a bit rough looking, but this little beauty will be the best fuck you ever had. Clean and pliant, not a bad body either if I do say so myself. Number 54!" The announcer spoke as someone roughly shoved a young man out into the center of the room. The numbers flying from the crowd started pouring in left and right and it got the Dons wondering whom this "prize" was. "Three-thousand!" "Ten-thousand!" "Twenty Five-thousand!"
"Two hundred-thousand!" The crowd went quiet after hearing the deep booming voice coming from the front row.
"Two hundred-thousand! Going once! Going twice! Sold! To Do Bott!" The young man was then hauled out of the room to be prepped for leaving the facility.
--------------
"Dad! I'm home! Reiner, Bert, Mikasa, Eren and Armin are here too!" Marco called from the doorway as he and the others walked into the Manor. "Dad?!"
"In the living room son!" He heard his father call and the group walked towards the sound.
"What's up? We heard your voicemail and hauled ass here. What happened?" Marco asked as soon as he saw his father, eyes brimmed with tears and a small smile. The others in the room, specifically Dr. Yeager, looked at them, small sad but slightly happy smiles on their faces. "What's going on here?" The group looked at each other, confused and concern plastered on their faces. Once Mr. Bott moved to the side and gestured to the couch, it was then that the group realized what was happening. On the couch asleep, lay a thin pale man, dark circles under his eyes, bruises and scars and even some fresh wounds, now neatly stitched up thanks to Dr. Yeager, littering his almost naked form. Marco stared at the man laying on the pale green couch and tears flooded down his cheeks. "Jean?"
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sum tired writing for y’all
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suga would be lying if he said he wasn’t tired. he hadn’t slept properly since exam season rolled around.
the amount of extra studying he was forcing into his schedule, combined with practice and trying to control the first and second years, seemed to have simply sucked his will to work.
“seemed to” was the wrong terminology. it definitely had. he’d been staring at the same page of this stupid math book for an hour. he’d reread the first line about twenty times, and so far hadn’t managed to get half way down said page without realising, his brain had been elsewhere, and having to start from the top again.
so yeah, he was pretty tired. suga was pretty damn worn out.
honestly, if he hadn’t seen that it was daichi’s name glowing out from his phone screen, he wouldn’t have picked it up. but, it was daichi, and suga was more than aware that if he didn’t pick up, daichi would be hammering down his door within the hour.
he took a split second to compose his voice. if he sounded as dead as he felt he’d be yelled at for not sleeping enough.
“hi daichi!” the chirpy tone to his voice didn’t sound forced in his mind.
“hey suga,” daichi said, in such a way that suga knew daichi knew he was sleep deprived.
suga’s eyes moved toward the alarm clock that was glowing beside his bed, the bright green numbers burned his eyes.
23:45, which was an entire hour later than he’d thought.
“what are you even doing up at this hour daichi?” suga asked, leaning forward on the table, carefully propping his head up on one hand, the other hand holding the phone to his ear.
daichi laughed, rather stupidly, before responding. “you know, i actually rung you to ask that same question.”
suga’s tired brain wasn’t quite sure it fully understood what daichi had said. “how did you even know i’m awake? what, do you have cameras in my room?”
“what, no-”
“oh my god! you’ve been stalking me! daichi how could you?”
“no! it’s nothing like that!” even through the phone, daichi sounded flustered. “and keep it down, you’ll wake your parents up.”
suga rolled his eyes. “yeah yeah, but, seriously, how did you know i was still up?”
“went on a stress jog.”
“at quarter to midnight?”
“shut up, like you haven’t rung me at this hour whining about tv shows.”
suga huffed. “okay, fair, but may i ask if there was a purpose for this call, other than insulting me?”
“yeah, i’m still outside your house, i figured if neither of us are sleeping we might as well do something.”
“oh? what on earth might you be suggesting daichi?” suga purred, adding a teasingly lilt to his voice.
“get your brain out of the gutter, suga,” daichi snapped, suga only snickered in reply. “i was just thinking, i don’t know, we could go see if that twenty four hour ice cream shop is open.”
“repeat that sentence to yourself a couple times,” suga said, flicking his eyes back to the alarm clock, before letting out a light sigh. “i’ll be down in a minute, just let me get a jacket.”
he didn’t let daichi get a response in before he hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket as he stood up.
he paused to glance in a mirror. he looked like a lunatic. there were seriously heavy shadows under his eyes, and his hair looked like a bird nest. eh, he was pretty sure he was rocking the look.
despite that, he did pause to try shove his hair into place. he told himself it was because he didn’t want to walk around in public like that, even though he knew it was far from the truth.
he snatched up a pale yellow jacket off his bed, as well as an equally pale grey scarf, tugging them both on before slipping out of his room and down to the front door.
“daichi!” he hissed into the cold air, white clouds forming in the air when he spoke.
“wow you really haven’t been sleeping huh?”
suga pulled a face as he turned to look at his friend. “you aren’t any better,” he said, a hand snapping out to hit daichi in the side. daichi shifted to dodge, successfully.
that was a lie. daichi looked, well, suga’s drowsy mind couldn’t really pull the right words. handsome? pretty? somewhere in between?
he was hardly dressed to the nines, but as usual he looked drop dead gorgeous in that stupid all black jogging outfit. suga would have been jealous, had he not enjoyed looking at daichi as much as he did.
daichi rolled his eyes at the comment, letting out a vaguely unamused huff. “i’m sure,” he drawled, before grabbing suga’s hand and dragging him forward. “come on, then, i’m craving cream anmitsu.”
“i don’t understand how you like the chestnuts so much,” suga mutter in reply, his tone hardly matching the bouncing steps he was taking as he followed after daichi.
daichi rolled his eyes rather dramatically. “says the one who always steals them.”
suga huffed, and his free hand swung out to smack daichi’s ribs, this time daichi failed to dodge, and let out a grunt as suga made solid contact.
“i’m not apologising,” daichi snickered. “hitting me is not going to help.”
“blah whatever. i stand by the fact that chestnuts are gross.”
“yet you eat more of them than i do.”
a puff of white air was all daichi got in response.
the bantering continued most the way to the store, though at some point their positions had shifted, suga’s arms ended up wrapped around daichi’s waist, and daichi’s arm was slung over the silver haired boy’s shoulders.
the girl sitting behind the counter gave them a grin as the bell rung. suga thought it looked a little more genuine than most customer service smiles, and he wondered if they were the first customers she’d had.
“hey boys!” suga decided they were definitely her first customers. her tone was too chirpy.
“it’s a bit late for ice cream is it not? you’re the first not-drunk customers i’ve had since i took up night shifts,” she continued.
the poor kid can’t have spoken to anyone for awhile, because the minute daichi responded, and gave their orders, she was off. didn’t shut up. not that suga minded all that much, she was friendly, mainly groaning about trying to keep up with sleep while she worked night shifts and spent six hours at school. then about how she didn’t have much choice because she had to get money somehow.
suga, who was very much used to his teammates ramblings, ended up droning her out while he sat at a tiny table, daichi seemed torn between doing the same or entertaining her, suga was pretty sure she was just using them as an excuse to talk. he honestly doubted she’d care much if they didn’t listen.
quite honestly, suga was rather distracted watching daichi’s expressions. the way his lips twisted into a smile every time he tried to not laugh at the employee’s struggles, the roll of his eyes as he got caught up in her stories. she seemed to notice suga’s eyes, a quiet quirk of her eyebrow snitched on her for watching him just a little too closely.
“anyway, i just haven’t spoken to anyone outside of classes in, like, two weeks.”
suga snickered as he heard daichi’s terrible attempt at stifling a sigh of relief.
“so thanks for not telling me to shut up! enjoy your ice cream boys! and uh, might i recommend getting home soon? it‘s a friday,” she paused to look at a clock, “a saturday morning. there’s gonna be drunk idiots running around and believe me, they aren’t fun to deal with, particularly when, well,” she flicked a hand towards the pair. something in the movement made suga wonder if she played volleyball.
daichi turned to say something to her, but she’d already disappeared out back. suga took advantage of his distraction and snatched a chestnut out of his bowl.
“hey!”
“you know, she has a point about drunk idiots,” suga mused, glancing out to the dark streets.
“think we’ll run into coach ukai and takeda?”
“hah! they’ll both be in ukai’s house getting wild by now!”
daichi made a face of disgust and threw a scarf at suga’s face. suga simply laughed.
by the time they’d finished their ice cream, and opted to just try and sprint full pace back to daichi’s (which was closest, suga sent a text through to his parents, as he had already decided he was not going to try reach home in the dark), the subject had somehow switched to what school ice cream girl had gone to.
“she had a shiratorizawa look.”
“isn’t it a boarding school? she wouldn’t be able to work a night shift if that was the case. she looks like an oikawa fangirl, seijoh.”
“she was pretty cheery, johzenji?”
“nah she looks like she’d hate the colour yellow.”
“how?” daichi tilted his head, squinting his eyes.
“the shadows under her eyes were too purple for her to be the kind of person who would willingly be near that uniform,” suga shrugged. “seijoh.”
daichi, seemingly unable to argue that, hugged and nodded. “okay you win. for now, we can probably just ask her next time.”
“next time?” suga smirked at daichi. “my my, is Mr. Responsible Team Captain really suggesting he’s going to take me on a second irresponsible midnight date?”
as he spoke, he tilted his head down, staring up at daichi with a jokingly flirtatious face, hoping it would smother the pure joy his heart felt, or at least stop it from shining through on his face.
daichi made a strangled noise, his hands moving to hide his face. suga could see the red colour burning the tips of his ears, even with the miserable lack of lighting.
“don’t say it like that,” he mumbled, sounding less like an intimidating captain and more like an embarrassingly lovestruck teen, which had suga giggling.
“you really are easily flustered daichi,” suga murmured, leaning gently into the other’s shoulder. “it’s cute, really.”
the rest of the night lapsed into a peaceful sort of quiet, the sort that one could only ever really feel with someone they were entirely open and comfortable with. the rare kind that regularly reassured suga that he and daichi would be beside each other forever.
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