#(plus i mean he's been beyond responsible for himself and then some since childhood) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

husbandohunter · 3 years

Text

Stardew Impact [Genshin+Stardew Valley/xReader]

Part 1/3 Kaeya, Diluc

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE YIP YIP)

Coming soon...

Albedo and Childe

Zhongli and Xiao

(A/N): So the brainrot was real in this one. I planned to add Albedo for a Mondstadt edition but kinda went overboard so I gotta split this one into parts too. Wordcount_almost 2k spspspsp

______________________________________________________

Diluc

• Already has the whole year planned in his head. Literally if Diluc were to play this game, he'd have a booming farm within year ONE. Calm and collected through and through, though the new environment raises alot of questions, as long as you were still with him, Diluc ain't complaining

• The town welcomes you two with open arms. It was all thanks to the attire. Diluc wore his usual dark coat adorned with regal gold while you had a dress made of Liyue's finest silk, one that he bought for you. Needless to stay both of you reeked the aura of rich aristocrats (Mayor Lewis is pleased that greedy bastard)

• Once the farm was permitted to your owndership, Diluc began to think of ways to turn it into a vineyard. He was a businessman afterall. Although the staff back at the Dawn Winery were the ones who tended the field, Diluc still knew a few things about planting due to his childhood days Master Crepus would bring him out to their yard and demonstrated the process of gardening. He still remembers those days clearly, doing the very same this moment with you.

• Occasionally works at the Saloon bar. It was the perfect opportunity. As you took care of the farm side, Diluc continues to look for more ways to increase the income while gathering information from the folks around town. Gus LOVES to have him over, like he's just so efficient and reliable! They soon become good friends saying if Diluc were ever to own a wine stock, he would gladly buy from him.

• This is why Diluc would stay a little later due to just chatting with the people from the bar. One time you walked into the Saloon only to the front desk with Emily alone. Turns out the others were in the other room, too busy playing a game of pool. You decided to leave him be since it was rare to have Diluc so relaxed in leisure activities. Thus in the end, you spent your time chatting with Emily until a whole hour has passed before your lover notices and apologizes for losing track of time.

• Everything felt like a dream because it was his dream. To live a life undisturbed from chaos, his duties and the dangers that lurk in Teyvat, Diluc grew fond of the domesticity. There was nothing he loved more than to spend his hours by your side, day after day, returning home to your freshly handmade meals.

• Spring: Already up and early planting the parnersnips (I'm very soft for gardener Diluc you see). What do you expect from a workaholic? Even during his leisure time you would often find him near some plant as he does consider this hobby quite therapeutic. But when it rains, Diluc would be standing beside you with an arm around your shoulder, smiling contently as you lean into his touch. He gazes through the dripping window and silently admires the current progress you both made on the farm.

• Between the two annual spring festivities, I would say the flower dance. Diluc is a private man and would prefer to take things where no eyes were on sight. But with a little bit of nudging from Gus (your wingman), he gives in and leads you to the center stage. Elegant. Graceful. The way you two moved together became the talk of the event. Though, Diluc was already used to people staring by now, all he needed to do was to ignore them and keep his focus on you.

• Summer: No blankets in bed. Nope, its bloody hot in Pelican Town. He tends to stay indoors or anywhere with shade, in other words, his work hours in the Saloon increased.

• Diluc always has a nice cold drink prepared for you if by any chance you were to pay a visit after a whole day of labour. It's a habit he's made subconciously as if it would be a natural occurance for you to enter the door. His colleagues would ask him who did he make that drink for? Honestly so cute i cri

• Moments like these remind him of Mondstadt, where he quietly wipes the glasses while listening to you talk. Your voice is soothing. Sun rays peek from the side casting onto the umber tables, reflecting a rich golden light as the radio plays a soft song in the background. It's so peaceful, the town was small hence not many people visited the bar, Diluc came to appreciate this warm privacy (plus no Venti and Kaeya which is a huge pog realization).

• Autumn: Harvest time baby. The kegs are full and the sheds are full of kegs. This season was huge stonks and the house ended up getting an upgrade. Diluc is the type of man who wants to make sure that his spouse wouldn't have to work another day of her life. I reckon this is why he's so ambitious because he wants you to have the best and you deserve the best. (Husband material. Slap a ring on him ladies).

When there was no more work left to do, time would be spend peacefully exploring the woods. While you skipped a few steps ahead as the leaves crunched beneath your feets, Diluc follows slowly from behind. He sees your back but his eyes stares somewhere far beyond whats in front of him: His future.

It was such a stark contrast to the one he envisioned before. One filled with uncertaintly, blocked by darkness with no silver lining in sight, endlessly wandering as he drags the claymore against the ground. There was never a day in which the Darknight hero wouldn't think of Mondstadt. Leaving the city in the incompetent hands of Ordo Favonious while Abyss Mages continue to lurk fuels him to find a way to return as soon as possible and yet...

"Higher big sis!" Jas tightens her hold on the ropes as you pushed the swing with all your might. She laughs, like a child, it was full of innocence and joy. Later Vincent came in and nugdes you, asking when his turn will come.

"You wanna go too? Alright alright don't worry," waiting for Jas to come down, you lift the boy up so that he was seated safely on the chair, "3..2..1 go!"

He wonders if he could just be a little selfish for once.

• Winter: Best man to have in this season. Every morning Diluc would find himself restricted in movements due to a pair of arms around his waist and legs entangled with yours. Turns out you've been doing it subconciously because he's just so warm (Diluc keeps it lowkey and pretends to sleep longer cuz of it)

~~xx~~

Kaeya

• Haha looks like the portal is gone, guess we'll be stuck forever :)). No kidding Kaeya would be so down to stay here for the rest of his life and the best part is to spend it with you. He doesn't show a shred of concern regarding Teyvat, not like he's easily shaken by events that are abnormal, but you can see that Kaeya is truly and genuinely happy. (You're stunned).

• Oho we also have this marvelous landscape just for the two of us? And a cozy little cabin to go along with it as well? This should be fun~

• Of course Kaeya would also know a few things about planting, just the basics since he did grow up with Diluc. When they were kids, Crepus would give each of them their own pots so they can grow their own plants. It eventually became a competitive thing where whoever's plant grows the fastest gets to eat the other person's dessert for a year (no one wins. They end up sabotaging each other which Diluc started first, thinking it'll be funny as a joke).

• You are, and will be going on dates with him. In fact, the amount of dates you two went on increased since then. The townspeople would call you two "lovebirds" since he's practically by your side 24/7.

• I mean he doesn't have the responsibilities as a Cavalry Captain anymore so what else is there to do?

• Would attend all annual events no matter what season.

• Evelyn constantly gushes how much of a wonderful pair you and Kaeya make and often is the one who provides Kaeya a fresh bouqet of flowers for him to use as a gift. George on the otherhand just rolled his eyes mumbling something along the lines of "youngsters these days" and "crazy hormones."

• Befriends Pam. Love for beer plus somewhat cynical attitude? They get along real swell! She starts sending some recipes into the mailbox of course saying if yall ever need a hand, let her know.

• Spring: I can see Kaeya be switching back and forth between caring for the farm or taking quests posted on Pierre's bulletin board. He likes to keep things interesting, learning the ways of the new world while also getting to know the people around town.

• Would NOT return Mayor Lewis' shorts in which he found in Marnie's room. It's such high quality blackmail material. Kaeya is currently plotting what is the best way to use it to his advantage.

• He didn't tell you of course.

• Summer: There are no blankets because he is your blanket. Since your cabin was small so was the bed. That's why he has to hold you so that no one falls off when rolling over. Either he hugs you with your nose close to his neck, or your back against his chest while spooning you or holding hands if sleeping on your sides became too much. Yall need a serious house upgrade.

• For some reason Kaeya becomes more energetic in the summer. He lets you rest in the shade while handling the farm work for the time being. If you guys got a pet it would be a cat. Hes the first one to refill their bowl every morning outside.

Another day passes as summer comes to an end, the town’s Mayor invited you and your lover to see the annual Dance Of the Moonlight Jellies. Kaeya being the opportunist was delighted to come along. Locking the door of your house, you follow him down the path and made your way to the beach.

Everyone from town was already gathered by the docks when the sun had disappeared down the horizon. You stood by his side in a space far from the others, watching the candle boats set off to ride the waves, lighting up a small ray of light for creatures to find.

“Wow,” your tone almost above a whisper, “If only our friends back home could see this too.”

“Perhaps,” he says. Kaeya slips his fingers into yours and you shot him a curious glance, “But let us enjoy this moment shall we? Just the two of us.”

And there they were. A sea of luminescence radiating colours of brilliant blue with hints of green like a city of laterns floating in a world below. Their image reflects in the star of Kaeya's eyes as he wonders, where would they go? Where would the light lead them? They were so free with nothing to worry, so serene just like the sea and unknowningly, he squeezes your hand. It was a sense for confirmation. One to remind him that this moment was indeed a reality he wishes to keep.

Autumn: Finally a house upgrade and a kitchen!! Because it was harvest season, you guys end up making a set of delicious meals with all the recipes the townspeople gave you. Kaeya can cook since he lived by himself back in Mondstadt. Most of the stuff he learned to make were food that can be accompanied by alcohol though...

• Ahah remember Mayor Lewis' lucky shorts? He found a use for them. It was displayed on the stands during the Stardew Valley Fair (Oh my how did this get here? Must be the wind). Ends up buying a Rarecrow for the farm when Lewis bribes him not to tell this to anyone.

Winter: This was mostly an indoor season for the both of you. With the existence of television, nights would be spent until morning while watching movies at the couch. A blanket drapes around your shoulders as extends to his. Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate!

#genshin impact #stardew valley #genshin impact headcanons #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #Kaeya #kaeya alberich #genshin x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin scenarios #nya-writes #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines

406 notes · View notes

maddieinwonder · 3 years

Text

A Lesson In Romance #3: The Cast

Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.5k

Plot: Reader keeps getting caught in rom-com situations with Spencer Reid. This time, the team figures it out.

A/N: I'm guilty of writing too much Morgan and Garcia but I can't help it — they're so much fun! I think them plus Emily would have the most dramatic reactions to Spencer in a (potential) relationship, though I'm excited to write about the rest too.

(Also, the reference at the end is from Lord of the Rings, because I love Lord of the Rings.)

Masterlist | All chapters here!

-----------

If you've learned anything from rom-coms, it's that every romantic lead needed a supporting cast. Whether they were siblings, parents, or childhood best friends, the main character needed somebody who would drop everything to talk to them — preferably showing up at their doorstep with face masks, nail polish, and a bottle of wine.

In your life right now, you suppose those people would be your teammates from the BAU.

Of course, this hypothetical scenario didn't require your potential love interest to be from work, but let's say for the purposes of the discussion that they were. Then you hoped, at least, that they would have an IQ of 150 or higher and a propensity for wearing mismatched socks.

But you were getting ahead of yourself. You were simply imagining the hypothetical scenario where your life was a rom-com. Hypothetically, you would need a love interest, and hypothetically, you kind of already had one.

“Hey,” Spencer waved you over from across the coffee shop. It wasn’t difficult to spot him when the place was nearly vacant. Everything was slow and quiet this early in the morning, and you weren’t going to make an exception.

“Morning,” you greeted softly as you sat down, relaxing into the smell of freshly roasted coffee and baked goods.

“I already ordered yours.” He smiled, tucking his book away in his messenger bag. “They had bagels this morning. Yours is cream cheese, but mine is strawberry jelly.” He looked overly pleased with himself, and you couldn’t help but crack a sleepy smile.

You eyed the spread in front of you, before lifting your gaze to meet his. “So your theory that you can predict my taste in desserts seems to be getting better.”

"Yes!" He shout-whispered, silently raising his fists in victory. “I knew I was right.”

You giggled at his overexcitement over something as small as getting your dessert order right. Although, he did once spend ten whole minutes explaining to you why dessert for breakfast was an underrated concept, so you couldn't say this was beyond your expectations for Dr. Spencer Reid.

You propped your head up with your arms, a smile plastered over your face. “Have I ever told you that you’re a weirdo, doctor?” You teased.

“Why, yes. Yes you have.” He replied with a smile, gesturing at you to try the bagel. His own was almost-gone, so they must be good.

And it was. Your eyes fluttered shut as the heavenly combination of carbs and cream woke up your taste buds. It was made even better with a sip of the perfect cup of coffee.

"Perfect," you sighed happily, digging into your breakfast further as Spencer quietly caught you up on the latest news in classical art.

Two weeks ago, you wouldn't have guessed that you would talk to Spencer alone, much less spend your mornings together with him. But as it turned out, a lot could change in a few days.

After the initial awkwardness between you had passed, you found that the two of you shared a lot more interests than interdimensional doctors and space opera. You both loved coffee, obviously, but you also had a mutual love for desserts, classical literature, and history.

It didn't take long for these interests to seep into the weekend, resulting in a suspiciously date-like afternoon with Spencer at his favourite museum. But you tried not to think too much into it. After all, the day had ended with a "see you at work", and not a "would you like to come in?"

Still, your dance between friendship and something more continued to grow wilder as days passed, until it reached a point where it inhabited your every waking thought. The only time it didn't, ironically, was when you were spending time with the person in question and every stray thought seemed to fall away.

Your mornings with him brought a necessary reprieve to the dark realities of this job, and some days you almost had to drag yourself out of your seat, knowing that you were straying from the calm of his company straight into the lion's mouth. But duty always called.

Your sudden hesitance to be apart from the resident genius hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of your team either; ever since the two of you walked into office one morning with matching coffee cups and smiles on your faces.

At first you enjoyed Spencer's company too much to care, but you knew that it was going to bite you back one day. And today seemed to be that day.

You could tell, because the lift doors to the BAU opened to one very determined Penelope Garcia with her arms folded across her chest. "Spit it out, you two," she said sharply without any greeting.

You and Spencer looked at each other, confused, before looking back at Penelope. "Spit out what, Pen?" You asked, a frown starting to form between your eyes.

"You know what I mean!" She squeaked, dropping her stern facade for a brief moment. "Are the two of you dating? The entire team has been dying to know, and I mean, d-y-i-n-g because there's a huge pot of money with my name on it if you are."

"Ah— No— I mean, you think—" Spencer stammered, his face instantly turning beet red in embarrassment, while your face began to grow red for another reason entirely.

"I think what he means is 'no', and what I mean to say is— what do you mean the entire team?" You half-yelled the question, while Penelope raised her hands defensively.

"What I mean, sugar, is that the two of you went from avoiding each other completely, to coming into work together everyday — and I know you spent last weekend together too, because you couldn't stop talking about it the next day at work and everybody noticed." She stated, pushing up her glasses.

"Not to mention, Dr. Reid here started wearing brighter colours subconsciously." She continued with her observations. "I know this, because in the almost four years I've worked with this man, I've never seen him wear anything brighter than violet. Or white. Or beige. But those don't count." She shook her head, getting back to her point.

"You get what I mean— and you," she pointed her pen in your direction, causing you to jump slightly. "You finally stopped doubting yourself as a part of this team. I knew this when you started talking more often during briefings — which I have nothing against, B-T-W, I totally support any effort in self-care and personal growth — but you also stopped shifting in your seat which you used to do when you felt nervous."

Penelope took a deep breath, preparing for the climax. "So all I can assume, is either you've been attending one of the 52 self-help classes that happen every weekend in Virginia, or somebody has been helping you find some serious zen."

"And my money's on the latter because every time you think nobody's watching, you're making eyes at Reid. But you're wrong. Garcia is always watching." She concluded triumphantly, raising one finger to point at herself.

"You might make a good profiler yet, doll." Derek remarked, walking up to the group with a smirk firmly affixed to his face.

"Expert at all things romance, and Cupid of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, Penelope Garcia at your service." She smiled, graciously curtseying to your other teammate.

"I know you're smart like that, babygirl," he grinned, draping his arm around her shoulder, "but you also don't know pretty boy as well as I do, because they aren't in a relationship."

He turned to you questioningly. "Are you?"

"No." You replied, glancing hesitantly at Spencer for his response, but his face simply looked blank with shock.

"See? Now it's time to collect my payout." Derek grinned at the tech analyst, making the motion of raining dollar bills.

Penelope tailed behind him grumpily as he walked into the BAU office, surely to share the "good news" with everybody else.

You hesitated to follow, imagining what teasing and looks would follow regardless of the outcome. Then you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around, Spencer gestured back at the empty lift with his head and you smiled, realising what he meant.

"That is the best hypothesis you've had all morning," you said. The two of you shared a laugh as you got back into the lift.

Even behind glass doors, you could hear a muffled "What?!" that you guessed came from Emily. "There's absolutely no way those two aren't together already. Have you seen them?"

There was a brief pause, then a loud groan.

"I know, that's what I told him!" Penelope's high-pitched voice was clear. "You know I'm going to be right about them eventually—"

The lift doors finally closed, blocking out the rest of their conversation. You looked up at Spencer, your gaze meeting his clear hazel eyes. He looked at his watch briefly before saying the next words.

"We've got time. Are you up for second breakfast?" He asked, referencing a movie from a conversation two weeks ago. He remembered. Of course he remembered.

You cleared your throat before replying the next line. "What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper?"

He laughed, and you felt a familiar peace return to you.

Whatever your teammates were yelling about, the two of you could deal with it later. Together.

-----------

Tag list:

@blue-space-porgs @nobutalsoyes @lady-loves-a-lot

306 notes · View notes

sky-of-dusk · 3 years

Text

Fun fact : Kyouya cares more geniunely about Ginga than Hyouma

The Beyblade Metal Fusion episodes taking place in Koma focus on Ginga, primarily. They show to his friends and to the spectators how he had spent his life before his quest for vengeance. But these episodes also stage a new rivalry, between Hyouma and Kyouya. What's new, with this rivalry, is that it's not about Beyblade, but about the right to be Ginga's rival. It highlights two different relationships with Ginga, because Hyouma and Kyouya don’t interact with and don’t care about Ginga the same way.

To prove what I state with the title, however, I have to go back some episodes earlier.

After Ginga succeeds to make Kyouya come to his senses, after the Wolf Canyon, Kyouya shows sign of empathy for his new friend rival :

“Something is happening to him.” (english dub)

“Just what happened to Ginga...” (japanese dub)

- episode 13, when Ginga is fighting Ryuuga

“It's no use. (...) That battle with Ryuuga was important. More important than we can possibly understand. When he lost it, then his spiritwas broken. (...) He has to deal with it on his own.” (english dub)

“It might be impossible. (...) The fight with Ryuuga probably held some great meaning to him of which we have no idea. Losing this fight is breaking his heart. (...) He has to do it himself.” (japanese dub)

- episode 14, when Ginga isn't able to launch Pegasus anymore

“So that's Ginga's story.” (english dub)

“Ginga went through all that...” (japanese dub)

- episode 15, after Kenta tells the others Ginga's past

Reaching Koma and Ginga

On their way to Koma, the gang meets Hyouma, who tries to stop them to reach the village. Kyouya is wary of him, seeing he's lying, but he doesn't expose him right away. He gives to Hyouma the benefit of the doubt, collects proofs of his treachery (showing he had already evolved since the first episodes) and only then he shows the rest of the group Hyouma is deceiving them.

Once Hyouma’s intentions are revealed, Kyouya challenges him but Kenta, and then Benkei steal his fight. When it's his turn, Hyouma chooses to ignore him (to take revenge because Kyouya was the only one to doubt him and see the truth behind his false-friendly behavior ?) and begins to present himself as Ginga's childhood friend.

In the next episode, when Ginga is facing his trial to be a blader again, Hokuto tries to prevent Ginga's new friends to catch up with him. Kenta, Madoka and Benkei hesitate, but Kyouya doesn't let Hokuto decide for him :

“We can't just stand around here doing nothing. Let's go help Ginga. (...) I don't care if it is a sacred place. That has nothing at all to do with us. I'm going.” (english dub)

“Just twidling our thumbs won't do it. Let's go after Ginga. (...) Holy ground or whatever, that doesn't concern us. Let us go.” (japanese dub)

- episode 17

This time, Hyouma sides with them. But he's shown ambiguous : it looks like he doesn't truly want them to succeed. He allows himself some contemptuous remarks, and doesn't accompagny them to meet Ginga.

With Ginga at Koma

In episode 18, we get the first moment between Ginga and Hyouma. Instead of witnessing their friendship, we see there is a gap between them :

Ginga : You never change, do you my good buddy ?

Hyouma : The village have just changed completely and so of you Ginga.

Ginga : Really ?

Hyouma : Well, since you're back now after such a long time, want to check out of the forest together.

- english dub

Ginga : You haven't changed a bit, have you ?

Hyouma : The town has changed quite a bit, though, huh ? And so have you.

Ginga : Huh ?

Hyouma : Since you came all the way back home, tomorrow, let's take a walk in the woods for old time's sake.

- japanese dub

Ginga is happy to see again his childhood friend, happy to see he's the one he remembers, but Hyouma doesn't share his feeling : he reproaches Ginga for having changed. Well, Ginga had witnessed his father being killed and had to travel alone during months to stop his murderers and their organization. How was he supposed to stay the same carefree child who was raised in Koma under these circumstances ? Plus, he spent months discovering how the world was beyond their little and isolated village.

Hyouma changes the subject before Ginga has the time to register his remark. He doesn't want to take the responsability for his words and thoughts, and rather acts like nothing had changed, smiling.

He suggests a tour of the village, hoping Ginga will leave his friends to stay only with him. He's hurt when Ginga gets enthusiastic about the prospect of showing them where he used to live.

When they begin their tour of Koma, Hyouma hides what he thinks of Ginga's new friends’ presence, acting like he is pleased to be with them, but always implying he knows Ginga better than them. The first time Kyouya shows off his Beyblade skills, and the gang is acting like a fanclub (they are all : "he is so great !" xD), he gets offended.

After Ginga does the second training exercise, we’ve got this dialog :

Kyouya : So you've been training like this since you were in diapers. Hmmm. No wonder you've become strong.

Hyouma : It's one of the lucky things about growing up in Koma village. There is no real subsitute for experience, is there Kyouya ?

Kyouya : ?

- english dub

Kyouya : This way you've been training naturally since you were a kid. Of course you'd be strong.

Hyouma : That's the privilege of being raised in Koma Village. There is nothing you can do about that distinction, is there ?

Kyouya : ?

- japanese dub

Kyouya is beginning his I’m-having-the-cool-quotes-because-I-understand-everything attitude, playing his rival role... And Hyouma starts to provoke Kyouya, belittling him because he wasn't born in Koma (Kyouya can hardly do something about it) and implying he would never reach the level of Koma-born bladers. You can see Kyouya is shocked by Hyouma's attitude toward him.

Then, we get another dialog, showing the difference between what Hyouma says and what he thinks (the complete opposite), showing again the contempt he feels for Kyouya :

Hyouma : You never back down, do you ? I see why Ginga takes you so seriously.

Ginga : You bet !

Hyouma, thinking : But no matter how hard he tries, there are some things he'll never do.

- english dub

Hyouma : Pretty competitive, isn't he ? I see why you approve of them.

Ginga : Yeah !

Hyouma, thinking : But... no matter how hard he tries, there are some things he can't do.

- japanese dub

A brief aside

This is character bashing, really. As much as I enjoy the scene where Kyouya is shocked because Hyouma ignores his challenge (certainly the first time ever someone is so casual about him xD), in fact, Hyouma decided arbitrarily to dislike Kyouya. He doesn’t like Ginga’s friends, either, but he hounds Kyouya :

- he accepts Kenta’s and Benkei’s challenge, but he turns down Kyouya’s.

- he speaks little to Ginga’s friends, but he makes snide remarks to Kyouya whenever he has the opportunity to.

- he launches him contemptuous looks when no one else is watching.

Back to episode 18

When the group reaches the Green Hades, Hyouma finally drops the mask :

Hyouma : The time has come for Ginga and I to have a serious battle.

Benkei : Why are you talking about ?

Hyouma : Ginga and I battled in this very stadium many times when we were little kids. Rain or shine, we'd always come here to compete so, you see, I know him better than anyone else. If I battle with Ginga here, I can tell if he has truly recovered or not. You guys have just become friends with him so you can't tell. After living together in this village for so long, I'm the only one who can tell how he is !

Everyone : ?!!!

Hyouma : Ginga, as your true rival, I will test you right know.

He confesses Ginga and his new friends what he thinks : since he's the only one who knows Ginga (though he reproached Ginga to have changed), they can't be considered as his friends, let alone as his rivals. The only point that truly annoys Kyouya is the moment where Hyouma says he's Ginga's only rival, implying Kyouya is nothing to him in Beyblade. Benkei and Kenta are annoyed too : they have accompanied Ginga during his adventures, battled him, and suddenly they aren't worthy of him ? Kyouya "calms down" the game by ordering to Ginga to accept Hyouma's challenge. During the battle, he shows he believes in Ginga's victory, no matter the advantages Hyouma takes. He even reminds the others he used a similar advantage with the windy stadium, talking about his defeat. I want to stress it out : Kyouya reminds them he had LOST. Kyouya Tategami ! Only to show them Ginga is able to win this duel.

Kyouya : Winning means more because it's a difficult stadium. Have you all forgotten ? The windy stadium. My Leone had the advantage there because of wind but Ginga never backed down. (...) No matter what disadvantage he faces, he won't run. That's the Ginga I know. But it really bugs me that Ginga beat me but has never defeated this guy. Come on Ginga ! Defeat him right here, in front of all of us.

(in japanese, he says : That's the Hagane Ginga I know. However, I don't like that he's beaten me, but hasn't won against him yet. Leave him in the dust and let me see how you win !)

Ginga : Yeah, count on it. I'm gonna show you that Pegasus and I are back in top.

However, it is shown that Kyouya is the one who, at this point of their life, knows Ginga best. He guesses when his rival is about to launch his special move (and is very happy to tell Hyouma about it xD - a little revenge for Hyouma’s attitude and for having fallen twice because of this special move). Then, at the end of the duel, Hyouma is shocked to have lost. He doesn't understand how anyone can have the idea of destroying the stadium to win. And Kyouya thinks :

“Ginga would. You gotta think outside the crater sometimes.”

But he doesn't tell it out loud. He doesn’t show to everyone he understands Ginga better. As soon as the duel ends, Kyouya considers there is no more reason to argue.

Then, Ginga is congratulated by his new friends for his victory. He’s proud and happy among them, and Hyouma says :

“I guess I'm of no further use to you anymore. Please, continue to improve with your new great friends. I'm sure you will.”

This sentence looks too much like emotional blackmail for my taste... Anyway, Hyouma takes out this idea out of the blue, like it goes without saying and everyone agreed about this before the duel. Ginga gets shocked, not understanding what Hyouma is talking about, then Kyouya comes to them.

Kyouya : He can have more than one rival, you know.

This sentence is said by Kyouya, who will go as far as Africa to be able to fight Ginga. Despite Hyouma's attitude, Kyouma wants him to resume seing himself as one of Ginga's rivals.

The Survival Battle

Then, Hyouma and Kyouya meet again during the Survival Battle. Once more, Hyouma tries to dodge fighting Kyouya but Leone's blader spots him. They have to battle and, after some struggles, Kyouya wins. Despite this, Kyouya tries to cheer up Hyouma, telling plans don't always work as expected (he knows something about it xD). And he doesn't understand why Hyouma is so dispirited.

Hyouma : I changed the performance tip and it wasn't as stable as it normally is.

Kyouya : Plans can be flawed you know.

Hyouma : But there's another cause behind my defeat.

Kyouya : Huh ?

Hyouma : I have to give up the right to battle Ginga. Yeah. For today, but the next time we battle Kyouya, it won't end this way.

Kyouya : So you say. I'll battle you anytime.

At first, I thought : "This is a great moment of sportmanship". But I rewatch this scene, and rethink about it, and does Hyouma's words imply that he expected Kyouya to stop being Ginga's rival if he had lost ? I know if Kyouya had lost, he wouldn’t have been allowed to resume fighting during this tournament. But Hyouma says they’ll have to face each other to decide who will have the right to face Ginga the next time. He's still in the same state of mind he was when he met Ginga’s new friends, at Koma.

Comparison of their attitude

During their stay in Koma, Hyouma spent his time pulling the blanket to him. He doesn't truly talk about Ginga, but about his place : he is Ginga's childhood friend, he lives in Koma, he is the only one who deserves to be his rival... He reproaches Ginga for having changed, doesn't give him a word of comfort for all he came through. He is jealous of the friends he makes outside Koma, instead of being relieved he wasn't completely alone all the time he was away. He tries several times to prevent them to be with Ginga, wanting to have him for himself. The duel wasn't about seeing if Ginga was all right, but about showing to everyone he is Ginga's true rival, that the others don't count and can't expect to matter. Even when Ginga wins their duel, he goes toward the group to talk about himself. He's shown as very self-centered, thinking more about himself than about his friend. He considers if Ginga is friend/rival with him, he doesn't need anyone else.

Kyouya, on the contrary, is here for Ginga. He tells and retells it. He watches how Ginga had spent his life before meeting him, doing remarks about this (but not about himself). He shows he can do what Ginga does, and he's pretty happy of himself when he gets compliments, but he doesn't try to take credit all the time (sometimes he does, of course, he’s still Kyouya Tategami and Yuu gives us a perfect sum-up of his personality at the end of Fury). Kyouya lets Ginga having most of the foreground since they are in his home. He believes in him. He doesn't bear grudges against Hyouma for his attitude and even pushes him toward Ginga twice (once when Hyouma lost against Ginga in episode 18, once when Hyouma lost against him in episode 21). He tells three episodes after the episode 18 he only cares about defeating Ginga, because they are rival, so it is certainly in his mind right then, but he doesn't utter a word about it during the Koma episodes.

Maybe what I’ll add is an extrapolation, but I think Kyouya doesn't want Ginga to loose anything more. Ginga already lost his father, quited everything he knows to chase the Dark Nebula, spent months alone (with only Pegasus for company),... so he can't loose his childhood friend too (the only person left from his past, someone who should be like family).

#mfb character analysis #comparison of characters #kyouya character analysis #hyouma character analysis #hyouma #kyouya tategami #ginga hagane #ginga and kyouya

31 notes · View notes

kosakashuntaro · 3 years

Text

for some reason, i became obsessed with this irrelevant filler character from izumi tsubaki’s lesser known series, oresama teacher. he’s consistently forgotten by fans and ranked 2nd to last out of the student council members, but despite that, i still think he’s a great and well-written character. also, he’s super cute!

and so without futher ado— here’s my stupidly long lovemail/analysis of shuntaro kosaka. a pure 1.5k word ramble about my favorite boy!

kosaka first appears in chapter #43, introduced alongside the rest of the student council members. he’s in class 1-3, the same as yukioka komari. the first major scene we see him in is him having a bad relationship with fellow council member, kanon nonoguchi.

not gonna lie, i forgot this scene existed and i don’t like it since he touches her forcefully. it’s a setup for their relationship later on, though. at this point, kosaka and nonoguchi are both closed off and cold towards each other; aside from their animosity towards each other from their interactions, they have their own personal issues for not being good with interacting with others. nonoguchi has her problems with men stemming from childhood and kosaka just seems bad at understanding how to act properly with people in general.

kosaka’s main arc is the student festival arc, where he plays the villain, but honestly, he’s just cringy as fuck in it. i think it’s good in that it shows how damn extra he is, though-- imo, he’s the most realistically extra of the characters. he’s a 15 year old kid who thinks he’s smart just ‘cause he gets good test scores. of course he’s going to be that bitch who smiles sneakily and thinks of himself as the grandmaster of the chess game, even when his partner in crime, kawauchi, knew all along of his betrayal plan.

we don’t see much of his motivations or personality in the student festival arc as it focuses mainly on okegawa and kawauchi. all we know so far is that he’s smart, manipulative, and sneaky. seems like a typical bad guy.

until the last chapter of the arc, #51. for the first time, we see the previously cool (lol) and cunning kosaka shuntaro... nervously fretting over how to kneel in apology to his superior, miyabi hanabusa.

we learn that kosaka is obsessively reliant on instruction manuals, ever since his childhood. he’s ridiculously good at studying and always gets first place in tests at school. however, he can’t cope with unexpected changes at all. everything has to go exactly to plan or else he comes up with a different approach to completing the original plan, that isn’t always appropriate for the situation.

he’s perfectly confident in interacting with people-- that’s obvious enough throughout the student festival arc--, but he’s bad at interpreting things on the fly, once again, prone to saying things inappropriate to the time and place. kosaka has to do things in order, step-by-step, otherwise he can’t proceed.

a while back, there was a post that talked about him being autistic. to be honest, i never considered this earlier (as in a few years ago, when i first started liking him a lot). but reading back, he really is strongly coded as such, i think. so frankly, the reason i like him might be a more personal reason, but... anyway.

like with the other student council members, miyabi helps him relax and feel better, guiding him to be more carefree and open. i have mentioned this a few times, but i think it’s really wonderful that miyabi basically helped out a bunch of kids with mental issues when their problems might’ve looked small or stupid from the outside. this is also brought up in chapter #104 during the hayasaka arc, where mafuyu and hayasaka both contact him for information about miyabi. he basically says that miyabi got him to join the student council because he was worried about kosaka’s personality and wanted to stay near him for help.

honestly, kosaka is probably the one who’s most grateful to miyabi (outside of nonoguchi?) simply because he recognizes his own issues. there’s a reason why he’s the only student council member whose face you can’t see during the scene where miyabi graduates; he’s the only one of the guys who cry.

kosaka’s problem is that he can’t cope with his plans going off at all, so miyabi sends him to prank mafuyu. even though he tries to get her by making many elaborate plans, he eventually learns to just attack without plan. it ends with him stuck in a ditch and miyabi unexpectedly pranking kosaka himself.

here we see kosaka’s first genuine smile. and it’s beautiful!!! he’s a sweetheart!!! i think that the story of kosaka could’ve worked even without the student festival arc, but that establishes him as an dramatic kid who’s super smart and cunning-- and here we see him just relax for once, and be truly happy.

after this, there aren’t any more kosaka focused chapters. however, he does appear once in a while, usually with the other student council members. (he’s in the very next chapter using yui’s equipment to cross the lake. but since he usually feeds the fish, they all come to him for food...)

kosaka's bad relationship with nonoguchi is reiterated in nonoguchi's arc, chapter #71 where she beats him up for saying that all girls want a prince. it's a stereotypical thing to say either way, but nonoguchi's response about "men wanting to be princelike is self-serving" is more due to her own issues rather than about kosaka in particular. anyway, this is just to highlight that at this point, they both still have their own problems and don't get along.

the next time we see him is during the school trip arc, where, although he’s still being far too overprepared by carrying too much luggage, he seems to be getting along with his class very well. kosaka organizes his class’s schedule and accommodates for changes on the fly (when his teacher wanted to stay longer to see the sea otters), even if it annoys him a bit. it’s an improvement! he’s able to assume a role where his pedantically organized personality is a benefit. mafuyu also notes that both he and ayabe have become more carefree and open with others, with kosaka becoming “the center of class 4″.

i think this chapter, #82, is also the first time kosaka talks about yukioka. since yukioka doesn’t talk to anyone aside from miyabi, he had never heard her voice despite being a close friend. there’s not really any significance to them being besties (does there need to be?), but it does show his sense of responsibility for others since he basically takes care of her. he has more scenes with yukioka in various arcs, mostly in the miyabi graduation arc where he helps protect yukioka from aki.

speaking of that arc, like the other student council members, he gets something precious to him stolen. in this case, it’s the books that he always reads. we find out that he’s actually surprisingly good at drawing from memory despite him believing he doesn’t know how to draw without instructions. this may be partially may be some juxtaposition of him truly being ‘creative’ even though his methods are so ‘academic/scientific’ (even though i don’t believe ‘drawing well’ is what ‘creativity’ is). in my opinion, this represents his progress in general. it’s probably not just art/drawing, but he’s actually gotten better at doing most things without manuals without realizing or being aware of it.

this idea is also expanded upon with the protection of yukioka i mentioned earlier. because kosaka doesn’t have his books, he doesn’t act so formal and is instead more forceful and ‘manly’, making it easier for him to communicate with classmates. by the way, kosaka’s actually popular with the girls in his class (shown in school trip arc 1-koma), but doesn’t realize it because he can’t understand things not directly stated. what a guy...

here is a short break to talk about kawauchi. i think their relationship is hilarious. from kawauchi getting him to dig holes to kawauchi stealing his math books... i feel really sorry for kosaka, but it’s so funny... he just can’t escape him. even in the very last student council saga arc, it was kawauchi behind the scenes all along...

really they’re two characters who are heavily associated with each other and yet... i don’t think kawauchi’s relationship with kosaka says anything about his personality since kosaka was such a one-bit character during the majority of the arc where they interacted (plus kawauchi is awful to everyone). all kawauchi did was give kosaka more trust issues and broke his phone. i feel kinda mean for saying this but it’s so funny how he caused kosaka to be absolutely terrified of delinquents.

honestly kosaka like... doesn’t have a reason to be associated with kawauchi beyond the student festival event. imo it’s just a way for tsubaki to make kosaka relevant or appear once in a while since the other character he’s associated with (yukioka) got a boyfriend and doesn’t appear as often (kawauchi’s common appearances is due to his surprising popularity with fans).

enough about kawauchi though, we’re finally at the end of this long and loving post. at the conclusion of the miyabi graduation arc, the very first conflict of kosaka shown is finally resolved: he’s made up with nonoguchi!

i really love this scene so much!!! i know it’s kinda just a set-up for the next joke, but tsubaki still dedicated over a page just to nonoguchi and kosaka, so it’s genuine to me! it’s so lovely to see that nonoguchi and kosaka have both resolved their own issues with the help of miyabi and the public morals club. they both acknowledge that they weren’t the best in the past, but now they can become friends... this is a relationship that’s been developing in the background of oresama teacher for over 80 chapters... it makes me so happy that tsubaki gave a resolution to it in the end. she truly does care about all her characters no matter how unpopular they are, and i love her for that.

(by the way, i just found out that this can badge released in the same year as the miyabi graduation arc. they’re so cute!)

the story of kosaka and the student council as a whole ends here. everyone’s finally improved, and they’re all happy... people say “oresama teacher has no plot”, but there’s so much to the story of the student council. if i can write so much about one minor character who rarely appears, i think there’s plenty of plot and plenty to say about the others.

that’s all i have to say on this topic for now.

actually, i started writing this back in 2019 but i forgot about it until recently. my thoughts haven’t changed, though... i hope this post shines some light on why i like kosaka and tsubaki so much. to be honest, though, i’d probably just say that he’s sooo cute and i wanna protect that sweet smile of his... my 174 cm tall son.

#oresama teacher #shuntaro kosaka #text #please read it i simply think izumi tsubaki is a genius #i'm ignoring everything past miyabi graduation arc btw i forgot what happened there so </3

33 notes · View notes

novantinuum · 3 years

Link

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen Audiences

Words: 2.2K~

Summary: A series of shorts detailing what might’ve happened in the moments after I Am My Monster, told from six different points of view.

Greg apparently had a LOT on his mind, because this was supposed to be short and instead it’s over 2000 words, ahah. Final chapter!

If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3. Thank you! <3

Chapter warning: Allusions to past non-canon character suicide.

____

Chapter 6: Greg

Hours pass.

Bismuth makes quick and quiet work of replacing the cracked slider door in Steven’s room while he sleeps, and secures a thick tarp over the open front of the house to keep the coastal breeze somewhat at bay until she can finish her repairs to the windows and siding. She warns that might take a day or two. Garnet, meanwhile, busies herself the rest of the afternoon and evening fielding all of the Diamonds’ frazzled calls, and reassuring them of the boy’s current stability. Pooling their knowledge, Dr. Maheswaran and Peridot make sure to confirm that. Beyond some minor scarring, neither his organic or Gem half seems to exhibit any serious physical health conditions in consequence of what happened today, news which works to ever so slightly lift the air of the household. With no other concrete tasks to complete, Pearl, Amethyst, Lapis, Connie, and Greg all rotate between sweeping debris off the floor, wandering the beach to mentally recuperate, and dutifully sitting at Steven’s side as he rests. It may not sound like a lot, but alas the level of emotional labor demanded by such a situation is immense.

All in all, the sun’s long since dipped below the horizon by the time Greg finally collapses onto the mattress laid out in the back of his van, craving if but a moment of privacy and respite from all the chaos. It’s been... an insufferably long day, to put it lightly. Busy. Tons of cleaning, and intercepting nosy neighbors, and bedside monitoring...

He offered to take the first night shift watching Steven a few minutes ago, but Pearl must’ve noticed the dark circles creeping ever wider under his eyes, because she proceeded to gently overturn his offer and remind him of humanity’s daily sleep requirement. And she’s right, of course. He can’t stay up as long as he used to in his twenties anymore. Plus, he probably deserves some time to himself after everything that’s transpired. There’s plenty of Gems left in the house who can keep watch, after all. Steven will be fine for a few hours. Surely nothing else can happen when he’s asleep, right?

Right??

Exhaustedly slumping against the side wall, Greg offers a glassy, vacant stare at the contacts list of his phone, roughly wiping the damp from his cheeks with his other hand as his thumb hovers over one of the numbers. Does he dare drag someone else into this whole situation? Surely the kinder solution would be to refrain from widening the circle any more, from letting anyone else learn about today’s harrowing events. And yet if he fails to find a proper outlet for the raw emotions all of this has violently hauled to the surface, he fears he just may suffer a mental break himself, repressed memories bursting like a vicious flood through the dam he desperately tried to seal them behind all those years back. Much of this is just... far too familiar.

His phone slips right through his trembling hands as the cruel reality of what he witnessed today finally begins to carve its indelible presence in his mind. A strained sob leaking from between his tightly pursed lips, he buries his head between his knees, clutching at the worn bottom hem of his jean shorts like an infant to a parent’s finger. Small. Vulnerable.

Helpless.

His son... oh stars, his only son, he—

He can’t talk about any of this to the Gems; they wouldn’t wholly grasp the uniquely human nature of his concerns. And he doesn’t feel comfortable discussing these matters with Dr. Maheswaran, especially not after the stern words she dealt to him back at the hospital. He’s burdened her enough already, by this point. No, there’s only one fellow human he feels close enough with to engage in this sort of conversation.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he reaches for the phone he dropped on the mattress. Turns it on. Nervously clamps down on his bottom lip as he selects his cousin’s contact and dials.

The passing heartbeats slamming against his ribs are almost nauseating in their needy clamor as he waits, his calloused fingers tapping against the thick rubber of his phone case. Andy’s never been a particularly tech savvy guy, so honestly, it’s well within reason he might not even carry his phone on his person to answer. And that’d be fine, really. In fact, he might even prefer it, since he’s still not confident he’s emotionally prepared to discuss any of this at this precise moment, anyways. But just as he’s beginning to undergo mental preparations for what on Earth he might leave as a voicemail message, his older family member finally picks up.

“Greg?” Andy’s gravelly voice rings through, sounding somewhat tinny through their connection. “Hey, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? How’s the ol’ Universe family unit doin’?”

“Not great, honestly,” he narrowly manages in response, his throat constricting tight. “That’s kinda why I’m calling, if you have the time to listen?”

“Heh. I’m a drifter, you know I ain’t got no schedule. Carry on.”

“Well... geeze, how do I put this. There was, uh... a bit of an incident today. With Steven.”

“An incident?” his cousin questions, marked worry immediately painting his tone. “The kid okay??”

He falls silent for a few seconds upon this question, threading his hyperactive digits through the split ends in his hair on automatic, a stress-induced habit. “Unclear,” he says, a slight quiver making itself intimately known in his words. “I mean, physically, at the moment, yes, but—“

He cuts off once more. It suddenly occurs to him that little of today’s events would make sense to Andy without providing the appropriate context. Or, at least, what little context he’s capable of giving as a father. It’s still terrifying to admit the truth to himself— that he doesn’t possess the full story. That he hasn’t been paying close enough attention. That, in many ways, he willfully blinded himself to all the troubling events transpiring around his son throughout the years, foolishly believing that if he didn’t involve himself... that if he simply stayed out of the Gems’ hair... everything would go to plan, and Steven would finally receive the training he needed. He didn’t expect things would grow so complicated.

He didn’t expect that his teenage son would have to march into battle carrying nothing but his wits and a shield time and time again.

With a weary sigh and a quick apology, to which Andy brushes off, Greg begins to weave a verbal picture of everything that’s transpired across the last few days. First, the hospital call. Rushing home from tour, only to find his son giant and flushed pink, literally filling an entire room with the sheer volume of his trauma. The shattered x-ray in his chart, hinting towards hidden hurts that— before all this— even Steven seemingly hadn’t processed or quantified. Then, the road trip. The unwanted reminders of his childhood. That blasted CD. His expression sobers as he describes the fateful argument they had on the road home, one which lead to his son accidentally breaking the steering wheel and flipping the van. Next... his disappearance. No texts for four whole days, which is so unlike him. He was worried sick. And the next time he saw him, he was eight feet tall, glowing, and painfully manic in behavior, with each new sentence spilling from his mouth revealing an even more heartbreaking picture of the sort of poor mental state he’d spiraled into. It was nothing short of a father’s worst nightmare, propelled into horrifying, vivid reality.

Nothing in this corner of the galaxy could’ve prepared him for the primal surge of terror and anguish he was engulfed within when that nightmare distorted and transformed even further.

His only son... colossal and coated in thick scales and spines, sclera black as night... roughly clawing at this unfamiliar form, smashing his skull against the cliffside, roaring with an inner pain so primal that the sound now haunts the depths of his very soul—

“I- you remember what happened with cousin Jo, back when we were young?” Greg says softly once he’s caught Andy up with the details of situation, his voice frail and unsteady, the tone of a man helplessly marooned amidst his anxieties. “Before she was sent to that mental rehab place? Well, I’m... with the addition of Gem magic, it almost felt like that. I mean, h-he’s fine for now, we have him resting, but... but I’m just so scared he won’t come out of this, like her, a-a-and that one day he’ll—“

A mewling sob bubbles up in his throat, swiftly severing that train of thought. N-no. No, he refuses to even utter that horrible idea out loud! After all, a world without Steven in it isn’t worth envisioning.

Andy’s eventual response— albeit tinged with a justified shade of awkwardness, given the emotionally charged nature of this conversation— is filled with genuine compassion, and for that he’s dearly thankful.

“Aw, hell... Greg, I’m- I’m so sorry. I, uh- I could fly over, if any of ya’ need me? For emotional support, or whatever?”

Upon this kind offer, he inhales deep to steady his breath, and wipes away dewy beads of moisture from the corner of his eyes, desperately hoping that he can mitigate the pitiful wavering of his voice over the phone. He’s gotta fight to reliably keep some form of composure in front of other people, damnit. His kid can’t have his dad breaking down around him too, of course.

“No, you’ve got places to be,” he replies evenly, pressing his thumb and pointer against one of his aching temples. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You ain’t asking,” he retorts, the eye-roll evident in his tone. “I’m offering. Listen- family takes care of family, y’hear? And I’m only about a day’s flight away, anyways. It’s really the least I could do.”

He sighs. Absentmindedly tugs at a thick strand of his hair. Offers a long, contemplative stare at the rickety age-worn handle affixed to the inside of the van’s back doors. Truth be told— ignoring his deep-seated guilt at dragging Andy into all this to begin with— he’d love having another family member around to embrace, especially a human one who can more deeply understand the crux of his anxieties about this delicate situation. But in the end, he shouldn’t be prioritizing his own feelings and comfort. He’s not the one in crisis, his son is.

Desperately hoping he’s making the right choice, Greg flexes his fingers, and acquiesces to the offer, on one condition: only if Steven consents to having visitors, once he’s awake.

Andy hums in approval. “Understood. Don’t wanna overload the poor guy with any surprise visits, or whatever.”

“Yeah. The last thing I want to do is push him too hard, too fast.”

He pauses, braving waves of parental grief to spend a moment to reflect on Steven’s emotional progression over the past few months... a stray negative comment here, an unusually forlorn mannerism there... All of them events that, in isolation, wouldn’t point to anything more than your standard ‘teenage angst,’ but when observed in strong, unceasing patterns, begin to reveal deeply harrowing truths about the state of an individual’s self-image. How did he never notice? Why wasn’t he there to catch him in his fall?

“I think he hates himself,” he says quietly, his voice hitching up at the end. “He didn’t say so directly, but- but I can sense it. And I don’t know how to help him, I-I... I don’t know if I can.”

“Nonsense,” his cousin scoffs, “‘course ya’ know what to do! What does any good father worth their salt give their sons?”

Unable to evade the momentary temptation of feeling miserable and sorry for himself, he slumps back against the wall, giving a weak shrug that his current audience would never see.

“I dunno, maybe a stable, safe childhood? Not growing up poor as dirt in a van?”

“No, you numbskull,” Andy immediately cuts back, “you love on ‘em and support ‘em just as much as you always have! Y’ show him that you’re always gonna be there for him, and that he can trust you with anything.”

“But I haven’t always been there for him,” he exclaims petulantly. “That’s the whole problem! That’s one of the reasons he ended up like this.”

“Greg,” he says, his voice softer this time. “Listen to me, ain’t nobody perfect, okay? We’ve all made our mistakes with people. Me? More than most. But what we can’t do is let those mistakes cloud what’s happening right now. Y’know, that’s one of the hard lessons I’ve had to learn over the past two years, that you can’t always make things about you. Because right now, it’s about him. He’s dealin’ with some hard feelings, and he needs all of our help. So, let’s help him. Together. We’ll start with one foot in front of us, and we can take it from there. All right?”

Closing his weary, exhausted eyes and pressing his thumb firm against his still-aching temple, Greg Universe gives a long sigh and finally concedes to the reality that— just as he’s not solely responsible for the decline of his son’s mental state— no man should be an island when it comes to the task of supporting one’s journey towards recovery. As with everything, the extended Universe family unit will face the future together, hand-in-hand. Step-by-step.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “Yeah, I think that’s do-able.”

#su #su future #greg universe #andy demayo #su fanfiction #my writing stuff

35 notes · View notes

ramen-rambles · 4 years

Text

HC: Going On A Disney Date

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader, Kirishima Eijirou x Reader, Kaminari Denki x Reader, Todoroki Shouto x Reader, Midoriya Izuku x Reader

Warnings: None! Just fluffy goodness

Word Count: 1.9K

Summary: Just some headcanons on what spending a day at the parks would be like with your favorite boys. (btw, this is based on the Disney parks in Anaheim!)

A/N: S/O to the discord for indulging me in my Disney obsession :’D Fun fact, when I went to Disneyland for Halloween, I borrowed my friend’s Pikachu kigurumi so that I could lowkey cosplay as Denki LOL

Taglist: @jojosmilktea

♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜

BAKUGOU KATSUKI

You had to do so much convincing to get him to even go to one park, let alone two

Teases you and smirks saying, “Why do you want to go to some lame theme park? I’m all the fun you need, princess.”

Bakugou ends up giving in to your begging because… how can he resist such a cute face?

He is super whiny in the beginning, literally complaining about every little thing

“Why the fuck is all the shit here so damn expensive?”, “The lines are too fucking long!”

Don’t even bother trying to get him to wear any kind of Mickey Ears either

He thinks it looks adorable on you though, not that he’d admit it

However, after seeing how much fun you were having, he eases up a bit and begins to enjoy himself too

Actually, he ends up becoming more excited than you

Once you start getting tired from all the walking and constant queuing, he mocks you and says “What? You’re tired already? I could keep this up for hours!”

His go-to pose for the ride photos is to flip off the camera

And yes, you guys end up buying a copy of all the pictures because he thinks it’s fucking hilarious

His favorite attraction to go on is Toy Story Midway Mania because he knows he’ll kick your ass and get a higher score than you; or Radiator Springs Racers, so he can win the race and kick other people’s ass

KIRISHIMA EIJIROU

He’s such a child at heart that he was actually the one who asked you to go to Disneyland

Had already bought the tickets in advance because he already knew you’d say yes. You felt kind of bad that he had to spend all that money for both of your tickets

“E-eji, are you sure you don’t want me to pay you back? These tickets must have been so expensive!”

“Don’t worry about it babe, I’ve been saving my allowance to buy us these tickets. I wanted to take you out on a magical date at the happiest place on earth!”

He really was the sweetest boyfriend

On the days leading up to your date, you two start planning out matching outfits, what rides you guys for sure want to go on, and all the new foods you can’t want to try!

The night before, the two of you have a Disney movie marathon, snuggled up on the couch eating popcorn while watching all those childhood classics!

His favorite movie is The Little Mermaid because where else did you think he got the inspiration to dye his hair red? Princess Ariel

Day of, you guys are BEYOND excited

Kirishima wakes up extra early to start getting ready, letting you get in a few more minutes of sleep

Once you get there, the first thing you both do is take a picture in front of Main Street! He pretty much documents your entire trip on his phone, taking candid photos of you being the cutie you were

He makes it his new lockscreen wallpaper

While he was waiting in line to buy some food, you went to the shop and bought a matching pair of Mickey and Minnie ears, wanting to surprise him

Smothered you in smooches because he was so happy you guys were matching head to toe, literally

“Thanks babe! I’m never gonna take this off!”

And he never took his ears off. He wore it all day. How it didn’t fall of his head was a question you had no answer to

You two were the definition of cringey couple; matching outfits, constant PDA

Not that he cared what other people thought. He was happy and you were happy, that’s all that mattered to him

Go-to ride pose is leaning over next to you, grabbing your entire face, and giving you a big kiss on the cheek

Favorite ride is Hyperspace Mountain, loves the thrill of it plus, it makes his hair look extra spikey because the wind pushes it back up

KAMINARI DENKI

You guys are such kids, after you guys went the first time, you came back so often and ultimately decided that it would be better to buy annual passes

Your guy’s Disney trips were always very spontaneous, to say the least

Kaminari would be like, “Hey babe, what if we go to Disneyland tomorrow?”

“Come again? You want to go to Disneyland tomorrow?”

“Yeah, why not? We haven’t been in awhile” He says, nonchalantly

Giving in to his pouting, that’s how the two of you usually end up at the parks

You go so often you basically have a routine down

You two take turns doing everything; driving, paying for parking, paying for food, etc

During the drive there, you guys are singing non-stop. For some reason, he knows almost all the lyrics to every single song, making you wonder how he can memorize all those words and somehow still have no clue how to remember a simple math formula

You guys also try to Disney Bound (basically, it’s a lowkey cosplay) most of the time, but if not, you guys will always wear matching outfits

Unlike most people, he actually really enjoys wearing the Mickey ears, he thinks he looks extra cute in them. You agree

His ride pose often changes, from ‘hitting the woah’ to literally bringing a prop on the ride, he just does whatever he thinks is funny

But you often collaborate with each other while waiting in line to decide what pose you should do together; if no ideas come up, throwing up a peace sign is the standard move

Favorite ride to go on is Splash Mountain, hands down. He always asks to sit in the front. For some reason, he loves the feeling of getting absolutely fucking drenched

As a tradition, you two always make it your last ride of the night. Since it’s colder, there’s really not much of a wait, meaning you guys have an entire log to yourselves and can pretty much go on it as many times as your hearts desire

TODOROKI SHOUTO

You were aware that Todoroki had probably never been to Disneyland before, considering he spent most of his childhood training

So when you asked him if he’s ever actually gone to the parks, he was like, “Isn’t that the amusement park who has a rat as their mascot? His name is Mikey, right?”, “So, Elsa has an ice quirk too?”

You swore that this boy would be the death of you

You were quick to educate him on all things Disney, telling him stories of when you were younger and how they were some of your fondest memories as a kid

Wanting your boyfriend to share the same experience as you, you eagerly suggested that the two of you must go together one day, and he seemed just as eager with his response

He said, “Okay then, let’s go this Saturday. It’s the weekend so we most likely won’t be busy anyways.”

“Uh Shouto, honey, I’d love to go but I’m pretty broke right now, tickets are expensive so it’ll probably take me a few weeks to save up for —“ you complained

He cut you off right there and says that he’ll pay for everything, whipping out Endeavor’s credit card

Why did he have that on him??

Before you could protest and scold him for using someone else’s card, it was too late because he already bought them

Once in the parks, he seems to be quite fascinated by everything, but his focus tends to stay on you, watching how excited you get over every little thing

You guys get matching ears, but he’s not too keen on wearing them. At most, he’ll wear it for pictures, but that’s about it. But he also can’t help but admire how cute you look in them

Buys you literally anything you want. Overpriced merchandise? Done. Overpriced food? You bet. Overpriced everything? Abso-fucking-lutely. Doesn’t care about the price, as long as you’re happy

Even if he doesn’t explicitly show it, he’s actually having a lot of fun!

Being in such a magical place with his favorite person in the world makes him want to go back, reliving those childhood moments he didn’t really have

Inevitably, he ends up upgrading your tickets to an annual pass

“You bought us annual passes?! Why did you do that, and when?!”

“I did it on the app, while you were in that long line for the bathroom.” He said, feigning innocence

You two end up going at least twice a month, if not more. Pretty much going there to just hang out and walk around

His poses for the rides aren’t really poses per se, it’s really just his poker face. Occasionally, you’ll pinch his cheeks to give a little flare to your photos

Favorite ride is Soarin’ Around The World. He likes the visual appeal. Plus, the orange scent smells really good

MIDORIYA IZUKU

Both of you guys were equally excited to go!

You two had planned to go for some time now, saving up enough money to buy tickets and acknowledging the fact that you guys would spend a lot on food and other things

Izuku is such a nerd that he basically makes an entire schedule of your guy’s stay, morning until night

He grabs a copy of the park map and actually brings a pen to circle which rides you guys want to go on throughout the day

He will definitely download the app in order to keep track of wait times

Plans for which rides you guys should go on first, taking into account the the events that people would be watching instead of waiting in lines, making the most of your time

“Okay, if the wait time for Radiator Springs Racers is 90 minutes, by the time we’re done, we should make it just in time to use our fastpass for Grizzly River Run…”

It kind of amazes you how articulate he was about this whole thing

“Wow, babe. I can’t believe you planned for all of that, I thought we were just going with the flow.” You said, teasing him for being such a nerd. How cute

His hero costume basically had bunny ears on them, so he didn’t complain about wearing the Mickey ears

You two take lots of pictures, you guys even wait in that long line to take that cliché couple photo in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

Go-to pose varies depending on the ride, usually the camera catches him by surprise, so in almost all of the pictures, he looks like he’s about to cry

Doesn’t really have a favorite ride but his absolute favorite thing to do is to watch the fireworks towards the end of the night

He enjoys just sitting there and holding you close in his arms while you two watch the show and sing along to the music

♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜

Hope you liked these! Thank you for reading~

masterlist

1K notes · View notes

ghostmartyr · 4 years

Text

SnK 131 Thoughts

Eren what the fuck.

Like.

What in the actual fuck, my dude.

There are parts of this that make sense.

Then there are the parts that absolutely do not, and it’s all wrapped up in this chapter where, as previous chapter posts predicted, people are screaming and dying.

Since that’s pretty much the majority of the content, I guess we have the luxury of a short post that almost entirely focuses on Eren.

With added Annie and Armin. They can go at the start, I guess. They exist, they are cute if you’re into that, they’re also dumb and mopey if you’re into that, Paths make for a great radio, and just generally

WHAT THE FUCK, EREN.

Did I already talk about Rebellion? Is that a thing I did in these past few months? -checks- Damn it. Not that the well can’t be visited again, since it’s very obviously appropriate, but twice in two months starts to look like the laziness that is indeed threatening to take me.

-spins the wheel-

Okay then, let’s talk about Anakin Skywalker.

Cool dude. Rad kid. Born into slavery. Freed from slavery by a dude with magical plot magic who immediately dies. Inherits dude’s desire for him to follow the leanings of the religious sect responsible for plot magic. Has hormones and has a meltdown over having hormones, and also feelings, and proceeds to protect everything he loves so hard that it burns to the ground while someone he eventually throws into a pit laughs maniacally in the background.

It’s mainly that last part that is arguably relevant to today.

Anakin is terrified of losing his wife in childbirth. Instead of contacting a doctor, he decides that it’s best to rely on himself. Plus shady mentor. His fear turns into a longing for a power to destroy that fear, and the combination drives him to the Dark Side. When he starts demolishing the very things he wanted to protect, he digs in deeper. For twenty years, he kills, and kills, and kills, because he can’t admit he was wrong.

(Clone Wars is a good show, if anyone is interested. It fleshes the emotional weight of the script out, and makes the horror and tragedy stab you in the heart.)

I can’t say that I entirely hate this for Eren. I don’t particularly like how it’s been presented, but that might just be the part of me that looks at the “GENOCIDE IS THE ONLY OPTION” button lit up on his forehead and finds it so fundamentally disagreeable that I haven’t been looking at it even when the plot tells me that’s what it is.

Here’s the thing: Genocide is presented as a feasible course of action all throughout this series. From Zeke, from Marley, from Paradis; whoever’s pitch you want to listen to, a conclusion everyone always comes to is that it would be easier if all of these people causing problems would just die.

They can make that happen. They have the technology.

Marley is a cesspit. The moral cost means nothing to them.

Zeke is abused, traumatized, and molded into thinking death is a mercy.

Floch survives, and teaches himself that the evil he lives through needs to be repaid in full.

Kill, kill, kill. If something stands in your way, murder it.

This is a concept of horror to the characters who are establishing the moral center of the tale. They’ve killed people. They’ve fought to the death against people who would gladly see them die. The titans are their victimized kin, and all they can do for the greater good is put them down.

They’re tiny humans trapped in a cage, and they’re just trying to get out. Whenever they try, their jailers try to eat them. That is forever what Paradis is attempting, and whenever they do try to lessen the amount of violence in their tactics, they get fucked over by the plot. As much as the story can, it’s thrown the main Paradis cast into the light of being innocent victims who are just trying to defend themselves.

The whole series is a study in the damage genocide has caused.

Nothing excuses it.

There is no motive that justifies this scale of premeditated violence.

There is the fear that one day the people who belong to you will be victims, and the only way to stop them from being victims is to make victims of everyone else. Kill or be killed.

In self-defense.

Defending from an attack that might never come.

Genocide is not an option that has ever deserved a seat at the table.

Why don’t we just kill everyone off?

Why not erase everyone’s memories of it?

Why not continue to use this power to herd everyone into our vision of what the world should be like?

Why not say that we deserve life so much more than any other living creature on the planet?

The entire story tells us why.

From the very first chapter, we’re exposed to the violence and terror of an uncaring world devouring anyone unfortunate enough to be on the outskirts of what supposedly greater people have decided is most important. Eren’s entire home is destroyed because some children kick down a wall. The people in the core of those same walls are disturbed, but send out their lesser to be fed to the monsters so that they can continue living.

Karl Fritz locks everyone away on an island and tells them the world has ended.

Anyone who is too curious, or too interested in beginning a new world, is killed. They’re robbed of their memories or their life. The remaining Ackermans are alive because they were too far away from the true history of the world to actually know anything.

Marley, the whipping boy of the Eldian Empire, finds its escape through Karl’s mercy, and immediately mimics the way of life that has caused them so much pain. Titans continue to run rampant in the world, simply with different reins. They redefine what’s acceptable based on who’s pulling the trigger.

Every single major plot point comes back to the ruin that perpetrating genocide has conceived.

Nothing is fixed by saving Marley from Eldia. Marley chooses to renew the evil.

Nothing is fixed by Karl walking away from the world. He just picks on smaller targets.

Nothing is fixed by pretending this is a solution.

The series’ history is a cycle of people grabbing power and tormenting their enemies with it. It shows no sign of stopping. It takes Paradis a hundred years, but they go from a blank slate of a starting point to producing someone ready to destroy the world.

Nothing suggests that another hundred years won’t do the same.

We have seen this all before. The only difference is that Eren is trying to commit to a large enough scale that no one alive will have the kind of grudges that will produce this fuckery.

It is vile.

This is not a defensible course of action. Some things are simply wrong, and even without morality coming into play, we’ve spent years reading an object lesson in the consequences of this behavior.

This horror is where Eren comes from.

Eren is not special.

He is a normal human born into this world.

His actions are ones that any other person could duplicate.

Not easily, and not without a great deal of coincidence, but nothing about Eren makes this a choice that only he can make. His power is borrowed, and no matter how he dies, that death means there will be a next person in line.

He isn’t ending a fucking thing. He’s become a cog in the machine that broke him.

So that’s the starting point. Even if killing younglings did have a logical undercurrent, no. No, no, a million times no. Eren chooses this. Eren causes this. Eren picks genocide without anyone putting a gun to his head. Eren picks genocide when he has access to a power that could easily discourage anyone from attacking his home for years.

He chooses to murder people.

Because he’s afraid, and because he can.

Then we get to what I find infinitely more interesting:

Eren doesn’t want this.

In the present day, we have an Eren who no longer has a body, and what amounts to a hallucination of his younger self, dreaming of a world hidden away in a book. His physical self has its eyes closed, and his younger self looks more alive than Eren has in ages. He isn’t looking at the damage he causes, just the open sky.

In the past, we have Eren bawling apologies to a boy he meets once. We have an Eren who realizes that this world is one that has let him down, and that, completely outside protecting his home, is what makes him want it gone.

This doesn’t just happen.

Eren wants it to happen.

Eren looks at this world that wants him and everyone like him dead, and he wants it to be like the book. No mention of other people -- other people aren’t in the outside world anymore. Just beautiful scenery, and the freedom to enjoy it.

He can’t have that, and it hurts. He’s been through Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt. He’s lost friends and seen even more people die protecting him. He’s lost limbs and sleep and sanity to see a world beyond the walls.

It’s a world that wants nothing to do with him.

And Eren, who has rejected that line of thinking since he was a child, rejects the entire world.

He can’t dress it up.

Deep down, he doesn’t like the world he’s going to destroy.

He’s known for four years that he’s going to end countless lives.

He walks off Paradis’ ship knowing that.

But when he sees this world, he does want it gone.

Knowing what he’s going to do is one thing; seeing the beginning of a reason for it is what drives him to his knees. It isn’t some strange inevitability of the future. He’s the one who does this, and behind every bit of love for his friends and Paradis, there’s the knowledge that this world, where so many people live lives just like his, is one he’d liked better in a dream where none of them existed.

And that is where the plot thread loses me.

Not because any of this is something that I find particularly outlandish. There’s a plain, hysterical logic to it, and a small fraction of identifying with that logic has Eren in tears.

Eren does this.

There is no evidence of him wanting it.

He sees the shadow of want in himself, and he freaks out.

Eren of the present is dissociating so hard I don’t view his childhood hallucinations as a stable mind choosing something.

Eren of the past is continually horrified that this is going to happen.

If I had a tablet, this is where there would be a bad drawing of present Eren and past Eren, linked by an unstable line of red question marks.

I don’t have a tablet.

I do have Paint.

In the immortal words of an angry fictional nine-year-old, “If you don’t fight, we can’t win.”

In the immortal words of a very sad fictional nineteen-year-old, “I don’t know when in the future it will happen... But I... am going to kill every one of these people...”

Eren going full villain is a choice, I guess. It’s not a very interesting one. As previously stated, we know what happens in this world when people do a genocide. We also know what happens when the walls go marching. We are now watching a genocide as the walls go marching. There are no revelations here. There’s death and gloom.

I mean this as sincerely as I can: This, on its face, is boring.

Eren is just the latest person killing people for Reasons.

There is very little reason to be invested in that as a plot. As a character drama, there are tears to be shed and hearts to be torn asunder, but as a basic plot??? This has nothing in it.

I don’t personally believe we’ve come this far for nothing, so I apply my magnifying glass where I choose, and where I choose is the part where I believe this all slips:

Eren takes his visions as an inevitability.

He has the conversation with himself, counting out the lives. Paradis versus the world. In a simple game of numbers, the world should win, and he knows that.

Presenting our problem.

Eren can’t accept a future where Paradis, and Eldians, are sacrificed for the world. Paradis is his home, and he’s spent his life fighting for Eldians to be free, even if he doesn’t know them by that name for most of it. In the case of Paradis v World, Paradis wins out. It’s wrong and it’s terrible, and Zeke’s plan means less dead bodies, but he can’t let go of Paradis.

A binary is presented. Paradis can live, or the rest of the world can. Pick one.

Except that’s stupid.

Following this, Eren leans so far into that choice that he does what he can to manufacture an impossibility of any other results. He makes Paradis a priority. He makes Paradis an international concern, not simply a Marley one. He has the power to knock back any assault on the island they can make, but he still goes on offense.

Paradis dies

World dies

That is not the choice. It is the choice Eren locks himself into, but frankly, he doesn’t even try before he jumps at the genocide route.

As a story thing, whatever. Valid, I guess. Let the protagonist’s own misconceptions break him.

As an Eren thing, it falls short of working.

He’s clearly being torn apart by what he’s going to do.

He’s a protagonist who enters the story yelling about people never winning if they don’t enter the ring.

Eren sees a vision of him destroying the world, thinks on it, and effectively goes, “seems legit,” and cries himself to sleep feeling sad about it.

Eren.

You can have your characters fail. You can have them drop their principles one by one until there’s nothing left. You can have their character development be entirely negative. You do not have to have your hero be a Hero.

Eren is appalled by his own feelings, and walking around the world like a zombie. He sees himself ending the world, and plays it back over and over again, never questioning that this is exactly what he’s going to do.

But when he finally starts, there’s not even a trace of this conflict. His eyes light up at the amazing sight he believes is waiting for him. He spits his defiance at Zeke for even suggesting the sterilization plan. He’s still a zombie in every human interaction that happens with his flesh body, but he goes about his plan with an unconcerned ruthlessness that is disconnected from the humanity Eren has spent the whole story personifying.

Arguably, Sasha dying is the tipping point, and that’s where he fully commits, and blah blah blah stuff.

Only defiance, and not bending to anyone else’s will, is the key trait of the Attack Titan. It’s the key trait of Eren. To keep fighting well beyond sense.

This plan’s inception comes from Eren yielding to the inevitable.

He’s going to kill these people.

There is no choice to it, it’s simply what’s going to happen.

Eren has always had a choice. He might not like the options, or know what’s right, but he has always, always known that the decisions he makes are his.

The story is making the case that Eren buys into inevitability so completely that he denies himself freedom.

That isn’t uninteresting, but we don’t see that. We don’t see what convinces Eren that it’s no use fighting. He chooses to save a boy, and his memories of the boy don’t change. Big deal. That’s one kid in four years of choices. As a proof of concept, it’s weak, and it’s weaker still because Eren makes the choice to save him.

None of this was inevitable, but we approach Eren’s actions from the perspective of there being no way out. Maybe if we had even more flashbacks to him trying to change things, and a play-by-play of him slowly realizing that nothing he does changes what he sees --

But even then, if Eren doesn’t want to kill people, he’s allowed not to. He’s allowed to continue working with his friends. He could have told any of them, at any point, that this was an upcoming problem. He’s always trusted Armin’s mind.

Eren hides himself away with his problems and tells himself he can’t fight this.

Bullshit.

I’ve made this argument before, about Historia and Ymir:

If you’re going to have a character renege on a core of their personal identity so completely, you need to put in the legwork of showing how it happens. Otherwise there’s no reason to trust anything the story tells you, and the grand illusion falls to pieces.

The character work in this series has always been solid, even when everything down to the art hasn’t.

This doesn’t quite work.

There’s a compelling case. There’s a viewable logic that pretends to be believable.

The internal consistency is still off. Something’s wrong here, and if it turns out to be the character ball being dropped in the final inning... really, that’s just such a waste. Personal preference colors all of this, obviously, but if this is the whole truth of the matter, it’s boring.

“I still want to believe... that there’s still a world we don’t know about yet out there... past the walls.”

C’mon, Armin. Earn your fandom hatred. Be right one more time.

We’re not done yet.

#Shingeki no Kyojin #SnK 131 #Eren Yeager #shingeki no spoilers #SnK spoilers #spoilers #tl;dr #chapter post

173 notes · View notes

seros-tonin · 4 years

Text

Protecting You, Mi Amor

Summary: Growing up in the mafia was so different from living the mafia. Fighting and fending for your own, never really being able to trust others. You get a tip that your closest body guard has a hit set on you. What happens when you try to catch him in the act?

Rating: MA, mature themes, violence, weapons, language. MAJOR yandere themes ahead...good luck aha

Genre: Non-quirk au, mafia ring au

**credits to original owner of pic...i couldn’t find it :(**

Growing up in the mafia gave you just the tiniest of taste as to what it took to fight for yourself. You never really had to worry about protection, new unknown areas, constantly having to keep an eye out for random hits. It was always taken care of for you. Your parents running the most successful mafia ring in the eastern part of Japan, especially the Musutafu region. All of the elites in Tokyo knew of your parents, and the sheer power that they possessed.

Of course you never saw the gruesome side of it. Your parents did a good job of keeping you, and all of the other kids of mafia members safe. You grew up with all of the sons who were the children of those working close with your parents. Those four boys spent almost all of the childhood with you. Often times the five of you wreaking havoc all along the mansion that you resided in. Bodyguards begging you all to calm down, seeing as they didn’t want to face the consequences of your father...again...

“Bakugou! Not fair!” you wailed as he stole the only toy that you were able to grab from the hoard of the other four boys. Being the youngest had its own hardship at times.

“No worries Y/N, I got you.” Sero softly said, flashing a small smile towards you as he took off after Bakugou.

“You’re not the only one who can help Y/N!” Kaminari yelled following Sero’s footsteps.

You sat trying not to cry over something so trivial, as Kiri sat down next to you on the carpet. You smiled at him as he wiped away the single tear that was left on your pink cheek. Before you had time to properly thank him, Sero and Denki came running up to the two of you.

“Here you go Mi Amor!” Sero triumphed with his huge grin, handing over to toy back to you.

“You can’t take all of the credit! I was the one who jumped on his back for you.” Kaminari protested, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff.

“Whatever losers! I let you have it to give back to Y/N, I was done with it anyway.” Bakugou exclaimed, coming over to you in the process to make sure you weren’t still crying.

Thinking back on the childhood memory made you smile a bit. You let out a long, exasperated sigh as you pushed the files in front of you further on to the table. Ever since your parents branched out their ring to the western parts of Japan, they trusted you with upholding their reputation over in the Tokyo prefecture. As soon as you turned 19 you were put in charge of the family ring. Your parents offered a good handful of their security, scouts, and more to help you get started on your own. A very sweet gesture from them...but you already knew who your four mains were going to be. The same four who had been your personal body guards your whole life. Your four best friends.

A smile couldn’t help but makes it way to your lips as you remembered the look on all four boys faces as you asked them to come work for and protect you. Kiri and Kami were gobsmacked, jaws agape as they happily obliged. Bakugou acted as if it was no big deal, but the small smile evident, as you knew that was his promise to protect you. Sero’s reaction surprised you the most. While he happily obliged, his comment still stuck with you as the past couple years went by.

“I will protect you, even if it ends me.”

While at the time, it was endearing, the smirk he adorned with it differed from his normal one. His eyes didn’t sparkle as bright as they normally would. Something about it stuck with you, even to this very moment. A sharp knock on the office door is what brought you back to the reality in front of you. You heard the door creak as you looked over your shoulder and saw Kirishima slowly walking in.

“C’mon boss, get some rest. We can all work on this case tomorrow morning.” he offered.

“How in the world am I supposed to relax enough to sleep when someone is obviously tracking and watching my every move?” you questioned him, reaching across the table to slide the files to you again.

Kirishima put his hand over yours to stop the momentum. “Do you want to hear my opinion?” he asked sternly.

“Of course Kiri.” you reassured as he sat down next to you.

“It’s someone in your circle.” he said bluntly, causing a sharp laugh to leave your lips.

“What makes you say that, eh?”

“Think about it, Y/N! You have security around the whole perimeter. Down the next two blocks. The cameras on the outside of the mansion didn’t pick up anything or anyone...isn’t that just a little bit suspicious?”

“I’m sure if they want me dead that bad they saw how to avoid all the cameras.” you argued in response.

“If that’s what you want to believe then go ahead. But who else would know your room layout good enough to get seven cameras in there in an hour? Only someone who was familiar with it.”

“You have a good point, I suppose. But who? I’ve created such a tight knit ring for myself...” you trailed off.

“Who is the easiest to trust? I know it, you know it. He knew that he would get away with it because he would never be suspected.” Kiri offered.

“Absolutely not, there is no way in hell. Kirishima, do you even hear yourself?” Anger took over for a split moment at the sound of Kirishima accusing Sero, your best friend, of being the culprit.

“Listen Y/N, we all made a pact to protect you. And me, Kami, and Katsu are worried. We have seen the way he looks at you, he is possessive. Like beyond just a best friend or a bodyguard. Any time any of the three of us say anything about your appearance it’s like the poor boy blows a gasket or something. Almost freaky in a way.” Kiri’s voice trailed off on the last sentence.

“Like you said Kiri, you all made a pact to protect me. Sero just has a different way of showing it. Now if you will excuse me, I’m leaving to head to the training center. Have to work on the self defense you all insisted I improve.” You shoved your chair out from under you, not even looking back to see the red head’s reaction.

You were seething. Sure, all four boys worked hard to protect you, but it was obvious to you that Sero worked the hardest. How unbelievably bold of Kirishima to just throw Sero under the bus like that. You were seething at this point. Just ready to take your frustration out on some combat training. As you pushed the office door open all the way you were met with Denki’s bombarding voice.

“Soooo? Did she believe you?!” the blonde’s face fell as he saw you snap your head towards him.

“No. She didn’t. Because it is absolutely juvenile that the three of you would even suspect that. Now where is he?” you asked through gritted teeth.

“No idea. And I’m sure its for the best Y/N. Let me and Kiri take you to the center to help you trai-” you cut Bakugou off with a hand over his mouth, the other reaching for the pistol located on your hip.

“Don’t make me give you a warning shot. I’m going with Sero, and Sero only.” you let go of Bakugou’s jaw and you made your way down the hall.

A short phone call telling Sero to meet you with the car out front was all it took to leave the other three in utter disbelief as you made your way out the front door.

“You need to put the majority of the force in your hips and legs. That way you can’t be knocked off your feet.” Sero opted as he made the move to ambush your legs.

“I don’t see the need for this anymore. I know the basics. I never go anywhere without at least one of you plus my gun. Whoever was in my room hasn’t come back.” you whined, exhausted from keeping up with your athletic counterpart.

“They’re probably just keeping cool for now. It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry Y/N, you of all people should know that.” Sero snickered as he remarked his last comment, sending a shiver down your spine. “All it takes is one time. One time and you’re done for.” he whispered in your ear as he tackled you to the ground.

You burst into laughter as he held on to you. “It’s different with you Hanta, of course I’m going to have my guard down around you.”

Sero stopped his frantic movement and just held you still at the sound of his first name. “You never really know who you can and can’t trust though Y/N.” he said almost too softly for you to hear.

“Who do you think did it then?” you offered.

“I know exactly who it was.” he retorted, hoisting himself up onto his palms and looking down at you on the ground. His eyes held an unknown demeanor.

“You, wait...what?” you asked in disbelief.

“I don’t blame him either. The way you look at Bakugou and Kiri half the time...like you’re begging them to give into temptation.” Sero moved his face slowly closer and closer to yours, creating mere inches between the two of you. “It’s amazing that they have held out this long to be honest.”

“Sero, umph, please let me get up. We can talk about this normally.” you pleaded, trying your best to break his grip on your wrists. The atmosphere he was creating was alarmingly unsettling at this point.

“Hmmm, any other person who was trying to get to you surely wouldn’t just let you go. And I really liked you using my first name, you should do it more often.” he chuckled at his own comment, making the grip on your wrists even tighter.

“Fine then, Hanta, let me go and we can talk about this rationally.” you almost missed the way his whole body seemed to get lighter at the use of his first name. In a split’s second decision, you used his loss of weight on you to roll your hips over, causing him to fall to the side. You rushed to your feet, running backwards in means to keep and eye on Sero the whole time.

Just as quickly as he was taken down, he was back on his feet and sauntering over to you. His normal bright grin was plastered with an almost evil grin. He chuckled softly to himself as he muttered a small ‘what am I going to do with you?’, all while keeping a slow pace towards you.

“Sero, what the fuck is your problem? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?” you pleaded, the pain and fear a little bit more evident in your tone.

“You were always so innocently naive. It’s super cute in all honesty. The way you act like you don’t dress a certain way when you know Bakugou is going to be escorting you, or the way you play along with Kaminari’s gross flirting, making him believe he would get a chance. Makes me sick to be honest.”

Cue light bulb in your head.

“Why did you do it? You promised me you would protect me, even if it ends you!” the tears were involuntary at this point, pure betrayal and panic taking pursuit.

“You really don’t get it, huh? I’m protecting you from those three dogs Y/N! They look at you with such indulgence sometimes it makes me sick! How they can get away with it. Making you believe they wouldn’t drop what they were doing to pounce on you at any given moment! It’s not fair!” Sero was screaming at this point, flailing his arms while progressively walking faster towards you.

Your back hit the wall and you sank to the floor, seeing his towering frame come over you in the dim lighting. Then you noticed it, the blade you had gotten him as a Christmas gift two years prior.

“Mi amor~ you really just don’t understand how much of myself I am willing to give for you, huh?” Sero raised the blade up in front of both of your guys’ faces, twirling it back and foward. Taunting you it seemed, with the way he let the light bounce off of it. The nickname that once made you feel warm and safe held so much piercing weight with it now.

“If I can’t have you all to me, all for me to protect, might as well make it so no one else can.” he whispered as he moved himself closer to you. Using his own legs to straddle yours down to the floor, he used his free hand to wrangle your wrists once again. You watched with pure horror as he brought the knife closer to your neck. He traced your collarbone, ever so gently, all the way up to your neck. As you felt small chillbumps form from the cold blade you heard Sero break out into laughter.

“Hmmm, cariña, your skin is so pretty. All for me.” he traced the blade further up the base of your neck, moving more towards the jugular.

“Hanta, please stop. You aren’t supposed to do this.” you rasped out, tears flowing freely now.

“Mira...suavemente,” he gasped out, slowly putting more and more pressure against the blade.

“Sero...pl-please, stop,” you could barely speak. The fear of talking too loud causing the blade to end your sentence for good.

Before any more pleas could leave your throat, you heard the door to the center open swiftly. You didn’t dare look over to see who it was, instead the hollers gave it away.

“What the fuck are you doing to her soy sauce?! Have you lost your damn mind!” Bakugou screamed as he ran in, Kiri and Kami following in toe.

As Bakugou blind sighted Sero and him and Kiri pulled him off of you, Denki raced in front of you.

“Y/N! Please tell me your okay!” Denki pleaded, rushing you into his chest, wrapping his arms around your frigid frame.

Before any answer could leave your lungs, you saw black. The actions of training on nothing in your body, the fear, the panic, the utter shock of everything catching up with you. As you wished to tell Kaminari that you were okay now that the three of them were there, you simply couldn’t. You felt yourself fall into an unconscious state as Sero scream was the last thing you could make out.

#sero hanta #bnha #my hero fanfic #sero x you #sero x reader

83 notes · View notes

power-of-plot · 3 years

Text

Armin Arlet x Fem! Reader. Oneshot. -Strong-

The first paragraph is purely a small introduction, just in case you wanna go straight to the fic :)

First of all, thanks for reading this! So! i often considered posting but i'm insecure, today i somehow got the confidence and courage to post -definitely not due to watching anime motivational speeches-. I wanted my first post to be something special so i dived deep down into my thoughts for a couple hours, i'm pretty happy with my choice so hope you enjoy it! My apologies if this sucks.

WARNINGS: Some sadness ig? -Armin being a pure soul. Fluff

Summary: Armin suddenly gets an injury during ODM gear training. After Reiner and his protective nature lend a helping hand, you see beyond the walls of his stoicism, people around him made his lack of strenght clear as day and he seemed to accept it but you never wondered if that caused him any pain at all. He needs to know everything has more than one meaning including what is called strenght, you gladly stay by his side to remind him different doesn't mean wrong.

Year 848 three years after the Colossal titan's misterious appearance, in Paradis Island Keith Shadis trained and yelled his lungs out at what soon would be the 104th Cadet Corps. Like any other day, the young cadets rutinarily trained to master the ODM gear, it all would have been the same as other sessions if it wasn't for Armin Arlet, your close and femenine looking friend who in a reckless (and failed-) attempt of proving himself strong to his group discretly tried performing a complex manouver resulting in him crashing into a tree. The few people ahead of him who stopped momentantarily to admire the manouever slowly resumed their way to the target they've had been assigned, just after a couple minutes of trying to walk bearing the pain the silhouette of someone along with the sound of gas and wires pulling something was getting closer by the second at the injured male. "Who's t-.. oh no.." Being around that person for so long made his oceanic eyes know who that brawny body and short blond hair belonged to inmediately, his deep voice shouting erased all the doubt. "Armin!" Reiner said rushing towards him as soon as his feet touched the the grass. As he looked for injuries, finding a twisted ankle, scrapes and bruises; Armin confirmed his suspicions: Reiner had dropped on what he was doing again just to help a single person. Right when he thought the guilt couldn't turn bigger he heard another familiar voice, this one belonged to a female. "Reiner! I saw you going back, what happened? Wait- Armin?!" Your voice turned alarmed after your (e/c) eyes catched a glimpse of your friend's characteristic golden hair, as if that would magically heal his injuries you rocketed towards your comrades at full speed. The crash- landing was rather ungraceful but it was merely trivial compared to an injured friend "(Y/N) are you-" Reiner held out his arms as he walked towards you but you ran past him leaving him standing alone with his arms opened like a rejected boy "Armin!!" You crouched down to him as it seemed he couldn't stand up, worrying you even more "...Hey (Y/N)... what are you..." His glance went lower as the guilt and shame's hand pushed his head down "What do you mean what am i doing? I noticed Reiner was going back from the front and i couldn't find you!- Hey what's wrong?" You asked after noticing a hint of sadness in his eyes, tilting your head and resting your forearms on your knees "Nothing, i must have hit my head that's all.." -because i dared prove something even myself knew full well- He replied blunty, making an adition mentally. His analytic mind was acting as a double ended weapon, either overnalyzing each and every one of his flaws or making the weight his frail shoulders were already carrying heavier. "Armin get on" Reiner said kneeling down turning his back to Armin so he could get on "Hm? It's not necessary, i-i'll just take my time to- ah!" Without further asking the muscular soldier turned around scooping your friend up from the ground into his arms bridal style, his eyes fixed on the grass and his lips released a soft sigh as embarrasment was displayed on his face. In other situation you'd have joked about how he looked cute being held like a baby but a hunch plus his face kept you completely from doing so. "You want to recover fast, don't you?" Reiner asked preparing his equipment to propulse himself again "Y-yeah but why.." "You'll only worsen your condition if you try walking, bear with it just for a while. Besides, what kind of soldier would i be if i left a friend behind knowing i can help him?" His hazel eyes noticed you were about to say something so he remained still to let you get close "It's okay don't be so hard on yourself i just crashed on the ground a moment ago, how did you call it the other day..? You didn't make a mistake, it was a happy accident! (Armin is Bob Ross.) How did you even find out about that manouever anyway?" "I've been analyzing the instructor's movements for a while now..." You deduced Reiner would take him to the infirmary wich he confirmed with a nod after you asked and so, it didn't take a single second for you to decide you'd go with them. The three of you flew and swung across the forest though it seemed like it only was you and Reiner, Armin was so quiet for a moment you even thought he was asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"..Thank you very much Reiner" The blond thanked him now lying on his bunk, his ankle was bandaged up and his minor injuries were treateed "No problem, don't do anything until you're sure it won't hurt you got it?" "Don't worry Reiner i'll keep an eye on him 'till he's good as new!" You said cheerfuly with a smile as you sat by Armin's side, not caring a bit you were of the few girls in there. Once Reiner walked to his own bunk with Bertholdt you turned to Armin with a curious look "So what're you thinking about, you've been very quiet so it must be serious. Any new interesting thing about the outside world?" "Not really." His response was blunt again, something was definitely on his mind otherwise you couldn't explain why he wasn't as talkative as always. As he quietly stared at the matress above him you tried figuring out what could be bothering the boy since it was a lost cause trying to make him say it, you learnt this after countless tries, thankfully you could always ask for some help with Mikasa; her skills at everything including reading people were so good it was almost frightening. She wasn't there at the time and you couldn't rely on the others forever, a small leap of faith wouldn't do any harm, would it? There was only one thing you could think of. "Armin you are not weak." Your (e/c) eyes looked straight into his blue ones, silence reigned between you two before he hummed softly as if trying to deny "Why so?" It was as you suspected, he was blaming himself for making a simple mistake (-rolling girl vibes- sorry xd). You sighed resting your back on the headboard as your hand gently grabbed his forearm "You know it's not a bad thing to make mistakes, it's an everyday thing" "If we do become actual soldiers we'll risk our and the other's lifes everyday. This training is hard to make us strong, to make sure we don't make a single mistake that could lead to a tragedy" "You are not weak Armin." Your voice reasured in a firmer but gentle tone, he believed in what he had proof of, you would give him the proof he needed. Before he had the chance to turn on his side your hand grabbed his shoulder, making you two lock glances again, for your surprise small tears were forming on the corner of his eyes "I'm sorry.." "D-don't apologize it's okay! Come on let me help you what are you..?" He sat up shaking his head refusing to let a word out even when the tears slipped down his cheeks, it was painful to see Armin weep yet not ask for help, you've had been told he was like this since his childhood but it still was hard to believe and who knows if his overthinking made dealing with things on his own easier, he wouldn't try comforting himself. You sighed placing your hand on his shoulder and moving your thumb caressing the skin beneath his clothes, small muffled sobs could be heard coming from him "After that day on Shinganshina.. hundreds of people were sent there as if they were able to fight the titans, they didn't care if they were kids or elders- my grandfather went in my place, i know it wouldn't have made much of a difference but" He made a pause to try making his breathing go back to normal and hold back his tears, leaving just a small trace under his eyes "But he raised me, he gave me a name.. and i simply let him go straight to his death- i didn't make any effort to tell him i would go because i was scared.." You had to lean closer to listen clearly to what he was saying since he didn't want to drag anyone's attention besides yours "Sometimes i wonder what kind of things must have he felt when he realised he'd die alone..? I want to become a soldier to keep that from happening again, even though i'm just one it'd make a difference if only i.. wasn't such a weak coward" As he spoke you could almost feel the weight of his guilt resting on your shoulders for a moment, had he always been hiding in a shell? Ever since he was a child? A tear sprouted from the corner of your eye imagining how many times he suffered silently. You put your finger to your lower lip as you analyzed what your next move should be, after all it was Armin you were talking about, not all words would have effect on him "Strenght... physical strenght is not the only important thing, YES it is important in a soldier but the mind also matters! I can't lie, you get scared easily but so do i!. What about the snake from the other day? Someone had to remove it from your leg after you paralyzed but you were brave enough to not kick or scream in panic" Let's accept it you sucked at motivational speeches, your attempts usuallly ended up making him chuckle but it was some progress taking in mind you had no idea how to comfort him at the beggining. This time was no exception, he grew a tender smile but it faded away in matter of seconds "Come on Armin, you may be a little slim but what you don't have here-" Your hands abruptly dropped on his arms specifying you refered to muscles, then, your middle finger poked his forehead making him flinch "You have it here" "..What was that f-" He was cut off by your finger presisng against his lips "Shush- you are smart, incredibly smart you just have to see it! We all fall on our butts and feel scared of small things sometimes but that is what makes us humans, if we didn't feel fear or anything at all we'd be just like the titans!" You felt impressed of your own words, the look on his face made it clear he echoed the feeling. You wathed him move with his hands towards you before pulling you into one of the warmest hugs you've ever experienced; he held you so close and tightly you could feel his heart beating against you. "Thank you." His head rested on the crook of your neck, the gold strings of his beatiful hair falling over his face and tickling your nape slightly. You corresponded the gesture by eveloping him into your arms, slowly moving your palm up and down on his back "No problem....... Christa-"

Oof! That was long, congratulations if you read the whole thing!

#attack on titan #armin x reader #aot fanfiction #armin arlet x reader #armin arlert

25 notes · View notes

yixxes · 4 years

Text

Fast Car | p.p.

Warnings: Hints of alcohol abuse, promiscuity, broken household, angst kinda, swear words

Word count: 1752

Summary: You want to escape and Tom has a fast car, but things don’t always go according to plan.

“Leaving?”

You were never one to disrespect your mother or speak out of turn, but you were more than willing to fight her on this one. She was rushing down the hall as fast as she could in those loud, expensive red heels with you hot on her trail.

“What do you mean you’re leaving, where are you gonna go?”

The two of you stopped at the front door while she grabbed up her scarf and her coat. The look on her face threatened to break you down right then and there. She didn’t even look sad or remorseful, she just looked like she really waned to dart out the front door but was approaching her departure slowly as if delayed action would spare your feelings or make any of this hurt any less.

You racked your brain in a hurry, trying your best to figure out what the right thing to say was, but deep down, you already knew that your fight was lost. She hadn’t shown any signs of being interested in the small family that she had in months. She didn’t love your father anymore and she made that clear in the way that she fooled around with other men and didn’t even try to hide it, and you, she only paid attention to on the days where you’d talk her ear off until she felt she had no choice but to respond. Talking to her these days was the equivalence of talking to a bizarre friendly stranger.

“Oh, sweetheart,” her voice was eerily sweet as if explaining to you that she was walking out on you and your father was no big deal. “I know this is so out of the blue, but.. sometimes in life, you have to choose your own happiness, you have to put yourself first and decide not to worry about the people that try to hold you back.”

Ouch. You didn’t know if that number was directed towards you or your father. Or both.

“I don’t know where I’m going just yet, but I’ll call when I get there. I’m not gonna stop checking in on you, it’ll almost be like I never left.”

You shook your head, shoulders slumped and tears already welling up in your eyes. Maybe if you visibly showed her how much she was hurting you, she’d stay. Something inside of her would click and she’d apologize for being an unfaithful wife and an absent mother and she’d work really hard to make things right.

“Please don’t leave.”

Except this was reality and your mom didn’t care about anyone other than herself. She wasn’t sorry for anything and you couldn’t prompt feelings out of someone that didn’t have them.

Your mother smiled something that almost resembled regret. “I love you, sweetheart.” Almost.

“I really don’t wanna talk about it, okay?”

Not talking about the thing that weighed heavily on your mind only to have someone bring it up or ask if you were okay was actually the worst thing. Tom had good intentions, you knew, but this was your second time telling him to leave you be and he just wasn’t accepting that as an answer, but hey, that was the Tom Holland way.

Thomas Holland, your best friend since childhood. He knew you like the back of his hand and while things were damaged beyond repair at the moment on the home front, he always made your life so much better.

The two of you came from opposite sides of the tracks, but he never seemed to let the wealth of his family ruin his personality in the slightest. He stayed true to himself like a pro and really seemed rather put off by his lifestyle. You never understood it, but you never questioned him either. Much like your household, there were probably things about his that you just didn’t understand.

You did know, though, that something must’ve been really bad for him to climb aboard your wild fantasies of running away. When he started telling you that he would go with you, whenever and wherever you decided to go, the fantasies converted into real plans. You didn’t understand his desire to leave what he had and you didn’t think you ever would.

Tom picked you up for work in the morning in his brand new car; A gift from his parents for no particular occasion at all. If you understood correctly, he’d spent two short weeks in his parents’ ear about it and they bought it for him just yesterday. He was now the proud owner of the 1974 Pontiac Firebird, Buccaneer Red and it ran like a top.

You didn’t have time to express your excitement before he got to badgering you about what was wrong. He knew right when he saw you that something wasn’t right (you had spent the rest of the night crying and looking after your father after all) and he wanted to help but you didn’t want his help. There wasn’t anything that he could do.

“Okay, fine,” was what he said, but you knew that you’d be shrugging him off about it again later.

Tom moved the conversation on to talking about running away, casual yet relevant seeing that it’d be a lot easier to get away in a car rather than on foot. With all that had happened last night, running away was far down on the list of things that were on your mind and it’d more than likely stay that way for a long time. Your mom didn’t just leave you last night, she also left your father who hadn’t stopped acting like a blubbering, depressed drunk since your mom’s behavior began to change earlier in the year. He had a problem and while it wasn’t directly resulting in anything physical or abusive, you couldn’t just leave him alone. He needed to get help and you seriously doubted that he’d be doing that alone.

“What do you mean?” You were sitting in the car with him in front of the diner, watching him progressively get more frustrated at how aloof and disconnected you seemed about the entire thing. You weren’t giving him the responses he wanted and you weren’t even presenting a valid reason as to why not. “It’s a great time, I’ve got the car, I’ll get us some cash, we can-”

“Jesus, Tom, no, okay? Why can’t you just take no for an answer for once?”

There was so much room to be way nicer but the family crisis plus your two whole hours of sleep that you got did not equal patience and smiles. A sharp, annoyed breath passed your lips and you grabbed your bag, opening the passenger side door and sliding out quickly.

“Thanks for the ride.” You grumbled, pushing the door closed and turning to start towards the front door of the diner.

You heard him say ‘no’ behind you followed by the sound of his door closing and you whirled around, willing yourself to think over your next few words carefully. You could be really hostile under these circumstances.

“This doesn’t make any sense, getting out of this town is all that you ever talk about and now I find a way to make it happen and you completely turn me down!”

“Tom, get back in the stupid car and go, I could not be more serious.”

“It’s not stupid, it’s cool, I thought you’d be happy for me!” Your words hurt him, but you were too far gone thinking about everything else to take it back.

“I am happy for you but I don’t need this right now, okay, I just wanna be alone!”

“Tell me what we’re missing, what are you so worried about, it’ll all work out if you let me-”

“No, Tom!” You practically shrieked. “It won’t work out, the stupid plan doesn’t need to work out, why do you even wanna leave!? Your life is something that other people could only dream of, you have everything, there isn’t anything wrong with your life, you’re just a poor little rich boy who wants to know struggle so bad that he creates fake problems that’ll validate some stupid runaway plan!”

There they were. The most hurtful words you’d ever say to your very best friend, painfully present and hanging in the air. The look on his face told you that it was much too late to take it back. The damage had already been done. Tom got back in his car and peeled off.

“Hi, Mrs. Holland, um, is Tom here, I- I really have to talk to him,” Your body was almost as tired as your mind was, your feet were hurting and all you wanted was to go home and crawl into bed but you couldn’t sleep tonight knowing that he was probably so angry with you and probably hurting because of you, too. You had to make things right, or you had to at least try.

“Oh, honey, right now isn’t a good time, he’s gone to bed early tonight, he’s still very upset.”

Your head fell in shame and you brought your hands together in front of you. “Yeah, I know, I’m..” you picked your head up to look her in the eyes. “It’s all my fault, but I was really hoping that I could-”

“Your fault?” She questioned with confusion evident in her voice. “Oh, no, honey, why would it be your fault? He’s been digging his heels in ever since we told him he’d be going to boarding school next year, says he doesn’t wanna go, but we really think that-”

“Boarding school?” you repeated warily. There was a lot going on in your life that was making your thoughts fuzzy but you definitely didn’t remember him saying anything to you about boarding school.

“Didn’t he tell you?” Her tone was patient yet cautious.

You shook your head numbly, hoping with everything in you that this boarding school was somewhere nearby.

“Sweetheart, Thomas was accepted to Western Reserve Academy.”

Your head was spinning so much thought you were going to fall out right there on their porch. “Western Reserve...” An involuntary gasp cut your sentence in two and you could feel your blood running cold. “Wh-where is Western Reserve Academy?”

She looked at you with sad eyes and you knew that her answer was gonna hit you like a ton of bricks. Nothing could’ve prepared you for what she was about to say.

“It’s in Ohio, up north in the US.”

#tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #tom holland imagine #tom holland one shot #tom holland #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #peter parker imagine #peter parker oneshot #peter parker #mcu imagine #mcu #avengers imagine #avengers

69 notes · View notes

dansantcaparet · 3 years

Photo

In 1997, it was obvious to me that Cloud loved Aerith more than Tifa.

Not until I went online all these years later did I discover (shockingly) that the American FFVII fanbase had been purposely misled by egotistical, pompous, self-righteous nerd boys (who now have egg on their face in-light of the Remake).

If you notice, Cloti’s have been working double-time since the Remake came out. Why is that? Well, it’s because the Remake is confirming what we have always known since the OG: despite technically being a love triangle, SE wanted most gamers to play their first playthrough the Clerith way. Aerith automatically starts off with more love points than Tifa, and the Clerith date is the “normally occurring” date.

Clerith is the “normally occurring” couple.

So why did Cloti’s decide to launch a campaign to delegitimize Clerith? And how did they do it?

When FFVII first came out in 1997, many western gamers didn’t understand Aerith. She was (literally) foreign to them. Japanese animation was still very niche back then.

Though the Japanese adored Aerith’s spunky personality & pink dress (and saw her as the obvious romantic interest for Cloud), many men in the United States thought her hair was “ugly,” and that her personality was “annoying.” Far too “anime” for their taste. They preferred Tifa — the loyal, more American looking childhood friend — the “girl-next-door.” Plus, her big boobs didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, since FFVII inherently revolves around a love triangle, there is an OPTION to play it the Tifa way.

However, as a kid in 1997, I never saw Tifa as a threat. I saw her as the secondary, optional way to play the game. The girl you would pick on your second playthrough.

When you consider...

Official Yoshitaka Amano artwork depicting Cloud x Aerith

Beginning love point totals (you have to make counterintuitive choices to catch Tifa up to Aerith’s automatic 1st place position)

The non-optional bodyguard agreement

The “normally” occurring CxA Gold Saucer date

Numerous flirtatious moments & obvious hints

Tifa’s constant jealousy

Promised Land scene non-optionally occurring *AFTER* the inherently variable Highwind scene

Frequent CxA cameos

Aerith being the first & last image we see in the entire game

…it is clear Tifa never held a candle to Aerith as the heroine, or as the primary love interest for Cloud.

To put it simply — Aerith was created first by SE. Tifa was created second. Aerith is the primary love interest. Tifa is the secondary love interest. Obvious common sense.

Unfortunately, fueled by their unyielding, irrational hatred of all things Aerith, they successfully sold the myth (for years) that Cloud x Tifa is the official canon couple of FFVII, thereby brainwashing the entire American fandom against Cloud x Aerith.

They reduced & twisted Cloud’s “undying” love for Aerith as “guilt.”

Saying that even though Cloud chooses to live in Aerith’s Church, has his heart broken every time he visits her grave, reconnects with her in Flower Fields (and cameos), and seeks to find her in the Promised Land, it is somehow all due to guilt over the death of a mere friend. Saying that anything romantic shown in the OG is all a result of Zack (ie: attempted delegitimization).

I guess the symbolism of Cloud’s continued love for Aerith, and all the nuances that entails, is too cultured & sophisticated for them to comprehend. Or maybe they are purposely not comprehending the obvious?

Thankfully, the Japanese understand what all of this means. So why don’t western fans?

The only logical conclusion is because of their deep, burning, irrational hatred of Aerith as a character. Always minimizing & downplaying her role as the first & true heroine & love interest to Cloud.

But now, with the Remake perfecting Aerith’s look & personality, and making it crystal clear that these are Cloud’s REAL feelings, and that Aerith wants to move FORWARD from Zack, you are now seeing a significant swing within the fandom towards Cloud x Aerith.

The myth has finally been exposed & debunked.

Due to this, Cloti’s are currently working double-time to try to convince us that their ship is a “slow-burn.”

Sadly, the other side has spent years using Crisis Core & Advent Children to their advantage by manipulating & brainwashing those new to the FFVII fanbase. Pretending as if Disc 1 of the OG never happened. Saying Crisis Core makes Zerith canon, and Advent Children makes Cloti canon. Simple & easy for the masses to understand, right?

So how, exactly, did they convince millions to believe their great myth?

1. Cloud & Aerith only liked each other because of Zack. Response:

The relationship between Zack & Aerith in CC is officially described as a minor infatuation between two juveniles, much like Cloud’s childhood crush on Tifa.

In the OG, Aerith says her and Zack were NEVER serious, that their relationship is “in the past now,” and that he probably moved on to someone else because he’s a “real lady’s man.”

On the “normally occurring” CxA Gold Saucer date, Aerith confirms that although she initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Within the lifestream, Aerith tells Zack that she prefers Cloud’s personality over his, and that she will only call Zack if she gets “really lonely.”

In the Remake, Aerith states she wants to move FORWARD with her life in regards to Zack.

In official sources, Aerith is stated as saying she loves Cloud MORE than Zack.

Cloud is stated to be Aerith’s “koibito” (“lover” in Japanese).

Yes — Cloud adopted some memories & mannerisms from Zack, but he never transformed 100% into Zack.

It is a myth that Cloud & Aerith’s love is null-and-void because of Zack. CC is a retcon. Don’t let them use Zack to erase Clerith.

2. Tifa wins by default due to being alive.

Response:

Tifa winning by default due to being alive is why the other side hopes to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

You may personally prefer Tifa, but in the OG, Cloud himself clearly prefers Aerith over Tifa, and the other side knows it (just look at the Shinra jail cell moment). When Tifa observes Cloud and Aerith falling in love, she flips out in a jealous rage.

Tifa only has a chance once Aerith is out of the picture. If Aerith lives, it is all but over for Tifa.

Even in death, Cloud has an “undying” love for Aerith that will never go away. Tifa knows this to be true and is stated to be jealous of Cloud’s continued feelings for Aerith.

In the AC credits, Tactics cameo, and the Dissidia cameo, it is clear Cloud still wants to meet and be with Aerith in the Promised Land. Denying the common sense symbolism of this is a sign of someone who has a deep-rooted bias against Aerith.

Furthermore, Cloud and Tifa are in an established “family of friends,” share zero romantic moments, have tons of continued jealousy, fighting, and sleep in separate rooms. Plus, Barret returns to living with them in DoC. Tifa is never upgraded to anything beyond “childhood friend.”

Cloud & Tifa only have the possibility of being a thing if Aerith is out of the picture. Aerith is #1. Tifa is #2. The other side better pray to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

And even if Aerith dies, Cloud & Aerith will always remain a tragic star-crossed love story where Cloud forever wants to meet her in the Promised Land. Tifa’s continued jealousy confirms this to be true.

#clerith #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough #final fantasy 7 remake #ff7r

60 notes · View notes

swanqueeneverafter · 4 years

Text

The Once & Future Queen Pt.30

Camelot. (Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights ride out of Camelot toward an unspecified destination. Over hill, through valley and beyond, they come upon a cliff overlooking the Impenetrable Forest.) Lancelot: “Where now?” Merlin: “Through the Impenetrable Forest.” Gwaine: “But it’s. . .” Elyan: “Impenetrable.” Gwaine: “We can’t possibly get through there?” Merlin: “We must.” The Impenetrable Forest. (The group make their way slowly through the forest, cutting away at the branches in their path. Gwaine manages to rip his cloak on the thorns, leaving a piece of it behind. Everyone stares at him while he frantically thrashes around in an attempt to free himself.) Gwaine: (Composing himself:) “Keep going.” (Everyone smiles and continues on through the forest.) Meanwhile, In Another Forest. (While Morgana rides, she drags a bound Anastasia by the hands behind her horse. Breathing heavily, Anastasia collapses onto the forest floor. Dismounting, Morgana walks over and offers Anastasia a drink from a canteen.) Morgana: “Here.” (Anastasia glances at the canteen but does not accept it.) Anastasia: “I don’t want anything from you.” Morgana: “Drink it. You may need it.” Anastasia: “Why?” Morgana: “I would not be in such a hurry to know.” (Morgana lifts her arm and pours all the water out of the canteen onto the ground. Remounting her horse, Morgana continues to drag Anastasia along on their journey.)

Arendelle. Forest. (After a quick trip across the sea, Regina and Emma have journeyed to Arendelle to seek advice from their friends.) Emma: "Are you sure Kristoff will be all right watching Maria by himself?" Anna: "Oh sure, he's very capable. Plus it'll help him get used to the idea of having a baby around." Emma: "Ohh, so you're feeling a little broody huh?" Anna: "Maybe... and besides, Maria will need some friends to play with someday." (As the foursome continue walking through the woods, the conversation turns to Elsa and Anna's childhood.) Regina: "So you were forced to hide your magic from others and made to keep away from your sister?" Elsa: "Yes and no. My parents knew of my powers from an early age and, while they may not have openly encouraged it, they were supportive. It was only after the accident with Anna that they became concerned." Anna: "An accident I still don't remember by the way." Elsa: "Well I do and my parents were right. I could've killed you, Anna. That's why I chose to lock myself away, for fear of hurting the people I love again." Emma: "I’ve been there. I know when my magic was out of control and accidentally struck Henry, all I wanted to do was keep as far away from people as possible." Regina: "Yes, but as you now know, that wasn't the answer. Your parents told you to conceal your magic because they didn't understand it, Elsa. That won't be the case for Maria. Whatever problems or accidents that occur, we'll be ready for." Elsa: "I hope you're right. I still shudder to think what would've happened if not for Grand Pabbie." Anna: "Speaking of which, we're almost there, come on." Valley of the Living Rock. (Eventually, they reach the valley and Anna calls out.) Anna: "Grand Pabbie, it's us." (Nothing happens for a moment as the four women stand around waiting and then a large boulder rolls towards them, revealing itself to be the leader of the trolls.) Grand Pabbie: "Oh, Anna, how wonderful to see you again. And I notice you've brought some new faces with you." Anna: (Smiles:) "Grand Pabbie, these are our friends Emma and Regina." Grand Pabbie: "Ah yes, the ones who united the realms and will one day do so again." (Regina and Emma look to each other confused by this statement.) Anna: "Grand Pabbie, they seek your help." Grand Pabbie: "Well I would be honoured to help you ladies." (Taking Emma's hand, Regina steps forward and gives a polite bow.) Regina: "We are the ones who are honoured, Grand Pabbie." Grand Pabbie: (Chuckles:) "It is remarkable how far you've come, Queen Regina. I can feel the lightness of your energy pouring out of you, matched only by that of your wife, Queen Emma." Emma: (Smiles:) "Well flattery will get you everywhere, but I'm no queen." Grand Pabbie: "Of course not, at least not yet. But enough of my musings, you came to me with questions?" Regina: "Yes. (Glances at Emma then back to him:) We wanted to ask for guidance in regards to our daughter." Grand Pabbie: "Oh yes, the miraculous child known as Maria. What is it you wish to know?" Emma: "Well, the thing is, we've only recently discovered that Maria possesses magic and we wondered what the future holds for her?" Grand Pabbie: "I see. Why is it so important for you to know?" Regina: "We realise she holds great power and we wanted to know if it was light or dark magic that she possesses." Grand Pabbie: (Chuckles:) "Well that is easy. There can be no doubt that Maria was born of both light and dark magic, just like the connection between you both feeds the strength of your combined powers. A power so great that it is unrivaled by everything that has come before it. However, if you wish for me to see into the child's future, I would have to be in her presence, but I urge you to let the future remain unwritten. I fear you humans put too much stock in prophesy and I do not desire to be responsible for another child's fate." Regina: (Sighs:) "Thank you, Grand Pabbie. I believe you're right. Knowing too much about the future can lead to terrible things." Grand Pabbie: "Wise words, Your Majesty. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?" Emma: "Actually... I was wondering if you could tell me more about what happened in Ingrid's past?" Regina: "Ingrid?" Emma: (Nods:) "Since she gave me back my memories and after everything we went through, I've always been curious to know just what happened to cause the Snow Queen so much pain." (Anna and Elsa step forward.) Elsa: "I think we'd both be curious to know too." Anna: "She was our aunt after all." Grand Pabbie: "Very well, that I can show you, but I give fair warning, it is not a happy tale. If you would all take each other's hand, we can begin." (Anna, Elsa, Emma and Regina all hold hands and at the moment Emma and Elsa take Grand Pabbie's, the vision of Ingrid's past plays out before their eyes.)

Arendelle. Past. (In the castle's garden, Ingrid sits clutching the urn and her new blue gloves.) The Duke: (Approaches:) “Ah, the Golden Crocus. A mysterious flower that blooms only for those who are willing to wait. I don't believe we've had the pleasure.” Ingrid: “Ingrid. (She curtseys:) You must be here for Helga. I'll go and fetch her for you.” The Duke: (Blocks her path and Ingrid drops her gloves:) “Yeah, I-I'd heard rumors of this mysterious third sister, but I had to see her for myself.” Ingrid: “Oh.” (Attempts to retrieve her gloves but the Duke advances on her.) The Duke: “The stories did not lie. You are more beautiful and intriguing than I could have ever imagined. Did I say that out loud? (Chuckles:) Of course I did. Oh, you are enchanting.” (He tries to kiss her.) Ingrid: “Oh, no. Don't do this.” The Duke: “Helga will never know.” Ingrid: “She loves you.” The Duke: “But it's you that I want, you mysterious flower... The Queen to be.” (He holds her.) Ingrid: “No, no, no, no, no, no! Get back!” (She pushes him away with her magic, sending him flying across the ground.) The Duke: “What dark sorcery is this? Stay away from me!” Ingrid: “Please, don't tell anyone. Please. This has to be our secret.” Helga: (Arriving:) “Ingrid. Ingrid, what's going on here?” The Duke: “Your sister started kissing me. She told me she loved me. And when I rebuffed her, she tried to kill me with... With her magic.” Ingrid: “No! Helga, no.” Helga: “Thank you, Duke.” Ingrid: “That is not...” Helga: “Thank you for showing me what a... Liar and a scoundrel you are, and for saving me the trouble of considering taking your worthless hand in marriage.” The Duke: “How dare you?” Helga: “We shall see to it that your diplomatic mission here is over. And we shall send you straight back to Weaselton.” The Duke: “It's pronounced ‘Wesel-ton.’ And I am its Duke, and I do not take orders from you. Believe me, when Arendelle learns the truth about her, they shall side with me.” Helga: “Ingrid is my sister, and I love her for who she is. And so shall everyone else.” The Duke: “Really? Is this why you hide her away from balls and royal dinners? Why no one has ever laid eyes on this freak?” Helga: “You are out of line, ‘Weasel-ton.’” The Duke: “Mock me all you want, but the people deserve to know what their future Queen is. Before I'm through, all of Arendelle will know your secret. And when they find out how dangerous your sister really is, you won't have to hide her any longer because they'll lock her up and throw away the key.” Helga: “Enough!” The Duke: “Because that is the only fate befitting a monster.” Ingrid: “Stop!” (Ingrid uses her power to hurt the Duke but Helga protects him and she is hit by her sisters magic.) Helga: “No!” Ingrid: “N-no! No! Helga! Helga, no. Helga.” Helga: “Ohh.” Ingrid: “Helga. Helga, hey. I'm so sorry. H-Helga... No. I... No! No! No! No! (Helga freezes to death:) What have I done?” (While the Duke runs for his life, Gerda arrives.) Gerda: “Ingrid? Ingrid, what happened? Where's Hel...” Ingrid: “I didn't mean to.” Gerda: “What did you do? What did you do?!” Ingrid: “I was trying to stop the Duke. It was an accident. You have to believe me.” Gerda: “You stay away from me. Stay!” Ingrid: “No! No. Please... Please, don't be afraid. We said that we would always be there for each other. We made a promise. I love you. Gerda, please, you have to help me. Take my hand. Please take my hand. You're all I have left.” Gerda: “Ingrid... You killed our sister. You're... You're a monster.” Ingrid: “No, G-Gerda, no. (Gerda takes the urn and traps Ingrid:) No! No!” The Dark Tower. Present. (Anastasia begins walking up a long flight of stairs with Morgana following her, holding a torch.) Morgana: “Keep moving.” Anastasia: “Where are you taking me?” Morgana: “You’ll find out.” (They climb the stairs all the way to the top of the tower. Morgana opens a door and Anastasia steps inside.) Anastasia: “What is this place?” Morgana: “Sleep well.” Anastasia: “Morgana. . .?” (Anastasia runs towards the door just as Morgana slams it shut, locking her inside. Anastasia turns and walks further into the room.) Forest. Recent Past. Night. (Guinevere walks alone in the forest, she passes by a tree and moments later Morgana steps out from it.) Morgana: “Guinevere.” Guinevere: (Stops, then slowly turns around:) “Thank you for meeting with me.” Morgana: “Your message was unexpected. After all these years, you still do intrigue me so, Guin.”

Guinevere: “After all we’ve shared, I’m glad I can still surprise you.” Morgana: “Indeed. And is that why you called me here, to lure me into a surprise attack?” Guinevere: “Would you still be here if you sensed any danger?” Morgana: “Then why am I here?” Guinevere: “I wanted to thank you.” Morgana: (Scoffs:) “For what?” Guinevere: “For sparing my life. You could have easily killed me back in those woods and yet you didn’t.” Morgana: “A rare oversight on my part.” Guinevere: “No, you knew what you were doing. In your own distinct way you chose to protect me. It was in that moment I knew the real Morgana was still in there somewhere.” Morgana: “You can’t possibly be this naive.” Guinevere: “You can protest all you like, but I know there’s good inside you, Morgana. That’s why I won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself even further.” Morgana: “Merlin is the one destined to destroy me and yet you house him in the castle.” Guinevere: “I’m aware of the prophesy and I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.” Morgana: “Really. So is that why you wanted that sword from the Lady in the Lake?” Guinevere: “The sword is not meant for you.” Morgana: (Laughs:) “Oh no, of course not.” Guinevere: “I would never see harm come to you, Morgana, I swear it. I’ll prove it to you.” Morgana: “And how do you intend to do that?” Guinevere: “Lancelot rallies his men to find you, even as we speak. There is no place near that is safe for you right now.” Morgana: “I am aware of it. I have plans to travel far beyond Camelot’s reach.” Guinevere: “Regardless, it is only a matter of time before Lancelot and his men find you. And when the time comes, I shall send warning, giving you ample time to escape.” Morgana: “You would defy your beloved Lancelot to save my life?” Guinevere: “I owe you that much.” Morgana: (Chuckles:) “Oh Guin, such noble words. You’ll forgive me if I find them hard to believe.” (Guinevere gives her a look. A horses whinnies in the distance as a patrol approaches.) Guinevere: “Go!” (Guinevere pulls her hood up and runs off back towards the castle. Morgana calmly walks the other way. Gwaine arrives in the clearing, and spots the hooded figure running. Turning his horse, Gwaine heads the direction Guinevere went. As he passes, Morgana magically pulls Gwaine off his horse, sending him crashing the the forest floor and knocking him unconscious. Meanwhile, Guinevere makes it out of the woods and straightens her cloak and walks back to the castle.) The Sacred Cave. Present. (Having navigated through the Impenetrable Forest, Lancelot and Guinevere enter a cave. Walking cautiously through the darkness, they turn as one at the sound of an aged woman’s voice.) Dochraid: “Who dares enter the sacred cave?” Guinevere: “We come to petition the Dochraid.” Dochraid: “Give me your hand. (Guinevere takes a step forward but is stopped by Lancelot who offers his own hand. The Dochraid takes it, sniffs it and pushes his hand away in disgust:) I smell the stench of enmity.” Guinevere: “We come in peace. In friendship.” Dochraid: “You are no friend of the Old Religion.”

Guinevere: “Great Dochraid, I am a friend of Morgana Pendragon.” Dochraid: “Silence! I know you, Guinevere. I will have no part in your plans.” Guinevere: “How do you know why I’ve come here?” Dochraid: “I am the Dochraid. The Earth speaks to me. You are not welcome here. Depart!” Guinevere: “Oh, I cannot do that. Not until I have what I came for.” Dochraid: “You dare challenge me, the ancient Dochraid? You? A puny Queen?” Lancelot: (Steps forward once more:) “And yet we will have what we came for.” Dochraid: “I am a creature of the Earth. You cannot kill me.” (Lancelot draws his sword and shows it to the Dochraid, who recoils in fear.) Lancelot: “This sword was forged in a dragon’s breath and it will do my bidding.” Dochraid: “You do not have the power to wield such a weapon.” (Lancelot swings the sword and slices the Dochraid’s arm. She cries out in pain and covers the wound with her hand.) Guinevere: “Please, we wish you no further harm, Dochraid. Tell me what I need to know.” Dochraid: “Your friend is doomed, Guinevere. Her spirit has been consumed by the Teine Diaga. Bound by the silver wheel for all eternity. Her body is nothing but an empty vessel filled by the will of another.” Guinevere: “By another? Do you mean Morgause?” Dochraid: “Regardless, Morgana has been set on a path to claim the throne of Camelot and will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.” Guinevere: “How do I break this spell?” Dochraid: “Only the greatest of sorcerers can attempt such a thing.” (Lancelot points the sword at the Dochraid again and she recoils in fear.) Lancelot: “Merlin, the greatest sorcerer who ever lived travels with us, he can break any spell. All we need to know is how?” Dochraid: “You must travel to the Cauldron of Arianrhod. There you will need all of your powers, for you must summon the White Goddess herself.” (Lancelot brings the sword closer to the Dochraid.) Lancelot: “And that is all?” Dochraid: “No. Morgana must enter the Cauldron. Its waters hold the Goddess’ power. Only their touch can heal her. Remember, Morgana must enter the water willingly. If she is tricked, forced or beguiled, she will fall into the abyss and be lost forever.” (Lancelot lowers his sword.) Guinevere: “Thank you, Great Dochraid. Thank you.” (Guinevere and Lancelot turn to leave the cave but the Dochraid uses her magic to throw a dagger at Lancelot’s back. Lancelot turns and uses his sword to block the blow, then using the blade to strike the Dochraid once more. She cries out in agony and crumples to the floor. Guinevere looks down at her for a moment before Lancelot takes her arm and leads them out of the cave.) The Dark Tower. (Anastasia is laying on the floor when liquid from a mandrake root above her drips onto her face. Anastasia sits up and sees mandrake roots all around her. A cacophony of shrieks and screams fills her ears. She crawls on the floor trying to distance herself somehow from the screaming when the door opens and Morgana walks in.) Morgana: “Come. . .let us have something to eat.” (Morgana leads Anastasia out of the room and she quickly follows.) Arendelle. Dining Room. (Returning to the palace, the foursome reunite with Kristoff and Maria. Taking a seat at the table, Emma speaks with Elsa while Regina allows Anna to spend some time with Maria.) Regina: "I hope she didn't give you any trouble?" Kristoff: "Nothing I couldn't handle. (When Anna looks to him eagerly:) Uh... but then you were only really gone for about an hour." Regina: (Smiles:) “Relax, Emma and I won't be leaving Maria here overnight anytime soon." Anna: "Oh but you will stay tonight, won't you?" Regina: "Well, we didn't want to impose..." Anna: "Nonsense. We have rooms for days, we'd love for you to stay over." (Regina looks over to Emma who nods.) Regina: "Then we'd be honoured." Lily: (Entering:) "That'll make a nice change." Elsa: (Rising from the table to welcome her:) "Lily!"

Lily: (To Regina:) "I mean it'll save you and Emma from having to find some random room where you can fu-" Elsa: (Wrapping her arms around Lily:) "What took you so long, I thought you were coming straight from work?" Lily: "I was, then as I was leaving I got a call about some disturbance." Regina: "A disturbance, in Storybrooke?" Lily: "I know, shocking right? It was at your vault in fact." Emma: (Joining them:) "The vault?" Lily: "Yeah, turns out it was nothing, just some false alarm." Regina: "Well that's a relief." Lily: "Yeah, but I'll tell ya, your sister has quite the attitude problem." Emma: "Zelena? What was she doing there?" Lily: "I don't know, but she accused me of trespassing before kicking me out." Emma: (Closes her eyes:) "As tactful as ever." Regina: "Thanks for checking it out, Sheriff." Lily: "Hey, not so loud, we don't want to jinx it." Emma: "Oh I have a feeling the job's as good as yours." Elsa: (Clasping her hands together, smiling:) "Well I'm starving, let's eat." (With a general murmur of approval, everyone takes their seats at the table.) The Dark Tower. (Sitting amongst the cobwebs, Morgana serves Anastasia some food at the large dining table.) Morgana: “Eat. Here. Food always makes me feel better. Would you prefer some chicken?. . .You must eat. You are fading away.” Anastasia: “I don’t know what cruel trick you are playing but I will not be broken by you.” Morgana: “I thought this would be nice. I know how lonely you must be. All by yourself in that room. At least you’re not shackled, there’s daylight, you can move, you can see. That’s a lot more than your sister was afforded in my hovel.” Anastasia: “You expect me to be grateful?” Morgana: “I too have suffered Anastasia. I spent years living in darkness. I would have sold my soul for someone to show me kindness such as this. Do you want me to take you back up there?” (Anastasia shakes her head and reaches out for a small bread roll. Watching her take a bite, Morgana smiles and pours the wine.)

The Impenetrable Forest. Night. (Guinevere, Lancelot and the knights are all sleeping in the forest while Merlin watches over them. Being immortal and with no need for sleep, Merlin continues his meditation. Opening his eyes, Merlin’s attention is drawn to something in the bushes. Glancing back at his sleeping companions, Merlin follows the fluttering sound through the woods. Only when he is out of sight from camp does the winged creature reveal herself to him.) Queen Mab: “Welcome to my realm, Merlin.” Merlin: “Who are you?” Queen Mab: “Why, I’m Queen Mab. I am the spirit of this place. And all the places that bring despair to men’s hearts. Few have ever seen me, Merlin, you should count yourself fortunate.” Merlin: “You... everything in this forest, it’s bewildering.” Queen Mab: “The forest is but one step on the journey.” Merlin: (Crouches down so that he is eye to eye with the forest spirit:) “How do we find a way out?” Queen Mab: “Oh powerful one... you should not have to ask. Left is right and right is left. And the way behind is the way ahead. It is simple.” Merlin: (Scoffs:) “Oh...simple.” Queen Mab: “You have a minds eye, Merlin. You must learn to trust in it. For far greater challenges lie ahead.” Merlin: “When we reach the Dark Tower?” Queen Mab: “If...” Merlin: “What do you mean?” Queen Mab: “You must beware Merlin, the tower is not a real place. It is the heart’s rest. The mind’s deepest fear. The stillness in a humming bird’s eye...” Merlin: “Stop, talking in riddles.” Queen Mab: “Then I shall speak in rhyme. Heed my words which you concern, for one of you will not return.” Merlin: “What do you mean? (Queen Mab chuckles gleefully. Merlin looks back towards camp:) Which one? (When he turns back, Queen Mab has disappeared. Hearing more rustling coming from his left, Merlin stands ready:) Show yourself.” (Much to his surprise, Merlin sees not a forest spirit but instead, with her bow in hand, Merida steps out of the darkness.) Arendelle. (Regretting her decision to stay in the dining room to talk with Lily while Regina put Maria to bed, Emma now finds herself lost and wandering the halls of the palace.) Emma: (Muttering to herself:) "This is god-damn ridiculous. (Knocks on a door and peers inside. Finding no one, she closes it and continues on:) Who needs a palace this big? (She tries another door with much the same result:) You would think one ball room would be sufficient for anyone's needs, but oh no, not here in Arendelle, they're just ball crazy apparently. Gotta have at least three ball rooms or the people might not take their Queen seriously. (Opens a door and closes it:) Balls. (Another door:) Balls. (Yet another door:) Balls. (No luck:) All right, deep breath Emma, you can do this. (She breathes deeply and slowly exhales before continuing her journey down the long hallway, passing several doors and pointing to each one as she goes:) Eeny, meeny, miny moe, Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go, Eeny, meeny, miny moe. Pig snout you're... (Coming to the last door on the left:) out! (Sighs:) Well, here goes nothing." (Emma approaches the door and knocks.) Regina: (From inside:) "Come in." Emma: (Greatly relieved, turns the handle and enters the room:) "You would have to choose the furthest room from..." (Emma stops in her tracks when she sees what awaits her. Wearing heels, stockings, suspenders and a bra, Regina stands leaning over the bed, casually reading a book.) Regina: (Looking up:) "Finally." Emma: "Regina, what-" Regina: (Stands up, stretching her back and giving Emma a luscious view of her curves:) "Well, as this is our first official evening spent in the palace, I thought I'd make it special. (Walking towards her:) Had I known you'd take this long talking shop with Lily, I may not have bothered." Emma: (Smiling at the vision before her:) "I'm sorry. This place is humongous and I just got lost. (While Regina walks around her to remove her jacket:) Can you ever forgive me?" Regina: "Hm. I don't know, you did keep me waiting an awfully long time. (Walks around to step before Emma, her arms folded and one foot tapping the floor as she playfully considers accepting Emma's apology:) Perhaps if you were naked I'd be more likely to forgive you?" Emma: (Counters:) "I think if we were both naked we'd each feel better about the whole situation." Regina: "I agree wholeheartedly." Emma: "And, seeing as you've got a head start, I think it only fair if you helped me out of my clothes?" Regina: (Smirks, her hands already unbuckling Emma's jeans:) "Sounds more than fair to me."

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

8 notes · View notes

shotgun--rider · 4 years

Text

Fake It Till You Make It - Three

A Sam x Reader Series

PART THREE

Y/N knows it’s a bad idea to try telling her family that she’s dating Sam Winchester. But it’s just for the week of her sister’s wedding, and it’s all fake anyway. What could go wrong?

Word Count: 3900

Warnings: plus size! Reader, fatphobic & diet comments, Y/N’s family are demons, allusions to drug use, cuddly Sam

A/N: We’re getting somewhere! Also, Tom the baker is based on a grocery store cashier from my childhood. She was about seventy and would always tell my mom she remembered when my mom was pregnant with me, and then comment that I was growing so fast and when was I getting married. The kicker was that my mom didn’t start shopping at that grocery store until after I was born. Shout out to Rosie.

In the cold light of day, waking up on the bedroom floor with a Sam Winchester-shaped octopus wrapped around you was a lot more panic-inducing than you’d expected. Then again, you’d somehow gone from one fairly innocent arm slung across your waist to being wrapped up and tucked against his chest, legs tangled up and Sam’s face mostly pressed into your neck.

You wondered briefly if he had enough room to breathe, immediately snapping at yourself that that was hardly the most pressing issue here. Your very fake boyfriend was using you as a human teddy bear and you had no idea how to escape, not without waking him. And waking Sam was very much not an option right now. As long as you somehow got out of this without his knowledge, you wouldn’t have to wade through the awkwardness or hear him try to politely tell you it meant nothing. You wouldn’t have to see the look on his face when he realized he’d snuggled himself up to--well, to someone like you. You’d heard it all before, of course, but hearing it from Sam would be infinitely worse.

Cursing silently to yourself, you glanced down at Sam to ascertain how deeply he seemed to be sleeping, your entire body tensing when you were met with one sleepy hazel eye already blinking at you. “Hi,” Sam mumbled into your hair, like this was completely normal.

“Hi,” you managed to squeak back, kicking yourself for not moving when you’d woken up in the middle of the night. This was what you got for thinking with the part of your brain that seemed to exist purely to drool over Sam friggin Winchester.

He seemed to suddenly notice how stiffly you were holding yourself, and raised his head to look at you, looking entirely non-threatening and far too sweet with his fluffed-up hair and the crease of the sheet you’d been sleeping on pressed into his cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh,” you returned dumbly, caught somewhere between get out get away run away now and continuing to stare at his face. “I don’t know, could you just...um...let...go?” you fumbled through, looking pointedly down at his arms banded around your stomach.

Sam looked like he was still half asleep, following your gaze in confusion for a moment before hastily pulling his arms away from you. “Sorry,”

You were scrambling up the second he let go, beating a hasty retreat to the bathroom without sparing a look for the man still sprawled out on the floor, scolding yourself for your idiocy the whole way. You went through getting ready almost angrily, berating yourself for getting into a situation that taunted you with what you couldn’t have and embarrassed you in the process. Still with the toothbrush clamped in your mouth, you grabbed your phone and shot off a text to Charlie: Who TF thought this was a good idea????

Her response was almost immediate. Good morning to you too.

You: Char I’m serious. Should have just brought you and said I was a flaming lesbian.

Charlie: Except for that you’re still totally into Sam

You: Not. Helping.

Charlie: You could always just tell him that.

You didn’t bother giving her a response, rolling your eyes in the mirror and putting your phone back down. Charlie had always been that way, relentlessly urging you to go for whatever it was, eternally confident that it would work out in your favor. Experience had told you it usually didn’t. And you didn’t even need past experience to know how “fat girl asks out the hot guy” ended.

Giving yourself one last look in the mirror, you steeled yourself to walk back out of the bathroom. The best option, of course, was just to ignore the morning’s situation, which you imagined Sam would be equally on board with. After all, it had to be at least a little awkward for him too, waking up curled around someone he thought of as basically family. Or at least that was what you were telling yourself.

Sam was already dressed when you reentered the bedroom, and you spared a second to firmly remind yourself that nothing productive would come out of you staring at his ass in a pair of jeans. He spun as soon as he heard the door open, a faint blush of color still on his cheeks. “Hey, Y/N, I--”

“So I need to go pick up a cake today,” you blurted before he could finish, “and flowers. Is it cool if we use your car?”

Sam stared at you uncomprehendingly for a long moment, his eyebrows furrowing up. “What? I didn’t--yeah. Okay. Do you want me to come?”

Somehow you’d made him look like a kicked puppy and this was not the morning you’d been aiming for. “Unless you’d rather stay here,” you arched an eyebrow dryly, trying for humor. “Get stared at by my family like a zoo animal,”

Sam’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, but he just shrugged. “I’ll come if you want,”

“Okay,” you returned briskly, using the excuse of grabbing your wallet to break up the sudden tension in the room and give you something to do.

The two of you made it downstairs without any major incidents, hastily skirting past the room where your Aunt Abaddon could be heard shrieking angrily, and you exhaled in relief when you finally made it out to where Sam’s car was parked on the driveway. He immediately went around to the passenger’s side, while you paused in front of the grill. “You don’t want to drive?”

He shrugged easily. “You know the area better than I do,”

Somehow, driving his car felt like more of an intrusion than it had when you were just driving up to the estate, but you sighed and climbed behind the wheel, wondering for the millionth time why anybody had ever thought this was a good idea. Just get over it, Y/N. You forced yourself to smile at Sam. “Florist first? So the cake doesn’t start melting?”

He still had a little bit of the kicked-puppy expression, but he nodded easily, turning to something on his phone while you pulled out of the drive. Way to go, Y/N. Is there anything you can’t fuck up?

The pickup from the florist went off without a hitch, and soon Sam’s backseat was stuffed full of sweet-smelling bouquets wiggling cheerfully with the movement of the car. Say what you would about Ruby, but she did know how to pick a good color scheme.

More pressing than the flowers, though, was the fact that Sam hadn’t said a word to you so far beyond what was necessary to load the bouquets without crushing them. You could feel his eyes on you when you were looking at the road, but he’d stayed silent for the entire drive to the bakery Ruby had ordered from.

You’d half expected to leave him in the car, but he followed you inside dutifully, standing a few steps off to the side while you gave Ruby’s name to the girl at the counter.

“Y/N!”

You winced, turning to greet the baker with a hopefully-genuine smile. He was a friend of your mother’s more than anyone, but he’d always been polite to you, if terribly pushy. “Hi, Tom. I’m just here for Ruby’s cakes,”

The big man looked over your shoulder with a wiggling eyebrow. “And when am I going to make yours, hmm?”

You stared at him, uncomprehending. “Sorry, make my what?”

“Your wedding cake!” he went on cheerfully. “This young man’s yours, isn’t he?”

“Uh,” you turned hastily to look at Sam, who reached for your hand with a swift, reassuring smile.

“Yes,” Sam answered for you, and you briefly considered the merits of stepping on his foot. You didn’t need to sell this lie to everyone in the tri-state area, for god’s sake. On the other hand, that would mean letting go of his hand, which you really didn’t want to do.

“I thought so!” Tom announced triumphantly. “What’s your name, son?”

Sam dropped your hand to reach over the glass display case and shake Tom’s. “Sam Winchester, sir,”

You blinked at the scene unfolding in front of you, wondering if it would be more or less painful to watch a train wreck in action. Of all people, of course you had to run into nosy old Tom. The conversation went on over your head for a few more minutes, with Sam explaining his law career briefly and then doing a lot of nodding and smiling and casually touching you while Tom went rambling on about seeing you as a small child with your mother.

You weren’t even sure what story he was telling, and given the fact that you only came up to Aunt Abaddon’s a few times a year at best, it was entirely possible he was mixing you up with some other mother and child. More than likely, in fact, since you found it hard to believe your mother would have ever taken you somewhere with a lot of calories and sugar.

“You’d better take good care of her, now.”

Sam’s hand slid to hover at your lower back. “Of course.”

You cleared your throat roughly, looking up at Tom. “So, uh, the cake?”

“Yes, yes, of course! Now, you just let your man there take care of this,” Tom slid three enormous boxes toward Sam, “and I’ll get you rung out,”

That would normally be a job for the cashier girl, but no one really ever bothered arguing with Tom. Handing over the car keys to Sam with an apologetic wince, you trailed over to the register, digging out your card in advance in the hope of making this fast.

“I like him,” Tom announced, pulling up the order sheet on a clipboard. He peered at you over the glasses on the end of his nose, studying you. “Why do you look awkward?”

“Uh,” you stuttered eloquently. “Well it’s just that Sam and I, we’re kind of...I mean it hasn’t been all that long, I just--” It’s fake. You wanted to scream. The whole thing is fake and he’s just being nice and I know that and I still want to keep him. Like, forever.

Tom’s eyebrow arched as he slid your card through the reader. “But you do know he’s in love with you, don’t you?”

You swallowed hard. “Oh, I don’t think--I mean, no?”

The old baker frowned, taking his time wrapping the receipt up around your card. “That’s how he looks at you.”

“O...kay,” you chirped out cheerfully. “Thanks Tom, bye Tom,” You scurried out the front door of the shop before he could yell anything else after you, breathing a sigh of relief that was immediately cut off in your chest at the sight of Sam, busy sliding flowers around in the backseat to make room for the cakes. That’s how he looks at you.

As if he’d somehow heard your thoughts, Sam paused in his wedding-themed backseat Tetris puzzle, looking up over the top of the car door at you and lighting up with the brightest smile you thought you’d ever seen on his face. Your heart clenched at the sight of him, and you wondered suddenly what the hell you were going to do when the wedding was over. God, I am so screwed.

“Sorry about Tom,” you said aloud instead, automatically taking one of the boxes out of Sam’s hand while he wrestled the plant he’d been supporting with his hip. “And sorry there’s so much crap in your car.”

Sam just chuckled, fitting the last of the cakes inside and carefully closing the door, lest he behead any of the bouquets. “It’s not a big deal, Y/N,”

“I still feel bad,” You weren’t sure if you were apologizing for commandeering his car or for everything else you’d messed up.

“Well, don’t,” Sam said stoutly, and that was that. He watched you get back into the driver’s seat, your hands on the wheel and a pout on your face. “What?”

Your nose wrinkled, your foot steady on the brake even though you knew you should be driving back. “I just realized how much I don’t want to go back,” you confessed. “I’m just whining, I know…”

Sam reached out, laying his hand on your shoulder easily. “Switch with me,” he said suddenly, making you blink.

“What?”

“Switch with me,” he repeated, his hand vacating your shoulder to hit the button releasing your seatbelt. “Let me drive,”

You had no idea where he was going with this, but you got out of the car anyway, doing some imitation of a two-person Chinese fire drill in Tom’s parking lot. While you settled yourself into the passenger seat, sparing a nervous glance for the flowers in the backseat, Sam pulled out of the lot, looked both ways, and promptly turned down the road leading directly away from your estate. “Sam,” you hissed out. “What are you doing?”

“Not taking you home?”

“Sam, if the cakes melt Ruby will kill me,”

“Well, they’re not ice cream cakes,” Sam said reasonably, reaching for the A/C dial. “There.”

“I haven’t been so concerned about anything since I babysat small children,” you said wryly. “God, I hope nothing dies,”

“They’re cut flowers, Y/N, they’re already dying,” Sam deadpanned, taking another arbitrary turn that put you even further from Abaddon’s.

You tilted your head at him, a laugh escaping you in spite of yourself. “Have you always been like this and I just didn’t notice?”

“You just listen to Dean talking about me,”

That was probably true, you reflected. Dean’s narrative of his brother, while undoubtedly very loving, boiled down to “nerd, lawyer, smart, goes for runs and doesn’t like bacon” most of the time. You didn’t answer immediately, just studying Sam while he drove fairly aimlessly, somehow leaving you lighter than you’d felt all day. “Seriously, though. Where are we going?”

Sam bit his lip briefly, turning to look at you with his forehead wrinkled in concern. “I don’t...know. I might be lost,”

You burst out laughing in the passenger seat, jerking forward so hard that the seatbelt’s automatic stop kicked in, holding you dangling against the belt while tears ran down your face. Sam pulled over on the shoulder, his eyes crinkled up as he watched you laughing at him, and when you finally straightened up and wiped your eyes, he was smiling fondly at you. “Why did I let you drive?” you asked dryly, before turning over your shoulder and glancing back down the road. “Okay, turn around and turn left at the first intersection,”

Sam followed your directions without question, and if you’d have been a bit bolder--and hadn’t had Ruby’s bridal bouquet in the backseat--you might have kept directing him straight to the interstate. As it was, you led him to the little park a few miles behind your aunt’s property, pointing out the window to the creek that was visible from the road.

“Meg fell in when we were kids,” you narrated, smiling vaguely at the memory. “I was twelve, it was Easter, and we got this brilliant idea to sneak away from dinner and go run to the creek. She just kind of tipped over,” you giggled softly as you recalled the day. “It was an early Easter that year, too, so of course the water was freezing.”

You shook your head. “Then she convinced me that Uncle Az was going to kill her for getting wet, so we snuck her upstairs to steal Abaddon’s hair dryer. We thought we could somehow dry her clothes, I don’t know. Anyway, my aunt found us, sitting on her bathroom floor in a puddle of creek water. That was the only time I’ve ever seen her laugh. She always liked Meg more,”

Sam had listened to you with rapt attention, and now he tilted his head in the direction of the park and its little creek. “Show me?”

You couldn’t deny the little rush of happiness up in your chest at the question, and you made a face at him over the top of the car as you both scrambled out. “If you get me wet I really will kill you, Sam Winchester.”

“Noted,” He jogged around the car, hopping over the curb to catch up with you, and stuck close to your side as you both walked through the grass. For a moment, you almost reached out to grab his hand, reminding yourself at the last second that you didn’t need to. No one was watching. You didn’t need to play the charade. And that was all it was, you reminded yourself firmly.

You reached the little creek a few minutes later, Sam sitting down on a boulder while you peeked down the sloped bank into the water. “Is that your favorite memory?” he asked after a moment.

“Probably, yeah,” you shrugged, trying to make it casual. “Most of the rest of them I was either getting blamed for something Ruby did or told to go on a diet.”

Sam frowned at you, reaching his hand out to you. You took it hesitantly, letting him pull you closer to his boulder without really knowing what he was trying to accomplish. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with that, Y/N,” he said seriously, tugging on your hand gently again as you realized he was trying to get you to sit down with him.

“Don’t Sam, I’m too heavy,”

“You’re not,” Sam said firmly, pulling your hand just hard enough to unbalance you. You fell with a squeak, landing easily across his legs, and to your immense relief, nobody died. “See?” he smiled at you.

“Okay, you’ve proved your point, Mr. Lawyer,” you feigned a grumpy expression, trying not to give any attention to the butterflies that had decided to take up residence somewhere in your stomach.

“Good,” Sam murmured. He leaned his head briefly on your shoulder, and for just that moment, it felt like you were in your own little bubble, and everything was perfect. And then your phone rang.

“Y/N where the fuck are you? Did they fuck up the order or something?”

“No,” you said hastily. “No, everything’s fine. They’re all safe and sound in Sam’s backseat.” God, you really did sound like you were talking about children. Beside you, Sam was stifling a laugh and you elbowed his chest lightly.

“Okay so then where are you? Gramma wants to see the flowers,” Ruby snapped impatiently. “I figured you’d be able to get this done for me, Y/N.”

“Coming,” you sighed out, and Sam squeezed your free hand reassuringly. “We’re coming.”

“Did you stop for car sex? That’s gross.”

“No, Ruby,” you glanced at Sam. “We did not stop for car sex.”

Sam snorted, loud enough that Ruby definitely heard him. Figuring you’d gotten the necessary communication over with, you opted to just hang up before she could start shrieking again.

“That would be our cue,” you said wryly, hopping up off of Sam’s lap. Your foot came down on a half-buried rock as you shifted to standing, your ankle rolling sideways and your balance faltering.

Sam’s arms came around your waist just as you were pinwheeling your arms, preparing to take a dive into the creek. You yelped, hearing a reassuring laugh from Sam as he pulled you away from the edge of the creek bank. “I’ve got you. You did tell me not to let you get wet.”

Your adrenaline rush had melted into a fit of giggles, and you let Sam hang on to you on flat ground while you laughed, totally at ease. And right there you decided that even if it was going to suck when the wedding was over, at least you would have had this week. You followed Sam back to the car still laughing, and he didn’t let go of your hand.

Gramma Lilith was on the driveway when you finally pulled up, hands on her hips, white skirt billowing in the wind, and possibly more botox in her lips than the last time you’d seen her. “Took you long enough!” she was shouting before either of you had gotten a car door open. Not that it mattered; you could hear her shrill voice anyway.

You and Sam both hastened to the backseat, pulling out bouquets and potted flowers in an attempt to placate her. It only served to bring Ruby outside to stand beside her grandmother, both of them snipping at you while simultaneously complimenting Ruby’s choices. It made your head ache just listening to the two of them.

“Ruby, the cakes should go in the fridge,” you tried, holding the boxes out to her in the hope that it might motivate her to actually do something instead of watching you.

“So what are you waiting for?” your sister asked instead. You sighed, trekking into the house with the cake boxes and sliding them into the fridge, thanking the heavens for small mercies that there was enough room without having to also play Tetris with the food.

You got back out onto the driveway just in time to hear your grandmother turn her attention to Sam. “Are you where my salad went, boy?” she asked shrewdly, hands on her hips.

Sam froze, halfway out of the backseat with a pile of flowers in his arms. “Well,”

“Gramma,” you hurried to interrupt, but she wasn’t having it.

“I don’t care,” she went on, still looking at the moose-in-the-headlights. “But I do appreciate straight answers.”

Sam swallowed and straightened up, arms still full of purple flowers. “Yes ma’am. I was...hungry.”

You had been valiantly biting your lip through the entire exchange, but between his awkward reply and the look on your grandmother’s face, you burst out into a fit of giggles, diving into the backseat hastily to cover it up with more flowers.

Lilith humphed, her eyes flitting between you and Sam. “You don’t deserve someone like her,” your grandmother informed him, having evidently decided he was alright. And all of you knew that she meant it in that Sam deserved better than you, but he just smiled and caught up to you in front of the car.

“I know,” he said, and then he leaned down and captured your lips in a kiss, crushing the flowers between you as he wrapped an arm around your waist. It was surprisingly heady, tinged with desperation as Sam devoured your lips, tongue sliding and teeth clashing once in his haste. You were drunk on it, on him, reaching your free hand up to tangle in his hair as you rose up onto your tiptoes, trying to fight the height difference, your audience completely forgotten. No one had ever kissed you like that before.

And then Sam was pulling back, eyes almost black as he stared at you but somehow keeping his composure as he moved to finish taking the flowers into the house like he hadn’t just kissed you senseless.

Ruby and Lilith looked equally stunned at the display, and somewhere in the back of your brain, you remembered that that was why he’d done it, that it was all part of a show and that if you were a real couple, you’d have kissed plenty of times already. But as you stood speechless in the driveway, all you could really think about was him. There was no way you’d survive this wedding.

tags: @vicmc624, @thebookisbtr, @alicedopey

#supernatural fanfiction #sam winchester x reader #sam winchester #sam x reader #x reader #reader insert #supernatural #spn #series

44 notes · View notes

ninjakasuga · 4 years

Text

Sonsal Celebration Year 2, Day 7

On the seventh day of the Sonsal celebration hosted by @boundforfreedomsonsal we have the prompt of peace. Something I’m sure many of us would have loved to have seen the Freedom Fighters get to enjoy when their respective series came to an end. Sadly the screw-ups of Archie Comics, Ken Penders well being Ken Penders, and a little of Sega’s own mishandling caused us to never truly see Sonic, Sally and Co. have their day of peace canonically. Luckily we fans can fix that.

PEACE:

“...It brings me great pleasure to formally announce the end of the war started by Julian Kintobar, aka Dr. Robotnik, and perpetuated by his counterpart Dr. Eggman. Any and all allies of the two Empires created by these evil men have also been dealt with, leaving no one seeking to resume their mantle. Not only has this long, and difficult conflict finally over-.” Pausing in her speech, Sally took a lungful of air, but her smile never waned, as she also purposefully dragged out the pause to reign in the audience more. “All the nations of Mobius, be they any species of Mobians, or Humans have signed a hopefully lasting peace accord to not only end any potential future conflict but bring all the peoples’ of Mobius together as they never have before.” Despite prepping herself to keep her emotions in check, Sally found her eyes moisten but she kept a straight face, save for the smile widely forming as she couldn’t hide her joy. “We don’t have to live in fear anymore, and our world is truly free from tyranny. Everyone gathered here or not, thank you for your contributions. Now… LET’S CELEBRATE WE ALL EARNED IT!!”

At Sally’s last words, the crowds gathered before the stage in front of Castle Acorn hollered and cheered. After ten-plus years of living in fear of an evil scientist and his armies; the planet Mobius was free at last. Watching her people be happy made Sally’s heart glow with a warmth she didn’t know she needed. Bowing her head she turns from the podium and walks over to where her friends waited for her; especially a certain Hedgehog with a matching wedding band on his finger just like hers. As she wiped her eyes Sonic took a few steps to meet the distance, instantly his arms were around her for a hug and their lips met for a quick, but sweet and loving kiss.

Once it broke, her dear childhood friend, lover, and husband all rolled-into-one flashed one of his well-known grins. “Way past speech Sal.” “I started to nearly cry at the end.” She giggled, rubbing her eyes some more. “You’d think after all my practice I could have nailed it better.”

A familiar hand rested on Sally’s shoulder, with a soft southern drawl reaching her ears. “Aw heck Sally-girl, so you started to mist a little. Nobody will blame ya’ I mean fer’ Pete’s sake you did just announce the end to a nearly thirteen-year war we’ve been fighting since we were kids.”

Bunnie’s husband, Antoine moving to stand beside his wife, and as always holding her hand, gave a nod with his own smile. “Oui, as my dear beloved put it, no one would be zee upset at you being over the joy with the war’s end.”

Moving over a young two-tailed fox wrapped his arms around Sally’s waist, giving a squeeze before looking up so his gaze could meet Sally’s. A smirk mirroring Sonic’s adorning his face. “I think what we’re getting at Sally is, you did great, so don’t think you messed up the speech for getting misty-eyed.”

With a loud, merry chuckle Rotor merely crossed his arms as he walked closer himself, the old gang gathering once again. “I think I’m going to have to stand by the others in saying you did great Sally. Personally, even after my stint as a council member, I’d have choked up half-way through that.”

Unable to help herself, Sally giggled, enjoying the banter as she looked at her husband and friends with a playful smirk. “What is this, pick on Sally after her speech day?”

As if on cue, Nicole materialized from a nearby emitter, and reached over to pet Sally’s head. “Maaaaybe, we all just love you and wish you still are too hard on yourself. Your speech was lovely, to the point, but also if I may add, the start of the tears I think helped the audience accept this was ‘finally’ over.”

Looking at the faces of her dearest friends, Sally internally acknowledged they were right, and simply held her arms out. “Freedom Fighters… one last group hug? As a team?”

Without a word, the band of friends all formed a group hug with Sally at the center. A multitude of emotions coursing through each of them as their bond as friends and Freedom Fighters held them together and steered the course of their lives as much as the war that forced them to grow up so fast. One by one, not an eye was dry as happy tears began to leak from everyone and their mutual holding of one another tightened but never enough to cut off oxygen.

“D-do you think now that the fighting’s over we won’t see each other much anymore?” Murmured Tails in a soft voice as the thought crossed his mind. It was one that briefly flared when they first thought they won after Robotniks’ defeat. Of course, now things were so different than it was back then. He had his parents whom he was still making up for lost time with. Rotor still had family in the Tundra waiting for him. Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine were married and could now start their own lives. Nicole was probably gonna be busy since she now had a bio-nanite living body and could have her own life beyond the administrator of the city and the nanite colony.

Reaching over, Sonic ruffled the head-fur of the fox he deemed his little brother affectionately. “Heck to the no there li’ bro. We all might do our own things for a bit but we ain’t gonna just treat the other like strangers.” Eye twinkling he eased from the group hug to wrap his arms around Tails and give him an affectionate noggie. “Plus don’t forget you’re big brother to Manik and Sonia. That means you’ll see us plenty since Sal and I are also on tap babysitters from time to time like you are.”

This seemed to assure the fox while smiled and wiped his eyes, his expression much cheerier now. “Heh, good point, us big brothers gotta help teach the li’ sibs right?”

“That’s the spirit!”

Giggling, Bunnie smiled at the scene of brotherly love and looked over to Antoine, a crafty, yet loving gaze sent his way. “Now that we know no boogie-man is gonna pop outta th’ ground. I’m all for enacting our plans for extended second-honeymoon Sugah-Twan.”

At the mention of this idea, the coyotes’ eyes twinkled as he held up his wife’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Oui, oui my love, I am how do you say..? ‘All-in’ on this idea.”

The rabbit’s own eyes sparkle with love and plans, lots of future plans. “Maybe we could start planning for our own li’ brood?” When her husband’s only response was to blush but nod his head vigorously, Bunnie laughed and leaned in to kiss him. “I love you, ya’ you big sweetie!”

“Going for kids already?” Inquired Rotor with a raised eyebrow, and a smile.

“We’ve been discussing it a lot, and frankly being a Mom is something I wanna be, so why not?” Bunnie giggles, her cheeks flushed as she rubbed her belly longingly. “I got all mah parts flesh again, and we don’t gotta fight, so dreams and rest of our lives here I come!”

“Speaking of extended honeymoon’s…” Sally walks over and hugs Sonic from behind. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Nodding, Sonic rested his hands over hers around his waist. “Yeah, we didn’t exactly get to have one. Just a long weekend to ourselves.” Rubbing his chin, Sonic began to ponder on where they could go. With the planet free now, sans any areas in need of rebuilding the sky was the limit.

Then a thought hit him, with a grin he urges Sally to follow him. The two make their way over to another group of friends who were like they had been, celebrating. “Yo Knux’!”

Hearing his nickname, Knuckles the Echidna looked away from the discussion he was having with Vector and Julie-Su. Spying the Hedgehog and Squirrel-munk coming his way. “What’s up Sonic?”

“Can Sal and I borrow your island for our proper honeymoon?”

“Excuse me?” His spines bristled mostly on reflex to anyone mentioning doing, well anything with his island.

Knowing how easy it was for Sonic to antagonize Knuckles without trying, Sally interjected. “What he means Knuckles, is could we visit Angel Island and just… have our honeymoon there? We’d stay out of the way, we’ve just never, been there without some crisis going on. All the different biomes and vistas just scream to be explored and enjoyed.”

“Plus given it flies over the planet the views off the edge are gorgeous.” Quipped Sonic, who now clapped his hands together and bowed his head humbly. “C’mon Knux it’s the perfect place for newlyweds to get lost and have a good time.”

Covering her mouth, Julie-Su snickered. “Oh, you bet it is.”

Picking up on this, Sally smirked widely. “Oh? Maybe you can give us some tips?”

Running with the topic, Julie kept on still smirking widely if her cheeks were now a bit pinker. “Well, not per se Knuckles and I’s make out spots but I can recommend some. Although one mutual spot I must, ‘must’ recommend is this tiny waterfall that has a small spot where an overhanging rock creates this gap big enough for two people to stand inside without being constantly pelted with water. Hmmm..” Her cheeks brightened and her body fidgeted with the memory. “Nothing like standing under the falls with your man behind you, wailing-.” Putting a hand over his ears, Vector turned away, loudly and in a very grumble-y voice chanted. “La-la-la-la I can’t hear youuuu!”

“Walkers alive Julie!” Knuckles exclaimed his muzzle beat red as he gently grasped his girlfriend by the arm. “I don’t think anyone needs to know those details!”

Both Sally and Sonic snicker, and yet also mentally filed away this idea and would get the exact location from Julie later. Refocusing, Sonic reached over to pat Knuckles on the shoulder. “So joking aside, whaddya say Knux? It’s your call but it’d be a way-past cool favor. You know we won’t disturb anything nor go where we shouldn’t.”

“Please? We’ll owe you and Julie.” Sally added, trying to sweeten the deal with the cute-eyes routine and a pouty lip.

After just staring at the two with his usual impassive expression, Knuckles let out a long sigh but then smiled. “What the heck, sure. Consider it a done favor anyway since you guys helped bail me and the island out a number of times-OW!” At a sudden pinch, he looked at Julie. “What was that for?”

“They were gonna owe us a solid and you dismissed it? Knuckles, honey, my one and only…” She cups his face, and pinches his cheeks. “You always accept being owed a favor back! Think about the possibilities!”

“Ow, ow, ow sorry!”

Laughing, Sonic waved a hand. “Consider the favor still on, and thanks a million!” He insisted, figuring he should offer if to help Knuckles out of his situation with Julie in thanks for letting them stay on Angel Island.

“You won’t even know we’re there! Promise!” Sally quipped, giving both Echidnas a hug. “Thank you so much!”

Rubbing his nose, Sonic couldn’t help but smile as he looked around at his friends and the gathered crowds all celebrating. It took a long time, and probably more sacrifices than he would have liked, but finally, they had peace.

He closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer to the fallen, those he knew and those he didn’t. He wasn’t a religious sort but the departed were owed respect. He hoped they could rest easier now, just as those still alive could now truly live their lives to the fullest.

#Sonsal #Sonally #Sonsal Celebration #boundingforfreedom #boundingforfreedomsonsal #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sally Acorn #Archie Sonic #Bunnie D'Coolette #Antoine D'Coolette #Tails #Rotor Walrus #Knuckles the Echidna #Julie-Su #Vector the Crocodile #Nicole the Holo-Lynx #prompt #peace #Sonsal Years 2

10 notes · View notes