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zeta-in-de-walls · 3 years

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Tommy and the role of ‘hero’

Hey, this little essay is discussing how Tommy’s character has struggled with being called a hero and hows it’s been a significant part of his character arc for Season 2 of the SMP. It’s not a title he ever gave himself yet it’s a title he’s burdened with all the same.

Funnily enough, I don’t recall Tommy ever being called a hero before Technoblade’s damning speech on Nov 16th, where he compared Tommy to Theseus.

Tommy you just did a coup. You just did a hostile Government takeover and then immediately instilled yourself as President. And then you gave it to your friend but that’s still a tyrant Tommy.

But the thing about this world Tommy, is that good things don’t happen to heroes. Let me tell you a story Tommy, a story of a man called Theseus. His country, well his City-State technically, was in danger and he sent himself forward into enemy lines. He slayed the Minotaur and saved his city. You know what they did to him Tommy? (”What did they do?”) They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people. That’s what happens to heroes Tommy. The Greeks knew the score. But if you want to be a hero Tommy, that’s fine.

Do you want to be a hero, Tommy? Then die like one!

Technoblade’s speech is a frustrating one at first. It begins by essentially calling Tommy a power hungry tyrant despite that being far from the truth - Wilbur was the one who formed the Government and Tommy rejected power. He trusted it to Wilbur who then chose Tubbo. Schlatt wasn’t even killed by Tommy, he died of a heart attack after being abandoned by every one of his allies so it wasn’t even really much of a takeover at all and it wasn’t Tommy. Yet this speech was entirely directed at Tommy.

But the latter half is different, accusing Tommy instead of trying to be a hero who thinks he’s saving the world and that he’s doomed to have a bad end. It’s interesting as never has Tommy claimed to be much of a hero. Tommy’s always just fought for the things he cared about. Indeed his response to Techno’s speech suggests the same.

“I’m not the hero. No one’s the hero! We’ve got L’Manburg for each other.”

But of course, Techno’s words stick with him all the same. Particularly the bit about a tragic end as Tommy becomes very, very aware of his own mortality in the arcs that follow. To Techno, a hero seems to be a naive figure who tries to do good but is destined for failure and tragedy.

But there’s another path Tommy fears even more. One that he’s witnessed firsthand. Becoming the villain.

Let’s be the bad guys. Tommy, why not? Our nation’s gone. our nation’s far behind us, Tommy. Let’s blow that motherf*cker to smithereens. Tommy, I say if we can’t have Manburg, no one - no one can have Manburg! ...L’Manburg.

This is a new era! We burn the place to the f*ckin ground, I want no crops to grow there ever again. I want f*ckin mycelium and cobblestone, it all covered, Tommy. I want it all gone!

Tommy, let’s be villains.

Wilbur was Tommy’s hero. He loved Wilbur dearly and wanted nothing more than to be a good right-hand to him and make him proud. But when they lost L’Manburg and were banished, Tommy saw Wilbur changing, saw him giving up home and deciding he’d rather destroy the thing they’d worked for and blow it all up. After Wilbur made this speech, Tommy argued, making it clear he was entirely against his plans. Even saying that it wasn’t the moral thing to do. He said not to give up hope, that everyone wasn’t against them and that Wilbur’s ideas were reckless. But he stayed with Wilbur and continued to support him, hoping that he could convince him to change his mind. Tommy failed. And Wilbur died.

So, the Tommy at the start of S2 just wants to go back to his old life, a simpler time where he doesn’t have to worry about L’Manburg anymore as it’s in safe hands and he can focus on his personal concerns once more - like his music discs. He doesn’t want to be a hero or a villain, he merely wants to be happy again in a world without Wilbur.

But there’s someone else watching him. Dream.

I think it’s no coincidence that Dream wanted Tommy exiled by his own people. I think he was deliberately trying to make Techno’s speech into a reality. Dream had become rather obsessed with Tommy and treated all their interactions like a fun game where he played the villain and Tommy, the hero. It’s not a narrative Tommy himself liked but all he could do was play along.

Dream had him exiled and this seriously pushed Tommy to his limits. On the first day, Techno briefly visited and asked him why he was still trying and he answered that he always gets back up and he would keep on fighting Dream. But as his exile progressed he slowly lost his will to fight. Slowly Tommy stopped believing that his exile would ever come to an end and that people still cared.

In exile Tommy had a lot of time for reflection. Here’s something Tommy says days into his exile when he’s begun to lose all hope and is starting to accept that maybe Dream’s his only friend.

Everyone always tells me I was the- the hero of this server. The one that came and f*ckin fought Dream - the only one that ever spoke back to him. But maybe I was just... maybe this was just meant to be.

Tommy’s got complicated feelings about being a hero. To him it means standing up to Dream, never giving up - that’s what he believed people expected of him. But in his exile, he began to give in to Dream. He begins to express how no one cares and that the only reason they ever pretended to care was when he had status - when he was part of L’Manburg. There’s this implication that he felt like people only cared about him when he was being the selfless hero. When he was trying to be selfish for once, causing trouble like he used to and wanting to focus on his personal disc war rather than on L’Manburg, he got exiled. (Of course, this is Tommy’s biased perspective not how others actually viewed him.)

Tommy eventually escaped his exile, finding renewed courage to fight against Dream. Except, he’s still scared and uncertain and feels confused about Dream. He feels lost and clings onto Technoblade for support.

With Technoblade, Tommy starts to feel more like himself - but Techno also influences Tommy, turning him more against his friends. (I think Techno’s character genuinely thought they didn’t truly care about Tommy, likely not realising how much they had also been manipulated by Dream.) Technoblade gently encourages Tommy to be more violent and wants him to help blow up L’Manburg.

This is where Tommy’s fear about becoming more like Wilbur come into play. Tommy did not want to become a bad guy - he’d had nightmares about it even. But in his time with Technoblade, after how helpless he’d been during his exile, being given some power lead Tommy to start lashing out more violently, he began to get more aggressive - alarmingly so even. Technoblade’s path was one of revenge, dealing with his own pain by causing others to suffer (for noble goals, fighting corruption etc I don’t want to get sidetracked though this is about Tommy). Technoblade’s presence was helpful to Tommy, helping him to get over much of his fear but he still lacked in agency and still felt lonely knowing he hadn’t made up with his friends.

Tommy finally came to his senses at the festival, where he realised he was fighting his best friend and putting his personal attachments - his discs - over Tubbo. And that was wrong. He realised he was becoming just the sort of person he didn’t want to be - he had been on the path to becoming like Wilbur. And he rejected that path. He wasn’t going to be a bad guy. Just because he was hurt didn’t justify hurting others. So he reconciled and once more committed to protecting L’Manburg, having put his personal desires aside. It seemed like he’d put himself into the role of selfless hero yet again.

And he failed. Again.

Dream tells him how it was a fun game to him. And how their story was not over. Tommy though, had become extremely tired of it. He didn’t want to play Dream’s game.

They meet up again. And again, Dream talks to Tommy like he’s important - like he’s the key to everything. He wants Tommy to play the role of hero and has been manipulating events for a long time to keep pushing him, to keep taking things from him. Being a hero, which Dream believes Tommy wants, simply means playing along with Dream’s narrative.

Tommy, you want to be a hero, right? You want to be the hero of the server. And every hero needs an origin story, right? Batman had his parents, Spiderman had uncle Ben, you have Tubbo, right?

In the end, Tommy refuses to play Dream’s game anymore though. He called for help and got saved by everyone else. Then he killed Dream twice and had him locked away for good.

And once more, Tommy decided to do things for himself again. He decided to live peacefully, working on a project, talking to various people on the server and trying to avoid making waves and getting into any more conflict. It’s a good end.

He rejected Wilbur’s path and he defied Technoblade’s predictions and he didn’t lose his best friend to Dream. And now Tommy’s trying to avoid playing the role of hero anymore. It’s not a title he ever gave himself but one thrust upon him. Yet it’s one he’s keenly aware of. And one that, despite everything, he can fulfil.

Tommy’s arc has been in some respects about defying the expectations of others - but he also can’t help but fight for the things he loves. He realises his troubles were not that his friends didn’t care or that he had to play a role but that his life was being controlled by Dream and now he’s free of that. No longer is he so weighed down by expectations but when there is a sufficiently threatening enemy, he has not lost his determination to challenge it.

#tommyinnit #meta #analysis #uh feel like i didn't have a great conclusion #anyway i love tommy's character #and his arc has been great this season #i especially appreciated how the exile arc really showed another side to his character #and dream's a great antagonist #driving much of this conflict #dream smp #exile arc #i didn't really talk much about love and attachments which are also impornant to understanding his character this season #and also his grief and thoughts on death #anyway this is about tommy not techno or dream or wilbur so i'm not analysing their actions except in regards to how they affected tommy #but feel free to add or correct me on anything #cheers!#the disc war

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yukidragon · 3 years

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Our Life Snippit - Fish and Flirting

Soooo... who’s ready to read another clip of the first draft for my Our Life: Beginnings & Always fanfic novelization? This time, let’s take a slice of Step 2's moment, Dinner.

I’d like to thank everyone for enjoying my writing. All of your likes, reblogs, and comments are the fuel that drives me to share more of it here. I’m thankful for the feedback my fellow fans of the game and especially its creators @gb-patch! You are all just so sweet. Thank you!

...

The crunch of sand against the mat beneath her sandals was a familiar welcome for Jamie as she entered his bedroom. Cove didn’t care if he brought a little bit of the beach home after every visit there. Cliff never scolded him for it like her moms would if she adopted such a lackadaisical attitude. This left sand to accumulate all over his personal space, but he never minded.

That was just how Cove was - a little bit of a mess.

Cove didn’t waste time getting comfortable, taking a seat on the edge of his extra large bed. “You can sit wherever you want.”

There weren’t actually all that many options. The desk chair was the obvious choice, as it was the only place to sit besides the bed, but Cove rarely used it for that purpose despite claiming her desk chair as his preferred spot whenever they hung out in her room. Jamie knew from experience that his chair was nowhere near as comfortable as hers, and it had a squeak to it that set her teeth on edge. She could deal with a stiff chair, but the noise it made ensured that the first time she sat in it was also the last.

This meant that the only options left were to stand, sit on the sandy floor, or…

Jamie fought to keep the mischief on her mind from showing on her face. Well, Cove did say that she could sit wherever she wanted.

Although Cove had hoped Jamie would take his offer as an invitation to sit on his bed with him, he was shocked that she took a seat right beside him. She was so close he felt her knee briefly brush against his as she made herself comfortable, all the while flashing him a cheerful smile that sent his heart pounding. He had hoped she would sit close to him; he just didn’t expect she would sit this close.

Not that Cove was complaining.

Jamie noticed Cove tense up, his back going stiff as he ducked his head away. It reminded her of how he would react whenever she hugged him, especially when he began to blush and tried to hide the way his lips curled into a trembling smile.

“Oh my God,” Cove whispered under his breath. The words slipped out of him without realizing, spoken so softly that Jamie might not have heard it if she wasn’t sitting right next to him.

The reaction thrilled Jamie, and she couldn’t stop herself from beaming at Cove. He was just too cute!

Cove noticed the shift in Jamie’s expression out of the corner of his eye. With how close they were, it was impossible not to notice each other’s every move. He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at her, wondering why she seemed so happy all of a sudden.

Jamie noticed the silent question in his eyes. Before she could seriously consider playing coy, her real feelings came bubbling out. “You’re adorable!”

The compliment, delivered with such enthusiasm, seemed to come right out of nowhere for Cove. He stiffened again, his eyes flying open wide as his mouth hung open in shock. “I… what?”

Jamie watched as the blush deepen on Cove’s face before spreading to the tips of his ears and all the way down his neck. He wasn’t the only one blushing, as her cheeks grew rather hot as well, but since she already said it… “You’re adorable,” she repeated, trying to look and sound much more confident than she felt.

That got Cove’s mouth trembling again. It was a wonder how he could still look Jamie in the eye with how much his insides were fluttering. He gripped the blanket underneath him, feeling like he might just fall off the bed with how weak his knees were at that moment. “I’m not. That’s…”

It was almost too much for Cove to take. How could Jamie say stuff like that to him so easily? It wasn’t fair how easy it was for her to send his heart into overdrive and turn his mind into mush.

Cove shifted nervously in place as he scrambled to get his mind working again. Jamie was flirting with him, right? She had to be. Unless he was mistaken. Then again, this happened often enough that it couldn’t be all his imagination, right? Except this was Jamie - she was nice to everyone. Of course, she was nicest to him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t reading too much into things.

Should he flirt back? What would he say? What could he say? Should he call her cute? Jamie was definitely cute, and nice, and thoughtful, and fantastic and…

But what if that made things weird? If Jamie was just being nice and not thinking too much about this stuff, Cove might make things awkward. And if things got uncomfortable between them…

It was all too much for Cove. He did the only thing he could do - he fled the subject of romance completely.

“Did you see my fish?” Cove blurted out, latching onto the first non-romance-related topic to pop into his head. “I’ve got some. In a tank. Right there.” He threw both arms out in front of him in an almost desperate gesture to direct Jamie’s attention away from him to something else far safer with less world-shattering ramifications.

As happy as Jamie was to make Cove so flustered, she could see she had overwhelmed him. She wanted to drop hints about how she felt about him, not make him uncomfortable. Despite how poor the change in topic was, she granted him mercy and allowed it.

Cove bit back a sigh of relief when Jamie directed her gaze away from him. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on getting his rapidly beating heart back under control. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel just a little disappointed with himself.

The fish in the tank were fairly varied, all of them bright and colorful. The way Cove had so dramatically pointed them out, one might think that Jamie had never seen them before. She knew that Cliff had gifted him the tank and pets not long after the father and son first moved to Sunset Bird.

Fondly, Jamie recalled the excitement that always shone in his eyes whenever Cove proudly introduced her to his newest pet. He always made sure she was the first to know, and it always made her feel special.

Jamie was also always the first one Cove went to whenever a fish unfortunately passed on. Those occasions broke her heart to see him so sad, and she did whatever she could to comfort him. Despite the sad memory, a small smile tugged at her lips as she recalled how she had come up with the idea of giving the fish funerals, and she officiated over them as best as her childish self could without having any real experience with funerals prior. As sad as they were, they did help her best friend heal from the loss.

Returning her focus to the tank, Jamie inspected it and its occupants with increasing interest. Although she had no experience having pets of her own, she had learned what it took to take care of fish from listening to Cove talk about his pets. She helped him out wherever she could as well, be it with checking to make sure the tank’s thermometer was accurate by comparing its reading with one her moms owned or looking up information he struggled to find by himself.

Cove was very serious about the care of his pets, and it showed. The fish were healthy and energetic as they swam through the crystal clear water.

The smaller fish zipping about were interesting, but Jamie found her eye drawn to the especially big one because of its dazzling multicolored scales. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she felt dumb for never asking a very simple question before. “What are their names?”

Although the question was innocent enough, Cove found himself growing a bit bashful. “I don’t name them,” he admitted. “Well, not really.” At seeing Jamie direct a raised eyebrow at him, he gave her a lopsided smile. “I mean… Mostly, I just call them things based on what they look like. ‘Squirt’ for a small one, ‘Tangerine’ for a really orange one. That sort of thing.” He let out an awkward chuckle. “I’ve had a lot of fish, and I’m not that good at coming up with names…”

The answer tickled Jamie. She hadn’t known about that little weakness of his. It was always such a nice surprise whenever she learned about a new side of Cove that she had never noticed before.

“Oh,” Cove said, as a thought occurred to him. “A couple of them have other types of names.” He pointed towards a small orange-red fish. It was off on its own away from its tankmates. “My dad named her Dreamcatcher.” He paused for a moment before pointing at a more yellowish fish that just darted out of the fake log. “And that other one’s Mark. Mom came up with that one.”

Jamie focused on the two particular fish before turning back to Cove. He was still looking at his pets with a more relaxed smile on his face. For a moment she just admired how the glow from the tank reflected in his eyes before snapping her focus back onto the conversation. “You let other people name your fish?”

“Yeah,” Cove said happily. “It’s nice.” He then turned to Jamie as an idea popped into his head. He tilted his head to the side, considering the thought for a moment before deciding to go ahead with it. “Do you wanna name one?”

Jamie’s eyes lit up at the offer. “Yeah I do!”

Cove’s smile grew a little at her enthusiasm. “Cool. There’s a few who don’t have names right now, the newer ones. You can pick which you wanna name.”

Jamie waited until Cove pointed out each of her options. The first fish was the smallest in the tank. It was orange all over and zipped around the tank so fast that it was lapping the others. The second was red and just slightly bigger, with a tail dotted by black spots almost like freckles. The last fish was the largest one in the tank that had caught her eye earlier. Its multicolored scales practically glittered under the bright light of the large tank as it slowly glided through the water.

It was an easy choice for Jamie to make. “The biggest fish.”

Cove nodded, a little amused, as he waited for Jamie to decide on a name. He had a feeling that would be the one she would pick. She did like rainbows after all, and that particular fish was practically a living rainbow.

Jamie squinted at the tank, hamming up an exaggerated show of taking this sacred duty of naming a pet fish seriously as she stroked her chin and let out a low hum. She was rewarded for her theatrics when Cove noticed and let out a chuckle. She barely kept herself from grinning or doing more than glimpsing at him out of the corner of her eye as she tried her best not to break character.

Eventually, Jamie straightened up and turned to Cove, maintaining her solemn expression the entire time. “Gil.”

Cove couldn’t help but laugh unreservedly at not only her choice, but her antics as well.

Finally, Jamie broke character and allowed herself to smile and enjoy how she made Cove laugh. The affectionate sound was music to her ears.

“I could’ve come up with that,” Cove chuckled.

“Well, it was the second name to pop into my head,” Jamie said almost a little too innocently.

Cove caught on that Jamie wasn’t quite done with the bit yet and raised his eyebrow, playing along. “Oh yeah? What was the first one?”

“Cove,” Jamie announced, grinning.

With that, Cove broke into another round of laughter. “What? You thought about naming it after me?”

Jamie shrugged, doing her best to appear casual. “A little bit, but I couldn’t help it; your name is always the first one to come to my mind.”

Heat bloomed in Cove’s cheeks as his laughter turned bashful and trailed off. He was pretty sure Jamie wasn’t flirting with him this time and was merely joking around, but it still felt a little too good to hear her say something like that. “I-is it? Oh, well… uh…”

Jamie gave Cove a moment, feeling satisfied that her attempt at flirting got such a positive reaction. Those tips from Lee were paying off.

When Cove shook off the flustered feelings, he gave Jamie a bent smile. “Alright, it’s Gil.”

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

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lemonmeringueprincess · 3 years

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The Mind of a Broken Soldier (Leave Me Be, Chapter 2 )

Hello People of Tumblr ! It’s ya girl Hazel ! I am back again with another chapter which i am 100% sure NOBODY request it because nobody requested this story in the first place but i’m still continuing it because i feel like it. I was planning on continuing this story and give sly nods to WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier here and there along the way. Not in this chapter but... maybe on future chapters. But I’ll see how this one goes and where my idea leads me to.

So you need to read Chapter 1 to be able to understand this chapter properly because this chapter is solely Bucky’s point of view of the reader and some random thoughts. I love reading novels and love their style of writing hence i aspire to write a decent and proper story fanfiction. I mean when you read some books, there will be several chapters viewed from that other characters’ perspective so i decided to implement that style to my story.

So once again, thank you so much if you decided to pop by, read it and love it. Don’t be shy to pop by my message box to share some ideas you have or maybe you just wanna vibe together, I’d love to do that with you guys too. But please please please don’t be mean if you don’t like it. FYI, this chapter is slightly shorter than the first chapter. Love, Hazel .

Disclaimer: No disclaimer or any warnings. But definitely do me and yourself a favour and check out Chapter 1 so you can properly comprehend this chapter with ease :)

Characters : Bucky x Reader; teeny weeny mention of Sam :)

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“Look man, I know we don’t really see eye to eye but I call to check on her…How’s she doin’?” Sam heaved a sigh of empathy from across the line.

I tightened my grip upon the thin, slick and smooth communication tool which now known as smartphone that I hadn’t had the chance to acquaint with. I let out a sigh of desperation, desperate of ways to haul her from the rabbit hole she’s now falling into. My fingers combing through my unruly long hair that’s bundled up in a disheveled bun. A bad habit of mine when I’m in desperation and anxiety.

“It’s been a week since Steve walked out from her life and if I’m being honest, Sam, she’s not doing very well. She’s…she’s been nestled up in her room since then.” I heaved another sigh of despair, my right human arm gripping the kitchen counter tightly in effort to prop myself while the other man-made hand still latched onto the phone.

“I even had to force feed her just to keep her alive for god sake.” I asserted whilst rubbing my right eye with the heel of my right human hand and quietly strutting towards her door. Leaning my side against the stark beige wooden door, plopping my ear against it to silently eavesdrop, just like how I had done countless times to check on her well-being without having to barge into the door. Soft whimper gradually shifted into muffled sobs. I closed my eyes, let my head hung low as if my neck was already tired enough to brace the weight of obstacles and desperation that merge into one and let out a long exhale.

“Gotta go, Sam… I’ll call you back.” I lowered my voice into mutter and hung up.

Even though I had known Steve for so many years, sometimes I still couldn’t decipher what’s in head. Recalling back to the 40s, way before he and I even considered enlisted into the army, women would always prefer me over Steve to take me out as their dancing partner when we’re at the bar. I felt bad for him and he’d sometimes complained that if only there’s the one out there who would see him through his frail and tiny stature. Seventy three years later, he abandoned the woman who’s been through with him through thick and thin, put up with his stupid decisions and god knows what more for eight years, for Peggy.

The woman whom he knew for only two years and only dated briefly.

The woman whom he’d share his infatuation and obsession with.

The woman he met at the army who didn’t even spare him a glance…not until after he’s gone through physical changes then eventually decided to give him a chance.

I wouldn’t even consider that as official if they only exchange flirting and longing glances at the office…

bar…

and even Howard Stark’s Lab.

Clasping my hand upon the door handle, I levered it down and pushed open the door generating soft creaking from the hinge. I tiptoed my way in and left the door ajar. There she was… dressed down in only white camisole and panties while curled up in a fetal position upon the bed which was a bit too spacious now for a single person. Her back facing towards me, shoulders quivering from muffling her own sobs into whimper.

Oh Steve… what have you done…

I slowly crept my way towards her and slowly sank myself on the bed. I was hesitant to lay next to her but I tried to push that thought away considering her mental health was already at stake. If I left her untended, she might eventually spiraled into deep depression and she’s already halfway there. So I laid next to her, draped my arm over her frail, delicate and small body to hold her close as if sheltering her from her own whirlpool of emotions . While offering her the comfort of silence, my mind wander off to how on earth Wanda dealt with her own grief… poor kid not only lost her significant other but also her twin brother and parents as I was informed by Sam. My train of thought was halted when I heard her croaked a rhetorical question,

“H-h-he’s not coming back, is he? Did that prick even try second guessing his decisions?”

I wish I could do more than being her shoulder to cry on and dragging Steve back by the ear. That punk really took all the stupid with him. I contemplated whether I should say something decent to comfort and lift her spirit but I retracted. “I’m sorry, Doll… “ Were the only words I could muster from my still-healing disrupted mind. After Hydra’s infamous torturous events and being sent away to Wakanda to get my mind fixed. I found that I had difficulties of expressing my thought and feelings emotionally from the years of being over-electrocuted and memory-wiped conducted by Hydra, more strenuous than my old self. Not that I couldn’t do it but I realized it took more time to do so.

But even so I still try to rack my brain, dig deeper to find something nice to say; to make myself feel a tad better for at least doing something good in my life for once after the horrendous past, to at least counteract all those gruesome dirty work I unconsciously did to the others.

“I tried talking some sense into him, but he was very adamant of his decision. That punk…I’m really sorry…” i tried to string those words together carefully, worried that one step further or slight wrong move might set the fire ablaze even more. At this point, I was scared considering I had never connected to women emotionally. Sure I’d dated many women back in the 40s, but never considered them seriously… Now I know how it felt to wear their shoes, to know how it felt to be ditched and forgotten, even though I didn’t experience it firsthand.

Running out of options and words to say, I scooted closer whilst tightened my embrace and inhaling her scent, a hint of fresh bed linen and lavender; Steve hates it when women used too much perfume to the point it’s suffocating. I remember he’d always complained about the atrocious penetrating smell of perfume whenever we walked past the women at the bar.

“Doll… tell me what to do… I can’t bear seeing you breaking apart like this and I am running out of ways to numb your pain…” I consoled.

I used to be a good pep talker, a great one even; constantly spewing encouragement and lending a piece of advice or two to Steve. But I guess I had to shift my roles and be the good listener instead.

I did not expect her to open her heart and confide everything, as if she was confessing everything to me. I could only fervently listen to her anguish secrets that had been tormenting and keeping her awake. I felt really bad for the insecurity and self- doubt she had to endure these past years. Constant comparison with Peggy and doubting herself; nevertheless, she still fought her way to prove her worth… such strenuous and tenacious effort just to keep Steve’s attention to her…

Oh Steve… if only you’re in my position now, you’d know how much effort it took for her to keep up with your fantasy. They said love is full of sacrifices but not as much sacrifice from one side, both sides needed to make equal sacrifices to make things work, if one sacrifices too much, they’d weaken because they’re giving out too much and eventually died, just like her.

I knew Steve was always oblivious with things, but never as horrid as this. My heart sympathized and mourned for her. Eight years of relationship that she fought so hard to keep slipped out of her hands just like that.

“I-i-i-it h-h-h-urts, Buck… it hurts…He’s my first love, first kiss and…”

I felt her body shook under my embrace. No longer able to withstand her emotional suffer, I tried to soothe and lull her to sleep.

“I know, Doll. But I promise you’ll get through it, I promise to be with you every step of the way. We will get through it. I am not going anywhere. I am not going to walk out this door, not until you kick me out because you’re so sick of looking at my face. You have my word, Doll. I am staying.” I promised.

I promised myself I’d be there to pick up the pieces regardless of any circumstances, because it’s the right thing to do. I’d be there to hoist her up when no one else could. i’m doing what a good friend would do... It’s the right thing to do … Right?

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tenderlyrenjun · 3 years

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[2:05 A.M.]

You drag your feet into your bedroom and dramatically fall face-first on the mattress, mumbling something incoherent, even with the super hearing, through the blankets. Renjun closes the textbook over his lap, sitting up in anticipation for you to make an announcement. He waits another minute then reaches across the blankets to pull back your hair, checking to see that you are still alive. After he sees your blank stare (okay, crazy person), he reclines against the headboard, asking you to repeat yourself.

“We have to send Jaemin another letter.”

“Ah.” Renjun puts the contemporary art textbook on the night stand, freeing up his hand to thread his fingers in your hair. He outlines your ear brushing away a few strands to see your cheeks and moves on to the heaven’s pillar behind your neck, dipping two fingers in the pressure point. You jerk forward a little, unexpectedly relaxed by a treasure. Renjun thinks that you try getting into a better position and helps you lean on his shoulder. You kiss above his clavicle, wrapping an arm around it also, loosely hanging on him like a body pillow. “It’s late. Why are you studying at this hour?”

You know that he is talking about the family’s most recent addition, not the upcoming o chem exam that you are more than prepared for. Unfortunately, he has not been available in the last month to help train new members, with all the work he has for school, the internship, and Jaemin’s new stupid coven leaders rule that requires Renjun to be chained to a zoom meeting twice a day.

“The new recruit -”

“Aurora?” Renjun asks. His hand slides to your lower back, pushing you into his side, and he takes your leg, draping it across his waist. It is not your cycle to sleep yet, but the position brings a great sense of ease to your subconscious.

“Yeah,” you nod, verifying. You open your eyes slowly, tracing his pretty jawline as he takes a turn to close his eyes, almost equally exhausted. His arm raises behind his neck, acting as another pillow to slouch against. It feels like years since you two have been able to relax, despite having just went on a weekend vacation a few months before. You sigh one last time, melting into his collar during your exhale. “She’s only been a vampire for about a decade, and there’s so much to go over.”

“Any special abilities?”

Renjun leans over, manipulating your situations in a way that keeps him as the big spoon, an arm wrapped under your chin and the other supporting under your head. It feels even more comfortable. You shimmy toward his waist, hugging him even tighter.

“No,” you answer, shaking your face in his chest. Sometimes you wish his heart would be a little bit louder, because when it is this low, you know he will have to feed again, meaning that he needs to get up and you would be without a body pillow. It is the equivalent to a stomach growl. Although, his actual growls are pleasant in your ears. Still, you give in, slacking your grip enough, knowing that you likely need to drink something as well. Drinking in bed is something that he prohibited, after you ruined an 18th century duvet, but these informal meetings function like pillow talk, considering that the rather large water fountain by your window blurs out the conversation to outsiders. “She has excellent people skills, and she is very charming, but other than that, no.”

Renjun sighs. “We need to recruit new members with special abilities.”

You turn over, looking at the sparkles across his pretty cheeks, and tuck his hair behind his ears (it is not blocking his face, but the gesture is meant to be a tender display of affection, something to show that you love him). His strands start to neatly frame his forehead again, then you tangle your fingers in the ends. You reiterate his sigh, shoulders dropping with your hands.

“I know,” you tell him, fatigued by the politics and tensions. “I know, but I also don’t want to participate in another war.”

Renjun kisses the corner of your mouth, leaving his lips there too, to whisper cautiously, “It can’t just be Mark all the time. He needs a break eventually.”

“No, I know,” you lament again before repeating, “but I don’t want to participate in another war. I won’t be able to handle another loss like that.” The last war saw the complete annihilation of your coven, in terms of death and abandonment. Those who posed the greatest threat were slain without reservations, and neither of you ever heard from those who went off to fight after they left, so you assumed they either perished or took on an alias. No one won that last war, and everyone who fought assumed new identities hide the fact that they participated in the political upheaval. “And I don’t want to be like Doyoung’s elitist cult either.” The Kim Clan exclusively watched and turned noblemen for a few centuries in the late 13th century. They became the fourth largest coven, even to this day, with 29 people. “He keeps trying to absorb us; he wants you for his inner circle.” You bury your face in his chest again, trying to find comfort as his heartbeat slows and the breath leaves his lungs. “Everyone keeps watching over kids and mortals, waiting to turn them if they haven’t already, just for their potential abilities.”

“We’re all trying to protect ourselves,” Renjun reasons, combing the crown of your head. “We need to be able to defend ourselves, defend our people. We have nine members in their rooms right now, not accounting for the protection detail around the manor.” He sits up, pulling you with him, then he shakes you off his shoulder, awake. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and get something to drink.”

You fall back on him, hanging across his torso like asking for a small request.

“No,” he disagrees, dragging you off the comforter. “You’re not going to ruin another blanket. Come on, let’s get some blood and then we can finish talking about this tomorrow, when you’re not so exhausted.”

“Fine,” you cave, feeling slightly more enamored with him, a side effect of his special ability.

You slip off the duvet and accept his hand, trailing behind him through the corridor to the kitchen down the hall. He sets a teapot on the stove, straining a fresh pouch of AB positive over a few teaspoons of water, while you sit at the island, taking out two mugs from the cabinet below. You settle them across from Renjun and assume a seat opposite him, knowing that he will eventually lean over the top instead of sitting with you. When Renjun finishes his small tea ceremony, you stare at him.

“Is my presence enjoyable?” he joke while stirring a few sugar cubes. You nod once, slightly timid as he slides a cup to you, the ceramic squealing across the granite. “Well, then we will have to keep meeting like this.”

You roll your eyes, hiding a smile behind your nutrition. “Over talks about leading our coven?”

Renjun glares at you. “Stop using that word,” he growls. “It’s so ... cringey.” He shakes his head, “No, but I miss having these meetings with you and feeding with you.”

You sigh too, knowing what he means. The only time you even share a bed now is to sleep; your room is, otherwise, empty, for the most part. He is either studying, out of town, or in a meeting from time that the sun sets until it rises. And you are either training the new member, studying, or running one of your businesses, from the time the run rises until it sets. The moments when neither of you work are when you take time to relax a little bit, reset your minds from the 12-16 hour schedules. It gets hard, not seeing him, even if he is around the corner.

“I miss you, too,” you confess. You hesitate for a second, tapping the your nails into the ceramic teacup briefly. Renjun lowers his own mug, raising his eyebrow in a silent question, so you sigh .. again. “Do you regret signing up for college now?”

“No,” he answers near immediately, making you sit up straighter, at attention. Renjun groans. That is not entirely what he means. “I like going to college. I know it’s,” he hums, rolling his eyes and sucking in his lips jokingly (to which you roll your eyes, sarcastically), “trying, to you, but I really like it.” He walks around the island, hugging your waist from behind. “And I like that you’re doing it with me. Do I wish that we’re not the brink of war, or whatever the tensions are rising to, that keep making other clans enlist new members? Yeah, definitely, it puts a little dent in our 10-year plan, but I don’t regret this experience. I only wish to see it through.” Renjun rests his chin on your shoulder, not daring to meet your eye just yet, slightly scared of your reaction. You already were not on board with this decision (thankfully, he did not have to use his compulsion for this request, not that he would - you have free will either way, but you chose him in the end and he appreciates that). “Do you regret any of it?”

You place your hands over his, trailing your thumb across his knuckles comfortingly. He thinks, for a second, that you might answer yet, but you surprise him: “No,” you say honestly, “I don’t regret any decision that I’ve made with you.”

“Not even the time I convinced you to replace Ten’s entire blood collection with mentos in coke bottles?”

You smack his hands, then return to stroking them, alleviating any potential pain. “Do you have any regrets then?”

“Just the one,” he recalls bitterly. Renjun kisses your shoulder as another apology. Even a millennium later, he cannot believe that you forgave him, so he never forgets to show you that it was not the wrong decision to let him back into your life. “I love you.”

You spin around fully. “I love you too.”

“Wanna show me?”

#nct #nct renjun #renjun #huang renjun #renjun x reader #nct imagines #nct drabbles #nct timestamps #nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream drabbles #nct dream timestamps #renjun imagines #renjun drabbles #renjun fluff #nct fluff #nct dream fluff

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kayr0ss · 4 years

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So... Is It Her First Day? (Diakko)

[LWA, Fluff, a lot of Fluff, Established Relationship, Pls Help Diana, slight Hamanda]

Summary: Diana found herself sneaking out of Luna Nova past curfew to visit a convenience store. Why was she even here?

Oh right. Her girlfriend was cranky, on her period, and driving her absolutely insane.

Diana stood at the hallway, unsure of how to process the fact that Akko had just very gently ushered her out of the Red Team's dormitory, shoving her textbooks into her arms while she told her, quote, “not to come anywhere near me with homework within the next twenty-four hours, Diana, I swear to Beatrix—”

Then silence. Because Akko closed the door.

At her face.

Diana blinked towards the heavy slab of wood that stood between herself and Akko. What could she have possibly done wrong?

“Cavendish.”

She whipped her head towards her left. To her surprise, enlightenment on the situation was about to come from Sucy of all people.

“You do not want to go in there right now,” she grabbed Diana by the sleeve.

“Surely there’s no need to drag me across the hallway—”

“Yes, there is.” The purple-haired witch spoke with the authority of experience. “It’s Akko’s first day and that is a shitstorm if I ever saw one.”

“First… day?” Diana had an idea what the other witch meant, but it paid to be thorough.

“Of her period.” Sucy glared back. “Don’t you have those? Also, you live with two other women in the dorm.”

“I just wanted to be sure.” Diana said in a clipped voice before pulling her sleeve free of Sucy’s grip and matching her pace down the hallway. “And what might you suggest I do?”

“Why would you have to do anything? Just leave her alo—” Then Sucy paused, smirking. “Right. I almost forgot. You’re her girlfriend now.”

It still made her blush whenever she explicitly remembered it, although she would have preferred not to look so flustered in front of Sucy.

Akko was her girlfriend for all of fourteen days by now.

The newest development in their relationship was something of a serendipitous moment. A pleasant surprise, so to speak—even if it seemed the two of them were the only ones surprised at the news. Were we that dense? Diana frowned, recalling how Hannah and Barbara sighed in relief rather than shock when she told them.

“Food.” Sucy had blurted out.

Diana looked at her inquisitively, and then she realized the pair of them were on the way to the… kitchens?

“Food is our go-to.” The other woman supplied. “Lotte will already be at the kitchens. Doesn’t fix her shitty mood completely, but it helps.”

“That’s… quite thoughtful of you, Sucy.”

The purple-haired witch shot her a massive eyeroll. “Don’t give me that look. Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass Akko is when she’s like that? It’s exasperating.”

---

All it took was one crate labeled ‘exotic ingredients’ for Sucy to lose track of the purpose of their kitchen visit.

“Diana’s her girlfriend.” Sucy had told Lotte, already trailing the goblins due to deliver the ingredients to the potions lab, “I’m out—this is her job now as far as I’m concerned.”

Lotte smiled apologetically, scratching at the back of her head while she opened the door into the kitchens and inviting Diana to come inside.

“This is really sweet of you,” the bespectacled woman said.

Suddenly she felt self-conscious, growing hot under the collar. Beatrix. How long was it going to take before the mere thought that she and Akko were dating would stop making her blush?

But at the same time—it made her smile. Lotte had always been observant, so the way she knowingly smiled back could only mean she knew what she was smiling oh-so-softly about. She briefly wondered if the butterflies in her stomach were glaringly obvious as well.

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise when she stepped through the door.

The kitchens were much bigger than she imagined. The walls were thick, aged stone, with pillars that shot up into the high ceiling, connected by arches for support. It looked a bit like a smithy with all the stone, smoke, and fire—but she realized that it wasn’t sweltering at all. There were metal air vents that ran above the kitchen, looking out-of-place but keeping the area well-ventilated with modern technology. And the aromas! She was hit by a delectable sensory over-load that made her (already fluttering) stomach grumble.

“Heya, Lotte!”

A friendly-looking goblin with a lopsided smile trudged towards them, landing a heavy slap on Lotte’s shoulder (“Ouch!”).

“Barry!” Lotte whined, rubbing at where he had greeted her.

“Sorry!” Barry scratched his head. He had bushy brows and fangs that stuck out of his lower lip, and yet despite it all he managed to look so… friendly. Perhaps the apron had something to do with it? “We just get excited when you guys visit.” Large eyes flitted towards Diana and then widened in recognition.

“Hello.” She cleared her throat, unused to being scrutinized. “I’m Diana Caven—”

“Hey guys!” Barry had called over his shoulder, grinning. “It’s Comrade Akko’s girlfriend!”

Comrade?

She looked back towards the staff who were busy with work, several of them turning towards her and waving. There were even some cheers. But they quickly fell back to cooking, which made sense—dinner time was coming soon. Oh. Perhaps now was not the best time to be bothering them with the concerns of a teenager who hadn’t the slightest inkling how to woo a cranky significant other.

“So we finally get to meet’cha!” Two burly troll hands settled heavily on her shoulder. “Why didn’t you guys bring her in sooner, Lotte?”

“You know how it goes,” Lotte chuckled mirthfully, still rubbing the sore spot on her shoulder. “School gets busy!”

“Good thing you’ve got us to keep those rumblin’ bellies full, amirite Jean?”

Coming up from behind him was another troll (Jean, she supposed?). He was a bit taller and leaner, with an expression that reminded her of snobbish pastry chefs she’s met when vacationing abroad. Except, troll-like.

“I can’t believe Comrade Akko had chosen a member of the oppressive bourgeoise for a fling!”

Diana blanched along with Lotte. Bourgeoise? That she could forgive. But—a fling?

“We’re very much in a serious relationship.” Diana found herself seizing up the taller troll, cheeks flushing in indignation at the thought that they were just a fling.

“C’mon, buddy. If she’s okay in Lotte and Comrade Akko’s book, then she’s good with the kitchen trolls!” Barry smiled brightly.

“Speaking of Akko,” Lotte interjected. “It’s that time of the month.”

Barry and Jean were struck with urgency and realization.

“First day?” Jean said quickly, brushing his manicured moustache.

“Yup.”

“Alright. Follow me, ladies.”

---

“I’m quite sure this is against regulation.” Diana set her hand on Lotte’s shoulder, allowing magic to soothe the inevitable bruising that would have come from Barry’s slap.

“Don’t let the trolls hear you say that!” Lotte said quietly. “They love her. Oh, but thanks for healing that—it’s… not like any of the magic they do at the infirmary.”

“It’s a Cavendish skill.”

Her mother had taught it to her at a very young age—to soothe a toothache here, or a pulled muscle there.

They were in a small separated room connected to the kitchens which might have been used to house treasure back when Luna Nova was a proper medieval castle. These days it was used more or less similarly, except the ‘treasure’ was a collection of candied applies, tarts, an impressive meat selection, and various types of bread.

“So this is where she goes whenever she sneaks out for snacks past curfew. I can’t believe the trolls condone this.”

“It’s Akko.” Lotte deadpanned.

She was right. This was entirely unsurprising—something to do with having fought for fair labor practices, she supposed.

“You know,” the other woman started, looking over a selection of sweets which Akko might like. “I’m really glad you two are finally together!”

Diana smiled in appreciation, looking down towards several baguettes while a light dusting of pink fell on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“It’s really cute! And took no small amount of Akko going crazy about her feelings for you for months on end.”

“She did?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Lotte seemed to shudder at the memory. “It drove us crazy too.”

Diana blinked, feeling the odd need to apologize. “Well she does have the tendency to vent her frustrations in a more… outward manner.”

“Yeah,” Lotte giggled. “Screaming into pillows, banging her head into the wall while wailing about your “perfect freaking hair”, and don’t even get me started about that whole week she dedicated to practicing her grand monologue of professing her feelings to you!”

“Oh, she told me about that.”

“It was a disaster wasn’t it?”

“She tripped on her words.” Diana fondly recalled. “And then—”

“—said ‘I fucking like you!’.” Lotte completed, apparently having heard the story from the source itself. She groaned at her usage of such an expletive.

Then they sputtered into quiet, friendly laughter.

Diana never got to spend much time with Lotte, much less alone, but she was one of Akko’s closest friends and she had no plans of denying how enjoyable their conversation had been thus far.

“I feel like I should get to you know more, both you and Sucy.” The blonde said with a little bit of shyness.

“You sure about Sucy?” Lotte grinned.

Diana laughed mirthfully, “Akko said the Red Team was inseparable—take it or leave it.”

“Glad to see our friend is in good hands, then!”

“I…” she began slowly, “Plan to do this—being together, that is—as best as I possibly can.” Diana admitted, sighing wistfully. “I’ll take all the good and the bad that comes with her.”

She blinked up at the other woman, conscious of the lack of response to her sudden admission. Lotte was… swooning with what looked like hearts in her eyes?

“Oh my god!” She squealed. “That’s so romantic!”

---

Half an hour later, Diana was once again in front of the Red Team’s dormitory. Her hand flexed nervously around the handle of a food basket and she rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she nervous? All she was doing was giving Akko food!

She raised her hand confidently to rap at the door—

—and then pulled it back, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“By Jennifer,” she muttered to herself in annoyance. “How hard should it be to knock on someone’s door?”

But then said door opened, and red eyes were blinking at her.

“Diana?” Akko murmured. “I heard shuffling from the outside, I wanted to check it out but didn’t expect it was you.”

She looked disheveled, with her hair all over the place and her pajamas askew. She was holding a bag of warm compress and Diana felt worry shoot up at the thought that something was ailing her enough to skip dinner.

“Akko,” she started, stepping forward to lay her hand on her arm. “Is everything alright?”

“Nope,” the brunette wailed, stepping forward and dropping her head on Diana’s shoulder. “My uterus wants to kill me and this weather is making it worse! But I’m sorry about earlier.” She mumbled into her sleeve. “I didn’t mean to be so pushy. I got super stressed thinking about taking that Runes exam tomorrow while feeling this way—just seeing your books wanted to make me cry!” She rambled on. “Oh—what’s that?”

She pulled away, staring at the basket in Diana’s hand.

“I’ve brought you dinner.” Diana said softly, pleased that Akko was feeling better and even more so at how she sparkled at the thought of ‘food.’ This girl could be so simple, it made the blonde smile.

“Mou—I don’t deserve you!” She wailed, eagerly opening the cloth wrap in the basket right there at the doorway.

And then Akko groaned. She looked like she was going to cry. Why did she look like she was going to cry? Beatrix, help me. Diana swallowed.

“I’m so tired of potatoes!” Akko threw her hands upwards, lip trembling. “Does this school not order anything else?”

She stomped back to her bed, grumbling about starch and rice and ‘Okaa-san’s stew!’ before face-planting into the pillows.

Diana stood cluelessly at the doorway. Should she come on in or… just give her space?

But then Akko suddenly sprang back upward, running towards Diana before taking a fistful of her collar, pulling her in and—

Kissing her.

Very deeply.

She had never been so pleasantly confused in her life.

“I’m so sorry!” Akko pouted. “That was so ungrateful of me. Thank you! I’m starving!” She grabbed the basket. “I hate it when I’m like this—Kami-sama—I’ll be better tomorrow, I promise. You don’t have to deal with this and I’ll make it up to you okay? And-I-love-you!”

“I—I love you t—”

And then the door was back.

At her face.

For the second time today.

Was it acceptable to scream in the hallways at dinner time?

---

Feeling desperate and increasingly frustrated after dinner, she walked towards the Green Team’s dormitory, seeking the advice of someone she never wanted to ask: the only other witch in their group who had a girlfriend and experience with this matter.

Amanda.

Hannah wasn’t nearly as temperamental as Akko during that time of the month, but she wasn’t easy to get along with either. To her credit, it seemed the American witch was actually managing it quite well.

“Diana Cavendish.” Amanda smirked once she opened the door. “In the flesh. How can we help you?”

She flushed despite herself and gave a soft nod towards Jasminka and Constanze who waived at her from inside.

“I would like to seek your opinion on a matter.”

Amanda actually looked surprised. “Never thought I’d hear that from you.”

“Akko is…” Diana gestured aimlessly, trying to find the right words. “On her period.”

“Oh.”

Why was O’Neill looking at her that way? “Well?”

“So you’re having trouble dealing with the… ya know?”

“I don’t.” Diana pursed her lips. She was so tired at this point. “I don’t know.”

“No fucking way.” Amanda gawked. “I can’t believe you’re asking me about this.”

“What is it that’s so hard to believe about me wanting to be a good partner?” Diana fumed, her patience wearing thing. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do? Make Akko feel better when in a foul mood?

Amanda whistled. “I mean… can’t you deal with it on your own?”

“On my own?”

“Yeah!” Amanda nodded enthusiastically. “The urge, I meant. Even I don’t push Hannah when it’s her red season. We just wait it out. Being intimate can get really messy when there’s bloo—”

She slammed the door shut so hard it might have hit Amanda’s nose.

---

Her attempt to learn more from the Green Team was a spectacularly embarrassing failure, and so Diana resigned herself to leaving Akko with space and shutting herself in her dorm.

“Trouble in paradise?” Hannah piped in, noticing the forlorn expression on her usually impassive face. “And why are you looking at me like that?”

Forget about what Amanda said, forget about what Amanda said.

“You could say that.” Diana admitted, not in the mood to hide anything. They were her best friends anyway.

Barbara watched with interested as Diana walked over to her desk and seated herself, catching her head in her hands with a sigh.

“So what happened?” The raven-haired witch leaned forward.

“Akko’s in a mood.” The blonde replied in a muffled voice. “I can’t make heads-or-tails of what to do about it.”

“Is she jealous?” Hannah guessed.

Diana shook her head.

“Injured?”

She shook her head again.

“On her period?”

“First day.” Diana confirmed.

It was met with a synchronized “Ooooh.”

“She hexed Amanda one time she bugged her on her period right?”

“Yeah.” Hannah tried not to snicker. “Burned her skirt. Never knew Akko could pull that spell off.”

Diana rubbed at her temples. “Why is that everyone else seems to know about her apparently infamous temperament and I don’t?”

“Because,” Barbara started, “she made it a point to steer clear of you so she doesn’t snap up or, and I quote “burden you”. And some people really do have it worse than others. My cousin had cramps so bad she would have to miss classes sometimes. I think Akko’s got something similar.”

Diana vaguely recalled days when Akko seemed more reserved than usual. She also had her fair share of spending the day at the infirmary every few months.

“She told you this?”

“Lotte did.” She said off-handedly. “Night-fall convention.”

“You talk about Akko and me during a—”

“We’re romantics!” She said defensively. “And we were right about you two. But anyway, what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ve been trying to do something about it. I brought her food.”

“And?”

“She’s tired of potatoes.”

Hannah sighed. “We all are. Even you—don’t deny it! I see the face you make whenever it’s potatoes for dinner again.”

She made a face?

“She’s probably craving for comfort food.” Hannah hummed to herself. “Tough luck, Japan is half-way across the world.

“Oh.” Barbara perked up, glancing over to Hannah. “What about that place Amanda sneaks out to get you snacks from?”

Hannah glanced warily over to Diana, who was raising her eyebrow in question. “Oh, fine. Don’t tell on her okay? She’s just trying to be sweet.”

“I won’t.” Diana sighed. “But I’m not Amanda. I’m not going to sneak out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.”

---

She was sneaking out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.

Beatrix, she mulled over to herself, pulling up the collar of the her capelet coat. What has become of me?

It was a warm night, unsurprising given the sizzling afternoon sun they suffered through earlier that day. She’d have to thank Professor Ursula for giving her a pass. Glastonbury, while still a bit of an ‘old town’, was beginning to modernize with the advent of the new magical age. More students enrolling at Luna Nova meant more business for the nearby towns, and the influx of children from non-magical families brought with it a union of old tradition and contemporary establishments.

One of which was the ‘Convenience Store.’ As per Hannah’s explanation, this type of establishment was open all hours through the day and night, and typically sold snacks and refreshments to address one’s cravings.

Unfortunately, said Convenience Store was a fifteen-minute broom ride away from school, and she hated having to sneak about. Not very convenient, if she could say so herself. She found it shorty after her arrival to town—it was hard to miss with its bright, off-white lights that glowed through Glastonbury’s dark and dreary streets. She tentatively pushed the glass door open. There was a young man snoozing behind the cash register.

She rolled her eyes, feeling painfully out of place in a store that screamed ‘twenty-first century.’ Why was she here again?

Right. Her girlfriend had cramps and was likely craving.

“Excuse me.”

He didn’t stir.

She cleared her throat, deliberately louder. “Excuse me.”

When he finally awoke, he regarded her with a groggy stare. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any snacks?”

“Help yourself,” he drawled lazily, gesturing towards the rows upon rows of brightly-colored chocolates, candies, and chips. There were coolers at back end of the store with a multitude of energy drinks and juices. Towards the left of the counter was freezer. “That one has ice cream.”

Where was she even going to start? By the nine, there so many choices! Feeling the need to vent, she had blurted out: “I have a cranky girlfriend on her period and I’m so very near my wits end.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened in sympathy. “I got you. Friend of O’Neill’s?”

“So to speak.”

“First time?”

She nodded.

“Alright kid, my name is Marty and I think you and I are gonna be good friends.”

Five minutes into their conversation, Diana realized that Marty was… quite interesting and not at all unpleasant.

“So we’ve narrowed it down to chocolates, and ice cream.”

“She’s quite fond of chocolates. You said these were imported from Asia?”

“Japan!” He grinned proudly.

Perfect.

“I’ll… get one in every flavor.”

“Go hard or go home, amirite?” Marty laughed.

“And…” she glanced over the ice cream cooler. “One pint of each flavor you have.”

Marty blinked.

Costs didn’t matter. Might as well make the most of being part of the ‘oppressive’ bourgeois.

---

“I had a feeling you’d still be up.” Diana whispered softly through the opening of Akko’s dorm. “Please don’t shut the door at my face again.”

“I’m sorry about that!” Akko cried out, but Diana held up her finger in a gesture to keep her quiet.

“Sucy and Lotte might wake up.”

“What’s going on?” Akko inquired. “It’s really late now, Dia.”

“M—May I come in?”

They slipped into the Red Team’s dormitory with hushed voices and the sound of shuffling feet. Diana should have asked Akko’s roommates before inviting herself to stay the night, but she’d rather not wake them and she could leave first thing in the morning.

Akko’s bright red eyes glistened in wonder at the plastic bag Diana was carrying. “W—Where did you get these?”

“In town,” she supplied cryptically.

“You snuck out.” Akko gawked.

“The method is unimportant.” Diana replied. And then her voice and gaze softened. “What matters is… do you like them?”

“I would have screamed in joy if you haven’t been trying to keep me quiet!” Akko said under her breath, pulling on Diana’s arm to sit beside her at her bed. “L—Let me take your coat.”

“That’s not necessary,” Diana whispered back, slipping out of her coat herself and hanging it at the edge of Akko’s bedpost. “I’d rather you just lean back and not exert yourself.”

She had changed into something more casual before leaving, and was glad she wouldn’t have to spend all night in their stuffy uniform. Akko was fiddling with her thumbs and biting her lip.

“Is something wrong?”

“No—no!” Akko reassured. “Well… I’m still sorry for how I’ve been today. I guess I should have told you, but I get really bad cramps on my period and it makes me want to like… break things.”

Diana softly reached over to hold Akko’s hand. “Barbara tells me you didn’t tell me about this?”

“Yeah.” Akko scratched at her cheek, looking away.

Diana scooted over to lean against the headboard of Akko’s bed, quietly inviting the brunette to rest against her. If instinct told her right, Akko would appreciate being held. Sure enough, the smaller witch followed the invitation, situating herself to lean against Diana’s chest. While she wrapped her arms around Akko’s torso, the only thing the blonde could think about was how much she missed holding her today.

She held onto Akko a little tighter, pulling her just a bit nearer. But then Akko began to tense, curling up into herself with a sharp breath.

“Cramps?” Diana spoke gently, laced with worry.

“Yeah. Jennifer’ tits this sucks.”

“What do they give for you at the infirmary?”

“The potion they give me knocks me out cold and I hate how I feel when I wake up in the morning.” She sulked. “Today wasn’t so bad though, so I just wanted to sleep.”

Diana frowned. The way she was gripping on her forearm told her the cramps probably haven’t gone away, so on a whim she wondered if…

“May I try something?”

Akko blinked up at her, a strained expression on her face. “It’s good, this is the worst of it. I really will be fine tomorrow.”

“But may I?” She insisted.

“O—Okay.”

Slowly, she breathed in, setting her hand above Akko’s stomach while she remembered the feeling of magic and… love.

“It’s warm.” Akko whispered, noticeably relaxing.

“It’s a spell from my family. Is this better?”

“So much better.” Akko laced her hands with Diana’s, gratitude evident in the breathlessness of her voice. “Thank you, Dia.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“It would have been troublesome for you, so I just wait it out.” Akko admitted sheepishly.

Troublesome. Diana smiled, watching Akko relax once the pain had been soothed away. She chuckled when Akko opened the first bar of chocolate her hand had found from the nearby pile. Her surprised gasp was a wonderful thing to hear. “This is—from—”

“Home?”

“Yeah!”

“I went to the convenience store in Glastonbury.” Diana admitted.

“I really don’t deserve you!” Akko pouted, head falling back into Diana’s shoulder. “You get me chocolates, have magic healing hands, and now you’re out of your dorm past curfew and—Ugh! I told you—troublesome.”

Diana pressed her nose against Akko’s shoulder, tightening the arms around her waist. The darkness of the room was relaxing, accentuated by a moonlit glow. She breathed in deeply, enjoying their closeness and how nice Akko smelled.

“I think you’re underestimating how much trouble I’m willing to go through for you.”

That earned her a kiss on the cheek. “When did you get so cheesy?”

“Are you complaining?”

“Definitely not.”

“And this is nothing.” Diana teased. “I believe I remember a certain witch chasing me all the way into Wedinburgh just to get me back to school. She didn’t even fly.”

“Mou!” Akko huffed, snuggling into Diana’s warmth even further. “You loved it.”

Diana paused in contentment.

"I love you.”

Akko turned to face her. Her eyes were moving carefully over Diana’s features, as if to memorize how she looked. She grinned. “I can’t believe you’re real and that you feel the same way.”

Diana felt her ears flush. This time, Akko kissed her softly on the lips.

“I love you.” She kissed her again. “Thank you for these, Diana. It—It means so much.”

“So,” Diana started with a teasing lilt in her voice. “What was that about—kissing me right at your doorway earlier?”

“Mood swings are caused by hormones, you know.” Akko pouted, flushing red in the cheeks.

“So picky with food, too.” She continued to tease, earning another quiet laugh from her girlfriend. Akko looked like herself again.

They fell into a familiar banter, curled up together in bed, and she realized that she’d do it again.

From raiding the kitchen, to running around the castle, to flying out in the middle of the night.

She’d do it again, and again, and again if she had to because Akko was smiling once more and everything—everything—was worth it.

fin

A/N: Hey guys! Here's another one-shot that absolutely no one asked for but I may burst into tears because of how much I loved the idea. I was beginning to get self-conscious about how many one-shots I've made for Diakko but like IDK I LOVE THEM OKAY IDC ANYMORE I hope you enjoy, and stay safe! I also appreciate all the comments people have left in the other works, and am sorry if I don't always get to respond but will try to find the opportunity to! <3

Additionally: Haahaaha yeah I know it's not an Appt update I'm soRRY

#Diakko #Dianakko #Diana Cavendish #Akko Kagari #Atsuko Kagari #LWA #Little Witch Academia #Luna Nova #Sucy Manbavaran #lotte yanson #LWA Akko #LWA Diana #Fluff #Romance #Cute Fanfic #Hamanda #wlw

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mc-critical · 3 years

Note

Watching the MY series, a generational pattern I’ve noticed in the series is how jealous daughter-in-laws become unsympathetic mother-in-laws. Such as Hafsa telling Hürrem she’ll have to learn to “share the sultan as she once did.” Or Mahidevran telling Fatma that surely Mustafa wasn’t going to seek her permission before marrying Helena or lying with other women. Or Kösem telling Aysë and Farya that their purpose, along with the rest of the harem, is pleasing her son and etc etc etc. I wonder if it’s a trauma response of sorts? Something parallel to “if I couldn’t have the monogamous married life than neither will you” kind of thing?

It's not only a pattern, I guess it was the reality of those days. A self fulfilling toxic cycle. They are different people after all and their motivations shape up how they came to be in different ways and yet, that particular behaviour obviously originates from the exact same place.

It's a part of the adaption to the circumstances in the harem, something that is just inevitable. No matter how hard one resists, there is always someone that would remind them of the rules they should follow, of their position, because it's precisely the polygamous system that is established, what the harem leans upon. Putting an end to it is unheard of and presumably impossible. But the interesting thing is, this is what all these women stand up the most against early on, the thought they would ever accept it never slipping their mind. They show hard resistence against these rules and everyone, more or less, wants the Sultan/the Prince all for themselves and the reason is two-fold: because they love him or have learned to love him dearly (most of the cases in the show, probably to minimize the toxicity in these relationships) and because this was the most effective way to gain at least a bit of peace and stability and privileges in their life. But finally, we see how they've given in and how they've absorbed and now apply what they have been told. Why? They all get so engrained in this harem life, it drains their youth, their innocence, their dreams, their ideals and when they're older, already into all the power and the intriguous, mysoginistic environment, they recite to new people all these same rules all over again. Perhaps to get used to them before they do the foolish mistakes they did, perhaps truly because of the trauma they've experienced and never got the chance to cope with, using every possible chance to hammer in the fact that these other people shouldn't even try - the fight is already lost. Trying to change this "law" would only bring in conflict and would cost everyone in the room dearly.

The MC/K franchise presents the evolution of this cycle very thoroughly with one sultana after another, connecting the adaption to the system with other different factors that depend on origin, personality and character themes in the beginning and as the series go on, so I might as well briefly go to each Sultana I can recall, one by one:

This high and mighty initial remark sets its roots, of course, with the collective representative of the old traditions herself, Hafsa Sultan. She applies it to Hürrem and Mahidevran, and is very firm in keeping it, it seems she has even devoted her whole rule of the harem to it. The notable thing is, she is a Crimean princess, a member of a dynasty, one who is actually married to her Sultan (confirmed in E49-50.), on a high position from the start, and yet, she had to witness "other women". She probably was "into" the laws even before she went to the harem, and when she had experienced blows from them firsthand, her will to keep them in check had probably strengthened even more. She may be one of these cases where she really uses the remark out of spite on a personal level ("You don't know what hardships I had to experience with Sultan Selim." i.e well, I experienced it, so should you!), but that also couples with her love for the law overall, that is so in line with who she is and her overall character traits. ("Love in this harem doesn't exist../Love makes you blind."; "The Sultan can't be with only one woman.")

Hürrem is a particularly interesting case, because she's the one whose fight with the laws and traditions is shown the most, in all stages, and yet, she succumbs to the "obligatory" remark anyway. She applies it to Nurbanu and Huricihan, which, despite of the other reasons present, is exemplary of what the harem is capable of doing even to the most daring and rebellious people. I see her character arc as symbolic to letting the past go and the adaptation to current curcumstance. She was very often going with the flow, risking it all for success, but her fight with the polygamous system was ultimately, the biggest fight she had fight with the haremly traditions. Gülnihal, Sadıka, the Russian concubines, Isabella, Firuze, Nazenin... no, it was hard and tough, having to face it in every season, and it ended only when she realized her life would be over. (signora Porzia in S04 around E131-132, while neither a concubine, nor an arc, being more of a thematic reminder of how well known Hü is around the world, still spent time with Süleiman and seemed to show a last sign of slight jealousy on Hürrem.) In fact, to completely win Süleiman over, is one of the first things she set herself to achieve (with Nigar's advice in the first episode.) and due to it opposing the system in its very core, it had the most stable traditional opposition. It questions the system itself, it risks to break it all apart, and she didn't fully succeed. It must have been exhausting for her to track one woman after another and to put her love to the test again and again. She didn't fully make it, and believe it or not, she realizes it very well. And this whole desire connected with her striving to achieve the highest position in the hierarchy. She fought to get rights for herself, but not for anyone else. So, when she finds herself in a comfort zone, she applies what Valide Hafsa and the others have once applied against her, being more than them and thus, already too far gone to sympathize. (I think this post elaborates on these dimensions of Hürrem's character way better than I ever could, though being more about how another aspect of the toxic system, the elitism, is applied in what ways, respectively.) It's more of a turning into a ready product of the environment rather than some personal negative resentment or entitlement, even though that could be it, too, as an endorsement of her ethos that she's Hürrem Sultan and no one could be like her. (as also said by Selim, her own son.)

We encounter something quite similar with Mahidevran on some extent, with her not only striving to be the only woman SS loves in his life, it was something she already had, and only then had to fight to get back - making rash, impulsive decisions due to the loss of her attachment, which is why accepting and getting in accordance with her loss is presented more as character development than regression. And ironically (or not), it began to happen after her conversation with Valide after she sent Sadıka to SS in E16, seeming to take her advice to heart. (her stopping to be jealous of other concubines, even befriending them in their distaste for Hürrem.) But then again, the coin always has two sides, because while she got calmer, wiser and more decisive in Manisa, every possible sympathy she could have to those that experience the same, is now gone. She applies these remarks to Fatma and Elena for them to begin living with it and behave accordingly. For them to accept it, just like she once did. She does judge them to herself. ("All good things come to an end. It's hard to accept it, but I accepted it. Because this is the truth.") And because Mahidevran also cherishes laws and tradition and considers every single imprudence as unprecedented and off limits, she would obviously recite the words Valide reminded her of every other day, to "keep piece and order".

After these three cases, this remark turns into a behaviour, applied more to those the Sultanas would perceive as ambitious rivals to themselves, that began building up from Hürrem and Nubanu, and would keep on to the other "generation" of the Sultanate of Women right into Kösem.

Nurbanu, albeit not so directly, applies it to Safiye. With her being sent from Mihrimah and her bold streak, Nurbanu perhaps used it as a "precaution", to warn her what is in front of her. She probably doesn't hold much belief in a monogamous relationship, especially due to what she experienced with Dilşah, but her relationship with Selim was way more stable than any of this kind in the show.

With Safiye we actually have something bizarre, because right in episode 1, she tells Anastasia that the possibility of going home is the first thing she should forget, and yet, she utters this "weird" (in retrospect) quote: "Should we tell her that the only thing that could make this cage bearable is love?". She doesn't tell her that she has to accept "other women", she motivates her to fight for her love and to get it, seeing her potential. But that happens only as a long as she's loyal to her. Once Anastasia became Kösem and she didn't give Safiye the reciprocal loyalty, their enmity began.

Kösem is the paralleling contrast to Hürrem, since she doesn't truly adapt to this system, but she merges herself with the country that is vital to this system. This is why she applies it to Farya and Ayşe. I think Kösem is the sultana that accounts personal feelings the least here, since she's the one that let them behind in favor of the country. So, her reminding Ayşe and Farya of their purpose, is to prevent them from causing any kind of unrest. Because she values her relationship with Ahmet and sees it as something beyond love. ("Today, I married not only Sultan Ahmet, but the country, too!" - this isn't the exact quote, but the meaning is the same.)

#magnificent century #ask #stuffandthangs

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llendrinall · 4 years

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Omg if an adult Draco woke up in 5 year old Draco's body and he wanted to make his father's life a living hell. Id read that, please please tell us the stuff he'd get up to. (as well as the stuff you would get up to at school, please)

It would be a nightmare for all involved. Draco, who had fought so much, suffered so much in order to atone not only for his mistakes but those of his family… and he finds himself back! All progress lost! He had broken his back, literally (it was a really dumb idea and Harry was very angry with him) to get Granger to warm up to him. Longbottom had forgiven him! (And Draco doesn’t even know what exactly he did to merit that). Harry had…

Harry had kissed him the weekend before.

And now he is back in his five-year-old body. Not even eleven, when he could see Harry and make a difference. No, he is five, and Draco cries and rages so much that he develops a fever and is incoherent for a week.

Afterwards… Well, you know how parents pride themselves in their children’s achievements? How parents want their children to be better than them? Lucius has found there is a limit to it. Having his son be more eloquent and advanced than any other child his age is great. Having his five-year-old son tell him with impeccable grammar that he, Lucius, will bring the ruin of their house is not great at all. Draco looks at him with a cherubic face and eyes that are burning grey, accusing him of crimes that even Narcissa doesn’t know about. Crimes that Lucius had barely begun to plan.

It is terrifying.

It is well known that what muggles call “demonic possessions” are nothing more than a wizard having a little too much fun with an imperius. But when Draco grabs Lucius’ wand, goes down to their hidden vault and, and, and opens it! He- he just casts the spell! Draco is five and he is doing magic that many adults struggle with! Oh, then Lucius wants to believe there might be something else.

(Out of all the forbidden things in their vault Draco went straight to the diary the Dark Lord had entrusted Lucius. Straight to it. And he destroyed it that very same night.)

“You failed.” Draco says, hot and angry. He is so pale and soft and full of fire. “You failed at everything and I had to take your place. I was given an impossible task as punishment to you, threatened not only with my death but the whole family, because of you!”

“Tenses, darling.” Says Narcissa softly. Narcissa is blind to the monster they have in the house. She doesn’t see it. She is convinced that there is nothing wrong with Draco, that he is just a very powerful seer who is a bit confused with timelines and verb tenses.

Draco is not a seer. Lucius is sure of that because if he were, then he would know that Lucius is thinking of… cleaning up the line. Narcissa is still young and she can give him another son or Lucius can remarry.

He is not a seer, but one day over breakfast Draco looks up and says “It won’t work. Whatever you are plotting, it won’t work. I can’t recall a single plan of yours that worked longer than a month. Kicking Dumbledore from Hogwarts, bribing the Ministry, bringing back the Dark Lord. It never works.”

So Lucius packs up his things and leaves the country quietly.

Narcissa is… shocked, which means she is furious, betrayed, and briefly terrified that she might lose her income and secure position. But once she is reassured that she still holds the house and the fortune she takes a big breath, internally swears that next time she comes across Lucius she will castrate hex him, and steps up into the role of Lady of the House.

She also listens to Draco. She insists that what Draco says has happened is yet to come, but she listens.

Draco wants to get Harry at once, but it is not so easy to find a seemingly normal muggle family in the sea of actually normal muggle families living an hour away from London. In the meantime, Narcissa visits Flourish and Blotts every day for a week until she finally gets there at the same time than the Weasleys. Then it’s a question of dropping a handkerchief and waiting for the bespectacled Weasley to fetch it for her and then, well, he is so eloquent and polite that Narcissa insists on buying young, Percival, was it? She shall buy him a quill. Any quill he wants. Don’t look at the price and just pick whatever quill you like best, young man. You must have a proper quill to write your letters.

Molly Weasley would rather drag herself through shards of glass than accept a gift from a Malfoy; but one look at Percy tells her that if she takes this from him, if she takes his once chance of having something New and Fancy and Just For Him, he will hate her forever. So Molly relents (as Narcissa knew she would because mothers are predictable). Two weeks later Draco has a play date with Ronald.

“I think you should play Quidditch, Draco, dear.” She says, because horrendous as Lucius’ attitude was, she does recognize that Draco can be a bit off-putting. There isn’t that much talking with Quidditch and Draco is clever enough to let the young Weasley win two out of three times.

It takes thirteen months to find Harry and by then Narcissa has got a foot in both the Weasley’s and Longbottom’s houses. The latter was an excruciating effort and is still a very much work in progress. Narcissa had to let that bulldog of Augusta Lonbottom seer her crying and even now they are one wrong word away of losing all progress, but the children are talking and that was the goal.

She is weighting the pros of buying a house near the Dursleys and just moving there versus the advantage of frequently inviting the Weasley kids to the manor, when she sees the anxious look in her son’s face, a look of urgency and desperation and…

“Draco,” she cries, softly and sadly. Beautiful Draco, six years and two months and with a face like a silver coin. “Draco, dear, do you love this boy? I don’t mean like you love Mummy. Do you…”

“I know what you mean, Mother.” Draco says, serious, he is always so serious. She supposes he has to be to contain the fire burning inside. “I am not a child, I have told you. And I love him with all my heart.”

Oh.

“Then, you shouldn’t meet so soon.” Narcissa says firmly, although inside her heart is aching and she doesn’t know why. “Children who grow together tend to see each other as siblings. Why, your Great Aunt Marthia grew up with Gaius Mulciber, her fiancée, and their marriage was very difficult. I think he tried to poison her in order to marry his lover, or the other way around. I can’t remember. In any case, it is better to wait.”

But Draco doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to wait. He doesn’t want Harry to spend a single day more than necessary in that house where he was miserable and unloved. Whatever it takes, he says. Whatever it takes, even if the price is not loving Draco. Let’s rescue him now.

Narcissa explains that waiting would be much better. There are other things they have to keep in mind, like the return of the Dark Lord and the fact that Harry is linked to him. It can’t be that bad, the muggle house. Just bad enough that Harry will jump easily and eagerly to the wizarding world once it’s presented to him, so he will be all the more willing to sacrifice his…

“oh”, Narcissa says, very softly, not even an exclamation mark or a capital.

“oh”, she repeats.

Internally, she thinks “that bastard”. Dumbledore, of course. It is well known that Dumbledore wants Voldemort’s destruction at whatever cost.

“Draco you have to get yourself invited to the Longbottom’s house.” Narcissa says. Something in her tone finally cuts Draco’s unending cries that they have to get Harry, he will do it himself even if he is just one meter and ten centimeters tall.

Draco is a charming b-. Draco is charming, boy, child or adult trapped in a kid’s body. He gets an invitation and a layout of the Longbottom’s house. Narcissa then dons a pair of sensible country boots that she doesn’t mind getting dirty with mud and barely sleeps for the next ten days. Her skin suffers from it greatly, mind you.

By day three she has successfully stolen the rat Scabbers from the Burrow. She was going to switch it with a real pet rat, but it escapes and she can’t go chasing it. Then she begins a ten-days terror program on the Longbottoms. Footprints on the flowerbeds, upsetting the warding charms on the doors, definite signs of tampering in the chimney… Augusta Longbototm is many things, but she is certainly not a fool and by day four she is at the Ministry demanding help form the Auror office. It takes five freaking days for them to send a couple or aurors down. Narcissa is incensed on her behalf.

She waits until Dumbledore sends Moody down to the house. Moody casts extra protection charms and lays some traps and that night Narcissa pushes a stunned Pettigrew into what seems the nastiest of all of the traps. The one Dumbledore told Moody not to use but he still prepared the moment he left. In goes Pettigrew, stunned and wounded because Narcissa is under a lot of stress and she might have tortured him a bit.

Narcissa and Draco are there to greet Sirius, their BELOVED cousin (all capitals so no one dares says otherwise) when he is released from Azkaban. She has him shaved, washed and all set in a nice London house before Dumbledore can even begin to say “unfit for taking care of an underage boy”. At six years and four months Harry leaves the Dursleys and moves with his godfather.

And then it’s all nice for a while until Pettigrew escapes Azkaban, meets Lucius in the continent and together bring Voldemort back. There is a war. People grow more and more afraid of Draco and he has more attempts on his life than Harry ever had. Narcissa kills Bellatrix and doesn’t even think about it.

And, one day, a young handsome gentleman with shiny black hair arrives accompanied by a sullen lanky young man with streaks of pink in his hair. Draco labels the lanky young man as the ugliest adult he has even seen. The handsome young gentleman introduces himself as Harry Potter and asks if perhaps Draco remembers him?

The burning fire inside Draco disappears. There is only hot air and ash.

The ugly lanky young man is adult Draco, of course, governed by an eight-year-old who has completely destroyed his hair. Harry, his Harry, is just amused at Draco’s indignation that they allowed this to happen. Apparently Child Draco was a handful to deal with.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to find you,” handsome gentleman Harry says, and he is so warm and beautiful that Draco wants to cry. He doesn’t even care about how ugly is adult body is because once he is back in it Harry grabs his hands and doesn’t let go until they are back home.

#asks #harry potter #time travelling #Anonymous #verse: deaged #textpost

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 4 years

Text

Fili x Reader: Stranger

Author’s Note: To the peeps who follow me for my Hobbit/LOTR stories, thank you for being patient! After all that Star Wars stuff, I finally got some more Hobbit fanfics going here! Not to toot my own horn, but I had a lot of fun with this idea.

This is set after Battle of the Five Armies where Fili, Thorin, and Kili all made it out and are rebuilding Erebor (the ending I’ve basically accepted instead of the one in the movies :D ). I hope it is to your liking!

(ALSO please excuse my sorry excuses for Middle Earth names I put in here... I sort of invented them at work. You’ll know them when you see them :I )

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

It was springtime in Dale, and everything was in full bloom. The city had made an excellent recovery since the people of Lake-Town had made it their home again.

Your relatives had been survivors of Lake-Town’s desolation and even had been successful enough to open a shop in the new city. With the citizens of Erebor back in the mountain opening up trade again, Dale became a place of plenty. It was because of this your relatives had sent word to your family offering a job and place to stay for any who desired a new start. Your parents thought it would be a good experience for a young woman like you. You’d learn the ins and outs of a successful business and also be of help to your relatives who needed the extra help as more customers came in. Not to mention it would be an entirely new place with new people to meet. You had been eager to travel a bit and see a little more of the world outside your little town.

Your relatives were fairly distant, but you just called them Aunt Mirrim and Uncle Rhain. They had two daughters that you referred to as your cousins. Lilly and Gwennifer were sweet little girls, but also mischievous. It wasn’t uncommon for them to play jokes on you or ask you repeatedly about your love life, to which you insisted you had none. They just liked to hear your exasperated sigh, for reasons unknown to you.

The days were busy with plenty for you to do in and out of the shop since Dale was still in the process of rebuilding in some areas. You had even caught glimpses of the short and stocky citizens of Erebor that came down from the mountain to trade or purchase goods. Some were gruff, hesitant to trust your people since there had been a battle over gold merely months before. Most were relatively friendly, however. The women were generally more friendly towards you. Your family sold clothes and accessories among other things, and even though the females had superior items made in Erebor, they expressed curiosity about the fashion and goods your people produced. Once in a while you’d get questions or compliments from them.

Today in particular was a beautiful day. The air was warm and fresh, and yellow sunlight shone down from a clear blue sky. Some trees had started to bud while others bloomed flowers. You stood outside admiring the way white petals fell from a small tree in front of your aunt and uncle’s shop. A spring breeze carried them gently to the stone walkway where they lay scattered.

Uncle Rhain poked his head out the front door. “______________, would you be so kind as to help me raise the banner?”

You nodded, taking the cloth banner from him “Of course!” The banner was a way for customers to know when the shop was open. You paused, waiting for your uncle to take the other rope and help you raise it, but he had disappeared back inside. “Oh, well, I suppose I’ll do it myself. Shouldn’t be too much trouble!” Normally he helped because the pulley could be tricky, but perhaps he forgot. Rather than bother him, you figured you’d try to raise it yourself. You unfolded the banner, hooked it onto the rope, and began to hoist it up. It got stuck a few times, but fortunately, you seemed to be able to handle it.

Then a gust of wind blasted through.

It pulled the banner swiftly, dragging you forward as you grappled with securing the rope. A few passersby watch with concern. You were sure you looked silly. Another strong gust of wind attempted to pry the banner from your hands, and you gasped as it tugged on your limbs.

A set of masculine hands grabbed the rope in your peripheral. He -whoever it was- pulled the entire banner straight up to its rightful place at the top front of the store. You quickly tied it down and exhaled in relief, brushing hair from your face.

“I can’t thank you enough,” you told your rescuer, turning to face him. He was clearly from Erebor, much shorter than the average man and of stocky build. For someone to have been able to raise that banner as quickly as he did alone, he must have been very strong. He had a long blonde mane and beard with blue eyes that shone in amusement as he smiled at you.

“No worries,” he assured you. “What are you doing out here wrestling with this thing all by yourself?”

“I, um,” you were a little stunned. He was quite handsome, after all. “My uncle usually helps, but I think he got a little distracted. It’s very busy around here.”

“I’m sure. It’s been a period of rebuilding for all of us.”

You nodded. “Yes, it has.”

“My name is Fili,” he introduced, extending a hand.

“I’m ___________.” You took his hand briefly in greeting, marveling at how warm and strong it was.

He gazed at you as if searching for something. For a minute, you weren’t sure what to say. Finally, he spoke again.

“You’re not from Lake-Town, are you?”

“Oh, no I’m not.” You shook your head. “My relatives are. After Smaug was defeated, they opened up this shop. Since things are going so well, they invited me to come work for them a few weeks ago.”

“I thought so. See, I went to Lake-Town when Smaug paid his...visit… And I don’t recall seeing you. I’m sure I would’ve remembered you if I had.”

You fought the warmth that crept into your cheeks at his words. “I’m sure you say that to all the young ladies you meet here.”

“Definitely not,” Fili chuckled. “This has been my first time here since the Battle. I’ve heard good things about the progress your people are making here, and I was curious. I wanted to see for myself.”

“And what do you think? Now that you’ve seen it?”

“I think…” he narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. “I think I like it.”

You smiled. “Well, I’m honored to have been part of your first visit to Dale since it was a pile of ruins.”

“I’m honored that you’re honored.”

The conversation ebbed into a mutual silence, though neither of you seemed bothered by it. Things changed when another shorter man with long hair, though lacking in a full beard, approached.

“Fili, we need to get our things and get back, or Thorin would be much displeased.” He took notice of you and smiled. “Well hello there. Are you a friend of my brother’s?”

“We only just met,” Fili replied, rolling his eyes, before looking at you again. “This is my brother, Kili.”

“Pleased to meet you,” you said, smiling.

“Not as pleased as I to meet you.”

Fili rolled his eyes again. “Well, I must be going... Although, I wanted to ask, what sort of things do you sell?”

“Dresses and accessories as well as traveling gear.”

He nodded. “Traveling gear? Very interesting... I think I’ll have to stop by. Mind if I come by tomorrow at the same time? Perhaps I can help you with the banner again.”

You beamed. “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good rest of your day,” Kili chimed in.

“You too!”

Even as Fili and his brother walked away, he snuck a glance or two back at you. In fact, he almost walked right into another gentleman’s way since he wasn’t paying attention like he should. After he was gone, you found yourself unable to stop smiling. You went back inside the shop thinking over your interaction with him. A part of you was surprised and uncomfortable with the fact you found him so attractive and couldn’t wait to see him again. After all, you were from two totally different cultures.

“You look so deep in thought, __________.” Aunt Mirrim’s comment interrupted your thoughts. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh yes, everything’s fine.” You quickly resumed organizing some of the items that had been misplaced by customers the day before. “I just wanted to let you know we will be expecting a customer right when we open tomorrow.”

She grinned. “Very well! Might I say that we really appreciate your help, dear. We’ve noticed more customers since you came along to encourage people and help them find what they need.”

“I appreciate this opportunity,” you insisted. She walked past to continue her work, and your thoughts returned to the mysterious Fili. What was his job in Erebor? Was he a blacksmith or tailor? Perhaps he was some sort of writer or educator? You figured you’d ask him the next day. Either way, you counted the minutes until your paths crossed again.

#hobbit imagine #hobbit reader insert #hobbit x reader #erebor #dale #fili x reader #fili imagine #fili #hobbit fanfiction #kili

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bbrandy2002 · 4 years

Text

My Love

Chapter Nine

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Book: TRH

A/N: Thanks @burnsoslow for the late-night beta read and for making me believe a lion was going pop out of my phone (I'm still astounded by how gullible I am, but the conversation was hilarious).

A/N/N: Using a prompt I was given by @pedudley that she requested for Liam and Maxwell: “What are you doing?” “Hiding”

THANK YOU for all of your continued messages about this story!!!

"And I always will, my love," Liam whispered under his breath as he lowered the gun to his side. He squinted in astonishment and took a half-step back.

He knew.

He could feel it.

And -- in a way that mystified even himself -- he could see it.

A sudden wave of realization crashed over him that nearly dropped him to his knees.

"Riley?" he questioned through a shaky breath, his focus on her never faltering.

Riley remained still. Quiet. Resolute. Inside, she fought the urge to speak or touch him while she searched his curious eyes. She had to allow Liam's mind a chance to catch up with his heart. It was evident by the staggered look on his face; it was, as expected, going to take some time to process his feelings, his thoughts, and the overwhelming need to understand what this was.

She followed his staggered gaze as it traveled down the full length of her body before settling back on her face again.

"Is it … it’s really you?"

Riley nodded slowly. Her eyes became glassy under a shroud of hope and anticipation she had longed for since returning. "It's really me," her voice cracked.

Liam's face softened, and his own eyes began to well up and trickle like streams down to his quivering chin. The pieces of his heart that had been shattered six weeks ago in a cold hospital room, were being mended back together one at a time. Those tiny remnants that had left him feeling lost, lonely, and broken, were in one single moment, complete, and now beating with a warmth he had long forgotten. His strength always came from her, and now she stood in his presence.

Liam was whole again.

"H-How?" he stammered. "I saw you. I held you in my arms. You … you died."

"I know." She answered him through her silent cry. "But … my Liam needed me."

He shook his head, still stuck between disbelief and an all-consuming desire to feel her. "I've always needed you, Ri," his voice laced with emotion.

The couple stared at one another. That same magnetic force that drew them together in a dimly-lit New York bar had resurfaced. In Liam's mind, he couldn't explain what was taking place. The Riley he once knew wasn't there, but somehow, someway, the most essential part of her was.

Everything she told him in the hospital came flooding back. All the memories she knew. How she had repeatedly insisted Amanda was dead, and that she came back to him through her. How she had heard him cry out for her moments before he broke down -- a time in which Amanda was known to have been attacked in the park. None of it really made any sense, but in some strange way, everything did.

His hand trembled as it reached for her cheek, stopping just shy of her face. Riley smiled then pressed the side of her head into his palm; her hands cupped over him while she savored the feeling and tenderness of his touch.

Liam smiled back at her then realized he still had the gun in his other hand -- the one he almost killed her with.

"Oh, God! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to --" He didn't take his eyes off of her as he scrambled to place the pistol on the table.

Riley laughed softly and rubbed his upper arm. “Liam, it’s okay.”

He continued to search her eyes. "Can … can I hold you?" He asked through a pleading whimper.

She nodded affirmatively. Her thumb grazed at the corner of his eye to catch a lingering tear. "I would like that."

Liam's free hand reached around her waist as the other one that was cupping her cheek traveled down the length of her arm before winding through it and resting on her lower back. He bit his bottom lip and pulled her closer to him until she was firmly pressed against him. Riley obviously looked and felt different; those subtle curves he remembered were now smoother. Her complexion was lighter, and her hair not as dark. The alluring smile that had captivated him from the beginning was no longer there.

The way her features lit up whenever she looked at him, however, was exactly the same. She had love written across her face and in her eyes. She was every bit as beautiful and stunning as the vision of her he recalled in his head. Liam never saw that in Amanda, yet, it was all there now.

This was Riley Brooks.

This was his love.

With his arms wound tightly around her waist, Riley encircled her own around his neck. Liam lowered his head towards hers, hesitating at first, before parting his lips as he inched closer to her. She moistened her lips and closed the distance between them. With her fingers twined through his wavy, blonde hair, they kissed with a tenderness and passion that gradually became more desperate. It was weeks of raw, painful emotions that all came to a head and were now set free through this physical demonstration of their yearning affections. His hands shifted from her waist and cupped the sides of her neck with his thumbs resting along her jawline before reluctantly parting.

Liam rested his forehead on Riley’s, donning an enchanted smile. “I missed you so much, love," he breathed.

"I missed you too."

For the next several minutes, they embraced one another, savoring the sensation of the other's touch. Fingers laced. Hands roamed. Tongues swept across the other. Eyes gazed longingly.

Liam was afraid to let go of her out of fear; it would all turn out to be a dream. He was sure the instant he let go of Riley, she would disappear, and couldn't bring himself to take that chance -- not after everything he had been through. He lifted her up and spun her around, and the sound of her laughter made him feel more carefree and spirited than he had in a long time. “How is all of this possible?”

Riley chuckled. “Let’s just say, never underestimate the power of your mother. Eleanor knows the right people to talk to so she can get what she wants. She definitely has a way of seeing to it that her baby boy is taken care of … she’s so proud of you, Liam.”

Liam sucked in his lips and closed his eyes. “You talked to --” he paused briefly, “that’s how you knew about my elbow?”

“Yes,” Riley answered with a mischievous grin.”I know so much more about your childhood. You weren’t always as innocent as you like to let on,” she laughed.

Liam rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes darting to the heavens. “Thank you, Mother,” he said wryly.

He held onto her gentle hand as he pulled out the chair Bastien had sat in before exiting and lowered her down onto his lap. Riley noticed the pale color of Liam’s face and poured him a glass of water that was sitting on the table. “You look like you could use this.” She handed the glass to him.

Liam took a few sips then placed the water back on the table. “Thank you. It’s not every day your late wife comes back from the afterlife in the form of her … killer.” He pinched the middle of his shaking forehead with a slight chuckle. “You’ve always done things that surprised me, Riley, but this … this is a new one. I don’t even know how the hell I’m going to get you out of this.”

Riley feigned a pouty look then laughed playfully. She wanted to tell him the stipulations, that this wasn’t something permanent. She would have to return. Riley Brooks died weeks ago, and that was a fact that would never change. This was only a temporary solution. It was the sheer look of peace designed into every facet and form of his face and the sound of contentment in his voice, that made her decide that it would be best to wait. There was so much to do in such a short time, and she had to make sure Liam would be prepared for it. She wanted him to at least have this moment.

Liam had so many questions, and Riley answered them as best as she could. How do you explain a phenomenon such as this? Much to her surprise, and most certainly also to himself, he was willing to accept it. He had always trusted his gut instincts when it came to her, and this time was no different. She was the love of his life with the face of her killer, and yet for reasons that he couldn’t explain, he knew this was real. Liam knew Riley better than anyone else, and even with his years of training in body language and presentation, he wasn’t sure he could have portrayed his wife as well as the woman before him.

After they kissed once more, Liam was eager to take her home, and she wanted more than anything to hold Ellie again. There were still a lot of unanswered questions and so many things to discuss with one another, but they would need to wait. For now, there was only one logical option: She would continue to be known as Amanda Talbert to the world, and Liam and their closest friends would be the only ones who really knew who she was.

Riley straightened Liam’s buttoned-up shirt and fixed his collar, more so out of habit than necessity, and followed behind him. With one last glance, they walked out of the interrogation room.

Bastien was sitting in a chair just outside of the room. When the door opened, he looked up surprised but overly relieved the King had decided against killing the prisoner. He stood to reach for Riley’s arm to escort her back to her cell. Liam lightly pushed Bastien’s arm away and looked back at Riley. He cleared his throat and shared with his head guard that “Miss Talbert” was innocent and would be returning with him back to his quarters as Ellie’s nanny. It was a difficult statement to make. He still wanted Amanda to pay for what she had done to Riley, but he would have to be satisfied that someone had taken liberties in their own demented way, of doing that already.

Bastien was at a loss for words. “Sir, but what about the evidence? This woman killed your wife. Our Queen.”

Liam clapped him on the shoulder and held his grip tightly there. “I have made my decision, and you will respect my order. The evidence against her is to be shared with no one. Do I make myself clear?”

Bastien’s mouth fell, not sure how to respond.

“Bastien! Are we clear?”

“Uhm.”’ He stammered for words before responding. “Yes, sir.”

Liam clapped his shoulder once more with a grin. “Thank you, Bastien.”

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

Riley followed a respectful distance behind Liam to not garner attention until they returned to their quarters. Once the door had shut behind them, both stopped in their tracks when they noticed Maxwell hunched down next to a column in the foyer.

Liam quirked his brow. “Maxwell. What are you doing?”

“Hiding,” he replied in a hushed tone. “I hid the key to the liquor cabinet, and Drake is trying to kill me for it. He’s fiending real, real bad, Liam. I think it’s time we stage an intervention before we lose him to the hooch.”

“I don’t need a damn intervention, Maxwell!’ Drake interrupted as he popped around the corner with Ellie in his arms. His attention suddenly shifted when he noticed Riley standing beside Liam. His head motioned to her. “What the hell is she doing here?” he glowered.

Maxwell sprung to his feet with a giant smile and a wave. “Hey, Blossom!”

Riley chuckled. “Hey, Max.”

Liam took a lively Ellie from Drake, kissed the top of her head, and stood before Riley. “Are you ready for her?”

To Riley, it had felt like a lifetime since she saw her little girl. She was so overcome with emotions from seeing this beautiful creature again, she couldn’t answer him. She nodded and held out her arms as Liam placed Ellie in them.

Her 12-week old daughter didn’t know it, but the large smile she gave her -- one she had never seen before -- melted her heart. With Liam’s arms wrapped around both of them, their family was complete again.

Drake had wanted to believe her in the hospital that day, yet couldn’t allow his heart or the rational portion of his mind to go there. He shook his head in amazement when it all became real to him. “Welcome back, Brooks.”

Riley smiled back at him with a grateful look. “Thank you, Drake.”

Drake turned to Maxwell and grabbed his shirt collar. “Now, where’s that fucking key at, Beaumont?”

It was clearer during their brief reunion, as they reminisced over old times and inside jokes that she was exactly who she claimed to be.

As much as both of them wanted to stay, having their own lists of questions, Drake and Maxwell knew that Liam, Riley, and Ellie needed their own personal time together. Before leaving, they understood this was something that needed to be kept between the four of them for now. Not only because of the complexity of the situation but also for Riley’s safety. It was well known by now among them that Amanda was related to Amalas and that it was highly probable that her attack was in some way related to her Auvernal connection.

That evening, after putting Ellie to bed, Riley stood at the rails of the balcony just off their bedroom, with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Occasionally rubbing at the goosebumps that sprouted from the chill of the breeze that lingered, she glanced towards the small monument that sat under the apple tree by the maze. It was the first time since returning that it really struck her -- she was gone. She was a soul that no longer existed in this life with the man she cherished and the child they shared together. At any time, and she wasn’t sure when she would have to return. She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. Shutting her eyes, she pondered how she would be able to leave them again. Riley came back because Liam needed her, but at what cost?

Startled from her thoughts, she felt Liam’s arms come around her waist from behind and the press of his warm lips on her cheek. How badly had he missed her that he was so readily willing to accept who she now was? For life?

How much harder was it going to be on him when she left again?

Liam nuzzled into her neck, nipping along her shoulder. “Love, I was thinking.”

“Hmm,” she moaned into each nibble as his hands skidded lower and lower. “What’re you … thinking about?” Her belly clenched.

“The social season. I would like to meet with Bertrand tomorrow and discuss plans for your sponsorship. I’m sure he would be more than happy to … oblige my request.” His words trailed off with a smirk as he noticed her knuckles whitening from the tightened grip she had on the railing. He pressed himself into her backside, rubbing along the swell of her rounded ass.

Riley tried to focus on his words. He was making plans for a future with her,; a future they would never have together. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she needed to tell him as soon as possible. Putting off the inevitable truth would only break him more.

A prying finger slipped between her legs and awakened the bundle of nerves where his thumb began to thrum. “Liam,” she groaned. “I have .. oh God … I have … to tell you something.” She barely uttered those words as a dizzying haze of pressure intensified in her head. She felt her pajama bottoms being slid down, and the slightly wet towel he had draped around his waist, tangled at her feet.

“I have something to tell you also.” The heat of his guttural whisper on her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

Riley’s head snapped back into his shoulder. “What?” she bellowed.

“Bend over Riley,” he commanded.

The head of his dick sprang hungrily into the lower crevice of her ass and jabbed between the narrow opening of her dampened inner thighs. His free hand pushed Riley forward until her chest lay heaving on the cold marble of the balcony rail.

Her legs began to quake and contract as he mounted himself behind her. A familiar rise of energy ignited deep in her stomach that became more intense and fierce. As the twitch of his fingers increased, she bit her lower lip and clamped down harder on the railing. Her core fluttered around his wet hand and trickled her essence like a fountain to the concrete below.

Before she had time to recover from her pleasure, Liam’s foot nudged her ankles apart.

“You will come again for your king, Riley.”

Before the words escaped entirely from his lips, he thrusts himself deep inside her. Her head lunged forward, and every muscle in her body constricted in sync with his feverish drives.

“Say it, Riley!” he ordered.

She wanted him to command her again. Her excitement level rose at the anticipation of his authoritative tone.

Liam gripped both of her hips, his fingers pressed deep into her skin.

“I said, say it, Riley!” He drove even deeper.

Even though she tried hard to remain hushed, that thrust elicited a louder groan.

She could feel his shaft getting harder and thicker; he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. One of his hands that had been ground into her hips reached around desperately in search of her clit that was still sensitive and swollen.

One more time, she thought. Just one more time was all she needed to send them both completely over the edge.

Riley’s knees buckled, and she could feel that burning sensation washing over her again. The smell of sex and roses lingered in the air around them.

The next push was so strong and deep, it felt like the center of her abdomen jostled against her diaphragm. Her toes curled as a fusion of pleasure and pain rippled in unison within her walls.

“I said, say it!”

With a jolt of electricity that shot from her core, she ultimately whimpered breathlessly. “I’m coming, my king!”

“Fuck!”

Instantly, a hot burst flooded within her as they released together, and his face burrowed into her back. His own cries were muffled by the still- bruised surface that covered the ridges of her spine and echoed through her bones.

They remained intoxicated with pleasure until the pulse she felt within her became slower and slower.

A string of his seed detached and clung from him when he pulled out. “Oh my God, love!” He breathed. “That was …”

“Incredible,” she gushed.

Liam pulled her to him and lifted her up bridal style. “Liam! What are you doing?” she laughed.

He kissed her temple as he kicked the balcony door open further with his foot.

“You,” he smirked. “Round two, my love.”

_____

Riley rubbed the sleep from her eyes, awakened by the sound of Ellie’s coos through the baby monitor. She could hear the shower running and knew Liam was already up.

She slipped on her robe with thoughts of telling Liam today. She needed to have that talk with him before he contacted Bertrand this morning. He had told her yesterday while talking with Drake and Maxwell about Neville’s impromptu council meeting over a week ago. Riley knew about the vote and that he would now have to find another wife to replace her. As much as that pained her to hear -- not for herself, but for Liam --, he needed to know the plan he was working on to include her as a suitor would not be possible.

After changing Ellie, she walked downstairs into the kitchen to prepare her bottle. She pulled her usual mug from the cabinet and began to pour her coffee when the doorbell rang.

Riley lifted Ellie’s bouncer and made her way to the front door, setting the baby on the floor next to her as she answered the door.

“Miss Talbert?” she was greeted.

Riley furrowed her brows, recognizing the royal courier who held a large, white box in his hands. “Yes. I’m Amanda Talbert.”

After signing for the unmarked package, Riley set the box on the table next to the door and began vigorously pulling off the tape. “Let’s see if you had any more secrets, Amanda.”

A stench so foul and nauseating escaped as the four sides on top were opened one at a time. Riley arched back and placed a hand over her nose. She slowly peeked over the sides and saw a manila envelope on top of a black plastic bag. Hesitating, she plucked the envelope out, unfastened the clasped, and retrieved the paper inside.

Her brown eyes grew wide, and her chest tightened with fear when she read its words. Trembling, she placed the paper on top of the envelope and tossed it on the table beside the box. With pinched fingers gripped to a folded over piece of the plastic, she slowly pulled it back. Her stomach lurched, and she stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet.

"LIAM!!!!"

#the royal heir #liam x mc #liam x riley #king liam #trr #choices fanfic #My Love

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the-mighty-jellybean · 4 years

Text

Till The Final Bullet

Series Summary: “In a place where they won't let us feel, In a place where nothing seems real. I will hold you. In a world that’s moving too fast. In a world where nothing can last. I will hold you.”-Last Night of The World- Miss Saigon

From the age of twelve, Y/N Y/L/N, has been trained by Hydra, and used as an assailant for a number of years. She’s been taught not to feel, but when she’s put in a kill squad with the Winter Solider, their partnership is deadly, as their motivation becomes more than just keeping themselves alive.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Series Warning: Angst, Fluff, Strong Language, Eventual Smut, Dark!Bucky (I think??) (18+ Only)

Part One// Part Two// Part Three// Part Four// Part Five Part Six// Part Seven// Part Eight// Part Nine//

Part Ten:Always You

Chapter Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 3.5k

Steve turned the corner into the parking lot of the Berlin Airport, the car by now, on it’s last legs, coughed and spluttered. Waiting in the lot, was a white van; your heart pounding a little, as memories from a few nights previous, flooded your mind. You looked down, when you felt James stroking his thumb over the back of your hand. Meeting his eyes, he mustered up the most reassuring smile he could.

Steve and Sam got out first, as they did, another man and a woman, stepped out of the white van. You and James clambered out, James holding the seat back, before you stood next to him. You both stayed behind the car, for some kind of protection.

“Cap.” The man acknowledged Steve, walking towards him.

“You know I wouldn’t have called if I had any other choice.” Steve said, shaking the man’s hand.

“Hey man, you’re doing me a favour.” The man reassures Steve, “Besides, I owe a debt.”

“Thanks for having my back.” Steve nodded to the woman, who walked towards the tow of them.

“It was time to get off my ass.” The woman shrugged.

“How about our other recruit?” Steve looked towards the back of the van.

“He’s rarin’ to go,” the man turned away from Steve, reaching for the handle of the sliding door, pulling it back and opening up the back, “might need to put a little coffee in him, but he should be good.”

Once the door clicked loudly into place, it revealed a previously sleeping man, who was abruptly awoken, by the sound of the door opening.

“What time zone is this?” the guy from the backseat asked, as he climbed out.

“Come on.” The man, who had opened the door, pushed the guy towards Steve. The guy looked completely dazed by Steve’s appearance, approaching him with an open mouth, and childlike eyes.

“Captain America!” The guy announced, shaking Steve’s hand.

“Mr Lang.” Steve nodded, his body language was tense, and he seemed uncomfortable with how vigorously Mr Lang, was shaking his hand.

“It’s an honour.” Lang stated, his hand still in Steve’s, “I’m shaking your hand too long.” He finally realises, quickly detaching himself, “wow, this is awesome.” He states, looking around the parking lot, “Captain America. I know you, too. You’re great!” he says to the woman.

“Jeez.” Lang grasped Steve’s shoulders, feeling around his muscles, you and James looked to each, doubt was circling your mind, “ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so thanks for thinking of me. Hey, man!” Lang points at Sam, who’s arms had been tightly folded over his chest, for the duration of this interaction.

“What’s up, Tic Tac?” Sam greeted.

“Uh, good to see you,” Lang said a little nervous, “Look what happened last time when I…”

“It was a great audition, but it’ll never happen again.” Sam interrupted, Lang looked slightly beaten down, but nodded.

“They tell you what we’re up against?” Steve interjected, before this awkward exchange could continue.

“Something about some psycho-assassins?” Lang shrugged, and you looked to James once again, raising your eyebrows, James just shook his head, so you leant your elbows onto the roof of the car.

“We’re outside the law on this one. So,if you come with us, you’re a wanted man.” Steve announced all doom and gloom.

“Yeah, well, what else is new?” Lang responded a little darkly.

“We should get moving.” James suggested.

“We got a chopper lined up.” The man with the van, said.

“DAS IST EIN NOTFALL. ALLE PASSAGIERE MÜSSEN DEN FLUGHAFEN SOFORT EVAKUIEREN.” The sound of the speakers from inside the airport, flooded the car lot also.

“They’re evacuating the airport.” You translated, when you noticed some of the bemused faces.

“Stark.” Sam spoke, turning towards the other teammates.

“Suit up.” Steve instructed everyone.

You grabbed your combat gear from the trunk, James doing the same. You’d picked a few things up on your 17hr road trip here.

“Ready?” James asked you, shielding you from the view of the others, as you changed into your suit.

“Not really, you?” you looked at James, and he had a sad smile on his face, as he shook his head.

“No, but we’re gonna be okay. Whatever happens, we look out for each other.” James confirmed, once you had secured your final knife.

“What about Steve?” you whispered, nodding your head in the direction of the blonde supersoldier. James surprised you when he shook his head.

“If I have to choose between you or him, I will always pick you.” Your heart flutters at James words; to hear him say that he’d pick you, without a second thought, makes you fall in love with him, a little bit more.

~~~

“Wait here, I’ll approach first, then on my signal, initiate the plan.” Steve instructed you all.

You all took to your positions: you, James and Sam went to the airport, Wanda and Clint to another carpark complex. Scott turned small, which freaked all of you out a little at first; especially Sam, who seemed to be slightly shifty. The now miniscule man took his position on Steve’s shield.

All of you waited in your positions waiting for Steve to give the signal to advance.

Sam and James were on the other side of the airport, using Red-Wing to scout the hangers for your getaway aircraft. You were opposite them, facing the tarmac, that was slowly gaining a crowd. You turned briefly to check on James; Sam appeared to be shifting slightly uncomfortably, away from James.

“What’s your problem, birdy?” you sighed, fixing your knives.

“Nothing, just not overly keen on being around two highly unstable people.” He huffed, moving further away from James. You looked at James, and rolled your eyes, and then looked back to the tarmac, where Steve was talking to the metal man from Romania, and the another one who had fought with James when you were escaping. That one was Stark, the other one was called Rhodey, Steve had given you and James the rundown on who everyone was, before dispatching the team.

“You know Sam, there’s one thing you should probably never say to, two highly unstable people…” you mutter.

“And what’s that?” he sassed.

“That they’re highly unstable. It tends to hurt our feelings.” You shot back at Sam.

“Aww did I hurt your feelings, want me to say sorry?” Sam fake pouted at you, and you just narrowed your eyes.

“No what I would like, is you to be…” you trialled off when the black cat from Romania, flipped into the tarmac, he was Prince T’Challa, his father had been killed in the bombing by the doctor, that was why he was so angry with James, as he still believed it was him that was behind the explosion.

“Can you two just knock it off.” James spoke, looking between you two. You just sighed heavily once again, and looked back at the group of men, Sam looking down at his little screen, which was connected to Red-Wing’s camera.

The group of men, had grown, but now it wasn’t just men, a one woman, the redhead, stood facing Steve. Natasha Romanoff.

Apparently, you and James had, had some dealing with her in the past, but you couldn’t recall. If you were honest, you and James had tried hard to repress your memories of HYDRA, some of them physically hurt, when you thought too hard about them.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue and red, as something summersaulted it’s way into view, landing on the roof of a abandoned truck. This one hadn’t been expected, you weren’t sure of a name for this one, but he took Steve’s shield, using some kind of plasm.

“We found it. The quinjets in hanger five. North runway” Sam confirmed to Steve through coms.

Steve lifted his arms into the air, and whatever had secured his wrists shut, was ripped off, by one of Clint’s arrows.

“Alright, Lang.” Steve signalled to the Antman. Suddenly the thing that was holding Steve’s shield was knocked over backwards. Lang passed Steve his shield back.

“We need to go.” You shouted, and both the men and yourself, jumped up and began sprinting towards the hangar.

Whilst you were running, the sound of a soft thud on the windows of the airport, had all three of you looking up towards the sky.

“What the hell is that?” James asked.

“Everyone’s got a gimmick now.” Sam mumbled, speeding his pace up.

There was a brief moment, when there was a sound of shattering glass, before Sam is knocked sideways, and goes tumbling to the floor. You dive behind a large notice board, taking cover, waiting for the right time to attack.

James and the foreign alien looking thing, engage fists. He stops one of James’ punches holding it in his grip.

“You have a metal arm, that is awesome.” A youthful voice, spoke from under the mask. James seemed slightly confused by this comment, and momentarily froze. You took this as an opportunity, with the boy distracted by James’ arm, you tackle him, throwing him upwards into the air, Sam catching him mid-flight, and dragging him with him. He wriggled free of Sam’s grip, and shot another weird plasma string from his wrists flinging himself through the air.

The boy swung from beam to beam, Sam weaving out of his way.

“Jay, throw this.” You kicked the board you had been hiding behind previously, knocking it over, and snapping it from its support system underneath. James used his metal arm, to grab hold of it, and flinging it towards the boy.

He ducks just in time, you and James growling in frustration. James grabbed you by the waist, pulling you behind another pillar.

“Hey buddy, I think you lost this.” James leans out, but you pull him to the floor, just as the noticeboard comes flying back towards you.

A loud crash in front of you, has you looking back towards Sam, he was grounded, wobbling onto his feet. He didn’t have time to engage, with the boy, before he was stuck to the railing.

“Those wings, carbon-fibre?” The boy asked, once he had stopped on one of the walls.

“This stuff coming out of you?” Sam questioned, his face disgusted as he looked between his hands.

“I would explain the rigid flexibility ratio, which gotta say, that’s awesome.” The boy rambles, Sam growing increasingly bored.

“I don’t know if you’re been in a fight before, but there usually isn’t this much talking.” Sam spat.

“Alright sorry my bad.” He launched himself from the wall, but before his feet could engage into Sam, James leapt in front of Sam. James and Sam go crashing through the railings, landing hard on the floor below.

The boy shoots another white net, and it traps Sam and James to the floor.

“Look I’d love to keep this up, but I’ve only got one job here today and I got to impress Mr Stark, so I’m really sorry.” Before he can speak, you shoot your grapping hook around the boy’s wrist attaching it to Red-Wing, as he zoomed passed you, clearing being controlled by Sam.

The boy goes hurtling out the window screaming and yelling, as he is flung around, you go to where the two of them had smashed through the railing, looking over the side, you fold your arms, and jut your hip out.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” you chided Sam, jumping down to meet them.

“I hate you.” Sam huffed.

You began cutting James’ arm loose, the weird material strapping his arm to the floor, was like spider web. Cutting him loose, you toyed with the idea of not letting Sam free, as you twiddle your knife in your fingers, while you stood over him.

“Yo let me out.” He yelled, fighting harder against the webbing.

“Let him out, doll.” James told you, picking himself up from the floor, brushing himself off.

“Do I have to?” you sighed, giving James puppy dog eyes.

“Yes, now come on, Steve needs us.” You grumble to yourself at James’ words, but bend down and start cutting the web off of Sam.

Running through the airport, squinting slightly once you move through the doors, the sun shining in your eyes, blinding you shortly.

“Come on!” Steve waves at the three of you, sprinting you join him on the tarmac. You’re heading towards the other group, but halt when a beam of light appears in front of you, scorching the ground below.

“Captain Rogers.” A voice from the sky boomed down, you peek up at the bright sky to see a man hovering in the air. This must be the Vision, “I know you believe what you are doing is right, but for the collective good, you must surrender now.”

Emerging into a line, other side copy your stance, all of you squaring off.

“What do we do, Cap?” Sam whispered, down the line.

“We fight.”

Steve begins to stride towards them, everyone else following his lead. Steve picks up the pace, everyone else jogging behind him, before it turns into a full sprint.

Eventually you meet in a collision of noise.

You and James take on T’Challa. James gets kicked to the ground, so you take that as an opportunity to strike him in the chest, sending him flying across the lot. Claws digging into the concrete to slow him down.

Both of you re-engage, James back on his feet, moves to help you. Soon you are working together throwing punches and kicks in every direction, you pull your knife out, swinging it, in every direction.

T’Challa knocks it from your hand, it skids across the concrete, you watch it skim along the surface, but you should have been watching your opponent, as he strikes you in the temple. You back flip onto the ground, pushing yourself up and growling, James taking your place, and punches T’Challa to the ground, but he uses his arms to break his fall, levering himself up.

You look over to Clint and Natasha, who are fighting one another, you notice Clint is holding back whenever he moves to strike. You run over, and just before she can land a kick to his head, you tackle her to the ground, raining down a few punches. Pushing you off you both stand, she makes a run at you, but you catch the punch she tries to throw, using it as leeway, you swing her around and volt her into the air, sending her crashing into a nearby cargo hold.

You turn to Clint, who is panting and staring wide eyed at you.

“You were pulling your punches.” You shrug before running back to James and T’Challa.

“I didn’t kill your father.” James chocked out, when T’Challa had his grip around his throat.

“Then why did you run?” T’Challa rasped.

James doesn’t have time to answer, before the two are engaging in another one of one combat, rolling each other onto the floor. T’Challa kicks James into a van, leaving him slightly dazed. You see T’Challa flex his claws, and use this as your time to act, before he can plunge his sharpened metal into James’ chest, you grip hold of T’Challa’s hands.

Using your supersoldier strength, you pick T’Challa up, and throw him away, like he’s as light as a baseball, he crashes through one of the boarding tunnels.

Turning back to James, you crouch in front of him.

“You okay?” you caress his cheek, and he nods, still a little puffed.

“I’m good.” He takes the hand that you hold out to him, and you pull him up, before heading towards cover. It just so happens the place you use to cover is the same as Steve’s.

“We’ve got to go.” James says to Steve, “That guy is probably in Siberia by now.”

“We’ve got to draw out the flyers.” Steve said, following Rhodey and Stark with his gaze, “I’ll take Vision, you two get to the jet.”

“No, you get to the jet,” Sam’s voice breaks through of the coms, “the three of you. The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.”

“As much as I hate to admit it,” Clint’s voice jumps on the coms, “if we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.”

“This isn’t the real fight, Steve.” Sam spurs on.

“Alright Sam, what’s the plan?” Steve asked, looking to you and James. You looked at each other, and you felt James squeeze your hand.

“We need a diversion, something big.” Sam told you.

“I got something kind of big, but I can’t hold it very long.” Scot tells you all, “On my signal, run like hell and if I tear myself in half, don’t come back for me.

You look at James, “he’s going to tear himself in half?” you look at Steve, who also has a face of disbelief.

“You sure about this Scot?” Steve asked through coms.

“I do it all the time…I mean once…in a lab…then I passed out.” You weren’t reassured by Scot’s plan.

However, you have no time to question it, soon Antman is no longer��well…Antman, he’s big man…very big man. Using his size, he easily plucks Rhodey out of the air, and throws him through the air, like a ragdoll.

“I guess that’s the signal.” Steve says, three of you, breaking into a sprint, heading straight for hangar five. You nearly make it, before one of the air-control towers, begins to collapse, it was heading towards blocking your way.

A red entity stretched across the bottom of it, you look over your shoulder to see Wanda holding the building together. For her sake, the three of you speed up.

Just before you reach it, Wanda’s control has gone, and the tower begins to crash down, you and the boys leap onto the floor, diving underneath it, just in time.

You stop once inside the hangar, as you come face to face, with Natasha.

“You’re not going to stop.” She says.

“You know I can’t.” Steve shakes his head.

“Move out of our way.” You yell, you step forward, shortening the gap between you and her.

“Don’t make me do this?” she says to you, holding her wrists up, but you scoff.

“Do what, I’m going to enjoy this.” You sprint towards her, she does the same, the two of you meeting in the middle, hurling your fists at each other. You land a punch, but so does she.

You catch the next one she tries, flipping her over your back, so she lands heavily on the floor, groaning. Once she laid on the floor, you were able to climb on top of her, but she rolls you, so she is on top. She tries to strike you in the face, but once again you hold her fist, watching her right in the eye, you slowly crush her fist in your grasp, the sound of bones grinding and cracking filling the air.

Natasha screams in displeasure and uses her head to knock you square in the forehead, it doesn’t have the desired effect that she wanted, instead it makes her a little dizzier, giving you time to flip your position. This time she is kneeling, and you have her in a tight headlock, she gasps and pulls at you. Using her wrists, she sends an electric shock up your arms, and it radiates around your skull, crying out, you let her go. Only to grab around her waist, and lift her over your head, so she goes sprawling onto the floor. Laying on her stomach, you grasp her hair, and slam her head into the concrete, knocking her clean out.

Breathing heavily, you look up to the proud smile of James and the look of deep disapproval from Steve. You look at Steve and shrug.

“What, you wanted the jet, I got you the jet.” You roll your eyes, but they snap back to normal mid-roll, when you noticed something black, moving amongst the rubble.

“Look out!” you shout, the men run towards you, glancing over their shoulder at the sight of T’Challa pulling his way through the debris, advancing towards you, “get to the jet!”

You throw your other knife at T’Challa, and he catches it mid-air, deciding that you aren’t going to try and fight this guy, you run after the two men. You jump into the jet, but almost slip from the hold, when a hand grabs your foot.

“Jay!” you yell, as you claw at the deck of the jet. James comes running over to you, kicking T’Challa in the face, and he lets go of your leg, James pulls you in, falling onto the floor in the process, pulling you into his lap, and holding you close.

The sound of the engines whirring into action, floods your body with relief, and you hold James tighter, as you climbed into the air.

A/N: Nearly finished Civil War; I’m debating whether to continue the series into Infinity War and Endgame, and instead, do the final chapter of Bucky and the Reader in Wakanda. That could leave me with some viable options, possibly a mini-pregnancy-series???? What do you guys think?

Taglist:

@amanda-the-fangirl @winchester-wifey @lemonadygirl @lunagrangerweasley @omfgforthelordalmighty @hhxppyyy @furioustrashprofessorneck @sznri @mugscraps @colourforanamee @grav3dollie-666 @purneetk @buckystories-3 @foxybisexual @sadbaby02 @sebastianstansqueen

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ohemgeeitscoley · 4 years

Text

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (2/6)

Fandom: Star Wars

Pairing: Rey/Ben Solo (Reylo)

Note: Chapter count went up! As always, giant thank you to @andyouweremine @notababoonbrandishingastick and @storiesofimagination for all of the reading and cheerleading and handholding.

Read below or on AO3

Creepy Threepio agrees and Ben sends Rey a message to coordinate with her on getting Amilyn and Snoke in the elevator at the same time and when to meet Ben in the maintenance room in the basement of the building.

Everything goes completely and horribly wrong. Which really doesn’t surprise Ben, he knew that the plan was a long shot. But it does surprise him at just how wrong everything does go.

Rey is standing next to him, her jaw hanging open as she watches the disaster that is happening on the screen. Creepy Threepio looks overly thrilled by the scene in the elevator. Which with everything Ben has heard about him through the building grapevine, it also doesn’t surprise him.

To Rey’s credit, they did get Amilyn and Snoke in the same elevator. Everything went well for about ten seconds. Ben would give them that. For ten seconds their plan went absolutely wonderfully.

Then there was a flower delivery man that stepped into the elevator. Then Threepio stopped the elevator. Then Amilyn and Snoke fought and fought about what to do, cancelling and recalling the emergency button, arguing about who had cell service and just calling the fire department.

All of which was, quite frankly, bad enough.

And that was before the delivery guy really started to panic about being stuck in an elevator and took his clothes off and stood naked in front of Amilyn and Snoke.

Obviously, the situation took many turns for the worse.

But then he started urinating.

That’s what they are watching now. The aftermath of this man urinating in a small enclosed space with their bosses. Snoke is losing his shit, and if it wasn’t going to become Ben’s problem when those doors opened, he would find it a bit amusing to see him so out of sorts.

Amilyn handles it better than Snoke. She’s trying to comfort the man while shooting daggers at Snoke as she rambles on about stress incontinence and how it’s a perfectly normal thing.

“Open the doors, Threepio,” Rey orders, her face paling as she keeps looking at the monitor. “Open the fucking doors. We have to get them out of there.”

“I told you this was a bad idea,” Ben says, holding his hands up when she looks over to him and glares. “I’m just saying.”

Rey doesn’t say anything else, just keeps her eyes on the screen, unable to tear her attention away from the trainwreck that is still occurring as Threepio takes his time to get the elevator up and running and the doors open.

Finally, the doors open and Ben watches as Amilyn and Snoke fight each other to get out of the elevator first, screaming at each other about their behavior.

“Yeah,” Ben sighs, watching as both Amilyn and Snoke walk off the screen. “Real good first meeting. I definitely think this is the meet up story they are going to tell at their wedding.”

Rey bites her bottom lip, one hand gripping the edge of the desk in front of her. “We’ll do better next time.”

“Next time?” Ben rolls his eyes. “Rey, there is not going to be a next time. Did you not just see what a fucking disaster that was? Someone peed in front of them.”

“Yes,” Rey answers, with a small nod. “That is what just happened. So, we can’t really do worse next time. We’ve got nowhere to go but up from here.”

Ben stares at Rey, trying to figure out how exactly she is taking what just occurred to be anything but a certifiable loss. “There is no way. I’m not doing this again.”

Rey turns her attention to Threepio, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for your help.”

“Thank you,” Threepio exclaims, a wide grin spread over his face. His eyes are crinkled at the corners. “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”

Rey gives a nervous chuckle before pointing down at the small plant she had brought for him. “Don’t forget to water this guy at least once a day. Okay?”

Ben follows Rey out of the room. They both look at the elevator for a second, before heading toward the doors for the staircase.

“I’ll come up with another plan tonight,” Rey says as they start the walk up to their floors. “This was a rash plan. We need to pay more attention to the details and the variables.”

“Rey, I really don’t know.” Ben pulls his phone out of his pocket as it starts beeping. He holds his phone up for Rey to see. “Snoke is losing his mind. Today is going to be awful and we probably deserve that for trying to mess with our bosses’ love lives.”

“Don’t,” Rey started, before grimacing as her own phone started going off. “Don’t back out on this yet. One more shot. Just one more.”

Ben pauses at the landing between the floors, starting to read through the onslaught of messages from Snoke. One of them even suggests that he needs to find and fire the delivery guy. As if that is something in Ben’s power.

He isn’t sure what makes him agree. He isn’t planning on it. He is planning on telling her no. That this was fun, or, well, fun wasn’t really the right word for it. But it was something. A nice break to his usual days.

Her eyes are hopeful though as she whispers please and holds his gaze.

He’s going to tell her no. Absolutely no way in hell is he doing this again.

And yet, he says, “Okay. Fine. Just one more.”

***

“Ben,” Leia’s voice is demanding and clearly irritated over the phone. “You were supposed to be at the restaurant 45 minutes ago.”

“I know, Mom.” Ben sighs, spreading his legs out wider to stop anyone from trying to sit in the two seats next to him. “Snoke is running late. As soon as he gets here, I should have about two hours and I’ll head straight to the restaurant.”

“This is ridiculous.” Leia mutters. Ben can hear ice clink against her glass in the background. “I don’t know why you won’t just let me or Luke make a few calls so you can quit.”

“I don’t want to get into this again.” Ben runs his hand over his chin. “I want to get my jobs on my own. It’s important to me.”

“You’ve been saying that since you graduated,” Leia points out and Ben hates how he knows that she has a point. “How long are you going to put yourself through this? You're currently holding seats for someone that can’t even be bothered to be at his kid’s show on time. You work an impossible number of hours every week. Your pay is a joke. You haven’t made it home for dinner in months. There’s only about a ten percent chance I’m actually going to see you today, Ben. We both know it.”

Ben tilts his head back, briefly closing his eyes as Leia brings up with the same arguments she uses every time they have this conversation. Not that they aren’t good arguments. Everything she is saying is true. It just doesn’t change anything.

“You’re wasting your potential, Ben,” Leia adds at the end. Which is new. She hasn’t pulled that card before. “You could be doing so much more and you are just wasting it waiting for Snoke to open up doors for you that you don’t need him to open.”

Ben’s just about to respond when he hears Snoke’s voice in the auditorium. Ben sits up straight, turning his head to see him practically pushing people out of his way to make it to the front where Ben is waiting.

“I’ve got to go, Mom,” Ben says, holding his free hand up for Snoke to see. “I love you.”

“Ben—”

Ben hangs up the phone.

***

Rey’s spread out across her bed. She has her cell phone upside down and left on the shelf by her door. It’s 2 am and she is decidedly not going to look at her phone again until at least 6 am when she is getting ready for work.

She pops another piece of popcorn in her mouth as she watches another video of a sports event. This time it’s a basketball game and she’s zoning out as she can hear the music change to some cheesy song about kisses and the video focuses on people sitting next to each other for the kiss cam.

Kiss cam.

It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. It’s so much better than the trapped in the elevator idea they had gone with the first time.

Rey gets out of bed and grabs her phone. She’s about to text Ben her great idea when she hears Kaydel come in the front door.

Rey sets her phone back down and looks over at the “Will you be my maid of honor?” sign that Rey had found on her bed this morning. She picks it up off her dresser and walks out to tell Kaydel yes.

She’s going to be the best maid of honor for her. She just needs this plan with Ben to work out to have the time for that to happen.

***

“Okay, we didn’t do so great last time,” Rey says, tapping her fingers against Ben’s desk as she talks. “But our luck is going to change. This plan is going to blow your mind.”

Ben smiles despite his best efforts not to. Her excitement is contagious. It’s quickly becoming one of Ben’s favorite things about Rey. The positive spin and twists she can put on most situations is so different from how Ben sees things. It’s nice to have around.

“We’ll see,” Ben teases. “Are you going to tell me this great plan?”

“When I feel like I have your full attention.” Rey leans forward over his desk, to look at the list he is writing. “Lemons? Wire? Still working on this?”

Ben drops his pen on top of the list before rubbing his hand at the back of his neck. “Snoke’s kid needs the best science project for the science fair. Obviously.”

“Ah,” Rey says with understanding. “And you are doing… lemons to electricity? Very fancy. Definitely the best.”

“I hate my job.” Ben groans, shaking his head. “I’m twenty-eight, and I’m still an assistant. This is… not where I thought I’d be in life by now. Googling how to do a stupid middle school science fair project.”

“So, let’s make our jobs a little bit better by getting at least a slight increase in personal time added to our days.” Rey beams at him, pulling two tickets out of her jacket. “These are ours. I’m assuming you can get Snoke a seat at the next Yankees game?”

“Yeah.” Ben shoots her a curious look. “I can do that. What’s your plan exactly?”

“You’ll see.”

***

Ben’s been standing at the front of the Yankee Stadium for almost thirty minutes waiting for Rey to show up. The game is going to start soon and he hasn’t heard from her since she sent him a location pin of where to meet her before the game.

He’s just about to call her when he sees her running across the street toward him. His eyes widen slightly as he takes in her appearance. She is dressed in Yankee’s gear from head to toe. She looks absolutely ridiculous… and a little bit adorable.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” She asks, slowly moving her eyes up and down his body.

Ben glances down at the suit he had on. He doesn’t see anything wrong with what he is wearing.

“A suit?” He responds, lifting one of his shoulders up in a small shrug. “I came straight from the office.”

“No one wears a suit to a Yankees game, Ben.” Rey rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling and shaking her head just enough that a piece of her hair falls into her face.

Ben doesn’t think and lifts his hand up to brush the hair back and tuck it behind her ear.

“Thanks,” Rey blushes as Ben pulls his hand back from her face. She glances down away from Ben for a moment, but Ben is almost sure he sees her lips twitch up in a smile.

“You’re late,” Ben points out, trying to distract himself from the way his heart is beating faster when she looks back up at him and her cheeks are still slightly pink. They start walking toward the line to go through security. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

“Forever?” Rey scoffs. “You’re such a drama queen. I had to get supplies.” She waves the foam finger in her hand as an example. “I over dicked around.”

“You what?” Ben laughs.

“You know. I over dicked around.” Rey says the phrase again as if it is a common expression. “I got down here early to get everything set up with the kiss cam. And then I saw this cute shirt,” she points at the button up jersey shirt she is wearing. “Then I figured you’d need a foam finger to show your team spirit, which clearly I was right about, Mr. I-wear-a-suit-to-a-baseball-game.”

She pauses as they get closer to the front of the line, pulling the tickets out of her bag.

“I lost track of time.” She continues, giving him an apologetic look. “I still can’t believe you are wearing a suit.”

“I didn’t realize there was a dress code for a baseball game.”

“Comfort,” Rey teases as she hands her tickets, before grabbing on to Ben’s hand and pulling him through the crowd. “You should be comfortable at a baseball game.”

“Maybe I find suits to be comfortable.”

“You’re so weird.” Rey says, letting go of his hand as the crowd around them thins. Without much thought, Ben reaches forward to grab onto her hand again. He pauses just before his fingers would brush against hers, remembering that he has no reason to hold Rey's hand. He just wants to. His hand falls back to his side as he follows Rey as she starts heading up the stairs to their seats.

***

“You got everything set up?” Ben asks, tilting the popcorn bag that he had grabbed during the third inning toward Rey.

Rey assumed when he left he needed a little bit of a break from the group of teenagers that had bombarded him with questions when they sat down. Rey introduced each of the kids to him, and she introduced Yoda, the sweet old man who ran the group home that the kids were placed in.

“Yep,” Rey answers, throwing a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she smiles at Ben. “I think I can sort of see them?” She adds, squinting her eyes down toward where Snoke and Amilyn are sitting next to each other.

Ben had taken off his suit jacket and his tie after one of the teenage girls sitting next to them had joined Rey in making fun of him for looking so formal. He had also rolled his sleeves up to just below his elbow. Between that particular look and the way his hair softly moved with the gentle breeze, Rey is fairly distracted by how attractive she finds him.

“Me too,” Ben says. “They don’t look like they are yelling at each other.”

“Very promising.”

“It’s definitely a step up from the elevator incident,” Ben teases, bumping his shoulder against Rey’s. “I’ll give you that.”

“I told you we could do better,” Rey reminds him. “I have a good feeling about this.”

Rey watches the game, groaning when the umpire makes a bad call with the rest of the crowd. The atmosphere and sense of belonging in a crowd that came along with being at a live sporting event has always been one of Rey’s favorite feelings. She fell in love with it during her first minor league hockey game that she went to when she was 10. She loves watching the kids next to her fall in love with the same feeling.

“They aren’t even watching the game,” Rey complains, glancing over at Ben who seems into the game at least. “I know we set them up to come to the game, but with seats like that, I would be falling over myself.”

Ben looks off to the side for a few seconds before he responds. "I’ve had seats like that before," he says and he sounds almost ashamed to admit it to Rey. "I didn't appreciate them then."

"That's okay." Rey shoves her shoulder up against his, softly laughing. "I bet you will next time."

Ben looks like he is about to respond when Kiss Me starts to play over the speakers. Rey claps her hands excitedly before hitting one of her hands on Ben's knee.

"It's time!" Rey exclaims, her eyes glued on the jumbo screen, watching as the first couple gets picked out.

The first couple laughs before leaning across their seats for a brief kiss. The next pair does the same thing.

Rey loves watching the people blush, the quick glance to the other person making sure that this is okay, the shy smiles on their faces as they lean in for the kiss.

Her heart plummets to her stomach when she sees her face on the screen.

This was not supposed to happen. She's going to kill Artoo. Rey clearly and explicitly explained to him that she needed the camera on Amilyn. She gave him the exact seat.

Ben brushes his finger over her elbow. "Rey?" He asks.

Rey squints her eyes at Amilyn and Snoke's seats. They both seem entranced by their phones still. But Rey can't guarantee that they will remain focused on their phones and not on the giant screen with her and Ben's face.

They could get caught, Rey realizes, if the focus stays on them and Amilyn or Snoke look up from their phone.

They can't get caught.

So Rey turns her head, leaning closer toward Ben and kisses him.

He's surprised at first. At least Rey hopes the way Ben freezes against her at first is from surprise, but then he seems to melt into her, responding with passion she isn't expecting, one hand tilting her head to angle her better against his lips while the other brushes against the hair at the nape of her neck.

Objectively it's a good kiss. Ben's lips are soft and move against hers with ease. Rey's stomach swoops as Ben's mouth opens slightly. It would be easy to get lost in the way Ben kisses her.

There's wolf whistling and hollering coming from the kids around them when they pull away.

Rey stares at Ben for a moment after they separate. Her eyes are wide and there's a blush creeping up his neck and Rey hopes that her face isn't too red, but she can feel the heat on her cheeks.

She looks away, straightens her shoulders and sees the camera focus on Amilyn and Snoke.

They are still lost in their phones and Rey lets out a sigh of relief because they missed the kiss. She's certain that they didn't see her and Ben. Their plan can still work.

Rey focuses her attention on joining the crowd in cheering, trying to capture the attention of Amilyn and Snoke. It's a good distraction from the way her lips are still tingling from the kiss. From the way her thoughts want to drift away to imagine kissing Ben again.

Their bosses finally, finally, look up when the man behind them taps them on the shoulder.

Amilyn looks up at the screen and then over at Snoke. She laughs before shaking her head and looking back at her phone.

Snoke doesn't seem to understand what is going on.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Rey joins the crowd in chanting, smiling as Ben joins in as well.

They don’t.

Rey joins the crowd in booing when the camera moves away from Snoke and Amilyn and onto another pair of people.

“Fuck,” Rey mutters under her breath. She scrunches her nose up and turns her head to look at Ben. “Well, that’s two of my ideas that have completely failed. My bad luck at romance appears to be contagious.”

“We’ll come up with something,” Ben says, giving Rey a small smile. “Maybe I’ll come up with the next idea.”

“I don’t know Ben.” Rey shakes her head. “Maybe you were right to begin with. This is crazy. I’ll just have to find a way to tell Kaydel that there’s no way I can guarantee being able to do all of the things she is going to want me to do as her maid of honor. Or tell Amilyn that I’m going to be slightly less available to her for the next few months. Neither of which are conversations I actually want to have, but I’m an adult and I can--”

“Rey,” Ben interrupts her, placing one of his hands on her knee. He points at the screen with his other hand. “They went back to Amilyn and Snoke.”

“What?” Rey asks, turning her attention to the screen. Sure enough, Amilyn and Snoke are the focus on the screen, a glittery pink heart framing their faces.

The crowd is even louder this time chanting for them to kiss. The music changes to Kiss the Girl. It’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere.

Amilyn is blushing and Snoke still seems unsure of what to do as he keeps his eyes off the screen. Rey notices when he looks over at Amilyn though, as if he’s considering just going for it.

Ben is chanting loudly next to her, clapping his hands together to accentuate the words. Rey giggles as she starts clapping in time with him.

Amilyn bites her lip and leans over the armrest separating her seat from Snoke’s. Rey grabs onto Ben’s hand, shaking it in excitement as she watches Amilyn closes the distance between her and Snoke and…

And kisses him on the cheek.

Rey groans, letting go of Ben’s hand. “So close,” she says, tilting her head back. “So close.”

The crowd seems to be just as outraged as Rey feels, judging by the sounds that are echoing in the stadium.

“It’s progress?” Ben offers. “This is still going better than the elevator.”

Rey snorts. It’s strange to hear Ben being the positive one. She appreciates him trying, but she recognizes that he is only saying these things to try to make her feel better. Not because he actually believes that this plan is going to go anywhere.

Rey’s not sure if her disappointment is just because this means she’s going to have to let her best friend down or risk her job… or if she’s going to miss having a reason to talk to Ben.

Rey sits up, watching as another couple kisses on the screen.

“It’s basically the law that you kiss when the kiss cam is on you.” Rey complains, tossing her hands up in front of her face. “I’ve been to so many games Ben, so many, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone not kiss. This should have worked.”

“One last time, folks,” the announcer’s voice rings out across the stadium as the camera once again focuses on Amilyn and Snoke. “Why don’t you just kiss the girl?”

Amilyn rolls her eyes, but Rey catches the way her chest shakes slightly from laughing, the way her eyes crinkle at the sides in humor.

The crowd is far too invested in this kiss happening, Rey decides, as she and Ben stand up and continue chanting for the kiss to happen.

And it does.

Finally, Snoke places his hand on the side of Amilyn’s face and they kiss.

Rey cheers, throwing her arms up in the air in victory. Ben grabs onto her waist and pulls her into his side.

“We did it!” He exclaims, wrapping his arms around her and picking her up from the ground.

Rey squeals, burying her head into the crook of his neck. She pulls back when he puts her back down, smiling widely up at him. “I told you I had a good feeling about this.”

Ben matches her grin, shaking his head. “Right,” he teases, the word almost inaudible as he laughs. “You had zero doubts this entire time.”

“Not a single one.” Rey drops her gaze to Ben’s lips, and she wants to kiss him again. To stand on her tiptoes and press her lips against his. She looks away, feeling the way her neck is heating up. Scratching at her neck, Rey sits back down and gives Ben one last, small smile.

“Now what?” Ben asks, sitting down.

Rey keeps her eyes forward on the game that is just starting to resume.

“Now… now we enjoy this small win,” Rey says after a few minutes, turning her head to look at Ben. He looks more relaxed in that moment than he has all day. “Then you get to come up with some ideas for phase two.”

***

The Yankees win. Amilyn and Snoke kissed.

Rey kissed him.

For a plan Ben had been so hesitant to agree to, it has so far been working in his favor.

Rey tugs on his hand as they head out of the stadium. He likes the way Rey keeps grabbing his hand, holding it when they walk. He likes the way her hand fits in his.

He’s starting to think that he might just like her.

Rey is practically beaming with glee between the win and her plan working. She’s chattering at about a million miles a minute about the game and stats that he finds oddly impressive that she has memorized. He doesn’t know enough about baseball or the Yankees really to follow half of what she says, but her joy is contagious.

Ben can’t remember the last time he smiled this much.

Rey’s phone beeps and she drops his hand to reach for it. Ben’s phone goes off a few seconds later.

“Oh my god,” Rey whispers, stopping completely once they are just outside of the stadium. “It worked. Ben, it actually worked.”

Ben nods, rereading the message on his phone. “Snoke isn’t coming back into the office for the rest of the day.”

“Neither is Amilyn,” Rey grabs onto his hand again, slightly swinging their arms together. “I don’t have to go back into the office.”

“Neither do I.”

Ben is a bit amazed that this actually worked. That somehow Amilyn and Snoke were off together and because of it he and Rey both are now free for the rest of the day.

“So what are you going to do with all of this free time?” Ben asks as they make their way toward the subway.

“I was thinking…” Rey’s sentence trails off and she bites at her bottom lip. She looks nervous. “I was thinking maybe we could go get drinks? Or dinner? You know, to celebrate the win?”

“Yeah,” Ben quickly responds before Rey is fully finished talking. “I would love to do that. Maybe I could even convince you to help me come up with some ideas for phase two?”

“Absolutely not,” Rey shakes her head. “But you can try.”

***

“Do you think we’ll even need a phase two?” Ben asks, taking a drink from the beer bottle in his hand. “I mean, maybe we should just let nature take over from her?”

“Nature?” Rey sputters, staring at Ben as if he’s grown two heads. “Ben, we need this relationship to work out for at least the next 3 months. It took two well thought out plans to get them to this point, and you think nature can just take over from here?”

“Well thought out plans?” Ben mocks. “That is one way of describing your plans I’m sure.”

“Hey,” Rey swats at his hand, laughing as he pulls it away from her. “My plans ended up working so no complaining about them. Besides, we’ve been here for,” Rey glances down at her phone, “almost two hours, and you have provided zero plans for phase two.”

“That’s because I’m still not convinced that we need a phase two.”

“We need a phase two,” Rey states as if her opinion is fact. Because it absolutely is what they need and Ben just needs to get on the same page. “So you better start thinking of one.”

Rey finishes her drink, running a finger across the rim of the glass. “I told Kaydel I’d meet her soon.”

Ben nods, finishing his beer. “This was nice.”

Nice might be an understatement. Even if they still don’t have a plan for what they are going to do about Snoke and Amilyn next… just talking with Ben had been great.

She knows more about him now, about his past, and his family. The reasons why he won’t let his family help him out. It’s hard for Rey to imagine having a family that wants to help and turning them away. But she can sort of see where he is coming from, it’s an almost foreign concept to her.

Getting to know Ben is nice. Talking to Ben is nice. Hearing him laugh and smile and watching the way his eyes lit up when he gets excited is more than nice. It’s doing nothing to stop her growing desire to kiss him again.

She probably needs to figure out what she is going to do about that problem later.

“It was,” Rey agrees, watching as Ben smiles. She wonders if he has any idea just how gorgeous he looks when he smiles. She wishes she was just a little more brave, or a little more drunk, to tell him. “Even if you have presented no plans. Or apparently even thought about a plan more than coming up with a bad argument about how we don’t need a plan.”

“I’ll come up with a plan,” Ben laughs when Rey narrows her eyes in disbelief. “Have some faith in me.”

“Okay,” Rey concedes, grabbing her phone from the table before standing up. “But just some.”

“Have fun with Kaydel,” Ben says, standing as well. “Enjoy your time with her.”

“I will.” Rey pausing, glancing away from Ben for a moment, debating her next move. Ben’s arms are around her before she has much time to consider anything, pulling her into a hug.

Rey grins as she wraps her arms around him. She lingers when he pulls away, stretching up to press her lips against his cheek.

“Good night, Ben.” Her voice is light and soft as she takes a step back. “I expect at least three options tomorrow morning.”

Rey can still hear him laughing when she exits the bar.

***

“Wait, wait, wait,” Kaydel starts, waving her hands around. Rey grabs onto Kaydel’s arm, pulling her away from a larger crack in the sidewalk. “You and the guy who you said was a—and I am quoting—‘giant fucking asshole’ kissed today?”

Rey rolls her eyes. That would be the part of the story Kaydel would focus on. “We were on the kiss cam.” Rey says as if it’s a complete and full explanation. “And Ben isn’t an asshole. I mean, okay, he can be an asshole. But he isn’t always an asshole. He can actually be kind of… sweet sometimes?”

“Oh my god,” Kaydel grins, clapping her hands together excitedly. Kaydel always talks with her entire body, but it’s more pronounced and with larger movements when she has been drinking. “You like him.”

Rey sighs, pressing the button for the crosswalk. “That’s rather irrelevant,” Rey says as they start crossing the street. “I don’t even know if it’s true. Can’t we just focus on the fact that I got off work at a reasonable time today and that I came up with this evil genius plan to make sure I have time to perform my maid of honor duties?”

“Absolutely not.” Kaydel rolls her eyes. “We are one hundred precent focusing on the fact that you kissed a hot guy and that you can’t stop blushing every time you mention him.”

“I’ve been, I’ve been drinking,” Rey tries to come up for another explanation for her blushing. Because she is blushing. She knows that she can’t stop blushing whenever she thinks about Ben and it’s a little ridiculous. She feels like a schoolgirl with her first crush. “My face always gets a little bit red when I’ve been drinking.”

Kaydel stops in the middle of the sidewalk. Rey almost runs into her at the same time that Kaydel turns around. Kaydel’s eyes are narrow and pointed, but there’s no heat in the glare that she is giving Rey. Kaydel places her hands on Rey’s shoulders and stares at Rey for a few moments before she finally says, “You’re an absolute idiot.”

“Real nice, Kay,” Rey complains. “I’m really feeling bathed in your love right now.”

“You should always feel bathed in love when you are around me.” Kaydel sways slightly, increasing the weight pressing down on Rey’s shoulders. “But that doesn’t make you any less of an idiot.”

Rey huffs, blowing a stray piece of her hair out of her eyes. “Why don’t we just go home? You can tell me more about what an idiot I am while we drink some water.”

Kaydel shrugs, turning around and looping her arm through Rey’s as she starts walking again. “I’ve got nothing else besides you’re an idiot. But maybe you can tell me more about this plan and more about Ben. I think I’ll like him.”

***

“Princess?” Han yells from the front door. He is leaning against the open door and the smug smile on his face is maddening. It only grows the longer Ben just stares at him. “Our son is here.”

“What?” Ben can hear Leia ask from in the house. He can practically see her shocked face with the surprise he can hear in her voice. He hates that showing up unannounced is such a rare thing that he deserves this kind of reaction from his parents.

“Are you busy?” Ben asks, stepping forward to go into the house. Han moves just enough for Ben to squeeze by him. “I can always leave if you guys had plans.”

Leia walks toward him and slightly smacks his arm before wrapping her arms around him.

“I was just about to kick your dad’s ass at cards,” Leia says, pulling back. “You can help.”

Han pats Ben on the back as he walks toward the family room.

“Do you need money?” Leia questions, her eyes narrowing as they all sat down. “Are you finally going to let us help you?”

“No, Mom.” Ben tries to keep the irritation out of his voice, but he knows he isn’t very successful with the look Leia is giving him. “I don’t need money. I’m doing just fine. And my job is getting better. As I assumed you could tell, since I’m here visiting you.”

Leia purses her lips giving an almost imperceptible shake to her head. “One day of getting off at a reasonable time does not make the situation any better Ben. Especially when it’s a situation that you don’t even have to be in.”

“How’d you end up getting off so early anyway?” Han asks, giving Leia a look that Ben knows is him telling her to stop pushing. He shuffles the cards in his lap. “I don’t think that in the entire time you’ve been there you’ve gotten off before 10 without a lot of prearrangement.”

“I got off at 6.” Ben is a little too proud in the way he says it, as if getting off at a reasonable time is some kind of accomplishment Leia is going to want to hang on the wall. “So I’d say things are going much better.”

“Off at 6?” Han starts dealing out the cards. “And what did you do for the first few hours of your freedom?”

“I, uh, I went out for drinks with a…” Ben pauses, pretends that he is looking at his cards and contemplating his move. Maybe he should have just gone home and hung out with Poe. Poe was less likely than his parents to ask questions. Most of the time. “A friend. I went out for drinks with a friend.”

“A friend?” Leia repeats, her tone far too knowing. “Does this friend have a name? Do we know him?”

“Her,” Ben corrects, rolling his eyes at Leia’s inability to be subtle. “And her name is Rey. You don’t know her.”

“How did you two meet?” Leia places two cards face down in front of her without appearing to glance at them as she keeps her eyes on Ben.

Ben keeps his eyes on his cards, debating the best way to phrase the way he and Rey had met. He doesn’t quite think his mom will be too thrilled with the truth. That he had pretty much stolen Rey’s food delivery and then asked for her to pay him back with interest the next day.

Even he was aware that he was kind of an asshole in that story.

Somehow explaining that she’s an assistant in the same building as him who came up with an idea to set their bosses up so that they can have more free time doesn’t seem much better.

He decides on somewhere in the middle.

“She’s an assistant who works in the same building. We met when we both were trying to get dinner for our bosses late one night.”

“Uh huh,” Leia hums and Ben hates that Leia just knows that there is more to the story than he is telling. It’s always frustrated him the way Leia can pinpoint every time he tries holding something back from her. “And you two are bonding over work?”

Ben glances at Han, trying to signal for him to jump in and change the subject. Han just smirks and shakes his head.

Not that Ben can blame him.

“Poe is really excited about your birthday party,” Ben says instead of answering the question, trying to change the subject on his own. “Thanks for sending him an invite directly. Instead of just having him tag along with me.”

“Well, I wanted to make sure that he knew he was welcome whether or not you could make it,” Leia tilts her head to the side. “With your schedule it’s not that it’s a guarantee that you’ll be there.”

“I’ll be there,” Ben sighs. “I promise I will be there.”

“Good,” Leia grins. “And you should bring Rey. If you’d like. We always love meeting your friends.”

“Always,” Han adds, tossing a card onto the table. “I’m sure it would make your mom’s birthday to meet your new friend.”

“You both know that I’m 28 years old right?” Ben asks, glancing back and forth between the two of them. “And that there is no way I’m going to bring Rey, who I’ve known for less than two weeks, to Mom’s birthday lunch. I would consider telling Poe he isn’t allowed to come, but I’m pretty sure you’ve both run through all of my embarrassing stories with him already.”

“I’m sure I could come up with a few more,” Leia teases. ‘And this is exactly why I sent Poe his own invite.”

Ben runs a hand through his hair. “Can we just play cards? Go back to you giving me shit about my job?”

“Sure kid,” Han agrees. “But we really are looking forward to hearing more about Rey.”

***

“Okay, what about this spot?” Rey asks, turning her phone toward Kaydel so she can see the picture she has pulled up. It’s a gorgeous winery just outside of the city. The pictures show the grassy hills, with the perfectly planted flowers, and there is a little stage that could be used for a DJ or a band.

Kaydel crinkles her nose and shakes her head. “It’s too far away. I don’t want to have to leave the city for my engagement party.”

Rey nods, pulling her phone back and resumes scrolling through the different results of different venue ideas. “Well, what have you found over there?”

“This place looks nice,” Kaydel hands her phone over. “The rooftop is definitely a good size, and it has a bar already set up. I think this might be the place. And they have availability on most of the nights Rose isn’t scheduled to be on call at the hospital.”

Rey looks through the pictures. It’s perfect.

“I say book it then.” Rey gives the phone back to Kaydel. “And let me know what night you guys end up picking so I can make sure I can coordinate to have it off.”

“Maybe you’ll bring Ben,” Kaydel teases, rolling over onto her side on the couch. “I think I’d like to meet him.”

“Maybe I’ll bring one of the guys from that new dating app you signed me up for.” Rey shakes her phone in the air.

“Sure, you could do that.” Kaydel’s face is inquisitive as she continues. “Have you had any good matches?”

“No.” Rey sighs, tossing her phone onto her lap. “I have had zero good matches. I’m starting to think there’s no hope for me. I’ve looked through hundreds of matches, and just, nothing?”

Rey decidedly does not mention that part of the problem is that she has been comparing every match to Ben. It’s not a fair comparison. Not everyone can be tall and handsome and have annoyingly nice hair.

And it’s hard to get an idea if someone is insufferable in an endearing way in the few sentences that are posted in the bios she reads.

The truth is that it’s hard to get any sense of who a person is on a dating profile and it’s one of the main reasons Rey is pretty sure she is never going to have luck finding a date on one.

“So ask Ben,” Kaydel says as if it’s the most logical decision. “I’d like to meet the guy that’s helping make sure my best friend gets to attend all of the important things for my wedding. And he makes you smile, Rey. You should invite him.”

“Maybe,” Rey concedes, biting down on her bottom lip as she stands. “I’ll think about it. But it’s late and I’m going to bed. I love you, good night.”

Rey tries not to think too much about how Kaydel might have a point as she gets into bed. Ben does make her smile. A lot. He also makes her laugh. And, yeah, he can be a little infuriating sometimes, but if she’s being honest, she kind of likes that about him. There was also the kiss at the game.

It was a good kiss.

One Rey doesn’t mind thinking about while she falls asleep.

#reylo #reylo fic #reylo fanfic #reylo fanfiction #reylomovies #my fic

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autumn-foxfire · 4 years

Note

See I started to dislike Shig after the MVA arc. People were like 'he's changed so much' when he really just doubled down on his goal killing everyone. But most of all he ended up being God worshiped by Redesto and Spinner. Idc about Redesto, but I liked that Spinner challenged him cuz I hoped it'd get Shig to change his goal a little. That or he'd end up killing Spinner and cement himself as the big bad of the story, while also unsettling the League. (1)

(2)like Dabi doesn't really care about the League but he also doesn't question them morally like Spinner did. I think it sorta ruined Spinners character a bit having him continue to be vapid fan boy, just for Shig instead of Stain. And it took away the possibility for Shig to be challenged by people he might actually listen to. I realized that the story just wasn't going to utilize the lov the way I thought it would and unlike a lot of villain stans...

... I wasn't going to pretend it was. MVA arc had the opportunity to change Shig and make him have a better goal but passed it by and it's weird to me that so many lov stans rave about it. If the story was gonna go their way that was the arc it would have started so I honestly don't understand why they love it so much past it just having the characters they like in it. For me it just made me dislike Shig and lov because I realized they were just gonna get worse not better :/

^^^

I have similar complaints about the MLA arc too as well as just not liking the direction that Re-Destro and the MLA went in.

The arc started off pretty interesting with the League robbing over organizations to get by and hiding in the woods in the middle of nowhere, almost a joke to what the organization started out as. Spinner was beginning to question Shigaraki and his motives because he could now see that Shigaraki wasn’t a true follower of Stain and it was truly interesting to see! It was especially interesting considering Shigaraki didn’t really even get upset about being confronted (from what I recall) and kind of just brushed Spinner off.

They then get interrupted by Machia right? (which is another complaint for another time but I won’t get into that) and the conversation gets dropped in favour of fighting the walking mountain for a short while before they were taken to the doctors lab where Spinner heard Shigaraki’s goals said out loud for the first time and they certainly did not align with Stain’s ideals. The way Spinner looked at Shigaraki during these times you could see how conflicted he felt (and almost betrayed) over Shigaraki’s answer.

This could have been such a good opportunity to see Shigaraki or Spinner reflect on their goals in the League! Spinner didn’t have any fear to call out Shigaraki because he trusts him not to hurt his ally and yet we don’t really get to see Shigaraki confronted on his destructive views by anyone in the League besides, ironically, the Doctor (who found them childish).

Maybe it speaks more about Spinner’s character then Shigaraki’s though, how quickly he bent to the will of Shigaraki instead. Spinner wants a place to belong ultimately and while he paraded himself as a follower of Stain, he never truly was one, he just wanted a cause to back. He can’t claim he’s backing that cause anymore with Shigaraki being so open about not caring but he also doesn’t support it much himself either (if he did, he would have fought against Shigaraki’s plans more), so instead he found himself conflicted on what he wanted to do. Ultimately he decided he wants to stay beside Shigaraki despite his plans because Shigaraki gave him a place to belong anyway (and was shown to kinda protect his own).

And I get it! I’m disappointed we didn’t get to see Shigaraki challenged on his views anymore then briefly and all he really seemed to do was double down. It honestly made Shigaraki a much more terrifying as a villain because he just didn’t care, however it really did cement the fact that the League of Villains was not going to get any better as an organization. The days of being an underdog were gone and the League was finally on top and ready to show the world why they should be feared.

Sadly the fandom hasn’t really caught up to this yet though and still believe the League are a bunch of lost people who follow Stain’s will and want to change hero society. They truly believe the League is a good cause for change for some bizarre reason and it never fails to baffle me. I wonder if most villain stans truly like the League as they are in canon or if they’re stuck in the fanon view of them?

There’s nothing wrong with fanon, of course, but many of these fans get upset when it doesn’t become canon instead of acknowledging it never would.

#bnha #bnha manga spoilers #thanks for the ask!!#sorry for the strange tangent this went in #Anonymous

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actuallyvady · 3 years

Text

Vady Reads MDZS - Arrogance, part 2

An explanation of these posts can be found here

Wei WuXian meets Jing Ling, Jiang Cheng, and Lan WangJi while out looking for an evil thing to do his bidding. Jin Ling recognizes Mo XuanYu, Jiang Cheng wants to murder anyone who cultivates the demonic path, and Lan WangJi meddles because apparently it’s what he does.

More after the cut.

YAY WE MEET SOME IMPORTANT CHARACTERS!

… after a bunch of chapters where we don’t learn a lot, this feels overwhelming, but we’re meeting new characters and getting a lot of insight into who they are. Let’s break it down into a few categories:

The Jin Sect

Very wealthy

More powerful than the other sects

Known for being arrogant

Jin GuangShan:

Had a fuckton of bastard children because he slept around

Mo XuanYu was one of those bastards

The current sect leader, called Jin GuangYao, is also one of them, but is the only one that was ‘brought back’

Died in bed with a bunch of women and everyone knows it, despite the sect’s efforts to quiet the rumors

Was second to Jiang Cheng in contributing to WuXian’s downfall

Jin Ling:

Obviously highly ranked member of the Jin clan

Jiang Cheng is his uncle and they look a lot alike

Knows Mo XuanYu and is disgusted by him

Young and arrogant and angry

Has a very fancy and expensive sword that WuXian thinks is somehow familiar

Jiang Cheng

a n g e r y

Seriously that seems to be his most defining characteristic at the moment

Hates Wuxian and anyone who even vaguely reminds him of Wuxian-- hence the murder of anyone who follows the same cultivation path

Spoils Jin Ling. Like a lot. But in an angry way.

Also handsome? WuXian comments on him being young and handsome.

Has a ring on his finger that he strokes when he is feeling especially murderous

Lan WangJi

We now have three names for this man: Lan WangJi, Hanguang-Jun, and Second Young Master Lan

Incredibly beautiful, which our narrator (WuXian) spends a lot of time contemplating

Dresses all in white-- WuXian thinks of his garb as mourning clothes

Wuxian thinks his expression makes him look like his wife died

Doesn’t talk much but his disciples seem to understand him anyway

Uses the Lan silence spell on Jin Ling-- which is probably really rude, given Jiang Cheng’s reaction

Incredibly powerful; his strike completely overpowers Jin Ling’s, in spite of the fancy sword the kid has, and he destroys all of the nets on the mountain

Carries a very powerful and very pretty blade

Has fought both beside and against WuXian

Known for ‘being wherever the chaos is’-- he shows up to help even when the prey is too weak to help his own reputation

… that’s still a lot even broken up like that, lol. Okay, so, a lot of things happen here, some of which seem more important than others. Trying to be concise means a lot of bullet points, and only discussing some things.

First of all, WuXian’s actions. Last chapter he mentions that he has been digging up graves in search of powerful things to do his evil bidding; here, we see the result of that. He has a bag of spirits, one of which he uses to pin down Jin Ling. This works because it was someone who died “of gluttony.” WuXian puts a little paper man on Jin Ling’s back, and suddenly Jin Ling is weighed down by this spirit. Neat! So demonic cultivation doesn’t just involve raising and controlling corpses, it also involves using spirits as weapons. I love the tidbit that WuXian is very practiced at tripping people and slapping talismans on their backs. It’s not a particularly honorable way of fighting. But also-- he doesn’t harm Jin Ling at all. Once again, his narration talks a big game about wanting evil things, but his actions here are: humiliate the boy without hurting him, and free the helpless cultivators who would probably die if left alone.

Swords! We see two new fancy ones-- the sword Jin Ling carries (which WuXian feels like he’s seen before, but he’s seen a lot of fancy swords) and Bichen, Lan WangJi’s sword. For the first: it is fancy and expensive and exactly what WuXian needs to cut through the net! Convenient! WuXian is very familiar with Bichen, and the narrative calls it “one of” the most famous swords in the world-- WuXian’s own is probably on that list, given that he mentioned it was likely hung on a wall as a trophy at this point. Bichen is also excessively pretty. Fine and delicate and looking like it is made of ice but also incredibly heavy and only able to be wielded by someone incredibly strong. (We’ve already had WuXian comment on the Lan arm strength; here’s more evidence of it.)

Also, I am a slut for significant names, so let’s talk briefly about Bichen. Its name is 避尘, or Bìchén, which means “avoid dust” or, as one translation would have it, “dustproof.” The idea here is not that it literally doesn’t get dirty, but rather is a phrase talking about avoiding ‘worldly matters’-- it is a daoist idea, if I recall correctly. WangJi almost certainly named it (given what we later learn about how WuXian’s sword is named) which means it is an ideal he aspires to, and is probably something he learned growing up in the Lan clan. It therefore gives a bit of context to the Lan sect all running around in white-- if their ideals are about avoiding ‘dust’ then their appearance is an extension of that. They are all in white, pure as snow, and do not get involved in the messy business of worldly life.

Jiang Cheng is, of course, a character we’ve already had named (in the prologue), whose relationship to WuXian is known, and most of what we see here confirms what we heard in the beginning. He hates WuXian, a lot. WuXian knows it, and is afraid of him. He also does not care about any of the other cultivators on this hunt: he is there to make sure Jin Ling gets the prey, and he doesn’t care how much he has to spend or who he has to scare off to do it. It’s… sweet. In an angry way. I think the most important things revealed by that are that he will do anything for Jin Ling (in spite of how angry he seems, he cares a lot for the boy) and that he is definitely not above doing what others consider cheating if it means he gets what he wants.

Lan WangJi… oh, Lan WangJi, I love you so much. Let’s look at what we know about him from his introduction here. He is pretty, but austere; every descriptor is about ice and snow and moonlight, all things that are cold and distant. He looks like he is carved from jade, but his demeanor is cold, stern, unwavering. He doesn’t speak, in this brief introduction; he communicates through his actions and a significant glance at one of the juniors, who is apparently so accustomed to this that he knows exactly what WangJi meant. His actions, in this brief scene:

Stop Jin Ling from attacking Mo XuanYu, who is a complete unknown to him

Object to Jin Ling (and Jiang Cheng) ‘cheating’ at this night-hunt, though this is expressed by SiZhui

Destroy every single net Jiang Cheng placed on the mountain

Silence Jin Ling when he’s defending making the competition unfair

He is, in every way, portrayed as good and righteous, if cold and distant. His reputation, ‘being wherever the chaos is,’ supports this. WuXian counts him among his enemies, though he mentions having fought at his side before as well. WuXian thinks he is incredibly unlucky to have run into both Jiang Cheng and Lan WangJi; the former’s hatred makes it clear why, but the latter? WangJi is just… good, and therefore aligned opposite WuXian.

OH BOY I HAVEN’T EVEN TALKED ABOUT THE JIN CLAN YET.

The Jin clan, according to WuXian, is arrogant, flamboyant, thinks of themselves as being the greatest… and ultimately has an incredibly messy reputation, despite their best efforts. Jin GuangShan was a womanizer who died in an embarrassing way and left bastard children all over the countryside. His heir, the current sect leader, is one of those bastard children-- no mention is made here of any children by his wife. Mo XuanYu’s story now has some context; Jin GuangShan met the young lady of Mo, was smitten for a little while, then got bored and disappeared even though she had his son. He may have accepted Mo XuanYu as a disciple, but he did not give him the family name, as he did with Jin GuangYao.

If the Lan sect’s all white uniform is a reflection of the value they place on avoiding worldly matters, young Jin Ling showing up in flamboyant robes of gold is a reflection of the value of the Jin Clan: splendor, extravagance, arrogance. He does have a very powerful fancy sword, and the Jin sect is the one on top of the cultivation world at the moment, but we have seen disciples of two clans, and one came to Mo village to help while the other covered a mountain in nets so he would be the one who caught the prey. (Technically, we have also very briefly seen a Jiang disciple, but mostly he came to deliver bad news to his grumpy sect leader.)

Also, moments that are significant but we don’t know it yet: WuXian insulting Jin Ling by saying he has no mother, and asking why his uncle and not his dad. Ooooooops... but we’ll find that out in like the next chapter.

#VadyReadsMDZS #I am trying to be better about capitalizing both halves of two character names #like the translation does #anyway there is a looooot here and it's real hard to stick only with what has been shown so far lol #also i'm sure there are other things i could comment on but this is already very long

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ladyfogg · 4 years

Text

May I? - 19/20

May I? - 19/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back. Sorry for the delay. this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. Also, I've been playing a LOT of DND lately and it's eating up all my muse. Anyway, I hope to have the next update sooner than this one. Enjoy.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @capsfromtrek

Data allowed Faith to pull him along, taking the opportunity to leave Fajo behind. The smoke had filled the room at an alarming rate and had begun to enter the corridor. Faith seemed to be led by an invisible force, which Data could only conclude was Soshi.

They reached a fork in the hall and went right, the opposite direction of their rooms. Data did not know where they were being led. He only hoped they got there quickly.

Soshi's cloaking faded and they came to a stop outside a set of doors. On the other side was a room which they ushered Faith and Data into.

The room was tiny, especially with the bunk beds that had been shoved into it. They were empty but judging by the belongings gathered around the place, the area was regularly occupied.

Once safely alone, Faith pulled Data into a deep kiss, taking him off guard. Her hands wove themselves into his hair, practically yanking him down to her level.

Her mouth was hot and insistent, moving against his lips with barely contained enthusiasm. When she drew back, she was panting and he was sure he was too somehow.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Because of what you told Fajo,” she said, hugging him. “That was awesome.”

“Did I use the phrase correctly?”

“You definitely did. Good job.” Faith looked around. “Where are we?”

“This Oz'ods room. Fajo no come here. Safe for now,” Soshi assured them.

“Soshi, that was dangerous,” Data said. “You could have been hurt.”

“Mala! They were in the kitchen!” Faith exclaimed in a panic. “We have to go back for them!”

“Mala fine. Mala made explosion as distraction,” Soshi said. “Oz'ods decide to help Faith and Data so long as they bring Oz'ods with them.”

“Absolutely,” Faith said without hesitation.

“We would not be able to leave you here even if you did not choose to help us,” Data said. “Do you know where the others are?”

“Soshi unsure. Fajo no let us talk often.”

“Can you bring us to the bridge? From there we should be able to find them using the ship's sensors.”

“Soshi can try,” the alien said.

“What about the ship’s crew?” Faith asked. “I doubt they’d just let us stroll onto the bridge and take it over.”

“This ship is not as large as the Enterprise, therefore we can conclude the bridge only needs two or three individuals. I am more than capable of overpowering them.”

Faith smirked. “Yes, yes you are.”

Data detected a hint of arousal in her voice which he filed away for further analysis at a later date.

“Soshi knows where bridge lift is but no can open. Fajo lock it.”

“We can figure it out,” Faith said. “We just need to get there without Fajo seeing us. I’m sure he’s alerted security by now.”

“A safe assumption,” Data said. “Once on the bridge I can transfer all controls and lock the turbolifts to prevent access. However, it would be best if we found a way to incapacitate Fajo himself.”

“His shield makes it difficult,” Faith said. “If we can get our hands on a phaser, maybe we can modify it to target his shield directly.”

“Quite possible,” Data said. “I do have experience with his personal shield from our last dealings. I should able to make the modification without issue.”

“Great, let’s keep moving,” Faith said. “We don’t want to stay in one place for too long. Hopefully, we can get a phaser along the way.” She stepped out of her heels and tied the skirt of her dress into make-shift shorts.

Once s her movements were not impeded by her clothing, she nodded to Data and Soshi. Soshi cautiously opened the door to the room and poked their head out.

Alarms sounded throughout the ship and the group could hear voices coming their way. Quickly they took off in the opposite direction.

Soshi was in the lead, followed by Data and then Faith. For the first time since they arrived, Data could actually hear other people on the ship. In the distance, Fajo was yelling and with Data’s superior hearing, he could make out most of the directions he spouted.

They turned the corner and suddenly came face-to-face with a security guard. Before he could shoot or yell, Data knocked him unconscious.

“Nice work, babe,” Faith said as the android relieved the man of his phaser. “What do you need to make the adjustments?”

“I quiet room and at least thirty minutes.”

“This way,” Soshi said, continuing onward.

They took refuge in a small utility closet a few feet from where they stood. Soshi listened at the doors while Faith held the phaser for Data. His hands were moving so fast, she could not see what he was doing. But it was only a few short minutes later when he completed his work, a small smile on his face.

“This should damage Fajo’s shield. We would need to aim it at his belt in order for it to be effective. That is where the power of his shield is generated.”

“You hold onto it then,” Faith said. “I’m sure you’re a better shot than I am.”

“Yes, I am. Though I do not like the idea of you without a weapon.”

Faith pulled the knife from her dress. “No worries, I’m good.”

Soshi put their finger to their lips. Data and Faith grew silent, listening to the sounds of running feet.

“Don’t damage the android!” Fajo's voice was so loud he could only be right outside the doors. “The girl is expendable. I don’t care what you have to do, find them, and secure them.”

His voice faded as he kept walking and then there was silence.

“We must continue,” Data said. “Getting to the bridge is our best chance.”

Soshi cautiously led them back out into the hall. There was no longer any yelling but that did not ease the tension.

They moved as a single unit, clumped together with Soshi leading the way. After two near misses with a security guard, they eventually arrived at the lift.

“Hold this,” Data said, handing Faith the phaser. He recalled the access code to Fajo's safe all those years ago and entered it into the lift panel.

Remarkably, it worked. The lift was called and Faith stared at Data, dumbfounded.

“How did you know the code?” she asked.

“It was the only logical starting point,” Data said as the doors opened and he ushered her and Soshi through. “I am surprised he would use such a familiar set of numbers.”

The doors closed behind them.

“What if it was on purpose?” Faith asked. “He had to have known you would remember.”

Data understood her train of thought. “You believe it is a trap.”

“Quite possibly.” The lift began to move up. “I’m almost positive he’ll be waiting for us on the bridge.”

Data looked to their escort. “Soshi, can you extend your cloaking to someone else?”

“For not long time,” Soshi said.

“What are you thinking?” Faith asked Data.

Data handed Faith the phaser. “If Fajo is there, you and Soshi will cloak yourselves. I will distract him so you may sneak up behind him.”

“And shoot his shield,” Faith concluded.

“Then I will be able to subdue him.”

“Worth a try.”

Three seconds later the turbolift opened and they found themselves on a very empty bridge. They cautiously stepped forward and looked around.

Faith made a move towards one of the coms but Data made her pause, his hand on her shoulder.

“I do not trust it,” he said.

Suddenly Faith jerked forward and fell to the ground. The phaser skidded across the floor and disappeared.

Data whirled around in time to see Fajo uncloaking behind them, obviously laying in wait as Faith had suggested.

By his feet, Mala lay bound and gagged, their small hand touching Fajo's ankle. He had clearly forced them to help him.

As Data watched, Fajo pressed a button on his belt with his free hand, activating his personal shield.

“Nice distraction,” Fajo said, kicking Mala's hand away. The phaser he had just knocked Faith out with was pointed at her as he kept eye contact with Data.

Data knelt to check Faith’s pulse, but Fajo snapped. “No sudden moves!”

“I must check to see if she is alive,” Data insisted.

“Do it. Slowly.”

Data pressed his fingers to Faith’s wrist, grateful when he felt the steady beat of her pulse. As he pulled his hand away, her fingers touched his briefly, her subtle way of letting him know she was conscious.

“If you want her to live, get back to your old room and sit on your chair,” Fajo ordered.

Data slowly stood. “I will not.” Something was happening to him, something he had only experienced once before. His breathing became shallow and his jaw clenched as he began to shake.

“Damn it, why? Why do you make me do these things?”

“I am not making you do anything,” Data said. “Your actions are your own and you know I cannot allow them to continue. I could not last time and I will not this time. Not after you hurt Faith.”

“Stars, why are you so attached to her? She’s just going to grow old and die while you remain perfect.”

Data felt something touch his hand and he glanced down to see nothing there. He could sense Soshi by his side however and relaxed his fist so the Oz'od could slip the phaser into it. The moment his fingers closed around the device, he fired at Fajo.

Taken off guard, Fajo flew backward from the blast. Mala yelled while Data was also sent flying from the force of the weapon’s discharge. Fajo’s shield flashed twice before it faded and he swore.

He tried to regain his footing but Faith lept into action. She stood and launched herself as Fajo, knocking him back to the ground. They fought, struggling for his phaser.

Data followed their movements with his own weapon but was unable to get a clear shot of Fajo without harming Faith. As Data scrambled to get up and assist, he saw Fajo backhand her across the face with his weapon. It split her cheek open, causing blood to run down her face.

Faith grabbed Fajo's wrist and slammed it against the floor, trying to get him to drop the weapon. Fajo grabbed her and Data heard a snap before Faith screamed in pain. Fajo kicked her off of him before seizing her by the hair and getting to his feet.

“This is all your fucking fault!” he snarled.

He slapped his belt and the shield popped up again, this time surrounding them both.

Data was mid-charge and had to stop himself as to not run into the shield. “Fajo, let her go,” he demanded, a tremor to his voice he did not recognize.

“I think not,” Fajo said, dragging Faith towards the lift. “In fact, I know beings way worse than Enil who would pay good money for a human female. Or maybe I’ll just keep her for myself.”

“Fuck you!” Faith snapped.

Data saw the knife glint in her hand and the next second she had driven it into the mechanism of Fajo's belt. He yelled as sparks flew and released her in surprise, allowing Faith to roll away.

For a second time Fajo's shield faded and this time when he pointed his phaser at Faith, Data shot it out of his hand.

The android's vision went red and anger more visceral than the time with the Borg washed over him. He stalked towards the man, hand clutching his weapon so tight that it bent, making it no longer functional. Data was undeterred.

He did not need a weapon.

He was on Fajo a second later, yanking his up by the collar of his shirt and throwing him across the room. The man landed hard but that was not enough for Data. He needed to pay for hurting Faith.

Data crossed the room in two quick strides, teeth bared. Before he could stop himself, his fist sank into Fajo’s jaw, instantly breaking it.

“You will not touch Faith,” he ground out, punching Fajo again, and again, and again.

All he could picture was the blood on Faith’s face and how Fajo had struck her.

There was a strange ringing sound in his ears as Data was consumed by pure unfiltered rage. It was not until he felt a tug on his arm that he realized the noise was Faith calling his name.

“Data! Data! THAT’S ENOUGH!” her voice was sharp and commanding, a tone he had never heard her use before.

Realizing what had happened, Data pulled back from a bleeding Fajo, his body shaking uncontrollably. He turned to Faith, who was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. One hand was cradled to her chest, the wrist bend in an odd direction indicating that it was broken.

Seeing her bleeding and injured seemed to fuel the rage. But her wide brown eyes helped him suppress it.

“Data?” she asked. Her voice was no longer sharp and strong, but soft and almost meek. “Data, what was that just now?”

“I…” Data could not find sufficient words. “I do not know what came over me. I saw him hurt you and I got angry.”

His brain registered the pain in her expression and how her body was hunched and tense. He sought to comfort her, to hold her as he had done before.

“You are injured.”

He reached for Faith but she flinched away from his touch. It was masked as movement, as her trying to move around him to check on Fajo, but his sharp eyes saw it for what it really was.

She was scared of him.

In the corner, Soshi had freed Mala and held them close, also staring at Data warily.

Wincing in pain, Faith knelt to check Fajo’s pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s alive but he needs medical attention.”

The ship rocked violently as it was hit by something.

Data immediately took to the empty pilot’s chair while Faith took the com station.

“Looks like no damage,” she said. “We’re being hailed.”

“Kivas Fajo! This is Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. We have your ship in our tractor beam. Surrender yourself and give us our officers back.”

Data turned on the view screen and Picard’s face greeted them. “Lieutenant Commander Data here, sir. Fajo has been…subdued.”

Picard gave them a relieved smile. “I’m glad to see both of you,” he said. “It’s been quite a few days.”

Data’s eyes slid over to meet Faith’s but she did not hold his gaze for long. Her face was still bleeding and she busied herself by checking her injured hand.

“We’re beaming you out of there immediately,” Picard continued.

“Sir, the Oz’ods require transport as well,” Data said as Soshi and Mala came to stand by Faith’s side. “We do not know where the others are being kept. It seems Fajo locked them away.”

“I will send a team to sweep the ship immediately,” Picard said. “In the meantime, transporter two, prepare four to beam to the Enterprise and one directly to sickbay.”

Data recognized the pull of the transporter and a moment later, the four of them were standing in the transporter room. Mala and Soshi shrank back in fear, hiding behind Faith as soon as they saw O’Brien. She turned to comfort them when the doors opened and Deanna entered with, Toka, the other Oz’od. Once they saw their companion, Soshi and Mala broke into the same language it spoke and the three rushed to embrace.

Faith smiled but Data was too focused on her to pay attention to the reunion. She had yet to look him in the eye since his attack on Fajo. Deanna came to her side, slipping her arm around the young woman and examining her wrist.

A moment later, the doors opened again and Picard and Riker entered.

Data stepped off the transporter to greet them.

“It’s damn good to see you two,” Riker said with a smile. He gestured to the cut on Faith’s cheek. “You should have Dr. Crusher take care of that.”

“Yeah, I think my wrist is broken as well,” she said, cradling her arm to her chest. Deanna rubbed comforting circles on her back.

“Captain, permission to escort Faith to sickbay before I provide my report,” Data requested.

“Permission granted, Mr. Data,” Picard said.

Faith however gave Data a tight smile. “That’s alright, Data. I’ll be fine. The important thing is scanning the ship for the rest of the Oz'ods,” she said. “The captain should also know right away what Fajo has done.”

Data was confused by her dismissal. He wanted to question her but understood it was not the appropriate time. She needed medical attention. “If you wish.”

“I’ll take her,” Riker said. “I need to pay a visit to Mr. Fajo.”

“And I shall escort our guests to their quarters,” Deanna said, arm slipping from Faith as Riker helped the injured woman from the transporter.

“Soshi grateful,” the Oz'od spoke up. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“It was our pleasure,” Picard said with a smile. “Please let us know if you require anything.”

Deanna smiled and gestured for the Oz'ods to follow her. Riker and Faith followed. She cast a final glance at Data, smile not quite reaching her eyes before she averted her gaze.

“Mr. Data, it seems you have a lot to tell me,” Picard said.

Data’s focus was still on Faith, watching as she left the transporter room with Commander Riker. “Yes, Captain. I do.”

#commander data #lt commander data #Data Soong #data tng #star trek next generation

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megaminds-destiny · 4 years

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We know that Megamind never felt like he had control over who he was or how he was going to be seen.

Roxanne on the other hand has always had a say over who she was and what she did in her life. Even in the times that she was kidnapped, she was always able to rise above petty emotions such as fear, or feeling helpless- no that was never an issue even as she was held captive. She has a will of iron, and the confidence to match! So why can’t Megamind? He can make a show and act all confident and puff himself up at times, but when it comes down to the real things that happen to him in life, he just seems to completely deflate, as if all that confidence and self esteem was nothing more than hot air. She doesn’t understand why he can’t just own up to his actions, admit what he has done and decide- completely for himself- who he wants to be instead. There’s nothing to it honestly. He’s being such a worry wuss over the whole thing, there’s no such thing as destiny. You make your choices based on what you think is what is best for yourself (keep others in mind too) and that is CLEARLY what he was doing as a villain (excluding the part about caring about other people too.) why else would he become a supervillain? Take over the city? Trick her into dating him without giving her an insight for judgement- like?? He must have got something out of it, and yet he keeps on acting as if he was actually the victim. As if he ‘never wanted to be a villain’ or something like that. He could say the same thing that he ‘never wanted to trick her’, and in fact, Roxanne can recall him saying things like that in the past. If he really didn’t want to trick her, then he shouldn’t have freaking gone and tricked her. It was so simple, and yet he has such a habit of over complicating things. Sometimes the world can try to influence you, but in the end, you are always in control of your own decisions. The tricky part to that was explaining it.

Sure, Megamind admires Roxanne and her confidence, but he would be damned if he knew how she got it. Maybe just because she is amazing and beautiful and smart, which let’s be honest, he could never be one of those things. If we begin with beautiful (or in this case handsome) there’s really no question about it. He’s an alien. Skinny as a stick, he doesn’t so much as match another person on this entire planet! His skin complexion- blue. The literal exact opposite to every other persons skin tone. Even the difference between the palest of the pale and the darkest of the dark skin tones in the human race were only different shades of the same colour. His couldn’t be further from the picture. His head, big and bulbous on the top, tapering so dramatically into a thin pointy jawline, there’s nothing about him that didn’t stand out, get pointed at, made fun of, stared at relentlessly! He can claim the title of handsome all he ever wants, but in reality, people only had to briefly cast a glance his way to become just how aware that it was otherwise.

Smart... it was complicated. Sure, he knew he was intelligent. It seemed that his race had a particularly high IQ, but with this high intellectual intelligence consuming majority of his learning capacity, he was able to become quite aware that he had next to no emotional or social intelligence. At times even plain old practical intelligence, or ‘common sense’ went flying out the window to make room for some of his inventions! No, Roxanne was in truth, the really intelligent one. She was able to decipher most of his plans before they had even been carried out. She could read him like a book, and react in ways he never imagined and render him baffled (and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor at the hands of Metro Man himself, having been so distracted by her it had cost him his entire game) No, his intelligence wasn’t even in competition with others truly, albeit his defining trait. What really was good about him? Or even bad about him? It was almost as if he was... somehow neither. Was he the Yin, or the Yang of this story..? With real experience on both, it was hard to decide. Mostly, he wanted to do what was expected of him. There’s really not much else. As a kid of course, he TRIED to go his own way, and the pushback was so severe it had left him bleeding away. All this time, he thought he was doing the right thing by the people by filling this role. Of course, he was aware that what he was doing was bad, but somebody had to do it right? That was what they had all told him. In fact, he read up on the Yin and Yang. A lot of features regarding the concept all pointed toward one rule- for there to be good, there must also be evil, and that is how the universe is balanced out. That was right. That was exactly what he’d been told. He never HEARD what his parents were wanting to say to him. They placed a destiny upon him that he never even got to know! He was left to his devices to figure it out for himself. And he fought so hard for the destiny he made up in his brain that he wanted! He wanted to do good things, and be loved or appreciated by some people, not excessively, just maybe not so much hated, and somehow it hadn’t worked out. He was a kid. He thought... he didn’t realise that it wasn’t up to him at that time. He hadn’t realised for so long, that his destiny was already chosen, and he was fighting it for so long- no wonder he had been miserable! That’s what you get, for fighting your fate. Pain, and suffering, and hatred, and misery. Bruises, cuts, blood and fractures, be pushed and shoved and yelled at and called names and made fun of and deprived and God it had been so awful, there’s still fear.

There is no way he is making that mistake again. If the city.... if they change their mind... with the hero being gone he supposes... now that there’s no good, he can finally change. Because they told him to. Because fate lead him there.

Fate.

‘The path we choose for ourselves’

That was crap and he knew it. There had been a couple of things that happened, he felt that maybe from here on, as the good guy he had the choice. Like Metro Man, but Roxanne was not at all impressed by Metro Man’s choice. As if the man had single handedly upset the universal balance, and by the looks of things he really had. There has never been more crime and destruction in this city than there is now. Megamind didn’t have a choice actually. Metro Man had for a lack of better words- f**ked up. And now, it had messed up Megamind’s position in the world (in a way that he had always dreamed about, but still) and it had directly caused a massive rise in evil in the common people, that wasn’t there before.

If he had ever needed any more proof that this Yin and Yang was truly the way of things, and that he had a destiny assigned to him from the universe, this was certainly it for him. It really couldn’t be more clear than now. And you know what else?

He didn’t make a very good hero.

It was hard work to do this job... harder than he had expected. There were some very evil people around that he had initiated run ins with, and come out looking like the loser of the fight (though thankfully, he hadn’t actually lost one completely yet) and if seemed SO hard to just keep things running peaceful.

‘Perfect and Rosy’

He was definitely inadequate, but God how relieving it was to finally have some people be just a big kinder to him, and obviously not everyone, more so it was a bit like just some people had come around to understand his change of fate, and that’s correct, it definitely wasn’t a change of heart, a change of decision, a change of uncontrollable Destiny assigned to him and followed through obediently by him. And this was where Roxanne had stoped understanding and begin to question- well pretty much the lot of it. He had tried to explain these things, but she seemed insistent that all these things were up to him. Imagine what could actually happen in the world of Megamind just suddenly up and declared- “I’m going to be a painter instead!” or “I’m going to leave the city and milk cows for a living!” No. The universe had purposely shoved him into these positions. If anything, it had seemed like he hadn’t been obedient ENOUGH, and he had some sweet little and also more impressive sized scars to prove it. If he just went and chose something wrong, there would most certainly be a punishment. And if it wasn’t for him, it would be cast upon someone else. And he couldn’t risk something like that happening again. Never again.

———————

So this was just a sketch I had done- a kind of crappy sketch, I did it mostly because I haven’t done a drawing in ages- but despite that I had no idea what I was doing when I started, I was starting to get somewhere with it in my head by the time I ended, and so it turned into a snippet of an argument between Roxanne and Megamind. I can’t help but imagine them fighting like this a lot after the end of the movie. The reason being, that Megamind’s actual main problem in life really never got solved. He did nothing but what he was expected to ever since that day they finally broke him as a child, and never tried to become or ask for more ever again. During the movie, hope started to arise inside of him that maybe now, things could finally be different since the situation had changed. He never broke any rules or actively tried to change his position, his role or his life in any way, he simply took the opportunities as they came to him instead of rejecting them like a proper villain would do. It didn’t seem bad at first, but because of what he did, because he tried a second time to acquire normal person privileges- because he tried once more to reject his Destiny assigned role, he paid his absolute highest cost for it as a punishment, and lost all the people he had ever held dear. That would be the last time he tried to fight against this ‘Fate’ this ‘Destiny’ of his that was hell bent enough on making him he someone he had never wanted to be, in a situation that did nothing but hurt him in silent but consistent way, or else suffer the consequences- now in the end of the movie obviously Megamind makes a comment about rejecting the idea of Fate and Destiny controlling his life, but the problem is he only says that because he’s not a villain anymore. Because the situation changed. The city lost the hero, the universe lost its Yang. In this situation, Fate would have it that he step up and be the new Yang, now that there is also a new Yin. Destiny is still in control, he never got to choose anything that happened or anything that he did. He STILL is stuck under the universes rule, that he must take what cards he is dealt Or Else, terrible things. And just like before he is going to continue to live in fear, now instead of fear of not being the perfect villain, a top notch bad guy, or else he gets bullied, made fun of, pushed back and called names- now it’s that he needs to be just a different kind of perfect. A perfect hero, who wears only white and doesn’t own weapons or creepy spiders. A perfect hero who always arrives on time, always saves the victim in question, always stops the bad guy from getting away, never fails to prevent something terrible from happening because it’s his brand new, shiny white, full time, life consuming job! That he would have chosen, but wasn’t given the open ended question. He complied to being pushed into this- and so therefore no one realises how bad for him this really is, it’s something he wanted for sure- but he never gets to choose his life for himself. No one ever tells him that it was just plain old bullying and terrible people that hurt him, not a punishment from the Entity labbeled ‘Fate’. If he messes up, he actually SHOULD be forgiven, he should be allowed to make his own chooses, mess up and learn from it, try things he turned out not to like. He’s never had a sense of freedom in his life, and no one will just sit down for a second and explain to him that it’s wrong. He’s had his rights absolutely taken from him, and replaced with an artificial mindset, a man made set of rules that he is manipulated into thinking that he HAS to folllow (otherwise that’s where the punishment comes in) he doesn’t have the option to go around and question this, I’m just about 100% sure he’s never even thought of it and that’s because he’s convinced that this entire thing is truth. It’s not. It was a fabrication that people used to get what they wanted out of him. And it never got solved.

#i probably took this a little too far #i just really wished that someday somebody would tell Megamind #hes allowed to be completely himself and make mistakes too #and if anyone hurts him just for that it is NOT justified #megamind #megamind 2010 #dreamworks #animated movies #analysis #rant #whump writing #hurt/comfort #movies #animation #art #traditional art #sketch #drawing #fanart

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